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Harry Potter And The Game of Death
Level 1
Chapter Forty: Breakout
Dust filled the air. Submerged in its cloud, Harry hacked and coughed as it covered him. Still, a smile graced his lips as he looked over his handiwork with a wheezed out Lumos; risky though it had been, the tunnel's entrance was well and truly buried. No way would anything be getting through all that rubble anytime soon.
"You foolish, idiotic child! You could have killed us all with that spell!"
Harry gave Lucious Malfoy an indifferent shrug as the man yelled at him. "It was that or leave our backs open to attack. And I knew I could make it work."
"Perhaps. But there were other, less suicidal, ways to do it," the pale-haired man fumed between hacked out coughs of his own.
The poor visibility from the dust made it hard to see, especially with his glasses getting coated in the stuff, but Harry could make out enough to tell where the man was standing. Feeling a distinct lack of time to bicker with the elder Malfoy, Harry shoved his way past. "More importantly, Malfoy," Harry managed in between coughs, "we need to continue moving. Can I count on your assistance to leave this bloody hellhole your friends created?"
"Until we leave this place, I will do what I must in order to survive. Whatever that may entail. And I do not care for your vile insinuations, boy; the people who started this foul event are no friends of mine and will most certainly face my wrath upon my escape."
Harry stifled a derisive snort. Seriously, neither father nor son ever changed; whenever something hit too close to home, they would inevitably deny, lie, and attempt to intimidate.
That said, Harry had spent enough time around the man's son to know how to read between the lines.
"So… you're pissed off at those Death Eaters for not tipping you off in advance and are willing to team up with me for the time being, right?" Harry said roughly. "That's fine. So long as you understand I'm the one calling the shots. Is that clear?"
Lucius looked around them, eyes roving over the huddled groups of witches and wizards talking to one another in the cloudy light of their wands. Most glanced towards Harry with hopeful eyes, with only a handful looking towards the elder Malfoy.
Public opinion within the tunnel, it would seem, favoured Harry.
Seeing that, the man grimaced and nodded in assent. "You have my support for now, child. But remember that I am no Dumbledore. And if you pull one more reckless and unhinged stunt which puts my life in danger, then I will make certain this stone tunnel becomes your tomb."
"I'll keep that in mind," Harry replied neutrally. "Now, with that settled, let's move to the front. I might not like you, but I know you well enough to want your wand nearby in case we meet something even nastier than you."
Without waiting for a response, Harry started to make his way through the crowded corridor.
It was slow going. The tight confines of the tunnel had forced the dozens of survivors to clump up in bunches, while the dust from the ceiling's collapse was still getting into their lungs and causing everyone to cough. A spell probably could fix it, but Harry had no idea which one to use.
He mentioned it to Lucius who, with a sneer, gave a silent wave of his wand. A gust of wind sprang into being which grabbed the cloud of dust and pushed it further into the tunnel, coating the walls and floor with its residue. Harry wiped his glasses on the inner lining of his robes to clean them now that no new gunk would get placed on them.
"Hogwarts truly has become inept if they aren't teaching you simple spells like this," Lucius sneered.
"I doubt that's the case," Harry said tartly, seeing as how Lucius hadn't thought to use the spell until prompted. "But if that is true, I'd blame the Board of Governors for not giving the teachers the resources they need to do their job properly. Since you're on that board, you should probably do something about that."
Lucius undoubtedly rolled his eyes at Harry's response, but the two of them reached the front of the group before the man could reply. And with that, Harry's attention focused on the two people who were there.
Cho was pale faced and trembling, silky black hair covered in a thick layer of dust. But her eyes were sharp and alert as she raised her wand to illuminate the tunnel ahead, so Harry hoped she was beginning to adapt to the situation. At her side, Bronwen was wiping away a caked mixture of blood and dust from her face as she too kept her wand trained ahead. But it looked like the blood was not her own, so Harry didn't worry about her.
A whispered 'Observe' at the tunnel's mouth showed no immediate sign of danger. And though he caught Lucius staring at him, Harry ignored the man. Giving away any sign of the Game of Death's abilities, let alone its existence, to a known enemy was dangerous. But refusing to use it when his life and the lives of others were already in mortal peril would have been stupid.
"How's it look ahead?" Harry asked.
"Quiet," Bronwen replied. "Aside from a few little beasties when we first entered, there's been no sign of anything else. I think they entered the same way we did and just double backed once they heard us run inside."
Possibly. That did make sense given that they had yet to see one of those glowing green portals in the tunnel. But in his short life Harry had been in enough dangerous situations to know how quickly things could turn around for the worse and knew not to assume too much when it came to deadly obstacles in the wizarding world. "For now, we'll assume you're right. Though we'll probably encounter more creatures the further in we go."
