-Chapter Fourteen-

The Third Party

"So what happened? Is he okay?"

"He was hit in the back by a spell, he should be okay. How about you two?"

"Battered and bruised, but I'll live."

"Yeah, me too. When should he wake up?"

"Any minute, he's probably awake now. Open your eyes, Harry."

Harry opened his eyes, wondering how they could have known he was awake. He was in the Hospital Wing, and was delighted to see Ron and Hermione staring down at him."Harry! You're awake!"

Harry grinned at the sight of his friends fully conscious again. "Good to see you're okay! How'd I get here?"

Ron pointed behind him. Harry sat up and looked behind him. Willow grinned back. "I heard you fall and came back for you. It was a very narrow escape!"

"Professor Willow filled us in on what happened. It's hard to believe!" said Hermione.

"There's more." said Harry. He told them what he had discovered about The Master and Dumbledore. Ron and Hermione listened in growing horror.

"This is bad," said Willow, his face grave. "Without Dumbledore everything could be lost… to say nothing about what the Master is up to…" He suddenly stiffened and looked at the door for a moment and then resumed his original position. "So what do we do?" asked Ron.

Harry opened his mouth to make a suggestion but Willow cut him off. "There's nothing we can do." he said, a little louder than before. He got to his feet and began pacing the room. "It's our word against his and who's everyone more likely to believe? A group of students or the great Dumbledore?" As he passed by the door he suddenly sprang for it and flung the door open.

There was no one there, but Harry could hear footsteps echoing down the corridor. "Was someone eavesdropping?" (1)

"Most likely," said Willow, trying to spot whoever it was running away. "The Master will have many eyes and ears in the corridors as Dumbledore." He closed the door and cast a quick "Muffliato!" on it (2) before turning back to the others. "Right, now that we can't be overheard, any ideas?" he grinned.

"But who is the Master exactly?" asked Ron. "And what does he want?"

"He's something from beyond this world, I'd say." said Willow, staring into space.

"And he wants that weird substance that was being pumped into the Chamber." said Harry. "What is that stuff? There was some in the Express as well."

Willow shrugged. "Some things are unknown to Wizards as well. But one things for certain: We can't let the Master have it."

"Isn't there anybody who would believe us?" asked Hermione.

Harry thought hard. "There must be someone we can tell, someone Dumbledore wouldn't have as much control over. Wait a minute… The Aurors!"

"That's it!" said Willow excitedly. "They'er under strict orders to move in and secure the place if I give the word." He stopped at the looks on the other's faces. "They were forced upon me by Scrimgeour. He's paranoid about everything and wanted someone here. I had no intention of calling them in."

"So you were here to spy on Dumbledore?" said Harry, angry despite everything he had been through.

"We knew something was up, Scrimgeour's… mole within the Order reported odd things Dumbledore was doing and Scrimgeour decided to investigate."

"There's a mole in the Order?" said Ron in horror.

"This doesn't matter!" said Willow impatiently. "We need to get word to the Aurors in Hogsmede somehow."

"Why don't you go?" asked Harry.

"The Master knows about us. He'll be watching for any move."

"Could send an owl?" asked Harry. "I could write a note and use Hedwig…"

Willow shook his head. "No, the Master will have thought of that. He's probably keeping an eye on the owls. Might even be behind the missing ones!" he said with growing realisation.

"In that case, I'll use my broomstick, should be there in no time."

"That won't work, they'll be watching you too," pointed out Ron. "I'll go, my broomstick's upstairs." (3)

"Watch out for Malfoy," warned Harry. "He'll be out for blood now."

Willow pulled a quill and roll of parchment from out of his pocket and scribbled down a quick note. "Show this to Diggory, he'll understand what to do." he handed the note to Ron, who took it and headed for the door.

Suddenly it was flung open, revealing Argus Filch. "What's going on here?" he asked, eyeing Harry, Ron and Hermione suspiciously. "What are you up to?"

"Erm… visiting Harry." Ron blustered. "He had… an accident…"

"An accident?" asked Filch, glaring at Harry. "Didn't hear anything about an accident."

"That's because it just happened." said Willow, stepping forward. "Harry was taking extra Defence Lessons with me and was injured while trying a shield charm. He'll be fine in a little while."

"Ah, understood. Sorry sir." Filch seemed to have undergone a complete personality change since laying eyes on Willow, becoming more humble and grovelling. "I was merely informed that… that…" he tailed off, staring into space.

"Yes?" prompted Willow.

Filch shook himself out of his trance. "Nothing sir, just thought I heard a disturbance that's all."

"Who told you about what had happened?" asked Willow, staring into Filch's eyes intently. Was he trying occlumency?

"Disturbance sir?" said Filch vacantly. "Just heard a noise, that's all. Will leave you to it." He turned and walked out of the door as if in a trance.

"What was wrong with him?" asked Hermione in concern.

"Don't know…" said Willow in confusion. "His memory is all… fragmented. Couldn't make any sense out of it at all."

"Should we follow him?" asked Harry, eagerly starting to get out of bed.

"Yeah, maybe he's in on it!" said Ron eagerly.

"You two need to get to Hogsmeade." interrupted Willow. "Harry and I will follow Filch."

Ron and Hermione were soon on their way to Hogsmeade and Harry and Willow quickly caught up with Filch. He was wondering the corridors, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. "What's wrong with him?" asked Harry.

"Alteration to the memory by the looks of it," whispered Willow. "And whoever's done it doesn't seem to have done a good job. Its like his memory is constantly changing…" As they watched Filch reached a staircase and stopped, staring at it intently as if trying to remember if he had to go up to it. Eventually he seemed to decide that he did as began to ascend them. Harry and Willow hurried after him.

