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Ten seconds passed, and Dobby was waiting for the boys at the top of the stairs. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other and ran up the stairs and back into the shadowy passageway leading to the drawing room. Cautiously, they crept along it until they reached the drawing-room door, which was ajar.
Now they had a clear view of Bellatrix looking down atGriphook, who was holding Gryffindor's sword in his long-fingered hands. Mia was lying at Bellatrix's feet, looking paler than death as it was unsure if she was breathing or not. There was a dark red stain on her abdomen as she was lying in a pool of blood. Draco was standing next to her mother, tears streaming down his face as he looked sick. He looked up and saw Harry, Ron and Hermione crouching there. Harry looked at him, then glanced at his sister as Draco subtly shrugged. Harry's stomach dropped. Not even Draco, who was in the room with her, knew whether she was alive.
"Well?" Bellatrix said to Griphook. "Is it the true sword?"
Harry waited, holding his breath, fighting against the prickling of his scar.
"No," said Griphook. "It is a fake."
"Are you sure?" panted Bellatrix. "Quite sure?"
"Yes," said the goblin. Relief broke across her face; all tension drained from it.
"Good," she said, and with a casual flick of her wand, she slashed another deep cut into the goblin's face, and he dropped with a yell at her feet. She kicked him aside.
"And now," she said in a voice that burst with triumph, "we call the Dark Lord!"
And she pushed back her sleeve and touched her forefinger to the Dark Mark.
"And I think," said Bellatrix's voice, "we can dispose of the girl. Greyback, take her if you want her."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Ron had burst into the drawing room. Bellatrix looked around, shocked; she turned her wand to face Ron instead.
"Expelliarmus!" he roared, pointing Wormtail's wand at Bellatrix, and hers flew into the air and was caught by Harry and Hermione, who had sprinted after Ron. Lucius, Narcissa, Draco and Greyback wheeled about.
Harry yelled, "Stupefy!" and Lucius Malfoy collapsed onto the hearth.
Jets of light flew from Narcissa's and Greyback's wands as Harry threw himself to the floor, rolling behind a sofa to avoid them.
"STOP OR SHE DIES!"
Panting, Harry peered around the edge of the sofa. Bellatrix was supporting Hermione, who seemed to be unconscious and was holding her short silver knife to Mia's throat.
"Drop your wands," she whispered. "Drop them, or we'll see exactly how she can lose her magic!"
Ron stood rigid, clutching his wand. Harry straightened up, still holding Bellatrix's.
