The Hogwarts Descendant

Chapter 31

Dahlia opened her eyes, and the sounds of tortured screams echoed around her, rebounding off of dark walls that surrounded her. Instantly she spun around, taking in her surroundings on high alert. She was in a hallway - a hallway she'd seen before. The black marble floors echoed the sounds of her barefoot steps as she began to run down the hallway, the muffled torture screams growing louder with each step. The marble floors were dark, the walls engraved with intricate designs. Strange torch brackets hung every few yards or so on the walls, a heatless flame dimly illuminating the hallway. Dahlia came to a stop at the end of the dimly lit hallway to find an ominous black door floating in midair.

Dahlia hesitated, her hand halfway out to reach for the handle. She could hear a man speaking inside, his voice angry and demanding. Moments later a toe curling shriek of pain reached her ears. The hair on her arms stood up, a chill running down her spine as the tortured scream ripped through the air. She stopped hesitating, throwing open the door to find herself facing an endless room. The room was full of shelves, floating around them in tight lines. Clear crystal orbs floated on the walls with brackets underneath them of various s. At the intersection of two rows were two men - one tied to a chair, writhing in pain, head thrown back in a scream. Another, ghastly pale, inhumane man stood behind him in billowing robes, wand outstretched

Dahlia's heart vaught in her chest. She'd seen the disformed man before, in the graveyard. Voldemort. Dahlia swallowed nervously, gripping her wand as she darted forward, desperate to help the unknown man in the chair when he turned and looked directly at her. The pale, scarred face of Sirius Black looked back at her, twisted in pain but simmering with fury. His dark eyes glistened with tears as another curse hit him. Just as Dahlia was about to reach them, her fingertips inches from his wrist, the world turned on its axis and disappeared in black smoke.

"Dahlia! Dahlia!" Someone was shaking her. Dahlia sat up straight, choking on the scream that left her throat. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her face deathly pale. She clasped onto the sturdy hands that were gripping her forearms, forcing her eyes to open.

Hermione was staring at her, tears falling down her cheeks. She looked like she'd seen a ghost - her hair was askew and her pajamas hanging off her shoulder.

"He's got Sirius," Dahlia rasped immediately, saying the first thing that came to mind, blinking slowly as she looked around her. She was back in her dorm room, still in her bed. Dahlia turned, gripping Hermione's wrists in a death grip. "Hermione -"

She was interrupted by thudding footsteps at the dormitory door. Ginny Weasley busted in, eyes wide, chest heaving. Her cheeks were flushed, and it appeared as though she was trying to refrain from crying.

"Ginny, what's -"

Dahlia didn't have time to wait to find out - she pushed Hermione aside, causing her to stumble and cutting off her words. Dahlia stormed to the door, body still shaking, yelling, "Harry! He's got Sirius!"

Ginny stared at her in shock as Dahlia pushed past her, "How do you know that?!"

Dahlia ignored her, whole body trembling as her feet padded down the cold steps of the stairs until she reached the warm common room. Harry was sitting in an armchair in front of the fire, Ron, Fred, George, and Neville stood directly around him, conversing heatedly. Dahlia pushed her way to the small group of people in the room, visibly shaking.

"Harry! Voldemort - I saw him. I don't know where but -" Dahlia's voice was shaking as she collapsed into Neville. Her words seemed to draw Harry out of his stupor. He jerked out of the chair, grabbing her forearms and forcing her to look into his eyes. "He has Sirius, Harry! Please, Voldemort -"

"You saw it?" he rasped, gripping her wrists so tightly she almost cried out. The desperation leaking off of him was palpable, his face was pale. Anguish shone in his eyes, his grief so transparent she gripped his arms back encouragingly.