February 2006, British Ministry of Magic, Auror Office, Harry Potter's Cubicle

Harry sighed. This was the third time this week that he had fallen asleep on his desk.

He looked around. The lights were closed, and the curtains were draped. He peered at the clock. It read Midnight, Hunting Time! It was a clock for owls, or Animagi who could transform into owls. Harry had snorted when Ron had brought it in, but it was dead useful. It gave you all sorts of advice if you fed it rats, and if you didn't, it coughed up pellets on your desk.

Harry tried to turn the knob of his cubicle, but the door was bolted shut. He knew he wouldn't work, however; it had been bewitched to open only to a password, and the only person who knew it was Robards, the head of the Auror Office, and Robards opened the doors every morning and locked them every night. He usually never looked to see if anyone was inside, and it had happened to his friend Neville who had stayed stranded in his cubicle all night last month.

Suddenly, he heard a noise outside. He put on his Invisibility Cloak; most of the Aurors had one, but his was the Cloak, the Hallow, and he peered through the tiny peephole with his invisible eye.

It was a Death Eater, in his black robes, a half-crazed smile on his battered face. It was Walden Macnair, an escaped convict. He seemed to be leading a group of followers: he could recognize Greyback, Umbridge, and Rookwood. They were all cackling madly, as if they were mentally disturbed.

"Ah," rasped Macnair, rubbing his left forearm. "A pity the Dark Lord's been killed by Harry Potter, Dolly. You could have made a valuable Death Eater."

Umbridge giggle girlishly and nudged the Death Eater, turning a delicate shade of pink. "Oh, Macnair! You're so funny!"

"You want to murder someone?" rasped Greyback. "Let me do it, I haven't eaten human flesh to satisfy my cannibalism for so long..."

"No, don't murder him," answered Macnair. "Maul him savagely, worse than you did with that Weasley boy. We shall deliver him to his wife; we'll see how she takes it!"

Dolores pushed forward a man with cold gray eyes that eyed the trio. His eyes were dazed and unfocused. "Come, Lucius!"

The man leaned forward, and Greyback jumped on him. What Harry saw, he would never forget; Lucius's handsome but snobby face was worse than Bill's; Greyback was ripping his flesh, scratching his eyeballs from his sockets... Soon, his face was gruesome. He was screaming, of agony, as Umbridge joined in and put a touch of Cruciatus. Harry knew he would die or go mad if he just stood there.

He screamed "Auror!" to the door, hoping it was the right password, but it didn't work. The "M" on the door winked at him and stared at his forehead. Harry prayed that it was the password, and didn't even pause to think about why Robards smirked at him each morning. No wonder Neville had turned red when he asked him the password. "Scar!" The "M" nodded, and the door swung open.

Umbridge and Greyback gaped at him when they saw him; however, Macnair shouted: "Stupefy!", but luckily, he missed.

Harry used his Auror training in his fight; he pointed his wand at him and shouted: "Crucio!"

Macnair writhed on the floor, crumpling in pain. Umbridge glared at him and was about to do a Memory Charm on him, when he did the Mutatio Skullus on Greyback. The werewolf's head became wolf-like, then, it flashed green and another head grew on the top of his head. He ran away, whimpering.

Umbridge took out her wand, but it was too late. Harry had Disarmed her. He snapped her wand in pieces, and then muttered: "Reducto!"

The toad-like watched as her wand turned into ashes. Then, she lunged at Harry, who Stunned her.

The Auror grabbed Malfoy's limp body, thankful that the man was still breathing. He walked out of the room and found a nearby chimney that was connected to the Floo Network, tossed some Floo powder in, and stepped into the green fire.

"St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Creature-Induced Injuries!" yelled Harry into the blazing fire, and thought Levicorpus!

February 2006, St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

Harry landed in the fireplace of the Dangerous Dai Ward. He brushed some ash from his shirt and spoke to a nearby Healer.

"Oi! Katie!"

Katie Bell looked at him in surprise. "Malfoy's just been mauled by Greyback!" yelled Harry.

"Okay," said Katie, looking with concern at the mutilated face of Lucius Malfoy. "I've got to notify the Head of Department, drop him in the bed there."

Harry dropped the inert body of the Malfoy. "I'm going to Apparate into Hermione's house. I'll be back soon."

He disappeared with a soft pop.

February 2006, Ron and Hermione Weasley's house, one-thirty A.M

Ron and Hermione woke up at the sound of baby Rosie's wailing. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Hermione held up her hand: "I'm going to go, okay? You should get some sleep!"

Ron yawned. "Thanks, Hermione. I don't know why you're so lenient, though!"

Hermione walked out of the room. Ron heard her coo to their daughter.

He heard a small pop, and Harry was standing in his room, his robes a bloody mess.

"Mate, what?" asked Ron.

"It wasn't me," said Harry grimly. "Lucius Malfoy's been mauled by Greyback!"

Just then, Hermione arrived. "Greyback, what?"

Harry repeated his declaration. "I was there, you know, locked into the office. I Stunned Umbridge, Greyback is currently running around with two wolf heads, and Macnair and Rookwood are probably prowling around, though. I did the Cruciatus on him. Seeing him getting mauled, it was horrible, even though I hate him. Seeing his eyes ripped out of his sockets, his face worst than Bill's..."

Hermione burst into tears. Ron just stared at him. "You should stay here, mate. Blimey, you should probably be calling Ginny. She must be worried sick."

"Nah, I stopped at home long enough to tell her things," replied Harry.

"What's going to happen to Malfoy?" asked Hermione. "He'll be alright? Greyback wasn't transformed today..."

"I suppose, though he lost his eyes and snobbish face in process. I think he was under the Imperius Curse... I've got to go, you know, check on Malfoy. See you tomorrow!"

With another pop, he disappeared. Ron and Hermione just looked at each other, their faces blank with shock. It was the beginning of another ending.

February 2006, Potter House, Ginny and Harry's bedroom

Harry felt a surge of revulsion from what he'd seen. He felt like throwing up.

Lucius Malfoy was in St Mungo's, and though Harry had often wished for his death during numerous occasions, the man looked terrible.

His face was now much, much worse than Bill's; Ron's brother could have received a simple cut from Greyback for all he was concerned. It was covered in reddish scars, disfiguring him; his once-handsome face was gruesome, monstrous even. His empty eye sockets made him look like a Mad-eye Moody version of an Inferius. Malfoy's behaviour was most unusual for the former Death Eater: he growled, roared, and snarled at every dab of greenish lotion from the Healers. Greyback's maul seemed to have transfused some lupine qualities into him. He preferred steak or raw meat and was sprouting sharp canines. It was unnerving.

"Harry? Are you coming to bed now?" floated Ginny's voice from the kitchen.

"Yes, I'm coming," said Harry, signing and getting to his feet. He thrust a photograph to his wife. "Look at it," he commanded.

Ginny looked confused, but did as he said. "That's Malfoy," she whispered, a look of revulsion on her face. "Is he really like that now?"

"Yeah, Ginny, but look at this," said Harry, pointing to the man's left forearm. "His Dark Mark is getting darker. Much darker."