Reign O'er Me

---

Chapter 33 - I Can See For Miles

I know you've deceived me, now here's a surprise,
I know that you have, 'cause there's magic in my eyes.

If you think that I don't know about the little tricks you've played,
And never see you when deliberately you put things in my way,

Well, here's a poke at you.
You're gonna choke on it, too.
You're gonna lose that smile,
Because, all the while,

I can see for miles and miles.
I can see for miles and miles.
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles,
and miles and miles and miles and miles.<

- I Can See For Miles, The Who

---

"Here's a broom, Malfoy," Ron said, smirking. They were standing between the Slaughter Stone and the outer ring at Stonehenge. "You're going to have to make do with a hand-me-down."

"What Weasley family heirloom is this? Is it a Comet 140? Or perhaps an Oakshaft 79?" Draco asked, his lip curling. "Wait... this is a Firebolt."

"Quite right," Ron said, carefully holding his Firebolt II so the logo showed clearly in the moonlight. "Last year's model. Oh, wait, you're still using a Nimbus 2001, aren't you, Malfoy? This'll be a giant step upwards for you. You'd best be careful; the Firebolt has much finer control than you're used to.

"I hardly need a..." Draco said.

"That's enough," Harry interrupted. "How do we do this, Malfoy?"

"The first half-hour should not matter, though it will be to our advantage to stay high to avoid any chance observation. As we approach the manor, it will be necessary to go very high--somewhere over ten thousand feet. Then, we will...." Malfoy paused, looking at Hermione, who had turned visibly green, even in the dim moonlight. "Granger, the height makes no difference. After five or six seconds, you're at terminal velocity. Being higher simply means that you will have longer to savor the view as you fall."

"Nobody's going to fall!" Harry said, trying to give Hermione a reassuring look. "What next, Malfoy?"

"We drop almost all the way down. It is important that we drop vertically. We have a very narrow zone in which to descend. Next, across the manor grounds, we will want to stay very low, rising to no more than twenty or thirty feet. You will need to follow my path closely. The route we will follow will be less than ten feet wide in places. Once we are to the west of the manor, we will land adjacent to the topiary garden, and then make our way to the house."

"And how do we get through the door?" Hermione asked.

"Through the crack at the bottom." Draco said.

"But you said we couldn't use magic," Ginny observed.

"Not on the door or the house," Draco replied.

"But outside it?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, as long as it is not cast upon the house or the door," Draco replied, rolling his eyes.

"I have an idea," Hermione said thoughtfully. "But I'll need to see the door first."

"Are you sure this hasn't all changed?" Harry asked.

"I cannot be certain, but I do not think there has been sufficient time. It would be a huge undertaking to rework the wards. Some of them have been in place for generations. Are you losing your nerve, Potter?"

Harry ignored the taunt. "Let's go. We don't have a lot of time."

Draco mounted, kicked off, and sped northeast. A second later, five other brooms followed him, speeding off into the night.

Initially, he led them in a sharp climb until they had reached a height of several hundred feet. Once there, Draco continued to climb, but at a slower rate. After flying for several minutes, Harry noticed that the air had grown much colder. He watched as Ginny cast three warming spells, first on herself, then on Jamie, and then on Hermione, who was holding rather tightly to her broom with both hands. The older girl nodded her thanks, while Harry hoped they would not encounter a situation where they would need wands or be forced to maneuver. Other than making a few loops of the Quidditch pitch--at low altitude and speed--her last trip on a broom had been a disaster. After a few moments, he cast a warming spell on himself.

They had been flying over half an hour, slowly climbing the entire time, when Draco finally slowed. Harry was sure that they were at least ten thousand feet up; in addition to the cold, the air was noticeably thinner at this altitude. Draco seemed to be studying the ground below them very closely; Harry could make out a network of what looked like hedgerows below. He continued forward for a few seconds more, stopped, moved forward again and finally stopped. "Here is where we descend. Vertically. No spiral loops, Granger, or bad things happen."

"Bad things?" Hermione asked, shakily, as her hands tightened on the broom.

"You will trigger the wards," Draco said, carefully enunciating each word.

"It's okay, luv," Ron said, maneuvering beside her. "I'll stay beside you the entire way."

Draco began the descent, carefully keeping his movement vertical. Harry motioned for Ron to go next, and when he and Hermione had dropped fifty feet below them, he motioned downward to Ginny and Jamie. When they had stopped, Harry had moved closer to Jamie, and Ginny was now on her other side. Jamie rolled her eyes at them as they started down.

Half an hour later they were hovering a few feet above the ground. "There will be very little margin for error," Draco said, urgently, though in a soft voice. "It would be advisable that you not touch the ground--or anything else, for that matter. Fly directly behind me, and follow my turns exactly."

Draco started slowly, weaving a path through the fields, trees, and outbuildings. Hermione followed; then Ron, Jamie, and Ginny, while Harry brought up the rear. Harry was surprised by how slowly Draco was going; he often slowed and studied the landscape ahead very carefully. They had started to the south of the manor house, and had slowly worked their way around the long way to the west side, at one point carefully flying through the inside of a gazebo somewhere on the grounds. Draco finally touched down outside a thick hedge near an arched gateway.

"Once we pass through the gateway," Draco whispered after they had landed, "you must use extreme caution not to touch any of the shrubbery, and allow none of it to touch you."

"Touch us?" Ron asked, softly, as they reduced their brooms to pocket size.

"Yes, Weasley, do not allow it to touch you. Move around it warily. It is enchanted for the express purpose of keeping people--like you--out."

"Malfoy... we're here to get your Mum," Harry objected. "We're supposed to be working together."

"And you need to understand, Potter, that this garden was not intended as a pleasant place where one would take an evening constitutional, as one might do at Hogwarts. It is intended to lure someone like you or Weasley into a sense of false security. An attempt to hide in or near one of these shrubs might be fatal, and would certainly alert those inside to our presence. And they do move." Draco moved forward cautiously, and stepped through the gate.

