Adeline
"We're hiding because you're wanted Adeline—wanted dead." He spoke with caution as he continuously brought his lips to the coffee cup to mask his nervousness.
"By who?" I furrowed my brows allowing my eyes to form into slits as i let the heat of my tea warm my fingers I knew who. I just needed to hear it again, ensure I heard it right that my own father wanted to kill his daughter.
"By Lucius Malfoy and" he began to wince "father."
He watched as I pulled out a notepad and a quill from my bag, rolling his eyes at my need to analyse everything. "Don't roll eyes at me Jay, this isn't time for it!" I spat as I slipped my notepad back into my bag, mental notes were sufficient.
"Okay fine, sorry." He sighed as the muscles in his neck seemed to tense a little tighter.
"Why?" that was the big money bag question, why.
He sighed a harsh breath as he looked down at the mixture of caffeine swirling steadily inside his mug. "For freedom."
"Huh?" I knitted my brows in confusion as I leant back against the back of the wooden chair.
"He's greedy for another life, a different outcome. The woman he brought here" — he inhaled deeply as if preparing for what he was going to say next — "it wasn't just her that he would bring...it was their children as well." I gasped "mother obliviated father and the woman's memory of this house, but that didn't stop their meetings outside of this place." I could see his fingertips turning white as he digged his tips into the wooden table.
"But what does that mean for me, surely he can't want me dead over an affair Jay?"
"Adeline mother is dead, rethink why. Why he didn't die in that crash. Why I was suddenly shipped off to military school." He tensed with every word.
My brain began to tick like clockwork, the hands spun around the face of the clock in my brain as the hands finally clicked at twelve. "To free himself" I gasped as I brought my lips to fingers.
He nodded slowly as his jaw clenched in grimace of Lumin Roberts. "H-he wanted us all gone, so he could live a new life with his new children and new girlfriend." I clocked on as my heart threatened to crumble a little more inside of my chest, pieces tumbling to my stomach as they transfigured into dull aches of pain.
"He framed his death in that car crash because he needed everyone to know he was supposedly dead, new identity, new country, new children, new home, new wife. He'd planned it all...slowly but surely, it's taken him years for it to work out exactly as he wants but you are the last sector to his plan." Jays eyes laid firmly on his fingers that drummed against the table, one movement of his deep hazels and they would've threatened to break right in front of me.
"And Lucius? Where does he fit into all of this?" I questioned with my eyes glaring into my clenched fists.
"He is simply helping a friend, Lucius thrives off of power. The feelings of having that much control that he can simply click his fingers and stop a beating heart. He revels in it. He's twisted like that, Lucius always despised our family...apart from Father. He disliked the way we apparently tied down Lumin from his full potential." His watery eyes excited as anger blurred his vision, fighting to control his temper as he began to grind his teeth together.
After a few minutes of claustrophobic silence i rubbed at my temples in attempt to ease the thumping that threatened my skull to shatter into shards.
I inhaled a large breathe and exhaled deeply "do you know about the images I've been seeing?"
"Yes."
"How? How do you know any of this Jay?"
"It came directly from his mouth." then he finally looked at me "from Lumin's mouth himself." He braced himself for my response as he sat upright in his seat.
"What? How? Why?" I frantically questioned attempting to process what he'd just told me.
"He was allowed visitation to the school, he'd made a deal with the colonel. Money was dealt, lots of it. He paid colonel Lance Pershing to keep me locked inside the school and then to take me straight into the supposed army, never to be seen again." Water was brewing on his hazels as the salty tears threatened to slip.
"He was allowed unsupervised visitations" he grimaced at his sentence and clenched his eyes at the memories that seemed to be flooding his head. I placed my palm over the back of his hand "it's okay, you can talk to me or not talk at all, I understand this is difficult for you as much as it is for me Jayden." I reassured as he opened his teary eyes to look back at me, nodding in acceptance.
"At these unsupervised visitations he would inform me of all his plans, inform me of how he'd finally be free and fresh. Inform me of everything, everything that happened, is happening and was going to happen. And then he'd—he'd leave me cold and damaged on the floor of the meeting rooms to ensure I didn't speak a word." I gasped at the crude, vile and unspeakable behaviour of Lumin Roberts. I ran my thumb over his knuckles in a soothing motion as I reassured that he was free now.
We sat in a few more minutes of silence as we let the remainder of our drinks go cold from chilly breeze that drifted through the cracks in the cottage.
"So what about the images?" I questioned unable to contain my self control any longer.
He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he prepared to give off more information.
"It Theodore Nott." he spoke wearily.
"What!" I exclaimed as I shot up from my chair, allowing the wood on the four legs to scrape against the floorboards as if in extra affect to my shock.
