Chapter XI: Secrets of the Manor

They appeared inside the hallway of Malfoy Manor's east wing at precisely half-past eleven in the evening. The house was almost completely silent, except for the distant footsteps and murmurs of the most dangerous people in the country. They couldn't be more than a couple of rooms over, but so long as they made no noise, they would be safe under the invisibility cloak for now.

The group glanced around and sank carefully into the corner of the empty room. Harry noted, as he studied his surroundings, that Malfoy's childhood home looked almost exactly as he had imagined it. The dark oak in its walls was blacker than the night sky. The green trimmings of the carpet and the curtains eerily reminded Harry of the Slytherin Common Room. It was certainly cleaner than he had ever known Grimmauld Place to be, spotless in a way that made the varnish gleam in the moonlight, but it somehow looked more dead than decrepit old home. The pillars of pale stone that reached rigidly up to the ceiling looked more like bones than architecture. There was a corrosive aura to the house that made Harry feel like it hated to be lived in.

He quickly held his watch up to the moonlight, reading the time. The others silently checked theirs, four watches arranged in a circle, all ticking silently together. All at once, the group marked the time left and began to move.

Ron and Angela quickly donned their newest gifts from Fred and George (headless hats that vanished the entire body for a short time) and creeped down the hallway on the tips of their silenced trainers - or 'Sneakers' as the twins called them. They would reach their destination before long, the deepest and most secretive part of the Manor: the dungeons. Harry and Hermione, also wearing 'Sneakers', remained huddled together under the cloak. They raised their copy of the house plan, or the most accurate version Dobby could provide from his many years of being forced to clean every inch, and set off for the drawing room.

The pair ventured through mouth-like hallways packed with antiquities, until they eventually found a set of tall double doors. Just as they were about to reach out and pull on the door knob, the door creaked open. Harry and Hermione jumped out of the way just as Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange ambled through. They looked visibly aged from the last time Harry had come face to face with them, Lucius especially looked worn thin.

"The number of times I've told that boy-!" His unnaturally pale face was boiling with anger.

"Aww, is widdle Dwaco not kicking his pet enough?" Bellatrix cackled behind him. "What would the Dark Lord think?"

They passed behind a corner before Harry could hear the rest of their conversation.

As quietly as they could, they eased the door off the latch and allowed it to swing open. They scanned the room and moved inside once they saw it empty, locking the doors on their way in. They began their search, not sparing a single moment, should a member of Riddle's inner circle come knocking. Once they had sifted through each of the drawers, chests and cabinets and found nothing, they made quick work of the carpets.

The furniture was gently levitated to the corners and the carpets rolled to the side. Under the large green carpet sitting in the middle of the room was a small trapdoor, the entrance to the Malfoys' secret safe room. If there was a Horcrux hidden away anywhere in the house, it would be here. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, before Harry opened the trapdoor and slipped inside.

The room was gaping and musty, more like a hole than a room but then again it wasn't meant to be seen, let alone lived in. The air was dense with dusty and dark magic, so much so it was difficult to breathe. The shadows felt heavy and smothering. A quiet 'lumos' brought allowed Harry a pinprick of light to combat the darkness.

He cautiously examined each of the items in the room, making sure not to touch any of them. There was no telling what kind of magic he was surrounded by, considering that the Malfoys were regulars at Borgin and Burkes.

However, despite the clear and present evil all around him, his scar barely even itched. No matter how hard he searched, he felt nothing except a dawning anxiety. once he was regrettably sure he had searched the entire horde, Harry ventured back up to the living room, where Hermione was guarding the trapdoor. The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up with anticipation. Harry shook his head.

"It's not here."

Her face dropped.

"Are you sure?" she asked, trying to peer around. "I'd know."

The silently restored the room to its original condition. Defeat hung heavy on their shoulders.

"There's nothing here?" she whispered. "It's all for nothing?"

"No…" Harry's eyes trailed around the room. "There has to be something."

