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Replay

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Chapter Forty-Nine

Unplottable

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After flying for an indeterminate amount of time, Arthur had them land at the edge of a large, dark forest that smelled of spring and new growth. They lit their wands to walk through the thick foliage, Arthur in the lead. Since they were all still behaving like chameleons, blending in with their surroundings, it appeared to Harry that ten tiny, frightfully organized fairies were flying through the trees, very slowly and methodically. They each held their broom-handles down, so they could double as walking sticks in the treacherous forest.

The trees were doing some flying of their own, it seemed. Harry could have sworn that they were moving with them as they walked, which was more than a little disconcerting. He didn't like to say anything, but was glad when Ron mentioned it.

"How are we supposed to find the bloody house, Dad, when the trees won't stay still?" Ron complained, stumbling over a root for the fourth time and just barely saving himself by planting his broomstick handle in the dirt. Harry had been watching; the root really had moved directly into Ron's path and raised itself off the forest floor to trip him.

Arthur sighed. "They've improved security. I don't think it's Unplottable anymore, but it might as well be."

"We should split up," Neville said. "This large a group reeks of a raid. We need to be subtler to get around their defences."

"Right," Harry agreed. "If someone gets through they can send a Patronus to the others and the rest of us can fly to the access point. Why don't you come with me and Ginny, Neville? And Arthur and Severus can go with Bill and Fleur, Ron with Luna and Hermione."

It was only after he'd said the last three names together that he realized what a gaffe this was, and he felt Ron hesitate beside him, but it also wasn't the time to worry about such things. Harry tried to put it out of his mind. The others agreed, including Ron, hesitantly. The group of four turned at a right angle and started heading straight through the forest while Harry, Ginny and Neville continued along the perimeter and Ron, Hermione and Luna took the perimeter going in the opposite direction. Surely at some point they'd be able to successfully evade the trees and enter the grounds of the Malfoy estate.

As they slogged through the thick undergrowth, Harry wished he could take Ginny's hand, feel her presence. It was disconcerting to see only the floating light at the end of her wand. We'll get our kids back, he thought with determination. We will. But he didn't say this; he didn't want to spout platitudes. He just wanted to see the children again. All of them.

After walking for what seemed miles, he suddenly ploughed into Ginny, who stood stock-still, except for her wand-hand, which was shaking dreadfully. The light wavered all over the place and Harry dropped his broom, reaching out to grasp her arm firmly, to still it. "Ginny? What's wrong?"

Neville ploughed into him, and it was his turn to ask Harry what was wrong. "Dunno, Neville. Ginny stopped. Gin? What is it, Love?" he whispered, holding her arm more gently.

"They don't just have trees protecting the house," she whispered, the fear in her voice palpable. Harry stepped around her so he could see what she was talking about. Drawing in his breath, he thought, I should have known.

Before them a virtual wall had been created entirely of many different sizes and species of writhing, large-fanged and presumably venomous snakes. They slithered over and under each other, an eerie, constantly-moving living pseudo-wicker barrier. Beside him, Neville swore. Harry turned his head in surprise; Neville almost never swore. Ron did it like breathing, and Harry was no saint when it came to his language, but he'd never heard Neville say these particular words. Harry didn't feel that this boded well.

"Can't you—can't you reason with them?" Neville asked Harry. "You know—in Parseltongue?"

This hadn't occurred to him. He hadn't tried to use Parseltongue to speak to the basilisk, either. After telling the snake to leave Justin Finch-Fletchley alone he'd never directly addressed another serpent, except for what he'd said to enter the Chamber and save Ginny. But those were just images of snakes, not real snakes. And the basilisk had seemed like it was only interested in obeying one Parselmouth: Tom Riddle.

He watched the writhing bodies, the wand light reflecting off the shining scales and glittering eyes, which did not seem fooled by Disillusionment Charms. There were too many of them to try to hex them and there was no guarantee that even the three of them working together could get every last snake and be utterly out of danger. They could easily miss a very small asp that was capable of killing one of them in a trice. One was all it would take.

