A Child Of Darkness : A Draco Malfoy fanfic

08 - The night of the cruciatus

Darkness surrounded the corners of her vision, slowly reducing it till she could barely see anything.

Her hand moved without her knowing and she could feel her arm recoil but all she could see was darkness.

A blinding green light overcame her vision and then it was gone.

Loud banging came from the door but it did not break her out of her stupor.
The door was then blasted off its hinges.
The bang seemed to bring the girl back to herself and Eleonora shielded herself from the splinters.

Two men and a woman walked through the door. Their eyes scanned their surroundings, moving from the dead man by the door to the woman not too far away. And then to the girl standing in the middle, wand in hand and eyes dark as the night sky.

"Hello dearie". The woman lifted her hand, the wand barely held in her fingers. She took slow, almost drunk-like steps, the complete lunacy in her eyes exaggerated in her actions.

Jets of fire shot from her wand unexpectedly and Eleonora found strength in her legs to jump out of the way. But the spell had not been directed her way.

Instead it had hit the wall and furniture, several feet away from the little girl.

Loud cackles filled the air as everything around her caught on fire. The expensive linen sofa was quickly reducing itself into ashes. Photos on the wall contorted into terrifying images as they melted away.

The heat was overbearing, the sensation close to her own eyeballs melting. Everything around her burned and yet the loud crackles of the fire was completely defeated by the deafening cackles of the crazed woman before her.

Eleonora instantly leaped out through the nearest window, a shriek leaving her lips as the glass had not broken as easily as she had expected to.

She clutched the wand tightly, tugging on the straps of her bag as she fumbled to her feet. Deep red coated areas of her arm but the adrenaline in her veins saved her from feeling any pain.

Three figures emerged from her house - or atleast what remained of the house. The flames had quickly engulfed the two - storey building and Eleonora only caught a slight glimpse of the wind chimes in her bedroom window before it too was overwhelmed by the raging fire.

"You can't run Eleonora". The death eater spoke.

"Stay away!"

She aimlessly pointed her wand in the direction of the woman. No amount of practicing or knowledge could help her against a notorious death eater but she'd rather try than merely giving up.

"Expelliarmus!"

The spell was easily blocked by the woman as her cackles grew louder at the sight of the feeble attempts from the child.

"Crucio!"

Eleonora let out a scream but it was caught midway, only letting out a choked cry.
Indescribable pain seethed through her body. In no way had Eleonora known such pain existed.

The death eater halted, letting Fawley catch a breath. Her eyes grew round and large, enjoying the very moment before her - relishing it.

As Eleonora attempted to stand up, the spell had hit her again. This time the pain was stronger and a screech left her lips

Every second, her scream grew louder as the unbearable pain reached every inch of her body.
Nausea crept from her abdomen to her head. She fought to hang on to even a sliver of consciousness.
She could feel herself grow cold. A painful banging from the inside of her head threatened to break out and she could feel herself giving up.

Her vision darkened as it had done before with Marcus and she lost any sensation she had. She tried to make sense of anything around her.
But then everything went black.

"Eleonora".
The girl stood up with a gasp, wet hair sticking to the back of her neck. She flicked away the hair from her face swiftly as she looked around her, breathing quickly as she fought to catch her breath.

She was met with concerned eyes - with worry and confusion interlaced together.
"You were having a nightmare".

Eleonora sat up in her bed as her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness around her. She could only see Hermione's face as the light from the candle fell on her features.

"I'm sorry", Fawley mumbled. She brushed her hair back, trying hard to get her racing heart under control. "I'm sorry I woke you up".

"It's alright", Hermione spoke softly, which surprised the girl. "Are you alright? Can I get you some water?".

Eleonora shook her head, taking a deep breath as she pulled off her covers. It was hot and her clothes were starting to cling to her. The sweat was incredibly irritating.

"I just need to use the bathroom", she whispered. Hermione nodded in response, giving Fawley a reassuring smile as she walked back to her bed.

"Let me know if you need anything".

Eleonora nodded, even if the girl couldn't possibly see it and walked out the door. Down the stairs she stumbled in the darkness, holding onto the sides of the walls to keep her stable.
The common room was warm and welcoming and Eleonora collapsed into the sofa by the fire. The sight of the bright red and orange tendrils did not ease her but only quickened her racing heart as the memories kept flashing back.

She turned away from the fire, focusing her gaze on the window beside her. The cold wind blew in her face, soothing her as it always did. The scent and chill of the night air always calmed her down in ways she would never take for granted. The numbness from the touch of the cool wind spread through out her body and eventually dampened her racing heart. She took deep breaths to calm herself down as she continued to stare out the window.

Too many thoughts overwhelmed her head but there was one that stood out and repeated itself. Eleonora missed Penelope Fawley dearly. She missed her mother more than anything.

She loved her and words couldn't describe how much Elen longed to undo events of that night.
Not only did she become an orphan and lose her mother and home in the same night, she became what she thought she would never be. A murderer.