I was standing at the end of the ward in front of two people lying in beds, unconscious.
"They were so gifted, the pair of them." Augusta Longbottom was sitting in a chair between them, sobbing.
"I'm so sorry, Augusta. I don't know what to say." This was true. I didn't know what to say. She had practically lost her son and his wife. Besides that, I knew they had a son around Harry's age.
"I don't know why you even dared to show your face here, knowing who you come from," she suddenly looked up at me coldly. And I heard what your husband did," she added.
Ok, that hurt a bit, but I swallowed and said, "If there is anything I can do-" I started.
"You can leave." She spat, tears streaming down her face. I looked at her for a beat, unsure if I should say anything else. I thought better, nodded, turned around, and left the hospital.
Of course, I didn't blame her for her outburst; she was angry, but she had no idea how angry I was.
A yell of frustration came before a sharp pain radiated across my face.
"If you don't cooperate, Meghana," Voldemort said as he paced up and down the room in front of the chair to which I was chained. "Then I will have to take matters further,"
I smirked despite myself. Good job I have nothing left to lose, I thought.
I let my head loll forward, preparing myself for his next assault, but it never came. Instead, I heard the door open and close, and the chains around my arms came loose. I frowned as I watched the fall away and lifted my head. Voldemort had gone.
Was this a trick? I thought, narrowing my eyes.
I waited a moment, straining my ears to see if I could hear anything - nothing.
I rolled my shoulders, preparing to stand, knowing as soon as I started to move, my head would start pounding. And right on cue, as soon as I gingerly stood up, my head started spinning, and pain exploded inside my head.
I stumbled over to the door, opened it, and peered outside. The corridors were deserted, and judging by the darkness outside the windows, it was pretty late.
I somehow made my way to my office, and after closing the door behind me, I sat gratefully behind my desk and pulled a pile of papers towards me.
I stared at the essay before me but did not absorb anything I read. I didn't have the strength to do this right now, but it was somewhat better than sitting quietly, counting down the minutes until Death Eaters would take me again to sieve through my memories.
I heard footsteps approaching the door, and seconds later, it swung open. My father strode in, a long dark blue robe billowing behind him. I looked up at him as he reached my desk.
"We need to talk," he said, looking intently at me. His hands stretched out, holding his weight as he leaned on my desk.
"I have nothing to say to you," I said coldly, looking back at the essay.
"Meghana," he said, and the slight panic in his voice gave me a feeling of satisfaction. He dropped his voice and spoke to me in a softer tone, "Meg, please listen to me-"
I looked up at him in disgust, noticing that he was now crouching in front of my desk. "You need to tell me where that Diadam is. Don't you understand? He is going to kill us all." He pleaded.
I surveyed him for a moment. He was deathly pale, as though he was suffering from an illness that he hadn't quite recovered from. His brown hair was limp; I suddenly noticed that he had lost weight, and his eyes, though more expansive than I'd ever seen them, were sunken in his face, making him appear slightly insane.
"Meg-" he started.
"I will never tell Voldemort where that Diadam is," I cut across him defiantly, noticing him cringe at the sound of Voldemort's name. And you can beg me all you want, but it proves that you are just as weak as I've always thought you were."
"He will kill you-," he said, his voice shrill.
"Then I will die," I said, cutting across him again and shrugging my shoulders.
"He won't just kill you," my father said, staring at me ferociously. "Don't you think you've done enough to your family?" He added.
I stared right back at him, letting out a dark laugh. "I didn't do anything to this family, Dad. That was your own doing."
After a beat, he stood up, recognising defeat.
"He will break you." His voice returned to its normal sneering tone. You can't keep this up forever."
"Watch me," I said as he turned on his heel and stormed out of the classroom, slamming the door behind him.
The next day, I was sitting in the empty staff room reading when a black-haired Death Eater came crashing into the room, nearly causing me to drop the book.
"Your father wishes to see you," he growled, standing by the door and looking at me.
"Does he?" I said, my eyes flicking back down to the book I held.
"You want me to drag you there?" he said.
I closed my eyes briefly, trying to keep my temper, before slamming the book shut and throwing it onto the low table next to the chair. I flounced over to the Death Eater, "I'd like to see you try," I said as I walked past him.
He responded by grinning evilly and followed me out of the room.
