Just 'cause I feel like I need one of these randomly: All rights to Harry Potter and Darren Shan Saga go to their respectful owners. All I own is Austin the bat…
(p.s thanks to all my reviewers! Especially the ones who have stuck with me this far!)
Chapter 21:
"Mind Your Manors" (wow. Now I've resorted to lame puns?)
"Okay," Harry muttered angrily, spinning to face Luna, "first of all, 'we' aren't doing anything thing if you're including yourself in that, and second of all, Ron's the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll, so–"
"We've got brooms!" Ginny interjected, gesturing between herself and me.
"Yeah, but you're not coming," Ron said, rather rudely.
"Excuse me, but I care about what happens to Sirius as much as you do," Ginny said at the same time that I said, "Why shouldn't I come?"
"You lot are too–"
"Too what?" I prompted. "I'm the oldest one here," I pointed out –which was completely true.
"Yeah," supported Ginny. "And I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Sorcerer's Stone," she added fiercely, "and it's because of me Malfoy's stuck back in Umbridge's office with giant flying bogeys attacking him–"
"Yeah, but–"
"We were all in the D.A. together," Neville reminded Harry, voice barely a whisper. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real –or was that all just a game or something?"
"No –of course it wasn't–" Harry said impatiently.
"Then we should come too," Neville supplied simply, "we want to help."
"That's right," Luna smiled.
Harry seemed to have a moment of thought.
"Well it doesn't matter anyways," he grumbled, "because we still don't know how to get there–"
"I thought we said that," Luna said, calm as ever. "We're flying!"
"Look," said Ron, anger hidden behind his words, "you might be able to fly without a broomstick, but the rest of us can't sprout wings when-ever we–"
"There are other ways of flying than with broomsticks," she replied serenely.
"I s'pose we're just going to ride of the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?" Ron replied rudely.
The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," Luna said, not deterred in the least.
But they can, and Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for."
I turned at the sound of a snort. Two gleaming, black horses stood at the edge of the trees, intelligent white eyes watching us. I gazed at them for a moment before following Harry's lead and walking over to pat one of the winged beasts. Hagrid had taught our class about these horses, the same day that he was first inspected by Professor Umbridge. They were called thestrals, and only those who had seen death could see them.
"Is it those mad horse things?" Ron said, slightly frightened. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"
"Yeah," Harry replied.
"How many?"
"Two," I supplied.
"Well, we need three," said Hermione determinedly.
"Four, Hermione," Ginny scowled.
"I think there are seven of us, actually," replied Luna.
Don't be stupid, we can't all go!" Harry yelled. "Look, you four" –he gestured to Neville, Ginny, Luna and I–"you're not involved in this, you're not–"
"And what makes you think you care more than we do? We don't want Sirius any deader than you!" I protested, listening as the others did as well.
"Okay fine, it's your choice" Harry muttered, looking peeved. "But unless we can find more thestrals, you're not going to be able–"
"Oh, more of them will come," Ginny stated.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because in case you hadn't noticed, you and Hermione are both covered in blood," she pointed out, "and we know Hagrid lures thestrals with raw meat, so that's probably why these two turned up in the first place…"
She was right, of course. Harry and Hermione both reeked of the blood splattered on their robes –blood which was currently getting licked off.
"Okay then," Harry said, suddenly happy. "Ron and I will take these two and go ahead–"
"That's a load of crap, and you know it," I butted in.
"There's no need," Luna smiled. "Look, here come more now… you two must really smell…"
Over half a dozen thestrals were lumbering towards us, their bat-like wings curled onto their backs.
"Alright," Harry grumbled. "Pick one and get on, then."
After helping Hermione and Ron find thestrals, we mounted the horse-like creatures.
"Urm, you can just follow them," I told the horse, watching Harry take off.
I braced myself for takeoff, after seeing how swift the creatures moved. Within a few seconds, I was gliding over Hogwarts, my face pressed into the collar of the unusual equestrian. As the countryside flew past me, I thought up a plan of action. How was I supposed to pull out a sword and not seem suspicious? The only thing I could think of was claiming that I took it off of one of the walls.
