::23::

Sasuke sat idly in the Malfoy Manor cellar, twirling a wand between his fingers. It was stupid, really. So much emphasis placed on such an insignificant object. Sasuke had seen them before and thought they were a little inconspicuous for such a powerful object, but now that he was holding one…it was just a stick. He did feel a faint thrum of chakra from it, but with one snap from his powerful fingers and it would be no more.

Sasuke scoffed. How could something like this ever give anyone true power?

"You mock the power of the wand." An old, weary voice rasped from the corner.

Annoyed, Sasuke looked up to see an old man, his robes tattered sitting in the corner. He was next to a pretty, petite blond girl who was looking at him with something akin to disdain in her eyes. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Whatever.

"It's a stick." Said Sasuke. He hadn't wanted to reward the man with an answer, but he found himself saying it anyway.

"It is the source of true magic, both good and evil." The man said. "You have not even begun to understand half of it."

Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh and stood up. He almost tossed the wand to the man's feet, but then realized that would likely be an unwise decision. "I don't have time for a school lesson, old man. Keep your nonsense to yourself."

Whatever the man had been planning to say was interrupted as the dungeon doors creaked open. Sasuke recognized Orochimaru's chakra signature right away and immediately appeared before him. Orochimaru didn't even grace him with a smile and Sasuke was surprised to find him a bit agitated. He held back a smirk.

"Where is Sakura?" Orochimaru asked.

As if Sasuke didn't have other, more important things to do than to be Sakura Haruno's keeper of all things. "That…woman came for her." Sasuke explained smoothly. The insane one…although Sasuke didn't add that part. Even Sasuke wasn't stupid enough to get on that woman's bad side. She may have been a woman and she may have used a stick as a weapon, but Sasuke had seen what she had done to Sakura. He saw the madness lurking in her eyes and he knew he would rather take on a powerful person than one as insane as her. "She said that the Dark Lord had work for her. She said that you had approved."

Orochimaru snarled. "That was most definitely not part of the plan."

"The name's Taboo!" Bellowed Ron. "I told you we can't use it! Maybe if we hurry up and put the protections back up…"

They distinctly heard a crack some feet away, freezing them in place. Hermione's breath hitched in her throat and she let out a sort of strangled sound.

"Who is that?" Asked Naruto, mindful enough to keep his voice a whisper.

"Snatchers." Said Ron, his voice trembling as he clicked the Deluminator. "We might be able to take them but…"

"No sudden movements!" A raspy voice called from the darkness. "There's a dozen wands pointed at you and we don't care who we curse!"

"Run." Said Harry. "Now."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He took hold of Hermione's hand and burst through the tent, taking off through the forest, his head low. He could hear Ron, Sai and Harry behind him.

A laugh rang through the forest. "Take 'em."

Curses started whizzing through the air, hitting trees and erupting into sparks when they missed their target. The ground exploded just in front of Ron, kicking up dirt and leave as Ron fell backward in surprise. Sai quickly grabbed hold of Ron, hoisting him up before they were off again.

"Where do they take you?" Sai asked quickly, easily keeping pace with Ron. A spell whizzed past his ear.

Ron aimed a spell over his shoulder. "The Snatchers? I've got no bloody idea…they'll probably take us to Azkaban just for a few galleons!"

Sai frowned. Then an idea came to mind. "What if it was Harry?"

Ron yelped as he pushed Sai away from him, just as a red spell jutted between them. He turned, aiming a stunning curse over his shoulder. "Harry?" Ron asked frantically as he ran back toward Sai. "Whatever you're thinking, mate, it's not a good idea. If they get a hold of Harry, it's all over."

Sai pursed his lips. Ron was right, it was far too risky for them to get a hold of Harry, plan or not. But maybe there was something else they could do. Putting his hands together, Sai created a simple bunshin before he leveled Ron with a look that he hoped meant 'trust me'.

"Can't you just use your Disappearing thingy?" Naruto shouted as an explosion went off to his left. "That would be really helpful right about now!"

