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Ethaline knew she was going to have fun when she spit in Bellatrix's face.
"Oh dear," Ethaline said with a smug smile, "Got a little something on your face."
Bellatrix trembled with fury, her jaw clenched down so hard Hermione feared she'd witness the woman die of anger before she was hurt. Bellatrix wiped it harshly, her hands shaking as she held her wand, "I know what you're doing."
Ethaline raised an eyebrow, leaning down on the ground comfortably, "Go on then," she shrugged, "Give it your best shot. I don't want to let your brain strain go to waste, I can see it turning to form the simplest of theories even a child could do it."
Bellatrix only chuckled lightly and waved her wand at them, "You're predictable."
Ethaline's face faltered as Bellatrix aimed the wand at Hermione, "As I said before you have no shortage of loved ones. The girl here is proof. Surely you can figure out how this will go by yourself."
Hermione paled as she realized what was about to happen as Ethaline shook her head rapidly, "Bella—"
"Crucio!"
Hermione's screams rang throughout the hall, startling the Nalfoy family just behind the door as Roma md Harry yelled in anger in frustration to be let go.
"I'll ask this one time," Bellatrix snarled, her face inches away from Hermione as she held her down, "Where did you get the sword?!"
Hermione whimpered, unable to form a coherent sentence as Ethaline called her name, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you anything you want just stop. Let her go—"
Bellatrix turned to face her, a sinister smile on her lips that made her look retrying and demonic like it took the blonde back by surprise. "Please!" Ethaline yelled in desperation.
Her aunt could see the desperation in her eyes making her feel powerful, now they were playing. She carefully started to climb off Hermione, her wand tapping Hermione's arm. The brunette frowned, feeling a sticky and firey sensation in her arm before it became more intense. Ethaline's eyes widdened in worry, "Hermione what's wrong?"
Hermione only whimpered, jher eyes filling with tears again, "Hermione!" Ethaline snapped her gaze to Bellatrix, "What are you doing?! I thought we had a deal!"
"We do," Bellatrix cooed as she began to slowly carve letters. "I just have to remind you who you're dealing with and this will also serve to remind you that I am not to be meddled with. Your sharp tongue and inability to stay in a cell is the cause—" Bellatrix snapped her gaze towards Ethaline.
"In other words this is your fault."
Hermione's screams rang throughout the loveless mansion, the boys fighting with every ounce they had to try and get out when a low tumbling was heard. Harry's heart quickened with every passing second as he used his head instead of his hands when Dobby aparated into the room.
Instantly he told Dobby what to do, his hands shaking as he gave orders and waited for the elf to return. Once he did, Harry and Ron broke out of the cell and stumbled upon the stairs with Wormtails' wand. They crouched below for a second, timing their entire car and when they heard a loud boom they stormed in.
However a rush of heat was met the two boys and they cowered behind the walls again as fire tried to reach them but stopped only inches away. "Explosion." Ron muttered worriedly as they tried to see.
Once the dust settled and they could see they ran back out and stopped dead in their tracks as they watched a long strand of fire—as in the thing dragons breathe—exiting the palm of Ethalinemd hand while her eyes shone a bright redbuou'd misgake them for a dragon's.
A man's aginied screams brought Harry out of his trance before he noticed the man burning while Bellatrix held Hermione at wand-point. "Let her go," Ethaline said slowly, not a single ounce of emotion in her tone, "Or I'll blow this Manor down before you could even mutter the spell."
The Malfoy family held the wit Wanda out, not particularly sure what they were going to do with them as fire surrounded them and prevented them from moving. Draco tried not to look over towards the couple dead bodies burned to dust and held his gaze ahead and at the painting they kept covered of Ethaline.
Bellatrix knew she was out numbered, the most she moved the more the fire towards her inches slowly—waiting to swallow her whole and devour her painfully. "How are you doing this?" Lucius choked out, his face full of what Ethaline could only identify as shock—perhaps a bit of awe and regret.
Ethaline didn't respond, not know how or why she able to produce scortchimg flames but she felt like she had unlocked something with in her. A relief washed over her as she reached for her true potential.
"Let her go," Ron said, liking the odds of the situation.
Bellatrix inhaled sharply, knowing she wasn't going to win that fight but she didn't let her go. Not until she heard something coming from above.
A small squeak took them all by surprise as the tension finished slightly and they looked up. There they saw Dobby with a small smile as he unscrewed the chandelier and not even a second later it began to fall.
Ron leaped forward as Bellatrix leaped back in sururosie to get Hermione while Harry rushed to grab anyone he could. Ethaline for a split moment turned to her family, and watched as their face softened. The blonde was quick to realize their emotions, her heart racing as she thought of what to do next.
Having no time to decide they all made their way towards the back of the wall with Dobby in the middle. "You stupid Elf!" Bellatrix screamed, "You could have killed me."
