Friendship, Loyalty, And Love

Friendship, Loyalty, and Love

Chapter 9:

Into the Dungeons

Draco gave a little sigh as he pulled the trapdoor closed behind him, muttering the spell that would lock it. Suddenly noticing the darkness he looked up to see that Harry, Weasley, and Finnigan had all lit their wands and wandered a ways down the passage.

"Lumos," he heard Thomas say, and the light that followed momentarily blinded him. "All secure?" the other boy asked.

"Yeah," Draco gave a small nod before similarly lighting his own wand. "Hey Potter," he called out. "Don't go too far."

Harry turned around to face him. "I thought you said the passage was safe." He didn't sound accusing, exactly, but it seemed a close thing to Draco.

"I said there were no traps," the blond reminded him as he and Thomas made their way down the corridor. "And there shouldn't be, but if my father has discovered this passage then . . ." he trailed off, not wanting to say more.

"Ah, but then you wouldn't know about them either, would you?" Finnigan put in. "At that point it stops mattering who leads, except it probably shouldn't be Harry."

"What?" Weasley asked.

"You know, keep the future savior of the wizarding world safe and all that." Finnigan was grinning but Harry scowled.

"Seamus," he started, but then sighed and changed the subject. "Where does this tunnel lead?" he asked, turning and continuing down it.

Draco lengthened his stride until he was next to the other boy and explained, "They open up in the east wing, in one of the rooms near my suite."

"You have your own suite?" the redhead sounded annoyed.

"Weasley, there are over a hundred rooms in the Manor, and only three residents. The east wing is supposed to be the children's wing, with rooms, bathrooms, and studies for up to six Malfoy children, two separate play areas, and enough housing for the children's nannies, wet nurses, tutors, personal assistants, cooks, and so on. But there aren't six Malfoy children, there's just me." Draco knew he sounded bitter and angry, but it felt good to whine, just this once. "Yes, I have my own suite. I have my own damn wing and servants and so on. After all, if I lived in the regular part of the Manor my parents might have actually had to see me once in a while."

The red head had no real answer to this, which was just as well.

Harry looked ready to say something, and it would probably have been sickeningly nice or pleasant, but Thomas spoke up before he could, for which Draco was secretly grateful. "So where do you think they'll be keeping Hermione?" he asked.

"Almost certainly in the dungeons," Draco said as they kept walking through the tunnel. Its walls were blank and unchanging, but from the time they'd been down here he thought they were probably a bit past the moat, possibly even getting close to the Manor building itself. "We can stop in my room, get some information, and then head down to get Granger out."

"Information?" Harry asked. "Information from whom?"

"Robert, the ghost butler." At the dark haired boy's look he continued, "Robert's been with the family for literal ages. He was hired in the late fourteen hundreds and has been serving us since then. Knows all the family secrets, is even more trustworthy than a house elf, and will do anything I say as long as I don't directly contradict an order from my father."

"Will he report to you father?" Finnigan asked, curious.

"No, not unless Lucius asks him specifically. Since I doubt he's expecting me to show up with you lot it's unlikely Robert will have any orders pertaining to me. That means as long as we don't get spotted or cause my father to start asking questions I can sneak you all in on my order."

"How can that work if he's your father's servant?" Even Weasley seemed curious now.

"He's not, or not directly. Robert's a servant to the Malfoys, and, since he's a ghost and will be with the family indefinitely, no single Malfoy can control him absolutely. He's completely loyal to the family, and will always do what's best for it, much the way the Manor wards are set to Malfoy blood." Seeing their strange looks he sighed. "It's old magic, purer than what's taught these days. Things like this only purebloods can use because it really is blood magic."

Now Finnigan looked affronted. "That's ridiculous. I'm a half-blood, but my mother's family is just as old as the Malfoys. I know for a fact that I can use the keep's defenses even though my father's a Muggle and it's old magic. You don't have to be pureblood to operate that sort of thing, just of the blood."

