Sirius bounded down the rest of the steps, his heart felt like it was beating a hole through his chest. He crossed the space between the steps and where Natalie had been last, turning around in circles and looking for her pointlessly. The Death Eaters were gone and had taken her with them. There was no way he could follow them or figure out where they had disapparated. Dread quickly filled every space in his body, his chest was tight and his stomach felt like he was going to be sick.
James and Remus followed him out into the street, looking around just as he had, perhaps for any clue of where they had taken Natalie. Lily was in the doorway to the house, hands over her mouth in horrified silence, tears in her eyes, looking like she was physically unable to move. Peter had scurried inside when he spotted the Death Eaters, obviously terrified at the mere sight of them. The boys stood with their wands held uselessly at their sides, waiting for anyone to have an idea of what to do next.
"They took her," Sirius said, not able to think or speak clearly. The words came out in almost a whisper as he found it hard to get air into his lungs.
"What would they want with her?" Remus asked, voice frantic, eyes darting around wildly as if he expected someone to pop back into the street at any second.
James' chest was heaving, adrenaline making it look like he had just run a long distance. "Were they waiting here? Did they know she would be here?"
"There was one out here last night," Sirius admitted, looking between the two other men. "The run in you two had a few weeks ago, that Death Eater must have taken it personally."
"What, you think this is some kind of revenge?" James asked incredulously. He was shaking his head, almost absentmindedly, thinking back on that encounter. "We didn't even do much to the guy, just hurt him a little."
"Doubt a Death Eater would take it so lightly," Remus said darkly, shooting Sirius an agreeing glance. "It's the only lead we have to go on, anyway. If we find him, maybe we find her."
Sirius gripped his wand harder, to the point that he could have easily cracked it if he had been more careless. "Lets go to the house, then." He squared himself off, as if he were ready to side-along apparate with James right that second.
"Mate," James said, cautiously, knowing that his friend was worried beyond belief and wanting to make a move and make it quick. "We should think about this, figure out a plan before we go jumping around Death Eater's houses unprepared."
Sirius' eyes darted to James, anger flaring up inside him. "Did you not see what just happened?" He yelled, not caring if muggles could hear him or not, flinging his hand out to the side in the direction that the masked men were standing just a moment before. "They've got her, we can't waste any time thinking about anything, we have to go get her back before they do something!"
"We know, Sirius, but there's no sense in jumping in there and getting ourselves killed if she's not there," Remus spoke slowly, trying to bring calm and sense to the situation, ever the mediator. He held his hands out in front of him lightly, trying to get Sirius to focus on him instead of his fear and anger. "We will find her, we just have to take a moment and figure out where to look."
James grabbed Sirius by the shoulder, leading him towards the house. "Come on, we'll send a message to Dumbledore and figure out what to do. We'll get her back." His tone was assuring, even hopeful. Sirius allowed his friend to walk him inside, agreeing to talk first instead of jumping right into action, even though he wasn't happy about it.
Sirius was shaking, both from anger, adrenaline and immense fear. He noticed James bring him to the table and felt himself sit in a chair, hands clenched into fists in his lap, wand still held tightly in his hand. He stared at a spot on the wall opposite him, not able to tear himself away from his thoughts long enough to join in the conversation going on around him. All he could think about was how he almost got to her, his fingertips just barely brushed her's before she was torn away. The image of her yelling out for him, arm outstretched in his direction, terror in her eyes, was etched in his mind to the point where he could see it even when his eyes were open. He tried to blink it away, tried to focus on his friends who were sending a message to the elder wizard in a hopeful attempt to gain control of the situation. The lump in his throat threatened to make its way out in the form of a sob but he bit it back, not letting himself succumb to the fear and sorrow he felt so strongly at that moment. No, he had to be fierce and strong and angry and he had to get her back. He would get her back, no matter what.
