𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗘

ACT TWO, CHAPTER FIVE
like mother, like daughter:
volume two.

PENELOPE STOOD IN the smallest bedroom where they had been spending most of their time, staring at the single long, coarse, curly black hair in a small phial, the exact same one that Hermione had plucked from the sweater she wore at Malfoy Manor. Her arms were crossed across her chest, staring at the hair so intently that she thought it would burst into flames.

The hair was horribly familiar. It belonged to none other than Bellatrix and had fallen on Hermione's sweater when she was torturing her. This plan was utterly ridiculous, but Penelope had instantly stepped up when they suggested Polyjuice Potion. Hermione had immediately refused, knowing that Penelope always wanted to separate herself from her mother, but Penelope was quick to reassure her that it was the only logical thing to do.

"Having me act like her is the most logical thing to do, Hermione," Penelope said. "I know how she talks, I know how she thinks. For Merlin's sake, I'm her fucking daughter. My last name isn't Lestrange for nothing. If I need to be a stone cold bitch, I'll be a stone cold bitch."

Harry then nodded to the curved walnut wand. "And you'll be using her actual wand, so I reckon you'll be pretty convincing."

Penelope reached out and picked up the wand, staring at it in disgust. "I hate this wand. It's the exact opposite of mine and now responds to me because I disarmed her . . . I hate that I have another bit of her."

"It'll probably help you get in character, though," Ron replied. "Think what that wand's done!"

"That's exactly my point," Penelope voiced bitterly, looking over at him. "Every horrible thing my mother has ever done has been by the magic of this wand. This wand tortured Neville's parents into insanity, tortured me back in the Department of Mysteries and at Malfoy Manor, and probably more where this came from. Hell, this is the wand that killed Sirius and so many other people."

Hermione sighed. "I miss my wand. I wish Mr. Ollivander could have made me another one too."

Ollivander has indeed sent Luna a new wand that morning. She was out on the back lawn while they were talking, testing its capabilities in the late afternoon sun. Dean, who had lost his wand to the Snatchers, was watching her with a gloomy expression on his face.

The door of the bedroom then opened. Griphook entered, and Harry instinctively reached for the sword of Gryffindor to pull it close to him. That was evidently a mistake — the Goblin had obviously noticed.

"We've just been checking the last-minute stuff, Griphook," Harry told the Goblin. "We've told Bill and Fleur we're leaving tomorrow, and we've told them not to get up to see us off."

They had been firm on this point because Penelope would need time to transform into Bellatrix, and the less the Bill and Fleur knew or guessed what they were doing, the better. All of them had also explained that they would not be returning to Shell Cottage. Bill had lent them another tent, which was carefully stowed inside Hermione's magically expanded beaded bag.

Penelope was thoroughly going to miss Bill, Fleur, Luna, and Dean, but she wasn't going to miss the confinement of the tiny cottage. They always had to make sure they weren't overheard while being shut in the tiny, dark bedroom. Most of all, she wanted to be free from the presence of Griphook. Penelope, Ron, Harry, Venus, and Hermione barely had time to decide on what to do with the sword because the Goblin rarely left the five of them alone for more than five minutes at a time. Ron had angrily said that Griphook could give his mother lessons when the Goblin's long fingers kept appearing around the edges of doors.

She had slept quite awfully that night, which she guessed was good because that meant she would be an irritable mood, which would help her play the part of Bellatrix. At six o'clock, Penelope, Venus, and Hermione arose. Penelope pulled on some robes that Hermione had stolen from Grimmauld Place. They really did scream Bellatrix, being tight and black and everything like that.

Penelope fucking hated them.

She sighed and placed Bellatrix's hair into the vial of Polyjuice Potion. Penelope watched as the liquid turned into a deep black — quite fitting. She scrunched her nose in disgust and tipped back the vial, downing all of its contents at once. Penelope immediately began to cough from the disgusting taste and started to feel her body shift into something else. It was quite an odd feeling, but it was over within a minute. When she was sure that she was no longer transforming, she glanced into the mirror and immediately scowled. She was for sure Bellatrix — the long rippling hair, the heavily lidded eyes. Gross.

"People already tell me I look like my mother, but now its actually true," Penelope stated miserably, trying to move the unruly black curls out of her face.

Hermione shook her head. "I know you hate it, but it's what we have to do. We should get going."

Penelope and Venus followed her down the stairs, trying to not make much noise with the heels she was wearing. Griphook met them in the living room and the four of them went outside. It was a chilly morning, but since it was May, there wasn't that much wind. Penelope let out a deep breath as she listened to the sounds of the ocean. They joined Harry and Ron in the garden.

