The Quarry was thrown into immediate chaos once they arrived. The sun was dipping closer to the horizon, dousing the area with shifting shadows, and thrusting the dirt-filled pathway down into a dangerous obscured darkness. Only the lights of the magic that sparked from the battling wands below could be seen.

Harry, Ginny, George, and Angelina Apparated at the top of the slope at the incline to the bottom of the pit. The Apparition barriers were re-activated in time for them to prevent the Death Eaters from escaping from the entrance, rather than for their own benefit. It was a suggestion made by Kingsley in a bid to prevent the enemies from truly escaping. At the surface, Harry could see a few battles taking place and littered around the area, as they began to hastily descend the rocky slope on foot in their swift bid to reach the entrance as soon as possible.

Overhead, five Dementors swept over the clearing in all their haunting glory, making a clear beeline to the fighting allies below with their shredded cloak fluttering in the evening breeze, barely seen against the dimming sky. At the foot of the familiar slope, they saw Cho Chang, Professor Flitwick, Madam Hooch, and several students that Harry recognised in Hufflepuff a year below him, along with three additional Aurors by their side. There must have been a Death Eater who was previously stationed at the entrance, was locked into a dangerous duel with Flitwick and a Hufflepuff. Cho had since conjured a fully corporeal swan Patronus, who was redirecting the summoned shield towards three looming Dementors descending quickly upon them.

Speeding overhead on his broom was Oliver Wood, much to Harry's surprise. The other DA must have summoned assistance from the others who had also participated in the Battle of Hogwarts. Breathing a sigh of relief from the additional firepower, Harry watched as Oliver blasted a single Death Eater from above, hurling an Incendio at the ground by his feet. From Harry's side, Angelina raced up to the Death Eater with her wand rising above her head, and fired a jinx at the enemy, catching him off guard. The Death Eater spun around, silver mask gleaming, and fired a dangerous curse upon her. George ran up by her side, and both he and Angelina began to duel him.

"We'll meet you at the entrance!" Harry yelled at George, as he and Ginny sped past that duel, as they descended quickly to the aid of Madam Hooch and an Auror, who was doing their best to keep another Death Eater at bay. As Harry frighteningly observed, he watched as four Acromantulas crawled speedily down from the side of the rocky slope, heading dangerously towards her. Harry skidded to a stop, and he fired a Relashio spell towards one of the giant spiders, causing a small explosion on the rockface. A few rocks blasted away, leaving one to plummet to the nearest Acromantula, sending it dangerously to the ground. The remaining three creatures fired a web below, using it to catapult themselves ever so closer to them.

"Mr. Potter – careful!" Madam Hooch yelled out, as she swung her wand arm furiously above her head, sending a dangerous spark of yellowed electricity to the descending spiders. The bolts rippled against the rocky ground, bouncing to any surface it could find.

"Sorry Miss!" Harry winced, as he threw another spell towards the moving Acromantula, hitting it with a spark that seemed to rebound harmlessly off of it.

"Reducto!" Ginny yelled, hurling a magical pulsating wave from her wand at the giant spiders, blasting them directly onto their backs, after they tumbled wildly through the air.

The middle-aged scruffy male Auror raised an eyebrow, "Not bad, kid."

Madam Hooch turned to Harry and Ginny, flashing her amber eyes at the pair with much urgency, "Now's your chance! Go! Run!"

Without a moment of hesitation, Harry and Ginny bolted away further down the spiraled, rocky path to the bottom of the pit below. Around them, Dementors were flying in all directions. Harry could see Cho's swan chasing down one of them, but there were far too many to ward off alone.

Harry skidded to a sudden stop, and directed his wand to the air, "Expecto Patronum!"

A silver stag burst from the tip of his wand, galloping up into the air towards the descending Dementors. With small bursts of light, the stag proceeded to bound towards the sweeping enemies, causing the light to exude and cast them away one by one. The light pulsed magnificently from the stag, illuminating the once dark pit of the Quarry, warding off whatever Dementors were hungry for them. Once the light died down, and the Dementors had fled, the stag then disappeared into nothingness yet again. Cho's swan soon disappeared, as she bounded towards Harry with a small, welcoming smile.

"Thank you, Harry – " Cho spoke breathlessly as she stopped before him, "- You're just in time."

Harry was relieved to see her, "I'm glad you're here, Cho. I'm glad you came back."

