CHAPTER 45

A Broken Puppet

The flickering torches cast dancing shadows on the walls, the hem of her robes swirled around her ankles as she navigated the twists and turns of long corridors. Her naked feet made no sound, but the pounding of her heart was enough to fill up the silent night at Hogwarts.

She stopped and took a breath for a second, Severus' strong voice still echoing in her mind:

"Go!"

This wasn't some routine meeting with Death Eaters. The apprehension on the wizard's face, the urgency of his orders, had made it clear to Laurel that something terrible would happen at the school. Had the time come?

Suddenly, Laurel glanced over her shoulder as she heard the faint sound of approaching footsteps, but she couldn't make out anyone lurking in the shadows. She swallowed and continued forward, feeling as if she were trapped in a nightmare of endless hallways.

She reached the last turn, the last one before reaching the staircase to the kitchen, when a hunched figure blocked her way. Laurel felt her heart almost jump out of her throat but then she realized who it was:

"Merlin's beard! May I know what you are doing here? Does professor Snape know you are wandering in the middle of the night?"

Laurel let a sigh of relief escape her lips when she saw Argus Filch's bulging eyes, staring down at her with mistrust.

"Yes," —she spoke with an agitated voice. — "Yeah. You must help me, Filch. Something is happening, you need to warn Dumbledore".

"Warn him of what?"

"Snape…" —Laurel couldn't explain herself. What was going on exactly? — "Snape sent me to kitchens, he said I would be safe there… Something is going on, something dangerous!"

"Have you been drinking, lass? Oh, I know some potioneers tend to have a few swigs of forbidden stuff…"

"No! I am sober. I am telling you the truth". —Laurel shook her head with impatience. — "Listen, professor Snape woke me up and told me to hide myself in the kitchens. He was looking rather unnerved. He went running down the corridor. I am sure that an inquisitive mind such as yours, Mr. Filch, would realise the clear signs of an urgent situation.

Filch's brain machinery started working slowly, greased by Laurel's blatant praise. He turned his head to the floor where his beloved cat, Mrs. Norris looked up at him with smart scarlet eyes.

"My dearest," —he talked sweetly to the cat. — "Go to the grounds, look for the purple-head witch, let her know we need the others here".

When the cat disappeared into the shadows, he looked up at Laurel again.

"The headmaster left today. He did not say when he would return. The members of the Order will be coming soon, and I will go and inform the teachers. Now, why don't you make yourself useful and…" —Filch stopped midsentence, his eyes fixed on the hallway behind Laurel, his mouth opened in horror —"… run".

"What?"

"RUN!"

The man turned and ran as fast as his old body could allow him. Laurel felt her hair stood at end when she heard a familiar voice:

"My little lamb."

She turned slowly; an indescribable fear ran down her spine. In front of her stood the beast that plagued her nightmares.

Fenrir Greyback walked slowly towards her, and she could notice his features had changed slightly, his hair looked more tamed, his face less hairy, his denture more human. Nonetheless, his savage expression remained unchanged. Greyback unnatural blue eyes stared back at her, and Laurel felt the weight of dread settling in the pit of her stomach, paralyzing her. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out of it.

"Have you missed me?" —The werewolf laughed as he brushed the woman's cheek with the tips of his dirty fingers.

That graze brought her back to that terrible night at Malfoy Manor. Laurel could feel those same fingers tearing off her clothes, fondling her, wounding her body. Her knees started trembling and with a surge of adrenaline she managed to slip pass him, sprinting down the hallway she had just come from.

"He… Help!" — Her voice was breaking, her chest aching from the effort, but Laurel was able to reach the first floor while she could hear Greyback's sinister laugh.

"Scream louder, Soulless one. I want to hear you scream." — He was taunting her from behind, chasing her relentlessly, getting closer and closer.

The woman caught a glimpse of the Entrance Hall and for a second she thought she would be able to escape to the gardens and find refuge in Hagrid's hut...

"I got you!"

Laurel screamed as Greyback pulled her by the hair, causing her to fall onto her back. Her head hit the stone floor hard, she felt nauseous, and her eyes blinked rapidly, seeing double.

"No... don't touch me..."

Laurel was sobbing weakly, but she couldn't even understand the words coming from her mouth. Her vision became blurry, and she lost consciousness.

"STUPEFY!"

Someone was screaming. Laurel clearly heard Greyback's furious roar and the moans of an unknown voice. The woman opened her eyes and sat up as quickly as she could, feeling a sharp pain in the back of her head.

She quickly searched for the origin of those terrifying moans and soon realized that the werewolf was just a few meters away from her, pounced on the body of a man. Laurel couldn't make out who he was, but the bright red colour of her long hair reminded her of Ron Weasley's.

"Fenrir!" —She screamed with all her might as she noticed how Greyback was cruelly destroying the man's face with his teeth.