Another thought that had been pestering my brain was: How on earth was I supposed to find my comrades? I assumed that they were kept at Malfoy Manor, Voldemort's headquarters, but where? Such a large place was sure to have a thousand hiding places, and an important political figure wouldn't keep hostages in his living room.
The sun set over our adventure as we sailed over various towns. Hours and hours later, our rides began their descent. We approached a manor that sent a glow of yellow over the extensive lawn in front of it. Not one soul was haunting the stunning garden, nor could anyone be seen stalking in front of the manor's many windows.
Our thestrals touched the ground. It took a minute for me to find my bearings and remove my legs from the horse's back. I jumped off and tried to walk the stiffness out of my legs. Ron's approach was less subtle –he simply toppled off of his thestral. Cursing slightly, he picked himself up off the ground. There were a few nervous giggles at his sudden plunge to the ground, which was good –the tension in the air was tangible.
"So, what's the plan?" I asked.
"We get in, get Sirius and get out," Harry said bluntly, marching towards the mansion.
"Wait," I said. "That's it? What if we run into Death Eaters?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"Harry," Hermione protested. "We really should think of a better plan than that."
"We haven't got time!" Harry raved quietly. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"
"Well, we won't be of much use dead, now will we?" Ginny intruded.
"Fine!" Harry half-shouted. "Then what do you propose we do?"
"Er, well," Neville said meekly. "We can bribe them?"
Harry's head snapped over to Neville's direction. "What?"
"Well… um, you've got that weapon thing, don't you?"
"Yeah, so?"
"I was thinking that… that we could exchange it for Sirius?"
"That's brilliant," I said. "As long as we have that weapon, we have a get out free card."
"But what if it gets stolen?" Luna inquired.
"Then we fight like hell," I replied bluntly.
Out of all of us, I think that Hermione was the most afraid. The hand that clenched her wand trembled as she gripped the stick that might soon be the difference between life and death for her. I felt the stomach turning tension that I always felt before a battle. Ron's eyes were shifting from place to place quickly, spinning at a rate comparable to Mad-Eye's. Luna's face was eerily calm, as if we were heading to a tea party rather than a death trap. Neville was keeping a brave face, trying to imitate Harry's determined expression, but his fear was seeping through.
It was with this attitude that our ragtag army marched up to the manor. We treaded carefully, expecting an alarm to sound at any second, but so far no such occurrence had hindered us.
If it weren't for the fact that I was dealing with human children, I would have suggested we split up, to help our stealth, but I couldn't defend myself, two kids, and find the missing generals. So for now I would have to stick with the group and hope that the luck of the vampires was with me.
In front of me, Neville stopped in his tracks, nearly causing me to run into him.
"Neville?" I whispered. "What on earth are you doing?!"
"Look," he replied, "there's a tornado shelter over there."
"Let me check it out," I replied.
I walked up to the ancient doors and pulled at the handles. They were solid snake wood, and extremely heavy. No human would have been able to lift them, but human I was not. With a groaning noise that made me wince, I managed to open one of the thick doors. A small, dirt tunnel snaked below me. It smelled dry and seemed unused.
"It's cramped, but we can squeeze through," I announced.
"I'll go first," Ron volunteered, puffing out his chest.
"No," I replied. "I'll go first. I'm the biggest, so if I don't fall in, you guys won't either."
They agreed, albeit with a bit of reluctance. I really wanted to be first because I wanted to be able to hear what was ahead, and give the others a chance to run out if need be. The tunnel seemed sturdy, as if it were being used by something other than humans. The putrid smell of a deceased animal and mildew hung in the air, clouding my lungs with a foul stench. Thankfully, we were only in the dreaded place for a few minutes, before the tunnel let out behind a boiler. Under the boiler a nest of rags lay, causing my mind to tug at the edges of a memory.
I ignored the rags and looked at the rest of the room. It appeared that this room was less kept than the rest of the house. The large boiler showed a rusty orange underneath a patchwork of peeling grey paint. The floor was concrete, with a thick layer of dust and soot. A set of stairs led out of the room, flickering eerily in the light of the fire.
"This way," Harry whispered, pointing to the stairs.
We clambered up the stairs. Neville nearly ran into Harry when Harry stopped at the door. I grabbed his arm, keeping him from tumbling to the ground. He began stuttering a thank you, but Harry silenced him with a sharp glare.
