Thank you all for your patience. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Chapter 52

Harry winced when a branch hit Neville square in the face as he released it. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"Used to walking alone, are you?" Neville pointed out but there was humour in his voice.

"Sort of," Harry said. "I'll be more careful."

"So, remind me why we're tracking down the others," Neville said softly. "I would think you'd want to go the other way."

"I explained to you how the area is becoming smaller, right?" Harry said. He ducked underneath a low-hanging branch. "Which means that we'll eventually all be forced into the same place. And I don't know how small that place will be."

"Ah," Neville said cleverly. "So you want to warn them about the barrier?"

"Not exactly," Harry sighed. "My point is that, sooner or later, I won't be able to hide anymore. If I ever want to fight back, I'll have to do it now."

Neville stopped for a moment. "Fight back?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

Harry turned around to face the boy. "I'm not planning on killing anyone or anything. I just want to incapacitate some people and bring them closer to the lake. If they're stunned, they won't be able to attack me anymore."

Neville frowned. "And they won't be able to protect themselves anymore either."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll take care of that. But the truth is that there's twenty-four of us here. Not counting us two, that leaves twenty-two, eight of them Slytherins. If even a few of them get it in their heads to actually do what Voldemort wants, I'll be toast. I'm not about to sit around and wait until there's nothing else I can do."

"You could talk to them," Neville proposed. "Win them over."

Harry started moving again. "If I do that, I endanger their families. Maybe I can do so later when Voldemort's preoccupied with other things but right now, it's just not safe."

"Yeah, I get it," Neville mumbled. "I just wish it could be different."

"It's already different from what I imagined," Harry said, this time holding a branch as Neville walked past its range. "I didn't expect to have an ally with me."

Neville sighed. "Some of us know what's really at stake," he said. "That's why I think you should try talking to everyone first."

"But their families –"

"Everyone's aware of that, aren't they?" Neville interrupted. Harry stopped walking for a moment to look at the boy. "It should be a choice they get to make. You shouldn't take that away from anyone."

A voice inside Harry's head scoffed and muttered, Gryffindors.

Perhaps it should have come as some sort of shock that Severus was so readily and easily commenting in Harry's mind. Or, perhaps, the shock should have come from the fact that Severus had been able to hear Harry and Neville's conversation. But the fact of the matter was that, whatever this was, it felt completely natural to Harry. As if it was only the next step of an already largely developed skill. But for the first word to escape Severus' mind this way to be a derisive nod towards Harry's house was kind of irritating. Maybe Severus wasn't even aware of it yet.

Harry must have looked annoyed because then Neville asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Harry said quickly. "Look, you're probably right. I don't think most of them will take kindly to an offer for an alliance but I can try."

"I think you're underestimating people's loyalties to the light side," Neville said importantly.

Harry smiled gently. "Most people aren't as amazing as you are, Neville. Even Ron…"

"He'll come around," Neville said. "He's usually a smart guy. He'll figure out that he's wrong, eventually."

A distant laugh made Harry raise his hand in order to stop Neville from advancing. He brought his index finger to his lips to ask for silence and Neville nodded his understanding. Whoever was ahead of them, Harry knew that he had to be cautious. With Neville close behind him, Harry advanced slowly towards the increasingly loud voices. He held his wand at the ready, just in case he would have to hex someone but when they finally reached the edge of a small clearing, he relaxed somewhat.

The Hufflepuffs sat in a small circle around a campfire. They were cooking fish while talking animatedly among themselves. If Harry hadn't known any better, he would have thought they were on a camping trip together. They all looked filthy but they had also built an impressive-looking shelter in the trees above them. Someone who didn't know what to look for would probably not even have noticed it.

Zacharias laughed at something Justin whispered in his ear and removed one of the fish from the fire. The smell was intoxicating.

"Just give it a try," Neville whispered softly.

Harry nodded sharply. It was the least he could do for his only ally. And besides, Neville had a point. The more people that were on Harry's side, the more likely it was that they would all get out of there alive.

