I know you are all terribly curious to know what Audrey was thinking during that last chapter, so here it is :)

12. Audrey: Ice Cold

Audrey eyes snapped open and she found herself in an unfortunately familiar place.

She looked down to see her feet planted on the familiar dark floor. Her eyes wandered the walls, decorated for Christmas, and finally settled to stare ahead, where she saw her parents.

Or, more specifically, she saw their bodies, as they were when she discovered them in the wee hours of the morning that horrible day. Covered in blood, bruised, and lifelessly pale. And just like when she discovered them, Audrey fell to her knees, grabbed their hands, and started crying. Crying more than she had ever cried in her life. Partly out of sadness, but mostly out of regret and guilt.

"Where were you, Audrey?"

Audrey looked up to see her brother, Brady, standing before her. He hadn't been there, when all of this really happened, and seeing him standing before her, so ghostly and cold, sent a shiver all over Audrey's body. His arms were hanging by his side, his face was blank, and blood was running down the side of his face from an unseen wound. His skin was just as pale as the bodies of her parents.

Audrey fought to exclaim her apology, but no words came. It was as if her own vocal cords had been ripped out from her throat. She could feel her throat stinging with the effort, but all that came out was ambient air.

Then, the scene dissolved and Audrey woke curled up on the floor of her bedroom.

Audrey turned the shower water on as cold as possible.

It wasn't cold enough, though, because she could still feel the patter of water on her back. Her skin wasn't going numb, even though the tips of her fingers were a light blue and her breath created a cloud of steam. Suddenly, Audrey heard the door click open and immediately turned off the shower.

"Audrey? It's five in the morning," Erin said groggily. "What on Earth are you doing?"

Audrey didn't reply. She could practically hear Erin rolling her eyes.

"Fine, don't answer, but I know what you're nervous about. All I'm going to say is that karma's a bitch when it comes to murderers, and you need to relax."

Oh, karma, of course, Audrey thought to herself sarcastically. What kind of spiritual muggle crap is she rattling on about this time?

As soon as Erin left the bathroom, Audrey stepped out of the shower, trembling and teeth chattering, and wrapped herself in countless towels. This had not been Audrey's first nightmare, but she always dealt with them in the same way. An ice cold shower to make her skin go numb enough so that the only thing she could think of was a warm cup of tea. It was the only way she could push the horrible scene from her mind.

This time, however, the image wasn't disappearing.

"Nervous?"

Audrey turned her head to look at Jacob, who was sitting next to her outside of one of the Wizengamot courtrooms. His face showed genuine concern, except Audrey couldn't feel at all grateful for it.

She turned away so he wouldn't see the fear in her eyes. "No. He deserves to rot in Azkaban," Audrey replied stonily.

"The Wizengamot can be pretty intimidating, you know."

"I'm more worried about Halloway's reaction when I walk in late to stealth training."

"He won't be upset if he doesn't notice you walking in," Jacob said. After a pause, he added, "That was a pretty bad stealth joke."

"Yeah, well, at least you tried. More than I can say for myself."

After that, Jacob was called in as a witness. His questioning was quite brief, which only caused Audrey's stomach to churn more when she heard her name called.

"The Wizengamot now calls Miss Audrey Lyra Callaghan as witness."

Audrey took a deep breath and walked into the courtroom. She could hear Lestrange cackling like a mad man. In her peripheral vision, she saw Jacob give her a reassuring nod as he left the courtroom, but it did little to comfort her. As Audrey took her seat, her eyes flickered and landed on the court scribe. She immediately recognized him. It was Percy Weasley.

Audrey averted her gaze and focused on the Chief Warlock, hoping that she didn't look as scared as she felt. The last thing she needed was for him to see her as vulnerable and start to pity her. She didn't need that kind of attention.

She wasn't particularly scared of Lestrange, of course. He was rather subdued, disarmed, and on trial. Besides, Audrey had bested him once before - she could do it again. No, what scared her was the horribly vivid dream that would not leave her mind. Of all the nights to dream so clearly, of all the possible nightmares, it just had to be the night before Lestrange's trial.

Audrey made a mental note to ask Erin more about that karma nonsense.

She started to answer the questions of the Wizengamot, but her replies almost seemed mechanical. Audrey wasn't thinking about the words her tongue was forming. Her nightmare still occupied her consciousness like an unwelcome visitor, so it was her unconscious mind that was doing everything else. Talking, listening, answering, breathing. Doing everything so automatically felt cold, like the water that had covered her skin for hours that morning.

