AN: So this was a long time coming, I know. But I think it will suffice. There were many pieces to move and I am satisfied to have moved all the ones I wanted to, and I took the time to write it to a non cliff hanger ending. Also exciting news from my life: I'm going to grad school in the fall! (I can leave my job that drives me so nuts!) I don't know how that will affect my writing schedule yet, and I know I have three more fics on the docket for my main story-verses. But I still assure you that they will be finished… but this is my dream grad school and my dream career path… So you will just have to bear with me one month at a time.

Thank you so so SO much to the readers who reached out to me the past two months with patience and support. I really needed it. And I hope this chapter is reward enough for the effort you put in to kick my but into writing it. XD.

Disclaimer: Just look at chapter 1

Last Time on Sailor Moon H: It was a somber New Years for the Order of the Phoenix when Mundungus Fletcher was first found to have stolen the Slytherin Horcrux (and thus Zoisite's gem) from Grimmauld place, and further sombered when he was found murdered, likely by Lestrange, with the Locket no where to be found. As the Christmas Break closes, it seems the dark side has gained the upper hand. In the new year, the Order and the Senshi are desperately seeking the upper-hand.

Delerio

FLETCHER, MUNDUNGUS

b. March 10th, 1956; d. December 31st, 1996. Fletcher was a half-blood wizard and a Slytherin alum. He dropped out of Hogwarts in 1973 following an altercation with several housemates and since then has lived majorly in Belfast and London. His most recent residence was in 56 Knockturn alley. He was killed in London December 31st, 1996. The investigation is ongoing. The DMLE requests that anyone with information about Mr. Fletcher's recent movements or acquaintances contact their floo hotline.

Mr. Fletcher has no known family members. His body will be put to rest and a memorial put up at Cross Ways following the conclusion of the DLME investigation.

HOUSE ELF BODY FOUND DUMPED IN ISLINGTON

A dead house-elf was discovered by muggles in Claremont Square, Islington around 7 am, January 2nd. The elf was identified by the Dept. of Magical Creatures as the principle elf of the deceased Mme. Walburga Black, mother of the notorious Sirius Black, who was acquitted of the murder of Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles last year. The location the body was found in is the same as the location as Walburga Black's ancient family home, number 12 Grimmauld Place, which is believed to have been destroyed, as it currenly unlocatable. The elf had been presumed dead since Mme. Black's death in 1985, as Sirius Black never filled out the paperwork to notify the Department of any change in ownership.

The muggles who found the elf initially drove it to a "Veterinarian" (a healer for muggle animals) where a squib, Angus Rowle, notified the correct authorities. The muggles involved have been obliviated.

The DMC has put up a 50 galleon reward for any information concerning the elf's owner, and would like to remind the public that there is a 100 galleon fine for improper disposal of deceased elves into muggle accessible areas.

The small blue-green stone looked completely orange by the firelight, its small, dulled face not particularly bright or shiny. Bellatrix Lestrange made a face as she held it, and the Dark Lord's locket, up to her eye. She wouldn't have even thought it suitable for the most simplistic rune work from her school days.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" the Wizard-in-White whispered as he materialized beside her, partially blocking the firelight.

She glanced at him, watching the final wisps of ash swirl into the corporeal form of his cloak with barely disguised envy. He still had not taught her to do that.

He chuckled. "In time, my dear Bella," he smirked, lifting his arms and letting them swirl into ash and back again. "It all depends on you, really, how soon you can do it. There's no trick to it."

Bellatrix huffed, and turned her attention back to the locket in her hands. And the gem…

"I'd hardly call it remarkable – look at it." She held it out, tapping one sharpened nail against the blue-green Zoisite that the Wizard-in-White had been quite eager to acquire. "It's cloudy. You'd never get decent magic done with this."

"Wait until the wizard within it is awakened," The Wizard said. "It will shine as brightly as a sapphire." He hummed. "But not yet – we must make an adequate study of it first." He reached out and brushed his fingers gently over the gemstone. "Your Dark Lord – to have missed this when he acquired it." He shook his head. "Such a waste." And he lifted his wand, casting what she recognized as a diagnostic spell over the locket.

"Why?" Bellatrix muttered. She might have been irritated by her Dark Lord's continued under-appreciation of her, but this wizard's low opinion of his intellect was still decidedly more irritating. "It isn't as if one can identify a Horcrux easily." She shrugged. "Besides, surely two together are more powerful than one."

"Ah…" The wizard cast another series of charms over the locket and the Zoisite. "But that is where you are wrong, my dear. This Zoisite is not a Horcrux. It is light magic."

Bellatrix grip on the locket faltered as she gasped. She nearly dropped it, catching it by the chain. It chimed as she caught it and swung between them, giving off the flickering bright orange light from the hearth.

"Secondly," the wizard said, re-casting his last spell without a hint of irritation. "This is not a piece of a soul, but a whole unto itself. And, as we can infer from the awakening of the Jadeite in Gryffindor's sword, the soul in this stone belongs to a living, functioning person."

Bellatrix shivered and tossed the locket towards him, letting him catch it while she crossed her arms to hide the shaking in her hands. Pieces of her soul – fine, but the whole thing! "That isn't possible," she spat. "You can't live or function without your soul. I've seen the Dementor's Kiss – I know."

"And you would be correct – and yet there is Ginevra Weasley – who seems to have had a soul before and, by accounts from your source, is not much changed for having bonded with the soul in the sword. So they must be the same person."

"Then it has got to be a Horcrux hasn't it."

"Oh Bella," The wizard chuckled again, and she summoned a knife to throw at him. He vanished, reappearing behind her. When she spun around, the gleaming locket was spinning just shy of her nose. "Can you not think a little more creatively?"

She scowled. "If there's a whole soul in the stone, and the soul's… person, is living unhindered without it." She glared past the locket at him. "I say it's impossible. If you're alive, you've got to have a soul."

"Indeed, you do." He tucked the locket into his sleeve and held out both thin, veiny hands. "So if the one in the locket is whole…" a bit of fire appeared over his palm. "And the living person has the same one, and they're neither of them a Horcrux…" He took his free hand and passed it over the flame in his left, when he drew it away a new flame burned over his right palm, burning until it was of equal size and strength to the other. "What do you suppose has happened?"

Her eyes widened as she stared at the fire. "It grew!"

"Precisely." The fire vanished from his hands.

"That's impossible."

"That. Is ancient magic." And he cupped his hands together, summoning his crystal ball. She stepped closer to peer into it as light appeared inside, taking shape. She squinted.

A castle… though not one of Hogwarts make. No, this one was shorter: with a stonewall bordering it on three sides. She could see the notches atop the wall where long-range castors or squib archers would have been positioned. Three tall, white towers stood up on the other side of the wall, and a sprawling flower garden covered the lawn – even flowing over trellises to create several covered walkways.

"Elysion," the wizard whispered reverently. "Earth's first magical kingdom. One, which lived openly and boldly before the wretched, magicless masses. Twas ruled by a King of Earth – that was the strength of the magic our kind used to possess. King of Earth. We witches and wizards were powerful enough to own that title."

The crystal ball shimmered. The castle vanished. In its place, Bellatrix saw five crystals – one of them gold. At first she mistook it for the philosopher's stone.

Around it were four common gems. The dull Zoisite, the Jadeite that was now in the possession of the Weasley girl, and two others: a green Nephrite and a rose-pink Kunzite.

"The greatest light magic we ever made," the wizard said. "Binding souls into gemstones that gave them power unsurpassed – you know the stories of Death's wand, I am sure. These wizards were greater than that." He smirked. "I have been investigating this lost art for years – to confirm that these souls could grow is a delightful revelation."

She gazed critically at the vision within the crystal ball. "What rune work could do this?"

"Not runes."

"A curse then."

"Nothing of the kind."

"Well it must be something!" she snapped. "This is… this isn't children's tricks. You can't make these sorts of artefacts simply by wishing it."

"And yet…" The wizard conjured the Dark Lord's locket back into his right hand. "The evidence is before you," he said. "There's no residue of a curse on this gem. Nor a potion, nor any faded runes. Perhaps there was a ritual involved in ancient times, but my hypothesis is that, yes, these were made simply by wishing it."

She grabbed the locket back from him, holding it once more to her eye. "With the power you claim it has… can it do magic on its own?"

"Perhaps, but only by the hand of the wizard its soul belongs to… or another touched by the same magic." He stowed his crystal ball away. "This one was put into a deep sleep. Its bearer we can assume is unaware of it, and thus its power is dormant." He chuckled as she tapped the stone with her own wand and muttered another diagnostic spell. "But yes – this Zoisite would have all the powers of its wizard and more – not the pathetic survival instincts of your Dark Lord's horcruxes, or even the rudimentary powers of my refined models." He lifted his face, his hood pulling back from his hungry, dark eyes. "We have much to learn from Zoisite." Then his expression darkened. "Unfortunately, I doubt we will learn how this soul learned to grow. Your dark lord's soul has corrupted the light magic. So we will not get a full picture of this magic's capabilities from investigating this."

"Well we could wake the Zoisite."

"Even then," the wizard said. "The horcrux would disrupt the workings of the ancient magic." He shook his head. "No – to find out how these can grow, we'll need access to a pure example. If I can study that, we can re-create this magic."

"Then we need to find one – oh. How bout the Jadeite." Bellatrix cackled. "A few casualties would be worth having a Weasley around – They're fun to crucio."

"Perhaps… or," He hummed. "No that would be beyond even your capabilities."

"Excuse you," Bellatrix darted forwards, grabbing the neck of his robe and holding her wand on him. "Nothing is beyond me."

"Oh but this would be a feat of inexplicable planning and skill." He leaned into rather than away from her; the cool white fabric of his hood brushed her forehead. "You would need to be prepared to make and lose more of our… experiments. And even with the Time Guardian blinded." His eyes gleamed. "You must be very, very lucky."

"I don't need luck." She pulled away, not releasing his cloak. "What gemstone are we seeking?"

He conjured his crystal ball again, the image inside was blindingly bright. "This one…"

~SMH~

"And anyways, I'd have much preferred to be here," Professor Sinistra's loud voice carried across the head table on January 7th, the first night of term they were all back from the holiday. "Tried to escape down to the Pyrenees to get away from it all – and of course what's the only thing the French want to talk about?"

Voldemort, the name was an unspoken boogieman the hovered over the packed Great Hall, made known in every cut off sentence – drawn out pause, and in the accidental, fretful scritch-scratch of cutlery against bare porcelain plates and bowls.

His name appeared too in every synonym for him that filtered up to the staff from the house tables below…

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"You-know-who."

"The Dark… you know."

"Dementors."

"Vampires."

"Hired security trolls."

"Death Eaters…"

"Lestrange…"

"The Mark"

"The Dark Mark"

"Saw that over Knockturn when I went down to pick up some of the more sensitive supplies," Slughorn said. "Nothing illegal mind, or nothing that should be if you ask anyone in my field."

"Hmm…" Setsuna sighed, and did not even laugh at Rolanda Hooch's snickered reply.

Her eyes scanned over the four packed tables. The snatches of conversation she could hear amongst the din of young voices suggested all those who'd gone home for the holidays were being badgered by those forced to stay for news: of families, of Diagon Alley, and of what people were saying these days. Whole stacks of newspapers brought back by the students were being spread out along the tables, for they'd been in short supply over the holiday at school. More parents had cancelled their students' subscriptions.

Her eyes lingered on the table on the right hand side of the hall. Chibiusa was at the far end, seemingly right at home conversing with Iphigenela Nott and her fellow first years.

Two seats from her, bent over the table with the brims of their hats dipped low so that their lips could not be read, Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy were also carrying on a conversation. So far away, it was impossible for even Setsuna to hear what they spoke of.

Thankfully, it was not so difficult for two of the other senshi in the great hall. Chibiusa had sat herself down next to Iphigenela Nott, purposefully close to Malfoy and Nott. And across the aisle in Ravenclaw, a slim figure was hunkered down next to Luna Lovegood, her short, black hair disguised by the hood of her cloak.

It was a good think Malfoy was the one with his back to Ravenclaw, Chibiusa thought as she watched him whisper to Nott to shut it, about his sojourn off the grounds a few days before.

"Well don't get your knickers in a twist," Nott said, rubbing his left arm as he leaned over the dining table. "It isn't like no one else has ever snuck off the grounds."

"And quit rubbing it!" Malfoy snapped. "He'll notice."

Nott scoffed. "He's too busy gossiping about his Christmas socks up there; Old Coot isn't even looking."

"McGonagall is."

"What's she gonna do? Give me points off for having an itch? I got it glamoured. Now buzz off. It smarts, alright. It's new."

"Think it smarts now, wait 'till he calls you," Malfoy muttered, "Oi, Higgins, pass the pumpkin juice."

Out of the corner of her eye Chibiusa saw him pour it. When he set down the pitcher, Malfoy rubbed his left arm too.

"Oh now who's giving himself away," Nott sneered.

"S' your fault – you made me think about it," Malfoy groused. "Why've you got one anyways? I know you didn't earn it."

"As if anyone believes you did?" Nott mocked. "And yeah - special circumstances. Or did you get the owl?"

There was a pause. Chibiusa leaned over and saw Nott smirking.

"So you didn't then. Well, in that case…" Nott reached out and stole Draco's pumpkin juice, drinking nearly half of it. "How's it feel to be expendable?"

Malfoy's nostrils flared and he snatched the goblet back from Nott, giving it a thorough scourgify. "Not expendable," he retorted. "Just don't need owls when you've got someone in person passing things along."

"You're bluffing,"

"You wish." Malfoy poured himself a new drink. "Sides, you're gonna need me. You won't even be able to think about your job without… well… being predictable?"

"If you were in the know," Nott said, leaning over the table. "You'd know he's got that covered."

"And if you knew how things worked," Malfoy said. "You're know they can't go handing it out to just anybody." He sipped his drink. "How's about, you keep itching your arm and let the prefect handle it."

Nott fumed and stood up from his seat, rattling the whole table. Hotaru, at Ravenclaw scowled as he stood up and moved away from Malfoy, who was never that chatty without someone to goad him.

"That," Ami whispered across the table from her, "looked… interesting."

