All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.
Chapter Sixty-Two: Preparing a Break Out
Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day
March 19, 2001
"Gentlemen, please, have a seat!" said Grindelwald, entering the small shack where Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, and Blaise Zambini were already waiting. "A bit stuffy in here, don't you think?" asked Gellert, opening a window. "My apologies for keeping you waiting!"
"We've got what you wanted," said Blaise, cutting to the chase. "When are you releasing the first three?"
Gellert smiled. "Such resourceful people, you Death Eaters! Which one did you bring me?"
"You'll see it when you answer our questions," stated Theo.
Gellert laughed. "If you present me with one of the three items today, then I will do the release of three prisoners this week."
"When?" demanded Vincent.
"I cannot say. For me to be successful, I require secrecy. Rest assured, however, that three will be released. Who might the three be, by the way?"
"My father, Nathaniel Nott," said Theo. "As well as Vince's dad, Jack Crabbe, and," with slight hesitation, said, "Lucius Malfoy."
"Noted," responded Grindelwald. "And in return…?" he asked, waiting for his reward. He watched Theo pull out a long silvery cloak, and reached for it, but Theo pulled it back.
"Our three are released first, then you get your cloak."
"I must see it to confirm authenticity," responded Gellert. When he took the cloak in his hand, he knew immediately that this was the one. "So, you stole from Harry Potter."
"It doesn't matter how we got it," said Blaise, grabbing the cloak back. "Where do we meet you for the exchange?"
"Within a week, you will hear through the Daily Prophet, I'm sure, of some disturbing news. Let that be the signal for you to know that I have succeeded. Do not trust the news, but play along, that is very important!"
"What do you mean?" asked Vince.
"I mean as I said, Vincent Crabbe. I will send word with Pius once I have secured the men safely. Until that time, be alert – you will all be under suspicion by the Ministry of Magic."
"Fine," was all Theo said. "Until then," and he turned and left via portkey with Vince and Blaise.
"Did you hear all of that?" asked Gellert.
"Of course I did," came the voice of the woman that Gellert most confided in. She walked from out of the shadows and turned and faced Gellert. "I'll start tomorrow."
Draco Malfoy – Present Day
March 19, 2001
"Mother, might we have a word?" asked Draco, approaching his mother, who was having a cup of tea quietly behind her husband's desk in the Malfoy study.
"Of course, Draco," she said, setting down the parchment that she was reading, careful to ensure that it was face down.
Draco frowned. What he needed to tell his mother was not going to be easy. "Mother, about my Ritual Knot…"
"I've told you, Draco, it is already planned."
"It's not that, I'm happy to be marrying Astoria," he lied.
"Good, then what do you wish to discuss?"
"My father."
"Your father?" she repeated.
"Yes…" Draco hesitated. "I know that you're going to have him killed so that you can have the Ritual Knot preformed."
"Draco…"
"No, please, let me finish. I've come to tell you that you won't have to do that because I have orchestrated his release."
"What?" asked Narcissa, in disbelief.
"Any day now, there is going to be a breakout from Azkaban and father will be included."
"Draco, what are you up to? Do you know how hard I have been working to clear your name? I may have Dolores Umbridge helping me but if you do something that she is against, such as a break out from Azkaban, then there is no protecting you!"
"Don't worry, I'm not the one doing it. In fact, the person who is doing it doesn't even know that I am involved."
"Draco, you need to tell me everything. Now." And so, Draco did. He explained how Crabbe had approached him and how he had stolen Harry's cloak. "How can you be so sure that they will honor their word and release Lucius in the first round?" Narcissa asked him.
"Because I made him agree to an Unbreakable Vow."
Narcissa gasped. "Draco, you did not!"
"I had to ensure father would survive. You do want him alive, don't you?"
"Of course I do! The only reason I would have had to do something else was for your benefit. Do you think it would have been easy for me to have your father killed? But we both agreed to protect both you and the Malfoy name and so I was given no choice!"
"Well, now you don't have to, because father is coming home."
"As a wanted man."
"Hiding is better than death!" Draco yelled, which is something he never did in front of his mother.
"And what cost to you, Draco? What did you promise in this vow of yours?"
"To do whatever it takes to help with the release of the rest," he responded quietly.
Narcissa inhaled deeply. "From now on," she said calmly, but stern, "you are to report to me immediately and I will assist you with whatever task you are required to do, do you understand?"
"Yes, mother."
"Good; now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare a place for your father to stay once he is free."
Narcissa Malfoy – Present Day
March 19, 2001
Narcissa entered the Death Eaters lair quietly, listening to the conversation happening inside. Once she realized that it was simply nonsense being discussed, she stepped into the light and lowered her hood.
