The look on Draco Malfoy's face when I showed him my Dark Mark was priceless and even made me laugh. It was the Easter Holidays and he was at home for the break. I wasn't pleased to see him arrive at the house, but when he saw me, I decided to have some fun (Merlin knows I needed some fun).

His mouth dropped open when he saw me, and he stood next to his dad and said, "Why is she here?" as if he were a first year who was displeased to see their least favorite classmate in the room.

"Hi, Draco!" I said cheerfully, which made Lucius look perplexed. "Back from Hogwarts, I see!"

"What are you doing here?" he repeated, this time with ice in his voice.

"Nobody told you?" I asked innocently. "Take a look at this."

I pulled back my sleeve, causing him to gasp.

"Y - You're a ... but ... why would he let you join?" he spat.

At that moment I became myself again. "I didn't want to," I muttered. "But I didn't have a choice. I was stupid; I got captured."

His eyes were full of triumph and mocking. "You got caught? That's not exactly surprising, is it?"

"Shut up," I growled. "I know your story - you only got to join because your precious daddy got shut up in prison, so the Dark Lord wanted revenge. You were a piece of bait, Draco Malfoy; you weren't meant to complete the mission. You were meant to die, and the only reason you're still here today is because somebody else stepped up for you and killed Dumbledore because you were a coward."

He couldn't say anything to this; he was fuming with rage, like a volcano boiling over and preparing to erupt.

"Enough!" Lucius snapped. "Miss Lestrange, why don't you return to wherever you were before this argument took place? Better yet, come with me. I think you'll be pleased cleaning the cellar without any magic like a filthy Muggle - "

"She's allowed to go to the cellar?" Draco blurted. "Don't you know who she is?"

Lucius looked as if he had made a vast mistake. "Oh ... right. The toilets, then. You can clean every toilet in this house without magic. And don't even think about going to the cellar!"

Though things had been peaceful for some time, I knew it wouldn't last ... and it didn't. The quiet evening spent with Theodore in the library was ruined in a fraction of a second when Bellatrix came charging in, screaming my name.

"Lyra, get in here!"

"What is it?" I asked, worried.

"We need you to confirm something. We think we have Potter!"

My stomach flipped over in fear. Harry was here? I couldn't send him to his death by turning him in to the Dark Lord! But the days of pretending I wasn't a Death Eater were gone. This was my first task.

I got up and followed Bellatrix out of the room. Theodore got up to follow me, but Bellatrix made him stay back.

"This isn't your business, Nott!" she shrieked, and I noticed her insanity in the way her eyes lit up madly and her black hair crackled with static. Theodore didn't hide his shock or his disappointment. I shot him a sympathetic look before following Bellatrix down the hall to the drawing room.

Every second seemed to drag on. It took all my willpower to put one step in front of the other. The worst that could happen would be that some Death Eater would summon the Dark Lord. If that happened, I was doomed. If that happened, perhaps we were all doomed.

I nearly gasped when I entered the room. Besides Lucius, Draco, Fenrir Greyback (I recognized him from the Snatchers) and other Snatchers, there were three new people, each familiar and unfamiliar in different ways. One had shoulder-length black hair, a puffy pink face, and glasses. The other two resembled Ron and Hermione very much, though they looked as though they had been living in the wilderness for months. The black-haired one looked a lot like Harry, but he appeared to be transformed or under some magical spell. Perhaps Hermione had done it? As I thought about it, there was no doubt that Hermione and Ron were the other two. If they were here, the puffy-faced person had to be Harry.

"So, Lyra?" Bellatrix asked me. "Is it them? Draco failed to tell us, but I know my daughter would be honest. Did the Snatchers capture Potter at last?"

Delusional! I thought. She thought I would be honest and turn them in?

"I ... I don't know," I stammered, struggling to keep the tremor of fear out of my voice. "It could be, but I don't know ... it doesn't really look like Potter. He had shorter hair and ... and ... a scar."

"But look!" Lucius exclaimed. "See this? He was hit with at Stinging Jinx, we think! This line right here could be his scar, stretched tight! Look, Lyra! What do you think?"

He yelled impatiently, but I still took my time in observing the spot he showed me on Harry's forehead.

I shrugged. "I can't be certain. I would hate for the Dark Lord to come only to find out that this someone else."

