(a/n: wow. I guess before I start this chapter, I should go ahead and answer some reviews this time, as well. Hrm.
(Nixi the Pixi and/or NixNox. Not sure which one you prefer. I guess first off, thank you for trying to explain further. I guess the way the first review was phrased bothered me quite a bit. Maybe it was the fact that the first time the "possibly insulting" term had been brought up was sixteen chapters later. I'm not sure. Maybe I was in a bad mood, or maybe it was because they used the worst phrase ever in "no offense, but…". You know, I've never heard that phrase uttered without having it been followed by something incredibly rude (hence the fact I braced myself for that kind of attitude)? Anyway, as it is, I'm sorry if anyone's insulted. I used it because 1. there was no other available term. 2. because the dictionary told me I could and 3. because Buffy'd used it before. Maybe not in the context of a male Wicca, but at least in the sense of a male magic practitioner. Anyway, if I have lost reviewers over it, I'm sure none of them are here to listen to apologize, and I'm pleased that at least you'll keep reading. I'm not a huge, faultless, fantabulous writer. None of the above, in fact. I make mistakes. But I don't have the time or ability to go back and think of another word. Maybe once the story is complete. I'll definitely not be bringing in the term anymore in the story, but there's not much more I can do on top of that. I don't even have the computer I wrote chapter 2 on anymore. Anyway, I'm sorry for this ramble. They just kinda creep on ya, don't they? Anyway, I just definitely want to let out a "thank you" for trying to get any concept through my skull. ;x
(Damia: As for going after Bella instead of Ron. Heh. Hermione's interests are focused on something entirely unfathomable to me. I guess maybe it's a psychological thing. She has to see the truth for herself? Anyway, I'd do the same as you…except I'd probably drag Xander with me!
(bobkat2007: Trust me. I'm dying for them to get out of the Tower soon, too. You're definitely not alone. It'll be soon. Trust me.
(IsiwaruofCkaloatia: I almost have your name memorized! Woo! Glad you enjoyed yet another chapter. Don't be sad. There are happy things coming! Kinda!
(Ezmerelda: I loved your review. So far as I know, it's a stupid school standard "No child left behind"…or a really bad movie quote. –ponders- Anyway, aww. I didn't mean for it to be all that. It just kind of…was: I'm glad you enjoyed.
(M'Naria: Hello sweetie. 3 Thank you for your input, and for being able to put my argument into words when I cannot. Thanks for sticking up for me. I needed it.
(Pamie884: Lovely hearing from you, and I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter and the story.
(Village-Mystic: You're welcome for the continuation! -grins-. Heh. I love Willow. I think she's just an utterly adorable character.
(sweetypie15 Thank you for another review, I'm always glad to hear from you!
(CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur: Thank you for your review! I'm stealing the family computer for the moment, and I'm hoping that my laptop will be repaired by sometime next week. My parents went to Massachusetts, and I know that it won't be better until after they return because, simply, they have the money, and I don't.)
Chapter Nineteen of Unexpected Losses
Willow dragged Charlie and Giles by feel alone until she caught sight of the tour group. Embarrassed by her take-charge loss of control, Willow lowly cleared her throat. The tour guide was frowning for the first time since he'd greeted the group. He glanced over the number of people twice, before narrowing his eyes and then shrugging. He smiled brightly at the group again, but there seemed to be a damper on his previously jubilant attitude.
"Did anyone notice anyone fall behind in the group?" Everyone turned to one another, slowly shaking their heads, noting that they had been paying more attention to the tour than each other. "Very well." He shrugged and turned, muttering quietly into a walkie-talkie. After noting to the rest of the guides that there were possible tourists that had lost their group, he commenced walking.
"When are we going to see the Bloody Tower?" Willow took a risk in asking aloud, after worming herself into a group of other people. As soon as the words left her mouth, she hurried back to her previous place, arms out in front of her to make sure that she didn't walk into either of her two comrades, seeing as how she'd never know if they'd moved while she was speaking.
"Ah, well, yes. We're going to be heading in that direction in a short while. First we're going to be visiting the Bell Tower and the Queen's house. Then we'll go from the Bloody Tower to the White Tower and the Site of the Block, where a number of executions have taken place in t he past." Everyone began whispering quietly to one another at the word "executions" and it was obvious that they were getting restless with their current environment. "Let's get started then."
