I have a message: save your generation.
We're killing each other by sleeping in.
Finnegan, begin again.
This one can be won.
One can become two.
Two can pick and choose.
You could be the first.
September 10th 5PM Saturday
Draco paced back and forth across the living room as Severus, Khalida and Officer Wilkes looked on from the couch. I was sitting on the black armchair, watching his display calmly.
"You can't be serious," Draco growled, "We can't just walk into Azkaban and ask to visit a convicted Death Eater."
"And why not?" I asked in a challenging tone. Severus' jaw dropped open as he turned to stare at me.
"Are you insane?" he asked incredulously. "It seems that your recent health problems have affected your judgment."
"She's family," I stated firmly, "and if I want to visit her I will."
"I see now," Draco sneered, "You plan to walk in and tell them that you're related to a Death Eater and you're just dropping by to say hello."
"More or less," I replied as I played with the hem of my t-shirt.
"And what if they don't let you in?" Khalida asked curiously and I shrugged absentmindedly.
"Then we find a way in," I stated simply, "I can always ask the Brotherhood for help."
"O no, no, no," Draco exclaimed while waving his arms in front of him wildly, "We already have the American government after us and now you want to piss off the Ministry as well, I don't think so." I stood up quickly and walked over to stand in front of him.
"I'll do what I have to do," I growled in a low tone.
"Why?" he asked as he took a step towards me, "What purpose is there to this madness?"
Khalida gasped and Officer Wilkes mumbled about needing to use the restroom as he rose up and walked out. I could see Severus out of the corner of my eye, he was studying me closely.
"I will find out the truth," I replied in a threatening tone, "and I will do whatever it takes. I don't care what you think, I don't care what the wizarding world thinks and I sure as hell don't care what the Ministry thinks."
"You are out of control," Severus warned as he stood up and stepped between Draco and me. "I have seen this kind of behavior before," he explained, "You are obsessed."
"I am," I answered with a nod, "and I won't stop until I'm satisfied."
"So you are doing this for your own curiosity," spat Draco.
"This is my life," I exclaimed, "Why can't you people understand that? What am I supposed to do? Do you expect me to just sit around and do nothing?"
I glared up at Severus and he glared at me in return. Draco let out an angry huff and stomped off into the kitchen. I gave Khalida a pleading look; she nodded in reply and quickly went after him.
"Are you trying to drive him away?" Severus asked coldly and I turned away from him to stare at my feet.
"This isn't about him right now," I replied softly, "and it isn't about me. This is about the past and until I'm done sorting all of this out I don't have time to worry about the future."
"And we wish to help you in your task," he stated as he placed a hand on my shoulder, "but we are not the Brotherhood and we will not follow you blindly when we know you are putting yourself in danger."
"If you wish to visit your aunt in Azkaban it can be arranged," he explained, "but we will go through the proper channels to do it. I'm sure Arthur will be able to help."
"I don't understand you sometimes," he added with a chuckle.
"What do you mean?"
"Most of the time you seem to be completely Slytherin," he explained with a wide grin, "but at other times the Gryffindor shines through."
"Is that a bad or good thing?" I asked in confusion.
"It certainly helped your father quite a few times," he stated wryly, "We can only hope that you have inherited his dumb luck as well as his tendency to jump into situations with both eyes closed."
THREE HOURS LATER, 8PM
"I've sent the Brotherhood away for now," I stated as I walked into the living room.
Khalida and Severus looked up at me from where they were sitting on the couch grading essays. Draco was sitting in one of the chairs. He glared at me for a moment before closing the book he was reading. Without saying a word he brushed past me and walked out the front door.
"What was that all about?" I asked in confusion.
Severus didn't reply, deciding it was best to keep out of the whole mess while Khalida just shrugged apologetically. I let out one loud, frustrated sigh before rushing out of the house to follow Draco.
I walked a few blocks down the street until I came across a small park. Draco was sitting on one of the benches. He glanced up at me as I moved to sit next to him. We sat silently for a few minutes before I moved closer to him. I was glad when he didn't push me away.
