Another Year at Hogwarts

“Well, ‘ello there gorgeous,” a familiar man greeted as Lucius, Draco and I stepped into the drawing room, which the captives, Narcissa and Bellatrix were already present.

“You!” I gasped. Without think, I immediately grabbed for my wand and pointed it at the snatcher.

“Victoria?” Narcissa gasped. “What are you doing?”

The snatcher laughed as he put his hands up. “Still feisty as before. I like that,” he grinned.

“You’re disgusting!” I growled through my clenched teeth.

“What’s going on here, Scabior?” Greyback demanded.

“He’s the one who attacked Draco and me when Snape sent us out to look into the rumors about Harry Potter,” I explained without lowering my wand. “He’s the one who grabbed onto Draco and caused him to get splinched!”

“Victoria,” Draco whispered from behind me as he gently placed his hands on my shoulders. “This is not the time for payback.”

“Do what your boyfriend says, love,” Scabior grinned as he quickly winked at me.

I let out a sound of disgust before turning my attention away from him. If I looked at him for another moment, I swear I was going to throw up.

“Anyways,” Lucius said turning all of our attention back to our captives, “we have him—Harry Potter!”

“Now, we won’t forget who actually caught Potter, now, will we Lucius?” Scabior asked as he took a step closer to the three of us.

“Don’t you dare speak to me with that tone!” Lucius bellowed, making Scabior take a small step back. He then turned his attention to his son and asked, “Well, Draco? Is it him? Is it Harry Potter?”

“I—I can’t be sure,” Draco stuttered, though everyone knew that he recognized Ron and Hermione.

“It doesn’t look like Harry Potter,” I quickly commented as I looked down at Harry whose face was completely distorted and swollen. I crossed my arms over my chest as I slowly approached Harry, who was bound in ropes like Hermione, Ron, Dean Thomas and a goblin—Griphook. Hesitantly, I knelt down in front of him, and looked directly into his emerald eyes.

“It has to be him,” Lucius said from behind me. “Draco, go have a look. Go closer and see.”

My eyes were on Harry the entire time Draco was beside me look at him. Never once in that time, though, did Harry look at me.

“What happened to his face?” Draco questioned.

“Yes,” Bellatrix said as she shoved Harry towards Draco and me before getting up, “what did happen to his face?”

“He probably picked it up in the forest,” Greyback suggested.

“Looks more like a Stinging Jinx to me,” Lucius commented.

“Must have been the Mudblood who did it,” Bellatrix laughed as she passed by Hermione. “Let’s see what that last spell she used was. Where’s her wand?” Bellatrix questioned.

“While you do that,” Lucius said as he undid the binding of his sleeve, “let me have the honor of calling the Dark Lord.”

“Wait!” Bellatrix suddenly screamed making everyone turn around to look at her.

Bellatrix had her back towards us, and she was staring down one of the snatchers who held the belongings they found with Harry and the others. In his other hand was the Sword of Gryffindor.

“Bella—”

“DO NOT TOUCH THAT MARK, LUCIUS OR WE SHALL PERISH IF THE DARK LORD COMES NOW!” she bellowed. She then turned back to the snatcher and demanded to know where he had gotten the sword.

“Found it in their tent,” he replied while looking gleefully down at it. “I reckon it belongs to me, now.”

Without warning, Bellatrix whipped out her wand and began attacking the snatchers. Scabior managed to grab onto his wand, but was immediately stunned like the other three members of his group.

“Draco, drag these scum into the courtyard. I’ll take care of them later,” Bellatrix puffed as she turned around to face us. “Greyback, bring these prisoners into the dungeons!”

“Y—yes!” Greyback quickly responded as he came over to Draco and me and pulled Harry off the ground. He then gathered up the other prisoners and headed towards the dungeon entrance. As he did this, Draco also cast a spell on the unconscious snatchers and dragged them out of the room.

“Wait!” Bellatrix suddenly screamed as Greyback began descending the stairs. “Go fetch the Mudblood for me, Baker.”

“What?” I gasped.

“You heard me!”

“NO!” Ron objected as I slowly got up and made my way words them. “You can have me! Keep me!”

“If that Mudblood dies under interrogations, then I’ll take you. Blood traitors are just as disgusting in my book. Now, grab her Baker!” Bellatrix ordered.

