"AH!" Harry sat bolt upright, shivering. His head crashed into Dumbledore, with a dull thunk. "Professor, are you alright?"
"Quite Mr. Potter, thankfully my head is rather thick." He rubbed his forehead. "In all honesty, I was about to ask you the same."
"No professor, I'm not. Is Monica?" He asked. Dumbledore sighed.
"I do not know for sure. Ms Treborne was found with you, passed out as well. She's woken, but she refuses to talk to us. I'm not quite sure why." Dumbledore confessed. Harry sighed.
"I know why." Harry took a deep breath. "She was attacked."
"We know that." Dumbledore replied. Harry shook his head.
"No, I mean really attacked." He swallowed. "They didn't stop after bringing her down. They..." He stopped, unable to continue. He wasn't entirely sure how he knew what had happened, and wasn't keen on reliving it either. Thankfully Dumbledore seemed to realize what he meant.
"Ah, that would explain it then." Dumbledore nodded. He turns, and opens the curtains. On the next bed lay Monica, staring silently at them both for a moment.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, and rolled over.
There was a definite undertone of fear in the school, Harry noted, as he walked down the halls. Ron and Hermoine said nothing to him, at his own askance, as they followed him. Madame Pompfrey had let him out because he didn't seem to have any adverse effects, though she'd warned him to take it easy or he'd end up back there. She wanted to keep Monica for a few more days, though exactly why, she didn't say. Even Malfoy was nervous, now, having been attacked himself, the night before the dance.
"Harry!" It was Malfoy, and Harry turned to face him. " I heard about your little incident with Monica. Wondered if it was true." Harry sighed mentally. Some people never change.
"Depends on what you heard." Harry answered.
"That you and she were busy, and you were attacked." Malfoy grinned, leaving no doubt exactly what he meant.
"Get your mind out of the gutter Malfoy." Harry shook his head. "I was looking for her when I found her like that. And I know exactly what happened." Harry snorted.
"And how is that?" Malfoy asked.
"The Soul Mirror." Monica answered him, appearing around the corner, using her staff as a balance. "It reacted instinctively, and let him see what was wrong. It has a mind of it's own sometimes." She settled to a bench.
"Are you sure you should be up and about?" Hermoine asked.
"Yeah, after what happened I should think you'd want to take it easy." Ron nodded. Monica waved them off.
"It's not that big of a deal. It was caught off-guard, and ended up with what I deserve. It won't happen again." She dismissed it. "Now, all four of you listen to me carefully. I've told you all about the Light of the Black Lance, correct?" Nods all around. "Alright, after doing some research, I think there's a way to keep it from attacking anyone else, but I can't do it alone. Not any more. That's why I was attacked. I can still help, but I need the four of you to do the hard part." Nods again. "Good, this is what you need to do."
The invisibility cloak rustled slightly in the breeze, as Snape's office door opened, and the dark eyed man entered. Hermoine followed, moving silently. He opened a cabinet along the wall, and lifted down a vial marked Powdered Dragon's Eye. Hermoine held her breath, as she snatched the Cockatrice Tongue Packet from the shelf as he closed the door. He stepped out of the office, still carrying his vial, and she moved with him, sliding away down the hall, as he reset his alarm spells.
"Professor Sechell?" Ron spoke up, causing the other man to lift his head from his desk, where he'd appearently fallen asleep.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley?" He asked sitting up, and staring at him. "Can I help you?"
"Err..." Ron swallowed. "Yes, Monica said I could get a ummm..." He struggled to remember the name. "An Orichalum crystal from you."
"She did now, did she?" Dorion leaned back, amused. "I do have one, and I'll let you borrow it, on one condition." Ron swallowed again.
"What?" He asked.
"Answer this question." Dorion smiled, and leaned forwards. "How do you repel a dementor?" He asked.
"The Patronus Charm." Ron replied instantly. Dorion smiled.
"Ten points, and one crystal then." He reached into his robes, and pulled a milky orange-red crystal out, and tossed it to Ron. Ron caught it.
"Thank you." He turned and headed for the door. Dorion's voice caught up with him.
"Tell Ms Treborne I expect it back in one piece." He called. Ron nodded, and vanished out the door.
Harry watched the Marauders Map quietly, as Malfoy fought with the lock. The Alohomora spell had done nothing. Harry began to get nervous, as Mrs. Norris began to approach. At the moment she started to turn the corner, the lock clicked, and Malfoy yanked him inside. The store room was kept locked for a reason they saw, the instant they entered. The far end disappeared without either being able to see the far wall. It was entirely possible for someone to become hopelessly lost.
"Lumos." Both spoke at once, and the wands lit.
"I'll go this way, and you can take the other direction." Malfoy whispered, and headed to the right. Harry shrugged. There were no markers as they moved away, each looking for one of two things. They were after a small, green-blue tube, or a large black box. A crystal driver, with the ability to forge a blade out of any crystal placed into the end, the latter was a box of lightning speed. The air he found, was much colder as he moved farther from the door, but he'd planned for it, and was wearing his heavy cloak. The four point spell kept him on course, and a version Hermoine had pointed out, led him towards his destination. He could see the driver, but as he approached, he must have triggered a trap of somekind, since the air began to thicken as he approached. He found that if he backed off, it reverted to normal air. He advanced again, and made some progress, but it was slowing him enormously. He realized that the purpose of the spell was to slow some one until someone came to check, and swore pushing harder, until he reached it. The spell vanished the instant he touched it, and he turned and ran. He saw Filch appear behind him, but the darkness, after quelling his wand and the darkness of his robes hid him from sight. Filch snorted and turned away. The map showed Malfoy, appearently already with his item, and heading back towards the entrance. The entrance, and Filch. Harry's heart raced, as he ducked around a corner, cutting across the aisles, hoping to intercept Malfoy in time. He reached the same aisle Malfoy was about to cross the entrance of, and fired red sparks into the air. Unfortunately, not only did Malfoy see them, but so did Filch. The former turned down the aisle, while the later accelerated. Malfoy reached him, just before Filch reached the other end of the aisle. Harry snatched Malfoy by the collar and drug him two aisles over, and they raced as silently as possible back to the door, Harry waved Malfoy to silence as they slowed, and he checked the map. Filch was still at the other end, and the door was clear. He couldn't see Mrs. Norris, but there was no time. The two slipped out, and breathed a sigh of relief, heading rapidly back towards the meeting place. Ron and Hermoine were already there, as was Monica.
"Are your four ready?" She asked. They each nodded. "Then it's time. Let's bring this to an end." She pushed to her feet, and led them away.
