Ack! Sorry I forgot to post again...but anyways, here is the climax, half one!
The Hiding Place
"There are too many of you, I can't take you all," Mrs. Malfoy said. "I have no clue what my husband plans on doing with you, but he can do it later." "Then let us think," Anwen said. She and the rest of the others put their heads together and spoke softly…
"So we can't all go, but she can take a few, and I can take one or two," Anwen whispered. "Who's going to go for sure?"
"Me," Draco said, pale. "I have to." He gulped. "H-he's my dad…"
"Me too," Bella volunteered.
"Nooo!" Harry and Draco said at the same time while Neville turned pale.
"He used to be my dad too, you know," she huffed.
"Put on the ring when we get there, then," Harry said.
"I know I'm going," Anwen said.
"Severus or I will stay behind to come after you if you don't come back," McGonagall said. "I don't want to, but someone has to stay behind."
"I'm staying too if uncle is," Mae said.
"I don't want to go," Ron muttered in fear.
"Then you two stay with us, and alert the teachers if we leave after them and don't come back," Professor Snape said. They nodded.
"Back up for the back up?" Anwen mused. "Fascinating. Good."
"I'm coming," Caly said. "To keep an eye on Bella."
"Me too," Hermione said firmly.
"Should we really let the children go?" McGonagall said softly.
"Draco is coming, and Bella is too, and Harry is if she is," Ron said.
"Yea, and I'm going for Bella and I bet Hermione is going for Harry," Caly said.
"What about me?" Neville piped up, nervous.
"You stay out of danger, I'll bring back Trevor if I can," Bella promised. Neville slowly smiled in awe at her.
"What are we going to do when we get there?" Bella said.
They thought. "How about we get…a cage?" Neville said thoughtfully. "Or a weapon of some kind. We do know this is a dragon we're dealing with."
"Brilliant," McGonagall said. They patted Neville on the back. He looked confused, then happy when he realized what was happening.
"O boy!" he said excitedly. "What kind of weapon, though?"
"I know just the thing," McGonagall said. "I will be back."
She walked away, and they discussed what to do. "So, we want to get the egg before it hatches, right?" Draco said.
"Yes," Snape agreed.
"And, uhh, we should probably have a net or something to get the creature contained, if it hatches, because I don't want to kill it," Bella said in concern. "It's gonna be only a baby!"
"Bella," Draco said, "I know you know the spell for tying things up. Didn't Mum teach you?"
"O yea," Bella said, much relieved.
McGonagall came back with something rumbled, patchy, and brown. "I got it," she said. "Also, Albus said we can apparate on the front lawn for an hour."
"O boy, hopefully this takes less than that," Harry said.
"He'll extend the time if we take longer, but we must keep security, you know. We don't want anyone like a Death Eater appearing on our front lawn."
"So true Minerva," Snape muttered.
"The Sorting Hat?" Draco said in confusion. "How's that going to help?"
"You'll see," she said, handing it to Harry.
"Err, thanks," he said uncertainly.
"Alright then, get the egg before it hatches, and if not, then try to tie it up, and use the sorting hat as a last resort. Got that?" Anwen said. Everybody nodded. She turned to Mrs. Malfoy. "Sev, Minerva, Mae, Neville, and Ron will stay in case we don't come back. The rest of us are going."
"O," Mrs. Malfoy said. "In that case…Caly, Draco, come here."
They took her hands. Anwen took Harry, Bella, and Hermione. Bella noticed her mum got all the half bloods.
"Do you know where Mafalda is?" Caly said.
"My husband has her," Mrs. Malfoy said softly. "She'll be returned if you come along, Bella." Bella whimpered, but steeled herself, her face set and determined.
"Wait, where are we going?" Draco asked suddenly.
"To the Hiding Place," Mr. Malfoy said. She turned to Anwen. "You don't know where that is, do you?" Anwen shook her head. "It is a remote island off the north coast of Scotland, near Norway. It is on no map, since it has been erased from memory when it became a dark stronghold many centuries ago—"
"—and it's called 'Shadow's Haven,' isn't it? There's a sign right in the Harbor of No Return. There's a mountain in the middle of the island, too, called the Hiding Place. And it's all been protected against Muggles finding out. It's also eternally stormy." Anwen finished. She realized her interruption. "O dear! I'm sorry. Carry on." She laughed nervously.
"No…you finished it," Mrs. Malfoy said in surprise. "I thought you said you didn't know the place."
