Chapter Thirty One – Mortice Manor

The flight across the water and into the sunrise had been chilly and damp. There was a storm over the ocean and Darren had urged Brogan to go through it instead of around it. He did not want to waste any time and every second counted now. He was headed to his grandfather's estate now, and he was certain he would not return. He and Brogan crossed over Rathlin Island and then the northern Irish coast. From this height Darren could just make out the lights of Belfast to the southeast but he turned to face the direction Brogan was flying, all thoughts on what he was going to do when he got to his destination.

Brogan kept going directly southwest and a few hours later Darren could see the lights of Ballycastle in the distance. Over Sligo they had a close call with a large jet that had just taken off from the airport, but Brogan dove at a steep angle to avoid it.

"Better keep low to the ground now Brogan," Darren had shouted into the Griffin's ear. "Go around south of the town; that is where our destination is."

Brogan gave what Darren took to be a nod and swooped low and around the city. Darren put his hands on Brogan's shoulder to help guide him in the right direction, and when Darren recognized a large farm that was close to Mortice Manor, he pushed hard on the Griffin's right shoulder and felt Brogan turn to the left. Three minutes later and they were circling the land owned by the Clarkson family. It was fully daylight now and Darren had Brogan land in the woods on the edge of the property. He hoped nobody saw them, but the only way he would know would be if a group of Death Eaters apparated and attacked him.

He hid behind a large fir, but soon realized how ridiculous it was to try to hide himself when he had an almost fully grown Griffin standing right next to him.

"Kneel down Brogan. It might make it harder for somebody to see you."

Brogan knelt down onto his front knees and then flopped down with a great grunt. He let out a yawn and put his head down on a large knot in a root that was pushed out of the forest floor. Darren was watching the house for any signs of movement. Unfortunately, he was not able to see anyone or anything moving inside, but he knew that Ellie and his mother were there, as well as Lord Voldemort and what was sure to be a group of his supporters.

Suddenly, off to his right, Darren heard a loud popping sound and he turned his head in alarm. Lucius Malfoy had apparated not two hundred feet from him and was walking casually into the manor. Darren's heart swelled with anger and rage, but he forced himself with all of his strength to not move. Instead he sat down and began to stroke Brogan's head as his stomach began to rumble. He reached into his robes and pulled out a large chunk of Honeyduke's chocolate and broke off a big piece. As he thought and chewed slowly, Brogan looked at him eagerly. Darren broke off another even bigger piece and held it out for Brogan, who took it eagerly. The Griffin was tired from the long flight and ate the chocolate ravenously.

"You know Brogan, you can go if you want. I don't know if you can help me anymore now."

Brogan just looked at him with his head cocked to one side and lay his head back down as if to say he wasn't going anywhere. Darren just stroked his head a bit more and decided to wait until it got dark. He knew the layout of the manor intimately, having spent time in the house as a youngster. He knew how to get in quietly and how to find his way in the dark as well. That is if everything had not been moved around since he had been there the previous Christmas. Or if Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters sensed his presence.

A plan was slowly formulating in his head and he was still refining it as the sun began to set. The shadows in the forest were beginning to grow longer as the light dipped down below the treetops and Darren stood up and stretched his arms above his head to get the kinks out of his muscles from sitting on the hard ground for the last five hours. Brogan stood too and Darren tried one more time to get him to leave, but the Griffin nudged his shoulder and stared back at him defiantly.

"Fine, stay if you want then, but I can't promise you any help if you get into trouble."

Brogan just looked at him without blinking and Darren turned back to look at the house again. He could see the door that led to the cellar and had decided that would be his best bet at entering unseen.

When his watch said ten minutes after midnight he made his decision to try to get in the house. He crept in low crouch through the woods and stopped behind an oak that was at the very edge of the huge yard. One hundred feet and he would be at the door. The problem was that the window above it was full of light, as well as the light reflected from the full moon overhead, and he remembered that it was the room Ellie was in. He took a deep breath and hoped she was asleep. If she looked out and shouted to him he would be discovered, but he put his head down and half walked half crawled to the cellar door.

"Alohomora," he whispered and the lock sprang open. The doors groaned a bit as he pulled them up so as to be able to sneak in but he was able to let them down quietly behind him. It was too dangerous to light his wand, so he relied on his memories of the cellar to guide. After slowly walking across the cellar with small steps he was able to feel the railing that led up to the kitchen. As he felt the door in the dark his hand found the handle and he quietly and slowly turned the knob.