"I had the same thought," Bronwen muttered darkly. "There're much too many ways into this tunnel system to escape them completely. But you have a plan to get us past anything we encounter, right?"
"I do."
"Then let's hear it, oh Boy-Who-Lived," Lucius grated out. "It would be unwise to move further until we possess a plan of action."
Ignoring the dig at his unwanted title, Harry crouched and used the tip of his wand to scribble in the dust coating the floor. "We have too many people to make for the smaller stadium exits without splitting up… and even if we did, doing that would probably be suicide for most people anyway, so that's not an option."
"We should consider all options, Potter. So why are you already removing that one from the list?"
"Because our goal should be to keep as many people alive as possible, Malfoy. And to do that, we'll need to reach one of the stadium's four main gates. Once there, we can assess the situation in the surrounding area from the relative safety their thick walls and overhead cover provide."
"That won't be enough. Since Portkeys and Apparating aren't working, we will need to leave the boundaries of the Stadium's wards if we hope to survive." Lucius' lip curled as he stared at Harry's crude drawing. "How do you plan to do that?"
"That part I'm still working on. But I'll think of something by the time we make it to one of the gates."
"Fantastic," the man drawled sarcastically. "I am filled with confidence."
Harry let it pass without comment. What he had left unsaid was that he planned to use the Game of Death's 'Party' feature to contact Sirius and the others along the way and try to coordinate with them. Together, they should be able to come up with some method to escape this place and bring everyone along with them. Though he would need to be careful and time his use of it carefully; letting Lucius see Harry use 'Observe' wasn't too risky since that feature could be passed off as a spell, but letting the man see Harry use any of the Game's other abilities could only lead to a bad end for Harry in the future.
Continuing to speak, he drew a series of lines to simulate the tunnel and poked dots inside of it. "While we walk, Lucius and I will form the vanguard. Then I want Cho, Malcom, and Annabelle to follow several steps behind; they'll serve as backup and cover any branch tunnels we might pass on the way."
"A rather sensible plan given our tight quarters. I approve. But rather than that little girl, I would recommend an associate of mine be placed in her stead." Lucius gave a slight huff as he looked Cho over. "You may have some smidgeon of skill with a wand, Potter, but I would rather we not have two students in such an important role."
After giving Cho a quick look and receiving a tired nod in reply, Harry decided to concede the point; it was, after all, less about Cho's skill and more about Lucius wanting to assert some manner of control over the situation. "We'll make the switch. But stick close to the front, Cho, in case you're needed after all."
Harry wanted to keep the girl nearby. If Cho were to go any further, he wasn't sure he could protect her should something attack the group from a side tunnel along the way. And while he had yet to sort out his feelings regarding her, let alone whatever it was he felt for Hermione or the ones his searing kiss with Ginny had stirred up earlier, Harry knew that losing Cho to this madness would cut him deeper than any knife.
After watching the girl make her way over to a man who looked to be her father, Harry resumed marking the dust. "Next, we'll have the main group. I think I counted eighty or so people on my way up here. They should move in bunches of three or five, preferably with at least one person who possesses combat abilities paired up with those who aren't so confident in their abilities. We can probably take a few minutes to rest here, treat any wounds people have, and find out whether there are any particularly skilled wand users among us."
"Alright. That'll take some time to organize, so I'll head out and take care of it now," Bronwen said quietly. The bluff-faced woman brushed some dust out of her hair as she stood from where she had crouched to look at Harry's drawing. "I'm guessing you'll want Alistair and myself in the rearguard?"
"Yes. Along with three or four others you think can handle the pressure. Once we start walking past junctions, there'll always be a chance that something comes at us from behind even if we seal them."
"Sounds good. I'll let people know the plan as I move down the line. Just keep up the good work, Harry, and I know you'll get us home safely."
Conference ended, the three of them split apart. Bronwen made her way down the line, while Lucius went to his son and began to speak in a whisper. Seeing them occupied, Harry turned his back on the group and opened the Game's messaging feature. There was a lot of work to do and not much time to do it.
The floor rumbled beneath Hermione's feet.
Ordinarily this would be cause for concern when high up in a stadium. But at the moment it was among the least of a great many concerns. For from her spot in Sirius' skybox, Hermione watched in horrified silence the scene of madness taking place before her eyes.
Person fought against person to move half a step closer to an exit. Children were trampled underfoot. All while those stuck on the edges of the crowd were torn limb from limb by creatures she had only read about in books.
It was like one of the terrible scenes from the books she had been reading all summer had been brought to life. And for perhaps the first time since the Game of Death had come into Harry's life, Hermione began to get a sense of the grand scale involved.
As for why she was still in the skybox… the truth of the matter was that it was the safest option available. The room's glass, Charmed by Remus to be harder than steel, had repulsed the monstrous crows and several other flying monstrosities. While the room's door, similarly spelled by the Hogwarts Professor, had shuddered more than once when something – or somethings – had tried to break inside.