Hermione screamed as a spell whizzed past her face. "We can't!" She cried. "We've loft Ron and Sai! Plus the sword is still in the tent! After all that work, we can't lose it now!"

Naruto shook his head. He should have stayed and fought. It was only a bunch of wizards and not even Death Eaters at that. Surely he could have taken them… An explosion hit Naruto from behind, tossing him into the air before he landed face first in the dirt and mud. He heard Harry and Hermione shout from some distance away when Sai was suddenly at Naruto's side. He pulled Naruto to his feet and they were running again as Sai whispered something urgently in Naruto's ear.

Ron was still getting his bearings high up in the trees when suddenly they were joined by Naruto, Harry and Hermione. The wizards looked frightened, but they remained silent as they watched the Snatchers run past below them. Explosions and muttered curses echoed in the distance.

"Make it quick." Naruto warned. "If one of my Kage Bunshin gets hit, it's over."

Sai nodded his head. "We should let Hermione get captured." He said bluntly.

Hermione's eyes went wide with fear as Harry and Ron looked at Sai in surprise. "Excuse me?" She gaped.

"Baka!" Said Naruto, clenching his fists. "Are you out of your mind?"

"You saw the Bingo Book." Said Sai. "She's important enough where if she's caught, they'll take her to the Death Eaters, or better yet, to You Know Who for questioning. This could be our only chance to get inside. To get Sakura." Said Sai, looking directly at Naruto.

Naruto's face fell. He suddenly looked conflicted.

Harry was shaking his head. "It's too risky. There must be another way to where they are hiding out without risking…"

"I'll...I'll do it." Said Hermione, cutting Harry off.

Naruto and Sai looked at her in surprise. "Hermione, no, you can't…" Said Ron anxiously.

"We don't have time!" Hermione snapped. "Sai is right. We saw what the Bingo Book says! If we don't do this now, we may not get another chance!"

They could easily see that Hermione was scared, but her voice was so determined, Harry knew there was nothing he could say that would change her mind. "I'll go with her." Said Sai nodding his head.

"Yeah, me too." Said Naruto.

"You can't either." Said Ron quickly. "You Know Who has plans for you too. Whatever they are, we can't let you go either. I'll…I'll go."

"Get away from her!" Ron yelled as he struggled against his bonds.

The Snatchers only laughed at Ron's reddening face as they dragged him, Hermione and Sai through the forest back to their camp site. They could see a large cart with a few other trussed up individuals as well as some Snatchers who appeared to be raiding their tent. From their position high in the trees, Harry grimaced. It would be more difficult to get the Invisibility Cloak while the Snatchers were still in the tent.

"Shut up, ginger!" Yelled one of the Snatchers as he backhanded Ron across the face. Ron fell into the dirt as Hermione let out a whimper while the other Snatcher's laughed. Beside Harry, Naruto let out a growl.

There was a chuckle and Harry heard a familiar voice. "How precious. Seems like this one fancies you, girly."

Harry's stomach turned as Fenrir Greyback strode into the group, his smile lingering on Hermione. Hermione ignored his stare, instead looking at the ground. "And what a delicious girl she is…" Greyback murmured, his hand stroking along Hermione's cheek.

Sai watched as Hermione began to tremble under Greyback's touch. It wasn't right.

"Hey." Said Sai, catching Greyback's attention. Reluctantly, the werewolf turned and Sai did the only thing he could do while he was on his knees with his arms and legs bound. He spit into Greyback's face.

Scowling in rage, Greyback wiped his face before reaching over and shoving Sai's face into the ground. Hermione gave out another cry as Greyback ground Sai's face into the still hard ground before backing off. Spitting dirt out of his mouth, Sai picked himself back up. Although the twigs on the ground had scratched his face, it was somehow worth it.

"A nasty bunch of truants we've got." Snarled Greyback as he took a step back, surveying the group. "You," He said, prodding Ron with his foot. "What's your name?"

"Stan Shunpike." Said Ron immediately.

"Like 'ell you are!" Said one.

