Glass Angel

Dan and Emma stared at Sarah for far longer than they'd intended. In all the theories Dan had about who they were meeting, Sarah wasn't part of them. Rose was part of them… Dumbledore even, but not Sarah Perks.

"But… but…" Emma began. "But…"

"Have a seat." Sarah motioned to the chairs in front of her. "I'm sure this is a lot to take in. It'd be best if you were sitting."

Emma was sure she wasn't thinking anymore. She mechanically adjusted and sat in one of the chairs.

"What?" she finally managed. "Sarah… what?"

"ESIS is the primary channel of communication between the Ministry of Magic and Parliament. 'Extraphysical' is a fancy way of saying 'magic'. We collaborate with the Ministry of Magic to ensure the Statute of Secrecy is upheld, and in return, we get the continued assurance of safety from them." She smiled. "Don't worry, we're not going to wipe your memories. You'd only use one of the recordings you've made. No, I don't know that for sure, but your daughter didn't come by that brain of hers by accident."

Dan nodded, his mouth still hanging open. It was all too surreal. He swore many times he must've been dreaming.

"Does… does Wilfred know about all this?" Emma asked.

"He does, actually. It was his idea to lie to Sally-Anne about knowing about it, though. He thought it'd be better if she didn't think we were both hiding something from her. She knows nothing about this. I'll admit, I was concerned when Umbridge took over Hogwarts and employed Sally-Anne as her right hand."

"So… everyone out there," Dan said, motioning to the door behind them, "they all know?"

"Sort of. It's classified for obvious reasons. Eric, the man that showed you in, and Jen, my secretary, both know. Apart from that, only a handful of people know exactly with whom we collaborate and what we do exactly."

Dan frowned.

"You run an entire department that doesn't know what it's doing?"

"Oh no, they know they're covering something up," Sarah replied casually. "They just don't know for whom. A few of my immediate subordinates are planted throughout the building, doing exactly what Wilfred does for Sally-Anne. They listen, and report any possible security problems to me."

Dan's head spun with the new information.

"Are you allowed to tell us all of this?" Emma asked.

"Ever since you visited back in January, I've been assessing what to do with you two. I figured if your daughter got any of her stubbornness from you two, we'd have to deal with you eventually. I avoided having anyone tail you — I thought it best not to make you more paranoid than you already were — I simply collected the information myself. After that, I determined that it'd be better to read you two in on this. Being the director, I've got more of a say in who I'm allowed to read in. We've still got to obey the Official Secrets Act, of course. I convinced my immediate superiors that you weren't a threat, and that it'd be better in the long run to simply tell you everything. We could wipe your memories, but you'd only start this all up again in a few months."

Dan managed to get a grip on himself.

"If Voldemort is trying to kill Muggle-borns, and there's a Muggle talking directly to the Ministry of Magic, won't he go after you?"

"Only the Minister of Magic, a handful of his immediate subordinates, and the head of the DMLE know who I am. But when I speak, they listen, because I represent the continued existence of the Statute of Secrecy. Even Lucius Malfoy keeps his mouth shut about who I am, because no Statute of Secrecy, no security in the Magical World." She smiled. "I'm quite literally the most powerful Muggle in the Magical World."

She looked at the two of them, waiting for one of them to speak.

"How… how do you know we won't tell anyone?" Dan asked. "I mean… the government can't just allow anyone to know all this."

"I'm not about to tell you how we enforce the Statute of Secrecy, and you already know all about the Magical World," Sarah said. "Maggie and I always did prefer calling it the Magical World. Calling it 'The Wizarding World' is like calling the Muggle one 'Man's World'."

"Maggie," Emma said, "that wouldn't happen to be… Margaret Thatcher?"

"Oh yes, we get along quite splendidly. In the interest of keeping the loop closed, I answer directly to the Prime Minister and the Crown."

Emma wanted to ask about how Parliament worked with the Ministry of Magic. She had a feeling it meant keeping tabs on people like her, parents of Muggle-born children.

