Window into the Past

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Tatiana POV

I walked into Dumbledore's office, tears streaming down my face. I had to be out there looking for Joy!

Sirius was inside and saw my face. "Tia? What's wrong?" he wrapped his arms around me and I sobbed into his chest.

"They took her!" I wailed. "They took Joy, she just went to the bathroom and she was hit over the head with a cane!"

"Minerva is organising the search party, Tatiana," Albus told me. "But I need you and Remus to remain here."

"She's in danger! I should be out there looking for her!" Remus snapped. "We will find her, Remus," Albus simply said.

Harry was in tears too, traumatised by Voldemort returning and watching Cedric die, now his best friend is missing.

"Why didn't she tell us..about the Imperius Curse?" Remus murmured. "I don't know," I cried.

I knew Joy would be absolutely devastated about Cedric, she doesn't even know what happened. "Hey, look at me," Sirius gripped my shoulders. "Joy is the bravest kid I've ever met, she'll be okay, once this is over, we're going to go and look for her, I won't rest until she's safe."

I held onto Sirius and cried into his shoulder. "Harry, what happened after you touched the Portkey?" Albus started interrogating him. "We can do this in the morning," Sirius said to him. "He's exhausted and he needs to sleep, Joy is being held captive somewhere!"

Harry, however, decided to tell us what happened. How he ended up in a graveyard and that Wormtail took his blood with a dagger to bring Voldemort back.

"We should've killed him when we had the chance," Remus muttered under his breath. "Rat bastard."

"He said that Voldemort would have the same protection that I have," Harry told us. "Lily," Sirius murmured. "The protection is gone."

"He was able to touch me without hurting himself," Harry added. I stopped listening after that because all I could think about was Joy. I didn't know if she was in pain or not, I don't know what they were going to do to her.

"We'll give you a Sleeping Potion, Sirius, would you like to stay with him?" Albus asked him. Sirius nodded and turned to Remus and I. "Keep me posted on Joy, I won't sleep until I know she's safe."

Sirius kissed my cheek before switching back into his Animagus form. "Let's go," Remus murmured and I followed him out of the office.

Joy POV

The first thing I felt once I regained consciousness was a searing sharp pain in my head. "Ow," I groaned, my eyes finally opening. I tried to move my arm to touch my head but I couldn't. I turned my head to see my hands tied behind my back, I was on a chair and I could see a dark figure ahead of me.

"Well, thought Barty hit you too hard, thought you were going to miss out on the fun," he taunted me. "Dolohov," I grumbled. I looked around to find myself in the Shrieking Shack. My wrists started throbbing as the ropes were grinding against them.

"Now, you're going to tell me, how to open that Mudblood's locket, I'm not allowed to kill you, but I can make you wish you were dead," he threatened me.

"Well, you improved on the threats, I'll give you that," I muttered, shuffling, seeing if I could get my wand. "Your wand is gone, so you're wasting your time," he hissed at me. 

He pointed his wand at me. "CRUCIO!"

I screamed as unbearable pain filled my entire body, it was like going through werewolf transformation, an aneurysm, being set on fire and stabbed five million times simultaneously.

He stopped the spell but I was still in a lot of pain, it wasn't visible but everywhere hurt. "I don't know how to open it."

"Crucio!"

The pain returned and I started screaming and wailing. "I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!" I kept shrieking the same three words. "I DON'T KNOW!"

Dolohov stopped the spell and winced at a pain in his arm. He rolled up his sleeve and a prominent black skull and snake were branded upon it. "The Dark Lord has returned, he has plans for you, now open the locket!"

"I..don't..know how," I gasped weakly. The Cruciatus Curse was worse than I could ever imagine. The pain still lingered on, less severe but it was enough to weaken anything.

Another Death Eater came up the stairs and whispered something to Dolohov. They went downstairs and I turned my head slightly to look at the ropes, burning my wrists.

"There has to be a way out...there's always a way out," I whispered to myself. Tia's words rang through my head.

You're a witch, you'll think of something.

I turned around and tried to move my hand. I kept picturing flames in my head and small tiny flames sparked from my hands. The ropes started burning, withering and breaking apart. I grimaced quietly as my wrists were getting burned.

The ropes snapped and fell to the floor. I backed up towards the door and I took the chair with me.

"Can you smell burning?"

"The kid!"

I held the chair over my head and once the Death Eater was in my eye line, I slammed the chair over his head, the piece of furniture breaking apart, knocking him unconscious immediately. I picked up the chair leg and once Dolohov came in, I swung the leg like a baseball bat, hitting him in the back of the head, blood spraying everywhere.

I picked up a wand and pointed it at them both. "Incarcerous!"

Thin ropes sprung from the end, binding and gagging the two. I touched the sore part of my head and my fingers were coated in blood, my own blood.

I used the bloody chair leg to keep myself standing as I was still really weak after the Cruciatus Curse.

I slowly walked out of the Shrieking Shack, through the passage and out onto the grounds. My head resumed its throbbing marathon.

My knees buckled and gave in but I just fell to my knees as I was using the chair leg to keep myself up. I spotted someone walking out of the castle. I tried to stand up and walk towards them but I ended up collapsing again. The person became clearer.

"Bill!" I shouted. That got his attention and he ran over to me. "Joy! Joy! Are you alright?!"

"I'd say yes but I'd be lying," I murmured weakly. "Why do you have a chair leg...is that blood on it?"

"Not mine," I muttered. "Come on, to the hospital," he helped me into the castle. He opened the door and helped me in. I found a sleeping Harry and Padfoot on his bed. His head shot up once he heard the door opening. Bill set me down on a bed and woke Madam Pomfrey.

She rushed over to me and examined me. "She's concussed, her pupils are dilated and she's shaking quite a bit, could she walk?"

"She was using that to keep her up," Bill pointed at the chair leg. "Bill, tell Remus and Tatiana that Joy is back in Hogwarts," she told him. "Was the Cruciatus Curse used?"

"Yes," I sniffled. "Twice."

She fixed the cut on my head and gave me a Sleeping Draught to help me sleep. "Don't worry, you can talk your father and aunt in the morning, you need rest," she assured me.

I swallowed the potion and I drifted off into a deep dreamless sleep.