A/N: I am sooooooooooooooooo sorry that it's taken me nearly a month to get this next chapter out. September, May and June are my craziest months at school, and this year has been no different. I'll be very glad to see summer hit. In any case, thank you for sticking with me on this wild ride. We're now about 2/3 of the way through the story, and I promise that my next update won't take as long as this one did (I have exams to draft up this weekend, but once they're done I'll be able to focus a lot more on my writing). I'm also hoping to reply (stupidly late, I know) to some of the lovely reviews I've been left for this story (again, once I get through this weekend, life should lighten a fair bit). Hope everyone's still enjoying the tale. :)

*** 21 – Liz's Plan ***

Everyone in the room was staring at Blaise, in complete disbelief that he would even consider this mission for a second. Liz knew better though. Something inside her told her that he wanted no part in this, but there was something he wasn't telling them. There was more to this than he was letting on.

"Blaise?" she started, drawing silence to the room. "What aren't you telling us?"

Blaise shifted uncomfortably on his feet, staring at her the whole time. "You're not the only one I'm to look for while I'm here."

"Who else?" Remus questioned.

Blaise refocused his eyes on the blonde sitting next to Liz on the couch. "I'm not only supposed to find and lure Liz back to the facility, but I'm also to use my former connections to track down and capture Draco Malfoy."

Ginny nearly fainted at this, and Harry held onto her tight. "Why?" she whispered weakly.

"They've had their eyes on him for years now, ever since Isabel was born. They knew you were strong in school, but since she came into the world, they've been watching your power grow."

"But my power hasn't grown," Draco argued.

"Not that you're aware of," Blaise countered.

"I think I'd know if my power had increased." Draco was now getting angry that the focus had shifted onto him. He wanted to figure out a way to keep Liz safe, not worry about himself.

"I would have to disagree, Mr. Malfoy." All eyes fell to Dumbledore at that statement. "It's entirely possible for your powers to have strengthened themselves without your knowledge, if your catalyst has been absent from the equation."

Confused stares came from everyone. "Sir?" Harry started. "What do you mean?"

Dumbledore turned to the other young man on the couch. "Harry, when you think back to the battles you fought, when did you yourself feel stronger? In times such as when you battles Voldemort for the Philosopher's Stone? Or when you fought against Lucius Malfoy in the Department of Mysteries for the Prophecy? I do not mean in terms of your magical knowledge, but your inner strength."

Harry thought on this for a moment. "In the Department of Mysteries."

"And why do you think that was?"

"Because I wasn't alone."

"Exactly. And now, think of your Quidditch years. Which were the years that you felt strongest about your performance when you were part of the team?"

"Fifth and Sixth years, when I was playing at least."

"Correct again."

"But what does that have to do with my powers growing?" Draco demanded impatiently.

"Everything, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore rose and walked to where Harry ws sitting. Placing his hands on his shoulders, he went on. "One last question Harry. In all your fights against Voldemort, which battle scared you the most?"

"Second year," he replied without hesitation. "In the Chamber of Secrets." He squeezed Ginny's hand at the memory, and Dumbledore grinned.

"Thank you Harry. Now, Mr. Malfoy, you've had your share of adventures as well. Which one had you most frightened?"

"Seventh year, with the Death Eaters in the woods."

"Not your fight that night on the AstronomyTower?"

Draco thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, sir."

"As I expected, which further cements the theory that I'm about to present." Everyone was now extremely curious. "In all of the cases we spoke of with Harry, his strengths and fears, there is one common element."

"Age?" Neville asked.

"Experience?" Tonks offered.

"Sense of humour?" joked George.

"Ginny!" Ron exclaimed.

"What?" she asked, thinking he was just trying to get her attention and upset that he was distracting her from the conversation at hand.

"You're the link! You weren't there for the Philosopher's Stone, but you were at the Department of Mysteries with us. You joined the Quidditch team in Harry's fifth and sixth years, and you were the one that Harry had to save in the Chamber of Secrets."

"Very good, Mr. Weasley, you are correct." Dumbledore moved over along the couch, now standing behind Ginny. "Our dear Mrs. Potter is indeed partly to be thanked for Harry's strength. She is his other half, his soulmate, and her love for him has helped his power evolve. And the same can be applied to you Mr. Malfoy."

