I sat beside Luna, struggling to stay conscious as we hear someone unlocking the door before forcing someone in. The echoing bang of the slammed cellar door had not died away
before there was a terrible, drawn out scream from directly above.
"HERMIONE!" I heard Ron's voice bellowed "HERMIONE!"
"Be quiet!" Harry said. "Shut up. Ron, we need to work out a way" I try to get up but fail as Luna moves from beside me.
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" Ron yells again.
"We need a plan, stop yelling we need to get these ropes off"
"Harry?" Luna whispered through the darkness. "Ron? Is that you?" Ron stopped shouting. There was a sound of movement. "Harry? Ron?"
"Luna?"
"Yes, it's me! Oh no, I didn't want you to be caught!"
"Luna, can you help us get these ropes off?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes, I expect so. There's an old nail we use if we need to break anything. Just a moment" Hermione screamed again from overhead, and I could hear Bellatrix screaming too, but her words were inaudible, as Ron shouted again,
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!"
"Mr. Ollivander?" Harry could hear Luna saying. "Mr. Ollivander, have you got the nail? If you just move over a little bit. I think it was beside the water jug. You'll need to stay still," she said. From upstairs we heard Bellatrix's voice.
"I'm going to ask you again! Where did you get this sword? Where?"
"We found it we found it PLEASE!" Hermione screamed again.
"Ron, please stay still!" Luna whispered. "I can't see what I'm doing"
"My pocket!" Ron said, "In my pocket, there's a Deluminator, and it's full of light!" A few seconds later, there was a click, and the luminescent spheres the Deluminator had sucked from the lamps in the tent flew
into the cellar: Unable to rejoin their sources, they simply hung there, like tiny suns, flooding the underground room with light. I noticed as Harry saw Luna, all eyes in her white face, before looking over to where me and Ollivander were curled up on the floor in the corner. Craning around, he caught sight of their fellow prisoners:
Dean and Griphook the goblin, who seemed barely conscious, kept
standing by the ropes that bound him to the humans.
"Rory" Harry said as his eyes met mine.
"Oh, that's much easier, thanks, Ron," said Luna, and she began hacking at their bindings again. "Hello, Dean!" From above came Bellatrix's voice.
"You're lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth!"
Another terrible scream.
"HERMIONE!"
"What else did you take? What else have you got? Tel me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife!"
"There!" The ropes fell away as Harry ran over to me.
"Rory, look at me" I managed to look up at him "Rory I'm going to get us out of here, I swear" Ron was running around the cellar, looking up at the low ceiling, searching for a trapdoor. Dean, his face bruised and bloody, said
"Thanks" to Luna and stood there, shivering, but Griphook sank onto the cellar floor, looking groggy and disoriented, many welts across his swarthy face.
Ron was now trying to Disapparate without a wand.
"There's no way out, Ron," said Luna, watching his fruitless efforts. "The cellar is completely escape-proof. I tried, at first. Mr.
Ollivander has been here for a long time, he's tried everything and so has Rory." Ron looked over to where Harry was sat beside me an arm wrapped around me. Hermione was screaming again: The sound went through me like physical pain. Harry stood back up as Dean walked over and sat beside me.
"Hey Rory" I sent him a small smile before shivering "come here" he opened his arms and wrapped them around me whilst Harry started to run around the cellar, feeling the walls.
"What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!" I flinched as
Hermione's screams echoed off the walls upstairs, Ron was half sobbing as he pounded the walls with his fists I burried my head in Deans chest as he tightened his arms around me.
"Help us!" Harry yelled at someone "We're in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, help us!" Hermione was screaming worse than ever, and Ron was bellowing,
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!"
"How did you get into my vault?" we heard Bellatrix scream. "Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?"
"We only met him tonight!" Hermione sobbed. "We've never been inside your vault. It isn't the real sword! It's a copy, just
a copy!"
"A copy?" screeched Bellatrix. "Oh, a likely story!"
"But we can find out easily!" came Lucius's voice. "Draco,fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!" Harry dashed across the cellar to where Griphook was huddled on the floor.
"Griphook," he whispered into the goblin's pointed ear, "you must tell them that sword's a fake, they mustn't know it's the real one, Griphook, please"
We could hear someone scuttling down the cellar steps; next moment, Draco's shaking voice spoke from behind the door.
"Stand back. Line up against the back wall. Don't try anything, or I'll kill you!"
