For a very long time, Felicity would have agreed that there was no way in which physical pain could outweigh psychological pain. The latter may not have genuine hurt in it, but it always leaves a larger and longer lasting bruise. Any kind of physical injury a lot of the time, can be healed in either a few minutes or a few months. The other cannot, lies dormant within someone's mind until it is too much to handle and a breakdown is caused. At least, this was what she always assumed.
It had been four days. Four days since she had been captured. She was still chained up to the wall and twice a day, food was delivered through a latch of some kind at the bottom of the door. If only there was some way for her to break the chains. Then again, where would she go? She had no idea where she was, she could be in a whole other country for all she knows. There was only one thing that she did know for certain, there was no way for her to contact people she cared deeply for. She knew that this dark side of her family tree were very much prejudiced towards anyone who wasn't a pure-blood wizard or witch.
By simple logic, this meant that phones would not exist. If somehow, she did manage to escape, she was immediately at a disadvantage due to three things. The first being that she didn't know her way around this building she was in. The second was that she was vastly outnumbered by people who could kill her with two simple words. The third being that she was now nearing her sixth month of pregnancy. Had it really been that long? It seemed like it had only been a matter of days when she found out.
She had no choice but to remain where she was. Her first day locked up, nothing really happened. Once Kyra had walked into the room, the older woman had just stood there staring at her. Occasionally curling her hip-length hair around her fingers which made her look innocent. Other times she would be running her fingers along her neck. At first, she didn't notice anything weird, but after a few minutes she spotted a specific item of jewellery. A choker. It was at least an inch thick, woven together tightly and had what appeared to be a gold trimming around the edge.
This set her off. If there was one thing Felicity knew for certain, it was that Kyra desperately wanted it for herself, and she had it. How she had gotten it, she may never know. This confirmed her suspicions. She was always a few more steps ahead, created a maze where every escape route suddenly closed off. It was obvious there was no way she was escaping this. She had to let things run its course before anyone else gets hurt.
Her second day there, Kyra didn't make an appearance. In fact, nobody made an appearance. Despite this, she couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching her with something. It was possible, she wasn't going to out rule this theory. Because of this feeling, she refused to let her tears spill, despite her eyes stinging. The food that she was given wasn't anything special. A slice of bread, a small block of cheese, a cup of water. The only reason this was happening was clear to her. Kyra wanted her for something, and that was why she had targeted her.
Was it because of their blood relation? Was she going to kill her to try and wipe out her 'diseased' family as she would probably put it? There simply wasn't a way to tell. She was terrified, to put it lightly. How could she not be? She'd been taken against her will by wizards and witches whom she had no defence mechanism against. She couldn't fight in her current state, and the little she consumed was just enough to keep her alive. That gave her some comfort, knowing that this wouldn't happen if they wanted to kill her. At least not now.
It wasn't much of a comfort, but a few more days meant a lot to her. Occasionally, she would feel a light kick to her stomach which would cause her to stare down at her growing bump and smile. If her daughter makes it out alive, she would be alright. She'd barely thought of Dudley, knowing that if she did, she would start crying. And weakness was an emotion she did not want to show. If she remains strong, it might give her some form of advantage.
However, things made a turn for the worst on her third day locked up. Kyra appeared again with two men at either side. One had long matted hair and he just looked insane. There was no other way to put it. The second had a slicked back grey ponytail who had a stoic expression on his face. That was when the first curse hit her. Kyra asked her a question that she knew Felicity didn't have an answer for, and then she punished her for not knowing the answer. She didn't cast the spell herself, instead opting to sit on a chair nearby, crossing her legs, and placing her hands behind her head. The large smile plastered on her face showing that she was sitting down like she was about to watch a movie she had been desperate to see.
The two men took turns in hitting her with numerous spells, laughs escaping the three of them as they watched her suffer. It went on for roughly an hour, and almost like it was congratulatory, a large roast dinner was given to her. She wasted no time in eating every bit of the delicious meal but it was once she finished that she realised it probably wasn't a good idea. A concoction of some kind could have been laced within it. For the next hour, she had sat with her back pressed against the cold wall, waiting on something to happen.
Nothing did.
