Chapter 4: Crucio
When Hogwarts started its last year for Edenia, she was determined to protest against anything that she thought was wrong. By the end of the week she knew all the protesting was nothing but self-destruction. When Monday's next course continued, she made sure to sit next to Blaise in a stiff composure during class; just like she did the classes before. She was scared and the others seemed to smell it, constantly using advantage of their newly gained control over her.
"Well…" Blaise stretched out and casually wrapped his arm around Edenia's shoulder. She didn't respond to it, kept sitting there but her eyes wandered over to Ginny, who threw her a sympathetic glance and seemed to sigh heavily. Blaise pulled Edenia's chin back once he noticed who she was having this nonverbal conversation with, wanted to say something but kept quiet and took his arm away when Draco sat down, too.
"Where were you? During lunch?" The blonde asked suspiciously and she shrugged.
"I wasn't hungry."
Draco and Blaise stared into each other's eyes when she said that but didn't further comment on it. Professor Slughorn entered the classroom with a gentle smile, yet Edenia couldn't shake off the feeling that it was forced like everything else was forced in this school.
"Good afternoon, students. Please take out your books and go to page 46." He said and everyone did so. Almost everyone. Edenia wanted to, but noticed how Draco pulled away her book and opened it for her instead. Quite confused, she couldn't determine whether he did this because he felt like he needed to be nice or, and that was the answer she leaned towards to a lot more, because he wanted to be the one in control over her; even with the smallest of things like opening a book. Inhaling deeply, she brushed it off and started to read the ingredients for the Blood-Replenishing Potion before getting started. Edenia was quite concentrated during the first third of the class, wanting to succeed in brewing the potion as she thought it could become useful one of these days. Professor Slughorn seemed to think the same as he gave great assistance to anyone that seemed stuck at some point. When Edenia was almost done and waited on the potion to be ready, she noticed that Professor Slughorn walked on over towards a woman. She couldn't believe her eyes. Bellatrix Lestrange stood there in front of the class and held her wand in her hand as always. Once she spotted Edenia, a smirk started to grow on her lips and she walked closer to the cauldron, looking inside.
"Looks good. Seems like you decided to be a proper witch again…" She muttered sarcastically. Edenia stared into her eyes but didn't say a word. Instead, she walked over to the back of the room, acting as though she wanted to ask Professor Slughorn something while in fact, all she wanted was to get away from the evil witch that locked Draco in a conversation.
"How can I help you, Miss Serapaid?" Asked Professor Slughorn, a bit confused since he wasn't let in Edenia's plan.
"It's…I…I was just wondering…if…uhm…If I did the potion right?" She asked timidly, trying to make up a random question. He raised his eyebrows slightly but shrugged and walked on over to her cauldron to check it once more before he nodded.
"I don't know why it wouldn't be okay? I checked it a minute ago and it was perfect. Unless you didn't add anything else…the potion is excellent" He said in a confused tone while he walked off again. Bellatrix and Draco both raised an eyebrow but Edenia was sure the dark witch sort of got behind the fact that Edenia was just trying to avoid her. Stricken with amusement, she walked right behind the girl and remained there for a while. It drove Edenia crazy to know that Bellatrix was watching but she didn't have the least bit of control of what was going on behind her back. When the lesson was over, Edenia instinctively jumped up to leave but remembered that it wasn't that easy and it would probably be never that easy again. So she swallowed down her pride before she quietly walked away with Draco and Blaise.
"Where are we going?" Asked Goyle who caught up followed by Crabbe.
"To Hogsmeade." Answered Draco but Edenia frowned.
"I thought students aren't allowed to leave the grounds anymore?"
"The others aren't allowed to. Slytherins can go wherever they want. They're trusted." Responded Blaise and Edenia sighed.
"Well…I wanted to go into the library." She said, not wanting to ask their permission but then again, she didn't want to simply walk off on them again as she feared it could lead to regretting it later on.
"What are you going to the library for all the time?" Mumbled Crabbe who crossed his arms, clearly emphasizing the fact that he had no business with books at all.
