Chapter Twenty-Eight: This Funny Dangerous Game

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The underlined portions are taken directly from the novel; I do not own those parts. They belong to J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: This fanfiction is going to be different from my other stories. This picks up where "The Heart of Everything" and "The Heart of Everything: Shallow Bay" left off. The time in the books also changes. So, pay attention the time, so you don't get confused. Some of the chapters are other Marcus Flint/Katie Bell stories, just with more changes and deleted scenes added.

Time: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Genre: Romance, Drama, and Friendship

Rating: PG-13

Marcus crossed as his arms over his chest as he stared down at Jim's sleeping form. Marcus knew it was now or never. It would be easier to get Jim out now instead of during the day, it was part of the reason why Marcus had volunteered to take the night shift tonight.

Marcus's brown eyes darted around the room. The rest of the Muggles were asleep, completely unaware of his presence.

Marcus knelt down next to Jim's cell and peered in. The day crew hadn't shown Jim any mercy. His face was batted and beaten with broken skin and dried blood covering his body. Marcus wasn't sure how badly Jim was hurt, but judging by what he could see it wasn't good. Marcus wasn't sure if Jim could walk, let alone get down the tunnel.

Marcus mentally calculated how many workers there were upstairs. He remembered his father mentioning something about at night the Ministry was only about tenth staffed compared to the day shift. It was possible for them to slip out the front unnoticed, unless the Death Eaters had added more people.

Marcus pinched his temples. Why did everything have to be so difficult? He couldn't leave Jim in there. Taking a deep breath, he reached into his robe pocket for the keys.

"Jim," Marcus hissed. "Get up."

Jim slowly opened his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Marcus got to his feet and unlocked the door. He pulled Jim to his feet. "Let's go. We don't have a lot of time."
Jim looked up at Marcus. "What are you doing? Don't be stupid."

Marcus didn't say anything as he started quickly toward the exit.

Jim was struggling to keep up with Marcus's long stride. Marcus slowed down, but knew they didn't have the time to go this slow.

"Marcus," Jim hissed. He was already out of breath.

"Shut up," Marcus whispered as he looked down the hall before motioning Jim forward.

Jim stepped out into the hall and quickly moved into the shadows. He was still giving Marcus looks, but Marcus wasn't paying attention. They were in a blind spot now and that was making Marcus nervous. For all they knew, an army of Death Eaters could be on the other side.

Marcus looked back at Jim. "Wait here."

Jim nodded.

Marcus stepped out from behind the wall and peered out. No one was coming. He motioned forward.

They made their way down the hallway at a quick walk. It would have made Marcus feel better if they were able to run out in the open, but he knew that Jim could not rum well on the best of days.

Marcus ducked into a small office entry and peered out. He swore whenever he heard voice approaching.

"Stay here," Marcus hissed at Jim.

Jim nodded.

Marcus stepped out into the light as Rabastan Lestrange and Walden Macnair rounded the corner.

"What are you doing down here?" Macnair spat at Marcus.

Marcus crossed his arms over his chest. "My job."

Rabastan's eyes darted between Macnair and Marcus. "He is actually supposed to be down here."

Macnair didn't respond.

Marcus eyed his uncle, who he had never really spoken to. Marcus's aunt and Macnair had divorced whenever she found out he was a Death Eater.

Rabastan grabbed Macnair's arm. "Come on. I told you there was nothing going on down here."

Macnair stared at Marcus, but allowed Rabastan pull him away.

Marcus waited close to fifteen minutes before going back into the office.

Jim looked up at Marcus. "I can't let you go through with this."

Marcus grabbed Jim's arm and pulled him back out into the hall. "Good thing that you really don't have a choice in the matter."

Jim just snorted.

Marcus's eyes danced as he looked at the lift and the stairs. The stairs would be safer because no one used them anymore. However, the lift would be faster. Marcus looked over at Jim. If the guy could climb the stairs up from the bottom level, surely he could handle a few more flights of stairs.