The little elf frowned as if the statement insulted him, "Dobby never mean to kill! Dobby only meant to Maine or seriously injure!" His little voice squeaked out as he guarded them the best he could.
Meanwhile Ethaline tried to out out the fire in her hands, a little scared that she didn't know how to control it let alone use it. It just came to her when she needed it and now she needed to put it away before she lit someone's hair on fire.
"Dobby is a free elf! And he will not let you hurt Lady Malfoy!" Dobby cried out in defense, making Ethaline look up from her hands with a proud smile, forgetting for a moment of what was going on.
Death Sayers began to surround them making Ethaline hold her hands up, unsure of what to do before she tried hard to summon something in front of her and felt the fire corse through her veins before it splurged out of her hands and towards them. They capacities instantly and left a pile of dust which I I custard a fight between the two groups.
In their last seconds at the manor Ethakine saw Draco cowering in the corner only a few feet away from her and in the spur of the moment she reached over and yanked him just as they apparated out with Dobby.
Draco yelped, landing on his knees before he panicked and looked around. He felt his hands shake slightly as his eyes widened and he took in the scenery in front of him. Mountains and hills littered with yellow flowers—dandelions, the older twin concluded as he looked up at the sky and saw the dark clouds filled with rain.
He then scrunched his face up before he realized what occurred. "Fucking Florence." He muttered angrily, or that's what he thought, as he trudged through the fields and tried to find his twin.
His pace finished slightly when he heard soft cries, familiar cries that room him back to when he was a child. Genuine cries and not staged ones from his twin which raised panic within him. Was she hurt? He ran to her and saw her doubled over a body.
"Hang on Dobby," Ethaline cried quietly as she held her hand, "Juet hand on while we get some help."
Harry's eyes were filled with tears, a grim look on his face as he placed a hand on Ethaline's. He glanced back towards his friends and saw them look down in regret. All of their belongings, excluding the Seord of Gryffindor, was gone. With that was Hermione's pouch which she no longer held.
Ron was the first to notice Draco, immediately grabbing his wand and aiming it at the blonde. Draco only scowled at him, his own eyes watering as he ignored the wand as Dobby called his name. "Master Draco?"
Ethaline stiffled a cry, her heart breaking as she looked up at Draco who had his jaw clenched to avoid the tears. Draco looked to be battling within himself internally and finally relaxed his shoulders and face before he kneeled next to the elf. Dobby smiled slightly, "Master Draco, Lady Ethaline and Harry Potter are friends now." The elf squeaked quietly.
It wasn't true, it was a start.
Draco had set aside whatever was making him angry and everything else in between—everything regarding his parents and the war as he kneeled in front of the house elf that became his friend. "Not likely Donny," Draco muttered, "Buts it's good to hear your foolish words."
Dobby smiled, "Dobby hopes...Master Draco will do what's right and protect his twin." He said quietly, his chest rising even slower which made Ethaline choke back a sob.
"And what of me Dobby?" Ethaline cried out quietly, "Draco gives you a bit of attention and suddenly I'm no one," she teased quietly as Harry held her hand.
Dobby smiled weakly, "Dobby knows that you are everything but no one," he muttered quirkily as he took his final breaths, "Dobby is happy to be here with friends..."
Ethaline stood up as soon as he began to take his last breath, unable to see any more death as Harry sprung to his feet and held her tightly, his own eyes watering and fogging his glasses as she cried into his chest.
Stage one of Greiving, Sadness.
Stage two: anger.
Ethaline felt an anger course through her as something ignited within. She tore away from Harry and snapped at the sound of Draco's sniffled from a few feet below as he continued to hold Dobby's hand. "This is all your fault." And choked out angrily.
Draco snapped his gaze upwards, the pale skin around his eyes becoming red as he clenched his jaw, "any fault?!"
"Had you spoken up—done soemthing or anything to held us Bellatrix wouldn't have thrown the dagger!" Ethaline said, not evening thinking of the logic as she didn't care if it made sense she just needed to get it out.
"Are you mentally incapable of accepting your own faults!" Draco said, matching her tone as he stood up. His black suit littered lightly with dirt as his dress shoes also became dirty. "You dragged him into this—"
Ron and Hermione lowered their sands, if they were going to hash it out then and there then they wouldn't need to intervene. Ethaline would swallow him while without batting and eyelash or even wrinkling her robes.
"No he saw the opportunity to right things and he took them instead of being a coward like you pretending you're a dark suited prince locked in a tower because your parents are controlling!" She snarled, the tears drying.
"Is that why I'm here?! You saw the opportunity to save me to add to your pathetic chart you and Potter probably have to keep track?!"
"No!" Ethakine yelled, her eyes flashing red, "I brought you here to free you—because you're my brother and I would never hurt you!"
