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*Story, lyrics, and chapter names are based on the title of Beatles' songs*
As always, anything other than the OC or otherwise cited, belongs to JK.
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you
Lucius' POV
Alastair was always good at keeping his face impassive, but as I told him what I saw mere minutes ago at the Ministry, his face contorted into a mix of displeasure, irritation, and eventually even a hint of calm acceptance.
"What shall we do, Master?" I asked.
"Grieve for for them, and move on"
"Grieve for them? I'm afraid I don't understand"
"After what happened to Blaise, and how close we came to being uncovered, I took certain… precautions" He said coolly.
"I wasn't aware of such thing"
"You were not meant to. You do not deserve the same way out I provided for everyone else, should the necessity ever arise. You can thank your son for that"
"What exactly is this way out?" I asked, sounding more sullen than I had intended.
"You will find out soon enough, I'm certain"
"And what of me, should I ever need a way out again?"
Turning to me, his eyes burning and a cruel grin on his face, he replied.
"If that day ever comes, I'll see to your demise myself"
I swallowed hard, under Alastair's stern gaze.
"Now" He continued, waving his hand dismissively "How are the preparations coming along? In light of recent events I daresay we will need a little celebrating"
"We have less than two weeks before then, Master, but everything will be ready"
"Perfect, I want to make sure Ms. Lewis will have a night she will never forget"
Pansy's POV
The entire walk from the Ministry Atrium to the room we were currently being held in at the Auror's office had been a blur. Every step I took was a step closer to the end, and I didn't feel ready just yet. I knew what had to be done and why, but it didn't make it any easier to accept it. Our wands had been taken and we had been searched, but the one thing we truly needed wasn't taken from us. The Ministry had no idea of what Alastair had imposed on us, no idea they were leaving us alone inside this room with the means we needed to make sure they never learned a thing from us.
I knew the other men from the short time they had spent at our Manor, and as I briefly watched them I could tell they seemed to accept our reality better than I did. I turned my attention to my parents, feeling my heart shrink at the thought of what was about to happen. Mom and dad were looking at each other, having a silent conversation and as I watched a tear went down mom's eyes and dad quickly wiped it away.
As if sensing my stare, they turned towards me and mom offered me her hand. I took it, falling into her arms as dad enveloped us both in a hug.
"It is time" He said solemnly, after a few seconds "Before they send someone in"
We all nodded, and reached inside our shirts. I pulled the necklace out, staring at it as if really seeing it for the first time. I remembered admiring its beauty when Alastair first gave it to me, but now I resented the sigh. It hadn't been that long since the day Alastair held a meeting at our Manor, to inform us of his plan. He had given each one of his followers a small black necklace with a pendant in the shape of a claw, and to anyone else it looked innocent enough but we all knew the truth behind it. Inside the claw was an absurdly tinny amount of a potion known as the Never Ending Dream, a sufficient amount to ensure whoever drank it would fall into an unconscious state, shortly followed by death. It was the ultimate sacrifice for Alastair and his cause, one that I was no longer sure of now that the time had actually come.
"To Alastair" Father said, raising the tiny claw in his hand in a toast
"To Alastair" We all echoed.
We drank the potion together, and I looked at my parents for the last time. Mom smiled at me, and dad reached for us both. In a matter of seconds our legs gave way and our bodies came down crashing, and then all was darkness.
Hermione's POV
"Ron… be careful" I whispered as I watched him make his way to Harry from the doorway of the conference room.
Ron had come to my department to ask for help and we had just come in to find the Auror Department in complete disarray. Orders were being shouted by several mouths, people were walking around scolding at no one in particular, there was a constant flux of people coming in and out of the retention room, and two wizards were having a very heated argument by the room's door.
And then there was Harry. Alone inside the conference room he was his own kind of chaos, throwing things around, flipping chairs, punching the walls, and screaming, screams so full of anguish, pain, and anger it hurt me just to watch and listen to him. I had never been afraid of him before, but I was a little now and especially for Ron as he walked in and towards our best friend. And so the minutes dragged by, Harry eventually collapsing on the floor with his back against a wall. Ron quickly sat down next to him and I slowly made my way towards them. I sat crossed legged across from Harry and reached for him with shaky hands but he moved his away to cover his face.
"What happened mate?"
"Dead… they are all dead" He said with a hoarse voice.
