AN: Serious torture up ahead read at own risk! Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.
We landed roughly outside of Malfoy Manor. The Snatchers were arguing about how to get into the manor while one of them was grinning at me toothily. Oh Merlin! My heart hammered in my chest as we were dragged through the gate. I would die. There was no point in denying it. I knew marrying Sirius would be a terrible idea in the end. He would feel my death and never get over it.
Light spilled out over all of us as the large door opened.
"What is this?" A blonde woman asked coldly. It was Mrs Malfoy.
"We're here to see He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" Greyback rasped.
"Who are you?" She snapped.
"You know me!" There was resentment in the werewolf's voice."Fenrir Greyback! We've caught Harry Potter!"
Greyback seized Harry and dragged him around to face the light, forcing Dean, Ron and I to shuffle around awkwardly since we were bound.
"I know 'es swollen, ma'am, but it's 'im!" Scaboir said.
"If you look a bit closer, you'll see 'is scar. And this 'ere, seethe girl? The Mudblood who's been traveling around with 'im, ma'am. There's no doubt it's 'im, and we've got 'is wand as well! 'Ere, ma'am–"
Narcissa looked over the wand then turned to me. Her eyes widened in recognition.
"Bring them in," she said.
The five of us were dragged roughly up some stone steps. Dean Thomas whimpered in pain and the goblin started to choke from the rope that was wrapped around his neck.
"Follow me," Narcissa said, leading the way across the hall.
"My son, Draco, is home for his Easter holidays and so is Theodore Nott. If that is Harry Potter, they will know."
They would recognize Ron and I in a heartbeat. Why hadn't I thought to sting Ron and myself too? I forced my love through the bond as hard as I could. HERMIONE! Sirius' voice rang through my mind and I winced.
I looked up shakily and almost sobbed. Lucius and Draco Malfoy stood up in surprise but Theodore Nott was looking at me with pure loathing. His face was paler than I remembered and when he stood up he winced in pain. An echo of that pain rippled through me. My eyes widened in shock, was my health connected to his unless he died?
"What is this?" I kept my eyes trained on the floor as Lucius strode towards us.
"They say they've got Potter," Narcissa said coldly. "Draco, come here."
Draco didn't really look at Harry. He was looking at me his eyes wide and fearful.
"Well, boy?" the werewolf rasped. Harry and Draco were avoiding each other's eyes as best as possible.
"Well, Draco?" asked Lucius. He didn't seem as excited as he should. "Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"
"I can't – I can't be sure," said Draco. He was keeping his distance from Greyback, and seemed as scared of looking at Harry as Harry was of looking at him. His eyes kept flitting to mine.
"But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!" Lucius said quickly his eye twitching. "Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiv-"
"Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope Mr. Malfoy?" Greyback said menacingly.
"Of course not, of course not!" said Lucius impatiently. He approached Harry himself. My heart pounded in my chest and I kept my eyes closed.
"What did you do to him?" Lucius asked Greyback. "How did he get into this state?"
"That wasn't us."
"Looks more like a Stinging Jinx to me," said Lucius. "There's something there," he whispered. "it could be the scar, stretched tight. . . ." Draco, come here, look properly! What do you think?"
"I don't know," he said after a moment. My eyes snapped open in relief.
"We had better be certain, Lucius," Narcissa called to her husband in her cold, clear voice. "Completely sure that it is Potter, before we summon the Dark Lord . . . They say this is his"— she was looking closely at the blackthorn wand— "but it does not resemble Ollivander's description. . . . If we are mistaken, if we call the Dark Lord here for nothing . . . Remember what he did to Rowle and Dolohov?"
"What about the Mudblood, then?" Greyback growled grabbing a handful of my shirt. His nails clawed through my shirt and bit my lip so I wouldn't cry out in pain.
"That's the Mudblood Black." Theodore said watching me a crazed gleam in his eye. "I would recognize her anywhere!"
The drawing room door opened behind Harry. A woman spoke, and the sound of the voice made my heart beat loudly in my ears. Bellatrix Lestrange.
"What is this? What's happened, Cissy?" She snapped then she saw me and her eyes widened hungrily.
"The Mudblood Black!" She hissed staring at me.
