James' head passed dangerously close to one of the spotlight bulbs. He swore under his breath and shot a dark glare at the woman below him who now held his life in her hands.

Giving his wand back would have been too easy. Her solution was to help.

James floated inches above the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton and across the main atrium. As he cleared the skull without mishap, the display case came into view, along with the bored security guard. The plan, if he could call it that, was to sneak down from above, grab the tooth and disappear.

All he had to do now was pray to Merlin that she was as good at levitation as she claimed.

And hope the security guard didn't look up.

James' feet touched the ground. As if on cue, Dann's French heels clicked across the atrium. He did a double-take. She hadn't been wearing a short skirt and heels three minutes ago.

The security guard stepped towards her, and James busied himself with the display case. Even without his wand, this was the easy part.

He was stealing magical items out of Muggle hands. If his dad hadn't been Head Auror, he'd never have known that the Ministry of Magic had taken notice of the thefts. And 'stealing' was such a strong word. Magical items belonged in the hands of wizards. Why did the Ministry even care?

"Where's the restroom?" Dann asked sweetly.

She giggled, and the guard laughed along with her. James glanced up and for a second, their eyes locked. That was a mistake.

"What are you looking at?" the guard asked, turning around. Then he collapsed.

Dann's wand was pointed at his head. "Hurry. That Stunner will only last a few minutes."

James got to work, glad that she was a competent witch. Once he'd gotten the Basilisk tooth, he'd planned on striking a deal with her. She seemed intent on surviving this. It could work... in more ways than one.

The old relic looked similar to the other Saber teeth on display, but the dried yellowish sap was a dead giveaway. He Transfigured an old pencil into an exact replica and traded it for the real thing. No Muggle would know the difference.

As soon as he touched the tooth, a hum shot through his arm. James swore under his breath again. Someone had put a Traceable Charm on it.

They hadn't asked him to steal from Muggles. He was stealing from wizards!

James looked frantically around for a quick exit. "We've got to get out of here!"

Dann took three steps back and blinked out of existence.

"Dann!" James ran up to where she'd disappeared, and then felt himself falling.

He landed in a pile of dust, the Basilisk tooth clattering at his side. Dann was huddled in a corner next to a stack of shipping crates, pointing to the form rising out of the shadows.

The man standing before them looked exactly like him. Exactly like Matt.