They followed Filch through several corridors. Every branch he came to he'd hesitate before choosing which corridor to head down. Harry noticed that as they went on the hesitations became briefer and briefer before eventually Filch was walking with great confidence.

"He seems to be getting better." muttered Willow. "Where could he be heading to? I don't recognise this area…"

"We're on the third floor, nearly at… nearly at the room where the Philosopher Stone was hidden!" said Harry, his voice rising as he had his little eureka moment. Immediately Filch spun around and Willow pulled Harry back out of sight. "Keep your voice down!" he hissed.

They waited in silence until Filch seemed satisfied and moved away. "Philosopher's Stone? What do yo mean?" asked Willow finally.

Harry quickly filled him in on what had happened in his first year (5). "Ron and Hermione said they tried to investigate the room before, but Filch chased them away!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

Willow grinned. "That's it, it has to be! The Master must have something hidden away there. We've got to-"

But Harry never found out what it was that they had to do because at that moment the sound of screaming around the corner drowned Willow out. As Harry and Willow listened in horror the screams were suddenly cut off by a sound that Harry had unmistakably never heard before.

Before he knew what was happening Willow was running towards the screaming and Harry charged after him, rounding the corner.

Aside from Willow, the corridor was empty.

"What happened?" cried Harry.

"I don't know, didn't see anything," said Willow, examining every inch of the corridor. "Which door leads to the passageway? We might not have much time!"

"It's that one!" shouted Harry, pointing at the correct door. Willow hastened over to it and treed the handle, but it was locked. He quickly pulled out his wand and and pointed it at the lock. A blue light began to shine on the lock accompanied by a loud buzzing sound. He remained in this position for around a minute, occasionally examining his wand before trying again.

Harry was about to ask what he was doing when he suddenly caught sight of two shapes at the far end of the corridor, almost invisible in the dim light. Harry slowly walked towards the shapes until finally he could make out what they were in the poor light. What he saw made him feel sick.

It was Crabbe and Goyle. They were slumped in the dark corner, both clearly dead. Harry stared at the bodies in horror. What could have happened to them? The look of utter horror on their faces showed that whatever had killed them had been too fast for either of them to react. But they were never seen without Malfoy, so where was he? Harry suddenly became aware of Willow standing next to him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered to the bodies, and then led Harry away. "Come on Harry, there's nothing you can do for them."

"But what could have done that to them?" asked Harry, hardly able to believe it.

"Something not of this world." said Willow coldly, heading back to the door and pointing his wand at it again. There was a click as the door unlocked suddenly. Harry and Willow looked at each other in a silent understanding. Whatever was in this room was what killed Crabbe and Goyle. Harry pulled out his wand and nodded to Willow, who slowly inched the door open.

They stepped inside.

Like the Chamber of Secrets, the passageway had changed quite considerably since Harry had last been inside it. There was, thankfully, no three-headed dog out for blood anymore. Instead the walls were covered in all sorts of alien machinery that Harry hadn't seen before - and definitely not the same as the machinery the Master had been using. There were several globes that lined the machinery that seemed to be what operated the machinery. The floor had been replaced by a strange, smooth metal. At the far end of the corridor was a simple, brick wall, looking oddly out of place amongst the alien machinery.

Harry and Willow crept quietly down the corridor, wands at the ready. All they could hear was a strange, rhythmic beat that resembled a heartbeat in the distance.

"There was a trapdoor leading down to the Stone," said Harry. "It was somewhere around here…" he reached the spot where he remembered seeing the trapdoor and knelt down, putting an ear to the ground.. The heartbeat seemed to be coming from below. "Could we get down there somehow?" he asked Willow.

"Here, let me." said Willow. He pointed his wand at the floor as Harry move out of the way. Suddenly the faint outline of the trapdoor appeared in the floor. "That's it!" cried Harry.

"No… that's just where it used be," said Willow, frowning in concentration as he tried to solve the puzzle before him.

Harry knelt back down again for a closer look, his back to the far end of the passageway. Suddenly behind him he heard a whirring sound. "Hey, what's that?"

He was about to turn to see what was happening but his gaze was fixed on Willow, who was looking over Harry in horror. "Harry - don't look behind you. Run. Just run!" he said urgently.

"What?

"RUN!" bellowed Willow. He suddenly raised his wand but before he could do anything else he was struck by a beam of energy and his body was illuminated so brightly that his skeleton briefly became visible, and his scream cut through Harry like a knife. The deadly beam died away and Willow's body crumbled to the ground, dead.

Harry leapt to his feet but before he could do anything the walls on either side of him slid open and before he knew it he was surrounded by four bronze, metallic, pepper pot-like machines.

"Do not move, do not move!" one of them ordered. "You are a prisoner of the Daleks!"

Appendix

(1) There is actually a seldom-encountered ghost in Hogwarts. Nobody knows what it is called or what it looks like, as only it's footsteps have been heard hurrying away as people approach seemingly-random locations within the school grounds. There are many theories as to what it could be, such as an invisible ghost who is incredibly nervous and shy, or a more traditional ghost as noted in several muggle books, but nothing has ever been confirmed.

(2) "Wait a minute!" I hear you cry. "That spell is from the Half Blood Prince's potion book! How can the Doc… er, Willow know it?" Well, who's to say that Willow hasn't read the book as well?

(3) By the 2050s Wizards were a lot more social and open with Muggles, resulting in several fusions of the two cultures (4). One such item was used by Muggles disguised as Wizards and was basically a shotgun disguised as a broom stick, called the 'The Boomstick'.

(4) But still no Wizardtronics sadly.

(5) If you need to be told what book to refer to for this reference, you've either clicked on the wrong story or are very confused about what's happening right now.