Hallowed
Chapter Nine: Capture
With Ron and Hermione on fragile speaking terms, the three remained in the forest of Dean for only a short while before packng everything and moving toward more familiar territory. They arrived just west of the Burrow on the hillside overlooking Ottery St. Catchpole early in the morning, and as they crossed the hill's peak, they could just see the house vanishing behind its orchard. Since she had seen the same symbol on Ignotus Peverell's grave, Hermione's curiosity had drawn her to the idea that they needed to return here to see the man that had first shown them that strange triangular sign; they were headed for the residence of Xenophilius Lovegood.
Moving further and further away from the burrow, Harry could see Ron looking over his shoulder, and he too had longed to see any sign of Arthur, Molly, the twins, or Ginny. Unfortunately, it made no sense for them to remain at their family home with Voldemort's people swarming around looking for them or any other blood traitors they could find. Hermione, on the other hand, was focused on the path ahead. She was keeping a mental note of what looked safe and what didn't, and Harry couldn't blame her. They hadn't been back into such familiar territory since they had left Grimmauld Place in October. He even found himself checking over his shoulder when he heard a particularly loud twig snap. As they neared the Lovegoods' however, he found himself relaxing slightly. They could tell the place belonged to Xenophilius because of all of the curious objects in the yard; that and their home looked like an enlarged castle from a chess set.
"Reckon we might run into Luna while we're here?" Ron asked as they approached the stone structure. "Be good to see a familiar face, yeah?"
"Won't run into her." Harry muttered as they saw Luna's father coming around the side of the house. Before he could explain why, Xenophilius spotted them and his eyes were wide.
"Who… Who are you!" He questioned as he moved swiftly for his front door. Harry managed to catch him before he slammed it in their faces.
"Mr. Lovegood, we met at the wedding, I'm Harry Potter."
"Oh… well…." Mr. Lovegood seemed to consider this for a moment before he motioned them in. "What can I do for you?"
"Sir," Hermione addressed him as she closed the door behind herself and Ron. "We were curious about something we saw. You were wearing something at the wedding, a symbol, and we wondered what it meant."
"Aah…" His eyes widened in understanding as he rummaged around in the kitchen they had just walked into. The entire floor was circular with a metal staircase leading up to the upper floors in the center. He had pulled out a tea tray and a few other things before he spoke again. "The mark of the Deathly Hallows."
"The what?" All three of the teenagers asked as Mr. Lovegood motioned them up to the second floor. In this room, they found a very cramped sitting room along with a sculpture of a very elegant woman with what looked like a piece of rubbish around her head. There was also the printing press that churned out copies of The Quibbler. Harry, Ron, and Hermione found seats on a couch and an armchair while Xenophilius tottered around the room with the tea tray. He handed each of them a cup of what didn't look like tea.
"The mark of the Deathly Hallows." He repeated as he finally took a seat opposite them. "You don't know what they are?"
"No…" Hermione said, and the others shook their heads in response.
"Are you three familiar with the Tale of the Three Brothers?"
"Yes." Hermione and Ron said together, while Harry shook his head.
"Ah, well then, you need to hear it." Mr. Lovegood said as he fumbled for something in a pile of books.
"It's alright, Mr. Lovegood. I have a copy." Hermione offered as she pulled the book Dumbldore had left her out of her bag.
"Is it the original?" He asked sharply, and Hermione opened the book and moved through the tales until she found the right one. When she got to it, she showed it to him. "Good. Why don't you read it, then?"
And Hermione read aloud from the book; telling of all three brothers and how they had "cheated" death. He had granted them all one gift, and the brothers asked for differentg ones in turn: The eldest brother wanted the most powerful wand, and Death fashioned him one from an Elder tree. The second brother wanted the ability to humiliate death further and bring people back from the deead, so death took a stone from the river and handed it to him. The last brother merely wanted to remain hidden from the world so that nothing, not even Death could find him. Death took off his cloak of invisibility and handed it over.
