Neville flexed, breathed deeply, felt the fur that might soon cover his body. He plucked out one of his hairs, and stirred.
Cedric jumped, slashed with his wand, conjured shields, and somehow stood his ground against the entire sixth year of Hogwarts in defense class.
But the most difficult task fell to Hermione, who found herself in a dank room of the dungeons, sitting next to DRACO MALFOY because he was the LEAST UNPLEASANT PERSON THERE.
"I'm not sure I approve your methods, Lily." Albus frowned.
"But they do get results." Alastor paced, the eye of Vance rotating freely in its socket. "None of the buggers flinched when I pounced on 'em, and to hear his grandmother tell it, he would have flinched at a picture of me just last year."
Lily nodded, lips pursed.
"If I may, Headmaster," Severus drawled, "Wile Miss Granger's work is... unassailable, it is unclear what good the expansion of the potions club is doing for our cause."
"Surely you have deduced, Severus, that their purpose is to push Draco closer to Hermione." Albus sighed.
"Yes, and this is my point." Severus' eyes darted from Hermione to Lily.
"Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy hardly exchange two words to each other in a class when they work together."
"Were we much different in our first year?" Lily interjected. "Yet much came of that."
Snape cringed.
"Still, it wouldn't hurt to try a bit harder..." Lily's eyes drifted to Hermione.
"Really, Miss Potter!" Minerva stood. "I won't stand for this. You won't tell a student of my house to make friends with someone who may attempt to KILL her ANY DAY! You KNOW Lucius has increased his correspondence tenfold in the past weeks!"
Albus cleared his throat, and silence fell before any more yelling could commence.
"We are all tired. Perhaps it is best if we retire for tonight and discuss things in more depth tomorrow."
At this, Lily stalked off immediately, and was down the rotating stairs before anyone else could leave their chairs.
Slowly the others filed out, Minerva simmering, Hermione's head spinning, Severus with an overly controlled calm. Cedric was silent, but put his hand on Hermione's shoulder as they left.
Neville surprised himself with a thought-how little they had actually discussed, and how much he cared. How much he wanted to contribute.
Albus, alone in his office, spoke.
"You should not be so obvious about it. You know he has the stone and he knows I have the wand. To show him the cloak is to bait him with the immense power."
Lily shimmered into existence, a silvery cloak falling from her shoulders into a sleeve.
"Only Severus would guess. You told them you would tell them the prophecy. You did not."
"You already told them the prophecy, of course Miss Potter. And do you expect me to trust Snape? He is a pawn of the Dark Lord. The points are not unrelated."
Lily straightened at this. "Ah. Severus' loyalty to me is what keeps him from Voldemort, and you don't trust me."
"Not at all, my dear!" Albus chortled. "This is why I am allowing you to direct events! Severus MUST report on me to keep up appearances, even you cannot keep him from that. But a mismanaged campaign and the prospect of my senility will be better news for him to receive. With Flamel now dead at his hand in Brussels, it may even be news he will believe."
Lily's heart sank.
"And you don't trust Minerva to keep a secret. How did you talk the sorting hat out of tossing you in Slytherin, you old snake? Still, I hadn't heard about Nicolas. My condolences. In that case I may have rushed into things with Draco."
"Not at all my dear. I can send a letter to Gellert for you if you think it necessary."
"No, no, I can take care of it. So i you've delegated the hunt to me, what are you planning?"
"Not to be rude, but I'll give you two questions to answer your one. What are my greatest strengths?"
Instantly, "Hogwarts the chief warlock position, the elder wand, your work with Flamel, the lore you uncovered with Grindelwald."
Albus nodded. "Second; what do Rubeus Hagrid, Pomona Sprout, Sybill Trelawney, and the Nuremgard owl post policy have in common?"
Lily's brow furrowed and Albus smiled.