All the ones still standing did as they were bidden; as the lock turned, Ron clicked
the Deluminator and the lights whisked back into his pocket, restoring the cellar's darkness. The door flew open; Malfoy
marched inside, wand held out in front of him, pale and determined. He seized the little goblin by the arm and backed out
again, dragging Griphook with him. The door slammed shut and at the same moment a loud crack echoed inside the cellar. Ron clicked the Deluminator. Three balls of light flew back into the air from his pocket, revealing Dobby the house-elf, who
had just Apparated into their midst.
"DOB-!"
Harry hit Ron on the arm to stop him shouting, and Ron looked terrified at his mistake. Footsteps crossed the ceiling overhead, Draco marching Griphook to Bellatrix. Dobby's enormous, tennis ball shaped eyes were wide; he was trembling from his feet to the tips of his ears. He was back in the home of his old masters, and it was clear that he was petrified.
"Harry Potter," he squeaked in the tiniest quiver of a voice, "Dobby has come to rescue you."
"But how did you?" An awful scream drowned Harry's words: Hermione was being tortured again. He cut to the essentials. "You can Disapparate out of this cellar?" he asked Dobby, who
nodded, his ears flapping. "And you can take humans with you?" Dobby nodded again. "Right. Dobby, I want you to grab Rory, Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander, and take them take them to"
"Bill and Fleur's," Ron said. "Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth!"
The elf nodded for a third time.
"And then come back," said Harry. "Can you do that, Dobby?"
"Of course, Harry Potter," whispered the little elf. He hurried over to Mr. Ollivander, who appeared to be barely conscious. He took one of the wandmaker's hands in his own, then held out the other to Luna and Dean, neither of whom moved. Deans arms still wrapped around me.
"Harry, we want to help you!" Luna whispered.
"We can't leave you here," said Dean.
"Go, both of you! We'll see you at Bill and Fleur's. Dean look after my sister" Dean nodded and tightened his grip around me "Go!" Harry beseeched to Luna and Dean. "Go! We'll follow,just go!"
They caught hold of the elf's outstretched fingers as I gripped onto Dean, his arm wrapped tightly around me. There was another loud crack as we left the cellar.We landed on a beach as Dobby disappeared again.
"Who's there" I heard Bill's voice as he came towards us.
"Ron sent us here" Luna said as Bill got closer, his eyes landing on me as he took a deep breath before kneeling down in front of me and Dean.
"Rory" I looked at him but I didn't say anything as he carefully took me from deans arms. "Hey look at me please Rory" I look up at him before placing my head against his shoulder too tired to do anything else.
"She's been getting tortured daily" Mr Ollivander spoke "since the day she got there"
"Follow me" Bill said turning towards shell cottage.
"I'm going to wait for Harry" Dean said as Luna went to stand beside him.
"Alright" Bill headed inside with Mr Ollivander beside him. "Fleur can you help Mr Ollivander" Fleur came rushing towards us.
"Oh Rory" she said as she saw me.
"I've got her Fleur, help Mr Ollivander" Bill headed up to one of the bedroom and carefully placed me down on the bed "Rory, can I clean you up" I nodded as he headed to the bathroom to get a damp cloth. "I'm going to wipe your arms first okay" I nodded before wincing as he gently wiped the blood off "I'm sorry, I'm being as gentle as I can"
"It's okay" I managed to say shakily. Once he had managed to get all the blood off he headed to one of the drawers and pulled out a t-shirt.
"This is one of mine, I can help you change or I can get Fleur if you feel more comfortable"
"You're fine Pillock" he smiles slightly at the name before closing his eyes to help me change, I wince as my old clothes brush over all the cuts. Bill helps me pull the t-shirt on his eyes still shut until I'm covered. He noticed the tears in my eyes as he sits beside me and wraps his arms around me.
"You're okay now I promise. I'm going to get you something for the pain and some food"
"Where's Charlie"
"He's in Romania, he checks in everyday but wants to be alone" I look down at my lap. "I'll be right back" Bill walks back in with a tray of food and a pain potion. "Come on you need to eat and then sleep" he places the tray on my lap as I shakily lift my hand "Come on I'll help you" he says as he picks up the spoon and starts helping me with the soup.
"Thanks Pillock" I say once I'm finished.
"You don't have to thank me, I've sent a Patronus to Charlie and Remus so they know you're back" I nod as he places the tray on the bedside table. I manage to fall asleep after the pain potion.