They kept the same order as they had when flying through the Malfoy Manor grounds. Draco had not been exaggerating; the shaped shrubbery bent and twisted as they approached. All of them, including Draco, ended up twisting and turning as they moved stealthily forward. Finally, they moved into a narrow open space alongside the manor house, and Draco led them to a small door, offset into the wall near a large chimney.

Hermione pushed her way to the front and looked carefully at the door. "We can use magic here? Without being detected?"

"As I said, as long as you do not cast a spell on the house or the door. Otherwise the gardeners would be unable to work."

"I know what can get under that door," Hermione said, as she moved her wand in a complex pattern. Harry thought at first that Malfoy had disappeared, until he saw something white moving at their feet; looking closely, he thought surely, no, Hermione wouldn't... but she had. Malfoy had been transfigured into a white, albino ferret. Ron and Ginny clamped their hands firmly to their mouths, while Jamie looked from them to Hermione to Harry, trying to understand what was happening. "Look, Malfoy, stop wasting time. Like that, you can get under the door. You can climb and you can manipulate whatever has to be manipulated. Get moving."

The small ferret stood on its hind legs for a moment, chattering angrily at Hermione, and then it disappeared beneath the door. A moment later, Harry heard a click as the door unlocked. Hermione opened the door slowly, then stepped through, followed by Harry and the others. Draco was waiting, and immediately began chattering at Hermione as soon as she entered. She whispered, "If I can change you back in here without setting off alarms, stay there. Otherwise, go back outside." Draco remained in place, and after a second, began to chatter again. "Harry, maybe we should leave him like this?"

"He's a lot cuter that way," Ginny observed, as Jamie objected.

"Turn him back, Hermione," Harry said. "We need him to find our way."

"Okay," she said; but turning towards the ferret, she added, "Just for the record, Malfoy: white--white fur, that is--is your color. Finite Incantatum."

Draco glared at Hermione as he resumed his human form. "Malfoy, should the door be locked again?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded, pushed past Hermione, and did something to the knob. "Done. If you should ever..."

"Let's get your Mum, Malfoy," Harry said. "What kind of reaction will there be if anyone sees you?"

Draco looked thoughtful for a moment. "As I was expected--or commanded--to be here, perhaps none."

"We can all try to stay under the cloaks, or the five of us can," Harry said.

"I will go openly," Draco decided. "It would be difficult to fit three under the same cloak with Weasley, given his height, and this way I can attempt to cover for any noise."

"Okay, Malfoy, your cloak," said Harry, holding out his hand. Malfoy gave it to him, and Harry held it out to Ron. "You and Hermione use this one." And turning towards Ginny and Jamie, he said, "Jamie, Ginny and I will go with you under the other one."

A moment later the cloaks were arranged, and Draco carefully led the way forward. They could hear an occasional snatch of conversation now and again, and the sound of movement elsewhere in the house, but they encountered no one as Draco led them further and deeper into Malfoy Manor.

They had just descended a narrow stone staircase; Draco had whispered that the dungeon cells were nearby, when a robed figure walked up from behind and greeted Draco. "Welcome home, Draco! Have you come to see your play pretty?"

"No. Why, is it here?"

The Death Eater, whom Harry did not recognize, though he thought the man bore a resemblance to Goyle's father, replied, "Yes, indeed, and a pretty she is. And feisty, too, she was, when she was brought in. Though a few days in the cage have fixed that. She can't stand up on her own now, though that will hardly be a problem, will it, boy?" The man laughed.

"I had come to see Mother, to show her that her attempt to confine me to Hogwarts had failed," Draco said scornfully. "Is the traitor here?"

"No, Lucius ordered that she be confined to her rooms. Even if she is to die, she is still a Malfoy, as he said."

"Very well, show me this 'play pretty.'"

The Death Eater led Draco along a corridor that opened into a larger room with a number of cells down each side. As far as Harry could tell, all of them were empty; but a small circular cage sat near the center of the room and was occupied by something. The cage was tall enough for someone to stand upright in, but almost nothing more. As he looked closer in the dim light, Harry realized the person held in the cage was wedged awkwardly inside; the comments the man had made about her not being able to stand suddenly made sense. Draco lit a light at the end of his wand, and Harry realized it was a young girl, perhaps around Ginny's age, clad only in what appeared to be undergarments. "Told you she was a pretty," the Death Eater said, laughing. "We all wanted to break 'er in for you, but Lucius put 'er here, as much for her protection as to soften her up a bit for you."

The girl slowly turned her head towards the light, and Harry almost gasped out loud. The possibility had occurred to him when Draco had discussed his father's marriage, but even so, he had not expected to find her here, like this. The girl in the cage was none other than the one pictured in the passport Sirius had shown him.

"She seems to be a bit on the scrawny side. And rather... common," Draco sneered. "And I had always understood Father to have other plans..."

"The Dark Lord himself has selected her for you, boy."

"Of course. She is certainly adequate," Draco said hastily.

"Oh, she's more than that, lad," the Death Eater said, chuckling, as he stepped forward and reached into the cage. "Though I wouldn't count the lovely Miss Parkinson totally out of your plans." The girl drew back as much as she could, trying to slap his hands away. "This one's still feisty enough. Why don't you stay and get better acquainted?"

"Perhaps I shall," Draco drawled. Harry watched Draco's shoulders slump as the large Death Eater turned to leave the room. After watching him walk away, Harry whispered, "How do we get her out?"

"Potter," Draco hissed, "you're not here to play the hero. We came for Mother."

"We're not leaving anyone behind, Malfoy." Harry's voice, soft but firm, drowned out the other protests. "Not your mother, and not your cousin."

"Cousin? I have no cousins anywhere near her age..." Draco objected.

"She's a Black, like your mum," Harry stated flatly, then, before other questions could be asked, "I'll explain later. How do we get them both out?"

"If Mother is confined to her rooms," Draco said, as he examined the cage, "she will be on the third floor. But we cannot open this cage without alerting Father."

