Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and Whatnot

I didn’t open my eyes until I heard a woman’s voice. “What is this?”

“We’re here to see He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!” rasped Greyback.

“Who are you?”

“You know me!” there was resentment in his voice. “Fenrir Greyback! We’ve caught Harry Potter!”

They shuffled our group of prisoners so Harry was facing Narcissa.

“I know ‘e’s swollen, ma’am, but it’s ‘im!” said Scabior. “If you look a bit closer, you’ll see ‘is scar. And this ‘ere, see the girls? The Mudblood and Bloodtraitor who’ve been travelling with ‘im, ma’am. There’s no doubt it’s ‘im, and we’ve got ‘is wand as well! ‘Ere, ma’am – “

“Bring them in,” she said.

They brought us into what looked like the drawing room. There were portraits lining the walls, a giant crystal chandelier, and a marble fireplace. Draco and Daddy Malfoy were home, I saw them both rise from the chairs as they shoved us in the room.

Narcissa called her son over to look at Harry and determine if it was really him.

“Well Draco?” asked Lucius. “Is it? Is it Harry Potter?”

“I can’t – I can’t be sure,” said Draco.

“But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!”Lucius was extremely excited. “Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiv –“

“Now, we won’t be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mr. Malfoy?” growled Greyback.

“Of course not, of course not!” Lucius said impatiently.

They continued to debate a little while over Harry, then turned us around quickly, making us stumble, so that the light fell on me and Hermione.

“What about the Mudblood and her friend, then?” asked Greyback.

“Wait,” asid Narcissa. “Yes – yes, they were in Madame Malkin’s with Potter! I saw the picture in the Prophet! Look, Draco, isn’t it the Granger girl and…Firth right?”

I scowled.

“I…maybe…yeah.”

Draco seemed reluctant to look at us and confirm who we were.

“But then, that’s the Weasley boy!” shouted Lucius. “It’s them, Potter’s friends – Draco, look at him, isn’t it Arthur Weasley’s son, what’s his name – ?”

“Yeah,” Draco said. “It could be.”

The door opened behind us and I heard a voice that made me cringe. “What is this? What’s happened, Cissy?”

Bellatrix Lestrange walked slowly around us and stopped in front of Hermione.

“But surely,” she said. “this is the Mudblood girl? This is Granger?”

“Yes, yes, it’s Granger!” cried Lucius. “And beside her, we think, Potter! Potter and his friends, caught at last!”

“Potter?” shrieked Bellatrix. “Are you sure? Well then, the Dark Lord must be informed at once!”

She pulled back her sleeve.

“I was about to call him!” said Lucius, his hand closing around her wrist, preventing her from touching the mark. “I shall summon him, Bella. Potter has been brought to my house, and it is therefore upon my authority – “

“Your authority! You lost your authority when you lost your wand, Lucius! How dare you! Take your hands off me!” she sneered.

“This is nothing to do with you, you did not capture the boy – “

“Begging your pardon, Mr. Malfoy,” Greyback cut him off, “but it’s us that caught Potter, and it’s us that’ll be claiming the gold – “

“Gold!” laughed Bellatrix.

Then, her face fell as she noticed the sword that one of the Snatchers still held.

“What is that?”

“Sword,” grunted the Snatcher.

“Give it to me”

“It’s not yours, missus, it’s mine, I reckon I found it.”

There was a bang and a flash of red light. The others tried to draw their wands against her, but they were no match.

“Stupefy! Stupefy!”

She knelt by Greyback, who was stunned into a kneeling position and could only move his mouth.

“Where did you get this sword?” she whispered as she pulled his wand out of his hand.

“How dare you?” he snarled. “Release me, woman!”

“Where did you find this sword? Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!”

“It was in their tent,” he said. “Release me, I say!”

She waved her wand, and he sprang to his feet and lurked behind an armchair.

“If this is indeed Potter, he must not be harmed,” she muttered to herself. “The Dark Lord wishes to dispose of Potter himself…But if he finds out…I must…I must know…The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think what to do!” she said to her sister.

“This is my house, Bella, you don’t give orders in my – “

“Do it! You have no idea of the danger we are in!” she shrieked.

Narcissa turned to Greyback, “Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback.”

“Wait,” said Bellatrix. “all except…except for the girls. Especially the Mudblood” she spat.

Greyback grunted in pleasure.

“No!” shouted Ron. “you can have me, keep me!”

Bellatrix hit him and I winced.

“If one of them dies under questioning, I’ll take you next,” she said. “Blood traitor is next in my book. Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they are secure, but do nothing more to them – yet.”

