The Girl who Survived (Fred Weasley)

CH 99. Surviving

I felt the warm enchanted water work it's magic at my most sore spots, tingling in the right way to rid any traces of Bellatrix's abuse from my skin. "Teely is required miss. All house elves are," she said before setting the pitcher back into the basin. "Is it True what all the black masks are saying? Is Miss Elodie Potter here to help he who must not be named?" She asked in a whisper, shaking slightly, as if she was afraid she may have overstepped.

I picked at my shin, dropping my head slightly. Trying to think of the right words to say. "My help isn't what anyone would seek," I said, as honestly as I could. "Are there wards on the doors, Teely?" I asked, looking at the door separating the washroom from the bedroom.

She turned to look at the door confused. "No ma'am. Miss Potter can move freely throughout Malfoy Manor. Madam Malfoy says you are a guest," She said and snapped her finger to summon a towel for me. "It's the property that remains under wards. This is the new Headquarters, their business demands it," She said a bit softer again, enchanting the towel out for me and she moved towards the door.

"How do you mean?" I asked, securing the towel around my body. I stepped out of the bathtub and followed her back to the room, seeing the spread of clothing they'd managed to fix for me on such short notice.

She began hunching over in pain, bending her neck to pinch her chin close to her chest. "Teely's said too much. Miss Potter wishes to leave, Master will not be pleased," She said and her face revealed that sure enough, by the strict Rules house elves had to follow, she thought she had told me something she shouldn't have.

"No, it's okay, Teely, really. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry," I asked as I dropped to my knees to be leveled with her line of sight. "I haven't spent time around house elves before. Please excuse me if I've overstepped in any way," I said, wanting to reassure her that if I was the reason behind her discomfort, I hadn't intended to be.

She stopped moving uncomfortably, looking at me with her huge brown eyes. "Miss Potter wishes to leave Malfoy Manor," She said. A statement, clear as day, not a question. "No one leaves this place Miss. You are home now."

And as I sat there on my knees, I couldn't help but wonder what she meant. I was able to walk amongst the grounds, but how strong were the wards that there would be no leaving. Was I truly stuck here as she was implying?

I dressed in a silky black dress that stopped just short of my knees. Deeney popped into the room as I had risen to my feet to inform us that the Malfoys made it clear that I would be joining them for dinner in the great room. And as such I needed to dress for the occasion. The dress resembled the same one I'd arrived in, only instead of being the deep green shade of a christmas tree, it now resembled the uniform all death eaters sported.

As I waited, I studied the room. There wasn't much too, keeping the style minimalistic. When I moved to the window, I noticed the grounds keeper ripping out bush after bush of white roses that had begun to turn ivory. I opened the window, meaning only to ask him to stop and treat them instead of killing them all together.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a lovely surprise," Theo Knot said, peeking from the side of the window where I'd assumed he'd been standing.

I looked at him confused, taken back that he was here at all, let alone standing outside of my window. Things were beginning to make less and less sense to me. If I was free to roam around, why was there a guard outside my window?

"Leave her alone Knott," I heard at the other side, turning to see Adrian Pucey.

I quickly shut the windows and closed the curtains, feeling uneasy at having the pair of them outside. Especially since I'd known the pair of them at school. While I wouldn't put it past Theo to follow in his fathers footsteps, the fact that they were so closely amongst the death eaters didn't sit well with me.