Another Love || Edward Cullen ²

42. Little Badger

||Elliana's P.O.V.||

It felt like tiny knives were piercing my lungs as I ran through the forest. The scent of petrichor hung heavily in the air, and I clung to it, seeking solace in any form I could find it.

Five minutes passed of me endlessly trekking through the trees before that familiar tingling of magic washed over me, signifying that I had stepped through a magical barrier. My heart stilled in my chest before thumping forcefully against my ribs, every nerve in my body on high alert as I slowly tiptoed towards a small break in the trees.

I gripped my wand with a force that left my fingers numb, biting my lower lip to the point of drawing blood as I stepped into the clearing. My breath hitched at the sight before me.

The Cedric look-alike had his arm wrapped around Amy's throat, clutching her in front of him and jabbing the tip of his wand under her chin as he locked eyes with me. A sinister smile spread across his face when he saw my horror-filled gaze.

"Drop your wand or your little friend here dies faster than you can say 'Mudblood'."

His threat caused me to freeze mid-step. Amy stared at me with wide eyes full of horror, her face as pale as a ghost.

I inhaled a shaky breath, staring at the wrathful face that rightfully belonged to my best friend as I slowly lowered my wand to the ground, never once breaking eye-contact.

When I stood up and raised my hands as if to surrender, I softly spoke, "Please.. Let her go."

His smirk grew, his gray eyes glinting like steel as he looked me up and down like I was nothing more than prey. Goosebumps erupted all over my body when I took note of his lust-filled gaze, my stomach filling with dread.

With a flick of his wrist, he cast 'Silencio' and 'Incarcerous' on Amy, binding her with ropes and silencing her before she could work up a scream. Tears streamed down her face as he let her fall to the ground, my heart clenching in my chest at the sight. She stared at me in terror, her mouth opening and closing but no sound escaping.

I couldn't bear it. My Hufflepuff heart couldn't handle seeing my friend in such a state.

"Let her go!" I shouted as I charged towards him, giving in to the surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

But before I had a chance to make contact with him, he sent me sailing through the air with a flick of his wand. My back collided with a tree, knocking the breath out of me before I fell to my knees. I balled my hands into fists, clutching at the moss beneath my palms as a wave of anger and desperation washed over me. Ignoring the searing pain in my back, I scrambled to my feet and met his icy yet heated gaze.

His wand was no longer pointed at me.

Instead, he directed it towards Amy, steeling me with a derisive smile as he muttered, "Crucio."

"NO!" I screamed as Amy writhed against the ropes, her mouth falling open, pure agony twisting her features.

Her screams were silent due to the Silencio charm. Otherwise, they would have been ear-piercing as the Unforgivable Curse inflicted the worse pain imaginable.

Just as quickly as he cast the curse, he ended it, causing Amy's body to lay lifeless on the forest floor as she recovered from the torture. I didn't realize I had been crying until I tasted the salt from my tears on my lips.

He locked gazes with me once more, narrowing his eyes as his bitter voice pierced through the ringing in my ears, "You will do as I say, or your friend here will be the one to pay the price. Understood?"