Draco and Harry remain silent, crippled with fear, as Hermione perilously drives them down the crowded street. It was a blatant miracle that they hadn't crashed into a pedestrian or another stagnant car on their mission following Madison.
"What was the name of that cemetery, again?" Hermione calmly asks as though she wasn't in the middle of maneuvering a moving death machine at top speed. "I should have it written in my notes, Harry."
Harry extends an arm toward her with his vision haphazardly focused on the passing street beneath them. Hermione hands him the miniature spiral notebook and he flips through the pages, his vision not having left the asphalt as though it would somehow safely dictate their route.
"Read it," she firmly demands. "I can't do everything!"
Harry sucks in a strained breath while finally glancing to her notes. "Allerton," he squeaks. "Allerton cemetery."
"Of course!" Hermione shouts, causing them to jolt. "How didn't I see it before?"
Pressing her foot so firmly against the gas pedal that her foot may as well of broken through the bottom to the car, she sends them flying to the left as she cuts an unexpected turn.
"It'll be impossible to assist Madison if we're all dead, Granger!" Draco hollers while gripping his head that had just smacked against the window.
Slamming on the breaks, Hermione's passengers are lunged forward in their seats; Harry hitting his forehead against the windshield and Draco being thrown against the gated barrier like a rag doll.
They spill out of the car, one after the other, as both men try to gain their footing. Draco's legs languidly fold in on himself as he loses his balance and accidentally knocks into Harry who's green with nausea.
"Come on!" Hermione bolts off in front of them while waving a hand toward herself. Draco and Harry exchange a look of resentment before chasing after her.
They're led through a bright green field with a stoned overhanging that indicated their entry to the Allerton cemetery. Tombstones line the grassy hills and bouquets of flowers left behind by loved ones scatter across the land.
At top speed, Hermione sprints toward the lone dark figure at the edge of the field. "Madi!"
The three approach the teenager from behind who's crumpled to the floor with her hands protectively wrapped around her head. She's bound in a heap to the ground, sobbing at the base to her sister's tombstone.
Although it appeared as though Madison was in human form, the remnants to the obscurus drip from the outline to her figure. Inky black fluid lightly emanates from the surface to her skin and upward into the sky. Her face is discernable from the rest, prominently emerging from the obscurus.
It was as though the parasite wasn't willing to let its host escape so easily. It held a firm clutch on her, and fed on her heightened twisted emotion.
There's a considerate chill in the air, resembling the icy feeling that generally encompassed the obscurus. They can feel the energy being stripped from their bodies as they near the dominating entity, similar to a dementor.
Madison gradually stands to her feet, in an almost eerie manner, without looking at them. "STOP!" she demands in a distorted low tone.
Hermione digs her heels into the grass coming to an immediate halt. Harry and Draco follow suit as they catch their breath with their hands on their knees.
"I refuse to be taken into custody," Madison states, this time her voice sounding more like her own. "I know the Ministry is after me; you're after me."
"We mean no harm," Draco insists. "We're simply here to help; no more, no less."
"And why should I trust you?" Madison interrogates with her back still facing them. "I don't trust anyone anymore," she adds with a muffled whimper. Slowly turning on her heels, her face is tilted downward and her eyes threateningly roll to each of them individually. "Especially you." With one quick swish of her hand, Draco is violently thrown to the side as he's listlessly flung across the field.
"Draco!" Hermione calls out, impulsively drawing her wand as Harry does the same.
"Drop your wands," Madison firmly demands. "Now."
Draco rolls onto his stomach and digs his fingers into the dirt as his chest heaves. "Do as she says."
Harry apprehensively glances to Hermione as they both hold their arms rigid from their bodies and free the wands from their grasp. Simultaneously, a roaring rumble that resonated thunder cracks across the field as Madison instantly transforms into the ash colored sooty black cloud.
From her seated position, the black smoke viciously circles around Madison's figure like a cyclone, spiraling upward. Her face is no longer visible as the entity sucks her into full consumption. An enormous voltage of lightning emits from the center to the obscurus, revealing the source of stripped energy from within.
Draco throws himself to his feet and yanks his wand from the inside to his jacket. He sprints toward Harry and Hermione before lunging his body in front of them with a strenuous jump. "Protego Maxima!"