I knew what was coming and that it would be harder to close my mind and control my emotions if I didn't try to calm myself down. The Death Eater only spoke again when we reached the Great Hall. "In here," he snapped, opening the door and shoving me inside.
My father stood just before the steps where the staff table usually sat; his hands clasped before him. Severus stood slightly apart from him, his face blank.
"You wanted to see me, father," I said dryly.
"Leave us," my father said, dismissively waving his hand at the Death Eater behind me. I need a word with my darling daughter."
I didn't move as the door behind me closed. I just glared at my father defiantly, knowing what he wanted.
"Meghana -" he began, speaking my name as though it caused him to feel nauseous.
"Let me guess. You want to know where the Diadem is," I interrupted and saw his jaw twitch in anger. I felt slightly satisfied as I realised he still hated being interrupted, especially by me.
He pointed his wand at me so fast I didn't see it coming. "Accio Wand!"
I felt my arm rise as my wand flew out of my sleeve, and he quickly caught it. Feeling slightly vulnerable but determined, I stepped forward and spoke to my father.
"You're wasting your time summoning me here."
My father looked down at me, and I felt a foreboding feeling from the look in his eyes.
"I warned you, Meg," he said quietly.
I heard the door open and spun around to see Bellatrix striding in. Greyback was behind her, pulling someone behind him using a rope around their neck.
My Grandmother.
She looked thin and dirty like she'd been locked away for weeks.
I turned back to my father, panic starting to fill my body. "What are you doing? I hissed at him.
"Max!" She cried, "What is happening?"
My father remained silent, slowly blinking at me, his eyes full of sadness. His expression told me more than words did, as I understood that this was to punish me.
"No, you can't," I hurriedly told him; my body trembled as the panic rose.
I felt someone pull me backwards and wrap their arms around my neck and chest. My father watched me being dragged backwards as his eyes grew more vacant.
"You will tell us!" Bellatrix screeched in my ear as she pointed her ugly, crooked wand into my cheek.
I turned my head as much as I could and glared into her face, a furious rage racing throughout my whole body, my hatred for her rivalled only by the hatred I felt for Voldemort himself. I knew I was about to make this ten times harder for myself, and before I could even stop myself, I whispered through gritted teeth.
"Or what?"
"Crucio!" Bellatrix cried, jabbing her wand into my temple.
White hot pain exploded at the point her wand touched my head and washed over the rest of my body. It was as though a thousand knives were stabbing me over every inch of my body. I didn't know where I was - the pain consuming me to the point where I would have welcomed death to stop feeling it. After what felt like a lifetime, the excruciating pain had stopped.
My body trembled, and my breathing was shallow as I opened my eyes. I realised I had fallen to my knees, and I swallowed, tasting blood where I had bitten the inside of my mouth somewhere.
"That was nothing, blood traitor", Bellatrix spat as she yanked me up, wrapping her arms around me again to detain me.
"Tell us where that Diadem is," my father's voice growled from my left.
My eyes flicked to him, but I remained silent. What was there to be said? What he wanted to know, I was not willing to divulge.
"Tell us!" Bellatrix shrieked.
"What are you hiding?" my father said quietly, his eyes fixed on me. What are you trying to gain? To avenge Sirius Black? " Bellatrix laughed from behind me, and a sharp stab in my chest caught my breath at the sound of his name. "Or that dead Mudblood friend of yours? Protect Harry Potter?"
"We're wasting time, Max," Bellatrix said, and she took aim at my Grandmother and cried "Crucio!" Once again.
She crumpled as soon as the curse hit her, screaming and writhing in agony. Her cries of pain drove through me, causing me pain as though I had been cursed again.
"Stop it!" I yelled at my father, who stared ahead of himself, his expression blank.
"Then tell us what we need to know!" Bellatrix screamed into my ear.
I swallowed, feeling utterly helpless as my eyes darted around the place, trying to think of something to stop this - anything! I didn't know how much longer I could take the screams and moans of pain coming from the corner of the room coming from my grandmother.
"Just stop it!" I cried helplessly.
Bellatrix flicked her wand up and lifted the curse.
I breathed a sigh of relief and closed my eyes, trying to block out the sounds of my grandmother whimpering like a wounded animal.
"Remember what the Dark Lord said, Bella," Severus said a clear warning, lacing his tone. "You have to play nicely," I took this opportunity to glance over at Severus, who was still wearing the same blank expression but did not meet my eyes.
