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"Bloody hell," came a voice from somewhere around Sam's armpit. "Did I just get saved by a Malfoy?"
"Don't think you'll ever get over the shame," the red-headed boy from the fire said, but he didn't quite succeed in forcing a joking tone.
"Ron! This isn't the time to joke!" The other red-head, the one who had been fighting, pulled Sam off and pushed him aside. "Fred, are you all right? Fred?"
Putting a hand up weakly, the boy on the floor said, "Perce... Percy... Come closer... Closer... Ha!"
Percy reared back, spitting out the piece of candy that had been shoved into his mouth in a remarkably swift move by an obviously uninjured Fred. "You never change, do you?" he said huffily.
"Nah, why should I?" Fred replied, jumping to his feet only to throw himself to the ground again as a body flew through the hole in the wall.
"You're welcome," Sam said sourly, moving away from the lights that were coming through to hit the wall behind them. He moved his arm gingerly back and forth, trying to figure out how badly he'd hurt his shoulder in the tackle and roll maneuver.
No one paid the slightest attention to him, as they were busy screaming and looking at a giant spider crawling towards them. Harry and Ron pointed sticks and it and it fell back, but then Harry shouted, "It brought friends!"
"Gotta go," said Al, and he called up the door despite Sam's whispered expostulations. "Sorry, I just... I can't deal with giant spiders. I'll work with Ziggy, see what I can find out. Try to get one of those magic wands, if you can grab one. Maybe it'll help."
The unconscious Goyle groaned and showed signs of coming back to life, so Sam moved to help him sit up. By the time he turned to ask for help, the original three kids had disappeared, and the remaining two were fighting again, lights flying on all sides. "Come on, Goyle, get up, we need to get you somewhere safe."
"Draco... Vince, where's Vince, he needs to stop the fire--"
"He died in the fire," Sam said gently. "Come on, we have to move."
A suit of armor ran by, waving a sword in the air as it clanked along. Sam ducked and tried to pull the other boy aside, but he just stood his ground. The armor lost an elbow guard as it bumped Goyle, but still held together and kept going. Shaking his head, Sam muttered, "This place is insane."
An old woman was stampeding down a hallway, screaming in a Scottish accent at what looked to be a grouping of desks which then got up and obeyed her order to charge, and Goyle grabbed Sam and shoved him out of the way. "Hide! She'll kill you if she sees you!"
"What?" Sam tried to say, but his efforts were hindered by Goyle pressing him into a hidden corner.
"You know she's been out to get you for a year, and now she's got the perfect chance - it'd look like an accident!" Goyle shuddered. "Come on, we've got to find someone on our side!"
"Which is our side?" Sam muttered, finally free. "I don't even know who the good guys are."
A confused frown crept across the other boy's face. "But... Vince said... And our parents..."
He looked about to cry, and Sam didn't have the heart to send this boy out where all the fighting was going on. "Come on, let's just find a place to hide until things calm down."
"Good, Sam, keep him calm," said Al as he stepped back through the imaging chamber door. "Ziggy's still trying to find out what's going on, but the kid in the waiting room said that Goyle's bad in a fight and doesn't know how to look out for himself. He also said that the guys with the masks are the ones not trying to kill him, so that's probably the side you're on."
Goyle frowned. "Do you think we should floo home?"
Sam paused, trying to work out how the flu had become a verb, but decided to say cautiously, "Yes, home is probably-" there was a loud crash, a cackle from somewhere up high, and someone shouting about invisible people- "a good place to be right now."
Goyle nodded and ran, but someone with a mask held a stick up to his face. "Come on, little bratling, tell me where Potter is!"
"You're making a mistake," Sam said soothingly, looking for an opening. Someone was shouting on the stairs behind him, but he was focused on the stick, watching to see if any light came out of it. "I'm Draco..."
"Malfoy," supplied Al.
"Malfoy, I'm Draco," he said, shifting his weight slightly in preparation for a roundhouse kick. "I'm on your side?"
A red beam of light came out of nowhere, knocking the masked man unconscious, and Sam turned to find out where it came from, only to get sucker punched by thin air. He fell backwards and brought a hand up to touch the blood at the corner of his mouth while he stared at the disembodied feet walking past.
From above the feet, Ron's voice shouted, "That makes us even for Fred, you tosser, so don't try to go claiming a life debt later!"
"Yeah, thanks for nothing," Sam muttered. "Al, you've got to get me out of here! None of this makes any sense!"
"Let me talk to the Malfoy brat again," his observer said wearily. "If I can keep from wringing his neck, maybe he'll come across with some information."
"Great," Sam muttered as Al disappeared again. The masked man he was sitting on groaned, and Sam punched him before getting up. "Shut up."
He picked up the man's stick and moved it around, but no lights came out of it. Shrugging, he decided to walk in the direction Goyle had gone, but there were two problems. One, he didn't know which way that was, and two, random fights were spreading in all directions. This leap was not turning out to be one of the better ones; Sam's only comfort was that at least he wasn't wearing high heels.
"Bloody hell," came a voice from somewhere around Sam's armpit. "Did I just get saved by a Malfoy?"
