Chapter 19

The Second Betrayal


Ginny looked at the small clock hanging on the wall. It was half-past nine o' clock. She was late for work. Of course, she hadn't shown up at all yesterday, and based on the current belief that she was both a criminal and a corpse, she was pretty certain that she didn't really work for the Ministry any more.

She'd been taken to what seemed to be a small flat in upper floors of the bank. Harry had left her there while he spoke to the goblins. Shortly after he left, a disgruntled goblin had delivered a variety of breakfast foods to her. She sensed something odd about the service, and pressed the goblin for more information. After a painful series of questions, the goblin told her that Harry had paid Gringott's a hundred Galleons to have a goblin serve the food instead of the house-elves.

She thought she could have found a much better use of a hundred Galleons. He'd been born wealthy, and he said he'd recently come into even more gold. Perhaps he had enough gold that he could just toss bags of it around for frivolous reasons, but that didn't make it right.

She paced around the large central room, thinking of how she would bring this up to Harry. When that became too boring, she began trying to think of what she might say to Harrington to make him believe that she had no part in the attacks. She hadn't decided if she really wanted her job back, but it was better than thinking about what she'd seen that morning.

Before she had a chance to start thinking about how many days of clothes she still had at the Burrow, Harry returned. His presence alone was enough to make her throat constrict. The look on his face confirmed the conclusion her mind had been trying not to accept. They were in another war, and this one was happening much faster than the last one.

"How are you doing?" he asked gently. "I see you ate a little. You might want to eat some more. The next few days... Well, we might not always have time for good meals."

"I will," Ginny reassured him. She tried to give him her sternest look. "I was glad to have the food, but Harry, you shouldn't have paid that goblin to bring the food. One hundred Galleons? I would rather you give that to my parents and let me deal with the sight of a house elf or two." She prepared herself for an argument. Some part of her wanted an argument. At least she would be able to fight back. All she had been able to do until then was run from the things that confused and frightened her.

Harry didn't cooperate. Instead he gave her a piteous look. "The last thing you need to worry about is gold. The hundred Galleons came from Grigore's vaults. I stole the keys to a couple the day I escaped. I feel there is some degree of justice in the fact that I have been using his own gold to fight him. As for your family, I've already been helping them in ways they haven't even noticed. I'm sure we can both think up wonderful uses for the leftover gold when this is all over, but for now, we should focus on what needs to be done to end it, and worry about gold later."

Ginny nodded. Harry was right, of course.

"I know this morning was hard," he said, "but we've got some hard days still ahead of us. Things have changed."

Ginny stared at him, unsure of just what hadn't changed recently.

"I've been talking to the goblins. They've agreed to do something rather drastic in order to buy us some time. It cost me a fortune, but― Well, actually it cost Grigore a fortune, so I don't give a damn. With luck, Hermione will be allowed back into the Department of Mysteries, and Ron is talking to Lupin right now. Do you feel up to running a few errands for me?"

"Of course," she answered immediately. "Whatever it takes."

Harry nodded. "First, I want you to go visit your brothers. They will―"

"How do I avoid being seen?" Ginny interrupted.

"You don't," Harry replied simply. "That's one of the reasons you're doing it. We need people to realize that you're no longer dead. If you're alive, the Brotherhood can't take you away, and the Ministry will have to restrain itself. They can't toss the Liaison to Romania in Azkaban."

"You're forgetting that they all think I'm part of the plot to murder the Romanian Minister," Ginny reminded him.

Harry waved his hand dismissively. "No one really believes the Prophet, and if they do, it'll mean that everyone will stay out of your way. Now, once you're at the shop, Fred and George may not be in very good moods, but hopefully they'll cheer up when they see you. I need you to check and see when they could get you a Shield Cloak," he said, adding, "Just one, mind you. If they say they're busy, it's just fine. I sent the goblins to buy as many as they could at a price that is even more obscene than the usual price I get them at. I need to know how many Fred and George will be able to get for them. While you're there, tell them they should get in touch with Lupin and gather the Order. It's not that I don't trust Ron, but I can't risk having him turned away by Filch or any of the Aurors."

"Alright," Ginny said with a nod, "but they're going to want to know why."

"They'll ask, but you've got to keep quiet. Tell them they should do it in the next few days, but don't make it sound urgent. Tell them to try and keep it as quiet as possible. That should slow them down. Don't tell them about anything that happened."

"Why not? Don't we want their help?"

"Not yet," Harry replied. "Next, you said that your friend at the Leaky Cauldron is a pretty regular customer. Do you think he would be there now?"

"I don't really know," she answered. "I've never really seen a time when he's not there. It's possible that he actually lives there. If he's not there now, maybe Tom will know where to find him."

"Alright, then go and talk to him. Ask him how long it would take him to organize his friends. If he can't do it within a week or so, tell him to forget about it."

"And if he can?" she prompted. "What should I tell him they are going to be doing?"

"If he'll do it, then he should come to Gringott's tonight at ten o' clock. You'll have to meet him, obviously. If he asks what he'll be doing, tell him that we only need him to provide a distraction, but in doing that, he might have to attack Aurors, Death Eaters, and Brotherhood wizards. I won't fault him if he isn't willing to do that."

"And after that?"

"After that, I need you to go to the Ministry. Harrington will know you're alive by then, and things are going to be a lot simpler if you talk to him today instead of tomorrow. I don't know what's going to happen, but it's vital that you keep your job there. Just make sure that you leave before sundown."

"Is there some reason why?"

"Of course," Harry answered, "and I'll tell you just as soon as you make it back here."

Ginny nodded and re-tied her Shield Cloak. Harry was right. It was going to be a hard day.


"Er, Fred? George?" Lee Jordan called out. "Can, er... Can one of you spare a moment?"

The shop looked fairly busy for the hour, but Fred and George were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Lee had taken position behind the counter and looked rather harassed. A few of the other customers recognized Ginny, and their reaction was enough to convince the others to keep their distance.

"Lee!" came an answering shout. "How many times do we have to tell you that we're busy?" Ginny recognized the voice, but didn't know if it had been Fred or George.

"I think this might be an exception," Lee hollered back.

"I swear, if this is some sort of trick, I'll hex your jaw shut for a week!"

Lee walked a little closer to the door so he didn't have to speak quite as loud. "I don't know if it's a trick, but you better come see it."

"If one of us has to come out there, it better be because someone is either dead or stunningly beautiful."

Lee stared at Ginny for a moment, then called back, "From what I've heard, it's actually a little bit of both."

Ginny heard a frustrated groan from the other side of the door and seconds later, the door squealed open. Fred and George peered through the narrow opening, and found Ginny almost immediately.

"Oh, it's you," George said flatly. Fred looked equally unsurprised. "We wondered if you'd be popping in today," he added. "What can we do for you? We've got a busy day ahead of us, but we've always got time for our sister the assassin."

"You're looking amazing for not being alive, by the way," George chimed in.

Ginny looked about, wishing she could talk to them privately. "I, er―" she stammered, "I was wondering how long I would have to wait for a Shield Cloak."

Fred and George exchanged suspicious looks, then glared at Ginny. "You want a Shield Cloak? Today?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be today," she tried to say. "I was just hoping that―"

"Enough," interrupted Fred. "Come back here. We'll take your order."

Ginny quickly slipped through the doorway, feeling relieved to escape the stares and whispered comments of the other customers. Fred and George immediately walked over to the large table in the center of the room. On either end of the table was a pile of darkly colored fabric. It took only a second to recognize them as cloaks.

