"Are you certain this will work?"

"Yes." Pause. "I think." Lex smiled disarmingly at Draco's look, as he opened the valve on the tank. He crouched under a window outside the castle. Retrieved from the plant, the black tank had a biohazard symbol painted on it. A pinched hose was attached to the tank's nozzle. "The toxin in this tank should knock them out almost immediately. We just need to get them into the room."

Draco peered cautiously through the window, cupping his hands over the leaded glass. "I'll knock over one of the display cases."

"That would be too obvious," Lex said, straightening. He lifted the tank. "Open the window."

Draco aimed his wand at the lock. "Alohomora."

The window unlatched. Draco used his fingernails under the casement edge and pulled the swing window open. Carefully, Lex leaned over the sill. Draco supported and boosted him as he lowered the tank to the floor of the war room. The hose on the tank extended to its fullest as Lex squirmed backwards on the sill. He held onto the pinchers that kept the hose plugged. "Ready?"

Draco grasped the back of Lex's shirt with one hand and had the other on the open window. "Ready."

Lex took a deep breath and unclipped the pinchers. "Go!"

Draco yanked him off the sill, and Lex stumbled backwards and landed on his ass. Draco shoved the window shut. It was too well-oiled to make any noise. Draco glanced at Lex. "How about if I animate your playset? It will make the Death Eaters curious and most likely investigate."

"Go for it."

Draco faced the window and made a complicated motion with his wand. "Animus."

A yellow light flashed from the tip of Draco's wand, bounced against the windowpane, and sped towards Lex. Lex yelped and rolled out of the way. The spell hit the grass where he'd been sitting. The browning grass began waving in the area struck.

Draco appeared sheepish. "Oops."

Lex pushed himself into a sitting position with a mock glare. He was really amused. Magic didn't make wizards perfect. "Try that again."

"I'll have to open the window," Draco said, touching the glass.

"Not far, and try not to breathe when you cast," Lex said, looking at the animated grass. The blades had started pulling free from the ground and 'walking' on the roots.

Draco took an audible, deep breath, pried open the window an inch, and made the complicated movement with his wand again. "Animus," he said on an exhale and held his breath again. The yellow spell light shot through the window opening and struck the scale model of the siege of Troy. Draco closed the window and then cupped his hand over the glass to peer inside. "It worked. The soldiers are moving."

"So is this grass. Draco!" Lex jumped to his feet and dodged as several uprooted grass blades launched themselves at him. The blades whipped their tops back and forth, making high-pitched whizzing noises as they cut through the air.

"Finite," Draco cast at the animated grass. However, his spell didn't encompass all the uprooted blades. One managed to land on Lex's shoe and the grass blade cut right through his trousers, his sock, and the skin of his ankle.

"Ow!" Lex shook his leg, trying to dislodge the grass, but the roots wrapped around his shoe. He hopped and lost his balance, crashing to the ground. More blades attacked. "Draco!"

"I'm trying. Finite. Finite." Spell light from Draco's wand picked off the blades attacking Lex. "Finite."

Lex beat at the blade cutting his shirt and arm. "This isn't the commotion I wanted to cause," he muttered, pinching the head of the blade between his hands and ripping it in half. He could swear he heard a scream.

Draco disenchanted the remaining grass and offered a hand up to Lex. "Are you all right?"

"Yes." Lex scowled at the blood on his shirtsleeve, where the grass had cut his arm. "Just nicked."

"Do you have plasters at your office?" Draco asked, cupping Lex's elbow. He parted the tear in the shirt and studied the cut on Lex's bicep.

"It can wait. We have more important matters to deal with," Lex said, nodding towards the window. Luckily, there was only one window, as the war room was at the northeast corner of the castle. The Death Eaters would've only seen them hopping around outside if they entered the war room, and if they did that, the toxic gas should fell them instantly.

Draco didn't look happy with the injury or with himself. Lex knew better than to say 'everyone makes mistakes.' Instead, he crept over to the window, cupped his hands against the glass, and peered inside.

The scale model soldiers, for the most part, were fighting on the battlefield of Troy. The Trojan horse sat inside the model city, its sides open, with soldiers climbing out. Several engaged in swordfights across the parapets of the city walls. Those that fell toppled over the wall, bounced off the table, and landed on the floor.

Draco joined him at the window, looking inside. "Violent little buggers."

"Did you cause them to do this?" Lex said, rubbing his arms for warmth, wincing when he hit the cut. Their fast escape didn't include grabbing a coat for the November weather and Lex hadn't thought to get one from his office at the plant.

"No. I only animated them. But they're soldiers. They were created to stage fights." Draco pushed back from the window and surveyed their surroundings. "It shouldn't be long before the Death Eaters notice. The fighting is probably loud."

Draco was right: it wasn't a long wait. Lex ducked reflexively when a black robed and masked Death Eater walked past the war room door. Draco saw him and stepped aside quickly, his back to the stone wall of the castle.

Cautiously, Lex raised his head and peered through the window. Draco did the same. The Death Eater stood in the doorway of the war room, wand raised. The bone-colored mask was smooth, save for two eye-slits, hiding the Death Eater's expression.

He must've called to the others, because as he stepped into the room, two more Death Eaters appeared in the doorway. Lex held his breath, not moving, so as not to draw attention to his head poking above the windowsill. The Death Eaters' focus seemed to be on the table.