So he stepped out of the treeline to make himself known. It took far too long for any of the Hufflepuffs to notice him but when Hannah Abbott finally did, her eyes widened and she elbowed Susan Bones who sat next to her. That's when the rest of them all jumped up to face Harry. At the same time, Neville went to stand next to him, clumsily raising his hand in greeting. Harry noticed that no one had drawn their wands yet.

"Er… hi," Neville said. "That ah… smells great."

"Thanks," Justin Finch-Fletchley said uneasily. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the rest of the Gryffindors?"

Zacharias laughed a bit strangely. "You're not ambushing us or anything, are you?" he asked. Harry noticed that the boy's eyes flitted from tree to tree as if to discover some kind of assailant.

"No," Harry replied. "There are no ambushes and no other Gryffindors. It's just me and Neville. I promise." Against his better judgement, he stuffed his wand back into his pocket and raised his hands in a show of trust. "I just want to talk. That's all."

"I don't know, Potter," Susan said. "I'm pretty sure that avoidance is the best thing we can do for you. After all, You-Know-Who's got something hanging over all of us."

"You're right, of course," Harry said. "And I know that he's already done some horrible stuff. But whatever he's doing, it's not going as well as he expected. He's starting to become distracted, I think."

"How can you know for sure?"

As if to answer that question, a sudden vision flashed before Harry's eyes. He was watching a Death Eater crumble to the ground. Voldemort grabbed him by the collar and started yelling at him but the man remained unresponsive. And then the vision was over. Harry silently thanked Severus' well-timed information.

"I just know," Harry said with much certainty. "Trust me on this. He's not watching us right now."

Neville glanced at him knowingly but kept his mouth shut.

"Well, by now I know better than to question your capabilities," Susan shrugged. "Go on then. Talk."

They all sat down and Harry extended his hands towards the fire, welcoming the warmth on his, chilled hands. "Whatever this ritual is, Voldemort is not as is control as he'd like us to believe," he said. "His main goal is clear. He wants me dead. The question is, why would he need one of you to do it for him? Especially since he's always wanted to kill me himself, before."

Susan frowned but Harry didn't know if it was because of the implied past murder attempts or because she was thinking about what he had said.

"I don't know the complete answer but it has to be because it's one of the conditions of the success of his ritual."

"And what would he gain from it?" Justin asked. "Why go through all this trouble?"

"Don't ask me how I know this but he seems to believe that it will give him unimaginable power," Harry replied. "Enough to waltz into Hogwarts and off Dumbledore in the span of seconds. If this ritual succeeds, he will be unstoppable. That's probably why he's willing to risk so much on this."

"Risk?" Leanne asked. "What's he risking?"

Harry sucked in the air between his teeth. "I'm not sure how or why," he said slowly, "but the Death Eaters aren't doing well. Some of them are seriously injured. Others have dropped dead. And every time something like that happened, Voldemort was furious."

"Well, isn't that normal?" Leanne replied. "Anyone would be angry if their er… followers died."

"I don't think so," Harry said. "There's something… off about this entire situation. The point is that I think there's a very real chance that we can beat him."

The Hufflepuffs all looked at each other.

"Harry," Susan then said. "We aren't like you. We aren't used to just walking into the Chamber of Secrets to kill the basilisk. We've never fought dementors or competed in a tournament. We're just normal people. Not brave like you Gryffindors."

Harry smiled. "You know," he said. "Dumbledore once told me that he thought that Hufflepuff was the strongest of all four houses."

Zacharias scoffed. "Hilarious, Harry."

"No, I'm serious. More than anything, he believes in the power of love and friendship. And he says that you can find most of that in Hufflepuff."

Hannah shook her head. "A nice sentiment but how's that going to help us fight You-Know-Who?"

"I honestly don't know yet," Harry admitted. "But you know that we can't let him win."

Neville chuckled. "And he's not just saying that because he doesn't want to die."

"Though that's also true," Harry said, playfully jabbing Neville with his elbow. "Look, what I'm basically asking for now is if you'll stand with me when the time comes. I promise that I'll only ask if Voldemort is too distracted to focus on your families."

