Harry blinked, shaking off the shock, staring at the long mark he'd made on the parchment. His ears were faintly ringing. There were clatters as people dislodged from their seats, screams and cries, shouts of alarm. Whatever that incredibly loud blast had been, it was close. Close enough for the whole Courtroom to be caught in the seismic shock.
He raised his head, seeing Yaxley turn towards him, that expression of triumph quickly morphing to one of surprise. Their eyes met. Realisation dawned in those pale blue eyes, a hint of alarm.
"Get him out of-," Yaxley began to say to the guards until his words were drowned out by the alarm thundering into life, a deep tolling bell.
There were two flashes of golden light. The nearest flash came from an elderly man who stood from his bench and, as he did, he changed, skin mottling as it shifted from a crinkled, pale hue to a darker one. His plum robes morphed into ones of black and gold. He pulled up a hood and drew on a mask of shimmering gold.
"There has been a security breach, Minister!" A forceful, baritone voice called out. "And I do believe that we are it." Harry's breath caught when he heard the voice, so distinctive. So very much the deep voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.
A flash of red blazed across the room. Yaxley jerked back, hip striking the desk, his wand flying out his hand. Harry watched it clatter on the floor, eyes wide. Then spells ripped through the air, coming from multiple angles. He heard shouts, mingling all together in a miasma of panic and alarm. He jumped in his seat as a powerful spell crashed into the shield charms that had been cast around him, light retracting around him in ripples.
"GET HIM OUT NOW!" Yaxley bellowed, his voice blaring over the sounds of chaos. Harry twisted in his chair, left arm still imprisoned, looking around wildly as his guards formed closer ranks around him. He saw Dean and the other prisoner being forced on their feet, held at wand-point.
Harry knew he had little time until he was similarly incapacitated. Someone was at his right elbow. He lashed out with the quill that was still in his hand, stabbing whatever he could. He felt the tip sink into something soft.
"Aaah! You little fucker!"
A hand clamped around his wrist and twisted. Harry gave a strangled cry and he dropped the quill. He barely had the chance to think before he was seized under the arms, chains going limp, and pitched out the chair. He slammed into the desk. A hand gripped him by the straps of his muzzle and crashed his face into the wood, pinning him down. The lip of the desk winded him as he was forced against it.
The violence dazed Harry more than the pain. They didn't give him any chance to fight back. His arms were crossed over behind his back while ropes entwined them. He peered out from his prone state, nose an inch from the confession. The inkwell had toppled and black ink seeped into the parchment, obliterating the lies.
Arms now secured tightly behind his back, he was yanked upright by the muzzle. He glanced over to who was holding him, meeting the beady, cruel eyes of Sabor. The headguard gripped his left arm, forcing him around to stumble on his hobbled legs.
"Keep fighting them, Harry!" A shout rose above the rest of the noise. Harry twisted around at the voice.
Remus!
He glanced around, seeing men in blue all around him. The shields rippled as more spells crashed into their defences. It was impossible to make out what was going on and before he could try, he was pushed forwards, stumbling and losing his footing.
"This is the best the Order can do?" Yaxley's scathing voice reached Harry.
"They aren't alone!" A loud, clear voice shouted out.
"Your tyranny will not stand unopposed any longer!"
"Traitor!"
"You spit on Albus Dumbledore's name with your cowardice."
Harry felt a thrill at the furious words that were flying from the previously silenced Wizengamot, but whatever hope it gave him, it guttered out as he was dragged away. He saw where they were taking him. Back to the passageway. Back to the Row.
Flanked at all sides, Enforcers kept close. Spells continued to ripple off the shields as now his rescuers were joined with new allies. He strained against Sabor's hold on his muzzle, held hopelessly prone. He grew aware of an automated message that was being repeated, clear over the deep tolling of the emergency alarm.
"This is not a drill… emergency protocols are now in effect. Leave your stations immediately and make your way to the designated safe zone where a member of the security team will escort you to the atrium. Comply with all orders…"
He turned his head from the open grate that was within range. His feet scrambled at the floor. Desperately, he strained his arms against the ropes. He looked around through a gap in his human barricade just as the huge Courtroom doors buckled and blasted apart. Bits of wood, stone and metal rained all around, clattering and crashing to the floor. Smoke and heat burst from the wreckage, joined by figures who leaped through the burning remains, appearing as gold and black blurs in Harry's vision.
Then there was an almighty flash of brilliant light, momentarily blinding him and everyone in the room. Harry landed with a thud on the floor as the men released him in their shock. An array of red and gold fireworks whiizzed and banged, zipping through the room to join the more dangerous flashes of brilliant light.
Those are Weasley's Wizard Wheezes fireworks… that means… Fred and George are here. And if they're here then…
Harry's thought process ended as he grew aware of the absence of the guards' tight holds on his arms. He pushed himself off the floor with his knees, throwing himself backwards with a crash. He smacked onto the ground with a thud, but he broke out the ranks, becoming visible. His efforts were immediately noticed and he was surrounded at once. He looked around to see a man in black push through the wall of his guards. Fear sizzled in the pit of his stomach. He saw the flash of red light a second before the agony ripped into him. He dropped onto his back where he writhed, muscles seized in convulsions as the curse tormented him. It was over in moments.