"Your mother's family has a keep?" Thomas asked, derailing the conversation unexpectedly. "You never mentioned that."

"Ah . . ." and now the smaller boy just blushed. "Well, they don't like me very much."

Thomas shot his boyfriend a look. "Really?" he asked in a noncommittal sort of way.

"Um . . ."

But now it was Harry's turn to change the subject. "I think we're there," he said, coming to a stop at the base of a set of stairs.

Draco blinked. He'd been distracted by the conversation. "Oh, yes. So we are. This way." And he began to lead them up the stairs.

***

"Come on, quietly." Draco had made them extinguish their wands before he opened the door into his hallway, so now the five of them were sneaking around in the dark. This, Seamus thought, was probably appropriate. Whispering and tiptoes, just the way to manage a forced entry and a jail break. However, he was realistic enough to recognize that it would have been easier if they didn't have to do it that way.

The Slytherin boy led them to one of several indistinguishable doors and opened it. The boys slid inside and he closed it after them, muttering "Illumos," which seemed to be the spell to light the room.

Seamus gaped at the enormous bedroom, which featured a large four poster draped in pale green silk, and a mahogany desk polished to a high shine that held several small objects. There was also a set of comfortable chairs placed with varying views out the picture window and in various relationships to the hidden lights and three doors which led, Seamus guessed, to the bathroom, the closet, and possibly one of those playrooms Draco had mentioned.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Draco spoke up. "And if you need it, the bathroom's through there." He pointed to the door in the left wall, then walked over to his desk. Dean headed into the bathroom and Seamus' eyes followed him, catching a glimpse of an enormous bath when he opened the door. His attention soon returned to Draco as the blond picked up a small glass bell from the top of the desk. He flicked his wrist lightly and a sweet high tone sounded in the room.

"What was that?" Ron snapped, clearly feeling jumpy.

Draco shrugged. "It let's Robert know I want to see him. He can hear it wherever he is but no one else can, don't worry. He'll be here when he can." The blond set the bell back on the desk then dropped into a chair near the window.

Harry sat down in a chair near Draco, leaning forward and starting to ask questions about the dungeons which Draco answered with a surprising and somewhat alarming amount of detail. Ron scowled but went to join the two of them while Seamus started examining the room.

On the wall next to the bed was a large bookshelf and the Irish boy wandered over to it, perusing the titles. There seemed to be the requisite set of spell books, both ones he recognized as schoolbooks and several that must have been given to him by his father. Most of those looked quite unpleasant, and some seemed old and expensive. There was a copy of Moste Potente Potions as well as something called On Foretelling and Foreshadowing: A Behavioral Guide, which he couldn't quite figure out. However, on a shelf above these magical tomes a large collection of fiction books was laid out. Some of them were even Muggle books, he was surprised to notice. Malfoy had copies of almost all of Shakespeare's writings, as well as a few plays by some author named Tom Stoppard. A series of novels lined in a row caught his attention: Clio's Sunday, Bec's Thousand, Khirsah's Sacrifice, Hito's Bones, and Cora's Friends. They seemed like a collection of romance novels from the titles, but their covers, he discovered, all featured a pair of boys leaning against each other back to back and looking seriously out of the picture.

Seamus shrugged and pushed the books back into order. He turned when he heard Dean come back out of the bathroom, again watching the other boy cross the room. The boys on the book covers had looked like they depended on other, he thought, like they trusted each other and were leaning against each other because one didn't need to watch the other to know what he would do. That was how he had always thought of Dean too, Seamus realized. He knew the black boy so well after four years, and at the same time he was starting to wonder how well he could get to know him. Now he hoped to get the chance, assuming they got out of this adventure alive. Seamus had no illusions about the dangers that they were in, the dangers Harry and Ron regularly threw themselves in the way of, but he also had no illusions about what he'd do if the danger turned not on him but on Dean. Dean was too important to lose. Thinking about this he headed over to the now available bathroom.

