Chapter 42

The weekend arrived faster than Harry expected mainly because the rest of the week had proved to move very smoothly. Crabbe and Goyle came down with the most mysterious case of what was thought to be food poisoning at lunch that Tuesday and had been carted off to the Hospital wing.

His work on the Platinum band was proceeding with great speed the last of the enchantments was in place and he would begin work on the Fire Diamond on the weekend if everything went all right with the Malfoy's move into Grimmauld Place.

Hermione protested over and over that she and Ron should accompany them on their mission to Malfoy Manor, but since there would be members of the Order of the Phoenix present Harry didn't want to take any chances with encountering Voldemort and putting the Phoenix Prophesy in action.

"You will be careful, Harry?" she pleaded as he was about ready to leave their rooms.

He turned and cupped her face. "We'll be in and out, quick as a snitch."

He leaned in and kissed her lightly. "See you in a little while."

"You have your mirror?" she stalled.

He patted his cloak.

"And you'll call me the second you are at Grimmauld Place?"

"Yes, dear."

She frowned at that. "Okay, go on."

He slung Sirius' cloak over his shoulder, remembering what Tonks said about it looking more dashing that way, and smiled at Hermione before he left. "I love you."

He could see she was devastated at being left behind while he was going off to possibly risk his life, and his smile faltered.

"I love you, too."

**************************

The Room of Requirement was a busy place at ten o'clock on a Saturday morning. Malfoy was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands looking very nervous. Harry was surprised that his hair wasn't slicked back and hung in long strands on either side of his face.

Dumbledore was going over some last minute details with Snape and Tonks. Applegate was busy stretching, or something like it, and Lupin sat twiddling his thumbs watching everyone.

"Everyone about ready?" Harry asked as he walked through the door.

"You're three minutes late, Potter." Snape almost snapped.

Harry ignored him.

"Everyone gather around," announced Dumbledore. He held up a long pillowcase. "This will be your portkey to Narcissa Malfoy's bedroom. According to Draco's information she should be in there all morning waiting for your arrival."

Harry looked over at Malfoy and saw him staring intently at Dumbledore's words.

"The portkey will reactivate and send all of you to Harry's estate only when all seven of you are holding the casing."

Snape took over, "I do not anticipate there will be any resistance. This is but a precautionary measure. However if there is a problem ..."

"Like someone cursing you to death." Harry added.

Snape sneered at Harry, "If there is a problem I want you two," he pointed at Harry and Draco, "behind us at all times."

"What if their cursing us to death from behind us?" asked Harry.

Draco snorted.

"These are not fun and games, Potter." Snape snarled again.

"I realize that. Probably more than you do."

He watched at Snape's eyes widened at the insult.

Tonks stepped in before things got out of hand. "Let's remember why we all are here."

Harry looked over at Draco, "Sorry."

"Can we go now? My mother is probably sick with worry."

Dumbledore held out the pillowcase, "Everyone try to remain facing outward so as to keep an eye out when you arrive."

He released the pillowcase to their hands and counted off, "Three, two , one," and they were off.

Harry had his wand out and ready as they came to a halt in a white and black bedroom to the sudden yip of Narcissa Malfoy as some of them tumbled to the ground.

Except for her presence, the room was empty.

"Draco!" an excited whispering voice called. She was across the room in a second pulling her son into her arms.

Applegate was halfway to check the bedroom door when it opened. "Did you say som..."

"Stupify!"

Whoever it was slammed out into the hallway against the wall from Applegate's stunning spell.

Yelling came from down stairs at the noise and they heard a number of footfalls heading up the stairs.

"Colloportus!" Applegate sealed the door. "Hurry!"

Narcissa opened an overly large Armoire and starting pulling out bags. Harry slung two over his shoulders and Draco had grabbed one when they heard noise at the door.

"Back up!" they heard the voice from behind the door.

Snape called for shield spells.

Harry dropped the bags, "Oh, bugger this, move!" Tonks jumped aside as Snape made a grab for Harry's cloak. He pulled his wand hand back and slung it forward in a large whipping motion. "Explodere Utweard!"

