Thanks to everyone who reviewed and emailed:
Lightdemondarkangel You don't like Draco? I never would have guessed…Thanks for your input!
Blondi Gurl: I love Spike and Faith too, but I also like Draco! I've put a tally next to Draco for you. Thanks for reviewing.
Buffy the Slayer: He is the traitor type, but expect the unexpected and all that. Put you down as Draco, check! I could bring one of them back in a similar way, I haven't really thought about it, but I am now!
Matt: Thanks for the email; I think you just wanted to be awkward! Hope you like the chapter.
Chrios: I've put you down for Spike. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like the next chapter!
Amy-Baby: Thanks for the email; yes, it was really detailed, but I like details! If I read it correctly, you want Draco to be the traitor, right?
Note to all reviewers: The traitor will be revealed next chapter.
A BIT TO ADD TO THE DISCLAIMER: I've borrowed some ideas from '100 ways to annoy Voldermort' from Mugglenet .com. I wrote to the site to try and get proper permission to use it, but they didn't respond. If they do write back & say I can't use it, then the sentences in question will be removed.
If anyone knows Greek, could they correct me please? There are a couple of sentences in this chap of it, but I just used an online translator and picked a language from the list.
CHAPTER 19- KIDNAPPED!
Dawn and Harry were taking an evening stroll along the edge of the forest when it happened. Several death eaters jumped out knocking them both unconscious in a matter of seconds.
Harry and Dawn didn't know what happened next; but they found themselves locked in a dark cell with a single candle providing them with light when they awoke.
"Dawn?"
"Whoa;" she groaned, "did anyone get the number of that bus?"
"Are you ok?"
"Just peachy; what about you?"
"I'm fine, but they took my wand." Harry moaned.
Dawn closed her eyes and muttered something. "They've done something to block my magic."
Dawn looked around observing their surroundings. "What is it with death eater and cold, damp and dirty imprisonments anyway?"
"Maybe Voldermort likes things that way. I really, really don't like him." Harry muttered.
"Look on the bright side honey."
"And that is what?"
"Well…he doesn't have a cool scar like you do and…he's afraid of an old man and he couldn't kill a little baby."
They were interrupted by a door somewhere above them opening and two sets of feet climbing down the stairs.
"You're awake." One acknowledged; Harry thought the voice was familiar to him, but he couldn't place it.
"Well if it isn't the boy-who-lived;" the second one sneered, "and his girlfriend."
"Well if it isn't two assistants of the man-who-let-the-boy-live." Dawn quipped back.
However that proved to be a bad idea as two seconds later she was doubled over with the pain of the Cruico curse.
"That the best you got?" She spluttered when the curse was lifted.
The death eater prepared to curse again, but the other stopped him.
"The Dark Lord doesn't want them harmed…yet." He said. He tossed down a brown sack. "We need them alive until the ritual."
The second death eater laughed cruelly as they both left, leaving their two prisoners locked in their cell.
Dawn opened the bag cautiously. "It's food. Do you think it's poisoned?"
"Not if they need us alive. I think it's safe."
Dawn nodded and tentatively bit into the bread roll that was provided. "It tastes fine."
"Good; I'm hungry."
"Always thinking of your stomach." Dawn jested, although the usual humour was lacking from her voice.
"You shouldn't have done that." Harry said between munches.
"Huh?"
"Made fun of the death eaters. They've got the power."
"And I'm taking some back, power I mean. It's a Scooby thing; when everything's against you, add lots of humour. Let's them know that they're not completely in control of you. You should try it next time." They were both silent for a while.
"How long do you think we have to wait until we're rescued?" Dawn asked.
"You mean if we are rescued."
"They'll come." Dawn said with conviction. "They always come. My guess is that they'll notice we're gone about now, work through the night and then get us out of here tomorrow."
"I hope you're right."
"I am."
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"Get up."
It was completely dark outside. Dawn and Harry hadn't had any 'visits' since the two death eater about an hour ago, although it felt like much longer.
Two death eaters grabbed Dawn and started dragging her out of the cell and the other two grabbed Harry and followed them.
They were lead though several corridors, each one as dark as the next, until they were eventually thrown down in a room that appeared to be empty. But they soon found it wasn't.
There was a chair against one wall and it slowly turned around. Stopping right in front of them and Voldermort slowly rose and stood before them.
"Wow. Grand entrance or what?" Dawn muttered sarcastically. "That's Voldermort?"
"Yes," Harry said with hatred evident in his voice. He gathered all his courage and said: "he looked better under the turban."