Fred and George leaned against the table, facing Ginny and looking rather serious. "Mum and Dad are well shot of all this dying you've been doing. I think Mum would chain you up in the attic if she knew where you were."

"You already knew I wasn't dead?" Ginny asked.

"We had a healthy level of suspicion," Fred replied. "We got an owl from Lupin this morning. He'd read the Prophet, and shared our concerns over the number of corrections they've been publishing lately. He figured the three of you had escaped and were simply hiding from whoever was responsible. He sent Dobby out to look for you. Said he thought he knew just where to find you, and hoped that Ron and Hermione would be with you. When Dobby didn't return immediately, we took it as a good sign."

Ginny felt her throat tighten. "Did you― did anyone mention... the old headquarters to anyone who didn't know about it yet?"

"No," George replied. "We didn't even talk about it. We just read the note from Lupin. He seemed deadly serious about it. That's why he sent Dobby. He didn't have time to find anyone else." Fred narrowed his eyes. "Why do you ask?" he questioned her. "Do you think someone else found out about it?"

"It's, er... I―" she stumbled, trying to think of just what to say. "We think so," she finally said. "We want you to talk with Lupin. Try to gather up the Order, but do it as quietly as you possibly can, and well... don't go to the old place. And, er... maybe you shouldn't try to contact me or Ron or Hermione. We'll come find you in a few days." Ginny stopped talking and waited for her brothers to respond.

After a few seconds of silence, George and Fred exchanged glances. "That's all?" George asked. "You came here to tell us to gather the Order? We're already doing that."

"Well... I guess then I just came to say that you should be quiet about it," she said, feeling slightly defensive.

"Have you gone to the Ministry yet?" Fred asked with a curious look. "Dad said that it's a little tense there. Do they know you're alive?"

"Not yet," she replied. "I'll go there soon enough. I just needed to give you that message and see about a new Shield Cloak."

"So you do need Shield Cloaks?" George asked. Fred raised an eyebrow, adding, "How many, and how quickly do you need them?"

"Oh, well, just one, really," she answered, "and it doesn't really matter when I get it."

The twins shared another look, and frowned. "It doesn't matter," Fred repeated. "Now that's interesting, isn't it George?"

George nodded. "It is a bit odd," he agreed.

Fred pointed at a stack of cloaks and said, "See those? Those are for an order we got this morning. There are more cloaks there than we've sold in the past two months. And that includes the last few weeks. After the other attacks, we just haven't been able to keep them on the shelves. We actually had to buy Madam Malkin's entire stock of cloaks. Before this, we'd been making our own ―higher profits, of course― but at the prices we're selling these for, it just doesn't matter."

"And then, as if it weren't bad enough, a grim fellow from the Ministry came by about an hour ago asking if he could buy every cloak we had," George told her. "He was probably sent to restock the ones the Aurors went through at Chudley. Of course, he was only going to pay the normal price, so he walked away rather disappointed."

"And now you walk in, asking for the one thing everyone else in Britain wants," Fred added. "The only difference is that everyone else wants them this very moment, and you're happy to get yours whenever we have time."

"So, it will be a while then?" she asked. "A few days? A week?"

George sighed. "If we would tell you―"

"―which we're not―" Fred interjected.

"―that these cloaks were ordered by the goblins and they were going to be picked up tonight, would that change the day you would want yours?"

"Tonight?" Ginny replied. Why did Harry need them that quickly? Was he planning something for tonight? Was it possible? She tried to hide her surprise. "I, er... I guess not. It's not really all that important," she said dismissively.

Fred walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled a small leather briefcase from the shelf. "George?" he grunted with a nod toward the pile of cloaks behind him. George turned and pulled three of the cloaks off the pile and tossed them over to Fred, who quickly folded them into the briefcase. When he was done, he closed and clasped the suitcase and handed it to Ginny.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," she argued. "Keep them, really. If you're selling them for as much as you say, it would be a waste to give them to me. I don't need them, now."

"Of course you don't," George replied. "You and Ron and Hermione would never do anything dangerous without asking for help from your friends and family. Don't worry about us; we'll still make a killing on the rest of them. Maybe you should tell your friends at the Ministry that if they want any of these cloaks they're going to have to come up with more gold."

"Er, alright, I suppose I could do that," Ginny said. "I guess I should be going then." Ginny smiled, then turned and began walking for the door.

"Ginny, stop," Fred called out. When she looked back at him, he was rubbing his eyes. George was staring at the ceiling.

"Ginny, we need you to be completely honest with us," George began. "Something is going on. If we would be able to ignore our promise to the goblins―"

"―and the mountains of gold they're willing to give us―" Fred added.

"―Yes, and that," George agreed. "If we could ignore that, would you rather that we didn't give these to them?"

"Accidents happen," Fred commented. "If you'd like, we could be robbed over lunch or have some fire break out this afternoon."

Ginny tried to give them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. Sell the cloaks. It'll be fine. Just remember to give me a really expensive gift this Christmas."


Ginny had ignored the stares and whispers as she had walked down Diagon Alley. It wasn't until she reached the Leaky Cauldron that the attention she was gathering began to worry her. As she neared the door, a group of wizards burst through the door and stood in the street, simply gazing at her as though she was a ghost. She forced herself to ignore them and walked into the pub.

The Leaky Cauldron was as empty as she'd ever seen it. Albert was not sitting in his usual spot at the bar, and a quick check of the main room showed no sign of him. Behind the bar, Tom was splitting his time between searching for something and staring at her in shock.

"I, er― I didn't expect you... this early," he stammered. "I think... there should be a Prophet around here somewhere."

"Don't bother," Ginny replied. "I've already read it. It's all rubbish."

"It appears so," Tom snorted.

Ginny walked over to Tom, and sat down. She leaned forward, and spoke to him in a low voice. "I was hoping Albert would be here."

Tom frowned and walked closer to her. "Not yet," he replied with a shake of his head.

"Do you know where I could find him?" Ginny asked, trying to keep the urgency out of her voice. "I thought, well, that he might be living here, and that you might tell me which room he was in."

Tom grunted and frowned. "Well, he does stay here quite a bit, and for you, I'd even tell you which room was his, but it isn't a permanent thing. He'll take a room for a few days, drop of a bag of gold and disappear. He'll be back the next morning, but it might be another week before he asks for another room." Tom nodded to a pack of wizards who came in, and leaned closer to Ginny. "I'm afraid now is one of those times. I don't really know where you might find him."

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" Ginny asked. "Does he have a house nearby or some family that he might live with?"

Tom shook his head. "He's never mentioned anything about a house. I guess I figured he just went about from one inn to another. If he's got a family, they don't live around here."

Ginny felt her frustration building. "How about the other wizards around here? Would any of them know where to find him?"

"I doubt it," Tom snorted. "I've spent more time with him than anyone else around here. He's only been coming here for a few months ―the end of May I think. He just walked in one day. Of course, you know how he is. He made quite a scene.

"Maybe they would have forgotten, but later that day, two blokes walked in, and before they made it ten feet inside the door, Albert was off his stool and shouting at them as if they were insulting him by simply being there. The two strangers started whispering in some other language ―Russian, by the sound of it― so Albert started shouting at them in Russian. That really got their attention and they bolted like ten-year-olds with stolen wands. Lads around here got quite a laugh from it. They started calling him 'Lord Albert' and he never said anything to stop them."

