Ron had been right. He and Draco found it difficult to get back into the school through all of the students who pressed close to them. It actually surprised them both that they stayed so close to one another for support. They were feeling quite overwhelmed from all of the attention though.
Ron and Draco both noticed that, just when they thought they would suffocate in the crowd, the mass suddenly shifted back in a five-foot circle around them. Looking around, they spotted the reason why.
"I think you two had better come with me until the Headmaster calls for you," McGonagal said as she held her wand in place maintaining the breathing space. She led them to an empty classroom and told them to wait until she came back for them.
"Great," Draco said as he began to pace.
"What's the matter?" Ron asked.
"I can't stay here," Draco said. "After what just happened, the rumors will be flying through the whole school in no time. By the time word makes it back to Cassidy, I will have been killed after being attacked by a dozen death eaters."
"They do have a way of getting out of control if left to their own," Ron agreed. "I see what you mean. It'll eventually make it back to Hermione too. I'll probably either have died trying to defend you or killed you myself. Either way, she'll go nutters."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Draco asked.
"For once, I'd say that I am," Ron said. "Let's go."
Draco led the way to the door, but when he tried to open it, it held tight. Try as he might, it just wouldn't open. When he finally gave up and let go of the door, Ron pointed his wand at it and tried every door opening charm he could think of, but still it wouldn't budge.
"She's sealed it with some kind of spell I've never seen before," Ron said.
"She knew we'd try to get out," Draco said. "Why is she trying to stop us?"
"She's probably also trying to keep all of those people outside from getting in," Ron said.
"So we're trapped," Draco said as he began to pace once again.
"It won't do you any good to get yourself too worked up about all of this," Ron said as he sat down. "There isn't anything we can do about it until she comes back to get us. Besides, Dumbledore's a pretty smart bloke. I'm betting it won't take him long to get word to both of them about what really happened."
"What makes you so sure?" Draco asked.
"Past experience," Ron said. "This isn't the first crisis situation I've been through in the last seven years."
"Well this is my first," Draco began, "so excuse me if I find it a bit difficult to relax."
"Suit yourself," Ron said.
A full thirty minutes passed, as Draco continued to pace, and Ron kept threatening to nod off for a nap. They both stopped what they were doing and took notice as a small pop announced a new arrival to the room.
"What took you so long, Harry?" Ron asked.
"Sorry," Harry said with a grin. "I got here as soon as I could. Once I found out about what happened I had to get back to our room to look at the map just to find where they had you two."
"How in the world did you get in here?" Draco asked.
"I apparated," Harry answered.
"But I thought…" Draco began.
"I'll explain later," Harry said cutting him off. "Are you two alright?"
"I am," Ron said. "Draco's been pacing a rut in the floor though."
"Have you seen Cassidy?" Draco asked not caring how desperate he sounded.
"Don't worry," Harry said. "She's fine. Professor McGonagal picked her out of the library along with Hermione. I'm guessing that she's either telling them about what happened herself, or taking them to Professor Dumbledore."
"I tried to tell him," Ron said.
"So how much longer are they going to make us stay trapped in here?" Draco asked.
"They should come for us any time now," Ron said. "Dumbledore said one hour. That hour should be just about up."
The door suddenly opened and McGonagal walked in, surveyed the room and said, "I might have known I would find you here Mr. Potter. It's just as well. The Headmaster wishes to speak with you as well."
The three students walked through the door to Dumbledore's office followed by McGonagal, and Ron and Draco were nearly instantly wrapped in the arms of their girlfriends. It was several minutes before they finally separated long enough to take a look at whom else might be in the room.
Ginny was standing with Harry, Snape was looking over the scene as sternly as ever, and Drew was sitting in a chair beside Dumbledore's desk with his head in his hands. Drew's hands were trembling slightly, and it was plain to see that he was still upset.
"Is he okay?" Ron asked Hermione.
"He's been through more than you can imagine, Ron," Hermione said. "Please don't be harsh with him. I've already said my peace to him for attacking me. Trust me, he didn't have any choice. It wasn't something he wanted to do."
"Draco said he thought as much," Ron said. "Don't worry. I had my chance to take my revenge on him. If I was going to do it I would have already."
"What about you, Draco?" Cassidy asked. "Are you willing to trust me enough to believe me when I tell you that you don't need to punish him for what he did any more than he already has been?"
