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On The Hunt: Chapter 27
🕑 Added 2024-02-02 16:30:03 +0000 UTCDolores Umbridge screamed as she woke up from her slumber, a violent shudder coursing through her as the memory of the events from an hour before resurfaced in her mind. She closed her eyes tightly but they shot open when she was assaulted inside her mind once again.
She could not believe what she had been reduced to. Potter and those two girls had tortured her without showing any mercy, and she had been reduced to a shivering mess barely able to speak.
However, he had violently forced his way into her mind and uncovered her secrets, and she had been helpless to stop him from knowing anything he wanted to know.
What followed was something straight out of her most feared nightmares. Scratch that. What followed was something she could’ve never imagined to be possible.
Harry Potter had used some spell to force her to relive every pain and torture she had ever inflicted on someone else from the victim’s point of view. Every harassment and abuse she had inflicted on someone over the years was now inflicted on her whenever she closed her eyes. This was hell! Dolores Umbridge could not believe something so heinous had been done to her, and she could not even muster any degree of hatred for anyone, let alone Potter and those girls, for no emotion other than fear occupied her mind now.
Her eyes, wild and bulging, stared disbelievingly into the distance, unseeing but only praying to whichever deity existed to save her from this hell on Earth. She had no idea how he had done it, and she could think of nothing else. Her body shook, sweat covering her skin and drenching her clothes, as she remained hunched over on the chair, almost falling over.
Another sob choked out of her as she shivered, her mind replaying the torture she had inflicted on an unnamed young girl a few months ago. Her breaths came out in ragged gasps, shivering cries escaping her mouth as she relived that hell over and over again.
No other thought occupied her mind, and the woman could only sit there helplessly, incapable of doing anything else.
She barely felt it as she fell over in a heap, a feeble groan of pain escaping her as she lay prone on the floor, drooling pathetically.
While she was suffering under the constant mental torture Harry had ensured she would, a group was assembled in the Room of Requirement, formulating their plan of action.
“We can take care of those assholes anytime, but those children need to be rescued first,” Daphne said firmly.
“How though?” Cho asked, her voice one of forced calm. Revulsion was coursing through their very beings after witnessing the horror those vile scum were forcing children through.
“They are in Malfoy Manor. We can’t just storm that place,” Hannah muttered.
“What about an auror raid?” Tracey asked hopefully, turning toward Susan. “If we get a message to your aunt, surely she can get it done?”
“I don’t think that’d work,” Harry interjected with a shake of his head. “No matter the situation in the ministry, Malfoy’s too high placed for Amelia Bones to successfully carry out a raid.”
“Even if he wasn’t, there’s no way he won’t know about it. We’d be fools if we think they’ve not got spies in the ministry and the auror force. If they don’t inform him, he’d surely know when they reach his manor. He might harm those children,” Daphne added. “We can’t go through official channels.”
“I think I have an idea,” Harry muttered. “Dobby!”
The elf materialized out of nowhere and stared up adoringly at him.
“Harry Potter sir calls for Dobby! How can Dobby help Harry Potter sir?”
Looks of slight amusement were directed at the diminutive creature who kept staring at Harry.
“Dobby, can you get inside Malfoy Manor?”
The elf’s ears drooped slightly and his mouth turned into a frown.
“Dobby can, Harry Potter sir,” he replied in a foreboding tone.
Harry stared at the creature with a conflicted look on his face. It would work out perfectly if Dobby could retrieve those kids, but it was quite apparent that he didn’t want to go back to the place where he had suffered so much.
“I don’t think he can do it, Harry,” Daphne whispered as she gazed at the creature in pity. Harry nodded absently.
“Harry Potter sir wants Dobby to be inside old house? Dobby will do it, Harry Potter sir!” The elf said passionately, earning a small smile from him.
“Tell me something, Dobby. Can any elf get inside Malfoy Manor? Will there be any obstacles?”
“Yes, Harry Potter sir,” Dobby nodded. “Malfoy elf will know that other elf has come, sir… Malfoy elf will tell bad old master about the other elf.”
