Chapter 6

Harry's eyes opened slowly. He shifted, snuggling closer to his Mother. It was warm in the bed and he really didn't want to move. This room was safe. In here, they couldn't hear the screams and moans of the other prisoners. They were safe from the effects of the dementors. He wished he could stay here, curled up against his Mother, but that was not to be. It would be time for the guards to bring breakfast soon, and if they weren't out there, there would be trouble. "Mum," he whispered. "Mum, you awake?"

Lily grunted. A warm hand emerged from the covers and stroked his hair. Green eyes opened, and her lips curved up in a smile. "Hey Love, how are you doing today?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Mum, we're stuck in a prison. Our days are all the same."

"You may have a point, but it could be worse."

Harry shuddered. "Yeah, we could be without this room."

"That's right," Lily said climbing out of bed. She watched as Harry climbed out of his side. She frowned sadly at the ripped and torn robes he wore.

They'd been stuck in this hell for five years. Of course, since they didn't provide adequate food; they couldn't be bothered to provide clothes either. In desperation to clothe her growing son, Lily had used what magic she had to transmute his baby clothes into a tiny set of robes. She had increased the size as he grew, and mended the clothes when they'd become worn, but normal cloth could only be mended so many times. Walking over, she pulled the robes straight, and with a twitch of her fingers, she mended a rip going up one side of the robes.

"That's all I can manage right now," she said softly. "I'm sorry, son."

Harry smiled at her. "It's alright, Mum, I know you're doing your best."

Lily kissed his forehead. "Thank you, now come on, and let's get out there before the guards show up. It's almost breakfast time."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "I don't see why we need to get excited," he grumbled. "All we get is salted water and stale bread."

"I know the foods not the best, but at least we're being fed."

"I know, I know," Harry mumbled. He looked up at her, green eyes meeting green. "I just wish that I could have some Bacon, or eggs, or that oatmeal I heard about once."

Lily winced. For the millionth time, she cursed Dumbledore for allowing them to be locked up here. "We will get out of here someday," she said, taking his hand. "Once we do, you can have anything you want for breakfast, I promise."

Harry allowed his Mother to lead him back into the cell, the door to their room closing and fading into the wall behind them. Lily walked over to the cot, and with a wave of her hand, dispelled the illusion of her and Harry sleeping there.

Lily sat down on the cot and Harry followed suit. "What will you be teaching me today?"

Lily looked around the cell. She felt her heart leap into her throat. Forcing herself to relax, she looked closely at the walls, the metal of the cot, and even the floor. Tentatively, she reached for her magic. It came roaring back, filling her with energy. She could feel her senses sharpening, expanding. Her magic pushed against the iron grate, trying to explore her surroundings. Slowly, she drew her magic back inside herself before looking over at Harry. She looked over at Harry, frowning when she noticed he was staring at her. "What?"

"You're glowing."

Lily looked down at herself and grimaced. He was right. Her pale skin gave off a faint glow. Quickly, she pulled her magic back inside herself. "Thanks," she whispered to Harry.

"Don't mention it," he whispered back, "but why were you glowing?"

Lily looked around furtively, feeling like a character in a prison movie. She sighed in relief. The guards hadn't shown up yet. She had a little time. "My magic has been fully restored," she whispered. "The runes are gone."

Harry's eyes lit up. "So I can learn magic faster now?" he whispered back, almost bouncing.

Lily placed a hand on his knee to calm him. "Shh, I may be able to teach you more, but I want to contact your Father first."

"What for?"

Lily leaned so close, her breath tickled his ear. "It may be time to escape."

The excitement faded from Harry's eyes. They suddenly looked like two chips of green ice. "Really," he said flatly.

Lily nodded. "Yes, what's wrong?"

Harry stared straight ahead. "If we do escape, what then? Do you think the wizards will just take us back with open arms?"

"I have a plan," Lily said quietly. I have a small cottage that James and the ministry never knew about. We can go there."

"Will we always have to hide?" Harry asked in a small voice. "Will we always have to fear being captured every time we leave our home?"

Lily felt her heart break a little at his sad lost tone. "No, Love, we'll find a way to be free, I promise."

Harry looked up at her, his face set. When he spoke, his voice was full of determination. "What do I need to do?"

XXX

Puck leaned back against the wall, chewing on the last strip of meat on his plate. He'd ceased using glamour on the food. After a while you couldn't remember what regular food tasted like. Without those memories, it became increasingly difficult to fool yourself into thinking you were eating Steak and baked potato when it all tasted like fatty meat and stale bread. It had been another boring day in Azkaban. Puck had quickly found that it didn't matter that there weren't suppression runes on his cell. He couldn't use any magic for fear of exposing himself. If it'd just been himself, he may have considered letting the world know what he was, but there was Harry to think of. He would not risk the ministry knowing that there were three elves in the world instead of two.

He grit his teeth. Damn them. They'd put an innocent child here without a second thought. When he got out of here, they were all going to pay.

He'd managed to have some contact with Harry and Lily. Lily usually used the same blood magic he'd contacted her with to get in touch once a week. It wasn't as much as he'd like, but it was something. Harry appeared to be growing up nicely, or as nicely as one could if they were being raised in prison. Lily was teaching him magic and the kid was soaking it up like a sponge. 'Thank goodness the runes are weakening,' he thought. 'At least Harry's able to get a bit of an education.' Puck ran a hand across his face. What was he going to do?

