The three Death Eaters didn't speak a word the whole journey, which was insanely long and painful for me. Not only was I terrified beyond tears, but I was tied awkwardly to a broomstick. I thought my muscles would burst with pain. What was going to happen? Where would I end up? Why had I not listened to my instincts about Harry not being Harry? It was all over.
I was so frightened that I thought I might vomit. Voldemort had dream-raped me once, that was bad enough, but for real it would have greater consequences than a broken foot and a couple of bad bruises and cuts. And what was worse, he had mentioned his Death Eaters….
I really did vomit at this thought. It flew down through the air and I realized it might hit someone. That would be really disgusting. Hardly a laughing moment, a rough sort of guffaw burst through my dry lips. I started shaking spasmodically and felt my stomach clench again. I wondered faintly if I was going into shock….
Harry was furious, standing there by the Forbidden Forest with Neville, Ginny, Hermione, Luna and Ron. How much longer did Sirius have? And what had Malfoy been hinting at back in Umbridge's office?
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," Harry said through gritted teeth, "because we still don't know how to get there."
"I thought we'd settled that?" Luna said maddeningly. "We're flying!"
"Look," said Ron, barely containing his rage. "You might be able to fly without a broomstick, but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we-"
"That's it!" Hermione cried out, no longer looking pale as death. "The Aviata spell! Favian taught it to me!"
"Favian… oh gods, where is she?" Harry asked, remembering suddenly that he hadn't seen her after he had left the exam.
"Malfoy… said something about her… but I figured that was just him being a jerk." Ron said slowly.
"He said she's grown wings and flown away," Luna said dreamily.
"WHAT?! AND NOBODY SAID ANYTHING!?" Harry was belligerent.
"Oh my God. I'll bet she's with V-Voldemort." Hermione whispered.
"Hermione, what's that spell?"
I was somewhere I had never before seen. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light. My arms and feet were tied behind me and I was in an uncomfortable arc on the floor. I looked around the room and saw a fireplace crackling with a fire. The hearth rug I was lying on was unpleasantly warm. My forehead was beaded with sweat. I craned my neck to look behind me and I saw a large chair. Nobody sat in it at the moment, but I could easily imagine an arrogant man watching the fireplace while his servants did his bidding. Above the fireplace was a portrait of a dark-haired man, his apparent wife and son. His son looked somewhat like Tom, but a little less handsome. I shivered. I felt bile rising in my throat, but I had no more stomach contents to heave. My arms and legs began to shake again. I could barely move in any direction, being tied as I was. I moaned softly, and my eyes filled with tears.
I heard clumsy footsteps approach me hastily.
"Are you awake?" A squeaky man's voice asked. I looked up and saw a short, saggy man with watery blue eyes looking down at me nervously.
I didn't speak, terrified beyond speech.
"All right," he bent over, grabbed my shoulders with a weird silver hand and leaned me up against the chair.
"Ah!" I cried out in pain. There was a throbbing stabbing sensation in my chest.
"What's wrong?" He looked terrified.
"I… my arms…." I thought very quickly.
"Here," he took the ropes off quickly. I flexed my arms and rubbed my wrists. "Better?"
"Yeah… a bit."
"Are you hungry?" He asked.
"Yes," I lied. "Who are you?"
"Sc- Wormtail."
"Oh," Peter Pettigrew.
"What do you want to eat?" He inquired, twisting his fingers together.
"Anything, where's Voldemort?"
Peter flinched at the sound of his master's name.
"I do not know where the Dark Lord is," he whispered. "I'll go and get some food from the kitchen for you."
I nodded and leaned my head back against the cushion until he left. After he was gone, I pulled my wand quickly out of my pocket and undid the bonds on my ankles. I stood wobbly to my feet. My legs were like jelly. I grasped my wand tightly and looked out of a window to get some idea of where I was. I was in a house above a sleeping town. I looked for a way to open the window. Finally, I decided the only way I was getting out was by breaking the window. I looked around for something to smash it with.
Pettigrew had returned. He dropped the plate of crackers he had brought.
"What are you doing?" He pulled out his wand and spat a curse at me, but I deflected it quickly. It disarmed him. His wand flew away from him. I ran over to him and pressed my own wand up to his throat.
"I don't want to kill you," I said, gritting my teeth, "though you doubtlessly deserve it, but it's not my nature. Where the hell are we?"