"You're making this a lot harder on yourself, Meghana," my father said, walking over to me. I looked at him, anger flaring in my chest. There wasn't a cell in my body that didn't hate everything about him right now.
"You repel me," I snarled at him. "Your mother?" He didn't even react; not even a flicker of emotion crossed his face.
"It's nothing less than what you did to your mother," he said calmly. "Like father, like daughter."
"This is not the same!" I yelled at him, struggling against Bellatrix, trying to reach him. To make him hurt. "I am nothing like you."
"I'm going to give you one last chance," Bellatrix whispered as she pulled me backwards.
I reluctantly looked over at my grandmother lying on the floor. Her face was to the side, her eyes staring at me. Tears were still leaking from her eyes and gathering on the stone floor. She blinked slowly, her breathing ragged. I couldn't let her dieāthe only member of my family who made me feel like I was worth anything.
But I couldn't give up the location of the Diadem.
"Too late!" Bellatrix screamed, and she once again cursed my grandmother. Her raspy, guttural screams immediately started up again; her body twitched and writhed on the floor. I couldn't let it happen any longer. I had to stop it. I had to buy some time so I could think of a way.
"Grimmauld Place," I yelled the first thing I could think of. "It's in Grimmauld Place."
My father looked behind me, nodded once, and Bellatrix lifted the curse.
My father took a step closer to me, peering into my face. The hall had fallen eerily quiet; the only sounds came from my grandmother, who was moaning weakly and my heavy breathing.
My father raised a hand and cupped my face, his thumb brushing away a tear from my eye.
"She lies!" A high-pitched shriek rang around us, and my father closed his eyes, his jaw twitching in anger.
A hand with long, thin fingers appeared on my father's shoulder. I saw Voldemort standing behind my father, who dropped his hand and opened his eyes.
My father bowed his head as he turned around to face Voldemort.
"I am sorry for your loss, Max," Voldemort said. I frowned, wondering what he meant, but within seconds, I found out.
"Greyback," Voldemort said softly. "She's all yours," I tensed as I saw Greyback move, preparing for his attack, but my stomach dropped as he moved towards my grandmother. She sensed his movement and tried to move away, but she was too weak, and he was too fast.
The screams from her during the Cruciatus Curse were nothing compared to this. They didn't last as long but ripped through my body like Greyback was tearing my flesh from bone. Blood was flying everywhere, and bits of flesh and bone were falling around the floor.
"No!" I cried as the screams subsided, and a horrible gurgling sound replaced them.
"Fix this!" Voldemort roared at my father.
"Yes, my Lord," My father said sardonically.
Voldemort glided over to the Great Hall's doors, which opened seemingly on their own and closed once he had stepped through.
I could hardly contain my rage as I tried to wrench myself from Bellatrix's grip again.
"You didn't have to do that," I said through gritted teeth as my father turned around to face me. If it were possible, he looked even paler than he had when I had arrived.
"I didn't do that," my father spat.
I narrowed my eyes at my father, who was staring intensely into my eyes. He wasn't a trained legilimens, so keeping him out of my mind wasn't precisely strenuous. I stared back, blinking calmly at him before Bellatrix let go of me and stepped beside my father, causing him to jump.
"Enough! The only way we'll get it out of her is by force!" She yelled.
My father looked at Bellatrix, clearly irritated at her interruption. "You know what the Dark Lord said? She can't be harmed to the point her mind is useless; otherwise, we'll never know!" he shouted at her.
"I know what the Dark Lord said! Why are you protecting her?" Bellatrix roared as she pointed her wand again at me and cast a curse with such force it caused me to crash into the wall opposite, pain bursting in my back as I felt several of my ribs crack.
"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, and I fell to the floor, frozen and unable to move. All I could do was helplessly watch as Bellatrix strode over to me and shouted, "Crucio!" once she stood over me.
Once again, the excruciating pain tore through my body. I was unable to move, unable to scream, as the pain grew worse and worse. My body tried to curl up in an attempt to try and protect itself and failed spectacularly. She was right when she said the curse before this one was nothing; I had never experienced such agony in my entire life. I was not sure I would survive this, and I once again silently begged for death.
