Chapter 40: April Fool's

February 24, 2003

"Buffy!" Harry said as he came running through the portrait from the Gryffindor common room.

"Harry?" Buffy said as she walked out of her bedroom cinching a dressing gown closed.

Harry diverted his eyes having caught a bit of flesh underneath the robe. "Sorry, Buffy."

"It's okay," Buffy said as she cinched the robe tighter. "It's late, Harry."

"I had another dream," Harry said. "This time I was seeing out of Voldemort's eyes. He was claiming he had been badly advised. There was someone named Rookwood. They were talking about something a department at the Ministry. Possibly behind that door I keep seeing. He said someone named Bode would be able to remove it. But this guy named Rookwood said that Bode could never have taken it. He sent Rookwood away and asked him to send in someone named Avery. That's when I woke up."

Buffy sighed. "Harry, I am going to say this as your parent, not your sister. As your legal adopted parent, you need to be shielding your mind. If the Ministry knew that you could see in his mind and he possibly into yours you would be likely taken away from me."

Harry sighed. "I know, Buffy."

"Now as your sister, I'm worried. Not only about what this could mean. But also, about what it's doing to you," she said.

Harry nodded as he wrapped his arms around his sister.

March 1, 2003

"Get up, Potter."

Dawn was kneeling on the floor of Snape's office, trying to clear her head. She had just been forced, yet again, to relive a stream of memories.

"That last memory," said Snape. "What was it?"

Dawn looked at Snape she had learned to control her emotions thanks to Snape. But she still had some minor problems blocking Harry out of her head like when Harry had seen in her head a couple weeks earlier.

"That last memory," said Dawn, getting wearily to her feet. "You're talking about the one where Harry looked shocked. He saw a memory that I had long since tried to bury deep within me."

"What was the memory?"

"I'd rather not," Dawn said. "Don't ask me again. I won't tell you. It's something I am greatly ashamed of."

There was a pause during which Dawn stared fixedly at a large dead frog suspended in a purple liquid in its jar.

"You do know why we are here, don't you, Potter?" said Snape in a low, dangerous voice. "You do know why I am giving up my evenings to this tedious job?"

"Yes," said Dawn.

"Remind me why we are here, Potter."

"So, I can learn Occlumency," said Dawn.

"Correct, Potter. And dim though you may be"—Dawn looked back at Snape, hating him— "I would have thought that after two months' worth of lessons you might have made some progress. How many of your brother's dreams about the Dark Lord have you shared?"

"You're asking if I saw the dream where he was Voldemort?" Dawn asked. "I didn't see it, thank goodness."

"Then possibly you are making some progress after all," Snape said. "Let's go again." He raised his wand. "One—two—three—Legilimens!"

Dawn saw the day that Harmony's minions captured her and held her hostage for Buffy. But she could also see Snape standing in front of her, his eyes fixed upon Dawn's face, muttering under his breath… And somehow, Snape was growing clearer, and the vampires were growing fainter…

Dawn held out her hand. "Enemies, fly and fall...circling arms, raise a wall!" she said as she cast the spell wandless.

Snape staggered; his wand flew upward, away from Dawn—and suddenly Dawn's mind was teeming with memories that were not hers—a hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small darkhaired boy cried in a corner… A greasy-haired teenager sat alone in a dark bedroom, pointing his wand at the ceiling, shooting down flies… A girl was laughing as a scrawny boy tried to mount a bucking broomstick—

"ENOUGH!"

Dawn felt as though she had been pushed hard in the chest; she took several staggering steps backward, hit some of the shelves covering Snape's walls and heard something crack. Snape was shaking slightly, very white in the face.

The back of Dawn's robes was damp. One of the jars behind her had broken when she fell against it; the pickled slimy thing within was swirling in its draining potion.

"Reparo!" hissed Snape, and the jar sealed itself once more. "Well, Potter… that was certainly an improvement… That was a Wiccan shield spell if I am not mistaken." Dawn nodded. "It was effective…"

Dawn looked at Snape for a long moment. She was sure she had just broken into Snape's memories, that she had just seen scenes from Snape's childhood, the scene that shocked her was the one where she was pretty sure she saw a young Lily Evans.

