Disclaimer: By now, you know all the disclaimers and warnings. If you don't, I suggest you refer to chapters 1 through 10.

Back from Beyond the Veil, Part 15

It began to pour as the Knight Bus pulled up to a curb in Wiltshire. Sirius, Remus, and the girls looked glumly out at the grey landscape as they made their way to the front of the bus.

"Blimey, what a day. Can't see why you wanted to come 'ere," Stan Shunpike said, pushing the door open for them. "Dreary place, it is. 'Arry and some friends already came this way today. Popular spot."

"Indeed," Remus smiled politely, as he and his companions stepped off the bus and under the shelter of an overhanging willow tree. For awhile, no one spoke as they stood and shivered. Occasionally a fat drop of water would slip through the willow's branches and hit someone squarely on the back of the neck. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance.

"Well, we can't waste any more time," Hermione said in a falsely cheery voice. "Let's get a move on, then."

Not one of them had thought to bring an umbrella, and there was no charm that they could use without attracting the attention of the Muggles; so they trudged through the puddly streets as they were, getting wetter and wetter by the minute.

Penelope pushed her soggy hair out of her eyes. Her magnificent curls had withered in the rain, giving her a bedraggled look. "Where exactly is Malfoy Manor?" she shouted above the drumming of the rain and the loud rumbling in the distance.

"There," Sirius shouted back, pointing down an old, cobbled road. If the girls squinted, they could make out the dim shape of a large house on the horizon. It seemed like an impossibly long way to walk, but they swallowed their complaints and followed. The cobbled street was uneven in places, resulting in large puddles too wide to avoid. Hermione winced as cold water sloshed into her shoes, soaking her socks and making them stick unpleasantly to her toes.

Lightning streaked across the steadily darkening sky, accompanied by a crack of thunder that made them all cover their ears and wince. Despite the fact that it was August, the air was growing colder. Soon, the small group was shivering, and had given up on trying to wring the water out of their hair or clothes. It seemed like the rain just came down heavier and heavier the more they pressed on.

Finally, they reached the Malfoys'. It loomed above them like something from a horror film, water dripping from the eaves. The posts were carved from solid marble, snakes twisting their sinuous way up to the roof. The high, darkened windows reflected the flashes of lightning and made it impossible to see inside. Sirius was reluctant to approach the front door, but the others ignored him and climbed up the marble stairs to the porch, eager for the chance to get out of the rain.

"This is stupid," Sirius hissed as the girls wrung out their skirts and hair. "Mad. They'll be expecting us to come in the front door. I'm surprised they haven't come running out by now."

"We're soaking wet," Ginny said angrily. "I don't care. We have to go in, don't we? It's better to be standing here than out on that path, where we could get hit by lightning any minute."

Remus looked at the menacing, ebony door with its heavy serpent-shaped knocker. "Never mind," he said quietly. "How are we going to approach this?"

"The swift, silent approach," Sirius said. He took a deep breath and approached the forbidding door. "Wands out."

Remus and the girls drew out their wands, nervously; Sirius' hand grasped the knob and turned, trembling ever so slightly.

The door opened slowly, and Sirius stepped inside.


Harry and the Weasleys knew nothing of the others' arrival. They were currently tiptoeing through the endless maze of the basement. It seemed to be made up of countless sublevels, with tunnels and chambers leading off into other places. It was gloomy and dank, and to the boys it seemed like the castle of some ancient monstrosity; Dracula, perhaps. How these catacombs had come to be under the Malfoy house Harry hadn't the slightest idea; all he knew was that he was shivering, only partially from cold.

"Where are we?" Percy's voice filtered through the tenebrous dungeon . "We've been wandering for hours. Bill could be anywhere, and we can barely see, let alone know where we are."

He was right; even Lumos from all six wands combined made only the most feeble effort to penetrate the darkness. Harry rubbed at his prickling scar, and for one second, he almost wished he could have a vision at that moment, just so they would know where Bill was imprisoned. Above all, he prayed this wasn't a trap like at the Ministry; the last thing they needed was to be chasing their tails in the Malfoys' dungeons while Bill was being tortured somewhere else.

