"How long do you think we have been here?" Lily broke the silence, because sitting still in the dark, squeezing together to fit in a narrow stone bench was becoming unbearable. Legs felt numb, arms cramped from the cold. And then they were simply scared…
"I don't know. A couple of hours, maybe a bit more," Xenia guessed, and moved a little, as though trying to stretch out. In the dark of the dungeon, the growling in Lily's empty stomach sounded absurdly comical. "Yes, must be more…"
The girls smiled. Lily was shaking with chills; she was hungry and thirsty. And she wanted to stand up and stretch her legs.
"Why did the Snare crawl away from the light?"
Xenia shrugged her shoulders.
"Not sure, but the light seemed odd. And the smell…"
Lily sniffed the air and only now detected a hint of smoke. Like from a campfire.
"Everything here is odd," she said. "If only we could get Jim's broomstick here…"
"I thought you were afraid to fly," Xenia's smile was apparent even in the dark.
"As Uncle George says, 'if you want to leave you'd trade your ear for a penny'."
Xenia hemmed and started to get up slowly:
"I can't remain seated any longer."
Lily, having listened to the silence around them, followed suit. Both girls warily looked at the ceiling of their prison cell, but nothing happened, except for pale and faint greyish smoke coming off it.
"You know, I believe I have found a positive element in our situation," Lily suddenly smiled, her arms hugging her shoulders, wrapping her cloak tighter around her.
"What, not having to cook Scorpius' dinner?" Xenia chuckled.
"Well, we have Dong, so… I just thought that Malfoy now has got a reprieve from telling his parents of our marriage…"
"Lily! That's it!" Xenia grabbed her friend's arm.
"What?"
"Dong!"
"Sorry?"
"You can try summoning Dong here! Or your father's house elf."
In her agitation, Xenia seemed to forget about the danger of sudden movements: the ceiling immediately lit up, and the rustling of multiplying Devil's Snare came from the floor.
"Dad's elf only obeys the Potters, and I am now a Malfoy," Lily said pensively, pressing against the wall. "Not sure if I can give orders to Dong…"
"Try it; I think Scorpius might have foreseen a situation such as this."
"But the Snare!"
"The elf will rescue you, don't worry."
Lily sighed and said in a slightly shaky voice:
"Dong, I want you!"
The elf Apparated almost at once; the girls heard him and for a few brief moments let themselves hope for a rescue.
"What ha…?" the elf began to say when at least three popping noises sounded, and they heard sounds of a tussle and someone hissed.
"Dong!" cried Lily, ready to rush to the aid of her little friend, but Xenia held her back, pointing at the luminescent ceiling. "Dong!"
Another popping sound was accompanied by brighter lights, and Lily squeezed her eyes shut at the revolting sound of the Devil's Snares slithering out of their cell.
"Order him to stand down or he dies."
Lily opened her eyes. The voice no longer seemed familiar, because of the harsh and cruel overtones. The girl glimpsed the Snare, disappearing beyond the bars, the overturned tray, and four rather big house elves holding Dong. One was holding a knife to the Malfoy's house elf's thin neck. Dong took in Lily and Xenia's frozen stance on the bench and his eyes widened in horror.
"Order him!"
Why won't he Apparate out of here, Lily thought in anguish, looking for the speaker and with a flash of fear realized that she could only see the disembodied hand holding a lantern.
"Give the order!"
The knife slowly pressed into the elf's neck. Why didn't he Disapparate instantly? Damn it, Merlin, because he couldn't. Because she did not order him, because she'd said that she wanted him! Lily opened her mouth to rectify her mistake, but the concealed (apparently under invisibility cloak and, Lily hoped, not of the Weasley making) kidnapper forestalled her:
"Should he Disapparate, my elves will follow him and finish what they must. Order him to not resist! Order him to obey me. And he shall not die."
"Dong," Lily even squeezed her eyes shut, as not to look the elf in the eye, "you must follow this man's orders," the girl finished sorrowfully, standing down from the bench. She couldn't bear the look of horror in the house elf's small face.
Dong slumped, looking sadly at the girls. Lily turned away, knowing to what she had just condemned Dong, but she didn't want him hurt! At least, they wouldn't kill him…
"What will you do to him?" she asked, looking past Xenia who was sitting down.
"Whatever I want," the invisible man hemmed. "I see you have met the other local inhabitants. I hope they didn't hurt you…"
Lily looked at in surprise at the spot next to the hand with the lantern.
"Inhabitants?"
The Devil's Snare," their tormentor clearly smiled. "Well, beware next time. I shall bring you more food. And now, I must away. Lots to do."