"Harry! There's Harry!"
The voice froze his insides as he lay still on his back, turning his face towards the sound. Ron? He then felt Rookwood's presence and he flinched, head snapping up to see the Death Eater looming over him, face turned towards the direction of the voice as well, understanding visible on that pock-marked visage. The guards moved aside as he faced the chaos, lips twitching at the corners as he scanned the room, searching.
Harry watched in horror as the man drew back his left sleeve, revealing the branded flesh of the underside of his arm.
A bright orange light flared in their direction. Rookwood's right arm lashed upwards in time, a shield blooming around him. Light danced across his spherical shield, orange flames blazing at the impact. A figure in black and gold followed the spell, another flashing from his wand. They wore a mask, but their hood had fallen back to reveal mousy blonde hair, greying at the ears. It was Remus. Harry could feel his gaze on him and his chest seized at the sight of him, remembering how things had been when they last spoke. Emotion bloomed, suddenly bursting free, making him gasp. The presence of the man alone meant that he had forgiven him.
"Get him down there now or your incompetence will cost you your lives," Rookwood hissed at the guards. They closed in around him. They lifted him off the ground by his arms, dragging him like a dead weight. He started shouting through his muzzle, twisting, furious at his helplessness, unable to do anything as he watched Remus duel. Then there was a flash of vibrant green light. At the sight of it, Harry's heart lurched with fear. No!
"Seal it behind us. No one goes through. No one, understand?" Sabor growled. Harry's desperation mounted as he saw the edge of the stairwell below him. As they adjusted their hold on his arms, he knew that they were going to throw him down. His stomach clenched at the anticipation, then it dropped as they launched him down, clearly not caring if he broke his neck. He gave a shout of fright as he pitched down into the space below, seeing the floor come up to meet him, but then he stopped, his fall arresting a foot away from the floor. He stared at the stone in surprise, then dropped down with a thud. He heard the footsteps of his captors descend the steps behind him, knowing that one of them must have used a cushioning charm.
As he lay on the floor in a daze, his heart thundered in his chest. The exhaustion was seeping into his aching muscles. His shoulders and arms were in a world of relentless pain, held fast by the restraints that kept the joints locked in place. The raw skin under the ropes felt like it was on fire. His throat was burning, the rest of him still feeling the lingering effects of the short but painful cruciatus curse.
Once again, he felt Sabor seize him by the back of his muzzle. The grip rendered him completely helpless, unable to free himself from the grip. The leather under his chin dug into his neck, making it hard to breathe.
"All on your own now, Potter," the man said, sounding a little breathless. Harry glanced up at the man, seeing the pink tinge in his skin. Knowing that he was making the men work harder to keep him subdued gave him some satisfaction. "Once you're behind the wards, nothing is getting you out."
Fear flushed Harry at the words as the two men lifted him to his knees and dragged him down passageway by his arms. His head was forced downwards, staring at the floor. Panic and desperation lent him a burst of erratic energy. He flicked his eyes to his left, seeing Sabor's hip, the bludgeon jutting out and his wand…
His wand.
Sabor was on his left and Harry's wrists were crossed over at his back, his right hand facing Sabor's side. The wand was only a foot away. He flexed his hand, ignoring the shooting pains that the movement caused. It hurt him greatly, but he could move it. If he had been able to write, he'd be able to cast. As he heard the grate behind them sliding shut, his mind went eerily clear, his focus narrowing down. He was back on his broom, both eyes fixed on the fluttering ball ahead of him. He took his hand from the handle, gripping it with his legs tightly, reaching out for the catch…
This was no game of quidditch. This catch was worth a lot more than a hundred and fifty points.
He sprung from his knees, pushing up into Sabor. The sudden display of movement caught them unawares and their grips shifted on his arms. The small freedom allowed him to jerk around to his left, hand opening out. His fingers closed around the thin wooden handle. As he did, the other guard yanked him back. The wand cleared from Sabor's belt.
Before either of the men knew what Harry had done, he flicked his wrist.
Stupefy.
A flash of red blasted behind him and the three of them were thrown in different directions. The force launched Sabor back against one wall, where he slid down, unconscious. Harry crashed into the other guard and both fell down. Harry tried to angle the wand around, but before he could, a hard kick to the stomach had him floored. He wheezed and coughed, winded. The man stood over him.
He curled in on himself. He saw the boot coming for his face, but he couldn't move. A hot, sickening pain lanced through his face at the impact. The guard then seized him around the throat, lifting him up. Blood trickled from his nose as he stared up at the man's reddening face, his vision sharpening. Then a flash of white light illuminated them. The guard rocketed backwards, airborne for a moment before he crashed into the floor with a loud thud.
Harry slumped back on his side, dazed, his face throbbing, then he heard the sweetest sound he'd ever heard.
