Hey Freddie

Harry's Escape

"I know 'e's swollen, ma'am, but it's 'im!" Piped up Scabior. "If you look a bit closer, you'll see 'is scar. And this 'ere, see the girl? The Mudblood who's been traveling around with 'im, ma'am. There's no doubt it's 'im, and we've got 'is wand as well! 'Ere, ma'am -"

Narcissa bent down and squinted at Harry's distorted face.

"Bring them in," she said.

Harry and the others were shoved and kicked up broad stone steps into a hallway lined with portraits.

"Follow me," said Narcissa, leading the way across the hall. "My son, Draco, is home for his Easter holidays. If that is Harry Potter, he will know, and Y/n here happened to be a member of the order before joining, so we can get two expert opinions."

The drawing room dazzled after the darkness outside; if it had not been for the circumstances, I would think I'd have felt at ease. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, more portraits against the dark purple walls. Two figures rose from chairs in front of an ornate marble fireplace as the prisoners were forced into the room by the Snatchers.

"What's this?" Drawled Lucius, and Draco looked panicked next to him.

"They say they've got Potter," said Narcissa's cold voice. "Draco, come here."

Greyback forced the prisoners to turn again so as to place Harry directly beneath the chandelier.

"Cheshire?" Greyback rasped.

"I really can't be sure, but I don't think that's him." I said, knowing that this conversation could get me killed, and praying Draco would lie as well.

"Well, Draco?" said Lucius Malfoy. He sounded avid. "Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"

"I can't - I can't be sure," said Draco, shooting me a frightened glance. He was keeping his distance from Greyback, and seemed as scared of looking at Harry as Harry was of looking at him.

"But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!"

Harry had never heard Lucius Malfoy so excited.

"Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiv -"

"Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mr. Malfoy?" said Greyback menacingly.

"Of course not, of course not!" said Lucius impatiently, approaching Harry to examine him himself.

"What did you do to him?" Lucius asked Greyback. "How did he get into this state?"

"That wasn't us."

"Looks more like a Stinging Jinx to me," said Lucius.

His gray eyes raked Harry's forehead.

"There's something there," he whispered, "it could be the scar, stretched tight. . . . Draco, Y/n, come here, look properly! What do you think?"

Draco's expression was full of reluctance, even fear.

"I don't know," he said, and he walked away toward the fireplace where his mother stood watching.