"How did you get here?"
Malfoy stood in the middle of the enormous room lined with shelves, staring in terror as young wizards like himself filed in one after another.
"Did you come to catch me?"
Malfoy backed away several steps. The somber faces beneath the fluorescent light made even his voice tremble.
At this point, Harry had nothing left to say to Malfoy.
Malfoy had made up his mind to join Voldemort. Being expelled from Hogwarts was the ending he deserved.
After tonight, if they ever met again, perhaps Malfoy would be swinging a hoe in the fields of Avalon Prison while Harry stood on the ridge, watching this "old friend" who had tangled with him for so many years at Hogwarts with a deep sense of responsibility.
"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked softly.
Although Ilune had helped him greatly tonight, Harry did not want to believe her judgment on this matter.
"What? Who?"
Malfoy's instinctive, genuinely confused reply made Harry's heart skip a beat.
Something was wrong!
Hermione looked around at the dim, cathedral-like chamber. Tiny glass spheres filled the dusty shelves, and in their reflections, she saw the uncontrolled fear on her own face.
There was one thing she agreed with Harry about.
Many of the things that had happened tonight had been arranged in advance.
This seemingly quiet room was a trap. It simply had not been triggered yet.
"Forget Malfoy, Harry. I think we should get out of here now!" Hermione said anxiously into Harry's ear after glancing at Malfoy.
"No. Malfoy is lying. I... I need to take a look."
Harry murmured distractedly, desperately suppressing the guilt beginning to surge within him.
Harry staggered forward, with Ron and the others following behind him. Malfoy still thought Harry and the others had come after him.
For