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Draco Malfoy's hand twitched in his mother's. He knew someone was nearby and wished fervently for his wand. The condition of being hidden in the Forest with his mother had been that they agree to surrender their wands. That was the plan designed by Albus Dumbledore and Draco had been so stunned after what had befallen them all in the Tower that he had not cared. But now, when Voldemort was coming, he and his mother were as useless as a pair of Muggles.

"Draco," whispered Narcissa fearfully.

"I know," he said. "Keep walking."

Zelda hunched down lower. The two must be magical, so she didn't want to engage them. Her choices, she thought, were to try to reason with a shabby, desperate-looking pair, or possibly shoot them.

"Stay here," hissed Ginny. She leaped into the path behind the pair and shouted, "Stop right there, Malfoy!"

Draco whirled, ready to attack, but stopped at the sight of Ginny, her wand trained on him. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Voldemort's coming, you stupid Weasley."

Crouched in her thorny shrub, Zelda wanted to cry. Hearing the boy's name, she knew who he must be and cursed the young witch's impetuous nature.

"You're not going to help him, Death Eater," Ginny snarled furiously. "Not if I can stop you!"

"Are you alone out here, girl?" asked Narcissa, eyeing Ginny's wand greedily.

Shit, thought Zelda, seeing the witch's intention. She stood up, ignoring her aching muscles, and hurried to stand beside Ginny. "They're not with Voldemort, Ginny," she said firmly. "Let them go." She met the other woman's desperate eyes and read a dangerous helplessness and terror.

"Who're you?" asked Draco. After being alone with his mother and his thoughts, this situation was getting to be overwhelming. This new woman had an odd accent and was dressed like a Muggle, he thought, but he recognized that she was Legilimencing his mother.

"Zelda, you don't know who this is," protested Ginny. "He..."

Zelda's hand clamped onto her arm hard. "I do know. And since this is Draco Malfoy, that must be his mother."

She turned and stared intently into the boy's cold grey eyes. "You're not supposed to be here. What are you doing?"

"We've been alone for over a month and couldn't get out. I've been going mad wondering what's happening. The spiders..." he shuddered. "I've been watching them, but we couldn't get past them. Today they all went away and came back dragging Professor Slughorn's body. Then they all ran away and we couldn't stand to be there any more, so we ran."

"Who are you?" asked Narcissa, visibly pouting. Seeing the odds evened made her realized she had no hope of getting the Weasley girl's wand.

This witch was getting on Zelda's nerves. The mix of fear and self-pity she'd seen made her want to slap that lovely patrician face. She wouldn't trust Draco Malfoy's mother for one second.

"Glinda, the freakin' Good Witch," she snapped flippantly. She thought that young Malfoy had been telling the truth, but wasn't sure. "Have you seen anyone besides us in the Forest today?"

"Potter. He let us go," he said shortly. "Listen, this is no time to stand around talking. If... he finds me, I'm dead and so's my mother."

Zelda put a hand on Ginny's arm. "Let them go."

Ginny had listened to the brief conversation and realized there wasn't anything else they could do. In fact, for one second she'd actually felt sorry for Malfoy. "Okay, just go," she said sullenly.


&&&&&&&&&


Bellatrix was in a remarkably foul temper, even for her, thought the werewolf. He considered ripping her throat out, but she was clever with that bloody wand, and that ropy neck repulsed him. He refused to respond to her any longer, and trudged grimly through the woods, heading for Hogwarts castle.

"I thought there'd be action. A bloody battle," snarled Bellatrix. "Snape is failing us again, as usual. This feels like a disaster to me."

"/Stupefy/!" A voice growled from somewhere in the trees.

A hex flashed over her head and the witch leaped behind a tree, looking around frantically to see where her enemy was. When she saw nothing, she abandoned Greyback and ran, searching for a more defensible position.


&&&&&&&&&


"Moody! You moron!" Tonks hissed furiously. "You went too soon and then you /missed/!"

"I'll take her... she won't escape me again. I've been on her bloody trail before," he rasped, and then he stumped angrily after the witch.

Tonks looked sourly at Lupin. "Gods, at times I hate wizards. I have to go after him," she said. "Can you take Greyback?"

He nodded reassuringly and with eyes full of concern, said softly, "Be careful."

She gave him a cheery smile in return and said, "Piece o' cake!" She kissed his cheek and took off running after Moody.

Lupin was left to pick up Greyback's trail. It was ironic, but perhaps it would be poetic justice if he could manage to kill the monster that had ruined his life. Unfortunately, his senses, heightened because of his dual nature, would not be such an advantage in tracking another werewolf. He took a moment to get his bearings, and then set off at an easy lope in pursuit of Fenrir Greyback. He ran on steadily for about ten minutes, but became distracted by someone panting a short way off the path. Cautiously he approached, and discovered Mad-Eye Moody lying against a tree, twitching spasmodically.

"Gods, Moody, what happened?" asked the impatient werewolf.

"She got me, blew the leg out from under me," he replied in a testy voice.

"Fortunately it was the wooden one," said Lupin dryly. "Are you hurt?"