Willow slowly began following the group, wondering if Giles would be angry about the risk she'd taken, or if he was attempting to glower at the wrong place to express his displeasure. The mental image made her want to giggle, but she focused instead on why they were there, and it sedated her almost instantly.
Tuning in to the actual tour, because just thinking was bound to drive her insane, Willow listened attentively to the historical value of the castle in which she found herself. The further along they went, the more she had to wonder how Voldemort could've taken over such a public and famous Muggle area. Sure, to have the staff working for him would be helpful. But surely the Royal Family among other people should have more a hold.
This train of thought took her to wondering whether high-up Muggle positions were given knowledge of the Wizarding World, and what kind of danger that would result in if the wrong people found out. It wasn't long in Willow's mind until they found themselves on the way to the Bloody Tower. A rough hand touched her back, and Willow knew it was Charlie. Nodding uselessly in turn, she stopped walking until the tour group was out of sight. Charlie's hand still on her back reassured her that she wasn't alone.
Waiting until the sound of the tour group also dissipated, Willow muttered the counter-curse, as was according to plan. Willow allowed a brief wave of fatigue sweep across her, before recollecting herself. Holding a spell for such a length of time over all three of them had exhausted her for a short while. She would regain herself quickly, but knew she had to stay with Giles and Charlie until then, because even the simplest spell would be difficult to cast in her present condition.
As if knowing all that; Willow found herself being supported by Giles, who gave her a proud look, which Willow took a moment to bask in. "Alright." She began slowly, unwilling to tax herself until totally necessary. "Which way do we go from here?"
"Well, we can follow the tour a little while longer, or at least head in their direction. Until we see the cells." Giles answered, earning himself a confused look from the other two. "I've been on the tour before. They take you partially through some of the cells. They take you to the room of the two princes, and then they take you on," he clarified shortly.
"Okay, then." Willow agreed, and with Giles's assistance, they made their way onward. Each of the three was on alert. Getting caught now could be very dangerous for all of them, and if they were there was a good chance that they wouldn't be able to slip away again. Hearing their guide telling the story of the two princes that were lost to the Bloody Tower, and the remains possibly found later, Giles led them down another hallway.
Willow smothered a gasp realizing just how literally Giles meant it when he mentioned cells. There were lining the walls, and she suppressed a shiver. To be forced to live in one of them…even for a short while…it was a horrible thought to consider, but her mind couldn't seem to focus on anything else. Was that where Harry's friends were placed? Until Ron died, was he stuck in the dark, dank cage? Charlie seemed to be thinking along the same lines as his jaw was clenched and his eyes continued to flash.
Willow stood from Giles's support, and she approached the Weasley. "Hermione." She said softly, placing her hand on Charlie's arm, feeling him relax, much like Harry had earlier in the day.
"Hermione first." Charlie agreed, and kept moving, mind focused clearly on Hermione rather than what would come after. Because as much as he liked Hermione, Ron was his brother. And his brother was dead. And someone was going to pay for it.
OoOoOoO
"They look for Hermione." Harry said shortly. "You can do the same if you want to. But I'm going to look for Voldemort." Lupin seemed, momentarily, as if he was going to object, but then nodded. There wouldn't be any convincing Harry of otherwise, and it would be better if he didn't let Harry go on his way alone. Fred didn't even bother thinking of an objection.
They turned down another corridor, and found a row of windows. Outside was a huge building, nestled within the outer walls. "He'll be there." Harry said knowingly, and set about finding a set of stairs that would lead them down and out. Unsure of how he knew where Voldemort would be, his mind considered the topic for a few minutes. He just shrugged after a moment, and he continued leading the way, grateful that neither Lupin nor Fred had seen it necessary to ask him why he believed as he did.
It was surprisingly simple to find their way outside, and it was also barren of any guards, which really worried the trio. What they didn't know, however, was that most of them were off looking for the people that had lost their tour group. It was thus exceedingly simple for them to find their way to the White Tower, where Harry believed Voldemort to be hiding.
It wasn't overly difficult to enter the White Tower. Unfortunately, there were no signs reading "Voldemort This Way", leading them to more of what felt more like useless wandering than searches. They were subjected to the same surroundings that they'd suffered since entering the Tower of London, granted that their present surroundings seemed a bit older.
