Dunlin had been pacing around the cave, head in hand, deep in thought, for a long time. Ben watched him carefully, glad his captor was engrossed in thought; the longer he was preoccupied the more time it bought for his mother & father to get there.
His father. He actually was thinking in terms of having a father for the first time, and contrary to his feelings over the past week, he was damn glad his father was around and on his way now. "If I hadn't pulled this stupid stunt of coming out here by myself, none of this would be happening," he bitterly thought. "My mum wouldn't be heading into danger." He knew there was no way he was going to escape Dunlin without his father's assistance. He didn't have the knowledge or control his magic that his father had. "If I get out of this, I'm never leaving home again. Mum will get sick of me under her feet," he thought. He knew he was bargaining with himself, but he had to think of something besides the mean-looking death eater stalking around the cave.
Dunlins' mind was racing. Potter had a son, who claims he never met his father. Heir to the founders?? The potter linage was in the line of Godric Gryffindor . Did he even know this? It didn't seem so, but none of that was of great importance to Dunlin right now. What was important was that he now had to kill Potter and his son; but first he had to get Potter to come to him. "Well, I've got the perfect bait right here in front of me," he thought as he eyed Ben. "I'll kill them both and take their bodies back to Bulgaria with me to prove that the last of the Gryffindor line is dead. Poor ,dear, Godric…what a shameful waste….
Settling on his plan of action he crossed the space between them and knelt in front of Ben. "OK Junior, time to get Daddy and invite him to our party."
"What?" Ben asked, slightly confused.
"You are going to connect with Potter- your father- and tell him where you are. Being the gallant fool I know he is, he'll come running to rescue you. And I will be waiting to give him the welcome he deserves."
Ben didn't want to let Dunlin know that he was already on his way, so he said, "I can't connect with him. I've never met him. I don't even know where he is."
"You don't need to know where he is you idiot, you're his son, you have a permanent connection- oh fuck, I'll do it myself," Dunlin spat out. He grabbed Ben's head between his hands and began to summon Potter.
Harry and Hermione were portkeying down towards the cavesin silence; both engrossed in their own separate agonizing thoughts. "Harry what is it?" asked Hermione.
"Dunlin is trying to connect with me." Harry closed his eyes and listened to the smug voice that was filtering into his mind.
// POTTER, are you out there? Tis I, your favorite unfaithful subject, out of jail and wanting to chat. //
Harry's hands balled into two tight fists as he grimaced at the sound of Dunlins' voice.
// What do you want Dunlin.
Now now, what kind of a greeting is that? I came a long way to this pathetic country to find you. But instead of you, I found something far more interesting, and valuable, as it turns out. Care to take a guess at what it is? //
Harry knew he had to play his cards very close to his chest; he didn't want Dunlin to know that he was already on his way to find his son. The element of surprise was something he needed on his side right now.
// Don't be coy Dunlin. What are you talking about.
I'm talking about meeting the 2nd heir of Gryffindor…. Pity though, he claims to never have met you. What a shame that he's not going to get the chance, seeing as how I'm going to kill him.
''DUNLIN so help me, if you touch a hair on his head I'm going to fry you from the inside out''.
''Oh spare me Lord Gryffindor''. ''We both know you don't have the balls''.
''What do you want'' .
''The same thing I've always wanted- your head on a platter, right next to your best friends''. But now that I'll have the three of you, maybe I'll mount your heads on the wall in MY home, to remind the simpering wimp's back home who has the real power.
''You're dreaming as usual.''
Am I Potter? The way I see it I'm already one head ahead of you- oh, I made a pun. Ha ha.
''Leave him alone''. I'm the one you want.'
No funny stuff'. If you want to see him alive you'll meet me at the cave entrance on the north side .alone. Soon.
I'll be there. //
Dunlin withdrew his hands from Ben's head. "Well Junior, looks like you're going to meet Daddy after all."
Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and they began to silently climb the rock formation from the far side of the entrance to avoid detection. He stopped them when they came near it and crouched down behind a large boulder. Hermione remained quiet as he surveyed the scene, but finally couldn't contain her anxiety and said "so what's the plan?"
"Um, well…" Harry trailed off; truth was he didn't know what the next move should be yet. Hermione's eyes grew large as she said "please tell me you have a plan, Harry."
"The plan is to get the three of us out of here alive. It's the details that are a little fuzzy."
Hermione couldn't contain her anger. "A little fuzzy?" she hissed. "You're a freaking descendent of Godric Gryffindor, isn't this your forte?"
"Hermione give me a minute here. Do you realize how hard it's going to be to get in there? This is going to take a lot of thought." That was only half the truth though; the other half was that he had to figure out how he was going to get her to remain outside. He did not want her in the middle of a showdown between he and Dunlin.
"Damn it," Hermione exclaimed.
"Hermione give me a minute-"
"No, damn it, I have to pee. I'm going to go back behind that rock" she was pointing to a large one perched on the side of the formation behind them, "and when I get back I want to hear the plan." She shot him a determined look before disappearing behind the rocks.
