He was trying to say "Help".

Marvo was totally surprised by this. "Andy??"

He looked to Dumbledore, "What?"

Dumbledore signalled to the boys to put down their wands and mouthed a 'hang on lad' back to Andy's misty form.

"Well, Mr. Ward, it seems as though your 'Locatus-Dominus' may not be needed after all. We appear to have located Andy Warden or at least some essential part of him!"

With this he allowed the magical barrier to drop. Whatever was left of Andy Warden that had been trapped in the pendant appeared to be very much the Andy they all knew.

"Mr. Warden, you appear to be somewhat corporeally challenged. Are you able to communicate with us or should I send for Sir Nicholas to translate?"

"I've been resting," said Andy. "So I feel I have enough strength to communicate for now." He paused, looking very uneasy. "Professor," he said. "I need to get out of here."

Marvo was thoroughly confused. "Andy? Andy is that really? you? How.. what..."

His magic eye flared red as he looked over the spectre of Andy before him, ".. what are you"

Dumbledore nodded his agreement with Marvo's sentiments. He then addressed Andy. "I realise that Mr. Warden. However, you seem to be lacking a body. Can you advise us what happened to you?"

Andy smiled at Marvo's confusion. "Don't worry," said Andy. "As soon as I am released my body will return to its original form. That's the problem...I don't know how to release myself."

He sighed, "Asriel got away. His father retrieved him and put a reversal spell on us so that I would be stuck in this pendant and not him. If you ask me Asriel's up to something.

I've been stuck in this pendant since Easter. I'm lucky that girl found me. I could have been trapped forever. I've been trying to contact some of you through her, but I'm too weak. I don't have enough power. That's why I need your help to get me out of here. You DO know how to get me out don't you,

Marvo?"

Marvo continued to watch Andy. His magical eye glowing. "Well.. Yes Andy, But.. But...."

Marvo seemed a little unsure. "Andy... Are you... real? That is, is this the real you? The one that was born? or are you... well... a.... Construct"

"Look," said Andy. "I'll explain all that later. It's a long story. Just please get me out of here."

Marvo looks to Dumbledore, who, as usual, says nothing to help so he raises his wand but then he lowers it again. " Look. I'm sorry Andy, but if this... isn't the real, full you, then it's a construct and not you. I need to know. ARE YOU REAL?"

"Marvo!" said Andy. "It's me! You know it's me! I'm telling you the truth! Please get me out of here now! What can I do to prove that it's really me?"

"Mr Warden, I think you are missing the point. We can't get you out of there unless you have a physical body. After all we can't go letting just any construct out now can we? Perhaps you should explain where your body actually is so that we can return you to it." Said Randal. He was trying to be helpful as the two of them obviously weren't getting through to each other.

Marvo was impressed. It seemed Randal and he were thinking along the same lines.

"Andy, I... We want to help, really we do. But there are things you don't understand. Things about what you are. You might 'think' you’re the real Andy, but you could be..."

Marvo tried to find the best word "...You could be a memory. Tell us what happened to your body. Has Asriel taken your body? How?"

"I don't really know," he said. "I was in the pendant around Asriel's neck and the next thing I know I was inside the pendant. My body has to be somewhere. Maybe he buried it? I don't know."

"At one point me and Asriel were one person so we only needed one body. But Ariez separated us so now I don't know where my body is. What if I don't even have a body?" Andy was fighting back tears.

"There, there." said Dumbledore in his kindly grandfather like way to Andy. "I am sure we will get it all sorted out very soon."

He turned to Marvo, "Mr. Ward, would you like put Mr. Warden to rights as he is your friend?"

Marvo's mind was in turmoil. Time seemed to have stood still for him.

*This is Andy. My Friend. I should help him*

*But he shared a body with Asriel. He's not a 'real' person*

*But that's not his fault. He thinks he's real*

*So do all Constructs*

*But he's not just a Construct. He's Andy*

*Just because he's your friend doesn't make him a real person*

*But....*

Marvo looked a Dumbledore, his right eye returning to normal, his left eye glistening slightly. "I'm sorry Headmaster. But I must respectfully decline. I can be no part in allowing this Construct to be freed. Now. If you will excuse me. I have some important correspondence to attend to"

With that Marvo turned, glancing once at Randal and left the room.

"Mr Fudge, do you also have objections to our allowing Mr. Warden to be free of the pendant?" asked Dumbledore, "The pendant itself *is* technically now the property of the Ministry but Mr. Warden quite a different matter."

Randal watched Marvo leave. Trust him not to live up to his responsibilities.

"There are of course strict guide lines we should follow. But, no I do not have Mr Ward's fear of constructs. How can we justify that Asriel is not the construct that has stolen Andy's body. "What would you like me to do, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled at Randal. "That is a very good point and there is only one way to find out - to free Mr. Warden and see what happens."

