Surprises and More

"Surprised to see me?" The guard drew his wand, but Draco was faster. "Petrificus totalus!" The man dropped like a sack of rocks. Draco turned to Elizabeth. "Now let's get you out of that body-bind." With a quick flick of his wand, he set Elizabeth free. She started to get up, but stumbled.

"Sorry. My feet fell asleep. I'll be okay in a minute." She leaned against him to steady herself, then turned and hugged him. "Are you okay? What happened? How did you find me here?"

"I'll explain that later. First we have to get out of here. Fast!"

"Where are we?"

"One of Fletcher's estates."

"One of! You mean he has more than one?"

"Elizabeth, he's a hell of a lot wealthier than I am, by a long shot! Are you alright now?" She nodded. "Then let's go. And don't make any noise. I'm not sure who else is in the house."

"What about my wand?"

"Do you know where they put it?"

"No, I didn't have it when I came to—I sort of blacked out when they grabbed me and I lost hold of you."

Draco quickly looked around the room. "There it is, on top of the mantel." He grabbed it and handed it to Elizabeth. "Whatever you do, don't drop it. It may mean your life."

"I know. It's like the wizarding answer to a handgun."

"Good analogy. Now let's get out of here."

"How do you intend to do that? I don't think the two clowns in here were the only ones in the house."

"Well, I don't want to disapparate. They may have that traced. After all, Fletcher is pretty high up in the Ministry. Same with the floo network. We know they're watching that. Our best bet may be to just walk out quietly." Elizabeth looked at Draco as if he'd lost his mind. "Right. Like we might be able to pull that one off!" Draco looked somewhat annoyed, and seethed, "If you have a better idea, fine. Otherwise,…" "Okay, okay. Don't have a cow. I'm just doubtful that we can get away with it."

They walked quickly to the door, only to find out it was locked from the outside. Draco pointed his wand at the knob. "Alohamora!" The door refused to open. "Damn!"

Elizabeth looked at him with a calm, matter-of-fact expression. "Well, Draco, Sugar, it's back to Plan B. Only this time we'll be waiting for them. Where do we go from here?"

"My God! You're as cool as ice!"

"Well, my father always told me that if you let fear or anger control you, you can't remain rational. When you're not rational, you give the other guy control of the situation. Besides, I'm getting totally ticked off at this whole mess and I want it over."

Draco watched her with absolute amazement. "I always knew there was something about you. You do have a cool streak!"

Elizabeth smiled wryly, then commented, "Cool, no—stupid, maybe. Of course, once we're out of here and back in safe territory I reserve the right to have hysterics."

"You can ahve anything you want, but we have to get to safety first. Hold onto me and do not let go!"

As they were about to disapparate, the first guard, Martin, flung the door open and limped into the room. Elizabeth saw him raise his wand and point it toward Draco. A green light shot towards them, but she quickly shoved Draco away as she dropped to the floor. The spell missed her; she only hoped that it missed Draco as well. But Draco was gone and she was left alone to face the guard. Martin walked over slowly, his wand pointing at her. "I've been dying to get rid of you, but first …" He reached out to grab her, but she spun away and drew her wand. Without a word she slapped his hand with her wand as though slapping an unruly child with a ruler. Martin let out a scream. "What the hell did you do? My hand's burning!"

"That's not the worst that I can do. I really don't want to hurt anyone but I will if I have to." Just then the cat appeared again. Martin spied him and shouted out, "You little bastard, you almost killed me!" He pointed his wand at the cat and started, "Avada Ke…" Before he could finish uttering the words, Elizabeth jumped in front of the cat and pointed her wand at the guard. "Stupefy! And by the way, the whole time you're like that, I hope you itch your butt off from fleas!" She turned to the cat, picked him up and cuddled him. "Are you okay, Guy? The nerve of that bastard! It's one thing to hurt a person, but a defenseless little cat! I hope he gets fleas from hell while he's petrified! Anyway, we have to get out of her and find Draco." She cuddled him once more, then gently put the cat back on the floor and began talking to him as though he could understand her. "Look, I'm not great at disapparating, and I don't want you to get splinched or hurt. I hate to leave you, but you'll do better without me. You have so far." She bent down again and rubbed his head once more. "Love you, kitty." She stood straight, closed her eyes (which were welling with tears), and was about to disapparate. Then she felt arms surround her and a voice whispered in her ear, "Elizabeth, we're going together. Now hold on and don't ever let go again."