"Yes, yes, it's Black!" cried Lucius, "And beside her, we think, Potter! Potter and his friends, caught at last!"
"Potter?" shrieked Bellatrix, and she backed away, looking over Harry "Are you sure? Well then, the Dark Lord must be informed at once!"
She dragged back her left sleeve. No! I bit my lip hard.
"I was about to call him!" snapped Lucius, and his hand actually closed upon Bellatrix's wrist, preventing her from touching the Mark. Merlin. I would never touch her. "I shall summon him, Bella. Potter has been brought to my house, and it is therefore upon my authority–"
"Your authority!" she sneered, attempting to wrench her hand from his grasp. "You lost your authority when you lost your wand, Lucius! How dare you! Take your hands off me!"
My eyes widened. He didn't have a wand?
"This is nothing to do with you, you did not capture the boy–"
"Begging your pardon, Mr. Malfoy," interjected Greyback, "but it's us that caught Potter, and it's us that'll be claiming the gold -"
"Gold!" laughed Bellatrix, still attempting to throw off her brother-in-law, her free hand groping in her pocket for her wand. "Take your gold, filthy scavenger, what do I want with gold? I seek only the honor of his-of-"
She stopped struggling, her dark eyes fixed upon something. I turned and frowned. The sword of Gryffindor?
"STOP!" shrieked Bellatrix, "Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!"
Lucius froze, his index finger hovering over his own Mark.
"What is that?" She asked her voice pinched.
"Sword," grunted an out-of-sight Snatcher.
"Give it to me."
"It's not yours, missus, it's mine, I reckon I found it."
There was a bang and a flash of red light the death eater fell to the ground with a thump, stunned.
"What d'you think you're playing at, woman?"
"Stupefy!" she screamed, "Stupefy!"
I watched in shock as one snatcher after another fell to the ground. All except Greyback, who had been forced into a kneeling position, his arms outstretched. Bellatrix stood over him and sneered at him.
"Where did you get this sword?" she whispered to Greyback as she pulled his wand out of his unresisting grip.
"How dare you?" he snarled, his mouth the only thing that could move as he was forced to gaze up at her. He bared his pointed teeth. "Release me, woman!"
"Where did you find this sword?" she repeated, brandishing it in his face, "Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!"
Oh Godric! Severus. He had given it to us through Sirius. She thought we had broken into her vault!
"It was in their tent," rasped Greyback. "Release me, I say!"
She waved her wand, and the werewolf sprang to his feet, but appeared too wary to approach her. He prowled behind an armchair, his filthy curved nails clutching its back.
"Draco, move this scum outside," said Bellatrix, indicating the unconscious men. "If you haven't got the guts to finish them, then leave them in the courtyard for me."
"Don't you dare speak to Draco like–" said Narcissa furiously, but Bellatrix screamed.
"Be quiet! The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy! We have a very serious problem!"
She stood, panting slightly, looking down at the sword, examining its hilt. Then she turned to look at the silent prisoners.
"If it is indeed Potter, he must not be harmed," she muttered,more to herself than to the others. "The Dark Lord wishes to dispose of Potter himself. . . . But if he finds out . . . I must . . . I must know. . . ."
She turned back to her sister again.
"The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think what to do!"
"This is my house, Bella, you don't give orders in my—"
"Do it! You have no idea of the danger we're in!" shrieked Bellatrix. She looked frightening, mad; a thin stream of fire issued from her wand and burned a hole in the carpet.
Narcissa hesitated for a moment, then addressed the werewolf.
"Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback."
"Wait," Bellatrix said sharply. "All except. . . . except for the Mudblood Black."
Greyback gave a grunt of pleasure. A sob caught in my throat and Theodore laughed viciously his eyes flashing hungrily.
"No!" Ron shouted. "You can have me, keep me!"
Bellatrix hit him across the face: the blow echoed around the room.
"If she dies under questioning, I'll take you next," she said.
"Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book. Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they are secure, but do nothing more to them—yet."
Bellatrix cut me from the ropes and Greyback dragged the others down a set of stone steps. Theodore walked over to Bellatrix and smiled. "On the count of three..."
She nodded then smiled.
"Three! CRUCIO!"
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