Author's Note: Have any guesses as to what will happen in this chapter? I'm willing to bet you won't get it right! :P

Chapter 65

I reluctantly make my way downstairs to the study, where Theo is apparently waiting for me. Naree came up to my room about thirty seconds ago, saying that he had urgent news for me, but I couldn't bring myself to hurry.

I enter the room and see his face floating in the fireplace.

"What took you so long?" he asks.

I shrug. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, I suppose it can wait. How was your trip?"

"So you don't have anything life-changing to tell me," I say.

He chuckles. "Just answer the question, mate."

"It was bloody fantastic," I reply sarcastically. "What do you want me to say? I can't tell you anything."

"Yeah, you're right," he says. "Well, I found out something new—very interesting. Come over for a few minutes, will you?"

"I'm tired."

"Trust me. You'll want to hear this."

I frown. Theo knows me rather well—not as well as Blaise, of course—so if he thinks it's something I'll be interested in, perhaps I should go. I might learn something useful in the process.

"Fine," I say reluctantly.

Theo backs out of the way, and I step through the fireplace and into his living room. His father is sitting in an armchair with a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hands. Why in the world he'd be reading that, I have no idea—it hasn't printed a word of truth in years.

"Master Nott," I say, nodding my head in his direction.

"Young Malfoy," he says in reply. "I didn't know we had the honor."

I don't appreciate his sarcasm, but I decide not to reply, opting to follow Theo out of the room. I'm already accustomed to this sort of reception from the elder Nott.

As we move down the hallway toward Theo's bedroom, something on a shelf catches my attention, and I stop. It's a shrunken head placed in a jar, suspended by a thick sort of jelly. I've seen these before, but this particular one makes me sick to my stomach.

"Oi, Theo," I say, fighting the urge to gag. "Where did you get this?"

"Get what?" he asks, turning back and coming toward me. Then he sees the item that I'm looking at. "Aw fuck, Draco. I hate looking at that thing."

"Where'd you get it?" I repeat.

"My dad brought it back," he says. "Said it was a gift from the Dark Lord."

"Hmm. Do you know if he got it from the Dark Lord himself?"

"He didn't. I remember he was pretty offended because Macnair delivered the gift to him."

"Macnair?"

Theo nods. "Yeah, that sick… well, anyway. Come on, mate. I really do have something to show you. Quit staring at that shriveled head—it's disgusting."

It's clear to me that Theo doesn't recognize the face. And I suppose it's completely understandable—the face has been shrunk, and all the skin shriveled until the texture looks almost like a raisin.

But I recognize the dark red, ruby stud set in his right ear, left untouched by the Shrinking Spell. It catches the light and winks at me. I've only seen one man with this single earring.

This is the head of Seamus Finnigan.

"Draco."

I turn my head to see Theo poking his head out of his room to look at me, a perplexed expression on his face. I quickly push aside the feelings of guilt and turn away from the evidence of my crime, moving down the hall toward my friend.

"What is it with you and that head?" he mutters as I enter the room.

"Nothing," I say. "Those things disgust me."

"So naturally, you would keep staring at them."

"It's disgusting, but the amount of skill required to… never mind. You wouldn't be interested. What's got you so excited?" I ask to distract him.

He casts a Muffling Charm. "Don't be so impatient, Draco. I was sure that this would interest you."

"Go on, then."

"I heard my Dad telling my Mum that the Dark Lord has figured out how to restore sanity."

I scoff. "I doubt that. Semblance of sanity, perhaps. But losing your mind… I'm fairly certain that that's irreversible. It's permanent damage."

"I'm serious," Theo insists. "My dad said that there's living proof of it, and I saw it with my own eyes."

I raise an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh, really?"

Theo nods.

"All right then, who has he brought back from the loony bin?"

"Frank Longbottom."

At the mention of that name, my mind flashes back to that brief conversation I'd had in the dungeons with Aunt Bella. What a bloody coincidence.

I frown. "I don't believe it."

"I thought you'd say that," he says. Then he grins. "Actually, I'd sort of counted on it."

"I'm guessing you have some way to prove it, then."

"You bet I do. I'm going to take you to meet the man yourself. And you can be the judge of his sanity," Theo says.

For some reason, he sounds proud. I suppose it is an accomplishment, discovering something like this. Voldemort likes to keep his newly developed skills under wraps, preferring to maintain a sense of uncertainty among his followers about the exact extent of his powers.

"All right, then," I say doubtfully. "Lead the way."

After a brief stop at the Manor so that I can retrieve my Death Eater mask and cloak, Theo takes me by Side-Along Apparition to a Death Eater camp. I haven't been here before.