"I thought I didn't," Anwen murmured, misted eyes looking far away and slightly haunted. "I remember—those instructions—a handsome boy with black hair. I remember—only his face, he was older than me by at least three years—he took me to that very Hiding Place, a long time ago when I was…sixteen I think. He said he had stumbled upon it by accident." She gasped and her face lit up. "O Bella!" she cried cheerfully. "A clue! A clue!" She hugged her daughter. "O joy!" Her face became somber again. "But we must think of it later."
Slowly, they exited the main door, and got on the front lawn. They disapparated.
They appeared on the coast of a grim harbor. There, wind bit. The light was scarce, only ominously glowing green from the mountain itself. The waves of the dark waters were crashing behind them. The sky was black and stormy. Thunder rumbled as the wind seemed to tear any hope from them and tossed it away into the raging sea. Sure enough, there was a dark, moldering sign that proclaimed the island, though weather beaten, black, and wicked-sharp it was, as 'Shadow's Haven.' Dark whispers drifted ominously from the mountain that loomed in front of them. They didn't want to glance around. They shivered in the cold and despair that seemed to be the very oxygen on the island. It was in fact so small that if they strained their eyes, they could faintly see the shadow-misted opposite coast beyond the Hiding Place.
"I remember this," Anwen whispered. "I stood on this very spot…" She staggered slightly, not from the wind, but from the memory brought back by the Dementors. Bella clung to her. She was very glad Neville didn't come.
"I will wait here for you," Mrs. Malfoy said, trying to unlatch Draco.
"I don't want to leave," he whimpered. "I want to stay with you!"
"Oi, aren't you going to help watch Bella?" Harry said.
"Oh, right." Draco reluctantly let go of his mum and took Bella's hand.
"Where are the trolls?" Caly gulped. "There were two the last time I was here!"
"Wait a minute," Bella murmured. "Two trolls? Something sinister…there were two trolls—'Did the other troll give you the dragon's egg'—Are they the same trolls?"
"They are, or rather, were," someone said in the shadow of the Hiding Place. They all jumped and Draco screamed. Mrs. Malfoy cooed to him. "Oh sorry," the someone said quickly.
"Eustace?" Harry called shakily.
"Yup," Eustace said guiltily. "Not like I want to be here, mind you, I didn't exactly have a choice…"
"Where's Mafalda?" Harry shouted. "Where's my invisibility cloak? Where's Trevor the toad?"
Eustace sighed. "Um, sorry, I took all those…"
"That part of the prophesy is now true," Bella gasped, "An ally has taken things of value from you and your friends."
Draco gulped. If the prophesy was coming true, what about the last little bit…
Eustace sighed. "Ok guys, Mr. Malfoy isn't here yet. Do you want to come in, because it's kind of cold and such out there."
"Yes," Anwen said. She strode forward—Eustace jumped out.
"Wait!" he said, sounding half strangled. "He—Mr. Malfoy—he made me p-put up a shield—it won't let adults who aren't m-me or him through. I bet he made ME do it b-because he knows…"
"Knows what?" Draco said.
Eustace turned red. "Err—he doesn't want Wenny—I mean, Anwen! getting through."
Anwen half smiled wryly. "Oh dear."
"If adults can't get through, does that mean we can?" Hermione said quickly.
"Fine then—you, Caly, Harry, Draco, Bella—you go in, ok? If anything happens and you are forced to come back, then do! Come back if you are about to die or are hurt," Anwen said sternly.
The five nodded, and went slowly in. Eustace retreated in ahead of them.
It was a long, dark tunnel.
Harry staggered from the howls in his head: Not my son! Hands off my son! He didn't like how oddly familiar the voice sounded...
Bella gasped to hear howls in her head too. Noo, my Violet! This can't be happening! Noo, I'm lost, broken…
It hurts to talk, Draco heard his younger self in his head. I-and then his five-year-old self coughed hard. Calm down, you'll be ok, a very worried mum said gently in his head. O dear, hold on, you're coughing up blood-
"Expecto Patronum!" they heard before them in the darkness. The whispers left, their horrid memories fled and a weight was lifted off their shoulders. Breathing was easier. The cold dissipated, a bit. After making a train with Bella in the lead, feeling their way along the dank, slimy walls, they came to a large chamber. The chamber was not too big, and circular, with a rough and natural-looking, four-foot pillar in the middle and a few rocks on the ground. Eustace was already there, standing behind the pillar.
