AN - I wanted to apologize to you all for how long this took me. It took a lot of struggling with this chapter before I finally had to scrap it and try again from scratch. That, coupled with a generally busy life caused a much longer delay than I'm proud of. That said, the story is far from dead. I'm actively working on the next chapter. Thanks to those of you who have set up alerts and thank you to those of you who have left comments. Your feedback is very helpful. Enjoy

"Captain, please have a seat." Colonel Sumner gestured toward a single chair in the center of an otherwise empty classroom. Brad sat without hesitation, seamlessly transitioning from attention to a more or less seated attention. He sat ridged, unmoving from his perfect posture. A thousand thoughts swam through his head. It wasn't often that the Task Force Commander dropped by for an unannounced visit, and it was even less often that he singled out one operator for the reason. Brad wasn't sure what he did wrong, but he felt certain he was about to find out.

"Talk to me about Sergeant First Class Sanderson." Colonel Sumner ended the sentence abruptly, and Brad fought hard to focus. He was surprised at the initial subject.

"Sir…" He wasn't sure where to begin, or what the colonel was after. "Sergeant Sanderson is an excellent operator. He is a great shot, is always where he needs to be when I need him there and has a cool head." Brad figured that was a good opening at least.

"And his faults?" the colonel asked, showing no reaction to Brad's initial statement.

"He is a bit by the book, Sir." Brad said without missing a beat, realizing by the look on Colonel Sumner's face that this was a strange answer. "He is a little lacking when it comes to the situational nuances of operations, is all I meant."

"I see." The Colonel eyed Brad for a moment. "Do you think he is suitable for command?"

Holy shit… Brad took a heartbeat to think. He was being relieved of command. What the hell did I do? "Yes."

"Excellent. Now that the formal stuff is out of the way…" It looked like a switch turned off, the colonel suddenly not projecting the same intimidating authority. "Relax, son."

"Sir?" Brad made an honest effort to relax, but the process of relaxation had all but been wiped from his mind. He couldn't relax if his life depended on it.

"Things in the States have been going well. A little too well, actually," Sumner replied. "MACUSA and the Task Force have been cleaning house, and the operators have been extremely successful. Enough so that General Thomas believes we are over allocating resources," Sumner paused while Brad processed this.

The teams are performing too well? Enough so that the General believes we are using too many resources. On top of an interview about the command ability of Sergeant Sanderson. "You're splitting the teams?"

"Effective immediately, Fireteam Two of Reaper Team will be returning to the States and forming its own unit, under the command of Captain Sanderson." Sumner smiled. Brad felt a flood of relief, along with a pang of sorrow. He was not being relieved of command, but he was losing half his team. He knew they would be excited to have their own team, but they had also been together for a long time.

"Copy that, sir." Brad said. "Should I call the team together and break the news?"

"Go ahead, we are leaving tonight," Sumner replied, standing. Brad followed suit immediately. "For now, I have a meeting with the Headmaster, to see how things are going. Dismissed."

The next few weeks were a blur for Brad. It took some getting used to, but they were getting by without Sanderson, Nelson, Harden and Strong, who were now the forming members of Wraith Team. Jason had been a bit of a bummer since the separation of his best friend, Ian, who was now in the United States with the rest of his team. In all everyone was doing well, however. The job was getting done.

That morning at breakfast, there was a bigger hustle and bustle than normal. It was Halloween, and also the day of the first big trip to Hogsmeade for the year. Everyone was excited, especially those third year and above. Almost everyone scarfed down their meals, having plenty of preparation to do before they left at eleven.

It was no different for Reaper team. They ate their breakfasts rapidly, a practiced ease born of years spent eating as much as possible in as little time as they could manage. As soon as they finished, they retired to the second floor Briefing Room, a classroom that had been converted for use by the Task Force. They were among the last to arrive. 2nd Platoon under Lieutenant Zack Miles had been seated already, along with 3rd Platoon under Lieutenant Joshua McMann. It looked like they were just waiting for Major Price to come lead the briefing. The Reaper operators took seats along the front row and a few moments later the major entered.