Cho looked uneasy, "When I heard what was happening, I felt so horrible. I'm sorry I abandoned you all…I-I'm here now. "

Harry offered a friendly smile, "Better late than never, yeah? Stay safe, please…" He couldn't wait any longer, as he kicked up dirt once again and proceeded to run after Ginny who went ahead without him.

Finally, once Harry reached the bottom of the pit to where the dormant mine entryway was located, he watched as Flitwick, two Hufflepuffs, and another Auror were battling a mountain troll, two Death Eaters, and the remaining two Acromantulas. Already he watched as Oliver Wood, feet firmly back into the ground, joined the battle alongside George. Angelina and Ginny looked to Harry for ideas, who finally joined them.

Breathless, Harry turned to them, "Let's knock a few of them off, then we get to the mine, okay?"

Angelina and Ginny nodded eagerly, as they joined the others to fend off the enemy. Both women attempted to tackle the giant spiders, flinging an assortment of curses and charms in order to stun them and knock them helplessly on their backs. Meanwhile, Professor Flitwick had charmed boulders around him and hurled them directly at the Death Eaters, who had just put up an extended Shield Charm just in time for the rocks to explode on impact. Some of the jagged pieces flew through the air, one narrowly missing Angelina and a Hufflepuff student.

Once the dust settled down, Harry pointed his wand at one of the Death Eaters, "Glacius impedimenta!" A beam of ice shrouded in frost exploded from his wand, hurling directly to the Death Eater closest to Professor Flitwick. The ice began to emit wisps which shot in several directions, causing some parts of the ground to suddenly freeze over. The ice hit the Death Eater square in the chest, immediately encasing him and rooting him to the spot. Every inch of him froze, turning him into a glistening ice sculpture.

"Mr. Potter! I say that was quite a feat!" Professor Flitwick looked impressed, as he hurled a curse towards the second Death Eater with ease. The spell exploded at the man's feet, blasting him off into the end until he landed with a sickening THUMP on his back, "Mr. Potter, go now! We'll hold them off!"

"But sir, the troll – " Harry began to protest.

" – Not for discussion! We can handle it. Now go! I'll alert the Headmistress that you've gone down – "

Grabbing Ginny's hand, the pair of them bolted towards the mine entrance several meters away. Already George and Angelina were there waiting for them to arrive. Harry watched as George climbed through the gap first, ducking his head as he did so, followed by Angelina, Ginny, then finally Harry. With a last look behind him as the light of the outside dimmed, the four of them took a few steps inside, to find themselves already encased in suffocating, dusty darkness. Immediately, all four of their wands were lit up by Lumos, casting a cool glow upon the small tunnel they found themselves in. Harry and Ginny were short enough, so they didn't have too much trouble, but George and Angelina were a little taller, and found themselves having to hunch over a little too awkwardly.

"I guess we didn't exactly think this through, right Ange?" George gave a small snort of amusement.

"I think it's only going to get worse down there. We should have worn our protective Quidditch gear, " Angelina replied, sharing his amusement.

"Yeah, try getting through here with shoulder, elbow, and knee pads. If you get stuck, I ain't fishing you out, " Ginny's voice echoed in the tunnel. Harry and Ginny slid past the couple, raising their wands to try and illuminate the very little they could see ahead.

"Hold up, you two – " George stopped and turned to face the rocky wall. With a few dashes of his wand, he cast Flagrate to ignite what looked like to be a red smiley face printed magically on the jagged wall. Once he was done, he turned to Harry, who adopted a quizzical and slightly unamused expression, "…That's in honor of Fred."

"Well, I suppose it couldn't exactly be a lightning bolt. That'll give us away, for sure, " Ginny said, folding her arms across her chest.

"At least they'll know who the smiley face belongs to. Now, let's hurry – " Harry motioned for the others to follow, as he proceeded further down the tunnel first.

There was a noticeable subtle incline the further down they traveled. The ground underneath their feet was littered with loose rocks, and shifting dirt, causing them all to lose their footing and slide on multiple occasions. Angelina almost fell over, which George managed to prevent with quick thinking. Some of the loose rocks tumbled downwards, causing the sounds to echo and bounce off the walls. Harry winced at the sounds they made, hoping they can at least keep their presence as minimal as they could. Eventually, Harry stopped in his tracks and withdrew the DA coin. Shining his Lumos-lit wand, he was able to see several things on the coin. On its surface was written 'Green', 'Blue' and 'Yellow.' The only color that was not etched across the coin, was purple.

Harry bit his lip, "Everyone else is inside, except for Dean's group."