"After he had his little encounter with Bellatrix they thought he was the perfect use to their plan." His jaw clenched at his words as my chest heaved in panic.
"They've been torturing him and holding him in imprisonment within the basement of the Malfoy manor, they've been using Legilimency on you. They know you're smart and it wouldn't of took you long to figure it out and walk right into their trap." He sighed.
"Well merlin Jay why the hell are we just sitting her for god sakes!" I exclaimed as i paced back and forth in he kitchen dragging my fingers against my scalp.
"We need to plan Adeline, we can't just fucking walk in their all guns blazing like we're something out of James Bond. We need to find entrances, escape routes et cetera."
I sighed as I slumped back into my chair with determination lacing my eyes and fear. "Then let's start now!" I demanded as I slammed the tip of my finger into the table, speaking through gritted teeth.
"You realise how much risk you are in if we go into that manor Ade?" He asked as he clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly.
"I couldn't give two fucks Jay!" I spat as i crinkled my brows "Theo is in that fucking basement, dying day by day, minute by minute, second by fucking second and you expect me to sit here and save myself instead of him. That poor boy, beaten and screaming everyday. We start now. We plan now Jay!" I spat as I gasped for a breath with my finished demand.
He gave me a firm nod "Then that is what we shall do."
Draco
"I—what is going on guys?" Eve stuttered as we spoke with flushed expression and need.
"Just tell us Evelyn!" I spat as we looked deep into our sisters eyes, she didn't offer a second question as she glared into the seriousness delved within my eyes.
"She informed me of a cottage that they'd visit almost every summer in her childhood."
"Where?" I questioned as I slammed my palms on the table she sat at. My lips in a tight line as my mouth drew dry and sticky.
"She mentioned that it was in a town called Kelso on the Scottish Borders. She informed me that if I was to ever visit it isn't hard to find as it's the only cottage within the rural woods of the town." she rushed her response as she grew nervous from our piercing gaze.
"Can I now know what the fuck is going on guys!" She spat as she stood firmly in front of us. She showed complete resemblance of myself as her blue depths pierced into mine.
"Just stay here Eve, Please just listen to me for fucking once in your life. I'll explain everything soon." I spoke as she slumped her shoulders in defeat at my towering posture.
"Let's go." I ordered to kol as I cocked my head towards the door, we both walked strongly in sync with nothing but determination to find her lacing our minds.
We headed towards apparition point.
Adeline
Draco slipped my mind as the rush to help Theo ran like a drug through my veins, pumping at my Adrenaline with spurts of pure determination.
We'd announced the plan and spoke over it repeatedly to ensure everything was correct.
"So the garden elves go on a break for ten minutes every day at 5:50pm, that should give us enough time to slip through that small gap in the hedge"—he slammed the pad of his finger onto the layout of the manor sprawled out on the table—"that perimeters the manor." I nodded my head strongly as I chewed at my lip looking down at the layout with concentrated brows and my palms supporting me on the table.
"Then we walk against the wall to the back entrance that leads to the kitchens, the elves leave it open for their ten minute break to allow air into the kitchen." He informed me again as we both stood in pure concentration for the plan.
"Then we slide through that small door in the corner on the back wall of the kitchen which leads us to a tunnel connecting the kitchens directly to the dungeons." I spoke as I rubbed my chin waiting for his nod of agreement.
He nodded and I gulped. "Then we slip past the corridor of cells as we reach a side door to our right, that door then leads us to the stairs to the basement and that is where Theo shall be."
"We need to be approximately forty five minutes as the elves go on their second five minute break at 6:35pm at that time we will be back in the kitchen ready to slip back through the doors." He informed me as I gulped sticky saliva down my throat.
This was risky, no guarantee it would work. But I'd rather die than know I did nothing to help Theodore Nott.
"Only then when Theo is at safety will we work on what to do about Lumin and Lucius." I spoke as Jay nodded his head at me, we had a plan and it will fucking work.
We prepared to apparate to the manor for precisely 5:45pm allowing us enough time to slip around the perimeter of the hedge towards the back of the manor.
I showered allowing the warm droplets of heaven to seep into my skin and relax my muscles.
I slipped away from the water as I cast a drying spell and transfigured myself an outfit. Tight black trousers and a tight long sleeved top. I slicked my hair back into a tight ponytail as the ends of my hair tickled my middle back. I inhaled deeply as I took in my appearance, looking as if I was a part of a mafia.
It was 5:40 as I gave myself one last word of reassurance "brave" is all I whispered as I closed my eyes and clenched my fists.
I sped down the stairs to be met with the sight of Jay waiting for me at the table as he spoke up "ready?"
"Ready." I replied with a firm nod.