Chapter Seven: The Prisoners of Azkaban

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: This is kinda a dark chapter. But going to Azkaban isn't exactly fun.

Reagan was fighting the horrible feeing she had building in her stomach. She didn't know if it was because they were approaching the prison, or if it was the sudden swerving, turing and stopping that the Knight Bus was making as it bounded across the country side. Trevor gave her an encouraging smile, though she could tell he was feeling the same way she was.

"We're almost to Azkaban Prison," the driver called.

The tall lanky man who had welcomed them onto the bus looked at them and gave them a lop sided grin, his ears seeming larger than normal. "All right back there?"

"Never better," Reagan replied, swallowing the urge to see her dinner again.

"Yer a Potter, right?" he asked eyeing her.

"Yes," she replied, clutching the cold metal of the hand rail.

"I met yer father once," he said. "Ol' Neville, funny lad."

"And you are?" Trevor asked.

"Stan Shunpike," he replied. "Nice to meet you both."

"Pleasure," Reagan replied.

"Yer an Auror, right?" Stan asked Trevor. "What you two doin' goin' up to Azkaban? They still got them Dementors up theer. Scary folk those are."

"We'll be fine," Trevor replied. "And our business is our own."

"Azkaban Prison!" the driver called and the bus came to an abrupt halt. Trevor caught Reagan as she toppled over and they exited the Knight Bus, passing Stan their fares as they walked past him in the doorway.

"See ya!" Stan cried, waving madly from the doorway, the light from inside accentuating is skinny silhouette. Moments later the bus was gone.

"And we have to take that back?" Reagan asked, glancing at Trevor.

"Unfortunately," he replied. "And as much as I would like a long break in between ridding that thing, I don't want to be up here any longer than we need to be."

"Is it colder because we're near Dementors?" she asked, casting a warming charm on her cloak and then one on Trevor's.

"Probably. But we are fairly far north, and it is the middle of December."

"True," she replied. "How are we going to get there?"

Trevor followed her gaze and realized they were standing near a bank of an immense body of water, a small rock island visible in the distance, the early morning light softly lighting the surroundings. There was a rickety dock with a single boat and a small run down hut at the edge of the water, neither looked durable or from this century. A large sign read "Azkaban Fortress" with an image of a hand pointing towards the hut. A soft light flickered through the cracks and there was a rundown sign on the door that read "Dock Hand."

"Trevor, I'd rather swim across that channel than spend any time in that boat," Reagan stated.

"Swim?" Trevor asked. "Reagan, we'd freeze."

"I could cast a thick charm on our fur," Reagan said.

"Sammy and Moussey are not swimming to Azkaban," Trevor said, stepping towards the hut. "I think we should ask who ever is in there."

"Because he has another way to get there?" Reagan asked.

"He might have a Portkey or something," Trevorreplied. "I find it hard to believe that they transport people to the prison in that boat."

So they walked the few yards to the hut and casually knocked on the door, careful not to knock too hard. Reagan don't think she would be able to control her laughter if this hut fell over.

There was movement inside the hut, and an eye appeared through a peek hole. It looked at each of them before opening the door.

"You've come to see the Prisoners?" a man asked, though Reagan wasn't so sure he was a human at all, much less a man. His head was a messy mop of dirty hair, its natural color unknown. Smudges of dirt and grime indicated that there was no running water to bathe with. And the sadness and emptiness behind the stone cold eyes gave them an idea of what you become when you live this close to Dementors.

Reagan glanced at Trevor and replied, "Er, yeah."

"Of Azkaban?" he asked again.

No of Alcatraz, she thought sarcastically,remembering a trip she took with Ali and Ryan once. "Yes, of Azkaban."

"We don't get too many visitors," he said. "It makes them hungry."

"The prisoners?" Reagan asked.

"Of Azkaban? No," he said shaking his head. "The dark ones that guard the prisoners. The prisoners of Azkaban."

"We're supposed to meet a..." Trevor began, glancing at his parchment, "A Mr. Thachard."

"Thats me," the man replied. "You must be Mr. Daniels. I knew who you were of course. Like I said, we don't get too many visitors up here."

"Then you know why I've come," Trevor said.

"Yeah," Thachard replied slowly, looking intently atTrevor. "Well I guess you'll want to get it over with."

"As soon as possible," Trevor said. "How are we getting to the prison?"

"You see that boat there?" Thachard replied, pointingat the tethered boat in the water. Reagan fought the urge to groan. "Well its quite comfortable and swift. I tried fixing it up once, but my magic doesn't work right on it."

