Ginny had dozed off, not sure how long she had spent in complete darkness.
She woke up when Bellatrix returned to bring her food. Apparently, the death eater had orders not to let her die, but Ginny was not comforted by that. Bellatrix smiled cruelly as she saw the remains of the previous meal and the girl's stained face.
"I see that it is true that you Weasleys are like dogs."
"I'm not going to give you the pleasure of dying here," Ginny responded, defiant despite her situation.
"Well, you would be doing a great favor, you know? Your boyfriend will surely risk his life to save yours. A heroic act, but useless despite everything," Bellatrix laughed, and added evilly. "If you died, he wouldn't have to waste his life for you."
"You are such a..." Ginny insulted Bellatrix in every way she knew, with all the hatred and anger she was capable of feeling.
The death eater advanced towards her, grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up.
"Don't ever talk to me like that again," she whispered, bringing her face closer to the girl's, and then, with incredible force, she threw Ginny against the wall. The young woman screamed in pain and curled in on herself, as a stone stuck in her back. "Crucio!"
The curse ran through her entire body, making her writhe in pain. Ginny didn't want to scream, but the death eater tortured her mercilessly, until her screams finally echoed through the basement.
When Bellatrix was satisfied, she retreated down the stairs, but not before kicking the plate she had brought, spilling its contents on the floor.
Ginny continued hunched over, trying to breathe, for a long time after Bellatrix left the cell. She fought the pain and tried to move, despite the twinges she felt throughout her body, rejoicing to discover that, apparently, she had nothing broken. That's when she realized her arm was bleeding.
Ginny turned with effort to look at the wound, and discovered that, due to the impact against the wall, a piece of stone had broken, injuring her.
The girl ignored the blood and groped for the stone with her hands; she already had something to cut her ropes with.
OOO
Celine hummed the song playing on the radio as she drove, trying to keep her nervousness at bay.
Draco sat by her side, without saying anything, and looked at her thoughtfully, glad that she was the one accompanying him, but unable to explain why.
The noise of the engine and the monotonous movement of the car were making him sleepy, but even so, he couldn't stop looking at her. He remembered how he had met her and how pretty she had seemed to him then, and he also remembered how he had insulted her afterwards (and felt stupid for it), and how Celine had taken her revenge in the forest.
After that, and the fight with the manticore, he had not bothered her again, and Celine had little by little become someone who was always by his side when he needed to talk, someone who, in some sense, supported him. She had become a friend.
"You know? I'm surprised what you're going to do," Celine commented, waking him up. "I would never have imagined you helping Harry."
"I already told you, if he is the only one capable of defeating the Dark Lord, he better not be distracted by anything. If he falls, many of us will be in danger."
"Oh."
"And... well, a lot of people I care about will be too," Draco added, unsure. Celine glanced at him, surprised, before focusing on the road again.
"I hope those people are okay," she murmured.
"Me too," Draco felt a strange sensation when talking to Celine. It was very easy to find a topic of conversation, but at the same time he was afraid, as if he were going to say something that would ruin everything.
"Do you already know what you're going to tell your aunt?"
"I was thinking of telling her that my mother and Dumbledore had pressured me to hide, or something like that. But really, I want to look around the house to see if I can find anything. I'm pretty sure Weasley will be here, and that my aunt is keeping an eye on her."
"Will you be fine?" Celine looked worried.
"Yeah. My aunt was convinced that I would be a good death eater, I don't think her opinion has changed much," Draco feigned nonchalance, but deep down he had serious doubts that that was the case.
In his mind, he repeated Snape's words when he had told him that death eaters were not forgiven for having "time to think." He wondered if his aunt would believe his lie.
Silence surrounded them until the first houses appeared in the distance.
"Stop here. I'm supposed to walk from the edge of town," Draco pointed out. Celine obeyed and turned off the engine.
"Be very careful, please," Celine's voice was strangely hoarse, and she was blinking rapidly.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Draco's smile managed to hit the mark, despite the nerves he felt.
Then he had doubts about how he should say goodbye to Celine. Should he kiss her? Would he shake her hand? Celine looked at him with glassy eyes, and reaching out a hand, she ruffled his hair.
"Hurry up," she whispered, with a forced smile. Barely able to control the trembling of her hand, she pushed it away.
Draco nodded silently, his mouth dry, and she broke eye contact by turning toward her window, as if something very interesting was happening there.
Draco got out of the car and walked towards the town, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself. His heart was beating very fast despite his apparent calm, and although he tried to focus on what he was going to say to his aunt, he couldn't get it out of his head that Celine might be crying.
