𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝐶𝐼.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙙-𝙤𝙣𝙚

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

CAROLINE HAD NEVER run so fast, ever. She now understood the phrase, 'running for your life', because they were. They were running to survive, to escape. Caroline didn't hear her own breathing, or the spells being whipped at them by Snatchers. The only thing that registered in her ears was her own footsteps on the forest floor. Each step meant that she was still alive, that she had something to grab onto, to stay alive.

They shot their own spells back. Harry fell but Caroline picked him up, and they kept going. Hermione had to go a different way, and Caroline did too. She ducked around Harry and drew the Snatchers away from him, going to her. Ron was bound in chains to her right, and Caroline lost her focus.

She was hit with a spell, and she stumbled over a tree root. She would've been fine, had the Snatchers not used magic to erect a rock right where she fell. Caroline's head smashed into the boulder, and she fell unconscious instantly, blood gushing from her head. Of course, Harry didn't know this, or he would've turned and willingly sacrificed himself to save her.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

ALL CAROLINE FELT when she opened her eyes hours later was pain. White, hot, blinding pain. She was in a puddle of blood, face down on a freezing cold floor. Caroline tried to sit up, but she groaned loudly in pain, her head throbbing. She should've pretended to be dead. That would've been safer. She heard Hermione screaming violently, somewhere in the back of her wand.

Bellatrix Lestrange left a terrified and sobbing Hermione on the floor and giggled, moving over to Caroline. "Look who's finally awake," she said in her maniacal voice, kneeling at Caroline's side. "You've looked better, dearie." Bellatrix grasped Caroline's long braids that were free over her body, ripping her head up.

Caroline screamed out in pain, Harry and Ron hearing her from the cellar. "So have you." Caroline breathed heavily, blood dripping from her head.

Bellatrix grew angry and stabbed her wand in Caroline's cracked skull, the injured girl screaming again, louder. "How did you get into my vault?" Bellatrix roared in her face, asking Caroline the same question she had already asked Hermione.

But Caroline couldn't think, could barely breathe. She didn't know what Bellatrix was talking about. "I–I don't know. I didn't d-do anything." Caroline sobbed, pinned onto the ground.

"Stop lying!" Bellatrix shouted, raising her wand again, using it to split Caroline's skull even further, laughing as she did so.

Caroline could only think of one thing. Harry. Where was he? Why wasn't he helping her. She couldn't help herself from screaming, and the one thing that came out was his name. "Harry!" Caroline screamed, sobbing as more blood covered her face and clothes.

Bellaxtrix giggled. "He can't help you, or your little Mudblood friend." she got off of Caroline, leaving her to bleed out, waiting for Peter Petigrew to gather the goblin. Caroline didn't know that they weren't sure if Harry truly was Harry. She just needed him, more than ever.

"Carol?" a meek voice cried, and Caroline knew it was Hermione. They were close enough that Hermione reached for Caroline, but she couldn't move her head.