Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own the recommendation my teacher was supposed to give me a week and a half ago. Blah!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Updates might be a bit slower because college is winding down and finals are coming up, sorry about that. Best wishes for all of those with upcoming exams!

Rachel: lol. Thanks for reviewing.
Gremlin: I'm glad to bring light to grey days. Anything for my reviewers!
Meirta: Perhaps, but I think that Draco would be smart enough to see past the ultimatum, but, I also did that to keep the story on track, so maybe I'm biased on his actions
Mask: the alliteration was just a slogan, I'm no Dr. Seuss, you'll have to forgive me
Beccaboo991: Draco was just upset that he cared enough to worry about Bill, thanks for reviewing
Slickslytherin: wow, thank you very much, I appreciate it
Valjns: Thanks! I'm glad that you find it original, that is one of the main characteristics I'm striving for
QuinkyDink: No final battle, and the story is nearing the climax, thanks for reviewing, hope you had a good holiday yourself
Kely5: Thanks for the review, and no romance for Draco in this one
Dreamcandy: Thanks for the review, I'm glad that you like Draco in this story, I like to write about him because there's so many possibilities to explore with him

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 24

Rule number twenty-one: If blame must be placed, place it on something you have no control over and make it someone else's responsibility.

The next week was quiet, almost too quiet for the younger students, but for the students in the upper grades, it was hell. It was April now, which meant that teachers were starting to warn students about OWLs for the fifth years, NEWTs for the seventh years, and finals for the sixth years who were constantly getting harped on the fact that this year's information was going to be on the NEWTs for next year, so they had better get a good grade on their finals else they would fail their NEWTs, not get a job, and live in Knockturn Alley for the rest of their life. Draco, however, knew that while jobs in Knockturn Alley were usually illegal, the pay was incredible.

Seeing as most of the students did not have that bit of information on jobs in Knockturn Alley, there was an outbreak of frantic studying so that the entire library was filled up and the tables crowded with students. Draco found himself one Saturday forced to share a table with Granger, and two seventh year Ravenclaws. He tried his best to ignore them, which was a little hard seeing as Granger was working on the same paper he was and he had the book she needed.

"Malfoy, can I see the book?" she asked finally, ten minutes after Draco had put the volume down.

"You have eyes, don't you?" Draco asked, not even looking up.

"Can I borrow it for a few minutes?" she rephrased exasperated.

"Get your own copy," said Draco.

"They're all checked out," she said.

"So go find someone who will share with you then."

"I was wondering if you would."

"Why should I?" he asked. "Last I checked you and your two boyfriends were trying to hex me behind my back."

"First of all, they are not my boyfriends. Secondly, you weren't the example of kindness either."

"I was sick," said Draco shrugging. "Wasn't myself."

"You were too much yourself," said Hermione. "Don't try for petty excuses."

"Now you're calling me petty? Not the greatest way to ask for a favor, Granger. Now there's no way I'm letting you use the book."

"Not like I expected you to," she muttered, packing her things and obviously getting ready to leave.

"Hey, Hermione!" called a voice, which was immediately followed by a harsh "Shhh!" from Madame Pince.

"Sorry!" the voice called even louder, just to spite the librarian.

Draco watched Hermione shake her head in hopelessness, though she was smiling, and heard footsteps behind him as the person came over. It turned out to be the littlest weasel.

"Hi," said Ginny to the other girl in an excited, giddy tone. "I just thought you should know that Ben Sumner just told Heidi Kelper that he was having trouble with his Arithmancy and Jeremy Sutherland said that he should ask you because you were the smartest in the class."

"And?" asked Granger.

Ginny looked scandalized. "He's Jeremy Sutherland," she said in a tone that obviously meant being complimented by Jeremy Sutherland was a big deal. "We've really got to work on your socialization skills, 'Mione. Jeremy Sutherland is perhaps the hottest guy in school, 'sides Malfoy here that is."

She said it so off-handedly that Draco almost didn't realize she had mentioned his name. When it sunk in, his head snapped up to stare at the Weaselette who wasn't paying him any attention in the least bit, but was looking expectantly at Granger.

"Do you want to know what he said next?" she asked. She didn't wait for a reply but pressed right on. "He said that he wouldn't mind having private sessions with you at all. In fact, it might be the only time he would ever look forward to Arithmancy."

"Sounds like a real nice guy," said Granger, rolling her eyes. "In fact, he sounds almost as priggish as Malfoy." She glared at him, still sore over the fact that he wouldn't let her have the book.

