The Deceiver's Distillation
by Jardyn39
Chapter 10: The Arena
Harry crawled through the long wet grass on his front until he reached the open ditch. He stopped for a moment to listen before pushing himself through the hedge and into the dirty water.
He crept along the ditch for a few feet before he reached Ron. He was out cold and there was a nasty bruise welling up on his cheek already from where he had been hit.
Harry touched Ron's wound lightly with the tip of his wand and the bruise almost disappeared.
He took a moment to wish once more that Ron had chosen to comply with his request for him to remain with Hermione, at least while they made their initial approach. This still might be a trap, after all.
"Ennervate," whispered Harry.
Ron woke with a start and Harry clamped his hand over Ron's mouth to stop him crying out.
Without removing his hand, Harry whispered urgently, "Be quiet, will you?"
Ron stopped struggling and nodded. Harry released him.
"They hit me!"
"Silencio!"
Ron's mouth continued to move but no more noise came out of him.
"I'm sorry, Ron," whispered Harry, who was seriously considering applying a full body bind curse to stop him from thrashing about.
"They only stopped you from making too much noise. Ron, you have to start thinking about your actions. You are putting everyone's lives at risk, not to mention the people we are here to help. Now get a grip and start to consider that there is a large group of Death Eaters over there who would just love to capture us and have us perform in that arena of theirs."
Ron's angry, defiant look relaxed and he nodded apologetically.
"This is your last warning, Ron," whispered Harry seriously as he continued past Ron along the ditch. He supposed he should be grateful they hadn't given Ron a more lasting injury.
As he moved on, Harry saw a hand signal ahead. He froze instantly, and listened intently. His only movement was to duplicate the hand signal for Ron. As he made the signal he prayed silently that Ron was paying attention now.
Through the pre-dawn mist Harry heard a vehicle approach. It sounded like a small van travelling quickly.
Suddenly headlights lit up the hedge above Harry as the vehicle screamed past. All Harry saw was a white blur.
Then it was quiet again.
The hand dropped and another signal was given. Harry recognised the signal. Relaxing a little, Harry looked back at Ron and made to signal.
Except Ron wasn't there.
Harry looked around desperately to try to find him. He was nowhere to be seen.
Harry knew that the signal to cross the road was imminent any time now. He was sure that Ron hadn't been discovered. He'd have kicked out and made a noise. Harry realised that it was much more likely that Ron had gone back through the hedge and across the fields to where Hermione, Hope and Carlyle were still waiting. The others would assume he was still unconscious, of course.
He knew that Ron was reaching the end of his tether.
First, there had been the argument over the camp site. Hermione had chosen pretty much the perfect location. It was dry, sheltered, had an excellent outlook of all the approaches and was close to fresh water. Bateman had complimented her on her selection, asking her what her second choice would have been.
Hermione admitted she had also considered another location further up the hillside that was further away from the water. Bateman then explained that she had identified his first choice. His reasoning being that if he was tracking someone, the campsite would be the first place he would look for them.
Bateman had then turned to Ron, who should have selected the camp location. In a very awkward moment, Bateman demanded that Ron select the next campsite on his own.
"If I get injured, I'd expect any one of my men to take charge according to the chain of command," Bateman had said. "You can't expect other people to do everything for you. You need to be there for them."
"I'm here aren't I?" spat Ron angrily.
"That isn't enough. Look, I know all this seems pretty stupid. I really don't care if you never select the right campsite. That isn't the point."
"Just what is the point then?"
"You need to become an asset. Right now, you do have skills that could be classed as assets, but mostly you are a liability."
"What are you talking about?"
"There will come a time," said Bateman seriously, "when your friends will need to rely on you to help them, and they won't be there to tell you what to do. I need you to get used to making decisions, good or bad, and running with them. Indecision simply costs lives in the long term."
"But what if I made the wrong choice?"
"So what? If it's not critical, it won't matter. If it is, you simply adapt from your present position."
Ron sighed.
"Think about this," urged Bateman, and it was never more clear to Harry that he was used to being challenged by some of his young recruits. Harry wondered how many lives he'd saved through his insistences.