"I can't say much more than I already have," Sarah said. "But please, don't worry about what's going to happen to you or your family. We aren't going to come after you, nor is the Ministry of Magic. If you ever feel the sudden urge to tell anyone about the magic world, go right ahead. No one will believe you. In a few weeks, no one will spare your outburst a second thought."

They nodded to show they understood. Dan thought it sounded a little like a threat, but he wasn't going to question it.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Sarah asked.

"I think we're set," Emma said in a daze. It was still hard to come to terms with it all.

"I can't tell you anything else here," Sarah said. "So that's probably for the best." She motioned to the door. "Eric will see you out."

As Eric had promised, no one attempted to kidnap or harm them on the way out. He brought them back to where they'd met, and waved them farewell.

"Told you," he said as they left.

Dan and Emma walked in a daze back to their car. Neither spoke until they were halfway home.

"I… I…" Emma kept trying, but couldn't form the rest of a sentence.

"At least we know we're safe," Dan said.

They pulled into the driveway, but didn't get out of the car for a few minutes.

When they did, they both dragged themselves inside, collapsing at the kitchen table. They were so exhausted and shocked from the ordeal that they didn't immediately realize someone else was sitting at the table.

"Long day, Mr. and Mrs. Hermione's Parents?"

They jumped back from the table, hands on the weapons still in their pockets.

Rose sat at the table. Ana stood behind her.

"I was only delivering a message to Ana," Rose said. "Say hi to Brain for me."

She vanished, leaving them alone with Ana.

"Drink," Dan said when he'd recovered. "I need a drink."

Ana moved to get it for him.

"Not you," he said, pushing past her.

Ginny walked with Professor McGonagall to Gryffindor Tower. After weeks at St. Mungo's, the corridors of Hogwarts felt foreign to her. The portraits on the walls, the smell of old brick, the dust and cobwebs, it all felt uninviting.

Professor McGonagall had told her how things would be. She was to pack up and be ready to go that night. Exams were already over. She'd receive coursework in the morning, and had three weeks to prepare for her O.W.L.s. After that, she'd be allowed to pick her courses for next year.

When they arrived at the portrait, McGonagall drew a wand and handed it to Ginny.

"I trust you've learned your lesson?" she asked.

Ginny nodded and took her wand.

"Thank you."

"Mr. Potter and Ms. Perks were quite convincing. You should thank them. I wanted to expel you after the shame you brought on Gryffindor."

Ginny paused while fastening her wand back into place.

"I'll do everything I can to make up for it."

"I know."

With that, McGonagall turned and strode down the corridor.

Ginny gave the portrait the password, and it swung open.

Inside the common room, her friends sat waiting for her.

Harry was the first one to notice. He smiled at her and offered his hand to help her through the portal. She blushed, feeling as shy as she had when she'd first met him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"That's what friends are for."

He let go of her hand, and she wished he'd held on. Before she had time to dwell on it, each of her friends hugged her in turn.

"I'm pleased to see you're alright," Sally-Anne said.

"Wouldn't be the same without you," Neville added.

Her brother was last. He frowned at her, then took her in his arms.

"Don't ever do that again."

"I won't."

After Ron pulled away, she saw all her friends smiling at her. It was too much. She couldn't hold back the tears any longer. When Harry saw her crying, he pulled her into another hug.

"You're safe now," he whispered, stroking her hair.

"I look awful," she said.

"Battle-worn," Neville said. "It's a good look for you."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Sally-Anne said.

"It'll be hard at first," Hermione said. "It never really goes away, but it won't bother you as much after a while."

Harry backed away, then pulled something out of his pack and handed it to her.

It was a small package wrapped in orange paper.

"Happy Late Birthday," he said.

Ginny frowned at it, then tore open the paper. Inside the box was a wand and bracer. They both matched the ones she had.

She took out the bracer and fastened it to her wrist.

"Thank you," she said.

"There's more," Harry said, motioning to the box.

Inside, there were two cards. One was signed by all of Gryffindor wishing her well. The entire Gryffindor team, including Katie Bell, had signed it.

She couldn't find words to express herself. Tears fell down her face again.

"But I…"

"You've learned your lesson," Sally-Anne said. "Now we're all going to let the past be the past."

