The Escape
Basically, it started off as the best week of my life at Malfoy Manor. I got to lay in bed all day for the first few days, but Narcissa said after that I should get up and walk around for a few minutes every day, just to regain my strength. It gave Draco an excuse to walk me around in front of everyone, without them guessing about our relationship. Just like Narcissa said, I didn't have to do any work for Bellatrix. It was awesome. What was also awesome was when Draco had to help me shower every night. That was very enjoyable. He also stayed with me, slept next to me, every night, just in case I needed something.
My parents snuck up to see me a few times, which I got annoyed at them for. It was not worth getting caught by Bellatrix to come see me, when I was going to be just fine. Kayla came up to see me once she got back, absolutely furious that no one had sent her an owl or something sooner. She also felt extremely guilty, saying that this wouldn't have happened if she hadn't gone to visit Blaise. I told her she was being ridiculous, but she just kept on moping about it. She should've been there to protect me, it was all her fault, blah blah blah. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine. I should have been able to protect myself, but I couldn't. I made a silent promise to myself that the next time I was in a position like that, I wouldn't be afraid. I would take care of myself.
Draco brought me three meals a day, and sent me up snacks when he thought I'd want them. I have to admit, I might have been milking this whole thing just a bit. But I couldn't help it. I was in paradise. The only thing that I wasn't enjoying was that I couldn't go down to the dungeons and see Luna and Ollivander. Draco assured me that he'd been sneaking down there to make sure they were alright, and even bringing them some food when he could. He said that Luna was fine, but that Voldemort was being pretty hard on Ollivander. He also told me that someone else was down there now, a goblin. What the hell did they want with a goblin, anyway?
On the night that I woke up to find Draco missing from my bed, I thought nothing of it. He was probably just going to the bathroom or something. It must have been really early in the morning, because there was hardly any light outside. As I decided I wasn't going to be getting back to sleep any time soon, and I reached for my glass of water from the nightstand, I heard a shrill, terrified scream come from downstairs. I dropped the glass on the floor, and it shattered into a million little pieces. Who was that? Whoever it was, I tried my best to get downstairs to find out. But, apparently I still wasn't okay enough to walk on my own, because I fell to the floor the minute I stood up. I was panicking by that point, I had to get downstairs. I knew that scream wasn't from Draco, but what if something happened to him? Or what if that scream was from someone I cared about? After ten minutes of struggling to the door, I had almost made it. As my hand was reaching for the doorknob, I heard a familiar pop from behind me, and turned to see none other than Dobby the House Elf.
"Dobby! What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Dobby has come to res—what has happened to Miss Talia?" He asked, walking over to me.
"Don't worry about it, Dobby! Just tell me what's going on down there!" I shouted, and that seemed to frighten him a little. But I didn't care.
"Dobby has been told to take you away from here, Miss Talia. Dobby is supposed to take you where he took the others!" He grabbed my hand, still stretching for the doorknob.
"Take me where? No, wait! Dobby stop!" But it was too late. I felt the familiar pull of apparation, and the next second I was on a beach, in the wet sand, looking at Luna and Ollivander and the goblin. Standing behind them were my parents, and even Kayla. I turned around to tell Dobby to go back for Draco, but he had already left. I screamed in frustration.
…
Draco POV
I was pulled out of a deep sleep by my mother gently shaking my shoulder. I was about to get really annoyed, but then I saw the look on her face. I gently jumped out of bed.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"You have to come downstairs right now. It's an emergency." She said. I leaned over to shake Talia awake. "No leave her here. She'll be safer." And without another word I followed her. I had fallen asleep in my suit last night, so I didn't have to worry about getting dressed. When we were safely outside Talia's room, I raised the volume of my voice.
"Mother, what is going on?" I asked her again. She turned to me and put both hands on either of my shoulders, and looked into my eyes with such urgency that I became extremely worried.
