The Carrows' Calling
Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me. J.K. Rowling is the good writer. I'm the bad writer. Know the difference.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Neville lay on the floor on his back, staring at the ceiling of the Gryffindor common room, taking in the past few moments. The area around him was lit, the fire was blazing, the torches were lit and the room smelt like fresh evergreen trees; the familiar scent of the common room. He stared at the ceiling and its gorgeous swirling designs that were placed there with complex magic, or so he thought years ago. His wand was in his right hand, as it should be. He was in the place he was supposed to be in, as he should. He was staring at the ceiling, the ceiling he should've been staring at.
Then why did it feel so wrong? Something was wrong in the room he was supposed to be in, something was missing. He was too dazed to think properly, he made his thoughts slow down.
Then Neville found his senses. Ginny. Ginny wasn't in the room with him. Ginny wasn't with him. Ginny wasn't here. Neville sat up, rubbing his arms for warmth (even though the entire room was bathed in heat). Ginny wasn't with him. She should've been. She should've gotten through the door; she stepped through before he did. She should've gotten to the common room, she would've listened to Professor McGonagall. So why wasn't she here?
Neville got up and walked around the common room, pacing, but for whatever reason, he couldn't remember. It was deathly quiet and there wasn't a person to be in the room. It was, after all, 1:00 in the morning. Neville didn't expect anyone to be there, even though students could be in the common room after curfew, just not wandering the hallways.
BOOM. A loud crash came from right behind him. Neville flinched and whipped around, only to find the only person he could wish to see.
Ginny. Ginny was standing there on the stop, wand in hand and with a grinning look on her face. Neville felt his mouth curve up in a grin too, and ran to hug her.
"Ginny! Where have you been?"
Ginny laughed as she returned the hug. "Oh, you know… " she said mysteriously, smiling as Neville frowned, annoyed. "Here there, everywhere."
Neville raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Ginny gave in. "OK, OK. I'll tell you. Sit down," she commanded, pointed at the ground, indicating that he should do as she asked. Neville crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, but nevertheless sat down. Ginny followed him. She sighed, propping up her head with her arm rested on her legs, which were crossed.
"Where to start…" she muttered.
"What about when you suddenly disappeared when you stepped through the door?" Neville suggested, his voice somewhat bitter. Ginny didn't seem to have noticed, and began to talk.
"Well, after we stepped through the door, I was sort of in a panic, and didn't think when I stepped through the door," Ginny explained, fumbling with the hem of her shirt. Neville had the resist the urge to smack his face.
"How did you forget? Professor McGonagall spoke to us in our heads! You should ought to remember that!" Neville exclaimed, exasperated. Ginny looked down at the ground.
"I'm not sure. I guess I was too distracted with what Rabastan was saying." Neville sighed—as if Ginny could be more distracted than Neville had been—but made a gesture for Ginny to continue. "Then, when I walked through the door, since I wasn't really thinking I guess, I showed up in this weird looking fancy room. It was like a void between and there was a door there, the exact same one that I had appeared through. I thought I should give it a try and opened it, putting my mind to the common room. And here I am," said Ginny. Neville stared at her.
"Is that why you didn't show up here? Do you think you could get back to the room again?" Neville asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Woah, one question at a time!" Ginny exclaimed, backing away from him to prove her point. Neville slowed down and asked his questions once more.
"Do you think you can get back to the room?" Neville asked once more trying again, but before Ginny could say anything, the door of the common room opened.
"So, that's what happened!" Luna said, her voice awfully, irrationally cheerful. Dean stared at her in awe.
"You did all that?" he gaped, and Luna could feel her cheeks heat up; she wasn't very used to receiving praise like that often.
"Not really, it was more instinct than anything else," Luna said modestly, staring at the ground, trying not the meet Dean's eyes.
BAM. The door of the chamber then slammed open, the wood coming to meet the stone. Luna and Dean immediately stopped their discussion. Two men stood before them, holding in their arms what seemed to be two other, limp figures. The two men did not speak, and simply tossed the two figures into the room, along with an unknown bag. The two men then backed out and closed the door with a loud snap and Luna could hear them locking it, the clangs of metal banging against each other.
The room was met with silence. Neither person, Luna or Dean, was sure about what to do. Luna was the first to make a move. She slowly crawled the large distance across the large room to the two figures. They were curled up and hugged up against each other.
One was of a man, an elderly one, dressed in ragged robes and stringy hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in a long time.
