Cordelia's P.O.V
I've been staring at the bowl of soup he left in front of my door for the past half hour. His ways of self-amusement are so sick it disgusts me. He knows that the chain only allows me to move two steps away from my bed until it feels like my whole body's burning in Fiendfyre.
I tried to sleep, but the rattling sounds coming from my stomach were impossible to ignore, but at the same time, it was also the only thing keeping me sane. They were sort of keeping me company, which sounds so fucked up.
The reoccurrence of the sounds even developed a pretty specific routine. They usually started two hours after I woke up and would come in every fifteen minutes after that. Around midday, they would stop until the evening and I would have to find other things to do, like tracing every figure of the Greek Gods painting with my eyes, which would take a solid two hours, or sing muggle songs that I could recall.
The door swung open, and I immediately pulled the blanket over myself as a reflex. Akoni was in his usual dark grey suit. He stared down at the bowl of soup for a moment and then shifted his eyes back up to face me. For a second I thought I saw a look of pity in his eyes.
"Shame, a perfectly good bowl of soup wasted," he shrugged. My fingers itched to slap him. The way he entertained himself was just sad at this point.
"Why don't you just give me my wand back so I can reheat it?" I gave him a fake smile.
"Sure. What a splendid idea" he started moving towards me and reached down his pocket and took out my wand, "Only problem is," he snapped it in half, "it's useless now."
I wanted to hex every part of him at that moment, but I won't give in. He just wants a reaction out of me, it's how he feeds his fucked up soul. I just looked at the ceiling, trying to remain calm.
"I could always use my wand, but why would I want to? It's just too much effort for a useless bitch like you."
"Useless bitch?" I chuckled loudly, "Yeah, what do you call yourself then, useful? Useful at capturing people and imprisoning them for no apparent reason other than self-entertainment? Godric, you must be bored... At this point, why don't you just become a fucking death eater or something? It'll really suit you." I bet the Dark Lord would love him. It looked like he was considering it for a second.
"Perhaps," he leaned in and I didn't flinch when he took my chin in his firm grip, "In the meantime, you should watch that pretty mouth of yours before I shut it up." I could feel his warm breath fanning across my cheekbones. I wanted to vanish from there.
I was about to say something when he silenced me with his lips. I tried to push him off of me, but just like last time, I couldn't. After what felt like five seconds, he quickly withdrew himself and swept out of the room.
I wiped my mouth immediately with the back of my hand.
Then again.
And again.
But the feeling of his lips on mine still remained. I wanted to take a shower and stand under the burning water until the feeling went away.
Draco's P.O.V
When we arrived at the Slytherin common room, Claudio was already sitting alone near the fireplace with a book in his hand. He shut his book when he saw us enter.
"How did it go?" he asked.
"We shouldn't discuss it here. Follow me," said Granger and led us out of the common room to an empty classroom. She cast a quick Muffliato. "Your brother cast a Stunning Charm on Cordelia at around 3 am today and the DMLE is now out looking for her. There's a high chance that he's going to be on the Daily Prophet tomorrow."
Claudio stayed quiet for a bit and leaned against the table. "I see," was the only thing he managed to say.
"I see?! That's the only thing you're going to say?!" I walked towards him, ready to lift him up from his collar and throw him across the room when Granger shot her hand and blocked my chest.
"Malfoy! You're such an impatient git! Wait until I'm done questioning him and then just handle it between you guys, but I'm not gonna be here to watch it." She cleared her throat and pushed back some of her curls off her shoulder. "Look Claudio, is there anywhere that comes to mind where he might have taken her. This could be one of his favorite places, maybe somewhere you guys would go regularly, or maybe even your house?"
Claudio scoffed softly, "He wouldn't dare bring her home while Papà's there."
"Well, that fucking bastard didn't have a problem kidnapping her either, so at this point, I would expect anything from him." Granger nodded in agreement, "I'm with Malfoy on this one."
He shifted uncomfortably and crossed his arms. "Understandable... We have a couple of estates around Europe and papà has recently started investing in Asia. We have two houses in Italy, one in Rome and one in Lake Como. An estate in Monaco, Paris, Geneva, Hong Kong, and Singapore. We've never been to any of the properties in Asia. Papà hasn't even told us which estates he bought. He usually likes to bring us there without prior knowledge of the place so he can get a raw reaction from us. Out of all the estates, he never really liked the one in Monaco. Which makes me wonder, he probably would assume that I wouldn't think he would go there, so he might have purposely brought her to Monaco. However, I know my brother too well and he would never bring her to our estates. It would be too obvious and easy to guess.." He paused and cleared his throat, "When it comes to places he likes, he's always had an obsession with deserted islands. Still, I don't think he brought her to an island. Again, it would be too obvious."
"Yeah, but still we don't know for sure. We can't just simply ignore those places. He might have still brought her to one of your estates or to a deserted island."
" You don't get it," he sighed. "He won't be stupid enough to take her to those places. If I know my brother even a tiny bit, I'm certain that he planned her kidnapping meticulously and with multiple backup plans to match all possible outcomes," he insisted, his arms still crossed against his chest.