In the nick of time, a protective indestructible bubble is cast around the three of them as the obscurus beats across the shelter like a rampant hurricane. Harry and Hermione are quick to retrieve their wands before joining the blonde's side, standing side by side in a line.
Draco's head turns on a swivel to the two surrounding him as they share a nonverbal nod in agreement.
"One.." Hermione serenely instructs them with her wand hand held fearlessly before her. "Two.."
Reciting the words of the incantation so as to receive the highest capabilities of the spell, they shout in unison, "Stupefy!"
To their horror, the powerful entity creates some sort of invisible force field against the charms, promptly deflecting it.
"That won't work!" Harry shouts.
"Thanks Scarhead," Draco snarls. "Without that conspicuous analysis, I'm unsure whether I could have deciphered that on my own."
"I know of a spell," Hermione encourages. "It's elementary, but effective."
Their hair is flung in the wind by the overpowering draft of wind as they keep their wand hands steadfast on their target; growing with greater mass by the second.
"Of course, I'm unsure whether it'll work.." Hermione continues to think out loud. "The Standard Book of Spells failed to indicate whether paralysis would be successful in the face of an undiscernible entity."
The obscurus emits a rumbling snicker, shamelessly amused by the performance of their blatant anxiety. Simultaneously, all three are brought to their knees as their bodies grow weak with each passing moment. The entity continues to suck the organic energy from their very being as they're dissolved to the brink of unconsciousness.
"Enough contemplation!" Draco orders as they fight against the pending consumption. He wordlessly prompts them with the raising of each finger as he counts down, "O-one.." He lethargically falls back to the grass as his wand hand weakly sputters in uneven circles. "T-two.. three."
"Petrificus Totalus!" they shout with what little energy they had left.
A shriek pierces their ears as the charm, tripled in effect, comes into contact with the daunting black cloud. The inky smoke instantly implodes as its contents shrivels upon impact. The outline to Madison's figure is dissolved from the rest, exposing her body from beneath; frozen as a board. They wordlessly heighten the intensity of the charm and force Madison to remain flattened against the grass.
Blessed by a second wind, Draco promptly lifts the spell to the temporary protective charm as he races to Madison's side. Incanting a simple binding spell, he ties her limbs together.
Harry and Hermione simultaneously cast a larger protective barrier that expands to the exterior to the whole meadow, well aware that Madison could break free of the restraints at any moment. They had the obscurus temporarily trapped in the palms of their hands and they had zero intention of letting the destructive entity escape to the outside world.
Madison's eyes flutter open as tears stream from out of the sides to her eyes. She mentally comes to as her pastel purple eyes search Draco's.
"Please," she chokes out. "Help me. I'm so scared.."
Draco's eyebrows pinch together as he nods his head reassuringly. "I'll protect you," he whispers just loud enough for her to hear.
Harry and Hermione inch closer from behind with their wands protectively drawn. They magnify the binding charm for precautionary measures as Draco circles around Madison, pulling her up into a seated position with his hands gripped on her shoulders. She wiggles back and forth as though she were handcuffed as her body impulsively fights against the restraints.
Without further ado, Draco takes matters into his own hands as he wished to have done long ago. He steadily directs his wand at the center to her forehead and incantates, "Legilimens." Madison is thrown back against the grass, having gone into some form of rigor mortis as a guttural, pained growl escapes her lips.
They're sent through time and space as Draco ultimately lands in the compartment of what appeared to be a train. He sits across from Madi who has a dramatic contrast to her appearance. Her long dark hair is neatly tamed and pushed to one side, her pastel purple eyes are tastefully done up with black eyeliner and a light pink gloss paints her lips. She no longer looks distressed, or in pain, and a mask of calm contentment rests on her face.
"Where are we?" she asks him while looking around.
Their surroundings were something of basic neutrality; in a barrier to an empty locomotive that peacefully propels through fields upon fields of bright green land.
It takes Draco a moment to respond, as he himself was unsure of the consequential outcome to the invasive procedure. They were certainly in some fragment to her imagination, but to what regard was anyone's guess.
