A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but school is really stupid right now. And I think finals are coming up, so I should play catch up. Since these chapters are short, I might be able to push out another chapter soon. If not, then you'll probably have to wait until next weekend.
Thanks for all the reviews and favorites and story alerts. This chapter might be changed later. Like, when I wake up. But it might not, because I'm lazy and I don't think it's that bad. I just think it might be a little underdeveloped. I'm the author, so I'm supposed to have a harsher opinion of my own work.
The only thing that matters is if yall like it. So, ReadPonderEnjoy.
Quinn and Rachel stared down at the Daily Prophet that Sam had laid out in front of them on the kitchen table the next morning. Their mug shots, along with eight other Death Eaters, were on the front page under the headline that urged everyone to contact the Ministry immediately if they ever came across these "extremely dangerous" escapees. The reward under Quinn's picture, her photographic self staring emotionlessly back up at her unlike the crazed and screaming images of the other Death Eaters, read 35,000 galleons. Rachel's reward, her picture not even meeting their eyes, was a surprising 45,000 galleons. The only non-Death Eater on the page was being made out to be one of the most dangerous of the convicts with one of the highest rewards for her head. Their crimes were written just under their bounty. Quinn's was murder.
Rachel Berry's crime read mass murder.
Quinn looked next to her at the small brunette who had her hand in a death grip. She ran her thumb over tense knuckles, causing misty brown eyes to look up at her. The blonde frowned and reached up to gently wipe the falling tears from the woman's face. She refused to believe that Rachel was capable of mass murder. It just couldn't be possible. But then in the distant recesses of her mind, she could remember hearing about the 'Berry girl' during the Death Eater meetings her father held while Voldemort was still out of power.
They couldn't be the same girl. For Merlin's sake, this was Rachel.
Quinn wrapped her arm around Rachel's waist, letting the brunette lay her head on her shoulder, and slid the newspaper across the table to Anna and Sam. She cleared her throat.
"How long do we have here?" she asked quietly, gripping Rachel's hip.
Sam waved his wand over the newspaper causing it to vanish and sighed deeply. His gray eyes held Quinn's and the regret that she could see clearly in his eyes told her that they didn't have long at all.
"I'm an Auror now, Quinn."
The two fugitives straightened up immediately, a wave of fear crashing through them. The grip on Rachel's hip only tightened as Quinn worried that she just led them right back into Azkaban with the Dementor's kiss waiting as a welcome back present. She narrowed her eyes at the couple in front of them, wondering what the hell it was they were playing at feeding them and letting them sleep here.
"Since when?"
Sam looked down at the table. "I began training a few months after you were arrested."
They stared at each other. Quinn's leg bounced up and down as she prepared herself to grab Rachel and leave, run away as far as she fucking could. She was not going back to the hell hole and she would kill first before she let Rachel go back there either. She tapped her fingers on the table.
"So why take care of us?" she whispered, her eyes hard, "Why not just turn us in?"
Sam furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.
"Because you're my best friend, Quinn."
Quinn allowed herself to relax only slightly, rubbing her thumb soothingly on Rachel's side as she continued to tremble. She looked between Anna and Sam, both looking regretful, before sighing.
"What does that mean?"
Sam reached over and stilled Quinn's tapping fingers.
"I'm not going to turn you in. But if you stay here then the chances of the both of you being recaptured are incredibly high," he explained quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You have to understand that if we could keep you both here, we would."
"We understand," Rachel whispered, her eyes trained to the wooden table. She just hoped they'd give them some food and water before they kicked them out into the cold. "You both don't deserve to get in trouble for helping us."
Quinn nodded and moved her hand to lace with Rachel's. "Just tell us when we need to leave. We'll be out of your hair and no one will ever have to know we were here."
Anna began to shake her head frantically. "Merlin, no, we're not just going to throw you out in the snow."
At the confused look on the two women's faces, Sam nodded.
"I have a cousin in the States that already said she'd take you two in," he chuckled and laid his arm over the back of his wife's chair, "In fact, she seemed rather excited to do it."
The fugitives' bodies sagged in relief. Quinn glanced over at Rachel and frowned at the distracted look still on her face. She squeezed her hand, trying to get Rachel look at her with no success. She sighed and glanced back over at Sam and Anna who were pretending they weren't watching them. She shook her head, trying to ignore the hurt she felt in her heart.
"Does she know about us?"
Sam scratched at his chin looking a little sheepish.
"I explained the basics, but I'm not quite sure she fully understood. Regardless, she was happy to take you guys."
