A/N ~ HEY EVERYONE. I see most people are starting to go back to school and are exhausted. I personally have been drained since going back, so here's a new chapter for u all- it's the least I can do<3
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They've been walking up the hill of Ottery St Catchpole for hours.
Ron had slightly miscalculated the distance between the Lovegoods' house and The Burrow.
Since they didn't know exactly where Luna's house was, it was impossible for them to Apparate there.
"I think we're almost there!" Ron said brightly, for the sixth time.
Harry, Y/N, and Hermione scowled at him, for the fifth time, all of them sweaty and out of breath.
Ron had the advantage of having long legs and not being under the Invisibility Cloak.
Y/N sighed and wiped away the beads of sweat from her forehead.
"Harry, hand the water over," she panted, extending her hand out to the empty space next to her.
"What's the magic word?" The air snarled at her in Harry's voice.
"You better hope it isn't Avada Kedavra," Y/N stared daggers at him. Or at least where she thought he was.
"No magic word, no water," Harry said in a sing-song voice.
Y/N rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but smile. She'd missed this.
"Please," She scoffed.
"That wasn't too bad," Harry nudged her with his invisible elbow.
He scrambled through his bag and a second later, a hand holding a water bottle appeared out of thin air beside Y/N.
"Your water, m'lady,"
"Thank you, m'Harry,"
"Aha!" shouted Ron, suddenly.
He was pointing toward the most strange-looking house Y/N has ever seen, a great black cylinder in the middle of almost nowhere.
"That's got to be Luna's house, who else would live in a place like that? It looks like a giant rook!"
"It's nothing like a bird," said Hermione, frowning at the tower.
"I was talking about a chess rook," said Ron. "A castle to you."
Ron raced himself up to the top of the hill, not taking a single look back at the rest of them.
When Harry, Y/N, and Hermione caught up with him, panting and clutching their sides, they found him grinning broadly.
"It's theirs," said Ron. "Look."
He pointed at three hand-painted signs tacked to a broken-down gate.
THE QUIBBLER EDITOR: X. LOVEGOOD
and
PICK YOUR OWN MISTLETOE
and finally,
KEEP OFF THE DIRIGIBLE PLUMS
The four walked through the gate, looking around with interest.
The decorations made it very clear it was the Lovegoods' home.
"You'd better take off the Invisibility Cloak, Harry," said Hermione, when they reached the front door. "It's you Mr Lovegood wants to help, not us."
He did as she suggested, handing her the Cloak to stow in the beaded bag.
Y/N then knocked three times on the thick black door.
Barely ten seconds passed, then the door was flung open and there stood Xenophilius Lovegood.
He was barefoot and wearing a stained nightshirt, his long white candyfloss hair was dirty and unkempt.
Xenophilius had been positively dapper at Bill and Fleur's wedding by comparison.
"What? What is it? Who are you? What do you want?" he cried, looking first at Hermione, then Ron, and then at Harry. His eyes widened.
"Hello, Mr Lovegood," said Harry, holding out his hand. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."
Xenophilius did not take Harry's hand but continued to stare.
"I heard about what happened, Mr Lovegood," Y/N said quietly. Xenophilius, Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at her questioningly. "I'm so sorry about Luna-"
"Miss Scamander!" Xenophilius exclaimed, before backing away. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost. "But I thought- I thought you were-"
"Dead, yes," Y/N grinned. "I'm just Y/N's spirit wandering around, see, look how see-through I am-"
Hermione shot her a look. Y/N quit her grinning and lowered her head.
"Would it be okay if we came in?" asked Harry, "There's something we'd like to ask you."
"I'm not sure that's advisable," whispered Xenophilius. "I... I'm afraid I don't really think I ought to-"
"It won't take long," said Harry, slightly disappointed by Mr Lovegood's welcome.
"I- oh, all right then." The man looked slightly exasperated. "Come in, quickly. Quickly!"
The interior of the house was... well, not surprising.
Y/N looked around the circular kitchen room in interest, noticing that everything was curved to fit the wall.
In the middle of the floor was a spiral staircase leading to the upper levels.
There was a great deal of clattering and banging coming from overhead.
Harry wondered what Luna could be doing.
"You'd better come up," said Xenophilius, still looking extremely uncomfortable, and he led the way.
The room above seemed to be a combination of a living room and workplace and was even more cluttered than the kitchen.
Floating gadgets were everywhere, and Y/N could spot at least ten broken pieces of furniture.
"Take a seat," Xenophilius muttered, gesturing towards the bright yellow chairs.
Y/N caught Harry's hesitant gaze, before lowering herself onto one of the chairs. The others did the same, and so did Mr Lovegood.
"Why have you come here?" Xenopihilus asked the second they all sat down.
Before Harry could speak, however, Hermione let out a small cry of shock.
