—CHAPTER 11—
Azkaban
Albus woke with a dull throbbing in his head with his right side pressed against ice-cold stone. There was an eerie sadness and an air of despair that was cast around the location and in a weak attempt to escape, he sat up straight, trying to scramble to his feet but failing, collapsing onto the stone again as a chill flew past him.
‘Al,’ a soft voice said hoarsely. Albus glanced to his side to see Jessica separated from him by bars. He gasped when he saw a large gash across her cheek and she smiled. ‘It’s nothing. I tried to escape.’
‘W...where are we?’ Albus stammered. Jessica sighed, leaning against the bars. ‘Azkaban. When the Ministry found out about Lockwood’s curse on me, they threw us in here. How they found out beats me but they reckon from here, I can’t hurt anyone. I don’t know why you’re here though.’
‘I’ll tell you in a sec...are those dementors?’
Jessica nodded. ‘It’s no use knowing how to cast a patronus without having a wand. Now please tell me what’s going on!’
Albus grimaced and chewed on his bottom lip. It was dry and his sharp teeth shot a pain through his mouth. He noticed a small jug of water and lunged for it, carefully drinking as small an amount as he could.
‘Al,’ Jessica said again. ‘Tell me.’
Slowly, Albus leaned back against the stone wall and told Jessica what had happened from the that day in the Room of Requirement forth. He watched as horror and fear filled her eyes and eventually, when he finished, she looked like she was about to faint. ‘So. I have to die.’
Albus nodded.
‘You have to be the one to kill me.’
Another nod.
‘Right.’
Silence.
Suddenly, Albus clapped his hand to his chest with a yelp, pulling his necklace away from him.
‘What’s that?’ Jessica asked. Albus held the necklace by the strings. The small, gold piece that resembled a galleon, was shining...it was also extremely hot. Albus carefully examined it to find the words Look out for us engraved onto the coin before they disappeared. Moments later, three names appeared. Ro, Max and Mel and then we’re coming for you.
Jessica suddenly sat up straight, closing her eyes, curling her hand around one of the bars until her knuckles turned white.
‘Jess?’ Albus asked anxiously. ‘Jessica! What’s wrong?’
‘L...Lockwood....’ Jessica said through gritted teeth. ‘...trying to....get...into my ...head...he’s coming to Hogwarts...tonight!’
‘But we’re not there!’ Albus gasped. ‘Everyone’s just going to get hurt!’
‘Well,’ Jessica said, breaking out of the seemingly painful state she’d been in. ‘We have to be there, don’t we. And you have to do it and you know it.’
Albus swallowed, feeling saliva accumulate in his mouth. He gulped it down, forcing himself not to show Jessica how scared he really was. And then, they waited.
*
Albus drifted off to sleep after an hour. His eyes were heavy and his head was still throbbing. When he woke, it was from a kick to his leg. Opening one eye, Albus saw Max, Mel and Ro standing before them. The bars that separated Jessica and Albus were broken.
‘Get to your feet and do everything I say,’ Ro said quietly. ‘The Dementors can’t hear us, they can only feel our presence. Albus, hug Max. Jessica, hug Mel.’
Wordlessly, the four teens carried out their instructions.
‘While hugging, turn so that Albus is where Max was and Jessica is where Mel was.’
They did. Albus shuffled his feet around so that Max was standing where he had been and he was standing in line with Ro. Jessica and Mel had swapped positions as well.
‘Good,’ Ro said. ‘All the dementors needed was a boy and a girl about the same size to arrive with me and a boy and a girl about the same size to leave with me. Mel and Max will break out of Azkaban later to help us fight. Max has been going through some physiotherapy to regain his strength in his leg so he can walk and run. For now, Albus, Jess, you have to go to the forest as quickly as you can.’ Ro gestured to the unconscious human guards who were there to prevent dementors from doing as they wished.
‘You see,’ Ro said, ‘the brooms and the wands are designed specially for the guards. The only spell you can cast with the wands is a patronus and these brooms are faster than any internationally ranked Quidditch broom you’ll ever find. These are for the sole purpose of getting away from dementors. Get these guards’ wands and brooms and fly to Hogwarts now. Lockwood is already on his way, we’ve picked up a track on him.’