The other, was of a different species entirely. It was a goblin and it was enrobed in what must've been fancy dress clothes, but were torn to shreds and disgrace.
Luna knew who they were.
Ollivander and Griphook. She scanned them with careful eyes, trying to see if there was anything different since the last time she had seen them—which really hadn't been too long ago, but you could never be too safe. It all looked the same, but, again, you could never know. They were dressed in such torn clothes that it would be difficult to decipher if they had been tortured. Luna decided to let them sleep; they needed the rest, and deserved it as well.
Luna maneuvered around the sleeping figures, then went to collect the unknown package. She picked it up and immediately knew what it was. Their supply of food. She hugged it to her chest and opened it in excitement. She tugged the string apart and carefully laid out the items within the bag.
Two large loaves of bread, three pitchers of water, a block of cheese and one orange. Their usual supply. Luna decided to save it for now; they weren't really hungry, and placed everything back into the bag.
She scurried over to where Dean was sitting and rested beside him. She gave him a tired (but still bright) smile.
"Let them rest. We'll talk in the morning. And I think we ought to save this food. Sleep," Luna said, in a gentle but commanding voice. Dean nodded and began to lie down on the stack of hay, and Luna had noticed that he had taken off the sweater she gave him, much earlier. He took Luna's sweater and laid it softly across the two other members in the cell. Luna gave him a gentle smile, letting him know that she was fine with him donating her piece of clothing. Anyways, isn't that what she did in the first place? Dean then curled up into a ball and within minutes, his soft snoring filled the room.
Luna leaned against the wall and rested her head back, closing her eyes and letting out a loud sigh. Where they ever going to get out? When was this going to be over?
Rabastan Lestrange stood in the doorway of the common room, with his expensive, elaborate robes settling onto the grounds, the air still being enveloped inside them, reminding Ginny very much of Snape.
He wore an expression of a storm, a raging one that was the beginning of a hurricane. He looked as though he was about to explode with anger, his normally pale face flushed and his hands were clenched into fists. He looked nowhere as elegant and put together as he did when Ginny first saw him, and she wondered what Professor McGonagall must've done to him—or, maybe, what we have done.
In one of his clenched fists, was his wand, being pointed straight ahead, right at Ginny. She immediately got up and pulled out her wand, too.
However, before she knew it, Rabastan was raging up to her like a five year old, with his wand jabbed into her cheek. Neville, at the same time, had gotten up, and he too, had his wand drawn. He had not made a move yet, in case Rabastan was to threaten Ginny with something. Rabastan had the upper hand. And the right to yell in Ginny's face too, as it seems.
"YOU! WEASLEY BITCH, WHORE OF HARRY POTTER! COME WITH ME," he yelled, spit flying all over Ginny's face. She was so shocked that no reaction came from her—she simply stared, wand still gripped. Rabastan continued on, but in much more quiet tone, so quiet it seemed deadly.
"Come with me and I'll give you a taste of what I had to go through, because of your kind," he seethed, and grabbed Ginny by the collar, choking her. She was right up against his face, and she could see beads of sweat trickling down his face, and the scent of fresh blood on his breath. Ginny scowled and tried to hold her breath. Then, a jet of red shot right at Rabastan. His attention was diverted, and now was glowering at the person who sent the spell, Neville.
He was in a ready stance, his wand pointed at the man, shaking with anger.
"You say that to my friend. SAY IT AGAIN!" Neville shouted, his voice ringing through the empty room. "I dare you. Say it again." The last part was in the same soft deadly tone. Rabastan first glared at him, but then the anger on his face twisted into some type of mad happiness.
"HA! You think you are better than me, me, Neville Longbottom," Rabastan laughed in his face, "I have heard you can barely cast a Banishing Spell, nevertheless defeat me!" The man then cackled, his laugh echoing around the room. Even so, Neville stood his ground.
"I may not be as powerful as you, or as talented as you, but I will be one thing. I will defend my friends, my family. I won't run," Neville said calmly, his voice showing no signs of anger—but in his eyes, Ginny could see a spark. A spark of hope, of bravery.
It was then, when Ginny truly realised something—Neville would stand up for his friends, he would stand up to them, always. Ginny had always wondered why Neville was placed in Gryffindor, he seemed so much like a Hufflepuff. When she first met him, he had told her he thought he belonged in Hufflepuff—and at that time, Ginny thought so too. But now, she thought differently. She could see why now. Neville had changed. The war had changed him.
