CRACK
Lucius and Narcissa first brought Flamel to Number 4, allowing him to come back and bring Harry, Neville, and Draco. Leaving Narcissa with the three, Flamel and Lucius disappeared to get the others. Harry rushed up to the door, as he knocked, the door hurriedly opening, and he saw Aunt Petunia's haggard face.
"H-Harry…" Petunia sank to her knees, hugging Harry as she cried softly, squeezing him tight. Harry returned the hug, shaking his head in the embrace. "It's okay, Aunt Petunia. It's okay. I got them to help." The sound of another crack could be heard as the two adults brought Hermione, Goyle, Ron, and Crabbe.
Petunia sniffed, wiping her tears. "I-I'm sorry to put this on y-you, but… no one else would even be able to help. I remembered Lily saying long ago that they would be there if there was an emergency…"
"Aunt Petunia, that's what family is for." Harry smiled, as he gestured at his friends to come in.
It didn't take long for the group to reassemble inside, as Aunt Petunia sat down to calm her nerves. "Two men from Grunnings came and informed me an hour ago. They said that they're doing everything they can, but the rock shifted, a-and now it's covering the exit. They'd have to drill around it, but that would take days."
Lucius and Flamel were standing, with Narcissa sitting next to Petunia and listening to her explain. Flamel closed his eyes, contemplating as Lucius frowned. "Mrs Dursley, your son requested my assistance, and my assistance he has. I have recieved several merits for my spellwork and currently am an advisor for the Minister due to my skill."
Flamel spoke up as well, "And I am a Sorcerer, a title only given to those with great magical power. Both of us could easily get the Ministry involved, but—"
"The Statute of Secrecy." Petunia finished. "I understand, but—"
Lucius held up a hand. "We have made our choices, and we will be helping beyond that. Unfortunately it means that the children and ourselves are all we have. It would take far too long to argue over helping muggles, and by then it would be too late to assist. Due to the time-sensitive nature, the correct method is to do what we can now, and if we require Obliviators we contact the Ministry."
Petunia sobbed softly. "T-thank you. Thank you so much."
Lucius shook his head. "No, the one you should thank is Heir Potter. His willingness to put his pride aside and request help is what brought me here. He is quite an incredible young man."
Harry blushed in embarrassment, doubly so as Petunia looked over at him with admiration in her teary eyes. Clearing his throat, Harry spoke up. "So, Aunt Petunia… where exactly is the entrance to the tunnel? We don't know where it is."
Petunia considered, shaking her head. "Vernon said it's in Kent, near Cheriton. He showed me where the construction site was on a map."
Petunia walked over, taking out some maps from next to the front door, placed there for when they needed to prepare an outing or vacation. Bringing it over and taking a marker, she marked on the map. "Here."
As Harry took the map, a large black dog leapt from upstairs and rushed to Harry's side, whining. Rubbing his head against Harry, Harry could see Sirius was worried as well. Petting the black dog's ears, he looked up at Flamel, who was grinning lightly.
"You have a dog, Potter?" Lucius asked curiously. "I was under the assumption that your snake was your familiar."
"Oh, he's— my Uncle's dog!" Harry said quickly. "He's really worried about him, aren't you boy?" As Harry spoke, Sirius gave a low whimper.
"May I see the map, Mister Potter?" Flamel asked, prompting Harry to quickly hand him the map. The man shook his head, opening it fully. "Fascinating. Muggles certainly have changed how they make maps." Flamel commented as he looked closely.
"I believe I know the location marked here. It's somewhere I have been in the past. I shall take Lucius first, and then come back to bring the children." Flamel said after a moment.
Narcissa spoke up, seeing the opportunity. "Are we sure about bringing children into an active rescue effort? They are merely second years, and I don't want any of them— much less my Draco— to be harmed."
Flamel shook his head. "I believe their efforts will be required. Wingardium Leviosa is a first-year spell, and at the very least they can help with rubble. Crisis can be an important learning experience, as long as we make sure nothing happens to them."
Narcissa looked apprehensive still, but remained silent, Flamel taking Lucius away with a crack.