"How is Malfoy priggish today?" asked Ginny, letting her bag drop and kneeling at the table, resting her head on her arms.

"Won't let me use the book he is finished with," said Granger, still glaring.

Ginny looked at her, then at Draco, then reached out and took the book.

"Here you are, Hermione," she said, handing the older girl the tome.

Hermione took the book with hesitation, waiting for Draco to say something. He didn't; he figured that if the Weaselette had enough guts to take the book from the Ice Prince of Slytherin, she could have it. He was done with it anyway.

Ginny settled herself on the ground as there were no more open seats, and pulled out her books and parchment, leaning against Hermione's chair. To Draco's surprise she didn't talk constantly.

He had never consciously studied the littlest Weasley. From what he had seen around school, and from this last encounter, he had thought she was merely a chatty, naturally upbeat, preppy kind of girl, but watching her now, he had to edit his characterization of her. She could be quiet and studious, working with concentration and, judging by her progress through a worksheet, with ease.

He turned back to his own work, his analysis of Ginevra Weasley finished. He completed his essay just as the bell for lunch rang and gathered up all of his things and joined the mad rush to the Great Hall. It was in the middle of the trek downwards that the alarms went off.

Draco's first action was to pull out his wand as the loud, blaring bells started sounding while the students around him screamed and shouted to each other to ask what was going on. He already knew. That alarm meant that the wards had been breached in some way.

Teachers appeared in the hall, trying to shout over the noise and to get them all to go straight to the Great Hall where there were additional protective wards. It didn't work and only added to the general confusion and students who weren't even in the halls started coming out as well, hands over their ears.

The alarm cut off suddenly and everyone stopped talking, leaving the hall eerily silent while the students nervously shifted to see what was happening and even the teachers looked worried. Then, in the midst of the jostling students on the verge of panic, there came a keening noise.

Draco whipped around to see a ghoul hovering up in the air near the ceiling at the end of the hall, a leering smile on the black lips so that pointed yellow teeth were revealed. Ghouls were originally wood sprites or faeries or nymphs before circumstances caused them to 'go bad'. Research today still didn't tell why they went dark, but some theorized they could be turned when Dark Magic hits them.

Draco figured that this particular ghoul used to be a nymph of some sort and he would say a river nymph specifically if he had to guess. The long black hair hung in tatters around the sunken face and there were no eyes, just deep, black sockets. The ghoul was slight, still in the remaining vestiges of a dress that was now no more than rags. It was tall, tall and thin, but there were claws on the hands and feet and the ghoul opened its mouth and screamed.

"Get down!" Draco shouted, knowing that the scream usually signaled an attack, but the students couldn't hear him over the ear-piercing shriek. They were trying to find the source of the noise now, and as the ghoul was so high up, many students got a good look at the creature.

The ghoul swooped forward. Draco had forgotten how fast they were, nothing more then a blur. The students screamed, throwing themselves to the ground to avoid the attack, even though the motion was futile. While ghouls couldn't see, they could detect body heat, and so it knew right where the students were.

Draco conjured up a shield charm just as the claws reached out to swipe a Ravenclaw girl and the ghoul was thrown backwards, going through a side wall like a ghost.

Before Draco had time to revel in that slight victory, there was a crash above them, like an explosion, and faint yelling could be heard. The students stared dumbly at the ceiling, wondering what was happening to their school.

"Everyone to the Great Hall!" commanded McGonagall sharply, rounding a corner and finding them all standing there like idiots. She was slightly out of breath, not doubt running to get all the students inside the Great Hall. Her voice was not panicked, just affirmative, and the students immediately started towards her. Draco, who would have rather stayed back and found the ghoul, was pushed along with the crowd.

As it turned out, the ghoul found them. Ghouls are known for their relentless pursuit of a particular quarry, and while that can be taken as a purely animalistic move, ghouls are intelligent, able to come up with the best means of attack. This appeared when the crowd was just on the stairs, the railing keeping most of the students in place as it attacked again.

It lunged from the front, the students in the back of the group scattering down the hall, and the children in the front trying to turn around only to be blocked by the students right behind them. Draco couldn't get a clear shot at the ghoul with everyone screaming and pushing this way and that, trying to get away, and the ghoul swept right into the middle of the group, swiping its claws in the mass of children.

There were several screams and shrieks, but now students were able to slip past the ghoul in the front, staying close to the edges of the stairs and scurrying to freedom, encouraged on by McGonagall who was already at the bottom of the staircase.

