Summary: Please read the chapter title.

Disclaimer: The basics. HP is JK's, anything regular rumor-wise is the grapevine's, anything (or anybody!) original is ours.

Chapter 19

Escapes

Oliver froze; distant cries echoed from the corridor into the cavern. 'Jusea.' He looked over at a movement; the queen was watching the prisoners steadily.

She frowned sadly. "I'm afraid your other friend has been captured."

Oliver gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists.

-

Beth and Stormclaw examined the pile of ash and charred bones, surrounded by blackened stone. Stormclaw spat lightning at the pile, adding to the scent of ozone and charred hair. "It's a decent job, for a serpent," he said.

"Thanks," Beth said. "Jusea, Ah think ye can give yehr throat a rest now."

Jusea stopped screaming with a sigh. "Whoo. That's hard." She walked over to them. "Is that me?"

"Yep." Beth wiped a hand across her brow. "Now what?"

"Just as planned. One final, strangled scream, and I'll report you as dead. Then I'll take you out," Stormclaw said.

"Will they come to examine it? Ah mean, we had to make the corpse," Beth said.

"We'll have enough time to get you out. They'll probably just summon me to the main hall at first, then possibly send guards down here. I'll just run up to the main hall from the exit."

"Stormclaw, are you sure? I really don't want you getting into trouble just for me, and I won't do this if you're going—"

"Jusea." Stormclaw looked at her intensely, his eyes glowing. "I'll be fine. We demon wolves are hard to kill." He smiled toothily.

-

After a minute of silence, another scream rent the air. It rose in pitch, then died. The king and queen tensed, and the queen's eyes narrowed at nothing. After a few more minutes, she turned to the captives, her long face sorrowful again. "I'm afraid our guard was a little too enthusiastic with his lightning. Apparently he allowed your friend to annoy him, and..." She shrugged. "She's dead."

Fred and George grabbed Oliver's arms as their captain launched himself towards the king and queen. "Ye—" The Beaters pulled him back. "Let me go. Ye monsters!"

The king smiled. "Thank you."

-

"Thank you, Stormclaw." Jusea threw her arms around the wolf's neck; he froze. She stepped back and smiled.

"Thanks," Beth said.

Stormclaw snorted. "Go on, get out of here."

"But what about—"

Beth grabbed Jusea's arm and started dragging her away. "We'll get them out, but the less Stormclaw knows, the less trouble he can get into." The wolf vanished into the cave, and Beth and Jusea entered the shadowed trees. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped. Beth looked up at the starry sky. "Already night. Oh, here ye go." She held out Jusea's wand.

"Thanks."

"All right, the next question is, how will we get them out?"

"Too bad we can't just get them out how you two got me out."

"Three corpses? No, Ah don't think Ah could swing that right now." Beth smiled slowly. "But maybe Ah can get back in there as a snake, and then...get recaptured and killed. Hm."

"I think you lost me."

"Ah could go back in as a snake, but then how would Ah actually get them out? Ah doubt they'll be guarded by Stormclaw, even if they are taken away, just so he doesn't accidentally kill them, too."

"Oh, Beth, do you think Stormclaw's going to be in trouble because of me?"

Beth gripped Jusea's shoulders tightly. "He told you not to worry about him. And not to sound callous, but we have to worry about getting Oliver and the twins out of there first."

Jusea sighed. "All right. How to get them out. How did you get away?"

"Fred and George provided a distraction."

"A distraction. Something that would scare the demon wolves. And something none of them can avoid seeing."

-

Oliver struggled to twist out of the twins' hands. He could feel their grips weakening, and he increased his efforts. "Contain them," the king ordered.

Guards shifted into human form and started forward. There was a surge from the back of the cavern, and wolves yipped in alarm. "What's going on?" the queen said.

Pale green light spilled into the cavern, followed by a giant, livid green snake, squeezing through the mouth of the corridor. Horns and spines bristled around its face, and it opened a gaping maw, exposing double fangs. The queen stared for a minute before turning and running away. "Kill it!" the king roared. The snake hissed, its red tongue flickering. The king scrambled to follow the queen.

The guards returned to their own form and raced away. Oliver and the twins backed away from the serpent, wolves banging into them. Oliver stumbled and fell. A black wolf bounded up and gently took his hand in its teeth. He stared. The wolf dropped his hand. "Hello, Oliver. It's me."

"Beth?"

"Very astute. Come on."

"Fred, George. Let's go."

They followed the wolf towards the snake. "Beth? Please tell me that's yehr fault."

"Of course it is. Hurry." She plunged straight into the snake's belly.

Oliver shrugged and followed. Green light swirled around him, and it fell away to reveal the corridor and a dark forest outside. The black wolf was almost invisible in the night. "Beth?"

"This way." She turned, and the guys followed. They kept running, legs aching, lungs burning. "Stop."

Oliver skidded to a halt, and he bumped into a now human Beth. She glanced at him, then looked away. "What's wrong?" Oliver asked.

Beth pointed. Glowing orbs of blue and green were approaching through the undergrowth. Oliver sighed and pulled out his wand, and he and the twins stepped in front of Beth.

The wolves stepped into sight, and they stopped. They spread out in a line of six. Sickly blue light appeared below their eyes, silhouetting fangs. The light intensified, and lightning arced towards the humans. Oliver was shoved aside, and Beth reached out, grabbing the lightning and pulling it into a ball in her hand. She converted the electricity into flames, and she threw it at the wolves. They dodged, and Beth gathered fire around her fingertips. The fire grew into plum-sized spheres, and they sped into the wolves. The creatures retreated, yelping in pain, fire bursting into life as they raced away. Beth leaned against a tree with a sigh.

The bushes rustled behind them. Oliver whirled, wand at the ready. "At least ye got away," Beth said.

"Yeah." Heavy breathing accompanied Jusea's arrival. "I...really...need to...practice...more."

"Jusea?" Oliver stepped forward. "Ah thought...well Ah mean...it's just...the queen said that ye were, ye know...and Ah—Ah mean, we thought ye were, ye know, dead."

"Oh. Beth was very ingenious and came up with this brilliant plan."

"Ye helped a lot," Beth said quietly.

"Thanks. Anyway, are you guys all right?" Jusea asked, looking at Oliver.

"Aye." Oliver looked at the twins. "No thanks to ye two."

"Us?" Fred said.

"Don't 'us' me."

"Oh, come on, are you sure you're putting the blame in the right place?" George said.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, if it weren't for a certain someone, then none of us would be here," Fred said.

"Why don't ye spit it out?"

"Spit what out?" George asked.

"Who are you talking about?" Oliver said. Over by the tree there was a thump; Beth had fallen. Oliver turned back to the twins. "Now look what ye've done."

"We're over here."

"How could we have done anything?"

"Because...because...because it's ye."

"Oliver, I think you should calm down." Jusea quietly said to him.

"Yes, Oliver I think you should calm down."

"Fred, shut up."

"I'm not Fred. I'm George."

"Don't pull that right now. I know that you're Fred."

"Oliver, Fred, I don't think we should fight right now."

George spoke up from by the tree. "She's right. Can't we go?" Oliver turned to George to chew him out for interrupting him; George was standing there with Beth in his arms. "Before we're recaptured," George added.

"Please?" Jusea asked.

Oliver breathed out. "All right, let's go."

They headed away, back towards Hogwarts. Hopefully.