"Let's try again, shall we?" said Snape.

"Professor," Dawn said. "Was that Lily?"

"We're done, Potter," Snape snarled. "Out!"

Dawn gathered her things and opening a portal she disappeared through it into Buffy and Willow's suite. "Buffy," she said breathing heavily.

"What is it, Dawn?" Buffy asked from where she and Willow sat on the sofa.

"I think I got a glimpse in Snape's mind. I think I saw our mom. I think I saw Lily," Dawn said as Buffy looked at her shocked.

"Open me a portal," Buffy said as she stood up.

Dawn nodded in understanding and opened the portal back to Snape's office and Buffy stepped through it.

Buffy looked at Snape who still stood where Dawn had left him. "Is it true. Did she see Lily?"

Snape sighed and nodded. "Yes. She and I grew up together in Cokeworth."

"Tell me about her," Buffy said. "Please."

Snape looked at Buffy for several long moments. "I loved her," he reluctantly admitted.

The following week found Dawn back for her Occlumency lesson. She never did learn from Buffy if what she had seen was Lily for sure. During the lesson there had been a commotion in the entrance hall when she and Snape had hurried upstairs to find that Trelawney had been fired and that Umbridge was trying to evict her from the castle. Dumbledore had stepped in and said currently only he had the power to evict someone from Hogwarts. He then had introduced Umbridge to the new Divination teacher a centaur by the name of Firenze.

April 1, 2003

Buffy started everyone on doing Patronus charms for the Dumbledore's Army lesson. Which everybody had been very keen to practice, though as Harry kept reminding them, producing a Patronus in the middle of a brightly lit classroom when they were not under threat was very different to producing it when confronted by something like a dementor. Dawn was the only one missing from the lesson, Buffy had approved of her missing it for the single reason that Dawn had performed the charm during the Summer wandless.

"They're so pretty," said Cho brightly, watching her silvery swan-shaped Patronus soar around the Room of Requirement.

"Yes, they are," Willow agreed watching her tiger run around the room. (A/N)

"That said," Buffy said. "They're supposed to protect you."

"What we really need is a boggart or something; that's how I learned, I had to conjure a Patronus while the boggart was pretending to be a dementor—" Harry said.

"That would be difficult to work with," Buffy said. "The boggart would shift into the form it's confronted with by the person it's attention is currently on. Once you backed away to give someone else a shot it would shift their attention to it and take on the form their afraid of. Besides not everyone can produce a Patronus yet."

The door of the Room of Requirement opened and then closed again;

Buffy looked around to see who had entered, but there did not seem to be anybody there. It was a few moments before she realized that the people close to the door had fallen silent.

"Buffy," Harry said as Buffy spun around and saw Dobby tugging at the robes near Harry's knee.

"Dobby," Buffy said as the house elf turned toward her. "What are you—what's wrong?"

For the elf's eyes were wide with terror and he was shaking. The members of the D.A. closest to Harry had fallen silent now: Everybody in the room was watching Dobby. The few Patronuses people had managed to conjure faded away into silver mist, leaving the room looking much darker than before.

"Elizabeth Potter, miss…" squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot, "Elizabeth Potter, miss… Dobby has come to warn you… but the house-elves have been warned not to tell…"

"Everyone!" Buffy said realizing what Dobby was warning about. Umbridge had found them out. "Scatter, Now! Go!"

They all pelted toward the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door, then people burst through.

"Willow, Buffy, come on!" shrieked Harry from the center of the knot of people now fighting to get out.

"Come on, baby," Willow agreed as she pulled Buffy after her. She, Harry and Willow started to run right; there was both a girls' and boys' bathrooms up ahead, Buffy would be fine but Willow and Harry had to hide, they could pretend they'd been in there all the time if they could just reach it—

"AAARGH!" Buffy, Willow and Harry shouted as something caught them around the ankles and they fell spectacularly, skidding along for six feet before coming to a halt. Someone behind them was laughing.

