Sorry about the shortness of the last chapter. I didn't want to get too much into the rescue mission. Thanks to all reviewers. You guys kick ass.
Buckle up. It's going to be a looooong chapter.
Ron felt better than he had in days. For the first time in a while, his mind was clear. The pain that had been wracking his entire being had subsided to a dull roar. He knew he was in in intense pain, but compared to what he had been feeling, it was little more than an annoyance. He was vaguely aware that if he had felt this kind of pain before he had been separated from Hermione, he would have been reduced to tears. He was aware that his pain tolerance had increased since he had been captured. He was growing stronger.
He looked down at his dirty hands and was shocked at what he saw. All of his fingernails were practically destroyed. The tips of his fingers were bleeding horribly. He wondered how he had ruined his hands until he glanced down at the floor.
In the stone floor there were long gouge marks. He put his fingers up to the marks and realized that he had made them. He must have made them while he was so filled with pain that he hadn't even been aware of what he was doing.
Even before becoming a Sentinel, he had always been a strong boy. He had been able to hold his own in a fight, using his strength to overpower others. But nothing like this. How had he been able to make gouges in pure stone?
Ron looked around him and found a fist size rock. It must have come separated from wall. He picked up the stone and examined it. It felt weak in his large hands. With a grunt, he squeezed. The rock, made of pressurized stone and carved by magic, crumbled in his hand.
Impossible, he thought.
For the first time in over two days, Ron stood up from the floor. His muscles were tight from neglect. He stretched his large frame, working the kinks out of all his muscles.
He was thirsty. He hadn't drank anything in two days and his body was telling him so. He stumbled over to his mattress and found a bowl of water. Someone must have put it in his cell while he was incapacitated. A disturbing thought.
Ron drank the water in three huge gulps. He dropped the bowl and it shattered on the stone floor.
Time to get the hell out of here, he thought.
He stumbled over to the sturdy door. It was made of thick, sturdy wood.
"If I can crack stone, I should be able to break wood." Ron mumbled under his breath.
He threw his shoulder into the door. The wood didn't even splinter.
"Sometimes I hate magic." he muttered and walked back over to the corner in which he had been spending most of his time.
He sat down and rubbed his aching temples.
Ron knew he was in a bad situation. He was being held captive by a fanatical group of superhumans. That alone should have worried him. But he couldn't concentrate. Hermione was coming.
That thought made him smile. He hadn't been aware of his growing power because of the pain. But now that she was getting closer by the second, the pain had all but disappeared. He could feel her. Ever since he had beaten up Kyle and released the magic within himself, he had almost had a sixth sense when it came to Hermione. And now it was much stronger.
He had no idea where she was, but he knew she was coming. She could be a thousand miles away, but she was getting nearer. And for the first time in days, Ron felt good.
He was brought out of his brooding when his cell door opened. He looked up and saw Nia Larivey, the woman who had first captured Ron and Hermione, swagger in. She smiled mockingly and strutted into the center of the cell. "Get up." she commanded.
Ron laughed. "No." he said simply.
"Get up." she said again.
"Why should I?" Ron asked. "You and your Brotherhood's caused me nothing but pain. I don't have to listen to you."
Nia continued to smile. "I see you've recovered. You should have seen yourself. For the last few days, you've done nothing but roll around and cry like a little girl."
Ron felt anger rise up within him, but he fought it. He knew she was trying to egg him on. Why, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to play her sick games.
Nia seemed to lose her patience. "You're to be tested." she hissed.
"I already past your damn test."
"Dent wants to see if you've improved through your time in here. Get up."
Ron didn't move.
Nia snarled and launched herself at Ron, her fist leading the way.
To Ron, it looked like slow motion. He waited until the last possible moment and then pushed off from the ground with his hand. He flew through the air and landed more than ten feet from where he had been laying.
Nia's fist landed where Ron's head had been moments before. She stood quickly and whipped around to face Ron. When she saw that he wasn't going to make a move, she laughed and brushed pieces of cracked stone from her knuckles.
"You're faster, Mr. Weasley."
That's not all, Ron thought, but he kept quiet.
"Let's see if you're stronger than you were the day that I captured you."
She ran to where Ron was standing and threw a punch at his head.
Ron remembered how fast the woman had seemed just a few days before. He almost laughed as he caught her fist in his hand. He gave her hand a quick squeeze, and the woman fell to her knees a scream.
"Does that answer your question?" Ron asked sweetly. He released her hand and turned his back on her. "Get out." he said.
Nia pushed herself off of her. She stared at Ron's back with pure hatred. How could someone so young be so powerful? It went against everything the Brotherhood had believed in for centuries. No, she thought.
She kicked out at Ron. She aimed her foot at his lower back, a crippling blow.
Quicker than thought, Ron spun and caught her foot against his side in his left hand. Using his right hand, Ron reached out and grabbed her coat. He pulled her forward until her face was inches from his.
"The young boy you left in this cell is dead." Ron spat. He pushed Nia away. She stumbled back and landed on her backside. She had a shocked look on her face. She hobbled out of the door.
Ron didn't try to make a dash for the open door. He was sure it was sealed magically, even when it was open. Dent is watching me somehow, Ron thought. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known that I had stopped screaming.
Ron raised his arms in a questioning stance. "Who's next, Dent?"
When no answer came, Ron went and sat in his corner, content to feel Hermione inch her away across the country towards him.
***
In a car, a drive from Southern Florida to New Mexico would take almost three days. In their magically improved bus, Harry and Company were making better time than that. They reached the Louisiana-Texas border at the end of the first night. They decided it was time for the first bathroom break. Fred announced that he was bringing the bus down. They touched down behind an old gas station. Making sure that no one was looking, Fred turned off the Invisibility booster.
Harry looked down at his own body, relieved to see it after so many hours. He stood and stretched. He looked around at his friends. Quentin, Draco and Susan had fallen asleep. Harry woke Quentin with a shake and Draco with a light slap. "Time to pee, boys."
Quentin stood quickly, "Sweet. I've had to go since Mississippi."
Everybody but Harry and Susan got off the bus. Harry still hadn't woken her.
He reached down to wake her, but stopped when Susan whimpered. She was having a nightmare. She was moving her head slightly from side to side and gripping her forearm tightly.
Harry had seen her grab her arm like that before. It was when she was at the Burrow, talking about her stepfather. Maybe she was dreaming about him.
Harry touched her shoulder softly and Susan came wide-awake. She flinched away from him with her hands shielding her face.
"Whoa, Susan, it's me." Harry said placatingly.
Susan seemed to remember where she was, because she slowly brought her hands down from her face. She began to tremble slightly and tears welled up in her eyes.
Harry had no idea what to do. He slid into the seat next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder. He did it slowly, afraid to frighten her by moving quickly. He shouldn't have worried. As soon as he touched her, she flung her arms around, him sobbing onto his shoulder.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Harry asked, not knowing what to say.
Susan shook her head quickly, but then said, "I'm so sorry."
"For what?"
"I let him do things to me."
"No, Susan! You were eight years, for God's sake. You didn't know any better. Never, never be sorry for what was done to you. If I had your father here, I would kill him myself."
This didn't seem to comfort Susan. She just trembled. "I've got to tell you something, and I want you to remember it."
"Sure."
She brought her head from his shoulder and looked into his face. "I want you to remember that whatever happens, I...care for you. I...love you. No matter what happens, you have to remember that."
Harry sat in shocked silence.
Susan took his silence for doubt. "I'm not sure if I even know what love is, Harry. But I feel more for you than I have for anyone in my entire life."
Susan leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. It was a short kiss, but Harry felt his soul soar.
"I just wanted to say that before something happened...before something went wrong."
Harry found his voice with difficulty. "What could go wrong?"
