All Around Me Ch. 2
Punishments and a Safe Haven
Bellatrix and Rodolphus knelt on bended knees, waiting for their Masters reaction to their report. The Malfoy Heir had escaped. They had chased him deep into the wood, far beyond the Malfoy lands. They had chased him until they found him hiding pitifully in an old dead tree, sobbing and defenseless. It should have been too easy. Bellatrix herself had cast The Killing Curse, eager to finish her Masters bidding, but somehow the brat had disappeared before her eyes.
Not to be cheated of her kill, they had searched the surrounding area, sight and magical senses spread out far but with no result. The boy had somehow apparated away. They had refused to believe this, as the boys magical reserves should have been drained by that point, not to mention his mental ability at that moment would not have allowed for Apparition. However, after more fruitless hours of searching, they had to concede that he must have somehow managed to apparate. To where though, was the question.
Cursing her nephew and her traitorous sister, they turned back towards the manor, knowing the news they brought would only enrage their Master further. The execution of the Malfoy Family wasn't to be a drawn out chase. It was supposed to be as simple as the Malfoy Patriarch. Trust her foolish sister and her 'motherly love' to throw a wrench into things. The notion left a bad taste in her mouth, that something as useless as love had brought her sister to her fate. Not that she cared for her really, more the fact that someone who shared her blood could be so foolish. No, her family was a proud one who cared for nothing but power and the prestige of the dark. Serving the Dark Lord was an honor, one her sister had not taken to fully and for that she deserved to die the way she had, weak while shamefully protecting her even weaker offspring. Even to die by the Dark Lord was an honor, another she had squandered. No, she felt no love for her sister and thus could never understand the forces at work that had allowed Dracos escape.
Her attention was brought from her musings with a shrill cry as her body was assaulted but the Dark Lords enraged curse. Her body convulsed violently, reflecting the level of his rage. In her pain filled haze she could vaguely make out his words, berating their failure and their uselessness.
"You two are supposed to be among the best in my ranks! Yet, killing the Malfoy brat is above your skill level!? What is so hard about killing off a useless CHILD? CRUCIO!" Voldermorts rage was more than enough to fuel the curse as it threatened to render them as ruined as they had left the Longbottoms.
When he lifted it both Deatheaters were barely breathing, each gasp a wheeze as their battered bodies tried to recover.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill the pair of you and be done with it." His cold words seeping past the blood in their ears.
"My Lord, we will find him. Even-" Rodolphus began to cough violently, blood dotting his lips and floor on which he lay. "Even is we must tear apart the country and burn every muggle village and town or London herself, we will find him and make him pay for his failures."
"And what of the Potter brat? Are you just going to forget about the fact that he is out there as well? Looking for some hopeless way to stop me from taking over the world?"
Bellatrix spoke up this time, "Never, My Lord! The Potter brat will be yours! We will bring them both to you! We will burn everything to find them and bring them to you, My Lord."
Voldemort regarded them both with his cold, red eyes.
"Naginiiii, my pet. What do you thhhhhink? Ssssshall I allow them a chancccce to correct their failuressss?"
The two writhing on the floor winced at the Parsletongue, knowing if he was speaking to her then their death and being her dinner were a high possibility.
Nagini slithered towards her Master, purposely allowing her heavy body pass over them, crushing the little bit of breath out of them as she went. She coiled up around His legs, bringing her head to rest on his shoulder. Unbothered, he reached up to stroke the cool scales on her head.
"The man reakssss of feeear. He just wisssshhhes to live. His female doesssss not. Shhheee reaks of anger. She wantssss the hatchhhhling dead. Shhhhee wants to pleeeassse you."
Voldemort smirked. "I believe you're jussst hungry and wisssh me to kill one."
"Beeee that asssss it may, Massster, he still only livesssss for himssself. If he doessssnt live to ssssserve you, he becomesssss a risssk. Shhheeee will live and die assss you wiissshh, will follow every order until itsssss done. Ssssspare her, feeeeed him to meeee."