Ginny took the other card. It was signed by Hermione and held an incantation.

"You can use it now," Hermione said. "I know you'll like it."

Ginny recited the incantation. At first, her friends' faces were the only indication that something had happened. Hermione and Neville grinned, Ron rolled his eyes, and Sally-Anne closed hers.

Harry smiled and handed her a small mirror. She took it and gasped when she saw her reflection.

Her hair glowed, looking like the last embers of a fire. Even small flecks of light jumped off.

She grinned and handed the mirror back to Harry.

"Thank you," she said again.

"Don't mention it," Hermione said. "You've never looked more like you."

Ginny smiled. There was no going back to the way things had been, but even so, everything felt a little better.

Draco stared at the clock in the Slytherin common room. Sleep eluded him, driven away by fear. In a few minutes, it would be the 25th of June, the day he was told to collapse the wards. He didn't want to. Not for the first time, he wished he were anyone else. He'd grown weary of being a Malfoy, of slaving away to the whims of some evil overlord to maintain power. The comforts his family enjoyed weren't worth it. A life with Sally-Anne seemed all he wanted. She survived without all that influence, so perhaps he could too.

The clock struck midnight, and he heard a quiet popping sound.

He took a breath to hide his fear.

His father stood in the common room with him, Dobby at his side.

"It's time, Draco," he said. "Take me to the chamber."

Draco looked from Dobby to his father. Draco had often wondered if their house-elf was capable of side-along apparition. Judging by Dobby's apparent fatigue, he now knew why the house-elf didn't do it.

"But… if they catch you—"

"Do as I say!" his father hissed. "If you fail me, the Dark Lord's punishment will be nothing compared to what I do to you."

Draco rose to his feet. He struggled to think of an alternative. He didn't want to follow his father's orders, but it was his father. There was no telling what he'd do to Draco if he disobeyed, but Draco didn't want to think about it.

They stepped out of the common room and into the Dungeons, then began the long journey to the ward chamber.

Sally-Anne, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione and Ron played chess, occasionally chiming in on Harry and Ginny's conversation about Quidditch. Neville sat in the corner, listening while he cleaned the Sword of Gryffindor.

Sally-Anne alternated between looking at them and looking at the new rune on her right hand. It was a perfect twin of the one on her left. It'd been a chore to get Hermione to stop telling her all the new ways she could use the Shield Rune now that she had two of them.

Nevertheless, she sat next to the fire and laughed with joy to see her friends so happy. After everything they'd been through, they deserved it.

Then Dobby appeared in the common room.

"Dobby?" Sally-Anne asked.

"Ms. Sally-Anne!" Dobby said, rushing over to her. "There is being great danger! Ms. Sally-Anne and her friends must be leaving at once!"

Sally-Anne glanced at her friends and saw them gathering their packs. Not to leave, but to prepare for a fight.

"Why? What's going on?"

Somewhere in the back of Sally-Anne's mind, she knew. If Dobby was in Hogwarts, then so was Lucius Malfoy.

"Dobby's masters is going to the thing! The big thing! They is going to start the bad!"

"What's he talking about?" Harry asked.

"Thank you for letting me know," Sally-Anne said. "Get to wherever you need to be, Dobby. Keep yourself safe."

"But—"

"We'll be alright. I'll see you later, okay? You're a good house-elf."

Dobby nodded, then vanished again with a pop.

Sally-Anne turned back to her friends. She opened her mouth to explain, but no words came. How could she explain what she'd been up to? Harry, Neville, and Ginny would never accept that she'd befriended a Death Eater. That wasn't all he was, but would they understand?

"That was… that was the Malfoy house-elf," she began, rubbing her wrist.

Her head was fuzzy, and she felt faint. She closed her eyes to calm herself. Why couldn't she think straight?

"It's starting, then," Hermione said. "They're going to take down the wards."

"Who's 'they'?" Ron asked. "Malfoy?"

"Dobby will have brought his father," Sally-Anne said. "Draco doesn't want this, I'm sure of it. If I can talk to him, I can convince him not to go through with it."

