Chapter 1: Awakening
I felt as though I had spent eons in a void, adrift in an endless, suffocating darkness. Then, something cold brushed against my cheek.
"Where... am I?" I groaned, the words a weak rasp.
A flood of questions followed: Who am I? What was I doing? How did I end up on the floor?
I managed to crack my eyelids open, though the effort felt monumental. The world around me swam into focus, a ruined room, moonlight filtering through shattered windows. I pushed myself upright, my hands trembling.
A sharp, maniacal laugh broke the silence.
"Oh! Aren't you impressive, kid?"
The voice belonged to a woman with disheveled black hair and wild eyes. Her grin was cruel and unhinged as she twirled what looked like a thin stick, no, a wand, in her fingers.
"Or... could it be that you like this kind of thing? Hahahaha!" she cackled, her voice shrill and piercing.
Five figures stood behind her, their faces partially obscured by shadows, but her voice and appearance were unmistakable.
'Bellatrix Lestrange,' I thought. The realization sent a chill down my spine. If this wasn't a dream... And that wand... Oh, Merlin, I was in trouble.
"We've got time for a little more fun," Bellatrix said with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Though we really must be off to our next guest." She turned her wand toward me.