Thick Smoke

Voldemort came back earlier than they expected and Bellatrix found it fundamental to interfere and speak about Eliza.

“My Lord, it seems that your precious relative is feeling unwell.” She started, her eyes faking some kind of worry.

“Is it so? Is Eliza not treated well?” He breathed out, his eyes trailing over every Death Eater in the room before falling on Lucius.

The blond man was startled how the blame dropped on him, “My-My Lord I can assure you that Eliza has been treated with utmost care.” He stuttered nervously under the heavy gaze of the Dark Lord.

“Then where is she?!” The pale snake screamed.

“In her room, my Lord,” Lucius responded, glancing at his wife from the corner of his eye. 

Draco has been spending an awfully lot time with her lately and both of them were scared that he might have gotten involved into some kind of ploy.

Voldemort spun around and went straight into the corridor leading to Eliza’s room.

From her spot around the door to the kitchen, Mildred saw and heard everything. She ran quickly to announce the youngsters, finding the two making some kind of map on the wall.

“The Dark Lord is coming.” She whispered. 

Eliza grabbed Draco’s wand and hid everything they wrote and drawn on the wall.

Mildred had something else she wanted to say but she decided to keep that for later.



The sight Voldemort met when he barged in was ordinary. Eliza and Draco were standing on the bed while the room seemed empty. He opened the door wider, poor Mildred getting squished in that hidden corner. Furvus was under the bed, backing up until his back hit the wall.

“What exactly are you doing here?” Bellatrix asked, her smug smirk cracking around the corners.

Eliza raised an eyebrow and moved closer to Draco, knowing that Voldemort would catch that movement quickly. Her hand was very close to Draco’s and she was doing everything so she could give the impression that they have been caught. Draco was shuddering next to her, scared of how the Dark Lord would react.

Voldemort’s eyes moved from Eliza to the blond and stared at him with those icy eyes before a smirk spread on his lips, terrifying the boy.

“I see now,” He slurred, “Lucius, I believe your son has been spending quite some time with Eliza. We both know what that can lead to, oh the youth...” He chuckled, his eyes glinting with bemusement as the rest of the Death Eaters followed their master’s actions.

Eliza glanced at Draco and nodded before turning her attention on the rest. Bellatrix looked very disappointed.

“I see now what you mean, Bella,” Voldemort continued, “What better candidate for my lovely Eliza if not Draco.“ He was suspiciously content with Draco and it startled the blond and his parents.

“Then you should leave us to get better acquainted.” Eliza responded in that witty manner of hers.

As soon as they left, Eliza sighed in relief and rubbed her neck. Draco leaned back, his heart still beating very fast and his body shuddering slightly at the memory of that terrible man.

“I thought he was going to kill me.” He mumbled, his energy drained from his body.

“He won't kill anyone that's precious to me. He won't make the same mistake twice.”

“M-Miss, there is something else,” Mildred whispered, afraid that someone might be outside the door, eavesdropping, “Mildred has been instructed to leave food in front of the basement door. Mildred thinks someone has been brought and is kept inside.” She added, fidgeting nervously.

Eliza frowned and turned to Draco, her mind already thinking of a second plan. He could already see it in the way her eyes were darkening; she was definitely going to push him towards the edge of the cliff.

“You’re trying to kill us?” He hissed, leaning as close as possible to the wall.

They sneaked out during the night and walked down to the basement. Pettigrew was there, guarding the door with his life which only meant someone was indeed down there.

Eliza glanced at Pettigrew before she turned to Draco.

“Follow the plan. I will transform into a cat and sneak in. You have to keep Pettigrew busy,” She whispered, emphasizing what was most important.

Draco rolled his eyes, “How do you expect me to keep him busy? I do not meddle with people like him.”

Eliza shrugged and patted his shoulder as encouragement, “Be creative,” She said before scrunching into a black cat.

With a heavy sigh, the blond prepared himself mentally before going around the corner towards Pettigrew. The old man saw him coming and froze, Draco’s scowl looking extremely worrying.