"So that's all anyone knows about him?" Ginny asked. "He's rich, eccentric, and speaks Russian?"

"I'm afraid so."

"How long do you think it will be before he comes in today?"

"I don't think I really know," Tom said, sounding apologetic. "Any other day and I'd tell you that he should already be here. Today... I just don't know."

"What's different about today?" she asked, fearing she already knew the answer. "Did something happen to him yesterday? At the Quidditch match?"

"No, not yesterday. The day before, I think. Albert was in here all day yesterday. Not that he could go anywhere."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, forgetting to lower her voice. "What happened two days ago?"

"No one really knows," Ton answered. "He didn't come in that day, but yesterday he dragged himself in here at sunrise. I'd barely finished cleaning the glasses from the previous night, and he limped in, carrying a half-empty bottle of whatever it is that he drinks."

"He was limping?"

"Limping doesn't seem to quite describe it," Tom chuckled. "He was barely walking. He looked like he'd gotten the nasty end of a Hungarian Horntail. There weren't that many bruises, but you could see the pain in his eyes. I asked him if he needed help getting to St. Mungo's and instead of answering, he asked if anyone had heard of any trouble in Romania." Tom snorted again, and shook his head. "I told him that he should forget about Romania. It looked like he'd found himself enough trouble already."

Ginny felt lightheaded. It had to be a coincidence. She dropped her head into her hands and tried to think. "Did he say what had happened to him?" she asked weakly. "Did he say where he'd been?"

"No," Tom replied, "he didn't want to talk to anyone about it. Why don't you give it a go?"

Ginny's head snapped up, and she found Tom smiling and pointing toward the door leading to the London streets. Standing in the open doorway and bracing himself against the frame was Albert. He was frozen, staring at Ginny, though for once, his eyes weren't filled with happiness or mirth, but paralyzing fear.

"Well, come on in, Albert!" Tom shouted. "I figured you'd be happy to see her still in one piece."

"Yeah, hobble on in here, Lord Albert!" another patron shouted. "Now that you've got your little friend, maybe you'll tell us about the monster that made you walk funny!"

Albert's eyes stared at Ginny for a moment. As he took his first faltering step forward, Ginny's eyes fell to his right leg. He was limping on it, just as Tom had said. In her mind, Ginny could still hear the nauseating crack of bone before the witch who'd been posing as Hermione screamed and collapsed onto the floor of the Romanian shop. Ginny remembered the curse clearly. She had hit the same leg Albert was limping on and she saw the same look in Albert's eyes now as she had in the eyes of the impostor. She didn't even realize how tightly her jaw was clenched until she felt the pain cutting into her teeth.

Albert winced with each step, but he never took his eyes off Ginny. There was a pained expression of recognition behind them. He must have known that he wouldn't be able to run, and yet the courage he showed at facing her only angered her more.

Ginny turned away from him and stared at the bar instead. It had been him. The one person she had counted as a friend ―the one person she had relied upon― had been using her as a way to get to Harry, just like everyone else.

Albert lumbered toward her and fell into a stool next to her. He wasn't looking at her anymore. Instead he was staring at his own robes. Slowly, he reached into one of his pockets, and pulled out the long bottle he always carried with him. With the other hand, he placed a glass on the bar. Ginny watched in silence as he filled it and quickly drank it.

Ginny felt her muscles twitch as he reached back into his pocket. She carefully reached for her wand. He'd attacked Harry. He had tried to stop them from escaping. He probably came here looking for her. She watched tensely as he pulled his hand out of his pocket and revealed a second glass. He sat it on the bar and turned toward her, but kept his eyes down.

"It's been a rough day," he said in a low voice. "Care for something to sharpen your wits?"

"No," Ginny practically spat. "I don't want anything from you."

"It wasn't what you think," he said. "I was trying to keep you safe. I only told him because I thought we could end this without any more fighting. I didn't know Grigore was going to do that."

"You can't expect me to believe that!" Ginny hissed. "You were the one who attacked us."

"I wasn't even there," Albert argued. "How could I be? I can barely walk!"

A nauseating wave of realization hit Ginny. It had been her fault that the Brotherhood found them that morning. Somehow, Albert must have worked out where she'd been going. He had been the one to tell the Brotherhood. Was that where Albert got all of his gold? How long had he been working with Tarus?

Ginny turned to stare at him as if she might read the answer on his face. He had been her friend. She had trusted him, and he had sold her to the Brotherhood. Dobby died trying to help them escape. Which one of them would be next? Ginny felt a white hot fury building in her chest.

Without any warning, she slipped off her stool and slipped her hand into the pocket where she kept her wand. With two quick steps she closed the distance between her and Albert before he could even take his hand from his bottle.

She jabbed her wand into his ribs and growled, "If you try anything, I swear I'll shatter every last bone in your body."

Albert didn't say a word in response. He simply nodded stiffly and poured himself another drink. A few of the other wizards around the pub had taken notice of her move, but she ignored them and waited for them to go back to their own conversations. While she waited, Albert emptied another glass. His calm demeanor only served to fuel her anger. He knew what he'd done. He knew that Ginny was aware of it now, and yet he sat there, drinking, just like any other day.

When she was certain no one was paying any attention to her, Ginny leaned closer to Albert. "We're going to talk," she whispered, "but not here. Somewhere private."

Albert nodded again, and raised his hand to signal Tom. The barman sauntered back over to him, and gave him a questioning look. "Is there something I can get the two of you?"

"A room," Albert replied.

This made Tom look even more confused. "You want a room? I― Well, I suppose it's not my place to judge but―"

"It's not like that," Albert interrupted. "We have some business to attend to. We need the most privacy you can give us. As always, I am not concerned about cost."

Tom frowned, then looked at Ginny as if checking to see if she was alright with it. She gave him a restrained nod. With a grunt and a shrug, Tom reached under the bar, and brought up a long silver key a few seconds later.

"I suppose that means you'll want the attic suite. I reckon it's the best room I've got for sharing secrets. You remember which one it is, don't you?" Tom asked Albert. "The one at the top of the stairs?"

"We'll take it," Albert snapped. He reached into his robes, hesitating for an instant as Ginny pressed the tip of her wand into his side, reminding him of her threat. He pulled out a bag of gold and tossed it onto the bar, spilling a few large disks of gold. They weren't Galleons, but it was obvious that they were quite valuable. Tom and several of the other patrons stared at the bag, but when they turned to look at Albert, he was already getting up.

Ginny walked right at his side, making it look as though she were helping him walk, though he was walking as poorly as he had when he'd walked into the pub. When they reached the stairs, Ginny shot a withering glare at him. If he was going to try anything, that would be his best chance. She was forced to hide her wand and follow him up the stairs. They reached the top and slowly began climbing a second flight.

They reached the top of the second flight of stairs and found a large door made of dark, polished wood. Albert unlocked the door and walked in as though it had been the front door to his own house. Once inside, he turned around and faced Ginny, looking far too unabashed for Ginny's taste. She slammed the door and strode toward him.

Before she could reach him, he had already pulled out a glass and was pouring himself yet another drink. "I understand that you're upset, Ginny," he began saying, "but this is more complex than it seems. We have a lot to talk about. Are you certain you wouldn't like something to drink?"

