Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine but JK Rowling's.
AN: This chapter is longer than usual—over seven thousand words. There are mentions and implications of violence and torture that some readers may find disturbing.
In the last chapter, I explored what it would be like to write a Legal Thriller, this chapter I wanted to see how it would look like if I wrote Horror.
I still haven't figured out my writing style and I like how it's matured and grown the past few months. Even though I'm aware the plot and the writing is cringy, I can't help but be thrilled that I'm not a total dunce and I do have room for improvement in my creative writing.
I tried to run this through Grammarly but the number of errors it tried to correct were to numerous and I found them excessive and most of it didn't make sense so I ended up skim-checking through Grammarly instead. I apologize ahead of time for any errors that may ruin your reading experience.
Recap: Having been in the Ministry's holding cells for the past two months since Voldemort's downfall, Severus finally gets his long awaited interrogation and somehow manages to summon every Death Eater tattooed with the same dark mark within the Auror Department. His actions unknowingly saves Lily from being killed by Bellatrix. While Lily is unconscious from multiple exposures to the Cruciatus Curse, Severus was in trial overdosed with truth serum. He's reminded that cunning is not a trait found singularly in those sorted in the Slytherin House and is advocated, once again, by Dumbledore. It's revealed during his hearing Voldemort's origins and the story he concocted to save Lily and Harry's life is reinforced as the truth. Severus discovers he's been featured in the newspapers during his incarceration and it's been painting him in a good light. The support he receives from the courtroom is overwhelming, overruling much of the heresay. Severus is cleared of all charges he made as a spy but sentenced to an hour in Azkaban for being a Death Eater. It's only an hour. What could go wrong?
Chapter 12: Part Two - Azkaban
Severus wearily followed Thicknesse out of the courtroom and through the Atrium where its high ceiling and golden fountain spoke volumes on where they invested taxpayers' money. He eyed the unrealistic depiction of the statues within the fountain warily as he walked past it, a witch and wizard standing on a brass stone, below them looking up at them in awe was a goblin, a centaur and a house-elf made in gold.
Severus snorted. That would be the day.
They walked through a nook next to the departure floos and up the steps into an office.
"Pius!" A short, plump woman warmly greeted Thicknesse kissing the air next to his cheeks.
"Ms Fawley." The auror responded stiffly.
She smacked his chest playfully, her blue eyes disappearing when she smiled. "Now, you stop that right now or I'll just ignore you all day. You know how I can be."
Thicknesse's rough demeanour dropped, "Esme, we're at work-"
Ms Fawley ignored him with a huff scolding Severus when he tried to shut the door around him. "No no no, I don't want to feel trapped. The space feels small as it is."
She manoeuvred Severus to a chair in front of her desk with piles of knickknacks and a strange assortment of things that collectively didn't make sense. Shoelaces, brightly coloured toffee wrappers, keys…
"I'm not here for tea, I just-woman, settle down," he finally said riled, as the woman energetically began rummaging through a cupboard that had no doors pulling out a teacup.
Ms Fawley giggled. "I'm just trying to get a rise out of you, dear." She waved the cup in her hand. "This is a good one for a group portkey."
She walked around her desk and fell back to her chair as she chatted, her eyes lighting up as she shared her trade secrets. "The wrappers are no good for more than one person, they might rip during transport. I learned that on my first day on the job."
"Esme, please."
Ms Fawley laughed, "Oh alright. What brings you here then?"
"Azkaban."
The cheerfulness she exhibited dropped and a more suspicious look took its place. "Pius, what's going on? You don't bring prisoners here for transport."
"He's Severus Snape, love." Thicknesse said, as if that was the only explanation he needed.
Her face transformed into one of pity. "Oh, you poor dear!" Apparently now at ease with Severus, she began refiling through her wrappers and pulled out an unopened one. "Toffee?"
Severus slowly shook his head briefly wondering about her sanity.
Ms Fawley ripped the end of the wrapper and plucked the toffee into her mouth. "I've been following your case you know," she said in between bites, her hand reaching out as if to touch him but falling short as she rested it gently on her pile of wrappers compressing them. "You've done an admirable thing, don't let anyone tell you different."
"It's only an hour, Esme."
"Only an hour?" She sounded insulted. "Now, I'll tell you that in order to create these portkeys I have to have been to these locations myself. I only went to Azkaban one time and let me tell you once is enough. I only got as far as the pier before I got the willies."
The woman sliced the air with both hands in a gesture that could only be one of complete disagreement. She stood and fretted about picking up things around her office to examine close up, all while muttering, "He shouldn't have to go."
Thicknesse wrapped his arm around her shoulder in a half embrace and smiled down at her. "I'll be right there with him."
