A New Mission

After the school day was over, Harry and Ginny walked up the stairs to the headmaster's office. The boy knew that Ginny was livid at Dumbledore, but he realized that now that they were joined, they needed catharsis together. He fully expected trouble, but the idea of excluding her had not crossed his mind. With every step they took, their anger grew stronger.

The spiral stairs took them up to the entrance door and they walked in. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk and looked at them over his half-moon eyeglasses intrigued by the sudden visit. Ginny let go of Harry's hand and walked straight to the Professor, who watched surprised as the resolute redhead approached him.

"Ginny..." Harry said mentally.

When Dumbledore opened his mouth to greet her, Ginny slapped his face with all her force. The half-moon glasses flew across the room and broke. The old wizard's face contorted in pain and shock.

The body language of the old man told Harry that he was going into fight mode. With or without a wand, he was probably too much for both of them still. He put his reflexes on a hair trigger.

"Ginny, be careful."

"You have my back, don't you?" she replied, turning away from Dumbledore and walking back to Harry.

He nodded. "That probably wasn't helpful."

"One of us was going to hit him, Harry. You probably would have hurt him really bad, so better me than you," she said taking his hand.

Her palm was still warm from the impact. Harry sighed. "You're right."

Dumbledore was glowering at the young couple, but he noticed them communicating. His brow furrowed. He made a sudden movement, and both students had their wands out in a blaze of speed.

"You're not wearing your eyeglasses, Mr Potter, and yet your eyesight seems very sharp. Will you allow me to summon and repair mine?"

"Yes," the two teens replied in unison.

"We need to work on being less conspicuous, otherwise everyone will know we're joined," Harry said taking over.

Dumbledore summoned and repaired his half-moon glasses without taking his eyes off the two students.

"I wanted to ask why I had been so rudely treated by Ms Weasley, but I find that I have far more pressing questions," the old man said furrowing his brow again. "The two of you seem to be communicating mentally, but you're not using Legilimency. It's more like an actual conversation..."

"That's correct," they answered in unison again, this time on purpose.

Dumbledore played with his long beard introspectively as he stood behind the table. There were only a few ways for that to happen, some of them dark. One of his greatest fears had always been that Harry could go dark. The fact that both Harry and Ginny had been possessed at some time or another by Voldemort was not very comforting. "What happened to your eyeglasses, Mr Potter?" he asked sitting down.

"It turns out that after Ginny destroyed the Horcrux in my head, I didn't need them anymore," Harry spat bitterly.

The shock of the old wizard was visible; his face blanched, his jaw dropped, and he leaned back on the chair for support. His eyes stared at the couple in disbelief.

"When were you planning to tell Harry, you expected him to die for the Greater Good?" Ginny asked fiercely. "You never planned to give him a choice, did you? You wanted him to die!"

"I didn't want him to die, Ms Weasley," Dumbledore said weakly, slumping on the chair. "But he has to die... or... he had to... how...?"

"You immoral bastard," Harry spat full of contempt. "I had a right to make an informed decision with MY life! Who the hell appointed you as the arbiter of what the Greater Good for me is? What makes you think you had any right to decide if I should live or die? If I have to die, I'll do it on my own terms, not yours. It's MY choice!"

Ginny leaned on him, and he calmed down a little.

Dumbledore looked at Ginny, and then at Harry. "The two of you have bonded..."

"Technically, we've joined," Harry replied.

The distinction was important although the end result was practically the same. A bonding was involuntary; a joining was a voluntary act. Bonding was unusual, and it had the disadvantage that fate might never bring the bonded pair together to complete the bonding process. In those cases, those involved could never be satisfied in a relationship, and that meant they usually lived miserable love lives. A joining, by contrast, was more like a marriage, which is why it was also called a "chemical wedding". Like a marriage, a joining could fail, and it required the joined couple work at it.

"During the joining ritual," Harry continued, "we not only shed our physical bodies, but we also gradually shed our astral bodies. It was at that point that the Horcrux manifested itself and Ginny was able to destroy it."

