Chapter Twenty: Escaping Evil
"Leave them in the cellar until I decide what to do with them," Bellatrix ordered, her voice venomous as she'd discovered the sword of Gryffindor upon them; the sword that should have been safely locked away in her vault at Gringotts.
Minutes after that instruction, the quartet found themselves in a dark room with no way out.
"Are you alright?" Ron was at Hermione's side seconds after he'd used his diluminator to light up the cell. Both she and Harry's faces were returning to their normal state now.
"Monty?" the sound caused all of them to turn in the direction it came from.
"Dean?" she stood slowly as her stomach still hurt immensely.
"Hello Harry," Luna spoke from Thomas' left. At her other side stood Ollivander and Griphook.
"How did you get here?" Dean rushed to Luce's side. The two hardly talked to one another these days, but that didn't stop him from caring for her.
"I could ask you the same," Luce smirked in spite of the situation they were all in. That was simply how she dealt with things. Sarcasm was the cure with her.
A firm hand upon her own reminded her, however, that Harry was just as much of a cure as sarcasm was.
"The light, Ron," Hermione hissed once she heard footsteps making their way back to the cellar. Thinking ever quickly, she pulled Harry away from Luce and went towards the darker part of the room to avoid being seen with their newly recovered faces.
"You two," Pettigrew pointed his wand at Ron and Luce, "come with me," he ordered timidly.
Said duo peered at each other for a moment, debating if they should go or just attack him.
"Don't do anything reckless children," they heard Ollivander advise to most likely all of them. Luce knew Harry and Hermione were struggling to simply let their loved ones go just as she and Ron were having a hard time leaving to what could be their deaths.
"C'mon Lu," Ron kept his narrowed eyes upon Pettigrew as he latched onto his friend's hand, hoping to reassure the both of them.
Once they stood outside the cell, the pathetic man locked it and shoved Luce and himself forward.
…
"Now," Bellatrix twirled her wand, her expression deathly as the two seventeen year olds stood unwillingly before her. Each had a deatheater keeping them not only firmly in place, but far enough apart from the other so that they couldn't try anything. "Tell me how you managed to break into my vault," she suddenly shrieked, causing Luce to jump slightly.
"We didn't break into anything," Ron spat, unafraid as his anger took over.
Just then, Luce felt an unbearable amount of pain surge throughout her body, causing the deatheater to support all of her weight as she screamed for all she was worth.
"Every time you lie, this one pays the price," Bellatrix enlightened him in a sing-song tone that only further proved her insanity. "Let's try this again, shall we?" she pointed her wand at Luce once more, "How did you break into my fault?"
…
Down in the cellar, Harry was losing his mind. Pacing back and forth frantically, no one could relax him.
"We can't just stand here!" Dean protested, fearing for his friend as much as Hermione was. Harry's fear was something none of them could compare to given the circumstances.
"I know, alright? I'm trying to think!" Hermione told him, her hands gripping tightly to her hair.
Right after she'd defended herself, Luce's screams faded. They all instantly feared the worst.
Hearing footsteps approach once more, Hermione pulled Harry into the darkness again, however with some help this time as he refused to go with ease.
"Don't be stupid," Dean warned; tugging on his left arm as Hermione held to his right.
"We can't just leave her-" he began, still struggling.
"You'll only make matters worse by turning yourself in, Harry," Hermione reminded him, barely holding herself together.
"Goblin," a different deatheater entered the cellar now, "with me."
Seeing no use in fighting, Griphook began moving towards the man that soon after fell unconscious.
"Dobby?" he couldn't believe speaking to the broken piece of enchanted mirror he'd kept stashed in his sock had actually worked. In a moment of desperation, he had pleaded to the man he thought he'd seen within its reflection previously.
"Who gets his wand?" the elf asked Harry, holding it between his tiny hands.
The group had never felt so relieved.
…
Once Ron apparated the lot of them to Bill and Fleur's cottage, Hermione noticed Dobby had been injured.
"Would you like for me to heal it for you?" she asked him, peering at the gash upon his scrawny arm.
With a snap of his fingers, the wound disappeared. "Nothing Dobby cannot fix, Miss," he assured with a lopsided grin.
Weakly smiling back, she redirected her attention to Luce.
Currently, the girl remained passed out within Harry's arms. Fortunately, she suffered no external injuries (aside from the bruise on her stomach). Unfortunately, none of them could say whether or not she'd be sane upon awakening.
Carrying her, and supporting Ollivander into the cottage, they could only hope.
…
"How is she?" Bill asked his brother that evening as the two, along with Hermione and Fleur, sat within the living room whilst the others recovered. Harry had remained stubborn in his decision to stay by Luce's side.
"She's still unconscious," Hermione answered for Ron. The redhead was simply too guilt-ridden for words at the moment.
"There was nothing you could've done," she tried reassuring him, a warm hand placed upon his back as they sat beside the other on the sofa.
Ron shook his head, not having it, "I could've lied or fought back," he swallowed hard to keep his emotions in check, "I could-"
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, maybe?" Luce cut in, her voice faint.
"Lu," he stood, causing Hermione to do the same.
"How are you feeling?" the brunette inquired, standing aside so that Harry could slowly guide her to the loveseat.
"Splendid," she replied sarcastically upon sitting down. Harry was quick to follow and wrap an arm about her protectively.
"Honestly, Luce," Hermione reprimanded, still pleased that her friend seemed okay.
"Sore," she finally confessed, "but I'll live."
"Would you like some tea?" Fleur offered, not knowing how else she could help the girl.
"That would be nice," Luce smiled slightly, not truly desiring a drink, but wanting the woman to feel useful.
Smiling back, said blonde left for the kitchen, her husband in tow.
"I'm sorry, Luce, I-" Ron had started back up again.
"You did everything you could," Luce hushed him. "I don't blame you for anything, okay?"
Accepting it for now, Ron just nodded.
"So, what's next?" she broke the uneasy silence that had formed around her.
"You rest," Harry told her, leaving no room for debate. "We'll plan everything in the morning."
"But we don't have the time-" she tried, not wanting to seem weak.
"We have time to rest," Hermione promised.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive," she confirmed, feeling tired as well.
Luce rested her head upon Harry's shoulder and fell asleep almost instantly. The conscious trio merely smiled on sadly.
Reviewer Responses:
1fanofthemarauders: It's so frustrating, isn't it? No feedback makes a person not want to post. I feel like fanfiction should be a get what you give place where the readers review for the author and the writers write for the readers. Anyways, thank you so much for always reviewing! I really appreciate it.