The first brother bragged of his powerful wand and killed a man with it. Drunk with power, he celebrated it and returned to his room happily drunk in an inn. Another man came and took the wand; slitting the eldest brother's throat for good measure. Death claimed the first brother for his own. The second brother used the resurrection stone to bring back a love from his past that had died much too young. For a time, he was happy, but she was not; for she did not belong in the living world. Depressed by this, the second brother killed himself to join her, and death claimed the second brother. The third, who had remained hidden for years to come, lived a long and pleasurable life of his choosing before finally shedding the cloak and handing it off to his son; he greeted Death as an old friend and they left this life as equals.
"So that is the story of the Deathly Hallows." Xenophilius said as he pulled a piece of parchment toward him. When he finally found a quill, he drew a vertical line. "The Elder Wand," He then drew a circle with the line passing through its center. "The Resurrection Stone," and finally, he drew a triangle around the circle so that its three sides barely touched the circle. "And the Cloak of Invisibility. These are the Deathly Hallows; together, they mae one the master of death."
"You don't believe the tale, do you?" Hermione asked; slightly skeptical. "There isn't a wand that can defeat any other, is there?"
"For those that believe, yes." Lovegood said matter-of-factly. He stood an pointed his wand at the printing press to make it stop shaking, and Hermione realized just what was behind him.
"Mr. Lovegood… What is that?" She pointed to a silver horn that jutted out from the wall.
"The horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorekack." Xenophilius announced proudly. "Very rare and quite useful."
"No… That's an Erumpent Horn…" Hermione said with a worried tone. "They're very temperamental and can explode at the slightest touch." While Xenophilius went on about how Hermione had to be mistaken, Hermione just let him rant, but she braced herself anyway. When Xenophilius finally calmed down, he mentioned something that Harry found odd.
"Of course you'll have to stay for dinner. Luna will be along any moment. I asked her to go down to the river. I will see to starting the cooking."
Harry waited until the man had headed back downstairs before he motioned for Ron and Hermione to follow him upstairs to Luna's room. When they reached it, they stopped and stared. The room was bathed in pale blue, while the ceiling above them had very stunning painted pictures of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville with "Friends" woven between the pictures in gold; so fine it looked like chains. Harry thought the entire effect looked elegant and beautiful. When they had gotten over the initial amazement, Harry saw that the room looked quite unoccupied; like Luna hadn't been here since she had left for school. "Something's wrong." He said, and it got the others' attention.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked; still looking around the room with a slight pleasant smile on her face.
"Luna's not here." Harry said. "McGonagall said no student was to leave the school except for a Hogsmeade trip planned a few days ago. Look around; she hasn't been here."
"Ah, there you are." Mr. Lovegood had returned, but he was still holding no tea tray or dinner. He was looking at them with a slight crazed look. "Come, Luna will be in shortly."
"Sir, where is Luna?" Harry asked, while descending the stairs reluctantly. "You say she is outside?" When Xenophilius nodded, Harry looked to Ron and Hermione. "How can she be, Sir? No one was allowed to leave Hogwarts."
"No… No, she had to leave. They made her." Xenophilius stammered. "She will be along any moment."
"Right…" Ron said as he made up his mind. "Well, we really can't afford to stay. Things to do, you know?" He made to head down the stairs toward Xenophilius. "We'll catch up with Luna outside, then."
"NO!" The man looked positively mad as he threw his arms out on either side of is body to stop Ron's progress. "I insist!"
"Luna's not here is she, Mr. Lovegood?" Hermione asked. Her tone suggested she was a mother talking down to a child who had just bold-faced lied to her. "She's not here, and you have no clue where she is, do you?"
"They took my Luna." Xenophilius said this quietly as if muttering to himself. "They took her away because of what I had been writing…Because I supported you." He pointed a long pale finger at Harry. "I have to get her back-"
"But you're not using us to do it." Ron said coldly. Harry however, questioned Luna's father further.
"Who took her, Sir?"
"Took her from Hogwarts…"
"Who?" Harry asked again. He knew it was a mistake the second he had done it.
"Voldemort." There was a rush of wind outside, and Harry could see the dark figures appearing on the lawn through the window. Death eaters had been summoned to their location because Xenophilius had used the name. The rumor was true; it would alert them of your current location. Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew their wands, but Hermione stopped Ron from stunning Lovegood quickly.
