New year passed, as did February until suddenly it was March, and the cold air of winter was starting to give way to the pale yet warming sunshine of spring. Currently I was on Potterwatch as a guest along with Kingsley, Remus and Fred all of us contributing our part to keep all listeners feeling just that little bit more secure and reassured that there were people out there doing all they could. We'd already gone through the list of people who'd recently been killed, Ted Tonks being one of them. I'd arrived too late with Remus and my dad, finding his and Dirk Cresswell's bodies. It was heart breaking bringing Ted back to Tonks's family, and I'd stayed with them for as long as I possibly could to try and offer them comfort before I needed to leave, otherwise risking putting them in danger.
After that, Remus talked about Harry, giving me a smile as he did so and I squeezed his hand before it was then Fred's turn, joking about the numerous and often simultaneous sightings there had been of Voldemort as well as the wild rumours that he could now kill with just a look from his eyes, Fred pointedly reminding everyone that the only creature that could do that was a basilisk. There were a few more comments on Voldemort being sighted abroad, and then it was my turn. "So Rose, what positive news have you brought for us this week?"
"Well River, I am very happy to announce that several more families have been moved into hiding for their own safety with complete success. For their own protection I can't tell you their names, but I can assure everyone that our work to protect everyone we possibly can from snatchers, Death Eaters and even that snake faced prick himself will continue." Fred and Lee snorted with laughter though Remus shot me a look but I merely shrugged. "Also, concerning your previous statement about Xenophilius Lovegood and other known Harry Potter supporters being arrested, I am also delighted to confirm that they have all been rescued and also placed under the protection of the Order of the Phoenix. Things are looking up, people, so don't get too dispirited. Many brave witches and wizards of all ages have been working hard around the clock to keep you all safe, so if you feel like it, give a little round of applause or raise a glass in their honour, we deserve it! I myself haven't slept properly in three days!"
"Nobody would be able to tell Rose, you look as gorgeous as ever."
"Why thank you River, so kind of you to say." I drawled sarcastically, the both of us grinning at one another. "And now for my closing comment, a word of warning. Reports indicate that there have been increased dementor and snatcher sightings in these areas, so please act cautiously." Listing off the areas, I then also gave a few more warnings so that people could be aware of the situation, having been given information from a reliable source of a possible muggle hunting spree scheduled for next week in Cheltenham. "So if you live in that area, do try to do your best to either stay out of the way or keep your muggle neighbours inside. If you do your bit, it will make things much easier for the rest of us to keep everyone safe. Thank you!"
Lee gave the closing comments before signing off where we quickly packed up in order to move. "Great show everyone, thanks for coming." Giving me a hug, Lee then ruffled my hair playfully. "I probably won't see you again for a while, so make sure to stay all in one piece. It'll be a real pain if I have to find someone to replace you on my show."
"So nice to know that I'm loved." I rolled my eyes dramatically before grinning. I said goodbye to everyone, hugs all around before we all scarpered just in case we were found, though I lingered a few moments longer to talk to Fred and Remus. Tonks and the baby were doing fine, she was due sometime next month and I couldn't wait to hear the news that the baby had come. Meanwhile, Fred and George were doing okay, but we missed each other, so I promised that once the war was over I would stick to them like a fungus they wouldn't be able to ever get rid of. Kissing them both on their cheeks, I told them to send my love to everyone else before disappearing on the spot, a somewhat ominous feeling arriving in the pit of my stomach.
I carried that feeling around with me all day until my mirror started to vibrate violently. This time when I looked at it, there was only a fragment visible as Harry's green eyes stared at me, full of fear and urgency. "Mia help us! We're in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, help us! STARDUST!" Stardust. It was a code word, and this one was serious. It meant that all of them were in imminent danger of death and needed to be rescued. I didn't pause or wait, I was on my feet with my wand in hand.
"Kreacher!" He appeared before me instantaneously.
"Yes mistress?"
"Can you apparate inside Malfoy Manor? Is that something you can do?" I asked him quickly and although he seemed confused, he nodded his head. "Good, I need you take me to the cellar. No wait! Bring Dobby, Dobby will be able to help us, he knows that house. Oh please Kreacher, hurry! Harry and the others are in trouble!" Seeing my urgency, Kreacher disappeared then returned in less than a few seconds, holding Dobby by the arm and seemed to have simply kidnapped him as Dobby was now fighting him off and yelling. "Dobby! Dobby please! Harry is in danger!" That promptly silenced him.
"Harry Potter is in danger?" He blinked at me with those large eyes, looking shocked and concerned.