"Just suppose you decided we should go and sit in the stream for the night. Once you've ordered it, that's what we do. After you've got wet for a while, it may occur to you that we should move. It might even occur to you as we all approach the water.
"It really doesn't matter whether it is a right decision or not. I know it isn't easy to make decisions sometimes. Sometimes there really isn't a right decision. There can be a real risk that you've placed someone in danger."
"So, what you're saying is, don't be afraid to make a wrong decision."
"Well, almost. You still need to accept responsibility for the consequences of any decision you make."
Harry had been pleased that Ron appeared to accept what Bateman was telling him, and he was beginning to become more optimistic as they had set out again the next morning.
By nightfall, though, things were going from bad to worse for Ron.
Another hand signal brought Harry out of his reverie. As one, all six of them climbed out of the ditch and crept across the road and then walked along the narrow grass verge. Harry was careful to not to fall behind nor to get too close to the person in front.
A hand signal was given ahead and Harry crouched down.
There was perhaps twenty seconds of silence followed by a dull cracking noise ahead. Suddenly they were all on their feet and now running in single file towards their destination.
Harry struggled to keep up with the others. He had been waiting for this to happen but had still been caught out by the suddenness of the events.
There was a light ahead, dulled by the mist, and he could sometimes see indistinct outlines of those ahead as he ran.
After a run of what he guessed was about a hundred yards, Harry came to an abrupt halt. He almost ran straight into the back of Duke.
He fully expected Duke to rebuke him, but was somewhat taken aback to see him silently grinning at him through the dim light. Duke grabbed Harry's shoulder and pushed him in through the open gate.
Harry didn't protest, knowing they couldn't afford him wandering off and giving away their presence. Walking now, they passed a small hut. Harry could hear muffled talking from inside, but he couldn't tell if it was only the noise from a radio.
They paused for a moment. While they waited, Harry looked around.
It was still dark but the entrance they had come through had a couple of lights revealing a gravel road that was widened to allow vehicles to pass. Harry realised that Duke had directed him around the muddy edge so their footsteps had made no noise.
As his eyes became accustomed to the new light levels, Harry was shocked to see that there was a body concealed under the adjacent hedge. For a moment he feared it was one of the others, but Harry soon realised it must have been the guard on duty.
Harry was a little shaken by the sight of the body, which would be almost impossible to see from the road, even in daylight.
It wasn't the sight of death that unnerved him. He had been expecting that. Indeed, he knew that many more would probably die very shortly in this place.
The guard was obviously a wizard and was, Harry assumed, considered sufficiently skilled to be posted on duty. And yet, Bateman or one of his Muggle soldiers had disposed of him.
Harry knew that they hadn't been assigned to them for their conversation, yet this stark demonstration of their deadly skills was still rather shocking.
Perhaps Duke realised some of Harry's thoughts. Still with his hand on Harry's shoulder, he gave him an encouraging squeeze.
Harry nodded. This was no time to think such things.
There must have been a signal that Harry neither heard nor saw because Duke pushed him forward along the edge of the road for a few yards. Then they ducked under another hedgerow and Duke released Harry.
They moved quickly across a small field and then walked parallel to the approach road.
Harry gasped when he saw the arena. It just seemed to appear from nowhere. It must have been charmed so they couldn't see it from the road.
The closest thing Harry had seen like it was the stadium at the Quidditch World Cup, except that it was perhaps half the size and less ornamentally decorated.
The mist above the stadium was glowing with bright lights and the outside was covered in lanterns. There was noise ahead, but it didn't appear to be coming from inside the stadium.
To the right of the arena was a collection of tents that surrounded a large wheeled structure. It looked most odd, looking like it was made of wood and stone with a stale covered pitched roof and ornate stained glass windows. The whole thing was perched on four spindly metal wheels.
It sounded like there was a raucous celebration going on inside.
Duke moved to the left, away from the encampment towards a darkened structure on the other side of the arena.
Harry's heart leapt. Perhaps they could release the prisoners and get away without the Death Eaters even knowing.
The others were now all crouched down along the short wall. There were no windows or doors this side.
Harry made to join them on the end but Duke grabbed him and pushed him towards the front where Bateman was waiting at the corner.