"Professor McGonagall had mentioned Lambsquay mine needing a few more wands. I hope they are alright, " Ginny looked worried.

"Yeah, I hope so too."

"Do you know who else was stationed outside there?" George asked.

"I know Aberforth, Madam Rosmerta, Dennis Creevey and Susan Bones were there. Plus Aurors – they must have called for more reinforcements, " Harry responded, as he began to slow descent down yet again.

"Professor Flitwick would have sent more people over. Surely, they would have taken the troll down by now, " Ginny added.

"I'll send McGonagall a Patronus once we reach somewhere a little more, well, significant. I'm getting real tired of this slope – " Harry said, watching every but of his footing as he went.

They seemed to be traveling down for a while, possibly an hour, on the same uneven, rocky slope. Under their feet, they could barely see the rusted track marks from the mine carts that were buried under the rocks and dirt on their way down. Harry had to wonder how long since it was last in use.

His mind suddenly drifted to Severus still laying in the Hospital Wing, wishing above all else, that he was here helping them. He'd know what to do. He'd know how to light the way, or create safer footing, or mask the sounds their shoes made across the stones they trekked upon. He'd know exactly what to do, and Harry could really use his reassurance and his confidence at that point, as he could feel his own start to plummet the deeper they traveled.

Harry felt the hand around him tighten once Ginny sensed his trailing mind. They both looked at each other in silent recognition, and Ginny managed to give him a small smile. He was glad she was here with him. He could not imagine having to do this alone.

What seemed like ages past, they reached a hiccup in the pathway. One path seemed to snake to the left upon a slightly more leveled ground, and one opened up to a large hole in the tunnel floor. The hole was rigged with wilted ropes hanging down, but they were half-chewed by rats and appeared to be unused for many years. Ginny walked carefully to the edge, raising her wand over the gap in her bid to see below. Harry, George, and Angelina leaned over to analyse it too, but neither of them can see the bottom.

Angelina glanced at the others, "If we repair the ropes, we can go down."

Harry frowned in thought, as he glanced back around him looking at the ground at their level instead. "I don't think that's the way. It looks like no one has used it for a while. Besides, look there – " He pointed to the ground close to the left side bend in the path, " – Shoe prints."

Everyone turned to look where Harry was pointing. Ginny nodded in agreement, "Then we continue on this path."

Once they settled on the idea, Harry sent off a message with his Patronus directly to Professor McGonagall to let them know that they are safe, and yet found nothing. He figured any message sent, was better than none, and he knew she'd be worried out of her mind. Without further protests, and everyone seemed still satisfied with the decision, they continued to follow the jagged path to the left. Throughout the way, George was casting Flagrate on the walls to way find, so they didn't lose their way. This time, the pathway seemed to alter in width as they moved deeper into the caves. At several points, the path was only big enough for them to move through in a single file. Despite the dismal situation, Harry considered it twisted luck that he'd lost his appetite recently. They walked in silence, however, being careful to make minimal noise, and keep their own hearing strained on anything out of place that they were likely to hear. It was difficult to fathom anything, as even the sounds of their breathing echoed down the dark passageway.

Finally, they reached a cavern. The four of them had to climb through a gap and drop down off the rock face a short distance below, in order to reach it. Once they made it through, they stopped to observe the area around them. The cavern ceiling was much higher than the passages they had been walking through, and there were quite impressive rock formations in this one as well. Harry could smell a strong scent of salt stagnating the very minimal air space that they had. He looked up and noticed stalactites hanging low from the ceiling, pointing very close to the tips of their heads. It made Harry feel a little nervous, as they had to be extra careful around this area. The darkness made it difficult to see, even with the dull glow of their combined Lumos. As Harry looked around, he noticed further openings to more caverns below. At least this time, they could see the next level.

They debated amongst themselves whether to take the path down, but considering there was no other alternative but backward, they decided to take the step. After all, they were out of options.

One by one, they stepped carefully on the jagged, rough rockfaces as they managed to get below without further issues. Immediately, Harry could feel odd moisture in the air and wondered if they were close to a water source. That could spell both good, and bad news. Illuminating the new, and only way ahead, they pressed on forward several minutes in until they reached a fork in the path. But this time, they saw a glowing green Flagrate etching of a pawprint.

"Ron was down here, " Harry couldn't help but chuckle in amusement, "The pawprint is Fang."

"Is everyone using pictures, now?" George said, "Now I wished I was more creative."

