THANK YOU! Your reviews from the last chapter were so kind! I really appreciate your thoughts on the story so please don't hesitate to do so again.
WARNING: This chapter contains the usage of brief vulgarity and semi-intense moments.
Once again I thank you, and don't forget to hit that little button at the end and let me know what you think.Chapter 9
She ran. Her legs were moving so quickly beneath her that she didn't even register the brown snitch of a cat Norris standing behind one of the statues at the end of the corridor. It didn't matter how loud the cat meowed. She'd be far gone out of the corridor before Filch even came close to finding her. There were muffled yells from behind her. One was from Angelina and the other George. Her heart wretched inside her chest, but she didn't bother slowing down. It had to be this way. She was too much of a threat for her friends. If her parents found out that she was actually happy at school they'd look for the reason behind it. Most likely they'd attack her friends, and that was something she just couldn't deal with. It pained her to do it. She loved George. She truly did. She had loved him since the second day of third year when he saved her from detention. She often thought that George was her soul mate. He seemed to understand her more than anyone else in her entire existence. Yet these last few weeks, the weeks she had finally confessed her love for George, something else had been surging through her head.
Warrington. Cassius Warrington, the bane of her existence, had managed to snake his way into her head. She still couldn't believe that she let it happen. It was like asking a Death Eater to dinner on a daily basis. Yet she couldn't help herself. He knew what she was going through. He understood what her life entailed. That small amount of understanding seemed to open up things in her that she didn't know were really there. She hated him for making her choose. She hated that he had somehow infected her with his Slytherin charm, but he had. Now she couldn't stop running. She had done it, and that was it. She had watched George's heart break into a million little pieces, but it had to be done. He deserved better then the daughter of a Death Eater anyway.
Cassius had told her that he'd be in the Astronomy tower waiting for her. It was far past curfew, but hopefully with her Prefect status if she were to be caught things would be all right. Angelina's voice grew distant, and Alicia found herself turning the final corridor towards the tower. Her friends would hate her in the morning. She wasn't sure if Angelina or Katie would ever speak with her again. The group that had been so tightly knit would now be nothing more than a memory. She fought back another sob. They had been nonstop since she had broken up with George. Wiping madly at her face, Alicia rid herself of the tear stains before taking her first step. She didn't need Cassius to see her so distraught. He'd accuse her of being weak and basing her choices off of silly little girl like things. She had to stop crying. As long as she showed him some strength he'd understand the severity of what she had just done. He'd at least comfort her. She knew that. He had been so understanding the last few weeks that she was surprised it was even Cassius at all.
She quickly bound the steps incase Angelina or George had managed to follow her. She didn't want George finding Cassius. George was much bigger than the dark haired Slytherin, and she didn't feel it would be right for George to take out his anger on him. It was after all her decision. She had been the one to decide that this was where she wanted to be. George had to understand that. Everyone had to understand that. This was beyond the words of her friends now. She had made her choice, and they were going to have to accept it even if they didn't want to.
"Cassius?" She had slipped into the dark tower, her eyes searching for some sort of shadow. It was dark and cold, and the only form of light began casting odd shadows across the walls. She had expected more than this. For some reason she had envisioned entering the tower and falling into a sea of flower petals. She thought he would have lit a few candles around the room, but instead she was greeted with darkness. Alicia hated darkness.
"I'm here." It was a low husky tone that he had never taken with her before. Still she was relieved to find that he was waiting for her, and she squinted just a bit more to make out the figure of the lean Slytherin Quidditch player. "Did you do it?" Again his voice was cold, but she was able to cross the dark room and find the sleeve of his robe.
Why hadn't he moved towards her when she touched him?
"Gods Cassius…" The whimper from the back of her throat caused her to fake a cough, and she did so before continuing. "It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I knew I had to. I just had to. These last few weeks…it still doesn't make sense in my head, but in my heart…" Her hand moved towards her chest and sat idly there on her heart. " I had to."
Her head was lined with a thousand memories of what had occurred between the two the last few weeks. From the initial meeting in one of the secret passages, to the secret meetings on the grounds, Alicia had found herself enamored by the dark haired Slytherin. It was like he knew everything about her before she even had a chance to tell him. He knew she liked to write in her journal, and he knew she harbored secrets from her friends. That's when she had let it slip that her father was a Death Eater. His reaction had been expected at first. He sat there wide eyed and completely dumbstruck by her confession. She had told him her father's name. Alastor. Cassius looked as though he had been struck with a two ton weight. That's when it all slowly fell into place for them.
