WHY AM I ALIVE THEN?
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Confusion best described what Seraphina felt when she slowly regained consciousness. Sera couldn't remember what happened and may even have thought she was waking up from a nap in her bed, had it not been for the coldness surrounding her and the hard ground beneath her.
Feeling unusually weak, Seraphina opened her eyes only to be met by more darkness as she struggled to sit up. Her head spun a little as she sat up, back leaning against the cold wall. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the dank and musty room and once they did, she could only just make out that she seemed to be in some kind of cellar.
Overestimating her own strength, Seraphina tried to climb to her feet. But her knees buckled and dizziness overtook her. Falling back down to her knees, Seraphina used her hands to prevent herself from face-planting the ground. "Bloody hell," she muttered while readjusting her legs so she could sit down on the ground.
A quick patdown of her pockets and the ground around her was enough for her to determine that her wand was nowhere to be found. Panic slowly set in as the situation truly dawned on her. Only she wasn't scared for herself — even if she probably should have been — because all of her panic focused on what could have happened to Rhea.
The door creaked open and Seraphina's attention snapped to the man who entered. "What the hell, Tom," Seraphina exclaimed upon seeing the Dark Lord. "Why am I here-"
"How long?" Tom asked coldly as he strode closer to her. All traces of the charming man who'd tried to manipulate her for years were gone; in his place stood the Dark Lord who was feared all over the world.
"What?" Seraphina asked in confusion, eyes lingering on his wand that peeked out underneath his sleeve.
"How long have you been a spy for Albus Dumbledore?" Tom clarified, black eyes boring into her own causing a chill to run through her.
"What are you talking about?" Seraphina asked, not even needing to pretend that her headache made it difficult to think; though she heard him loud and clear.
"The interesting thing about spies during a war, Seraphina," Tom said, "is that sometimes they cross paths without even realising it. And sometimes they are much closer than we dare to think."
Seraphina struggled to not show the dread she felt upon hearing those words. Ever since Dumbledore told her about the rat in the Order, Seraphina feared that the traitor one day would let her name slip. Even if she'd never attended a single meeting, merely mentioning her in the wrong context could be enough for Voldemort to connect the dots.
"I don't understand-"
"Crucio!" Tom cut her off and Seraphina released an agonised scream. It was a pain beyond anything she'd ever experienced before — it felt like her bones were on fire. Thankfully the torture did not last for long.
"Denying it won't do you any good right now, Seraphina," Tom declared. "Much like your mother, you've proved to be nothing but a disgrace to your own bloodline. You have been blessed with magical abilities far beyond that of any other witch or wizard, yet you waste them on a cause that is beneath you."
"I'm sitting on the floor in what appears to be a cellar," Seraphina replied snarkily. "Not much is beneath me right now, I'd guess."
She needed to accept that her cover was blown. Lord Voldemort was not one to forgive and Seraphina was under no delusion that she could convince him that she wasn't a traitor. "Why am I alive then?" Seraphina asked calmly despite everything. "My mother did not live for long when she decided to fight against you."
"Soon you'll join your blood-traitor mother, don't worry," Tom snarled. "But before that, you will tell me where you're hiding your daughter."
Seraphina could have smiled when hearing those words. She'd choose not knowing about Rhea's whereabouts over her sweet daughter being helpless in Voldemort's clutches every day.
"Hiding?" Seraphina acted oblivious. "I was attacked and brought down here — when do you think I had time to hide my daughter? The last I saw her was in my room-"
"Crucio!"
The blinding pain returned like thousands of hot knives piercing her skin at once. Tears rolled down Seraphina's cheeks as she writhed on the floor, losing control of her own limbs and thoughts.
"Where is Rhea?" Tom repeated, wand still pointed at her threateningly.
"I — don't — know," Seraphina said slowly, enunciating every word. She felt him pushing against her mental barriers and smiled, "You haven't been able to enter my head for the past two years, Tommy, a little torture won't change that."
"We will see," Voldemort sneered, clearly frustrated by her Occlumency; because of her ability to block him out of her head and even create a false trail of thoughts, he'd been fooled into thinking she was falling for his manipulative tricks. "I will find Rhea eventually — it's only a question of how much you suffer before it inevitably happens."
