The Notari Fortress

Lyzebel bangs open the door and walks in she had long blond hair and deep violet eyes. "Hello sweety" She says and grins down at Iris. "I'm enjoying your little gift" She simpers and her hair shortens and turns bright and colorful. She laughs.

Strike lands on the roof of a building and drops down through a door he walks down the passage way and halts as he hears voices coming from a lightly light room. He listens. And then knowing where to look first continues on his way down the dark passage ways.

I lift my eyes to her. She had my trademark hair. She was tainting it. "You look horrid like that, you know." I hug my legs tighter to my chest.

Lyzebel kicks her in the stomach and sneers. "I know you are an ugly little runt but I'll have to endure" She says and leans down to the girl on the floor. Her eyes turning a stormy grey. She tilts her head to the side and smiles widely.

Strike makes his way further into the keep stopping when he hears patrols or light conversation in rooms. Finally he makes it to the dungeons and he follows the dark passage downwards.

I grunt and keel over. "He won't believe you! You're nothing like me!" I spit. But the doubt had crept up in my voice. And I cursed myself for doubting the only person I cared for. But I was still afraid.

Lyzebel snorts and looks down at the pathetic girl stands up again walking over to the little desk that was in the cell. She looks down at the stuff she had and tuted. "Maybe, the knife again?" She picks up the red knife and walks back to Iris smirking.

Strike starts to hear voices and edges further down the halls he comes to a door and listens.

I press myself against the wall, covering my face. "Please don't..." I whimper. How embarrassing, but I couldn't help myself. I didn't ever want to feel that pain again.

Lyzebel smiles and takes a step closer, knife in hand. "I won't hurt you dear... at least not much"

Strike hears what sounded like Iris and can't help it he bursts into the room and takes in the scene. Iris was standing a few feet away from a girl, crouched against a wall looking scared, she was holding a knife in her hands her eyes wide looking at Strike in surprise which quickly faded into a look of utter relief. "Strike!" Iris called and threw herself at him. Taken aback he stumbles back a little and grabs her around the waist with one arm.

Strike bursts in and I look in confusion. This couldn't be true. I go to run to him but watch as he wraps his arm around Lyzebel. "No..." I try to stand up but I was too weak.

Lyzebel buries her head into Strikes shoulder and holds onto him. "I didn't know if you would come or not... I was... so" She breaks of and takes a shuddering breath. Strike strokes her hair gently. "It's okay now" He peers over at the other girl on the floor she had whimpered something. "We have to get you out of here. Were you hurt? Who is this?" HE takes a step back and looks her over not seeing any outer damage to her.

I push off from the wall with a grunt. Scrunching my face up with the effort. "Strike, no!"

A slight frown crosses Lyzebels face but vanishes before Strike can notice. He looks at the girl confused. "Do I know you? We have to be quiet someone could come at any moment" Lyzebel looks at Strike and says quietly. "I had to share the cell with her and I told her a bit about you... but" She looks scared. "I don't know what's wrong with her she keeps says the strangest stuff and she tried to attack me before... I think she's gone insane"

My eyes grow wide. No Lyzebel... "Strike, please! It's me, I'm Iris! Please! I'm not insane..."

Strike looks at the crumpled girls she was covered in blood and was trembling slightly. She looked nothing like Iris. "If you are are she who is this?" He asks and gestures at Lyzebel who was smirking only so Iris could see. He hoped by reasoning with her he would make her understand that it was impossible.

"Lyzebel!" I croak. My lips were cracked and bleeding. I hadn't eaten in days and the many cuts and holes that Lyzebel had inflicted were most definitely infected.

"You see what I mean" Lyzebel says looking up at Strike. Strike frowns and raises an eye brow. But he played along trying to not make a scene she might start to scream. "Okay, well how about we talk about this outside when we're away from here?" He says calmly.

I look down, feeling sick. This was worse than the torture. This was the definition of torture... The icing on Lyzebel's cake. I try to lift myself up but I could barely move. I look away, embarrassed. "No, you two go. You can just leave me to die here." I spit. Dying was preferable.

Strike looks down at Lyzebel concerned. "Are you okay can you walk?" She nods her head slightly but holds her body in an awkward pose as if shielding it somehow. Strike sighs. "Are you telling the truth?" Lyzebel rolls her eyes. "She needs ore help than I do!" Strike sighs again and walks over to Iris bending down her holds out his arms and stops waiting for her consent.

I glare at Lyzebel. Then place my hands around Strikes neck. I let him lift me up then look into his eyes. "You don't recognise me?"

Strike frowns. "Should-" Then he remembers who she thought she was. "No, I' sorry... but we shall work this out later. The most important part now is to get you out of here" He walks over to Lyzebel and she smiles at him pained. "Come on we should go" She says. They walk out of the door and into the hallway.

I swallow and feel a tear fall down my cheek, leaving a racing stripe of cleanliness over my grimy face. I hold onto Strike.

The girl felt familiar in my arms and that worried Strike a little. He didn't know this girl. They make it out of the Fortress undetected and he stops looking down at the girl and Lyzebel. "Are you okay to aparate?" He asks them.

I cringe but look up at him. "To Hogwarts?"

Strike nods and takes a hold of the two girls firmly and turns on the spot. With a light 'pop' they vanish into the night.