Chapter 18 (Ava)
I stared at the murky bath water that I was sitting in. The water appeared to be almost opaque- a combination of blood and dirt.
My skin looked paper-white against the water and the dark bruises that had bloomed across my arms and legs.
"Ava?" Mrs. Weasley called gingerly through the door, "Are you ready to come out yet? I have some clean clothes ready for you here."
"Just coming, Mrs. Weasley," I called out as I stood up in the bath and reached over for a towel.
Despite all of the scrubbing that I had done to get rid of the dirt, as I dried myself smears of dirt and old blood still appeared on the towel.
Mrs. Weasley passed some clothes to me from the door and closed it to allow me to get changed. The feeling of jeans and a loose t-shirt felt wonderful compared to the shredded dress that I had been wearing for the past few months.
I opened the bathroom door and stepped out and Mrs. Weasley smiled, "Alright?"
I nodded, although it wasn't entirely true. I wanted to see Fred, but he was on a mission for the Order and hadn't returned yet.
"Ava?" Mr. Weasley appeared at the door, "Remus and Kingsley need to ask you a few questions, I'm afraid. They want to know more about the location of the Death Eaters and what they're up to."
Mrs. Weasley gasped, "Arthur! She's hardly in a fit state to talk about it! Plus I need to comb through her hair-"
I turned to face her, "I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley, but I understand that this needs to be done. And it's better to get it over with."
She nodded, "I'll do your hair when we're downstairs in the kitchen, then."
The three of us walked down into the kitchen silently. Mr. Weasley patted me on the shoulder reassuringly before we went in, and I smiled gratefully.
I sat down opposite Remus and Kingsley while Mrs. Weasley stood behind me with a hairbrush, some scissors and a wand. She began to mutter charms to untangle my hair, but they didn't do much to it. It was far too knotted for that.
"Ava, I'm- I'm sorry that we have to do this so soon," Remus sighed, "But we need as much information as possible. We really do."
I nodded, "I understand. I'll tell you what I can."
Kingsley and Remus shared a glance quickly before Kingsley began, "Do you know where you were being kept prisoner?"
"I think so. I'm pretty sure that it was Malfoy Manor- I recognised it from when I was there last summer." I answered quietly, glancing at the table.
"Which Death Eaters did you see there?" Remus asked.
"I... I only knew a few. Bellatrix Lestrange, Dolohov, Wormtail, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy," I paused at his name before continuing, "They were the only names I knew. There were many others, but I didn't recognise them."
Remus nodded slowly. I wondered what he was going to do with the information that he had. Would the Death Eaters even stay at Malfoy Manor after my escape?
The back door of the kitchen suddenly opened, and the twins walked in. They were both laughing at something, but when they caught sight of me sitting in the kitchen, the two of them seemed to freeze.
"Ava," Fred whispered, his mouth hanging open in shock.
Suddenly, the two of us moved towards each other in a rush. I felt Fred's strong arms wrap around me as I collided with his chest.
I raised my head to meet his eyes as he whispered my name again. I reached out and brushed my fingers against his cheek softly to remind myself that this was real- that all of this was real and I was finally free.
"How long ago did you get here?" He finally managed to ask.
"About two hours ago, I think. I've lost track of time." I muttered. Fred's face broke into a smile, and he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Within his dark eyes, I could see everything that he wanted to say to me. I nodded to show him I understood, and he loosened his grip on me, finally turning to face Remus and Kingsley.
"Are you two questioning her?"
I didn't wait to hear their responses as I turned around to see George and threw my arms around his shoulders.
"I'm so glad you're safe, Ava. We- we didn't know." He glanced at Fred quickly before returning his gaze to me.
I whispered, "Was Fred okay?"
George hesitated, "He was... subdued. Either subdued or angry. But he's got you back now. We all have."
I wasn't sure if he was telling the whole truth, but I decided not to press him. Instead, I walked back to my chair and sat down. Fred pulled a chair up beside me while Mrs. Weasley continued to brush my hair.
Kingsley shook his head, "Ava... I'm so sorry that we have to ask this, but it's important. I need to know what they did to you. If you don't want to talk about it yet, it's okay. We can give you time, but there is a limit. I'm sorry."
I glanced at Remus, whose expression was troubled as he watched me silently. I nodded quickly.
"I can tell you now. It would be better not to dwell on it for too long."
Fred reached out and held onto my hand, squeezing it tightly. His support was enough to help me go on.
"The main reason that I was there was because they wanted information on Harry's whereabouts. When I wasn't in the cell, they would bring me up to the main hall and question me. They... they used the Cruciatus curse on me. More times than I can count. I never told them a thing, but they continued to torture me. The day that Fred was captured and then managed to escape, when I returned to the Manor with Draco, I was taken back to my cell. They..."
A lump had formed in my throat and I glanced down at the table.
"Ava, if you don't want to-" Remus began softly, but I cut him off.
"No. I want to continue." I inhaled deeply, "Dolohov came into my cell. He told me that he'd give me what I deserved. And then he... he used a curse that I've never heard of before. He did it for hours, and it was all just for fun. The Death Eaters got nothing out of my pain, but they enjoyed seeing it. It was so awful that... I couldn't move. Then they didn't touch me for a week. They left me alone in the cell with a few platefuls of food. When they finally did come and retrieve me today, it was to torture me once again for information. Halfway through, they were summoned by the Dark Lord. Draco used the opportunity of no one being in the house to give me my wand and let me go."
I hadn't told them the whole truth about Draco- about the fact that he had played a large part in my time at Malfoy Manor, or how it had been him who had tortured me earlier that day...
I shivered.
The kitchen was silent. Remus' expression looked pained, as if he blamed himself for what had happened to me.
"You don't all need to treat me as if I am a fragile piece of china." I shook my head, "It happened, but I am with you all now and I couldn't be more grateful. I will recover from it much faster knowing that I have those I care about with me."
Remus nodded quickly, glancing away to conceal his expression.
"Would you like something to eat, Ava?" George asked as he reached into the cupboard for some food. I nodded quickly.
"Yes please. I'll eat anything you've got."
Mrs. Weasley had finally managed to untangle my hair, and she laid the hairbrush down on the table with a satisfied sigh.
"Now, Ava," She asked, leaning over my shoulder, "Would you like me to cut it at all? It's grown incredibly long."
I reached out for some of my hair and looked at the dark red ends. It looked incredibly unhealthy and felt rough against my fingers.
I reached out for the scissors on the table and passed them to her, "Could you cut it to just below my shoulders please, Mrs. Weasley?"
"Are you sure?" She asked quietly, taking hold of the scissors, "That's an awful lot to get rid of."
I took a deep breath and nodded.
"A fresh start."