Masquerade Act One: Hidden Figures
The Tenth Dance: Betray me Once, Shame on me, Betray me Twice, Shame on You-Know-Who
A/N: I think we have only a few more chapters before we get to the end of act one. And then after that it's onto act two. I still haven't come up with the plot for it but I have a vague idea of what I want it to look like. I just hope I can write it out the way I envision it.*Sweat drops*
You want to believe that there's one relationship in life that's beyond betrayal. A relationship that's beyond that kind of hurt. And there isn't- Caleb Carr
Bellatrix and Hermione made their way downstairs, ready to accost Voldemort and throw him out of their castle. He was a danger to their operation and they couldn't risk having him here. They found him downstairs in the living room, walking towards them with purpose. "Bellatrix, I was a tad worried when you rushed off like that on me. Is everything alright?"
"It's quite fine. But I'll have to ask you to step out of the castle for a moment. Me and Hermione need to discuss something, privately." Hermione had told Bellatrix it would be better to not tell the man they were throwing him out because then it could lead to problems. And if they asked him to step out for a bit then it would work as all they needed was him gone and Bellatrix had assured that then she could change the location of the castle and he would no longer be able to find it.
Voldemort cocked his head at this, no discernible trace of emotion or of his thoughts on his face. Is he going to buy it? Hermione thought. She and Bellatrix tried to remain as outwardly calm as possible so as not to tip him off.
"You want me to step out? Have I done something to offend you?" He asked at last when he couldn't read their faces, twirling his wand in his hand and pacing slowly in front of them.
"Of course not," Bella hastened to explain. "We simply need to do something that requires you to vacate the vicinity. But you are free to come back as soon as we are done."
Voldemort was not convinced. "Have I done something to make you distrust me?"
He hit the nail on the head and Bellatrix winced at this. She still felt torn on helping her friend. She felt like she had known him for forever and she did not want to lose him again. She cast a look back at Hermione who shrugged. This was not going as easily planned as they had hoped. Would they have to cast a Confundus spell on him to make him leave?
"Well then it's very good that you do not trust me." He stopped pacing and reached in under his robes, pulling out two keys.
"The keys!" Hermione gasped out, her hand coming to her mouth. He had stolen them! But how had he found them? "Give those back!"
She made to reach for the wand she kept in her pants pocket only for Voldemort to raise his, stilling her motions. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he ordered.
"And I wouldn't do that if I were you either," Bellatrix said calmly, her wand aimed at his head. "Hand over the keys now."
"I think not. These keys are what you have been fighting for, and I am going to return them back to their rightful owners. Now put your wand down before I blast Hermione into tiny bits."
"You can try, but as soon as I see a single spell word leave your mouth I will crucio you so hard you will be begging for my forgiveness," Bellatrix spat, hoping she sounded more fierce than she felt. She had dueled with Voldemort and knew he was a power to reckon with. Would having Hermione on her side help even things out? She highly doubted that.
"Ah, crucio. Now there's a nice spell. Thank you for reminding me of it," Voldemort smiled, his mouth stretching painfully thin across his face.
Shit, and now they had given him ammunition for a truly terrifying spell.
But how had he known about the keys? Was he working with the judges? Hermione knew that Bellatrix hadn't told him about the power of the keys.
"You're working for the judges! They sent you here to trick us and to get the keys! It was all a set up, us rescuing you from those guards. A ploy for you to get into our stronghold," Hermione pointed out.
"How astute of you. Sadly you weren't able to figure this out beforehand. And I'm not here just for the keys, but to kill you as well!"
With that everything went to shit.
"Stupefy! Bombarda!" The first spell was aimed at Hermione who was awaiting it. She dove to the side, pulling out her wand as she rolled onto her feet and shot a flurry of spells at him. The second spell was aimed at Bellatrix who merely moved her head to the right to avoid it before she fired off spells of her own.
