Ron got hurt - 3

Wormtail looked up at him fearfully. "Harry, what do you need with me? You know how this has to end. You're both going to die," he said, his voice dripping with false sorrow.

"Not until I'm ready," Harry replied, "and you're going to be my shield when I walk out that door."

"What?" Wormtail asked, his face blanching.

"What's the matter, Wormtail? You don't trust your new friends not to sacrifice you? You should have stuck with your old ones, then. They never would have betrayed you," Harry said, roughly dragging Wormtail to his feet.

He quickly cast a Silencing Charm so that Wormtail wouldn't get the opportunity to give them away. He was about to slice his arm in order to open the archway when Ron stopped him.

"Harry, don't! Crabbe got me with a Slicing Curse when they first entered, and my arm's still bleeding. I'll do it."

Harry nodded. Pulling Wormtail to one side, he watched as Ron smeared his blood onto the stone. The white light around the archway shimmered for a moment before illuminating fully. The solid stone once again disappeared, leaving the arch open.

They weren't immediately ambushed, although Harry could hear voices arguing ahead. He was startled when water began rushing through the now open archway. The tide was rising, and the floor of the outer cave was filling.

Shoving Wormtail ahead of him and holding his wand firmly, Harry moved through the arch. The moonlight outside illuminated the front of the cave where Snape stood with at least four other Death Eaters. The back of the cave was darker and allowed Harry and the others to remain hidden in the shadows.

Unmasked, Snape was arguing contemptuously with another Death Eater. Although the smaller figure remained hidden beneath her mask, the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange was unmistakable.

Harry felt a boiling anger rise in his heart. This was his chance to finally battle two of the people who'd each taken someone precious to him. He clenched his wand so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. Although the rage was still there, he knew he had to be careful this time. He needed to plan this and not simply react to it, or all hope would be lost.

Harry moved into the interior of the cave, pushing Wormtail ahead of him with his wand. The floor was damp and slippery as rivulets of water rushed over his feet, pushed by the incoming tide. He could feel the water quickly soak through his trainers and hoped the squelching sound wouldn't give them all away. He didn't want to chance voicing a drying spell.

There was no way to get past Snape and the others unnoticed, but Harry hoped the element of surprise would be on their side.

Wormtail ruined that chance by stomping his foot, causing a loud splash that echoed throughout the chamber. The Death Eaters turned, surprised, before they began firing an assortment of spells.

Harry yanked Wormtail in front of him and slammed him into the wall. He aimed his wand at the nearest Death Eater, who was striding towards him with a malevolent expression on his haggard face, and fired a Stinging Hex straight at the man's eyes. The Death Eater yelped, slapping his hand over his eye as he began to hop around madly. Harry quickly cast a Stunning spell, dropping him to the ground.

He scanned the cave, taking note of their escape route. He could now count a total of five Death Eaters, including the one he'd just Stunned.