Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter - I've been rather busy lately. Luckily, I think that there will only be one more chapter after this one, so for those of you who have read this far, rejoice! The sappiness is almost at an end. Anyway, Chapter XI.
The next morning, exhausted by an almost sleepless night, I flew to Azkaban a half hour before Granger and Weasley were supposed to show up. Trudging slowly up the interminable staircase, I held an internal debate as to whether I should tell my father about his wife's condition. Upon arrival at his cell on the eighth floor, I still had not made up my mind.
"Hello, Father."
"You're here early, Draco."
"Yes. I'm waiting for Granger and Weasley." I explained my plan to use the Unbreakable Vow. Father's expression gradually changed from disbelief, to barely credulous acceptance, to concern at the risk I was taking.
"Are you sure you want to do this? There's no guarantee Potter will give you his support, and even if he does your reputation will sink even lower. I know you've grown attached to Crouch Jr., but this is going rather far."
"I'm aware of that, but I do want to do this. I think perhaps I need to. I just wanted to warn you of the possible outcome, so you'll be prepared in the eventuality that the worst happens. And, Father…" I hesitated. "Mother's… not entirely well. She may not be able to visit if I end up in Azkaban, so if she doesn't show up, don't be surprised. I hope Aunt Andromeda would come and explain if things went badly, but there's no assurance of that."
"What do you mean, not entirely well?"
"She still hasn't recovered from the stress she was under during the war. It could be a while before she does." That was all I was willing to say for the present. I didn't want to worry Father with the thought that there was a definite possibility Mother would never recover.
He nodded, looking somewhat distracted by the news. "I see. Well then. You'll have to give me the details after your experiment is finished." He didn't mention that I might not be able to do so. "Good luck, Draco. You know… you know that whether I agree with your ideals or not, you always have my support. Not that it's much use, given my current situation," he added, gesturing at the cell bars with an expression of wry amusement. I smiled faintly and shook his hand once before setting off for the basement.
Stevie was on duty once again, and I exchanged a quick greeting with her, informing her that some acquaintances of mine were going to be joining me here later on.
"Oh yeah? Why are they coming?"
"They want to ask Barty some questions," I replied, mentally thanking Granger for her comment about this yesterday. "I don't imagine it will take too long."
"Alright," Stevie assented easily. I felt slightly guilty about deceiving her, but knew that it was for her own good – if there was any evidence that she'd been involved in a deliberate violation of the law, she'd definitely lose her job.
I walked down to Barty's cell, where he was sitting with his eyes shut, apparently lost in thought. He was not asleep, however, as he opened his eyes and stood up upon hearing my footsteps.
"Draco. You're back."
"Hey. How are you today?"
He gave me a sour look. "What do you expect me to say? I'm mentally skipping through fields of metaphorical daisies?"
"Hardly. Anyway, take a look at this – it's the script for an Unbreakable Vow. I think if you agree to it, we can get you out of here." I handed him the folded piece of parchment on which Vincent Wulfgar had written out the vow. He read silently for a minute or two. I wondered what he was thinking; the vow's contents basically would prevent him from breaking any but the most inconsequential of Ministry laws, and ensure that he could not harm anyone badly, even in self defense. It was a strict set of requirements, but it was still far better than the alternative.
Barty handed the piece of parchment back to me, and I replaced it in my pocket.
"I can't find any loopholes in it," he said.
"Good – I think Vincent did a thorough job removing any, but I'll ask Granger to give it one last check before we use it… that is, if you'll agree to doing this."
He shrugged. "I suppose so. I don't think it will work, but we might as well try it. Granger knows about this? Hermione Granger?"
"Yes; you know her?"
"I taught her Defense Against the Dark Arts for a year, remember?"
"Right, of course. I forgot; you weren't entirely yourself at the time, if you recall."
He grinned. "No. What do you think of House Elves?"
I considered the rather abrupt question. "I don't know all that much about them, to be honest. We used to have a House Elf at the manor, but Potter ended up setting him free. If you want to know more about them, though, you should ask Granger; she works with them all the time."
"I don't, particularly. I was wondering what happened to Winky."
"Who's that?"
He explained about his family's former servant. By the time he had finished, I heard footsteps on the stairs heralding the approach of Weasley and Granger. I met them at the bottom of the steps and introduced them to Stevie, who then accompanied us to Barty's cell and opened the locks. I noted that both Granger and Weasley had retained their wands.
