"When I return this evening, we will have a most esteemed guest with us and I expect you will all conduct yourselves with decorum and be polite," Greyback told his gathered pack. He was rewarded with the response he'd expected – outright hysterical laughter.

"Yes, yes, I was handing you all a load of shite, I do however expect you to remember that Potter is mine to do with as I please and none of you is to touch him unless I specifically tell you to. My dearest will be collecting the boy shortly and when they arrive, I will let the Malfoy brat go. Flint," Greyback turned, addressing the head of his guard, "you and Nott will follow Malfoy and make sure he reaches Hogwarts before killing him. Leave his body at the gates for them to find. If he will not join me, then there is no reason for his life to continue."

Marcus Flint nodded and smiled, "Sir would you like us to allow witnesses?"

"Yes, I believe witness would be acceptable this time." Ginny stretched on her toes and whispered something to her mate and he smiled at her before addressing his Captain again, "Flint, it has come to my attention that your mate is about to birth your first cub."

"Yes sir, she is due any day."

"And you do not ask to remain behind?"

"No sir. She knows my position means I may have to be away at the birth."

"My mate will attend her while you are gone and you may return immediately upon killing the boy."

"Thank you sir."

"Nott, you will remain behind and continue to watch the castle. If anyone makes to leave, notify me immediately."

Theodore Nott nodded and bowed as he stepped back to leave. He wasn't looking forward to killing Draco, who had always been his friend, but he figured Draco had brought this hell upon himself by not falling in line with Fenrir and by shagging Harry bloody Potter.

"Mum, I need to talk to you about Harry and…" Severus stopped in his tracks as he walked into the Headmistress' office. Sitting before her desk was a young lady who looked far older than she should have.

"Severus, please come in and sit. I believe you should hear this as well." She waited as the Potions Master took his seat next to the shaking girl before turning her attention back to the young lady, "Now, Miss Chang, you were saying…"

Cho Chang looked up at Minerva and then at Severus before finally explaining why she had come. "You see Professor I was taken during the battle by a werewolf and was forced to bond with him. He was killed in an attempt on Harry's relatives recently and Greyback stopped paying attention to me so I was able to smuggle information out to Percy Weasley about where we were and what was planned. Millicent and I had been planning to sneak away and lead you all back there so you could kill Greyback, but things have changed. Millie's gone round the bend now that Draco's arrived, so I snuck out and came here myself."

"What about Draco?" Severus demanded.

Cho jumped and squeaked in surprise, "Well, Greyback had Draco brought back to the den this morning and when Millie saw him she went crazy and demanded he be given to her for her faithful service to the wolf. He told her if she continued to do as she was told, Draco would be hers to play with as she wanted."

"So he's alright then?" Minerva asked carefully. She didn't want to hear bad news at this point, knowing her son would likely hex the girl just for delivering said news.

"He was when I left. I mean, he'd been hit some for upsetting Greyback, but he wasn't really hurt or anything."

"Were you followed?" Severus – ever the pragmatist – didn't trust this girl. It was all too easy.

"No sir, I wasn't. They'll be out looking for me soon though. I told my new mate I was going to the river for water. There's a new baby due soon and we're all meant to get ready for it."

"New mate? Surely you haven't been forced into another relationship?" Minerva demanded.

"Yes ma'am. I've been mated to Theo Nott now." Cho unconsciously slipped her hand over her stomach, "I'm also expecting, but not for some time yet. Penny's confinement is almost over now. She'll be giving birth any day."

"Penny who, Miss Chang?"

"Sorry Professor Snape, I meant Penelope Clearwater. She's carrying Marcus Flint's child. She was taken by him before the battle and she stopped trying to escape when she discovered she was pregnant. She was too afraid to go through it alone. With the pack, the rest of us women look out for her and we help each other with the young."

"Fine. You will remain here and we'll have Madame Pomphrey look you over. Thank you for all your help." Minerva walked to the floo and called for Poppy, explaining the situation and sending Cho through to the infirmary.

"Now sweetheart, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked turning to face Severus.