"No! We can't fire spells from here!" She motioned to the horn that jutted out from the wall. "The Erumpent horn! It will explode!"
"Up there!" A voice called from downstairs, and Xenophilius turned to meet the five men that were moving for the metal staircase. "You said the name!"
"I have him!" Xenophilius cried and as he pointed back toward the room above, one of the death eaters attacked with a stunner that went just past Lovegood's ear. When it crashed into the wall behind him, the erumpent horn exploded, sending dust, debris, and bits of everything else into the air. Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved away as the second stunner hit the windowpane nearest them adding glass to the dusty air. Over the falling ceiling, they heard Xenophilius' voice again. "I have Harry Potter, he is right behind me!"
"You're barking!" One of the death eaters, Harry recognized as Walden Macnair, shouted. "Why would Potter be here!"
"Harry, over here." Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him toward her. "We need to let them see you."
"Are you mad?" Ron asked as he kept an eye on the stairs. When the erumpent horn had exploded, it had blown the printing press over the railing and was blocking the stairs along with a decent piece of the wall nearest. Xenophilius was trying rather clumsily to clear the way so that he and the death eaters could get up to the second floor landing. "They'd try and catch him-"
"Exactly." Hermione said quickly. "Otherwise, Mr. Lovegood will be killed."
"Do it." Harry said quickly. He saw Hermione retrieve the invisibility cloak from her bag and throw it over herself and Ron.
"Time to make an explosive exit." She said as she aimed her wand at the pile of rubble that included Xenophilius' printing press. "Confringo!"
With all of the noise just below them, the death eaters didn't seem to hear Hermione actually cast the explosive jinx; instead, they kept trying t push past Mr. Lovegood to get to the upper floor. When the printing press was suddenly sent toward them, the two death eaters and Xenophilius were sent toppling over and down the metal spiraled staircase. This left Hermione and Ron just enough time to move down and secure the door while Harry made sure he was seen by Macnair and the others. When they spotted him, they all pointed and stared for a moment before another death eater shouted "Get him!". This sent the group into something of a panic, and they all went to tripping over one another to get to him through the dust and debris still falling from above. Once Harry was sure Xenophilius was out of the way, he rejoined Ron and Hermione who were waiting for him just outside the door. The three remained huddled under the cloak and got far enough away to disapparate without being noticed. Ron gripped the arms of the other two and quickly disapparated, leaving the death eaters, Mr. Lovegood, and the remains of his house far behind.
The three landed in a lightly wooded path that led to an open field. Harry found the scene rather pleasant, seeing snowy mountains behind the clearing. They made it past the thinning pines and Hermione rummaged in her bag for the tent and other necessities while Ron began the enchantments. He managed to get the protection charm in place before he started raging. Harry assisted with the rest.
"Can you believe that old git?" Ron asked as Harry cast muffliato around them. "I mean, he could have gotten us all killed saying the name!"
"Can you blame him, Ron?" Hermione had managed to open her bag and start looking through it as she spoke. "Luna was taken... I imagine he'd do anything to get her back; seeing as she's all he has left." Unfortunately, she didn't have the opportunity to say more. At that moment, they heard a drawling voice from behind them.
"Hello, beau'iful."
"Go!" Hermione shouted as she sent an impediment jinx just behind her that stopped the intruder's approach. The three bolted; running as fast as they could, but there were multiple feet pounding behind them. Harry heard the snarling of one of their pursuers; he recognized it as that of Fenrir Greyback. He did not chance a look back though; the death eaters had only seen Hermione from the back and had not seen any of their faces. She had been quick enough to not indicate who any of them were. Ron had noticed this, and he too was staring forward.
"Come back, lovely!" The one man called. Harry wasn't sure if he was a snatcher or one of Voldemort's supporters, but at this point he didn't care. "Don't want to hurt you, now do we?" His tone suggested he didn't want to put forth the effort to run or he had something else in mind.
