In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*Malfoy Manor

The cellar was cold, dark, and dingy, and Briar was terrified for her life, and the others. She buried her head between her knees, trying to drown out the headache all the noise was causing her.

"HERMIONE!" Ron continued to shout but to no avail

"Ron?" came a whisper through the darkness. "Ron? Is that you?" Ron stopped shouting. There was a sound of movement close by them, then Briar saw a shadow moving closer. "Harry? Ron?" 

"Luna?" Briar asked 

"Yes, it's me! Oh no, I didn't want you to be caught!" 

"Luna, can you help us get these ropes off?" said Harry. "Oh yes, I expect so. . . . There's an old nail we use if we need to break anything. . . . Just a moment . . . " 

Hermione screamed again from overhead, and they could hear Bellatrix screaming too, but her words were inaudible, for Ron shouted again, "HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" 

"Mr. Ollivander?" Luna was saying. "Mr. Ollivander, have you got the nail? If you just move over a little bit . . . I think it was beside the water jug." She was back within seconds. "You'll need to stay still," she said. 

From upstairs they heard Bellatrix's voice. "I'm going to ask you again! Where did you get this sword? Where?" 

"We found it—we found it—PLEASE!" Hermione screamed again and Briar winced. 

"Ron, please stay still!" Luna whispered. "I can't see what I'm doing— " 

"My pocket!" said Ron, "In my pocket, there's a deluminator, and it's full of light!"

A few seconds later, there was a click, and the luminescent spheres the deluminator had sucked from the lamps in the tent flew into the cellar: Unable to rejoin their sources, they simply hung there, like tiny suns, flooding the underground room with light. Briar could now see Luna, and the motionless figure of Ollivander the wand maker, curled up on the floor in the corner. Briar could also see the other prisoners with them had been Dean and Griphook the goblin, who seemed barely conscious, kept standing by the ropes that bound him to the humans. 

"Oh, that's much easier, thanks, Ron," said Luna, and she began hacking at their bindings again. "Hello, Dean!" 

From above came Bellatrix's voice. "You're a lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth!"

Another terrible scream— "HERMIONE!" 

"What else did you take? What else have you got? Tel me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife!" 

"There!" Luna said and the group bound together all slowly got up. Griphook sank onto the cellar floor, looking groggy and disoriented, many welts across his swarthy face. Luna smiled and turned to Briar who was shackled to the wall "Oh, I don't know if this nail can break those"

"I'll break them tonight," Briar shrugged sadly and Harry looked at her sympathetically. He knew what it was like to be a pawn in the Death Eaters's game, and he knew how afraid she was of hurting anyone. "Guys," she said softly and everyone looked at her "Tonight...I don't want to hurt any of you. But I haven't had Wolfsbane in a while. So if it comes down to it, please I want you to kill me."

"No, Briar-"

"It's one life or all of yours" she said firmly "Please"

Dean had become close to Briar when he was dating Ginny, and he had heard from Ginny about how Briar was afraid of becoming violent or hurting anyone. And he knew what Ginny would want him to do, so he reluctantly said "Yes"