Disclaimer: Everything Harry Potter belongs to our queen, JK Rowling!

Otherwise, this story is a work of fiction, and any non-HP original characters, their names and adventures are purely a product of my imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and fictitious. This story does not take place in our Muggle world as we know it, but in a world entirely its own.

Chapter Twenty-Five:

In the Stacks

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When she lost Harry in the swirling mist, Ella had screamed his name, called out to him and Robert as she tumbled through the heavy fog, entirely alone. There had been a truly terrifying instant when she was surrounded by mist on all sides, the tendrils closing in around her, forcing their way into her mouth and nose – obscuring her eyes. She had whirled about in a panic, gasping for breath, her hands empty. But she had known, even in that moment, that she would find her way out of the mist – that she would do what she was meant to do.

She had raised her hand before her, pushing the mist fitfully aside – as if it were solid – and as it thinned, she had glimpsed Robert's bright red hair in her peripheral vision. She fought her way over to him, grabbed hold of his hand, and, as they stood there together, the mist shot abruptly upwards, flaring out from them, dissolving into black.

They squinted into the newfound darkness, and as their eyes adjusted to the light, a shocking scene met their eyes.

Ella took one look around, from Ron – forced against the stone wall with binds she couldn't see – to Hermione, pressed back against the other wall, staring at them with wide eyes, with her wand clenched tightly in hand – and finally, to the two Death Eaters at the door, who were staring at them in frozen silence. Even as she watched, they moved into action, stumbling towards them. Adrenaline and fear flooded through her.

"Bombarda!" she shouted, almost on instinct, extending her arm with her palm open wide. There was a tremendous bang and both Death Eaters were blasted backward with the force of a small explosion. They hit the wall across the passage and slid down to the floor, their bodies limp.

Ella whirled around, her breathing ragged and her heart beating frantically, staring at Ron and Hermione, who were both gaping at her with wide eyes.

"Blimey!" Ron said again, his voice dripping with relief. "Another overachiever."

"Are you both all right?" Robert said urgently. He hurried to Ron, trying to get a look at the invisible bindings. "What's going on here? Are you magicked into place?"

"Relashio!" Hermione said quickly as she stepped away from the wall and pointed her wand at Ron. He plunged down to the floor, and Robert hastened to catch him before he hit the ground. Hermione lowered her wand and turned to Ella. "How are you here? Is Harry with you?"

"He was with us," Ella said, calming down slightly and gingerly picking her way past the scattered chunks of stone across the floor as she stepped closer. "Harry saw you all here, in a dream. We used the Spell of Return together, but we – we lost him on the way..."

"Lost him?" Hermione squeaked. "How?"

"He's probably with Dan," Robert said as he glanced around the cell. "Dan's not with you, right?"

"No," Ron said weakly as he leaned heavily on Robert, "they've got him somewhere else."

"Of course, that makes sense," Hermione said, her voice growing calmer as she reasoned out the situation with logic. "You were taken to us, since we're your counterparts here, and Harry was probably taken to Daniyel, like Robert said. So we have to find Harry and Daniyel and then get out of here."

"How do we get out of here?" Ron said, glancing between Robert and Ella. "Have you all got a plan?"

"Not sure yet, but probably not the way we came," Ella said, glancing past the door nervously. "I get the feeling it was kind of a one way ticket. But we need to move, I think all of Shadow Hogwarts probably heard us…"

"You're right," Hermione said. "We need to go. Ron, are you–"

"M'fine," Ron grunted. "Let's go."

They hurried out into the passage, where the Death Eaters still lay sprawled on the floor.

"Incarcerous!" Hermione said hurriedly, and thin cords shot out of her wand, binding both Death Eaters tightly together. She reached down and scooped up their wands.

"I'll take one of those," Ron said, and she tossed him the longer of the two wands. He pocketed it quickly. She offered the other wand to Ella, who accepted it with a shrug and slid it into her robes.

"We should lock them in the cell," Hermione said, glancing back at the two Death Eaters. "No reason to leave a trail behind us."

"Good call," Ella agreed, as Hermione used a Hover Charm to levitate both Death Eaters into the dungeon room they had just vacated. "Wait – should we wake one up? Try and get some intel?"