Ginny snarled and closed the distance between them in a second. With a wild shout, she took a hold of the bottle with both hands and slammed her shoulder into his stomach. She heard a pained grunt, and he fell backward into a large chair. As he fell, Ginny wrenched the bottle from his hands. Whirling about, Ginny launched the bottle at a nearby wall. It shattered, showering the wall and floor with fuming liquid. Albert coughed a couple times, then caught his breath and stared at the wall mournfully. When he looked back at Ginny, her wand was out and pointed directly at his chest.

"Give me your wand," she demanded, holding out her free hand.

Albert stared back at her passively. "Harry incinerated it, don't you remember?"

"Quite clearly, thank you," Ginny replied. "However, I think you came back here hoping to find me. I don't know what you were planning to use as an explanation, but you must have considered the possibility that I would realize the truth. You didn't have come here without a way to defend yourself."

Albert nodded slightly, then slowly raised his arms out in front of him. Carefully, one of them bent to reach toward an inside pocket in his robes. With the same smooth motion, he pulled out a long, polished wand.

"I presume this is what you meant," Albert said as he handed the wand to her. "To call it a wand, however, is an insult to every other wand I've used. This is barely more than a piece of wood. It has as many unicorn hairs in its core as I've got on my head."

"I don't really care. I'm not planning on selling it," Ginny replied sharply. With her wand still trained on Albert, she walked to a nearby table and pressed the tip of his wand against the surface until it splintered and snapped in two. Ginny tossed the broken pieces back to Albert.

He frowned at the remains, and gingerly pulled a long white strand from one of the pieces. "It's not unicorn hair," he said flatly. "It's more likely to be from the beard of some cross-eyed goat." He tossed it to the floor and shrugged. "At least I'll be able to go to Ollivander to get a real wand now."

Ginny's anger blazed. "How did you find out about the house on Grimmauld Place?" she asked. "Was it a Tracking Charm? Or have you been helping the Death Eaters as well?"

"You told me," he said simply. "The night I had to chase Henri out of here. I didn't pay any attention to it at the time, but I have a good memory and five minutes in Knockturn Alley turned up plenty of people who knew just what the 'Black House' was."

"You betrayed me!" she shouted.

"I have not betrayed you, only your trust," Albert professed. "I only did what I have been doing from the moment you left Hogwarts. I protected you. I sheltered you from all the dangers surrounding you. You came to me, with that talisman. Wizards have died for seeing one, and you brought one to a pub to show it off? If I hadn't talked to the Brotherhood and convinced them you didn't know what it was, you wouldn't have lasted another day. I kept you safe."

"You kept me safe? Where were you this morning? Dobby died trying to save us!" she cried. "He didn't hurt anyone. He only wanted to give us a chance to escape. Tarus murdered him, but it might as well have been you."

"I have heard of Dobby," Albert said solemnly. "I gather that he was an uncommonly loyal servant and a good friend. I am truly sorry that he has been killed, but believe me when I say that I would gladly trade your life for a hundred of his, or fifty of any of your friends'."

"Why?" Ginny cried out. "What is so important about me? What does everyone think I'm going to do that is worth all of this?"

"I don't think anyone knows for certain," he replied, "but it's clear to me that it's very important that you be protected."

"How could it be important enough to make you help Tarus and the Brotherhood?" Ginny asked him. "They killed your father. They've killed loads of witches and wizards. Tarus would kill me, too, if he thought he could still get to Harry."

"No, he would not," Albert replied with a surprising amount of conviction. "Though he sometimes forgets it, he does not control the Brotherhood. He is only a powerful ally, and not powerful enough to stand against us."

"Us?" Ginny choked. She shook her head and laughed bitterly. "Oh, don't I feel naive." Her body felt numb as she strode forward and shoved Albert against the back of the chair. She should have guessed it from the very first moment. Perhaps she had simply refused to admit it. She ripped open the top of his robes and reached for his neck. By the time her hand closed on the ring talisman, it was no longer surprising to her. With a vicious tug she snapped the chain.

"You're one of them!" she shouted, holding the talisman where Albert could see it. "I had hoped― I don't know... I― I can't believe you sat there all that time, talking about them, pretending that you were keeping me safe from them. You don't deserve to live."

"Don't I?" Albert replied. "Maybe I don't. What would you do about that?" he asked. "You've seen others killed. You know how it is done. You have even caused the death of another wizard. Now you have the anger and desire to do it for yourself. Could you truly do it?"

Ginny stared into his eyes and felt a chill pass through her. In its wake, she felt nothing. She took a step forward and raised her wand. In her mind, she could already see the flash of green. She wanted to. He'd killed Dobby, and probably dozens of other wizards. She needed him to pay for what he'd done. She needed him to see that he was wrong.

And yet, she couldn't make herself do it. Tarus had made it look so easy. It had come naturally to her in Giza, but she had been defending herself then. Now, she was pointing her wand at a defenseless wizard, a wizard she had disabled.

"You can't, can you?" Albert said with a smile. There was something about it that turned Ginny's stomach. He looked almost proud. "You don't know how special you are, do you? To spend so much time around Harry and not be affected, well, it's unusual. There was a time when he was a gathering point for all that was good and right. Now, without anything to balance him, his presence has a polarizing affect. You, however, are unaffected completely."

"Stop talking about Harry," Ginny threatened.

Albert ignored her. "I believe that Grigore is right about you. I saw it in you the first time I met you. There is the scar of something deeply evil inside you. And there is the mark of unconditional, true love. It is a rare thing to see such opposition in one person, and yet, there is another who shows the same pattern. It's odd, don't you think, that you two would be so drawn to each other?"

"I'm not like Harry," Ginny returned.

"No. No you're not. It is perhaps stronger in Harry, a testament to the speed and violence with which the two elements were mixed. He has fought them since he became aware of them, so they give him the strength to fight those who stand against him.

"In you, the forces are more subtle. You too have the mark of Voldemort upon you, but it is not a visible mark. You loved him, at least, as much as an eleven year old girl knows of love. But he returned malice, not love, and he forced you to do horrible things. When Harry saved you, your infatuation with him grew into real love, and as you grew older, it grew in strength. Harry fights the powers within him, but you accepted yours willingly. Where Harry receives the power to fight, you have the strength to resist."

Ginny stared at him suspiciously. "The strength to resist what?"

"To resist him," Albert replied. "Harry has a profound effect on those around him. You must have seen it in Grigore. Since he met Harry, he has become less patient, more aggressive, and more obsessed with accomplishing his task. It has made him arrogant and violent. The same thing has happened all through the Brotherhood. Some wizards have become corrupt and power hungry; others have put their emotions before the longer term concerns.

"And yet, you seem to be immune to the effect," he added, giving her a curious look. "Tarus had hoped that he would be able to teach Harry to balance the forces within him. He thought it would turn him into a powerful guardian to help the Brotherhood. In truth, you were the one he was looking for. He didn't discover that until it was too late, but many of us still hope that you will be able to restore the balance."

"After you've killed Harry, you mean," said Ginny. "I'll make the perfect little Brotherhood puppet once you've all taken over, is that it?"

"You can be whatever you choose to be," he replied. "That is the power we recognize in you. You have both dark magic and good magic within you, yet neither is able to turn your fate. Nature works in unexpected ways. We believe that you may be the wizarding world's best protection."

"Protection from what?" she asked. "It looks as though the greatest threat to the safety of the world is the Brotherhood itself."