It had taken him from a shy young boy, to a brave young man. But one thing stayed with him. His hope, his hope in hope. He held it beside him, all throughout the way.
And at that point, Ginny couldn't help but be proud. She thought, I wonder how his parents would feel. Proud. Like I am.
Suddenly, a sound of footsteps came through the walls of the common room, from the dormitories up above. the students had waken up from all the commotion.
Rabastan looked around him in fear, his eyes growing wide and darting around. He glared at Ginny and Neville for one more time, before hissing out one parting word,
"You and your friends are little bastards. Remember that Longbottom. And good luck to you, Weasley, with your little boyfriend. Hope he'll be alive," Rabastan sneered. "This isn't the last of me. We'll meet again. I will promise you that." And with those words, he swiftly stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
For a moment, everything seemed silent. The common room was quiet, with only the cackling of the fire emitting into the space.
Then, the footsteps came back, as though the world had paused and someone had hit the play button once more. Students came flooding into the common room, in groups. Many of them were rubbing their eyes and some still had their eyes closed—they were all in their pyjamas. But what Ginny heard were mumbles. Curious, suspicious mumbles of "what happened?" and "what's up with them?" However, before Ginny would react to any of this, the common room door opened once more.
Professor McGonagall stepped through, ducking her head as she stepped through. She looked the same as the last time Ginny saw her; a little battered and bruised, but not all overly too hurt. She looked as though she was going to say something, but when she saw the crowd of people, her mouth clamped shut again. She gave Ginny one glance, and that was all it took for her to remain silent.
Ginny looked anxiously at Neville, who in return, shrugged his shoulders, telling her had he didn't know what to do either. But that was solved for both of them, for Professor McGonagall's voice rose over all the murmurs.
"Students, may I have your attention?" The room fell silent once more, everyone turning to the professor, eager for answers. Once Professor McGonagall was satisfied, she continued on.
"What, I have to ask, are you all doing?" She exclaimed, her voice rising with each word. Ginny and Neville looked at each other, but didn't step up. A young first year did though. Elizabeth. She slowly raised her hand and walked out of the crowd to Professor McGonagall. The professor nodded at her, and Elizabeth began to speak.
"Um, well, Professor, we, as in my roommates and I, heard yelling from the common room. It woke us up, and well, we thought that we would go and see what was up. It seems the rest of the House heard it too—it sounded like someone was angry, and, you know, it was like this feeling, like we all knew there was something wrong," Elizabeth said, her voice shaking a little, but still audible. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Elizabeth continued on.
"And, I'm pretty sure it was a man shouting, with some crude language." Elizabeth looked down at her shoes, not sure if the information she just gave was important.
"Thank you very much for that, Miss. Abagot. The data you provided me was very significant. Now, all of you go back to bed. You still have classes tomorrow," Professor McGonagall commanded, and the students followed her instructions, a little gratefully—though some seemed unsatisfied with the little information she had to give, but nevertheless followed. Ginny and Neville were just about to head for their beds when the professor spoke their names.
"Miss. Weasley. Mr. Longbottom," Professor McGonagall called over the many heads of students leading up to bed. Ginny and Neville shared a glanced and made their way through the crowd, trying to avoid the people. Once they made it to Professor McGonagall, she was at the entrance of the common room. She leaned in to talk to them, and spoke in a hushed tone.
"Watch your back. We are in dark times, remember this. Don't walk blindly into things. Trust no one." And with these words, the professor slipped out of the common room and out of sight. With a puzzled look, Ginny turned to Neville.
"What was that about?" Neville didn't immediately reply and stared into the burning fireplace with a dark expression etched into his face.
"We are in war Ginny," Neville said, and turned to the stairs of the dormitories. Ginny didn't follow him, and when she didn't, he didn't look back and disappeared.
Ginny's mind was lost in her thoughts. It's been a weird, weird night. Answers give you more questions than it explains.
They sat around in a circle, all huddled together, nibbling away at their food, the room enshrouded in silence. It was like a thick, heavy, uncomfortable blanket. Luna had placed her portion of bread down; she didn't have much of an appetite. She simply sat back and watched the rest of them, laying her hands down on the grainy floor of the cellar.
Ollivander and Griphook had been thrown back into the cell with her and Dean. Luna couldn't figure out why, why the Death Eaters would keep them together, so they would have a higher chance of escaping. It would be smarter to keep them apart. However, Luna knew that Voldemort wasn't completely stupid, he was the most powerful wizard, since Dumbledore was gone, and there had to be a reason for placing all the prisoners in one cell. There had to be some kind of catch.
