There's no excuse for why this took so long, but I promise to try to do better in the future.
Fmh: Thanks for reviewing! Talking to Bellatrix like that might've been a bad move, but Charlotte doesn't have the best track record for holding her tongue when she needs to lol. And yeah, without Severus, I think Charlotte would be in way over her head and would not have made it as far as she has. Thanks so much for consistently reviewing, it really gives me the encouragement I need to keep writing!
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CHAPTER 9
Rabastan leads us through large glass doors, past an ornate garden, and down to a dock on the shoreline. I glance back over my shoulder and take in the sight of the Lestrange Estate. It reminds me of Malfoy Manor but with the ocean here behind the house instead of the lake. For a brief moment I want to know what Zoe would have thought about it. Had things been different, we could have visited this place together. She would have loved it. Severus's hand comes to a rest on my shoulder and turns me toward the water. I need to focus on the task at hand, not dream about what could have been.
Floating in the water is a small wooden dinghy. "Why…what…are we not just Apparating there?" Daphne asks, eyeing the little boat skeptically.
"This is safer." He looks at me, then back to Daphne. "And I'm guessing that's something we all want?" Rabastan turns and enters the boat without another word, and I follow close behind him and take a seat beside him. Daphne and Severus climb in behind us. "You might want to hold on."
"To what?" I ask.
"Anything." He waves his wand, and the wooden boat blasts off so fast that I fall backward onto Daphne and Severus, who each struggle not to fall overboard. The water splashes up, stinging painfully as it connects with any exposed skin.
"Is this necessary?" I call over the wind.
"Do you want to get there fast or risk someone finding out that the two of you are missing?" he yells back.
Severus pushes me forward so I can grab Rabastan and pull myself back into my seat, my hair whipping my face. I don't remove my hand from his arm. He looks over at me and smiles, and for some reason it makes me feel better. I brace myself for whatever might happen when we arrive.
By the time the little dinghy comes to a stop, my stomach is churning dangerously, both from the nerves and my refusal to eat this morning, and my grip on Rabastan's arm is tight enough that he's wincing when I look over at him. I force myself to release him and stand up on shaky legs. The boat wobbles when I do, and Rabastan pulls me back down. In the distance I can see Azkaban, the horrid place.
"Is that it?" Daphne asks.
"Yes," Rabastan and I answer at the same time.
"How do you suggest we get over there?"
"See that rock?" He points to a smaller black mass sticking out of the water close to the prison. "We'll Apparate to that."
"Why didn't we Apparate straight there then? Why the ride?" I ask.
"At the risk of sounding like I don't trust the combined ability of the three of you," he says, his eyes alive with anticipation as he stares at the prison that held him for so many years, "if this goes poorly and we are weakened, I didn't want us to attempt Apparating back to the estate." A look crosses his face, and I can feel the nerves radiating off of him. "And because I doubt your friends would have trusted me to bring each of you here separately, and none of you knew where this rock is, did you? This was the best option." He looks over at me. "Now come on. My brother—your father—is waiting for us, he just doesn't know it yet." With that, he Disapparates, and a small figure appears on the black mass near prison.
I look to Severus and Daphne. Severus Apparates immediately. "You don't have to do this," I tell her. "You don't have to risk this. Stay here, and we'll be back."
Daphne takes a deep breath, releases it, and Apparates to the rock. I follow her. The four of us stand on the rock, looking at the looming fortress of no real shape that is Azkaban. I had truly hoped never to see it again, and yet here I stand. "Now what?" I ask.
"We go through that door." His voice is raw with emotion, his shaking hand pointing to a large metal rectangle nearly thirty feet away. "You three wait here." He Disapparates without another word and appears on a small ledge by the large metal door.
The minutes tick by, and the anticipation in me begins to make me quake. Daphne slides her arm through mine, but I can't bring myself to look over at her. I can only watch the prison. "We'll be fine," she whispers.
Finally, after what seems to be a short eternity, the metal door opens, and Rabastan waves us over. We Apparate to him.
Rabastan walks to the entrance, then stops and turns back around. "This is where it gets dangerous." His eyes land on me. "Are you all ready?" I nod at him. "When the dementors show up"—I cringe—"and they will, though there are fewer than there were before because so many of them are working for the Dark Lord now, I need you three to keep them off of me and yourselves while we search for Rodolphus. He should be in the cell he was in last time. It'll take us a while to get there, it's toward the top. Stay close."
