Soooooooo, summer here is coming to a close...I know it being summer I should have been uploading a lot more, but I was working nonstop at the stables near my house from 7 til 4, and by then I was just wiped out. Then there was vacation down south (if you haven't been to New Orleans, don't go down Bourbon Street, not even in the day. It smells like vomit and crap and beer and sewers all rolled up into one! However, the houses not a block away are very nice, if anyone from NO is reading this...) and the much awaited meeting of the conservative southern relatives...yay...
Hope you guys had a more exciting summer than I did.
Also, my neighbor's just put down their dog... :(
I don't know how that last note was related, but it is now.
Dislaimer: I-ay o-day OT-Nay wn-oay he-tay arry-Hay otter-Pay eries-Say!
Jacob audibly gulped, as Bellatrix turned her toothy smile towards him, and he could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead, though the temperature in the marbled hall was cool. She obviously didn't sense his discomfort, for she started off down the long hallway, the slight heels of her worn black boots making a sharp 'click clack' on the marble floors. Jacob vaguely noted to himself how the sound of it seemed to wrap up Bellatrix's entire being, the precision in the evenness of the steps, the fast gait, and the sharp tone all screamed fierce determination, and ultimately, danger for whatever her point of determination was.
Jacob blinked away his studying's of Bellatrix's walking habits, and set off quickly after her, making sure that Hermione was floating directly in front of his face, and not bumping into any walls or the numerous low hanging chandeliers that adorned the ceiling.
As she walked, she called back over her shoulder, "You might think about having one of those house elves of yours clean up that vase. Someone might get hurt."
The leery emphasis placed on the last word made Jacob's skin crawl, and he nodded wordlessly, and managed out a weak, "Um, yeah, er, of course."
The clicking of the heels came to an abrupt stop at his stuttering, and Bellatrix half-turned and gave him an odd stare over her shoulder. Jacob internally grimaced, avoiding her stare. 'Malfoy's don't stutter, idiot!' He coughed briefly into his elbow, still looking at the ground, and scowled.
"Just something in my throat." He cleared his throat, as if to further enunciate his point, and Bellatrix raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at him, before turning back around. The ominous clicking resumed. Kicking himself for acting so out of character, Jacob followed Bellatrix down the long hallway.
The low hanging chandeliers provided a dim light, fueled by eternal candles rather than the mysterious light source in the larger rooms-most likely cause by an adaptation of the spell 'Lumos Maxima'-or natural light. All of the windows in the house had been shut and bolted, and the stiffness of the locks had shown that they had not been opened in a very long time, if at all.
The flickering of the tiny flames cast an all around eery feeling to the place, and more than once did Jacob find himself whipping his head around frantically at his own wavering shadow.
The walls were embellished with portraits of the dark wizards and witches that made up the Malfoy Bloodline. The frames had been recently dusted, but the paintings inside held pictures of elderly, brooding, and condescending people, who simply glared at Jacob as he passed. Their eyes followed him, giving him the impression that they could see right through him, and leaving him feeling very uncomfortable and naked in front of them. Unnerved, he wondered if this was what Malfoy came home to every night.
As the party of three passed one room, Jacob couldn't help but peer inside. One side of the wall was entirely covered in a large tree, and Jacob noticed it was an exact replica of the one that was in Grimmauld Place, complete with the burnt out space where Sirius Black's name should have been. Two more names had been burnt out as well, Nymphadora Tonks', the metamorphagus, and her mother's.
An itch had appeared on the right side of his neck, and he absently brought his hand up to scratch at it. Still, it persisted, and all of a sudden, his hand started to itch. Soon, the itch had spread to the whole arm, and Jacob stood rooted to the spot as his whole body started to buzz. It was as if thousands of ants were crawling all over him, he was on fire!
But as abruptly as it started, the itch stopped.
Jacob looked down at his hand, blinking. He couldn't believe it. The skin on the back of his hand began to bubble and change.