"I'll talk to them," Harry said reluctantly, his voice quivering. "I can't guarantee that they'll listen."

"Well, bloody try, Harry!" Ginny said tensely, her arm shaking worse than ever under his hand.

"What if they're enchanted?" Harry said, his voice going up a little. "I mean—they must be, since they look so, erm, organised."

"Well obviously they're organised," Neville said, sounding as nervous as Harry felt. "That's why we need you to reason with them. We don't know what would happen if we try stunning them, or using any other spell."

"But what if being enchanted means I can't reason with them? Malfoy knew I'd probably be coming to try to get the kids. And that I speak Parseltongue."

"You don't know that he's thought of you speaking Parseltongue, Harry," Ginny said. "I think you need to try. He's probably just keeping people out in general. He has no idea that Percy has sent us a letter about the whole kidnapping scheme. Draco Malfoy didn't send us a ransom note and say, Please bring a million Galleons to my home. We're not expected."

"Right. You're right, of course. We're not expected. This isn't just for us." But that didn't make him feel better. Harry stared at the slithering, writhing bodies and cleared his throat. "Please step, erm, move aside. Do not harm us. Allow us to pass unharmed," he added for good measure, feeling like an idiot. An idiot who spoke to snakes and might very shortly die of snakebite.

There was no visible change in the mass of snakes at first. Slowly, a few moved up and to either side, creating a low arch that would require them to crawl on their hands and knees to get through.

"Well, whatever you said worked. In a way. It's rather a small passage," she observed, and Harry couldn't disagree. "I take it we should assume that Apparating is out of the question?" she added, staring at the opening in the wall of snakes.

"Be my guest, if you're fond of being Splinched," Neville said ominously. "Trying to work around Anti-Apparition Jinxes is no picnic. Ask the staff at St Mungo's. And several Aurors I know."

Harry sighed. "I think Neville's right. I'd bet my life that there are Anti-Apparition Jinxes all over the forest and grounds. That's another reason I think your dad didn't suggest using Apparition. The only place that probably isn't protected with jinxes is the house, and you can't get in there unless you've been told the secret by the Secret Keeper or unless you're taken in by someone else who's been told, like Penelope and Shacklebolt will be, and like the children were." Ginny gave a small frustrated groan and Harry went on, "Neville and I will go first, won't we? And then you'll see it's all right." He hoped he sounded more reassuring than he felt.

He and Neville moved toward the snakes; He went to his knees, saying, "Thank you for letting us pass and not hurting us."

"What did you say, Harry?" Neville wanted to know as he crawled through the opening. Harry never got the chance to answer, for as soon as they were both through, the snakes moved into position again, recreating the uninterrupted wall of slithering reptiles.

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Penelope stood between Crabbe and Goyle, very aware of the mouse in her pocket that was Kingsley Shacklebolt, waiting for Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini to come to the dining room to discuss her having betrayed the others to help Crabbe and Goyle escape. When Malfoy entered he was still wearing Percy's face, and she had to restrain herself from running to him and flinging her arms around his neck. That isn't Percy. It never was. Though she could see nothing of Zabini beneath his mask and robes, she knew that was who it had to be when he entered first. Malfoy-as-Percy followed.

Malfoy froze in surprise when he saw her. "Penny!" He stared at his old mates. "Crabbe and Goyle! I thought you were arrested!" Penelope fought the urge to roll her eyes. Malfoy was rubbish at keeping his cover. There were a thousand small things he'd got wrong that she remembered only after she knew that she'd never been with Percy since his 'return'. He'd fooled her quite well for a long time, and she would never cease to feel incredibly stupid about having been taken in by someone who was such a bad actor.

"We were," said Goyle slowly, dutifully repeating the words Harry had taught him. "And we thought we were for Azkaban, but then she started stunning people and helped us escape and come back here."

