The Resistance

Chapter 13

The plan was a simple one. Hermione, Draco, Ron, Sirius and Lupin would appartate into the tunnel below the Shrieking Shack and follow the passage up to the castle grounds. From there they would sneak into the dungeons where, hopefully, Bellatrix and Snape would be waiting to unlock Harry's cell.

As the group congregated outside the Burrow the last rays of the sun had sunk into hiding behind the hills surrounding the house, casting long dark shadows over them, and making the summers evening unnervingly chill. Hermione and Narcissa stood close to one another, Hermione looking down at her hands.

     "I want to come with you," Narcissa said. Hermione smiled.

     "They need you here, to prepare for when we bring Harry back."

     "What if you get hurt?"

     "Then they'll bring me back to you and you'll heal me," Hermione smiled. "It'll be fine Cissy. I promise. I'm coming back. You won't loose me again. Not tonight." The older witch took her face in her hands and pulled her into a kiss for all the Order to see. She rested her forehead against her lovers and closed her eyes, savouring the moment before she knew she would have to let her go.

     "Just make sure you do," she whispered. She pulled back and smirked. "Oh look, I've made you blush. I was always good at that." Hermione grinned and kissed her once more, before joining the rest of the group preparing to depart. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the twins gleefully accepting a large handful of galleons from Sirius. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch into a little smile, and with one last look at her lover, she disappeared with a loud crack.

Hermione stumbled as she reappeared in the dark passage way and reached out to steady herself against he dank earthy wall of the tunnel. As they waited for them all to arrive, the walls of the tunnel and shadows of her fellow Order members gradually came into focus. Sirius looked at her irritatedly for a moment.

"You and my cousin have cost me ten gallions," he growled. Hermione smirked, and then she watched as he transformed into the great shaggy black dog that was his animagus form. When they were all present and able to see the pathway ahead of them, they bent their heads and followed Sirius up the pathway toward the Whomping Willow.

When they reached the mouth of the tunnel they waited at the base of the tree as Sirius froze the manic waving of it's many arms by pressing the nodule at it's base with his nose. They clambered out of the tree and stood, gazing up at the dark castle above them.

     "Right," Lupin whispered, "disillusionment charms, now. They may not be invisibility cloaks but they should keep us concealed as long as we stick to the shadows." Ron, Draco and Hermione nodded and did as they were told, then, they hurried up the bank to the outer walls of the castle. The three of them exchanged confused glances as they stood outside the area of wall that Sirius was sniffing around. Lupin grinned and pulled aside the curtain of ivy to reveal the grimy bricks beneath it and pulled out his wand.

     "Merlin I hope this still works," he muttered to himself. He tapped a complex combination of bricks with the tip of his wand and they crumbled away to reveal a low passageway into the castle, just big enough to fit a man inside. "We discovered it in our final year once the map was finished," he explained.

Crouching low, they followed Sirius and Lupin into the passage which sealed itself up behind them. No one spoke, the only sound filling the passage coming from the scratching of Sirius's claws against the stones underfoot and the occasional drip of water from the dank walls. The tunnel began to slope down as they descended deeper and deeper into the heart of the castle dungeons. They could hear voices now above them, the harsh cackling of Death Eaters, and the occasional shout of a prisoner.

When at last they stopped Lupin held up his hand, signalling for silence. Sirius poked his nose around the opening of the passage. He pulled his head back in and they watched as he returned to his human form grinning.

     "All clear," he said. "Only Bellatrix. I could smell that from a mile off." A hand appeared through the opening of the door and grabbed his hair, dragging him out from the tunnel. The others leapt after him, only to find that Bellatrix was holding him against the wall, her face not inches from his own, practically snarling at him.

     "Let's just clarify who you were talking about cousin," she spat. He grinned.

     "Bella," Hermione hissed, "don't we have something a little more important to deal with first?" Bella huffed and released her cousin reluctantly.

     "Later," she warned, pointing one long nailed finger at him. He grinned back at her.

     "We have five minutes to get Potter and get him back into the tunnel so if you wouldn't mind behaving like adults for once I suggest that we get a move on," Snape growled. They nodded and when his back was turned Bella and Sirius both stuck their tongues out at him in unison. Their hatred for Snape was perhaps the one thing the two cousins had in common apart from their blood.

Snape and Lupin took up positions at the mouth of the corridor and Bella, Hermione, Draco and Sirius made their way toward the cell at the end of the long hall. It was made of cast iron, with two heavy iron strips crossing over it, a maze of locks covering the cross. And covering the door, was a heavy dark green chain that seemed to be bolted inside the wall either side of the door. Only, when Hermione looked closer, she noticed that the chain seemed to be moving. In fact it wasn't a chain at all, but hundreds and hundreds of tiny glittering green snakes, all woven around each other, their eyes sparkling dangerously.

     "Careful," Bella said. "One bite and you'd be dead within ten minutes and not even my sister would be able to save you."

Bellatrix touched the tip of her wand to one of he snakes and a whisper of purple smoke wove it's way around them, sending them slithering back into the walls from which they came. Then she took a little sliver key and placed it in the centre of the door. It followed the maze of locks over the door, unlocking each bolt with a loud clunk until finally the door swung open.

Harry looked up from the corner he was sitting in and a weak smile broke out on his face. Draco rushed to him and took his face in his hands, murmuring soft words to him as he struggled to restrain his emotions.

     "No time for sentiments Draco we have to go," Bellatrix snapped. Draco glared up at her but did as he was told, helping Harry to his feat and out of the little cell.

     "I knew you would come," Harry muttered. Hermione opened her mouth to reply, only to briskly close it again as she realised that the comment was not in fact for her.

     "I promised didn't I?" Draco smiled.