“I-Is there something wrong?” He stuttered, his whole appearance making Draco want to turn around and leave. 

The blond noticed from the corner of his eye that Eliza was already hiding in the shadows, silently coming closer to the door and remembered the last discussion he had with his father.

“It’s been brought to my attention that you have met the Dark Lord’s daughter as well. Is that right?” Draco started, curious what Pettigrew knew about that woman.

The rat fidgeted and nodded, “Only slightly. She was a person with many secrets and suffered torture for befriending us.”

Draco frowned, “She was a traitor,”

Pettigrew looked down and shifted uncomfortably, “Ah, well... She knew every plan, every move of the Order but never once gave them away. She was a loyal friend. It was unfortunate she died."

Draco raised an eyebrow and took one step closer, “You speak so fondly of her but you ended up being the rat.”

Pettigrew’s eyes widened, lowering to the ground as he remembered what he has done to his friends, “I couldn’t be like them, brave and ready to risk my life. When the opportunity arose, I couldn’t think of anything but my salvation.”

“What about their salvation? You cannot possibly give out your friends and then live peacefully.” The blond sneered, thinking about Eliza.

Draco couldn’t care less for Harry Potter and those strange friends of his but Draco found his heart beating excitedly every time he was thinking of Eliza.



On the other side, Eliza was already descending the stairs to satisfy her curiosity. She sneaked through the bars and looked around, her night vision being extremely useful.

“Who’s there?” Her ears perked in the direction she heard the noise coming from. She walked further and saw a flicker of light somewhere to her right.

Once she turned the corner, she saw Ollivander’s form, looking like he has been in there for some time already. His eyes narrowed as he moved around to catch glimpse of who was in front of him.

“If Voldemort finds the wand then all hope will be lost.” Mr.Ollivander whispered, frowning at his own words.

Eliza frowned and turned around, ready to leave the cellar when the door suddenly opened.

“Get in here, wench!” She could recognize that voice anywhere as Bellatrix’s.

The woman threw someone inside and locked the door before walking up the stairs. As soon as she heard the door closing upstairs, Eliza froze.

“Luna, why did they bring you in here?” Ollivander asked the blonde girl he once gave the first wand to.

Eliza’s head snapped towards them and saw the same Ravenclaw girl she had seen around Harry and the others. She didn’t look well and didn’t completely comprehend where she was but Eliza had some other issues at the moment. 

The cat sneaked out and ascended the stairs, tilting her head to the side, waiting patiently for some kind of divine help. Her eyes widened when the door actually opened a bit, offering her enough space to get out and glance at her savior.

“You almost got me in big trouble.” Draco hissed as he snatched her in his arms and hurried out of there.



Once inside the room, Eliza walked into the bathroom and changed back. She dressed quickly and used her wand to get the house plan back on the wall, her eyes scanning it thoughtfully.

“Ollivander and newly brought Luna Lovegood,” She started, “What do they have in common? And what exactly is that cell they are in?”

Draco raised an eyebrow and walked behind her, “This room is completely escape-proof and has no light; only house-elves can bypass the room's securities.” Draco explained, curious what she wanted to do.

But Eliza wasn’t planning on getting them out, not when it was so hard to keep up the act in front of Voldemort.

“He was talking about a wand. Ollivander was worried that if Voldemort finds it then all hope will be lost.”

Draco hummed and licked his lips, rubbing his neck as he thought of what could that possibly mean

“Wands are Ollivander’s specialty but why would Voldemort need Lovegood?”

Eliza nodded along, feeling like there was something she was missing on, “But what wand? What’s so special about that wand?”

Draco glanced at her before he glanced at the bed, remembering an old story from when he was a child.

“There is a children story about three highly powerful magical artifacts and one of them was a wand.”

Eliza raised an eyebrow, hardly containing her bemusement, “I can’t imagine Lucius telling you bed time stories, no matter how hard I try.”

