There was a light in the stone corridor. It came from no obvious source, perhaps from the rock itself. It was a cold, dim light. It had no colour, unless it was grey. They moved as a group along the corridor. The light was enough to move by but not enough to make anything out in detail. It was the kind of twilight where things seemed clearer from the corner of your eye than when you looked directly at them.
As they crept forwards, the floor of the tunnel, for that was what it felt to be, started to slope downwards. Harry remembered entering Alorea Rakissen's lair. This tunnel had a similar feeling to the stairway they had descended under Beverly University. The tunnel grew steeper to the point where it needed care not to slip downwards as you walked. Harry could not help but think that this would be a hard route to leave by in a hurry. The 'door' at the end that took so much care to move through added to the difficulty. He realised why Ron's progress through the wall had seemed jerky and hesitant. He had been pushing to go faster and every time he moved too quickly it had resisted. When it did that your natural reaction was to push harder. That did not work, you had to move slowly and smoothly. If they were being chased…
He shook himself mentally. As he did so he realised that the slope of the tunnel was levelling out. He also realised that, no matter how long he spent in that gloom, his eyes were not becoming any more accustomed. He could make out large shapes but no detail. The corner of his eye gave tantalising hints at details, but he gained nothing by looking any closer.
They stopped. Ahead of them, the tunnel was misbehaving. It was not being a tunnel any more, it led off in different directions. Harry tried to look sidelong down each side tunnel. He could make out hints of other tunnels branching or turning off from the tunnels which led from where they were standing. Harry itched to light his wand tip to see more detail, but he did not want to announce their presence. He prickled with a feeling that they were being watched. With a shock, he remembered Alorea's lair once more. They had not been able to perform any wand magic. Only Lydia's peculiar magic had worked and she had had little control over that. Now he itched to try any magic.
"Point me," he whispered holding out his wand flat on the palm of his hand.
He felt, rather than watched, the wand spin around once then point almost straight forwards. The tunnel they had come down had taken them almost northwards. Harry sighed louder than he had intended. At least their wands were still working, and they could tell which way they were going. If only they knew which way they needed to go they would not be helpless. Harry decided to take a route as close to due north as possible. He held his arm out in front of him, showing the others which way to go. He led the way.
Every sound they made echoed back to them louder than expected. Shuffling, clinking, stepping, breathing, it all came back to them like the sound of an inept army marching. The further they went the more eyes Harry felt were watching them. Harry caught, or almost caught, glimpses of something. They were so far into the corner of his eye that it seemed to be through the side of his head. Someone, or something, was moving in a parallel tunnel, watching them. Always watching.
Turning a corner from an eastward tunnel to face north again Harry stopped the team. Ahead was a hint of light. He could still not see anything but vague shapes, space versus rock, but the deep twilight had a warmer glow ahead of them. They crept on, taking more care but still raising treacherous echoes. They rounded two more corners, each time the light getting stronger and warmer. By now they could see the rough-hewn texture of the stone walls and floor of the tunnel. Harry stopped the team again and indicated to them to listen. They each held their breath. They could make out the faintest murmuring of voices, not at a great distance but still indistinct. The murmuring was shrouded in echoes, making individual sounds run into each other like ink on wet paper.
A hand grasped Harry's, pushing something into it. Harry looked down. He held an empty phial. It was one of the phials Dennis had used for his Indifference Draught. Dennis was reminding him they were still covered by its effects. Harry turned to Tempest and Ron to show them the phial. They understood the implications as well. Cheered by this, Harry led them on with great care.
After a few more turns in the tunnel they found its end. It opened onto a wide circular cavern. The cavern had a domed ceiling. It reminded Harry and Ron of the cavern where they had found Granville, below Throakley Mine. This cavern was bare and coloured by the stone of the ceiling and the sand on the floor. It was lit by burning torches in freestanding sconces. The warm yellow light they gave seemed to glow on the sand beneath, but was swallowed by the deep grey of the stone above. Their burning gave a bitter taste to the air.
In the centre of the circular floor were four stone blocks, the size and height of dining tables. Two figures were stretched out on two of these tables. They were tied down. Six or seven other figures stood around them, talking in low voices. From where Harry's team were standing, they could not make out facial features. It was a fair assumption that the two captives were the agents, Eggington and Kettleburn.