"It's so flipping cold," Ron shivered, his teeth chattering as he rubbed his arms in an attempt to warm himself up. "We must be a long way below ground. We've been wandering forever."

Charlie's normally ruddy face was pale in the wandlight. "I hope we aren't on a wild goose chase," he said, giving voice to the very thing Harry was afraid of. "We could very well starve to death down here trying to get out, if the Death Eaters don't kill us first."

"Thanks for the uplifting vote of confidence, Charlie," George said sarcastically as he pulled the sleeves of his jumper down over his hands.

"Don't start arguing," Harry cut in before either Weasley could say another word. "We have to concentrate on finding Bill and getting the hell out of here. Preferably alive."

"You're right." Charlie gritted his teeth. "It's not just for us. We have to come back alive, just so we can spare Mum and Dad and Ginny and everyone else from any more torment."

The rest nodded in silent agreement. They started forward once more, the sounds of their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. Harry tried to ignore the steady drip of water and the squealing of rats. The corridor continued on and on, seemingly endless. Then:

"Ow!"

Harry crashed into somebody; there were a few moments of confusion as the boys untangled themselves. Charlie had walked straight into a door, and was rubbing his nose as he studied it. Finally, he seized the ancient, rusty handle and tugged the door open. Despite its rusty hinges it refused to squeak, and Harry was immediately suspicious. It was as if the door had been oiled recently. But why would even the Malfoys venture this far into the endless labyrinth of the basement, other than for nefarious purposes?

Beyond the door, a spiraling staircase led the way down into a pitch-black pit. It was the least welcoming sight yet, and Harry's heart sunk. But he swallowed his fears and followed Ron down into the gloom.


Andromeda came tumbling out of the Weasleys' fireplace. Paying no need to the streak of soot she left on the floor or the fire tools she knocked over in her haste, she began calling for her cousin, dashing from room to room. But the house was empty, and no one answered her summons. She suddenly felt bitterly cold.

Crash, crash, thump. "Ow!" Someone was downstairs, and by the sound of it, it was Nymphadora. Andromeda hurried down the stairs to find her daughter picking up the scattered fire tools, which she had fallen into on her hasty exit from the fireplace.

"Mum!" Tonks panted, giving up and dropping the tools. "Will you please tell me what this is all about? You're acting as though you've gone mad! Where is everyone? And what does this have to do with Sirius?"

Andromeda swiped her sooty hair out of her face, succeeding only in leaving a black smudge across her forehead. "I don't know!" she cried in exasperation and despair. "This is all wrong! Something is happening and it needs to be stopped, but I don't know what to do!"

"Calm down!" Tonks grabbed her mother's hand. "Start at the beginning."

"I don't even know where the beginning is," Andromeda said miserably. "It could start with the ring. It could start with Sirius' death. It could even start with Harry's birth. It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that everyone is in very big danger right now. Voldemort has some kind of scheme going. I know his Death Eaters are behind everything - the fire at Grimmauld Place, the deaths of Arthur's family, and this. They're gone, darling. All of them. And I think they've gone just to try and stop Voldemort. It doesn't matter if they have a magic ring, or if Harry has all kinds of hidden powers. It's too soon, and they could be putting their lives at risk as we speak. It's a suicide mission."

Tonks gaped at her, unbelieving. "Gone... where?" she managed.

"Malfoy Manor." Andromeda shut her eyes and bit her lip. "I just know it. If anyone has the resources and ability to hide and trap Harry and everyone else... it will be Narcissa and Lucius. Voldemort has probably been using their basement as a secret headquarters - or worse, a trap." Her eyes flew open, a determined glint there that Tonks had never seen before. "We have to go."

"Go? You mean, to Malfoy Manor?"

"Of course I do!" Andromeda Disapparated with a pop.

"Mum!" wailed Tonks. "Oh, you're impossible!" She Disapparated after her mother.


