'i will write you a message in the stars,
urging you to study the twilight sky and
find your way back to me'
[noor shirazie, into the wildfire: mourning depatures]
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The faint smell of rain wafted inside her cell from the small gaps in the window's frame. The window itself was at the very top of the wall and was the only indication that this cell was below ground, as all it showed were the dead, dewy leaves of autumn that covered the dirt outside. If a person were to walk past--though she had never seen anyone do so-- Addie would only be able to see their shoes and ankles at most.
The old glass quickly became a blurry mosaic of faded oranges and browns as the heavy rain covered it completely. Dull light leaked onto the wall she leaned against, igniting the sickly undertones of her skin as the drops became elongated shadows that ran over her fatigued body.
Maybe, if she had more energy, she could reach that window. She could reach and reach and her fingers could find the small ledge of its frame. She could smash the glass with her chains. She could escape, and run, run, run. The crisp air could fill her lungs. The mud and wet leaves could stick to her feet. The towering trees could shield her from the sky. The rain could wash the hurt from her hair, her clothes.
Instead, with her aching limbs and tired eyes, Addie remained slumped against the wall; her wrists no longer fighting the metal cuffs that bound them. She had been in here ever since the meeting a week--or was it longer?-- ago, fading in and out of consciousness. The death eaters did the bare minimum to keep her alive, feeding her very little, so that she could remain their weapon yet not be fuelled to acts of rebellion.
The door of the cell opened, but she did not look at whoever it was.
Addie made no effort to move away from them as their cold hands met her wrist. She prepared for insults to be spat into her ear, or rough, calloused palms to add to the mauve bruises across her face--but none of that ever came.
Instead, there was hesitation.
The hand, softer than the others, lingered over her wrist. Eventually, as she made to look at the person, they quickly placed two fingers over her skin, and a black smoke instantly emerged, making her body no longer her own.
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Adeline watched through the back of her mind as the monster--or, Dabria, now-- trailed behind a figure, and it took her longer than usual to register the back of Draco's head. He kept his eyes forward, shoulders stiffly back, and never dared to even sneak a glance at her.
She thought his presence may offer her some comfort in its familiarity through his connection to Hogwarts; to her classes; to other students; to Harry. But this comfort was slimmed by distrust. After all, he was the one who led the Death Eaters to her in the first place. He was the one who stabbed her in the back. Without him, maybe she would be safe right now. Maybe she never would have been brought here.
But if he hadn't, maybe she wouldn't even be alive right now. Maybe she would have died in the hospital wing months ago. Maybe Harry would have been by her bedside and holding her still hand in his. Maybe she would've had a chance to say goodbye.
Addie didn't know which option seemed worse.
She eyed him cautiously as they walked through the manor for a while; lit only by the dark light from outside pouring in through the towering windows, leaving a macabre, cold feeling in the halls they stepped through.
Finally, they reached a small door in a lonely corridor, seemingly at the very far end of the manor from where her cell is. Draco reached for the handle, but his fingers hesitated once more; hovering over the cool brass.
"What are you waiting for?" Addie felt herself say, and fear spiked at her heart as Dabria's unmistakable assertive tone overtook her voice. She hated the feeling of this presence within her. Having no control made her feel like an imposter in her own skin.
Draco noticeably flinched at this voice that had so suddenly vanquished the silence, and Adeline felt an ache in her chest as he finally looked at her with a gaze she found hard to decipher. He stared at her; eyeing the blackness of her eyes, the clearness of her skin, the total lack of Adeline in the girl standing right before him.
Dabria crossed her arms, which seemed to snap him out of his stare as he blinked a few times. Draco's jaw clenched before grasping the handle and finally opening the door, begrudgingly holding it ajar for her as she walked inside first.
The room was wider than any other they had been in; lit by torches lining the dark walls amidst weapons—including spikes; daggers; swords along one wall. Mostly, though, the room itself was just empty space--but her eyes were drawn to the centre of the floor, where a middle-aged, overly thin man with dishevelled hair and stained, torn clothes was shackled to a heavy steel chair.
