分卷阅读58（2 / 2）

Harry relayed the request to Dobby, who was happy to do such for Harry Potter. The House Elf disappeared with a small pop and Lucius turned to his own House Elf.

“I want you to get all the other House Elves together. If the Death Eaters start looking for us, I want you to get in their way.”

“Diddy understands, Master. Diddy will do so.”

The other House Elf vanished with a pop and left the two Malfoys and Harry Potter standing alone in the corridor.

Harry had never been to the dungeons of Malfoy Manor, and he was happy that he hadn’t he thought as he stepped off the small staircase and looked around. The rooms were dank, dark, and smelled of bodily fluids that Harry didn’t want to identify. Someone shifted next to him and a small light appeared in Lucius Malfoy’s hand—one of his feathers, glowing as brightly as a Lumos spell.

In the dim light Harry could make out the cell doors, wood and steel monstrosities that lined the hallway that they were in. Harry could see why no Death Eater would want to come down here. The dungeons, from what he could see, were a maze of hallways. There would be no hope for a prisoner to get out of here once left behind in the lightless rooms.

“Be careful.” Lucius spoke softly as he began to walk down the passageway. Harry and Draco followed as silently as they could, passing door after door, hallway after hallway.

One of the doors they passed was open and Harry looked in to see a skeleton sitting in a pool of dried blood. After that he didn’t try and look around.

Lucius turned and headed down another corridor, turned again at the next hallway and continued in that direction for a while. Harry found himself praying that Lucius Malfoy knew where he was going, because there was no way he’d be able to find his way back to where they’d come from if the man suddenly announced that they were lost.

After they turned yet another corner there was a small crunch, and both Lucius and Harry turned to see a peculiar expression on Draco’s face. “I think I just crushed someone’s head.” He explained, his voice strained, his eyes pointedly looking anywhere but down at his feet where the splintered remains of a skull lay under his shoe.

Luicus didn’t say anything but turned and continued walking.

Harry almost cried out in relief when he saw a set of stone steps spiraling upwards towards a small door. They had reached the other side of the dungeons.

Lucius was about to put a foot on the step when a small voice whispered “Lumos” behind them.

All three turned to see the pug-like features of Pansy Parkinson looking at them with tear-streaked eyes. She stared only at Draco for a moment before her eyes closed tight and she placed a hand over her eyelids.

“I didn’t believe them when they told me what was going on.” She spoke quickly, her voice hushed and afraid. “But—but I can’t! I can’t! Get out here now! I—I didn’t see anything. I didn’t!”

Draco cast a sorrowful look at the broken girl before he followed his father up the steps.

A lone Death Eater stood in the hallway with his back to the door that lead down to the dungeons on guard duty in case the three of them tried to enter it, Harry guessed. He made a strange strangled sound when Lucius’s wing slit his throat and he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Neither boy made a comment as they followed Lucius down the hall, carefully sidestepping the body whose blood was now seeping into the purple Persian carpet. They had to run a little in order to keep up with the elder Malfoy’s long and purposeful strides. They were not fleeing the house…not yet, but they were certainly moving quickly.

The hallway seemed deserted, but they could hear crashes and movement resounding throughout the entire house. The Malfoy house elves were doing a great job then. They certainly must have been holding up a lot of Death Eaters, if the muffled shouts were anything to go by.