"I'll just leave you to it, then." Stevie walked off down the hall, glancing curiously back before she disappeared around the corner of the staircase. Weasley nodded awkwardly at Barty Crouch.
"Er… I guess I'm volunteering to help out with this," he said uncertainly. Barty nodded and shot him a highly disturbing, maniacal grin. I suspected this was intentional.
"Right," said Granger, bossily. "I've spoken to Harry and he says he'll support us on this one hundred percent. Where's the paper?"
I wordlessly handed her the parchment from Vincent Wulfgar. Barty stared at her as she took it and unfolded it; she hadn't said a word to him since entering the cell.
"Why are you – and you, Weasley – helping out with this?" he asked.
"It's a valuable opportunity for research!" Granger replied enthusiastically. Weasley shrugged and muttered something about just doing what his girlfriend asked.
"Research? What, are you two and Draco going to write a book about Dementors, or something?"
"I have another job, and besides, I haven't been involved in this from the beginning. He has a point, though, Malfoy; you could write a book." She returned to her review of the parchment.
I shrugged. This had not occurred to me before. "I don't really know enough to write a book. I might do some further research after all of this is over, though, assuming I don't end up in prison."
Barty looked at me as though he was about to comment, but I waved my hand at him and said, "Alright, Granger. Let us begin."
I reached out and took Barty's right hand. Granger read out the terms of the vow on the parchment. As Barty agreed to each term, a thin strand of flame coiled out of Granger's wand and twined around our linked hands like a red hot wire. I flinched slightly as the spell burnt my hand.
Granger concluded her recitation, and I snatched my hand back, shaking it vigorously to rid it of the burning sensation caused by the spell. I noted that there were now a great number of thin, pale scars traced across the skin there – this vow had included quite a lot of terms. Glancing at Barty's hand, I saw that it bore a similar pattern of white lines.
"Okay, Ron, your turn," Granger instructed. Weasley hesitantly took hold of Barty's left hand, looking apprehensively at Granger as she once again read the text Vincent Wulfgar had written. He yelped when the magical thread of fire twisted around his fingers. Granger rolled her eyes, and I nearly responded in kind before reminding myself that this was Granger, and she and I did not like one another enough to exchange exasperated looks.
Eventually she finished speaking and folded up the parchment, handing it to me with a nod. Weasley was rubbing his hand and wincing, and Barty gazed with mild interest at the thin scars which now adorned both of his hands.
"Very well, then. Thank you for your assistance," I told Weasley and Granger, attempting to smile at them. It probably looked more like a smirk, because old habits die hard.
"Harry will have informed the Ministry of what we've done by now," Granger said. "We should fly directly there."
"Alright. First let me tell Stevie." I turned to Barty. "Well. Wish us luck, we're off."
"Good luck. You'll need it. We'll need it. I still don't think this will work."
"I know. It's worth a try, though, yes?"
"Sure. Thanks anyway." He looked sidelong at Granger and Weasley. "You too, I suppose."
"No problem," said Weasley in an attempt to sound casual. He was still massaging his sore hand. I called Stevie over and she unlocked the cell. Weasley and Granger proceeded up the stairs, presumably with the intention of getting a head start on the way to the Ministry. I waved farewell to Barty as Stevie and I followed as far as the base of the steps.
"Stevie. I have to apologize." I took a deep breath and explained what we'd just done. As I had anticipated, the Auror was not pleased, but she calmed down somewhat after I explained our reasons for not informing the Ministry of our actions. When I mentioned that we had neglected to tell her beforehand of our plans because of the risk it would pose to her job, she turned a little red at the temples.
"Thanks for your concern. Next time, though, forget about my job, okay? Just tell me before you do anything else illegal and stupid."
I agreed that I would do so, although I had no plans of doing anything like this again. Rather relieved at how well Stevie had taken the news, I left Azkaban and flew straight to the manor, apparating from there to the Ministry. As I appeared in the Atrium, I looked around for Granger or Weasley. I didn't see them anywhere. About to head to Granger's office in hopes that they were waiting in there, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned around to see Potter.
"Hello, Malfoy."
"Potter. Where are your slightly criminal friends?"
"They're in a courtroom on the bottom floor. So is the Wizengamot. I suggest we don't keep them waiting."
Alright. ONE MORE CHAPTER! As always, reviews are most welcome.