My Godfather

Chapter XXXIX: The Locket

Azkaban was a cold, dark and desolate place. The only sound that one could hear was painful cries of anguish, fear and sometimes hysterical laughter. The approaching chill that the dementors brought with them was the only sign the prisoners received before they were engulfed by the cold and seemingly never ending darkness. Helpless wails carried thorough the walls every now and then.

Sometimes, one of the prisoners would lose it completely and start banging their heads against the cell, screaming hopelessly. An auror would drag them away and bring that person back to their cell a few hours later. That poor prisoner had been successfully subdued, if only temporarily.

One of Azkaban's newer residents, Lucius Malfoy drew his knees to his chest and clutched himself tightly. The chill that surrounded the entire area was limitless. It never stopped. The dementors came by his cell every few days and all he could do was pray that they'd go away soon. He'd scream and beg for them to leave. But, they seemed to enjoy tormenting him.

He didn't remember much of his first day here. A pair of aurors had escorted him to his cell. On the way, he'd passed several known faces: Rabastan Lestrange, Amycus Carrow, Barty Crouch Jr. and even his wife's sister: Bellatrix Lestrange. That woman was completely insane. He'd seen her licking the bars of her cell. All of his former associates were nothing more than flesh and bones. Pale flesh clung to their bones, their faces were gaunt with haunted eyes.

The first few days had been horrible. He wasn't sure how long he'd been in here. It felt like years. But, it was probably just weeks. Azkaban had reduced him to nothing more than a whimpering mess. He cried, sometimes he would scream, but he was mostly silent. He wondered how Black had survived in this place for a whole decade.

He was innocent. You're not.

As he thought about the other prisoners, he wondered if he'd also turn insane like them. As far as he could remember, Bella had always been a crazy bitch. Sometimes, a small strip of sunlight would dimly illuminate his cell. He'd rush towards it and try and take in as much warmth as possible.

He heard his cell door being opened and cautiously lifted his head. "Nice to see you, Malfoy. How's it going?" He ignored the taunts from the Auror, refusing to acknowledge him. Phillip McNally— the auror who patrolled this particular floor— stepped inside, accompanied by another auror. "Looking absolutely peachy, mate." His overtly cheerful nature made Malfoy want to hurl. He was probably the only bloke who could smile in Azkaban.

Unable to bear their voices anymore, he glowered at them. "What do you want?" He snapped. "He's new here, isn't he? Hasn't gone crazy... yet." The other man spoke. "Yeah. Give him a couple of months. Come on, mate. You're in for a real treat today." The two aurors approached him and smirked. "Were taking a little field trip today."

Field trip? As in out of Azkaban? "W-What?" How was that possible? Had Narcissa pulled some strings?

"Don't start looking too happy, Malfoy. The boss has some questions for you." He didn't have time to ask anything else. The two men grabbed an arm each and roughly yanked him into a standing position.

Boss? Why did Scrimgeour want to see him? "Scrimgeour? Why?"

"Not Scrimgeour, you dolt! Keep up with the times! That old man retired recently. A new Head was selected. Come along now! Scrimgeour was an old softie. He didn't push much. But this guy is headstrong, brilliant but downright terrifying when he's mad. Wouldn't want to piss him off."

Headstrong and terrifying. Only one name popped into Malfoy's mind.

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