"Nott's got a mission now," Hotaru murmured so that only Luna, Megumi, and Ami could hear. Luna, sitting beside her, even had to lean in closer to Hotaru. "Malfoy's trying to pretend he's important" She furrowed her brows. "Malfoy said Nott was predictable."

"Could he be talking about Setsuna?" Luna whispered

"Then Malfoy does have the potion," Megumi whispered.

The potion blocking Bellatrix Lestrange from Setsuna and Megumi's powers… They'd wanted proof that Malfoy had it for ages…

Hotaru's fork skidded across her plate as she stabbed towards her food and missed it. Her head was turned towards Malfoy, now beckoning Crabbe and Goyle to his side.

So you are taking the potion, Hotaru thought with a scowl. Why? What are you doing that's that important?

"But then…" Ami frowned. "If Nott also has a task from Voldemort… why wouldn't Voldemort have just given it to him?"

"It might the Changemaker's potion," Megumi whispered.

"Changemaker?" Luna asked.

"Wizard-in-White," Hotaru murmured, turning away from Malfoy. The conversation with Crabbe and Goyle was swiftly turning to posturing and bragging: entirely disinteresting.

Hotaru's gaze caught a par of green eyes at the Gryffindor table, glaring, like she'd been, at Malfoy. Hotaru waved.

On Harry's part, it took him several seconds to notice her and he jumped when he did, shivering as her solemn purple eyes caught and held his gaze.

Even as well as Harry knew Hotaru, her eyes, at times, were a bit more than unsettling. It wasn't the color. Rei had the same, and Harry never felt half as strange as he did when Hotaru stared at him: as though the Earth had slipped out from under his feet and left him adrift, as moor-less as a ghost drifting up into the air.

"Harry?"

"Wuh?" Ron looked as though he'd asked Harry a question. "Er, yeah. Yeah absolutely," Harry said on a guess.

Hermione was looking at him strangely.

Ginny cleared her throat and clapped him on the shoulder. "You just agreed the Chudley Cannons were a shoe-in," she said.

Harry sighed.

At least Ron had moved on with the conversation. Harry glanced back over at Hotaru.

She looked between Malfoy and Harry, and tapped her ear. Harry shifted in his seat.

"What are you… doing?" Hermione asked.

"Malfoy's up to something," he whispered.

"Could it be about the Horcrux?" Ginny whispered.

Maybe. Voldemort had been in a near constant state of rage since finding out his Horcruxes had been discovered by the Order. When Harry'd spied on him, he'd given the locket over to Bellatrix Lestrange for safe keeping, and had given orders to all his followers to make sure no one got the rest.

Harry'd hoped if he spied on Voldemort enough he'd find out where another one was hidden. Perhaps he could catch Voldemort assigning the Horcruxes bodyguards. But Voldemort had not revealed a thing any of the times Harry had been spying.

And Malfoy was here for the Holidays anyways, Harry thought.

Still, maybe re-capturing the locket had affected whatever mission Malfoy had.

Harry caught Hotaru's eye again. Thinking, and feeling surer the more he thought of it, though for the life of him, he couldn't fathom what Voldemort might need Malfoy to do.

A crack over the centre of the Great Hall startled all the students as one of the candle flames seemed to explode. The fireball burst towards the head table, resolving into the red, orange, and white-tipped plumage of a phoenix. Fawkes soared up to Dumbledore, circling over his head and dropping a letter in his lap.

As the Headmaster picked it up, the bird darted off to the right side of the table, landing heavily on Setsuna's arm and setting Slughorn's hair aflame with his wing.

Rolanda Hooch and Setsuna chuckled as Slughorn squawked and waved his wand frantically towards his head, casting an Aguamenti that also drenched his cloak.

Fawkes paid the man no mind, busy adjusting his perch on Setsuna's arm. He butted her cheek with his forehead. Setsuna was grinning.

"He really does like you," Hooch murmured.

"Well why shouldn't he?" Setsuna said, offering the phoenix a bit of the food from her plate.

Fawkes chirped, and the tidbit in her palm burst into rich, red flames a moment before the bird gobbled it up.

"We're both creatures who belong to time," Setsuna murmured, biting her lip as she lifted her hand to stroke the bird's beak. In the past, when he deigned to see her, he had helped her to see something important.

Could you help me now? she wondered, to see what Lestrange is hiding from me?

The phoenix hiccupped; a puff of white smoke hit her palm, hot enough that she jerked it back. Fawkes ruffled his crackling, orange feathers and trained his ash-speckled beak towards her face. Coal-black eyes bored into her. She drew Fawkes closer as he chirped again, and stretched his neck up to preen her hair.

She stood over an airy room: with high windows and chandeliers and portraits along back wall. Three tables wrapped round the room and eleven men and women sat at them. She could see the Hogwarts crest embossed on the leather folders beside each of them.

The Board of Governors. Her eyes fell on a man that bore a striking resemblance to Theodore Nott. He was smirking…

At Dumbledore, across the room, who looked quite furious.

"It's a new year," the Nott look-a-like said. "And clearly Hogsmeade is not a target."

Eleven board members waved their wands, pointing them towards the middle of the room. A piece of parchment, appeared there, and eleven signatures began to ink themselves onto the bottom of the page.

"Perhaps Voldemort's assured them Hogsmeade is not a target," Dumbledore's grave voice echoed as Fawke's red flames rose up to cover the vision. As those burned, Setsuna saw other things.

Thestral-drawn carriages rattling towards Hogsmeade across the icy road…

The Dark mark in the twilight sky over the village. She squinted through Fawkes' flames. The building was indistinct, masked by smoke…

The image wavered, turning to a strip of the cleared, frozen cobblestones in Hogsmeade's square. Dark magic struck the stones, splintering the mortar, Something began to form over it…

What? She demanded as the vision became clouded with smoke once more: thick, heavy plumes of it that choked out Fawkes fire, preventing her from seeing more…

Setsuna heard Fawkes chirp and spun around, away from the smoke.

There was a little of the fire left, unobstructed. And within it, one last, wavering vision.

A cauldron. She knelt over the small flame to get a better look even as the dark smoke encroached on it.

A pale hand lifted something up to the cauldron: a ladle, the kind used to fill small vials. The hand dipped it into the cauldron.

Once… twice… thrice… four times.

"Setsuna?"

She jerked her head up as the smoke snuffed out Fawkes last vision and looked at the phoenix on her arm.

"Four?" she whispered.

Fawkes squawked, nodding his head and pushing off her arm, back into the air where he vanished with a flash.

"Did you see anything?" Hooch was asking.

Four people hidden from my sight…

Setsuna shook her head to clear it. At least Fawkes could confirm the number, though it was higher than she'd hoped. Had the smoke snuffing out the visions been Fawkes? Or the potion still keeping me from what Lestrange and that Wizard don't want me to see.

"Why you look as though you were in a trance there…" Slughorn was saying. He put his hand over hers.

"Sorry," she said, pulling her hand away from his and grabbing her wine glass. She took a large sip of it, pushing to the potion to the back of her mind.

There'd been something a bit more pressing.

"The Board's going to re-permit the Hogsmeade visits," she said, and heard gasps from the professors within hearing distance. She looked over at Dumbledore. He was tucking away the letter from the Board with a frown on his face. It only deepened when Minerva leaned in and whispered to him what Setsuna had just seen.

"When?" Hooch was saying.

Setsuna looked off and too the left. When is this happening?

January 9th. In two days. And the next Hogsmeade weekend?

Two weeks away…

~SMH~

Dumbledore was gone from Hogwarts for half the day on January 9th and that evening called the staff to an emergency meeting. He confirmed everything Setsuna had seen.

"They've been assured by some 'intelligence,'" Dumbledore said to all the staff crowded into his office, "That Hogsmeade is not a target of Voldemort or any factions that support him." He looked to Severus.

The Defence Professor shook his head. "There's been no discussion of it," he said. "But if they all believe Ignatius Nott that so many muggleborn students out in public are going to be ignored, then they are either confunded…" His lip curled. "Or they have been persuaded by money or otherwise."

"Well there's a solution inn't there?" Hagrid offered. "We don' have ta send 'em just cause the Board's given permission."

"It was more than permission," Dumbledore said. "I have been… strongly encouraged to allow Hogsmeade visits to go ahead. And if I am found to be disobeying the wishes of the Board of Governors… then they are at liberty to replace me."

Many of the newer staff gasped. Dumbledore nodded to Mcgonagall. "And unfortunately they're under no obligation to promote you to my position." He looked back at all of them. "A representative from the Board will be making an announcement Monday morning, and they are not requiring updates to permission slips."

"Well that's hardly enough time for the parents to learn about it!" Sprout exclaimed. "Unless it's mentioned in the Prophet, which I don't suppose it will be."

"And if we send notifications then that will seem insubordinate," Snape added.

"Then we hold the visits." McGonagall said. "We speak to our students ourselves. Hope that they will be smart and choose to remain here, and we request additional security from the ministry."

"If we don't get that," Flitwick said. "I don't think we have the resources to guard the village ourselves."

"Indeed," Dumbledore mused. "Perhaps it is a moment to consider private security measures." He tapped his chin. "I will see who is available."

"I'll reach out to my contacts as well," Setsuna said. Most of the senshi at least would be readily at hand to defend a Hogsmeade visit.

"Let's all reconvene Sunday with strategies," Dumbledore said. "Thank you all,"

The staff were clamouring to speak with each other as they filed out of Dumbledore's office, only the Heads of House lingering behind.

"Who'd have ever thought," Slughorn was saying as they emerged from the staircase and out onto the second floor corridor. "I don't know what private security firm has the magic to guard a whole village, not one that seeped in so much magic especially. And from what I've heard out of the Auror office, they're quite strapped recently."

"Are they?" she murmured, eyes on her shoes and the flickering shadows cast by the hallway lamps.

"Too much to hope none of the students will be interested of course."

"Plenty of them will go," she said. She'd already checked. It clearly didn't matter very much the original reasoning behind cancelling the Hogsmeade trips. Most of these students hadbeen cooped up in the castle all winter, discouraged from even wandering around the grounds. That was more than enough reason to the teenagers to bung the safety concerns and hop onto the carriages.

Everyone from the Death Eaters children to many of the third year muggleborns would be going in two weekends' time. She'd put the estimate to Dumbledore at over three hundred students…

"I presume the private security you've mentioned are the same who thwarted so many attacks on New Years Eve?"

Setsuna nodded. New Years. Before the locket had been stolen from under their noses. She thought of Kreacher, whose body had turned up across the street from Grimmauld days later, calling cards from Lestrange had been grafittied all over Claremont square.

And why hadn't she seen what Kreacher'd intended to do? Why did everything involving Bellatrix Lestrange have to end in a void of nothing?

"And you'll be joining that security force? If I had to guess? That's quite a lot of danger to put yourself in…"

She nodded again, still hardly listening. I can't even guess at her anymore, she's so far from the course the Time Sands had laid out before this year. That damn potion…

If Fawkes was correct. There were four people out of her sight. The Wizard-in-White, Lestrange. Malfoy. Who else?

If they do plan an attack on Hogsmeade, I may never have a hint of it.

And the Board will let three hundred of the students go regardless?

I can't have that. I need…

"Setsuna?" She jumped as Slughorn stopped her with a hand on her arm. They'd reached his door. "You know… if there is anything, I could do to assist you."

I need help.

"Sorry…" she crossed her arms. "There is… something."

She looked out through the windows onto the dark grounds below. And the darker sky...

She didn't like trusting anyone at the moment.

But I can't afford not to.

"I… do have methods of seeing the future that are… outside the divination norm." She turned back towards him. "And there is a potion some of the Death Eaters have developed that blocks my sight."

Slughorn cocked his head to the side and adjusted his glasses. "Really?"

She nodded. "I suspected at first it might come from Japan. But there's no dark magic remotely similar. And we've scoured most of Durmstrange and Hogwarts library collections as well."

"And nothing. Really?" Slughorn stroked his chin. "And Severus was no help? He's better versed in dark magic than I."

"He's as baffled as I am."

"Hmm…" Slughorn mused. "Well… I can't promise anything… but I couldn't promise anything when I published the Wolfsbane research either, and that turned out quite successful." He smiled cheerily at her. "For you, I'll look into it."

He bid her goodnight and closed his door. She carried on down the hall and to the left towards her own rooms.

Another person who now knew there was a way to block her powers…

She stopped in front of a long row of windows that looked out on the lake. The frozen surface was pitch black save for the pinpricks of light given off by the many castle windows.

She rested her forehead on the cool glass and sighed, watching her breath cloud it.

Who else is going to learn about this from him? Setsuna thought. At the moment, it was perhaps three people. Other experts he would tap for counsel. That could have been a terribly foolish move.

Soft footsteps from the direction of Dumbledore's office startled her. She turned.

She recognized him from the brightly lit, pale face that stood out against the black robes and hair, which both blended in with the shadowy corridor.

"Severus?" she whispered. His rooms were down in the dungeons. And he had not had any meetings of late to pass on information from.

"I'm glad I caught you," he said as he reached her. "I assume that you and your like will be playing a large role in Hogsmeade's security forces?"

She nodded. The aurors and the Order would have very few to spare even combining forces.

"As I thought." He clasped his hands before him. "I participated in several attacks on Hogsmeade and other villages during the first war." He rubbed his left arm. "Many led by Lestrange. If you have time, I wish to discuss some of the tactics used. It may lend you some… foresight on the matter."

She squared her shoulders and nodded. If she could not see Lestrange's plans this would be the next best thing. "I have plenty of time," she said, walking to the portrait over her door and giving it the password. "We can discuss it over tea."

~SMH~

The second weekend in January, when the post-holiday sale was finally tapering off on Diagon Alley, Morgana Avery was with Michiru Kaioh in the basement of the twins' shop. Boxes, crates, and paint tins had all been pushed aside to give them a workspace, and Fred and George had been barred from joining this practice session.

"We're past construction efforts," Morgana'd told Fred when he'd said he needed to work on his Occlumency shields too. "The only way Michiru or I improves ours at this point is to test them."

"Are we all set?" Michiru asked as Morgana cast a final cushioning charm along the brick wall.