"Draco? But where…? How…? You're okay!"

He kissed her softly on the back of her neck. "Yes. Now let's go!"

"Wait, we can't leave without Guy. I can't leave my cat!"

"The cat's safe, trust me. We have to leave now before anyone else comes in. By the way…" He turned and pointed his wand at the guards. "Obliviate! Don't want you telling what happened, do we?"

He put his arms around Elizabeth once more and they disappeared from the room.

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The next thing Elizabeth knew, they were in the main parlor at Malfoy Manor. She turned to Draco, "Where is the cat?"

"I promise you, Guy is safe. As safe as we are." He turned and saw Albrecht running into the room.

"Master Draco! Miss Elizabeth! You are safe! But Harry Potter has gone to look for you!"

Draco looked surprised. "Look for us? Why?"

"His office received an anonymous message that you and Miss Elizabeth were being held in an old house near Hogsmeade, that you were taken by Death Eaters while trying to get to Hogwarts by floo. Mistress Ginny and Mistress Hermione are in the garden waiting for word from him."

"Who is with him?"

"Master Weasley. They sent for some of the other aurors to meet them near the Shrieking Shack."

Elizabeth became upset. "Draco, it's a trap. Fletcher is behind this. It wasn't me they wanted after all. I was only bait. They want to kill Harry." She explained what Fletcher had told her.

"What a piece of garbage! I always distrusted the little slug, even if he was a Slytherin—always believed he'd sell out to the highest bidder, but I thought it was only political corruption. We have to tell Ginny and Hermione, then get a message to Harry and Ron that it's a trap."

He ran into the garden. Hermione spun around, wand ready. "Prove you're Draco Malfoy!"

Before he could open his mouth, Elizabeth ran between Draco and Hermione. ""It is Draco, Hermione! And me. It's a trap and I was bait. It's Harry they're after. Fletcher is behind it all!"

Hermione and Ginny looked at each other. Hermione warily asked. "Can you prove you're Elizabeth Brandon?"

"My patronus is a pink flamingo, and..."

Ginny spoke up, "That's enough right there. No one else I know has a flamingo for a patronus, and no one but the family knows your patronus. But are you sure this is Draco Malfoy?"

Draco spoke up then. "Hermione punched me in the face while I was with Crabbe and Goyle waiting to see the hippogriff executed. I could go on, but if that's sufficient, we have to alert Harry that he's walking into a trap. We must warn him!" Hermione nodded, then both lowered their wands.

Draco and Elizabeth quickly told them what had happened. Then the terrible thought hit Hermione, what if Fletcher's minions see the patronus? It could tip them off that others were aware of Fletcher's treachery. If so, they could all be marked for death. "We have a problem. If Harry and Ron have already gotten there, but the other aurors haven't, they'll be going alone into the trap. If they've already been...taken…" She began to shake and her eyes welled up with tears. The realization hit Ginny, too, but Hermione composed herself. "If we send the patronus to Harry and he's been captured or killed, or in the process of sneaking up on them, Fletcher's goons will know that we're aware of his involvement. You and Elizabeth will be marked for assassination, and Ginny and I won't be safe either. For that matter, no one close to either of you or to Harry will be safe, including our families. Even your house-elves won't be safe, not to mention your mother and children, Draco. We need to send word to people we know we can trust, especially about Fletcher's involvement."