The tip of his wand shines brightly, and he enters the prison. We follow him into Azkaban. With the first step into the hell, I am immediately taken back to when Narcissa and Bellatrix escorted me through here. The silence from Bellatrix. The fear that consumed me at the thought of staying here. And now I've entered willingly. What would my mother say if she knew that I was walking through this place again on behalf of my father? No, I know what she'd say, and it wouldn't be good. She'd likely lose her temper and hurt you.
No, she wouldn't, I argue with myself. Just because she's okay with the Dark Lord killing me doesn't mean that she herself would hurt—you're being stupid. She doesn't care about your death, so why would she care about hurting you?
I push the though aside and focus on the task at hand.
Our pace is slow, but I find myself appreciating that. I don't know why I ever thought we'd be walking through here quickly. I imagine any sort of energetic movement would catch the dementors' attention quicker than a slow trudge through this icy terribleness. Also, it's comforting that we're all closely walking together rather than moving too quickly and getting separated easily.
Rabastan continues his lead through the prison, Daphne and I falling in just behind him, and Severus trailing behind us in his Draco disguise.
It doesn't take long before the first wave of dementors attacks us. Ice crawls along the walls, and the three of us who can each produce a Patronus ready our wands. The creatures turn the corner, and three voices ring out, "Expecto Patronum!" Three animals spring forth and lunge at the dementors. It's been a long while since I've seen my little panther, and I smile as it gracefully runs alongside a doe and what appears to be a platypus. Together they take no time in warding off the four dementors.
Once the Patronuses return to us, we continue our journey through Azkaban. I can't draw my eyes from the little slots in the doors, the only way to see into those cells. I remember screaming for my mum through that slot. She didn't return to me.
A warm hand, one that feels like fire compared to the icy room around me, rests on my shoulder. "A panther," Daphne says with a smile. "I like it."
I smile at her. "A platypus?"
"Don't judge me."
"Pay attention," Rabastan snaps at us.
Daphne makes a horrified face and removes her hand from my shoulder. We turn a corner and ascend a level. "Why is he near the top?" I ask my uncle.
"The higher you go, the more security. The Dark Lord wanted Rodolphus as guarded as possible."
I swallow down the guilt in the part I played in getting him thrown in here. "I'm assuming that means more dementors?"
"Yes."
The next wave of dementors flies at us as just a moment later, almost twice as many as there were last time. The blackness that travels with them blocks my vision, and I just hope that the three Patronuses can find them without too much of a struggle. A cold thickness hangs in the air, and I can almost feel the ice forming on my skin. Terrible thoughts flood my mind. I see Zoe's dead body in my arms. I see a child with red eyes staring up at me. I see McGonagall lying in a pool of her own blood. I see Severus fall to the floor, lifeless. Too late I realize I never casted the spell, and I shout the incantation. The panther joins the other two and tackles one of the dementors.
The bitter cold drifts away, and with it go those horrible thoughts.
"We should hurry," Rabastan says.
Our pace quickens, and our tightknit group begins to separate slightly. All I want to do is slow back down so that we're all close together again. We need to stay close together, not drift apart like this, it's dangerous. And I don't want to be alone here again.
The next few levels of Azkaban are all the same—a group of dementors attack, horrifying thoughts fill me, our Patronuses ward them all of it off for a short time, the dementors return a few minutes later.
The largest attack of the guards yet comes when we reach the eighth floor of the prison. I'm suddenly wishing that more people had come with us to fend off these vile creatures. Three Patronuses hardly seem enough to protect us, and I can just imagine the trouble we would be in had Daphne not come along with us.
It seems that more and more dementors are attacking us with each floor, and it seems that they're just getting stronger and stronger. No wonder the most dangerous criminals are locked away up here. It takes longer now for the Patronuses to ward off the dementors, and with each extra second that it takes to get rid of them, the iciness clings to me longer, filling my lungs and burning my chest and bringing terrible nightmares upon me. My spirit breaks more and more. Everyone I love will die. I will lose everything. No one will be able to help me escape Voldemort. I will be alone once more, with no one and nothing.
Every cell that we pass and ignore pulls at my heart. I know what it's like to be in those cells. I know what it's like to try to fight off the horrible feelings. I know what it's like to lose all hope. And I'm leaving those people behind without doing anything to free them. None of them deserve the torture they're suffering from. How can I live with myself? How can I just leave these people in here like this?
Rabastan suddenly stops, and the three of us who had been following him so quickly nearly collide into him. "What is it?" Daphne asks.
"You haven't gotten us lost, have you?" Severus asks. It seems weird to me to see Draco talking to Rabastan like that. I don't think the real Draco would ever risk it.