"You are mistaken, I'm afraid. I have been to the lowest level of the Castle. I have looked behind the veil," he revealed.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked suspiciously. "What does the veil have to do with me?

"I cannot describe what I saw. Perhaps what I saw cannot be described. I do know what I heard though. I couldn't understand everything it said, but I heard it calling your name. It... felt as though it were asking― or commanding me to find you and bring you to it."

"I looked into the veil, as well," Ginny said, "but I know what I saw. If you're going to try and scare me into trusting you and Tarus again using ghost stories of Dark Lord's, then you might as well stop now. It's not going to work. I see what is going on now.

"Tarus joined with the Brotherhood because he recognized you were more powerful than he was. He used you to get the power he has now, and you're using him as a mask to wear to the rest of the world. You're not a bunch of bullying thugs; you're the guards of the Romanian Minister, right?"

"That's not the way it is," Albert tried to argue.

"Close enough, I'd wager," Ginny replied acidly. "So when Harry survived, you had a problem, didn't you? Tarus tried using him, but it didn't work. So he found a way to get the great Lord Voldemort to talk to people through the veil. He used that to trick the Death Eaters into thinking that they could bring him back. All they needed to do was kill Harry. Then you took all the information you got from the Death Eaters and sold it to the Ministry, recruiting more members there and using Auguste Reynard's ambition to increase your influence there and keep a close eye on Ron and Hermione."

"No, Ginny, you're wrong. Tarus... His methods are severe, but he knows why the Brotherhood exists. He isn't fabricating this. Harry knows it as well. I would explain it to you, if you asked. Would Harry?"

"You're even worse than Tarus," she said with an empty voice. "You both manipulate others to make them do your dirty work. He does it by buying them with gold and promises. You did it by making me think that you were my friend.

"This isn't about the Veil or the wand or the Quidditch World Cup. It's about power, isn't it? The Brotherhood, Tarus, Reynard, the Death Eaters... you're all just a bunch of immature boys struggling to hoard as much power as you can before you die. You know how powerful Harry has become and how much people would listen to him if they knew he was still alive, and it frightens you."

"Do you know how powerful Harry is?" Albert retorted. "I don't think anyone truly knows, not even Harry himself. I believe that knowledge would frighten anyone. He will soon exceed Albus Dumbledore, if he has not already. It isn't natural, Ginny. The world no longer has any use for wizards with that much power. We would be lucky if he would only upset the balance of nature for a century or more. It could be much worse."

"He never asked for that power!" Ginny shouted. "He doesn't want it! He just wants to live his life!"

Albert sighed. "If I knew a way to make that possible, I assure you I would do whatever I could to make it happen."

"I know where to start," Ginny replied. She jabbed her wand at his chest, and shouted, "Incarcerous!" A coil of thin rope shot out of her wand and lashed Albert to his chair.

He stared down at his body for a moment, then looked up at her. "Ginny, think before you do this," he warned. "The situation is more complex and dangerous than you realize. You can't face this alone. I can help you."

Ginny took the room key from Albert's pocket, then turned and walked to the door. "I don't want anything else from you," she replied. She opened the door, stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind her. After locking the door, she slipped the key back under the crack above the floor.

She walked back down to the main room and found Tom waiting for her with a curious look on his face. She walked toward him, motioning for him to join her off in one of the darker corners. He set aside the glass he'd been holding to follow her.

"Albert is in danger," she told him. "He needs a safe place to stay where he can become invisible for a few days. Would that bag of gold he put down earlier be enough to cover the room?"

"Quite enough," snorted Tom.

"Good," she replied with a smile. "I told him to keep quiet and stay out of sight. If anyone comes around looking for them, it'll be safer for him, you, and your pub if you tell them you haven't seen him since this morning."

Tom nodded and Ginny returned the gesture. Without another word, she turned and walked back out of the pub. It was a Sunday. It would be lunchtime soon, and with luck, she could slip into her office without drawing too much attention to herself. Mr. Harrington and Mrs. Reading always came into the office on the weekends. With luck, she'd be able to come up with some explanation that would work.


Her hopes were quickly dashed when she Apparated into the Entrance Hall. Within seconds a pair of Aurors were running for her. Ginny considered Disapparating again, but something about the way Harry had asked her told her that it was very important that she try and patch things up. Running away would make that nearly impossible. Instead, she simply ignored the Aurors and began casually walking toward the gate.

"Stop right there!" one of them ordered. "You're Ginny Weasley?"

"Yes," she said with false surprise.

"We were sent to escort you to the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Oh, really," she replied innocently. "That's exactly where I was headed." One of the Aurors frowned and gave her a sidelong glance. The other gently took her elbow and led her toward the security gate.

They arrived at the Department offices a few minutes later. There was a bizarre sense of familiarity to the last time she had returned from Romania. She could see a group of people standing about in front of Carmilla's desk, including another pair of Aurors and her brother, Percy.

When she finally reached the small lobby area, she noticed a few notable absences. Unlike last time, Josef was not there, and perhaps that was for the best. More surprisingly, Harrington was not there either. The only people from the Department were a very annoyed looking Carmilla and Mrs. Reading. Evelyn was undoubtedly nearby, though she would never be so obvious as to stand in plain sight.

Percy was the first to speak. "Where have you been?" he asked. "There were reports that you were at Ron's match yesterday, but no one saw you leave. Now you suddenly appear here. It's not normal for you to come to the Ministry on weekends. Where were you between then and now?"

"Keep quiet, Percy," groaned an annoyed Mrs. Reading.

"She is my sister," he replied. "I think I am entitled to ask her where she's been. My parents are probably out of their minds with grief. If she―"

"You haven't even seen either of your parents for a week," Mrs. Reading said, cutting him off. "You don't even have an official reason for being here. The Minister only sent you because you were skulking about his office on a Sunday and Reynard doesn't trust you."

Percy scowled at her. "I was sent here because the Minister hoped she would be more willing to talk with me. Considering the current situation, I think you would be wise to be more accommodating of the Minister's office."

Mrs. Reading gave him a patronizing smile. "Percy, if you truly understood what was going on, I think you would be wise to make as many friends outside the Minster's office as possible."

"What's going on?" Ginny asked. "What situation was he talking about? Where is Harrington?"

"Ferdinand has been speaking with Minister Scrimgeour and Auguste Reynard since early this morning," answered Mrs. Reading. "The situation revolves around a number of allegations by Reynard that you have joined a secret wizarding society who has been trying to kill the Romanian Minister. Ferdinand denied it, and refused to allow the Minister to order your arrest. So, right now he is trying to convince the Minister not to sack him and all the rest of us," she explained. "Ironically, they can't do much to you because you work for the wizard they're accusing you of trying to murder."

"It's false," Ginny said.

"I know it's false," Mrs. Reading replied. "Ferdinand heard some rumors from the Aurors, and he sent me to the match. It didn't look like anyone was trying to kill Mr. Tarus. It looked like they were trying to kill your brother."

Ginny was about to respond, but Mrs. Reading quickly raised her hand to silence her. "Don't say anything!" she ordered. "I just need you to answer a few questions, alright?"

Ginny nodded.

"You were called to Romania, and you went there Thursday night, correct?"

Ginny nodded again.

A look of relief passed over Mrs. Reading's face. "And something happened there that made you return on Saturday to come to Ron's match?"

Another nod.

"Did the chain of events that led to the attacks at Chudley start in Romania?"

