Here we go
She ran back to the Potions classroom as fast as she could, hoping Professor Snape would maybe be there, but when she swung the door open, she found it was empty.
She shook her head as she backed away from the door, No one would listen to her, when had anyone listened to her, she needed proof. Hard proof, not theory.
And there was only one place she would get it.
"Alohamora," she heard the lock click open to the familiar office.
The door creaked open slowly as she stepped in.
She looked around, it was hard to forget how at home and comfortable this office once made her. When Remus had been here. But now that had changed, now she was afraid.
Her eyes scanned over the room. There were stacks of books and vials littered the floor along with newspaper after newspaper.
This would take some time.
She ripped open the cupboard door, she searched every shelf and every drawer, but she was finding nothing.
It wasn't that she couldn't find the potion, There were just so many potions and she didn't even know what polyjuice potion looked like. Where was Hermione when she needed her most?
She reached the last drawer of his desk and froze when she opened it, empty vile after empty vile. They had all been used but they were all empty. This had to be it. Her eyes landed on the last vial. The last full one. It was a potion of thick mud-like consistency. She grabbed it telling herself this was it, it had to be. She looked around knowing she had to get out but as she stood her eyes landed on something else. It was a wand. Why did it look familiar? She had seen this wand it had been in front of her at one point. She picked it up, It was Black with a white root-like handle. It was an odd wand, one she knew she would remember.
It clicked in her head. She darted around the room looking at the newspapers and then her eyes landed on the one she needed. It was a copy of the Dailey prophet. It headlined the announcement of the Triwizard tournament and on the centre of the page was Bartemius Crouch Sr and his wand. The wand she now held in her hand.
"He said he escaped," Harry said, "Something was his fault, he talked about Bertha and then his son.
His son
Music played off in the background and she jumped in surprise, the final challenge had begun. She was running out of time, she shoved the wand in her pocket quickly but she jumped a final time when she heard the office door close. Her wand was drawn in the instant she turned, and she came face to face with the man who had brought fright to her mind for the last hour.
"Barty Crouch Jr," She demanded as she pointed her wand at him.
He twisted his head, "Miss Black," He greeted his mad eye swinging around the room taking everything in, "What are you talking about?"
Her eyes shook as she tried to watch him, was he, armed, why hadn't he pulled out his wand? "I know you put Harry's name in the goblet of fire." She blurted out nervously, "I know you told Diggory about the egg." She took a shaky step forward, "I know you killed your father, I know you have been making and using Polyjuice potion, but as it looks," She held the vial in her hand before throwing it as hard as she could to the ground, smashing the glass and potion everywhere, "You don't have any left."
"I thought you would be smarter Miss Black," he said menacingly as he took a step forward.
"I was smart enough to work you out wasn't I?" she said her eyes like a Hawk as she watched him.
"Yes," he said softly, "all by yourself," he took a step forward, "all alone. Here. With me." He looked at her wand hand, Atria followed his gaze, by god she was shaking like a leaf.
"I can help you Atria." He said almost sincerely if she hadn't known better before taking another step closer to her.
"Don't move," she said flexing her wand.
He smiled at her making and the hairs of her arm stand straight up, he took another gleeful step forward, "The truth is I pity you, Miss Black."
"I don't want or need your pity," She hissed.
he shrugged, "No you don't, " he said, "But with all your years you still haven't worked it all out."
"Stop talking," she threatened.
"So you don't want to know who killed your mother."
She paused. He's trying to distract you, she kept telling herself she needed to stay on task, which was getting out of there. He still had his wand, he was still a threat. "Shut up," she whispered coldly.
"Oh yes i do know," he said, all the wiser as he brought his arms up in surrender, "I have to admit seeing you at the start of the year I realised just how he had failed." He went on to say, enjoying the words as they slipped off his tongue.
What if he knows? She found herself asking. No, you need to get out.
"Who failed?" She found herself asking.
He lifted an eyebrow at her request, "Lucius," he said breathily.
Atria felt her grip on her wand tighten, "Do not talk to me about him," She threatened, her voice filled with venom.
"Don't you want to know?" he asked, his eyes gleaming as he stepped forward. He could feel her resolve swaying as the tension in the room begun to reach breaking point.
"I told you to shut up!" She yelled at him.
"No one else will tell you," He said over her, his cool demeanour frightening her more, "They think you're too weak to handle the truth." He was so close he could have reached out and grabbed her but he didn't. He could see the frustration and anger building up in her.
"Enough!" She snapped.
The room stilled and her breath became deafening inside the room.
"I will understand the betrayal you feel," he said, as he took another step closer to her, her wand now landing directly on his throat. She could do it, she could say the words.
"I too know what that kind of betrayal feels like," He continued, his head held high as her wand held his neck, "To know the man who raised you, doesn't care."
Silence fell on them as her eyes grew intense and her jaw tensed, "Who killed my mother?" She demanded, her eyes on fire.
He smiled at her, "The man who raised you," He said simply.
She felt her insides freeze inside her like everything had stopped working, as if she had fallen off the top of the tower and hit the hard stone.
"You're lying," she hissed, digging the tip of her wand into is neck.
He smiled patronisingly at her as he begun in an almost sing song like tone, "I wasn't there, but I watched as the three of them walked off into the night and after that Marlene was dead and Lucius came back with you." Atria's eyes looked for a sign that he was lying but he was so calm like the memory had happened yesterday, "Lucius, Rudolphus, and Snape."
She let out a shaky breath. No. Had Snape had been there? "You're lying," she accused again.
"I wish I was." He said. And before she could counter any attack, he moved in.
With one swift move her wand was knocked from her hand and it tumbled to the floor. She couldn't even realise it because in a split second she gasped in pain as a sharp stab came in contact with her side.
She groaned in pain as she dropped her hand and latched onto his arm.
She looked down to see the knife he had wedged in her side. It all of a sudden hurt to breathe, Her head started to feel faint and she watched as her white button-up shirt turned bright red. How had she not seen that, how had she missed the knife? Her eyes burnt, She should have run for the door and tried her best on her feet.
She signed as she looked up at his face then back down at her side as he ripped the knife out.
She screamed in pain and all but collapsed slumping in his arms. Her sight began to leave her, she could feel her blood flowing and dripping down her side and making her skin sticky. This was bad, she was going to bleed out surely. Why hadn't she gone and gotten Snape, why did she have to come here alone.
Snape's last words played out in her head, "Don't act rashly."
She was moving, He was moving her, she could feel that as her feet dragged along the floor of the office.
She groaned and tried to struggle but it was hopeless, she could hardly feel any of her limbs anymore.
And then she was being pushed over something.
She felt herself falling not too far, but she hit a hard floor.
She let out a cry, but her senses were going one by one.
"Las?" She heard a voice. She felt a hand on her wound pressing down, and the pain gave one last burst of consciousness.
"Don't worry Las, you'll be okay."
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