I jolted awake when I felt someone touch my hair, my eyes shot open and I instantly shuffled away from whoever was in the room, my body already shaking in fear, "No, I don't want to" I muttered and wrapped my arms around my legs.
"Celeste, calm down," A soothing voice said and I lifted my head slightly.
"Narcissa?" I asked, my eyes narrowing. Narcissa Malfoy never comes into my room, she wasn't allowed. "You shouldn't be here"
"Neither should you," Narcissa said and straightened up, she extended her hand towards me and I looked at her hand with suspicion, "Come on, we don't have much time"
"For what?" I asked and Narcissa looked over her shoulder before pulling something out, I flinched back quickly expecting a curse shot at me but Narcissa was holding out a wand, handle facing me. My breath caught in my throat, "Is that-"
"Your wand. Yes. Now take it" Narcissa said quickly, I hesitantly reached out and took the wand. The familiar feeling of the magic quickly enveloped me, I pushed myself up off the floor using the wall and Narcissa smiled softly. "I'm sorry this has happened to you"
"You could get killed for this" I muttered quietly and Narcissa looked at me sharply I couldn't help but flinch slightly.
"I'll think of something, but you need to go. Now. Before he returns" Narcissa grasped my arm tightly and pulled me from the room, I barely had enough sense to make my feet move so I didn't face plant the floor, my heart raced as I followed Narcissa up the stairs on shaking legs. "Alright, Celeste, we need to be quick"
Narcissa pulled out her own wand and held it out to me, I frowned at it for a moment, "What do-"
"Take my wand, stun me, drop it and run," Narcissa said quickly, shoving her wand in my free hand.
"I can't do that!" I said quickly, my hand shaking as my fingers wrapped around the handle.
"You can if you want to get out of here!" Narcissa said and shuddered, "Go out back, go to the end of the garden, you can Disapparate from there"
"Thank you," I said quickly and pointed the wand at her but I hesitated, "Draco will be fine, Narcissa, you did what you could" Narcissa smiled softly at me with a nod, "I'm sorry, Stupefy!" I winced when I sent Narcissa flying across the room but I didn't have time to feel bad, I dropped Narcissa's wand quickly and made a dash for the back of the house.
I ran down the hallway looking for a back door and I almost cried in relief when I saw it was open, I ran through the door and skidded to a stop when I reached the end of the garden. I gripped my wand in my right hand and turned to face the place I was about to escape. It was Malfoy Manor, now that I was outside it was easy to recognise. I thought of the only place that would get me far enough away and I turned on the spot.
I landed off balance and grabbed onto the first thing I could to steady myself, I was dizzy for a few moments before my vision cleared. I had landed just outside the bounds of Diagon Alley, it was the only place I could think of. I walked down the street slowly, weak from hunger and dehydration. I couldn't believe the state of the place, shops were boarded up and debris lay everywhere, I stepped over fallen stands and avoided broken glass so I didn't cut my bare feet.
I froze when I saw the unmistakable robes of Death Eaters and my heart started pounding, I quickly ducked between two run-down shops and pressed myself against the wall. I held onto my wand tightly and closed my eyes, listening as hard as I could so I could hear them talking.
"What do you mean she's gone?" one asked angrily. News of my escape had already reached the Death Eaters, The Dark Lord must have returned shortly after I had left.
"The Seer escaped somehow, stunned Narcissa with her own wand" Another replied, "We have orders to bring her back alive"
"I make no promises, that girl is more trouble than she's worth. If she dies The Dark Lord will have to find another Seer" The first one replied, I took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadows and raised my wand quickly sending a silent stunning spell.
"Shit" I whispered, I missed. I did the only thing I could think of. I turned and ran down the street away from them, I jerked sideways when a jet of red flew past my head.
"There she is!" Someone shouted and I pushed myself harder, adrenaline taking over my senses, "How the hell did you miss!?" another jet of red flew over the top of my head as I turned another corner and down the side of a surprisingly well-lit shop. "Down here!"
Two Death Eaters came round the corner and my heart momentarily stopped but they hadn't seen me yet. I felt my legs shaking underneath me and I wasn't sure how much longer I could run, I was frozen in my spot. "Here!" one of them called and my hiding spot was lit up with bright light from a wand.
"Ha! Not very bright are you, Seer? Should have seen this coming!" The other said and pointed his wand at me "Crucio!" My knees buckled as I screamed and I hit the floor my body convulsing violently.
(Third Person View)
George Weasley was inside the shop that he owned with his twin brother when he heard a woman scream and dropped the box he was holding, he shared a look with Fred Weasley and they both grabbed their wands at the same time and bolted out of their shop.
Around the corner, Fred and George saw two Death Eaters standing over a screaming woman under the Cruciatus Curse, "Hey!" George shouted and they both turned quickly, breaking the curse. The woman lay on the ground breathing heavily and her eyes staring at the sky. George remembered those eyes but he couldn't put his finger on where he had seen that shade of blue before.
