A/N - I'm already planning a longer story to go with this collection piece (In fact I've even wrote the first few chapters). It takes place a few years after leaving Hogwarts, but the timeline and some back story is explored in this actual chapter.
The Prisoners.
The bleak walls of Azkaban rose up above Harry Potter, blocking out what little sunlight there was in the North Sea surrounding the foreboding wizarding prison. The entire rock structure the prison was built upon was cold and unwelcoming and Harry could only imagine how hard it would be to live inside the walls of the prison. Luckily, he would never find out as he kept on the right side of the law as an Auror, and prominent member of the Order of the Phoenix.
"Are you ready?" Harry's companion for the trip, Minster for Magic, Kingsley Shackelbolt, asked.
"I am," Harry replied, his focus still on the towering structure in front of them.
Harry and Kingsley were at the prison for their bi-monthly walk through. Not only would they check everything was running perfectly at the prison, but they would also talk to a couple of prisoners they wanted information from. Not that either of them expected the people they wanted to speak with to actually reveal anything, but they had to try. The only way they could ensure the wizarding world recovered following the war with the dark was to make sure the dark supporters were all dealt with and removed from society.
Finally tearing his attention away from the outside of the prison, Harry followed Kingsley up the steps and into the ground floor of the towering structure. These days the prison was run by actual wizarding guards, rather than the Dementors that had been in charge for years. There was also heavy spells surrounding the prison, meaning those incarcerated were unable to perform even the most basic of spells.
As always, the governor of Azkaban was waiting for them and he gave Kingsley a brief overview of how the prison was running. Fortunately the news was good, and there'd been no problems with any of the prisoners. Things were running as smoothly as ever at Azkaban, and Kingsley was happy with the progress report.
"I take it you'll be making your usual visits," The governor said to Kingsley.
"We will," Kingsley replied with a nod.
"Will you need any guards?" The governor asked.
"We should be okay," Kingsley answered. Considering all the security procedures in place, not to mention the fact Harry was an Auror and he was a former Auror, Kingsley was confident that they wouldn't need help.
"Just in case, guards are on duty on every floor," The governor replied.
Kingsley nodded at the governor, as he and Harry made their way to the staircase. The ground floor was the administrative area, and the prisoners were held on the upper floors. The first five floors of Azkaban held the prisoners who'd been arrested for crimes that had nothing to do with the war and Voldemort. The lower the floor the prisoner was held on, the lesser their crime had been. In fact the first floor that held prisoners mainly consisted of people awaiting trial, or people who were just serving a few months.
After five floors of general criminals, came the three top floors of Azkaban, which were dedicated to those arrested for either being a Death Eater, or being associated with the dark arts. The lowest floor of the three held the minor Death Eaters and supporters of Voldemort. Most of the cells on that floor had been filled eighteen months ago when Voldemort had perished in battle.
Kingsley and Harry checked everything was in place on that floor, before moving up to the next floor. The next floor up only held half a dozen cells, placed a decent distance apart. These cells held a collection of Voldemort's most dangerous and loyal supporters. One by one, Harry and Kingsley checked the cells, before they reached the three end cells, which was where three of the most high profile Death Eaters were held.
The first cell contained Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix was a former inmate of Azkaban, a deadly Death Eater, and rumoured lover of Voldemort. Bellatrix had first being arrested over twenty years ago, for the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom, before Voldemort had broken her out of prison during Harry's fifth year. Bellatrix had been re-arrested eighteen months earlier, at the same battle where Harry had finally killed Voldemort. In that time she'd refused to speak to anyone in a position of power, so Harry and Kingsley had long since stopped trying to interview the witch. However, that didn't stop them peering into her cell and checking she was still there as they passed.
The cell next to Bellatrix, although not near enough so the pair could talk, belonged to Lucius Malfoy. Unlike his sister-in-law, Lucius had avoided a custodial sentence years ago, but this time around he'd been caught red-handed as a follower of Voldemort. When Voldemort had returned, Lucius had openly stood with the dark wizard, and when Voldemort was killed, Lucius hadn't been able to talk his way out of trouble. Instead he'd been arrested, and he'd spent the last eighteen months languishing in Azkaban. Unlike Bellatrix he had spoken since his incarceration, but only to laugh at the Aurors and taunt them about how the war wasn't over yet.