Lily saw the hand with the lantern float toward the exit, the door open and close.
"Oh, and one more thing," the man hidden under the cloak waited for his elves, with Don squeezed between them Disapparated. "Thank you for making it easier for me."
"Making what easier?" Lily asked anxiously, feeling icy cold wash over her in anticipation.
"Capturing a Malfoys' house elf and subduing him is no small feat. Thank you for doing it for me… Mrs. Scorpius Malfoy."
The light moved slowly away, accompanied by the slithering of the Snare. Soon silence once again enveloped the two girls.
"Poor Dong," Lily whispered, laying her head on her arms and closing her eyes. Look what she'd done again…
"Poor Scorpius," Xenia remarked bitterly, patting her friend's shoulder. "At least now we know that his man's target is indeed your husband…"
Lily nodded dejectedly: Scorpius' enemies were definitely after taking away his loved ones.
"How does this man know that Scorpius cares about Dong, in a way?" Lily asked, leaning against the wall.
"I have no idea," Xenia replied. "Did you notice the oddity?"
"Which one?"
"His voice changes. Sometimes it seems familiar, as though I'd heard it before. But more often it is completely alien."
"Yes, I have the same impression."
"So, either he changes it on purpose, to confuse us, or it has been a while since we heard it, and it changed timbre in the interim."
"Haven't heard it… since school, you think?" Lily guessed, trying to remember someone from school except Zabini, who could hold a grudge against Malfoy. "I don't know…"
"Besides, what's the use of knowing?" Xenia asked philosophically. "Whether or not we remember this man's voice will hardly make our circumstances any easier."
"Indeed," Lily was still thinking of Dong and Scor, who was bound to be going insane with worry. Could it really be that this man, so thoroughly disguising himself, was truly aiming to steal from Scorpius all he had learned to love?! Why?!
"If not Zabini, then who?" she could not sit silently, knowing that the man she loved was in agony right now. "And this Devil's Snare that he called "the inhabitants". Where are we?"
"I don't know," Xenia's voice was faint. "In Herbology, I paid more attention to medicinal herbs than killer plants."
"Hey, are you alright?" Lily was alarmed by how icy cold her friend's hand felt.
"Yes," Xenia squeezed her hand. "It's just that the wee Potter inside me is causing me discomfort… It is a family trait, it seems…"
Lily was speechless for several moments, before drawing Xenia into a fierce hug.
"Merlin! Does James know?"
"He is the only one who knew until now," the other girl grinned. "Not the best place for such news, this is…"
"All shall be well," Lily began rubbing her friend's hands, trying to warm them. They heard another popping sound, and a clanking of a dish against stone. "Well, dinner is served, it seems…"
"Lily."
"What?" the girl tried to set aside the thoughts of the peril in which Xenia and her unborn baby were. And how she had led them here…
"They will find us."
"I know," Lily smiled faintly. "The main thing is that we are together."
They ate, feeling tired and sluggish. Darkness and cold slowly sapped their strength and they soon slept in each other's arms. Lily didn't know how long they slept when they were awakened by the distinct sound of footsteps outside their cell.
Light flooded the room. The candlestick was held by the familiar house elf, who was clearly not alone, since an invisible hand unlocked the bars.
"Good morning. I trust you are well rested today," the man said mockingly. "And now I have to perform a slight reorganization. Mrs. Potter, I humbly request that you follow me… Only humbly requesting for now…."
The girls exchanged a glance.
"Where is Dong, and what have you done to him?" Lily was terrified of being left alone.
"He is right where I need him to be," the invisible man said, clearly happy with himself. "Let's go Xenia. I regret to say that you will no longer enjoy my hospitality…"
Lily, scared, gripped her friend's arm, but Xenia looked at her consolingly, patting her shoulder:
"Don't be afraid…"
"Your wand," their jailer said suddenly, and Xenia promptly took the wand that appeared out of thin air. "Don't do anything silly, you won't be able to get out of here on your own. And you will need your wand…"
Lily saw her friend's eyes narrow in contemplation. Xenia winked at Lily and hugged her.
"Don't worry, I am with you," the Healer whispered, and Lily momentarily felt the tip of the wand touch her head and a wave of warmth rolled through her body, making goosebumps run down her spine. "I am with you."
"How touching," the invisible man said caustically, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Let's go or I shall have to hurt you…"
Lily, biting her lip, watched Xenia walk out of the cell and, after a parting glance, move away, together with the lantern carried by a house elf. When darkness once again fell around the girl, she sank down on the bench and wept.