'This is impossible! The Polyjuice should have lasted me the full 3 hours!' He frantically searched the pockets of the fancy jacket he was wearing for the extra Potion, but it wasn't there. Full blown panic set in, as he started to feel the skin on his arms and legs begin to shift.
With a strangled groan, he lost his balance and fell to the ground, as his legs shook and quivered violently. Hitting his head, he could feel tendrils of blackness begin to pull him down, and he slipped unconscious with the vague feeling of shrinking in his limbs.
As soon as Jacob fell unconscious, the spell levitating Hermione vanished, and she fell limply to the floor with a dull "Thud!". Jacob promptly awoke at the vibration of the floor and stared down at himself dumbly, terrified to discover he was back to his original form.
The noise alerted one of the passing house-elves, who peeked into the room and shrieked, covering her scream with two tiny hands. The hands moved to her head, and she promptly fainted.
Jacob knew her shriek would alert the others, and so he dragged her into the room with him, and quickly gagged her.
Remembering the pad and pen Kingsley gave him, he took them out and jotted a quick, "P. Potion wore off, no more. Stuck at mansion w/ Bella and uncon. Herm. Get me out. NOW!" with shaking hands.
The writing disappeared as soon as it was written down, and Kingsley's writing appeared seconds later to say a brief, "Hang on, help is on the way." much to Jacob's chagrin.
Meanwhile, the elf had awoken groggily, and her eyes opened wide at seeing Jacob. He put a finger to his lips, and whispered to her "Listen, I'm with the Order, I mean no harm to you or anyone, I just need to get my friend and myself out safely without any of your master's knowing. You hear?" She nodded frantically, her large ears flapping back and forth. Jacob slowly removed the gag from her mouth.
"You is not Master Malfoy." She pointed an accusing finger at Jacob. "What has you done with the Master?"
He hesitated, not sure if he should bother answering, and his hesitation unnerved the elf, who backed away towards the door.
Nervous that she was going to run for Bellatrix, Jacob made a grab for the small elf, who gave another shriek and dodged his hands, running out of the room screaming, "Imposters! They has killed the Master! Help!"
Jacob cursed softly to himself, and looked around wildly the room, willing himself not to lose his cool. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice laughed evilly, saying "You lost your senses as soon as you agreed to take on this job. There's no way you can get out of this alive, much less Hermione."
Jacob willed the voice into silence, and concentrated all his prior training on finding a way out without getting caught. 'Too late!' He thought as the condemning clicking of the heels returned, at a faster pace, counting down the steps until his fate was sealed.
Crawling backwards into a corner, he dragged Hermione along with him and shielded her from whatever was to come, bracing her against his back and the wall. He knew that everything he was doing now was futile, whatever was going to happen to him was going to happen.
Nevertheless, he raised his wand and pointed it at the door, waiting until Bellatrix's dark and imposing form walked back through the doorway.
Seeing a flickering shadow approaching on the opposite wall, Jacob raised his wand, the spell he was about to utter on the tip of his tongue...
It never got past his lips. A great explosion rocked the room, and dark smoke quickly filled the room, Jacob crouched down and covered his mouth and nose, not breathing.
A minute went by. Two minutes. The smoke did not dissipate, as per usual. Jacob knew in the back of his mind, that this was gas, not smoke, and if he breathed it in, it would impair him in some way, and most likely kill him, but he so badly needed. to. BREATHE!
With a huge gasp, he inhaled, and immediately seized up, his throat on fire. He convulsed violently, and collapsed on the floor, losing consciousness for the second time that day.
Jacob didn't know how long he was out, but when he came to, he was being held up off the ground by someone remarkably strong. An arm was around his waist and something sharp was pressing into his neck. Jacob squirmed uncomfortably, eyes still screwed shut, and felt whatever it was prick the soft skin on his neck. He gasped, and his eyes flew open.