While Narcissa helped to console Aunt Petunia, Harry looked at Sirius, who was looking at Narcissa with a sadness in his canine eyes. Harry wasn't sure why, but he pet the dog all the same as he considered what they would do.
As the children chattered, Lucius and Flamel returned, bringing Narcissa next, along with Draco. As the apparations began, Harry steeled himself. Apparation was absolutely abhorrent, but he needed to use it to help his uncle.
Harry found himself in a place he had never been. The town of Folkstone was an average modern city, much smaller than London. Harry could see the area where they were working surrounded by a crowd and media, as Flamel placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Don't worry, lad. We'll help your uncle." Harry felt the swirl of magic around the group, as he noticed the same magic that was around the passage into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
The group made their way forward, with Ron, Draco, and Harry sticking with Flamel, Crabbe and Goyle sticking with Lucius, and Narcissa handling Hermione and Neville. Cutting through the crowd with their magic was easier than expected, as there was excited shouting in the air that hid their spells perfectly.
As the group passed through, the entrance was guarded by several bobbies, the men keeping the public back. Flamel flicked his wand and made the men step forward for a second, making enough room for them to squeeze past.
Once they got to the entrance to the tunnel, they could see harried men and women scattered about. They were wearing the uniforms of several different companies, all managed by a large foreman who was ordering people in and out of the tunnel.
"We should talk with that man." Harry whispered, as Flamel flicked his wand secretively. The man choked a bit mid-word, before moving over to a small building that had been set up, disappearing inside.
As Lucius and Narcissa's groups walked up, Harry nodded. "We should get permission from the foreman before going down inside." Lucius eyed Harry, and nodded before gesturing for Harry to follow him.
The silver-haired pureblood held his cane, walking with Harry to the office. Heading inside, Lucius closed the door and moved to a small office room, obviously a temporary one for the tunnel project's lead. The grizzled man they had seen before was sitting behind the desk, sipping some water as he cleared his throat. "Who are the two of you, then?"
Lucius tapped his cane on the cheap floor of the temporary building. "I am… Mister Malfoy." Harry could see Lucius' eye twitch as he seemed to desperately want to use his title. "I am the father of Mister Potter's friend, and I was watching over him for a few weeks for the summer. When we heard Mister Dursley and his son were trapped, Mister Potter requested that we come here to try to see him."
Harry could see the man's hand on his cane, Lord Malfoy's magic slipping through the air. The man seemed to calm. "Ah, yes, Mister Malfoy. I can understand that young Mister Potter must be frightened to hear about the situation with—"
"My uncle." Harry added quickly.
"His uncle. Yes, thank you, Mister Potter. Mister Dursley was in charge of the group of children brought to the tunnel to mark their handprints on the wall for a publicity stunt. I do not understand how the stone could shift; we had some of the best sensors in place to detect any issues in the tunnel, and the supports were brand new."
Lucius' eyebrow rose, glancing at Harry who nodded. "It sounds like some sort of act of God or something, sir." Harry said after a moment. "Would we be able to get close? I just want to see if my Uncle can hear me."
Harry's worry was obvious in his voice as he was pretending to be calm, looking at the man. Lucius tapped his cane again, as Harry could see his magic slide forth and touch the man once more.
"Normally I wouldn't allow it, but since he is your Uncle, I believe I could make an exception. The workers trying to break through the stone will be going on lunch in around a half hour. If you take the transit cars, you should be there in around fifteen minutes, and you can tell them I said they could have an early lunch break. After you have finished and leave, we'll be attempting to use the Borer machine to crack the stone despite the risks. We can't just leave those children down there."
Harry beamed, as he nodded. "Thank you, sir. I can't tell you how much this means to me."
"Of course, Mister Potter. Now, if you excuse me, I believe I got a frog in my throat while giving orders outside. I will need a few more minutes." Harry could see Flamel's magic around the man's throat as he drank more water; it seems like that's how he got the man into the office.
Lucius nodded to the man, taking Harry's shoulder and walking him out of the building. As they left, Lucius let out a mutter. "I hope that you understand the risks I am taking, Mister Potter. Using magic on a muggle is extremely illegal. I am breaking one of the tenets of our world for this favor."