The ghoul was finally repelled by a few spells from the students in the thick of things while Draco tried to push his way forward; however he was nearest the top of the stairs, and so he was constantly shoved backwards as students fled. He could see that in the front of the steps a few students, who had forgotten about the trick step, were now fighting to free themselves from the stairs. The littlest Weasley was helping them.

The ghoul leapt again, not noticing the stuck students as of yet. Draco was able to shove himself against the flow of students and so had a clear shot at the lunging ghoul, but Granger, who was at the bottom, beat him to it, shouting "Impedimenta!" in a clear voice.

The ghoul was flung backwards, but recovered quickly. Magic was harmful to the dark spirit, but the spells had to be strong. The ghoul snarled as it clung to the ceiling, high above them, its eye sockets finally turning in the direction of those trapped on the trick step, or rather, the second year Hufflepuff who was knee deep in marble, and Ginny Weasley who was trying to pull him out. She seemed to have freed the others already.

The stairs finally emptied of students and Draco made his way down until he was three steps away from Ginny and the boy. The ghoul snarled in his direction and he froze, staring at the ghoul, then glancing about to take note of the layout. Granger was with McGonagall across the hall, guarding students in an empty classroom. They were yelling for Ginny to hurry, but the Hufflepuff boy was too hysterical for Ginny to get a good grip on him.

Draco could hear voices down the hall at the bottom of the stairs. It sounded like teachers coming to help, but the ghoul noticed them too. It screamed, then threw itself from the ceiling, plummeting straight for the two, its claws outstretched like a hawk ready to grab a mouse.

Ginny jerked the boy's leg out, the momentum making her fall back as the boy ran towards McGonagall. Ginny scrambled to her feet as the ghoul headed straight for her. Draco waited one more second before bursting into action, speeding down the last few steps, grabbing the girl in his arms, and propelling them away from the leaping ghoul. He spun as they ran so he was facing the creature, Ginny wrapped in a protective embrace. He raised his wand and yelled the spell.

"Cremo manium!"

The ghoul burst into flame, screaming again, this time in pain, as it flared with red heat. Draco could feel the burn of a lick of fire as he whirled around again to place his body in front of the flames, shielding the girl in his arms. The scream cut off abruptly and Draco didn't move, breathing heavily as he tried to regain his composure. Ginny was tense against him, her hands gripping his shoulders. She peeked around him to look at the ghoul, or what remained of it after that spell, and then laughed in giddiness. She pulled closer to him, resting her head on his chest as she smiled.

"Wow," she said, and Draco figured she probably didn't realize who it was she was holding onto.

He turned as well, pulling away slightly, though he still held onto her arm because he didn't think she was quite recovered. The ghoul was no more than a smoking pile of black on the floor at their feet.

"Ginny."

The voice came from the side, and both he and Ginny turned to see Bill with Dumbledore who had obviously just arrived and seen only the last few minutes of the spectacle. Bill looked shaken, completely pale, as if he were going to faint that moment.

Ginny looked up at Draco, holding his gaze. "Thank you," she said, sincerely.

Draco watched as she smiled again and walked calmly towards her brother, who looked more frightened then she did, which was slightly amusing as she was the one who had nearly died.

He turned back to the remains of the ghoul, pocketing his wand as black smoke slowly wafted from the pile of…whatever it was ghouls were reduced to after being subjected to intense heat and subsequently combusting on sight and, whatever it was, it smelled foul.

"Mr. Malfoy," said the Headmaster approaching him. "Would you go to my office, please? I shall join you momentarily. The password is 'Licorice Wands'."

Draco raised an eyebrow. He had expected the meeting; he hadn't expected the confection-inspired password. He gave a curt nod and carefully stepped around the remains and up the stairs, glaring at the stares of the other students who were now crowding close to the action. They all retreated slightly as he passed.

He had always known where the Headmaster's office was, but he had never been inside, and so it was with a feeling of curiosity and slight anxiety that he told the stone gargoyle the password and ascended the spiral staircase.

He hesitated momentarily at the door, but then pushed it open and found himself in one of the most intriguing magical rooms he had ever been in, and as he was a pureblooded wizard, that was saying something because he had seen hundreds of magical rooms before.

It was a bright, circular room, the main focus was of course the large desk, Dumbledore's obviously, but there were two chairs in front of the desk and various other cupboards and cabinets that held a variety of little instruments, some of which were extremely rare or old, but Draco knew them all.