She took out a little, silver knife and cut us free from the others. Then dragged us both into the middle of the room.

“Now,” she said. “who’s first? Mudblood I’m thinking.” She smirked evilly.

She pushed me to a corner of the room where Draco was standing, “Hold her, the filthy half-blood traitor, and keep her quiet.”

He didn’t make eye contact with me, just turned me around roughly and held onto my arms.

Bellatrix went back over to Hermione. “How did you get my sword? Did you steal it?”

She was still smirking. Hermione didn’t answer.

“Answer me,” Bellatrix said harshly.

Still nothing.

“I said answer me! Crucio!”

Hermione screamed. It was terrible, and made me sick to my stomach.

“Hermione!” I yelled. “No! Stop it!” I launched myself forward, breaking Draco’s rather weak grasp and grabbed Bellatrix’s arm.

“Get off me!” she screeched and slapped me hard across the face.

I staggered back and at that moment, Greyback re-entered the room.

“Greyback! You hold her! Apparently she’s too strong for little Draco.”

He grabbed my upper arms and pulled me back to the corner.

“We didn’t steal it,” choked Hermione.

“Liar,” hissed Bellatrix as she raised her wand.

Hermione screamed again. I writhed against Greyback.

“No! Stop!”

“Shut up, stupid girl, there’s no use,” Greyback hissed in my ear.

He held onto my arms tighter, his claws cutting into my skin. Hermione’s screams were drowning out my own.

Bellatrix released Hermione from the curse once more.

“I swear we didn’t take it,” she sobbed.

“You are lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth!”

She raised her wand and there was another terrible scream from Hermione.

“No, please stop! She’s telling the truth!” I was sobbing now too, and still trying to get out of Greyback’s painful grasp.

“What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife!”

I was sobbing and hyperventilating. I had stopped trying to free myself of Greyback, and just stood there shaking, praying we could find a way out of this.

She raised her wand and Hermione screamed yet again, the pain in it going straight through me, and I hated not being able to do anything.

“What else did you take? What else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!”

Her screams were worse than ever now, and I sobbed and pleaded for Bellatrix to stop, but my voice was drowned out by the screams and by Bellatrix’s own cackling.

“How did you get into my vault? Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?” Bellatrix screamed.

“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?” she screeched. “Oh, a likely story!”

“But we can find out easily!” said Lucius. “Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!”

When he brought the goblin back up, Bellatrix asked, “So you don’t know this goblin?”

“No” whispered Hermione.

Bellatrix waved her wand again and Hermione screamed, then slumped to the ground.

“Stop it!" I cried "She’s not lying!”

But then we heard a crack from below.

“What was that?” shouted Lucius. “Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?”

“Draco – no, call Wormtail! Make him go and check!”

Bellatrix paced a little bit, circling Hermione’s unconscious form on the ground and the small, broken goblin seated next to her now.

She picked up the sword then and handed it to the goblin, “Is it real?”

He stood there examining it for a few minutes.

“Well? Is it the true sword?” she asked impatiently.

“No,” answered the goblin. “It is a fake.”

“Are you sure? Quite sure?”

“Yes,” he answered.

She looked greatly relieved, “Good.”

Then, with a flick of her wand, she cut a deep gash in the goblin’s face and kicked him aside. I gasped inaudibly.

“And now,” she said triumphantly, “we call the Dark Lord!”

She touched her finger to the Dark Mark.

“And I think we can dispose of the Mudblood. That other one too, she’s of no use. Greyback, take them if you want.”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Ron burst into the room then, and pointed his wand at Bellatrix.

“Expelliarmus!” he roared as she turned around to face him.

Her wand flew into the air and I saw as Harry came sprinting in to catch it.

Harry yelled “Stupefy!” and Lucius fell to the ground.

Greyback had released one of my arms to draw his own wand. He, Narcissa, and Draco all threw spells towards Harry. He ducked behind a sofa.

“STOP OR SHE DIES!”

I whipped my head in the direction of Bellatrix’s voice to see her supporting an unconscious Hermione and holding the knife to her throat.

“Drop your wands,” she whispered. “Drop them, or we’ll see exactly how filthy her blood is!”

I looked at Harry and Ron, panicked, as they stood rigid for a second.

“I said drop them!” she screeched, pressing the blade into Hermione’s skin, and I saw droplets of blood start to appear.

“All right!” Harry shouted, as they both dropped the wands and raised their hands.

“Good! Draco, pick them up! The Dark Lord is coming, Harry Potter! Your death approaches!”