Quinn nodded in a daze and looked back of at Rachel who was still burning a hole into table with her gaze. She squeezed the brunette's hand to pull her out of her head. She didn't look up, but she squeezed back and Quinn accepted that that was probably all she was going to get. She turned back to Sam.
"How long do we have?" she asked again.
"A few Aurors are coming by for lunch tomorrow. I'll have a portkey set up and scheduled to leave at 9:00am sharp."
Quinn sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It was easy to stay with Sam because she's known him her entire life. She didn't know Sam's cousin. This was a complete shot in the dark, but they still had a place to stay thousands of miles away from Azkaban, so she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Whatever that meant. Quinn shook her head.
Silly Muggle sayings.
"Thanks, Sam," she said quietly, gratefully. She stood up from the table, suddenly feeling exhausted from the "excitement" of the morning. She pulled Rachel up with her, who looked just as tired as she, and gave a small smile to Sam and Anna. "We'll be in the room."
They nodded in understanding; years in Azkaban and traveling in the snow for a week afterwards would make anyone exhausted for months. Anna smiled at them.
"I'll call you when lunch is ready."
They nodded their thanks and Quinn led Rachel out of the kitchen and down the hall to the bedroom. Rachel walked to the bed as Quinn shut the door behind them and she sat down on the edge of the soft mattress. The blonde leaned against the door and stared at Rachel who had her head bowed down. Tears dripped off the tip of her nose and when she wiped them away with a sniff, Quinn couldn't take it anymore. She walked forward until she stood just in front of the crying brunette and cupped her cheek to tilt her face up. She wiped the tears away with her thumb and frowned at the broken look in Rachel's eyes.
She guided Rachel into a soft chaste kiss, leaning their foreheads together when she pulled away. Rachel reached to grab the hand that still cupped her cheek, closing her eyes at the calloused yet still soft skin. They stayed that way for a moment, Quinn waiting for the flow of Rachel's tears to stem. When Rachel was reduced to just small sniffles, Quinn grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her to the head of the bed. She lied down and Rachel immediately placed her head on her shoulder, molding her body against hers. Quinn placed a kiss on the brown bed of hair and wrapped her arms protectively around the trembling woman that she still hardly knew. She wanted to pry. She was beyond curious about Rachel, especially now that she's seen what her crime was claimed to be. But for now, as Rachel's stray tears wet her t-shirt, she was content just to hold her.
She would always be content just to hold her.
When Quinn woke up an hour or so later, she was alone. She reached over to the other side of the bed and frowned when she found the sheets to be cold. Her heart pounded in her chest again and she shook her head at herself; her body always seemed to panic whenever Rachel wasn't within reaching distance of her. She would worry that she was becoming dependant on the small brunette, but now, after everything that's happened and everything that was bound to happen, she needed somebody to depend on.
Come tomorrow, Rachel would truly be the only thing she'd have left in the world.
She stood up with a stretch and dragged her feet out of the bedroom to the kitchen, her frown only deepening when the only person in there was Anna fixing food at the stove. The brunette turned away from the simmering pot and smiled at Quinn, letting go of the spoon that kept stirring as she wiped her hands on the towel over her shoulder.
"Rachel went outside with Sam to gather some firewood," she told her with a small knowing smirk.
Quinn blushed and nodded her head shyly as she made her way to the back door. She peeked out the window and spotted Sam by the edge of the trees carrying an armful of wood. Next to him with a skinny branch being carried in her mouth was Rachel, her dark brown fur flecked with snow. She chuckled, feeling her heart swell at the sight, and pushed the door open. She changed, sighing in relief when her fur kept her warm against the blistering cold, and made her way towards them. When she got closer Rachel turned her head to look at her, like she felt her approach, and her tail swished as she pranced towards her.
Quinn bent her head down to let Rachel brush against it and gave her a small lick to the side of her muzzle, both of them purring at the contact. Sam turned to look at them, smiling softly at their show of affection.
"Hey, Quinn," he said softly and stepping forward, juggling with the wood so that he could pet her on the head. He tugged at her ear and chuckled when she shook her head and growled at him. "So, did you come out here to help us gather firewood or just cuddle with your girlfriend?"
If they could blush, they would've. Instead Quinn just growled again and glared at him. He held up his hand in surrender and turned away with a small laugh. The lion rolled her eyes at his back and looked down at Rachel who sat at her feet with a hopeful look in her eyes, the branch still in her mouth. They've never talked about what they would label their relationship. It was always one thing that just didn't need to be discussed. They needed each other. That was it. Having someone else label their relationship for them was a little awkward and there was that worry that hearing the G word would cause a rift.