Ron and I exchanged a look, wondering if "they" included Chloe.
"Hmm, who are you talking about Harry?" I asked hesitantly.
His only response was a jerk of his head towards the outside.
"The Parkinsons?" Ron asked, looking past me "And the other men?"
"Yes"
"How? I… what?" Ron stuttered.
"I don't know how…. No one does yet…. But they are all dead"
"I'm sorry Harry" I said weakly.
"Catching them was huge" He said, running his hands through his hair "And now they are gone… and we will never get to know what they did…. I'm so… TIRED OF THIS"
"It's not over yet" Ron offered "We will get another lead, we will do it Harry. It took us a very long time to find and destroy all Horcruxes, it's only a matter of time before we get to the bottom of this"
Harry snorted, hands still running through his hair, and Ron looked at me for help.
"Get up" I said, standing up myself "Both of you"
Harry and Ron looked up at me, the former with an exasperated looked and the latter with a puzzled one.
"You have punched, flipped and destroyed enough things Harry Potter, it's time to get up and walk out there. Your department is a mess and there are many things to take care off. You too Ronald, get back to work"
Ron gave me a sly smile and headed for the door while Harry stared at me without moving. I held my ground, hoping I hadn't upset him even more. Finally he broke our trance, stood up and walked past me, stopping briefly to squeeze my shoulder.
"Thanks Hermione" He said "The room…"
"I'll take care of it"
He nodded, trying his best to look resolute but the pain in his green eyes was enough to make me wince.
"Harry…."
He stopped at the door and turned to look at me. I opened and closed my mouth a few times, not sure of what I wanted to say but knowing I had to say something.
"It's okay Hermione" He said "I get it"
I watched them leave with a heavy heart. Another setback, it just wasn't fair…. But life rarely is. Pulling my wand out I set about fixing the room my best friend had done such a wonderful job destroying, wondering the entire time how much more he could take before reaching his true breaking point.
Chloe's POV
"Chloe wake up… C'mon, get up"
"Go away Malfoy, I'm trying to sleep"
"And I'm trying to wake you up! We have visitors"
I sat up quickly, pushing my tangled hair out of the way. Ever since Ava was killed I had at least one nightmare every night, causing me to twist and turn to the point of tangling the sheets, waking up Malfoy and knotting my hair so bad Narcissa had to help me comb it a couple of times. Tonight had been no different.
Alastair, Isla, their sons, and Jasper were standing by the door, which was transparent once again. Inside the cell, directly across from them was a small pile of gifts and a birthday cake.
"Happy birthday Chloe" Alastair said, displaying his evil grin.
"It's my birthday?" I asked puzzled, had it been almost three weeks since Christmas already?
"It is" Jasper said "And look, we even got you a cake"
"Aren't you going to blow out the candles?" Henry asked.
I looked at Malfoy and then at Narcissa, wondering if they felt just as odd and uncomfortable as I did. Untangling myself from the sheets I walked over to the cake and picked it up.
"Don't forget to make a wish" Edward said with a wink.
"I won't" I replied coldly.
"Breakfast will be served soon Chloe, and it will be your favorite" Jasper said "Ava told me what you like"
If looks could kill, Jasper wouldn't have survived the one I gave him. Instead he smiled sweetly at me before leaving with the rest of the group.
"Enjoy your day Chloe, I'll be back for you later" Alastair added, before returning the door back to normal and disappearing down the hallway.
I walked over with the cake and sat down next to Draco and Narcissa. Both wished me happy birthday and we ate some cake while waiting on breakfast. Afterwards I opened my presents, which consisted of new books and several sweets from Honeydukes. The remainder of the day went buy as usual, including my breakdown in the loo which was slightly worse today. If today was my birthday, it meant the one year anniversary of my first date with Harry had already passed… I had planned something so especially for us…
True to his word, Alastair came back later in the day. Two masked people stood next to him, but they walked inside the cell at his command.
"They will escort you to your room for the night Chloe. I expect you to be ready within the hour"
"Ready for what?"
"You will see. Go now"
"Let me come with her" Draco said, standing between me and the two wizards.
"Not to worry Draco, you and Narcissa will be in attendance as well. Now step out of the way before I make you"
"It's okay Draco" I said, going around him and carefully eyeing the wand in Alastair's hand "I'll see you soon"
"If you hurt her" He began but Alastair's cold laugh cut him off.