Susan sighed. "This whole situation is nuts," she said. "But I know that my aunt would want me to do the right thing. It's not you who put us in this situation, after all." She then looked at her peers. "I mean, if you all agree, of course."

They all looked at each other for a moment and then Justin offered Harry and Neville a fish. "Here," he said. "If we want to take that bastard down, we'll need you at your full strength."

The entire group relaxed then, and Harry gratefully accepted the fish. It sure beat the raw fish he had eaten before.

Despite the shaky alliance Harry and Neville had formed with the Hufflepuffs, they still chose to sleep separately. Maybe it was the Slytherin side of him but he knew that he couldn't be too careful. He had, of course, told them about the shrinking barrier that threatened to maim or kill anyone who got too close but also knew that it was still likely to be far away at that point. He lay on his back, looking at the dark canopy of the trees and listened to the faraway hooting of owls. Somewhere in the very far distance, something roared. Just once.

Neville was sound asleep, using his arms for a pillow. Whenever he breathed in, his nose whistled ever so slightly. It often did the same thing back at Hogwarts and the sound felt sort of nostalgic.

Harry had almost happily called this day a win. A small victory over Voldemort, even if the man didn't know it yet. But when the stunning spell hit him, his heart sank into the pit of his stomach and he cursed himself for how careless he had been. A female form walked past him, strangely ignoring him as she approached Neville. When she crouched down over the boy's sleeping form, Harry recognised her. Hannah Abbott. She glanced at Harry and smiled wickedly, placing her index finger over her lips. "Shhh."

It was not as if Harry could have spoken even if he wanted to. Hannah took off her outer robes and shook her hair loose before carefully shaking Neville wake.

"Huh? Wha –" Neville looked up and frowned when he saw the girl. "Hannah? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry to wake you," Hannah said in a sultry tone of voice. "I was just feeling so scared and alone."

Neville shifted a little. "Do you want me to wake up Harry?"

"I'm not here for him, Neville," Hannah said and she stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "I'm here for you."

Harry wondered what in the seven hells he had gotten involved in. Was this just Hannah Abbott trying to confess to Neville? If so, she was way out of line. He tried to move but it was futile.

"For me?" Neville stammered. He gently took Hannah's hand and removed it from his cheek. "Look, I really think you should be with the rest of your group. We're not safe to be around."

"None of them are as fun as you are, though," Hannah replied, pouting a bit. "Are you saying you don't want to hang out with me?"

Neville glanced at Harry but didn't notice anything amiss. Probably because of the darkness. "It's not that," he said softly. "You're very pretty and all but –"

"Thank you!" Hannah said. "You're always so sweet, Neville. It's why I noticed you, you know."

"M-Me?"

In one quick motion, Hannah removed her shirt and for a moment, Harry thought he had made a horribly squeamish noise when he noticed that it had come from Neville. Hannah's chest was now completely bare in the frigid autumn air. And while there wasn't a whole lot of light, the faint filtered beams of the moon granted just enough of it to be able to make out the soft curves of Hannah's exposed body.

The continued noise told Harry that Neville wanted to speak but didn't really manage to.

What's going on? Who does that kind of thing? This isn't normal behaviour, is it?

If Severus heard Harry's frantically confused thoughts, he didn't comment on them.

"Go ahead," Hannah said, her voice deep and seductive. "I know you want to touch them."

Neville – who was still completely caught off guard with no immediate hope for recovery – didn't resist when Hannah firmly pushed him down and climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. She leaned over and caught his lips in a passionate yet almost desperate kiss. Neville reciprocated immediately. Hannah removed Neville's shirt with such violent force that it tore but Neville didn't seem to care.

Damn it. She could have just asked me to leave! Girls are bloody crazy.

Hannah's hands violently scratched Neville's chest but, even though he hissed, he didn't stop the kiss.

"Oh, Neville. You'll be mine," Hannah whispered. Her hand twisted firmly in Neville's hair and when she pulled it too harshly, he lifted his chin and groaned. At that moment, Hannah took the opportunity to bite down hard on Neville's neck.

"Ow! Bloody hell!"