With a surge of confidence, the lion leaned down and licked on the side of the cat's head, making Rachel purr contentedly. The cat's eyes shined happily up at Quinn and she returned the lick, accepting the silent offer of a romantic companion before they followed Sam through the woods, walking pressed up against each other. After about twenty minutes of gathering the pieces of dry wood they could find, Anna came out and called for lunch. The three of them walked back to the house, each of them carrying their own load of wood. Rachel and Quinn shook their fur free of the flakes of snow before changing and following Sam into the magically warm house.
They were eating Anna's delicious meal in the midst of comfortable conversation when that sick, familiar despair crept into their body. Rachel's fork fell from her shaking fingers and the sound of it clanging on the plate was faint in Quinn's ears under the anguished screaming in her head. She felt sick.
Mum?
Next to her, Anna gasped and her fingers dug into her husband's forearm.
"Sam," she whispered, her eyes wide and panicked as she stared at the small window above the sink that looked out into the backyard. Sam, Quinn and Rachel looked over and the color drained from all of their faces at the three masked figures walking towards the house from the woods. A couple of Dementors floated behind them. They all stood up and Sam and Anna whipped out their wands.
"Go into the bedroom," Sam told them, his face hard and ready for a fight. He grabbed Anna's hand waved his wand. A silver shimmering fox erupted from the tip, waiting for instruction. Anna mirrored him and a silver swan patronus flew up into the air and out of the window. "Anna will lock you in."
Quinn nodded and had to drag a practically catatonic Rachel towards the bedroom, Anna following quickly behind them. They could just hear Sam tell his patronus to get help before the sound of shattered glass pierced their ears. Anna all but threw them into the bedroom, a whimper of Sam's name tumbling from her lips. When she waved her wand, the wall slid closed over the window and Quinn caught a glimpse of Anna's worried face before the door slammed shut and disappeared to create a fourth solid wall.
Quinn closed her eyes as the Dementor's influence began to disappear, but her arms only tightened around Rachel's trembling form when the house shook around them. The muffled shouts of curses and jinxes could be hear beyond their haven and, against her neck, Quinn could feel the faint whimpers coming from Rachel. She leaned back to get a glimpse of the brunette's face, her eyes shut tight as she shook her head and mumbled indiscernible words under her breath.
"Rachel," she whispered, her hand rising to wipe away the tears from Rachel's cheek. "Look at me."
More spells crashed into the house and the voices in the hallway successfully caused Rachel to snap open her eyes, but they were filled with fear as they stared at the wall beyond Quinn's shoulder. Quinn hugged her tightly to her chest as she turned them around to face where the door used to be.
"What the – she should be right here!"
"Arg! You led us to another dead end!"
"No! I swear! She has to be he – "
The faint pops of the apparating Aurors only caused the fear to spike even higher in their racing hearts. Quinn bent her head down until her lips were right by Rachel's ear.
"Rachel, I'm right here," she breathed into her ear. "I'm right here, baby."
"Quinn," Rachel whimpered into her neck, "Oh Merlin, they're here, they found us, everyone found us."
Quinn squeezed her arms tightly around Rachel, trying to still her shivering body.
"I won't let them have you."
Rachel froze at the growl in her ear. Quinn pulled away and their eyes met, the hazel orbs bright and fierce. She cupped the brunette's cheek, leaning their heads together.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
Rachel closed her eyes as she let those words flows through her, granting her a sense of protection regardless of how false it may be. They stood like that together in the middle of the room, their lips brushing together with every breath they took as they listened to the commotion die down beyond the walls. The Dementor's effects were completely gone and she doubted the Death Eaters would've stayed after reinforcements arrived. Once the Aurors were gone then Quinn could breathe a little easier. If anyone got hurt, if Sam and Anna got in trouble, if they got arrested then it would all be on Quinn's hands.
It would be all her fault.
Time lost all meaning as they waited and, when the window and door reappeared, Quinn pushed Rachel behind her and turned around, waiting and prepared for anyone to come in. The doorknob turned and Quinn could feel the growl bubbling in her throat.
"Quinn?" The two women both deflated with relief when Sam poked his face into the bedroom. He smiled at them, his hair in disarray and dried blood on his face, but the cuts were already healed. "Death Eaters and Dementors are gone. The other Aurors went to track them down."
He opened the door all the way and immediately found himself in the clutches of Rachel as she rushed up to him and wrapped him in a big hug.
