PANIC BROKE THE DEAFENING SILENCE. Guests began to sprint in all directions, many of them grasping hands and disapparating, for the protective enchantments around the Burrow had broken. Cloaked and masked figures began appearing in the crowd, blazes of light shooting across the dance floor, and suddenly, booming through the frenzied air, was the screech of Alecto Carrow. "Black! I see Black! Someone grab her!"
Harry and Edelyn's lips parted, and for a fraction of a second, trepidation overtook their bodies and they both stood frozen on the dance floor. Their heads swam with racing thoughts, and in that moment of alarm, it finally dawned on Harry that Edelyn was no safer than he. That though Voldemort wanted him dead, he also wanted to use Edelyn's Beaumanoir powers as a weapon, making her just as much as a target — Harry wasn't sure which one of their fates were worse. And with such realization sinking in, the ghosts of Ron's words thudded in his ears: "I'd feel much better knowing she's alive or knowing she's dead than not knowing at all."
He reached over and grasped her hand; he didn't care anymore. She had been right: they were in the middle of a war. There were no safe zones, no time-outs, and he would rather spend every second in danger with her by his side than to be apart from her.
Edelyn's mind, meanwhile, went in the opposite direction of Harry's. She apprehended that at that moment, he would be safer away from her. The Death Eaters couldn't recognize him as 'Cousin Barny', but if he stood much longer beside her or tried to protect her with Expelliarmus, they'd surely piece two and two together.
For a fraction of a second, they saw the chaos reign around them, then Edelyn's eyes snapped to Harry's and she hissed lowly, "You need to leave. Find Ron and Hermione and leave."
"What? No — Lyn!"
She tried to slip her hand out of his, but his grip was strong.
"I'm not leaving you here!"
A flash of light flickered across the corner of her eyes, and Edelyn gasped before tugging Harry down; the spell missed them by mere inches. Then, before she could protest, Harry yanked her back up by the hand, and together, they ran through the crowd, adrenaline coursing through their veins as they dodged curses and weaved through the tumult toward Ron and Hermione.
They were but feet away from reaching them when a voice shouted, "Don't let her get away!"
Edelyn whipped her head around to see Lucius Malfoy ordering two masked figures toward them. Blood pounding in her ears, she bit down on her bottom lip before locking eyes with Hermione and mouthing, "Go."
Hermione's brow knitted in confusion. But then, as Edelyn consequently looked down at Harry's hand, which was tightly holding hers, and a flash of brilliant green flickered across gunmetal-blue, she understood her friend completely.
"Relashio," Edelyn whispered.
As if her skin had suddenly burned like fire, Harry yelped and released her from his grip. He turned to her in puzzlement, but before he could so much as catch his breath, Hermione had seized his shoulder, and with a loud CRACK, they disapparated.
"Ah, we meet again, missy."
Edelyn gave a startled jump, and before she could draw her wand, hands clasped around her throat and squeezed. "You're getting a lot more than a little bite this time," Fenrir Greyback's breathed into her neck.
Pure loathing bubbled in Edelyn, and with nothing but hatred coursing through every vein, she pressed her palms against his fingers and her eyes flared as, for the second time that night, she performed the Revulsion Jinx.
Greyback's fingers released from her neck, and she stumbled forward a few steps before spinning on her heels and shouting, "Confringo!" The werewolf was thrown back into the air, landing with a loud thud, and it took Edelyn a few calming breaths before she could regain composure — before the brilliant green faded from her eyes.
Control it, Edelyn. Control it, she ordered herself as she felt the lingering tingles of her Beaumanoir magic ripple down the tips of her fingers. Control it.
Drawing her wand, she looked into the crowd, and her gaze landed on Tonks, who was duelling two Death Eaters. Raising her wand, she sent a Disarming Charm at one of them, and their wand flew twelve feet in the air before landing behind them. Spinning on their heels, they went to retrieve it but weren't quick enough as, with another flick of her wrist, Edelyn sent a Stunning Spell, and the Death Eater fell unconscious to the floor.
"Lyn! Duck!"
Edelyn did not hesitate. She quickly crouched down; a jet of green light whipped over her head. Straightening up, she raised her wand at the attacker and shouted, "Impedimenta!"
The Death Eater blocked it and shot another curse.
"Protego!"
The shield blocked the jet of red light coming at her from the front but did nothing to the one that suddenly came at her from behind.
A million searing knives — they stabbed at every inch of her body, and her bones felt as if they were being crushed into powder. She fell to the ground and began to writhe. Whether she was screaming or not she could not tell, for every sense was preoccupied with the excruciating pain inflicted by the Cruciatus Curse.