Hermione doubted she would be able to survive in that mess for very long on her own. Not against a horde of creatures capable of taking out full-fledged wizards and witches like they were nothing. Which meant all she could do was send Harry and the other members of his 'Party' a message stating she was in the skybox… and wait for rescue, like some damned damsel in distress.
So when the sound of furious knocking came from the suite's door, Hermione could not be blamed for jumping into the air like a scalded cat and yelling out a panicked, "Who's there?"
"Hermione! Thank Merlin you're still here. It's me, Ron; you need to open the door! Some of the creatures are after us and I don't know how long my dad and the others can hold them off."
Ron! Hermione would know his voice anywhere; the boy and the rest of his siblings had been on the way to her before everything had gone wrong and must have picked up their father along the way.
Almost gasping in relief, she rushed to open the door. "Hold on a tick. Professor Lupin spelled it before he left. It'll take me a moment to lower the wards long enough to get you inside."
"Well hurry up! We've got company and-" Ron's voice cut off in a grunt. When it came back, the boy sounded even more desperate than before. "Ginny, get the one up high! I'll get the others off' Fred and George!"
Fumbling in her haste to undo the spells in the proper sequence Remus had taught her, Hermione cursed under her breath. Her wand hand, normally so steady, messed up the proper motions twice before she got it right.
When she finally managed to undo the spells and step through the door, Hermione saw a scene nearly as chaotic as the one from the Skybox' viewing pane.
Fred and George were wrestling with a pair of Erklings that had jumped on their backs while a desperate Ron struggled to blast them off without hurting either twin. Ginny was brandishing her wand at some snakelike creature with legs that clung to the ceiling, firing spells at it while the creature spat gobs of poisonous looking liquid back. While Mr. Weasley, Andromeda, and Dedalus faced down a pair of gargoyles whose massive wings and curved horns tore at the large corridor's fancy wooden walls and vaulted ceiling.
Faced with this sight Hermione froze. But she quickly regained her clarity of mind and jumped into action.
First, she waved her wand at the snakelike creature battling Ginny. A dead-on Petrificus Totalus stopped it in place long enough for a Blasting Curse from the redhead to snuff out its life. Then Hermione popped over to Ron and, with his sister's help, first freed one twin and then the other from their miniature tormentors. A pair of stunning hexes had the things safely immobilized, by which point the three adults had finished off their own opponents as well.
With a moment to breath, Hermione quickly ushered everyone back into the Skybox so they could take stock of the situation in relative safety.
"What are all of you doing together?" was the first question Hermione asked as she shut the door. "Mrs. Tonks, I thought you and Mr. Diggle were investigating something in another section of the stadium?"
"We were," replied the statuesque woman as she brushed Gargoyle dust from her finely tailored robes. "But when Arthur ran past us, clearly in haste and with all his children in tow, we figured our time and energy would be better spent joining forces. And I'm glad we did, otherwise none of us would currently be alive."
"Right you are, Andromeda," Mr. Weasley said wearily. "That troll we encountered on the fifth floor might've done us in without your ice magic."
"Don't sell yourself short, Aruther. You've more than held your own," Dedalus stated from his spot by the window. His body, frumpy as that of any other middle-aged man past his prime, was tense as a whip while his head swivelled to keep an eye on the flying creatures outside. "Now that we've met up with young Hermione, though, I think we should try to leave the stadium. The longer we stay, the harder it'll be to make our way out."
Hermione nodded in agreement. Her friends were in rough shape already; Fred and George each had more than a few cuts their father was currently mending, while Ron and Ginny had marks on their faces and arms which would most certainly turn black and blue the next day. The only concern Hermione had about leaving the stadium was whether Harry and the others who weren't present would be able to find them.
Especially Harry. Hermione figured he was alive since the Game of Death was still in working order. But knowing he was alive and knowing he was well were two very different things.
Her fingers itched to send Harry another message through the Game. But the more rational part of her mind, which worried about possibly distracting him at an ill-timed moment with one of the Game's loud 'dings', tamped down on that emotional impulse with all the force of an industrial clamp.
When she voiced her concerns on the matter, exempting any reference to the Game of Death, Andromeda furrowed her brow. She then took out the small communication mirror given to her for the operation, tapped it with her wand, and waited.
A short time later, the faces of Remus and Sirius appeared on its surface.
"Andromeda! Thank Morgana you're alright," Sirius rasped. While blood stained half his face, Harry's godfather seemed to be otherwise alright. "When I didn't hear from you earlier, I feared the worst."
"Quite," Andromeda replied curtly. "But we can talk about all that once we're all safe. Remus, Sirius, what are your current situations? Dedalus and I have joined up with Hermione and the Weasleys at your skybox, and we're currently planning to make our way out. Is there any chance we can meet up with either of you along the way?"