When Natalie's feet hit solid ground she broke away from the Death Eater's grip around her shoulders, backing up until she felt there was enough distance between herself and the strange man. She felt completely unprotected and vulnerable without her wand. She wrapped her arms around herself, subconsciously keeping herself closed off from anyone around her.
"Where am I?" she demanded, voice wavering slightly despite her attempt to make it sound hard and intimidating. She cursed silently, willing herself to be strong and keep her shit together.
She and the Death Eater were in a large room with glittering black marble floors and high ceilings, large white pillars littered the room decoratively. A massive ornate fireplace sat against one wall but there was no fire blazing. The room was quiet and cold, her voice echoed around it eerily. The hair on the back of Natalie's neck stood on end, she didn't recognize this place at all and that fact made her feel that much more fear. She had no idea where she was, who the cloaked man in front of her was, why he and the other Death Eaters took her, what they wanted with her.
The man started to move and Natalie tensed, taking another step backwards. He chuckled quietly, turning around and moving purposefully across the room where he stopped in front of a small table. She watched his every move, making sure she knew where he was and what he was doing at every second. Her eyes darted around quickly, trying to discern where she could get out of this room if she decided to make a run for it. The man was taking off his mask and placing it gently on top of a stand that was on the table, keeping the mask from touching the surface of the table, almost as if it were a beautiful and treasured object. Both hands reached up and he removed the hood from his head, revealing shoulder length white blonde hair. He turned back around and faced her, and for a moment she thought she recognized the man.
"This is my home," he offered simply, extending a hand and waving it in front of him elegantly, as if he were showing off the room. "Malfoy Manor."
The name Malfoy definitely triggered her memory, she knew there had been a student a few years older than herself with that name when she first went to Hogwarts. She knew nothing about him, other than he had been in Slytherin, a prefect if memory served, and a self righteous one at that, always giving younger students detentions for no good reason.
"And what exactly am I doing in your home?" she asked, trying to figure out what was happening. She didn't know this person, why would he have taken her here? "I don't remember asking for a tour."
The blonde man raised an eyebrow, perhaps surprised by her sarcasm considering her circumstances. "You're quite rude, aren't you?" he asked rhetorically, moving back across the room towards her, each step made slow and deliberately. "You're here because you have information we want."
Natalie's eyebrows moved in towards each other, confused. What information did they want? She didn't know anything important, at least she didn't think she did. Not taking her eyes off him, keeping her distance, she responded with attitude. "Well if you wanted my treacle tart recipe all you had to do was ask, no need for kidnapping."
The Death Eater chuckled again but his eyes showed no amusement. They bore into her, intimidating and scaring her even if she was trying her damndest not to let it show on the outside. "I truly have no desire to go through the niceties, I hope you don't mind if we cut to the chase." He was only a few feet from her now, and she had no more room to back away from him, the heels of her shoes hitting one of the giant white pillars and keeping her in place. "Tell me about the Order of the Phoenix."
Her stomach dropped. She should have known that's what this was about. It wasn't surprising, really, since the Order had been doing essentially the same thing that was happening to her right now, taking Death Eaters and handing them over to the Ministry for questioning. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on her, even through the fear that was clouding her mind. Though, she had a sinking feeling that the Death Eaters weren't going to be quite as civilised in their attempts to retrieve information from her. She looked around again, trying to find a way to get herself out of the room and away from the Malfoy man. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, so sorry."
His eyes narrowed. "Now, we both know that's not true, don't we?" He asked the question yet it sounded more like a threat. He took another step towards her, closing the gap between them and making her heart beat even faster than it already was. "We know you're a part of this little 'order', so why don't you make this easy and quick and tell me everything you know."
"Who is 'we'?" Natalie asked, trying to stall, trying to find a way out of this. She couldn't give them any information, she knew that much. Perhaps she didn't know any big secrets, she was by no means Dumledore's right hand man or confidant. The things she did know, however, would endanger all the people that fought for the Order, her friends included. She couldn't say a word about it, she had to get out of there.