Ginny stared at Mrs. Reading for a moment. How much did she know? What was she looking for? With a little apprehension, Ginny nodded for the fourth time.

Mrs. Reading let out a long sigh. "Alright then," she said in a relieved tone. "Ginny, you should go to your office. Wait there until Ferdinand or I come to speak with you. It shouldn't be more than an hour or two. Carmilla, if anyone asks for Ginny, tell them that she is here, but that she can't see anyone today. They'll have to come back on Monday." She craned her head around the corner and shouted down the corridor. "Evelyn! I know you're listening! Come here if you want to keep your job."

Seconds later Evelyn Sibley walked around the corner. She didn't even make eye contact with Ginny.

"Evelyn, I need you to get a message to Harrington," Mrs. Harrington announced. Evelyn simply stared back as if it were the most demeaning job possible. "Tell the Aurors that it's a message from me. They'll have to let you in. Once you're in, tell Ferdinand: The origin was Oras-maijos. He'll know what to do."

Ginny did just as she was told and returned to her office. She locked the door and sat down in her chair. For some time she simply stared at the far wall and tried to make sense of everything that was happening. She had told Albert that she knew what was going on, and yet, she wasn't certain that she did. Would anyone really go through all that just to get a little power? If they were afraid of Harry, why not simply kill him long ago? She was missing something. While she waited for Harrington and Mrs. Reading, she began searching through every scrap of parchment she had about the last fifty years of events in Romania. That's where it must have all started. There had to be some clue she'd missed.

Late in the afternoon, when Ginny had read through nearly half of all the material she had, there was a firm knock on her door. It was Harrington. He looked tired and not terribly cheerful, but he didn't look angry, either. They spoke briefly in her office about what had happened. After six hours of debate with the Minister and Reynard, he'd been able to convince both wizards that Ginny wasn't involved in a plot to kill Tarus ―or, at the very least, that they could not prove such an involvement. For the time being, she was not under any risk of being thrown into Azkaban.

He did warn her that both the Aurors and Reynard had demanded that she speak with them as soon as possible. They wanted answers to the same questions everyone else had been asking. Harrington advised her to do the same thing Mrs. Reading had. She was to refuse to answer any questions about the Chudley incident or the events leading up to it. Harrington claimed that he was already getting close to working out just what had happened and why, but that it would be important that Ginny remain quiet, both for her own safety and the safety of anyone else she might tell.

When he was finished, he bid her good day, and told her she should leave as soon as she could. He didn't want anyone trying to interrogate her with so few people around. Monday would be a stressful day, and it would be best if she faced it after a long night's rest.


She Disapparated from the Ministry and Apparated directly into Grimbok's private lobby. She found Harry waiting for her in a large leather chair nearby. Hermione was standing next to him, looking rather unhappy. When she saw Ginny, it only made her unhappier.

"I already told him that you were successful," Hermione announced sourly.

"How did you know?" Ginny asked.

"Randolf said Reynard is threatening to have me sacked," she replied. "He said that they're worried about the amount of influence you have over me. He talked to the witch who spotted us on the path. They know that you were there, and they know you came to me. And then someone told Harrington that the whole thing started in Romania, so you wouldn't be able to talk about it. He was furious." Hermione looked at the ground. "He thinks we're both members of the Brotherhood," she said shakily. "If he can't interrogate you, he's going to interrogate me. He's got ways... I― If he does, I'll end up in Azkaban. I know it."

"I'm sorry," Ginny apologized. "I― I didn't mean for that to happen. I was only doing what everyone told me to. There must be something we can do."

"Oh, it's going to take more than some prank to slip out of this one, Ginny," Hermione said bitterly. "If you talk to them, they'll make you tell them about Romania, and Chudley, and Grimmauld Place. And if they don't throw you in Azkaban, the Romanian Ministry will throw you in whatever place they throw all their criminals. If I were you, I'd hope for Azkaban."

"Don't worry about that right now," Harry said softly.

"That's easy for you to say," Hermione shot back. "Everyone thinks you're dead. Perhaps I should just fake my death, then?"

"Well, that is one possibility," admitted Harry. "It would crush Ron, though. I think he might be fond of you, and he's no use to me if he spends all his time moping about."

Hermione shot a withering glare at him, but he ignored it.

"We don't have to worry about it because no one is going to be interrogating Ginny tomorrow," Harry explained, then added, "―unless, of course, something goes horribly wrong."

"And why is that?" Hermione replied.

"Because he's planning to do something tomorrow," Ginny answered for him. "Something big and very dangerous."

Harry smiled at her. "I guess that means Fred and George are going to be able to do it?"

"Yes," she answered. "They're making as many Shield Cloaks as they can. They gave me two of them. I think they know that something is going to happen soon."

"Quite soon, actually," Harry replied. "I'll need to leave tonight. You two will come tomorrow, and unless it's completely impossible, Hermione will need to find a way to bring Ron with her." Suddenly Harry's eyes widened, and he turned to Ginny. "How about that bloke at the Leaky Cauldron? Do you think he can gather his friends by tomorrow morning?"

Ginny felt her face fall into a scowl. "Oh, I think he could gather them much faster than that," she said as she reached into her pocket. She slowly drew out the broken chain, letting the golden ring hang where everyone could see it. Harry collapsed and closed his eyes. Hermione turned away and stared at the polished floor.

"How much does he know?" Harry asked.

"He knows that I know about him. He knows that we're together and that we escaped. He probably guesses that we're planning something because I came to speak with him, but I don't think he'll be telling anyone about it."

"If he had one of those, he's not your friend, Ginny."

"I know," she replied. "That's why I tied him to a chair and locked him in a room in the Leaky Cauldron. Tom agreed to keep it a secret. He thinks he's protecting him."

"He is," Harry growled. "And he won't stay tied up for long, but perhaps it will be long enough. I guess it won't matter." Harry let out a long breath and then stood up. "Come on. We should go up and talk with Ron. It looks like we're going to be doing this alone."

The three of them found Ron pacing back and forth in front of a large open window. He looked rather uncomfortable. The moment he saw Harry and the girls, he broke from his path and ran over to them.

"Still no word from Lupin, Harry," Ron said disappointedly. "He did say that it was going to take some time."

"Good," Harry replied as he walked to the window. He quickly closed it and pulled the curtains, making the room drearily dim.

"Good?" Ron replied. "In what way could that possibly be good, Harry?"

"I don't want the Order involved yet," Harry said. "This whole mess is complicated enough without having to keep all of them protected as well. I only need Grigore to begin worrying about what he's started. That should keep him distracted enough that we can stay one step ahead of him."

Ron stared at Harry with distaste. "So you're using them as... bait?"

"No. They're a distraction," Harry replied with a frown. "The Brotherhood has no reason to attack them, but they have plenty of reasons to be wary of them. I want Grigore to think that I'm trying to use them."

"Right, but what happens if you succeed, Harry? Wouldn't that give them a reason to attack them? If this Grigore bloke thinks that they're going to help you, why not try and take care of it early?"

Harry stood silent for a moment. Ron had a good point. There were too many things to think of, too many different possible ways in which things could go horribly wrong. "I― I don't know, Ron," Harry said. "We'll just have to work faster than they can."

"So when exactly do we start working?"

Harry turned to look at the large clock on the wall. "I think we've got about two hours," he answered.

"What happens in two hours?"

