Disclaimer: Well, unless I'm undergoing some kind of bizarre identity crisis where I think I'm someone who owns something of value (which I'm pretty sure I'm not), I still don't own anything.
A/N: You guys might just kill me for this. Things are gonna start to get a bit confusing, or at least, should if I do this right. Just for this chapter (I think) the focus of the story's gonna shift back over to where the first chapter was (Azkaban and Ashley). You'll see why if I can get this chapter to come out the way that I have it planned, so... yeah. Don't kill me, please/runs and hides behind some buff guy in full lacrosse gear, preferably by the name of Kyle/
Finding Things Out the Hard Way
Meanwhile, while all the goings on at Hogwarts were, well, going on, someone else, different, yet still entirely relevant, was still sitting in her cell in Azkaban. Well, at the moment, it wasn't so much sitting as lying, as she was asleep.
Ashley lay on the cold, hard stone surface of he cell, curled up in the fetal position, using her hands as a pillow as she attempted to sleep. Usually, such a thing was no problem for her, and she commonly used unconsciousness as a form of escape, but this day it simply was not coming. She groaned and rolled over, hoping that a new position would improve her chances of slumber.
Of course, she wasn't that lucky. Instead, Ashley remained where she was and concentrated on something other than falling asleep. On the rare event that such a thing happened, thinking about something else usually did the trick, but again, she wasn't that lucky. Her thoughts had turned to Victoria and Draco, the last thing in the world she wanted to think about. Desperately, she cast her mind about for another topic, trying and failing miserably to distract herself from the intruding thoughts.
She was saved from the mental torture, however, as the sound of footsteps echoed in the prison hallway. That was strange, Ashley thought, as there were never any visitors at this time of day, let alone much at all. She was the only one in this particular area of the place, too, as if by isolating her she would lose her mind all that much more quickly.
Ashley didn't move, opting to remain on the floor where she was, just in case the visitor was someone that she did not wish to engage with, which would most likely be the case. Again, she was wrong.
The footsteps stopped before the bars of her cell, but no one spoke, and Ashley had to resist the overwhelming urge to shift her gaze to see who it was that had come calling. A few more moments passed in silence, until the peace was shattered by a familiar sounding voice.
"Ashley?" Ashley's heart raced. She knew that voice. She had heard it for many years of her life, every day, telling her what she could to do to make her lord happy. Then again, she pondered, there was a possibility that is was not the one who she thought it was, but instead the person that she would least expect. She decided to go with that theory, speaking before rising.
"Draco?" It was the second time in a matter of months that she had uttered that name, and Ashley didn't like the way that it was beginning to roll off her tongue with ease. To have feelings in a place like Azkaban was to be human, and to be human meant that you were fair game for the Dementors.
"No." The voice replied, and Ashley knew that her first assumption had been the correct one. Her theory was proved true as she turned and was met with the sight of Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, standing there in all his majesticness.
"Lucius." Relief flooded her being, as seeing Draco would be just the thing that would push the already boarder-line psycho to and over the edge. Yes, she reasoned, this was much better.
Time had been kind to the elder Malfoy, Ashley noted, as he stood before her looking hardly older than the last time she had seen him. Speaking of the last time she had seen him, that had been more than eleven years ago. What could possibly compel him to come see her now? Was there something wrong with Draco? Victoria? No, she would know if something had happened to Victoria. Draco would have told her. Right?
Lucius seemed to sense the inner turmoil the female was experiencing, and determined that it was time to clear things up.
"Don't worry," he said, voice low, as if not wanting to be overheard, "Nothing's the matter. In fact, I have something that would be considered good news for you."
A line from the one and only letter Draco had sent her ran through Ashley's mind. I know I said I wasn't going to see or write you until you got out (which Father is working on as I write this letter. It seems we have more friends than anticipated)... Could it be that that day had finally arrived? It almost seemed to good to be true that such a thing was even possible, as her sentence had been for life. Every favor the Malfoy family ever had must have been called in to manage it. Ashley looked up at Lucius, her eyes pleading. He almost smiled, a faint shadow of a grin playing on his dignified lips.
"You know of what I speak, then?" Ashley nodded, fearful that she was mistaken. "Good, good. That means a considerable amount of less explaining that I am required to suffer you through. In short, you've been released, freed of all charges. As of today, you're a free woman."
Ashley blinked. And blinked again. And again. This didn't seem possible. Could it be that he was joking, playing with her for his own cruel and twisted pleasure? No, that couldn't be it. Lucius may have been Voldemort's right hand man, but even he wouldn't toy with the emotions of a mentally unstable person, especially one who his son held in such high regard. Lucius picked up on her disbelief and removed a piece of parchment from inside his robes and handed it to her. Upon observation, Ashley saw the signatures of all the members of the Wizengamot that had sentenced her decreeing her release. Her gaze returned to Lucius's.
"Are you ready to go, then?" Without waiting for a response, Lucius summoned a guard to unlock her cell, waited for him to do so, strode inside, and seized Ashley's hand as he pulled her to her feet. "There are people waiting for you back home, you know."
Ashley came into her senses in time to respond.
"You mean... Does Draco know?" Lucius momentarily paused in his Transmuting of a rock into a Portkey to look at her.
"Of course he does."
"Then why...?" A shadow passed over Lucius's eyes, giving Ashley just enough reason to doubt the validity of his statement. He sighed, very uncharacteristic for someone on such stature and standing, and lowered the rock.
"All right, he doesn't know. I thought it would be something of a pleasant surprise for the doorbell to ring at the Manor and to have you be standing there." Before Ashley could come up with a retort, the Portkey was shoved in her hands and she found herself traveling through space in a whirl. When the world stopped spinning, she found herself standing on the front porch of Malfoy Manor, Lucius standing next to her, one finger pressed to the doorbell.
"Lucius, what-?" The rest of the sentence never left her lips as Lucius Apparated to who knows where, leaving her alone to face whatever was to come next.
Ok, so I lied. This is gonna take two chapters, which really annoys me, but I found a decent stopping point, and I have this thing about making chapters the size of my world civ book. Therefore, it's gonna be two chapters. I swear to God that after that chapter we'll get back to Victoria and all them back at Hogwarts, but some things have to happen first. So... I'm off to go write that part, so I'm gonna shut up with this note now, not that any of you were actually still reading it by this point. Hugs and kisses!
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