My thanks as ever for any reviews received for either this or the original story. Apologies for the gaps between updates, hopefully you won't mind the wait after this one...
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Escape from Azkaban
The chief warden had been somewhat bemused when his orders came in but still, they were his orders. He carefully opened the box that had been placed securely among the prisoners' belongings and handed the wand within to its owner. "Thought it would be a long time before I gave this back to you, Mr. Malfoy."
Lucius Malfoy stroked the wand affectionately. "Sometimes fortune chooses to smile upon us." He looked around at the rest of his party, confirming they had all been handed their wands. "Now if you would just show us the way out?"
Before anyone could respond to his request, there was the crack of multiple apparations as a large group of Order of the Phoenix members suddenly appeared in front of them: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Parvati, Neville, Luna, Ernie, Seamus, Hannah, Padma, Cho, Michael, Teddy, Victoire and Gabrielle.
"It's Potter!"Lucius shouted. "Scatter!"
The Death Eaters fled in different directions, all except for Cormac MacLaggen, who had apparently decided that standing and fighting was his best bet. He raised his wand but before he had a chance to utter a single spell, he was hit by multiple Stunning Charms and clattered to the ground.
"I'll find Marietta,"Cho declared, running off in the direction her former friend had taken.
"Cho, wait!"Harry called but she ignored the shout. Harry turned to the bewildered chief warden. "Have you lifted the wards stopping them apparating out of here yet?"
"Well, no, Mr. Potter…"
Harry turned to the rest of his party. "They'll need to get away the castle before they can apparate. We can still stop them."
Ron nodded. "We'll get after the Malfoys,"he decided, gesturing for Neville and Luna to follow him.
Hermione turned to Parvati and Padma, indicating the direction that some of the Death Eaters had fled. "Should we go this way?"
Parvati smiled. "I think that would be a good idea."
Seamus nodded to Hannah and Michael. "Let's find Flint,"he told them, clearly remembering how Flint had killed Dean Thomas at Riddle Mansion.
"I want to find Roger,"Victoire added, recalling her mother's murder. Teddy and Gabrielle nodded in agreement.
The groups dispersed until only Harry and Ernie were left. "Cho's still on her own,"Harry realised and the two of them hurried after her.
Hermione led Parvati and Padma down a corridor that she knew led to one of the prison's exits. Ahead of them, she could see three figures – Augustus Rookwood, Thorfinn Rowle and Yaxley – desperately rushing for freedom. "Impedimenta!"Hermione shouted but the range was too far away for an accurate jinxing and the spell exploded harmlessly over the three Death Eaters' heads.
The trio of escapees had their own wands out and began flinging curses at their pursuers. But they had the disadvantage in that they were reduced to aiming their wands blindly behind them and none of the spells went anywhere near a target.
"Cover us,"Rookwood snapped at Rowle.
Rowle was momentarily thrown by the order but automatically turned to face the oncoming trio. "Excrucio!"he snapped, hurling a curse at Hermione that she only just managed to block with a Shield Charm.
"Stupefy!"Parvati retaliated. His attention elsewhere, Rowle was struck full on by the curse and blasted to the ground, unconscious.
And behind him, Rookwood and Yaxley, paying no heed to their compatriot's fate, made it to the exit and apparated.
Victoire had a sudden feeling of déjà vu as she ran after Roger Davies, remembering her pursuit of him at Riddle Mansion, shortly after she'd seen him kill her mother. "Locomotor wibbly!"she cast, remembering how the spell had stopped him before.
Roger turned as the spell shot past him, saw her and raised his wand. "Excrucio!"he roared and Victoire felt the explosion of pain in her chest as the Stinging Hex hit home. Seconds later, he hit her with an Impediment Jinx that knocked her back into a wall, rendering her unconscious.
Teddy was only a second behind his wife but Roger was ready. "Incarcerous!"he snapped and Teddy joined Victoire on the floor, bound too tight to be of help.
Roger loosed off a spell at his third opponent but it was Gabrielle's turn to be ready and she managed to block it. The two of them faced each other. Roger saw the resolve in her eyes and licked his lips, suddenly nervous. He remembered the young girl he'd met that night with Fleur, twenty years earlier. How much she'd loved her sister.
"I just want to get out of here,"he attempted. "Just let me go this way and I promise you I won't hurt anyone…"
"Confringo!"Gabrielle responded and Roger only just managed to get his wand up in order to deflect the curse. "Crucio!"he retorted and she leapt out of the way of the blast. "Avada Kedavra!"he followed, his anger getting the better of him. Gabrielle dived under the curse, her wand pointing upwards underneath his guard. "Stupefy!"she snapped.
Roger had a stunned expression on his face for a moment, then he fell.
Gabrielle gave a slight smile. She had a feeling Fleur would have approved.