Greyback smiled before striking Ron in the face with his fist. Hermione cried out but the Snatcher holding her held her fast. Ron spit and some dark substance came out of his mouth before he slowly picked himself up. "Bardy…Bardy Weasley." He finally mumbled. Harry could tell his mouth was full of blood.

"Weasley?" Rasped Greyback. "Hmm…a blood traitor. We'll get a pretty galleon for you. Any of you got the wits about you to admit to being a dirty Mudblood?"

No one responded, although Sai's unflinching gaze remained trained on Greyback. Greyback showed him his pointed teeth. "Check the book, Scabior."

Ron flinched as a messy haired wizard brought out a familiar red looking book from his robes. He illuminated the pages with his wand and began flipping through.

"So what happened?" Asked Greyback. "Thought you'd have a bit of fun using the Dark Lord's name?"

Ron shook his head furiously. "Aggiden."

"Accident?" There was some jeering laughter. "You know who liked to use the Dark Lord's name? The Order of the Phoenix, mean anything to you Weasley?" One of them shouted.

"Doh." Responded Ron.

There were laughs until Scabior gave a shout of excitement. "Here, here!" He shouted, pointing to the book as he approached Greyback. "Number 25! 'Ermione Granger, a Mudblood. And," He said, his eyes gleaming, "A known contact of Undesirable Number One! 'Arry Potter!"

Murmurs rippled through the Snatchers as Greyback grabbed the book from Scabior to take a closer look at the picture. "You know what, girly." He called out, his lip curling. "This picture looks a hell of a lot like you."

Hermione shook her head furiously. "It isn't me!" She cried feebly, even though she knew it was futile.

Greyback let out a stark laugh. "Well this changes things!" He said. "We're going to get rich tonight, boys!" There was shouting and cheers that arose from the small group of Snatchers.

"Tie 'em up with the others!" Ordered Greyback.

Ron, Hermione and Sai were all roughly shoved into a cart where they found a surprised looking Dean Thomas staring at them. Harry watched as Greyback moved toward the front of the cart as his palms began to sweat. If they left now and they still hadn't gotten the Invisibility Cloak…

"Look at this!" A Snatcher shouted, suddenly bursting from the tent. Of all things, Harry realized with dread that it was the Sword of Gryffindor he was carrying. But they had no time to dwell on that. Harry nudged Naruto who disappeared quickly. The Snatchers were so preoccupied with packing up and looking at the sword they didn't notice a blur as Naruto dove inside the tent.

"What's this?" Greyback asked curiously, taking the sword from the Snatcher. "A sword…and goblin made from the looks of it." He let out another laugh. "This is shaping up to be a fine night indeed!"

"Where do we take them?" Scabior asked. "Do we call the Dark Lord?"

"To Malfoy Manor!" Said Greyback. "We can take care of them there."

"What's this?"

Sai snapped up from observing the room they were being held in to look at the man whose voice was so familiar. Last he had seen him, Lucius Malfoy had been arrogant and self-assured in his position as one of Lord Voldermort's top Death Eaters. Now however, Sai wasn't sure if it was because of the slight stubble that coated his cheeks that represented a lack of personal decorum or the frantic way he was eying the new captives that made him think that the Malfoy's had lost their position of coveted power.

Lucius came to stand next to his wife Narcissa as she calmly assessed the group. "They say they've got the Mudblood girl." She said, barely turning to look at her husband. There was a slight edge in her voice.

"It's…mmmfmmhmmm!" Muttered Naruto angrily as Harry clamped his hand over Naruto's mouth. They had managed to sneak through the gates and into the Malfoy Manor so far without attracting any attention as they stood huddled in the corner underneath the Invisibility Cloak.

Narcissa glanced toward the drawing room. "We must be certain." She said softly. Then in a louder voice, "Draco, come here."

Hermione flinched as Draco Malfoy entered the room, his eyes trained on the ground. Naruto gritted his teeth at the sight of the youngest Malfoy and Harry made sure to keep a secure hand on Naruto's shoulder in case the ninja forgot himself and lunged at Draco.

