"Good morning, General." Harry held a salute until Dumbledore returned it, knowing that his crew, just behind him, was doing the same. "Reporting for our mission, sir, as per your orders. Is the Portkey ready?"
"It is." The General looked them over. There was excitement in the eyes of both Potter and Granger, and Longbottom looked nervous, but pleased - he wasn't often asked to take important missions. Malfoy, on the other hand, seemed rather bored. "Is your crew ready, Captain?"
"Yes, sir!" The four of them snapped clean salutes again.
Dumbledore chuckled. "At ease, at ease. Please, come inside. The Portkey is timed for nine-fifteen. Would anybody care for a sweet before you go?"
"Don't," Harry warned his crew. "Really, don't. You'll be sick if you've just eaten something."
"Some of us have traveled by Portkey before, Potter," Malfoy said coldly, brushing past him. "It's Longbottom you need to be worried about; he'll be grabbing sweets like an infant. Where's this Portkey, then?"
Harry grabbed him by the sleeve. "You," he said, very quietly, "will address me as Captain. I am the ranking officer on this mission and expect to be treated as such. And if you want to eat while we're gone, you won't insult your quartermaster, either. Do you understand?"
There was a long moment's silence before Neville said gently, "There's no need for that, Captain. I wouldn't let anyone starve, not even Malfoy."
"Five minutes left," the General said from inside his office. "Captain Potter, you fully understand how to time the Portkey for departure?"
"I do, sir."
"Excellent, excellent. Come inside, all of you. Here it is." He held up a Beater's bat, smiling. "Nothing so eccentric for a former headmaster to have in his study, is it? From the year my school team won the championships or some such nonsense. And the length makes it ideal for a large number of people, of course. Grab on, please, all of you - you've only a minute or so left."
They obeyed, Harry noticeably shifting his grip to move his hand further from Malfoy's. "Good luck," Dumbledore said, adding gravely, "You may well need it," and then they were gone.