Mary:
I woke up in a cold and damp place. My head was spinning. Something was sticking to my forehead. I tried to lift my hand but I felt sluggish. Was that gras before my eyes? I blinked a few times and tried to refocus my vision. I was indeed laying on gras. My body's sensations came back and I was finally able to touch whatever was sticking to my forehead. It was dark and dried up. Was that… Blood? ''Looks like we have a revenant.'' Some ugly man's face suddenly appeared before my eyes. He looked like a rat. ''Mary…'' I slightly lifted my head and saw Harry Potter being held by a stone statue. He was crying. What in the world was going on here… I tried to think back. The last thing I remembered was being on my way to the final part of the tournament and then… everything went black. I must have been attacked. Although I felt like I could move my body again, I decided to stay down for the moment. It was better if they thought that I couldn't move. I did however look around as good as I could. I seemed to be in a graveyard. There was a tombstone there. The name read… Tom Riddle. What? There was a second name underneath it. Mary Riddle. Was that some kind of sick joke? No, I knew that it wasn't. I looked at the dates. It had been a long time ago. So maybe those people had been my great grandparents… I didn't know what scared me more. Bones were suddenly lifted from the grave and I followed their way with my eyes. They had been put into a cauldron. The ugly man was saying something before suddenly yelling in pain. I didn't understand what was going on. Though when he turned around, I saw him holding his bleeding arm. He was missing a hand. Had he just… The man walked over to Harry and mumbled some more. I got distracted though because behind the man I saw two things. The Triwizard cup and… a dead body in a yellow shirt. I wasn't sure from my point of view but his shirt seemed similar to Harrys. Then, could that be… Cedric? My body went from cold to hot. We needed to get out of here. My instincts were yelling at me. The man returned to the cauldron and let a drop of what seemed to be blood fall into it. Immediately Harry started to scream in agony and the cauldron caught fire. Every possible alarm bell was ringing in my head. How could we get out of here? How did we even get here? Before I could think clearly the ugly man distanced himself from the cauldron and out of the fire something took shape. It looked weird and disjointed. Like bones were growing inside of this lump of naked skin. Suddenly darkness enveloped the more and more human looking form. Out of the darkness came a man. If the other one had resembled a rat, this one clearly had snake like features. Somehow, I knew. He didn't look like the boy I had seen in the chamber two years ago but and yet… The rat was handing him something and they were whispering then the ugly man started screaming in agony again and a storm erupted over our heads. Men in dark hoods were surrounding the dark wizard. The same men that had attacked the quidditch finals. Death eaters.
''Welcome my friends.'' A chill was running down my spine. It was the first time I heard his real voice. ''Thirteen years it's been, and yet, here you stand before me, as though it were only yesterday. I confess myself disappointed, not one of you tried to find me.'' He angrily grabbed the masks of their faces and they just fell to the ground. ''Crabbe! Mcnair!'' He stopped in front of the last one. ''Not even you, Lucius.'' He slashed away the last mask and the figure kneeled down. It was indeed Lucius Malfoy.
My mind was reeling. Thinking back to all the times I had seen this man at the Nott Manor. Nott. I hadn't heard that name. Did that mean that Theo's father wasn't part of this? I felt a small relief. And that gave me willpower. I slowly started crawling towards Harry. Hoping that my movement would be small enough not to be detected. I didn't need to get all the way over to Harry, just close enough that I could get up and run without being hit by a spell.
I could barely hear Mr Malfoys answer but I did and it gave me enough sense to stop my movement. ''… I kept an eye on something that might be of interest to you.'' I felt the attention shift to me. And in that moment, I felt like I was going to die.
Alice:
The air was cold and salty. Must be because of the sea that was surrounding Azkaban. I was happy to be able to be here and yet, I was worried. The final discipline of the Triwizard tournament was being held today and my foreboding feeling had not gone away. I was worried about Harry, but I also knew that I couldn't miss this chance to see my father. Yesterday late in the evening I had told Harry that I wouldn't be around today but that I was cheering for his victory.