"Harry! We're here!"
No one was really that surprised when Fred and George amassed enough muggle and magical explosives to sunder stone and spell. George explained that muggles knew plenty about how to blow stuff up and had been doing it to each other for long enough. In fact, they were better at bigger explosions than wizards were. Magic wasn't the only means out there to destroy after all. Science had plenty of force on its own. Combine the two and the results would be spectacular - which was what they needed. A destructive spectacle.
Hermione double-checked, triple-checked, her bag, running her hand through the different items that were essential to the mission. Cloak, wand, glasses, restorative potions, essence of dittany, decoys, darkness powder. She drew out the cloak, the silvery material rushing over her hands like liquid, folding it over her arm. Then she took out the wand. A spare that had been handed to her by Tonks with a firm look that said 'don't ask'. She stashed it back. Having a spare wand seemed pretty sensible those days. Her own wand was strapped to her thigh in a holster that Kingsley gave her. Auror issue, he said, giving them out to everyone.
She, along with the others, now waited in the strangest surroundings she'd ever found herself in. She was sitting with her knees up to her chin, watching the orbs of light bobbing up and down, illuminating the long, perfectly cylindrical tunnel, carved neatly from stone and earth. Kingsley and Arthur had cleared the area earlier with vanishing spells to great effect, making a perfect path between the service access tunnel that ran parallel to one of the Underground train lines to the underneath of the Ministry. All that was left was a few feet of stone which would be cleared by a copious amount of explosives. They had strengthened their tunnel with containment spells, hoping that they didn't inadvertently collapse their current spot. Sealing themselves in an earthen tomb was not how they wanted the plan to go.
Hermione's fingers brushed the glasses in her bag and her heart jumped. She kept her mind from dwelling on the endless ways that this could go wrong, focusing instead on why they were risking it in the first place.
"Ugh it's bad enough being stuck in an airless tunnel without bad wind. Hold it in, lads, please," grumbled Charlie from further down the tunnel. Lee gave a chuckle.
"'Fess up, Fred."
"Oi, I'm not dumb enough to guff in front of all these explosives."
"Might add to the potency though," George remarked.
"Keep it down!" A harsh whisper from Bill. "And also what in Merlin's crinkled buttcheeks did you eat?"
Soft laughter sounded. A bit of levity helped ease the tension significantly. Hermione glanced down to where the others were waiting. Most faces were tense, anxious, scared, but when she looked over to Ron who, while very pale, had his face set with determination.
"Kingsley's given us the signal!" Arthur called out. Hermione's heart jumped.
"That was quick," remarked Charlie, sounding worried, "we were expecting an hour at least…"
"It doesn't matter. It means Harry's in the room. We have to move now. Fred, George."
"On it." The twins were on their feet. "Everyone get behind dad. Silencing charms at the ready. It's going to be loud."
Hermione shuffled to her feet, heart thundering under her breast, not really aware that this was really happening. She stumbled on the uneven ground, Ron's arm steadying her. Arthur checked that they were behind him, giving them a nod.
"Masks on, everyone," Arthur said. There was movement from everyone other than Ron and Hermione. "Under the cloak, you two."
"Oh, right." Ron gave Hermione an alarmed look. She shook out the cloak and threw it over them both. The familiar weight of it settling over their shoulders gave her some comfort, but wearing the cloak without Harry was incredibly jarring. It was a Potter heirloom… passed down from father to son. And we're using it to save that son.
At some point during the planning, they'd agreed on a simple uniform, but all agreed to make a point. They were all dressed in black robes with golden flames up the sleeves, simple but poignant. Molly had got to work on the robes all day with Fleur's assistance. Black robes were easy enough to get hold of and there was some gold cloth left over from the wedding. The masks had been a bit more tricky and had involved a trip to a muggle store. There were some bemused comments about fighting Death Eaters in fancy dress, but the plastic gold masks looked effective enough as everyone pulled them on. They had been treated with cushioning charms so they were comfortable.
"This is so dumb…" grumbled Bill as he pulled on his mask.
"Just think, Kingsley will be wearing one and he's the coolest guy in the country…"
"I reckon he thinks it's dumb too."
"Charges set!" Fred called and the twins rushed towards them. Arthur cast the shields and the silencing charms as the twins slipped past him.
Everyone waited with baited breath, then there was an almighty flash of light and the whole tunnel shuddered with the force. The silence explosion was rather disorientating, as was the lack of heat or force. Arthur dropped the charms and everyone moved into action. He and Molly were at the front, putting out the fires at the front while Charlie bounded between them, blasting the rubble out with a powerful bombardment charm. They heard this explosion, wincing as they followed, wands out.
Hermione felt the chill as she and Ron rushed ahead, knowing that the cold was not a natural one. She had her wand out ready, thoughts instantly rushing to her patronus memory.
"Expecto Patronum!" Her voice joined several others in unison. The silvery otter trotted out her wand, joining others as they rushed ahead into the thick cover of smoke and stone-dust that hung in place of the mottled rock that had blocked the passage before.