Buffy, Willow and Harry rolled over onto their backs and saw Malfoy concealed in a niche beneath an ugly dragon-shaped vase. "Trip Jinx, Potter!" he said. "Hey, Professor—PROFESSOR! I've got some including the Professor who was with them!"

Umbridge came bustling around the far corner, breathless but wearing a delighted smile. "Ah, Buffy!" she said jubilantly at the sight of Buffy on the floor. "Excellent, Draco, excellent, oh, very good—fifty points to Slytherin! I'll take them from here… Stand up all three of you!"

"What is the meaning of this, Dolores?" Buffy asked as she, Harry and Willow stood.

Umbridge didn't answer as she looked toward Malfoy. "You hop along and see if you can round up any more of them, Draco," she said. "Tell the others to look in the library—anybody out of breath—check the bathrooms, Miss Parkinson can do the girls' ones—off you go—and you three," she added in her softest, most dangerous voice, as Malfoy walked away. "You can come with me to the headmaster's office."

"I am still a Hogwarts Professor," Buffy said.

"Not anymore you aren't," Umbridge said. "Under Educational Decree twenty-three. I can dismiss you which I am going to do. Then I intend to expel your siblings and Ms. Rosenberg."

Buffy glanced at Harry and Willow. "Go along for now. She will pay later." She then looked at Umbridge and smiled. "After all I am still a member of the Wizengamot."

They were at the stone gargoyle within minutes. "Fizzing Whizbee," sang Umbridge, and the stone gargoyle jumped aside, the wall behind split open, and they ascended the moving stone staircase. They reached the polished door with the griffin knocker, but Umbridge did not bother to knock, she strode straight inside.

The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his expression serene, the tips of his long fingers together. McGonagall stood rigidly beside him. Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was rocking backward and forward on his toes beside the fire, apparently immensely pleased with the situation. Kingsley Shacklebolt and a tough-looking wizard were positioned on either side of the door like guards, and the freckled, bespectacled form of Percy Weasley hovered excitedly beside the wall, a quill and a heavy scroll of parchment in his hands, apparently poised to take notes.

The door swung shut behind them. Cornelius Fudge was glaring at Buffy with a kind of vicious satisfaction upon his face. "Well," he said. "Well, well, well…"

"They were heading towards the Gryffindor Tower," said Umbridge. "The Malfoy boy cornered them."

"Did he, did he?" said Fudge appreciatively. "I must remember to tell Lucius. Well, Elizabeth… I expect you know why you are here?"

"No, I do not," Buffy lied.

"I beg your pardon?" said Fudge.

"No," said Buffy, firmly.

"You don't know why you are here?"

"No, I don't," said Buffy.

Fudge looked incredulously from Buffy to Umbridge.

"So, you have no idea," said Fudge in a voice positively sagging with sarcasm, "why Dolores has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have violated the Education Decrees passed by the Ministry?"

"So, I take it you are accusing me of something and by association my brother and my best friend. is that correct?" asked Buffy.

"We are," answered Umbridge. She looked at Fudge. "I think, Minister, we might make better progress if I fetch our informant."

"Yes, yes, do," said Fudge, nodding, and he glanced maliciously at Buffy and Dumbledore as Umbridge left the room. "There's nothing like a good witness, is there?"

"Nothing at all, Cornelius," said Dumbledore gravely, inclining his head.

There was a wait of several minutes until the door opened and Umbridge moved past Buffy, Willow and Harry gripping the shoulder of Cho's curly-haired friend Marietta, who was hiding her face in her hands.

"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened," said Umbridge softly, patting her on the back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother, Minister," she added, looking up at Fudge, "is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network office—she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."

"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Fudge heartily. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to—galloping gargoyles!"

As Marietta raised her head, Fudge leapt backward in shock, nearly landing himself in the fire. He cursed and stamped on the hem of his cloak, which had started to smoke, and Marietta gave a wail and pulled the neck of her robes right up to her eyes, but not before the whole room had seen that her face was horribly disfigured by a series of close-set purple pustules that had spread across her nose and cheeks to form the word "SNEAK."

