Amelia stared at him incredulously, before turning to Om...
Now she understood why Sebastian hadn't interrupted the Professor's annoying tirade. He was staring in shock. The polyjuice potion had worn off; no doubt having been made by someone who was subpar in potions. Garreth?
He did look a bit odd in the lounge, but she assumed that was because of what Ominis had said to him earlier this week.
The person in front of her now in a suit too large for their stature. Their smile was sinister and their hair was radiantly blonde in the sun shining down at the corridor.
"Bonjour." She winked at Sebastian, before disarming Amelia in her stupor, "I hope this doesn't ruin what we had been us, mon amour." Nathalie turned her head to Nicholas to had appeared.
His nose turned up at them all, "Enough." To Sebastian, his lip raised. "I see you've met my fiancée." Amelia heard footsteps running and then Ominis appeared around the corridor with the side of his head bleeding. Malfoy sighed heavily, "I thought you were unconscious. Take her to Ben, Nathy."
Nails dug into her forearm and the last thing she saw was Ominis bellowing her name, raising his wand to fight... But it was too late. Reality had finally crashed down. Nathalie was the rat, but it was Amelia that got caught in her trap.
Disoriented and Disowned
Being forcibly Apparated sent her to her knees upon landing. She wretched with nothing, but stomach bile coming out and a bitter expression on her face.
"Ugh." Nathalie glanced down at her in disgust. "Take this."
The witch sank her fingers into the other witch's chin and jaw, forcing it to open. Amelia glared hatefully, refusing to go down easily. She shoved the witch away, taking a few seconds to see where they'd landed.
It appeared to be an abandoned pub somewhere along the highlands, but what worried her was the ancient floo chimney outside. As long as it was connected, that floo could send her anywhere in the world with no way for Ominis to track her.
Amelia rolled back to her ass and kicked out her leg; swinging it in a half circle. Nathalie was caught by surprise, yelping from the other witch's heel digging into her ankle. Being caught in clothes far too big for her also helped her motions to be clumsy.
Smirking, Amelia stood up and went to run when her hair was pulled from behind. She shrieked in pain, falling backwards towards the ground. Her aggressor didn't let go of her hair and she met his sinister gaze.
"Hello, Amy."
"B-mmf"
Whatever he shoved between her lips, it was small like a pebble. It melted and she realized it was some sort of pill that released a numbing toxin. She went to spit it out, but his hand let go of her hair only to shove his hand over her mouth and pinch her nostrils shut. She couldn't breathe. Her lungs began to burn and she swallowed.
Only then did he let go; allowing her head to hit the ground. Whatever potion had been imbued in the small pill made her head feel entirely too hazy. It felt like she didn't have control of herself. A kick to her stomach sent her flying a few feet away.
She couldn't even scream.
All she could do was register the pain and look numbly at the small expanse of ground and sky she could see.
"Pathetic." He scoffed, standing over her with his boot resting heavily on her waist. "Where's that fool you've been toying around with? Where's he to save you now?"
"Toying around?" Nathalie mimicked his scoff, reaching down to pull back her ruffled collar, "Look at those love marks, monsieur."
"I knew you were fucking him." He reared his leg back to kick her lower back. The burst of pain making tears silently fall down her cheeks, "Tainted whore. The only good thing to come out of this is inheriting your father's vaults and property."
Nathalie made a pleased noise, "Don't forget about your British cousins."
"You and Nicholas will be rewarded for your efforts. Quite amusing, really." Benjamin laughed humorlessly, "You were able to polyjuice as that Weasley boy to trick the Sallow girl and since her stupid brother invited you through the wards, you had access to the grounds. Nicholas found a dangerous rose to handle."
"I took no pleasure in it." Nathalie said innocently, "Besides helping my fiancé, of course. He quite enjoyed bashing the blind wizard over the head when he came out of the bathroom."
Now his laugh was filled with genuine amusement. "I wish I could have been there to see it." Benjamin nudged her back with his boot and she flinched inwardly; thinking that he was about to kick her again, "Do you hear that? Your friends were fooled, that Gaunt bastard will never have you again, and you'll be my wife in name only. I would never stick my dick in your ruined cunt."
Resentment bubbled up in her, but she couldn't deny that she also felt some relief. She didn't have to worry about him forcing himself on her in a sexual manner.
"Let's take her to Amérique." Nathalie said with a lofty sigh, "While you may not like it, Gaunt is an Auror, and he can rile up the British Ministry rapidement. Once we're over the lines, M.A.C.U.S.A. will represent her, and there's no chance of your father or hers is giving her up."
Nicholas nodded and he shoved her over onto her back again with his boot. Amelia looked with blurry eyes at a clear blue sky that was too beautiful for what was happening. She saw Ben's menacing scowl and Nathalie's that was full of disdain over her.
How could she do this to Sebastian? He cared about her. He was always trying to think of ways to make her happy and perk her up. Amelia wasn't the only person affected from this astonishing betrayal.
Still, she refused to break.
Ominis would find her. He would-
"I hope you've had enough tea and crumpets. It's time to come home."
Ben's voice was dark and it took mere seconds before he brought her through the floo flame. There was a flash of green and a billowing of smoke before they appeared somewhere other than the quiet highlands.
He dropped her to the floor without much regard for her safety. Her head hit the wooden floor, but thankfully there was a rug present. Still, black dots danced across her vision as nausea bubbled up. Amelia knew that he was cruel, but he seemed enraged.