At that moment, he felt something heat up in his pocket. He reached a hand in and grasped one of the enchanted coins Hermione had created for them. His eyes shot towards Hermione as the coin buzzed in his hand. A cry for help.

"That's Ron and Angela."

Without a moment's hesitation, they draped the cloak over themselves. With hurried steps, they unlocked the door and slipped out in the hallways. They followed the map to the dungeons, stopping every so often when they heard nearby voices. Harry tried not to think about what kind of danger his friends were in, merely placing one step in front of the other, while keeping Hermione pulled into his side. Now was not the time to get lost, let alone get caught.

As they neared the dungeons, the voices and creaks of footsteps faded and the air grew stale.

Eventually, the ventured down a series of stones steps until they reached a wrought iron door. The lock had been melted away and just inside stood Ron and Angela.

The pair jumped as Harry and Hermione appeared from out of thin air.

"Merlin-!" Ron gasped. Hermione ignored him.

"Are you okay?" she asked, checking them over, her wand drawn.

"Don't worry, we're fine," Angela reassured her before she stepped aside. "But you need to see this."

Inside the dark, dingy dungeon was a group of faces, all of whom Harry recognised. Among them was Ollivander, the old wand maker who had gone missing many months ago. The last time he had seen Ollivander's face were in the few glimpses he'd caught into Riddle's mind. For some reason, Riddle was looking for something, that something that only Grindelwald knew about. From that little information he could garner, it wasn't hard for Harry to figure out what Riddle was so desperate to find. So long as Riddle was distracted with fairy tales, it bought them plenty of time.

However, Ollivander wasn't the only person that caught Harry's attention. Dean Thomas was also amongst the prisoners, looking much thinner than Harry had ever seen him before, but with a smile just as bright as he remembered. Standing just behind him, were two others. One was a goblin Harry vaguely recognised from his first year, Griphook, and beside him, swaddled in a bright blue jumper, was the pale visage they had hoped against hope to find.

"Luna!" Hermione immediately charged forward and hugged the poor girl. "My God, are you okay?"

"Hello, Hermione," Luna replied faintly. "It's lovely to see you again. Have you been captured too?"

"No, Luna. We're going to get you out of here."

"Oh," she murmured. "That's much better. Is… is my father okay?"

Harry looked at the young girl, feeling a swell of anger at the thought of her father now residing in Azkaban.

"He's…" he debated whether or not to tell her, but the sight of Luna's gleaming eyes, bursting with relief, stayed his tongue. "He misses you." He turned to look at each of the faces around him. "It's alright now. We're gonna get you all out of here."

"It's great to see you, Harry," Dean said, slamming his hand against his shoulder in sheer relief.

"It's good to see you too, Dean. How did you end up in a place like this?"

"I ran as soon as the Ministry fell," he explained. "I found Griphook soon after. It was me and him for a long time, as well as Ted Tonks-"

"Ted!" Hermione interrupted, her eyes wide. "He was with you? How is he?"

"He…" Dean frowned, his brow furrowed. "He didn't make it."

The faces of Andromeda and Tonks appeared in Harry's mind. They had held out hope for so long and this was their reward. Just another person he had failed to save.

"At least you survived," Harry reassured him, "focus on that."

Dean nodded, not entirely convinced.

"How the hell did you guys get here?" he asked.

"Well," Harry smiled. "It wasn't just us. Dobby!"

The air cracked and the small House Elf materialised in an instant.

"Harry Potter called- Oh," Dobby stopped as he noticed the small crowd that was now staring at him in surprise. "Hello!"

"It looks like it'll be more than just us who need a lift home," Harry told him. "Can you get this many people in and out without anyone noticing?"

At this, Dobby stood a little taller and puffed out his chest until it nearly touched his nose.

"Dobby won't disappoint Harry Potter, sir!"

"Where are you taking us?" Griphook finally spoke.

"A safe place," Hermione replied. "We have a floo that's off the books. It'll take you over the channel."