Severus suddenly felt like he was invading their privacy and turned to look out the window, which showed the expansion of the Atrium and all the occupants walking in the foot traffic. Just as many people were leaving as they were coming in. Severus suddenly felt nauseous at the motion. Even though he was given the antidote, his body was still reeling over the effects of overdosing on Veritaserum.
At the edge of his vision, Ms Fawley bent over her desk, exposing a lot more bosom than Severus was comfortable seeing, to collect a faded-white shoelace from the corner of her desk. "Now this'll be a good 'just in case' portkey. It's long enough for a group and sturdy enough that I won't have to worry about anyone splinching."
"Esme, love, it'll be alright."
She shook her head, eyes downcast. "Pius, I have a bad feeling about this."
Severus couldn't see Thicknesse but he could hear his snort. "That's not a good send-off. How am I going to use that to power my patronus?"
"Oh you," she smiled before leaning out of his field of vision and audibly kissing the auror.
Severus rolled his eyes.
"Now, let me concentrate." Severus turned just as she cast the spell. "Portus mandatum cake."
A flash of blue light surrounded the laces like an aura before it quickly dimmed until it dissipated.
"There you have it." She handed the shoelace to Thicknesse. "Cake is the password to activate it."
"C'mon Snape, no time to dawdle." The auror sounded like he was in a much better mood.
Severus sniffed in derision and held the opposite end to the shoelace.
Thicknesse activated the portkey and Severus felt an unusual pull at his navel forcibly jerk his body forward until the world surrounding him blurred out of view and suspended them mid-air inside of a tunnel of colours which curved every which way. The wind howled in his ears and Severus could feel his body subconsciously pooling magic at his feet as if he were about to take flight. When he stopped moving, he felt a cushion of air keeping him balanced while Thicknesse stumbled forward without finesse.
"Blasted portkey!" The Auror groused.
Severus paid him no mind as he tried to shake how disoriented he felt suddenly. He supposed traveling by portkey so soon after being overdosed by Veritaserum didn't do him any favours. He struggled to focus and check his Occlumency shields, it was like a fog lay over his mind making it difficult to even ascertain his own thoughts.
"You alright?"
Severus's dark eyes found Thicknesse's face immediately noticing a strange blue hue overlaid it. He brought up his own hands and saw that the same colour tinged his skin and snapped his head up to look at the sky to make sure the moon wasn't above them casting its eerie light in the middle of the day.
"It's the dementors," said Thicknesse in a more conversational tone. He pointed to the rocky ridge of the hillside to his left. It stood about 20 ft tall, bare of any foliage or trees and marked by the covering of light grey clouds. "During the worst of days, the fog will reach the top of that hill rising like its filling a bowl."
"Fog?"
The Auror examined him then, brow raised with a look that Severus recognized from long ago during his early years at Hogwarts as one where his intelligence was called into question. Thicknesse presented the air to his right. Severus followed the movement to the mist waiting as if self-aware just a few meters from them. Beyond it, he could only see as far as the pier before it was swallowed by a wall of grey-blue cloud, it stretched high and far beyond what he could see, its appearance solid, almost tangible.
"The Ministry set wards," Severus heard Thicknesse say softly appearing to be deep in thought, "to discourage people from finding this place, both magical and non-magical alike. The fog, though…the Ministry says that it's part of the wards but no…I don't think there's any magic we can do that can replicate the sinister feeling that comes from that thing. It's like a nightmare come to life."
At the Auror's words, the wall expanded slightly before receding further back as if it were living…breathing.
"There's a lot of horror stories about Azkaban's origins," Thicknesse continued. "One favoured above the rest is that island used to be home to a dark wizard. No one knew what he sought, but he lured them in…the muggles. It didn't matter what type of muggles either, he didn't distinguish between the criminals and the innocents. More often than not, he captured sailors, torturing them before killing them and turning them into dementors, or so they say."
It wasn't until Thicknesse finished the tale that Severus noticed the Auror's breath could be visibly seen and it seemed that the man discovered it when he did because he testily let out a long exhale and a pearly-grey plume formed from his mouth. Simultaneously, they both turned to face the dock which was swallowed by the wall-like cloud. Its nearness unsettled him, catching him off-guard. Severus nervously swallowed cold air, he followed the temperature difference within his own body as it sent a chill down his spine and it knotted and tensed his muscles until it sank into the deepest pits of his stomach churning into a familiar sense of dread. He shuddered.
"Well," said Thicknesse, looking just as spooked as he did. "Let's get started."
