This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

The flight down to London was long and uneventful. The trio of Pokémon flew through the air unimpeded as the sky steadily darkened, Hermione keeping track of the various towns and cities they passed so as to be sure they were on the right track.

Eventually, with the sky so dark that only the lights of cars and street lamps could be seen below, they made it to London, where Ron took the lead.

London was enormous, and it was even more daunting in size from a bird's eye view, and though Ron insisted he knew what he was looking for and where to find it they were still in the air for some time before Ron, at last, found their target.

Charizard and Flygon followed Pig's lead as he descended to street level, soaring silently to alight in the centre of a large and mostly deserted car park, only a handful of vehicles present, sitting next to a rather formidable looking building.

"So, this is it," said Harry, watching as Ron and Ginny stiffly dismounted Pig.

"Thank god we made it," Hermione sighed in relief, a little green in the face. That was a damn sight better than Neville, though, who looked just about ready to throw up. Beside Harry Malfoy collapsed to the ground, bent double and wrenching. Ron sniggered.

"Alright, Malfoy?" He smirked. Malfoy glared. "Not a fan of flying?" Malfoy straightened up angrily.

"If humans were meant to fly they'd have wings," he said tersely. From behind Ron's back Hermione looked as though she reluctantly agreed with him.

"Come on," said Harry, allowing them only a brief moment to catch their breaths. He returned Charizard to his Pokéball and walked away, approaching the enormous building in whose shadows they'd landed. It loomed out at him in the darkness, many stories high and stretching out to the left and right. Some windows were lit, clearly there were late workers or those on a night shift, but most were dark. In front of him stood the atrium, visible through the glass front doors and lit up, though there didn't appear to be anyone in sight.

Harry pushed at the door. It didn't budge.

"I'm on it," Ron stepped forward, lock picking tools in hand, before he pulled up short. "Damn."

"What is it?" Hermione asked, moving forward to investigate. Neville, Luna, Ginny and Malfoy stood back and waited.

"There's no lock," Ron told them, his eyes flitting over the doorway. "It's all electronic. There's no key hole."

"So you can't get us in?" Harry asked. Ron shook his head worriedly.

"Then it's a good thing I came along," Malfoy spoke up, stepping forward smugly and sending a smirking look at Ron. "See, unlike Weasley, I have paid attention on my visits to the Ministry and I, unlike Weasley, can tell you that a staff ID card is required for access outside of normal working hours. Given the important role of the Ministry in our world there is always work to be done, no matter what the hour may be. A simple lock and key mechanism would not be sufficient."

"Shut it," Ron muttered darkly. "Unless you've somehow got a key card there with you then you can't get in either."

Malfoy took this in his stride. "I do not have a key card," he said. "Obviously."

"So shut up," Ron snapped, turning away to stare back at the glass door in front of them as though that were the end of the matter. "So, what do you reckon? Think we can just break our way in?"

"Not without setting off the alarms," Malfoy drawled. A vein pulsed dangerously in Ron's forehead. "They do have some security, you know."

"Then what do you suggest, Malfoy?" Ron snapped angrily. "I don't see you coming up with any big ideas."

"On the contrary, Weasley, I know exactly how to get in," Malfoy smirked and he pulled out a Pokéball. "Kadabra, come on out." The bipedal psychic type Pokémon immediately appeared before them and, on instinct, Harry's hand jerked towards Charizard's Pokéball.

"Kadabra is a very powerful user of psychic type attacks," Malfoy drawled slowly, not noticing Harry's response and clearly enjoying the frustration he was causing. Kadabra remained unthreatening. "Such attacks are capable of causing pain and suffering in people and Pokémon but also it is known that these attacks, when sufficiently powerful, can disrupt electronic equipment. At my command Kadabra can focus his attacks on the lock until he finds the right frequency to render it useless."

"Go on then," Ron growled. "Do it."

"Patience, Weasley," Malfoy smirked. "It is a virtue."

"Just do it, Malfoy," Harry told him, just about fed up himself with Malfoy's stalling. It didn't help his mood that his ribs were still sore from where Malfoy had clutched onto him for dear life the whole trip down.

"Easy, Potter, I'm getting there," Malfoy drawled. "Black's not going anywhere and if I were you I'd be a bit more polite. I am your only hope, after all."

Wham!

