And this is how it feels when I ignore the words you spoke to me
And this is where I lose myself when I keep running away from you
And this is who I am when, when I don't know myself anymore
Breathe your life into me
I can feel you
I'm falling, falling faster
And this is how it looks when I am standing on the edge
And this is how I break apart when I finally hit the ground
And this is how it hurts when I pretend I don't feel any pain
And this is how I disappear when I throw myself away
[Breathe Into Me by Red]
"What is this? What's happened Cissy?"
They all looked toward the drawing room door, where Bellatrix Lestrange made her way over to the prisoners.
"Potter's been caught," smiled Lucius.
"Potter?" Bellatrix's heavy lidded eyes widened. "Are you sure? Well then, the Dark Lord must be informed at once!"
She dragged back her left sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark on her arm.
"I was about to call him!" said Lucius, taking a hold of his sister in law's elbow.
Brooke's focus began to fade back and forth between the in-laws and the boy standing apart from the chaos. He looked frozen in mid turn to see what was going on.
Pursing her lips she stared right back at him. Hmph. I'm not dead, am I? she tried to tell him with her face.
A loud bang echoed in the main room, breaking their silent conversation. All of the snatchers were on the floor, stunned, while Greyback kneeled at Bellatrix's feet.
"Where did you get this sword?" she whispered to him.
"Release me, woman!"
"Where did you get this sword?" she repeated. "Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!"
"It was in their tent," Greyback replied. "Release me, I say!"
Sighing, she complied.
"Draco, move this scum outside," she said, lazily waving her hand at the fallen snatchers. "If you haven't got the guts to finish them, then leave them in the courtyard for me."
"Don't you dare speak to Draco like-"
"Be quiet!" Bellatrix yelled at her sister. "The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy! We have a very serious problem!"
She began to pace around them.
"The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think what to do!"
"This is my house, Bella, you don't give orders in my-"
"Do it! You have no idea of the danger we are in!" she shrieked.
Glaring, Lucius complied.
"Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Draco."
"Wait," Bellatrix said sharply and slowly approached Hermione. "All except…except for the Mudblood."
"No!" shouted Ron. "You can have me, keep me!"
Bellatrix hit him across the face.
"If she dies under questioning, I'll take you next," she said, grabbing his face.
With a silver knife from her robes, Bellatrix cut Hermione from the rest of them and dragged her by the hair into the middle of the room.
Draco led them from behind, threatening them with a wand Brooke knew he was too much of a pansy to use. He was a slimy, backstabbing, too afraid to do anything bastard. She hated him. She just wanted to grab him by the shoulders and…and…
Brooke gave her robe binds a hard tug apart, frustrated by her memory influenced thoughts. That one time, snogging in the Room of Requirement was a lapse in judgment; grabbing by the shoulders backfired and look where that led her: crumpled on the castle floor. Bastard.
Being ushered into the prison cell, Brooke let Ron and Harry go in, still attached to her wrists.
She faced Draco.
"Surprised to see me alive?" she said, controlling her voice as much as possible. Brooke didn't wait for any response before stepping into the prison cell, still close by, but looking elsewhere.
Above them, someone screamed terribly.
"HERMIONE!" Ron bellowed, trying to break out of the binds.
Draco closed the bars on them. He was about to walk away, but looked up.
"I'm not doing this, alright?" he said with clenched teeth.
"No?" Brooke took a step toward him, feeling about to burst into yelling. "You're just being Imperised then, is that it?"
He kept the glower on his face. "It's not that-"
"Then what! Somewhere inside of you is horrible horrible person, a Death Eater who wants to lock us up, just like how you wanted to kill me," growled Brooke.
"I wasn't trying to kill you!" he said defensively.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she scathed. "What were you doing, hm?"
More screams erupted from the main room, mixed with incoherent yelling from Bellatrix.
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" Ron kept shouted, moving around so much, that Brooke was being pulled back sporatically.
"You were going to be killed," Draco said over the noise. "I had to do something."
"To prevent me from being killed, you decided to just do it yourself?" Brooke exasperated, feeling her eyes growing increasingly hot and blurred.
Everything was overwhelming her. Hearing Hermione being tortured made her throat constrict. Hearing Ron half sobbing and desperately trying to get to the main room hardly made it any better.
Draco wasn't saying anything. Instead he was staring at her again with an expression that puzzled Brooke. She couldn't read it.
He swiftly turned and left back up the stairs.
"You're such a coward!" she screamed at him.
He was gone.
When she heard the door close, Brooke scrunched her face with her head
on the metal bars.