"So, keep your eyes open for an oversized dog, " Angelina warned, "Though, one bark could really get us into trouble. Just saying."

"Hagrid only suggested Fang so he could track the Death Eater's scent. He better behaves – " Harry added.

They followed the path along where the charm had signaled Ron's group, which to Harry, was a good sign if their paths had crossed. That also meant that both the Quarry entrance and the Puzzlewood one will lead to the same caverns. Well, generally speaking, if they all stuck to the same main path. So, to Harry, they were making good progress so far. At least they hoped they were.

The passageway they traveled to opened up into yet another large cavern, this time absent of the stalactites littering dangerously in the last one. The further into the caves they traveled, the colder it got, and Harry regretted not bringing extra clothing with him. The old navy jumper he wore over his t-shirt, did not seem adequate enough. Even despite their exertion upon their venture to the depths, Harry just could not shake the chill. He considered pulling out his Invisibility Cloak, but he wanted to keep it concealed for now.

But there was something strange about this cavern – there seemed to be an odd vibration coming from the ground. As the four of them stood idly in the center, they all realised that the sound was indeed real, and no one was imagining it. It sounded like something was underneath them, but they were not sure what it could have been. The vibration caused the smaller rocks to shift slightly, but not enough to cause damage to the natural structures around them. And yet still, the unnerving thought that something was alive underneath them, was enough to cause Harry's hair to stand on end. There were no additional sounds, but Harry could not shake the feeling of sickening dread.

"…Any guesses?" Ginny whispered.

"Not a clue, " Harry responded, in the same whisper, "But whatever it is, it feels like it's…moving."

George and Angelina exchanged an uneasy glance.

Despite the new sound, they continued forth through the currently inclined cavern, which seemed to lead them deeper far below ground level. At this point, they had no idea how far they traveled or even how deep they were. At every split in the path, George would mark the walls with the same red smiley face – something that Harry was getting slightly more unimpressed with along with his decline in mood – so that they would not get lost amongst the stone underground labyrinth they found themselves in. Considering how big the Forest of Dean was, Harry was slowly starting to lose confidence each hour that had passed them. However, the next thing that seemed to worry them, is that they saw no further sign of Ron and his group. Not even signs of Fang, or even their green signals which lit their own path. All traces seemed to have disappeared, and all Harry could think about was the odd shaking of the ground beneath their feet.

Once they proceeded halfway through the winding cavern, they heard an additional sound. Like someone had accidentally kicked a rock. The cavern itself led them down in a spiral fashion, climbing down natural stone-like steps to the depths below. But the sound indicated that someone else was around. Harry quickly motioned for George and Angelina to hide behind a rock, as he threw his Invisibility Cloak over himself and Ginny. The pair remained huddled against the wall, still as a statue, in order to hear further sounds they strained to hear. At times they held their breath, just so that they would not echo back to their unknown stranger below. Harry, still grasping the DA coin like a lifeline, looked upon its old golden surface but found no new message. Placing the coin closer to his mouth, he whispered 'Mitto Auxilium' to activate the coin, and sent a whispered message to the others: 'Shaking ground. Unknown. Stay alert.'

They waited in their spot, unable to hear anything else from who might be below. But almost a few minutes later the coin pulsed within his hand, as he looked upon the surface to find the returned message. It was from Hermione: 'We hear it too.' Harry looked at Ginny with a worried expression, as they shared the message.

Harry turned to George and Angelina, and whispered whilst still under the Cloak, "We're checking up ahead. There might be someone there. Stay put."

George nodded, as Harry and Ginny proceeded downwards towards the noise of the skidding rocks across the ground. They had to be careful as the rocks were slightly loose under their feet, and whoever was down there, must have forgotten that too. They took careful steps as they reached another passageway below, but still no sign of their mysterious stranger. But it didn't take long until they saw the movement of a black traveling cloak that had just disappeared around the corner. Harry and Ginny picked up a slight pace, in their bid to follow whoever it was, but they had to be careful not to create too much noise and give away their position. But Harry spoke too soon, as his foot slipped upon a loose rock below his feet, causing the pair to come to a fear-inducing grinding halt.

The figure in front also stopped in their tracks and turned to look in their direction, and immediately they realised that they were carrying someone and had them slung over their shoulder, limp and lifeless. The man wore a silver Death Eater mask, similar in design to Severus', and appeared to be by himself. His wand was outstretched beside him ready to strike, and Harry was certain they were heard. The pair held their breath, as the Death Eater glanced directly at them, but the Cloak was able to keep them concealed. At this point, Harry was scared to breathe. Defensively, Harry raised his wand, wanting nothing more than to bring the enemy down while he was given the opportunity. And yet they didn't know if the person he was carrying was still alive. But Ginny saw this, and placed her hand over his own, lowered the wand gently, and shaking her head adamantly.