"Wait," Ollivander piped up, grabbing Harry's arm. "There's someone else, a girl. She's been here almost as long as I have."

As he spoke, Angela suddenly appeared and took his shaking hand.

"Who was it? What was her name? What did she look like?"

"I- I don't know. She wasn't with me for very long and I didn't get a good look at her. They…" Ollivander's wrinkled face paled, "They hurt her very badly, but the last I heard she was still here, in the house. I don't know if she's alive but…. but please, you must rescue her if you can. I dread to think what they've done to her since."

Harry glanced at Hermione, who silently asked the same question: why would they separate the prisoners? Unless… this as who the leak was talking. Perhaps this prisoner was the one would turn the tide of the war.

"Dobby," Harry asked, "are there other cells in the house?"

"None," the house elf replied, "but if I is remembering correctly, they might have her in the servants quarters."

"They'll be on the East side of the house," Hermione noted.

"How do you know that?" Harry asked.

"The servants would have to rise the earliest. They'll have windows facing the morning sun."

At this, Dobby nodded and Harry was once again glad that his lover was as brilliant as she was.

"Okay, Hermione and I will check the servants quarters," he announced. "If she's there, we'll get her out. In the meantime, Dobby, take the rest of them back to camp. Come back for us last."

"Woah, wait, what about us?" Angela interjected. "Why can't we come too?" "Because we need you here to protect them in case things goes south."

"Harry-" Ron tried to protest.

"We're wasting time as it is," Hermione stopped him in his tracks. "Can we count on you?"

"Course you can," Ron replied. Angela, however, was clearly still eager to argue.

"I want to come!"

"Angela-"

"No! No, what if it's-" She choked. "What if it's her?"

Harry stared at the smaller girl, suddenly recognising the rabid look in her eye, before Hermione reached out and hugged her.

"Then we'll bring her home," she whispered. She pulled away and locked eyes with the other girl, a silent solidarity passed between. "But right I need you to be strong."

The longing in Angela's face didn't quite dim but alongside it was a determination that made her stand just a little taller.

"Okay," she said, glancing at them both. "Okay. We'll see you at home."

Harry nodded, turned to Hermione and readied the cloak. "You ready?"

The brunette pressed herself against him, her wand ready to point them East.

"Always."

With a flourish, they disappeared and soon the sounds of the dungeon were behind them.

The servants quarters were but a few minutes from the dungeons, but far enough where there was hardly any shared space between them. Clearly the Malfoys wanted their servants out of sight as much as their prisoners. They came across a hallway lined with doors, the wood and stone surrounding them pale and dry. On one of the doors, a small viewing grill and a cat flap had been fitted. It reminded Harry eerily of the summer before his second year at the Dursleys, of a bedroom turned into a makeshift prison, and he knew immediately they had found the right place.

Hermione waved her wand across the door, revealing a multitude of complicated charms attached to the lock. Whoever was behind this door, the Malfoys had made damn sure to keep them there.

"Can you get us in?" Harry whispered.

"There are rune carvings on the doorframe," she surmised. "All tied to a key. Without that we-"

She went silent as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. Harry grabbed Hermione and pulled them to the side as a head of blonde hair rounded the corner. They disappeared into the shadows of an alcove, just as Draco Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew arrived at the door. Harry had to slide his hand into Hermione's to stop himself from cursing the rat there and then.

Pettigrew handed Draco a large, brass key, which the young Malfoy inserted into the lock and twisted. The door clicked and thunked as lock after invisible lock disengaged and the door swung open. Sensing their opportunity, Harry carefully manoeuvred them past Draco into the cell just as the blonde stepped inside.

The room was cramped and dull, with bare walls and dusty floorboards. It had one window, blocked by iron bars. Sitting on a cot in the corner, wrapped into a tattered blanket, was a young woman barely a few years older than themselves. Her face was hard and tired, dark rings circled her eyes. She was painfully thin, likely from having been starved. Tips of dirty dyed red hair face in front of her hair, the strands turning to a light brown as they travelled to her scalp. There was something about her that Harry found almost familiar and not just because he knew exactly what it felt like to be starved, imprisoned and forgotten.

