Late at night, Room of Requirement.
Draco Malfoy sat in a battered armchair, holding a Two-way Mirror as he quietly learned the latest developments from Bellatrix on the other side.
Through Bellatrix, he had received word from the Death Eaters' informant planted in the Ministry of Magic that Dumbledore was currently at Azkaban, discussing with Minister for Magic Scrimgeour how to deal with Voldemort's possible prison break.
Draco knew he had to wait until Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts before acting. Against an old man who had spent the entire day busy and was exhausted in both body and mind, they would have a much greater advantage.
After all, their opponent was Dumbledore. One could never be too careful.
Draco waited for a long time, until deep into the night, until everyone had returned to rest, before Bellatrix finally informed him that Dumbledore had left Azkaban and was heading back to Hogwarts.
Gently nudged along by Liquid Luck, Draco knew the best moment had arrived. It was time to act.
Bellatrix's side responded quickly. Before long, sounds began coming from the Vanishing Cabinet. Draco knew someone was coming through it and hurriedly stepped back a few paces to give them more room.
A few seconds later, the doors of the Vanishing Cabinet opened, and Bellatrix stepped out. She wore none of the masks Death Eaters used to conceal their identities, and the malice on her face was utterly undisguised.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, Aunt Bellatrix."
As one masked Death Eater after another emerged from the Vanishing Cabinet, Malfoy could not help but sigh in relief. Though Snape was the key to the entire plan, the more people they had, the safer he felt. Perhaps they could kill Dumbledore with their numerical advantage.
However, what surprised Malfoy was that quite a few of