The Auror's wand suddenly appeared in his hand and with the other he pulled a miniature prison garb, it's noticeable striped black and grey pattern reminded him that this wasn't a casual gathering, he actually had to go through the fog to enter Azkaban.
Severus couldn't control the long anxious breath that escaped him as Thicknesse swapped his clothes, shrinking and pocketing his robes. His everyday wear, though worn from overexposure to cleaning spells during his time within the Ministry holding cell, had charms woven into it that kept him warm and protected. The Azkaban uniform held no such charms, and both sets he had worn so far were threadbare and torn. He resisted pulling down his sleeve to stave off the chill, refusing to acknowledge the dark tendrils he knew came from his dark mark.
"Do they have to be so frayed?" Severus asked weakly, not really expecting a response.
"Full Azkaban experience, no matter how short" said the Auror dismissively. "Oh, that reminds me…"
Thicknesse conjured shackles to place on Severus's wrists complete with a weighted ball. He pivoted in place and disappeared into the wall of clouds that led to the jetty. Severus stayed behind clenching and unclenching his hand into fists testily.
The moment the Auror placed the shackles on him, an undercurrent of heat spread through his body upon contact. His body felt alive with magic, and it whirled with excitement to be used again after so long. Although, the fog in his mind didn't let up, it added another concerning symptom. Such wild magic, untamed, paired with the inability to focus was a dangerous combination and as time passed he began to wonder if it was going to become a problem.
He picked up the metal ball at the end of the chain from the ground with some effort due to its weight, absorbing the warmth that no doubt came from the contact. His magic arced, eager to begin casting and Severus tried his best to suppress it. The magic obediently responded, and much to his relief, it quelled to a peaceful river belying the turbulence underneath. It was a start, albeit a rough one.
Severus slowly walked to the edge of the cloud wall, each step felt just as heavy as the next as he closed the distance. Without Thicknesse there, the silence was deafening and it strengthened the uncanny feeling of being watched as if the predator-like cloud found his efforts amusing. He couldn't hear anything from the other side and he wondered if that had anything to do with the Ministry's wards or if it was just Azkaban's menacing aura. Delaying the inevitable long enough, Severus plunged through surprised when no resistance met him. A burst of sounds erupted in his ears, the soft waves sluggishly hitting the wooden poles that made up the dock, the distant clanging of a buoy bell. He inhaled the briny air as he stepped further in, recognizing Thicknesse's shorter silhouette through the thin mist. He looked over his shoulder eyeing the cloud wall warily behind him before joining the Auror.
Thicknesse was staring off into the distance, and Severus followed his line of sight to scan the porous mist. He couldn't see very far, several feet at most but he noticed something moving towards them through the inky water.
"A boat," said Severus deadpanned.
"Yes. And?
Severus raised the heavy, metal ball in his hands to their eyelevel. "I don't think you thought this through."
Thicknesse snorted, "No one's died yet." The small rickety boat slowed as it neared them, docking without assistance and stilling. The Auror pushed him forward, guiding him into the boat. "Besides, the boat is warded."
"Terrific," muttered Severus sarcastically.
The entire ride was windy and cold. The once calm waves became violent and foamy shortly after their departure, and at times it threatened to overturn their boat. Severus's magic responded accordingly, pooling at his feet in anticipation for flight even as he huddled over his metal ball to retain what little heat it could offer from the cold spray of the sea. Thicknesse was faring no better, he was doubled over in his seat, forearms resting on thighs with his head hung low. More times than he could count, Severus could have sworn he heard voices crying for help over the roaring wind, felt the impact of the sturdy raps beneath his feet but when he looked up at Thicknesse, the Auror gave no indication that anything was out of the norm.
The minutes stretched and Severus had no idea how much time passed at sea. The boat continued to be pulled as if by rope to Azkaban. Time slowed. Minutes dragged excruciatingly long and it wrecked Severus's nerves to maintain such high vigilance for such a long period. By the time they arrived, he felt drained.
The boat slowed to a stop and docked itself in front of Azkaban's stone steps. Thicknesse was slow to get out, stiff from being in the same position for such a long period of time.
"C'mon then," beckoned Thicknesse. Severus barely heard him over the howling wind. They both fought against the gale to reach the stony steps above. Severus didn't have the luxury to look at his surroundings with the weather being as violent as it was, but he had a feeling the mist would prevent him from seeing Azkaban as well as he would have liked to.
Thicknesse opened the double doors Severus trailing behind him stopping himself from jumping when the entrance slammed closed behind him. Surprisingly the temperature was colder inside than out. The wind may have robbed him of heat and breath on their way there but the chill he felt stepping into Azkaban deepened past his bones to the very core of his soul. He realized he was shivering uncontrollably and Thicknesse must have noticed it too because he spelled both of them with a warming charm and dried Severus's clothes. Severus was grateful the Auror did not further acknowledge him pass the cursory glance. He didn't like feeling indebted to anyone.