Harry watched her leave, and seizing the opportunity to get inside without her he silently made his way to the hidden entrance. He paused momentarily knowing she would be furious with him for leaving her behind to worry about what was happening inside. He shook his head to banish the thoughts from his mind and reached out his hand and placed it on the rock. After a moment it began to glow and the hidden door slid open. Plastering his body to the outside wall he paused again. Once he was sure Dunlin wasn't near the opening waiting to ambush him he silently slid inside and began to slowly make his way into the interior of the cave. Deep in concentration as he was, he failed to see a very pissed off looking Hermione slip through the opening just before the door slid shut. She followed him inside, hanging back enough so as not to be seen. Spotting a small space in a large rock pile just before the entrance to the chamber room, she quickly hid herself, deciding it might be better to be an observer initially.
Harry's eyes darted around the cave in panic when he didn't immediately see his son. Suddenly a voice as annoying as nails scraping along a chalkboard rang out.
"So good of you to come Lord Gryffindor, and so quickly too. I wasn't expecting you just yet."
Jerking around to face him he replied "cut the crap Dunlin, where is my son."
At the sound of his fathers voice Ben called out from behind Dunlin "Dad!"
Elated at the sound of that simple word, he turned to see Ben sitting on the floor with his hands bound behind his back. Relief flooded over him that not only was he alive, but he appeared to be unhurt. Father and son stared at each other a minute before Dunlin sarcastically said "oh, isn't this a beautiful moment. Long lost Daddy meets boy Lord-not-to-be."
Quickly connecting to his son he said // I'm going to need your help here Ben. //
Harry tensed up. // I'll try, but I don't have control over my powers like you do.
It's OK. I'm going to distract him- keep him talking. I need you to concentrate on moving a rock and knocking him out with it. Can you do that?
I'll try. //
Looking at Dunlin, Harry growled out "let my son go now."
Dunlin snorted. "Do you really think that I'd come all this way to kill you so I could take you out and leave your heir alive? No, I'm going to kill you both and take your bodies back to Bulgaria…
"I think you've gotten way ahead of yourself Dunlin. You'll have to catch me first."
As he finished his sentence, a rock rolled off a ledge above him and knocked him unconscious.
Dunlin's' thin lips disappeared as he smirked. "Oh yeah, that was REAL hard."
Tucked in her hiding spot, Hermione buried her head in her hands. Could this possibly get any worse? She peeked through a crack in the rock pile and watched as Dunlin dragged his limp body over toward her son. He bound his hands and left him lying next to a very stunned and scared looking Ben.
Think Hermione, think! She knew that her son were no match against Dunlin's superior powers. They needed the now unconscious Harry awake or none of them would survive, and as quickly as possible. And there was only one way that was going to happen.
Hermione connected in to her son. // Ben, it's me- stay calm. I'm inside the cave with you. I can see you now.
MUM! Where are you?
See the big pile of rocks on the left at the beginning of the corridor? I'm hiding in a pocket in the middle of them.
Mum I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. He asked me to throw a rock at Dunlin & I hit him instead.
It's OK Ben; we're going to get out of this. Listen to me. You're going to have to heal your father.
How Mum, I have to touch him, both our hands are tied, and Dunlin is right in front of us.
We're going to have to create a diversion to get him out of the way for a minute. Do you remember when you were little how you used to freak me out by making noises come from rooms that were empty? That's what you're going to do. See the light coming through the hole in the wall across the cave? Project some loud noises from there; as soon as he heads in there manoeuvre yourself over toward your father and touch him wherever you can. I'll come out and help you, but you're going to have to be fast. OK baby?
I can do that Mum. Just please be careful.
Do it now Ben. Time is short. //
Ben easily projected a loud banging noise from inside the chamber; and as Hermione predicted Dunlin immediately moved to check it out. As soon as his back was turned Ben began to squirm toward his father and moved in close enough that he was able to reach out his fingers and touch his leg. At the same time Hermione accioed Harry's wand & silently made her way out from behind the rock pile and over to her son. Upon reaching him she joined her hands to his to increase his power. The sleeping Harry began to stir, and his eyes flew open at the sound of Hermione quietly calling his name.
"Hermione! How the hell did you get in here?"
"Later Harry, we have to get out of here first," she said as she tried unsuccessfully to undo the bonds with a simple spell that tied their hands. "Shit, I can't get these things loose."
"Nor will you be able to my dear." ' your wand will not work in here. Not unless you know wandless magic which I'm sure you are not capable of''… Three heads shot up to see Dunlin coming back from the back chamber. "You didn't think I'd use some inferior spellto hold a Lord, do you?" He sauntered toward them slowly as he took in Hermione's arrival. "The pretty brunette from Junior's mind is here. How nice. Another person to kill." His eyes narrowed as he studied her. "Well let's see; since you're too old to be his girlfriend, I'll guess you're his mother. Which means you slept with Lord Idiot here. So Potter, she's the reason you never took any of the women kept in slavery eh?All this time I thought you were gay; turns out you had a whore here all along. She's quite a looker; no wonder you wanted to come back to this hellhole. Maybe I'll have to try her out myself."
Both Harry's body exploded in anger, yelling out obscenities at him as they struggled in vain to stand.
Dunlins' hollow laughter filled the cavern. "Merlin you're both pathetic. And over an mud blood ." He raised his hand and pointed at father and son. "And I am tired of you both. Time to say bye-bye."
As he began to send a thunderous bolt of energy hurling toward them, Hermione sprang at him from the side with a jumping scissor kick to his arm, sending the murderous ray bouncing harmlessly off the walls. Before he could regroup she spun around and kicked him with all her might square in the chest, sending him sprawling backwards onto the floor, his head slamming onto the rock-hard surface and knocking him out.
"Good shot Mum."