Disclaimer: If you know it, I do not own it and it is likely from Order of the Phoenix by JKR.
Outwitting Death Eaters
Draco ran like he'd never run before. His long legs helped him be in the lead, which he liked and didn't like for reasons. Atlanta was next to him, shooting off Reductor curses along with him at the shelves.
"Go to find Regulus and take Harry," Atlanta ordered as they reached the door. "I'll take Ginny and Luna."
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Draco asked as the others caught up. Well, except Hermione and Neville.
"It's brilliant," Atlanta said, pushing Draco through the door.
He stumbled in and tripped over his own feet (embarrassingly) and landed flat on his face. By the time he picked himself up off the floor, Hermione slammed the door and shouted, "Colloportus!"
"Why'd you do that?" Harry asked as the door sealed itself with a squishing noise. "The others didn't come through."
"Atlanta's taking them a different way," Draco filled in.
"Get going," Tonk urged, appearing out of nowhere. "The door won't hold. I'll go through after the Death Eaters and track the girls. Make sure they get out. Does Atlanta know what she's doing?"
"I don't know."
"Get going," Tonks said as the Death Eater's voices sounded louder on the other side.
Hermione grabbed Harry and Draco and hurried off away. They ran passed the bell-jar and the clock room. Hermione suggested they upturn the desks to make it harder for the Death Eater following. Harry took a little too much pleasure in the destruction of Ministry property.
"Atlanta, what is your plan?"
"My plan?"
"Yes, just because you admitted you're no longer suicidal and going to die in place Sirius because it makes no logical sense, doesn't mean you have no plan, so what is your plan?"
Tom felt dizzy as Atlanta ran through darker than night corridors, seemingly knowing which way to go. He could withdraw from her eyes, but refused as he was on the look out for things she might miss.
"I plan to set a trap for Voldemort. He knows I'm here. I have to keep him occupied till Dumbledore's available to duel."
"How?"
"His song," Atlanta said, then spun around. "GET DOWN! They're here!"
Behind him, Tom heard the others all clatter downwards. Neville hit something and all hell broke loose.
"Where's Neville?" Draco asked as they slammed the door on the Magical Door Room.
"With the others. Atlanta grabbed him and shoved me through the door," Hermione said. "The door with the X, that's where Regulus is located. He'll tell us where to take the Death Eaters for the final show down."
The three darted across the room towards the door with the fiery X. Harry ripped the door open and they piled into the room, slamming the door behind them. As they stumbled away from the door, Draco heard Regulus seal it with the same spell Hermione had used earlier.
"Where do you want Harry to carrell the Death Eaters?" Hermione asked.
Regulus looked regretful as he said, "The Death Chamber. It's the only room large enough to get them—"
"No! We can't go in that room!" Harry shouted, stomping his foot. "That's the room Sirius dies in! And we don't know how!"
Hermione put her hand on Harry's arm. "He might still die tonight, no matter what room we're in."
Harry pressed his lips together and looked livid. "There were two locked doors. We came across two locked doors."
"One is always locked as you well know," Regulus said softly. "We locked the other door so you wouldn't go in there before we needed you in there. There is another way to get there. The Death Eaters will find you here, Hermione marked the door."
Harry made fists and looked furious.
"Harry, go off that way," Regulus instructed, motioning to the open door. "There's a long hallway. The door to the Death Chamber is open. We'll thin the crowd out for your further."
Harry appeared as if he wasn't going to leave, but turned and ran off, slamming the door behind him.
"Was it necessary—" Draco started.
"Yes," Regulus cut off. "It was. I told Sirius. Before we left. Hopefully he'll be more careful. Tonks couldn't figure out any other room large enough to gather the Death Eaters and ourselves with enough room to fight. We're going to destroy enough of this department using the rooms we've gone through already. You smashed up the Time Room, didn't you?"
"Just the desks," Hermione said. "We tipped them as we ran past."
"Harry blew a few up."
Regulus nodded, clutching his wand as the noise on the other side grew louder. Draco sucked in a breath.
"What do you want us to do?" Hermione quietly asked.
"Do as Harry trained you to do: defend yourselves. Just, stay away from the brains. Don't let them touch you," Regulus advised. "And to start, hide."
The three of them spread out and hid in various corners of the darkened room. Hermione was under a desk, Regulus was behind the Brain Aquarium, and Draco hid behind a bookshelf. The door burst open and three Death Eaters fell into the room. They were all still hooded, but Draco knew the body shapes: Nott, Dolohov, and Jugson.
"They're in here, aren't they?" Jugson asked, wand wildly waving around. "That singing chit's not here, is she?"
"No. She's somewhere behind us," Dolohov replied.
Dolohov suddenly flew up into the air, suspended by his ankle. He shouted out in surprise, then horror as he flew forward and into the case of brains.
Hermione leapt up and shot off Body Bind curses. Draco jumped into action doing the same. Both landed their curses on their intended victims. Draco stared down at Nott, whose eyes were furious behind his mask.
"That was too easy," Draco observed.
"Correct," Regulus said, appearing seemingly out of thin air.
"I thought you said stay away from the brains," Draco drawled.
"I did," Regulus said, silently moving the brains back into a large jar filled with liquid. "However, he can have as many brains on him as possible."
Dolohov screamed where he was on the floor, a brain latched onto his arm. Regulus waved his wand and Dolohov fell silent. Hermione stared, looking torn between looking satisfied and horrified. Regulus allowed Dolohov to struggle a few more minutes with the freaky brain thing before he stunned him, then looking a bit morose, cast a spell that caused the brain to stop moving.
"What did you do?"
"Took away its air supply," Regulus replied, yanking the brain off Dolohov. He threw it into the jar with the others and it began to move around once more. "It's fine."