He wanted to turn around, go back to her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But he forced himself to keep walking, knowing that if he turned around to look at her, he wouldn't be able to accomplish his mission.
She had her eyes closed, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, and she was breathing heavily. She tried to convince herself that what was moistening her face were not tears, but it was very difficult.
What was happening to her? Why did she worry so much? He had insulted her and had treated her with arrogance. Why was she crying then? It was out of pity, surely, she pitied him with his pathetic life and she was just getting involved in his problems. Yes, that was it, and therefore she had to calm down.
But to think that he could be killed, that she was not going to see him again...
A sort of muffled scream rose through her chest and throat, making her sob despite herself. Celine started crying, calling herself an idiot for it. What was she thinking? She had to stop fooling around. That was enough! Stop!
Celine took a deep breath to calm herself, and wiped her face with her hands, but then she noticed the enormous house that crowned the hill, towering over the town.
Draco was going there. Draco was going to risk his life without knowing if his plan was going to work or not. Draco could die.
Celine made a decision.
OOO
The rain fell hard, beating against the windows. However, the two women ignored the storm, as their attention was focused elsewhere.
Astrid was sitting on the bed, breastfeeding Ivan, while Narcissa paced back and forth, rocking Kate in her arms.
"I think she's already asleep," Mrs. Malfoy whispered, looking at the baby tenderly.
"You have magical arms, I couldn't calm her down last night," Astrid leaned Ivan on her shoulder, and patted him on the back. "Thank you very much for helping me, I don't know what I would have done alone."
"It's no bother. I don't like being alone either, and this way I can see these two beauties," Narcissa smiled, rocking Kate without stopping walking.
"Do you think they will be okay?" Astrid was referring to Severus and Lucius, who had been absent for several days. The woman was worried.
"Don't worry about them, they will protect each other. They always manage to come back," but Narcissa's smile was forced. She was also nervous about the lack of news. "You haven't heard from them since, have you?"
"Severus has taken off the ring, he says it's safer this way," Astrid sighed. "I miss him. It's very strange not to feel his presence," her eyes suddenly clouded, and she lowered her head to hide her tears.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine," the witch sat next to her, holding her hand. "As soon as you know it, you'll have Severus back."
"I can't help it. My emotions are on fire."
"It's normal, you just became a mother, and this is not the most idyllic situation," Narcissa looked at her with compassion. "You can cry if you want, sometimes it helps."
Astrid smiled through her tears, wiping her face. "I can't believe you're comforting me."
Narcissa shrugged. "Even if you don't believe it, I have a heart," she smiled.
"I know, do you think I would let anyone get close to my children?"
Narcissa said nothing but settled Kate into her arms.
"I appreciate you giving me this opportunity," she finally murmured. "I know I didn't behave well with you."
"That's in the past. I know you won't hurt us," Astrid looked at her out of the corner of her eye, evaluating her next words. "By the way, Severus is brewing the potion again, but I don't know how long it will take him to finish it, he hardly spends any time at home."
"Don't worry, I'm aware of how complicated the situation is," the witch shook her head. "Lucius and I have talked and... we don't mind waiting. We are happy, the two of us together, and I would like to regain my strength before starting another treatment, the last one weakened me too much."
"Is there anything I can do to help? There are muggle treatments that might work too."
"I appreciate it, but..." Narcissa hesitated. "I don't know if this is a good time. I can barely sleep, knowing that Lucius is in danger. I can't imagine what it would be like if I also had this responsibility."
"You won't be alone," Astrid took her by the hand. "We will not leave you alone."
Narcissa blinked rapidly, stopping the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.
"I just want Lucius to come home. I miss him so much," she whispered.
"I know."
Astrid hugged her, and together they cried, comforting each other in that moment of anguish and doubts.
OOO
Ginny fumbled with the sharp stone, trying to cut the ropes that imprisoned her wrists.
She had to be very quiet, because the snake kept its eyes on her, as if it suspected something, so she pretended to be asleep while she worked surreptitiously.
She cut her hand and had to bite her lip to keep from screaming, but shortly afterward she cut himself again.
Determined not to give up, Ginny continued to work gropingly, making more cuts to herself than to the ropes, but containing her winces and tears with a tenacity and coolness that surprised her.
The ropes were magical, and they did not make it easy for her, but finally the young woman managed to cut the ties. However, she did not move. She knew that if she did, the snake would pounce on her and possibly kill her, and on the other hand, if Nagini didn't do anything, Bellatrix would not like to see her unleashed at all.