"I'm sorry Draco," I said sadly, "I'm just a bit confused at the moment." Draco ran a hand through his hair nervously.
"I can understand that," he stated, "but I need to know what it is you want from me."
"I know things are crazy right now…" I began but he cut me off.
"And I know that too, but I don't want to lose you Jenny," he said sadly, "I care about you and I'm not going to give you up." I leaned toward him and placed a cool hand on his warm cheek.
"You don't have to," I replied softly, "and I don't want you to. I care about you too Draco and I need you more than you'll ever know."
"But what about when this is all over?" he asked as his eyes began to search my own, "What happens when Harry wakes up and you have your life back? What will you do then?" I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head.
"I don't know," I admitted, "But right now I know that I want to be with you, isn't that enough?"
"But what about tomorrow, and the day after that?" Draco asked in a quiet whisper. I stared into his eyes and leaned towards him until my lips were only an inch from his own.
"Tomorrow may never come Draco," I replied softly.
He shivered as my breath brushed over his lips. A moment later he closed the gap and our lips connected in a soft, tentative kiss. I could feel his hand move to the back of my neck and he pulled me to him forcefully. We broke away from one another but he did not release me. Instead I found myself lying on top of him; my head nestled underneath his chin.
"Maybe we'll be lucky," Draco whispered, "and tomorrow will never come." I sighed contentedly in return and his arms tightened around me, the sound of his beating heart lulling me to sleep.
ONE HOUR LATER, 9PM
"Jenny," Draco whispered softly, "We've got to get back to Sanctuary. I'm sure Khalida and Sev are really worried about us by now." I slowly regained consciousness and opened my eyes to see Draco smiling down at me.
"My back," I groaned as I began to sit up.
Draco began to help me up but suddenly there was a loud cracking noise a few feet away. We both started in surprise, Draco accidentally pushing me off the bench as we turned to see what, or who, made the noise.
"Thanks a lot Draco," I grumbled as I pushed myself up off the ground. A cloaked figure walked toward us and even in the dark I could make out a small, white lightning bolt upon their face.
"I thought you sent the Brotherhood away," Draco questioned.
"I did," I stated with a nod, "I have no idea what one of them is doing back here."
I studied the figure as they walked toward us and judging by the size of the lightning bolt, they were definitely one of the lower ranking members. I had no idea if it was a man or woman, but judging by how tall they were I guessed it was a man. He stood in front of me and waited for me to speak.
"Well, what is it?" I snapped. He looked taken aback for a moment before answering.
"I have come to speak with you regarding your earlier orders to gather information," he stated, "but I fear this would not be the place to speak of such things."
I nodded my head in reply and grabbed Draco's hand to head back to Sanctuary. The masked man seemed to be bothered by my actions for some reason because he flinched as my hand touched Draco's.
"What is your rank?" I asked him nonchalantly as he walked behind Draco and me.
"Twelfth," he grumbled.
"Does your ranking bother you?" I asked curiously and his confident gait faltered slightly.
"Of course not," he replied a little too quickly. "I am happy for the rank I have been given." Draco raised an eyebrow at this.
"So you would not like a higher ranking?" Draco questioned.
"It would be an honor of course," the man stated, "but I desire nothing more than to serve my master."
"Master?" I asked in surprise, "I didn't think the Brotherhood called my father Master." His steps faltered again and I made a mental note of it.
"Just a slip of the tongue," he answered quickly. "I do apologize."
We returned to Sanctuary and Khalida descended on us immediately. She hugged me as if my life depended on it.
"You had us so worried," she chided, "Severus was about to send out a search party he was so beside himself."
"I was planning no such thing," Severus snapped. I chuckled at their lighthearted banter. The four of us definitely needed more of it.
"I've got some…business to attend to," I stated as I led the masked man toward Khalida's bedroom, "I'll explain later."
"You better young lady!" Khalida called out and I rolled my eyes as I shut the door.
I thought about sitting down on the bed but decided against it. Instead I turned to face the man and motioned for him to sit down. There was something intimidating about him.
"Take off your mask," I commanded.