Harry gestured to his companions. He was careful not to draw any attention that might break down the effects of Dennis's indifference potion. He indicated that he and Tempest would approach directly. Ron would circle around one side and Dennis around the other. Ron and Dennis set off. It was just possible to follow Dennis's footprints in the sand a short distance as he moved away. Having lost sight of Ron, Harry could not spot him again. It was reassuring to know that the Indifference Draught was working so well. After allowing time for the others to get in place, he and Tempest inched forwards, keeping low and moving smoothly.
A wailing sound rang out across the cavern. The figures around the tables leapt into action. Two set up a powerful shield charm, others at the edge of the shield started to fire Stunning Spells in the direction of the two aurors. Harry and Tempest dived and rolled to the right, setting up their own shield and firing their own spells. Behind the shield, beyond the stone tables, they saw another of the figures standing over one of the captives. He was holding something in both hands over the figure on the table. It caught the light of one of the torches, flashing against the dark backdrop. It was a knife.
"Tem! Hold!" Harry barked.
The firing ceased, though the shields stayed in place. The figure with the knife plunged it down into the chest of the prisoner. The blade was yanked backwards. The chest tore open. There was a gush of blood and froth. The victim twitched against its bonds, then lay still. Blood poured over the edge of the stone table, darkening the sand below.
Into the stunned silence, the figure with the knife spoke. "In case you think we are playing some kind of game, Potter," it hissed. "Your spy, Kettleburn, begs to differ. And your other spy, Eggington, would like you to lay down your wands – before she gets the same…"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A spell burst out of nowhere to strike the knife wielder, freezing him solid.
"Confringo!"
Ron came in from the other side, now visible. His spell exploded behind the enemy shield charm in a flash of red. It threw the remaining enemies across the floor.
Harry and Tempest leaped forwards. Dennis appeared and ran towards the remaining prisoner. Ron sprang towards the scattered enemies, stunning to left and right.
"Oi! Hey!" Shouting came from either side as more Death Eaters charged into the cavern through other tunnels. Dennis had released Phyllis, the remaining undercover agent. They disappeared under Harry's cloak. Ron sprinted across the sand towards Harry and Tempest.
"Run!" he bellowed at them.
Tempest dropped to the floor and sent stunning spells in a rapid-fire stream at the emerging Death Eaters.
In an instant, darkness fell over the whole cavern.
"This way," came Dennis's voice from the direction of the tunnel. They ran towards the sound. Agent Phyllis was sobbing and moaning. They could hear Dennis trying to calm her.
"She's injured," Dennis said as they found each other.
"Me, too," Ron said. "I just ran into the bloody wall."
They were in the entrance to the tunnel. Tempest joined them. Dennis was holding Phyllis, whose leg was bleeding freely. The Invisibility Cloak was over his shoulder, making him look as though he were being cut in two.
"Bombarda Maxima?" Ron suggested. "I could bring down the roof on them all."
"Muggle houses above," Harry said. "Don't."
The darkness was starting to clear
"You get going, I'll hold them off," Tempest grunted.
"Wait!" said Dennis. "I've got something here."
Dennis threw something in the air over their heads. In a swirl of greyness they shot back through the tunnels they had come down at a dizzying pace. After a second or two they stopped. They were in the maze of tunnels Harry had managed to guide them through on the way in.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
"Flee Powder," came Dennis and Ron's simultaneous reply.
"Just one thing," Harry pointed out. "We have no idea where we are in the maze."
"On the bright side, we're not dead yet," Dennis countered. "And the chances are, they don't know where we are, either."
Harry scowled but nobody saw it in the dim, grey light. "If they know their way through they could be at the door guarding it by the time we get there."
"Ah," said Dennis.
"Do you have any more Flee Powder, Dennis?" Ron asked.
"Yes and no. I had some, I dropped it."
"The Death Eaters might find it," Harry said. "They might use it to come after us."
"Hope so," said Ron. "We're their enemies. The powder would take them further away from us."
"Tem," said Harry. "Can you do anything for Phyllis's leg?"
"Already on it, chief," Tempest replied. "I think I've stopped the bleeding but it's hard to see and I don't want to light us up for the enemy."
"OK," said Dennis in a softer tone. "We still have the Indifference effects working on us. I'll give Phyllis some, as well. Now they've lost sight of us it should help us if we move slowly and quietly. I'm not sure how effective it is if someone is actively looking for you but I'm guessing we'll find out if we come across them."
"I know we need to go roughly Southwards to the door," Harry murmured. "And I can point us that way, but we're going to have to stay quiet, dark and move slowly. If only we could see where we're going. It's going to slow us down bumping into walls and dead ends."
