Hey, my dear friends! New, long chapter for you. But know that the M-rating is also for violent, tragic scenes. Things might get more horrifying from now on. Thanks for your reviews, but I would love some more, please. Have fun!
Inspirational music: Burning the past by Harry Gregson-Williams (it has a certain tragic melody IMO)
Chap. 9 Bloodsheds
The great black gates of the Malfoy Manor truly was impressive and intimidating at the same time, especially when seen in the grey light of a gloomy afternoon. Scabior fixed his eyes on the gates while he himself held the Boy who Lived securely by the collar. He heard the footsteps of the others around him, thanks to the crunching gravel, but refused to throw a gaze at them, as he felt out of balance. It had started out so nice, with an exhilarating hunt which made all his penned up stress vanish because of the primal chase. No time for brooding, just running as fast as you can to get the prey. Scabior's snatcher nature and good shape saved him from being exhausted once he had caught the trio. Then he had chosen on purpose to first interrogate the boys so that he could fully focus on his woman afterwards.
It had felt strange to stand openly before her at last and not hide from her gaze. He thought her to be even more graceful close-up and had been unable to resist closing the distance between them. Shivering like a deer under his gaze, she had turned away her chocolate brown eyes when he had asked for her name. Her neck had felt so smooth and delicate against his calloused palm and her hair! He had buried his nose in her unruly curls and smelt her sweet scent that had teased him since that dark autumn night. The now concentrated mix of flowers and vanilla had affected him more than he would admit, as he had felt lost in the moment with his face on her shoulder, surrounded by heaven. The intoxication had caused his blood to rush south and when he noticed her trembles he had let out a small moan. It was brought by both bliss and torture. Bliss because of the new proximity to the beautiful creature and torture because it still was not enough; Scabior wanted to be closer yet.
And then he had found out that she was not even a half-blood but a mudblood. The Mudblood. Hermione Granger who, according to his sources, was best friend with Harry Potter and had a crush on Ron Weasley. Scabior thought it to be neither amusing nor relieving to finally be sure that she had probably not slept with Potter that night, as they only were friends. It did not matter when he was going to turn them in anyway. He would never see her again and that was how it was supposed to be.
The voyeurism had been, well, interesting, but now when he knew she was a stinking trollop of a mudblood, she disgusted him to the point where he could not stomach to look at her since the Apparation. 'Everything's as it should be,' became a mantra in Scabior head, until he reached the gates. Unexpectedly, an impulse ignited within him which he could not explain. Despite his disapproval of the mudblood he muttered to Lackie next to him, "Mind if we switch? She's my favorite." The man complied without a fuss and Scabior grabbed Granger's arms and held them tightly against her sides as her back by accident bumped into his chest. He righted her, making sure to keep some distance between them and waited for an invite to the Manor.
"Draco, come closer."
The creepy voice of Bellatrix Lestrange was hushed but nevertheless her words echoed in the chilly, dusk room, being heard by every person around. She ushered her nephew forward towards a kneeling Harry Potter. Scabior thought it to be pretty damn clear that they had caught Potter; alas the utterly mental and erratic Bellatrix thought differently and wanted to check for herself. The nervous blonde boy had trouble confirming the identity of the catch and Lucius Malfoy walked briskly across the room to insist on a closer look. Scabior tsked at the ridiculous thinking of the wealthier purebloods but none of them noticed him by the wall with the rest of the snatchers and their prey. His sharpened hearing picked up some words from Malfoy Sr.
"If we are the ones to hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, all will be as it was!"
'Fucking tricky bastard!' He wanted to get the glory and reward from the Dark Lord! It was in Scabior's nature to fight for what was his. He promptly thrust the woman into the arms of a snatcher before he stepped forward.
"We won't forget who actually caught them, will we?" Lucius became very indignant before his wife calmed him down. In his mind, Scabior wondered when every wizard except him had become cowards in front of women.