Susan shrugged. "Either of us could get hurt."
"No ones gonna get hurt, Susan.", Harry said and enveloped Susan in a tight hug.
God, he thought, if you let anything happen to her, I'll never forgive you.
Everyone eventually made trips to the bathroom. Once everyone was done, they all loaded back onto the bus and they were off again.
They flew for several more hours and to Harry, it felt like there was no end to Texas' rolling plains. It seemed to go on forever. Everyone fell asleep at one point.
Finally, the bus flew over the Texas-New Mexico border. They flew for about another half an hour when Hermione's voice rang out. "Go left a little!"
George's voice returned from where he must have been sitting behind the wheel. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! I can feel him. We're getting closer!" Hermione squealed.
The next two hours past with them flying steadily southwest. Hermione gave directions every few minutes. The bus flew over a barren wasteland. It wasn't quite a desert, but Harry could see why there weren't any settlements out here. No wonder the Brotherhood built their building out here, Harry thought. With a little bit of magic, they could go undetected for years.
"No one could ever find the building out here." Harry marveled.
"No one but Hermione." Fred's voice filtered over.
"Yeah. I bet they weren't expecting something like this."
"We can only hope."
In the distance rose a huge rock formation. Hermione told George to set the bus down a good mile away from the rocks. "He's in there. But we shouldn't get too close with the bus."
Harry reached into his pocket and was reassured by the presence of his wand. "Are you sure he's in there, Hermione? It just looks like a mountain."
"Yeah, he in there. It's not a mountain. It's a building. There's a spell on it like Hogwarts to make it look like a mountain."
George brought the bus down behind a hill large enough that it blocked the view of the mountain. He flicked the Invisibility Booster and the bus appeared around them.
Harry sighed. He was scared. Not for himself. He would gladly take this risk for Ron. He was scared for his friends. He was scared for the twins, whose good humor and enthusiasm rarely let them see the severity of situations. He was scared for Hermione, who could, in her want to free Ron, get herself hurt or killed. He was scared for Quentin, who was noble enough to risk his own life for someone he hadn't even met before. He was scared for Susan, whose horrible past made allowed her to accept pain if it was for the good of others. And He was scared for Ginny, whose inexperience and love for her brother could force her into taking unacceptable risks.
Harry glanced around him and realized that everyone was looking at him for directions. "I guess we'll go the rest of the way on foot. Stay close to the ground. We don't want them seeing us until we're knocking on the front door."
Everyone got off of the bus and they began the slow belly-crawl that brought hem to the base of the mountain. Harry looked at his friends as they crawled and noticed some of them were wearing new items. Both of the twins wore satchels tied onto their belts. Harry didn't know what was inside, but he knew he would find out soon.
Quentin had a staff strapped onto his back that Harry remembered the twins working on at the Burrow. Once again he didn't know what it was, but he knew now wasn't the time to ask.
The crawl took about a half-hour and by the time it was done, everyone was horribly dirty. It would have been funny if they weren't so close to Ron's abductors. Susan brushed dirt off of the long sleeved, wool dress that she always wore and Harry promised himself to ask her about it once they were done here.
"How are we supposed to get in?" Quentin asked, looking up at the imposing mountain. "I can't see any doors."
"Not to worry." George said and reached into his satchel. He pulled out a pair of wire-frame glasses that weren't that different than Harry's. "These glasses can see through magic. We heard Dumbledore had a pair and we just had make one." He slipped the glasses over his eyes and looked over the entire mountain. "This place is huge."
"What do you see?" Harry asked quietly.
"There's a door over here." George said and pointed about twenty feet to their left. He walked forward and disappeared into the mountain.
"George!" Harry whispered.
"What?", came a voice through the rock.
"You disappeared."
"No, I didn't. I just walked through the spell. Here." he said and the pair of glasses came flying out of the mountainside.
Harry caught them, took off his own glasses and put the new ones on. He nearly screamed when he looked up at the mountain. The mountain wasn't there anymore! In its place was a huge, multi-floored building. It was made of stone, like a castle, but it seemed to be fairly new. The cornerstones weren't worn like the rocks of Hogwarts.
In front of them was a small door. George was standing in front of it, inspecting the lock.
Harry walked over to George and took off of the glasses. The mountain didn't reappear. It must not work when you get this close, Harry thought. He tossed the glasses back to Ginny, who was still staring up at the mountain.
Harry turned back to George and said, "Can you open it?'
George snorted, as if Harry had greatly underestimated him. "Of course. I'm just worried if it's trapped."
"This seems too easy." Harry said.
George shrugged. "They probably don't expect anyone to get this far."
"Hermione said there were guards. Where are they?"
"Probably guarding the upper floors."
The rest of the group made it through the spell without difficulty. Soon, they were all standing in front of the door.
George bent down and began to fiddle with the lock. Within moments, there was a soft click and the door swung inward.
Everyone scurried through the door. They found themselves in a long, dark, stone corridor. It was lit sparsely by an occasional torch. There was no one in sight.
"This is too easy." Ginny muttered, echoing Harry's earlier comment.
"Relax." Fred said. "No point getting ourselves excited." But even he seemed nervous.
We're all scared, Harry thought. Quentin's hands held his staff so tightly that his knuckles were white.
Harry knew he had to take control. "The less resistance we get the better we're off. Let's bust Ron out and get the hell out of here." He turned to Hermione. "Which way?"
Hermione thought for a moment. "It's confusing. He's close, but I can't tell which direction. I think he's on a different level."
"Right." Harry muttered. "Well, we're not doing anything standing here. Let's go. Everyone stay quiet. I want as much warning as we can get if we run into trouble."
The group padded silently down the hall. Because of the flickering torchlight, Harry thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye at every step. He forced himself to remain calm, knowing that the others were looking to him to lead.
Harry drew the Sword of Gryffindor from its sheath and stalked forward.
They came to a stone stairs that led upward. Harry gave Hermione a questioning look. She closed her eyes for a moment and then pointed at the stairs.
Harry nodded and turned to the rest of the group. "Stay here. I'll check it out and motion you all forward once it's clear."
Everyone nodded but Ginny and Susan. "No, Harry.", they both said at the same moment. They looked at each other in shock.
After a moment, Ginny stepped forward. "You can't go by yourself. I'll come with you."
Harry cupped her chin affectionately. "Don't worry, Dot. I've been doing stuff like this since I was eleven."
But I've always had Ron at my side, Harry thought as he moved slowly up the stairs. He put his sword back into its sheath and moved up the stairs on all fours, his stomach scraping on each step. At the fourth step from the top, he quickly raised his head.
Standing at the end of a corridor was a guard. He blocked the way to a large, wooden door. He wore a blue cloak that came down to his ankles. Harry couldn't see his face, but he didn't need that to know that the man was one of the biggest individuals he had ever seen. On the man's hip, there was a huge, shining sword.
Harry slid back down the stairs as silent as possible.
When he got back down to the others, he said, "There's a guard up there. He's a way off, but we can't sneak by. We're gonna have to take him down. But it'll be hard. He's big."
"Leave it to me." Fred said. He turned to George and said. "What do you think? A blue one?"
George smiled and said. "Yeah. Blue would work."
Fred nodded and motioned for Harry to follow him. They both scaled the stairs slowly. Once they reached the top, Fred reached into his satchel and pulled what looked like a blue marble.
"Close your eyes, Harry." Fred whispered. "It's gonna be bright."
Fred threw the marble down the corridor toward the guard. Harry heard a exclamation of surprise, then a he heard a loud bang. There was a flash so bright that it hurt Harry's eyes even though they were closed.
"He's all yours, Harold." Fred whispered.