The room dissolved into complete chaos in mere seconds and Hermione had a hard time telling what was going on, over the sound of spells shattering and blowing things up, and over the smoke and dust raised by magic being flung back and forth. Hermione took cover behind one of the couches as she saw Bellatrix and Voldemort duel. The witch was powerful when Hermione had to to duel against her but now that she was dueling Voldemort, Hermione saw the disparity between the two. Voldemort was even better than Bellatrix and his spells were gradually pushing her back, her cheeks and arms cut up from spells that had hit her and Hermione could see how exhausted the witch looked despite the battle waging on for seconds. He was pouring all his skill into the fight and Bellatrix was doing her best to keep up with it. What he had shown her in the training room was merely a taste of his true potential.
Hermione wanted to help but she knew she stood even less of a chance of defeating Voldemort than Bellatrix did, so she had to do something to aid her from the sidelines. First, she would get the keys.
With a small flick of her wand she whispered out, "accio keys," hoping the keys would come to her. They did, floating gently through the battling waves of magic. They were almost to her when Voldemort noticed them and reached out a hand to grab them. Bellatrix let out a snarl and reached for them too, the two of them drawing close in proximity. Voldemort noted this and shot a spell at her. Instead of dodging it and ending up further away from the keys, the dark haired witch decided to go straight in the path of it.
You stupid witch! Hermione groaned to herself and with another flick of her wand she knocked the bolt of red light out of the way. Bellatrix grasped the keys, a grin on her face, before she twirled around Voldemort and his wand hand and aimed a curse at his back. He was flung off of his feet and straight into the hearth that was blazing strongly. His screams rang in Hermione's ears so loudly that she almost missed what Bellatrix was saying to her. "We've got the keys. Let's go!" She waved her hand at her, urging her here, eyes cautiously on Voldemort who had stumbled out of the fireplace and was trying to extinguish the flames eating his face by running around.
Hermione took one last look at him and left the safety of behind the couch. The two girls opened up their front door and as a precaution Bellatrix set one last additional spell. "Fiendfyre!" Green flames burst from her wand tip and immediately began to consume the entirety of the castle. Then she slammed the door shut and conjured up two masks for them to wear. They were cheap imitations but better than nothing when going out into the hotel.
"What do we do now?" Hermione asked.
"Now we run and hide and hope they don't find us," was the answer. They emerged from behind the statue of the man with wings only to run right into the third judge. His skin wasn't blue like it had been in the glass artwork Hermione had seen and he was missing his wings but there was no mistaking the sharp features and the pair of spectacles on his face. The girls paused upon seeing him, fingers curling around their wands and ready to fling spells at them. "I guess that plan didn't work out so well," Hermione grumbled under her breath, her heart rate increasing as she tried not to panic. This was bad. Very bad.
The third judge stood in front of them, quietly contemplating them. He had several black clad staff members next to him and when Hermione blinked she found the staff members were now in a circle around the girls. Their faces were impassive, eyes blank just like the third judges. "How lucky for me that you've run straight into me, carrying the two missing keys with you. Voldemort has done his job well. More than I can say for those two buffoons who call themselves judges." He took a step closer to them and they took a step back, Bellatrix holding onto the keys tighter.
Could they make it back into the castle? Would the judge be able to follow them? At this rate they looked to have a better chance of survival in fighting Voldemort.
"Come now. Hand over the keys and I won't hurt you. Too badly, that is." The man stretched out his hand waiting patiently.
"We'll never hand them over! We'll never succumb to you!"
"Brave words for someone who doesn't have many options left to them. The keys, now." He wiggled his fingers in a come-hither position, his voice apathetic.
"You'll never get them from me!" Bellatrix spat again, curling her hand protectively over the keys in her hold.
"Fine then. Hermione, would you be so kind as to give me the keys?" The judge turned to her and she gave a little start. Did he honestly expect her to give him the keys?
"She's not going to give you the keys either. How stupid are you to think that just by asking us nicely we will revert all the hard work and effort we have done into getting these keys?"