Despite this, Felicity knew deep down that it hadn't just been given to her to keep her alive. Kyra was playing a mind trick on her in some way. What that trick was exactly, she wasn't sure, and she didn't want to strain her mind thinking up a possibility. She refused to let herself sleep that night, not wanting to show vulnerability in a situation where vulnerability would almost certainly, lead to her or her daughter's death.
The exact same thing happened today. Every thick curtain was closed, keeping out any form of sunlight. Because of this, she had no idea what time it was. She realised with a start that this was clearly being done on purpose. Kyra had realised that she might try and find a pattern that would allow her to have the upper hand. This made Felicity slump to the ground in annoyance, not knowing a single thing that might happen. The same two men were sent in along with a third, and once again, Kyra made herself comfortable in a large seat and watching intently at the torture the young woman was going through.
They were trying to break her. They'd gotten her in a weak spot. They knew that she desperately wanted her child to make it out of this alive, and they knew that if they targeted her physically, it would begin to unravel her. Like the day before, shortly after they left, a large plate of freshly made food was handed to her. This time she took her time eating it, not knowing if there was anything laced within it, but her stomach desperately needing to be filled. Despite her being in pain, she was still going to refuse showing any form of weakness. So, she wiped her face void of any emotion that could be read in to, and proceeded to look around the room once more.
Roughly twenty minutes passed of this, and at some point, she felt a huge wave of drowsiness overcome her. It came so suddenly that she was rendered speechless. Yes, she hadn't slept in two days but she'd done that before with no problem. She froze in realisation as another one of Kyra's plans became obvious to her. The first large dinner was used to trick her into thinking she would be alright, and the second had been laced with something. Before she had any chance to react, her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she fell unconscious.
Slowly, she felt her eyes flutter open. She expected to see a bright light, hoping everything was a dream that felt like reality. She blinked a couple of times but all she saw was black, and panic began to seep in. Felicity looked down to her left arm which was covered in bruises- proof that she had not been asleep. Her stomach turned with nausea and a few seconds later, she was bent over heaving up nothing.
She wasn't sure if it had been minutes, hours, or even days since she had passed out. The only thing that was clear to her was that she was not in the room she had previously been in. She was still shackled to a wall, and iron gates surrounded what was obviously the entrance. She was in a cell, a large cage. Her being the attraction, and anyone walking by being amused by her. She hates feeling trapped, or like she is stuck inside a bubble of some sort. But this feeling of isolation was a whole lot worse.
So, she done something that made sense to her. She used the process of elimination to narrow down her options over where she was and how long it was she had been down here. The first option was immediately out-ruled due to one fact- this being that from what she has heard, potions have a stronger effect on muggles. Therefore, it can't have been minutes. Her second option seemed plausible. The third again, was possible, but it was unlikely. If she had been moved into a small cell, it meant that she was going to be a part of something big soon. It didn't make sense if Kyra had kept her hostage for days because of that.
Felicity concluded it had been a few hours. Of course, she could be wrong, but she was going to remain optimistic. It was the only thing she could do in this kind of situation. Voices broke the silence around her and she held her breath, listening intently to place a name or face to someone. But her mind had gone blank. A lone tear fell down her cheek which she didn't wipe away. There was no point in remaining strong now. She was trapped, and there was no way she was getting out of this.
One of Kyra's missions was to break Felicity, and she had succeeded.
She was just another one of the older woman's pawns, being played to perfection to ensure a win. Seen as nothing, yet in some occasions, can be the decider. The voices grew louder and she heard her amongst the group. If her hearing was correct, there was a group of five or six people, but no more than that. Once again, she was outnumbered. Not just but numbers but by skill. Soon, that dark hip-length hair appeared and her snow-white complexion stood out like a flame in the darkest of tunnels.
Felicity was confused when she aimed her wand at where the padlock was, and unlocked it. They all stood back, with smiles adorning their faces. She made a gesture that seemed like she was saying she was free to go. But she knew better. There was no way she was letting her escape, she was far too valuable. She had no idea what the reason was for, but it was obvious she was a puzzle piece to a disgusting plan. A wand was pointed her way again and just like that, her entire body froze. No matter how much she tried to move, she couldn't do that. Like someone had made a cast around her. Only her eyes could move and she darted them to face Kyra, who was again giving her a sly smirk.