"Some snatchers have brought who they believe to be Harry Potter here. Bellatrix has asked me to get you, because she thought that since you know him the best, you'd be able to recognize him." My eyes widened at this.
"Wouldn't anyone be able to recognize him? Those glasses and that scar are pretty hard to miss." I said, although I knew it was no time for jokes.
"There's something wrong with his face, like he's had an allergic reaction to something. Draco, do you know what this means?" I stared blankly at her, until my mind finally comprehended what she was saying.
"This could be Talia's way out of here." I said, hope pulling at my insides. My mother nodded.
"Exactly, which means that you can't let them know for sure if it's him, because if they find out it is and they call the Dark Lord, things will get a little more complicated." I nodded, and we hurried downstairs. And there they were, Harry Potter and his friends, Hermione and Ron. All these years I'd spent hating them all, and now I was going to save them. Or try to, at least. I could tell by the looks on their faces that they didn't think I would. Well, maybe Hermione did. She knew about me and Talia. I wondered if she'd told the others. My mother urged me on, giving me a little nod, toward Bellatrix and my father. Bellatrix held Harry by the hair, her wand to his throat.
"Well? Is this Harry Potter?" She asked, her voice frantic. I leaned closer to him, though I already knew it was him.
"I… I can't be sure." I said, trying to make my voice sound uncertain.
"Look closely, son. If we were the ones to hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything would be forgiven. All would be as it was before, do you understand?" My father said, and I looked at the hope in his eyes. I was almost starting to feel sorry for him, but not enough to give up Harry. This was too important. This was my only chance to get Talia out of here.
"Now we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mr. Malfoy." Said the head snatcher, Scabior, which was a bad move. My father turned on him.
"You dare to talk to me like that in my own house?" He yelled.
"Lucius!" My mother hissed at him, and pulled him back.
Bellatrix reached out to me, and pulled me closer to Harry. "Don't be shy, sweetie, come over. Now, if this isn't who we think it is, Draco, and we call him, he'll kill us all. We need to be absolutely sure." She said, perhaps more insane than usual. I tried stalling for time.
"What's wrong with his face?" I asked, and Bellatrix looked up at everyone else.
"Yes, what's wrong with his face?" She asked anyone, but Scabior answered.
"He came to us like that. Something he picked up in the woods, I reckon." My aunt didn't buy it.
"Or ran into a stinging jinx. Was it you, dearie?" She asked, and walked behind us. Harry and I were staring at each other, and I wished I could talk to him right now. But it was too dangerous. Instead, I tried to tell him that I was on his side with my eyes. I wasn't sure if he could see it. "Give me her wand. We'll see what her last spell was." She must've been talking about Hermione. That wasn't good. Bellatrix was known for torturing people to get what she wanted out of them. My mother came over to me to stand by me. "Ah, got you." She said to Hermione, laughing, but walked past her when she saw something else. She gasped. "What is that? Where'd you get that from?" She asked urgently, to a snatcher who was holding a brilliant looking sword with red rubies on it. The sword of Gryffindor?
"It was in her bag when we searched her. Reckon it's mine, now." He said. Man, these snatchers weren't very smart. This pissed off Bellatrix big time, and she started attacking all the snatchers. That's when I realized that one of them was none other than Fenrir Greyback, the monster who had almost killed Talia. I tried to get up so I could kill him myself, but my mother held me down, giving me a warning look.
"Are you mad?" Scabior yelled ta my aunt, but it was no use. Those guys were toast.
"Go! Get out!" She yelled at them, and they all rushed for the door. Watching Greyback leave, unharmed, was the worst thing I had ever done. She came over to us.
"Cissy, put the boys in the cellar. I want to have a little conversation with this one. Girl to girl!" She said, grabbing Hermione. My mother dragged Ron and Harry down to the dungeon where they were keeping Luna and Ollivander and the goblin. I waited until Bellatrix was distracted with Hermione before running down there to follow them. Once I heard Hermione's screams, I knew that Talia would wake up. I just hoped she'd be smart enough to stay where she was. But she probably wouldn't. I ran down the stairs to the dungeon to see Ron frantically screaming for Hermione. When he saw me he just got even angrier.
