Chapter 7
An Inevitable Fight Scene
"As soon as we get back to Hogwarts, I am
keeping a leash on my sister. " Harry thought out
loud as the Red Squadron flew in formation. The
only member of the team that could hear him was
Hermione. When she heard him say this, she
laughed.
"She does have a tendency to get into
trouble doesn't she?"
"She'd deny it though." Harry almost
laughed. "She'd say "Its like what my t-shirt
reads: Trouble finds me"."
Hermione nodded her head in agreement.
"That would be something she would say." She
looked over her shoulder to see Ron who was
flying next to Anthony in the back. "Ron's taking
it rather well."
"Don't let him fool you. He's a bloody wreck."
"He doesn't look it."
"That's Ron for you."
"No, he's usually one that lets people know how
he feels. " Hermione looked back over her shoulder
at Ron; who made only civil conversation with his
flying partner. "He must be really hurting."
"Well, MacNeal and Malfoy are going to hurt
pretty bad if Ron has anything to say about it."
"You mean if Heather hasn't already at the
very least driven him nuts."
"That's true."
Hermione hesitated for a moment before
asking. "Have you made up your mind about really
wanting to be an auror?"
Harry sighed. "Not really. I was really waiting
to see how this mission goes before making a final
decision."
Hermione drew her broomstick closer to him
and patted him on the back. "Don't worry, Harry.
Everything will turn out in the end. It always does.
Remember the Sorcerer's stone, the Chamber of
Secrets, the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and the whole
situation with your Godfather? Things will turn out
in the end. You'll see."
"I hope you're right, My One." He paused
as he looked at the G.P.S. function on his "electronic"
spell book. "Malfoy Manor is just over this next hill.
We should probably land a little ways out and go on
Foot the rest of the way."
"Sounds good." Hermione agreed and gestured
for the rest of the squadron to start making their descent.
Once the group landed, they made their way toward
the edge of the woods where they saw Malfoy manor in all
its dark gloomy glory. The house was covered in gargoyles
and dark gray stones. Kamal and Anthony assessed the
security situation and while they did, Harry pulled Hermione
and Ron aside. "I'm getting a very bad feeling about this
place. If something happens to me, remember you're in
charge, 'My one. Promise me you'll get yourselves out."
"Oh, come on Harry. When have we ever paid
attention to that nonsense?" Ron laughed quietly. "We'll
stay by you until the end."
"He's right, Harry. We'll be stronger if we stand
together."
"Just promise me." Harry asked them looking
worriedly at the manor.
Ron looked at Hermione and she nodded. "Okay,
Okay. We'll get ourselves out."
"Its protocol after all." Hermione offered.
Once Kamal and Anthony returned, Anthony gave their
report. "To sum it all up, there really isn't any "safe" way to
enter the manor. There are anti-apperation wards up the
wa zoo. We suggest splitting up into teams and whoever finds
finds her first retrieves her here."
"Wa zoo, is that part of your official report?" Hermione
teased. "I mean after all its not really a word."
"Don't worry, Hermione. When I write it up, it won't
be there."
"Splitting up is our only option?" Harry asked Kamal
and the tall dark man nodded. Harry sighed and then
continued. "We'll meet back here unless we end up in a
shoot out with MacNeal and Malfoy. Remember what
Sergeant Duckhorn said. Rescue mission only. We only
want Heather back at this point. There is no reason why
at this point to endanger anyone else with capturing the
Onyx Spell Book. Kamal and Sarah, you're with me. Ron,
Hermione, and Anthony go through the front. We'll take the
back."
"Good luck." Hermione hugged Harry then commanded
her group to follow. "We'll enter through the lower basement
window and make our way up the stairs." She whispered to them
as they exited the woods carefully.
Harry watched for a moment to make sure half of his
team entered into the house safely. Once they entered with
out an incident, Harry brought his team around back and
through the kitchen. The three of them were careful not to
draw attention to themselves for the house elves would
have surely gone to their master and told them what they
saw. Quietly, the three of them climbed the spiraling
stairwell to the other floors of the house.