"I hate this," Penelope revealed, giving Hermione her own wand while she gripped onto Bellatrix's. "Like, a lot."

Hermione then got to changing Ron's appearance. While Harry, Griphook, Venus, and Hermione would be under the Invisibility Cloak, Ron was going to stay out in the open with Penelope under a completely fake identity. They were trusting the malevolent aura cast by Bellatrix to protect him. Penelope was just glad to have him out there with her — even if he had a fake identity and she was Bellatrix, they were still Penelope and Ron.

"There, how does he look, Penelope?" Hermione asked.

Penelope looked at her boyfriend. She could still tell it was him, but that was probably because she knew him so well. His red hair was now long and wavy, he had a thick brown bears and mustache, no freckles (which made Penelope kind of sad), a short and broad nose, and heavy eyebrows.

She shrugged. "Not as handsome as his usual self, but it'll have to do. Come on, we should go."

All of them glanced back at Shell Cottage, which was lying dark and silent under the fading stars, before turning and beginning to walk towards the point where they would be able to Disapparate.

"You're going to do great," Ron whispered to her. "I know you hate your mother, but this can really help us."

"Anything for you," Penelope replied truthfully, because she really meant it. "It'll definitely help having you sort of near me."

Griphook then climbed on Harry's back, and Venus and Hermione huddled up with them. Penelope took the Invisibility Cloak and threw it over them all. Immediately, all of them went invisible. Not a thing was peeking out.

"You're good," Penelope announced. She let out a deep breath. "Time to go."

Penelope turned on the spot and concentrated on the Leaky Cauldron, the inn that had the entrance to Diagon Alley. She moved through the compressing darkness. When her feet met the ground again, she opened her eyes to see herself on Charing Cross Road, standing right outside of the Leaky Cauldron. She let out another deep breath before squaring her shoulders back and lifting her chin up, walking confidently into the Leaky Cauldron.

The bar of the inn was nearly deserted. Tom, the stooped and toothless landlord, was polishing glasses behind the bar counter. A couple of warlocks were having a muttered conversation in the far corner. Penelope glanced over, and when their eyes set on her, Penelope smirked at them. They drew back into the shadows. Penelope felt disgusting, but she had to act the part.

"Madam Lestrange," Tom murmured, inclining his head as Penelope passed.

Penelope merely gave him a short nod. She walked into the tiny backyard of the inn and drew out Bellatrix's wand. After tapping the bricks, the archway formed to reveal Diagon Alley. It was quiet, a little too early for the shops to open, and there were no shoppers. The crooked, cobbled street looked a lot different than what Penelope remembered it as. More shops were boarded up, although several new establishments dedicated to the Dark Arts had been created since their last visit. Harry's own face glared down at Penelope from posters, always captioned with the words UNDESIRABLE NUMBER ONE.

There was a number of ragged people sat huddled in doorways. Penelope heard them moaning to the few passers, pleading for gold, insisting that they were really wizards. One man even had a bloody bandage over his eye. Penelope resisted the urge to frown as they continued down the street. As she passed, the beggars seemed to melt away, drawing hoods over their faces and fleeing as fast as they could. Penelope felt absolutely sick to her stomach.

"My children!" a man then bellowed, and Penelope blinked, looking ahead at the man with the bloody bandage as he pointed at her. His voice was cracked and high-pitched, an obvious sign of distraught. "Where are my children? What has he done with them? You know, you know!"

Penelope's heart clenched. So many people were hurt by this whole war, and Bellatrix was just an accomplice. However, she didn't let anything show on her face. She kept the same cold expression. You're Bellatrix Lestrange, Penelope reminded herself. You're a ruthless, merciless, psychotic bitch. Turn off the humanity. Play your part.

She raised an eyebrow and placed a bitter smile on her face. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Penelope then scowled and glared at the man. "I suggest you get out of my way before I make you."

The man lunged at her, about to grab her throat. Penelope merely took a step backwards before a burst of red light and a bang sent him thrown backward onto the ground, unconscious. She looked over, only to see Ron standing there, his wand still outstretched and a look of shock visible behind his beard. Faces appeared at the windows on either side of the street while a small group of passerby gathered their robes about them and broke into gentle trots, eager to vacate the scene.

Penelope gave Ron a small nod, just subtly enough that no one else would notice, thanking him. They then continued on, walking towards Gringotts.

"Why, Madam Lestrange!" a voice then called from behind them.

Fuck.

Penelope turned in the direction of the voice and immediately recognized the man as another Death Eater, her voice steely and her eyes narrowed. "Travers. May I help you with something?"

