They reached the beginning of the garden path, just in time to see Neville and Luna disappear through the door. Harry listened for a few tense seconds before Neville popped his head around the door and stuck his thumb in the air.
"Let's go," announced Ginny, and they marched along the path. Harry felt his stomach churn as he passed through the doorway. He closed his eyes tightly and whispered under his breath, "Please let this all just be a dream, please just let Voldemort have put off this fight for one more day, please let us all just go home." Harry opened his eyes and the familiar sight of the Weasley's kitchen greeted him. The same fridge, the same kitchen table, the same large wooden clock that didn't tell the time but the location of all the Weasley family members, and that's when Harry noticed something... Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Fred, George and Percy's clock hands were all pointing to home, yet the house was as empty as ever. Ron and Ginny's hands, on the other hand, were both pointing to mortal peril.
"Hey everyone, look at the clock, I think we better go, this doesn't look too safe... I think it's a trap-" but at that moment something cold, dark, and heavy fell on top of Harry. He felt his nose crack against the hard wooden floor, most likely breaking it, and the last thing he heard was a long, sigh pitched scream…
Harry awoke to a searing pain in his forehead, but as he tried moving his hand so he could rub at it, he realized he had been tied up. Slowly, he opened his eyes and the sight that greeted him made his insides crumble to pieces. Luna, Ginny, Neville and Ron were all tied together in one large bunch by some sort of magical rope. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting close by, their backs to each other; they were also tied up. Then Harry turned to his left and saw Percy, Fred and George in a large magical cage. Fred and George were banging on the sides of the cage furiously and yelling, but Percy on the other hand, was kneeling down, his head in his hands. But where was Hermione? Harry felt a firm hand on his shoulder, its long pale fingers digging into his skin, a round, green sapphire ring on the middle finger.
"Hello Potter," the stranger sneered. Harry made to reply but once he opened his mouth he tasted the blood from his broken nose. "Yes Potter, never were a graceful one were you? Next it'll be your legs." Harry heard several other Death Eaters laugh and snigger.
"Malfoy you dirty, evil bastard," spat Ron. Harry quickly turned to face his best friend. Ron was glaring loathsomely at Draco's Death-Eater father.
"That's enough of the bad words, Weasley. I think I might have to wash your mouth out with soap." And with a flick of his wand, Malfoy had caused a bar of soap to appear in Ron's mouth. Ron spat it out and pulled a disgusted face, only for the soap to zoom straight back in his mouth again; the crowd of death eaters behind Harry laughed once more. Harry heard Mrs. Weasley whimper from his right side but didn't look.
"You're sick!" screeched Ginny. "Why don't you go back to Azkaban and join your good-for-nothing son?" Malfoy's face hardened. His once pale and sharp features became distorted and dark. His lips tightened.
"How-dare-you-?" he breathed heavily, his nostrils flared. "How dare you talk about my son? You are a stupid little girl!" Malfoy raised his wand once more and pointed it right at Ginny's face. "Crucio!" he bellowed. Ginny began to wriggle and writhe against her ropes. Her face creased in pain as she let out a long, high-pitched scream that made Harry's blood boil.
"Stop it! Stop it now!" Harry yelled, he tugged at his ropes and turned, with difficulty, to face Malfoy, who flicked his wand and released Ginny from the curse. Ginny flopped lifelessly, supported only by the ropes that bound her.
"Ginny!" cried Neville.
"Is she okay?" Luna asked with what sounded like a note of panic in her voice, which was quite different from her usual dreamy, carefree way of speaking. Ron tugged roughly at the ropes, and snatched at Ginny's wrist with his right hand and checked her pulse with his left. After several seconds of searching, he finally found a pulse. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He had never felt as though his heart was about to be ripped from his chest, but seeing Ginny's lifeless body was enough to kill him, and if the sight didn't, then the pain of being without her would. Suddenly, someone kicked Harry's chair, causing him to crash to the floor. The chair broke in two and Harry was free from the roped that bound him to it.
"Get up," sneered Malfoy. "Our Master is coming." Harry heard Luna gasp and Neville squeak helplessly. Ron was holding Ginny, looking frantically from the door to his sister and back again. "I said move, you insolent coward!" Malfoy yelled, kicking Harry hard. Harry climbed to his feet, clutching his side. Suddenly Harry's scar began to burn more painfully then ever before. Harry doubled over and cried out, the pain being too much to bear. And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it disappeared. Harry breathed slowly and deeply, trying to get over the shock, and stood up straight once more. He went to get his wand out of his pocket, but it was gone.
"Looking for this?" asked a familiar female voice from the shadows in the corner of the room. The figure stepped forward so the light revealed her pale face. She had shallow, dark eyes and long, tatty dark hair. She had a natural ruggedness that reminded Harry all too much of…
"Lestrange," Harry said through gritted teeth.
"Oh! You know my name? Did you hear that guys? The famous Harry Potter knows my name! I'm so happy," she said in mock excitement, before sniggering at Harry. "You think you're so good don't you Potter?" she spat venomously. "But if only the world knew the truth about you. How you only escaped Voldemort because of your stupid mother dying for you. If it had of been me, I would have let you die and saved myself. But I suppose, not everyone is as sane as I am, and not everyone realizes what a little freak you really are." Harry was breathing slowly and deeply, trying his hardest not to retaliate. "Oh I'm sorry ickle Potter, am I annoying you? Am I making you sad because I'm saying mean things about your poor mummy?" she said in a baby drawl. Harry had never hated any one more than Bellatrix, and she actually had the guts to fight him. Well I'll show her, thought Harry. She'll regret the day she became a Death Eater. And before he knew what he was doing, Harry dived at her and snatched his wand from her hand. She fell to the floor, screeching for the other Death Eaters to help her. They all rounded on Harry, but Harry was already on his feet, pointing his wand at each of them in turn.
"Go on then," he said, panting for breath. "Try me. Think you can defeat the boy-who-almost-destroyed Voldemort?" they all flinched and cursed under their breath when Harry said the name. "Oh, I'm sorry, are you too scared to say the name of your leader, Voldemort?" Harry very much enjoyed their reaction when he said the name, and so he decided to taunt them as much as possible, and bide time until someone came to help them. "Where is Voldemort anyway?" Harry asked, playing for time. He backed slowly towards the kitchen door. "I thought he was coming to finish me off. Or is he too scared to fight a seventeen-year old?" One of the death eaters sniggered and Harry pointed his wand at them. "What was that, sorry? You want me to kill you?" Harry could hear the desperate murmurs from his friends but he knew what he was about to do. "Okay…" But before Harry could do anything, he backed into a large black drape of some kind; a drape that had closed itself about him.
"We meet again, Mr. Potter," said a cold, high-pitched voice from above Harry. He looked up and found a pair of evil eyes glowering down at him. Harry felt his scar issue the same pain it had only minutes ago. He couldn't feel, he couldn't think, he just stood there, Voldemort holding him tightly, his wand pointed at Harry's head. "And so the duel begins!" Voldemort announced, and before he knew what was happening, Harry was standing in the middle of a large field. He spotted the Burrow in the near distance and realized that Voldemort must have apparated them outside for a duel; a duel to the finish.