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Chaerin was dragged out of the darkness roughly, a tight hand gripping the dirty old shirt she'd been given to wear. Confusion swam throughout her brown eyes, her eyebrows furrowing tensely, lips pouted slightly as she tried to figure why she was once again pulled from her slumber.
Her head turned rapidly to look back at Luna who held a frightened look on her face, and Olivander would not look at her. Had something happened? Was she finally going to greet death? Would her endless torture finally stop?
Or was it just Lord Voldemort trying to use her gift again? The Dark Lord had drained Chaerin mentally and physically, the bruises on her skin were worse than they had ever been, cuts littered her body as if they were simply freckles, and a stab wound on her arm would reopen with a simple nudge.
The girl from the summer was gone, only to be replaced with the shattered pieces of who she once was. Chaerin hadn't seen her reflection in a while, looking in a mirror was something she had once treasured due to the long battle she'd face in loving herself. It felt as if all her hard work had been undone, now she dreaded to even take a glimpse at her reflection because she knew deep down that she would not recognise herself.
She had lost herself to the wolves that hunted her mercilessly, it was a pain like no other to not recognise one's self. Looking at your reflection to see that you no longer knew where to find yourself, it was like having your identity ripped from you, stripping you down to nothing but a broken and bruised body. A soul that had disappeared from it's home, leaving nothing but an empty carcass behind.
Chaerin Chang felt dead inside.
"I'd like to double-check," sneered Lucius, causing Chaerin to realise she was back in the living quarters of Malfoy Manor.
Things looked as if they usually did, but the usual intense atmosphere had been ruptured, replacing it with a rumpled kink that shot feelings of disorientation throughout the room. Chae could barely open her half-lidded eyes when she felt herself being pushed into the middle of the room, suddenly, she felt as if she were nothing but a freak in a circus who was now center stage as all the wondering eyes stared at her.
"If this is Harry Potter, the girl will be able to tell us for sure, I want to make no mistakes," drawled Lucius Malfoy, placing a large hand on Chaerin's shoulder.
The mention of the boy caused Chae's eyes to snap open widely, a tiny gasp leaving her mouth that she tried to cover up with a cough the moment she realised Harry was stood in front of her. The three faces of her friends stared back at her, they were all here; Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and for a fraction of a second Chaerin felt as if she had a glimmer of hope.
A distorted version of Harry's face met her eyes, she recognised the jinx that had been used on him instantly, his face was swollen, pink, and puffy if Chae hadn't spent the last six years of her life with the boy she would have no clue whether this really was the boy who lived.
"No, it isn't him," she breathed, swallowing the lump in her throat, it was the first words she'd uttered in a long while.
"Girl, don't lie to me. If this is Harry Potter and you've lied, I will kill you myself," Lucius whispered, his hot breath fanning Chae's cheek.
"Lucius, she's not in her right mind, give her a minute," Narcissa tried, gently pulling Chae away.
Chaerin looked down timidly, she did not want to make eye contact with anyone in the room, afraid they'd see straight through her lie. She did not want to be caught in a lie, which would lead to an endless trail of more lies that would only leave the truth begging to be revealed.
"What about the Mudblood then?" Greyback growled, the snatchers moving Hermione into the light.
Her eyes still focused on the pristine tiled floor beneath her bare feet, Chaerin heard Narcissa breathe a sharp intake.
"Yes, she was in Madam Malkin's with Potter! I saw her picture in the Prophet! Look, Draco, isn't it the Granger girl?"
Draco responded hesitantly, "I... Maybe... Yeah."
"Then that must be the Weasley boy!" said Lucius excitedly, walking over to get a better look at Ron. "It has to be Arthur Weasley's son, look at him! What's his name again?"
"It could be," responded Draco, still not looking at the trio. Chaerin was grateful that he hadn't blatantly told them who they were, right now Draco Malfoy was probably the reason they were still alive and breathing.
Suddenly, the door opened and Bellatrix Lestrange made her way in, her voice was what made her presence clear and it caused Chae's bones to quake in her skin. Her last meeting with the insane witch hadn't been at all pleasant, she made Chae's blood boil and squirm with terror.
"Surely, this is the Mudblood girl? Granger?" she said, staring at Hermione.
Within a moment's time, Lucius and Bellatrix were arguing about who would be the one to call upon the Dark Lord. The argument caused the blood to rush to Chaerin's head, a rapid thumping knocking on her brain, causing it to hurt.
"STOP!" shrieked the woman, the whole room to fell into abated silence. "Don't touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now."
