Harry and the other teenagers had been silently stalking the corridors for hours, hoping that their presence would somehow strip the darkened space of its endless sea of black. Neville occasionally gave an involuntary shudder as though he was contemplating the thought of suffering the same fate as his parents if he was captured. Seeing his obvious discomfort, Luna slipped back in the group and slid her hand into his, giving him a comforting smile that seemed to wash over Neville like a cool shower. Harry and Ron lead the group, as Hermione had paired with the small Hufflepuff to comfort him.

"We can't keep avoiding them forever." Said Ron as he and Harry turned the corner leading past the one eyed witch

"I know that but I for one would rather stall the meeting with them for as long as possible." Harry hissed back, surveying the map by the light of his wand.

"Harry I have an I idea of where we could go." Said Ron suddenly, his face lighting up

"Well, why didn't you tell me?" asked Harry desperately

"Because I only remembered it now. Fred and George showed me one of the hidden rooms in the castle when I was in second year. It's on the fourth floor and it's like the room of requirements only it is a passage way to the ministry of magic." He said, cursing himself for not telling them earlier.

"Well we are on the second floor now." Said Hermione to the group who had all stopped and formed a circle at Ron's words.

"Well that's no good." Said Luna, pointing out the obvious, each of the group looked at her with an unbelieving expression.

"Well of course it's not Luna," said Hermione "which way to this room Ron?"

Ron turned around like a sergeant in the army and made his way past the portraits lining the walls. They climbed a set of stairs that they would have usually been climbing on their way to their charms class each day. They walked on without a sound, unaware that somewhere someone in the darkness was watching them.

BAM!

Out of nowhere, four death eaters appeared each holding their wands in the attack stance. The five students clumsily pulled out their wands to fight, caught off guard by the sudden appearance.

"So Potter, you thought that you could out wit us by playing a little game of hide and seek?" said Lucius Malfoy

"It wasn't hard, knowing I was up against brains like yours." Said Harry, hoping to buy time by throwing insults at the man.

Malfoy let out a bark of a laugh

"You may think that your childish games will help you escape from the Lord but you are irreversibly wrong. I'm in for a treat tonight, watching you suffer under the crucius curse until you're a useless, deformed – " malfoy was blown off his feet by an enraged and shaking Neville

The other three death eaters retaliated immediately, sending spells at the group, hoping to divide and conquer them. But Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville and the boy stood strong and threw loud and violent curses back at the death eaters.

"STUPEFY!" yelled a particularly tall death eater, just missing Hermione's shoulder

"EXPELLIARMUS!" screamed Hermione back, sending his wand flying with a perfectly aimed shot

"LEVICORPUS!" shouted Harry to the death eater on his right, sending the woman, screaming upside down.

"INFLAMO!" yelled malfoy to Harry, whose robe caught fire immediately. Harry tried desperately to stop out the blasé until Hermione, who had just stupefied malfoy put the flame out with a quick swish of her wand.

Only one death eater remained and Neville ran after him as he fled away from a certain curse. The group ran after the transformed Neville, now furious and determined and finally caught up to him and found one very silent and white death eater lying flat – on the roof.

"Wow Neville, when did you learn that?" asked Luna

"I just picked I up I suppose." He replied coming out of his trance rather shocked at what he had done

"We are nearly there," said Ron, realising where they were "It's just around the corner. It has a special knob, in the shape of a birds wing."

They sprinted around the corner and stopped when they came face to face with a grand oak door with a golden handle shaped as a wing of a bird. Harry tentatively opened the door and discovered that the room was pitch black. The others filed in and the Hufflepuff closed the door.

All of a sudden a blinding white light bathed the room in darkness and a group of black figures were thrown into sharp relief, at the same time the seemingly harmless little boy transformed into the ugly from of Goyle, who crossed to the other side of the room to the awaiting death eaters. A woman stepped forward out of the crowd

"Thank you Ronald, you have done well."