Facing him, across the large living room, was Kingsley, Arthur, Bill, and Charlie Weasley, and 2 other Order members, all with wands drawn.
Jacob looked down at the hand holding him. Pale white skin contrasted with the long, and pointed nails, painted a pitch black. He didn't need to look back to know that Bellatrix had her knife pressed to his throat.
Bellatrix seemed deep in conversation with Kingsley, or rather, he was talking, and she was glaring daggers at him.
"Where is Hermione?" He heard Kingsley ask.
"It is of no use to you. The Mudblood is where I want her to be. And there she will stay, until I want her otherwise."
Kingsley's stare hardened. "We have your nephew. Do you not want him back? We will exchange him for the girl."
Bellatrix threw back her head and cackled harshly. "You really think that I would consider a trade? With you? And for the Mudblood? No, I have taken a fancy to her, her I would like to keep. It's this one whose life is forfeit right now."
"You do not care for your nephew? Even though he is You-Know-Who's successor?" Kingsley pushed.
Bellatrix's face turned an even darker shade. "He is not the Dark Lord's successor! He is too weak! Merely a puppet, one that I control!" She spat.
A moment or two passed, where neither side said anything. Finally, Bellatrix looked at one of the Order members. "You, Order filth, fetch Draco."
The man looked at Kingsley, who nodded, and then disapparated, seemingly glad to leave the scene.
Bellatrix raised her wand to Jacob's temple as soon as the man was gone, and Kingsley tensed visibly.
"Oblivious." She muttered. Jacob immediately became confused. Why was he at Malfoy Manor? What was Kingsley doing? Who was holding him up? Why wasn't he in Romania?
Kingsley tensed even more, as Bellatrix leveled his wand back on him.
"My nephew, for this blood-traitor. Those are the terms."
Kingsley hesitated, but nodded. "What of Granger?" He asked sharply.
"The Mudblood is none of your concern! Take it or leave it, he's dying!" To enunciate her point, she pressed the knife further into Jacob's throat, and he could feel it break skin. Blood trickled down his neck.
Nervous, Kingsley ground out, "We accept the terms."
Just then, Draco Malfoy, looking disheveled and with hands bound, appeared in the middle of the room, escorted by the Order Member. He was shoved across the room at Bellatrix, who in turn, shoved Jacob across. He stumbled, and felt Bill's hands lift him back up and support him, an arm encircled his waist, and his arm was lifted over Bill's neck.
All he remembered seeing before they apparated was Draco Malfoy staring blankly at him, just staring, with grey eyes as blank and cold as ice, that seemed to pierce his flesh deeper than the knife had.
Then, it was all a blur, and with a thud, his feet touched stable ground.
He heard a yell in the background, "They're back!" And a rush of feet on the ground, but Jacob's eyes wouldn't stay open. Willing himself to stay awake a little longer, he was conscious long enough to notice Bill was walking upstairs with him, to a room with a bed in it, which he was promptly pushed down upon.
He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.
Halfway through writing this, I think I was at 2,080 words, when my computer crashed, and I freaked out thinking that it had deleted all of my work, and so I wandered around the house tearing my hair out for ten minutes, until the screen came back up and it had saved just before the crash...I cannot possibly explain my elation. So, there was that...
And don't worry, we'll get back to dear old Draco and Hermione next chapter...
So! Any thoughts on the latest escapade? Criticism? Flattery? The whole nine yards, anything you want to say, say it in a Review! Reviews feed my lonely soul. Along with Thin Mints. But reviews are better for you. So save a soul, write a review.
Come school, I'm going to try to update around once every 2-3 weeks. 1 week probably at minimum, and probably 3 at maximum. If I haven't updated in over 3 weeks, then please PM me or write a review yelling to get my lazy ass off the couch and over to the computer, please. I won't be angry. For long.
And you'll get a medal for bravery in the face of danger.
Anyway...tell me what you thought of it, and I hope you all enjoyed it!