Dumbledore and McGonagall raced up the stairs.

"Potter!" McGonagall exclaimed in relief at seeing him. "Weasley!"

"Harry, Ron, what happened?" Dumbledore asked urgently.

Harry paused. Ron didn't say anything either.

"Please," Dumbledore asked, untying Harry from his bonds while McGonagall reached for Ron.

Harry hesitated. "Death Eaters."

"That's rather vague, Potter. What did they say?" McGonagall pestered.

"Just tied us up," Harry lied quickly. "And said Voldemort would be here soon to handle us."

McGonagall and Dumbledore didn't look like they believed him. Harry gave them looks that begged for them not to ask for details.

"Minerva, we have to gather up the remaining Death Eaters," Dumbledore said, standing as he searched Harry's face one more time. "Then we must attend to the casualties."

"You mean there are some dead?" Harry asked before he could stop himself, both he and Ron now standing.

Dumbledore looked at him. "More or less likely."

Harry frowned deeply as McGonagall and Dumbledore hastened down the stairs.

"What're we to do?" Ron asked quietly. "I can see we're going, but… how?"

Harry looked up. "Think there're a couple brooms in this place?"

"Doubtful," Ron said, speaking Harry's mind.

"Well, we can't go the same way we came…." Harry pondered aloud.

"Watch yourselves do it," someone said behind him.

Harry jumped and turned. "Elyse!"

Ron jumped from somewhere behind Harry. "Heather! How'd you do that?"

"I'm smart," Heather replied sarcastically.

Elyse and Heather walked over to the two chairs Harry and Ron had been sitting in and took them for themselves.

"So we hear you're in a predicament," Elyse said casually.

"You were eavesdropping, stop being so vague," Harry said.

Heather grinned. "Indeed. A specialty of ours, or hadn't you noticed? We've decided that we're coming with you."

"No way!" Harry said. "You heard what Voldemort would do if more than Ron came!"

"Goldilocks won't know the difference," Elyse said, smirking. At Harry's confused look at how she new the name Elyse said, "Word gets around."

"How can you promise that?" Ron asked.

"Ron," Heather said, "think of who you're talking to here!"

"I am," Ron said darkly. "I'm also thinking of who's at risk here, and who will know if you're there or not."

"Hello?" Elyse said, racking her knuckles on his head. "Does 'Invisibility Cloak' ring a bell? Or better yet the term 'Shadow Cloak'?"

Ron sighed. "I just dunno…"

"Course not!" Heather said. "Nobody does! But you see, in the trio we have, Lyse and I are the back-ups. I've got the master mind, she's got the precautions down pat. Kate's just the one who fits it all together." Heather whispered softly, "Her job wouldn't be if it wasn't for us, but don't tell her I said that. I'll get a lecture and a half."

Harry smiled wanly. "Do you have one or the other with you?"

"We have both," Elyse said, grinning at her companion at her recent statement. "We come prepared, you see."

Elyse pulled out the death black Shadow Cloak and Heather grabbed a silvery bundle from her robe.

"So when do we go?" Elyse asked, standing and stretching a bit, knowing Harry's answer.

"Immediately," Harry granted, walking towards the window. "I s'pose we'll get out through here."

"Oh, no," Heather said, peering down the stairs now that she'd gotten up from her chair. "We'll walk out the door."

"WALK OUT THE DOOR ON SOMETHING THAT NO ONE'S SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT!"

"Well they know about it now, Ron," Elyse commented with distaste. "Thanks for letting the whole world know."

"Sorry," Ron muttered distractedly. "I just… I just wanna get out of here and go get Hermione…."

Harry patted his friend on the back. "I know. And we will."

"Ready…" Heather said quietly from the stairs.

Elyse swooped towards Harry and Ron and threw the Invisibility Cloak on them. "Watch for the door. It'll be open."

"Almost…" Heather urged, motioning for Elyse to hurry to her side. Elyse did so without further dilemma and put the cloak so that it was almost covering the two of them.

"Now!"

Elyse slipped the cloak fully over them and the two lunged down the stairs, Harry and Ron racing after them as this was apparently what they were supposed to do. Harry looked and saw the open door. He raced toward it trying not to bump into someone and draw attention. He reached the door and flung himself out, Ron at his heels. Elyse and Heather streamed by in the Shadow Cloak just as the door was closing.

"Okay. Ready?" Elyse asked as she threw the Shadow Cloak off.

"I'm a little lost," Harry commented.

"That's okay," Heather assured. She and Elyse grabbed Harry and Ron and closed their eyes. A bubble formed around them.

"Why didn't you just grab us and fly? It's easier that way," Harry asked.

"And no one would be stressed," Ron said quietly with a smile.

Harry felt he'd drudged up old memories for Elyse but she smiled at him and said, "The more people, the more stress. We can handle two guys back to the Hogwarts area."

Harry shrugged. "If you're sure."

"We are," Heather said, grinning. "So, why don't you give us the details on what the Death Eaters said. We only got the gist of it."

"I thought you were eavesdropping…?" Ron asked suspiciously.

Elyse grinned. "Don't tell."

Harry was quite a bit confused, but told them everything anyway.

"I see…" Heather said quietly. "Well, Lyse, the four forty-one'll do it."

"Ooh…" Elyse groaned. "I hate the four forty-one."

"What's the four forty-one?" Ron asked instantly.

"It's just a stealth mode," Heather said offhandedly. "Lyse hates it because she likes to do stake-outs."

"Stake-outs are the best!" Elyse exclaimed.

Harry grinned. "So you'll be right behind us?"

"Elyse will be in front of you and I'll be behind," said Heather.

"Oh good, we're covered on all sides," Ron said gratefully.

"For the most part," Elyse said. "We won't be beside you, but that's okay."

"S'pose," Harry said, sitting down. "How long till we get there?"

"Anxious, are we?" Elyse asked. "Eh, long enough."

They chatted away the ride, discussing tactics and how to be stealthy. Elyse even showed them how to brake someone's nose, if the chance came to do it. Heather more told them diversionary tactics on how to get away. In the seemingly short ride, Harry figured enough to know that Elyse was more the hands-on person while Heather liked to use her mind instead of her fists.

Hogwarts castle came into view, shining brightly in the afternoon sun. The four's attention was diverted toward the mountains behind, however, the green grass pleasant as they watched it loom closer. Harry searched desperately for some caves, but none were apparent at the range they were at.

Elyse and Heather directed them to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, surprising Harry and Ron. The bubble disappeared as it touched the ground, leaving them looking out over Hogwarts.

"Why didn't we land near the mountains?" Harry asked.

"We don't want them to know we're already there if we can help it. If we can take the element of surprise, we're going for it," Heather said.

Elyse and Heather slipped on the Invisibility Cloak and Shadow Cloak, Elyse being pulled to the ground, where Harry's shadow was. He and Ron crept across the grounds, grinning at the unmistakable groans of complaint about the upcoming "four forty-one" Elyse would be issuing could they hear her.

Draco Malfoy looked out a window in an empty upstairs classroom. It used to be the Charms room, but they had changed it the year before he arrived at Hogwarts for reasons unknown. It had been made his temporary sleeping place for a month, waiting for the Dark Lord to tell Potter what was really happening. He hadn't needed to stay here for a month, but knowing Potter, he'd have tried to surprise the Dark Lord by arriving early, so Draco had waited here, watching.

Draco smirked as he looked out the window. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley were sneaking out toward the mountains from the forest. That was it, the message had been delivered.

"Crabbe, Goyle, Nott," Draco commanded, looking at some of his fellow servers of the Dark Lord, "they've done it. Let's go."