Marcus pushed open the stairs door. "In."

Jim stepped in as Marcus pulled out his wand and lit it.

Jim looked up at the steep stairs. "I had forgotten these were here."

Marcus started up the steps behind Jim. "Hopefully, the others will too."

"We can only hope," Jim echoed.

Since the steps were so narrow and step, they made their way up slowly. Marcus stumbled a few times, but was able to quickly regain his balance. Jim, however, had no difficulty climbing the stairs.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Marcus turned to Jim. "Wait here. I'll check and make sure that no one is up here."

Jim nodded.

Marcus stepped out on the east side of the fountain. He looked around and listened to make sure that no one was coming. Once he felt that they were in the clear, he walked back to the stairs door.

"Make it quick and we should be good," he whispered to Jim.

Jim gave Marcus a small smile. "You really shouldn't have to do this."

Marcus didn't respond to that. "Then, I'll send you to make parents, they'll patch you up, and send you to Canada."

Jim nodded.

Marcus looked around the main room one final time before nodding. He reached into his pocket and handed Jim's wand back to him. "I thought you might want this back."
Jim took it. "You were right on that one."
Marcus gave the room one final go over. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jim replied.

"No matter what happens don't stop." With that, Marcus darted out of the safety of the stairs and out into the open.

Marcus looked back to see if Jim was coming. The older man was right on his heels. Marcus knew that the fireplaces were only a few metres in front of them. He grabbed Jim's robes and shoved him forward.

"Stop!" a voice commanded behind them.

Swearing Marcus took out his wand.

Jim looked wide eyed at Marcus, but didn't stop. He dived head first into the fireplace just after the gates went down.

Marcus slid to a stop just centimetres before hitting the gate.

Rabastan walked over to Marcus and grabbed the front of his robes. "What the hell happened?"

Marcus felt his heart racing. "I don't know."

Rabastan shoved Marcus hard into the gate. "You don't know or you don't want to tell me," he hissed.

Marcus didn't respond. He could feel the flames threatening to lick his head.

Rabastan shoved Marcus harder into the gate. Marcus winced as he felt a rib crack. "You have a lot of explaining to do, so I suggest you start talking."

"Leave him alone, Rabastan," a voice behind him commanded.

"Lucius, why are you defending him?" Rabastan snapped without looking away from Marcus.

Lucius came around and put his wand on Rabastan's Adam's apple. "Let go over him."
Rabastan looked at the wand and snorted. With one final slam into the gate, Rabastan let Marcus fall to the ground. "You're lucky that someone's here to defend you."

Marcus and Lucius watched as Rabastan stormed off.

Marcus slowly got to his feet. He had no idea that getting slammed into a gate could hurt so bad.

Lucius roughly grabbed Marcus and eyed him. "I don't want to know what you were thinking, but one more stunt like that you and you are done."

Marcus didn't answer.

Lucius shook him. "You hear me!"
Marcus nodded. "Yeah."
"You know as well as I do what they think of you and this isn't helping." Lucius paused. "I will convince Rabastan to tell that others that the Mudblood overpowered you. He'll listen and that way you only receive a small punishment."
Marcus just nodded.

Lucius gave Marcus one final look before going in the same direction as Rabastan.

Marcus pulled up the side of his shirt and looked at the bruise that already starting to form on his side. Swearing, he walked over to the lift and headed back downstairs. He could only pray that the Death Eaters didn't track Jim or they would all pay the price.

He ignored the hisses he got as he walked past the Muggles, most of whom had woken up by now. He went into the back room and slammed the door shut.

Malfoy Manor, Three Days Later

Draco Malfoy eyed Marcus. "I don't trust you."

Marcus leaned casually against Draco's bedroom window. "Oh, why is that?"

Draco backed away from him. "You know too much."

Marcus straightened up. Where was Draco going with this? Last time Marcus checked, they were still friends. "What makes you think that?"

Draco reached into his robes for his wand. "You just do." He was ready to pull it out.