His eyes widened as he looked at Dabria, and though a rope was tied around his mouth, she heard his muffled cries of distress as he fought desperately against the chains binding him to the chair. Addie hated that she could stir such fear in a person through her mere being there—but Dabria remained remorseless; unbothered.
In the corner of the room was a large cage, holding five or so other people with similar appearances; also chained to its thick metal bars.
"Who are they?" Dabria asked, seemingly to nobody, until Adeline noticed Bellatrix and an assortment of fellow death eaters lurking in the shadows of the corner of the room.
Draco seemed to awkwardly shuffle his way over to the abundance of death eaters as they stepped into the light, and it was only then that Addie spotted Christine Lestrange amongst them leaning against the wall behind the group.
"Muggles," Bellatrix snarled as though the word drew a bitter taste on her tongue, stepping closer to the man on the chair. Her lips twitched into a sadistic smirk as he began shaking from fear. "Or, in this case..." she leaned closer by his ear, "lab rats."
He squeezed his eyes shut, and her following cackle echoed throughout the room—which would have drawn shivers down Adeline's spine if Dabria were not in control. The latter moved closer into the room, which felt so unbelievably strange, to be in such proximity to the enemy and not be attacked.
"Dabria," Bellatrix spoke. She put her hands on either side of the chair's back, head above the muggle man, who flinched as a lock of her curly hair brushed the side of his face. "The Dark Lord needs us to train your dark magic—"
"I know," Dabria said in a monotone; cutting her off. Bellatrix blinked. "It was said in the last meeting. I remember."
"Well then...little miss has done her studying!" Bellatrix laughed, which some of the other death eaters joined in on—but silenced themselves as Dabria spoke.
"Address me as Dabria."
"...fine, Da...bri...a..." Bellatrix drew the syllables of her name out like a little kid. Adeline felt a bubble of anger flicker through her chest—but it wasn't her anger.
"Disrespect to me is disrespect to him," Dabria spat, stepping closer so that she was within arms reach of Bellatrix. Adeline felt sympathy for the trembling muggle between them. "You wouldn't want me to tell your Lord that you disrespect his blood, would you?" Her black eyes bore into the death eaters' before her. She lowered her voice. "After all, disrespect is a traitorous act, is it not?"
Bellatrix only laughed, and leaned closer daringly; blaring her rotten teeth like an animal. Addie could see Dabria's reflection in her crazed, wide eyes. "You have no idea what you're talking about. If I were you--"
"That's enough, Bellatrix—" A voice hissed from the corner of the room.
"SHE'S ALL TALK, LUCIUS!" Bellatrix suddenly bellowed without breaking eye contact, and—if it was even possible at this point—leaned tauntingly closer to Dabria, who didn't move away. "THIS LITTLE GIRL KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THE REAL WORLD—!"
In less than a second, Dabria had a dagger's blade just touching the skin of Bellatrix's neck.
It took a moment for Adeline to comprehend that she had summoned it from the wall of weapons—or that Bellatrix's knife was now hovering over her own neck; leaving the two in a stand-off of sorts. The other death eaters remained still.
"This little girl knows that you cannot touch me," Dabria spat; feasting on the anger radiating from the death eater before her. Bellatrix's knife remained over her neck; shaking slightly. "That you cannot hurt me. You cannot cut me. You cannot spill even a drop of blood from me..." she lightly grazed the dagger's blade over Bellatrix's skin. "...But I can."
The death eaters watched, frozen in the corner of the room, and almost visibly relaxed when Bellatrix begrudgingly withdrew her knife from Dabria's neck and stared at her sulkily. Dabria's dagger remained in place.
"I know you're much too childish to take me seriously, and I know this will not be the last time you speak ill of me again..." she spoke loudly to assert her words over everybody in the room. "So, when that time comes...know that I will not hesitate to slit your throat open and leave you to bleed at my feet." Dabria paused and tapped the tip of the dagger on Bellatrix's neck. "Got it?"
The death eater narrowed her eyes, but nevertheless made a small sound to the affirmative. Addie could almost feel Christine Lestrange's burning glare on her as a result of her mother's humiliation.
"Perfect," Dabria spoke with a tight-lipped, cocky smirk, and finally stepped backward. The muggle between them was still frozen in fear. "Now, what are we doing with him?"