That was when she knew. Whatever her larger plan was that was slowly unfolding around them, it was going to be revealed to her very soon. And just like she assumed, she had a part to play in it all.
She was dragged down corridor after corridor. Each one she tried to remember in case she had a chance of escape despite that being extremely unlikely. It was better than nothing, and it also allowed her to divert her mind from the possibilities of what is going on. Why was she needed? Somehow, Felicity knew it had to do with their blood relation. To what extent was the question though. She attempted to move, but the curse was clearly still in action. All she could do was move her eyes.
Her gaze fell onto the parties faces, memorising them. Of course, Kyra's face is going to be one she'll remember for the rest of her life. The rest however, might one day disappear and will appear like she was remembering a dream. Except this was living no dream, she was alive in a nightmare. The warm Autumn breeze came as a surprise to her, and she realised it was late. The sun hadn't completely set, but the moon was in full force. It was cold, and she would have shivered were she not frozen in time.
There was a table of some form out in the open. Around it surrounded numerous people in black cloaks, their faces covered in masks. A sharp pain went up her spine when she was dropped on the ground, and she hoped her child was alright. Her skin burned from where she met the concrete path that led to the object in question. It was instantaneous when a jet of light hit her and she could feel again. She stretched her arms and looked around her, trying to find a way out.
However, she couldn't do that.
Tears were threatening to escape but she refused to show that she was scared in front of these people. Then she noticed two people standing beside her who picked her up on each side, with two limbs each. Felicity didn't have time to think about what they were doing before she felt her limbs being pulled tightly. Her eyes widened and a loud scream left her, which in turn resulted in a lot of laughs. They soon dislodged, leaving her completely at their mercy. Now, she couldn't move.
At first, they left her there. Laughing at her misfortune like they were watching a close friend trip up on something that was not there. When this died down a little, an older man with white-blonde hair stepped in front. She recognised him vaguely from one of her visions, but she couldn't put a name to him. Once he was in front, he turned around and gave a bright smile, and then bowed. More raucous laughter filled the quiet atmosphere. A word was muttered, one that made her eyes widen in realisation.
The pain was unbearable. If there was a scale she had to compare this to, it would come out above white-hot. Her body felt like it had been lit and was thrown down a cliff. It was relentless. During so, he asked her stupid questions that he knew she wouldn't have an answer to. And when she didn't answer or shrugged her shoulders, it intensified. It seemed to go on forever, but eventually it did stop. By the time the pain had disappeared from her body; her breathing was ragged, her throat burned, and her body ached on an unnatural level.
The man walked away, a large smirk stretched on his face. Clearly proud of his sick work. For a few moments, she was left alone in the circle of cloaked people. A girlish giggle broke the silence as Kyra entered once more. Her dark hair blending seamlessly into the quickly darkening night, the outline of her intricate braids shining against the moonlight. Deep purple lips pulled apart to show her snow-white teeth, and her skin so fair it looked like porcelain. She stopped directly in front of her and wasted no time in aiming her wand towards her long-lost family member.
Felicity's body froze once again, and then she felt herself be raised. She hovered along the ground, completely motionless, in front of everyone. Some had removed their masks by now, but she didn't get a good enough look at them to commit them to her memory. They all seemed to know it too. When she felt cool stone underneath her, she was surprised she wasn't dropped again. A sharp pain in her abdomen cut in now, and her fear began to intensify. Please. She begged in her head. Let her daughter be ok by the end of this ordeal. That is all she was asking for.
Kyra waved her wand again, and a cauldron appeared beside her. It was large, almost half of the taller woman's height, and about two metres diameter. Whatever it was going to be used for, was clearly not something good. This was it. After so many months, Kyra's plans were coming into motion just like she wanted. The final domino falling to complete the pattern. She reached up to her neck and removed the item of jewellery that seemed to have started it all. Following this, she pulled out a small vial from inside her cloak.
The whole time, Felicity stared at her expression. Her eyes were alight, clearly pleased with herself for succeeding in her currently hidden mission. A much older man walked over and placed his large palm delicately on her waist. She turned around and have him a large smile before returning to her project at hand. She opened the vial and poured its miniscule contents into the cauldron. Nothing happened. The man appeared to be holding a lid and something else that she couldn't see. Her body was still frozen solid after all.