*****
Hermione Granger sneezed. Not that she had a
cold, but rather allergies. The laboratory type of room
had a flare of a dungeon type quality to it. Whatever the
room was used for, of which Hermione had guessed was
potion making, the room was not used on a normal basis
due the layers of caked on dust. In short; it was a
medi-witch's nightmare.
She took our her handkerchief and wiped her nose;
praying that the only people who heard her sneeze was the
two other people now standing in the room along with her.
That was when she saw it. It mocked her from where it lay
on the bookstand. The Onyx Spell Book lay open taunting
her to pick it up. She went over to the bookstand as Anthony
Kenton checked the stairway to the basement. Ron followed
behind her to see what she was up to. "Hermione, you can't
be seriously thinking…"
"Ron, do you even realize what an opportunity this is?
This is like one chance in like a thousand. We have to take it."
"This is going to sound weird since it's coming from me
and not you, but you're going to disobey a direct order from
Sergeant Duckhorn?"
"If we take it now, we'll more than likely save lives in
the future." Hermione debated. "For all we know we could
be saving the lives of your family or even Harry. I'd rather
chance that than to be regretful of not taking it now."
"Do it quickly then." Ron looked over his shoulders.
Once he realized she just wasn't going to take it, he asked.
"Why don't you just take it already?"
"Because," Hermione offered as she pulled out her
wand and her "electronic" spell book. "The two of them aren't
as stupid to let a book lie this go unprotected. They had to
have put some sort of protective spells on it. At the very least
they'd put a tracking spell on it."
"We are talking about Malfoy, though."
"Which is why I am searching very thoroughly. Malfoy
maybe an arrogant, self-absorbed tight wad, but he's not
stupid and neither is MacNeal." Hermione scanned the book
after she tapped her wand to her spell book. She scanned it
until two symbols appeared. One was a tracking spell and the
other was a wand. "See, like I said, Malfoy isn't stupid."
"How did you get that from those pictures?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and gestured toward the
symbols floating above the spell book. "Honestly, Ron, don't
you ever read? Its in our manual for our spell book."
"Yeah, Hermione. I do read occasionally. I'm not a
complete stupid prat as you think I am, but I didn't read
the manual. Who in Merlin's name does read the
ownership manual?"
"I do." Hermione pointed at the broomstick. "The
broom means there is an anti-traveling jinx on it. The
wand means a tracking spell."
"Why on earth would someone put an anti-traveling
jinx on something if there is already a tracking spell on it?
Kind of overkill don't you think?"
"Incase someone discovers one of the spells,
Ronald." Hermione rolled her eyes. "They would be able
to find it somehow. I thought you aced strategy. I mean
I thought you were the strategist on the team."
Ron said nothing in response; however, the tips
of his ears turned bright red. Hermione pointed her wand
at the book and said. "Finite Incantatum."
The book gleamed for the moment it took for
the spells to disengaged. Once t stopped glowing,
Hermione took it off the bookstand and shrunk it down
to the size of a thumbnail. She placed it into the pocket
of her cloak. "Let's go before they find us down here."
"Good idea." Ron nodded as the duo carefully
crept up the stairway. As they stepped out the door,
the sound of ricocheting spells could be heard down
the corridor.
When they noticed Anthony being pinned down
in the main foyer; the two of them ran to his aid. "You
two took your sweet time getting here. What happened?"
"We found some cabinets that were worth
investigating." Ron lied. "Heather could have been inside
one."
"How did this all start?" Hermione asked as she
took a shot at Malfoy.
"As I was coming up the stair way, I heard voices
so I stopped where I was. After the voices past, I continued
up the stair way. Halfway up the main stairwell, the floorboard
creaked and they found me." Anthony flung a spell after
Danielle shot another spell in their direction. "I just hope
Harry is having a better time than we are. After all, we're
Still not sure how many others are here with them."