It took the mention of her family to pull her out of her daze.

"Is it true you suspect Lestrange for having murdered your parents and brother during the Second Wizarding War?"

Audrey gripped the arms of her seat as tightly as she possibly could. She felt her lip quiver and all the blood drained from her face. There must have been some way she could avoid this. What were the chances that she would dream about their murder, and then be asked about it only a few hours later? It felt like someone was playing a trick on her.

It was true that she suspected Lestrange, more than other Death Eaters, for her family's death. However, it was not something she ever considered to have affected her taking notice of the cloaked man. Now, with last night's dream still fresh in her mind, she felt her memory muddle. She fought her hardest to avoid talking about it, pleading with the Chief Warlock, until he finally ended the questioning and commenced voting.

The vote was unanimously in favour of deeming Lestrange guilty. Audrey inwardly gave a sigh of relief as she stood from her chair. This was the only thing so far that made her day just a little better.

"You bloody Callaghans! You're a disgrace to Salazar himself, to hell with you all!"

Lestrange's outburst scared her so much that she felt her feet arrange themselves into duelling position. Her hand dug itself into her coat pocket, even though she had been disarmed upon entering the Wizengamot. Her heart was racing now that she was fully facing the violent, ragged man, and Audrey did the only thing she could think to do.

She raced out of there as quickly as possible.

However, Audrey didn't get far, because she ran straight into Jacob in the dark hallway of level two.

"That brutal, huh?" Jacob asked. Again, that look of genuine concern was back. She hated it. It made her feel like a child.

"It was fine," Audrey grumbled, distancing herself from the Auror.

Audrey loved shopping for books. The only thing she loved more than shopping for books was reading books.

In that moment, she needed to do something she loved. After Lestrange's outburst at the end of the trial, Audrey was distracted for the entirety of stealth training, which earned her an earful and a half from Halloway.

As Audrey stepped into Flourish and Blotts, she took a long, deep breath. The woody, bitter smell of inked paper filled the air. It vaguely reminded her of the library her father kept at their estate. She was practically raised in that library, sitting on her father's lap with a dusty book clutched in her hands.

As of late, everything reminded her of home. The good memories and the bad ones, of course.

Audrey headed for the History and Ancestry section. It used to be her father's least favourite topic, but her mother was a whole other story. There was nothing that woman loved more than a good, old-fashioned history lesson. Unfortunately, at least according to Erin, Audrey took after her in that matter.

At least Audrey could brag that she scored an Outstanding in her History of Magic N.E.W.T.s.

Anyways, she needed to replace her copy of The Evolution of Medieval Duelling. Erin had chucked it out the window in a passionate argument about leaving rubbish lying around, and it really was quite the interesting book.

Audrey traced the spines of the books with her finger until she found the one she was looking for. She pulled out the dusty volume and skimmed over the description on the back of the book. Her reading was interrupted by a figure in her peripheral vision. Audrey adjusted her head ever so slightly to see Percy Weasley standing there. She remained focused on the book in front of her.

Audrey had no desire to talk to Percy. Clearly, he had the same perception of her as everyone else: she was just an ungrateful, self-absorbed pureblood. Moreover, the last thing Audrey needed was pity for her past, especially from someone that didn't even like her. If he wasn't going to say anything, neither was she.

However, he did say something. An apology of sorts, but somehow it sounded like forced empathy to Audrey.

Why would he even bother remembering a silly conversation from the summer, anyways? Honestly, some people had an eye for the most ridiculous details. Of all the things he could remember about her, he recalled that she knew Daphne Greengrass. However, when she looked up from the book and met his eyes, they weren't apprehensive or accusatory. The gaze in his eyes was sincerely apologetic. It reminded Audrey of how his face appeared perpetually kind on that day in July when she first saw him. Back then, she found it disconcerting; now, however, it was quite calming.

Audrey fought to maintain her cold demeanour. "Listen, you don't have to feel sorry for me because my family is dead," she said coldly. "I saw you were the scribe during the Lestrange trial."

"That's not it. I'm not giving you a pity party, so you can relax," Percy replied softly. "George told me a while ago that he met you again at Christmastime, and how he knew you. I think today was just the slap in the face that I needed to make me realize I had been rude. So I'm sorry."