Spells were being cast at them, and no one chanced a look back. They all just hoped that they could hear the rush of wind that came with the spell or jinx and use that to dodge them. While this worked for a time, one knockback jinx hit Harry square in the back; causing him to topple over face first in the snow. Ron made the mistake of looking back, and one hit him in the leg. Hermione was about to be grabbed by the man who had taunted her, but she tripped him by kicking backwards. This gave her just enough time to aim a quick stinging jinx at Harry with her wand. She screamed as the man grabbed her, but it was only a cover to mask Harry's shout of surprise and pain as his face swelled up and reacted to her jinx. When the other two had pinned Ron and himself down as well, Harry heard Greyback laughing as he addressed the one with Hermione.
"Who you reckon that one is?" He asked as he pulled Harry up off of the ground and forced him to stand. Harry's face was still smarting, and he could barely see Hermione from where his eyes were nearly swollen shut.
"Dunno, do I?" The snatcher, who had an impish face and long dark hair that hung around it sneered; revealing rather yellow teeth. "Who's that you got there? Ugly, inne?"
"What happened to your face, you? What's your name?" Greyback glared at Harry while getting so close that the scent of sweat and blood filled Harry's nostrils; it was so overbearing it nearly made him sick.
"Dudley..." Harry said the first name he could think of. "Vernon Dudley."
"Blood status?"
"Pureblood." Harry muttered. He wanted to get this brute off of him as soon as possible before he vomited. "Father works at the Ministry." It was a clear lie, but he tried to sound convincing.
"And your house?"
"Slytherin." It was the best of answers, and Harry was sure they had heard it before. As soon as he said it, the snatcher with Ron struggling against him laughed.
"Second time we've heard that, eh?" He turned to Harry and had a rather stern look on his face. "They all say it, but not one of 'em knows where our common room was-"
"It's in the dungeons; big open chamber with green lamps overhead."
"There's a good lad." The snatcher with Hermione grinned. "You know, Greyback, I think there is a Dudley workin' in the Ministry. Reckon we've got his boy?"
"Dunno." Growled Greyback, still not letting Harry go. His eyes were fixed on Ron. "Reckon I know what family he's in; One of them Weasleys." He turned his wild eyes back to Harry. "If you're a pureblood Slytherin, what are you doin' hanging around with that sort?"
"Hang on..." The one with Ron, who had still been wearing a stern expression, said in a slow tone. "I reckon I know who this lot is." He looked from Ron to Hermione. "Yeah... They're the two with Potter. I bet the one callin' himself Dudley is..."
"Nah." The one who had Hermione said slowly. "Don't reckon it's Harry Potter..." He had already taped his wand on Hermione's shoulder rather hard and thick cords had erupted from it and bound her so that she couldn't move. He was preparing to pull her bag from her rigid shoulder when he saw it was tucked under her arm protectively. "Got somethin' in here you want to hide, lovely?"
"Yeah..." Greyback had been looking from Harry to Ron and then Hermione before he finally spoke again. "That's probably the mudblood, Granger. Don't think we'll be taking these to the ministry." He used the same method of binding as the one holding Hermione, and heavy cords flew around Harry's shoulders, arms, torso, legs, and ankles. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ron being subjected to the same thing. Greyback grabbed Harry roughly by his arm and looked to the others. "Get them. Think we'll be taking them in for a bigger reward."
It seemed that the snatchers knew exactly what Greyback meant, because they each gripped the hostages' arms and turned on their heels to disapparate. Greyback did the same, and Harry had a terrible feeling he knew where they were going. He had seen flashes of the place off and on throughout the year, and he had seen Charity Burbage killed there during the previous summer. When Harry felt the compressing feeling release, hhe saw iron gates with an ornate "M" on them. Greyback pulled Harry along as he moved forward and opened the gate. He strode up the path and didn't flinch when an albino peacock crossed the path in a flourish of movement. Reaching the ornate doors, he took a rough hand and banged it against the wooden door; the sound echoed loudly in the stillness. It was only now that Harry had a moment to look around and see all of the snatchers. The two he had noticed before had Ron and Hermione, but there were two others: One had Dean Thomas, and the other had Griphook, the Gringotts goblin. Sharing a look with Dean, Harry realized he was just as worried as the rest. Griphook however, looked to be unconscious. He heard the door open with a bang, and he wasn't surprised to see Narcissa Malfoy answer it. She was tall, fair, blonde, and under more pleasant conditions, would have been rather beautiful. The look of revulsion on her face as she regarded Greyback ruined that.