"But you went to school with them! You were in their house! Look at those two! Isn't that the Granger Mudblood and Arthur Weasley's son?" Lucius demanded.

"I don't know!" I whined. "The Weasley's have lots of children!" Looking closer at the three, I could see the terror in Hermione's eyes as she silently pleaded me to spare them. How could I possibly let them be captured?

"So you admit he's one of the Weasleys?" Lucius yelled. "Do you?"

"No!"

"I think she's a liar!" Lucius roared, turning to Bellatrix. "Your daughter doesn't want to turn her friends in! Bella, make her give us answers!"

"There's no need to order me about like that, Lucius! But if you insist, there is always a way to make her be truthful." Facing me, she said, "Lyra, do you honestly know who they are?"

"No," I moaned in distress. "I don't."

"She lies!" spat Lucius. "She shared a dormitory with the Granger girl for six years! She would know how she looks by now!"

"You're right, Lucius," Bellatrix said with a trace of dissatisfaction in her voice that showed she felt slightly defeated. "You're right. Lyra, I hate to do this to you. Crucio!"

The usual falling to the floor, screaming, and thrashing about happened, but I wasn't going to give in. She stopped the spell, giving me a split-second to think about the situation at hand. Harry Potter was possibly the Chosen One, and there was a good possibility that he was out to defeat Voldemort. If I turned him in, who would defeat the Dark Lord?

At this moment, did the fate of the future rest with me?

The spell ended and I sat up, glaring fiercely at my mother. "Don't tell me you hate to do that, even if it is to me."

"Well? Is it Potter and his friends or not? Tell me the truth, Lyra, and you'll be rewarded beyond anything!"

"It's not them!" I shouted. "It's not Potter! Potter has a scar!"

"But this could be the scar!" Lucius yelled. "We know you're lying! Tell the truth!"

"You're being stupid! I said it wasn't them! Who says I'm lying?"

"Crucio!"

This time the pain was far more excruciating, but I hung on anyway. This was the worst Cruciatus Curse I had ever been forced to suffer. Every second seemed to last an hour and I felt like my head was going to split open. I screamed at the top of my lungs, crying for help, crying for her to stop. She wouldn't lift the curse, and it wasn't until I vaguely heard the door bust open and someone shout, "Stop! Don't hurt her anymore!" that Bellatrix lost her focus and the pain ended. I continued to lie on the floor, sweating and panting. I could barely focus on anything; I felt consciousness slipping away.

Several screams and swears came from Bellatrix, and I opened my eyes to see Rodolphus and Theodore in the doorway. Rodolphus was shaking with rage; he could barely hold his wand steady as he tightly clutched his wand and aimed it at Bellatrix. She pointed hers back, ready to duel if necessary.

"What are you doing to her?" roared Rodolphus.

"Trying to get answers! She won't admit that this is Potter and his friends!"

"Well, maybe they're not! Why torture her into near insanity if she says they're not? Are you going to torture her until she says they are? If they're not Potter and his friends, why are you so desperate to pretend they are? Torturing our daughter is not the answer, Bella!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" she snarled. "You are not part of this, Rodolphus! I just want answers and if you don't - if you - "

Something else caught her eye. Her eyes widened as her speech trailed away and she lowered her wand. I looked to the object that had shocked her: a shining silver sword embellished with rubies.

She began to interrogate the nearby Snatchers, who looked uneasy yet possibly entertained by the recent argument. I took advantage of this moment to try to get to my feet again, but my legs were weak and I felt myself collapse to the floor. Theodore speedily rushed over to me without making much sound and helped me up. He muttered, "Let's go" and guided me through the doorway to the hall. It was with perfect timing too-the next moment I heard a lot of shouting and caught a glimpse of glittering red light which I recognized as a Stunning spell, but I took hardly any notice of this as I tried to walk on unsteady legs to wherever Theodore was leading me.

A few seconds later I had collapsed onto something soft. I recognized a bed, though I wasn't sure what room we were in. I felt my senses slowly disappearing, and moments later I could only hear the murmur of voices and feel the warm softness of the blankets underneath me.

I didn't know if I was conscious or not. I wasn't really sure of anything. I didn't know where I was or who was in the room. Yet I could feel a warm hand touching my face, and I heard the well-known voice say, "She's as cold as ice."

Another person - also familiar - said, "She's also very pale. She needs help now. I'll get some potions; you stay here. Try to warm her up."

