Tonks arrived at Grimmauld place early, to escort Dawn and Buffy to the Ministry of Magic. Dawn had flooed from Hogwarts the afternoon before, and met Buffy there. They had spent the evening together, having a 'sister's night' out on the town.

Tonks had come early enough for them all to go out for breakfast together. While Kreacher was doing a much better job at keeping the house clean than he had been, no one really trusted him to cook yet. Besides, Tonks enjoyed the novelty of eating in a Muggle restaurant from time to time. Unlike many wizards she wasn't completely lost when moving around in the Muggle world. Her father was a Muggle and she had grown up with lots of exposure to it.

They took the underground to central London after they had finished their breakfasts. They got off the train, and rode the escalator up to a busy road in the heart of the city. Tonks led them for a few blocks down a side street, into a much dingier part of London. The buildings were less imposing here, and there was graffiti written on the walls. She took them to an old phone booth, with broken panes of glass in it. "Get in."

Buffy looked around uncertainly. "You sure this is the place."

Dawn got into the phone booth. "Harry told me about this, Buffy. Think 'Get Smart'."

"Alright." Buffy still didn't look like she thought it was a good idea, but she followed Dawn into the booth.

Tonks came in last, and struggled to close the door. It was a tight fit with all three of them inside the booth. She lifted the receiver on the ancient looking telephone. She muttered the numbers under her breath as she twisted the rotary dial. "Six…two…four…four…two!" She replaced the receiver.

A woman's voice filled the phone booth. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Auror Tonks, escorting Dawn Summers, witness for the Zabini trial, and Buffy Summers," said Tonks clearly.

"Thank you," said the voice. "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the fronts of your robes."

A couple of square silver badges rattled out of the coin return slot. Tonks took them, and after a glance to tell which was which, she handed the correct badges to Buffy and Dawn. Dawn looked at her badge and saw that it read 'Dawn Summers, Zabini Trial Witness.' She looked at the badge that Buffy was pinning to her jacket. It simply read 'Buffy Summers, Visitor.'

"Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium," said the voice as the phone booth started to shudder. Dawn felt herself sinking, and watched the ground start to rise up around them.

They were soon encased in total darkness, and Dawn discovered that she had acquired a bit of a case of claustrophobia during her recent experience. She felt her heart start to race, and she started to gasp for air.

"Are you okay?" asked Buffy.

"Can't breath!" said Dawn. She knew she was being silly, but she couldn't keep her rising panic at bay.

Buffy's arms went around her. "Hey, you're going to be okay. It won't be long. It won't be long, right?"

"We're almost there," said Tonks. "Sorry, if I'd known, we could have come in by floo."

Buffy's arms were helping to calm her. "No, I'm okay," gasped Dawn. "I'm just being stupid."

"You're not stupid," said Buffy. "Uh…maybe a little light might help?"

"Of course!" Dawn felt Tonks try to reach for her wand in the cramped space, but a golden sliver of light appeared down by their feet before she could get it out. It quickly grew as the telephone booth dropped down into the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. It came to a stop, and the door sprang open.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," said the woman's voice.

Dawn pushed her way out of the phone booth as quickly as she could. She stood trembling, and gulping in deep breaths of air.

"Are you alright?" asked Buffy. "We don't need to do this."

Dawn had her breathing under control again. "Yes we do. I'm fine…I was just having a bit of a flashback there." She held out her hand—it was still trembling a bit. "See…everything's under control."

"You'll be fine," said Tonks. She reached into her purse and pulled out a set of Dawn's school robes. She gave them a brief shake to make the wrinkles disappear before she handed them to Dawn. "Here, put these on. You want to make the right sort of impression for the jury." Dawn started to put on her robes as Tonks pulled out a set of her own Auror's robes. She put them on while Dawn was attaching her name tag.

