A/N: I have obviously been remiss in my updating, there is no excuse for it. I finished my last exam tomorrow and sat down and wrote this chapter, the next one should be along soon. Sorry again!
When Harry opened his eyes later he was looking at a very high ceiling. He sat up with a groan and looked around. He was laying on the biggest bed he'd ever seen in his life. Draco was laying unconscious next to him on it, but there was almost two clear metres between them.
He shifted over and kicked Draco in the shin but there was no response. Harry glanced round the room taking in the ornate furnishings, noting the exits; a French window and the bedroom door, before his eyes snapped to the settee when they caught a movement.
He stood and walked across the room. There laying on the settee covered in a blanket, hair splayed out over one of the cushions and sounds asleep, was Paige. He crouched down in front of her and reached out a tentative hand to stroke her hair, almost shocked when he could feel it, that she was real. His subsequent smile may have been a little watery.
"Fuck," a muttered curse emanated from the bed. "Shit."
"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry hissed, not looking away from Paige. Afraid that if he looked away for a moment she'd disappear.
"Harry, we're being held prisoner, I think a little swearing is appropriate," he said, and Harry heard him get off the bed.
"Not around young and impressionable ears," he repeated Grace's often repeated words to him.
"What are you-?" Draco stopped short behind him, Harry assumed he'd just spotted Paige. Draco laid a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed it gently, Harry lent into it.
"You still got the port-key?" Harry asked a few moments later.
"No, they've taken it," Draco told him. "Sorry Harry. The room's probably warded anyway, we wouldn't have been able to get her out," he said.
"I can break though them," Harry replied.
"Well we don't have a port-key so even if you could-" Draco said skeptically.
"I can," Harry said resolutely. "And as for the port-key," he said, standing up slowly and turning around, "We'll have to make one."
Draco looked at him incredulously. "You intend to break down the wards and make a port-key? Harry, there's no way, not even you-"
"Stop being so negative," Harry said with a smile. "C'mon, what can we use?" he asked, glancing around the room. Draco rolled his eyes, but decided to play along for the moment, because who really knew anything when it came to Harry?
"Well, she's already holding the blanket," he shrugged.
"Good idea," Harry said, snapping his fingers at Draco, before crouching back down in front of Paige.
"Aren't you going to wake her up first?" Draco asked. Harry glanced at him before looking back at Paige.
"No," he replied eventually as he laid his hand on the blanket. He took a deep breath and concentrated all his energy on the blanket. "Portus," he said quietly. Draco watched as the blanket glowed momentarily before returning to normal.
"She's still here," Draco said a couple of moments later.
"Yeah. Time delay," Harry explained, seconds before Paige disappeared before their eyes.
Neville jumped when the young girl materialised in the empty bed beside Grace's, even though he'd been expecting it.
He stood quickly and called out for Mrs.Weasley, who came bustling into the room moments later. She stopped and looked at Paige for a moment before speaking.
"Oh, she lovely," she sighed. "Looks just like Lily," she added quietly. A moment later she seemingly shook herself and said, "Right then, I'll make sure the others know she made it here safely," before leaving the room.
"I really don't like this plan," Ron muttered as he, Remus and Hermione approached the Riddle House from the back.
"Stop complaining," Hermione whispered.
"It makes sense, Ron," Remus said quietly. "We've given him exactly what he wants, so hopefully all his attention will be focused on Harry," he explained.
"As I said, I really don't like this plan."
Harry hissed as the death eater man-handling him kicked the back of his knees, so his shins met the wooden floor with a jarring thud. He heard a similar curse come from Draco on his right.
Not long after Paige had gone, they'd been forcefully collected from their luxurious accommodations and dragged downstairs.
They were in what looked to once have been a stately dining room, which was now in a state of disrepair; faded and peeling wallpaper, dust and cobwebs adorned the room. In the centre, and about a metre in front of where they were kneeling was an ornate wooden chair. Empty. For the moment.
One of the men leant forward between them so he was level with them and muttered, "Wait here," before he and the other lackeys left the room. After a few moments in which it became obvious no-one was immediately returning, Draco turned to him and spoke.
"Well that was stupid," he said, rolling his eyes.
"They're probably watching us," Harry said.
"Still they must have noticed that their third unarmed prisoner had disappeared from their warded room," he said. Harry shrugged, it didn't really matter. They were here to complete a mission, whether they could escape made no difference. They were staying until it was done.
But just in case they were watching, "Doesn't matter anyway," he said. "I don't think I have the energy to do that again." Draco quirked an eyebrow at him curiously. Harry let the corner of his mouth twitch slightly for a moment and Draco's eyes lit up with understanding.
"Not surprised," he replied, playing along. "Doing the physically impossible is probably tiring," he said, letting an tinge of mocking into his tone.
"More than you'd think," Harry responded in good-humour. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Shut up," he muttered without much conviction.
Fred watched as two hooded forms guarded the front entrance to the house, they paced back and forth occasionally, but exchanged few words; mostly nods and grunts. Fred wondered if they were even intelligent enough to hold a conversation, if they had been stupid enough to follow Voldemot in the guise Lucius Malfoy. After how they Death Eaters were persecuted before, it was almost a suicidal thing to do.