Apparently when she was much younger and forced to hide in the closet during parties at her home, Cassius and his family had been frequent guests. His father and Alicia's father had been decent friends before Cassius' father disappeared. He recalled the many nights he was forced to go to the Spinnet home and wait in the left wing until he was called to leave. There were stories he told her about her house that only she would have known. Like how the grandfather clock on the second floor would chime madly if you set it to six thirty. He even knew about the secret passage beneath the main staircase that brought you to a small hut out in the back grounds. He knew it all. He even knew her.
There was one night in particular where he had strayed away from his brother. He knew he wasn't supposed to follow the left wing around towards the back of the estate, but he couldn't help it. Or at least that's what he had told her when they were sitting in the passage that one night. He remembered it with such detail that he doubted he was lying, but he swore that he had seen a tiny girl with long dark hair run from one room to the next with a large yellow quill in her hand. Alicia still had that large yellow quill in her trunk. It was her favorite, and despite the worn out feathers she couldn't part with it. He had seen her that night, but never again. His father had disappeared only a few weeks after that moment so he couldn't find the details on the mysterious little girl. After all the years spent at the Spinnet house he had never known that they had a child. He had never known all this time that it was Alicia.
She had finally found someone that understood the way she had lived. He knew everything about being the child of a Death Eater. The screams from those tortured in the basement at nights. The way the back of a father's hand felt when he whipped you late into the evening. It was like they were destined to find each other there in that passage way. They had. All those years of calling Warrington a loathsome snake seemed so horrible to her now. He had lived the same way she had, and between their frequent talks she had learned that he had hated it.
It was the reason she had fallen for him.
"Alicia…stop." He had pushed her hand from his robes and taken an awfully big step away from her.
Had she done something wrong? Could he tell that she had been crying? After all the kisses he showered her in she would have thought that this moment would have been something a bit more special. Unfortunately the chill in the air was beginning to make her think otherwise. "Stop what? Look if your sorry about my choice of words I can explain. It's just that it really was hard for me, Cassius. George is not only a friend of mine, but he was the love of my life for so long. It was something that killed me to do, but I did it for us. I did it because…because I love you."
She could have sworn she saw him wince, but it was too dark to tell.
"I can't do this anymore." The coldness in his voice had been replaced with something different. She couldn't identify it, but she knew it was there. There was a bit of remorse mixed into his words, and Alicia furrowed her brow. Suddenly she felt sick.
"Can't do what?" There was a waver in her own voice. "Cassius I told you I was sorry, what more do you want from me?"
"I want you to leave me alone! I'm done with this, Alicia! I'm done with you." His last sentence trailed off in a defeated manner. The damage was already set though.
If this had happened in the past she would have expected him to break into manic laughter and call her stupid for believing him. This was different. There was a manic look in his eyes that seemed to penetrate the darkness and engulf her. She couldn't breathe. What had she done? What had she gotten herself into? "Cassius you don't mean that. You don't." Her hands began reaching for his robes again, but he stepped further away causing him to back into one of the walls.
"Don't mean it?" A sneer escaped him. " I have never meant it more in my life." His voice rose slightly, and this time she took a step backwards.
"But…but you said…" The tears in her eyes, tears for George and for herself, began falling down her pale face. " You said you loved me." And he had.
He had told her two days ago that he had fallen in love with her. He had told her that she made him feel things that no one else could make him feel. She was able to reach his emotions, and make him feel whole in a world that was masked with so much darkness. He had told her that. He had. She knew he had! Hell, it was the reason why she had broken up with George. She couldn't be with two wizards at the same time, and being with Cassius had just felt so right. She didn't need to worry about disappointing him because he had lived the same life she had. She swallowed the bile that rose in the back of her throat.
For the first time he laughed. "Love you?" Taking her suddenly by the shoulders, Cassius swung her around and threw her up against the wall. There was a crack, and she didn't know whether or not it was the bones in her back or the chair he had kicked out of the way. Her face was squeezed within his right hand, and his left was holding her shoulder tightly against the wall. "A Slytherin fall in love with a Gryffindor?" The way he said it caused her to choke back a cry. "I don't love you…I pity you." His hand tightened on her shoulder. "That's why I'm doing this now. I can't stand to see you throw yourself at me like some pathetic animal anymore."
