Serpent in the Lion's Den

29. Message Not Received

"Auntie Dearest... you called?" Draco smirked, walking past his school-peers with an uninterested expression, once he reached Bellatrix he turned back to the snatchers with an amused look, trying to keep his heart from beating out his chest.

"And you've allowed rodents into the Manor... why?"

"Watch it, we caught two undesirables 'n brought them to you rather than th' ministry. We can jus' walk right back out that door."

"Now, now" hissed Bellatrix as she flicked her wand and locked the main entrance to the manor, "let's not be hasty. Follow me." And she skipped off in the direction of the north drawing room, snatchers, Weasel and Potter trailing after her. Draco stopped before following suit, taking a long look at Potter's face, it was bruised and swollen as though he'd fallen in a vat of Bubotuber pus.

Draco watched the faces of the Snatchers intently as they walked into the drawing room before catching his father motion for him to stand by their side. He rolled his eyes and stood align with, but away from his family, hoping it give a message to the two unnecessary members of the golden trio in comparison to Hermione, that he was not on their side. This motion was returned by a confused look on Potter's face and one of confusion and hate on Gingerknob's.

Message not received.

"Bella, why are there snatchers and two prisoners ruining my drawing room?" Lucius questioned, shooting a quick glance at Draco.

"Look at the ginger one Lucius, that is Ron Weasley! Harry Potter's best friend! And look at the other one, recognise those glasses Lucy?" Bellatrix seethed and pointed at the wizards with her wand. Lucius' mouth curled into a curious smile and he stepped forward as though to get a closer look before turning to one of the snatcher's

"What happened to his face?"

"Dunno, found 'im like that, must've caught it in th' forest we found 'em in. But look at this" the snatcher said as he raised his crooked wand and brushed the dark-haired boy's fringe away to reveal a faint, but easily recognisable scar etched into his forehead. The shape of a lightning bolt. Both Bellatrix and Lucius held in small gasps and smirked at one another, the curly haired witch made her way over to the blonde wizard and dropped her vice to a whisper.

"If we hand them over to The Dark Lord, he'll forgive Draco and us. If we are the ones to give them to him, we will be protected forever." Bellatrix elongated her last words into Lucius ear flirtatiously and turned away when a snatcher cleared his throat.

"Now, we won't be forgetting who caught 'em would we? And I reckon if you ar' then I'll keep this as compensation." He huffed, pulling a silver object out from behind his back, twiddling it in his hands and allowing it to catch the sunlight which reflected off the red jewels encrusted in the handle, spreading red light around the room.

Without a moment's hesitation Bellatrix thrusted her wand arm forward and sent thick black snakes towards the four snatchers. The snakes latched around their necks, constricting them until their faces turned red and their eyes lifeless.

"Bella!" Lucius began to question before the witch cut him off, speaking quickly and ferociously.

"That is the sword of Gryffindor and you know how I know that Lucy? It's been in my vault along with th-," she paused, contemplating her choice of words, "it doesn't matter! What does matter is that this has been in my vault since Dumbledore died!" she shouted, picking up the sword and cradling it like it were her child. Draco stood shell-shocked, as did Harry and Ron whilst Bellatrix flicked between the wizard's, piecing a mental jigsaw together in her brain.

"The mudblood! She was in Diagon Alley when Draco found her! SHE WAS IN MY VAULT!" Screamed the witch, her face flushing red with anger as she pointed the sword at both Harry and Ron who had tried not to sneak glances at one another or Draco. Though Harry and Ron had a good idea which 'mudblood' Bellatrix was referring to, Draco knew and wished he'd never let Hermione get caught up in her own lie. Narcissa was the only member in the drawing room who caught the fear in Draco's eyes and took a faint step in front of her husband, clearing her throat.

"Really Bella, how could she get into your vault? That would be impossible... you know that." She tried to reason with her sister, her voice fainter and less sure than Draco remembered it to be when he'd left for Hogwarts at the start of the year.

"Well, they must have bribed someone Cissy! And these two took the sword as the mudblood stayed as a diversion! How else do you explain her absence from them? The Dark Lord himself mentioned how inseparable they were!" Bellatrix let out an exasperated sigh before switching back to her eerily calm self and walked over to the bound wizards, dragging the sword tip menacingly behind her.

"TOPPER!" the witch shouted, a fairly large house-elf materialising before she finished.

"Mistress called Topper?" the house-elf asked, keeping his brown eyes fixed to the floor, but before Bellatrix could open her mouth to speak Narcissa again cleared her throat.

"Topper, you address my sister as Miss." She looked pointedly at her sister, "I am the Mistress of this House."

"Topper is sorry Mistress; Topper will not make the mistakes again." The elf cried, wringing his hands as he spoke and looked back to Bellatrix to correct himself, "Miss is needing Topper?"

"Yes," Bellatrix smiled, shifting her eyesight to Draco, "get our guest from the south drawing room. I have some questions for her."

Draco screamed and cried, shouting obscenities at his Aunt before raising his wand and shooting the Killing Curse at her, then his father before sparing his mother and taking off down the corridors with Potter and Weasel in tow to save Hermione.

Draco did all this on the inside. On the outsidehe clenched his teeth and fists, shooting daggers rather than curses at hisAunt.