"Yeah well if you knew your brother that well then maybe you shouldn't have shown him your stupid countdown. Knowing that he takes games a little too seriously." Granger snapped back.
"I'm with Granger on this one," I added, and she gave an appreciative look.
"You need to report this back to Mcgonagall and the DMLE." She said and Claudio remained quiet, observing the both of us with a smile curled upon his lips.
"You know, despite the whole Mudblood Pureblood thing, you guys wouldn't do too bad together," he suggested in a careless manner.
"What did you just call her?!" Trying to maintain my cool throughout this whole interaction with him was already tempting me hard, and that was the last straw. I looked at Granger for approval and I could see her eyes burning with rage and her fists had turned completely white. She gave me a nod of approval and I instantly hexed him before he could block me.
That wasn't satisfying enough.
So I got physical. Next thing I knew, my fist connected with his jaw. More than once. He was about to hex me when I heard Granger disarm him behind me. His wand landed in her hand, and she snapped it in half.
I held my hand out to her. Granger stared at my extended hand hesitantly for a second, but then took it. I pulled her down to her knees next to me.
"Just do it," I said. Claudio was lying on the stone-cold floor, covered in blood, which started trickling down onto his white shirt. She looked at me, then gave him a good slap on the cheek and sighed, looking satisfied. First Year me, would've never thought the nerdy, know-it-all, bookish girl would ever dare do such a thing. I almost felt proud of her.
The satisfaction we felt was short-lived when a second-year student opened the door and his jaw dropped at the scene in front of him. " Um... McGonagall has requested all three of you in her office now." Before one of us could say anything the kid ran away.
Granger and I stood up, and she fixed her skirt.
"Get the fuck up" I looked at Claudio, who was cursing inaudibly under his breath.
"Did you silence him?" I asked Granger, who was putting her hair in a bun.
"Yeah, right after I disarmed him." I couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Claudio finally managed to get up, and we started walking to Mcgonnogall's office. Five officers with DMLE badges turned to face us when we walked in.
McGonagall was standing near the fireplace. "Ah! Perfect timing, the DMLE officers have just," her eyes went wide, "What happened to your face, Mr. Valentino!?" she exclaimed, looking horrified. He didn't even look like himself anymore, but it was well deserved.
"You're asking the wrong person, professor." he looked at us and I couldn't help but sneer.
McGonagall placed her hands on her sides. "Mr. Malfoy? Miss. Granger?" She was even surprised by herself when she considered Granger capable of doing such a thing, " Care to explain what happened?"
"He asked me to hit him, so I did," I responded and I could hear a scoff coming from one of the Aurors.
"That's not exactly how it went." Jumped in Claudio, wiping his bleeding nose with the back of his hand.
"You calling her a mud-" I didn't continue the word, "You calling her that word was the same thing as saying 'Can you please hit me-"
"Enough" Mcgonnogall cut me off before I could finish, "We will discuss your punishment afterward." She walked towards her desk and took a seat.
"Is there any sign of Cordelia?" I asked before they could say anything.
What seemed like the Lead Auror of the group who sat beside Mcgonnogall's table cleared his throat. "We are unable to disclose any information at this very moment. We first need to ask Mr.Valentino a couple of questions."
Claudio looked surprised, but he tried to hide it. "What do I have to do with this?" he asked with a stern voice.
"You are the person that's closest to him, isn't that right?" the Auror inquired. It was more of a statement than a question.
Claudio tilted his head to face the evening sky through the window. "I suppose you can say that."
"This is a yes or no question. Is there anyone that is closer to your twin brother than you, Mr. Valentino?" insisted the Auror. Claudio sighed, "No."
"Good. Would you please take a seat," the Auror gestured his hand to the seat in front of him.
"I'm good here," Claudio said, and I could see Granger roll her eyes from my peripheral vision.
"Very well," the Auror said through gritted teeth, "Before we start. We have an approved letter from the Head of the DMLE for us to use one dose of Veritaserum for your interrogation, to prevent misinformation. A refusal of this request will make your case worse and raise ongoing suspicion."
"You think I have a part in her capturing?!" Claudio queried. His tone was harsh.
"We are unable to give you an answer until we ask you a couple of questions under the effects of Veritaserum." He insisted. It looked like this was a daily recurring thing for him. He needs to use Veritaserum and people refusing and him continuously repeating his initial request in different formats until they comply and take the dosage. He looked like he could do this the whole day without getting bothered.
"I refuse." Claudio stood firmly and all the DMLE Aurors looked at him irritatedly.
"Claudio, just take the potion. Unless, of course, there's something you're not telling us?" Granger eyed him suspiciously.
"I already told you everything I knew!" Claudio exclaimed.
"Then do the same, but under Veritaserum!" the witch snapped back furiously.
"No-"
The Auror cut him off, "Since you aren't underage anymore if you fail to testify under Veritaserum, you will be sent to Azkaban as an accomplice aiding your twin brother in the kidnapping or potential murder of Cordelia Reinders."
Murder.
My blood went cold at the sound of that word.