Thicknesse cast a patronus under his breath, like the man, the size of the small ghostly lizard belied its power as it scurried ahead of them clearing the way for the probability of an encounter with a dementor. The Auror walked forward to another set of stairs, the walls of the corridors seemingly absorbing the light left by the sconces as Severus followed and made his way through them. At the top of the landing there was a long line of prisoners filed in front of a desk with four guards on each side. The patronus dissipated upon their arrival. Thicknesse pointed to the end, and Severus followed the non-verbal instruction and set himself into place watching as his escort walked past him to the front.
"You can't do it all, Moody." Thicknesse said by the way of greeting.
The man directly in front of Severus looked over their shoulder by way of identifying him. He sniffed humourlessly and haughtily raised his nose to the air as he turned back around. "Come to join the real men have you?"
Severus snorted and spoke in a soft, low tone trying not to be overheard over the boisterous Aurors, "Don't let Bellatrix hear you say that, Lucius."
The blond man tensed, and Severus looked past him and realized why. Said woman was a few Death Eaters ahead of Lucius, and upon hearing her name she swivelled her head around, flicking her dark hair out of the way in agitation and shot Lucius a warning look but when she saw that Severus was behind him her outer lips curled impishly, her eyes alight.
That can't be good.
Severus didn't think she could do very much in Azkaban but it was never wise to underestimate her. She always did find a way to get under his skin.
"You just had to drag us all down with you," muttered Lucius.
Severus scoffed, "It's not like I gave them your names. You literally just appeared out of nowhere during my interrogation."
"As good as," retorted Lucius with an underlying bitterness. "I had my own son to father. Did you think about Draco and Narcissa before you betrayed us?"
"Betrayed you?" Severus spat out. "You have no idea what I went through."
"Ah, yes," the blond said mockingly. "The mudblood and the illegitimate child."
Severus sneered. "Tell me, what would you have done if Draco's power challenged the Dark Lord? Serve him on a silver platter?"
Lucius's look faltered to one of deep consideration.
At least he was giving it some thought. Severus had no idea what he had intended challenging Lucius, he could have just let their friendship just wilt away but seeing him affected by Severus's decisions pushed him to stand his ground and see what the man had to offer. The blonde's contemplation was promising and implied that he was considering rationalizing some sort of association with him.
"How?" Lucius finally said.
How what? How did he betray them? Defeat the Dark Lord? Bring every single marked Death Eater into the Auror Department? He didn't know if he felt comfortable with Lucius knowing his secrets anymore. Their friendship was always unequal and favourable towards Lucius anyway but there were times where the blond financially supported him, especially during his Potion Apprenticeship and then there was the emotional support he provided after his mother's death that had him second guessing his responses. It was really hard to decipher what was the Dark Lord's order and what the Malfoy's did on their own. Still, he didn't owe Lucius anything. He repaid him tenfold through his services and loyalty to their cause. The debt was repaid the moment he was marked by the Dark Lord as Lucius's equal. Even so, he considered the question and realized that he didn't have a definite answer for any questions he could possibly come up with.
"I don't know," Severus said simply as if he was just as surprised to not have all the answers.
Lucius gave him a long look. "Does she know?"
"Know what?" Severus had a sinking feeling to where this was leading to.
"Does she know you're the reason they were targeted in the first place?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"You honestly can't be serious." Lucius began, "You boasted about her magical prowess in order to get the Dark Lord to recruit her. He knew of your adversities between your childhood bullies that she ended up marrying mind you. He favoured you above everyone else except Bella, especially after the whole fiasco with the prophesy. What was your plan in all that?"
Severus felt his rising guilt overcome him as he closed his eyes in defeat. No. She didn't know. She had assumed there was more to his story than what she had overheard months ago. She was clever. If Dumbledore hadn't told her already, he would end up telling her on his own. His train of thought stuttered to a halt. His eyes snapped open in alarm as he stared unseeingly in place as the line moved. Lucius gave him a strange look that he ignored. What if he told her and she decided he couldn't see Harry again. What if she hated him and held it over his head for the rest of his life. How could he explain that he had no idea the Dark Lord would interpret the prophesy to mean Harry? As a messenger he had assumed it was someone like Dumbledore, old and powerful. Who in their right mind would think it meant a baby?
