Chapter 22

The Rescue

"Absolutely not!" Madam Amelia Bones all but shouted.

Daphne, Susan, Blaize, Neville, Hannah, Lisa, Tracey, Terry, Luna, and Astoria were standing in the headmaster's office. They were not taking place in the heated discussion, however. The ones arguing currently were Madam Bones and Headmaster Dumbledore, though it looked like the Heads of Houses were on Madam Bones's side. If nothing else, they were standing behind her and not the headmaster.

"Amelia—" Dumbledore tried.

"Do not 'Amelia' me, Headmaster," Madam Bones snapped. "You are asking me to take a bunch of school children with me on a dangerous rescue mission. That's the height of lunacy. I'll not be party to it."

"I do not want them to be placed in such danger anymore than you do," Headmaster Dumbledore replied, his voice mild. "However, Professor Trelawny's words were 'he shall be rescued by the ones who love him most'. This means they are the key to rescuing Mr. Potter. If they do not take part in this mission, then the chances of your success drop to about zero."

"You're saying we'll fail?" Madam Bones curled her lips in distaste. "You already know that I do not put any stock in prophecies and such, Dumbledore."

The headmaster spread his arms. "And yet, you are going to rescue Mr. Potter based on the information given in one of those divinations."

"Divining someone's location is one thing. Telling us that we can only succeed if a group of children come with us is another."

There were two points of contention to this back and forth. Madam Bones had objected to Daphne and the others going with them from the moment Headmaster Dumbledore had suggested it. Her stance was that she and the others were too young to take part in a mission like this, and it was true that they lacked the experience needed. The headmaster had refuted her. He had stated that without them, the entire mission was doomed to failure because Professor Trelawny's divination said so.

While the professors were siding with Madam Bones, Daphne knew who she was going to side with.

She took a step forward.

"I want to go," Susan said before Daphne could even open her mouth.

"Susan?" Madam Bones looked at her with wide eyes.

"I want to rescue Harry," Susan said. "I know it's dangerous. I do get that. However, if our presence means you can rescue Harry, then I believe it's a small price to pay."

"It's too dangerous. I can't—"

"If it's so dangerous, then have us stay in the back," Daphne said, stepping forward to stand beside Susan. "Surround us with aurors so we're constantly protected. The divination never said that we had to be involved in the operation itself. Divinations like that are always up to interpretation. It only said that we need to be there to rescue him. It never said anything about other people. If you put together a large protection detail, then we can rescue Harry while still being safe."

Madam Bones's lips became a thin line. Daphne hoped that meant she was coming around to the idea.

"I also want to rescue Harry," Neville said. "The Potters and Longbottoms have been allies for over a century. What's more, Harry is my friend. I'd be doing a disservice to both if I didn't help rescue him."

"I'm going as well," Blaize added as he stepped forward. "I might not be able to do much, but I think my presence will be important."

One by the one, all of Harry's friends stepped forward. Tracey, Terry, Lisa, Luna, Hannah, even Astoria voiced their assent. They wanted to rescue Harry.

Headmaster Dumbledore smiled. "Amelia, if you feel like them going is too dangerous, then I have a compromise for you."

With a weary sigh as though their argument exhausted her, she turned to the headmaster. "And what is that?"

"I will go with you to rescue Harry and will personally protect these children."

Madam Bones covered her face with her hands. A sigh escaped her lips, along with a groan of what Daphne could only guess was defeat. They didn't really have time to argue. Amelia must have understood that.

"Fine," she said, giving in. "However, if something happens to them, I will personally hold you responsible."

Headmaster Dumbledore replied with a mild smile. "If something happens to them, I will hold myself responsible. Now, let's floo Sirius Black. He'll also want to be involved in this, since it's his godson we're rescuing."

XoX

Sirius Black had not been pleased to learn that his godson had been kidnapped. Daphne had listened to the floo call as Sirius spewed insults and curses like they were going out of style. She'd then witnessed Sirius storm in through the fireplace, grab Headmaster Dumbledore by the beard, and yell in his face.

Remus had stood behind the man, calmer than Sirius but still reminiscent of a brewing storm. His anger had been almost palpable.

