xli. THE MALFOY MANOR
The snatchers, along with Stella and the golden trio apperated in front of the malfoy manor. Harry was held by his hair as the snatcher shoved his head near the railings of the grand gate, on other side of which was Bellatrix.
The snatcher pushed aside Harry's hair that fell on his forehead to reveal a barely visible scar. Stella's eyes went wide in shock until it stopped at Bellatrix who was grinning evil at her.
Stella looked away, clearing her throat as they were pushed inside, to the Manor.
Once inside, Bellatrix held Harry by his pair causing him to let out a whimper in pain.
Draco looked over at Stella with a look which could clearly be read as 'where the fuck were you'
"Well." Bellatrix whispered as Lucius Malfoy pushed Draco in front of Harry.
"Well, Draco?" said Lucius Malfoy. He sounded avid.
"Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"
"No he isn't!" Stella butted in, loosing her patience,"I mean... look at this bloke's face. Harry Potter doesn't-"
"We'll come back to that later dear." Rasped Bellatrix, shooting daggers at Stella.
"I can't, I can't be sure," said Draco. He was keeping his distance and seemed as scared of looking at Harry as Harry was of looking at him.
"But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!" Lucius encouraged.
Hesitantly, Draco took a step ahead but stopped in between and shook his head as a no.
"Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiven." Lucius whispered, keeping his hands around Draco's neck.
"Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope Mr. Malfoy?" Greyback said menacingly.
"You dare to talk to me like that in my own house!" Lucius's tone got louder and louder with each word. Narcissa kneeled down besides his husband and gestured him to keep quiet before dragging him away from her son.
" What did you do to him?" Malfoy asked.
"How did he get into this state?" Bellatrix questioned, looking at Greyback and Scabior.
"That wasn't us."
"Looks more like a Stinging Jinx to me," said Bellatrix.
"Draco, come here, look properly! What do you think?" Bellatrix asked, leading Draco towards Harry.
Draco's expression was full of reluctance, even fear.
"Give me her wand." Stella heard Bellatrix,"Let me see what her last spell was."
"I don't know." Was all Draco said before standing besides Stella who wasn't ready to meet his eyes.
"What's that?" Bellatrix gasped when she saw the sword in one of the snatcher's hand.
"It was in her bag when we found her." The snatcher replied, pointing at Hermione,"Reckon it's mine now."
Bellatrix pointed her wand at the snatcher, taking him by surprise as she attacked him. There was a roar of anger from the snatcher's fellows as they drew out their wands.
"Are you mad?" The snatcher whose neck was now wrapped around with a black, slitting rope like thing. Bellatrix rolled him over with one of her hands holding the Gryffindor's sword securely.
"Get out!" Bellatrix screamed at the snatchers,"Get out!"
The snatchers, along with Grey back scampered out of the room as Bellatrix grabbed Ron by his collar and threw him towards Harry.
"Put the boys in the cellar." Narcissa dragged Ron away while Harry was held by Peter Pettigrew,"I want to have a conversation with this one."
Bellatrix pushed Hermione on the floor, quickly getting on top of her and Stella instantly knew what was coming next as she stumbled back, her breathing getting heavier.
"W-What are you doing?" Stella croaked out, tears blurring her visions.
"Interrogating." Bellatrix answered before leaning down closer to Hermione's face and hissed,"This sword is meant to be in my vault at Gringotts. How did you get it?"
Sobs left Hermione's lips causing Stella to stop herself from crying as all the cruel memories of the day came running inside her mind.
"Did you and your friends got this from my vault?!" Screamed Bellatrix.
"I... don't....know." Hermione sobbed,"I..didn't take anything."
An ear splitting scream left Hermione's mouth as she was being tortured with the cruciatus curse.
"No." Stella sobbed, clasping her hands over her mouth as she saw the words MUDBLOOD etching on Hermione's wrist.
"How did you get into my vault?" Stella heard Bellatrix scream. "Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?"
"We only met him tonight!" Hermione sobbed. "We've never been inside your vault.... It isn't the real sword! It's a copy, just a copy!"
"A copy?" screeched Bellatrix. "Oh, a likely story!"
"But we can find out easily!" came Lucius's voice. "Pettigrew, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!"
The goblin was dragged to Bellatrix.
"I'm only going to ask you once more goblin." Warned Bellatrix,"think of very carefully before you answer."
"I don't know." Came Goblin's reply.
"You don't know?" Bellatrix repeated, circling around the goblin,"Who got into my vault? Who stole it?"
"When I was last in your vault, the sword was there." Goblin answered.
"oh perhaps. It just walked out on its own then." Bellatrix sassed.
"There's no place safer than Gringotts." The goblin claimed.
"Liar!" Bellatrix screamed,"Consider yourself luck goblin."
With that shs got up and glanced down at Hermione who was laying down on the floor,"Well the same can't be said for this one."
Suddenly, Ron sprang in front of Stella's eyes, throwing a spell towards Bellatrix who blocked it. Lucius was sent flying away by Harry's spell while Stella stumbled back. There was a short duel between Harry and Draco resulting in Draco being disarmed.
"Stop!" Panted Bellatrix, holding her short silver knife to Hermione's throat,"Drop your wands."
None of the two dropped their wands.
"I said drop them!"
Ron and Harry reluctantly dropped their wands.
"Take them Draco, now!" Ordered Bellatrix as Draco picked up their wands.
"Well Well." Rasped Bellatrix,"Look what do we have here? Is it Harry Potter?"
Stella's eyes widened in fear as she turned her head to find Harry's face perfectly normal.
"He's all bright, shiny and new again." Bellatrix continued,"Just in time to the dark Lord. Call him! Call him!"