He had trusted the Dark Lord, vented, ranted and the man became the mentor he felt he needed all this time and never had. But the Dark Lord twisted his words, made Severus's hatred his own and fed on it obsessively. It was so easy to blame him, but Severus couldn't stamp down the guilt to do so. It was Severus's own fault. He never should have brought up Lily, never should have tried to ask for her protection in hopes of recruiting her. Never should have put her in the Dark Lord's radar. He had been doing it for so long, ever since Hogwarts, protecting her from attacks by the other Slytherins. Giving false hope that she would come to her senses and use her power for their cause, she was just misguided. Even as he thought it, he admonished himself, torn. If he didn't do all those things to protect her on her behalf she would have long been dead, she made it even more difficult safeguarding her when she threw herself to the wolves by joining the Order.
"Get back in line, Lestrange."
Bellatrix's cackle broke Severus from his anxious thoughts. "Or what? You'll send me to Azkaban? Ha ha!"
Thicknesse rolled his eyes. "I'll take her up. I don't think Archie can handle her."
The Auror swiped his wand upward tightening the chain of her shackles until the chain was taut and Bellatrix was forced to hold on to her metal ball to keep her posture upright and not place heavy weight on her wrists. Thickness gripped her bicep pushing her to the front of the line, having no problem manhandling her regardless of his shorter stature.
Moody murmured something he couldn't overhear and Bellatrix snapped, "I don't want your shoddy blankets!"
There was laughter exchanged between the two Aurors before Moody said, "Suit yourself."
Lucius leaned to the side, broadening Severus's view of Bellatrix who seemed to be waiting for him to meet her eyes, there was a mean glint in them as she was being led away. The look alone had him bristling with emotions too complex for him to decipher.
"We all took turns making her scream you know. For all her faults, she had a lovely voice. The same couldn't be said about your boy." She let out a raucous laugh seemingly pleased by the now pale complexion of his skin.
Moody and Thicknesse shared a look, sending silent messages through head tilts and shifting of their eyes. Moody sighed as he silenced Bellatrix who shot a dirty look at her husband who chuckled at the Auror's actions.
Thicknesse sent out his patronus before leading Bellatrix away and Severus watched the charm as it skittered away on top of a non-existent plane. He hoped it was a message to send the Aurors to check on Lily. His gut tensed at the thought of anything happening to her and Harry. On cue with his thoughts, his magic wobbled unsteadily in place, its once peaceful surface roughened into waves. His thoughts fed his emotions creating high winds within his magical core, a tumultuous magical current rippled throughout his body in an alarming way.
Lucius took a step back until he was beside Severus nudged him with his elbow. "Control yourself," he said through clamped teeth. "You're no longer a prepubescent child to be unleashing your magic this way."
The words did nothing to soothe Severus, if anything he felt irritated by Lucius's words. He wanted to leave and wondered if it was too late to postpone his sentence. If he left now, would he make it in time? He wouldn't be able to take the boat back and he wondered why he hid his ability to fly to begin with. Did it matter if he exposed his skill now?
"Back in line, Malfoy!"
Lucius raised his hand in surrender and side-shuffled back to his place in front of Severus.
The black metal ball in Severus's hands began to heat, ozone began to fill the air as he let his thoughts run rampant. He didn't think anyone but Lucius noticed his reaction to the probability of Lily and Harry being targeted and was surprised when a dark-skinned goblin ignored Moody belting at him to get back in line and pinned down Severus with a glare as he closed the distance between them.
"Stop it," the goblin growled low, his voice barely heard by anyone but Severus. His razor sharp teeth gnashed in what appeared to be in warning, "use the metal in your hands to ground yourself. You're going to get us killed."
Severus gaped at him in surprised. A Goblin? In Azkaban? He could see the goblin wore newer prison uniforms, one to fit his smaller size. Unlike the other prisoners, he had a wooden collar around his neck with runes scorched into it as well as what appeared to be long white socks encasing his hands that were fastened by strings tied to his wrists.
"Focus! Or they'll come!" The goblin rasped out in a hushed tone a guard appeared by his side to come and collect him. With the flick of the guard's wand, the runes around the collar angrily glowed and the goblin grunted in pain as he was being led away to the front of the line.
Severus stared after them dumbfounded. What did he mean by they?
"What was that?" Lucius whispered in a reprimanding tone.