The lightning flashed, momentarily illuminating a wide entrance hall paneled in fine oak. Sirius took a few cautious steps in, looking around, before beckoning to the others to join him. Remus and the girls followed just as warily. The room was abandoned. To their left, a door was open, offering a view of some slimy stone stairs. Without a word, the small group knew that was where they needed to go.

Two loud popping noises announced the arrival of Andromeda and Tonks. Sirius' eyes were wide as he turned to face them. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Andy, it's way too dangerous -"

"Just what I could say to you!" his cousin retorted, taking her wand from her belt. "And you wonder why people accuse you of being reckless! What do you think you're doing here? Where are Harry and the others?"

"Down there," Sirius said, jerking his head towards the cellar door. Andromeda's face fell, looking shocked and horrified. "Bill's trapped down there. The boys went off to save him. But I think it's a Death Eater trap, and they're going to get themselves killed. We have to find Bill and bring them back alive."

"Then count us in," Tonks said instantly. Sirius looked highly disconcerted, but there was no time for argument. Everyone whispered "Lumos," in unison, and started down the basement steps.

It was the murkiest, most portentous place any of them had ever been in. Though the first floor looked like an ordinary basement, there was a feeling to it none of them could describe. The second level was a wine cellar; most of the casques were over a hundred years old. And still the basement continued, further and further underground, getting darker and more sinister with every step. It was hard to imagine a basement going this far down; it seemed impossible that they wouldn't just open a door and find themselves looking into the very depths of Hell. Hermione shivered and hugged herself. It was like the Malfoys had their own personal castle below ground; something like an alternate Hogwarts, but with purely evil connotations.

Fleur, on the other hand, was reminded forcefully of the catacombs in Paris, which she had toured a few times. The Malfoys' basement held the same sense of foreboding, the same undeniable evil of the catacombs. She was certain this place had served as a torture chamber for generations of prisoners. Worse, it might also serve as the resting place for the uneasy spirits which were sure to wander its depths. The very idea was horrifying.

But it was easy to tell in which direction the boys had gone. Doors gaped open at the end of each corridor, and so they got through the floors much quicker than Harry and the others had done. If only it wasn't too late...


Harry and the Weasleys had by now reached the end of the spiral staircase. A door at the foot opened into a long corridor lit only by one small kerosene lamp dangling from the ceiling. The slimy walls gleamed dully in the wandlight, and the lamp's glow shimmered on metal bars. The entire corridor was lined with barred doors, much like a prison. Shackles and manacles hung from the spaces between these doors, and at the end of the room stood several rusty, decrepit devices that appeared to be the remnants of a medieval torture chamber. One of the cell doors, however, had a metal dish and a wooden stool just outside it. Charlie made his way over to it, and peered inside.

"Bill!"

The eldest Weasley son raised his head groggily at the sound of his brother's voice. He looked starved and scared, his long hair dirty and hanging in his eyes. "Charlie," he croaked. "What are you doing here?"

"What d'you mean, 'what am I doing here'?" Charlie demanded. "I've come to get you out of here, of course. I wasn't going to leave you to die. Alohomora."

The charm worked, and the cell door creaked open. Another quick charm on the chains binding Bill to the wall, and he was free. Charlie put his arm around his brother and helped him struggle to his feet. Bill barely had the energy to walk, so Charlie had to half-carry him out of the cell.

"Ron - Percy - George - Harry," Bill looked stunned at the entourage which had come to his rescue. "God, this is dangerous." He struggled to speak. "You don't know what you're getting into! Lucius Malfoy - the Death Eaters -"

"Bill, it's okay," Harry tried to assure him. "We haven't seen any of them. I think we're safe."

"How wrong you are," drawled a familiar, sneering voice. The boys whipped around to see Lucius Malfoy standing behind them, dressed in his billowing black Death Eater robes. To their horror, the corridor was suddenly filled with Death Eaters. They had been hiding in one of the cells at the end of the room, emerging swiftly and silently while the boys struggled to free Bill. Now Harry fully realised how naive they had all been. Voldemort and his followers were not going to let them out of the Malfoys' alive. It had all failed. Everything was over.