"Good evening," she said, to the group of Death Eaters that were sitting around a little fire.
"What are you doing here?" Blaise Zambini asked her.
"I may come and go as I please, Zambini; that was the agreement put into place."
"How can we help you, Missus Malfoy?" asked Theo politely.
"I wish to speak to you about this vow that you have with my son," she said plainly.
"It was Draco's idea," answered Crabbe.
"Regardless, it should never have happened! Do you need reminding of what I have done?" she asked them.
"No, Ma'am," answered Blaise quickly, glancing at Pansy who was sitting at his feet.
"Very good. Now this plan for my husband's release…"
"It's not in our hands, but I can assure you that it is happening," replied Theo.
"And none of us will be suspected?"
"Questioned, I'm sure, but as long as we all have an alibi, we should be good."
Narcissa nodded. She turned to leave but looked at them a final time. "Do not provide me a reason to visit you again," she said, and she put her hood back up and left.
Iris Dartmouth – The Past
June 21, 1996
Iris grabbed her hot cup of tea and finally sat down at her kitchen table. It had been a long day for her, longer than most. She knew the Parker boy did not understand the concept of Transfiguration, but never did she expect him to try and transfigure another one of her students! Luckily, she was able to restore little Lucy back to her regular self, and hopefully will be able to continue educating her. Lucy was the brightest student that Iris had, out of the five witches and wizards that she home-schooled, and she would be upset if Lucy's parents found a new teacher. Iris went to sip her tea, when her cat jumped up onto the table and nearly knocked the steaming cup out of her hands.
"Mr. Proudfoot, be careful!" she yelled at her cat. Sighing, she finally took a sip of her tea, and picked up the Daily Prophet that was sitting on her table. The Owl had dropped this particular edition off two days ago, but only now had Iris found the time to read it. He Who Must Not Be Named Returns, read the headline. Iris frowned but she was not surprised. Despite what everyone was saying, she had assumed that Albus Dumbledore had some merit to what he had been claiming. The boy, however, she was unsure of. You-Know-Who capturing him in a graveyard yet he escapes? It was a hard story to believe. She continued reading the paper and choked when she saw the small short headline that mentioned the name she loathed the most. So, she thought, Sirius Black was finally dead. She sat there quietly for a moment, then turned back to her paper. "Good riddance," she said out loud, as she took another sip of her tea. Years ago, she would have been thrilled with the knowledge that Sirius Black was dead and she was finally free of her Ritual Knot, but now, at age thirty-six, it no longer mattered. She thought briefly of Eric, but then shook her head. Eric had found someone else and she, Iris, would forever be alone. She had made the decision after she quit her job teaching at Ilvermorny, (to get away from Eric), and moved to Britain to become a teacher for children who were home-schooled. It was just her and Mr. Proudfoot and although it was not how she had ever thought her life would end up, she was quite used to the situation. "Mr. Proudfoot!" she yelled again, as her cat jumped up once more and this time almost knocked down her mother's urn. She grabbed the urn and looked around the room. She needed to put the urn somewhere safe, but she was unsure where that place was. Often times, she wished that her mother had just been buried like an ordinary witch, but Iris knew her mother was far from ordinary, and insisted that she be cremated like her great-great-great muggle grandmother. Iris laughed a little when she thought of it. Her mother and father made sure nobody knew that she had muggle ancestry, yet she goes and requests such a mundane thing like cremation. She drummed her fingers on the urn, wondering where she should put it, when she thought of the Daily Prophet laying next to her cup of tea. Being quite brilliant in charms, Iris knew that since Sirius was dead, their Ritual Knot would have vanished. She walked over to the small closet in the back of her house and lifted a box down from the top shelf. Since her Ritual Knot was now destroyed, she no longer had anything in this box and it would serve as the safest place for her mother's remains. She opened up the box and placed the urn inside, but something stopped her from closing the lid. Frowning, she grabbed her wand and said, "Lumos", and pointed her wand tip into the box. Sitting neatly at the bottom of her box was her most hated possession: her Ritual Knot with Sirius Black. Iris walked back to the kitchen and re-read the article in the Prophet. It definitely stated that Sirius was dead, but it did not say how. "Well, he isn't dead," she said out loud, closing the box and placing it back on the top shelf. She considered telling the Ministry, but then thought better against it. Maybe they buried him alive, she thought. The last thing she would want to do was help him, and she was content in thinking that Sirius Black was trapped in a coffin somewhere, begging for release and gasping for air. She grabbed the urn and continued looking for a new place to put it, and the thought of Sirius Black left her mind.
Author's Notes: So, Grindelwald and his mystery woman are working on the break out and it will happen soon, so stay tuned. There is not much to say today so I will see you all at the next chapter!