''Hurry up Miss Tepes, we don't have all day.'' Said the grumpy auror who had been tasked with going with me. Normally Minerva would have come but since the date collided with the tournament she had to stay behind. Instead I was accompanied by someone who was here to make sure I didn't break any laws. The man seemed very displeased to be here in the first place so I wasn't surprised by his sour attitude. He was however right, my time qas limited, so I couldn't waste it outside. I stepped into the world renowned prison of Azkaban. Not for the first, and not for the last time. If I had learned one thing from my previous visits, then don't stop walking and cover up your ears. Years ago, Aunt Minerva had prepared enchanted headphones that blocked out most of the sounds. She did that, because I hadn't been able to push out all of the madness the first time I had come here. It had been too much for me. All those desperate, crazy voices. It had taken me a month to recover. Since then, I wore those headphones every year. Although I had improved at blocking things out on my own volition, I felt like I wasn't prepared to do the same in a place like this.
The first stage of walking into azkaban was being checked-in by a dementor. I didn't exactly know how this worked. One of them just came up to us and it felt like it looked through your life energy. It was incredibly intruding and had the temperature not been overly cold already I might have shivered from it. He let us pass. The auror was mumbling something incomprehensible but from his face I would have guessed that he insulted the dementor. I could kind of understand this sentiment. Dementors were creepy creatures. I remembered them sucking out Harry's life. And he hadn't even been their target. It really made me question how much the ministry actually controlled them. Not that they would ever admit it.
After several flights of stairs we finally arrived on the right floor. Not that I would know which one that was. The stairs were enchanted to feel extremely long so that it made breaking in or out more difficult. I was glad when we finally left the staircase and yet, I could feel my stomache drop. The place smelled bad and so close to the prisoners I could hear some of their voices. I tried to push them out by focusing on the big hat of the auror in front of me. It was blue. The top was crooked and wrinkly.
"We have arrived. For safety reasons I will stay here." The man turned around and gave me a quick glance before leaning against a wall. I turned the other way and saw my father sitting in a prison cell. Seeing him that way was hard. Even after all those years I was never quite prepared for it. He seemed thinner than last time.
"Dad." I approached the cell. Knowing that I needed to stay at least a meter away from the bars. My father looked up and his eyes lit up the second he saw me.
"Alice, my darling girl." He slowly got up and came to the bars. Tears were welling up in my eyes. "How are you?"
"I'm fine dad. Auntie Minerva is taking good care of me as always." I could see my dad holding back tears too. I tried to distract myself from the fact by looking at his appearance. His hair was long. Longer than my own. "Everything is fine at school. Next year by this time I'll have my exams. So I have to be a bit more serious about my studies." My dad smiled.
"I'm sure you'll do great. Have you decided what you'll do later?"
"No, I can't say I have. I didn't really have the time to think about it. I was quite busy this year."
"What about that brilliant boy, Theo?" I smiled. Happy that he remembered his name, although he wouldn't have to.
"Theo is growing up. He's changed a bit lately. It's hard to explain... it feels like... something weird is in the air. I think I might just be a bit paranoid." I chuckled. My dads blue eyes darkened a bit.
"Alice... there is something I need to tell you." He was biting his lip. My smile faltered. He looked worried. As hard as it might sound, him having something to tell me probably wouldn't be good, considering the circumstances.
"What's going on, dad?" I said in a weak voice.
"It might be pre-emptive but I need to warn you. Alice, I'm sorry. I was dreading this day since I got locked in here. No, probably even before that." His arm reached out to me. I looked at the auror behind me, he didn't seem to care. I carefully reached out to my dads hand too, but was blocked by an invisible wall of magic. A barrier. I searched my fathers eyes, waiting for an answer. "Someone might come looking for you. Maybe now, maybe in a couple of years, but they will definitely come. I can't tell you who it is, because I don't know who will find you first."