"Close the door," Draco drawled. "I want at least twenty minutes with the mudblood this time."

Pettigrew nodded and obeyed. The sounds of clicks and thunks echoed in the dank room as the door was relocked it from the other side. All sound from beyond the door fell away, undoubtedly from a silencing charm. There was no way out. Harry and Hermione were now trapped with Draco and his prisoner.

The moment the door was locked, Draco reached into his jacket pocket. Harry was about to draw his wand, expecting the worse, when he saw that it wasn't a wand in Draco's hand. It was an apple.

"Eat," he urged her, reaching out with genuine concern. The woman frantically grabbed the apple and devoured it with little care for etiquette. "Try to make it last."

Even with the need for silence, Harry wasn't sure he could speak if he wanted to. What the hell was going on?

Despite Draco's plea, the girl hardly relented from her meagre meal.

"Is the Cruciatus medicine working?"

She gave him an exhausted glare to which Draco quickly shut up.

The two sat in silence until the apple was almost completely gone. Draco vanished the wafer-thin core as the woman merely examined him from her corner.

"What's wrong?" she finally spoke, her voice hoarse and deep from lack of use.

Draco glared at the floorboard. His shoulders drooped.

"They want me to kill you."

The young woman blinked as if the news were hardly surprising.

"They've wanted you to kill me for six months."

"This time it's serious. I've run out of excuses and they know it." Draco palmed his wand. "Unless you give me information now, you'll be dead before midnight."

"Well, that's a shame, because I'm not giving you diddly-shit."

"It won't be quick."

"Then kill me now."

The two locked eyes. Draco swallowed, a bead of what trickled down his brow.

"I- Well, I-"

"Yeah," the woman sighed. "I thought so."

"We just need a little more time, days at most."

"Why?" the young woman laughed. "What difference is it gonna make? No one's coming for me, Draco."

"They will."

"They don't even know I'm here."

"They know something's here."

The young woman glared at Draco, her head tilted to the side to expose a vicious read line around her neck.

"What did you do?"

Draco sheepishly fidgeted in on the spot. He removed his jacket, placing it on the back of the rickety wooden chair beside the bed, and landed in its seat.

"I may have told them there's a valuable asset here that could win them the war."

The thoughts in Harry's head came screaming to a halt. The air left his lungs. His hands tightened around Hermione.

Draco was the leak the whole time. This woman, whoever this woman was, was the asset they had broken in for. Not a Horcrux, not a weapon, not even information. A woman whom he had never heard of. Harry swayed on the spot. He had brought them all here for nothing. Very soon the Malfoys would find an empty dungeon, they would know their fortress was no longer safe. Riddle would know they were looking for something.

It wasn't all for nothing, at least they had found their friends, people who needed saving, and now this poor woman, but it didn't change the fact that they had been brought here by a lie. They had played their hand early. An opportunity like this would never come around again. And it was all because of Draco Malfoy.

The young woman's eyes sharpened into fine points, piercing him like needles.

"Why the hell did you do that, you idiot?!"

"Excuse you," Draco argued, "I'm trying to save your life!"

"I'm not worth saving! And now you're going to bring them here for nothing, you stupid, selfish prick!"

"Selfish?! You think it's easy for me to lie constantly? To my own family-"

"Don't you talk to me about family, Draco!" she spat, her voice seethed with venom. "You're the reason I'm in here in the first place and why Angela's out there all by herself!"

Harry had to cover Hermione's mouth to stop her from audibly gasping. He bit his own tongue to avoid doing the same. His emerald eyes were open so wide, they may have rolled out of his head. Suddenly, Harry realised why this girl looked so familiar. Sitting in front of them, staring at Draco with a glare that could freeze fire, was Eve, Angela's missing sister.