"Mum, we have to get to Draco before Harry gets it in his head to do something foolish. We believed that either Millicent Bulstrode or Pansy Parkinson could have been the one to take Draco. Having heard Miss Chang say that Millicent is working with Greyback, I would seem that she was the one; however, given her reaction when Draco arrived, I doubt she was. That would leave Pansy. We need to find her immediately."

"Severus, Pansy is in Egypt in hiding. She was promised to Rodolphus Lestrange and fled when the battle started and no one was looking. She contacted me just after Arthur's funeral to let me know where she'd gone. She wanted to know if it was safe to return. I told her to stay put for now."

"Then who would have gotten through the wards at the Manor? They were the only two females we couldn't account for that had access. Remus scented a female."

"Well, let's go share this new information with everyone and see what they make of it. Maybe we can get Narcissa to remember someone else who had access."

Harry stood at the gates and surveyed the area. He knew he would have only one shot at taking the messenger and was trying to determine the best placement for his traps. He'd planned on setting several spells around the area to trap the emissary so they could be questioned, but he knew the likelihood of being able to control his rage was slim to none at this point. He needed to think of a way to get the information needed without killing whoever showed up.

Deep in thought and plotting, he didn't hear Percy's approach, "Harry, you shouldn't be out here alone."

Harry jumped and drew his wand as he spun around, "Percy! I could have killed you just now."

Percy waited until Harry lowered his wand before stepping closer and answering, "I'm sorry, I thought you heard me coming. I believe I can help you find Draco."

Before Harry could question him, a doe suddenly appeared, "Harry come back at once. We have new information. Please do not put yourself in harm's way now. Draco would not approve."

Percy looked at Harry as the doe dissolved into the mist, "Was that Snape's voice?"

"Yes, that was his patronus. We need to go back. Come on, I want you to tell them all what you know." He flicked his wand at several trees, creating a perimeter of spells to hold the emissary in place once they arrived and then headed into the castle with Percy in tow.

The chamber was now full as the rest of the party guests had finally made their way there. Hermione and the Twins sat beside Narcissa, who watched Remus closely as he paced by the window. Severus and Molly stood by the fire quietly chatting and Ron, Charlie and Bill tried not to audibly gag when Molly and Severus touched or made eyes at each other.

When the door opened, the silence was deafening. Harry walked in and accepted a hug from Narcissa, who drew him close and didn't let go; but Percy remained in the doorway waiting to run. Molly grasped Severus' hand and stared at her son, the Twins both stood and Bill, Charlie and Ron all smiled.

"Welcome home git," Charlie said as he walked over to embrace his little brother. Moments later, they were engulfed in a sea of ginger heads as the remaining Weasley's welcomed home their lost member.

Once the welcoming died down, Harry – still gathered in Narcissa's arms – finally addressed his return. "Severus, you said there was new information?"

Severus brought everyone up to speed on the information Cho had delivered and listened as Percy gave them a description of the location of the pack den and where he believed they were holding Draco. It didn't sound as though he'd seen it first hand, but it was quite detailed and more than one person wondered where he was getting the detail from.

"Here's the map I was slipped the last time I saw Penny. It's been too long for me not to have heard from her so I assumed something had happened. She didn't tell me about the pregnancy so she must have always been glamoured when I met with her."

Percy looked heartbroken at the news that his love was about to give birth. He'd always assumed they would be married and have lots of children together. He only hoped he could save her when they stormed the den.

"Okay, so we need to figure out how to get Draco back and who took him." Harry withdrew from Narcissa's grasp and took her hand as he addressed Remus, "Remus, is it possible there could have been someone else there?"

"I don't see how. I only scented the one female."

"Is it possible the other didn't leave behind a scent love?" Narcissa asked softly.

Remus started pacing again, mumbling under his breath, and then stalked out of the room. Ron made to go after him but Narcissa stopped him, "Ronald, wait. I believe he has an idea. Give him a few minutes before going after him. Harry dear, if there was someone else there, who are you thinking it was?"

"My guess is it was someone Draco knew at some point. Maybe not well, but someone who had been on the property before and who knew how to hide themselves well. Someone with a lot of power," he said before being interrupted, "Or someone who could cloak their scent."

