IN WHICH A CLEVERLY DISGUISED TRAP SNAPS SHUT

Days passed. Then weeks. Then months. The students who were closely affected by Ron's past predicament could still hardly believe he was back and sometimes even Merloyn, who prided herself in her self-control, found it hard not to just shout for joy. It was one of those happy days that Seamus Finnigan was paid an unexpected visit.

"Dad!" he called as he saw the familiar figure walking around the halls of Hogwarts.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he ran towards the dazed figure.

"Well," Albert Finnigan replied. "I'm just so happy that you got such good grades for your exams I figured I'd give you a surprise visit and take you for lunch or something."

"Sure dad! And guess what? Today being a Saturday and all we can go right now!" Seamus replied enthusiastically.

"How 'bout you bring your girlfriend Ginny along? I've always wanted to meet her."

"How did you kno … Oh, who cares. She's gong to The Three Broomsticks with her brother and a few friends."

"Well, let's invite them all. C'mon. I'll wait for you near the horse-less carriages," came his father's reply before the man walked off in the direction of the Great Hall.

"Hey, dad! Do you even know where they are?" his son called back without an answer.

~*~

"Hello, Merloyn," greeted Mr. Finnigan as his son stood back, still startled at the fact that his father knew the names of all his friends and the fact that he was particularly kind to Parvati, a girl he had only met a few times before.

"Not meaning to sound rude or anything Mr. Finnigan but where are we eating? I'm starving!" Draco burst out all of a sudden. A few of the teenagers looked at him strangely but the elder man just smiled.

"Of course Draco. There's a good 'rant I've heard of in the back of Hogsmeade. C'mon kids."

And with that the 7 teenagers, Ginny, Seamus, Parvati, (Lavender and Dean couldn't come because they were on a date) with Harry, Ron and the two Malfoy twins bringing up the rear, walked down towards the back streets of Hogsmeade.

"Hey, Ron," Merloyn said unclasping their entwined hands to fix her ponytail. "I thought Seamus said his Dad's never been to Hogsmeade before."

"He did," Ron replied.

"This isn't good," Draco concluded. "Something seems fishy about this."

"He sure knows a lot about us,"

"Yeah, Harry. Too much,"

"Only posh purebloods use the term 'rant,"

"And the way he keeps looking at Parvati,"

"It wasn't a trap,"

"Hey wait! Isn't that Old Loony's house?" Draco suddenly asked pointing to a small shack.

Merloyn came to an abrupt halt. "And that's the old training school!"

"We're in the Dark part of Hogsmeade," her twin agreed. "This place is swarming with Death Eaters. Or what used to be Death Eaters anyway"

And as if to prove his point an old, gangly man in a silver hooded robe walked pass them.

"I could've sworn that was Master Kiel," Merloyn said to Draco.

Then a look of comprehension appeared on her face.

"It WAS a trap.  They figured that we'd work out that Albert Finnigan was a muggle and therefore use it against us. I mean, did it ever occur to any of us that he could've just been an embarrassed Squib?" she whispered. "Finnigan's working for Raven. I'd bet my right hand on it. The older one…"

There was an uncomfortable silence before:

"RUN!!" Merloyn screamed while making a wild dash towards an old secret passage she had uncovered years back near the training school. "PARVATI, SEAMUS, GINNY RUN!! IT'S A TRAP!"

But it was too late. They were surrounded by servants of the new resident evil. Some old faces, some new. Young and old alike, they seemed to appear from everywhere, behind fences, inside barrels, apparating out of nowhere. Each and everyone of them hooded in a robe of silver and letting off a sense of cold menace. They could almost replace the Dementors of Azkaban.

"I remember teaching you to be alert at all times Merloyn," came the voice of the figure she had recognised as Master Kiel. "You failed me. Again."

"We meet at last, Merloyn Ensis Malfoy. I've always wondered what it's be like to outsmart a laudabilis. Not as hard as it seems eh?" came another. This time she couldn't tell who it was.

And finally, came the voice they dreaded most of all. One that Ron and Merloyn hated and feared even more than Voldemort himself. The voice of Raven.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A family outing is it? Pity it'll have to end so soon. Good work Finnigan. If only your son was as wise. Now, fine Skull Fighters, let us finish this back home. Greenleaf, Hilbrim, Tsarmina and Verduaga. I leave you in charge of dealing with these two insolent traitors and their filthy associates."

With that, and a quick glare sent Merloyn's way, he was gone.