"We've got to warn the professors," Ron said. "If he's taking down the wards, Rose is probably involved. Harry, you and Sally-Anne go to the Dungeons. Sally-Anne, try to talk down Malfoy. You're the only one who can get through to him to stop this. Harry, find Professor Snape. He'll listen to you. Ginny, fetch Professor Lupin. I'll fetch Professor McGonagall."

"I'll head to Dumbledore's office," Neville said.

"Hermione—" Ron began.

"I'll go with Sally-Anne," Hermione said. "If Malfoy's found the wards, you'll need my help getting there."

Ron nodded to her.

"Everyone, we can do this. We did it three years ago, and we can do it now!"

Sally-Anne took one last look at her friends before grabbing her pack. In all likelihood, she wouldn't be returning to the common room. They'd prepared for it days ago. Everything they owned was in their packs, and the rest of the students had been urged to pack up that night. They'd been anticipating an attack before school ended, and they all wanted a quick getaway.

"Good luck," Sally-Anne said.

"We'll be alright," Harry added. "Come on."

Sally-Anne, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny ran through the corridors. Ron walked quickly to Professor McGonagall's office.

Harry lead them straight to the moving staircase chamber.

"Fastest way to the ground floor," he said.

Ginny grinned and leapt off the edge. Hermione followed her.

Harry turned to Sally-Anne.

"Ready?"

Sally-Anne looked over the edge.

"Not really, but there's no time to waste."

Harry took her hand and they leapt over together.

Floors rushed past her as the wind whipped her hair. The ground grew bigger, and a feeling of panic erupted as they neared it.

She spotted Ginny grabbing onto a ledge on the third floor. She hauled herself up and started running towards Professor Lupin's office.

Harry, Hermione, and Sally-Anne landed on the ground floor, then started off towards the Dungeons.

Sally-Anne ran behind Hermione, allowing her to lead the way.

They reached a fork in the Dungeons, and Hermione nodded down a different path.

"This in where we part ways," she said.

"Good luck," Harry said. "Both of you, be safe."

"You too," Sally-Anne said.

They exchanged quick hugs, then ran down their respective corridors.

Hermione ran to a section of the Dungeons Sally-Anne didn't recognize. She tapped the wall, which slid away. They ran to another secret passageway that led to a maze.

"Sure," Sally-Anne said. "Why not?"

"Come on!" Hermione exclaimed, racing through the maze.

Sally-Anne had to run to keep up with her. Hermione knew exactly where she was going, making it tricky to keep up.

An explosion shook the maze, and Hermione stopped.

"That's where we're going," she said. "They must've blown the entrance open."

She ran faster, making it that much harder to keep up.

They reached the end and found the door to the chamber blown open. Smoke still hung in the air, which she hoped meant they hadn't been there too long ago.

Sally-Anne turned back to Hermione.

"Run back and help the others," Sally-Anne said.

"You'll be outnumbered. I should—"

"I'm not going in there to fight. I'm going to talk them down."

"That's mad. If they take down the ward, we're all dead."

"I've got to give him a chance. You haven't got time to argue with me."

Hermione looked at her and nodded.

"Be careful."

"You too. Stay safe."

Hermione ran back through the maze, leaving Sally-Anne alone. She took a deep breath, then entered the chamber.

Inside the ward chamber, she found Draco and his father. His father held a piece of parchment. He'd spare a glance at the parchment, then destroy another marking on the floor.

"Stop!"

Draco and his father turned to her. Draco's eyes went wide, but his father glared at her.

"Draco, take care of her!"

"Please, don't do this!" she pleaded. "You don't have to help him! Tomorrow morning, everyone goes home, and that will be the end of it."

"Exactly!" Draco shouted. "I'll go home! Do you know what they'll do to me if I fail?"

He raised his wand to her.

She readied her hands.

"Please, Draco."

She wanted to drop to her knees, to plead with him. Anything that would change the way he looked at her. The boy trapped by his family, owned by his father. His fear turned to anger, which he directed at her. That anger cut deep, scarring her heart.

Draco fired a hex at her.

Sally-Anne created a disc to block it.

