When Fire Meets Gasoline | Wizarding World

chapter forty-five | new arrivals

To say that Mary and Violet had been exhausted for the last three months was an understatement.

It was nothing but tracking down Muggle-borns and bringing them back to the Ministry. Both girls hated to see the looks in their desperate eyes as Snatchers took them to be questioned. They had to turn their heads in order to avoid any more heartbreak.

Violet had a harder time with it. Some nights, Mary would hear her crying herself to sleep, resulting in red and swollen eyes the next morning. It got worse whenever she spotted Jacob in the hallway. Mary knew that feeling too well with Oliver.

She really was trying to figure out a way to get out of Malfoy Manor, but there was always a loophole to her plans. It became frustrating with every strategy she thought would work. She began to worry that she would run out of ideas soon, which meant any hope she kept with her would also diminish.

A part of the problem was that both girls were kept under strict watch from the Snatchers and those residing at Malfoy Manor. Neither of them only had time to themselves at night, where being alone with their thoughts made them restless. It only got worse from there

It was Easter when Snatchers got word about some wizards that could potentially be Muggle-borns in what was most likely a safehouse just outside of London. With Scabior already out and about with his group, Mary and Violet were led by a Snatcher that occasionally joined them, but neither of the girls knew his name, nor did they care. Really, they just hoped that they missed the wizards that were spotted.

"Let's keep moving!" the Snatcher commanded the others. "We don't want to miss catching those Mudbloods!"

"What are the odds those wizards sighted aren't even Muggle-borns?" Violet whispered to Mary.

"Very slim, I'm sure," Mary whispered back.

The girls managed to remain in the back, giving some space between them and the other Snatchers. As they drew closer to their destination, Mary's heart was beating faster as she got more nervous. She had sent too many Muggle-borns to the Ministry already. Of course, she wished that none of them had to go to the Ministry. The only way that was going to happen was the war would have to stop, which meant Harry Potter needed to get a move on if he wanted to win.

When they reached the safehouse, the spot where the wizards were spotted, the head Snatcher used his wand to open the door. Mary and Violet parted ways with the Snatchers as they headed up the stairs. As each room was vacant, relief came over Mary and Violet when no one was to be seen.

"This is a good sign if no one's here," Violet commented.

"That means they got away, then," Mary said. "Or maybe no one was here at all."

"Who sent in the tip again?" Violet asked.

Mary shrugged, shaking her head. "I have no idea."

"Well, doesn't that seem odd to you?"

"I mean..." Mary trailed off, giving it more thought. It did sound suspicious, but who would set them up? "Yeah, it is odd."

Violet's expression turned concerned. "I think we should get out of here. It might be a--"

BOOM!

The girls were thrown backwards, hitting the walls with a thud! They grunted in pain, grabbing their wands with a tight grip. Dust was flying everywhere, along with

A trap. It was a trap.

As the two stumbled to get up, coughing and tearing up from the dust, they heard the sound of yelling from downstairs. They managed to get to the hallway but stopped at the top of the stairs, where spells being shot out of wands as flashes of red and green went all over the place.