Disclaimer: Not Mine.
OK, so I said it was complete and here I am at this story again. I just could not leave him sitting in Azkaban. Helen is quite persuasive when she puts her mind to something and if she wants to try to help who am I to tell her no. Geesh.
Rebirth
Chapter 3
Helen watched as they apparated from the front of the shop in a rumble to thunder. Show offs, she thought, pursing her lips together. She flipped the sign over to Closed and rushed to grab her wand and cloak. Hurrying to the pavement, she glared at the other shopkeepers that had come out to see what the trouble was and stood whispering and pointing. She started running toward one of the apparation points then decided if the Aurors could disturb the peace so would she.
She turned back to the audience that was gathering in small groups staring at her, and turning as slowly as she could to make the most noise possible, she spun out of the Alley and to the Ministry.
She had been here several times during the trials but still was uncomfortable and ill at ease under the cold high ceilings and tiled halls. Following the few others that were visiting the Ministry, she found the queue and surrendered her wand for inspection. Waiting for the clerk to weigh and measure it before returning it to her she was a little surprised to find an Auror suddenly on each side.
"Miss Dolohov?"
"Yes?" She stepped back and scowled.
"I am Marcus, Marcus McCollin, and this is Stephen Flair." He took her elbow and pulled her out of the queue. "I am afraid I can not allow you to have your wand while in this building."
"I have never had it taken before." She frowned and pulled her arm from him angrily. "What is this, some new law?"
"You may say that Miss Dolohov," Stephen said slowly. "We have a list of family names that are not known to be sympathetic to the cause. Since the Dolohov name is…"
"Fine, keep it." She snapped at him. "I expect it back when I leave."
"Of course Miss Dolohov ," Marcus was quick to assure her. "Now, we will accompany you to your destination."
"I think I can find my own way." She spun on her heel and started toward the elevators that would take her down to the intake division of Auror's arrest process.
"He is not there," Marcus said. "He is going straight to Azkaban."
"I am sure he gets a trial." She tapped her foot and folded her arms as she looked up at the floor indicator.
"No, not anymore. The courts are over loaded and the straight forward cases are resolved by internal decisions of the Ministry."
"Straight forward? If this were straight forward he would not be here."
"Miss Dolohov, if you have a complaint you may file it in the complaint department."
"No, I need to talk to someone now."
Stephen snorted his laughter. "Come back in a year or two when things calm down."
"Listen Miss Dolohov." Marcus shot Stephen a hard look. "Leave your name with the front receptionist, ask for an appointment."
"They won't let you in down there," Stephen added. "They were called when you checked in."
Helen turned and scowled at them, going back to the reception area she grabbed her wand from the clerk who had watched the argument and had her wand waiting. Continuing to the appointment desk she stopped to read the notice on the door.
"Shite." She said aloud, reading that all requests for appointments would be by owl only, and no appointments were available for nine months.
She returned to her shop and started to enter when she stepped back and just stood looking at the half glass door. She was afraid to go in, afraid that someone may be waiting in the dark aisles or in the back room as they had before. She looked down the darkening pavement, taking in the shops that were still open, and knew that none of them would be willing to help some one with the Dolohov name.
She stepped further back and looked up at the top floor windows where her apartment was. Pulling her cloak close around her, she started down to the Leaky Cauldron scrubbing the heel of her hand into her eyes wishing she were not so easy to cry.
"Shite!"
She tapped the bricks, stepped into the small yard behind the back door, and reached to open it when a drunken wizard stumbled out pushing her back.
"Sorry," he said, trying to stand straight.
"Yeah." She sneered at him, hurried to the door, and stepped through. She looked back to see him raise a handless right arm and salute her.
"I am truly sorry me dear." He staggered back. "A little to much drink is all."
"Are you Okay?" She said stepping back out. "Can you make it home yourself?"
"Ah yes, as a matter o fact." He put his head back and laughed. "I, you see, have been practicing. All most got it right you know."
He turned and tapped out the pattern on the bricks perfectly the fist time and then staggered back to the Alley.
"You plan on holding that door open all night?" Tom stood wiping his hands on a bar towel looking down on her with a frown.
"Oh sorry." She went in and closed the door behind her.
"Kitchen is closed and the last call for drinks is already out, so you best hurry." He turned to walk back into the nearly empty pub room.
"No, Tom… I … I need a room," she stammered looking around.
"I don't think so." He looked her over. "You live a two minute walk from here, and you don't have any luggage. What kind of place do you think this is? Have him take you some place else."
"You bastard," she hissed and felt a sudden rush and tears spring to her eyes.
"Listen, Miss Dolohov…"
"Listen to your arse, it must be what does your talking."
Tom reached out to grab her arm and hold her so he could finish the apology he had started. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew what he had said was wrong. He had seen her face change so quickly and then her tears.
He held her by the elbow and fought for the proper words not wanting to ruin it this time. .
"Don't," she hissed and pulled back, rushed out the back door, and began tapping the bricks only to stop and start over again. She dropped her right arm lowering her wand and using her left to wipe her face, she cursed the fact that she was crying again.
