Warning for wand violence but seeing as this story is now M, that shouldn't be a problem
She started laughing uncontrollably.
"Do you think this is funny?" Lucius snarled.
"What makes you think I know where it is?" her tongue felt heavy, the effects of the spell wearing off.
"Surely, the Order will know where it is," Lucius taunted. "After all, you've been guarding it."
She looked around her. Rodolphus, Rabastan, Crabbe, Mulciber, Dolohov –she remembered them, unfortunately. And with many of these people, she went to school with them. There was Jugson, McNair, Avery, Rookwood, and Travers. Nameless faces when she was a student, but now they had made a name for themselves. All of them members of Slytherin house, all of them people who sat in the same common room as her.
"Only the person it is addressed to will know where it is, dumbass," she rolled her eyes. Lucius grabbed her face, squeezing it as he pulled her face close to his.
"You're lying."
She struggled against his touch.
"Clear out," Lucius called. "We're going to the Ministry –and you will do well to not struggle."
She followed Lucius, but her mind was running fast. There had to be a way for her to undo the binds without her wand. There were many ways, but it has been so long that she could only remember snippets. None of them were helpful.
Lucius' cane pushed her forward. Her bound hands were hidden beneath the cloak, and it was to her disbelief that people just let her walk into the Ministry. No one questioned why she was walking with Lucius Malfoy of all people.
It was bustling, and many workers greeted Lucius and Eliza as though it was a normal day.
"Evening, Eliza! Burning the midnight oil?" Cade piped up at the reception. She looked at the witch in disbelief. "How did your tea with Narcissa go?"
Was she in on it? Had Cade been in on it this whole time? She knew that her brother was a Death Eater, which she was warned about promptly.
"Riveting," Lucius answered. "We have some business to talk about."
"Working your way up," she sighed and stamped the two of them in.
She glared at the witch and wished that her table would catch fire.
"Which one is her brother?" Eliza asked.
"Nott," Lucius answered. "She's always been afraid of him coming out of Azkaban, because she's the one who delivered him in the first place."
"And what does she have to do with anything?"
"Keeping tabs, eyes on the prizes, telling me what you've been up to," Lucius clicked his teeth. "All for protection in case he ever breaks out, but I assure you she will be dead once they meet, again."
As they passed through the Ministry's bustling halls, Eliza's thoughts raced. The weight of betrayal hung heavy around her, tightening like a vice with each step. Cade's casual greeting had twisted the knife, reminding her that trust was a fragile commodity. But for now, she needed to stay calm. She could feel the cold press of Lucius' cane at her back, urging her onward, but her mind was elsewhere, sifting through every spell and trick she'd ever learned to free herself.
The elevator ride down to the lower levels was silent, save for the occasional ding as they passed floors. Each one brought her closer to the heart of the Ministry, where the secrets lay hidden—and to where Lucius undoubtedly planned to extract whatever he thought she knew.
Eliza caught a glimpse of her reflection in the polished metal doors as they slid open. Her face was pallor, and Bellatrix had bruised her real good. Lucius dragged her forward, guiding her through corridors until they reached a secluded hallway .
Her hands were still bound under her cloak, but she flexed her fingers, hoping that any dumb word she remembered from Ancient Runes would help. Wandless magic required concentration, and she had very little of that left. But she forced herself to focus.
"You don't think anyone will notice?" Eliza asked, her voice a mockery of casualness. "A bunch of Death Eaters dragging me into the ministry?"
Lucius smirked down at her. "Everyone's too busy with their own concerns to notice us. And Cade—" he waved dismissively—she knows better than to ask questions."
Eliza's eyes darted around the hall, searching for something, anything, she could use to her advantage. It was still too early for anyone in the Order to be around, so she was cooked if she didn't make it until midnight.
The intricately cut door made way for them as they approached. Shelves upon shelves, filled with orbs both alight and dim, welcomed them. There was no way they'd be able to find it, not this way.
"Nagini has been looking for it," Lucius said. He pushed her forward. "But a snake has no hands, you see."
She heard the rattling of the snake, her scales scratching against the floor. If ever there was a time to escape, that window was long lost.
They stood still.
Lucius pointed at the orb.
"Retrieve it."
"Why won't you get it?" Eliza asked. "You obviously have no trouble finding it, so why won't you take it?"
