ruins ; harry potter [1]

fifteen ; out of the fireplace and into the forest

Once, when Diana was young, she watched a rabbit get slaughtered by a stray dog. She saw it out of her window at St. Mungo's, in the park across the street. The innocent little rabbit sat lazily, munching on yellowing grass, when the dog approached from behind. It was boney and feral, with its teeth barred and hair raised. She watched it slowly stalk the rabbit from behind, inching closer and closer until it was close enough to snatch it. The rabbit was completely unsuspecting. The dog clamped it between its powerful jaws, splattering blood onto the yellowing grass and causing it to drip down the carcass of the poor animal.

That's what Diana felt like now. She was the rabbit; Voldemort was the dog.

She had woken up screaming. The sight of tortured Sirius was burned into her mind, and no matter how many times she blinked and no matter how many times ripped at the blankets on top of her or scratched at the skin of her arm, she couldn't get it to go away.

Her arm bled now from the compulsive scratching. That only happened on rough nights at the hospital, and this was the first time it had happened since then. She couldn't think straight. Her usual sensible, calculating self was gone, and her mind was wiped and replaced with pure panic.

Now, she was in her bathroom. Her hands gripped the porcelain sink so tight her knuckles were white; her entire body shook and her hair was matted to her neck and face from sweat. She knew she had to get a hold of herself. She knew that if she was to figure this out, she needed to calm down and think.

"Think, Diana," she whispered, closing and opening her eyes until she could get a hold of the shaking and loosened her grip on the sink. "Think."

She lifted her head to look at herself through the mirror. Something about looking at herself, seeing her eyes, being able to look at and control her facial expressions eased her slightly until her body was still and her knuckles had returned to their normal color.

She had to think. If she was to get through this, she had to think.

She needed to contact Dumbledore. She needed to contact anyone in the Order, but she couldn't. McGonagall had been transfered to St. Mungo's, Hagrid disappeared, she was the only one left.

Actually, she wasn't alone. There was one person left.

Severus Snape. Her eyes widened and before she knew it, her feet had taken her out of the bathroom and into her room.

She was running. She didn't know what was going to happen, but all she knew was that she needed Severus. She rounded a corner, trying to find the nearest staircase, but stopped dead when she saw Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville being wrestled by a group of Slytherins---Malfoy at the lead--- toward Umbridge's office.

"Oi!" she yelled, running towards the group. "What is going on?"

A Slytherin came up behind her and grabbed her arms. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he was strong, and she couldn't get her wand from her sleeve. He forcefully pushed her along with the rest towards the office, and Malfoy opened the door and pushed them in.

Harry and Hermione were in the office, obviously caught trying to use the fireplace. "Goddamn it, Harry," she muttered. "Why didn't you come find me?"

"I---"

"Silence!" yelled Umbridge. "Very good job," she sneered, watching Ginny try to kick the shins of the Slytherin girl who was holding her. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"

The Slytherin's laughed, but Diana stayed silent with her eyes closed, trying to think of ways out of this. She knew what he was trying to do: he was trying to contact Grimmauld Place through the firplace, and by the look on his face, she could tell Sirius didn't answer.