Bella, Harry, and Draco went in. "Wait," Bella stopped Caly and Hermione. "Stay back, so that if we get in trouble, you can run back for the mums."
They nodded, and slowly stood back in the shadows of the tunnel.
"Can we have the egg?" Bella asked. Draco scoffed.
"He's not just going to give it to us," he said.
"This is the whole story," Eustace said, sitting down on a low rock near the end of the chamber. "Might as well tell you since Mr. Malfoy's just gonna wipe your memories later and I need to vent so here goes…" They all sat down on the floor, Draco shoeing Harry away from the only rock that could be sat upon.
"Mr. Malfoy came to me one day, in secret, telling me his hideous plot, and his reason for it. I can't say it—I bet he'll boast about it when he comes. He forced me to join him in this. He set out the trolls in the dungeons—one as a distraction. Then later, his owl came by one day, asking if the second troll gave me the dragon's egg." Everybody gasped.
"It was you?" Hermione said from the entrance. Eustace smiled ruefully. "Sadly, yes. I tore off the signature—I didn't need it to remind me who sent it. And then it went missing."
"Oh," Caly said softly. "I accidently swept it into my bag."
"No wonder," Eustace sighed. "Well, I wrote back 'no' and then he delightfully decided to visit me. First thing he asked was if I got that note. I had, of course, I just didn't know where it went. And yes, I did remember what it said. He then reminded me of everything—why the plot was in motion, what was needed, and that he has my mum," he growled bitterly.
"And then he got in the newspaper. That was nerve-wracking, for sure. Thankfully, I didn't get found out. Sad he didn't, though. He did have a cheery little habit of threatening me every week. So eventually, I heard dragon's roars in the forest, and thankfully, there was a nest. I took one egg, but dropped it in the forest. I guess that's the one Hagrid found. Anyway, literally a night before the big detention, I had looted the nest again of the freshly laid egg. That's why I had to go in the forest with you guys—because it was my fault if the dragon attacked anybody, because I had incited it."
"Awwww," Bella said indignantly. "Why'd you have to take BABIES away from their mumma?" She knew exactly what that felt like…
"How cruel!" Hermione gasped in horror.
Eustace cringed. "I—I didn't have a choice—Mr. Malfoy—I don't know what he'll do to my mum! He's threatened all sorts of terrible things to do to her, I tell you."
He looked so sad, Caly called, "Hug him for me!" and Bella obliged.
Smiling faintly, he continued, "So sorry I almost killed you, Bella…So when Mr. Malfoy came again, he asked if I had the egg. Yes, I had it, and also said I thought Bella could help. That way I can keep an eye on you. He told me it was my final test. I had to be here, right now, with everything.
"And I am here with everything! The egg is here," he patted the bag that was sitting next to him and no one had noticed until now. "the toad is in that bag pocket, and Mr. Malfoy has Mafalda. I got her for him using Harry's cloak, but Mr. Malfoy wouldn't trust me with her…"
"Why'd you take her?" Caly shouted from the dark.
"That was how I was going to get Bella over here," Eustace said, frowning. "I've seen her and Bella together. They're friends, I bet, so I took her, hoping that she would come. Which she did." Eustace nodded to Bella.
"Anyway, I—I had to Imperio Harry to get his cloak—sorry Harry!—I couldn't suddenly walk out into the castle without several thousand questions. Besides, what if one of the teachers apprehended me? They don't know me—they wouldn't have believed my story. I asked Harry to get the cloak, give it to me, and go to bed. Well, then I had him shoot red sparks out his window so I knew he was there, then I told him to dip his toothbrush in the lou so he'd break the spell."
Draco laughed while Harry made a face. "Auug, I remember that," he muttered.
"How'd you know I even have a cloak?" Harry asked.
"I saw you and Bella put something on Hagrid's porch, and then I couldn't see you anymore," Eustace explained calmly. "You, Bella, I also thought you'd help Mr. Malfoy with the experiment." He stood. He suddenly appeared quite frightening, his wand out and pointed at her chest. "You had better help girl, or my mum gets it."
"Oi," Harry snapped, grabbing her arm. Bella shook him off.
"I don't want to," she whispered. "But I might have to!"
"We agreed to fight him, not help him!" Harry said furiously.
Pained, Bella said softly, "I can pretend…"
"Alright," Draco sighed. "But don't worry, I'm not gonna let him hurt you…"
"Hullo," someone drawled in the tunnel. They whirled around. Mr. Malfoy slowly walked out of the darkness. "There are a bunch of children here, I see," he said in distain. His eyes fell on Draco. "What are you doing here?"