I resisted. I knew exactly what was going to happen, just as Ron and Harry probably knew. But hesitantly, I grabbed onto Hermione’s arm and pulled her away from the group of prisoners.

“Now, take them downstairs, Greyback. Make sure you secure them, but don’t do anything else—yet,” Bellatrix commanded.

“Hermione!” Ron shouted as Greyback shoved them downstairs.

“Ron!” Hermione gasped as I reluctantly pulled her away and towards Bellatrix.

I’m so sorry, Hermione , I thought to myself as Bellatrix grabbed Hermione from me. I quickly took a step back away from the two of them, and hid myself in the shadows as Bellatrix began to interrogate Hermione.

She shoved Hermione a little bit away from herself before pointing her wand at her and demanding to know how Hermione, Ron and Harry got into her vault at Gringotts.

“We were never in your vault!” Hermione replied with as steady a voice as she could.

“LIES!” Bellatrix bellowed as she reached out and grabbed a chuck on Hermione’s short wavy brown hair. Hermione let out a painful cry as Bellatrix did so. “THAT SWORD IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN MY VAULT AT GRINGOTTS! WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU AND THOSE SCUM YOU CALL FRIENDS TAKE FROM MY VAULT?”

“We didn’t take anything!” Hermione cried.

I had to look away as Bellatrix, in her rage, casted the Cruciatus Curse on Hermione. My jaw was clenched tightly together, my eyes were shut, and my hands were held in tight fists. With all my might, I tried blocking out Hermione’s scream and Bellatrix’s voice, but it didn’t do me any good. Hermione’s scream was still breaking through, and I had to fight the urge that tore at me—the urge to pull out my wand and attack Bellatrix; the urge to save Hermione.

I couldn’t help but let a tear slip from my eyes as I heard Hermione collapse to the ground. I immediately turned back to her, only to see Bellatrix kneel down beside her with a dagger in hand.

“What else did you take?” Bellatrix asked as she pressed the knife against Hermione’s cheek. “Tell me, or I swear, I with run this blade through you!”

“We didn’t take anything from your vault. I swear,” Hermione answered through her sobs.

“STOP LYING TO ME!” Bellatrix ordered. “Was that goblin in the cellar? Did that goblin help you do it?” Bellatrix questioned.

“We just met him!” Hermione explained. “We’ve never even been inside your vault. Besides, that isn’t the real sword! It’s a copy, just a copy!”

Bellatrix glared down at Hermione. “Are you lying to me?”

Hermione frantically shook her head. “No, it’s—it’s the truth! That sword is nothing more than a copy!”

I heard Bellatrix huff as she looked over her shoulder to where Greyback, Narcissa and Lucius were.

“Draco!” she called, making me turn my attention to the other people in the room. I had been so focused on Hermione that I didn’t even realize that Draco had returned to the room. “Go downstairs and grab that goblin. I need to have a word with him!”

Draco hesitantly nodded his head before rushing off into the cellar.

“Baker!” Bellatrix suddenly snapped.

I gasped as I turned to her and caught her gaze.

A sinister smile fell onto her face as she extended her pale hand out to me. In what almost sounded like a motherly and kind voice, she said while waving me towards her, “Come… Come here, Baker… Come to me, Victoria.”

I was shaking the entire time I stepped out of the shadows and slowly walked towards Bellatrix and Hermione. When I was in arm’s reach, Bellatrix snatched me by my wrist and roughly pulled me down onto my knees.

“What are you doing, Bella?” I heard Narcissa ask.

“Just giving dear Victoria here a little lesson in torturing,” Bellatrix replied with a smile on her face.

“What are you doing to do?” Hermione gasped as she stared at the two of us with a horrified expression.

I fought my tears as Hermione locked eyes with me. Her eyes were begging me to help her. They were begging me to stop Bellatrix, but there was nothing I could do.

“Here you go,” Bellatrix said as she placed her arm around my shoulder. She then held up her dagger and whispered to me, “Carve ‘Mudblood’ onto her arm.”

“What?” I gasped while turning to look at Bellatrix was a horrified expression.

There was pleasure in Bellatrix’s eyes as she repeated her command. She then shoved the knife into my hand before grabbing Hermione’s arm and pinning it to the ground. Hermione began to scream in fright as Bellatrix shoved her sleeve up to her shoulder and exposed Hermione’s bare arm.