"Draco," Said Lucius anxiously as he pulled Draco farther into the room. "We need to be sure it's the Mudblood girl before we call the Dark Lord. Is it her?" He positioned Draco in front of a trembling Hermione, his hands on his shoulders.

Draco shifted his feet.

"Well, boy?" Rasped Greyback.

"It…it could be…" Said Draco softly, avoiding looking any of them in the eyes.

"But look carefully!" Said Lucius, his voice bursting with excitement. Draco still remained silent, so Lucius prompted him again. "What do you think?"

Draco eyed Hermione who finally lifted her eyes to meet his. Draco's face filled with reluctance and fear as he stared at Hermione. Finally, after what felt like an eternity he turned away. "It's her." He said quietly.

"Then this must be the Weasley boy!" Shouted Lucius as he turned eagerly toward Ron. "This has to be him!"

Draco turned slightly. "Yeah…it could be."

Lucius turned toward his wife. "You don't think Potter…"

"What is this? What's going on, Cissy?" All eyes shifted toward Bellatrix Lestrange as she entered the room. Harry tightened his grip on Naruto as Naruto tensed at the sight of her. Bellatrix's eyes were on the group as she walked to stand next to her sister.

"The Mudblood girl." Bellatrix said. "You caught her."

"Yes." Said Narcissa, obviously pleased with herself. "And we have the Weasl-"

"What is that?!" Bellatrix cried, cutting her off. Her eyes had landed on the Sword of Gryffindor. She stormed over to the Snatcher who was holding it. "Give it to me!" She cried, ripping the sword from his grasp.

"Where did you get the sword?" She asked, leaning toward him threateningly. "Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!"

The Snatcher looked nervous. "We found it, ma'am. In their tent…" He nodded his head toward the group of captives.

Bellatrix spun to face them, her eyes wide. She seemed to be thinking before she spoke. "Lock them in the cellar." She said, waving her hand. "Leave the Mudblood with me."

Narcissa seemed furious. "This is my house, Bella! You don't give…"

"You don't have any idea of the danger we are in!" Bellatrix shrieked.

She looked quite deranged, perhaps even fearful. Narcissa stared tight lipped at her sister before finally nodding her head. "Greyback, move the prisoners down to the cellar."

"No!" Shouted Ron, as the Snatchers moved to separate them. "Don't…Hermione!" He shouted.

"Shut up!" Greyback snarled as he began dragging Ron toward the cellars. Ron kicked and shouted as he watched Bellatrix cut tearful Hermione free before dragging her by her hair out of the room.

Sai watched Hermione disappear before his gaze went toward where he assumed Harry and Naruto were hiding. He hoped that this plan would be worth it.

"HERMIONE!" Ron screamed as the cellar door was shut on him, Sai and Dean, leaving them in the darkness.

"HERMIONE!" Ron shouted again. Then he turned quickly, rounding on Sai, "YOU SAID-!" Sai put his hands up quickly, ready to incapacitate Ron if need be when a soft voice interrupted them.

"Ron?" It sounded as if it was coming from somewhere in the darkness. Sai turned, eyes slowly adjusting to the blanket of black before them as Ron fumbled in his pocket for the Deluminator. Finally finding it, he clicked it, suddenly flooding the place in light.

There in the corner, they found Luna Lovegood standing a few feet from them, squinting against the light with a kunai loosely in her grip as Mr. Ollivander and a goblin sat huddled in one corner.

"Luna!" Ron cried as he ran over to the petite girl. He put his hands on her shoulders as he looked on in relief. "Your dad said you had been taken off the train! He didn't know where you were!"

"You visited my father?" Luna asked, her eyes shining. "Is he...?" She shook her head, clearing away her thoughts. "Why are you here?" She finally asked. "Where's Harry? He hasn't been…"

"He's safe." Said Ron. "Don't worry, we're going to bust all you guys out of here once Naruto and Sai finish looking for Sakura." Ron said with a weak, but reassuring smile on his face.

Luna opened her mouth to say something, but then closed her mouth slowly. She brought her arms up and hugged herself as she knelt on the ground.