“I see,” Harry muttered, looking thoughtful. “Say Dobby, if the Malfoy elf is not on the property, will it be able to tell if some other elf has got in?”
Various confused looks were exchanged around the room as the elf furrowed his brows.
“Dobby doesn’t think so, sir,” he replied.
Harry nodded.
“Listen, Dobby. You know what your old master is like, right? And how he abuses children?”
Suddenly, the elf’s large, tennis ball-sized eyes filled up with tears and he broke down into tears — very loud tears.
Every pair of eyes widened at the sight of the elf who repeatedly slammed his hands on the hard floor, sobbing.
“Dobby!” Harry cried, grabbing the elf by the arms. “Shh! What’s the matter?”
“Ch-children… Dobby knows, sir! Dobby even brought bad old master some children when he was asked to. Oh how Dobby feels ashamed…”
Harry pursed his lips sadly.
“You were enslaved, Dobby. You didn’t have a choice,” he consoled the creature. “You don’t have to feel guilty for it, Dobby.”
“Dobby feels so ashamed, sir…”
Harry felt Daphne take her place beside him and watched her place a hand on the creature’s bony shoulder.
“Dobby,” she said gently. “You know what happens to those children, right? You see, we want to rescue the children Malfoy is keeping hostage, and we need help from someone who can get inside the manor.”
Slowly, Dobby’s hiccups subsided and teary-eyed, he turned toward Daphne.
“Dobby understands,” he said. “Dobby will help rescue children from bad old master. What can Dobby do, Harry Potter sir?”
“How many of us can you take, Dobby?”
Dobby looked around thoughtfully.
“Dobby can take four, Harry Potter sir,” he said, a hint of shame in his voice.
“Hey, four is more than enough. You don’t need to feel bad,” Harry consoled the diminutive creature who blinked back even more tears.
“What can you tell us about those children, Dobby?” Gabrielle asked softly. “Not about what they suffer… just where we can find them.”
Harry gave the young veela a small smile and turned back to Dobby who replied, “Bad old master keeps children in the dungeons. Dobby had to release them in the morning if they were there.”
“What do you mean if they were there?” Smith asked curiously.
“Use your brain, moron. You saw what Malfoy was doing!” Goldstein hissed, disgusted.
Smith bit his lip and nodded curtly, staring at the floor.
Harry pushed his anger to the side and refocused his attention on Dobby who was staring up at him askance.
“We plan on rescuing those children, Dobby,” Harry said firmly. “I’m sorry to ask this and I know the last thing you want is to go back to that horrid place, but you know that place better than anyone, and you are our best bet to get this done.”
“Dobby understands, sir,” the elf said solemnly. “Dobby wants to help the children too. Dobby brought so many of them for bad old master.”
Harry nodded.
“We’ll need the Malfoy elf out of the manor. If it detects those who go in, things might go south.”
Harry nodded toward Tracey and looked around.
“Fred, George, I believe your resourcefulness might come in clutch. You two up for this?”
“Giving it to Malfoy, Harrykins? Count us in,” Fred smirked.
“We’ll make sure to leave a few souvenirs behind for him as well, all discreetly of course,” George interjected.
Harry nodded and turned toward Daphne.
“I want you to handle things on this end,” he said softly.
Frowning, Daphne asked, “What do you mean?”
“We need the Malfoy elf out of that manor for the duration of this heist. Here’s what I want you to do,” Harry said and began explaining the plan for all to hear. Their eyes widened in surprise as he explained what he had come up with and looks of understanding passed through the entire group as they understood the assignment.
“It needs to be quick, and you are one of the most skillful casters we have around. I trust you, Cho, and Ginny to get this done,” Harry said confidently. “Me, the twins, and Goldstein will go to Malfoy Manor. The rest of you have to handle things here.”
“Got it,” Neville nodded.
“And Daph,” Harry added belatedly. “I’m sure no one would mind if you guys got a bit rough when you extract the information.”
“You don’t need to tell me that, love,” Daphne replied with fire in her eyes. It was a long time coming.