"No," Hermione said, shaking her head abruptly as she shuddered. "They wouldn't tell us anyway. We should go, before we're found." She sealed the door behind the Death Eaters and turned to the face the others. "Come on."

They hurried down the passageway, glancing around nervously. Torches were lit intermittently along the way, and the gaps were filled with shadows that seemed to come alive in the darkness. They had barely gone a dozen paces before Robert stopped abruptly, bringing Ron to a halt.

"I think I hear something," he whispered.

Ella and Hermione paused, squinting into the distance. Ella could just make out the soft sounds of footfalls further up the passage.

"More Death Eaters!" Hermione gasped.

"In here!" Ella whispered hurriedly, gesturing at a large double door she had spotted just up ahead. Its brass plating was glistening slightly in the flickering flames of the torches. Robert pushed at it, and both sides swung inward with no resistance. They piled inside, and Ella gently pushed the doors shut behind them. Then they whirled around to stare at the room they had entered.

It was a large room, extending further out than they could see. It was crammed full of shelves, which rose up to the ceiling, stacked end to end with books. There was a soft blue glow within the place, as if it were coming from the books themselves. The whole room was suffused in it. Hermione gasped, taking a small step forward.

"Oh no," Ron said mildly.

Turning away, Ella pressed her ear to the door, listening closely, as Hermione stepped further into the room, her raised hand trailing inches away from one of the stacks.

"Hermione," Ron hissed, as he staggered over to a chair beside a small round table and sank into it gratefully, "seriously, step away from the library."

"I'm just looking, Ron."

"Shhh!" Ella hissed. "I think they're right outside…"

She backed away slightly and braced herself beside the door, glancing at Robert, who nodded once – his face pale – and stepped to the other side. As Ron and Hermione stared, he plunged a hand below his cloak and drew out a thin sword; it's sharp edge glinted in the blue light.

"What?" Ron breathed incredulously.

Hermione stepped further into the cover of the stacks and raised her wand, pointing it at the door. Ron crouched behind the table, his wand aimed through the gap underneath it.

They stood there in silence, waiting, staring at the doors. Ella's heart pounded loudly in her ears. Keep going, she prayed. Don't come in here.

Slowly, against all her wishes, the door began to creak open. She inhaled sharply, melting further into the shadows behind the door. Her hand trembled slightly as she raised it, running through potential spells in her mind. They couldn't make any more noise and give away their position. They would have to take them out quickly.

Two hooded figures stepped into the library, wands raised. Time slowed. The second they cleared the doors, Ella drew into herself, focused on the flow of magic within her body, and whispered, "Immobulus!"

Purple light flared out from her palm, and the two figures halted, locked into place by her Freezing Charm. Robert stepped out from behind the other door and positioned the sword at their throats.

"Don't move," he said, unnecessarily. His hand was quite steady.

Ella edged around them and peered out into the passageway beyond. It was empty. Good. She leaned against the doors, closing them softly, and then circled back around to face the Death Eaters. Ron and Hermione slipped out of their hiding spots and advanced, wands raised, until the four of them had surrounded the Death Eaters from every angle. They appraised them in silence. Ella hesitated, unsure what to do next.

"Where's Harry?" Ron said aggressively, moving his wand between both figures with a slightly shaky hand.

"Depulso!" Hermione said in a surprisingly calm voice, aiming her Banishing Charm at their hooded faces.

Ella gasped and lunged forward in relief as the masks flew aside. "Harry! Dan!" Robert abruptly lowered the sword.

"Oh!" Hermione cried in shock. "Finite!"

The four of them converged on Harry and Daniyel, as the two stumbled forward, freed from the Freezing Charm at last, and Ella threw her arms around them both, with Hermione close behind.

"Bloody hell!" Harry gasped, sagging under their combined weight, as they all burst into frenzied speech at once. "Are we happy to see you…"

"You're all covered with blood!" Ella gasped, staring at Dan. "Are you OK?!"

"Rob, is that a sword?"

"Oh my God, Harry, Dan, I can't believe it. Thank goodness!"

"Blimey, why are you dressed like Death Eaters?"

"Everyone, calm down," Robert said, and they fell into a sudden silence. He jammed the sword back into its sheath. "This is good, we're all together. Now we just need an escape plan… Is anyone else out there?"

