"God, how long does it take to make a bathroom run? Geez," Dawn complained, casting around for Hermione and Ginny. She and Neville were loitering in front of the Three Broomsticks; Ron and Harry were nowhere to be found, either. She had written them off as simply late, but Ginny and Hermione had walked over with her before ducking inside ten minutes earlier.

            Neville shrugged. His stomach had twisted into a tight ball that seemed to cut off all air flow to his mouth.

Dawn stopped looking around and, tired of standing around not talking, asked Neville, "So do you know what you're going as?"

            "To the … um, dance?" Of course to the dance. What's wrong with you, he asked himself, feeling foolish.

            "Do you wear costumes to dinner a lot?" She raised an eyebrow.

            Ah, to hell with it. She'll like you or she won't. "Only if I haven't put out my wash for awhile."

            To his great delight, Dawn laughed loud and long.

            "Honestly, though, I dunno what to go as. Thought I'd see what they have."

            "What's your date going as? You could match."

            "Ah, well, no date, you see." He shrugged. "Gives me some room for bein' creative, at least."

            "Don't feel bad. I don't have one either. At least you know everyone there."

            "That's true."

            "Being the new girl? So not what I had planned for the fall."

            "I bet it's a little different here than at home, yeah?"

            "Big-time. No monsters, though, which I'm good with. Plus I don't go to a boarding school."

            "No?"

            "Uh uh. It's more like a psycho ward with day classes." Then Dawn explained to a fascinated Neville about Sunnydale High.

            In the alley next to the Three Broomsticks, four robed figures pulled out their wands. They were already behind schedule.

            "Dammit, Parkinson! I said eleven."

            "Sorry, Drake – Draco. I really had to go to the bathroom, but Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger were in there for an age," she whined. "I hate that mudblood Granger. I'm going after her first."

            "Fine. Do that," Draco said, secretly glad. Hermione would wipe the floor with Pansy, and he would get to watch. "Are we ready?"

            "Malfoy?"

            Draco spun around, searching for the owner of the distinctly feminine voice.

            "Norton? What are you doing back here?"

            "What am I doing here? What's with those robes? What are you URK …"

            Nott grabbed her from behind and wrapped his forearm tightly around her throat. His other hand held a four-inch, curved knife, the point aimed straight for her heart. The naked blade gleamed in the sunlight.

            Mel's eyes went wide. A muffled whimper escaped her throat as Nott brought the knife closer.

            "Are you insane? Let her go."

            "Don't need to. I can handle her."

            "Why the hell've you got that knife?"

            "Insurance," Nott hissed. "Good thing, too. I'll gut her and we can start."

            Draco flipped off his hood and lunged at them, grabbing Nott's arm just in time to keep the knife from slicing the front of her robes. The thinner boy tried to press down, but Draco locked his arm in an iron grip.

The blade shimmered inches from her chest. 

            "I repeat: are you insane? Drop the damn knife."

            "She's seen us, Draco. We can get rid of her. No one will know. She's just a mudblood, after all."

            Draco looked so angry that Mel wondered if he might snort fire.

            "Did you not hear what I said? NO SERIOUS INJURIES, YOU WANKER!" He twisted Nott's arm backwards. Hard. The knife clattered to the cobblestones and Nott dropped to one knee clutching his elbow. Draco knew he was crying beneath the dark hood. "That's not what we're here for. The plan was clear, was it not?"

            "Yes, Draco," he answered softly.

            "Then get out there and do it. I'll be along shortly."

            "What are you doing?" Pansy asked. "We need you."

            "Just get started. I'll join in."

            "But – "

            "No buts. I'll do a memory charm on her, so we don't get caught. Understood?" The three hooded figures nodded.

            "I'm not just going to let you …"

            Draco whipped his wand out in a heartbeat. His voice was like ice.

            "Shut up, Norton. We've still got the knife, if you'd prefer a permanent reminder instead of forgetting the whole thing."

            She stared silently at his wand for a few seconds, then nodded tentatively.

            He turned to the others. "Go. Now."

            They slipped around the back of the Three Broomsticks and disappeared into the shadows.

            Draco kicked the knife into the trees. His wand stayed on her.

            "Now listen carefully. Can you do that?"

            She nodded.

            "Say yes."

            "Yes."

            "We're pulling a prank on Potter and his friends. Nothing serious, but Nott is one for the loony bin. The other two are Zabini and Parkinson."

            "Why are you telling me this?"

            "I want you to understand that I have to get out there. They were the only ones willing to go along, but I don't trust them not to hurt some stupid mudblood and get us all tossed from school. Times like this I really miss Crabbe and Goyle. They were too stupid to be overzealous about mudbloods."

            "Don't say that word."

            He glared at her; in spite of the situation, she had her hands on her hips, looking extremely haughty. And bloody gorgeous, he thought.