Harry placed his ear against the door, listening for people walking nearby. I listened to, and was relieved to find that our current area was empty. He opened the door, trying to make the rusty hinges squeak as little as possible. A long corridor was exposed to us. A dim glow of flame cast shadows on the intricately carved lanterns they sat in. Our hallway branched off into three smaller hallways, which presumably led do different sections of the large manor. I glanced at Harry, who seemed to be contemplating our surroundings.
"We'll have to split up, won't we?" Luna said.
"It seems like it," Hermione replied.
"I'll go with Hermione," Ron said.
"No," Hermione replied. "You go with Luna and Ginny. I'll go with Neville."
Ron reluctantly agreed to her change in plans and walked over to Luna. It made sense, pairing Neville with Hermione. She was the smartest, and would be the best equipped to get him out of a sticky situation. That left me with Harry. He gave me a nod and headed for the branch on the left. I followed behind him quickly, glancing back in time to see Neville trip over his own feet as he made his way down the middle corridor.
"Should we check the rooms?" I asked Harry.
"No," He muttered, not slowing down. "Sirius is with Voldemort somewhere, not sitting pretty in some room–"
"But there could be others here too," I pointed out.
"We haven't got time to–"
"So we just leave them here to suffer?"
"Okay, fine," Harry agreed. "But I doubt anyone will be in any of these rooms," he said, opening a door. "Look here. This is just some kind of storage."
I glanced inside the open door. A pile of things, ranging from trousers to a fancy looking ornament sat.
"Wait," I said, seeing a familiar symbol glaring at me. "Look at this."
I held up a silver plate, which had the mark known as the crest of the House of Black.
"So? Harry remarked, taking the plate from me. "I'm sure that there are loads of these floating around. The Black family has been around for ages."
"If you say so," I said skeptically, noting how the plate was spotless, without a speck of dust on it.
I put the plate back down, and we continued our way through the maze of hallways. At one point, a glimmer caught my eye, sending me into a defensive mode. But my alarm was unnecessary. It was only the glittering eye of one of the stone serpents that adorned the lanterns.
I had just calmed when I heard a slight hissing noise. My mind immediately went back to the hall of fire. Reacting by instinct, I jumped across the hall, pulling Harry with me. It was good that I did this, because, less than half a second later, a splattering noise sounded. I stood up and examined the wall. Small fangs impaled the wall paper, venom dripping off of them, sizzling whatever it touched. Harry sat up on the ground and shook his head, glasses askew.
"Thanks," he said, seeming as if he was confused as to how he ended up on the floor.
"No problem," I replied, extending a hand to help him up. "We've got to be on guard. Who knows what else is lying around here…"
He nodded and we resumed our journey, measuring each step carefully. At one point, we found a section of floor that acted like quicksand. Somehow, Harry managed to change it back to normal, green carpet. A strange hissing and growling noise had come from his mouth, magically making the ground stable.
We slid across the floor carefully, fearing that it might suddenly return to its more treacherous form.
Eventually, we reached a set of stairs, which we climbed hesitantly. There were two new hallways laid out in front of us, one leading to another set of stairs.
"We need to go this way," Harry indicated, gesturing at the stairwell. "Sirius was in a tower."
I held back my protest and nodded. If I'd had it my way, I would have suggested we split up. Voldemort wouldn't keep three vampires hostage in a tower. Suddenly, a loud scream filled the air. Harry recognized the voice at once.
"Hermione!" he yelled, running to her screams.
I followed after him, drawing my wand. We reached Hermione at the edge of the stairs, where she was crumpled on the floor. Neville had his wand drawn, facing the two Death Eaters in front of him.
"Stupefy!" Harry shouted, at the same time that I yelled, "Expulso!"