No one knew where the voice had come from, but they all knew it was Remus. "Wolf! Show yourself now," Severus demanded.

With a whisper, Remus appeared, standing behind Narcissa and Harry. Narcissa smiled at him and blew him a kiss before saying, "My cleaver wolf. I assume whomever else was there was also cloaked in some way then."

"Yes they were. And they would have to have some power behind them to cloak themselves that thoroughly to leave no trace behind. There are very few wizards who know the spells needed to become truly invisible. Also, the wards wouldn't have registered them if they were that cloaked, which would explain how they got in."

"It was Rabastan Lestrange," came the answer from the door. "Rabastan went to the Malfoy's and brought Draco back."

Remus grabbed the girl by the arm and inhaled deeply, "And why were you there?"

Shaking, Cho responded, "Because I was to help lure Harry away, but he wasn't in the room. Rabastan hit Professor Snape over the head and I stunned Draco. I thought we would go and find Harry then, but Rabastan grabbed Draco and headed out so I followed. He didn't cloak me like he had when we came in. He just cloaked himself and Draco. I think he forgot about me at that point. I went back and then left the first chance I had."

"Why in the bloody hell would you stun Draco? And what made you think you could lure me away from the Manor let alone him?"

"I was supposed to tell you whatever was needed to get you to come with me. Rabastan was plan B. I didn't want to do it, but I wasn't given a choice. Within the pack, you either follow orders or you die."

Remus showed Cho to a chair where she gratefully sank into the soft seat and waited to see what would happen next.

"Percy," Molly began, "how as Penny passing you the information you've gotten so far?"

"When she would go to the river for water or when she was out shopping, I would follow and take any opportunity to talk to her. She would sometimes leave things under rocks for me to get if she couldn't get alone."

"Miss Chang," Molly said turning to face the newest arrival, "how did you slip away?"

"I told Theo I was going to the river. It usually takes me a while because I'm not a good hiker and the area is very rough. Most of us take well over an hour to get there, fill the bags and get back."

"How long have you been gone?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Almost 2 hours."

"Well, you'll have to come up with a way to explain your absences. You need to go back and prepare them for our arrival. Any of the women who need medical help or who you think will want to leave, make sure they know what to do when we attack. If you know of any of the men who would work with us, you may talk to them as well. Get any help you can get and wait. We'll be there before midnight."

Ron recognised this Harry – this was the Harry that was going to do something really stupid, really soon. He led Cho out of the room and walked with her down to the gates. "Get yourself back safely. We'll get there as soon as we can. If you aren't comfortable talking with anyone or don't get the chance, get to them after the fighting starts. I need to get back. Thanks for your help."

Cho smiled softly and said, "You're welcome. I'll do the best I can." When she apparated, Ron ran back into the castle and found a war room had been established.

Harry and Severus were looking at a makeshift map they'd drawn up from Percy's descriptions and were trying to decide who would go where, while Molly, Narcissa, Hermione and the Twins were looking through spells for something that might help take down an entire pack of wolves.

Ron looked over the pages on the table and saw a patterns unfolding in front of his eyes. He quietly took hold of the map and shifted it directly in front of himself, grabbed a quill and some ink and began drawing lines, arrows and circles all over the page.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing Mr. Weasley?" Severus bellowed, annoyed at the gall the youngest Weasley boy had

"Severus, wait a minute. I've seen him get like this before. He's seeing something you aren't. Wait and see what he's come up with."

Severus smiled at Molly as she defended her son and nodded. He'd wait, but not long.

An hour later, Ron still hadn't spoken but was finally slowing down on the scribbling and Narcissa quietly drew Harry's attention away from the map, "Harry dear, it's almost sunset. What are you going to do?"

"Ron, what have you got?"

Ron looked up as though he'd just discovered there were others in the room and smiled at Harry. His eyes twinkled in a way that Harry had only seen when they were plotting to sneak out or sneak back into the school. He knew Ron had a plan and knew, without doubt, that it would work.

