Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Warning: Slight torture (use of the Cruciatus curse).
Note: Written for the 365 Days Prompt Challenge (Day 31 - Voldemort Wins AU) and the Year Long Scavenger Hunt Competition and Challenge (Write about a parent's worst nightmare).
WC: 526
Helpless
Dudley picked petulantly at the stale loaf of bread in his hands, taking an experimental bite before scowling. He threw it furiously at the ground, the loaf hitting the sidewalk with a loud smack, pieces of crust flying off. Petunia gasped, bending down and grabbing the bread, brushing it off and trying to force it back in her son's hand. He only shrieked and pushed it away, arms flying about to smack it from him. She nervously glanced around, pleading with her son to please be quiet. Petunia knelt down on the ground, abandoning her pride (not that she had much nowadays), hands gripping Dudley's shoulders tightly. Other men and women stared at them, taking in the tattered brown tunics before sneering with varying degrees of disgust and superiority.
"Duddykins, please, this is all the food we have," Petunia coaxed, an urgent plea in her voice, heart racing when one of the cloaked men with the bone white masks started heading in their direction.
"I don't want it!" Dudley wailed, face an angry red as he stomped his foot, ignoring his mother's frantic hushing. His cornflower blue eyes were teary, ears pink with indignation, not comprehending why they always received small portions of stale food and second hand, threadbare clothes, why they had to duck their heads down and fold their hands when those people with cloaks passed by, why he couldn't go to school and see his friends, why his dad was gone and his mother didn't smile anymore.
"Is there a problem?" a deep, serious voice asked, and Dudley flinched when he met cold steel eyes.
"No, no, sir," Petunia hurried to say, averting her eyes as she pulled her son close. Dudley looked up and upon seeing the man's scarred, scowling face, started crying even harder. His loud wails filled the plaza. The cloaked figure moved forward, and Petunia instinctively tried to shield her son.
"Please, please," she begged, breaking code and peering into merciless eyes that stared down at her, "he's just a child, he's just a little boy."
"Hand him over," he commanded.
"No, please!"
"Give him to me," his voice raised in irritation.
"Please!"
He reached into his pocket, jabbing a stick in her direction and watched impassively as the thin woman crumbled to the floor with a scream, body convulsing, thrashing wildly on the ground. The boy's bawling only rose in volume to echo his mother's, their tortured shrieks haunting the air. And finally, the man canceled the spell, and Petunia twitched pathetically on the floor, nerves on fire and fear clutching her heart at the absolute hatred she saw in his eyes. She opened her mouth to protest when her Dudley was dragged away, kicking and screaming only to be smacked cruelly, small body falling to the ground before he was pulled onto his feet forcibly to follow. But all that came out was a pitiful moan, eyes latching onto her son the way her arms failed to do so.
"Mommy!" Dudley cried out, sobbing.
Tears fell from her face as she was forced to hear his screams, helpless to stop these monsters from ripping apart her family.