For a moment, Bellatrix stood with her arms crossed, rolling her tongue along the inside of her cheek: reluctant to participate. However, after being addressed, the muggle's muffled cries began again, which seemed to dissolve her unwillingness. Bellatrix was now suddenly energised once more, causing a sick feeling to spur in the pit of Addie's stomach for what on earth was about to happen next.
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"The Cruciatus Curse is the curse for torture," Bellatrix grinned evilly, pacing behind the muggle. "It inflicts relentless pain...scratching...stabbing...piercing...raw, merciless pain..." she over-explained to watch the man squirm fearfully in his chair. Lucius Malfoy then stepped out of the small group of death eaters and continued with the instructions.
"Dabria, because of your dark magic, you have the ability to produce a more powerful version of the curse than any ordinary wizard could. The Dark Lord wants you to be trained in inflicting these stronger curses on these muggles," he spoke with an air of distaste, "to tame your magic into exerting its full potential and to observe its effects on the victim. The incantation is Crucio. Say this whilst focusing on him," Lucius flicked his hand lazily in the muggle man's direction, who had begun crying as Bellatrix whispered something in his ear. "Bellatrix, move out of the way," he ordered, and she scoffed at his tone, though stepped away from the chair to his side.
The room grew silent--aside from the man's echoing sobs--in anticipation. Dabria raised her hand, about to recite the incantation, but faltered once he looked up and met her eyes. Addie did not recognise this man, but the pure emotion in his expression was enough to trigger her anxiety for him. He's just a muggle. He looks so scared. He has no idea what's happening, what's going to happen, or why. He has no idea what magic is, yet here he is; chained to a chair, about to experience the worst of it.
"What are you waiting for?!" Bellatrix's impatient shrill echoed throughout the room.
Addie could feel the fight between her will versus Dabria's. It felt like someone was holding her arm to keep it where it was; restraining her to do something she didn't want.
She could feel Dabria trying to say the curse.
Looking into the muggle man's eyes, all Addie saw was innocence. All she saw was people getting hurt, people suffering, who had done nothing to deserve it.
"CR--" Dabria tried. Her arm was shaking, pointed towards the man.
All she saw was Sirius. All she saw was her mother. All she saw were her friends.
Dabria was strong: too strong. The curse was fully forming on her lips now. Addie couldn't stop it.
All she saw was Harry.
Her arm twitched.
"CRUCIO!"
At first, all Addie could comprehend was the immeasurable exhaustion aching every fibre of her body as she sunk to the cold floor, struggling for breath. Next was the loud, piercing shrieks of Bellatrix bouncing off the walls.
With blotchy vision, Addie, now de-transformed, looked up to see her writhing on the floor, and the muggle man in the chair in shock--but not in pain. The crowd of death eaters surrounded Bellatrix, to whom the curse had been redirected.
She was still screaming, even though the curse had only just hit her. Addie looked down at her hands which were shaking violently. She just did that. Even though she was relieved the curse had missed the poor muggle man, guilt still bubbled in her blood. Lucius was right--her version of the curse was much more powerful, much more painful, than any normal wizard.
She was a monster.
The death eaters--mostly shocked, fumbling with what to do--struggled, though eventually restrained Bellatrix's flailing limbs enough to carry her from the room; her screams growing quieter the further away they got. Lucius, trailing after them, turned back. Seeing a de-transformed Adeline, he pointed to someone behind her in the room.
"Take her back to the cell--" he sputtered fleetingly, and with that, left the room; swinging the door closed behind him so hard that it bounced open again a little, leaving a gap that he didn't turn back to fix.
After a moment, all Addie could hear was the person's shoes on the dark floorboards as they stepped slowly toward her.
It was then that Christine Lestrange's voice broke the silence.
"You didn't think you'd actually get away with that, did you?"
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a/n:
HI IM SO SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO LATE
but good news bc i have holidays very very soon (literally in a few days) which means updates!!!!!!
let me know what u think of the chapter! particularly the Dabria stuff bc i've never really written this much with her character
ily all!!!! i'll see you very sooooon
-g