Ginny suddenly realized what Hermione was saying. "Dumbledore's Army!" Draco chimed in, "I need to get a message to George—right now!" The women looked at him incredulously. Ginny spluttered out, "My brother? George Weasley? Why"

"Never mind. Just tell him that I need him to set off the plot we discussed, but we need to do it around Hogsmeade. I have the feeling that Fletcher's men are going to try to lure Harry and Ron to the Shrieking Shack. Ask him to meet us near the Whomping Willow." Ginny pulled out the fake galleon that the members of the DA had used to send messages to each other. Ginny alerted them, then sent her patronus with a detailed message. Draco turned to Elizabeth, "It's better for you to send the message than me. George will know your patronus with no problem, but he may not recognize mine." Elizabeth quickly conjured the patronus and sent it to George with a detailed message of what was going on. Draco then turned to Hermione and Ginny. "Well, Ladies, are we ready to go to the Shrieking Shack? I think Harry and Ron will need backup."

"Dressed like this?" Ginny and Hermione spoke almost simultaneously, as they were still in their dress robes. Draco pulled his wand and pointed it at the three women, who were all standing together. "Cambias tunicas!" He then pinted his wand at himself and repeated the spell. All of them were dressed in black from head to toe--long-sleeved shirts, pants, and boots with a silencing charm on the soles. Even their hair was covered with black caps. He did the same for himself, then said, "Let's go. I think it best if we go via one of the underground tunnels George told me about.—what are you staring at? I figured eventually I'd have to get Elizabeth out of a jam, so I talked to George about diversionary tactics." Ginny was in total shock. "You and my brother…?"

"Who better to create a diversion? After the stunt George and Fred pulled on Umbridge, who better to create havoc? Now let's go. We have to meet George at his store. Under the circumstances, we'd better go there by broom. I know the floos are being watched and there may still be a trace on us. In fact, I'll go first, then you follow. If I'm attacked, get word to George and you go without me. George will know what to do. I'll lead them off away from you, if necessary."

Draco grabbed his broom, then leaned over and kissed Elizabeth tenderly. "If anything happens to me, keep going until you reach George's shop. I'm not anticipating them following us, but you never know. Personally, I think they'll be busier trying to get Harry. By the way, I love you. Now let's go." Draco then took off. When nothing happened, the three witches took off and headed for George's shop.

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When they arrived at the store, George was waiting for them with broom in one hand and a small sack in the other. "Okay, so what do you think we should do?"

"Well, George, first we create a diversion, then we go to the shack by one of the tunnels."

"Bad news, Malfoy. Most of those have been closed off over the years, and the others are probably being watched."

"Crap! Any suggestions now, anyone?"

Hermione spoke up. "I have an idea. There's an entrance to a tunnel at the base of the Whomping Willow. Harry, Ron and I know about it, but the only others that knew of it are dead, as far as I know, anyway."

"Who else knew?"

"Besides us? Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Lupin, Harry's dad, Peter Pettigrew, Snape. Even Voldemort didn't know about it."

"Perfect. But how do we get past the tree?"

"Hermione answered, "Well, when we were students, my cat knew how to hit on a root out-cropping that opened the entrance to the passageway. But that cat's in kitty heaven, so… Maybe we can use our wands, although I think it was enchanted so no one could use magic to trip the switch."

Elizabeth murmured, "I wish Guy was here. I could probably get him to hit the latch."

"Don't worry," Draco replied, "I think I know how to handle the problem." The group carefully left one at a time and headed toward the edge of the Hogwarts campus to the Whomping Willow.

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Harry and Ron were just outside of Hogsmeade. "Harry, where did the message say they were?"

Harry thought a minute before replying, "In an abandoned house near Hogsmeade."

"Oh, brother! That's helpful! Which one?"

"Don't rightly know for sure, but there aren't that many abandoned houses around here. It shouldn't take long to find out which one. Personally, I'd bet on the Shrieking Shack."

"Well, if it's the shack, maybe we can get in through the passageway."

"If they haven't found the passage. And besides, as soon as we get near that tree, it'll start thrashing. Even if we get to the tunnel, if that's where they're keeping Elizabeth and Malfoy hostage, the noise will alert them that someone's coming."

"Personally, if Elizabeth wasn't in there, I'd leave Malfoy to get his arse roasted."

"Elizabeth is why Malfoy is in this jam, or haven't you figured it out yet?"

"That he's a no-good git that's sold her out? Had that one a long time back."

"No, Ron. He's on our side. Been on our side. He's been protecting her and reporting back to me."