"Get out of here, you worthless, slimy little g—" He started, but I cut him off. We were kind of in a hurry.
"Just be quiet for a second so I can explain. Listen to me, I'm on your side!" I said, looking from him to Harry, hoping one of them would believe me. Harry's eyes narrowed.
"What makes you think we'll believe you?" He said.
"Yeah, why should we?" Ron said, still keeping his eyes up to where Hermione was.
"Because of Talia!" I said, and I saw comprehension on their faces. "She's here, and I've been trying my best to keep her safe. But she was just attacked last week by Greyback, so she's pretty weak right now. You have to get her out of here. I promised her I would get her out of here, and you guys are my only chance of keeping that promise." I said. I wished there was something I could do to make them believe me, and then I saw Luna come out from her little corner. Thank God. "Luna! Tell them!" I said desperately.
"It's true, Harry. Malfoy has been taking very good care of Talia. And us, too. He brings us food and water when she can't, and helps Ollivander with the pain." She said, and Ollivander stepped out from the dark, also. Ron clicked some little device and the room lit up. Just then Hermione's screams got even worse, and Ron looked up.
"We have to do something!" He said.
"There's no way out of here. We've tried everything!" Ollivander said, and I nodded.
"It's enchanted." I said, trying to think of a way out. I had nothing. Harry knelt down and pulled something out of his sock.
"You're bleeding, Harry. That's a curious thing to keep in your sock." Luna said, and I nodded in agreement. Harry looked into what looked like a little mirror fragment.
"Help us." He said to it, and nothing happened right away. Just then there were footsteps from behind me, so I straightened up. It was only Wormtail, though. He was such an idiot.
"What are you doing down here?" He asked me, and I gave him my trademark Malfoy Sneer.
"I'm watching them. Making sure they don't try anything. And how is that any of your concern?" I said, and he looked down in shame. But when he reached the door, his voice was once again harsh.
"Back up. You, Goblin, come with me. Now." He said, and pulled the goblin from the room. When they were upstairs, I went back to the door. Just then we heard a pop in the room, and my old house elf, Dobby, appeared out of thin air. My face lit up. This was it!
"Dobby!" I said.
"Dobby?" Harry said, and Dobby seemed delighted to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"Dobby has come to rescue Harry Potter, of course. Dobby will always be there for Harry Potter." The elf said.
"Are you saying you can Apparate in and out of this room? Could you take us with you?" Harry asked.
"Of course, sir, I'm an elf." Under any other circumstances, I would have laughed at that. But this was serious.
"Works for me." Ron said.
"Dobby, I want you to take Luna and Mr. Ollivander to—" Ron cut him off.
"To Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth. Trust me." He said, giving both me and Harry a look.
"Dobby, There's also some people in the North Wing guest suite that you need to rescue too, okay? Get them out, and then go to the guest room that's in the same hallway as my room, and get her. Please." Dobby looked at Harry. He nodded.
"Go ahead, Dobby. It's okay."
"Whenever you're ready, sir." Luna said, and Dobby looked delighted.
"Sir? I like her very much." He said, pointing to Luna. He then walked over to her and Mr. Ollivander, and grabbed their hands. "Meet me at the top of the stairs in 30 seconds." He said to Harry and Ron, and then, with another pop, he was gone. I sagged against the wall with relief. I looked over to see Harry and Ron looking at me with strange looks, like they were trying to decide what to think of me. Whatever they decided on, I didn't care. As long as Talia got out of here. I turned to them.
"Promise me you'll look after her." I said, and they nodded slowly.
"We're pretty sure she can take care of herself, though." Ron said, and all three of us smiled in agreement.
"Usually. But she's still recovering from that bite. Those things take a long time to recover from, especially for her. She can hardly even walk by herself now." I said, and Ron nodded.