"Mr Lovegood- what's that?"
She was pointing at an enormous, gray spiral horn, which had been mounted on the wall at the other end of the room.
Y/N being Y/N Scamander, recognized the horn immediately. Her grandfather would be proud.
"It is the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack," said Xenophilius.
"Oh, that's no Crumple-Horned Snorkack horn, Mr Lovegood," Y/N said grimly, feeling suddenly unsafe.
"Niff," muttered Harry, "now's not the moment-"
"But Harry, it's an Erumpent horn!" said Hermione. "It's an extraordinarily dangerous thing to have in a house!"
"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack," said Xenophilius very firmly, "is a shy and highly magical creature, and its horn-"
"Mr Lovegood, I never play this card, but I'm Newt Scamander's granddaughter," Y/N said, terrified, "that's an Erumpent horn and it can erupt by the slightest touch-"
"I bought it," said Xenophilius dogmatically, "it's a Christmas surprise for my Luna." at this, Y/N frowned slightly, but said nothing.
"Well, it will put you and your Luna in danger," Hermione pushed on.
"Now, why exactly have you come here, Mr Potter?" Xenophilius ignored her completely.
"We need some help," said Harry, before Hermione could start again.
"Ah," said Xenophilius. "Help. Hmm. How can I help you, Mr Potter?"
"Well, actually," Harry cleared his throat. "It's about something you were wearing around your neck at Bill and Fleur's wedding."
"It was a symbol," Hermione added.
Xenophilius nodded solemnly and reached into his shirt, pulling out the exact necklace they were referring to.
"You mean this?" He lifted the symbol to their eye level, glancing between their faces and the necklace.
Hermione and Y/N looked at each other excitedly.
"Yes," Harry replied, Y/N could sense the enthusiasm in his voice as well. "What is it?"
"What is it?" Xenophilius repeated, looking surprised. "Well, it's the sign of the Deathly Hallows, of course."
Y/N was expecting him to say something unusual, but she couldn't help but frown in curiosity.
"The what?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"The Deathly Hallows," said Xenophilius. "You haven't heard of them? I'm not surprised. Very, very few wizards believe."
"I'm sorry," said Harry, blinking blankly. "I still don't really understand."
"I assume that you are all familiar with The Tale of the Three Brothers?" Xenophilius set aside his empty teacup.
Harry said, "No," but Y/N, Ron, and Hermione said, "Yes."
Xenophilius nodded gravely and glanced vaguely around the room at his endless piles of books.
"I've got a copy, Mr Lovegood, I've got it right here," said Hermione, and she pulled out The Tales of Beedle the Bard from her small beaded bag.
"Well then, why don't you read it aloud?" Xenophilius suggested. "Much the best way to make sure we all understand."
"Er... all right," said Hermione nervously. She opened the book and began to read. "'There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight-'"
"Midnight," said Ron. Hermione shot him a look of annoyance. "Sorry, I just think it's a bit spookier if it's midnight!"
"Go on, Hermione," Harry encouraged before she could open her mouth to respond to Ron.
She cleared her throat and started reading again...
Hermione closed the book.
"Well, there you are," said Xenophilius, like it was supposed to be painfully obvious.
"Sorry?" said Y/N, confused.
"Those are the Deathly Hallows," said Xenophilius.
He picked up a quill from a packed table at his elbow and pulled a torn piece of parchment from between more books.
"The Elder Wand," he said, and drew a straight vertical line. "The Resurrection Stone," he added a circle on top of the line. "The Cloak of Invisibility," he finished, enclosing both line and circle in a triangle.
"Those are the Deathly Hallows?"
"That's right," Xenophilius nodded, "Together, they make one master of Death."
"When you say master of Death-" started Ron.
"Master," said Xenophilius, waving an airy hand. "Conqueror. Vanquisher. Whichever term you prefer."
"Edgy," Y/N grinned, folding her arms in interest.
"But then- do you mean..." said Hermione slowly, "that you believe these objects- these Hallows- actually exist?"
"Well, of course." Xenohpilius raised his eyebrows.
"But," said Hermione, "Mr Lovegood, how can you possibly believe-? The Ressurection Stone, for instance. How can it be real?"
"Prove that it is not," said Xenophilius.
Hermione looked outraged.
"But that's- I'm sorry, but that's completely ridiculous!" she cried. "Do you expect me to get hold of all the pebbles in the world and test them?"
"Yes, you absolutely could," said Xenophilius. "I am glad to see that you are opening your mind a little."
"So the Elder Wand," said Harry quickly, before Hermione could retort, "you think that exists too?"
"Oh, well, in that case, there is endless evidence," said Xenophilius. "The Elder Wand is the Hallow that is most easily traced."
"For what reason?" asked Harry.
