Nothingness (Prologue)
Rose fell to the ground with a grunt, her energy long gone. In her left hand, she clutched her wand with a death-grip – it was her lifeline right now; she needed it to survive more than anything. Well, she also needed to get off her arse and fight. Blue eyes looked around her and she screamed her frustration. Why was she on the ground? She was Rose Weasley, for Christ's sake; she didn't just give up. She fought and giving up wasn't in her nature, as tempting as it was one-hundred percent of the time.
But no matter how much she willed her body to move, it wouldn't budge. She felt so powerless and she hated herself for it. Her arm was moist where her head lay on it – was she bleeding? When had she got hit? Slowly, she peeled her head away from her arm to reveal a patch of crimson where it had been. Her head throbbed with the movement and the images before her moved.
Clenching her eyes shut, she breathed deeply. Think, Rose. Stall and gain your energy back. She could hear laughter behind her, the sound sick and cold and causing her blood to boil. That bastard. Where was Hugo? Where were her Dad and the other agents? Were they okay? Didn't they hear her previous duel?
Where were they?
Pressing her palms against the concrete, Rose gave one fierce push, effectively rolling onto her back. Leaning onto her elbows, she pushed impatiently at her hair, which had come out of its ponytail during her duel. The witch made a mental note to make an appointment to have it cut; it was too long and wild and was getting in her way. Dark blue eyes focused on the figure before her and, as she opened her mouth to yell or curse, the figure's wand was pointed directly at her.
"Crucio!"
A piercing scream tore through her lips. It seemed to fill the whole room. Her wand rolled from her hand as she writhed on the floor, powerless and in agony. Her body felt as if it were being stabbed endlessly. Then, as quickly as it had happened, it was over. Rose lay on her side, gasping.
"Crucio!"
Her head banged against the concrete, causing her vision to swim. She curled in on herself, wanting to scream. Scream for Hugo, her Dad – for anyone. Where were they? She needed to scream for help, but she couldn't. She could only gasp and writhe and stare at the moving world around her and pray it would all stop soon. She closed her eyes, begging for darkness and oblivion.
After what felt like hours, the agonizing pain subsided: replacing it was a dull throb. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Rose knew she needed to stand and fight, but her body was no longer her own. She lay, twitching and gasping and staring in front of her, looking but not really seeing.
A shadow then fell over her. She wanted to turn and tell whoever it was to go away, but she couldn't. Vaguely, she could hear the person mutter one word, "Obliviate", before she slipped into nothingness.