Breaking Free- Fred Weasley

Chapter 74

*Unedited*
Eva's POV

Fred pulls me forward into a deep kiss. I grab his Gryffindor red jumper and hold him close to me while he keeps his hands wrapped around my waist. One hand moves to my jaw-

I'm thrown out of my memories and onto the cold, hard floor of Malfoy Manor. "You may be getting better," Bellatrix cackles at my singsongily, "but you only have a few more days left until you, the redheaded blood traitors, and your werewolf godfather are dead." She continues to cackle and I close my eyes, trying not to loose my temper again. The first time Bellatrix had tried to teach my Occlumency, a memory of Sirius came up and I ended up trying to attack her. That earned a fair bit of the cruciatus curse and no food for three days.

"Cissy!" Narcissa Malfoy strolls into the parlor at the screech of Bellatrix's command. "Our lessons are done for the day. Escort the filth back to her hole." She just nods towards Bellatrix and takes me back to dirty, magicless dungeon I had been held in since the day at the Ministry.

"Wand." I hand over my wand without a fight. With the lack of food, sleep, and exercise I had been getting, I haven't been in any shape to fight back for months. The pretty blonde witch leads me down the steps and into my sleeping quarters. I wait for Narcissa to close the door and lock it like she always did, but instead she just stood there. "Draco has taken a liking to you, and because you are important to him...you are also important to me." She pauses, looking hesitant whether or not continue. "You are only alive because Draco and I have convinced the Dark Lord that you can help him with the cabinet. No one can disagree that you are not a talented witch, but you're time is running out. If you do not master Occlumency by the time the second term begin, he will kill you and everyone you love."

"Second term...that means that it's-" my voice is barely above a whisper but she still hears me.

"It's December 31st." At the sound of the gate slamming closed, I sink to the floor. I had been here for seven months. It had been seven months since my father died. Since Fred started hating me, and no doubt everyone else. Though it had seven months since the day at the Ministry, the events were still fresh in my mind. The image of Sirius falling back into the veil and to his death. The look of horror and disgust on Fred's face when he found out. No doubt the same look would flash across Remus and Tonks' face when they found. Across Luna and Kala's. At that moment I wish I could cry, to drain the pain out of me. But I couldn't. I had used all my tears when I first arrived, the fresh wounds of Sirius' death still open. Now, there wasn't enough water left in my body to produce sweat, let alone tears.

The next day I got up determined to keep Bellatrix out of my mind. Since she had started teaching me a few months ago I had improved greatly. The first time she entered my mind she had spent minutes digging into different parts of my brain, but now she only managed a few seconds. Narcissa came to fetch me like always and led me to the parlor.

"The clock is ticking. Only a few more days to get it right or I get to kill that nasty half-breed and all the blood traitors." I meet her eyes, not letting her get a rise out of me.

"Do it." I close my eyes and image my memories and thoughts being put in a box, being locked shut. Nothing can open the box I think to myself. Nothing can open the box. Nothing can open the box. I keep repeating it as Bellatrix tries to make her way through. Her presence in my head was no more comforting than each time before.

"Stupefy!" I takes a few seconds to process that the words came out of my mouth. Bellatrix lay on the floor with a big smirk on her face.

"The little bitty half-blood finally did something right!"

"Now you can't kill anyone." My voice is cold and monotone, only making her crazed cackles louder.

"We'll see about that." She stands up and brushes herself off. "Never thought you would make it this far, but no matter. Now I will tell you what to do. Draco is working on fixing a Vanishing Cabinet in Hogwarts. You will join him there and aid him. He has also been tasked with kill Albus Dumbledore and you will also aid him. If both of you fail you, Draco, your werewolf and...Narcissa will parish because of your mistakes. Your story will be that you were brought to a remote cellar in a place far away. You escaped and apparated away when Wormtail," I cringe at his name. "-came to feed you." She pauses and grins in her manic way. "Let's see if you are indeed the clever witch that Draco has so desperately voiced you are."