Audrey felt her features relax and a smile trying to fight its way to the surface. "Apology accepted," she replied curtly.

Percy nodded then looked at the book in her hands. "The Evolution of Medieval Duelling. That's a good book."

"I know," Audrey agreed, her smile growing. It was a rarity to find someone that could appreciate historical literature. "My copy... got damaged. It's a long story."

"Tell it to me over a cup of tea."

The words clearly surprised Percy as much as they surprised Audrey. She felt her jaw drop slightly and her eyebrows raise. Nothing from Percy's behaviour ever indicated that he cared to share a cup of tea with her, and yet Audrey was quite sure that the words she heard were not imagined. Logically, Audrey wanted to decline, but her heart was suspiciously racing and words of a different meaning escaped her.

"I mean, if you're busy–"

"I'd love to."

"I was just having a row with my flatmate about how we left useless junk lying around in each others' ways, and to make a point, she threw the book out the window. I would have summoned it but, unfortunately, it went straight into an open manhole, and I really didn't want to get whatever nasty liquid was in there on our carpet. I've got to say, though, she's got quite the aim. Should've played quidditch."

Percy laughed at Audrey's story of how her original copy of the book they were discussing got damaged. "Well, I would hardly say that book is useless junk."

"That's exactly what I said!" Audrey exclaimed. "Honestly, the girl has no taste."

Audrey was shocked to find herself getting along so well with Percy. They read similar books and had similar hobbies. They both absolutely hated flying, but loved watching quidditch. Considering how uncomfortable they had been in each others' presences on the few occasions that they had encountered each other, it surprised Audrey that they were able to get on so well. In fact, Audrey couldn't remember the last time she had been smiling continuously for so long.

"Taste or not, you seem close," Percy observed.

Audrey nodded as she took a sip of tea. "She's basically family," she said, setting down the cup. "Erin, she would do everything with me and my brother, so I called her my surrogate sibling. My brother, however, would joke that she was stealing his place as my only sibling."

"Do you miss your brother?"

The smile melted off Audrey's face. In all honesty, it wasn't like she didn't expect this to come up, especially after what happened at the trial. Plus, she had been the one to bring up her brother in the first place.

After a long pause, Audrey answered, "Every single day. I think about Brady more, because his body was never found. At least with my parents I know exactly what happened."

Once the words left Audrey's mouth, it felt like breathing for the first time in months. She did talk to Erin about her parents and brother, but it didn't feel the same way. Audrey figured it was because she had been just as close to them, and then it would make both of them sad and quiet. They were already sharing the same burden, and sometimes talking about it only made it heavier. When she told Percy, however, it was the most comforting thing in the world, and she felt the burden lighten just a bit.

Then, they continued like that, talking about the things they carried with them throughout the day. The things that plagued them. Sadness, guilt, spite. It was the most freeing thing that Audrey had ever done.

Audrey smiled faintly, but really, she just wanted to hug Percy. These were things she hardly ever said out loud, but they had always troubled her mind. When Erin and Audrey talked about the things that troubled them, it felt censored, like they were trying to protect each other from some horrible truth. However, Audrey didn't feel like she had to protect Percy from anything.

Suddenly, Audrey felt Percy's hand grasp her own. She overcame the initial shock and squeezed his hand in return. It felt so nice, just to hold someone else, even in the smallest way.

Audrey was surprised to find the lights still on when she walked into her flat. It was past midnight, and Erin had an early morning flying practice the next day. Surely, she would be -

"Where were you, Miss Callaghan?" Erin questioned, appearing in front of Audrey seemingly out of nowhere. Her hair was piled on top of her head in what Audrey assumed was supposed to be a ponytail, and she was wearing baggy sweatpants and a much too large t-shirt with an odd stain on it.

"None of your business, you nosy twat," Audrey replied, lightly shoving her out of the way.

Erin gasped. "Were you having a tryst? I knew you were into the secret and sneaky stuff."

"You're insufferable," Audrey groaned, kicking off her shoes. "I went to buy a book, then had a cup of tea."

"Oh, never mind then," Erin said with disinterest. "You'll probably be repelling the male species for the next month."

"And thank you very much, Miss Donoghue, for invariably diminishing my insecurities."

"Please, you're more confident than a male peacock."

Thank you to everyone that is reading this story, and especially to those that review! Also, don't forget to check out the tumblr for this story, strongholdhp :)