"Well, I confess I am surprised to see you out and about, Bellatrix," Travers admitted.

"And why is that?" Penelope questioned, her mind screaming oh God please don't say they're trapped in the Manor.

Travers coughed. "Well, I heard that the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were confined to the house, after the . . . ah . . . escape."

Of fucking course. Penelope's mind drifted off towards Draco, worry filling her insides. He was trapped in that horrid house with Voldemort, punished for something that wasn't his fault . . . she shook it off. Later.

"I was, am, and forever will be the Dark Lord's most faithful servant, and he has granted me forgiveness," Penelope responded, crossing her arms. "Perhaps you don't have a good enough credit with him as I, Travers."

Travers looked offended, but seemed less suspicious, which meant Penelope was doing great, before he glanced down at the man Ron had Stunned. "How did it offend you?"

Penelope felt disgusted hearing hearing someone call a human being it. She hates this so fucking much, acting like her mother.

"It can't do it again, so that hardly matters," Penelope reassured him, impersonating Bellatrix's crazy grin.

Oh God, now she's calling human beings it! Her life is really going downhill.

"Some of these wandless can be troublesome," Travers voiced. "While they do nothing but beg I have no objection, but one of them actually asked me to plead her case at the Ministry last week. I'm a witch, sir, I'm a witch, let me prove it to you!" Penelope resisted the urge to punch him in the face at the impersonation. "As if I was going to give her my wand — but whose wand are you using at the moment, Bellatrix? I heard that your own was—"

"Stolen by my dear daughter, Penelope?" Penelope inquired coolly, holding up Bellatrix's wand. "Travers, I'm not sure what kind of rumors you've been buying into, but you' seem sadly misinformed."

Travers seemed taken aback, but he turned to Ron. "Who is your friend? I do not recognize him."

"His name is Dragomir Despard," Penelope recited — they had decided that a fictional foreigner was the safest cover for Ron to assume. "Despite speaking very little English, he is in sympathy with the aims of the Dark Lord. He has traveled here from Transylvania to see our new regime."

"Indeed? How do you do, Dragomir?"

Ron held out his hand. "'Ow you?"

Travers shook Ron's hand with two fingers like he was afraid of dirtying himself. "So what brings you and your — ah — sympathetic friend to Diagon Alley this early?"

"I need to visit my vault at Gringotts," Penelope answered.

"Alas, I also, Gold, filthy gold! We cannot live without it, yet I confess I deplore the necessity of consorting with our long-fingered friends."

Penelope nodded, feeling quite awkward with Griphook literally right behind her. "Me as well."

Travers gestured her forward. "Shall we?"

Penelope had no choice but to walk beside Travers and head along the crooked, cobbled street towards Gringotts, the snowy white building towering over the other little shops. Ron sloped along beside them, and Harry, Venus, Hermione, and Griphook followed. Just like Griphook had warned, two wizards clutching long and thin golden rods flanked the entrance.

Travers sighed. "Ah, Probity Probes, so crude — but effective!"

He set off up the steps, nodding left and right to the wizards, who raised the golden rods and passed them up and down his body. These Probes could detect spells of concealment and hidden magical objects. Penelope watched as, unknown to Travers who was looking through the bronze doors at the inner hall, the guards gave a little start. That meant that Harry had successfully Confunded them. Penelope confidently walked up the steps, her long black hair rippling behind her.

The guard raised his Probe. "One moment, madam."

"Again?" Penelope demanded angrily. "You've just done that."

Travers looked around with his eyebrows raised. The guard was confused — he glanced from the thin golden Probe to his companion.

"Yeah, you've just checked them, Marius," his companion agreed.

Penelope then swept forwards with Ron at her side. She wanted to cower away at the silence of the wizarding bank. Two Goblins stood before the inner doors, which were made of silver and had the poem warning of fire retribution to potential thieves inscribed in it.

They moved into the vast marble hall of the bank. The long counter was manned by Goblins on high stools, serving the first customers of the day. Penelope, Ron, and Travers headed for an old Goblin who was examining a thick gold coin through an eyeglass. She allowed Travers to go ahead of her so she could pretend to explain the features of the hall to Ron.

The Goblin tossed the coin he was holding aside, said Leprechaun to nobody in particular, and then greeted Travers. Travers passed over a tiny golden key, which was examined and given back to him. Penelope then stepped forwards.

"Madam Lestrange!" the Goblin exclaimed, evidently startled. "Dear me! How — how may I help you today?"

"I wish to enter my vault," Penelope replied.

The old Goblin seemed to recoil just a little. "You have . . . identification?"