"Ron, stop moving!" gasped Harry, wriggling.
"Almost got it," someone nearby said.
She hardly noticed the two others in the cell. Luna Lovegood was trying help
Harry cut the ropes. There was a gash on his wrist.
"Ron, please stay still!" Luna whispered. "I can't see what I'm doing."
"My pocket!" said Ron. "In my pocket, there's a Deluminator and it's full of light!"
Bulbs of bright white light flew into the cellar from the Deluminator, revealing the tattered face of Luna Lovegood, her eyes still shining despite the paleness in her face. In the corner was Ollivander, awake, but other that that, seemed on the verge of death. Dean stood bound to Griphook, as disheveled as in the forest.
"You are lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth!"
The scream carried into the cellar, echoing in her ears.
"HERMIONE!"
"Ron! Ron, please," Brooke tried not to sob, "please, just calm down."
With a final hack with the nail, Luna got their binds off and Brooke immediately placed a hand on Ron's back.
More comfortable now, Griphood sunk to the floor. Dean walked over to Luna, saying a soft "thanks," while Harry stood with his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!"
Brooke's hand was clenched so much that the blood rushed out of them. Harry began to dig through Hagrid's pouch around his neck, while Ron ran around the cellar, looking desperately for some kind of trapdoor.
With screams still piercing the air, Ron started to half sob, pounding on the walls with his fists.
Brooke rushed towards him and gently pulled his arm. Immediately, he turned and put his face on her shoulder, crying. It had an almost instant domino effect on her.
"She'll be alright," Brooke tried to comfort him.
"Help us!" Harry yelled at something in his hands. "We're in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, help us!"
Hermione's screams began to intensify, the worst they've heard.
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" Ron yelled again.
"How did you get into my vault?"
"We've never been inside your vault…It isn't the real sword! It's a copy, just a copy!"
"A copy?" Bellatrix shrieked. "Oh, a likely story!"
"But we can find out easily!" came Lucius's voice. "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!"
As soon as the door opened, Brooke let go of Ron and charged to the metal bars.
"You're just standing there and letting them torture her!" she shouted at Draco.
Silence. Brooke scoffed.
"There's nothing I can do that won't put myself or my family in danger," he retorted.
"Of course," she said. "Always in it for yourselves."
"Me risking my life isn't going to save hers," he said sharply.
"Well it sure didn't save mine," she breathed. "Not like you tried."
He broke the gaze and looked at Griphook.
"You, follow me," he ordered.
Soon, they were gone.
Ron clicked the Deluminator, releasing the balls of light back into the air. All of a sudden, Dobby, the house-elf apparated into the cell.
"DOB-"
Harry hit Ron to stop him from shouting.
"Harry Potter," the familiar elf squeaked. "Dobby has come to rescue you."
"But how did you-"
Another scream.
"You can Disapparate out of the cellar?" Harry asked Dobby hurriedly.
Dobby nodded his head enthusiastically.
"And you can take humans with you?"
He nodded again.
"Right. Dobby, I want you to grab Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander, and take them- take them to-"
"Bill and Fleur's," said Ron. "Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth!"
Nodding, Dobby paid full attention with his orb like eyes.
"And then come back," said Harry. "Can you do that, Dobby?"
"Of course, Harry Potter," whispered Dobby, who rushed to the others and grabbed their hands.
"Harry, we want to help you," Luna protested.
"We can't leave you here," agreed Dean.
"Go, both of you! We'll see you at Bill and Fleur's."
Hesitant, Luna and Dean reached for Dobby's hand as well and the three of them along with Mr. Ollivander disappeared with a loud crack.
"What was that?" Lucius sounded from the room above.
They froze.
"Draco-no, call Wormtail! Make him go and check!"
All they could do was listen to the footsteps moving closer and closer to the cellar door.
"We're going to have to try and tackle him," Harry whispered.
She and Ron nodded.
"And leave the lights on," added Harry when Ron took out his Deluminator.
"Stand back," Wormtail warned. "Stand away from the door. I am coming in."
Once the door opened and Wormtail made the slightest squint from the Deluminator light orbs, the three of them leapt on top of him. Brooke forced his left arm to the floor, trying to hone her weight where needed.
Wormtail's wand sparked and his silver hand closed around Harry's throat.
"What is it, Wormtail?" called Lucius Malfoy.
"Nothing!" Ron yelled in an impersonation of Wormtail.
The silver fingers kept its grip, tighter and tighter. Ron's attempt to help get it off weren't making progress. Unsure of what to do, Brooke placed her own hand on Wormtail's throat in hopes he would stop, but it hardly made a difference.