For her own good, she had to pretend that she was still completely imprisoned and would try to find her chance to escape the next time the death eater visited her.
However, she was not foolish enough to remain completely tied, and blindly, she managed to loosen the restraints on her ankles and thus regain circulation in her legs.
She pretended to change her position so that the broken ropes would not be seen and laid down to wait, with a patience that she did not know she had, drawing up a thousand plans in her head and wishing she could escape from there once and for all.
OOO
Astrid was in her new office, surrounded by papers. Her new position as director forced her to spend more time focusing on bureaucracy than on practical work. She had just left the operating room and had found herself with a new mountain of documents that she had to sign.
The first scroll came from the potions department, announcing that the new potion was ready. Smiling with satisfaction, the woman continued reviewing the documents. Her concentration was broken when the door opened, and Meg peeked through.
"Someone from St. Mungo's has come to talk to you."
"Who?"
"Who would come here to see you?" asked a young woman, entering through the door.
"Kate! What are you doing here?" Astrid realized that she had not put the ring on when she left the operating room, and she looked for it hastily.
"I wanted to tell you something... about our experiment," Katherine looked askance at Meg.
"Don't worry, Meg is aware of what's happening to the Grangers."
"William and I had an idea and we wanted to try it at the Grangers. We think that transfiguring the potion to a gaseous state and applying it with a respirator will increase the chances of it reaching the brain directly. We are trying it with the Longbottons and it seems to be helping them."
"I suppose you have permission from Gordon," Astrid was referring to the director of the hospital.
"He was the one who facilitated the collaboration between our hospitals. Didn't he tell you?"
"I imagine his letter is somewhere," the woman pointed to the mountain of documents to be reviewed that were piled up on her table. "Meg, will you take her to the Grangers ' room, please? I'll try to visit you later."
The nurse nodded, and mother and daughter separated, without suspecting that in just a few hours their lives would change forever.
OOO
Draco entered the gigantic house without making the slightest noise and moved, hiding in the shadows, attentive to everything that moved around him.
He walked in silence, trying not to be seen, since he did not want to attract anyone's attention unless it was necessary. However, the mansion seemed to be deserted.
At first glance, it looked like it was abandoned, but Draco knew that someone had been there recently, he could guess from the small, almost invisible signs he had learned to recognize. At least the training with his aunt had helped.
He wondered where Ginny was. If he were her guardian, he would have locked her in one of the rooms, but in the case of Bellatrix... the death eater would have put her in an underground cell, without a doubt.
Draco had already been in that house, and knew how to access the basement, so he headed there, without wasting time. He had not yet seen Voldemort's enormous snake, and Nagini was the first to appear before the visitors to lead them to her lord. That made him think that the wizard was absent.
Feeling calmer, but no less cautious, Draco descended the stairs that led to the basement. The door was locked with a spell, but Draco only had to bring his Dark Mark closer for it to open before him.
In front of him stretched a hallway with several doors on both sides, and Draco peered through the bars to look inside. Finally, he found Ginny. The red-haired figure looked up, attracted by the glow of his wand.
"Weasley," he called, not daring to raise his voice. "Are you ok?"
"What do you want?" she asked, recognizing him. "Haven't you had enough?"
"I'm coming to get you out of here," he whispered.
"Fuck you. Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Suit yourself," Draco brought the Mark closer to the door again. However, this time the door did not open before him. He struggled with it, trying various spells, without obtaining the slightest result. "Damn it," he muttered. "Why won't you open up?"
"It only opens to those faithful to the Dark Lord," Bellatrix's voice sounded right behind him.
Draco turned around, not understanding why he hadn't heard her coming. Was she waiting, invisible, in the corridor? He forced himself to smile naturally, trying to stay calm.
"Hello aunt," he greeted.
"I'm not your aunt."
OOO
Narcissa had no idea where Bellatrix could be.
She had never bothered to find out where her sister went when she was in the service of the Dark Lord, or what she did in her free time, and now, when she really needed to know, she didn't know where to start.
She had planned to go to her sister's house, but she needed to find a good excuse to explain her sudden visit. After her time in Azkaban, Bellatrix behaved unpredictably and violently, even towards members of her own family, and Narcissa feared that she would become suspicious if she was not careful.
Narcissa apparated directly to Malfoy Manor, with a plan in mind. For one reason or another, she kept in the attic many personal items that had belonged to her sister, and she thought that she could base her alibi on the excuse of returning something that could be important to the death eater.
