I'd like to thank thekingofsweden1, rpeh and brianna-xox for beta reading. Their work and diligence has improved the story a lot.

Chapter 11: The Department of Mysteries

London, Diagon Alley, September 8th, 1999, 00.55 hours

"My brother Percy needs help!" Ron Weasley shouted, jumping up.

Hermione was on her feet at once, drawing her wand.

He held up his hand, casting a Shield Charm. "He doesn't know you, he might attack you by mistake."

He saw her freeze for a second, and he thought there was a flicker of understanding on her face when he disapparated.

Ron appeared in Percy's room, in the middle of a fight. His shield was hit by two spells, a Stunner and a Body-Binding Curse, before he could react. He managed to drop to the ground before a third spell hit him, and whipped his wand around.

"Stupefy!"

His own stunner hit a man in drab robes near the door who had been about to curse him again. Then his shield was shattered by a Piercing Curse from the witch near the door, protected by a blue shimmering shield of her own.

"Protego!"

Ron managed to shield himself in time and the witch's next curse splashed harmlessly against his Shield Charm. He rolled to the side, casting a Bludgeoning Curse at her, which was stopped by her Shield Charm. Her next spell missed. His didn't, and the woman went down, bound in conjured ropes. He stunned her for good measure while he got up.

A stone wall was dividing the room in two, and a dead tiger was on the floor. Spells were flashing behind the wall. Percy! He aimed his wand at the wall.

"Finite Incantatem!"

The wall disappeared, and he saw Percy behind an animated armoire and the remains of his bed, exchanging spells with a robed and masked assailant who was protected by what looked like an ape made of rock, whose leg was stuck in the ground and whose right arm was melting. The man glanced at him, and Ron could see his eyes widen right before his own curses tore into the wizard. A few spells later, the attacker was down for the count, and the ape had been dealt with.

"Are you hurt?" Ron asked.

"Bruises and a few cuts. They wanted to capture me, not kill me," Percy answered, standing up and dismissing his animated defense. He aimed his wand at the debris on the floor. "Reparo."

While Percy's bed was restored, Ron checked on the attackers. All were still unconscious, and he bound them for good measure. "Where's Tonks?" The metamorphmagus should have been here by now.

"She's out in muggle London to prepare more safe houses," Percy said, "she can't apparate back to Diagon Alley without tipping the Obliviators off."

"Ah." Dumbledore hadn't told him anything about imminent movements of the Order to muggle Britain, but it made sense to prepare so they could move in quickly - or as quickly as muggle travel allowed.

"We need to interrogate them. Find out why they attacked," Percy said. "If they are hired help, then someone will be monitoring the building too."

Ron nodded. "I'll be right back."

He apparated back to his room in the Leaky Cauldron, and found himself staring at the glowing tip of Hermione's wand. "Ah… we're both OK."

"What happened?" Hermione asked, lowering her wand. She didn't look too happy. Ron wouldn't have been happy in her place either.

"Three people broke into his room, trying to kidnap him. We're about to interrogate them, find out what they know."

Hermione nodded and transfigured her brown Wand robe into a black robe with red trim fit for a night out in the alley, the stared at him. It was obvious she expected to come with him this time.

Ron didn't try to persuade her otherwise. He pulled out his mirror, to inform Percy that he'd be bringing a friend. His brother didn't seem surprised in the least, he noted with some jealousy. Percy had always been the smartest of the Weasleys.

Stashing the mirror again, he held out his hand to her so he could side-along apparate her.

"You must be Hermione. Percy Weasley, at your service," Ron's brother said, bowing with a flourish as if he was at a ball at Beauxbatons.

"Wand-Leader Hermione."

At least his girlfriend didn't seem to be impressed by Percy, Ron thought. He pointed at the three captives. "We've been expecting something like this, for a while."

Hermione pulled out a vial.

"Veritaserum?" Percy asked.

Hermione nodded. Ron swallowed a sarcastic comment - what else could it be?

The interrogation didn't reveal anything useful. The three had been hired in Knockturn Alley, to kidnap the 'scholar'. They didn't know their employer, and hadn't seen his face. They just had a way to contact the man, to set up a meeting once they had secured Percy.

"They have no idea that I'm working with the DoM," Ron's brother said. "Which means they didn't deal with the surveillance the Unspeakables have me under."

"They're expendable. The skilled people fooled or removed the surveillance. Unless this is a test by the Unspeakables," Ron said.

"That's unlikely. If they suspected anything, they could have simply interrogated me in the Ministry," Percy said.

"But now the Unspeakables will know something is not as it seems," Hermione pointed out. "If their surveillance was defeated - or if they lost people watching you - then they'll know you have had help. After such an incident, they'll interrogate you just to be certain nothing happened."

Percy nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Even with the privacy spells having kept them from noticing what went on in here, they'll suspect. I think it's best if I disappear - with the 'burglars'. That will keep whoever is behind this as well as the DoM wondering exactly what happened."

"What about your mission?" Ron asked.

"I've accomplished most of it. With Miss Hermione's help available, my own position is not as crucial."

Ron nodded.

Neither of the two wizards mentioned that this would mean a few of the drastic plans involving the more lethal inventions of the twins were now off the table. Ron was glad, even if it meant he'd have to take bigger risks. But he knew Hermione would never forgive him - or let him live - if he took part in blowing up the Ministry where her friends lived.