"How very good to see you again, Mr. Potter," Lucius drawled as his cohorts closed in.

The boys backed away, sticking close together as they glared at the encroaching Death Eaters. Harry found himself at the forefront, his wand raised so that the light glimmered and flashed on the white masks of the Death Eaters, which were the brightest objects in the dungeon.

"No need to get worried. We won't kill you - yet." Lucius cackled unpleasantly. "No, my dear boy, the Dark Lord wishes to deal with you on his own time, under his own circumstances."

Harry didn't budge. "What about my friends?" he demanded. He was trying his best not to show it, but inside his emotions were in a fine tangle. "I can't expect you to let them go."

"And I wouldn't expect you to," Lucius continued. "No, Potter, this is as far as any of them will go." He motioned to the other Death Eaters. "Their time is now. As for you... you get to watch."

"Shut up!" Harry shouted. He was boiling with rage - mostly at the Death Eaters, but also at himself. He had known it was a trap all along, and he had still fallen into it. Worse, he had led his friends into peril as well.

"Manners, Potter..." Lucius pushed up his mask, revealing a satisfied, smug smile. His long blonde hair gleamed in the wavering wandlight as he stepped forward and made to reach for Ron. Harry stepped in front of him, pointing his wand directly at the man's heart.

"Don't touch them!"

The Death Eaters laughed raucously. The Death Eater beside Lucius swept off her hood, and Harry was both enraged and frightened to see that it was Bellatrix Lestrange. She sneered unpleasantly at him. "Baby Potter, trying so hard to protect the Mudbloods." Her voice trembled with hatred and anger; Harry knew she was still furious over their encounter in the Department of Mysteries, and she was longing to make him pay. "Have you ever seen anything so touching? Perhaps you take after my dear cousin, Potter - protecting the Mudblood scum you're in love with?" Her mocking eyes fell on Ron, who glared back with just as much animosity.

Her wand arm raised. "Out of the way, Potter! You may be marked by the Dark Lord, but those miserable Weasleys are mine!"

"No!" Harry pointed his glowing wand at her. "Expelli-"

He was cut off in mid-spell as the dungeon door banged open. Suddenly the dungeon was brighter than before as the wandlight from eight people flickered across the walls. Harry cried out in surprise when he saw his godfather and Remus standing there. Behind the two men were Ginny, Hermione, Fleur, and Penelope; Tonks and her mother were bringing up the rear.

No one said anything for a few seconds. Finally, Lucius lowered his wand. His unpleasant smirk widened as he stared at the group standing in the doorway. "Well, well. Quite the motley crew."

"Shut up," Sirius responded. His eyes flickered from the Death Eaters to Harry. "Harry, are you-"

"I'm fine," Harry said weakly. "But -"

Bellatrix whirled on him. "Shut your mouth!" she shouted. The back of her hand struck Harry across the face with a ringing slap that echoed around the stone chamber. Harry's glasses were knocked askew, hanging from one ear; he reeled and gasped in shock, raising a hand to his cheek, which was already going a brilliant shade of red. Sirius let out a roar of rage and started forward. Bellatrix strode to meet him, her eyes gleaming maliciously as she raised her wand.

"Now the fun begins," she hissed.

To Be Continued...


(A/N: Ticked off by recent attacks on my writing (you know who you are), I have decided to say something! And here it is: I try hard. I might not be writing on a professional level, but I'm doing my best! I am merely writing this for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of the people who like reading my work. That's all. If you don't like my writing style, content, or anything else about my stories, PLEASE DO NOT BOTHER WASTING YOUR TIME READING THEM. And please do not waste my time by complaining about them.

It's not that I'm not open to criticism. I appreciate and value everything readers have to say about my work. But, if you must bring me down a peg, do it nicely, please? I have enough problems with low self-esteem as it is.

By the way, Remus' birthday is March 10 - direct from J.K. Rowling's website, so you can trust me on that. I drew him a birthday picture - hurry down to my LiveJournal to see!)