As he pulled his wand out of his robes, Marcus took a step towards Draco. "Expelliarmus." He caught Draco's wand as it flew towards him. "You know better than that."

Draco looked at Marcus. "So, do you. If the others and the Dark Lord find out about you, you're a dead man. They'll kill you, but they'll probably make you suffer first."

As he reached into his pocket and hit a button on his mobile, Marcus looked away. He always knew that this job had risks. He could've just kept his Chaser position, but, no, he was stupid enough to take this one. Besides, it's not like he had anything better to do. (The Quidditch league had been cancelled earlier this year.)

Draco smiled at him. "Hit a nerve, didn't I?"

Marcus cursed him. He had to do something. He knew that he should leave, but he had nowhere to hid, nowhere to go. Instead, he kept cursing Draco, who was making such a racket that Marcus silenced him.

Now he could hear people climbing the stairs. Bellatrix and the others were on they're way. He looked for a way out. They were none. (Voldemort had made the house so that no one could Apparate in or out.) His heart was breathing fast. He was scared. He really didn't want to die today. He kind of wanted to live to his twenty second birthday.

Bellatrix cursed the door in. While two Death Eaters grabbed Marcus, she took one look around the room, and then she looked at her Draco, who was lying on the floor. She gave him his voice back and he immediately began to tell her about Marcus. When he was done, she narrowed her eyes at Marcus. "Take him to the courtyard," she ordered to other Death Eaters. "I will personally deal with him."

Marcus's heart skipped a beat. He knew that this was going to hurt. The two Death Eaters dragged him down the stairs, out the kitchen door, and into the large courtyard. There they threw him on the ground and kicked him. He grunted in pain. They covered him with their wands. Every time he moved, one of them kicked him in the stomach.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Bellatrix, followed by Draco, entered the courtyard. She dismissed the other Death Eaters and went over to stand over Marcus. "You know what I do to traitors?" Marcus shut his eyes. "You're going to find out." She turned to Draco. "Make him lie down on his back, pull back his robes, and bare his chest."

Draco glared at Marcus as he did as he was ordered, but Marcus put up a fight and they both ended up with a few bruises. "This is what you get," he hissed, "for betraying your friends, for being a traitor."

Marcus narrowed his eyes at Draco. "Well, at least I didn't take the easy way out," he hissed back. "At least after this is over, I won't have a jail sentence." This little comment earned him a kick in the stomach. He gasped, but didn't say anything.

"You have to win first." Bellatrix took a step towards him. She pulled out her wand and knelt down next to Marcus. "And the way, it's looking it won't be to promising for you, boy. In the end, it's all about power." She stood up and pointed her wand at him. "Now, it's game time. I'm the cat who caught the rat. Crucio!"

His body arched. He tried to ignore the pain, but the pain wouldn't go away. It lasted for what seemed like hours. When she finally quit, he was about really to pass out.

She placed a foot on his chest. "So, kid, how's the Order?" He didn't answer. "I cans see that they've left you here to die." She took her foot off his chest and seized his head so he was forced to look her in the eyes. "How does that make you feel?"
Marcus didn't answer. He was just praying that his dad picked up.

She cursed him again and again. Each time he gasped in pain, she laughed and kept on cursing him.

After several rounds of this, she took a step back from Marcus and smiled. "Did that hurt?"

Marcus was fighting to catch his breath.

"I don't think it hurt him enough," Greyback hissed. "Let me have a round with him."

Bellaatrix pulled a knife out of her robes. "No, let me teach him a lesson."
Greyback stepped back.

Once again, Bellatrix turned to her nephew. "Move his arm."

"Which one?" Draco inquired.

She smiled. "You chose."

Draco chose Marcus's right arm. He held it away from the older boy's side.

Bellatrix raised the knife and stabbed deep into Marcus's stomach. She laughed. "Do you want another one?"

Marcus was grasping as he held his hands on his stomach. Pain was shooting up his body.

"I think you do," Bellatrix said as she brought the knife down again into Marcus's side.