XXXXX
The group had had their dinner in the Room of Requirement, using the time to meticulously refine their intricate plan. Not long after, everyone, with the exception of Gabrielle left the room. Despite wanting to confess to Harry and Daphne, the veela opted for silence in the end, choosing to express her thoughts when the situation improved.
Outside the room, the two groups parted ways. Harry led the Weasley twins and Anthony Goldstein to the secluded corridor on the seventh floor while the rest ventured downstairs to carry out their part of the plan.
“Harrykins, you sure we don’t need to inform the Order?”
Harry shook his head as they gathered around.
“We can’t keep depending on them for everything. This group here… all you guys — you’ve been practicing hard. It’s time for you to see how you fare where it matters,” he replied.
“You do remember we will trigger the wards, right? Only elves are immune from detection, humans aren’t,” Goldstein remarked.
“I know,” Harry said curtly. “And I’m counting on Lucius to be there. Would save us a lot of trouble.”
“You’re gonna kill him, Harrykins?”
Harry glanced at Fred out of the corner of his eye with pursed lips and shook his head.
“Not yet. You’ll see soon enough.”
He felt a buzz and looked at the message he received from Daphne.
On our way. Will send a confirmation message soon.
“Get ready, boys. The others are almost there.”
XXXXX
Dinner had ended a while ago and the majority of students had already gone back to their respective common rooms. The rest were either lounging in the library, the study areas, or wandering the corridors.
A small group of fifth-year Slytherins strolled aimlessly past the portraits.
“You can’t let this go so easily, Draco! Potter needs to pay for what he did to you!” Pansy Parkinson, a mousy-haired girl with a face that resembled a pug snarled.
Draco Malfoy gritted his teeth in rage. Time and again, his humiliation reared its head to glare at him. He had heard what everyone had been whispering behind his back, and it did nothing but add fuel to the fire.
Time and again, Potter had been proving to be nothing but an upjumped bastard and a pain. He had stolen the heirship of the Blacks from him and humiliated his father in front of the entire country. He had stolen the bitch he had his eyes on, and he had made it his personal business to make his life as hellish as he could.
Words could not explain how much he hated that asshole, and everyone around him by association. He used to lust after Greengrass, but now, his skin crawled whenever he saw her. She had sullied herself with vermin and was spoiled goods now.
Fortunately, not all was lost though. He believed in his father, and he knew he would soon have her younger sister to play with. He had started having good practice with that bitch his father carried around their manor and he could not wait to see how proficient he had become when he had that bint under his boot.
Perhaps that would show both Greengrass and Potter. He could scarcely wait to see the looks on their faces when they saw the sorry sight of dear young Astoria.
A cruel smirk spread across his face as he imagined it.
“Draco…” Pansy called out. “Say something!”
“Shut it!” He hissed, and the brunette immediately shut up, her eyes affixed to the floor in subservience. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do, got it? What do you take me for? That I’d forget Potter’s audacity and not do anything?”
Crabbe and Goyle stood like the mindless trolls they were, staring at them.
“I—”
“I told you to shut it, Pansy!” Draco snarled as he whirled around, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall. A small grunt sounded as Pansy looked up at him. However, there was no hint of pain in her eyes, only arousal.
Her breath hitched as Draco slammed his lips against hers. She could do nothing but stand there, her arousal spiking, as he had his way with her.
The thought that they were in the middle of a corridor where anyone could catch them didn’t even cross their minds. Pansy gasped when he pulled back and started to suck her neck harshly, leaving prominent marks on her skin as he descended. His hands mauled her arse, squeezing and fondling, and Pansy spread her legs as he pressed forward, slamming himself against her core. Her gasps were audible all across the corridor but none seemed to care.
She felt his lips detach from her neck and as her eyes opened, they gazed into his blazing orbs.
“I’ll destroy Potter. I’ll destroy Greengrass. And I’ll destroy that little bint in front of them. Only then will I kill them. Don’t you dare tell me what to do again, you hear me?” He hissed through clenched teeth, pushing himself firmly against her as he painfully pushed his fingers further into her ass.
“Yeah,” Pansy breathed out, her arousal evident in the way her nipples poked against the fabric of her Hogwarts shirt.
