Chapter 31
AN: Sorry for any confusion. Too many characters!
BTW, the stuff Draco and the others will find is stuff from my other fan fictions. It's not important to the story, but I was just having fun with it.
BTW again, sorry I took so long to write the chapter. I had extreme writer's block!
Eventually Emily transformed back to being a human regained consciousness. After getting over her initial shock at seeing Draco Malfoy (which included a bit of threatening, jinxing, and yelling) she took a deep breath and asked what had happened.
"Ummmm…you fainted," Hermione explained hesitating, sounding apologetic.
"Why?" Emily asked confused. Everyone exchanged looks, but nobody said anything until Jon commented, "Probably stress…and maybe some other stuff, I guess."
"So what's the plan?" asked Harry, rubbing his hands together, trying to change the conversation.
Emily gave everyone a questioning look. Everyone was serious and silent. She decided she would question them more about her "faint attack" later.
Draco hesitated for a moment. Could he really go through with this? Laying his hand on the wall, he explained, "When the Malfoy Manor was built back in the 1600's, they didn't have as good material as today. They used softer blocks of stone from a nearby quarry. Cheap and accessible basically." Making sure anyone was actually listening, he continued, "But in the late 1800's there was a fire in the kitchen and that, along with a few misused spells, blew apart most of the house and they had to switch to a more solid material. But this small area of the house survived the fire, so it's still the soft type of stone. Even when the Manor was refurbished, they skipped over this part of the house because it was away from the areas of the house where they would be likely to be damaged. It's like pushing a puzzle piece into place. We just have to get through the wall. Or you do anyway, I suppose I could always go through the front door saying I fell out a window or something stupid and help you from inside."
"I just have one question," asked Hermione, slyly. "How the hell do you know all this, Malfoy?"
"Stupid Malfoy family tradition," he muttered under his breath. "And please, I thought you agreed to call me Draco."
"It takes getting used to," shrugged Harry. "After all, I've only hated you like a headache for the past 6 years. It makes sense that it takes a while for us to change our views."
Draco rolled his eyes, "Well, get used to it now. I'm gonna help you save your friends, and the Order, so be happy with it. Now if we can get these featherbrains," he jerked his thumb in the direction of the griffins," to help us out-"
Genny broke into giggles. "Feather brains? Oh that's so funny. I have to tell that one to Knoma." Genny abruptly broke into squawks and chirps, smiling."
The griffin reared and made a swipe at Draco with its front talons. "Uh oh," whispered Genny, looking pale. "I didn't mean to insult her. Knoma!"
The angry chestnut griffin charged at Draco. Draco yelped and dove out of the way.
CRASH! The wall collapsed and smoke obstructed the view of the group. When it cleared, they saw a confused griffin standing in the basement of the Malfoy Manor, with fallen stones blending with the marble floors of the indoors. It was a site to make anyone smile. The gloom that had settled over the group had left. Now they were going to party.
Somebody grabbed Emily from behind. She screamed and kicked out. The Death-Eater fell down with a grunt.
"Run!" shouted Ryan.
As fast as they could, they sprinted into the manor. The basement was a labyrinth. No matter where they turned all they could find was more and more obstacles and choices. "What is wrong with these people?" Genny shouted out at one point in frustration. She looked to Draco, "Sorry. No offense." He shrugged it off. "It seems my Malfoy ancestors were schizophrenic or just totally mental! Let's try this way. I think it leads to the center of the house."
They wandered. For almost an hour they traveled throughout the maze that was the basement of the Malfoy house. It seemed no matter where they went they would travel by a place that looked extremely familiar.
"Maybe we should leave a trail of bread crumbs," Emily smirked after a while.
Harry laughed, and mostly everyone else gave her an annoyed (or in Ron's case, clueless) look.
"Maybe Malfoy here's just trying to confuse us," accused Seamus.
"In case you've forgotten already," Malfoy sneered, "I'm on your side now. I'm helping YOU to get your 'little pals' free. I knew you weren't the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'd think you'd understand something as simple as that."
"Now, guys," groaned Genny, "just shut up and get along. None of us like this! We all want to go back home, or to Hogwarts so let's just get this done with as painlessly as possible."
"Okay," agreed Draco quickly.
"And there you go again mooning over my cousin!" shouted Ron, despite Harry and Emily's protests. "You'd agree to anything she said. It's disgusting."
"Ron, you're such a freak! Get a grip!" shouted Genny.
"You're the one who's gone mental here," Ron retorted.
"We need to calm down. Let's just get along," Harry suggested, putting his hand on Ron's shoulder.
Ron pulled away. "Give it a rest Harry. You think you always know what you should be doing, but you're just as lost as any of us. We can't trust Malfoy! We learned that in our first year when he tricked us into trying to have a midnight duel and he set Filch on us."
"What is it with you!" Harry exploded. "You get mad at me and Hermione over the stupidest things! You're so damn stubborn! You're my best mate, but sometimes I question whether you're worthy of that!"
"Worthy?" shouted Ron. "Worthy!"
"Here we go again," muttered Jon to Emily.