Bellatrix lifted the curse, but I didn't realise this until she kicked me hard in the side so that I rolled onto my back. My head was still reeling from the pain of the curse, and I was so disoriented that I was unaware of Bellatrix climbing on top of me, pinning my left arm above my head.
I turned my aching head to where I felt Bellatrix's hand on my wrist and suddenly realised with a pang of horror what she was about to do. I fought with all my remaining strength to pull my arm away.
"No," I spoke in a tiny, weak voice, and Bellatrix laughed.
"Keep still, blood traitor!" she hissed in my face before she moved her head away to focus on my arm.
What was left of my strength faded away, and I gave up fighting and turned my head away. Not looking didn't block the pain of Bellatrix peeling away the top layer of my skin with her wand into the shape of the dark mark.
I felt a tear leak out of the corner of my eye before I lost consciousness.
My eyes flicked open, and as my sight adjusted, the blurry image of Severus's face came into full view.
"Just take it slowly," he said, and although his voice was soft, my head throbbed at the sound.
"What happened?" I asked slowly as I sat up. I looked down to observe the part of my arm that was stinging badly.
"If we get Dittinay on that quick enough, it should heal," Severus said, looking down at the ugly injury.
I stretched out my neck, and it ached as I moved my head side to side, noticing that Severus and I were alone in the Great Hall. I deliberately refused to look at the wet-looking pile that I was sure was left of my grandmother, so I looked up at the ceiling, which had changed from dusk to mirror the starless pitch black of the nighttime sky.
"I'm sorry, Meg," Severus looked at me, obviously following my gaze.
"Where did my father and the other two go?" I asked, turning back to him, hoping he would get the hint that I did not want to discuss what I felt so very responsible for.
"They had to go report to the Dark Lord as to what they tortured out of you," Severus' lip curled slightly.
"I see," I said, frowning as I wondered what I had said under torture.
"You didn't say anything," Severus answered my unasked question. "They had a deadline."
I nodded but said nothing further.
"Come, I have Dittinay in my office," Severus said, standing up and holding his hand out for me to take, which I did.
I managed to avoid looking at the mangled mess of my grandmother's remains, but I couldn't prevent the blood, which was all over the floor and leaking under the doors and into the entrance hall. The guilt almost overwhelmed me as we reached Severus' office, and he pushed me into the Headmaster's chair.
"You should just leave me next time", I muttered bitterly, wincing slightly. Every part of my body was hurting.
"Stop it," Severus said as he rummaged around in a drawer, pulled out a tiny bottle, and uncorked it as he approached me. He started to pour drops of the potion on my arm, which sizzled and smoked when the liquid made contact. New skin grew instantly, but it burned right off again seconds later.
"Bella must have cursed this wound," Severus muttered. I ignored this comment, my body humming with self-loathing.
"I can't do this anymore, Severus," I said quietly, wincing every time the liquid touched the burn.
"I tried to warn you this would happen," he mumbled angrily, "-but you were too busy reuniting with Black to listen to me!"
My eyes closed at the sound of Sirius' name as grief met with the guilt I felt and threatened to inundate me.
"Don't talk about him," I whispered, looking away from Severus so he wouldn't see the tears forming.
"I merely meant you could have planned before the Dark Lord caught up with you." Severus continued to drop the potion on other wounds over my wrists and hands.
"Nothing else has gone to plan," I said, staring at the centre of the room. "So what would have been the point?"
Severus looked up at me. I could see his dark eyes surveying my face, his expression blank.
"We have to see this through to the end," he said, standing up. "We need to find the boy and let him know how to finish this; it's what Dumbledore -"
"I know Severus," I cut across him, closing my eyes. I didn't need a reminder of what we had promised to do.
"You need to keep your mind closed and focus. It's the only way the boy will stay alive." He paused before quietly adding, "You promised."
I closed my eyes as the memory of Lily, so desperately begging me to promise I'd protect Harry, came flooding into my mind. At this point, the grief I kept pushing down rose painfully in my chest. Sirius and Lily were two people that I loved the most. They were my whole world, the reason I kept going in my miserable existence when I had nothing else to live for.
It was always for them.
They both died protecting Harry. I was now one of the last to be strong for him. Not that I would let him know, but Severus was right. I swallowed thickly and opened my eyes once again. Severus was looking at me, and I looked at him. His expression was once again blank but I knew that he knew exactly what I had just thought.