"Just about."

"Good," Michiru said, tying up her hair. She'd already cast her cloak aside and rolled up her sleeves. She smirked at Morgana. "Don't go easy on my please."

"Wasn't gonna," Morgana said, walking into the opposite corner of the room. She pushed up her own sleeves "Ready?"

Michiru nodded. And her aqua eyes locked on Morgana's in a hard and determined glare.

Morgana whipped her wand out. "Legilimens."

Magic crackled in the air between them, and Morgana felt the magic pulling her forwards, She dove into Michiru's mind. Breaching it felt like plunging into an icy sea. Immediately after, she slammed into a very solid shield. Morgana reeled back, seeking a way in.

But her first good look at this Occlumency shield nearly broke her concentration. Morgana gaped, looking all around her to take in the sheer scope of the image Michiru had used as her first shield.

"I take it this will suffice," Michiru's voice whispered.

The great planet loomed over Morgana: a large, dark blue storm right at the level of her face (so close it might have swallowed her). The rest of the planet's endless blue spanned out in every direction, curving into the darkness of space.

"Yeah," Morgana muttered, trying to center herself. Losing concentration this quickly would do her no good. "Yeah this'll probably throw out most casual Legilimencies…" She clenched her fists. "But not me." There had to be a way through…

Meteorites got through planets all the time. So perhaps she ought to treat this like the barrier at Kings Cross.

Take it at a bit of a run, she thought, closing her eyes, imagining herself as such a meteor. She rushed the shield…

And tumbled forwards, tripping and falling on something as unforgiving as steel. She rolled across it, until her back hit a raised edge.
"Ow." Morgana gritted her teeth as the pain broke her concentration, cursing her distaste and lack of practice at Legilimency. Keep it together.

No one who'd been practicing Occlumency for barely five months was going to throw her out that easily.

"Legilimens," she muttered again as she rolled onto her back, redoing the spell to re-center her concentration.

She squinted her eyes open, startled to see a pair of gleaming white boots

"Need a hand?" Michiru chuckled.

No… not Michiru, Morgana thought, taking the white-gloved hand that was extended to her. She kept a wary eye on the familiar trident as Sailor Neptune pulled her to her feet.

"You're not supposed to help me read your mind."

"Yes well," Neptune said. "If you fail too quickly you won't be able to assess my shields' complexity." She flipped her hair, and winked at Morgana. "And don't assume I am not part of these defenses."

Morgana stiffened. That had not occurred to her. You couldn't make yourself part of your Occlumency shields.

Then again… perhaps Michiru's alter ego was a different person. Morgana took another step back from the senshi, feeling a headache beginning to pound at the back of her head: no doubt Michiru's magic trying hard to throw her out.

Michiru would manage in due course. In the meantime she would not fall for any tricks from this spectre of her friend. Not before she'd determined how well Michiru'd hidden her secrets.

Morgana kept one eye on Neptune as she stepped away, towards the center of the hard, flat thing she'd fallen on. Her feet clacked across the surface, which, Morgana raised her eyebrows, was reflective. She could see her own face staring back at her, alongside a dark background dotted with pinpricks of light...

The mirror she stood on spanned several feet across and several more feet long: an oval set in a golden frame with a handle that stretched out into the darkness.

Semi-darkness. Morgana at once forgot her headache and even forgot to pay attention to Neptune as she stared around in wonder…

There was a bright circle of white light in the distance, making the frame of the mirror gleam as it shone on it. Beyond that, above it, and behind her were more lights: white, yellow, blue, and red all glittering in the dark.

Some, closer ones, did not glitter: not the grey point so close to the sun, nor the orange crescent some distance beyond it. There were five others that did not glitter, each a different coloured crescent lit up by the distant sunlight. Morgana gaped at the middle one with the wide iridescent rings and then at a closer planet, in the center of the array, that was a solid blue green. She stared longest at the distant, deep blue crescent, so far away… like a tiny gem.

"Beautiful isn't it," the spectre of Neptune was so close she made Morgana jump and scramble away. She thrust her wand hand out, obviously wand-less here, expecting to meet the pointed end of the trident.

But evidently, Michiru was not putting very much effort into her side of their training, for Sailor Neptune stood calmly at her side, turning her trident casually in her right hand.

"There's no secrets hiding here," the Sailor offered with a smirk. "Looking is simply distracting you."

Oh Damnit. Morgana frowned as her headache spiked. She thought of something else. "It must take a lot of magic to imagine all of…" all of this. Her eyes widened. All of this should have been too difficult for any Occlumens to think up and maintain. Not unless they'd seen it many times. Not unless…"This is real!" Morgana whispered.

Sailor Neptune nodded, "Indeed." She walked to the edge of her mirror and Morgana followed, watching as the senshi swept her trident out across the vast expanse of the Solar System, ending by pointing it down over the Mirror's edge. Morgana looked...

Below them was the planet from Michiru's first shield: it's northern pole a calm expanse of pearl white clouds slowly spinning round a deep blue eye…

"This is the view from Triton Castle," Neptune explained. "More of a battlement really,"

"You… you must have stood here a lot… to visualise it like this."

"Years at a time," Neptune whispered. She pointed off to the left, where one of the largest planets was.

No… Morgana squinted. Not the largest, if her guess at the identity of the peach coloured world was correct. But it was certainly the closest. Around it was one large moon – half its size, and four much smaller ones spinning round it…

"Pluto's orbit cuts across my own," Neptune explained. "Which means oft enough, I was tasked with being our first line of defence."

"And with watching over them all," Morgana guessed.

Sailor Neptune hung her head. "I was meant to direct my gaze outwards." She looked up with a slight smile on the eight other worlds. "But I couldn't help turning towards them."

Morgana nodded, continuing to take in the view from the edge of the Solar System, aware that she was wasting time, and a lot magic, and not quite caring.

"You're not doing a very good job finding my secrets," Neptune murmured.

Morgana winced, and her headache spiked again. No, she decidedly wasn't. She turned around and looked at the face of the mirror they were standing on. "Too obvious," she murmured. She bet the mirror was a trick – to show her only those things Michiru wanted her to see.

Perhaps the solar bodies acted like keys or doors. She turned her gaze first on the sun…

And got a burning lance of pain through her skull for the effort.

"Not there," Neptune said, sounding quite bored.

Morgana made a face at the senshi and tried directing her legilimency at the large, blue ice-giant in the center of the array.

But trying Uranus only got her a sound like a tornado in her ears, and a worse headache.

"I'm not that predictable,"

"Pluto then," Morgana muttered

But the key to where Michiru had hidden her secrets was not within Pluto either, nor Saturn, nor the far off Earth, nor even the strangely bright dot that was the Moon…

By the end of her search of the planets, Morgana was on her knees at the edge of the Aqua Mirror, rubbing a hand over her face and berating herself for having spent so much time and energy gaping at this dratted mindscape. "You win," she muttered. "You might even give Voldemort trouble,"

"Then we're done here," Neptune chuckled above her.

Morgana glared up at her. "Alright then at least tell me where you've hidden everything."

Neptune smirked and turned around. "I thought I mentioned." She pointed her trident. "It was my duty to look outwards."

Morgana dragged her head around to look and groaned.

"I know our neighbour stars even better than our own."

The space on this side was filled with those: millions of miniscule points of light painted over the darkness.

The trident was tracing a path between several of them. Morgana recognized the constellation. "Hydra."

"He reminded me of our sea monsters," Neptune smiled. "Or hadn't you wondered where my patronus came from?"

Her patronus. The sea dragon. And her animagus, an amphibious snake. Morgana flushed. She was an idiot. Michiru was better at Slytherin trickery than her. She clutched her head and staggered to her feet, muttering: "Legilimens, Legilimens…" It was still her job to judge how well Michiru could hide her secrets.

"And your first guess was correct," Sailor Neptune whispered as she directed her attention towards the distant constellation. "I was not a mere decoration."

There was a whistle beside her – wood and metal cutting through air. And then the sharp, thwack of the trident colliding with her ribs, knocking her off the mirror's edge and sending her tumbling down into the dark abyss at the center of Neptune's polar storm…

Morgana gasped and blinked, seeing the basement walls blurring past a moment before her body slammed hard into brick and mortar, knocking the wind out of her as she slumped into a disarray of storage boxes.

Ouch…

Heels clacked across the basement floor, and for a split second, her head spinning, Morgana saw white boots and white gloves and solemn eyes that made her think of the wall of a tsunami…

Then she blinked again. White boots became prim, black heels. The short aqua skirt became slant-cut purple robes. And the hand that was extended down to her was adorned not by a glove, but by single ring around the ring finger. It was just Michiru, Morgana thought as she accepted her hand and stumbled to her feet. She shivered. Michiru's eyes and Neptune's were still the same.

"That may have been overkill on my part at the end there," Michiru said. If she had a headache from that magic, it was impossible to tell.

Morgana certainly did. She panted and rubbed her forehead as the room came into focus. "No, overkill is good." She winced. "Don't bother showing me around next time, just throw me out."

Michiru chuckled. "Will do," she tilted her head. "You really think that would be enough against someone like Voldemort."

Morgana bit her lip. "He's the most accomplished Legilimens in the world." She looked down at her wand hand. "I don't have much reference to give you… I asked Professor Snape right after my father got out of Azkaban if mine would do." She shook her head. "He said the best I could do was lie and pray Voldemort was in the mood to believe it… and that I'd have no luck if he were angry…" She shuddered. "There's a whole ward in Mungos of people he legilimized while angry." She looked at Michiru. "Yours are as complicated as mine, and more distracting… So you might fair about the same."

"Noted," Michiru said, and checked the time. It'd gone far past the hour they'd allotted for this. "Let's wrap up for now," she said, leading the way towards the basement stairs. "I really hope you've all expanded your tea selection."

They took their tea in the small attic apartment the twins had above the shop. It had only one real (orange) armchair and they were too tired to conjure or transfigure anything, so Morgana and Michiru made due with sinking down onto the floor in front of that armchair, and reclining against it. They sipped their tea, laced with firewhiskey, as the sound of the evening radio show crackled out of the twins old wizarding wireless.

"You asked Snape to test your Occlumency after the Azkaban escape," Michiru murmured when they were halfway through with their tea. "Is your father a Legilimens?"

"No," Morgana shook her head.

"Then," Michiru turned her head to look more closely at Morgana. "Did you think you'd have to join?"

"Still do," Morgana whispered, staring into her tea. "Snape helped me learn how to lie a bit better to a Legilimens… but he still said all I could do was lock my secrets up as best as I could and give Voldemort enough of what he wanted that he'd believe whatever lies I threw into the mix." She stirred her tea and flicked her eyes to Michiru. "Whatever tricks your mirror was set up for are going to be too obvious." She sipped her tea. "Snape also said never to let a Legilimens like Voldemort touch you. Even he has trouble maintaining his Occlumency when Voldemort does that. Snape said he could read a person like a book."

Michiru nodded, she'd read as much herself. "Do you think you'll have to face him?"

"I'm not going to discount the possibility," Morgana said, and looked around to be sure the twins hadn't come up from the shop yet. "My mother's been sending me letters," she whispered. "And my father… they still think I'm under a love potion."

"And you're maintaining the ruse," Michiru guessed.

Morgana nodded. "I've been… sending replies… pretending I'm gathering information, pretending I'm trying to make an antidote all that…" She set her teacup down in her lap. "I thought they'd leave the shop alone if they thought I were spying or… or planning an escape."

"Well that strategy seems to be working? I haven't heard of an attack on this part of Diagon in a while."

"Mhmm." Morgana sighed. "Fred doesn't know." She confided. "He asked me after my father showed up whether I'd ever lie to him, and I said no." She shook her head. "So he hasn't asked about it since."

"Smart man, knows when you need your secrets." Michiru squeezed her shoulder. "Let's practice your shields next week."

"Saturday again?"

"Make it Sunday this time," Michiru said. "All of us have some business to attend to…"

Order business, Morgana shook her head. She wished her friends would try a little harder to keep their work for the Order a secret. There was a reason she hadn't joined after all. The daughter of two Death Eaters, to her mind, was too much of a vulnerability to know that many secrets…

"Speaking of that," Michiru said. Michiru was only slightly better than Fred at keeping the Order out of conversation. Morgana turned to her. She was holding out the Aqua Mirror. "Rei and I have been looking into what dangers might present themselves at Hogsmeade. We keep seeing this."

Morgana squinted in the mirror. Dirt, detritus, worms and bugs were all pooling together on the ground, growing up into a human figure with long, sharp nails and a gaping mouth. "A golem?" She frowned. That wasn't a dark spell, but it was a complicated one.

"I was hoping you could tell me about them."

~SMH~

For having only two weeks to prepare for the Hogsmeade weekend, those war minded at Hogwarts certainly did an admirable job. Flitwick eschewed the normal itinerary of the duelling club in favour of hour-long mock battles with rules so broad he requested Mme. Pomfrey be on hand and nominated several of the younger club members as medics, tasked with dragging downed combatants out of the fray. The prefects from Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw all met with their Heads of Houses and worked out a patrol of Hogsmeade that would cover all the grounds from the highland cliffs to the train station. And the D.A. gathered for the first time all year for four meetings over the two week time span, during which they drilled every even semi-useful spell Hermione, Ron, and Harry could think up.

The night before the Hogsmeade trip, the sixth year senshi and their friends all met in Setsuna's rooms to discuss the last minute details.

"It looks like a peaceful day," Setsuna told them all. "But that clearly only means it is Lestrange or the Wizard that is planning something."

"Or Malfoy," Harry muttered. He saw Hermione roll her eyes and sank back further into the couch, wishing Hotaru were old enough to attend Hogsmeade. She at least agreed Malfoy was a direct threat. Harry shook his head. Hermione would just have some comment about his judgement being on par with a thirteen-year-old's.

Harry could imagine the argument.

"She has a glaive, Hermione. A Glaive."

"What does that mean, that she is suddenly the authority on everything. What if I take the axe from that suit of armour over there? Will you listen to me about the Prince then?"

Hermione brought the Prince into everything. Especially now that he was copying all the spells down on another parchment.