Dumbledore slowly digested the information, still slumped on his chair.

"It seems to me that you never considered any other possibility other than letting Harry die," Ginny said bitterly. "That's why you're so baffled now."

Dumbledore looked up at the couple. "The ritual for joining is arcane and complex. There was no one alive today that knew how to perform it, much less someone who knew what would happen to a Horcrux in the astral regions," he said defensively. "Separating the physical body and the spiritual body never occurred to me." The headmaster squared his shoulders and sat up straight with a smile on his lips. "Regardless of your opinion of me, I'm really happy you won't have to die, Harry."

Harry knew Dumbledore had used him as bait to see if Voldemort knew he was a Horcrux on more than one occasion. He didn't trust the old man, but he had to work with him.

"After we find and destroy the Horcruxes, I still have to fight Voldemort to kill him," Harry said evenly. "I now have the power to make it an even fight, but I still lack the knowledge to beat him."

"What are you driving at?" asked the headmaster intrigued.

"Harry needs your knowledge of Elemental magic," Ginny demanded. "If you really want Harry to live, we need that Agnitio."

Dumbledore stroked his beard pensively.

"The old bastard... as always... planning and conspiring," Harry hissed mentally. "I see you aren't as enthusiastic about my survival as you claim to be."

"Before I share my knowledge with the two of you, I have to be convinced it won't be misused," Dumbledore said firmly.

"You're a bloody hypocrite," Ginny said fiercely. "That knowledge couldn't be entrusted to anyone nobler than Harry. It's you, Professor, who has misused his knowledge time and again; you who has shown a tendency to be hungry for power and control."

"I'm inclined to trust Harry," Dumbledore said slowly turning towards Ginny. "It is you, who I'm not sure should be trusted, Ms Weasley."

The two teens were left momentarily speechless.

"What?" Harry asked menacingly.

"Ms Weasley served Voldemort once. She was even possessed by him to do his bidding..."

"I was only eleven," Ginny protested with tears in her eyes. The words of the headmaster had stung like poisoned daggers.

"She had a Horcrux talking to her every single day. For an eleven-year-old she showed incredible strength of character. You on the other hand, Professor," Harry spat contemptuously, "favoured pure blood supremacy as a young adult, and willingly conspired to bring it about."

"You will have to come in contact with other Horcruxes before this is over," Dumbledore replied ignoring Harry's invective. "Are you sure she will be able to resist them?"

"I resisted one last night," Ginny said standing a little taller. "The Horcrux in Harry tried to stop me from destroying it."

"Ms Weasley," Dumbledore said condescendingly, "that Horcrux was created accidentally. Voldemort took no steps to protect it," he added raising his shrivelled arm to make his point. "You only had to overcome its self-preservation instinct. Nothing more."

Harry could feel the wave of self-doubt and remorse in Ginny. "I trust you, Ginny, no matter what the old windbag says."

"What if he's right? What if I turn against you when we find a protected Horcrux?"

"You will not be alone this time, love. I'll be there with you. We are one consciousness, remember?" Ginny smiled weakly and he leaned against her. "You're just making excuses, Professor. If you are not going to help, I advise you to not get in my way."

Harry took Ginny's hand, and they walked out of the headmaster's office. The effect of the Invigoration Draught was almost finished and both of them felt dead tired. After going to the Common Room to be seen and to say goodnight to their roommates, the couple walked to their dormitories and Portkeyed home.

OoOoO

Snape arrived at Malfoy Manor at the agreed time. He had Portkeyed into the back garden, where a house elf was waiting to guide him through a secret entrance inside the house. He wasn't there to see Voldemort, but to see the lord of the manor, Lucius Malfoy. The Dark Lord was at the moment in the Continent gathering information with his most trusted and loyal servant, Bellatrix Lestrange.

The Malfoy family had fallen low as of late. Voldemort condescendingly tolerated their presence in their own house, and he kept the family's heir and only son prisoner in the dungeons under appalling conditions. Lucius himself was under constant threat of death, and his wife didn't dare contradict any order given to the staff by her insane sister.

