✔️ 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓&𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 → 𝑓. 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

71 | F L I G H T

•••
put on your war paint.
•••

   A woman screamed. That was the start of the hell breaking loose. Lynnea grabbed her wand; same did Fred.

   "Fred ...", she said with a shaky voice, searching for words. She didn't have expected it to come this fast.

   "Run, Lynnea!", she heard Remus yell at her, as the first spell missed her head just by inches. But Lynnea continued staring at Fred.

   "Go now", he said. "Look for Harry and go!"

   "I love you, Fred", she said, pressing her lips on his, as if it was the last time she'd ever got the chance to.

   "Don't get killed, love", he muttered, and she replied: "Same for you.", before he gave her a push.

   "LYNNEA!", Harry screamed at her, as she was reaching for him, Ron and Hermione. Another curse missed her head and she jumped for Harry's hand. She grabbed it, but before Lynnea could feel the unpleasant sensation of being pressed into the small tube of apparition, she felt something hitting her back and everything went black.

•••

   "She's with the boy, my Lord." The voice of the man was calm and quiet, even though he should be scared as hell, bringing his master the bad news. He was speaking to the back of a tall man, the white skin of his head shone against the dark sky outside the window he was standing in front of. 

   "So again my Death Eaters failed", he answered in a high-pitched voice. "This is becoming a really unpleasant habit of you." He turned around, his red eyes meeting the black ones of the man in front of him. "I guess the chances that she'll return to her final year to Hogwarts are minimal."

   "I could look for her, my Lord", the man answered. "I'll find her and bring her to you."

   "No, Severus", Lord Voldemort answered coldly. "You're needed at Hogwarts. If there's any chance she will appear there, it's your task to get her. Alecto and Amycus will join you."

   "As you wish, my Lord", Severus Snape said, bowing his head in agreement.

   "Bella, it's yours to find the girl, before Harry Potter finds out about her secret", Voldemort now spoke to a woman with wild black curls and heavy eyelids, that was half hidden in the shaddows. Bellatrix Lestrange. "I don't think, he'll kill his sister. But just to be sure, you should find her, before he could be able to waste a thought on it. Take Fenrir Greyback and Scabior with you, but make sure Greyback won't try to kill her again."

   "I won't disappoint you, my Lord", she whispered, smiling devilishly, before she vanished into nothingness.

   "Lynnea." Her name echoed through the room, Voldemorts lipless mouth curled into a dark smile.

   "Lynnea."

   Nobody seemed to notice it.

   "Lynnea!"

   Her eyes shot open. Hermione was staring down at her.

   "Finally!", she sighed in relief. "Are you okay so far?"

   Lynnea nodded, sweat was running down her forehead as she did so, she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Going into a sitting position, she let her gaze sway around. They were at Grimmauld Place.

   "What are we doing here?", Lynnea asked rather confused. "Hermione, what happened? Where are Harry and Ron? Is everyone at home okay?"

   "Shh", Hermione shushed her, pushing her back into the pillows. "Calm down, everything's fine. Harry and Ron are looking through the house for some unpleasant guests, and Ron's dad sent us his Patronus, telling us they're all fine. Someone hit you with a spell, we didn't know what it was. I'm glad you're okay now."

   "What are we doing at Grimmauld Place?", Lynnea repeated. It felt strange being here, knowing Sirius would not burst into the room with a grumpy face or an hilarious joke every now and then.

   "It's the safest place we knew", Hermione said. "We'll stay here, until we have a plan. Here," she shoved a bundle of clothes in Lynnea's arms; a simple black jeans and a green sweater. "You can get out of that dress. I have packed a few of your clothes as well, I hope you don't mind. I thought ... just in case ..."

"You're brilliant, Mione!" She threw Lynnea a smile, before she left the room, saying: "We'll meet in the kitchen, as soon as you're ready."

   Lynnea was halfway down the stairs, as she froze on spot. She heard a small knock and a metallic klick on the front door. She pulled out her wand with a shaky hand. The door opened. Lynnea saw a glimpse of the lamplit square outside, and a cloaked figure edged into the hall and closed the door behind it. The intruder took a step forward, and a familiar voice - was it Moody's? - asked: "Severus Snape?"

   Then a dust figure rose from the end of the hall and rushed him, raising its dead hand.

   "It was not I who killed you, Albus," said a quiet voice.

   "Don't move!", Harry barked from behind Lynnea, and she jerked, as she hadn't noticed him.

   He obviously had forgotten the portrait of Mrs. Black: At the sound of his yell, the curtains hiding her flew open and she began to scream: "Mudbloods and filth dishonoring my house - "

    Ron and Hermione came crashing down the stairs behind Harry, wands pointing, like his, at the unknown man now standing with his arms raised in the hall below.

   "Hold your fire, it's me, Remus!"

   "Oh, thank goodness", said Hermione weakly, pointing her wand at Mrs. Black instead; with a bang, the curtains swished shut again and silence fell. Ron too lowered his wand, but Harry and Lynnea did not.

   "Show yourself!", Lynnea called back.

   Remus moved forward into the lamplight, hands still held high in a gesture of surrender.

   "I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, godfather of dear Lynnea here, and I taught you how to produce a Patronus, Harry, which takes the form of a stag."

   "Oh, all right", said Harry, lowering his wand, "but I had to check, didn't I?"

   Lynnea was the last to lower her wand, but then she cracked a smile, climbing down the rest of the stairs and throwing her arms around Remus.

   "He's okay, is he?", she mumbled, while he was closing her into a hug, and as he nodded Lynnea felt the tense fall from my body.

   "He's hiding", Remus said, and they let go. "They all are. Everyone is okay. But we're all watched. There's a bunch of Death Eaters outside."

   "We know", Hermione said. "Let's go into the kitchen, before Mrs. Black will sing us another song."