I was running. The only thing that kept me going was fear. Adrenaline and optimism had long since left my body, leaving me alone with nothing but that hair raising, hysterical feeling that had over taken my body.
I could hear screams, I could smell blood and I could see people dropping to the floor all over the place and not getting back up. Jets of red and green shooting in every direction, leaving me ducking and running, hoping that everything missed me.
I turned the corner and ran straight into something hard, leaving me to overbalance and start to fall back. But instead of falling on my ass, a hand reached out and latched onto my arm, pulling me up and looking straight into the mask of a death eater.
So many things happen at once that it becomes a blur and difficult to concentrate.
I take in a large amount of air, preparing my lungs to scream while he slaps a hand over my mouth just as a loud blaring noise cuts through the night sky, masking all the other noise around me. I look around, getting restless and uncomfortable, but I swear in the mix of all the noise happening around me I hear words that sound familiar. In the sense that I may have once heard them before, but I couldn't be sure
"Relax Granger" they say "Im on your side" they say. And that voice sounds so familiar, I just can't place it.
But before I have time to process, there is an even louder shrill ring of that damn alarm that rings through me, rocking me.
Waking me from my sleep.
I sit straight up in bed, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. I look frantically around, before I realise Im not in the middle of a war zone, and am instead in the safety of my home. I sigh and attempt to catch my breath, I realise the blaring noise from my dream was my alarm. Slamming my hand down on the infernal device, I shut off the noise and look at the time.
6am. Yay. With another minute sitting in the comfort of my bed, I push the sheets off my body and trudge into the bathroom to get ready for work. I scrub the horrible dream from my body, but I can't help but continually run it over in my head.
During the final battle I was struck by a falling wall and was knocked unconscious for who knows how long. When I came to, I had to dig my way out as I had been buried under piles of brick, and went in search of everyone. I made it to the hall just in time to see Voldemort's spell backfire and kill him instead of Harry, his intended target. I couldn't remember the moments leading up to the wall exploding, all I remember is running and trying to dodge spells, the next thing I remember is waking up buried under a piles of brick.
When the water starts to turn cold, I get out and dry off, brush my teeth and go to get dressed. Being the head of the Law Enforcement Department, I was able to dress how I liked, just as long I looked presentable when I needed to appear in court. So I pulled out a pair of tight black jeans, a loose v-neck t-shirt, a tan biker jacket and a pair of black heeled boots. Walking back into the bathroom I run my fingers through my hair and with a quick wave of my hand, it dries instantly leaving loose curls down my back. Thank god the bushy, almost afro like hair had out grown me, leaving me with a more natural, soft curl look.
Looking at the time I see that I need to leave, so I fill my travel mug of coffee, clip my Ministry ID to the belt loop on my pants, grab my duffel and apparate into the atrium where most other people are arriving and heading to the bank of elevators. Sipping slowly on my coffee as the line slowly moves forward and then stand in the back of the lift, closing my eyes and counting the floors until I know we've arrived at mine.
I walk into my office and see the folders on my desk and I dread knowing what they mean. Today wasn't a paperwork day.
Today was a visit Azkaban day.
Grabbing the folders, not even bothering to look at them, knowing that they were all the same, knowing that I would be telling each of the inmates the same news today. I stash all the paperwork into my duffle, I walk out to my assistant, Evelyn's desk and write a note for her when she gets in, reminding her I'm out of the office and that if anything urgent comes forth, first go to Harry and if then need be, come to me.
I make my way back down to the atrium, going against all the incoming people, and head to the fireplaces. Grabbing a handful of floo powder from the massive pot next to the fire, I step in and clearly shout out Azkaban before closing my eyes and mouth to keep from soot and ash getting in my face and land, on unsteady feet in the office of the warden.
He looks up at my arrival, although not surprised and smiles.
"Miss Granger" he welcomes, standing as I step out, brushing my clothes.
"Mike, and please call me Hermione, I've told you before"
He shuffles awkwardly and nods at his feet like a child thats been reprimanded.
"Sorry, habit" he shrugs "anyway, you know the drill- I've got to take your wand" he says, holding a hand out while reaching for the metal box that he has sitting on his desk.
Reaching behind me to grab it out of the waistband of my pants, I hand it over and then turn to the door, knowing the way from my previous trips and knowing that Evelyn sent over the list of inmates I'll be seeing today over last night. So the first inmate would be there when I arrived.
The halls are lit only by candlelight every few meters, so theres nothing but shadows and the sound of my footsteps as I walk down into the pits of the prison. When I near the interview room that I frequently use I see a guard standing out the front, who nods and opens the door for me.
There sitting chained to the metal table that sits in the middle of the room is Yaxley.
He barely looks up as I sit down, pull out the files and drop them unceremoniously on the table. I know that the files are all in order to the top one of the pile is his.
"Yaxley" I break the silence. Flicking through his folder and all the charges that are listed against him. Former ministry workers were all too happy to line up as witnesses to his crimes within the ministry and at the Battle of Hogwarts. He didn't even have the chance to speak at his hearing, they sentenced him straight away to the dementors kiss.
"I regret to inform you that your case has been finalised and that you will be receiving the dementors kiss a week from today" I say in a practised monotonous tone that I learnt early on in the job. Make them know that it didn't effect you. Don't let them see your side of weakness. Because they will notice and they will call you out on it and make those few moments they have with you hell.
