Escaping Darkness [Book 1 of Through Darkness and Light]

Chapter 17: Freedom at the Price of Betrayal

Harry hated any form of traveling that was even remotely magical. He couldn’t Floo without falling on his face, couldn’t Apparate without stumbling (not that the sensation was pleasant either), and portkeys just brought back memories better left untouched.

But portkey was the easiest way for them to reach Malfoy Manor, as Apparition was too loud, and half of them couldn’t Apparate properly anyways. Plus, it wouldn’t do to just Floo directly into the Manor. There were wards to think about, and Harry didn’t think ol’ Moldywart would appreciate them appearing, and saying, “Hey, ol’ chap. Mind if we borrow your prisoner? We don’t have any intention of returning him…oh, and would you mind telling us the locations of all of your Horcruxes while you’re at it?”

He fought back a snort at that thought, as he reached for the watch. Harry met Blaise’s gaze, and the other boy nodded grimly at him.

“For Draco,” Blaise murmured. Harry echoed his words. The portkey glowed blue, and both boys held on tight. In a flash, they had disappeared, exactly two minutes after Hermione, Ron, and the other Slytherins had portkeyed away.

Harry blinked as he went from the back room of the Three Broomsticks, to the menacing aura of Malfoy Manor. So far, no alarms seemed to be triggered, but the duo froze, listening and waiting. Nothing.

He and Blaise looked at each other again, and both boys murmured Disillusionment charms. As soon as he had disappeared, Harry pulled out his cloak, and threw it over himself; nothing wrong with extra protection.

“Let’s go,” he murmured. There was a shuffled step, then Harry felt Blaise’s hand rest on his shoulder.

By silent agreement, they slipped towards the side of the house. Harry felt Blaise pass him, and saw the vines creeping up the corner of one wall shift as the other boy began rifling through the plant.

There was a muttered oath, as Blaise tripped, but he quickly regained his balance. The Slytherin’s hand continued to rove over the wall, until finally – there!

Harry looked around, panicked, as a sharp crack echoed through the early night air. He quickly cast a Silencing charm around Blaise, just to be on the safe side. Finally, the outline of a door appeared, and Harry moved towards it, ending the Silencing charm. He followed the sound of Blaise’s breathing, and the two disappeared into the hidden corridor. Behind them, the door closed quietly, invisible to the outside once more.

It was dark in the corridor. Harry heard Blaise’s voice, as he murmured, “Lumos.” Instantly, light chased away the shadows, and both boys blinked. It was a stone corridor, stretching into a long, narrow pathway, with no lanterns or any other lighting devices. There was nothing to indicate another hidden passage to connect to the corridor, and Blaise and Harry moved forward slowly, Harry following the light from Blaise’s wand.

They walked quickly, knowing that the distraction wouldn’t last long. Within two more minutes, they had reached the end of the corridor. Harry was dismayed to see nothing but a stone wall in front of him. He pulled off his cloak and ended his Disillusionment charm, Blaise doing the same, as Harry walked forward and touched the wall gingerly.

“It’s a dead end,” he whispered, anxious. Blaise ignored Harry’s fear, however, instead going to the upper right corner, and tapping on the wall.

Harry watched, bemused, as Blaise continued to tap all over the wall. His bemused expression turned to one of surprised wonder, as the other found what he was looking for. Blaise pushed in a small stone, and the wall began to fade, until it had disappeared entirely.

Beyond was a dungeon. Exactly as Draco had described it. Harry looked around, taking in the dank, dismal place. There appeared to be no one there at the moment, but Harry cast another Disillusionment charm anyways and threw his cloak on again. He and Blaise crept forward, their muffled footsteps still unnervingly loud in the dungeons.