Abyss

Abyss

Harry ran back up the stairs, with Hermione and Malfoy close behind him. When they reached the rooms they stood at different doors, but before Harry opened his, Hermione spoke with a definite quiver in her voice, "Wait. What are we going to say?" She looked at him for the answer.

Harry lowered his head, too much aware of the own shaking of his hand as he held on the doorknob. "We can't tell them the truth," he said firmly. "It'll scare the hell out of them, and we can't afford them to panic in this."

"So we're... going to lie to them?" she asked, glancing at Malfoy.

"We can't," Malfoy spoke, looking at Hermione and then at Harry. His face was dark and grim. "We won't. It would be better if we scare the hell out of them all."

"So you'd rather have them terrified?" Harry challenged, meeting his gaze.

"If they're terrified then they're bound to move quicker. That's how we want them, right?" With that, Malfoy opened his door and shouted. Hermione followed second, and Harry last.

He saw that the children were surprised at his intrusion, with them bolting up on their beds, obviously aroused from sleep. Harry walked towards them and began taking the blankets off their bodies. "Stand up, you lot," he spoke loudly, taking the bedspread from Joey Garson. "We're leaving."

"Leaving?" Eric asked, rubbing his eyes with both fists. "Where are we going?"

"Why?" Marvin queried, though he stood up.

Harry looked at them, and knew that what he would say would definitely have an impact on these children. He'd rather not tell them what was really going on, but what Malfoy said made sense, he must admit. "Remember what Dumbledore said earlier, about us heading for Languid Valley? We're doing it tonight."

"Why?" Joey asked this time, still not moving from his bed. "I thought you said we're safe here?"

"Death Eaters," Harry spoke, and instantly the mood in the room changed as the three boys regarded him with wide, terrified eyes. "They're coming for us tonight, and if we don't leave now we're going to die."

For a moment, the three boys looked as though they were struck dumb by what they had heard. Harry began to wonder if they're slow or stupid, or worse, both. Fortunately, though, Eric and Marvin awoke from their stupor and leapt from their positions to head towards the door. Joey was pulling on his shoes when Harry followed the other boys. As he stood out the door he saw that the other students were also flowing out of the rooms and running towards the stairs.

"Quick!" Hermione said, standing near the stairs and directing the way. Harry turned right, and saw Malfoy open another door and yell, "Death Eaters are coming! Run for your lives!" on top of his lungs. It was highly effective, as four boys quickly poured out of the room to join the pandemonium.

Harry met Malfoy's eyes, and the Slytherin mouthed, "What?"

"Let's go," Hermione told them, and as quick as their feet carried them they headed towards the main door, and out of the house.

Harry lit his wand with an incantation, and instructed the others to do the same. He noticed that Hermione took a step towards Malfoy as he, too, lit his wand. Harry grimaced, and quickly took the lead, guiding the group towards the path on the right. The tall patches of grass around them looked threatening, much like the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, but at least in here they were confident that nothing would spring out of the shadows. Harry shoved leaves from his direction as he began to weave a trail away from the path. He could hear mumbles of protest from behind him, but he paid them no mind. Finally, after walking for a good fifteen minutes they reached a clearing, and stopped to take some breaths.

"I know I speak for all of us when I ask, why are we walking away from the path? I thought the path was there so we could walk on it," Malfoy said.

Harry faced him. In the dimness of the evening he couldn't really see Malfoy's expression, but he knew the boy was mocking him. "That path leads to the other safe houses, and right now that's not where we're going," he answered. He turned to the other students, doing his best to reassure them. "Dumbledore told me the way to Languid Valley, so don't worry. I won't get us off track."

"Three, four, five--" Hermione muttered, as she stood beside Malfoy.

"I thought you said Minas Deep was the one place where the Death Eaters couldn't find us?" Matthew asked, as he sat on the ground with his knees pulled to his chest and his wand lying near him.

"It was," Harry replied, looking at the one who spoke. "But not anymore."

"Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen--"

"How was it discovered? Wasn't it unpala... unplata..."

"Unplotable," Hermione corrected, though she was quite busy doing something else. She was moving from one student to the next, and then turning around and pointing. "Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two--"

"Yeah, that," Raymond said, looking down at his feet. "Unplotable."

"We don't have time to answer all your questions," Malfoy spoke loudly, ending the small question and answer portion to which Harry was thankful for. "The sooner we get to Dumbledore's place the better we all will be. Now let's get--"

"Wait!" Hermione cried suddenly. "Wait," she repeated, counting again.

"Look, Hermione--"

"No, wait, I only counted twenty-nine. There are only twenty-nine of them here, and there are thirty of them in total, right? Right?" she demanded.

Harry nodded.

"Someone's missing," she deduced, dread in her voice and in her face.

"Who's missing?" Harry asked, looking at the students. Though the light cast by his wand was bright, there were still shadows that cloaked most of his view in darkness. He couldn't see their faces, only their silhouettes.

"I--I don't know," Hermione answered. "Stand up, all of you!" she yelled, addressing the students. "You're familiar with your housemates, right? Can someone tell us who's missing among your group or your friends?"