Was he mad that Ominis took her virginity? Was he mad that there was a rebellious glint in her eyes that wasn't there before? She wasn't as obedient as her mother?
The white ceiling with delicate wood trim was familiar to her. As were the voices seated on the couches she knew were to her left, but her body could hardly move.
"It's not fun if she can't participate." A sly voice regarded her coldly.
Ben laughed, but Amelia couldn't find anything funny about the statement. "She's on one pill. If she pisses me off, I'll add two confusion draughts to her dosage." He uttered an incantation she didn't recognize before she felt her limbs grow heavy again. "Stand up, witch. Dear old daddy's been dying to see you again since you left for the U.K."
Amelia rolled onto her stomach, trying to find the strength to push up as her eyes met not only Benjamin's father, but hers as well. The statement before had been made by Mr. Covington and was eyeing her appreciatively.
It was a look that Ben recognized, "I wouldn't, father. She's nothing, but a used whore now. I should be compensated for reducing myself to something that's equitable to a used rag in prison."
She bristled, but bit her tongue. Last night had been incredible. She felt lo-she felt like she wasn't alone for the first time in a long time. That someone was there. That someone cared. Someone she wanted desperately to be able to reciprocate to. His words wouldn't stain the feelings she had about last night. If anything, they only fueled her hatred.
"Well, well." Mr. Covington barked out a laugh, standing up from the armchair while her dad sat still. "She must have found a backbone in England. Do you see the look she's giving you Benjamin? Are you going to allow your future wife to look at you with such contempt? Think of how the press would react."
"Of course not. I'm sure she'd hate to end up like her mother."
Amelia's eyebrows furrowed and she stared straight into her father's eyes for an answer. Both ends of his smile were unnaturally elongated. There was a wild look in his eyes that wasn't there before. "She knew better than to disobey me. It's why she's dead."
He used his wand to scoot back the other loveseat. Behind it, she now could see from her angle the crumpled form of a woman covered in blood. Her black hair was matted and her pale skin was tight over her bones. She looked as if she'd been beaten, starved, and then killed before she could have died of malnutrition.
She wretched on the floor again, but this time stomach bile even refused to come out. Tears blurred her vision, but she had to compartmentalize. Now wasn't the time to cry. Now wasn't the time for them to see her weak.
The walls were white. The chairs were blue. The carpet was red. Ominis' grounding exercise was able to help her de-escalate her rising emotions.
"There was no point in bringing me here." Amelia bit out, standing up shakily from the spot in front of the floo chimney. She didn't have to check to know that they'd closed off the connection and there were likely anti-apparition wards in place. None of them were stupid. "I'll never willingly marry him."
"You don't have to be willing to do anything." Benjamin's father rejoiced, "You promised to marry my son, or die. You promised to bear him children and not hurt him, or die. And you promised not to love anyone else or die. So I'm going to tell you what is going to happen. Three days from now, there will be a wedding on the beautiful shores by the Cape. It'll overlook the ocean and many important people are going to be in attendance including the President. That night, you will conceive a child with my son to continue the line. Then once you give birth to a son, I'm going to kill you personally. Are we clear?"
Amelia laughed hollowly, "If I'm going to die anyway, then I may as well break the last vow by saying the truth out loud."
"You wouldn't dare." Her father interjected, smiling coldly. "As the Director, I have many friends who come to my side when I need assistance. Speaking of friends, how would you feel if your friend Sebastian Sallow died? Or that nosy good-for-nothing Matilda Weasley? That bar tender who served you in Hogsmeade? I would save the blind one for last." Amelia's father said his name like a curse, "Ominis. Gaunt. That rotting piece of flesh would-"
CRACK
She stomped her foot as her emotions suddenly overwhelmed her. A powerful wave of magic emanated from the crack on the floor and sent everyone tumbling backwards. Amelia's eyes widened, but she didn't want to miss this chance. She grabbed the fire poker near the fire. It was sharp at the end and the cold iron beneath her fingers was cold.
This would leave a scar on her soul, but saving herself and her friends was priceless. Amelia darted forward, aiming for Benjamin as she went to sink the metal through his heart. She saw the winding of a spell forming to her left and she pivoted at the last moment.
Amelia tightened her grip on the metal and sent the stick through layers of flesh and muscle. She turned it, hearing an agonizing scream cut short. Blood trickled down the end of the iron, making her grip weaken.
"How dare you?" Benjamin's father seethed.
The man's words fell on deaf ears. She could only stare at her father as he sunk to his knees, holding the iron in front of his chest. Amelia had hit his heart and maybe pierced a lung too.
"I-" He coughed out blood, a red smile forming on his deranged features, "I-I always knew you were l-like m-me."
Disgusted and revolted, Amelia ripped out the metal poker and watched as her father hit the floor.
Dead.
"Lock her up. I don't want to see her until the wedding." Benjamin's father ordered his son and she barely registered the curse sent her way.
Amelia felt the effects of the Cruciatus Curse until she passed out from the pain. She didn't know how long it'd went on. All she knew was that the only thing that kept her sane was him.
A soft smile that shined brighter than the sun.
A warm touch that felt like daylight kissing her skin.
A man who had suddenly become the center of her universe.
_____________________
(((＞＜))) Things aren't really going well for Amelia, are they? But at least one out of three is dead, right? How do you think Ominis is going to react to her being kidnapped?
Thank you for reading and please let me know!