AN: I know this took forever! I'm so sorry. I've been struggling with this and have had some major, major writer's block. However, this didn't come out like I wanted it to but it's here. Read and review and I'll keep writing!
Until the day Harry hits his grave, he will not be able to fathom how they pulled it off. He won't be able to understand how eight bloody teenagers snuck out of a safe house that was crawling with adults, two of which had slightly enhanced senses. The adults, not the teens, that is. He won't even begin to try and work through how all eight of them just walked out without the threat of being caught.
But, they did.
To top that off, the knight bus came as soon as his wand hit the air. With obnoxiously squealing tires and worrisome revving of the engine, the knight bus came to a loud screeching halt right in front of them on the very first call. Harry didn't even want to try and process how those within the aforementioned safe house didn't investigate what surely was one of the loudest and attention calling arrivals Harry had ever been witness to.
But, no one did.
And, even more than that, Stan was rather easily bribed to go to such coordinates without any given explanation. Olivia had to turn on the charm and Harry had to toss over added galleons but Stan came around without much fuss. Harry will never, ever know what force was in their corner that night.
It worried him. Which, he knew that was a really pessimistic way to look at it but it was just that things didn't exactly work out for him. Luck only showed its face when he was almost dead and sometimes, it showed up late. That didn't sit well with Harry.
Still, he wasn't prepared to return the gift that was given. He climbed onto the knight bus readily after the others, continuously looking back. But, that door never opened and they weren't stopped and Harry had to wonder which deity he had pleased recently. Funnily enough, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked equally confused and on guard, as if they too were expecting some snatch and pull force to hold them back from this. It was almost too easy. And, if that didn't have a sense of impending doom, Harry didn't know what did.
"This is AWESOME!" Josh shouted as they whipped through traffic and hastily turned corners, a huge grin plastered on his face. His hair whipped around his face and he was attempting to stand as he held the frame of the bed sliding all over the place.
Harry wasn't quick to agree and it didn't seem like he was the only one. Em looked like she couldn't understand how such big bus was so fast and Harry could recall his first ride. Olivia had a tight grip on Ginny's hand and her eyes were wide but there was a certain level of thrill flashing across her face. Ginny wasn't surprised at all and seemed more distracted at the fact that Olivia was grasping her hand so tightly. Ron and Hermione both just gripped their respective beds with an air of indifference, or as much as one could have given the situation, and Harry suspected they were so flippant because it was normal for them to be dragged into insane situations such as this. Perks of being friends with him, he guessed.
And Nick, poor Nick, looked ready to vomit. He was ashen and had a death grip on the bars. His feet were planted firmly on the ground and he jerked around stiffly, the complete opposite to Josh's languid flowing. He looked pure terrified and his pupils were blown with fear and Harry couldn't help but feel pity.
In all the ruckus, Harry managed to kick Josh and subtly nod to Nick. Josh took one glance and was immediately visibly confused, not seeming to get how anyone could not be enjoying the ride. Still, he flopped over to Nick's bed and pressed right up against him, smirking as he wrapped an arm around Nick's shoulders. Nick turned and latched onto Josh, putting that death grip on him, and buried his face in Josh's neck. Josh looked inappropriately pleased with that turn of events.
"How long will we be on this death trap?" Em snapped, her jaw clenching as they narrowly avoided ramming into a car.
"Till we get there, love! And, she's not a death trap. She's a lifesaver!" Stan called out.
"It can be convenient." Hermione admitted, grimacing as she did so.
"Ever heard of driving like a normal person!?" Olivia burst out, her voice slightly breathless. She was the perfect mixture between Josh and Nick.
"Oh, Ernie here is perfectly capable-"
"Just because you're capable to do something doesn't mean you should." Em huffed out, nearly colliding with the pole she was gripping.
"It's safe." Stan muttered, almost petulantly, and scowled. Harry shot them a warning look, telling them to shut up before they lost their ride.
"It is." Harry agreed, as placating as one could when his bed was sliding all around and getting dangerously close to crashing into windows.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence and Stan's meaningless chatter. Harry braced himself when Stan told him they were near where they would drop them off at. Stan made it very clear that they weren't dropping them off at the exact coordinates because that was in the middle of the woods and would be pointless. Harry easily agreed, knowing that Stan didn't know where they were going. And soon, they were pulling up on a deserted road that seemed to lead to nowhere and coming to a stop.
"Alrigh', this is your stop. Don' know what you be wantin' to come out here for but hey, I am just the navigator. Thank you for choosing the Knight bus and have a good night."
With that, Stan ushered them off, finagling a few more galleons from Harry. Stan looked around skeptically as he seen the bare environment but gave a shrug and stepped back on the bus. He closed the doors and the bus was gone with a whoosh and squealing of tires. Harry sighed and turned to the others. Nick was shakily peeling himself from Josh who didn't seem to like that much. Olivia had loosened her grip on Ginny's hand but hadn't let go.
"Harry?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"We have to walk the rest of the way."
"That's okay." Nick said, liking any idea that didn't have anything to do with wizard types of transportation.
"It'll be for a few miles." Harry said, averting his eyes.