“Good,” he replied before he smirked. “There are much better ways to use that mouth of yours.”
Pansy gave him an eager grin as she pressed forward, rubbing herself against him.
It all happened before she could comprehend it.
Twin thuds sounded and before she could look over, she cried out as Draco fell against her. She struggled under his weight as she tried to stand upright, not for long, as a crimson bolt collided against her face, sending her head rocking against the wall.
“I think you overdid that one,” Hannah whispered as a small crack sounded.
“I think we did it too late. That was a horrible sight,” Susan muttered.
“Let’s clean up quickly,” Daphne instructed and everyone went to work. Disillusionment charms took care of the four Slytherins and they levitated them in front as they walked ahead.
It was evident that curfew was close, as they encountered no one during their walk to the designated room. Cho was already waiting for them outside, and as she noticed them, she turned around and started waving her wand in intricate patterns. The secret door materialized out of nowhere and they strode in, leaving Cho to hide it. It was in no way as secretive as the Room of Requirement but it was more than enough for the little task they had to carry out.
They took off the disillusionment charms and dropped the four Slytherins on the floor unceremoniously.
“Relieve them of their wands and everything else. Take positions, everyone,” Daphne instructed calmly.
Neville and Zacharias dealt with Crabbe and Goyle first. The two boys had nothing but their wands that mattered, and they were confiscated quickly. As they went to check on Malfoy, they discovered something interesting.
“Figures,” Daphne muttered in disgust at the sight of the Dark Mark on the boy’s left arm. “Two wands. Makes sense. What about her?”
“Just her wand,” Susan replied as she walked over and Daphne took the wand, putting it aside.
“I don’t think Malfoy will be using a wand anymore,” she said curtly. “Destroy both.”
A small stream of Incendio courtesy of Neville took care of the wands. Meanwhile, the chasers properly bound Malfoy and his cronies, leaving their hands hanging by a metal chain that was connected to the ceiling.
Once they were done, they stood to the side facing the door while Cho stood near it. Neville joined her and the two worked to constantly keep the charms up.
Zacharias was joined by his fellow Hufflepuffs in Susan and Hannah, and Tracey, as they stood behind the four bound Slytherins, their wands trained on them.
Daphne glanced around and nodded before she applied a freezing charm around Malfoy’s face, encasing it in ice. She ensured he would not be able to either move his face or look at anything that was not in his direct line of sight. When she was done, she cast a silent Ennervate, awakening him from his slumber.
Malfoy groaned as he blearily opened his eyes. It felt as if he’d been run over by a horde of hippogriffs. Suddenly, he cried out as the cold registered, and his eyes widened when they fell on the girl in front of him.
“Greengrass! What’s the meaning of this!?” He shouted in anger, but the hint of fear in his voice was unmistakable.
Daphne did not reply. She merely flicked her wand. Suddenly, Draco felt some liquid pour all over him and he yelped.
“What the hell is this!?” He cried out. However, he unconsciously sniffed and easily recognized it. “Oil?”
His confusion grew when he saw the girl pull conjure a long ribbon.
“What are you doing?” He asked cautiously, his anger having all but evaporated.
Daphne still did not reply and merely flicked her wand. The ribbon unfurled, and one end landed in the pool of oil around Malfoy, with the other falling right in front of her.
“Greengrass,” Malfoy called out faintly. “Greengrass! What the fuck are you doing!?”
Daphne ignored his shout as she cast a controlled Incendio on the ribbon, manipulating the trail of fire. Around her, everyone stared at the spectacle in indifference.
“Your time is limited, Malfoy,” Daphne intoned calmly, her icy blue eyes glaring daggers at him. “Call your house elf and I’ll douse the flame.”
“What!?” Malfoy cried out in sheer panic, staring at the slowly approaching trail of burnt ribbon and the flame that preceded it. “What are you on, you fucking bint!? Take it off!”
“Call your house elf and I’ll do it.”
“Why!? What are you doing!?”
“I don’t care if you die, Malfoy,” Daphne hissed. “You could rot in hell for all I care. Don’t think I’m unaware of your filthy plans for Tori and what you get up to in that infernal shithole you call a home. Call. Your. Elf. Now!”
