Thanks for the feedback, I'm going to have some time to work on chapters this weekend! So I will get writing! I hope you like this chapter. Finally they're out that cellar! Haha
Chapter Thirteen
"Jake," I said in disbelief as I hugged him tightly. I felt my eyes begin to burn with tears. I didn't know where he was. He could have been hurt or even killed. But he was here now and he was safe. "What month is it?" I asked quickly. I felt like I had been down there for years. I was more than positive that I would have been killed if we stayed there any longer. I stepped away from our hug but was hesitant to look up at anyone, I can't imagine what I might look like right now.
"March," Jake said stepping back. It was March...we were taken on Christmas day. For over three months we were trapped down in a basement. No wonder I felt so awful. "I didn't know when I'd see you again!" He pulled me back into a hug once more. I haven't seen Jake since August first, the day of Fleur and Bill's wedding.
"Come on," Fleur said in her strong French accent. She walked over towards me with a small smile. "You don't look too well, let me show you to your room." Thanks for pointing that out Fleur...but she was right. I didn't feel too good.
"I'll talk to you later," Jake said to me and I nodded. I did feel tired and weak. I followed Fleur up the tiny staircase and she let me too the room on the end of the hall. There were two very small twin beds set up, but in my opinion it looked like heaven. An actual bed. Not a stone cold floor like I have been sleeping on. Veronica was lying sound asleep in one of them.
"How is she?" I asked Fleur.
"Not too good," she responded strongly in her thick tone. "She will survive, but will be sick for few days." I nodded and Fleur handed me a pile of clothes, "'ere. You probably want to clean up." I took the clothes and thanked her before walking off to the bathroom. Taking a shower made me the happiest person alive at the moment. I haven't taken a shower in months, how disgusting was that? I didn't even look in the mirror before I hopped in. I was afraid what I would see. I'm sure my face was covered in dirt and my hair would have been greasy and wild.
Stepping out I quickly dressed, then I turned to look in the mirror. I looked terrible. It caused me to gasp. I couldn't imagine what I may have looked like before. My blonde hair looked to be about five inches longer and thankfully it was wet, otherwise I couldn't imagine how out of control it may have been. And my skin...I looked as pale as my siblings. My skin was white, then again I hadn't seen the sun in months. My brown eyes were dark, wide, and dilated. The bones in my neck were defined, even my face looked to be skinnier. I didn't look too healthy, I turned my head away and went to lie down in the bed. Next to it was a remedy left to help me get better quickly, I drank it before falling into what was finally a good sleep.
That night Draco had popped into my dreams. When I woke up I couldn't remember exactly what had happened, but I remember Draco being there. I wonder what he was doing at the moment. What had happened after we left? I wondered if he was okay, you never know with the Death Eaters. I wonder if Silvius is okay? So many thoughts began to run through my head it was giving me a headache. I sat up and it was completely bright outside. I had to squint my eyes until they could become adjusted. At least we were by the cool ocean, beautiful scenery. Veronica began to come around. "Nica," I said standing up and walking over to her. "Nica, how are you feeling?"
She looked even thinner than I did, the bones in her face were defined. Dark circles under her eyes, like she hadn't slept in years. "Carlie," she said in a low tone. "Alright, I guess." She paused for a moment. "We're alive." It looked like her eyes were beginning to get watery. "I was almost sure we-we would be..." She didn't have to finish it. I knew what she meant, she thought we'd be dead by now too.
"We're just lucky I guess," I added and shrugged. There's no other explanation. We're lucky. Either one of us could have been killed, or both would have been killed back at Malfoy Manor. We could have even ended up like Dobby did, but we didn't. We were just lucky. "Want to come downstairs?" I asked her.
She shook her head, "I don't feel too well." I nodded and told her I'd send Fleur up with more remedies for her, hopefully she'll heal soon. I know Veronica, and I know that she'll hate if she misses anything.
Walking downstairs, I told Fleur and she quickly began mixing things together. It seemed as though everyone was outside, except for Jake who was sitting on the porch. "Hi," I said coming around the corner. He smiled widely at me as I sat down next to him.
"Feeling better?" he asked me and I nodded. Then his face darkened. "I can't believe what happened...Carlie, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you. We couldn't find you-"
"Don't be," I said. "It wasn't your fault, it could have happened to anyone. There wasn't anything we could do about it."
"What did they do?" he asked darkly, meaning what happened to us at Malfoy Manor.