The mansion was empty, but at least this way she wouldn't have to explain to Lucius what she was doing.
Climbing the stairs, Narcissa reached the floor where the bedrooms were located. Seeing the door to Draco's room, she felt a pang of remorse as she remembered the words she had shouted at her son. She had lost her temper in the most violent way, and had turned her frustration on the person who least deserved it.
Mortified, she grabbed the small locket hanging from her neck.
"I must talk to him. He has to know the truth."
Then, Narcissa stopped dead, seeing the door to the bedroom next to Draco's open.
The woman approached with her heart in her throat. No one came into that room, not even Lucius. Elves were strictly forbidden to leave anything out of place when cleaning, and they would never be so careless as to leave the door wide open.
Slowly, she peeked out the door, and froze when she saw the pale figure dressed in dark clothes. His presence contrasted with the pink-decorated walls, the children's decor, and the stuffed animals that covered the small bed.
For a second, Narcissa was tempted to raise her voice, asking for explanations. Lucius had agreed to let the Dark Lord use Malfoy Manor as his meeting place and headquarters, but that didn't mean he had the right to rummage through the bedrooms.
However, her voice got stuck in her throat when she saw what the magician was holding in his hands.
It was a small, harmless-looking box that held the most dangerous secrets that Narcissa had agreed to keep. The witch had hidden them in the only place that no one else visited. And now, manipulated with contempt, numerous photographs of Astrid and her children fell, scattered on the bed and the floor.
Her hands began to tremble, realizing that she was in danger, but she tried to calm herself, not daring to move a single muscle.
"It's curious what my death eaters hide from me," Voldemort turned slowly, speaking in a whispering and calm voice, but precisely because of that, Narcissa was even more afraid. "But even more surprising is what their wives are hiding," he threw a sheaf of photos at the woman's feet, and Narcissa could see herself, surrounded by Adrien, Celine, Katherine and Ivan.
She looked up and swallowed, fighting to hold her ground so she could retain a bit of dignity.
"My lord–"
"You don't need to talk, I already know what you're going to say. How sorry you are, you were wanting to tell me, but you didn't see the opportunity, they probably put a spell on you so that you wouldn't say anything..." Voldemort drilled her with his red eyes, and she couldn't look away from them. She was terrified. "Honestly, I barely care about the private lives of my followers, however, I cannot tolerate them betraying me," Voldemort took out a scroll from his robe. "This document has recently been recovered by your husband, from the Department of Mysteries. Here I see that the wizard Severus Snape is united through a magical marriage with Astrid Lowel ... a muggle woman," Voldemort looked up. "You brought this woman into our circle. You introduced her as your friend," his red eyes fixed on her, impassive. "Did you know this, Narcissa?" he asked, with poisonous softness.
"I... my lord..."
"Answer, woman, did you know about the betrayal among my people, and you didn't say anything?" the tone of his voice hardened, and his eyes shone brighter.
Narcissa's lip trembled, and unable to continue looking at him, she lowered her gaze. Voldemort approached her and grabbed her chin with a hand cold as snake skin, forcing her head to lift.
"Answer," the whisper carried the force of an order. His presence and the closeness of those flaming eyes terrified her more than anything else. Narcissa began to cry.
"My lord... I didn't know," she sobbed. It seemed to her that Voldemort loosened the pressure on his hand. "I didn't know it was forbidden."
She bit her lip as she realized she had made a mistake by saying that.
"You're lying to me," Voldemort didn't raise his voice. "I don't like being lied to," Narcissa cried, wishing that he would kill her once and for all and not continue terrorizing her like that. She would have preferred him to hit her, to yell at her, anything but that false softness. "Do not cry."
The cold hand brushed away the tears from the woman's face.
"He's going to kill me, he's going to kill me. Merlin, please, make it end once and for all, kill me now..."
"It is not worthy to cry, especially when all this could have been avoided."
"I'm sorry..." she whispered, shaking like a leaf.
"I'm sorrier, Narcissa, you would have been an excellent follower if you weren't so weak," he said, without a hint of feeling on his part. He moved away from her, and Narcissa breathed easier. Voldemort continued to look at her without blinking. "You know I have to punish you."
She nodded, accepting.
"My lord, you are benevolent."
