Harry didn't sleep much that night, though he tried complimentarily hard. He stood up as the dawning sun let slivers of light into the boys dorm. Today was the day, March thirteenth. A shiver ran down Harry's back as he realized he could die today. But, he reminded himself, it would be well worth it if Hermione and Kelly got out all right, and especially if Voldemort fell with him.

Harry quickly changed into some comfortable muggle clothes and slipped his robe on overtop. He was surprised, however, when he reached for the door to exit their dorm that Ron asked him to wait. As Ron whispered to Harry while he got dressed, he hadn't slept much either, thinking also of what they would encounter. No sooner was Ron dressed than the rest of the sixth year boys were awake, only Dean having gotten a semi-good sleep. Harry and Ron waited for them to be ready before they hiked down to the common room.

Harry knew he shouldn't have been, but was all the same surprised when he saw there were several people waiting for him downstairs. Ginny was still in her pajamas and looked like she'd come to camp out there in the night. Parvati and Lavender had changed into their robes, claiming they couldn't sleep either, and had come down to find Ginny when they realized she wasn't there. A few younger students were there, Colin and Dennis Creevey among them, to Harry's displeasure.

The five newcomers sat down in chairs or on the floor and waited, for what no one was quite sure. In time, more of Gryffindor Tower came down and sat in silence, no one needing an explanation. There were only a few who came down that weren't in the D.A., all who looked rather confused at the eerie silence among the Gryffindors. They shrugged it off and walked down for an early breakfast.

"Let's go," Harry said quietly when all Gryffindors in the D.A. were present.

They walked out of the common room in single file, heading toward the Great Hall. They marched down the stairs, where the armor held their swords up in honor as they passed. They marched straight past Argus Filch and his absurd cat Mrs. Norris while they only stared, too lost for words. The master of mischief, Peeves himself, saluted them all as they walked by, then flew ahead of them and shoved aside anyone who was in the way straight until they reached the Great Hall, where they saw all the other Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff D.A. members ready to go, just awaiting Harry's command.

Harry walked into the Great Hall, not sure what the reaction of everyone else would be. He walked straight up to Dumbledore at the full staff table and stopped, aware of every other D.A. member following him so it looked like a small army was at his command.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"When you're ready," Dumbledore said. "Those not here coming with you shall be waiting outside when given the command."

"What's the command you'll give them?" Harry asked.

"You'll blow this whistle," Dumbledore said, holding out a red whistle that Harry recognized as the one he used at the D.A. meetings. "That will tell them it's time to go."

"Thank you," Harry said, taking the whistle from Dumbledore and putting it in his robe.

"When you're ready," Dumbledore repeated.

Harry turned to look at the D.A. "Eat a good breakfast, then we'll be off."

Harry sat down at the front of Gryffindor table, followed by the rest of the Gryffindor D.A. members, without words telling the younger students to move. They ate quickly and had their full. Harry looked around; most D.A. members were through, and those that weren't were slowly shoving things down their throat, merely for the fact that they probably wouldn't eat for the rest of the day.

Harry stood. Everyone noticed and the D.A. stood with him. Harry started walking out of the Great Hall; the D.A. was quickly behind him. He walked out, and just saw Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Hagrid rise. Harry walked out the Great Hall, new feeling that he had a small army at his command.

Harry walked out of Hogwarts, his hand in his robe searching for the whistle. He took it out and allowed everyone else to file out behind him before he put it to his mouth and blew as hard as he could.

A loud, shrieking sound erupted from the whistle, followed by an awkward silence. Harry stood there, waiting for someone to come. Someone took a sharp intake of breath behind him; Harry turned sharply.

"Oh, it's you." Uriko smiled.

"I thought it would be Dumbledore calling, but it seems sensible that he give the whistle to you," Vikki said.

The Secret Students had flown down and now stood before him. "Welcome."

"Oh, I feel so loved!" Serenity grinned.

"Uh huh. I'm sure you are. Where's Elyse and Heather?" Harry asked.

"Right here," someone behind him said.

"Sorry it took us so long," said a voice Harry recognized as Heather, "but we were right in the middle of marking DNA files."

Harry stared. "Er… sure. Well, are we ready to go?"

"If you blew the whistle, aren't we?" May asked.