Blood trickled down Neville's collar bone when Hannah bit him again. Her nails dug deep into his flesh as she laughed. Neville started struggling but, for whatever reason, Hannah seemed to have the upper hand, pinning Neville down easily with her thighs.

"Oh, you don't like that?" she asked innocently. "I'm convinced that a certain part of you is very excited for me to continue, though."

"You're crazy!" Neville shouted. "Get off! Harry!"

"Oh, don't worry about him," Hannah hissed. "He won't be interfering any time soon."

"What have you done to him? No, stop!"

That's when Hannah snapped her fingers and a knife materialised seemingly out of nowhere.

"Just give in, my sweet," Hannah cooed. "It will all be over soon."

While Harry had been horrified before, he was even more so now. This was not normal. Whatever was going on with Hannah, she was clearly under the effect of a curse or something. Harry tried struggling against the body bind again but there was nothing he could do. He saw Neville reach for his wand but it wasn't close by enough. If only it was a few inches closer.

Hannah when to stab Neville in the chest when he, with a mighty push of his strength, finally threw Hannah off of him, grabbed his wand and stunned the girl with a quick curse of his own.

For a moment, he simply stood there. As if he was contemplating what the hell had just happened. He raised a hand to his throat and winced when it came into contact with the bleeding bite marks. Then, he seemed to remember Harry.

Finally.

Neville turned to him and when he bent down, he finally noticed that Harry's eyes were wide open.

"Finite Incantatem," he muttered. Harry felt the magical bonds release him and sat up in one quick motion that aggravated his back.

"Are you okay?" Neville asked.

"I'm fine," Harry answered quickly. "What about you, though? You're bleeding."

"I know," Neville said sullenly, glancing at Hannah. "It's nothing, I don't think. I just feel like a complete idiot."

"No, I er… I thought she was coming on to you at first, as well," Harry admitted. "I guess that makes us both idiots."

"Oh, Merlin," Neville groaned. "You mean to say that you saw all that?"

"I was petrified, not asleep," Harry said. "Of course I saw."

Neville looked at Hannah and chuckled awkwardly. "I knew girls didn't like me but I didn't know it was that bad."

Harry grabbed Hannah's wand as well as the odd knife that she still held tightly. He grabbed the outer robes Hannah had removed earlier and tossed them on top of her. "Let's wake her up, okay?" he said. "I don't know what just happened but I doubt this was all her."

"Okay," Neville said slowly. "Just be careful, alright?"

"Rennervate," Harry muttered and with a sharp intake of breath, Hannah came to again. She sat up in the same sharp way Harry had before, causing her robes to slide off her again. Quickly realising that error, Hannah grabbed them and clumsily used them to shield her half-naked body.

"Harry," she said. "Neville. What happened? What am I doing here? What did you do to me?"

"We didn't do anything," Harry said. "You're the one who came here."

"What?" Hannah stammered, her eyes flitting to Neville again. Harry noticed how she didn't want to look at Harry. As if she only had eyes for the other Gryffindor. "No, I… why would I do that?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Neville asked carefully. He squatted so he was at eye-level with Hannah. Careless, in Harry's opinion, but the girl didn't seem at all eager to attack him again."

"I was back with my group," she said. "The rest turned in for the night while I was keeping watch."

"And then?" Harry urged.

"Then, I was suddenly here… like this!" she said. Harry caught the accusation in her voice.

"We didn't do anything to you," he said. "You stunned me and attacked Neville."

"What? No!" Completely horrified, Hannah really looked at Neville, finally taking in the bloody streaks on his neck. Clumsily, she crawled a bit closer to him while still keeping herself covered up. Tears were starting to roll down her cheeks. "I would never attack you like that," she pleaded. "Never you. You have to believe me!"

Harry didn't know what to say. Even after the attack, he still felt as if he was in the middle of a romantic drama.

"I believe you," Neville said. "It's this place. The people."

Relief overcame the girl and she finally decided to don her robes. Courteously, Harry looked away as she did so.

"Are you okay?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah," Neville said uneasily. "I just never expected you to be into this kind of stuff."