Harry smiled at the Malfoy patriarch, "Yes sir. I consider myself in your debt for this. Thank you so much." As they spoke, they soon made their way back to the group, Harry gesturing over to a small trolley. "We got permission to head into the tunnel. Let's get to the worker's trolley and head deeper."
"I assume there were no problems, Mister Potter?" Flamel asked as he guided the group towards the trolley car. When Harry shook his head, the man nodded. "Excellent work."
The group walked forward towards the tunnel. Harry could see people working on what seemed to be a massive train; he realized that must be the boring machine they used until hitting the strange rock. It had been sitting outside of the tunnel for almost a year, but Harry could see people preparing it for use.
"Look, Malfoy. That's the machine they used to drill most of the tunnel. Muggles use machines to make up for not having magic."
Draco blinked, looking at the massive boring device. Even Lucius and Narcissa seemed surprised, as Hermione looked excited. Beside her, Ron and Neville were looking in awe at the size of it. "It's as big as the Hogwarts Express…" Neville whispered.
"Bigger." Ron added, shaking his head. "My dad's right, Muggles really have some crazy inventions."
The group began to head into the tunnel, the carved stone around them held up by steel and concrete. The group seemed interested in all of the architecture as they went deeper, until a glimmer of magic could be seen ahead.
Harry reacted quickly, shouting "Jump off the trolley! NOW!"
Harry grabbed the closest person to him, Neville, leaping off the trolley as Flamel, Lucius and Narcissa didn't hesitate, doing the same with the rest of the children. They landed heavily at the side of the tracks as the trolley continued forward, past a bubble of magic that shimmered as the metal passed through. Harry looked at it; was he wrong?
Blinking, Harry made his way forward, reaching out as he could feel a thrum of energy from the magical dome. "Can… anyone else feel that?" Harry asked quickly, making sure they didn't suspect he had seen the magic.
Lucius walked forward, hand clutching his cane as he gestured, causing the barrier to glisten and appear in the vision of the others. "This is a— Potter, how did you notice this so quickly? This is some sort of magical ward."
Flamel stepped up as well, reaching his hand out as a crackling thrum of magic let out a warning bolt of blood-red energy that surged right at Flamel, causing him to draw his wand and flick it, the bolt slamming into a shield. It dissipated quickly after a few seconds as Harry could see a bead of sweat slide down Flamel's brow. If a warning blast of magic was that strong, what would the reaction be if it was forced…?
Narcissa paled, and turned to Harry. She gently took his hand and squeezed it, and Harry could see the relief in her eyes. "Harry, you saved all of our lives. If we had continued forward on the trolley, we would have hit the ward, and we would have been at the whim of whatever the barrier would do."
Harry saw the magic shine gently, as he felt something inside of him thrumming, wanting to push out. He took a deep breath, allowing it free, as everyone gasped.
"Family Magic…" Lucius breathed, amazement on his face. Harry looked around himself, seeing the Gryphon and Crow from before, the Crow the same he had seen when he took the book in the Malfoy Manor.
"That's the Black Family Magic!" Narcissa said proudly. As she spoke, she moved to walk up as a smaller, almost toy-sized version of the crow appeared and flew from her chest. "A— what…?" Narcissa asked, stunned as the bird flew around her.
"Something is making the Family Magic of whoever approaches manifest." Flamel said quickly, "I've never seen anything like this before. I believe it would react adversely to your presence, Lucius; you have no Family Magic, being a smaller House's patriarch."
Lucius frowned, but shook his head. "I suppose so. Crabbe and Goyle are similar, being vassals of the Malfoy Family… more than likely Miss Granger will be the same."
Neville walked forward, reaching his hand out to the magic. A golden energy slid through him, forming a large, glowing badger that shone gently. "It's like the Longbottom crest." Neville said quietly, reaching down to the badger. "I've never seen this before… Gran wasn't able to summon it, but she told my my father's magic always had an air of the family's about it."
Ron walked up to the magic next, giving an audible gulp as he reached his hand out. He closed his eyes, as everyone could see a copper energy sliding from him, taking the shape of a small, mouse-sized weasel.