He squeaked.
"ANSWER ME!" I shouted, pressing my wand deeper into his neck.
"Twenty miles from London." He squeaked. "In England."
"Good, now what direction would I have to go to get there?"
"W-West." He spluttered.
"What's this? Giving away answers so easily, Wormtail?" A whisper came from behind me. Cold fingers of dread trailed down my spine. I held onto Wormtail and forced him in front of me as I faced the Dark Lord. "Hello, Favian Fynn Clark." His thin, pale lips articulated my name. His eyes were red as blood and the pupils were shaped like those of a cat.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle." I acknowledged him, holding Wormtail still tighter and pressing my wand into his back.
He smiled coolly and looked into my eyes intently. "I told you I would have you soon."
"Yes, you have me now, but I won't be staying," I growled with a frightened tinge coloring my voice.
Voldemort brought out his wand.
"Try anything and your helper dies." I threatened.
Voldemort laughed. It was a high-pitched, cruel sound. His head tossed back and his shoulders heaved.
"I'm not joking!" I shouted furiously.
"You think that I honestly care whether or not this worm lives or dies?" He cackled. "There are more important things than the life of a traitor."
Wormtail whimpered. I suddenly felt slightly sympathetic for him, but I didn't loosen my grip. Voldemort raised his wand and waved it without speaking. Wormtail flew from my grip and into a wall. I flinched as he fell unconscious to the floor. I kept my wand up but started backing up in terror. Voldemort advanced on me in fascination. I did the only thing I could think of: raised my wand to my own throat.
"Come any closer and so help me I will kill myself!" I screamed. Voldemort froze. Tears welled in my eyes. I would do it. He would not win. I would not be broken. His eyes widened and I saw true fear in them.
Voldemort lowered his wand, but that did not lessen my resolve any. In fact, I pressed my wand harder to my throat. I heard a faint singing coming from the wand. I didn't understand. It was as though it was trying to calm me down.
"What would be gained by your death?" Voldemort asked, keeping his distance.
"I-." The wand seemed to be talking to me now. "Stop it!" I shouted, scrunching my eyes shut. The voices wouldn't stop! What was he doing?
"Expelliarmus!" Voldemort screeched. I opened my eyes as my wand flew into his hand. He dropped it like a hot potato as it burned his white flesh. He looked back at me, eyes slit. "You have tried too many foolish things. You are not cautious enough with your life."
I backed away as he came forward and felt the armchair behind my legs. I collapsed into it and saw him towering over me. The sense of déjà vu that wracked my brain was too much. I somersaulted backwards to my feet, knees shaking perfidiously. Voldemort disappeared and reappeared behind me, long fingers reaching for my neck. I ducked but fell to the floor.
No!
"Yes," Voldemort hissed. He was about to speak again but his eyes grew pensive. "You will wait for my return. Stupefy!"
I fell to the floor, head pounding, surrounded by black.
It could have been five minutes for all I knew, but when I awoke, my head cried out for any form of painkiller possible. I curled into a ball on the floor but found that also hurt.
"Ah!" Looking down I saw that… that… my legs! They had been broken! Wormtail whimpered in a corner, holding a bump on his skull, rocking back and forth.
"Please, James, make him stop! Don't let him keep hurting me…." Wormtail moaned to invisible friends.
This had to be my chance to escape. Voldemort was gone, Wormtail was delirious, but I was wounded gravely. I could barely move for pain. Gritting my teeth solidly, I looked around the armchair to see that my wand was still lying on the floor. It was only about ten feet away. Feet turn to miles when your legs are broken, however. I held my breath and stuck my arms out as far as they would go. Pain! Pain! Ah! My legs screamed as I dragged myself as far as I could, using my hips as support to move, which in turn moved my legs. I collapsed and breathed noisily on the floor. I nodded determinedly to myself and moved again.
I made a strange gulping noise as I restrained my agony from emerging through my mouth. Tears streaked freely down my face. My nose began to leak. Five feet away… that was all. I could make that. I was dizzy, so dizzy. Again I vomited.
"No," I moaned. It was all liquid but the smell was revolting. I reached uselessly for my wand. I dragged myself again. My legs flinched horribly and I nearly screamed. My whole body shuddered. My wand was so close… my fingers nearly brushed it. I looked behind me to see that Wormtail was still rocking back and forth. I imagined trying to stand and was horrified by the thought of bones grinding into one another and possibly bursting through my flesh.
