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xxxvi. THIRTY-SIX
BELLATRIX'S BLISS
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AS THEY LEFT the tower, the Death Eaters were greeted by several Aurors, a few professors and even less students, all of whom surrounded the staircase that lead to the Astronomy tower. Despite the chaos that was erupting around her, Melora plunged straight into battle. Her first spell hit an Auror who's name she didn't know, which triggered the rest of the fights and duels to unravel.
It only took a few moments for two members of her side to crash to the ground, with one still, lifeless, and cold. First was the man who was referred to as Gibbon - killed by Thorfinn's awful aim, as the Killing Curse struck him straight in the chest. And the man who remained alive was Yaxley. He slumped down the floor, presumably stunned, and Melora watched in shock as Harry Potter then hurried out from where she had been only moments before. She was almost postive that he had not been present in the room at the time.
Her side had gone a little wild during the battle, as spells were being fired in all directions, and there were casualties surrounding her. Not only had two Death Eaters fallen, but Bill Weasley was leaning against a wall, gashes and scratches smothering his face as he dealt with the werewolf attack. Fenrir Greyback had been blasted backwards by Harry, and Melora watched, stunned, as the boy then went on to jinx Amycus Carrow in order to assist Ginny Weasley. As Melora glanced over, she noticed Tonks was duelling Atlanta, and Thorfinn was hurrying over, wand raised, prepared to join the fight.
"Expelliarmus!" she muttered at him, which sent his wand flying from his grip, eventually finding its place in her hand. She tossed it aside, not wanting anything to do with it. She would not interfere, and whatever happened between her newest friend and cousin was up to them.
She was then allowed to follow after Snape, Draco and her mother as the four of them fleed from the battle in the seventh floor, heading down the staircases quickly before any of them could switch. It was only part of their route of escaping, but the four of them stopped at the Great Hall. Melora was left to watch in shock as her mother then stood up on the Gryffindor table, kicking plates, glasses and cutlery, and sending them crashing into the wall, shards of china and glass clattering to the floor.
As the destruction of the Gryffindor table continued, both Melora, Snape and Draco watched, unimpressed, as the Death Eater before them threw and kicked the tableware off of the surface. No magic was involved. Perhaps it was to demonstrate her hatred for the house. Or perhaps it was plainly because it provided more thrill.
It didn't take long for Harry Potter to find them, however. Once Bellatrix used a spell to cause all of the windows to shatter and the candles to be extinguished, she turned around to destroy the hourglass that contained all of Gryffindor's points for the year. But Harry had arrived before it could actually occur. Melora watched as her mother hopped down from the top of table rather casually, before she and the other three began fleeing again. Harry seemed to be closer to them now, and as they reached the grounds, they noticed the other Death Eaters were already there, and Rubeus Hagrid was desperately trying to stop them from escaping.
It only took a moment for another sharp reaction to come from her mother. In one quick movement, the hut that belonged to the half-giant was set ablaze, crackling away as the flames engulfed the home and all of its contents. Harry was only avenging Dumbledore. He only wanted to hurt Snape, it seemed.
As she turned around, she noticed the Carrows behind the boy, who then cursed him. He rolled over almost as soon as he had hit the ground, jinxing them both, before he struggled back up to his feet. The other Death Eaters were still fleeing the castle, and running from the Aurors who could potentially send them on their way to Azkaban. Melora found Atlanta in the large crowd, and hurried after her, not even bothering to check what was happening behind her.
"You're not dead then," Atlanta commented as they neared the gates out of Hogwarts.
"No," she replied. "Tonks didn't kill you, either."
"Nearly, but no," Atlanta laughed as she shook her head. The gates approached them quickly, and as they entered the zone in which they were again free to Apparate, Atlanta turned to her, and smiled. "I'm guessing I'll see you soon, Lestrange."
Atlanta disappeared in a second, not waiting for a response. Bellatrix had been further ahead than Melora, and had already left the scene. It seemed as though Atlanta was proving to be more and more trustworthy as time went on. Not only did she stick to her word and try to stay by Melora whenever she was able to, but she also told the truth when she had mentioned how Bellatrix would not be around during these tasks.
Melora Apparated back to Malfoy Manor. Since the process had become so regular for her now, she never felt as though she were being suffocated so threateningly anymore, like she had done when she first attempted it. Instead, the throttling was a constant force that came from the pressures of her home, family, and life. She could try to escape; she would love to. But there wasn't exactly a possible way for her to do so without being disowned, and the shame that came with that action was far too heavy for her to bear.
But she couldn't escape anymore. She'd done too much. And no way would anyone on the good side of the war take her back. Melora Lestrange was evil.