Malfoy widened his eyes, evidently regarding Penelope Clearwater in a new light. Penelope looked boldly at him, trying to think very quickly about what to say. "I know you've thrown in your lot with them, Percy," she said, trying not to choke on the name. "I have to say, you've disappointed me so much since you've come back that I no longer care. You are clearly not the person I fell in love with when I was a girl." That's putting it lightly. "All I care about now are my sons. One of them is your son also, and you may not give a damn about him, but I do. If they're going to be killed," she said, her voice catching, "then I want to be with them. You'll have to kill me, too. I couldn't just stand by and accept that there was nothing to be done, because neither of these two are the Secret Keeper, and—"

"Quiet!"

Zabini looked penetratingly at Penelope through the enigmatic mask. "You know about the Fidelius Charm?"

Crabbe looked sheepish. "We, uh, were trying to explain to them why it weren't no good to torture us get us to tell them where the kids were. We couldn't tell them nothing. She don't even know where we are. We kept her from seeing. But since she helped us escape we brought her along, in case we needed a hostage to get away."

Zabini paced, clearly trying to decide what to do about her. He turned abruptly and waved his wand, causing a chair to appear behind her. The chair moved forward and forced her to sit. Ropes appeared and bound her tightly to the chair. Crabbe and Goyle stepped back, staring.

"You're telling me that Aurors tortured you?" he said imperiously, addressing Crabbe and Goyle.

They looked at each other. "Well, no. Didn't say we were tortured," Crabbe said slowly. "We told them it wouldn't do no good, that's all. We had nothing useful to say. We wasn't questioned by Aurors, anyway. It was Potter and Longbottom, and their wives."

Zabini sighed wearily. "Longbottom is an Auror."

Crabbe shuffled his feet. "Oh, yeah."

"And since Potter and his wife teach Defence at Hogwarts," Zabini continued, "they might as well be Aurors. And Granger works for the Ministry. Did you truly think that Potter or Longbottom were going to hex you?"

"He said the law couldn't touch him," Goyle responded, "no matter what he did to us. He had too many friends in high places. Trying to scare us."

"But Granger was scarier," said Crabbe, shuddering visibly.

Zabini nodded and he resumed pacing. Draco said, "That sounds like Potter. He always did think he was above everyone else, could get away with murder…"

Zabini waved this away. "Potter would never do that. Not to these two, anyway. He was bluffing. He'd need to mean it. I can't see him getting worked up over Crabbe and Goyle, even because of his children. Now, if he had you in his clutches, I could see him breaking the law."

"Shut up," Draco hissed. "I'm Weasley, remember?"

It was impossible to tell what Zabini was thinking with the mask in place. "I disagree with your assessment of Potter. That's one of his greatest weaknesses: he does not, in fact, think he's above everyone else. I do not believe that he thinks he can get away with murder. It is my understanding that he did not even execute the Dark Lord. Not technically. I'm not certain that Potter does have it in him to kill, except possibly in self-defence, or the defence of another person. For his children he would probably go further than he ever has, or for his wife, but he would need to be pushed to his limit."

He turned to Penelope. "I am glad that you worked out that it was hopeless and that the children are going to die regardless of what you do." Penelope felt a chill inside at his casual words. "You are a loving mother, to want to be with your sons at their deaths. More than I can say for some mothers."

For the first time, Penelope noticed with a gasp that Narcissa Malfoy had been unceremoniously propped in a corner of the dining room, strands of her blonde hair criss-crossing her face. She was either stunned or had already been killed. Perhaps rigor-mortis had set in.

"Is she—?"

"—dead?" Zabini finished. "No. Not yet. Who knows? Perhaps we'll kill her and spare you. You used to be fond of our Percy. I may let him keep you as a pet."

Penelope spat on Zabini's robes. "I'm no one's pet. When can I see my sons?"