Remus was the first to respond.
"No. Hestia and I are stuck in the lockup area the Aurors kept for those arrested at the Cup," the professor stated matter-of-factly. He looked tired and sweaty, but otherwise healthy. "When everything started going wrong and a pair of massive Chimeras charged out of a portal right in front of us, we gathered everyone in sight, entered the lockup area, and closed the entrance behind us. It'd take a team of curse breakers or Dumbledore himself to break through what we've done."
"Are you positive the area is safe? It could be quite some time before the Ministry is able to mount a rescue."
"We should be secure. While the Ministry's main wards must've been breached or seized to allow an attack of this magnitude to happen, the localized ones surrounding the holding area are functioning just fine. But I'm afraid we won't be of any assistance to you in the foreseeable future."
"That's fine, Moony," Sirius butted in with a vicious grin. Both twins gave a start at the nickname; finding it odd at first, Hermione realized that Ron probably hadn't told his brothers about Remus' identity as one of the creators of the Marauder's Map. "You take care of those people and put the rest of us out of mind. 'Cause as it happens, I managed to bump into someone who should be able to help the rest of us escape if we can all meet up at the East Gate."
"Why the East Gate? And just who is this person?" Hermione asked cautiously. Meeting someone promising an escape from this place seemed suspicious. With all that was going on, they needed to be certain they could trust this person.
"Eh… the East Gate was her idea. And while it's our first meeting, I'm pretty sure they're a friend. I knew her mother back in the day, and, well, knowing her as I do, I'm pretty sure her daughter's info is accurate."
Andromeda and Dedalus shared an exasperated look at Sirius' words while both Hermione and Mr. Weasley gave near identical sighs. The Weasley siblings, meanwhile, sported a mixture of grins, confusion, and disgust depending on the individual.
"I'm not sure that's enough to go on, Sirius. Are you absolutely certain we can trust our lives to them?" Andromeda eventually replied. "We're likely to get one chance and once chance only to make our way out."
"Absolutely is a very strong word and not one I'd use, 'Dromeda. But trust me! I wouldn't say this unless I were well convinced. Just meet us at the East Gate and I'll explain the rest there." Sirius's grin faded as he gave a rough cough. "In the meantime, Hermione, if you can get in touch with Harry using your special method, I'd appreciate it. I'll be dead and damned before I try to leave this place without him."
Hermione's eyes widened over the not-so-subtle reference to the Game of Death, but she gave a quick nod of assent.
"Hold on a moment, Sirius," Andromeda said sharply. "I'm not yet convinced by this plan of yours. You need to give us more information before-"
"Not enough time to do so, 'Dromeda," Sirius said as he cut her off mid-sentence. "Every second we spend talking is a second wasted. I'll sign off and see the rest of you soon."
Much to Andromeda's frustration, Sirius terminated the connection on his end. Leaving unsettled the question as to whether they could trust this unknown person and their unvetted plan.
After a short exchange with Arthur and Andromeda, Remus signed off as well and the remaining adults began to confer.
As they did, Hermione darted back into Sirius' skybox to bring up the Game of Death's messaging feature. It didn't take long to compose and send a message to Harry. His reply came in fairly fast, almost as if he'd had the Game's messaging feature open already. But aside from a terse reply saying he agreed and would meet them at the East Gate, no further messages followed.
When Andromeda and the other adults stated it was time to go, all Hermione could do was close the Game's screen, take a deep breath, and cross her fingers in hope that the boy she loved would be okay.
"Well, that's that. With their assistance, it should be easy as pie to get out of here," Sirius said jauntily. He swiped a grimy, soot-stained sleeve across his forehead to sop up some of the blood before it got into his eyes. "Now, what say you come clean with me before we go any further? After all, while I know your mother's word is good, I don't really know you all that well."
Seated on a pile of rubble beside which lay the corpse of a rather large and burly troll, Fleur eyed the dark-haired man with a wary eye. Her mother had long taught her to be suspicious of charming men, and this one had not let up on the charm since the moment they had met. Furthermore, he seemed able to resist her passive Allure without only a small bit of effort.
Adding the two together meant he was dangerous. Very dangerous.
Forcing down a lifetime of distrust in men, Fleur nodded and, grudgingly, began to speak. "Veery well. Az I spoke, ma mere-"
"Ah, yes. Good ol' Appolline Delacour. Gorgeous woman, wild in the sack, brilliant as they come, but with a temper almost as fierce as my cousin Bellatrix's when angered. And from what I remember, a Veela centric absolutist who would have opposed your staying behind to help us human magic users, right?"
Fleur winced. Of all the people she could have encountered and asked to join her, of course it had to be one of her mother's old paramours. Goodness only knew what sort of emotional baggage the woman had left the man holding.