"Are you saying that Hermione is the catalyst for my power?" Draco asked, as Liz squeezed his hand.

"Yes Mr. Malfoy, that is what I'm saying."

"But if she's the source, then how have could my powers possibly have grown? She's been missing for years."

"That may be the case physically, but you have still had part of her with you over the years."

"How?"

"Isabel," Liz whispered as Dumbledore's clues fell into place. "She's a part of me that stayed with you."

"Top marks as always my dear." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at her deduction. "Your daughter, who is so similar to you in many ways, has helped to strengthen Draco's abilities in your absence. However she cannot complete the transformation, as she is not fully you. But because she is a part of you, Draco's soulmate, a change can be seen, which is why they're now looking for him."

"But why am I their only target? Why not someone like Harry who's had his soulmate at his side for years?" Draco asked.

"Because Harry, though he may not have realized it at the time, reached his full potential in his second year of school, when Ginny became a major part of his life. He still needed schooling and practice to fully harness his power, but it has became present in him that year. He was at his strongest in his sixth year when they began their relationship, and he has stayed strong ever since.

"You were a different situation, Mr. Malfoy. Hermione became a part of your life when you were eleven, and because of your dislike for her at the time and your refusal to give her a chance, your power developed albeit at a slower rate. When you switched sides before your seventh year, and the two of you grew closer, your inner strength made its presence known and truly began developing. But when your wife was taken from you, your strength diminished dramatically. Since then, your time with your daughter has helped to build it back up. Now that you have your soulmate back again, your powers will have leapt back to the level they were at before she left."

"Does this mean that we need our soulmate with us to succeed magically?" Luna asked.

"No Miss Lovegood. Your power is still your power, and you can learn enough to get on without a soulmate. They just make things easier. In a sense, a soulmate amplifies one's powers."

"Is it the same for us?" Liz asked, pointing to herself and Ginny.

"Yes my dear, it does go both ways, which could partly explain your progression through seven years of magical studies in the span of a week." Dumbledore winked at her and Liz blushed.

"So they want you to capture both Hermione and Draco, and bring them to the facility in Canada?" Molly confirmed, addressing Blaise.

"Not quite," Blaise replied. "I'm to take them in, yes, but they would go to a new facility that's been set up in France. It's apparently a bit different than the one in Canada."

"How so?" Arthur asked.

"I really don't know," Blaise answered apologetically. "I've known of its existence for a while, but all other information was on a need-to-know basis only. Now that I'm to bring them there, I can ask freely about it as it won't look suspicious."

"But we're not even thinking about letting them go there!" Minerva had an appalled tone to her voice.

"No, but I'm going to need help thinking up a good excuse for not doing it. They know my ties to them, and know that this shouldn't be a problem. That's why they picked me for this."

"Then let's just remove Blaise from the project," Harry suggested.

"Are you mad?" Remus countered. "It took us forever to get someone into their ranks, and set up the level of responsibility, duty and trust that Blaise has with them. If we pull him out now, it could be years before we get someone new in there!"

"And who knows what kind of monstrous advancements they could make during that time," added Poppy.

The room was alive with angry debates as everyone tried to come up with a feasible plan. Liz sat quietly during all this, lost in her thoughts. She had a plan, but knew it would not go over well with everyone. But maybe, with a few modifications, it just might work.

"I have an idea," she whispered, but the commotion in the room was too loud for her to be heard. "I have a plan," she tried, a little louder this time. Still no response.

Frustration growing, Liz dropped Draco's hand and jumped to her feet. "I have an idea!" she shouted. Silence fell over the room as everyone looked at her sheepishly.

"Thank you," she said in a softer tone. "Now I know that you're not going to like this idea, but based on what I've heard here today, it seems to be the only thing we can do."

"What do you have in mind?" inquired Tonks.

Liz sighed deeply, and braced herself. "I need to go back to them," she started.

An explosion of outraged sound filled the room, with everyone voicing their disapproval. Sighing again, Liz pulled out her wand and pointed it at the group.

"Silencio!" she shouted, and the room went forcibly quiet. Proud of herself for mastering this spell so quickly and efficiently, Liz pocketed her wand and gave them the trademark Malfoy smirk she'd been working on lately. "Now, if you'd all just let me finish explaining my plan, I'll be more than willing to listen to any concerns or suggestions you may have, as it does need some refining. Is that all right with everyone?" Nods were seen from all heads present, so she continued.