"Move it, Lightning!" Arthur shouted, mounting the large pieces of stone and rubble that had fallen into the tunnel. The patronuses passed him, rushing through the dust cloud and parting it.
Hermione and Ron didn't need telling twice. They pushed ahead of the group. Fred and George flanked them, levitating rocks and chunks of stone out the way. It was awkward climbing the shifting rubble, hands touching the cloak as they clawed up the collapse, the intense heat left from the detonation still clinging to the stone despite the extinguishing charms.
Coughs sounded around them as they ascended. Fred and George were out first, stunners zipping out their wands as hints of movement rushed at the edges of the smoke cloud.
A deep tolling sound pulsed through the air like a large bell. An alarm. Ron cursed under his breath as they stumbled out into the hallway, seeing the devastation as the smoke cleared.
"Go, go, go!" Charlie shouted at them, waving his arms.
"Breach! We have a breach!"
"Where are the blasted dementors?"
"Get to the courtroom! They're after Potter."
Shouts were flying all around them. Now spells joined the fray. Neville's voice sounded behind them. A stunning spell reflected off his shield, protecting them as they rushed out down, their footsteps barely audible over the throbbing alarm.
"This is not a drill. Emergency evacuation protocols are in effect…" A voice now joined the alarm.
A patronus zipped in front of them, clearing the way ahead. Hermione saw the black doors of the Courtroom and grabbed Ron's arm, pushing them both into a sprint. Lee and Seamus cut around them, casting shields as two blue-robed men rushed out to intercept them.
"Confringo!" Hermione cried out, orange fire cracking out her wand from between the folds of the cloak. Her blasting charm smashed into the door behind the two men. Before they could even react, the charm exploded, throwing them aside like ragdolls.
"Merlin, Hermione…"
"Fireworks!"
At her cry, Lee and Seamus deposited their armfuls of incendiaries, throwing them through the sizzling doorway.
"Incendio!" Hermione's fire charm did more than set the fuses. The trademark Weasley Wizards Wheezes fireworks exploded into a roaring blaze of colourful sparks and fire. The requirement had been to cause chaos. But as Team Lightning leapt over the charred remains of the door, they saw that things had already reached a fever pitch without them.
"... make your way to the designated safe zone where a member of the security team will escort you to the atrium. Comply with all orders…
It was nearly impossible to make sense of the pandemonium in the Courtroom. Spells were flying everywhere, furniture too. A powerful crackle of lightning lashed through the room, coming from a man in black and silver robes. Hermione felt the force of the magic and found herself dragging Ron to the edge of the Courtroom.
She glanced around. To her immense surprise, Remus and Kingsley weren't alone in fighting the Enforcers and the Death Eaters. Witches and Wizards in plum robes were engaging others. Infighting among the Wizengamot itself. Her jaw dropped as a woman who was at least in her seventies kicked a man with huge glasses in the face. She saw others dueling with the Minister and his cohorts.
They are fighting back!
Of course, there had to be some among the Wizengamot who just needed that extra push to stand up. Dumbledore had been Chief Warlock, after all, and it appeared the loyalties to him hadn't died with him.
Her attention returned to the mission at hand. She saw the desk in the centre of the room and the chair behind it, now empty. Then she regarded the Enforcers, moving in closed ranks. There was a lot of laboured movement, just visible behind them. Then suddenly, a figure burst out, falling down hard on his side and scrambled back in a desperate attempt to flee. Hermione knew that mop of disheveled black hair anywhere. The Enforcers reformed their ranks around him immediately and she saw a man in black robes join them. There was a flash of red light.
"Harry! Harry's there!" Ron shouted.
"Shh Ron! We can't be discovered!" She exclaimed under her breath. Ron paled, swallowing. The man in the black robes reappeared, looking in their direction. Hermione froze with fear, realising that she recognised him. He had been at the Department of Mysteries with the other Death Eaters when they joined Harry two years ago. She remembered the lined face, that long grey hair. She tried to not remember that night, not least because of the loss of Sirius, but the memory of her own pain when Dolohov cursed her and nearly killed her.
To her horror, Augustus Rookwood stared directly at them and gave a small smile, slowly lifting up his left sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark on his arm.
A flash of orange cracked towards Rookwood. Hermione gave a strangled shriek. Rookwood's reflexes were masterful as he parried the spell. His left arm dropped to his side as he moved into a duelling stance. Hermione watched, eyes wide, as Remus engaged him, his own duelling abilities clearly impressive. He had been posted as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for a reason.
"We have to follow Harry," Ron gritted through his teeth and pulled Hermione this time. They both lurched into an awkward run.
"Get him down there or your incompetence will cost you your lives," they heard Rookwood saying to Harry's guards. Through the gap, Hermione could see Harry being dragged by his arms, his legs trailing behind him. She saw the shackles around his ankles and her heart seized. That he'd managed to get free from them at all was a miracle when she saw how tightly restrained his arms were. He was still trying to get his feet on the floor. Hermione could distinctly hear Harry making angry noises while he struggled. They reached the shield barrier. The magic holding them back.