To his credit, Headmaster Dumbledore did not retaliate. He waited until Sirius had run out of energy, and then placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder before apologizing. Sirius had accepted it. He probably knew that the headmaster wasn't at fault, since Headmaster Dumbledore had been kicked out of Hogwarts before Harry got kidnapped.

What happened afterward was a whirlwind. Daphne and her friends were escorted out of Hogwarts alongside Sirius Black, Madam Bones, and Headmaster Dumbledore. They were then forced to wait in a sitting room within the Ministry of Magic for several hours. It was a small room, with little in the way of color and only ten seats lined across the wall. While Daphne, Astoria, and Susan had chosen to sit in chair (Dumbledore and Sirius were also in a chair), the others stood or paced along the room.

Daphne was forced to listen as Tracey complained.

"How long are we going to sit around here?" the girl asked.

"Amelia is probably gathering an auror task force," Headmaster Dumbledore told her, his smile very much like that of a grandfather's. "Please be patient."

"I hate being patient." Tracey pouted.

"Oh, believe me. We know that, Trace," Daphne said. Tracey's pout deepened.

"Do you think Harry's doing all right?" asked Hannah. "I mean, it's been several days since he was kidnapped. What if… what if they already—"

"Don't even think that way," Daphne snapped. "There's no way Harry's dead. He can't be."

Hannah looked away. "S-sorry. I didn't mean—I mean I didn't want to…"

"No." Daphne sighed as she slumped in her chair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry."

"Don't worry about it. You're just worried about Harry. I understand."

Daphne didn't say anything, for she didn't think her emotions would let her talk without snapping again, but she offered Hannah a grateful smile.

"Speaking of being worried," Sirius began, "what are you kids doing here?"

Everyone gave Sirius a deadpan stare, though only Daphne responded. "We've been with you this whole time and you're just now realizing we're here?"

While Sirius had the decency to look abashed, Headmaster Dumbledore smiled. Perhaps it was because of her sarcasm, or maybe it was thanks to Tracey's guffaws, but the Head of House Black said nothing after that. He mumbled something that none of them could hear and went quiet.

Remus spoke up soon after. "To answer your question, Ms. Abbott, I do not think Harry is in danger of dying. If whoever kidnapped him wanted him dead, they would've already killed him."

"They did try to kill him several times," Blaize pointed out.

"Did they?" Remus asked back. "I don't know about you, but I think the fact that Harry survived means their true intent wasn't to kill him off. When you think about it, their indirect manner of attacking seems more like it was designed to test Harry."

"You think they were testing him?" Lisa asked.

Shrugging, Remus offered his opinion. "It's certainly possible. The fact that they managed to kidnap Harry so easily suggests they could have done it at any time. That means they had another reason for the attacks. I can only assume they were testing his abilities for some reason. Perhaps they wanted to see how much of a fight he'd put up if they kidnapped him, or maybe there's some other reason we're not aware of."

Before anybody else could speak, the door opened and Madam Bones walked in. Her outfit had changed. She was no longer wearing her sharp DMLE head robes. She had traded them for a set of darker robes. Underneath the robes, Daphne saw a glimmer of body armor.

"The reason Harry was kidnapped doesn't matter right now," Madam Bones said, speaking to Remus. "If you'll all follow me. I've already debriefed my men on how we're going to be working. The mission to rescue Harry is starting now."

They were lead out of the room. With Madam Bones in the lead, they traveled down the hall and to an elevator, which took them down several floors. Their destination was a large room that contained nothing but people and a single object. Daphne recognized Tonks and Kingsley. Tonks was familiar with Harry and Kingsley had been their DADA professor last year. She didn't know anyone else. There were six aurors total including Madam Bones.

The object in the room was the steering wheel of a ship. It sat on a pedestal. The aurors were already standing around it. They watched Daphne and her friends as they entered the room, their disbelieving eyes showing that they either had not been informed, or had not quite believed Amelia when she told them that Harry's friends would be going on this mission.

"Gather round the portkey," Amelia said. "The coordinates have already been set. We won't be able to jump exactly to the Slytherin estate, but there's a town next to it that we can use as a starting point."