Dawn looked around the Atrium while Tonks led them toward the security desk. Witches and wizards were bustling back and forth across it, to and from the rows of fireplaces that lined the sides. There were frequent cracks of people apparating. The most prominent feature seemed to be a large tent in the middle of the floor. Dawn saw the sign beside it as they passed: 'The Fountain of Magical Brethren—Grand re-unveiling coming June 12.'

Tonks took Buffy and Dawn to the security desk near the golden doors that the witches and wizards were passing through. "Wotcher, Eric!"

"'Allo Tonks," said the bored looking wizard behind the desk. "Who do we have here?"

"A witness for the Zabini trial," said Tonks, "and her sister."

"Step over here," the wizard told Buffy and Dawn, indicating a space beside his desk. They did as they were told, and he waved a long golden rod around them. Dawn felt like she was going through airport security.

The wizard put away the rod, and held out his hand. "Wands?"

Dawn handed over her wand, and he placed it on a brass tray of a strange instrument on his desk. It started to vibrate, and disgorged a slip of parchment. He ripped it off, and read the writing on in. "Ebony, nine and a half inches, hair of a Slayer?" He blinked, and lost his bored expression. He looked up at Dawn. "Is that right?"

"Yep," said Dawn. "Is there a problem?"

"Er…uh…no." He stuck the parchment on a brass spike, gave Dawn her wand back, and held out his hand to Buffy. "Your wand?"

"Sorry," said Buffy. "No wand."

The wizard looked more surprised. "You're a Muggle?"

"Not exactly," Buffy tilted her head toward Dawn. "It's my hair."

"Er…" The wizard seemed to be at a complete loss for words.

Tonks put her hands on Buffy's and Dawn's shoulders. "Come on." She started to guide them toward the doors. "Can't keep the Wizengamot waiting, Eric!" she tossed back over her shoulder to the security wizard.

Tonks took Dawn and Buffy through into a smaller chamber with a bank of about twenty antique looking elevators, with golden grilles for doors. She hesitated for a moment. "If the lift's a problem for you, we can take the stairs," she told Dawn.

Dawn shook her head. "No…no problem," she told Tonks. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as the witch.

"Okay, this way." Tonks pressed the button for a down elevator.

"Farther down?" asked Buffy.

"'Fraid so," said Tonks.

The grille opened, and Tonks indicated that Buffy and Dawn should enter. Another wizard made to follow them, but a look from Tonks made him stop. "I'll catch the next lift," he mumbled, as he stepped back.

Tonks smiled at him. "Thanks." She followed Buffy and Dawn into the elevator, and the grille closed behind her. She looked at Dawn, who had her eyes closed, and was breathing deeply, like for her meditation exercise. "You okay?"

"I'm okay," said Dawn. "It's just…six by six rooms with bars on the doors are no longer on my list of favourite things."

"We're only going down one floor," said Tonks.

The voice from the phone booth announced "Department of Mysteries." The grille opened again.

Tonks took Dawn and Buffy down a bare hall, with no doors or windows, except for a plain black door at the far end. Dawn thought that they would go through it, but Tonks took them through an opening that Dawn hadn't seen on the left. It led to a stairway, taking them farther down. It reminded Dawn of the stairway leading down to Snape's dungeon. It took them into a long, dark hallway, with heavy wooden doors spaced along it.

Tonks opened one of the doors, and waved Dawn and Buffy through it. It admitted them into a comfortable waiting room, with soft chairs for people to sit in, and a large picture window looking out over a mountain valley. Dawn went to the window. "I thought we were underground? And in the middle of London."

"We are," said Tonks. "It's a magic window. Maintenance must be in a good mood, the view down here is usually something dismal."

"We can't watch the trial?" asked Dawn.

"Not until after you've finished your testimony," said Tonks. "Wouldn't want the defense claiming that your testimony was tainted by hearing that of other witnesses." She looked at Buffy. "You can watch if you want."

"No, I'll wait here with Dawn, if that's okay."