Once more they began wandering about. Twice they were forced to dive into nearby corridors to avoid being caught by people passing. Most of them seemed to be very annoyed, and a few were wearing nametags, announcing that they were employees, which meant nothing to Harry, Lupin, or Fred other than they were to be avoided. That was a general rule for anyone that they saw, though.
Harry paused, and quieted his already silent comrades with a look when a familiar individual crossed their path though. After firmly ignoring Fred's dirty look at his silencing movement, Harry inched around the corner, only to pull back when someone hurriedly walked by. "Find the witch, bring the boy, put him back, and bring him back. I should've killed him when I had the chance. Muggle impudence. Lie to the Dark Lord."
The tall, slender form of Lucius Malfoy turned a corner somewhere to their left, and Harry glanced at the other two. "Xander?" He guessed aloud, earning nodding agreement from the other pair. They hurried in the direction from which Lucius had come, knowing that he would've come directly from the Dark Lord. "At least he's alive."
"Not for too long, from the sounds of it." Lupin retorted, earning a frown of agreement from Harry. "What do you think he meant by 'Lie to the Dark Lord'?"
"One way to find out." Harry answered, and he continued to sneak towards the place that Voldemort was most likely to be. Lupin and Fred were fast on his heels. Surprisingly, there were no more guards nearby, which was almost as nerve-wracking as avoiding them might've been. It felt more like a trap with the lack of resistance. They took more time than they might have otherwise, but reaching their goal was still surprisingly quick.
Finding themselves eventually before a huge set of double-doors that reached the ceiling, they finally paused in their hurried pursuit. A strangled sound of yelling echoed through the door. Due to the door's thickness alone, it was quite an accomplishment. Just as Harry was about to open the door, it slowly began opening of its own accord. Lupin immediately grabbed at the two younger men before him and tugged them backwards, but Harry was almost immediately free again.
There were three figures in the room. One was the tall, skeletal self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort. Next to him was the hunched over, sniveling Peter Pettigrew, who was far better known as Wormtail. It was the last that stopped Harry, Fred, and Lupin cold, despite how far they'd managed to come. Because in the middle of the room was the silvered, familiar form of a lanky, freckled Ron Weasley.
OoOoOoO
Xander refused to tell Hermione that he was getting tired. Ron wasn't the lightest guy to carry around, and added the fact that it was all just dead weight didn't help in the least. One look at the girl told him everything that he needed to know, and he knew, too, that he couldn't give up. Sheer will was all that kept Hermione going, and she deserved to get the same strength from Xander.
She led Xander slowly, their previously frantic pace forgotten in the face of resignation that flowed to her very core. Even with Xander's knowledge of the Weasley's clock, part of Hermione refused to believe what he'd said. She had to know for herself if it was the truth. Once, Hermione had placed the same faith in books as she now put in her own senses. After all, who would bother publishing lies? Experience had taught her the answer to that question was "a lot of people."
What was one more lie? From a stranger, who couldn't possibly understand the message he was trying to convey? But there was the proof now. She had touched him, felt the coldness that was all that remained of his prior warmth. Ron hated being cold. Irrationally, she wondered how he would take being that cold, or how he would feel about not being able to eat anymore. It was all so stupid, but she couldn't get her mind off the questions.
Hermione smothered a hysterical giggle at her own nonsensicalness. She hated things that weren't rational or neat or easily explained. Ron dying was so far out of the category, it was beyond all comprehension to the usually genius witch. She merely kept walking, wondering how she was going to explain death to Ron, despite the fact that he was the one that was gone. It was all so very stupid.
Hermione was called back to reality from her thoughts at the sight of cells on either side of the corridor. They'd managed to walk in a huge circle. They were back where they started. She suppressed a shiver. Officially deciding that she hated cells, she continued onward, unwilling to pause another moment in the dungeon. The echo of approaching footsteps was like a punch in the gut, and Hermione felt the oddest urge just to reel back. Whoever it was seemed to be mumbling angrily to him or herself, and the voice was oddly familiar. No matter the situation, there was no way that this could be a pleasant encounter.
She gave Xander a firm look, and jerked her head behind her in indication that they should turn around. Before they even had a chance to do so, Hermione saw who it was. She could've wept with relief. The familiar form of Charlie Weasley rounded the corner and stopped cold at seeing her. A redheaded girl about Hermione's age, and an older bespectacled man followed them, but Hermione paid neither of them the least bit of attention.
