Chapter 38 – Courage Or Giving Up?

Anna was sitting in her normal position against the wall, she could see a strip of light coming through the boarded up window opposite her. The door opened and she didn't bother to look up.

"Anna get up," the voice from the door said. Her heart leapt she knew that voice she hadn't heard it in what seemed like an eternity.

"Daddy?" she whispered. She looked up at her fathers smiling face.

"I have come to save you Sweety." Harry said and Anna saw him step toward her.

"Daddy I missed you so much." There were noises from the corridor behind them.

"Oh dear it looks like I can't save you today," Her fathers voice started to fade as he walked away.

"No daddy come back, I love you I miss you daddy save me!" she shouted to the retreating figure.

"Not today help yourself. Remember concentrate."

Anna woke with a start as she came to the realization it was only a dream she felt her heart drop to her stomach. Why did her mind have to play tricks on her like that? Anna moved trying to get more comfortable, even though she was chained to a wall. Her chains rattled slightly. The door opened she didn't even bother to look up. The Death Eater that was unmistakably Wormtail walked over to her. He had some bread and a green liquid in his hand she could feel the tears forming in her eyes knowing that pain was coming next. She looked up at Wormtail. Through the slits she could see hesitation in them.

"Please," she whispered. Wormtail pulled out his wand and looked at the door.

"Imperio," he muttered. She felt all the pain leave her body and somewhere from above someone said open your mouth and eat. She did ignoring the voice in her head.

Now drink this,

CONCENTRATE the voice shouted and Anna shouted back at the voice.

It going to happen anyway why not do it the painless way?

You want to give in to them? I thought you were stronger than that.

I don't want to. I have no choice.

You do have a choice, fight and concentrate. You are stronger than you think.

The room seemed to come back into sharper focus and the pain came back 10 fold as she fought the curse. Wormtail was thrown backward across the room and Anna was pushed back into the wall. Cursing Wormtail got up and took his silver hand around her jaw forcing it open and making her swallow the green liquid. He stormed out of the room leaving Anna coughing on the floor. Anna smiled a grim smile she knew who the voice belonged to now. It gave her hope that she knew her mother was still with her, pushing her to believe in herself.

Voldemort sat on a high back chair in the center of the room. His Death Eaters stood like a guard behind him. Another Death Eater entered the room, it was Wormtail.

"Master she is weak I doubt she will last any more days," he said.

"Oh well, she served her purpose. Kill her… Wormtail not by magic she's not worth that. Use this it will be more ironic, and besides we don't know if magic can kill her look at her father."

"Kill her are you sure my Lord we can still use her. Harry Potter would certainly give himself over to us if we exchanged her."

"We could do that. Yet do you not think I know this already. You challenge my devices?"

"No my lord I only meant—"

"Quiet then and just kill the girl," Voldemort said and Wormtail got up quickly and with a slight hesitation went out the door.

Harry woke with a start. No it couldn't be. He wouldn't believe it. She was stronger than that... Was she? Harry sat at the kitchen table his head in his hands; he had been out all night searching and then had gone to sleep for a few moment rest and had the dream. Ginny came in and sat next to him and put a hand on his back. Harry looked up and tried to smile.

"How did it go last night?" Ginny asked knowing what the answer would be.

"It didn't," he replied not believing what he just saw in his dream.

"Harry it's been 4 weeks I think if You-know-who wanted to trade he would have done so by now. Harry I think it is time we—"

"What you think it's time we give up Ginny are you crazy. We can't give up she is still alive I can feel it. Sh—she's…" he broke of sobbing.

"Harry if she was coming back she would be back by now. You know what Voldemort is like if he wants you dead he will kill you."

"SHE'S NOT DEAD. DON'T SAY THAT. SHE WILL COME BACK TO US. SHE HAS TO." Lupin shouted he had been standing just behind the door and he heard what Ginny said.

"Lupin, calm down --" Ginny began.

"I CAN'T CALM DOWN SHE SAID SHE LOVED ME… she said she loved me… and I sat there… and didn't say… didn't d—do anything." He said through sobs, he was crying, he had held it in for 4 weeks but to hear Ginny say she wasn't coming back was just too much.

"She did what?" Harry asked him. Lupin threw him a look that plainly said not right now and
Harry said, "I told her it wasn't a good idea and she knew that."

"Harry, Ginny's right," said Ron who was standing at the door. "If Voldemort wanted her dead
she would be dead now. If we can't find her there is a good chance she is."

