Dark Magic

Torture

I supposed I couldn't be too bitter. He was never mine to begin with. But it did not stop a tightness forming in my chest constricting my ability to breathe and my eyes that had began to sting with tears. Whatever words Draco Malfoy spoke next, my mind drowned out; sounding as though he could be several feet away as opposed to right in front of me. And although I was outside, I needed air. Space. To get away from the events unfolding in front of me.

In the midst of my attempted escape, however, I felt a hand grasp around my wrist, "Potter!" It was a low grunt, and I recognised the voice immediately to be that of Professor Moody. But my vision of the pathway leading to the outskirts of the school, and in turn my solace, suddenly faded to nothing. I could not see. And suddenly, my hearing faded also. At first, I thought I had fainted. But as my senses came back I found myself no longer in the cold Hogwarts courtyard. Instead, however, I was in a house; the only light source in the room being that of a fire, which was slowly fading from green to red as though someone had momentarily used the floo network to get inside.

"WHERE IS HE!?"

Had I been in my own body, I would have gasped. But this was a memory and I was occupying the mind of someone else entirely. Therefore, I had no choice but to let it play out as it had in the person's mind I had slipped into. My legs began to carry me closer to the voices, a jet of red light beaming from the opposing corridor as screams sounded throughout the entire house. "Muffliato." My voice spoke, much deeper and masculine as a charm cast itself over the cottage. Nobody outside would hear them now.

The screams grew nearer, as I entered the kitchen in the home to find five people; a man and woman were on the ground, coiled up in pain as their faces distorted to that of a permanent scream. Two men, who could be mistaken for siblings and a woman with black hair curled into tight ringlets stood over them; wands pointed and ready to cast another spell. They were all young, even the couple sprawled on the floor; possible early to mid twenties, no older.

"If you carry on like that, Bella, there won't be anything left of them. Then, how will we get our answers?" One of the men contemplated, eyeing the couple with disgust in his eyes. "If they can't tell us, we may as well finish them both off." The other man in the room spoke, beside the woman with ringlets who merely shrugged as though it were another day in the office. But the defeat in her eyes told a different story; a desperation for answers.

"No. Let's keep them alive. I'm sure they'll tell us, eventually. They just need a little push..." She trailed away, pressing her index finger to her chin as the trio's gaze fixated onto me. The youngest of the two men standing eyed me knowingly, "What do you say, mate? You're the best at it." He shrugged, as though it were obvious. Sighing, I glanced down at the two laying on the floor, pointing my wand at them. A jet of red light emitted from my wand as I spoke emotionlessly, "Crucio."

The woman's mouth widened to a scream, but it appeared far more distant than I had anticipated. It could have been a mile away at first, as her entire body seized and began to shake uncontrollably. The man beside her sobbing, pleading and begging for me to stop. The screams could have been half a world away as I felt the power of the torture curse coursing through my veins and projecting into my wand. But it was not my wand. It was his. With each tear that streamed down the woman's cheek, the scream grew nearer. Each convulsion, scattered heartbeat and mental plea in her eyes for me to stop. Until it was right in front of me.

But it was not her cries nor her scream. It was mine. Emerald Potter's, as I fought to release myself from this horrid memory. In less than a millisecond I felt someone pull my body into their arms, tethering me to the present once more. I could not see, the vision of the woman's face as I tortured her blinding me from anything else. But I could feel those arms encasing me, as I found myself pleading to hear their voice.

"Get...Dumbledore...Now!" A disgruntled voice that I did not wish to hear came into fruition, fading in and out with each passing moment. Someone was calling my name, now. Begging me to come back from wherever my mind had travelled to; somewhere in between a memory and the present. My screams continued.

I felt an overwhelming amount of heat begin to traverse through my veins; beginning at my feet and working their way through my legs and now my hips; inexplicable and irrevocable. I tried to cry out from the pain, but I knew no words were emitting from me. My screams drowned out any possibility of telling whoever's arms were comforting me of what was happening. I knew he was the one holding me; slowly but surely bringing me back...

The fire continued to build, to the point where it had now reached my lungs, working its way to my heart. I could hear Harry's voice now, too. Black dots began to cloud the vision of the tortured woman, stars in the night sky beginning to appear. I was coming back now.

"Emerald. Please."

Severus.

I felt the scolding in my heart now, expanding and needing to escape as I willed it to do so with every ounce of strength I felt returning to me. With one final scream and those obsidian orbs finally plunging me back to sudden reality, the fire burst from my body and into the night sky, illuminating the entire world around me.

The flames were blinding, screams erupting from the crowd of students that had gathered around as my own now ceased. "Severus." I breathed feeling the warmth of my tears streaming down my cheeks as I could feel myself quickly fading; grasping onto his sleeve in the hopes it would keep me here for a little longer. His eyes averted to the flames and onto my own. He was terrified, his lip quivering as he fumbled to find any words to say.

I felt his arms lift me into the air, beginning to carry me back towards the school as crowds of students would flee from the flames; which were now beginning to take shape of a serpent. A shimmer of silvery dress robes passed us, the wise Headmaster's wand pointed at the flames as he began to subdue them.

"You're going to be alright. I'm taking you to Madam Pomfrey." Severus voice, like his spilling thoughts, were scattered. Hurting my mind with each one, as I realised the pain I was bringing to him. The desperation for me to be alright. And I knew it was not fair. I had had enough, defeat replacing those dying embers in my sinking chest.

"I don't want them anymore." I sobbed, my head falling limp for a moment as the Potion's Master's arm shuffled further up my back in attempt to support it, my eyes finding his once more. His brows furrowed with confusion amongst concern, "What are you talking about?" He asked. We were in the school now, my gaze lingering on the arched ceiling for a moment too long as I could feel myself slipping a little further towards oblivion.

"Emerald. Look at me." Snape's voice was pleading, as I forced my remaining amount of strength to allow me to find his dark eyes. There. I could see a little clearer now. "Take them away. Like you said you would, if I asked." I could hear his thoughts slip back to the day when we were in Dumbledore's office after I had performed unsupported flight, the realisation appearing in his facial expressions. A teat streamed down his cheek, "You know I can't do that." His voice faltered a little.

"Please, Severus." And that was the last thing I remembered before being pulled into darkness. And I hoped and prayed, that the memory belonging to Professor Moody would not be waiting for me on the other side...