What to do about it. Perhaps Fleur could turn up the force of her Allure ever so slightly? Just enough to make him more pliable?
But no. Since he had known her mother and would be on guard against the Allure, chances were high that Fleur would have to unleash the Allure at its maximum intensity to have an effect. And in so doing, risk turning him into a gaping idiot or provoking him into becoming hostile outright.
Either of which would be massively counterproductive.
"Oui," Fleur finally ground out, knowing she was unlikely to find a better person to partner with anytime soon. She shot one of the crow creatures from the air with a silent cutting Charm as she continued. "Ma mere does not know of zees plan. But eet eez based on 'er own, so I trust 'ou can beleeve eets eez accurate."
"That I can certainly do," the man replied as he waved his wand, wordlessly banishing some deerlike creature that had more teeth than a lion into a nearby wall. "But what I need now are details, little lady. De-tails. So start talking and do it as fast as you can. Because it takes more than a pretty face and that startlingly powerful Allure of yours to make me forget about the safety of my godson and everyone else."
Scowling, Fleur resisted taking his obvious bait. At least one of them needed to be professional and she was fast reaching the conclusion it would not be him.
"Een short, I know zee timing, zee mezzod, and zee location of ma mere's plan to leave zis place. Wheech eez on zee Western side of zees stadium een opproximately…" Fleur cast a silent Tempus Charm and checked her wand, "zirty meenutes. I beeleeve zat if we time our escape to 'appen after 'ers…"
"Then the attention of all those monsters out there, and whomever is behind all this, should be focused on her and that large contingent of Veela you said were with her. Which will allow us to make a more circumspect withdrawal on the other side, where the forest is nearer, thereby granting us cover from the flying creatures and larger monsters until we're able to leave the Ministry's malfunctioning wards and Apparate out at will. Right?"
"Oui."
"Huh. Well, if that's what you've got, then that's a more complete plan than my own. Which mostly consisted of finding my godson, grabbing the rest of our friends, and making our escape from this mess through some good ol' fashioned derring do." The man laughed and wiped more blood from his face; he'd taken a scalp wound at some point and needed a minor healing spell of some sort to close it up to stop the incessant bleeding. "So, let's make our way over and clear things out in advance, shall we?"
"I agree, but only on zee condeetion zat we 'elp any ozzers we come across."
"Of course! I'd never hear the end of it from my friends and godson if I did anything else!"
Excellent. Fleur had been worried he would object to her condition. But it seemed that, despite his foolish demeanour, the man possessed more integrity and intelligence than most males she had encountered and let neither her status as a woman or a Veela cloud his judgement on the matter.
Which meant there was only one matter left to iron out. "May I take zees as confirmation you weel follow commands of mine when ze time comes?"
"Not really," the man stated with a laugh. "However, I will certainly take your words under careful advisement if it makes you feel any better."
It most certainly did not! And as they made their way towards the stadium's East Gate, Fleur let loose a near constant stream of curses in French as the man continually brushed off her further attempts to assert any sort of control over their nascent partnership.
"Blood and bloody hell!"
Back in the lower tunnels, Harry raised an eyebrow at Lucius' hissed profanities. Though honestly, the man's words had hit the nail on the head. "I agree. This… is bad."
Lucius swore again as he crouched by Harry's side. "Bad doesn't even begin to describe this, Potter! You're certain about this? You couldn't be mistaken?"
Oh, but that comment was rich coming from him of all people.
"If there's anything you should ever trust my word on, Malfoy, it's this." Rubbing his fingers over the rough, dark green scale lying on the floor, Harry felt a phantom burst of pain in his right elbow. "We've got a Basilisk loose in the tunnels."
"Those bloody, stupid, idiotic pieces of shite! If I ever learn who did this, they will wish they had died to the creature themselves before I'm through with them."
"You do realize you released the very same creature at Hogwarts not too long ago, don't you?"
"That was the Heir of Slytherin, Potter, not me. And if I recall correctly, defeating the heir and his beast nearly did you in." Lucius' face, absent its usual sneer, looked eerie by wandlight. "Though I hate to ask, is there any chance you could use your… gift… to talk the thing out of killing us should we cross paths?"
Oh, there was so much Harry wanted to say about the latest reality denying nonsense to come out of Lucius Malfoy's mouth. But time was short, so his reply would have to be as well. "Unlikely."
Seeing as how the Game had stated Voldemort was involved, chances were high that this Basilisk had been commanded to ignore Harry's words. That stupid first come, first serve aspect to Parseltongue was really annoying and always seemed to work against him.
Raising his eyes while his fingers continued to play with the scale, Harry looked at his surroundings.