Daphne moved to stand between Astoria and Tonks. The pretty auror looked down at her with an expression that all but asked, "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"I thought Madam Bones was joking when she said you lot would be coming with us."

Daphne gave her a dry look. "Is Madam Bones the type to joke like that?"

"There's a first time for everything." Tonks shrugged.

The space around the steering wheel was tight. Along with the six aurors, there was Daphne and her friends, plus Headmaster Dumbledore, Remus, and Sirius. As things stood, Daphne felt like she and Astoria were on the verge of being squashed between Tonks and Kingsley.

"All right, everyone," Madam Bones said. "Grab onto the portkey and don't let go."

"Do not worry," Headmaster Dumbledore added. "We'll rescue Mr. Potter before you know it."

"Activate," Madam Bones said.

That must have been the activation key, because seconds later, the world around Daphne spun in a dizzying display. Everything was a blur of color. The only thing she could see clearly were the people holding onto the steering wheel with her. Sadly, that just made the way her stomach churned and threatened to push up her breakfast even more unbearable. Faster and faster the world spun. Astoria was screaming in her ear. Her hand felt slick with sweat as she wrapped her sister in a one-armed hug.

"Hang on tight!" Madam Bones shouted. "Don't you dare let go!"

Despite her words, it was impossible that all of them could hang on. There were a lot of people gripping a single object. It didn't matter that a steering wheel was decently large. It wasn't meant to have so many people holding it.

The first to let go was not one of her friends. It was an auror whose face she didn't know. His screams echoed in her ears long after he vanished from sight. The others looked grim. Letting go during portkey travel wouldn't kill someone, but there was no telling where you'd end up.

"I… I think I'm slipping!" Tracey shouted.

"Keep holding on!" Madam Bones said.

"I don't think I can!"

"I've got you!" Kingsley said as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Mere seconds after he did so, his own grasp on the wheel became tenuous. Daphne screamed as Tracey and Kingsley both slipped off and disappeared.

XoX

Susan woke up with a sharp gasp. Her body jolted, sending her into a sitting position. She looked around, blinking at the trees and foliage surrounding her. It didn't matter where she looked. There was nothing but trees, plants, animals, and the sky overhead.

"I see you're finally awake," a voice said in her ear.

Rather than shriek, Susan scrambled to her feet. She moved her hand toward where her wand was—should have been—as she spun around to face whoever had snuck up on her. All of her movements ceased when she saw who was behind her. It was…

"Tonks?"

Tonks grinned. "That's me."

Susan calmed down. "Where are we?"

Scratching her head, Tonks looked up at the sky and frowned. "There's no way to tell for certain. We were blown way off course. Tch! I knew having so many people use a single portkey was a bad idea. All that magic must have interfered with our ability to properly port. Still, I don't think we're that far from our original destination. From what I understand, Slytherin's home is supposed to located in a forested valley of some kind."

It did indeed appear as though they were in a forest of some sort. She couldn't quite tell if they were in a valley. The trees blocked out much of the sky except what was immediately overhead. Strange sounds, the cawing of birds and the groaning of animals, played a mysterious melody that sounded ominous somehow.

Susan noticed her wand lying several meters away. She walked over and picked it up, checking to see if it had broken during her fall. Nothing seemed wrong. She couldn't even find a crack, though it was a little dirty. It would need to be cleaned once she got back to Hogwarts.

"We should probably begin walking," Tonks suggested. "See if we can't find that village. We should at least try to figure out where we are."

"Can you apparate us?" Susan asked.

Tonks shook her head. "Not when I don't know the first thing about this place. It's dangerous apparating out of places you don't know. Only thing worse is apparating blind." Susan nodded and Tonks grinned. "Well, at least it could be worse."

"How so?"

"We could've been alone."

Susan couldn't fault that logic, and together, she and Tonks picked a direction and began walking. Leaves and twigs crunched underneath their feet. The sounds seemed to become louder, or perhaps it was merely her perception of them. Susan turned her head as she tried to spot the animals that she could hear, but she saw none, perhaps because it was impossible to see through the thick tree branches.