London, Ministry of Magic, September 8th, 1999, 12.20 hours

Four hours of sleep wasn't enough, Wand-Leader Hermione knew that. But with the attack on Ron's brother, and the need to get him out of Diagon Alley unseen, and without leaving traces in the Obliviator office, she hadn't had any choice. Well, Ron had thought that he and Percy could handle it, but Hermione had refused to leave them. Not with the potential danger of assassins in the employment of the Minister or the Department of Mysteries out there.

And now she was facing a lunch 'meeting' with Draco Malfoy. She downed a Pepper-Up potion. It would keep her wits sharp for a few hours - long enough not to hex the wizard. Hopefully.

The lunch meeting was in his office, of course. The Minister's son wouldn't be seen dining with a muggleborn in public. She arrived at the door, five minutes early as usual. Sally-Anne was standing guard outside. The two Wands exchanged a glance, and Hermione knocked.

She was familiar with the office, from her tour as a guard. It hadn't changed much, apart from the small table added to the side. Far too small for a business lunch, there was hardly enough room for the plates and cutlery. Malfoy certainly had other things in mind than work, though why he didn't simply 'invite' her to his bedroom, Hermione didn't know. Yet.

"Hello Hermione," Draco said, smiling widely.

"Hello, sir," she answered, "Here is my report." She pulled out a thick scroll from her expanded pocket.

"We can go over it after lunch. During lunch." He gestured to the small table. "Please have a seat."

He was acting as if she was a pureblood witch, Hermione realised. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Her first impulse was to check for a Confundus Spell. While she nodded slowly, she stared at his eyes. They looked focused, sharp. That didn't match the usual signs. His smile looked natural too - polite, with a hint of arrogance and glee. But once again, seeing that aimed at a Wand, at her… she took her seat, feeling on edge.

Draco looked to the side. "Dobby!"

At once, a house-elf in a towel appeared, carrying covered plates.

"Young Master!", the creature squeaked, and the meals floated to the tables. "Dobby brought the first course!" A snap of his fingers later, the covers were lifted.

"An amuse-bouche," Draco explained. "Just to tease the palate."

Hermione nodded. She was familiar with the term - Ron had gone into detail about French cuisine, which she recognised in retrospect as a sign that he had spent more time in France than he had claimed - but to see it served to her… Something really was not right. She wanted to focus on the report, but he hadn't even glanced at it yet. Which indicated that he didn't really care about it. Which, in turn, meant that it was just a pretext to get her into his office.

Which once again made no sense. He used to simply call her to 'guard' him in his bedroom.

"You look ravissante today, if you pardon my forwardness."

"Thank you sir," she answered, then ran her wand over their food to check for potions and poisons.

Draco raised his eyebrow at that. "Dobby has been in my family for decades. He wouldn't let anyone tamper with the food."

Hermione knew several ways to tamper with the food a house-elf was preparing or serving, but didn't mention that. "A Wand is always vigilant, sir."

"You don't need to be so formal, cherie. You have done so much for Britain, and for my family." He beamed at her.

"Thank you, sir."

He looked slightly annoyed at her answer, but recovered quickly and smiled widely at her again. "I've spoken with my father, he said you were responsible for most of the defeats the enemy has suffered. I agree with him," he said while the elf served the next course: Salad, with French dressing.

What was with the French terms and food, Hermione wondered, while the Minister's son went on about her achievements. She didn't remember Draco being fond of French anything. Merlin! Was he trying to seduce her because she had a French-speaking lover?

She decided to test her theory. "The salad is very good. The dressing reminds me of the recipe Antoine showed me."

Draco gaze hardened for an instant. "Antoine?"

"My boyfriend. He's a wizard from Québec, planning to immigrate. He was visiting Luna Lovegood with me when the attack happened. It's all in my report."

"Ah." Draco looked as if his dressing was a tad too sour. "How did you two meet?"

Hermione smiled. "We actually met when the Fanatics attacked Diagon Alley for the first time. He fought them as well."

"Brave of him, but a bit foolhardy, for a tourist." His smile looked a bit forced.

She was tempted to tell him that 'Antoine' was a veteran of the last war in Québec, but decided against it. It was better for Ron to be underestimated, since him joining the Aurors was now certainly not on the table anymore. "He had to defend himself - they were casting at him. I intervened."

"As you were trained to. I bet he was grateful to have been saved by such a charming beauty."

She nodded, putting a slightly vacant smile on her face. "Oh, he was!"

"You said he's planning to immigrate?"

"He said so," Hermione answered. "He's a pureblood, and Québec is not a good place to live in, after the last war they lost. He said he doesn't want to raise a family there."

Draco's smile grew even more strained. "Are you planning to found a family with him?"

"I don't know… we haven't talked about that." She smiled. Let him think it was just a fling.

"I see." He looked pensive for a moment, while the main dish was served.

Hermione tried to change the topic to her report, with limited success. Draco kept complimenting her - flattering her, as if she was a pureblood witch - throughout her verbal report. He definitely was trying to seduce her, she thought.

She should have been relieved that he never pushed her, but when she finally left the office, after an hour and a half, she was on edge. She was certain that even if Draco was jealous of another pureblood, he'd not act like this.