"Your dismissed. GUARD"
It goes like that for the rest of the day. The pile in front of me gets smaller as I drop the used ones on the floor next to my duffle.
As the guard is sent to retrieve the last inmate, I reach into my bag and pull out the pack of cigarettes. A nasty habit that I picked up, but a necessity for the moment. A moment to concentrate on something else other than the fact that I was about to tell the last person today that their life will be pretty much ending next week.
I had only just taken my first inhale of the tobacco when the door slammed open and the final inmate walked in. He was tall, dressed in the same ratty grey overalls as every other person had been wearing. This person had their head lowered to the ground so I couldn't see their face as their long dirty brown hair covered their face.
The guard sat him down, chained him to the table and walked outside again. I drew another breath and opened the folder in front of me.
Malfoy, Draco.
My heart dropped at the sight of the name. My head whipped up to look at the man in front of me. Surely they had gotten this wrong. The skinny mess of a person couldn't be the same person I went to school with.
His normally combed back and much shorter white blonde hair was now shoulder length, and probably matted with so much dirt that it had turned a mousy brown colour and making the trademark Malfoy trait unrecognisable.
"Draco Malfoy" I say so quietly that it's almost a whisper.
Slowly his head lifts from where it was resting on his chest and his grey orbs look me in the eye. They don't have the usual mischievous looks in them, or the slightly squinted look that usually came with the smirk that he carried constantly on his face. Instead in its place was an empty look. There was no other word for what he was. He was empty. Defeated. Accepting his fate.
"Say it" his says in a strained voice.
"I regret- I regret to inform you that your case has been finalised and that you will be receiving the dementors kiss a week from today" I say in barely a whisper.
He clenches his jaw and exhales a large amount of air and looks up at the ceiling. I see the muscles in his neck move as he tries to swallow back what Im guessing is a sob.
It's difficult to see. All the death eaters that I've dealt with before have either sneered and accepted their fate. This is different though
I remember Malfoy's trial. He had begged and pleaded with the Wizenmagot stating that he was innocent and they hadn't listened. He said his mother had proof, but they wouldn't believe him, not even allowing him to present his case to the court. They had already made their minds up before he sat in the chair that day, simply because of who his father was and how unapologetic he was at his trial.
"I wish- wish I could go back in time" he says, snapping me out of my memories "I wish I never even got out of bed that fucking day" he nods at the cigarette in my hand that I have all but forgotten and I hand it to him. He takes a draw and inhales deeply, closing his eyes.
"Why did you do it?" I surprise myself my by asking nodding to his dark mark. I've never said anything else to inmates during these sessions, other than informing them of their impending doom
"I thought I had no other choice" he mumbles "It's what I was raised to believe, it's what I was born into. They never really gave me the choice. Take the mark or we kill your mother"
My stomach drops at the words that leave his mouth. "Im sorry, theres nothing I can do to help you" I say and I actually mean it
"But there is. Granger you have to believe me, I was a spy. I was working with the Order. The only other person who knew was Snape. I was so inner circle he didn't want to risk my safety by telling anyone else"
"Snape's dead Malfoy, I can't prove anything. It's just your word against the Wizenmagot"
"But there is. Snape left journals and vials of his memories hidden at his house. The place where he grew up, no one knew about it, thats why we didn't have the proof at my trial. But my mother has them now. Summon her here. See for yourself"
I scrub my hands over my face and I hear the door open. I glance over and see the guard looking in.
"Its taking a little longer than usual, thought Id check in. I better take him back to his cell" he says walking in and grabbing the chains. I close my eyes and force myself not to let myself cry.
The shuffling footsteps stop for a moment, but I keep my head down, not daring to look.
"Relax Granger, Im on your side" he mumbles
My head snaps up and I look straight to his eyes. They look desperate.
"WAIT" I yell and startle the guard who was attempting to pull Malfoy out of the room
"Get the warden immediately" I demand of him and he nods and hurries out with a hesitant look at Malfoy who's standing just inside the room. I storm over and slam the door closed.
"It was you" I say. It's a statement, not leaving any room for a question. He nods
"What happened?" I demand.
"You ran into me. I had come in with the Death Eaters so I was wearing a mask. You came around the corner and crashed into me. You were about to scream the bloody place down but I covered your mouth, after that there was a massive explosion and the wall crashed down, a brick hit you over the head and knocked you out. There were death eaters every where so I lifted a bit of the wall over you so that they wouldn't spot you"
"It wasn't a dream" I whisper to myself and he shakes his head.
"I went looking for Snape, but I found his body, and then the female Weasley caught me, I took my mask off but she just cursed me and I knew that no one knew. My mother was given house arrest and it took her a while to track down the evidence at Snape's place, but it was too late, and no one has listened to her when she attempted to appeal my case"
I was processing all this when the warden barged in wand at the ready and aimed on Malfoy instantly
"What did he do?"
"Nothing. I need you send for the Minister of Magic immediately"
A/N: Well hey there, I'm back!
Had this one sitting here for a while, it's only going to be a short story and I still writing the last two chapters but I will update every few days.
Enjoy!
ForeverHP07