Finding Neverland | George Weasley ✓

Chapter Ninety-Two

Elliot, Remus and Kingsley stood outside a room that they were sure that Thea was in. They had found her wand outside, hidden slightly in a bush and the sounds of screams echoing from inside the building only proved their theory. 

They could hear the Death Eater talking to his victim but there was no response. The Death Eater chuckled darkly before trying to cast his next spell. 

"Cruci-"

Elliot couldn't take it anymore, against Remus and Kingsley's better judgment, he thrust the doors open, his wand pointed forward. 

"Expelliarmus!" Elliot called loudly as the Death Eaters tried to fight back at the newcomers. The Death Eater's wand was thrown to the side as Kingsley came up behind Elliot before shouting out his own spell.

"Incarcerus!"

Elliot rushed over to Thea's side, shaking her, trying to get her to respond. 

She lay in a pool of her own blood, while her eyes remained shut, the slight movement of her chest was enough to calm Elliot slightly. 

"What's happened?" Elliot asked frantically. "What did he do?"

"She's been tortured, quite severally too. She has been hit by the Cruciatus Curse, it's one of the unforgivables." Kinglsey replied. "I believe you must be quite familiar will those wouldn't you, Elliot."

"Yes, I am." Elliot replied quietly.

"How many times do you reckon she's been hit?" Remus asked, feeling her own anxiety rise when he saw Thea laying there so quiet and peaceful despite the blood pool around her. 

"It's hard to tell." Kingsley replied. "But it wouldn't have been a low number, she's probably had enough to drive her to insanity at this point. 

"Insanity." Elliot whispered under his breath.

He too had also heard the story of Frank and Alice Longbottom who had been driven to insanity by the Cruciatus Curse to the point where they didn't even recognize their own son. 

Elliot couldn't help but think as he looked down at Thea that the same thing could happen to her as well. 

"No," Elliot muttered.

"Come on," Kingsley said. "There isn't much more we can do except hope that she wakes up and is still our Thea. Let's get her home."

Remus helped Kingsley to gently pick up Thea into their arms before apparating with her to the Lupin household. 

Tonks let out a gasp of shock when she saw the condition of one of her best friends. 

"Dora!" Remus cried out urgently. "Go get, Molly."

"I'm not leaving. She is practically my sister and I'm not leaving her alone. Tonks cried defiantly. "Elliot, can you please go get Molly?"

Elliot wanted to protest but as he looked down at Thea, he knew he had to get out of there before the image was printed permanently in his mind. And after all getting Molly was the best thing for Thea right now, so without saying much, Elliot quickly left the Lupin household just as quickly as he had arrived. 

Elliot quickly reached the Burrow rushing inside as he soon found Molly in the kitchen cooking. 

"Elliot!" Molly cried out in shock. "As much I'm happy to see you, I wonder why you are here."

"It's Thea." Elliot cried out urgently already feeling tears form in his eyes. "She was tortured. I need you to come quickly."

"Where is she, Elliot?"

"Lupin household."

Molly Weasley quickly strode out of the house with Elliot behind her and they disappeared.

Remus carefully lay Thea down on the couch as Elliot left to go get Molly. Kingsley looked distraught, hating the fact that he had let Thea go alone even though she could handle it and she had been caught by surprise. Tonks was heavily pregnant, her stomach protruding from her, but it was quite a struggle for her to get down to Thea's level. Remus had reached over to try and get a chair for his pregnant wife but she quickly dismissed it.

"I'm fine, Remus." Tonks waved off dismissively letting out a groan as she reached the floor. "I might need some help getting back up though-" Tonks started before she was interrupted.

"Where are you?" Molly's voice shouted from outside.

"Living room!" Remus shouted back. 

Molly quickly hurried in before dropping down to Thea's side in such a hurry she was almost a blur. Elliot appeared in the doorway, his eyes averted as his mind immendiantly came up with all the worst options.

Remus noticed the distraught look on the boy's face as quickly gestured for him to step outside with him after noticing that Thea was more than okay with Molly and Tonks to look after her. 

"How are you, Elliot?" Remus asked Elliot.

"I'm okay," Elliot replied, quietly. 

"Kingsley really didn't mean it. You know he wouldn't have ever put Thea into danger like that if he didn't know she could handle it. It was just a coincidence."

"I know, Remus. I need to apologize to Kingsley. It's just-." Elliot stopped, breathing shakily as he tried not to cry in front of Remus.

"It's okay, Elliot. You can let it out." 

"It's just...the only thing I can think about is the worst possible scenario. I shut my eyes and all I can see is her laying on the floor in her own pool of blood and laying there on the couch, inside with all those wounds. And it's driving me insane that I wasn't there sooner."

"I think it's driving everyone insane, Elliot. When we see someone we care about injured or upset, it's in our nature to start to overthink, wish that we had been there sooner or even that we were in that situation to save our loved one from the fate."

"That's all I can think about, wishing that it had been me instead of Thea. I should be the one laying on the couch unconscious in indescribable pain, not Thea. After everything she has been through she doesn't deserve it."

"Neither do you, Elliot. No-one does."

"Do you think she is going to wake up?" Elliot asked quietly.

"I think she will eventually but I can't tell or not if she is still going to be our Thea when she wakes up."

"And if she isn't?"

"We will just take it one day at a time and see what happens."