"What? That bastard is one of the good guys? Yeah, right."

"He's been spying for us. I couldn't tell you because I didn't want you to change the way you acted toward him. That would be a dead give away."

"I don't know, Harry. I still don't trust him and if you do, you're totally mental. Anyway, let's get Elizabeth out of there."

"No, Ron. Not yet. We're waiting for the others."

"But what if we wait and we're too late?"

"What if it's a trap? Do you think I want to see you get killed? Too many others in my life have gone that way and I'm not telling my wife that two brothers are gone because of me. And I don't think your mum and dad could stand losing another son. No, we wait."

A noise came from nearby. Harry turned around and saw a small group coming toward him. Harry drew his wand and spoke. "Identify yourselves." One man, short and lithe as a boy, spoke up. "Auror Welles. Password is 'teacher.'" Harry relaxed a bit, but still held his wand at the ready. "Good to see you Welles. Who else is with you?" The young auror replied, "Jones, Chappelle, and Williams. I figured that should be enough, since Weasley's already here, according to the message. What's going on? We just got instructions to meet you and Auror Weasley on the road near Hogsmeade."

"I received an anonymous message that two hostages, Elizabeth Brandon and Draco Malfoy, are being held in an abandoned house near the village. I have a hunch that it's the Shrieking Shack, but I don't know for sure. We need to check it out, but without announcing ourselves." Williams, a tall, stocky man, somewhat similar in stature to Alistair Moody, asked, "Do you think they'll have alarms set up around it?"

"Wouldn't you? There's at least one hidden passageway, but they may have found it. I'll go in first. If it's a trap, get back-up. If not, follow me in."

Ron jumped in. "Wait a minute! You're just going to walk in? Are you barking mad?"

"No, Ron. Just the possessor of a particular cloak. If I set off the alarm, no one will see me and they may think it's just some night creature prowling around for food or a place to nest. If I don't fool them, make sure you all defend yourselves and get the hostages out. We need to get them out of there, particularly the woman. Understand?"

All nodded their assent. Harry walked toward the shack while the others remained at a distance, as he indicated. He was just about to the door of the shack when a howling noise arose like the hounds of hell had been set loose. The door flew open and a wizard came out, wand in hand. "Who's there?" The wizard walked cautiously outside. "Show yourself!"

Harry slipped past him into the shack and looked around. There was no sign of either Elizabeth or Malfoy. He wondered if he was in the wrong house, when all of a sudden, another wizard bumped into him. "Hey, there's someone in here with us!" A hand reached out and grabbed Harry, pulling off the cloak. Harry felt his body go rigid. A body-bind curse had been placed on him, as well as a silencing charm.

"Well, well, Mr. Potter. It seems your misplaced bravado has gotten you into a very bad situation." Harry thought he recognized the voice. He looked around t osee Fletcher standing there with an evil smirk on his face. Fletcher began speaking agin.

"We've been trying for some time now to figure out how to eliminate you from the equation to solve our problem. You see, even though the Dark Lord is gone, his ideas are still alive. But we have a problem, Mr. Potter—you! As long as you're alive, we can't press on successfully with the gradual reinstitution of the Dark Lord's plans. So you see, you have to be eliminated. We couldn't find a way to get to you—your staff is one hundred percent loyal, the damned fools—but then we tapped into an idea. We remembered the Dark Lord had tried to get a distant cousin to allow him to basically adopt her child, but she refused. She went underground, and no one could find the child, although we found that the woman died in Louisiana. Over time, we traced the Dark Lord's family and found that there may be a connection to a Devereaux family in Louisiana. We tried to make a connection there, but that cousin, now an older woman with a grown daughter, refused to allow her daughter to become involved, said that the girl had been raised as a muggle and had no idea she was a witch. In fact, she even tried to convince our representative that both of her children were squibs. So, we planned an accident. Unfortunately, the son was with her. We figured that somewhere in her mother's things, the daughter would find some hint about her family's involvement with the wizarding world and would start making inquiries. To our pleasant surprise, she not only started inquiring, but made arrangements to come here. And a teacher, no less. Well, when Professor Digby began having 'family problems' and decided not to return to Hogwarts next term—it's amazing how fear convinces people to go away quietly—well, it conveniently placed Miss Brandon here for a while. Long enough for us to set up this little trap. By the way, Miss Brandon is locked away where she won't be any problem. You see, after you die, we intend bringing her here and doing away with her, too. Not because of any relation to the Dark Lord, no, just to cover up out little plot. You see, Miss Brandon will be murdered by the kidnappers. You, Mr. Potter, will be the fallen hero, killed while trying to free the damsel in distress. I, naturally, will make a flowery speech about how terrible it is to lose such a lovely young lady, and how ironic that you, the Chosen One, survived the power of the Dark Lord, only to be felled by a madman's bullet. Ah, yes, the wizarding world will mourn you both. Unfortunately, we're going to have to do away with Draco Malfoy as well. He seems quite smitten with Miss Brandon, and may try to find out what happened. And quite frankly, I believe he's one of the Ministry's spies. I think we eventually will have to eliminate the Weasleys. After all, I'm quite sure they will want an inquiry into your unfortunate demise. Eventually, we intend to get rid of anyone who opposes us."