"Why are you doing this?" The girl looked pleadingly at Draco. "And who are you talking to? Please let me go."

After a careful look down the corridor, Harry slid from under the cloak. "We're going to get you out. Don't be afraid, we're friends." Then, turning towards Draco, "How does all this fit in with getting back out? Do we split up? Get her and then your mum? Get your mum first?"

"Give me a moment to think," Draco said, moving so that he could see all the way down the corridor.

"Harry," Hermione said, as she slipped from under the cloak. "She needs healing."

"How much can you do here?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure, but we'd be better off if she could at least walk." Hermione moved beside the cage and gently asked, "Have they done anything to you besides leaving you in there?"

Harry moved beside Draco, positioning himself where he could not be seen from the corridor. "Malfoy?"

"I do not see any good solution, Potter. That cage is locked with Father's signature spell. If we open it or tamper with it in any way, he will be alerted to our presence. If we separate, it may be difficult for the other group to find their way out, especially if they are spotted. And if we are discovered, we will have only a short time to make good our escape. To backtrack here might prove fatal."

"Sounds like splitting up will be the best bet."

"Maybe not," Ron said, appearing from under the cloak beside Harry. "Malfoy, you talked your way past that guy."

"The Goyles are not among the sharpest knives in the Dark Lord's kitchen," Draco observed dryly.

"Could you do the same thing with the others? Or your father?" Ron pressed.

"Perhaps. Weasley might actually have a point. And in doing so, we would at least remain together and find ourselves no worse off than we would be otherwise if discovered," Draco said thoughtfully. "And my rooms are next to Mother's. Much would depend on what Father actually knows of the last few weeks."

"The letter..." Harry said.

"It means little," Draco interrupted. "Father would say whatever he felt would be most likely to produce the desired results."

"So you think you can brass your way through?" Ron asked.

"I can think of no better plan," Draco conceded. "It may not work, but I do not see us as any worse off than we would be using any other approach."

"I've done what I could," Hermione said, joining them. "She can at least stand up now, though she's wobbly. She won't be able to run much, if at all."

"Any second thoughts, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"No. Even if Goyle has alerted someone, the faster we move, the less time they will have to prepare. Watch the corridor, Weasley." Draco turned, and he and Harry walked back towards the cage.

"Listen--wait, what's your name?" Harry asked.

"I'm Vela," the girl replied.

"Okay, Vela, I'm Harry and this is Draco. We're going to get you out of there and away from here, but you're going to have to help us out. Draco is going to have to make it look like we're playing along, so that we can all escape."

Vela nodded.

"Draco will lead you..."

"Carry," Draco interrupted. "She should not be able to stand. I will carry her until we reach my room, and from there... Vela, I may need to say, or even perhaps do, things that may be unpleasant. You must be careful not to give us away by reacting in any way whatsoever."

Vela nodded again, and Harry could see she was becoming increasingly frightened.

"And you will only be able to see Draco," Harry added. "We'll be close, but invisible."

"Invisible?" Vela asked.

"No time to explain," Harry said.

"Get back under your cloak, Potter. Once the locks are undone, this room may become crowded."

As Harry slipped beneath the cloak with Ginny and Jamie, Draco did something to three different places on the cage and swung it apart. He swished his wand once towards the girl, whispering for her to remain limp and to act as if she were unconscious."

"What did he do to her?" Jamie whispered.

"Lightening spell," Ginny replied. "Shhh!"

As Draco threw the girl over his shoulder, two robed and hooded figures rushed down the corridor and stormed into the room. Draco turned as they entered. "I do not require assistance," he said coldly.

Both Death Eaters laughed.

"Are you sure you know what to do with that, Draco?" one of them laughed. Harry recognized, but could not place, the voice.

"We could show you if you'd like," the other offered.

"My instructions were clear," Draco said haughtily. "As, no doubt, were yours, otherwise this package would have already been unwrapped. I neither require nor desire assistance."

Both laughed again. "Ease up, Draco. You're living the good life, here."

"Yes, we have to find our own."

Draco tried to return their grins. "Then, if you will excuse me, I must complete my assigned task."

Both laughed again, and one of them squeezed the girl's thigh as Draco walked past towards the corridor. Draco was followed until they reached the stairway; then both Death Eaters continued on to some other destination in the dungeon, while Draco started up the stairs.

They did not encounter anyone else as Draco led them through a maze of passageways and stairways. Harry was certain that Draco was not taking the most traveled or most direct path, which was fine with him, as long as he would not have to find his own way back. They finally emerged into a wider passageway where the carpet was thicker and the dark paneling polished. Here, Draco moved quickly, and opening one of the doors, entered quickly and stood waiting by the door until first Ron, and then Harry, whispered, "Okay." Draco closed the door and cast a locking spell.

Draco lowered Vela onto his bed as Hermione asked, "Could you find her some clothes, Malfoy?"

"Not yet," Draco replied, urgency in his voice. "It would be best if you were to get beneath the covers, Vela, and quickly." Draco pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on a chair, then kicked off his trainers. Seeing the expressions on his companions' faces, he attempted to explain. "My father will come here. It will improve our chances significantly if he does not suspect. Stay under the cloaks, near the walls, and away from the chairs. And Vela, once beneath the covers, please, remove your top garment."

Harry heard Hermione start to object, then fall silent as the door rattled and someone began to pound against the door. He pulled Ginny and Jamie back towards the wall as Draco had suggested, checking to ensure the cloak covered them completely. Draco had thrown back the covers, and he and Vela scrambled beneath them. Draco waited for a moment and then used his wand to unlock the door.

"DRACO!!!" Lucius Malfoy roared as he entered the room and then stopped, staring, as Draco jumped from the bed and stood.

"Father?"

"Explain yourself."

"Your instructions were clear," Draco said without hesitation and just a touch of smugness. "I left Hogwarts..."

Lucius interrupted, "After defying me and burning several letters."

"After you left me to make my own way home," Draco said coldly. "And upon my arrival I found myself at the mercy of that mad Auror, Alastor Moody, who conducted me to Hogwarts, where Mother then attempted to confine me."