"Cassius…you are hurting me." She winced as he practically crushed her shoulder with his bare hands. Her eyes were blurred by the tears, and the pain in her shoulder increased. " I don't understand. Everything you told me. Everything we shared…" She was shaking uncontrollably, and Cassius had the urge to lift his hand and slap her across the face. So he did.
"Are you really that stupid, Spinnet? My God!" He squeezed a bit harder on her face causing her to cough. "I loathe you. I have always loathed you. Your last name was like poison in my house, and we itched for the day that we'd be able to return the favor."
"What favor?" The room was spinning in a thousand different directions, and the beating of her heart was thundering so loudly that she couldn't stop herself from gasping for air.
He pulled her face towards his letting it get dangerously close. She could make out the deep color of his eyes, and the feelings he had shown her the last few weeks were suddenly gone. "Your scumbag bastard father was the reason mine abandoned my family. For years we were forced to live without him. For years my brother and I were forced to work over holidays just to make enough money for my mother. We had no life because your father took it from us. He stole it all from us, Spinnet." He spit towards the ground though a portion of it managed to hit her face.
"My father? My father's a bastard…how dare you even place me in the same category as him. I had no control over what he did to you…I was his punching bag for Merlin's sake." She gasped for air again. He was going to crush her face with his hands if he didn't ease up. "He wont even care that your doing this…he wont. Why bother with me?"
Cassius let out a manic laugh again. "We didn't care how we got back at your family as long as someone with the Spinnet name paid for what happened. We couldn't touch your parents without my father…but I found you, Spinnet. I found you." He slapped her face rather hard with his free hand again.
A yell of pain escaped her, and she let her head drop defeated to one side. "I don't even know what he did. How is this fair?"
"Fair?" His voice hit a frightening decibel. "You want to talk about fair? How fair was it that my mother had to sell everything we owned just to keep up under her care while you and your family lived it up in high society? How fair was it that I was forced to attend Hogwarts when I was supposed to be sent away to Durmstrang?" She tried pulling away, but he only pulled her back. "Your bastard father got himself into a little trouble with the Dark Lord. Instead of manning up to his mistake he pointed the finger at my father…who was innocent. That's what he did, love. He betrayed his best friend to save his own arse from the Dark Lord."
Alicia was crying now. Her tears mingled with the sweat that poured from her forehead. She had to be dreaming. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to find Cassius in the tower, and they were supposed to be together. They were supposed to consummate their love right there in the Astronomy Tower. Why was he doing this to her? Her father's actions were not hers. "Cassius…please. Please don't do this. I love you. I love you…I do. Why are you doing this?"
He loosened his grip, but didn't let her go. His lips twitched into a sick smirk, and he let his eyes flicker towards the staircase. "Because this is what I've been waiting for my entire life. I've waited for the moment to destroy the one innocent thing left in the Spinnet family. Two years. I waited two years to do this, Spinnet. Oh don't look at me like that. I knew who you were two years ago. I remembered that long dark hair running from one room to another. I remember that sodding yellow quill. The same quill I watched you use during our O.W.L exams." There was a triumphant tone now present in his voice, and Alicia felt her stomach wretch again. "That's when it all hit me. Spinnet is a rather common name, but not that common. When I realized it was you I knew this all would be worth it." He sneered.
"Cassius…" Her voice broke off, her body slumping forward so that she was practically leaning on him. He jerked her arms upright and forced her to look him in the eyes again. Her heart shattered. For a brief moment she wondered if it was the same sort of feeling George had gone through when she had called things off earlier. She was so stupid. So damn stupid.
"But you got to me, Spinnet." He waved a finger in her face as if scolding her. "You managed to make me actually feel something for you besides absolute hatred." His black hair fell into his eyes masking whatever emotion that was surfacing. "And that's why I'm ending this now." He was going to take her virginity that night. Right there in the tower he was going to do it, but he couldn't. She could tell by the strained look in his face. "Besides… I wouldn't want to touch you anyway. The mere thought of being close to you anymore makes me sick." He let go of her abruptly and shoved her back against the wall again. Her body collided with the hard stone causing her to yell in pain again.
"Don't do this to me…please. After everything I've done for you." Her body sank back against the wall.
He clapped his hands together. "Oh yes! How could I forget? You actually broke up with that pauper Weasley to be with me." He pressed his hand against his chest. "You broke the heart of a man that adored you to be with someone you spoke to in a passage way for a few hours. You barely even knew me for a month and you called things off with the man you have loved since your third year… Plus you were ready to fuck me tonight so I'd say I did a pretty terrific job convincing you that I actually fancied you." He laughed.