Harry walked over to a large table, sat down and rolled out a large piece of parchment covered in a mess of scrawled notes and scribbled out lines. He pointed at the very first line:

Grigore attacks Gringott's Bank

Ron stared at it and then turned to Harry. "That madman is coming here? I thought this was supposed to be a safe place to hide?"

"It's safe," Harry assured him, "but I doubt it took him long to figure out where we went. He's much smarter than that. Also, I paid the goblins to close the bank for a day."

"You did what?" Hermione said. "Harry! Why not put a sign out front saying 'Harry Potter Inside'?"

"It's not me they're looking for, they know they could never get to me here," Harry explained. "It's the wand they're after. For months, Grigore assumed that I had been carrying it around with me or hiding it wherever it was that I escaped to." Harry frowned and looked at Ginny. "It wasn't until this morning that he realized that I'd never hide it near you. I knew he'd come looking for you, and I couldn't risk him finding the wand, too."

"So you hid it here?" Hermione said with a shocked voice. "Harry? Don't you remember your first year at Hogwarts? Quirrell got past the goblins. You don't think the Brotherhood can?"

"Of course they can," he said, "―and they will, in about three hours. Of course, they won't find anything in my vault, or either of Grigore's vaults. They'll probably make quite a mess, but the goblins think that half a vault of gold should cover the repairs."

"You mean it's not here, but you paid the goblin's to make it look like it was?" Ron asked with a smile. "That's brilliant. It's a bit expensive for a prank, but it is brilliant."

"It's more than just a prank. There are only so many places where I could hide the wand, and it won't take them long to find the right one. What we need right now is time, and tricking them into wasting a single night is worth all that gold." Harry turned the parchment around and pushed it toward Ron and Hermione. "While they are wasting their time looking for the wand, we're going to be fetching something more important."

Ginny stepped forward to look at the line Harry was pointing at. It was sandwiched between two lines which had been scribbled out completely. Ginny read it, but could barely believe what it said:

Retrieve Charlie's Ring Talisman from the Vault Room.

"The Vault Room?" Hermione asked incredulously. "The Department of Mysteries? You think you can break into the Department of Mysteries in the middle of the night and get to the Vault Room?"

"Not in the middle of the night ―tomorrow morning," Harry corrected her. "I'm leaving tonight, while the Brotherhood is here. When news of the attack reaches the Ministry, they'll send Aurors. That's going to make it a lot easier for me to get in."

"Harry, things have changed since the last time you broke into the Ministry," Hermione warned. "They post Aurors at the gate. How do you plan on getting past them?"

"I expect I'll be escorted," Harry replied with a slight smile. "Or rather, Josef Kantos will, as an official emissary of Grigore Tarus."

"That's pretty clever, Harry," Hermione commented, "but it's not going to get you into the Vault Room. The only wizard allowed in at night is Reynard himself, and no amount of Polyjuice or transfiguration will get you past the Detectors on that doorway."

"That's why you're going to get the talisman for me," Harry replied. This caught Hermione by surprise, and for some time she simply stared at Harry.

"This is a bad idea, Harry. You don't seem to be thinking this through. What makes you think that anyone is going to let me take Charlie's ring? They don't trust me anymore. I don't see how you or Josef could help with that."

"You'll see," he said. Harry sat back in his chair and started explaining his plan. He needed to go to the Ministry that night while the Aurors were distracted. Disguised as Josef, he would go to Ginny's office and wait overnight, taking Polyjuice Potion to maintain his disguise.

Ginny and Ron would Apparate into the Ministry early the next morning. They would need to come in an hour before new shift of security wizards, and that meant showing up at six in the morning. Ginny would go immediately to her office to meet Harry. A short time later, Hermione would Apparate into the Ministry and go to the Department of Mysteries. Once she was in her office, she would send a memo to Ginny.

"Hold on, Harry," Hermione stopped him. "Have you not been listening to what I've been saying for the last hour? If I set foot in the Department of Mysteries, there's no way they're going to let me send a memo to Ginny."

"They will if they think you're giving them the one thing they want even more: Ginny."

Before she knew it, Ginny found herself glaring at Harry as if he too had betrayed her. What was he thinking? Did he want Reynard to know about him? Just a little more than a week ago, he'd said that she should do whatever she could to avoid talking to Reynard, and now he wanted her to deliver herself to him?

As if he could read her mind, he reached out to touch her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, Ginny, I'll be with you," he told her. "You're not going to be interrogated by anyone."

"Why even risk it?" Hermione remarked. "If you want the Ring, I could just Walk in, take it, and slip out before anyone realizes what I've done. There's no need for you or Ginny to get involved at all."

"Really? Right now, Aurors are searching for you and Ginny. What do you think Reynard will do if he sees you show up at the Ministry before they find Ginny?" Harry asked. He didn't wait for Hermione to answer. "He'll toss you in a dark room and make you tell him. You're the only one who can get into the Vault Room, questioning Ginny is the only thing that will distract Reynard long enough to let you, and I'm the only one who can keep her safe," he said, then added, "No offense, Ron."

Ron gave him an accepting shrug. Hermione was less agreeable. "You want to sneak three people into the Department of Mysteries, so that one person can retrieve an item that has no value, no magical powers, and poses no threat to you or the wizarding world. I'm sorry, Harry, but that sounds pretty stupid to me."

"Of course it does," Harry agreed, "―when you say it like that. If the talisman is so useless, why did the Department of Mysteries lock it in a vault? Why does the Brotherhood work so hard to keep them a secret? Why did the loss of one of them in Giza upset them so much?"

"Fine then," Hermione relented, "but is there something important about that one? Does it have to be Charlie's? Wouldn't any of them do just as well? We've already got one," she said, pointing at Ginny's hand which still clutched Albert's talisman.

"We've got two," Harry corrected. "I grabbed the one she picked up at Giza this morning before everyone woke up. I had hoped that we could get by with two of them."

"Well, we have two now," Hermione said with a hint of desperation. "We don't need to try this stupid plan."

"We need as many as we can get," Harry replied. "I'd rather have a few good wizards than that talisman in her hand, but I hadn't imagined that we'd be able to get more than two. If we can get three, it will make it even easier."

"Easier to do what?" cried Hermione. "Easier to get Grigore really hacked off at you? Easier to start a war? Is that what you want?"

Everyone stared at Hermione, surprised at the sudden outburst. Harry was watching her with an uncertain curiosity. "What is it that you're afraid of, Hermione?" he asked.

"You're running out of friends, Harry! How many of them have died?" she asked as a tear ran down her cheek. "Stefan. Sabine. Now Dobby. How many others are there? How many of us are left? Think about it, Harry. They tried to kill Ron. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

For a moment Harry simply stared back at her, as if waiting for her to say something more to explain herself. When it didn't come, he answered in a soft voice, "It does. That's why I've tried to keep Ron as far away as possible. I've tried to protect you, too, but there is only so much I can do. I'm not the one in control of this. Not yet."

"And you think getting the Ring will help change that?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded. Hermione stared back at him. "Alright then," she said resignedly, "let's do it."

"Hold on," Ron called out. "The three of you are going to run off to the Ministry, and I'm supposed to do what? Stay here and make breakfast? I might not know as many spells as Hermione, but I'm just as good in a fight."

"I know you are, Ron," Harry replied, "and I hope you're willing to prove that. You're going to have to take the place of the pack of wizards we were supposed to have helping us. Getting in is the easy part. It's going to be a little trickier getting out. I don't expect we'll get very far before the Aurors come looking for us. We'll need you to wait for my signal and then prepare our escape route."