They were currently in a four-way junction. One path lay behind them. Another, to their left, had collapsed, and Harry was loath to attempt clearing it even though it was the fastest way to the Gate Hermione had told him about. If the creature was behind the rubble, or came from another tunnel while they were working on clearing it, they would be as good as dead.
Taking a gamble, Harry raised his wand and pointed it down each corridor in turn as he whispered under his breath. "'Observe'."
The Game's ability did not return anything.
When Harry pointed his wand at the scale lying on the floor and whispered the phrase just to check, a soft ding showed that, yes, the Game's ability was still in full working order.
Ding!
Basilisk Scale
A small scale shed from the body of an adolescent Basilisk. They are highly prized by many professions and can be used in everything from Potions to Goblin armour.
Clenching his wand tightly upon seeing the Game's unwanted confirmation, Harry slipped the scale into his pocket and stood. "There's only one thing we can do. We'll scout the tunnel with the shortest path from here to the East Gate since it's the closest one to our position if the signs on the walls are correct. If the tunnel's clear, then we'll enter it and hope we don't encounter the beast while we double time it out."
Lucius scoffed. "What is this 'we' you speak of, Potter? You might enjoy playing with the creatures, but there is no way I will head down one of these tunnels first."
This time Harry couldn't let the comment pass. "Really, Malfoy? Now is when you choose to be a coward?"
"Cowards are what those too stupid to have common sense call those who have it, child. Know that if you try to force my hand, I will turn my wand against you here and now."
Harry scowled at the man. "Have it your way, bastard. I'll go and check things out. But remember, if the creature comes from one of the other tunnels while I scout ahead, you might be the first one it sees."
"I'll take my chances. Now get moving; the longer we dally, the longer everyone's lives will be in danger. And I would feel terrible if that girl you seem so sweet on died because you tarried overlong."
Seething over the insinuation and doing his best to avoid exploding over it, the young wizard ventured down the tunnel in front. He walked slowly and cautiously, eyes pointed directly at the floor while he cast 'Observe' nonstop in from of him. Hopefully, that would allow him to detect the creature if it was present without exposing his eyes to its deadly gaze.
After going what had to be several dozen meters deep there was no further sign of the creature.
Harry made his way back to the group and repeated the process in the passage on the right. There he saw scores of scales. And when they showed no signs of stopping as he continued to walk, Harry finished his scouting and returned. When he located more scales in the rubble of the collapsed tunnel on the left, Harry felt confident the path in front was the least likely one to have a murderous giant snake in it.
He dropped back to the group, caught Lucius' eye, and gestured towards the right-side corridor. "Block it off. We'll be going ahead."
As Lucius moved to comply, using some flashy spell to conjure a shimmering black wall from floor to ceiling, Harry gestured for Cho and the rest of the group to resume moving.
"'Dromeda, to your left! Your left!"
"I see it!" Andromeda shouted. The tall, stunning woman whipped around and made a slashing motion with her wand. "Arania Exime!"
A massive, four metre wide Acromantula was blasted through the air by her spell. The creature went sailing out the gates and through the small crowd of creatures that had crowded in behind it, bowling a good portion of them over. Arthur and several other magic users took advantage of the opportunity to tear into them with a barrage of spells.
Meanwhile, Sirius followed up his cousin's spell with one of his own. "Saggita Fulminus!"
Dozens of small arrows formed from lightning burst forth from Sirius' wand. The crackling mass of energy surged outwards before stabbing driving deep into the Acromantula's exposed belly. Its long, bristly hair stood on end as a deadly dose of electricity coursed through its entire body.
A surge of exhaustion shot through Sirius' limbs as the exertion of casting the powerful spell hit hard. But he shook it off. There were worse things afoot than giant spiders, and he could ill afford to get knackered now. Sirius raised his voice so the others could hear him over the din. "Anyone have eyes on Harry? He should've been here already, right?"
"There's been so sign of the lad yet. Though given what we've had to fight to reach and hold this area, it's not surprising the boy's running late." At Sirius' side, Dedalus grimaced as he held his wand over Sirius' leg. A flash of light came from its tip as he knitted up the torn flesh with a simple first aid spell. "You're lucky it was the creature's claws which did this and not its fangs, else you'd be dead."
"Lady Luck and I go way back, my friend. Though it's good to have her smiling at me again instead of giving me the slip like she did ten years ago." Standing, Sirius gingerly tested his weight on the injured leg. A sharp twinge of pain shot through the limb, but he was able to bear it. Though the total number of injuries he'd sustained tonight was starting to add up and slow him down. "Thanks, Dedalus. But more importantly, does anyone know where the bloody hell my bloody godson is at?"
If Appolline's daughter was correct, and Sirius figured she was, then they were nearly out of time before Appolline made her move. Which is why, as the minutes ticked down and random people he had never met flocked to the relative safety of their group, Sirius could feel himself growing increasingly concerned for his missing godson.