"Great," Reagan replied.

"Give me a moment to lock the place up," Thachard said and stepped back inside.

"Trevor, I don't want to die in that boat," Reagan said, stepping towards the boat, pulling up her sleeves.

"Reagan, he said that magic doesn't work on it," Trevor said.

"He said his magic," Reagan replied, breathing on her hands to warm them up. "But mine is different." She shook her hands to loosen them up before pointing at the boat and saying, "Infereno! Sealent conius aquarius! Plusheri rerum!"

A few jets of light, one lavender, one gold and one blue, shot from Reagan's hand and landed on the boat, coating it in magical color before disappearing.

"What did you do?"

"Warmed it, sealed it and padded it," Reagan replied.

"And wandless magic will work on it?" he asked.

"Different magic, different rules," Reagan replied, quoting him.

"I wish your warming spells would work for my hands," Trevor said.

"Here," she said taking her hands. Infereno! she thought and she could feel heat passing from her hands to Trevor's. "There, better?"

"Tons," he replied, looking at her.

"Anything else need warming up?" she asked.

Trevor shook his head, swallowing. "Nope, that should do it."

"You two ready?" Thachard asked, coming down the slight bank towards them. Trevor held the boat as Reagan and Thachard got in, Thachard bellowing orders at him. Trevor complied with each one, and even rowed half way out across the channel before Reagan cast a charm on the ores so they rowed themselves.

"See, this old things not too shabby," Thachard said as they traveled across the water. Reagan caught Trevor's eye and they both snickered quietly to themselves.

"You two engaged?" Thachard asked.

"Us?" Trevor asked, looking at Reagan.

"No," Reagan replied. "Why?"

"Thought that ring you wear was an engagement ring," Thachard said.

"No, this is something else," Reagan replied, turning the ring with her hand.

"We are just friends," Trevor said to him.

"Some hell of a friend to come all the way out here with you," Thachard replied.

"Yeah she is," Trevor said, looking at Reagan. "She thinks she owed me."

"Its one of those things you learn after you're away from them for a while," Reagan said.

"What things?" Trevor asked.

"A lesson almost," Reagan replied. "That you have to be there for your friends, because they are you friends and they wouldn't desert you, and they've been there for you when you needed them. Even when you don't say goodbye, or write for four years, or hide things from them."

Trevor smiled at her. "So I get to be your friend again?"

Reagan nodded.

"Even if Brent doesn't like it?"

"Even if Brent doesn't like it," Reagan replied.

"Do you realize that this means I owe James four Galleons?"

"What?" Reagan asked.

"James bet me four Galleons that you would want to be my friend again."

"You bet him on that?" Reagan asked, laughing. "James never bets on anything he doesn't know the outcome of."

"I know, and thats why I probably shouldn't have taken the bet," Trevor said.

"Probably not!" Reagan laughed. "Don't ever trust a Potter when they want to bet you something, because we never bet unless we know we're going to win."

"You're a Potter?" Thachard asked, his eyes growing big. Reagan rolled her eyes and focused her energy on speeding up the ores she had a magical hold of, hoping it would get them to Azkaban faster.

"Julius is through those doors," Thachard said, pointing towards a thick black door. "She'll take you where you need to go." Trevor clutched the papers in his hand and took a few steps towards the door.

"Aren't you coming inside?" Reagan asked.

Thachard shook his head, his eyes growing with fear. "I don't go near those dark things. I don't like what they make me hear."

Reagan nodded, and Trevor knew she understood what he meant.

"I'll be out here when you're ready to go."

Trevor took the lead up the stairs, Reagan close behind him. He truly was grateful for her for coming with him. His day had been so long and drawn out and it was nice to see her and spend time with just her, regardless of the circumstances. Though if she took his hands and magically heated them again, he wasn't sure if he would make it through the evening without ruining their good standings. Besides, he was sure the reasoning for his warm hands had little to do with magic and more to do with the fact that Reagan had been standing inches from him, holding his hands in hers. He could have cast a warming charm. It just worked better the way Reagan did it.

"Do we just knock?" she asked. He looked at the door and saw no distinct door knob, knocker or way to make ot move other than magic. He was cold, but it wasn't the air that was making him shiver. He felt Reagan tense beside him and she had her eyes closed, trying to control her breathing.

Somewhere far away someone was screaming and Trevor shook his head.

"There's a Dementor right on the other side of that door," Reagan replied. "And do you know what is worse?"

"What?"

"I think I hear my father's worst moments along with mine."