Severus shot him a cool look before he internalized that he should heed the goblin's warning. He tried to redistribute the weighed ball in his hand so it lay balanced between his palms but it was difficult when his hands sunk centimetres within the metal. When he managed to dislodge it his imprints were left behind. He wasn't sure how to ground himself using metal, perhaps that was a goblin thing and would explain his unusual feats using magic. He settled his internal debate by utilizing his default methods of Occlumency even though it hadn't been working as well as it should since overdosing on Veritaserum. Ignoring his environments, he delved into the recesses of his mind to find the pre-existing thick fog had penetrated through his shield as if it were porous, that alarmed Severus in a way he never thought possible. His mind ran rampant in panic with how to defend himself and regain control. He had always prided himself in the dependability of his mind, but to see it fail so miserably when he needed it the most made him feel suddenly vulnerable. With one last ditch effort, Severus re-raised another Occlumency wall and waited with bated breath for the fog to test the shield but it seemed content where it was. He didn't know exactly what that meant but he did know what the evidence pointed to. He couldn't trust himself at the moment. His emotions were bare with no Occlumency shields to put them behind, his magic erratic and untamed. He would probably end up hurting himself and quite possibly others too. As much as he wanted to check on Harry and Lily, he knew he couldn't right now. Not until he was more stable. He had to trust that Thicknesse would send someone to do what he couldn't.
"Snape!"
Severus snapped back into awareness suddenly aware of the distance he had between the dwindling line of prisoners. He stood alone at the opening of the entrance with Moody beckoning him closer to the small school desk in the centre of the room.
"Let's go! We don't have all day."
Mechanically, Severus placed one foot in front of the other trying to beat down the raising panic at his recent realizations.
Moody handed Lucius a quill just as Severus stood behind the blond. "Sign off your sheets and supplies." The auror slide a magically compact bundle across the table.
Lucius tentatively picked it up and brought it to eye level for further inspection. "This one has holes in it!"
Moody shrugged dismissively. "Probably from moths."
Lucius pursed his lips in irritation but otherwise didn't comment on it as he signed for his things. The auror motioned for the blond to step aside. "Make room for Snape, Malfoy. Your escort should be along shortly."
Somehow Lucius kept his air superiority as he obediently listened and looked away, feigning disinterest to stare at the crumbling wall.
"Snape," Moody greeted waving the dark-haired man forward presenting a bundle. "Do you want this."
Severus had trouble processing Moody's words when his own thoughts and hiking fear took a stronger hold over his mind.
"I-"
"Why does he get new ones," interjected Lucius, insulted.
A strange look crossed Moody's face, as if he were trying to school his features. "The prisoners in the front of the line had unused ones and Lestrange declined hers."
The blond looked horrified at the thought of anyone making their stay at Azkaban more miserable than it needed to be. "Well, I'd like to trade for newer ones."
The auror gave Lucius a stern look, "There are no other blankets and supplies to trade. We barely have enough for Snape as it is."
Lucius faced Severus looking as if he had something to say then huffed and looked away.
Still sorting out his thoughts, Severus blankly stared at Lucius trying to interpret what just happened. Was Lucius asking to trade with him? Was this the opening he needed to discern what their relationship would mean after they left Azkaban, because he knew without a doubt that Lucius would just buy himself a trial. He made a poor death eater. There would be nothing concrete against him if he claimed he was under the Imperius Curse and stated another witch or wizard puppeted him. Lucius had what Severus needed, connections and who knew when he would need it but it was better to have it in one's pocket when you want it than need it in the most inopportune time. This was the closest thing to true friendship he would have with the man—a friendship of convenience.
"Lucius," Severus began, "I'm willing-"
It happened so quickly wasn't able to grasp what occurred until it was already done. In a blur, Lucius plucked the shrunken supplies from the table and deposited his own adopting the same haughty posture as if he didn't move. Amused, Severus rotated the blond by the shoulder and deposited everything except the blanket back into Lucius's hand.
"For a friend."
While the blond deliberated over accepting it, a scrawny grey-haired prison guard loudly made his way down the stony steps. "Another Malfoy, eh?" The guard then turned to face Severus.
"I've got this one," Moody said as he collected Severus's signature. "You take Malfoy. I'm sure the pair of you will have lots to talk about."
The guard smiled unkindly. "Is that so?" He walked around Severus giving him a wide berth as he collected Lucius tightening his chains and guiding him back up the steps with his metal ball levitating between them. "Let's talk."
Lucius followed the guard reluctantly up the staircase ashen-faced as he cradled his supplies to his chest protectively.
"I guess that just leaves us then." With a swish of Moody's wand, the desk and all that lay atop it magically flattened itself and folded until it was the size of a business card. He shoved it in his pocket with one hand and cast an incorporeal Patronus Charm with the other, guiding the ball of light so it hovered in front of them as they both walked up the stairs.
There was a long awkward silence as they walked up. The staircase started to widen when they reached the upper floors, he couldn't hear Lucius and his guard at all, which was curious considering they didn't leave too long after them. When they made a turn into a corridor, it was pitch black, Moody seemed to pause to allow his charm to levitate above them. The light bounced off the cavern-like walls creating a red-orange glow the sandstone absorbing much of the light, leaving whatever was a meter beyond it in complete darkness. Moody walked slowly and purposefully, keeping his steps as light as he could while having a peg leg. He could hear the mechanism in his prosthetic eye whirl wildly in the dark before moving forward.
