For Lo
Word Count: 1033
Alecto doesn't have anywhere else to go. She doubts Amelia will want to see her, but she is lost and afraid, and so damn desperate. There's nowhere to turn. To the rest of the world, she is a criminal; to the Death Eaters, by the time they realize she is gone, she will be a traitor.
She shivers against the chilly air. Her tattered mahogany dress does little to protect her from the icy bit. All she can do is push through it.
Still shaking and shivering, she reaches Amelia's door, hesitating. What is she doing here? She is hardly innocent, and Amelia knows that better than anyone.
All she can do is hope for the best, that Amelia will not dismiss her.
.
Amelia glares at her when Alecto sits near her at the lake. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
Alecto shakes her head. She supposes she could sit with Amycus, but she doesn't want to. This is her first chance to really be away from both him and their father. "Please," she whispers.
The Hufflepuff softens at that. Maybe she can see the hint of fear and desperation in Alecto's eyes. "Want one?" Amelia asks, smiling as she holds up a box of Bertie Bott's.
.
Amelia's warmth is gone when she answers the door. She draws her wand, taking a step back. "This won't end well," she warns, her tone low and dangerous.
Alecto doesn't make a move to raise her wand. She keeps her hands in the air, eyes pleading silently for Amelia to understand.
Somehow, Amelia must get the message. She lowers her wand, but she doesn't relax. "It's midnight," she says. "What on earth would make you think knocking on my door at midnight is a good idea?"
It's a fair enough question. Alecto has done everything wrong. She's been deceitful, she's strayed so far from the right path, she's murdered… the list of her flaws is endless.
"Have you ever wanted to start everything over?" she whispers.
.
Amelia sees the bruises, and she asks. Alecto doesn't want to say. She knows that she will get in trouble if Amycus ever finds out.
But the words come out anyway. She tells Amelia about how her father hits her, and how he leaves Amycus in charge sometimes. Amycus likes to hurt her, but he always promises her that it is love, that he only corrects her because he loves her.
She is lucky to have him. Lucky that he cares for her. Lucky that he can save her.
Amelia tells her it isn't love.
"It is," Alecto insists.
And Amelia's fingers are so gentle when they curl around her wrist, careful to avoid the bruises. "I can show you love," she whispers, her free hand cupping Alecto's cheek. "If you let me, I mean."
.
It may be midnight, but that doesn't stop Amelia from working away in the kitchen. She brings Alecto a plate of toast and jam with a side of bacon.
Alecto bites into the toast, moaning softly as the sweet jam meets her tongue. It takes every ounce of control not to shove the whole slice of bread into her mouth. How long has it been since she's had a proper meal? Too long.
"I'm useless and I know it," Alecto says bitterly. She looks up Amelia, and it hurts so much. "I should have listened to you. I should have done something more."
"Hindsight won't help us, Alecto," Amelia sighs, pouring Alecto a cup of tea, then herself. "The question is: what do you want to do now?"
Alecto frowns. She isn't actually sure. She knows she has made so many mistakes. Is this her chance to correct them? She wants to, but she is afraid.
Amycus seems to be with her. Always. She is haunted by him, and she thinks she will always be.
"I want to forget," she admits. "That isn't an option, though."
Maybe it is. Maybe Amelia could Obliviate her and send her elsewhere, letting her get a new start, so far away from this mess and chaos. It's a lovely dream, but she knows it isn't what she needs.
She has to make things right.
.
She doesn't know how Amycus finds out about Amelia, but be isn't happy. His knuckles collide with her cheek, and she falls to the floor.
"Stupid! Useless! Did you really think I wouldn't know?"
She had hoped, of course. She really is stupid. Amycus will always find out. She had been foolish to think she could escape him. Amelia had filled her head with silly hopes of a pretty future, of safety, and existing without fear.
Alecto wants to believe so badly. There has to be more to life than this.
Amycus' fingers tangle in her hair. Her jerks her head up roughly. "You're mine, Alecto. You will always be mine. Is that understood?"
"Y-yes."
"I only do it because I love you."
He doesn't. She knows what love is now, and Amycus is not loving or kind or gentle. He is not Amelia.
"If you go near her again," he tells her, "I will kill her. Slowly. And you will watch."
She bows her head. "I understand."
.
She's terrified when Amelia makes the call. She is just a Death Eater, just a criminal. Filth. Useless.
But Albus Dumbledore steps out of the fireplace, and his blue eyes sparkle with curiosity. He smiles. "I'm told you want to help," he says.
Alecto holds Amelia's hand. The demons will never leave her alone. She will always be haunted, always be broken.
But this is her chance for absolution. This is her chance to make things right.
Trembling, she holds Amelia's hand. It is a small comfort, but it is enough to put her mind at ease. "I do."
.
The Dementors' chill cuts into her bones, but she barely notices it anymore. Alecto rocks back and forth, trying to drown out the screaming in the surrounding cells.
One day, she will escape. One day, she will find Amelia and leave her brother behind.
Azkaban will not take that from her. As long as she is alive, she has to believe. She will not give up hope.