"Don't think you'll ever get over the shame," the red-headed boy from the fire said, but he didn't quite succeed in forcing a joking tone.
"Ron! This isn't the time to joke!" The other red-head, the one who had been fighting, pulled Sam off and pushed him aside. "Fred, are you all right? Fred?"
Putting a hand up weakly, the boy on the floor said, "Perce... Percy... Come closer... Closer... Ha!"
Percy reared back, spitting out the piece of candy that had been shoved into his mouth in a remarkably swift move by an obviously uninjured Fred. "You never change, do you?" he said huffily.
"Nah, why should I?" Fred replied, jumping to his feet only to throw himself to the ground again as a body flew through the hole in the wall.
"You're welcome," Sam said sourly, moving away from the lights that were coming through to hit the wall behind them. He moved his arm gingerly back and forth, trying to figure out how badly he'd hurt his shoulder in the tackle and roll maneuver.
No one paid the slightest attention to him, as they were busy screaming and looking at a giant spider crawling towards them. Harry and Ron pointed sticks and it and it fell back, but then Harry shouted, "It brought friends!"
"Gotta go," said Al, and he called up the door despite Sam's whispered expostulations. "Sorry, I just... I can't deal with giant spiders. I'll work with Ziggy, see what I can find out. Try to get one of those magic wands, if you can grab one. Maybe it'll help."
The unconscious Goyle groaned and showed signs of coming back to life, so Sam moved to help him sit up. By the time he turned to ask for help, the original three kids had disappeared, and the remaining two were fighting again, lights flying on all sides. "Come on, Goyle, get up, we need to get you somewhere safe."
"Draco... Vince, where's Vince, he needs to stop the fire--"
"He died in the fire," Sam said gently. "Come on, we have to move."
A suit of armor ran by, waving a sword in the air as it clanked along. Sam ducked and tried to pull the other boy aside, but he just stood his ground. The armor lost an elbow guard as it bumped Goyle, but still held together and kept going. Shaking his head, Sam muttered, "This place is insane."
An old woman was stampeding down a hallway, screaming in a Scottish accent at what looked to be a grouping of desks which then got up and obeyed her order to charge, and Goyle grabbed Sam and shoved him out of the way. "Hide! She'll kill you if she sees you!"
"What?" Sam tried to say, but his efforts were hindered by Goyle pressing him into a hidden corner.
"You know she's been out to get you for a year, and now she's got the perfect chance - it'd look like an accident!" Goyle shuddered. "Come on, we've got to find someone on our side!"
"Which is our side?" Sam muttered, finally free. "I don't even know who the good guys are."
A confused frown crept across the other boy's face. "But... Vince said... And our parents..."
He looked about to cry, and Sam didn't have the heart to send this boy out where all the fighting was going on. "Come on, let's just find a place to hide until things calm down."
"Good, Sam, keep him calm," said Al as he stepped back through the imaging chamber door. "Ziggy's still trying to find out what's going on, but the kid in the waiting room said that Goyle's bad in a fight and doesn't know how to look out for himself. He also said that the guys with the masks are the ones not trying to kill him, so that's probably the side you're on."
Goyle frowned. "Do you think we should floo home?"
Sam paused, trying to work out how the flu had become a verb, but decided to say cautiously, "Yes, home is probably-" there was a loud crash, a cackle from somewhere up high, and someone shouting about invisible people- "a good place to be right now."
Goyle nodded and ran, but someone with a mask held a stick up to his face. "Come on, little bratling, tell me where Potter is!"
"You're making a mistake," Sam said soothingly, looking for an opening. Someone was shouting on the stairs behind him, but he was focused on the stick, watching to see if any light came out of it. "I'm Draco..."
"Malfoy," supplied Al.
"Malfoy, I'm Draco," he said, shifting his weight slightly in preparation for a roundhouse kick. "I'm on your side?"
A red beam of light came out of nowhere, knocking the masked man unconscious, and Sam turned to find out where it came from, only to get sucker punched by thin air. He fell backwards and brought a hand up to touch the blood at the corner of his mouth while he stared at the disembodied feet walking past.
From above the feet, Ron's voice shouted, "That makes us even for Fred, you tosser, so don't try to go claiming a life debt later!"
"Yeah, thanks for nothing," Sam muttered. "Al, you've got to get me out of here! None of this makes any sense!"
"Let me talk to the Malfoy brat again," his observer said wearily. "If I can keep from wringing his neck, maybe he'll come across with some information."
"Great," Sam muttered as Al disappeared again. The masked man he was sitting on groaned, and Sam punched him before getting up. "Shut up."
He picked up the man's stick and moved it around, but no lights came out of it. Shrugging, he decided to walk in the direction Goyle had gone, but there were two problems. One, he didn't know which way that was, and two, random fights were spreading in all directions. This leap was not turning out to be one of the better ones; Sam's only comfort was that at least he wasn't wearing high heels.
To Be Continued.
Mynuet is the author of 71 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 11 members. Members who liked A Leap in the Dark also liked 624 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 11 members. Members who liked A Leap in the Dark also liked 624 other stories.
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