Life is a selfless thing.
Life is a selfish thing.
Life is a selfless thing.
Life, is a selfish thing now.
November 15th, 6PM Tuesday
Sam's Monkey Tree Pub
Yellowknife, NT (Canada)
Thick clouds of smoke wafted around my head as I picked at the poor excuse for a meal laid out in front of me. Khalida made soft sounds of disproval but said nothing more. A few days ago she had given up any hope left of getting me to eat.
A lock of black hair fell over my face and I absentmindedly pushed it behind one ear. With a long, drawn out sigh I lifted a dirty, spotted glass to my lips and sipped the rusty, warm water inside.
The bar was fairly empty since it was a Tuesday night. Many of the patrons were merely using the small pub as a way to escape the bitter winter cold. A large man with short brown hair and a thick neck stood behind the bar pouring drinks while a small woman ambled around the pub taking orders.
"Turn up the TV there Rich," a man called out from one of the darkened corners. The bartender nodded his head slightly as he reached up to turn the volume knob on the old RCA television.
I was surprised to see that it was set on an American news channel. The pub must have had a satellite up on the roof. The deep voice of the 6 o'clock newscaster echoed off the dirty brown walls as Khalida and I watched from our seats at the bar.
"Our top story tonight is the kidnapping of an American citizen. Jenny Lillian Riddle, an 18 year old woman from Minneapolis, Minnesota was allegedly taken by a British terrorist organization as she was visiting her father's grave at Crystal Lake Cemetery in Edina, Minnesota."
"England's Prime Minister has promised full support in the search for the young woman. The only information that authorities have released so far is that Miss Riddle has long black hair and emerald green eyes. She was last seen with a middle-aged man with long blonde hair and a woman with long black hair, pale skin, and…is that right?" There was a pause as the newscaster looked over his notes and glanced at someone standing off camera.
"Apparently it is," the newscaster continued, "Jenny Riddle is accompanied by a woman with long black hair and red eyes. Yes, you heard correctly. According to an eye witness the woman's eyes appeared to be bright red."
"Authorities are still in the process of tracking down a photograph of the young woman but due to a mysterious fire on the night of September fourth at the woman's home, everything inside was lost in an effort to save the structure. We will keep you informed of any breaking news as it crosses our desk."
A spotted water glass crashed against the surface of the bar. The man pouring drinks turned quickly to check on the two female customers but he found the two stools empty. A half-eaten dinner and tiny shards of glass were the only evidence that anyone had been there.
November 15th 6:30PM, Tuesday
Northern Lites Motel
Yellow Knife, NT
"Shit, shit, shit, shit…" I cursed under my breath as I rushed to stuff my belongings into the worn backpack on the floor.
Khalida bustled around the room searching for anything I may have forgotten. She also cleaned up anything that could give someone a clue as to who had stayed in room forty-two.
"Where the hell are we going now?" I snapped, "We still have to get Draco out of prison and now even the muggles are going to be after us."
"That stupid idiot," Khalida spat angrily, "What the hell could he be thinking getting muggles involved in all of this?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I asked.
"What…"
"Now we're going to have to stay clear of wizards and muggles," I explained as I packed away my journal along with a pair of socks.
"I just can't believe he'd be that reckless," she replied thoughtfully, "I wonder what else he's got up his sleeve."
"I don't plan on sticking around to find out," I stated simply, "We'll go get Draco and then find a new place to hide out."
"Easier said then done. I know you have the Dementors so saving Draco shouldn't be too much of a problem but where do we go after that?" Khalida questioned sadly, "We're running out of places to hide." I plopped down on the bed with a sigh and Khalida gracefully sat down next to me after she was sure all of the packing was done.
"What about that place in Brazil?" I asked curiously.
"I forgot all about that," Khalida replied, "but it doesn't really make a difference. One of my friends who lives down that way checked it out and he said that there's nothing there, no buildings, no people, nothing. He did notice something odd though."
"What's that?"
"He said there was some kind of magic there, almost like a strange type of warding but not quite the same. It was almost as if there was a barrier keeping him out," she explained.