Albus nodded. ‘Thank you,’ he said, turning to Max and Mel. ‘I...’
‘Look you can have a teary thank you tomorrow if you’re still alive,’ Ro snapped. ‘Hurry up!’
Albus pushed past Ro, grabbed Jessica’s arm and snatched a broom and a wand. Making sure Jessica had done the same, he kicked off the stone edge of Azkaban and zoomed into the evening sky. Dementors noticed the unusual behaviour and started to surround them.
‘On three,’ Albus said breathlessly. ‘One, two, three...’
‘Expecto Patronum!’ they both yelled. Great beams of silver animals flew out of the tips of their wand, pushing the dementors away from them. Without a second thought, Albus flew forwards, flying faster than he ever had in his life.
*
Nearly an hour later, unable to control his broom, Albus hurled into the ground, lucky not to crash into a tree. The sky was dark and the chirping and purring of the night animals was easily audible. The reality of his task was becoming more and more clear and Albus knew it from the thumping of his heart and the twisting of his gut. There was a shout and James hurried up to them, giving Albus his own wand, saying they’d stolen it from the Ministry when they took it. It hadn’t been broken yet. More people asked him if he was going to do it. Albus barely heard most of it. He just saw Jessica looking tiredly at him. He could see in her face that she wanted it all over...but she was terrified of the prospect of death. Hell, Albus was terrified of the prospect of killing her!
‘Come on Al,’ Dimitri said gently. ‘You’ve got to do it before Lockwood...’
‘Gets here, yeah I know, okay!’ Albus burst out, rounding on his best friend. ‘I think I know what I have to do! But if you’re so cool with doing it, why don’t we pretend to be each other and you yell out Avada Kedavra at your best friend!’
‘I didn’t mean it like that...’ Dimitri said with a sigh. He was about to say more but he held it back. Jessica pulled Albus aside. ‘Look,’ she said, fear clouded in her eyes. ‘I need you to do this. He’s ruining my life. I don’t remember half of his year! It’s terrifying me! I get nightmares, I’m not myself, I don’t get to be with you and remember all the good times we might be having! I’m not gaining any knowledge from class...my entire family is here, with me for the first time in years and I don’t even remember most of my time with them! Albus...this curse is tearing me apart. You killing me might hurt you for a very long time but it will save my life as well as hundreds of other lives that Lockwood could end in the future, including those of the people we care about. Please, do this. If not for you, then for me!’
‘I...I can’t,’ Albus said. ‘I’m scared!’ He hadn’t confessed it before but now that he had, he regretted it. He was revealing his one and only fear. Lockwood would be able to use it against him. Jessica suddenly shuddered and she gasped in a breath. ‘He’s on his way. Albus...do exactly as I say, please.’
Albus, tears already brimming in his eyes, nodded.
‘Okay.’ She shook again and Albus could see her trying to fight off the deceiver inside of her. She breathed in heavily. ‘Back away from me until you’re at that tree that you hit during Quidditch training last year.’
‘Y...you remember that?’ Albus asked, trembling. Jessica just smiled bravely. ‘Now, relax. Pretend that you don’t have to do this. It’s not going to happen.’
Albus couldn’t. Because he couldn’t pretend. He did have to do this. It was going to happen.
‘Now lift up your wand and point it at me.’
His arm shaking to an extend he never thought possible, Albus lifted his hand so that his wand was pointing straight at Jessica. She swallowed, tears now shining in her bright blue eyes too. ‘Albus,’ she said, her voice strong and clear despite the evident fear on her face. ‘Al, do what I say.’
Albus shook his head. ‘I...’
‘Just do it. Albus...say it. Avada Kedavra. Say it and it’ll all be over.’ But then, just as she was about to say something else, her eyes rolled, her shoulders shook, her hair flew out behind her and as she looked back at Albus, her skin was cold, her eyes were bright red and a cold, evil smile was on her face. She was the deceiver.