"The possessor of the wand must capture it from its previous owner to be truly master of it," said Xenophilius. "The bloody trail of the Elder Wand is splattered across the pages of Wizarding history."
Hermione didn't ask about the Invisibility Cloak, and Y/N knew why. It did exist, and it was in that very room they were sitting in.
"That still doesn't prove anything," Hermione continued relentlessly, "How could you possibly-"
"Luna has told me all about you, young lady," said Xenophilius, bitterly. "You are not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Close-minded."
Y/N raised her eyebrows at Mr Lovegood's straightforwardness.
Hermione's face turned pink and Y/N could tell Ron was amused by Xenophilius' courage as well.
"Where's Luna?" asked Hermione, through gritted teeth. "Let's see what she thinks."
"Luna is down at the stream, fishing for Freshwater Plimpies," Xenophilius replied. "In fact,"
With another glance at the window, he got to his feet.
"She should be back by now. I should go call for her." He looked around at all of them. "You will stay for dinner? Everybody always requests our recipe for Freshwater Plimpy soup."
"Probably to show the Poisoning Department at St Mungo's," said Ron under his breath, as Xenophilius disappeared down the spiral stairs.
Harry waited until they could hear Xenophilius moving about in the kitchen downstairs before speaking.
"What do you think?" he asked them all.
"Oh, Harry," Hermione said wearily, "it's a pile of utter rubbish. This can't be what the sign really means. What a waste of time."
"I s'pose this is the man who brought us Crumple-Horned Snorkacks," said Ron.
"You don't believe it either?" Harry asked him.
"Nah, that story's just one of those things you tell kids to teach them lessons, isn't it?" Ron scoffed.
"What about you, Y/N?" Harry turned to her, slightly irritated. "Do you believe-?... Y/N... Hello? Earth to Y/N-"
"We have to get out of here," Y/N announced, at once.
Her heart was hammering and she could feel her legs tremble as she stood up.
She had been suspicious from the very moment Mr Lovegood hesitated to let them into his house.
Now, she understood everything. Panic started to grow inside her.
"What?" Harry, Hermione, and Ron chorused.
They all stared at her with identical frowns on their faces.
"What's wrong?" asked Hermione in a low whisper, sensing the panic in Y/N's voice.
"Luna isn't out fishing for any Pimplies, Hermione," Y/N said quietly, grabbing Harry's arm.
"Is that supposed to be surprising?" Ron snorted, clearly thinking Y/N was joking.
"Yes, very," Y/N frowned. "She can't be down at the stream, Ron, because Luna was captured by a bunch of Death Eaters, a few weeks ago."
Ron and Harry seemed to have frozen. Hermione's hand enclosed her mouth.
"He kept looking out the window," said Y/N, "I don't think he was checking out the weather..."
They all stared at her in alarm, things starting to click in.
But before any of them could respond, Xenophilius reached the top of the stairs from the kitchen, now holding a tray laden with bowls.
"Mr Lovegood," said Harry. "Where's Luna?"
"Excuse me?"
"Where's Luna?"
Xenophilius halted on the top step.
"I- I've already told you. She is down at Bottom Bridge, fishing for Plimpies."
"So why have you only laid that tray for five?" Y/N asked him quietly, trying not to swallow in fear.
Xenophilius tried to speak, but no sound came out.
"She isn't here," Harry stated. "Where is she, Mr Lovegood?"
Xenophilius dropped the tray. The bowls bounced and smashed. He stretched his trembling arms, shielding the staircase from the four of them.
Harry, Y/N, Ron, and Hermione reached for their wands immediately.
"Please-" Xenophilius croaked, "You're my only hope..."
Y/N pointed her wand directly at the man's chest, and so did her friends. They waited for an explanation.
"They were angry," Xenophilus shook his head. "about what I've been writing... about you," He glanced at Harry. "So they took her... they took my L-Luna... my Luna..."
"Who?" Harry demanded, not lowering his wand.
"Who?" Xenophilius seemed to be thinking hard, as though it was a difficult answer. "V-Voldemort."
There were five seconds of stunned silence.
Then, a crack echoed from the Lovegoods' front door, followed by a loud bang. It seemed like the Death Eaters had busted the front door open.
Hermione gasped, Y/N froze in her spot, and Harry and Ron looked around wildly.
Xenophilius looked horrified but determined. He ran down the stairs without giving them another glance.
"Upstairs! Potter! Potter is upstairs-!"
He was cut off by another deafening explosion, this time, however, it wasn't from the Death Eaters, but from right across the room where the QUartet stood.
The sound of it seemed to blow the room apart.
Hermione and Y/N had been right about the Erumpent horn after all.
Y/N was knocked off her feet, into the air, then crashed to the floor painfully on her side, unable to see as debris rained upon her.
