Neville gasped audibly. The man Master Dumbledore had addressed was known to be the one of the most powerful Wizards in all the galaxy. His power only exceeded by the Dark Lord himself. He had known the man was on the ship, but the plan had been to make it out and off the ship before Snape even knew they were on board.
"Imagine my surprise Commander Malfoy," The man addressed the Commander, but was glaring at Master Dumbledore, "when I saw that your unit had taken over duty in this sector. Especially, when the I had ordered that you be allowed no where near it once your son was captured."
Mr. Malfoy's eyes, which had been locked on the Dark Master's turned to find his son. Neville held him closer, trying to reassure the man and himself that Draco was alright.
"What do you want with Luc?" Mr. Malfoy asked, clearly enraged.
"To be honest I didn't know it was your son we were looking for. It is of little consequence to me who he is related to, but I need him and you as well Commander Weasley, so I'm afraid you're going to have..."
"Young Master Longbottom," Neville heard the voice clearly in his head. He met Dumbledore's eyes and confirmed that the voice was in fact just in his head. "I believe you should be able to obtain a weapon. Do not attempt to use your power against Master Snape. There is a garbage panel to your.."
"What are you doing old man?" Snape growled. "You think I can't feel your power. Your tricks are nothing to me now." Neville didn't doubt the man's words. He knew he should follow Master's wishes, but he couldn't leave them like this. His eyes panned the room for an escape landing on Hermione and her now empty arms. They had a way out. Maybe if Neville distracted the man with his escape it would give the others a chance.
He saw a hand wrapped around a laser weapon, just inches from Draco's heel. Their was no life left there, so his quiet Accio met no resistance. The gun came to his hand and he turned to fire as it hit his palm aiming at Snape.
As he fired he felt Draco's muscle's stiffen as he began to wake. More shots rang out as the troopers with Snape began to fire. His shield protecting him and Draco against the firing weapons. He saw Snape's eyes widen as he turned to see Neville pushing himself and Draco toward the chute. "Stop them!" He heard the man roar as they dropped through the chute.
Neville felt a jolt of joy from Master Dumbledore as he and Draco tumbled clutched at him as they fell head first, though Neville could tell he was not yet fully conscious. The chute barely fit both their bodies, but there was a slight suction kept them moving. He couldn't recall how ships like this treated trash, but he hoped they didn't end up in the void of space or incinerated for their trouble.
He must have unconsciously been reaching out because he sensed their journey was coming to an end and cast aresto momentum as the chute emptied into a room-sized receptacle. Neville flipped his body so that Draco landed on top of him.
He was breathing hard trying to process the adrenaline rush coursing through his body as Draco groggily attempted to lift himself from Neville's body.
"What the bloody hell?" He moaned, drunken-sounding as his arms wobbled under his weight and the uneven pile they landed on.
"Easy, Draco, here." Neville shook off his own dizziness to help Draco up as they both tried to find their footing in the loosely piled pieces of trash. The smell was horrendous and Neville opened his mouth to breath as Draco winced and brought his wrist up to his nose. "I think I'm going to be sick." He said hoarsely.
Neville took his face in his hands, lifting it so he could take a closer look. Draco's eyes were glazed, but clearing even as Neville watched. "Are you okay?"
"Um, I think." He said, coughing to clear his throat, "I assume everything went to hell at some point."
Neville looked around the huge room. "Hermione, Master Dumbledore!" He called, he and Draco both wincing as the sound reverberated off the walls and magnified. Neville shook his head. "Yeah." Neville said coming back to Draco, "that's probably an understatement."
"What happened?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" Neville asked, then moved his hands from Draco's face to his shoulders moving him toward the door he spied over Draco's shoulder. In all likelihood, it was used by recyclers to process the garbage before incineration, but it was a way out and they needed one- Now. It wouldn't take long for someone to figure out their position.
The contingency had been that if they became separated they would each attempt to make it back to a rally point near the hanger where the ship was being kept. He reached out as he took Draco's hand to help him toward the door. Master Dumbledore was there somewhere, but seemed to be blocking Neville's attempts to reach him. Neville wondered if it was for his protection or an attempt to keep Snape out.