There were a few ward-monitors, a few crystals balls that no doubt monitored the grounds, some gadgets just for amusement, and some truth-revealers. Those last types were placed in a convenient way to allow the person sitting behind the desk to have them fully in their line of sight. It was practically Slytherin, and Draco was grudgingly impressed.

Truth-revealers worked on most people because most people didn't notice them, and they were always accurate, although also easily fooled if you knew how. Truth-revealers couldn't work on half-truths, and if one was a Legilimens, which Draco was, then it was possible to lie outright, if the proper shields were in place.

There was a squawk and he whirled around and noticed the phoenix for the first time. He realized then that he hadn't noticed it because it was so ill, it could barely move, and sat on its perch looking as if it was going to kick the bucket any moment. In fact, no sooner had the thought crossed his mind, then the bird went up in flames.

Draco was strangely drawn to the fiery death of the animal, and took a step closer, surprised to find that the bird seemed oddly peaceful in the flames and then all that was left was a pile of ash.

"Quite the opposite reaction than that of Mr. Potter when he first saw the death of Fawkes," said Dumbledore.

Draco jerked his head up to see the Headmaster standing in the doorway with a curious expression in the bright eyes. The Headmaster walked around and sat behind his desk, pulling out some papers as he did so.

"Mr. Potter had thought that he had somehow inadvertently killed my bird," said Dumbledore, smiling at the memory. Draco didn't respond, but watched as Dumbledore slowly filtered through the pages.

"Is Fawkes the first phoenix you've seen?" asked Dumbledore looking up, his eyes sliding slightly to the left where there was a truth-revealer.

"Yes," said Draco simply. The truth-revealer didn't light up, and Draco smirked. He had seen his first phoenix when he was six, when his brother had taken him to the zoo.

Dumbledore nodded. "Please have a seat. I'm sorry about the wait, but the Ministry had to be contacted and a prisoner had to be taken away."

He looked at Draco, who made his way carefully to the chair that allowed him view of the door, and sat, making sure no emotion was on his face.

"It seems our DADA professor hasn't been exactly role-model material," the Headmaster continued. "Let loose a number of dark creatures from the dungeons. Fortunately we were able to set a number of new wards to at least contain most of the creatures, though a troll and two dark ghouls escaped."

"Extremely fortunate," said Draco, slightly impatient and letting it show.

Dumbledore studied him, and the eyes twinkled as if Draco were some sort of precocious child. "I suppose you want me to get down to business," he said. "Which is completely understandable. You are here because of the spell you used. It is not anything taught here at school and isn't entirely legal."

"It's not illegal either," Draco said coolly.

Dumbledore's eyes lost a bit of their sparkle. "That is true," he said. "But it does border on Dark Magic."

"It is not classified as such," Draco responded.

"Again, true, but as it is a spell that is frowned upon in society and as it is quite advanced for your age, I am going to have to ask you where you learned it."

Draco had known this was the reason for the office meeting. It was standard procedure when a 'grey' spell was used to question the caster to make sure no ill-intent was involved, and to also figure out where the spell was learned, so that if it was a dark book, the proper actions could be taken.

"A Guide to Dark Creatures," said Draco promptly. "It's in the restricted area of the library, third bookcase, top shelf. Page 492. It doesn't go into detail; it just says that it is sometimes used for dark ghouls."

There. Completely harmless and school sponsored, and all of it true. He resisted the urge to smirk.

Rule number twenty-one: If blame must be placed, place it on something you have no control over and make it someone else's responsibility.

"I suppose it is a good thing for Miss Weasley that you remembered such a tiny detail," said Dumbledore, not fooled in the least bit.

"Yes," said Draco, in a tone of unconcerned confidence, because even though Dumbledore knew that he was lying, there was no way to prove it. And just because he was feeling cocky for using an almost-dark curse in Hogwarts and deceiving a truth-revealer in the Dumbledore's office, he continued.

"I am not foolish enough to use a dark curse while you are still Headmaster."

"Not even if another's life was at stake?" asked Dumbledore.

For some reason he hesitated ever-so-slightly, and tried to make up for the hitch by blurting the answer everyone would expect him to give without consciously thinking about it.

"Of course not," he said.

Dumbledore glanced to the left and smiled slightly. Draco followed his gaze and froze. There was a red light blinking from the truth-revealer showing that he had lied. He immediately pulled up his mental shields and the silver instrument clicked off in an instant.