"And how did you learn of her?" Lucius nodded violently towards the girl trembling beneath the covers.

"One of the Goyles told me that there was a 'play pretty' waiting for me, and surprisingly, for once, he seemed to know of what he spoke," Draco replied. "I had initially thought you had prepared a welcome home gesture, but on seeing her, the meaning in your letter became clear..."

"What were you doing on the dungeon levels?" Lucius challenged.

"I had thought that the dungeons would be the most likely place to find you, Father, and I had intended to make it clear to Mother that her attempt to confine me to Hogwarts had failed. However, once I found my new toy, I came back here instead. "

Lucius' eyes narrowed, and then he quickly strode towards the bed and ripped the covers back. Vela screamed, and tried to cover herself with her hands. "She is a feisty one," Draco said, laughing. "Using the cage in that fashion was... instructive, Father. Later, when 'play' time is over, I would like to have the cage brought here."

"That is acceptable, Draco; you should keep your toys in their place. You might find Cruciatus, applied at the right moment, to be effective as well, though you must use care not to cause permanent injury to this particular toy. It may be she will bring you years of enjoyment." Lucius stood looking at Draco for a moment. "Draco, understand, that if you hesitate or falter two nights hence, the Dark Lord will kill you--slowly and painfully--without any hesitation. However, should you succeed at both tasks that you have been assigned, you shall enjoy a place in the new order second only to mine, at our Lord's right hand."

"I understand, Father," Draco replied. "And I am ready--no, eager--to begin."

Laughing, Lucius swept from the room, slamming the door behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Lucius Malfoy had departed, Draco locked the door with his wand and sat down on the edge of the bed, his normally pale complexion now ashen white. Vela had pulled up the covers again, and was sobbing quietly into one of the pillows as Harry, Ron, and Hermione slipped from beneath the cloaks. Draco stood, and walking across the room, rummaged about in a tall wardrobe before extracting some clothing.

"Here," Draco said, thrusting a pair of jeans and a rugby shirt towards Hermione. "You should be able to transfigure something acceptable from these."

"That was well done, Malfoy," Harry said, as Hermione took the clothes and moved next to Vela. Ginny slipped from beneath the cloak and joined her, after whispering for Jamie to stay put.

"I hope I have bought some time," Draco replied. "As you saw, Father was suspicious."

"What next?" Ron asked.

"Years ago, there was a door between Mother's rooms and this room, when it was set up as," a strange expression crossed Draco's face before he continued, "my nursery." He glanced at both Harry and Ron before continuing. "Perhaps a year or two before Hogwarts, I blocked the interconnecting door with that wardrobe. To the best of my knowledge, it is not blocked nor locked from the other side."

"That's brilliant, Malfoy," Ron said, grinning. "You don't think there'll be any sort of spell?"

"I cannot be certain; Father is thorough, but that door has not been used in years, and it is my hope he will have forgotten about it."

"All right. So, we get your Mum, and then?" Harry asked.

"Some... some healing may be required," Draco said. "Then, we have two choices. We can attempt to leave by stealth, as we entered, or there is a balcony off Mother's rooms. Opening those doors would reveal our intent, but we could take flight directly towards the two outer wards. All we need do is fly under the inner ward, then climb vertically between them, then go over the outer shield."

"Wouldn't we be sitting ducks while we climbed?" Ron asked.

"If they understood our intent, yes. They could attempt to cut us off, or even alter the wards."

"What about the way we came in?" asked Harry.

"The cloaks," Ron said. "We're talking about trying to conceal two more people, one who's weak and another whose condition we don't know."

"Malfoy, I'm taking these trainers and socks," Ginny said, standing near the wardrobe. Draco nodded absently.

"I do not think we can successfully get four under one cloak," Draco said.

"Why don't we get that door open and see what condition your Mum is in?" Harry said. "And decide from there?"

Draco nodded. "In fact, we should move the wardrobe without magic. I did not think of that when I suggested Granger transfigure clothing. Though in truth, if it was detected, it should not arouse any suspicions."

Harry, Ron, and Draco managed to push the wardrobe slowly back from the wall. Draco first attempted to detect any magic, and apparently finding none, listened carefully at the door. After almost a full minute, he turned back towards Ron and Harry. "I don't hear anything. Are we ready?"

Harry took a step back and looked into the room. Vela was on her feet, supported by Hermione while Ginny hovered nearby. "Get under the cloaks," Harry said softly. "We're going to see if we can get in." Harry watched as they disappeared, then nodded. "Ready."

Draco gripped the doorknob and turned it slowly. Harry could see the knob turning in his hand, and after a moment Draco whispered, "It's not locked." He slowly eased the door open a fraction of an inch, and looked into the room. After a moment, he opened the door, and again, after a pause, carefully stepped through.

Harry had motioned to Ron, then started to step forward, when he heard Draco gasp. Entering the room, he stepped to the right of Draco and saw a bloodied figure lying on the bed. Narcissa Malfoy was lying crosswise across the bed, as if she had been tossed there. One of her arms was bent at a strange angle.

As Draco moved cautiously across the room towards his mother, Harry moved aside long enough for Ron to enter, and then he turned and called Hermione. She and Ginny slipped from beneath the cloaks and hurried to him. "Do what you can, Hermione; get her ready to move."

Harry walked towards the balcony doors, followed by Ron and Ginny. "Those are locked, jinxed, and hexed six ways from Sunday, mate," Ron said, after a swish of his wand.

"Yeah, we're not going that way without making a lot of noise," Harry said, sighing. "What do you think?"

"I'd rather get out of here now," Ron said softly. "This place gives me the creeps."

"I don't like it either, Harry," Ginny whispered. "It doesn't feel... right, or something."

Hearing what sounded like an angry exchange, Harry looked back towards the bed to see Hermione working with her wand and Jamie, only half concealed by the cloak, leading Draco away. "You've got to have a talk with her, Harry," Ron said.

