Title: Whisper

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own the rights to the characters OR the lyrics in this story… they're the property of J.K. Rowling and Evanescence respectively.

A/N: So this was written in response to the Evanescence / Within Temptation challenge, and I thought I'd give it a try. This isn't set in any specific time-frame, but we'll say OOtP-ish, before the Ministry acknowledged Voldemort's return. (We're gonna pretend like Tonks had Teddy around this time so that my story can work.) Like it / hate it, either way I'd like to know. R&R and constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcome.

Whisper-

I wake up in darkness, and I almost don't notice that I'm not in my own room. It's not until I take a deep breath of the thick, moist air that I realize I'm on a cold, damp ground rather than in my bed. Just as I begin assessing my situation, I am made painfully aware of the stiffness in my shoulders and of the lack of motor function in my hands. I conclude that there's not much I can do for myself, and my thoughts drift to Remus and Teddy. My heart sinks down into my stomach when the last thing I remember is falling asleep in Remus' arms, with Teddy in the crib next to our bed.

'Damnit! That means that whoever's got me must have them too!' I think to myself.

Before I can begin to try to fight my bonds, a deep, cold chuckle echoes through the darkness. I know that chuckle all too well, and I can feel the goose-bumps form on my arms. She wastes no time in lighting the room and striding over to me, crouching down to whisper in my ear. Her words are horrifying, I feel them in my heart, more so than I hear them. She confirms my fear, explicitly detailing her capture of my entire family. She stands up, and cocks her head to one side, as if she's thinking of her next move. Suddenly, her wand is out. One silent flick of her wand sends torrents of pain through my body, and I escape to my last memory of Remus and Teddy, but with a wicked cackle, I'm brought back to reality as the pain shooting through my body intensifies. As quickly as it'd come, it was gone. I gasp when the spell is released, and within seconds, I regain full control of my breathing, forcing it to slow down.

Catch me as I fall
Say you're here and it's all over now
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself
This truth drives me
Into madness
I know I can stop the pain
If I will it all away

I force myself to look her in the eyes, hoping to come off tougher than I am, hoping to be intimidating enough for her to let my family go. I know my efforts are futile before I try them, but I try anyway.

"Oh, aren't we the brave one today, Nymphadora?" She taunts me. If my hands weren't completely useless from a lack of blood-flow, they would've curled into fists at the sound of my first name, but since they can't, I just maintain my cold stare. "You know," she begins "There's not many people who'd dare to even glance into my eyes, let alone stare so disrespectfully." She re-draws her wand and traces it from my temple down my jaw-line, finally letting it rest against my neck.

Don't turn away
(Don't give in to the pain)
Don't try to hide
(Though they're screaming your name)
Don't close your eyes
(God knows what lies behind them)
Don't turn out the light
(Never sleep never die)

I can feel my breath quicken again, and my heart feels as though it's going to beat out of my chest. Seconds pass before she's grinning from ear to ear, tauntingly tracing her wand along the length of my neck. I'm so focused on the wood in her left hand, that I don't notice the silver dagger in her right until it's plunged into my stomach.

The force is so intense that I cry out, but my voice is cut short as snake-like ropes slide from her wand around my neck, constricting my breathing just enough to make my breaths come in violent gasps, while not rendering me unconscious. She watches as I fight to stay conscious, taunting me with her wicked grin and cackling laugh. Just as I'm about to fall into the darkness, she twists the dagger that's still protruding from my abdomen, I gasp harder at the pain as she removes the dagger. She brings it to my neck like she'd done with her wand, and I force myself to look her in the eye again.

I'm frightened by what I see
But somehow I know
That there's much more to come
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be
Blinded by tears
I can stop the pain
If I will it all away

I will NOT give her the satisfaction of crying out for mercy. I know the cold shell of a woman in front of me doesn't comprehend the meaning of the word, much less possess any. If I'm gonna die today, it's gonna' be staring my killer in the eye- although the blood that's now pouring from my stomach is making the idea of sleep sound worlds better than looking Bellatrix Lestrange in the eye, but a voice inside my head reminds me to be strong for my husband and son.

"Aren't we having fun?" She squeals like a child, and it makes me sick to my stomach. She plunges the knife back into my abdomen, cackling with delight as I clamp my jaw shut to keep from crying out. "Oh, the look in you're eyes, little niece of mine!"

I take myself back to the memory of my family, but Bellatrix follows me there, now invading my thoughts, putting herself in the picture, holding MY son in her arms. She forces us both back to reality once again, and now I'm shaking from the blood I've lost. My eyes flutter shut for a moment that feels like hours, but this time I'm awoken by the painful surge of blood that floods my now un-restrained hands.

"You're too weak to fight back anyway! Might as well watch you try to save yourself." She states this matter-of-factly, but it's the first time it's occurred to me. I'm too late in reacting, however, and I don't have the strength to stop the bleeding. She stands over me again, watching as I writhe and gasp, still refusing to cry out. The darkness pulls at the corners of my eyes again, and the last things I can remember are the loud 'Crack' , the dizzy feeling of apparition, and a final cackle, accompanied by another torrent of pain. "Until we meet again, darling niece…" she coos in my ear, shoving a slip of paper into my hand just before I succumb to the darkness.

Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me
Shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for
I rise to meet the end

When I awake for the first time in St. Mungo's, I'm greeted with the sound of the heart monitor beside my bed. The reassuring beep that accompanies my now at-rest heart beat puts me back into a deep sleep, and when I wake again, my room is filled with concerned faces staring down at me from every corner of the room.

My eyes drift from face to face, and I recognize most of them immediately. When my look finally falls to the figure closest to the side of my bed, I smile broadly and my hair turns bubble-gum pink with the happiness that fills my heart. Remus is holding Teddy tightly in his arms, nodded off to sleep in an armchair beside my bed. I know it was he and Teddy that pulled me through.

The doctor tells me the note was a 'reminder' of Voldemort's presence for the minister, along with numerous other things that I'm not listening to. I'm too busy silently thanking the heavens for Remus and Teddy, my guardian angels.

Servatis a periculum (Save us from danger)
Servatis a maleficum (Save us from evil)

A/N2: So did you like it? Did you hate it? (Do you not have a disposition to either of the aforementioned options, but you want to make Moriah T feel better by reviewing? lol, jk!) Whatever the case may be, R&R and thanks for reading! Also, I -never- write in 1st person, so what'd you think about that?