"What? What are you saying... why would someone be looking for me? Does it have something to do with mom?" My father shook his head.
"It's a lot more complicated than that." Suddenly his head jerked up. I noticed it too. People had started shouting and hollering. Some were screaming for mercy. I heard them loud and clear even through my headgear. "Alice..." It was becoming hard to hear his voice. Everywhere around me madness seemed to break out. Yelling, laughing, crying, screeching. I could hear my thoughts less and less with every passing second. SuddenlyI felt a push on the barrier. Confused I looked up and saw mybfathers hand trying to push through it. His hand was being attacked by violent electricity. A measure to keep the inmates inside.
"Dad! Stop it, you'll get hurt."
"Focus on my voice darling. You don't have to do anything." He said in a determined voice.
"I don't understand."
"I left more than one burden on your shoulder that day. But you don't have to do anything. Don't let them force you. Trust your gut feeling and yours alone." It was like he was speaking in riddles. I didn't understand who he was warning me from. And from what I understood, he couldn't tell me either.
"Miss Tepes, we're leaving. There are some irregular behaviors." The auror didn't hesitate a second. He grabbed my arm and pulled me with him.
"But I'm not ready yet." I rebuffed. He didn't even spare me a glance. We were leaving and nothing could change his mind. In all honesty I was kind of grateful, all those voices were slowly creeping back in.
"I would make the same choices all over again. I love you and your mom!" I turned my head back around to my dad. He was still at the barrier, giving me a sad smile. The only thing I could see though, was the worry in his eyes before I was swept away down the stairs. We were in such a hurry that I needed to stay focused on my steps. It kept my mind occupied for a little while until we had reached the base floor. The dementor checked us again before he let us out. Once outside of this hellhole the voices were being drowned out by the loud rumbling of the waves. The sight however was terrifying. A wall of darkness was coming towards us. It took me a second to realize that those were all dementors. I looked around and saw that even the auror seemed unsettled by the sheer amount of them. He quickly pulled himself together though and grabbed my arm, pulling me outside of the non-apparition barrier.
"Hold on tight." Moments later we were back on the Hogwarts school grounds. "The visit has officially ended you are hereby back in the safety of Hogwarts. Good day to you miss." I didn't even have the time to answer. He had left as fast as we had come. Looking around I saw that we were not quite on school grounds yet. We couldn't have been since there was a non-apparition barrier protecting the school. It got me thinking. Normally he would have had to ensure my safe return to a Hogwarts official but seeing how the situation had escalated back in Azkaban I was guessing that there was something going on and he had more important things to take care of. I should report this to Aunt Minerva. And with a bit of luck, she would have some answers to different questions too. I took my time to get back to the school. Looking at the astronomy tower I saw that I was back a lot earlier than what had been planned. Hell, I had spent more time in the ministry than in the actual prison. It still being so early meant that the tournament might still be going on. I decided to keep my headphones on. Better not to be caught in between a crowd of yelling students as I was sure that aunt Minerva would be there to watch over the events.
Mary:
"I returned." The ugly man interjected. I felt like my heart had stopped for a second there. I didn't dare move anymore though. I carefully looked up and by pure coincidence made eye contact with Harry. His eyes light up for a second and so did mine. The situation was clear. We would get out of here together.
"Oh, such a handsome boy.'' Harrys attention shifted.
''Don't touch him.'' he spat. I gathered that he must be talking about Cedric.
''Harry!'' Voldemorts voice sounded almost excited. From my position I could see him creeping closer. ''I'd almost forgotten you were here. Standing on the bones of my father.'' So, I had been right. Those were the remains of my ancestors. Seeing the way he spoke of them, I was guessing he didn't care about his family very much. ''I'd introduce you, but word has it you're almost as famous as me these days. The boy who lived. How lies have fed your legend Harry. Shall I reveal what really happened that night thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers? It was love. You see when dear sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son, she provided the ultimate protection. I could not touch you. It was old magic, something I should have forseen. But no matter, no matter. Things have changed, I can touch you now!'' He put his finger on Harry's forehead, which in turn made him scream. I wanted to get up but my gut was telling me that I would not survive it if I got up now.
