True Colours, part 3

“Potter,” she said in a tense whisper. 

“What do you want, Bulstrode?” I asked in what I hoped was a suitably weary tone. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly, but her expression didn’t change much. Lank black hair was pulled back in a harsh twist, emphasizing her far-too-prominent jawbone. Add a few wrinkles and a tray of severed fingers and she’d fit right in with the other hags at Knockturn Alley. “I don’t fancy being used in some perverted ritual,” she said in a low voice, “so I’m here to make sure it doesn’t happen.” 

My first reaction was vague nausea as I recalled the exact requirements of the aforementioned ritual. She couldn’t mean… no. Then I scowled at her as I wondered if Voldemort had staged that whole vision. “So,” I sneered as I deliberately crossed my legs, “come down to shag the prisoner to violate that pesky virginity clause?” Did Voldemort really think I was stupid enough to fall for this garbage? Her wand appeared in her hand with greater speed than I’d have credited to the bulky girl. Or perhaps I was worse off than I thought. How long had I been down here, anyway? My wandering attention snapped back to reality as a beam of purple light stabbed out and the manacle around my left wrist sprung open. Instantly, my left shoulder cramped up as the arm dropped, mere “pins and needles” doesn’t even begin to describe the sensation. My right shoulder joined it a couple of seconds later.  

“Don’t flatter yourself, you stupid wanker!” Millicent growled, stabbing her wand forward. I was roughly jerked to my feet, letting my hips join in on the chorus of cramping. She threw a folded up cloak at me, which I barely managed to catch. The old Seeker reflexes appeared to be absent without leave today. “I’m getting you out of here, so shut your mouth and put that on. Or are you looking forward to his little entertainment?” For once, reason won out over any inclination to open my mouth. The cloth felt strange across my shoulders and bare back. Millicent reached out and jerked the hood over my head, being careful not to touch me. Of course, as filthy as I was, that’s almost understandable. It was also rational enough that I began to wonder if this might actually be on the up and up. I quickly smothered that spark of hope. It had no business existing, not in Voldemort’s dungeons. 

“Now follow me,” Millicent growled in a low voice, pulling up her own hood. “Keep your face down and covered and don’t say a word. Follow me like your life depended on it. We’ve only got once chance at this, and I paid dearly for that. Muck it up and I’ll kill you myself.” Her voice lost of its coldness and I didn’t doubt for a moment that she meant every word. Bulstrode led me out of there, the first time I’d ever left that cell under my own power. My legs were not really up to this, but it wasn’t like I had any choice. Cruel game or not, I still might be presented with an opportunity of some sort. If I did, I wasn’t going to waste it – not if I wanted to get back to Ginny.  

Thinking about one of my favourite redheads at least distracted me from the pains shooting up my disused appendages. Break-up or not, I still missed her quite badly. At least they hadn’t gotten her too – that would have been far, far worse.  Shuddering at the thought, I almost ran into Bulstrode’s back as she used some complicated wand work on what looked like the servant’s exit. My heart sped up a little more. This was getting pretty elaborate for a charade. I found my fingers itching for my wand, but I had no idea where it was at the moment.  

Finally, the door opened with an audible click, and a draft of freezing cold air washed across my bare feet, making me shiver. Was it winter already? Bulstrode pushed the door open and led me out into a shadowy courtyard, poorly lit by a crescent moon. My eyes tried to adjust to the light, but I couldn’t recall the last time I’d eaten a carrot. Looking back as we picked our way through the shadows, I saw a large stone manor house, dominated by a huge central tower that extended several stories above the rest of the building. Only the topmost row of the towers windows were lit.  

When I turned back around, I saw Bulstrode staring up at the tower with an odd expression. Then she shook her head and roughly gestured for me to follow her.