Eighteen months ago, Harry and Kingsley had taken Lucius's threats about the war not being over seriously. Even though Voldemort had fallen, they'd both known the war wasn't over. A couple of years before his downfall, Voldemort had publically revealed he had a daughter, and his daughter had been fighting at his side. So it only made sense that his daughter had taken over the reins when Voldemort had been defeated. However, eight months ago Voldemort's daughter had been captured, along with the wizard in the final cell, Draco Malfoy.
After checking that Lucius was still nestled safely in his cell, Kingsley and Harry made the short trip to Draco's cell. The pair pulled out their wands as Kingsley unlocked Draco's cell and opened the door. When the pair entered the cell, they found Draco sitting calmly on his small, uncomfortable looking bed. Apart from the fact the blond had lost weight, his hair was long enough to brush the tops of his shoulders and he hadn't had a shave in months, he looked remarkably well for a prisoner. Much to Harry's chagrin, he still had his superior attitude, and there was a knowing sparkle in his grey eyes.
"Get up, Malfoy," Kingsley snapped, making sure his wand was levelled at the prisoner.
"Is it that time already?" Draco asked in a sarcastic drawl. "It seems like just yesterday you two were here bugging me."
"And I always thought days were meant to drag when you're in prison," Harry remarked.
"What can I say, I have plenty of thoughts to fill my time," Draco replied with a smirk.
"Thoughts of your girlfriend?" Harry asked with a bitter laugh. Before his capture, Draco had been publically involved with Voldemort's daughter. "You do know, she's not going to rescue you. In fact, she's stuck in here with you."
"I'm well aware of that," Draco replied. "We were caught together."
"So what were you doing, daydreaming about when you were both free?" Harry asked as the blond slowly got to his feet.
"Something like that," Draco answered. "So are we going to move into the interrogation room, or continue this little chat about how I spend my days?"
Harry didn't bother replying as he turned and led the way from the cell. Kingsley forced Draco to follow Harry, all the time keeping his wand at the blond's back, even though the protection spells in the prison prevented him from escaping. Harry led the way to the room across from the blond's cell, which was the interrogation room for the floor they were on. Each floor had a special interrogation room, although they weren't used that often. However, Harry and Kingsley spoke to Draco every time they visited the prison, which worked out at twice a month.
"Isn't this nice," Draco remarked as he settled down in his usual chair. He was more than used to the visit by now, and he knew exactly what questions the two wizards were going to throw his way.
"Cut the crap, Malfoy," Harry snapped as he sat down opposite the blond. "You know what we want to know."
"I do," Draco replied with a nod. "And by now, I'm sure you know my answers to your insipid questions."
"Do you really think this proves anything?" Harry questioned, trying not to show how much the blond's attitude got to him. "You've lost, and we've won. Voldemort is dead and the majority of his supports are in here. You're in here, along with your father and aunt. And then there's her, she's stuck here, just as much of a prisoner as you are."
"Have you ever noticed, you don't say her name?" Draco asked with a laugh. "You use The Dark Lord's name, but never hers. Why? Does it still hurt to think about who she is, and what she did to you?"
"She's not important right now," Harry snarled, determined not to think about Voldemort's daughter until he had to face her once he was done with Draco. "Right now, I want answers."
"And my answers will be the same as they were last time," Draco replied with a bored sigh as he leant back in his chair. "I'm not telling you anything, Potter."
"How about you talk to me, then," Kingsley said from where he was sitting beside Harry. "It can only help you, if you give us the information we want. Surely you want to get out of here. Your mother is all alone with both you and your father locked up."
"Using my mother won't work on me," Draco replied with a slight chuckle. "I see her every month, and I know she's coping just fine."
"But she could be so much happier if you were home with her," Kingsley argued.
"And how does me talking to you, help with that?" Draco questioned. "I could tell you everything I know, and still you wouldn't let me walk free. I'm a Death Eater, and proud of it. You're not letting me out, so there's no point in me talking to you."
"We have to try," Kingsley said with a shrug as he sat back and studied the blond wizard in front of him. "Until we can account for every single Death Eater, our job isn't done."
"It looks like you're never going to know job satisfaction then, doesn't it," Draco replied with a smirk.