Draco's face softened at the revelation. The park had been warring for years it was easy to forget that before that they shared toys and swapped stories or snuck into each other's rooms at night to play games. They had forgotten that they shared meals together as well as laughs and pranks towards their parents.
Ethaline sniffled, "What you do with that freedom is up to you," she muttered as Harry glanced back at the others who were highly entertained and rolled his eyes.
"What do you mean?" Draco muttered lowly as he glanced around and the words sat within him. What you do with that freedom is up to you.
"It means I'm going to give Dobby a proper burial with my friends and you're going to stay out of my way because I am in no mood to argue with you again and I might do something we'll both regret." She spat before pushing past him.
Harry glared at Draco, "Don't do anything you'll regret." Harry said, referring to trying to hurt them before he followed after the girl.
Ron and Hermione glared at Draco as well before he made sure Hermione was okay by checking her wounds and examining the mark on her arm. They were all exhausted and didn't even want to begin asking quiestions abo if what had happened at the Manor so they stayed silent.
Draco sat by a nearby rock, the death of Dobby weighing hard as he though about his next move. He could tell on them, use the information and apparate out of there. But did he really want to go back? He had spent months in his room coped with with books upping books on filthy muggleborns the Ministry produced as his family worked downstairs.
He could see it, Draco thought, he could see the look in his father's eyes whenever he executed one of the Dark Lord's commands.
His heart—or the little morals he has left—wasn't in it anymore.
Not because Lucius cared about muggles, but because of how much the rise in stays and the war had cost him. The man was exhausted, all he wanted to do was be able to see his daughter without the disgusted look on her face.
Draco knew deep down he didn't agree, how could he? The school he went to made him mingle with the lot that even he knew their truly wasn't anything wrong with them. He beleiebed it was the luck of the draw when they had inherited magic from a dry line. Why? He would ask himself. What made them so special that not a single ounce of magical blood was in their ancestors and why it had chosen them when his own magic was fabricated and planned by marrying other pure bloods.
The more he thought about it the more the world around him darkened, literally. It was becoming dark and he knew his sister wasn't going to seek him out so he stood up and dusted himself off. With the little ounce of decency he had left he made his way down the hill and towards house.
An almost decent looking house in his opinion. He knocked on the door and cursed himself. Just turned away, go away, he forced himself to think but to his luck the door opened. It was Ethaline.
She didn't saw a word and they stood their starring at eachother for some time before she stepped aside and let him in. There was an unspoken agreement within him as they made their way into the house. Bill Weasley met them in the living room, his wife tending to the others.
"If it's alright with you Bill, will Draco be allowed to stay here as a well behaved monitored guest?" Ethaline asked quietly though the threat was quite clear with the way she worded it.
Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed a nearby book, "Anuthing better to read Weasley?" He muttered in an annoyed voice making the older man roll his eyes before turning to Ethaline.
"Permission to put him under?" Bill teased.
Ethaline's lips curled upwards into a faint smile as she squeezed his shoulder lightly, "Permission granted." She whispered before Harry walked down the stairs.
Harry was quick to ignore him and reunited wi the Ethaline a couple feet away to engage in a quite talk. "Fleur won't let us talk to the goblin."
"How's Luna?" Ethaline asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"She's fine," Harry said quietly, "Just a bit tired and starved. Bill is trying to get word to Xenophillius." He said as he lifted her chin up so she could meet his gaze.
"Are we going to talk about it?" Harry asked, not pushing it before she shook her head and sniffled, trying not to let whatever happened or any sadness get through.
"There's nothing to talk about Harry I don't know how or why that happened and when it did it felt overwhelming. If it's up to me it won't happen again," Ethaline said strongly before she sniffled slightly.
"I've got a plan," Harry said as they began to walk elsewhere to find Hermione and Ron.
When they spotted the red hair that belonged to Ron just outside the window they went out and stopped in their tracks when they saw Ron lean down to place a gentle kiss on Hermione's brand.
Ethaline instantky felt bad, had she done something—anything to help Hermione...she wouldn't have been branded. Harry was quick to notice the change within her and shook his head, "There's nothing you could have done." He muttered as Ron and Hermione turned to them.
Ethaline didn't reply as they made their way over with a tint of red on their cheeks. "We should talk about our next move." Ethaline said as she looked up at the sky and saw it setting. "After we'll get some rest and Hermione will check in with Fleur—"
"I'm okay—"
"You'll check in with Fleur." Ethaline cut off, her tone only wavering slightly as she swallowed hard and held her nose up, "We'll be splitting rooms so don't get too comfortable together."
Hermione blushed deeply as Ron narrowed his eyes, something about her choice of words didn't rub him in the right way, "Don't get too comfortable?"
Ethaline didn't say anything else, ignoring the looks Harry was giving her, but he set it aside for the time being and motioned for them to sit on the little patio before they began to plan.