No, she was right. As much as Harry wanted to curse the living daylights out of him, they needed to follow him to understand where he was going. If he could lead them to where the captives were being held, or even where their base of operations was, then they had an advantage. For now, as much as they hated it, they needed to remain patient.

The Death Eater stood at the end of the passageway, staring right at the spot Harry and Ginny were standing. The unnerving look caused goosebumps to ripple across Harry's skin. The Lumos-lit wand from the Death Eater seemed to cast a haunting glow on the narrow passageway they stood in, but eventually, the enemy gave up on his suspicions and turned away. Harry released the breath he held, as with Ginny, and slowly they began to re-pursue the enemy once again. They continued to follow the man slowly, weaving their way behind him, until they reached another cavern. This was far smaller than the last two they treaded through, but one thing that caused them to flinch – the vibrating sounds grew far stronger and louder. The sounds were accompanied by something that sounded…alive.

There was definitely something shifting below them.

They threw themselves behind a large rock, as they watched the Death Eater closely. The lifeless body of a face they could not see was dropped roughly to the floor with a sickening CRACK. If they weren't dead before, they most certainly were now. Harry had to swallow rising acidity within his throat, as he was close to hurling as the horrible sound reverberated within his mind. The Death Eater rose his wand and began a series of chants that neither of them could decipher. The victim's body suddenly rose from the ground, enveloped in a dark, shrouded fog as their limbs began to twitch, snap, bend and distort themselves sickeningly in the air. The chant continued, as the body rose further but just as the incantation ended, the black fog disappeared as the Death Eater suddenly tossed the body down into the pit below where the sounds of multiple CRACKS of bones further shattering, echoed off the stone walls. Harry had to stop himself from gasping at the unexpected act, and he felt Ginny grab hold of his wrist once again. He felt her shaking in fear beside him.

What on earth was going on?!

Once the Death Eater was done, the man sped on his heel away from them in the opposite direction, but Harry and Ginny stared at the pit in horror and repulsion. They didn't dare to move, wondering what was happening inside that pit. Once Harry's heart stopped racing, they remained under the Cloak as they edged slowly to the pit. Harry held his breath, taking careful steps towards the edge, and the shifting noises underneath were growing louder, as with the hoarse sounds of voices who could barely speak. Using the dull glow of his wand, he peered quietly over the edge and what he saw, caused him to bite his lip to stop himself from gasping out loud.

Within the pit were dozens of Inferi huddled together, idle, and inactive. They looked new, and not quite as decomposed, water-logged, and shrunken as what Harry remembered back into the Horcrux cave a long time ago. These horrifying creatures were shuffling around within their stone confinement, waiting for their permission to attack the living. The poor soul who was killed and tossed inside was now one of them. The younger woman's eyes were grey and lifeless, as with the blood streaming from a gruesome wound at her chest. Her eyes fixed, and unmoving, as she stared at the wall without a further consciousness. Harry grabbed Ginny and pulled her back, who looked petrified with fright.

"They're building the Inferi again. That's why they began slaughtering people…After the war…We have to get out of here – " Harry's anxious voice was barely a whisper, " – If they sense us here, we're dead."

"Should we block the pit or something? Stop them from escaping?" Ginny whispered back; her hazel eyes wide with worry.

Harry shook his head, "No, I think there are tunnels underneath us. We heard them from all the way back into the path. We cave them in now, we could be in even worse trouble."

"What should we do?"

"We need to follow the Death Eater. The sooner we find the others, the sooner we can get the hell out of here. Maybe then, we can afford to cave them in. Ginny, go back to George and Angelina and tell them to continue forward. I'll follow him with the Cloak – any changes, I'll send you a message okay?"

"But Harry – " Ginny pleaded.

" – Just go bring them here. We can't leave them behind, and we're wasting time if we both go."

Ginny threw herself onto Harry, enveloping him in a rib-crushing hug, "Please, don't do anything stupid."

Harry leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead, running his fingers tenderly through her long, red hair, "I've got the Cloak. I'll be fine. Now, hurry."