"That's fine," said Tonks. "We'll have someone show you to the visitor's gallery, when it comes time for Dawn. It shouldn't be long, she's scheduled to be one of the first witnesses."

Dawn sat down, and leafed through the pile of magazines on the table in front of her. It seemed that wizard waiting rooms weren't much different from Muggle ones. There wasn't a single magazine in the pile more recent than six months old. She picked up an old copy of Which Broomstick. The cover article was proclaiming the virtues of the 'brand new' Nimbus 2002…the broom that Ginny had gotten used from Oliver Wood.

She had barely started to read the article when another wizard in Auror's robes came into the room. "Dawn Summers?" he asked.

Dawn put down her magazine. "That's me."

"Would you come with me, please?"

"Okay." Dawn looked around at Buffy and Tonks. "See you later." She got up and followed the wizard out of the room. She was a little surprised to see Mad Eye Moody in the hall outside, but he merely nodded a greeting to her. The wizard escorting her seemed to shy away from him a bit as they passed.

Dawn was shown into the court room. She had been told what to expect by Harry. She found herself in a large square room with no windows. It was lit by torches burning in brackets on the stone walls. All of the walls were lined with tiers of benches, and it didn't look like there was a single vacancy. She caught a bit of motion out of the corner of her eye, and when she looked she saw some rather annoyed looking witches and wizards making a little more room for Mad Eye Moody and Buffy. It seemed that no one wanted to argue with the retired Auror.

The wizard escorting Dawn took her to a slightly raised box on the right side of the court room, looking across to the benches on which the jury was sitting. The witches and wizards of the Wizengamot were sitting to her right. Dawn was feeling butterflies the size of bats in her stomach as she stood in front of the chair, and looked around. They were calmed a bit by seeing the smiling and confidant face of Professor Dumbledore in the center of the front row of judges. She saw other witches and wizards seated behind tables to her left, and in a chair in the center of the room was Aloysius Zabini.

"Raise your wand hand," said the Auror who had brought Dawn in. She did so. "Do you swear the testimony that you are about to give to be the truth?" he asked.

"I do."

"You may be seated," said the Auror.

A witch, also dressed in Auror's robes, rose from behind one of the tables. Dawn recognised Amelia Bones, the head of Magical Law Enforcement, from pictures she'd seen in the Daily Prophet. "Please state your name and address, for the record."

"Dawn Summers, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Your permanent address," said Ms. Bones.

"Uh…well, it used to be 1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale California, but that's kinda under water now," said Dawn. "We hadn't really settled down anywhere new before I got invited to Hogwarts." There was a bit of light laughter from around the room.

"I think we can accept 'Hogwarts' as Miss Summers' address," said Professor Dumbledore.

"Yes, Your Honour," Ms Bones inclined her head slightly toward the Professor. Dawn wondered for a bit about what she had called him. She had seen some British courtroom dramas, and knew that their judges were usually called 'My Lord,' but on further reflection that title sounded very…Muggle to her; and she could almost hear the 'u' that got added to distinguish the title from that of an American judge.

Ms Bones turned her attention back to Dawn. "Could you please, in your own words, describe the events that took place, starting on the afternoon of Wednesday, March twenty-fourth?"

Dawn told the story again of how she had been kidnapped, and then tortured for information about the location of the Key. Amelia Bones sometimes prompted her to provide a little more detail, and guided her through the sequence of events, but she mostly let Dawn tell the story with few interruptions.

When Dawn was finished the Auror who had brought her into the courtroom brought out a small table that had half a dozen familiar looking bottles on it. Ms Bones asked her to listen carefully to all of them, and then she moved down the row, lifting lids. Dawn almost smiled when she heard the first voice: "'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves."

Her urge to smile went away when the forth lid was lifted: "And the mome raths outgrabe." She started to wonder if she could ever read or listen to Jabberwocky again, and enjoy it.

Ms Bones lifted the final lid: "The jaws that bite. The claws that catch." "Was one of those the voice of your torturer?"