"Seal it behind us. No one goes through. No one, understand?" The guard holding Harry on his left growled at the guards. Hermione started to panic. How were they going to get through the guards before they sealed the passageway? Suddenly, Harry was thrown down and disappeared out of sight. She heard his frightened yell.
The shield charms dropped and the guards shifted around, repositioning, watching the two guards follow Harry down the passageway. Ron and Hermione both moved without thinking, slipping between two guards. The cloak brushed them, but the guards didn't appear to notice as they moved out. She and Ron rushed down to the passageway, twisting around to see one of the guards turn back and slam the grate down shut, just an inch from the tops of their heads.
"That was close," Ron gasped.
The sounds of the chaos above were muted. Even the alarm was gone. Hermione turned to see a narrow corridor that was more at home in some catacombs than in the Ministry, though much of the Ministry felt more medieval at this depth. It was dark and oppressive. She and Ron turned, seeing in the distance three figures that were moving fairly slowly, two large forms dragging a smaller one between them. Harry.
They both moved into action, hurrying down the steps, just as a flash of red knocked the three forms apart. One slammed into the wall with a loud thud. Harry and the other guard thudded to the ground. Hermione gasped in shock, freezing for a moment as they reached the bottom of the steps. Somehow, Harry had managed to perform magic.
The man that Harry hadn't stunned was on his feet quickly. Hermione gasped in horror as the man kicked savagely at the crumpled form on the ground. They ran, tearing off the cloak as they did, coming to Harry's aid.
"Impedimenta!" Ron cried out. A flash of light burst from his wand. It struck the brutal guard in the back and he went flying a few feet down the passageway. He slammed to the ground with a loud thud.
"Harry! We're here!" Hermione shouted, her voice echoing down the narrow, dark corridor. Her heart had never beat so fast as she dashed down the passageway. She passed the guard that Harry managed to stun. He was very much unconscious. She noticed the belt with the bludgeon and keys.
She heard Harry shouting, but there were no words, just vocalisations. The sound of him struggling to speak horrified her, but she ignored it. He needed her and that was all that mattered. She could see him properly in the gloom now. He was on his side. While Hermione rushed for Harry, Ron charged for the man that he knocked down.
"You sick… bastard!" Ron shouted as he pounced at the guard, kicking him in the chest. He forced him over, pointing his wand between his eyes. The man gaped up in surprise, seeing a very angry teenager that had magically materialised in the passageway, now glaring down at him. Ron stunned him, then kicked him again for good measure.
Hermione reached Harry, dropping to her knees beside him. When her fingers touched his arm, his whole body flinched at the contact and he twisted his head towards her, eyes wide with fear before he focused on her face. He slumped down, moaning softly. Hermione's breath was strangled in her throat when she saw his face and that horrific muzzle up close. It looked like a mask at first glance, but it was flush against his face, digging into his cheeks. The rest of his face was flushed, blood streaming from his nose. A large bruise marred the right side of his face. The whites of his eyes were almost completely red. Then she saw the aspects of him that were undeniably Harry Potter - the vivid green eyes, made more vivid against a background of red and, of course, the scar under his sweaty fringe.
"It's okay, Harry, it's me." Her voice shook. "I'll get these off… just… hold still." The ropes were so tight. A mixture of revulsion and overwhelming hatred pulsed through her as she severed the ropes with her wand. As she tugged the binds loose from his wrists, they felt wet and she saw blood on her fingers. The sight of it stilled her for a moment. Harry moaned again under the muzzle, sounding insistent.
"Ron… can you… take that off?" She looked up at Ron, eyes wide and beseeching. Ron gave a nod, instantly moving down to his knees beside Harry's head. Harry looked up at him, then turned his face to the floor so Ron could reach the back of his head. Ron's breath caught, but he put down his wand, grasping at the buckles with shaking hands. He met Hermione's look, sharing in her horror.
"It's alright, mate." He said, trying to reassure his friend while his fingers slipped on the metal clasp. When he released the first strap, Harry's voice rasped out the leather the moment it slackened.
"You're… here?" His voice was rough, brittle. "How? The grate…?" A rush of emotion crashed through her and her eyes were warm, but she kept focused. She ripped the last coil of rope from Harry's bloodied wrists. He gave a sharp gasp as his arms dropped down to his sides.
"We followed under your cloak. Look-." Ron showed him the invisibility cloak folded over his arm. "They didn't see us. Bit of a fluke really."
"I don't… care if it was a fluke," Harry mumbled, unfolding his arms slowly, movements cumbersome. Ron unfastened the muzzle, removing it from Harry's face completely. "It… worked." He pushed himself upright. Ron put a hand on Harry's shoulder, helping him to sit back against the wall.
"Yeah… though you were doing pretty well on your own." Ron nodded down to the wand in Harry's hand. He glanced down, wearily.