"Harry!" Hermione cried out in shock as Harry's fist connected firmly with Malfoy's jaw. The blonde boy stumbled, clutching his face in shock, and Harry grasped hold of his shirt to pull him up so they were looking face to face.

"Listen here, Malfoy," Harry hissed.

"You hit me," Malfoy complained, sounding much like a petulant child.

"And I'll do it again if you don't shut up," Harry told him, giving him a firm shake to reiterate his point. Malfoy fell silent. "I know you don't care and that you like to needle us but that's my godfather in there and if I don't get him out he's dead. So forgive me if I don't have time for your shit." He pushed Malfoy away, sending him stumbling. "Now open the door."

Malfoy glared at Harry.

"Fine," he said, through gritted teeth. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting those of his Kadabra, and immediately the psychic type Pokémon turned his attention to the key pad, a small red light indicating their lack of access, a raised spoon before him as he concentrated, hard.

It took about a minute, long enough for Harry to start doubting if Kadabra could do this at all, before eventually the door let out a loud buzz and the light turned green. Harry stepped forward and pushed open the door.

"Come on," he gestured them in, holding the door open for them. Malfoy went first, glowering as he passed, followed by Ginny, Neville and Luna.

"What was that?" Hermione hissed as she and Ron brought up the rear. "Why did you hit Malfoy?"

"Because he deserved it," Harry said simply. Hermione scowled but she didn't contradict him.

"Well you shouldn't have done it," she told him sternly.

"Yeah, you should have let me do it," said Ron, cracking his knuckles and scowling menacingly over at Malfoy.

"You get next time," Harry promised, much to Hermione's annoyance, before he looked past her and out into the Ministry car park. "What about Flygon?"

Flygon was waiting outside, the ground and dragon type perking up at the sound of his name, and Hermione was quickly distracted from her complaints about his treatment of Malfoy. She turned back to look at the Pokémon.

"I don't know," she muttered.

"You should take him," Ron told her. "He's already proved useful. Can't hurt to have a little more fire power on our side." Hermione hesitated.

"I've got his Pokéball," she revealed, pulling it from her belt. "I couldn't give it up after Vibrava left." She looked up at Flygon.

"Go on," Ron encouraged. "Ask him."

Hermione stepped forward.

"Flygon, I know you have your own life now and I can't expect anything from you," she said in a rush. "But will you… join my team?" Flygon nodded without hesitation. "Okay, then, Flygon, return." And Flygon disappeared in a flash of red light.

"Can we get on with it," Malfoy complained, looking sour. "I thought you were against wasting time." Harry didn't bother responding to the complaint. Instead he waited as Hermione moved past him and then let the door swing shut. The light in the keypad became red once more.

"Okay, Malfoy, where are the holding cells?"

Malfoy sneered. "Follow me."

Malfoy took the lead, walking them across the entire length of the atrium and giving Harry the opportunity to look around. It appeared the atrium took up most of the ground floor and in the centre it rose up right to the very top of the building, glass reflecting the light from inside back down on them. Walking across the open space Harry felt horribly exposed.

Malfoy led the group across towards a bank of elevators, pressing the button to call one. The elevator doors opened immediately, clearly no one was using them, and all seven students wedged themselves inside.

"Whoever is next to the buttons press '-1'," Malfoy instructed, not bothering to hide his disgust at being packed in with them. Ginny was closest and the elevator doors closed again.

"'-1'?" Hermione repeated. "Isn't that just one floor down?"

"Yes, Granger," Malfoy grumbled.

"Then why didn't we just take the stairs?" Hermione asked, annoyed.

"This is the way," Malfoy growled. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Ron snorted.

"Trust you?" He repeated, though his words were somewhat muffled by the fact he was stuck half turned away between Neville and the back wall. "When was the last time that happened?" Thankfully the doors opened at this point and Malfoy roughly pulled himself free, dusting down his rumpled clothes.

"The stairs are on the other side of the building," he said coolly. "It would have taken us twice as long." And he walked on down the corridor.

Floor -1 was quite clearly underground, which only made sense considering where they'd come from. There were no windows, the hallway lit only by a series of low level orange lights, and beyond that there wasn't much else to see. A dark staircase disappeared down to the left halfway along the corridor but Malfoy walked right past it without giving it any notice, walking straight down the corridor confidently to the very end where sat a single, unmarked black door. Malfoy pushed it open.