"I wasn't that worried about the brain," Hermione admitted. "Now what?"
"We head to the Death Chamber. Sirius and Bill are there. Tonks went after the girls, right?"
"Yes, she did. Who else is here?"
"Lupin is in one of the other rooms. One I guess you didn't go through," Regulus said, opening the door Harry had slammed earlier.
"Are you going to let us fight?"
"Of course I am," Regulus said. "I wish someone had taught me how to fight when I was your age. You're going to have to face this stuff sooner rather than later."
Draco nodded. "Best be prepared."
Hermione gripped her wand tightly.
"But, once the other Order members show up, make yourselves scare, okay?"
"Will do," they both agreed.
They could hear the fight in the Death Chamber before they actually reached it. Sirius and Bill were shouting, someone else was cackling, and the room was alight with different colored spells. The three ran the rest of the way to the opened door. Regulus instantly threw himself into a duel, while Draco grabbed onto Hermione so they could figure out where they could best be of aid.
Before either could move, though, the doors on the other side of the Chamber burst open and a furious Albus Dumbledore appeared with several Order members.
"Luna, Ginny, and Neville aren't here," Hermione noted.
"Harry's with Sirius, there."
"I think they'll be okay. We need to find the others."
"Wouldn't they be with Tonks?"
"Yes," Hermione said, hurrying out the door and back down the hallway. "While I do not doubt Tonk's or Atlanta's skills, Luna, Neville, and Ginny might not be of much use in a fight."
Draco nodded, hurrying along. They made it back to the Door Chamber. Hermione slammed the door, then opened one at random, shouting into it. When no one replied, she slammed it shut, waited for the room to spin, then tried again. This time, she heard something back.
"We're in here!"
Draco and Hermione hurried into the room, which was filled with huge planets that were moving around a model of the sun. Draco stared, wondering what this could possibly be for before he tripped over Luna, who was on the floor.
"I think she busted her ankle," Ginny supplied, holding her hand to her head. "I got hit in the head by Saturn."
The rings around that planet were going the wrong way.
"Yes. That happened," Luna conceded. "Since we were both down for the count, Tonks suggested we remain here whilst she went after Atlanta."
"Where's Neville?" Draco asked.
"Hereb."
Draco turned to see Neville stumble into the room.
"Jub checkbing sombing," he mumbled, holding his nose, which was free flowing red.
"What happened?"
"Desk to the nose," Ginny offered. "Or a door. We weren't really sure. It happened in a dark room with no floor."
"It was lovely," Luna sighed.
"Draco, lift Luna up. We'll see if we can find someone. Dumbledore likely brought more people with him than just those who appeared with him in the Death Chamber," Hermione said. "Ginny, can you stand?"
"Yeah," Ginny said, standing then swaying. Hermione grabbed her arm and flung it over her shoulder.
Draco lifted Luna carefully, while Neville went out front with his wand, though Draco wasn't sure what spells he'd be able to cast not being able to speak properly.
They headed back into the room with the doors. After a few tries they found the door that lead to the corridor that led to the lift to the Atrium. However, before they made it too far, they discovered stunned Tonk spread eagle on the floor.
Hermione dropped Ginny and hurried over to Tonks. Before she had a chance to revive her, Draco heard a cackle that made his blood run cold.
"Hide. Bellatrix is coming."
Ginny stumbled to the side, opening a door that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. They all went in, Hermione and Neville dragging Tonks. No sooner were they in the room, Bellatrix streaked past. There were foot steps behind her and Harry followed shortly after. Hermione and Draco exchanged looks.
"They're going to the Atrium," Hermione stated.
"Then, Voldemort is on his way."
Behind them, there were two sharp intakes of breath.
"Do you think Sirius died?" Hermione asked in a small voice.
Before Draco had a chance to answer, Sirius came running into the hall shouting for Harry.
Draco dove out of the room.
"Draco! Have you seen Harry?" Sirius asked, looking slightly crazed and missing most of his hair. "Bellatrix hit me with something."
"Clearly," Draco said. "But what?"
"Stunner or something. Remus woke me up when Harry took off like he thought I was dead, which I get. I was supposed to die. But, I'm not dead!" Sirius exclaimed.
"He went that way," Draco indicated, pointing down the hall. "Like the plan happened to be. Voldemort must be seen in a public forum."
"Sirius," came a stern voice from behind.
Sirius froze and slowly turned around.
"I told you not to leave," Dumbledore said, gliding forward.
"Harry—"
"Will be fine," Dumbledore stated, eyes darting to Draco. He must have seen he was right, as he looked back at Sirius. "If you could, please gather up the children and take them back to Hogwarts."
"How?" Sirius asked.
"With this," Dumbledore replied, extending a roll of parchment.
"We're all here. Well, except Atlanta and Harry," Hermione said, slowly stepping out of the room. "Tonks is stunned."
Dumbledore nodded. "I will retrieve Atlanta and Harry. Sirius, now. This will take you to Poppy. You need her care as do several others."
"He's right," Hermione said, tugging on Sirius's sleeve. "Luna broke her ankle, Neville's nose won't stop bleeding, and Ginny took a few rings to the head in the planet room."
"And most of your hair is missing for some reason," Draco informed his cousin.
Sirius looked alarmed, hand flying to his partly bald head. He let out a rather unmanly sheik.
"Sirius," Dumbledore repeated, extending what looked the parchment.
Sirius sighed, took the parchment roll, then grabbed onto Draco, who seized Hermione, who gripped Neville, who clutched onto Luna, who grabbed Ginny, who gripped Tonk's ankle just before the portkey took them back to Hogwarts.