Harry charged over the lip of the stairs and saw the guard stumbling around rubbing his eyes. Harry knew that the guard would scream if he gave him a chance. Harry drew his sword and charged the befuddled man. He punched out with the hilt of the sword with all his strength. There was a loud thud as it connected with the base of the man's skull. The guard collapsed without a sound.
Fred motioned the rest of the group forward.
Harry bent over and felt for a pulse on the man's neck. His pulse was weak, but he was still alive.
Quentin walked over to Harry and said, "Whoa, Harry. You took him down."
Ginny looked slightly squeamish. "Is he...?"
Harry shook his head. "No. Just knocked out." Harry stood up from the man and put his sword back on his hip. "But we need to do something about him. He might wake up and raise an alarm."
"I've got just the thing." George said. He reached into his satchel and brought out a length of rope. He muttered something under his breath and tossed the rope on the man's unconscious body.
The rope suddenly began to slither like a snake. It coiled itself around the man's ankles and hands, restricting any movement.
"Where'd you guys get all this stuff?" Harry asked.
George snorted. "What do you think we've been doing for the last few days?" He turned to his twin. "How'd the Flareble work? I saw the flash."
"Like a charm. I told you they would work. We should sell them to the Ministry. They could use them against Voldie's army."
"We can worry about your career later." Hermione said. "Let's find Ron."
"Where to, Hermione?" Harry asked. "Is he through this door?"
"No. But we're getting closer."
Harry went to door at the end of the corridor and tried the handle, but it was locked.
Draco went back to the guard and began searching the body. He found the keys in pocket in the man's cloak. He held them up in triumph. "What would you squibs do without me?"
Hermione whipped out her wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohamora!"
The door opened with a small click.
"That's not fair." Draco muttered.
Harry motioned for the others to stay there and went through the door. Inside was a small room. It felt like a hospital. There were implements for healing all over the room and on the opposite wall was another door. Sitting at a small desk, writing on a parchment was a small, old woman.
"What is it, Jeremy?" she asked without looking back. "I told you I wanted to be left alone."
Harry didn't answer. He slipped forward as silent as possible and drew his sword. He put the blade against the side of the old woman's neck.
Her eyes widened comically. "What is the meaning of this?!" she screamed.
"Shut up." Harry commanded. "Get up." he said applying pressure to the sword.
The woman stood quickly and began trembling. "Please-"
"Quiet." Harry said. He felt really bad about scaring this old woman, but she was one of the people holding Ron. He needed to be firm. "Where is he?"
"Where is who?" she asked innocently.
"Don't play dumb. Where are they keeping Ronald Weasley?"
"I have no idea who you are talking about." she said, her eyes going to the door that Harry hadn't come through.
"Don't lie to me." Harry snarled.
"I swear I have no idea who you are talking about." Her eyes went to the door again.
Harry realized the woman was stalling for some reason. "Sit down." he told her and turned to the door that she kept looking at. He began to move toward it when it suddenly burst open.
An ancient man wielding an even older sword charged into the room. On his chest he wore a Sentinel's pin.
Great, Harry thought, I've pissed off a Sentinel.
The old man charged Harry and swung his old sword in a precise arc at his head.
Harry raised the Sword of Gryffindor just in time to deflect the blow. The force of it made his entire arm go numb. He was impossibly strong for an old man. Sentinel magic, Harry thought.
The man swung at Harry again. Instead of trying to block the blow, Harry dodged it, not trusting his arm to take another hit.
Harry had no idea how to use a sword, but he was quick and a natural athlete. Five years of Quidditch had sharpened his reflexes to a fine point. He trusted his speed as he dodged swing after swing of the old man's sword.
Harry trusted the little knowledge he had of Sentinels and continued to weave around the old man. After a dozen or so swings, the old man started to slow down. His swings came with less ferocity and his legs moved with a little less surety.
Harry knew that he had made a good gamble. Now that the Sentinel's bond-mate wasn't in harm's way, the magic was fading. The Sentinel was losing his strength.
After one final swing, the old man fell to the ground. The Sentinel magic was recoiling on him, like it had when Ron fought Kyle.
The old woman ran to her Sentinel and cradled the old man's head in her lap.
"Is he going to be OK?" Harry asked, genuinely concerned. He didn't want to be the cause of an old man's death.
The old woman raised her tear stricken face to Harry. "Yes, he'll be fine once he rests. He hasn't had to fight in almost a decade. But he fought well."
Harry had no idea what to do at this point, but he was rescued by Hermione, who had walked into the room at the sound of the fight.
"Anne?" she asked of the old woman.
The old woman looked to Hermione, and her eyes widened. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"
"Finding my bond-mate. We've been apart too long."
Anne nodded sadly. "I know. He's being Trained."
Hermione knelt next to Anne. "Tell me where he is." she pleaded.
Anne shook her head. "I can't. The Core would punish me."
"Anne, tell me. Imagine if they were keeping your bond-mate. What would you do to get him back?"
Anne heaved a heavy sigh. "Anything."
"Where is he?"
"The next floor up." Anne whispered. "But he's been creating quite a commotion today. There will be guards all over that level."
"Let us worry about that." Harry muttered. He turned to Hermione. "Lets' go."
Harry motioned the rest of the group into the room. They all looked in surprise at the unconscious, old man, but they didn't ask any questions.
"He's upstairs, but she says that floor will be swarming with guards." Harry explained. "It might come down to an all out brawl."
"We're ready, Harry." Quentin said gripping his strange staff.
Harry nodded and led them to the door that the old Sentinel had come through. They went through it and found themselves in another corridor. There were stairs about halfway down the hallway, and Harry ran up them.
He paused halfway up the stairs and turned to his friends. "This is it. Showdown time." He drew the Sword of Gryffindor and stared at its gleaming blade. It's ruby encrusted hilt pulsed beneath his fingers. "There might be too many to knock unconscious. If you have to kill...do it."
Everyone's eyes widened slightly but Draco's. He nodded grimly to Harry.
Draco understands, Harry thought. He realizes that we all might die any minute. The others still viewed it like it was some fairy tale where the 'good guys' always win.
Harry walked resolutely up the rest of the stairs. Once again there was a very long corridor. But at the end of the hallway were four guards. When they saw Harry, they reacted instantly. One of the guards ran down a different hallway, probably raising the alarm as he ran.
The three other guards drew their swords and bull-rushed the group.
Well, Harry thought, at least they're not Sentinels.
Harry leveled his sword, ready take on the charging guards, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Quentin smiling down at him.
"It's my turn, Harry."Quentin said calmly. He turned to the twins, holding his staff out before him. "I hope this thing works like you two said."
"It'll work." George said simply.
Quentin nodded and walked calmly toward the charging guards.
Seeing easy prey, the guards converged on Quentin swords swinging.
Quentin burst into action. He blocked an overhead chop and swung his staff at the attacking guard's legs. It connected firmly and Harry heard a strange hiss coming from the staff. The guard was tripped, and he fell to the ground. But he didn't get back up!
That left two guards to fight. They saw the effect the staff had on the other guard, so they advanced more slowly. Harry saw that if the guards had any intelligence, they would attack at the same time.
Quentin must have seen this as well, because he leaped at one guard, his staff whirling. He forced the guard back and away from his friend. Quentin swung his staff in sideways and it hit the guard in the hand. It was barely much more than tap, but the guard collapsed to the floor.
But the swing had cost Quentin valuable time. The remaining guard pulled his sword back, ready to plunge it into Quentin's
Harry and Draco burst into action. They sprinted towards the guard, but they would never make it in time.
Quentin is going to die, his mind screamed.
The guard thrust his sword into Quentin's exposed back. With a sickening sound that Harry would remember for the rest of his life, a full foot of steel erupted from Quentin's stomach. He grunted and stared down at the blood stained sword sticking out of his stomach.