"I probably understand him better than anyone here," Draco said as he walked over to Drew. "They threatened your parents didn't they?"
"Yes," Drew said as he looked up at Draco with a tear stained face. "I am so sorry for what I did to you Draco. I didn't have any choice. You have you believe me."
"I do," Draco said. "Luckily for me, your spell didn't find its mark tonight. The question is, what happens now? Word of this is bound to leak out. Voldemort has spies writing to him even now. I can guarantee that."
"We're working on that," Dumbledore said. "Drew's parents will soon be in extreme danger. Somehow, we have to get them away from their house."
"That won't be easy," Snape said. "They are almost certainly being watched by death eaters as we speak. Any attempt to reach them will result in the death eaters attacking instantly."
"Couldn't you send a few members of The Order to eliminate the death eaters?" McGonagal asked.
"There is no way for us to know how many death eaters they may be facing," Dumbledore said. "It would only take one of them to raise the alarm and there could be fifty of them there to meet us in a matter of a few seconds."
"We can't even get a message to them," Snape said. "Anyone who approaches the house would be killed instantly."
"There has been a spell put around the house to prevent anyone from apparating into it or out of it as well," Dumbledore said. "The only way in is to walk in the front door."
"They won't dare leave the house of their own accord," Draco added. "No doubt, they've been threatened with Drew's life as well. It's standard practice for the death eaters to have everyone under their control in some way."
"We just need to get them a message that Drew is safe," McGonagal said.
"Even then, it would be dangerous for them to leave the house," Dumbledore said.
"Please help them," Drew pleaded. "They didn't have anything to do with any of this. I'll go to Azkaban if I have to, but please help them."
"I'm not about to let them take you to Azkaban, Drew," Dumbledore said. "We'll find a safe place for you to hide until we can straighten all of this out."
There was a silence in the room for several seconds until Harry said, "So all we have to do is get a message to them that Drew is safe and get them to portkey out of the house."
"We have already discussed that," Snape said. "It is impossible to get a message to them without walking up to the house. Anyone who tries it will be killed."
"Maybe not," Harry said.
"What did you have in mind, Harry?" Dumbledore asked looking over his glasses.
"All we have to do is have someone walk up to the house that they won't attack," Harry said.
"Weren't you listening?" Draco asked. "They'll attack everyone."
"They won't attack me," Harry said. "They're under direct orders from Voldemort that I not be harmed."
"Absolutely not," McGonagal said. "We aren't going to send a student into that kind of danger."
"He may be right, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "This is a desperate time, and it may call for desperate measures."
"But Harry is…" McGonagal began.
"The best hope we have," Dumbledore said. "He may be the only hope Drew's parents have."
"I don't want to send Harry into the middle of that kind of situation either," Ginny said. "But I will. I believe Harry can do it. I don't think he would have brought it up if he couldn't."
"With all due respect," Snape said, "Harry has a history of jumping into the fire with both feet before he knows the full extent of the danger involved."
"And he has come out of it every time," Hermione said.
"With an extraordinary amount of luck," Snape said.
"Then let's hope luck is on our side tonight," Dumbledore said as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at a small silver object on his desk. "Portus."
"Are you sure about this, Albus?" McGonagal asked.
"I am," Dumbledore said.
"Before I go, Professor," Harry began as he pulled out his own wand, "there's something I need Ginny to do for me."
Harry looked over at Ginny and placed his instructions directly into her mind so that no one else would hear what he was asking her to do, and she said, "I understand."
Harry pulled a chocolate frog from his pocket, pointed his wand at it and said, "Portus."
Ginny walked forward and took the portkey from him. A few seconds later, she disappeared.
"She won't be in any danger will she, Harry," Ron asked.
"No," Harry said. "She's only gone to prepare the place where I'm going to take Drew's parents to. It's perfectly safe. She'll stay there until I get there. Then she'll come back with me."
"I thought you would bring them back here," McGonagal said with a bit of surprise.
"No," Harry said. "They'll be looking for them here. There's no telling how many spies Voldemort has at Hogwarts. We can't run the risk that one will see them here."
"Where will you take them then?" Snape asked.
"Sorry, Professor," Harry said. "I placed that information in Professor Dumbledore's head already. The fewer people who know about it the better."