"You will do what? Threaten me with empty words? Be quiet Draco"
As I followed one of the wizards out, the other one following close behind me, I caught Draco's eyes and patted my jean's pocket. He grinned slightly, enough for me to know he understood. They took me to a room and closed the door behind me with a loud thud. I looked around and one thing caught my attention: a dress, lying on the bed. It was black, with a turtle neck encrusted in black diamonds and with sleeves made of lace. It was tight on the bodice and it fell loosely from the waist down. Truthfully, it was stunning. I reached for the sickle and send Draco several messages to tell him the way we took and the room I was now in. He replied by telling me Alastair had brought both Draco and Narcissa dressy robes and ordered them to also be ready within the hour.
I sat down facing the dresser and combed my hair again. I applied some make up, as the wizards who brought me here told me to (or else!) and finally put the dress on, unwillingly but knowing I had no other choice and hiding the sickle inside my bra. I looked at my image in the mirror, suddenly feeling very unconformable. I felt like a prey, an offering that was about to be displayed by my captives to the hungry crowd that awaited me, and I was afraid. I had always wanted to believe that when faced with danger, I would be brave like Harry, Ron and Hermione, but now I knew it wasn't the case. The image in the mirror was of a girl whose blond locks contrasted with the dark dress she was wearing, diminished and shivering with fear. No one was directly threatening me right now, yet I was ready to crumble.
Another shaped appeared directly behind me in the mirror, causing me to blink several times into focus. I had been so absorbed in my own thoughts I never heard the door open.
"My, you look lovely Chloe" Edward said.
His hungry eyes looked down on my reflection and I swallowed hard.
"I've wanted a moment alone with you since the first time we met" He continued, stepping closer to me so that his body pressed against mine "The wait was surely worth it"
I recoiled when I felt his hand on my shoulder. Our eyes were locked on each other's in the mirror as he slowly moved my hair aside to reveal the left side of my neck. Without breaking our eye contact, he lowered his mouth and lightly brushed his lips on my shoulder, a grin momentarily flashing as he felt me cringe. I tried to take a step away from him, but he wrapped his right arm around my waist and pressed me closer to him almost painfully, his right hand resting on my belly would surely leave a bruise if he continued to press down so hard. Ever so slowly he began to trace his way with his mouth from my shoulder to my left ear. I could feel the tears forming in my eyes.
"Stop it…" I said weakly "Please…."
"Breath Chloe" He whispered between kisses "I'm only getting started"
"No… please…"
"Beg away, it makes me want you even more"
I quickly shut my mouth, the first tears running down my face but Edward's reflection only smiled at me, his lips now on my ear.
"This will not do Chloe, what will the guests say if they see you crying?"
"Guests?"
"You didn't think we would let your birthday pass without celebrating accordingly, did you?"
"I've been given presents, and even a cake. We already celebrated"
"That? Oh that was only the first part. The real celebration will happen now. Come"
I sighed in relief when he finally let go of me, turning to make his way towards the door.
"I wouldn't look so thankful" He said, holding the door open for me "You and I are far from done tonight"
Edward led the way as I followed quietly. For half a heartbeat I had considered running away from him when we stepped out, but soon after we left the room a huge figure in a dark cloak and face hidden behind a mask materialized behind me and proceeded to follow us closely. We walked down a long corridor, made several turns, and eventually made it to the grand staircase I was now familiar with, but this time we turned the opposite way from where the stairs to the dungeon would be. I looked around curiously, trying to retain as much to memory as possible and failing to notice at first the growing noise of conversations and laughter coming from ahead.
We stopped right before two massive oak doors, and I swallowed hard. Judging by the sounds coming from behind the door a large crowd awaited me inside, and any crowd gathered by Alastair and Isla could not be a good thing.
"Ready?" Edward said, offering me his hand. When I didn't take, he reached for it and pulled me closer.
At his word, the doors opened in unity and I was temporarily disorientated by the loud noises and brightness that hit me all at once. We went in, Edward halfway dragging me along, and I kept my face down though my eyes were moving around taking things in. It seemed we had just entered a ball, judging by the clothes and sumptuous decorations I could see. Everyone wore the same masks the man behind me was wearing, and many stopped to watch us walk by. As we walked I noticed tables with food, one of which contained a birthday cake, a small band playing, a group of people dancing, and beautiful windows from floor to ceiling. We stopped at the opposite end of the room, where a small platform had been raised. On it, without masks, were all three Malfoys, Jasper, Alastair, Isla, and Henry. I shifted my gaze to Draco and Narcissa, both of whom looked uncomfortable and on edge.