Penelope raised an eyebrow. "Did I stutter? I just said I wished to enter my vault. Never have I been asked to show identification. That won't be necessary."

"Your wand will do, madam," the Goblin insisted.

She held out the wand to the Goblin before a sudden realization came to her. Oh my dear fucking God, they know the wand's been stolen, you've got to be shitting me, I hate it here—

"Imperio!" Harry whispered, just loud enough for Penelope to her.

The Goblin examined the wand. "Ah,you have had a new wand made, Madam Lestrange!"

"A new wand?" Travers repeated, approaching Penelope once more. "But how could you have done, which wandmaker did you use?"

"Imperio!" Harry recited again.

"Oh yes, I see, yes, very handsome," Travers said, looking down at Bellatrix's wand. "And is it working well? I always think wands require a little breaking in, don't you?"

The old Goblin behind the counter clapped his hands and a younger Goblin approached. "I shall need the Clankers." The younger Goblin dashed away and returned a moment later with a leather bag that seemed to be full of jangling metal. "Good, good! So, if you will follow me, Madam Lestrange, I shall take you to your vault."

He appeared around the end of the counter, jogging happily towards them, the contents of the leather bag still jingling. Travers was now standing quite still with his mouth hanging wide open. Ron was drawing attention to this odd phenomenon by regarding Travers with confusion. Penelope rolled her eyes and discreetly nudged him with her elbow, making him snap out of it.

"Wait — Bogrod!" another Goblin protested, scurrying around the corner. "We have instructions." He bowed to Penelope. "Forgive me, Madam, but there have been special orders regarding thevault of Lestrange."

He whispered urgently in Bogrod's ear. Penelope wanted to say a snarky remark, like the Blacks and Lestranges have been using these vaults for centuries, but Bogrod cut her off.

Bogrod waved the other Goblin off. "I am aware of the instructions. Madam Lestrange wishes to visit her vault . . . very old family . . . old clients . . . this way, please . . ."

Still clanking, her hurried to one of the many doors leading off the hall. Ron and a still Imperiused Travers followed after them. They passed into the rough stone passageway beyond, which was lit with flaming torches. The door slammed shut behind them, and Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, revealing him, Venus, Hermione, and Griphook.

"We're in trouble; they suspect," Harry announced as Griphook got down from his shoulders. Neither Travers nor Bogrod showed the slightest surprise at the sudden appearance of Harry Potter in their midst. "They're Imperiused. I don't think Idid it strongly enough, I don't know . . ."

"Yeah, you need to mean them," Penelope responded, quoting her mother. "Such bullshit. But we're this close to finding the cup, so we have to keep going. At least you don't have to be hidden any longer.

"Good!" Griphook responded. "So, we need Bogrod to control the cart; I no longer have the authority. But there will not be room for the wizard."

Harry pointed his wand at Travers. "Imperio!"

Travers turned and set off along the dark track at a smart pace. Venus then asked what Harry was doing with him.

"Hide," Harry answered.

He pointed his wand at Bogrod, who whistled to summon the little cart that came trundling along the tracks towards them out of the darkness. Penelope could hear shouting behind them in the main hall as they all clambered into it. Bogrod, Harry, Venus, and Griphook all sat in the front while Penelope, Ron, and Hermione crammed in the back.

With a jerk, the cart moved off and started gathering speed. They hurtled past Travers, who was maneuvering himself into a crack in the wall, and then the cart began twisting and turning through the labyrinthine passages that were always sloped downwards. Penelope gripped onto Ron's hand, not being able to hear anything over the rattling of the cart on the tracks. Her long black hair flew behind her as they swerved between stalactites, flying deeper into the Earth. She glanced back — this plan was ridiculously flawed the more she thought about it.

They were deeper in Gringotts than Penelope had ever been. They took a hairpin bend at speed and saw ahead of them, with seconds to spare, a waterfall pounding over the track. Griphook shouted No!, but there was no braking. They zoomed straight through the waterfall. Penelope gasped as the water hit her, and with an awful lurch, the cart flipped over and they were all thrown out of it. She heard Hermione shriek something, and Penelope glided towards the ground like she was weightless, landing painlessly on the rocky passage floor.

"C-Cushioning Charm," Hermione spluttered. "P, thank God your wand responded to me."

Penelope opened her eyes. Ron was standing above her, holding out his hands. She took them and he pulled her up. Ron was his usual self again. She looked down at herself. The robes that once hugged her body tightly had loosened, and she was sopping wet. Penelope then reached up and brought her hair closer to her eyes. The once frizzy black hair had softened into chocolate brown loose curls.

She sighed in relief. "Wow, I've never been more glad to be myself in my life."