"I've tried," Harry replied. "When we're back, you give it a shot. But if I were you, I'd stay out of reach when you do." Harry followed as Jamie led Draco back to his own room and coaxed him into a chair, while she perched on the arm. For just a moment, as he walked towards them, Harry saw an expression on Draco's face he'd never seen before--one of worry, uncertainty, and vulnerability. Glancing up and seeing Harry's approach, Draco's expression faded back into a mask.

"Did you check the balcony doors?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, there are a bunch of spells. We won't get out quietly that way," Harry whispered.

Twenty minutes later Ginny emerged from behind the wardrobe and announced, "Hermione has your Mum ready to travel, Draco. We're almost ready."

"Is she able to walk?" Draco asked.

Ginny hesitated before answering. "Yes, but I wouldn't want to see her have to go far or try to run."

"We don't have a lot of darkness left," Harry observed. "We need to make a decision."

"All things considered, I believe the best option would be to attempt to leave by the way we came," Draco said, slowly. "I am unsure what could be launched against us..."

"And I'd rather not find out," Ron said as he entered the room. A moment later Hermione followed, supporting Narcissa.

"Mother," Draco said as he stood.

"Draco--this is foolhardy," Narcissa said.

"Indeed, Mother, thus the presence of the Gryffindors. But we must now make haste."

"Malfoy, you'll lead like last time. Hermione, you and Ron take Mrs. Malfoy under one cloak; Ginny, Jamie, and I will take Vela under the other. Somehow," Harry added to himself.

The cloaks had been arranged and Draco was preparing to unlock the door, when Harry heard footsteps running in the corridor outside, and voices. Draco backed away as the pounding began against the magically locked door. "Back!" Draco commanded. "We'll have to leave from the other room. Get the brooms ready."

As they followed Draco back to Narcissa's room, Harry saw somebody--probably Hermione--levitate the wardrobe in Draco's room against the door, closing the door in the process. But someone was pounding against the door into this room, too. Ginny was casting some sort of spell towards the door as Harry restored his broom. There was a splintering sound from the direction of Draco's room, and he could just make out shouts about a wardrobe. A moment later there was the sound of something crashing, then pounding started on the door they had entered through.

Harry counted quickly; five of the brooms were of normal size, and Hermione was restoring Jamie's. "Can you fly?" Harry asked Narcissa as he looked over the small group now clustered in the middle of the room.

"Yes, I was once a chaser," she replied.

"Okay, Vela, you're with me. Stay behind me, no matter what happens. Hermione, give Mrs. Malfoy your broom, and double up with Ron. Odds are we're going to be doing a vertical climb at full speed, and once we're outside, we're going to need a Portkey. Don't bother with the cloaks."

Harry finished speaking as the door to Draco's room exploded into splinters and Lucius Malfoy charged through, followed by several men, some of them in Death Eater robes. Lucius' eyes focused on Draco. "YOU UNGRATEFUL, ARROGANT, SNEAKING LITTLE BASTARD!!!"

Draco took a step forward, his eyes ablaze. "NOTHING WOULD PLEASE ME MORE THAN NOT TO BE YOUR SON!!!"

"HOW DARE..." Lucius began, but Draco shouted over him.

"YOU HAVE NO HONOR!!!" Draco shouted, then taking another step forward. "Your words mean nothing! You claim that you protect the purity of wizarding blood, but you crawl and grovel before a half-blood!!! You would turn against anyone to save your own rotten skin!"

"I gave you everything, you worthless whelp, and it all would have been yours some day! Power, fortune..."

"I RENOUNCE YOU, YOUR FORTUNE, YOUR POWER, YOUR GOLD, AND ABOVE ALL THE HALF-BREED SO-CALLED LORD YOU CRINGE BEFORE!!! I RENOUNCE THE MALFOY NAME!!! I DECLARE KANLY BETWEEN US, NOW AND FOREVER!!!" Draco shouted, his chest heaving.

Lucius almost casually raised his wand towards Draco. "AVADA KEDA....AAAAAUUGHH!" Lucius Malfoy's unfinished curse ended in a scream as something silver flashed through the room. His wand tumbled from his fingers as he grasped his right forearm where a knife was now deeply embedded. For the first time Lucius seemed to become aware of others in the room. "KILL THEM!!!" He shouted. "KILL THEM ALL!!!"

Harry was aware of the other door into the room--the one opening into the corridor--splintering open as those who had followed Malfoy moved to attack. Jamie had somehow moved beside Draco and was pulling him back, while Ginny had turned and was firing a string of Reductor curses against the French doors leading to the balcony. As he looked back towards the charging Death Eaters, he barely had time to raise a shield as a volley of curses struck. He could hear Lucius demanding that they kill all of them, while others shouted that Potter was there, and must be taken alive.

Harry saw several curses fly back towards the Death Eaters from behind him. But from a quick glance back, Ginny's work had been effective. "GET OUT OF HERE!!!" he shouted. As he watched, he saw Narcissa mount and kick off, and then Ron gather Hermione onto his broom and follow. Jamie and Draco were suddenly behind him, and then Ginny was at his side. As another volley of spells flew their way, he and Ginny raised their shields, protecting everyone.

"I'll take Vela!" Jamie shouted. "You'll need your hands free!" Before Harry could object, Jamie swung the broom handle between Vela's legs and positioned herself.

Draco, meanwhile, had trained his wand on Lucius, who was bending to retrieve his wand with his left hand. "Accio Knife!" Draco commanded. Lucius screamed again as the knife flew into Draco's hand. Just before Jamie kicked off, he quickly reversed the blade and handed it to her.

Harry, Draco, and Ginny backed towards the destroyed doors, Harry and Ginny maintaining a succession of shields. "Go, Draco," Harry said, "they'll need you to get through the wards!" Draco nodded and kicked off.

"Go, Gin!" Harry ordered.

"Together!" Ginny gasped as she ducked a flash of green light. "Now!!!"

