Chapter 21

They had agreed to travel in the evening when it was difficult to see. Originally this seemed to be the best plan, but it only made Draco more nervous. The memories of this place no longer haunted him but remembering of what had happened made him worried of what could happen. No surprised when Neville Longbottom walked in through the doors of Grimmauld Place. The look on his face when he saw Severus and Draco made Harry slightly concerned at the success of their mission, but when Neville saw the level of comfort that Harry, and Ron had with the two Slytherins he looked less apprehensive. Ron was the one who welcomed him first as a friend, and it didn't take long for Harry too look pleased that he was here. There wasn't time for pleasantries though. Mad-Eye had enough time to include Neville in their plan. Now they were just inside the gates of the manor, and Draco had to remember to that Neville was a part of their team. Draco and Ron were adversaries during school, but both Severus and Draco made Neville's life miserable. The fact that they might have to count on him to save their lives was nerve wracking. Ron squeezed Draco's hand to reassure him.

Neville held up his index finger to his mouth to prevent them from speaking. He pulled out what looked like a seed from his pocket, and he planted it in the ground. Then he pulled out his wand and whispered an incantation. The plant grew until its vines covered the gate. Then the vines moved to cover the walls of the fence, "This should prevent any unintended intruders."

"What if we need to escape?" Draco whispered, "will it slow us down?"

"Give me your wands." Neville ordered. Ron handed Neville his wand without hesitation. Neville used a similar pod to wipe residue over it. Then he did the same to Severus and Draco's wands, "You should be able to escape anytime you need to know."

"Revelio" Severus whispered with his wand, "I think we will have to go into the manor. Draco, are you alright?"

"Let's go." Draco answered with more confidence than he felt. The manor was in ruins, but it was a perfect place to hide. He had a strong feeling that Goyle was hiding here. Although, he was perfectly ready for an ambush if there was one. Somehow the way that Neville was behaving gave him confidence.

"Do you know if there was a part of the manor that wasn't damaged?" Severus asked Draco. They were still whispering, but it didn't matter. If there were people in the building, they would have already heard them.

"Expelliarmus" Draco, Severus, and Ron's wands flew out of their hands. Neville used another bead to make himself disappear. Gregory caught all three of them. The next spell made them all panic, "Divesto"

Goyle used the same stripping spell that the Death Eaters used, and they were suddenly bound in ropes tied to chairs. The chairs were tipped back, and the three boys were spread eagle. This was becoming repetitive, but it worked. Draco called out first, "Stop, you don't have to do this."

"You don't sound like Draco, you sound like Potter" Goyle commented. A crash could be heard in another part of the house, "Stay here"

"Its not like we can move," Ron retorted, "What do we do now?"

"Severus, do you know any wandless magic that can get us out of this." Draco asked, but deliberately not looking at him. Severus was grateful for the respect. Before he could respond, he felt the ropes move as if they were sliding down his body. The ends of the ropes split and snaked back up his body.

"Severus, what is this?" Ron's rope was wrapped around his member, "Ah… no, this isn't right." Severus could feel himself being molested by the rope. He was horrified to be violated, but even worse in front of his companions. He willed himself not to make noise, but that brought tears to his eyes. They couldn't even contact Harry, and Neville was nowhere to be seen. The robes began to rub is most intimate place. He could hear Draco cry out in fear.

"Severus, what do we do?" Draco panicked. Severus had no answer for him, his own fear prevented speaking. Draco looked at the room they were in. They were barely in what was one his beautiful foyer. Now it was full of darkness and ash. The walls were burnt, and the portraits of his father and mother were ruined. He suddenly remembered that his portraits could see him. He began to panic more. The look of relief came when Neville came running down the stairs with what looked like twenty children ranging from very young to adolescent. Goyle apparated in front of them.

"You will not take them. I'll tell you where Potter is." Goyle begged Neville. Draco suddenly realized that Goyle didn't believe who they were, but Severus suddenly cried out in agony as he was nearly violated by his rope. The tip of the rope was barely inside him when Neville froze the three of them with his wand.

"You know where Potter is, Goyle?" Neville spoke, "Who are you protecting these children from?"

"From him," Goyle fell to his knees to beg Neville to release the children, "Please, don't hurt them. They have done nothing wrong."