"And what signal am I supposed to be waiting for?"

"You remember how to use these?" Harry asked as he tossed a shiny Galleon to Ron.

Ron took a look at it, frowned, and looked up at Harry. "It's one of the Galleons we used for the D.A., isn't it?"

Harry nodded and told Ron that his job was to sit in the Entrance Hall and wait for the Galleon to change. When he felt the Galleon warm up, he was supposed to stun the guard at the gate and then take the first lift to the Department of Mysteries.

"You make it sound easy," Ron remarked. "How long is this supposed to take? You don't think the guards will let me just loiter about the Entrance Hall while the Department of Mysteries is robbed, do you?"

"We're not robbing anyone. It was Charlie's talisman, and you and Ginny are his family. By rights, it's your talisman, now," Harry argued.

"Right, I'll just explain that to the Aurors, then," Ron replied.

"If they hassle you, tell them you're waiting for Hermione. That should keep them from bothering you ―at least until the alarms go off."

Ron's head dropped. "I really hope there's more to this plan than you're telling us, Harry, because right now it sounds like an excellent way to have us all thrown in Azkaban."

"Have a little faith, Ron. I've done alright so far."

Ron frowned. "Sorry, Harry, but I don't think I'd call your last plan to sneak into the Ministry a stunning success."


They spent some more time working out more specifics: when Ginny would arrive, just how much time Hermione should wait until arriving, and a number of signals they could use to try and warn each other of problems.

As the sky dimmed, Harry called for the house elves to bring up food for four. They ate a quiet, tense supper, keeping one eye on the food in front of them and one eye on the window.

Harry knew how Grigore operated. When the sun set, the street would be plunged into darkness. The lamps along Diagon Alley would flicker to life, illuminating the stream of wizards which wouldn't thin for another hour or more. In that time, it would be easy for a number of wizards to slip through the crowds or along the shadowy store fronts. They would break into Gringott's silently. They would be in the large cavern of vaults before the goblin's even realized they were there.

Except this time would be different. The goblins were going to be waiting for just that occurrence. They had already moved the entire contents of Harry's vault, and they had promised to send word the moment the Brotherhood reached it. At the same time, they were going to call for Aurors. And that was just what Harry needed.

He'd been watching the clock anxiously for some time. The Brotherhood was probably breaking in right then. It would be only minutes until the house elf arrived. He might as well get ready. There would be no time to waste later.

Ginny watched over his shoulder as he rummaged through his bag. He'd stuffed it hastily, but he knew he hadn't forgotten the small bag. Finally he found it pinned underneath a bundle of cheap wands. He quickly opened the small leather bag and dumped an assortment of parchment envelopes onto the table. He was searching for one in particular. He flipped them over one by one, reading off the names as he went. Finally, he found the one he was looking for:

Josef.

He picked it up gingerly, finding the touch of it loathsome. Ginny stared at it as well.

"What's that?"

Harry gently opened it and reached a single finger into it. A second later, he withdrew it, revealing a number of small dark hairs. He pinched a few between his thumb and index finger and used his other hand to close the small envelope.

Ginny stared at Harry's hand distastefully. "You stole some of his hair?"

"Yes," Harry admitted, "and it's a lucky thing I did, isn't it? There aren't many other wizards who could slip into the Ministry without any questions."

"And you're certain that Josef is one of them?"

"To be honest, no, but he's our only choice," Harry replied. "Anyone else and they'd make me wait in the Entrance Hall like all the others. They've seen Josef before. They're probably expecting him to show up. If I time this right, they won't even waste time talking to me."

Harry carefully placed the hairs on a piece of clean parchment lying on the table, and fetched the bundle of wands. There was another reason why he was lucky that Josef had been the one to visit Ginny. If Josef had entered the Ministry, they would have cataloged his wand. If Harry came in with a different wand, they might notice and ruin his plan before it even started.

He poked his way through the bundle looking for something that would do. They wouldn't have paid any attention to the wood, but Josef's wand was rather unique. He used to have a number of them, but he had left Number Twelve Grimmauld Place in something of a hurry.

He finally found one: Thirteen inches with a dragon heartstring core. It was a rather rare combination, and it had taken Harry quite a while to find someone who sold them. Harry tested it out briefly, making sure it wasn't cracked or damaged in any way. With a quick flick, a pot of dazzlingly bright flowers appeared on the nearby table. They seemed dreadfully out of place in the dreary mood of the room, but he didn't feel like summoning anything that might fit in better.

Next, he walked to a small chest that was sitting near the door. He opened it and searched for one of the larger purple bundles of cloth. Josef was a little taller than he was, and it was important that there would be nothing notable for the guards to talk about after he left.

"Harry!" shouted Ginny. Harry felt his heart skip. There was a panicked urgency to her voice. He grabbed one of the robes and ran to see what it was.

He found her standing near the window, staring at the floor. Hermione and Ron were there as well. Between the three of them stood an elderly house elf carrying a silver platter. On the platter was a silver flask, a large silver funnel, and a small cauldron filled with something that looked like bubbling mud.

The Brotherhood had found his vault.

"Good evening, Master Potter," the old elf greeted him with a bow of his head. "Grimbok says to tell you that the Grey Ones have reached your vault, and are entering it presently. It has, of course, been emptied for some time."

"And the Aurors?" Harry asked.

"They have sent word to the Minister himself."

Harry nodded grimly. "I guess it's time for me to go then," he said. He leaned over and took the platter from the elf, who disappeared without a word. Harry scooped the hairs from the nearby parchment and dropped them into the dark colored sludge, which emitted a haze of acrid smoke. When it had settled down into a thick, muddy red paste, Harry poured it into the flask. Reluctantly, he brought it to his lips.

"No, wait!" Ginny shouted as she launched herself at him. Harry kept a firm grip on the flask as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a long, firm kiss. He felt her arms go slack, and then slowly she backed away from him again, and nodded.

He'd never really liked the taste of Polyjuice Potion. He doubted anyone did. That was perhaps the one thing which kept its use in check. It was easy enough to find someone who had some brewing if you had the gold to pay for it, but it was hard to imagine anyone putting themselves through the hourly torture of drinking it. Of course, that was just what Barty Crouch Jr. had done, but he was stark raving mad.

Harry changed quickly and took a gulp of the potion. After a few moments of extreme discomfort, Harry emerged looking exactly like the wizard who had betrayed him nearly a year ago.

There was no time for long goodbyes. He had to get to the Ministry quickly. He waved quickly to his friends, put the wand he intended to pass off as Josef's into his pocket and raised his own.

"Good luck, Harry," Ginny said with a weak smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," he replied. A second later, he was gone.


Author's Notes:

First Dobby and now this. I know this will be hard on some people, but it had to be done. I promise that it won't get all that much worse than it is right now. We're nearing the finale, so things have to get a little tense.

After the next chapter, I'll be asking for comments from my readers. Nothing obigatory, of course, but I figured I'd warn you now. If anyone wants to be an overachiever, they can mail me their theories about what might be going on, but I'll tell you now it might seem clearer after the next chapter.

So, here's looking forward to the next chapter. My beta was really sorry for the delay, but mid-terms can be like that. In other news, I have officially started Chapter 1 of "The Amulet of Stone", which will be the sequel to 'The Ring of Gold". (Notice the pattern?)

Enjoy.