"Thank you so much," she whispered against his chest. He chuckled and patted her on the back.
"It's never a problem, Rachel," he said, catching Quinn's eyes over Rachel's shoulder. Rachel pulled away and gave him a small smile, the tears still falling absently down her cheeks.
Quinn walked forward and wrapped her arms around Sam's neck. She closed her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Sam."
"Shush," he whispered, his arms squeezing around her waist. "Don't ever apologize because I chose to protect you."
Quinn shook her head and opened her eyes meeting the still kind and understanding blue eyes of Anna staring back at her, dried blood on her face as well. She was lucky to have friends like Sam and Anna at this time in her life.
She only frowned when she remembered that she would have to leave them behind.
The day dragged on with much less excitement after that as the house was magically fixed and Sam had to stop by the Ministry to report on what happened. At night, Quinn and Rachel laid in bed together in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Rachel traced a finger over the soft thumping of Quinn's heart. She had so many plans for her future when she was younger. So many dreams. None of them included being a fugitive and choosing to run and live with a woman she hardly knew. She placed a small kiss over Quinn's heart, smiling softly when it began to race.
"Tell me something about yourself, Quinn."
Quinn huffed a chuckle, raking her fingers through Rachel's hair. She hummed to herself as she pondered. "I'm thirty-three. I think."
Rachel giggled. "You think?"
"I've sort of lost track of the time," Quinn shrugged, placing a kiss on top of her head. "Your turn."
"I'm thirty-one. December eighteenth," Rachel told her, moving her head to find a more comfortable place on Quinn's chest if it were possible. "You better remember it."
Quinn chuckled and nodded. "I'll never forget."
They continued this game of getting to know each other for a few hours. Quinn learned how Rachel studied to become an animagus because she was bored one summer going into her seventh year of school and how she was born as an Empath. Rachel, in return, learned that Quinn and Sam's fathers were childhood friends and that, unlike her, Quinn was forced to become an animagus, as well as a Legilimen and an Occlumen. Rachel went to Hogwarts. Quinn went to Durmstrang. The conversation continued to run smoothly, but died down into a tense silence when they came across the last thing that still waited to be discussed. Something weighed their tongue down whenever the opportunity arrived to confess their crimes or pry it from the other girl. How were they supposed to ask about that?
How were they supposed to talk about the very worst aspects of their life?
Instead, Rachel cuddled into Quinn's body and closed her eyes, letting the conversation sit on the back burner for another night. She sighed and placed a small kiss on the soft skin of the pale warm neck in front of her.
"Good night, Quinn."
Quinn closed her eyes, letting out a disappointed breath. Soon, she'll ask.
Soon.
"Good night, Rachel,"
The next morning, they gave Anna and Sam really, really tight hugs and plenty of thanks as they waited for departure time of the old, broken clock that was serving as their portkey. Quinn squeezed Sam tightly, fighting against the tears that welled up in her eyes when she realized that this may be the last time she will be able to see her best friend.
"Thank you for everything, Sam," she whispered, hearing the faint hum of the portkey sitting on the kitchen table. "I'll miss you so much."
Sam kissed her on the forehead and gave her a soft smile, "I'll miss you, too. We'll write. I promise."
Quinn smiled and wiped at her tears as she nodded, hiking up the small satchel filled with borrowed clothes that Anna had given them. She traced her eyes over Sam's face, trying to remember every feature before she was forced to turn away from the brother she wished she had. The humming of the portkey got louder and she gave a quick, tight, grateful hug to Anna before grabbing Rachel's hand and placing a couple of fingers on the vibrating clock. Rachel placed a finger on the clock as well before turning to Sam and Anna who watched them with a smile. Anna waved at them as they began to feel that pull at their navel. Sam beamed at them.
"Tell Brittany I say hi," he told them before the portkey dragged them to their destination half way across the world.
Just before the pulling and the spinning became too much for Quinn, they were unceremoniously dumped on the floor of a small bedroom. Quinn groaned as she closed her eyes and waited for the world to settle and she felt Rachel burrow her face into her shoulder. It had been far too long since she had travelled by portkey and now she remembered why that was her least favorite method of transportation. She brought a hand to massage her head when the sound of rushing footsteps sounded out in the hallway and the door to the bedroom they found themselves in burst open. The two fugitives looked up startled at the two women that stood in the doorway. The brunette Latina narrowed her eyes dangerously and whipped out her wand, pointing it at their heads.
"Who the fuck are you?" she seethed, stepping forward into the room.