Kyra spoke to Rodolphus, giving him exact instructions. Warning him that if he was even a second late, it wouldn't work. Now, the reason why Felicity was bound made sense. She knew she would try and stall time, to ruin things before they began. She lifted the choker next, and hovered it over the mouth. He held the lid nearby and this made Felicity curious. What was in that vial? She got her answer though when Rodolphus gave his lover a quirk of his eyebrow. Silently asking how this would work.
"Basilisk venom is one of the only things that can destroy a horcrux dear. However, if mixed with a specific concoction of my own creation, it separates the piece trapped inside the object. By doing this, a piece of your Bella will be captured inside, and the potion will do the rest. She'll rise again, my love. Tonight."
His lips widened in a delighted grin. Clearly excited about the concept of being reunited with his wife once more. Felicity was confused as she watched the altercation between the pair. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were together in some way. Within a split second, Kyra dropped the choker inside and before it could meet the potion inside, he placed the lid on top, making sure it was secure.
A white mist began spilling from the tiny gap at the top from where the lid did not completely cover. This quickly darkened until it was darker than the night. Felicity wasn't aware how long she had been out here for, but her teeth were begging to chatter away she was so cold. As Kyra let her masterpiece come together, she walked back over to her cousin. A blade was removed from another pocket inside her cloak, and she removed the curse on the younger woman. Kyra's hand gently ran along her body; from her ash blonde hair, to her pronounced jawline, and to her bump.
A smile came onto her face and Felicity was disgusted. How dare she? No words would come out, there was too much going through her mind. Her eyes trailed the blade Kyra had in her palm. It looked to be around five inches long and around an inch thick. The silver of it almost blinding her as the moonlight hit off it. The hilt dotted in multiple coloured stones and with swirls of gold inlaid in the black leather. She came closer again and for a second, looked like she was going to stab her in her stomach.
She didn't, though. In one unexpected move, she sliced her arm open. Immediately, warm blood was covering Felicity's arm and her tears reappeared. Now though, she didn't bother trying to hold them in. She knew she'd been defeated. They'd all fallen into the trap like mice being lured with a bit of cheese. Played perfectly to create a contender for the greatest symphony. Kyra then grabbed hold of her dripping arm, and placed it directly over the cauldron. She appeared to be counting down from a number she didn't catch.
When she reached one, she nodded to Rodolphus again. He nodded in obedience, and lifted the lid again. The air seemed to react as the mist inside had now turned a deep forest green. As Felicity's blood came into contact though, it immediately transitioned into a rustic red. Something was taking form inside, but from her angle she couldn't see what it was. Whatever he was holding was thrown in next and the lid was placed on top again, brewing away. Her body was quickly frozen again, ensuring that escape would not be on the cards for her tonight.
The smoke was almost unbearable. It was invading her nostrils and making it difficult for her to breathe. It was getting thicker by the minute and she heard something scraping away on the inside of the cauldron. Whatever was in there, was not something good. There seemed to be a tense silence, everyone waiting to see if Kyra could officially be trusted. She'd shown time and time again she was, but everyone wanted to make sure. Not wanting her to back out from the one thing they all wanted desperately.
A loud bang startled everyone, breaking the silence. A few birds that had taken residence in nearby trees quickly fled, their numerous cries filling the air. From her petrified state, she rolled her eyes to look at the cauldron. Or what had been the cauldron. Now, all there was left was a few pieces of scrap metal. A lingering stench of burning, and that same deep red smoke. Kyra was grinning so wide it looked like her face might split in two, and her lover was standing with his hands covering his mouth in apprehension.
Slowly, the smoke thinned. The silhouette of someone becoming prominent. She couldn't see who it was, though. Only that whoever it was, was clearly naked. Kyra waved her wand once more and the persons modesty was covered up again. Then she spotted black leather boots with a three-inch heel on them. Followed by a long robe also in black. Clearly there was a theme of some kind going on here. Eventually, a woman stepped out from the red and she glanced around her surroundings.
"Bella?"
She turned her head towards her husband and a large smile broke out on her face. Then, a laugh that broke the silence once more and this was the chain reaction. Soon, all that surrounded Felicity was what she described as the sound of insanity. Neither of these people were right in the head. That was when she remembered her arm was still bleeding, and heavily at that. A few moments later, everything turned black as she lost consciousness.