"We can go back--" he began.

"No, Trevor, we came this far," she replied, opening her eyes and looking at him. "I'll be okay."

The screaming in his head went away and he knocked on the door. A moment or two passed where the water crashing against the rocks below and their steady breathing was the only thing he heard. Then the door began to slide to one side and a tall witch was standing on the other side.

"Are you Julius?" Trevor asked.

"Yes," she replied, her voice raspy and hoarse, sounding like she never used it.

"I'm Trevor Daniels, I'm here for Corbin and Celia Daniels."

"Please follow me," she replied. Trevor glanced at Reagan, taking the last few steps and entered the prison with Reagan at his heels.
Reagan was trying her best to ignore the constant screaming in her head. She had one woman screaming, "No! Not Harry!" and another voice was Josie's. One was her voice, screaming in pain after being hit with the Cruciatus Curse and another was hearing her mum scream after being with the same Unforgivable.

She knew it would be like this, her father had warned her. She knew he was trying to keep his mind shut, so his worst memories didn't seep into her. But as she walked through Azkaban prison, she was plagued with an intense migraine.

They followed her in silence down a long dark corridor. The witch checked their identification and made sure that all Trevor's paperwork was in order. Reagan gave him an encouraging smile and squeezed his hand before he stepped into the room where his parent's bodies were. Reagan looked at the small box of things that had belonged to his parents. There were clippings out of newspapers and magazines, all about Trevor. They seemed to have every article written about him. There were a few pictures, mostly of Trevor as he was growing up. Reagan picked up one, and saw that it was before his parents had been captured.

Reagan held it closer to the candle light, and she could make out a dark haired wizard, and a dark haired woman, holding a bundle of blankets, the dark hair of the baby inside barely visible.

"That my mum, dad and me," Trevor said from behind her. He took the photo from her and looked at it. "I had the same one growing up."

"Your mum is pretty," Reagan said. "And you look just like your dad."

"She was pretty," Trevor replied, not looking up from the photo. The image of his mum turned and smiled an evil grin at his father who nodded at his wife and son. "And you look more like your dad than I do mine. They don't look anything like this now."

Reagan nodded and Trevor put the photo back into the box.

"What are you going to do with that stuff?" Reagan asked.

"Burn it with their bodies," Trevor replied. "I didn't know them, Reagan. And even if I had, they weren't people I would have wanted to know. The are the kind of people who I incarcerate now. They aren't my parents. They didn't raise me."

"I know, Trevor," Reagan replied, cautiously. "But are you sure you want to destroy that stuff? I mean, theyhave all those clippings of you."

"Julius said my mum was a bit obsessed with me," Trevor said. "She said that they hadn't spoken a word in almost ten years until my mum caught sight of my face on Medicinal Magic Today three years ago, and she said it was like she woke up."

"She must have recognized you," Reagan said.

"Except my mum called me Corbin, my father's name," Trevor replied. "She was mad. Demanded a copy of every magical publication be sent to her. Julius said she kept repeating 'I must seem my Corbin, I must see my baby.' Then the winners of the Smile award were announced and Julius said to her, 'Look, your son's won another award.'"

"So your mum knew about the Smile award?"

"Yeah," Trevor replied. "And screamed at Julius,saying that I wasn't her son, that I was the worst traitor a mother could ever have because I was a Slytherin who worked for Harry Potter. Then she screamed herself to death."

Reagan didn't say anything. She was horrified that Trevor's mum could hate him so much. And the thought of someone screaming them self to death was disturbing.

"She screamed and screamed and screamed, until her larynx burst. And my father, who was still catatonic, smashed his head up against the wall to block out her screams."

"Trevor, I--"

"These people weren't my parents, Reagan," Trevor said to her, picking up the box. "They are nothing to me. I knew that some day I would have to come up here and deal with them. But as far as I'm concerned they never existed. And when my children go to their Grandma's house, I'll be taking them to my Aunt Sarah's."

Reagan watched him leave the room again, into the room where the bodies were. She caught a glimpse of his mum as he was closing the door. She was pale, with a sunken in face, her mouth contorted, her eyes black and full of hate, and a huge gash on her throat where her larynx had exploded.
After another exhilarating ride on the Knight Bus, Reagan was back in her own home, but only long enough to watch Trevor walk down the street till he was out if sight. It was mid day, the sun was out and the temperature was much warmer but she was still cold. The image and thought of Trevor's screaming mum was burned into her vision and there was only one place she needed to be.