"Ron…"

"Okay, we're going to need all the men and at least Hermione and Narcissa for this but I think we can take them without having to fight much. If, and only if, everyone does what I say. Mum, I need you to stay here and take care of those that come back. If things go wrong, Poppy will need help, if things go right, we're gonna have prisoners who will need shelter and lots of Wolfsbane."

Molly nodded and left to check the potions stores in the infirmary and to talk to Poppy. Passing Minerva in the hall, she brought her up to speed and asked for her help getting the Ministry on board; they still weren't happy with Harry for the way the battle went.

Draco sat in the cold cell waiting to be dragged out and told that his life was ending. He didn't doubt that Harry would make every attempt to save him, but he just couldn't see how they would be able to get him out. He'd heard rumours about Greyback letting him go, but he knew his days were numbered.

He'd been trying to find a way out of the cell since being unceremoniously dropped on his arse there by one of Greyback's lackeys. He was glad Millie hadn't been given charge of his care, or he'd not have gotten a moments peace. After circling the room for the third time, he knew there was no door in the walls which meant the only way out, was up. The hole in the ceiling he'd been dropped through was just out of his reach; even jumping he couldn't quite reach it.

"Okay, so let's see what we have," he said talking to himself. "I'm stuck in a hole, no wand, no way to get out and a bloody crazy arse girl impatiently waiting to play with me. Yep, I'm in hell."

Draco leaned against the wall and slowly sank to the ground, wrapping his hands around the back of his neck as he bowed his head. It really was quite painful at the moment and he knew the headache wasn't going to get any better if he didn't find a way to ease the tension he was feeling.

"Damn Potter, how in the hell do we get ourselves into this shite."

"Really Draco, is it possible to round the bend that quick? You've only been here a couple of hours and you're already talking to yourself."

"Who the hell is that?" Then the voice clicked and Draco asked, disbelievingly, "Flint? Marcus Flint, is that you? What in the hell are you doing here?"

"My job. I'm the Captain of the guard here and you'll do well to remember to stay on my good side while you're here."

"From Voldemort to Greyback? Isn't that a little like jumping from the frying pan into the fire?"

"Smartarse. I follow the one who can give me what I want, and that's Greyback. Voldemort was a means to an end. Now, I've got a headache potion for you if you behave. If not, then I'll let you suffer until you leave."

"Flint, I know I'm not leaving here. I know I'm a dead man. What's the plan?"

"Right, like I'd tell you. What I will say is if your boyfriend does as he's told, you'll be going home in a couple of hours. Of course, he won't be, but you'll live to see your family again."

"Does Millie know this? Because she thinks I'm her new toy."

"I doubt the stupid bint would know what to do with you. Look," Flint lifted the grate above Draco's head and lowered himself into the hole, "here's the potion. Just take it and relax. You'll be seeing Hogwarts again soon."

Draco took the potion and watched as the grate was lowered and locked. He really wanted to take it, but didn't know who had made it and therefore didn't trust it.

Holding the phial in his hands and staring at the clear liquid, he thought about Harry and hoped he hadn't let his magic get out of control when he realised what had happened. He pictured Harry's face and the rage that would follow when he found Severus on the floor, hopefully still alive. He could almost hear his mother try to talk down Harry's rage and Molly reminding him to relax and focus his energy.

He smiled, a tear running down his cheek, as he pictured Harry trying desperately to find him. He wiped the tear away saying, "Since when did you become such a girl? Crying isn't going to help anything."

A tingling began to develop at the base of Draco's neck and as he rubbed the back of his neck he thought he could hear a tinkling of laughter. "Great, now I'm going crazy."

"Specialis Revelio….."

"Spec… what?"

"Specialis Revelio…."

"Yeah, I get that, but what the bloody hell is that for?" Draco mumbled as he continued to play with the phial. "I mean there's nothing in her to reveal…Oh, right. Um, thanks, whoever." Draco wandlessly cast the spell over the phial and discovered the headache potion was real and gladly swallowed it, feeling his head clear almost instantly.

"Right, now how do I get out of here, whoever you are?" Draco waited and the silence remained.