"It is you who is the stupid one," the judge snarled, surprising the both of them with the volume of his voice. "You honestly think you are welcome where you are going, Bellatrix?" This wasn't the first time the dark haired witch had heard this. And after the little court stint she finally knew why, but that wouldn't dissuade her from still trying.
"I don't care about that. I'm still going to go!"
"Stubborn and selfish as always. No regards to others safety or to their feelings. No respect for what is right." The judge shook his head sadly, his voice now back in the usual monotone. "Hermione, I will speak to you as you are the most sensible of the two. I cannot have the two of you escape from this place. Your time in the world as you know it, while cut tragically short, is over and you must give up the desire to rejoin it. If you do not then terrible things will happen. Stay here, where you belong. Bellatrix is a dangerous witch, one that has caused much strife and sorrow to those who you held close and cherished, Hermione. She hurt you too. Surely the things you heard and saw at the trial tipped you off to that much."
Hermione swallowed deeply at this, her skin beginning to prick uneasily. She knew, she had an inkling, no, more than an inkling of an idea of the true nature of Bellatrix's past. After all it was why the witch wore black. It was the color of evil, of those meant to be sent to hell. And given the context the judges addressed the dark haired witch by, it wasn't hard to believe and prove correct. Still Hermione had tried to look past that, to ignore it. The witch wasn't acting evil at all to her, she was different. Perhaps she had been forced to do evil. A victim of circumstance?
The judge noting Hermione's silence let out a sigh. It seemed like she hadn't been aware of this despite all the clues left to her to decipher. "We do not have all day here, but I will imbue you with some memories of the past you so impatiently sought to remember, in hopes you will see I speak the truth." He took his glasses off and began to clean them on his robes and as he did Hermione's mind slipped into her past.
She was in a vast and dimly lit room, an arch in the middle of it. Several clouds of dark smoke flew around her, crackling in evil delight before they reformed into human shapes. Beams of magic flared brightly in the space, illuminating the revolving figures there. It was crawling with witches and wizards. All were shouting, all were screaming. Hermione was standing outside all this, hovering in the air. No one could see her but she could see all, having a bird's eye view of everything. And in the flux of fighters she caught a glimpse of her own brown hair.
What was the point of this memory? Was it even a memory of hers? Or was the judge playing around with her?
She heard a wild cackle and then the shout of "avada kedavra!" A green bolt of light struck a man in the chest and he fell through the arch, disappearing completely. Hermione tried to trace where the bolt had come from but by then the scene was already spinning out of her control and she was somewhere else. This time she wasn't floating separate from the memory but lying on a cold hard floor. Her vision was blurry and she could hear voices muttering around her. She tried to sit up but a prompt jab with a wand to her throat made her lie back down.
"Where's the sword?" the owner of the wand asked and Hermione instantly recognized the voice. It was Bellatrix's, and as her vision cleared she saw the dark haired witch kneeling in front of her. Her eyes were crazed and her hair in thick knots around her head. "Where's the sword? Did you take it?" She cocked her head to her side, impatience burning in her eyes and Hermione's own scared reflection gazing back at her.
"I don't have it. I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione heard herself say.
"You hear that?" Bellatrix tossed over her shoulder to the other people in the room. They all wore black and their faces were grim and devoid of warmth. They were dangerous and they scared Hermione, but not as much as the witch in front of her. Because this witch was the one who was going to hurt her, she was sure of it. "The wittle mud baby says she doesn't know where it is. But you do know, you mudblood," her voice turned into a snarl as she focused on Hermione again, and she dug the wand deeper, making it harder for Hermione to swallow. "And you are going to tell me." The statement gave a sense of finality to it; a woman used to getting her way, used to coercing others to her wills and whims. She stood up at this, her haughty eyes never leaving the trembling brunette on the floor.
Hermione tried one last time to futilely convince the other that the lie was true, knowing full well what was going to occur if she failed. "I said I don't know-"
"Crucio!"