''Astonishing what a few drops of your blood will do eh Harry?'' Voldemort distanced himself from Harry again. And suddenly the statue that had been holding on to Harry was letting him go. ''Pick up your wand Potter.'' Harry however fell to the ground. He seemed to be exhausted. ''I said pick it up, get up. Get up!''
Harry forced himself to stand. It was hard to watch. He picked up his wand and gave me a quick glance before moving a bit to the side, away from the cup. Was that a sign? Think Mary. Why was the cup even here? Could it be a portkey? One like those I had used last summer to get to the Quidditch championship? It was possible… No matter if I was right or not, I needed to get closer to Harry if we wanted to get out of here together. I slowly started crawling again. Being careful to stay out of Voldemorts view.
''You've been taught how to duel I presume yes? First, we bow to each other. Come on now Harry the niceties must be observed, Dumbledore would not want you to forget your manners, now would he? I said bow!'' Voldemort forced Harry to bow with magic. ''That's better. And now...'' Voldemort cast at Harry and he wriggled in pain. It was hard to watch. My wish to get out of here was the only thing that kept me going. Voldemot kept taunting Harry. Tears welled up in my eyes. Why was I here? I didn't have the courage to get up and help Harry. I didn't want to die. I wanted to go home and see my family again. I pressed my eyes closed. Trying to push out the horribly intimidating voice of this monster like man.
Surprisingly a strong light erupted and made me open my eyes back up. Harry and Voldemort were indeed facing off in a duel. Their streams of magic were meeting. And as if it was a wonder, they were both struggling. It seemed unbelievable. Harry could indeed withstand an attack of Voldemort.
''Do nothing. He is mine to finish. He's mine!'' Voldemorts voice rang out.
I was confused and then I realized that the hooded people had gotten back up again. This was bad news. We needed to leave. Now. I had almost reached Cedric. If I got up now, they might be surprised enough not to have the time to hit me with a spell until I was there. But how could I connect to Harry and tell him that? My tears were hard to contain at this point. If I couldn't find a solution to this problem, we were doomed. I was searching for a solution when Harry suddenly started moving backwards to Cedric's body. He gave me one quick glance and I knew. It was now or never. I got up and practically hurled myself over to them. At the same time, I saw the cup flying towards us from the other direction. I didn't know what kept Voldemort busy and I honestly didn't dare to look, fearing that it might slow me down. I would not take this risk. I reached Harry a split second before the cup and then we were gone.
Alice:
The crowd had erupted in cheers the moment Harry had gotten back. It quickly erupted into confusion and then dread once people realized that Cedric was dead. It seemed impossible to explain what had happened at this moment. It soon turned out that the real professor Moody had never shown up at all because a convict of azkaban had imprisoned and impersonated him this whole time. It seemed incredulous. Even worse was the fact that this convict turned out to be the son of Mister Crouch who had been murdered. The tournament had taken a tragic end and although Harry had technically won, the school decided against a celebration. Harry had been in desperate for a while after coming back. It had taken a soothing and consoling until he had told us what had happened on that graveyard. It was like the pieces had finally completed the puzzle. Voldemort had returned and he had it out for Harry. It was clear that it would only be a matter of time until things were getting more dangerous than they had been. A new chapter of our life was beginning. Talking to Mary had confirmed this feeling. She couldn't explain why she had been there, neither did she know what would have happened if Voldemort had realized this fact earlier on. There were only two things she was certain of. Voldemort was back and Lucius Malfoy was still following him. This shone some light on why Draco had tried to put her under the influence of a potion back in December. She had been crying for hours after what had happened on the graveyard. Being shaken with fear and the feeling of being powerless. It had been disheartening.