With a last glance at the woman he loved dearly, Harry watched as Ginny turned on her heel to backtrack towards the others. Bringing the DA coin back to his lips once more, he sent out an urgent message: 'Inferi underneath - Be careful!'. Once the message was sent, he glanced one repulsed look at the pit and turned on his heel through the narrow tunnel to pursue the Death Eater.

At first, Harry panicked that he lost the trail of the enemy, but as the tunnel soon trailed downwards once again, he entered yet another cavern. A slightly larger one, this time. It was rather impressive. Stalactites and stalagmites littered both the ceiling and the grounds around him. The delicate mineral formations glistened amongst the light of Harry's wand, casting almost haunting shadows across the stone walls. As he looked below at his feet, he noticed his shoes were dusted red. It was the ochre – the red clay – that they found on Amycus Carrows' robes when he was interrogated. They were drawing nearer to the enemy, but Harry felt his heart beat painfully in his chest with worry. He turned towards the stone wall beside him, and cast a fiery red marking of an arrow, in hopes that Ginny, George, and Angelina would see it.

He heard some quiet shifting of feet further ahead, but Harry clutched his Cloak tightly against him as a small comfort as he pressed on forward. As he climbed down some of the jagged, rocky edges, he felt a firm hand grab him, and pull him roughly aside. The force caused him to fall on his backside, but as he rose his wand to face the attacker, he was shocked to find Ron, Luna, and Draco kneeling down by the larger rockfaces.

"Bloody hell, Ron!" Harry exclaimed as he threw his Cloak off.

"Shh, quiet mate!" Ron leaned forward to help Harry on his feet, "Sorry about that."

"If you stop dragging your damn feet on the floor, we wouldn't have noticed you – " Draco hissed.

"What are you guys doing here?" Harry asked, "Did you get my message about the Inferi?"

Luna tilted her head to the side, "Yes, we did. We wondered what that noise was. Seems like you made quite the discovery."

Ron grimaced, "…Did those things see you?"

Harry shook his head, "No. We saw a Death Eater add a victim…Ginny and I saw the pit. I sent her back to get George and Angelina. Did you see the Death Eater walk by here?"

Draco shook his head, "Not here. But we did find another cavern up ahead, which looked like it had a makeshift potions lab in it. My guess is that is where they were brewing that toxic stuff…Weasley wonder here wants to destroy it, but that would draw attention to us too soon."

"We couldn't find the other captives, though. Might be best to find them first before deciding on what to do, " Luna chimed in.

"I did scout ahead using the Cloaking Charm – I overheard a few Death Eaters mentioning something about spare wands. It'll be a good idea to steal the wands first, as I'm assuming that they belong to the captives. If we need the extra firepower, we'd need to get them first."

"Hate to agree with this git, but Malfoy's right, " Ron said, earning an elbow painfully to his side by the Slytherin, "If we free the captives without their wands, they won't be able to defend themselves."

Harry bit his lip, frustrated by the situation, "Wonderful. Just wonderful. Have you seen the others?"

"You're the only other we've seen, but we did hear from Hermione. They encountered a few Acromantulas inside the caves, that seemed to hold them back a little. But they got through."

Harry threw his hands up in irritation, "They surely did amp up their defenses. Inferi and Acromantulas – not good news." He frowned, as he noticed someone was missing, "…Hey, where's Fang?"

"The stupid dog got spooked and ran off, " Draco curled his lip, bitterly.

"He did what?" Harry's eyes grew wide, "If the Death Eaters see him, we are done for."

Ron shrugged, "Well, he fled for the exit – The Inferi must have scared him off. Or, unless he went to alert Hagrid or something?"

"Well, while you're here Harry, we found another pathway to the right over there – " Luna pointed further down the cavern, " – It's a small crawl space, but it looks like it's been used recently. We were going to see where it leads."

Everyone looked towards Harry, who drew in a deep breath, "Fine, let's give it a go." He turned to Luna, "Did you want to wait here for Ginny and the others? They're on their way."

Luna nodded with a smile, "Of course. " She reached out and clasped his shoulder, with concern, "Hope everything is alright with you, Harry."

Harry appeared grim, as he knew she was asking about Severus, "I guess we'll find out soon, won't we?"