"How many is a few?" Ginny asked, narrowing her eyes. She knew he was sugarcoating it.
"Ah… Seven? In that direction." Harry muttered sheepishly and pointed towards a large expanse of nothing but thick woods.
"Bugger. Bloody Malfoys and their paranoia." Ron groaned.
"Oh come on! This could be fun! It'll be like hiking." Olivia chirped, suddenly much more animated than before.
"Yes, except there will be no water and no trail." Hermione pointed out.
"Thanks, Hermione." Olivia said, her face falling. Hermione bit her lip, automatically back tracking to fix it.
"But, it could be fun. Really!"
"I've always wanted to go hiking." Olivia sighed wistfully. "Dad refused when I asked. Said it wouldn't be much fun without mum."
"Well, we're going hiking together now." Josh said easily, smiling. Olivia beamed.
"This is going to be great! We can talk and sing and ask twenty questions! Oh, we can tell stories and tell embarrassing stories. My old friend, Helen, once said that hiking was always fun. I was actually invited with her once but I passed it up for going to a block party. Kinda regret that now but… Oh well." Olivia chattered as she headed towards the woods.
"Harry, she's great but I don't know if I can handle that for nearly three hours." Ron whispered out the side of his mouth as he fell into step beside him. Harry gave him a weak grin.
"Get into the spirit of things, mate. How bad could it be?"
Apparently, very bad.
Very, very bad.
Twenty minutes in and Olivia was complaining loud and rather obnoxiously to anyone who would listen or pretend to listen. Hiking, apparently, wasn't as much fun as she had thought it would be. There was the constant tripping over very well obscured tree roots and there was the frustrating lack of direction. Harry, along with most of the others, felt lost ten minutes into walking. There was walking through thick patches of grass or trees and not seeing the thorns until it was too late and they were getting scraped and scratched with every step. It seemed that hiking should've been left to mountains and not through woods.
They tried to make up for it by talking like Olivia envisioned. For the most part, that went okay. But, somehow, Ginny and Ron had gotten into a very tense argument. Harry figured that it had a lot to do with what they'd caught Ginny and Olivia doing. Olivia obviously did too because she put her opinion in and, well, Ron didn't like that very much.
Hermione, Em, Nick, and Harry tried to mediate and get everything calmed down. Josh simply was amused and took to making snarky comments directly with Ron as his intended target. Ron, despite having grown serious over this situation, was still a hothead with the tendency to be immature. So, when Ginny gave a rather alarming screech and attempted to pull her wand and bat-bogey hex her brother into oblivion, Harry wasn't so surprised. He had to wrestle her wand away and sternly tell them to shut up or start walking back. They shut up.
In fact, everyone did. For the next twenty minutes, everyone had went silent and tension was thick in the air. Em kept cursing quietly as she stumbled and Nick tripped onto his face three times. There was an obvious strain on them and yet, as horrible as it sounds, Harry welcomed it. The silence was nice.
The simple fact was that they were about to enter a secure place to break out the headmaster. The place was probably crawling with death eaters and Harry strictly believed that Voldemort was slithering around the manor, doing merlin knows what. He couldn't afford to focus on childish things such as squabbling siblings. This was serious and quite frightening, actually.
He had no clue how he was going to get into the manor without alarming someone. With the fact that the manor was so hard to reach without the means paired with how secretive the Malfoys were, Harry didn't doubt that it would be damn near impossible to get in. But, they had to get in and save Dumbledore. And, maybe Snape. Maybe Draco…
Harry hadn't thought about the blond in a while. He wondered exactly how the other boy played into all of the things going on. Was Draco just as bad as his father? Did he have the mark? Did he need to be rescued, too? Harry couldn't help but think that in any given situation, if Draco really needed it, he would save him. Maybe he really did have a hero complex.
They continued walking for a good bit in that heavy silence and Harry alternated his time between grasping his wand for reassurance and avoiding roots that tried to snag his feet. He watched in faint amusement as Hermione ended up grabbing Ron's elbow so he wouldn't fall. Even at that small contact, Ron blushed oh so obviously. Sad thing was that Josh noticed and his eyes brightened at the thought of more possibilities to create mischief. Harry hoped for their sakes that Josh forgot. He probably wouldn't, though.
And then, suddenly, the silence was broken.
"Hello, lovelies."
It all happened so quickly. Harry barely had anytime at all to think. He just reacted and he wasn't the only one. At that voice, that intrusive and unwelcome voice, they all whirled around to get the owner of it in their line of sight. It was only one man, only one, but he was clearly dangerous. He wore a smirk and his wand was loose in his fingers. Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and even Em had their wands out in a blink of an eye. The man just chuckled.
"What are you going to do with that, hmm?" The man teased, a maniacal glint in his eyes. He lifted his wand, just a smidge, but the action didn't go unnoticed.
Before anyone could properly think it through, there were multiple spells flying through the air. The man had the audacity to look genuinely surprised before he was hit. Maybe he expected them to truly not fight him, as if the threat of not going back to Hogwarts was worth dying. The man went down with a thud and Harry lowered his wand, thoroughly shaken up. They hadn't even heard the man walk up and they had no idea who else was out there.