Oh Merlin, he had totally lost it. He really would risk expulsion to save a life; he was turning into the Boy-Who-Continually-Lived. He had a sudden desire to burn every red and gold thing he came across, and turned back to Dumbledore with a very cold expression in his eyes. To his extreme annoyance, Dumbledore merely looked thoughtful, and then he smiled, his eyes twinkling in that infuriating manner.

"It was a good thing you did today, Mr. Malfoy," he said. "Fifty points to Slytherin and no doubt the Weasleys will write to thank you for protecting Ginevra."

Shit, Draco thought. That was just what he needed.

"And I suppose I should not write a letter of congratulations for such a brave act to your father," said Dumbledore.

Merde.

His father.

He could feel the blood drain from his face, and he was pretty certain that he must have gone sheet white because Dumbledore suddenly looked concerned.

"Are you alright Draco?"

Draco pulled himself together at the sound of his first name. That must be the first time the Headmaster had used his first name.

"Quite," he said coolly. "And my father is involved in a few rather large projects for work at the moment, and so it would be best not to disturb him with trivial information."

"Understood," said Dumbledore, watching him with an intrigued look. Draco did not like the feel of those blue eyes on him; they were much too piercing.

"Is that all, Headmaster?" he asked, his voice frigid and exactly how Lucius sounded when he was dismissing Ministry officials and other various, inconsequential visitors.

"Of course," said the Headmaster. "You should probably rest up. You've had an eventful day."

Draco was up and leaving before the Headmaster even finished bidding him good day, his hands clenching and unclenching with frustration as he mentally swore at himself. Merlin, he was such an idiot. His father was going to have a fit. What was he thinking when he went to go play hero?

But he already knew the answer. He was thinking of Bill, and of his older brother. It was funny how the two sort of blended together now. Whenever he thought back on the older, illegitimate Malfoy, he had to consciously remember the blond hair, or else suddenly it was a red-headed teenager taking him to the zoo, and the eyes that sparkled as they ate ice cream along the French Riviera weren't bright blue, but hazel.

'He's not your brother!' he yelled at his usually sharp memory. Lukas is dead. He's been dead for nearly ten years now.

The door opened out and he stepped out into the hall only to come face to face with none other than Bill Weasley. He did not need this right now.

"Dra-," Bill started, but Draco was already turning away and striding down the hall.

"Draco!" Bill called after him.

"Not now," he practically yelled over his shoulder, but Bill was following him, and as the teacher was taller, he was easily matching Draco's angry strides.

"What happened?" Bill asked, concern in his voice.

Draco cursed the Fates. Bill even sounded like an older brother would.

Bill's hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into an empty classroom before Draco could twist away. Bill shut the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Draco stared at him, then turned around, his hands still curling into fists. What he needed was to grab his broom and ride out this frustration. He was practically shaking with agitated energy and it was killing him to stand in a room like this. He didn't want to talk about it; he didn't even want to think about it.

"Draco," came Bill's voice.

"Your bloody sister isn't worth this," he spat, whirling around. "Do you want to know what Dumbledore asked me up there? He wanted to know if I wanted him to send a letter to Lucius describing my 'heroic' behavior." His voice was dripping with disdain and anger. "No doubt all of Slytherin wants to know what the hell I was thinking, saving a mudblood loving pauper like your sister. And what should I say? Oh, I just felt like pulling a Potter and fooling the Dark Lord's plans?"

He was hyperventilating slightly and he struggled to bring himself under control.

"You don't even look like him."

"Look like who?" asked Bill.

Merde! He had said that out loud. He was losing it; his world was falling apart piece by piece and there was nothing he could do but enjoy the view.

"Nothing," he said lamely. He looked down, staring at the floor, and then at Bill's dragon-scaled boots when Bill stepped forward into his line of vision.

Suddenly, there were arms around him and he found himself being pulled into an embrace. He stiffened instantly, pulling back slightly. What the hell?

"Thank you," said Bill. "For Ginny."

Oh. Draco stopped pulling back, though he remained tense through the whole encounter. Somehow the idea of someone's arms around him, leaving him vulnerable to be strangled, was not his notion of comfort. Bill seemed to sense that because he patted him once on the back and then pulled away, but oddly enough, Draco felt slightly better.

"You did good today, Draco," said Bill. "No matter what anyone says."

Draco nodded.

"Now, go to bed or something," said Bill. "You look exhausted."

Draco nodded again, and let Bill steer him to the door. Sleep sounded like an excellent idea. He avoided everyone down in the Slytherin dormitory and went straight to his bed, drawing the hangings and casting a silencing and darkening charm.

