𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 | 𝐡. 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝟏𝟎𝟔 - 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲

"𝘼𝙯𝙠𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙣?" 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙈𝙧 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮, looking around the room as everyone seemingly digested what Peter had cried out, "But that's impossible! The Dementors-!"

"May be the only thing stopping her from getting out," said Sirius gravely, "It's almost a perfect hiding spot, you wouldn't think to check for a prisoner in a prison would you, it's too obvious-"

"All the cells are accounted for," said Mr Weasley shaking his head, "We've had to start doubling them up because of all the arrests, he can't be serious-- there is nowhere for her to go."

"If Voldemort was desperate enough to keep her hidden I'm sure he'll have found a way." said Bill, while Remus was pressing a chaste yet loving kiss to his wives lips -- Sirius giving Harry a brief hug whilst James moved to get up from the kitchen counter, Lily holding him in place with a stern grip.

"We'll find her and we'll bring her home." said Sirius, looking at Harry and Gwen as he said so.  "Arthur, double the charms on the Burrow, i suspect that they'll send reinforcements to any known location if she has managed to get far. Lock the doors, and do not open them for anyone but us -- and double check that it is us too, ask us something only we would know."

Without another moment spared, the duo apparated into the night.

Harry's heart hadn't settled from it's thrumming.

In one word his world had simultaneously collapsed in on itself whilst being given a breath of life, there was nothing that could describe how harrowing the mere thought of Ophelia being trapped in Azkaban for months -- the fact his eyes had scanned that word alone a thousand times in the newspaper -- like some sort of cruel twisted joke that the answer to his most desperate question had been right in front of him the entire time.

His mind was unable to process any more information in that moment, nothing was more important than that word, the place, it's meaning -- it winded him, struck him of his words, of his thoughts and pained him the longer he thought of it.

Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban.  Azkaban.  Azkaban. Azkaban.  Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban. Azkaban.

"Harry! Harry, deep breaths for me -- please darling, Gwen!" his mum's voice was drifting in and out of his mind, he couldn't hear anything over the roar of his thoughts howling between his ears. "Baby, please breathe for me, it's going to be okay -- they'll find her, she'll be home soon-- he's burning up... come on, oh no! James! Help me get him off of the floor!"

Ron's face was upside down, as was Ginny's and Gwen's. Someone was pressing something very cold to his forehead and it was rolling back into his hair and into his ears, he could feel a familiar white hot pain shooting through his head -- Voldemort -- Ron was shouting something, so was Ginny -- the next thing he knew, he was completely drenched but he was wide awake.

He shot right up, like he had been electrocuted -- his father was standing there with an empty bucket in his free uninjured hand looking rather pale -- Ron rubbed his soaking back, asking him quickly, a little too quickly, questions that he didn't quite catch.

"What?" Harry said hoarsley.

"What did you see?" asked Ron impatiently, "What did Voldemort show you?"

"Nothing... I didn't see anything, he was just there..." Harry gasped, clutching his forehead which felt as though it may split open. "He knows about her, he knows she's gone—"