"Alright, today is the first Hogsmeade visitation day." The major scanned the room. "Against my advice and the advice of Colonel Sumner, the Headmaster has not canceled these trips. Trips to Hogsmeade present a double pronged threat to students. It will be a lot easier for Mr. Black to get to the students away from the protection of the school. Additionally, because we will be away from school grounds, there are dementors placed by the Ministry." There were a few murmurs through the crowd of soldiers. The patrols that skirted the boarder of the school property were issued Mark I Patronus Packs, as they were almost always shadowed by the terrible creatures. To date, no dementor had disobeyed the Ministry order not to cross school grounds, but the troops preferred to be prepared.

"The Headmaster negotiated with the Ministry, and dementors will be pulling back from their regular routes. There should not be a dementor within half a mile of Hogsmeade, same goes for Hogs Highway." Hogs Highway was the nickname given to the path between the school and the small town, and it caught on rapidly. "Each fireteam leader will be issued a Mark I, just in case. The dementors will pull back at 1000 hours. They are due to return to their positions at 1700 hours." There were various head nods.

"On that note, 3rd Platoon drew the short straw." There were a few chuckles from around the room as the troops of 3rd Platoon sat up a little straighter. "At 0900, 3rd Platoon is leaving school grounds and taking up positions along Hogs Highway, along with securing Hogsmeade. We will not need to breach and secure the town, we are just taking up interdiction positions outside town to prevent Mr. Black from making his way inside and to keep students from getting outside town. Keep your weapons tight and be careful. Do not provoke the dementors, but if they start something, end it." The major looked deadly serious. They had heard many stories about the dementors and it was commonly accepted throughout Bravo Company that they were abhorrent creatures that had no business being near people in general. "It is imperative that we do not start an international incident against a… friendly… government. However, our safety and the safety of the students' needs to come first." The British Minister of Magic was not enthusiastic about the presence of TFA.

"2nd Platoon has been assigned escort of the students. Students are being broken into small groups to be escorted by fireteams. At 1015 hours, 2nd Platoon will begin escort to town. On arrival in town, the students will be allowed to break off into their own groups and go about their day. 2nd Platoon will set up patrols for within town along with points outside major student hotspots like Zonkos and Honeydukes. At 1500 students have been instructed to make their way toward Hogs Highway. The fireteams are responsible for ensuring all of their students are accounted for, and we will then make our way back to the castle. Home in time for dinner. Any questions?" No one raised a hand, so the Major continued.

"If something hits the fan, the first unit to determine a danger will call Echo Victor over the primary channel. If the evac code is issued, 3rd Platoon is going to lock down its positions and be ready to fight. As for 2nd Platoon, 1st Squad goes to the rally point at Hogs Highway. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Squads go door to door and send every student back to the rally point immediately. 1st Squad will get a headcount and make sure everyone is accounted for. Meanwhile a convoy of Humvees and transports will haul ass to Hogsmeade, pick everyone up, and haul ass back to the castle. 3rd Platoon will evac once the students are secure at the castle. Keep in mind, this is worst case scenario and if someone calls Echo Victor for shits and giggles I will have your ass digging ditches ten hours a day for the remainder of this operation." Major Price waited a moment to continue, allowing the chuckles to subside.

"Finally, Reaper is tagging along. I'm told Mr. Potter is not going to Hogsmeade this year. No permission form, thank God for small miracles. Capt. Gordon and Staff Sgt. Grimes will be staying at the castle with him. Mr. Potter's two best friends however, are going to make the trip. They will be escorted by Sergeants Steele and Matthews, as they are prime targets for Black. You two are to keep them in visual contact at all times during the trip, understood?" Mike and Jason nodded their affirmation, but said nothing. It was for the better that they kept their mouths shut, as the only thing going through Mike's head was a sarcastic remark about how obvious that order was.

"To summarize, 3rd Platoon is taking over security from the dementors, 2nd Platoon on escort, and Reaper team escorting Potter's friends. Don't fuck anything up, get the kids out if there is trouble. Any questions?" There were none, so the major dismissed everyone and left.

An hour and a half later, the courtyard of Hogwarts was filled with a number of excited, if not a little nervous, students. Alongside them, the 50 Spartans in 2nd Platoon were performing last minute checks on weapons and getting headcounts of their charges. It was cold outside, and everyone was well bundled.

It was no different for Mike and Jason. The two operators were in their full battle gear, helmets with compact night optics attached above the forehead, plate carriers thick with armor and gear, and their rifles slung comfortably in front of them.

