***The perspective has changed back to third person***

Cold, damp, sadness. Those are some of the words that can't even begin to describe Azkaban. The dementors who presided over the prison only made the experience worse. The giant monster held captive hundreds of followers of Voldemort and other notorious criminals. Among the poor souls, there were few who kept their wits. The prison claimed even the strongest of minds. In Azkaban, years were minutes and days felt like lifetimes.

The top floor of the prison held the highest-security prisoners. This is where Clare was being held. There she plotted her escape and what was to come after. Keeping track of time on the walls, she planned to leave on her 28th birthday.

Devotedly she scraped into the wall. Each day practicing any form of magic she could manage without a wand. Growing stronger for when the day came. Continually she solicited loyalty and help from her fellow prisoners. They encouraged her to take up her father's mantle. She was born to lead, like they were born to follow. Many of the other prisoners just needed a cause to fight for, and she gave them just that.

When the day of her escape came, her allies caused a commotion to distract the dementors and she broke down the wall. Scaling down the tower, she jumped into the ocean to escape notice.

Azkaban was miles from the shore line. However, the distance was not impossible to travel, especially when muggle ships traversed in those waters. After she had swam two miles, a large ocean liner spotted her and fished her out of the dark waters. They had no idea of the risk they were taking by allowing her onto their boat.

A muggle named Alicia greeted her and gave her clothes to wear and food to eat. Clare was happy to be helped even from non-magicals. She was actually quite amazed by how they existed in absence of magic. However while in the Dark Lord's service, she kept her views to herself.

Within hours the boat had docked in Ireland and Clare was on dry land, out of the clutches of the ministry.

With no muggle or wizard currency, she just followed the trail of magic and oddity every wizard leaves behind. This led her to a hidden wizard pub where she acquired floo powder in order to travel to London.

When Clare arrived in London, the first thing she saw was the Daily Prophet with a headline revealing that the long forgotten daughter of Voldemort had escaped from prison and was on the move. Inconveniently, they had an up-to-date photograph of her on the front page, so she had to stay out of sight in any way possible.

Previously being a part of the wizard underworld, Clare knew where to hide and who to call. Retrieving her Gringotts key by illegal means, she arrived at the bank, where goblins were only concerned with her money.

She opened and withdrew the contents of her account, and split the scene, barely dodging the authorities. By the time she left, the bank was swarming with ministry officials, journalists, and concerned wizards.

Her cloak helped to conceal her as she fled the scene. Although many people saw her, they didn't recognize her because the crazed photo of her, unkempt hair, tattered clothes, and ragged face, in the Prophet obscured her beauty. How she looked that day was a different story: fresh clothes, and cleaned hair. Only people from her past would be able to recognize her.

It was good for her to be back in her old clothes. They gave her an identity, something that they tried to strip from her in Azkaban.

Not having anywhere else to turn, Clare traveled to her cousin's old home. The place she knew all too well. It was her torture room, her prison, her home, a place that held many painful memories for her.

Keeping her head down, Clare walked up to the door. Hesitantly, she knocked.

The door was quickly answered. A voice spoke "Who are you?"

She spoke "A friend."

The voice replied with barely a whisper "A friend to the purebloods?" This was an old sort of password to tell the difference between the death eaters and ministry officials that came to visit their home base.

"Only to them."

The door opened slowly, the chain still in place. A blonde headed man stood, his face pale and body tensed. But at the sight of the woman, his face lightened.

She smiled. "Draco! Are you going to let me in or shall I freeze out here?"

He quickly closed the door and took the chain out. As he opened the door his face was shocked, but he embraced her immediately.

He spoke. "Clare! Oh I feared you were someone else. Is that truly you? You look so much older! I thought I would never see you again after your trial." He let her in the house, took her cloak, and sat with her in the sitting room. "I was there, you know."

"Thank you for being there Draco."

He saw by her reserved face, he needed to change the subject. "So they let you out early?"

Again her face dropped. "No Draco, I left that hell hole on my own terms. Haven't you been reading the papers?"

His eyes widened.

"All the papers are spreading fear that I'm out for blood, more than my father was. They think I'm going to kill anyone who gets in my way."

"Why did you escape?"