"I know, but I can still feel her I know she's not," Harry said but even as he said it he felt despair maybe he was wrong. Maybe she was gone? Maybe the dream happened. He had lost her, they had found out about her for a week and she had been taken in that short space of time.

"Call everyone back the search is over," even as he said it he felt light headed and had to run to the bathroom before he vomited all over the floor.

Anna was slumped against the wall with arms holding her up. Wormtail was standing guard again. She was awake but had her eyes shut. The door opened and Wormtail went out. Anna looked around at the door she pulled at her chains with her left hand, nothing happened. She took a deep breath and held her left hand up the chains rattled again but nothing happened. Just like all the other times she had tried to do magic without her wand. The door opened and Wormtail came back inside carrying what looked like a short sword but longer than a dagger.

He, she noticed, was shaking badly she wondered why. She had heard all the stories about Wormtail, Padfoot, Moony and Prongs. He couldn't still be afraid of killing after all these years? Could he?

"The Dark Lord has found the spells that work and has no need of you now, I have the … privilege of killing you," he said but Anna realized he didn't want to do it he was still following orders. Voldemort had told Wormtail to kill her and he didn't want to. If she was going to escape it had to be now.

As he poured some blue liquid from a bottle over the sword she took the opportunity.

"You don't want to kill me do you?" He didn't answer. She continued eyes frantically searching for someway to escape. If only she could keep him talking for a bit. "You have some humanity left inside you. You're not a monster like the rest of them are you? I have heard the stories about you, Remus, Sirius and my grandfather, who I never met because of you. And you know what because of these stories I have heard I do feel sorry for you. Always being the last one to be picked for Quidditch, over shadowed in school, having to live in James and Sirius shadow even Remus'. Always being second best to them. Not even second best most of the time. I know what that's like living in the shadows, I have always lived in the shadows hiding from everyone… but see what happens when you get taken out of them. I am going to die and there is nothing I can do about it. If you go out of Voldemort's shadow now you will die. The difference between you and me though is I know when I should help people, I would never kill anyone. I will sacrifice my life if I can save someone. If it means my father will defeat Voldemort. Could you do that?"

He finally looked at her and she was shocked to see he had tears in his eyes.

"You don't know anything about me," he stuttered. "I am happy here. I am His most trusted Death Eater, I am something I never was around the Maurders. I belong here."

"You are still second best though you can never be higher than Voldemort. Your friends trusted you. They would have done anything for you. They would have died for you, James and Lily did die because they trusted you. Do you have friends here? Would they die for you?" He didn't answer by now Wormtail had the sword dangling at his side the blue liquid clung like a film around the blade, he seemed to have forgotten about it. "You don't belong here, no one does, how can you justify the killing of innocent muggles, what did they ever do to you? Just because they were born differently to you and me…" she said.

For a while there was silence in the room Anna neither spoke nor moved she felt exhausted from just talking to him. She still couldn't see anyway out. Wormtail had tears running down his face he was staring at the wall. She needed to keep him talking make him forget about the sword in his hand. She opened her mouth to say something more but before she could she was cut off.

"I can't go back Sirius will kill me the second he sees me," Wormtail said. There was silence as they both came to the realization neither of them wanted to say it. "It's not about that anymore, you could never go back after you helped Voldemort return the first time. It was over then."

"Then what do you want me to do. If I let you escape they will kill me. If I run with you I will be on the run until either they find me or Sirius or Remus kills me. I have nothing left."

"You can do the right thing. I can't tell you what that is but you know what it is." She paused maybe she didn't need to find an escape there seemed to be one opening up before her eyes. "Be the man your friends thought you were." A new kind of light appeared in Wormtails eyes he smiled at her it was a small twitch as though he hadn't smiled in a while. Anna knew she had done it she was going to be free. Suddenly the door opened and all her hopes faded as she saw who entered. Draco Malfoy entered the room cloak billowing behind him as he went over to Wormtail.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked Pettigrew.

"I—I was putting the potion over it,"

"Well get a move on The Dark Lord wants Slytherin's Sword back clean when your done," Malfoy said, Wormtail didn't move, Malfoy rolled his eyes and grabbed the sword off Wormtail. It happened so quickly neither Anna nor Wormtail had time to register what was going to happen, let alone stop it. Malfoy lunged at Anna and stabbed the blade into Anna's side. A searing pain shot through her side, but she couldn't scream anymore, however, she knew if she could everyone would know where she was. She looked down at the sword embedded in her stomach the blue liquid was seeping into her it felt strangely warm. The rest of her was cold.