Harry nodded. Then it hit him.

Harry walked up to Elyse and whispered, "Do you have any idea how so many people are getting there?"

Elyse's eyes grew wide. "I thought you might know. There aren't that many thestrals or brooms."

"I don't even know where it is," Harry whispered.

"Perhaps," someone said quietly from the entrance to Hogwarts, "we might make use of what you can do?" The question seemed directed toward the Secret Students, Elyse, and Heather.

"We might, Dumbledore," Amber said. "We could."

"I don't think it was as much a suggestion as a command, Amber," Bunny said quietly.

"Oh," Amber said. "Right."

"It would be incredibly hard, there are so many of you," Riles said, surveying the group.

"Indeed it would," Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eyes, "but I would not ask you to do something I was sure you could not do."

"I know you're not sure we couldn't do it; it's a matter of whether or not you're sure we could do it," Crystal said smartly.

"You can," Dumbledore assured.

"Are you sure?" Crystal teased.

"C'mon," Vikki said, rolling her eyes. She turned to Elyse and Heather. "You guys know multiples?"

"You think we'd save hostages if we didn't?" Elyse rolled her eyes.

"Oh, my bad, I thought you killed them," Riles hissed.

May smacked her. Riles looked like she deeply wanted to hit May back, but decided to save it for later.

"Let's hurry," Harry quietly urged. "Whatever you guys are gonna do to get us there."

"Everybody, I know this might sound weird, but hold everyone's hand or at least be touching them, okay? We need contact for this to work," Heather commanded.

There was a small shuffle as everyone managed to grab someone else's hand or touch their shoulder. Meanwhile, Elyse, Heather, and the Secret Students had made a circle around the students and four teachers, waiting for everyone to have made contact.

"Is anyone not touching someone else?" Bunny asked.

No one spoke.

"Oh, good," Serenity said. "Then let's do this."

They reached out and touched the nearest student toward them, Elyse being the one to touch Harry, who was touching Ron, not thinking holding hands was one of the better choices.

A bubble seemed to form around them as they were lifted off their feet. Uriko informed them that they no longer had to touch people now that the bubble had been made. Several people reluctantly, others faster than lightning, lifted their hands from the people surrounding them.

There wasn't much chatter going on at first, but finally some broke out, in spite of the seriousness awaiting them. The Secret Students, Elyse, and Heather sat down and looked like they were relaxed as the students became more accustomed to their ride. Crystal was heard teasing Dumbledore again on why he wouldn't help them with the bubble, since he seemingly knew how.

"But, my dear," he replied, a twinkle in his eye, "why spoil your fun?"

Fun, however, was not the term Harry would have chosen. Thirty minutes into the fifty-mile-per-hour ride, the ten who created the bubble looked hardly at ease. They were tense, and Riles almost screamed at him when he started to say something to her, though Harry thought she had been thinking of Katie at the time. Sweat started to cross their faces around an hour after the beginning of their journey, when most students were sitting and talking loudly; when few people noticed them.

"Why don't you stop it?" Ron asked Elyse, referring to the stress. "I heard Hermione talk of a spell once that could make you 'be at ease' or something."

Elyse gave a wane smile. "You could be too much at ease and forget the necessary precautions. Someone could get hurt, or worse."

"How d'you know?" Ron asked.

Elyse went silent. Harry took note that Dumbledore was listening carefully to her, then noted that Elyse knew it by the look on her face.

Ron was about to apologize when Elyse spoke up. "Because I've had it happen to me before."

"When?" Heather asked, walking over to her. "Was I there?"

Elyse frowned, and Harry was sure he saw the beginnings of tears well up in her eyes. "This was a silent mission."

Heather gasped.

"A what?" Ron asked quickly.

"A mission an… well, an 'agent', I guess you could call us, goes on without permission, without telling anyone they're going," Heather explained. "You can get fired from the Ministry if you're caught. I think we've all been on them, Katie, Elyse, and I, but we're good enough that the Ministry has never caught us." She looked at Elyse. "When?"

"Six," Elyse said. "I was six; young, naïve, and stupid."

Heather quieted before she whispered. "Who was it?"

Elyse couldn't stop the tears that now raced down her face. "My father."