She heard Hermione's scream, Ron's yell, and Harry calling her name.
Y/N coughed up all the dust she inhaled, panting heavily and looking around the pile of rubble for her friends.
Adrenaline had made her numb and clueless, that she didn't realized something was weighing down on her.
Something heavy had fallen on top of her, enabling her to move.
Y/N feared her spine might snap from the weight of it. Her eyes watered and she gasped for air, the pain and panic finally settling in.
"No- no- I beg you!" sobbed Xenophilius, from a distance away. "It really is Potter! Really! Scamander as well!"
"You only called us here to try and blow us up!" roared the voice of a Death Eater.
"The place looks like it's about to fall in, Selwyn," said a cool second voice, echoing up the mangled staircase.
"You lying piece of filth," shouted Selwyn. "Thought you'd lure us here to kill us, did you? And you think you'll get your girl back like this?"
Y/N wanted to push herself out from under the thing crushing her but knew she was going to make noise or actually break her spine.
And so far, they still had a chance to escape the dimwitted Death Eaters.
"I swear- I swear, Potter and Scamander are upstairs!" she heard Xenophilius continue to cry.
"Homenum revelio," said the voice at the foot of the stairs.
Y/N heard Hermione gasp, and she had the odd sensation that something was swooping low over her, immersing her body in its shadow.
"There's someone up there all right, Selwyn," said the second man sharply.
"It's Potter, I tell you, it's Potter!" sobbed Xenophilius. "Please give me Luna, just let me have Luna..."
"You can have your little girl once we have Potter, Lovegood," said Selwyn, "But if this is a plot against us, we'll see if we can spare a bit of your daughter for you to bury."
Xenophilius gave a wail of fear and despair.
Y/N felt someone grab her arm, trying to pull her from under the object pinning her down.
"Y/N, come on," Harry whispered, smoothing her hair, "Please Y/N... c'mon, you can do this,"
Y/N winced in pain, shaking her head.
Finally, Ron and Hermione came over and helped Harry. They struggled for a few seconds and pushed the fallen shelf off of Y/N.
The pressure on Y/N's back subsided, and her three friends helped pull her up to her feet.
Y/N sighed heavily in relief, grabbing her wand from the floor and steadying herself.
The other three seemed alright. Ron was bleeding slightly from his eyebrow, but Y/N seemed to have been buried deepest.
"Thank Merlin," Harry whispered, "C'mon, we've got to get out of here somehow. Any ideas?"
"All right," breathed Hermione. She was white with dust. "I have a- a plan, I think. Do you trust me, Harry?"
Harry nodded.
"Okay then," Hermione whispered, "give me the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, Y/N, you two are going to put it on."
"Why-?"
"But Harry-"
"Please, just do it!" Hermione fully looked at Ron for the first time since they were reunited. They connected. Ron nodded. "OK, Harry, hold on tight to my hand. Ron, grab my shoulder, Y/N, hold onto Ron."
Harry held out his left hand. Ron threw the Cloak over Y/N and himself and they vanished beneath it.
Y/N did not know what Hermione was waiting for, but she waited.
"Hold tight," she whispered. "Hold tight... any second..."
Xenophilius's paper-white face appeared over the top of the sideboard.
"Obliviate!" cried Hermione, pointing her wand first into his face, then at the floor beneath them. "Deprimo!"
She had blasted a hole in the sitting room floor.
They fell like boulders, Y/N screaming in horror, though her voice was completely masked by the screams from below.
From under the cloak, she glimpsed two men trying to get out of the way as pieces of the second floor rained all around them.
Hermione twisted in midair and dragged them all once more into darkness.
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"Treacherous little bleeder!" was the first thing Y/N heard, as her feet slammed onto the hard ground.
Ron looked outraged, adding, "Is there no one we can trust?"
They were all breathing heavily, dusty and incomprehensive.
Y/N could feel herself swaying, so she quickly got hold of Harry's shoulder.
"We'll camp here!" Hermione squeaked. Her eyes were still frozen wide, obviously still in shock from what just happened.
They had arrived, yet again, in another forest.
The ground was buried in leaves and hay, and from afar, Y/N could see a dark lake sitting in the distance.
"That was way too close," Y/N shook her head.
She scrambled from under the Invisibility Cloak and was greeted with a woosh of cold air.
Ron rolled the cloak into a ball and handed it to Hermione, who looked completely shaken up.
"They kidnapped her because he supported me," Harry said quietly, his face pale and still. "He was just... desperate."
Y/N got where he was coming from, how he was justifying Mr Lovegood's actions by blaming himself.
She knew, if she was in his shoes, she'd be less angry with the man as well.
"Well, I'm not as protagonistic as you are, mate," said Ron, as Y/N patted Harry on the shoulder solemnly.