"This is where things become complicated," he spoke and Harry could see why. The room they had entered was just as unmarked and featureless as the corridor outside. The only difference was that this room, shaped as a circle, was home to a set of twelve handleless doors, again lit by dim lights set between them, this time electric blue.

Harry turned to Malfoy. His face looked strained.

"Which way now?" He asked. Malfoy frowned.

"I'm thinking."

"You don't know?" Harry asked in disbelief. Malfoy shot him an annoyed look.

"It's not so easy," he said. "If I remember correctly from what father told me we need to go to the room directly across from us so…"

"Wait, wait, wait a minute," Ron spoke up. "What do you mean, 'from what father told me'?" Malfoy looked uncomfortable. "You've never been here, have you?"

"Of course I haven't, why would I be consorting with criminals," Malfoy snapped, though he twitched anxiously. "I may not have been here before but father gave me detailed directions."

"Then why didn't you just tell Harry?" Ginny piped up. "Why didn't you just explain what your father told you?" Malfoy spluttered.

"I'd like to point out that you wouldn't even have gotten this far without me," he snapped.

"But it is suspicious," Hermione pointed out, her tone somewhat accusatory. "At no point did you mention your dad had given you directions. For that matter, why was he even giving you directions?"

"It is unusual," Luna agreed. Neville nodded firmly.

Malfoy looked like a deer caught in the headlights as the five students fixed accusatory looks at him.

Harry sighed.

"Enough," he said. "It doesn't matter how Malfoy knows the way. Come on, Sirius's life is in danger." He turned to Malfoy. "You think it's this way?" Malfoy nodded.

The room Harry walked into was unlike any cell room Harry had imagined. The whole room seemed to be alive, glinting with gold, so much brighter than the outer chamber or the hallway beyond, and as soon as the door was opened the sound of ticking from at least a hundred clocks filled the air.

"Are we going the right way?" Neville asked nervously, following Harry through the door.

"Yes," Malfoy said definitively. "This is exactly as father described. There should be a door somewhere." He craned his neck. "There. That way."

Ron, who was closest, moved to the door.

"Ow!"

Harry frowned and hurriedly moved through the rows of clocks, unable to see what had stopped Ron in his tracks though comforted by the fact that the redhead was still standing, if holding his belly rather tenderly. Pushing past Neville and Luna he reached Ron's side.

In front of him hovered a small, metallic blue Pokémon, a single eye at the top morphing into what appeared to be a single clawed foot. Harry rummaged around in his pocket and pulled out his Pokédex.

"Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokémon. The magnetic force generated by its body repels the ground's natural magnetism, letting it float."

"A Beldum," Hermione said interestedly, moving through the aisles to get a good look. "Those are very rare Pokémon. I wonder what it's doing here."

"It tackled me," Ron complained.

"Nonsense," Hermione told him. "Beldum don't know the move Tackle. The only move they can use before they evolve is Take Down."

"Fine, but it doesn't explain why it's using it on me," Ron complained.

"Why, isn't it obvious?" Luna said serenely. "He wants to be your friend."

He certainly wasn't acting aggressive. Since he'd attacked Ron he'd done nothing more than hover there, expressionless, though admittedly it was hard to imagine how a Beldum could show emotion.

"My friend?" Ron repeated doubtfully.

"I suppose it could just be being friendly," Hermione suggested uncertainly. "I imagine this must be quite exciting, having people here at night, especially if Beldum lives here full time."

"Perhaps," Harry agreed but his mind was wandering. Beldum appeared to be friendly, or at least non-aggressive, but if there was one Pokémon down here then there was almost bound to be others. And what sort of cell didn't have a guard?

Now that they were getting close Harry's worries began to increase.

Meanwhile Ron was getting impatient.

"I don't care if he wants to be friends or not, he's in my way," he argued. "And who's to say he's not doing it on purpose. Look." Ron moved forward, attempting to go around the steel and psychic type, but Beldum pushed back. "See."

At the other end of the room Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"Like many times before it appears that the Gryffindors have been stymied by the most insignificant of hurdles," he drawled and he walked around towards the door, taking a different route from Ron and bypassing Beldum completely. "There's more than one way past an obstruction, Weasley." He pulled open the door. "Shall we?"

The rest of the students followed Malfoy's lead, taking other paths, of which there were many, and bypassing Beldum completely. Ron, ears burning, brushed Beldum aside roughly to follow them, leaving the Pokémon behind, watching as they walked through the door.

