"Urgh!" cried out the death-eater. Elizabeth had spit in his eye.
"Now, now, Miss Pentillo. We simply cannot have that sort of behavior. How would this look to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the States, hmm?" Voldemort asked with a sneer. "Or perhaps there is no Minister of Foreign Affairs, or no Three Sisters Academy in Salem, Massachusetts?"
"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth questioned in frustration. Her wrist was smarting, and her entire arm was starting to cramp from the weird position.
"Or maybe you're not from Massachusetts? If I'm correct, you live in the most heavily muggle-inhabited are in the States. Am I correct?" Voldemort's voice had an acidic tone to it. His eyes glinted with madness. "You're not really a student, are you? You never learned a single thing about magic until you came here! So how is it that they let you come in the first place?"
"How am I supposed to know?" she cried. Tears were forming from the pain.
"Malfoy, cut her wrist from the binds. I can't stand to hear whining."
Lucius Malfoy cut her wrist free with the severing charm.
"And now, my loyal followers, as you can see, the process is almost complete. In a few hours, this potion will have created a major ripple effect in the world. Once the unicorn's horn powder and the Hungarian Horntail's esophagus have been added, we will pour the potion along the roots of the Whomping Willow that I so cleverly planted here a long time ago—"
Lupin interrupted with a loud snarl that sounded like one word, "Wrong."
Voldemort chuckled. "Lupin, I happen to know a lot more about you than you think. You were bitten by an older woman at the age of 6. Dumbledore didn't want to say you couldn't come to school when you were eleven, so he asked a trustworthy friend about what he should do. That friend told him to plant this Willow, which would be the opening to your hiding place. That friend worked for me at the time. The woman who bit you was one of my death-eaters, as well." He grinned devilishly. "Dumbledore never even saw it coming. He can be manipulated so easily—"
"You're wrong!" Harry exclaimed. Hatred as Harry only felt once before welled up inside of him.
"I'm wrong? Then how is it that this worked so magnificently? But enough of this chitchat. There are more important things to do, like destroy the remains of this potion. Wormtail, you may have the honors."
"Avada Kadavra!" he cursed. Instead of pointing at Harry, he pointed at Lupin. Green light burst from his wand, but the tip of the curse looked like it was laden with silver.
"NO!" Harry yelled, struggling to get free of his ropes. The silver went straight into Lupin's heart. There was no blood or dismemberment, just swift, painless death. Remus Lupin's eyes were still open, to be frozen forever in that face of shock. Though Harry didn't want to believe it, the last of the faithful Marauders was dead. By the hand of the one who betrayed him, no less.
Harry was in incredulity. "No…" he whispered. Lupin, who was the best defense against the dark arts teacher he ever had, one of his dad's best friends…dead…like Sirius before him…and James before him…Tears clouded Harry's eyes. 'Why does everyone have to suffer for my stupid mistakes?' he thought bitterly.
"Harry!" Elizabeth said. "It wasn't your fault."
"It is ready, my lord," Malfoy informed.
"Have the ingredients been added?" he asked.
"Yes, my lord."
"Excellent." He turned around and selected a random death-eater. "You there, you get the honor of dumping the Annullius Perosus on the Willow's roots."
The death-eater nodded and picked up the cauldron. As he bent down, his hood fell back and his mask came off, exposing his face.
'It can't be,' thought Harry, 'Cornelius Fudge? Impossible! Dumbledore knew he wasn't.'
But there he was, obeying Voldemort as though he were a seasoned death-eater.
"Ah, Fudge. One of my better hidden disciples."
As soon as Fudge poured the potion onto the roots, the tree began to shake violently.
"We now have three hours to wait for the tree to work its magic. When it is done, we will not know until we see a great purple cloud hovering six feet from the ground. All of you in my inner circle, take a sip of the green potion," he commanded. They passed the small cauldron around and took a swallow of the green potion.
Intimidating, dark, swirling clouds were forming in the sky. The sky itself was turning a gray-ish color. Suddenly, the air turned cold. It was about late May, but it felt like a night in February. The Whomping Willow started hitting the ground with its braches. Where it struck, purple waves of power were omitting from the dirt. The waves flew over the horizon in every direction.
Still in pain, as her wrist was probably broken, Elizabeth discreetly grabbed her wand. While everyone was looking at the Willow, she quietly muttered, "Diffindo." She was careful to make it look like she was still tied. She pointed her wand at Harry's bindings and severed them. Harry looked at her, waiting to see if she had a plan. She shook her head.
"The Buto," Harry muttered. Elizabeth nodded and transformed. Harry quickly grabbed onto her middle and she took off in flight. They landed somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, close to the castle and Hagrid's hut.
They barely got their breath was someone tapped Harry on the shoulder. Harry and Elizabeth whipped around with their wands ready. Only to see Ron.
"Holy jeez!" Elizabeth sighed.
"Relax, mates, it's only me," Ron reassured.
"Ron, don't ever do anything like that, again," Harry warned. He had willed himself to be completely numb to the feeling of loss until Voldemort was gone.
"Where's the cloak? I had to get out here using my talent for sneaking. Did I mention I don't have a talent for sneaking?" Ron said.
"I left it by the Willow," Harry explained. Then he realized something as he looked at the red, swelling barrier. "Elizabeth, notice how Voldemort said no humans would be able to get through?"
"Brilliant," Elizabeth muttered. She changed into the Buto and flew right up to it. "What am I looking for?"
"I don't know. Just get some help. Try to stop the person who's controlling the barrier. When you come back out, we'll be over there." He pointed to Hagrid's hut. Elizabeth believed he meant behind it in the Forest. She nodded her reptilian head and flew into the castle.
Professor McGonagall was in the Entrance Hall, pacing frantically and murmuring questions and problems. "Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed at seeing Elizabeth.
Elizabeth became human and said, "Professor, it's me."
"What, in heaven's name, is going on?" the professor asked.