Chapter Text
“Don’t!”
“Please.”
“Stop.”
“I said stop!”
“What are you—”
“STOP!”
The last word was said with a primal screech, a sound that was quickly covered up by a large hand placed over her mouth.
“Just relax,” a deep, dark voice crooned. “Compared to me, you’re not strong enough anyways. You should just give in—it’s best for everyone in the long run if you just give me what I want.”
“Everyone?” a girl’s voice hiccuped, tears evidence even by her tone. “What do you mean by everyone?”
“I’ve told you before—you’re mine. If I can’t have you, no one can. And since you don’t seem to accept that, I’ll ruin you to the point where no other Alpha will look at you. I’ll take away your family, until there’s no one left, starting with your parents and those adorable younger siblings of yours.”
A chill ran down her spine at the threat.
She could handle the threats to herself and her reputation, but a threat to her parents? Her siblings?
She couldn’t let anyone else get hurt just because she wasn’t strong enough.
“You’ll never be able to,” she protested weakly.
“Are you really sure about that?” her attacker’s voice crooned in her ear. “Your family Circle has no ACE, no Alpha. Their Gheyos are scattered. They can’t even take care of themselves, let alone their precious children. It would be too easy to take them out—a Pareya here, another one there. A Circle like that certainly doesn’t need so many.”
Her heart sank. Not only was he threatening her parents, but he was also making it clear that he would go after her Bearer and her Third first.
“Surely, it’s just easier to give in, to let me take what I want. You’re already mine, after all. And I’ll even treat you well, if you do. No one would dare mess with anything that’s mine.”
Anything. She wasn’t even a person to him.
That was one of the reasons she had always rejected his advances in the past.
“No,” she breathed. “I said no!”
She hit away the claw that was starting to run along her side.
“You’ve got so much fight in you. I’ll really enjoy watching you break.”
“I won’t,” she said, voice stronger now. She snarled when she felt claws against her scales again. “And I said STOP!”
The last word was a loud scream, much louder than any of the ones she’d managed previously, much louder than she believed herself capable of. Like before, it took on a primal tone and she could feel her magic rise up and attempt to respond.
This would end in one of two ways then, it seemed.
Her attacker panicked at the sound and his claws rose higher on her body, until they slashed at her neck.
She felt her skin split and blood begin to drip out and splash against her silver-peach scales, but the angle was all wrong. It was a life-threatening blow, but it did nothing to cut off her scream.
And so she continued to do so.
With her parents and her siblings threatened, she would need all the help she could get.
The only question was whether she would find that help within herself or in others.
Hermione’s long, drawn-out screams echoed overhead and in Harry’s ears. He was trying his best to shut it out, to make sure Dobby, Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander escaped, but there were some sounds that he just couldn’t block out.
He also couldn’t block out Ron’s betrayed expression when Harry forced Dobby to take him as well, but Harry knew that the chances of him and Hermione both getting out were slim. They would be even slimmer with three of them involved and he needed to make sure that at least one of them survived to take news about Voldemort’s horcruxes to the rest of the Order—whoever still remained.
Hermione screamed again and Harry’s soul ached at the thought of his friend under Bellatrix Lestrange’s knife. At the thought of her being tortured, just like Neville’s parents had been.
This would have never happened if she hadn’t been his friend.
Harry froze in place when a second scream echoed in his ears. Had they missed someone?
That would be bad. He would never be able to live with himself if he inadvertently left someone behind.
First things first, though—he needed to cause a distraction, so when Dobby returned, he could get Hermione out.
But when he tried to move, a bright blue-white light surrounded him.
No!
Harry fought against it, against the call that demanded to be followed.
Not until he knew that Hermione was safe.
“Harry Potter!” a familiar, tiny voice squeaked.
“Dobby—grab—Hermione—get her to—safety—” Harry grit out. It was getting harder and harder to resist the magic, the piercing call that was summoning him. He wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer, even though he had no idea what was going on. However, as the light continued to surround him, his skin started to feel like it was on fire, as something under it forced its way free. He also felt the skin on his back split open and two large, heavy objects emerge.
Blood dripped on the floor as he struggled to keep his balance against the sudden weight.
He couldn’t see Dobby, but he knew that he was there by the alarmed squeak. He hoped that the house-elf had listened to him when he heard the loud crack that signaled Dobby had disappeared again.
A split second later, Harry disappeared as well, gone in a flash of light and magic.