Tom's wand came over her shoulder and tapped the bricks for her. They stood watching the bricks slide and the door open.
"I am scared," she said. "That's why I came here. I don't have any one… I was scared…so I…I have no place to go."
She stepped through the wall and back into the Alley, walking slowly back to the shop, keeping her eyes down and furiously wiping the tears when she heard a second set of footfalls and spun around, wand drawn.
"Miss Dolohov, I am sorry." Tom stopped and looked at her. "I guess I am not as unbiased as I like to think myself to be."
"Thanks …Tom, I just … I thought maybe in the morning, in the light…I am by myself you see… I don't have any one to help."
"We all heard what happened today." Tom ran his hand though his hair. "Well, maybe not all of it, but enough to know Crabbe attacked you, him and that other piece of filth."
"No, it wasn't like that at all." She walked over to him and shook her head. "A Death Eater was in the back room, he was waiting for me. When… then he grabbed me. Vincent just happened to come in and hear."
.
"I heard they were together."
"Well you heard wrong." She pulled her cloak back from her throat showing him the bruises. "He said he was going to … well, that he wanted to kill me, and then Vincent was there and threw a curse. It was so fast."
"Now you think another Death Eater is after you?"
"I'm foolish, I know." She looked up at the windows on the top floor again. "But I can't go in there."
"Lower the wards and stay behind me." He grinned and stepped up to the door. "Or I can charge you for a room and do this in the morning."
"Arse," she grinned as she used her wand to bring down the wards.
"I am surprised young Crabbe did not inspect the apartment for you. He trained as one of the Malfoy body guards I would think he would be more careful."
"They put him in Azkaban. He used an unforgivable," she frowned and stopped walking. "They were here awful fast. Vincent didn't have time to do anything."
Tom turned to her and scowled. "Azkaban? He saved you from a Death Eater and he is in Azkaban?"
"That is why I closed early. I went to the Ministry to see what I could do, but he doesn't even get a trial. They took him directly there."
Tom stepped into the shop and shouted a Lumos spell, loud enough and strong enough to light the candles both upstairs and in the storage room below. He then cast a Patronus to search the space, grinning he watched Helen from the corner of this eye.
"It's faster. A Patronus couldn't stop them, or harm them, but it lets me know if anyone is about."
Helen pulled her own wand and walked though the shop with him. Then following him up stairs she stood in the doorway as he checked the small sitting area that held a kitchenette in one corner. He opened the only door to the loo and then turned back to her.
"Bedroom?"
She pointed to the sofa and grinned. "Easy to clean, no upkeep, a real delight, at least that is what they told me when I bought this place."
"Quite a change for you I would imagine." Tom looked around at the sparse apartment, noticing not only the small space but also the lack of personal items.
"Not as much of a change as Vincent is going through tonight." She threw her cloak on the sofa, walked to the kitchen, and started to make a pot of tea.
"I only just met him. He bought a new wand, we had lunch together. And then he gets tossed in prison because of me."
"It was only a matter of time." Tom walked to the window and looked out.
"I see. That must be your unbiased opinion talking again."
"We lost a lot of good people in that war."
"We both did. I can safely say that the families of Death Eaters gave much more than will ever be known. Good people lived on both sides." She placed her palms on the table top and sighed. "The families of Death Eaters not loyal to their cause were never listed as a casualty of war. Wives had accidents, and children caught fevers, they died all the same."
Tom stood with his hand in his pockets looking at her, trying to judge how truthful she was. He walked to the door and started down the stairs to check the storerooms in the basement not knowing what to say to her.
Helen poured two cups of tea and set them on the only table in the room. She sat to wait for him and sipped her tea. Then, pulling her wand, she cast wards at the window to strengthen what was already there feeling foolish for doing it, but doing it all the same.
"Helen?" Tom's voice came up from the storerooms. "I need you down here."
She hurried down to the street level and then began down to the cellar when she stopped and felt a coldness and a sudden fear.
"Tom?" She called from the top of the stairs, peering down into darker storeroom.
"Here." Tom came into view and looked up at her. "It's ok Helen, I found how he got in. I need you to reset the wards."
Helen walked down the stairs feeling uneasy and suddenly not trusting Tom. She held her wand tightly and stayed as close to the wall as possible.
"Helen?" Tom looked at her oddly. "Helen, I need you to put down your wand."
She kept her wand aimed at him, pressing her back against the cold stone of the cellar. She licked her lips and looked around for the sound she could hear coming from the darkness
"Shhhh." She crouched down sweeping her eyes across the floor.
"Helen? Give it to me, or just lay it down"
She smiled at him, laughing at his face and feeling colder than she had at any time in her life. Her breath came short in quick gasps. She could hear waves crashing against ears and knew she would soon be unable to stand.
"Tom." She whispered and looked around again, as the room became colder still as she fought not to use her wand, bringing up her free hand to hold it with both. "Leave, hurry, hurry."
Tom leaned to hear her, seeing her wand rise and her eyes grow flat. His own Accico Wand hit her before her spell was completely out of her mouth and before she could complete the unforgivable arc of her own willow wand. He rushed over to her, squatted down, pulling her up to a sitting position and looking into her face.