Only Malfoy's influence in the Ministry and his money kept him alive, but even his immense fortune had a limit. The promises of the Dark Lord to make him Minister of Magic so he could replenish his vaults from the coffers of the Exchequer seemed less probable every day. It seemed that Voldemort was setting up Pius Thicknesse for the post and that Lucius was going to be left with nothing.

Things were so desperate that the senior Malfoy had been considering the unthinkable: Switching sides. There was only so much degradation, torture and insults a man could take, and he was at his limit. After all, it was better to be a living and rich blood traitor, than a dead or penniless pure blood.

Severus Snape had been whispering suggestions to Lucius Malfoy for months, and when he had meekly requested a clandestine meeting during the Dark Lord's absence, the dark-haired man knew he had Malfoy by the bollocks. Lucius Malfoy, the most arrogant pure blood in the British Isles, was ready to grovel at his feet and beg for him to save him.

The meeting had to be held in a secondary room. The formal reception room was for the exclusive use of the Dark Lord. Snape put up all the necessary privacy charms and made sure all the portraits had been removed from the room as he had instructed. He took a look at the former champion of the pure blood cause, and with some satisfaction noticed his shabby condition. The man looked like he hadn't slept well in a long time, and he had a desperate air about him.

"Before we start," Snape said calculatingly, "you have to agree to an Unbreakable Vow. I'm risking my good standing, if not my life, with the Dark Lord by just talking to you."

"Of course," Malfoy agreed eagerly. "What we are about to discuss, must remain in absolute secrecy."

The Vow was made, and Snape took a seat. He relished the moment when Malfoy with servility offered and served him tea. The sullen professor sat straighter on his chair and curled his lip at the beaten man before taking a sip.

Malfoy was pacing nervously, seemingly unsure of where to start. If a word of what he was about to say got to the Dark Lord, he and his entire family would die horrible deaths, and their mangled bodies would be fed to Nagini. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"From our short conversations I've gathered that you don't approve of the way the Dark Lord treats you..." Malfoy hinted.

"Continue," Snape ordered without any emotion.

"We continued to serve the Dark Lord while he was incorporeal and brought about the restitution of his body, but it seems that his gratitude and favour lie with my insane sister-in-law, whose only merit was being stupid enough to get herself sent to Azkaban despite the efforts of the Wizengamot to absolve as many Death Eaters as possible."

"Get to the point Lucius, my time is precious," Snape interjected seemingly bored.

Malfoy broke into a cold sweat before he spoke. "I want you to tell Dumbledore I want to change sides. I want protection in exchange for information."

"What makes you so sure I won't just tell the Dark Lord you're a blood traitor who wants to hide under Dumbledore's robes?" Snape asked with a sarcastic smile.

"Some of the things you've said to me are borderline treasonous, Severus," Malfoy said beginning to pace again with a furrowed brow. "For someone who has always spoken contemptuously of Potter, you seem to have a lot of faith in him all of a sudden."

"Dumbledore is very ill, and Potter seems to finally be tapping into his magical potential. However limited that potential is, he has fate on his side."

"What do you mean?" asked Malfoy eagerly.

Snape was fairly sure that all that inbreeding had turned the "upper classes" of the magical world into dimwits.

"You surely must have wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill Potter when he was only a baby; or why he risked going to the Ministry for the bloody prophecy; or why Dumbledore is so interested in protecting a barely average half-blood wizard"

The Lord of the manor slowly processed the information. After a minute his face suddenly lit up.

"Potter is the one that can kill the Dark Lord!"

Snape rolled his eyes and curled his lip. He was right about pure blood inbreeding.

"Exactly," he said contemptuously. The potions master got up and paced for a moment. "I've come to realize that the Dark Lord is more interested in satisfying his childish feelings of inadequacy, his sado-masochistic power fantasies and his obsession with immortality, than on actually ruling the magical world for his benefit and that of his loyal servants. He gets off on torture and humiliation, and that's never going to change." Snape turned to look at Malfoy's reaction.