The silencing charm had about worn off. Harry was able to mumble, "You're insane, the wizarding world will never allow it, after all we went through in the last war."

"Oh, insanity is relative, Mr. Potter. When you have power, you're eccentric. Only the powerless are insane."

Just then, the door flew open and Ron and the other aurors burst in. "Hold it right there, you gits! Harry, are you okay?"

"Ron, Welles, all of you--DUCK!"

Spells began flying back and forth across the room. Harry dropped on the floor and rolled toward Ron. "Get me out of this! I can't move to get to my wand!" Welles broke the body-bind curse while Ron covered him. Chappelle called out to him, "Mr. Potter, they're using the Killing Curse! Do we have to stick to non-lethal force?"

"Yes, if at all possible. We need them all to implicate someone as high up as Fletcher."

Harry and his aurors were outnumbered, but were holding their own. Suddenly, a noise like thunder came from outside and the doors and windows rattled. The fight stopped for a moment as a group of the opposing wizards ran to the doors and windows. A giant dragon flew through the air toward the shack. A few of the wizards jumped out of the windows to escape.

Then a trap door flew open. Ginny, Neville, Hermione crawled out behind shield charms and shooting stunning spells. Elizabeth came in with her cat following a bit behind. Just as Fletcher was about to shoot a spell at one of the aurors, Elizabeth shot out a stunning spell, nailing him perfectly. There was something about the way she flicked her wand. Harry swore to himself that he'd seen that move before. She sidled over to him. "Are you okay, Harry?" "Yeah, so far...DUCK!" HE shot a spell at one of Fletcher's minions who was aiming at Neville's back. "Good shot, Harry!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Again Harry thought, even the way she said that seems familiar, but why?

"Thanks. Where did you come from?" They continued dueling with Fletcher's men, fighting almost back to back.

"Fletcher had me wrapped up at one of his estates. Draco found me and got me out. When we went back to Malfoy Manor, we found out you'd been lured here. Harry, you're the object of the trap; I was just the bait." "Yeah, I found that out a bit ago. Fletcher really is a nutter, isn't he?" Elizabeth smiled, "That is the understatement of the millenia!"

Harry and his group had just about finished off Fletcher and his minions when all of a sudden, a wizard wearing a hooded cape entered the door, leading another small group and joined the fight against Harry and his friends. As they fought, the man's hood fell back, his face exposed. The cat began to hiss and growl loudly. All of a sudden, the cat disappeared. Shortly after, Draco Malfoy entered theroom and joined in the fight. But as soon as he saw the face of the formerly hooded man, he went straight for him. Draco caleld out, "Wolfram!" The man spun around and the fighting became a one-on-one duel for the moment.

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A/N: Thanks for your patience in waiting for this chapter. I just get Harry up and around from his surgery and I get sick! Anyway, I promise it won't be as long a wait for the next chapter. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Thanks especially to JJRust for his encouragement. Hope you all have a great week.