"Yes. We need to get to the cellar of Malfoy Manor, please take us there. Now." Giving a whimper of fear, Dobby nevertheless grabbed hold of my hand as well as Kreacher and promptly apparated us there, and the moment we appeared, Ron and Harry both turned to us.
"Mia!"
"I'm here, what's the situation?" I demanded to know before I then noticed that we weren't alone. "Luna! Dean! And is that…Mr Ollivander?" Hearing footsteps overhead, I quickly went silent in order to listen, making sure that they weren't coming back before turning to the others. "Where's Hermione?"
"She's being tortured upstairs! We have to go get her!" Ron struggled to talk clearly on account of his swollen and bleeding lip as I simultaneously cast my eye over Luna, giving her a smile and told her that she was going to be okay now.
"Dobby, Kreacher, I'd like you to take these three out of here. Take them to…"
"Bill and Fleur's. Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth." Nodding my head to Ron, Kreacher and Dobby hurried to grab Luna, Dean and Mr Ollivander who looked worse than the rest and promptly disappeared with them, leaving me with the boys. "We thought you might not hear us, what took you so long?" Ron demanded, staring up at the ceiling, clearly concerned for Hermione.
"I sent Kreacher to get Dobby since he knew the house." Just then a scream sounded from upstairs at the same moment Harry gasped and clutched his scar, making me torn on which to address first. Worse still, someone had heard Kreacher and Dobby leaving. Lucius was now walking overhead, wondering what the noise had been before ordering for Wormtail to be brought so that he could investigate, so I quickly grabbed the boys and pressed them against the wall so that they would be hidden before I went to stand on the opposite side, my wand raised at the ready as Ron and Harry got ready to tackle him.
"Stand back, stand away from the door. I am coming in." Wormtail's voice was as squeaky as I remembered it, making me grit my teeth as the door to the cellar flew open and after a few moments, he came shuffling down the stairs. The moment he was in view, the boys leaped on him as I cast a silencing charm on him so that he couldn't make a noise then promptly bound his legs together, though the silver hand was now closing around Harry's throat and the other was being wrestled upwards by Ron.
"What is it, Wormtail?"
"Nothing! All fine!" Ron wheezed and squeaked, imitating Wormtail to the best of his ability as I tried to wrestle the silver hand free from Harry, drawing up my wand in preparation to release him, but then Harry stared at Wormtail dead in the eye.
"You're going to kill me? After I saved your life? You owe me, Wormtail." He managed to choke out and all at once, the fingers went slack against him, I paused in surprise, watching as Wormtail's face shift into an expression of shock and fear. I looked at the silver hand as Ron wrenched the wand free from Wormtail, before his fingers then began to squeeze around his own throat.
"No!" Hissing sharply, Harry and I leaped to try and free him from the chokehold as the words of his master suddenly sprung to mind, buried deep down in my subconscious. May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail. That cold voice, the image of the silver hand, of course. Wormtail showed mercy to Harry, Voldemort's greatest enemy, therefore betraying him. It made sense that the hand which had been a gift to Wormtail would also serve to ensure that no disloyalty should ever be allowed to persevere in his ranks. "I won't let you die like this." I determined, Harry and Ron still tugging on the hand as I pointed my wand to the joint at the wrist. "Not until you've atoned for everything you've done! Diffindo!" Cutting off the hand, all that was left was a fine silver disk, and once his arm was free, I then forced the hand to release Wormtail's throat before destroying it, muffling the sound with a quick silencing charm. "Stupefy!"
Then I knocked him out and bound him tightly, making sure that he was properly secured before I then ordered Kreacher back and had him taken to Bill and Fleur as well. That dealt with that problem at least, though Harry and Ron were now looking at me strangely. "Like I said. He doesn't get the easy way out. Let's go rescue Hermione."
"And the goblin." Harry added as we started up the stairs, making me frown.
"Goblin?" But I didn't argue, merely made a mental note to look out for a goblin as well. Harry and Ron led the way as they knew where they'd kept Hermione to interrogate her, though it was easy enough to follow the screams. We only had two wands between us, so once we'd passed along the shadowy corridor I forced them both behind me in order to peer through the door which stood slightly ajar, allowing me to see and hear clearly. It seemed all the Malfoys were here, as well as my dear cousin Bella, who was addressing the goblin that Harry had mentioned.
"Well? Is it the true sword?" I see, the sword of Gryffindor. That's why they wanted the goblin, to authenticate it. However Harry and the other two had been caught, they must have been found with the sword.