            "You're not in much of a position to tell me what to do. Not that I'd mind if you were," he added with a leer. She returned a disgusted look. "I'm telling you so you won't go an' rat me out to Dumbledore. I don't have time to argue, or someone will get hurt."

            "Why don't you just wipe my memory like you said?" she spat.

            He shrugged, the corner of his mouth ticking up slightly.

            "Don't know how."

            Her expression softened as she realized the risk he was taking. "They'd hurt you if they knew you let me go."

            "Oh yeah. A lot."

            "You harm a member of my team at all and I tell. Them and Dumbledore."

            "I won't. Just a scare."

            "You promise?"

            "Would it mean anything?" The nod surprised him. "Then I promise."

            She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, the same way she had weeks before in Myrtle's bathroom.

            Draco would never be as shocked as he was when Mel leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

            "Thank you for saving me," she said in a breathy whisper. "Now you go."

            "No wonder they call it the Hellmouth. Unbelievable," Neville said, shaking his head.

            "You should try living there. It keeps things interesting, though."

            "Right interesting, I'll bet," he agreed. Listening to Dawn talk loosened the knot in his stomach considerably. She seemed happy to dominate the conversation, which was fine with Neville. This was shaping up to be one of the better days of his Hogwarts career. He suddenly hoped she wasn't getting bored talking to him. "Listen, should we go look for them? They've been gone a touch longer than normal."

            Dawn frowned. "I'm boring you that much?"

            "What? No." She didn't change her expression. "Really, Dawn, you're not. I'm happy to stand here talking with you all day," he admitted, flipping her frown to a smile. "I just thought you'd want to go and get, um, someone else to talk to or something."

            Her smile broadened, but she never got a chance to reply. A deep, scratchy voice interrupted them.

            "Look, this is even better. Not a mudblood, but a real muggle."

            Three hooded figures appeared from around the side of the pub. They had their wands out.

            Neville automatically reached into his robe.

            "EXPELLIARMUS!" a second voice shouted; Neville's wand flew out of his robe and into the distance.

            "Who are you guys? More of those freaky Gregorians from Sunnydale?" Dawn asked. She automatically dropped into a combat stance. Beside her, Neville unconsciously did the same.

            "Let's make her dance. MOBILICOMPOS!"

            Neville threw Dawn to the ground, feeling his robe ruffle as Pansy's spell to whizzed by harmlessly. He rolled over Dawn, figuring he would apologize later for slamming her into the pavement, and bounced to his feet close to the three attackers. The nearest one trained a wand on him, but his momentum brought his foot up and through her hand.

            Blaise shouted in pain as Neville kicked her wand away. Out in the street, people started to take notice. They heard the first shouts for the authorities. Neville tensed for whatever curse was about to blast away at him.

            None came. Dawn scrambled up off the pavement, tossing an elbow into one stomach and her knee into the other as she went. Pansy stumbled and fell, her wind thoroughly disrupted. Nott shrugged Dawn's knee off, taking the opportunity to wrap her up and tackle her back to the pavement.

            "Aah!" Dawn cried as she felt a rib snap.

            Enraged, Neville charged at them. Just as Spike had promised, the world seemed to move in slow motion. With all the strength he could muster, Neville walloped Nott in the face with a perfect snap kick.

            The Slytherin boy flew backwards, bouncing across the pavement until his momentum died and he came to rest in a moaning heap. Neville spun towards Pansy and Blaise. The fierce look in his eyes sent them back a step even as their wands rose again.

            Luckily for them, the cavalry on both sides chose that moment to arrive.

            "STUPEFY!" Ron and Harry shouted together, bursting from the door of the Three Broomsticks and into the fight. Their spells took Pansy and Blaise in the chests. They fell backward, stumbling over Nott and dropping to the ground facedown. Draco rushed from the alley, his hood up again, and pulled his wand out.

            "FUMO!"

            Thick black smoke hissed from Malfoy's wand, roiling around the four Slytherins in a dense circle and hiding them from view. Harry and Ron jumped between Neville, Dawn, and the smoke, their wands still extended. They started coughing as the smoke thickened; it forced its way into their lungs, forcing them in turn back against the side of the building. Ron and Harry held their fire in case someone was on the far side of the cloud, but they watched as best they could for the emergence of their attackers. They couldn't see a thing. The barrier left them no choice but to wait for the smoke to clear, which took almost five minutes.

            When it did, the four robed figures had vanished.

Harry and Ron paced impatiently back and forth at the foot of Dawn's bed. Neville perched on the bed next to hers, while Spike and Xander stood guard by the door. Willow, Giles, McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore were meeting to discuss the attack and had promised to send for the Gryffindors when they were ready. Sirius, Remus, and Grey were doing a sweep of the grounds to make sure no one was lurking about.

            "They dressed like Death Eaters. D'you think they were Death Eaters? Here?" Ron asked for the third time.