As Arthur sent a gout of fire at the last Dark creature in sight, a crablike monstrosity the size of a large dog, Sirius pulled up the Game of Death's interface to see if Harry had sent a message.
Ding!
There Are No New Messages
Bloody piece of junk.
The Game of Death being as useless as Sirius knew it to be, he turned towards his godson's friends. "Hermione, Ron, have either of you heard from Harry?"
The bushy-haired girl was the first to respond. "We haven't. Not since he sent that short reply saying he would meet us here."
Beside the girl, Ron gave a short shake of his head. "Same."
So the kid hadn't sent messages to either his buddy or the brilliant girl he was sweet on. Great! That didn't bode well at all.
Frustration over the situation welled within him as Sirius scrubbed a hand through his bloodied and filthy mane of hair. "Dammit, but isn't there anything we can do besides sit here and wait for him to arrive?"
"Oui. What do you zeenk of going out to find 'im?"
Oho. Now that was a plan Sirius could get behind.
Turning, he faced the deliciously accented speaker who had proposed the idea. "Don't say something if you aren't willing to do it. 'Cause I'm in if you are."
From her place towards the back, her eyes scanning their surroundings warily, Fleur raised a slim, beautiful eyebrow at his quick reply. She was every bit her mother's daughter, with a brain and an Allure to match. Though she was rather easy to tweak, which Sirius had used to his enjoyment since they had first met.
More importantly, the girl had proven herself an adept fighter, so Sirius felt comfortable in taking the gorgeous girl along to rescue his godson.
After contemplating Sirius' words, Fleur nodded. "Eef we 'ead out now, wiv just zee two oof us, eet might bee posseeble to find 'im. 'ou 'ave a way to locate 'im, non?"
Sirius sorted through his applicable knowledge in a flash. Between Patronuses, the Game of Death, his Animagus form's ability to follow scents, and a number of tracking spells from his time as an Auror, Sirius was covered on that front. "Several, actually."
"Bien. Let us depart."
"Ha! Now you're speaking my language, Fleur, in more ways than one!" Laughing grimly, Sirius looked over at his cousin and gave the woman a jaunty wave. "You all hold the fort down here until we return, 'kay?"
Getting quick assents from Andromeda and the other adults, Sirius readied himself to go. Between their combined skills with a wand and the hundred or so people who had joined the group thus far, he had faith that everyone would be able to hold out in his absence.
From the corner of his eye, Sirius spotted Hermione and the Weasley kids opening their mouths, likely to protest him and Fleur going off on their own. But before he could say anything to them, Andromeda placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Best to let them go on their own, my dear. While you are quite skilled for your age, this situation calls for speed and power you do not yet possess."
The older witch's gaze went to the other kids as the entire group seemed likely to protest. "The same goes for the rest of you as well. This may be an emergency situation, and your wands will be needed if we are to get through this night alive, but do not forget your limits. Trying to do more than you're capable of is liable to get yourself or someone else killed."
Seeing their faces fall at her words, Sirius slowed his steps and turned around. Though his cousin was right, and goodness knows he wanted to reach Harry fast, Sirius couldn't leave the group on such a sour note.
Setting aside his usual urge to lighten things up with humour, he went over and placed a gentle hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I'll bring him back, Hermione. I swear it."
The girl's eyes flashed as she gazed at him. And though they were a completely different shade of colour, the steely look in her eyes reminded him so much of Lily that it put a frog in Sirius' throat. "I know you'll make it happen. Just make it quick, okay?"
"You can count on it!" Sirius chuckled and gave her shoulder a hearty slap. Then with a flourish of his wand he gestured for Fleur to lead the way. "Ladies first, my dear."
Ding!
Outside Influence Detected
Influence is mortal in nature. The Game of Death's automatic defences will not engage as they have in the past.
The Gamer must defend against the intrusion on his own.
Swearing fit to match anything said by Lucius, Harry immediately summoned his meagre Occlumency skills and raised his mental defences to their utmost limits.
It felt like some giant hand was trying to squeeze him. As if he were a toy for the hand to play with. But the instant Harry pushed back against the feeling, flexing against it with all his mental might, the hand shattered.
Ding!
Outside Influence Detected
The Game's warning blared again. And again, Harry raised his defences in response. But this attempt was… different. If the first had felt like a giant hand trying to constrain and control him, this one felt like a solitary finger stretched out to lightly touch his skin.
Following his training in Occlumency, Harry tried to grab it.
He failed. The finger wriggled from his grasp and slid around his shields. A tiny piece, almost like a fingernail, scraped and prodded the shield as it went, seeking a chink in Harry's mental amour.
Doggedly, Harry kept up his attempts to capture it.