Draco reached the guard as Harry reached Quentin. Draco mumbled a few inaudible words, and a cloud of putrid gas sprang out of his wand. It hit the guard squarely in the face, and he fell to his knees, vomiting and choking. Draco brought his knee up into the guard's face and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Quentin slumped over in Harry's arms, and Harry couldn't support his massive weight. Blood ran over Harry's arms as he held the person he had come to know as a friend. Quentin fell to his side, coughing up blood.
"Quentin!" Harry yelled. "Stay with me, man!"
Quentin's eyes sharpened slightly. "Harry?" he said weakly, blood running out of the corner of his mouth. "Did you see me? I took those bastards down."
Harry felt tears well up in his eyes. "Yeah, Quent, I saw."
"That last fool cut me, though. Harry...I-I-I think I'm dying."
"Don't say that!" Harry screamed. He turned back to the others who were looking at the scene in front of them with fear. "Do something!" he screamed at them.
The group stared back, looking as helpless as Harry felt.
Quentin shifted slightly. His eyes had closed, and Harry knew that if they didn't do something, they wouldn't reopen. "It's OK, Harry." he whispered. "Dying is not so bad." he smiled. "It-It doesn't hurt."
"You're not gonna die, God damn it." Harry muttered, trying to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. "Help me!" Harry yelled to the others. "We have to get him out of here!"
Draco bent down and helped lift Quentin from the ground, but Harry could see that he thought it was a useless effort. It was hard to carry him because of the sword still impaled in his stomach. There was so much blood.
Harry and Draco carried Quentin down the stairs and into Anne's room. Anne was still holding her Sentinel's head in her lap. She looked up in surprise when they came in.
They carried Quentin to a bed that sat in the corner of the room. Harry ran over and grabbed Anne by the arm. He dragged her to the bed. "Can you do something?" he asked wildly.
Anne shrugged. "Perhaps. He's lost a lot of blood."
"You have to try!" Harry yelled.
"Of course, child."
Anne reached Quentin and put a hand to his forehead. Her eyes became troubled. "He's almost gone. We have to get the sword out."
Harry grabbed the sword by the hilt and pulled with all of his strength. The sword came out slowly. Quentin screamed in agony and then past out from the pain. Blood began pouring out of the exposed wound.
Anne pulled out her wand and dragged it along the deep cut in Quentin's back, over and over. At first nothing happened. But as Anne repeatedly drew her wand across the wound, Harry could see the wound closing from the inside.
Anne dragged her wand along the wound one last time, and collapsed onto the bed. She was breathing hard and it looked like she hadn't slept in a week. "I can't do anything else. If he's a fighter he'll make it through the night, but he needs more healing."
Quentin's wound still bled, but it was much less severe. His face was ashy gray and his skin was cold.
"Watch over him." Harry said to Anne and he and Draco ran back to the others. "We need to move fast Quentin won't last long."
Ginny was inspecting the collapsed guards. "What was that staff that Quentin was using?"
George smiled sadly. "We enchanted it with an on-going Sleep Spell."
Harry leaned over one the guards and discovered that they were snoring. "Unbelievable."
Suddenly an alarm echoed through the entire building.
"Here they come." Draco said, pulling out his wand.
Harry knew that if they stayed here, they would all die. He had to think.
Well, he thought, it's time to be brave. "Fred, George, you two take everybody and find Ron. I'll hold off the guards. Find him and get out of here! Don't come back to find me."
"No way!" Ginny screamed. "You'll be killed!"
Harry snorted and forced a confident smile. "Look who your talking to, Dot. I've fought off Voldemort; I can take a few measly guards. I'll meet you all by the bus in an hour. Now go!"
Ginny knew he was lying, but Fred grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall. She tried not to take her eyes off of Harry as she knew she would never see him again.
George took off his satchel and put it on the floor by Harry. "The blues are flashers. The greens are smokers. And the reds, well...don't throw the reds until you have no other choice." Harry nodded and George ran off down the hall.
Harry saw that Draco hadn't left. "Get out of here, Malfoy."
Malfoy shook his head slowly. "I don't think so, Potter. I'm staying here." He pulled out his wand and stood resolutely in the middle of the hallway.
Harry heard the sound of running and knew that the guards were coming. A lot of them by the sound of it. Harry turned to face them. "You know we're going to die, right?" he asked Draco out of the corner of his mouth.
Draco smiled and nodded. "Of course. But I couldn't let you be the hero alone."
Harry nodded. "Were giving the others time to escape. Just hold them off as long as possible."
"Somebody better write a song about this, Potter. I want everyone to know I died bravely."
"They'll know."
Five guards turned the corner and ran at the two boys.
Harry reached into George's satchel and pulled out a blue marble.
"Close your eyes." he said to Malfoy and threw the ball at the charging guards.
***
Hermione led the remaining members of the group through the hallways of the castle. She tried to stay calm as she took step after step. First Quentin and now Harry and Draco. Their group was falling apart. She could see the fear in Susan, Ginny, Fred and George's eyes. The only thing that kept them all from bolting in different directions was the fact the Hermione seemed to know where she was going.
"He's on this level." she said as calmly as possible. "I can feel him. He's close."
She began sprinting down the hallway, letting the bond guide her. She was pulled right up to a sturdy, wooden door.
She pounded on the door with her hand and screamed, "Ron! Are you in there?"
After a moments silence, she heard Ron answer. "Hermione! I knew you were coming!"
Hermione's eyes filled with tears at hearing Ron's voice. It had been too long. "We need to get you out of here."
She heard Ron snort. "Definitely."
"How do we open the door?"
"I don't know! It's sealed magically."
Fred elbowed his way up to the door. "Hey, little brother!"
"Fred?! What the hell are you doing here?"
"Saving your ass!" George answered.
"George! Who else is out there?"
"I am." Ginny answered.
"Ginny! God, it's great to hear your voices. Where's Harry?"
Dead, Hermione thought. "He's buying us some time."
"How big is your cell?" Fred asked through the door.
"Big. About forty feet across."
Fred seemed to do some calculations in his head. "All right. I want you to back up against the far wall and cover your head with your arms."
Fred reached into his satchel and brought out several red marbles. He started lining them up along the base of the door.
George grabbed Hermione and Susan and said, "We better get back. This is going to be big."
The three of them went around the closest corner. Fred appeared a moment later. He was smiling widely.
"Do you think it'll work, Fred?" George asked with a similar smile.
Fred shrugged. "I don't know. But it'll be loud."
Fred raised his wand and pointed it at the marbles lined up in front of Ron's cell. "Flamare Incantatum." he said and a small blue flame shot out of his wand.
What resulted was the loudest noise that Hermione had ever heard. All four of them were thrown to the ground by a huge shockwave. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw a huge gout of flame envelope the entire hallway.
The hallway filled with smoke. Hermione choked and coughed. She saw Susan and Ginny push themselves off the floor. The twins were laughing and jumping up and down, yelling, "They work! They work!"
Through the thickness of the smoke, Hermione saw that Ron's cell door had been blown off of its hinges. "Ron? Are you OK?"
She saw Ron's silhouette as he stumbled out of his cell. He waved at the smoke with his hands and coughed as he came toward her.
Hermione ran forward and threw herself at Ron. He caught her with both of his arms and easily lifted her off the ground. He cradled her in his arms and tears slid down his ash stained face. It felt like the two torn pieces of her soul had finally reunited. She looked up at him.
Fred, George, Ginny and Susan respectfully averted her eyes as Ron and Hermione kissed.
That was damn long. And I didn't even get to do all that I wanted. Oh well, there's always next chapter. Sorry about the excessive violence, but I'm a gory action lover, myself. Ron's free! Quentin's dying. And they're not out yet. Ron still has some unfinished business with Dent, right? And a big twist comes next chapter. I promise. Review like mo-fos. Now! Sorry, I got myself pretty excited with this chapter.