"We didn't see anyone besides the Death Eaters we took these from," Harry said, stooping down to pick up his mask again. "We heard shouts and banging from down this way. Was that you?"

"Yeah," Ella confirmed, squeezing his fingers briefly before stepping away. "We took out two of them."

"Harry," Hermione said, still staring at him as if she couldn't quite believe her eyes, "I don't understand how you're here. Daniyel and Voldemort"– Ron inhaled sharply –"aren't fighting. And how did you bring Ella and Robert?"

"I dunno," Harry said, "maybe this is close enough? Dumbledore said…" He paused, contemplating it. "He basically told me to go ahead and do it. That this was it."

"He did?" Hermione said, relief seeping into her voice. "But then does he know where we are? Is the Order coming?"

"I – I don't think so," Harry said slowly. "I reckon we're on our own."

A short silence followed this pronouncement and they all glanced at each other somewhat nervously.

"Harry," Hermione said seriously, "I don't think we're in Britain anymore. When they took us away, they didn't just Apparate, they used a Portkey too. And it's freezing cold here. We must be somewhere really far north…"

"Russia," Daniyel said abruptly. They all turned to stare at him. He clenched his hand around his wand, which looked extremely pale in the blue glow of the library. "My wand's been pulsing with energy nonstop ever since Harry's handed it over. It was harvested in the Russian forests, Ollivander told me. This must be the place." He knew the words were true as soon as they left his mouth. His wand was more alive than he had ever felt it. He could sense the energy constantly flowing into his hand from the thin strip of wood, and was actively aware that it was the only thing keeping him going; the only thing keeping the pain of the last few hours at bay.

"But then," Ella said excitedly, "Harry, you can call Dumbledore! Tell him we think we're in Russia, and–"

"I can't," Harry said heavily, "I lost the projector on the way. I'm sorry."

"Shit…" Ella muttered.

"But can't we send one of those, you know, Patronus messages?" Ron offered. "Like Tonks."

"Oh, maybe," Harry began. "I haven't–"

"You can't," Hermione said, sounding slightly exasperated. "Not over that kind of distance. And besides, what if they saw it go?"

"Russia's a huge place," Robert said evenly. "Even if they know we're here, I don't know how much good that would do. Not unless they know our exact location. Either way, we need to find a way out of the castle first. Then we can figure out the rest…"

"We passed some stairs on the way," Daniyel supplied.

"But what if we just run into more of them there?" Ron said. "They'll be coming down to look for us..."

Ella drifted away as they debated it, glancing through the stacks of the library. Surely, there had to be more than one way out of the dungeon. Hermione appeared over her shoulder.

"Do you think there's a map in here?" Ella said quietly.

"It's definitely possible. Let's have a look."

Hermione vanished down a gap between two shelves, and Ella marveled momentarily at her calmness – but it was a library, after all – before proceeding further down the row. The books looked old – centuries old, in fact. She wondered if they had been somehow preserved with magic. She ran her fingers softly along the spines. They felt surprisingly warm.

She heard it as she reached for a thick book in the middle of the shelf at random: the rustle of a cloak. She spun around and stared down the row. In the dim light, she thought she could just make out the dark edge of a cloak as it trailed out of sight.

"Hermione?" she called softly.

"What is it?"

She spun around. Hermione appeared behind her, a book in hand. Ella felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

"I saw something," she whispered, "down that way."

"Lumos!" Hermione said quickly. The beam of light cut through the semi-darkness of the row, scattering the shadows. They stared. It was empty. They glanced at each other silently, and then Ella took a tentative step forward. Hermione followed.

They walked silently to the end of the row, and then Ella took a deep breath and edged quietly around the end of the stack. She found herself in a narrow passageway, pressed between the shelves on one side, and the stone wall on the other. Hermione stepped through behind her, casting her light in both directions. It was empty. Ella glanced back at Hermione, who shrugged.

"It was dark…" Ella admitted, looking around uneasily. She could have imagined the cloak. It was just that she didn't think that she had. The whole library, with its strange blue glow, was making her feel on edge.

She stepped further into the passage, glancing down the next row she passed, and the next, trailing her hand slowly along the wall as she went. She felt it when she passed the third row – a slight groove along the wall. She paused, staring. Hermione, following her gaze, aimed the beam of light at the wall. It was incredibly narrow, and set into the wall so perfectly that if she hadn't had her hand upon it, she never would have seen it. But it was, unmistakably, a door.