"I have some Supersensory Solution, Harry," Dennis whispered. "Four phials, about ten to fifteen minutes each. You should hold on to them all and be our eyes and ears. Let's hope we don't take too long getting to the door."
"Keep close," Harry hissed. "Tem. Can you bring up the rear?"
They set off as quietly as they could. Harry took the first of the Supersensory Solutions. Within a few seconds the tunnels became clearer and brighter to him, making it easier to move. The downside was that he could hear, amplified, the noise his party were making. It made him cringe. He came across many dead-end tunnels as they followed a course as close to south as he could manage. From time to time he got the group to stop to see if he could hear their pursuers. There was nothing he could catch.
The supersensory effect ran out. Harry felt as though a bag had dropped over his head. He sought out the second phial in his pocket. He drank it, thinking that they did not seem to have progressed far on that first phial. More dead ends. Each time he tried to alternate left turns with right turns, so that they did not stray too far from their path to the south.
After taking the third phial Harry thought he heard voices down the tunnels. They were too muffled by stone and distance for even his enhanced ears to be able to hear what was being said. He thought about slowing down but was too aware that he had only one more phial of the solution.
Shortly after drinking the contents of the final phial Harry came across a series of dead ends. Three times the way to the south was blocked by solid stone. This must be the edge of the maze, he realised. He hoped the tunnel which led up to the door was close by. Whether it was right or left he did not know. He resolved to go to the left, trying very hard to remember the way back in case he found the eastern path blocked. After four, five, six dead ends to the south he found the spot where the paths had parted. From here the slope led upwards.
Harry gathered the group together at the meeting of the paths. He saw now that Ron's face was caked with dried blood. It must have been from when he ran into the wall as they were leaving the chamber.
"The door is up this slope," he breathed. "We must assume it is guarded. We must assume we could be attacked from behind, if the alarm is raised. If we find guards ahead we must knock them out as quickly and quietly as possible. Don't forget to go through the door slowly and smoothly. Rush and you'll get stuck. Let's go."
They crept forwards and up the tunnel. Harry wanted to hurry before the effects of the solution wore off but needed to move as quietly as possible. The journey back up to the door became agonising. It seemed to go on so long he wondered whether they might be in a false corridor. Then he stopped.
Ahead, in what was distant gloom even to his augmented vision, he could make out two figures. They appeared to be standing at the end of the corridor, by the door. He could only see their heads, as the slope of the tunnel levelled out ahead of where Harry's party currently stood.
Harry turned to Ron and gave him hand signals, right in front of his face. Two guards ahead. Ron nodded to indicate that he had seen and understood Harry's signal. Harry held up his wand and pointed to Ron. Ron held up his in reply. They would stun the guards on Harry's signal. Harry gestured to Tempest to have the rest of the party stay where they were until Harry and Ron had dealt with the guards. Tempest held up his hand in agreement.
Harry and Ron crept forwards. They crouched low, each keeping to the nearest wall. They held their wands out before them and tried to move silently. Harry stopped and nodded to Ron. Without a word spoken they stunned the guards.
An unholy screeching of alarm went up, ringing down the tunnels.
"Move," Harry and Ron shouted at the others.
Tempest bustled Dennis and Phyllis forwards towards the door. He crouched and turned to face the rear, wand held out. He shuffled backwards towards the door, facing back down the tunnel.
"This is the door," said Dennis to Phyllis. "Take your time. We should be a long way ahead by now. If you rush you might get stuck."
She nodded.
Harry went first. He passed through crouching low, in case anyone was waiting for them.
A flash of green lit the tunnel. They heard Tempest crumple to the floor. Ron swore.
"Bombarda!" he shouted, turning and pointing his wand upwards.
There was a flash and part of the tunnel roof collapsed, between them and the dead auror.
Ron ushered Phyllis and then Dennis through the door, before bringing up the rear.
"Out the front to the van," said Harry, pointing the way.
There was a crash behind them as someone burst through the back door. Harry spun around and stunned two guards. Then he ran to the front door, wand in hand. He opened the door. It was an ordinary muggle day outside. People were starting to return home from their jobs. They rushed across the street and bundled Phyllis and Dennis into the back of the van. Harry and Ron got in at the front, Ron in the driver's seat.
"Just try not to fly," Harry said to him as Ron started the engine and crunched the gears. They swerved out into the avenue, turning left onto Spring Bank West towards Willerby.
6