Chapter 10
You wake as the sun spills through the window, spilling it’s heat across the scratchy blankets on the bed and warming the small room. You open your eyes, wincing in the bright light before looking around your cell in the light of a new day.
It’s bigger than you thought, and a desk with a chair sits against the wall opposite the bed. The door remains shut, it’s massive lock holding it in place, and you’re certain a dozen spells keep it locked as well.
You move to your knees, looking out of the window to see the surroundings in the light. You and Severus were right about the water, and your room looks over a massive, churning sea. The hillside is grassy with no trees in sight.
Even if you managed to escape, there’s nowhere to hide outside of the building.
You sigh as you flop back down onto the bed, closing your eyes as you gingerly release your hold on the wall around your mind. Severus’ familiar, warm presence comes rushing in, and you exhale in relief as it wraps around your consciousness.
There you are. He pushes to you, an edge of panic in his falsely calm voice. I had begun to think she somehow shielded us.
You wrap your arms around yourself, turning over in the bed.
No, I just couldn’t bear to be with you yet. You push back. Not while she was around.
You imagine him nodding, his brown eyes locking with yours as he does.
I understand. He answers. Are you okay? What happened?
You pull the blanket up over you, imagining it’s the thick quilt on the bed in the apartment above the classroom instead of the scratchy white blanket in the cold cell.
An elf led me to a room upstairs, and I’ve been alone in here ever since. You tell him. Is Nova okay? Are you home?
You imagine Nova in her crib, her small, pink hands gripping the bars as she presses up onto her toes to look at you and Severus with a sweet smile.
Yes, we’re at Hogwarts, she’s sleeping now. He tells you gently. I’ve told Dumbledore everything, we’re trying to come up with a plan to come get you.
You nod, as if he can see you.
Be careful. You tell him softly. I’ll see what I can find around here, and I’ll tell you anything I can.
You swear you can almost hear him sigh, his anxiety at the idea of waiting to come get you radiating through the bond. Footsteps up the stairs causes you to startle, and you turn towards the door as you sit up.
Someone is coming. You tell him. Please don’t do anything stupid. I love you.
He laughs shortly.
You don’t. He answers, his anxiety only building. I’ll be there soon. I love you.
You don’t close the walls this time, simply pushing it to the back of your mind as you take a deep breath, preparing yourself for whoever may walk through the door before you. You exhale, but only slightly as the small elf from the night before swings the door open, looking at you with his wide, yellow eyes.
“Mistress says you must come.” He says gruffly, looking down at his feet.
You nod, standing up and following him through the door. He leads you back down the winding twist of stairs to a smaller dining area than the one you sat in the night before. You sit at the end of the table, looking into the small fireplace as you wait for your mother to join you.
Moments later, the door opens, and she enters the room with a smug grin plastered onto her lips.
“Morning sunshine.” She says, kicking her chair away from the table as she looks at you. “Sleep good?”
You nod as she sits down, not daring to look into her eyes.
“Right then.” She says, waving the elf back over. “Eat up.”
The elf brings her a plate of food before setting one in front of you as well. It looks similar to whatever you had last night, some form of grey-ish porridge.
“What are we doing?” You ask, choking down a slimy spoonful of the food.
She takes a spoonful from her own bowl, swallowing hard before looking at you.
“I’m going to meet with friends.” She says flatly. “You’re staying here with the elves.”
You slam your spoon down onto the table, sending the slop in the bowl sloshing against the sides.
“Why am I even here?” You shout across the table. “What is the point of this? Let me go!”
Your mother just laughs dryly, standing up and looking down at you as she brushes her hands against the black fabric of her skirt.
“Oh darling, our fun has just begun.” She says with a grin. “I’ll be home soon, don’t you dare try to escape, the house will harm you far more than I would.”
You stand too, stepping towards her, but she disappears before you even have the chance to think about what you’d do if you grabbed her. You collapse onto the floor, tears streaming back down your cheeks as Severus’ presence within your mind sends you gentle comforts.
“Miss, it will be okay.” The small house elf says, stepping closer to you slowly and offering you a torn handkerchief.
You smile at him tightly, taking the cloth from his hand and dabbing it at your eyes. He offers you his hand again, helping you up this time.
“Miss (Y/L/N) is wicked, but she wouldn’t keep you forever.” He says, leading you down the stairs to what looks like a backdoor to the house. “She has something for you to do.”
He opens the door, revealing a fenced-in yard, filled with green plants and colorful flowers from fencepost to fencepost. He steps through the doorway, beckoning you forward with him, but you decline, staying within the house.
“I can’t go out there.” You tell him. “She said the house will hurt me.”
He shakes his head, his wide yellow eyes urging you on.
“There’s no gate.” He says with a small smile. “It’s just as much a part of the house as any other room, no way out.”
You look at the tall sides of the fence, much too tall to climb. You nod, taking a deep breath before crossing the threshold and stepping out into the salty sea air.
You laugh as your feet hit the grass, relieved that the house didn’t retaliate against you for stepping into the garden. You follow the house elf around the small area, letting him show you the various plants and flowers within. You saver the sun and the fresh air, feeling more free out here than inside the house, even if you are technically still trapped.
“What is your name?” You ask the elf as you sit on the grass beside him.
He shakes his head as he looks down at his hands.
“Mistress doesn’t allow us names.” He says quietly.
You lean closer, resting your hand over his small, cold ones.
“Please, I’d like to know.” You ask.
He takes a breath now, dragging his eyes up to look at you.
“Zelphar.” He answers. “But my friends call me Zel.”
You smile at him, nodding.
“Well thank you for telling me, Zelphar.” You answer.
He smiles back, nodding as well.
“You can call me Zel.” He says quietly.
You pick at the wildflowers growing in the grass, twisting them together into a crown like you used to do with Charlie outside of The Burrow when you were children.
“What do you think she wants me to do?” You ask, taking a pink flower from Zel as he hands it to you.
He shakes his head, picking a yellow one to follow the pink.
“I don’t know.” He answers. “She said she needed a powerful witch. Are you very powerful?”
You shrug, twisting the stems again.
“She’ll be back soon.” He says, looking up into the sky.
You nod, standing and following him back into the prison. You sit in what looks like a parlor room, waiting for her return.
Whatever she has for you to do, we’ll get through it together. Severus says, pushing a sudden rush of warmth through to you.
You shudder from the feeling, wrapping your arms around yourself, trying to pretend that they’re his.
Together. You push back.
Grey smoke begins to swirl in the center of the room, and your mother materializes in the center a moment later. She holds a small satchel, her eyes more crazed than usual as she looks at you.
“Well my daughter,” She says with a smile, “your time has come. Mummy needs your help.”
She opens the satchel, dumping out rolled piece of parchment. She tosses it to you, and you unroll it carefully. You scan the paper, finding it to be an old, worn map.
“Where are we going?” You ask, looking back up at her.
She smiles again, her wild eyes sparkling.
“We’re going to find the Philosopher’s Stone.” She answers, smiling even wider as your eyes open in shock.