Zabini strode to the door. "When I say you can. If I decide that you can. You do not seem to understand, Miss Clearwater, that simply because you have helped Crabbe and Goyle to escape, with the intention of being with your sons before their deaths, that does not mean that I must agree to your plan. I do not need to agree. You may or may not have the opportunity to see them before they and you are killed. If you are killed. As I may not have Narcissa any longer for my amusement—well, use your imagination. The Imperius Curse would render you quite pliant and agreeable. Remember, Miss Clearwater: you are not in charge. I am."

Penelope shook, wondering whether the plan had any chance at all of working. "I don't know who you are," she lied, "but you're a monster," was all she could think to say.

"I hope to be far more than that, far more. Did you think we were going to serve you tea and crumpets and reunite you with your boys the moment you arrived, just because you helped Crabbe and Goyle? You're very naive for your age, Miss Clearwater. Consider yourself lucky that I did not kill you on the spot. I confess that I was curious about you. When I have had the opportunity to determine how or whether you might be useful to me I shall tell you my decision. I may inform you by killing you. At this time I cannot say."

Without another word, he left the room, 'Percy' again travelling in his wake.

Penelope's heart was in her throat. "I think it was a bad idea for Harry to tell you to say that he threatened to torture you. Zabini knows Harry wouldn't do that. I don't think he bought what you were saying at all. Which means he probably doesn't believe that I turned traitor to help you get back here, so I could see my boys." She looked up at the hulking Slytherins sorrowfully. "I'm sorry to say this, but I have a bad feeling he's just going to kill all three of us. And the children." She hoped that that was the alternative to getting the kids back. She didn't want to contemplate being Zabini's sex-slave until he thought she'd lost her looks, especially after his being responsible, with Draco Malfoy, for her sons' deaths. Penelope had never considered what might make her want to commit suicide, but thinking about living a life without her sons and as Zabini's sex slave was making her consider her alternatives.

Crabbe and Goyle looked as disappointed as small children who had just found out that Father Christmas had passed them over, and thinking about this failure, Penelope had to fight very hard not to cry.

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"Ginny!" Harry cried out, backing away from the snakes. Now it was his turn to swear.

"Harry!" she shouted from the other side of the wall. The overlapping serpentine bodies formed a barrier so thick that he couldn't see her wandlight through it.

"Bloody hell," he muttered. "Please open again," he said to the snakes. "My wife still needs to pass."

The snakes didn't create another opening. They simply ignored him and continued to slither over each other. He asked more gently, then more adamantly. Nothing had any effect on them.

"Harry!" Ginny said, after listening to his ineffectual hissing. "I'll stay where I am and send my dad and Ron a Patronus each," she yelled to him. "I'll tell them to meet me here and the eight of us together should be able to overcome the snakes without a Parselmouth to help. Hopefully. You can't wait for the rest of us, though. It's getting late! You and Neville are going to have to try to push on to find the house."

"But—but Ginny," Harry started to say.

"Ginny's right, Harry," Neville said. "We should go on."

"Good luck, Harry," she said, a choke in her voice. Harry wished that she'd got through with them, that he could hold her now and tell her that everything was going to be all right.

"See you soon," he replied with mock-confidence.

He and Neville turned and resumed trudging through the undergrowth. It felt like they trudged for hours. Harry felt tree roots wrap around his ankles more than once, prompting him to jump free, and three times he and Neville had to fire curses at branches clutching at them.

At length, the forest thinned and they saw lights shining through the tree branches. The Malfoy home sat in the middle of an enormous park that might once have been maintained quite well. However, even in the light of the half-moon, Harry could see how badly the grass needed cutting, how mangy the topiaries were. Numerous empty statuary bases were scattered across the park. As they drew nearer to the house, Harry was glad that they still had the Disillusionment Charm on them. He was tempted to ride his broom up to one of the windows, to see whether he really could look in but not see anything of note. Ultimately, he decided that he and Neville should settle in an inconspicuous spot as close to the house as possible, where the moonlight wouldn't give them telltale shadows, and wait for the other eight or for Penelope, Percy, Shacklebolt, Crabbe or Goyle to somehow get the kids outdoors to safety.