Bateman beckoned Harry closer and he whispered in his ear, "There's three doors on the far side. The first is a store but either of the other two might get us in. I need you to open one of them unless there is any kind of alarm. If you think they are both alarmed then we'll go over the roof. Okay?"
Harry nodded and withdrew his wand.
He crept around the corner and followed the brick external wall. Bateman followed closely behind as they emerged from the undergrowth but Harry didn't hear any of the others.
The first door was clearly just a store. Harry continued to the next.
In the half light, Harry could see that this was a sturdy looking door. It looked quite out of keeping with the ramshackle look of the rest of the building.
Harry swept his wand over the door, feeling for the residual vibrations his wand could pick up from charms placed upon the door. He'd learnt this trick from one of the books Sirius had left him. He concluded that the door wasn't locked magically but there was definitely some kind of charm placed low down near the hinges. He was sure this was an intruder detection jinx.
He decided to check the other door and hardly had to raise his wand before he detected the heavy locking charms placed upon the door.
Harry stood back a moment. This door wasn't nearly as sturdy looking as the other one and yet this one had all the locking charms on it.
Was it a trick? His instinct was that this was the door they needed to get into.
Bateman was watching Harry closely and appeared to realise his quandary.
Harry pointed at the door and Bateman nodded. He pointed his wand at the lock, again feeling for the locking charms. Realising that there was more than one, he dragged his wand around the perimeter until he'd caught them all.
With all four locks held in his mind, Harry mouthed, "Alohomora!"
The door opened silently and Bateman entered at once. Harry followed and realised that some of the others were following closely behind him.
They passed through a short covered walkway and emerged into an open courtyard. Harry realised that this must have been an old stable building, except now the stable doors had been replaced with cell doors.
Bateman crouched down before they went out into the open.
Harry realised only just in time that there was an invisible tripping jinx across the exit. Bateman looked at him quizzically for a moment when Harry grabbed his arm, but nodded and drew back when he realised it was something he couldn't see.
Harry disarmed the tripping jinx and Bateman indicated he should take the lead, directing him to move around the courtyard clockwise.
Harry moved out into the open, his left hand out to feel the wall and is wand in the other. He moved gingerly around a foul smelling water barrel and eventually came to the corner. It was frustrating not to just cut across to the first cell door, but Harry knew they had to remain cautious.
Just as they got to the first door, a light came on from the far side. It was coming from a small window. Someone had lit a lantern inside, but they couldn't see inside because of a blind pulled down. Of course, that meant that anyone inside couldn't see out either.
Harry unlocked the first cell door, but it didn't open on its own.
Bateman pushed the heavy metal door open and Duke entered. They had agreed that Harry wouldn't go into the cells but he illuminated his wand tip to give them some light to see by.
The cell was empty apart from some straw on the floor and fresh bloodstains were apparent on the rendered walls.
Duke immediately turned around and Bateman gently pulled the door closed. Harry had extinguished his wand and already moved to the next cell door.
They repeated the operation once more but this time the cell door opened inwards on its own. The prisoner was trying to get out on their own but Harry realised he might give the rest of them away. He raised his wand to the gap in the door and whispered, "Silencio!"
Duke pushed him back into the cell and Harry again lit the cell. Duke held his revolver to the prisoner's head and said, "You can behave and leave with us or you can be dead. Nod if you're going to behave."
The prisoner nodded vigorously and Duke pushed him out of the cell and back along the wall to hand him over to one of the others. Harry didn't recognise him but the prisoner wasn't injured.
Harry and Bateman moved to the next cell but that and the next one was empty.
They turned the corner and Harry moved to the first cell door, going past a normal looking door. Bateman paused at the door and Harry looked back before opening the cell door. Bateman pointed at the normal door and Harry nodded before gingerly moving back.
"Alohomora!" he whispered and the door clicked open.
Bright light flooded out of the door crack and Bateman immediately closed it again, clearly fearful that the light would be noticed. Bateman looked at the lit window and then made his decision.
He leaned close to Harry and whispered, "Alright. We go in quick. Don't try and turn the lights off. You go in first and I'll follow."