He was nodding enthusiastically. "I always thought all the torture and raping was part of a larger strategy, that it was just a way to instill terror, but I realize now that they're the whole point for him. The Dark Lord just wants destruction and chaos, nothing more."

"If he were to win the war, he would destroy the magical world," Snape declared. "What is the point of all of this if it's not to reap the rewards?"

"I'm glad we understand each other," Malfoy agreed.

"If Potter is the only one that can kill the Dark Lord, then we should help him until he does," Snape said raising an eyebrow and giving Lucius Malfoy a significant look.

"Yes, indeed," the aristocrat wizard replied with a villainous smile. "We should help him until he does."

OoOoO

A week after their joining, the three couples had almost completely mastered the mental advantages and disadvantages of the ritual. Most importantly it was becoming second nature to keep an appropriate level of privacy in their thoughts, although sometimes that failed.

The girls had been quite shocked to realize how often teenage boys think about sex during the day even though all of them were getting plenty of action in bed.

"Poor baby," Ginny said a little sarcastically to Harry while sitting in a circle after Judo training one day. "I never knew it was so difficult to be a teenage boy. It must be terrible to be thinking of just one thing most of the day."

Judo practice with Ginny always made Harry randy.

Hermione caught Ginny's meaning. "Not to mention the random erections they get," she said with an annoyed look at Ron.

"What did I do?" the redhead boy protested.

"Today, when Lavender dropped her quill and she bent over to pick it up, you got hard... don't deny it because I felt it," Hermione said cutting off Ron's possible explanation.

Harry laughed, which of course was a big mistake.

"You're not so innocent either, Potter," Ginny said with a mischievous smile. "When you and Padma were working together during Potions, she leaned forward over the cauldron, and you got hard just from looking down her cleavage."

Harry was left with his mouth open while Hermione and Ginny turned to Luna for a contribution to illustrate the perfidiousness of boys.

"Well," Luna said with a soft smile, "Neville is getting hard right now just from hearing about girls bending over and showing cleavage."

Neville glowed red, but all six laughed heartily.

"It means nothing. You know it's just the bloody testosterone getting out of control. Believe me, the random erections are just a pain in the arse. Isn't that right?" Harry said, looking for support from the other boys.

"Ouch! Especially if it gets caught on your underwear," Neville said as he pulled on his judo trousers with an expression of considerable discomfort.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked concerned.

Neville nodded with sudden relief. "This would be terribly embarrassing if we didn't know each other so well."

The girls watched Neville's judo trousers as his conspicuous erection slowly settled down his thigh.

"I'm really sorry, it'll go away in a moment," Neville apologized.

"I'll forgive you only if you promise to get hard for me later." Luna said with an uncharacteristic throaty voice.

"Ehemm. Everyone stop thinking about what you're going to be doing later, and let's concentrate on the business at hand," Hermione told them sternly.

The brunette suddenly giggled and blushed prettily. The two other couples were intrigued by Ron's devilish smile.

"If you behave, I might bend over for you tonight, Ron. I think I'm ready to try new things and I do need to complete my sexual education, after all."

"As I was saying," Hermione continued, ignoring her boyfriend's bulging eyes. "I'm fairly certain that at least one of the Horcruxes is related to Hogwarts. We know that Voldemort chose significant items of his life for the others, and Hogwarts is where everything started for him. I think we should question the castle ghosts to see if they know something."

Before they could summon the Slytherin House ghost for questioning, there was a knock on the door of the Room of Requirement. They were all a bit surprised, and Neville, who was closest, walked up and opened the door.

A nervous looking elf stood at the entrance wringing his hands.

"What is it?" Neville asked the elf.

"Professor Snape wants to see Harry Potter as soon as possible in his office."

Neville turned to look at Harry, who nodded to him. "Tell the professor that he will be there in a few minutes."