After all this time, Harry was sure she must have been dead or in Azkaban. What the hell was she doing in Malfoy Manor? Why had Draco kept her here all this time? And why was he trying so desperately to keep her alive? Enough to leak a message to the resistance? Unless…

"I helped her escape," Draco shouted, "unless you've forgotten!"

"By giving her your own broom!" Eve shouted back. "By paying me with your family's money! All of which led them straight back to me!"

It all made sense now. Draco was the mysterious Death Eater who'd had his dark mark removed, the one who was defecting from Riddle. The Nimbus 2001 that Angela had taken to escape was Draco's very own. And of course a family as wealthy as the Malfoys could afford to drop a thousand galleons out of pocket. Except, apparently, Draco didn't realise a sum of money that large wouldn't go unnoticed. How could he when all his life he had more than money he would ever need? When that money had never been spent on anything other than himself?

"They were going to kill you the day they brought you here and I stopped them!" Draco fumed. "I'm the only reason that you're alive!"

"Well thank you, Draco," Eve replied with a complete lack of sincerity, "for delaying my death for the last eight months so your buddies had plenty of time to torture and starve me instead."

"It could have been much worse," he said, "believe me."

Eve sighed in disbelief.

"God, you're a prick."

"I'm serious. They could have given you to my aunt instead."

"Does she like using the Cruciatus too?"

"Only when she's feeling nice."

"Sounds like she got the balls in the family."

For the first time since he entered the room, Draco smiled.

"Probably."

The pair fell silent, the spark of levity crushed by the dawning reality that sat just behind that door. For all they knew, Eve was going to die and despite Draco's best efforts, there was nothing they could do. Harry had never seen Draco so utterly defeated. It should have given him great satisfaction, and it might have if he were a younger man, but right now the image of his school bully wallowing in quiet misery brought him nothing but pity.

"Why did you save me?" Eve said, breaking the fragile silence. Draco looked at her in confusion.

"I've told you why," he said brusquely.

"You've told me some rubbish about how I'm more useful alive," Eve replied. "The same excuse you give them. But you haven't told me the truth."

It was rare to see Draco Malfoy at a loss for words. Often he would say whatever came to his mind with little care for the consequences, for that was the luxury of Draco's world. Or it used to be. Somehow, Eve was able to cut straight through the layers of bluster Draco wrapped himself in, exposing the scared boy underneath like a nerve. Harry almost considered turning away. It felt wrong for him to see Draco so deeply vulnerable.

"Because you're right," he said. "I am a prick. I'm… I'm a coward and I always have been. Saving your life that day is the one decent thing I've ever done. I don't want to mess that up too."

There was a long stretch of quiet, the words sat in the musty air and settled against the floorboards, perhaps the first honest words Draco had ever uttered to another living being. Until there was another, a strange laughter, hoarse and bewildered. Eve's laughter.

"You're so weird," she shook her head. Draco merely stared at her, clearly offended.

"Excuse you?" he said. Eve gave him a look that seemed to console him somewhat.

"It's just," she paused, shifting closer on the cot, "everything you do just makes me understand you less."

Draco shifted in his seat, his eyes drifting to the floor. He took a deep breath and released it.

"Me too."

All of a sudden, the locks on the door began to shift. Harry and Hermione jumped, squeezing against the wall. Draco stood up at once. He pulled his cuffs outwards, making sure to cover his arm. Eve scrambled back into the corner, sitting up straight with a defiant face. The door opened and Draco shouted through the gap.

"I told you twenty minutes!"

"Pardon the intrusion, Draco," an oily voice swept into the room, followed swiftly by Lucius Malfoy. Draco stood frozen like a statue. His pale face somehow lost even more colour, until he looked half-dead. "However, I wouldn't have interrupted if I believed you could handle this mudblood all by yourself."

"Father-"

"Don't-" Lucius growled. Draco flinched, shrinking into himself under his father's glare. "You don't understand how much trouble you're in, do you, boy? They think you're helping her. They think my own son would rather spend his time down here with this- this thing than with his own family!"

