Little star, there is no amnesty for the likes of me; to think otherwise is to delude yourself. As I told Miss Perks just now, I made my choices long enough ago that the only thing to do now is to see them through. Particularly since whither Barty goes, I go, and I cannot imagine he is anything but right behind Bella on your list.

Bella, I might add, is all yours. Should you be able to catch her. But I won't let you have what's left without a fight; if you're to kill us for what we've done or kill us in battle, I know which one I'd prefer. Tell Alice Longbottom I look forward to matching wits and wands with her.

Protections against the sort of sympathetic magic we're talking about aren't in the curriculum until fifth year, but if you've sixth and seventh years missing or a particularly precocious fourth or fifth, I'm afraid there's not much that can be done. The elves might be able to help. Or if you have a family member available (parent is best, sibling may work in a pinch), blood ties may be able to override the protections if the family member is the one to perform the spell. Mr Weasley or Mr Finch-Fletchley should be able to teach whoever needs to know. It will work for up to seventy-two hours after death; the pull will be weaker the longer it has been.