"Watch out!" Tonks shouted.

Susan stopped moving and looked around. She turned and was just in time to see a mouth filled with sharp fangs in her vision. Shrieking, she stumbled backwards.

"Incendio!"

A brilliant cone of flames slammed into the snake before it could reach her, incinerating the whole thing in seconds. Susan looked at Tonks with wide eyes. The young auror was sighing as she walked up to her.

"You okay?" she asked, holding out a hand.

"Uh, yeah. Thank you," Susan said as she let Tonks help her up.

Susan had no idea how long they walked, though it felt like hours. The trees eventually broke away, revealing a small dirt road that appeared untrod by human feet. With nothing else to do, they followed the road, eventually coming upon…

"A village?"

Wooden houses of varying sizes sat haphazardly along the road. All of them were dilapidated with age. The walls of several had been torn down, there was mold growing on a few of them, vines encroached upon whatever remained, and there wasn't a soul in sight. Susan glanced to her right. What once appeared to have been a clothing store was now rubble, with only the a broken sign with the word M***lic Clothes written on it to signify what it had been.

"What do you think happened here?" Tonks asked no one in particular.

"You're guess is as good as mine," Susan answered, despite recognizing the rhetoric behind Tonks's question.

They wandered further into the village. It wasn't that large, maybe about forty buildings in total. As they neared the other side, the sound of running feet made her ears twitch. She and Tonks both spun around, their wands out, prepared for anything. That was when Astoria rushed out from between two buildings.

"Stori! Wait up!" Daphne shouted as she rushed out of the same alley. She stopped upon spotting Susan and Tonks. "You two!"

"See?" Astoria grinned, stopping in the middle of the street. "I told you I heard voices down this way."

"I'm glad to see you two," Susan said, rushing up to Daphne and taking the other girl's hand. "I was worried we wouldn't run into anyone here."

"Me too." Daphne smiled as she returned Susan's grip. "Speaking of, I take it you two don't know where the others are?"

"Nope," Tonks said. She walked up to them much more slowly. Her eyes constantly surveyed the area around her. "Even so, I think the others should be in the general area. We were blown off course, but we were close to our destination. I imagine the others are somewhere in this forest."

"Headmaster Dumbledore was of the same mind," Daphne said as if to confirm a suspicion.

"Is the headmaster here?" asked Susan.

"Nope," Astoria was the one to reply. "When we got thrown off the portkey, the headmaster was with us. We actually ended up in this village. He told us to wait here while he went to locate the others."

"That was probably a good idea," Tonks said.

"It's really boring, though," Astoria whined. "I want to do something."

"Patience, Stori," Daphne said. "This isn't a game. We can't just go off on our own."

Astoria pouted. "I know that. I'm just saying I wish there was something to do."

Daphne gave Susan a helpless glare when she giggled, but it really couldn't have been helped. It was just too funny to see Daphne act like this.

Back during their first year, Daphne's personality had been cold. She scorned the people around her, refused to spend time with anyone but Tracey and Blaize, and she always presented people with this chilly front, as though she had been made from ice. While that ice had thawed thanks to Harry, she had still been cool, collected, and sarcastic most of the time. Seeing how Daphne acted with her sister, so different from what Susan was used to, was simply too amusing.

Since they didn't have anything to do but wait, Susan followed Daphne and Astoria to where they had been staying before the younger of the two ran off. It was one of the few buildings that remained fully intact. Larger than the others and made of brick instead of wood, Susan could only guess that it held more importance than the rest of the buildings. Perhaps it had belonged to the town mayor?

The door creaked as they walked inside. A musty smell hit Susan's nose, causing it to wrinkle. It was the stench of mildew. There was no carpet inside. The floor was made of stone. There also weren't any furnishing, though she could see what appeared to be the broken down remains of a chair. She wondered how old this village was. How long had this place been abandoned?

With nowhere to sit, Susan stood next to a wall. She was careful not to touch it. Even though it looked sturdy enough, there was no telling what might happen if there was any added weight; it could collapse for all she knew.

"How long do you think it's gonna be before Dumbledore comes back?" asked Tonks.

