Descent-- Sequel to Masquerade

11. Aguamenti

Addie's POV
*****

I was walking on a dark street, alone and afraid. The shadows seemed to merge into dementor-like figures, their cold dead hands reaching for my body, my soul. I could feel the warmth of my wand in my pocket. Pulling it out, I incanted the Lumos spell, the blue orb dancing in front of the dark pavement. But something wasn't real. None of it was.

"Imperio!"

The Imperius Curse.

So, this was a nightmare after all. He had probably placed another curse coupled with the Imperius Curse, knowing that I could break out of the former. I took a deep breath, the sound rattling inside my chest. This wasn't real. I tried to ignore the hands of the dementors that reached for me.

If this wasn't real, then what was?

I forced myself to concentrate. The ground seemed to split underneath my feet, wavering like liquid and solid at the same time. The fear inside of my chest grew stronger, consuming me. I tried to block out all sound. This was all in my mind, I just needed to buy more time. The world transformed around me.

Doors. All locked, all same. I was in a circular chamber of doors, each one identical and each one completely shut. I raised my wand. "Alohomora—" I pointed at the one in the middle.

It didn't open.

I wheeled around, my eyes focusing on each door, each trap. All of them spun around me.

The right one.

The command was shot forcefully into my ear as my arms and legs obeyed, scrabbling towards that one. My mind screamed in protest, but my fingers closed around the doorknob, pulling it open. All of the doors slammed open, a dark aura wrapping around me. Dementors in their long cloaks, gliding after me, their hoods covering their shallow mouths that reached for my soul.

I could feel panic overcoming me, choking me. I couldn't breathe. I scrambled upwards, but the floor suddenly inclined upwards, my hands and feet trying uselessly against the slippery marble. I was falling back towards them. I squeezed my eyes shut. Summon a happy memory.

"Expecto Patronum!" I cried, my wand pointing towards the dementors. A weak, silvery wisp.

"Confringo!" I shouted, the spell blasting fire and wood, and the floor righted itself again, but the dementors were gaining. Horrid memories of torture, Grindelwald killing my mother, Tom turning into what Grindelwald told me he would always be.

A strange dark fire blazed into my core. "Crucio!" I shouted, pointing the wand uselessly at the dementors, knowing it didn't affect them. I couldn't summon the only spell that could defeat them.

"Crucio!"

"Crucio!"

The jets of red light simply melted through their hoods.

"Crucio!" I nearly sobbed again, but I tried to control myself. The same curse, used against me, so many times.

"Avada Kedav—" my eyes opened suddenly. Coldness filled my heart. This wasn't the fight. What if—-

I tried to push away the thought but it came back at me in full force. What if I was using all of these spells against...against another person?

I whirled around. I stared towards the empty, soulless spaces that were their eyes. Every day, every night tortured by their grasping hands and their draining power. Everyday, having those nightmares in my waking and sleeping hours. If I didn't face them now, then I would never do so again in my life. I would forever be on my knees, always a slave to the fear. I would always still be under Grindelwald's power. No longer.