"Fluke… too," he said, slumping against the wall, exhausted. "Didn't get very far with it."
Hermione vanished the bloodied ropes and shuffled over, joining them at the wall. She looked up to Harry's face and faltered, taking in his full appearance, her mind going still with shock.
Blood now ran down his chin from his potentially broken nose. The lower half of his face looked incredibly sore, with red welts slashing across his cheeks from where the muzzle dug into his skin. There was stubble around his mouth, dirtied with dried blood. Then there was the rest of him. His grey robe was ill-fitting, loose; it had slipped off his shoulder, showing swollen, bruised skin around the joint. There were also red marks peeking from the neckline, hints of more injuries on his body.
She looked down to his legs, seeing the shackles around his ankles and the scrapes and bruises that marred his shins from where he'd been dragged around, unable to walk himself.
He felt her gaze and his eyes darted to her face. Her heart jolted at the state of his eyes. Cruciatus scarring. Kingsley had prepared them the night before, making sure they were well aware of what to expect when they found Harry. He didn't hold back on the facts.
The strain of the cruciatus curse often causes the blood vessels in the eyes to burst. It's the most tell-tale sign that someone's been tortured, other than the muscle tremors and spasms that linger after extended use. There may be more burst vessels and bruising, likely around his ribs and chest. We know that he's shredded his vocal cords once so he may not be able to speak very well, though as they tended to that before, I expect they'll keep him able to talk.
"I hope that you have more than flukes," Harry said, his voice tight. "I think I'm out of them." She could hear that his throat was sore, his voice rougher than it had been on that recording. He brought his hand up to wipe his lip, then jumped, staring at his hand as if he hadn't expected it. Hermione saw his eyes dip down to the wounds around his wrist. His jaw clenched at the sight of it, then he reached down, patting at his chest, fingers reaching under his robe to pull out something concealed underneath, a pouch tied around his neck with a length of string - his mokeskin pouch.
"They let you keep that?" Ron asked, startled. Harry looked over to him, giving a quiet sigh and he nodded.
"It wasn't a kind gesture," he said, "I couldn't touch it." He lifted his arms, showing them the bands of ruined skin around his wrists. Ron drew back, cursing under his breath.
"I'm sorry, mate…" Ron started, awkward and abashed, not sure what else to say. Hermione thawed out her shock.
We knew he'd be injured and hurt. Just follow the plan. Don't waste time.
"We need to get you on your feet and moving," Hermione edged towards him, swinging her bag out from under her robes. "I've got some potions to help."
"Potions?" Harry sounded surprised. Hermione looked up at him, giving him what she hoped was an assuring smile. She brought out the three small vials, putting them down on the ground.
"A strengthening solution to give you some energy, a replenishing draught for your dehydration and pain relief for… well… the pain."
"They're… for me?"
"It would probably be quicker to carry your scrawny butt out, but we thought you'd like to come out on your own two feet. Those will help with that."
Harry's face relaxed a little, but then he jerked his legs. The chain between his shackles went taut. "If you want me moving... you'll need to do something about this."
"Take the potions and we'll get those off," Hermione assured him. His eyes flicked over to her and he gave a sigh, putting down the wand so he could reach for the potions. He went for pain relief first. Her gaze snagged on his hand, seeing the dried blood down his forefinger and…
His fingernail… is missing.
She felt a surge of nausea and turned abruptly from him, her heart racing. She put a hand to her mouth, forcing herself to breathe deeply and to hide her expression as she moved to Ron's side.
Harry downed the pain relief potion, face tensing a moment as he swallowed with difficulty, then blinked, seeing Ron at his feet, touching the shackle with alarm.
"Bloody hell, how do you get these off?" Ron exclaimed suddenly, a welcome distraction.
Hermione saw immediately what had caused Ron's reaction. The shackle had no seam or hinge. It was a sealed ring of metal, fitting flush to Harry's skin.
Harry coughed into his hand, wincing as he did, then he drew himself up the wall a little more.
"Try… tapping them… at the same time." He told them. Hermione glanced up to him, surprised. "It's… how the others worked." She saw his eyes widening with dawning horror. He was breathing fast. "Can you… get them off me?" His voice was tight with panic. "Please." Hermione's heart jumped at the sound of his distress and she quickly glanced over to Ron, giving him a nod and they both tapped the shackles together with their wands. At once, they popped open, releasing Harry's ankles.
All three of them gave loud gasps of relief as the shackles clattered to the ground. Hermione saw the bruising left behind, swallowing. Harry moved his legs, making a soft sound, somewhere between a moan and a sob, as he turned his face from them. Before he did, Hermione saw a tear trace down his cheek. He sunk his head back against the wall, taking a couple of deep breaths, closing his eyes.
Hermione moved to the potions that she'd put down for him, yanking out the corks. "Take these Harry. You'll feel better." He looked over to her and mutely took the potions from her.
"How… long will these last?" He asked, bringing one to his mouth.
"Long enough for us to get you out," Hermione assured him. He raised an eyebrow at her answer, drinking one of them. He shuddered as he swallowed, and gasped suddenly.