The bathroom was as lavish as anyone could wish, designed in soft whites and silvers and providing a bright contrast to the darker room he'd come from. The Irish boy goggled at the size of the bath and the enormous mirror which covered most of one wall but decided not to let anything in the Manor intimidate him, starting with the loo.

Leaving the bathroom again he paused, staring. Over where Harry, Draco, and Ron had been talking Draco was standing and Seamus could just see Harry and Ron kneeling behind their seats. In the middle of the room, out of the line of sight from the two crouching boys, floated a pale, ghostly figure dressed in a severe looking dark tunic over a light, tight sleeved shirt, and dark leggings that ended in tight dark boots. Seamus was surprised at the ghost's apparent youth. He couldn't have been older than 25 when he died, Seamus decided, and he began to wonder how he could have died so young and why he would have continued serving the Malfoy family after his death.

"Yes, Master Draco," the ghost who must be Robert was saying. "There has been a young girl installed in dungeons. She is in the cell next to your usual one, at the end of the hall." Draco scowled for several reasons, Seamus reckoned. "The entrance to the dungeons is guarded by two of Master Malfoy's associates."

"And her meals are delivered by the usual spells I assume?" Draco asked.

"Yes, of course. She sees no one, but is also not, ah, bothered by anyone." Seamus heard the strange emphasis in the butler's tone and noticed that Draco arched a brow at this, looking vaguely surprised, but the blond continued on another topic.

"What orders has my father left about me?" he asked.

"None sir."

"And has he left any orders about the girl or anyone not currently staying in the Manor?"

"None of the staff are to be anywhere in the dungeons, we are not to speak to her, or allow her to see us. Should we see anyone attempting to get to the dungeons we must tell Master Malfoy. Should we hear of any attempt to free her we must tell Master Malfoy. Should we see a certain Harry Potter or Ron Weasley we must tell Master Malfoy."

Draco actually smiled at this, although Seamus couldn't figure out why on earth he might do so. "Robert, these are my two acquaintances, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. We are going to wander around the Manor but we don't want to be bothered. Make sure that none of the staff see me or anyone who might have entered the Manor with me. Make sure none of the staff are ever near enough, in the walls or wherever they are, to hear me or anyone who might have come with me. Should anyone who does not command your service as I do ask after me or any other visitor to the Manor you will not tell them anything about me or anyone who might have come with me into the Manor. Now, how many people do you see in this room?"

"I see three boys Master Draco, yourself, Mister Thomas and Mister Finnigan." Seamus would swear there was a hint of a smile on the butler's youthful face.

"And you understood my orders?" Draco asked.

"Perfectly Master Draco. None of the staff are to see or hear you or anyone who might have entered the Manor with you, and I am not to answer questions relating to you or those who might have come with you except to your father, who's position commands my response."

"Thank you, Robert," and now Draco did smile. "Your service to the family of Malfoy is as flawless as ever. I hope you shall continue to serve me as you always have, even when I am Master of the Manor."

"It will be my pleasure sir," Robert said.

Draco gave a smile. "You may go then," he said, and the ghost turned carefully in place and floated out.

As soon as he had passed from the room Draco dropped back into his seat. "Thank the gods for Robert," he said quietly.

"I don't understand," said Harry, rising from the floor. "He didn't see Ron or I, so he won't have to report us to your father, but won't his orders to the staff only apply to you, Seamus and Dean then?"

"No," Draco answered. "That's the beauty of this game. They're not to see anyone who might have come with me. As none of them saw me enter, anyone who was not already here might have come with me. Classic, isn't it?"

"Too weird," Dean answered. "And you and your father play this horrible 'who is smarter than whom' game often?"

"Always," Draco's smile died. "Come on," he said. "Let's get going."

And he stood up and strode across to the door, pulling it open and heading out into the hall.

***

As Draco lead them down various dimly lit corridors Dean tried to keep track of the path back to the secret entrance, but soon realized he was hopelessly lost. Instead he turned his thoughts to the strange dynamic that the Malfoy boy added to their group.