After the elf vanished, Harry spoke.

"I want all of you to come with me. Let's take a quick shower and see what he wants."

Twenty minutes later the six teens stood in front of the office of the Potions master. Harry knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Snape called out.

Harry and his friends walked in, and he immediately noticed that there was someone sitting on one of the highchairs with his back to them. The man slowly turned to look at the new arrivals. In an instant all the teens had their wands out and a shield in place.

Lucius Malfoy smiled nervously at the Ministry Six.

Harry stunned him without preamble. The spell knocked Malfoy off his chair and into the heavy wooden desk. Professor Snape stood up infuriated; ready to lash out, but the faces behind the five wands pointed at him left no doubt that the students meant business. They wouldn't hesitate to use them if he as much as twitched.

"You better start explaining why you brought an escaped Death Eater to Hogwarts," Harry demanded to know after disarming and binding the unconscious pure-blood aristocrat. "And I'd better be impressed by your explanation, Professor."

Professor Snape calmly sat back down, masterfully holding back his fury at Potter's insolence and presumption. "Mr Malfoy has a proposal that might be of interest to you."

"I have no intention of making deals with Death Eaters, especially with the one who gave Ginny, Tom Riddle's diary," Harry replied coldly.

"Don't be so bloody naive, Potter. Lucius has something very important to offer, and he demanded to speak to you directly," Snape said ignoring the comment.

"You don't lose anything by listening to what he has to say," Hermione suggested.

"She is right, Harry." Ginny added in their shared consciousness. "What matters now is to get anything that can help us end this nightmare as soon as possible. Besides, listening to him doesn't mean you're going to believe him."

"Why does he have this sudden interest in talking with me, Professor?" Harry asked.

"He has failed the Dark Lord one too many times, and he has fallen out of favor. Lucius and his family are practically prisoners in their own house. In the case of Draco, he is literally a prisoner," Snape replied leaning forward slightly. "Malfoy is ready to change masters."

"Bollocks!" Ron shouted. "Don't believe him!"

"Think about it, Potter. What would a Slytherin do in that situation?" Snape asked with a disdainful smile. "Unlike the Hufflepuffs, our loyalty only goes so far."

"What does he want?"

"Events have developed in such a way, that it suits the House of Malfoy that the Dark Lord be defeated as quickly as possible. Lucius wants his only son saved, and protection for his family in exchange for his help."

"I don't need his help to defeat Voldemort. I have all the help I need right here," Harry said looking around the room at his friends. "I won't risk a single hair on any of them to save bloody Draco Malfoy," he spat.

Snape smiled with his odious, curled upper lip smile. "Not even if he can deliver a Horcrux to you?"

His words had the desired effect. The revelation had startled all the teenagers, and they quickly put up a privacy charm. Luna Lovegood had remained facing him with her cold, unblinking silvery gaze fixed on him while the others talked animatedly.

After a couple of minutes, the privacy charm was brought down, and Neville and Ron propped the unconscious Malfoy on the chair and undid the bindings of the disarmed wizard.

"Ennervate!" cried Hermione to awaken him.

A startled Lucius Malfoy regained consciousness and anxiously felt around his robes for his wand in the face of the impassive and unfriendly looking group of teenagers. He noticed Potter was twirling the missing wand dexterously with his fingers. After making his point the boy pocketed the wand.

"Professor Snape tells us you can exchange a Horcrux for rescuing your son and protecting your family?"

Malfoy nodded nervously.

"You will have to answer a few questions under Veritaserum before we give you an answer..."

"I happen to have some right here," Snape interrupted opening one of the drawers of his desk.

"That won't be necessary," Hermione said firmly stepping forward and pulling out the beaded bag from around her neck. "We have our own," she added taking out a phial.

The Slytherin Head was visibly surprised by that information. Their potions knowledge was evidently superior to what they led on. How much more they knew was something that he would have to find out as quickly as possible. "Are you sure that potion is brewed correctly? It's a concoction way above NEWT level," he said calmly.