"A barrier, do you mean like a shield?" I asked in confusion and Khalida shook her head.
"No, not the same thing," Khalida stated, "It seems as if he can walk over the barrier but not through it. Almost like there's something there but he can't see it."
"Fidelius Charm maybe," I offered slowly.
"Could be," she responded with a shrug, "but there's no way to be sure unless we happen to stumble across the secret keeper."
"What do you think our chances are of that happening?" I asked with a derisive snort.
"Slim to none," Khalida replied seriously.
"At least you said slim," I stated amusedly, "that gives us some hope."
"Okay, I take that back," Khalida responded after a thoughtful moment, "None."
"So what's our next…?" I was about to ask her what our next move would be but she held up a hand to silence me.
Khalida leaned forward and cupped her face the palms of her hands for a few seconds. She pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed her temples as she became immersed in her thoughts.
"I've got it," she said softly, "I know where we can hide out." I turned to look at her and I could see a slight twinkle in her eyes.
"And that would be?"
"Riddle Mansion," Khalida responded and my breath caught in my throat as I stammered incoherently.
"Are you…what…crazy…?"
"It's perfect," Khalida explained, "The place has to be heavily warded and almost impossible to find."
"So how do we find it then?" I asked curiously. Khalida took my hand and led me to the door.
"We get someone who's been there before to take us back there," she stated assuredly.
"If you mean Draco," I said as I thought about Draco's disappearance and later reappearance at my home, "I don't think he'll be able to tell us where the mansion is. I mean, I know he was there and everything but he never even saw the outside." Khalida nodded in agreement and flashed me a crooked grin.
"I wasn't speaking of Draco," she replied in a bemused tone.
"Then wh…no," I gasped in shock, "No, no, no. You can't mean who I think you mean. That's just….well…that's just insane!"
"She has been there before though," Khalida replied as we stepped out of room forty-two and walked down the darkened street.
"That's true," I responded with a strained laugh, "and she's also completely INSANE!"
The vampire paused for a moment and turned toward me. I shifted nervously under her gaze as she took a step closer until we were nearly nose to nose.
"She's also your family," she stated softly, "and blood is thicker then water."
Khalida turned on her heel and stalked off down the sidewalk once again. I followed slowly, both of us wrapped up in our individual thoughts.
"You know what," I called out loudly as Khalida glanced back at me with a puzzled expression on her face.
"What?"
"Blood means you're dying," I stated as I quickened my pace and stepped around her.
"And?" she asked in confusion. I continued to walk and muttered the rest in a voice so low that the vampire was only able to discern what was said due to her extremely sensitive hearing.
"Water will just get you wet."
November 17th 2AM, Thursday
Shore Across from Azkaban Prison
As I gazed across the water I noticed how much creepier the dingy old prison seemed to be in the middle of the night as opposed to the daylight hours. From where Khalida and I stood on the shore the place seemed to be alive as it swayed back and forth in the wind.
"So tell me this plan again," I whispered curiously.
"It's simple," Khalida replied as she motioned toward the prison, "You send the Dementors to get Draco and they can make it look as if they sucked out his soul. Then when they take him the aurors will report to the Ministry that Draco Malfoy was taken by Dementors and is, for the most part, dead."
"For the most part?" I asked in confusion.
"When the Dementors steal someone's soul they don't actually kill the person. They go into a type of coma," Khalida explained simply.
A shiver ran down my spine as I watched the dark, cloaked figures glide over the water toward the prison. This time they did not stop and speak to me before heading off to do my bidding. Instead it almost seemed like they were able to read my mind. As they neared the front gate of the prison I could hear a soft buzzing noise coming from overhead.
"Do you hear that?" I whispered and Khalida nodded in reply as she cocked her head to one side.
"I've been hearing it for awhile," she replied softly, "but I thought it might have been the sound of an automobile far away, or perhaps a boat."
"What do you think it is?" I asked curiously and Khalida shrugged in reply.
