Chapter Forty Eight

Harry, Neville, Pansy, Draco, Daphne and Hermione crept along the corridors, rounding every corner in twos with wands drawn. They were getting there, although it was slow progress with so many of them. Also, unfortunately, they had been about as far from Severus's office as was possible without needing to head outside.

"I'm really glad Thomas was allowed to stay at the hospital wing." Neville whispered as they took a short breather, it was exhausting being so on guard all the time, "I wouldn't want him to have to do this."

Harry nodded in agreement. It was a ruthless way of looking at it, but Thomas also wasn't as skilled as they were; he would have been more of a liability.

"It's also a good job you didn't leave." whispered Pansy.

"Yeah… I was just thinking that." Harry said, at least they have some luck on their sides, "Hermione, Draco, you next."

They'd been taking turns being the first round a corner, so no one's senses grew dull to it, but having to check every time they reached a turn was also using up vital minutes. Draco stepped slowly forward, Hermione a few centimetres being behind.

Draco looked round the corner, peaking round as little as possible and moved back shaking his head. They all back tracked quickly, rounding another bend.

"Who is it?" Harry asked, once they were sure they were out of earshot.

"Bellatrix." Draco breathed, panic threatening to bubble up inside him, "She's trying to get into the Come and Go room, Gemini is with her as well."

Harry took several deep breaths and ran a hand through his hair, "OK…"

"Do you think she'll go after Corvus?" Neville said quickly, "Thomas is still with him, are they in danger?"

"I don't know." Harry said truthfully, "I do think we're going to need to split up. So far they haven't caused that much trouble. They're not trying to get into dorms or anything or the alarm would have been raised by now, which means I have to get to Dad's office."

He took a few more breaths, finalising a plan in his head, his friends watching him closely and the corridor around them.

"Ok, Neville and Draco, you go to the hospital wing," Harry told them, "Don't try and move anyone but let Madam Pomfrey know there is an attack under way… call Dobby, if we're right, his mother is in trouble as well but apart from that he can make it far more difficult for anyone who you guys don't approve to get in there. Be ready to defend it anyway."

"Ok." Neville and Draco nodded.

Harry pulled the Felix Felicis from his pocket, "Take a mouthful of this first, I want to get it to as many of us as possible."

Neville and Draco didn't argue, taking a tiny sip of the potion and nodded, running off down the hallway.

"Daphne and Pansy, go to the Slytherin common room, tell Astoria to stay in her room! Get all of them in the dorms if you can." Harry said, "And make sure Rodolphus is safe."

"Harry… we'll go, of course, but what happens if they do come for Rodolphus and he wants to go with them?" Pansy asked.

Harry shook his head, "I don't know. But I know that we have to try. Send off a signal, on the old DA coins, not sure who will see it any more but it's got to be worth a try. Take some of the potion as well."

Daphne and Pansy took a sip each and handed the still half full vial back and heading quickly back down the corridor.

"Just you and me." Harry said to Hermione, giving her a half smile, "You OK with this?"

Hermione clutched her wand firmly, "Lets go."

They each took a sip of potion and moved quickly down the corridor. The Come and Go room was still there, but no one was outside guarding it so they slipped quickly by. Harry could hear frustrating yelling from inside, and a lot of things smashing and considered trying to block them in there, but the Come and Go room always worked for whoever was inside at the time.

They continued down the hallways, much faster now they knew they had luck on their side and there was only two of them.

They were half way to Severus office when a bright, white light flashed by them.

"That was a Patronus." Hermione whispered, pulling Harry to a stop.

Harry nodded, "Yeah… It's weird, Dad said that very few Death Eaters could produce a corporeal Patronus."

They rounded the next corner, from where the Patronus had come and saw Lily and Severus sprinting down the hall towards his office.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a quick look and sprinted after them.

"Mum!" Harry called.

She didn't answer, or even slow down. Harry wasn't sure if it was because she didn't hear him or she couldn't stop, either way he and Hermione didn't stop either.

He was out of breath, a painful stitch forming in his side when he reached the corridor that held Severus office.

The door was wide open, and Harry felt panic rise even further within him at the sound of the screams from Lily. He'd heard that level of screams before, in his memories; Lily screamed like that when Voldemort was trying to kill him as a baby and when he'd returned from the graveyard at the end of fourth year and she couldn't get to him.

Another Patronus flew passed them from the office as Harry and Hermione slowed their run down so they could make the door without crashing into whoever was in there.

Harry reached the door and saw a flash of black hair laying in a pool of blood before he felt strong hands grab him, pulling him back and pushing him into the wall.

"Hey!" he shouted.

Lucius let him go, looking grave as Narcissa entered the office.

"You need to stay here, Harry." Lucius said firmly, "You too, Miss Granger."

"The castles under attack; I need to talk to Dad!" Harry said, heading to the door again.

Lucius slammed Harry into the wall again, knocking the air from his lungs, "No." he ordered, "We know about the attack. You don't want to see who's in there."

"Why?" Hermione asked, "Who's in there?"

Lucius looked at Harry, causing a lump to form in Harry's throat. There was such grief and sadness in his eyes, and so much pain.

"Lucius… please tell us who's in there." Harry whispered, "I… I saw blood…"

"Harry I… I'm so sorry." Lucius said, tears streaming down his pale cheeks, "It's Danica." and with that he went into the room, shutting the door behind him.