Alicia had been the perfect friend for nearly seven years. Then she had gone and thrown it all away simply because of the man in front of her. The man who had told her he loved her. The same man she had thought she was in love with. Now he only brought her pain. Her body ached. Her head screamed. Turning to the side it finally rose and she let the vomit hit the floor behind her. She hated looking this defeated in front of him, but that's exactly what he did. He defeated her, and as much as she hated him she hated her father for being the sole reason behind all of it. Once again the man whom she loathed the most had done something to ruin her life. Alicia Spinnet was not perfect. Alicia Spinnet was a sodding fool. She wiped at the corner of her mouth. "How cruel can you possibly be?" It came out at a whisper, and Alicia dropped her eyes to her knees. She couldn't look at him anymore. She just couldn't bring herself to do it.
She could have sworn there was a hesitant motion in his step, but her eyes were still blurred by the tears streaming down her face. It was suddenly quiet in the tower. The yells, the cries, the absolute ill feeling that was bouncing between the two of them. They seemed to disappear in that instant. "Don't pretend like you know me, Spinnet. You really have no idea." There was another beat of silence before he took another step forward and moved towards the door of the Astronomy tower. His cloak billowed behind him creating even more shadows in the round room.
She sat there against the wall. Her body felt broken into a thousand pieces, and the vomit beside her began to stink. There was a stinging apparent in the back of her eyes, but she was too dazed to do anything about it. What had she done? How could this have happened? "But I love you…" She let it fall out of her mouth again, but this time it felt so damn foreign. She should have known better. He was a Slytherin after all. What had possessed her to believe that he could actually be a decent human being? The worst past of it all was how badly she had hurt George in the process. Someone who she truly did love and someone who reciprocated the feelings. She could never expect things to be the same between them anymore. She couldn't leave the tower and just go apologize expecting things to be fixed. She had ruined everything, and now she was forced to live with what she had done.
"You are so stupid, Alicia. So so stupid." Pulling her knees into her chest she let her forehead rest down upon them. She wasn't sure if she had stopped crying. Her body was still convulsing from the emotional blow. She did however find the strength to reach into her pocket and remove the gold locket. He had tried to give it to her on her birthday two days prior. Even after she had left with Cassius George had been determined to fix things between them. He even had one of the house elves leave the locket on her pillow the following day. It hadn't left her pocket for two days. Even that evening when she met with him to finally just break it off she had it in her pocket. Twice. She had to explain it to George twice that she didn't want to be with him anymore, and he still seemed stunned by it. Now the gold locket seemed to precious in her hand. Why didn't she just take the present two days ago and tell Cassius to blow off? Why did she let Cassius talk her into meeting with George that night and cutting it clean away then and there?
"Cause you are a sodding gullible twit." She mumbled into her hand suppressing another cry. The gold locket swung lightly in her hand, and she slowly undid the tiny clasp. Somewhere in her head she felt it was wrong to do so, but she had to wear it. She'd never take it off again. She'd never question her love for George again. Reaching back her clasped the snap shut and adjusted the locket around her neck. Flicking open the little clasp that kept it shut she fought back the tears as she was graced with a tiny picture of George. Closing her eyes she dropped her head to her knees again and cried. She cried until the darkness engulfed her, and the pain turned into a dull nightmarish sleep.
Alicia sat bolt upright in her bed. Her eyes squinted towards the grandfather clock on the wall. It was only nine in the morning, and yet she felt like she had been sleeping for days. The dream. The dream she had felt so damn real. Like a memory bursting through from a time not so very long ago. Cassius had been there. He had done things to her that even in her wildest imagination he would never do. And George. She had once again dreamed of the redheaded man from the museum. The only difficulty this time was trying to understand why she had felt so strongly for him in the dream. And Spinnet. The name she had often heard roll off the tongue of Esme Warrington. It was the same last name from the dream. It was her last name in the dream.
Everything in the dream was balancing on the edge of feeling real and feeling so far fetched. The locket. Alicia's hand flew to the lock and she looked down at the little heart shaped gold thing. For years she had never bothered to open the clasp at the bottom of the heart. The one time she tried it had remained locked, and even the best jeweler had failed getting it open. Since then she had no desire to try and open it again. Until now. The locket had felt like it held the key to everything in the dream, and Alicia flicked at the corner of the clasp again to try and get it open. When it didn't budge she tried pulling at it, but it remained tight. She paused. "Why the hell am I doing this? It was just a dream."