It wasn't only them though, the whole school seemed to have lost it's spirit. And how could it not? Our future was uncertain. A couple of days after that tragic event, Dumbledore had gathered all the student into the great hall.
''Today we acknowledge a really terrible loss. Cedric Diggory was as you all know, exceptionally hard working, intricately fair minded. And most importantly a fierce fierce friend. I think therefore you have the right to know exactly how he died. You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort. The ministry of magic does not wish me to tell you this. But not to do so I think would be an insult to his memory. Now the pain we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me, reminds us that while we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one. In light of recent events the bonds of friendship we made this year will be more important than ever. Remember that and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain, you remember that. And we'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest and brave and true, right to the very end.''
It had been very silent for a while after that and then slow murmurs were breaking out all over the tables. Questions with no answers. The mood was still dampened when we all left the great hall. Which was about what you would expect, considering the circumstances. When it was time for our guests to leave, I looked around for Draco. Thinking back to our last conversations in the boy's bathroom. I had re-established in my mind, that he was indeed a Malfoy, now, I was not so sure, however. Did he know about his father? Would he choose the same path? The thought of that made my stomach turn. I looked around the people who were leaving the hall and caught sight of his blond hair walking down one of the corridors. I decided to follow him. Approaching him right here, in front of the people, would do us both no good. A couple of corridors later and we were almost alone. Only his goons were still with him. Firming my resolve, I made my move. I quickly walked past him and gave him a pointed look before glancing towards a classroom and entering it. The door closed behind me and I could hear their footsteps walking away from me. Doubts were starting to nag at me. After all, why should he want to talk to me, after our last interaction? It hadn't exactly gone well. Before I realized it, the door opened and Draco slipped in.
''That wasn't very discreet.'' He said in a nonchalant voice.
''Guess I'm lucky Crabbe and Goyle weren't born under the brightest stars then.'' I answered, barely able to keep the happiness out of my voice. I was more relieved that he had come, than I wanted to admit.
''This isn't some plot to get me trapped with you again, is it?'' I was confused for a second and then I remembered. Looking around, I realized that this was the same classroom as back then. The incident with the mistletoe.
''I wouldn't dare play a prank on you.'' I said in a slightly sarcastic voice. Draco smirked. He seemed to have fun. So did I. This banter had been missing. I was scared to loose it again with what was to come next.
''Draco… there is something I have to ask you.'' I slightly leaned back on a table, searching for some kind of support. ''This whole thing with Mary, it wasn't your idea to make her fall in love with you, right?''
His face fell. It told me everything I needed to know. I had been right back then. We were merely pawns in someone else's chess game.
''You don't know what you're talking about.'' He was clearly being defensive. I felt uneasy and made a couple of steps towards him, wishing to close the gap.
''You're right. I don't know what is going on. In this school, in your house… hell, even in my own life and family. And to be honest, it scares me. I feel like everyone I like is slowly drifting away from me and there is nothing I can do about it. I am terrified.''
Draco seemed taken aback by my honesty. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly opened. I had to turn my eyes away, not being able to look at him, for fear that he might see something in my eyes, I was not prepared to acknowledge myself yet.
''I didn't like Mary. Couldn't care less about her to be honest.'' He didn't elaborate on that. And I didn't ask him to. It seemed obvious now that his father had wanted to keep Mary close in case of Voldemort's return. The only thing I didn't know was where Draco would stand in the upcoming times.
''You know, sometimes I wish we could have been friends.'' I admitted. My voice was weak, not really knowing myself, what I wanted to achieve by saying this.
''I don't think we should be friends.'' I looked at his face. This time it was his turn not to look at me. I wasn't really surprised by his answer. I took a deep breath and made up my mind.
''We might never be friends, but I want you to know, that I am willing to be here for you, if you ever need it.'' I didn't want to give him the chance to rebuff my answer, so I left the room in a hurry. Once outside, I ran off as fast as I could. Luckily we were right before summer break, so I would have some time to sort out all of my feelings and prepare myself for what was to come.
