Since Privet Drive || Harry Potter

Dobby's Sacrifice

Chapter 38 - Dobby's Sacrifice

It all happened with a bang. Taylor didn't even know how she was doing it, but knew one thing.

Nobody else, especially none of her friends, were going to be hurt by Bellatrix Lestrange.

She kneed the Snatcher that was holding her and quickly grabbed his wand. Without even thinking of anyone else, she shot the same color-changing charm she had done to Ron to Hermione. The only color on her mind was red, full of rage. With that, she focused on Hermione's face and hair and quickly changed herself.

She didn't know how quickly she had done it, but it must have been in a matter of a second because it fooled them.

"Well, well, well... we have the little metamorphagus here? We'll take care of you later, just like your dear mother... trying to protect muggles... pathetic," she said in a cooing voice. Taylor wanted to let her hair take free range and destroy Bellatrix, but she had to focus on keeping Hermione's look up. It seemed like even Hermione didn't know what had happened, but it had even fooled Ron.

But not Harry. He could recognize Taylor anywhere. No matter what she did. It was in her posture and her eyes, even when her eyes weren't the same color or shape. It was in her aura and the way she held herself. He knew what she had done. And he knew why she had done it.

He screamed, barely hearing Ron as well.

He couldn't lose her.

That was the only thing on his mind. But they were dragged to the cellar, the Death Eaters and Snatchers not giving a care in the world.

"Hermione!" came Ron's yells.

"Ron shut up!" said Hermione. Ron's face drained of color. "H-hermione? Th-then T-taylo-" he looked at Harry who was banging at the door, nearly losing his voice.

Taylor's screams vibrated through the cellar.

The Cruciatus curse was even worse than before. Maybe because Bellatrix had had more practice. Maybe because the pain was mixed with the pain of losing her mother. Maybe because she still tried to focus on keeping Hermione's bushy hair inside of letting it go to the straight, pale white with red streaks that it wanted.

But if that happened, Bellatrix would know. And Bellatrix couldn't know.

But everything stopped in a moment. Her yells that said the sword was a fake seemed to work. She didn't truly know what happened in the next few minutes, only that the other three burst in at that moment. Seeing Hermione's hair back to normal and the same with Ron, she knew that the spells had been broken. With that, she quickly let her emotions take over, not even caring how it looked.

Taylor could see Bellatrix, confused, and the other three fighting the Death Eaters. Her focus was so drained from the curse she didn't notice the small house-elf that grabbed her hand and disapparated with a twist.

She found herself back on the beach of Shell Cottage, but couldn't see the house-elf for long as it left as quickly as it came. She could barely make out Bill's pained yells and Fleur's shouts in French as everything turned black, and she fainted.

The next time Taylor woke up was a few hours later, but she was no longer in the tent, or Malfoy Manor, or the beach, as she thought about the days' events. Instead, she was in a bed, the same that she had used when with Ron and Bill and Fleur.

She groggily opened her eyes, trying to get up.

"Taylor? Taylor! Oh my merlin, we were so worried! Let me get Harry, he'll be so happy. You shouldn't have done that! It was completely dangerous and I would have never wanted it to happen-" came Hermione's rambling.

Taylor groaned, and finally managed to sit up. There were lingering pains from the aftermath of the cruciatus. She could make out Hermione's bushy hair moving up and out of the door, yelling that she was awake. Looking around, it was definitely her old room in Shell Cottage, but she wasn't left alone for long as Bill came rushing in.

"Taylor, oh, you need to stop coming here half dead! You had me so worried after-after what happened..." he trailed off, but grabbed Taylor in a bone-crushing hug that might have rivaled her Aunt Molly. It was quite strange to see the most cool-headed Weasley looking so worried and frustrated, but she couldn't blame him. She noticed Hermione and Fleur standing at the door, Ron now there as well. He seemed a bit awkward, but Hermione whispered something to him and Fleur and went out.

"Tay... you gave me a bloody heart-attack there," and he too joined his brother in hugging their basically-sister.

"The house-elf-" she started weakly, remembering what had actually gotten her out of there safely, but was cut off by someone slamming the door open. The two red-heads went outside to join Hermione and Fleur leaving Harry and Taylor alone.

"Taylor," he breathed. It seemed that he was frozen, stuck in time, barely remembering to continue breathing. Taylor was the first to move, as she pushed her pillow back up as it was sinking.

"You know, I would expect after seeing your girlfriend tortured you wouldn't just stand in the doorway like an idiot," she said as nonchalantly as possible.

To some people, it may seem like something stupid to say, but to Harry, it was everything. It seemed like Taylor would be able to go to hell and back and still make a joke, and quite frankly, he was thankful for that. It was one of the reasons he loved her so much.

Still, it fulfilled it's purpose as Harry snapped out of his day and made his way to Taylor, bringing her into a kiss.

She gladly responded, and what may have been seconds or minutes later he pulled back hugging her even tighter than her cousins.

"Why-the bloody hell-do you-worry me like that?" he emphasized each word.

"Now, I would think that you have worried me much more than I have to you. I'm clearly just getting my payback," she attempted to joke, though the underlying meaning was still there.

"Ugh! Never do that again!" tried Harry.

"Try what?"

"Get yourself bloody tortured, that's what!"

"Ok, never nearly get yourself killed, then," she responded.

Harry sighed, turning solemn. "You know I can't do that."

"And you know I can't either," she replied defiantly.

"Yes, you can!"

"No, I can't."

"Why can't you? He's not going after you! You can stay safe and-"

"Do you really think I would do that? Honestly! You should know better that I am not going to stay safe in a cottage until every last death eater is gone, specifically Bellatrix bloody Lestrange!" she said firmly. Then, in a softer voice, she turned slightly away, and said, "And I promised to myself that she wasn't going to hurt anyone else, especially not anyone I knew. I wasn't going to let her hurt Hermione, just like how I wouldn't let her hurt you, or Ron, or Dean, or Luna. I wasn't going to let her torture another soul or break another family apart, not while I was there."