They kicked off together, and after looping over the railing, Harry dived, intending to use the house as a shield for a moment. But he could see figures moving down on the ground, and flashes of multi-colored lights rising from below. After gaining a little distance from the manor house, Harry shot almost straight up; at this point, altitude was their best defense.

A minute or two later they had managed to group together, and Draco had taken point as they sped towards the wards when Harry heard a screech and then felt a wave of cold pass through him. Glancing back, Harry could make out a number of shapes following them...

"The Melinoe!!!" Draco shouted. "They have freed the Melinoe!!!"

"You know what that damned thing is?" Harry shouted.

"Yes!" Draco yelled. "It's a demon."

"Gin!!! It's the creature!!!" Harry pulled up beside her. "We've got to cast the Patronus!"

"Can we? From brooms?"

"We've got to try," Harry said. "Loop back, then full brake, on three. One... two... THREE!!!"

As the others flew towards the edge of the Malfoy estates, Harry and Ginny performed a vertical loop and a sloth roll, and were then flying in the opposite direction, braking their Firebolts hard. Harry adjusted his position slightly, and as they came to hover, gripped Ginny's hand. He nodded; then taking their wands in their free hands, they said in unison, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!"

Their aerial position did not affect the spell; the Dragon formed from the merged light from their wands, roared, and then flew towards the creature. Harry watched for a moment, and then realized that there were other shapes approaching them besides the demon their Patronus had now targeted. "Let's go, Gin."

She nodded and they turned, but Harry could see her flying was off, and then they were suddenly surrounded by the other flyers. Before he could object, Ron firmly stated, "We're sticking together, mate. Are you two okay?"

"Ginny's drained!" Harry responded, and frighteningly, Ginny did not argue.

"Are you okay?" Ron insisted, and Harry nodded affirmative.

"Then take her with you; I'll get her broom," Ron shouted.

"No!" Draco objected. "You take mine, and I'll take hers, and I'll help her over." He raised his broom slightly higher than Ginny's, and when Ron was parallel with him, Draco slipped over and onto the back of Ginny's broom, while Ron held the broom that Draco had ridden and Hermione shrank it with her wand. Rising slightly higher again, Draco and Harry managed to manhandle Ginny onto Harry's broom.

Harry could see streaks of light begin flashing behind them as Draco took point and increased the pace. "They are following us!" Draco shouted. "I'm going to keep this height until we're close to the inner ward; then dive, go under it, and then go straight up! Remember the space between the two wards is narrow! Fly straight up!"

Harry held one arm lightly around Ginny; she gripped the broom, but he could feel her struggle to maintain consciousness. He was not looking forward to maneuvering with her like this, and in truth, that spell had taken a lot out of him, too. He focused on following Draco, but was almost taken with surprise as Draco suddenly dived. Tightening his grip on Ginny, Harry followed.

Draco leveled off, skimmed just above the ground for perhaps twenty-five yards, and then, pulling back hard on the Firebolt, shot straight up. Harry watched as the other brooms began their ascent, then pulled back on his handle, following them in a vertical climb. Ginny was pressed back against him as they accelerated upwards. With her in his arms like this, he felt his strength begin to return. Harry realized then, in truth, it was his strength that he now held, and much, much more. He could feel Ginny's trust flowing back through him as the memory of their first confrontation with her father passed through her consciousness in a semi-dream state. What she'd said that night re-echoed through both their memories: "There's no place safer for me than with Harry."

After climbing for almost two minutes, Draco finally leveled off and headed back the way they had come. This time he maintained a level flight, which made sense, Harry thought. The most important thing was to put as many miles between them and Malfoy Manor as they could. Then he heard Ron call out, "I think we've got incoming, eleven o'clock low." Harry looked, and could make out something rising towards them, still some distance away.

"Portkey!" Harry called. "We need to stop, quickly, and all get close together!"

As they quickly slowed and clustered together, Hermione withdrew the key ring and expanded it as far as it would go. Harry interlaced his fingers with Ginny's and placed them against the slim metal ring; a moment later Hermione triggered it and the hook grabbed them behind the navel as a volley of colored lights flashed their way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"She's not here anywhere." Hermione's frustration was evident in both her voice and her manner as she checked Madam Pomfrey's quarters. The portkey had transported them back to the Great Hall; and once there, Hermione had urged that they all go to the hospital wing. Narcissa had almost collapsed as she attempted to dismount her broom, and Draco had insisted that she go, too, instead of attempting to return to their apartment in the staff quarters. He ended up supporting her as she slowly made her way up the stairs, while Harry carried Ginny, barely conscious, cradled in his arms. Vela seemed to be in a daze; after Jamie pried her fingers from the broom, she allowed herself to be led through the corridors and stairways as if she were a zombie.

"We could call," Ron suggested, as he started to pull a communicator from his pocket.

"No," Harry said, shaking his head at Ron, who, after a glace at Draco, left the device in his pocket. "We don't know if she's involved in... you know." Harry eased Ginny down on one of the beds, but continued holding her hand.

"Or she might be back... er, there," Hermione said. "Remember what Ginny said before we left?"

Draco had persuaded Narcissa to lie on another bed and joined them. "My mother needs a healer," he said in a worried voice. "If the matron is not here, I will search for one of the professors."

"Wait," said Harry. "You... you may not find anyone... at least right now. Hermione, is there anything else you can do?"

"Chocolate wouldn't hurt any of us, especially you and Ginny. If she's like she was before, she needs rest more than anything else. You probably do, too." Hermione paused thoughtfully. "Maybe a calming potion for Vela. I did what I could for Mrs. Malfoy back there, but I'm not sure what else to do."

"It is probable she was under Cruciatus for some time," Draco said. "In all likelihood, until she lost consciousness."

"And for something like that," Hermione said, shaking her head, "she needs a real healer, not first aid."

"St. Mungo's?" Ron suggested.

"That would not be my first choice." Draco hesitated before explaining, "Both Father and the Dark Lord have eyes and ears in many places."

"I'm only seeing one option," Harry said, looking first at Hermione and then at Ron.