“He didn’t,” Draco interfered, his face suspiciously serious, “My mother did. These stories were supposed to be about characteristics that weren’t exactly intended for pure blooded wizards, as my father said."

“And?” She urged him to continue since he would rarely talk about himself or his childhood.

“And nothing. I can’t remember it well.”

Eliza clicked her tongue and got an idea, “In the morning we should pay him a visit then. I’m sure after all this time, he may tell you a story.” 

She chuckled, already imagining the whole scenario but Draco didn’t seem excited at all.



“Why do you want to know something like that?” Lucius sneered when Eliza and Draco barged in his study the next morning.

“Because I’m getting very interested in it and Remus never told me any bed time stories.” She bluntly admitted. 

Lucius’s eyes trailed over his son’s poker face, glaring slightly before he turned to Eliza’s wide green eyes, “What makes you believe I know such stories?”

She tried not to scoff but it sounded like a snort, “I’m sure you had parents that loved you at some point and told you a story or two, especially one involving a wand.”

“The Tale of the Three Brothers,” He grunted, looking at them from behind his desk, his expression being very smug for someone who didn’t even have time to shave lately and was scared for his life, “The story revolves around three wizard brothers who once conquered death for a short time by defeating a deadly obstacle with their magic. The personification of Death appeared out of anger because he felt that they had cheated him, but pretended to congratulate them by awarding them gifts of their choosing: The Elder Wand, The Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak. Two of the three brothers wished to conquer Death beyond what they had done already, and foolishly chose their gifts accordingly, leading to their early demise. The third brother was wiser, and hid under the Invisibility Cloak that allowed him to postpone death until he was ready; he lifted the veil that had helped him to evade the afterlife and was welcomed by Death,” He finished, not once sounding like he enjoyed it.

But Eliza already found out what she wanted, “The Elderly Wand, is it real?”

Lucius’ eyes narrowed at her and got up suddenly, startling the youngsters, “What exactly is your purpose? I’m sure you didn’t hurry here just to listen to a stupid children story,” He continued, walking around the desk and coming behind his son. Lucius placed his hands on Draco’s shoulders and squeezed harshly.

“Harry has the invisibility cloak, doesn’t he? I recall he told me he used it several times while sneaking out of the castle. It’s the same as the one in the story?”

Lucius squeezed Draco’s shoulders even harder, the blond cringing under his grasp, “Would it matter?”

Eliza scoffed and got up, glaring at the man with venom in her eyes, “Yes, it matters. Where is the Elder Wand right now?” She snarled, her tone getting higher as she lashed at him.

Lucius let go of Draco and hurried to her, grabbing her arm and forcing her closer, “You better not get involved or all my efforts to keep you alive will be for nothing.”

She laughed in his face, surprising both Malfoys with the changes in her behavior.

“Efforts? The only effort you did was to keep your precious life not mine. Let’s be realistic, Lucius, you befriended mom just so she could protect you from Voldemort.”

Draco got up just in time to stop his father from slapping his crush. Eliza’s eyes hardened and looked up at the man with so much anger and hatred that it looked like she was cursing him in her head.

“You’re wrong,” He hissed, shoving his son away, “I loved your mother more than you will ever imagine. You have no idea how much I suffered because of her little adventures with Black and Potter.” He spat in hatred and left the room.

Draco turned to her and sighed, knowing he will get a lecture later on.

“You got him mad,” He breathed out, falling back on the chair.

“Voldemort is looking for the Elderly Wand so the story is true. That means sooner or later, the opportunity to leave this place will arrive."

“Why are you so sure about that?” He scowled at her sudden positivism.

Eliza chuckled and hit him playfully on the leg, “Luna Lovegood. She is my solution and she got here just in time.”



The solution didn’t seem to help much during the next few weeks because no one really came to the rescue. Eliza’s mood dropped after every event-less Sunday and Voldemort didn’t come around anymore. Draco was spending more and more time away from her and she was sure it was at his mother’s advice.