She Apparated to the front lawn of her parent's house and smiled. She was hungry, and nothing sounded better than her mum's cooking.

"Hello?" she called, stepping inside. "Mum? Dad?"

"Reagan?" her mum's voice called, and moments later Ginny appeared in the entry. "Oh your back!"

"We just got back," Reagan said, giving her mother a hug. Ginny hugged her daughter back, a bit bewildered at Reagan's affections.

"Thank you mum," Reagan said.

"For what?"

"For being my mum. For you and Dad and everything you did for me and taught me and loved me."

"I take it the trip to Azkaban was not a pleasant one?" Harry asked, coming down the stairs.

Reagan shook her head. "I never realized how much hate someone could have."

"Was Trevor pretty upset?" Ginny asked. "I know he wasn't too fond of his parents."

"He was all right," Reagan replied. "But Trevor didn't care either way. Dead or alive, his parents were nothing to him. But Trevor's mum, she hated him so much, and screamed about it so much that it killed her. And his dad, smashed his head into the wall to drive out the noise."

"Azkaban drives people mad," Harry replied.

"Dad, you might have nightmares about all this," Reagan replied. "It was that horrible."

"Thanks for the warning," Harry said. "How were you? How is your head?"

"I still have a slight head ache," Reagan replied. "Thanks for keeping your mind under control."

"You're welcome," Harry replied.

"Reagan, have you had any chocolate?" Ginny asked.

Reagan nodded. "Trevor and I each ate at least fifteen chocolate frogs on the way back. Which reminds me, here Dad." Reagan pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to her father.

"You never mentioned being on a Chocolate Frog Card, Harry," Ginny replied, taking the card from him.

"It was over twenty years ago and you were a little pregnant and dragon like," Harry replied. "That was around the time James was born. I tried to ignore it."

"I was a bit shocked to pop a chocolate frog into my mouth, thinking to see Merlin or someone else on the card and see my dad's face staring up at me," Reagan replied.

"Well if you think Trevor has a tough time with this Smile Award, it is nothing compared to having you face put on a Chocolate card because you cast a spell."

"That just happened to defeat the darkest wizard of our time," Ginny commented.

Harry shrugged. "Besides I don't think they made very many of these."

"Which is why its going into my card collection," Reagan replied.

"Don't you think you're a little old for a Chocolate Frog Card collection?" Ginny asked, handing the card back to her daughter.

"Probably," Reagan replied. "Its one of those things I can give to my children."

"Children?" Ginny asked.

"Well, none as of yet," Reagan replied, and seeing the shocked looks on her parent's faces she laughed. "And not any time soon!"

Ginny's face relaxed a little. "Well, I'm glad your back."

"Where was Trevor off to today?" Harry asked.

"He said he was going to go to his aunt and uncle's," Reagan replied. "I decided I wanted to be here today so I zapped on over."

"Well, you are just in time," Ginny said. "I have an apple pie in the oven, and your father has been asking for a pumpkin one all day."

"She's lying," Harry whispered to Reagan as Ginny went ahead into the kitchen. "She just wants to make more pies."

"Right, Dad," Reagan replied, knowing from the feeling in her mind that he was not being completely honest.
Trevor walked briskly down the street, going over the day's events in his head. He knew it wasn't going to be pleasant going to Azkaban, and he desperately wanted to see his Aunt and Uncle, to thank them. But he also didn't want to be alone the rest of the day.

Making up his mind, he turned around and doubled back to Reagan's house.

After knocking on the door, calling her name and magically scanning the house for her, he realized she wasn't there.

Stepping back from her front door, still expecting her to come walking out, he racked his brain as to where she could have gone.

"She had been fairly shaken up," he said to himself. "She probably didn't want to spend the day alone either. And who do you go to when you don't want to be alone?"

Trevor sighed, not wanting to answer himself. He shook his head, and his mood fell even farther. Feeling as though he and Reagan had just taken a step backwards from where they were an hour before, he hurried down the street to his own place.

"It makes sense, though," he said out loud. "When I'm upset, I turn to the woman I love. When she is, she goes to the man she loves."

Trevor thought for a moment, not wanting to realize that Reagan had gone to Brent's. He hurt more than he was when Julius had told him how his parents had died and realized that whatever he and Reagan had before she left for America was no longer there. He didn't want it to be true, he didn't want to loose her. But she had moved on.

"And its time that you did too," he said to himself.

A/N: Thought you all would like a faster upload. This chapter came out faster than I expected so I decided to give you all a surprise treat. Enjoy, and please review!!!!