Chapter Thirty One
Sarah didn't know what happened. One second they were walking out of the balding man's office, the next they'd been in a corridor lined with Quidditch posters. Her knees gave way, and the oaf tried angrily to pull her up again but her head was whirring. "What happened!" she stammered. "Where are we?"
She looked behind them and there was no sign of the office. No sign of Draco. Her stomach twisted in fear, he was supposed to come out and rescue her, it was all planned, there was nothing that could go wrong. "I thought you couldn't apparate in the Ministry?" she asked desperately. The man just yanked her arm until her legs had no choice but to walk.
"No questions," he grunted.
All the office doors were covered with memorabilia from different Quidditch teams, there were several Death Eaters hurrying about and most of them gave her suspicious looks as they rushed past. Sarah couldn't stop shaking. They were going to hurt her like last time, they would do...it would be....
The tears were falling silently down her face. She wanted to fight, she wanted to scream and tell them all they could go to Hell, but they'd taken her wand, and she was the smallest person she'd seen since they'd left the school. She didn't stand a chance.
Why didn't she listen to Draco? He'd begged her not to be the bait, but she'd been so stubborn. She would never wish Draco to be in danger, but he could have at least tried to punch his way out. All she had was a foul mouth.
Somebody screamed, and Sarah's insides flipped over so violently she was certain all the chocolate she'd eaten was going to come straight back up. They were hurting someone, it could be her next. "Please," she found her tiny voice whimpering. "Please, I don't know anything."
The big man said nothing, which scared her even more.
He threw open a door covered in paraphernalia for the Wigtown Wanderers, and Sarah had to give everything she had not to pass out. Bellatrix Lestrange was standing in an office whose contents had been pushed to the walls to clear a space on the floor. Sprawled on that floor, black and blue, blood running from his nose and mouth, was Sirius Black.
"Sirius!" screamed Sarah, unable to choke back the sob in her throat. Sirius managed to lift his head and smile through blood soaked teeth.
"Hi sweetie," he croaked. "Bells and I were just having a chat and a cuppa. You okay?"
Bellatrix, flicked her wand angrily and him, and he jerked over in a shower of scarlet droplets. Sarah was crying uncontrollably now.
"Stop it!" she screamed, ignoring the man's fingers digging into her arm. "He hasn't done anything, leave him alone!"
Bellatrix acted as if she hadn't said anything and looked straight at the oaf. "What's the meaning of this Mane, I told you I was not to be disturbed?"
The man, Mane, shoved Sarah to the floor, where she curled up on her knees. This woman was going to kill her in a fit of temper, just like that Death Eater back at Sirius' house. Mane explained what had happened when he'd gone back to the office and found only Sarah there, but she heard the words only faintly over the loud buzzing in her ears. She would never get home, she would never see her parents again, they would never know what happened to her.
Bellatrix swooped down and dragged her from the floor by her hair, causing her to cry out. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" bellowed Sirius, scrambling from the carpet, but Mane aimed a malevolent 'Crucio' at him and he went back down in a twist of limbs.
Bellatrix let her squirm for a bit whilst she studied her face carefully. "What's your name, little girl?" she whispered after a time.
"Sarah," she said, not bothering to lie. She couldn't see the point.
"Sarah," repeated Bellatrix slowly. "And why are you friends with someone like Potter, he'll get you in all kinds of trouble you know."
"He's the bravest person I ever met," spat Sarah, holding the back of her head to try and relieve some of the pain from the hair Bellatrix was pulling. Bellatrix laughed.
"Stupidest more like."
Sarah twisted, even though it hurt. "He managed to escape you without too much trouble," she shot back. Bellatrix's face darkened and she leaned in right up close to Sarah.
"And left all of you for me to play with," she whispered, curling her lip. "What a hero."
"Ms Lestrange!"
They all turned to look as two men skidded to a halt outside the door. They were soaking wet.
"Ms Lestrange!" said the shorter of the two again in a Welsh accent. "Potter, in the auditorium!"
"What?" she snapped, tightening her grip of Sarah's ponytail causing her to gasp but her heart was in her mouth. Was Harry here?
"He was hiding amongst the Ministry people," said the Welsh man, puffing up his chest. "We found him, but then he blew up that fountain with the elves on and it won't stop flooding."
Bellatrix looked at them as if she'd just been informed that London zoo had just been opened and the monkeys were chasing the giraffes if she'd like to see?
"Where is Potter?" she demanded, eyes wild, mouth hanging open.
"Well," said the man, "er, we er, lost him. Cuz of all the water."
Bellatrix flung Sarah to the ground but she barely felt the impact. Harry was here! He was okay, he was coming to her rescue! Sirius shuffled over to her and wrapped his arms protectively around her. The action startled her; this Sirius had only just met her. But she guessed from what Harry said he knew who she was, and she wasn't going to shake him off. Instead she gripped on to his arm and curled into his body, covering her clothes in his blood. "Hang in there," he whispered.
"You lost him!" screeched Bellatrix, and the two men flinched backwards. "Does water now make you invisible? Does it have magical teleportation properties I was unaware of!"
The two men glanced at each other. "Erm," said the taller with salt-and-pepper hair. "I don't think so boss."
She howled in rage and blasted them both off their feet, before turning her wand on Mane. "You!" she snarled. "Get double the guards on those brats, I won't risk him getting to them first."
The brute man Mane went the colour of old porridge. "Well, Ma'am, that's...that's what I came down here to tell you." He shuffled his feet and bit his chapped lips. "They ain't there anymore."