"Now you're just searching for a reason to keep me alive, Tommy-" Seraphina cried out again when another wave of the Cruciatus Curse hit her. This time it went on longer, to the point where she just wanted to faint.
"Perhaps a night down here — alone — will help you see reason," Voldemort declared, pleased as he watched her struggle to hold back her sobs of pain. He made a move to leave, only to turn back around.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Voldemort said coldly. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet and tossed it to the ground beside her. "You might be interested in reading about the Ministry's latest victory against me."
She contemplated ignoring it — knowing whatever reason the Dark Lord had for giving it to her was to cause her more harm — but couldn't resist her curiosity. Weakly, Seraphina reached out and picked up the paper.
DEATH EATERS – ONE DEAD AND ONE CAPTURED
Last night the Ministry of Magic announced that a task force of Aurors were sent out after receiving word of a Death Eater attack against a muggle family in Manchester. On the scene Aurors encountered two of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers. Amidst the flames of the poor muggle family's burning home, the Ministry's brave Aurors fought valiantly against the Death Eaters who were both outnumbered and outskilled.
"This is proof that we need to fight fire with fire," said Bartimus Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. "The Death Eaters never hesitate to kill, which means that our Aurors must be allowed to do the same in order to defeat them. Three members of yesterday's task force lost their lives during the apprehension when they tried to arrest the Death Eaters. Not until the remaining three Aurors fought back with the same ferocity as their opponents were they capable of taking down the Death Eaters."
One of the Death Eaters responsible for the night's attack was gravely injured when he tried to resist arrest. Antonin Dolohov, who partook in the murders of Fabian and Gideon Prewett, were brought to St Mungo's where he according to an anonymous source is said to have made a full recovery. "Antonin Dolohov will stand trial. But considering the overwhelming evidence against him, I am confident of his conviction. He will spend the remainder of his life paying for his crimes in Azkaban."
The other Death Eater, Seraphina Weasley, was killed by Aurors when she resisted arrest.
Seraphina's hands shook as she unfolded the copy of the Daily Prophet and bile rose up in her throat upon seeing a picture of herself taking up half of the bottom part of the front page. On the left was a moving picture of Dolohov in chains and on the right side a photograph of her lying dead on the ground amongst debris and dirt.
No — No — No...
Blinking rapidly, she hoped that the image would change — like it only had been a figment of her imagination — but it never did. Time stopped around her as Seraphina stared down at the image of herself; eyes wide open and unseeing, red hair spread around her like a pool of blood that contrasted strongly to her pale skin and black cloak.
Seraphina Weasley was dead... only she wasn't.
"How?" Seraphina whispered, not understanding how there could be a picture of her lying dead on the ground when she was very much alive.
"It was quite easy actually," Voldemort said. "A while ago we captured a member of the Order – Caradoc Dearborn – and with the use of the Imperius Curse and a little Polyjuice Potion he made sure that Seraphina Weasley died in the eyes of the world."
"And Dolohov," Seraphina said weakly, realising that the only reason he was so willing to answer her questions was that she'd never see the light of day again. "Was he another sacrifice?"
"No, he simply failed the mission I gave him to make sure Seraphina Weasley got killed by Aurors and then flee the scene," Voldemort said, clearly displeased by his loyal follower's failure. "But the important part is that everyone that ever cared for you thinks that you are dead. Though, I heard the attendance at your funeral was sparse," Voldemort gloated, a malicious smirk spreading across his face. "I suppose your blood-traitor friends and family didn't see the death of a Death Eater as a great loss."
With those words said, he turned around and walked out of the cellar, black robes billowing around him. The heavy door closed and locked behind Voldemort, leaving Seraphina in complete darkness again.
A furious scream echoed in the cellar as Seraphina tossed the newspaper blindly across the room. The pain from the Cruciatus curse was nothing compared to what she felt as she thought about how much her family must hate her now. How betrayed they must feel.