Come on, come on, Lex thought, willing the toxin to work. The two other Death Eaters entered the room.

The original Death Eater swayed. Lex bit the inside of his cheek. The miniature soldiers fought viciously on the model table.

"Yes," Draco whispered gleefully, as Death Eater number one collapsed to the floor. The other two Death Eaters separated, one going to check on his fallen comrade. He crouched, swayed wildly, and fell on top of the prone Death Eater.

The remaining Death Eater had to have shouted, even as he went down, cracking his chin on the model table as he collapsed. Two more Death Eaters came running, wands brandished, bursting into the room through the side door.

"Avada Kedavra."

"LEX!"

Lex was tackled sideways, a green bolt of light ricocheting against the window where his head had been. Draco covered him bodily, wand extended. "Avada Kedavra!"

Lex craned his head and saw the sixth Death Eater outside with them. The Death Eater had jumped out of the rebound course of his own spell, directly into the path of Draco's Killing Curse. The green light struck the Death Eater in the chest. He fell instantly.

Heart hammering, Lex gulped at his near miss of death. Draco scrambled off Lex, bending low, wand raised defensively. He ran to the corner of the castle and peered cautiously around it. Lex rolled to his feet in a crouch, prepared to move on Draco's command.

Draco's tense shoulder did not relax, but he straightened. "Clear."

Lex rose, staying to one side of the window, as Draco went over to the felled Death Eater. Lex leaned over and peered carefully through the window. A quick look revealed five Death Eaters sprawled on the floor. The miniature soldiers fought on. "I count five down."

"And this one makes six." Draco checked the Death Eater's pulse and smiled with malicious satisfaction. He rose. "Hopefully, that's all of them."

"How long should we wait to be sure? The gas will kill them if they breathe it too long."

Draco shrugged. "Let them die. It will save me the time of Avada Kedavra-ing them."

Lex rubbed a hand over his head. "Killing in self-defense is one thing, but that would be murder. And six bodies would be a lot to hide."

"It's dangerous to leave them alive." Draco looked tired suddenly, frown-lines etched deep around his mouth, his forehead, and the corners of his eyes. "It's bad enough that I brought them to your doorstep."

"You didn't know this would happen," Lex said, stepping closer to him.

"I knew it was a possibility."

"Anything is a possibility." Lex touched Draco's shoulder. "You can't predict the future."

Draco's lips curved self-mockingly. "I do suck at divination." He brought his hand up and brushed his knuckles against Lex's cheek. "I probably would've ignored the prediction, anyway."

The comfortable heat that burned steadily beneath Lex's skin in Draco's presence sparked at Draco's meaning. Lex tried not to grin like a lovesick fool.

He failed.

Draco chuckled and kissed Lex once, swiftly. "So, what should we do with our unwanted visitors?"

"I suppose we could call the Sheriff," Lex said, glancing over at the dead Death Eater on the lawn. A blade of grass that hadn't been de-animated was attacking the Death Eater, cutting deep slices into the mask.

"If I take their wands, they won't have a way to escape, unless they have hidden portkeys," Draco said. "The question will be raised, however, as to why we didn't fetch the Sheriff to begin with and about the toxic gas."

"What about calling someone from the wizarding world, then?" Lex said. "You have law enforcement here in the US, right?"

"Hn, yes." Draco walked over to the window, peered inside, and then leaned against the wall with his arms folded. His wand poked up in the crook of his elbow. "The problem therein lies that I'm not in this country legally. The American wizarding government would take me into custody, as well, and ship me back across the pond."

"Ah." That wasn't something Lex wanted to happen – never, if he had his way. "What about contacting someone in Britain?"

Draco rubbed his forehead like he had a headache. "I could try firecalling Moody, perhaps. If he's still alive. Otherwise, there's no one else I can think of available, and willing, to take my firecall. Nearly all the 'good' side think I'm a Death Eater and the Death Eaters know I'm a traitor. My Christmas card list has become rather short."

Three sharp cracks echoed suddenly in the air, causing both Lex and Draco to jump. Draco moved swiftly, throwing a hand out indicating for Lex to stay put. Adrenaline rushed again through Lex's veins, his muscles tensing. He prepared to be moused again.

Draco peeked around the corner of the castle, knuckles white around the grip of his wand. He drew his head back, his features tense. "Either we've just gotten help, or polyjuice is in usage and we won't know it until we're dead."

"You were a spy," Lex said. "Don't you have some sort of secret code word?"

Draco pursed his lips and nodded. "I may have something that will work. Are you prepared to rabbit if not?"

"It's a step up from a mouse," Lex said.

Draco looked at him funnily and then shook his head. "Right. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Draco took a deep breath, gripped his wand tighter, and called out. "Mad-Eye Moody, this is Draco Malfoy. Verify your identity. Name the day or place that I first had contact with you, when I turned robes."

"December twenty-third at Madam Malkin's, as you were doing some dandified fittings," someone, Moody presumably – hopefully – called back. "You were wearing frilly knickers that day and you screamed like a chit when I apparated into your dressing room!"

Draco relaxed visibly. "It's the real Moody." He turned his head and half-scowled as he called in return. "Though, he needn't have added that extra information!" He returned his gaze to Lex and stuck his nose in the air. "And I only wear frilly knickers on Sundays."

-tbc