Bellatrix just stared at him. After a few moments of silence, Mane shuffled his feet again. "That girl, she said they escaped and left her behind because she was too little."
Bellatrix turned her head to Sarah, still cradled in Sirius' arms, and stared at her with wide, mad eyes. "Well?"
Sarah felt a irrational burst of courage run through her. Harry was here and he was going to rain down retribution on this evil woman. "They were hidden in the wardrobe," she boasted. "I just told him they were gone, so he left the door open when we left for them to just walk out."
The big man looked like he might pass out. "CRUCIO!" bellowed Bellatrix, and Sarah cried out and recoiled against her Godfather, but the spell was not for her. Mane crashed to the floor and began writhing about, yelling incomprehensibly in pain.
"IMBECILE!" raved Bellatrix. "Inbred morons, the lot of you!" She released Mane from the curse, and he lay panting and sweating on the floor. "Be gone from my sight before I tear your eyes out and make you eat them!"
The three men couldn't move fast enough to get away from the enraged woman, but that just left Sirius and Sarah alone with her. Suddenly Sarah didn't feel quite so brave.
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at the two of them. "See," she said, petulantly. "Stupid. What kind of idiot would walk into his enemy's stronghold? Now you're all just going to die."
Sarah felt her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Maybe you're the one who's going to die," she breathed. Bellatrix flung her arm back to cast a spell, but a voice made her pause.
"Bellatrix?" it said, timidly. "Our Master has a message for you." Bellatrix immediately dropped her arm. Sarah's stomach dropped as Peter Pettigrew walked into the room.
She felt Sirius tense behind her too. "Hello Wormtail," he snarled. Pettigrew glanced shiftily at his old friend, then brought his eyes guiltily back to the floor. One of his arms was transparent and glowing bright blue.
"The Dark Lord has asked for the prisoners to be relocated to Courtroom Ten. Except...except for her." Sarah felt something cold slide down her as her former Godfather indicated her with a nod of the head. Bellatrix, swung back around and glowered at her.
"Her?" she said, curious.
Pettigrew nodded. "He wants to know...if she's the one?"
The one? The one what? Sarah couldn't help the panic rising in her throat. "Fine," snapped Bellatrix. "You take Black, I know how much you two enjoy each other's company."
Pettigrew paled but nodded as Bellatrix waved her wand and blew Sirius and Sarah out of each others' arms, before binding each of their hands together. Sirius made to body slam into Pettigrew, but he blasted him with a curse that knocked him off his feet. Pettigrew stepped backwards into the corridor, wand still pointed at Sirius in his shaking, human hand.
"Nott," he called out, "Miller, Robinson, come and help here." Three burly men came into the room, and were soon hauling the dazed Sirius off the floor. Sarah could only cower on the carpet and watch.
"Be strong," he told her, spitting out blood as they dragged him away. Sarah found she was shaking again. She hoped Sirius and the others would be okay, but it was herself she couldn't help but fear for now.
Not Voldemort, she pleaded silently. Not him.
She went with Bellatrix without a fuss, not seeing any way she could possibly escape and deciding to conserve her energy. It looked like the were going to walk through into another office, but as they crossed the threshold Sarah's vision blurred, and once more they ended up in a completely different department. The sign on the wall read 'Floo Network Authority', and there were decidedly less Quidditch posters on the walls. They must have shifted levels again, but how?
Bellatrix marched her through deserted corridors until they arrived in a large conference room with portraits of former Heads of the Department lining the walls. There was a long, mahogany table sat gleaming in the centre of the room, and on the floor was a rich red carpet. The former Department Heads looked less than happy. Sarah wasn't surprised, as standing by the fireplace with his hands behind his back was none other than Lord Voldemort.
He turned and smiled as Bellatrix flung herself to the floor in a disgusting display of reverence. Sarah just stood there, too frightened to do anything else. "Good evening young lady," said Voldemort, his voice as smooth as glass.
Sarah shifted her feet. "Hi," she said, jaw clenching. He studied her, making her feel very uncomfortable.
"You are," he said thoughtfully. "A long way from home."
A wave of panic crashed inside Sarah. What did he mean? Her mouth got the better of her though before she could think. "Yeah," she snapped, "because you kidnapped me."
Bellatrix leapt to her feet and smacked the back of Sarah's head, but Voldemort just chuckled softly to himself. "What is your name?"
Sarah licked her lips. "Sarah," she said as calmly as she could muster.
"Sarah what?"
She'd been prepared for this. "Jones," she said without a moment's pause.
Voldemort tilted his head. "Try again."
She tried not to let her fear show. "What do you mean, that's my name."
Voldemort began walking slowly towards her and Bellatrix, and she would have stepped back except Bellatrix had a hold of her shoulder. The rope bindings were chafing uncomfortably on her wrists, but she fidgeted at them anyway.
"There is no student by that name registered at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He stopped a few feet in front of her and looked her up and down.
"That's not my fault," she said, aware of Bellatrix's nails scratching her through her clothes. "I was home schooled until this year, I only just started, my records are probably too new."
Voldemort laughed again. "So much spirit," he said, shaking his head. "Just like your brother."
Sarah froze. She then tried to shake it off. "I don't have a brother," she told him flippantly.
"Not in this world, anyway."
She couldn't help it. She just stared at the snake-like man standing before her. How could he know, how could he possibly know?
"I think I'm going to have use of you later," he said pleasantly. "And all this time I thought it was young Harry we wanted." He turned his head to Bellatrix. "Please see that she is kept comfortable. Sarah Potter is now our honoured guest."