A/N: A quick heads up! This chapter gets a little dark so if that's not your thing I am sorry and i hope you can skip it and continue with the next one. I hope, for those of you who do read it, you don't hate me so much that it makes you stop haha. Anyway, enjoy!
Killian's eyes jolted open, taking in his dark surroundings, but unable to see beyond the brim of his own nose. Instinctively, he reached for his wand, but the pocket of his suit jacket was empty.
Rubbing his head, a memory flashed through his mind of the sudden jinx that had hit him from behind before he collided into a wall, head first. Not being able to see, Killian attempted to stand, only to realize the ceiling about was barely high enough for him to remain on his knees.
He could feel his pulse begin to escalate but did his best to ignore the fear. With a deep breath, Killian began to feel his surroundings; becoming familiar with the length, width and height of space around him. He realized the walls were hard as stone, before his hands touched metal bars, separated but less than an inch between each.
Great, not only did some asshole sneak up on me like a coward but I've been imprisoned... he thought to himself with a sigh. "Vicoria's gonna kill me." He presed and shaked at the bars hoping one of them wasn't sturdy.
It wasn't like Killian to be caught off guard. He'd learned early on that in the world of wizardly politics, one must always be expecting the unexpected. And yet, here he was behind bars. He tried to remember everything that had happened before he was hit with the jinx. His conversation with Prudence Pepperson and Luther Hallowell(heads of the Auror department in L.A), the cup of coffee….
The coffee… He thought to himself. After drinking it he'd felt so strange, as if his senses were off. Killian knew then it must have been a potion to alter his wits. But who had given it to him, he wondered. Prudence? Luther? Both of them?
A light, illuminating from a silent Lumos Spell flooded the area around him, removing Killian from his thoughts. Looking beyond the bars of his cell, stood Lucius Malfoy, with his wand facing Killian.
His long blonde hair was the same color Draco's and though he was much thinner than Killian remembered from years ago, he still carried a cold and vicious demeanor.
"Killian Picquery." Lucius spat. Though he smirked, his words came out as though they tasted like poison. "I had heard you were quite the dualist." He snorted before continuing. "But it seems not all rumors are true."
Killian gripped the bars in his hands, feeling the adrenaline of both fear and a drive to escape course his veins. "It's easy to get the best of any man when the other sneaks from behind like a snake in tall grass. It's amazin' how you convinced someone on my team to slip me somethin' but I guess every dog has its day."
Lucius snickered before moving closer to Killian's cell. "As much as I enjoy hearing your American quips, I came here for something specific. My son and wife, where are they?"
Killian couldn't help but laugh. "Did you think a cage would frighten me into telling you?"
"On the contrary." Lucius started out. "This was simply a place to hold you until you became conscious." With a quick motion of his wand, the lock on the cell clicked and the metal doors swung open. With a twisted grin, Lucius looked to his side as a woman now joined the two of them in the dark stone room.
Killian instantly recognized her as Aduna Adams. Her golden blonde hair, large emerald eyes, and aristocratic features were notorious of the pure blood Adam's line. Still, it was the madness behind her beauty that Aduna made all her own.
Swallowing, Killian's thoughts were suddenly filled with images of his beautiful wife and daughter. He tried to remember his last words to either of them before Douglas had taken them into protective custody….
Victoria pulled her husband toward her; kissing him with all the passion she'd felt since the moment they'd met. Her love had never faltered. Instead time enhanced it. Simply making it stronger with each year.
He would be fine, she told herself over and over. Killian was intelligent and more than capable of handling himself in crisis situations.
"Come back to me." Victoria demanded with her hand resting on his cheek.
"Always." He replied. "We will catch him and then this will be over."
She nodded, trusting her husband completely. If he believed Lucius could be stopped so would she.
Facing his daughter, Killian could see she was frightened for his safety, but like her mother, she would do her best to remain strong. He pulled her into a warm embrace as Cassia returned the hug in full force.
"Just be careful, Dad." She said, swallowing back her tears.