“Do it!” Bellatrix ordered. “She’s a Mudblood! Her parents are Muggles, just like that pathetic father of yours. Come on, do it!” Bellatrix grinned. She then raised her voice above Hermione’s as she screamed at me and ordered me to carve ‘Mudblood’ into Hermione’s arm.

My hands were shaking as I clutched the knife tightly in my hand and brought it closer to Hermione’s arm. Her scream got louder as she felt the top of the blade against her skin.

“Do it!” Bellatrix kept saying to me. “DO IT!”

I’m sorry , I apologized as I gently pressed the blade into Hermione’s arm, drawing a small drop of blood.

“PUSH HARDER!” Bellatrix shouted.

“PLEASE DON’T!” Hermione begged. “PLEASE DON’T!”

“PUSH HARDER!”

Bellatrix suddenly took her left hand off Hermione’s arm and clasped mine. She then pushed into Hermione’s skin for me—drawing not only more blood but an even more terrifying cry from Hermione.

I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I kept repeating this over and over again in my head as Hermione thrashed and kicked beside Bellatrix. Despite all of this, Bellatrix continued to guide my hand to slowly finish writing ‘Mudblood’ onto Hermione’s arm.

“Lovely,” Bellatrix smiled once we had finished.

She then gently shoved me aside as she reclaimed her dagger and continued to gawk at her work.

“Now,” she sighed as she crawled away from Hermione and got back on her feet, “where’s that bloody goblin?”

As she stepped away to talk to Griphook about the sword, I sat beside Hermione’s unconscious body and watched blood trickle down her arm and onto the wooden floor.

“I’m so sorry, Hermione,” I whispered.

“Well!?” I heard Bellatrix question. “IS IT REAL OR NOT!? SPEAK!”

“This sword,” Griphook replied, “is a fake.”

“Well, how about that?” Bellatrix laughed as she straightened up. “The little Mudblood was telling the truth after all. Well, doesn’t matter. They all will soon be dead anyways,” Bellatrix smiled. “Greyback, you can have the Mudblood.”

“OH NO YOU DON’T!” roared the sound of Ron’s voice.

Everyone immediately turned to the cellar entrance and saw Harry and Ron rushing out. Lucius was quickly knocked off his feet and stunned as Harry and Ron charged at us.

“Stupify!” I shouted while pulling my wand out and hurrying to the aid of Draco and Narcissa.

“Expelliarmus!” Harry cast at me, before quickly hiding behind a sofa to avoid Narcissa’s curses. Thankfully, I was able to dodge Harry’s attack and sent another stunning curse at Ron to make sure that he, too, would have to find a place to hide, to avoid getting hit by one of Greyback's curses.

“Expelliarmus!” Harry cast again. Draco, who was standing in front of me, quickly dodged the attack, leaving me wide open. The light hit me in the chest, and I went tumbling backwards.

“Victoria!” Draco gasped.

“STOP OR SHE DIES!” Bellatrix suddenly exclaimed as Draco hurried over to me. “Drop your wands! I SAID DROP THEM!” Bellatrix ordered as she held the barely conscious Hermione and held her knife to Hermione’s throat.

“Don’t you dare—!” Ron began, but he stopped when Bellatrix pressed the knife harder against Hermione.

“Drop them, or we’ll see how dirty her blood really is!” Bellatrix grinned.

“All right!” Harry exclaimed as he slowly rose and dropped his wand to the floor.

“Draco, go pick up the wands,” Bellatrix ordered, but Draco’s attention was currently on me.

“Are you okay?” Draco asked, ignoring Bellatrix’s order.

“I’m fine. You better do as Bellatrix ordered,” I said as I looked worriedly at the scene before me.

Draco nodded, and parted from my side to pick up the wands. I then slowly rose to my feet, when I noticed something that looked like pebbles fall from me. I looked down at the small pieces of blue pebbles and then back at myself.

“Oh no,” I gasped when I noticed the charm necklace Snape had given me. This is not good, I thought to myself. Harry’s spell must have hit it.

The stone was cracked, and pieces of it were already starting to fall away. It looked as though it would crumble any moment now, meaning that my identity will then be revealed. This was definitely not good.