"Just tell us what you know, Malfoy," Harry snapped, banging his hand down on the table that separated him and Kingsley from the Death Eater. "We'll start with Snape. Where is he?"
Severus Snape, the former Potions Professor, had left Hogwarts at the end of Harry's seventh year, when Voldemort had attacked Hogwarts. During the attack, Voldemort's daughter had revealed herself, and the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had been killed. Snape had also shown where his loyalties lay, and he'd turned to the dark on a full time basis from that moment. After that, he'd been seen at various skirmishes and battles, but he hadn't been seen since that fateful day eighteen months ago when Voldemort had fallen.
"How would I know?" Draco asked with a shrug. "It might have slipped your notice, but I've been in here for the last eight months. I don't know where anyone is, or what they're up to."
"Fine, where was he the last time you saw him?" Harry asked.
"Hmm, let's think," Draco mused, tilting his head thoughtfully. "You know, I can't remember. It's so hard to remember what life was like before I was confined to this place."
Harry let out a low growl as he glared across the table at Draco. He knew the blond was lying, but he couldn't prove it. Somehow both Draco and Voldemort's daughter were immune to veritiserum. They'd both been administered some upon their arrest, but it hadn't worked on either of them. Chances were, they'd found an antidote, and the only person who was skilled enough to do such a thing was Severus Snape, meaning they'd had contact with him before their capture.
"Okay, let's move on," Harry said, determined to get something out of the blond. "Rodolphus Lestrange. He's another person unaccounted for. When was the last time you saw your uncle?"
"He's only my uncle by marriage, and not a very happy one at that," Draco pointed out.
"How sad for Bellatrix," Harry retorted, oozing fake sympathy for Draco's aunt. "But back to Rodolphus. The last time you saw him, when was it?"
"Eighteen months ago," Draco answered.
Harry and Kingsley bolted upright in their seats, sharing a quick glance before they refocused on Draco. This was the most they'd ever gotten from the blond, and they were wondering just what he was going to tell them. Of course, whatever he was going to tell them was something he wanted them to know, but it was still more than they'd gotten from him over the last eight months.
"Go on," Harry urged when the blond fell silent.
"It was just before The Dark Lord's last battle," Draco continued. "He had a special assignment for Rodolphus."
"What?" Kingsley asked eagerly.
"I don't know, he spoke to him in private," Draco replied.
"How long for? Did Rodolphus seem happy about the assignment?" Harry demanded.
"I wouldn't know," Draco answered with a shrug. "When I went home, The Dark Lord had only just started talking to Rodolphus. I have no idea how long they talked, or what they spoke about."
"Weren't you curious?" Harry pressed.
"Not really," Draco replied with a shake of his head. "Besides, I had other things in my mind. I was going home to my girlfriend, who'd promised me a very special treat. Do you want to hear about the treat, Potter?"
"No, I do not," Harry snapped as he got to his feet.
"Shame, you would enjoy the story about how I had The Dark Lord's daughter tied naked to my bed," Draco said, grinning smugly at the uncomfortable look on Harry's face. "She looked so perfect, all wild curls and pale, naked skin. She's quite the tigress in bed, or should I say, lioness?"
"We're done," Harry snarled. "Let's get him back into his cell, Kingsley. And I think these visits are useless. He's not going to tell us anything."
"Finally, he gets the message," Draco snorted as he got to his feet.
While Kingsley returned Draco to his cell, Harry paced the floor beside the stairs that would take them up to their final stop of the tour, the top floor of the prison which held one prisoner, the daughter of The Dark Lord. Harry always hated visiting her, but he did it because he knew she knew things she hadn't yet shared. He wanted answers from her, both about the Death Eaters and about a personal matter that still haunted him nearly four years after it had happened.
"You shouldn't let him get to you like that, Harry," Kingsley advised as he relocked Draco's cell and made his way over to Harry.
"I know, but he just knows how to get under my skin," Harry replied. "He always has. Although, this was the last time. We're getting nowhere with him."
"He told us about Rodolphus," Kingsley pointed out.
"There's an ulterior motive behind that, believe me," Harry muttered. "He told us, for twisted reasons known only to himself."