"Luna." Said Sai as he walked over toward the group from where he had been studying the door. "Have you seen Sakura? Has she been down here? Have you heard anyone mention her?"

"Umm…" Said Luna hesitantly.

"Luna, please." Said Ron urgently. "If we can find Sakura today…well…you don't know how good it would feel to actually accomplish something."

Luna looked up at Ron and her expression was pained. Immediately, Sai was assuming the worst. He felt his heart plummet into his stomach and it was such a peculiar feeling to Sai that he thought he had suddenly taken ill. It was all over. Sakura had fought back and they killed her or Orochimaru and Voldermort decided to cut their losses and now she was dead. How would he ever tell Naruto…

"Ron, I'm so sorry." Said Luna hesitantly, quietly. "Sakura's a…she's a Death Eater now."

Harry and Naruto remained underneath the Invisibility Cloak, huddled in the foyer alone as everyone else had quickly moved off to other parts of the house. They heard Hermione whimpering from another room where she was alone with Bellatrix.

"I'm going to murder that bitch." Naruto muttered darkly.

Harry shook his head although he could feel his blood boiling. "We have to stick to the plan. The quicker you finish, the quicker we can leave. Go, I'll watch over Hermione." Harry stared at Naruto, giving him a short nod that he meant what he said.

Naruto finally nodded and with a flap of the Invisibility Cloak, he was gone. Gripping his defunct wand tightly in his hand, Harry quietly crept toward the parlor room.

A chandelier decorated the high ceiling and there were ornate throw rigs scattered around the spacious room, accompanying an assortment of tasteful armchairs and chaise lounge chairs. An empty fireplace adorned one side of the room while several large windows decorated another. Yet none of this really mattered. Most of the armchairs had been pushed from their original places as if a strong gale wind had swept them side.

In the middle of the room, Hermione was lying on her stomach, cheek pressed against the wood as Bellatrix hovered above her, one hand pressed to the back of Hermione's head and the other holding her wand in a death grip.

Harry's blood instantly boiled at the sight and it took every fiber of his being not to rip the Invisibility Cloak off and hex Bellatrix on the spot.

"The sword, girl!" Bellatrix shouted. "Where did you find the sword?"

The sword? Why was Bellatrix so concerned with the sword? Harry had been sure that Bellatrix would have been forcing Hermione to tell her where he was, not where the sword had come from. Hermione let out a soft sob and Harry could now see the tears staining her cheeks. He grit his teeth. This hadn't been part of the plan.

"P-Please." Said Hermione and Harry could see the effort it was taking for her to keep her words straight. "The sword is just a fake. You h-have to b-believe me…"

"Believe you?!" Bellatrix shrieked. "Why should I believe you, you filthy little Mudblood?" She knelt low to the floor and pressed her face so close to Hermione's that Hermione could probably feel her breath ghosting against her cheeks.

"Pain is the only motivation. You will tell me the real truth if I hurt you." She cackled, a sinister edge in her voice.

"No." Hermione sobbed as the tears gathered and spilled over. "No, please!"

"Yes, beg!" Said Bellatrix, her eyes alighting. "I love it when they beg!" With deliberate slowness, she touched the tip of her wand to Hermione's cheek. Hermione let out a shriek of pain before Bellatrix clamped her hand over Hermione's mouth, muffling her yells as a multitude of curses ripped through Harry's head.

So help her, if Bellatrix kept this up, Harry would do exactly what Naruto had wanted to do. Kill Bellatrix.

Sakura a Death Eater? No, that didn't make any sense…not to Sai's logical brain at least. Sakura Haruno was defiant, stubborn and strong by nature. It was just who she was. So it was therefore logical to think that Sakura would never become one of Voldermort's Death Eaters by her own volition. She must have been coerced into doing it. This was a much easier truth to accept, which baffled Sai in its own right.

Sai climbed the grand staircase to the second floor swiftly and silently. Picking through the lock on the cellar door had been easy…too easy in fact and Sai was surprised there was no further magical enforcement on the door. But then again, the captives down below were wandless and therefore without magic. They were hardly a threat.

