Soul of Ice

23. Sectumsempra

Abbie chanced a glance behind her as she ran; there was no one immediately behind her, but the footsteps echoing around the corridor told her someone was hot on her trail. She ducked into a room to the side and slammed the door closed. The room was dark; she felt her way along the wall, hoping not to knock anything over as she hid.

The footsteps pursuing her got closer and closer, and then, just as they seemed to reach the door she'd hidden behind, they stopped. No, she thought in a panic. How could they possibly have known which door she'd hidden behind?

The door creaked open and Abbie could just make out the silhouette of Lucius Malfoy entering the room, wand held aloft. His back was turned to her, and as soon as she had a clear shot, she blasted a jet of red light at him. He stumbled, and she tried to run, but he was too quick; she felt an invisible force grab her and pull her back, sending her flying against what felt like a table. She yelled out in pain, and in the same moment, the lights flickered on. The desk she'd been thrown into had tumbled onto its side and for a few moments, she had a shield.

Abbie threw another spell over the desk, not daring to look high enough to aim; she heard something shatter, and Lucius just laughed. "Stupid girl," he cursed. "The Dark Lord would have had you, you know - he is so very eager to bring you and Draco into the fold. Well, Draco and your father may have a soft spot for you, but I see what you really are. You would never be fit to join the Dark Lord."

Abbie fell onto her back as the table was pulled away, leaving her fully exposed. She clamboured to her feet and glared up at Lucius' sneering face. "Good," she snarled. "I'd rather die than be one of you."

"Do you think I won't hurt a child?" Lucius growled as he pointed his wand in her face. "Do you think I fear your father's retribution enough to spare you? If I were to kill you, he would hate me for a while, but eventually he would thank me for sparing him from such a pathetic, traitorous little -"

He was cut off by a blast to the stomach, and it was his turn to go flying across the room. Lucius stood, his face contorted with fury, and within moments, they were duelling fiercely, spells flying across the room, shattering shelves and blowing holes in the walls.

"Your father taught you well," Lucius yelled over the sound of the crumbling wall behind him. "But he taught me something better. Sectumsempra!"

When nothing emerged from Lucius' wand, Abbie thought the spell must have failed; but then she saw a twisted smirk of triumph on his face, and she felt something wet on her shirt. She looked down to see a large gash in her shirt, blood soaking through. She gasped as the pain set in, and suddenly it felt like every nerve in her torso was on fire. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the floor, screaming in pain. When she finally looked up, Lucius was gone, and she rolled over to her side, lying in a pool of her own blood.

With her remaining strength, Abbie raised her wand and cast one final spell before she blacked out.

When she came to, the first sense that came back to her was her hearing. She could hear a voice, soft and soothing, chanting an incantation that sounded like a lullaby. She knew that voice; she would recognise her father's voice anywhere.

The next sense that came back was her sense of touch. She was lying in something wet. Her abdomen felt funny; some of it was warm, the rest cold, and all of it stung.

Finally, she opened her eyes to see a blurry black shape leaning over her against the background of a grey stone ceiling. She was on her back, she realised.

The black shape moved, and Abbie recognised her father's profile as it came into view.

"Dad..." she mumbled, causing Snape's eyes to snap up to her face. He was almost unrecognisable; his face was riddled with fear, and there was a smudge of red on his cheek which she strongly suspected was her own blood.