"Hermione!" Mike greeted her with the same wide grin that only she seemed to bring out of him. She could almost see the twinkle in his eye behind his Oakley sunglasses. "You excited?"

"Hi, Mike," Hermione greeted sheepishly, trying pretty unsuccessfully to hide a blush at his wide grin. She still wasn't used to the boyish look of joy on his face whenever he laid eyes on her, and she found it endearing. In his full battle gear, she had to admit the boyish quality was all but gone, replaced by a rugged looking warrior. It did nothing to dispel her fondness of him. "You look…erm…"

"Ready to knock some skulls together?" He completed her sentence, not letting her flounder for too long. She nodded her head affirmatively and he somehow managed to grin wider at her. "You guys get nothing but the best." He turned to face a more glum looking Harry. "Sorry about your luck, bro. It's safer for you this way anyhow."

"I'll figure out something to do…" Harry said, not quite successful in his attempt to hide his woes.

"You could finish that astronomy homework," Hermione said hopefully. His skeptical face told her he would not be following her advice.

"I was thinking more alon-" Harry was cut off by the all too familiar voice of a young Slytherin.

"Not going, are we Potter?" Malfoy shouted loudly, attracting attention of most of the students nearby. "Scared the dementors will get you?" He threw his arms up in a ghostly fashion, much to the amusement of other nearby Slytherins.

"Bold words from the scrawny daddy's boy who got mauled by a horse-bird." Brad was standing closer than any of them realized. While the crowd didn't laugh outright, aside from a few of the braver Gryffindors, the murmurs told Malfoy he was at a loss. He opened his mouth, only to be cut off by Brad. "Looks like the grievous arm injury is better. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it wasn't such a bad one after all… huh." Brad stared at the now-red faced boy. "Did you need something else, Mr. Malfoy?" Brad asked him. Completely flustered, the young Slytherin turned back toward his friends. Brad shortened the distance to the rest of his team.

"Harsh, Sir." Mike said grinning wildly. "I love it. That kid is a little prick."

"Alright, let's go!" Lieutenant Miles shouted loudly, and most if not all of the idle chatter died, replaced by excited murmurs from the students as the mass of bodies shifted toward the gate. "Kingpin, Dagger is on the move."

"Copy, Dagger. Safe travels," Kingpin said. Kingpin was the callsign of their Operations Commander, effectively the coordinator of deployed forces. His job was complex, needing to know what resources were deployed, where they were, what they were capable of, and how best to use them in order to accomplish the objectives laid out by command. None of the Spartans envied the job.

It wasn't long before the excited chatter returned to the students, their escort forgotten for the moment as they finally began the journey.

Brad, Eric and Harry watched the exodus depart, only moving when the last of them disappeared from sight. Brad looked over at Harry. The look on his face was a mixture of disappointment and worry.

"I know it sucks, but it's probably better this way. Mike and Jason will keep those two safe," he said. Harry returned the gaze for a moment.

"Thanks," he replied before starting toward the castle. "I think I'll go work on my schoolwork." The two operator's watched Harry leave. It was obvious that Harry didn't really care about the inherent danger of leaving the protection of the castle, and who could blame him. It was easy, especially for one of the operators, to forget that Harry was still a kid. Or at least more so than the Spartans were. For all the danger and heroism he had displayed his last two years, he still had the woes of a teenager. The desire to spend time with friends, experience new things and places. Hogsmeade was just that, a new place to explore. It's a tough pill to swallow having to stay behind, a feeling familiar to every one of the Spartans.

At some point or another, each Spartan had to watch their friends, their brothers, go into dangerous situations while they themselves stayed safe. Out on exterior watch or some innocuous but important task. It never got easier.

"Give him a little bit," Eric said as Harry walked off. "He's bummed about not hanging with his friends. I think there is some stuff on the job board we could look at." The job board was created by Major Price so that students and staff wanting any sort of help could ask. It was usually a monotonous task or two and sometimes a prank request by smart assed students, but now and then there was a legitimate task from an overtaxed professor or worried student.

"To the task board." Brad gestured toward the castle, and the two walked in comfortable silence to the board.

"Move furniture from level one to level 4, how about no…" Eric said looking at the first task. They were left on the board for 48 hours before being assigned by whoever was on watch command. Reaper team was left exempt from assignment unless it was an extenuating circumstance. They tried to pick up a task here and there, it helped with morale to see the operators busy with the same jobs as 'grunts.'