"What do you think, you git?" Ron spat, glaring at the sprawled out man.
"What do you think he was out here for?" Ginny whispered.
"Maybe they have guards patrolling the woods. If I was an evil overlord, that's what I would do." Nick said.
"Dark lord." Hermione immediately corrected.
"Right."
"Do you think he's the only one?" Em asked, staring at her wand as if it was the solely most important thing she'd ever seen in her entire life.
"Not really." Ron muttered, frowning.
"We need to be on our guard. Good spell, by the way, Em. Let's keep going and keep at the ready." Harry declared.
"Thanks, I've been practicing." Em admitted, smiling.
"It's paying off."
After that, they started back walking. Harry saw that Nick, Josh, and Olivia all seemed to gravitate closer to anyone with a wand. Harry could understand and was glad they sensed the weight of disadvantage they had on them. Olivia stuck to Ginny's side, offering an approving grin, clearly impressed by Ginny's well aimed stupify. Harry was glad he had returned her wand during the silence.
Ginny seemed to straighten at the appraising look and grip her wand more tightly. Harry supposed that no one had ever looked at her like that before. Like she was capable, like she was impressive, like she was able to keep others safe. To everyone else, especially Ron, she'd always been the little sister that needed protecting. But, with Olivia looking at her like she was... Well, Harry got to watch as Ginny visibly fell slightly in love right then and there.
Surprisingly, Nick moved over to Ron, offering a smile of his own, though his was timid. Ron gave a weak grin back and easily clapped Nick on the shoulder, accepting the unspoken gratitude in a way only a boy could manage. Josh moved on over to Hermione, lightly pulling one of her curls and winking playfully. Hermione batted at his hands but it was halfhearted. Harry slowed down and stared at the whole group of his friends, momentarily stunned.
The earlier silence and tension was long gone, filled with light murmurs and soft laughter. An amicable air had tackled and smothered the tension into nonexistence. He couldn't believe he had thought the silence was nice. No, this, this, was what he should've welcomed. All of his earlier scrambled thoughts eased off and he felt much better. Seeing them all like this, well, it gave him more hope that this wasn't just a suicide mission.
"Strange, isn't it?"
Harry jumped and turned his head to stare at Em. She stood at his side, her eyes on the six walking in front of them. Harry's eyes scanned her face and he tried to remember the last time he'd actually looked at her, like looked intently. He used to, quite often actually, just to stare in awe at their near perfect reflection of features. He did right then, just staring. She still looked just like him, even under all the piercings. And, it was still awe inspiring. He sighed and recalled that she asked him a question.
"What?"
"Them. Us. It's odd." She said, tilting her head. Harry glanced back up at the others, watching as Ron lightly shoved Nick and Josh kicked a rock out of Hermione's way.
"How do you mean? I like it." Harry said defensively.
"I never said it was a bad thing, Harry. Remember, we like odd things. I just mean that we haven't had this many misfits in such a long time." Em commented.
And, Harry was mystified. He nearly tripped, though he wasn't even walking. He was completely taken aback, completely thrown for a loop. Harry hadn't thought about it or even considered it, really, but Em was right. Harry wasn't the only magical misfit, anymore. Somewhere, along the way, Hermione and Ron and Ginny had been welcomed as well. Harry didn't know when or how it happened but now that he thought about it, it certainly had.
"Yeah," Harry croaked. "I guess not."
"You know, I should thank you." Em told him.
"Why?" Harry asked, genuinely confused.
"Well, I've always been different. I didn't know I was a witch, I just thought I was a freak. But then, you come along and suddenly, I'm apart of this whole new world. Plus, I don't have to go back to the nuns."
"You're okay with that? With all that I've dragged you into?"
"Yeah, I am. We all are. We don't want to go home, Harry, and we sure as hell don't want to go back to Karlbergs. We're happy here, happy with you."
"You could die." Harry whispered, his voice cracking as he addressed the one thing he preferred to avoid. Em's hand slipped into his, their fingers threading together.
"That's our choice to make. We chose to be here with you and them. We could've stayed or said no. And, if we do die, it won't be the worst thing to happen to us."
"Why would you say that?" Harry hissed. Em frowned.
"Think about our lives, Harry. How is death anything but an escape? Let us decide what's worth it, okay? I can honestly say that I want to be here and don't plan to leave."
"So, you really want to be a witch, huh?"
"I don't really get a choice, do I? It's not a matter of what I want. I am a witch. That's just how it is. I'm not going to throw that away. We have nothing to look back to. Well, Olivia thinks she does but..." Em trailed off, sighing and glancing up to look at Olivia.
"Her dad." Harry murmured, just thinking about that.
"Eventually, she'll want to go see him. She still thinks he cares about her." Em replied quietly.
"You don't?" Harry asked, his brow furrowing.
"No. I've seen her after he's been particularly violent. I daresay that any care he had for her faded a long time ago. I don't know how that can happen to a father but I've seen worse, so..." Em trailed off again.
"That's just... I don't understand how she can still defend him." Harry sighed heavily.