"You think you're so great!" Ron shouted. "The 'Boy who lived.' The great Harry Potter. Rita Skeeter was right about you! You're just a delusional, attention-seeking boy who thinks he's royal enough to have to have people be 'worthy' of his friendship! You have no clue! About anything! You deserve to live at the Dursleys, 'cause you're certainly too stuck up to be a wizard!"
There was complete silence for a minute. Harry finally broke it with, "Fine, if that's how you feel we'll split up."
"Fine," shrugged Ron, crossing his arms.
"Fine," agreed Harry. They began to walk in opposite directions. Genny ran after Harry as to spite Ron for calling her mental.
"Stop!" Emily shouted. "We can't just split up!"
"Why not?" snapped Harry and Ron simultaneously.
"We'll be better if we stay together," Emily said, surely.
"Actually, it could be better if we're in two groups. That way if the Death-Eaters catch one group, the other group could still get away," was Jon's input. Seamus nodded in agreement.
"Strength in number!" answered Emily.
"Pff! Yeah right," Genny rolled her eyes.
"We should probably just find a way back to Hogwarts to get help. We're just kids," suggested Ryan. Everyone leered at him for that. He shrunk away. "Or not."
Now there were multiple groups. It was an awful way to go on, which they all knew, but there was so much tension that either way there was going to be a huge problem soon. Harry, Genny, and Draco stood together, opposite from Ron, and Hermione who was trying to clam him down and shooting desperate looks at Harry. Jon and Seamus were facing down Emily. Emily and Genny were also staring angrily at each other, and Ryan was just cowering from…well….everyone!
"Well, we're splitting up no matter what," Hermione pointed out miserably. I suppose Harry, Genny, Jon, Draco and Seamus should go in one group. Emily, Ryan, Ron and I will go in the other group. But we still have to get out of here first."
"Oh yeah," said Draco suddenly. "I think there was a spell on this part of the Manor that whole groups can't stay together and still find a way out. It was to keep out rebellions or attacks so they could be taken out in smaller groups. At least, I think it was this part of the Manor. It's so huge, it's hard to remember."
"Well, that's awfully convenient," huffed Ron.
Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Genny, Draco, and Seamus rushed him off in the other direction. Before he followed the rest of that group, Hermione grabbed Jon and whispered, "Do whatever you can to make Harry be friends with Ron again. I'll do the same. But we can't let them stay angry at each other." Jon nodded and ran after the others.
"Well, I guess we should try this way," Hermione suggested to Emily, Ryan, and Ron, pointing to a narrow hallway jutting out an odd angle.
Without replying, Ron walked down the hall and everyone else followed him. Soon they were going through a door that led to the main part of the house.
"See, now, wasn't that easy without THEM holding us back," Ron gloated.
"It was probably just the spell Draco told us about," Hermione begged.
"Sure," sneered Ron, "and I'm a flying flobberworm. Y'know how he only mentioned that spell after we had started to split up? That was only too convenient. It's like he wanted his Death-Eater father to pick us off easier. And Harry's on his side! What the hell is wrong with him!"
"Ron!" pleaded Hermione.
"Just give up, Hermione. They hate each other for now. Let's just get Gabrielle, Luciana, and the Order and get out of here," Emily said.
"I can't believe Ron!" Harry burst out. "Calling me a delusional, attention-seeking git! Saying that Skeeter woman was right about me! If you ask me, he has it backwards! He's the stupid git!"
"And calling me mental and Draco a liar!" Genny protested, her face almost as red as her hair. It was times like these when she seemed to be a real Weasley. Jon didn't want to comment, but with being so angry and all she looked a lot like her cousin, Ginny.
"He was just upset about being lost in the basement," Draco shrugged. He put his arm around Genny's waist and muttered to her, "The stupid git!"
Harry turned to Draco and said angrily, "Are you sure we'll find our way out of here!"
Draco hesitated, "I think so. A path out should just lead us out without us realizing it."
"Is that it?" asked Jon, pointing at a door at the end of the hall.
"Let's see," said Harry, angrily yanking open the door. Inside was an odd assortment of items. There was a large, silver machine that was attached to a strange helmet, a dirty, old wand that could have belonged as far back in time as Merlin, and many other things.
Draco was gaping. "I didn't even know this was here!" he gasped, shocked. "This is…almost the secret stash of Death-Eaters. These artifacts and tools are ridiculously unique and old." He went over to the silver machine. "This sucks out someone's magic! It makes them into a muggle!" He picked up the wand, "This is Merlin's wand. There was some prophecy about it, but I forget what it was. It was already fulfilled though, so who cares." He gasped and picked up a shining emerald necklace, "This is the amulet of Remy le Fay, the heir to Avalon! It's so old and so valuable! All these things have amazing magical properties!"
"What are they doing in the hands of Death-Eaters?" asked Genny, in awe.
"I don't think the Death-Eaters even knew about these. These must have been in the Malfoy family for generations. Since…since…before Voldemort!" Draco exclaimed. "It's amazing."
"Could they help us?" asked Harry skeptically.
"Probably not. We don't know how to use them," sighed Draco. "But it's still amazing."
"The many mysteries of the Malfoy Manor," grinned Hermione.
"Exactly," Draco replied with a smile.