“You won’t get away with this, Greengrass!” Malfoy cried out, feebly struggling against his bindings. He was in such panic that the fact that he was bound had not even registered yet. All he did was thrash around violently, to no avail. “You’ll be sent to Azkaban, Greengrass! You’ll be given the kiss! You really don’t want to do this! My father won’t leave you! Your life will be over, Greengrass! Please—”
“Look at me and see if I care about any of it, Malfoy,” Daphne replied icily. She released her control over the fire for a second, and Malfoy’s eyes widened as the flame rushed forward like a snake when it launched itself to strike.
“Elf!” Malfoy cried out in sheer panic. “Elf! Come here! Now!”
There was a soft popping sound as the Malfoy family elf arrived. However, before the poor creature could do anything, a stunner collided with it, rendering it unconscious.
Malfoy watched, his breaths coming out in gasps, as the flame extinguished instantly, and he could not explain the relief that washed over him.
He was in the middle of glancing up when suddenly, a powerful bold of crimson struck him right in the face, exploding the chunk of ice around his face and sending deep lacerations all over his skin as he slumped over, unconscious.
Nothing but silence prevailed around the room. Tracey walked over and gently rested her hand on her best friend’s shoulder who glanced at her and smiled softly.
“Take care of the elf please,” she said as she pulled her medallion out.
XXXXX
The moment Harry saw Daphne’s message, he smiled. Looking around, he nodded at the others. They could barely see each other in the darkness of the forest that surrounded Malfoy Manor.
“Dobby, you go first and see where the children are. If you can, bring them here,” he instructed.
The loyal elf nodded and vanished.
“So you’re sure about this? We’re taking care of the ponces tonight?” Goldstein asked, leaning against a tree.
“You don’t have to get your hands dirty if you don’t want,” Harry intoned. “As I said, no one will judge you. The same applies to you two.”
The three boys did not reply, and Harry did not say anything further. He knew not everyone had the conviction it required to take a life, and he could not blame them.
The soft popping signaled Dobby’s arrival and Harry’s brows furrowed at the sight.
“Dobby?” He asked.
The elf’s eyes were filled with tears and it launched itself against his midriff. Wide-eyed, the twins and Goldstein stared at Harry who stared back at them with equally surprised eyes as the elf sobbed.
“Dobby? What happened?” Harry asked in a hushed voice as he gently grabbed Dobby by the shoulders and pushed him at arm’s length.
“Harry Potter sir…” Dobby whispered. “Bad old master killed the children. Dobby found their dead bodies in the dungeons.”
Harry’s breath hitched as his hands dropped off Dobby’s shoulder, hanging limply by his sides. His unseeing eyes stared blankly at the ground in front of the elf who kept sobbing.
Dobby’s words kept repeating in his mind, sending jolts to his numb limbs. The quartet stood in silence as minutes passed.
“He killed them…” Harry whispered stoically. “Dead. Just like that…”
“Potter,” Goldstein said probingly, not that Harry heard him.
“Used and abused, then discarded when he had his fun with them,” Harry’s voice was akin to a growl.
“Harrykins,” Fred and George stepped forward, their expressions cautious.
Harry, who had been staring blankly at the ground, slowly looked up and the twins stepped back at the emotionless look in his eyes.
“He’ll die tonight,” he stated. “Dobby, take us to the dungeons.”
The sobbing elf violently rubbed his eyes and nodded. Harry and Goldstein grabbed his hands while the twins held onto his shoulders. The world around them swirled as they vanished and reappeared inside Malfoy Manor.
Their eyes immediately fell on the corpses and their eyes widened. Rage coursed through their veins at the sight of the children’s dead bodies and what was undoubtedly apparent at first sight. Both children had been assaulted in every manner imaginable before they had been discarded.
“Dobby,” Harry’s voice was shaking as he averted his eyes. “Please take them outside and wait for me to call you back.”
The elf obliged immediately and vanished with the two young corpses, leaving Harry with his three companions standing in the dungeons.