Dawn snorted, but Voldermort didn't see the funny side. He snarled and lifted his wand to Harry.
"I wouldn't if I were in your position, boy."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Look can we move this along? Our friends will be here any minute and we'd hate to keep them waiting."
Voldermort looked slightly taken aback, but he quickly schooled his features into a cruel smirk. "All part of the plan. I have thousand of my loyal supporters to kill your 'friends' when they attempt to rescue you. They will walk strait into my trap, just like you did. Sometimes I think you make it too easy for me; it's like taking candy from a baby."
"And for some people that's harder than for others." Dawn replied staring pointedly at Voldermort.
He snarled again. "You will see. Get them out of here!" He called to his supporters.
Harry and Dawn were dragged back to their cell once again.
"Oh crap." Harry said. "We're just bait, aren't we?"
"Partly; you remember the death eater said something about a ritual, well I think we're part of that too."
"You don't seem too worried." Harry commented.
"Nah; do you know how many times I've been used for bait? Hundreds; and Buffy's always saved me. Why should now be any different?"
Harry didn't know how to respond to that. Instead he settled for grumbling "I hate being bait," as Dawn snuggled up against him.
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"What do you mean; you don't know where they are?" Buffy yelled. "I can't believe you don't know where they are!"
The headmaster winced at the slayers shouting. She certainly had a very loud voice for someone so small. "I can assure you, Miss Summers, we are doing everything in our power to find them."
"Great! Cause that was such a lot when there were students missing! Do you know anything that goes on in this school? Willow!" She bellowed, not waiting for an answer. "How long will it take you to find Dawn?"
"It depends; umm a couple of hours maybe?"
Buffy nodded. "They've been gone for over six hours they could be dead already. We'll go as soon as they're located."
"If I may say so, Miss Summers, I think that it would be better to wait until daylight." The headmaster suggested.
"No way; we go as soon as they're located. All the slayers on the grounds are in plus anyone else who wants to go." Buffy easily slipped into the role of leader as she did during the fiasco with the First. "We're going to get them back."
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"Eye spy with my little eye something beginning with…C"
Harry lifted his head and looked around quickly before dropping his head back down. "Candle."
"Yup."
"Dawn; I think the game works better if there are more than five things that you can see in the room."
"Probably so." Dawn said slowly. "How long do you think we've been here?"
"I dunno; 10 or 12 hours?"
"Ok, so that probably means we've been here for about 5 or 6 hours." Seeing his look (barely), she explained. "Standard kidnapping rules. Divide whatever time you think you've been help by two and you usually have a pretty accurate guess."
"Marvellous." Harry muttered sarcastically. "So what do you want to do-"
He was interrupted by the door banging open and a group of death eaters climbing down the stairs.
"Oh great." Harry muttered; not bothering to stand up or move away from Dawn.
"Hey guys!" Dawn said chirpily. "How ya doing?"
The death eaters looked to each other in their confusion. Harry bit back a laugh; they obviously hadn't had prisoners like them before.
"Move." One of the death eaters barked; but he didn't give them a chance to obey.
He raised his wand and muttered something under his breath. Dawn and Harry found their arms trapped against their sides and forced to walk out of the basement.
This time, Harry was able to look around a bit more. They were in a wizarding house, of this he was sure as he looked in one open room and saw a luxurious bedroom being cleaned by a house elf. He looked at the portraits they passed and a couple had them gasping in shock.
They were of none other than Draco and Lucius Malfoy and, now he came to think of it, several of the other pictures had an uncanny resemblance to the father and son. They must be locked inside Malfoy Manor,
"Hey there Tommy-boy." Dawn called when they were released in his throne room.
Voldermort seemed to change colours. First he went white, then red and then purple. He lifted his wand to Dawn and she prepared to feel the Cruico curse again.
Instead he turned to Harry and uttered the curse. Harry doubled over, groaning in agony.
"Stop! Stop it!" Dawn screamed.
Voldermort didn't take his eyes off the boy withering in pain in front of him. "This is your fault, mudblood."
After a couple more seconds he dropped the curse. Dawn rushed to Harry's side, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she murmured.
"It is time."
"Time for what?" Harry panted.
"You." Voldermort pointed at Dawn. "You will return to your true form at midnight."
"What?" Harry didn't know what they were talking about.
Dawn looked horrified and petrified. "The key." She spoke below a whisper.
Voldermort started cackling, Dawn shook with fear, and Harry stared from one to the other. What could they do now?
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"Buff; I think there's something that I should tell you." Xander said nervously.
