Echoes of Emotion (Sebastian Sallow x OC)

Chapter 34 - Azkaban

Next thing I knew, I felt a familiar sense of fear filling my body.
I looked around to see the familiar walls too, which could only mean one thing...
We were here.
We were in Azkaban.

Despite our bodies freezing on the spot, we all silently pressed forward, refusing to address what we all felt, s though acknowledging it would make it more real.
However, Blaine's aunt seemed to be the opposite.
She almost looked at home as she strided down the hall, before turning back to us all, her face hard as she motioned us forward.
"Stay close, and be on your guard." She instructed, causing us all to scurry forward.

Yet, as if on que, dark figures began emerging from the walls above, making their way over to us from every direction.
It took a moment for my mind to catch up, but once it did, the feeling of dread increased, causing me to back away as the feeling of death approached.
It was the Dementors.

Helen stepped forward at the sight of them, as though protecting us, drawing her wand as she yelled back at us.
"This is what you trained for, cast your Patronus charm now!"
With her words, we all simultaneously drew our wands, pointing them at the Dementors in front of us, before calling out the spell.
Within moments the hallway was filled with a bright light, with animals dancing around, chasing away the Dementors as they retreated back to the walls.

Once they had finally left, we let our chars slowly disappear, still cautious as to whether or not they were really gone, until Helen let out a sigh.
"That should hod them off for now, but they'll be back soon, so we need to hurry." She instructed, putting her wand away before continuing down the hallway.

After what just happened, we were more than happy to followe her, speeding down the hallway as we kept an eye out, careful not to alert anyone.
We peered into each cell as we passed them, hoping for some sign of a portkey, but as we did, the hope only turned to fear.
All we saw were prisoners reaching through the bars, screaming at us, or muttering incoherently in the corner.
But no matter what they were doing, they all looked the same.
Broken.

Just like my dream.

I couldn't help but let my gaze wander ahead, curiousity getting the best of me as I began staring at the last cell.
It looked exactly like my dream, all the was down to the old cell bars.
I knew Sebastian wasn't there, he was walking right beside me for Merlin's sake, but still, there was a part of me that still felt like I had to brace myself for what I was about to see, the anticipation building with each step.
Finally, as we approached the last cell, I couldn't take it anymore.
I held my breath as the cell walls came into view, and as if on instinct, I grabbed the closest thing I could, Sebastian's hand.
I half expected him to say something, or protest to the sudden action in such a scenario, but he didn't.
Instead, he just returned the action, his eyes staying fixed on the cell.

As the full cell came into view, my eyes frantically searched for anything to confirm this reality, as though Sebastian was just going to disappear from my side.
However, I was quickly met with the feeling of relief, seeing a woman huddled in the corner.
Although that was replaced with guilt.
The woman looked so frail, muttering to herself as she traced the stone walls.

I finally tore my eyes away from the cell, only to see Helen stood next to me, her face twisting into a grimace as she stared at the woman.
I couldn't help but notice the look of sadness in her eyes as she watched her, as though she were familiar somehow.
"...Did you know her?" I asked, once again overtaken with curiosity, wondering what could have happened to this woman.

Helen stayed silent for a moment, as though contemplating whether or not to answer, before sighing.
"Yes. I was the Auror assigned to her case. A student disappeared after going to meet her... and they never found his body." she paused, as though debating whether or not to continue.
Yet, as she glanced between my intrigued eyes and the woman, she decided to do so.
"When his ghost appeared with no clue how he was killed, she was convicted of his murder. Her alibi was hard to prove, claiming they never met since she hadn't solved a puzzle, but the student's ghost disappeared before we could confirm. She was sent to Azkaban based solely on the testimony of a, frankly, untrustworthy source. It was one of my most heartbreaking, unsolved cases."
"You believe she's innocent?" I wondered, to which she frowned.
"I honestly don't know. But damning someone to such a fate based on so little evidence is just... cruel."
She was silent again as she watched the woman mutter, her frown deepening as she watched the woman slip away with each passing moment.
Her voice softened as she let out a passing comment, as though to herself, "poor Anne."

I felt Sebastian freeze as her name left Helen's lips.
Even though we were talking about someone completely different, the name alone was enough to put him on edge.
I glanced at him as he continued to stare ahead, seeing the look of fear cross his face.
The last thing he needed right now was a reminder of that.
Especially since that situation almost led to him being in this exact place.

I couldn't think of any way to comfort him, to ease the pain as he stared at what could have been.
As the memories of his sister plagued his mind.
So I did what came naturally.
I kept on holding his hand.
I reminded him that he wasn't alone.

"We might have found something!" we heard Skye call back to us, catching our attention as we looked away from Anne.
Skye was peeking out from behind a corner, leading to a room away from the cells, and it seemed like the others were ahead.
We quickly began to catch up with them, before rounding the corner to see for ourselves.

There, waiting for us, was a small room, which clearly couldn't be intended for more than a storage cupboard.
Yet, as I saw the others inside, I could see that their faces were white, eyes wide with fear.
But I couldn't understand why, with the room seeming pitch black from outside.
Was the dark truly that scary to them?
However, as we approached, the room seemed to grow, and the illusion of darkness wore off, revealing what was truly inside.

The room seemed to be bare, apart from a pillar in the centre, housing a small pendant, which was likely the portkey we were looking for.
Yet, I couldn't let myself be happy we had found it.
Or rather, I was unable.
Because, once again, all joy had been sucked away, as the portkey was being guarded by Dementors.

They circled around the pillar, not seeming to have noticed us quite yet.
While the others were all frozen in fear, Helen once again stepped forward, gaining their attention as she held up her wand.
As the Dementors lurched towards us, Helen nodded towards us all, silently ordering us to perform the charm again, but this time, there was something different.
She seemed more determined... more trusting.
Like she knew we could do it.
With this newfound confidence, we all began to follow her lead again, before using our Patronus charms again.

As the room filled with light, we all shot out of the way of the entrance, allowing the Dementors to quickly fly out of the room, making sure we weren't caught in the crossfire.
"They really are creepy." Poppy muttered, shuddering as Natty closed the door behind them.
"You can say that again, I think I'm going to have nightmares for weeks." she agreed, making a disgusted face.

As they guarded the door, I rushed towards the pendant, praying that it was what we were looking for.
As I approached, I could see that it was in the shape of an Eagle.
Just like the Ravenclaw mascot.

"This has to be it." I said, almost to myself.
Skye came closer, as though to give a second opinion, before nodding at what she saw.
"I don't see what other reason they'd have to guard an Eagle pendant." she shrugged, as though it were obvious.
Her certainty put me at ease, gaining confidence in the conclusion as the others began to gather round.
Yet, one person remained by the door.

Helen cleared her throat once we had all gathered, earning our attention.
"This is where I must leave you." she began, her face serious, "I may not know what you are doing this for, but I know it must be important. So, I wish you luck."
I smiled at her words, "thank you for your help." I beamed, my worry for what came next overcome with gratitude.
However, this feeling was short lived, as we heard noises coming from the other side of the door.
The Dementors were returning.
"Go, now!" Helen cried, drawing her wand as she prepared to hold them off.

I wanted to help her, to ward them off before leaving.
But I could tell by the look in her eyes, she wasn't about to let that happen.
The sooner we left, the sooner she could too.
So, as reluctant as we were to do so, we all grabbed onto the portkey.
And disappeared as light filled the room once again.