"Never mind the spots now, dear," said Umbridge impatiently, "just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister—"

But Marietta gave another muffled wail and shook her head frantically.

"Oh, very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him," snapped Umbridge. "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting led by Elizabeth Potter. Unfortunately, at that point this hex," she waved impatiently at Marietta's concealed face, "came into operation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me anymore."

"I remind you that I am a member of the Wizengamot," Buffy said. "I would like to hear the accusation straight from Ms. Edgecombe's lips. It is my right."

Fudge glanced at Buffy and sighed. She was right that as a member of the Wizengamot she did have the right to face her accuser. He turned toward Marietta fixing Marietta with what he evidently imagined was a kind and fatherly look. "It is very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge, you did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell us what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who was there?"

But Marietta would not speak. She merely shook her head again, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Haven't we got a counterjinx for this?" Fudge asked Umbridge impatiently, gesturing at Marietta's face. "So, she can speak freely?"

"I have not yet managed to find one," Umbridge admitted grudgingly. Harry glanced at Buffy and smiled. "But it doesn't matter if she won't speak, I can take up the story from here."

"I am sorry, Dolores," Buffy said. "You will not. Your testimony is not relevant here. Yours is hearsay without the accuser being able to acknowledge what you said was true. You need evidence and as Ms. Edgecombe is unable to speak."

"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired," said Umbridge smugly. "He heard every word said and hastened straight to the school to report to me—"

"I would love to hear what this Willy Widdershins had to say," said Buffy. "But I have to remind you that without him here to corroborate what you say, it's hearsay."

Umbridge glared at Buffy. "The purpose of Elizabeth Potter's meeting with these students," she said, "was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry has decided are inappropriate for school-age—"

"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering at her over the half-moon spectacles perched halfway down his crooked nose.

"Oho!" said Fudge, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet again. "Yes, do let's hear the latest cock-and-bull story designed to pull Elizabeth Potter, her siblings and Ms. Rosenberg out of trouble! Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on—Willy Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it someone using a glamour charm to appear as the Potters and Ms. Rosenberg in the Hog's Head that day? Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life, and a couple of invisible dementors?"

Percy Weasley let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"

"Cornelius, I do not deny—and nor, I am sure, does Buffy, Willow or Harry—that they were in the Hog's Head that day, nor that they were trying to recruit students to a Defense Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after the Hogsmeade meeting with the oversight of a Professor of this school, so they were not breaking any rules in the Hog's Head at all."

Percy looked as though he had been struck in the face by something very heavy. Fudge remained motionless in mid-bounce, his mouth hanging open. Umbridge recovered first.

"That's all very fine, Headmaster," she said, smiling sweetly. "But we are now nearly six months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are."

"Provide your proof, Dolores," said Buffy. "So far all I have heard is hearsay. And if you can't come up with anything that can't be backed up by a witness that can actually speak or some other kind of evidence I will be more than willing to go before the Wizengamot and have you removed from your positions here and at the Ministry for slander and harassment."

"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge with that horrible wide toadlike smile.

"Yes, evidence," answered Buffy. "Provide evidence that these meetings have been occurring for six months. You can't rely on Miss Edgecombs's testimony since she is either refusing or unable to relate what she does or doesn't know."

Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her around to face her, and began shaking her very hard. A split-second later Buffy was throwing Umbridge back away from Marietta. "As long as I am a Slayer, you will not harm a student. I won't allow it."

"Neither will I," Dumbledore said his wand pointing at Umbridge.

"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge," said Kingsley in his deep, slow voice. "You don't want to get yourself into trouble now."

"No," said Umbridge breathlessly, glancing up at the towering figure of Kingsley. "I mean, yes—you're right, Shacklebolt—I—I forgot myself."