"Collarbone's broken," said Moody impatiently. "Help me find my wand so I can Conjure a new leg and we'll get on with this."

"How long have you been here?" he asked in a conversational tone.

"About ten minutes. I'll have to hurry to catch up with her," he growled. "I want the bitch."

"You'll never catch her now. Is Tonks after her?" Lupin asked.

"Stupid girl ran right past me, firing hexes like mad." He took his wand, which Lupin had found a few feet away, and without a word of thanks Conjured a new prosthesis, which he found hard to put on with a broken collar bone. "How are you at healing?" he gasped.

"Sorry," said Lupin briefly. "Look, I have to catch Greyback. Put the leg on and get yourself to safety." He began listening and testing the air to see where his quarry had headed, then began walking, ignoring Moody's orders to wait.

Lupin followed the trail deeper into the Forest. He was forced several times to stop and try to sense the way his enemy had gone. He could almost feel Greyback's presence nearby and began moving cautiously, but was completely unprepared when a heavy, reeking body leaped out behind him and knocked him to the ground..

"Gotcha, you bloody pathetic traitor to your kind," growled Fenrir Greyback. Flecks of saliva flew from his mouth as he tried to wrestle the wand out of Lupin's hand.

"I'll never be your kind, you monster," gasped Lupin. Greyback was heavier and stronger than he was and completely vicious. Even without being transformed he ripped at Lupin's robes with his teeth, trying to tear chunks of flesh from him. Lupin howled in pain as the monster bit deep into his shoulder.

"/Stupefy/!" growled a deep voice.

Greyback collapsed on top of him, leaving Remus gasping in pain.

"Get out of there, Lupin, NOW!" screamed Moody.

A shadow loomed out of the trees. An immense spider was rapidly crawling toward the two werewolves, causing Lupin to react instinctively. He grabbed his wand, threw a hex at the creature's eyes and ran madly toward where he had heard Moody's voice. He expected the Acromantula to be on him any second, but he reached Moody, who was watching with a frightening grin as the giant insect lowered itself and stung the Stupefied werewolf.

Lupin shuddered. "That was almost me. Thanks, Mad-Eye."

Moody nodded. "You're bleeding, Remus."

"Well, it can't make me more werewolf than I already am, can it," he said, grimacing. In fact, the bite on his shoulder burned like the fires of hell and was bleeding sluggishly.

"Good point. I guess Bella, the bitch, is long gone by now. Where to now?"

They paused to watch as the massive Acromantula began wrapping a thick, sticky silk around the werewolf's body and prepared to drag it away.

"Think he's actually dead?" Moody asked dispassionately, turning to walk away.

Lupin smothered the manic laughter that threatened to overcome him. After all these years of hating and fearing the deranged monster, Fenrir Greyback was meat for giant spiders. Moody's question brought the reality home to him. "Should I care? Dead or alive, he'll probably poison them with his foul flesh," he hissed. "Let's go."

They both paused again, long enough to see the last of Fenrir Greyback, watching solemnly as he was hauled away by several monstrous spiders.


&&&&&&&&&



Firenze paced along the path, searching for Zelda and Ginny. Long had the stars had shown him the significance of this day. Hogwarts was in the gravest peril it had known, yet there was also hope. Harry Potter seemed prepared for what would come this day and had the support of Severus Snape. The power of those two, working toward the same goal, was formidable. However, what would come to pass was ordained.

"Firenze," said Zelda softly. She had waited to come out of hiding until he had passed, so as to be sure he was alone.

He turned calmly. "Well met, Zelda Larsson. Where is Ginny Weasley?"

Ginny stepped out of the trees and came to stand next to Zelda.

"Can you help us?" asked Zelda urgently. "We shouldn't be here, Voldemort's here in the Forest. If we can somehow get out of the grounds of Hogwarts, Ginny can take me home."

"The greatest danger is now between us and the gates of Hogwarts," he replied. "Voldemort is behind us and by this time, most of the enemies in the castle have been dispatched. You will find help there."

They fell in by his side and walked silently for a short time.

"Firenze, is my mother all right?" asked Ginny suddenly. "What about Harry and Ron?"

"All of them have work to do now," he replied. "Harry Potter and Professor Snape are aware of your presence, however. It is my task to take you to safety, if safety is to be found."

"They know we're here," said Zelda, her stomach sinking. "I hoped we'd be gone before they found out." She walked on, a worried frown creasing her brow and asked, "Where are they now?"

"They go to meet their destiny. It is the day of reckoning," he replied portentously.

Zelda grasped Ginny's hand impulsively, craving the comfort of human contact.

Ginny had listened in silence, unwilling to believe that this was the day Harry would face Voldemort. If it was true, she wanted to go, to run and be there with him... but she'd done enough damage with her impulsive decision to come back. If Zelda didn't make it safely out of this she knew she'd never forgive herself.


&&&&&&&&&


"Where are we going, Potter?" asked Snape in a whisper. He had followed the two young men for some time and realized they knew where they were going, although he did not. The path they had been following had grown wider and the trees overhanging it blocked the evening sun. There was a feel of incredible age to everything here, as well as a rare ancient magic in the very air.