A large crash from downstairs had caused her to jump slightly in her bed, and she wondered if Cassius had made his way to the office yet. She still had numerous questions to ask him about the previous night's party fiasco. Slipping her legs from beneath the blanket Alicia grabbed her head and closed her eyes. Everything had felt so real. It was like a memory being released from a place that had been hidden for so long. Yet it just couldn't be. The way Cassius had treated her was so foul. The name Spinnet was the name of the family that was murdered by Death Eaters. George didn't exist in her life unless she counted the bloke she had met in town. No. It was just a silly dream that had plagued her after a night of hectic drama.
Another crash downstairs caused her to pause, and she stared at the bedroom door for a good long second before moving towards her wardrobe. A jog. She needed a nice jog to clear her head of all the rubbish. Pulling off the sleepwear that clung to her, Alicia frowned. Had she been sweating in the middle of the night? Her clothes were drenched, and she suddenly realized her heart was racing a mile a minute. Had that dream really gotten to her in such a way? Tossing the garment on the floor she opened up the wardrobe and picked out a light blue track suit and her trainers. Quickly she dressed her self and moved towards the bed to put her trainers on. There was another crash outside the door only this time it sounded closer then the previous two. What the hell was going on downstairs? Lacing up the second shoe Alicia reached behind her head and began tying back her hair. It was interrupted by the shout from outside, and the scream from James.
Her hand was on her wand within in a second even though it was half way across the room. Two steps had been taken in the direction of the door before it flew open to reveal Daphne clinging to a frantic looking James.
"We need to go now." Her friend took her wand and cast a sealing charm on the door. There were shouts on the other side, and Alicia could have sworn one was that of Esme's.
Her wand was still pulled at the ready as James jumped out of Daphne's arms and into the arms of Alicia. "She- she - she - she-" His face buried into her chest.
"My gods Daph, what the hell is going on?" Between the dream and the sudden destruction of things outside her room, Alicia felt the room begin to blur.
"There is no time to talk about this. You need to come with me now. We need to get you out of here." Moving towards the wardrobe that sat in the corner of the room, Daphne cast another charm, and instantly the large oak furniture began shifting to it's side.
Alicia, her free hand resting on the back of James' head, gasped as a large door sat perfectly hidden behind the wardrobe. "Oh my god." She murmured again while taking a few steps forward towards her friend.
"Hurry…get in." Daphne swung the door open and began ushering Alicia and James inside. "You need to calm down for me, James. You need to be quiet now." Daphne began backing up slightly into the dark passage way that was beyond the hidden door.
Alicia on the other hand stood her ground without scolding the whimpering boy. "Daphne! I'm not moving until you tell me what's going on! Who is making that racket? When was a door placed here? And where the hell are we going?"
Flicking her wand at the wardrobe, Daphne remained quiet as the furniture moved back into place blocking the last bit of light from the room. "Lumos"
The tip of her wand lit, and she closed the door behind them. The light from the wand cast an odd shadow across her face, and instantly Alicia was brought back to that horrid dream again. James trembled lightly in her arms, and Alicia opened her mouth to protest again. She would not follow this dark passage way without finding out what was going on inside her own house. " I-"
It was the only thing she could get out before Daphne cut her off. " We are going to a place where you and James will be safe for the time being. The door was placed here five years ago incase this was ever to happen. And the racket…" She scoffed. "Esme is creating the racket right now, and we need to get moving before she gets by that sealing charm I placed on the door." Grabbing Alicia's free arm she began dragging her down the dimly lit passage.
"Why?" It was a simple question, but she had the right to know the truth.
Daphne sighed. "Because Esme Warrington wants you dead."
There was a sharp intake of air, and Alicia pressed her cheek against the top of James' head. Why would her own mother in law want her dead? She understood that she wasn't the model society wife, but was this serious? Had she really come to the estate to murder her son's wife? "I…I don't believe it."
" Listen Alicia, she came to the estate this morning to kill you, and to kill- " She paused, her eyes scanning over the tiny frame of the boy. " She was going to do it before Cassius came home from his morning meeting. The meeting was canceled and he came back early. I was on my way in when I heard the first blasts go off. I rushed up the back way and found James huddled in the corner of his room. That's when I came and got you. Turn this way." She tugged Alicia's arm and they made a slight left.
"But…but why?" She stammered, still horror struck. " I haven't done anything to betray the family. I haven't said anything to besmirch them!" Her voice rose a bit frantically, and James shifted against her again. "What have I done to be…to be murdered?" The word came out with utter disgust attached to it.