Lupin recognized the spell as soon as Harry said the first word, "DUCK!"

A good portion of the wall near the door exploded outward upon whoever was on the other side. Dust and sheetrock showered everyone in the room.

Applegate was the first one to his feet, rushing to the ... not the door, but the large eight foot hole where the wall used to be. Harry was waving the dust out of his face and advancing with him.

"Windan!" Applegate called.

A gust of wind blew the dust outward into the hall and the main portion of the house. The area cleared. Tonks came up after and exclaimed, "Blimey, Harry where did you learn that?"

"Is that you, wee little Potty?" came a voice from downstairs.

Harry stiffened. "Lestrange!"

Tonks looked up? "Bellatrix Lestrange?"

He nodded. "I'd know her voice anywhere."

"Get over here this instant, Potter!

He looked back at Snape. "We can't just leave her here."

Applegate agreed, "We have a chance in bringing down one of the worst of his Death Eaters. As an Auror I can't pass this up."

Tonks nodded. "Stay here and guard our retreat, Harry, you too."

"But ..."

"No butts this time, Harry. This is serious business. Come on Applegate."

"I forbid this." Snape called as quiet and as stressful as he could.

"Go blow it out your butt, Severus." said Tonks as she went around corner.

Harry pointed his wand at the figures on the floor, "Incarcerous!"

Ropes flew out of his wand and wrapped around the four unconscious bodies underneath the rubble. He heard wand blasts from downstairs.

Dammit!

He felt someone next to him.

"You ready, Potter?" Draco Malfoy whispered.

"Let's go."

He turned back, "Protect my mother, Professor."

Snape bounced down on the bed, "Well Lupin are you going after them or am the only responsible person in this house."

Narcissa pulled out her arm out of Snape's grasp, "Go blow it out of your butt, Severus. Be careful Draco."

They took a few steps toward the stairway and looked around the corner and down to the floor below. Tonks and Applegate were pinned behind a very strong looking chest of drawers while three figures in black were throwing hexes at them from good cover.

"Is there another way down there?"

Malfoy nodded and led him back to a dumbwaiter set into the wall. They climbed inside and set it in motion slowly going downward.

"We'll be sitting ducks for a moment." he said.

Harry nodded. "All I need is a moment."

They reached the bottom and cracked the door open a sliver to see where the enemy stood with their back to them.

"There's Lestrange. I don't recognize the other two. Must be new."

Bellatrix was hopping back and forth from behind a wall with glee as she hurled hex after hex . The other two, seemingly a tad more sane squatted behind a very plush couch spouting stuffing every time Tonks' wand appeared from hiding.

"Slowly," Harry whispered.

The space was so cramped that he let Malfoy go first. He slipped quietly as he could out of the dumbwaiter and Harry was right behind them.

Malfoy pointed at himself and the two new Death Eaters and he let Harry take Lestrange. Harry agreed.

A number of hexes and jinxes came to mind including a couple of Unforgivable Curses. Instead he chose something that would cause the greatest amount of pain possible and keep him out of Azkaban.

"Bullire Poppen!" he yelled with all the anger he could put into it.

Bellatrix Lestrange screamed!

"Stupify! Stupify!" Malfoy called.

"Incarcerous!" Harry yelled again.

Robes flung out and bound her as she screamed in pain.

She tried to scream out the counter-curse, but couldn't think through the pain as she collapsed to the floor.

"Accio Wand!"

Her wand flew out from her hand and the second Harry had it he snapped it in half.

"Incarcerous! Incarcerous!'

Harry briefly looked behind him at Tonks and Applegate as they wrapped up the other Death Eaters.

Then he noticed Malfoy was beside him. "Popping Boil Curse?"

Harry nodded.

"Nice one."

"Thanks."

"Hope that pus comes out of the carpet. Mother hates nothing more than a stubborn stain."

He was bumped from behind. Tonks.

"Oh give her the counter-curse already I'm tired of hearing her scream."

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "There's a counter-curse? Malfoy, you know of any counter-curse."

He shrugged his shoulders as well. "Don't know what you mean, Potter. You know I don't pay attention in your class."