“Hear that? That’s the ward. It started the moment we came in. Malfoy would be arriving soon. Expect some heat,” Harry said, a forced calm taking over. “Try not to use magic. We can’t leave magical signatures. You two have the powder, right?”
The twins nodded and passed the pouches around. They had been working on the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder pouches. Harry had asked them to ensure the container was strong enough to not break randomly while being brittle enough to break when they wanted.
“See this rune here? Just channel magic through it and the pouch will explode the moment it strikes any surface,” Fred informed them.
“And to see through the dark,” George intoned and held up a pair of glasses.
Everyone wore their glasses and quickly, they began ascending the stairs. Right at the exit to the dungeons, Harry tapped the rune and threw the pouch, watching as it exploded, enveloping around the door.
“The moment they arrive, cover the entire area in darkness. Keep the weapons ready.”
Everyone nodded and quickly, they took strategic positions around the room, ensuring they were hidden and were in no way in the line of any spell. They kept their wands at the ready as well in case they were forced to use a spell.
“There’s no one here either!” A voice cried out from the opposite end of the hallway, and Harry failed to recognize it. It was a male but it was not Lucius.
“Be ready to cast!”
That shout was Lucius, and Harry’s blood boiled.
The footsteps were loud, banging against the wooden stairs and floors, as Lucius and his associates filed into the room. Before they could do anything, the entire floor was shrouded in darkness. No one could see anything unless they were wearing those glasses.
“What the fuck!?”
A loud blast rang out as the man who had cried out fell over, dead.
“What was that!?”
“Cast to kill!” Lucius shouted.
“Cast where!? We’ll kill each other, Malfoy!”
Another loud blast echoed in the room, and another man went down.
“Something’s going on here, Lucius!”
“Shut up, Parkinson!” Lucius hissed, frantic. Harry could see the panic in his demeanor and it gave him a lot of pleasure to see that sight on him.
“Luci—”
Parkinson’s voice was cut off as another blast sounded and he too dropped with a thud.
“Parkinson!” Lucius called out shakily. “Par-Parkinson!”
Panicking, Lucius Malfoy did the only thing that came to his mind. He started to violently fling spells in random directions. He could not see what was going on, but the sheer silence in absolute darkness told him his companions had been ambushed by whoever had intruded on his home.
However, he had only shot forward two bonebreakers, both of which had collided with walls, when another blast sounded out.
Lucius screamed in absolute agony as he felt something strike his wand arm. Blood exploded from the wound as his wand clattered to the floor. He dropped to his knees, frantically searching for his wand when he found something else.
Breathing heavily, he felt it around and blanched. It was undoubtedly the corpse of one of his companions.
Suddenly, he cried out as he felt someone kick his chin, sending him toppling over, and skidding a few feet back. He heard a loud crack and somehow, he knew his wand had just been snapped.
“Who are you!?” Lucius cried out, enraged. “Show yourself, coward!”
Harry glared at the bastard and delivered another resounding kick to the side of his head, sending him flying into the wall. His lip split open, sending splashes of blood around.
“Light it up,” he instructed, and in no time, the darkness induced by the powder dissipated as if it had never been there.
Bleary-eyed, Lucius Malfoy stared up at the feral visage of none other than Harry Potter and his eyes shot open. He impulsively reached for his wand but to his shock, he found it nowhere.
“You’re done, Malfoy,” Harry hissed. “You filthy snake. Thought you were so safe inside your bloody manor, didn’t you? I expected more of a fight from that bastard’s bootlicker.”
“Potter!” Lucius hissed. “You’re—”
A loud blast echoed and Lucius Malfoy died. Just like that. One small block of metal straight through his skull. The blood purist of the highest order died a muggle’s death. Harry found it oddly fitting.
It had not taken even five minutes for them to kill the group of four wizards. One was Parkinson who Harry assumed to be Pansy’s father. He had no idea who the other two were though.
“Just couldn’t listen to that filthy swine’s voice,” he snarled. “We’re done here. They can rot for all I care. Dobby!”
The elf arrived in no time and he looked around with wide eyes.