Screams rang out in the night as the Dementors went about their task inside the darkened walls of Azkaban. A small grin broke out on my lips as I realized that Draco would soon be with me once again. The grin faded a few minutes later as the buzzing noise became louder.
"That sound is really familiar," I stated as I scanned the sky above our heads.
Khalida and I both studied the night sky meticulously as the pitch of the noise became lower and louder. The louder it became the more I seemed to recognize it, almost as if I had heard the noise many times before. A flash of a memory popped into my head and I could see myself lying in bed back at my home in Minneapolis holding a pillow over my ears, wishing for the buzzing to go away so I could sleep.
"A plane," I hissed worriedly, "I'd know that sound anywhere, and it's got to be some kind of plane."
"This place has loads of muggle-repelling charms on it," Khalida responded nonchalantly, "Nothing to worry about."
The muscles in my stomach seemed to clench as the noise grew closer and closer to the prison. Yelling could still be heard coming from Azkaban but both of us ignored it in favor of watching the sky for the plane that we could hear but could not see.
"We should have seen it by now," I stated as the volume of the buzzing increased to the point that we could no longer whisper and still be heard.
"There it is," Khalida yelled excitedly, "It's almost completely black, that's why you can't see it and there are two of them."
"A black plane?" I hissed loudly, "Army planes!"
"Are you sure?"
"Khalida, I…"
A soft whistling interrupted me and I turned my attention back to the prison. I cursed under my breath as I attempted to search the void stretching out in front of me.
"I think one of them just dropped something," Khalida stated worriedly.
Just as Khalida was finishing her statement the ground shuddered fiercely underneath our feet and the dark sky seemed to come alive with a strange orange light. We both stood paralyzed in terror as another soft whistling noise wrapped itself around us.
"O shit!" I yelled loudly.
The ground shook once again and the night was almost completely illuminated. For a few minutes we just watched with matching expressions of shock and dismay. I looked on anxiously as a large group of Dementors fled the burning prison. They quickly glided across the water and I glanced from one to the other for any sign of Draco.
My ears twitched as I picked up the sound of another bomb dropping down from above. I wondered what they were trying to accomplish by bombing the already ruined building. What was the point of it all? Azkaban prison was already burning to the ground.
The smell of burnt flesh hit my nostrils and they flared in disgust. I pulled my shirt up over my nose and continued my search for Draco. As the Dementors moved up onto the shore I quickly stalked from one to the next in hopes of seeing my friend alive.
One of the Dementors was carrying my aunt, Adrienne Jordane Riddle and I couldn't hold back the small groan of disappointment. I didn't care about the insane woman that hated me. I needed to find Draco, badly.
"Draco!" I called out loudly, "Draco…"
"Jenny," Khalida responded in an awed tone as she pointed out across the water.
"but when I turned I saw you imprisoned
captured in the jaws of a darkened monster
The forest sank underneath us as I fought to release you."
"Draco," I sobbed as I bounded into the water. Khalida rushed to pull me back but I fought her tooth and nail.
"Let me go!" I wailed, "He's still in there, we can still save him."
Even though I knew that the prison was sinking it seemed more as if the very water surrounding Azkaban was swallowing it up until nothing remained. Khalida pulled me close to her chest and I cried into her warm shoulder.
A small cough sounded from behind me and I quickly spun around to find myself staring into the bottomless eyes of a Dementor. He held his arms out toward me as if he was offering me the thick blank blanket he held in his hands. I went to push it away but instead ended up pulling the blanket closer.
It slipped from my grasp and I nearly cried out in fear and happiness. Draco looked tired and malnourished but he appeared to be breathing.
"Draco," I whispered as I ran a hand over his cheek and brushed my lips against his own.
"He will survive," the Dementor whispered into my mind.
"How do you know?" I asked as I narrowed my eyes.
"Your love for him will save him," the Dementor replied knowingly.
"It didn't seem to help my father," I replied sadly, "Maybe I'm destined to push everyone I love to their deaths."
"Now you sound like the Heir," the cloaked being responded as he chuckled softly.
"Which Heir?" I asked in a curious tone.
"Both."