Inside Your Mind

i found

I Found - Amber Run

November 1st 1999

Finally, FINALLY, Draco felt the last charm lift and, with a quick check to make sure the exit was still clear he drew back the rusty bolt and entered the room with his wand dimly lit.

Eight faces turned to look at him, eyes squinting against the harsh light, and there was a deafening silence.

'Malfoy?!' A familiar red head spat. 'Should've known you were bloody involved in-.'

'Shut it, Weasley.' Draco snarled in Ron's direction. He had been prepared for Ron's resistance but there was no time for petty school rivalries to get in the way. 'There's not much time to explain but your sister and Granger are here, too. We're getting you out.'

Ron bit his tongue; this was the first sign of rescue that he had seen in eighteen months. He had to put his differences aside and trust that Draco was in fact aiding their escape. Another silence echoed around the walls of the damp cell while Draco's words settled.

'Draco?' Another familiar voice asked, drawing Draco's attention to the far corner of the room.

Slowly, in an effort not to blind everyone, Draco brightened his wand and pointed it towards the owner of the voice. Looking bruised and rather filthy, like the rest of the cellar's occupants, Pansy Parkinson was slowly pulling Harry Potter away from her lap. Draco, completely thrown by the sight, took a moment to compose himself. Once back in the mindset, the plan forming once again in his mind, he made sure that no one was restrained - they weren't - and walked over to the other side of the cellar.

'You look like shit, Parkinson.' Draco said, plastering the trademark Malfoy smirk over his face before pulling his fellow Slytherin into a hug.

'Took you bloody long enough.' He heard Pansy murmur in his ear.

Draco quickly let go of Pansy and found the four faces that he needed first and turned to them.

'Patil, Brown, Macmillan, Lovegood, look sharp.' Draco said as he carefully helped a very frail looking Luna up to her feet. 'You're going first. No time for explanations.'

No one spoke until Theo got to his feet and wrapped a protective arm around Luna's waist. 'Lovegood goes with me.'

Draco turned to his old classmate, a questioning look on his face, a biting remark for Theo to shut up on the tip of his tongue. But when he saw the determination on Theo's face he kept it to himself.

'Fine.' Draco snapped. 'Weasley?'

Ron looked over from his position on the floor, next to a sobbing Lavender, and nodded.

'I'll go.' Ron said gruffly. 'Theo should stay with Luna.'

Draco nodded once and then quickly conjured a Patronus to signal to Blaise and Ginny that he was ready. He'd wait a minute and then escort the first group to the top of the cellar stairs where they would be met by Blaise, who would take them to Ginny at the bottom of the main staircase, who would take them up to Hermione in his old room.

Draco just prayed to Merlin that no one would get in their way.

'Parkinson, Nott, Lovegood... Potter,' Draco said, throwing a quick glance to a silent and somber Harry who was still sat in the corner. 'I'll be back.'

Draco motioned for the first group of four to follow him, extinguishing the light at the end of his wand, as he made his way to the first "drop off point" in darkness.

'Don't make a sound until you're safely out of this place.' Draco hissed to them as he made out the faint outline of the stairs.

The sound of a wand tapping a shoe, Blaise's all clear signal, echoed down the stairs and Draco motioned for Ron to lead the way. Ron nodded, kept quiet, and gave Draco a brief pat on the back as a hasty sign of his gratitude for saving them and an apology for jumping to conclusions.