Something was up. She had to inform Ron about this.

London, Diagon Alley, September 8th, 1999, 19.06 hours

Ron Weasley liked Luna Lovegood. It was hard not to like the young witch. But he would have preferred it if she wasn't present at the dinner with Hermione. They had important things to talk about, after all. Things they couldn't discuss with Luna present. Hermione had insisted though - she hadn't spent much time with her best friend, she had said. Ron hadn't been able to say anything against that - he knew their relationship was still affected by the revelation that he had been lying to her. Trying to get her to ignore her only pureblood friend who hadn't been lying to her wouldn't have been a good idea.

"Daddy is leaving St Mungo's tomorrow. The Minister already arranged the printing of the Quibbler in the facilities of the Daily Prophet, until we can replace our printing press," Luna said, gesturing animatedly with a fork while she ate her meat pie. "And his room in Hermione's quarters is ready already. Though given how little time she's spending in there lately, I'm not certain if the quarters are hers anymore." She pouted. "We could use her room for Voley!"

The Wand-Leader in question winced. "I'm sorry, Luna. It's just…" she trailed off, looking at Ron.

"It's just?" Luna looked at him with big silvery eyes. "Just what?"

"The sex," Ron said. It seemed the most plausible explanation. Judging by the glare Hermione sent at him, she didn't share his opinion.

"Oh! Of course!" Luna nodded happily. "It's just like bonobos!"

"Just like what?" Ron and Hermione said together.

"Bonobos. They use sex to deal with conflict and stress. And to greet each other, bond, reconcile… they use sex for just about everything, I think."

"What are bonobos?" Ron wasn't certain he wanted to know.

"They are dwarf chimpanzees," Luna explained. "Living in Africa."

Ron had never heard of them.

"And you think we…?" Hermione looked a tad flushed.

Luna nodded. "You're under a lot of stress, and sex is a good way to deal with it. I'm happy you've chosen that method, instead of hexing stupid purebloods. Although if you had hexed Draco, he wouldn't have tried to seduce you."

"He what?" Ron asked.

"How did you… Sally-Anne!" Hermione spat out.

Luna nodded. "She told me all about the lunch in his office. Draco must be very jealous of Antoine to try to imitate him."

"He what?" Ron blinked. Malfoy's son was imitating him?

"Yes. He tried to be as French as possible, to seduce Hermione."

"She wasn't even present during lunch!" Hermione said.

Ron was getting confused.

"She was in his office when he instructed his house-elf, and ran through his lines," Luna said.

"What? He had lines?" Hermione stared at her friend.

"Or a script. Probably written by his mother. Narcissa tries to make him marry, you know. Maybe this is how he rebels against his parents? Although I believe he simply cannot stand the thought of a witch preferring anyone over him." Luna looked pensive, holding up her fork with a piece of pie speared on it.

Hermione rubbed her face. "He had a script… I can't believe it…"

Ron shook his head, laughing. To think that the son of Lucius Malfoy was trying to seduce Ron's girlfriend by following a script written by his mother!

"Well, it's better than asking his father to deport Antoine," Luna said.

Ron stopped laughing.

London, Diagon Alley, September 8th, 1999, 19.45 hours

"How did your lunch date with Hermione go?" Lucius Malfoy asked while Dobby served the first course.

"It went well." Draco smiled, but Lucius had seen him jerk a bit. His son might not like it, but he'd do his duty to his family.

"Did you…?" Narcissa's expression of distaste made her meaning clear.

"No, mother. We had lunch, and a pleasant talk. She was quite flustered during the meal." Draco smirked.

Narcissa said, frowning: "I don't see why we can't simply get rid of the foreigner. If he's not around then Draco doesn't have to lower himself to that." She turned to their son. "You should be courting a pureblood witch from a good family, instead of cavorting with mudbloods."

Lucius restrained from sighing. "Deporting Mister Dupont without sufficient reasons would not sit well with the mudblood and the Lovegoods. Manufacturing such reasons would likely cause the Wand-Leader to suspect something and investigate."

"I didn't teach Draco how to court a witch to see those lessons wasted on a mudblood!" Narcissa sniffed.

As if Draco was ready for marriage! Lucius had no doubt that Narcissa's lessons in courtship had been put to very good use by Draco - he was his father's son, after all. And he was smart enough not to ruffle any pureblood feathers by sticking to mudbloods. He smiled at his son, who smiled back. Witches!

"How did Dobby perform?" Lucius asked. The house-elf had been acting a bit odd since the attack on Malfoy Manor.

"I had to go over the lunch plans twice with him, but he didn't miss his cues, father."

"Well done." More good news. Dobby had been in his family for decades. It would have been hard to replace him, should he have been unable to serve with the kind of skill a Malfoy required from his servants.

A lesson Albert Selwyn still had not learned. To fail to secure that historian… At least the boy had had the sense to use disposable hired wands for the task. But Augustus was now warned. Keeping the Head of the Department of Mysteries under control would be more difficult now. Maybe the boy needed a stronger reminder of the price of failing him?