-------------------------------------------------------

Dumbledore had come up with a plan and outlined it to Bill. If the wards on the doors were broken, then others would fall into place around that hallway, trapping the dark creatures in that section of the dungeon. Although it seemed rather straight forward, there was still the threat that the secondary wards would not be put up quick enough to trap all of the creatures, as the spell Stevick would use to break the wards would have to be quite powerful, and the backlash of the magic might delay the other wards from being set up instantly. The teachers were warned that a Death Eater attack might take place just to keep them alert, and an emergency plan to get everyone into the Great Hall was instated.

And it turned out it wasn't a moment too soon, because on Saturday the alarm went off.

Bill had been heading to his room to grab a few papers to look over during lunch when the alarm went off, and he swore rather colorfully. If the secondary wards had gone up immediately, like they were supposed to, the alarm wouldn't have sounded. He pulled out his wand and started for the dungeons, running past frantic students who grew even more agitated at his sprint, but then the alarms shut down.

Bill skidded to a halt once the alarms went silent, and although he felt pulled in the direction of the students and wanted to do nothing more than to find his sister and make sure she was alright, he went for Dumbledore's office.

The gargoyles were functioning again, meaning that Bill had to give the password to the stone animals before the door slid open, and he stepped onto the moving staircase, straining to hear anything that might alert him to the presence of another person, but no one seemed to be sneaking into the Headmaster's office. He didn't know if he should be relieved or disappointed.

He reached the top of the stairs and was just about to open the office door, when it burst open and Stevick pulled up short at the sight of him, the trophy addressed to Tom Riddle clutched in his hands.

Bill froze for one second, which cost him dearly because Stevick barreled into him, knocking him backwards. He hit the stairs on his back and kept tumbling down, banging his head, now his knee and elbow in the process of trying to halt his movement, but he didn't completely stop until he hit the bottom and lay there stunned as Stevick jumped over him and out the door.

There was no way Bill was letting him get away with that. He urged his body into motion, scrambling to his feet and giving chase, his wand somehow still in his hand. One tripping hex later and Stevick was on the floor outside the Headmaster's office, the older professor's wand aimed at Bill and a dark curse spitting from the end of the stick.

Bill flung himself away from the red sparks, the curse missing him by inches. Stevick was firing another curse before Bill even had a chance to right himself, but then Kingsley Shacklebolt was there, dissipating the hex and disarming the teacher in the matter of a second. The Auror was then pulling Stevick up while binding him tightly with ropes.

Bill stared at the black Auror. "When did you-?" he asked.

"I had Kingsley put on an emergency beacon, in case the wards should fail," said Dumbledore arriving on the scene as well.

"Good thinking," said Bill, trying to access the damage from the fall down the stairs by flexing his muscles. He watched as Kingsley pulled up Stevick's left sleeve and spoke an anti-glamour charm. The Dark Mark appeared in all of its horror.

"The Dark Lord will rise again!" Stevick spat at all of them. He struggled in Kingsley's grip, but the Auror was incredibly strong and Stevick was helpless. "You bastards! He will strike you down and reward his loyal servants. All of you are damned!"

"Petrificus Totalis," said Kingsley calmly and the professor dropped to the floor, stiff as a board.

"Take him to his room for questioning," said Dumbledore, bending down to pick up the trophy. He handed the Horcrux to the Auror as well. "Hold onto that as well."

Kingsley nodded and just then there was a slight tremor from an explosion.

"It seems one of the trolls escaped," said Dumbledore, turning to Bill. "Let's go check on the students, shall we?"

They both started for the main halls, Bill breaking into a slight run as the headed for the main staircase where there was shouting. Above that he could hear a keening noise.

"That's a ghoul!" he called to the Headmaster behind him. A sudden inexplicable feeling of dread wrapped itself around his heart and he ran faster, Dumbledore calling something behind him, but he didn't hear it. His eyes had focused on the scene so far ahead.

Ginny was on the main staircase while students escaped to an empty classroom. She was helping a boy, then she was falling backwards, but scrambling to her feet as the ghoul shrieked. It was as if someone had turned off the volume. All he was aware of was Ginny staring up at the swooping ghoul, the talons reaching out to make her bleed the same color as her hair. There was another figure then, running towards Ginny with incredible speed, but it all seemed to happen so slowly.

The figure caught up his sister in one sweep, taking them from under the path of the ghoul, and spinning slightly to face the creature. Her rescuer called down a spell, but although his mouth moved, Bill couldn't hear what was said. The ghoul burst into flame and the figure was still spinning, covering Ginny from the fire.