            "It's happened before," Harry said.

Ron shook his head as if to clear it. "But not in Hogsmeade, right?"

            "Not in Hogsmeade. Not in years, Lupin said. At least no one was hurt too bad."

            "You're okay, right?" Neville asked Dawn, for what had to be the tenth time.

            She nodded. "Yep. Whatever that Pomfrey woman gave me worked like …"

            "Magic?" he offered.

            "Yeah, like magic. Oh, very funny," she said when he laughed. "Really, though, I feel fine. I don't see why I have to stay overnight."

            "It's a precaution, nibblet," Spike said.

            "Yeah, Dawnie, just to be safe," Xander agreed. Then he glanced distastefully at Spike. "Not that I think Junior here is right."

            "Sod off, Harris."

            Dawn and Neville laughed, and she had to admit it caused a twinge in her chest. She didn't tell Xander or Spike, though. Instead, she spoke to Neville.

            "Thanks again. I don't want to know what that first spell would have done to me."

            "I dunno," he shrugged. "Hermione might know. You should ask her."

            "Like I said, don't want to know. Knowledge free, that's me."

            "You did a'right, Longbottom," Spike said. "Made it worth the hours we spent kicking you around on the roof."

            The door to the infirmary opened. Giles, Willow, and Dumbledore walked in; Dumbledore held the door open for a few seconds behind him, then let it swing shut.

            "I'm glad you're all here." He looked at Spike and Xander. "Could you two step out and see that we aren't disturbed, please?"

            They nodded and left. When the door had closed a second time, he pulled out his wand. "Finite Incantatem."

            Malfoy appeared in the middle of the room.

            "What the hell … isn't Mione always telling us you can't apparate here?"

            "Wasn't apparition, Weasley," Draco said. "He made me invisible so no one would see me walking with them from his office."

            "Yes, quite," Dumbledore said.

            "Oh. Cool."

            "Dawn, how are you feeling?" Giles asked. Willow took a seat on the side of Dawn's bed and smiled kindly at her. The redhead grabbed her left hand and clutched it tightly.

            "Better, Giles. I drank some goop and slept a little, and now it barely hurts at all. The nurse lady said I'd be fine in the morning."

            "Is there anything you need, Dawnie? We can have them send up more food. Or I could get you some books or some of Grey's toys – no, you're too old for toys and they're guy's stuff anyway – or I could …"

            "Willow," Dawn said, squeezing Willow's hand, "I'm fine, okay. Really. Did you call Buffy?"

            Giles and Willow traded a look. Dawn could tell they had been arguing about it.

            "We did not, Dawn," Giles answered. "She has enough on her plate at the moment, and I … we felt that if it wasn't serious, there was no need."

            "Good call. I'm down with that one."

            Dumbledore cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.

"Draco has something he would like to share with the four of you, if that's alright." Everyone nodded. The Headmaster turned and cast an isolation charm on the room.

            "What's that?" Harry asked.

            "Today, in Hogsmeade, it was me with the smoke."

            "What!" Ron exploded, his fist coming up as he rushed Malfoy. "You son of a …"

            Dumbledore stepped between them.

            "Ron, please, while I appreciate that you are a bit put out, allow Draco to explain."

            Ron's eyes narrowed, but he pulled back and nodded.

            Draco explained about his father's assignment and his whole plan, including the incident with Norton. "You see, Weasley," he said when he had finished, "it would've been fine if Nott didn't have that damn knife. I was trying to do this without blowing my cover, without the Slytherins suspecting anything, and without anybody getting bloody well hurt." He looked at Dawn. "Sorry about that, but I'd rather they broke your rib than gutted Norton, you understand?"

            "I understand. Better this than stabbing, for sure." Despite her equanimity, Ron, Harry, and Neville looked no less angry after the explanation.

            "You should've told us beforehand," Harry said.

            "Don't be daft. You think you could fake it? You couldn't. This was perfect. None of them will possibly believe we're workin' together after that. An' I had plenty of other good reasons to go after you lot, not the least of which is that you can take care of yourselves," he added. "An' now we have a free tip that the Dark Lord is going to try something in the near future."

            Harry had to concede those two points. "What about Mel? She might suspect it."

            "Nah. She thinks …" He stopped himself, remembering that there were three professors in the room. "She thinks I have other reasons for savin' her, alright?"

            "Like what?" Ron and Willow asked together.

Dumbledore and Giles traded a look and a small chuckle.

"I believe Miss Norton thinks Draco smitten with her," Dumbledore explained.

            "Oh. That's kind of obvious," Willow said for both her and Ron. They each blushed at making Dumbledore say it aloud.

            "Are you, Malfoy?" Ron asked. If Draco said yes, he was prepared to bust out laughing.

            Draco didn't answer. He just raised an eyebrow.