Shut Up, Padfoot!

110

I flinched when the scream ripped through the air.

Mrs. Cole's hands clawed at her throat as her mouth opened wide with her shriek. Her veins protruded from her neck, eyeballs reddening. Her voice dwindled as the life drained from her body. I stared in horror as her weight fell to the floor.

"Is— is she?" Sirius stammered.

My lashes fluttered as I tore my gaze away from her with dread. Pandora couldn't bear to give her a look. She clutched her lover in hopes that what has happened was a bad dream.

"She's dead. I can't feel her life force anymore," I spoke, oddly like it didn't seem from my own thoughts.

"Let's get out of here. If what she said was true...we don't want to know," Xenophilius urged.

I pushed back my hair and swallowed harshly. He's right. We need to go. Need to get back to Dumbledore. I know I have a terrible impression of him but this is out of my league. And I can't let anything else wander into my thoughts. If I do, I'd be hit with every pain at once.

The breath in my lungs escaped when a force hit my spine.

Before I knew it, my face pressed on wood. A foot between my shoulder blades and my wand clattered too far away. I coughed and struggled beneath whoever held me down.

"Hello, little Phoenix," Lucius sweetly greeted.

My nails dug into the floorboards, grime sneaking under my nails. I peered at him in the corner of my eye. His smug smile made my stomach drop. He leaned down, positioned like he stood atop land he claimed. His wand lazily sat in the crevice of his palm as he pointed it at me.

I tore my glare away from him as I searched for Padfoot. Anger ran through my veins when I saw him on his knees, arms captured. His head thrown back with a wand embedded in the skin of his pulse point. His mouth parted as his breaths came out raggedy. Our eyes made contact and I saw fear.

"Let him go! Let him go!" I shouted.

He slightly shook his head, warning me to stop talking. Malfoy's boot heel pressed harder into my back and I choked on my words. Pandora screamed, begging him to lessen his pressure.

Electricity flickered between my fingers. I begged Merlin, God, some omnipotent ruler for strength. They never said my powers would weaken when I went through the cleansing ritual.

"Keep quiet...Unless you want to see your friends dead. And not just the ones in here," Lucius threatened with giddiness.

"The Dark Lord wouldn't mind if we played with them a bit? Right, Severus? Right?" Bellatrix exclaimed happily.

I watched her long tendrils fall in her face when she grinned deviously at her cousin. He clenched his jaw and fiercely met her matching grey irises. She pouted when he didn't reciprocate her energy. Her gothic dress dragged on the ground when she refocused on the others.

My eyes dart around in a panic. Pandora and Xenophilius are immobilized. What spell? Does it matter? Yes, it does. I need it to reverse it. What do I do? What do I do? Please, what do I do?

The door burst open. Remus ran in with pink on his cheeks, surprise at the scene. He didn't have much to take it in when a curse flew at him. He deflected it quickly. The unknown deatheaters fired curse after curse. Yells erupted and I prayed that Lily and James don't come back.

Iris' wide pure eyes darkened as she fought alongside him. Their backs met and I hated that they were here. None of them deserve this.

My heart soared when I felt the weight off my back. Immediately, I scrambled for my wand. Malfoy was off fighting his own battle. Just for the shortest moment, none of them were focused on me.