"I wanted to research on some things for my divination essay…" She lied but Draco stopped walking and so did everyone.
"Correct me. But I thought I said…we are going to Hogsmeade..." He stared at her intensively and Edenia's lower eyelids twitched for the split of a second before she muttered.
"…I suppose…I can get to the library on a later date."
Draco seemed content and proceeded his way. They didn't talk at all until they arrived at the infamous Three Broomsticks pub, sat down and waited to be served their Butterbeers.
"Any news?" Asked Blaise who sat next to Edenia but looked at Draco in front of him while Crabbe and Goyle were at the table's ends. Draco glanced to the left and right before he leaned in and said quietly.
"Said he's out somewhere, probably in the muggle world, I'd think…Or with Weaslebee's family…and the mudblood of course, she's with them too…"
"Well…I guess we could tickle that ugly redhead with the Cruciatus curse a little...then we'd know about their whereabouts…and pass on the information." Answered Blaise but he was interrupted when Edenia gasped.
"You'll not hurt Ginny!" She hissed with contorted eyebrows.
"Or else what?" Mumbled Blaise daringly but Edenia just narrowed her eyes at him.
"Don't sink so low, guys! Nobody is forcing you to sell them to the Dark Lord!"
Draco huffed and shook his head.
"What do you even know…? My family is under the greatest pressure…if we hand him over to the Dark Lord…things will be okay again…"
"They suffer because they chose to follow him…" Grumbled Edenia and Draco glared but didn't respond because the Butterbeers were served. Everyone kept quiet while having their first sips and Edenia's face turned to the window that let in the orange tinged light of the sunset. What a beautiful place this could be.
Could.
"Where was Professor Lestrange anyway? Why was his lesson cancelled today?" She asked suddenly and Draco glanced at Blaise, then to her again.
"A couple of Death Eaters went after Potter last night and during that, Rodolphus got hit. Bellatrix said it was Tonks but we don't know for sure…" He explained.
"Is…he dead?" Edenia asked once more.
"Rodolphus? Nah…just injured and he won't be able to teach for a while. I guess my aunt will be taking over."
Bad news. Edenia coughed a little and Goyle had to pat her back but that just caused her to cough even more as he wasn't necessarily gentle.
When Edenia was cuddled in her bed that night, she kept thinking about how to get out of this mess. Not a single thing made sense to her. Nothing enlightened her mind.
"Are you asleep?" Asked a voice from behind. Edenia sighed and turned around to Pansy.
"No. What is it?"
"I'm sure you know quite what. What is it?! What is it with you and Draco?"
"What do you think it is?"
"You two are kind of close…too close. He kept pushing me away and didn't want me around. And I see how he looks at you! Don't act innocent, Edenia!"
" …You know, Pansy. I wouldn't pick Draco even if he was the last man alive. He's all yours. Aren't you two dating anyway?"
"He broke up with me yesterday…" Said Pansy and sat up the bed. Edenia frowned.
"Sorry to hear. Why?"
Pansy shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sure it has something to do with you, though." She narrowed her eyes and lay down, bitterly turning around and showing the conversation was hereby ended.
Two more weeks passed and everything just got messier. Draco and Blaise downright terrorized the girl, constantly being around and taking care of any aspect of her life that they could enter. And of course, there was Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman that could make things worse. Edenia tried to go on with it, be the nice girl that they wanted her to be but she started to crack slowly.
This morning, when she was in the Great Hall, she noticed that there were fewer students at Hogwarts than ever before. Where did they go? She kept on looking around, her eyes jumped from all tables to the doors, back and forth. BOOM. Edenia squeaked and jumped up. Crabbe and Goyle had sneaked behind her and clapped loudly into her ear, then broke out laughing. Blaise and Draco chimed in when they walked up and Edenia pushed her plate to the side, rolling her eyes.
"Where did they go? The students? So many are gone" She asked and Draco shrugged but Tracey Davis, another girl with whom Edenia shared her dormitory with, responded.
"All the muggles are gone. The new law has been released this morning…no muggleborn students are allowed to attend Hogwarts any longer" She said and Edenia frowned widely while Draco smirked.