"From the looks of things, the house is empty
besides us." Ron offered. "And them of course."
"So let's keep this up. The longer we keep them
distracted, the longer Harry has to find Heather." Hermione
flung another spell and hoped Ron was right about the head
count.
*****
Blood. That was it. The metallic taste of the crimson
Liquid was the first thing that roused her from being knocked out.
Not that the pain in her lower abdomen didn't help nor did the
screaming of her muscles from all over her body. It felt like she
had been beat with a titanium rod, but Heather knew it was from
the combination of Crucio spells hitting her on an almost hourly
basis. Heather knew full well this particular method of torture
was to ensure Red Squadron's full cooperation, but Heather
knew their cooperation wouldn't come and if Malfoy and
MacNeal would have read the Auror training manual they would
know that.
At least the twosome had been considerate not too
keep her downstairs in the wine cellar or dungeon of sorts.
Instead they locked her in a room in the hear of the house:
Draco Malfoy's own suite. She was allowed to wander
the rooms as she pleased, but it wasn't like she had any
real means of escape. The windows were locked shut
by magic and the glass had a shatter-less curse upon it,
both of which Heather found out as she attempted to escape
hours earlier. The attempt had earned her being pushed
down the stairs. She had suspected Danielle had hoped
the fall would have snapped her neck in half and with out
any trust worthy witnesses, they could get off when it came
to court.
Heather squinted as she sat up on the feather bed.
After all this, she prayed that her baby was alive. If anything
happened to…she didn't think she could bare it. "After I get
out of here, I have to tell Ron that's all there is to it."
But how would Ron take he was going to be a
father? They weren't even married let alone ready. When
she had learned of the pregnancy she would have freaked
out if Hermione hadn't been there. Maybe Ron wouldn't
react the same way. Maybe even he would be happy
about it. As soon as she thought about this, doubt rose in
her. "Ron isn't ready for this so why push him? He wants to
finish training. Let him, have the child, and later on let him
know."
"But how will I hide it?" she thought back. "He maybe
thick, but he's not stupid."
"Hide out via a mission. Ask to go on a sabbatical or
something." Before Heather could think another thought, she
heard the lock on the door click. Immediately, she feigned
being comatose in hopes Malfoy or MacNeal wouldn't
interrupt her thoughts with another Crucio spell.
Instead she was welcomed by the sound of a familiar
deep voice. "Harry, Sarah, she's in here."
After some rustling, Heather heard the six footsteps
head into her room. Heather opened her eyes and smiled at
the sight of her brother's emerald green eyes. "Heather, you're
alive."
All Heather could do was nod her response. "Let's get
out of here and get you some help." Kamal's low bass voice
floated into her ears as she decided she could finally sleep
without having to worry about being beaten.
"At least now she won't feel anything." Sarah offered
Harry as he watched Kamal pick up Heather to carry her out.
The four of them met Ron, Hermione, and Anthony in
the foyer in a shoot out with Malfoy and MacNeal. "You found
her?" Ron smiled as he ducked back behind the doorway.
"She's in pretty bad shape." Hermione noted as she
jumped at the opportunity to look at her. "We need to get her
back to Hogwarts."
Harry flashed a few basic disarming spells in the
conjoining room. "Kamal, Sarah, Anthony, and Ron: when
I make the command run and get Heather out of her.
Hermione and I will follow."
"Shouldn't I go with them?" Hermione asked as she
began to get Heather prepared to travel.
"You run faster if you don't have anything to carry."
Harry took a few shots to distract Malfoy and MacNeal.
"Go!"
Kamal hunched Heather over his large muscular
Shoulders and ran. Ron and the rest followed not too far
behind once Hermione took Ron's position behind the
door frame.