Seraphina always knew there was a risk she'd die during this war. If it came down to it, she'd have sacrificed herself to save those she loved. But to die with the world thinking she was nothing but a vicious Death Eater was a punishment in its own right.
. • ⚯͛ • .
Down in the cellar of the Malfoy Manor, Seraphina lost track of time. Left down there in the darkness, alone with her own thoughts, all she could do was wait for the next time the Dark Lord would grace her with his presence and torture her until she passed out or prayed for death.
The article about her death was dated 5 October 1981, meaning she must have woken up from her capture some time after that. In a pitiful attempt to track the time down there, Seraphina ripped off a small piece of the copy of the Daily Prophet – that was left in the cellar to taunt her – after each visit. So far ten tiny pieces laid in a neat pile on the dirty floor. She soon realised that the only thing she managed to track was the amount of times Voldemort had questioned her because she had absolutely no idea how much time passed between each visit.
Seraphina dreaded each visit as the mere thought of being put under the Cruciatus Curse again felt like a torture in itself. The greatest torture, however, was not knowing what happened outside the cellar. Of not knowing about her daughter's whereabouts or health. Knowing that the Dark Lord had yet to get his hands on her sweet girl was the only thing preventing Seraphina from truly losing it down there.
If Rhea had disappeared when Seraphina was discovered and thrown into the dungeons, she could only hope that meant Kreacher had fulfilled his promise to Reggie by keeping his niece safe. While Kreacher most definitely wasn't the kindest house-elf Sera had encountered in her twenty-one years, his devotion to serve House Black – and more importantly Regulus – felt like an assurance that he'd keep Rhea safe and alive for the time being.
Now Seraphina only needed to make sure Voldemort didn't crack through her mental shields and saw anything that could prompt him to search for the house-elf.
After yet another visit from the Dark Lord himself, Seraphina laid on the ground feeling too weak to move an inch after being subjected to the Cruciatus curse once more. Though, Sera didn't see the point of trying to move when she knew it was pointless.
"Something interesting about the Cruciatus Curse," Voldemort mused above her, "is that if exposed to it for a prolonged time victims are known to suffer permanent physical and mental injuries. Some to the point where their bodies simply give up to spare them from more pain. Yet thus far, you seem rather unaffected."
"I'm always happy to exceed expectations," Seraphina muttered drily, her sarcasm being the only weapon left to fight with him. She clearly wasn't in any state to cause him physical harm, but she could at least harm his ego a bit by not letting him think he'd broken her. "Or perhaps, you're simply not doing it right. Maybe you don't have a deep desire to cause me pain, Tommy."
"There is more than one way to cause you pain, stupid girl," Voldemort sneered. With a flick of his wand, he levitated her into the air, forcing Seraphina to hover in front of him. He grabbed her face harshly between his long bony fingers, nails digging into her skin, "And I will make sure you suffer to every single one before I kill you."
With those words said, he waved his wand which sent her flying across the cellar into a stone wall. Seraphina definitely heard a crack when she collided with the wall and dropped to the floor. After the amount of times she had injured her head, Seraphina was surprised she hadn't sustained permanent head injuries.
Her vision got so blurry that she had to close her eyes and her ears rang. In her dizzy state, Seraphina thought it a good idea to say, "Cadbury Castle"
"What did you say?" Voldemort questioned, for a moment thinking she'd revealed the location of Rhea.
"You asked me how long I have been a spy," Seraphina said, struggling to sit up with her back against the wall now that she had his full attention. "Since the second time you approach me – at Cadbury Castle. I didn't know who you were when you approached me at Flourish and Blotts," she admitted weakly, "I found out shortly after. All that time we spent together when you pretended that you knew my mother and wanted to teach me – I knew exactly who you were."
Forcing her eyes open to look at him, Seraphina gave the Dark Lord a smirk, "I don't know to what extent I gained your trust— but I know that I wouldn't have survived this long if you didn't truly believe that you'd manage to fool me. If not for your spy, you still would have believed in all my lies — so I might not survive long enough to see the end of this war – and who knows, you might actually win it. But in the battle of snakes and dragons — I won. Remember that."