Chapter 10

Maia had several targets. The first of which, Malfoy Manor. With the family believed to be dead, there was no reason for Riddle to vacate the building. It hadn't been his main residence during the war, but it had been used as a prison. She'd been held there. There was no reason it wouldn't still be.

She'd felt no guilt sneaking away from Shell Cottage, just that same calm she'd felt all those weeks ago. Even as she walked toward the building that held her worst memories, her only thoughts were on subtlety. You can't be seen, you can't leave anyone to report back to Riddle. Her mind easily accepted the reality of killing people on her way through the manor, despite her hesitancy during the last battle she fought. But she supposed it wasn't a battle. It wasn't even a rescue mission. It was a necessity. She was just too impatient to wait for confirmation of where their prisoners were.

Maia pulled her hood up as she neared the grand building, the same odd veil over her vision confirming her suspicions, she was indeed wearing an invisibility cloak. It was surprisingly easy to break into the manor, given all she had to do was walk inside a few feet behind a man she assumed was a snatcher. The halls of the manor were dark, barely lit by the sunlight streaming through the cracks in closed, heavy curtains and the few candles that were dotted around the corridors. She kept vigilant, walking quietly and slowly as she surveyed her surroundings.

She never knew where the dungeons were, despite having spent some time inside the building. So she kept track of each turn she'd made, each door she'd passed, even the paths the snatchers and death eaters were patrolling. There were some doors that were passed more frequently, though none lead to a cellar. There was however a corridor that nobody ventured near, and given the distant voices echoing their way up, she had a suspicion that it was being avoided purposefully.

So naturally, she searched it first.

There was a singular door along the corridor and a staircase that went below the ground floor. She ignored the door and made her way down, her wand rather loose in her grip. A small part of her mind wanted to grip it tight, but the calmness that overwhelmed her kept it at bay. She didn't blink twice as she walked down the all too recognisable corridor. No evidence of her last visit remained, though there was some conversation to be heard.

"That's all you ever say." One voice whispered. "Have faith, they'll find us. We both know that they've got some sort of enchantment to make this place unplottable. They'd have found us by now if not."

"For all we know, they think we're dead." A second voice spoke, a female one that seemed not to care about what volume she talked at. "Or everyone who would have come to find us is dead and we're the last of the order alive."

"We wouldn't be alive if we were the only ones left." A more familiar voice spoke. "We have to keep out spirits up. The moment we give up is the moment he wins."

"He already has won." The woman spat back. "If you hadn't noticed we're locked up and our only hope for defeating him is dead."

With a light smile, Maia dropped her hood and made her way toward the voices.

Two ginger men of differing age were in one cell, across from the woman whose cell seemed to be covered in blood. She looked vaguely familiar, though she couldn't have placed her, despite all of the effort she'd put into remembering people.

"Hermione?" The older man spoke, coming to the bars of his cell. They were recently transfigured. It was probably something to do with the woman. "I knew we couldn't give up."

"Forgive my forgetfulness but I assume you're Arthur Weasley." Maia spoke, making quick work of the lock, swinging the cell door open. "And you're Percy?"

The pair didn't seem to happy with their rescuer, though they left the cell anyway. "Who else is here? How many are we escaping with?"

Maia kept her expression blank as she opened the woman's cell, though she didn't make any move to leave it. "I'm the only one here and you're the only people escaping."

"What do you mean the only one? The only people?" The older man questioned, tugging Maia's arm, making her face him. "For all we know there are other order members being held here. We have to get reinforcements and help them."

Maia glanced down at his hand, tightly gripping her forearm. "The reason I'm here is because I need to convince Molly to let me help Ginny. It's rather important."

"What's wrong with Ginny?" The other man spoke, though he didn't feel the need to grab her.

"Can't you tell?" The woman in the cell smiled. "She doesn't care. Whatever happened to her, she's not Hermione Granger anymore." The woman walked from the shadows to lean on the bars of her cell, her nostrils flaring. "I don't even need her scent to know that."

Maia turned her attention back to the woman. "Werewolf?" She asked as she took in the scars on her neck.

"Is that a problem?" The woman bit back, baring her teeth slightly.

"That depends." She shrugged. "Do you plan on eating everyone?"

The woman snorted, receding back into her cell. "Like I have a choice once the moon rises."

"I'm leaving this door open." Maia stated, pulling her arm out of the man's vice like grip. "If you feel like leaving give a howl, I'll apparate you to the order."

The woman narrowed her eyes for a moment, a malicious smile gripping her mouth as she walked back into the shadows.

"I don't suppose you're going to explain anything." The older man spoke as she led them from the dungeons. "You most likely don't even know where our wands are."

"That doesn't matter." She shrugged, pointing to the singular door she'd walked past. "They're probably in there. And keep quiet, I don't feel like having to kill everyone here."

"Nobody's killing anyone." The older man snapped, pushing his way into the room, which indeed held many, many wands along with various other belongings. Several minutes passed and the two men were still without wands.

"Do speed up." Maia frowned. "It's the full moon tonight and we're almost past sunset."

The men's eyes widened and they found themselves with wands much faster. "We should go back and shut her cell. We don't want her loose."

"Actually we do." Maia smiled, leading them into the hallway. "Escaped prisoners is one thing, but a nice werewolf mauling will cover our tracks rather nicely."

A man in a black cloak rounded the corner and without a second thought Maia had flicked her wand at him, his form quietly slumping to the ground. Though he was clearly unhappy about it, the man kept his mouth shut and followed Maia from the Manor with all too much ease. Once far enough from the manor's grounds Maia placed her hands on their arms, noting their discomfort. With an eerie smile, Maia apparated them away.

To the edge of a cliff.

"Now then." She smiled, holding the men over the edge. "Where are Arthur and Percy Weasley?"