Ron was fairly easy to figure out. He didn't trust Draco and tried to be sure that he could always see what the blond was doing. He still seemed annoyed that they needed to rely on a Slytherin, especially this one, to rescue his girlfriend, but he seemed to be, if not relaxing where Draco was concerned, then at least focusing on all the other dangers there were.

Seamus was being funny. He wasn't exactly flirting with Malfoy, but his tone when addressing the admittedly good looking boy always had a strangely welcoming note to it, as though the Irish boy wanted Draco to know that he was accepted. Dean wasn't sure whether he liked that or not, but knew he'd have to let it be for now. Things were too dangerous right now, and besides, he and Seamus had only finally talked about how they felt a few days ago. He still had too many questions about what that meant.

As for himself, Dean was sort of curious about when he'd started thinking of the blond as 'Draco'. He remembered Seamus asking him last night when Harry had started speaking of him as Draco, and Dean wondered if he should worry that the blond boy seemed to be insinuating himself into their circle. He didn't really think this could be a trap, not when he remembered Draco's tone as he yelled that he wasn't his father, but that didn't mean the boy didn't have a plan of some sort.

Which just left Harry. It was always hard to figure out what Harry thought about anything if he wasn't ready to talk about it. Probably, Dean mused, a remainder from when the other boy had had to hide all his feelings from his horrible family. But the tension between Harry and Draco was very strange. It kept changing: first they'd both be all business, then one or the other would say something sharp, and then they'd ignore each other, concentrating on where they were going or one of the other three boys. But then again, when Draco had saved Harry from the darts out on the grounds he had looked really alarmed, and Dean couldn't help thinking back to Harry's comment to Seamus after his first meeting with Draco. 'But Seamus, I don't want to hear anything about sex gods, ok.' What had the two of them been discussing besides Malfoy's ogre of a father?

Suddenly Draco came to a stop in the middle of the hall. He waved his hand, gathering them in to him and began to whisper. "The tapestry on the wall hides a passage down to the entrance of the dungeons. Robert said there were two guards and they'll probably be on either side of the door. This passage will take us down slightly to the right and on the other side of the hall from the entrance, which means we'll probably be able to get one shot out before they know we're there. Suggestions?"

"Do we know who it'll be?" Harry whispered.

"No," Draco shook his head. "I don't think Robert knew, which means they're undoubtedly Death Eaters, hoods and all."

"Then they'll probably have a set of standard guards set up all the time," Ron he spoke up. "It's something my dad's been complaining about. The aurors can't really get a first shot in because they wander around with spells up against most of the standard hexes, curses, and attack spells."

"Oh. So what do we do?" Dean asked.

"We do something non-standard." Seamus grinned.

"Like what?" Ron said.

"Well," Seamus began, "if they're guarded against attack spells why not hit them with defense spells?"

"What good would that do?" Draco actually sounded curious.

Seamus paused and seemed to think it out. "Say we drop a shielding spell on them, one of the reflective ones. Well, the stronger reflective spells aren't usually used because they reflect on the inside too. Now we don't know what sort of spells they're guarded against but presumably they do. Ron, if you knew there was a normal way to guard against six spells and that a lot of people were using it, would you attack someone who attacked you using those six spells?"

"No," Ron answered slowly, clearly not sure what Seamus was driving at.

"I get it," said Dean. "They know there are people who are immune to the spells they're immune to, so they won't use those spells. Instead they'll use something they're not immune to and then what ever they use will reflect off of the shield and hit them, yes?"

"Yes," Seamus grinned.

"Makes sense to me, I guess," Harry put in. "So who does the spell? I don't think I know the one you're referring to Seamus."

"I'll do it," Dean offered. "Seamus and I have been working on this one."

Draco nodded, then moved to the wall and lifted the edge of the tapestry. "After you then," he said as they all readied their wands.