"No," my uncle whispers. He stares at a very particular door for a long minute. Then, just as quickly as he had stopped, he says, "Hurry!" and takes off again.
The three of us rush after him, but a certain cell catches my eye. A cold sweat runs down my spine. Something about it draws me forward, and I break out of our group. "Charlotte?" Severus asks, reaching out to me. I walk toward the cell, reaching out to the slot to see who's inside, when I hear both Severus and Daphne call for their Patronuses.
Someone shouts my name, but it's too late. Something cold and icy consumes me. I know this feeling. A dementor is attacking me. The thoughts that bombard me are no different than the ones that have been doing so since we first entered the prison, but this time they're worse. They're more vivid.
My knees buckle, and I hit the stone floor. I force myself onto my back and look up in the face the dementor that is slowly getting closer to me. It's going for a Kiss, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Every part of my being has stopped working, so I close my eyes and wait for it. I'm as prepared as I'll ever be, I guess.
"Charlotte!" Severus shouts.
A bright flash, and then suddenly the cold is gone. But I still can't get up. I can't move at all. Two warm hands pull me upright and put my back against the wall. "Charlotte," Severus says, a deep concern in his eyes. "Charlotte, you cannot die right now, do you hear me?"
My voice fails me, but I wrap my arms around Severus's neck. He circles his arms around me and pulls me to my feet. "I can't breathe," I say to him.
"I know, I know," he says, holding me up.
Daphne appears by our side, and Severus transfers one of my arms to her so that they can support me as we try to make our way back through Azkaban. Rabastan comes up to us and puts his hands on either side of my face. "Are you okay?" he asks. I nod weakly. He takes my arm from Severus and motions for Severus to lead. "We need your Patronus. I'll tell you where to go."
I rest my head on Rabastan's shoulder, and, with me propped between my uncle and Daphne, we work our way through the prison, Rabastan telling us where to turn. A few more times I hear Daphne and Severus shout the incantation for the Patronus Charm, but I don't have the strength to do any of that. So I don't.
Finally we come to a stop. "Rodolphus!"
A weak bang on the door is our only response. Rabastan points his wand at the door and whispers some incantation, and it opens. We hobble into the cell, and Rabastan places me on the floor against the wall. By the door my father curls on his side, gasping for breath, weakened. Rabastan helps him sit upright and hands him a wand. "You came for me," Rodolphus says quietly.
"Of course we did," Rabastan says.
"Aurelia?" my father asks softly.
"She's fine." Rabastan reaches into the bag I saw earlier and brings out some chocolate. He gives some to his brother, then hands some to Severus who brings it over to me and sits down. "Eat it quickly, we don't have much time."
Daphne sits down beside me as I begin to eat the chocolate.
"What happened to her?" Rodolphus asks.
"She was attacked, but she's fine," Severus says.
Rabastan stands by the door, watching with open fear for any dementors. "Eat faster," he snaps.
As soon as I finish the chocolate bar—which actually made me feel a little better—Severus and Daphne help me to my feet while Rabastan helps Rodolphus up. "We have to leave now." Rabastan aims his wand at the wall and blasts a hole in it. Dust falls around us.
Severus leads me to where the wall was. Far, far below the ocean churns. For a moment I think we're going to fall, the prison is going to collapse, like it did when Severus helped return my memories to me. But instead he pulls me back from the edge and toward the still-standing wall. I look into the gray eyes of my cousin and long for the moment when Severus is himself once again, when I can look into his black eyes once more.
Without a word, Rabastan, supporting my father, Disapparates. "Does he expect us to follow?" Daphne asks, staring wide-eyed at the place where my uncle once stood. "Did he go to the dinghy or the rock?"
Her panic is palpable. And understandable. A cold air blows into the room, and we turn to see more dementors than I can count. Certainly more than three Patronuses can take on alone, but we cast the spell anyway and watch in horror as the dementors move in closer. I look at Severus, and just as I think he is about to grab the two of us and Disapparate, Rabastan reappears and grabs the three of us instead. I lose sight of the place, and a peace I've never known washes over me.
I quickly move toward my father and sit down beside him in the dinghy. He smiles at me weakly, then takes my hand. Severus, Daphne, and I cast our Patronuses and let them sit in the dinghy with us just in case the dementors follow us from Azkaban. As we speed away from the prison, no one speaks. My father and I lean against one another. The strength from the chocolate is wearing off, and all I want to do is sleep. But we're calmer now than we were before. We've accomplished what we came to do, and I haven't felt this relieved in months.