Hermione let out a scream as her entire body was filled with pain. It was like every muscle in her body had cramped up, tightly woven and pulsating and buzzing like a hive of bees. Her body moved of its own accord, spasming in reaction to the spell. She twisted and turned on the floor, spittle flying from her mouth. Her hands clawed at the floor and she begged for release-for it to be over. Her vision grew shaky and the breath choked in her lungs. After what seemed like an eternity, the pain subsided and she let out gasping breaths as she tried to regain oxygen into her lungs.
"Now, I'm going to ask once more and nicely at that," Bellatrix sang, her face wide in satisfaction of the pain she was inflicting. "Where is the sword?"
"I-don't-know-" Hermione panted out, not even able to finish her statement because the older witch cut her lies off.
"Crucio!" Again Hermione was sent into a state of gut wrenching pain. She could even barely think, barely breathe, it hurt so much.
And this memory continued in this way, Hermione feeling everything that was being dealt to her memory self to her real self as well. She wanted this memory to be over already. It was so terrifying. Why was the witch acting this way? Why? What was going on? What sword was she looking for that would drive her to such measures?
Hermione lost track of the number of crucio's she had incurred, her body by now a twitching mess on the floor. "It seems the mud baby still won't answer my questions," Bella snarled, upset by her inability to get Hermione to speak. She traded her wand for a knife she pulled from her pocket and held out Hermione's arm, the smooth and pale underside staring up invitingly. "Maybe a little tattoo would get you to open up. How about the word 'mudblood'?" Then with a wild cackle she got to work, the tip of the knife plunging in. Both Hermione in the memory and the current one let out a pleading howl of "no!" But it didn't stop the other witch who only grinned merrily, as if she was carving up a pumpkin and not a human.
Hermione was thankfully pulled free from that memory before the second letter could be ingrained and swept into another one. In this one she was hovering in the air again and she couldn't be more grateful. She was in no way ready to deal with anymore physical pain. And there was no physical pain, but emotional pain this time. She could see herself kneeling next to a small grave on a grassy hillside, holding the corpse of Dobby. She felt tears stream down her face. She had loved that little elf so much. But why had he died? Two boys were standing next to her, faces as equally drawn and pensive as hers. One had black hair and glasses and the other a shock of red hair that made his pale skin paler.
"Bellatrix killed him. Just like she killed my uncle!" The black haired boy-Harry, Hermione recalled his name with a shock- let out bitterly. So that man in the first vision had been Harry's uncle. Now it made more sense why Hermione had been shown that. But it didn't take away the pain in her heart. Bellatrix had been evil. She had killed others, tortured Hermione and killed her friends. Why had she done this?
The memory slowly began to fade, until Hermione was back in the present world. Tears were streaming down her face and she had collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. How long had she been gone? How long had she been crying? Her body ached as if she had actually been tortured right now and the scar on her arm burned fiercely.
"Hermione. Hermione, are you okay?" Bellatrix's voice asked. She made to move to the witch but the brunette shuffled back from her reflexively, afraid. The memories were still raw in her flesh and bones. Bellatrix looked confused by this action, hurt, and turned her anger out on the judge. "What did you do to her?"
The judge tsked. "Not what did I do, but what you did."
"What are you blabbing about you old coot?"
"I showed her the memories from her past. Those concerning you. Would you like to see them too?"
Bellatrix was tempted. Having her old memories would clear up a lot of things but she didn't trust the judge. "I bet their not even real memories. You just showed her something false that made me look bad." She was worried about what was going to happen. Would Hermione turn on her now? Would she fight Bella for the keys? What did she do now? She needed Hermione's help on this quest, to finish it. She couldn't do it alone. She wet her lips, her body tensed in case she had to make a quick decision. Or the worst decision.