He nodded and returned his attention to his two followers, who had caught a bit of their breath back and were watching the exchange carefully.
"It's been decided. Bellatrix, you're lucky Nagini is only a bit peckish."
Bellatrixs eyes flashed determination and she smirked. Her husbands eyes, however, widened in fear. He feebly tried to edge away as Nagini uncoiled herself from her Master and slithered towards him, flicking her tongue as if licking her lips.
"My Lord!" He exclaimed as she was nearly upon him.
"I don't need those in my service that may betray me, least of all for selfishness of ones own life, Rodolphus." He tilted his head, "Naginiiii, dinner."
Before another protest could be spoken, Nagini struck and latched upon Rodolphuss throat, his screams muffled by the gurgling blood and venom. Her powerful muscles constricted around his battered frame as he convulsed. Finally, his movements stilled and she freed her fangs. Rearing back she widened her jaw and enjoyed her dinner.
Bellatrix watched in rapt fascination as her husband was devoured by the beast. She had seen it done many times before but this was different. She had no emotional attachment to the brute she was married to. It didn't bother her in the slightest that he was now the reptiles dinner. What mattered to her was that she was given another chance to do her Masters bidding.
"Bellatrix." Her Lords voice rang sharp.
She pulled herself painfully to her knees at his feet, reaching out to kiss his robes. "My Lord." She whispered in reverence.
"You will search every day in every village, town, and hovel you can find. Each end of day you will report back to me. If you have not found him, you will scream and writhe in agony at my feet as you accept punishment. The longer you take to find one or both of them, the less I can guarantee your life. Am I clear?"
She nodded her head quickly, "Yes, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord for this opportunity."
His lip curled, "Dismissed."
She stood on unsteady feet and made her way out of the room, half walking half stumbling, but with a fire in her eyes. She rarely failed at anything. She would not fail him again.
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Dracos first thought was that death was not what he imagined it. Really, he didn't know what to expect. Some thought there was a Heaven or Hell or some other related places one would go to while others thought you just weren't anymore. Nothing but a memory. He liked to think there was something more than just darkness but he, like many others, just didn't know.
With all that in mind, this was not what he expected. It wasn't until he noticed he was still breathing and could still feel his magic, weak from his escape, flowing through his veins with his blood that he realized he was, in fact, still alive.
The revelation caused his eyes to fly open, moving around rapidly to try and take in his surroundings.
The first thing he noticed was the ceiling. It seemed to be that of a log cabin. Odd, he thought. The Manor was no where near any log cabins. But then again he had run rather far, way past the boundaries. It was at least plausible that somewhere on the surrounding lands that someone had a log cabin.
The second thing he noticed was that he was in a full body bind.
"What the bloody hell!?" He tried to shout, panic gripping him. His voice came out small and gravelly, as though he had not used it in a while.
There was a startled yelp and the sound of something metal hitting the floor before a girl came out of a doorway within is line of sight. His gray eyes locked onto her green as his mind tried to process everything.
"Who in Merlins name are you!?" He demanded, panic increasing.
She tilted her head at him then smiled warmly. "Draco, you must calm down. Getting worked up like that will undo all the healing I've done so far." She approached him slowly, wiping her hands on her apron. "I apologize for the body bind but you were badly injured and I didn't want you to thrash about in your sleep. You were completely blacked out as well so I had to levitate you here. The bind makes that a bit easier."
As she spoke memories began to flood back. His parents, the running, hiding in the hollow, sure that he was going to die, his unexpected apparition, and then her. He had asked her for help right before the darkness had taken him. His breathing slowed as his panic began to fade. Hopefully it was as it seemed, that she had helped him.
His eyes found hers watching him, waiting patiently for him to catch up.
"Could you please remove the bind?" He asked wairly.