Neville looked over his shoulder as he pulled Draco along. He appeared to be deep in thought and distracted. Neville realized he hadn't answered his question and shot him a worried look. Draco shook his head. "Did uh..did we see my..father?" He said, his voice low and uncharacteristically unsure.
"Yeah. That happened. We were heading to the comm sector for the cell block when you passed out. Dark Master Snape was waiting for us. He did something to us. You passed out and I almost went with you before I shielded us."
"Snape!" Draco hissed the name, his body becoming a flurry of movement as he overtook Neville and pulled him up to the ledge where the door's control panel blinked in the dimly lit room.
"We need to get out of here. He'll rip you apart and serve you to the Dark Lord on a silver platter!" Draco said, ripping the panel open as he began to pull at the wiring inside.
"But that's the thing Draco. He didn't want me or Harry. He said he wanted you and Commander Weasley." Draco's brow creased as he looked at the wires. "He also wants the ship for some reason." Neville added.
Draco's eyes widened as his fingers froze. "Gin's family."
"What? What about them?"
Draco began working again. "That's the only thing all those things have in common. God, they've probably been caught working for the Rebellion, but that wouldn't bring Snape.." Draco trailed off, "they're just low-level Ministry workers stuck on a port at the edge of the core. What could he possibly want with them?"
Neville shrugged helplessly, "I don't know, but he must suspect something about me now. When we escaped I felt something snap into place. If he doesn't know who we are, he's getting there."
Draco's fingers continued to fumble as he set his jaw. "All the better reason to get off this ship as soon..as poss..ible." The door whooshed open as Draco threw a grin at Neville.
"I don't suppose you know how to get us back to the rally point?"
Neville exhaled. "I think I can hone in on Master Dumbledore. At the very least we can find him and make it back from the ship once we do."
Draco popped his head out into the corridor and pulled it in again. "Do you feel anyone out there?" Neville shook his head 'no'.
"You do realize, if we focus on finding Dumbledore we'll probably find Snape too."
"Yes, I do Draco. And no, we're not leaving without them."
Draco's eyebrow arched. "I didn't say we would, but the idea of running for it does have it's appeal." He said as they made their way into the corridor.
"So, up, down, to the hanger?" Neville felt a nudge in his mind, the surprise must have registered on his face because a flash of concern went across Draco's.
"The hanger," He paused, "they're headed that way." Neville said, following the pull from the mental nudge he just received and turning toward it. He threw his head in the direction he wanted and said, "Let's go," as Draco fell in step behind him.
They had been criss-crossing the ship for nearly 20 minutes before Draco spoke again. "I think we've been in this corridor before." He whispered over Neville's shoulder as they slowed near a cross walk. "We have, but there were troopers here before and now they've moved on. I thought I could find a way around it, but we need to take it."
"They probably know that too. There could be a trap." Neville nodded, as he reached out. "I don't sense anything close, but I do sense that there are two groups of troopers concentrating their efforts. I think they've put off searching for us to deal with something that seems to be causing them a great deal of distress."
They made their way down the hall. Neville stopped abruptly when he heard the very distinct voice of Master Dumbledore in his head. "Dumbledore?" Draco queried. "Yeah, they're at the rally point."
"And we are..?"
Neville smiled at him, "Close, only on the other side of the fighting."
"We'll probably be able to box them in." Draco added. "But we've only the one gun."
"Here you take the gun. I guess it's time to put some of that training to use."
"Are you mad? You barely just learned shield yourself and do a bit of occlumency. That's hardly enough to overtake god knows how many troopers."
Neville kept moving despite Draco protests. "We don't need to overtake them. Just do enough damage that they have to regroup and keep them from getting more troopers."
"Bullocks! I knew this would get us killed." Draco said heatedly. Neville stopped and turned to face Draco. He halted exhaling and turning his head down guiltily. "I know I'm being a prat."
"You are." Neville said, before touching his lips to Draco. "But you have a promise to keep and I have every intention of collecting." He said smiling at the incredulous look on Draco's face.
"Your using sex to motivate me into a death trap."
Neville shrugged his shoulders. "Did it work?"
