chapter 8

(a/n- hi! i know, i'm so mean to poor Mary. i love writing angst though. anyway, hope you liked the last chapter; did anyone have to grab the Kleenex? oh and please keep reviewing! :)

(by the way, this story is now rated PG cuz of the child abuse stuff. just thought you might wanna know.)

(disclaimer-all characters except Mary belong to J.K. Rowling.)

"What's going on? What happened?"

"Yup, just this note."

"Oh my God."

Sirius could only see black but he heard these voices. Then again his eyes were closed. He opened them very slowly and saw Arthur Weasley and Alastor Moody hovering over him. He lifted his head up a bit and saw different things. Molly Weasley was crying and Tonks was trying to comfort her. Kingsley Shackelbolt, Mundungus Fletcher, and Arabella Figg were reading a piece of parchment with shocked faces.

Sirius finally remembered the Death Eater break-in last night.

"Where are Remus and Mary?" he asked Arthur urgently.

Arthur said nothing but Mundungus walked over slowly and handed Sirius the piece of parchment. He gasped and filled up with fury.

Black-

We have Potter and the werewolf. Give us the weapon or they both die. You have 2 weeks.

-The Death Eaters

"I'm sorry, mate," said Mundungus softly.

Sirius said nothing, but stormed out of the room and up into his bedroom. The only thing the Order members heard was yelling and the sound of things breaking.

(Meanwhile, in the basement of the Riddle House...)

Mary felt a sharp pain to her side and opened her eyes a little before being thrown roughly into a cell. She opened her eyes all the way and groaned. She looked over and saw Remus sitting up with his back against the wall. She crawled over to him and collapsed on his lap. He smiled.

"Well, here we are," Mary said weakly. She suddenly felt a stinging feeling down her sides. Looking at herself and Remus, she noticed that they were both covered in their own blood from the ropes digging into them.

"Are we going to die?" Mary asked Remus.

"I don't know," he replied sadly.

All of the sudden, the door creaked open, and two tall figures and one shorter one stepped into the room.

(Meanwhile, at Hogwarts...)

Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting in Potions class, their least favorite class with their least favorite teacher, besides Umbridge, Professor Snape, when Colin and Dennis Creevey stepped in.

"Professor Snape?" said Colin nervously.

"What?" Snape hissed.

"Professor Dumbledore would like Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger to report to his office immediately.

"He said it was urgent," added Dennis.

"Alright!" snapped Snape, "You three, get out of my sight!"

"What do you think he wants?" said Ron as they made their way to Dumbledore's office.

"Dunno," replied Harry.

"Well, it's obviously important," said Hermione.

They reached Dumbledore's office and found him waiting outside of it for them. There was no twinkle in his eye, and he did not smile. "Please follow me," he said.

Sirius waited for his godson and his friends to come. It was time to reveal the truth about Mary. He thought about her again and his eyes welled up with tears. He was very pale and puffy-eyed from crying.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed as he went up to hug his godfather. He let him go and said, "What's going on?"

"Listen, Harry," Sirius said urgently, "You have a twin sister named Mary, and she's in trouble. She and Remus were captured by Death Eaters last night, and the Death Eaters want the weapon that can bring make Voldemort entirely unstoppable. They'll kill anyone on our side whether we give them the weapon or not, so we just need to bring them to safety. Harry?"

Harry and Hermione's shock was way beyond words. Their eyes were as round as snitches, and their jaws were as low as their joints would allow. Ron, however, didn't look quite as surprised. "I'm sorry, Harry, I should have told you. I knew about Mary. She's friends with Fred and George. I had overheard them talking about her, and they made me swear not to tell anyone. I'm sorry."

Harry turned to Ron and finally spoke.

"I guess it's okay," said Harry. "I know you didn't have a choice."

"Thanks, mate," said Ron with a small smile.

"Please, you three, this is very important," said Sirius, "We need to gather a small group, and we figured we had to tell you about it, and we can't stop you from coming."

Harry was about to ask a question, but thought better of it. He would ask questions later.

"Alright," said Harry, suddenly full of determination, "Let's go."

(Meanwhile, at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes...yes it's the last bloody meanwhile!)

"Hey, Fred, look," said George Weasley, pointing to the large brown owl tapping on the window of their newly opened store. They opened the door to let it in, and it gave them the letter and flew off. Fred Weasley opened it and gulped as he read it.

"What is it?" said George somewhat seriously.

A tear formed at the corner of Fred's cheek and he turned so George wouldn't see. "Read," he managed to say. He handed it to George and he gulped as well.