When the door opened, he saw Wispy, his grandfather's house elf, cleaning the kitchen. He reached into his robes and withdrew his wand pointed it at her as she hummed quietly to herself.

"Silencio," he whispered and Wispy went quiet. It took her a second to realize that her voice was gone, and when she did she started to look around in fright. Darren looked at the kitchen and then rushed to her before she made any noise with something that was lying around on the counters. He grabbed her from behind and whispered in her ear.

"It's me Wispy, Darren. Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. I'm going to set you down now, but don't make any noises, okay?"

Wispy nodded her head vigorously and Darren set her small feet back onto the floor. The elf turned around quickly and when she saw that it really was Darren, she hugged him around the waist.

"I'm going to remove the silencing spell now, okay? But don't say anything or make any noise."

Wispy nodded again and Darren lifted the spell. Wispy opened her mouth to talk despite what Darren had told her, but Darren put his fingers to his own lips to tell her to be quiet. Wispy understood and said nothing.

"Wispy, where is my sister? Where is Ellie?"

"Mistress Ellie is in her mother's room now. She was crying a lot lately and Master Alexander asked that horrible man to let her stay with her mother."

"Voldemort let him move her?" Darren asked in surprise.

"Yes, but he threatened to hurt her if she didn't stop her crying. He is a bad, very bad wizard that one."

Darren thought for a moment before continuing.

"Is the bad wizard here now Wispy? Is he in the house?"

"Oh yes Master Darren, he is here. He and the one with the silver hand never leave. The blonde one that killed…" with this she started to cry and Darren had to wait until she composed herself so she could continue.

"The one that…that…ki…killed Master Andrew is here too. He is talking to the evil one in Master Alexander's study right now."

"I know he is here Wispy, I saw him apparate outside. How long will he stay? Do you know?"

"I is not knowing Master Darren. Sometimes he stays an hour, sometimes a day, sometimes more. He is a bad wizard too me thinks."

"Yes, he is Wispy. Now, here is what I want you to do for me. I want you to go upstairs and unlock my mother's room for me, but don't let anyone see you or hear you. I will be upstairs in a few minutes. Do you understand me?" he asked her.

"Oh, being quiet and unseen is my specialty Master Darren."

And with a huge smile she silently walked out of the kitchen and made her way towards the back stairs that led up to the main hallway. Darren waited long enough for her to make her way up the steps and then moved slowly and silently out into the dining room. The darkness almost made him bump into a chair but he managed to feel it with his leg in enough time so as to not make it slide loudly across the polished wood floor. Once across the dining room Darren slipped into a shadow in the main hallway and edged along the wall toward the stairwell. But, he had to cross in front of the closed doors of the main sitting room, the one that Voldemort occupied most of the time and Darren concentrated on closing his mind to all thoughts that could betray his presence, but at the side of the doorway he heard something that caught his attention and made him stop in his tracks.

"So Lucius, your son sends word that Darren has left school?" Voldemort's high voice was saying.

"Yes, my Lord, apparently he has taken flight. No doubt he is too cowardly to continue his mission."

"You are wrong Lucius, very wrong," Voldemort retorted.

"I am afraid that the boy Clarkson is not a coward at all Lucius."

"Why is that my Lord?" Darren heard Malfoy ask.

"Because he is outside this very room as we are speaking."

Darren took a second to register what he had just heard, and when he finally did he tried to make for the stairs and his family as quickly as he could. He was half way up the steps when behind him he heard the doors slam open and then he felt something grab him around the middle and yank him backwards down the steps. He slammed onto the floor and slid ten feet before coming to a stop after colliding with the wall at the far end of the hallway. His head was ringing and his vision was blurry, but he could see two pairs of legs walk up and stand over him.

"Bring him in the study, Wormtail," Voldemort said and Darren felt two hands, one cold as ice, grab his arms and heave him to his feet. He was half dragged and half carried into the study and unceremoniously dumped before Voldemort who sat in the high backed chair and stared down at him with glowing red eyes.

"So Darren, you have come to take your family from me, no?" Voldemort asked. "And before you tell me what I want to hear? How disappointing to think that you are not going to finish the assignment that I gave to you."

He was glaring at Darren, and Darren could feel him trying to look into his thoughts.

"You will tell me what I want Darren, whether you want to or not, so don't fight it boy. You don't have the strength to withstand me; it would be foolish to try."

In his mind Darren knew it was indeed foolish to try, but he concentrated with all his will to keep Voldemort out of his mind. He had no doubt that his occlumency powers were no match for Voldemort, but he had to try now that he was caught.