"Oh wow…" he put a hand to his head. "That feels… better." He then immediately downed the other one. He spluttered. "Eugh! Pepper." He cast the vials aside, blinking fast.
Hermione grasped at her neck, reaching for the pendant. It was identical to one that Remus wore, linked with a Protean Charm that she had placed upon them earlier. She tapped it with her wand, her heart thundering against her ribs. At once, the clear stone set in the metal gleamed with inner light and she could feel the warmth radiating. She dropped it back.
"I've signaled Remus." She tucked the pendant back under her robes and reached for her bag again. Her fingers closed around the glasses. She hurried up to Harry's side, handing them over to him. He gaped.
"You had them the whole time?" He took them from her offering hand. "Thanks… Hermione." He put on his glasses, jumping a little as he blinked and the world snapped into focus. "Ah, that's loads better."
He then suddenly pushed himself upright, springing upwards with a burst of energy. His eyes took on a gleam and he looked over at them.
"So… uh… what's the plan?"
Everything was instinct at this point. Remus knew that the last shield charm that he cast had been pure reflex, not even aware that he had cast until Rookwood's onslaught rippled off the barrier, deflecting off into the Courtroom. He paced back, gritting his teeth, urging the bastard to follow him. Take the bait, you miserable bastard. Come for me.
After he'd watched those men hurl Harry down that sunken stairwell, his thoughts had been of nothing else but to give Ron and Hermione time. His heart seized when he saw the grate slam shut, but now was no time to worry. He had Rookwood occupied. It had been close. When he saw the man stop, dragging up his sleeve, he pounced from the stands. In his wolf form, he would have made the jump gracefully, as a wizard, he landed hard, his knees barking in pain at the impact, but adrenaline lent him the drive, pushing him on to attack.
Occupying a veteran Death Eater was more than a challenge, but Remus was no push-over. His instincts were fast, perhaps helped by his lycanthropy, moving with an intensity that set his muscles burning. He may be fast, but he wasn't in his prime. He felt a step slower than he used to be, but that was still enough. He was drawing the Death Eater's focus but he wasn't drawing him away from that blasted grate.
"I know who you are, werewolf." Rookwood called out. "Your attempts to disguise yourself are as feeble as your efforts to get past me."
Remus growled at the sound of the Death Eater's taunts, remembering how that same voice slithered out the dictaphone, similarly taunting Harry. His lip drew back.
"One of Greyback's brood, if I'm not mistaken?" Remus gave a bark of a laugh.
"Is that the best you can do?" He stepped up, moving to attack, his Knockback Jinx thudding against Rookwood's shield, crashing into the wall of guards behind him and forcing some of them back as they felt the impact through their weakly cast shields.
Rookwood retaliated. "Avada-." Remus was throwing himself out the way as the Death Eater finished the cast, green light crashing where he had been. He rolled, looking behind, relieved to watch the lethal spell harmlessly cracking into the stone floor. He heard shouts of alarm in the presence of the curse. People were fleeing the room in earnest now, the battle reaching a perilous intensity.
Taking a quick glance to assess the battle, he caught sight of three fighting Yaxley, who appeared to have retrieved his wand. Judging from how easily Yaxley was matching the three against him, they were some of the younger members of their motley gang. In fact, it looked like Yaxley was toying with them.
He hopped to his feet to quickly repel a severing curse that lashed his way. He didn't deflect it fully and he felt a lancing hot pain slash into his thigh.
Damnit!
"If you're getting bored, I can make things a lot more entertaining for you," Rookwood jeered, pacing towards him. Remus watched, stilling.
He's moving away!
"Does it involve you calling down Voldemort so he can wipe the floor with you?" he called back, feeling the taboo curse tingle in his mouth when he said the word.
"Fouling his name with your half-breed tongue is the last mistake you will ever make," Rookwood growled, stepping up closer, raising his wand.
"It's so precious when Death Eaters get all upset over a word." Remus countered. Stupefy. The stunner cracked out, forcing Rookwood to block and not attack. "It's almost like you fear your master more than you revere him." Diffindo. Crack. It hit the shield with a satisfying whip sound. "I expect when Harry slips through his fingers… again… you'll be the first person under his wand." Incendio. Fire roared out his wand. The guards yelped as the flames curled around their hastily made shields, sieging their robes. Rookwood's shield was a perfect sphere.
"Harry Potter is far beyond your reach," Rookwood spat, bursting his shield with an explosion of force.
Remus quickly cast his own shield. Others in his proximity weren't so lucky. He glimpsed someone falling to the ground, but then saw a black-and-gold robed companion rush over and protect them.
"So sure are you?" He growled, dissolving his shield in favour of casting a barrage of stunners. Rookwood took a cautious step back at the intensity of his attack.
"His fate is already sealed. He will never escape. The Dark Lord has made certain of it."
Alarm stabbed through Remus's composure, but he kept any hint of fear appearing. He glared at the Death Eater, blocking a cruciatus curse that followed the remark. His words were a lot more harmless than the curse.