"Finally…that's why it smells so nice when I breathe." He in-and exhaled dramatically as Edenia shook her head and ignored him, taking her attention to Tracey again.
"What happens to them, though?"
"Geez, Edenia…" Sighed Blaise while eating. "Who cares? Concentrate on yourself."
"Good morning, sweethearts." Said somebody from behind; a voice that Edenia would have loved to vanish instead. Bellatrix Lestrange rested both of her hands on the girl, slightly massaging her shoulders slowly as though they lay in ambush. Edenia watched those nails dancing up and down the black school robe's fabric. The atmosphere grew steamy again but she kept quiet and stared into nothingness while Bellatrix and the others had a conversation about the school's future. She didn't want to hear any of it and instead glanced over to the Gryffindor table where Ginny sat with the others but her head was forced back by the dark witch. Edenia sipped on her hot chocolate, just in case somebody tried to wrap her up in a conversation that she didn't want to participate in, and then noticed how Bellatrix pulled away her hands only to snake around the girl, bend forward and kiss her cheek randomly before walking off and saying "See you in class". Edenia's eyes seemed empty after that, she knew exactly that they tried to wear her out until there was only so much of her left to do as they pleased.
Bellatrix Lestrange was even more unpleasant during the next two hours than she usually was with her husband around. She laughed hysterically when Crabbe gladly threw the Imperius Curse at Seamus Finnigan, making him take off his pants and running around with his undergarments through class while swinging his shirt like a lasso and creating the sounds of a monkey. Edenia bit her bottom lip, not because she was suppressing the laughter but because she started to hate everything in this castle. Ever since Dumbledore died, everything was a complete mess. Severus Snape was barely around and if he was, all he did was acting even more terrifying than ever, not to mention the fact that he never cared to sort things out that went wrong. Wrong like the next thing.
"Edenia. Come here, sweetie." Said Bellatrix suddenly. Edenia's quill fell down in surprise but she got up nonetheless and walked on over to the dark witch quietly. Everyone was watching, and then gasped when Bellatrix asked Ginny Weasley to get to the front, too. Edenia's eyes widened and she shot her head towards Bellatrix whose face was wrapped in a smug grin, looking at Edenia's bewildered expression.
"I want you to curse her, Edenia." Stated the dark witch with her amused tone, stepping backwards and adding. "With the Cruciatus curse…"
"I…can't." Said Edenia, shaking her head. She saw how Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, her nostrils started to flare but the girl explained.
"I don't know how to use the curse. I can't do it…" She added and thought that her professor would let it drop but of course that was only an illusion. Bellatrix walked behind Edenia and gave her instructions from that position, holding the girl's arm up the right way while saying.
"You've got to want to cause pain. See her suffer…like I want to see her suffer…"
"Well, that's a problem because I don't want to cause her any pain." Explained the girl and Ginny closed her eyes, knowing in what kind of trouble Edenia was.
"Then. You. Will. LEARN." Growled Bellatrix in anger and pulled out her own wand, aiming it at Ginny.
"CRUCIO!"
Screaming filled the classroom. Most students have learned to ignore it by now but Edenia's eyes filled with water when she watched her friend balling up in pain. She knew why Bellatrix picked her and not somebody else. She saw how Edenia looked at Ginny in the Great Hall earlier; she planned this, knowing she could torture both. Ginny cried and shook her head wildly and Edenia turned her face away. Her eyes met those of Draco and Blaise. Both of them were resting their chins on their hands and grinned. The screaming stopped and Bellatrix then nudged Edenia's shoulder.
"Your turn. Do it! Say it. Say the curse! Remember, you've got to mean it!" She hissed and that's when Edenia raised her wand at Ginny. Ginny's eyes widened and people gasped, Goyle jumped up from her seat to get a better look and Draco and Blaise sat upright again; everyone's attention went to Edenia and Ginny.
"CRUCIO!" Edenia shouted out and Bellatrix's laughter died out and relived with screaming. Everyone gasped and Ginny sprang up, not knowing what to do.
Edenia used the curse on Bellatrix.