"Of course, the Weasley family's is a weasel." Draco teased, as Ron turned around. "Better than you have, Malfoy. You heard Flamel, your family doesn't have any Family Magic." Ron looked extremely happy about the Weasel, who seemed to dance around him.
Draco scowled at that, and before anyone could stop him, walked up and pushed his hand through the magic. Lucius looked worried, but Draco had a proud look on his face as a silver crow slid from him; nearly the same as Harry's but a tenth of the size. The small crow flapped around him, as Harry saw his own crow look at it and caw.
"Fascinating. It appears that the stronger the ties to the family, the stronger the manifestation." Flamel said, studying the creatures. As he knelt down to examine Neville's Badger, it gave him a warning growl.
"How does Malfoy have the Black crow?" Ron said, his voice almost a whine. "I thought the Malfoy family doesn't have any Family Magic?"
Flamel stood back up, shaking his head. "Indeed they do not, young Weasley, but you forget that Draco is the product of marriage into the House of Black. That gives him ties to the old family, and he is close enough that the family magic recognizes him."
Draco, who had looked a bit saddened by the size of his crow, perked up at that as he grinned. "So Potter and I are family, right?"
Flamel nodded. "Indeed, distantly, but you are related."
"Then maybe I should start calling you Cousin, Potter." Draco smirked, shoving Harry's shoulder playfully.
"You do and I start calling you Git." Harry stuck his tongue out at Draco, grinning right back.
"Since it appears that all of you cannot enter this magic, I will lead the children inside." Narcissa said, "Miss Granger and Misters Crabbe and Goyle will remain with you."
Lucius sighed, "While I'm loathe to send you into such a dangerous place alone, I do not think we'll be able to get a wardbreaker in here on such short notice. Flamel and I will stay here with the others."
As Lucius spoke, Flamel looked at the walls. "And we'll cast some unbreakable charms on these supports, as well. The muggles won't even notice, and it will make sure that this tunnel doesn't collapse anytime soon."
As they spoke, Hermione sighed. "I can't believe I'm not coming with you. I didn't think there'd be things like this in the wizarding world, something that stops you in such a manner. You explained that I'm a muggleborn, but aren't the rest of you purebloods?" Crabbe and Goyle looked a little annoyed at Hermione as she turned to join them, but her shoe slipped on a rock jutting out of the floor. The slightly-inclined tunnel floor made her shoe slip, as she shrieked, plummeting backwards…
Right into the magical barrier.
Harry shouted, but was unable to react fast enough to stop her. She passed through the barrier as the magic surrounded her, Harry panicking, but then seeing an unexpected sight.
Hermione's body began to glow.
"What…?" Draco gasped, as everyone's eyes suddenly moved to Hermione, as a silvery-blue magic slid from her body. A raven, three-quarters of the size as Harry's crow, appeared in a flash of light and flew around her. It gave a caw at Harry, Narcissa, and Draco's crows, standing by Hermione and looking at the group.
"What? How…?" Draco repeated, looking at his Father and gesturing at Hermione. The girl looked stunned, reaching out to the raven and touching it, making the spectral raven rustle its feathers. "I-it's like…" Hermione spoke, her eyes meeting Harry's and sharing an unspoken word. It was just like her animagus form.
"It appears, Miss Granger, you are a descendant of a noble line yourself. This appears to be proof that your blood isn't as muddy as some would believe." Flamel gave a pointed glance at Lucius, before turning back to Hermione. "I would recommend taking a lineage test at Gringotts at your earliest convenience. Judging by its size, I believe you are the Heir, if we go off young Mister Longbottom's family magic."
Harry noticed that Neville's badger was the same size as the crow and the gryphon, making him mentally question whether Flamel hinting at something? Harry's eyes fell to the crow, before growing wide. He couldn't be…
"Well then, it seems only Misters Crabbe and Goyle will be staying with my husband and Flamel. We should get going immediately." Narcissa broke Harry's train of thought, reminding him of where they were.
Looking at his friends, they all had determined looks on their faces, peering down the tunnel. Without another word, they started to trek into the depths.
-Author's Notes-
Don't worry! There will be a chapter Thursday. I hope you all are enjoying the story!
Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling, not me.