Beauxbatons, September 8th, 1999, 22.15 hours

Albus Dumbledore put the latest missive from Severus away. Antonin Dolohov had attacked Tom. He had been killed, but apparently had destroyed the Death Eaters' current base in the process. And a number of the current Death Eaters. An impressive feat, for a single wizard. Helped along, no doubt, by whatever Augustus had done to the man's artificial arm. Lucius had lost an experienced supporter, and Tom had lost a sizeable number of his followers. An ideal result, for those who opposed both.

But did it complicate or simplify Albus's plans? With Voldemort weakened, the odds of him killing Lucius were now lower than before. On the other hand, Severus's position among the Death Eaters was now further improved. And he might be able to convince the Dark Lord that Lucius didn't have to die at Tom's own hand, but that death at a servant's hand would do as well. That way, Severus could kill Lucius and Tom would claim the credit. The Wands would be out for revenge, and with fewer Death Eaters to take on, they would not lose that many people should they be led to the new base of Voldemort.

But only if Voldemort was already dealt with by the time the Wands arrived. Otherwise it would be a massacre. Which meant the last Horcruxes had to be destroyed as soon as possible. Before Tom rebuilt his forces. The one in the Ministry would be next. Once that was accomplished, there would be but the one at Tom's side left. And Harry's scar.

He summoned a roll of parchment. He had to inform Dzvonko Lazarov that he would not have to stall any longer, and let the British wizards in Macedonia acquire the 'artifact' Albus had prepared. Based on the information Mister Weasley had given the Unspeakables, they would assume that the best time to test the artifact was the new moon. Which would end in two days. Enough time to acquire the artifact and get it to Britain, not enough time to spot the trap.

Breaking into the Department of Mysteries would be far easier if the majority of the staff was trying to break out.

Albus smiled. During his time as Headmaster and Chief Warlock, he had neglected his alchemical research. But he had had almost twenty years and Nicolas's help to make up for it.

London, Diagon Alley, September 8th, 1999, 23.10 hours

After Luna had apparated back to the Ministry with a cheerful 'Enjoy the rest of the night!' Wand-Leader Hermione was alone with Ron. Her lover. Maybe. They hadn't made love since the night she had found out about Malfoy's lies. And Ron's deception. Held each other, yes, but…

Ron sighed, interrupting her thoughts. "So… where are we?"

She knew what he meant. He looked quite nervous. She felt the urge to hug him. She didn't though. She faced him instead. "You lied to me."

"Yes."

"It hurt."

"I'm sorry."

He was, she could tell. "I know." She sighed again, closing her eyes. Seeing him was distracting. "I understand your reasons." She did. Intellectually. She was still hurting though.

He didn't say anything. She opened her eyes and looked at him again. His hands were gripping his thighs. "You know, I wanted to ask you to take me to France."

"You wouldn't have, though," he said. "You won't leave your friends."

"'Wands do their duty, whatever the cost'," she quoted, then flinched. Could she trust anything she had been taught?

"It's not just duty. It's you."

"It's how I was raised." Indoctrinated. Deceived. Manipulated.

"Only partially. Every witch is different." Then he winced. "That sounded better before I said it. Less… you know."

She had to chuckle, more at the face he made than at his words. He smiled a bit weakly in response. Sighing, she sat down on the bed next to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm still sorry."

"You had no choice. If you had told me before, I'd have arrested you."

"You'd have tried," he said, then blinked.

She narrowed her eyes. They stared at each other. Hermione was certain she'd beat him in a battle. Wands were the best. "I'd have arrested you." Or killed him.

"Maybe."

If the room was not completely unsuitable for a duel, she would have proposed to have one right then and there. "Maybe we should duel, sometime."

He nodded, then shook his head. "Merlin! We've gone from being sorry to being ready to duel. Is that a bad sign?"

She sniffed. "It would only be tactically sound to know each other's capabilities before we enter combat." When he stared at her in response, she had to chuckle.

"I'm still sorry."

"Are you going to keep saying that?"

"My brother Charlie told me that a wizard in a relationship will be saying it a lot. Dad says once you're married, you'll say 'Yes, dear' instead." He grinned, taking the sting out of his words. Most of it at least.

"Didn't you tell me the twins were the exception in your family?" The Weasleys did sound like a peculiar family. They used to be neighbours of the Lovegoods; maybe there was something in the water there?

"You'll be able to judge that for yourself, once we're done with Malfoy."

She nodded, and he smiled.

They didn't make love that night either, but they held each other.

London, September 9th, 1999, 20.05 hours

"So, Hermione, we finally meet face to face!"

"Good evening, Tonks." Wand-Leader Hermione nodded at the witch after entering the Weasley's safe house in London.

Tonks turned to glare at Ron. "You told her about me!"

"Of course I did," the wizard answered. "I'd rather not have a misunderstanding."

"Hmph." Hermione noticed that the metamorphmagus slightly changed her lips when she pouted. "Anyway, welcome to our merry band of spies! I've been dying to meet the witch who managed to seduce our master spy!"

"It wasn't like that!" Ron cut in.

"Oh, so it was you who did the seducing, James Bond style?" Tonks wriggled her eyebrows at the wizard.

"The details of our relationship are private," Hermione said. Ron had said Tonks was much more professional in the field than she acted 'back at the base', which didn't seem that hard given what she had seen so far. The muggleborn witch was not amused at the metamorphmagus joking about her relationship.