"Where are we?"

"Derbyshire. I've done a couple rotations here," Theo says.

I follow him underground and down a long, empty hallway.

"He's in a hidden room," Theo explains in a low voice. "They brought him straight here from St. Mungo's."

"Who brought him?" I ask.

Theo shrugs. "Who knows?"

"I'll bet it was Macnair. He runs a lot of errands for the Dark Lord," I say.

After glancing back over his shoulder to make sure that no one's following us, Theo opens a hidden door at the end of the hallway. I follow him into a narrower hall, and he seals the entrance.

"My dad told me about this place," Theo says as we head down the hall.

I notice a door on our right.

"We probably shouldn't be here," I say.

"Since when did you ever give a damn about the rules?" Theo asks, looking over his shoulder to raise an eyebrow at me.

"Since we could be killed for being in here. You're too nosy for your own good, Theo," I reply.

Then we hear the gears shifting in the outer door that we just passed through.

"Fuck," I hiss as we hurry past the single door on the right. "You probably just got us both killed. Stand still and shut up."

I cast a Disillusionment Charm over each of us and stand very still against the wall, pressing Theo into the wall beside me.

Then the secret door swings open, and Aunt Bella enters. She shuts the door with a flick of her wand and strides down the hall toward us. I keep my breaths deep and even, making as little noise as possible.

She stops in front of the cell door, only a few paces away from us.

A cracked voice sounds out from within the cell.

"Bella."

Aunt Bella flinches visibly. "You can call me Lestrange, Longbottom."

Again, I recall the brief exchange we had in the dungeons. Do any of her feelings remain? She seems affected by his presence.

"Bella… please help me," he whispers.

"Longbottom, I'm surprised at you. You didn't beg for mercy, even when I tortured you. So, what is it that you want badly enough to beg? Please, tell me, and I'll gladly reject you," Aunt Bella says gleefully.

"Bella, please—"

"Crucio!" she hisses, all amusement fading from her features as she points her wand between the bars.

Cries of agony echo from inside the cell. I feel Theo trembling beside me. He hates the Torture Curse—I was forced to use it on him once, and I remember noticing that he seemed more sensitive to it than other people.

Then Aunt Bella lifts the curse, and the screams stop.

"I suppose you haven't forgotten what that feels like, have you?" she taunts.

"Bella—"

"Stop calling me that! Who do you think you are? Crucio!"

More pained shrieks come from within the cell, and I reach to the side and give Theo's shoulder a good squeeze to tell him it'll be all right. If he panics and makes noise, we'll be done for.

Then the screaming stops again.

"I can torture you right back to insanity," Aunt Bella says, a frightening expression on her face. "I did it once, and I can do it again."

"Lestrange—sorry—" Longbottom pants. "Please… my son…"

"What of your son?"

"He needs help. Bella, please, if you ever—"

"I am not here to listen to your pleas."

"Then why are you here?"

"To enjoy your suffering."

Odd, she doesn't seem to be enjoying herself. The smile on her face is forced. I've seen what her genuine smile looks like—it's rare, but it's shown itself in the past—and this smile certainly isn't it.

"I'm… sorry," Longbottom murmurs, his voice more hoarse than before. "I never should have—"

"That's quite enough. I am not that pathetic little girl anymore. I thought you should know that by now."

"You're not here for information," Longbottom says boldly. "You're not here for torture, either. Why did you come, Bella?"

The look on my aunt's face is positively murderous.

"I came to see if the rumors were true. Unfortunately, it seems that they are. Well, I've satisfied my curiosity," she says with a detached air. "I'll be going now."

With that, she spins on her heel and departs.

It's almost an entire minute before I lift the Disillusionment Charms on Theo and myself.

"I'm surprised," Theo comments. "She didn't even go into the cell."

"Who's out there?" Longbottom asks.

"Longbottom!" I say. "I hear you've recovered quite nicely."

"Who—"

"No one of consequence," I reply. "Do you know why you've gotten back your sanity?"

There's a brief pause.

When he speaks again, he sounds angry. "Yes, I know why."

"Want to tell me what you think the reason is?" I ask.

"Don't try to mess with my head," he says. "I was mad before. Not anymore."

"I'm not messing with you."

"Leverage," he says, in response to my question. "That's what you want me for, isn't it?"

Leverage? For what? I open up the door to his cell.

"What are you doing?" Theo hisses.

I enter the cell and take in Frank Longbottom's appearance. He has short, grey wisps of hair on his head, and his ears seem rather large, a trait that I noticed before in Neville Longbottom. But aside from this one similarity, this father looks nothing like his son. He has bright, fierce eyes, and a prominent brow, exaggerated by thick, bushy eyebrows. His face is long and angled, while Neville's face is rounder.