Harry reached forward and grabbed the silver object on Dumbledore's desk before anyone got the chance to ask another question. A few seconds later, he found himself standing at the front gate of a nice middle class home. Before he walked through the gate, Harry turned around so that all of the death eaters watching would get a look at him. He needed them to recognize him. He was depending on it to get him to the front door of the house. Luckily for him, there was a streetlight hanging right above his head that made him plainly visible.
By the time the confusion was beginning to pass for the death eaters about what they needed to do, Harry had already turned and walked to the door of the house. They were too late to stop him as he pulled his wand, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.
Harry listened, but there was no sound within the house. He walked into the living room knowing that he was still in danger of being attacked, though not by the death eaters outside.
"Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell," Harry called out. "I'm Harry Potter. I'm a school mate of your son Drew."
"Harry Potter?" Mr. Caldwell asked, as he appeared, wand in hand from behind a large chair.
"Yes," Harry said. "I've come to help you. I've come to get you out of here."
"But we can't leave," Mrs. Caldwell said as she appeared from behind a doorway on the other side of the room. "If we try to leave the death eaters will kill Drew."
"Don't worry about Drew," Harry said. "He's safe back at Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore has him in his office as we speak. As soon as I have you safely hidden away, I'll send him to join you."
"Why are you taking this risk?" Mr. Caldwell asked. "The death eaters could kill us all."
"Because Drew asked me to," Harry said. "Please. We don't have much time." Harry pulled the silver object he had used as a portkey to get there and pointed his wand at it. "Portus."
All three of them took hold of the portkey. Just a second before they disappeared, they heard the front door break open. The death eaters had finally regrouped. Harry just smiled knowing that they were too late.
Professor Dumbledore sat behind his desk and calmly watched as Professor McGonagal and Ron paced continually across his office. If he had had a little less faith in Harry, he might have felt the need to join them.
Harry and Ginny suddenly appeared right in front of Dumbledore's desk as Harry nodded to Dumbledore to let him know that everything was taken care of. Harry knew that the first person he should talk to was Drew.
"Drew," Harry said as he walked over to him.
Drew looked up in surprise and asked, "Did you do it? Are they alright?"
"They're fine," Harry said. "They're somewhere safe." Harry held out the chocolate frog one more time as he pointed his wand. "Portus. Take this Drew. You can see for yourself."
Drew reached out and took the offered portkey as he said, "I don't know how to thank you, Harry. I need to thank all of you so much for everything you've done for me. I promise that I'll do everything I can to pay you all back. Anything you need, just ask me for it."
Drew disappeared from the office, and they all stood in silence for several seconds.
"I could not be more proud of all of you tonight," Dumbledore said. "Of course, we can never tell anyone what really happened. If it became known that Drew attacked two Hogwarts students, the ministry would take him away to some place. I doubt that they would put a child into Azkaban, but I think we all agree that he does not need to be confined or questioned beyond what we have learned here tonight. Therefore, if you are all willing to go along with it, what happened tonight on the grounds was outside dueling training for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and no more."
Everyone nodded their agreement.
"I think that some reward is in order for your loyalty to Hogwarts and to the students," Dumbledore said. "One hundred points will be awarded to Gryffindor and to Slytherin."
After all of the students had been dismissed, and were on their way down the stairs, Draco asked, "So where did you take Drew and his parents, Harry? Is it really safe? You know the death eaters are going to turn England upside down looking for them."
"I'm sorry, Draco," Harry said. "I can't tell anyone else about it for now. You'd like it though. Maybe someday I'll take you and Cassidy there."
"Really?" Draco asked. "Why would you do that for me?"
"I told you once that I've hoped we would eventually find a way to put our differences aside," Harry said. "I know enough now to put mine aside anyway."
"So do I," Ron said. "I have to admit it was a lot better having a normal conversation with you, than screaming insults back and forth."
"Cassidy must be rubbing off on me more than I thought," Draco said. "I think I liked it better too. I'm not willing to put aside all of our differences though. I may have to hold on to a few for a while. We do still have a quidditch match coming up you know."
"That I can live with," Ron said
"You boys and your quidditch rivalries," Cassidy said shaking her head.
"It isn't just the boys," Ginny said. "I'll likely be the one playing seeker in that game."
"Which reminds me," Ron said. "Have you ordered your new broom yet, Harry?"
"Would you believe I've forgotten?" Harry asked with a smile. "It must have just slipped my mind. I'll do it soon though. I promise."