The judge ignored her, turning back to Hermione who was still on the floor, although her crying had calmed down a bit and she was taking big gulps of air to regain composure. "So now do you see what I mean when I say you must give up on your quest? She is dangerous. And has no right to go back into your world." This was true, but Hermione didn't want to believe it. Surely there was good in those who were still evil. All they needed was a chance to show it. Does Bella deserve that chance? Her subconscious asked. Bottling away the emotions brought to her by the vivid memories, and pushing away her doubts, she made her decision.
Hermione got up to her feet slowly, wiping away her tears with the ends of her sleeves. "I already knew this. I knew all..this," she said, her speech wavering as she tried to get her vocal cords back under control. "I knew she did terrible things to me and to others...but I think..I think she can change. That everyone deserves a second chance at doing good."
"You foolish girl! You want her to come back to life then and kill all your loved ones again? She cannot be trusted! Was being tortured at her hand not enough proof of this?"
Hermione merely smiled at this. "Ah, so the keys do bring us back to life. You were right on that, Bellatrix." Hermione smiled at the dark haired witch, who was looking extremely unsure right now. She wanted to ask Hermione so many questions about what she had seen in her memories, about why she was forgiving her even though she had broken the promise to be truthful to her, broken probably way more than that.
The judge let out an angry tsk at letting that tidbit of information slip. "Fine then. As it seems you will not hand over the keys peacefully, we will take it by force."
The two witches were expecting this. "Now Bella!" Hermione shouted out and the dark witch needed no more prompting. The two girls aimed spells at the feet of the hotel workers. Roots sprouted out from the floor, wrapping around them and trapping them in place. Then they shifted their wands over to the third judge's face and he was flung backwards before he could take more than two steps towards them.
"Looks like the fighting has started before I could start it," a voice came from behind the two girls and they turned to see Voldemort had come from the castle. His clothes were burned and he had scorch marks up and down his arms. If his face was burned badly it was hard to tell because he was wearing his mask. He sent a spell flying at them and Bella pushed Hermione to the side as she dove out of the way in the opposite direction. Bella was quicker to recover to her feet and was engaging the man in battle already, their wands blurs. Hermione who had not expected to be pushed roughly had a harder time getting to her feet.
The staff members were still stuck to the floor, trying to tear the roots out with their hands but the plant would only grow back and thicker. One of them was struck by Voldemort's spell and erupted into flames. Hermione ducked a hand reaching for her before she stepped away from where she had fallen near some members. They were not a problem for now. A quick glance told her the judge was still knocked out but how long would the stupefy spell work on him? If he was powerful then not long. She had to help Bella defeat Voldemort and then they had to run away.
An indignant cry from the dark haired witch shifted Hermione's attention to the fact that Voldemort was trying to accio the keys away. Already they had ripped free from Bella's grip and were floating closer to him. She was trying to get them back but a barrage of spells that had her spinning on her feet to dodge them was keeping her away. She tripped over a carpet and fell to the floor, a break in the casting of spells occurring momentarily.
"Accio keys!" Hermione shouted out and the keys moved towards her before stopping. Voldemort had noticed her little spell and was pulling the keys back with his own magic. The keys zoomed further away from Hermione and she grit her teeth before pulling her wand back in an effort to get the keys flying towards her once more. It was like a game of tug of war except with no rope.
Lucky for her, Voldemort couldn't concentrate with his accio spell because Bella had recovered and was demanding his attention again. She flung curses at him and he was forced to drop the spell in favor of more offensive ones. The keys, with no other force holding them back, came freely to Hermione and she held onto them for now. She stuffed them into her pants pocket and turned to check if Gabriel, the third judge was still knocked out. He wasn't, now slowly getting to his feet and rubbing his forehead. She wasn't going to let him get away without getting the third key. She was sure another chance like this wouldn't arise. She approached him, wand at the ready and forcing forwards all the courage in her body so that she could pull this off successfully.
"This hallway is getting a bit crowded. How about we head out somewhere more private?" Then she opened up a portal in the wall next to his staggering and still not at full consciousness form and pulled him in.