Clare laughed. "Anyone who has even visited there wouldn't blame me for leaving. The place is pure madness Draco. It's always cold and not only in the physical sense."

"Clare, do you have an agenda?"

"Yes."

"I can't help you. I have—"

She interrupted him. "All I need is time to brew a polyjuice potion, then I will leave you alone."

"No, no it's not like that. It's just I have other people I have to take care of"

She looked at him astonished. She looked down at his left hand, to her suspicions he had a golden ring adorning it.

"Well then congratulations are in order. I'm happy for you Draco."

Jealousy gripped her stomach, she had never had the chance to even consider marriage. She had spent most of the prime of her life in Azkaban.

"I have a wife and son. I married Astoria Greengrass." He swelled with pride as he spoke about his family.

Clare seeing this made her happy for her close cousin. "That's absolutely brilliant. We can discuss this madness later. Let me meet your wife."

Draco was happy to drop the subject. "Astoria?" He called.

"Yes love?" she replied.

"I have someone for you to meet."

Footsteps sounded coming down the stairs. "Really? Is that who came through the door?"

His wife came down the stairs. She was not outstandingly beautiful, but she did have a glow to her. "Who is this Draco?"

Draco took Clare over to Astoria as he spoke. "This is my cousin on my mother's side, Clare…. Riddle."

She smiled at Clare and took her hand. "It's nice to meet some of Draco's other family. His parents live here, but everyone else…" her sentence drifted off.

Clare turned hostile, "Draco your parents aren't in Azkaban? How did they—"

Draco cut her off with a sharp look.

So she turned back to his wife. "Anyways, I hear you two had a baby boy?"

With that their conversation turned toward family, and how the two fell in love. Astoria talked about how Draco took a long time to gain up the courage to ask her to marry him. Draco, of course, denied it profusely.

Clare met their child and had dinner with them. Draco's wife retired early to the bedroom and the two had time to talk. They wandered into the family room and sat down. She knew what she was asking from him was a very large favor. She, by being there, would put his whole family in danger.

Clare broke the silence between them. "Your wife is truly beautiful."

"Thank you. Clare, today has helped me decide what to do. You may stay here as long as you need. However, you must stay out of the papers. I love you, but I will not risk my family's safety for you. And, please explain to me what is going on."

Clare breathed a heavy sigh. "You must swear to me that you will never speak of what I am about to tell you. You must make the unbreakable vow."

Draco agreed. After he had made the vow, she told him the truth of the situation.

"Draco, these last ten years of peace have caused tension among old followers of Voldemort. I heard whisperings within Azkaban of a new force joining together to finish my father's work. Many told me the uprising needs a leader. Many wanted to appoint me as that leader. There is a man, who is in Azkaban, who asked me to lead this with him. So I broke out. I will return to free the others trapped in Azkaban."

Draco's face was severely disturbed. "And what do you hope to achieve by plunging the world into another wizard war?"

"I hope to rid the world of corruption."

Draco's face was melancholy as he said quietly "Just don't make me do anything." He feared being forced into a cause as he had been previously. He went through much pain because of that conscription, as did his parents.

Clare looked at him, sympathetic towards his fear. "Draco, you should know me well enough to know I won't put anyone through what we went through."

He was ashamed to admit his doubt. "I'm sorry. I just don't know who you are, Azkaban changes people. It changed you. What happened to hating your father and everything he stood for?"

"Trust me, I still hate him with every bone in my body. I saw the truth in the midst of evil, and I can't just ignore that."

"Okay I will support you. However, I will not participate in this in any other way."

Clare embraced Draco. "All I ask is my family stick by my side."

"I will."

Clare brought up his parents. "Draco, are your parents living here?"

Draco answered. "Of course. This is their house. Clare… I know you haven't gotten along with my father, but please, don't push him. He's grown much older, old age isn't treating him well."

Clare looked down. "I can be cordial to my Uncle Lucius." She added under her breath. "At least for a little while."

Draco smiled at her. "Good. So you can stay in any room you like. I would stay to the right of the stairs, if you're trying to avoid my parents. How long will you be here?"

"I only need time to brew a polyjuice potion to retrieve my wand from the ministry, then I will destroy Azkaban." With that, the two traveled to their separate rooms.