The children pulled themselves to their feet, each looking at the others and trying to find out who among them was gone. Several moments passed, and no one answered.

"Maybe somebody slipped somewhere, or got lost," Harry suggested, trying to remember who among the crowd he was not seeing there. It was a very difficult task. "Were there thirty of them before we left the house?"

She shook her head. "No... I mean, I--I don't know. I only did a head count just now. Oh, how could I have been so stupid! I should've thought of--"

"We have to move," Malfoy reminded them, looking around him, on the alert. Something in his expression worried Harry.

"But we're missing a student!" Hermione protested, pulling at the sleeve of Malfoy's robe.

"Would you rather sacrifice everyone here for the sake of one student? Besides, it's just Joey," Malfoy said, taking her hands off his clothes. "We don't need him, anyway."

"Garson? He's the one missing?"

Malfoy turned towards Harry. "Yes. Good riddance, I'll say."

"Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed, hitting him on the shoulder. She looked at Harry. "We can't leave him behind! If the Death Eaters see him--"

"--he'll die," Harry finished, his voice quiet but clear.

The other students were silent in accepting this undeniable truth.

Worry instantly clouded Hermione's face. "Harry..."

"I'll go look for him," Harry volunteered, already moving back. "I'll start at the safe house--"

"No!" she protested, moving to him. "You can't leave this group. You're the only one who knows how to go to Languid Valley, remember?"

"There you go, problem solved," Malfoy said. "You can't go back to the safe house and leave us hanging in here. I guess that means we're moving, then?"

Hermione shook her head again. "No," she said slowly. "I'm going to go back for him."

"What?" Malfoy asked.

Harry raised his brows in surprise. "You can't do that--"

"Of course I can," she insisted, wringing her hands. "Just because I lost my wand doesn't mean I lost my sense of direction. Lead the others to the valley, then meet me here as soon as possible. I'll be as quick as I can."

Malfoy looked every inch as reluctant to let her go as Harry felt. "Granger," he said through clenched teeth. "I know Gryffindors are brave and heroic and all that nonsense but this is just stupid. You can't risk your life for a low-blood scum like--"

"I'm going back for him, Malfoy," she spoke firmly, her tone unheeding any contest. "And you can't stop me."

Without another word she marched towards the tall foliage. In seconds she was engulfed in total darkness.

"Stupid girl," Malfoy said, shaking his head. He looked at Harry. "You have to move now, get them to safety," he ordered. "I'll take care of her." And he, too, disappeared, only the small light on the tip of his wand telling the others of his movements.

Harry looked on until the light disappeared completely. Now the two were on their own. "Come on," he said gruffly to the others. "We have to go."

He only wished Hermione and Malfoy could get out of Minas Deep before the Death Eaters arrived.

*

"Joey!" Hermione shouted, once she was back inside the house again. Her feet felt like leads attached to her limbs, and there was already a stitch at her side after running all the way, but she didn't care. She would never allow any more deaths to occur to them as long as she could help it. She would never allow someone she knew to fall into the hands of Death Eaters once again. "Joey! Jo--"

Footsteps echoed from behind her. Fear reverberated from within her, making her tremble, and she turned sharply - only to find that it was Malfoy who did all the noise. "Why are you here?" she demanded, slightly out of breath. Her tone belied the relief she felt at seeing him.

"Two things," he said, also stepping inside the house. "One: you're stupid enough to come back. Two: I'm not stupid enough to leave you behind."

She exhaled, walked towards him, grabbed his shoulders and kissed him squarely on the mouth. She was shocked at her own audacity, but she didn't care. "Thank God. Thank you."

He grinned. "Consider this my apology for leaving your side earlier, which I vow never to do again."

"Good to hear that, though I won't accept that apology just yet. I still would like to see you suffer a bit more." Hermione flashed him a smile.

She chuckled at his choice of word, gladdened that even in a situation as dark as this he could still make her laugh. "I know. Now let's find that darned kid."

They both combed through the house, not leaving a single crevice unchecked for signs of the Ravenclaw. Finally, they met at the base of the stairs, and as one, made their way up.

"Joey!" Hermione called, opening one door after the other and finding each one empty. "Joey!"

"I found him," Malfoy said, holding a door open for her.

She entered, and Malfoy followed inside. Hermione saw Joey sulking on a corner, sitting with his back hunched and his knees drawn up to his chest, trying to be as small as possible. His head rested on his folded arms. "Joey," she began gently, approaching him. "We have to go."

"I'm not going," he said, his voice muffled. "Why did you come back?" Joey opened his eyes and stared at her.

"We came back for you," she answered, uncertain but wanting to reach out and touch him. He looked so lost and defeated it was pitiable, and a bit contagious. "You know why we have to leave in the first place, right?"

"Of course I do," he said, resentment creeping in his voice. "That's why I stayed behind. I'm tired of running away. I'm tired of all this. If I'm going to die then I'm going to die, it's as simple as that, right?"

"Great," Malfoy muttered from behind them. "A nutcase."