Bill slowly felt his feet come to a halt by the staircase, staring at his sister who was alive and well in the arms of none other than Draco Malfoy. He couldn't see the kid's face, but he could see Ginny clinging to the boy, peeking over the edge of the black robe and then holding on closer. Draco pulled away, turning to face the dead ghoul, his face completely blank.

"Ginny."

He wasn't aware that he had spoken his sister's name until he heard his own voice, and once Ginny was in his arms, everything blinked back into normalcy.

"Oh Merlin," he whispered into her hair. "Don't scare me like that again, Gin. I swear I'll go grey."

She laughed, taking this into stride just like she took everything else. He knew why she was unflappable; he was the only one who knew. Ginny had told him one night in the summer after her third year.

I've been possessed by Voldemort, she had said, staring out at the stars with a pensive look on her face. I've done evil things while 'under the influence' that no one should have to do. He showed me things no one should have to see and he whispered things in my ear that no one should have to hear. I'm not saying that I want to experience things like that again, but it was like a high that I came down from. Things that were once thrilling aren't anymore and facing death just isn't so much of a big deal when your very soul faced corruption and possession. It just isn't that scary anymore.

He went with her into the Great Hall where Ron and Harry were already waiting eagerly.

"Hey, Ginny!" called Ron. "Me and Harry took out a troll! Again. What happened?" he asked, frowning at Bill.

"Oh, you know," said Ginny, answering for her brother. "I was rescued from a dark ghoul by the hottest guy in school and I couldn't even give him a 'thank you' kiss."

"What?" asked Ron.

"Malfoy," said Ginny. "I don't think he would have really appreciated it."

The two gaped at her while she started explaining in full and Bill immediately began searching for the blond Slytherin, but the kid was no where to be found.

"Where's the bastard?" growled Ron once Ginny was finished. "I'll tear him to pieces; he was probably trying to feed you to the damn ghoul."

"He's in Dumbledore's office," said Ginny. "And he wasn't trying to feed me to the ghoul, he saved me."

"A Malfoy," said Ron. "Saved you?"

"I saw the whole thing," said Hermione, joining the group.

"You're serious," said Harry, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"They can't be," said Ron.

Bill excused himself as the bickering started and left the Great Hall, heading up to the Headmaster's office. He had just reached the stone gargoyles when the door opened and Draco stepped out, halting at the sight of him.

"Dra-," Bill started, but the kid walked away, and when Bill tried to follow, he practically yelled at him.

Bill matched pace with Draco. There was obviously something bothering the kid because his eyes had been practically burning with intensity. Realizing that he wasn't going to get a straight answer without drastic measures, he pulled the kid into an empty classroom and leaned against the door.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and when Draco didn't answer, he simply watched. Upon closer examination, Draco was trembling slightly with pent-up emotion, and it was slightly frightening.

"Draco," he said.

Draco snapped. "Your bloody sister isn't worth this," he spat, whirling around. "Do you want to know what Dumbledore asked me up there? He wanted to know if I wanted him to send a letter to Lucius describing my 'heroic' behavior." His voice was dripping with disdain and anger. "No doubt all of Slytherin wants to know what the hell I was thinking, saving a mudblood loving pauper like your sister. And what should I say? Oh, I just felt like pulling a Potter and fooling the Dark Lord's plans?"

He didn't know what to say. He understood that what Draco had done had cost him more than his standing among the Slytherins, but Draco had faced the Slytherins before, what was so different this time? Draco visibly struggled to regain some control, though he slipped when he muttered the next sentence, more to himself then to Bill, anger and frustration marring his voice.

"You don't even look like him."

"Look like who?" asked Bill, genuinely confused.

Draco immediately clammed up, shutting down all of his emotion and glaring again.

"Nothing," he said, although his tone suggested that he knew it was a lame response. Bill didn't press the matter, watching as Draco averted his gaze to the floor.

He studied the kid for a minute, not knowing what to do. He had wanted to thank the teenager, but here was the Ice Prince of Slytherin, who had come a hair short of breaking completely a minute ago, staring at the floor like a lost, tired child. He felt a tug of sympathy and did what he would do for his brothers. He took a step forward and pulled the kid into a hug.

He could feel Draco pulling back slightly, and so he explained. "Thank you. For Ginny."