The elegant hallway on the second level was lined with a dozen or more doorways. Sai was methodical in checking each one, pushing his raging thoughts away as he completed the task at hand. The rooms didn't offer him anything; no Sakura, not even Orochimaru, Kabuto or Sasuke Uchiha. It wasn't until he reached a door toward the end of the hallway that he gave pause.

He found Naruto quietly standing behind the door as he pushed it open, the light from the hallway the only light in the room. Sai quietly closed the door, lest they were found loitering by some wandering wizard.

"She was here." Said Naruto bitterly as they stood together in the darkness. He turned on Sai suddenly and grabbed his forearm, squeezing tightly. "She was here and we missed her. I can feel it." He said through gritted teeth.

Sai's thoughts suddenly flooded back into his brain, plaguing him. If Sakura had been here and if Luna Lovegood was speaking the truth, then would Sakura have even come back with them? If she truly had aligned herself with Orochimaru and Voldermort, would she have tried to kill them?

A disturbing thought entered Sai's mind. What if all of this somehow had to do with Sasuke Uchiha? It was unfathomable to Sai, but both Naruto and Sakura were adamant in their feelings for the Uchiha, despite his many attempts to kill them and sever their friendship. Had Sakura aligned herself with the enemy for him? Sai suddenly knew that he couldn't tell Naruto what he had learned from Luna. He somehow had to spare Naruto this knowledge because he somehow knew deep inside of him that if Naruto found out, the knowledge would literally kill him.

Sai grasped the arm that Naruto was holding him with. "We did our best. But now I think we should leave."

Naruto exhaled. "But wait, Sai, I think something good can still come out of this. If I can just hide and wait here for her to return, we can…"

"Hermione." Said Sai quickly, blurting the one thing that he hoped would snap Naruto out of his plans. The burgeoning friendship between the two could hardly be ignored and as if on cue, a sudden scream pierced the manor. Sai's words and the scream had its desired effect; Naruto let out a low growl and with a moment's pause, Naruto pulled them from the room.

"It isn't real, it isn't real!" Hermione's desperate shrieks echoed eerily around the room and Harry could do nothing more than grip his wand and clench his teeth together and hope that Naruto and Sai would hurry the hell up.

"What would you have me believe then, girl?" Bellatrix spat. "That you just happened to get a copy of the sword?" She let out a maniacal laugh.

"Yes…!" Hermione sobbed weakly.

"A likely story!" Bellatrix bellowed. "Draco, go downstairs and fetch the goblin from the cellar!"

Harry felt dread and fear enter his heart as Draco went and returned, leading the goblin in front of him as he kept his wand pointed. The instant the goblin looked at the sword, he would know whether it was real or fake; and if he announced that it was real, Harry was sure that Bellatrix would kill Hermione simply for lying to her.

Harry spared a quick glance at Hermione. She showed no physical signs of the torture that she had just endured, but that was the one kindness the Cruciatus Curse offered. She was still lying face down on the floor; her cheeks flushed, her nose red and her eyes still damp with tears. She was eying the goblin fearfully for she no doubt understood the stakes.

"Goblin." Said Bellatrix with her usual crass as she watched Draco and the goblin enter the room. "Come here."

Draco prodded him with the tip of his hand. He seemed to be purposely not looking in Hermione's direction. The goblin moved toward Bellatrix with unhurried steps. Bellatrix summoned the Sword of Gryffindor to her hand and held it in front of her.

"This sword here," She said. "Is it real or is it fake as the girl says? And do not lie to me as I will take pleasure in killing you." She sneered.

The goblin did not react to her threat. He held out his hands and Bellatrix reluctantly handed him the sword. He studied it closely and turned it over in his hands, admiring the way the light reflected off the edge of the blade. He ran a crooked finger along the flat of the blade and then bent his head to study hilt more closely.

Bellatrix seemed to be impatient for she pursed her lips and tapped her foot anxiously against the wood. "Well?" She snapped.