"Found these lurkin' around the forest; thought we might bring them here. We think one of 'em's Potter." Greyback motioned to the other snatchers and their quarry. Harry's eyes were on Narcissa, but they quickly moved when another woman came to the door; this one Harry knew all too well. Tall, thin, long dark hair that fell in ringlets around her face; the heavily-lidded eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange landed on him. She spoke before her sister had a chance.
"Bring them inside." She ordered. She and Narcissa stepped back to let them pass, and Harry avoided looking Bellatrix in the eye. The other snatchers trooped in after Greyback, and they were all brought into something of a foyer. The one holding Hermione had managed to wrestle her bag out of her arm, but as he went to open it, Bellatrix spoke again. "Go into the drawing room. Get Draco." The snatcher that had fiddled with Hermione's bag grudgingly agreed and left for a room down the way. When he returned, he had Lucius Malfoy and Draco following. "Good. Greyback, take their wands and hand them over. I see no reason for them to have them anymore, do you?"
Greyback was rough as he reached in Harry's pocket and pulled out his wand. He then went to Ron, Hermione, and Dean in turn; removing their wands before reluctantly handing them over to Narcissa. Once that was out of the way, Bellatrix looked over the four humans and goblin. Her eyes rested on Ron for a moment, and Harry knew that she knew whose family he belonged to. He was also sure that she recognized Hermione as well. When her gaze fell on Harry again, her mouth split into a wide grin. She reached out a hand and touched his face, while careful to ensure her long nails scratched it as she went on.
"And what happened to this one?" She looked him over again, and let out a cackle of laughter. "Ooh looks like someone was hit with a stinging jinx… Let's have their wands, Cissy! Let's see just what their last spells were!" She sounded absolutely thrilled as she said this, and Harry had that feeling of dread passing through him. She would see that Hermione's last was the stinging jinx. Before she got the chance to do it however, one of the snatchers had successfully opened Hermione's bag and had pulled the sword of Gryffindor out of it. He was examining it when Bellatrix urged Draco forward. "Go on, Draco; have a look." She pushed hi forward slightly so that he was only maybe a foot from Harry. "That's Potter, isn't it…" She asked in a not-so-sweet voice. "Go on, that's his friends! You know that's a Weasley-"
"I'm…" Draco hesitated as he looked all of them over. His eyes rested on Harry for a moment before he went on. "I'm not sure."
"Draco," Lucius spoke in a hoarse voice just short of a whisper. "Draco, think of it… If we were the ones to turn him over to the Dark Lord, everything will be as it was-"
"I don't think we'll be forgetting who actually caught him." Greyback began, but Bellatrix snarled at him and fired a few angry red sparks from her wand in a threatening notion.
"Get out!" She roared at the werewolf and snatchers. "Draco, take a proper look! It's him!"
"I can't be sure… on any of them." Draco said flatly as he walked away and stood by his mother. Harry didn't know what to think as he watched this. "I mean… that one" He pointed to Ron. "That one looks like a Weasley, but…"
"Look at this…" One of the snatchers held Gryffindor's sword and was turning its hilt in his hands. "Could get a lot of gold for this, I could."
"GET OUT!" Bellatrix bellowed and the snatcher dropped the sword. It was only then that she noticed what he had been talking about. Snatching it from the floor, she glared at it and then at the four fugitives. "Where… Where did you get this!"
"Was in her b-bag!" The one snatcher stammered as he was backing away toward the exit. "That one, the girl!"
"How did you get into my vault?" Bellatrix whisper was deadly as she pointed her wand at Hermione. She then turned on her heel and grabbed Hermione's wand from Narcissa. For a second, Harry thought Draco's mother was about to say something in retort, but she didn't. Bellatrix tapped the wand with her own and there was an echo of the last spell cast. When she saw it, her eyes sparked madly. "Not only are you an idiot for trying to disguise him…" She pointed her wand at Harry, and the jinx was reversed; revealing his true face. "But you're also a no-good mudblood thief!"
