Where Ryleighs been, Half Blood Prince pt2
In a dusty abandon house Ryleigh coughed harshly as she rolled over from sleep. Her face held a black eye and split lip and under the torn knit sweater more bruises and cuts could be found.
“Wakey wakey” a voice called and Ryleigh squeezed her eyes shut.
“Awe come on now little potions girl, wake up now.” Bellatrix taunted she walked over to her and poked her wand into the girls cheek.
“Get up. It’s time to work.”
Xx
In the headmasters office she stood opposite the bearded man as well as Severus.
“They weren’t there. The house looked like they just… disappeared.”
“Is there any reason to suspect the dark lord?” Dumbledore asked.
“The mother is a squib, the young kids will be magical but they’re not of age yet.” McGonagall responded.
“The girl is a Black. You both new the grandparents on the mothers side. Ronan and Dahlia Walsh.”
“We will look into it Minerva.” Dumbledore said.
Xx
She found the girls once again in the Astronomy tower working on homework.
“I told you girls I would be honest with you and I am. No one was at the house. And she’d left her wand behind.”
They stood up, looking from each other back to McGonagall.
“We have to find her Professor! She’s probably being… she needs help.” Ginny said.
“Professor Dumbledore is looking into the disappearances. I told you girls this out of respect, but I expect you to keep it to yourself for the time being and please, do not go looking yourself.”
Xx
“Ryleigh and her families been kidnapped.” Ginny said immediately upon sitting down in the Gryffindor common room with Harry, Ron and Hermione.
“What?” Harry asked.
“How do you know?” Hermione asked.
“McGonagall went to find them, she said the house was abandoned and she’d left her wand behind.” Ginny explained.
“What would they want with her though?” Ron asked.
“What do they want with anyone?” Hermione shot back.
“Do you think it’s…” Harry started and Hermione met his eyes.
“To clean the bloodline…” she finished for him.
“What? What does that mean?” Ginny asked.
“Doesn’t make any sense though, they would just take her? Her mum and brother and sister aren’t part of the black family.” Harry said.
“You think they’ve killed her?” Ginny asked.
“Do you know anything about her mums family?” Ron asked his sister.
“She told me once about her like 12th great grandma being on a chocolate frog card?” She offered.
“That’s no help- there’s a million of those.” Ron said.
“She was Irish, um… clindo? Clindora? I don’t remember.”
“Cliodna?” Ron offered and Ginny nodded.
“That’s it!”
“She’s a cool card, lived during Medieval times, she was a druidess and animagus. Real good at potions, went around as her animagus form healing people.” Ron explained.
“But what does that have to do with why they’ve taken her now?” Harry asked. They shrugged.
Xx
“You’ve had us here for two months. Any plans to tell me why?” Ryleigh snapped at the man before her.
“I thought that much was clear.” He laughed, “you’re brewing potions for us. Great work that steel skin potion. Difficult brew.”
“Not really, I made it up in second year.”
He twisted around to face her and backhanded her.
“You should be grateful that your pathetic mud-blood siblings are still alive while you do the dark lords good work.” He hissed and she stiffened.
“Don’t- don’t hurt them I’ll..”
“That’s right, get on it then.” He said and she went back to her makeshift brewing station.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The heavy chain around her ankle was cutting into her skin and she was hungry beyond imagination. Someone would come… they would…
Xx
Snape looked over the brewing potion set on his desk. He hadn’t looked at it since the end of last term. It was a long brewing process, at least a month and a complicated recipe for sure, impressive for a fourth year student. Then again she’d made her first potion in only second year.
He took the book and headed out into the hallway, down to the dungeons potion room, and he set to work.
Xx
She stumbled as the man pushed her back into the room. Erin caught her just before she fell. The door slammed closed behind them.
“Are you okay?” She whispered and Ryleigh nodded. “You guys?”
“We just sit here all day. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“Don’t, it’s fine. I just make potions for them.”
“We need to figure a way out of here…” Erin said.
“I.. I don’t think that’s possible… they’re everywhere and I don’t have my wand… but.. school will have started and they’ll.. notice I’m not there.. Luna and Ginny will notice…”
She coughed again loudly into her elbow.
“Come here..” Erin said and held her arms open. Ryleigh could see behind them the two little kids were already fast asleep on the rags they’d turned into a bed.
Xx
This time when she woke she found herself already taken from the room. She was strapped into a chair, she tugged on her arms but they were latched with magic to the arms of the chair. Standing before her was Bellatrix, with her usual manic look and to her absolute horror Professor Snape.
She didn’t say anything just stared at him, eyes wide and hurt.
“Bella. I thought we talking about touching things that don’t belong to us?” Snape said slowly while not taking his eyes off of Ryleigh.
“I think she’s just as much mine as she is yours Sevy.” Bellatrix teased. “After all, she’s blood.”
“She was my student, mine to make use of and you’ve spoiled it.” He drawled.
She couldn’t even bring herself to speak she was so shocked at the words coming out of his mouth.