Bella barely noticed Hermione was gone. Although to be fair she was currently dueling for her life against her friend from her past. "It doesn't have to be like this," Voldemort admitted.
"What doesn't?" she grunted out as she barely deflected his spell. It redirected towards a staff member, knocking them out cold. They had left the circle and were moving down the hall, in need for more space to duke it out.
"This. We could be on the same side. You could work with me again Bellatrix." His words were like honey and the way he addressed her so familiarly made her want to drop her wand and cease this fighting all at once but she didn't. She fought that urge. She knew he was the man who had caused her to be evil. There was no way she was going back to that no matter how much the thought of hurting others pleased her.
"I'm not working with you. I want my freedom. I want to live again. What would working with Gabriel even lead to? There is no way he is going to let you out of this prison hell hole. You should have worked with us, because only we hold the keys to getting out of here."
Voldemort let out a laugh here, one that sent tingles down her spine. She took this chance to aim five spells at a row at him but he merely swatted them aside before pinning her with one of his own. She had left herself open in order to cast her spells and now she had a gash down her side to pay for her lack of defense. She grit her teeth as a hiss of pain threatened to escape her lips. Now she was severely impaired on her left side and could no longer cast spells as efficiently. Why had she been so stupid and tried that? But she was getting desperate to win and desperation bred ugly traits in those it affected. And additionally, she had to find Hermione. She had no clue what the girl was up to or if the judge had captured her. Hermione did have the keys so Bella couldn't let the brunette fall into any evil hands.
As if your hands aren't the evil ones, snarled her subconscious to her. Think she's safer with you? She probably ditched you the first chance she got. And took the keys with her.
Shut up! Bellatrix shot back.
"You really think I would hand the keys over to Gabriel?" Voldemort poised the question as he caused the carpet under Bella's feet to lift up and unbalance her. She fell to her bottom and tried to get back up, her side throbbing in pain from her still bleeding gash. But Voldemort wouldn't let her up to her feet and forced her back down with some spells. She sat where she was, panting heavily and hurt and bruised all over. Her hair was a mess, she was breathing heavily and blood dripped into her eye from a gash over her eyebrow. She still held onto her wand, fingers in a death grip on it as Voldemort approached her.
"I knew the keys were important, and I knew you were important since they wanted to get rid of you so badly. So I decided I would pretend to work for Gabriel and then I would turn my back on him and work with you on getting free from this place. I'm not an imbecile. I know that he would probably toss me aside after he had used my help. I know there wasn't any hope for me except for joining up with you. So please, Bellatrix, like old time's sake, join me and help me get out of here." He held out a hand to her, bending over slightly so that she could reach up more easily. He held his wand hand up in a silent show of peace offering.
Bella wet her lips, unsure what to do or say. Two sides battled in her; the one who wanted to team up with her old friend again and the one that said he was a bad influence on her and that she should avoid him. "I'll even forgive you for hurting me back there like you did. Those green flames of yours are quite nasty."
"What-what about Hermione?" She was stalling for time with that question and she knew it, but her mind and heart were still torn in two on what she should choose and she needed more time to think.
Voldemort's eyes flashed darkly at the mention of the brunette's name. "Leave her behind. We do not need her. She will only hinder our plans. She has probably betrayed you as it is."
His words struck a chord with what Bella herself thought and she swallowed deeply. Should she-? Her hand seemed to have a mind of its own and it slowly rose up to touch his when a loud crack made them both look back. A handsome man with green eyes and chin length hair stood next to them, dressed in gold and cream colored clothes. It was Dorian, the first judge. "Hate to break up this wonderful reunion but I need her," he pointed at Bella who was still on the floor. Then he pointed to Voldemort. "You can go after Hermione. She's doing something I highly disapprove of right now and someone needs to stop her." With a snap of fingers from both hands they were all gone.