"Rest assured, Professor, it's pure and well brewed," the brunette said stepping in front of Malfoy and extending her arm. "Drink!" she ordered.

Malfoy nervously looked at Snape, who gently assented with his head. After taking an anxious look at all in the room, the blonde aristocrat took the potion with one swig.

"If you don't mind, this interrogation will be private, Professor," Harry informed a surprised Snape. He didn't wait for his reply as be put a privacy barrier between him and the rest of the room. The Slytherin Head was left screaming furiously at the same time he attempted to undo the charm.

"Did you put Tom Riddle's diary in Ginny Weasley's school cauldron?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Malfoy replied nervously.

"I knew it!" Harry said triumphantly looking at Hermione.

"I always said he was the most likely suspect," Hermione harrumphed. "I just thought you should keep an open mind and consider other possibilities."

"Alright, you two," Ginny interrupted visibly annoyed, "Let's get back to business. We're wasting time."

"Sorry, love" Harry said meekly.

Ron laughed. "The great Harry Potter is nothing but a henpecked pushover."

"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione commanded with a death glare that made her boyfriend shrink back. "Let's continue," she added with an amused smile at a thankful Harry.

"Where's the Horcrux," Harry asked Malfoy.

"It's in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts."

Harry narrowed his eyebrows. "What's the item?"

"It's Helga Hufflepuff's Cup."

"Do you know what the other Horcruxes are?"

"No."

"How were you planning to give me the Cup if it's in the Lestrange vault?"

"It used to be one of the Black vaults. It was assigned for the use of Bellatrix, and she kept it after she married. When she was imprisoned in Azkaban, control of the vault passed to my wife. She's still keyed in and can access the vault at any time."

"Why are you helping us?"

Malfoy went into a tale of woe that confirmed everything that Snape had told them. Money and power were the most important things for the Malfoys, and the only way for them to keep their status at this point was for Voldemort to be defeated.

"Are you planning to betray us as well?"

"Yes!" Malfoy spat contemptuously.

Harry looked at his friends with a smirk. Ginny shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not as if we didn't know that already," she said evenly.

"We have to be very careful," Hermione said worriedly before addressing Malfoy. "When and how are you planning to betray us?"

"Not until Voldemort is defeated," Malfoy said struggling to remain quiet. "There's no set plan yet. It depends on how events develop."

"Is Snape part of those plans?" Harry asked furrowing his brow.

"Yes."

Harry looked at the others, fixing his gaze on Ginny last.

"We knew this was going to be dangerous," Neville said firmly. "We need to deal with Voldemort first, and deal with the rest later."

"He's right," Ginny said grimly. "After Tom is dead, we'll just have to keep an even sharper eye on each other's back."

Harry turned to Malfoy again. "Is Dumbledore part of this plan?"

"No."

Harry sighed with relief and then turned to Hermione. "Please give him the antidote and erase his memory of the interrogation."

Malfoy looked dazed and confused around the room after the brunette was finished. Harry then undid the privacy barrier.

"How dare you!" bellowed Snape almost apoplectic. "How dare you restrict my movements in my own office?"

"My apologies, Professor" Harry replied politely. "It was a necessary precaution, but Malfoy confirmed that his offer is real. I think we can do business with him."

Momentarily Snape looked unsure of himself and exchanged an anxious look with Malfoy, but he quickly regained his composure.

"You must have a plan in mind," Harry calmly prompted Malfoy.

"Yes," he replied still shaken and confused.

Harry asked him many of the same questions that he had asked him under Veritaserum but allowed him to elaborate more.

"The Dark Lord is on the continent at the present, so, whatever you do must be done in the next few days. I will reveal the location of Malfoy Manor and provide a Pensieve memory with the entire layout. Once Draco has been liberated and we have been placed in a secure location, my wife and I will take one or more of you to the Lestrange vault to retrieve and destroy the Horcrux.