"Come on now" Henry said "Join us"
Edward walked me around the platform, so we could climb the steps. Then he walked me all the way to the front, and we stopped right next to Alastair.
"What do you think Chloe? Alastair said, opening his arms towards the room "Do you like it?"
"What is all this?" I asked, troubled.
"Your birthday party of course!" He replied "We are all here to celebrate you, and there is another present… for later"
"Who are all these people?"
"My followers" He replied with delight "I have been tracking those who fled for months, I have pardon them and given them another chance. I have welcome former Death Eaters who managed to trick the ministry… again. There are many more of us than your aurors know of"
"Why are they truly here?" I asked, turning from the room to face Alastair "What is this party really for?"
"Oh my dear, I was hoping to give you your present later. Would you not like to walk around and eat first? Perhaps even dance?"
"Spare me this bogus, Alastair"
"Now, now Chloe" Edward joined in "Don't be a bummer. Last dance"
I shot Draco a quick look, before Edward dragged me down and onto the dance floor. Placing one hand dangerously low on my back and taking my right hand, we began to dance.
"It is truly a pity Potter can't be here tonight" Edward whispered in my ear.
"It truly is, it would give me great pleasure to see him take you and your awful family in" I snapped back at him.
"You should learn to relax Chloe, after all this is your party. You shouldn't look so upset" Pulling me closer, he kissed my neck once more "Maybe I can help you relax"
"Stop it" I said, pulling away from him as much as I could before he snatched me back.
As we moved on the dance floor, I searched for Draco. When I finally found him, still on the platform, his face was terrifyingly fuming. I bit my lip, and looked away. Edward and I danced, mostly in silent to my great content, to a few more songs before he dragged me to a table and grabbed us some butterbeer. I ate and drank enough to keep Jasper, who was sitting right across from me, from saying anything. I wanted to go sit with Draco and Narcissa, but was not allowed so I sat quietly and waited for this nightmare to end. I was about to ask Edward how much longer I would have to endure this when Alastair took to the podium and the room grew quiet. Without a word, Edward, Henry and Jasper stood up and made their way to the podium as well, the later grabbing me by the arm. By the time we got there, Isla had joined her husband and was looking far too happy. My heart began beating out of control.
"Ah, here she is" Alastair said when we joined him "Our guest of honor"
They had me at the very center, and the entire room was paying attention to us. Something didn't feel right, and I was suddenly very scared.
"We are very close to bringing down the Ministry and killing Harry Potter" Alastair began "But before then, I want to inflict as much hurt and cause as much panic as we can"
His words were met with cheers and claps, before the crowd grew silent again.
"And what a better time to begin than now. Chloe" he said, looking at me now and something in his eyes made me shake in fear "I believe your father and Harry feel very bad for missing your birthday celebration, I say we do something about that. But before, I believe a certain Malfoy needs a bit more punishment for his very poor choices. Draco, do come here"
I watched Draco make his way, closely followed by Lucius, his face a stone wall. When he was standing next to me, Alastair produced two wands, and next to him everyone else on the podium pulled theirs out.
"If you try and do anything stupid, we will kill you both" Alastair threatened, as he handed Draco's wand back to him "Now, use the cruciatus curse on Chloe"
"What?" Draco and I said in unison.
"You heard me" Alastair responded "Do it, now"
"I won't" Draco hissed back.
"I wasn't asking. Do it"
"I will not" Draco said, throwing his wand at Alastair defiantly "I will not hurt her"
"What a pity, I was really counting on you to help us with this part of the plan Draco. Lucius, you have not done a proper job with your son. See that it is taken care of soon, or I will no longer have need of Draco and you know what that means"
Lucius nodded, his eyes burning with anger at his son. Next to him, Draco stood proud and bold.
"Move aside" Edward said, pushing Draco so hard he staggered "I will take care of it, father. See Chloe, I told you we weren't done for tonight" He added with a sick smile "CRUCIO"
Edward's spell hit me like a brick wall, and I fell down screaming and convulsing in pain. A while later, the spell was lifted, and I took several long and painful deep breaths. I could feel the tears running down my eyes and my entire body hurt more than it ever had in my life. Another voice cried crucio and Draco was soon lying on the ground next to me, his screams agonizingly loud.