Daphne closed her eyes for a moment and fought back the truth. She couldn't tell her yet. She promised Cassius if the time ever came she would wait for him to be there. They would do it together. Now was not the time. She needed to get Alicia and James out of the estate and to the spot she had discussed with Cassius. Besides, once they reached that destination everything would finally be out on the table. "I can't tell you right now, Alicia. I want to…believe me I want to with every fiber of my being, but I promised Cassius I would wait. He will be meeting us at the safe house as soon as he can. Everything will be fine, Alicia. Nothing is going to happen to you or James."
"Couldn't we just send this to the Ministry? To the Magical Law Enforcement? Isn't there anything we can do to put that woman in Azkaban?" They made another sharp turn and Alicia began seeing light at the end of the passage way.
Daphne shook her head. "There isn't, and wouldn't, be enough sufficient evidence to put her away at the moment. There are a lot of…Merlin Alicia just wait till we get to the safe point. Everything you want to know will be answered." With her wand now pointing directly out in front of her, Daphne paused as they reached the exit. It was another dark door, but behind it there was a shimmer of light that could be seen between the cracks. "Wait a moment." She stepped forward and opened the door slowly before slipping inside.
"Why does Grandmother want to hurt us, Mummy?" It was the first thing James had spoken since running to her arms.
"I don't know, baby. I don't know. " She kissed the top of his head. "But I'm sure your father will protect us. He'll keep us safe." The images of her dream came pounding back into her head and she winced. She hoped Cassius would protect them against his mother. He was all she had.
"Come on." Daphne's quick pull of the door made Alicia jump at least a foot in the air. "We don't have a lot of time. Now…hurry." She stepped aside to let them in, and quickly shut the door and sealed it again. "Take this." She held out a large dark brown cloak. "Hold James as close against you as you can, and I'll help you into the cloak. Granted it's not the best disguise, but we weren't counting on this to happen so quickly."
Still unsure as to what Daphne kept mentioning, Alicia did as she was told and hugged James against her. Daphne quickly moved around them and helped the tiny brunette witch into the overly large cloak. With her dainty frame beneath it you couldn't really be certain whether or not she was holding James, or just pregnant again. It was a suitable fit. "What now?" She had stopped asking questions for too much information. It was obvious Daphne was not going to answer her. They were in am old storage broom shed that was about three hundred feet from the main estate. It was located within the thick forest that lined the back grounds and often forgotten about until some meddling kid broke in and set off the wards. "There are wards in this you know. They are probably going off at the estate."
Daphne shook her head. "Cassius disengaged them a week ago. No one will even know we are back here. Are you ready?" Crossing the tiny shed, Daphne grabbed two brooms. One smaller one for herself, and a larger double rider for Alicia. "You'll be able to fly with him like that, correct?"
"I still don't understand how any of this will throw them off track. They will eventually find that hidden door in my room, Daphne. They'll figure it out." She was now growing worried. What would happen when they found the door? Had they found it yet? Were they coming down the dark passage way right at that moment? Her eyes shot towards the door. They'd trace it right to this very shed and then realize the two brooms were missing. Alicia clutched James tighter against her chest.
"Which is why we wont be flying to our destination." She straddled her broom as Alicia cast her a confused expression. "We are going to fly halfway to our destination, and then leave the brooms in a slightly populated area. When they find the brooms they will assume we are still local, and that will bide us some time."
"We wont be local then?" Her hands trembled as she mounted her broom. "Hold on tight to Mummy, James." She felt the young boys fingers grip her around the back. Her heart had managed to snake its way into her throat.
"No. After we loose the brooms we will be taking an illegal Portkey Marcus has made to another place. It will keep us safe for the time being considering Esme will not think of it as a suitable place for us to go." She opened the door of the shed revealing the thick forest out in front of them.
"And Cassius knows all this? He will meet us at this place?" She hovered beside her friend and inched out the door into the dark. The trees were so high they blocked the sun from hitting the ground, and they had to squint in order to see in front of them.
"He knows, and he will meet us there." She stated softly. "Then…then we will fill you in on everything, Alicia. You'll learn everything." Pulling her broom up slightly she began to fly forward. "We must press on now. It's been a good half hour now, and I'm sure they are close to discovering that passage way."
Mutely Alicia nodded and began following her friend through the dense forest and away from the faint blasts she could hear coming from her home.