His demeanour put Severus on high alert and he reactively began listing off what magic he could do in case Moody was taken down. Flight, Alchemy and Mind Arts. Flying he felt very comfortable with, it was second nature. Alchemy or whatever this new magic was… It existed but he absolutely had no control of it. The mind arts wouldn't help him here even if he was a Master Legilimens. The prisoners were too crazed to respond predictably and the dementors had no eyes for such illusions. Things weren't looking good, and he didn't trust Moody's self-perseverance when he was missing so many body parts.
When Moody finally broke the silence it had startled Severus's heart to beat erratically against his chest. His voice was soft and low but it seemed overly loud in the silent corridor. "The dementors like high places, so we put the high-tier prisoners up here, they're a bit hesitant to jump if the ground is over 15 meters away."
Severus didn't know how to respond to that and for some odd reason he felt a nervous chuckle beginning to make his way up his throat.
No. No-no. No laughing.
The sounds of their footsteps changed from a dull thud to a splash and Moody immediately crouched into a battle stance. Severus stayed as close to the Auror as he could taking the Auror's body cues to inform him on what he wasn't being told. If Moody was on the alert, this was more than just the prisoners. He wondered what usually happens when the Aurors visit Azkaban, the Dementor's homeland. He can't imagine those creatures taking it too kindly being bullied in their own habitat by the guards and their patronuses. Especially when they're starved daily of any souls. He supposed that was one of the main reasons why the Dark Lord was able to recruit most of them to his side. He liked to unleash them when he wanted optimal chaos to be able to swoop in and deliver the most damage to The Order's numbers. He never restrained or gave them too many orders, just deterring them from feeding on his followers but otherwise the wizarding world was a timed buffet for them. He thankfully never had to work too closely with them and was sent on missions with other creatures like the trolls who were not much better but he felt confident in his skill with his wand. He was surprised there were any dementors left in Azkaban but he supposed some were left behind to maintain their territory.
While they walked, the walls of the corridor began to produce a sheen making it highly reflective, and the damp air felt heavy in Severus's chest and smelled strongly of the sea. He felt the temperature beginning to drop and shivered as he held his metal ball closer.
There!
There was something moving beyond their vision just ahead of them, a barely noticeable humanoid shadow crossing from one wall to the other but as they drew nearer it fluttered beyond their field of vision. Severus's fine hairs stood painfully at their ends, his pupils painfully dilated to take in whatever was lurking in the darkness. Suddenly, his heart slammed forcibly against his ribs, causing him to tremble. There in the darkness was not one but rows of head-like shadows peeking from the wall. He faltered in his step, the stuttered noise had even Moody second-guessing moving onward.
"Almost there," said Moody sounding as if he was trying to egg himself to reach a finish line.
They drew closer, the patronus light appearing to dim as the walls widened. The movement at the edge of the shadows persisted, eyes reflected back as they neared. Severus let out a sigh of relief. Not dementors. Prisoners. They stayed quiet as they passed, just observing them from their cells. Their silence was eerie in of itself. There was no goading or excitement in any way. Their posture as they gripped the bars of their doors was one he was very familiar with. They were resigned.
The sound of glass breaking when Moody took his next step had Severus perplexed. He looked down at their feet as they began to slow down to see that the water had turned to ice.
Moody stopped in front of a door with a window cut out for bars and began to fish his pockets for the key. Every movement sounded loud and overexaggerated and Severus wondered if he had tricked himself into thinking everything was louder than it was.
All of a sudden, a hideous distorted scream sounded that had both him and Moody stilling and canting their heads to heighten their hearing. Severus found himself stopping mid-breath to hear anything beyond the darkness. He wanted to judge how close the danger was. Instead he heard a painful moan coming from a few cells down and an answering crazed giggle from the cell across that.
The door creaked open and the potent smell of ammonia hit his senses.
"Ugh!" Moody recoiled. With skill that surpassed anyone capable of just being able to summon an incorporeal patronus, the Auror hung his patronus light in between them to cast various freshening and cleaning charms throughout the room.
Sensing eyes on him, Severus looked over his shoulder trying to see through the darkness and but he couldn't make out anything discernible. Another yell broke out, a frightened shriek considerably closer than the last one. Sufficiently spooked, Severus turned and nearly jumped back at Moody's closeness.