"Yes Ma'am," said Dawn. "The fourth one: 'And the mome raths outgrabe.'"

"Let the record show that Miss Summers has identified the voice of Aloysius Zabini," said Ms Bones.

"It so shows," said Professor Dumbledore.

"The Prosecution has no more questions for this witness," said Ms Bones. She returned to her seat behind one of the tables.

"Very well," said Professor Dumbledore. "Does the Defense have any questions?"

A wizard got up from behind the other table, and slowly came toward Dawn. "You never saw the face of the man who tortured you," he said.

"That's right," said Dawn.

"You were unable to give any description of him more precise than 'maybe tall, and sort of medium build'?"

"Yes," said Dawn.

"Can you point at that man…" He pointed toward Aloysius Zabini. "…and say that he is the man who tortured you?"

"No, I can't," said Dawn. "If I could hear him talk, I might be able to."

"No further questions!" said the wizard.

"The witness is excused," said Professor Dumbledore.

Dawn stood, and the Auror who had brought her in escorted her from the courtroom. He led her around to another door that led into a short flight of stairs that took her up into the visitor's gallery. Dawn saw that room had been made for her between Buffy and Moody. Tonks was just being sworn in as she took her seat.

Tonks testified about how Zabini had been captured in the dungeons of Voldemort's stronghold, in possession of his wand, and the sequence of spells that the Prior Incantato had shown had been cast by it. She also testified about how Dawn had correctly identified his voice in the previous test, and not identified anyone from the set of bottles without his voice.

Zabini's defense wizard questioned Tonks about every detail of her testimony, looking for the smallest discrepancies. Something he hadn't done with Dawn. "Didn't want to make the jury hate him," rumbled Moody when Dawn asked him about that. "Attacking the victim would just make them want to convict him, along with Zabini."

The next witness called was Madam Pomfrey. She testified about the condition Dawn had been in when she returned to Hogwarts. The defense wizard tried to get her to say that she was exaggerating how badly off Dawn had been, but Madam Pomfrey would have none of that: "If that girl's core temperature had dropped another couple of degrees, I might not have been able to save her! That's on top of having undergone the Cruciatus Curse, and not being given anything to eat or drink! If we hadn't gotten Dawn back when we did, this would be a murder trial!"

Madam Pomfrey was excused, and Professor Dumbledore asked Ms Bones if she had any more witnesses. She stood up behind her table. "The Prosecution rests, Your Honour."

"Very well," said Dumbledore. He looked to the defense wizard. "Does the Defense have any witnesses to call?"

"Just one, Your Honour," said the wizard. "The defense calls the Defendant, Aloysius Zabini!"

"Desperation move," muttered Moody. "They're gonna try the old 'Imperius defense.' Mark my words."

"'Imperius defense'?" asked Buffy.

"He's going to claim to have been acting under an Imperius curse, and not in control of his actions," said Moody. "Codswallop!"

Moody wasn't wrong. The defense wizard led Zabini through a lengthy description of how he had been placed under the Imperius Curse, and all the things that he had been forced to do. "It was horrible!" he said. "I couldn't help myself! It was like I was a prisoner in my own body, watching as it did all these horrible things! I didn't want to hurt the girl, but he made me!"

"He?" asked the defense wizard.

"Lord V-V-V— The Dark Lord," said Zabini.

"Codswallop!" said Moody, a little too loudly.

It drew a sharp look from Professor Dumbledore. "I would admonish the gallery to keep its opinions to itself." There was a look in Dumbledore's eyes though that made Dawn think that the Professor agreed with Moody.

The defense wizard returned to questioning Zabini: "So, you do not deny that it was you who tortured Miss Summers."

Zabini hung his head. "No, it was me…I have nightmares about it…but I couldn't control myself."

"No further questions." The defense wizard went back to his seat.

Amelia Bones stood up. "So, you were acting under the Imperius Curse when you did those things to Miss Summers."