Harry was sure that if it hadn't been so dark, Hannah would have looked as red as Ron's hair. "I'm not!" she said. "Look, I… I should get back, okay?"

"Hold on," Harry said. "How can we be sure that you won't try this again?"

"I told you I didn't mean to," Hannah argued. "I don't know what's going on but I'd sooner chop off my own wand hand than hurt Neville." Again with that flittering look.

"It's fine," Neville said. "I know you won't. Do you want us to help you get back?"

"Merlin, no!" Hannah said. "No, I'll just go by myself. I'm sorry. Please just give me my wand back, alright?"

Harry did so and watched as she made a very odd and awkward sort of bow. "I'm so sorry for the trouble," she said. "Please don't tell anyone about this, okay? I'm not that kind of girl. I promise." She seemed almost desperate for the boys to believe her.

"We won't," Neville said solemnly.

She nodded and finally turned around and hurried off. Harry was about to turn to Neville and question the wisdom of letting Hannah go like that when his mind was invaded by another one of Severus' visions.

Silently, Severus stood at the side-lines as he watched Bellatrix writhe on the ground in obvious pain. She scratched at her own skin with such ferocity that she left deep, bleeding marks all over her face and arms. When that didn't satisfy her, she started clawing at the stone foundation beneath her, breaking and cracking her nails. She wailed in despair and agony as her very flesh turned ashen in colour.

"Master!" she screamed. "My lord! Help me!"

Voldemort seemed absolutely livid. He watched Bellatrix suffer in silence but his jaw was clenched in anger and his hands were balled into fists. Nagini was silent and unmoving behind him as if she were a statue in the dark.

"Master, I'm sorry! I thought it would work. Help me, please! I did it for you. I do everything for you. You have all my love, My Lord. All of it!"

Bellatrix' screeching was almost enough for Harry, watching from beyond the clearing, to feel sorry for her. Almost.

Voldemort finally broke his stoicism and kneeled next to Bellatrix who hastily scrambled to take his robes into her bloodied and mangled hands. Tears ran down her face and her breathing became increasingly ragged. Most of the other Death Eaters kept chanting their incantations but a couple of them were looking at the Black witch in fear and disbelief.

When Voldemort spoke, his voice was cold and without pity. "You'll find that failure will result in a punishment that not even I can spare you from," he said. "You should have put more of an effort into your attempt to please me. But you failed."

Bellatrix's beautiful hair was falling out in clumps, turning to ashes as it hit the stone circle. "I won't fail you next time," she pleaded. "Please."

Voldemort looked at her in disgust when Bellatrix coughed up some blood. "It would appear that there won't be a next time," he said coldly. He got up and turned away from the dying witch. Her breaths rattled loudly for a few more times before she finally breathed her last. No one moved her. Just like no one had bothered to move the others. Then, Voldemort approached Severus, who immediately kneeled before him.

"Do what you must to make the next batch more potent, Severus," Voldemort said evenly. "Do not worry about the side effects. I need the rest to double their efforts."

"Of course, my Lord," Severus replied obediently.

Voldemort turned back around and Harry noticed Severus' confusion about the lack of threats and cruel insults. Instead, the man just walked back to his position in the circle, his shoulders slightly hunched, and his eyes trained on the pulsing pillar in the middle. The hostages near the edge of the clearing almost seemed to be forgotten.

What's happening?

Bellatrix failed.

Severus didn't even seem to be surprised that Harry was there again.

Failed doing what?

Apparently, she wanted to take her revenge on Mr Longbottom. She was quite adamant about it, actually.

She could do that?

It would appear that, indirectly, my colleagues can do a lot of things.

Don't call them that. And if that's the case, why don't they just kill me and get it over with?

The rules of this ritual are becoming clearer. It has come to my attention that the Death Eaters cannot physically harm you. The ritual will not allow it. I am, as of yet, unsure if the same rule applies to the Dark Lord but I assume that it does. The ones who should kill you are those on your side of the ritual.

Okay… so what if no one does?

