It was the same as always.
We sat by the fire, my mother reading to me while my father sifted through his paperwork from the office. Suddenly there was a loud bang and my parents jumped from their seats with their wands quickly drawn, exchanging a look.
"Elise, take her upstairs. Alert the Order"
My mother nodded, picking me up without hesitation. She swiftly casted her Patronus and sent it off to the Order. We had barely made it out of the living room when the front door exploded. I peeked over her shoulder as two men dressed in black entered our home and began duelling with my father.
"Allard!" my mother shouted.
"Go!"
My mother ran upstairs to my bedroom, casting a quick spell to reveal a hidden panel in the wall and put me safely within the small confinement space. "No matter what happens, promise me you will stay here" she ordered and I nodded feebly in response. "Je t aime mon cherie" she said, kissing me on the forehead before sealing me in.
The door must have been enchanted for I could still see out of it almost like a two-way mirror. Before my mother could leave the room, the men walked in, levitating my father between them effortlessly. One of the men, the older of the two, disarmed my mother in a flash then stayed by the door, leaning casually against its frame. His eyes however remained alert. The other smiled maliciously, pointing his wand at them while they writhed on the floor in pain.
"Papa! Mama!" I screamed but it was impossible to hear me through the charms and wards around the hidden room. I searched for a doorknob but finding none, threw my weight upon the door. It wouldn't budge.
"I will only ask you one more time, where is she?" the man asked in a low voice giving them a moments reprieve from his torture.
"Somewhere beyond your reach" my father gasped out through uneven breaths.
"We'll see about that"
There was more screaming and I squeezed my eyes shut and covered my ears trying to block them out.
"STOP!" I screeched and the tiny door flew off its hinges.
Four pairs of eyes stared at me and the tormentor smiled. Moonlight bathed in from the window and I could make out his face more clearly. He had shoulder-length silvery-blonde hair and large blue eyes which contrasted sharply with his dark coat. He would have been quite handsome, like an angel if his face wasn't twisted in that sadistic smile.
"How wonderful for you to join us, my dear"
"Leave" I commanded, which seemed to amuse him even more.
"Run" my mother choked out.
"Be quiet when I am speaking" the man barked, backhanding her harshly.
"Don't touch Mama!" I shouted and the window behind him shattered, the curtains set ablaze with fire.
He laughed and applauded. "Splendid! Talented little thing isn't she, Father? A fitting heir indeed"
He put out the fire with a wave of his wand then turned to me, stooping to meet my eye. He studied me for a moment, his gaze wandering over my hair and face. "Come" he said, offering his hand. When I did not respond, he pulled me towards him roughly then turned me to face my parents who were now hovering in mid-air. "Time for your first lesson" he whispered in my ear before he rose to his full height behind me. "Tell me, do you love your Papa or Mama more?" he asked, keeping both his hands on my shoulders. "Perhaps if you answered me truthfully, I may consider sparing the one of your choosing"
"Don't listen to his lies, Ari" my father said fiercely.
"Sometimes the sacrifice of one has to be made for the betterment of others. I am giving you the opportunity to decide, sacrifice only one and you and the parent of your choosing will be free to live the rest of your lives happily. The choice is yours. You can either save one or lose both"
I contemplated what he had said. It was impossible to choose, they were my parents and I loved them both. But if you could possibly save even one them, shouldn't you?, a voice said. My bottom lip trembled involuntarily as I fought the urge to cry in desperation.
"Can you feel it? The power you hold in your hands now - the power over life and death, to take it away with a single word. Doesn't it feel magnificent?"
I remained silent, tears falling steadily down my cheeks.
"Do what you will with us but leave her be" my father said.
"She will never be yours" my mother croaked in a hoarse voice.
"She already is. For eight long years you have kept her from me but no more. She cannot hide from me or the power that runs through her veins"
What is he talking about? Please, I don't want this.
"Which will it be, my dear?"
I shook my head once again and his patience ran thin.