"Wow. You sound like Percy!" Tonks frowned at Ron. "You made her sound much friendlier."

"I've recently found out that I've been lied to by the Minister all my life, and that my parents were murdered on his orders. Please forgive me for not joking around," Hermione said in the coldest tone she could muster. Ron wrapped his arm around her waist in support.

"I'm sorry." The metamorphmagus had the grace to look ashamed. "I'm just the last of our group to meet you, so I got a bit…" she trailed off, shrugging.

A slightly awkward pause followed.

Ron broke it. "Actually, Harry's the last one of our group whom she hasn't met yet."

Hermione could see Tonks wanted to make a joke, but restrained herself. The Wand-Leader felt no small amount of satisfaction at seeing that. She also felt more than a bit petty, but she wasn't in the mood for jokes and horsing around.

"So… what's up today? The message said we'd be taking part in a planning meeting?"

"Dumbledore said 'Operation Deep Penetration' is a go for tomorrow night," Tonks said.

"I'm certain he didn't call it that!" Ron said through clenched teeth.

Hermione didn't quite roll her eyes when Tonks smirked. Apparently, making jokes about something other than the Wand-Leader's life and love life was alright in the metamorphmagus's opinion.

"It's a fitting name for a James Bond mission!" the other witch insisted.

"You plan to infiltrate the Ministry then. The Department of Mysteries, to be precise," Hermione said.

Tonks looked surprised. Before she could say anything, Ron cut in: "And that's why we don't let you name things. Code names shouldn't be that obvious."

"Without knowing what your brother has been doing, I wouldn't have come to the conclusion as quickly," Hermione said.

"But you would have, right?" Ron grinned.

"I might have considered the Minister as a target too."

Tonks grumbled: "Well, it is the DoM. We're going to enter the most secure place in Britain outside Gringotts."

"I can get you inside the Ministry," Hermione said, adding 'with some effort' to herself, "but the Department of Mysteries is off-limits even to Wands."

"Don't worry, the Professor has a cunning plan."

Ron snorted. Hermione frowned. "Do you think his plan will need to be improved?" It did seem rather hasty, seeing as she was not brought into this conspiracy until a few days ago.

"You've never seen Black Adder, have you?" Tonks grinned at her.

"Is that a movie or a TV show?" Hermione asked.

"BBC TV show" Ron said. "Tonks loves it."

"Muggle culture is not permitted in Wizarding Britain," Hermione said. He knew that already, of course.

"That would have just made it more popular in our school," the metamorphmagus said.

Hermione had confiscated a number of muggle books at Hogwarts from delinquents, but she didn't feel like mentioning that, so she simply nodded.

"Anyway. Let's get to France, Dumbledore can explain his plan better than I can!" Tonks said, making shooing gestures towards the entrance to the cellar.

"You don't know it either, do you?" Ron said.

"Hmph!"

Hermione really hoped that they were more professional in the field. Or in the Ministry, as it was. Wands joked around in their quarters, but not in the presence of outsiders. She blinked. Maybe they didn't consider her an outsider.

Argelès-sur-Mer, France, September 9th, 1999, 21.00 hours

"And that's the Boy-Who-Lived, youngest Seeker in a century at Beauxbatons, and fiancé of the star Chaser of the Avignon Aigles, Harry Potter!" Ron Weasley said. "Harry, this is the youngest Wand-Leader of Britain, Hermione."

"Just Harry Potter," his best friend said, shaking the hand of the witch and sending a glare to Ron.

"Hermione."

"I have to point out that you didn't deny anything," Ron said, grinning.

"How do you keep him under control?" Harry asked the witch, seemingly ignoring Ron.

"The details of our relationship are private," Hermione answered, though unlike when she had said the same to Tonks, she was smiling now. More than just being polite, at least. Ron was glad his best friend and his girlfriend seemed to be getting along well.

"Ah, I guess that means I can't use the same means. Not without his sister killing me, at least," Harry said. "Mind you, sometimes it'd be worth it."

The witch snorted. Ron thought they might be getting along a bit too well.

"Until Ron told me otherwise, I always thought that the story of the Boy-Who-Lived was a lie," the witch said. Fishing for information, Ron knew.

"Understandable, given what Malfoy did to you and the rest of Britain," Harry said, neatly deflecting the implied question.

"Where's Sirius?" Ron asked. He'd have expected the wizard to be there with Harry, in case Hermione turned out to be a danger.

"He was held up in the kitchen, I think." Harry's eyes flickered to the door, and Ron almost shook his head.

"Here I am!" Sirius Black entered, as if he had heard his cue. Which he probably had - Ron was certain that the older wizard had been watching them disillusioned, or using Harry's cloak. The wizard smiled widely, then bowed to kiss Hermione's hand. "Sirius Black, at your service!"

"Good evening, sir."

The witch looked surprised, and Ron reminded himself that she wasn't used to being on the receiving end of pureblood politeness.

"Call me Sirius! 'Sir' makes me feel old - and a wizard should never feel old in the presence of a beautiful witch."

Hermione nodded in response. She didn't seem to be too impressed by the older wizard's charm, Ron noted.

Sirius must have noticed her reaction as well, and frowned at Ron. "I hope someone hasn't been spreading rumours about me," he said. "Baseless rumours, all of them! I've never left a witch unsatisfied," he added, with a leering smile.