Buckle up. It's going to be a looooong chapter.
Ron felt better than he had in days. For the first time in a while, his mind was clear. The pain that had been wracking his entire being had subsided to a dull roar. He knew he was in in intense pain, but compared to what he had been feeling, it was little more than an annoyance. He was vaguely aware that if he had felt this kind of pain before he had been separated from Hermione, he would have been reduced to tears. He was aware that his pain tolerance had increased since he had been captured. He was growing stronger.
He looked down at his dirty hands and was shocked at what he saw. All of his fingernails were practically destroyed. The tips of his fingers were bleeding horribly. He wondered how he had ruined his hands until he glanced down at the floor.
In the stone floor there were long gouge marks. He put his fingers up to the marks and realized that he had made them. He must have made them while he was so filled with pain that he hadn't even been aware of what he was doing.
Even before becoming a Sentinel, he had always been a strong boy. He had been able to hold his own in a fight, using his strength to overpower others. But nothing like this. How had he been able to make gouges in pure stone?
Ron looked around him and found a fist size rock. It must have come separated from wall. He picked up the stone and examined it. It felt weak in his large hands. With a grunt, he squeezed. The rock, made of pressurized stone and carved by magic, crumbled in his hand.
Impossible, he thought.
For the first time in over two days, Ron stood up from the floor. His muscles were tight from neglect. He stretched his large frame, working the kinks out of all his muscles.
He was thirsty. He hadn't drank anything in two days and his body was telling him so. He stumbled over to his mattress and found a bowl of water. Someone must have put it in his cell while he was incapacitated. A disturbing thought.
Ron drank the water in three huge gulps. He dropped the bowl and it shattered on the stone floor.
Time to get the hell out of here, he thought.
He stumbled over to the sturdy door. It was made of thick, sturdy wood.
"If I can crack stone, I should be able to break wood." Ron mumbled under his breath.
He threw his shoulder into the door. The wood didn't even splinter.
"Sometimes I hate magic." he muttered and walked back over to the corner in which he had been spending most of his time.
He sat down and rubbed his aching temples.
Ron knew he was in a bad situation. He was being held captive by a fanatical group of superhumans. That alone should have worried him. But he couldn't concentrate. Hermione was coming.
That thought made him smile. He hadn't been aware of his growing power because of the pain. But now that she was getting closer by the second, the pain had all but disappeared. He could feel her. Ever since he had beaten up Kyle and released the magic within himself, he had almost had a sixth sense when it came to Hermione. And now it was much stronger.
He had no idea where she was, but he knew she was coming. She could be a thousand miles away, but she was getting nearer. And for the first time in days, Ron felt good.
He was brought out of his brooding when his cell door opened. He looked up and saw Nia Larivey, the woman who had first captured Ron and Hermione, swagger in. She smiled mockingly and strutted into the center of the cell. "Get up." she commanded.
Ron laughed. "No." he said simply.
"Get up." she said again.
"Why should I?" Ron asked. "You and your Brotherhood's caused me nothing but pain. I don't have to listen to you."
Nia continued to smile. "I see you've recovered. You should have seen yourself. For the last few days, you've done nothing but roll around and cry like a little girl."
Ron felt anger rise up within him, but he fought it. He knew she was trying to egg him on. Why, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to play her sick games.
Nia seemed to lose her patience. "You're to be tested." she hissed.
"I already past your damn test."
"Dent wants to see if you've improved through your time in here. Get up."
Ron didn't move.
Nia snarled and launched herself at Ron, her fist leading the way.
To Ron, it looked like slow motion. He waited until the last possible moment and then pushed off from the ground with his hand. He flew through the air and landed more than ten feet from where he had been laying.
Nia's fist landed where Ron's head had been moments before. She stood quickly and whipped around to face Ron. When she saw that he wasn't going to make a move, she laughed and brushed pieces of cracked stone from her knuckles.
"You're faster, Mr. Weasley."
That's not all, Ron thought, but he kept quiet.
"Let's see if you're stronger than you were the day that I captured you."
She ran to where Ron was standing and threw a punch at his head.
Ron remembered how fast the woman had seemed just a few days before. He almost laughed as he caught her fist in his hand. He gave her hand a quick squeeze, and the woman fell to her knees a scream.
"Does that answer your question?" Ron asked sweetly. He released her hand and turned his back on her. "Get out." he said.
Nia pushed herself off of her. She stared at Ron's back with pure hatred. How could someone so young be so powerful? It went against everything the Brotherhood had believed in for centuries. No, she thought.
She kicked out at Ron. She aimed her foot at his lower back, a crippling blow.
Quicker than thought, Ron spun and caught her foot against his side in his left hand. Using his right hand, Ron reached out and grabbed her coat. He pulled her forward until her face was inches from his.
"The young boy you left in this cell is dead." Ron spat. He pushed Nia away. She stumbled back and landed on her backside. She had a shocked look on her face. She hobbled out of the door.
Ron didn't try to make a dash for the open door. He was sure it was sealed magically, even when it was open. Dent is watching me somehow, Ron thought. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known that I had stopped screaming.
Ron raised his arms in a questioning stance. "Who's next, Dent?"
When no answer came, Ron went and sat in his corner, content to feel Hermione inch her away across the country towards him.
***
In a car, a drive from Southern Florida to New Mexico would take almost three days. In their magically improved bus, Harry and Company were making better time than that. They reached the Louisiana-Texas border at the end of the first night. They decided it was time for the first bathroom break. Fred announced that he was bringing the bus down. They touched down behind an old gas station. Making sure that no one was looking, Fred turned off the Invisibility booster.
Harry looked down at his own body, relieved to see it after so many hours. He stood and stretched. He looked around at his friends. Quentin, Draco and Susan had fallen asleep. Harry woke Quentin with a shake and Draco with a light slap. "Time to pee, boys."
Quentin stood quickly, "Sweet. I've had to go since Mississippi."
Everybody but Harry and Susan got off the bus. Harry still hadn't woken her.
He reached down to wake her, but stopped when Susan whimpered. She was having a nightmare. She was moving her head slightly from side to side and gripping her forearm tightly.
Harry had seen her grab her arm like that before. It was when she was at the Burrow, talking about her stepfather. Maybe she was dreaming about him.
Harry touched her shoulder softly and Susan came wide-awake. She flinched away from him with her hands shielding her face.
"Whoa, Susan, it's me." Harry said placatingly.
Susan seemed to remember where she was, because she slowly brought her hands down from her face. She began to tremble slightly and tears welled up in her eyes.
Harry had no idea what to do. He slid into the seat next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder. He did it slowly, afraid to frighten her by moving quickly. He shouldn't have worried. As soon as he touched her, she flung her arms around, him sobbing onto his shoulder.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Harry asked, not knowing what to say.
Susan shook her head quickly, but then said, "I'm so sorry."
"For what?"
"I let him do things to me."
"No, Susan! You were eight years, for God's sake. You didn't know any better. Never, never be sorry for what was done to you. If I had your father here, I would kill him myself."
This didn't seem to comfort Susan. She just trembled. "I've got to tell you something, and I want you to remember it."
"Sure."
She brought her head from his shoulder and looked into his face. "I want you to remember that whatever happens, I...care for you. I...love you. No matter what happens, you have to remember that."
Harry sat in shocked silence.
Susan took his silence for doubt. "I'm not sure if I even know what love is, Harry. But I feel more for you than I have for anyone in my entire life."
Susan leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. It was a short kiss, but Harry felt his soul soar.
"I just wanted to say that before something happened...before something went wrong."
Harry found his voice with difficulty. "What could go wrong?"
Susan shrugged. "Either of us could get hurt."