Harry chanced a look at Draco and Narcissa. Both of them didn't seem all that surprised that he was actually who Greyback claimed. Their expressions hadn't changed, but Lucius' had. He had a triumphant smirk as he reached for his forearm. Bellatrix stopped him quickly. She was still pointing her wand at Hermione as she glared at her brother-in-law.
"You would be a fool to call him now! We know it's him, but I want answers before he gets here!" She pointed to Ron, Harry, Dean, and Griphook and shouted: "Put the boys in the cellar! I want a word with this one.. Girl to girl." She grabbed Hermione's shoulder and pulled her back into the drawing room while ropes were loosened so that the boys could be forced downstairs. The quivering and hunched form of Wormtail emerged to force them away from the drawing room and into the cellar. While they were being led down, they could hear the screaming of Hermione as Bellatrix interrogated her. She kept saying she had never been in the vault, but Bellatrix wouldn't have any of it. It got to the point where they couldn't hear her all that much when they reached the cellar, and Wormtail shoved them all in without a word and slammed the door. In total darkness, Harry could hear Ron struggling with his bonds.
"We've got to get back up there!" He started, and Harry had to agree, but there was no way at the moment. "Got to stop her!"
"Ron?" A voice called from somewhere nearby, and Harry was thankful to recognize it.
"Luna?" He asked while Ron still struggled. "Luna, what are you doing here?"
"They brought me here just before Christmas. Feels like I've been here for ages…" Luna said quietly, but her voice got louder as he listened. It seemed she was coming closer. "Here, Ron. This will get you out of that. It's a rusted nail we found down here a week or so ago."
"We?" Harry asked, and as he did, Ron seemed to succeed in getting his hands free. "Ron, get the deluminator. See if it can get some light in here."
"Err… Right." Ron took a few minutes to get a few more cords off before he reached into his pocket and withdrew Dumbledore's deluminator. Clicking it, he saw a few balls of brilliant light fly out of it and hover in the air. They illuminated the room like four small suns shining down. From that point, Harry could see the others: Dean was not far from Ron, who was beside him. Griphook was to Harry's left, and Luna was just in front of him now. Still a few feet away, she was looking at the small orbs of light above; her blonde hair looking almost platinum in their light. Then, there was another figure. Across the room, an old man, who looked to be no more than skin and bone was in a crumpled heap on the floor; Harry's stomach lurched when he realized that this was Garrick Ollivander. Ron finished hacking the cords off and handed the nail to Harry, who began working furiously to get himself free. Though they had been made a bit more loose to make it easier for them to be led down here, it still took time to get through each one. When he had managed to get free, he handed off the long nail to Ron who passed it to Dean.
"Is he alright?" Ron asked; indicating Ollivander, and Luna shook her head.
"He needs help, but they don't care, or they're ordered not to under threats of torture." She said offhandedly as Harry was fumbling with the mokeskin that none of the death eaters or snatchers had time to notice. Reaching into it, he felt something sharp and thought it was the end of his quill, but as he looked at it, he swore he saw a blue eye again, as he had earlier in the summer. Pausing for a moment, he handed it to Ron so that he could see the eye for one split second. Apparently Ron did, because he muttered "Ruddy hell… Sure could use his help right now…" before nearly dropping the corner of the mirror. Harry however, had found his quill and the parchment scroll he was looking for. He just managed to hurriedly write down a short message before he heard movement upstairs again and Bellatrix' scream.
"Captured. At Malfoy Manor."
"Get the goblin!"
"Griphook!" Harry hissed into the goblin's ear. He seemed to just be listening carefully. Harry had seen his eyes twitch when the deluminator was used. "Griphook, you need to tell them the sword is a fake. Do you hear me?" He added as the goblin moved slightly. "Tell her the sword is a fake and that the real one is still in her vault!" At that point, they heard footsteps, and Harry was thankful he had managed to roll the parchment and quill up and place them back into the mokeskin while talking to Griphook. He motioned for the others to get back against the wall, out of sight, and muttered to Ron to put out the lights. When that was done and the cellar was returned to its normal musty darkness, the door opened and they could all see the white-blonde hair of Draco Malfoy as he entered.