Harry and Ron paused. They put their heads close to Snape's and Harry said, "He must be after his... artifacts. Sooner or later he'll go to the place where we destroyed that last one. I can almost sense his thoughts. He's trying to find me, too. I can feel it and I've been blocking him for the past hour."

Snape nodded. He gestured for them to go on ahead, trying not to bring his presence to the forefront of Potter's mind. Blocking the connection with the Dark Lord would require Potter's complete concentration. They walked on.


&&&&&&&&&


"There's only one Death Eater left, Mr. Filch," said Molly earnestly. "But it's Peter Pettigrew, an Animagus who turns into a rat. Can Mrs. Norris help us to find him?"

"It's a big castle," he muttered blightingly. "But we can see." He put the cat down on the floor and said in a sickeningly affectionate voice, "Go find the nasty little rat-man, Mrs. Norris."

He, Molly and Professor Flitwick began to follow the creature.

"Which way might he have gone?" asked Filius Flitwick.

"He was in Gryffindor himself, and when he pretended to be my son's pet, he also lived in Gryffindor Tower. I won't be surprised if he goes to familiar territory," said Molly.

Mrs. Norris trotted intently through the corridors, her ears twitching at the slightest sound. Her huge eyes glowed with feline excitement and at times she seemed to catch the scent of the rat. But they trudged behind her for what seemed hours, without any result.

Suddenly the cat began to run. Far down the corridor, running toward an open classroom door, was a small animal. When Mrs. Norris pounced, a terrible squealing filled the air. The humans ran toward the scene, watching in horror, as the small creature suddenly grew huge, as big as a man. In fact, an ugly, chubby little man whose shining silver hand grabbed the scrambling cat by her back leg and flung her down hard to the ground. She lay motionless on the floor. Molly held Argus Filch's arm to prevent him from rushing to his fallen pet in front of the furious Death Eater.

Peter Pettigrew's face was contorted with rage as he faced the three. He fumbled for his wand, but forgot that he was still wearing women's clothes from his masquerade as Professor Trelawney. Before he could pull it out, he was lost.

"/Petrificus Totalus/!" snarled Molly. She'd waited a long time for this moment.

The Animagus fell to the ground, his body rigid.

Molly walked up and looked at her prisoner. She pulled the end of his wand, which he had not fully freed before he was caught, then took it and snapped it in two. "/Incarcerous/," she said, and ropes bound him from head to foot. She looked down into the frantic eyes of Pettigrew and said, "I'll remove the Body-Bind if you swear to me that you won't transform.

"I swear it!" the desperate Death Eater whinged earnestly. He couldn't believe the witch would be thick enough to take his word on such a thing, but with a flick of her wand she removed the spell.

"Mrs. Norris!" said Filch despondently. "She's not moving. Can anyone help me?"

"I'm coming, Mr. Filch," said Molly compassionately. She turned slowly around and began to go to the despondent caretaker.

In a flash Pettigrew transformed and began to run. But he had not reckoned with Professor Flitwick.

"/Wingardium Leviosa/!" said the tiny wizard with a mischievous grin.

Pettigrew rose up, his tiny paws scrabbling wildly in the air. He was completely helpless and began squeaking wildly.

"Mrs. Weasley, if you please?" asked Flitwick politely.

Molly paused on her way to Mr. Filch and quickly Conjured a rat size cage, which she Levitated under the floating rat. A fierce smile appeared on her face.

Flitwick released the spell, Pettigrew dropped neatly into the cage, the cage door locked and the cage dropped hard to the floor, knocking the rat out. "Perfect, my dear lady," he said happily. "Finally something has gone as we planned."

Molly turned again to the distraught caretaker. "Mr. Filch, is she...?"

"She's alive, but look at her. Her legs are broken," he moaned, hardly daring to touch the small shattered body. He sat on the floor, rocking back and forth. "Can Madam Pomfrey help her?"

Professor Flitwick joined them. "Of course, my dear fellow. Come along, we shall bring her there directly," he said kindly. Cautiously he conjured a stretcher, as though for a tiny human, directly under the cat. He gently secured the tiny animal, so she would not be jolted and then Levitated her before him. He turned to Molly. "My dear Mrs. Weasley, perhaps you would bring the prisoner to the staff room. And another locking Charm on the cage would not be amiss. I shall join you as soon as we've seen Mrs. Norris to the Infirmary. She's proved herself quite the little hero today."


&&&&&&&&&


In a desolate, hidden area of the Forbidden Forest, a lone black-cloaked figure strode toward a low structure shrouded in shadows. The birds fell silent as it passed. The figure came to stand before what appeared to be an ancient tomb, made of weathered, moss covered granite. A long fingered white hand pointed a wand and the tomb opened. Slowly an object rose from the tomb and floated to the cloaked wizard. He allowed the tomb to reseal itself and reached for the floating object. The sun's rays were briefly reflected off it, and it was a small golden cup with two handles. The bony white fingers caressed the shining gold and cold, mad laughter rang out among the ancient trees.