Tales from the Auror Office

Alexis and Astra

October 13th, 2022

The dark water lapped against the side of the ferry, reminding me of the boat I had taken home from my gap year, almost five years ago now. It was cold then too, but nothing compared to the unnatural chill I felt creeping down my back now. I looked over at Elinor and Seb, who were both beginning to shiver as well, before casting my gaze across the dark sea. Even in the middle of the day, the magic kept the air shrouded in mist while the sun was strangely nowhere to be seen. It seemed like there was never a good time to visit Azkaban, but I suppose that's because of the dementors.

Also, it's a prison - which isn't exactly meant to be a tourist destination. Luckily (or unluckily, I suppose), we had all been here at least once before. As we saw the shore nearing, we all cast out a blue glow and watched as our patronuses encircled the ferry. I hefted my bag onto my shoulder and prepared to disembark, a heavy feeling on my chest.

Seb led the way. Unlike the times before when I had been here, the entrance was empty and quiet. Not a single caretaker was around, but the security desk guard buzzed us in through the entrance. I glanced upward at the towering gloom before striding in after my companions.

"How's it been, Shaun?" Seb greeted the guard as we walked up to present our identification as aurors.

"Just waitin' 'til I can swap out for another post, nothin' else to it," the middle-aged wizard responded. He had a voice as rough as his scraggly beard. "Ya got this week's mail delivery, don'tcha?"

Seb produced a package from his bag and motioned to the letters that Elinor and I were now brandishing. "Yes, sir - all cleared by the Department, of course." Shaun nodded, taking the paperwork Seb handed over.

"And she-" Seb pointed to me, "-has got one for special delivery, so she'll be needing the cell key."

I presented the letter that Harry had given me over to the guard. He quickly scanned it, disappeared into a back room, then came back to hand me a dull brass key sitting on a thin ring. A tag with the number "231" hung from it by a dingy looking bit of twine.

We thanked Shaun then headed through the doors into the actual cell block, all keeping our wands close at hand, anticipating the marked chill from the presence of dementors. Sure enough, when we hit the fourth floor, the unnatural coldness began to overwhelm again.

"Are you sure you're good to go alone?" Elinor checked again as we stopped at the corridor where I was to branch off. We had already dropped off the majority of the deliveries on the first few floors but now remained the hardest of the bunch.

I shrugged. "I think so. It should be fairly straightforward. And our job will be done a lot faster if you two take care of the other packages in the meantime."

She pursed her lips. "Okay, if you say so," she eyed the corridor nervously. "Seb and I will try to be quick."

As I parted ways with my friends, I once again cast expecto patronum. There weren't as many dementors patrolling this particular portion of the floor but I immediately felt the warmth when the glowing blue abraxan flew up beside me.

It wasn't long before I came to a door marked 231. I knocked lightly then sent my patronus in to hopefully warm up the space. Taking the key from my pocket, I unlocked the door and stepped inside gingerly. A sunken, disheveled man sat in the opposite corner, leaning against the wall. Apparently someone had given him a hair tie at some point as his dirty hair was bunched up into a messy bun at the back of his head. It was a sad sight, seeing a broken man staring straight ahead with a blank look. I locked the door behind me.

Gradually, I watched as the prisoner's pale blue eyes began to warm until he recoiled at the sight of the ethereal winged horse in the small room. His gaze then swiveled to me with scrunched eyebrows. "Who are you?" he managed, sitting up a bit straighter.