"Mrs Malfoy seemed to differ, judging by what I overheard of her conversations," the witch answered.

Tonks made exaggerated sounds of surprise. "Just wait until I tell mum! Sirius and my aunt…"

Sirius gaped. "I've never touched her!"

"I was referring to the inheritance issue," Hermione clarified. When Sirius smiled again, she added: "I'm certain she wouldn't talk about past lovers in the company of Wands."

"I never had any relationship with Narcissa," Sirius grumbled while Harry and Ron chuckled and Tonks was laughing. The wizard cocked his head. "Dumbledore has arrived. Let's get up to the salon."

Ron sneaked a glance at Hermione as they followed Harry and Sirius upstairs. The witch had a faint smile on her face, which slowly changed to a serious expression. She might not be as outgoing as Tonks, but she would fit in with his friends, he thought.

London, Ministry of Magic, September 10th, 1999, 06.45 hours

"Good morning, Ralph."

Wand-Leader Hermione nodded at the wizard at the entrance of the Barracks. Ralph had been a year below her at Hogwarts, and was on his tour as a guard.

"Good morning, Hermione. Early shift?"

"I'm working on a case."

"Ah."

Ralph wouldn't suspect anything - Hermione getting up early to work on case was not unusual. Nor was her working late. Wands were never off duty, after all. She felt guilty for deceiving him, despite how she had been deceived all her life. It just felt wrong to not tell the Corps the truth. She felt like a traitor.

And she was nervous. The moon was rising right now, as far as the new moon could be said to rise. The Unspeakables had received the trapped artifact the day before. They could be starting their experiments any minute now, no matter how unlikely Dumbledore had said that would be. The Wand worried. The whole operation seemed too rushed to her, even though everyone else had taken it in stride - Harry Potter even had joked that he preferred not to wait too long, since he was in greater danger of dying from boredom while waiting than from curses while infiltrating the Ministry.

Well, he would have to wait for her signal. And she'd have to wait for the alert. After she had smuggled the vanishing cabinet that was currently in her pocket, shrunk, into the storage room. Its counterpart was in France, where Ron and the rest of the 'Infiltration Team' was waiting. Which was probably why Hermione was feeling so isolated, despite being surrounded by friends and comrades she had known for years.

She didn't head to the storage room right away. She headed to her office, and forced herself to sit down and read reports - shuffle parchment, Dean would call it - for half an hour, before 'remembering' that she needed some evidence.

Then she went to the storage room. The one with the evidence from completed cases. The chance that someone else would visit it that day was very small. Not zero, sadly. She pulled the cabinet out and placed it in the corner. Hopefully, even if someone did visit the room that day, they'd mistake it for another filing cabinet. The Corps used to get a hodgepodge of equipment, early on, and the Ministry wasn't much for standardisation anyway. She placed a case number on it - not from a case of hers, of course - grabbed the file she used as a cover, and left.

The communication mirror in her right pocket felt very heavy while she walked back to her office. It would be a long day, waiting for the alert, wondering when it would go off, wondering if anyone would discover the cabinet…

And she didn't even have an interesting case to focus on.

London, Ministry of Magic, September 10th, 1999, 15.30 hours

Ron Weasley couldn't help feeling nervous when he stepped out of the vanishing cabinet. This was not like when they had been sneaking into Hogwarts. That had been a school, intimately known by the Professor, filled with students and teachers. This was the Ministry, in the middle of the day, filled with Aurors and Wands. He wasn't greeted by hexes and curses, though, but a plain storage room, devoid of people. He could hear an alert in the background, shrill and loud. The plan was working, as far as he could tell.

Behind him, Tonks stepped out of the cabinet, followed by Percy, Harry and Dumbledore. All of them were wearing the hooded robes of an Unspeakable. Once he opened the door, the alert was much louder. Somewhere out there, Hermione was acting like a good little Wand in an emergency, probably herding Ministry employees away from the lifts.

"Let us be off, friends. We have no time to lose," Dumbledore said. Percy took the lead, as the one familiar with the route. They reached the atrium without anyone questioning them, as expected. Few would try to stop an Unspeakable, much less five of them. Even less so in the middle of an emergency. Hermione would, Ron thought, if she suspected something. The witch was fortunately on their side.

The group reached the lift and after a check with Harry that the Horcrux was in that direction, took it down to the Department of Mysteries. And to a tense situation. About a dozen Wands were in the corridor, facing the open entrance to the department. Reddish smoke was wafting out of the open door, and two Unspeakables were guarding it - from the looks of it, against the Wands. A third was stumbling out, part of his robes, and limbs, dissolving, Ron realised with a sinking feeling.

Dumbledore took the lead and marched straight on, the Wands moving aside. "Take the man to St Mungo's!" he ordered en passant, and two Wands all but leapt forward to grab the wounded wizard. The two Unspeakables at the door hadn't moved a wand to help their colleague. Ron hoped that meant other Unspeakables were likely to ignore the group as well.

The two guarding the entrance didn't matter since Dumbledore had hit them both with an Imperius before they could react. While the Professor whispered instructions to them, Percy led the rest into the Department of Mysteries, past the massive iron door gleaming with runes inlaid in silver. More reddish smoke filled the hallways behind it. Bubble-Head Charms went up.