"Assistance capturing an escaped ghoul for the Defense teacher," Brad read aloud. Eric pulled the paper from the wall with a smile.

"Sold," he said, handing it to Brad, who was keying up his radio.

"Kingpin, Reaper 1-1." He only waited a moment before the reply came.

"Reaper 1-1, go ahead."

"Show Reaper 1-1 and 1-2 on Task…" He paused a moment, scanning the paper for the code that would pull up the task on their computer system. "Tango Foxtrot Romeo one four three nine."

"Copy all, Reaper, one four three nine. Good hunting." With that, the operators grabbed their vests and geared up. They only carried sidearms inside the castle unless on active guard duty. Task in hand, they made way to Professor Lupin's room. It was a short walk, and they were less than excited to see Professor Severus Snape skulking away from Lupin's classroom. Snape gave one look of disgust and proceeded to ignore them as they passed, which suited the operators just fine. Everyone in TFA had heard how Sumner's Delta team manhandled him, and it seemed he carried a distaste for the muggles since that point.

"Professor Lupin, I-" Brad cut himself short on entering the room when he saw Harry sitting with the professor. "I'm sorry sir, if this is a bad time…. We were here about the ghoul.''

"No, of course not. Please come in. Harry and I were just talking about a previous class." Lupin gestured them in, before turning back to Harry. "I don't doubt your abilities, Harry. If you're interested in pursuing the subject further, come see me again soon. Now, a ghoul is a little farther along in the course, but I'm certain there is some extra credit around if you would like to assist us in capturing it. Unless of course that would be a problem?" Brad shook his head almost immediately. This seemed like a good excuse to help Harry forget about his being stuck inside the school grounds.

"No problem at all, Professor." Brad stepped inside the classroom and gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze. "We would be glad to have you, man." Harry perked up at the idea. Brad had heard more than once that Harry had a natural talent for Defense Against the Dark Arts. The professor trusting him with a task like this probably went a long way.

"Sure," Harry replied a little quickly, standing up. "Where are we going?"

"I was storing the ghoul in a classroom nearby," Lupin lead them out of the room, Harry right next to him and followed closely by the two operators. "It would appear I caught a rather cunning specimen, as it escaped rather quickly. I don't expect it went far, but I found it quite aggressive." Lupin lead them to a class down at the corner of the hallway. The door was closed and so far they heard nothing, but ghouls were nothing if not tricky. "If not in here, it will be nearby. Good luck, and should you need extra assistance I'll be grading papers." Lupin turned and walked away, leaving the three standing outside the door. Brad unsnapped his holster, his sidearm already primed and ready. He was carrying a plastic ammunition enchanted with the stupefy charm. What better opportunity to field test an experimental round.

"After you," Harry pulled out his wand and gestured toward the door, obviously intending not to go first. Brad sighed, but pulled his sidearm out and grabbed the door handle.

"Harry, you follow to the left. Eric on the right. We see this thing, knock it the hell down quick." Brad said. A loud thunk from inside was both a blessing and a curse. It confirmed the ghoul was definitely in the room, however it also confirmed that the ghoul knew they were coming. That made things a little more challenging. "On three. One, two…"

Brad opened the door and charged through as he shouted "THREE!" Harry and Eric were close on his tail and he had barely made it through when he noticed an object getting larger. A textbook, he realized too late. The book smacked him in the face and he heard a squeal of delight even as he was knocked off balance. Eric was prepared and caught Brad, preventing a fall. It left him exposed however as a container of ink sailed at him, striking him square in the forehead. The ink ran down his face, clouding his vision. He let go of Brad, letting him slip off balance to the floor while he cleared his eyes.

Harry, who had not yet seen the remarkable creature, decided it was time to react. He had made it safely to the left corner of the room, though he knew Brad and Eric were hit.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, letting a spell fly from his wand across the room. A shower of paper flew from a book at the other end of the room, but there was no indication his spell met its mark.

"Grok!" Harry heard the battle cry from across the room, and before he had time to react, a table flew towards him. He barely had time to raise his arms in protection of his face when the table met its mark, folding him swiftly to the ground and knocking his wand from his hand.