"I believe I have been more than gracious to you, but do not test me. I will count to five and you will answer or they will both die"
"One"
"Don't listen to him, Ari"
"No matter what happens, you are not to blame, mon cherie, you understand?"
"Silence!" he roared, casting a spell on my parents to muzzle them.
I looked to my father on the right, then back to my mother on the left. How could I possibly?
"If words are difficult, all you need to do is point, child"
I lifted my index finger and stared at it. My finger trembled slightly as I hovered between my parents. I can't do it, I thought, balling my hands into fists.
"Two"
They will die if you don't.
He is asking me to kill my own parent!
"Three"
They will die either way. The least you could do is spare one of them. If you can't save both of them, why not settle with one? For the greater good as he said.
"Four"
I felt sick in the stomach as I unfurled an unsteady finger and hesitated.
The older man straightened abruptly. "Edmonde" he called warningly. Suddenly there were flashes of light and loud popping sounds as members of the Order Apparated and infiltrated the house.
"Your time is up and so is theirs" the man named Edmonde said. There was a flash of green and my parents bodies fell to the floor with a loud thud, unmoving. "Remember what your hesitation has cost you" he laughed as I ran to them, tears falling uncontrollably, only vaguely aware of arms encircling me protectively amidst the exchange of curses and shouts. Their lifeless eyes stared back at me and I screamed till my voice gave out.
…
I awoke with a start causing the volume on my lap to fall onto the floor with a thud. I had fallen asleep on the couch which was now dark and cold, the roaring fireplace from before snuffed out sometime while I was asleep. My heart was pounding wildly and I buried my face in my hands, resting my elbows on my knees and leaning over, trying to calm my breathing. I stayed there in complete silence until I heard a creak to my right.
I glanced up as a figure creeped past and out through the secret stone wall. The light from a torch in the hallway illuminated a glint of white-blonde hair that I would've recognised anywhere. He clearly hadn't seen me on his way out. I knew it was well past our curfew and he was going to get the whole House into trouble if he was caught. He wasn't half as sneaky as the twins or I so the odds were definitely not in our favour. It was against my better judgement to follow him, after all, what was worse than one Slytherin out of bed, but two. My curiosity got the better of me and I found myself following him stealthily through the dim, quiet corridors.
…
"Malfoy" I hissed under my breath.
He jumped at the sound of his name almost missing a step up the tallest Astronomy tower but relaxed visibly when he realized it was only me. "What are you doing here? Go away" he whispered back harshly.
"I could ask you the same thing"
"Mind your own business"
"It becomes my business when you're going to cost our House points"
"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black"
"At least I'm not dim-witted enough to get caught, Mr Kettle"
"How dare you-"
"On the contrary, Ms Montaine, both of you will be costing your House points" a voice spoke up. We turned in panic to see a very disapproving Professor McGonagall in a tartan dressing gown and a hairnet standing at the top of the steps with her hands on her hips.
Bloody fantastic.
Malfoy started spouting some nonsense about Harry smuggling a dragon off the tower tonight but she was hearing none of it. She dragged him forcefully by the ear, hauling him off with her for detention, while a single reproachful glare was enough for me to follow behind her obediently.
"While I must say I'm not entirely surprised that Mr Malfoy is here on some cock-and-bull story Mr Potter himself no doubt must've made up, I believed you to have more sense than that. Twenty points from Slytherin"
"Twenty!?"
"Each!"
"Each!? But I didn't even do anythi-"
"Ariana Dawne Montaine, one more peep from you and it'll be fifty"
As I followed her down the steps I bumped into something hard and could have sworn I heard a muffled grunt although there was nothing there but thin air. On a hunch I reached my hand out, knowing I probably looked ridiculous and grasped the air. To my shock a silky material brushed against the palm of my hand and I caught a glimpse of Harry and Hermione looking like deer caught in headlights with a crate between them. We shared a quick look of understanding before I rushed after the Professor and Malfoy.
Which was why I was surprised to find out that they were serving detention with Malfoy and myself; turns out they were caught by Filch shortly after delivering the dragon to Charlie's friends.