"What? Are you ok?" Buffy asked, worried by her friends tone.
"I'm fine; but the other day I saw Spike. He was out in the castle and it was daylight. He was acting really weird, Buff, and not crazy basement weird, more 'I have no idea what I'm doing' weird. And now what with all that's happened…" He trailed off, spreading his arms in front of him in a helpless gesture.
"You think Spike has something to do with Dawn going missing? No way; he loves her."
"He said he loved you, but that didn't stop him hurting you."
"Xander, please don't. That was a long time ago and Spike is different, he has a soul now. I can't believe we're having this conversation again; I thought you and Spike were over all that."
"So did I; but look at the facts, Buffy; Spike went missing for two days, he knows about the prophecy and about Dawn. Voldermort must have gotten that information from somewhere and everyone else who knows has been in the castle since they found out about Dawn being the key."
Buffy didn't want to believe it, but Xander had a point. All the people who could or would have betrayed Dawn were still in the castle. Everyone except… "Faith."
"What?"
"Faith; Angel told her about the prophecy and she knows about Dawn. Let's face it; she doesn't exactly have a great record. And she wouldn't tell us about the 'errand' she had to ditch the mini slayers for."
"But Faith? She wouldn't do that, she's changed." Xander said disbelievingly.
"So has Spike, but you still think it's him." Buffy said defensively. "Wait, this is ridiculous. Spike or Faith wouldn't do that to Dawn; they are helping to fight against Voldermort, not for him!"
"You're right, aren't you? Of course you are, they wouldn't do that." Xander said somewhat unconvincingly.
"Buffy! Xander! Willow's locked onto Dawn! She's found them!" Flick said excitedly.
"She's found them?"
"Yes. Dumbledore's setting up a port key now; we should be ready to go in about half an hour!" Flick bounded out of the room again to prepare to get her friends back.
Buffy and Xander exchanged nervous glances. Would half an hour be too long?
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"I have no use for you in human form…unless you feel like coming over to the dark side?" Voldermort hissed at Dawn. "No, I thought as much. Anyway; I can use you in energy form."
"What are you going to do?" Dawn asked fearfully.
"Just a little spell, well, quite a big spell actually. I don't think you know of the true potential of your power Miss Summers, pity about your heritage."
"What's wrong with my heritage?" A little spark of life came back into Dawn.
"While you are not a mudblood; that is only because you were created from pure magic. Your parentage, however, is as low as it gets."
"Take that back." She spat.
Voldermort laughed. "You're in no position to be giving orders little girl, oh, and that reminds me." He flicked his wand at the two prisoners and they shot back against the walls. Ropes sprang out from the wooden panelling and bound them tightly.
"Rayne! Are you ready?" Voldermort barked as one of the death eaters entered the room, accompanied by two more.
"Rayne? Ethan?" Dawn questioned.
"Hello Dawnie; long time no see." His voice had a colder note to it than the last time she had met him (either that or the monks got it wrong).
"You don't have to do this." She pleaded.
"I don't have to; I want to." He sneered opening an ancient looking book. "This will show Ripper and the slayer once and for all that you don't mess with Ethan Rayne."
"Enough! Rayne, begin the spell."
"Very well, my Lord." Ethan turned to Dawn and began reading from the book. "Δυνατές δυν�μεις; ακούστε το αίτημ� μου, ικετεύω σας…" My God; hear my request, I beg of you…
"Harry." Dawn whimpered.
"It's ok; I'm here." He assured her, not able to do anything else from where he was firmly tied to the wall. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I'm scared… I love you."
"I love you too; don't worry, It'll be alright."
"…Ρωτώ των Θεών; μετατρέπω το κλειδί σε πρ�σινη ενέργεια." I ask of the Gods; turn the key into green energy.
"Why isn't it working?" Voldermort bellowed.
"I-I-I don't know; my Lord. It may be a too powerful spell for me to perform." Ethan whined.
"Power…hmm." Voldermort seemed to be mulling something over. "You must get the power from a source…her blood. You; fetch me a knife."
The death eater he pointed at hurried out of the room. He soon returned with a long silver blade.
"Cut her." Voldermort commanded.
The death eater didn't say anything. He walked over to Dawn, pulled back her winter cloak and slashed the knife across the white shirt of her Hogwarts uniform.
Dawn gasped in shock, even though she knew that it was coming. Crimson liquid started oozing over the shirt immediately and dripped down onto the floor forming a pool around her feet.
Ethan looked back down to the book. "Ο Θεός μου αφήστε την αλλαγή της! Αλλαγή!" My God, let her change! Change!
