Disclaimers: I don't own anything that has to do with Harry Potter, except for some copies of the book, but those don't really count. I also don't own the song "Wherever You Will Go". None of this is mine. Comprenez-vous? So don't sue me.
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Harry kept the ties close, just in case Lano came back. He and Ron conferred in whispers, finally deciding on a plan that involved disarming Lano, getting their wands back, and then hoping that everything went well. Harry didn't tell Ron that Neville had gone to fetch other Aurors, just in case someone was listening in.
Harry fell asleep immediately after their plotting session, and Ron put the ties back on him loosely. He sat back against the wall, happier than he had been in a long time. Somehow, he had known that Harry would eventually find him. Harry was like that; turning up everywhere he wasn't expected, and saving the day. Ron occasionally felt jealous that he was usually remembered as "Harry Potter's friend", but he knew that his best friends thought much more of him than that. Besides, it was good having a friend who would save you if you got yourself into a big mess. Like this one.
Back at the Ministry, Hermione had become hysterical. "GONE?!" she screeched. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'THEY'RE GONE'?!"
Neville cowered. He was a good and fairly powerful Auror, but that didn't stop him from fearing the wrath of the very upset Minister of Magic. "I - I got back there, and they had both disappeared, and weren't answering any speech spells.."
Hermione paced around her office. "First Ron disappears, and now Harry.. what are we going to do?!"
Neville eyed her warily. "Well, we could send some people up there to look for them.."
Hermione glared daggers at Neville, who shrunk back. "It was a rhetorical question, Neville! Of course that's what we have to do, but Harry's always been the best at that and now we have to look for him!"
They continued like this for a few hours, until Hermione reached the most sensible conclusion that she should send a large team of the most competent Aurors she could find to break into the Death Eater headquarters. Neville had come to this conclusion a long time earlier, but an upset Hermione was a Hermione not to be crossed, so he shut up and listened to her rant instead.
Hermione set about finding competent Aurors. She immediately had seven volunteers - the whole remaining Weasley family - and sent Neville off to find more while she rampaged through the old Ministry employment lists.
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were getting bored. They had been standing on opposite sides of the door, lying in wait for Lano, for almost two hours. Eventually, they sat down.
"Up for tic-tac-toe?" Ron inquired. Harry shrugged and grinned. "Why not. Nothing else to do." He drew a board in the dirt. "I get first move." He put an 'x' in the top right corner, and waited for Ron to move. He didn't. Ron was frozen, listening. "I think I hear him," he whispered, scrambling to his feet and resuming his former position.
Harry hopped up and flattened himself against the wall. They listened as the steps grew closer and closer, and the door opened.
Lano shrieked in surprise as his two prisoners pounced on him, and protested loudly when he suffered the indignity of lying on the ground while Ron sat on his back and Harry rifled through his pockets to find their wands.
"Got 'em," Harry grinned triumphantly, holding up three wands. He tossed one to Ron, who caught it. "Never thought I'd be so glad to see my wand again," he said fondly, before pointing it at Lano's head and grinning wickedly. "I feel the same way Malfoy must have felt when we were still in school."
Harry grinned, and knelt down in front of Lano. He held a wand out. "See this wand? It's yours, right?"
Lano made a muffled sound of assent. Harry smiled. "Good. Do anything out of order, and I'll snap it. Ron, let him up." He pulled out his own wand and placed magical ties on their captive, who was scowling in a most unbecoming fashion. Ron stretched and yawned before slowly rising, and letting Lano get up. He kept his wand trained on Lano's head. "So, now what do we do?" he asked Harry.
There was a long pause before Harry answered. "I don't know, really. I suppose we should.." He scratched his head in confusion. "See, the Ministry rule books don't give any information about procedures when we've been captured by the enemy and got our wands back. I suppose we should incapacitate them all and go get the Ministry people."
"Yeah!" Ron exclaimed. He pointed his wand at Lano, who made a muffled squeaking noise. "Petrificus Totalus." Lano froze, and Ron looked quite pleased. "I'll go get the rest."
Harry grinned. "You're not getting them all for yourself, you greedy little -"
Ron mock-glared at him, before marching pompously out of the room. Harry shook his head and laughed. He leaned against the wall to keep an eye on Lano. In the halls, he could hear the echoing "Petrificus Totalus! Oh, hell, now he's blocking the hall."
Ron managed to Petrify most of the Death Eaters, and Harry helped transport them all back to their dungeon room. They surveyed the mounds of disgruntled Death Eaters, and were quite pleased with themselves.
Harry crossed his arms over his chest and eyed the enemies. "You know, some of them work during the day. Maybe we should lie in wait for them too."
Ron lit up. "You're right!" He bounded out of the room, and Harry ran after him. They snickered and traded jokes in the dark, waiting for their next victims. Every time the door opened, it was a race to see who could jump up first and Petrify the Death Eater that entered. Most of the time, Harry won, since he made a point of blocking Ron's view of the door.
They were having the time of their lives. Hermione was having a heart attack. "NEVILLE! How many Aurors do you have?! I can only get thirty!" She wrung her hands, and paced in circles.
Neville stuck his head into her office. "I have twenty-three.. is that enough?"
"That'll do! Are they here yet?"
"They're arriving slowly." Neville glanced behind him, noting that the group of Aurors was growing.
"Good. Good, good, good. Tell them to get here faster!"
Neville also noted that he should never, ever, get on the Minister's bad side. It might be very dangerous to his health, and he valued his health.
"NEVILLE!"
He jumped. "Y - yes, ma'am! I'll get right on it.."