"He's her father and at one time, he was good to her. He wasn't always bad. She still loves him."
"He hurts her and she still loves him?" Harry spluttered.
"That's how love works, Harry, didn't you know?" Em muttered, slightly bitter if Harry heard correctly. And, his mouth ran away from him.
"You mean Butch, right?" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. Em's head snapped up and she stared at him.
"How-"
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"Harry. How did you know that?" Em whispered urgently.
"I'm sorry. I just... There was one night that I couldn't sleep and I snuck out. I saw you and him... I never said anything to the others." Harry admitted. Em fell silent before sighing.
"You saw our last fight. I knew I saw someone when I went around the corner. I was just so..."
"Upset." Harry suggested.
"Yeah." Em agreed, running a hand through her unruly hair.
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"It's okay. Thanks for keeping it to yourself."
"Can I- I mean... Can I ask you something?"
"You just did but you can ask something else."
"How did you even... How do you love him?" Harry asked.
"I didn't mean to, if that makes you feel any better." Em said sheepishly. Harry didn't think it did.
"But, how? What happened?"
"If you stuck around, you saw how he can be. He's not really a bad person. He's just...not so good. There is a difference in that somewhere. I tried to find it, I guess, but he made it difficult. At first, it was just a lot of sexual tension that needed an outlet. It was nice in the physical sense. But then, it grew into something else. We got in too deep and we just went about hurting each other. I had to stop it."
"I'm sorry." Harry mumbled sincerely. Em gave a feeble shrug and averted her eyes.
"It's alright. I'm getting over it."
"Really?"
"No." Em said.
Harry had enough respect to fall silent and drop that conversation. He just kept a hold on Em's hand and kept walking. He didn't realize they'd even began strolling behind the others. He'd been so caught up in talking to her that he hadn't even noticed. Harry didn't want to think about why he took such an interest in enemies falling in love. Really, it wasn't even all that appealing or interesting.
They caught up to others and tried to make some semblance of a plan. But, when they had no idea what they were facing or what they were to expect, they did nothing but fall flat. There were mentions of bursting in, wands blazing, but those were the quickest shot down. There was even the plan that someone go in as bait and that was actually considered before it occurred to them that the idea meant someone was going to probably die. That one was shot down pretty quickly, too.
Finally, it was decided just to get close enough to the place and scope it out and see what they were working with before they made any serious plans. After that, they just wondered what the adults were doing back at headquarters. Harry suggested sleeping because it was nearly three in the morning but Ron had bitterly said that it was no doubt that they'd been caught gone by now. And, Harry had to agree with that. Their luck could only go so far, he knew.
And then, the manor was coming back into view.
It was everything Harry had ever expected the Malfoys to own. It was big, expensive, and elegant and that was just the outside. And, if he wasn't mistaken, they had peacocks. That should've surprised him but it didn't. They all stopped on the edge of the forest, a good few hundred yards from the actual manor. Still, they had a very good view of the place and settled down to look around.
"We could enter through the peacock's pens." Josh suggested, his smile wide.
"Okay, no." Hermione replied immediately, shuddering.
"Alright, genius, what's your plan?"
"We could go in through the west wing. It looks fairly deserted."
"Too risky." Em shot down.
"The gardens." Nick breathed out, his eyes wide with delight.
"What?" Harry asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
"The gardens. We go in through the gardens. Look at that." Nick said, nodding.
They all followed his directing nod to the gardens. It was not only the gardens but there was something else. The Malfoys had a canopy over the walkway through the gardens, really expensive and really high. It led all the way to the entrance and a good bit above that, a window. Harry could see the connection Nick made and had to admit that it was a good one.
"Brilliant! Just how are we getting to the gardens without getting seen, may I ask?" Ginny asked. Nick grimaced and shot a look to Josh who perked up.
"No." Hermione said sternly.
"Hermione, it's the only way." Nick said urgently.
"Absolutely not!"
"Hermione." Harry said and she looked at him. They stared at each other for a moment and Hermione bit her lip. She knew they were right.
"Fine! We go in through the…peacocks."
It was easier decided than done. They had to edge around the entrance to the woods until they were parallel to the peacock pens and not get caught. That proved rather difficult when a group of what clearly was death eaters came walking through the grounds, laughing loudly and talking. They went straight into the woods, missing them only slightly. Harry and the others had to edge around as quietly as possible and avoid the continuous leak of groups of death eaters doing what must've been patrols of some sort. Occasionally, one man would come out alone and go in on his own. Harry realized just how lucky they were to run into one instead of a group.
Once they were across from the pens, they had to cross the very small distance between the woods and the pens. There was some bickering because half wanted to make a dash for it and the other wanted to belly crawl their way over. It was decided that quick and silent was the way to go about it. So, as silently as they could manage, and one by one, they all sprinted over to the pens and slid under the gap in the fence. Somehow, they managed to go unnoticed.
Then came the next issue. The peacocks had taken notice of them and weren't being very subtle. Hermione looked around frantically as if searching for a dead ferret to throw but there was nothing. They had nothing else to do besides inch their way around the edge of the pin and hope the peacocks didn't attack them. The whole time the beady eyes of the peacocks followed their movements and it was very tedious. Yet, the peacocks never moved.