"Take it!"
She glared at him.
"Clearly, my hands are bound."
She felt the invisible bonds on her hand release. But as she got closer to it, she felt a resistance. An invisible wall prevented her from touching it.
"I can't touch it," Eliza announced. "Are you happy? You kidnapped someone for no reason."
Lucius let out a weak grin. "That's okay, because you're the bait."
"How so?"
"Because Mr. Potter will be willing to come save you, won't he? A life for the prophecy to win this war. If he can see Nagini attack Arthur Weasley…"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nagini ready to lunge for an attack. She ducked as the snake was in mid-air, rolling into one of the shelves.
"Oh please, this is useless," Lucius called out. She hid behind a shelf, and his hex missed.
Her heart pounded against her chest. She couldn't apparate, not without a wand. And Bellatrix had it. Her next bet was to steal one from Lucius, or run the heck out of the room. She'd made note of how they'd come in, but after dodging behind multiple shelves, and running, and hiding – she'd lost track.
Keep going, keep going –
A cackle. It was Bellatrix. It was no longer a mystery to her how they would get in. It couldn't have been long.
Her body slammed against the wall, and glass shattered around her.
"Why is wittle Lizzie running?" Bellatrix breathed against her face. She twisted Eliza's arm, and she let out a scream. "We must make her pretty for when the children arrive."
"Casse toi," Eliza spat back in her face.
"You dare spit on me?" Bellatrix screamed. "You dare to hurt someone in service of the Dark Lord? You Traitor!"
If anyone asked her if she preferred to get stabbed or be hit by a jinx, clearly, she preferred the latter. In fact, she preferred a broken bone over this. Bellatrix raised a knife and jammed it into Eliza's eye. She screamed as her vision went out, a squelching noise sounding as her eye was jarred out.
And it was in that moment she remembered a word she needed.
Chaeti. Fire.
Wandless magic did not work with Latin-based magic.
As she whispered the word, she felt the tips of her fingers burst into flame, but it only tickled her fingers. The embers touched Bellatrix's robes and set it aflame, and Bellatrix screamed, dropping Eliza's wand. She grabbed both the knife and the wand, pocketing them.
Eliza stumbled through the corridors, her vision reduced to a narrow tunnel. Every breath she took was laboured, her body still reeling. Her mind was focused on one thing: escape.
The low, ominous hiss echoed behind her, sending a chill down her spine. She turned slowly, her heart pounding. Nagini, coiling in the shadows, slithered forward with terrifying grace. Her forked tongue flicked in and out as her amber eyes locked onto Eliza. The serpent's immense size was even more menacing up close, each scale glistening.
Bellatrix's crazed laughter rang out somewhere behind her.
Bellatrix cooed mockingly. "Do you think you can outrun her, Eliza?"
Eliza's fingers closed around the cold handle of Bellatrix's knife, the one that had stolen sight. Now, that very knife might be her only weapon. That snake most likely as immune to the best of spells, being able to dodge them in the knick of them.
Her wand was still hidden beneath her robe, but she knew magic wouldn't be enough. This was going to be about instinct and precision.
Nagini lunged, striking with lightning speed. Eliza barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side as the snake's massive head smashed into the stone floor. Dust and debris scattered into the air, clouding her already damaged vision. But Eliza didn't wait. She surged to her feet, gripping the knife tightly in her palm.
"Come on, then," she whispered, bracing herself.
The serpent reared back, coiling as if preparing for another attack. But this time, Eliza was ready. The next strike came faster than she expected. She could hear every hiss, every scrape of scale against stone, feel the heat of Nagini's breath as she darted forward.
Eliza threw herself into the snake's path, twisting her body just as the giant head swept past her. In a fluid motion, she stabbed upward, plunging the blade deep into the soft, vulnerable underside of Nagini's throat. The resistance was brief, the skin giving way to muscle and tissue with a sickening squelch.
Nagini recoiled violently, the force of the movement knocking Eliza off her feet. The snake thrashed, writhing in agony as dark, inky blood spattered the floor.
Bellatrix screamed from the shadows, her voice shrill and filled with disbelief. "NO! NO!"
