"Hannah"

Hannah looked round; there was the boy who had taken Ernie's place

"Hi, um"

"Feliks"

"Right, Feliks"

"You've been, like, talking to Ron Weasley, right?"

"Yes" Hannah replied somewhat nervously deciding to go along with the truth for now, this might not be Ernie, but he still looked like her former friend and it was difficult lying to him. "Why?"

"Well, he totally doesn't want us here, right?"

"Well, yes, I mean it's not that we dislike you or anything but we want our friends back"

"Well, like, tell him to think about this, how come Voldemort, like doesn't stay dead?"

"What?"

"Tell him, it's important" Feliks paused, looking uneasy "At least I think it is."

"Think? Why should I trust you, you could just be distracting us from getting our friends back"

"Well, yes, I totally could but you need to, like, trust me on this. I totally wish I could explain more but I can't"

"Well, I guess we do need to beat You-Know-Who and if your people are looking into getting home then I won't be too much harm us looking at this as well"

"Fabulous and I know this is like totally hypocritical coming from me but there's stuff Dumbledore isn't telling you."

"Honestly, I think there's a lot Dumbledore isn't telling us"

Having Hungary for a friend could be rather an annoyance honestly. Besides Gilbert had a feeling Poland had put her up to this. Certainly she hadn't seemed so worried about the books before. OK, they hadn't known that they were changing the story, which yeah, now Gilbert thought about it a bit more was actually rather unawesome and not something he should really allow to happen but he'd thought she been focused on just getting out.

Now, she kept bugging him about the mission Snape had claimed Draco had. Sure, maybe Prussia should have given it a little bit more thought but it was hardly a priority at the moment really was it?

Still, Gilbert was pretty sure that Snape was on the side of good (something someone less awesome and experienced than him wouldn't be able to tell) so it would be pretty unawesome to get the guy in trouble with Voldemort.

Admittedly it would be a rather depowered Voldemort if it was true Dumbledore had set Ivan and Natalia on him. Prussia shuddered, at least it wasn't him Belarus and Russia were attacking. It almost made him feel sorry for the Death Eaters. Almost. Well, maybe almost for those not acting of their own free will.

Still, the fact was this had ended up with Prussia heading towards the man's office. Seriously, at this point he'd have done anything to get Elizaveta to just shut up.

Going to this office brought him rather closer to the Slytherins' home than he was really comfortable with. Of course the Awesome Prussia wasn't scared. These were just kids after all and human kids at that, well fictional human kids, albeit fictional human kids with magic. Still, it wasn't as if they could do much to him. He was a nation. Well, sort-of. Which should be enough.

Still, Gilbert didn't really want to set up any more confrontations. Not least because Prussia hadn't fought any war for quite a while by this point.

Fortunately when he reached the office Snape was in so he was spared having to look inconspicuous in the corridor. Gilbert had never been particularly good at looking inconspicuous. He had an idea it came from being born from a religious order and in a time when the idea of camouflage was anathema to the ideas of war. Prussia had always looked imposing he was sure.

"I assume you had a purpose in coming to talk to me?" Snape uttered

"Of course. I was thinking about our last conversation"

"And?"

"Well, I believe you said something about a mission"

"Malfoy's mission"

"I'm the closest you'll get to him"

"The Dark Lord knows you're not the boy. Your little speech reached enough of parents who work for him. Besides he's met the one in Longbottom's body"

"Does he know what we are though yet?"

"I don't believe so no. I'm not sure he remembers much of what happened with Braginski in all honestly"

"So, you tell him I'm just playing along to see who these new allies of Dumbledore's are and I'll do this mission"

"You are not held back as your friend is?"

"Not quite"

"Anyway, it's all quite unnecessary. All I need you to do is to stay alive"

"Stay alive? Well, I was planning on that . It's something I'm pretty awesome at actually. Won't you tell me the mission?"

