Three days after Christmas, Snape informed Danny that Nigellus Black's painting had learned that Harry and Hermione were staying in the Forest of Dean. Snape was able to get there and give them the sword of Godric Gryffindor. He also informed Danny that Ron had been present that night and helped Harry destroy the horcrux. It was wonderful news. The best Danny had had in weeks, maybe even months. Hearing about Harry from Voldemort was bittersweet. Voldemort would only care if Harry was dead or alive. Danny wanted to know if the teens were okay. How they were doing? Of course Snape couldn't answer those questions either but he had at least confirmed that Harry could walk and seemed to have two functioning arms. That would have to be enough to count as healthy. But the best news was that Harry was finding and destroying horcruxes as Dumbledore had requested.
However both spies decided to keep this news to themselves for numerous reasons. The first being that no one was supposed to know Dumbledore's plan and Harry finding and destroying horcruxes was part of that plan. The second was that the sword was meant to be in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in Gringotts. Of course both spies knew that sword was a fake made by Dumbledore before his death. Snape had hidden the real one and now had given it to Harry as per Dumbledore's wishes. The third reason, telling anyone meant Danny or Snape had to explain how they knew which might cause difficult questions. So it was better and easier to keep this to themselves.
Unfortunately, Snape also had some bad news. Luna Lovegood had been arrested in order to be used against her father, editor of the Quibbler. She was taken off the train back home at the beginning of the Christmas holidays. Danny didn't know what to say about that.
"But, I also know where she's being held. Malfoy Mansion, in the basement. Wormtail has been posted there as a guard of sorts. Ollivander has been moved there too," Snape added. Danny bit his lip.
"Reckon I could cause Wormtail to slip up and give Luna and Ollivander an opportunity to run for it?" Danny asked. Snape pursed his lips before shaking his head slightly.
"I don't think that's a good idea Danny. You might get caught. As far as I know both should be fine as long as they don't try anything stupid," Snape decided.
Danny agreed with Snape but decided to return to Malfoy Mansion to ensure that both prisoners were treated as kindly as possible considering the situation. A few days later, Danny returned to the mansion after being called into the Ghost Zone to settle a disagreement between two gangs of ghosts, he found Draco moving unconscious grown men outside. He frowned.
"Draco, what's going on?" Danny called warily. Draco looked up at Danny, his eyes wide with fear and pale face.
"Greyback came here with, he thinks, Potter and his friends. Then Aunt Bella found some sword that should be in her vault in Gringotts. She wants me to-to finish these snatchers off," Draco explained with clear dread. Danny glanced at the unconscious wizards. He gulped. He couldn't just leave these wizards to be killed and he couldn't stand by and let Draco kill them either.
"Draco, go inside. I'll be there in a minute. I'll just make sure these guys aren't going anywhere," Danny muttered. Draco nodded mutely and returned to the mansion. Danny glanced around himself and ducked into a hidden alcove he had found.
He teleported to Fenton Works and went through the portal. He could teleport into the Ghost Zone now, but he couldn't afford to disappear for ten or twenty minutes due to illness from the stunt. This was quicker in comparison. He flew straight to Walker's prison.
"Walker! I have a job for you and some of your guards. I want you to arrest a number of humans for me. I'll get Wulf to open a portal for you," Danny ordered. Walker blinked.
"My king," the warden muttered with a slight submissive nod. Danny returned the nod with a curt one of his own. He flew straight to the Far Frozen and used the Infi-map to find Wulf. After ordering the ghost to open a portal for Walker and his guards into the Real World, he returned to the Real World.
Danny went through the portal first, changed to human and rushed inside. The ghosts were under orders to take most of the unconscious wizards but to leave some until they were seen. He stepped into the drawing room and gasped as he saw Bellatrix leaning over Hermione who was whimpering. Danny glanced at Draco who looked uncomfortable. Lucius and Narcissa looked more worried and concerned than upset by what was happening. Fenrir Greyback was present too, Greyback watched Hermione's torturous interrogation with glee, a hungry glint in his dark eyes. Danny stepped over to Lucius.
"Have you alerted the Dark Lord yet? Draco told me that you found and caught Potter," he muttered, trying to block out Bellatrix's cruel interrogation.
"Not yet. That sword is meant to be in Bellatrix's vault in Gringotts. It was moved there under orders of the Dark Lord. If he learns it isn't safe, we're all dead," Lucius explained softly, fear shining through his eyes. Danny nodded seriously. He fully understood the situation now, recognising Godric Gryffindor's sword with ease.
"I see. Anyway to check if it's a fake or something? I mean, the real one has to be in Bellatrix's vault," Danny suggested.
"There is a goblin in the basement," Narcissa recalled, overhearing the conversation.
Lucius blinked and glanced between Danny and the sword. He gave a small smirk as Hermione screamed that the sword was a copy.
"Good idea Danny. But we can find out easily! Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!" Lucius called. Bellatrix looked up, bloody knife in her hand and a crazed look in her eye and gave a curt nod in agreement. Draco gave a stiff nod and scurried out of the room. Minutes later Draco returned with the goblin to the room. Danny gulped nervously. He had hoped that there would be more time and he would have been able to slip away and overshadow the goblin. He just had to hope that Harry had warned the goblin. Although, if they learned that the sword was real, then they wouldn't call Voldemort, giving Harry more time to escape. Hermione tried to talk to the goblin but Bellatrix was quick to stop her.