At last Bellatrix seemed to acknowledge Potter and turned to the rest of the assembly with glee. She grabbed Weasley by the hair and lifted him with quite extraordinary strength for such a thin woman. The wincing from the pained boy brought on a smirk on Scabior's face. Bellatrix was certainly a madwoman but her shows tended to be very entertaining. She whispered quite loudly in Weasley's ear, "Why, thank you boy. You brought me a mudblood to pass the time with. Perhaps that will make up for your time as a blood traitor." The boy's face contorted into pure craze and he tried valiantly to escape the arms around him.
"You leave her alone, you evil…"
He was silenced with a hard slap from Bellatrix.
"Oh, this is definitely Ronald Weasley," she exclaimed with returned joy and moved over to Granger. Scabior regarded her cautiously as she brutally pulled out a purse from the woman's pocket.
"Let's have a look, whore," Bellatrix crooned and began to rummage through the unexpectedly large bag. Scabior understood it had been charmed with a difficult spell and was impressed by Granger's skills. He guessed she had transfigured the purse, as the other two looked like dunderheads.
His eyes widened when Bellatrix pulled out a fucking sword and dropped it on the floor. Her face transformed into a mask of white rage, which made her resemble a ferocious dragon. She screamed to Granger's face, "Did you steal this, you filthy mudblood?" The woman shook her head and twisted against the hands that held her arms behind her. When the fist connected with Granger's chin, Scabior lowered his head and dug his hands deeply into his pockets. 'As it should be, as it should be,' he thought repeatedly as Bellatrix began to beat the defenceless woman. The shrill screams of pain echoed in the large room, mingling with the desperate outcries of the two boys to a terrible symphony of agony.
The snatcher behind the woman let go off her and she fell to the floor helplessly. She had quiet down, which unnerved Scabior even more, and only whimpered in the pool of her own blood. Scabior ventured a look at Bellatrix who laughed sadistically and brought out her wand. It sent a shiver down Scabior's spine despite the fact that he had seen much worse. When the Cruciatus Curse hit the nearly unconscious woman she jerked and shrieked hoarsely. Then the blonde lady of the Manor, Narcissa Malfoy, rushed to Bellatrix' side and lay a manicured hand on her sister's shoulder.
"Enough, Bella."
She had spoken calmly but the glistening drops on her forehead revealed her distress. Bellatrix looked sternly at Narcissa and lifted the curse without a question. Scabior scanned his eyes over the still body on the floor and discovered his body was shaking.
"Lucius! Call the Dark Lord! We've found them," Bellatrix commanded the former immaculate man who hesitantly rolled back his left sleeve. He took a deep breath before he pressed two fingers at the Dark Mark. Six men and a woman in the room squirmed uncomfortably when their Marks began to burn. In a mere of seconds, Lord Voldemort emerged from black smoke in the middle of the room. Scabior sank to his knee immediately, as did everyone except the two snatchers who still struggled with Potter and Weasley.
Voldemort turned his red eyes to Bellatrix.
"Why did you disturb me this time?"
Bellatrix answered excitedly, "My Lord, we've found Potter and his friends!" Voldemort lifted the muscle where his eyebrow would have been and looked around until he found Potter. He almost floated towards the boy and lifted his hand. Scabior heard some mumbling and saw how the swelling disappeared, leaving the boy with a thin face and a remarkably scar. Voldemort threw his head back and let out a happy laugh. The boy joined him and had a look of mirth plastered on his face. Scabior did not understand what was happening but did not like. The Dark Lord composed himself and stared at the boy.
"Ah, Potter. At last I have won. And I share my mind with you, is it not so?" The boy had stopped laughing and looked at Voldemort with utterly hate in his green eyes.
"So kill me then! After all, it's what you've tried to do for seventeen years," Potter said without any fear in his voice. Scabior could not deny the boy had courage but he had been in Gryffindor, after all.
"Shall I kill you here, Potter? No, I do not think the Malfoy's have deserved such an honor; to have Harry Potter killed in their home. I think another place would be more suitable for you to leave the world from. You will come with me," Voldemort decided and immobilized Potter with a wandless Body-Bind Curse.