Draco rolled his eyes, made several quick adjustments to his weapon, sighed deeply and said, "Come on then, let's go," as they turned to do down the corridor._The fight was before them. Draco was his shadow as Neville worked hard to keep himself calm and focused. If anything happened to them because he couldn't control himself... Neville felt a sharp poke in his side from Draco's elbow. "That juncture they're set up in can be closed off at either end. If we could make it around or through and shut if off long enough to make it to the ship." Draco's words were mimicked in head by Master Dumbledore's thoughts.
Neville could feel exhaustion coming off the man in waves and he was truly afraid. If Master Dumbledore's magic failed there would be no saving them. Neville jumped at the feel of a new force coming through with Master Dumbledore's power. "Harry," he said out loud. Draco glared at Neville. "What about him?"
"I feel him. He's helping Master Dumbledore."
"Really." Draco said tersely. "Well, when your done feeling him up I have a plan."
Neville shoulders went back at Draco's tone. Was he jealous? "Okay, let's hear your plan then."
"You and I take a position at the rear of the formation. Take out two of their men. You making sure we're not heard or seen, put on their suits and just walk on through. You can let Master Dumbledore know not to fire at us, can't you?"
"Yes, that's brilliant."
They moved slowly as Neville shielded their presence. He could feel his body pouring sweat with the effort and he was starving. They caught a break when a trooper pulled back a few steps to fix an issue with his weapon. The opportunity was too good. Neville pushed his shield around the trooper as the butt of Draco's weapon came down at the juncture of the man's suit and helmet. It was a hard hit and succeeded in knocking him out. Neville and Draco drug the man around the corner. Draco quickly changing into the man's uniform.
Once they had tied and gagged the man with his own clothes they opened an access panel and threw him in. "I'll bring another back here for you. Stay shielded, but let me out."
Neville nodded as Draco pulled on the helmet. He felt his will sticking to Draco as he reluctantly allowed him out of the shield. He counted to 30 and was preparing to edge around the corner to see if Draco had been captured when two men came around the corner. Draco's weapon was crashing down before the trooper knew what was happening.
The man's suit was a very tight fit, but Neville managed to get into it as Draco bound and deposited the trooper with his friend. "We'd better get going." Draco said, quickly placing the panel back.
Neville nodded then connected his mind to Master Dumbledore's. He was even more exhausted as he continued to pour his power and will into the shield. Harry's exhaustion was evident as well. He could sense the relief of both men as they confirmed the message and locked in on his magic.
He and Draco made their way to the back of the group firing and moving when they could. They moved and fired in spurts, so it wouldn't look too suspicious as they made their way to the front. Their shots were going wide of the barrier the other's had set up at the rally point. They too had acquired weapons and were returning fire.
Master Dumbledore was managing to deflect most of the fire, but as his shield weakened, more and more was getting through. Neville could feel the presence of Snape close by and hesitated when he realized that the man was near the front of the battle. He was using his magic to push against the shield. He too was becoming tired and Neville wondered if he should make some move against the man.
Master Dumbledore must have heard the thought because a very firm 'No' rang through his head. He mentally nodded to Master Dumbledore and fell back into pattern with Draco, who was now ahead of him.
They were only steps behind the front line of troopers now. Snape was standing there, shielding fire from Hermione and Commander Weasley as he pushed against the barrier. The man was the picture of calm concentration despite the chaos around him.
Neville looked to Draco and nodded. They stood firing widely as though attacking the group of people hiding behind the barrier. Neville threw up a shield behind them, stumbling when he felt Snape's force attack the shield.
Master Dumbledore's force attached itself more intensely to Neville's magic just as he was about to be overtaken. Draco grabbed his arm as he stumbled again and pulled him into a dive behind the torn out panel Commander Weasley was firing from. Draco pulling off his helmet and immediately returning firing.
"Okay, we're here old man. I certainly hope you have a plan that doesn't include fighting an entire ship of troopers." Draco barked at Master Dumbledore, earning an angry glare from Harry.
Commander Weasley answered instead, "Your..uh Mr. Malfoy and Hagrid are making their way to Engineering. They're going to open the hanger and meet us there. We're just waiting for confirmation." She said tilting her head to Hermione.
Neville wrinkled his nose. He thought the garbage had smelled awful. "Don't ask." Hermione said when Draco took notice of the stench and their rather dingy appearance. "Let's just say," she stopped to return fire, "we didn't have the pleasure of a garbage chute nearby."