Harry's opponent sunk to the ground, while mine's wand exploded. Neville gave a relieved sigh and slumped to the ground, while Harry ran to Hermione's aid. I took the time to knock my opponent out and hide the two bodies in the nearest room. Hermione had been struck by one of the Death Eaters, who had used a strange purple spell on her. Her heart was beating, but the frequency oscillated. We were unsure whether or not she needed immediate attention, but we needed to put her somewhere safe. Harry and Neville half dragged, half carried her to a room a little ways down. We heard footsteps approaching rapidly, so I kept my wand at the ready. The first figure we saw was Ron, closely followed by Ginny and Luna. They were running, dodging what appeared to be spells. Ron was supporting a busted lip, which was bleeding profusely. A small fleet of Death Eaters followed them; among them was the man who could only be Lucius Malfoy. The whole party screeched to a stop in front of us.
"Potter!" one of the Death Eaters screeched. "Someone call the Dark Lord!"
"That would be my job," Malfoy drawled, already pressing on a strange tattoo that decorated his forearm.
Harry collapsed into a heap besides me, groaning and clutching his hand, a notion that made many of the Death Eaters laugh.
"Where is it?" a familiar looking woman asked, eyeing us with scrutiny and derision.
"Where is what?" Neville said, glaring at the woman. "Your brain? Well I think it's somewhere up your ass with the rest of your head."
"And who are you," the witch sneered.
"Neville Longbottom."
Another inundation of laughter sounded. "Is that so?" the condescending witch questioned. "I've had the… honor of meeting your parents."
Neville fumed at the witch, enticing more laughter. He angrily sent a stunning spell at her head, but missed by a few inches. This caught her attention. She too fumed now, as she drew a wand from her pocket.
"Let's see if you last longer than your parents did," she remarked before shouting, "CRUCIO!"
The boy fell to the floor, screaming in agony. Ginny charged forwards to help him, but a burly looking Death Eater disarmed her. She attempted to kick the man in the groin as he approached, but the man grabbed her foot and twisted.
The sound of Ginny's screams were added to the mix. Ron angrily charged the Death Eater, struggling to rescue his sister. But another Death Eater intercepted and sent a spell flying at his face. The spell connected and Ron fell to the ground, clutching his face and for some reason, laughing.
"Give me the prophecy, Potter," Lucius commanded, holding out a gloved hand.
"The what…?" Harry said, bewildered. "Oh, you mean this?" He pulled the weapon out of his pocket. "Come any closer and I'll smash it."
"You are in no position to blackmail, boy," a grimy looking man replied.
Ron stood up then, blubbering madly. He saw Harry and grew excited. "Are we playing Quidditch, Harry?" he asked. "That's an awfully big snitch." Harry blinked and stared at Ron, who was approaching him quickly. He grabbed the ball of swirling mist from Harry's hand and threw it to the far side of the hallway. "Hmm… That snitch doesn't fly too good."
Harry, Luna, and I stared at the now broken 'prophecy.' The mist seeped out of the ball, along with words. I couldn't make out what the voice was saying; the din from Neville's screams was too loud.
"No…" Lucius whispered, followed by a louder scream of, "NO!" He turned to Harry. "You will pay for this, boy." He lifted his wand, "CRUICIO!"
Harry fell to the ground too, clutching his forehead as well as gripping the carpet. I decided to take action and pulled my sword out from under my robes. Then, I charged forward, raising my blade so I could bring it down on Malfoy's head, but it never connected.
"CONGLACIOR!" a new voice shouted, causing me to freeze in midair.
I struggled to break free of the magic, but found I could only move slightly. I glanced at the others, who were all in a similar position.
Then, the owner of the voice stepped into the light. The instant I saw him, I knew it had to be Voldemort. Red eyes, with cat-like pupils glanced at me quickly, and moved on to stare at the next member of our party. But, before his eyes met the next person, he snapped his head back towards me. Then he laughed, a completely un-humorous sound.
"How did you manage to snag him, Potter?" Voldemort asked in a high pitched, cold voice. "I thought they were staying neutral."
"What?" Harry panted, still out of breath from his screams.
"You mean you don't know?" he inquired. " You've had them among your ranks and you didn't know?"
"Don't know what?"
There was more laughter. "You mean to tell me that you don't know what he is?" he chortled, gesturing to me. I struggled again, trying to get to the man who caused my clan so much trouble.
"Darren?" Harry said, growing increasingly confused.
"Yes," he smiled, "Darren Shan. The Vampire Prince."
Well, I had to listen to a lot of 'fighty' music for this chapter. Please tell me how I did. I've never really written a fight scene before.