"The Thief's Downfall!" Griphook shouted, clambering to his feet and looking at the waterfall as he ignored Penelope's comment. "It washes away all enchantment, all magical concealment! They know there are impostors in Gringotts, they have set off defenses against us!"

"Well, that's good," Penelope commented sarcastically.

Bogrod was now shaking his head in bewilderment. The Thief's Downfall evidently had lifted the Imperius Curse.

"We need him, we cannot enter the vault without a Gringotts Goblin," Griphook insisted. "And we need the Clankers!"

"Imperio!" Harry stated, his voice echoing through the stone passage.

Bogrod submitted once more to Harry's will. His befuddled expression changed to one of polite indifference. Ron then hurried to pick up the leather bag of metal tools.

"Harry, I think I can hear people coming!" Hermione revealed. She pointed Penelope's wand at the waterfall. "Protego!"

The Shield Charm then broke the flow of enchanted water as it flew up the passageway. Venus immediately praised Hermione and told Griphook to lead the way.

"How are we going to get out again?" Ron asked as they hurried on foot into the darkness after the Goblin, Bogrod panting in their wake.

"We'll get to that when it happens, baby," Penelope replied indifferently, trying to stay quiet, for she could hear something clanking and moving around nearby.

"Griphook, how much farther?" Harry questioned.

"Not far, Harry Potter, not far . . ." Griphook responded.

They then turned the corner, and all of them paused. A gigantic Dragon was tied to the ground in front of them, guarding four or five of the deepest vaults in Gringotts. The Dragon's scales had turned pale and flaky during its long incarceration under the ground, and its eyes were a milky pink. Both of its rear legs bore heavy cuffs from which chains led to enormous pegs that were driven deep into the rocky floor. Its great spiked wings, which were folded close to its body, would have filled the chamber if it extended them. When it turned its head towards them, it roared with a noise that made the rock tremble. It opened its mouth and spat a jet of fire that sent them running back up the passageway.

Griphook panted. "It is partially blind, but even more savage for that. However, we have the means to control it. It has learned what to expect when the Clankers come. Give them to me." Ron passed the bag to Griphook, and the Goblin pulled out a number of small metal instruments that made a loud, ringing noise when shaken. Griphook handed them out. "You know what to do. It will expect pain when it hears the noise: It will retreat, and Bogrod must place his palm upon the door of the vault."

They crept around the corner again, shaking the Clankers, making the noise echo off the rocky walls and become grossly magnified. The Dragon let out another hoarse roar before retreating. Penelope saw it trembling, and as they drew nearer he saw scars made by vicious slashes across its face. She guessed that it had been taught to fear hot swords when it heard the sound of the Clankers. They then stopped in front of a vault door, and Penelope started to feel sick to her stomach. Never in a million years did she think she would be visiting this vault, yet here she was, visiting this vault.

"Make him press his hand to the door!" Griphook urged to Harry.

Harry pointed his wand to Bogrod. The old Goblin obeyed and pressed his hand to the door. Upon his touch, the door of the vault melted away to reveal a cave-like opening. Penelope was the first one to step inside, glancing around. It was crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armor, the skins of strange creatures, potions in jeweled flasks, and a skull still wearing a crown.

Any person would want this vault, but not Penelope. In fact, she hated it.

"Search, fast!" Harry ordered.

Harry had described Hufflepuff's cup to the rest of them, but there were so many golden cups. Penelope predicted that this mission would take forever. Her thoughts were interrupted by a muffled clunk from behind them. The door had reappeared and sealed them inside the vault. They were plunged into total darkness. Penelope reached out and took Ron's hand as he gave a shout of surprise.

"No matter, Bogrod will be able to release us!" Griphook revealed. "Light your wands, can't you? And hurry, we have very little time!"

Penelope held up Bellatrix's wand. "Lumos!"

Ron, Harry, Venus, and Hermione all did the same. Penelope shone her lit wand around the vault, its beam falling upon glittering jewels.

"Harry, could this be—?" Hermione began. "Aargh!"

Penelope whipped around as Hermione screamed in pain. A jeweled goblet tumbled from her grip. However, as it fell, it split and became a shower of goblets, so that a second later, with a great clatter, the floor was covered in identical cups rolling in every direction, the original impossible to discern amongst them.

"It burned me!" Hermione complained, her fingers blistered.

"They have added Gemino and Flagrante Curses!" Griphook explained. "Everything you touch will burn and multiply, but the copies are worthless — and if you continue to handle the treasure, you will eventually be crushed to death by the weight of expanding gold!"

Penelope groaned. "Dear God, I hate this fucking family. All right, just don't touch anything, okay?"

