When We Fell: A Draco Malfoy Romance

Chapter 9- Depths of Hell

When we had finally reached the edge of Hogwarts, the Minister of Magic apparated us away. The last thing I ever saw of Hogwarts was Draco's eyes.

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The feeling of being apparated was like having every cell of your body split in half. When we arrived, I quickly took in my surroundings, unsure of what I would find. What I saw was a scene out of my worst nightmare, Azkaban - the depths of hell.

"Olliana, look at me," I turned to look at Draco for the first time since arriving, "Wherever they take me, I will find you. You have to stay strong; do you hear me? You just have to stay strong until the trial." His voice breaks and shakes, the fear clear in his tone. His eyes look deranged and manic; I can only imagine what they will look like after a lifetime in Azkaban. No one leaves Azkaban sane.

"I will," I can only whisper, "I-I love you, Draco. Whatever happens...just remember that." I smile weakly at him.

"That's enough! No more speaking," the Minister yells sternly. His guards tug us along by our bound wrists. When they captured us at Hogwarts, they made sure to confiscate our wands.

The wind is absolutely brutal, stinging my face and making my eyes water. Water sprays my face as the waves crash into the shore, making me even colder. Luckily, I wore a warm sweater and coat to the Quidditch match, but I can still feel the bitter cold seeping through.

We begin the walk up to the fortress; a stone path leads the way. Draco and I stumble over the rocks; it isn't easy to walk with your hands tied in a windstorm.

Azkaban is a grey, windowless structure sitting on a rocky island. With tall waves brushing the rocks and lightning crossing the sky, the prison looks like an inescapable hell. Occasionally, I will see a flash of black in the corner of my eye. Clearly, the dementors have received word of two new prisoners and wanted to welcome us themselves.

It's hard for me to believe that I was here less than a year ago to free some of the darkest wizards the world has ever seen. I had to be extremely careful not to tip the dementors off of my presence. The Death Eaters and I planned for weeks on how to best stage the breakout.

I ended up creeping up to the top on my broom; they always keep the most dangerous prisoners at the very top. I used a spell to disguise myself as a dementor and broke the prisoners out, leaving the top of the structure crumbling. We were able to apparate out of there just before the dementors had reached us.

And here I am again, a prisoner. Part of me, and I'm sure Draco as well, is hoping to see my parents as we march to our cell. The other side of me doesn't want to see the state that they are in after months trapped in Azkaban.

We are almost to the entrance now, guarded by dementors and wizards. To the left, there is a strange piece of land that looks like it has repeatably been dug up. A weird smell hits my nose as we pass it. I try to read a sign in the distance, but the wind is making it difficult.

I hear Draco sob for the first time since arriving and spin my head to look at him, "A graveyard," he chokes out. I whip my head back around to take another look and, sure enough, I can see the individual plots of where they buried the bodies.

My mind can't bear to think of my parents lying under there; they have to be alive. Immediately, I wonder if eventually Draco and I will be there, side by side. I can't stop the tears running down my face now. I'm pretty sure Draco is hyperventilating beside me as they continue to tug us along.

As we approach the entrance, the guards move aside and allow the Minister to step through with us in tow.

"Where are we going," Draco asks, but no one responds. They just continue to lead us to an elevator.