Until they began climbing, that is. As soon as they all started hiking up the side of the canopy, the peacocks all rose and ran over with threat gleaming in their eyes. Harry scrambled up the side as fast as he could, grabbing Nick's hand as he passed and helping him along the way. Hermione gave a shriek when one of the peacocks grabbed one of her curls, pecking at her head. Josh and Ron both nearly tumbled over the top as they leaned back to grasp her arms and jerk her up.
"I told you!" She hissed.
Harry panted and sprawled out on his back, his heart racing. They all fell silent, allowing Hermione her moment. They all listened intently but no sound of chase or spells came. Somehow, they had gotten another clean break in that, too. Harry shakily got on his hand and knees and began crawling along the top of the canopy. After a beat, the others followed.
The canopy shook under their combined weights and their feet kept getting caught in the vines that had grew all over the canopy. Still, they continued on relentlessly. The darkness hung heavily around them but Harry was glad for it, glad for the protection it brought them. Soon, they had reached the end and was under the window. They didn't dare use magic to break in, sure that it would raise some alarms.
"Lucky for us, I'm quite adept at windows." Nick whispered.
In a great display of surprising strength, Nick hoisted himself up on the ledge, because of course all the windows in the manor were huge, and went to breaking in. After a few moments of no success, Harry worried that Nick couldn't do it. But, he shouldn't have doubted him at all. A click and the windows were silently swinging inwards.
"Fantastic, Nick." Harry murmured, giving him a thumbs up.
"I am going in. Come on up."
Josh went next and he and Nick helped up the next few to go. Olivia stepped back, allowing everyone to go before her. When she was the only one left, Harry and Josh leaned out the window to help her up but gave pause when they saw her. She was standing there, her arms wrapped tightly around herself and breathing erratically. She looked like she was unraveling and having a full blown panic attack.
"Olivia," Josh whispered and she looked up with wide, watery eyes. "Come on, it's okay. Just breathe."
"I'm scared." Olivia admitted.
"It's going to be okay. We're fine." Harry said as soothingly as he could. Olivia bit her lip and shook her head, looking down and biting her lip. Then, she breathed in deeply and relaxed, shaking her hands out and rolling her shoulders.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."
She lifted her arms and they helped her up and in the room. Once they were all in, Harry shut the window but left it unlocked. Just in case. They all looked at each other and shared a moment of accomplishment. Then, they looked around the room and noticed how pristine and clean it looked. It was pretty bare and held only the necessities that any room would have.
"A guest room." Josh hummed.
"Josh, do houses like these have a basement or attic. Somewhere that could easily be transformed into dungeons?" Hermione asked.
"This house is so old, it might very well just have dungeon. You might not be able to tell but this is an ancestral house. Generations have lived here." Josh said appreciatively.
"That's not ominous at all." Nick muttered.
"Okay, so which way would we go?" Harry asked.
"Down, obviously." Josh said, shrugging.
"That's it?" Ron asked, not quite comforted with how little they had to go on.
"Well, it's not exactly like I have blueprints laid out for me to study." Josh huffed.
"Okay, whatever, let's just go." Harry interrupted quickly.
Taking the lead, Harry led them to the door and out into the hall. It was unsaid that they stay as quiet as possible and stayed pressed close into the shadows as they moved. As they reached the end of the hall, Harry took one final look back. Everyone was behind him and Olivia was hovering at the back, something that made Harry frown. Still, he didn't have time to comment. He simply nodded to let them know to keep behind him and be ready.
With that, Harry took an immediate left and crept towards the stairs that were leading down. The house was eerily silent as they padded down the winding staircase. Harry strained his ears but heard nothing as they reached the ground floor. He glanced around, noting the elegant decor, before deciding where to continue on towards.
There were two other hallways branching off from the lobby and a huge aged door that Harry didn't doubt led to the dining hall that'd casted in so many of his dreams. He'd recognize the door anywhere. He remembered in his dreams how he could hear the faint sound of torture going on from that room and he started edging towards the door. A hand caught his arm and he whirled around. Hermione was staring at him incredulously.
"What are you doing?" She hissed. Harry frowned.
"Just trust me." He breathed back. She bit her lip but let him go and stepped back.
His eyes darted around and his heart raced as he slipped quietly over to the door. He kept his wand at the ready and stepped up to it, listening intently. He couldn't hear anything but the echoing silence and felt his stomach churn as he got a bad feeling. He gulped and looked around for some sign of something. He found it in the form of another door that was only a little bit beside the door he had first seen. This door was smaller and more dingy. It was too close to the bigger door to be coincidence.
He abruptly went over to it, just knowing it led somewhere that the Malfoys preferred to keep off to the side. He could hear the others follow him and he stood in front of the door. He reached out and gripped the doorknob, turning it. He was mildly surprised when the door clicked open and swung in with a creak. The door opened to stairs that went down rather steeply.