"In the absence of the Dark Lord, only about a dozen Death Eaters are posted to secure and protect the location," he continued. "It shouldn't present a challenge to the notorious Ministry Six," he spat.

"Excuse me one moment," Harry said as he again raised a privacy shield before turning to his friends. "What do you think?"

"I think that at least one of us has to stay with Malfoy and his wife while the rest go to rescue Draco," Luna suggested in an emotionless tone. "If it's a trap, there should be someone there to kill them on the spot."

Hermione looked appalled, but Harry already knew that Luna had no compunction about killing.

"I think it should be an even exchange," Neville added. "We don't give them Draco until they hand over the Horcrux."

"Neville is right but we should negotiate from a position of strength," Hermione intervened. "They need us more than we need them. You can dictate your own terms."

"Maybe we should do it simultaneously," Ginny suggested. "Four of us go to Malfoy Manor and liberate Draco, while the other two go to Gringotts to get the Horcrux. Then we meet at the secure location and do the exchange. Take it or leave it."

"If there is trouble in the manor, you can send us a Patronus. Luna and I will go immediately to help you," Neville added.

"I like the plan, even though it divides our numbers," Harry said cautiously.

They would try to avoid a confrontation and take advantage of the element of surprise, but he couldn't help remembering that the last time they had the element of surprise, Ginny had almost been killed.

"What will be the secure location," Ron inquired.

"Remus is now the owner of 12 Grimmauld Place, but he doesn't live there," Harry replied. "I don't think he'll have a problem having the Malfoys there temporarily."

Harry would have preferred to have more time to prepare, but they had to take advantage of the fact that Voldemort wasn't there. The weekend was starting tomorrow, which meant that after classes they would have a lot more liberty of movement without raising suspicions.

"Tomorrow I'll consult with Remus about Grimmauld place," Harry continued. "We can work on the fine details of the plan tomorrow night and Saturday during the day. We'll rescue Draco late night Saturday, while Luna and Neville get the Horcrux."

After they all agreed, Harry undid the privacy charm and informed Malfoy of their decision. The former Slytherin Head Boy naturally tried to impose conditions and assurances, but Harry was intransigent.

"Mr Malfoy," he said curtly. "If you don't want to do things our way, you can sod off. I couldn't care less if Draco, and what's left of the Malfoy family die a painful death at the hands of Voldemort."

The pureblood man was outraged that a half-blood would dare to speak to him that way. "Without that Horcrux, you will never defeat the Dark Lord," he said triumphantly.

"I'll just have to break into Gringotts, and take it," Harry replied, seemingly bored by the whole thing.

"That's impossible!"

"Is it? It wouldn't be the first time someone breaks into Gringotts. Remember the break-in during Draco's first year?"

"I'll move it somewhere else."

"Please do! I'll just have to capture you or your wife and make you talk with Veritaserum. Anywhere you hide it will be easier to break into than Gringotts."

Seeing no other way out, Malfoy accepted Harry's plan. They agreed to meet at Snape's office Saturday night at ten o'clock. After revealing the location of the Fidelius protected Malfoy Manor with a handwritten note, Malfoy extracted a Pensieve memory of the complete layout of the manor.

Later that night, Harry sent an owl to his barrister's assistant, Ms Brocklehurst to lend him one of the portable Pensieves they used for depositions. After finishing, the teenagers retired to their rooms.

Friday afternoon and night they spent hours walking through the Pensive memory of Malfoy Manor setting up access and escape routes, preparing for contingencies and establishing rally points. The defenses of the house were not insurmountable by any means, but it was protected with Anti-Portkey hexes, and it had no Apparating spots. Working quickly and silently was going to be the key to success, because if anything went wrong, they would have to fight their way out of the house.

They studied the location where guards were normally posted, and they were happy to see that only two members of the inner circle were likely to be present: Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle. If the opportunity presented itself, they intended to make Dolohov pay for having cursed Hermione at the Department of Mysteries.

After one final walk-through of the manor, and a discussion of the plan with their friends, Harry and Ginny returned home.

OoOoO