This was written for the Woman in Black challenge by Hermione's Harmony over at HPFC. This is my first time writing Hannah Abbott, so I hope it's not too bad :D
Hannah Abbott smiled up at the small group that had assembled in the safe house. It was her birthday, so she was wearing the special Abbott family birthday robes. They were outdated by at least a century, but she had worn them every year for her birthday since she could remember, as had all the members of the Abbott family. Something about the robes felt so… homey and familiar. In the midst of the war, it was hard to find that feeling anymore.
People she loved and valued were turning against the light, and she couldn't understand it.
There should be no need for Harry Potter and his friends to have to go to the Ministry! There should be no darkness in the world. It was like Dumbledore said, anyway; love was key. Without love, the good side would fall apart and do things that were just as bad as the dark side. Without love, there would be battles ending in a bloodied field, with the flowers and plants covered in a thick layer of soot, blood, and dirt. Without love, she wouldn't be there at all, celebrating her birthday.
Her family had gone into hiding at the beginning of the summer, and she had been shuffled around so much that she didn't even know where her parents were hiding.
You never know who is feeding information to the Death Eaters, they said. She didn't even know who they were!
But there was to be none of that today. Today was about her-her birthday. She and her family members had somehow convinced Dumbledore to have someone set up a small place in which they could meet for a few hours. She was grateful for it, even though it wasn't perfect. As long as her parents were there, she had no complaints. They had surprised her by inviting her grandparents and cousins.
They sang to her and cheered with happiness. In the small space where they were squished against each other, they moved around to try and hand her presents.
Though there weren't many people, it was still bustling with activity, and Hannah grabbed at presents. She hardly looked up at the people actually giving the boxes and bags to her in order to make sure nothing fell and broke.
She began to open the boxes one by one, and her relatives sat around her in order to see what she was getting.
There was a book titled How to Make Flowers Dance, which she suspected was one of her younger cousins' presents as it seemed like something one would give to a child, but thanked them anyway. There were different robes made of soft silk, and many scarves that her older relatives had knitted for her.
Finally, there was one more present left.
Someone accidentally nudged someone else, who spilled his drink on her robes. Hannah felt a bit saddened as she realized that the stain would be difficult to get out. These robes were quite special to her family. Nevertheless, she didn't want to ruin the happy spirit of the get-together, and began to rip the wrapping paper open with a genuine smile on her face.
Once she opened the box, Hannah found that she couldn't breathe... literally.
"Wha-?" she couldn't finish her question because an unknown force silenced her.
The world seemed to freeze as her fingers landed on some soft, warm robes. Black robes. Death Eater robes.
Then the world resumed, but it was faster than usual. She saw as her family scattered outside, screaming in fright. She hated this, watching from her frozen position.
Something was ripping down her body now, like sharp nails. The robes she was wearing were torn to shreads, and tears stung her eyes as she felt the cold air from the open windows hit her slightly damp skin. Then the robes, which had to be cursed, lifted out of the box. They resembled a person, and they floated towards her. She tried to scream, but her throat wasn't able to form sound. She tried to move, but she was frozen. Hannah suddenly realized that she wasn't frozed out of shock, but that she really couldn't move. Someone was cursing her. Who was it? Please not one of my family members, not them. Let them be innocent. Spare them.
The robes floated closer and closer, and Hannah felt cold air emanating from the fabric. It made goosebumps rise on her skin, and then it was over.
The robes slipped onto her, and she shivered at the sheer energy coming from them. She felt herself being lifted and taken out the door, and her head lolled back. Then, she saw them. Her family and friends were screaming as they watched her being lifted up in the air. They were unable to do aything to help her, and their distress showed on thier faces. She hated this, but she was also powerless to stop it.
Then the pain started, and she let out the scream that had been building in her chest. She heard sobs and the pops of apparition. She hoped everyone got away before someone appeared to take her away. Why was she being targeted? Why now?
Not them, take me, she pleaded in her head, though it was now getting hard to focus on anything. Her body was on fire, though the evil chill from the robes was settling in her bones and making her shiver. She screamed again, and her body threatened to make whatever was in her stomach reappear. Her arms thrashed around and her legs kicked in the air, trying to free her from the invisible force.
The tingly feeling in her stomach told her that she was falling, which should have been cause for worry - she was quite high in the sky, but she was already unconcious.
Nymphadora Tonks appeared as the young woman hit the ground with a sickening thud. She could see that the robes were draining Abbott's strength, but no matter hard she tugged, the black robes didn't come off. Feeling panicked, Auror Tonks apparated herself and Hannah to St. Mungo's.
Two weeks later, Hannah Abbott woke up. Her injuries were healing nicely, but the Mediwitches still hadn't been able to get the black robes off.
Thanks for reading! Review?