"Dolores," said Fudge, with the air of trying to settle something once and for all, "the meeting tonight—the one we know definitely happened—"

"Yes," said Buffy. "I would like to see your proof about that. As I have eye witnesses to say the opposite that what was happening in the Room of Requirement was not a meeting but a party."

"After Miss Edgecombe tipped me off, I proceeded at once to the seventh floor, accompanied by certain trustworthy students, so as to catch those in the meeting red-handed. It appears that they were forewarned of my arrival, however, because when we reached the seventh floor they were running in every direction. It does not matter, however. I have all their names here; Miss Parkinson ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see if they had left anything behind… We needed evidence and the room provided…"

She withdrew from her pocket the list of names that had been pinned upon the Room of Requirement's wall and handed it to Fudge.

"The moment I saw Harry and Dawn Potter's names on the list, I knew what we were dealing with," she said softly.

"Excellent," said Fudge, a smile spreading across his face. "Excellent, Dolores. And… by thunder…" He looked up at Dumbledore. "See what they've named themselves? Dumbledore's Army."

Dumbledore reached out and took the piece of parchment from Fudge. He gazed at the heading scribbled by Hermione months before and for a moment seemed unable to speak. Then he looked up, smiling. "Well, the game is up," he said simply. "Would you like a written confession from me, Cornelius—or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?"

McGonagall and Kingsley looked at each other. There was fear in both faces.

"Statement?" said Fudge slowly. "What—I don't—?"

"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, still smiling as he waved the list of names before Fudge's face. "Not Potter's Army. Not Slayer's Army. Dumbledore's Army."

"But—but—"

Understanding blazed suddenly in Fudge's face. He took a horrified step backward, yelped, and jumped out of the fire again. "You?" he whispered, stamping again on his smoldering cloak.

"That's right," said Dumbledore pleasantly.

"You organized this?"

"I did," said Dumbledore.

"You had one of your Professors recruit these students for—for your army?"

"Tonight, was supposed to be the first meeting," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course."

Fudge looked from Marietta to Dumbledore, his chest swelling. "Then you have been plotting against me!" he yelled.

"That's right," said Dumbledore cheerfully. He glanced at Willow and made a motion to get her attention then he made a very small gesture to indicate his head. Willow nodded in understanding.

'Willow,' Dumbledore thought. 'I have a plan. When I nod at you, I need you to use the most powerful Wiccan stunning spell you know. Stun everyone except myself, yourself, Buffy, Harry and Minerva.'

'Okay, Professor,' thought Willow. She then bumped into Buffy who looked at her. 'Can you hear me, Buffy?' Buffy nodded. 'As soon as Albus gives me a signal I'm to stun everyone.'

"Well, well, well—I came here tonight expecting to take Elizabeth Potter to the Ministry and charged, expel the younger Potters and Ms. Rosenberg. Instead—" Fudge said.

"Instead you get to arrest me," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?"

"Weasley!" cried Fudge, now positively quivering with delight, "Weasley, have you written it all down, everything he's said, his confession, have you got it?"

"Yes, sir, I think so, sir!" said Percy eagerly, whose nose was splattered with ink from the speed of his note-taking.

"The bit about how he's been trying to build up an army against the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilize me?"

"Yes, sir, I've got it, yes!" said Percy, scanning his notes joyfully.

"Very well, then," said Fudge, now radiant with glee. "Duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send a copy to the Daily Prophet at once. If we send a fast owl, we should make the morning edition!" Percy dashed from the room, slamming the door behind him, and Fudge turned back to Dumbledore. "You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged and then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"

"Ah," said Dumbledore gently, "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."

"Snag?" said Fudge, his voice still vibrating with joy. "I see no snag, Dumbledore!"

"Well," said Dumbledore apologetically, "I'm afraid I do."

"Oh really?"

"Well—it's just that you seem to be laboring under the delusion that I am going to—what is the phrase? 'Come quietly' I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course—but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."

Fudge stared at Dumbledore with a very silly expression on his face, as though he had just been stunned by a sudden blow and could not quite believe it had happened. He made a small choking noise and then looked around at Kingsley and the man with short gray hair. The latter gave Fudge a reassuring nod and moved forward a little, away from the wall.