He knew without a doubt that this was it. This was where they were keeping Dumbledore. His mind and heart raced as he quickly and quietly crept down the steps. It was really dark and Harry waited until he was at the bottom to be worried about that. He fell silent and listened, trying to locate something that would help them. All he heard was absolutely nothing. With a gulp, he flicked his wand.
"Lumos." He breathed.
The room lit up from the light his wand produced. It was just a simple brick room with concrete floor covered in hay. More light shined as his friends followed suit. He turned around and scanned the room, looking for anything. He couldn't see much and was starting to get worried when he heard a slightly gurgled groan. He whipped around and shuffled closer to the source of the sound. He caught a flash of grey hair in the dim light of his wand and then he was moving, rushing over to the corner of the room.
"Dumbledore!" He burst out in a hiss.
The man coughed slightly and leaned on the wall, looking at Harry full on with blue eyes. Harry dropped to his knees, holding out his hands as if to help. But, in truth, he had no idea what to do. The others circled around them, shining their wands and watching in worry. Dumbledore looked at him and his eyes were incredibly sad.
"Harry, my boy, you have to get out of here. Do not ask, do not wait. Hasten to go." Dumbledore said in a low urgent tone, lightly pushing Harry away.
"Dumbledore, we have to get you out of here." Harry said and started fumbling around to see what held him there.
"You need to go. All of you." Dumbledore insisted as Harry started fiddling with the shackles on his wrists.
"We've come to get you out." Harry replied and growled when he couldn't open them. Josh elbowed him over and started doing some of his own fiddling with the shackles.
"I can't begin to guess how you all found me or how you even got here. I admire your persistence but you have to leave now. Harry, it's a trap."
About the time Dumbledore finished speaking, loud clapping broke through the room. Harry whipped around and froze in place as his eyes landed on Lucius Malfoy. The man stood there with a smirk and was clapping in a parody of approval. Harry slowly straightened and all the others froze and stared, realizing they were caught.
"Well done, Mr. Potter and company. You walked right into our trap brilliantly." Lucius said lightly, his eyes glinting.
Harry raised his wand, ready to fire off a spell, but Lucius waved his own wand, sending Harry's sailing through the air. With quick precise movements, Lucius had disarmed all of the teens there. They were effectively powerless and in a dungeon. Harry wanted to curse but didn't dare to say a word. He could see Olivia trembling and Nick grasping Josh's hand like a lifeline.
"That's not nice." Lucius teased. "Come now, let's talk about this. After all, it wasn't I who led you to the trap. You managed that all on your own and of course, there was the help from the traitor in the midst."
Harry stiffened and glared at Lucius like he could set him on fire with his eyes. How dare Lucius suggest that someone had betrayed them? It was ridiculous and Harry didn't dare to entertain the notion. The other shifted but tried to glare the Malfoy patriarch down as well. If looks could kill, Lucius would be long dead.
"What? You don't believe me? Think about it, Mr. Potter. Just how exactly did you get this far? Did you really think that you managed to break into my home and get so close in this rescue mission? Did you really think that you could manage that if we didn't want you to? How do you suppose we even knew you were on the way? We were tipped off. Maybe you should start looking for a traitor."
"No one has betrayed us!" Harry spat. The idea of that put him on edge and reminded him way too much of Pettigrew.
"Hmm. Whatever helps you sleep at night. The fact is that you are here now. Of course, the dark lord always knew this would happen. He caught Dumbledore with these exact intentions. He knew you would come running, especially with that idiotic need to save everyone that you own. And now, you're all going to die." Lucius said, clearly amused by the whole thing.
"You're wrong." Harry said, maybe just to be contradictory.
"We will see. Now, I must be along. I have a call to make." Lucius said, tapping his arm pointedly and smirking.
He walked out the room, pocketing all the wands and slamming the door. An audible click let them all know that they were locked in. Harry leaned against the wall and his head hit with a small thump. His mind whirred and his heart seemed to be trying to crack a rib.
"Harry," Hermione murmured. "What are we going to do?"
"Honestly, Hermione, we have to get out of here. All of us." Harry said, throwing a pointed look to Dumbledore.
Harry hated how stuck he felt in that moment. He knew that the bad feeling he had prior wasn't just nerves. He should've known better. This was all just a big trap and what was sad was that they'd honestly believed that they were in the clear. It never was that simple and Harry wanted to kick himself. They were in a mess now and he wasn't sure how he was going to get them out of it.
"There has to be something we can do." Em snapped.
"Well, Voldemort isn't here yet. If we're getting out, we've got to do it now." Harry mumbled.
"So, what do we do?" Nick asked and his voice cracked. Harry looked at him and noted how he was twisting his hands together and shuffling his feet. It was almost like a guilty action.
Harry ended the beginning of that thought before it could properly take root. He wasn't going to start thinking that one of his friends betrayed them. They didn't. Harry wasn't going allow Voldemort to make them all doubt each other. It would tear them apart. They were family and they wouldn't do that to each other. Harry stood firmly behind that and didn't dare think anything else.
"We spread out and try to find a way out of here. And, we get Dumbledore free."
"I'll handle the shackles." Josh said.