Harry snapped back to attention when Professor Meioh waved her wand, turning her coffee table into a map of Hogsmeade village.

"I've spoken with Professor Snape," she was saying, "And according to him, these are some of the places Death Eaters attacked in the first war…"

Need to pack the cloak tomorrow, Harry thought, debating which entry point he would linger by to attack the Death Eaters tomorrow. The alley next to Zonko's looked promising…

The next morning though, he wound up not lingering beside Zonko's shop-front, but atop its roof, sharing the invisibility cloak with Jadeite. It was not the best fit: they kept having to pin the cloak down due to the wind, and the edge of Gryffindor's sword brushed dangerously close to Harry's arm,

But Zonko's was three stories high, which put it on par with Three Broomsticks in terms of vantage points. Furthermore, it occupied the opposite half of the village. And there was just enough room by the chimney for the two of them to balance on the steep roof.

"Any minute now," Jadeite whispered as the clock in the village square chimed 11:00, marking their first hour atop the roof. The foot traffic would probably pick up as lunch-time neared.

But eleven turned into twelve, twelve into one; the sun sank lower and lower in the sky.

And no attack came. By five o'clock, when the carriages rolled up to usher the students back to school, Harry had frostbite on his fingers and a deep regret that they had not abandoned Zonko's in time to grab a butterbeer.

"Maybe they want to catch us off guard," Ginny offered, her hands tucked under her arms as she and Harry trudged back to the carriages. "You know, let the visits get really popular again and then attack one." She huffed. "Maybe once the snow won't freeze them to death."

Harry chuckled despite his sour mood. "Maybe." He looked over the trees at the top of the astronomy tower. "Thought lots of people showed up today though."

"Idiots," Ginny said. "Did you see the fourth years loitering behind the Hogshead? Don't they know they're the first ones getting picked off? I almost hexed them just to teach 'em a lesson."

There was a hold up around the carriages as everyone clamoured to get one with their friends, so Ginny and Harry hung back and watched the crowds, waiting for them to thin out.

"You know who's not here," Ginny whispered. "Malfoy and Nott."

Harry had noticed. He hadn't brought it up. He'd only get an earful from Hermione.

"Have you noticed Nott's been a bit twitchy since we got back?"

"And Malfoy's been twitchier than normal," Harry muttered.

"Yeah… I think you and Hotaru are right, I think they do have a new mission. Pansy was here today. And Crabbe and Goyle. So why would they stay behind?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "And you know what – there really were a lot of people out today. Including the Professors."

"Well all of them were keeping watch."

"Exactly," Harry said. "So that means there's a lot less people watching the castle."

Ginny's eyes widened. "You don't think anyone's gonna attack Hogsmeade," she whispered. "You think the village trips are a diversion?"

"Could be," Harry said, betting not even Hermione would have anything to detract from this theory. He scanned around. They ought to tell Professor Meioh. "Come on," he said once he'd found her, and grabbed Ginny's hand as he moved towards the crowd.

~SMH~

Setsuna could at least confirm for Harry and Hotaru that there was a possibility that Voldemort had given Nott and Malfoy a new mission, though she was at a loss as to what it might be.

Otherwise, Hogsmeade having been a bust, meant that January ended on a bitter note that had nothing to do with the sharp winds that whipped around the castles towers. Especially for Setsuna, who had followed her instincts and thrown herself into Hogsmeade's defence, only to see everything about the day go exactly as normal.

"It was excellently planned though," Ami told her when she caught Setsuna in the hall the first Sunday in February, when she'd been stewing over it for a week. "And it's bound to be a target at some point. Not attacking now could be a simple attempt to create a false sense of security."

Setsuna sighed. That would certainly prove true. The number of students piling into the carriages was likely to double for the February trip, which was going to fall on Valentines' weekend. And the number of Professors eager to volunteer their time to guard that trip was going to drop off. "We'll have to count that and everything else as a possibility," Setsuna said as they leaned against the windowsill overlooking the largest courtyard. "Given that I can't see."

Lestrange, the Wizard, Malfoy…

Setsuna furrowed her brows. She still hadn't a clue about the fourth. It couldn't be Nott. His timeline resembled those people who took orders from Lestrange, rather than the woman's herself. And the fourth person (thankfully) was not Voldemort, though the fact that it wasn't had made Dumbledore go quite pensive over the state of the Dark Lord's relationship with Lestrange.

Lestrange who had stolen their horcrux. Murdered Mundungus. Murdered Kreacher, and now failed to attack Hogsmeade, defying not just Setsuna's powers, but her strategic instincts.

She shook her head. Ami had been saying something. "Sorry," Setsuna said. "You were looking in the library... for something?"

"Yes!" Ami nodded. "Megumi and I've been digging a little more into magical theory – it's fascinating stuff. And it got me thinking about that potion that's eluding you." She lowered her voice as a group of students ambled past. "You've been looking up all sorts of dark magic because this potion's obstructing your powers… but I think you're looking at it from the wrong perspective."

Setsuna raised her eyebrows. "How so?"

"Well – if it was intended to obstruct your powers than I think, by the rules of dark magic you would have to drink the potion."

She paused, biting her lip and assessing Setsuna as if wondering if perhaps that could be a possibility. "You're not…"

"That would be very unlikely," Setsuna said. "And I believe it is effecting Megumi too, which I have been chalking up to an unintended consequence."

"Right," Ami nodded. "No one would have thought to block her powers." She sighed in relief. "Anyways, as you're not the one drinking this potion, then it's not intended to obstruct your powers."

Setsuna frowned. "If that isn't the intention…"

"It's the result, sure," Ami insisted. "But not what the person who's creating the potion is willing it do."

"And what would be the intention?"

"Protection," Ami said. "The potion protects the drinker from your powers. And protection is light magic." She reached into her bag and took out a bit of parchment. "I didn't find a potion that could do it, but I think there's enough research that we could guess how it's made."

"And we could track the ingredients," Setsuna murmured, taking the parchment. It was a list of neatly printed book titles.

"Once we had that theory I copied down all the titles listed in the reference section," Ami said. "I'd have done more, but, well… there was class at nine."

"I can take it from here," Setsuna promised, considering the list. "Was there anything about protective potions that stood out?"

"Only that they're not all that popular," Ami said, as they resumed their walk down the hall. "I did find that they all shared at least a few ingredients…"

~SMH~

That Monday evening, like many evenings, the senshi were scattered across the castle. Setsuna locked herself away in her study, diving into Ami's long awaited lead on her potions ills. Ami, Megumi, Chibiusa, and Hotaru were taking a turn guarding the Room of Requirement to prevent Malfoy from working on his project, and were experimenting with the limitations of the rooms abilities. Makoto was tied up leading the first Hufflepuff Quidditch practice of the term. And Mina was entertaining Akira, Sora and half of the Gryffindor common room with her own twist on a Gobbestones tournament, with Rei lingering a safe distance away in the self-appointed role of "supervision."

And that particular evening, Usagi was outside the castle, her homework undone and cast aside on one of the common room chairs. For with the tension over the Hogsmeade weekend past, she was finally getting around to something she'd been looking forward to since Christmas.

"It was fun to see you teaching all the third years those spells last week," she said to Neville as they edged along the south side of the castle on an evening stroll. "You looked a lot more confident than when you were tutoring the first years last term."

"I felt a bit more confident too," Neville confided, tucking his cloak around her as a gust of wind blew past.

Usagi grasped it and grabbed Neville's hand in hers. "You could be a teacher you know."

"I suppose I could, yeah," Neville chuckled. "I always thought I wasn't bright enough before."

"You're more than bright enough," Usagi retorted, and Neville felt his cheeks turning a bit pink.

"Thanks…" their feet crunched in tandem across the ice-crusted snow, linked hands swinging between them. "It makes me feel good, teaching people," Neville told Usagi. "I like knowing they could defend themselves, even if I can't."

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked, craning her neck to look up at his face. His eyes, which had been staring at their linked hands caught hers and their feet stumbled to a halt in the snow.

"I mean…"

A chill wind cut off his response as it whipped round the north tower and buffeted them. Neville darted to the wall, tugging Usagi along. She tripped on the snow and fell against his chest with a shriek. They squeezed each other until the wind had stilled.

Hesitantly, Usagi lifted her head and stuck out her right boot. No breeze tugged at the hem of her cloak. "Phew!" She laughed and Neville grinned at her as they resumed their walk. He stuck his arm out slightly and was filled with warmth went Usagi immediately tucked into his side and linked her arms through his. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "So, why can the first years defend themselves better than you?" she asked.

"Um.." He scrambled to recall what he'd said just a few moments ago, his attention caught up in her head on his shoulder. He fidgeted. "Yeah, um…"

"This okay?" she wondered.

"Yeah, I-I like it... I just… hope I don't trip you."

"You won't," Usagi said. "I'm not that clumsy." She flexed one of her hands, trying to bury her fingers in the loose fabric of his cloak.

Her knuckles were red.

"Here," Neville said, covering her hand with his as they walked slowly along, moonlight glittering across the frozen grounds.

Usagi smiled wider. "You're sweet." She sighed, squeezing his arm. "Now... why couldn't you defend your self in a fight?"

Neville flushed. "Cuz... well I'm not good at thinking on my feet. Not like Harry is. I thought with the DA last year, I'd get it, you know. But... but at the Ministry, I just…"

"Froze," Usagi guessed.

"Yeah." Neville sighed, releasing a large cloud of his breath into the January air. He scuffed his feet in the snow as they walked.

Usagi squeezed his arm again.

"I only remembered how to cast anything when Dolohov found us... he hit Hermione, and I think I must have cast something. Cause next thing I knew my wand was up and he'd been knocked into the brain tank. Cracked it real good." He looked up. "Course, could've been Jupiter or Mercury."

"I don't think so." Usagi smiled. "I bet it was you who cast."

"But I don't remember."

"Well there's lots of fights that I barely remember," Usagi argued. "I mean... I'm not good at thinking on my feet either. Without Luna around in the beginning, I was a sitting duck." she smiled a little. "I remember every time I froze. The times I didn't... those are the blur." she chuckled. "Rei would say maybe I just move too fast for my brain to keep up."

"That's not nice."

"I know right." Usagi shook her head. "She used to tease me like that before. I don't think she would now." Then she grinned. "Unless I tease her first."

"Sounds like Ron and Hermione."

"Yeah," Usagi agreed. And paled. "Wait - no. Not like that... not exactly like that."

"Why not?"

"Cause… Cause they're like two arguments from jumping each other in the common room," Usagi exploded. "And Rei and I are NOT like that."

"Of-of course not."

"And I mean, I'm dating you."

"Yeah," Neville stopped then, looking down at Usagi whilst she looked up at him. His pink face had turned a deep red, especially his nose, from the cold. "We're… dating?"

Usagi's breath caught as she stared up into his blue eyes, wide and framed by raised, heavy brows, and eyelashes that were dusted with frost...

"Yeah... dating." Usagi breathed. She released his arm.

"Good… cause I really like you."

"I know," Usagi whispered, putting her hand on his scarf as he held her upper arm. "I really like you." She rose up on her toes, getting quite close to him.

Neville stood more frozen that the snow. "H-how'd you learn to think on your feet?" he stammered as she drew close. Her breath tickled his nose.

She tugged his scarf, rising up on her toes. "You... practice not thinking. Just... acting."

"Just acting."

"Yeah."

"Just - go for it."

"Yea...mhhh!" Usagi's reply was cut off as Neville leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She pulled the knot out of his scarf as she deepened their kiss, and when she wobbled on her toes, his arm slipped behind her back to catch her.

They might have kissed far longer if another burst of the highland wind hadn't howled through the turrets on the towers and between the greenhouses and knocked them both off balance. They were blown apart by the wind, gasping and slipping on the snow as they swung their hands out, fumbling to clasp each other's.

When their hands finally clasped, they threaded their fingers together, Neville caught Usagi's sparkling eyes and chuckled. She broke into peels of laughter, bending over as she pulled him up from where he'd slipped to his knees in the snow.

"Maybe we should cut this short," he offered, rubbing the back of his neck. "If we walk a little further there's a back way down to the kitchens."

"How do you know that," She asked, winking at him as they hurried along, before the next gust of wind could hit them. "Been sneaking out a lot over the years?"

"N-not really," Neville said. "Nothing that impressive." She squeezed his hand though, and he had the feeling it wouldn't matter to her if he'd gone on daring jaunts through the castle's secret passages or not. So he told her the truth. "When I was younger, I kept on losing Trevor... and my first friend ended up being one of the house elves, Polly. Cause she'd always be the one returning him to the dorm... she showed me the back way to the kitchens once when I missed curfew trying to find him and couldn't remember the spell to unlock the front doors."

"But you found Trevor?"

"Yeah... under my bed."

Usagi shook her head. "He sounds like more trouble than Luna."

"No," Neville protested. "No she's alright – she only gets lost when she want's too."

Usagi turned her head into his shoulder and giggled. "I meant my cat!"

"Oh." He chuckled along with her until they'd reached the small door between two of the hedges. He bent to unlock it and ushered her inside.

"You know," Usagi said as he helped her down the narrow, earthy stairs. "I'm sometimes still not good at thinking on my feet."

"Really? But... but you fight monsters and stuff all the time – you took down giants, and, and that super dementor."

"Only cause I was protecting people," she said. "Like... like when you defended Hermione from Dolohov, you didn't freeze up then. Maybe you do better when you're protecting your friends."

"That's a... maybe," Neville conceded. "But I don't want to take that bet and freeze up with people depending on me."

"I don't think you would," Usagi insisted, lowering her voice since sound echoed so much in the cellar hallways. "It's different, when you're defending people you love," she said, and Neville stared at the smile on her rosy face and the highlights in her hair from the torchlights. "When my friends need me... I can do a lot of things I'd be too panicked to manage otherwise."

"Just because you love them?"

"Yeah," she whispered, and looked up at him as he slowed to a stop in the hallway. She held his eyes, quite dark since he faced away from the torches. "Maybe," Usagi whispered. "Maybe you'd surprise yourself – if you were fighting for people you loved."