"Oh, it won't do it for you." Penelope turned to Griphook to see him looking at her quite distastefully. "Maybe you couldn't have gotten into the vault, but you still have Lestrange blood. It will . . . recognize you."

Penelope shook her head bitterly. "Someday, I'm going to be recognized for something other than Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter. Mark my words."

Ron then accidentally nudged one of the fallen goblets with his foot, and twenty more then exploded into being. He hopped on the spot closer to Penelope, part of his shoe burned away by the contact with the hot metal.

"None of you move," Penelope demanded. She let go of him and stepped forward, and even though her leg brushed against the goblets, nothing happened. "Harry, what am I looking for again?"

"The cup's small and gold, it's got a badger engraved on it, two handles — otherwise see if you can spot Ravenclaw's symbol anywhere, the eagle—" Harry told her.

Penelope stepped around, directing her wand into every nook and crevice she could. She then directed her wand upwards, and she spotted it. Guess it wasn't going to take forever.

"I've got it!" Penelope announced urgently. They all pointed their wands upwards so that the little golden cup was it up. "Now, my family wouldn't be stupid enough to let somebody use magic in here, so we can't get it that way . . ." She then looked back, her eyes alight in realization. "Hermione, give me the sword."

Hermione opened up her beaded bag and got the sword of Gryffindor. Penelope took it.

"All right, Ron, give me a boost."

Ron then approached her carefully, trying not to touch anything. He ultimately did, but it didn't matter. Ron picked up his girlfriend by wrapping his arms around her thighs and lifting her up. Penelope reached forward, ignoring the heat from the enchanted treasure as it continued to grow as the others knocked into things, but it didn't matter. She hooked the tip of the sword into one of the handles on the cup. Penelope brought it back to her and held the cup and sword with tight grips.

He set her back down in the sea of gold. Penelope felt nothing, but the others let out gasps of pain as it burned them. The Dragon was roaring on the other side of the vault door and the sound of clanking was growing louder and louder. They were truly trapped, and there was no way out besides the door.

Griphook then lunged straight at Penelope. Her eyes widened as he cut the side of her face with his long fingernail. She gasped as it burned, and she felt blood begin to roll down her cheek. While she was distracted, Griphook reached forwards and snatched the sword of Gryffindor out of her hands.

Griphook then ran out of the vault, clutching the sword. "Thieves! Thieves! Help! Thieves!"

"That bitch!" Penelope screamed. "Nobody likes a fucking traitor, Griphook!"

Griphook then vanished into the midst of the advancing crowd, who were holding daggers and accepting him without question.

"Stupefy!" Harry bellowed.

Penelope, Ron, Venus, and Hermione all joined over. Jets of red light flew into the crowd of Goblins. Some toppled over, but others advanced, and Penelope saw several wizard guards running around the corner. The tethered Dragon let out a roar, and a gush of flame flew over the Goblins. All of the wizards fled back the way they had come.

She stared at the Dragon and squinted for a second. An inspiration, or maybe fucking madness, then came to Penelope.

Harry whipped around to look at them. "Any ideas?"

"I do, but it's fucking crazy," Penelope answered, her gaze on the Dragon.

"We trust you," Ron told her sincerely.

Penelope nodded and shoved the Hufflepuff cup into the pocket of her robes. "Hermione, give me my wand, you can have Bellatrix's."

Hermione did what she asked and gave Penelope her own wand, taking Bellatrix's. "What are you thinking, Pen?"

"Follow my lead." She then pointed her wands at the chains. "Relashio!" The cuffs broke, and while still shooting Stunning Spells at the advancing Goblins, she ran straight at the blind Dragon. "Come on!"

"You're right, you're absolutely mental!" Ron yelled as they climbed on the dragon.

"I love you, too!"

Penelope latched onto the Dragon. A second later, the Dragon became aware that it was untethered. With a roar it reared, and Penelope held on tighter as its wings opened, knocking the shrieking Goblins aside like they were nothing. It then soared into the hair. Penelope, Ron, Harry, Venus, and Hermione were all flat on its back as the Dragon scraped against the ceiling and dove towards the passage opening.

"We'll never get out, it's too big!" Hermione screamed.

The Dragon then opened its mouth, breathing fire. It blasted the tunnel, whose floors and ceiling were cracked and crumbled. By sheer force the Dragon clawed and fought its way through.

"Defodio!" Penelope then recited.