They sat behind a huge topiary at the edge of the terrace, so the topiary's shadow and theirs would blend. Harry gazed at the house through gaps in the shrubbery. Only one room on this side had lights in the windows, but he could see no shadows moving in the room. Harry had never felt so ineffectual in his life, sitting with Neville and waiting for someone else to rescue his children. This was not supposed to happen to him. He didn't want to say this aloud, however, because he didn't want Neville to feel insulted. Neville had completed Auror training, after all, and had performed admirably in his job for years.

"I still can't believe that wasn't Percy," Harry whispered, still staring at the house.

Neville heaved a great sigh. "I talked to Shacklebolt about it. I think that's why he wanted to go in with Penelope—he felt rather guilty about that. Blames himself. He remembers when Zabini and Malfoy's mum came to Azkaban to see Malfoy last. Zabini had a pet ferret with him that was probably the wizard we found in Malfoy's cell, Transfigured. And then he Transfigured Malfoy into a ferret to get him out again. A witch, a wizard and a ferret go in, a witch, a wizard and a ferret go out. Either they left the man with some Polyjuice Potion and put a spell on him to get him to take it periodically or the Aurors simply didn't double-check on Malfoy after they left. What should have raised a red flag was that after that, Malfoy's mum didn't come to visit him again. She hadn't been visiting very often—once a year—but she had been visiting."

Harry nodded. "And now they're planning to take the kids' magic. I wonder where they got an idea like that? I didn't even know a spell like that existed."

"Erm," Neville said, sounding nervous; "Voldemort tried to do that to you, don't you remember?"

Harry frowned. "No. What? When was that?"

"When we were at the Ministry in our seventh year. Before you and Ron went through the Veil," Neville said quietly.

The doors were spinning again. Harry and Neville stared at them desperately. "How are we going to know which one Ron went through?" Neville cried, his voice breaking.

Harry shook his head. He didn't know, but he had to work it out. His best friend's life might depend upon it. There was no telling who Ron might be encountering in the chamber he'd entered. It had all happened so fast.

Suddenly the doors stopped and Harry looked around at them desperately. "Uh—let's go through that one!" Neville could tell that it made Harry nervous to know that Ron was on his own, but the door had slammed shut behind him and the wall was spinning again before Harry could go after his best mate. He put his hand on the knob and opened the door he'd chosen, but stopped short. He was face-to-face with Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry, walking toward him, making Harry back up. From behind Lucius, he emerged.

Voldemort.

Neville stood at Harry's side. The strange, pale face with the red eyes said, "Well, well, well, look who we have here. Not one but two Prophecy Boys. Yes, I could have chosen you, boy, the pureblood. Your parents also defied me three times. Why do you think my servants pursued me through them? They knew that you were one of the possibilities, that you could be the one to fulfil the prophecy…"

Neville stood as straight and tall as he could, despite shaking head to toe. "How do you know it's not me? How do you know you haven't met your match?"

Harry stepped in front of Neville.

"Leave Neville alone. It's me you want," he said, as if trying to sound braver than he felt.

Voldemort laughed that cold, cruel, high laugh. "Protecting his friends again. Don't worry, I have my priorities in order, Potter. You first, then—the spare," he said. Neville had read the interview Harry gave Rita Skeeter. He knew that this choice of words was deliberate, intended to get under Harry's skin.

"The spell, My Lord," Lucius Malfoy said eagerly. "The spell I told you about."

Voldemort looked annoyed. "I remember, Malfoy. I know that you are in no hurry to be recaptured and returned to Azkaban, so I shan't keep you waiting any longer." His unearthly red eyes bored into Harry as he said, "So, you have power that I do not? How very odd, when I happen to know a spell that will render you completely powerless and give all of your power to me. Let's see how much of a 'Chosen One' you are then, Potter."