If Ron and Hermione don't get to him soon… there's nothing we can do.
He saw the spell coming for him. He brought up his arm… too slow.
But a shield covered him. The curse ricocheted away, deflecting back in Rookwood's direction. A tall figure in black-and-gold leapt to his side.
"Never drop your guard. Not even for a moment." Kingsley's voice said, amused, despite the battle raging around them. He gritted his teeth at the remark but the gratitude at the assist overwhelmed any stab as his pride.
"Evening the odds now?" Rookwood called at them. "I think not - to me!" Enforcers reassembled behind Rookwood, their wands trained on them. Kingsley gave Remus a nod and they matched stances, firing attack after attack. The blue-robed guards moved to protect Rookwood.
Remus felt a burst of heat at his chest and for a moment, he thought he'd been cursed. He stumbled back, hand going to the source of the heat and felt the pendant under his robes.
"Kingsley!" He exclaimed between spells, dropping down as a severing charm cracked against Kingsley's shield, coming dangerously close. "Hermione's given the signal. They have Harry."
"We must fall back. Give them the opening." Kingsley threw a combustion hex, blasting the stone behind the guards, striking the grate.
"Think you can breakthrough to save the boy?" Rookwood shouted. "Nothing will get through. It is sealed."
"Remus…"
"I heard."
"If they can't come out that way, the only option is to go back towards the Row."
"Protego maxima!" Remus shouted, slashing his wand. A pearly wall bloomed outwards, enveloping them. He turned to face Kingsley, breathing heavily. He looked over to the smashed doors of the Courtroom.
"Give me as much time as you can. I'll head that way now."
He saw Kingsley nod and he dropped the shield. Immediately, Kingsley burst through, cursing blue-robed guards before they could even react. He moved faster than any of them, his Auror experience coming into its own.
Remus didn't hesitate. He turned from the fight and ran. He rushed across the room. His flight hadn't gone unnoticed. Spells cracked at his feet as he ran.
"I'm not done with you, Remus Lupin!"
He shouted back over his shoulder. "Maybe another time?"
Then his wand jerked out his hand. He skidded to a halt, searching the floor wildly for his wand, then he saw a flash of light in the edge of his vision. A force crashed into his side. He was thrown from his feet and landed amid the rubble of the Courtroom door, rolling over slats of charred wood. Spots entered his vision at the impact. He gasped, winded, instincts telling him to get up.
An immense weight pressed down on him. He was pinned on the floor. He couldn't even turn his head. It was like the gravity suddenly increased, his body so heavy, unable to move. He saw a figure stand over him, upside down. A blonde man in black and silver robes.
"Payback for earlier," he said. "Accio!" A wand zipped through the air and the man caught it. "Where were you running to? Trying to get to Potter? It's far too late for-."
Whatever he had planned to say, it died as he went suddenly still and crashed down to the ground next to Remus. The weight that was pinning him to the ground lifted. He gasped in a breath, rolling over to push himself upright. Two people ran up to him.
"Spot of bother there, professor?" Seamus asked him.
"Ah. Yes," he said, squinting at the two, recognising Seamus's accent from when he taught the boy three years ago. "Thanks for the assistance, Seamus."
"That was Neville, actually," he said, slapping the other boy on the arm. Both still wore their masks and hoods. Neville crouched down to the immobile Death Eater and snatched Remus's wand from him.
"Here you go, professor."
"Thank you, Neville, and you don't need to call me 'professor'. From the looks of things, Harry was a better teacher than I was."
"What's going on? Do we need to retreat?" A panicked voice joined them. Two more of their team appeared.
"Yes. Signal the others. We need to fall back. There's been a… change. We need to guard the exit and clear the path to the Row."
"The Row?" Lee repeated. A lashing of spells came their way, but shields were cast in time. Remus and the others flinched back.
Before Remus could explain further, an amplified shout thundered through the cavernous room of injustice.
"Oi! You evil prick!" A shout resounded over the chaos of the battle, coming from top bench "Reckon this puppet Minister is pretty important to you and old Voldy."
Remus turned, eyes going up to the top of the Courtroom where the Minister stood, held tightly in place by invisible bonds, a ring of disheveled witches and wizards in wizengamot robes surrounding him, wands trained on the others that faced them. Next to the Minister, dressed in black-and-gold robes, still masked, were Fred and George Weasley, matching in height and build. Kingsley advanced on Rookwood, whose glittering gaze swept through the room, settling on Yaxley's immobile form, before returning to where the Minister was being held hostage.
"Your fight is over," Kingsley shot out at him. "Surrender."
"Over that weak cretin up there? I think not," Rookwood gave a loud, mirthless laugh. "I serve the Dark Lord, not the instrument of his will. I have a better idea." Before anyone could stop him, he pressed his wand into the flesh of his left forearm and the red brand of his Dark Mark flushed black. "You will surrender to him instead."
AN: Because Harry 'won' the wand, it will work well enough for him.