"Yes," said Zabini.

"I'm having a feeling of deja-vu," said Bones. "I seem to recall you saying much the same thing in this court room fifteen years ago."

"I…I'm weak," said Zabini. "I was found not-guilty then."

"Yes…well that defense worked once, so why not try it again?" Bones consulted a few papers on her table. "After your last trial, you were required to take training in resisting the Imperius Curse, were you not?"

"Uh…yes, I was."

Amelia Bones waved a piece of parchment. "It says here that you received top marks…you left that training with an 'Outstanding' grade."

"Yes…but…but…you have to keep practicing…and I was lax…and Vol— The Dark Lord is powerful."

"Hmm…I suppose so," said Bones. "So when you took part in that little bit of Muggle Baiting at the Quidditch World Cup a couple of years ago, you were under the influence of Voldemort's Imperius Curse?"

"Yes, I wa— Wait!"

"Voldemort had you under his power, even before he rose again?" asked Ms Bones.

"No! I mean—"

"You were acting of your own free will then?"

"Objection!" called the defense wizard. "The prosecution is arguing facts not in evidence!"

"Sustained," said Professor Dumbledore.

Amelia Bones smiled, and nodded toward Dumbledore. Her point had been made with the jury. "I have no further questions." She returned to her seat.

"Very well," said Dumbledore. "The Defendant may step down. Does the Defense have any other witnesses to call?"

"No, Your Honour, the Defense rests."

"We will now hear closing arguments," said Professor Dumbledore. "Is the Prosecution ready?"

Bones stood up. "Yes, Your Honour."

"You may proceed."

Bones walked out around her table. "Witches and wizards of the jury, you have a very simple decision to make. Aloysius Zabini does not deny that he is the wizard who tortured Dawn Summers. His defense is that he did so while under the influence of the Imperius Curse. I am not surprised that he is attempting this defense, since it really is the only one available to him. The evidence that it was he who used the Cruciatus Curse against Miss Summers, not once, not twice, but six times, is overwhelming.

"And the Imperius defense has worked for him before, as it worked for many wizards in the past. Many of those wizards have since shown their true colours, just as Aloysius Zabini has.

"And it wasn't a simple torture that Aloysius Zabini was engaged in with Miss Summers. It was an interrogation. An attempt to locate something that Voldemort coveted greatly. An interrogation is not something that you entrust to someone under the Imperius. You want your interrogator to have the full use of his wits. Why would Voldemort, who had many loyal Death Eaters, entrust something as vital as this interrogation to someone who couldn't carry it out properly?

"There is an old saying: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Do not let Aloysius Zabini fool us twice. Thank you."

Amelia Bones returned to her chair. The defense wizard got to his feet. Dawn saw that he wasn't looking forward to this. "Witches and wizards of the jury, my client is a fool. He is also a weak willed man, who easily fell under the influence of Voldemort, and his Death Eaters. Yes, he achieved top marks in his training to resist the Imperius Curse, but we all know people who achieved top marks in a classroom, and perform miserably in the real world. Aloysius Zabini is such a man, and it is because of this misfortune that he has twice become a target for Voldemort.

"But being weak, or being a fool is not a crime. Nor is misfortune. Do not convict this man for things that were not under his control. Thank you." He sat back down.

Professor Dumbledore consulted his twelve handed watch. "I see that it is time for lunch. We will adjourn now, so we can all get something to eat, and then the jury may deliberate on their decision with full stomachs."


There was a nice little restaurant off the Atrium to the Ministry of Magic. Dawn sat at a table with Buffy, Tonks and Moody. A few people had tried to approach them, but one look from Moody had sent them scampering away.

"So, why not just dose Zabini with Veritaserum, and then ask him if he was under the influence of the Imperius Curse?" asked Dawn.

"Good question," said Moody. "We'd have done it in my day. Made our jobs much easier, let me tell you."