"At least we're all alive," Y/N sighed, dusting her jeans. "And hopefully Xenophilius is, too."
"I'm only forgiving him because he made Luna," Ron grumbled, and pushed past all of them, taking out his wand. "Let's put up the enchantments."
The four of them looked at each other knowingly, before splitting up in four directions to put up Protection Charms for their new camp.
Y/N walked slightly downhill and looked around, measuring the area they needed, before pulling out her wand.
Just as she was about to utter the words to the charm, however, a tall and big figure emerged from behind a tree.
Y/N felt herself stop breathing and walking.
It took a few seconds for Y/N to realize what was happening, as the man in front of her smirked.
One by one, more figures started popping up behind bushes and trees, their faces triumphant and violent.
From the gasps she heard behind her, Y/N knew her friends were surrounded by them too.
The man closest to her, Y/N recognized as Scabior, one of the Death Eaters. His hair was long and ruddy, and he looked almost bored.
"Hello, beautiful," He crooned.
Y/N stumbled, already backing away as quickly as she can.
She turned around to see her friends' terrified faces, as they, too, started running in the opposite direction.
There was no time for spells. No time to speak.
The four of them took off, sprinting as fast as they could through the woods.
"Well, don't hang about!" Y/N heard Scabior snarl. "Snatch 'em!"
Y/N's breathing and heart rate had barely settled down from the Lovegood fiasco, and she was running again.
She could see Harry's blurry figure running alongside her, Ron was slightly ahead of them, and Hermione was whimpering behind them.
They didn't bother turning around to check if the Snatchers were after them or not.
All they knew was there were about a dozen of them and four of themselves.
A spell shot over Y/N's head, missing her ear by a mere three inches and hitting a tree ahead of her.
Y/N gasped and started panicking, not quite sure if it was a good idea, running away from twelve wands directed at them.
Harry must've known she was hesitating, for he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her after him.
Y/N had no choice but to force her legs to run, as spells flew over and past them.
An explosion occurred behind her and a Snatcher screamed, implying that Hermione was doing fine and thriving.
However, a few seconds later, Y/N felt her stomach drop.
Ron had let out a startled yelp and had fallen face-first onto the ground, landing with an audible grunt.
"Ron!" Y/N and Harry stopped running, almost tripping over Ron's body.
His ankles were chained together from a curse one of the Snatchers had sent. His red hair was a mess and all over his face.
"Go! What are you stopping for?" Ron roared, breathing heavily, struggling on the ground. "Run!"
Y/N and Harry ignored him completely and kneeled down beside him, still panting themselves, trying to pull the chains loose.
They weren't normal chains, Y/N knew right away, but enchanted ones. There was no use trying to pry them apart with bare hands.
"JUST GO!" Ron yelled.
"NO!" Y/N shouted back, "Not after what happened to me!"
She just couldn't run off and leave Ron there, despite his yells of demand.
Hermione had caught up with them, looking as though she might faint and kill at the same time.
She, too, didn't hesitate to risk her safety to save Ron.
The four knew what was coming before the Snatchers reached them, laughing triumphantly at their stupidity.
Hermione raised her wand and, to Y/N's most surprise, she pointed it at Harry.
"What are you-?"
A blast went off, and the curse hit Harry right in the face.
He screamed in pain and covered his face with both of his hands, obviously in pain.
Y/N was too shocked to say anything or move a muscle.
She threw Hermione an answer-demanding look, and the Muggleborn simply shook her head.
Seconds after Harry stopped struggling from the curse Hermione had hit him with, the Snatchers reached the four of them.
"Well, well, well," Scabior chuckled, rubbing his hands together, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "They chose to stick with their friend... what a pity... now, seize all of them."
Y/N managed to punch the daylight out of the first Snatcher that laid hands on her, but as the man collapsed backward, another two came forwards and grabbed her.
She was dragged apart from her friends helplessly.
Powers... use your powers.
She could try, but if she wasn't fast enough, it'd do nothing but set only herself free and probably reveal her identity. So far they didn't seem to recognize any of them.
Oh, Hermione, you ingenious witch... Y/N now understood why she cursed Harry.
The Snatcher that had Hermione in a headlock was none other than Fenrir Greyback.
He looked as creepy as ever, and Y/N felt as though his pitch-black eyes pierced through her when he caught her gaze.
Hermione writhed and slapped his arms, but Fenrir merely laughed broadly.
"Don't touch her!" Ron bellowed, though he was the one in chains.
The blond Snatcher that held him back through a fist at his stomach, making Ron topple over.
"Leave him! Please!" Hermione cried.
"I'm afraid he'll be much hurt than that," Scabior sneered, "if he doesn't behave, that is... what happened to you, ugly?" He glared up and down at Harry.
Y/N had to contain herself from gasping when she saw Harry's face.