The auror leaned in close as if he were telling a secret and whispered, "They can't open the doors without the keys, and only Aurors and Prison Guards have them. We only opened them when we release prisoners or for a kiss."
Moody's voice trailed off at Severus's wide eye look and exhaled. "Let's just clear out of here, yeah? The corridors aren't safe."
Severus nodded numbly as he walked past the Auror to familiarize himself with the mattress in the corner of the cell. Using the light of Moody's charm, Severus pulled out his magically shrunken blanket and began to unfold it, draping it over his shoulder to sit down ignoring the yellow stains of the bare mattress. Now that he wasn't moving, the chill settled even deeper surpassing his flesh and finding a home within his bones. He cradled his weighted ball against his stomach.
Moody cleared his throat as he lingered in the doorway. "I'll be around with the guards patrolling for the next hour." The Auror's prosthetic blue eye glowed unnaturally as it looked at him. It shifted to the left seemingly seeing through his cell wall before returning back to him. "I'll leave you to it then."
Severus nodded his dismissal, the door closing in finality. He watched through the bars as the light dimmed as Moody's footsteps grew fainter, until its cool glow vanished.
He was alone.
He didn't know whether to feel relieved or trapped. He supposed he felt a little of both. If what Moody said was true, the dementors didn't have access to him unless they were escorted by a prison guard or Auror. But it begs to question, what exactly is happening that causes the prisoners to react so violently.
Severus looked around the cell. It was wide but it didn't have much length. It fit the mattress, which had no frame, it had several buckets in the corner which Severus assumed by the smell when he entered was for nature's calling and perhaps water which made him appreciate being sentenced for only an hour. There were long slits of light coming from the crumbling wall, which lit up the cell a bit but the most nerve-wracking thing was the noises. With such low vision, his hearing naturally heightened and the sounds he heard had him eyeing the same wall, Moody's prosthetic eye was looking at.
There was a scraping sound that suspiciously sounded like it was coming from within the cell, he heard small pebbles audibly falling to the sandstone floor. A muffled giggle of delight sounded from the other side of the wall that had Severus staring at it horrified.
Was another prisoner breaking in?
Panicked, he began to reassess what tools he had at his disposal for a human assailant.
Perhaps his alchemy would come to his aid, like accidental magic. If that fails, he could just throw his weighted ball at them.
Severus began to mentally list off the best place to aim on the human body when the scraping sound abruptly stopped. He heard a feminine gasp and repetitive denial.
"No no no." She repeated. The voice sounded louder reverberating through the walls of his cell as if she were huddled by the wall.
The unmistakable sound of a door creaking open had Severus standing up in trepidation causing his blanket to pool at his feet. He felt his magic chaotically thrash in tune to the beat of his heart tattooing arrhythmically against his chest. A cold flash of dread permeated throughout his body at her anguished moans as his mind tried to wrap around what exactly was happening.
Did he hear a door? Surely he was mistaken.
Was it a prison guard preying on their prisoners?
Or was it-
The silence that followed the scream would be permanently carved into his brain and fodder for his nightmares and so would the creaking hinges of his own door opening.
Severus swivelled to face the door eyes wide in fear, mouth slightly agape as the door opened on its own. He stood frozen in place indecisively, incapable of grasping any thoughts in his foggy mind when a gurgle sounded as if someone was drowning in water reached his ears. Frayed, black fabric came into view moving in a non-existent wind as if slowed by time. A tall inhumanly thin being came into view shrouded in black cloth as if mummified alive. The cowl of its dark robes hiding its face flapped threateningly against its large mutilated mouth. It reached out its pruny, scabbed hand out towards him as it glided in noiselessly without touching the floor. Severus scurried back, with newfound fear, his mind unhelpfully supplying him with every possibility of his demise. When his back hit the wall, his fear skyrocketed into terror. The feeling of being trapped combined with the vulnerability from the lack of tools at his disposal had him gasping for breath.
The dementor's mouth unhinged the mandible dropping to the floor, opening like an entryway into hell. None of the light in the room reached its mouth. It inhaled deeply, bringing everything in the room centimetres closer to the opening of its mouth.
The fog in Severus's mind overwhelmed his senses, weakening his control over his limbs and making him treble like a newborn fawn. He wasn't sure if he was sliding down the wall from the force of the mattress being pulled from under him or if he was instinctively trying to take the easiest path to safety but he had no mind left to ponder. His fear surpassed what his body was capable of until he was just an observer. His body thrashed without warning as the edge of his vision began to darken. The woman's haunting screams repeated itself like a broken record in the recesses of his mind as Severus slid closer to the Dementor's mouth. Just when he decided to give in and resign himself to his fate he heard two words that gave him the strength to hold on that extra second.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
TBC..