"Benevolent? I don't think so. I suppose it would be if I just killed you," Narcissa looked at him confused. "But I do not even grant that favor to my most faithful vassals. You are a traitor, and therefore you must be punished," Voldemort took out his wand and pointed it at Narcissa, who did not even have the presence of mind to try to defend herself. "If you survive, maybe I'll let you live. Crucio!"
Narcissa screamed in pain and fell to the ground, doubling over, shaking, convulsing. She had never suffered an ordeal like this, and Voldemort was going to make it last.
Narcissa wanted to die a thousand times, praying for everything to end, but she only felt pain, a lot of pain.
She hit herself without realizing it, she bled, she cried, but the agony did not end. She continued screaming, without anyone hearing her, for a long time, perhaps hours, or maybe just a few minutes.
Voldemort did not give her a second of respite, and prolonged the torture, taking pleasure in it, observing how she suffered.
Narcissa's screams grew weaker, but her pain did not diminish. Her hair was starting to turn white and blood was coming out of her ears and eyes, but she still felt like burning nails were being driven into her skin and her bones were breaking over and over again.
There came a time when she stopped moving, because she no longer had the strength to do so, but Voldemort kept the curse on for a while longer, until he saw that she was no longer reacting.
Narcissa was still alive, but insane, just like what had happened to the Longbottons and the Grangers, however, Voldemort did not want to settle for that.
He believed that death was the end, and he was willing to apply his doctrine to the end.
He had promised her to live, but lord Voldemort was not known for keeping his promises, so shortly after, he left the mansion, leaving behind Narcissa's lifeless body, in the same position in which she had given her last spasm.
OOO
Draco barely had time to move out of the way of the spell. He aimed at his aunt and spoke the appropriate words, but Bellatrix parried his attack almost effortlessly, and returned the blow fiercely.
Draco had been trained by Bellatrix, but he had never faced the death eater when she was so furious and ready to kill him. And the worst of all was that she would have no qualms about doing it.
Bellatrix threw him back, slamming him against the door, and Draco received such a blow that he dropped his wand without realizing it. He almost lost consciousness, but his survival instinct made him react, even though there was nothing he could do. Bellatrix prepared to deliver the final blow, but then something hit her from behind, knocking her off balance.
The death eater turned to respond to that surprise attack, and Draco took the opportunity to retrieve his wand and cast a curse on his aunt. His spell matched the other person's, and Bellatrix fell to her knees, revealing her second attacker.
"Celine?"
"Careful!" but her warning was not necessary.
Drago summoned a shield, which narrowly saved him from the blow of a curse. Remembering Snape's lessons, he rolled away from the curse's path and let it hit the wall. He scrambled to his feet, wand at the ready.
Celine resisted against Bellatrix, but she also retreated little by little. The death eater cursed with surprising force, and the stones on the ground cracked at her feet.
Draco attacked her, trying to find a weak spot, to no avail. Bellatrix reached into her pocket, grabbing Ginny's wand, and fought with both hands, blocking their attacks.
Draco cast a desperate look on Celine, but she seemed to remain calm, and was frowning, in a grimace similar to her father's. For a second, her gaze met Draco's, and she nodded to him, indicating that she was going to try something.
He redoubled the force of his attack, distracting Bellatrix, and then Celine leaped forward, rolled over, dodging a bolt of lightning, and stood behind the death eater.
Draco cursed, and Celine raised her arm, spinning her wand in circles. Somehow, Draco's spell multiplied and headed towards Bellatrix, hitting her from various angles.
The death eater dropped Ginny's wand and screamed angrily, waving her wand like a whip. Draco was thrown backwards, struck by a bolt of lightning that shook his body violently.
The attack was somewhat longer than the previous ones, allowing Celine to move forward, grabbing the fallen wand and launching a double curse at the death eater. Bellatrix stumbled and fell to the ground.
Remembering some advice from her father, Celine acted quickly, knocking her senseless. She was about to tie her up when a muffled grunt caught her attention.
Draco was still under the effects of the spell, and his body shook painfully, as if an electric current was passing through him.
"Draco? Draco!" she ran towards him and knelt next to him, hurriedly whispering several counter-spells. The mysterious lightning bolt disappeared, but its effects did not. Draco looked at her terrified, eyes wide, unable to breathe. He was drowning and his skin was turning gray.
Celine tried to remember her mother's first aid lessons, while Draco struggled to breathe, making an anguished choking sound. Celine tilted his head back, opened his mouth, covered his nose with one hand and, taking in all the air she could, put her mouth together with Draco's and blew hard.
