Part Twenty Six
You found yourself on a beach somewhere. All of you disoriented.
"Hermione!" Ron held tight to her.
"You're all right. We're safe." Harry looked around to make sure he saw everyone.
"We're all safe." His eyes flicked to you before a soft voice called his attention.
"Harry Potter." The elf stumbled and held a hand to his stomach. The other dropping a knife you assumed he'd pulled out.
"Dobby!" Harry ran over and Dobby fell into his arms.
"Dobby. No, just-- Hold on. Hold on. Look, just hold on, okay? We'll fix you. Hermione will have something. In your bag. Hermione?" He looked to her and she just looked crestfallen.
"Hermione? What is it? Help me." His eyes filled with tears as Dobby moved his hand to Harry's shirt.
"Such a beautiful place... to be with friends. Dobby is happy to be with his friend... Harry Potter." The elf's movements slowed and stopped. You could tell Harry was crying. Luna walked over and kneeled next to them.
"We should close his eyes. Don't you think?" She leaned over and closed Dobby's eyes.
"There. Now he could be sleeping." There was a silent moment before Harry spoke up again.
"I want to bury him. Properly. Without magic." He looked to everyone and you all got to moving. Harry seemed to find a shovel in the cabin and walked up the hill to a good spot and started digging. The rest of you prepared his body, using a cloth to wrap him. You all walked up the hill to Harry as he finished digging and handed Dobby over. Harry laid him down and all of you filled the hole back up. Ron hold Hermione as she cried and Harry at on the ground right next to the mound. Luna stood and held your hand. You may not have known this elf but you could empathize with losing someone you cared greatly about.
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As Hermione tended to her arm Ron turned his attention to you, as well as his anger.
"So what was that then? Why were you at the Manor? We haven't heard from you in months then we get captured, Hermione is tortured and there you are, breaking bread with the enemy!" He was very close. You stood.
"I was there to make sure Draco was ok! I went shortly after school ended. I didn't send any owls because it was too dangerous!" Ron scoffed and the others just watched on, also a but curious about what had happened.
"How could it be too dangerous to let us know that you were safe?! You know we thought you died?!"
"I COULDN'T BECAUSE THE DARK LORD WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME! FROM THE MOMENT I ARRIVED HE WAS THERE WATCHING ME!" Hermione let out a small gasp but Ron was more concerned with the phrasing you used.
"The Dark Lord? You sound just like the Death Eaters. How do we know you aren't one of them?!" You glared at him.
"Don't you remember what I told Harry? I'm sure he told you. My mother was a Death Eater. I know about the trace on his name. And apparently that snake remembers her. So he kept a close eye on me. None of us have been allowed to leave the manor since I got there. I was forced to attend all of their meetings. I HAD TO WATCH HIM KILL OUR PROFESSOR AND THEN MAKE HIS PET EAT HER WHOLE! YOU THINK I HAD FUN THERE?! I WAS HOPING THAT WITH YOU LOT THERE WE'D BOTH BE ABLE TO ESCAPE! HE'S NOT SAFE THERE! EVERYTHING THATS HAPPENED HAD BEEN BECAUSE HE WAS FORCED TO! HE WAS TOLD IF HE DIDN'T KILL DUMBLEDORE THAT HE WOULD BE KILLED! BUT NONE OF YOU CARE ABOUT THAT DO YOU? HE'S THE SAME AGE AS US!" Tears ran down your face as you shouted at him. The already silent room had fallen still. Everyone there seemed shocked. You hastily wiped at your face and stormed you the door and down the beach. You sat in the sand and watched the waves lap at your feet. You heard the sand crunch behind you and someone sat next to you.
"I would get flashes of things he was doing in my dreams. Like when he tortured Ollivander." You looked at Harry.
"I could ear the screams. The first night I was there he made us have dinner together. I was sat between him and Bellatrix. He asked me about my family, my mother, but only after I spoke in parseltongue." That seemed to get his attention.
"You can speak Parseltongue? Sense when?" You shrugged and sighed.
"I never knew I could. I just accidentally did it when he was talking with Nagini, the giant snake that's always with him."
"That's what happened to me too. The year before you came actually. There was a Basalisk in the school, the chamber of secrets, put there my Salazar Slytherin. Tom...you-know-who...opened it. He's a descendant of Slytherin. That's why he can speak it." You looked at him confused.
"But then how can you speak it? Are you related?" He shook his head.
"No...I...have a connection with him somehow. We can get into each others minds. What about you?" You sighed.
"I don't know much about my family, my mother never talked about it and I don't know my father. So I guess I'll never know." The two of you talked about what happened while you were there. How you had to sit next to him at all the meetings. How scared both you and Draco have been. You got him to realize that Draco never had a part in any of it other than what he was forced to do. After a few hours the two of you went back inside. You walked up to Hermione.
"I am sorry I couldn't help you. To be honest I was hoping that since you guys were there me and Draco might be able to escape. I knew he might now want to leave his mother but I never...he sent me with you guys. He's putting all his hopes on me to save him, by helping you." You turned to face Harry.
"So, what's the game plan, how do we beat this? Beat him." Harry crossed his arms.
"Do you know what a horcrux is?"
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