Chapter 33: Family Reunion

(Bella P.O.V.)

Footsteps. Running. I could hear someone running. Was this a dream, or was I coming back to consciousness again?

"I KILLED SIRIUS BLACK I KILLED SIRUIS BLACK" I heard a voice call in between cackles. Sirius? He couldn't be dead. He couldn't. Someone like Sirius doesn't just die like that. It can't be. "I KILLED SIRIUS BLACK"

I sucked in a breath. That voice. The voice I had only ever heard in my dreams. So now the question that was getting harder and harder to answer, was this a dream or was this real?

I struggled once again to open my eyes. This time was a little easier, but it took some concentration. I was lying flat on my back, looking up at the high ceilings of the ministry. It took me a moment to remember where I was. Dumbledore brought you here. Not a dream.

I lifted my shoulder and propped myself up with my left arm so that I was half sitting up in the direction I had heard the voice. I saw lights of spells being cast down a dark hallway. Followed by continuous laughing and taunts. Instinct made me feel around for my wand, but of course it was nowhere to be found in my flimsy Azkaban uniform.

"I KILLED SIRIUS BLACK I KILLED SIRIUS-"My heart stopped as my mother, Bellatrix Lestrange, emerged from the dark hallway. Her eyes immediately locking on mine, looking quite shocked.

It was even easier to see the resemblance in person. Little details like the exact shape of her jaw and the thickness of her eyelashes were hard to see in a picture. I'm sure that even now if I had a mirror, the same look of shock would be plastered on my face.

After a moment she recovered, and the look was replaced with a sinister smirk. Okay maybe there were some differences. I don't think I was capable of a look like that. One that chilled you to your very core, and made you stop breathing. My heart skipped and my head felt dizzy again. It took all that I had to not let it show on my face and maintain eye contact.

She cackled again "Well well well if it isn't my unthankful, disgrace of a daughter. Sorry about the whole not being there for birthdays and puberty and what have you." She started walking towards me, swinging her wand around carelessly. With every step I wanted to move farther away. But I didn't want to show fear, or reveal how weak I actually was to her. She eyed me up and down, scoffing at me "In that get up I do believe we could be identical twins, of course I'm the better of the two."

She stopped to tower above me. I strained to maintain eye contact. I mustered all the strength I could to speak, "looks are the only thing we have in common." My voice only slightly wavered.

She let out a loud laugh that gave me goosebumps, "right you are my dear. I am powerful, you are weak. I am a victor, you are a disgrace. I am hard, you are soft." She gave me a disgusted look, "My only shame is that I gave birth to someone so spineless."

She leaned down grabbing me by the back of the hair yanking my face up to hers. "You were supposed to be an asset. Instead you bring the dark lord and I to shame."

"Disappointing you is the only perk of being your daughter" I spit at her. "Thanks for getting yourself thrown in to prison. I'll take growing up in an orphanage over being raised by you any day."

"YOU INSOLENT LITTLE TWIT! HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME THAT WAY! CRUCIO"

Stars sprinkled all over my vision and I could suddenly feel again. I shrieked in pain, my body no longer numb. Shots of pain flew through my entire body sending me convulsing on the floor. Every ache caused from the prison added with the spell all hitting me at once. It took everything in my power not to pass out.

She ended the spell abruptly, knocking air back into my lungs. "You were supposed to keep us together. You were supposed to make him love me more than the others. You were supposed to make it special!" she turned her wand on me again.

I quickly mustered up all the strength I could manage "Expelliarmus" I said while snapping my fingers. The wand flew out of her hand and across the room.

Her face was surprised at first, and then quickly turned curious. "Ah so you do have a few tricks up your sleeve." She said extending her arm out to the direction of her wand. It flew back in as if there was a magnet drawing it to her. I lifted my hand to snap but she quickly sat on top of me, pinning both my arms down.

"Well, I've got news for you darling. Everything you have, you got from me." She then pulled out a knife from under her sleeve. She moved it so that it was in front of her face. "Sometimes muggle ways can be quite fun, don't you think?"

Then she began carving into my arm causing me to shriek in pain. I bit my lip down, trying to focus. Trying to think of a way to make it stop, but all I could feel was the knife cutting lines into my arm, while my mother laughed.

I wanted to call out for help, but I couldn't get myself to do it. I couldn't get myself to do anything. "PLEASE" was all I could audibly get out before I screamed in pain once more.

This is how I am going to die. My mother is going to torture me to death. I turned my head away from her so that I didn't have to see the look of joy on her face while she did it. I thought I was the one that hated my parents, but I wasn't capable of the kind of hate my mother clearly felt towards me.