She raised her head and took another breath, repeating the operation. After that, she clasped her hands on Drago's chest and squeezed rhythmically, pushing with all her weight, just as her mother had taught her. After a certain number of contractions, she gave him mouth-to-mouth again, trying at all costs not to panic.
She repeated the sequence several times, struggling to follow the correct rhythm and transmit as much air as she could through his mouth. It had no result until, in one of many breaths, she noticed how Draco's chest rose, and regaining hope, she took one last breath, brought their mouths together and blew again.
Then, Draco began to cough violently, doubling over. Celine left him room to recover.
"Are you ok?" she asked, unable to take her eyes off him. She could still remember the sound of his choking breathing. Draco wiped the tears from his face and fought to control his breathing.
"I think so. Thank you very much for..." he didn't know how to continue.
"It was nothing," then Celine reached out a hand, slightly removing the collar of his shirt. "The curse has left you scars. I hope they can disappear," she said, observing the reddish lines that covered his skin. Draco took her hand, squeezing it gently.
"It could have been much worse."
They looked at each other in relief, and neither looked away. For a moment, it seemed like the world stopped, as if they were isolated from the outside by a glass bell.
Leaning forward, Draco kissed her. Celine was very surprised, but she did not resist, and closing her eyes, she returned the kiss softly and slowly, feeling as if an electric current was passing through her. He guided her with a slowness and gentleness she had never imagined, anticipating her, responding to her, letting her savor.
Time slipped away without them realizing it, absorbed as they were in their kiss and in the warmth that surrounded them, and they would have continued kissing for much longer, even ignoring the dangerous situation they were in.
After a few seconds, which lasted like years, they gently separated, looking into each other's eyes, and touching their faces with the tips of their fingers.
"I'm glad to see you're okay," Celine joked, with a mischievous smile on her lips.
"I'm not complaining," even though he would have liked to kiss her again, Draco felt a painful sting go through him, a reminder of his aunt's last curse. He shook his shoulders awkwardly, looking around. "Why did you come?"
"I couldn't let you come alone. I knew you needed help," Celine helped him up.
"You are putting yourself in danger in a very foolish way."
"And yet, I just saved your life," Celine responded, with a defiant tone. "Come on, let's get Ginny out of here," they both struggled with the door, but couldn't open it.
"Maybe it will open with my aunt's Dark Mark," Draco suggested, nodding at her.
"I have an idea," Celine took out the dagger that her father had sent her to look for in the forest a few days ago, and brought the blade close to the door lock, inserting it as if it were a key. The metal screeched and smoked, as if it were melting, destroying the lock. Celine withdrew the dagger, smiling with satisfaction, and opened the door smoothly.
They didn't notice that, behind them, Bellatrix regained consciousness and sat up, wand in hand. Draco turned instinctively, and when he saw what was happening, he pushed Celine, receiving the curse that was intended for the girl in the chest. The impact was so strong that Draco was thrown backwards and fell into the dungeon, hitting the ground hard.
Celine screamed in rage and attacked Bellatrix, forgetting one of the most important lessons her father had taught her: keep your emotions under control.
Bellatrix took advantage of that and pushed her too. Celine fell rolling down the stairs, and it took her a few seconds to get up due to the pain. She saw Bellatrix prepare to attack her, but then her Dark Mark burned, and the death eater was forced to stop what she was doing.
"Nagini, kill the girl. We don't need her anymore."
Then she closed the door and left.
Draco was also clutching his arm, squeezing his eyes shut. Then he grunted and covered his ears, as if a thunderous sound was bothering him.
"What happens?" Celine worried.
"The traitor has been discovered," he gasped.
"What?"
"The traitor has been... Ah!" Draco shook his head, wanting to clear it. Then he looked at Celine, understanding. "I think he means your father. He knows it!"
Celine opened her eyes, scared, but she didn't have time to say anything. At the other end of the cell, Nagini had stretched and was lunging at Ginny, hugging her, and dragging her away from the other two.
Celine ran to help her, followed by Draco. They illuminated the room with their wands, so they could see what was happening, and they glimpsed how Ginny freed her hands, and stabbed the snake in the nose and neck with a stone. Nagini stretched, hissing angrily, and Ginny slid down her scaly body, escaping her.
Draco and Celine ran towards the snake and shouted, trying to distract it. Nagini looked at them annoyed, and Ginny took the opportunity to jump forward and plunge her rudimentary weapon into the snake's body again.
Nagini hissed in pain and turned against her, pushing her hard, and throwing her onto her back. The snake lunged at her with its mouth open, but Draco stepped in and attacked it with a curse.