Dean slipped through the opening, followed by Seamus and Harry. He heard some hushed whispers, then Draco's light tread on the stairs and Ron's heavier step. He soon came to a blank wall, but heard Draco mutter behind him, "Just tap on the wall with your wand." He steeled himself and followed these instructions. The wall disappeared and he stepped forward, looking to the left where two large men in robes and hoods were leaning against a door.

"Speculum Contego!" Dean yelled, then watched the two men jump and turn to face him.

"Who's that?" one of them cried.

"Dunno. Get him!" They both drew their wands.

"Acer Inuria!" one voice cried.

"Kaerichi!" yelled the second.

These were followed almost immediately by cries of pain and horror as the two Death Eaters found them selves subject to their own curses.

"Wow," Dean heard Ron whisper behind him. "I don't even know what those spells should do."

"Well, the first would be, um, . . . " Seamus paused as he worked it out. "Severe injury, I think. The other one sounded oriental, but I don't know the language." He caught Harry staring at him. "What? Hermione's not the only one in the magical languages course this year."

"Right," said Draco. He stepped out into the hall and walked carefully over to where the two men were lying on the ground, noticing a fairly large puddle of blood forming a perfect circle at the interior wall of the shield. "They look remarkably out of it, but I bet a normal Impedimentia spell or the Whole Body Locker curse isn't going to hold them."

"I know," said Harry. "Hey, Dean, let the shield go, I want to try something."

"Are you crazy?" Ron exclaimed. "Harry, they may just be waiting for us to drop the shield before they attack again."

"I'm going to bet not Weasley," Draco said. "You haven't seen the blood yet."

Ron stepped down the corridor and suddenly turned quite pale. "Ah," was all he managed to say before swallowing convulsively.

"Right," Dean said. "Finite Incantatum."

Harry raised his wand. "Baendiget," he said quietly and the two men stopped moving entirely, although they didn't look as though they were dead despite of the large blood pool.

"Ah," Draco sighed. "The Madman's Restraint. Very nice Potter." He looked down at the two Death Eaters and a curious look crossed his face. "So, which of my friends or relatives or friend's parents are you?" he asked, before leaning down to pull one of the masks off.

The face seemed somewhat familiar to Dean, although he knew he'd never seen the man before.

"Hello Mr. Goyle. I take it the other is our dear Mr. Crabbe? How good to see you again." The blond drew back his foot as though he might kick the downed man.

"Don't." Harry and Draco stared at each other for a second before Draco relented.

"Whatever," he muttered, then turned to the door to the dungeon. "Well, she'll be through here. Shall we?" He reached out to touch the wood with the palm of his left hand and said quite clearly "Ouvrir," and the door swung open. "This way." The Slytherin started down the stairs.

***

The darkness was not absolute; she was clear on that. There was a small crack along the bottom of the door that let in a little light, just enough to make out the door, and when her meals had come the tray glowed for as long as there was anything worth eating on it. This was useful because she could leave a small piece of bread or a few vegetables and have light.

The silence, on the other hand, was complete and uninterrupted. If she was still, there was nothing to hear and, though at the beginning of her imprisonment she had yelled and raged, now she was quiet, accepting the silence and using it. Because she was quiet when the creak of the door opening came she could hear it, even though the door to the dungeons was dozens of yards away.

Hermione held her breath, listening to the quick light steps rushing down the hall towards her and the low voices whose words she couldn't quite make out.

She heard the steps come to a stop outside her door, saw the slight occlusion of the light from the hall. Then she heard a voice which was somehow familiar calling out "Ouvrir!" A soft click signaled the unlocking of the door and Hermione shot to her feet, trying to prepare herself for whatever might be on the other side of the door.

However she was not prepared to hear Ron's voice call out, "Hermione!" or to be engulfed in his arms.

"Ron?" she asked, startled. "Oh Ron!" The two of them clutched at each other, whispering little questions and reassurances. Finally she stepped back, looking him in the eye. "But what are you doing here Ron?"

"We had to rescue you, we had to." Ron pulled her back to him, kissing her roughly. "Are you ok?" he asked breathlessly when he broke the kiss.

