Secrets of a Ravenclaw

Part Three: Chapter One

Hi everyone. So this is the final part of this story. Thanks for sticking with it this far! I can't guess how many chapters there will be because I'm still planning what's going on, but hopefully you like it! It may be  (very slightly) different from the book in a few ways x Let me know what you think!

Chapter One: Summer in Hell

Weeks. Months. Who knows how long I have been stuck at Malfoy Manor. I was locked in this damn cell amd  practically starving to death, but I was too distracted most of the time from Bellatrix's cruciatus curse to worry about any of those things. The Death Eaters continued asking me questions and at first I gave them no answers. Then I began getting creative and telling them lies, which they eventually found out and it lead me to suffering more consequences. They threatened the lives of my friends. Colm snuck down and reassured me that my friends have been yet to be found. 

Draco has been trying to make it up to me all summer, without getting caught of course. Apparently it was hard for him considering there was usually a guard by the cellar, even though it usually was just Wormtail. He always tried to bring me food but it was usually small things he could fit in his pockets like grapes and crackers. It wasn't like he could walk through the living room with a tray of warm soup without looking suspicious. 

The problem is though that I don't know if I'll be able to forgive him. It technically wasn't that he lied to me because he never said 'I'm not a Death Eater', he just refrained from telling me that massive bit of information. He pretended that he wasn't up to anything. Now he was trying to make it up to me, but I still was unsure about him. How could I ever trust Draco again?

The good thing was that I had two people somewhat on my side in this house. They couldn't actually do much as they had to keep it a secret, but it made me feel better that Colm and Draco weren't out to kill me as well. Bellatrix and Lorcan were ruthless. How could he be my father? He was absolutely terrible. Even the way he was treating Colm was simply cold. He had no emotional attatchment at all. The guy my mother wrote about during her years at Hogwarts, even though he was bad then, was long gone. She was right. He had changed into becoming a truly terrible person.

While laying on the cold ground I stared up at the ceiling. For the first few weeks I was here, I planned on keeping myself strong. I did crunches, jumping jacks, jogged in place, and anything else I could think of to keep myself from becoming weak and defenseless. But they rarely fed me and I kept getting tortured by Bellatrix, I got weak and could no longer do those things. How was I going to survive here any longer?

Hearing steps, I attempted to sit up. Not again. Please not again. They should just accept that I wasn't going to give them any answers. I also prayed it wasn't a Death Eater coming down the stairs to tell me they found my friends. Looking up, I saw that it was Colm...and Draco. They usually never came down together. I sat up curiously, feeling light headed even at that moment. Colm slid a glass of water through the cell and Draco rolled an orange in. "Sorry, it was all I could find," he answered and I nodded.

"What's happening now?" I asked them.

"We have to make this quick," Colm answered looking around him before turning to Draco. "You're getting out of here." My eyes widened. "It has to be smooth though. The Death Eaters and I are leaving the Manor for an entire day. Draco is remaining home. I'll keep in touch with him to let him know where we are. He's going to lead you out of the castle through tunnels." Tunnels?

"When is this happening?" I asked with complete relief. As weak as I was, I felt like I suddenly regained all strength at the thought of escaping here. As terrible as Colm was to me my entire life, he really came around. I couldn't thank him enough. Draco was helping as well, I suppose if I could forgive Colm for the way he treated me, maybe one day I could forgive Draco.

"We don't know," Draco answered unsurely. "It could be any day in the next few weeks."

"So be prepared to leave at any time," Colm said.

"I'm always prepared to leave," I muttered. I looked over at the two of them. "Thank you."

"We have to get going," Colm said quickly. "They'll be back." He looked at me and nodded once before leaving. Draco and I shared a quick look before he followed after Colm.

I waited what seemed to be forever for the day of my escape to come. I hoped it would be quick after, but it wasn't. Any time I heard footsteps I filled with excitement only to see that it was Wormtail giving me food or water. I began to lose hope, until I was awoken from my sleep. "Caoimhe," someone muttered causing me to spring up. Being in this cell has made me a very light sleeper.

"Is it time?" I asked him and he nodded, but put a finger up to his lips telling me to be quiet. I looked at him curiously as he stepped back behind the stairway. I didn't say anything, I was just going to go along with this plan. Suddenly, I heard more footsteps. Looking up, it was Wormtail again. 

He was holding a plate of bread, looking unhappy to be here when suddenly Draco stepped out from behind him. "Stupefy!" Draco shouted, causing Wormtail to fly forward against the cell, knocking him out, and leaving him lying on the ground. I looked at Draco in shock as he stepped out, he bent down to retrieve the keys from Wormtails hands. Quickly he muttered a temporary memory loss spell, which would cause Wormtail to forget the past ten minutes. "He won't know what happened now," Draco added with a smile snatching his wand and handing it to me.

"Clever," I responded nodding and then finally stepped out the cell feeling free. I wasn't there yet though, I had to escape the manor first.

"We don't have much time," Draco said. "Colm said it's clear, but you never know when someone will stop by for a visit or come back. Follow me," he said. I followed behind Draco through the crowded cellar. Deeper and deeper we got, how big was his house? Finally we came to a corner with a very tiny door. "House elf tunnels." No wonder they were so small. "We'll have to crawl," he added. "I know there's a way to get to the back garden. Can't say I've ever done it...but we'll figure it out." 

Following Draco through the tunnels was harder than it needed to be. They went on forever. We crawled for more than fifteen minutes through dark tunnels. All I wanted to do was lay down on the floor, but I had to keep moving. We got to the end of the tunnel. "I think this is the one," he said. He thinks? I didn't know if I'd last if we had to turn around. "Alohamora," he muttered and unlocked door opening it up. "Yes this is it, be careful getting out." 

He slid out the door. It was pitch black out, so I'm assuming it's midnight. The door lead to outside, it was hidden between a bunch of little rocks and was in a ditch that opened up to a small pond. "Where do I go from here?" I asked looking around, we weren't that far from Malfoy Manor.

"Colm should be here soon, he's going to slip away and apparate us somewhere safe quickly," Draco said.

"Us?" I asked curiously. "You're coming too?"

"Well I wasn't planning on it...but now I am," Draco said.

"If you leave, they'll know you had something to do with it. Who knows what they will do to you," I pointed out. That would be stupid of him to take off, he should just hide in his room and they'd never know it was him.

"I owe it to you," he replied. "I can't leave you like this!" He said motioning to me. "You look so weak." I was actually afraid to see myself. "It's all my fault..." Was Draco actually feeling guilt and remorse? I shook my head.

"It isn't your fault, it was going to happen eventually. I knew my father wanted information."

"No it is. I let the Death Eaters in the castle. He would never have been able to get to you if he never came to Hogwarts. It's completely my fault, you could have died," he began ranting. It seemed to be hitting him all now.

"But you helped me escape. You made it even. If you come, they'll know you had a part of this and begin asking you questions. It's better if you stay here," I replied. After a loud crack, Colm was standing there.

"We have about five seconds," he said holding out his arm.

"Thank you again," I said looking at Draco with a small smile as Colm apparated me away.

Quick chapter, hoping to get all the chapters out quickly. Sorry didn't have time to edit!