Seven Years Later...
Chapter 6 Part 2
"Tortured Souls Fight Alone Tonight"
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Be prepared to cry... this is deep. (Not Shadows either, LOL)
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Artimis awoke in pain. She opened her eyes with difficulty and was greeted with painfully bright white light. She did not recognize this room. It consisted of roughly hewn stone walls covered in multiple weapons of mass torture, no windows, and a solid steel door. She went to get up and realized she was chained heavily to one of the cold walls. Looking about, her eyes searched desperately for her weapons. She had been stripped of everything but her dueling cloaks, which required a passcode to take off of Artimis's unconcious body. She struggled against the chains angrily, knowing torture was on the way, and she was in no mood. She fought to free herself when the door slammed opened and none other than Lord Voldemort himself strutted in. In her fear, Artimis's tongue would not be stilled.
"Ah, I guess I must be high priority for you to actually dirty your hands with me." She hissed, glaring deeply. Lord Voldemort smirked with his snake lips, looking behind him as Lucuis Malfoy entered the room smugly.
"Yes Master?" Lucuis asked, submissively.
"Do what you will to her, just keep her alive until the others are ready." Lord Voldemort spoke in his hissing voice, Artimis glaring at Lucuis.
"Yes, my Lord." He spoke as Lord Voldemort left and two other deatheaters entered. She was unchained and they held her tightly arms as she glared.
"You'll never get away with this Lucuis, Your son will take care of you." She yelled furiously.
'My son is in a worst position than you are, my dear pet." He spoke as he pulled a spiked whip from the wall, examining it in interest. She grimaced and gulped, but observed silence as a true Auror would. The two other Deatheaters quickly chained her arms above her head in a thick wooden grip, and Lucius pulled the whip back.
Artimis held back a scream as the first crack sounded loudly off her unprotected back. After about the fifth or sixth time, she could feel the warm blood oozing from her throbbing back, but made no noise.
"Ah, you don't make noises as my son so gloated upon. Perhaps something a bit stronger shall loosen your tongue." Lucius spoke silkily as he walked around to her face and pressed his lips roughly to hers. She spit at him, insulted, and he went to the wall and pulled a multi-ended whip from the wall. He moved behind her and hot tears ran down Artimis's cheeks as he proceeded to beat her unmercilessly. She blocked Alexis mentally, just to prove how sorry she was.
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"NO! Bring me back! We've got to find her!'' Alexis screamed at the top of her lungs. Remus finally let her go and hurried back a few steps as Alexis raged. Everyone had just apparated back to the Manor- everyone but Artimis- beat, bloodied, and in shock. Draco sat on the couch stiffly, staring ahead in shock, mumbling softly,"I could have saved her... I should have saved her..."
Alexis just felt like expressing herself. She spun on Remus, sadness and anger blazing in her eyes as she trembled violently, Lupin holding up his hands defensively.
"I'm going back! We're not forgetting her!" She yelled as she bolted for the front door. Ron stepped in front of it, and she skidded to a halt.
"And you... WHY'D you stop me? I could have gotten to her!..." She vented at him, raising her fists as she stalked towards him. Remus grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. She spun again and punched him. He stumbled back in surprised pain. "YOU TOO! I can't believe you all!"
She grabbed the nearest thing within reach, Artimis's large antique lamp, and threw it against the wall, watching it shatter into a million sharp peices as Aaron and Harry dodged out of the way. Her eyes darted to everyone in the room, searching desperately for an explanation, a suggestion, an ally. Everyone avoided her gaze as hot tears cascaded from her desolate green eyes.
"Wh, what's wrong with all of you? It's ARTIMIS! Are you all just going to let her go?" She screamed at the people surrounding her around the large foyer. They remained silent as they avoided her angry glare. She walked around, searching their faces. All her mind could see in them were cowardness and fear. Both her most hated Enemies.