"Stop… please… stop it... please" I cried but my only response was Edward's voice yelling crucio again.
As my body continue to hurt, images of Frank floated in my head; his yellow teeth, his hollow eyes. He had warned me about this, he had told me I would think of him when they were torturing me, but he had been wrong about the second part. I was not wishing for death, thought the ceasing of the pain would have been welcomed. The spell was lifted briefly, and I could barely swallow through my raw throat. The crowd around us was laughing, enjoying themselves; the whole thing was sick. Through the pain, at one point, I saw flashes but if those were truly happening or a result of my body and mind's pain, I couldn't tell. I don't know how long we both laid there, screaming and jerking in pain, but eventually I could take no longer and darkness took over my senses.
Alastair's POV
"That is enough" I cried, when both Draco and Chloe had passed out from the paint "Jasper, take those with you and see that they get to Harry and Elliot before the night is over. Edward, take Chloe back. Henry, see to Draco and Mrs. Malfoy. The three of you can rejoin us when you are done, the night is still young and we have much to celebrate"
Harry's POV
"Thank you for having us over, Elliot" I said as Koda served us dinner.
"Thank you all for being here" He replied, trying to sound cheerful "It is good to have some company today"
"We will find her soon" Hermione said "She will be with us again; you won't have to spend another birthday apart"
Elliot nodded, unconvinced, and we grew quiet. Hermione, Ron, and I were over at Elliot's Manor for dinner, at his request. The elves had cooked Chloe's favorite meal and before dinner had been served we had sat with Elliot in his study, looking at old family pictures. It was upsetting, but I sat through it for Elliot. And for Chloe, I knew she would want me to be here for her dad.
Halfway through dinner, Ron, who had been staring off into space for the past few minutes, sat up straight and pointed at the window.
"Is that an owl?"
We all turned to look; it was in fact an owl. One I immediately recognized.
"It's the same owl that brought me the letter when Ava went missing" I said, jumping up and heading for the window.
"Petrificus totalus" Hermione said, hitting the owl.
"What are you doing?" Elliot asked, stunned.
"Harry said the owl immediately flew off the last time, but if we can attach a letter to its leg, we might be able to follow it. It might lead us to who has Chloe"
"That is… brilliant" Elliot said, looking at Hermione with big eyes.
"What does it have now?" Ron asked, as I retrieved the owl from the window.
I placed the owl on the table between us and reached for the envelops. One was addressed to Elliot, the other to me. I handed Elliot his and he immediately tore it open. I looked at mine, a sense of dread keeping me from doing the same. I was about to finally open it when Elliot let out a cry and dropped what he was holding. Ron and Hermione reached him first; he was looking intensively at the papers now on the floor, tears flowing down from his face. I stopped breathing, this could only mean one thing… but it couldn't be… she can't be… She isn't…
"Harry! Mate!"
I ignored Ron and opened my envelop. Inside were pictures, several of them showing similar scenes. First it was Chloe, convulsing on the floor, a wand pointed at her, then it was Draco Malfoy, and then it was them both. I could see several legs, as people stood around them, and the hands holding the wands, but no faces. There was no need for sound, or for anyone to tell me what spell had been used; Chloe and Draco's pain was obvious, they were being tortured with the cruciatus course. I handed Ron the pictures and sat down weakly, my brain spinning around. Close by, I heard Elliot getting sick, and Hermione trying to soothe him. I had hoped that whoever had her was not hurting her, but I had been wrong. Chloe was suffering, and I was the only one to blame.
"Harry" Ron said "There… there is a note"
I jumped up again and reached for it, my stomach in knots. The message was written in the same handwriting as before.
It is a shame you had to miss the celebration of Chloe's birthday, but not to worry. I made sure she had an unforgettable time.
I have grown tired of waiting Mr. Potter. I want you to find me, and I believe you want the same thing. So here is a clue, to aid you on your search: It is wise to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. And that is exactly what I am doing! Someone in your circle is not who you deem him or her to be. Find this impostor, and it will lead you to me. And be careful who you trust, Ava learned that lesson far too late.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures; it is a pity you couldn't be here to hear your girlfriend scream. She screams beautifully.
I look forward to our encounter Mr. Potter, you and I have much to discuss.