"Alright. Everyone else, let's find a way out of here."
After a mere few minutes of fumbling with the shackles around Dumbledore's wrists, Josh managed to free him. Dumbledore slumped to the wall before standing up and swaying in what was clearly exhaustion. Whatever help Harry had hoped Dumbledore would be, he dismissed it. Dumbledore could barely walk, let alone do some special wandless magic of sorts. Dumbledore did slowly make his way around the room, trying to help them get out too.
The room was sealed in all ways but one. The only way they were getting out of that room was through the door that Lucius had locked. They couldn't very well break it down and run for it, especially with Dumbledore. They couldn't pick the lock, either. Josh, Nick, and Olivia had all tried very hard to do so. So, they were stuck.
But, Harry didn't give up. Maybe it was just on general principle alone but he kept trying until they couldn't try anymore. That time came quicker than he'd expected. It was probably only twenty minutes later when the door creaked open. They all fell silent and looked in the doorway but no one was there. And then, Voldemort was gliding down the steps, his red eyes flicking over everyone.
Harry crumbled as soon as the serpent like man entered. His scar was burning hotter than ever before and he couldn't think past the pain. He gritted his teeth and cradled his scar, wiping the blood away. Voldemort came to a stop and glared around at them.
"Well, I can't say that I'm surprised." Voldemort said coldly, sending fear crawling up their spines.
Perhaps, it was the pain originating from his throbbing scar or the fact that Dumbledore was in the room with them but Harry was not scared. He was anxious, yes, and even had trepidation coursing through him but he was not scared. He was going to die and for some unfathomable reason, he wasn't freaking out. There was no way out and Voldemort was going to win but Harry wasn't a hysterical mess. He had once again led all the people he loved into a trap and he was just resigned to that fact. His luck had run out.
"I must say, Harry, that I would've thought you come sooner. I feared that you weren't coming at all." Voldemort said, gliding forward slightly. The way his sweeping robe slid across the floor reminded him of Dementors.
"Tell me, Harry, how does it feel to know that you are going to die?" Voldemort asked him, his face twisting in a sneer. Harry didn't dare reply, keeping his jaws clenched. His scar was throbbing and was utterly distracting.
"Not only that but all of your friends are going to die as well. And, Dumbledore shall, too. It is all your fault."
Harry fought the pang in his chest and shifted slightly. He didn't know what to do or how to act or what to say. The simple fact was that Voldemort was right. Harry glanced at all his friends, hoping they'd see his sincerest apologies. Nick and Josh stood rigid, grasping each other's hands and simply staring right into each other's eyes. Em was clenching and unclenching her hans and staring at Voldemort with wide eyes. Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all were trying to stand defiant but he could see them trembling. Olivia was wringing her hands out and staring at the floor steadily.
"I should kill you all right now. However, I have plans for all of you. Especially, you."
If Harry ever had to guess that Voldemort would have plans for anyone especially, he would've assumed that it was him. However, Voldemort locked his cold red eyes right onto Em and gave a twisted, thin smile. Harry felt his insides go cold and shock fizzle through him. What did Voldemort want specifically with Em? She looked just as stunned and it must've showed on her face because Voldemort gave a mirthless laugh.
"What? You do not know? Surely, the resemblance between you and Harry Potter was too striking to ignore? The dreams were too correct to be coincidence. You'd both have to have wondered." Voldemort said in a hiss.
Harry stared at Em, his stomach tightening in knots. Even now, she looked just like him. They stared at each other, uncertainty hanging in the air. What did Voldemort mean? What exactly was he hinting at? Harry turned to Dumbledore for some guidance, as he always had, but Dumbledore was simply staring at Voldemort. Em dispelled a sharp and loud breath, her hands shaking something terrible. With just a look shared between them, Harry and Em both agreed not to say a word.
"Fools, the lot of you. I suppose I should've known your tiny amount of intelligence wouldn't stretch as far as I had hoped. Well, I cannot wait to unravel that mystery for you. But, for now, I've got some business to attend to. Do not go anywhere." Voldemort sneered and swept back out of the room, leaving a dark residue of his presence.
"Harry, we have to get out of here." Hermione hissed urgently.
"I realize that, Hermione." Harry snapped.
"What do you think he was talking about?" Em breathed out. Harry's jaw ticked and he glared around the room, looking for something.
"It doesn't matter right now. He was probably just tricking us again. Let's get out of here." Harry said and started to stride away. Em caught his arm and her green eyes locked onto his and held him there.
"You know that's not true. You know he was right. Harry, we're practically twins. We have the same dreams, the same memories, the same situation. What does it all mean?"
"I don't know and I wouldn't put much stock into what he has to say." Harry said.
"Stop avoiding it!" Em exploded, her grip tightening. "I want to know!"
"I'm not willing to stay just to find out! So, let me go and start looking for a way out of here!" Harry shouted back, his face twisting into a glare. Em dropped his arm hastily and averted her eyes.
"I just want to know my story, Harry, is that so wrong? What if we really are twins, hmm?" She whispered hoarsely. Em had spoke the thing that had bounced around Harry's mind ever since he'd caught sight of her without the peircings, ever since that damn tattoo on her leg, ever since Voldemort came in and toyed with them. Harry took a deep breath.