Danny bit his tongue. What could he do? Just as Danny was starting to panic internally while keeping an outward mask of calm, there was a loud crack from below. Everyone froze for a second.
"What was that? Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?" Lucius shouted fearfully. Danny blinked and scanned the room. Danny couldn't imagine that Harry and Ron would leave Hermione behind, but they might split up in order to save Ollivander and Luna and anyone else caught and brought here with them.
"Draco- no, call Wormtail! Make him go check!" Lucius ordered. Draco blinked in fear. Danny glanced at the teen and took pity.
"I'll get him Lucius," Danny mumbled and stepped out of the room. He found Wormtail hovering near the door.
"Wormtail, mind checking out the cellar?" Danny asked with a firm tone. From his time as Ghost King, he knew how to order people around without actually ordering them. Wormtail scowled at Danny before shuffling off towards the cellar. Danny gave a slight nod at Wormtail's back. He frowned at the drawing room door, unsure of what he should do next. He stepped back into the drawing room and stood in a dark corner.
"What is it, Wormtail?" Lucius shouted out of the door a few moments later.
"Nothing! All fine!" a voice shouted back, despite sounding very like Wormtail, Danny recognised it as Ron's. So long following around Harry and by extension Harry's friends and so Ron, Danny knew the wizard's voice well.
Bellatrix gave a small relieved smirk and turned to the goblin.
"Goblin. You are to examine this sword and tell us if it is a fake. It's the sword of Godric Gryffindor," Bellatrix ordered.
"P-please. D-don't," Hermione whimpered weakly. Bellatrix snarled angrily and flicked her wand at Hermione who screamed in agony.
"Be silent mudblood!" Bellatrix hissed dangerously. The dark witch turned to the goblin and flung the sword into the goblin's hands. The goblin glanced at Hermione before turning to the sword and cautiously examined the sword. Danny, knowing the answer, wasn't transfixed and heard the soft scuffing of shoes on the floorboards outside the drawing room. The goblin, after Bellatrix prompted him, lied and said that the sword was a fake.
Bellatrix heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Lucius.
"Good. And now, we call the Dark Lord!" Bellatrix decided happily. Danny tensed worriedly but managed to keep his outward appearance of calm.
"And I think, we can dispose of the mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want her," Bellatrix added with a dismissive wave of Hermione in Greyback's direction. Greyback grinned eagerly and took a step forward.
"Noooooooooooo!" Ron screamed and barged into the room. Bellatrix spun around and raised her wand but Ron disarmed her first. Danny frowned slightly in confusion. How did Ron get a wand? Harry followed close behind and caught Bellatrix's wand and turned it on Lucius, stupefying him. Danny stayed in his dark corner not wanting to get in the way. The goblin frowned at him. Danny caught his eye and winked. The goblin blinked in shock. Danny watched as Ron ducked behind the side of a bookcase to avoid Greyback and Narcissa's curses.
Danny pulled out his wand and shuffled behind a desk. Bellatrix pulled out her knife and grabbed Hermione, putting the blade to the girl's throat. Danny scowled at her. He glanced at Lucius, stunned and unmoving on the floor.
"Stop or she dies!" Bellatrix bellowed. Danny scanned the room for anything to do so that he could interject and throw this fight back into Ron and Harry's favour. He gasped as he spotted something above the fancy chandelier above Bellatrix. Dobby the house elf! Danny allowed himself a quick grin and glanced at Narcissa as Draco collected the wands Ron and Harry surrendered to protect Hermione. No one was watching him. He turned himself invisible. He'd learnt to float a little in his human form. However he had very little control of his trajectory. But he had enough to go up or down. He settled on a rafter beside the house elf.
"Dobby, I'm so glad to see you right now," Danny whispered.
"Dobby was asked by Aberforth to save Harry Potter," Dobby replied softly, despite his usually loud, squeaky voice.
Dobby wrenched at a bolt on the chandelier. Danny glanced down and heard Bellatrix gloating to Harry and Ron, telling Narcissa to tie up both boys while they waited for Voldemort. Danny swallowed nervously.
"Anyone asks, you never saw me, got it Dobby," Danny whispered. Dobby blinked and nodded. Danny reached out and used his wand to break the chandelier clasp. Dobby squeaked in alarm and Danny grabbed the elf before he fell. He dropped the house elf on to the rafter and floated back into his hiding place. He flinched as the chandelier crashed. He turned himself back visible and peered around the desk. He gasped. Hermione and the goblin were caught underneath the chandelier and Draco was hurt by a piece of flying debris. Ron rushed to the chandelier and started to dig Hermione out. Harry jumped out from his hiding place behind the sofa and wrestled with Draco for the three wands in his hand. Harry pointed all three wands at Greyback and stupefied him.
Narcissa ran forward and pulled Draco out of danger. Bellatrix pulled out her knife while Narcissa guarded the door. Dobby walked through the door into the room.
"Dobby! You! You dropped the chandelier-?" she exclaimed. Dobby drew himself to his full height and with shaky hands, pointed at the woman.
"You must not hurt Harry Potter," he squeaked sternly. Bellatrix ordered her sister to kill Dobby, Harry threw a wand to Ron and Ron disapparated away with Hermione. Harry grabbed the goblin out from under the chandelier and then caught Dobby's hand and disapparated.
Things got a bit chaotic there. But Harry, Hermione and Ron got away. But Voldemort's on his way and he's not going to be happy.
Let me know what you guys think so far.
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Until the next chapter.