"I'm," she started, then dropped her head to his shoulder. "I'm alright now," she finished quietly.

"Weasley, we don't have time for this," said the voice which had opened the door. Hermione looked up to see Draco Malfoy outlined in the doorway by the light from the hall.

"Malfoy?" she asked, incredulous.

"Hello Granger," he said. "I'm not kidding Weasley. Lucius wasn't expecting me so he didn't bother to ward against the habit of all doors to open for any Malfoy, but he undoubtedly has spells up to let him know if anyone disturbs her. We've got to move."

Hermione blinked, the stared up at Ron who nodded at Malfoy. "Fine," the redhead said. "Where do we go?" He started to hustle her out of the cell, which she was glad enough to leave, and in the hall she spotted Harry, Seamus, and Dean.

"What's going on?" she finally asked, confused as to the presence of the extra boys. Being saved by Harry and Ron made sense, but why was Malfoy there?

"It's a rescue, what's it look like?" Seamus quipped as they started hurrying down the hall.

"We've got to get you out of thisch place schweetheart," Dean added in a rather bad Humphrey Boggart impression.

She smiled at them but her smile wavered when she heard Harry ask Malfoy, "Which way Draco?" Since when does he call Malfoy Draco? she thought.

"The main door is the only way in or out of the dungeons but we've probably got a little time. No need to run," he said. "Well, not yet."

"Excuse me," Hermione put in as they rushed toward the stairs. "What is Malfoy doing here?" She managed to keep her tone from being accusatory only by virtue of being so relieved to be out of the cell.

"What I'm doing here, Granger, is getting you out of here and keeping them out of trouble. How do you think they got into the Manor in the first place?" Malfoy's voice was level but there was a hint of annoyance in it.

Hermione had no reply to this but Harry stepped into the discussion. "Draco," he started and when the blond looked up at him he shook his head. "We need to concentrate don't we?"

The Slytherin gave a sigh and nodded. Rushing past him up the stairs he slid the door part way open. "It's clear for now," he said. "Hurry up." The others ran up the stairs and they all slipped out into the hallway. "Look," he glanced around. "You'll need to head out through the secret entrance, the door opens when you pull on the left candlestick. Once you're out just run for the main gate. There's not going to be any more point sneaking around and getting through the Manor defenses without me will be too dangerous."

"What do you mean without you?" Dean asked, looking worried. "You're coming aren't you?"

"I'm going to provide a distraction." Malfoy looked grim and Hermione could imagine why. She might not know what he was doing here but she could guess what would happen when someone found out he was here.

"That's crazy," Seamus spoke up. "You'll be killed."

"I'm dead anyway," Draco said. "Lucius is going to know I was here and there won't be anything I can do to stop him. At least this way I can be useful."

"Maybe there's nothing you can do to stop him," Harry spoke up, "but I bet there's something we can do." Hermione's eyebrows shot up.

"Don't be ridiculous Harry," Ron said. "We're going to need you to get out of here."

"No you don't," Harry said. "Ron, you've got to make sure Hermione's safe. Seamus, Dean, you guys make sure Ron's safe." Harry grinned.

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much." Hermione was kind of annoyed at Harry's tone.

"Granger," Draco spoke up, "you don't have a wand anymore, you can't take care of anyone." Her mouth snapped shut on a retort as she realized he was right.

"So what are you two going to do then?" Dean asked.

"I'm going to take care of whoever tried to hurt me through my friends, and he's," and here Harry jerked his thumb at Draco, "going to help. I think Lucius Malfoy deserves to learn a lesson."

Draco snorted. "Stupid bloody Gryffindor bravery is going to get you killed one of these days."

"That's right," Harry said with a hint of challenge. "Now, are you coming or not?"

Draco sighed. "Finnigan, Thomas, think you can find the way back to the tunnel?" When Seamus nodded he said, "Good. Get going."

That's odd

, thought Hermione as the four of them turned and slipped through a door in the wall. What was it about him that's got me thinking of him as Draco?