"So, you think it was foolish to make this feeble attempt, do you Darren?" Voldemort said tauntingly. "Well, I assure you it was foolish. You have no friends here, and no one to help you."

Voldemort stood up then squatted down and stared directly into Darren's eyes, his face only inches from Darren's. Darren tried to slide away from him, but a sharp kick to his lower back stopped his attempt at retreating from the Dark Lord, who continued to stare at him for what seemed like several minutes, until Darren looked away, and satisfied, Voldemort stood up over Darren.

"As I said before, it was foolish to come here, especially alone Darren. You have no idea what I am prepared to do to hear that prophecy."

"I…I…I ne…never found out …what it says, my Lord," Darren stammered in response, but the only reply was a cold terrifying laugh from Voldemort.

"You call me your 'Lord', but you try to deny what is rightfully mine? Who do you think you are boy? You will learn to do as you are told, and you will learn it now."

Darren felt his mind begin to open and he tried to shut Voldemort out. To his amazement, he could feel it working. He could feel Voldemort trying harder than before now, his brain starting to ache as if it was swelling to twice its normal size. Darren thought his head would crack open and that the last thing he would see was his own brains on Voldemort's shoes before he died, but instead the pressure continued to build and then the pain came. He let out a scream of agony that made the others in the room jump, but Voldemort just continued to stare into his eyes and smile at him as he lay on the floor, prostrate and unable to move from the pain he was experiencing.

"It will only get worse Darren. It will get worse, and then you will let me in to see what I want," he heard a voice in his head say and Darren put his hands over his ears to try to shut the voice out. Something warm and thick ran out his ears and onto his palms. A conscious thought told Darren it was blood, but he still tried to fight off Voldemort, but he knew it would be only a matter of seconds before he gave in and Voldemort saw the prophecy in his memory. Then, without warning, Darren felt the pressure relent and the pain begin to fade away. His breaths were coming raggedly as before, but he was able to at least fill his lungs with oxygen, enough to be able to comprehend the conversation that was going on over him.

"…because Lucius, if I continue to use legilimency against him, I may kill him before he tells me what I want to know, that is why I stopped Lucius."

"Yes my Lord, you know best, of course," Darren could make out Malfoy saying.

"Bellatrix!" Voldemort shouted, and Darren heard a woman's voice eagerly cry "Yes, my Lord?"

"Go upstairs and bring the woman and child down to me, but do not hurt them…yet."

Darren looked up from the floor to Voldemort, in to the pitiless red eyes and croaked a weak "no, please."

"You ask me for mercy Darren?" Voldemort said quietly. "You ask me for mercy, knowing that you have the information I want and that if you do not give it to me, the consequences? Your grandfather was right after all, rest his soul. You are a bit stronger than I had guessed you were."

"Where is my grandfather?" Darren asked.

"He is dead Darren," Voldemort replied. "When he was told that I was not going to allow you to keep what you were to find out from me, even if it meant your death, he became, shall I say, disruptive, and I was forced to rectify the situation."

"You killed him? He was helping you, and you killed him anyway?" Darren asked incredulously.

"Of course I did Darren," The Dark Lord answered matter-of-factly. "I have no use for someone that turns his back on me and tries to keep me from my goals. Ah, Bellatrix."

Darren raised his head from the floor and saw his mother and sister being pushed roughly into the room by Bellatrix Lestrange. His mother was holding Ellie tightly to her own body, as if to try to ward off any attack that might be coming. Ellie was white with fear, her face etched with terror at the sight of Voldemort and the Death Eaters that stood behind him.

"I lifted the memory charm Darren. Your sister remembers everything that has happened, including your brave father's death. Now, if you don't want to let her gain any more bad memories, tell me what I want to know."

As he spoke, he had walked over to Darren's mother and pointed his wand at her. When Darren did not answer, he spoke with an almost bored voice.

"Crucio."

The screams pushed Darren over the edge. He forced himself to rise up and rush to his family's defense, but instead he ran into Voldemort's curse, and found his body on fire from within. His screams of pain joined his mother's and sister's and he pulled himself into a ball, his arms and legs quivering with pain, his every nerve inflamed and the pain so great that he wished for death. But through it all, he could see Ellie on the floor and tried to reach out to her, but his arm would not move. He couldn't get to her, couldn't help her, couldn't do anything to stop what Voldemort was doing, and through the pain, through the terror of seeing another family member die, he gave in.