Dust scattered in the air and Hermione had to resist the urge to sneeze as she ran through the clouds she had raised in her latest bid to escape the third judges notice. By some miracle or another she had managed to secure the third key, a shoddy little thing that was made of plain silver. Gabriel was less than pleased by this and his disapproval rang openly through the air as he flew above her head in the giant warehouse they were situated in. He was shouting obscenities at her, at the same time he was flinging razor sharp feathers down at her. She was doing her best to dodge the projectiles and to get to a smooth wall so that she could open up a portal but he seemed to have guessed how her portal skills operated and was making sure to keep her away from any and all walls.
She couldn't keep dodging these feathers for long. She had to find a way out of here and soon. If he caught her now it would be all over. He would get his hands on all three keys, reverting all their hard work into nothing. She couldn't let that happen.
She ducked under one of the many rows of shelves in this place, feathers sticking into the metal with loud pings. "Hermione I demand you get out here and give me back the keys or I will sentence you to eternal damnation for your crimes!" Gabriel's skin had turned blue in his ire and giant white wings sprouted from his back, casting a huge shadow as he flew by. They would have been nice to look at at any other situation than this.
"There is no way I am handing back these keys to you. You yourself said my time had been cut short in my world. I will be going back. My friends need me. I can hear them calling to me in my dreams." By glimpsing those memories that had been locked away from her she was able to identify the voices to their faces. She was certain one of them belonged to Harry. Harry was one of her closet friends. Thinking about him made her chest feel warm. He had been there when Dobby died, and she had a feeling she had faced more with him too.
"You are more foolish than I believed you to be. Your time is done. There is no such thing as coming back to life," Gabriel insisted and hovered over the aisle in which Hermione was hiding under the giant shelf, packed away behind some boxes. She peeked out from behind it and was rewarded by a series of feathers which she avoided by the skin of her teeth. He was not letting her out of his sight. She needed a plan and quick to distract him.
"Well then I guess I will be the first witch to do such a thing." With an idea in her head, she ducked out from under the shelf into full view of the judge. She knew she couldn't knock him out of the sky-she had already tried and failed multiple times with only feather wounds to show for it-but she could hit something else. "Confrigo!" The place she had hidden in burst into flames, erupting and sending material flying every which way. Gabriel was forced back by the extent and intensity of the flames. Hermione took his momentary lapse in motion to run half the length of the warehouse. But he was on her soon and she knew she wasn't going to get to the wall in front of her before he caught up to her. She turned back and sent another spell from her wand tip. "Fiendfyre!" A snake of pure green fire was flung outwards and onto Gabriel. It latched onto his wing and tore him down from the sky. His screams were the last thing Hermione heard as she made it to the wall and with gasping breath, opened up a portal.
She moved from one portal to another, not stopping for too long in fear that someone would catch up to her or try to stop her. She wasn't looking for a safe space, but for the door, the one she knew would lead her out of here. She had visited it with Bella a couple days back, or had it been weeks? She didn't know when they had first discovered it but Hermione was sure it had to be the door the keys worked for. There were three locks on it of differing sizes.
The brunette went through so many portals she lost track. Where had the door last been? She knew it had to be somewhere close by. She could taste the need to reach this door, so strong was her urge to get to it. She was so close she couldn't fail now. She was going to live again-she was certain of it. She flicked her wand another time, her wrist sore from how many times she had motioned with the object. At last the place she was looking for arrived in front of her and she stepped out of the portal, relief fresh on her face.
She was on the roof of the hotel, the sky darkening above her, clouds chasing across the sky in a never-ending race. The door was there, buzzing with soft energy. It was a massive thing, attached to nothing and leading to nothing, complete with pillars on either side of it that crawled with ivy. Everything was made of dark marble with gold veins running across it. The keys in her pants pocket grew warm, as if reacting and sensing the door in front of them. Hermione approached it slowly, as if the door was a beast and she had to be cautious or else it would run away. She let her hands trace over the smooth and warm marble-it felt like it was alive. Pulsating like a heartbeat.