"The accused has the right not to be compelled to testify against himself," said Tonks, "So Veritaserum testimony is not allowed in court."

"But if he's really innocent, wouldn't he want to take it?" asked Buffy.

"Yes, but then the jury would have to wonder about why anyone wouldn't want to testify using Veritaserum. The mere refusal to take it would be seen as incriminating."

"As it should be," said Moody.

"Veritaserum isn't infallible," said Tonks. "There are counter agents that are not easily detectable. Someone who takes the right potion first can lie their arses off after taking Veritaserum."

"But Professor Dumbledore used it on the three men who attacked me on Valentine's Day," said Dawn.

"It can, under certain circumstances, be used as a tool in an investigation, but any statements made by witnesses under its influence are still inadmissable," said Tonks. "The same goes for tools like the Veriloquus Sphere. It can't be used in court either. Both can be used by the prosecution in pre-trial interviews of our witnesses, to ensure that we are not presenting perjured testimony, but we can't compel defense witnesses to take it. If we want to show that they're lying we have to do it the hard way."


Tonks took Buffy and Dawn up to the Magical Law Enforcement offices after lunch. They dropped in to the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office, to see Mr. Weasley. Dawn was surprised by how small and dingy the office looked. It had no windows, and there was barely room for the two desks it contained. Mr. Weasley seemed to be wrestling with a nest of snakes when they arrived, but on closer inspection turned out to be a bundle of audio and video cabling, that kept twisting itself into a tangled mess no matter how much Mr. Weasley tried to straighten it out.

"Wotcher, Arthur!" said Tonks. "You having some troubles?"

"No…nothing I can't handle…" He tried to separate one of the wires from the mass, but it got away from him, and wrapped itself around his wrist. More wires started to reach for him. It reminded Dawn of the Devil's Snare plants. "Er…maybe I could use a little help."

Tonks, Buffy and Dawn moved in, and started pulling cables away from him. It took a while but they managed to subdue the mass. Mr. Weasley shoved the whole mess into the top drawer of his filing cabinet, and slammed it shut.

"So, what was that all about?" asked Tonks.

"Some joker enchanted the entire stock of one of the largest Muggle stores in London," said Mr. Weasley. "The cables just sit idle on the shelves, but as soon as some Muggle takes them home, and tries to hook them up, they start twisting themselves into a tangled mess."

"Huh," said Buffy. "And here I thought that was just what naturally happened with them."

"Hey, Mr. Weasley," said Dawn. "Ron and Ginny said to say 'hi,' if we saw you."

"How are they?" asked Mr. Weasley. "Their letters home have been even shorter than usual for the past month. Especially Ginny's. Molly's worried."

"They're fine…just a little busy, what with exams coming up and all. Ginny's starting her OWLs in a couple of weeks, and she's been going a little nuts."

"Ah, yes, well Molly will never forgive me if I don't invite you for dinner tonight."

"Thanks for the invite," said Buffy, "But we have to get Dawn back to the school early. Ron and Ginny aren't the only ones who have to study."

Dawn's glare at Buffy was interrupted by a ringing coming from Tonks' wrist. She looked at her own multi-handed watch. "Oh! The jury's coming back! That didn't take long. Gotta run, Arthur!"


The gallery was nearly full again when Buffy, Dawn and Tonks got back to the courtroom. The defense and prosecution tables were gone, as was the witness box. There was just the single empty chair sitting out in the middle of the floor. Aloysius Zabini was escorted into the room by a pair of Aurors who made him sit down in it. He looked so tiny and frightened that for a moment Dawn started to feel a little sorry for him…but only for a moment.

The witches and wizards of the Wizengamot filed into the courtroom next. After they were seated, the jury was led in.

Albus Dumbledore rose from his seat. "Witches and wizards of the jury, have you reached your decision?"

The witch on the right end of the jury rose to her feet. "We have, Your Honour."

"And what is your decision?" asked Dumbledore.

