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Getting into Malfoy Manor was way easier than Eleanora had expected it to be. It was almost worrying that there was nothing guarding the place, but she was relieved for the time being. She would deal with any problems as they came, not wanting to think too far into the future. If she planned more than a few minutes in advance, Eleanora knew she would get too scared to continue.
It felt odd, walking through the halls of the manor with no real direction in mind. Now that she was inside, Eleanora wasn't sure exactly what to do. She obviously didn't know her way around and even if she did, where would she go? Where exactly did dark wizards congregate? The halls seemed to go on forever. Eleanora had snuck around Hogwarts enough times to know what to look and listen for, but she wished Fred and George were by her side. Every time she turned around she expected to see their faces grinning back at her. Now all she could see were dark corridors expanding until the next turn. The place was like a maze. Eleanora peeked her head around a corner, gripping her wand at her side. The hallway was empty, but she suddenly heard voices echoing from a room to the side. Holding her wand at the ready, she crept down the passage and crouched next to a very old looking statue of a wizard, close enough to hear the conversation from inside the room.
"He's recovering quickly, Lucius. He'll be strong enough to lead us again soon."
"Good, good. We wait for him to do anything, is that clear?" Eleanora couldn't make out the first voice, but recognized this one to be that of Lucius Malfoy. "Once he is strong enough, we strike."
"How long d'you think?" the first voice said eagerly.
"I don't know, Rookwood. A month? Maybe two? It's hard to say. Ask Pettigrew, he's the one who's been taking care of him."
Rookwood. The name sounded familiar, but Eleanora couldn't put it to a face. She carefully unpinned the charmed notebook Bill had given her and carefully pressed down on the clasp. The notebook silently formed in her hands and opened to a new page. She pulled out a pen and started writing furiously in the code. She wrote down every word of the conversation, hoping the Order could use it in some way.
"Oh come on, Lucius," a third voice echoed through the half open door. "We've been following those ruddy 'Order' members around forever. I want to do something, I've been craving a good fight."
"Calm down, Rosier. It'll come. And may I remind you, we've been fighting the muggle borns. Didn't I let you go after the Marks girl last week?"
Eleanora's breath caught in her throat. It had been Rosier who she'd been running from when she found Shell Cottage. She knew his voice had sounded familiar.
"Ahhh, she didn't even put up a fight. Just disappeared, not much of a witch if you ask me."
"Yes, well. She is Cillian's daughter." The men in the room chuckled. "Dunno why they keep her around."
Eleanora's heart sank. She didn't write this part in the notebook.
She camped out outside the room for nearly an hour, writing out the whole conversation. With every word, she grew more and more anxious to go home and give the information to the Order. This was stuff they'd never heard before, plans they couldn't even hope to anticipate. She started to think she might even be able to head home that night. She pictured the look on Bill's face when she walked into the Burrow. Eleanora loved the look he gave her when she walked into a room. He was always happy to see her. She felt the familiar empty feeling in her chest and she clasped her fingers around the necklace Bill had sent her back in her time at Hogwarts. He'd gotten in for her in Egypt and sent her a letter saying it reminded him of her. That had been the beginning of their letters. Eleanora wished she had a letter from Bill to read then. All she wanted was to hear from him.
Eleanora was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps coming from behind her until it was too late. She had just enough time to transform the notebook back into a pin before a hand had grabbed the back of her head, pulling her hair so hard she cried out.
"What do you think you're doing here, girl?" a high pitched voice said in her ear. She knew who it was without having ever spoken to the woman before.
Bellatrix Lestrange was the person Eleanora had been most afraid to run into. She'd heard horror stories of what Bellatrix did to her victims. "We have a spy!" Bellatrix shrieked, dragging Eleanora into the room of men. It hurt, but Eleanora hadn't been joking when she told Moody she had a tolerance for pain. She managed to keep a clear enough head to discreetly secure the pin inside her bra, playing it off like she was pulling her shirt up. It was the safest place she could think of. When the pin was safe, she took in the room. Her head was at an odd angle, held down by the iron grip of Bellatrix, but she could see Lucius, Rookwood, and Rosier sitting at a round table with glasses of wine. When she was dragged in, the men's faces curled up in sick looking smiles.
Malfoy was the first to stand up, taking slow steps towards Eleanora. She restrained herself from flinching every time his boots hit the floor.
"A spy, hm?" Malfoy said, tilting his head so it was level with Eleanora's. "Better yet, it's the Marks girl..."
Rosier let out a harsh laugh. "Come to get even?"
Eleanora immediately went to grab her wand from her pocket, but Bellatrix was too fast for her. She plucked the wand neatly away from Eleanora and tossed it to Rookwood.
"Here, it's no use on this mudblood anyways," Bellatrix cackled, then pushed Eleanora down by her head, releasing her hair.
She managed to remain standing, but only barely. She stared at the Death Eaters defiantly, her hair partly obscuring her vision. What to do from here was running through her mind. She didn't have many options. She concentrated hard, trying to apparate, but found that she couldn't do it.
"Give me back my wand," she said through gritted teeth, knowing it was hopeless.
"Give you back your-" Malfoy scoffed. "You want me to give you back your wand? After you were caught spying on a private conversation in my home?" He was brandishing his own wand now. He raised it, and Eleanora knew she only had one option left. She made a break for the door.
"Crucio!" Malfoy shouted, and pain like Eleanora had never felt shot through her body. She fell to the floor, writhing and screaming. She couldn't see or feel anything through the pain, then suddenly, it subsided. Exhaustion filled her body and she felt like she couldn't move from the floor. Eleanora could hear the Death Eaters laughing above her.
"This one's fun," Bellatrix shrieked. "I say we keep her in the basement!"