"The Death Eaters, the Dark Lord," he supplied, sounding bored at the question. "We know of quite a few of the people that are in league with this Order of the Phoenix."
"Just the luck of the draw to grab me away, then?" she asked, anger filling her voice and making sure the man heard every ounce of it.
"Goodness, no," he laughed lightly, shaking his head but not taking his eyes off of her, only a few steps away from her now. "No, we've been watching you, though you know that already, don't you? Truthfully, you seemed to be the easiest target, the one who would bend the quickest, give us the most information."
"Hate to disappoint," he said, pretending as though she was giving bad news, distracted by the fact that she could hear her heart beating loud in her ears. "I don't know anything about the order of phoenixes or whatever you're asking me. If you'd give me my wand back, I'll be on my way." She reached her hand out towards him, palm facing the ceiling in hopes that she could get out of this that easily.
She regretted putting herself in that position very quickly. The blonde Death Eater grabbed her quickly, his thin hand surprisingly strong around her forearm. Bringing her arm in front of her, ignoring her protests of 'You're hurting me! Let me go!', he slammed her hard into the pillar, surely bruising her shoulder blades. His other hand grabbed her other wrist, keeping her under his control. "I'm not one to give multiple chances, so I would give great consideration to answering the question." His voice was menacing, his face close enough to hers that she could feel his breath when he spoke. "I'll ask one more time, what do you know about the Order of the Phoenix?"
Natalie gave him a despising look that did nothing to disguise her anger. "I know nothing," she said, almost spitting the words at him.
The man held her gaze a moment longer, as if he was deciding what to do with her. Pushing away from her, he dropped her hands roughly. Natalie rubbed her arm, it was red and tender from how strong his fingers held her. He was walking away from her, across the room once again. "Such a shame," he said, the words making their way out of his mouth slowly, delicately.
Fear fluttered through her entire body. "Why's that?" She asked tentatively.
"I'm under strict orders, you see," he reached the other side of the large room, extended his hand towards a door hidden from Natalie's view. "If you decided not to speak to me, I've been told to put you in the hands of...well, let's call him a specialist." He opened the door, looking straight forward and acknowledging someone with a slight nod of his head.
The person behind the door walked forward and Natalie's stomach lurched when her eyes caught sight of him. She took in the graying hair and face full of small wrinkles, recognition flooding through her mind - it was the man from the Order's failed mission weeks ago. His voice echoed in her ears, 'I will not forget your face' . So, they had been correct in thinking that he would seek some sort of vengeance against her. He must have been the reason she appeared on the Death Eater's radar in the first place. She should have known better than to, as the Death Eater put it, 'fight like a muggle', with someone who was following the wizard obsessed with keeping bloodlines pure and free from being tainted by muggles.
Natalie was really starting to panic now, and kept searching the surprisingly barren room for a weapon or way out, anything that could help her get away from the worsening situation. The graying Death Eater greeted the blonde man, sounding pleasant. "Lucius, good to see you. Thank you for letting me use your home."
"Of course, Gideon, my pleasure." So, Lucius Malfoy was the blonde man's name? Natalie committed it to memory, consciously keeping a list of the people she may come into contact with so she could tell Dumbledore. And, perhaps for her own benefit as well, depending on how quickly she got back to headquarters she might be tempted to exact some revenge herself.
The man who went by Gideon was sidling across the room, taking his time, eyeing the space around him. He was tall, several inches taller than Natalie, and seemed to be in very good shape, two advantages he already had over her. She could hold her own in a fight, however her chances didn't look good if she had to go up against him, what with his physical superiority and her lack of a wand. His eyes finally landed on Natalie, his gaze unwavering, not slowing his pace until he stopped right in front of her.
"Remember me?" he asked, his hands were stuffed in the pockets of the dark jeans he wore, arms covered with a black jacket. For someone that detested muggles and their way of fighting, he didn't seem to mind dressing like them. "My nose is back to normal, thanks for asking."