I have to get my wand… I might die if I wait any longer….
I yanked myself one last time towards my objective and finally felt the wand in my palm. I pointed it at myself and cried: "AVIATAS!" I shot into the air. I expected my legs to pull down or something, to ache and drag towards the earth, but they seemed to float just as easily as the rest of me. I nearly laughed in relief but instead directed my wand towards the window and commanded it to shatter. Looking one last time into the room, I flew outside and hopefully towards what was Hogwarts.
Outside the night was windy. It began to rain as soon as I emerged. My hair clung to my neck wetly soon afterwards. What if Voldemort met me out there? The pain I could imagine was horrific! My legs ached dully as I floated above the town. Being dressed in black, I assumed that no one below would be able to discern me from the night sky. I needed some medical care, quickly. How would I get back to Hogwarts? The Aviata spell only lasted for an hour or two. I had never been able to fly any longer than that when I was experimenting, and that was under good conditions. This night I was dizzy, broken, and terrified. I had to pull through.
Please, please help me, I prayed to no one. I looked at my legs again and heaved. I began to sink. NO! I rose again. No…. My jaw became lax and I began to sink.
"Aviatas…" I cried feebly, pointing at myself again. A burst of energy singed my nerves and I shot further up into the air. With my wand, I pointed ahead of me and cried with as much conviction as I could muster, "HOGWARTS!" For the first time I didn't have to guide myself. I flew wildly through the air, rain and wind pummeling my uniform and face. It was merely seconds before I could see the beautiful castle grounds. But the spell was petering out. My energy seemed to be reaching its ends. There was no third wind to catch.
"Hope…."
I felt like Snow White in Happily Ever After as she reached for the door of the Seven Dwarfettes, exhausted, hopeful, but there was nothing left inside of me but pain. Like a leaf, I drifted down to the grounds and landed with a soft thud upon the grass and passed out for the third time that day.
I woke up, still lying on the grounds. The sun was rising. Somehow I had survived. With my legs both being broken, I should have died from blood-loss. But I hadn't.
Ah, but Tom wouldn't have wanted to kill you. He did what he had to. Someway he must have avoided breaking any of my veins, just my bones. I laughed as I thought of everything that had happened. Staring at the blood-red sky brought back the beginning of the year, me, wandering hopelessly through the forest all the way to this castle. Voldemort had done this to me. Then he tore me away and I went right back to where he had led me the first time. And now I lie there alone on the lawns. Birds began to chirp as the sun went further and further up into the heavens. My uniform had dried out. I couldn't move a bit. My body hurt far too much. I was about to give up on life right then and there. If I died, so be it! I was sick of this stupid world anyway! Nobody cared about me as anything but… but….
"The Aviata, hah!" I scoffed. I started coughing. My legs and stomach spasmed forcefully. My eyes began to droop again to squash the tears that had brimmed my eyelids. I fell asleep. The sun on my face was warm and pleasant as it woke me up.
"Favian!" I heard someone cry out. "Oh my God! Somebody get Madam Pomfrey!"
"What's going on?" Someone else shouted. Student voices swarmed the grounds. I soon opened my eyes and saw a bunch of students surrounding me.
"Favian! Oh my God! What's happened?" Someone knelt down next to me. Kirke.
"Who is that? Favian Fynn?"
"Yeah!"
"Is she dead?"
"No, her eyes just opened."
"Why is she out here?"
"Dunno, I heard she was kidnapped by You-Know-Who,"
"That's stupid,"
"The Slytherins were talking about it all today."
"Somebody get the nurse!"
"Somebody get Harry!"
"Somebody get Dumbledore!"
The crowd suddenly fell silent and split apart to admit a man with a grave face. Professor Dumbledore arrived looking as though somebody had stolen his vitality. He knelt down next to me and felt my pulse.
"Poppy," he muttered, "summon a stretcher for this girl."
Madam Pomfrey soon hovered above me summoning a stretcher quickly and getting me on top of it. Black dots flashed before my eyes and my world spun before me.
How cliché, I'm going to…. Again I passed out.
(A.N: I'll update maybe soon. I should. Sorry she passed out so much. According to my dad the doctor, she should be dead or blacking out a lot, so Whaddya know.)