"Don't try anything…" He warned; holding his wand out for good measure. No one moved as he slowly entered the room. His expression suggested that he didn't want to be there at all. "Where's the goblin?"
"Right there, to your right." Harry said quietly as he looked over toward Griphook. He couldn't see the goblin in the dark, but Harry hoped that he had heard what he had asked of him. Malfoy reached out blindly and took the goblin's shoulder. He pulled him toward the door and got him walking up the stairs ahead. When he closed the door, Ron clicked the deluminator again, but there was a crack rather than a light "click". When the balls of light came out and hovered in the air, they revealed a newcomer. Standing in the middle of the room was a small figure with bat-like ears and large tennis ball shaped eyes.
"Dobby!" Ron and Harry said in surprise as the elf blinked for a moment before dropping into a deep bow. Ron recovered first and stepped forward to shake the elf's hand in a delighted greeting. "What are you doing here?"
"Dobby has come to rescue Harry Potter and his friends, Sir." Dobby said to Ron. "Dobby heard that Harry Potter was here and he wanted to help."
"You don't know how happy we are to see you, Dobby…" Harry said quietly so as not to alert the death eaters and snatchers upstairs. A sudden thought hit him though. "Hang on, can you apparate and disapparate out of here?"
"Yes, Sir. Dobby is an elf. He has done it before, Sir." Harry almost smacked himself in response; of course he had done it before… This was the house of his former masters. "Dobby can get Harry Potter and his friends out of here."
"Can you take Mr. Ollivander, Luna, and Dean out first?" Ron asked as he eyed the door to the cellar. "There's something we need to do before we leave."
"Of course." Dobby went toward the still unconscious Ollivander while Dean and Luna followed. Once Dobby had a gentle but secure grip on the wandmaker, he offered his hand to Luna and Dean. Dean took hold of his arm while Luna took his offered hand.
"Take them to Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth. It's where my brother Bill is." Ron said quickly."
"Whenever you're ready, Sir." Luna addressed Dobby with a smile, and Dobby nearly fell over.
"Sir… I like this one. Dobby has never been called "Sir" before…" The elf made sure the three were secure, and looked to Harry and Ron. "Meet Dobby at the top of the stairs in ten minutes." With that, he disapparated with another crack; leaving Harry and Ron to hear Bellatrix' shriek again. This time it was in frustration and not so much an order. Ron gritted his teeth and was prepared to try and break down the door, but Harry stopped him.
"No." He pulled Ron back. "Think about it; if they hear a commotion down here, they could hurt Hermione-"
"Didn't you hear them up there, Harry?" Ron asked in frustration. "They've already hurt her-"
"You know what I mean!" Harry snapped. He only had time to say that when they heard Lucius' raised voice.
"Get the boy! It is time we summoned the Dark Lord!" There was a scurrying of feet from above, leaving Harry and Ron seconds to flatten themselves against the wall and put out the lights. When the door opened again, Harry saw the wild eyes and slightly buck teeth of Wormtail as he entered the room. He reached out to wrap a hand around Harry's arm, and Harry decided to try something.
"Don't do it, you coward." He said threateningly. When Wormtail froze momentarily, Harry continued. "Don't forget that you owe me your life. I stopped Sirius and Remus from killing you that night in the Shrieking Shack." With that, Wormtail stopped and lowered his wand, which he had previously had trained on Harry. When he did however, the silver hand that had been a gift from his master went straight to his throat, dragging his arm along with it. The fingers closed, and Wormtail realized just what he had done. In betraying his master for one second and showing mercy, he was paying the ultimate price. Harry and Ron watched as the silver hand closed tighter and tighter around the man's throat; his eyes were bulging and there was a wet hissing sound coming out of him as he tried to breathe. Harry heard what sounded like the cracking of Styrofoam peanuts as Wormtail's hand finally succeeded in strangling him. His body hit the floor, and his wand clattered and rolled away; it was promptly snatched up by Harry.