"I wanted to apologize, Madi," he begins delicately. "I selfishly believed that by shielding you from my world; from the things that I've done.. the crimes I've committed, that I would ultimately provide the upmost protection. But now, I'm aware that that couldn't be further from the truth."
Madison nods her head in understanding, her more balanced emotions visibly exhibiting a healthy level of sympathy. "I would have accepted your truth, you know," she states above a whisper. "Things could have been different."
"And I am forever regretful," he replies with an unabashed twinkle of sadness in his eye. "I take full responsibility for the ultimate consumption of the obscurus by betraying your trust."
"It isn't all your fault," she forgives. "My parents abuse me, my sister never loved me like an elder sibling should. I suppressed my magical powers which yearned to come to the surface. And now I'm.. here," she adds while doing another one-over of their odd environment.
"I wished to ask you something," Draco begins while brushing his hands together. "And I beg for your forgiveness if this is premature.."
"Ask me," she encourages. "Ask me anything."
"Once I'm settled and have found myself a proper job, I'll be shopping for the appropriate dwelling. I'd like you to stay with me," he offers with stern eye contact. "I've grown to love and care for you like a dear family member. A love that I've, in fact, never felt."
Madison's mouth opens and then promptly closes as she digests his offer. Her cheeks flush and her eyes widen revealing a newfound, glimmering hope. "You mean it?"
Draco gives a short nod and closes his eyes before fluttering open; anxiously scanning hers for an answer.
Madison positively beams at him. "I've never had that either," she relates. "I would like that very much."
"It's already done," he replies with a warm smile. "However, I believe there is one more task, one more lesson to be done. A graduating course of our efforts."
Madison curiously tilts her head to the side while waiting for him to continue.
"Similar to the day that Potter trained you by use of a boggart, I'll ask you to focus on something that brings you joy. However, this time, I'm going to instruct you to concentrate on your future. By use of Legilimency, we will be subjected to the source of your unequivocal happiness; something to finally overcome this treacherous parasite."
"Okay," she replies confidently. "I can do that." Tightly squeezing her eyes shut, she gives a curt nod of acceptance. "But Draco.."
"Yes?"
"I think.." Madison leans forward in her seat, scanning the aisles to the train that appeared to be, in contrast from before, filled from wall to wall. The sound of footsteps pitter pattering against the carpeted floor fills the air as a group of children round about the corner. "I think we're already here."
A crowd of teenagers, notably dressed in an array of different colored robes, let themselves into the compartment while sitting around her with eager expressions. They disregard Draco's presence, as he was simply a figment to her imagination, and their undivided attention remains upon Madison.
"Is it true?" A young woman dressed in burgundy robes leans toward her. "Are you really a-?"
"An obscurial," Madison finishes the sentence while shamefully peering at the hands in her lap. "It's true."
The young man across from her decked out in emerald robes cracks a grin. "Wicked."
A subdued smile traces Madison's lips as her head slowly elevates. Her cheeks flush and she chews her lower lip as she looks between them contemplatively. Her eyes slowly seek out Draco who was now standing in the doorway to the compartment. He gives her a reassuring nod with a heart warmed smile. If she didn't know any better, the slightest presence of tears dwell upon his glossy eyes.
"No need to be shy, Madi," the girl across from her dismisses with a casual wave of her hand. "Each of us have a unique trait that separates us from the rest. Some just aren't as obvious."
"And just because you're coming to Hogwarts late doesn't make you less of a student," a boy with dark brown eyes chimes in. "You'll have friends in Slytherin."
"And Ravenclaw," a young woman in royal blue robes assures.
"And Gryffindor."
"Oi!" a short blonde bellows from behind the row of children in the aisle. "Don't forget Hufflepuff!"
Draco snickers to himself as he and Madison are promptly ripped from the idealistic version to her future. They find themselves in the company of Harry and Hermione in the meadow once more.
Similar to a drunken daze that left him queasy and dizzy, Draco clutches his aching head. He uses his palms to prop himself into the seated position as Madison remains confined to the grass with a newfound expression of tranquility.
Hermione whispers something in Harry's ear as they hesitantly assess the situation. "Well?" She lowers her wand while closely analyzing the pair. "Any revelation?"
"Indeed," Draco informs with a hopeful smile. "I believe a conversation with Minerva McGonagall is in order."