"We find the Defendant guilty on all charges," said the witch.

Zabini's cry of anguish was drowned out by the cheers from the gallery. Dumbledore's voice rose above all the others "Silence!" Dawn saw a flash of anger in his eyes, as a stunned silence fell over the courtroom. "This is not an occasion for celebration. Aloysius Zabini, please stand."

Zabini rose from the chair, but stood hunched over.

"Do you have anything to say before I pass sentence?" asked Dumbledore.

"I— I—" For a moment it looked like Zabini was about to protest his innocence, but in the end he just sighed, and shook his head in resignation. "No….no, Your Honour."

"Very well," said Dumbledore. "In addition to several lesser charges, you have been found guilty of performing the Unforgivable Cruciatus Curse no less than six times on Dawn Summers. There can only be one sentence for that crime. You are sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban, for each instance, to be served concurrently. This court is adjourned."

A fresh wave of cheers and applause swept around the gallery. Dawn didn't join in it. She mostly just felt relief that it was over. She looked toward Professor Dumbledore, and saw that he was looking at her. He nodded his head slightly toward her, and she nodded back to acknowledge him before her view was cut off by people crowding around to congratulate her. Dawn found that she really understood what Dumbledore said, about this not being grounds to celebrate.

One witch pushed herself to the front of the people who were crowding around her. She had blonde hair done up in tight curls, rhinestone studded glasses, and acid green robes. She was carrying a scroll of parchment, and a quill pen. "Miss Summers! How do you feel about the outcome of the trial?"

"Uh…relieved it's over, I guess," said Dawn.

"Are you happy with the verdict?"

"I'm glad he won't be able to hurt anyone else," said Dawn.

Tonks pushed her way between Dawn and the woman. "Geroff, Skeeter! Leave the girl alone!"

Rita Skeeter ignored Tonks, except to try to get around her. "Is it true that you're Harry Potter's girlfriend? Aren't you older than he is?"

"Where's Moody when you need him?" asked Tonks under her breath. "No one does this when he's around." She took Dawn's arm and started to pull her toward the stairs down from the gallery. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

Between Tonks official robes, and a few well placed elbows from Buffy, they managed to make it to the stairs. Tonks took them through a hidden door when they got to the bottom. She closed it behind them, and leaned back against it. "Of all the people that Voldemort killed, why didn't he start with the press?"

"Then there'd be no one to tell anyone about what a big bad he was," said Buffy.

"You think?"

"Yeah, being a secret big bad is no fun. You have to be able to brag about it, to have people all suitably cowed by you."

"I suppose…but it was so much nicer when that Skeeter woman was on her 'sabbatical.' I wish I knew what Granger had on her."

"She was an unregistered Animagus," said Dawn.

"Really?" asked Tonks. "That's good for a healthy fine."

"But she's registered now," said Dawn. "She told people she took the time off to study, and she got herself properly registered."

"Still, knowing she was a practicing Animagus before she got registered should be good for something," said Tonks.

"And I see why you got a barely passing grade in your Auror ethics course," came Professor Dumbledore's voice. Dawn turned and saw him entering the room through another door. He had changed out of his Wizengamot robes, and was wearing his more usual colourful Headmaster's robes. The sparkle was back in his eyes.

"Come on, Professor," said Tonks. "Aren't there days when you wish you could ship Skeeter and the rest of the Daily Prophet staff off to Azkaban?"

"They are annoying, at times," said Dumbledore, "but a free press is infinitely preferable to the alternative. The Ministry already has too much power over what they publish…mostly because they are lazy, and just print everything the Ministry feeds them."

"So that's it?" asked Dawn. "It's all over?"

"Oh no," said Dumbledore. "It's a long way from 'over,' but I think that your part in it is done, for now. You can turn your attention back to your school work."

"Uh…yes sir," said Dawn.

Dumbledore consulted his watch again. "If we leave now, we can get you back to the school in time for your Muggle Studies class."