"What do you mean, 'especially for her'?" He asked me, and I gave him a look.
"I think we all know what I mean." I said, and I guessed they hadn't thought that she would tell me her secret. "I have to go. Thank you." I said meaningfully, and went upstairs to be with my mother again. Bellatrix was now interrogating the goblin.
"I'm only going to ask you once more, goblin. Think very, very carefully before you answer." She said. The goblin kept calm.
"I don't know."
"You don't know? Why weren't you doing your job? Who got into my vault?!" She asked again, very harshly. I didn't want to watch anymore, so I let my gaze wander. When it found Hermione's nearly lifeless body on the floor, I cringed. The image was almost exactly how Talia had looked on the floor of the stables that day. "Who stole it? Who stole it! Well?" Bellatrix was still yelling at the goblin.
"When I was last in your vault, the sword was there." He said positively.
"Oh, well then, perhaps it just walked out on its own, then." Bellatrix said sarcastically.
"There is no place safer than Gringotts." He said.
"Liar!" She yelled, and cut him across the face with her knife. "Consider yourself lucky, goblin. The same won't be said for this one." She said, walking back over to Hermione. By this time, I could see Harry and Ron inching up the steps.
"Like hell." Ron said, and they sprung out from hiding. "Expelliarmus!" He shouted, attempting to disarm my aunt. It worked. Harry caught her wand, and used it to stun my father. They started to battle me and my mother, although all four of us were holding back, knowing that we were all on the same side here.
"Stop!" I heard my aunt shriek, and we all turned to see her holding her wand to Hermione's throat. "Drop your wands! I said drop them!" They both dropped their wands to the floor. "Pick them up, Draco." She hissed at me, and I immediately followed her orders. "Well, well, well, look what we have here. It's Harry Potter! He's all bright and shiny and new again, just in time for the Dark Lord. Call him." She said to us, but I didn't move my hand. "Call him!" She said again, and my father walked up from behind me and ripped his sleeve away. Figures. Just as he was about to summon the Dark Lord, we all heard a squeaking from above. I almost smiled when we all looked up to find Dobby, hanging from the chandelier, loosening it to make it fall right on top of Bellatrix. A few seconds later, it dropped, and Bellatrix and Hermione each fell in opposite directions, my aunt screaming. Ron grabbed Hermione, and Harry came over to me, and I gave him all the wands, even mine, though we made it look like it was a struggle. Once again, Harry stunned my father back, and they all ran to the middle of the room.
"Stupid elf! You could've killed me!" Bellatrix yelled.
"Dobby never meant to kill. Dobby only meant to maim or… seriously injure." My mother made it seem like she was about to do something, but Dobby snapped his fingers and her wand flew out of her hands.
"How dare you take a witches wand! How dare you defy your masters?" Bellatrix screamed at him. Dobby stood up straight and looked her right in the eyes.
"Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free elf! And Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!" And with that, they all grabbed onto him and they apparated out of here. Bellatrix threw her wand at them in one last, desperate attempt, and to my astonishment it actually made it before they had completely vanished. I hoped it didn't hurt anyone. While everyone was distracted, I took my chance and ran to the room where Talia's parents were being held. I knew for a fact that Kayla had crashed with them last night, so I hoped she was still there when Dobby got them out. If Dobby got them out. I sprinted down the long, dark hallway, until I came to their room. I burst open the door to see no one there, though a fire was still going in the fireplace. I looked around the room, and then I checked the bedroom and the bathroom, and they were nowhere to be found. Thank God. Then I ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, because I needed to make sure she was gone. I quickly opened her door.
"Talia!" I shouted, before realizing that she was gone. Just to be sure, I looked everywhere. I looked on the other side of the bed, I even looked under the bed, and I checked the bathroom. Empty. I dropped to the floor with immense relief. She was gone. She had made it out.
But I also felt sudden sorrow. What if I never saw her again?