The Marauders: Year Four

Madness, Longbottom

Even with his ear ringing, Frank managed to push himself up from the ground, grabbing his wand from where Ali had dropped it. "Stop that, unhand her! Peter, what're you thinking!" Frank ran forward, aiming his wand for Peter -- and suddenly the wand flew out of his hand and across the street into Mopsus's outstretched palm.

"You won't be needing this."

Being wandless didn't stop Frank from attacking Pettigrew, intending to get Ali out of his grip as she cried, "Frank!... Frank! No, stop it, Peter. Frank!"

"Let her go! Let her go!" Frank yelled, grabbing at Peter's arms and trying to tug them from Ali...

"Incarcerous!" said Mopsus... and ropes flew forth from his wand, instantly coiling about Frank Longbottom so that his wrists and elbows were tied tightly behind his back, pulling his shoulders painfully tight. Taking a few swift steps, Mopsus grabbed hold of Frank's robes by his neck and jerked him away from Peter, his fingers closed tight about the fabric. "You've no idea the mess you're in," whispered Mopsus thickly into his good ear, "You've no idea what fates you've set in motion this night... Madness, Longbottom..."

"Frank!!" Ali was sobbing, trying to kick free of Peter's grasp as he forced her down the path, between thick brushes of undulating thorn brush. They reached the stair into the huge, looming mansion and Mopsus shoved Frank along behind them, keeping his wand against the space between Frank's shoulder blades, even as they entered the mansion.

"What is this place?" Frank choked on the thickness of the air within - it was heavily perfumed air, mixed with dust and age. The walls were dark green, the furniture all of the darkest, nearly-black wood. Silver objects lay about on shelves and tables. Nobody answered Frank's inquiry, but he knew that wherever they were, whoever's home this was, it was somebody pureblood, somebody dark.

They were guided into a hallway and Mopsus took the lead with Frank as Peter came up behind him, Ali still crying and kicking in a panicked desperation to get away, her mary-jane shoes scuffing and squealing on the dark hardwood flooring.

Ahead of them, there came crying... laughter, laughter from many people but not the joyful laughter of happiness, more the cruel laughter of dark amusement... and Frank started to resist walking forward as he became more and more afraid the closer they got to an open doorway off the hallway, where flickering light was shining out and flashes from spells being cast... but Mopsus hissed, "Go on, continue resisting, I'll kill you without a moment's hesitation. You're but a spare in this - remember that - and those are always the first to be killed..." His voice rasped lowly, and then grew even softer as he finished, "If you play your fates right, you will not die tonight."

And then he was jerked around and shoved into the parlor room the light was coming from, stumbling forward and ending on his knees, unable to catch his balance because of his hands being tied behind his back... He looked up... he was surrounded in a semi-circle of tall people in black hooded cloaks and masks that covered their faces - but their laughter ceased as one-by-one they all cast their eyes upon Frank...

Ali was suddenly shoved down to the floor as well so she, too, was on her knees and Mopsus whispered, "Incarcerous," and her arms were jerked back the same way as Frank's and she whimpered, tears streaking across her face.

There was an impossibly long pause - it seemed to Frank to last lifetimes.

"What is this?" came a hissing, cold voice from behind them.

"Tom," said Mopsus lowly, "I've brought you the Boy... and two to spare."

"So I see..." The voice was low and terrible and Ali closed her eyes, hating the voice. And there was a swishing of robes and something else - something heavy and scraping on the wood floor... and then a snake unlike any Frank had ever seen before had come slithering up from behind him, coming directly between him and Ali, and slowly collected its body before them, coiling and curving and looking at them with a long, flickering tongue...

Frank hated snakes. Hated them with a passion. His boggart had been a snake with thick fangs and a long hissy tongue and this snake was no better than that one, though he didn't see the fangs - well, not yet anyway...

And then the robes... and Frank's eyes travelled upward, over the lean form of the man before them... wearing grey wool pants and a matching vest... white shirt and a black tie that was neatly tucked into the vest... he had robes over his shoulders... but his face was something of a horror, a face that might've once been handsome but had since begun to get shallow and horrible and eyes that flickered somewhere between brown and feiry red...

Frank recognized him from the Daily Prophet.

Ali let out a small shriek of fear before resuming her sobs, "Please don't hurt us, please... please... We didn't mean to --"

Voldemort aimed his wand at Ali's face.

"NO!" Frank yelled, afraid he was about to kill her, but instead --

"Silencio!" Voldemort whispered and Ali was instantly silenced, choking on her words, even. He looked at Frank meaningfully, and Frank closed his mouth. He would need to be able to speak in order to attempt to bargain their way out of this, he realized, so he needed to retain that ability as long as possible. "Very good, you learn quickly," Voldemort hissed, then he looked at Mopsus. "What is the meaning of this?"

"They followed."

"Why didn't you stop them?" Voldemort demanded, "Did you not see that they would be there?!"

"Mopsus sees all," replied the Blind Seer.

Voldemort hissed unhappily, like an agitated cat, and spun on his heel to turn to look at Peter. He grinned, reaching forward and grabbing hold of Peter's elbow. His eyes were still unfocused as Voldemort tugged and yanked him to the center of the room. Frank looked up at him with worry, but Peter didn't struggle in the least, he just stood there as Voldemort roughly turned him, clutching his shoulders. "Lower our prisoner."

One of the masked men in the semi circle laughed... and Frank looked up to where Voldemort was looking and there in the ceiling, instead of a chandelier, was a black iron cage. The chains that held it aloft creaked as they lowered it before Voldemort... and Frank saw a woman... laying across the floor of the cage. The woman's face was caked with blood and tears... She barely had any strength left in her... she looked up, "...please..." she whispered, the word already on her lips before she'd seen who it was before her... "Peter! No..." she started to sob, "No... Peter..."

But he didn't react.

Voldemort leaned close to Peter's ear so that his chin was nearly resting on Peter's shoulder. "I know the imperius keeps you from reacting," he hissed, "But I also know that you're in there and you can see..." he tilted his head and drew away, laughing quietly as he switched sides - his motions fluid like the snake that ducked side-to-side before Frank and Ali, hissing. "It's your mummy there in my little cage, isn't it? Precious mummy..." Voldemort's voice tickled into Pettigrew's ear. "Alive. For now. Incredible, isn't it?"

Frank's eyes widened, remembering the night McGonagall had come to collect Pettigrew with the news...

Voldemort cackled quietly. "Honey, look upon your son... soon he will be your killer, as I have promised. But first... we have business to attend to."