Brad meanwhile had recovered from his embarrassing incapacitation at the hands of a text book, and crouched with his Mk 23 handgun at the ready. He looked for any indication of movement, yet the only thing he saw was Eric at the corner of his eye. He decided to risk it by helping Eric up, and turned to give a hand. It wasn't until his hand was extended that he realized, it was not in fact Eric next to him but the ghoul standing between the two operators. The short creature wore what almost looked like a mischievous smile, though Brad was by no means an expert.

With a start, Brad jumped backwards and quickly fired several rounds. The ghoul was too quick however, and every round struck Eric in the abdomen, doubling him over and rendering him unconscious. The ghoul, out of the line of fire, let out a high pitched squeal of delight at the misfortune of the soldier as it sprinted between the desks.

"Alright, motherfucker!" Brad shouted, standing up and trying to track the little ball of carnage. Harry was extracting himself from beneath a table even as Brad found a target and began letting loose a barrage of .45 caliber pain. Brad emptied the magazine and rapidly replaced it with another, each round barely missing its mark as the ghoul darted around the room. "Show yourself!"

Harry stood up after scrambling to grab his wand, just in time to see a second desk hurl toward Brad. The operator ducked and the table missed, however, the rapidly followed chair did not, striking the soldier atop the head and knocking his handgun away. Harry saw where both came from and leveled his wand.

"Stupefy!" he cried, and a blue streak sailed across the room, ending in a wail of pain. A small form flew against the back wall and slumped down. Harry's spell had found its target.

Brad stood up, holstering his sidearm and nursing the top of his head where the chair struck. "Good shot, Harry." He closed the distance rapidly and pulled out flex-cuffs, securing all four limbs of the ghoul. After the detainment, he went to check on a very unconscious Eric. He would be alright, but Brad did not envy the aches that would be felt when Eric woke up.

"Let's get this thing to Lupin." Harry put away his own wand and picked the fiendish ghoul up by the ties as Brad heaved Eric up.

"You're telling me you wouldn't be caught in a place like that?" Mike gestured toward the extremely pink Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop even as Hermione blushed at the concept. It was a local must for the newly dating, almost always filled with young couples kissing over frilly flowered tea cups.

"Not in a million years!" Hermione squealed, a little shriller than she intended. She found herself off balance as he quizzed her about dating questions. She was staring firmly at the ground and couldn't see the helpless grin on Mike's face at seeing her reaction.

"Note to self, Hermione hates pink…" Mike said, easing her tension with the joke. The two had split off from Ron and Jason, who seemed quite content staying within the confines of Zonkos and Honeydukes. Hermione found she rather enjoyed and dreaded this alone time with Mike. He had a way of asking just the right question, in just the right way to send her reeling. She wasn't used to reacting on emotion and found she was doing so more and more often around him.

"We should go see the Shrieking Shack," she blurted out, not sure why. She knew she wanted to change the subject from pink tea cups, but hadn't realized she'd formulated a coherent thought. It was no better, really. In fact, they would be even more secluded from the rest of the students, an idea that haunted her even as much as it excited her.

"Lead the way, m'lady," Mike gestured onward in an exaggerated bow that Hermione couldn't help but smile at as she took the lead. Mike followed, alert and relaxed simultaneously. His head was on a swivel, constantly looking for the slightest hint of danger. He couldn't help but admire the bushy-haired witch as she led onward up a frosted trail.

He had met many strong women in his day. Hell every female Spartan was as strong as they come, and some of them were quite attractive. Hermione was different though. She didn't struggle to be beautiful, she was content with the way her bushy hair surrounded her. She made no effort to be liked, preferring to let her studious brain speak for itself, and paid no mind to the way it alienated her from her classmates, all of who preferred the gold standard of not giving a shit.

Mike found it inherently attractive how she seemed so comfortable in herself that she could continue to demonstrate her knowledge base in class even as her fellow students mocked her. He couldn't go so far as to say he could relate. He was never the cleverest in classes, nor had he found those that were to be attractive. Her passion for knowledge left him desperate to know how the Great Gnome Rebellion impacted wizarding society in 1843.

He was so lost in his musings that he almost walked into her when she came to a halt at the end of the trail, looking onward at a small shack several hundred meters away from the fence.