"This direction!" Harry whispered, pointing ahead right when Dumbledore rejoined them.

On the way, they reached a round room with twelve doors, two of them spewing red liquid out, which formed a rapidly growing pool on the floor.

"Do not touch this," Dumbledore cautioned them. "Harry?"

Harry pointed to the left. "This direction."

"As expected," the Professor commented, and led the group to the right.

Doors didn't lead where they should on this floor, Percy had told them. It still felt wrong to Ron. They gave the alchemical concoction a very wide berth. Ron had heard the twins gleefully describe what it did, and he didn't fancy being dissolved and turned into more acidic poison, or poisonous acid. While being paralysed.

Through the rightmost door, they entered a hallway untouched by the deadly fluid, and Harry stumbled.

"It's right ahead," he mumbled.

"Augustus's office." Dumbledore nodded, then pulled out his wand. "The wards on the door are far from the ones that guard the department itself, but nevertheless it will take some time to alter them so we can pass through. Be vigilant."

That was ominous. Ron had his wand out, facing the door behind them. A few minutes later, the door opened. Another Unspeakable, her robe smoking in spots, rushed through, then stopped. "What…"

She didn't get any further before Ron and Tonks struck her down with Stunning Spells. He knelt down to check on her. The smoking spots on her robes were tiny, but spreading. Given some time, they would turn the robe, then the witch, into liquid. And spread further. Stone took far longer, but wouldn't resist. He pulled out the vial of the catalyst that would render the concoction inert, and poured some on the robe. That liquid started to spread faster, and where it touched the smoking spots, they stopped spreading.

"I don't want to run into a part of the escape route turned into that, should we have to retreat," he said, glancing at Tonks. He couldn't tell if the metamorphmagus believed him or not, but she didn't say anything against his action.

More minutes passed. Ron imagined the red tide rising in the department. Filling hallways, until a door was carelessly opened. Maybe they should raise a dam, just to protect themselves, if the Professor took any longer. He trusted Dumbledore, but…

"Done," the old wizard announced. A flick of his wand pushed the door open.

The office of Augustus Rookwood looked almost disappointingly normal. Banal, even. Shelves, an impressive, but ultimately normal desk, a few chairs, a seat behind the desk, and two doors. Harry held his forehead and pointed at the left door. This time, they took it.

Rookwood's laboratory, which that door revealed, was dimly lit but spacious. If not for the Bubble-Head Charm, Ron was certain his nose would have been assaulted with the stench of dozens of exotic compounds and ingredients, mixed together with dusky moldy tomes. He looked around, wand out, while Tonks guarded the door with Percy.

Harry walked to the centre of the room, turning slowly around, then pointed at the far wall. "There."

"Hidden inside the wall?" Dumbledore asked.

"I know - how unimaginative!" Harry said. "At least it's not hidden behind a painting."

Ron snorted, and even Dumbledore chuckled. The Professor swished his wand, and the wall seemed to peel off, revealing a strongbox.

"Not even a safe," Harry muttered. "No respect for the classics."

"For a British pureblood wizard, that is a classic. Safes are a muggle thing, in their opinion," Dumbledore pointed out.

"I didn't think that would stop a Death Eater from using it."

"Augustus might have been concerned about his public image," Ron added, "if he planned to replace Malfoy one day." And what traitorous Death Eater wouldn't have planned on becoming Minister for Magic himself?

"As fascinating as this speculation is, we are a bit pressed for time. The spells on this box are exceedingly strong."

"Not as strong as the ones on the ring inside."

Ron whirled around when he heard the voice. How had anyone been able to get past Percy and… He gasped when he saw a translucent witch floating in the corner. A ghost!

"Pandora." Dumbledore nodded towards her.

"Headmaster." The ghost bowed.

"Not any longer. I am a mere Professor these days," Dumbledore said.

"And the leader of the British Exiles, here to destroy the Horcruxes of Voldemort." The ghost floated closer. She looked familiar to Ron, somehow.

"You are remarkably well informed for a dead person, my dear." The old wizard glanced to the side. "Though if you are haunting this place, were you killed by Augustus, perchance?"

The ghost shook her head. "No. I am bound to this place by the ring in the strongbox. Or rather, by the stone set in the ring."

Dumbledore jerked. "The stone?" He asked in a voice tenser than Ron had ever heard from him.

The witch nodded. "Yes. Be warned though: It is cursed. To touch it means certain death."

"Quite considerate of you to warn me. I would not have expected this from a supporter of the Minister."

"I chose to stay in my home instead of going into exile to prepare for another war." She shrugged. "And I chose a career in the Ministry, something denied to me before the change in regimes."

"You were banned from employment following a fatal accident."

She waved her hand. "I was cleared of all wrongdoing in the investigation. But since it was the nephew of that stupid cow Bagnold who had died due to his own idiocy and greed, I was blacklisted."

Harry coughed. "I don't like to break up this touching reunion, but… Strongbox? Horcrux? Ring any bells?"

Ron snorted at his best friends comment. Even the Professor seemed embarrassed.

"You are quite right, of course." Dumbledore turned back to the ghost. "You would not be able to help with that task, would you?"