"No ones gonna get hurt, Susan.", Harry said and enveloped Susan in a tight hug.
God, he thought, if you let anything happen to her, I'll never forgive you.
Everyone eventually made trips to the bathroom. Once everyone was done, they all loaded back onto the bus and they were off again.
They flew for several more hours and to Harry, it felt like there was no end to Texas' rolling plains. It seemed to go on forever. Everyone fell asleep at one point.
Finally, the bus flew over the Texas-New Mexico border. They flew for about another half an hour when Hermione's voice rang out. "Go left a little!"
George's voice returned from where he must have been sitting behind the wheel. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! I can feel him. We're getting closer!" Hermione squealed.
The next two hours past with them flying steadily southwest. Hermione gave directions every few minutes. The bus flew over a barren wasteland. It wasn't quite a desert, but Harry could see why there weren't any settlements out here. No wonder the Brotherhood built their building out here, Harry thought. With a little bit of magic, they could go undetected for years.
"No one could ever find the building out here." Harry marveled.
"No one but Hermione." Fred's voice filtered over.
"Yeah. I bet they weren't expecting something like this."
"We can only hope."
In the distance rose a huge rock formation. Hermione told George to set the bus down a good mile away from the rocks. "He's in there. But we shouldn't get too close with the bus."
Harry reached into his pocket and was reassured by the presence of his wand. "Are you sure he's in there, Hermione? It just looks like a mountain."
"Yeah, he in there. It's not a mountain. It's a building. There's a spell on it like Hogwarts to make it look like a mountain."
George brought the bus down behind a hill large enough that it blocked the view of the mountain. He flicked the Invisibility Booster and the bus appeared around them.
Harry sighed. He was scared. Not for himself. He would gladly take this risk for Ron. He was scared for his friends. He was scared for the twins, whose good humor and enthusiasm rarely let them see the severity of situations. He was scared for Hermione, who could, in her want to free Ron, get herself hurt or killed. He was scared for Quentin, who was noble enough to risk his own life for someone he hadn't even met before. He was scared for Susan, whose horrible past made allowed her to accept pain if it was for the good of others. And He was scared for Ginny, whose inexperience and love for her brother could force her into taking unacceptable risks.
Harry glanced around him and realized that everyone was looking at him for directions. "I guess we'll go the rest of the way on foot. Stay close to the ground. We don't want them seeing us until we're knocking on the front door."
Everyone got off of the bus and they began the slow belly-crawl that brought hem to the base of the mountain. Harry looked at his friends as they crawled and noticed some of them were wearing new items. Both of the twins wore satchels tied onto their belts. Harry didn't know what was inside, but he knew he would find out soon.
Quentin had a staff strapped onto his back that Harry remembered the twins working on at the Burrow. Once again he didn't know what it was, but he knew now wasn't the time to ask.
The crawl took about a half-hour and by the time it was done, everyone was horribly dirty. It would have been funny if they weren't so close to Ron's abductors. Susan brushed dirt off of the long sleeved, wool dress that she always wore and Harry promised himself to ask her about it once they were done here.
"How are we supposed to get in?" Quentin asked, looking up at the imposing mountain. "I can't see any doors."
"Not to worry." George said and reached into his satchel. He pulled out a pair of wire-frame glasses that weren't that different than Harry's. "These glasses can see through magic. We heard Dumbledore had a pair and we just had make one." He slipped the glasses over his eyes and looked over the entire mountain. "This place is huge."
"What do you see?" Harry asked quietly.
"There's a door over here." George said and pointed about twenty feet to their left. He walked forward and disappeared into the mountain.
"George!" Harry whispered.
"What?", came a voice through the rock.
"You disappeared."
"No, I didn't. I just walked through the spell. Here." he said and the pair of glasses came flying out of the mountainside.
Harry caught them, took off his own glasses and put the new ones on. He nearly screamed when he looked up at the mountain. The mountain wasn't there anymore! In its place was a huge, multi-floored building. It was made of stone, like a castle, but it seemed to be fairly new. The cornerstones weren't worn like the rocks of Hogwarts.
In front of them was a small door. George was standing in front of it, inspecting the lock.
Harry walked over to George and took off of the glasses. The mountain didn't reappear. It must not work when you get this close, Harry thought. He tossed the glasses back to Ginny, who was still staring up at the mountain.
Harry turned back to George and said, "Can you open it?'
George snorted, as if Harry had greatly underestimated him. "Of course. I'm just worried if it's trapped."
"This seems too easy." Harry said.
George shrugged. "They probably don't expect anyone to get this far."
"Hermione said there were guards. Where are they?"
"Probably guarding the upper floors."
The rest of the group made it through the spell without difficulty. Soon, they were all standing in front of the door.
George bent down and began to fiddle with the lock. Within moments, there was a soft click and the door swung inward.
Everyone scurried through the door. They found themselves in a long, dark, stone corridor. It was lit sparsely by an occasional torch. There was no one in sight.
"This is too easy." Ginny muttered, echoing Harry's earlier comment.
"Relax." Fred said. "No point getting ourselves excited." But even he seemed nervous.
We're all scared, Harry thought. Quentin's hands held his staff so tightly that his knuckles were white.
Harry knew he had to take control. "The less resistance we get the better we're off. Let's bust Ron out and get the hell out of here." He turned to Hermione. "Which way?"
Hermione thought for a moment. "It's confusing. He's close, but I can't tell which direction. I think he's on a different level."
"Right." Harry muttered. "Well, we're not doing anything standing here. Let's go. Everyone stay quiet. I want as much warning as we can get if we run into trouble."
The group padded silently down the hall. Because of the flickering torchlight, Harry thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye at every step. He forced himself to remain calm, knowing that the others were looking to him to lead.
Harry drew the Sword of Gryffindor from its sheath and stalked forward.
They came to a stone stairs that led upward. Harry gave Hermione a questioning look. She closed her eyes for a moment and then pointed at the stairs.
Harry nodded and turned to the rest of the group. "Stay here. I'll check it out and motion you all forward once it's clear."
Everyone nodded but Ginny and Susan. "No, Harry.", they both said at the same moment. They looked at each other in shock.
After a moment, Ginny stepped forward. "You can't go by yourself. I'll come with you."
Harry cupped her chin affectionately. "Don't worry, Dot. I've been doing stuff like this since I was eleven."
But I've always had Ron at my side, Harry thought as he moved slowly up the stairs. He put his sword back into its sheath and moved up the stairs on all fours, his stomach scraping on each step. At the fourth step from the top, he quickly raised his head.
Standing at the end of a corridor was a guard. He blocked the way to a large, wooden door. He wore a blue cloak that came down to his ankles. Harry couldn't see his face, but he didn't need that to know that the man was one of the biggest individuals he had ever seen. On the man's hip, there was a huge, shining sword.
Harry slid back down the stairs as silent as possible.
When he got back down to the others, he said, "There's a guard up there. He's a way off, but we can't sneak by. We're gonna have to take him down. But it'll be hard. He's big."
"Leave it to me." Fred said. He turned to George and said. "What do you think? A blue one?"
George smiled and said. "Yeah. Blue would work."
Fred nodded and motioned for Harry to follow him. They both scaled the stairs slowly. Once they reached the top, Fred reached into his satchel and pulled what looked like a blue marble.
"Close your eyes, Harry." Fred whispered. "It's gonna be bright."
Fred threw the marble down the corridor toward the guard. Harry heard a exclamation of surprise, then a he heard a loud bang. There was a flash so bright that it hurt Harry's eyes even though they were closed.
"He's all yours, Harold." Fred whispered.
Harry charged over the lip of the stairs and saw the guard stumbling around rubbing his eyes. Harry knew that the guard would scream if he gave him a chance. Harry drew his sword and charged the befuddled man. He punched out with the hilt of the sword with all his strength. There was a loud thud as it connected with the base of the man's skull. The guard collapsed without a sound.