"Noo!"
Scabior turned to the cry and watched how Weasley freed himself with magic from within, like the magic children had before they got their wands. The ginger lunged for Potter but Bellatrix made him stop in midair and gagged him with a wave of her wand.
Voldemort strolled to Weasley and said amused, "Ronald Weasley, you are a brave boy. What to do with you now? Shall I use you as bait for the rest of your family? Surely someone will reveal themselves when they see their dear Ron being tortured in the open," Scabior knew that the Dark Lord was evil, but a victorious Lord took the price in cruelty. Scabior actually thought it was cowardly of him to find enemies through captured family members, until he realized that he had done the same in his snatcher trade.
Voldemort continued, "On the other hand you are a young, strong pureblood with good qualities. I think you will do fine as a stud. Would you like that? Providing purebloods for my new world, a new woman every day?" 'Okay, the Dark Lord really is twisted,' Scabior thought and watched how Voldemort caressed the hair on the boy almost lovingly before he took out a wand from his black robes. Then he recognized the unconscious woman on the now red painted marble floor. He snorted in annoyance.
"I do not want that filth in my presence. It would taint my person" He looked directly at Scabior. "You, snatcher! Was it you who caught it?" Scabior thought it best to nod. "Well done. You can have the dirty mudblood as a reward. Do what you want with it; I could not care less about such grime." With that he returned to the boys and took each of them by the arms and Apparated.
It was an odd atmosphere in the room, to say the least, when Voldemort had left. They all felt lost and uncertain now that the Dark Lord apparently had won and would kill Harry Potter within hours.
The Malfoy's gathered in a corner and Scabior watched how Lucius in the middle held his wife and son against his chest with each arm and they all leaned their heads together in silence. 'Aww, how sweet,' Scabior sneered and looked at the rather lonesome Bellatrix. She gripped her wand hard and let out a feral cry.
"He promised! He promised to take me with him when he won! Why am I here! Why!" She began to claw at her scalp with sharp nails and scream with terror. Suddenly she raised her now bloodshot eyes to the silent body.
"You filth! If it hadn't been for you disgusting him with your sickening stench, he would never have left me!"
Bellatrix approached Granger and held up her wand. Scabior stepped in between them, aware that his boots stood in the scarlet blood. He held his own wand at the ready and showed his teeth menacingly.
"She's mine. I was promised her by the Dark Lord. Lower your wand."
He talked composed but his inside boiled with anger and something undefined. Bellatrix spitted him in the face and tried to sidestep his blocking body but Scabior used his snatcher reflex and caught her by the waist and simply threw her away from his woman. Bellatrix landed in a black heap on the floor and hissed out, "Maybe it would be better if you take her. After all, it's probable that she'll get raped so many times within hours that she'll die soon anyway. I could live with that knowledge."
Scabior growled and made to move towards the witch but was caught by three pairs of hands. A hoarse voice mumbled in his ear, "Don't do it, boss. She's a mad loser. Let's just leave." Scabior nodded quietly but threw a nasty look at Bellatrix who was now being shielded by Narcissa who trained her pleading eyes on him. Scabior shrugged off the offending hands and turned to kneel beside Granger. A metallic scent surrounded the body.
She breathed but in a sad comparison to how she had breathed the night when she had slept outside and hurt her fingers. Her face had been beaten to a pulp and blood still trickled from her nose and mouth. Scabior steeled himself from going mad and discovered that her wrist was broken. Surely she had more injuries and Scabior wanted to get her to his camp fast and treat her with his stash of healing potions.
He slipped his arm carefully under her back, not caring the slightest that her bloody curls stained his coat. The other arm held her by the knees and he began to lift his limp burden. He looked only at the woman in his arms as he muttered to the snatchers, "We're going to the camp." He waved his arm that held both her head and his wand and disappeared from the Manor.