The snake hissed back, and then Celine, who had stood behind it, stabbed her father's dagger into its side up to the hilt. With the help of a spell, she managed to make the dagger penetrate even deeper into the flesh, causing the snake to bleed.
Nagini turned to bite her, and the girl defended herself by brandishing her wand and creating a trail of fire, but the snake moved its tail like a whip and snatched the weapon away from her.
Celine backed away to avoid being bitten, until she collided with the wall. Draco and Ginny acted quickly: he created a fireball to burn the snake, and she got vicious by slashing it with her stone weapon.
Nagini shook her tail hard and knocked them to the ground, and before they could get up, she stood on top of them and began to crush them so that they couldn't escape its fangs.
Draco defended himself with spells, but the snake was not scared this time, and changed the angle so it could bite him, crushing Ginny even more.
Celine looked for her wand, desperate, but when she heard the screams of the other two, she did the only thing she could think of: she threw herself on the snake and hit it with her fists.
Nagini was unfazed by her blows and screams, because she was much more focused on suffocating Draco, so much so that it ended up neglecting Ginny, and the young woman managed to slip away and escape.
She stumbled to her feet, but was able to take a few steps away and get a full view of the situation.
Draco was about to be bitten or crushed and the other girl was desperate to distract the snake. As she stepped back, Ginny stepped on something long, and when she looked down, she found the wand that Celine had lost.
She took it, feeling strangely sure of herself, and advanced towards the snake, which had Draco completely surrounded and was preparing to bite him.
Ginny stood next to his head, and without hesitation, shouted an incantation, and summoned ropes of fire around what must have been the snake's neck. Nagini sat up, recoiling from Ginny's tug, hissing in pain, and wincing.
Nagini began to thrash violently to get rid of the enchantment, but then Celine, remembering that she had a second wand, cast a similar spell, helping Ginny subdue the animal.
Nagini couldn't fight against the two girls, and stopped shaking, exhausted. Celine and Ginny clung to their wands, pulling with all their might, while Draco, finally freed, sent a curse from the ground against the snake.
Nagini hissed in pain, sitting up like a whip. Ginny was dragged to the ground, dropping her wand, and Celine, who was still holding the incantation on the strings, was shaken, as if she were a puppet.
The snake approached the wall, with Celine still attached to its neck, and hit itself hard against the stone, to remove the spell or crush the girl.
"Celine, get away!" shouted Draco, who had risen to his knees despite the pain in his ribs and wore an expression of cold determination.
Celine jumped to the ground and walked away, and Ginny imitated her.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The green beam hit the snake, killing it instantly. Celine looked at Draco, amazed.
"I've never used that curse before," she gasped, trying to control her breathing.
"Me neither," he replied. "Are you okay, Weasley?" he asked, looking at Ginny.
"Yes," but Ginny was on guard. She hadn't forgotten that Malfoy bore the Dark Mark and was the son of a death eater, and she didn't know the other girl. Her misgivings made her defensive, even though they had helped her.
"Why have you come?" he asked, looking from one to the other.
"It's too long to explain," Celine searched the floor of the cell, until she found the two fallen wands. "But first we should get out of here. My name is Celine," she introduced herself, giving Ginny her wand back.
The young Weasley waved back and relaxed a little. The three proceeded to quickly heal their most serious wounds, and not wanting to waste any more time, they hurried up the stairs to escape from the cell.
But this time, neither the spells, nor the Dark Mark, nor the dagger were of any use. Bellatrix had made sure to completely seal any escape route.
They were trapped.
OOO
Astrid was going over the schedules with the doctors on her shift when the sound of screaming caught her attention. She turned and saw that at the other end of the hallway, doctors and nurses were running away from a cloud of smoke.
"What's happening?" she asked a nurse who was passing by.
"There are masked people shooting!"
Mike, one of the healers, ran towards Astrid, grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
"The death eaters are attacking us! We must evacuate everyone before they isolate us."
Astrid remembered that the hospital had security barriers that closed automatically in case of fire or terrorist attack, isolating the main areas of the hospital. Once closed, they did not reopen, and the only way to get from one place to another was through the emergency stairs. That is why they had to remove the maximum possible number of patients before the barriers prevented the transfer of stretchers.
Running after her colleague, Astrid touched her ring.
"Severus, why are you attack early?"
"What do you mean? I haven't received any calls."
"The death eaters are attacking the hospital!"
Snape cursed.
"I'm coming right away. Stay away from danger. Hide and don't move."