"I know that. Which is why we are here to rescue you, you half-wit. Release Malfoy and the others before they never forgive you." Neville slapped Goyle across the face, "Then tell me what happened."

"Draco works for the Dark Lord, I know it. He has been captured several times and been released. He will take us to him." Goyle was trembling.

"How long have you been here?" Neville dropped down on one knee to Goyle's level, "Gregory, look at me."

"Only a few months, Blaise let himself get captured so we wouldn't be detected." Gregory sobbed. Neville pulled the man into his arms. With his wand, he released the three that were captured and dressed them with magic. Severus was shaking at what nearly happened.

"If they attack us, I will kill them first." Neville promised, "You are not alone anymore."

"Why are you holding me?" Gregory asked in confusion.

Neville answered with an amused look on his face, "You were crying. It's kind of what we do. When children cry, the adult in the room is supposed to hold them."

"I am not a child." Gregory stood up, and he turned to Draco, "Prove to me that you are Draco."

"Your name is Gregory Felix Goyle. Your parents have served the Dark Lord for many years, but they were originally Gryffindors. These are the children of the Death Eaters who were killed by the Dark Lord. You were in love with Pansy even more than Blaise was." Draco was the one who put his arms around his old friend this time, "I'm sorry that you had to go through this alone."

"I'm sorry about the ropes, but I've never killed anyone before." Gregory confessed.

Severus held out his hand to stop where the conversation was going, "We are not going to talk about it anymore. I will be angry if we continue talking about it."

"The real question is where are we going to put all these children?" Ron spoke. He also really didn't want to talk about what had just happened, "There are nearly twenty of them. How many of you are sixteen?"

Four of them raised their hands, a young girl answered, "I turn seventeen tomorrow. Is my sister dead?"

"Who's your sister?" Ron asked.

"Patience, is that you?" Draco asked, "You've grown so much, I hardly recognized you."

"My name is Patience Parkinson; Pansy was my sister." Patience's eyes suddenly lit up as she remembered something, "The baby, where is the baby?"

"The baby is safe, but you aren't. We need to leave now." Severus spoke quickly, "It won't take anyone long to figure out that people were here."

"Let's make our way to the gate. Gregory stays here with the majority of them. The four of use will apparate them out four at a time." Neville decided, and was already ushering the children out before they could protest, "We'll get them somewhere safe before we decide where we can put them."

Grimmauld place was crammed. It was a big house to begin with. The Blacks were considered wealthy people, but they still lived a normal size house that was designed to fit a family of four or five. Twenty children ranging in different sizes was the Blacks intended. With some rearranging, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny managed to turn all of the bedrooms into bunkrooms. Patience was relieved to see her niece. Harry saw the look on Severus's face, and it killed him to know that he couldn't ask what happened yet. First, everyone sat down for a meeting. The four older children were permitted to sit in.

Mad-Eye began by wishing everyone welcome, "These are hard times, and everyone in this room has lost someone to this war. Everyone, so that means we need to fight just as hard to win or there will be no freedom left."

"I think we need to figure out a way to safely move the children to a bigger place" Ron suggested, "We have meetings and regular information sessions. Some of the children are quite young."

"Who would have a place like that? We just pulled them out of Malfoy Manor. That place is like a beacon for Death Eaters." Neville commented, "In its current state, its not really habitable. Sorry, Malfoy."

"Don't be sorry for saying the truth, Longbottom" Draco commented, "We could bring to France."

Patience's eyes lit up, "My sister said that you own a home there."

"It's true, and so far the Dark Lord hasn't reached France, and the house is big enough." Draco looked hesitant, "It's not what you imagined it to be. The house is in a muggle neighborhood. It was meant to be a safehouse for us, but we never had a chance to use it."

"While you are there, you can't use magic." Draco explained, "Apparate to a local deserted area, before walking to the house."

"It's a sound idea," Charlie agreed, "Perhaps, Neville, Goyle, and I should lead that expedition."

"If it would be alright, I would prefer to stay here." Patience answered, "You three should go. The little ones will need you."

"They need you too," The boy responded, "We need you there too."

"Actually, it wouldn't be a bad idea for Mione to go with them. Would that make you more comfortable? We are constantly fighting and its not a good place for a baby." Ron made the suggestion. Draco looked at Harry and Severus as if the baby was also theirs. They both agreed. Then it is settled.