Laurel launched herself onto the werewolf's back and he shook violently, pushing her away with ease. He turned his eyes to her and smiled broadly. His face was dirty with blood, and he triumphantly raised the wand that he had taken from Bill Weasley.

"I'm a full wizard again," —he said, waving the wand and tossing the limp body aside. —"And you will come with me."

The Akardos ran towards the Great Hall with Greyback hot on her heels, but before she could find a place to hide, they were both shocked to hear a powerful explosion that destroyed the stained-glass windows of the Hall. The sudden silence was soon broken by the eerie laughter of a tall, dark figure dancing over one of the long tables, breaking plates and glasses as she sang:

"Ding-dong! The old codger is dead!"

It took Laurel a moment to recognize the owner of those horrible screeches and just a second to understand what she was squawking about. She shook her head in disbelief, her face contorted with indignation, and she clenched her fists in rage.

"DAMN YOU!" —The Akardos shouted, unable to contain herself. — Damn all you Death Eaters! You consider yourselves so mighty and cunning, yet all you do is follow your master like dogs!"

Bellatrix stopped her dance and stared at Laurel with wild eyes. The witch let a snort of disbelief followed by a hysterical laughter.

"Who do we have here?" — She turned to look at Greyback. — "I thought you were done with her".

"I will be done now."

He grabbed her arm but before he could pull her near him, a cold, deep voice echoed in the wrecked hall.

"Leave her".

Laurel felt a spark of hope light up in her chest. She turned and advanced towards him with shining eyes.

Severus.

Severus was there and he would be able to solve everything. He would defeat the Death Eaters, he would protect her, he would tell her that Dumbledore and Hogwarts were safe. However, that blessed spark was soon extinguished when she saw other Death Eaters laughing behind him, when she noticed the dark shadow of grief on Draco Malfoy's face. It was done, Dumbledore was dead; but something told her that he had not been killed by Draco's hand.

"Severus…" —she muttered with her hands against her chest, pleading.

But the Death Eater's dark, empty eyes did not rest on her. He turned his head and ordered the others:

"It won't take long for them to call reinforcements. Leave the castle immediately".

But Bellatrix was not listening to him. She jumped off the table, approaching the Akardos, while the other Death Eaters jeered and spat on the ground. Laurel pushed her but the witch pulled out a shiny knife that she had hidden in her sleeve and grabbed her by the hair, making her bow before them. She flicked the sharp blade and pressed it hard against the woman's neck.

"Stop it, Bellatrix". — Snape drawled lazily. — "If you draw blood out of her, we won't be able to contain Greyback. We will be surrounded in a matter of minutes."

"No". — she said decidedly. — "Didn't you hear what she said? She deserves to be punished".

Snape smirked at her, and soon his smug, cold chuckles silenced the taunts of the Death Eaters.

"My, my Bella". —he said, containing his bloodcurdling laughter. — "Feeling a bit stirred? Did the words of the Soulless one touched a nerve? Perhaps you realise you have been behaving like a bitch?"

Bellatrix face paled, and her mouth opened in shock.

"How dare you?!"

"Shh…" —Snape put a finger against his lips. — "Now, listen to me. We have done what our Dark Lord has ordered. A clean operation. And now you are delaying our escape. You are ruining it! You are risking your nephew's mission and that, our Lord would never forgive… But maybe, you are looking forward to going back to Azkaban, maybe you want to take your beloved Draco with you...

"Shut up!" — Bellatrix was shaking her head, her face demented. — "You are only trying to protect her… I know you have turned her into your puppet."

"Yes, a very worn-out puppet, indeed". — Snape smirked with pride. — "That Soulless body has given me great pleasure, I cannot deny it. But she is of no longer use. I have tried to make her usable, but she seems to only be suitable in bed".

Bellatrix smiled, relaxing her features. She let go of a sobbing Laurel, throwing her to the floor.

"Then? Give her to Greyback…"

"Greyback is underserving of anything, Bella". — Snape stared at the witch with stern. — "How would Narcissa feel if she knew that her sister had given a prize to someone who used an unforgivable curse against her?"

The witch snorted and kicked Laurel hard in the stomach.

"Sev... Severus..." — The Akardos sputtered through tears, her eyes seeking to find Snape's, but she only found that deep, cold emptiness of those black tunnels.

The wizard took a few steps towards her. He leaned down and, stroking her hair, murmured:

"You have been a good and obedient pet."

Laurel tried to reach for him with her hands, but he had already moved away, ordering the other Death Eaters to follow him and threatening Greyback with his wand to make him move. Only Bellatrix stayed a few steps behind, smiling at the woman with contempt.

"It seems that the only bitch in here is you". — she told her, while spitting on her face.

Laurel didn't care, all she saw was Severus' long cloak disappearing from the Great Hall.