Draco grimaced as he scooted a few more inches from Commander Weasley. "Neville put down your weapon and concentrate on helping Master Dumbledore." Hermione ordered.
Neville gave his weapon to Draco and crawled to Master Dumbledore and Harry removing the claustrophobic helmet along the way. Harry and Master Dumbledore where concentrating intensely as they sat amidst the chaos. Neville noted that Snape's demeanor had been the same. "Master Dumbledore?" He said touching the man's upturned hand.
"Ah, Young Master Longbottom, I am glad to see that you and Draco made it." The man panted. Sweat was pouring off his face and Harry's as they kept their magic concentrated on the shield.
Concern knitted his brow as he pushed more of his magic into the shield in an effort to provide them some respite. Merging his power fully with Master Dumbledore and Harry sent his senses spinning. He could feel the shield pressing out and the pressure from Snape's attempts to break through. It took a moment to orient his magic to where it was most needed, filling in as Master Dumbledore pulled back to rest.
He could hear and feel Draco, Commander Weasley and Hermione near him, firing in turn as Hermione filled Draco in on the plan to get them to the ship. Mr. Malfoy and several officers loyal to him had made their way onto an engineering deck and were busily working to disable the ship while Hagrid was re-starting The Falcon.
Once they were ready Mr. Malfoy would use his encrypted comm signal to let Hermione know it was time to move. Draco told them how they could block off the hallway using the control panels to slow down their pursuers, suggesting that Hermione concentrate on getting the doors ready while he took up her firing position.
Hermione repositioned herself and began working on the panel at the end of the corridor as Draco and Commander Weasley continued to fire. It seemed to Neville that more and more fire was making it through the barrier. He could also feel increased pressure from Snape as he continued to push against the shield.
He heard what he could only call whispers coming through the man's magical force. He couldn't make really make them out, though he did occasionally hear Master Dumbledore's responses. The words began to piece together in his mind. He felt himself and Harry, who must have also been listening, waver when the nature of the message seemed to indicate that Master Dumbledore was actually trying to persuade Snape to defect.
Neville forced himself to re-focus when a barrage of shots rang through their shield. He could sense Harry's concern and Master Dumbledore's reassurances to them that all was well.
Neville couldn't understand why Master Dumbledore was trying to appeal to this man. He doubted Snape would listen. He wasn't conscious of pushing himself into Master Dumbledore mind until he was there. It was the first time he'd been able to do more than one magical task at a time. He knew he should pull back but when he felt Harry there to, he couldn't resist. Perhaps Master Dumbledore was allowing them in in an effort to explain his actions.
He thought perhaps they was inside a...a memory. He could hear and see snippets of action. Master Dumbledore's emotions where full of fear and hope as well as a deep, deep hurt. All these feeling seemed to be associated with Snape in some way or another. Neville began to get confused and was tempted to pull back when everything suddenly came into to focus.
Master Dumbledore had loved him. He heard Harry gasp. He couldn't believe that the reserved Master he knew was allowing them access such personal information. Memories of a shy, young man beset by darkness and doubt. Master Dumbledore's memories showed that he spent a great deal of time with the young man Snape had been, but always kept himself distant. Growing more so as the young man became darker and darker.
Neville wondered how he would feel if it were Draco on the other side of that barrier. The thought made his stomach ache. Draco had been one of them he could have been on the other side of that barrier, if not for the lose of his mother.
"Master Dumbledore! Mr. Malfoy is ready." Hermione called. The noise must have made it through the shield because he not only felt Snape pull back, but heard his shout of, "Move!" to the troopers around him.
Hermione's cybernetic arm was still hooked into the corridors' panel. She called for Draco's help so he turned to Neville and said, "Here!" shoving his weapon into Neville's hands. Neville looked to Master Dumbledore, who nodded as he re-focused his power and pushed back into the shield as Neville pulled out. He fired from Draco's position as the troopers began to move in-mass toward them.
Commander Weasley was a wonder, taking them down shot after shot. Neville's shots were hitting their marks, but the pattern was no where as neat. He focused on those getting closer to the barrier, making sure to keep the perimeter clear so the doors would be able to close when they moved.