Fred motioned the rest of the group forward.
Harry bent over and felt for a pulse on the man's neck. His pulse was weak, but he was still alive.
Quentin walked over to Harry and said, "Whoa, Harry. You took him down."
Ginny looked slightly squeamish. "Is he...?"
Harry shook his head. "No. Just knocked out." Harry stood up from the man and put his sword back on his hip. "But we need to do something about him. He might wake up and raise an alarm."
"I've got just the thing." George said. He reached into his satchel and brought out a length of rope. He muttered something under his breath and tossed the rope on the man's unconscious body.
The rope suddenly began to slither like a snake. It coiled itself around the man's ankles and hands, restricting any movement.
"Where'd you guys get all this stuff?" Harry asked.
George snorted. "What do you think we've been doing for the last few days?" He turned to his twin. "How'd the Flareble work? I saw the flash."
"Like a charm. I told you they would work. We should sell them to the Ministry. They could use them against Voldie's army."
"We can worry about your career later." Hermione said. "Let's find Ron."
"Where to, Hermione?" Harry asked. "Is he through this door?"
"No. But we're getting closer."
Harry went to door at the end of the corridor and tried the handle, but it was locked.
Draco went back to the guard and began searching the body. He found the keys in pocket in the man's cloak. He held them up in triumph. "What would you squibs do without me?"
Hermione whipped out her wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohamora!"
The door opened with a small click.
"That's not fair." Draco muttered.
Harry motioned for the others to stay there and went through the door. Inside was a small room. It felt like a hospital. There were implements for healing all over the room and on the opposite wall was another door. Sitting at a small desk, writing on a parchment was a small, old woman.
"What is it, Jeremy?" she asked without looking back. "I told you I wanted to be left alone."
Harry didn't answer. He slipped forward as silent as possible and drew his sword. He put the blade against the side of the old woman's neck.
Her eyes widened comically. "What is the meaning of this?!" she screamed.
"Shut up." Harry commanded. "Get up." he said applying pressure to the sword.
The woman stood quickly and began trembling. "Please-"
"Quiet." Harry said. He felt really bad about scaring this old woman, but she was one of the people holding Ron. He needed to be firm. "Where is he?"
"Where is who?" she asked innocently.
"Don't play dumb. Where are they keeping Ronald Weasley?"
"I have no idea who you are talking about." she said, her eyes going to the door that Harry hadn't come through.
"Don't lie to me." Harry snarled.
"I swear I have no idea who you are talking about." Her eyes went to the door again.
Harry realized the woman was stalling for some reason. "Sit down." he told her and turned to the door that she kept looking at. He began to move toward it when it suddenly burst open.
An ancient man wielding an even older sword charged into the room. On his chest he wore a Sentinel's pin.
Great, Harry thought, I've pissed off a Sentinel.
The old man charged Harry and swung his old sword in a precise arc at his head.
Harry raised the Sword of Gryffindor just in time to deflect the blow. The force of it made his entire arm go numb. He was impossibly strong for an old man. Sentinel magic, Harry thought.
The man swung at Harry again. Instead of trying to block the blow, Harry dodged it, not trusting his arm to take another hit.
Harry had no idea how to use a sword, but he was quick and a natural athlete. Five years of Quidditch had sharpened his reflexes to a fine point. He trusted his speed as he dodged swing after swing of the old man's sword.
Harry trusted the little knowledge he had of Sentinels and continued to weave around the old man. After a dozen or so swings, the old man started to slow down. His swings came with less ferocity and his legs moved with a little less surety.
Harry knew that he had made a good gamble. Now that the Sentinel's bond-mate wasn't in harm's way, the magic was fading. The Sentinel was losing his strength.
After one final swing, the old man fell to the ground. The Sentinel magic was recoiling on him, like it had when Ron fought Kyle.
The old woman ran to her Sentinel and cradled the old man's head in her lap.
"Is he going to be OK?" Harry asked, genuinely concerned. He didn't want to be the cause of an old man's death.
The old woman raised her tear stricken face to Harry. "Yes, he'll be fine once he rests. He hasn't had to fight in almost a decade. But he fought well."
Harry had no idea what to do at this point, but he was rescued by Hermione, who had walked into the room at the sound of the fight.
"Anne?" she asked of the old woman.
The old woman looked to Hermione, and her eyes widened. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"
"Finding my bond-mate. We've been apart too long."
Anne nodded sadly. "I know. He's being Trained."
Hermione knelt next to Anne. "Tell me where he is." she pleaded.
Anne shook her head. "I can't. The Core would punish me."
"Anne, tell me. Imagine if they were keeping your bond-mate. What would you do to get him back?"
Anne heaved a heavy sigh. "Anything."
"Where is he?"
"The next floor up." Anne whispered. "But he's been creating quite a commotion today. There will be guards all over that level."
"Let us worry about that." Harry muttered. He turned to Hermione. "Lets' go."
Harry motioned the rest of the group into the room. They all looked in surprise at the unconscious, old man, but they didn't ask any questions.
"He's upstairs, but she says that floor will be swarming with guards." Harry explained. "It might come down to an all out brawl."
"We're ready, Harry." Quentin said gripping his strange staff.
Harry nodded and led them to the door that the old Sentinel had come through. They went through it and found themselves in another corridor. There were stairs about halfway down the hallway, and Harry ran up them.
He paused halfway up the stairs and turned to his friends. "This is it. Showdown time." He drew the Sword of Gryffindor and stared at its gleaming blade. It's ruby encrusted hilt pulsed beneath his fingers. "There might be too many to knock unconscious. If you have to kill...do it."
Everyone's eyes widened slightly but Draco's. He nodded grimly to Harry.
Draco understands, Harry thought. He realizes that we all might die any minute. The others still viewed it like it was some fairy tale where the 'good guys' always win.
Harry walked resolutely up the rest of the stairs. Once again there was a very long corridor. But at the end of the hallway were four guards. When they saw Harry, they reacted instantly. One of the guards ran down a different hallway, probably raising the alarm as he ran.
The three other guards drew their swords and bull-rushed the group.
Well, Harry thought, at least they're not Sentinels.
Harry leveled his sword, ready take on the charging guards, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Quentin smiling down at him.
"It's my turn, Harry."Quentin said calmly. He turned to the twins, holding his staff out before him. "I hope this thing works like you two said."
"It'll work." George said simply.
Quentin nodded and walked calmly toward the charging guards.
Seeing easy prey, the guards converged on Quentin swords swinging.
Quentin burst into action. He blocked an overhead chop and swung his staff at the attacking guard's legs. It connected firmly and Harry heard a strange hiss coming from the staff. The guard was tripped, and he fell to the ground. But he didn't get back up!
That left two guards to fight. They saw the effect the staff had on the other guard, so they advanced more slowly. Harry saw that if the guards had any intelligence, they would attack at the same time.
Quentin must have seen this as well, because he leaped at one guard, his staff whirling. He forced the guard back and away from his friend. Quentin swung his staff in sideways and it hit the guard in the hand. It was barely much more than tap, but the guard collapsed to the floor.
But the swing had cost Quentin valuable time. The remaining guard pulled his sword back, ready to plunge it into Quentin's
Harry and Draco burst into action. They sprinted towards the guard, but they would never make it in time.
Quentin is going to die, his mind screamed.
The guard thrust his sword into Quentin's exposed back. With a sickening sound that Harry would remember for the rest of his life, a full foot of steel erupted from Quentin's stomach. He grunted and stared down at the blood stained sword sticking out of his stomach.