Daphne shrugged. "Hard to say. I suppose it would depend on how far apart everyone is and how long it takes him to find them."

"I guess you're right," Tonks said.

"I'm bored," Astoria added.

"We know," Daphne and Susan said at the same time.

XoX

They ended up waiting several hours for the headmaster to locate all of their friends and the aurors they had been with. One by one their friends appeared, most of them with an auror by their side. It appeared that a good portion of the people with them had ended up with partners after getting flung off course.

Blaize was the first to show up. He was quickly followed by Tracey, who showed up alongside Kinglsey Shacklebolt. Soon after, Lisa, Hannah, and Luna arrived. Then Neville and Terry appeared together alongside Madam Bones.

"It looks like everyone is here," Madam Bones said. "That's good. At least we know that no one was flung into a mountain now."

"Why does it sound like you were expecting us to get thrown into a mountain?" asked Tracey, suspicion leaking through her voice.

"It's been known to happen." As Tracey paled, Madam Bones looked around at everyone's face. Then she nodded once. "Time is precious, so we're moving out now. Fortunately, we've already located Slytherin's manor thanks to Ignius here." A man with plain features and dull brown hair waved a hand. "He discovered the manor when he was flung off the portkey. He'll lead us there."

That appeared to be the end of the conversation, because Madam Bones lead them all outside. They left the abandoned village behind. As they were walking, Susan looked back at the place, her mind brimming with curiosity. Headmaster Dumbledore moved to walk alongside her.

"That village was once known as Elabidae," he told her. "It was a lot like Godric's Hollow back during the early first century. Sadly, it fell to ruin during one of the many wars that plagued that time."

"So it was abandoned?" Susan asked.

Headmaster Dumbledore shook his head. "While I am unclear on the details of what transpired here, I do know that Elabidea fell to ruin some time after Salazar Slytherin created Hogwarts. It seems an invading nation of muggles had come and slaughtered everyone who lived in the village."

"T-that's terrible."

The headmaster's sad smile was reflected back at her. "It is indeed. It's especially tragic because it was the invasion itself that changed Salazar into the cruel and hateful man that he would become later in life." He paused. "I'm not sure I could blame him for what happened. From what little text of that time survived, it seems his entire family was killed during the attack. The invaders stole into his house and butchered his family. It was Salazar's turning point—or so I've been lead to believe."

Susan didn't have much to say about that. However, Daphne, who walked along on Susan's other side with Astoria, looked up at the headmaster, a question reflected in her eyes.

"What do you mean by turning point?"

"What I mean is that it was after the slaughter of his family that Salazar Slytherin became the pureblood supremacist that we know of him from the history books. It was said that until that point, Salazar had been a kind and caring individual. I have an old journal from Godric Gryffindor, and one of the entries stated that Salazar was the most patient and affable teacher among them."

"I see."

Daphne grew silent after that. Susan didn't know what was going on through her friends mind, but she imagined the blonde girl was absorbing everything that the headmaster had told her. Perhaps she was shocked by this knowledge. Susan sure was.

The road eventually disappeared the further they got from the village, though it might have been more accurate to say that the road had become overgrown with plants. Susan nearly tripped over a vine several times. If it weren't for Daphne catching her, she might have fallen on her face like Tracey had when her foot got stuck in a root.

"Bloody fucking dammit!" Tracey growled as she rubbed her now red nose. "That hurts!"

"Please mind your language, Ms. Davis," Headmaster Dumbledore said lightly, though with a hint of sternness.

"I don't see why everyone makes a big deal out of my language." Tracey scowled.

"Because it's not befitting of a lady," Madam Bones said.

"Because you're just a brat," Tonks added.

"I can't believe you two are making fun of me," Tracey said.

Terry grinned at her. "Why not? It's not that hard to do."

"Can it, Boot!"

Susan had no idea what they were looking for. A large mansion hidden within a sea of trees? A castle fortress built into a mountain? As she was wondering about what kind of place Salazar Slytherin's home was, their procession came to a sudden halt when her auntie raised a hand.