That helped the Dragon enlarge the passageway, carving out the ceiling as it struggled upwards towards the fresh air, away from the shrieking and clanking Goblins. Ron, Harry, Venus, and Hermione all copied Penelope, blasting the ceiling apart with more gouging spells. They passed the underground lake, and the Dragon seemed to sense freedom and space ahead of it. Behind them, the passage was full of the Dragon thrashing its spiked tail. Everything grew muffled back there while ahead the Dragon's fire kept their progress clear.

And finally, by their combined force of their spells and the Dragon's brute strength, they blasted their way out of the passage into the marble hallway. Goblins and wizards shrieked and ran for cover, and the Dragon was ultimately able to stretch its wings. It turned its horned head towards the cool outside air it could smell beyond the entrance, and it took off. With Penelope, Ron, Harry, Venus, and Hermione still clinging to its back, it forced its way through the metal doors, leaving them hanging off their hinges, as it staggered into Diagon Alley and launched itself into the sky.

・゜・。・゜。・。・゜★

THEY COULD NOT steer the Dragon at all.

Since it was blind, the Dragon couldn't see where it was going, and Penelope knew that if it turned sharply or rolled in midair they would fully fall off. However, as they climbed higher and higher into the air over London, Penelope felt nothing but gratitude for her absolutely fucking crazy plan and how it had given them a chance to escape. She let a small smile spread across her lips as she felt the cool breeze. Harry and Venus were just as calm as her, but Ron kept swearing at the top of his voice and Hermione seemed to be sobbing.

After a few minutes, Penelope wasn't scared that the Dragon was going to throw them off anymore. Instead, it seemed intent on nothing but getting as far away from its underground prison as possible. The next frightening thing, though, was how they were going to dismount. Penelope had no fucking clue how long Dragons could fly without landing, and this Dragon certainly didn't know a good place to put down.

Penelope swallowed the lump in her throat. How long would it be before Voldemort knew that they had broken into the Lestranges' vault? How soon would Bellatrix know? Certainly her mother would realize what they had stolen. And if the Goblins told Bellatrix that Penelope was there, which they definitely were, that meant Penelope was another name to Bellatrix's hit list.

She was royally fucked.

The Dragon seemed to crave cooler and fresher air. It climbed higher steadily until they were flying through wisps of chilly cloud. They flew on and on, over countryside made up of patches of green and brown, and over roads and rivers that wound through the landscape like strips of matte and glossy ribbon.

"What do you reckon it's looking for?" Ron shouted as they flew farther north.

"No idea," Harry called back.

Penelope's hands were numb with cold, but she didn't dare attempt to shift her grip. If the Dragon headed straight for the sea, they would be even more screwed. Not to mention that she was cold, tired, hungry, and thirsty.

The sun slipped lower and lower into the sky which was turning a light shade of indigo. Still the Dragon continued to fly, cities and towns gliding out of sight beneath them, its enormous shadow covering the Earth.

"Is it my imagination, or are we losing height?" Ron voiced.

Penelope looked down and saw the deep green mountains and lakes, looking coopery in the sunset. Ron was right — the landscape was growing larger and more detailed as she watched. The Dragon flew lower and lower in great spiraling circles, honing in on one of the smaller lakes.

"I say we jump when it gets low enough!" Harry suggested. "Straight into the water before it realizes we're here!"

All of them agreed. Penelope could now see that the Dragon's wide yellow underbelly rippling in the surface of the water.

"NOW!"

Penelope allowed herself to slip off the side of the Dragon, plummeting feetfirst at the surface of the lake. She hit the water hard, the drop greater than she was expecting. Penelope gasped underwater at the freezing temperature. She kicked towards the surface and gasped once her lungs refilled with air. There were enormous ripples emanating in circles from the places where Harry, Venus, Ron, and Hermione had fallen. The dragon did not seem to have noticed that anything happened. It was already fifty feet away, swooping low over the lake to drink water. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Venus then emerged from the depths of the lake, spluttering and gasping. The Dragon flew on, its wings beating hard, and landed at last on a bank in the distance.

Their group struck out for the opposite shore. The lake didn't seem to be deep — it soon became a question of fighting through reeds and mud rather than swimming. At last they flopped, soaking wet, panting, and exhausted, onto slippery grass. Penelope collapsed on the ground, Ron joining her side. He slung an arm around her and she leaned her head on her shoulders. Meanwhile, Harry started to cast protective spells around them.

Penelope lifted her head back up and took Ron's face in her hands, looking at his injuries. He had angry red burns all over his face and his arms, joining his scars from the brain that he had gotten back in the Department of Mysteries. She then looked over to see Hermione and Venus were the exact same.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry," Penelope immediately said.

Hermione pulled a small bottle out of her bag, which Penelope recognized as essence of dittany. "It's not your fault, Pen. You had no idea the vault was going to do that."

