CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Harry
Harry twisted around as LeStrange flung Isabel Clay to the floor next to him. He saw the blood drain from her face as her eye roll back as she slumped limply down the wall beside him. He looked numbly at her, Ron, and Hermione and fought against the feeling of despair that threatened to drown the hope he had felt when he first realized they were not alone in the house.
The more of us there are, the better our chances! He said emphatically to himself as he tried to work the ropes around his wrists loose surreptitiously. At least his mouth was free, if he could only think of an effective incantation! Harry saw Clay stir and instinctively tried to move toward her. To his surprise, LeStrange waved his hand in bored fashion.
"Go ahead, Harry Potter, crawl over like a worm and check on your muggle friend. It hardly matters."
Clay was blinking and scowling now. She moved slightly as if to straighten up, winced hard and stayed put, her breathing ragged. She nodded slightly at Harry as he pushed himself toward her and flicked her eyes slightly toward her left. Then she spoke up,
"I think it matters a great deal, more than you can understand."
LeStrange snorted, "Do not speak of that which you cannot understand, Muggle."
"Oh, I understand, I understand far better than you."
LeStrange pulled out his wand but Mrs. LeStrange spoke up, "Wait, darling, I'd like to hear what the muggle thinks she understands. Do go on Muggle."
Isabel winced hard again as Harry crashed into her left side. But she caught her breath and continued, "I understand your fatal flaw, I understand why you will always lose even if you win." she said her eyes flashing. Harry felt her good hand moving behind him, finding the knots tying his own hands. He turned his gaze toward the LeStranges, grateful this was hidden behind their backs. He willed his face to remain neutral at the same time he willed Isabel to hurry. It would be dark soon and he doubted the LeStranges would be nearly as interested in toying with them once they could leave... and Harry had a bad feeling about what they would do to his friends when they were through with them.
"Oh, do tell," Mrs. LeStrange said her voice oozing false interest.
"You call one another 'dear' and 'darling' but you have no idea what those terms mean. You are incapable of love, and you cannot understand it. Your lack of understanding will ultimately be your undoing. Love will triumph in the end and you will be left confused, and defeated."
The LeStranges laughter was harsh, almost brittle, "Oh, please, go stitch that on a pillow," Mrs. LeStrange sneered.
Isabel smiled slightly as she replied, "As I said, you cannot understand love and so you will never understand it's power."
"Power?" Mordred LeStrange laughed. "You can't be serious, Muggle. Power? Love has no power. Love is weak, that is why it is so easily overcome! Love is what makes fools do our bidding to protect their so-called loved ones, even though they must know we will still kill them eventually. Love is a fine tool for manipulation, nothing more. And Power? Power has nothing to do with love."
Harry felt the ropes fall away from his wrists as LeStrange said this, but he also felt Isabel squeeze his wrist very hard. He didn't know what she meant to communicate so he waited and watched for his chance.
"Love may lose some of the battles, but it will win the war. History demonstrates it, and the Universe demands it. Those who have faith in it will always overcome."
"Oh, please! Such drivel! Your notions are quaint, Muggle, but quite unrealistic. Love cannot help you now, neither can faith. They cannot even protect you, as you will soon see."
Harry felt something being pushed into his hand. For a moment he could hardly believe it. Isabel had handed him a wand. As soon as she did, she raised her chin and said,
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
"Are all muggles as deluded as yourself?" LeStrange asked incredulously.
"Well, I suppose you'd have to ask my friends. I suspect Harry and Hermione are ready to tell you."
LeStrange scowled at Isabel in what appeared to be genuine confusion. Harry was confused for a moment, himself. Then he caught Hermione's eye. She was looking at him very intently and he realized what Isabel was saying. He was ready. He braced himself to act.
Then Isabel yelled "Now!"
Harry saw the beginnings of comprehension on LeStrange's face but Harry had already whipped the wand out and yelled "Expelliarmus!" Hermione had twisted sharply sideways and yelled "Expelliarmus!" as well. The LeStranges were propelled backward as their wands flew forward. Harry looked over at Hermione and saw her wand clasped between her tied hands behind her back. Quickly, he struggled to cover the LeStranges with his wand hand as he untied his feet with the other.
The LeStranges appeared to be stunned but Harry didn't know how long they would stay that way. He needed to get their wands before they woke up. As he freed his legs and began to move toward the wands he saw Neville's hand move out from under his robes to grasp them. Harry reached out with his free arm to help pull Neville to a sitting position.