He tilted his head and squeezed her hand. "I... maybe I could for you." And then he blinked. "Uh-uh." He sputtered and stumbled back a step. He hadn't intended to say that aloud. "I – I mean,"

"I know," Usagi tugged him back to her, stepping up onto her toes and cupping his cool cheek. She pressed their lips together again.

Neville shivered, holding tightly to her and stumbling back against the wall of the cellar. Goosebumps were prickling the back of his neck. He blinked his eyes.

Usako...

At first he thought it was the flickering torches playing tricks, but when his eyes were closed he could see a golden star watch, spinning on its chain, ticking steadily behind a cracked glass face...

He gasped as Usagi pulled away. The image vanished.

"I... um..." Neville opened and closed his mouth several times as Usagi stood giggling quietly with her free hand over her mouth. Her other hand was still clasped in his. "That was ... really good."

"Mhmmm." She batted her eyes "Are you busy tomorrow night?"

"No – well, I have Mcgonagall's essay."

Usagi blanked. "Oh... shit."

"Haven't started it?"

"Noooooooooo, well... maybeeeeee." She gave him a pleading look. "Study date?"

"Sure." Neville grinned. "Uh..." the kitchen was a corridor away. "Want to get some - uh – cocoa before we walk back?"

"Absolutely." Usagi said. Her eyes were as bright as her smile.

They carried on down the hall, clasped hands still swinging between them, and passed an announcement board along the way. There was new sign in the middle: a pink heart with cupid figures flying all around it, and flashing text in the middle.

HOGSMEADE VISIT - FEBRUARY 15TH

Carriages leaving from the front doors at 9:15.

"Do you think it'll go smoothly like last time?" Neville asked her.

"I hope so," Usagi said and bumped his shoulder. "If there weren't a war and all we could get a real date – I've been dying to go inside Mme. Puddifoot's!" She sniffed.

"Well... why couldn't we do that this time?" Neville asked. "They do have that window that looks out on the square." Neville smiled at her. "We could keep watch pretty good from it."

"I... no." Usagi insisted. "No it's not safe."

"It's not safe for you either, but you're still going." He squeezed her hand. "Why can't I go with you? I'll try not freeze, I promise." He lifted her hand and kissed it. "I'd have your back."

Usagi's expression softened and she sighed, moving in to kiss him again. "Maybe," she said. "As long as you promise not to jump into danger."

"I won't! That's Harry's job," Neville grinned. "Seriously, let's go to Puddifoots. D'you like chocolate?" he asked, already knowing the answer. "They have a fondue fountain special."

Her eyes lit up "Reeeeeallly?"

"Yeah – it could even be my treat," he offered.

"You're so sweet!"

She was leaning in for another kiss when they heard the telltale scritch-scratch of Mrs. Norris claws scrapping the stone floors. They jumped apart and dashed for the kitchens. When they made it to the picture of the fruit bowl and fell through the port hole into the room of startled houseelves busy finishing the dishes, they were out of breath, red-faced, and frostbitten.

And (as Neville announced to the house-elves when they asked what had happened): "We have a date next Saturday."

~SMH~

Harry knew Dumbledore had been very busy in December and January, and he himself had been swamped with so much work from his NEWT courses, that he had nearly convinced himself the lack of further lessons with the Headmaster was the man's own way of helping Harry manage his school work.

One way or the other, he understood why there had been no new lessons the past few months. Still, they were into February now, and each day that passed of the new month, when the sun was staying up longer in the sky, Harry found himself, each day at breakfast looking up at Dumbledore when the mail came in, bearing no new missives about special lessons.

Inevitably, at these times, he would seek out Hotaru at the Ravenclaw table, and see her eyeing the owls with a look of mild irritation, often while stabbing her fork a bit too roughly into her food. She would often catch his gaze, look up at the headmaster, and roll her eyes.

It made Harry smile, feeling a little more at ease. It was nice knowing she was restless too.

Friday the 7th, he was late to breakfast, having woken up early and decided to copy the remaining spells from the Prince's book onto his separate parchment. Hermione had sought him out when he'd been late, and caught him at it. Which was why she had tailed him all the way down to the Great Hall, nagging him the entire way.

He'd told her she was turning into Ron's mother and even that had failed to dissuade her.

"Give it a rest Hermione," he groaned as he pushed open the doors to the Great Hall.

"I won't – Ron told me you'd stopped reading that, and here I find you're copying the spells!"

"I'm not using them!" he fumed. He saw Hotaru as the Great Hall doors swung shut behind him. She nodded to him, shifting on her bench so there was space between she and Luna.

"Oh don't act like you aren't itching to try them – hey!" Hermione exclaimed when he darted away from her, heading not for Gryffindor, but for Ravenclaw. "Harry!"

"I'm gonna eat with Hotaru today."

"But... but it's the wrong house," Hermione sputtered.

Harry shrugged. The exchange students had done it often enough. He strode down the aisle between Ravenclaw and Slytherin and slid into the space Hotaru had made next to her.

Ravenclaw was a larger house than Gryffindor. And there was no other room around them, no matter how hard Hermione looked. "Well... then..."

"Say hi to Ron and Gin for me," Harry threw in, helping himself to some of the eggs Hotaru was passing to him. He set the Half-Blood Prince's book beside him on the table.

He felt quite pleased with himself, and a little bad for feeling it, when Hermione stormed off in a huff. "Thanks," he said to Hotaru, continuing to fill his plate.

She nodded, and he glanced at her, covering the Prince's book with his arm when he noticed she was studying it.

"What was that?" Hotaru asked him.

"Nothing," Harry grunted. "Look – can we just drop it?"

"I would," Hotaru said, going back to her breakfast. "But usually when you and Hermione are angry, it's not at each other." She twirled her fork around her plate. "She looks sad."

Harry looked up. Hermione had sat down at the Gryffindor table, and she was staring intently at her plate, shoulders hunched as she tapped the handle of her knife against the table. She looked up, her face appearing drawn and tired, before she caught him looking. Then her frown turned quickly to a glare.

Harry looked away.

"Why're you mad at her?" Hotaru asked.

"It's nothing," Harry insisted. "Look, she just hates being wrong."

Hotaru raised her eyebrows at him. "Why's she wrong?"

"She just is!"

"About what?"

"Just..." Harry sighed. "Can't you be on my side?"

"Sure, but not without a good reason; that'd be stupid."

Harry flushed and looked away. That... did make sense. Why did Hotaru have to be a Ravenclaw? "Fine." He lifted his arm off of the Half-Blood Prince's book and pushed it towards her. "She and I are arguing about that," he said as Hotaru picked it up and flipped it open to the last page he'd copied, book marked by the flattened parchment full of the Prince's spells. "She thinks the person who had it before me was a dark wizard. I think she's paranoid."

Hotaru lifted the parchment out of the book. "H.B.P's?"

"Half-Blood Prince, kid who last used it," Harry explained. "He wrote all those spells – I'm copying them down."

"Why're some of them starred?" Hotaru asked, scanning the list.

"You know, for useful ones: like Sectumsempra there."

Hotaru raised one eyebrow and glanced at him. "Sectum is Latin for 'cut,'" she said in a deadpan.

Harry blinked. "Well... I mean it said it was for enemies." He ran his hand through his hair. "You know Latin?"

"Not a lot – mostly just the medical stuff," Hotaru said.

"Well... fine maybe I shouldn't use that one, but there's other stuff – like this one." He pointed to another spell he'd starred. "It's for hiding."

Hotaru followed where he pointed. "Mors...ludes." she made a face. "I guess that's a good one."

"What's it mean?"

"Play dead... I think."

"Brilliant!" Harry grinned. "And this one. This one's for getting away."

Hotaru frowned. "Delerio?" she bit her lip. "I don't know that one."

"Okay... but they're not dark."

"I guess not all of them."

"Right. So Hermione is paranoid, see."

Hotaru looked like she might have replied, but a sound like a firecracker over their heads cut her off. They jerked their heads up to see Fawkes drop a burning cinder onto the table before them, and then streak off towards the head table.

"Put it out!" one of the Ravenclaw chasers shrieked as he leaned away from the flames.

"No, wait," Hotaru insisted. She and Harry both leaned over the burning cinder and threw their arms out to stop the Ravenclaws from trying to douse it in pumpkin juice.

It was not, as the others had feared, setting the tablecloth aflame. Instead the small flames and sparks were wicking outwards as the cinder unfurled, burning smaller and smaller as the flames pulled away towards the edges of what Fawkes had dropped onto the table. Soon enough, all that remained was an unblemished bit of parchment.

Harry picked it up.

It's been quite a long break, for us all - and high time we resumed our studies, Dumbledore had written. February 10th – I hope you enjoy blood pops.

~SMH~

On the tenth, Dumbledore took Harry and Hotaru through the Pensieve to a young man with Tom Riddle's good looks and Voldemort's dark gaze. They watched him attempt to buy Hufflepuff's Cup off Hepzibah Smith. The entire lesson, Hotaru was distracted by the cup and by the other artefacts around the room. Was Ravenclaw's diadem there amongst the clutter? And in the absence of it, was there anything there that looked like it contained a green Nephrite stone?

"I think the cup, had some stone on the bottom of it." Hotaru told Harry as they went down the stairs afterwards. "It was so dark though, and she had it upright the whole time. I didn't see the color. But it was a really strange place for a gemstone to be, unless it wasn't meant to be a decoration."

"Yeah," Harry muttered as they stepped out into the hall.

"Did you see it? It should have been pink."

"See what?"

Hotaru made a face. He wasn't even listening. "Seen the picture on the desk of Malfoy snogging a vampire."

"Yeah."

Hotaru giggled.

That made Harry stop in his tracks. He blinked. What had she said, exactly, it hadn't sounded quite right. "Hang on, what?"

Hotaru shook her head. "Did you see the color of the stone on the bottom of that cup?"

Harry shook his head. "Didn't even notice one." He shrugged. "Sorry... I was distracted."

"I could tell."

"It was that elf," Harry told her. "He reminded me of Kreacher."

"Oh..." Hotaru went ahead of him, walking backwards down the corridor so they could talk, face to face. "That's been hard hasn't it?"

"Should it be?" Harry asked, clenching his fists.

Kreacher was dead. His body had shown up across the street from Grimmauld just days after they had learned about the stolen locket and Mundungus murder. Harry had been trying not to care. Because Sirius didn't care. And Because Hermione cared too much, and he couldn't bring himself to feel that much sympathy for the little elf.

"I hate him," Harry confided. "I hate him... except."

Hotaru nodded. "He never was very nice."

"And he betrayed us – trusted Lestrange over us, I mean that's just nuts. And cause of him Voldemort knows we know about the Horcruxes and..."

"And he's dead."

"Yeah... that's like... That should be good riddance right? So why do I feel sad?"

"It means you're wise," Hotaru said matter-of-factly. Harry had to look away when she stared at him. Her eyes were giving him goosebumps again. They looked so dark the candlelights all around them appeared to shine right through them. "Death's always sad," Hotaru continued. "Especially Kreacher's." She hugged her glaive close. "He trusted the wrong person. That's sad."

"Yeah... and he did it for Regulus."

"That's sadder," Hotaru said. She turned back around, falling into step with him again. "Maybe you should talk to Sirius about making a memorial for him."

"Maybe," Harry cleared his throat. "But we're not mounting his head on the wall."

"Eeeew, No."

They laughed, bringing a welcome lightness back to Harry's chest.

"Anyways... Sorry, I didn't notice if there was a stone on the cup."

"That's okay. I wonder where Voldemort hid that one."

"Dunno," Harry said, stopping as they reached the main stairs and leaning on the railing. "I was thinking with Gin: he gave the Diary to Mr. Malfoy... maybe he gave some of the others to his followers."

"Maybe..." Hotaru's brows furrowed. "Does that mean Lestrange could have more than one."

Harry shuddered. "Hope not." The fewer horcruxes they had to go through Lestrange to get, the better. "Would make sense though – she's important to him. I don't know how many Death Eaters he actually trusts that much." Perhaps Pettigrew. That made Harry snort.

"Do you think..." Hotaru tapped her fingers against her glaive as she thought. "He put them in important places right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well could he have hid one here?"

Harry blinked. Hard. "Here. Hogwarts here." No, he and Ginny had thought that to be ridiculous.

"Sure," Hotaru shrugged. "There's a curse one the Defence position isn't there? What if the Horcrux is doing it?"

"They'd know if there was a Horcrux in the castle!"

Would they though? Harry frowned. They hadn't known the entirety of his second year. No one had even known the diary was dangerous. And no one had noticed Pettigrew or Crouch when they'd infiltrated the castle either…

"Maybe it wouldn't be in the Defence classroom," Hotaru said. "But... there's lots of other places. The room of requirement, the Slytherin common room."

"The Chamber of Secrets," Harry murmured. "He opened that while he was at school here – what if he made another Horcrux back then and... and hid it?"

"Wouldn't you have noticed the last time you were down there?" Hotaru asked.

"No," Harry said. "You kidding? I didn't think anything was up with the diary back then and I wrote in it, and I was also pretty distracted by the giant snake." They had broken away from the main stairs by now, headed down the hallway that had Myrtle's bathroom at the end. "It's got to be there."

They hastened along, the bathroom door was closed, but there was a fresh puddle pooling on the floor from Myrtle's antics, and that was reflecting plenty of bright light from under the door.

"Is someone in there this late?" Hotaru said, she and Harry both migrating towards the wall.

"Let's see," Harry whispered. He took the Marauders' map out of his pocket and the two of them ducked behind a suit of armour in case whomever was in the bathroom came out while they checked.

Hotaru and Harry had their heads together as the map appeared. "Lumos," Harry whispered. They found their position quickly. And Harry had to double check the name on the dot pacing Myrtle's bathroom.

Draco Malfoy.

He had been right. Was this Malfoy's new mission?

"There's got to be one in there then," Harry whispered. "What if he's adding protections to it? Or needs to move it somewhere else?" He moved to close the map and Hotaru grabbed his wand hand.

"Wait." She pointed to the corridor adjacent to theirs. "Look."

Coming down the hall, from the direction of the main stairs...

Theodore Nott.

Harry stood up. Farther down the hall the light from a lumos was reflecting off the windows and the portraits, about to come round the corner. "Come on," he said, grabbing Hotaru's hand and dragging her to the end of the corridor. They darted around the corner, ducking into the boy's bathroom right across from Myrtle's.