With a silent wave of his wand Harry was paralysed and looked like he could barely draw breath; he neither spoke nor waved his wand. Voldemort shouted the incantation and pointed his wand. Neville knew he had to do it quickly, before it was too late, though he didn't know whether it would be his last act before dying. It took him a moment to realize that leaping before Harry and taking the curse in his place hadn't killed him, nor did it seem to do anything else detrimental. He quickly turned and pointed his wand at Harry, undoing the spell Voldemort had placed on him.

"Finite Incantatem!"

In a trice, Harry waved his wand and ropes bound Malfoy and Voldemort together, arms at their sides. Voldemort swore at Lucius Malfoy. "It didn't work, Malfoy! They both still have their magic!" he cried, as Harry, still seeking for Ron, pulled open another door and stumbled through the opening.

The Death Chamber.

"After you went into the Death Chamber, Voldemort threw off the bindings on him and Malfoy, who said the spell I took for you should have taken my magic away—unless I was no longer an innocent child." In the shadow of the topiary, Harry couldn't see Neville, since the Disillusionment Charm made him look like a topiary himself. However, Harry felt that he could hear Neville blushing. "Malfoy asked how I could possibly have got a girl to—well, you know. That's all he said before Voldemort killed him. While he was casting the curse, I went through the door after you. I tried to lock it, but I wasn't quick enough."

"How did he know you'd been with anyone?"

"The spell didn't work on me. Because—well, Hermione and I—"

"—had already been to the Room of Requirement together," Harry said, nodding. "I assume you two didn't have the ghost of Mad-Eye Moody interrupting the pair of you every time you tried to be alone."

"Is that what happened to you and Ginny? Merlin's beard, I think I'd rather have had Snape catch us than have Moody's ghost. Talk about a moodkiller," he said, laughing softly. Harry had to laugh as well. It had been frustrating when he was a teenager but was somewhat funny in retrospect.

He stopped laughing abruptly when he thought further about the situation he'd been in and what Neville had saved him from. "You didn't just save me from having my magic taken, Neville," he told him. "You saved—everyone. I doubt that I would have been able to do what I did after I went through the Veil, or that I would have been able to return, if it weren't for you."

"But Harry, you wouldn't have had your magic taken from you either. I mean, Teddy was born nine months after your sixteenth birthday…" Neville said sheepishly, as if trying not to accuse Harry of something unseemly.

Harry sighed. "He was. But—but I didn't father him when I was sixteen." He explained to Neville that he'd visited Parvati and had recovered the memory of seeing his adult self in the doorway of Tilda's bedroom on the morning of his sixteenth birthday.

"Blimey, Harry. And if you don't find a way to travel back in time to your sixteenth birthday…"

"…all hell will break loose, evidently. Yeah. I have to cheat on Ginny, even though I don't want to, or—"

"Right. Bloody hell. I wouldn't want to have to tell Hermione I had to cheat on her for any reason. I think having anything to cheat on her with would come to an end first." Harry snorted and Neville chuckled, then sobered. "I didn't know what the spell would do when I leapt in front of you. I reckon I'm damn lucky Hermione and I, er, did what we did. It's the only reason I didn't have my magic taken," Neville whispered.

"But our kids—"

"They're still vulnerable," Neville confirmed. "All of them. I mean, unless Nate and Teddy… They're the eldest. But still, they seem terribly young for that sort of thing."

Harry nodded, even though he knew Neville couldn't see the nod. "Nate's fifteen last Hallowe'en. And Teddy will be fifteen on the first of May. In a few weeks. Nate doesn't have a girlfriend. Teddy does, it's a recent thing, but—no. It's not very likely that he and Enika… I can't imagine them already…" Harry stood and kicked the topiary planter in anger and frustration. "That's why they took kids. It's not fair, to target children this way. Why can't they bloody find a spell to take an adult's magic? Why does it have to be kids?"

"I don't know, Harry," Neville said softly.

"Well, I'm not going to let it happen," Harry said adamantly. "We have to let them know there's help waiting out here." He saw that one of the windows was open one flight up from the ground floor, in the room with the candles flickering. "I'm sending Teddy a Patronus. No one else can tell what it says, just Teddy. He needs to know that there's hope. I'll tell him about Percy and Penelope and Crabbe and Goyle, and that we're waiting out here and the others are trying to break through the defences in the forest. They need to know that we're trying."