"Charline?" she asked the only female auror aside from her and Tonks. The one named Charline was a fit young woman with black hair and skin a shade darker than Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Nodding, Charline unholstered her wand and began waving it around. Nothing happened at first, but then the area in front of them glowed a light blue. The blue light expanded, slowly at first but picking up speed, eventually turning into what looked like a large dome.

"It's a barrier," Charline announced. "A nasty one, too. It looks like whoever made this wanted to kill anyone coming here. This barrier is designed to fry the insides of whoever tries to pass this point."

Susan's body shook. Beside her, even Daphne seemed slightly pale at this knowledge. Unlike the her and the other kids, who were pale and withdrawn, Sirius Black whistled.

"That's quite the ward, though it sounds like it's new."

"New?" Blaize asked.

"Yep."

"How do you figure?"

Sirius's lips peeled back to reveal a grin. "Because if the scheme was older, it would've done more than just fry your insides."

Blaize looked away. "And now I regret asking that question."

"Times were different back then," Remus added. "These days we have a lot of rules and policies about how we treat prisoners and what's considered self-defense over in-excess. They didn't have any laws like that back then. It's why old ward schemes for Noble Houses like the Blacks are so deadly."

"How can you tell what the barrier does?" asked the ever curious Lisa.

"The nargles probably told her," Luna said. "They're all over this area."

"I'm a decoder," Charline said as she began waving her wand again. "That's sort of like Gringott's curse breakers, but I don't break into ancient ruins. My primary job is taking down the wards surrounding the houses of criminals and the like."

"Charline spent twenty years learning how to decode and break down wards," Madam Bones added.

"You always were fascinated by warding schemes," Headmaster Dumbledore said. "I am pleased to see that you continued to follow your passion after graduating from Hogwarts."

Charline didn't look away from her work, but she did smile. "Thanks, Headmaster."

Susan watched Charline as she wove her wand in complicated, seemingly never ending patterns. She had no idea what the woman was doing. Every now and then, Charline would stop, frown at something that nobody seemed capable of seeing but her, and then she would start wand waving again.

"She's decoding the wards based on the barrier's magical scheme," Daphne said.

"Excuse me?" Susan asked, startled.

Daphne nodded at Charline. "Wards like this are based on numerous arithmetic sequences that, when combined, create a barrier designed to serve a specific function. People like Charline can read and decode those sequences by using a unique form of magic sight."

"I didn't know that," Susan said.

"I didn't know that you knew that," Tracey added. "Where the frack did you learn this?"

"Language," Daphne said before sighing. "I learned it from the books in Father's library."

Susan and Tracey waited for Daphne to say more. When it became apparent that she was done speaking, they turned to Astoria, who caught their eyes and shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I don't know squat about wards."

"Is learning magic sight hard?" asked Neville.

"It varies from person to person, but learning basic magic sight is generally an easy thing to do," Headmaster Dumbledore said. "The problem is honing your magic sight to see arithmetic equations. That can take decades. Charline is actually one of the people who mastered the skill faster than most."

"Oh…"

As they spoke, Charline continued to work on breaking down the barrier. Susan couldn't see what she was doing beyond her wand movements. However, judging from the way Headmaster Dumbledore stared at the barrier, she assumed that he could see the ward schemes as they were being systematically destroyed. Nearly half an hour into her work, the blue barrier that had been erected around the vicinity suddenly disappeared.

"There." Charline sighed. "It's done. The ward's have been destroyed."

"Excellent work," Madam Bones said, clapping Charline on the shoulder. She then turned to the others. "I want all of you to form ranks. The children will be in the middle. Kinglsey and I will take the lead, and Headmaster Dumbledore and Tonks will cover our rear. Sirius, Remus, Charline, and Ignius will take positions on either side of the children. Follow me and be careful. Considering the purpose of that barrier, it's clear that someone is here, and they are definitely hostile."

Moving slowly, as though afraid of what they could find, the group traveled into what could very well be the belly of the beast.

XoX

The Slytherin manor was smaller than Daphne had expected it to be. Granted, as she walked out from between the trees and came upon the building that could have only belonged to Salazar's family, she hadn't been sure what to expect. Even so, a building that looked more like a normal two-story house had not been it. There were no embellishments, no decorations, nothing to distinguish this house as belonging to Salazar Slytherin.