"Alohomora!" Hermione whispered, and they jumped aside as it swung silently out towards them. They glanced into the opening. A narrow spiral staircase led up into darkness.

"I think," Ella said softly, "we may have found that other way out…"

Some fifteen minutes later, the six of them stood gathered outside the door. Harry and Daniyel, their faces hooded once more, slipped into the opening first. Hermione and Ron went after them, and Ella and Robert brought up the rear. Ella glanced around nervously as she stepped onto the spiral staircase. She pulled the door shut behind them, plunging them all into darkness. Up ahead, Harry and Daniyel lit their wands.

The stairs went on for ages. They rose, their feet stepping on worn-out steps that crumbled under their weight. Ella panted slightly as they rose, aware that if she had not been so on edge, the effort would have been incredibly taxing. As they ascended, the light of their wands trailed across the wall, illuminating doors set into the stone on almost every level. They opened several of them, nervously at first, and then with the false comfort of routine, as each door revealed more levels of the library. More stacks. More books. All empty.

"This library," Hermione breathed as they climbed steadily higher, "is bigger even than the one at Hogwarts. This is amazing. If I could just…" She trailed off, looking wistfully onto yet another floor full of books as Harry decidedly closed the door.

"Sorry, Hermione," he said, "we have to escape Voldemort and get back to Hogwarts – we don't have time for you to go to the library."

They continued along this vein for several more levels, until they finally opened a door to see a long hall, still full of bookshelves, but with a high ceiling and tall narrow windows set into one wall, through which starlight filtered though. They paused on the threshold, gazing into the room.

"We're above ground," Harry whispered. "This is it. Let's go."

They slipped into the room, moving silently through the hush of the stacks. Ron, Hermione, Ella, and Robert stayed several steps back, hidden in shadows, as Harry and Daniyel strode purposely ahead, their black cloaks swirling around them, their faces safely hidden.

Ella's eyes darted nervously around as they walked. It felt deceitfully silent. Surely the Death Eaters and Voldemort must know by now that they had escaped. Would they be looking for them down below? She hadn't heard anyone behind them on the steps – did they know about the door in the library? Voldemort wasn't the one who had built Shadow Hogwarts, after all. But even if their location was safe for the moment, did they dare simply walk out the library doors?

She heard Hermione let out a sharp gasp beside her and froze, abruptly brought back to reality. A single hooded figure was standing up ahead, blocking Harry and Daniyel's path forward. Ella drew further into the shadows with Ron, Hermione, and Robert. Her hand unconsciously slipped into her pocket, fingers clenching around the wand Hermione had handed her earlier. She didn't need it, but it did help her focus, and gripping it made her feel prepared.

The hooded figure took several steps forward and then stopped right in front of Harry and Daniyel without speaking. Ella felt the back of her neck prickle.

"What is it?" Harry said in a tone of annoyed unconcern. His voice was rough and pitched several octaves lower than she'd ever heard it.

The hooded figure let out a soft laugh, which was decidedly female, and said, "I appreciate you coming all the way up here to join us… Harry."

And before they could react, an immense and all-consuming force washed over them all.

It knocked the very air out of Ella's lungs. She would have staggered back – collapsed – but she couldn't move an inch. The strength of the Death Eater's magic held her entirely in place. She could barely breathe. It was almost like trying to fight down a typhoon. Her fear was screaming so loudly in her ears that she barely heard the Death Eater's next words.

"There's no use hiding. There's something you're needed for, I'm afraid," the Death Eater said calmly. "Something very important, Harry."

Ella stared, her eyes streaming from the pressure of the magical force bearing down on her, as the Death Eater slowly lowered her hood to reveal a thin face, long brown hair, and dark eyes. Hermione let out a soft whimper beside her.

"Arabella!" Ron managed, his voice a barely audible hiss.

"It's time," Arabella said and, with a sweep of her hand, Harry's hood was ripped off his face. Ella watched, almost in slow motion, as Arabella moved her hand again, and Harry was thrown back onto the floor in a flash of white. His back arched gracefully through the air as he fell, and he hit the ground with a thud. He let out a scream of pain and clutched at his head.