The room they appeared in was enormous and again was in stark contrast to the room they'd just left. It was dark, Harry couldn't see how far the room stretched, filled with aisle upon aisle of shelves, upon which sat hundreds of little specs of blue light, the only source of light of any kind in the whole room.

"What are they?" Hermione asked, looking around the room in wonder. Harry thought he knew and he stepped forward down the closest aisle for a better look.

"Time plants," he said. He'd been right to recognise the mystical blue glow of the fascinating constructs.

"Time plants?" Neville questioned, walking nervously after him down the aisle. "What are they?"

"I've only seen one once," Harry admitted, moving from one time plant to the next, marvelling in the way each of them were distinct from the others. "Dumbledore had it. I walked in on his office once and accidentally used it."

"And what does it do?" Ginny asked interestedly.

"Records things," Harry told her. "I don't know how it works exactly but I got the impression from Dumbledore that you could keep one in your pocket and then use it to rewatch things that had happened while you had it with you. When it's activated it produces this blue, glow field and plays out, well, memories, essentially."

"So what do you think these are for?" Hermione asked interestedly. "Record keeping?" Harry shrugged.

"I suppose so," he said. "I always thought they would be more rare than that but there are markings on the shelves." He pointed.

"Is it some sort of code, do you think?" Hermione wondered, moving closer to inspect the plaque Harry was pointing to.

"Not one I can understand," he replied. "But I'm sure these are names. 'A. Thomson', 'J. C. Black'."

"Looks like it," Hermione agreed. "And those letters could be initials."

Meanwhile Ron had wandered past them, looking out into the darkness ahead.

"I don't like this," he murmured, turning back to them. "I don't see the Ministry keeping prisoners down here. Can you see aurors marching murderers and thieves through any of these rooms?"

Harry could not and the unease he'd been feeling the moment of their arrival at the Ministry grew. Ron was right, the Ministry would never hide criminals down here.

And his suspicions were confirmed by Neville's next words. "Where's Malfoy?"

Draco Malfoy was gone. Even as they all turned on the spot to look Harry knew none of them would find him. He had led them down here, and now Harry realised the true reason why.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out. He felt sick. "I'm so sorry."

"Harry, what…?"

"It's a trap," he said and as he did so he saw the colour drain out of each of their faces. "We shouldn't have come here."

A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To DelugeLeader 666: Palindromes are interesting and I remember I once did a quiz to try and find all the palindrome Pokémon names. The only one's I remembered of the top of my head were Eevee (as you said) and Girafarig. I've looked it up so I know there are more so if anyone would like to see if they can figure them out (without googling) put your suggestions in the reviews.

Thanks to those of you who answered last chapter's question of the day. There were just a couple, one saying they would be in Horned Serpent and the other saying Thunderbird, although the reviewer who originally asked the question said they were a mix of both Horned Serpent and Thunderbird.

For this chapter's question of the day I'm going to ask something that has a lot to do with this current chapter.

QOTD :- Do you prefer Draco Malfoy to be a Hero or a Villain in fan fiction?

First off I'd like to say your answers to this will have no impact on what happens with Draco in this story. I've already got that completely planned out.

My answer is that I don't necessarily prefer one way or the other.

I like the idea of Draco fighting alongside Harry because of the sort of dynamic you can have between the two characters, and I've seen this done very well in other stories. On the other hand there are so many stories out there where Draco is made to seem just tragically understood, loads of them pairing him with either Hermione or Harry, and sometimes it annoys me since, in the books, Draco was incredibly mean and outright hateful to both of them. I know what you do as a child doesn't define your whole life but so many of these stories seem to simply ignore his bad qualities and pretend they never happened for the sake of righting this eternally good, tragically misunderstood hero.

On the other side I also think Draco is a great antagonist for Harry in school and I like how they can both grow up at the same time but on opposite sides, making every conflict between them a mostly level playing field. On the other hand a lot of stories just simplify Draco's character to spoiled rich kid that Harry gets to beat to make him seem even better. Although I suppose this criticism is simply one of being annoyed by bad writing. Spoiled brats are perfectly fine characters if they are well written.

To sum up I'd say that there is a huge amount of grey area between heroes and villains and for me Draco falls directly into that, meaning he can make both a good hero and a good villain.

So what do you think? Do you love Draco Malfoy or do you see him more as a bigoted child who is simply a bully? Let me know in the reviews.