They listened to Nott's footsteps rushing down the hall, nearly at a run as he approached the bathrooms, and Harry and Hotaru waited behind the boys bathroom door with their wand and glaive raised.

But as predicted, Nott did not enter their's, rather, he stormed into the girls bathroom across the hall, the door slamming open as he did. Harry and Hotaru ducked out of the boys bathroom once Nott was gone and pressed their backs against the wall near the girls bathroom door. They heard Malfoy shout, and then Nott casting "Muffliato."

Harry watched as Hotaru shifted her glaive, twisting it so it caught the light shining out of the open doorway. Malfoy and Nott were not on the closer side of the bathroom. And from the shouting they could here through the muffling charm, Myrtles, perhaps that meant they were near her corner stall.

They needed to get inside, Harry thought, perhaps they could pass the muffling charm, and find out what Malfoy and Nott were saying…

He was trying to recall the Disillusionment charm when he felt Hotaru shift, rising to her feet.

And before he could blink, she'd rushed through the bathroom doorway, pressing herself against the small section of the stonewall that extended inside. Harry hastened to follow.

As soon as he passed the threshold, the shouting became distinct.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!" Myrtle shouted

"A mudblood, Honestly Malfoy: you've been chitchatting with this one, have you lost your gobstones?"

"I told you I haven't said a damn word,"

"I WANT YOU OUT OF MY BATHROOM!"

"Oh Merlin – Waddiwasi!"

Myrtle wailed, and there was a splash as the spell plunged her down a toilet.

Nott was talking again. "Cut the act Malfoy – I know you haven't got barely anything done. I caught you crying to Moaning Mudblood on this."

"That's Weasley's Ear – YOU SPIED ON ME!"

"Well who's fault is it you're too thick to put a muffling charm up. Lucky I did, or you'd have Granger and her Blood-traitor lackey down here learning all about how you're failing your mission."

"I am not failing!" Malfoy hissed. "It is stressful – I'll have you know I have kept things under-wraps all year. And the Cabinet's nearly there."

"The Cabinet's been nearly there since November by The Dark Lord's recollection – And if everything you cry to Myrtle's true, you haven't made any progress on the other two either."

There was a pause.

"If you're so eager to do my job, Nott. Take it," Malfoy spat. "See if you do any better."

"See, I would. I really would. Might even take a page out of your book. Would like to know how you made that Lava thing at the Quidditch match – that'd have worked if you'd prepared for Meioh's secret auror squad always butting their noses into things."

Malfoy growled. "Like I said – take my assignment. I'll take yours."

"Mine's classified."

Malfoy chuckled. "Not so classified – he told me all about it last time he summoned me. Said he can't trust you to find it and keep it hidden."

"You're bluffing!"

"Am not – I know where it is."

Harry's eyes widened and he turned and looked at Hotaru. She nodded. "Horcrux" she mouthed.

"You do not!" Nott hissed. "It's all over your face… You're lying!" he spat.

They heard a crack, dust fell down from the mortar over their heads and they heard Nott grunt as he hit a sink.

"Fine. I don't know," Draco said. "But that just means that you're making even less progress on your mission than I'm making on mine. So don't try to push me."

Nott swore. "Cut to the chase then – I'm willing to help you with the cabinet. I've got a brother who works on specialty stuff like this. You can take full credit. And I'll help you with the other two jobs too."

"You can't help me," Malfoy laughed. "What do you want? The potion."

"Obviously," Nott said.

"Didn't think you'd actually have to prove you need it?"

"Course I need it! I can't even look for the damn thing without Meioh or her shrimp niece knowing every move I make."

"Don't have the brains to outwit a first year?"

"Depulso!"

"Protego!"

There was a crack. More dust fell from the mortar into their hair.

Harry wrinkled his nose.

Hotaru's breath hitched.

"I'm being nice, Malfoy. You've got too much riding on –"

"AH-CHOO!"

The sneeze that escaped Hotaru's nose echoed off the stonewalls and was followed immediately by scrambling feet further inside the bathroom.

"Conferrumino!" Nott shouted as Harry and Hotaru moved for the door. They slammed into it. The bottom of the door was glowing red as it was welded right to the stone floor.

Harry threw up a protego just in time for Malfoy's diffindo to slam right into it and ricochet into the walls, cracking the mirror and bowl of the nearest sink.

"POTTER! TOMOE!"

"Expelliarmus!" Hotaru cried. The spell shot out of her glaive and Nott ripped the sink out of the wall to block it, hurtling it their way.

"REDUCTO!"

"IMPEDIMENTA!"

"PETRIFICUS TOTA-ahh!" Hotaru shrieked as an ascendio sent her flying into the ceiling. Harry shot a cushioning charm up, without looking as he dodged two red spells from Malfoy and Nott and sent his own stunner back at them. Hotaru threw one in on the way down. Both spells got blocked by the doors of the bathroom stalls that Nott felt perfectly free to rip off their hinges, hurling them at Harry and Hotaru.

The four dueled until Moaning Myrtle burst out of her toilet again, freed from Waddiwasi and screaming bloody murder, the sound was enough to shatter a mirror and send Hotaru pitching to her knees.

That brief lapse gave Malfoy and Nott the upper hand, cornering the two of them against the wall of broken sinks adjacent to the door, and forcing Harry and Hotaru to throw up shield after shield whenever the other's wore off.

"Hit them with energy shots, and let me stick to physical!" They heard Nott shout. "They can't keep up spells against both for long."

Harry panted and threw up a Protego Maxima, which did nothing to stop the stones buckling under his feet. There was a whole chamber down below them that the floor could cave in and drop them into, and he bet Malfoy and Nott were only too aware…

We need to get out… Harry thought, thinking of the list of the Prince's spells in his pocket. There was one for getting out. He'd used it the once on nothing and it hadn't seemed to do anything, but now…

He gritted his teeth as his shield rippled under a dual assault and put his hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "That spell for getting away," he whispered. "The one from breakfast."

She nodded, mouthing out the syllables.

"Ready." He lowered his shield. And jumped up along with her as wand and glaive targeted the two Slytherins.

Malfoy screamed: "Crucio!"

"DELERIO!"

Their two yellow spells spiralled through the air, faster than Malfoy's attempted Crucio, and shot straight through Nott's protego. They struck both Slytherins in the chest.

Draco's Crucio stuttered to a halt and vanished inches from Harry's outstretched hand and Nott's protego flickered out as both boys eyes glazed over. Their heads bobbed towards their chests as they slumped backwards into the wall.

Harry and Hotaru stared at them, and each other, and rushed across the room.

"What did we do?" Hotaru gasped, kneeling in front of Nott as Harry shook Draco. Was he breathing? Yes. And he looked just like Lockhart after he'd obliviated himself.

"I... I..." Harry stammered. "I thought it would paralyze them or... or disarm them." He shook Malfoy again. "Malfoy!"

Malfoy looked up. "Who're you?" And then his gaze drifted lazily around the room. "Why am I here?"

Harry stared at him. And at Hotaru. "Did we obliviate them?"

"I don't know!" She held one hand up to Nott's temple, magic glowing at her fingertips. "Hang on. I'll try healing…"

Harry swallowed thickly.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Myrtle screamed, hovering right overhead. "GET AWAY! STOP!"

"We're trying to heal them!" Hotaru snapped.

But Myrtle was the one ghost that had never liked her, and certainly not enough to listen to her now. She wailed, flying in circles around the bathroom "ATTACK!" Myrtle sobbed. "ATTACK IN THE BATHROOM."

"Myrtle!" Harry shouted, following her towards the sinks. "Myrtle we were just trying to escape – I didn't know the spell would do that!"

"ATTACK!"

"Myrtle please!"

"Harry, it's not working!" Hotaru cried.

Harry ran back to the other side of the bathroom. Hotaru had backed away from Nott, who'd just hunched over on the ground, holding his head.

"I think I just gave him a, a"

"A headache," a cold voice announced behind them.

The two gasped and whirled around, wand and glaive up, to see Severus Snape, standing in the empty doorway. The door itself had, seemingly, disintegrated.

"Yes," Snape said, striding past them to the two Slytherins. "That does tend to be the consequence when you try to heal an obliviation, Miss. Tomoe. Or did you think the staff at St. Mungos were incompetent quacks?"

"Professor Snape!" Malfoy exclaimed jovially. "Why are we here?"

Snape froze, head cocking to the side. "You know my name?"

"Yes," Draco Malfoy smiled like a little kid who'd just answered a Maths question correct on the first try. Harry hadn't known Malfoy's face could smile without looking smug. It unnerved him. "You're the defense teacher," Malfoy said. "At Hogwarts."

"I... am indeed… and that is a recent position…" Snape mused, staring intently into Malfoy's eyes.

"He's doing magic," Hotaru whispered to Harry.

"I think its legilimency." Harry gulped. He looked up when he heard Snape gasp, and accidentally caught the professor's glare. Harry felt a lance of pain behind his eyes and snapped them shut. "Knock it off!"

"50 points for that!" Snape hissed. "If I need to legilimize you to confirm what spell you assaulted a student with, Potter, I am within just grounds!" He was suddenly looming over Harry, hand grasped too tightly to his arm. "Where did you find it?" Snape demanded.

"Find what!"

"Don't play the idiot, Potter. Where did you find the book?" Harry felt the pain behind his eyes again and tried to call up his Occlumency training, to no use. Harry hadn't practiced in months, and it showed.

"Accio list," Snape murmured. The list of the Half-Blood Prince's spells tore out of Harry's pocket. Snape crushed it in his hand, taking it and scanning the whole thing.

"They're from a book!" Harry offered. "Hermione found it in the,"

"Another 20 points for lying to me, Potter. Miss. Granger would not have found these in a library." Snape's nostrils flared. "I do not have time to follow you. I need to clean up your mess. In the meanwhile, you are to go, retrieve your Potions book, and bring it back to my office."

"Why do you need my book?"

Snape shook him, eyes as dark as Harry'd ever seen Hotaru's. "Do not test me."

"Professor?" Nott called in a fairly dreamy tone. "What's going on?"

Snape released Harry, going to Nott and Malfoy and sitting them back against the wall. "That was nothing. I want you both to sit quietly here. I need to speak with Myrtle about something. It does not concern you."

"Myrtle the ghost?" Malfoy slurred.

"Precisely. Be quiet." He turned to look for Myrtle and saw Harry and Hotaru still standing behind him. Snape glared. And he pointed to the door.

Harry and Hotaru turned, dashing out into the hall. They could hear Snape speaking to Myrtle.

"Could you stop sniveling for one minute and tell me what they were doing here?"

"They were arguing," Myrtle relayed. "A-about missions."

"Harry," Hotaru tugged at his arm. "We'll be in more trouble if we don't get the book."

"Just... just a sec."

"Nott wanted a potion."

"I see," Snape whispered. "Right. Theodore Nott. Listen..."

"Harry!"

"You are going to forget about being in the bathroom tonight. And forget about the potion you wanted from Draco. There isn't any left. You spent this evening trying to find another way to accomplish what you need to do." a pause. "I would suggest asking Draco if he could advise you... Try being collaborative."

"Yes, professor."

"Harry. Come on!"

He reluctantly followed, picking up the pace when he heard heavy footsteps walking out of the bathroom. Nott emerged, head down, dragging his feet in the direction of the Slytherin common room. He reminded Harry of a zombie from one of Dudley's scary movies.

"Snape will be finished helping Malfoy soon and he'll want to know why you're taking so long!" Hotaru hissed.

To get the book. Harry blinked. Why did Snape care if he had it? "We've got to hide it," Harry said, turning and striding down the corridor.

"What if it's dangerous?"

"If it's dangerous," Harry said, increasing his pace to a jog. "He'd have told me why. Don't you think?" Hotaru rushed to keep up with him. "I mean, he knows I don't trust him very much."

"Mama Suna likes him, and he's a spy."

"Right, but... but why wouldn't he tell me why the book was bad?"

"Cause he hates questions!"

"Well I don't care."

"Harry!" Hotaru got in front of him. "That book could be really bad! What if that was a dark spell?"

"Then Snape would have told us outright." He jumped back when he heard the glaive whistle and saw the point glinting near his nose.

"You can't keep the book if it really is bad," Hotaru insisted.

"Well... then why was it in a Potions cupboard, huh? And why did Snape know exactly what that spell did?"

"I don't know, but he's on our side. He gets tortured by Voldemort and still hides secrets for us."

"I still don't like him," Harry whispered, walking around Hotaru and her glaive.

She got in front of him again.

"Look - it's strange alright," Harry tried to convince her. "It means Snape's hiding something, and I don't trust him when he's hiding something." He tried to move around the glaive again, but Hotaru moved it to follow him. He sighed. "Look I'll give it to Dumbledore, alright. But I don't want to give it to Snape."

Hotaru thought for a moment and nodded. "Fine."

"Good. Come on."

They ran to the stairs from that point. Hotaru easily kept pace with Harry as they scrambled up seven stories, even leaping the gap between the moving stairs and sixth floor landing.

The whole of Gryffindor looked up when they burst in. Harry ignored them all, dashing up the dormitory stairs and shouldering open the door to his own.

"Harry!" the three boys currently there exclaimed, including Ron, doing homework at the window.

"Ron where's your Potions book."

"What'd you lose yours?"

"No - just where is it?"

"It's in my bag - hey!" Harry had dashed to Ron's bed and upended his book bag on the covers.

"Sorry - emergency." He dumped out his own book bag on the floor and swiped up the Prince's book, tucking it and Ron's under his arm. He turned to go. There was a short figure standing in the doorway, turquoise hair catching the light from the stairwell. She was leaning in the same curious way she leaned into gossip sessions in the Quidditch locker room. "Move." Harry said to Sora Kaioh, and added as an afterthought, "or help."

"What's going on?" she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she let him pass.

"A lot." Harry grunted. He ran down the stairs, hearing Sora at his heels. Hotaru was standing at the bottom with her arms crossed.

"Is this a mission for Dumbledore?" Sora asked

"No," Harry snapped as he made his way to the still open portrait hole. "Hiding things from Snape."