"Always am." He replied…
"It felt as if you'd never wake up." Aduna said with a sickening grin. She pointed her wand at Killian menacingly. "Now." She started out. "Let's have some fun."
Killian closed his eyes. "I love you, Vic. I love you, Cass." He whispered, picturing their faces and hoping he could endure whatever she had planned.
With a deep breath Aduna yelled out her curse. CRUCIO!"
Soon, the entire dark cell was filled with the nothing but the sound of Killian's screams.
2 am.
Cassia couldn't sleep. In fact, she wouldn't. Sleep was something she would consider when her father was safe and with his family where he belonged. And in that moment, and every moment till she saw him again, it was the only thing that truly mattered. To Cassia, her family was her everything. Killian. Victoria. Draco. Hermione. Harry. Each of them held apart of her heart that she'd fight for until her last breath. And the for that, she would stay awake.
With a sigh, Cassia paced her room, contemplating the articles that were now scattered across her bed.
When they'd left to go into hiding, Cassia had decided that even from a distance she would research every bit of information she could find regarding Aduna Adams. It was why she'd chosen to take the papers in the first place; in the hopes to figure out a motive behind Aduna aiding in Lucius' escape.
From the time they'd arrived at Lincoln City Cassia dedicated several hours into the night(once she was sure everyone else was asleep and wouldn't have the opportunity to state she should let the experts worry about such things) pouring over incidents in which Aduna had been involved, trying to search for a pattern or method to her madness.
Aduna was highly intelligent. Everytime MACUSA had a lead, she would manage to evade their capture. Whether it was her attacks against those she discovered were born of No-Maj families or her random break-ins at no-maj museums(Cassia wasn't sure what she was after but knew it must have a great deal of importance considering she'd tried four different places in the last three years), the woman was always one step ahead.
"What is it you want, Aduna?" Cassia whispered before grabbing a newspaper that described the woman's upbringing. She'd read it before, but hoped something might eventually become clear if she kept digging.
"Aduna Adams was born on June First of 1958 in New York City. She was taken in by her Uncle, Atticus Adams, after the tragic death of her parents. Atticus, a man of wealth and power, spent thirty-five years campaigning for Rappaport's Law and the importance to maintain it. Upon his death, in April of 1971, Aduna went missing. It was later discovered Atticus was associated with Tom Riddle(commonly known as the dark wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named). Many believe it was her uncle's relations that sparked Aduna's eventual following of the dark wizard. Upon He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's death, there was no trace of Aduna. Until three years ago, during her first break in at the Natural History Museum of L.A…
Cassia set down the article contemplating on that specific part. "So you have a whacked out uncle, who deals with ragin' psychos and at some point you must have went to track Voldemort down." Cassia said aloud. "You wanted to follow him, obviously, but came back to America in search of something."
Tapping her wand to her chin, she reached for a separate article that described her break-in at The Museum of Natural History in New York. It explained that as a result of the incident, Several No-maj's had to be obliviated due Aduna torturing them, though nothing was taken from the Museum(at least nothing on the inventory anyway and she later attempted another museum, which Cassia assumed, meant she was still searching for).
Surprised by the sudden movement of her bedroom door, she faced her wand toward it, as Draco quietly stepped in.
Lowering her wand at her side, she sighed. "Don't scare me like that." She whispered.
Draco glanced at the newspapers scattered across Cassia's bed. Her pink painted nails were chewed to the brim, she had ink on her chin and brow, and wouldn't stop tapping her wand somewhere on her own skin.
She was panicking about her father and the sight of her condition tugged at his heart in all the wrong ways. Draco wanted to tell Cassia he was there for her. He wanted to say how sorry he was for what happened, and that he wished he could stop Aduna and his wanker of a father, but somehow couldn't find the right words(no shocker there, he thought). Instead, Draco took action, even if it meant assisting Cassia in her state of madness.
"So what's all this for? Hoping to track my father and Aduna now through old newspaper articles?" Draco asked, grabbing one of the papers from the bed.