"Uhhhh," Draco muttered uncertainly.
"Why'd you make friends with Eustace?" Bella pipped up, to spare Draco.
Mr. Malfoy sneered softly. "I only made friends with Eustace because nobody knows about him. He's in the shadows. The background. Nobody notices him, or usually, even knows he exists. He was perfect for a secret plan. Because who could interfere?"
"Bella's mum knows about him," Harry put in. Mr. Malfoy cringed.
"Anyway, why would he ask Mrs. Bane or Pomphrey or Sprout if I had his mother…?"
Eustace whimpered.
"That's cruel!" Hermione shouted as Bella seethed. "Where is she?"
"O whatever, I got what I needed," Mr. Malfoy said calmly. He drew his wand from his walking stick. "I'll just obliviate him here and now…and leave him here, perhaps? His mother won't need him anymore…"
"NO!" Eustace screamed. "Tell me you're just saying that!"
Mr. Malfoy laughed. "O, I never had her to begin with! Scared her away, and nobody has heard from her!"
Eustace now had both hands on his wand trained on Mr. Malfoy, eyes glinting dangerously. "O, so I don't have to work for you anymore, do I now?" he hissed. Harry cheered for him. Bella tried to sneak for the bag. "Your little threats won't work anymore," Eustace continued. "In fact, I think I'll just—"
Mr. Malfoy laughed. "O don't be ridiculous!" he sniggered. "Of course my threats are still viable! I can always go out and find her, you know. Also," he chuckled, "you're holding that wand like it's a Muggle gun or something."
Eustace turned pale. His wand shook.
Bella marched up and smacked Mr. Malfoy on the arm. Everybody gasped.
Slowly, he stared down at her.
"What," he snapped. "You—you dare…"
"Yea," she whispered, quivering with rage. "Don't do that to him. It's not nice."
"Yea!" Harry, Hermione, and Caly shouted.
"You know what?" Mr. Malfoy purred. "How about this. You children come in, so you can all watch the show."
"Why should we?" Hermione said defiantly as the others backed up slowly to the tunnel.
"Naughty, naughty," Mr. Malfoy tisked. A flick of his wand, and black ropes shot out. 'Whoa!' the kids gasped as they were jerked back, and fell, tangled. Draco glanced down at his comrades on the ground. The others yelled, annoyed and scared. Eustace winced, but didn't do anything. Draco had been unaffected. Pale, he whirled around, and then made sure Bella wasn't getting cut by any rocks on the ground. His dad, thankfully, was not paying attention. He set his wand on the pillar and walking stick against it.
"Dragon egg," he said lazily, hands out to take it. Quivering like a leaf in the wind, Eustace took it out of the bag, and, almost dropping it, handed it reluctantly to Mr. Malfoy.
He frowned down at it. "That dragon egg is cold!" Mr. Malfoy roared. He tucked the egg under one arm. He slapped Eustace, who whimpered. "You think we can do this with a cold egg? Dragon eggs have to be warm! You little—"
"How was I supposed to keep it warm?" Eustace said softly, fearfully. "B-besides, the toad can't sit on it if it's warm!"
"Whatever," Mr. Malfoy sneered. "It's too late. You have the toad?" Eustace nodded fearfully.
"That's a dragon egg, not a chicken egg," Bella said. "That's not going to do anything."
"That's nice," Mr. Malfoy sneered. "It's just a test. If it fails and I don't get anything new, then I will end up with a dragon. Good enough." He approached the pillar. "We'll see if this works," he muttered. Reverently, he took the dangerous egg and set it gently on the pillar. It rocked slightly, but settled. Mr. Malfoy lazily put his hand out. "The toad."
Shakily, Eustace handed him the toad.
Draco ran forward and tried to wrestle Trevor from his dad.
"You dare," Mr. Malfoy hissed. He suddenly appeared quite terrifying. He snatched his wand off the pillar as Draco dug for his in his pocket. "Don't make me do anything to you!" Mr. Malfoy growled, wand pointed at his son, pain evident in his eyes.
They stared at each other, then slowly, Draco stepped down. He had his head, downcast bowed to the floor. He had his hands behind his back.
"Good boy," Mr. Malfoy purred. He turned and set Trevor on the dragon egg. He didn't notice Draco flick his wand behind his back, releasing first Bella, then Harry...