Quinn and Rachel stood up and backed away, Quinn making sure that she stood in front of Rachel. Another threatening growled rumbled in her throat and the Latina just arched an eyebrow at her, her grip tightening on the handle of her wand. Rachel placed a calming on the small of Quinn's back just as the blue eyed blonde that had been looking at them curiously beamed and skipped forward.
"Did Sammy send you?" she asked excitedly. The other witch looked over at the tall blonde in confusion, her wand hand faltering only slightly. When the fugitives nodded their heads hesitantly she squealed and wrapped them both in a tight hug. "Yay! I totally forgot you were coming!"
"Britt?" the Latina said, glancing at the strangers that literally popped out of nowhere into their guest bedroom and finding them both to be just as confused. "You know these two?"
"No," Brittany said happily, finally letting them go to breathe.
"You don't?"
Brittany shook her head, the smile still on her face. "I'm just meeting them right now, silly. They're Sammy's friends."
The Latina dropped let her wand arm drop slowly to her side, a watchful eye still on Quinn and Rachel. "Sammy? Your cousin in England or wherever?"
Brittany nodded her head and held out her hand to the two bemused women. "Hi, I'm Brittany."
Rachel grabbed her hand and shook it gently with a small smile. "Rachel. And this is Quinn," she patted Quinn on the arm as the former Death Eater shook her hand.
Brittany seemed absolutely delighted they introduced themselves to her and grabbed the woman's arm next to her. "This is my wife, Santana. San, be nice."
Santana pursed her lips and Quinn noticed that her eyes were trained on her bandaged left forearm. The Latina crossed her arms over her chest, her wand still held firmly in her hand.
"What are you doing here?"
Brittany answered her with a smile. "They're going to be living here."
Santana whipped her head to her wife, her eyes widened in disbelief. "Wha – we don't even fucking know them!"
"San," the blonde said tugging at her hand and Quinn noticed the resolve break behind the dark brown eyes. Much like her resolve broke whenever Rachel pouted at her. "I already said they could. They have nowhere else to go."
The Latina clenched her jaw in frustration and she looked between Brittany's pleading blue eyes. Her fist shook by her sides. With a defeated growl, Santana turned her eyes to the two fugitives, the dark orbs swirling with suspicion and distrust before she turned on her heel and stomped out of the room, mumbling a string of Spanish profanities under her breath. Brittany watched her leave with a small frown before turning back to Rachel and Quinn with a large, genuine, smile.
"Don't mind her," she told them, "You are both welcome here."
Rachel smiled at her and nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.
Brittany beamed and jumped forward to hug them again.
"I'll let you two get settled," she told them as she walked backwards towards the hallway. "Just come out and follow your ears when you want to come find us. I'll give you a tour!"
She bumped clumsily into the doorway with a giggle and waved at them before shutting the door. They could hear her fading footsteps skipping down the hall. The two women let out a breath of relief when they were left alone and Rachel sat down heavily at the edge of the bed. Quinn looked around the plain bedroom they found themselves in. There was only a full bed, a dresser much too large for the handful of clothes that they had, and an old desk pushed in the corner. This didn't have the same comfortable atmosphere that Sam's house had, especially when Santana obviously didn't want them there. But as her eyes fell on Rachel who was observing the room as well from her place on them bed, she couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness.
Rachel was here with her. Everything was fine.
Quinn stepped forward until she stood between Rachel's legs, bringing the brunette's attention to her. Rachel's brown eyes were wet with tears and Quinn would've worried if it weren't for that bright smile on her face. Rachel wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist and hugged her so that her head rested against Quinn's stomach.
"We got away," she whispered.
Quinn smiled and nodded, raising her hand to run her fingers through Rachel's hair. Her eyes fell to her forearm and the new, thicker bandages that Anna applied that morning, along with a fresh cooling charm, had a faint brown mark showing.
The Dark Mark was already beginning to burn through.
Quinn turned her arm away, hiding the mark as she hugged Rachel to her. They'll be looking for her. They'll always be looking for her.
"Yeah," she whispered, swallowing against the lump in her throat. "We got away."
A/N: Seemed a little rushed. But I don't know, I still sort of like it. And I know a lot of people are curious as to why Quinn and Rachel were in Azkaban and I teased the reveal again. Sorry. Soon though, I promise.
Durmstrang was made to seem like an all boys school in the movies, but in the books it is co-ed. So that's where Quinn went, even though she's British and her home school, I guess you could say, would've been Hogwarts.
This chapter was originally going to have more into it with Santana and Brittany, but it'll be included in the next chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed this.