Cassia didn't bother arguing or asking him to leave(even though she was a little self-conscious considering she wasn't wearing a bra under her tight yellow tank top), but found his company soothing and hoped he might be able to help her figure something out.
Crossing her arms over her chest(hoping he hadn't already noticed), Cassia replied. "If my dad can be found, it has to be fast and that means I have to figure out Aduna's plans."
Draco's brows furrowed as he tried to think of what to do. "What have you found?"
Cassia shrugged, gripping her wand tightly, attempting to hold back her frustration. It wasn't Draco's fault she hadn't figure out much. "I know this can't be just about us. I'm sure your father wishes to find you but Aduna doesn't exactly seem like the type to help someone out for the hell of it."
"That's true." Draco agreed, having not considered that before. "
"Besides, why go after your dad?" She added. "She risked a lot getting him out of Azkaban so it's got to be important."
"Also true." Draco replied. "Maybe he knows something she doesn't?"
Cassia but her lip. "Probably, but what?"
Draco shrugged. "You and Granger are the ones to figure shit out, not me." He said with a smirk, hoping to make her smile.
Cassia gave a weak smile, feeling grateful at his attempt to lighten the mood. Even though it did nothing to shake the turmoil she felt inside, Draco was there for her and that was good enough.
Turning toward the articles once more, Cassia tried to consider the inner workings of a twisted mind, such as Aduna. What did Aduna want, she asked herself.
"Likely genocide." She said, aloud.
"Hmm?" Draco asked confused.
She waved him off. "Talking to myself." She replied, before pacing her room again.
Draco smirked as the eccentric side of Cassia was taking a front seat. It was one of the things he admired about her. She could be a bit odd but never cared what anyone might think despite that.
He watched as her eyes seemed to light up with realization. "What if, like the diary she took from your home, Lucius knows a way to bring Voldemort back and where it might be."
She ripped a newspaper from the bed, pointing to an article regarding Aduna's break in at a museum in America."She's been looking for something and I think she still hasn't found it."
Cassia smiled, feeling accomplished. It wasn't much to go on but she finally had a lead that could help her find her father.
Filled with excitement she involuntarily rushed at Draco as her hands gripped his shoulders, colliding into him, forcing Draco to take hold of her arms while his foot went back from the impact to keep balance. "I think this little midnight spying of yours did me some good." She said playfully.
She stared up at him with a wide grin as he breathed her in. She smelled of soft perfume and coconut body wash and he couldn't help but admire how perfectly wild her hair was from all her frantic finger-to-hair twirling that he could tell she'd been doing(as she always did whenever she was trying to figure something out).
As her smile began to fade, Draco realized he'd let himself hold her for just a little too long in silent admiration, causing the now curious expression in her eyes trying to decipher whatever he was thinking. Pulling away, he turned for the door.
"We should tell your mother." He said, looking for something to do other than gawk at his somewhat sister as he pictured Killian strangling the life out of him for his treasonous thoughts. "If it's something the aurors haven't thought of it might help save your father."
Cassia could feel her cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment for leaping at him like they were still six. She would have to remember that times had changed and with it how they interacted. He wasn't a boy anymore- she'd just been reminded when she'd felt his lean muscular tone and the difference in their height (it had even crossed Cassia's mind at how easy it would have been for her to lay her head against his chest, and for Draco to rest his chin upon her hair).
Nodding in response, Cassia did nothing to dwell on their awkward moment and instead chose to focus on his point. "You're right." She started out. "Let's do this."
Hermione sighed, waiting impatiently for Harry to appear in the fragment of mirror she held in her hand.
When Cassia had gone into hiding, she'd sent Hermione a envelope but no letter had been inside. Instead, a mirror fragment tha Hermione recognized the moment her eyes fell upon it. One half of a two way mirror.
Hermione knew that it was Cassia's way of telling her that the two should stay in contact. Especially considering the dangers Draco and Cass were in. She only hoped she would hear from them soon, especially since things had taken such a sinister turn with Killian's disappearance.