But Astrid couldn't afford to get to safety. One of her duties as Emergency Director was to assist with the evacuation, and she had to comply with protocol.
She followed Mike and together they ran up the three floors to the nearest patient floor. Almost out of breath, they continued to make their way through the flood of terrified people who were screaming and running aimlessly.
Alarms were ringing, flooding the rooms with red emergency lights, and doctors and nurses were taking patients who could not move and their families to the safest rooms, trying to bring a minimum of order in the midst of so much chaos.
And in the background, they could hear the echo of fights between death eaters and the wizards who worked in the hospital.
Running towards a small red frame, Astrid hit it with her elbow, breaking the fragile glass that covered it, and pulled hard on the lever. Instantly, thick magic-reinforced metal doors began to descend, blocking the hallways. That should give some time to evacuate the patients.
Mike had disappeared, and she had been left alone in a corridor that was quickly emptying of people, giving way to the fighting wizards.
Astrid was about to turn around when she remembered that Katherine was still in the hospital. Frightened for her daughter, she decided to sneak under one of the metal barriers, and launched into a mad dash through the corridor, where the healers and death eaters were fighting to the death.
The Granger room was right behind the last group of death eaters, so Astrid chose not to stop and think about the consequences of her mad dash. She was almost injured several times, but she activated the protective magic of her ring and continued running, without stopping, as if in an obstacle course.
The smoke blinded her and prevented her from breathing, and sometimes she didn't know if she was colliding with friends or enemies. Too late, she realized that a curse was heading straight for her, and before she closed her eyes, she saw a black shadow lunging at her, knocking her to the ground.
Before she could react, Astrid felt herself being lifted up and pulled towards a side corridor, where she was pushed unceremoniously against a wall. She opened her eyes and took in the features hidden behind the mask.
"Severus?" she asked relieved, recognizing him instantly. "What's going on? Why do you attack now?"
"I don't know, it's Bellatrix's orders," he replied. "And what about you? Are you crazy? How do you get into the middle of this fight?" she didn't know if he was angry, scared or nervous, but his presence was imposing.
"Kate is here. She was attending to the Grangers, and their room is at the end of the hall. They are trapped."
"Where is she?" Snape frowned, even more worried.
"Just there."
Snape saw that to get to the room they had to go through the corridor where the fight was taking place. He seemed to think of something and sighed, resigned.
"It's okay," he said, releasing her. "I'll cover you. Hurry up."
Astrid nodded and looked out into the hallway, fixating on her goal. Without hesitation or looking to the side, she ran. Snape activated the fire sensors with a wave of his wand, and the sudden rain distracted the death eaters, making it easier for Astrid.
The woman reached the door, opened it, and jumped in, narrowly avoiding a curse from Katherine.
"You have to get out of here!" she ordered, taking her daughter's arm.
"Mom, we can't leave them here," Kate protested, pointing at the Grangers.
"Cover them with a protective shield, we will take them to a safe place," Katherine obeyed, surrounding the stretchers with two shiny bells. She took a stretcher and her mother another. "Now, run as fast as you can without stopping or looking back. We'll go to elevator number four."
They ran out of the room, pushing the stretchers across the corridor, dodging the bodies of the fallen and wounded. Along the way, Astrid saw a young witch who was in her first year of training and who could barely move because of her fear. Running, she grabbed her by the clothes and put her behind the stretcher.
"Keep running! Don't stop!" he ordered her. The witch did not dare to refuse and followed Katherine to the elevator. Astrid took out a card from her belt and held it to the button panel. These lit up, and the doors opened.
"Go down to the main area and take them to St. Mungo's."
"Mom, what are you doing? Come with us!" Kate shouted, but Astrid had brought the card closer again, closing the elevator manually from the outside.
The woman turned to check with that there were no more students trapped in the corridor. She was about to run out to close the emergency stairs and escape through them when a death eater collided with her. Astrid looked back and recognized her, and for a moment she stood still, not knowing what to do.
"You!" somehow, Bellatrix had also recognized her. She looked her up and down with hatred.
"Bellatrix!" Snape called her, but when he saw what was happening, he also stayed still. The death eater looked from one to the other, connecting the dots.
"You're a damn traitor," she whispered, with contempt.
"Listen Bellatrix–"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Snape instinctively closed his eyes when he saw the green glow, and when he opened them, he believed that Bellatrix had made a mistake.
It was then that he saw Astrid fall to the ground, a surprised expression painted on her face.
"Astrid!"