"I could." The ghost seemed to study her nails intently.

"And what would you desire in return for your assistance? Revenge perhaps on whoever killed you?"

Pandora scoffed. "What do you take me for, a fool? No. In exchange for my help, you will take care of my family. They will not be harmed or otherwise punished for choosing peace over exile. No matter what they did. Make up a lie about them helping you, if you need to."

"As you wish."

The ghost seemed surprised at Dumbledore's quick acquiescence, and narrowed her eyes. Before she could say anything though, something exploded in the office next to them.

Ron Weasley cast a Shield Charm, then pulled the door open, getting out of the line of fire. Harry, shielded as well, jumped right through, into a roll. Not quite Gendarme standard, but it worked for him. Ron slid around the door, leading with his wand.

Inside, Percy was on the floor, unmoving and bleeding. Tonks was staggering, as if drunk, and bleeding as well. From her mouth. In the middle of the room stood an Unspeakable, exchanging spells with Harry. Another was entering the office from the hallway.

Ron cast a Reductor Curse at the door, more to distract the second enemy, and followed it up with two Piercing Curses and one Sticking Charm aimed at the floor. The Unspeakable's Shield Charm deflected his curses easily, but the explosion must have made him - no, her - miss the third spell, and she stepped on the patch Ron had aimed at, becoming stuck.

It didn't take the witch more than a second to cancel the spell, but that was enough for Ron. He cast two more Piercing Curses as he rushed the woman, shattering her shield just before he crashed into her, slamming the witch into the wall and grabbing her wand hand while his own wand dug into her throat.

"Reducto!"

The spell decapitated the witch, showering the wall behind him with blood and gore. Ron checked the hallway - empty - and was about to turn away and help Harry when something grabbed his leg and swung him around, into the next wall. His shield took the brunt of the impact, but pain shot through his leg when the grip tightened. He screamed, and twisted around.

A tentacle as thick as his arm was wrapped around his leg, crushing it. Other tentacles were flailing around, battering Harry's shield. All were sprouting from the floor, where Rookwood's desk had stood. It hadn't been that normal, after all, Ron thought.

"Diffindo!"

His desperate Cutting Curse sliced into the tentacle, right when he was swung around again, and he crashed into the next wall, trailing a severed slimy appendage. This time, it hurt even more, his leg must have been broken in multiple spots - or crushed. He was in so much pain, he didn't feel worse when he hit the floor.

Another tentacle moved towards him, and all he could do was to cast a Shield Charm. Before it hit his shield though, it suddenly vanished. Then the Unspeakable in the room started screaming. Ron stared while the man's legs dissolved and he fell, into the puddle of red liquid that had been his limbs a few seconds ago. His flailing arms followed, then his torso, and finally his head. Ron hoped the man had been dead already by then, but it had happened so quickly…

Dumbledore strode into the room and threw a vial in the air. He flicked his wand, and the vial grew, then emptied clear liquid over the red puddle. The alchemical concoction stopped hissing at once.

"Merlin! You didn't tell us how fast it was, Professor," Harry said, in a shaking voice. Ron's friend looked battered himself, but he could still stand.

"Just as the right catalyst can speed up the reaction that would have rendered it inert after being exposed to air for an hour, another can make it react far more aggressively," the alchemist explained while running his wand over Percy. Percy!

"Your brother will live, Mister Weasley, but he has been the victim of quite a nasty curse. I have stopped it, for now, but to remove it will take the efforts of a dedicated Healer, I think," the old wizard said.

Ron sighed with relief.

"I've been hit as well," Tonks said, shaking still. "Just not as…" After another wave from the old wizard she sighed in relief. "That curse tried to rearrange my organs. I managed to stop it, but…"

Ron felt ill, thinking what Percy must have suffered. He almost forgot his own pain, until Harry walked over and turned his pants to stone for a crude splint and bandage.

"If you had fought like this, maybe you'd have defeated the Dark Lord twenty years ago," the ghost remarked.

"Why would you think I did not?" Dumbledore answered. "But let us retrieve what we came for, and leave the premises."

"At least no one is likely to stop us 'evacuating our wounded'," Harry said, while the ghost and Dumbledore went back to the laboratory.

"They better not!" Ron spat out.

Tonks transfigured the remains of the desk into two stretchers, then levitated Percy on one while Harry did the same to Ron.

"Just lie back and enjoy the ride," his friend said, grinning.

"Do you say the same to Ginny?" Tonks asked. "Or is that her line?"

Ron groaned, more to humour her. Seeing that the metamorphmagus was back to her usual self, or faking it close enough, was a relief after seeing her shaking and … he closed his eyes.

Dumbledore returned. "Ah, good. We'll follow Harry's plan. Our robes certainly look battered enough to lend credence to our cover." He looked around. "Hopefully, Augustus's death will be blamed on his own experiments. Our ghostly ally will join us later."

The ride back was more nerve-wracking than Ron had hoped for. They had to deal with the red tide, as he was thinking of the fluid, twice. Then they reached the exit. If someone had discovered the Imperius on the two guards…

But no one had. And no one tried to stop a group of Unspeakables evacuating. The Wands even cleared the lift for them. A short ride later, they were in the atrium, on the way to the Apparition point where Dumbledore's portkey would take them back to France.