Seamus' eyes were fixed on Marcus Flint as he, Hannah and Michael chased after the hulking Death Eater. Flint's old cronies, Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole, were with him but Seamus only had his eyes on the main prize. He knew from a quick study of the layout of Azkaban that the corridor they were taking led to a cliff edge. Normally it was used for controlled exercise of the prisoners but if they were armed with wands…
Seamus could feel his frustration building. "FLINT!"he bellowed. "FLINT!"
Flint turned and saw the pursuit. He grabbed Derrick and Bole and turned them round to face their pursuers. "What are you waiting for? Stop them!"
As Flint ran on, the pair raised their wands in confusion and Hannah and Michael instantly hit them with Stunning Spells. Seamus ignored the brief duel, not once breaking step, continuing past the two unconscious Death Eaters and into the open air. He saw Flint leap off the cliff edge… and then apparate in midair, the moment he was clear of Azkaban's wards.
Seamus gave a roar of frustration.
Cho didn't quite know what she was doing, chasing her old friend. It had felt natural at the time but she was increasingly aware she didn't actually have a plan. The chase brought them out into a large room. "Marietta!"she called. Marietta turned, wand raised, a murderous look in her eyes. The look brought Cho up short. She'd thought she could reason with her but in that moment she knew this wasn't the girl she'd been best friends with all those years ago. "Marietta…it's me…"she stammered.
Marietta hesitated, the hatred fading slightly. Then she seemed to resolve herself. "Sectumsempra!"
Cho's body exploded in pain at the curse, blasting her onto her back. And then Harry and Ernie arrived. Harry knelt by Cho, checking her. The bleeding didn't seem too bad but she needed treatment. Marietta aimed her wand at him.
"Marietta!"Ernie called. "Remember me?"
Marietta turned on him and, whatever old loyalties had caused her to pull her punches against Cho, she no longer felt bound by them. "Avada Kedavra!"
"Protego!"
Harry's eyes widened in shock at his friend's tactic, as Ernie didn't even bothering to dodge the curse. There was no way a Shield Charm could block the Avada Kedavra. Ernie was as good as dead.
And yet somehow, the curse rebounded off the shield towards its caster. Marietta took the full force of the curse and slumped to the ground.
Harry looked at Ernie in astonishment. "How..?"
"I remembered what you said to Voldemort,"Ernie explained. "You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save us all so his curses couldn't hurt us. Well, at Riddle Mansion, Susan took a Killing Curse from Marietta that was meant for me. She saved my life. I thought maybe that would give me extra protection."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "What would you have done if it hadn't worked?"
Ernie considered the question. "I didn't really think about it."
Ron led Neville and Luna as they chased the three Malfoys. Ron saw that Romilda had joined the Malfoys, probably thinking that being with the group's ringleaders would offer some protection. He was aware that their quarry was only a few yards from safety. "You think you can get away, Malfoy?"he called, hoping to provoke a reaction.
The group stopped and turned to face their pursuers. Lucius gave him a withering look. "Why are there always Weasleys in the way when you're trying to get something done?"
"And why do they think Longbottom's any good as a wingman?"Draco asked nastily.
"It's really not a good idea to insult my husband,"Luna remarked calmly, her tone as mild as it always was. "It'll only make me more angry."
Lucius, Draco and Romilda levelled their wands and began flinging spells at the trio of Order members, who responded with a series of parries and counterspells. Behind them, Narcissa drew her own wand. "Aguamenti!"she snapped, aiming her wand at a spot between the two lines of opponents and producing a large curtain of water. "Glacio!"she continued and the water became ice, forming a wall between them.
"No!"Ron shouted in horror. He aimed his wand at the ice wall. "Incendio!" The ice melted away in seconds but it had delayed them long enough. Their four opponents were gone.
Harry was struggling to contain his fury. Marietta, the only fatality of the battle, was in the prison morgue, the recaptured Death Eaters were back in their cells. Cho and Victoire were both in the hospital wing, expected to make full recoveries from their injuries. Yet things had not gone as planned. "How many got away?"he asked.
"Seven,"Ron told him. "The three Malfoys, Rookwood, Yaxley, Flint and Vane."
"That's not much of an army,"Neville offered, in an attempt to raise their spirits.
"None of them should have got out,"Seamus snapped.
"He's right,"Harry said quietly. "None of this should have happened. Someone made this happen. The person we've been tracking all along."
"What do you mean?"Hermione asked.
"Don't you see? We've got it all wrong. We thought there was a group of shapeshifters out there but it's just one person, using polyjuice person to disguise themselves. One person who did all this. We need to find them and I know just where to start looking." Harry turned to his friends, suddenly all businesslike. "Ron, I need you, Neville and Ernie to go back to Hogwarts. Make sure no-one enters or leaves. Hermione, Luna, we're going to the Ministry. There's something I need to check. Parvati… you and the others stay here and make sure no-one else gets out."