Charlie quickly approached the fuzzy-haired brunette. Slowly, almost disbelievingly, he wrapped his arms around her in a protective hug. She eagerly clung to him in return. Charlie was the first person she saw that she knew. Granted, Xander seemed to be very much on her side, but it wasn't the same as someone she knew and trusted. Charlie pulled away from her, and immediately checked her over for any obvious injuries, and was relieved to find that she was free of them.
He glanced to Xander, and Xander's burden, and Charlie fought the urge to vomit. Slowly, he approached the smaller teen, who reverently passed the redhead over to him.
"Oh, Goddess." The redhead whispered from next to the older man, stumbling back into him. "Is that--?"
"Ron." Charlie whispered, finishing her sentence and giving her a positive answer all in one word. "Thank you." He directed this last at Xander, who nodded briefly before walking over to Willow and Giles. He hugged Willow firmly, before reluctantly letting go. Surprisingly, Giles paused for a moment before he hugged Xander; a sigh of relief slipping unnoticed passed his lips. Xander hugged the Watcher in return, feeling suddenly as safe as he would've in Sunnydale.
The five of them began backtracking from Willow, Giles, and Charlie's origination, determined once more to get out. They were stopped shortly into their journey by footsteps approaching once more. This time, the person was none-too-friendly. Malfoy gave them a cold glare as he entered, especially Xander.
"Lucius." Giles greeted the man, and he was pleased to note the blonde man's confusion.
"Ripper?" Lucius asked after a moment of confusion.
"You really attacked the wrong Muggles." Giles replied coolly, belying his anger and tenseness. "You see, Xander and Willow are like my children. And you know how I can be."
"You may have been frightening at school, Ripper. But you were expelled, and I have surpassed anything you may have accomplished by far." Lucius answered, brandishing his wand at them.
"You have no idea what I've accomplished since I left Hogwarts, Malfoy." Giles answered. Charlie and Hermione both regarded the librarian with confused glances, wondering who he was and when he had been at Hogwarts. "I suggest, though, that you lead us out of here before I am forced to kill you." There was no lie in Giles's words. Willow and Xander easily sensed that and put themselves on edge to stop the Watcher. Regardless of what they needed to do now, they wouldn't allow their father-like figure do such harm. Even to an enemy.
"You seem to be on the wrong side of the War to be serious." Lucius answered coldly, but there was an edge to his voice that contradicted his confidence.
"I'm not on either side of this war. I have what I've come for." Giles motioned towards Xander and Willow. "I have no need for anything or anyone else. Now. Lead us out of here or –." Giles didn't even bother to finish his sentence before he flung himself bodily towards Lucius, drawing a dagger from the inner pocket of his jacket as he did so.
Shocked, Lucius Malfoy backed away, attempting to dodge the surprisingly quick Watcher. It was no use, though. He wasn't prepared for the attack, and Giles managed to bury all four inches of the dagger into Lucius's shoulder. The blond-haired man screamed at the pain, and jerked away, causing the wound to only grow larger.
"Come now, Lucius, you know better than to move if you've been stabbed." Giles tsked, firmly ignoring any and all reactions from his audience of four, which was rather ranged. From approval from Charlie to a mix of displeasure and cruel satisfaction from Willow, there was no lack of those reactions.
"Damn you, Ripper."
"You see, you should be more polite, Malfoy. Now. How do we get out of here?" Lucius didn't answer, instead Apparating from where he ended up on the ground. "Damn." Giles announced.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Charlie demanded, making sure to keep himself in between Hermione and the Watcher.
"That was Giles attempting to get us out of here." Xander replied. "And doing a pretty good job at the being scary if I do say so myself."
Giles flushed at the obvious approval he'd earned from Xander. Usually the boy, not outwardly respectful, teased him rather than praised him. "Well, I've waited a very long time to see Lucius Malfoy again. And we can discuss that further at a later point in time. Let us find Harry and the rest and get out of this bloody castle."
(a/n: done for this installment. I hope that all of you like it. Seeing as my parents are in Massachusetts, I'm hoping that I can get another chapter up before they come home. Love to all, and thank you for your reviews and responses and all that good stuff. .)