His eyelids and cheeks were twice their usual size, and his face looked as if someone had used it as a punching bag.
The Snatcher holding him yanked his hair back, forcing Harry to face Scabior.
"Get your filthy hands off him!" Y/N bellowed, trying desperately to elbow the bulletproof Snatcher that held her by the neck.
"I don't think you're in the place to be so demanding, pretty," Scabior turned his attention to her. Y/N imagined herself exploding his guts. "What's your name?"
"Bowie," Y/N blurted. If she wasn't so threatened, she would've laughed. "Caz Bowie."
"Caz Bowie? Doesn't ring a bell," Scabior said thoughtfully. "But don't you worry, Bowie, we can check if you're being truthful, later... And you- what's your name, ugly?"
"Dudley Vernon," Harry grumbled.
"You know what? I think I might know a Vernon," said the blond Snatcher that was practically choking Ron.
"We can check that too," Scabior shrugged, then whirled around to Hermione and Ron. "You two? What do they call you?"
"Penelope Clearwater,"
"Barnie Weasley,"
"That's not so surprising," Scabior snorted, referring to Ron.
He marched his way between the four of them, examining their faces carefully and scowling at Harry's.
Suddenly, from somewhere to Y/N's right, there was a soft clang, and something hit the floor.
Everyone turned their attention to the source and Y/N suppressed a groan.
The sword of Gryffindor was gleaming on the forest floor. One of the Snatchers had dumped Ron's pack upside down.
"It's a fake," Harry quickly said, for Scabior was making his way to the sword. "My dad likes to make pawns like that."
"Then you won't mind if we keep it, Dudley," Scabior sneered.
"Hey!" The same Snatcher that went through Ron's pack called. He was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.
On the front cover, was (not to anyone's surprise) Harry's 'Undesirable No.1' PSA, next to another PSA labeled 'Undesirable No.2' with Hermione's face on it.
Y/N swore she stopped breathing. She could tell that everyone had gone quiet with realization, too.
"'Suspected to be on the run with Harry Potter'?" Scabior slowly turned back to Harry. "Well... this... this changes everything!"
Of course, it did, Y/N thought irritably. She had a good guess of where they were going to take them.
Ron looked defeated, Hermione was close to tears, and even Harry looked hopeless.
She felt sick, as the Snatchers cheered in their wild voices again.
She could also still feel the broken piece of the Two-Way Mirror pressed against her sock.
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Malfoy Manor sat gloomily beneath a crowd of grey clouds, looking both luxurious and eerie at the same time.
Y/N was pushed forwards by the Snatcher holding her, glancing worriedly at her friends.
They reached the great black gate before the manor, and a woman with crazy locks of black hair stepped forwards from behind it, her wand raised.
Y/N winced at the sight of her when the moonlight fell onto her face.
Bellatrix Lestrange was and still remains the scariest woman Y/N had ever met.
The Snatcher that had Harry pushed him forwards towards Bellatrix.
"We think we caught Harry Potter," he growled, pushing Harry's swollen face against the metal bars of the gate.
Bellatrix stared at him for a moment.
"Why is his face like that?" She demanded in that sickly voice of hers.
"We found him like this," Scabior rolled his eyes. "So do you want the boy or not?"
Bellatrix glared at him but clearly didn't want to let the potential Harry Potter go.
"Bring Draco!" she shrieked at the short man behind her. Y/N grimaced once she noticed he was none other than Peter Pettigrew. "Only you four with the hostages, come in!"
The other Snatchers let out hisses of fury, but Y/N knew they, too, were too scared of Bellatrix to protest.
Once again, Y/N was pushed forwards unwillingly, through the crack of the open gate.
Y/N bowed her head low, trying to avoid Bellatrix's attention at all costs.
She felt almost light-headed from the anxiety that ran through her.
Luckily, Bellatrix seemed to be too excited by the idea of having Harry, she strode back towards the Manor without sparing them another glance.
Malfoy Manor looked exactly like how Y/N left it. The dining room did, anyway. Y/N never saw any other part of the house except the cellar.
Bellatrix threw Pettigrew a look and the rat scrambled away pathetically.
She'd stopped in the middle of the living room, which was even more impressive than the dining room, in Y/N's opinion.
The ceiling two storeys high, the marble floor gleamed spotlessly, and above them hung a magnificent chandelier.
Bellatrix let out a gasp. Y/N turned around to see her staring straight back at her. She felt like crying.
She didn't and will never forget what Bellatrix had done to her.
"Why, we meet again, Y/N Scamander!" Bellatrix's dark eyes glistened.
She made her way closer to Y/N, walking as though she was on the brink of keeping her balance, wand twirling between her fingers.
As she walked past Harry, he struggled, even more, attempting to launch himself at her.