"I've been trying to get her to talk."

"Oh, spare me, I heard it all. Do you think I'm stupid, Draco? I know that mark on your arm is a fake." Draco's eyes glanced down to his arm for a moment, before fixing on his father. Harry had never seen the boy so afraid. "Your mother and I have had to move mountains to keep it a secret and your obsession with this degenerate has only made it more difficult."

"I've told you she had valuable information, I'm so close to-"

"WAKE UP, DRACO!" his father bellowed. "She doesn't matter! The Dark Lord doesn't care about one mudblood and whatever she might know. He thinks there's a spy in his order and everything points to YOU!"

Lucius' face contorted into a ghoulish shape, not just in anger but a fear beyond even Draco's. The calmest person in the room was Eve, silently staring into nothing. She knew there was no escape. All that was going through her head was that she was going to die and there was nothing she could do. Harry had seen that face in the mirror too many times to not recognise it.

"Which is why," Lucius said in a voice that brokered not argument, "you're going to kill her, right now."

Harry tapped Hermione's wand, wedged in a holster by her pocket. He felt her nod against him. Her hand grasped the handle.

"No, father-"

"And then you're going to bring her body to the Dark Lord," he continued, "for him to do as he pleases. And you'll beg for his forgiveness."

"Please…"

"It's okay, Draco." Angela spoke for the first time since Lucius entered the room. "It's alright."

The elder Malfoy rounded on the girl.

"Silence!" he roared. He looked on the verge of killing her himself, but both he and Angela knew her life was not his to take. Not when Draco's life depended on it. Drawing up to his full height, Lucius stepped aside. "Go ahead, Draco."

The boy's numb fingers reach into his pocket and took out his wand. He looked at his father and back to Eve, caught between them like a fly in a web, looking for an ounce of mercy where there was none to be found.

"Do it."

Eve stared him dead in the eye. She knew he couldn't do it and so did he.

"Kill her."

Even as Draco raised wand, aiming it right at her head, words wouldn't leave his mouth. The point of his weapon visibly shook in his hand.

"I said kill her!"

The boy flinched. He waved his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Nothing happened. No light, not even a spark. There was a eternity of tense silence. Lucius stared down at his shivering son with visible disgust and a realisation set in. There was no curse that left his wand because there was nothing to power it. No matter what his father demanded of him, Draco couldn't conjure the hatred required to take Eve's life. He couldn't cast the spell even if he wanted to.

"How very disappointing," he drawled. Draco had no words to defend himself. He merely stared at the young woman in front of him, at her perfectly natural face and shimmering eyes, thinking about how they ultimately doomed each other.

With a huff, Lucius slid his wand from his cane and pushed his son aside. "I suppose I'll have to do it myself."

His levelled his wand between Eve's eyes and Draco cried out.

"No!"

Just as Lucius was about to cast the spell, Harry was ready with one of his own.

Stupefy.

The eldest Malfoy flew across the room and into the far wall. His body crumpled into a heap on the floor, just as Hermione's spell collided with Draco. Before Angela could even register what was happening, both Malfoys were unconscious on the floorboards. Just as she was about to scream, Harry removed the cloak and Hermione rushed to her.

"Eve!" she called. "Eve, it's alright, we're here to rescue you!"

Eve immediately fell quiet, staring at Hermione with wide eyes.

"You're… you're Hermione Granger," she gasped and then she smiled. "My sister loves you. But what are you…?" She looked up at Harry and her bewilderment turned to awe. "Harry Potter…"

"Yep, that's me," Harry smirked. He glanced down at Lucius' unconscious body, fighting the urge to spit on it. "We're here to bring you home."

Eve glanced at the two of them, as if she didn't dare to believe that the nightmare was over. Then her body wilted. In one breath, she released months of horror and pain that she had buried deep down.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I thought I was going to- BEHIND YOU!"