Eliza staggered back, breathing heavily, the knife still clutched in her bloodied hand. She watched as Nagini's massive form convulsed, her body twitching uncontrollably as the life drained from her. Eliza's chest heaved, her pulse racing, but a grim satisfaction settled into her bones.
"Pestis Incendium," she pointed at this snake's body and set it ablaze. She had to concentrate. This spell was far too powerful, and one misstep could take down the entire room or conjure a monster of great size. The heat burned around the snake, engulfing her dead body. Pyromania was not supposed to be fun, but it separated her from Bellatrix.
Bellatrix's face twisted with rage, wild eyes blazing with fury. "You filthy little BITCH!"
For a moment, they stood there, eyes locked. Eliza held the bloodstained knife tightly, the weight of it grounding her. Bellatrix's mouth twitched with barely contained madness, her breaths ragged. She waited for her to cross the bonfire between them, but Bellatrix stood.
Escape.
She was disoriented, and it was excruciating even to move forward. The pain in her eye was like a migraine pounding behind her skull.
"Harry!" someone yelled. It sounded like Hermione.
No, no, no, no.
She took out her wand and whispered a Patronus charm, hoping that the Order would be on their way regardless. But she needed to send a sign that she was alive—not okay, but alive.
Lucius held his wand at Harry. Harry held the orb in his hand. She could only see him from behind and assumed none of them could see her well.
Eliza shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
"No!" Lucius let out a blood-curdling scream as his wand jumped out of his hand. Harry and the other kids–she recognized most, but not all –managed their way out of the grasps of the other Death Eaters.
Harry's eyes catch hers, and before he could open his mouth, Eliza grabbed his hand and they ran.
As they ran, Neville caused the orbs to fall into Death Eaters trying to pursue them.
"Well done!" Harry let out. "Where are we going?"
"That door!" Hermione pointed out.
"That doesn't look like the one we came in through," Eliza looked behind them. Which was a mistake. There were Death Eaters running after them, but some were limping.
"Why aren't they apparating?" Ron asked. "Wouldn't it be easier?"
Dolohov grabbed at the edge of Eliza's skirt, but Hermione hit the shelf behind him. The hourglasses cracked, and it fell onto Dolohov's head, turning him into a baby.
"Time Turners," Hermione realised. Eliza's lungs were already on fire from all the running.
"KEEP GOING!"
Another wave of lights bounced around the room, one of them hitting Neville. He crumpled to the floor, his face seemed to swell, his fingers growing in size.
Ginny and Eliza packed him, carried him on the shoulders, and kept running. There was no time to lose.
Luna opened the door, and they all fell to the ground one by one. Shortly before their faces could plant onto the floor, their fall stopped, landing them gently on the sand.
A tall stone doorway stood in the middle of the room. Whispers emitted from it, voices she could slowly distinguish. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but it enticed her to walk forward.
"Don't," she said loudly to the others. "Don't go near it."
"What is it?"
"We're in the Department of Mysteries, so how would I know?"
Dark shapes that formed themselves into the Death Eaters surrounded them. They were outnumbered, seven to twelve.
"Remember," she told the kids. "It took five death eaters to take down Gideon and Fabian Prewett."
Harry breathed heavily next to him,"I brought them here. I'm leading them to their death."
"Death is not the End, Harry," she assured him. It might not be reassuring, but to her, it was.
They battled.
With one less eye, her range of vision was distorted. She disarmed Nott, putting a jelly leg jinx on him.
"STUPEFY!" Neville stunned one of the Death Eaters that had gotten far too close for Eliza's taste. She used her elbow, knocking out Rabastan Lestrange the old-fashioned way.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PLAYING WITH," shouted Lucius. "DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY YOUR PARENTS DIED?"
"Don't listen!" she yelled out at Harry. She stumbled–Ron had stumbled into her. "It's not worth it!"
"The prophecy…" Lucius taunted. He held out a hand, direly hoping that Harry would hand it over to him.
Out of nowhere, Sirius slammed against Lucius Malfoy.
And he decked him.
"Get away from my godson!"
The Order finally arrived, and much of her adrenaline to survive dissipated.
"Harry, take the prophecy and the others, and go!" Sirius yelled out. "We'll take over from here."
Harry rushed with the prophecy in his hands. Before that, he yelled, "STUPEFY!" and down when Rodolphus.