"You're going to kill me?" Harry choked. "After I saved your life? You owe me, Wormtail!"
To all their surprise, even Wormtail's, the hand slowly released Harry, turning on its owner's own throat. Brooke immediately withdrew her hand out of the way and they let go of Wormtail completely, trying to pry the hand off of his throat.
With one last twitch, he lay still.
Brooke stared, wide eyed at his dead body.
"Leave him," said Harry, although looking curiously at the silver hand clasped around Wormtail's throat.
They headed to the door and snuck out, silently creeping as far into the hall without being seen from the drawing room. Peering over, she could see Bellatrix standing over Griphook. He held the shining Gryffindor sword. A bush of hair lay next to Bellatrix, unmoving.
"Well?" Bellatrix said. "Is this the true sword?"
"No," replied Griphook. "It is a fake."
"Are you sure?" she asked. "Quite sure?"
"Yes."
"Good," Bellatrix said and with a quick swish, made a slash in Griphook's face. He yelled and held his face in his hands. "And now," she pulled up her sleeve, "we call the Dark Lord!"
As soon as her finger touched the Dark Mark, Harry doubled over. Brooke lunged to keep him from falling.
Not wanting to make a sound, she lifted his face upwards. His eyes were shut and his face showing a great deal of pain.
"And I think," said Bellatrix from the drawing room, "we can dispose of the Mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want her."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Ron burst into the room with his wand, brushing past Brooke and Harry, who quickly followed after him.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled and Bellatrix's wand flew into his hand.
Lucius, Narcissa, Greyback, Bellatrix and Draco turned around, beginning a shower of lights.
"Stupefy!" Harry shouted, making Lucius fall onto the hearth.
Brooke hurriedly dodged the spells and knelt next to Hermione, trying to wake her up.
"Hermione," she said, gently shaking her. "Hermione, get up."
A hand came out of nowhere and smacked her across the face, knocking her backwards.
"Avada Kedavra!" Bellatrix pointed at her.
Brooke rolled to the right, feeling the heat of the spell on the tip of her ear.
"STOP OR SHE DIES!" Bellatrix yelled, holding a knife at the unconscious Hermione's neck. "Drop your wands. Drop them, or we'll see exactly how filthy her blood is!"
Brooke slowly stood up, still holding her wand. Both Ron and Harry stood still, wands at their side.
"I said, drop them!" she ordered, the knife's tip pressing further. Red beads of blood began to leak from her throat.
They let go of their wands and put their hands up to their shoulders.
"Draco, get the wands."
He immediately reached at the feet of Harry and Ron, then made his way over to Brooke. Draco stood up slowly, with her wand in hand as Brooke watched him intently.
"Now," Bellatrix said softly. "Cissy, I think we ought to tie these little heroes up again, while Greyback takes care of Miss Mudblood."
A low grumbling grew louder and louder to catch their attention. They looked up to see the crystal chandelier shake with a million clinks and give the ceiling trailing cracks. As if in slow motion, the chandelier detached.
Bellatrix let Hermione go and jumped out of the way. A high pitched crash landed on top of Hermione and Griphook, while the crystals fired in different directions. Brooke crouched behind one of the couches and got up to see Draco clutching his bloody face.
Ron rushed to pull Hermione out, while Harry leapt to grab their wands from Draco.
"Stupefy!" he yelled at Greyback, pointing with all three wands. The force threw him off his feet and on top of the coffee table.
"Dobby!" Narcissa screamed. "You! You dropped the chandelier-?"
"You must not hurt Harry Potter," he said, trotting into the room.
"Kill him, Cissy!" Bellatrix yelled.
Brooke moved her attention away from the sisters and dashed to catch the wand Harry threw at her.
"Go!" he bellowed, pulling Griphook from the chandelier.
In a quick moment glance, she made sure Ron had Hermione and disapparated.
Focusing on Bill and Fleur's house in Shell Cottage, Brooke spun. Only when her surroundings began to blur did she feel a tug on her left wrist. Through the changing environment and squeezing she made out a single hand and panicked, losing her concentration.
Unsure of the result, she tried to channel it back onto another location. It was the first thing she could think of.
Suddenly, it felt like a cold knife slashed at her ankle.
The moment they stopped spinning, she collapsed onto the concrete sidewalk, clutching her ankle.
It would've been excruciatingly painful if Brooke hadn't been more alarmed by the tall pale boy landing on the ground next to her.
A/N: Thank you guys for reviewing! :D I love reading them and it helps me keep track of youuur perspective of the story. So keep reviewing and telling me your thoughts!