"This is bad for business!" Fred said, twirling his wand in his fingers before shooting a stunning spell at one of the Death Eaters and George quickly shot another stunning spell at the remaining Death Eater, who had pointed his wand at Fred.
"Obliviate them!" George said rushing over to the woman's side, her head rolled and her blue eyes met George's eyes and he almost fell backwards, "Celeste?" The woman nodded her head and her eyes rolled to the back of her head, "Fred! It's Celeste Francis!"
"What? Isn't she dead?" Fred asked rushing over to his brother and crouching down on the other side of Celeste, "Holy- it really is her" Fred said looking at her face carefully. "What do we do?"
"Take her to Mum, she'll know what to do," George said and gently picked her up.
"Shouldn't we take her to St Mungo's?" Fred asked and followed his brother back inside the shop.
"Freddie, if they wanted her dead they would have killed her and not used the Cruciatus Curse. They want her for some reason" George replied shifting Celeste in her arms so he could easily carry her up the stairs, "We'll go by Floo, safest bet right now"
"Mum! We need help!" Fred shouted as soon as they Floo'ed into the Burrow, Mrs Weasley came in from the kitchen and gasped.
"Put her on the sofa!" Mrs Weasley barked and George complied quickly, "Who is she?"
"Celeste Francis" Fred replied, "Two Death Eaters were using the Cruciatus Curse on her, she passed out after we stopped them"
George sunk down into an armchair and he took in the full appearance of the unconscious woman. She was clearly malnourished, her skin was pale as if she hadn't seen the light of day in months, her bare arms and legs were littered in scars, new and old.
"Did you say, Celeste Francis?" Mr Weasley said coming into the room with some warm towels and handing them to his wife as she tended to Celeste. "She's that seventh year that went missing about a year ago, we declared her as dead when we couldn't find her after a couple of months"
"Where has she been all this time?" Mrs Weasley asked as she placed a warm towel on Celeste's head, George didn't fail to notice the subconscious flinch that her body made.
"We don't know," Mr Weasley said with a frown, "I'll alert the Order but this does not go any further! We say nothing to anyone until we know her story" Mr Weasley left the room to get to work.
"She was in your year wasn't she?" Mrs Weasley asked her sons and they both nodded, "Horrible what happened to her family"
"Wait, what happened?" George asked, leaning forward to rest his arms on his legs.
"Bellatrix," Mrs Weasley said with a slight hint of anger, "Slaughtered her entire bloodline, Celeste is the only Francis left"
"So she's alone?" Fred asked and George frowned. He remembered Celeste from their time at Hogwarts, she was kind to everyone but she was also incredibly smart and just as carefree as the twins.
Her eyes a bright nordic* blue that went slightly darker at the edges, they stood out against her naturally pale skin and set her apart from everyone else, which made it so easy for George to recognise her once he got a closer look. Those blue eyes that had stayed with him.
Even her hair was unique, dark brown hair so dark it was almost black without the sunlight hitting it in the summer, everything about Celeste Francis was unique but her hair had lost its volume and even some of its length. George couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her in the past year, what has she been put through and why?
"Yes, Fred, she's alone," Mrs Weasley said, snapping George out of his thoughts and he frowned at his mother.
"We're going to help her get better and then what? Throw her out?" George snapped and quickly bit his lip when Mrs Weasley shot her son a look.
"No, I'll heal her, George, but when have you ever known me to throw someone out whos in need?" George ducked his head in embarrassment, "I'll offer her to stay with us and then she can make her own choice"
"But Mum we don't even know if we can trust her!" Fred said quickly and George rolled his eyes.
"Celeste is going to think the same about us when she wakes up, Frederick" Mrs Weasley said in a terse tone, "God knows where she's been all this time, we don't know what she's been through"
"She's been through hell and back several times over," George said quietly, Fred and Mrs Weasley looked at him with wide eyes.
"How do you know?" Fred asked with a slight frown.
"I remember Celeste" George admitted, his eyes went back over to the girl, "She was full of life, kind and a lot like us in some ways, Freddie. Look at her now, she's deflated, beaten down and she's lost everyone she's ever loved. I doubt she even knows how long she's been missing" Mrs Weasley leaned back in her chair with one hand holding Celeste's left hand as she lay still on the sofa, her chest slowly rising and falling with slow breaths.
"She's going to be fragile for a while and probably very sensitive, we need to be gentle." Mrs Weasley said after a minute of silence, George kept his eyes on Celeste and watched her eyes move underneath her eyelids, "But for now, let her rest. It looks like she hasn't had a decent night's sleep in a long time, I did give her some Calming Draught but it will wear off. Just be mindful that she might panic when she wakes up"
"I'll wait here until she wakes, Fred you can go back to the shop," George said to his brother and Fred just shook his head.
"Hey, I had a hand in saving her too, Georgie, I am not going anywhere," Fred said and sat back in his chair to emphasize his point, George rolled his eyes.
"I'll go make some tea!" Mrs Weasley said, getting to her feet and looked at George with a look that couldn't quite pinpoint.