In The Fight To Survive (Golden Trio Era) {4}

Malfoy Manor

Those taken prisoner by Scabior, Vexida and Greyback arrived in front of a wrought-iron gate at the end of a large country lane. Harry, Hermione and Ron allowed themselves to find some sort of relief in knowing that the worst had yet to happen. There was no sign of Voldemort, who was at the top tower of some far away fortress, if the flashes of visions in Harry's mind were anything to go by. Not that distance will do Harry much good if he is identified as himself by Voldemort's followers. Scabior pushed Ron into Greyback's free arm, to stride up to the gates, clasping his hands around the latch to open it.

However, he had no such luck as the latch seemed to reject his manual unlocking with a sharp burning sensation on his finger tips. Scabior shakes the gates with his free hand out of frustration, before turning to Greyback, looking for insight on how they enter the property of Voldemort's supposed refuge. "How do we get in then, Greyback? They've locked the gates, cursed them to burn, and I don't fancy standing here all night waiting for someone to wander upon u-" Scabior jumped at the loud clanking noise of the gate, taking a few steps back from the gate as it seemed to spring to life. The iron was reshaping itself from abstract fuels and coils into a cold expressionless face.

"State the purpose of your visit." A chilling feminine voice reverberated from the iron face, settling discomfort and worry in the bones of the prisoners. "We've got Potter!" Greyback answered back with unnatural triumphant enthusiasm. Vexida cut in reconstructing Fenrir's words and tone to mimic the verbal mannerisms of the iron gate greeter. "We believe we have captured Mr Harry Potter, Ma'am." There was a short pause after Vexida spoke, where she diligently ignored the harsh glare Scabior and Greyback were sending her way for speaking in the first place. "Very well, you may approach the house. Don't bother our collection of wildlife while you journey through the grounds."

As soon as the iron face finished its sentence, the gates swung open and began to reshape themselves into their original form. Greyback ordered Vexida and Scabior to follow behind him across Malfoy Manor's estate. He passed Ron back to Scabior as he did so, wanting to only be responsible for the task of restraining Harry Potter and delivering him to the Dark Lord. The prisoners were on the verge of being dragged across the ground by how fast and hard their captors were pushing them. Up the drive, between the high hedges that bordered the estate and drive, they were led. During the short journey, they passed by a variety of animals, all with the brightest white fur/feathers etc. Some of the animals they saw were; a Maltese, a Husky, a bevy of Swans, an Arctic Fox, a peafowl of Albino Peacocks, and businesses of wild Ermines and Ferrets.

Harry ended up tripping over his own feet due to trying to match Greyback's pace whilst bound from his knees up. He hissed as his face connected with the ground, leaving behind a stinging graze on his cheek on top of his already swollen features. The fall broke his focus of pushing Voldemort's intense emotionally driven reality out of his mind, while Greyback pulled him sharply off the ground. Harry's body seemed to be moving on autopilot when they set off again, his eyes gone glassy as he got temporarily lost in Voldemort's current thoughts through their interconnected minds. He seals shut his puffy eyes to succumb to the burning pain of his scar, wanting to use this time to see what Voldemort was doing, whether he was aware of Harry's capture.

Voldemort was flying towards the topmost window of a black castle fortress' highest tower, 'Nurmengard' Harry's mind supplied as Voldemort forced himself through the slit of a window like a snake. He silently arrived in an ice cold cell, black smoke dissipating from his robes as he took in the withered figure in front of him. The emaciated figure stirred under Voldemort's watchful eyes, his skeleton rattling while wrapped in the very thin blanket he clung to, fatigue sunken features appear as he faces the Dark Lord.

The frail man slowly sat himself up as he fixed his dull hollow eyes upon Voldemort's. A flurry of emotions crossed through the man's eyes, schooling his expression into a smug smile on his gaunt face, most of teeth missing and what was left was rotted completely. "So, you have come. I thought you would one day." The man voiced, his tone was borderline mocking, as if he knew something his visitor didn't. However, he waited for Voldemort to state the reason behind his unsurprising visit, "where's the wand, Grindelwald?"