She stopped in front of the large, clear mirror that rested on a wall, staring hard at her reflection and waiting for an answer from anyone. Hearing none, she sobbed out, "We could've saved her damnit!" With that, she drew back a clenched fist and slammed it into the huge mirror, taking a soft breath as the shimmery shards of mirror hit the floor in almost slow motion, tinkling softly as they carreened off the stone floor around her feet and peircing her hand. Her breath came in short gasps as she watched the peices fall and felt the warm blood dripping from her hand, though not uttering even a wimper.
"What the bloody hell-" Severus spoke as he appeared around the corner of the foyer, book in one hand, cup of tea in the other. He closed his mouth abruptly as all eyes turned to him. Alexis stiffened, her back to him. His gaze went from the shattered mirror, to Alexis's bloodied fist, and to everyone's beaten state. Alexis slowly turned around, locking gazes with him and searching his coal black eyes for something, anything.
He spoke quietly after searching the room once again. "Where's Artimis?"
Salty tears running down her face, Alexis choked out, "They took her! And these... COWARDS wouldn't let me go after her!"
Severus stared at her, suddenly dropping the tea cup to the floor, the shattering on the ceramic echoing off the walls.
"Remus, come here." Severus spoke, his paleing face worrying Alexis as she watched in quiet suspicion. Remus nodded and walked toward him and Severus leaned in and whispered,
"I don't like you, you don't like me, but I know what Artimis is about to go through, and knowing how strong she is, she has two days." Severus's words were just loud enough that Alexis's heightened hearing picked it up.
Alexis's breath caught in her throat as she heard his words. Anger quickly coming over her, she started stalking forward towards Severus.
He knew these guys, knew they would do this to her. And Alexis wouldn't stand for it. She started screaming incoherently as she went for him, both professors backing up in confusion and fear. Suddenly Ron was in front of her. She halted quickly in surprise as he put his large, soft hands on her shoulders, leaned down, and kissed her deeply and passionately. He let her go slowly, and she looked up at him in shocked awe, lips parted still. Everyone seemed to have stopped breathing at that time. She stumbled back, eyes locked on his, and for once, Ron wasn't blushing as he gazed back tenderly. Her breathing labored, her mind swirling with thoughts and emotion, Alexis went to say something, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Swaying tiredly, her eyelids fluttered and she thudded to the floor.
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Artimis's back was sore, bleeding, and swollen, but she knew this was only the beginning. Lucuis was persistant, and she had not been broken yet. The blood poured from her newest wound, which had been from a red-hot iron. She had now been strapped to a plank, which stung her back horribly as she lay there, Lucuis looming over her with a smaller, glowing iron. He pressed it to her arm and she squirmed under the pain and heat, but emitted not a sound. He leaned over to her pale neck, her skin sheaned in sweat as he licked up to her earlobe, biting her neck till it bled.
"What a pretty pet you are, too bad you belong to my son. A father never takes from a son what he has marked." Lucuis cooed as he drew back. Artimis was tired, so very tired, yet her anger was boiling. She knew she would suffer in silence for only so much longer and sound was her only leverage. She knew that if she screamed, he would do more to make her scream louder.
She saw Lucuis draw a knife from its sheath, drawing the blade so lightly over her skin that it barely indented it. The caress of the blade sent shivers up her spine. He moved up to her head and took a hand full of her onyx black hair in his fist. In one swift movement it was gone, and he went for the next handful, shearing her beautiful hair off as if he were shearing a sheep. She held back tears and for a brief moment, she let loose the mind block to Alexis, letting agony channel through to her friend until she realized what she was doing and quickly cut the connection off.
"Enough Lucuis." The hissing voice of Voldemort spoke.
"Yes Master." Lucuis spoke, immediately backing off.
"Ms.Callabella, I have quite a show lined up for you. I do hope you enjoy it." Lord Voldemort spoke as the two Deatheaters that had been helping Lucuis undid her restraints and held her up, practically dragging her from the room, down a hallway, and on to her worst nightmare.
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"What the bloody hell did you have on you lips..."Alexis heard Snape's voice assault her ears as she felt him grab her shoulders and shake her slightly and gently. Which surprised her greatly. She heard Ron stammering and the memories all came back to her. She sat up abruptly, bashing her forehead with Snape's nose, giving him a nosebleed and herself a worse headache.
