Dark Side

Escape

Harry

The door of the cellar bangs shut, plunging us all into darkness. Ron pulls out the deluminator and clicks it, a ball of light flying out above us, illuminating the cold, damp cellar. Needless to say, I'm pretty shocked when out of the darkness comes Luna, Mr. Ollivander, and Griphook.

"Harry? Ron? Hermione?" Asks Luna, stepping toward us.

"Luna? Why are you here?"

"The death eaters didn't like what dad was printing in the Quibbler."

"Are you alright? How long have you been here?

"Not too long. Draco sneaks us food as often as he can. I knew there was good in him. I could always see it." She says, in her dreamy voice. I'm glad and only somewhat surprised that nothing has managed to break her positivity.

"There is good in him. He's working undercover with us." I say, lowering my voice slightly.

Luna smiles, but before she can reply, we hear Bellatrix yelling from upstairs. "Where did you get this?!"

"In the tent, beside the girl." says one of the snatchers stupidly.

"Get her for me!" screeches Bellatrix.

Footsteps draw closer, so Ron clicks the deluminator again, plunging us back into darkness. Wormtail appears, and we all draw back. He grabs Hermione with his magically strong silver hand, dragging her away from us. Ron struggles, but Wormtail throws him back with a quick flick of his wand. We fall into silence, straining to hear what's happening upstairs.

"You broke into my vault, girl. What else did you take?!"

"We didn't break in, I swear, we found the sword in the woods."

"Lies! CRUCIO!"

Hermione's screams fill the air, easily coming all the way down to the cellar, echoing across the stone walls. The screams stop, and we all exhale.

"WHAT ELSE DID YOU TAKE YOU FILTHY MUDBLOOD!?"

"We didn't take anything I swear." Cries Hermione. The screams start again.

We endure this for five more minutes, sitting down with our heads in our hands, unable to do anything to help her. We all dart up when a loud CRACK rings through the cellar, and a small figure looks around nervously from the centre of the room, finally finding my eyes.

"Harry Potter sir, Dobby has come to save you and your friends."

"Dobby, you can apparate in here?" I ask.

"Of course sir, I'm an elf."

"Okay," I say, beyond being surprised by anything anymore. I simply don't have the time. A plan starts to form in my mind as I address Dobby. "Take those three, to..."

"Shell cottage, on the outskirts of Tinworth." Finished Ron, "Bill and Fleur's."

"Okay, take them there, then come back for us."

Dobby grabs Luna and Mr. Olivanders's hands, Luna also grabbing Griphook's.

"Whenever you're ready sir." says Luna brightly to the elf.

"Sir, I like her." Says Dobby. Dobby nods to me, and the four of them vanish with another CRACK!

They must have heard this one with the break in Hermione's screams, as Bellatrix orders from upstairs, "WORMTAIL! Get the others!"

Ron and I act immediately, standing with our backs to the wall on either side of the door. Footsteps approach, and we brace ourselves as Wormtail walks in, a confused look on his face when he sees the supposedly empty room. Ron and I dart out from the sides of the door and tackle him. I stand up, Wormtail's wand in my hand, as Ron pins him to the ground with one knee, hand over his mouth.

I'm about to stun him when I'm distracted by something. Wormtail's silver hand starts moving toward his face, and judging by his terrified and confused expression, it isn't of his own will. Suddenly, the hand grabs Wormtail's neck, strangling him. Ron and I attempt to pry it off him, but to no avail. Wormtail's eyes fill with terror, then, with nothing. I stand up, staring at the man who had betrayed my parents, the one who had just been betrayed as well. Karma is a bitch. I feel a twinge of pity, but there is no time for that. We run upstairs.

We dart behind a couch, but no one had noticed us. I feel my face, and notice the swelling has gone completely. I glance quickly over the couch, and lock eyes with Draco. He nods down, and I see our wands in his hand. Immediately, he turns back to look at the centre of the room, where no one is looking in our direction. Now's our only chance. I signal to Ron, and we spring into action.

I disarm Draco while he pretends to be oblivious, and throw Ron's wand to him. I throw Wormtail's wand aside, clutching mine and Hermione's. Ron dashes out, running for Hermione who's lying on the floor, and helps her up. I stun Lucius, and Ron throws curses at Bellatrix, occupying her until he and Hermione are back beside me.

Draco

I'm relieved that they'd escaped the cellar, but they aren't out of the mansion yet. The three of them stand here, Hermione slumped over Ron, everyone's wands pointed at them. CRACK! Dobby, my old house elf appears. I'm shocked for a moment to say the least, then remember what Harry had told me about the second year in the safe house. The safe house. That feels like a lifetime ago.

Dobby snaps his fingers, disarming and stunning Bellatrix and Lucius. Dobby then turns to me, but Harry holds up holds up his hand to him.

"Stun me, they can't suspect." I say. Harry nods, raises his wand, and the last thing I see is a flash of red light before I black out.

I wake up, not knowing how long later, sprawled over the arm of a hard couch at an odd angle. I groan and stretch, back objecting to my hard fall from earlier. The rest of my family is still unconscious, house elf magic is stronger than an average wizard's stunning spell. I sit up, muttering a few charms to ease the obvious bruising causing the pain in my lower back. I'm glad that I seem to have a gift for healing charms, they've been very useful of late.

They all got out. Almost a miracle. This does prove to be inconvenient for me, as Voldemort will not be happy. I walk around the room, modifying the memories of my still unconscious family members, making them think I was away while this whole mess happened. I then walk out of the mansion from a back exit, and disapparate to a random part of London. I practice my legilimency for a while, knowing that Voldemort will want to confirm my story when I return. I sit in an alley, throwing a ball against the wall repeatedly, biding my time before I go back, perfect lie in place.

I reach into my inside pocket, pulling out my new wand. It seems to hum in my hands, desperately waiting to be used. I want to use it, my old one feels so wrong in my hand. I can't use it yet, I can't just show up with a new wand. When all this is over, I'll use my new wand, throw out the person I used to be.