Author's note: OH MY GOD THIS TOOK ME AGES TO WRITE! Warning: this chapter contains bodily torture [rip] (yes - that includes gore) and a major plot twist. This is why we're rated M, folks.
The two of them appeared in a narrowly lit alleyway. Without warning, Voldemort shoved her into a black brick wall, smashing her head against it as if it was on purpose. She gasped in shock at the sudden pain that attacked her head. Voldemort shoved his wand from his pocket and jabbed it at her throat, and glued his eyes to hers. It was though he was attempted to intimidate her.
"You're not going to go anywhere for a long time, Helena. So, you might as well get comfy right here."
He pulled away and tugged at her wrist tightly, causing her to bite her lip to stop a yelp come out of her mouth involuntarily. His wand was still held against her throat, disallowing her to go even go remotely far from his grasp. His hand was clenched so tightly around her wrist that she could feel her bones grinding next to each other.
He then forced her to go through the alleyway until they got to the very end, which revealed an abandoned building that was completely covered in magical wards. Helena knew at at once that all of these were complex and she had little to no chance to getting away from this place. It was too heavily guarded - and with good reason. This building contained the most notorious defiers who all went on to be one of Voldemort's followers. None escaped, and no one came out alive unless they were changed. At the moment, all cells were empty. Less and less people defied Lord Voldemort and those who did were not important enough to stay here. Until now, at least.
Voldemort lead her to the abandoned building and entered. There were no Death Eaters as far as she could see, but she had no idea what was behind all the walls and blind spots.
There was a designated area in the furthest part of the building, which surprisingly did not have any exits around for what seemed for miles and miles. This area had steps only leading one way. Down.
So down they went, with a change as it seemed almost every Death Eater to ever exist was designated every metre or so. They were all glaring at her like she was some kind of criminal behind their masks.
Deeper and deeper the steps went - every few hundred steps was a locked cell door to God-knows-where and yet they still descended further underground. It got so dark that Voldemort had to light his wand to light the way down. Inevitably, they got to the bottom and there was a black iron gate that was different to all of the other ones that they passed on the way down. Helena was shaking from the coldness down here.
Voldemort opened the door and practically shoved Helena inside.
It was dark. Very dark. Even with the wand slightly illuminating the cell, it was nothing compared to the monster of the darkness. When the light flooded and drenched it, it showed the dried blood splattered across the walls and floor. There was no window, only the cell door showing the way out. There was a metal bar hanging above them, but it was too tall for Helena to reach unless she jumped as high as she could.
In the far corner, there was chains connected to the wall - ready for someone to be attached to them. On the corners of the walls was mould slowly seeping down them, carefully invading the plastered walls. It made Helena wonder if they were thin enough to smash through.
It was as though Voldemort was eavesdropping on her thoughts, because the next thing that he did was to lock her wrists onto the metal bar that was suspended from the ceiling using razor wire that stung and ripped into her flesh, causing rich, red blood to trickle softly down her arms. She struggled to get her wrists free, but the razors only dug deeper into her skin and more blood came streaming out.
"Struggling only makes it worse, Helena. In fact, that's what the beauty is in all of this. The harder you try, the more you suffer. Which means that you'll be giving up sooner, too. You will eventually give in to me and you will join in our great crusade."
"I will never join you," she spat weakly.
"Then why," he said softly, "are you already considering it?" he smiled maliciously.
Helena's heart dropped ten degrees.
"I-I don-"
"Save it," he snarled. "You would rather be calling me your master than be tortured. Am I wrong?"
Helena stayed silent.
"Besides, you just attempted to lie to me. I think that's inviting me to torture you. Perhaps you like to be tortured? Maybe you like being strung up with a knife poking into you. My-oh-my, I do wonder what you and Katie got up to -"
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HER!" she screamed at him.
"Why not?" he jeered. "Afraid what I might tell you about her what you never found out? Things that she'd never dare to tell you? For example, did you know that she was actually a Mudblood?"
"No… How? She –"
"Always said that she was half-blood. I'd hate to break it to you, but she faked her family tree. Oh the way that she looked when she was lying dead in the hospital wing."
Helena's face turned pale and formed disgust.
"However," Voldemort began.
Helena groaned, tired of his monologuing.
"However, imagine my surprise and resentment to find Miss Fielding not in her hospital bed, but replaced by a different figure – Miss Harwood."
Helena's eyes widened.
"So, where is Miss Katie Fielding?" his hand stroked her cheek softly.
"Katie's alive?" she asked, confusion wrinkling her face.
X
Approximately 51 hours ago.
"Katie, wait!" Taylor shouted over to her. Katie was walking along the corridor, heading to a quiet location to practice for the final task.
"Taylor, can't it wait until after the task? I'm rather busy today."
"Katie, I can help you!"
Katie laughed.
"Help me? How?"
"You know how Helena made the Polyjuice potion –"
"How do you know about that?" she asked quickly. This made her worried. If she knew, who else knew?
"Well… I was the one disguised as her."
"I'm s-"
"It's fine. But I was hoping that you'd do me a favour for torturing me."
"Okay. What?"
"Let me do the third task. We can switch places with the remaining amount of potion for 24 hours at least. After the task is done, go find Helena. Run away, I don't care. I have unfinished business with the Durmstrang Champion, like you both have with the Dark Lord."
"Taylor, it's too dangerous. I've been training for this for the past 6 months or so –"
"I don't care, Katie. Please, let me do this. It's the least you can do for me."
They stood there for a few minutes, Katie contemplating it.
"Alright, fine. But we'll have to take it by at least midday."
X
Present
"I'd like to think so," Voldemort said a moment later. "It's only the most probable solution. But I don't understand how… Your friend is dead because of her, and yourself, you know that?"
Helena hung her head in shame.
God damn it, Katie, she thought. How could you do this to your friend?
"But, I'd like to believe that you were in on this. You know where she is, and you know that she's alive. So, why don't you tell me where she is?"
He took out his wand from his robes, to caution her.
"Because, maybe I don't know?"
"Mhm, let's see do I believe you? No... Crucio!"
Pain overcame Helena's body – 1000 hot knives piercing and shredding every inch of her skin. She screamed and thrashed in the air as the pain became more intense. The wire slammed into her wrists so that blood flowed quickly down her arms.
Voldemort stopped and Helena groaned as the aftermath splashed over her.
She trembled softly as she delicately hung there.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Jesus-fucking-CHRIST I don't fucking know where she is! I didn't even know she was alive until you so-blatantly informed me!"
Pain came over her once again as more knives re-entered her body. The pure intensity of all the simultaneous entries made her scream out in pain and frustration. The knives tore at her and stabbed her painfully, ripping through her entire body. She screamed as the invisible knives penetrated her skin over and over, like they were taunting her.
Finally the knives stopped and Helena was writhing.
"Don't disrespect me, Helena," he hissed softly. "After all, you will need to learn for when you join me."
"I won't join you," she mumbled quietly, darkness slowly engulfing her body.
"Yes. You will. I'd say it'll take about, I don't know, two months."
"No..."
"See you soon, Helena."
He left, locking the door behind her. Helena's body carried her to unconsciousness.