I closed my eyes, willing it all to go away. Willing the numbness and darkness to come back, no longer wanting to feel anything.

(Harry P.O.V.)

"I'll kill her. She killed Sirius and now she is going to pay." I mumbled to myself as I tore through the ministry in search of Bellatrix. I was going to make her pay for what she had done. They had already taken my parents away from me. They weren't going to get away with this one too.

I stopped at the room with all the doors not knowing the way to go. "Which way is the way out?" I asked out loud. Then a shriek pierced through the air as loud as if it had been right by my ear. Even through the pain and anguish behind it, I knew that voice. I would know it anywhere. My heart dropped. "Bella."

I ripped through the door where the sound came from, fumbling down a dark hallway toward the sounds of her screams. "PLEASE" I heard her yell. The pain in her voice made my heart drop. I hadn't been able to protect Sirius, and I hadn't protected Bella either.

I ran with all that I could toward the sound of her voice. I ran into the main floor of the ministry, and lying next to the statue was a horrific sight.

Bellatrix had pinned Bella down to the floor, carving into her arm like a Halloween pumpkin. Bella's face was turned toward me but her eyes were squeezed shut with pain. Her legs were kicking in a feeble attempt to make it stop.

This was enough to make me snap. Full of anger and hatred I lifted my wand "Crucio" The spell knocked Bellatrix off Bella and onto the floor, but she sprang back up quickly, with a playful look on her face.

"Oh wittle baby potter come to play." She said pointing her wand at him. "Never done one of the unforgivable curses before have you boy? You have to mean it, Potter. You have to really want to cause pain, enjoy it. You don't have the stomach. But maybe if I gave you a lesson-"

"Harry" Bella said making Bellatrix stop what she was doing. She had recovered from her shock, and looked up at me dazed. The weakness in her voice and the current state of her made my legs buckle. She had been through hell and back, and i hadn't done anything about it.

Forgetting everything, I fell down next to her, cupping her face with both of my hands. Her face was pale and her eyes were sunken in. She had hit her head on something hard, and there were cuts and bruises all over her body. She looked like she was about to pass out at any moment, so weak she could barely keep her eyes focused on mine.

"Bella, I'm so sorry." I said. I couldn't keep the sound of my heart break out of my voice. I pushed her hair out of her face and behind her ear. "This is my fault. I didn't keep my promise. I didn't protect you. I'm so so sorry."

"It's not your fault-"She was cut off by loud laughter. We both turned to see Bellatrix gawking at us.

"This is- this is just rich. Wittle baby potter and my own flesh and blood. In love." She began laughing again. "It's just too perfect."

I stood again, putting the biggest barrier between Bella and Bellatrix.

Bellatrix casually walked toward me. " I guess I wasn't really there to help you out with boys, but honestly Bella I would think you would have been breed with better taste than this." She stopped in front of me eyeing me up and down.

"Unfortunately for you Bella, my dear. I don't think your father would approve. You know how dads can be. However it does give me a sufficient way to punish you for your treachery. I would be happy to just kill you and be done with this disgrace, but it would seem your father has other plans."

She sighed and continued. "So, Bella, I'm afraid that I will have to do away with your first boyfriend- it is your first boyfriend isn't it- oh don't give me that pouty teenage look. It won't work on me. Then you will be coming home with me to face the wrath of your father."

"Like hell! You're not taking her anywhere." I wielded my wand at her.

"Oh please. The only reason we are still here is for that prophecy. So I'll tell you what. I'll have mercy on you, for the sake of my daughter's emotional health of course, if you just hand it over."

At this, I smirked. "Well looks like you are going to have some explaining to do to your boss. It's broken."

Her face fell. "YOU LIAR! YOU'VE GOT IT POTTER, AND YOU WILL HAND IT OVER TO ME! ACCIO PROPHECY!"

"It broke while I was helping Neville. Now no one can have it, including your boss. You failed." I said smugly.

"NO! NO PLEASE! MASTER I TRIED MY BEST PLEASE DO NOT PUNISH ME!" she shrieked, crumbling to the floor with her hands covering her ears.

"There is no use begging. He can't hear you-"My taunts were cut off by a familiar voice. "Can't I, Potter?"

SO INTENSE AH! I'm planning on finishing this story in the next couple of days so keep checking back to see what happens! sorry it took me so long to update things have been crazy and I have had major writers block! like always thank you guys for your support and comment and let me know what you think! Stay magical!

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