“Harry Potter sir killed bad old master,” he whispered.
“He deserved much worse, if I’m being honest,” a voice called out from the entrance to the corridor.
They all whirled around in surprise and found themselves facing none other than Narcissa Malfoy.
“Mrs. Malfoy,” Harry greeted cautiously, his wand held in front of him.
Narcissa glanced at it before she looked up.
“You do not need to fear me, Mr. Potter,” she said. “Lucius has been dead to me for years now. I’d be the last person you’d find standing against you.”
Harry and his companions did not drop their guard and they remained cautious, staring at her with their wands held aloft.
“Our marriage was nothing more than a sham. Lucius only wanted an heir with the blood of the Blacks so that he could claim the lordship through him. We all know how that turned out,” she continued walking forward and stared at the corpse of her deceased husband with nothing but disdain. “For years, he has humiliated me, and I had no choice but to keep enduring.”
“You could’ve asked Sirius for annulment when he became the lord last year,” Harry intoned.
Narcissa let out a mirthless chuckle.
“I never liked to grovel in front of someone, much less the lord of my former house,” she replied, and Harry pursed his lips. “I hated my husband, and I don’t care that you killed him. Sadly, you gave him the easy way out. He deserved to suffer for everything he did to me.”
There was a moment of silence as the woman looked around.
“For years, I’ve been living for only one reason. To see Lucius suffer. To relish in his humiliation. It started to bring me so much pleasure whenever I saw him angry and helpless. Neither he, nor any of these men deserved the easy way out.”
“You must’ve known about their… proclivities,” Harry remarked in disgust.
Narcissa glanced at him sadly.
“I’ve seen more than you know, Mr. Potter. It runs in the blood,” she replied, and the sorrow in her voice was unmissable. “Yes, I know my son is cut from the same cloth. I held out hope for him for so long, but against Lucius, I could never do anything. Even when he cut me out of his life, I cared for him… until this past summer.”
Curious, Harry stared at her.
“I’ve seen with my own two eyes what my son did to that girl, Mr. Potter. He died for me that day. I know you two have bad blood, and after what you did today, I am under no delusion that my son’s days are numbered. I only have one request to make of you,” Narcissa whispered, and in front of Harry, he saw nothing but a broken woman who looked as if she had nothing to live for anymore.
She looked up and her eyes shining with unshed tears, she spoke, “Give that boy a quick death. I might have wanted Lucius to suffer, but not him.”
Harry gave the woman a curt nod.
“I’ll talk to Sirius about you,” he said. “I can’t promise anything, but I believe he would accept you if you want to be with your other part of the family.”
Narcissa let out a mirthless chuckle and shook her head.
“I have little to live for, Mr. Potter,” she replied. “I’ve seen too much, lived through too much. There’s only so much one can take. For years, I lived only to see Lucius’ humiliation, and now that he’s gone, there’s nothing left for me to live for.”
Harry pursed his lips. Her words were as clear as they could be.
“What are you planning to do?”
“Me?” She smiled. “There should be an explanation as to how these men died, right?”
Understanding dawned on Harry instantly.
“You don’t have to do this,” he urged, not wanting the woman to take the fall.
Narcissa merely smiled.
“I could not finish him off, Mr. Potter. At least let me take the credit for it. That would be enough for me. You all, meanwhile, should leave now. I think you have overstayed.”
Harry released a deep sigh and turned back toward Dobby.
“Take us away, Dobby.”
Narcissa watched as they vanished from Malfoy Manor and turned around, staring at the corpses with disgust.
Half an hour later, an owl flew out of the manor with an envelope addressed to the auror office as Narcissa Malfoy lay slumped over in a chair in her room with shattered pieces of a cup and the rest of her tea splashed by her feet, and a small black bottle sitting innocuously on the table in front of her.
To be continued…
Comments
Coady
Glad about Umbitch. Such a fitting punishment for the toad. Sorry about Narcissa though. Sorry to see her so broken that death was the only way out for her even if it was to cover for Harry and his friends.
GhostnKC
I also absolutely love what happened to the "toad". She got exactly what she deserved.