"Oh! Better! I can help!"

"No," Hotaru said.

"Yes," Harry argued, turning to Sora and thrusting the Prince's book at her.

"What?"

Harry's head was spinning with ideas as he stood in the hallway outside the common room holding Ron's book close. "Go hide that in the Room of Requirement," Harry told Sora. "Somewhere I can find it later. He turned towards the stairs.

And found the glaive in his face again.

"Hold it!" Hotaru said, red faced and quite cross. "You said you'd give it to Dumbledore!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"I said I'd tell him."

Sora frowned, looking between the two of them as they argued over the book.

"I said I'd tell Dumbledore," Harry insisted again. "But first I need to hide it somewhere Snape won't get it." He turned back to Sora. "Hurry up. Snape might send Filch up to investigate or something."

Hotaru almost expected the time traveler, the rambunctious tagalong who raved about her Quidditch Captain every time their parents came to visit, to jump and follow Harry's orders.

But instead, Sora stepped closer to her, her eyes darting between the two of them. "You two… are fighting?"

"No," Harry and Hotaru said at the same time. And promptly resumed doing just that.

"We're going to go to Dumbledore," Hotaru said.

"And then we never find out how Snape knows that spell!" Harry exclaimed. "He'd convince Dumbledore to let him keep the book."

"Not if we tell him not to!" Hotaru tried to argue.

Harry gave Hotaru an even more exasperated look than he had ever given Hermione, an unnerving thing to see when he was training it on the Silence Glaive. Sora opened her mouth to tell him exactly what that weapon could do, but Harry drowned out her warning as he began to rant, pacing back and forth across the walkway.

"I have known both of them for six years, Hotaru. And every time I try to say anything against Snape, Dumbledore always says the same thing." And he began to speak in a snide, biting caricature of Dumbledore's voice: "I trust Snape with my life, and your life, Why I love him so much I'd give him 100 points to Slytherin just for showing up today."

"And just last month you were saying you felt bad for him," Hotaru muttered, withdrawing the glaive and putting her hands on her hips. "Have you ever been right about Snape?"

"Yeah!"

"When?"

Harry paused, scowled, and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Fine I've never been right," he muttered. "And… and I guess I can see why Dumbledore trusts him." He sighed. "But I hate him."

"So you're bias."

"Yes – but, but he still shouldn't know about the book." Harry said, standing up a little straighter. "And I think he's helping Malfoy – and we know he's up to something." Harry crossed his arms. "Why was Snape patrolling the second floor, huh? He never does that."

Hotaru blanked. "He could have… followed Nott."

"Why? It wasn't curfew for the sixth years yet."

"I… I… well he could have been meeting with Mama."

Seeing doubt, Harry pressed on. "I promise I'll tell Dumbledore about the book, okay? I'll even give it to him later," Harry offered. "But I just wanna hide it until I know what Snape's doing, and why he knew about the book… and the spell." He put his hands together as if begging though he stood quite a bit taller than Hotaru. "I'll even swear not to use it in Potions again."

Hotaru bit her lip. "Fine," she said, stepping aside. "But I'm going with Sora to hide it."

Harry had already darted past her. "Thanks!" he called as he turned and began running down the stairs.

Hotaru leaned over the railing. "And apologize to Hermione!"

Harry didn't answer, already jumping the trick step, no doubt trying to reach Snape's office fast enough that the delay would not seem suspicious.

Hotaru shook her head, turning back to Sora, who had Harry's Potions book held an arm's length away.

"Is it evil?"

"No." Hotaru shook her head. "I don't think it's anything except a lot of drama."

Sora then turned it over in her hands, grabbed the front and back cover, and paused. She looked up at Hotaru, wide eyed. "I can open it, right?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes, walking in the direction of the Room of Requirement. "Do I look like your babysitter?"

"Yeah," Sora said, keeping pace with her as she flipped the textbook to the inside cover. Thus, she didn't immediately notice Hotaru's slightly alarmed expression. "Property of the Half-Blood Prince," Sora read and frowned. "Who's that?"

"Babysitting!" Hotaru whined.

"What?" Sora complained. "I thought that wouldn't be surprising." She sighed. "Megumi's right, I am bad at this."

But Hotaru wasn't exactly listening. Babysitting. Babysitting.

She was still reeling over it when she saw Sora, engrossed in one of the textbook's inked-up margins, migrating towards a suit of armor. Hotaru dragged her away by the back of her robes.

"Huh?" Sora looked round. "Thanks."

Hotaru huffed. "I do not babysit you."

"Do to – it's fun!"

"But Moms' are rich!" Hotaru sputtered. "They'd hire someone."

Sora looked up at her over the pages of the book with the puppy dog eyes Hotaru'd learned from Haruka. "They did. But I only liked you."

Hotaru had sudden visions of wise, middle-aged nannies running in terror from a burning mansion. She shook her head. "What do I get paid?"

"Uh… you always said you volunteered."

Hotaru snorted. "Uh-uh. I am definitely getting paid."

Sora frowned. "I wanna get – oof!"

Hotaru had stopped her by the back of her robes. She waved at the blank wall beside them.

"Oh! Can I do it! Can I do it!"

Hotaru raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "Alright."

Sora grinned, closed her eyes, and began marching along the wall. "I need a place to hid a book," she said, pivoted, and marched back. "Like… a vault. On a space ship. Or a bunker. On the moon. Oooor a cave with a dragon." She whirled around towards the wall and opened her eyes.

There was no door.

Hotaru smirked "You have to think the same thing three times."

"But that's boooring… fine." Sora grumbled and resumed her pacing. "I need a place to hide a book. I need a place to hide a book. I need a place to hide a book." She peeked open her eyes as the door materialized.

And promptly stepped back, helped along by Hotaru pulling her robes. The second year slid in front of Sora, putting herself between her and the door that had appeared.

It was an unremarkable door in everyway – it might have been a broom closet. But both of them recognized the large, brass lock and handle.

"That's Malfoy's door," Sora whispered.

"Well now we know how to get to it," Hotaru murmured. She pulled the door open a crack and closed her eyes; frown, deepening. "There's six… no… maybe seven living things in here."

"Are they people?"

"I don't… 6 aren't." Hotaru opened her eyes. "I'm not sure about the last… it's strange."

She stepped inside the room, becoming Sailor Saturn in a flash.

"We didn't see anything when we got in last time," Sora said behind her.

"That doesn't mean anything except Malfoy might've got his cabinet working." Saturn looked at Sora, eyebrow raised. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Well, I feel dark energy signatures in here," Hotaru said. "You ought to transform."

Sora straightened up. "Well… well, what if I can't?"

Saturn's eyebrow twitched. "You definitely can," she deadpanned.

"How do you know?"

"Common sense: your star seed is blinding." Saturn tapped her white boot against the wood floor. "We have to hurry."

Sora reached for her locket and hesitated. "Megumi said I shouldn't."

Saturn raised one eyebrow. "Because you always listen to her? Come on, It's only me, not an enemy."

"But she said not yet!"

Saturn sighed and held out her right hand. "Then give me the book."

"No!"

"Yes," she looked sharply at Sora. "If you can't transform then let me hide the book, and you can run and tell the others in case I need backup."

Sora's face scrunched up as she turned red, looking between the book and Saturn and back. "Fine." She grabbed her locket and whispered into it, so softly Saturn could not discern the words. There was a bright, white flash, and a feeling like fog sweeping past.

Saturn stared as the light faded: at the sailor scout shifting her blue-tinted white boots, laced to the calves with dark-blue laces. The same nearly-white coloured her skirt and collar, fading into dark blue at the edges of each. It reminded Saturn of a wave breaking on the shore.

The future senshi crossed her wrist-length gloves over the Potions book and hugged it against her dark blue bow. Her stubborn blue eyes stared up at Saturn under a gold tiara with a gem, like a pearl, in the center. "Let's go."

Saturn smiled, pleased with herself, and turned round, glancing at the other Sailor as she rushed to follow. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" she whispered as they approached the stacks of magical junk. "It's polite."

Sora blushed and made a face. "I'm not allowed to," she hissed. "Mama will ground me – and you."

Saturn shook her head. "Fine," she stopped at the edge of a narrow pathway through the realm of hidden things and closed her eyes. "Most of the energy signatures are far away…" She frowned. The one that was not-quite-human, the darkest one, was irritating her. "There's one I want to investigate."

"And the cabinet."

"And the cabinet," Saturn agreed. "And then hide the book somewhere hard to find."

Sora frowned. "I thought Harry said to put it somewhere easy."

"He did. He also said he'd give it to Dumbledore and changed his mind. But we compromised." Saturn smirked. "I am compromising.

"Oh that's good," Sora murmured, walking with Saturn into the maze of junk. She grabbed a bag of Gobstones off a molding chair and set one on the floor. "We can find our way back with these."

"Good thinking," Saturn said, and Sora stood up a little taller, beaming.

They made their way through – towards the energy Saturn had sensed, and wound up following the path Sora thought led to the cabinet. Sora would, periodically, put a gobstone down to mark their course.

When they reached the source of the dark energy, the cabinet was in the empty space to the left of it.

"Lumos," Saturn whispered. The glaive lit up the room, illuminating the cabinet, the towers of discarded things, and in front of them a grafittied desk with a bust atop it, wearing a moth ball covered wig…

And atop that was a bronze tiara, encrusted with blue gems and one vivid green one right in the center…

There was no doubt it was the human energy signature now, Saturn thought as she took in Nephrite's stone. Just as there was no doubt it wasn't quite human, and that it was certainly the darkest object in the room.

It was a horcrux, just like Zoisite's locket.

Saturn swore.

"That's Nephrite, isn't it?" Sora whispered.

"It is – don't touch it!" Saturn said before Sora could get the idea. "It's a horcrux too."

She heard Sora gasp as she closed her eyes. Mama was in her rooms, and Rei (for reasons Hotaru tried to block from her mind) was in a broom closet on the fifth floor.

I need help, she thought. We found Nephrite… in a Horcrux.

"We'll be right there."

"Back up's coming," Saturn whispered. "Back ups…" She paused, and Sora noticed, shifting closer to her.

Another of the living things was no longer far off in the dimension. Whether it had heard or sensed them, it was rushing their way.

"Get ready!" Saturn snapped at Sora, who had her fists up. "There's…"

Papers suddenly rustled all over the towers to their left, and knickknacks wobbled and tumbled from their shelves as something swept into the shadows out in front of them. Saturn held the glaive out, still glowing with Lumos' light, as the creature emerged: black stilettoes clacked on the floor as a pale leg stepped towards them, bared up to the thigh by a slit in the black floor length dress. It contrasted sharply with the figure's ghostly pale complexion and matched her sharp purple eyes, dark make-up, and the dark hair that cascaded onto the floor around her.

"S-stay back," Saturn snapped, as she stared down her own face, twisted and aged by terrible magic, and one she only ever saw in her nightmares.

"Is that Mistress 9?" Sora squeaked, peaking out from behind her.

The figure leered as their long hair rippled for a moment, making both senshi stiffen. 9 raised her hand, and Saturn's Silence Glaive materialized between her sharp-nailed fingers.

"S-Silence Glaive Surprise!" Saturn cried, but her hands were shaking as she attacked, and 9 easily sidestepped the planetoid energy; it sailed past her into the towers of junk.

As those towers crumbled, 9's gaze flickered to Sora and she swept back her hair. It receded, revealing first a limp hand and arm, then a rumpled blue shirt rolled to the elbow, and last a head with short blond hair that did nothing to hide the blue-tinted features of her face.

"PAPA!"

Saturn broke away from Sora as the first years knees cracked against the wood floor. She began flexing her gloved hands as she stared at Haruka's body under 9's feet. She glanced up only when she heard the shing of metal on metal and saw the two Silence Glaives clash, and Mistress 9 knock Saturn to the side.

More of the villain's hair receded, revealing aqua hair cascading across a bruised face, and a torn sailor collar. And slumped across her… red, empty eyes staring out under a disordered green fringe.

Saturn rushed the specter again. "Silence," but choked on her words, sobbing as 9 knocked her, once more, onto the floor, and trained her own Silence Glaive on Saturn's face.

She stared up at her and back at the three bodies on the floor, staring as more of Mistress 9's hair receded around more bodies. Chibiusa. Harry. Ami. Usagi…

There was the shing of the glaive being raised, readying for a swing.

"HEY!"

Sora. Saturn turned.

Sora was standing up, a conch shell – white veined in blue – held between her hands. She shouted something, and put her mouth over one of the shell's spikes.

A sound like a foghorn blared out of the conch shell, knocking Mistress 9, and the bodies back into one of the walls of junk. Hotaru gaped as the 9's form, and the around her bodies, rippled and disseminated under Sora's assault, becoming an amorphous mass of dark energy that shifted, struggled, and pulled away from the knocked over towers of things until they could reform into the villain.

It's not real Saturn blinked. And scrambled to her feet. She whipped the glaive down as the figure started towards them again. "SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!"

The attack zoomed forwards, swallowing the villain and barreling onwards, through the endless stacks of treasure and detritus, scorching and destroying whole sections of them until the attack finally exploded in a burst of purple somewhere far, far in the distance.

"SATURN!" Sora scrambled to Saturn as she stared after her attack, and launched herself at the Senshi of Silence with her conch shell still in hand. "Sorry I was slow," Sora muttered.
"Uh, um." Saturn glanced at her, putting a shaky arm around Sora as she slid to the floor. "That's okay… I didn't think that through either." She shivered. "I don't know what that was… it's like it came right from my nightmares."

"Mine too," Sora mumbled against her collar.

Saturn frowned and pulled away. "Mistress 9?"

"No," Sora swallowed. "Just the – the other thing." She let go of Saturn and hung her head. "Lucky I realized it wasn't real. I should have been faster." She was looking at her gloved hands as she flexed them. "I panicked."

She looked up when Saturn put her hand on her shoulder. "Me too." She put her arm around Sora and checked the Horcrux behind them. It sat inert atop its bust. The potions book lay discarded at the foot of the desk.

Good enough place for it, Saturn decided, and held up the Glaive. "Silence Wall," she whispered.