Then, as soon as the pain had come, it disappeared, and Edelyn was left panting on the ground. Someone roughly yanked her up by her hair and pulled her head back.
Edelyn narrowed her eyes into a glare as she stared up into cold grey orbs. "Going to torture me like you did my mother?" she spat.
Lucius Malfoy gave a low growl. "Where's Potter?" he demanded.
"No idea," Edelyn said through gritted teeth.
"You lie!"
And again, she was engulfed in a world of pain. But this time, she didn't collapse to the floor, for Lucius Malfoy held her upright and watched maliciously as she squirmed in his grasp.
"You'll have to do a lot worse than that," Edelyn panted once the spell had been lifted.
"Listen, girl," he snarled, yanking her head back with such force that Edelyn felt her neck would surely break. "I'm not going to ask this again. Where's Potter?"
His wand jabbed into her side and Edelyn winced, bracing herself for another round of pain, but instead, what she heard was the familiar voice of Remus Lupin.
"You're surrounded, Malfoy. Let her go!"
"I'll kill her before any of you have the chance to cast a spell," Lucius growled, and Edelyn felt the wand leave from her side and jab into her neck.
"You do that and you'll be dead," came the low growl of Alastor Moody.
Lucius sneered and swiftly turned on his heels as if to disapparate, but nothing happened.
"You've got no way to run," came Mr Weasley's voice, surprisingly calm. "The protective charms are back up. But if you let her go, we let you walk."
• • •
SHE LAID UNDER THE GLOWING MOONLIGHT, her hands fidgeting the hem of her lavender dress. The cool summer breeze rustled the grass beneath her and a few strands of ebony blew across her cheeks.
Edelyn had been lying there for the past three hours, ever since Remus and Alastor had escorted Lucius Malfoy out. The battle at the wedding had left blotches of blue and purple around her neck and a few cuts and scrapes from flying debris. Goosebumps that had been caused by the Cruciatus Curse lingered on her skin, as well as an odd tingling sensation down her spine. But she took no notice, for her mind was wrapped around the dilemma she now faced.
She wanted to know where Harry, Hermione, and Ron were, but her knowledge of their whereabouts would inevitably cause danger to them, for knowledge could be easily forced out of her with drops of Veritaserum down her throat. She hence concluded that she did not want to, could not, know where they were unless she knew for certain that she'd be able to get to them immediately without any run-ins with any Death Eaters. That meant she needed to perform wandless apparition, something she had yet to try and something she knew would be extremely risky.
She sighed and scanned the night sky as if the stars could tell her what to do. And somehow, they did, for when her eyes landed on the brightest, she suddenly remembered something.
Quickly sitting up straight, she looked at the back door of the Burrow and thought, "Muffliato." Then, looking in front of her, she uttered into the night, "Kreacher?"
For a second, she thought perhaps it didn't work that way, but then, with a loud CRACK, Kreacher the house-elf popped in front of her.
"Mistress." He gave her a low bow.
Edelyn beamed, and so happy was she to see the house-elf that she quickly pulled him into a hug. "Kreacher, I have a mission for you."
Recomposing himself from what he thought was quite inappropriate of his mistress, Kreacher patted down the old rag he wore and said, "Kreacher will complete any order Mistress gives him with honour."
Edelyn paused, thoroughly thinking her plan through; she wasn't sure if she had truly gained Kreacher's loyalty just yet. "Kreacher," she spoke slowly. "I order you to go find and help Harry J. Potter, Hermione J. Granger, and Ronald B. Weasley. You are to obey their orders like you do mine, and you are not to betray their whereabouts to anybody, not even me. You are to stay with them, and only return to me if you should find yourself separated. Is that understood?"
Kreacher nodded. "Yes, Mistress."
Edelyn smiled and then added, "You are also to show them the same respect you show me. You are not to use the words, 'Mudblood' or 'Blood-Traitor', and you will treat Hermione with high regard."
Kreacher looked very displeased with this last request but nodded nonetheless.
"Is that all Mistress?"
"Um...I also want you to pass a message to Harry. Firstly, you tell him that in no scenario should he use the two-way mirror. If anyone steals mine...It's just not worth the risk. Secondly, I want you to give him this." Edelyn took off the golden snitch that hung around her neck and gave it to the house-elf. "Tell him that he better be in perfect health when he gives that back to me."
Kreacher nodded. "Kreacher will do as Mistress asks." He bowed.
"Thanks, Kreacher. Stay safe."
And with another loud CRACK, Kreacher disapparated.
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❛ One-sixty ❜
published, 06. 17. 2018
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