Harry felt his world collapse. He slid down the rough stone wall until he was sitting on the floor. Hermione was calling his name, sounding urgent but so very far away.

"Harry!" Hermione begged, "Please Harry you have to get up! Please don't leave me."

"I saw blood… Danica is in there and I saw blood…" Harry mumbled.

Hermione looked around. They were alone currently but how long that would last she didn't know and Harry seemed to be going into some sort of shut down.

The door to the office flew open and Hermione fell back against the wall, wand raised to protect herself and Harry.

Narcissa stepped out looking like some ghost from a horror film. Her perfect moss green dress was covered in horrible dark patches of blood. It was an awful lot of blood. Blood that was also smeared on her face and covered her wand and hands. Her neat blonde hair had fallen from it's chignon and fell over her shoulders.

"Lady Narcissa?" Hermione said slowly.

Narcissa looked around but didn't seem to really see them, her eyes swimming with terror she took off towards the front door, Lucius following a minute or so later.

Narcissa wasn't sure if she was going to scream, throw up or simply shatter. Every time she closed her eyes she could see Danica, innocent, tiny Danica on that hard, cold, stone floor. She was sure that was all she would ever see from now on whenever she closed her eyes.

She didn't think. She couldn't think, her brain screaming at her as she rushed through the corridors with only one goal in mind.

Lucius was close behind her, she didn't care. He was either going to help her, or try and stop her and nothing on earth could stop her now.

Fenrir would have been easy to track, even without a spell. Knocked over ornaments and torn paintings and splatters of blood. So much damage and it wasn't even a full moon.

The idea of Fenrir, of what had happened, happening during a full moon made her head scream louder. A painful wave of grief hit her. She was going to explode, no human could possibly deal with this.

She kept going though, now was not the time to fall apart.

Bill Weasley was laying bleeding on the floor and Narcissa paused for a moment, the harsh gash across his face told her he'd tried to stop Fenrir from leaving the castle and paid the price. It did however mean that back up was here, there would be others here now to help them.

Bill was still bleeding, so she flicked her wand to send of a Patronus, but nothing came, she was too upset to call up a happy memory at that moment.

"We've sent word Miss, you needn't worry." a painting of a Centaur told her from the corner of a tattered frame.

Narcissa gave him a quick nod and continued along the trail.

Fenirir was outside, he'd caught a deer from the Forest and was tearing it apart on the grass, pulling off large chunks of still warm meat and chewing on them greedily.

Narcissa didn't pause or hesitate, she pointed her wand the second she was in range, every ounce of pain and rage and fear bursting out of her.

"CRUCIO!"

Fenrir had been too busy to even notice her approach and fell back from his kill, screaming and howling in pain as he thrashed around wildly.

She didn't stop, walking closer until she was standing only just out of reach, still not stopping the torture as her blood boiled.

"Cissy! Cissy stop it!" Lucius hissed, pulling her arm up and breaking the connection.

Fenrir didn't try and move, shaking still from the waves of pain.

Narcissa shoved her husband away, swearing at him and pushing her hair wildly away from her face.

"Crucio!" she screamed, rounding on the huddling Fenrir once again, and once again his screamed filled the otherwise silent night.

Lucius cleared the space between them in a couple of steps and fought with her to break her focus, although this time with slightly more difficulty. Finally managing to spin her round to face him.

"Stop it!" he told her, "You are not your sister." he spat, slightly more harshly than he meant to.

Narcissa gave him a heartbroken thump on his chest as the tears began to stream down her face, "Right now? Right now I need to be exactly like my sister!" she spat, "You saw what that monster did to her! You saw it! Do you think, for one second he is, or ever will, suffer more than he hurt her?"

Lucius looked at her through his own tear filled eyes, "No… no of course not. And the gods know he deserves it. But now is not the time for revenge. Lily needs you. Every student in that school is in danger still. The time for revenge will come later, but not with him."

Narcissa took several heaving breath and nodded, wiping her face with her sleeve, something she hadn't done since she was younger than Danica and took a deep breath.

"Go find Lily." Lucius told her.

Narcissa nodded and hurried back off to the castle, leaving Lucius and the trembling Fenrir.

Fenrir had been caught so off guard, and the force of the spell had been so strong he still hadn't moved, but he had thrown up and soiled himself.

Lucius pointed his wand disdainfully at him, "You're pathetic."

"I… I thought she was going to kill me." Fenrir croaked out, "Bloody women."

"Says the coward that goes after children." Lucius sneered.

"Bite 'em young." Fenrir snarled, before coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"So you were not ordered after Danica?" Lucius said carefully, "No one told you where to look?"

Fenrir shook his head, still getting shocks of pain with every breath, "No… I smelt 'er… little thing let me in when I knocked… thought I were her mam."

Lucius nodded, "Thank you, that's all I needed to know. And I want you to know this; I didn't stop my wife because I thought she was in the wrong, I would have been quite happy for her to continue in fact, but we really didn't have the time to waste. Avada Kedavra."

Fenrir's face filled with shock as the bright green light hit him and he fell down into the wet grass, eyes staring open but blank at the sky.

Lucius turned and walked calmly back up to the castle.