The dinghy arrives back at the estate seemingly much quicker than it reached Azkaban. Rabastan is the first out of the boat and on the dock, pulling Rodolphus out as well, before any of the rest of us have a chance to move. "Come on," he commands us impatiently, as if we should have automatically emulated his quick movements.
When I try to stand, my legs buckle, the muscles refusing to do anything else right now. Severus and Daphne prop me between the two of them and help me walk up to the estate. My eyes grow heavy, my breathing labored. "I want to sleep," I whimper.
"I know," Severus says. "Just a bit farther. You can do it, just a bit farther."
My eyes droop shut, and I lose consciousness.
Sometime later I open my eyes, but there is only darkness and warmth. I try to move but find myself tightly tucked onto what seems to be a bed. It takes a moment of fighting to loosen the sheets and roll onto my side. I exhale and close my eyes again. When I wake again later there is a candle burning in the room. Slouching in a chair by the bed is my father. I clear my throat, and looks up at me, a smile on his face. "Aurelia." He stands weakly and comes to sit on the edge of the bed. "I can't believe you did something so unbelievably stupid. And for me, no less. I didn't deserve your rescue."
"You didn't deserve to be in there," I whisper.
He pushes my hair behind my ear. "You'll need to leave soon. Your day at Hogsmeade is almost over, and I'd hate for people to get suspicious of you."
I nod. "Okay. Where's…Draco?"
"You mean Gideon?" he asks, laughter in his voice.
Oh, Severus. "Yes."
"He had to leave. The Polyjuice Potion was wearing off. Your friend Daphne is downstairs with Rabastan."
I nod and sit up on the bed. "Are you going to be all right?"
"Of course."
There's a knock at the door, then it opens. Daphne and Rabastan stand in the doorway. "Charlotte, you're awake!" Daphne rushes over to me. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"
"I didn't mean to frighten you," I say, grinning at her.
"We should go." She helps me to my feet.
Rodolphus pulls me into a tight hug. "There's one thing we need to show you before you go." He puts his arm around me and leads me from the room, through a large corridor, down an elegant marble staircase, and into an oversized sitting room with a fireplace, two recliners, three sofas, and a large window overlooking the garden and the dock down by the shore. Rabastan and Daphne are not following us "We know that the Dark Lord will learn about my escape, so we have a plan to conceal me. Only, we intended to use it for you."
"Before you knew I was your daughter?" I ask.
"After the first time we met and you said something about not wanting to fulfill your duty to him," Rodolphus says. "It's hidden with the Fidelius Charm. I'm the Secret-Keeper."
"So you'll be safe?" I ask.
"Yes. And I'll tell you where it is, because I want you to visit when possible. We've used an Undetectable Extension Charm on the house here. Charlotte's Safehouse—yes, we named it that—can be found under the Lestrange Estate, only accessible through"—he walks over to the fireplace and pushes a stone into the wall, and the fireplace moves back to reveal a set of steps—"this." He taps his wand against the sunken stone, and the fireplace shifts forward to conceal the steps once again.
Only when the safehouse is hidden again do Rabastan and Daphne finally make their way downstairs.
Rodolphus walks over to Daphne. "Thank you for being a good friend to her," he says to her. "And I truly appreciate the effort you went through to help me. It was dangerous, and you didn't have to do it, but you did it anyway. If you ever need anything, let me know." He shakes her hand.
Then he looks at me and pulls me into another tight embrace. "My sweet girl," he says. "I can't believe you risked yourself in such a dangerous manner."
"It was for you, Dad. I would do anything for you."
He kisses my cheek. "When this is all over, Aurelia, we'll be a proper family."
"I'd like that."
He steps away from me and enters the safe house thing. I watch the stairs disappear, then smile at Rabastan. "I'm sure I'll see you later."
He nods at me. "Take care of yourself."
I take Daphne's hand, and we Apparate to Hogsmeade. "How are you? I mean really?" Daphne asks me when we come to a stop.
"I've been better."
"I don't know who that was, but I know it wasn't Draco. Talking to Rabastan like that? You don't have to tell me who it was, just tell me it wasn't someone I—"
"I think I'm going to go lie down again for a while," I say, cutting her off. "Didn't Astoria wanna meet you at the Three Broomsticks?"
She narrows her eyes at me. "Yeah, I said I'd get a butterbeer with her. I don't have much time."
"I'll see you later."
She smiles. "Okay."
I leave her in Hogsmeade and slowly head toward the castle, planning to visit Severus's office.