"I agree, but I can't think of a reason why he would suddenly tell us now," Kingsley replied. "It's not like he's achieving anything by telling us that Rodolphus had a special mission before Voldemort died. Even if we can work out what the mission was, it doesn't help him. He's still stuck in here until he dies."
"He doesn't think so," Harry remarked with a sigh. "I can see it in his eyes. He thinks this is just temporary. He believes he's getting out. So does she, she has the same look in her eyes, as though she's mocking us."
"Knowing her, she probably is," Kingsley replied. "But neither of them are getting out of here. So are you ready to face her?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Harry answered.
Taking a deep breath, he turned and began to ascend the stairs that led to the top floor of Azkaban. Originally the floor had been designed to hold several people, much like the floor below, but these days only one cell was occupied, by the daughter of The Dark Lord. Harry slowly walked towards the occupied cell, but instead of entering, he turned away and entered the interrogation room on the floor. As he sat himself down, he heard Kingsley open the cell door and collect their prisoner.
"Hello, Harry," A feminine voice called as she entered the room, and Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up at the familiar voice.
Slowly Harry looked up into the familiar brown eyes of his former best friend. "Hello, Hermione."
Hermione Granger gave Harry a sweet smile as she sunk into the chair opposite him. Even eight months in Azkaban couldn't hide the fact Hermione was a very attractive witch. Her brunette hair, which had been tamed into curls before her arrest, was wild and bushy, and her clothing was dishevelled and looking old. Although, despite all that, like Draco she had an air of confidence about her that Harry just didn't like. The pair were too cocky for his liking, and he always felt as though they knew something that they found amusing.
"Has it really been two weeks already?" Hermione asked. "Time flies when you're having fun."
"Funny, Malfoy said pretty much the same thing," Harry replied, working hard to keep calm in the face of the bitch who had betrayed him. "Seems neither of you are missing the other very much."
"You know what they say, Harry, absence makes the heart grow fonder," Hermione replied with a smirk.
"Or maybe it's a case of out of sight, out of mind," Harry retorted.
"You know as well as I do, it doesn't work like that," Hermione chuckled. "If you love someone, you never forget them, even if you don't see them for months. After all, I don't suppose you've forgotten little Ginny have you? And how long has it been since you've seen her?"
Harry felt his temper flare at the mention of Ginny, and he wanted nothing more than to jump up and squeeze the life out of Hermione. Four years ago, just before Harry was due to leave Hogwarts, Ginny had been found lying at the bottom of a staircase in a quiet corner of the castle. The fall had resulted in her suffering a severe head injury, and she'd been in a coma ever since. At the time it was put down to an accident, but it was only a few weeks later that Voldemort had attacked the school and Hermione had revealed herself to be his daughter. From that moment on, Harry had become convinced that Hermione had thrown Ginny down the stairs, but he'd yet to prove it as she'd admitted nothing and Ginny was still lying in St Mungo's with next to no chance of ever waking up.
"Still a touchy subject, is it?" Hermione asked, clicking her tongue sympathetically.
"It still hurts," Harry confessed. "But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you? I lost Ginny four years ago, but I still have a tiny chance of getting her back. You don't have that chance. Your father is dead, and he's never coming back. Not this time."
"You win some, you lose some," Hermione replied with shrug.
If Harry didn't know any better, he would have said that Hermione didn't care about the fact her father was dead. However, he'd seen her eighteen months ago when her father had fallen. She'd been fighting at his side only moments before he took Voldemort out, and the second he fell, she was there, sobbing over his body. If Harry hadn't hesitated over killing his former friend, Hermione might have also gone as her guard had been down. However, Harry's moment of indecision cost him as Draco had appeared out of nowhere and spirited Hermione away with Voldemort's body. It was then months after that before Hermione was seen again, this time in charge of her father's Death Eaters.
"You know, to someone who doesn't know you, you could seem like a callous bitch," Harry remarked.
"I am," Hermione replied with a slow smile. "And just for the record, you don't know me. Everything you thought you knew about me, was a lie. My good girl, muggleborn act was just that, an act. I was never your friend, Harry."
"I'm well aware of that," Harry said sadly. After the truth about Hermione had emerged, he'd clung onto the hope that they'd been friends for seven years and that maybe there was some goodness in Hermione, but she'd crushed that hope as she'd fought alongside her father and killed people he cared about. "But I do know you're not completely heartless. You loved your father, and you miss him. For some bizarre reason you even love Malfoy."
