Chapter 10 Whispered Goodbyes

An ancient lock scrapped open. The cell door swung forward by an unspoken spell, the hinges creaked and I was shoved inside. I fell to the floor in a tangle of clothes. The floor was cold, wet and hard. My hands scrapped along it leaving cuts and loose skin. Another squeak announced that the door was being shut. Footsteps echoed around the stone walls as the kidnappers hurried away.

Hours ticked by, well what felt like hours. The dungeon, which I had come to realise the place I was in, was pitch black so there was no telling if it was midday or midnight. Small threads of light seeped through cracks in the walls. I had settled myself against the left hand wall from the bars because from here I had a clear view of the door to which the Death eaters had departed from.

"Please, oh Merlin please let him be okay," I muttered to myself.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, you know."

A tall figure emerged from a dark corner. The figures face was thin and the body lanky with gnarled fingers. I could not hide my shock at seeing this person appearing so suddenly. I stumbled backwards and tripped over my feet and fell to the cell floor.

"Be careful dear, we wouldn't want you to hurt yourself now."

"W, who are you?" I stuttered.

"I am everyone and no one. I am everything and nothing. I am the wind that whistles through your hair, I am the shadows that call you to their lair-"

"J, just answer the question, please."

The figure stopped when they heard the note of urgency in my voice. I stood up, willing for my legs to support my weight as I stepped forward.

"I name is Narcissa Malfoy." I gasped.

"But...why? How...?" This was the only response I could give; my shock had clogged up my brain so no sensible thoughts could be processed.

"What, why I am so mad and how that came to be?"

She stopped shuffling forward and looked into my face as though trying to read my thoughts. I took a step closer to the bars; the light was slightly better there as the door let more light escape into the darkness. The moment I did this I wish I hadn't.

Narcissa's hair was dead looking and clung to her face. Wrinkles and dust were plastered upon her face like makeup while her clothes hung loose, shielding a malnourished body. My eyes were drawn down wards, bare feet met my gaze. Scratches and cuts had dug deep crevices into them.

"Do you like what you see?"

"But how did all this happen? I thought you moved away, far away," I said.

"Things don't always go to plan. Even when we left England our family was tracked by th...them. In the end we were caught and I was brought here. My husband, my waist of space husband abandoned me to save his own skin. He always was a wimp. But since I was brought here I have never left," Narcissa sighed.

"Do you know if," I took a deep breath. "If Draco is here?"

"He was brought in like you but they took him away after you were put in here."

We both looked towards the door. Footsteps could be heard along with muffled voices.

"They are coming for you."

"What?"

"Most prisoners never return but I will ask you of this. Do whatever you can to save my son, to save my Draco and you will have my blessing." Narcissa began to melt back into the shadows.

The heavy door opened allowing light to stream through. My sudden blindness caused my reflexes to be slow. Heavy hands grasped my body, lingering in places far too long. I kicked out but missed.

"Ah ah ahh. I don't think so."

I was dragged from the dark dungeon into a corridor; the walls flickered with light from the candles high above. A door stood ajar at the far right hand side of the corridor. I could hear muttering from inside but when I entered, still being held tightly by the kidnappers, everything went quiet.

"Do not treat our guest so harshly. Let her go."

The voice was familiar. When I heard it my insides froze then disappeared entirely. My face went pale and my mouth dried. Rookwood laughed.

"I never thought I'd have the pleasure of meeting you again."

"You! Don't even talk look at me. You broke my family, ripped it right in two and you didn't even care."

"Oh come on, don't be like that," he said mockingly. "I just did what I had to do, as your father did."

"Don't even mention him. You don't have the right. YOU MURDERED HIM," I screamed.

It was years ago that my father died but being faced with his killer was too much.

"It's odd that I had the pleasure of killing your father and now your true love."

There was a scraping noise from behind Rookwood then a body was thrown to the floor by another nameless kidnapper. Rookwood took a step forward and shifted the body over, with his foot, so the bodies face was visible. He looked down in disgust.

"This piece of filths time in this world is up. He betrayed the Dark Lord and I will make him pay. I will enjoy this."

He whipped out his wand that was fastened in a belt around his waist. My mind was racing again. I had to think of a way out and fast but all I could do was stare at the unconscious body before me.

Blood droplets encircled fresh wounds. Purple bruises with hints of green were scattered over Draco's usually flawless skin. I could hear him murmuring incoherently. These images got inside my head replacing all others of Draco's kind face smiling at me.

"Wait, wait!" I cried.

Rookwood looked up, and then smiled maliciously.

I looked around wildly for a means of stopping or delaying the events that were about to happen. A figure in a corner of the room shifted slightly as I sensed an invisible barrier lift. The figure was Kingsley but he was acting differently. Then I understood. He had broken free of the Imperius curse and was attempting to get my attention. Rookwood, however, noticed that my attention had been caught elsewhere and whipped around in time to witness Kingsley do a piece of wand less magic.

Before he was complete Rookwood flicked his own wand and sent Kingsley crashing into the door where he did not get up.

"You thought it would be that easy to stop a Death eater that has been at the Dark Lords side since before you were born." Rookwood stepped forward with his wand pointed at my chest. "I thought you were smarter than that but yet again I fail to remember that the new generations have not a thought for their elders."

"G, get away from her."

"Ah so the hero awakes. Now let us have some fun."

His wand flashed sending Draco into walls and bookshelves. The heavy volumes rained down on his head.

"Oh you're just no fun. Come on, I want to hear you scream. "Crutio!"

Draco shrieked in pain. He writhed on the floor, making Rookwood laugh. "That's much better."

"Draco." Tears leaked freely down my face and I made no attempt to stop them.

I ran to his side and cradled his almost lifeless body. My eyes met his, deep blue and sparkles grey. I could see his life ebbing away with every laboured breath.

"Cho I,I-"

"Shh, don't talk," I whispered into his hair.

"No. I,I have t,to say this." Every word cost him precious energy but I could not make him stop. "I think y,you made a s,step in the r,right direction when you l,left Harry. But if I h,hadn't been such a p,prat in school I would have n,noticed how amazing you truly are earlier so t,that maybe we m,might of had m,more time. P,people say that l,love is the c,condition in which the h,happiness of a,another is essential t,to your own. And I...I believe this. You h,have made me so happy that I c,can't even express i,it in words." Tears began to water in his eyes as the strain to keep talking was becoming too much. "And I j,just wanted to s,say thank you."

"Aww, wasn't that nice," Rookwood's cool voice cut like a whip. "I think, yes, he actually managed to make me weep. As I can see he is about to say goodbye to this world so I think I might help. Avada Kadavra."

A flash of green light and Draco's body fell limp.