Unlike Sirius, he didn't shift nervously at the thought of losing his anonymity. Instead he immediately pulled off his mask. The movement was so swift that he ended up pulling his hair out from the inside of his cloak in the process, revealing long, white hair.
"Draco…" I stammered in confusion. Gray-blue eyes, white blond hair, the man looked so much like Draco that my face became slightly flushed and my pulse quickened.
"I'm afraid not," he stated in a cold voice.
I moved closer to study him further and I realized that he didn't look like Draco at all. The man's cheekbones were high and his face appeared chiseled out of stone, while Draco's features are soft and warm.
"Who are you?" I asked in a suspicious tone and he chuckled softly.
"I'm surprised Draco has not mentioned me," he replied, grinning wickedly, "We were so close."
"Lucius Malfoy," I gasped, "but that can't be. You were a Death Eater."
"Yes," he replied, "I was and then I was killed."
"But…but why?" I stammered, "None of this makes sense. Why would my father accept you in the Brotherhood?"
"It's not about acceptance," he explained, "It's about willingness. I was willing to come back and serve Harry Potter, so here I am."
"Besides," he added with a grin, "Your father doesn't even know that I'm a member."
"How could he not know?" I asked in confusion.
"O my dear Jenny," he replied softly, "don't you understand? Harry Potter doesn't know that I'm a member because I wasn't a member until a few days ago."
"But that would mean…"
"Exactly," he stated, "When you called upon the Brotherhood I made the choice to join."
"But why would you serve my father? I thought you hated him."
"It's not about hate," he explained, "It's about power. As a member of the Brotherhood I have unimaginable power and I cannot die because I am already dead. It is more than the Dark Lord could have ever offered me."
"Did you know my aunt Adrienne? She was a Death Eater like you," I stated.
"I do not remember," he replied while shaking his head, blond hair obscuring his features, "It has been years since I lived, most of my memories of my former life have left me already."
"I do have information for you though," he stated, "We have located a photographer in London and he has agreed to enlarge the photograph. It should be done in two days time."
"How much is it going to cost me?" I asked and he gave me a puzzled look.
"Cost? Why would it cost anything?" he asked in confusion. "With the right motivation he was more than happy to do it for free."
"So you intimidated him until he agreed?" I asked and Lucius nodded excitedly.
"O yes," he replied evilly, "he was more than happy to help."
"And what about after he's done? How can you be sure he won't go to the Ministry?"
"He will be obliviated once he is finished," he explained.
Lucius was studying me as if he was sure I would protest to the Brotherhood's actions but instead I just shrugged and nodded my head slightly. He continued to stare at me so I decided to ask him straight out what his thoughts were.
"Is something bothering you number twelve?" I asked, purposefully mentioning his rank so I could watch him cringe at the number.
"If I could speak freely," he said slowly, "I was just wondering why you are not ordering us to stop our harsh tactics. I assumed you would not want us resorting to such methods."
"I'm not my father," I replied coolly, "and I have no problems doing what's necessary to get what I want." His eyes widened in surprise and I couldn't help but laugh.
"What did you think I was going to do Lucius?" I asked in amusement. "My father might have felt the need to be a martyr and a good little hero, but I do not share his feelings in the least."
"These…people," I spat, "used my father and then spit him out. I have no sympathy for them. Use whatever methods you wish, I don't care, as long as you get results. Just don't kill anyone; I do draw the line somewhere."
His lips twitched slightly at my reply as if he was holding back laughter. I watched him put his mask back on and a moment later he disappeared with a loud crack.
I let out a loud sigh and plopped down on the bed. The mirror on top of Khalida's dresser sat straight across the room from me and I caught my reflection as I stared ahead. I shook my head sadly as I took in the paleness of my skin and the emptiness of my eyes.
It had only been a few weeks ago since my father passed away but at the moment it felt like years since I'd last heard his voice. Decades since we had talked into the early morning hours. Centuries since I'd seen his sad smile as he hugged me tightly. And a millennium since I'd last seen Jenny in the mirror…the real Jenny, instead of this deformed and twisted reproduction.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know I said they'd be going to Azkaban in this chapter but I decided to move it to the next chapter instead.