"Nice one, Ja – Harry," Sirius called. Tonks wrestled with someone, and while she was aware the Order outnumbered the Death Eaters, she watched as Sirius ran towards Bellatrix.
Bellatrix laughed, and they duelled. They were an equal match, both willing to go far for the cause they believed in. An arm choked Eliza, and she found herself biting down on whomever's arm it was. The culprit yelled.
She punched Crabbe in the nose, and it made a sickening sound.
"Leave the muggle tactics to me."
Eliza spun out of Crabbe's reach, her wand raised as she deflected a curse fired by Rabastan Lestrange.
"Crucio!" Bellatrix screamed, sending the curse straight toward Neville. Sirius had stumbled slightly, giving her room to aid the others around her.
Eliza reacted on instinct, shouting, "Protego!" just in time. The shield shimmered into existence, deflecting Bellatrix's curse. The force sent her stumbling back, but she kept her stance firm.
Bellatrix's laugh echoed through the chamber. "Still fighting, wittle Lizzie? Shall I take the other eye as well?"
Eliza's vision blurred, the pain in her injured eye throbbing, but she refused to let it slow her down. She pivoted and shot a stunner at Jugson, sending him crashing into the wall.
"Confringo!" Harry yelled, sending a blasting curse toward Mulciber, who barely dodged the explosion that ripped through the floor.
"Keep moving!" Eliza shouted, ducking under a hex and retaliating with a disarming spell, sending McNair's wand spiralling out of his hand. "We can't get cornered!"
Across the room, Sirius was still duelling Bellatrix, their wands clashing with violent flashes of red and green. Harry's eyes darted between them, hesitation in his step.
"Harry, don't stop!" Eliza urged, pushing him forward with a firm hand. "Go!"
Behind them, more Death Eaters were closing in. Lucius, now wandless, shouted commands, his face twisted in fury. "Stop them! Don't let them leave with the prophecy!"
Eliza's mind raced. She gritted her teeth, blocking another curse from Travers, but the constant pressure was wearing them down.
Suddenly, from the far side of the room, a bright streak of red shot across the chamber. "Stupefy!" Tonks appeared from the shadows, taking down Mulciber with a stunning spell.
"Thought you could use a hand!" she shouted, her bright hair standing out in the darkness.
Eliza grinned through the pain. "Tonks, you're a sight for sore eyes!"
Together, they pushed forward, driving the Death Eaters back. Ginny joined them, sending jinxes that whizzed past their enemies, causing robes to catch fire and legs to buckle under jelly-leg curses.
As they fought, the air grew thicker with spells, and Eliza felt the room spinning from her injury. Bellatrix's cackles filled the air once again, taunting Sirius as they exchanged curse after curse.
Suddenly, Sirius shouted, "Expelliarmus!" His wand connected with Bellatrix's, sending her spinning off balance.
But Bellatrix recovered, her face twisting with fury.
The red light burst from her wand, and time seemed to slow. Eliza's heart stopped as Sirius turned, his eyes wide with surprise. The curse struck him square in the chest, and for a brief moment, everything was still. He was too close to the Veil. If he went through... she didn't know what would happen.
"No!" Eliza's scream ripped through the chamber and ran towards the Veil. "Confringo!"
Bellatrix's victorious laugh echoed in her ears, but Eliza's focus sharpened to a deadly point. She raised her wand, her voice low and steady despite the rage boiling inside. An explosion rocked the room, sending Bellatrix and several Death Eaters flying.
She reached him just as his hand was about to disappear and pulled him out. But the force of doing so left her tumbling, and instead of her, she was the one in the Veil.
The last thing she saw was Sirius' eyes looking at her in fright, the hex wearing off, and Harry screaming as he ran after Bellatrix Lestrange.
A/N: *hides behind a wall in case people throw tomatoes*
I was going to be kind and upload the next chapter as well, but we've got to pace ourselves. :3 It's like watching an episode of a TV show for a week.
Thank you so much to everyone who reached out and left a review. There was a guest reviewer who inquired if they could translate this into Russian. I would love to get back to you, so feel free to leave a PM! If anyone else is interested in translating my story into another language, please leave me a message, credit me, and also send me a link to the translated work. I'd love to see it in different languages.
See you next Sunday!