The echoing bang of the slammed cellar door had not died away before there was a terrible, drawn-out scream from directly above them.

Hermione screamed again from overhead, and they could hear Bellatrix screaming too, but her words were inaudible, for Ron shouted again, ‘HERMIONE!

From upstairs they heard Bellatrix’s voice.
‘I’m going to ask you again!

Where did you get this sword? Where?
‘We found it – we found it – PLEASE!

‘Hermione screamed again; Ron struggled harder than ever and the rusty nail slipped on to Harry’s wrist.

From above came Bellatrix’s voice.

‘You are lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it!

You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth! '
Another terrible scream –

‘HERMIONE!

'
‘What else did you take?

What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife! '

‘What else did you take, what else?

ANSWER ME! CRUCIO! '
Hermione’s screams echoed off the walls upstairs.

He tilted the shard of mirror this way and that, and saw nothing reflected there but the walls and ceiling of their prison, and upstairs Hermione was screaming worse than ever, and next to him, Ron was bellowing, ‘HERMIONE! HERMIONE! '


‘How did you get into my vault? they heard Bellatrix scream. ‘Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you? '
‘We only met him tonight!

' Hermione sobbed. ‘We’ve never been inside your vault ... it isn’t the real sword! It’s a copy, just a copy! '

‘A copy?’ screeched Bellatrix. ‘Oh, a likely story! But we can find out easily!’

An awful scream drowned Harry’s words: Hermione was being tortured again.