A small bubble of purple lightning illuminated the dark space as it surrounded the two of them, and the horcrux. Saturn nodded. "Nothing gets in, and that doesn't get out." She looked at Sora. "We got this."

Sora smiled. "Yeah." And she crossed her legs, leaning on Saturn.

"So where'd you get the shell?" Saturn asked as they waited for the others.

"I can't tell you."

"Come on, I won't tell…"

~SMH~

Moving Nephrite and the horcrux proved to be doable, if more challenging than any of the senshi cared for.

"The diadem – if I'm right about what that is," Mercury had informed them. "Increases intelligence. So this might compel someone to put it on their head and attack from there."

They had thus decided, after a brief discussion of who would be the least tempted by wisdom, that Mars be the one to try lifting it off the bust, which she did successfully, and when she'd tried to run and put it on her head, Venus had tackled her, and Jupiter had knocked the diadem to Pluto, who'd trapped it neatly in a miniature Garnet Ball.

Now, it was sitting in Setsuna's private study, atop her war map, and Ami was casting several protective charms to ensure it would stay there, unnoticed.

"If we awaken him," Mina was complaining. "We awaken the horcrux."

"We might even give it a power boost," Setsuna acknowledged.

"But if we destroy it," Mina said gravely, "we kill Nephrite."

"I won't do that," Usagi said firmly.

"But if we just leave it," Mina grumbled. "Some mad elf will come steal it!" She threw up her hands and noticed Setsuna's downcast gaze. She flushed. "I mean," and chuckled nervously. "Not like that can happen twice."

Setsuna sighed. "Everything is a possibility at this point." She looked at the diadem and shook her head. "We will still look for something that can separate the horcrux from the Shittenou," she said. "But if there is none…" She looked at Usagi. "You may want to consider, once we can contain it adequately, using the Silver Crystal to release the corrupted souls. Only once contained, so they do not possess anything as the ring horcrux did." Her gaze drifted downwards. "Such as Nephrite's unwitting reincarnation."

Usagi looked away, as her eyes grew teary. "I don't know if I could do that."

"The Nephrite stone would be preserved if you did," Setsuna offered. "It could still be used to awaken Endymion if wielded by a living Shittenou."

But Usagi shook her head again. "I can't do that. I… He's Endymion's friend."

"Um," Hotaru cleared her throat, aware of all her friends from the first to the sixth year staring at her. "I probably could…"

But Setsuna shook her head. "I wouldn't ask that of you, Hotaru," she said. "Only if there was no other option."

They all sighed. Chibiusa, standing on Hotaru's left, squeezed her shoulder.

"We have it in a safe place for now," Setsuna said. "Why don't you all go on to bed." She looked up to the left. "If you leave now, you'll be able to take the main routes without hitting any patrols."

"Can we stay and guard it?" Sora asked.

Setsuna shook her head. "Not tonight," she said, ushering them out the door. "Slughorn is coming to see me."

He would be bustling up from the dungeon right now, in fact. Coming to tell her something related to her potions ills, something she'd known he would discover ever since she'd passed along Ami's suggestion about a light magic potion…

~SMH~

Slughorn arrived at her door mere minutes after Hotaru had dragged it shut behind her. And Setsuna was so impatient to hear what the Potions Master had found out that she forgot to wait until he knocked before opening the door.

"Oh." Slughorn jumped as she yanked the door open. "Oh I guess my visit was foreseen."

"A lucky guess," Setsuna fibbed. She had been trying to downplay the extent of her power ever since acknowledging it to him. (Still quite uncomfortable being known to a man who loved to talk so much.) "What have you found?" she asked first, and only afterward moved to welcome him inside.

"Oh nothing concrete, I'm sorry to say," he sighed and gave her a cheeky grin. "Buuut, I have procured, shall we say, a working theory!" And with a flourish he drew from his cloak a vial full of bright, pink potion. "You see," he began.

But Setsuna disrupted him, not registering for a moment that he had said the word theory once she saw the vial in his hand. This was what had been plaguing her all year. As soon as she saw it she swiped the vial out of Slughorn's hands, uncorking it and scrutinizing it.

"Well that's not it," Slughorn chuckled as she gave the potion a sniff, startled by the pleasant smell.

"Please don't drink it, I would be quite embarrassed," he said, gingerly taking it back. He grinned at her and gave her a wink. "Smell anything interesting?"

"Sea salt and lemongrass… excuse me, Professor Slughorn, that isn't the potion blocking my sight, is it?"

He sighed, seeming disappointed for a moment. "No, unfortunately that would be a stretch even with luck." Then he brightened again. "But this is the reason I have my theory at all." He shook the vial. "Amortentia – strongest love potion ever crafted – as I taught it to the sixth years last term, Poppy requested that I provide her with a precautionary amount of the cure since – as I'm sure you're aware – we have Valentines weekend coming up." He tilted his head as he smiled at her. "Any special plans."

"I've more important things to do than send cupids and cards, Horace," she said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. "Why's this important."

He shook his head and sighed. "Apologies, I digress: I was working on that project for Poppy tonight and thinking about that tip you gave me last week – that the potion you're investigating is meant for protection." He waved his hand and began to pace. "I dismissed it, at first, as from what you and Dumbledore and your own students have said about your powers, there is no point 'protecting' against them. It is not as if you are a common seer looking into her crystal ball at teatime. No: your power is far more constant," he glanced at her. "Am I assuming correctly."

She nodded, brows furrowed as she waited to hear his conclusions.

"Good – now to privacy loving individuals, I was thinking, that would seem quite invasive – as is Amortentia, as is Dragon Pox, as is a Wyvern's venom." He spun to face her, bright eyed, and reached out to touch her arm. "Your potion isn't a protective draught – goodness, no – it's an antidote." Still grinning, still touching her arm, he drew out the Amortentia again and gave it a shake. "And every antidote needs a piece of whatever magic or substance it is trying to counteract." His grin widened at his own, investigative triumph. "So whichever potioner has access to your magic – say those doors of yours," he winked. "Why then, I think I've cracked your case."

The Time Doors…

She broke away from him, curling her hands into fists to hide that they'd begun to shake. "And… And how long would it take to brew?" she asked, trying to keep calm, thinking back to when this had started. When had the Time Doors been vulnerable?

"Oh, well that varies," Slughorn said. "Can be a week or up to a year in the case of Wyvern Antivenom. Now, the real kicker will be how often your potion needs to be brewed."

Her throat felt dry. "Often?"

"Oh yes," Slughorn said, falling into a cheery lecture as he resumed his pacing. "Potions meant for consumption, you see, have some of the shortest lasting effects of anything. There's no potion out there that lasts in the body much longer than a month, elsewise Wolfsbane would have been much less of a money-maker.

It wears off every month…

It needs a piece of my magic to complete…

"So, I would hypothesize," Slughorn carried on. "That this potion of yours is brewed monthly – that's the norm for antidotes you take regularly, and that means that whoever is slighting you has to get a fresh sample every month. Anti-Amortentia, for example, requires freshly brewed Amortentia be added to the batch exactly midway through, and Wolfsbane requires the addition of a werewolf's blood precisely on the new moon, since that's when the wolf is weakest. So…" he paused. "Are you alright, Setsuna?"

"Whoever's slighting you has to get a fresh sample every month…"

My Time Doors…

"There… do you need to sit down?" he asked reaching for her.

"N-no!" Setsuna answered, jerking her head side to side. Her heart roared in her ears. "W-will that be all, Professor Slughorn?"

"I… yes, so you see, now you can trap…"

"I could, I could – could you excuse me?" she asked, wand hand trembling as she waved it to reopen her door. "I have work to attend to."

"I – yes. Yes, of course," Slughorn stammered, walking to the open door. He glanced concerned between the hallway and her. "Of course… I'll see if I can narrow down any rare ingredients used… um, are you sure you're,"

"Fine," she snapped, walking to the door herself and grabbing the edge. "I will… please get that list to me."

Mercifully, he nodded and, shooting her one last concerned look, headed out into the hall.

She slammed and locked her door behind him, transforming immediately and charging through her Time Doors.

She spent the whole night searching – every corner of her dimension. She found no sign – no ripple, no stain, no hum of discord – no sign whatsoever that her sands of time had been disturbed.

A dead end?

But Slughorn had sounded so sure…

When she had exhausted herself and her search, Pluto slammed her fist into the frame of the Time Doors and followed it up by leaning her head on the wood.

Four people. Four. Had taken this potion.

What was the Wizard-in-White doing to her power?

~SMH~

Michiru awoke unusually early Tuesday the 11th, at just after 4:00, feeling tension wound through her so tightly her head pounded and her hands quivered.

"Haruka," she murmured, fingers trailing through her partner's hair.

"Wah?" Dark blue eyes squinted open, taking her in, and sharpening their gaze. Haruka rose swiftly. "What's up?" She linked her fingers through Michiru's as the sea guardian closed her eyes, seeking…

"Setsuna," Michiru whispered. "She's…"

Just then the Aqua Mirror on the side table flashed with garnet light, and Haruka heard the telltale groan of two ancient doors swinging open a few floors below.

"She's here," Michiru said, throwing aside the covers.

The two of them dashed into the Kitchen just 40 seconds later, in hastily tied robes and without their slippers.

Setsuna looked up as they rushed in. She was leaning on the counter beside a kettle that was just barely steaming. Three mugs sat on the kitchen table.

"They found Nephrite," Setsuna said, hugging her arms. "Inside another horcrux."

"Well…" Haruka said as she took in Setsuna's appearance. "Kreacher's not around to filch it from here anymore so we could keep it… still might do better at Hogwarts."

"Setsuna," Michiru asked, moving to her side. "What's wrong?"

Setsuna bit her lip, looking at Michiru through heavy eyes, bloodshot as though she'd been awake for days. "I don't know what's going on."

~SMH~

The rest of the week – even with Valentines Day at the close – dragged on for the senshi.

Having Nephrite back in their possession had been a win only so long as Monday night had lasted. But once at breakfast Tuesday, upon seeing Setsuna absent, a feeling of unease had crept through all of them. It grew further when Setsuna'd returned at lunch and pulled them out of the Great Hall for an emergency meeting.

"I've never seen her spooked like this," Hotaru confided in Harry Tuesday night as they sat on a bench in one of the courtyards. "And she won't tell us why, or at least," She made a face. "She wouldn't tell me." Hotaru kicked her feet against the leg of their seat. "It makes me worry more."

"Well… we could find out why," Harry suggested. "Investigate."

"Cause that worked out so well last time." Hotaru sulked, leaning back on the bench in the snowy, empty courtyard and looking up at the clouded sky. "How're Malfoy and Nott?"

"Fine. It's creepy, actually," Harry said. "Malfoy… It's like he doesn't remember at all – he told Crabbe and Goyle that Myrtle spooked him and made him knock his head. Nott acts like he forgets even being there." Harry rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Snape knows the book – I don't know why – he wasn't buying my plan with Ron's at all." He groaned. "And we have detention all of Saturday."

"There goes your patrol date with Jadeite, then."

"They're not dates!"

Hotaru gave him a look and he blushed. "Oh shut up."

They laughed for a moment, a brief sound that died in the frozen air.

"We're all taking turns guarding the Time Doors now," Hotaru said. "And…" she glanced around. "The other thing."

"You know," Harry said, trying to get back the joking mood. "I feel like you should thank me for that – found Malfoy's room and a horcrux."

"I'd like to hit you, actually. But I'm sure Hermione already has."

"Well…" Harry sighed. "I apologized like you wanted."

"I'm glad." She looked at him, biting her lip. "We might have to kill Nephrite… Or I might." She swallowed. "I don't want to."

Harry grabbed her hand. "I… I don't have any good advice," he looked down at his lap. "Luna'd be better at this than me."

"She did say I could talk to her when I was ready – I think she just knows." Hotaru leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for being here."

"Anytime," Harry said, feeling snow beginning to fall on his nose.

They sat for a while, his hand covering hers, watching the snow and avoiding their homework, which seemed less important by the day.

Hotaru was the one who broke the silence. "Do you think… it's Snape's book?"

"Hermione thinks so." Harry shrugged. "I don't."

"Why?"

"Well, I'd be expelled by now, wouldn't I?"

"Because that's definitely sound evidence," she chuckled and sighed. "What do you think our detention's gonna be?"

"Well it's Snape… and me," Harry chuckled dryly. "Might be scrubbing the Owlery with my toothbrush."

~SMH~

The quill and inkwell slammed down onto the desk in front of Harry, splattering his glasses in ink as a roll of parchment tumbled down after them.

"You will write an essay," Snape intoned, stalking around his desk. "On the spell you two ill-advisedly used against Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Nott on Monday."

"In self-defense," Hotaru muttered.

Snape stood beside her chair, looming over her.

His long nose looking extra beak-like from that angle, Harry thought.

"And what injuries," Snape seethed. "Did you sustain to justify this defense, Miss. Tomoe?"

"None," Harry said. "It was a very good defense."

Snape was un-amused. "3000 words – you will count them," Snape said. "You must tell me…" and he pointed his wand at the blackboard behind his desk, listing words as a piece of chalk wrote them down. "Etymology, Casting Procedure, Intention, Actual Effect, Real and Potential Consequences." This was punctuated by a particularly loud screech of the chalk. "And, lastly: how you would classify this spell under the New Ministry Guidelines."

"But I don't know Latin!" Harry blustered. "Or guidelines."

Snape raised his thin eyebrows and waved at the ceiling high shelf of books he had put up to cover the office's window. "3000 words. Get. Working."

And he turned away, tending to a small potion on the side of his desk.

Harry sighed.

"Dates count as words," Hotaru muttered. "I'll do Etymology."

"I'll do guidelines."

"10 points for talking!"

Hotaru walked over to the bookshelf while Harry bent over his parchment, scrawling February the Fifteenth, Nineteen-Ninty-Seven in the left hand corner.

Hotaru returned, opening a Latin dictionary and dropping three small books on Harry's side of the desk. Harry picked up the top one.

New Ministry Guidelines for Magical Classification

Vol. III: Dark Craft.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat.

The Prince wouldn't really have been making dark spells.

Would he?

~I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up TO No Good~