"Okay. That's a fairly secure method of communication. I just hope—" But Neville didn't finish his sentence. Harry wondered whether he was worried about giving the kids false hope.

It's not false hope, Harry thought. We're going to get them out.

"We have to," he said, as though Neville had heard his thoughts.

"We have to what?" Neville wanted to know.

"Never mind. I'll send Teddy the message." He pointed his wand toward the house and thought about everything he wanted to say to his son, then cried softly, "Expecto Patronum!" and watched the glowing white stag erupt from the end of his wand and gallop toward the open window. "I think that's where they are!" Harry said excitedly. "It's going toward that window!"

"There's rather a steep drop to the ground from there," Neville said apprehensively. Harry swallowed.

"I see that."

It'll be all right, Teddy, he thought desperately. We're here for you. Everything is going to be all right.

No one is going to take my son's power without a fight from me.

#/#/#

"I'm staying to help Nate rescue his real dad," Teddy said, glaring at the others with his arms crossed. "The rest of you are going, and that's that."

"I'm not going without you, Nate," Julian said loyally.

Ruby and Rory looked at each other, their mouths twisting, before Ruby sighed and said, "Oh-no-if-you're-not-going-then-neither-are-we," in a very mechanical voice, rolling her eyes.

"Ruby, don't be ridiculous. Do you think I want you to stay, just out of loyalty? No. You're going. You too, Julian," Teddy said as authoritatively as he could.

Rory sighed. "Okay, because you know we, erm, love you and all, but—"

Teddy brushed away her half-hearted expression of affection. "The important thing is to get as many of you out as we can. You'll wish for the rug to come back, then, and we'll get out after that."

Marguerite looked uncertain. "I thought you said it was struggling with ten on it?"

"Yes, but that's when the ten included the two of us," Teddy said. "We're the biggest. We should be the ones to wait. Now, everyone pile on in the middle, as close together as you can. Ruby and Rory, you hold up the sides so the carpet will fit out the window, and you hold up the back, Julian and Marguerite, to make sure no one falls off. Everyone sit as far back from the front as possible. Put your arms around each other and around Ruby, Rory, Julian and Marguerite."

"And then what?" Ruby asked, her hands on her hips. "If it can't carry twelve of us at once, what's the point of sending it back to get you? We'll just be on the grounds of the house, instead of in the house. You think they don't have any security on the grounds?"

"I thought of that," Teddy said quickly. He had finally come up with a solution to their transportation problem. "After all of us are out, we'll wish for the carpet to inflate itself again, you know, like a big cushion, and then we'll wish for it to fly us up to London, or maybe The Burrow. Once it's in that form it'll hold all of us with no problem. We can't fly it out the window while it's like that because it's too wide, so we have to wait until we're outside."

Rory looked sceptical. "Shouldn't we test it? Flying with all twelve of us on it while it's like a cushion?"

Teddy turned and looked toward the door, then hurried to it and placed his ear against it. "Bugger! No time. They're coming back! It's now or never." He shooed the children in the direction of the carpet while he motioned to Nate to help him move the couch in front of the door.

"You think this will stop them?" Nate whispered, bracing himself against the couch and door. "Because I think it's just going to slow them down a little. And probably not enough."

"That's fine. That's all we need to do to give them the chance to get out." He didn't say, We're not getting out, because there was clearly no hope of their being able to send the carpet back for Nate and Teddy. Whatever their captors were going to do to them, Teddy and Nate would take the brunt of it.

Nate nodded, his face very white under his freckles, and went back to pressing himself against the door as firmly as he could while standing on the couch. Teddy looked at the other children; they'd managed to get the carpet to hover just above windowsill-height while they continued to get settled, then Ruby and Rory picked up the sides of the carpet, holding them as tightly as they could, just as the doors started to open and Nate and Teddy pushed back against the doors using the couch.