Wasting no more time, Harry, Ron, and Draco made their way to the smaller tunnel towards the far end of the large cavern they were in. Luna remained crouched behind, keeping herself out of view. Once the three of them reached the tunnel, Harry being the shortest, went first. He had to climb up vertically a few places in order to get to a higher ledge. It was a bit of an awkward squeeze, but he found himself on hands and knees, shuffling forward in order to make room for the other two who followed closely behind. Harry felt new bruises on his knees, as he shuffled along, but all but ten minutes later, the space seemed to incline slightly upwards but opened up in space allowing the three of them to get back on their feet. They had to climb upwards, grasping onto the jagged cold stone until they reached what felt like a ledge. The tunnel they were in opened up to a larger cavern and what they saw made Harry's heart jump.

They discovered the cavern with the lake, as its blue hue cast a soothing glow against the rocky surface. The cavern itself was about half the size of a quidditch pitch, littered with shimmering, mineral rock formations, and winding stone pathways leading directly to the underground lake. It looked like they reached another way into the Clearwell Caves and the same cavern that Hermione had pointed out on their map.

There was much movement from below them, as they soon realised in horror how many enemies they were dealing with. From what they could see, Harry counted at least thirty Death Eaters scattered around. Some were levitating corpses across the caverns, likely adding to their pit of horrors. Beside the lake, were multiple web-like cages much like the one Ginny was confined in back at the Quarry. In each cage, seemed to have crammed in at least five people each – barely enough room to move. There were adults, and children, and elderly, all crowded together. Helpless, wounded, and afraid. There appeared to be at least forty prisoners – far more than they anticipated.

Harry nudged Ron's side and pointed ahead. In the cage on the far end, was Neville with an elderly wizard beside him. He watched as Neville held a cloth over what looked like a wound over the man's shoulder. Neville himself looked worse for wear. Bruised and bloodied. They all looked in terrible shape.

In another cage was Lee Jordon, and Dean's parents. In other was Padma and Narcissa Malfoy. Harry watched as Draco stiffened as his body tensed up next to him. Narcissa looked miserable – her blonde hair matted with blood which appeared splattered with not just her own. She clasped her arm over a nasty cut over her forearm, sitting in silence, and watching in pure distaste as the Death Eaters weaved their way between the cages, eyeing them carefully. At one point, they saw Neville's grandmother hurl a profanity at one of the Death Eaters. Harry, Ron, and even Draco watched in panic as the Death Eater slashed at the air with his wand, creating a fresh gash across the woman's cheek in retaliation.

"Make one move, Mr. Longbottom, and she's dead!" The Death Eater spat, causing a few younger children in the other cages to whimper and huddle against the strangers that they were confined with. Neville, as Harry could see, was about to yell at him but decided to keep his mouth closed.

Harry swallowed bitterly from their hidden perch against the far end, "…What the hell do we do?"

"We have to get those wands. Once we do, we need to act quickly, because there is no easy way to go about this – " Draco warned.

Harry took out the DA coin again and sent a message: 'Captives found. Multiple enemies. Dangerous.' He turned to the two beside him, "Let's just see where the others are, and maybe we can plan something."

"You want us to wait?!" Ron exclaimed.

"Do we have another choice? We need to approach this carefully, " Harry responded, quietly, "Maybe I can send a Patronus to lead the others to this cavern. Maybe, station them on the other side, or something. It's a huge cavern, so there's got to be several other ways in."

"Won't the idiots down there, see it?"

Harry looked unsure, "If I can send a non-corporeal one, they won't know it's me. For all they know, there could be a single person trying to scope them out. Little do they know there are many of us, going after them."

Draco curled his lip, "We're cornered like rats."

"If we gather everyone else, I think they'll be the ones cornered – " Ron said.

"Are we forgetting the hidden disaster under our feet?"

Harry paused for a moment, weary and exhausted, "We get our friends and family out first. Then we'll deal with them when the time comes. Right now, we need to arm them down there, so we have a chance."

Harry, Ron, and Draco crouched in silence, waiting for further instructions. They did not hear back from the others to determine their location, and that had Harry increasingly worried. They watched carefully as the Death Eaters circled around the captives, watching for any misconduct or non-compliance. The three of them remained silent, too worried to speak anymore. Some of the Death Eaters converged together, some masked and unmasked, speaking amongst themselves. But Harry could not make out what they were saying, nor could he see the shrouded faces of the unmasked ones. But a thought struck Harry, and it was an inner debate within himself to figure out if it was a good idea or a foolish one.

"…I'm going down there, " Harry murmured.

"What?! No bloody way, Harry. You're out of your mind! " Ron responded, with a harsh whisper.

"We need a closer look and find those damn wands."

"Far too risky – " Ron shook his head.