Harry tensed, waiting for the goblin to speak. Perhaps if he acted quickly, he could rush to Hermione and they could Apparate away…

"It's a fake." The goblin finally said, relinquishing his hold on the sword. "Superbly made, but there is no denying this is the work of human hands and holds none of the truly fine craftsman ship of goblin made work."

Harry's jaw actually fell open. The goblin was lying, for there was no doubt that the sword now in Bellatrix's hands was indeed the real Sword of Gryffindor. They did destroy the Horcrux with it, after all. Why then was the goblin lying? Had someone told him to lie for them? Harry suddenly grinned then. It must have been Ron…he must have somehow gotten the goblin to side with them. Utterly brilliant.

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?" She stressed.

"Yes, it is fake." Said the goblin.

Relief broke out onto Bellatrix's face as she placed the sword down on the mantel and practically skipped over to where Hermione was lying. Hermione instinctively cringed, her body curling inward as Bellatrix hovered over her. "Very good, little Mudblood. You spoke the truth. The Dark Lord will be most pleased…" She said, holding up her arm as she languidly pushed a finger down on the Dark Mark emblazoned there.

Harry winced, clutching at his forehead at the sudden spike of pain he felt.

"Draco," Bellatrix commanded, "Take the goblin back to the cellar where he belongs. Won't want him telling sordid tales about this next bit."

Hermione's eyes widened and she turned to face Bellatrix, her body instantly bucking. "B-But I told you the t-truth! P-Please let me g-go!" She pleaded helplessly.

Bellatrix pushed a hand down between Hermione's shoulder blades, holding her in place while she pulled up the sleeve of Hermione's sweater and ran a lingering hand down Hermione's forearm. Her smile was manic as she pulled a dagger from her boot and held it tip down above Hermione's forearm. "Yes, of course I will. But the Dark Lord will be here soon and he needs to know what he is dealing with."

Harry realized what was happening too late. Hermione had already begun to scream and her arm was already red with blood. Harry didn't bother to stop and think. He charged Bellatrix, throwing the Invisibility Cloak of him as he aimed his wand at the dagger in Bellatrix's hand and shouted "Expelliarmus!"

Bellatrix gasped as the dagger flew from her grip, clattering off somewhere in the distance. "Potter!" She screeched. "It's POTTER!"

The parlor room seemed to explode. Naruto and Sai took that moment to appear, throwing down a bunch of smoke bombs that detonated and left the room smelling foul and obscuring visibility. Draco had reappeared, looking slackjawed as he stood cowering against the wall while Lucius and Narcissa both charged in, looking wide eyed. Two Oto ninja appeared, looking utterly confused because nothing this extreme had ever happened to them while here.

Bellatrix was not one to dawdle. She sent out a hiss of curses, narrowly missing Naruto in the head. Naruto was dancing in-between the spells issued by Lucius and Narcissa before he leapt over Lucius with a chakra enhanced jump and kicked Lucius in the back of the head. Lucius fell flat on his face and didn't get up. Sai already had one of the ninja knocked out, flat on his back while he engaged the other one. Harry dove toward Hermione who had since fallen unconscious and tried his best to ignore the pain that was screaming in his head.

"C'mon, Hermione." Harry pleaded, shaking Hermione by the shoulder. "Please wake up…" The pain in his scar was getting worse…Voldermort would be coming soon…

The pain had distracted Harry enough that he allowed himself to be bowled over as his wand skittered from his grasp. A hand began to squeeze his neck, causing Harry to choke out. Gasping for breath and clawing at the hand, Harry found Wormtail hovering over him.

"No…!" Harry said, struggling as he pounded at Wormtail's hand. "I saved your life!" He wheezed.

Wormtail's eyes widened, and then much to Harry's disbelief his fingers slackened. It was enough for Harry to duck out of the older man's grasp and roll away. As Harry gasped for breath and massaged his neck, Wormtail's own hand suddenly turned on him, catching Wormtail by surprise.

