Imperium - t.r.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Jasper and Anastasia

(C/W: This chapter will contain gore, many mentions of torture and death. If this triggers you, turn away now.)

Newt sat in his tent, pondering as to what their next move would be. The Ministry is now cutting more funding towards the war effort and now, they're thinking of implementing a draft. He sighed, scoffing at the thought of thousands more children being forced to fight this horrific war. Hanging his head, he thought of Angelo, Anastasia, and Sadie, missing in action for three months and of Jasper who went out to the ashes to search every morning. Shouts sounded outside his tent, the loud cracks of men apparating snapped him out of his thoughts. Rising from his seat, he took his wand in his hand. Theseus rushed into the tent, panting heavily.

    "Theseus, what is it?"

    "Black and white fire on a hill two miles northeast," Theseus grinned. "It's Anastasia."

    Newt let out a breath of relief, rushing out of his tent and pulling on his coat. They all apparated instantly, everyone was ecstatic to see the children alive. But as they neared the flames, a different feeling took over. A hunched, wailing figure knelt in the center of the flames. Everyone stopped immediately, dread and anxiety bubbled in their chests. Newt cast aside the flames with a wave of his wand and tentatively approached her.

    "Anastasia?" he asked gently. "Are you okay?"

    With a shuddering breath, she replied, "No, I'm not."

    "Ana?" Jasper's voice sounded from next to Newt.

    "Jas?"

    "Ana... where's my brother?" Jasper inquired with a cracking voice, fearing the worst. "Where's Angelo?"

    Sitting back on her knees, head hung low, she cried to him, "I'm sorry, Jas..."

    Jasper took in the sight of Angelo's head at Anastasia's knees. Tears filling his eyes made the image blurry, but it had been seared into his mind. When the tears were done falling, Jasper fell to his knees and let out a bellow that would chill even a dragon's blood. Staring into the burning flames ahead, he vowed to honor Angelo's memory and avenge his death. The company that left the camp looked on at the scene with a gaze that was both frightened and sympathetic. They removed their caps and hoods in memory of Angelo and some even knelt to the ground.

    "Uhm... Anastasia," Newt inquired with a hoarse voice. "What about Sadie?"

    Unable to even think, let alone breathe, when she thought of Sadie Robinson, she could only utter out, "Dead."

    The Aurors gathered, cried with them, cried for the three fallen children that would never return, that would go on to the halls of heroes when they reached the Golden Gate. After a while of wallowing in their grief and loss, the red sun breached the horizon, turning the sky a bleeding crimson. Anastasia hugged Jasper while he continued to unconsciously cry his tears into her shoulder.

    "Grindelwald will pay," Jasper rasped in her ear. "I'll see to it."

    "We both will," Anastasia affirmed.

    "Let's go, you two," Newt said with a dead voice. "We should get back to the compound, make sure it's safe."

    Without an argument, Anastasia pulled Jasper up from the earth, Angelo's head cradled in her other arm. Newt held out his hand and she took it. Reality twisted and folded and spun around her, but that wasn't the true reason she felt sick. Back at the compound which was significantly smaller than the last one.

    "Let's get you to a med tent, Anastasia," Theseus said softly, separating Jasper from her and ushering her away. Pushing back the fabric of Medical Tent Five, he left her in the hands of a nurse who placed her in a chair with a blanket wrapped around her and a cup of tea.

    "Alright, Miss De Meath," the nurse said with an appropriately solemn tone. "How long were you detained in Nurmengard?"

    "Three months, I think," Anastasia replied monotonously.

    "Wow, okay, three months," the nurse sighed. "What did they do to you for those three months, feeding, activities?"

    "They fed me a bland gruel three times a day, I think," Anastasia answered, staring into the leg of the table. "Then they would torture me for what felt like hours. Sometimes Cruciatus, sometimes Legilimency, sometimes by torturing other prisoners in front of me."

    "That's awful," the nurse frowned. Anastasia gave a hum in response. "Let's weigh you."

    The nurse helped her over to the scale and closed the curtain around them. Not even caring enough to look at her number, Anastasia resigned to watching the shadows of soldiers and medics move on the wall. The nurse took her off the scale and asked that Anastasia remove her shirt for a heart and lung check. When she slipped the blouse over her head, the nurse noted that Anastasia's body was emaciated, all skin and bones. After all the tests, the nurse sighed in a solemn tone and sat in a chair.

    "You've lost twenty pounds," the nurse told her. "Your last physical, you were one-hundred nine pounds, now you are eighty-nine. Your heart and lungs seem okay, reflexes too."

    Anastasia nodded, trying to retain the information only to be completely unable to focus.

    "I'm so sorry," the nurse mumbled. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, especially at your age."

    Anastasia gave a monotonous hum in response, having no energy to meet the societal expectations in response to a person's gratitude and pity.

    "Can I eat something?" inquired Anastasia. "I'm starving."

    "I'm sure," the nurse replied. "You can eat while I patch up all your cuts and bruises."

    Anastasia nodded. The nurse called for a helping of beans and a biscuit while she stayed with Anastasia, getting out sutures, gauze, and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. When the beans finally came, the nurse was all but done with patching Anastasia up.

    "Well, I see no reason to keep you here any longer," the nurse smiled sadly. "Unless you want to, that is."

    "No, thank you," said Anastasia, a blanket still around her.

    Anastasia walked through camp, searching for Jasper. Looking up on the cliffside after thirty minutes of perusing through camp, she caught sight of him. Smiling a bit, she hiked to where he was, nearly losing her balance a few times because of her imprisonment.

    "Hey, Jasper," she said, sitting down next to him. Holding up her can of beans, she added, "Wanna split it?"

    Jasper nodded. Taking the first spoonful and shoveling it into her mouth, she chuckled halfheartedly, "Y'know, I never would have thought that beans would ever taste so good."

    Jasper gave no reaction except for just taking the spoon from her and eating a half-scoop gingerly.

    "Do you want to just sit here and eat in silence?"

    Jasper nodded with an air of melancholy.

    "Okay," Anastasia sighed, putting an arm around him and pulling him into a gentle side-hug. "It'll get better, Jas. It always has, always will. When the night is long, just remember..."

    "... a new dawn will always come," Jasper replied. "Angie used to say that to me all the time."

    "Yeah," Anastasia said, trying with all her might to not cry again. For she feared that if she started, she would not be able to end.

Thank you all so much for being patient! I'm beginning to feel better and the family stuff is dying down, so hopefully I should be able to publish new chapters weekly without too many hiatuses. This is a short chapter, but I haven't written for a while now and I want to get back in the game as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and thank you for returning.

- Raven