Casting one last look at the man who had betrayed his parents, Harry headed up the stairs with Ron hot on his heels. They could hear Hermione's screams getting louder, and as they rounded the corner to get back into the foyer, they could hear Bellatrix shouting at the goblin. She kept asking him again and again if the sword was stolen from her vault in Gringotts, but the goblin didn't seem to give her the answer she was looking for. They heard the sound of someone smacking another, and it was assumed that Bellatrix had just struck Griphook or Hermione for lack of cooperation. Either way, that was about to be ended. Harry rounded the corner and could see Narcissa and Draco standing several feet from Lucius, who was holding the goblin up by his underarms.
"Tell me again, Goblin." Bellatrix snarled. "Was this sword stolen from my vault!"
"Will you allow me to examine it…" The goblin finally managed quietly as Lucius was prepared to drop him.
"Why would I do that?"
"It can be a fake." Griphook muttered. "There have been several attempts to remake the sword, and all have failed. I can tell you if your property was stolen if you will allow mw to examine it." At this, Bellatrix reached out with the sword in her hands, but she did not let it go. Harry could see Griphook running his fingers along the metal of the sword, and he hoped that the goblin would not let his expression give him away… Then again, he also hoped that Griphook would indeed say that the sword was a fake. When Griphook's eyes returned to Bellatrix', he shook his head. "The sword is a fake, Madam Lestrange. The real one is still secure in your vault at Gringotts."
"So where did the mudblood get this one, then?" Lucius snarled at the goblin. Harry and Ron didn't need telling that this was as good a time as ever to make their move. Stepping out, Ron used the deluminator to put out any light in the drawing room. Everything but the fireplace went out, and there was a flurry of movement. Harry, who had kept an eye on where Draco and Narcissa had gone, raised Wormtail's wand and concentrated on disarming them. In that instant, two wands flew into the air, and Ron caught them just before they hit the floor. Harry then muttered "Accio wands." His, Hermione's, Ron's and Dean's all came flying from the pocket of Narcissa's long dark robes. Harry caught them and pocketed Hermione's and Deans while handing Ron back his own. The two then moved into the drawing room and were prepared to attack the death eaters that were searching for them, but they heard a sound overhead. It was that of glass coming into contact with metal. The jingling got louder, and as they looked up, Harry just saw the firelight glinting off of a now very unstable chandelier. He squinted and searched for Hermione and Griphook. He could just make out the point of the goblin's nose when the chandelier came crashing down. Reaching blindly, he gripped the arm of the goblin and pulled him out of the way while he just barely saw Ron doing the same with Hermione. The glass and iron splintered as it hit the floor, and there were several shrieks of pain. Ron, who had been trying to keep Hermione from cclawing at him, accidentally hit the deluminator and released the light back into the room.
"You!" Bellatrix roared as she recovered, but as she drew her wand, she was lifted off of her feet and thrown backwards; wand clattering to the floor. When Harry looked around to see who had done it, he was surprised to see Dobby standing there again. The elf held Bellatrix' wand in his hand and was shaking with fury.
"You shall not harm Harry Potter!"
"You filthy little…" Bellatrix stammered as she recovered from the sudden attack. "How DARE you steal a witch's wand!" How dare you attack your masters!"
"Dobby has no master!" The elf shrieked in response. His eyes were narrowed and free hand was curled into a fist. "Dobby is a free elf, and he has come to rescue Harry Potter and his friends!" With that, he sent the large table that Professor Burbage had floated over during the summer hurtling toward Bellatrix and Lucius. The two barely had a fraction of a second to get out of the way, but Lucius was hit in the shoulder and knocked to the floor.
"You dare attempt to kill-"
"Dobby never meant to kill… He only wished to maim!" The elf squeaked in triumph as he moved back toward Harry, Hermione and Ron. The three had managed to back away toward the main door to the house, and Harry had kept a close eye on all of those involved. He took the wands of Draco and Narcissa from Ron's free hand and pitched them back to their owners before gripping Dobby's hand tightly. Both Malfoy and his mother looked momentarily stunned by this, but Harry didn't give them a second look. Instead, he nodded to Dobby, while Ron stuffed the sword back into Hermione's bag and slung it over his shoulder. The elf turned on the spot and was disapparating when Bellatrix threw a dagger that she had been threatening Hermione with earlier. It sailed through the air, and Harry managed to turn slightly so that the blade sank into his arm instead of its intended target.