"Damnation!" He spoke as he backed up and walked out of the room. Alexis locked gazes with Ron, who quickly looked away and at the ground. She slowly got to her knees, Lupin trying to help her up the rest of the way, but she shoved him away in agitation. He backed up, hurt somewhat. She rose to her feet, her eyes never leaving the figetting Ron. There was silence and Alexis asked softly, barely heard, "Why did you kiss me?"
Another awkward silence filled the room as Ron blushed some more in his cute way. He looked at her briefly, stammering, "I ah... um... well... uh..."
"Why did you kiss me, Ron." she spoke more demandingly.
He blurted out quickly,"Well! It was the only thing that I could think of at the moment! It works well in Muggle movies!"
There was an outburst of laughter emitting from Lupin at that comment. Ron stared at him affrontedly, once more avoiding Alexis's penetrating gaze.
From the hallway, Snape's laughter could be heard as well.
"Alrighty then... um... now what..."Alexis stuttered, stunned at Ron's answer.
"Well... According to Muggle movies, as Mr. Weasley so gracefully tried to demonstrate, you two are supposed to fall madly in love and save the ranch..." Snape spoke coming in the door, narrowly missing the lamp Alexis tossed his way. He shrugged and laughed at Ron, which scared everyone else.
That was when Alexis felt it.
A wave excruciating pain, fear, anger and sorrow. And the image of black hair filling the air. Alexis screamed and fell to the floor, clutching her back and trying to block her eyes. Then she heard the solo voice of Artimis saying, 'Oops, Sorry." And the connection closing off.
The room was once again deathly silent, everyone watching Alexis in confusion, fearing that she was finally losing it. "Artimis! No! Come back..." Alexis cried, not minding the pain if it brought her friend back. Snape moved with quickness and grabbed her.
"What did you see, tell me, I might know where she is." Snape spoke urgently, gazing into her eyes. She choked back her tears as she tried to explain. "L, Lucius was t.. there...and, h... her hair... it... it..." She buried her head into his arm in memory of her friend.
"The room, did you see where she was? Anything Alexis, this may be your chance to save her." He spoke, almost comforting her as she cried on him.
She gazed up at him and caught her breath somewhat. " All I saw w, was a... a stone ceiling... nothing else..." she trailed off, breathing shallowly. He frowned and sighed.
"Every torture chamber has stone walls and ceiling, it's the equipment that differs." He spoke lowly, looking to Remus. Alexis just began bawling into Snape's shoulder, and he did not move away, rather confused as of what to do.
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Artimis was sat behind a glass wall, tied painfully to a heavy chair. She didn't struggle. Lord Voldemort approached her calmly.
"I learned an interesting tidbit from the mind of your dear Alexis. I do believe your statement to her was, 'I can endure any pain as long as I know my friends are safe from Harm'."Well I'm sure they are safe from Harm, whoever that is, but they are not safe from me."
His words sent shivers down her spine as she saw a beaten Aaron dragged into the room on the other side of the glass. Her eyes widened in saddened shock. She looked to him with stunned pity and then watched Voldemort signal a deatheater. The deatheater raised her own wand and performed Crucio on him, his body twitching in agony as Artimis winced, trying to turn her head away, but Voldemort's cold hands held her head in place. That same Deatheater was ordered again and performed the killing curse on him. Artimis's heart broke as she watched his body dragged away, yet she knew she was powerless to save him. Next person brought out was Hailey, and Artimis gulped, eyes wide and shimmering. She had taken Hailey in under her wing when everyone left her for the weak Slytherin. She held back tears as Hailey too was brutally tortured and killed. So this torture went on, with the next person being Ron. Tears escaped from her eyes as her heart shred to pieces. She tried to struggle to save Hermione, but she could not move from her bonds. The torture continued and Artimis let loose once more to her friend, Alexis. She closed her eyes and sent a wary "I'm sorry" to her Sister and then closed the connection once more.
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Hope you all enjoy and We plan on updating as soon as possible...
Sorry, but both our computers are not internet worthy and we are having to post via Public Library...
Deep Shadows and (EckoStalker)