"I never said I couldn't love," Hermione replied. "But being capable of love, doesn't mean there's goodness in me. I'm a dark witch, Harry, and I always have been. I'll be dark until the day I die."
"I'm sure you will be," Harry agreed. "But that doesn't mean you can't help us. Please Hermione, just answer our questions."
Hermione tilted her head and studied Harry for a couple of minutes before she nodded her head once. "I'll answer your questions, today only. This is the last time I'll talk to you, Harry. Next time, you're getting nothing from me."
Harry was shocked by Hermione's answer, and it increased the bad feeling he already had following his meeting with Draco. It couldn't be a coincidence that after eight months both Draco and Hermione had chosen the same day to talk. They were up to something, Harry just didn't know what.
"I want to start with Ginny," Harry said quietly. "Tell me what happened."
"You know what happened," Hermione replied. "I was with you and Ron when we found out Ginny had been found at the bottom of the stairs. Dumbledore said she fell."
"Dumbledore said she fell because he didn't know who you were," Harry argued.
"And that would have made a difference?" Hermione questioned with an arched eyebrow. "Come on Harry, even at the time there were known dangers at that school. Everyone knew Draco had joined my father, but suspicion never fell on him."
"Because he had an alibi," Harry snorted. The entire school had been questioned following Ginny's fall, and Draco had claimed to have been in the dungeons all afternoon, a claim backed up by his fellow Slytherins.
"Funny thing about those alibis, no-one knew what time to get the alibi for," Hermione said. "When Ginny was found, no-one knew how long she'd been lying there so Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore just had to estimate when she fell."
"And they estimated wrong," Harry guessed.
"They did," Hermione confirmed with a nod. "Ginny fell over an hour before they thought she did. That's why Draco had his alibi, and I had mine in the form of you and Ron."
"You pushed her," Harry accused.
"Tripped actually," Hermione answered with a smirk as she recalled the way she'd stuck her foot out and send Ginny tumbling when the redhead was going to run off and tell Harry she'd caught her shagging Draco in an empty classroom.
"You bitch," Harry cried, jumping up and leaning across the table to grab the front of Hermione's top. "You'll pay for that."
"Harry, stop," Kingsley said, pulling the Auror off the prisoner. "We'll sort out an attempted murder charge when we get back to the Ministry."
"Because that will make so much difference to my prison sentence," Hermione drawled, rolling her eyes at the pair. "Do you have any more questions, or can I get back to my cell. I'm getting very good at yoga, you know, it helps keep me calm and focused."
"Focused on what?" Kingsley asked as Harry took a moment to calm down.
"Just things," Hermione answered with a non-committal shrug. "A girl has to pass the time somehow, you know."
"Just ask her the damn questions, Kingsley," Harry snapped.
"Oooh, I forgot what a temper you've got, Harry," Hermione teased. "It's rather a turn on, if I'm honest. Of course, you're a bit too timid to really get me going. That's one of the things I love about Draco, when he loses his temper everyone has to take cover. He's exquisite when he's truly angry. Very hot."
"Enough," Kingsley snapped, jumping in before Harry did something he would regret. "You've agreed to answer our questions Hermione, so let's focus on them. Do you know where Severus Snape is?"
"Beats me," Hermione answered. "I'm not exactly in a position to keep in touch with old friends. I'm not even allowed visitors."
"What about before your arrest?" Kingsley asked. "Had you seen him before that?"
"He was at dinner one evening at the manor," Hermione replied. "That might have been the last time I saw him, I don't really remember."
"What about Rodolphus Lestrange?" Harry asked. "Where is he?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Hermione replied with an evil cackle.
In actual fact, Rodolphus was dead. He'd been killed at the battle eighteen months ago, when he'd been posing as Voldemort. It had all been a plan to make the light think they had the upper hand, and it had worked beautifully. Eighteen months later the light had no idea Voldemort still lived and was currently working on a plan to free his daughter and faithful followers.
"You know where he is?" Kingsley asked.
"I do," Hermione answered with a nod. "And you'll never find him."
"Don't be so sure," Harry said. "You never know when he might turn up."