He had to get Harry and Lily out of here, no matter the cost. He didn't want his son growing up in a place like this. The poor kid had spent too much time here as it was. The wizard guards weren't the problem. Puck was sure that he would be able to dispatch any they came across. The problem was the dementors. How did you stop something that could literally suck out your soul? Before making any moves, he had to figure out how to keep the soul sucking fiends at bay. A faint red glow appeared floating in the air just to his left, distracting him. The glow swiftly formed the image of a woman's face. A soft whisper filled the cell. "Puck, can you hear me?"

Puck sat up straight, staring at Lily's face floating before him. "lily," he whispered back. "Is that you?"

Lily's image rolled her eyes. "Who else would it be the Easter bunny?"

"Baby, I'd love to see you in a bunny outfit," Puck said leering at her.

"Will you focus," Lily snapped. "The runes are gone."

Puck froze. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I've had more access to my magic than I've had in years."

Puck's face lit in an enormous grin. "Do you have a plan for getting out of here?"

"Almost, the only problem is the dementors."

Puck scratched his chin. "I may have an idea, but you're not going to like it."

"You won't know until you tell me."

XXX

"I hate this plan," Lily grumbled.

Harry shrugged. "Dad told you so."

"Remind me again why it has to be you though?"

"Because the dementors are kind of like pedophiles according to Dad. He said that the younger you are, the more they'd be drawn to you."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Harry, you are five. Did your Father explain what a pedophile was?"

Harry nodded. "He said they were people that offered you candy, and then kidnapped you and hurt you."

Lily sighed in relief. "Close enough."

"So what do I do, exactly?"

"I will use my magic to get you out of the cell. Once out, all you have to do is walk down the hallway. The dementors will no doubt notice you are out and come after you."

Harry's small face wrinkled in a frown. "How do I get back in the cell? I'll need to get back in or the dementors will eat my soul. Another thing, how are you going to get us out of here? You said that our magic wasn't effective against iron."

Lily smiled sadly. He may be only five, but he was already far too mature for his age. "Leave that to me."

XXX

The next night, Lily gently shook Harry awake. "I've scanned the prison. The guards are gone. It's only the dementors here now."

Harry sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Now what?"

"Watch and learn." She held her hands out, palms facing the stone on either side of the iron grate that served as their door. The air around the stone shimmered. "It's true that our magic isn't as affective on iron: however," the stone began to glow white hot. Harry could feel the heat rolling off the stone. It felt as if he were sitting near a warm fire. Something dripped slowly down the wall and landed on the floor with a soft plop. A few seconds later, another drop fell, and then another. His eyes widening, Harry looked from the puddle on the floor back to his Mother.

"Is that… the iron?"

Lily nodded, her face still creased in concentration. The shape of the door was definitely altered now. What had once been a circular grate just big enough to fit the stone doorway was now sagging inward, taking on a more rectangular shape. There was a soft splashing sound and the melted wreck of the door fell out of the wall, leaving a small hole where it had been. No sooner had it hit the floor, Lily pulled every bit of heat out of the air around the molten iron, causing the liquid metal to flash freeze in a matter of seconds. Panting, she fell back on the cot, sweat running down her face. "Now it's your turn."

Hesitantly, Harry walked over to the frozen iron. Cautiously, he stepped over the metal, squeezed through the hole, and slipped into the hallway. As he stood outside the cell, he gulped. He'd never been out of his cell before. Where was he supposed to go? What direction was he supposed to take? What if he got lost and couldn't find his way back to the cell?

"Easy," a soft voice said from the cell across from his. "Easy, Harry. It's alright, don't panic. Just walk a few steps down the hall and then come straight back. This is the maximum security section. The dementors are probably not far from here."

Harry looked in the direction where the voice had come from and saw a pair of storm grey eyes staring at him. "Dad?"

The eyes gleamed. "Yes, son, it's me."

Harry shifted nervously. This was the first time he'd spoken to his Father face to face. He had so many questions, but this wasn't the time. "What if they catch me before I get back to the cell?"

"They won't," Puck reassured. "Ten steps, remember. Do not take any more than that. Take ten steps, and then come straight back here, alright?"

Harry nodded. Straightening his shoulders, Harry began walking down the hallway, counting his steps as he went.

XXX

Puck watched his son walk down the hall. His throat tightened. Why did the ministry have to employ those fowl creatures? What if the dementors were closer than he thought? What if Harry didn't make it back to Lily in time? 'Quit it,' he screamed in his own head. He couldn't let his imagination run wild. He had to be calm. "Come on Harry," he whispered. "You can do it."

XXX

Harry hadn't quite reached the tenth step when he felt it. An icy chill began to seep down the hallway. As soon as the cold wind touched his skin, he stopped. Moving quickly, he turned back towards the cells and froze.

A figure stood there, covered from head to foot in a long black cloak. It glided towards him, its hooded head nearly brushing the ceiling as it moved. Harry stumbled backwards, feeling the cold radiating from the creature. In the back of his mind, he heard a woman pleading.

"Please, let me out. I want to help raise my son." His vision began to blur. It was getting harder to breathe. Two rotting hands shot out, impossibly fast, clamping on his shoulders. The dementor began lowering its hooded head towards Harry.