"Sorry I'm late." Harry said, his voice coming from the mirror. She jolted it so her face was being shown and not the ceiling with a sigh of relief. "Sirius and I are at Remus'. The two have been working on a way to track Lucius and Aduna."
"And?" Hermione asked, a little impatiently.
Harry's hand went through his unruly hair uncomfortably. She knew him well enough to see he didn't have good news. "Without knowing what they have planned, they can't be sure."
"So why take Killian?" She asked, fearing she already knew the answer.
Harry could see the unease in his friend's expression. Her usually warm brown eyes were laced with angst and her brows tensed.
"I-I think you know." He practically mumbled, wishing he didn't have to answer. And not because he hated to be the one to speak the truth(he had always been honest with his friends) but simply because of what that truth meant.
Hermione swallowed as her stomach began to feel tight. She knew the kinds of things Aduna was known for and if the woman planned to help Lucius discover his son, than she feared Killian would only stay alive until he could no longer conceal the truth.
Her heart ached for Cassia, as she closed her eyes and wished there was something she could do. She couldn't imagine what her friend must be going through in such a time, and had it been her father, she would have been a wreck.
Hermione's eyes immediately fell upon her oak dresser. On top, was a muggle photo of herself and her parents. The memory of her family trip to Paris, where the photo had been taken, came to mind as she felt her lip quiver.
Hermione turned to face Harry once more as she took a deep breath in. She wouldn't let Cassia face such a thing alone. Hermione couldn't even think of it. Filled with sudden determination, she knew she had to help Cassia.
"We have to figure out what Aduna's plans are, Harry. Cassia needs us to."
Harry nodded sharply, making it clear he completely agreed. "Right." He started out, ready to jump in no matter what she had in mind. "Where do we start?"
"I think I should go there. It would be easier for me if I had a way to access whatever I can find on Aduna and if she has any connections to Lucius."
"Alright. Sirius will say yes, for sure." Harry answered with confidence.
Hermione gave a small nod, knowing he was right. Sirius was the most laid back adult Hermione had ever known and wondered if Harry had ever truly been disciplined (probably not, which explained his proclivity for trouble)
"I'll talk to my parents." Hermione started out. "For now find what you can on Aduna so it's ready for us when I get there"
"I'm on it." He replied.
"Truth potion." Aduna said wickedly. Her eyes were filled with a maddening kind of elation that only the darkest of souls enjoyed. "Works on even the most stubborn."
Lucius, who had given the veritaserum to Killian as his screams had filled the air, simply nodded, never once looking back at the blood that spilled across the floor.
Though he knew Aduna would likely end Killian's life- which meant nothing considering he was a blood traitor- his lifeless and mutilated body did not appeal to him the way it did Aduna. Lucius merely wanted to revenge, and a simple killing curse would have done the trick but Aduna believed the curse was often too gentle. She loved inflicting pain. And Killian's death had been anything but gentle.
As she finally stood, pulling her blade from Killian's side, a streak of blood stained Aduna's face and the color seemed to match the malevolent soul within.
"To Lincoln City?" She announced with a smile.
Lucius gave a nod, still avoiding Killian's frame from behind him.
Aduna laughed under her breath. "Weak stomach, Lucius?" She started out. "I suppose I could dispose of his body."
Pulling out her wand, she pointed at Killian. His eyes were cold as she stared at him, tilting her head with a grin, wishing a part of him had remained so he could feel her final spell.
"Incendio."
As the body became engulfed in flames, Aduna turned on her heel. "Come along , I'll get you your son. Then you can finally live up to your end of the bargain."
Lucius gripped her arm as he held his breath to avoid the smell of burning flesh. With a final pop, the two disappeared from the cell, leaving behind the father who had held on for as long as he could.
A/N
For those of you who were a huge fan of Killian I am sorry! His death will not be in vain if that is any consolation! As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review(no bullying though).