Both action and inaction seem to be having an effect on the Death Eaters as well as the Dark Lord. His ranks are down by half already. And those still standing are not doing too well.

Harry saw that Severus was right. The others either seemed to be going out of their mind or carried physical injuries that Harry knew hadn't been caused by Voldemort.

What about the hostages?

For now, the Dark Lord has let them be. Perhaps he feels that he can't risk another situation like the one that occurred with Mr Longbottom. Or, perhaps, he has simply forgotten about them. His mind is slipping as well.

Can't you set them free or anything?

It would endanger my position, Harry, you know that. But we will get them out eventually.

We?

You're doing admirably. Not that I expected anything different from you. You do surprisingly well when thrown into the unknown.

And you? Are you doing… well?

Well enough. Worry not about me. Go back.

Severus' waters embraced Harry's mind for a moment before gushing down the path back.

Go on.

Harry didn't argue. The connection that had come automatically broke and Harry blinked to look into the concerned eyes of Neville.

"What's wrong?" Neville asked. "Was it another vision?"

Harry scrambled back up. "Yeah," he said.

"Any news?" Neville asked, clearly fearing for the worst.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Good news actually. Bellatrix just… died."

"Died?" Neville repeated. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely," Harry said. "Whatever happened to Hannah, I'm pretty sure she was behind it. The fact that you overcame that little… show did her in."

Wide-eyed, Neville stared at his hands. "Wow," he whispered. "Just like that?" He sighed deeply and Harry wasn't sure if it was in relief or disappointment. "This game is really something."

Harry nodded and lightly bumped Neville's shoulder with his own. "Yeah," he agreed. "It really is."

After a long and painful silence, Harry cleared his throat, deciding that he should say something. Anything.

"So," he said. "Breasts."

Neville snorted heavily. "Yeah," he said just as awkwardly. "They're ah… pretty great, aren't they?"

"Probably even better when not attached to someone trying to kill you, though," Harry added.

"Oh, for sure," Neville agreed. "Though Hannah usually is pretty great."

"Oh," Harry said. "I noticed. She –"

If you would please refrain from discussing the reproductive organs of my female students, I would be most appreciative.

Harry groaned. "Severus," he said aloud. "How are you even listening in? Scratch that. Why are you?"

Hard enough as it is to close off my mind from this link we share between us, it becomes quite impossible when your mind becomes as heavily occupied as yours is.

"My mind is not occupied!" Harry exclaimed. "Neville, tell him!"

"What?" Neville stammered. "Are you saying that P-Professor Snape heard? Did he give us detentions?"

"We're not at Hogwarts. He can't give us detentions," Harry said.

Hmmm. We shall see about that later.

Didn't you have some potions to brew?

The nonsense your teenage mind spews makes that particularly hard to do.

Fine! I'll close the door on you. Talk to you later.

Without waiting for a reply, Harry raised his Occlumency walls. The connection with Severus' mind broke and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He locked eyes with Neville before breaking down into laughter.

"Harry?" Neville said. "What's happening?"

"This is just so unreal," he said. "I'm discussing girls with Neville Longbottom in this forest of death only to get caught by Severus Snape."

Neville chuckled a bit. "Yeah," he said. "I suppose that's a bit odd."

Harry sighed and lay back down. "Come on," he said. "Victory aside, we really do need to go to sleep."

"You're right," Neville agreed. "There's more Death Eaters to take down tomorrow. Somehow…"

Harry smiled. "We can do it together. Good night, Neville."

"Good night, Harry."

A few minutes later, Harry had almost fallen asleep when Neville's soft voice woke him again. "Harry."

"What?"

"Do you think that Hannah… you know, might like me?"

Harry chuckled. "She would be an idiot not to. Why don't you ask her out when we get out of here?"

"You know what? Maybe I will."

Finally, the quiet night claimed them both with only the hooting of owls in the distance to keep them company.

This heat wave in Belgium is frying my brain! The next update should be ready by Friday. I just hope I can ignore the heat to get to writing.
Please let me know what you thought of the chapter. I decided against a trigger warning in the end because the thing that happened to Neville wasn't too explicit.

Thanks for reading!