"As I was saying, I need to go back for a variety of reasons." She took note of the angry glares she received, but opted not to comment. "The main reason being so that Blaise doesn't lose his cover. If we really want to get rid of them, we need someone on the inside who knows their way around. Remus is right, removing him would be a huge setback, and it's a sacrifice I'm not willing to make. Therefore, it seems that the only thing we can do is to either hide me forever which is completely out of the question, or send me back."

Ginny raised her hand patiently as everyone else struggled against their lack of voice. Liz waved her wand towards her friend as she whispered, "finite," to lift the spell.

"Thank you," Ginny said softly. "But do you really think that they, or we for that matter, will let you go walking back in on your own?"

"Hardly," Liz replied. "That'd be way too easy. No, what I propose is a set-up. They're obviously tracking me, and since he's now on two very important missions I'd be willing to bet that they're tracking Blaise too. What we need to do is stage an encounter between the two of us, so that it looks like Blaise is following orders. We'll arrange to meet a second time, and at that meeting, he'll take me back. As for you all letting me go, you will because you know I won't be alone."

"I know that Blaise will be with you, but he can't be around you 24/7. You'll be defenseless."

"But I know something they don't."

"What?"

"I know that I can do magic again, and with a bit of training, I won't need my wand to do it. I've already proven that."

"That's still not enough though. What if they have found a way to prevent you from doing magic?"

"Here's where the latest development comes in handy," Liz said cryptically. She swept her wand in Draco's direction, freeing him from the silencing spell. He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it. "You're coming in with me."

"What?" questioned Ginny and Draco at the same time.

"Blaise would look really good if he managed to bring both of us in, which would probably give him better access to the new facility. Plus, if you're there too, I've got someone who I know is on my side."

"What can I do there?"

"To them, I still don't remember my past, which is probably bad for them. It'd be better if I could remember magic, because it'd be easier for them to tell when I lose it. You'll try to jog my memory when you see me, but I'll be afraid of the 'stranger'. I'd bet money that they'll keep us together in the hopes of you helping me to remember everything."

"As much as I hate to admit it, she does make a good point," Blaise commented. Everyone turned to him, shocked to see that he'd shaken off her spell. He grinned modestly. "Wordless magic," he explained before getting back to the task at hand. "But they will most likely keep you together as much as possible for that reason."

"You'd have strength in numbers," Ginny offered. "Blaise could keep his eye on you both, but at least you'd have each other."

"And what about Isabel?" Molly demanded angrily, after she had broken out of the silencing charm they way Blaise had. "What will happen to her while both her parents are off putting themselves willingly into danger?"

Liz was sweetly surprised. It was the first time that Molly had acknowledged the situation (Liz actually being Hermione). It was Draco who responded to the question. "Isabel will be fine here. She's been alone when I've gone on missions in the past."

"I'll watch her," Ginny said. "I'm not planning on doing anything remotely dangerous for a long time," she added, glancing lightly at Harry. When everyone looked at her, puzzled, she looked at Harry again and he nodded. "Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to let everyone know."

"Let everyone know what, Gin?" Ron asked, confused.

Ginny took a deep breath, and a huge smile spread across her face. "I'm pregnant," she announced happily.

Silence permeated the room yet again as Liz reached over and hugged her friend. As she let go and moved onto Harry, the room came back to life with cries of joy. Molly and Arthur were crying, while Ron and George just looked shocked. Everyone else was chatting happily and congratulating the couple.

Once she'd finally finished hugging everyone, Ginny wiped the joyful tears from her eyes and turned back to Draco. "So don't worry about that little angel upstairs, she'll be fine here." He gave her a grateful smile, and another hug.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, back to the task at hand, I must admit that Miss Cooper's plan has significant merit, despite my reservations about sending her back into the fire. However, knowing that both Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini will be there with her does give me comfort. We must start preparing immediately."

As the group dispersed, Liz heard several people muttering to themselves while walking. One voice though, was prominent against all the others.

"I still don't like it," Molly commented loudly.

"You may not like it," Kingsley argued, causing Liz to smile proudly. "But you can't deny that it is a good plan."