She smiled and nodded. "I had hoped to be with you when you woke as to avoid scaring you but I felt I should get some food made. I felt that you would wake soon and had hoped to have something ready quickly. Obviously, I was not quick enough." She snapped her fingers and the binds were no more.
Stunned, he carefully sat up and gingerly rubbed his sore muscles.
"Yeah, I have potions for the aches but I wanted to wait until you were awake and had eaten first. Take them on an empty stomach more often then not will make you sick."
He nodded, agreeing with the assessment.
"How did you do that?" He asked her, looking around the room now that he could move properly.
"How did I do what?"
"You released me by snapping your fingers. Wandless and wordless."
She waved her hand at him as if to say no big deal. "Don't get all awestruck. Finite isn't a hard spell. I'm by no means a Master in wandless or wordless magic. Just a few spells. Ones I find important but just a few nonetheless."
"Better than me." He noted as he continued to take in the cozy living area. It was simple, the couch he was sitting on was long enough for his height and rather comfortable. The other furnishings were simple and of neutral colors, beige and earth tones. The walls confirmed that this was indeed a log cabin and he noticed a set of stairs leading up to a second story. There was artwork on the walls but not many portraits. He noticed some items that he couldn't identify and realized they may be muggle in origin. He looked back at his host and was still watching him with that patient smile.
"Um.." He coughed, a little embarrassed at being caught looking around. "Where are we?"
"My home, but more accurately, as I presume you were looking for a more geological answer, is technically the English Channel."
"I beg your pardon? Did you just say the English Channel?"
She laughed at his gobsmacked expression, "Indeed. This is my island. Unplottable and hidden from detection."
"Thats..." He looked out the window and in the morning light he saw a nice autumn day. No rainy or snowy skies or biting cold. Just sunshine and a coolness reminiscent of autumn. He looked back at her, "Thats not possible. Unless I have slept through all of three seasons, there should be snow on the ground."
She stood and held out her hand to him, "Can you stand?"
He looked at her hand before taking it with his own, "Yeah, I think so."
She helped him to his feet but kept hold of his hand as she walked him to the door. For a brief second he swore he saw that golden flash again. She reached out and opened the door and walked him out onto a patio that looked to wrap around the house. Before he could get a better look at the outside however his attention was grabbed by the tempestuous sea bashing itself against the cliff-side that dropped not even a kilometer away into its blackish waters. The waters of the Channel were familiar in their frothy waves and gray skies above. He turned his attention to the skies directly above him but was met with light cloud cover and sun. The majority of the storm seemed to wrap around the island.
"You have a ward strong enough to manipulate the weather around the island?" He asked.
She nodded. "My father, before he passed, found this island. It was small and unclaimed so he did so. Cast the wards with his blood, making it impossible to find unless invited and to keep out the worst of the weather that the sea would bring. I enjoy the sounds of the waves on the cliffs so I don't mess with that. Honestly, it would seem out of place if a ship passed by and saw the waves stopped against some invisible object. Sometimes, I let in the winter weather. Just enough for some snow but not badly enough that I have to deal with a blizzard. Between you and me, autumn is my favorite so I tend to keep it about there."
"Thats bloody brilliant. Your father must have been a powerful wizard." He spoke, suddenly remembering the loss of his own parents.
She smiled sadly at him and placed her hand on his shoulder, her voice low, "Yeah, he was."
They stood there together, looking out over the sea and watched as the waves continued to beat upon the cliffs without mercy, each lost to their own thoughts.
After a while had passed, he turned back to her, something she said piquing his curiosity.
"You said no one could get here unless invited, yes?"
She kept her eyes on the waves but nodded her acknowledgment.
"Then, how did I get here?" He asked.
She turned and looked to his eyes then to his wrist closest to her then back to his eyes. The movement did not go unnoticed.
"Those golden flashes, they weren't because of my injuries, were they? I really saw them."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You were always invited here, Draco. Ever since we first met." She opened her eyes, tilted her head, and chuckled. "Well, kind of met."