"Go, go!" Teddy said desperately. "Now!"

"No! I'm not leaving you, Nate!" Julian cried. Two things happened at once: a large, ghostly stag galloped in through the open window and headed straight for Teddy, and Julian leapt off the back of the carpet while Marguerite grabbed desperately at the edge and pulled it up again, just as the carpet sailed out the open window. Julian ran to Nate and pushed his frail little frame against the couch, but the three of them couldn't keep the doors from opening, especially since Teddy was suddenly distracted by his father's Patronus, which he'd immediately recognised.

It's all right, son. Harry's words went through his brain very quickly. Uncle Neville and I are outside, beside the terrace. Others are in the forest, trying to reach the house. Inside the house you have five allies: Percy, Penelope, Crabbe, Goyle and an Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Draco Malfoy has been pretending to be Percy. Blaise Zabini is the ringleader. We're going to get you out of there as soon as we can but the Fidelius Charm is stopping us from entering. Don't lose hope.

Teddy gasped. He wanted to tell Nate what Harry had said, but their captors were not making it easy to keep the doors closed, though they didn't seem to be using magic. They appeared to be using just their own strength, like Teddy, Nate and Julian. The three of them were flung backwards and the couch fell on them when the doors were pushed open roughly and Nate's dad entered the room with the tall man in the long robes and the mask. Or rather, Draco Malfoy entered with the masked man. Crabbe and Goyle followed them into the room, and Teddy realised with a sinking feeling that it had probably been the strength of these two that had enabled them to break through. Why does Dad think they're on our side? They still seemed to be loyal to Malfoy and Zabini.

Nate didn't know about Harry's Patronus being a message. "What're you two doing here?" he said from the floor, as though there wasn't a couch sitting painfully on his legs.

"We know who you are!" Julian cried out, springing to his feet, which surprised Teddy, since Julian didn't know the contents of Harry's message either. The couch had evidently missed Julian, though he'd been knocked flat by Nate falling on him when the doors opened. Draco Malfoy looked panicked at that, until he realised that Julian meant Crabbe and Goyle.

The tall man didn't waste any time talking, however. With a wave of his wand he sent the couch flying across the room, where it smashed itself into kindling and stuffing against the wall. Teddy's heart was going very fast, wondering what this wizard would do to them when he realised the others had escaped. I might not live long enough for you to get into the house, Dad.

"Where are they?" he asked ominously, looking around the room and seeing only Nate, Teddy and Julian. Nate stepped in front of Julian, tucking him behind his back, while Julian put his hands between Teddy and Nate and tried to peek between them. The wizard pointed his wand at Teddy and said, "You're Potter's son. Probably fancy yourself a leader. Where are the other children?"

Teddy clamped his mouth shut. So did Nate. "Fine," the wizard said, reaching between them and grabbing Julian by the neck. Teddy and Nate tried to prise his hands from Julian, but 'Percy' shot a curse at the two of them and Nate and Teddy recoiled from Julian and the tall wizard, their hands stinging as though they'd been trying to touch a jellyfish.

"Ow!" Nate cried, cradling his hands against his stomach, doubled over in pain. Teddy was trying not to cry himself, in the same position as Nate, while the tall wizard held Julian by the neck with one hand and pointed his wand at him with his other.

"I said," came the voice from behind the mask, as unperturbed as ever. "Where are the other children?"

"Gone!" Teddy and Nate said at the same time. Teddy hoped that he'd simply let Julian go.

"They flew off," Teddy told him, wishing he'd been able to tell the other kids about Harry and Neville before they had. "Probably halfway to London by now."

The hand on Julian's throat was as firm as ever. Julian struggled in his grasp, trying ineffectually to prise the fingers from his throat as they tightened their grip. "They flew off? And how, pray tell, did they do this?"

Draco Malfoy paced over the dark floorboards where the carpet had lain. "Bloody hell. The carpet's gone. They took the magic carpet!"

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