The blankets on the mattress underneath my limp body were pulled out and placed on top of me. I immediately began to feel warmer even though I still didn't have much body heat. I was too weak to shiver. I heard the first voice mutter a spell under his breath, which I recognized as the reviving incantation.

"Ennervate. Ennervate!" he cried out. "Lyra, please wake up!"

Everything was still and silent for several minutes until I heard the door reopen. Whoever came in approached me within seconds and tried to force potions down my mouth. I would have cooperated if possible, but I couldn't move a muscle. I had no idea what was wrong with me, but I hoped that I wouldn't be in this state for long. Nevertheless, I felt something icy cold slide down my throat though I couldn't taste it.

"She's breathing fine," the first voice said, "but she won't wake up. What do you think happened? Is she in a coma? Will she be all right?"

As he asked questions, his voice became worried and emotional. The second voice answered him, "I hope so, but I'm no Healer. We just have to do what we can. If she - if anything - if Bella - if she doesn't make it ... " He didn't say anymore.

"She will. Lyra's strong."

"I don't know. She hasn't seemed very strong through this whole thing. Becoming a Death Eater seemed to take away any strength she may have had. I don't know ... if Bella has done anything to ... I'll kill her!" His voice roared with rage as he said the last part. I could hear breathing as he tried to gain control. Then he said, "Try giving her more potion."

The icy liquid hit my mouth again, and one of my senses returned. I could taste again, and if was awful. I felt my chest go into a spasm, causing a cough to break out.

"Is that a good sign or not?" one of the men asked.

The other one didn't answer but said, "Try the potion again. I think it's working."

More cool-feeling potion slid down my throat; this time I could smell it, and the scent was just as bad as the taste. Then something else happened: I felt my muscles loosen up; I wasn't frozen in one position anymore. Realizing I could move, I opened my eyes and squinted against the light. Everything was blurred, even when I opened them wider, but I heard the two people gasp in relief.

"Lyra!" one shouted, and though my vision was hazed I could distinguish Theodore. Next to him was Rodolphus, and he appeared concerned and angry. My eyes cleared up and I sat up shakily, still weak from the attack. But now everything was coming back, and I knew why I had been in a coma-like condition.

"Lyra," Rodolphus said in an undertone, "Do you remember what just happened?"

"Yes. She used the Cruciatus Curse and it was the worst I had ever felt ... I thought I was going to die ... " As I spoke, everything replayed in my mind and I found myself clutching my head as if all the pain was returning.

"It's all right. Get some rest."

"Rest," I muttered. "Sounds good."

I slid back into a sleeping position and closed my eyes. I felt like I could slumber for hours and hours. It would most likely take hours before I recovered completely from shock and fatigue.

Only a few seconds later, the peaceful environment vanished. Someone burst through the door with almost enough strength to shatter it. Bellatrix was standing in the doorway, wand raised. She looked angrier than I had ever seen her. Her eyes burned as they searched the room. When they rested on me, I froze. So much for getting sleep.

"YOU!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs. "YOU LET THEM ESCAPE!"

"What?" I asked.

"POTTER!"

"I - oh ... "

After the attack, the fact that Harry and his friends were here had barely crossed my mind. I was too tired to think straight, let alone remember anything.

"That was Potter! He escaped with his friends and the prisoners in the cellar!"

"The cellar?" I inquired, and made my voice as clearly confused as possible. Then I remembered the way Draco and Lucius had forbid me to go there. "Who - ?"

"The wandmaker, the lunatic girl, all those others we had imprisoned ... they've escaped! And Wormtail is dead!"

"Bella, Bella, calm down," Rodolphus said evenly. "I'm sure we can do something before the Dark Lord finds out ... maybe ... "

"I will not calm down! There's nothing we can do anymore, Rodolphus! I already called the Dark Lord; he is coming here at this very moment!"

Stunned looks appeared on Theodore's and my father's faces, in addition to my own. If Voldemort was coming here, what would happen? Were we all going to die? He would be beside himself when he found out that Harry had escaped with the prisoners.