"I know you won't find him," Hermione repeated. "You could search for years, and still not find him."
"You killed him," Harry stated, wondering what he'd done to earn Hermione's wrath.
"No, I didn't lay a hand on him," Hermione replied honestly.
"Malfoy said he received a special assignment from your father shortly before his death," Kingsley said. "What do you know about that?"
"Nothing," Hermione lied. "Daddy often had special assignments for his Death Eaters. I didn't question him, unless it involved me. More than likely he would have told me what Rodolphus was doing for him, but someone killed him.
At Hermione's accusing glare, Harry allowed a triumphant smirk to appear on his lips. "And I would do it again in a heartbeat," He hissed as she leant over the table and got right into Hermione's face. "I just wish I'd killed you at the same time."
"I bet you do," Hermione replied, seemingly unfazed by Harry's behaviour. "After all, if you'd killed me then, I wouldn't have killed Ron."
"Bitch," Harry yelled as he backhanded Hermione across the face, cutting her lip in the process.
It was bad enough that she'd brought up Ginny, but now she was talking about Ron and what she'd done to him. Ron had been killed in a battle at the ministry, the very battle that had led to Hermione and Draco being captured. Harry knew Hermione had been the one to strike the deadly blow to Ron, as he'd watched, unable to get to Ron in time as Hermione had shot the killing curse at his back, causing him to tumble down the open elevator shaft. Of course, Hermione had claimed she was just protecting Draco as Ron had been fighting her lover at the time. However, Harry had seen enough to know that the blond wizard had never been in trouble, if anything he was the one who'd had the advantage over Ron. Hermione had killed Ron in cold blood, and Harry would forever be haunted by the sight of his body toppling down into the elevator shaft.
"I'd like to return to my cell now," Hermione said softly as her tongue darted out of her mouth to gingerly lick the blood off her lip.
"Yes, I think it's time we ended this," Kingsley said.
"You're not getting away with this, Hermione," Harry snarled at his former friend got to her feet. "I've let you sit in here for eight months, but no more. The second I get back to the Ministry, I'm starting proceedings to get you the death sentence. You deserve to die, and I'm going to make sure it happens."
"Promises, promises, Harry," Hermione said, giving Harry a saucy wink as Kingsley stuck his wand in her back and hurried her out of the room.
Angrily kicking one of the chairs over, Harry waited in the interrogation room until Kingsley returned from securing Hermione back in her cell. He was always on edge after a meeting with Hermione, but today seemed ten times worse. There was something going on with Hermione and Draco, and it annoyed the life out of Harry that he couldn't work out what it was.
"Something's off, isn't it?" He asked the second Kingsley re-entered the room.
"Yes," Kingsley agreed with a sigh. "I don't get why she talked today. She's just handed you ammunition in your case to get her the death sentence. Why do that?"
"Because she doesn't think she'll ever receive it," Harry said. "I'm telling you, Kingsley, they think they're getting out of here."
"But there's no-one to break them out," Kingsley argued. "Snape is a talented wizard, but he'd not strong enough to break anyone out of Azkaban, especially not two of the most heavily guarded prisoners. Even if Narcissa helped him, they couldn't achieve anything meaningful."
"I know," Harry said with a sigh. "I've just got a bad feeling. I feel like something big is going to happen, and it's not going to be good for us."
"Let's not worry about something that won't happen," Kingsley advised. "Let's get back to the Ministry and get to work on securing Hermione the death penalty."
Harry nodded and led the way out of the interrogation room. As he entered the corridor, he felt eyes on him and when he turned to Hermione's cell, he found her standing beside the door, peering out of the small hole which allowed the guards to check on her without having to enter her cell.
"Bye, Harry," She called. "I'll be seeing you soon."
Ignoring the cold shiver that ran down the back of his neck, Harry turned and stalked towards the staircase. At top speed he bolted down the entire staircase and less than five minutes after leaving the top floor, Harry and Kingsley emerged on the bottom floor. Without looking back, Harry exited the prison, and alongside Kingsley he apparated back to the Ministry. However, what neither of them knew was that they'd be back at Azkaban in less than a week to deal with a mass break-out, involving Hermione, Draco and all the other top priority prisoners. The war was far from over, and this time the dark side had the edge.