"This is it," she said, unaware that he had almost clumsily knocked her over. He saved face by simply standing rather close to her and whispering…

"Spooky," he saw the grin form on her face and smiled back. "Who does all the shrieking?" he asked, standing upright and resting his arms on the stock on his rifle, which was slung across the front of him.

"It's meant to be the most haunted place in all of Britain," She said, staring at it. "Nearly-Headless Nick said that even the castle ghosts avoid it."

Mike watched her stare at it in wonder, obviously pondering the subject of why it's so haunted, and he wished he could hear the possibilities running through her mind. It was definitely decrepit, having been obviously in disuse for a long time.

"Kingpin to all Dagger elements," Mike heard over his radio, breaking his momentary reverie. "T-minus 20 to extraction, all teams prep for extract. Kingpin, out." The call was given twenty minutes prior to the scheduled evacuation time, allowing the soldier's time to gather their charges and organize before they headed back.

"Time to head back, Hermione," Mike said. She too broke from the spell that had her staring into the distance. She met his eye for a brief moment, sharing the regret he felt at having to end this time together too soon, before turning down the trail again. Mike followed her down.

Once back at the castle, the majority of students headed straight for the Great Hall, knowing the Halloween feast was soon to start. Brad caught his operators and their charges as they headed for the Gryffindor table and flagged them down.

"Over here, come eat with us!" he shouted, getting the attention of all four. They were surprised to see Harry was seated between Brad and Eric, who was sporting some thick bandages across his abdomen and a particularly good shiner. Once they came to sit down, Ron broke the silence.

"What happened to him?" He gestured at the beaten operator, obviously looking to Harry for the answer. Hermione sat next to Mike with a concerned look on her face, even as Mike looked amused to no end.

"Our model, not our model!" Mike cried in theatrical mocking, which earned him a pinch in the side from Hermione. While painful, he found he didn't mind her being so close and couldn't wipe the grin from his face.

"I got shot by our illustrious leader here," Eric gestured toward Brad, though by the look on his face he was teasing. "We went after a ghoul."

"Harry here got the winning shot." Brad clapped Harry on the back as the rest of the team and his friends congratulated him on his "kill," a mixture of discomfort at the attention and pleasure at the same across his face. He wasn't used to high praise, and from what he'd seen, the operators of Reaper team didn't mess around. If they said he did well, they meant it.

"Great job, Harry!" Hermione said, "Ghouls aren't meant until later in our Defense class!" She beamed at him, obviously impressed at his going above what his current classes required.

"Cap," Mike said, smiling broadly at the subject he knew their leader dreaded. "You tried to frag Eric?" It was a rule amongst operators that friendly fire isn't, and any operator who accidentally fired on a colleague would be in trouble, especially since operators train so hard to avoid that. The ghoul was freakishly fast, a fact that while well known, meant little. An opportunity to punish the team leader was rare, and Reaper team had their opportunity.

"Gonna be tough to live that down," Brad said, relieved at the appearance of a feast before them. Roast beef, ham, potatoes, and all manner of side dishes and drinks appeared on the tables before the famished residents of Hogwarts, and the Halloween feast began in earnest. The table of operators, now joined by Harry, Ron and Hermione, ate and drank in happy conversation, reliving the events of their days to each other, Hermione and Mike skillfully deflecting questions about their time together.

It felt too soon when everyone found themselves uncomfortably stuffed with food and drink, tables clearing of food. The conversations were not dead, even if the night was drawing to a close, and as Harry, Ron and Hermione headed for the Gryffindor Tower, the operators of Reaper team tagged along, continuing their joyful time.

Mike and Hermione lead the way, chattering about an upcoming Ancient Runes class that Hermione was excited about. Jason, Ron and Eric were continuing a debate about the merits of Wizards Chess verses the muggle version of the game, while Harry and Brad talked about the events of the ghoul slaying. It earned Gryffindor ten points, much to the dismay of several Slytherin students who felt they could have done better after overhearing the events of the raid.

"I think that Ancient Runes Made Easy is much too basic. You can't take an already complex subject and dumb it down so much, it's no wonder the class is so unpopular," Hermione said, and Mike nodded in agreement.

