Thick fog suddenly rose, briefly throwing the Ministry of Magic's allied forces into confusion as everyone went on guard. Tris instinctively stepped back, intending to shield Harry behind him.
Every member of the Ministry of Magic's allied forces was an elite; Harry was their only weak link. Yet Harry was also extremely important, and not just as a symbol. He was Tris's close friend, too.
Although Tris took every opportunity to mess with Harry and Ron, leaving them in a sorry state, deep down he considered Harry a brother, just like Ron and Fred.
But when he turned and reached toward where he remembered Harry standing, his hand caught nothing.
He whipped his head around, only to find empty space behind him.
"Harry?" Tris called instinctively, taking a step forward. That single step abruptly transformed his surroundings. The thick fog that had obscured his vision instantly vanished, but Tris was no longer outside the manor. Instead, he stood in an enormous circular stone chamber. A man stood in its center-the monk-like fellow who had been beside Voldemort earlier, the one who could use Word of Truth.
"Huh?" Tris looked around. The stone chamber was a perfectly rounded hemisphere, without doors or windows. Only a wooden board lay beneath the monk's feet in the center, apparently covering a passage.
"Hello, Mr. Tris Weasley." Seeing Tris survey his surroundings, the monk smiled faintly and pointed beneath his feet. "If you wish to leave, the only way out is right here."
"Oh, so I have to kill you to get past? Isn't that a bit clichéd? What is this, a video game level?" Tris regarded the monk with undisguised disdain.
"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Weasley." The monk waved his hands, his smile growing brighter. "I have no desire to fight you. My organization