"Can you cover them while I untie Ron and Hermione?" Neville was quite pale and his voice shook slightly as he answered, but his hands did not.
"Count on it, Harry."
As quickly as possible Harry scrambled over to Ron and Hermione and untied them. Hermione leapt up immediately and moved to the LeStranges. She pointed her wand at them and conjured several sets of ropes binding them nearly from head to foot. She then pointed her wand at them saying "Locomotor Mortis!" She turned back to the group with a look of satisfaction on her face.
"You don't think the full body bind was overkill do you?" Ron asked, grinning
"No, as a matter of fact I don't," Hermione said, then moved to help Ron and Harry prop Neville against the wall next to Isabel.
"Where did you get this wand?" Harry asked Isabel.
"It's Ron's. He did some very quick thinking and got it to me just before LeStrange blasted his and Hermione's escape route shut."
"Seems Hermione did some fast thinking, too. Where did your wand come from?" Harry asked.
"Same place Isabel's did, back of the waistband. That's what they get for underestimating us." Hermione said fiercely.
Harry handed Ron his wand and took one of the LeStranges' wands from Neville, who was looking intently at their still unconscious forms.
"Neville?" he asked his eyes straying to Neville's fingers playing along the surface of the wand.
"Why shouldn't I, Harry, why shouldn't I?" Neville asked still fingering the wand and looking daggers at the people who had tortured his parents into insanity.
"Because you'll take their place in Azkaban, for one thing."
"So? That hardly matters. Trust me, Harry, it would be worth it."
Harry was at a loss. He knew that Neville was thinking of either the Cruciatus Curse or the Killing Curse... it hardly mattered which. Besides being illegal, it was just wrong. He knew that it would bring Neville down to the LeStranges' filthy level. Neville was above that, he was better than that. Somehow he couldn't find the words to tell Neville so.
Hermione and Ron were listening and looking at Neville with wide eyes. They, too, it seemed were speechless.
"You'll be just like them, then!" Harry finally said, "And you're better than that!"
Neville didn't speak for some time. When he answered his voice was flat, "Don't worry, Harry. I'm not going to do it. I never was. I want to. I want to more than I've ever wanted anything in my life, but I won't."
Silence filled the room for a moment until Hermione spoke up, "Harry, Ron, why don't you go downstairs and see if you can find a way out. I'll stay here with Neville and Isabel and... those two. Ron, when you get through go for some help, would you?"
Harry looked at Ron who simply said, "Good idea" and walked out of the room. Harry said nothing, but followed. They were halfway down the stairs when they were thrown back by a blast at least as powerful as the one that had blocked the tunnel. Harry and Ron scrambled, coughing, to find their wands and their feet. As the dust cleared they found themselves pointing their wands at-
"Sirius!"
"Professor Lupin!"
Both men looked pale and shaken, but enormously relieved as they scrambled over the rubble between them and the stairs. As they did so, Harry saw Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall, behind them.
"Harry are you alright?"
"Where are the others?"
"What happened?"
Harry couldn't tell who was asking what. "Upstairs." He said wearily. He felt Sirius easing him down to sit on a stair and saw Lupin doing the same for Ron as Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall moved quickly past them and up the stairs.
He heard McGonagall gasp with surprise and Snape growl, "Mordred and Pravia LeStrange". Moments later Hermione appeared followed by McGonagall supporting Neville with both an arm and her wand. They were followed by Dumbledore doing the same for Isabel. Sirius and Lupin gave Harry and Ron a hand up and led the way back to the passage. Just before ducking in, Harry looked back up at the top of the stairs to see Snape emerge with a terrible scowl, levitating the still bound unconscious LeStranges ahead of him.
Once they were all in the tunnel and moving toward Hogwarts Sirius dropped back and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, are you really alright?" He asked softly.
"Yeah. I am." Harry said, and he realized that, in spite of everything, he meant it.
When they emerged at the other end of the tunnel they were met by a pale, anxious Ginny who immediately flung herself at Ron, practically knocking him down with the force of her embrace. "I'd yell at you," she said darkly, "but I think Mom will make a better job of it." Ron blanched slightly, then laughed. "You're probably right"
Sirius had squeezed Harry's shoulder and turned back into a dog just before emerging from the tunnel. He trotted off to the woods while Ginny was hugging
Ron. Harry now stood alone and Lupin moved beside him, "I think you've got quite a story to tell, Harry."
