Stolen Time A Tom Marvolo Riddle Fanfiction completed

Chapter Twenty-one

Cassiopeia, Percival, Melody, Felix and Lance were gathered around the table in the staff room, discussing their progress with their three extra students when suddenly the door burst open and their gazes shot up.

Cassiopeia felt her heart sink. Five Ministry guards entered the room accompanied by Lestrange and Rosier. Cassiopeia and her colleagues had barely risen from their chairs when Lestrange pointed his wand at them and snarled, "Stop moving. You are arrested for treason." The next moment he waved his wand at them and their arms were yanked behind their backs, ropes binding their hands tightly.

With another wave of his wand Lestrange summoned their wands. Cassiopeia held her breath, hoping that Lestrange wouldn't recognize hers but to her utter relief he simply handed the five wands over to one of the guards who pocketed them. Then he sneered at the small group, "Now we shall get going."

He gestured at the guards and they moved forward, each approaching one of the group around Cassiopeia, rudely grabbing their upper arms and pulling them into the spinning darkness of side-along Apparition.

When they reappeared they were in a dimly lit corridor Cassiopeia didn't recognize. She assumed it was some basement floor of the Ministry. The guard who was still gripping her arm shoved her towards a heavy door that stood ajar. Then he pushed her into the windowless room behind it. She saw that her four colleagues were already gathered there and the door slammed shut behind her.

"What do you think they'll do to us?" Melody whimpered. "Will they kill us?"

Percival shot her a soothing glance. "No, I don't think so. Don't worry." His voice didn't sound very confident though.

Cassiopeia looked at Melody who didn't seem convinced at all. "I think Percival's right, Mel. If they had wanted to simply kill us, we'd be long dead by now." Cassiopeia pressed her lips together. Surely, if the mission had been to execute them, Lestrange wouldn't have taken the trouble to apparate them away first. After all, she knew him well enough to know he always made short work of his assignments. Still it certainly meant nothing good that he had brought them here. She didn't even want to think about all the other curses Lestrange and Rosier knew, one worse than the other.

Percival tried to struggle against the ropes that bound his hands on his back. "Damn, these bonds are tight. The more I move the tighter they get." He leaned against the wall and slid to the ground.

Suddenly the door creaked open again and Lestrange stepped inside, two guards at his heels. He threw a glance around the room before his eyes locked on Melody's whimpering form. "You," he spat, gesturing at her. "You are first."

Melody gasped and broke into tears, scrambling to her feet.

Cassiopeia bit her lip. Then she stepped forward. "She doesn't know anything."

Lestrange shot her a contemptuous glance and sneered, "You'd be surprised how much people tend to know after a few rounds of getting to know me."

Melody gasped again, tears streaming down her face.

Cassiopeia held Lestrange's gaze. "She only happened to be there by chance."

Lestrange looked back at her for another moment. Then he shrugged, a wicked smirk forming on his face. "Well, if you're so eager to keep her out of this, we'll start with you."

He snapped his fingers and each of the two guards grabbed one of Cassiopeia's arms, yanking her out of the room and down the corridor. At the end of the corridor a flight of stairs led downstairs to another corridor. The guards dragged her along the hallway until they stopped in front of a stone door. Lestrange opened the door with a wave of his wand and the guards pushed her inside, finally letting go of her arms and taking their position on either side of the door.

Cassiopeia cast a quick look around, taking in her surroundings. There was only one chair in the middle of the room. The stone walls and the door were clearly designed to mute any sound coming from inside this room. She swallowed. Nobody would hear what happened within these walls. She suppressed a bitter smirk. Not that anyone in this Ministry cared in the first place.

Lestrange shut the door and raised his wand, a smug look on his face. "I guess now you wish you hadn't taken her place."

Cassiopeia took a deep breath. "I want them to leave," she said firmly.

"What?" Lestrange cast her a surprised glance, lowering his wand a little.

Cassiopeia nodded at the two guards. "Send them away. Or are you worried you can't deal with me alone?"

Lestrange narrowed his eyes, pondering her words for a moment. Then he turned to the guards. "Get out," he ordered curtly.

When they didn't move, he repeated with slight irritation, "I said, get out."

The two men exchanged a look but obediently left the room. When the door closed behind them again, Lestrange smirked viciously. "So, now it's only the two of us."

Cassiopeia knew she had to try to play for time and make him free her hands if she didn't want to end up being tortured to hell. "If you want any answers, remove my bonds."

Lestrange laughed an unpleasant laugh. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"You've got a wand, I have none. Are you actually afraid I might be a danger to you?" Cassiopeia's voice was teasing and to her utter relief she noticed that she actually sounded confident even though she felt nothing like that. She knew Lestrange wasn't stupid but he was arrogant and conceited which would hopefully be sufficient.

Lestrange glowered at her for an instant but then he flicked his wand and the ropes disappeared. "If you don't have any more demands we should finally get started, don't you agree?" he drawled and again a vicious smirk marred his otherwise handsome features.

Raising his wand once again, he hissed, "Crucio."

*****
Author's note: I know it's kind of a cliffhanger.... but otherwise the chapter would've gotten far too long... ;-) Thanks so much for reading! Curious to know what you think might happen next! Please vote and comment!