"We will figure it out, Em, I promise. But, for now, can we just get out of here?"
"Okay." Em agreed.
Before they could separate and go looking for any way out, the door was swinging open. Harry's heart dropped and started hammering away in his chest. Whatever window of opportunity they had was officially gone. They all stepped back and crowded together, somehow knowing that this was it. There last hope had just died away and they were about to be nothing but entertainment for Voldemort.
A part of Harry was still ready to fight, to survive, but another part of him was resigned to it. He should've known. Nothing in his life ever was fair and he could never catch a break. He only wished he hadn't dragged his friends into it. He glared up at the doorway, knowing this was it. Voldemort was going to sweep in and torture and maim them as he pleased. Voldemort was going to-
"Headmaster?"
Harry froze and his eyes widened. Dumbledore let out a very small sigh beside them and Harry swallowed thickly when he realized it was one of relief. Harry blinked as his mind tried to process what he'd just heard. Of course, he would know that voice anywhere. Draco Malfoy's voice was very distinguishable, especially to his ears. He'd heard taunts and yells in that voice ever since he was eleven. He hadn't, however, heard that voice ever go so soft or tentative.
"Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore greeted back quietly. The steps creaked as Draco finished his descent. He was speaking before he even reached the ground.
"Still sane, I see. Or, as sane as you could ever-"
Draco cut himself off as soon as he caught sight of the group huddled beside Dumbledore. Harry watched as his gaze flickered over everyone in turn. Recognition flickered in his eyes as he saw Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. When he saw Harry, his eyes widened and darted to look over Harry like he might have multiple wounds or something. Then, his grey eyes locked onto Harry's green in something akin to confusion. Harry felt his stomach flip flop and swallowed. Draco looked down to the tray he held in his hands and frowned.
"Well, looks like we found our way out." Em whispered.
"What?" Draco blurted out, his eyes flickering back up to stare at Em. His gaze danced between her and Harry, confusion still clouded there.
"We need to get out of here." Josh said simply.
"Save it. Malfoy won't help us." Ron grumpled.
"On the contraire, darling. I think he just might." Josh chirped, looking between Harry and Draco in amusement.
"Weasley's right. I can't help. I have to go." Draco snapped, his face morphing into an all familiar sneer that set Harry to grinding his teeth. In that moment, Harry hated asking for help.
"Malfoy!" He snapped harshly. Draco turned a glare on him and Harry almost withered under it. Almost.
"What, Scarhead? How exactly did you find yourself walking into a trap, hmm? I knew you were an idiot but really-"
"Watch it, ferret." Ron growled.
"Shut it, both of you. I don't have time for this. What are you doing down here? Voldemort obviously doesn't know you're down here." Harry said curtly. Draco said nothing.
"Mr. Malfoy has been kind enough to bring me some food when he can. He has been keeping me alive and-"
"Enough!" Draco interrupted Dumbledore and grimaced. "Nothing. What does it matter? What do you want, Potter?"
"I want you to walk right back out that door." Harry said slowly, clearly. Draco blinked.
"What?" He muttered, clearly not expecting that.
"I want you to leave. Take the food and walk away and pretend you never saw us. Forget we're even here. Just, when you shut that door, don't turn the lock. That's all we- I ask." Harry said earnestly. Draco opened his mouth, maybe to refuse, but he snapped it shut and breathed a deep breath.
"Potter, you are far too trusting for your own good."
That was all Draco said before he was turning and walking away. Harry knew how much trouble Draco would be in if he were caught down here, especially now that they were here. He was faintly surprised that Draco hadn't tucked tail and ran immediately. Lucky for them, he hadn't. Now, all they had to do was wait and see if he was going to lock that door. It swung forward and they all waited for a click.
It never came. Draco hadn't even shut it all the way.
"Bloody hell." Ron muttered.
"Guess he isn't so much of a git after all." Nick hummed.
"No, he's still a git." Harry huffed and broke away to head up the stairs.
"Seemed pretty, ah, pretty tense between you two."Em commented casually.
"Harry and Draco have been at each other's throats for years." Hermione explained.
"Have they?" Olivia spoke up for the first time since before Voldemort came. She had a knowing glint in her eyes and Harry frowned at her.
"Mhm. Their fights are brutal. Not that I can talk. Me and Malfoy go at it as well. Though, we don't bicker as much as Harry and he does. I guess I just want to punch him more." Ron said as he too went up the stairs. Harry closed his eyes, mortification settling in him, and cleared his throat.
"You can all shut up now. Let's get out of here."
"How?" Nick asked.
"Same way we came in, I suppose." Harry murmured.
"Are you mad?" Nick hissed. "They must've known-"
"They didn't know our plan to get here, just that we were coming. If they had known how we got in, they would've grabbed us up before then."
"Okay, let's go."
Harry knew logically that getting out was going to be much, much harder than getting in was. They had been allowed in and were supposed to stay that way. However, Draco had given them the element of surprise, that was for sure.