"No!" Shouted Harry, turning toward Wormtail when he heard the man choke out in surprise. Harry tried, fruitlessly to pull the hand from around his neck.

Suddenly, Harry was pushed aside to the floor.

"Relashio!" Said Draco, pointing his wand at the hand.

But it was no use. Wormtail had already stopped breathing on the floor. Harry stared at Wormtail before he looked at Draco who stared back. They stayed like that for a moment before a spell whizzed past Harry and prompted him into action. He leapt at Draco, struggling with him for a moment before Harry managed to pry his wand from his hand and stun him.

Another spell headed straight for Harry's chest and he jumped away, diving behind an armchair for protection. Narcissa rushed toward where Draco had fallen; Naruto standing off to the side and seemingly unable to move. Narcissa raised her wand and prepared to attack Harry again when Ron Apparated into their midst and stunned her.

"STOP OR SHE DIES!"

Everyone froze. Ron slowly turned as Harry peeked out from behind the armchair to see Bellatrix supporting Hermione, her dagger poised across her throat. Sai let the unconscious Oto ninja drop from his hands and he turned slowly to face Bellatrix, his hands in the air.

"Drop your wands!" Bellatrix yelled, eying both Harry and Ron.

Ron and Harry both remained still, watching as Hermione slowly began to regain consciousness. Her eyes went wide when she realized what was happening and struggled against Bellatrix which caused the witch to grip her neck more tightly. "Drop them or we'll see how filthy her blood is!" Bellatrix screamed.

Harry and Ron dropped their wands, and raised their hands to their shoulders. Suddenly, a silver blur whipped by and everyone looked up just in time to see the silver kunai lodge itself in the chandelier supportings above them. Bellatrix grabbed Hermione and dove out of the way just in time as the chandelier fell and crashed on the floor.

Harry and Ron quickly rushed to collect their wands and Harry scooped the Invisibility Cloak off the ground and grabbed the sword from the mantel as Ron charged toward Hermione.

"Wrong move!"

Bellatrix's eyes were wild and crazed as she wretched her dagger across the skin on Hermione's outstretched wrist. There was a spirt of blood and a scream from Hermione before Ron threw himself at Bellatrix. Harry scrambled toward Hermione and pulled the gasping girl toward him as she pressed her hand over her wrist. Sai grabbed Naruto, pulling him out of his body bind and they dove toward Harry. Sai quickly clamped both of his hands over Hermione's to stop the bleeding.

"RON!" Harry shouted.

Ron drove his fist into Bellatrix's face and it took Harry two more shouts before Ron pulled himself away from her and grabbed Harry's hand. They disappeared, leaving the shambles of the Malfoy's parlor room in their wake.

Sakura deftly kicked off the wall, landing easily upon the windowsill. Her dark robes blew around her in the wind as she straightened up and pushed the window open, stepping inside.

The room was dingy, or perhaps it was more of a cell. It was illuminated faintly by candles that painted the room in a soft orange glow. They reflected eerily off her metal breastplate as she slowly approached the bed. Her footsteps made no sound as she eyed the frail sleeping form with emotionless eyes. As she stood above the figure, she frowned slightly. Was the man dead or alive?

No…there it was. The faint beating of a heart; the faint thrum of magic that beat in his veins.

She poked at the man in the shoulder with a finger pulsating with chakra. With a small gasp, the man jolted and turned to look up at Sakura with sunken eyes. Sakura got the impression that this man had once been attractive, but no more. He was but a hollow shell that had been left in this cell to waste away.

The man looked at the pink haired girl passing as a Death Eater before him and he frowned. "I don't understand." He said. His voice was accented.

Sakura regarded him calmly with her green eyes. "The Dark Lord wants his wand." She said simply.

Bingo Book

Undesirable #13

Kisame Hoshigaki

Status: Missing Nin (Kirigakure), Known member of Akatsuki

Family: Unknown
Akatsuki partner: Itachi Uchiha (see Undesirable #12)

Security Status: UNTRACEABLE, working on checking all locations outside of Konohagakure; not present at two Akatsuki bases.