She felt her heart thud painfully in her chest as she watched him collapse, her body turning icy cold. The room seemed whiter, brighter. And then a furious rage erupted in her, racing out from her heart and burning through her veins as it coursed through her. It burst out of her with the force of an explosion, and Arabella was thrown back into the nearest bookshelf with a resounding crash. The bookshelf collapsed, crashing into the one behind it, and books rained down everywhere.

The pressure surrounding them all vanished, and Ella staggered and nearly fell.

"HARRY!" she screamed, stumbling toward him. He was still sprawled on the floor, his hands pressed to his eyes.

The books that had fallen atop Arabella abruptly rose into the air and shot at them. Several crashed into Daniyel, who had been running towards her with his wand out, and they knocked him back, forcing him into the stacks. He dropped to his knees, gasping. Ella, who had almost reached Harry, screamed "Protego!" and a shield flared into life around them both, causing the books to rebound wildly to the side.

Ron appeared at Ella's shoulder, aimed his wand at Arabella, and screamed "Stupefy!" and jet of red light shot at her. She knocked it to the side with a flick of her wand as she staggered to her feet, and then sent a jet of blue light at Ron. He ducked behind Ella's shield, and the blue light shot past them, hitting the bookshelf behind them. More books rained down. She heard muffled screams, and felt cold panic for Daniyel, Robert, and Hermione. She whirled around but didn't see them anywhere. Had they been in the line of fire? She could feel the blood thudding in her ears. Everything was moving in slow motion.

Ron jumped back up and sent another Stunner at Arabella. He missed, and it hit another shelf, cracking it in half. The noise was incredible. Ella crouched down next to Harry, called his name urgently through the racket. His breathing was shallow, and when she pulled his hands away from his face, she saw that his eyes were glassy, his pupils almost entirely dilated.

She shook his shoulders roughly, trying to wake him. Ron threw a Knockback Jinx at Arabella. At the same time, a gust of icy wind abruptly burst out from behind the stacks, joining in with Ron's spell, and coating half the room in snow as it pushed Arabella back. Ella barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before something invisible grabbed her around the throat and hoisted her into the air. She gasped, choking. Her shield flickered and died. She could vaguely see Ron dangling in the air beside her. Her head began to spin, black dots appearing at the edges of her vision. She couldn't get enough air. Her mind was growing hazy.

Dimly, she heard bangs and indistinct voices, and felt the presence of several dark shapes surrounding her. She was grabbed roughly, and the pressure on her throat diminished. She took a painful, burning breath. A hand plunged roughly into her robes, and she felt the wand leave her pocket. She nearly laughed. I don't need it, you fools. She reached for her magic – any spell would do – but her head gave an agonizing throb and she gasped in pain, her concentration shattered. Her head spun again, and she hung temporarily limp, held up only by her captor.

"Bring them to the circle," a high voice screeched, grating on her ears. "It's time. It's time."

She was dragged roughly forward, out of the library, down a dark passageway. She saw a flash of orange in her peripheral vision. Was it Ron? Robert? She couldn't tell.

"Harry…" she moaned softly.

"Shut up, Mudblood!" A cold voice in her ear. She shuddered.

She came back to herself slightly as they stepped outside and the freezing cold air slammed into her like a speeding train. Naked fear swept through her as she saw the circle carved into the stones, illuminated by the light of a thousand stars. Sweat broke out across her brow, despite the freezing cold air around them.

They had the right Harry this time.

A/N: Huge thanks as always, to everyone reading! You all rock! If anyone is getting vibes of the Archives from KKC - I may have been a tad inspired by Kvothe when I came up with this library setup. What's behind the four plate door, damn it?! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - one of my favorite books! :)

So while I have you guys, here is another one of my favorite fanfics. (I know, two recs, very sneaky.)

This is something I happened to come across on the Just In page recently:Veritas Omnia Vincit by Heatherlly. This one is a Severitus, and it's the first Severitus I've ever read, and it's just bloody amazing. It even has James and Sirius bashing in it, and I absolutely adore Sirius and enjoy James, but yeah... I still like it! It's a wonderful and really well written story.

Anyway, I'm so excited to know what your thoughts are on this chapter, or TP in general, really. Drop a note, let me know! :)

Rina