While Draco didn't relax at all, he did stop trying to break free, and merely stood there, back stiff and arms at his sides. Knowing that he was making the kid uncomfortable, Bill patted him once on the back and then moved back a step.

"You did good today, Draco," he said. "No matter what anyone says."

He watched as Draco nodded; the kid looked somewhat calmer.

"Now, go to bed or something," said Bill. "You look exhausted."

To his surprise, Draco let him steer him towards the door, and then slowly walked down the hall. Bill watched him until he turned down another hallway, then went to Stevick's room where Kingsley was watching the Death Eater, who was still petrified and lying on his bed.

McGonagall joined them a moment later.

"How is everything?" asked Bill.

"Two dark ghouls and a troll got out, but that was it," said McGonagall. "Sinistra and Flitwick managed to contain one ghoul, Harry and Ron took out the troll, and then Malfoy got the last ghoul, but you saw that."

"Lucius' son?" asked Kingsley, a look of confusion on his face.

Bill and McGonagall nodded.

"I thought he was practically a Death Eater already," said the Auror.

"Same here," said McGonagall grimly. "Who knows what the boy has up his sleeve. He's just as slippery as his father."

Bill stayed silent, though he wished he could jump to Draco's defense. Kingsley noticed his silence and shot him a questioning look, but then Dumbledore entered the room and closed the door behind him. Bill got a glimpse of Severus outside the door, but he knew that the spy couldn't come in. If Stevick was able somehow to get a message to Voldemort, the last thing they wanted the teacher to know was that Severus was indeed a double agent.

"Tell me, Bryant," said Dumbledore, turning to the prone Death Eater, "why?"

Kingsley took the charm off of the professor's mouth and immediately the insults flowed forth.

"Because the Dark Lord knows what this world needs," hissed Stevick, his face twisted into something truly ugly and his voice harsh and filled with hatred. "Our society has become corrupt with mudbloods and traitors like you. Our lord will wipe away the filth and the vermin and give reign to his followers. He is more powerful than any of you can imagine."

"But why you?" asked Dumbledore, almost pityingly.

"My brother was killed by a Muggle," Stevick spat. "He was an Auror trying to protect him from a rather bad wizard, but the Muggle shot him in the back so that he could escape. They don't deserve to exist. Sniveling cowards, the lot of them!"

"Who else is in Voldemort's regime?" asked Dumbledore.

Stevick glared. Dumbledore nodded to Kingsley, who forced the professor's jaws open and Dumbledore stepped forward, uncapping a vial of clear liquid. He placed three drops on Stevick's tongue and then Kingsley forced his mouth shut and held his nose until Stevick swallowed, completely out of breath. The Auror released the prisoner, who immediately gasped in air. It was Veritaserum.

"Who else have you seen in Voldemort's regime?" asked Dumbledore.

"I don't know," said Stevick, emotionlessly. "I never saw any faces."

"Can you name any Death Eaters?" asked Dumbledore.

"Malfoy, Nott, Lestrange, I don't know any others."

"What plans does Voldemort have?"

"Release the creatures in Hogwarts," said Stevick. "Take him the Horcrux."

"Was there anyone else involved in the plan?"

"Just one other."

"Who?"

"I can't say."

"Why not?" asked Dumbledore.

"Fidelius Charm."

Bill felt like swearing. It was apparent the teacher knew nothing, except for the name that was protected by a secret keeper, and Bill had a feeling that secret keeper was Voldemort.

Dumbledore sighed. "Look through his possessions, Kingsley, then take him to the Aurors." The Headmaster walked over to the Horcrux on the desk in the room and studied it, then raised his wand and brought it down in a large arc.

There was a blinding flash of red and the sound of a scream that seemed to issue from the trophy itself, and the Horcrux was blasted across the room, hitting the wall and falling to the ground. It was misshapen and deformed, and it seemed to lose all of its luster.

"Relatively easy," said Dumbledore, picking the trophy up and examining it slowly. "It was his first Horcrux, I believe." He motioned for Bill and McGonagall to follow him and they left the room, joining Severus who was waiting outside.

"He knows nothing," Dumbledore told Snape. "The Horcrux is destroyed; no doubt Tom will call you tonight. I don't think he'll be in the best of moods, and he might be even more distrustful towards you."

"I'll tell him that Stevick failed to release all of the wards and didn't disable the alarm," Snape said.

"Still," said Dumbledore, "be careful."

"I will," Snape promised.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "Now, let's go check the damage to the school."

---------------------------------------------

Wellllll, what did you think? Let me know by leaving a review!