Lucius calmed down after a few days but still glared at her every time they would meet in the dining room or in the corridors.

One day changed everything, though; one day that started as common made the difference by nightfall. The noise downstairs was annoying and Furvus was impatient for some reason so Eliza walked downstairs, hoping she could catch a glimpse of what was going on. 

Her eyes widened and she hid around the corner when she saw Bellatrix hovering over a girl with bushy brown hair. With the new cat-like features, Eliza could recognize the victim straight away.

“Hemione,” Eliza whispered.

One cold hand touched her shoulder, surprising her.

“Potter and Weasley are downstairs, in the cellar.” He stopped before he leaned in. "Greyback brought them here. He also brought a goblin and one of your Gryffindor friends." 

“How did they not recognize Harry?" She whispered, careful to remain hidden.

Draco sighed, sending a chill down her spine, “His face was messed up and they called me to identify him.”

“And you lied even if you recognized him?” She trailed, feeling a light smile playing on her lips.

He tightened his grasp on her shoulder 

“Obviously,” The blond sneered, not admitting why he did it.

Eliza turned around and smiled softly at the blond, pecking him sweetly before hugging him and transforming into a black cat, her clothes left for him to gather.



Black cat Eliza sneaked around the wall and kept close to the dark corners until she got across the room, having a perfect sight of Hermione. It was heart wrenching to hear a friend scream in pain.

“That sword is meant to be in my vault at Gringotts. How did you get it?! What else did you and your friends take from my vault?! ”Bellatrix screamed but Hermione was a sobbing mess.

“I didn't take anything. Please. I didn't take anything. It's a fake.” Poor Hermione cried out in fear.

“I don't believe it,” The crazed dark wizard scowled. Hermione’s screams filled the whole hall.

Since Hermione wasn’t saying anything that would please Bellatrix, they got another idea. They sent for the goblin to come and give them some answers.

“I'm only going to ask you once more, goblin. Think very, very carefully before you answer,” The crazed witch said, pacing around the goblin threateningly. "Is this the real Gryffindor sword?"

“No. It's a fake.” He answered, standing there like a statue.

"Are you sure? Quite sure?" 

"Yes." The goblin repeated.

Bellatrix's face relaxed, "Good. Now we call the Dark Lord!" 

She pushed back her sleeve and touched her forefinger to the Dark Mark. 

Eliza swallowed nervously and leaned forward. 

“I think we can dispose of the Mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want her." Bellatrix started, grasping her wand while walking closer to Hermione.

Surprisingly, Ron interfered, disarming Bellatrix. Harry followed his friend, using the stupefy charm against Lucius, throwing him into the wall. While Narcissa, Draco and Greyback aimed their wands at Harry, Bellatrix grabbed the young witch and held her silver knife at Hermione's throat.

"Drop your wands! Drop them or we'll see exactly how filthy her blood is!" 

Eliza frowned but couldn't move. She glanced ahead and noticed Furvus watching everything from around the chimney. She took a deep breath and prepared both physically and mentally to run. 

Now that Harry was in the picture, it was troublesome. Eliza was sure once she was out, there was no way back to Draco. That was the only flaw in the plan.

Out of reflex, Eliza sneaked closer to Bellatrix. She screamed something else but it was hard to understand with everything happening at once.

A squeaking sound came from above them and Eliza looked up to see an elf hanging off a shaky chandelier. In one moment, Eliza felt the danger and moved aside through Draco's legs. That diversion was enough. Ron pulled Hermione to him and Harry grabbed the goblin. Narcissa pushed her son aside and Eliza glanced one last time at the blond before she ran and attached herself to the goblin.

“What-“ He tried to shake her off his leg but she wasn’t budging.

Harry grabbed Dobby the house elf last and Disapparated.

Eliza escaped the Malfoy Manor after half a year. She was out and she could feel a wave of relief engulf her whole body. Eliza was finally free and she was with Harry.