"No one's dying, Joey," Hermione said, finally deciding to touch him. She grabbed his arm, tried to pull him up. Considering his height and weight, though, he was not one to budge easily. "Come on! We have to hurry!"

"I'm NOT going!" Joey shouted, standing and shoving her aside. He crossed the room and was out of the door in no time.

Malfoy was swift; he caught her before she fell on her back. Hermione instantly saw the incensed expression on his face, and she placed a hand on his chest to quell him down. "I'll handle this," she said.

"Are you sure? We could always leave him behind," he offered.

"No. We came back for him. There's no way in hell I'm leaving without him."

She quickly followed the child out of the room, and she caught him standing near the stairs, looking down at the steps. "Joey," she tried again. "I know you understand the situation, and I know you're tired. We all are. But can't you see? We need you alive. We want you alive. That's why we're doing all our best to ensure your safety, and that's why we came back for you."

"But why do we have to run away?" he asked, facing her. "Can't we just fight them?"

"Is that what you're planning to do?" Malfoy drawled, standing beside Hermione and crossing his arms in front of him. "Is that the reason you didn't come with us?"

"I can do it," Joey said, raising his chin up and taking his wand from his pocket. "I can fight."

"No you can't," Malfoy retorted crisply. "You're a first year. You don't know anything yet. How in hell are you going to fight people who know more hexes and curses than you could possibly imagine?"

"But Harry, he defeated Voldemort in his first year," Joey said.

"Is your name Harry Potter? Do you have a bloody scar on your forehead?"

"No, but I can still do it," he repeated. "I'm in Ravenclaw. We know more than most people."

"Being in Ravenclaw, your lot is supposed to be intelligent. You, on the other hand, sure give a whole new definition to being 'smart'," Malfoy returned.

"Joey," Hermione spoke again. "I admire your courage, I really do. But there's a fine line between courage and stupidity. I'm sorry, but what you're doing right now is just plain stupid. I know you can fight, but you can't do it on your own."

The poor Ravenclaw looked confused, and hurt. "I'm staying."

"Garson," Malfoy said, visibly seething, the vein in his neck throbbing. "Look, you idiot. You want to die? Fine. Do me a favor and go kill yourself. But as of now, you're coming with us. We risked ourselves for you, and we're not leaving until you come with us, even if I have to use magic to make you." He pointed his wand at Joey.

The Ravenclaw also lifted his wand and aimed it at Malfoy, but unlike the Slytherin's cool and passive expression the younger boy was shaking and perspiring. "I'll--I'll fight you," he said.

"Good. Let's see what you can do." Malfoy smirked.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Joey," Hermione spoke softly but with steel. She'd had enough of his pathetic heroic antic. "I don't want you to get hurt, but if Malfoy casting a curse on you is the only way to get you to follow us then I won't hesitate to let him."

"You first, Garson," Malfoy said, waving his wand slightly. "Cast your spell. Make sure you'll hurt me, because if you don't then rest assured that mine will make you scream like a newborn."

Joey gulped, and took a step backward. "Petri... pitri... petrificus tot..."

Malfoy yawned. "Petrificus Totalus. What a bore. You know the Unforgivable Curses, Jo-ey? Want to know which one I'm going to use on you?"

Hermione flinched.

"So, are we going to do it the easy way, with you coming with us, or the excruciatingly painful way? Oh, look. A clue to the curse I'm going to use on you."

Finally, Joey lowered his wand.

"Easy way, then?" Malfoy asked.

The student nodded meekly.

"Good," Hermione said, smiling in relief. "Let's go."

Malfoy took the lead, walking to the stairs. He paused, then squarely hit Joey at the back of his head. But before he stepped down, he stopped again, and held a hand to the side, effectively blocking Hermione's path.

"Wha--"

"Shh," he said, his face tight and tense. "I hear something." A few moments more, and he said, "Go back to the room, quickly."

She nodded, and as quietly as possible they went back to one of the rooms. Malfoy closed the door behind him with a soft click. "They're here, aren't they?" Hermione asked, swallowing nervously.

"Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God," Joey muttered, paling.

Malfoy looked at him. "You want to fight, don't you?" he mocked. "Now's your chance. I hope you knock yourself out."

"Stop it," Hermione said, fixing Malfoy a look. "We have to figure out a way to hide ourselves."

They could hear definite noises and voices coming from downstairs. Furniture were being moved and tossed about, glasses breaking, footsteps echoing...

"Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God."

"Shut up!" Malfoy snapped. "I'm thinking."

And so was Hermione. She scanned the room, trying to find another way to escape. She spotted the window, and peered out - there, below them, was a group of Death Eaters walking along the path towards the other safe houses. "We can't go out," she said low. "They will see us if we do."

"Can't we turn invisible?" Joey asked, his face shiny with sweat.

"You have a cloak we can use?" Malfoy asked, though he didn't look expectant for the answer.

"No."

"Then shut up." He shook his head. "First years."

"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked, moving towards Malfoy. She swallowed again, and took his hand. It was as cold and clammy as both of hers were.

"I--I don't know," he answered, squeezing her hand.

"Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God."