"Yes, Master," replied the elf before it snapped its fingers and every body, except Riddle's, was covered with a spread out sheet. Riddle's body, together with his throne on which he still 'reposed', had a sheet draped completely over them. He'd ignored the snake; so did Tippy.
Looking around to make sure it was all covered, Harry declared, "Perfect."
Then he turned back to look at the wall sconce and said, "Let's open it up."
Walking to the sconce, he gave it a twist to the right and felt it in his hand as something 'clicked' just before it reached the full quarter turn. Looking to the cabinet, he saw the closest edge had popped away from the wall about an inch. He then took the step to it, slipped his fingers of his off hand into the crack and pulled it open. It silently came away like a large, heavyweight door; with not even a squeak of hinge.
"Alright, Tippy," he softly said. "Let's go rescue them."
Directly behind the cabinet was a set of stairs that led down half a flight to a small landing. He walked down that and saw the second half of the full flight leading down and back under the drawing room floor on the other half of the landing. He then walked down those.
He was unsurprised to find ever-burn torches, like found at Hogwarts, lit the way.
At the bottom of the stairs and directly under the wall of the drawing room was a heavy metal door. A set of keys were hanging on a hook right next to it.
"Master must takes the keys," said Tippy. "They be for the cells." Harry pulled the ring of keys off the hook and opened the unlocked door, stepping within.
As soon as he did, he could smell the sickly sweet stench of unwashed bodies mixed with the putrid smell of voided bowels.
Now leading, Tippy took Harry across the small room, past racks of what was probably dark arts artefacts and to another door, opposite the one they came in through. This one was locked.
After trying an Alohomora Unlocking charm, which didn't work, Harry checked out the keys on the ring. There were seven of them; big bulky things.
With a shrug he tried the first in the sequence and found it was the right one, right away. If it hadn't worked, he'd have tried the last next.
As he opened that door it gave a slight squeak. Immediately and, as if in response, he could hear a couple of gasps and a quiet whimper as if from a small girl.
There were six cells, three each side of a short passageway. At the end of the passageway was a plain wooden cabinet up against the wall and facing Harry. Each cell door was a simple wrought iron cell door set with bolts into the plain undressed stone of the walls.
Harry walked past each of the first four, glancing within each as he went, before he reached the furthest two; the first one on his right he passed was empty. Looking within the first of the last two, he was quick to open it. There was a younger and older witch inside. Both were sitting on a wooden pallet-style bed and appeared a little worse for wear. As soon as they saw him the younger one whimpered a little and was cuddling into the older one.
"Ladies," he quietly said. "I'm here to rescue you." The older of the two looked back with defiance and said, "And who might you be? You're no auror."
"What?" he asked, pretending to be offended. "Only aurors can effect rescues?"
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"You may call me... Dudley Do-Right of the Canadian Mounties," he replied. "Neither of you might be Nell Fenwick, but I'll rescue you anyway."
While she looked at him with suspicion he asked, "Can both of you walk? Or, do I need to find a healer to come down here, first?"
"We can walk," she grumped.
"Good," he replied, "I have other cells to open." Then he spun around and went to the cell opposite.
Looking in at the man inside he realised it was Florean Fortescue. He was conscious, sitting on the wooden pallet thing and looking back in suspicion.
"Hi!" he said, unlocking the door. "I'll be your friendly neighbourhood rescuer today. Are you able to walk?"
"Yes," said Fortescue, struggling to stand. "I can walk."
"Excellent," smiled Harry, after making sure the man was at least on his feet.
The next cell contained a goblin, of all beings. It was Griphook. He, too, was sitting on the wooden pallet.
"Well met, Cart Goblin Griphook," said Harry. He then goblin-saluted the being.
The goblin just huffed at him and sneered, ignoring the salute. Harry mentally reasoned it meant he'd been taken before Harry was accorded his Warrior's Honour by Ragnok. By rights, Harry knew he could take offence. He didn't and soon had the door unlocked and open. "On your feet, Grip of the Hook Clan. Time to go."
That had the goblin looking at him with hate, but getting to his feet.
The next and opposite had an auror, in uniform.
"Hi there," said Harry. "You ready to get back to work, Auror?"
The auror, who was not sitting on the pallet, was standing with his back against the opposite wall, had his arms crossed and was frowning at Harry as Harry unlocked the door.
"You're... really here to rescue us?" he warily asked.
"Yup!" Harry returned, pulling the door open. "I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am the hairball that clogs your drains. I am the surprise in your cereal box. I... am Darkwing Duck!" Harry mentally smirked at the man's expression and thought, 'Who'd have thought surreptitiously watching the cartoons on the telly while Dudley watched them, back before Hogwarts, would come in so handy?'
Moving on to the next one there was, to start with, a woman dressed in what looked like Healer's robes inside. She was with a woman with two young girls. Other than the healer, the other three were dressed muggle. However, their clothing was pretty torn up even worse than it was for the two witches in the first cell he opened at the end. Harry had a pretty fair idea why they were there... and still alive. It did not bear thinking upon.
"Good afternoon," he almost chirpily said. Looking to the older women of the three muggles he asked, "Who knows what evil lurks within the hearts of men?"
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