Lucius made his way in the front, pulling up his sleeves when there was a creaking sound causing Stella to look up at the chandelier hanging above Bellatrix and Hermione.
Dobby loosened the nuts as the chandelier started falling down causing Bellatrix to throw Hermione in the front and she backed away. Ron caught Hermione in his arms as the chandelier fell down and broke.
Harry leapt towards Draco and wrestled the wand out of Draco's grip.
"Stupid elf!" Bellatrix shrieked as Harry and his friends move on the other side, standing close to one another,"You could have killed me!"
"Dobby never wanted to kill anyone." the elf exclaimed,"Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure."
Narcissa raised her wand but before she could do anything, Dobby snapped his fingers causing Narcissa's wand to fly out of her grip.
"How dare you take a witch's wand?" Roared Bellatrix,"How dare you defy your masters?"
"Dobby has no master." Dobby spoke with a very stern tone,"Dobby is a free elf and Dobby has came to save Harry Potter and his friends.
Bellatrix threw the knife towards Dobby on the way he was disapperating.
Once they were out of sight, Stella dropped on the floor, bawling her eyes out. She was left alone, once again.
The Malfoy Manor went quiet and cold soon after Harry Potter escaped. The people standing there, utterly shocked, knew what was coming next. To say that they were scared would be an understatement.
The death eaters broke out in a cold sweat as the wind outside began picking up pace. The sky grew darker than it was before. Stella scooted closer to the wall which was now hitting her back.
Others lowered their head as some footsteps could be heard in a distance.
Slithering of the snake caused Stella to look up to find Voldemort walking towards them with the snake. He walked through the aisles of the dead bodies.
"The boy has discovered our secret Nagini." Voldemort spoke in Parseltongue.
Stella's eyes went wide in shock as she realised that she is able to understand the language. That meant that she was the heir of slytherin but Voldemort never used her.
The reason was that he wasn't willing to put her in danger when she was just twelve ; not out of mercy but to use her in the future.
"It makes us vulnerable." Voldemort hissed,"we must deploy all our forces now to find him." He then glanced down at the snake,"And you my friend, must stay close."
A confused expression etched on Stella's face as she stared at the snake wondering why the snake is so dear to Voldemort.
Is she one of the horcrux? Stella wondered.
"Get up." Voldemort hissed, grabbing Stella by her hair causing her to whimper in pain. He dragged her away from others and pushed her to the wall.
He pointed his wand at Stella's head causing her to shut her eyes tightly. But Voldemort didn't kill her ; he knew he couldn't, for her blood was something extraordinary and rare.
"It's nice to know that you're back." Voldemort smiled evilly, his eyes burning with rage,"But that doesn't means that you'll be able to secretly help the boy out. If you try once more, I'll make sure that this would be the last time we are having a talk. Do you understand me?"
Stella looked down at her lap, tears prickling her eyes.
"Do you understand me?" Roared Voldemort.
"Y-Yes." Whimpered Stella.
"Good." Voldemort smiled satisfyingly,"You'll be accompanying Draco to Hogwarts and if, by any chance, you find the boy, you bring him straight to me."
He turned around, the snake following him but stopped in between.
"And." Voldemort warned,"If you dare to defy my orders again, I hope you know the consequences."
With that, the dark lord disappeared out of Stella's sight and she let out a shaky breath in relief. Few minutes passed but Stella didn't budge from her spot instead she kept her head on her knees, wiping her tears every now and then.
"ella?"
Draco looked around for any sign of the dark lord and when he could find nothing, he knelt down besides Stella.
"Did he hurt you again?" Draco croaked out, trying to look at Stella's face but she buried it in her knees.
"No." Stella whispered,"But I'm used to it. And he wants me to accompany you to Hogwarts."
"Why? All of a sudden?"
"So that if Harry visits Hogwarts, I can drag him to the dark Lord."
"And you're going to do as he says." Draco said causing Stella to shake her head furiously.
"No!"
"Why? Just to save Potter?" Draco sneered,"How many times are you going to save him by risking your own life? He didn't even glance once at you ella! He didn't even try to take you with him when he very well knows the consequences."
"That's not the reason." Stella scowled,"I won't follow the dark lord's orders because what he's doing is wrong, so wrong! I ain't defying his orders to save Harry! I am just standing by what is right. My mother tried to ran away so that I stay away from this filthy mess! She got killed because she was trying to save me! She would never have wanted me to follow the dark lord."
Draco let out a tired sigh and sat down besides Stella before asking," Where did you go?"
"I ran away." Stella non chalantly replied, her voice holding no emotion.
"Why? I mean how?"
"Michael helped me. This place was killing me from inside. It was pure torture." Stella sighed, still not telling him about the prophecy,"I knew I had to get away but it all went wrong when you know who caught us and he......"
"He what?" Draco raised one of his brows.
"He killed Michael." Stella whispered the last part.
Draco gasped, his eyes going wide with fear.
"W... What about you?"
"I succeeded in running away." Stella answered,"Harry and Hermione found me. It was all well until the snatchers caught us and brought us here."
Nobody spoke after that, the thin silence lingering around the two scared souls. Stella's eyes were dry, there were no tears falling down when all she wanted was to cry and let out all the emotions building inside her.
"Why didn't you tell them it was Harry?" Stella asked out of nowhere startling Draco.
"I.... er...." Draco stuttered,"I d-didn't know it was Potter."
"Who are you even lying to?" Stella laughed bitterly,"I know you recognised him."
"I didn't want to be the reason of his death." Draco admitted.
Stella looked up at the sky visible through the large window to find clouds clearing away from the sky but the sun still wasn't visible. It was dark, just like her coming future.