Lost Memories

lxxiii. broken family

"Right," said Ron, squaring his shoulders. "So you can't go, that's what he wants, what he's expecting. You stay here and look after Hermione and Madi, and I'll go and get it —"

Harry cut across Ron.

"You three stay here, I'll go under the Cloak and I'll be back as soon as I —"

"No," said Hermione, "it makes much more sense if I take the Cloak and —"

"Don't even think about it," Ron snarled at her.

"No, I can go! He will never—" Before I could finish, the tapestry at the top of the staircase on which we stood ripped open.

"POTTER!"

Two masked Death Eaters stood there, but even before their wands were fully raised, Hermione shouted, "Glisseo!"

The stairs beneath our feet flattened into a chute and she, Harry, Ron, and I hurtled down it, unable to control our speed but so fast that the Death Eaters' Stunning Spells flew far over our heads. We shot through the concealing tapestry at the bottom and spun onto the floor, hitting the opposite wall.

"Duro!" I cried, pointing my wand at the tapestry, and there were two loud, sickening crunches as the tapestry turned to stone and the Death Eaters pursuing them crumpled against it.

"Get back!" shouted Ron, and we flattened ourselves against a door as a herd of galloping desks thundered past, shepherded by a sprinting Professor McGonagall. She appeared not to notice us: Her hair had come down and there was a gash on her cheek. As she turned the corner, we heard her scream, "CHARGE!"

"Harry, you get the Cloak on," said Hermione. "Never mind us —"

But he threw it over all four of us; large though we were, I doubted anyone would see our disembodied feet through the dust that clogged the air, the falling stone, the shimmer of spells.

We ran down the next staircase and found ourselves in a corridor full of duelers. The portraits on either side of the fighters were crammed with figures screaming advice and encouragement, while Death Eaters, both masked and unmasked, duelled students and teachers. All four of us raised our wands at once, ready to strike, but the duelers were weaving and darting around so much that there was a strong likelihood of hurting one of our own if we were to cast curses.

"Argh!"

A fistful of tubers, from Peeves, hit the Cloak over Ron's head; the slimy green roots were suspended improbably in midair as Ron tried to shake them loose.

"Someone's invisible there!" shouted a masked Death Eater, pointing.

Dean made the most of the Death Eater's momentary distraction, knocking him out with a Stunning Spell; Dolohov attempted to retaliate and Parvati shot a Body-Bind Curse at him.

"LET'S GO!" Harry yelled. We grabbed ahold of the Cloak and all ran out of the corridor toward the top of the marble staircase into the entrance hall.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm Draco, I'm on your side!"

Draco was on the upper landing, pleading with another masked Death Eater.

"Stupefy!" I whipped my wand at the Death Eater, hitting him square in the chest.

Draco looked around, beaming, for his saviour, and Ron punched him from under the Cloak. Draco fell backwards on top of the Death Eater, his mouth bleeding, utterly bemused.

"Ron!" I shouted at him.

"And that's the second time we've saved your life tonight, you two-faced bastard!" Ron yelled.