As Luna pondered this, she hadn't realised that there were noises coming from outside of the cell. Voices. As they became louder, it seemed the people speaking were walking by. At least two of them. Or stopping in front of the door.
"Take the rest, but keep the mudblood," a low, male voice growled. Luna could almost see the nod from the other Death Eater, for there were two voices heard before. She could imagine the vile mask expressionless, but the face underneath grinning with pleasure of another muggle-born being captured. But who were "the rest?" Who else had been taken; it had to be an Order member or… No. It can't be. Harry can't be captured. He can't! Luna thought. As if the Death Eaters outside had pried open her head and read her mind, the door slammed open, the light streaming in once more, like the many times she had seen it done. Perhaps this would be the last.
But what stood before her, she wasn't prepared for. Nor had she ever seen it before. It was sight to behold.
Harry Potter, Harry bloody Potter stood before her, bound in ropes, his clothes tattered and torn and a pained expression on his face.
Then, a shrieking, piercing cry reached her ears. At that moment, everything, even the thought of Harry Potter, was shoved out of her mind by the agony of the scream. It was loud and clear, and it was incredibly painful. The pain of the scream seemed to have reached her, whatever the person was screaming about felt reached her. Pain. Of a loved one dying.
Suddenly, as quickly as it had started, it had stopped. All was left was a muffled sob.
Luna could not see who was screaming, but she did see something else. Ronald Weasley was thrown into the cell as well. And though he was bound in ropes like Harry, he began to shake as must as possible, to break free.
Ron began to yell again, his face reddening from the struggle.
"HERMIONE!" He withered on the floor, shaking with the sound coming from his throat.
"Be quiet!" Harry said. "Ron, we need a work out a way—" Ron ignored him and continued on yelling.
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" Harry shushed him again. At this point, Luna stood up carefully and examined the both of them. She decided it was up to her to take action. To step in.
"We need a plan, stop yelling—we need to get these ropes off—" Luna interrupted him. But, as she realised no one listened; they couldn't see her.
"Harry?" she whispered, not wanting to scare them, but that didn't seem to work, so she decided to reveal herself. She slowly emerged from the darkness into the light. "Ron? Is it you?"
"Harry? Ron?" She tried again, receiving no reply.
"Luna?" Harry's familiar voice reached her ears. Luna beamed. Harry recognised her after all!
"Yes! It's me! Oh no, I didn't want you to be caught!" She added quickly, getting all her words out in a rush.
"Luna, can you help us get these ropes off?" asked Harry, his voice small, yet confident at the same time. Luna replied eagerly.
"Oh yes, I expect so… There's an old nail we use if we need to pick a lock or something… Just a moment… "
A scream came from above, the same shriek she heard earlier. Hermione, Luna thought. Hermione was muggle-born. That's who they were talking about. Bellatrix screamed too, one of glee, but she was overpowered by Ron.
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" he screamed. Luna ignored this and moved over to Ollivander, where the nail was.
"Mr. Ollivander? Mr. Ollivander, have you got the nail? If you move over a little bit… I think is was beside the water jug." Luna found after a few seconds of digging and hurried back over to Harry and Ron.
"You'll need to stay still," she said, holding the nail in her hand. She began to pierce the rope with the nail and tugging the knots free.
Bellatrix spoke again, and this time, it was clearer, and Luna could hear what she was saying.
"I'm going to ask again! Where did you get this sword! Where?"
"We found it—we found it—PLEASE!" Hermione screamed again. Ron struggled harder than ever, and the nail slipped onto Harry's wrist. Luna nearly dropped it.
"Ron, please stay still!" Luna whispered urgently." I can't see what I'm doing!" The darkness was getting to her, and if she wasn't careful, she would cut Harry or Ron.
"My pocket!" Ron said, after a moment of confused silence. "In my pocket, there's a Deluminator, and it's full of light!" Luna nodded and ran around Harry to reach Ron. She slipped her hand into his left pocket and pulled out a muggle lighter of sorts. Not wasting any time, she clicked it and the room was filled with light.
Luminescent spheres hung in the air like giant floating lamps. The room was flooded with light and Luna could see again.
"Oh, that's much easier, thanks Ron," exclaimed Luna, and she began hacking at the binds again.