But it was too late. Before Harry could turn around, a cold, metal hand grasped around his neck. Its digits dug into his skin, crushing his windpipe and he gasped in agony.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed. Her wand was out in front of her in the blink of an eye. "Let him go, Pettigrew, or I swear to God-!"

"Uh-uh," Peter grinned. "You come any closer and he dies." The rat tightened his grip to prove his point. Harry fought for a gasp of air but nothing came. Excruciating pain ripped through his throat as metal dug into his neck.

Hermione gripped her wand so tight her fingers turned white. Her brown eyes gazed into his. Harry gave her a silent nod, or as much a nod as he could. Reluctantly, she lowered her wand. Pettigrew grinned. His beady eyes swept across each of them, glinting from their dark sockets. The metal hand loosed its grip, just slightly.

"What a prize for my lord and master. Not only his greatest enemy, but his best friend and the traitor who lived right under his nose." He screamed out of the open door, echoing down the hallway. "Down here! Intruders with the prisoner!"

Not a few seconds later, the sounds of footsteps came rumbling towards them. They had but minutes.

"Peter!" Harry wheezed." You don't have to do this!"

"Oh, but I do. Don't you see? It's useless to fight him."

The footsteps were getting clearer, racing down stairs and across the floorboards above. They had no time. Harry looked at the love of his life and she stared back.

"Hermione," Harry cried, "get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you!" she cried back.

"Oh, no, you won't," Peter chortled, squeezing Harry's neck. "I'm sure the Dark Lord will have lots of fun with you both."

"I saved your life, Peter," Harry growled, fighting against him, but the metal hand wouldn't budge an inch.

"That was your mistake, Harry. The same mistake your father made."

"No, it's yours. You owe me."

A door opened somewhere nearby. Voices were echoing around them, just barely audible over the oncoming stampede. He couldn't get free. He wasn't going to escape. But at least he could give Hermione the information she needed.

"What's the last Horcrux, Peter?" Harry growled. "Where is it?"

Pettigrew's withered face drooped..

"How did you-?" he shut his mouth tight. "I can't-"

"Tell me!"

"He'll kill me," the coward pleaded. "Please don't make me-"

"Harry," Hermione screamed, "they're coming!"

The footsteps were nearly upon them. They were but seconds away.

"Last chance, Peter!"

The rat murmured, trying to resist, but his mouth was working against him. His life was no longer his and he knew it.

"B- Bellatrix," he stuttered. "He gave it to B- Bellatrix. It's in her v-vault in Gringotts."

The moment the words left his mouth, his hand loosened from Harry's neck and latched onto his own. Harry gasped for air as Riddle's gift constricted around Peter's windpipe, crushing the life out of the man. Not a few moments later, there was a loud crack and Peter fell still.

Harry knew he should have felt something but there was time for that later.

He rummaged through Peter's pockets as fast as he could. The footsteps were getting closer and closer, louder and louder. Harry's fingers frantically searched the man's tattered robes until he felt something brass. He immediately threw the keys to Hermione. They slammed the door shut just as a cloaked figure was about to walk through. With a hurried turn of the key, the door was locked, sealing them inside.

"We need to get out of here," Hermione gasped.

"Dobby!" Harry called and the house-elf dutifully appeared. "We need to leave, is everyone else out?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir."

"Then let's go. Take us three."

"No!" Eve exclaimed. She pointed to Draco's unconscious body. "Take him too!"

"We're not here for him," Hermione argued.

Eve pinned her with a glare that made Harry's hair stand on end.

"They'll kill him if he stays!"

A violent blast rattled the door. Clearly, the Death Eaters had realised that the key was inside. Now, they were attempting brute force. The door barely hung onto its hinges. Harry figured they had a few seconds before they broke through. Making a split second decision, he shot forward and grabbed hold of Draco's body. Harry's fingers closed around his hand as the door exploded off its hinges.

They were gone not a moment too soon.