"Please…p…p…please…I'll tell you…" he managed to whisper, and he felt the curse lifted.

"So, now you wish to co-operate Darren? Now that I have shown you what true power is you wish to be my servant once more?"

"Yes," Darren managed to whisper. "Just, don't hurt them any more, please."

"How did a weak half-blood like you ever get put in my ancestor's house Darren? You are pathetic, and you would have never been a true Slytherin, and it will be a pleasure to kill you. Once I have that memory from you that is."

Darren looked at his mother and sister again and he felt Voldemort once again entering his mind. His mother gave him a shake of her head and mouthed 'don't tell him Darren,' to him and Darren focused on stopping Voldemort, but this time Voldemort reacted with rage.

"Kill the woman Lucius! Kill her now!"

Darren could not stop it. Lucius Malfoy pointed his wand at Jennifer Clarkson and smiled evilly at Darren before saying "Avada Kedavra!"

Darren heard the rush like a train coming and the green light hit her in the center of her chest, and then he saw her body go limp and then fall and sprawl on the floor at Voldemort's feet. He tried to rise, but a shout of "Petrificus Totalus!" stopped him cold. He could not move as his arms were pinned to his sides and his legs locked together as if glued.

"Bellatrix, you may continue to torture the girl, if you would like. Perhaps that will persuade Darren to co-operate."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the heels of Bellatrix's shoes as she stood next to him, her body facing Ellie, who Darren could hear trying to crawl away as she cried and screamed to him for help.

"Darren! Darren! Help mama Darren! Help AAAHHHHHHHH!"

The shout of "Crucio!" from Bellatrix had stopped her pleas off, and Bellatrix began to taunt Darren as Ellie writhed and screamed on the floor.

"Stand him up Wormtail. Let him see her suffering," She ordered, and again Darren felt the cold hand grab him and lift him to his feet. Wormtail turned him so he could indeed see Ellie rolling around in pain and Darren felt tears, tears of love mixed with tears of rage begin to run down his cheeks.

Bellatrix looked at him, as she lifted her wand and raised the curse from Ellie and laughed at his humanity.

"Look, he weeps for the girl, isn't that cute?" she sneered at him. "Perhaps we should give her to Avery and Nott my Lord? They would find her most attractive."

"Yes, perhaps they would Bella, but just continue to torture her for now."

"As you command, my Lord," she said and turned back to the girl, who was crying and begging her to stop.

"Oh, does the sweet little muggle bitch want me to leave her alone now?" Bellatrix asked harshly.

"Leave me alone, leave us alone, please!" Ellie screamed and the Death Eaters all laughed at her pleas.

"I don't think so child," Bellatrix replied and once more raised her wand.

Darren tried to look at Voldemort, to give some indication that he had won, that the Dark Lord could have what he wanted, so long as Ellie was left alone. Voldemort must have sensed his defeat for he stopped Bellatrix from putting the Cruciatus Curse on Ellie and lifted the body bind hex from Darren.

"So Darren, you have seen the error of you ways and are willing to co-operate then?" he asked in his high and cold voice.

Darren looked at his mother's lifeless body, at his sister trying to crawl to her dead mother and remembered his father's death here in this very same room, and he realized that he was truly and utterly defeated.

"Yes, I will co-operate," he answered.

"Good boy, very good. Lucius, stand him up so he can tell me face to face. I want to see in his eyes if he is trying to lie to me."

Malfoy grabbed Darren roughly under his arms and Darren felt his body being lifted against his will for the third time in less than an hour. He looked around the room and saw that the Death Eaters had closed in around him and Voldemort who was only inches from Darren now, their noses almost touching, and he asked one simple question of Darren.

"What does the prophecy say?"

"It said that…" but he was cut off in mid sentence by a loud howling noise from outside, and then a great bang downstairs. Darren saw Wormtail and another Death Eater run to the window and look outside.

"What is it Wormtail?" Voldemort shouted. His voice was almost panicky as he shouted at his servant.

"My Lord, it is them!" Wormtail shouted back.

"Who!" Voldemort screamed in anger.

"IT IS THE ORDER OF THE PHOE…." Wormtail was shouting but a giant body hurtled through the window and crashed into him and the Death Eater that was standing next to him. The body rolled on the floor and sprang to its feet and let out a terrifying roar that sent chills down Darren's spine and sent several Death Eaters running from the room. It took a second for Darren to realize what he was looking at, but when he did, he could not help but say "Professor Lupin?"