ETHALINE

DRAGONS DON'T BURN

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One hour.

Ethaline has been unconscious for one hour. Harry was glued at her side, checking every couple of minutes to make sure she was breathing. "This wouldn't have happened if I didn't make her come here." He muttered, rubbing his face in exhaustion, her blood covering his own pale complexion.

Everyone had surrounded the two of them, her dragons resting by her head judging her once in awhile.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "This would have happened anyway." She said, setting down a book as everyone turned to listen to her.

"Well out with it Hermione." Harry said impatiently.

"Relax mate," Ron said, "She's only trying to help—"

"Relax?!" Harry yelled, shooting up to his feet as Ron did the same at the sound of his voice, "You want me to relax when my girlfriend is lying half dead on this couch and there's not a bloody thing I could do about it?!"

Hermione grabbed Ron's shoulder, "It's alright Ron—"

"No it isn't." Ron said harshly, "You need to learn to control your bloody temper! She spent the last hour reading over healers book far more advanced then anyone else in this fucking room and you're yelling at her."

Remus grabbed Harry's shoulder, "Harry." He said softly, "Let's hear what Hermione has to say, it's more than we have. We checked the perimeter, we checked on all charms and there is nothing, no one here except for what Tonks feels."

Tonks nodded, "Aura's are trained to feel a presence when it isn't physically here, kind of like your invisibility cloak. This one however," she said slowly, everyone looking at her, "This one is dark."

Charlie closed his eyes as the twins glanced at each other in a nervous manner while Tonks continued.

"Dark and...and cruel. Cold and callous."

"Bellatrix." Hermione whispered, holding the book tightly as everyone turned to her. "This was Bellatrix's doing."

|Inside Ethaline's Mind|

Ethaline's eyes shot open the moment she had lost a grip on the real world. For a second she laid there, her head pounding as her ears rung before she took in her surroundings. "Harry?" She called out, looking down at her hands and seeing them chained, "Harry!"

"You dare call for the filthy halfbreed that's Harry Potter?!" Bellatrix asked in disbelief, walking down a flight of stairs as her hair fell around her face making her look even more terrifying.

Ethaline exhaled slowly and closed her eyes, "This isn't real_•

"This," Bellatrix slipped to her, "Is very real." She said as she grabbed a knife form beside the table and slowly slid it across her cheek, "Very real." She whispered.