"Nothing too severe," I said wanting to just forget about it. "We're here aren't we?" I laughed, but he didn't think it was too funny. "Mostly, they just locked us down in the basement." He shook his head in anger.
"I can't believe..." he trailed off in dark thought.
"There you are," someone said coming around the corner. Standing there just as petite as before was Monique, she smiled at the two of us. "Carlie," she said happily. "I'm so glad to see you're alright!" I smiled back at her.
What I liked about Monique was she wasn't fake, and didn't have that jealous tone many of the girls who liked Jake had. She understood that Jake and I were strictly friends and knew I had no intention of stealing him from her. "Do you guys want breakfast? Fleur and I just finished cooking," Monique said and we both stood up. She was Fleur's best friend, no wonder the two of them were here.
After breakfast, Jake and Monique had to go meet with the Order for a bit now that they were permanent members. Veronica still hadn't gotten out of her bed, in time she would though. In order to get fresh air, I stepped outside and felt the fresh breeze of the ocean air. At the moment it was the most amazing thing, fresh air and actually light. The ocean had always been a favorite of mine. I took a seat in the soft sand and just looked out at to the ocean. "Can I join you?" Harry said coming up from behind me.
"Sure," I said as he sat down. "I haven't even got the chance to have a normal conversation with you." The only time I spoke with him was in Malfoy Manor. "I'm sorry about Dobby."
"Me too," Harry said looking down. I knew Dobby was very important to him, Dobby saved his life. Dobby actually saved all of our lives. I only wish I had known him better. "How long were you at Malfoy Manor?" Harry changed the subject quickly. "The last time I saw you was the wedding."
"We were found on Christmas day," I said to him looking down. What a terrible way to spend Christmas.
"Wow," Harry responded. "That is a long time. What happened before that?"
"Well," I began, I didn't know if he would like what he was going to hear but I wasn't going to lie. Harry had to know the truth about everything. "Veronica and I were planning on going to the Ministry, when Draco found us." Harry's face darkened but I continued, "He stopped us saying it was flooded with Death Eaters, so he had came to save us." Harry gave a cruel laugh, I know he hated Draco. I know he hated the fact that I was even involved with Draco, like almost all of my friends.
"How did he find you, now that you're done with him?" I looked away, alright so I wasn't going to tell Harry everything, especially not that I had practically forgiven Draco.
"Um, he was tracking me from my earring," I explained. That part Harry may need to know, because what if the Death Eaters use that tactic on others. That could be dangerous. Harry looked at me wide eyed, he must be thinking the same thing. "Of course, Draco's was harmless. He was just being his usual self. I think Lucius must have found the book that held my location, that is how he found us." Harry nodded.
"I'll have to tell the Order, that's a dangerous use of magic. An earring...any of us could be tracked," Harry said paranoid. I nodded, they could be.
"So are you going to tell me what you've been up too?" I asked nudging him. "After I just told you everything?" Harry looked at me and nodded before telling me everything. They've been on a hunt for Horcruxes, parts of Voldemort's soul. They needed to destroy them all if they even wanted a chance at destroying Voldemort. If that was me, I wouldn't know where to begin. I'd be hopeless. It seemed like a risky journey, but at least they already had a few down and a few left. Now apparently they were planning on breaking into Gringotts, because of what Bellatrix Lestrange had said at Malfoy Manor. They were going to break into her vault. Usually, I would have asked to go with them and try to help, but I wanted to stay out of the action for the moment and help in other ways. Veronica was still ill, and I wasn't going to leave without her. They were leaving soon, but the less people they had the better and less suspicious.
When I went back up to my bed that night, Veronica was wide awake, reading a book. "What are you reading?" I asked her looking at it.
"The Tale of Three Brothers," Nica said.
"Oh I've read that," I said to her. It was in my family's library at home. "You haven't read it before? It's a classic." She looked over at me, but I could tell something was up.
"I have," she answered, "But now I see the meaning as to why it was written."
"It's a children's tale," I said to her.
"No," she responded. "Hermione gave it to me. There's a hidden meaning, I understand now. I've seen the symbol before." I walked over and sat down in the chair next to her. She pointed to the corner in the book where there was a triangle drawn with a circle and line running down the middle.
"What does it mean?" I asked looking at it closely, I think I've seen if before, but I didn't know where.
"The deathly hallows," Veronica said. "The triangle for the cloak of invisibility, the circle for the resurrecting stone, and the line for the elder wand, which is undefeatable. Whoever gets a hold of it, will have the power."
"What does this mean?" I asked her.
"It's what Hermione believes the Dark Lord is after, the elder wand."