Neville kept himself open waiting for Master Dumbledore's signal. He heard Hermione and Draco working frantically and gave only a slight start when the intersection doors began to move. They had a few seconds as they continued to trade fire while to door closed.
Neville could hear vicious words coming from Snape, curses and spells intertwining with his orders. At least one trooper dropping to the ground, grasping his throat when he hesitated.
The door finally shut and though he wasn't linked to Harry and Master Dumbledore he could feel the shield drop as they withdrew their power. Both men where breathing heavily as Hermione shouted, "We need to move now!"
Neville lent a hand to Master Dumbledore as he stumbled a bit, Harry taking his other side as they rushed toward Hermione and Draco. He saw Commander Weasley walking backward just over his shoulder weapon at the ready. Hermione and Draco took a right at the end of the corridor, a hiss of sound hit Neville's ears and he moved a little quicker to make sure what it was.
He felt relief wash over him as he saw it was a huge hanger door hissing under the pressure of being lifted. Draco reached back for the weapon on his shoulder walking and scanning the area. The Falcon's bay doors were open and the ship's running lights were up. Neville could hear as well as feel the engine running, just ready to spring into action. Hermione reached the bay platform just steps ahead of Draco disappearing quickly from Neville's view.
Draco swung himself toward the cockpit as soon as he reached the top of the platform, calling out orders to Hagrid, who was bellowing back that he'd already done everything that Draco was asking him to do. He, Harry and Master Dumbledore had just stepped off the bay door platform when it began to close. Commander Weasley bumped Neville's shoulder as she turned around and shouted, "Draco, I've got the tail gun!"
"Right!" he returned over his shoulder. Neville assisted Master Dumbledore to one of the rumble seats near the cockpit watching as Harry pulled out a seat next to him. Harry nodded to Neville's unspoken query and headed into the cockpit. "Everything's ready, but how are we getting out?" Draco asked in a rush.
"Ye'r..um..dad's gonna get the doors when we give'm the signal. They've engineering and are gonna give us a chance to get away." Hagrid replied.
"How's he?" Draco asked, then stalled, mouth open slightly before he shook his head clenching his jaw shut. Neville could see Draco's jaw continue to clench and unclench as he began to check The Falcon's systems.
"Draco, can I do anything?" Neville asked from the door. He saw Draco shaking his head no, but Hagrid broke in, "Where's Hermione? She's to give the signal." Neville turned to go find her only to see her rushing toward him. "Are you ready?"
"Yes! Yes!" Draco called, as the ships engines began to hum and whine. Hermione entered the pit already punching code into her comm system. Neville opened his mouth to ask Draco if he wanted to say anything to his father but shut it back. There really wasn't much to say now, he supposed, especially over a coded comm system.
They all started as laser fire erupted..well..from them. Draco hit a button, "Gin, what the hell?"
"They've made it through!" She responded far more calmly than Neville felt she had any right to. Draco cursed viciously hitting a few other buttons. A small part of the ship's windows turned opaque as the image of dozens of troopers falling in the wake of The Falcon's powerful tail guns popped up. The dark figure of Snape was clearly visible as a sea of white troopers entered firing at the ship.
Neville felt the ship lurch as the force-field covering the bay exit disappeared. The image of all those troopers suddenly taking to the air would have been amusing if it hadn't been for the fact that as soon as he saw the men lift on the screen, they were flying out past the ship into the cold death of space. Draco unlocked the landing gear and The Falcon began to slowly make it's way to the bay exit. Neville looked down to find Hermione's human hand on his arm, he looked into her eyes and saw his own dismay reflected back. All those troopers had been someone's child or brother before being pressed into the Dark Lord's service. Another reason to hope the war ended sooner rather than later.
They said nothing as Hermione dropped her hand to take a seat next to Master Dumbledore. Draco looked over his shoulder as they edged out of the bay. His eyes met Neville's. He could sense the man's emotions clearly. He wanted to comfort him, but now was not the time and they both knew it. "Grab a seat," Draco ordered, "I'm taking her to hyper the second we're out."
Neville took the nav chair behind Draco, dropping into it and pulling on the safety belt just as he felt the ship lurched into hyper speed as they made their escape.