"I won't hurt you, Draco."

He grunted and fired another hex at her.

She created another shield to keep it at bay, but his spells had no visual effect. Without one, she could only guess as to where to put the shield. She did as Hermione and Harry had told her. She watched his eyes to see where he was aiming, and created a disc close to her body.

The worst part of it was having to watch his eyes as he threw spell after spell at her. They were shrouded in hate, fear, and resentment. She looked for love, for something that would set him apart from who he'd been years ago. She wanted to believe he'd changed, that he'd grown.

There was nothing inside him. Only hate and fear.

Tears came to her eyes. She blinked them away, forcing herself to focus on him.

"Draco, please."

"I don't have a choice!"

His father moved on, and Draco stayed by his side, keeping up the fire on Sally-Anne, forcing her back away from his father.

Sally-Anne tried to remember what Hermione had told her about the ward. She hadn't been paying close attention, so she couldn't know how far along Lucius was. She stole a glance at the parchment. It looked like he was almost done with it. Time was running out, and her tactic was getting her nowhere.

Draco fired another hex at her. She blocked it, then held up her hands. He froze.

"I won't fight you, Draco. Not anymore. If this is what you want… if this is what you think is the right thing to do, then I believe you. I believe in you, Draco." She lowered her arms. "If hurting me will make you happy… if it will remove all that hate and fear…" She bowed her head, wanting to look anywhere but his eyes. "Then do what you must."

She stood and waited for the inevitable curse.

"What are you waiting for, boy? Do it!"

Her tears fell onto the stone floor.

"Please," she whispered. "Just do it."

"Stupefy!"

A red flash lit up the chamber, but it didn't strike her.

Sally-Anne looked up and saw Lucius slump to the ground.

A smile spread across her face.

"Draco!"

He snatched the parchment from his father and burned it with his father's own wand. Then he tossed the wand aside.

She ran over to him and threw her arms around him.

He gratefully returned the hug.

"You did it!" she exclaimed. "You broke free!"

He put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Princess."

She smiled and kissed him again.

"Will you be alright?" she asked.

"I can't go home," he said, and the pain returned to his eyes. "I… I don't know if anywhere's safe."

"We'll find somewhere for you," she said. "I promise, you'll be alright."

"I know I'll be, so long as I'm with you."

She smiled and kissed him again. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be with him. They'd stopped the invasion, and he'd broken free of his father's influence. Everything was going to be alright.

"I love you, Princess."

Sally-Anne blushed.

"I love you too, Prince."

They stood there, arms wrapped around one another. Sally-Anne took a moment to check in with her friends.

Something wedged itself between them. It tore them from one another, then a hand shoved her to the ground.

Sally-Anne had her hands ready before she looked up.

A girl with dark hair knocked Draco back. Her arm formed into a red lash. Before she could do anything, Draco fired a volley of spells at her.

The girl melted into the floor, dodging every spell Draco fired.

Sally-Anne opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find any words. Her heart hammered in her chest.

The girl rose up from the floor, and Sally-Anne got a good look at her face. It looked like a mask.

The girl's arm formed into a blood red blade. Draco whirled around, but he was too slow.

"No!"

The blade shattered the shield Sally-Anne created, then tore through Draco's heart.

"You just can't find good help these days."

The girl tossed Draco towards Sally-Anne, who slumped back to the ground.

"Draco! Draco!"

The girl shaped her arm into a lash again and struck the ground. A green shimmer rippled through the air, then vanished.

"Farewell, Princess," she said. "I'm sure I'll see you again before too long."

The girl melted into the ground, leaving Sally-Anne and Draco alone.

"Draco!"

Sally-Anne clung to him, looking into his eyes.

"Please, stay with me! You're going to be fine!"

"Princess?" he said weakly.

Sally-Anne looked around desperately for someone to help.

Voices filled her head. Panicked voices, everyone trying to find out what had happened. Wanting to understand, but how could they?

Sally-Anne held Draco closer. His blood spilled over her.

"Please. I love you."

"I…"

Sally-Anne looked into his eyes, but they didn't look back.

Her angel had shattered.