"Get away from her!" Harry yelled at the top of his voice.
Bellatrix merely turned to him when she struck him right across his face.
"No!" Y/N shouted. Hermione gasped as Harry toppled backward by the force of Bellatrix's slap.
Bellatrix ignored them all and stopped in front of Y/N, the look of satisfaction spreading across her face.
"Grab me the potion, Wormtail," She called. Y/N should've seen it coming. Of course, they had the Containment Potion ready for her.
Bellatrix dug the tip of her wand under Y/N's chin, tilting her face up, tutting mockingly. Y/N held her breath and looked away.
She didn't dare move, as Wormtail handed the potion to Bellatrix, and sputtered as the icy potion was poured down her throat.
Harry was back on his feet and was yelling relentlessly.
Though Y/N could barely hear anything other than her own coughs and Bellatrix's voice.
"You've escaped too many times, Dear Y/N," she pouted dramatically. "Not this time... Not today. I'll torture you until you can't breathe and kill you myself, once the Dark Lord needs you no more. You can't run away forever, Scamander..."
"Watch me," Y/N snarled, trying with all her might to contain her fear of the woman.
Bellatrix threw her head back, laughing maniacally, showing her filthy black teeth.
"Oh, I'll watch you, Scamander! I'll watch as you cry and beg for mercy, fighting against your old friend, Cruciatus Curse! Wait until the Dark Lord hears we have both Harry Potter and Y/N Scamander!"
"Excuse me," Scabior said sourly, shutting Bellatrix up. "We were the ones that found them!"
"And what do you want me to do about that?" Bellatrix spat, her rogue voice echoing the hall.
"We were promised gold," Scabior said crossly.
"Gold?" Bellatrix cackled. "You can have your gold! You can have all the gold, once we hand these brats to the Dark Lord!"
"And flesh," Fenrir Greyback growled, looking down at Hermione, who whimpered in fear.
"Blah, blah, you can have whatever you want, but not if we can't get information out of them!"
Y/N's ears rang with Bellatrix's psychotic voice. She was speaking unnecessarily loud and irritatingly.
Suddenly, from the corner of Y/N's eye, she saw a group of people enter the room.
They were led by Wormtail, who ran to the corner of the room, making way for them.
Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa Malfoy stepped into the light, all their faces pale and all their eyes wide.
Y/N caught Draco Malfoy's gaze right away.
His eyes widened when they fell on her, and he backed away for a second. He looked sickly. Like a skeleton with blonde hair.
Y/N didn't know where Malfoy was in this war.
She wasn't going to ignore the fact that he didn't end up killing Dumbledore when he was instructed to... but the fact that he, unlike Pansy, stood firm in his hell of a household in silence was saying a lot.
A flame of anger flickered in Y/N's stomach.
Lucius got hold of his son's shoulder and pushed him forwards, deeper into the room.
Draco's eyes didn't leave Y/N as he walked towards them.
"There you are!" Bellatrix exclaimed as the Malfoys entered.
She yanked Harry from the Snatcher's grip and wrenched his hair, pulling his head back.
Harry winced in his spot, struggling, as Bellatrix held her wand to his throat.
"What's this, Bella?" Narcissa shot at her sister, looking outraged, her nose flaring. "This is my house! You can't just bring-"
"We have Potter, Cissy!" Bellatrix cut her off. Narcissa froze. "We- think we have Potter- and your son is going to confirm it!"
"You're not going to boss me around in my own house, Bella," Narcissa said coolly.
"Don't be ridiculous, Narcissa," Lucius stepped forwards. His eyes were glistening with excitement. "Draco is honored to help. Aren't you, Draco?"
His son gulped in response.
"Come, now," Bellatrix said, in a slightly softer voice."Come forward, Draco..."
Y/N watched in disgust as Malfoy shuffled forward hesitantly, glancing between her and Harry.
She didn't care about the regret or apology in his eyes. He didn't have to do this if he didn't want to.
Pansy has twelve times his guts.
He stopped a good yard away from Harry, looking down at him with no emotion whatsoever.
"Well?" Bellatrix asked.
"I... I can't be sure," replied Malfoy, his voice quivering.
"Draco," Lucius chuckled, as though he was joking. "Look closely, son. If we were the ones to hand over Potter to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiven!"
Embarrassing. The whole family is a huge mess.
"Yeah, we won't actually be forgetting who actually caught him," Scabior reminded him loudly.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that in my own house!" Lucius Malfoy snarled. Scabior looked frightened. Lucius turned his gaze back to his son. "Go on, Draco,"
The youngest Malfoy stepped closer, looking down at Harry with slight confusion.
Y/N was quite comforted by how different Harry looked from his 'Undesirable No.1' poster.
But then again, Hermione, Ron, and herself would be enough evidence for Voldemort.