"I only sat in on one class and my head was spinning." Mike caught Hermione as she stumbled on the first step of the staircase ahead of them, and it wasn't lost on him that she locked arms with him for the remainder of the staircase. He had to struggle to formulate his next thoughts, or at least the ones that were on subject. "I think you're right, though. It seems like most of the students that are there just because, and without putting in some effort they're not gonna get anywhere with it. Takes too much studying for them to succeed if their hearts aren't in it."

"What's the idea?" a voice from the top of the staircase called out, causing the operator to look up. There was a mass of students at the top of the stairs, and through to the balcony leading to the Gryffindor portrait.

"You can't all have forgotten the password," Percy Weasley pushed past the operators and deeper into the crowd. "Excuse me, Head Boy coming through…" he called out, pushing though. Ron made a snide remark just before a quiet fell over the crowd. "Somebody get the Headmaster!" Percy called out.

Brad heard the distress in the tone, the same as the rest of his guys. There was an instant shift in their demeanor, hands shifted toward holstered weapons as Brad pushed into the crowd to see what was going on. Once he made it through, it was obvious. The painting of a rather pleasant, if not somewhat annoying Fat Lady was slashed by several claw marks and she was missing from the portrait. There had been an attack. Brad didn't hesitate.

"Kingpin, Reaper 1-1," He called into his radio as he drew his sidearm, a move mimicked by his fellow operators. "Sandstorm, I say again, sandstorm!" Sandstorm was the code word meaning an imminent or occurring attack. Kingpin immediately began relaying orders over separate channels, activating the Quick Reaction Force and locking down every known entrance and exit to the castle. The castle was completely locked down by the time Dumbledore arrived outside the Gryffindor common room.

"What's happened?" he asked, initially looking at a flustered and confused Percy Weasley. Brad stepped up and the headmaster shifted his attention.

"There was some kind of attack, the Fat Lady is missing. My guys have locked down the castle and the QRF is getting ready to perform a full sweep." Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgement and quickly turned to a nearby painting.

"Get the word out, find the Fat Lady." The painting bowed and leapt to action, Dumbledore turning back toward the Captain.

"I recommend moving the students to the Great Hall for tonight, it'll be easier to defend them all in one place. At least until we have cleared the castle." Brad gestured toward several scared first years, and the headmaster agreed immediately. Even as the QRF began room clearing starting in the basement and working its way up, Reaper and other Spartans escorted students to the Great Hall. It was bound to be a long night.

Several halls away from the Great Hall, Privates Sikorsky and Ryder stood at a side hall that lead to an exterior courtyard, and by extension, outside the castle.

"You think he made it in?" Sikorsky asked, gripping his weapon tightly. "Black, I mean."

"I know who you meant, asshole," Ryder replied, peeking outside the doorway. The QRF was almost finished with the lower levels of the castle, so far no sign. That didn't mean much though, the castle was big. Lots of places to hide.

"Well-?" Sikorsky started, but stopped himself short at the shadow of a man against the wall of a nearby hallway. It was gone as quickly as he saw it, but he felt certain it was there. He quickly raised his rifle, a move mimicked by his partner who had seen nothing.

"What the hell, man?" Ryder had his rifle aimed in the same direction, even though he wasn't sure why. You just trust your partner, that was a basic rule of soldiering.

"I saw a shadow," Sikorsky whispered. "Come out with your hands up, or I will shoot you!" he shouted. There was no response, so the two soldiers advanced rapidly. Sikorsky skirted near the wall while Ryder angled near the opposite wall, 'slicing the pie.' It was a term used in urban battle, standing away from a corner and stepping sideways in small chunks, revealing only small bits at a time. It was among the safer ways to handle such a dangerous undertaking.

"Go," Ryder said as he neared the end, signaling Sikorsky to advance into the hallway while he covered the advance. They moved in rapid, precise movements and in seconds had their rifles aimed at the only living being in the hallway. A large, shaggy, black dog sat with its tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth and its tail wagging rapidly. Both soldiers let out a quick exhale of relief, it was not their target.

"You saw a dog," Ryder said, lowering his rifle. Sikorsky hesitated a second and lowered his as well. "Congratulations, dumbass." Ryder started back toward their door and the dog got up and followed, Sikorsky bringing up the rear. They made it to the door way and the dog gave a low woof of acknowledgement as it rubbed Ryder's leg on the way out the door.

"I thought it was a guy…" Sikorsky said, trying to convince himself as much as Ryder.