Draco reached the guard as Harry reached Quentin. Draco mumbled a few inaudible words, and a cloud of putrid gas sprang out of his wand. It hit the guard squarely in the face, and he fell to his knees, vomiting and choking. Draco brought his knee up into the guard's face and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Quentin slumped over in Harry's arms, and Harry couldn't support his massive weight. Blood ran over Harry's arms as he held the person he had come to know as a friend. Quentin fell to his side, coughing up blood.
"Quentin!" Harry yelled. "Stay with me, man!"
Quentin's eyes sharpened slightly. "Harry?" he said weakly, blood running out of the corner of his mouth. "Did you see me? I took those bastards down."
Harry felt tears well up in his eyes. "Yeah, Quent, I saw."
"That last fool cut me, though. Harry...I-I-I think I'm dying."
"Don't say that!" Harry screamed. He turned back to the others who were looking at the scene in front of them with fear. "Do something!" he screamed at them.
The group stared back, looking as helpless as Harry felt.
Quentin shifted slightly. His eyes had closed, and Harry knew that if they didn't do something, they wouldn't reopen. "It's OK, Harry." he whispered. "Dying is not so bad." he smiled. "It-It doesn't hurt."
"You're not gonna die, God damn it." Harry muttered, trying to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. "Help me!" Harry yelled to the others. "We have to get him out of here!"
Draco bent down and helped lift Quentin from the ground, but Harry could see that he thought it was a useless effort. It was hard to carry him because of the sword still impaled in his stomach. There was so much blood.
Harry and Draco carried Quentin down the stairs and into Anne's room. Anne was still holding her Sentinel's head in her lap. She looked up in surprise when they came in.
They carried Quentin to a bed that sat in the corner of the room. Harry ran over and grabbed Anne by the arm. He dragged her to the bed. "Can you do something?" he asked wildly.
Anne shrugged. "Perhaps. He's lost a lot of blood."
"You have to try!" Harry yelled.
"Of course, child."
Anne reached Quentin and put a hand to his forehead. Her eyes became troubled. "He's almost gone. We have to get the sword out."
Harry grabbed the sword by the hilt and pulled with all of his strength. The sword came out slowly. Quentin screamed in agony and then past out from the pain. Blood began pouring out of the exposed wound.
Anne pulled out her wand and dragged it along the deep cut in Quentin's back, over and over. At first nothing happened. But as Anne repeatedly drew her wand across the wound, Harry could see the wound closing from the inside.
Anne dragged her wand along the wound one last time, and collapsed onto the bed. She was breathing hard and it looked like she hadn't slept in a week. "I can't do anything else. If he's a fighter he'll make it through the night, but he needs more healing."
Quentin's wound still bled, but it was much less severe. His face was ashy gray and his skin was cold.
"Watch over him." Harry said to Anne and he and Draco ran back to the others. "We need to move fast Quentin won't last long."
Ginny was inspecting the collapsed guards. "What was that staff that Quentin was using?"
George smiled sadly. "We enchanted it with an on-going Sleep Spell."
Harry leaned over one the guards and discovered that they were snoring. "Unbelievable."
Suddenly an alarm echoed through the entire building.
"Here they come." Draco said, pulling out his wand.
Harry knew that if they stayed here, they would all die. He had to think.
Well, he thought, it's time to be brave. "Fred, George, you two take everybody and find Ron. I'll hold off the guards. Find him and get out of here! Don't come back to find me."
"No way!" Ginny screamed. "You'll be killed!"
Harry snorted and forced a confident smile. "Look who your talking to, Dot. I've fought off Voldemort; I can take a few measly guards. I'll meet you all by the bus in an hour. Now go!"
Ginny knew he was lying, but Fred grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall. She tried not to take her eyes off of Harry as she knew she would never see him again.
George took off his satchel and put it on the floor by Harry. "The blues are flashers. The greens are smokers. And the reds, well...don't throw the reds until you have no other choice." Harry nodded and George ran off down the hall.
Harry saw that Draco hadn't left. "Get out of here, Malfoy."
Malfoy shook his head slowly. "I don't think so, Potter. I'm staying here." He pulled out his wand and stood resolutely in the middle of the hallway.
Harry heard the sound of running and knew that the guards were coming. A lot of them by the sound of it. Harry turned to face them. "You know we're going to die, right?" he asked Draco out of the corner of his mouth.
Draco smiled and nodded. "Of course. But I couldn't let you be the hero alone."
Harry nodded. "Were giving the others time to escape. Just hold them off as long as possible."
"Somebody better write a song about this, Potter. I want everyone to know I died bravely."
"They'll know."
Five guards turned the corner and ran at the two boys.
Harry reached into George's satchel and pulled out a blue marble.
"Close your eyes." he said to Malfoy and threw the ball at the charging guards.
***
Hermione led the remaining members of the group through the hallways of the castle. She tried to stay calm as she took step after step. First Quentin and now Harry and Draco. Their group was falling apart. She could see the fear in Susan, Ginny, Fred and George's eyes. The only thing that kept them all from bolting in different directions was the fact the Hermione seemed to know where she was going.
"He's on this level." she said as calmly as possible. "I can feel him. He's close."
She began sprinting down the hallway, letting the bond guide her. She was pulled right up to a sturdy, wooden door.
She pounded on the door with her hand and screamed, "Ron! Are you in there?"
After a moments silence, she heard Ron answer. "Hermione! I knew you were coming!"
Hermione's eyes filled with tears at hearing Ron's voice. It had been too long. "We need to get you out of here."
She heard Ron snort. "Definitely."
"How do we open the door?"
"I don't know! It's sealed magically."
Fred elbowed his way up to the door. "Hey, little brother!"
"Fred?! What the hell are you doing here?"
"Saving your ass!" George answered.
"George! Who else is out there?"
"I am." Ginny answered.
"Ginny! God, it's great to hear your voices. Where's Harry?"
Dead, Hermione thought. "He's buying us some time."
"How big is your cell?" Fred asked through the door.
"Big. About forty feet across."
Fred seemed to do some calculations in his head. "All right. I want you to back up against the far wall and cover your head with your arms."
Fred reached into his satchel and brought out several red marbles. He started lining them up along the base of the door.
George grabbed Hermione and Susan and said, "We better get back. This is going to be big."
The three of them went around the closest corner. Fred appeared a moment later. He was smiling widely.
"Do you think it'll work, Fred?" George asked with a similar smile.
Fred shrugged. "I don't know. But it'll be loud."
Fred raised his wand and pointed it at the marbles lined up in front of Ron's cell. "Flamare Incantatum." he said and a small blue flame shot out of his wand.
What resulted was the loudest noise that Hermione had ever heard. All four of them were thrown to the ground by a huge shockwave. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw a huge gout of flame envelope the entire hallway.
The hallway filled with smoke. Hermione choked and coughed. She saw Susan and Ginny push themselves off the floor. The twins were laughing and jumping up and down, yelling, "They work! They work!"
Through the thickness of the smoke, Hermione saw that Ron's cell door had been blown off of its hinges. "Ron? Are you OK?"
She saw Ron's silhouette as he stumbled out of his cell. He waved at the smoke with his hands and coughed as he came toward her.
Hermione ran forward and threw herself at Ron. He caught her with both of his arms and easily lifted her off the ground. He cradled her in his arms and tears slid down his ash stained face. It felt like the two torn pieces of her soul had finally reunited. She looked up at him.
Fred, George, Ginny and Susan respectfully averted her eyes as Ron and Hermione kissed.
That was damn long. And I didn't even get to do all that I wanted. Oh well, there's always next chapter. Sorry about the excessive violence, but I'm a gory action lover, myself. Ron's free! Quentin's dying. And they're not out yet. Ron still has some unfinished business with Dent, right? And a big twist comes next chapter. I promise. Review like mo-fos. Now! Sorry, I got myself pretty excited with this chapter.