Chapter One Hundred And Sixty Four: Down In The Cellar
"And to finish off today's potter watch it had been confirmed by many sources that a young witch named Samatha James has been kissed and Evangelina or as most people called her Lina black was taken by snatchers during the middle of the day at St Munro's where it is common knowledge between her family and friends she worked. It is unknown where they have taken her or if she is alive. All anyone can do is pray to merlin she is safe."
***
Thrown over a Death Eaters shoulder Lina was woken up by the loud chatter of the men surrounding her.
Still half out of it Lina couldn't fully process what the words they were saying were. She lifted her head the slightest amount as not to draw attention that she was awake to see grand golden gates in the near distance, flicking her eyes to the left she saw what looked to be a peacock.
She didn't want to let her mind think of the place she was being taken to but Lina only knew one place those gates and that kept peacocks as pets.
Malfoy Manor.
Fuck!
Lina had never been to visit the manor before, she never had the desire too but as a first-time visit, she couldn't help but think it was a pretty fucked up way for a first visit.
Eventually, the group stopped, Lina tried to turn her head to look but she couldn't see past whoever was holding her bulky figure.
There was a creek as the front door was opened "yes" a woman said, it was Narcissa.
"We brought the girl like you asked," Travers said.
Lina not caring now hit the mans back weakly.
"Well bring her in then," Narcissa said.
Travers started walking again, through the front door which closed behind them with a bang. Lina kept her head up to keep an eye on her surroundings. They left the grand entrance hall and crossed over to a room with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, portraits lined the dark purple walls too.
Not a second later Lina was thrown over the shoulder of the person holding her and dumped harshly onto the floor, her hands were bound together with rope.
"Fuck that hurt," Lina said to herself, she sat herself up her eyes flickering around the room to Narcissa who's face was white instead of looking at Lina she was looking at the place just above her head, to Lucius standing in front of the ornate marble fireplace he looked sick, his robes didn't fit him as well as they used to and he had dark purple bags under his eyes.
Bellatrix was standing on Narcissa's other side, she looked no less crazy and was looking at Lina with uncontained excitement.
And then there was Pettigrew lurking in the corner watching what was about to unfold and looking as pathetic as ever.
"If you wanted to talk there are easier ways than kidnapping me while I'm at work you know," Lina said looking at the people she shared a blood relation to.
"Shut it blood traitor" Bellatrix snapped. "Give me her wand" she demanded of Travers.
"I want paying first," Travers said.
"Are you really bargaining with me?" Bellatrix said taking a threatening step forward.
"Yes."
Bellatrix looked back at Lucius who threw a bag of coins at him, Travers then handed over the wand before him and the other Death Eaters were kicked out of the mansion.
"So how much am I worth?" Lina asked.
"I'd stop talking if I were you," Lucius said.
"So I'm not even going to get an explanation as to why you kidnapped me then?"
"Crucio!"
A silent scream came out of Lina's mouth, she fell forward slightly but without the use of her hands, she fell onto her chest.
"That should keep you quiet," Bellatrix said.
Lina glared at the lady she was unfortunately related to.
Bellatrix crouched down and gripped Lina's chin "where's Potter?"
"I am so sick of everyone thinking I know where he is when I don't" Lina replied.
Bellatrix pursed her lips and stood up "Crucio!"
This time Lina did cry out in pain, she lent further forward pressing her forehead to the cool wood floor. "I'm not lying!" She looked up at Narcissa who still couldn't bring herself to look at Lina "please."
"Crucio!"
Once Lina stopped twitching in pain Bellatrix bent down again "how dare you ask something of us, you are a blood traitor just as bad as the mudbloods you associate yourself with, you who is the last person alive to bear the Black family name are tainting the once respectable name."
"If I had a galleon for every time someone said that to me, I'd be richer than I already was" Lina mumbled.
"Crucio!"
Bellatrix's torture lasted for just over two hours, during which Lina refused to tell her deranged cousin anything. Lucius and Narcissa did nothing but watch and show no emotion not even when Lina's screams ricocheted off the walls.
"Wormtail" Bellatrix barked "take her down to the cellar with the other one."
Pettigrew stepped but at Lina's harsh glare he stopped where he was.
"I'd rather walk by myself than have him touch me" Lina still glaring at Pettigrew, enjoying the way she cowered under her stare "if he touches me, I'll kill him and that's a promise" she struggled to rise to her feet but determined to show the people in the room that she wasn't weak like they thought she managed to stand. Her legs felt like jelly but she kept her head high as she followed him out the drawing-room towards a flight of stairs leading down.
Pettigrew went down first, if it wasn't for the cuff Lina knew she could've made a bid for escape. Pettigrew tapped his wand to unlock the iron door to the dark and damp smelling basement, he gestured for Lina to go in.
Lina complied stopping at the threshold to look at Pettigrew in the eye. Pettigrew was looking anywhere but at Lina.
"You can't look at me in the eye can you?" She said "now that I think about it you've never been able to. You're that much of a coward that you cant look the girl you made an orphan in the eye or is it because you've known me since I was a couple of hours old." Lina scoffed thinking of how different her life could have been "you're pathetic and alone and a coward, not much has changed since you were a teenager" with a shake of her head she stepped into the basement.
"I-" Pettigrew said in a timid broken voice, but he didn't say anything more.
"That's what I thought."
The basement door was closed and Pettigrew disappeared back up the stairs. That was when Lina allowed herself to be weak, her legs finally buckled and she slid to the floor. She puffed out her cheeks as tears welled but she wouldn't let them fall, no one on the floor above was worth her tears.
"How the fuck have I ended up here," Lina said to herself leaning her forward against the stone wall.
"Probably the same way I did my dear," a voice said from the darkness of the back of the basement cell.
Lina instinctively reached for her wand but haltered when she remembered Bellatrix had and then when she would normally use wandless magic she caught sight of the cuff and was bitterly reminded of her worsened situation.
But Lina did recognise the voice after a moment to process it. Of her first trip to Diagon Alley with Remus, to get Demeter and her school things and most importantly her wand. The memory was so vivid Lina thought just for a second that she could smell fresh wood and candle wax which a couple of seconds later was replaced with the damp of the cell and what she horrifyingly thought was blood.
"Mr Ollivander?" Lina asked "wh-what, what are you doing here? Why did they take you?"
"I am a wand expert, and You-Know-Who requires information about his wand" Ollivander replied still in the darkness. Lina remembered what Harry had said the night they moved him from Privet drive, that his wand had acted on his own against Voldemort, but that was months ago, how long had Ollivander had been down here?"
"How long has it been since they took you?" Lina asked disappearing into the darkness.
That was where she found Ollivander, crumbled against the wall looking old and frail his hands bound in thick rope together in front of him. Lina could also just about make out the cuts and dried blood straining his wrinkled face.
"I can't know for certain" Ollivander replied looking up at the ceiling "you lose track of the days down here, I'm afraid to say my dear that will happen to you too soon enough."
Lina eased herself back down to sit on the floor next to Ollivander. "They took me from one of the only places I felt safe you know. I thought who would attack a hospital, a place for healing, I thought even Death Eaters wouldn't stoop that low. But I was a fool, I was wrong."
"It is not foolish to hold on to hope," Ollivander said, "I must admit being down here for so long my hope of ever seeing my wand shop or even the sun had diminished slightly but seeing another person down here, a kind person has restored my hope, even if only slightly."
Lina smiled at the older man, she wanted to reach out to squeeze his hand but couldn't, so for now the smile would have to do, maybe, just maybe they would both make it out of the cellar alive.