"Don't be silly, Dawlish," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'm sure you are an excellent Auror, I seem to remember that you achieved 'Outstanding' in all your N.E.W.T.s, but if you attempt to—er—'bring me in' by force, I will have to hurt you."

The man called Dawlish blinked, looking rather foolish. He looked toward Fudge again, but this time seemed to be hoping for a clue as to what to do next.

"So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores, and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?"

"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling. "Not unless you are foolish enough to force me to."

"He will not be single-handed!" said Professor McGonagall loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.

"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" said Dumbledore sharply. "Hogwarts needs you!"

"Enough of this rubbish!" said Fudge, pulling out his own wand.

"Dawlish! Shacklebolt! Take him!"

Dumbledore gave the slightest nod.

"Stupefaciunt!" Willow said under her breath.

There was a flash of silver light around the room. When Buffy, Harry, Willow, Dumbledore and McGonagall could see again everyone else was lying on the floor clearly stunned.

"Are all of you all right?" said Dumbledore.

"Yes!" said McGonagall.

"Kingsley was remarkably quick on the uptake, modifying Miss Edgecombe's memory while everyone was looking the other way—thank him for me, won't you, Minerva? And thank you, Willow. That was quite the stunning spell."

"They won't be unconscious long," Willow said.

"Right," Dumbledore said. "When they all wake it will be best if they do not know that we had time to communicate—you all must act as though no time has passed, as though they were merely knocked to the ground—"

"Where will you go, Dumbledore?" whispered McGonagall. "Grimmauld Place? Sunnydale?"

"Oh no," said Dumbledore with a grim smile. "I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you…"

"Albus," Buffy said. "We still have one problem…"

"You have nothing to worry about," Dumbledore said. "Once Willow's stun went off, I removed any memory of you being part of this. Sadly, Harry, they will now believe you organized Defense lessons at my insistence."

"I understand, Professor," said Harry. "It's so Buffy isn't forced out. Once you are gone there will be very little to stand between them and the students that support you."

"You are of course, correct, Harry," agreed Dumbledore. "Sadly though, Buffy, that does not include you being under probation. There wasn't enough time to go deep enough to alter their memories of that." He looked back at Harry. "Now, Harry, you and Dawn must continue to study Occlumency as hard as you both can, do you understand me? You and Dawn must do everything Professor Snape tells you both and practice it particularly every night before sleeping so that you can close your mind to bad dreams—you will understand why soon enough, but you must promise me—"

The man called Dawlish was stirring.

Fawkes circled the office and swooped low over him. Dumbledore raised his hand, and grasped the phoenix's long golden tail.

There was a flash of fire and the pair of them had gone.

"Where is he?" yelled Fudge, pushing himself up from the ground. "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" shouted Kingsley, also leaping to his feet.

"Well, he can't have Disapparated!" cried Umbridge. "You can't inside this school—"

Buffy, Harry and Willow looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They knew that there were magics that could breach the wards surrounding Hogwarts.

"The stairs!" cried Dawlish, and he flung himself upon the door, wrenched it open, and disappeared, followed closely by Kingsley and Umbridge.

"Well, Minerva, Buffy," said Fudge nastily, straightening his torn shirtsleeve, "I'm afraid this is the end of your friend Dumbledore."

"You think so, do you?" said Professor McGonagall scornfully.

Fudge seemed not to hear her. "You'd better get those three off to bed," he said, looking back at Buffy and McGonagall with a dismissive nod toward Willow, Harry and Marietta.

Neither Buffy or McGonagall said anything. They marched Willow, Harry and Marietta to the door.

Author's Note: Willow's Tiger Patronus is a nod to my Mutant Slayer story where Willow can shapeshift into a tiger. And yes, I know that I gave Buffy the same Patronus. But I don't see that as a problem. Just because it was never really seen in HP of people having the same Patronus. When you factor in the number of people the world over that would be witches and wizards, there would have to be some duplication.