Hermione nodded slowly while Ron objected, "Oh, c'mon, be serious, mate!"

"I am," Harry replied, his eyes now locked with Jamie's. "Easy versus right," he sighed, "and that's where we'll end up, anyway. Hermione?"

Hermione retrieved the key ring from her pocket as Draco asked, "What does this mean?"

"It means we're going some place where there'll be help," Harry said resignedly, as Jamie grinned at him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There's no one here," Ron said, surprised, as he looked around the kitchen.

"Maybe we weren't missed." Harry shrugged; he had expected some sort of reception here as well. Ginny had recovered enough to insist on standing before they had used a Portkey to return to Grimmauld Place, though Harry still largely supported her. She was weak, but Harry could feel her determination not to worry Molly.

"You said there would be help here," Draco said, as he supported Narcissa.

"There is," Harry said. "Dobby!"

A moment later the small House Elf appeared. "How may Dobby be of service to the great..." Dobby stopped in mid stride, looking between Draco and Narcissa. "Harry... Potter?"

"Dobby, is Madam Pomfrey here?" Harry asked.

Yes, the Hogwarts healer, she has been with Miss Penny," Dobby replied, still looking warily between Draco and Narcissa. "She and Mrs. Wheezy and Mr. Percy, they are all upstairs now. Shall Dobby fetch the Hogwarts healer now?"

"No," Harry replied after thinking for a moment. "We'll go up. But we need three rooms set up. She," he said, nodding at Vela, "goes in the room next to Sirius..."

"And Dobby will set up rooms for Lady Malfoy and Master Draco on the right-hand corridor on the second floor," Dobby said. Harry was fairly sure that side of the second floor was otherwise unoccupied, which, all things considered, made sense, at least for now.

"That'll be great, Dobby," Harry said, as Dobby sped away. "Let's go."

When they reached the second floor, Dobby already had a room prepared for Narcissa. With a promise from Harry to bring Madam Pomfrey, Draco helped his mother down the corridor and into the room. After asking Jamie to take Ginny up to their rooms, and Hermione to wait with Vela, Harry and Ron left to find Madam Pomfrey and Molly.

Molly emerged from one of the bedrooms as they walked down the left-hand corridor. "Harry? Ron?" she asked, her concern growing as she looked at them.

"We need Madam Pomfrey..." Harry began.

"Harry! What's wrong? Is it Ginny? Jamie? Hermione?" Molly asked, as Madam Pomfrey entered the corridor, carrying her bag.

"No, they're all okay... It's Narcissa Malfoy, and..."

"Narcissa Malfoy? Here? How?" Molly asked, bewildered.

"She's in the first room on the other side of the stairway." Harry turned, and he and Ron started walking back in the direction they had come. "And I should tell you that Draco is here as well, though he's all right. And another girl, too."

"And what has happened to you, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey had freed her wand as they walked. "Your system has suffered a shock of some sort."

"I'm okay, really. The girl, her name's Vela; she's the one Sirius has been looking for..."

"Harry! Just what has been going on?" Molly insisted. Harry could see she was becoming upset.

"Mum, he's trying to tell you," Ron said.

"Vela was in a tiny cage where she couldn't sit or lie down for days. Hermione did what she could for both her and Mrs. Malfoy..." Harry trailed off as the Mediwitch pushed past them and pointed her wand at Vela.

"She is in shock and dehydrated, but nothing that rest, fluids, and a dab of chocolate will not take care of," Madam Pomfrey announced; then she whispered something to Molly Weasley. "Now, where is Narcissa?"

Harry pointed to the room and turned back to where Molly was trying to talk to Vela, who answered in monosyllables when she answered at all. A moment later Madam Pomfrey emerged from the bedroom, half leading, half dragging Draco. He was holding a bar of chocolate and a potion; Madam Pomfrey told him in no uncertain terms to take the potion, eat the chocolate, and to lie down until she called for him. She watched until he disappeared into the next bedroom, then re-entered the room where Narcissa was.

"Mrs. Malfoy was in the worst shape," Hermione said.

"I want some answers," Molly said, looking between the three teenagers. "And where are Ginny and Jamie?"

"They're already upstairs," Harry said, then added a little guiltily, "Ginny and I cast the Patronus together. She's exhausted."

"I'm going to look in on Penny for a moment." Molly looked at Hermione, then at Ron, and finally at Harry. "Then I'm going to make hot chocolate, and I will see all of you upstairs. And I will expect some answers."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry settled into the corner of one of the sofas, where Ginny lost no time in pressing herself against him. As they climbed the stairs, Dobby had met them and announced that Vela's room was ready; Harry asked him to help Molly in the kitchen. Jamie settled on the far end of Harry's sofa, and Ron and Hermione had claimed the opposite sofa, with Vela between them. Hermione had been whispering constantly to Vela as they had continued up the stairs, and Harry could see that she would at least look where Hermione pointed and would occasionally whisper back as well. He quickly told Ginny and Jamie what had transpired on the second floor.

"Mum's not exactly pleased," Ron added.

"We did what we had to," Harry said.

"Do you know why Madam Pomfrey was with Penny?" Hermione asked. "Something was happening here, or we would have been missed."

"No more than what Dobby told us," Harry said. "And Vela?" He waited until she looked at him. "You're safe here. No one will hurt you."

Vela returned his gaze for several moments before asking, "Why?" But before anyone could answer, she had covered her eyes and was crying. Hermione wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tried to provide what comfort she could.

They sat there for several minutes in silence, other than Hermione's whispering to Vela, until Dobby entered carrying a laden tray, followed by Molly Weasley. Dobby moved a table between the two sofas and placed the tray there, while Molly passed out the steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Ginny exchanged a knowing grin with Harry as Molly gave Vela a particular mug that had been set apart from the others, and a few minutes later Ron and Hermione were dispatched to settle Vela into her room, and then to retire themselves.

"Harry, what happened tonight?" Molly had fussed over them all while they drank their chocolate; but once Ron and Hermione had left, Ron carrying a sleeping Vela, she settled onto the sofa they had vacated.

