Chapter 1: Captured

Pieces of the moon
Pieces of my heart
Fragments of silver
Lie broken in the dark
Bloodstains upon glass
Shimmering beneath the mark
Can you save me?
Or will you let me fall apart?

It didn't take Violet long to pack up a few of her belongings and place them in a black, velvet drawstring bag. She put an undetectable extention charm on the bag so she could easily carry everything with her in one place, then slipped on her black travelling cloak, tucked her wand into her pocket, and then left her mother's house in search of her sister.

Violet first checked the places her sister was known to visit. She checked The Three Broomsticks and The Leaky Cauldron, but there was no sign of her. She then began looking around Diagon Alley, asking the owner of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor if Heather had stopped by recently. Violet and Heather always enjoyed going to the ice cream parlor in the summer. They'd done so for years since they were children. But today Heather was nowhere to be seen.

There was no point in searching for her sister around Knockturn Alley. Heather wasn't the type to visit places like that. And by now it was nearly noon. Violet had been searching for her sister all morning. So she went back to The Leaky Cauldron and bought herself some lunch, still wondering where her sister might have gone.

It was hard being without her sister. Violet was positively miserable without her sibling. Violet and Heather had always been so close, it didn't make sense that Heather would suddenly vanish without a trace. Could it possibly have had something to do with the war? People were mysteriously disappearing left and right these days, but most often it was muggles and muggleborns that went missing, not purebloods from rich ancient families.

Violet sighed, gazing down at the half eaten sandwich on her plate. She was losing her appetite due to stress and worry over her missing sibling. She was worried about her, and their mother didn't seem to care about the well being of either of her children.

Leaving the gold on the counter to pay for her meal, Violet finished her glass of firewhiskey and left her unfinished meal behind as she exited The Leaky Cauldron. If things kept going like this, it wouldn't be long until she needed more than single glass of firewhiskey to get her through this.

It was now getting late. Violet had been out searching for her sister all day, but there was still no sign of her. And long about now she was seriously beginning to regret the fact that she'd never mastered the ability to perfom a locating charm.

"Whoever said purebloods are better skilled at magic and most other things was wrong," Violet muttered to herself as she continued to walk along a long and winding dirt path outside of Hogsmeade village. "I can't even cast a simple locating charm to find my baby sister... Maybe I really am nothing but a failure."

Violet continued walking up a long, steep hill. Her feet, ankles and lower legs were beginning to ache, but still she kept going until she reached a fork in the road and turned left, continuing along a more level path across the hillside.

She knew where she was going. When she and Heather were teenagers, they used to spend their trips to Hogsmeade taking long walks together beyond the village and into the hills and woods. Violet knew this path well, as she and her sister had walked it several times before. And though she did't really expect to find her sister here, it wouldn't hurt to look, and taking a long walk in the peaceful countryside at dusk always helped her to relax and clear her mind.

As the evening began to draw to a close, Violet continued to walk the bare forest trail alone, lost in thoughts of her missing sister. To her right the sun was beginning to set, casting rays of amber and crimson light across the thin whisps of late summer clouds that slowly drifted across the horizon, bathing the nearby treetops with a warm, gentle glow. A faint breeze rustled the nearby bushes, a cool breeze, carrying with it the first subtle traces of the approaching autumn season. But as Violet stood listening to the leaves gently rustling in the early evening breeze, she heard something behind her. Something, or someone, was moving.

Violet drew her wand and quickly turned around, facing the tall trees and bushes that lined the side of the road. A tall, thin man with wild and unruly brown hair stepped out from behind a tree, his eyes dark and his face shadowed by the overhanging branches and foliage. A sly smile appeared on his lips and he spoke.

"'Ello beau'iful."

Violet took a step back. More men were now appearing from behind the trees and bushes. One of them, who had long, matted grey hair and smelled strongly of dirt, sweat, and dried blood looked as though he were part animal.

"I'd put tha wand away if I were you, pet," said the tall, brown haired man as he began to walk towards her. "You don't want to pick a fight with a band of Snatchers."

Snatchers. Was that what happened to Heather? Had she been captued by them and handed over to the Ministry? No. Heather was a pureblood. There's no way they would want to capture her. Right?

"Who are you?" Violet queried nervously, still pointing her wand at the tall man's chest, her hand trembling slightly as she took another step back.

"Tha is wha I am supposed to be asking you, not the other way around, princess. But if it pleases you, my name is Scabior." He then looked down at the ground behind Violet. "You take one more step back an you're going to fall down tha 'ill, pet. An tha 'ill looks like a long way down."

Violet glanced behind her. Scabior was right. A fall from that height could land her in St. Mungo's with a broken neck...that is if she survived the Snatchers first. But she was a pureblood. Surely they wouldn't want her. Either way, Violet didn't want to stick around long enough to find out. She wanted away from Scabior and his band of Snatchers, fast.

But it was too late. In the split second Violet had glanced over her shoulder at the steep hill behind her Scabior had quickly closed the gap between them as though he had apparated the few yards that separated them.

Violet gasped. Scabior had forcefully slammed her back up against a nearby tree, pinning her against the rough bark with the strength of his lean, muscular body. He drew his wand and jabbed the tip of it into the side of her neck.

"Drop your wand," he hissed in her ear. "Now."

The young witch was trembling visibly now. She could feel Scabior's hot breath on her cheek. His breath carried with it the distinct strong peppery smell of firewhiskey. Infact, now that she was this close to him, Violet realized that most of his entire body smelled of the warm pungent aroma of firewhiskey, along with a trace of other types of alcohal blended in.

Obeying his command, Violet dropped her wand. Moments later another Snatcher appeared and picked it up off the ground.

Violet was terrified and prayed that by following Scabior's orders she might be able to get out of this alive.

"Good girl," Scabior said softly, his voice surprisingly gentle when he wanted it to be. "Now, tell me who you are."

Violet swallowed hard, his wand still pressed aginst her neck. "Stregheria, Violet Stregheria. Pureblood."

Scabior's pale blue eyes widened slightly and he moved the tip of his wand a fraction of an inch away from her neck. "Oh really?" he sneered, a look of faint disbelief clearly present on his face. "Greyback!" he called out to the man with the matted filthy grey hair. "Do we 'ave a Violet Stregheria on our list?"

Greyback reached into his pocket and removed a small, black leather book. He began flipping through the pages until he found Violet's name.

"Here she is, Scabior," Greyback growled. "She's listed as a blood traiter who strongly supports the Order and muggle rights."

"What?" Violet almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But I'm a pureblood witch! You can't do this to me!"

Scabior's sneer grew into a sly smile. "Looks like we'll be 'olding on to you for a bit longer after all, pet."