Bellatrix was breathing heavily and showed no signs of controlling herself anytime soon. Glaring at Rodolphus, she said, "This has gone too far! We have no choice anymore!" She turned to me with her wand directed at my body. "Lyra, you've been nothing but trouble for us since you came here. Actually, you've been nothing but trouble since you were born. I'm sorry, but for the Dark Lord's sake, I have to do this. Av - "

"NO!" Rodolphus roared. "If you kill her, I'll kill you!"

"Then I'll kill you first!" she screamed. "If you're supporting her, you're a traitor too!"

"Stupefy!"

Glittering red light shot from Rodolphus's wand and hit Bellatrix square in the chest. She flew backwards, hit the wall, and crashed to the floor. Her eyes were closed and she didn't move.

"You didn't - ?"

"She's not dead," my father growled. "She's just knocked out. I'll deal with her later. For now, you need to get out before the Dark Lord comes. I promise I won't betray you, and I'll make sure Bella doesn't either. Go upstairs and act like you know nothing. If the Dark Lord interrogates you, I think you'll be okay-you're good at Occlumency. Theodore, why don't you take her upstairs?"

"Of course, Mr. Lestrange," he said.

"Wait," I said weakly. "What about the other Death Eaters who saw what happened? Lucius and Draco were in the room and there may have been others ... "

"It doesn't matter. I'll make sure the Dark Lord doesn't find out. I'll take the blame if I have to."

"You can't!" I gasped.

"I would do anything to protect you." The fierceness in his voice indicated he would go to the ends of the earth to defend me, like most fathers would. I had never felt so much gratitude and ... some other emotion I couldn't quite name toward him before. Yet those feelings were topped with confusion. I had hated him all my life, and now he was going to protect me. I knew I could trust him, though. I had to.

"Let's go, Lyra," Theodore said as he began to lead me out of the room. "Now you can really get some rest. I can tell you need it."

The next few days crawled by. I was confined to my room, but not because Voldemort ordered it-Rodolphus had insisted I stay there for protection. I was more than happy to obey. With the Dark Lord back and staying for some time, I never wanted to glimpse him. Meals were the worst part of the day because they were the only times I left my room, but luckily Voldemort rarely came into the kitchen.

However, one night I could barely take it any longer. I left my room and went to the second floor balcony that overlooked the garden in the back. I had to admit it was beautiful, even at night.

I stared at the stars as usual, thinking about how far away they were. Doing so made it hard to imagine that I was trapped in this house. Not only was I physically trapped, but I was trapped in nearly every other way imaginable.

Other thoughts that crossed my mind were my family: How was Andromeda? Had she found someplace safe to hide? What about Dora and Remus? Were any of them worried about me? I knew the answer to that question so I asked myself if they thought I was alive or dead.

As I was lost in thought, the door to the balcony opened. I jumped in fright and turned around, but relaxed when I saw Theodore.

"Hey," he said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I said. "I'm just worried ... "

"About your family?"

"Yes."

"It's okay. I keep saying this over and over, and I'll say it again: This war isn't going to last forever. You'll get to see them again."

"But what if they're already dead?" I asked tearfully. "Like Sirius?"

"Have faith. They'll be fine."

"I don't see how you can be so positive - " But I was cut off because he had already moved closer and kissed me. I accepted it gratefully; he always knew how to comfort me.

Then he pulled away. "That's not why I came out here. I came to give you this." He handed me something: a parchment envelope.

"It came by owl. It's lucky that I got it instead of ... anyone else. It's addressed to you. Take it."

Stunned and confused, I tore open the envelope. Then I realized what this could be - a letter from home? Surely that was the only possibility.

Theodore smiled at me, and I understood.

"Have faith?" I asked. "Is this the reason you said that?"

He shrugged. "Just read it."

The letter was scribbled quickly on parchment, and nobody had signed it. But the familiar handwriting jumped out at me and I smiled in delight.

Born last night. Named Teddy Remus. I don't know where you are, but I hope you're all right. I can't say much in case this ends up in the wrong hands. We're okay for now. Lots of love.

"Dora had her baby ... " I whispered.

"Is she all right?"

"She appears to be." I sighed in relief. "Thanks, Theodore. If you didn't get this, well ... I'd hate to think ... "

"I know. But the point is they're safe. And for now, you're safe."

Safe. The word wouldn't leave my head. Maybe I was safe to a degree, but I couldn't see how it would last forever.

"Come on. It's late. You should get to bed."

"You're right. Goodnight Theodore."

"Goodnight, Lyra. I love you."