She was cold, very cold. He leaned down and was relieved to hear her breathe, but knew it was too shallow, and too weak to keep her alive long. Shoving both wands in his pocket and picking her up he rushed out side to apparate to St Mungo's.
.
.
.
He paced outside of the Examining Room waiting for some news from the Healer. He replayed the whole evening in his mind trying to find a clue as to what happened. Hearing footsteps in the hall and spun around, expecting the Healer only to see two Aurors coming toward him.
"Tom!" Marcus reached out and shook hands. "They didn't say who she was with. You know Stephen?"
"Stephen," Tom nodded and then turned to a small sitting area. "In here."
"So, I guess we have another one." Marcus smiled.
"Another one?" Tom looked at him confused.
"A few hours ago her boy friend was sent to Azkaban. Seems he caught her with her lover and cast an unforgivable," Marcus chuckled.
"Now she tosses one at you," Stephen grinned. "What was it Tom? Did you tell her no?"
"Her lover? Hey, you guys got this way off." Tom shook his head and looked between the two. "Who were the original Aurors on this?"
"The file is misplaced, or just not completed yet. I couldn't find it before we came." Marcus looked at Tom and folded his arms. "Shacklebolt has spent months cleaning out the ranks. Don't go there Tom, its not one of ours. The file is only misplaced, no one took it."
"Some one better go through the ranks again." Tom stood up pushing the chair back so hard it fell to the floor. "Someone best get their heads out of their arses and find out what is happening here and do it tonight."
"It's nothing that can't wait until morning."
"If you have sent an innocent nineteen year old boy to Azkaban, and put him anywhere near former Death Eaters I would suggest you do it an hour ago."
"We will look into it." Marcus looked at Stephen nervously. "Would she agree to a pensive?"
"Agree? She can't even talk." Tom raged at them.
"She can now," the Healer said from the door. "She is awake and just upset."
The Healers lip twitched. "She is currently cursing the pillows. Seems she thinks they are trying to suffocate her. Should be over in just a few more minutes. We had the antidote."
"Antidote? She was poisoned?" Marcus raised his eyebrow.
"Oh, most assuredly. Rather a nasty concoction." The healer took off his glasses and cleaned them on his jacket. "It does kill eventually, but its real purpose is to bring on hallucinations and fear in the hopes that the victim takes someone with them. Sort of a two for one."
"Where does this poison come from?" Marcus scowled and looked back at Tom.
"We saw a lot during the war. It was used against what the Death Eaters referred to as Family Traitors. We don't see it much anymore. Snape, one of your friends, came up the antidote."
"Healer?" A small Mediwitch wearing clown shoes and a red nose stood glaring at the Healer. "I think it is safe to go in now. She seems to have used all the spells she can do with out a wand. If you have nothing further, I shall just go down to the Spell Reversal Ward now."
The four wizards stood and watched as she walked away and waited at the elevator to carry her down to the Reversal Ward. They bit their lips and choked until the door slid closed.
"Bet her Mum says she has a great personality," Marcus said.
They burst into laughter until Tom remembered he would be the next to go into the room.
"I hope she was right about this." He looked at the ceiling as he walked to the Examining Room hoping he did not have any of his features changed.
Marcus and Stephen talked to the Healer before leaving, taking notes and learning as much as they could about the poison. Thanking the Healer, they walked to the same elevator that the mediwitch had used.
"Have you ever woken Shacklebolt in the middle of the night before?" Stephen asked nervously.
"Just once." Marcus looked up at the floor indicator over the sliding doors. "It's not pretty."
.
.
.
"Helen?" Tom peeked around the curtains that draped the bed.
"It's safe." She was sitting on the edge of the examining table swinging her legs. "So, I guess I made sort of a fool of my self."
"No." Tom laughed. "However, there is one Mediwitch here that you should avoid for a while."
"Oh gods," she put her hands over her face and groaned. "I couldn't stop myself. I learned these spells at a friends birthday party. I must have been ten at the time. Good gods."
"You seem better now."
"I can leave as soon as I pee." She looked up at him and shrugged. "I guess they literally wash the poison out of your system or something."
"You had me scared there in the cellar."
"I wanted to kill you Tom. I mean, I really wanted to kill you."
"Before you go back in I want to check it again. And, you do have to set new wards in the cellar. That old shed in the back used to have a tunnel to the cellar. It should have been closed off years ago."
"A tunnel? I want it filled in and warded as well." She jumped of the examining table and sat in one of the two chairs that stood against the wall.
"I made tea," she said.
"Umm, it's no doubt cold by now."
"No, I made tea. That's where the Healer said it came from." She leaned her head against the wall and yawned. "I wish I could pee."
They sat side by side looking at the clock. He whistled, she tapped her foot, they both sighed every time they heard footsteps that came down the hall but did not stop or enter the room.
"I hate hospitals." She yawned again and then stood up when she saw the knob of the door turn.
Marcus walked in first and turning back to the hallway, he stepped aside letting Vincent come into the room.
AN: Ok drinehart, if I worked for Palin I would have let him be tortured or sent to a country that allows it, even if organs are damaged. (slaps self)