"What happened to his face?" Malfoy questioned.
"Yes, what is wrong with his face?" Bellatrix looked over Harry's head and directly at Ron and Hermione, who were also trying to keep their heads low.
"Bee sting," Harry mumbled.
"I'm not stupid, boy!" Bellatrix yelled into his face. She looked up again, this time staring right at Hermione. "By the looks of it- seems like it was a Stinging Jinx. Was it you who did it?"
Hermione grimaced. Bellatrix looked satisfied. She chuckled, seeming to be enjoying herself.
She threw Harry back to the tall Snatcher and made her wobbly way across the room to Hermione.
Y/N empathized with the way Hermione tried to back away.
"We'll have a look at your wand," said Bellatrix, "see what your last spell is,"
She laughed once again, sounding exactly like a typical witch cackle. Though, she was cut off by her own gasp.
She had spotted the great shiny sword in Scabior's hand, its handle decked in red rubies.
Great, Y/N thought. They'd just found the sword of Gryffindor and now they're losing it.
"What's that?" Bellatrix asked Scabior in a hushed voice that was so unlike herself. "Where'd you get that from?"
"It was in the redhead's bag," Scabior said broadly, holding onto the handle a little protectively. "I reckon it's mine now-"
"Stupefy!" Bellatrix shrieked.
The red curse hit Scabior right in the head. His hands loosened around Ron and the sword, and he fell back onto the floor, seconds later, the sword of Gryffindor landing in an echoing clang.
"Are you mad?" Fenrir roared.
It took Bellatrix precisely two seconds to stun him, too. She looked wild.
Hermione and Ron scrambled to the end of the room, backing against the wall in horror. They were helpless without their wands.
"Wormtail, Draco!" Bellatrix whirled at her nephew and servant, whose eyes were wide. "Put Scamander, Potter, and Weasley in the cellar! And you-!"
Bellatrix seized Hermione's jacket and dragged her from the wall.
Hermione looked terrified- so terrified that she didn't even bother fighting away Bellatrix.
"Let's talk, shall we?" Bellatrix jeered, giving Hermione a rough shake.
"No! Not her-! Please-!" Ron's voice was almost unrecognizable. "Take me instead! Don't hurt her!"
Wormtail clawed for his throat for a few seconds before successfully getting hold of him.
Ron continued to shout as Wormtail grabbed him and Harry and dragged them out of the room, down to the cellar.
A strong hand clasped around Y/N's wrist before she could do anything.
She looked up into Draco Malfoy's light eyes and was a millisecond away from throwing a fist into his face, but his mother got hold of her other hand.
Malfoy didn't dare say anything in front of his mother and steered Y/N silently down to their cellar.
"You both are cowards," Y/N said through gritted teeth. The mother and son ignored her. "Stubborn, egocentric, bleach-stinking cowards!"
She continued to call them names as they dragged her after Harry, Ron, and Wormtail.
She made sure to make her hatred for them known, before getting thrown into the cellar, right onto Ron and Harry.
The door behind them was immediately locked.
Ron got to his feet and ran at it, shaking the bars. It was no use, and Y/N knew too well.
"Y/N- Y/N, are you alright?" Harry carefully helped Y/N up from the ground.
"I'm fine," Y/N said bitterly, though she was everything but. She thought she might explode from anger. "Are you alright?"
"For the situation, yeah," Harry said stiffly, looking around the damp and dark cellar.
Ron quit shaking the bars and turned back around with a huff of frustration.
"They've got Hermione!" he said in rage.
Y/N's heart was beating fast, as she reminded herself of the Two-Way Mirror in her shoe.
Fate was still on their side.
She was going to use it, no doubt, but the Death Eaters still have Hermione... she had to think about it very carefully...
There was a terrible, drawn-out scream from directly above them, which made Y/N's light-headedness return.
"HERMIONE!" Ron bellowed. Y/N had never seen him this out of control before. "HERMIONE!"
"Be quiet!" Harry said. "Shut up, Ron, we need to work out a way-"
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!"
"Ron, we'll help her, we will!" Y/N assured.
"We need a plan," said Harry, "Ron, stop yelling- we need to find a way out-"
"Harry?" came a whisper through the darkness. "Y/N? Ron? Is that you?"
Ron stopped shouting. There was a sound of movement close by them, then Y/N saw a shadow moving closer.
"Y/N? Harry? Ron?"
"Luna?"Y/N breathed.
What did she say about fate being on their side?
∞ ϟ 9¾ ♔ ⚯͛ △r⃒⃘ ➵ ♆
A/N ~ Miss Luna honestly is fate, herself. Or at least I'd let her control and decide my life...
And I AM aware I really need to be more consistent with these updates (while also not pushing myself too far).
Anyway, best wishes for all u badies x
-ScribblingQuills