Murder.
The energy in the room shifted drastically and everyone remained quiet at the mention of it.
"It is your choice, Mr. Valentino. So, I will ask you one last time to sit down and drink this vial." He took the vial out of his coat's pocket and placed it on the table in front of him.
Claudio still didn't look compelled to do what was asked of him, but eventually gave in and sat down. He reached for the vial and drank it in one gulp.
"You made the right choice." The Auror reassured him, straightening himself on the seat and pressing his palms together in a prayer form, facing Claudio. "What is your full name?"
"Claudio Federico Valentino" he answered, fixing his hair.
"How old are you?"
"17,"
"Where are you from?"
"Capri, Italy,"
"What's your twin brother's name?"
"Akoni Elio Valentino,"
"Did you help Akoni capture, Cordelia Reinders?"
"Yes. We planned it together from the start. The countdown was actually his idea all along," Claudio responded immediately and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his face turning red. Mcgonnogall and Granger gasped, and I was ready to beat the shit out of him. I always knew he had something to do with it. Fucking bastards.
"Why did you kidnap her?" The Auror asked. He didn't even look slightly surprised by his answer. I think he already knew, which makes sense because he interrogates dozens of people a day and after some time, you know who's actually guilty and who's not.
"Because she was distracting Malfoy," he admitted and everyone's eyes were on me now.
"What? What does that even mean?!" I exclaimed.
"You may remain silent while the interrogation goes on, Mr.Malfoy."
"But-" the Auror silenced me with a flick of his wand. Fuck this. How did all this spiral towards me now?
"Why is Mr. Malfoy's distraction a concern for you?"
"He can't be distracted... Lucius Malfoy requested us to keep an eye out on him this year and rid him of all distractions. Our careful observations of Malfoy revealed that his primary focus was Cordelia, so we got rid of her. Well, not get rid of her in that sense. She's safe with Akoni,"
My stomach flipped sharply. Father did what?
I forgot to breathe. I couldn't formulate any words and looked at Granger, who looked as confused as me.
He doesn't even trust me to complete a simple task and has again put people to spy on me like he always did. I should've known. One step ahead of me, like he's always been...
Once again she's suffering there with Akoni, because of me.
"Why can't Mr.Malfoy get distracted?" The lead Auror looked intrigued by the coming revelations.
He didn't answer yet. He was trying to hold back. My chest felt heavy. My heart started pounding until I could feel it in my ears.
This was it.
They were all going to find out. I should just turn myself in and stop this nonsense.
I never deserved to live, anyway.
I started unbuttoning my sleeve and was about to bare my forearm when he spoke again. "We asked him but he said it was confidential."
I exhaled sharply and pulled my sleeve back down which caught Granger's attention. "Are you ok?" she whispered into my ear. I shook my head indicating that I wasn't.
"Have you been in contact with Lucius Malfoy recently? Does he know about the kidnapping?"
"We used to send him monthly reports by owl, but we didn't send him one this month. And no, he doesn't know we took his request this far, therefore he doesn't know about the kidnapping part."
He knows.
"What was your end of the bargain?" the old man asked severely.
Claudio looked at him calmly, "Lucius paid Papà's debts in return."
The Auror nodded in acknowledgment, "I see... Where has Akoni taken, Miss. Reinders?"
"To the abandoned Malfoy's summer estate in Northumberland." I felt like my heart ceased beating.
How did they even know that place? It's where I spent all my summers growing up until father wanted us to stop going there because the area around the estate became too crowded with muggles. I haven't stepped foot in there in nearly ten years...
"How do you know about the abandoned Malfoy Estate?" asked the Auror. How did they even get in there? I know there were wards up. Even though Lucius hated that estate, he would never leave it unguarded.
"It's where we gathered to discuss the terms and conditions of our agreement with Lucius."
"Does Lucius know you took Cordelia to the abandoned estate?"
"No. I already told you that he doesn't know that we kidnapped her, nor that we're using his old estate to hold her captive." Claudio looked almost frustrated.
"How did you break into the estate? Aren't there any wards protecting it?"
"No. We were worried about the same thing at first and I went to check if there were any two weeks ago and surprisingly enough there weren't any. I presume it's because the estate is empty and there isn't anything valuable in its interior." Claudio said, looking down at his feet, almost bored with the interrogation.
"Thank you Mr.Valentino for your cooperation," he looked back at his team of Aurors and gave them a nod. One Auror immediately walked towards Claudio and forced him to stand. I looked at Granger who watched the scene cautiously. "You're being arrested for false imprisonment and complicity. This is necessary to allow the prompt and effective investigation of this offense. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned, something which you later rely on in court, and anything you do say may be given in evidence." He put his arms around his back and the Auror conjured manacles around his wrists.
The team of Aurors led Claudio to the fireplace and the lead Auror turned towards Mcgonnogall, "Thank you for your time," and vanished through the fireplace.
The room was silent.
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Hey Guys! This yesterday was officially the one-year anniversary of this fic! I can't believe it's already been a year... Thank you for all of your endless support. Love you all <3.