✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

29 | T R A P P E D

we're the last people standing
by the end of the night.

   "Brilliant! Really brilliant!", Ember hissed through gritted teeth, pressing her palm against a throbbing cut on her forehead. "If we'll all die in here, let me get one thing straight!" She glared at Harry, who was helping Neville to lift up the unconscious Hermione. "I told you so!"

   Harry didn't reply; Ember was well aware that he was already drowning himself in guilt, breaking his head to get them all out of here alive. Under normal circumstances, Ember wouldn't put the blame on him. He had thought he was doing the right thing, and he was doing it for Sirius. All he wanted to do was to help ...

   But here in the darkness of the ministry, with shadows deeper than an ocean, an angry voice inside her was unable to be shut down. Her whole body was tensed, but it had nothing to do with the Death Eaters creeping beneath those shadows. It was like high voltage was flashing through her muscles, pulsing through her brain, blurring out all her rationality. Rage was taking over her, and there was no way she could have held it back.

   Back in the circular room, again the walls started to spin, and with a sinking heart Ember noticed that the cross marks Hermione had set up earlier had faded.

   "Let's find Ron, Ginny and Luna and get out of here", Harry muttered, his face showing a greenish skin tone, his forehead was covered in sweat.

   "Fantastic plan!", Ember joylessly laughed. "It's just a dozen doors we have to try, so no prob—"

   Right in this moment a door to their right sprang open and three people fell out of it. Nevertheless, Ember's relief of seeing their three friends wasn't for the long run. The only one seeming okay, was Luna. Ginny's ankle was broken, and as pale faced as Harry, the ginger sunk to the floor, closing her eyes in pain as she enclosed her fingers around the injury.

   And there was Ron; Ember's heart skipped a beat, seeing him all alive and well — until she recognised there was nothing even okay with him.

   Ron's face was very white and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Lurching forward, he was grabbing Harry's robe and gazing at him with unfocused eyes. Next moment Ron's knees had given away and he sacked down, but fists still clutched the front of Harry's robe, so Harry was pulled into a kind of bow.

   Lips parted, Ember watched Ron, listening to his giggling, watching a bubble of blood grow in the corner of his mouth and burst, while Luna was explaining to Harry what had happened.

   "Harry", said Ron, pulling Harry's ear down to his mouth and still giggling weakly, "you know who this girl is, Harry? She's Loony ... Loony Lovegood ... ha ha ha ..."

   "We have to get out of here", Harry firmly spoke, pulling Ron's arm over his shoulder to support him. Luna helped Ginny back to her feet, and Neville was still carrying Hermione.

   "Let me — let me help you", Ember stammered, for a moment forgetting about the anger boiling underneath her skin, as she looked at the helpless Ron, and her brother trying to steady his best friend. Stepping closer, she granted herself a second to examine Ron's face. Blood was still spilling from his lips, and carefully she wiped it away with the sleeve of her own robe.

   "Emmie!", he snickered. "Harry, look, Emmie is here, too!" Ember grabbed Ron's other arm, placing it over her shoulder. "You're looking funny, Emmie, ha ha ha. There's paint on your face!" Now that she no longer pressed her hand onto the cut, blood was trickling down her forehead. "But you don't need paint on your face. Your face is pretty pretty without paint. Haha. Geddit? Pretty pretty!"

   Cheeks burning, Ember shifted under Ron's weight on her shoulders, avoiding Harry's eyes, as she muttered, "Can we go now?"

   There was a twelve to one chance to hit the right door at first try. Harry was leading them to the closest, and nobody did complain, and Ron was babbling about the room full of planets he, Ginny and Luna had escaped earlier.

   They were within a few feet of it when another door across the hall burst open and three Death Eaters sped in, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.
 
   "There they are!", she shrieked. 
Stunning Spells shot across the room: Harry smashed his way through the door ahead, flung Ron unceremoniously from him, Ember stumbled, getting a hold on the doorframe, using the opportunity to hold it open so Harry could duck back to help Neville in with Hermione. They were all over the threshold just in time, and all Ember would have needed to do, was slamming the door close right into Bellatrix' lunatic face —

   An invisible rope wrapped around her ankle and next thing Ember knew, was landing on her back, the air was pressed out of her lungs, a sharp pain shot through her right shoulder blade and she heard a crack. She barely found the breath for a shriek, as she was pulled away from the door, and her suddenly brain ran on autopilot.

   Ember saw Harry jump forward, and she quickly flicked her wand, the door banged shut, and she caughed, "Colloportus!"

   Bellatrix and a second Death Eater ran into the closed door, while the third one had pointed his wand at Ember, face hidden under a mask. 

  "It doesn't matter!", said a man's voice. "There are other ways in — WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE HERE!"

   "And just look who we have here!"

   Bellatrix Lestrange turned away from the door, her heavy lided eyes fixated Ember, who still lay on the ground, trapped in that invisible rope around her ankle.

   "Little Miss Potter", Bellatrix snarled, striding towards the girl. "Unfortunately you didn't follow the Dark Lord's instructions, did you? Bad, bad girl. Didn't we tell you to stay away, from your brother?" Her face now was only inches from Ember's, as she bowed down towards the floor. Ember whipped her wand up, but it was torn out of her grip and landing straight in Bellatrix' outstretched hand. "Tsk, tsk, we don't want someone to get hurt, do we?" And pointing Ember's own wand against her, Bellatrix grin grew wider, crazier. "Do we, Potter?", she whispered, and Ember opened her mouth for an answer that never got spoken. "Crucio!", the Death Eater yelled, and a scream erupted out of Ember's throat, a scream so loud, so agonizing, that deeper down in the department of mystery, where a remaining group of six tried to get out and call for someone to help Ember Potter, Harry's blood froze, and a sharp pain was shooting through his bones, a pain he hadn't felt for a full year; a pain that wasn't his, and drowned him in despair. Because he knew ...

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