"No. it is a fake." The goblin announced, causing me to shoot a look towards Harry who seemed to be flooded with relief.
"Are you sure? Quite sure?" Assuring Bellatrix once more that the sword was indeed a fake, I heard her voice relax, though she rewarded the goblin's vow with a flick of her wand to open a fresh gash in his face, causing him to drop and scream from the pain. "And now, we call the Dark Lord!" Seeing her hand going towards the tattoo upon the inside of her arm, I immediately flung the door open wide and flung a spell at her.
"Flippendo!" She flipped several times in the air and crashed into a rather ornate table, shattering it upon impact, causing everyone else to look at me in alarm as I came storming into the room with quick flicks and slashes of my wand, whirling it around my head to drag Hermione and the goblin towards us. Across the room a werewolf snarled at me, Fenrir Greyback, leaping towards us but I sent him flying into the wall as Ron jumped to my side. He disarmed Bellatrix who had staggered back to her feet, Harry catching her wand and the three of us together sent spells flying at the Malfoys and the snatchers who had brought my friends here. Lucius was knocked unconscious with a stunning spell from Harry, though Bellatrix was now screaming, pressing her finger to the Mark on her arm to summon Voldemort, making a chill shoot through me. We didn't have much time. She then brandished a silver knife and dove for me, grabbing a fistful of my hair and sliced at me as I tried to shake her off me, but she'd caught my wrist and twisted my wand arm at an awkward angle, so instead I shifted shapes.
Roaring at her I twisted, now far more powerful and completely flattened her, baring my fangs in order to drive them into her flesh but then I felt a sharp pain in my side, causing me to tear out another roar as she started to drive the small knife into my ribs with a blind fury, screaming back at me. I leaped away, a mass confusion following as I staggered to my feet and gripped my wand and clutched my side, bleeding everywhere and struggling to even breathe. Harry was wrestling Draco for his wand, forcing it out of his grasp whilst Ron duelled Narcissa, the other snatchers being knocked out because of our swift entry though Greyback was now racing for Hermione, who was unconscious.
With a tight yell, I sent him flying into Bellatrix again, but before any of us could begin duelling once more, the giant crystal chandelier fell from the ceiling with a sudden mighty crash, shattering everywhere. I had to quickly create a shield over Hermione and the goblin, noticing the sword clutched tightly in his hands. Harry, who now had two wands in his hands, used them both to stun Greyback which doubled the impact, throwing him clean across the room though Bellatrix was now on me again. She slashed open my cheek and managed to grab my hair again, sawing some of it off as I ripped my head away with all the strength I could muster to keep her from driving it into my neck until suddenly, she was being thrown into the air and Kreacher appeared before me, trembling head to toe with a resounding wave of fury.
"Miss Bella dares harm my mistress? Kreacher will not stand for it! Kreacher will not allow Mistress Mia's blood to be spilt!"
"You filthy creature! Release me! I ORDER YOU TO RELEASE ME! I am still of House Black, you must obey me!" With a rather cold smirk, Kreacher disarmed her of the knife and flung her away, pinning her to the wall where he then snapped his fingers and the curtain bindings rushed to coil around her, making me blink in surprise and a brief flash of amusement.
"Kreacher only obeys Mistress and her family. You are not family." I could have kissed him then. Dobby had also appeared, running towards Harry whilst crying out his name and I staggered forwards, whispering to Kreacher to help me get to them so we could all leave together. Narcissa was shocked to see Dobby who had now disarmed her of her wand, and Bellatrix was screaming at both the house-elves as she kicked and struggled to try and break free from her bonds.
"You dirty little monkey! How dare you take a witch's wand, how dare you defy your masters?!" Drawing himself up to his full height, Dobby seemed as tall as a man as he addressed Bellatrix without a hint of fear.
"Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!" Harry was writhing, clutching at his scar and having seen that expression before in Godric's Hollow, I knew Voldemort would be with us any second.
"Everyone! Let's go!" I bellowed, grabbing hold of Harry and holding out my hand to Kreacher as Dobby sprinted back to hold onto us as well and, ensuring that everyone was holding on, the two house-elves carried us out of there with a loud CRACK, the rush of images and places as I felt Kreacher squeezing my hand tightly as if not to lose me, and the moment I hit the ground I felt it give way, the sand sinking underneath me and the strong scent of salt in the air filled my nostrils with the sound of lapping waves moving in the pale loom of twilight, where I saw the blurred figures of people around me until I faded out of consciousness.