Dear Fred and George,

I have some bad news. Last night there was an attack on headquarters by some Death Eaters. Mary, Sirius, and Remus were there. Sirius was only stunned, but Mary and Remus were kidnapped and are now being held for the weapon. You don't have to come on the quest, but Ron told us that you three were friends, so we only thought it fair that you should know. Come to headquarters if you want to help out.

-Mundungus

"No," George whispered as he finished.

"Let's close up shop and leave," said Fred, "We have to help."

George changed the "Open" sign to "Close," and they Apparated to headquarters.

Fred and George landed with a soft pop in the middle of the living room at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. They looked around them and saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sirius sitting in a circle. They looked up at Fred and George.

"Are you two here to help save Mary and Lupin?" Sirius asked with a shaky voice.

"Yeah," said George, trying to sound calm.

"Alright then," Sirius replied, also trying to sound calm, "This should be enough people. We're going to search the Riddle House first, because that's where we think The Death Eaters are keeping them hostage. Are you 5 up for a long broom ride?"

They all nodded slowly.

Mary and Remus looked up at the three figures standing in front of them with fright in their eyes. Mary, still sitting on Remus's lap, clenched his robes, and he held her closer.

The three figures pulled off their hoods and revealed themselves. One was Lucius Malfoy, another was Igor Karkaroff, and the shorter one was Malfoy's son, Draco.

"While you two are here," said Malfoy, "you will make yourselves useful. My son, Draco, needs someone to practice his Cruciatus Curse on. Go on Draco. Remember, it's "crucio."

Draco raised his wand and pointed it at Mary.

"That's it; try it first on the smaller one," said Lucius, "Make sure you enjoy their pain, of course."

"Crucio!" Draco said loudly and clearly. He got it on the first try.

Mary once again felt that intolerable pain. She shrieked in pain and agony. Her vision was a bit blurred by tears. Remus's face twitched convulsively as he screamed, "Stop it!"

Draco cackled mercilessly. This was the best lesson he'd ever had. He was enjoying her pain so much.

The curse was finally lifted and Mary lay on the ground panting. Her wounds on her sides had opened up and were gushing blood.

"That was almost perfect, Draco," said Malfoy. "Try one more time, and then maybe we can move on to the larger one. Stand up, Potter!"

Mary started to stand up. It was hard because her knees were so wobbly.

"Now the trick is, Draco," Malfoy whispered to his son, "to perform the curse while they're trying to get up. It makes them fall back down and it's twice as entertaining."

Mary was almost up when Draco yelled, "Crucio!" again. White hot knives dug deep into her again as she writhed and shrieked on the floor. Just when she felt she would rather die, the curse was lifted and she was left almost unconscious on the ground.

"Mary! Mary!" Remus yelled as he crawled over to her. But before he could do anything, he was thrown backwards as the Cruciatus Curse was used on him. It didn't work as well though.

Malfoy said, "Just keep practicing on Potter. That should prepare you for the other one."

Draco performed the curse again and Mary screamed.

Sirius, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George were on the doorstep of the Riddle House. "Everybody ready?" asked Sirius nervously. They nodded. "Ok, on three. One-two-three!"

He kicked the door open and pointed his wand in all directions. No one was there.

They searched upstairs and on the main floor but found nothing.

They were silent for a moment and didn't move at all.

"Wait a minute," said Hermione. "I think I hear something."

They all listened and heard a faint screaming coming from below them.

"Mary!" Sirius gasped.

The screaming grew a bit fainter and more desperate.

Sirius ran for the basement door and drew his wand. He couldn't stand the screaming anymore. He knew they were using the Cruciatus Curse on her. He also heard laughing. Laughing! Those scumbags were laughing at her pain! Sirius would kill them!

"We're going down there," said Sirius urgently. "Stun them as soon as you see them. I think there are only about three or four. Are you all ready?"

They all nodded quickly again. Sirius opened the door quietly, and jumped down the stairs. The others followed suit.

All six of them bellowed curses at the two Death Eaters and one Death Eater in-training at the same time. All three were out cold instantly.

"Sirius!" yelled a man's voice.

Sirius looked over to where the voice had come from. He saw Remus kneeling down in a cell, hunched over Mary.

She was drenched in her own blood and was barely breathing. The six of them ran over to her and kneeled down next to her.

Ron looked over at his brothers and Sirius. Tears were streaming down their faces. He was very surprised; he had never seen any of them cry before.

"So this is my twin sister?" Harry said. Remus nodded.

Then, as if by some miracle, Mary opened her eyes a little.