The team reappeared in a well-lit cavern that seemed to be freshly mined. They looked around them, gauging which direction they should go in. "Well, at least there are only two options to take. Should we flip a coin? Seems the easiest way to choose which direction we go in," Ron suggested.
"Or we could just do a spell that tells us…" Ginny cut herself off when they heard laughter echo through the cavern. "That was convenient, let's follow the laughter."
The team agreed and ran down the hall. Not realizing that they were standing in front of the door that led to where Hermione was being kept.
The group drew closer to the laughter and came upon two large doors. When they got close enough, they saw that there was a giant blue man sitting on a huge throne while watching as some jester danced around in front of him. "Is that Lucius dancing for that giant?" Luna asked.
Narcissa stared at the dancing figure, only to quickly retreat back behind the wall, away from the door. The others followed her to her hiding spot. "So is that him?" Ron asked.
Narcissa covered her mouth to stifle her laughter at the scene she had witnessed, but nodded that it was him. "That is him. Without a doubt in my mind. I would love to know how that creature is capable of making him perform like that," She choked out between fits of laughter.
"I have to say, I also wouldn't mind knowing how that happened. I wonder if he is conscious while doing those stunts right now. If he is, that would make this scene even better," Draco chimed in.
"Either way, we have to find a way to get him out while keeping that giant occupied." Ginny said.
Ron had a thoughtful look on his face as he walked back to the scene and watched for a few moments longer, gauging the situation with a more tactful mindset. He returned with a determined look on his face. "Madame Black, I have some questions for you. Do you have any more of those polyjuice potions that don't have your hair in them?"
"I do actually, why do you ask?" Narcissa asked as she started to calm down from her laughing.
"I have a half-hatched plan. I think that if we can get some of Lucius' hair and sweat, I can disillusion myself, take the potion when the time is right, and then you guys can disillusion Lucius, float him out here, and figure a way to get him to reveal where 'Mione is."
"Are you out of your mind? How are you going to keep that beast entertained when he clearly has brainwashed Lucius into thinking that he is a gymnast and has him dancing around like a lunatic?" Ginny grilled.
"I have been keeping up on my physical training, thanks to Mione teaching me new things whenever she returned from her travels. I think I can keep him entertained until you get 'Mione. Besides, with how many times that she kept us alive during the war, it's the least I can do for her now. So we're going to have to time this just right," he said with a lopsided grin.
They went back to the door. Narcissa was able to pull some hair and sweat from Lucius and put it in one of her polyjuice potions.
Ron disillusioned himself, as well as cast a soft-step spell. He got close to where Lucius was and watched what he was doing. He then noticed a pattern to his moves and waited until the giant closed his eyes, laughing, before Ron executed his plan. Ron took the potion, transfigured his clothes to match Lucius', and waited for his moment, which came when the giant fell into a fit of laughter.
The others cast simultaneous spells of disillusionment, petrificus totalus, featherlight charm, and wingardium leviosa, and began to float Lucius out of the door and down the hall before taking off the disillusionment. They hoped that Ron could handle his end of the plan, as they woke Lucius out of his trance.
"What is going on? How did I get here?" Lucius said in an annoyed voice while lying on the ground.
"You've traded one prison keeper for another, father," Draco sighed.
"Indeed. Now we require you to tell us where Hermione is," Narcissa said, voice icy.
"What if I refuse to tell you? I could also lie to you," he said with a sneer.
"If I were you, I would do yourself a favor and not play games with us. Unlike during the war, we were holding back our punches. I won't be so lenient this time," Ginny said as she bent down and placed her wand against Lucius' neck for emphasis.
"How dare you threaten me! I am Lucius Malfoy, a pureblood and high born. Who are you, but a lowly nobody? And why must all of you resort to violence?!" Lucius said indignantly.
"Because you've shown that it is the only incentive to get you to do anything worthwhile, besides helping yourself, of course. You have no room to talk about being a pureblood either, Lucius, she's more pureblood than you are and has every right to deal with you as she sees fit. So I wouldn't press your luck by pretending that you are in a position of any kind of authority right now," Narcissa said with a sigh.
"I see your wit hasn't tempered off with age, unlike your looks, Narcissa. Can't imagine what that pathetic excuse of an alpha must see in you. Must be soft in the head if she finds you even remotely attractive. Tell me, ex-wife, what could possibly appeal to such a dimwitted alpha? Is it that she's easily manipulated? The fact that she's weak and trainable? Honestly, what do you see in her?" Lucius said with a sneer as he stood up from the ground to make himself seem bigger.
"I don't owe you any explanation about who I spend my time with. We're dissolved and that means that you have no hold over me, in any aspect of the word. What I will tell you is that you are a small, insignificant ant in comparison to the person that Hermione is. In all the ways that you lack as a person and partner she makes up for in spades. So if you are trying to get a rise out of me with your petty attempts, they won't work. Because I couldn't care less what you think of me and Hermione. Either show us the way to where Hermione is of your own free will, or I'll draw it out of your head painfully myself and send you back into that room with that giant to do with you as he pleases, for however long you entertain him. Your choice," Narcissa said as she poked him in the chest for emphasis.
Lucius sighed in resignation and began to walk down the cavern in the direction that they had arrived. They followed behind him quietly, making sure to keep an eye out for any enemies. They came to an ornate door that he opened for them. They stepped in and Narcissa was almost consumed with the putrid scent of aggressive alpha in the air. "Merlin, what is that smell? Why is this room saturated in the scent of aggressive alpha?" Narcissa asked as she quickly cast a bubble head charm to breathe easier.
"You were the one that was supposed to be kidnapped, not your himbo lover. This entire room was designed with you in mind. Mostly to keep you complacent and docile until you were needed," He smirked.
The group angrily started to swarm him, only for Narcissa to raise a hand for them to stop. She smiled at him sweetly, as if she were appreciative of his efforts. She softly caressed his cheek, moving her hand to his ear, where she curled her pointer finger around the back of his ear and pierced the middle curve of his ear with her thumb, painfully twisting her wrist and forcing him down to his knees before her. He hissed through clenched teeth as his knees slowly met the floor. "I must admit, Lucretia, I didn't think it was possible for you to be any more ignorant, but here I stand corrected. It always amazed me, the capabilities you seem to always muster to top yourself in how simple-minded you can be. Why in the universe would this room make me docile or complacent? Honestly, you really are dim-witted. It's a wonder that you were able to give me a child at all, with your incompetence," she chastised, turning to the rest of the group.
"Now that we know where Hermione is, Luna and I will work on waking her up while you two and…him, will work on trying to find where the other betas are and see about breaking them free and sending them home," Narcissa said, as she looked down at Lucius in disgust. He started to open his mouth to speak what she knew to be something of a protest, but after receiving a quick glare, he shut his mouth once more.
Draco stepped up beside her, grabbed his father by the collar, and dragged him outside with Ginny hot on his heels.