"Are you surprised?" Headmaster Dumbledore asked upon seeing the expression of Daphne and her friends. "You shouldn't be. Do not forget that Salazar lived during the first century. Homes back then didn't have the pomp and ostentatiousness of current houses, not even those belonging to families like the Slytherins. Even Hogwarts was not originally the castle that you all learn in."

"I'm still kinda underwhelmed here," Tracey. "I was expecting a massive mansion. My parents's house is bigger than this!"

"During the first century, this was considered large," Remus assured in a mild-mannered voice, sounding every bit the consummate instructor.

Madam Bones turned around after surveying the house and looked at all of them, her face appearing even more stern than usual. "Okay, everyone. This is it. From here on out, I want you kids to listen to every word I say. If I say run, you run. Do you understand me? The time for rebelliousness is officially over. If you can't follow my instructions, then I'll tie you up and leave you behind."

Daphne didn't say anything. She stared at the faces of her friends. Lisa's features were a tad pale, and Hannah wasn't looking too good either. They were probably the least experienced with any sort of violence. Luna looked somewhat composed, albeit, Daphne couldn't read Luna like the others. Terry also didn't look good, but he was a boy, so he put on a brave front. No doubt he wanted to appear strong in front of everyone else. Even Blaize had a nervous sweat trickling down his forehead.

Neville, oddly enough, did not appear worried on the surface. His face was stony. It was like he'd put a mask on. Daphne wondered if this was because of all the training he did with Harry, or if perhaps his pride was keeping him from displaying any fear.

A hand slid into hers and gripped it tight, causing Daphne to glance at Astoria. Her sister's shoulders were shaking as she stared at the manor. No doubt the girl was afraid. While Daphne didn't say anything, even she felt weary. The atmosphere of this place was stifling and frightful, like there was something lurking beneath the surface that would leap out at them if given the chance.

Taking their silence as affirmation, Madam Bones gestured for everyone to follow her. She lead them up to the manor. An ancient door stood in front of the entrance. Oddly enough, while much of the building appeared aging, and even the door looked old, it was also in better shape than she had expected. There was no mildew, no mold, no splinters or anything of that nature. It looked well-maintained, as though someone had taken to cleaning it daily.

"There's magical residue on this door," Ignius said. He waved his wand and the door began to glow with a green light. "It looks like someone's been using cleaning and repair charms on it."

"Then we can probably expect the inside to be the same," Madam Bones said. "Charline and Ignius, you two take point. The rest of us will follow you. Be wary of traps."

"Yes, ma'am," the two aurors said in unison.

They opened the door, not slowly, but quickly, and Charline and Ignius rushed in with wands at the ready. Madam Bones followed them, her own wand out. She gestured for them to stay where they were as she, Ignius and Charline spread out. Daphne thought they were surveying the area for potential traps. After several more seconds, Madam Bones gestured for them to enter.

The floorboards creaked as they walked in. Squealing and groaning, Daphne almost flinched at the sound of aged wound, wondering if it might break under their combined weight. The walls and ceiling all looked new—or at least newly repaired. There was none of the age or dullness she had expected. It showed that someone had probably used more repairing charms on this place; Daphne assumed that person was the same one who'd kidnapped Harry.

The room they had entered was a small foyer; there was a staircase leading to the second floor, and hallways on either side of the staircase lead further into the first floor. It was built in the same style as her father's manor, only it was a lot smaller and the floors weren't made of marble.

"Wands out," Madam Bones said. "We should be prepared for anything."

Daphne, Susan, and everyone else silently pulled out their wands. Sirius also unholstered his new wand at the same time as Remus, and Headmaster Dumbledore already had his out and at the ready. For just a second, Daphne thought she saw the headmaster's face harden. However, it was only like that for an instant before reverting back to normal. It must have been a trick of the light.

"We'll explore the first floor before checking the second," Madam Bones explained. "Kingsley, you're on point."

"Yes, ma'am," Kingsley said.

"This is getting kinda freaky," Tracey murmured.

"You mean it's getting real," Hannah said. "I'm not sure I… like this very much."