Green light started pouring out of Dawns wound and gathering in a bright ball in front of her. In the distance, church bells chimed midnight's arrival.
"Αλλαγή! Αφήστε την αλλαγή να είναι πλή-" Change! Let the change be compl-
Suddenly Ethan yelped and was thrown backwards.
"Who's there?" Voldermort called.
The three death eaters in the room gasped and dropped to the floor.
"Who's there? I demand you show yourself!"
"You demand?" A girly voice answered him. "That isn't very polite."
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldermort shouted, pointing his wand at the spot where he heard the voice.
"Missed me!" There was a slight rustling and Buffy appeared out of nowhere. "Hey Harry; cool cloak!"
"Err, thanks." Harry stole a quick look at Dawn. The spell had stopped when Ethan Rayne had been pushed, but most of the essence of the key was still dangling in front of her and she was slumped against the wall breathing shallowly.
There was a great crash as the wall opposite that which they were tied to burst open.
"Is this a private party or can anyone join in?"
In the hole that was once a wall stood Faith with Willow, Giles, Xander, Flick, Skye, Jade, Ginny, Emily and Luna.
"Someone would have heard that." Buffy commented, still dodging curses. "Faith, get them out of here."
Faith rushed over to Harry and broke the ties around his hand with two quick hacks of her axe. "Gin; get him out of here."
"I'm not going without Dawn." He said stubbornly.
"If you stay, you'll get her killed. Now go with little red ridding hood over there and get yourself looked over."
"I'm fine." Harry protested, but he went with Ginny anyway. She led him over to the port key and they transported back to Hogwarts.
Faith moved onto Dawn. "Uh-oh; this don't look so good."
Several death eaters had run down the stairs hearing the commotion and they kept the slayers very busy. They all had Wicca protection spells guarding them, not unlike those that Dawn had cast on Halloween, so they were protected from the weaker spells, but they spent most of their time dodging and getting in a hit whenever possible.
Giles stood over Ethan Rayne who still lay on the floor. "Get up."
Rayne looked around and saw a slayer put a crossbow through a death eater's heart. "I thought slayers couldn't kill humans." He stuttered.
"That only applies to the good ones." Giles replied evenly. "Goodbye Ethan."
Confusion shone in Ethan's eyes. Giles flung out his wrist revealing a sword and drew it quickly over his throat. Ethan fell to the ground, a hiss of air escaping through the wound in his neck. Giles looked down at his dead ex-friend before pulling out his wand and turning away from the body on the floor.
Meanwhile Willow was chanting softly. Faith had released Dawn from the wall, but there was still the question of the floating ball of energy that had to be dealt with.
"…ενέργεια, επιστροφή; επιστροφή!" …energy, return; return!
The energy poured back into Dawn who was still propped up by Faith.
"Get her out of here and wait for us outside, I don't know how accurate the port key is if we use it more than two or three times. I'll tell Buffy we're clear." Willow said.
Faith lifted Dawn and faced her first problem: how to get to the exit on the other side of the room? She heaved Dawn over her shoulder, prayed that there were no problems with Willow's shield and ran as fast as she could to the other side.
They got across without getting cursed, miraculously. As they got outside, Faith heard Buffy shout and the slayers, Giles, Xander and Willow rushed out, the death eaters prevented from following by an only-the-good-get-through shield from Willow.
"Is she ok?" Buffy dashed over to Faith, concerned about her sister.
"I think so, she needs to see a doctor; she's got a pretty deep cut and, as far as I can guess, is exhausted."
"Are you ok?" Buffy asked. Faith looked confused. "You're covered in blood."
"Oh, that. It's Dawn's." Faith explained.
"Thank you, for getting her out; it can't have been easy." Buffy said sincerely.
"I like a challenge." Faith smirked.
"Everyone grab hold." Willow announced. "We're going back to Hogwarts."
Everyone scrabbled to hold a piece of the port key, except for Dawn who was unconscious with one arm around Buffy and the other around Faith.
Two seconds later they were gone, leaving several very annoyed wizards and their master behind them.
"What shall he do now, my Lord?" One asked.
"I think it is time for plan b." Voldermort replied slowly, his features twisting into a cruel sneer. "They aren't going to know what's hit them."
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Only four more chapters to go!!! (The traitor will be revealed next chapter, so you can still say who you want it to be)
That means only four more chances to review! Oh no! Come on guys, if I can spend three days writing a new chapter, could you at least spend three minutes reviewing it? That of course doesn't apply to my lovely readers who do review and who I love very much