"Ready?" Harry asked as he shot the next couple
of spells in the direction of the couch MacNeal and Malfoy
too cover behind. Hermione nodded as she moved closer
to the front door. Harry took Hermione's position as he
distracted their nemesis from their exit. Once he dodged
their on coming assault, the do ran out of the door and into
the forest.
"Run." Harry called after her. "They're not dense
enough to shoot an nothing for too long."
As if to agree with him, a spell hit the tree beside
him. "Move! Move! Move!" He commanded to Hermione
and they ran faster to where Red Squadron waited for them.
Once at the meeting point, Ron tossed Harry his Firebolt as
Sarah threw Hermione hers. "Move! Come on; let's get out of
here."
The group took off and raced back toward Hogwarts
with Draco Malfoy and Danielle MacNeal not too far behind
them. As the group speared faster and faster towards
Hogwarts; Hermione, Harry, Danielle, and Draco
continued to assaulting spells back and forth like they
had done in Malfoy manor.
It wasn't until she heard Harry scream as he fell
off his broom and into the forest below that she knew he'd
been hit. Breaking protocol, Hermione cut through the air
like a javelin after him in hopes she could prevent him
from hitting the ground.
Ron turned around and witnessed the fall of his best
Friends. "Harry! Hermione!" He called as Draco and Danielle
conjured another spell. Without thinking, Ron whipped his wand
from his holster and disarmed the duet.
"Ron, we need to get Heather back to Hogwarts. She's
lost a lot of blood and needs medical attention." Kamal offered
to Ron as he poised to go after Hermione and Harry. "He's got
Hermione. They'll be fine for the moment."
Ron nodded as he turned around his broom to head back
to Hogwarts. It would turn out to be the hardest decision he'd ever
have to make.
*****
Faster and faster she flew toward where her fiancé fell
to the ground. She had considered the distance between them
and knew she would have never been able to stop his initial fall,
but she knew from where she had been she could potentially stop
him from dying from the fall. She leaned as far as she could into
the broom to tell the broom to fly even faster. When Harry landed
head first into several large branches head first, her heart almost
stopped. The full impact of Harry's contact with the tree didn't stop
his descent; however, it did slow it enough so Hermione could
catch him without playing chicken with the ground and killing
herself in the process.
Harry's dead body weight was more than she could
handle on her own and the hindrance of trying to control the
broomstick just didn't help either. As soon as she could, she
landed in a clearing not too far from the caves she had noticed
earlier. She laid Harry on the ground to assess his current
medical condition. "Harry! Harry! Come on, you have to wake up."
Hermione shook him, but he was unresponsive. "Great."
She sighed as she began to collect wood as the dampness of the
cave would only add to the severity of the situation. As she headed
back to the cavern, the dark sky that hung over their heads all day
opened up on them and the rain was falling in sheets.
Once she had started a fire, Harry aroused out of his
unconsciousness with a moan. Hermione went over to him
and placed her cloak on him to try to keep him warmer. "Harry,"
she breathed, "you're going to be okay.
Harry smiled up at her. "You look a mess."
"Not as bad as you." Hermione scoffed playfully.
"I thought I told you not to go after me." Harry
groaned.
"When have we ever followed the rules?"
"Point." Harry paused as he took in their
surroundings. "What happened to my broom?"
Hermione sighed. "When you fell, it
snapped in several pieces."
"Oh." Harry looked out at the mouth of
the cave. "I suppose we have to stay put for
the time being. Merlin! My head hurts."
"No surprise there. You hit some large
tree limbs on the way down. Head first of course."
"I do have a tendency not to do things
halfway." Harry chuckled. "I suppose all we can do now
is wait for the Calvary to arrive."
*****
End of Chapter Seven.
By the way, Have a happy February 14th, since S'Eleene is
Boycotting valentine's day. She said she would rather have
Fun on Saint Agnes Eve.
Chapter 8 will be up sometime soon. S'Eleene says there
Are only going to be 9 chapters in this one, so you'll have
To wait and see how it all turns out.