Daphne wanted to tell her that if she didn't like this, then she shouldn't have decided to come. She couldn't bring herself to. Few people would ever wanted to do something like this. Hannah was pushing herself for Harry. She couldn't ask the girl for anything more.

They went down the left hallway first. There were no lights, so the corridor was darker than Daphne was comfortable with. At least she could still see. Even so, she'd have liked to see more than just vague outlines and little to know color.

There were doors along the some of the walls. Madam Bones and Kingsley checked inside of the rooms, declaring each of them clear and having them move on. Daphne frowned at one point when she noticed that Tracey, who'd been walking beside her, was no longer beside her. She turned around and grimaced when she saw the girl taking a peek inside of the room that Kingsley had said had nothing in it.

"Come here, you."

"Owch! Ow, ow, ow. Let go of my ear."

"I will when you learn not to move around on your own." Daphne pulled the girl back in line. "There's no telling what kind of dangerous situations we might run into. You have to be more careful."

"I get it! I get it! Just let go!"

"Be quiet, you two," Madam Bones snapped. "You're both being too loud. We don't want whoever is here to be alerted to our presence."

"Sorry," Daphne apologized as she let go of Tracey's ear. Her friend grimaced and rubbed her ear, which was now a light red.

"Damn, that hurt."

"Sorry."

"Ugh… it's fine."

They continued moving. All of the rooms were declared empty. After two turns, Daphne realized that the hallway was looping around. They would probably end up back in the foyer if they kept moving.

"Ma'am, I believe I've found something," Kingsley said. He was standing next to an open doorway, and, having already peered inside, he was now staring at Madam Bones.

"What is it?" asked Madam Bones as she walked over to Kingsley. She peered inside of the door, hummed, and then came back. "It looks like this is a kitchen. There's some left over food on the tables. That at least tells us that someone is living here. It doesn't look like there's anything else, so let's keep moving."

The longer they searched this place, the more anxious Daphne became. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest. Worry for Harry wracked her nerves and made her hands become slippery with sweat. She glanced at the others. All of her friends seemed to feel the same way she did. They were pale, nervous sweat trickling down their brows. Neville was even wiping his hands on his robes.

The hallway they were in did indeed come full circle. They ended up back in the foyer. Since they had already checked the first floor, the group ascended the stairs. Like floor one, there were two directions they could take. They decided to go right this time.

Their footsteps thudded along the hall, the sound echoing abnormally loudly in Daphne's ears. She could hear her own breathing pick up as they checked each room. There was nothing. There was no one.

Until they got to the last room.

"We've found him!" Kingsley declared after peering into the room furthest from the stairs. "It's Harry and someone else. Female. Red hair."

"That would be Ginerva Weasley," Madam Bones said. "Let's secure them and check to see if they're all right."

Daphne tried to rush into the room, but Madam Bones looked at the group, halting them before they could proceed in.

"Wait here until we declare the place secure—hey, wait! Daphne! Don't rush in!"

Daphne pushed past Madam Bones and ran into the room. There was nothing special about the room itself. It was a plain room with no carpet, gray walls, and a ceiling. There were no furnishings. However, lying in the center of the room were two figures, Harry and Ginny, both of whom lay crumbled on the floor.

"Harry!"

The shout had not come from her, but from Susan. Daphne was almost shocked when the redhead rushed past her and knelt down in front of Harry. She placed a hand on Harry's shoulder as if to rouse him from slumber.

"Harry! Harry, can you hear me? Say something!"

Before Daphne could reach him, before Kingsley could get Susan away from Harry, before anyone could do anything else, strange laughter bubbled from Harry's throat. It was a strange, gurgling laugh, so unlike Harry's normal laughter. Daphne slowed down as she reached him. Standing by Harry's feet, she couldn't contain the rising sense of wrongness as Harry's insane laughter echoed around the room.

And then Harry spoke in a voice that was Harry's but not at the same time.

"You're all too late," he cackled. "This body… is mine!"

Daphne had just enough time to see a flash of red before the entire floor collapsed beneath them.

There are two more chapters left. I hope you all enjoy these last few chapters.