"Might not be such a bad idea, " Draco interjected, "Potter has the Cloak, and I can use the Cloaking Charm. If we both get down there and seek out the wands, maybe we can gradually steal them back without them knowing. Besides, those bastards are too transfixed on keeping the captives in line, rather than pay attention to what's happening around them."

Harry drew in a deep breath, "My thought's exactly."

"You're seriously siding with Malfoy?" Ron frowned.

"He's got a point, though, " Harry responded with a shrug, "Maybe, if I can get down there and send Neville a message, maybe he can keep them distracted long enough to do that."

Ron's eyes widened, "That's not going to work, Harry. One wrong move and you're dead."

"So are we, and them, if we sit here and do nothing – " Harry pleaded.

"While Potter talks to Longbottom, I'll scope around for the wands, " Draco added, "It's either now or never, and that's not even an exaggeration."

Ron looked mad, glancing lividly from Draco, and back to Harry. After a short pause, he sighed in defeat, "Fine. I'll try and see if I can get in touch with the others and let them know what you're doing."

Harry nodded, "Thank you." He looked to Draco, and clenched his jaw, "Ready?"

Draco nodded, as he raised his wand and began to chant the Cloaking spell. Harry watched as the Slytherin's form began to shimmer and shift until he blended in with the rocky backdrop and disappeared where he stood. He looked down to find the sand and powdered clay shifting beneath his feet. With the cue, Harry threw the Cloak over himself once more, and began the careful descent down the rocky slope, praying that for once, he wouldn't be so clumsy. He could practically envision Severus clocking him on the head if he ever dared to give away their position.

As Harry descended, he could hear the faint shuffle of Draco behind him, but soon enough those footsteps grew quieter until he realised that the Slytherin had left his side.

It was up to Harry now.

With each careful step, Harry edged further towards the enemies still huddled underneath his Cloak. The voices of the Death Eaters grew louder at the clearing ahead, and Harry was suddenly frightened by his current predicament. Each breath he took was a risk, and not just to himself, but his friends and allies. Too much was at stake here.

Harry had to sidestep a few Death Eaters walking past him, but he was thankful at least he could keep his footsteps at a minimum. The water of the underground lake lapped against the stone edge, providing an odd serenity in this grim situation. As he ventured closer to the captives, he felt some of his footing slip. But as he glanced down in horror, he realised it was blood he was slipping on. He suddenly clasped a hand over his mouth to stifle the gasp that threatened to escape him, wishing above all else, that he was home sitting by the fire drinking butterbeer instead. His own heart started to thump wildly again.

He seemed to have only made it halfway there when there a commotion on the other side. Harry slipped behind a large protruding rock against the wall, doing his best to strain is already poor eyesight within the torch-lit cavern ahead. A small group of Death Eaters was escorting three people inside, and Harry held his breath.

Suddenly, one of the Death Eaters threw one of them to the ground, where they landed upon the cold stone ground with a thud. They landed awkwardly onto their wrist, glancing back up upon their kidnappers. Harry swallowed bitterly – It was Bill Weasley.

"We found these three lurking in the Drill Churn cavern, " One of the masked Death Eaters threw the other two to the floor besides Bill. Percy Weasley and Hannah Abbott were the other two unfortunate captives.

…Flipping hell.

"There was a commotion, topside. I think they've found us – " The other Death Eater added.

Another Death Eater, unmasked, stepped forward as Harry recognised as Augustus Rookwood, "We stick with the plan. Once they realise what they are facing here, they'll run blind. Why do you think we chose this location as a base?"

Walden Macnair moved to join him, "True. But they will still pose a problem. We must scope out the other intruders. " He pointed at three of the other Death Eaters, "You three. Take the right-side caverns and flush 'em out. Bring them there, and we'll dispose of them appropriately once we see who we have. Not all of them are significant enough for leverage."

Without missing a beat, the Death Eaters fled on their heels and departed to three separate pathways on the far side of the large cavern. Harry's stomach lurched. Now they were being hunted.

Well, now we're screwed. They know we're here -

Harry looked on in horror as Bill, Percy, and Hannah were thrown roughly into another cage, magically sealing them inside. But as he frowned, he watched as one of the Death Eaters clasped the trio's wands within his hand, and Harry was careful to keep his eye on the prize. But there were far too many people around, and every move now was even riskier.

Shall he go back?

No, Draco was still around. He couldn't leave him behind.

Harry remained rooted to the spot, unsure of how else to proceed, watching as more defenseless people were added to the mix.

Now, what the hell should he do?

They were running out of options.

And time.