*HOW DARE MARVO! HOW COULD HE JUST LEAVE ME HERE TO SUFFER? LEAVE ME ALL ALONE IN THIS PENDANT! I THOUGHT HE WAS MY FRIEND. A CONSTRUCT? I'VE NEVER HEARD SUCH RUBBISH! HOW COULD HE DO THIS? HOW?* Andy thought.

His best friend had abandoned him. Andy was mad. "Professor," he said calmly. "Am I getting out of here or not?"

"Yes, you are." said Dumbledore, "Now you have said that once you are released, your body will be returned. If that does not happen I am concerned this rather fragile form may quickly dissipate. Therefore, I suggest..."

He turned to address Randal. "A two-way working. If you can free Mr. Warden from the pendant, I will fashion a temporary host. Not quite anything as crude as a traditional homunculus but along those lines.

If indeed Mr. Warden is correct and he is returned to corporeal form, the host can be returned to its original components."

"Hello!" exclaimed Andy. "Not to be rude, Professor. But you both seem to be speaking of me as if I'm not here. I'm the one who you should be consulting and talking to! Now please tell me this: How am I going to get out of here without a body?"

"No, not rude at all - you've been through quite an ordeal. Please excuse me, I often forget in these situations that I am not teaching some sort of 'masterclass' for students."

Dumbledore smiled, "As I have just suggested to Mr. Fudge here a temporary host can be created for you to inhabit in case your body is not immediately available upon your release. This will give you mobility and a chance for us to determine what has happened. You will be somewhat restricted in the limits of how far you can travel in this form but no one except ourselves should be aware it is not your original body. How does that sound?"

"Hold on," Andy said. "So you're saying that I'm going to be in a different body? And once I'm in that body I can't tell anyone it's me? And what exactly will I look like? Will I be like a ghost?"

"No, Mr. Warden - the body will look like you and people will recognise you. However, it will not be truly alive as a normal body is. It won't have quite the flexibility or be able to move beyond the boundaries of the magical field of the castle but you will still have a range of movement and freedom. It is a temporary solution to allow us some time. Hopefully, you are not a ghost but the matter requires further investigation."

Randal nodded when Dumbledore suggested that he release Andy. "Andy, we cannot work out what you will be like when you come out unless we try it. If you could keep quiet for a minute then we will perform the spells. I am sure the headmaster will make any temporary body as close to your own as possible."

With that Randal did not wait for a reply, but glancing briefly at the headmaster he started to concentrate his will. Pointing his wand at the pendant again he started another spell. "LIBERATIUM OBSIDIUM!"

A white cloud formed around the pendant as if the whirling mist inside had enveloped it. It covered the image of Andy they had seen.

When it disappeared...

At the same time the Headmaster had used his own wand and a few advanced incantations to create a simulacrum in which the spirit of Andy Warden could temporarily be housed.

Andy appeared. He looked the same as he always did with a little difference here and there. But he was free! Well it seemed that way anyway.

"I've been stuck in there," he said out loud, "forever it seemed. And now I am...free! Oh how wonderful! I have to go see all of my friends! They'll be very surprised. Professor, do I have your permission to go visit my friends?"

"I certainly have no objections." Said Dumbledore, "There are many questions to be looked into but they can wait for now. You will be restricted to the castle in that body and you should see me every morning here to have the spell renewed.

Your friends will no doubt have many questions and keep in mind that Asriel had an accomplice and they are likely still a student here. Now if you'd like to go and find your classmates, I will arrange for your belongings to be returned to your dorm in Gryffindor Tower."

Dumbledore beamed, "It is *very* good to have you back Mr Warden!"

"Thank you so much, Professor," said Andy.

He fought back the urge to hug Dumbledore. Andy thought of him as a grandfather figure and had much love and respect for the old man. He smiled.

"It is very good to be back, Professor!" he said happily. "Now I must go to dinner. I'm sure a lot of people will be very surprised to see me."

Andy walked to the door. "Thanks," he said warmly to Dumbledore, "for everything."

He walked out of the office through the corridors to dinner.

************

As soon as he left the Headmasters office Marvo had headed straight for Ravenclaw House.

He was very upset by what had just happened. His mind was in turmoil. Andy his friend was a construct. A less than human, a shadow. A thing of Dark Magic.

Right now he needed a shoulder to 'lean' on (boys don't cry, especially trainee Aurors.)

He made his way to the Ravenclaw common room (having of course access to all Houses) and went to the door of the girls Dorm. Hoping Kat would be there.

He knocked on the door.

Kat finished scribbling, shut her diary and shoved it in her bedside draw. "You can come in Marvo there is no-one else here." If it wasn't Marvo she was going to look silly, but it just HAD to be.

Marvo was impressed that Kat had known it was him. He entered and gave a weak smile "Hullo" he said, in a sulky voice.