Bellatrix's voice came again.
"You're lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth!"
Another terrible scream—Luna had almost ripped the ropes apart.
"HERMIONE!" The ropes were beginning to fall apart.
"What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth, or I swear, I shall run you through with this knife!" At last, the binding came undone, and Luna shook her hand, riding it of cramps.
"There!" The ropes fell away and Ron began to run around the cellar, looking around for an exit, a way to leave. Ron was now trying to Disapparate without a wand. Luna shook her head at him, almost amused at the slightly comical scene.
"Thanks," Harry said to her, and Luna simply nodded.
"There's no way out, Ron." Luna then said, trying to placate him. "The cellar is completely escape proof. I tried, at first. Mr. Ollivander has been here for a long time, and he's tried everything."
Hermione was screaming again, and Harry too, had began to run around the room, banging on the walls for some type of exit, even though Luna had told him there was none.
"What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!" Hermione's screams echoed off the walls upstairs and Luna was shaking with fear.
Luna had remembered her torture, and she was sure she didn't feel as much pain as she heard from Hermione. Bellatrix must be even better at this job than Voldemort, she thought. She couldn't even think about the agony Hermione was enduring. She covered her ears as Harry and Ron tried fruitless things; Harry pulled a snitch and spoke to it, Ron continuing to pound the walls.
"Help us! We're in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, help us!" Luna watched as Harry yelled at a piece of a broken mirror, and felt a hint of confusion. However, all thoughts about it had been shoved out by Ron's yelling.
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!"
"How did you get into my vault! Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?"
"We only met him tonight!" Hermione sobbed. "We've never been inside your vault... It isn't the real sword! It's a copy! Just a copy!"
"A copy?" screeched Bellatrix. "Likely story!" Luna clamped her hands over her ears even tighter, blocking out all sound. She sunk down to the floor. She didn't want to hear it anymore, she didn't want to hear Hermione's pain and know that she couldn't do anything about it. It would kill her. She shut her eyes too, blocking out the world. Until a loud crack sounded in the room. Luna's eyes snapped open.
"DOB—!" Ron exclaimed. Luna looked around and noticed something. Griphook was gone. They must've taken him. Luna prayed for him to be alright.
Dobby the house-elf stood before them, his enormous, tennis-ball eyes wide and his entire body shaking. He was back in his old master's home, and it scared the shit out of him.
"Harry Potter. Dobby has come to rescue you," Dobby said, his voice shaking. Harry stared at him in shock.
"But how did you—?" An awful scream stopped him mid-sentence. Luna had to prevent herself from clamping her ears again. Hermione was being tortured again.
"Can you Disapparate out of this cellar?" Harry asked Dobby, eyes gleaming, who nodded, his ears bobbing on his head. "And can you take humans with you?" Dobby nodded once more.
"Right. Dobby, I want you to grab Luna, Dean and Mr. Ollivander and take them—take them to —"
"Bill and Fleur's," said Ron. "Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth!" The elf nodded for the third time.
"And then come back. Do you think you can do that, Dobby?"
"Of course, Harry Potter," whispered the little elf. He hurried over to Mr. Ollivander, who seemed to be barely awake, and and grabbed his hand. He extended the other to Luna and Dean.
"Harry, we want to help you!" Luna said incredulously; she had just come in touch with Harry Potter, and she wasn't going to leave so soon!
"We can't leave you here," chimed in Dean. Luna nodded, agreeing.
"Go, both of you! We'll see you at Bill and Fleur's!" Harry exclaimed, shooing them on. Hermione screamed again.
"Go! Go! We'll follow, just go!" Harry whisper yelled. Luna glanced at him one more time, to make sure he was sure of what he was doing. Reluctantly, she grabbed Dean's hand, and she fell into a darkness of the Apparition.
Author's Note:
Hey readers! Since I was on hiatus for some time, I have decided to post another chapter back to back. Thank you to Mawenn35 for reviewing! I might not post the daily chapter on Sunday this week, so technically you're just getting a chapter earlier. Who knows, I might. I hope you have enjoyed Chapter Twenty-Two, and the end portion is from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Twenty-Three, pages 397-401. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. Thank you for reading and please review!
-Zigostia
P.S. This is an updated version, just this little snippet. I won't be posting today, I just realised something didn't quite fit so I'll need to sort that out. I may post tomorrow, but that's not set in stone. I will be updating next week however. Thank you for keeping up and I promise I'll be back!