“Now,” her voice turned soft. “Cissy, I think we ought to tie these little heroes up again, while Greyback takes care of Miss Mudblood, and the other if you want. I am sure the Dark Lord will not begrudge you the girls, Greyback, after what you have done tonight.”

As she uttered the last word, there was a grinding noise from above. We all looked up to see the chandelier tremble, then jingle ominously and begin to fall. Bellatrix was right under it and she screamed and leapt out of the way, throwing Hermione aside. It fell on top of Hermione and the goblin, who still clutched the sword of Gryffindor. Crystal shards flew everywhere. I protected my face with my free arm, and when I lowered it, I saw Draco doubled over, holding his face.

As Ron ran to pull Hermione out, Harry leapt over the couch and wrestled all three wands from Draco and pointed them at Greyback.

“Stupefy!”

The werewolf was lifted off his feet by the force of the spell, his claws ripping across my arm as he flew back and he smashed against the wall before falling to the ground. I had been knocked over, but quickly got up and ran over to help Ron get Hermione out.

“Dobby!” I heard Narissa scream. “You! You dropped the chandelier - ?”

“You must not hurt Harry Potter,” the tiny elf squeaked as he trotted into the room.

“Kill him, Cissy!” Bellatrix shrieked.

But there was another loud crack and her wand flew across the room.

“You dirty little monkey! How dare you take a witch’s wand, how dare you defy your masters?”

“Dobby has no master! Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!”

“Ron, catch – and GO!” Harry yelled.

I watched as Ron caught one of the wands then hold onto Hermione tightly. I grasped his arm and we spun into the darkness that I was getting so accustomed to.

When I opened my eyes again, we were in front of a little cottage near a beach.

“Bill!” Ron hollered as we carried Hermione to the door.

Bill and Fleur both came running out. They were followed closely by Dean and... Luna? They all gasped and Fleur put a hand to her face.

“What happened?” Bill asked gruffly.

“Long story, but we need to get her inside,” Ron said.

Then, a ways down we heard Harry’s voice, “HELP! HELP!”

Ron turned, still carrying Hermione and he had a pained expression.

“Take her in,” I nudged him inside.

Then I ran after the rest of them to where Harry was.

He was kneeling by a tiny elf, saying “Dobby…Dobby…” over and over again.

I gasped as I saw a small, silver knife sticking out of Dobby’s chest as he lay there, glassy eyes staring at the sky but seeing nothing.

“Hermione?” Harry asked suddenly. “Where is she?”

“Ron’s taken her inside,” said Bill. “She’ll be alright.”

Harry looked back down at Dobby, then reached out and pulled the knife from him. He took off his jacket and covered Dobby with it. I half listened to the others as they discussed what we should do. I kept looking down at Harry who was staring down at Dobby.

Then, I followed Fleur and Dean, who was carrying the injured goblin who'd lied for us.

Once inside the small cottage, Fleur went to work mending the injured, which included me. I didn’t even realize I was hurt until Fleur pointed out my gashed arm. I looked down at it in a daze, and remembered that’s where Greyback had been holding me.

It had started to get lighter out, nearing morning, and Harry was still outside. I was sitting on the arm of the couch where Hermione lay, looking out the window. Ron and Dean had gone outside to help Harry dig Dobby’s grave. Luna sat across the room from us.

“We should go out there” Hermione said quietly.

“Are you able to get up?” I asked.

She nodded, sitting up slowly.

“It’s only right” Luna said, standing up.

We helped Hermione get up, then we walked down to the grave followed by Bill and Fleur. The tiny elf was wearing Ron’s socks and shoes, Dean’s hat, and Harry’s jacket, which he was securing more tightly.

“We should close his eyes” Luna said as we reached them.

Ron stood up and put an arm around Hermione, who was still unsteady. Luna crouched down and placed her fingertips gently on the elf’s eyelids, sliding them down.

“There,” she said. “Now, he could be sleeping”

Harry placed Dobby in the grave, and we stood, looking down upon him.

“I think we ought to say something,” it was Luna who spoke again. “I’ll go first, shall I?”

We all looked at her, and she spoke to Dobby at the bottom of the grave.

“Thank you so much, Dobby, for rescuing me from that cellar. It’s so unfair that you had to die, when you were so good and brave. I’ll always remember what you did for us. I hope you’re happy now.”

“Thank you Dobby, we will be forever grateful” I said quietly.

Luna turned and looked expectantly at Ron, who said in a thick voice, “Yeah…thanks, Dobby”

“Thanks” muttered Dean.

“Good-bye, Dobby” Harry said.