The two dodged and pursued for what felt like hours, neither able to achieve their goal. Until, that is, the probe's nail seemed to catch on something. Harry seized on the mistake and boxed the probe into a dead end with shields on every side.
The probe disappeared like it had never existed.
Freed from his internal struggle and filled with anger at the near violation of his mind, Harry swept around to look behind him. A hiss of frustration left his lips as over a dozen pairs of eyes looked back at him in worry.
Someone, probably one of the people looking at him right that moment, had just tried to interfere with Harry's mind. Be it either Legilimency, the Imperius Curse, or something else, such spells usually required direct eye contact or the magic user's wand to be pointed at their target. Which any person behind Harry could have done without his noticing.
Even worse, except for Cho, everyone else looking at Harry was a complete stranger to him and thus under suspicion. Though even Cho could be the culprit if someone had cast the Imperius Curse over her first. Which meant Harry couldn't quite rule her out either!
Or wait. Could someone under the Imperius Curse even use magic they themselves didn't know? Would being under the Imperius Curse show up in the Game's screen if he used 'Observe' on them?
Dammit, but Harry had no idea! At times like this the sheer number of possibilities magic had to do harm were enough to drive a body mad. Worse, the only person Harry could immediately exclude from the list of suspects was Lucius, seeing as the man had been ahead of Harry at the time with his wand pointed towards the tunnel's exit. Which only served to make Harry's mood fouler.
Seeming to spot his consternation, Cho finished sipping from a bottle and approached him. "Everything alright?" she asked, concerned. "You look like you're hurt."
As she spoke, the girl's face was still noticeably pale from fear. While her hands, usually so soft and warm, were cold and clammy with sweat.
Harry kicked himself mentally for being so suspicious of the clearly nervous girl. He was right to worry, but the vast majority of the people behind him had to be innocent. But if Harry, their leader, suddenly started acting jumpy for no visible reason, then he might cause the entire group to panic. Which in turn could lead to the deaths of everyone present. So he had to do something to calm himself and show that the pressure of the situation wasn't getting to him.
Taking a deep, calming breath, Harry lowered his wand and shook his head. "Sorry for worrying you. I thought I felt something brush the back of my neck and overreacted a little is all."
"Oh. Well, that makes sense. Being stuck down here, not knowing if something will pop out of the shadows, definitely has me spooked." Cho smiled at him, a little bit of colour returning to her cheeks as she did. "But we're almost out, which means we're one step closer to being safe, right?"
"Right. But don't let your guard down. Keep your eyes peeled and your wand up until we're long gone from this place."
With a final squeeze of support, Cho drifted back to where her father stood. Harry felt a warm glow in his heart as he wiped his wet hands against his robes, feeling that the exchange had gone well.
A cold, sneering voice quickly smothered that warm feeling. "Do remember we're not out of harm's way yet, Potter, and that indulging in your little affection at a time like this could endanger us all."
Harry's earlier tension from the attempted mental probe roaring back with a vengeance. While Lucius might not have been behind the probe directly, perhaps the man's son or his 'associate' were the culprit instead. Ruling him off the list of suspects entirely was a mistake Harry refused to make.
"My 'affection', as you put it, is what gives me the strength to beat snide little pricks like you day in and day out," Harry bit out in reply. "Though I wouldn't expect you to know a positive emotion if it bit you on the face."
"Emotions are that which control the weak and pathetic masses. While a ruler is one who bends and harnesses such to their will." Lucius gave a tight smile and raised his wand. "Ready yourself, Potter. Once we leave the safety of the tunnel, I expect the dangers we encounter to increase substantially."
Gritting his teeth as he followed the older man's advice, Harry reminded himself that putting up with Malfoy's verbal barbs was more than worth the innocent lives that might be lost if the two of them engaged in a duel then and there.
Still, whatever Dark creature they came across next would wish it had never crossed Harry's path. While whomever had tried to break into Harry's mind had best be watching so they could witness its fate. They had missed their best chance to catch him off-guard, and such a chance would not come their way again.
As the Dark Lord's servant watched Potter return to the front, it was all they could do to restrain a hiss of rage.
Potter's resistance to the Imperius Curse had been most unexpected. As was the boy's skill with Occlumency. Combined, the two had foiled any hope the servant had of completing their mission without exposing their cover.
With a grimace, the Dark Lord's servant used their wand to send out a series of coded messages, apprising their companions of a change in plans.
A/N: How are you liking my take on Lucius Malfoy? Too over the top? Just right? Not mean enough? Let me know. I don't like him as a character but writing him in a scene is proving to be quite fun.
Also, I'll be posting this fic on AO3 sometime in March; I'll have to dust off and recover my old account as it's been awhile. But fighting this site's myriad issues (formatting battles when uploading docs, nonstop 'am I human' tests, browser issues, etc…) has pushed me past my limit.
Until Next Time,
~Elsil