This was it. She was going to live. Her hands were shaking with excitement and barely contained nerves as she took the first key out of her pocket-the gold one- and slide it into the appropriate lock. There was a click as she twisted it. There was no question this was the right door. She licked her dry lips and pulled the second key out. Her hand was less sure as she put this one inside the lock, her insides coiling with guilt. What was she doing? She was leaving Bellatrix behind.
But she doesn't deserve to come back. She's evil. You heard the judges. She's only going to go to hell. She's only going to hurt your friends again if she comes back. Do you want that? Do you?
Hermione shook away the malicious voice in her head. She helped me. She may have done bad things in the past but she won't do them anymore. She wants to change. I know it.
And how do you know that? How can you be so sure? Did she tell you herself that she would be good? Just like she told you the truth on herself?
The brunette twisted up her lips at this. Bella hadn't told Hermione the truth about her past, this much was true. But Hermione wanted to think the best of the other, to think the best of other people in general.
Yet her hand turned the second key and the lock sprang open with a click. Her hand reached for the third key and she placed it in the correct slot too. Her hands were sweating now and she took a deep breath. Was she really going to do this?
No. Bella doesn't deserve to be betrayed.
Remember what she did to you? Flashes of pain, of blood, of a knife digging into flesh ran in Hermione's mind and she grit her teeth.
No. I will be the better person. No matter how much I hate what she did to me. If she is evil then I will go out of my way to prove that I am not like her.
With a great show of willpower, Hermione stepped back from the door, leaving the final key unturned. Her knees were shaking with the weight of the decision she had just made.
"What a shame. You didn't turn the last key. I was looking forward to seeing what happens." Hermione turned around on those words, her skin crawling. Voldemort was approaching her, a gleam in his eye. "Perhaps I shall turn it?" His question was more of a suggestion and Hermione knew that no matter what she couldn't let him past the door. How was he even here? Was Bella okay? Would Hermione be able to hold him off?
She raised her wand but she was too slow. Already he had muttered a spell and sent her flying sideways. She went up, three, five feet in the air before she collided harshly with the ground, her wand skittering away from her grip. Her jaw connected with the ground first, then her knee, followed by her elbow as she tried to protect her body somehow. Bright lights shot up in her vision and she nearly damn bit her tongue off as her mouth snapped open and then shut from the force. She could feel warm blood trickle down her chin where she had no doubt split it. But she couldn't focus on the pain right now. She had to stop Voldemort. She couldn't allow him to come back to life! That would be a disaster waiting to unfold.
She tried to get up, her knee wobbling pitifully beneath her weight and scanned with panicked eyes to where her wand had fallen. It was a couple of inches away from her and she pounced on it, lifting it up to eye level. "Staph," she cried out, her jaw not working properly right now.
"Thanks for the help Hermione. You've made my job so much easier." Voldemort was at the door and with a swift click, the final lock had been unlocked. Immense light flooded from the doors as they opened inwards.
"NO!" Hermione howled out. "Shhupefy!" She tried to yell out the name of the stunning spell but she couldn't pronounce it correctly. And as she hobbled forwards in horror in a desperate bid to catch him and stop him physically, he took his time as he walked into the light. His whole body was consumed by it and he raised his hands in delight as the light sucked him up. With one maniac laugh he was gone, the light was gone and the door slammed closed with a loud bang.
"No...no..." she whispered to herself. What had she just done? She had let a maniac free...let him ascend back to life...
She patted at the door, but it wouldn't budge open. And the worst part was that the keys were gone. Vanished into thin air. She banged on the doors with both fists now, screaming out. "Open you blasted doors! Open!" She felt tears pressing at the backs of her eyes. Now what was she to do?
Voldemort had escaped and she was still stuck here.
A/N: I know that wasn't exactly how the torture scene went in the books but I took some creative liberties with it, because it's not entirely that central to the plot of this story.