He tensed as the door opened and another hooded figure stepped out, more slender though, probably a woman. Probably Bellatrix Lestrange. The grip he had on his wand tightened before his vision swam and he swayed.
George caught him from where he crouched at Fred's side, gave him a brief smile, and turned back to watch the house.
Ginny gave him a concerned look and laid a hand on his arm. Fred rolled his eyes, she got more and more like their mothers every day in the way she was protective of them all, despite being the youngest.
His attention turned back to the house as he felt George tense beside him. Sure enough Bellatrix was leading one of the guards back inside, leaving only one out the front. Fred watched him for the moment. It would look a lot more suspicious if they came back out to the guard lying on the floor than if he wasn't there at all.
Making his decision he picked up a stone off of the ground and threw it at a tree a few metres to the left of their hiding place. It hit the tree with a loud enough crack to draw the guard's attention, as well as his siblings who were glaring at him fiercely. He rolled his eyes and got silently to his feet as the Death Eater approached the source of the sound.
A quick and quiet spell had him falling to the ground in an enchanted sleep. He turned round and grinned at his siblings, twirling his wand round between his fingers.
"Show off," Ginny muttered, but there was no heat behind it.
"Stay here," Fred replied as he transfigured his robes, to make them darker and longer, and pulled the hood up over his head.
"What are you doing?" Ginny hissed.
"I think his recent brush with death has made our dear brother reckless," George murmured, a serious glint in his eyes.
"I'll be fine, quit your worrying," Fred replied, before striding towards the door. The other guard would return soon, and he'd be ready for him.
"I have a plan," Ron said as the three of them sat behind a low wall, after looking over it to find two cloaked guards outside the back entrance to the house.
"Do you now?" Hermione asked with an indulgent smile.
"I go up there, make a distraction, you two hex them," he said. "Simple."
"Yes, it is rather," Remus commented wryly. "I think I shall provide the distraction, as I'll be more resistant to the hexes they'll like throw at an approaching visitor."
"Are you sure Remus?" Hermione asked.
"Indeed I am. You two will need to position yourselves out of sight, but at a good angle to aim from," he said.
"Don't worry, we've got your back Remus," Ron replied.
"How long are they going to make us kneel here?" Draco complained.
"They're just trying to psych us out," Harry replied.
"Yes well, it's making my knees hurt, I don't like it," he protested.
"I doubt that there's any part of this situation that you're supposed to like Draco," Harry answered.
"Quite right Potter," a smooth voice said from the side of the room. Harry looked to the side door on his left out of the corner of his eye, but didn't turn his head. Draco, however, did.
"Father?" he asked. Harry didn't doubt that he was mentally chastising himself for the hint of hope his tone carried.
"He's in here," was the reply, Lucius' hand tapping his temple.
"I doubt he's sitting there quietly," Draco snarled. Harry looked at him in surprise. After Draco had sort refuge from the Order of the Phoenix at Snape's behest, and resultingly declared his allegiance to them, Lucius has effectively disowned him. That he cared so much after over a decade in which he barely talked about his father, surprised Harry. But then again, he was still Draco's father, Harry imagined that even though they'd effectively fought against each other in a war, it was still difficult for Draco to hate the man.
"He fought it at first," Voldemort replied, and this time Harry could tell it was Voldemort. There was a manic edge to his tone which Lucius Malfoy had never possessed. "But Lucius is a smart man, he only fights the battles he can win."
"Funny that you should say that, as he's been on the losing side of the last two wars," Harry interjected. Voldemort growled at him. Harry recoiled slightly internally, the Dark Lord seemed to be even more unstable than ever. Harry briefly wondered what had become of him these past years, had he been floating around, a soul without a body, like the last time?
"You don't fool me Potter," Voldemort said silkily, the touch of insanity from the moment before buried. "I know that you sent your precious little daughter to safety, and that it cost you a significant amount of energy." He smiled nastily down at them as he sat in the chair. "Why I could probably crush you with a single thought right now," he said, his eyes flashing with a murderous lust as he surveyed Harry.
"Perhaps," Harry replied noncommittally.
"Fool-hearted and noble until the end Harry? And here I was hoping that without the responsibilities as the hero of the wizarding world on your shoulders, that you would have let your Slytherin side blossom."
Harry heard Draco scoff quietly. Lucius' face snapped towards Draco, Voldemort's eyes glinting malevolently at him.
"But then your friendship with dear Lucius' son may be evidence of that it has," he mused. "No matter," he said, clapping his hands together and leaning forward, Lucius' white-blonde hair hanging round his face. "I shall agree to let young Mister Malfoy go, as his father has been such a gracious host; as well as your brother-in-law…" he trailed off with a cold smile.
"What have you done to him?" Harry said sharply.
"Oh, he's fine," he replied. "Or he will be," he said, smiling cruelly once more.
Harry ground his teeth, he had a horrible feeling he knew where this was going.
"What do you want from me?" he demanded. Voldemort chuckled, dark and heartlessly.
"I will free them, on the condition that you remain," he paused. "And take Lucius' place as my host."
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