"Let me see that," Ron interjected, and Hermione handed him the bottle. He put some on his fingers and started to dab it on the cut on Penelope's cheek that Griphook had given her, making her wince. "Sorry, sorry."

Once he was done, Penelope could start to feel the cut slowly healing. Ron, Hermione, and Venus then started to dab the essence on their many injuries. Harry came back, and Hermione gave him the bottle. She then pulled out five bottles of pumpkin juice that she had brought from Shell Cottage and clean, dry clothes for all of them. Penelope changed into her green long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and Converse, wringing her wet hair out and tying it into a braid behind her head. And finally, for the first time in months, she didn't have to hide her necklace. She pulled out the gold crown necklace with red gems on it and let it sit out in the open on her neck. Penelope then started to drink her pumpkin juice.

Ron was watching the skin on his hands regrow. "Well, on the upside, we got the Horcrux. On the downside—"

"—no sword," Harry finished through gritted teeth.

"No sword," Ron repeated. "That double-crossing little scab, cutting P's cheek like that . . ."

Penelope reached into the pile of her wet clothes and pulled out the Hufflepuff cup. She set it down on the grass in front of them. It glinted in the sun and drew their eyes as they drank their juice.

"At least we can't wear it this time, that'd look a bit weird hanging round our necks," Ron admitted.

Hermione looked across the lake to the far bank, where the Dragon was still drinking. "What'll happen to it, do you think? Will it be all right?"

"You sound like Hagrid. It's a Dragon, Hermione, it can look after itself. It's us we need to worry about."

"What do you mean?"

Ron sighed. "Well, I don't know how to break this to you, but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts."

It might've been the craziness of the situation, but all five them started to laugh, and it was difficult to stop. Penelope clutched her aching stomach, leaning against Ron for support, but it was no use. The two of them fell onto their backs underneath the reddening sky, continuing to laugh.

"What are we going to do, though?" Hermione finally inquired, hiccupping herself back into seriousness. "He'll know, won't he? You-Know-Who will know we know about his Horcruxes!"

"Maybe they'll be too scared to tell him?" Ron suggested hopefully. "Maybe they'll cover up everything so nobody finds out what happened."

Venus then scoffed, stating that it was blind optimism. She asked what Harry thought, but Harry did not respond. They all sat up and looked at him. Harry had his eyes closed and was shivering. All of them shared a concerned look. They were all aware of what was going on.

Harry's eyes then flew opened, and he struggled up with Venus' help. "He knows. He knows, and he's going to check where the others are, and the last one—" he got to his feet, pulling Venus up with him "—is at Hogwarts. I knew it. I knew it."

Ron gaped at him. "What?"

Hermione looked extremely worried. "But what did you see? How do you know?"

"I saw him find out about the cup, I — I was in his head, he's — he's seriously angry, and scared too, he can't understand how we knew, and now he's going to check the others are safe, the ring first," Harry explained quickly. "He thinks the Hogwarts one is safest, because Snape's there, because it'll be so hard not to be seen getting in, I think he'll check that one last, but he could still be there within hours—"

"Did you see where in Hogwarts it is?" Ron asked, scrambling to his feet and yanking Penelope up as well.

"No, he was concentrating on warning Snape, he didn't think about exactly where it is—"

"Wait, wait!" Hermione cried as Ron picked up the Horcrux and Harry pulled out the Invisibility Cloak. "We can't just go, we haven't got a plan, we need to—"

"We need to get going," Harry voiced firmly. "Can you imagine what he's going to do once he realizes the ring and the locket are gone? What if he moves the Hogwarts Horcrux, decides it isn't safe enough?"

"But how are we going to get in?"

"Hogsmeade," Penelope answered at once, remembering the Room of Requirement. "You're with someone who's been at Hogwarts during this whole thing. We have to get to the Hog's Head — trust me."

Harry instantly nodded as Penelope and Venus crowded around Harry and Ron. "I trust you. Get under the Cloak, Hermione, I want to stick together this time."

"But we don't really fit—" Hermione started to protest.

"It'll be dark, no one's going to notice our feet."

The flapping of enormous wings echoed across the black water. Penelope glanced over — apparently the Dragon had drank enough and started to rise into the air. They all paused in their preparations to watch it climb higher and higher, now black against the rapidly darkening sky until it vanished over a nearby mountain.

Hermione then walked forwards and took her place with the others. Harry pulled the Cloak down as far as it would go, and together they turned on the spot into the crushing darkness, nothing but Hogsmeade on their minds.

☆ 彡

why is there only five chapters left of this book. that's literally not allowed wtf