"No"

"Plea-ase"

"No"

Everyone turned to look at Pansy

"Look, I don't know what you think this is all think this is but I never signed up to fight the Dark Lord. We're teenagers what chance do you think we have?"

"Harry manages" pointed out Ginny

"Well, Potter was apparently born lucky and it's not like he stopped him coming back is it?"

Ron thought that was a bit unfair, yeah Harry was lucky but it's not like he didn't put effort into fighting He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named. Look at last year, he hadn't stopped telling the truth despite Umbridge and alright maybe he hadn't been able to stop He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named coming back but Harry couldn't do everything. Even if he had done way more than anyone had done, even more than Dumbledore maybe.

He wished Harry and Hermione were back here.

"Look, we're supposed to be getting them back and I will help you get Potter back but I can't do more. Abbott's idea has nothing to do with our aim anyway"

"He said it was important" Hannah pointed out

"And why should we trust them?"

Pansy had a point there. Taking over their friends bodies wasn't exactly the most trustworthy of actions now was it?

"You are troubled, da?"

Dumbledore looked up to meet the eyes of the boy.

"Obviously I am thankful to your sister and yourself for what you have done for me."

The boy nodded apparently not finding this non-sequitur a strange answer to his question. Or perhaps used to such answers.

"But it is not enough?"

"Without Harry Potter this war is lost."

"This boy is a great leader of your armies?"

Dumbledore cringed. He wished the role of leader or hero was all young Harry had to bear. As it was Harry might yet be to be their martyr.

"The boy has to sacrifice himself"

"That is war. Sometimes one must die for the greater good."

The words were scarily close to what Albus himself had sounded in his youth. Then again he and Grindelwald had never been as original as they had believed themselves to be. Albus seemed to think of Gellert ever so much more often these days. Perhaps it was the effect of having to take such control over this war or of fighting Tom which brought it all back.

"Have you found anyway to send us back?"

Broken out of his thoughts Albus hesitated to respond. This was not the sort of boy one said no.

"We have done something for you, da?"

"I have not found anything yet"

"But you will, da?"

"Yes"

Braginski paused and seemed to consider something before speaking.

"Your Voldemort said he could not die. Is this true?"

"Tom has made himself very difficult to kill but with certain actions he can be" spotting a chance Dumbledore continued "I believe you would be better to ask Professor Slughorn how he has done so"

"I am not fond of men who are difficult to kill."

Belarus was on a mission. Last time she had attacked this Bellatrix Brother had failed to watch her. However Brother was very bad at not paying attention to her so it was not as if that was indicative that he did not approve in his actions. In fact he had seemed proud of the break that she was providing.

So given Natalia needed to prove herself to Brother she would go and fight and defeat the witch by herself.

Surely Brother could not deny her such a victory?

And would she not be showing how she could be independent and so Brother would see that her choosing to follow him was a choice of her own and more valuable?

Out of her sisters Narcissa was in her social group widely thought of as the most acceptable and most predictable. She hadn't run off with a mudblood like Andromeda or became one of the Dark Lord's most well known Death Eaters and been thrown into Azkaban like Bellatrix. Narcissa had married a fellow Pureblood (as expected) and given him an heir (as expected). She wasn't known for doing anything.

Perhaps people forgot she was a Black. It was easy with the blonde hair.

Which was why people never expected the things Narcissa did when she was frightened or upset. Like forcing an old friend to make an Unbreakable Vow to keep her son safe even if it somewhat interfere with the Dark Lord's orders.

Of course having to put the Dark Lord up in your house and trying to moderate your crazy sister while your idiot husband languished in Azkaban after displeasing the Dark Lord while your son has been sent to become a murderer would probably make anyone upset.

In someone like Narcissa Malfoy it results in the only reason not to betray the Dark Lord being the health of her family.

Still, until some some chance for improvement in the situation comes she's hardly going to upset the status quo.

However anyone who believed that she was going refrain from acting when she hears news her son has gone mad was really quite stupid.