Author's Notes: NEW: http://img. photobucket. com/ albums/ v700/ underscore wordsofwisdom/ HHDM2.jpg (just without the spaces, and with a real underscore.)

Chapter 13 – The Great Escape

It took some convincing, but Ginny managed to persuade Draco to go to the Headmistress with the information of the order for attack on the Weasley home.

He was going to tell of the letter he had received, but of not of the reasoning behind the attack. That information was to stay between him and Ginny, they were scared that they would be forced to stop spending time together, as a precaution.

Draco knew that if he told the Headmistress what he knew, then the information would be passed over to the infamous Order of the Phoenix. He was not sure if they would pay a visit to his father in Azkaban or use the information in any other way. He did not like his father, but he was certainly scared for himself if his father were to find out that he had shared the contents of his letter with the 'enemy.'

They walked out of the Headmistress' office the next day and were discussing quietly.

"So, Ginny, you really think they'll order the Dementors to give my father the Kiss?"

"Yeah, why not? I think he deserves it, don't you?" She replied, without hesitation.

"Of course, but those Dementors are not really reliable anymore. Ever since fifth year they've been under Voldemort's control, for the most part." They continued walking toward the staircase that led to the floor where the Library was situated.

Ginny had a logical answer for him. "Well, the way I see it, there's really not much the Order can do to him. I mean, he is already rotting away in Azkaban. How much worse could things get for him?"

"You have a point." He replied.

"Of course I do; I'm always right." She said with a smile. "Anyway, I'm sure we'll find out what they'll do soon. They won't just let this information sit around."

They spent the rest of that evening in the library, finishing assignments and hoping the week would pass by quickly.

By Friday morning, they had not heard back from Professor McGonagall about Lucius Malfoy. At breakfast, however, the DADA professor was missing from the staff table. Moments later, the doors to the Great Hall were flung open and Professor Moody came barging in, screaming for the Headmistress.

"Headmistress! Headmistress! Azkaban has been breached!" He cried, not caring that he was frightening the children.

The Headmistress did not lose her composure, and ordered the professors to the staff room for an emergency meeting. "Professors, emergency meeting. Now! Prefects, please direct your students to your respective Common Rooms; classes are cancelled for the day."

The students filed out of the Hall, after the teachers who rushed through the doors after Professor Moody. Ginny held back, waiting for Draco to catch up.

"This doesn't look too good, Draco." She said. "What do you think is going on?"

"I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough" was all he said. They walked silently for a few moments until they had to go off in different directions for their Common Rooms.

Up in Gryffindor Tower, Ginny could hear Harry, Ron and Hermione discussing the morning's events loudly.

"I knew it!" Harry exclaimed. "I knew something like this was going to happen! Remus said there had been an emergency overnight, in his owl this morning. Now we know what happened!"

Hermione interjected, "Yes, but that does not quite explain exactly what occurred in Azkaban, Harry. For all we know the Dementors could have been let out, or worse!"

A moment later, Headmistress McGonagall entered the Common Room. "You three, follow me, please." She was taking the trio to the staff room to fill them in on what happened that morning.

Ron gave Ginny a sympathetic look, and followed his friends and the old witch out the portrait hole.

'Hmm, this must be pretty big if they're getting the trio involved.' Ginny thought to herself. 'I hope they fill me in later.'

Only the professors who were Order members remained in the staff room. Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and other members were present, as well. Molly Weasley was not present, and neither were her sons, Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George.

"Settle down, please. Now that we are all here, I'd like to share the new developments with you." The Headmistress was ready to divulge the morning's activities to the Order.

"Alastor, if you will begin." And, with that, Professor Alastor Moody took the floor.

"It came to my attention this morning that there had been a break in at Azkaban Prison. I was brought to the prison to see the damage, when it was noted that ten prisoners, including one Lucius Malfoy, were missing. It is believed that Death Eaters stormed the prison late last night and took these prisoners with them. It is not known at this time what the Death Eaters are planning, now that they have their top 'officials' back in their ranks, but we are to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity. Remember, people, constant vigilance is key!"

Harry looked to Ron and then to Hermione and then down into his lap where his hands were clenched around his wand. He knew that something big was coming, and it would only be a matter of time before the plans carried out. It was necessary that he leave as soon as he could to find and destroy the last Horcruxes, Nagini and Hufflepuff's Cup.

If Harry could cause a distraction to Voldemort, he could get close enough to accost Nagini and to find the Cup. He knew that if it came to that point that the final battle would be nearby. He had to choose his time and place wisely, and make sure that everything was prepared to the extreme. Time and place were of the essence.

"Harry, it is imperative that the last Horcruxes be disposed of before the Death Eaters put their plans into effect. I do not know when would be best for you, but if we can hold out until after Christmas Holidays, I am certain that we will have procured a plan of our own to keep you safe while you do what it is that you have to do." The Headmistress had thought of the best solution for the Order at the moment.

"And, in other news, we have been informed that it was Lucius Malfoy who had ordered the attack on your home, Mr. Weasley. We are not clear on the reasoning behind it, but we know for certain that it was on his command, not Lord Voldemort's."

Ron jumped out of his chair at the shock of the Headmistress' words. Hermione grabbed his wrist and pulled him back into his seat.

"This meeting is adjourned. Mr. Potter, please, do put a lot of thought into this over the holidays. Until then, try to focus on your schoolwork, and know that we have everything under control. Mr. Weasley, we are doing everything in our power to locate your father."

The trio left the staff room with glum faces.

"Blimey, Harry, this is big." Ron said. "What'll we do, you think?"

Before Harry could answer his friend, Hermione interrupted with a thought of her own. "You know, we should maybe do some research before the Christmas Holidays. I know we'll all be staying here, but at least this way we can get most of it out of the way and leave some time for celebrating Christmas as best as we can, under the circumstances."

"Hermione's right, Ron. We have just under a month until we need to start worrying. I say we figure out a way to create a diversion for Voldemort without putting ourselves in too much danger, and then find out, somehow, if there's any sort of protective spells over Nagini that we would need to break. And don't even get me started on the dangers of locating the Cup! I was lucky with the locket; Regulus Black had taken out of its hiding spot already, so there were no curses to break. We might not be so lucky this time."

Ron agreed with his friends. "Yeah, Harry, but this time, we go with you. There is no way you're leaving us here. This is even bigger than the locket. It hits closer to Voldemort than ever before. It's dangerous. We could be risking our lives!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take, and you should be, too, if you want to partake in it."

Harry hoped to convince his friends to journey with him and join him on his dangerous task. He knew that he could not do it alone, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise.

The trio walked off to their common room to fill Ginny in on what had happened that morning.

After they told Ginny about Lucius' escape from Azkaban, Ginny ran off to the Library in hopes of finding Draco and filling him in, as well. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found so she proceeded to the Owlery to send him a letter with the information. She did not want to keep it off longer than she had too; she knew all too well what it was like not to know something about your own father, and to find out only weeks after the fact.

As her owl flew off in the direction of the nearest window of the Slytherin Common Room, Ginny sat on a bench and gazed after it. She knew that when Draco got the owl he would need a friend. She only hoped that she could be there for him as he had been there for her in her time of need. She knew that Draco hated his father and would not be upset at his being missing, only that he would be scared of what his father would to him, and to her, when he found out that they were still spending time together.

Ginny stayed in the Owlery for another half hour, thinking over the day's events. She then retuned to her common room to spend some time with her brother. She was sure that he had heard of Lucius Malfoy's involvement in their father's kidnapping.

It was a long day for all of them.