"Your son doesn't look much like you," I comment.

"He took after his mother," he replies. "Have you seen Neville?"

I shake my head. "Not in years."

"Please… do me a favor," he murmurs.

"And why would I do that?"

"Pity. Compassion. Because it's my dying wish."

"You're not dying," I point out.

"I don't plan to survive this. Please, boy."

"Why are we wasting time here?" Theo asks, finally stepping into the cell after me. "We should go, Draco. What if—"

"Draco?" Longbottom repeats. "Draco Malfoy?"

I point my wand at the man. "Now you've done it," I say to Theo. "We'll have to wipe his memory to make sure no one knows we were in here."

"I saw you when you were an infant," Longbottom says. "I… almost killed you."

I smirk, even though I know he can't see it. "That's wonderful," I say. "Now I really want to help you."

"I just… I want to deliver some memories to my son. I want him to know the truth. To know what I was like, what happened to me. For family. You're a Malfoy—surely you understand—"

"Yes, we value family," I say. "But I will not help you."

"I could have killed you," he says. "I could have—"

"Yes, but you didn't. Don't expect me to be thankful. You had a moment of weakness, and that's all. Go on, Theo. I'll finish up here," I say.

"I'll see if there's anyone outside, then," Theo says, backing out of the cell.

I step closer to Longbottom and listen to Theo's footsteps as they fade away. Then I press the tip of my wand to the elder Longbottom's forehead and wait.

The man's eyes widen as he realizes that I'm doing as he asks, and he supplies the desired memories to me. I give him about twenty seconds before drawing out the silvery substance. As gravity carries it downwards, I quickly conjure a small glass vial and store the memories inside.

"Thank you," he mouths.

I pocket the vial and point my wand at him again without responding. "Obliviate."

His eyes glaze over, and I proceed to wipe all memories of our visit. I exit the cell just as Theo returns.

"It's all clear," he says. "Come on."

We leave the secret passageway and exit the Derbyshire dungeons the way we came. At the outskirts of the camp, we Apparate back into my room at the Manor—for convenience, I take Theo straight in so that we won't have to walk across the grounds.

"Well, what did I tell you?" he says, grinning smugly as he removes his Death Eater mask and tosses it on my bed.

I shake my head. "It's hard to believe he's really… recovered," I say. "I'd sooner believe that it was just an impostor."

I take off my cloak and let it drop to the floor and then pull my mask off.

"I'm sick of these damn things," I mutter.

Theo nods his agreement. "I could live without them, that's for sure."

Then Naree appears with a loud crack.

"Master! They're coming—run!"

Theo and I exchange surprised glances.

Then the door's blown straight off its hinges, and I dive to the side, taking Theo down with me so that he won't be crushed by the giant projectile hurtling in our direction.

A group of Death Eaters pours into my bedroom.

I immediately attempt to Disapparate, but it's clear that an Anti-Disapparition Jinx has been put up. I Disarm four men and Stun three more before ropes wrap around my ankle, tripping me on my way to the window.

Two loud cracks signal the arrival of two other house-elves on the scene, and as I glance back to fire a few nasty hexes in the direction of my pursuers, I see that Naree's being restrained by two house-elves whom he had formerly considered friends.

I flick my wand, snapping the rope around my ankle, and dive toward the window.

Just as I come into contact with the glass, a Disarming Charm hits me, and my wand flies out of my hand. Fortunately, the force of the spell propels me forward with the last bit of force I need, and I go crashing through the glass window.

As I plummet toward the ground, I remember my lessons from this past week and concentrate furiously on weightlessness—I can do this. I had a good eight hours of sleep, for once. I've got the strength for this.

And then it feels as though my body has dissolved into air particles.

Holy… I've done it.

But I feel my strength draining rapidly, and I know that if I don't reach the outer boundary of the Manor soon, I'm going to run out of energy and fall.

Destination. Determination. Deliberation.

No, still not clear. How fucking big did they make this boundary?

I rocket forward, dodging some hexes that are being fired from my window, but then a Full Body Bind Curse hits me. Damn.

Finite Incantatem! Finite Incantatem!

It isn't working. I've used up too much strength flying—I can't. Fuck. I was so close.

I drop straight down toward the ground, but my momentum decreases rapidly, and I'm eventually set on the ground, almost gently.

Then a single set of rapid footsteps reaches me, and I look up to see Aunt Bella looking down at me, almost regretfully.

"Stupefy!"

Author's Note: Well, quite a bit happened in this chapter. What do you guys make of it? I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long.