Lucius did not move, his index finger still hovering over his own Dark Mark on his wrist. Chae lifted her head slightly, watching as Bellatrix strode towards the Snatcher.
"What is that?"
"Sword," he grunted.
"Give it to me."
"It's not yours, missus, it's mine I reckon, I found it."
A loud bang ripped through the atmosphere with a red light accompanying it, the sound caused Chae to flinch. Bellatrix had stunned the man. His fellow snatchers retaliated, but they were no match for the crazed witch who was seeing nothing but red, and the men fell to the floor before she had Greyback on his knees, questioning why the sword was in their possession.
Chae stared in bewilderment as the black-haired witch began shouting orders in a disarrayed manner, she breathed heavily and it wasn't until Chae properly looked at her that she caught the glimmer of fear in her eye.
"Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback," Bellatrix ordered. "All except for the Mudblood."
A sickening grin formed on Greyback's face as Ron tried to sacrifice himself for Hermione, but it was no use, the three of them were back in the cellar before they could even think of a plan to save Hermione. The cellar door closed with a loud bang, leaving them in the dingy light.
It was only seconds after that a drawn-out scream could be heard coming from above, causing Ron to shout out to Hermione. Chaerin simply rolled her eyes, they weren't going to get anywhere if they couldn't even break out of the ropes their arms were twisted in. She walked away, fetching the nail that Luna had informed the two boys about.
"You'll need to stay still," said Luna, her dream-like features watching as Chaerin tried to cut through the tough fibers of the rope.
Chae flinched at the sound of Hermione's tortured screams, a sinking feeling in her stomach because she knew all too well what she was going through. Her bony hands worked rapidly and carefully, her brain silently begging for Ron to stop struggling and screaming. Soon enough, the two were free from the ropes and Harry turned to face Chaerin.
He said nothing but he could see the pain in her eyes, he didn't know if anything he said could ever help the girl, so he stayed quiet and began to work on a plan to get them out of here. Ron began to run around the cellar frantically, looking up at the ceiling to try and find a way out.
"There's no way out, we've tried everything," stated Luna.
Chae stood in despair and the glimmer of hope she once had burned out, another scream from Hermione echoed off the walls from above and Harry now began trying to figure out an escape route, she watched silently as Ron half-sobbed and Harry panicked. If Chaerin could cry, she was certain that she would've, but she had lost that ability months ago.
Draco came scuttling down the steps to fetch Griphook, who Harry begged to lie for him, he should know better than to bargain with goblins Chae thought.
"Stand back. Line up against the wall, don't try anything or I'll kill you."
Chaerin knew fully well that it was an empty threat, but she did as she was told, the prisoners lined up against the wall and watched in silence as Draco marched in with determination, he grabbed the small goblin and slammed the door on his way out. If Chae had not recognised the sound, she would've thought that the cracking sound had come from the wall, but she was not mistaken when Dobby apparated in front of them.
Dobby's eyes were wide, he was trembling from head to toe and Chaerin guessed it was because he was petrified to be back in the home of his old masters.
"Harry Potter," he squeaked. "Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends."
"You can disapparate out of this cellar?" Harry asked, Dobby nodded his head, his ears flopping as he did so.
"And you can take humans with you?"
Dobby nodded again and Chaerin felt relief gush over her. She would finally be getting out of here, after months of torture she would be free, she'd be able to witness the outside world again, feel the fresh air against her skin, and taste every second of the freedom she had longed for.
"Right, Dobby. I want you to grab Chae, Luna, and Mr. Ollivander, and take them to-"
"Bill and Fleur's," Ron interrupted. "Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth."
The elf nodded his head to say he understood the mission.
"And the come back," said Harry. "Can you do that, Dobby?"
"Of course, Harry Potter," Dobby whispered and Chae's heart swelled with admiration for the small elf. He truly was more of a hero than he would ever know, someone so pure, so kindhearted and so brave that he was willing to come back here again and risk his life for Harry Potter and his friends.
Dobby hurried over to Ollivander, holding his hand before reaching out the other one towards Chae and Luna. Chae did not hesitate to take the elf's hand, she smiled down at him gratefully before looking back up at Harry, who simply nodded.
With one loud crack, the four of them vanished, leaving Ron and Harry alone in the cellar.
a/n~ hi angels !! i'd like to apologise that this update is late, i took a small break to celebrate my birthday over the weekend! thank you for reading as always and please make sure to vote and comment, i promise fred and chae content is coming soon !! <3