“The Dark Lord approved of it Severus. It wasn’t me who wanted her. It was Markus.” Bellatrix explained.
“Why?”
“Clearing the family line and all that. He says they share a great grandmother somewhere along the line. The witch apparently had a magic baby and a squib and they sort of created two direct lines back. One pure blood. Markus. And one just full of squibs, this brat and her mother.”
Ryleigh brain hurt. She was so confused and overwhelmed.
“Would you leave us Bella?” Snape asked and the woman looked on suspiciously but nodded and exited.
“What is going on?!” She whispered desperately.
“It’s a shame really. You were quite a promising student.” He said and started pacing the room. “I wonder if your siblings would be equally as talented had they made it to Hogwarts.” He said and she looked at him.
He was being strange, that was for sure. Maybe we was trying to tell her something.
“Your mother I fear, there would be no use for her.”
Okay. Okay. Think Ryleigh. What he was saying was that the kids could maybe make it to Hogwarts.. but her mother probably couldn’t.. maybe he was saying that he could get the little kids out.
“They— they have already shown some magical abilities…” she stuttered out.
He looked at her, “the kids I mean… they would probably do… well at Hogwarts…”
He nodded. “A shame.” Then he left. She was shaking and trying her damndest to hold the tears that had filled her eyes.
When she got back to her mother that night she sobbed in her arms for hours. Quinn curled up in her arms and fell fast asleep.
Xx
Snapes arrival in Dumbledores office was not unexpected as the man was seated at his desk apparently waiting this visit.
“You’ve found her then.” Dumbledore said.
“They’re torturing her. Forcing her to brew potions for them for sport. They’re just waiting to kill them all when it feels fun.” Snape said.
“You cannot take her Severus.” Dumbledore said.
“She is a child! I know it to be your affinity to manipulate the lives of children Albus- but—“
“If you free her they will know it was you. You will be killed and we will loose this war.”
He tightened his jaw then spun on his heels and left.
Xx
Two days later they’d taken Ryleigh from the room once again. She’d wrongly assumed they’d have her brew once again but instead she was taken to another empty room.
“How old are you?” Bellatrix asked as she circled her.
“What month is it?” Ryleigh spat back.
Bellatrix giggled maniacally.
“Oct-ober ”
“Then I’m 15.”
The woman hummed and ran a hand under her jaw.
“You don’t look like your mother.”
Silence.
“You look… like my dear cousin…”
Ryleigh pulled back from her. “Don’t you talk about him!” She screamed, lunging forward at the woman.
*trigger warning* torture (Crucio)
“Crucio.” She said quietly and Ryleighs entire body convulsed, crumbling to the ground in a heap.
“Crucio.” She said again and Ryleigh was gasping for breath.
“You know… you really look more like me than anyone else.” Bellatrix commented. “This face… these curls…”
Ryleigh was shuttering on the ground. “P-please… don’t…”
“Aweee little baby doesn’t want anymore?” She asked, kneeling down next to the girl.
“Crucio.” She said once more and laughed as the girl writhed in pain before finally nodding to the left unconscious.
“Pity. We were just having some fun.”
Outside the door to the empty room stood Narcissa.
“What are you doing to that girl Bella.”
“Oh come on now. Just a bit of fun Cissy.”
“Bella… the girl is a child. She’s… she’s our family.” Narcissa whispered.
“So was Sirius, I killed him.” Bellatrix laughed.
“Are you going to kill them all?” Narcissa asked.
Bellatrix hummed, “probably, but we’ll keep them for a while. She’s useful.”
Xx
It was Narcissa that dropped her back into the room they slept in. She looked around as she did. They were gone. The children. Erin was rushing to Ryleighs unconscious side but the little blonde children had vanished.
“Where are they!?” She shouted at the woman.
Ryleigh blinked awake at the sudden noise.
“What did you do with them?”
She opened her eyes wide enough to see Bellatrix run into the open door. Narcisss had grabbed Erin by the shirt collar and yanked her forward.
“Cissy….” Bella looked around the room.
“You didn’t…”
Narcissa looked at her sister. “No! I.. I came to find them gone.”
Bellatrix closed the door behind them she looked more serious than Ryleigh had ever seen her.
“We have to kill her.” Bellatrix said.
Ryleigh tried to stand but her body wouldn’t have it. “No…” she whispered.
Erin looked back at her, held her eyes and said, “I love you.”
“Avada Kadavra.” Bellatrix said and in a flash of green Erin was dead on the ground next to Ryleigh.
All over again she’s just watched as this woman- this monster killed her parent.
She crawled to her side and held her.
“Mommy… mommy… please… oh god….” She sobbed and Narcissa watched on.
“Get rid of the body. We’ll tell them she took the little ones and ran.” Bellatrix said then left.
Ryleigh held right to her mothers body as the blonde haired sister tried to pull her away.
“I—“ she started but stopped.
“Let go.” She said instead. “It’s time to let go.”