"You know that Narcissa Malfoy had been at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Yes, and I know that evil git of a husband had tricked her with a Portkey," Molly replied. "That she wasn't still at Hogwarts."

"She wasn't," Harry admitted. "But Draco knew how to get in. We went with him to get her out. And we found Vela there, in the dungeons."

"Get in? Get in where?" Molly pressed.

"Malfoy Manor," Harry replied, as Molly paled. With help from Ginny and Jamie, he told Molly what had happened.

"Why didn't you say something?" Molly finally asked.

"There wasn't much time," Harry explained, looking pointedly at Jamie. "I tried to talk to Madame Flamel, but she and the other professors were trying to help Professor Dumbledore. Sirius and everyone else weren't here, and Ginny said you were busy with Penny. No! Wait, Mum, there's more."

Harry's eyes became distant, and his expression stern. "Time after time, we've run from them, and every time, people have gotten hurt or died. I ran from Voldemort the night he returned, and Cedric died. I ran at the Ministry from the Death Eaters, and Sirius almost died. I ran again in Atlanta, and we almost lost Hermione. I'm not running any more, Mum, not again, never again! Draco knew how to get us in, and we did. We got his Mum, and we found Vela, and we got everyone back here. And as soon as I'm ready... as soon I can...I'm going to end all this."

Molly closed her eyes for several moments, and finally asked, "How is Vela connected to Sirius? Remus and some of the professors have hinted at something..."

"She could be related to him, or maybe to his brother," Harry replied. "Sirius himself wasn't sure."

"We need to let him know," Ginny reminded him.

"Call him, Harry," Molly said, shaking her head. "I don't know what to do with any of you children any more. None of you listen to me. Not the twins, not Ron, not the three of you. Sometimes I just don't know what to do."

"Think up names for grandchildren, Mum," Ginny said, grinning. "Tell her what the Sorting Hat said, Jamie."

"It said since Harry and Ginny were together, it was bracing itself for a procession of kids in a few years," Jamie confirmed with a smile.

"Honestly, the lot of you!" Molly was unable to keep from smiling along with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You okay?" Chris asked as she slid into one of the seats opposite Sirius. After Harry's call he had slammed the communicator shut and walked to the rear of the cabin, where he paced for a few moments and then took a seat at the small table, facing away from the rest of the cabin. She had waited for the better part of half an hour before approaching him.

"Yeah." Sirius did not look up.

"You were kind of rough on him back there."

"Damned kid...."

"I don't believe that for a second."

Sirius' shoulders sagged. "It's just that... it's every time. Every effing bloody time, I'm not there for him. And then he goes and saves me. And now Vela."

"And he brought everyone safely home."

"But this was my responsibility. And you heard him. He suspected."

"Harry did what you would have. Do you expect him to do what you say instead of what you do?"

Sirius sighed. "I wish he would."

"That's not who he is, Sirius. But you're right about one thing, anyway. We can do better by him. All of us."

"Better?"

"Yeah. Let me think about it." Chris stood and took a step forward, then turned. "And Sirius, when we get back, you didn't say a couple of things you should have."

"What?"

"You'll figure it out," Chris said, as she walked forward.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wow, it's a good thing I didn't have to tell him in person," Harry said, as he snapped the communicator closed. "Reckon it's not all bad that it will take a few hours for them to get back here."

"It'll be okay, Harry," Ginny said, as he settled down beside her. "He only went on like that because he was trying to hold back other stuff. Blokes are like that, you know."

"Am I?"

"Sometimes." She grinned wickedly. "Still, I think I learned a few things. Do you think it's really possible to...?"

"Gin! What would your Mum say?"

"I'm... I'm really not sure. Would you like to ask her?"

"No!" Harry said as they both laughed together. "Why don't you ask Sirius?"

"I just might." They laughed together again, and after a moment, Ginny asked, "Harry, about what we did tonight... will it change anything?"

"It will for Narcissa Malfoy, and for Vela and Sirius."

"No, not that. I mean, like what the Sorting Hat keeps singing about."

Harry sighed. "I don't know, Gin. I don't know. Even a week ago I could have never imagined anything like tonight. And you heard what Malfoy said to his father."

"He invoked the blood feud," Ginny said, shuddering. "Kanly is binding magic. He couldn't turn back now if he wanted to."

"Binns said that the last time kanly was invoked was when Gryffindor and Slytherin fought. Malfoy is going to have some issues with his housemates."

"But he also had a lot of influence. And not everyone in Slytherin House supports Voldemort."

"I don't know, Gin. Maybe it will all work out. I'm just worried about Jamie."

"I know. Her motto is a little different from yours."

"Motto?"

"Yours is 'Lead, follow, or get the hell out of my way.' Jamie's is 'Lead, follow, or I'm doing it anyway.'"

"She... was right, this time. I just wish I understood what was driving her."

"You could ask her."

"Any time Malfoy's name comes up, it's usually a bad conversation."

"Maybe you should try."

"Do you think it changes anything, his being here?"

"He doesn't exactly have a lot of places to go."

"I know. But I keep thinking back to what he said about temporary allies."

"He owes Jamie another one, you know."

Harry sighed again. "Yeah, that was wicked. And it took him totally by surprise. I want to talk to Chris about that. We didn't plan this very well."

"What do you mean?"

"We didn't really have a plan, you know, of what to do once we got there. And we only had the two cloaks, which weren't enough. We were pretty lucky, this time."

"But what could we have done differently?"

"This time, maybe nothing. But there are other things we can do. One is to spend some gold, and make sure all of us have things like the cloaks. Ron doesn't have a spare wand, and there are other things Chris probably knows about. And at least a couple of us need to know more about healing charms."

"Harry, we're all working as hard as we can."

"I know, Gin, I know. But I meant what I told Mum. I want to end all this, so that we can live."

"Sirius... or James?"

"Huh?"

"Our first. Should we name him Sirius, or James?"