"But… I've never met you before. When I apparated here, that was the first time I had ever met you."
She clicked her tongue, "Ah, but was it the first time you had ever seen me? Or even spoken to me?"
His brow furrowed in confusion as he searched his memories. How could one see and speak to someone without having properly met them?
She walked in front of him to face him and leaned in close to whisper in his ear.
"Here's a hint. You first met me the first time you ran into the woods to escape your lessons and you saw me better with your eyes closed."
In an instant the memory came back to him full force. He closed his eyes as the memory of a five year old Draco getting fed up with his dragon lady of a tutor and running out the Manor to hide in the woods he so like to play in. His father had punished him severely for it but something had happened in the woods to make him not care. Something in fact that made him sneak away to the woods as much as he could until his Hogwarts years.
He walked and played along the paths as the woods gave way to the denser forest past the Malfoys boundaries. It had given him a little thrill as his father had always told him to stay within the boundaries. As he walked he came across a small clearing at the bottom of a hill that seemed out of place. He approached cautiously, for even at the age of five he was distrustful of such things, but upon reaching it noticed nothing untoward. It was just a clearing with a large hollowed out tree at its edge. He almost shrugged it off and went to leave but something had stopped him. Unsure of what it was he closed his eyes and sighed only to open them again quickly in surprise. He looked around but what he thought he had seen had gone or had not been there at all. He closed his eyes again and there! A girl! He knew he had seen her but doubt had stricken him, how can you see something without your eyes?
Now, he knew all about imagination, he was after all only five. His father had consistently tried to squash all sense of it from him but he still had one and used it often when he was bored or not particularly wanting to be a part of what was happening at the moment. However, he was usually the one to conjure up the images in his head, not one appear out of no where.
Was it perhaps the new clearing? While he didn't notice anything dangerous there was a faint magical energy around it different from the rest of the forest. He sat down and fought the urge to run away from the unfamiliar place and kept his eyes shut. The girl looked to be his age, black hair and pale skin. She was playing in a similar clearing also at the base of a hill with a similar looking tree at its edge. He watched as she danced in the sunlight, delighted by the butterflies that would fly around her as she twirled. He giggled and that seemed to catch her attention. She tilted her head, a tilt that Draco was beginning to recognize, and grinned a huge toothy grin as she ran up to him. She leaned down and he could see her jade green eyes full of wonder and excitement.
"Hi! I'm Tempest! But you can call me Tempy. I wondered when you would come to play. Daddy said you would but waiting is sooooo boring!"
A young five year old Draco was too thrilled and excited by the prospect of making a friend that he dismissed the strangeness of the whole situation.
"I'm Draco! You're right, waiting is dreadful!"
He spent hours playing with this girl, all the while sitting in the clearing with his eyes closed. When he got up to leave, he turned to say good bye to his new friend only to find her gone when she had been standing next to him not a minute before. He realized what he had done and had been upset, thinking that perhaps it really had all been his imagination.
After having answered to his father, his mother as assumed his melancholy had been due to that so she had let him be. She wasn't to know that he was actually mourning a friendship he thought he didn't truly have.
The memory started to fade but he caught flashes of other times he had gone to the clearing and had done the same thing and had found her each time. He stopped going that far out as he began to attend school and soon stopped going off the property altogether so it had been years since he had seen the clearing. He recalled getting flashes of the girl as he grew up but with his fathers teachings molding him into the bully he had become he dismissed the girl as a childhood fantasy. When he had started to question his father and himself, the flashes became more frequent and sometimes he could swear he could hear her talking to him. When the Dark Lord had returned, the flashes stopped completely. Sometimes he could feel something, a magic not his own, envelop him as if someone was embracing or holding him close. It felt familiar and safe, comfort in the dark that had become his life.
He opened his eyes and locked onto hers, a jaded green that he knew all too well. She smiled and tilted her head.
"Tempy?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"It's been a long time, Draco."