She stayed silent, meeting his gaze but withering back slightly, her attitude diminishing. She couldn't think of how to get out of that place. Maybe she could slip them a lie, a bit of information that may seem legitimate but wouldn't cause any harm for the Order? Natalie tried to think of something, but her thoughts were interrupted.
"My name is Gideon Rowe," he said, keeping his voice light, still laced with the pleasantness from a moment before. "I'm assuming you decided not to share any information with Lucius, is that correct? I was told my services would only be required under that pretense."
Natalie shifted her feet, extremely nervous and anxious to get away from the two dangerous men. "I think I've remembered something, actually. It just took me a bit to recall." She lied through her teeth, thinking this was the only way she would make it out of this room alive. Surely this man was going to kill her if she didn't have any useful or pertinent information? That's what Death Eaters did, after all. They killed anyone who got in their way, held them back, people they thought were beneath them. Right now, Natalie hit the mark on all three, and her confidence was nonexistent.
Gideon Rowe shook his head. "No, no, that offer has come and gone. And besides, don't you think it would be quite the coincidence for you to suddenly remember after being so steadfast in saying you knew nothing?" He took a step closer to her, barely any distance between them, hands still in his pockets. He looked at her intently, his eyes were dark, almost deadly. "You're going to have to try harder than that to fool me."
Her breath was shallow. She should have lied right away, perhaps they would have let her go? No, she couldn't fool herself, they would have killed her either way. Terrified, fear gripping her so hard her chest felt like it would crack under the pressure at any second, she was at least proud of herself for not giving up the Order in her final moments. She didn't want to die, not like this, not at the hands of a Death Eater, not after trying so hard to stay out of the war. But if death was inevitable, she might as well face it head on, really piss off these men by not giving them the satisfaction of seeing her crumble. She steeled herself, set her shoulders back and waited for the man to make his move.
He was watching her every movement and saw that she suddenly held herself with more confidence. He didn't acknowledge her change in demeanor. "You're going to come with me downstairs, now." His hand reached out and grabbed Natalie by her arm, his grip was strong and his movements were very quick.
She tried to pull herself out of his hand to no avail. This was not happening like she thought it would, why wasn't he going to just kill her on the spot? "Why? No, let me go!" She tried fighting him as he started to walk, trying to dig her heels into the floor to stop herself. He yanked her hard, causing her to stumble over her own feet.
The man made his way back towards the door he had come out of, dragging Natalie alongside himself, not concerned if he was causing her pain. He didn't answer her question, ignored the rest of the protesting sounds she made as he walked through the door, held open by Lucius, and pulled her down a flight of stone steps. He kept pulling her arm forward when she tried to get away, causing her to trip down a step or two.
Natalie struggled against his hand, trying with all her strength to pry his fingers away from her arm as he yanked her down a dark and dingy hallway. There were a few doors on either side of the hall but only one was open, the very last door on the right side. Rowe pushed her inside roughly, her back turned away from him and she heard the large, heavy, solid wood door close and lock behind her. She attempted to take in her surroundings but was cut short. The Death Eater grabbed her shoulder and pushed her around to face him. He abruptly grabbed her neck in his hand and slammed her against the wall she had just been facing, her head cracking against the cement with a feeling of exploding pain. Natalie's hands immediately went up to claw at the hand he held against her throat, his fingers tightly cutting off her breath.
"They call me a specialist for a reason you know," he said, his eyes not leaving hers even for a second, making sure she was paying attention. His other hand came up next to her face and she caught a glimpse of his wand. "You are going to give me all the information you have, and I'm going to get it out of you nice...and...slow." He took his time speaking the last few words, their emphasis was not lost on Natalie. She was sputtering, trying her hardest to get air into her lungs, fingers clawing and legs kicking with no effect.
A smile crawled across Rowe's face, an unnerving, evil looking smile. "You and I are going to get to know each other very well." As he spoke, Natalie saw a spark of light come from the tip of his wand just before the whole world went dark.