Escape

Chapter 26

                “Father, I need your help,” Draco sat uncomfortably on the other side of Lucius Malfoy’s huge desk in the family study. It had been hard for him coming to Lucius. He had not spoken to his father since the day he had come to Diagon Alley and spoke those harsh words about Elizabeth and tried to tell him to go back to Astoria.

                “Why exactly do you need my help?” Lucius asked sneeringly.

                “You know why, father,” Draco said harshly back.

                “Okay, then why should I help you?” Lucius asked, looking as if he were bored.

                “Because I love Elizabeth,” Draco said with his voice raised, standing up over the desk and looking his father in the eyes, “Or maybe because you finally want your son to be happy because you love him. If it helps any, then you must know that Elizabeth is a pureblood.”

                “Yes, a pureblood daughter from blood-traitor parents. I know what her parents did to aid the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry in defeating the Dark lord the first time he tried to come to power,” Lucius said roughly.

                Draco looked at him in frustration, “The dark lord is destroyed and so are Elizabeth’s parents, so that no longer matters. Why can’t you finally just do something good to help someone else,” Draco looked at him, his blue-gray eyes so much like his father’s burning with emotion, “I have to find her and I need your help to do that. Please, if you can’t do it for me, then do it for your future grandchild, because Elizabeth is pregnant you know. Whoever did this obviously was a dark wizard or creature that wanted revenge against our family. No one else would be foolish enough to do it.”

                Lucius just looked at him blandly, not saying a word. Draco was about to leave the study, his hand on the door knob, “Go to Knockturn Alley and ask around about Elizabeth. Surely if someone was hired to kidnap Elizabeth then someone will remember it. I will see what I can find out and let you know if I have anything.”

                Draco turned and looked at his father in shock, “Thank you,” he said quietly as he left the room to go see his mother. It was Draco’s week with Scorpius, but he was going to search for Elizabeth and he wasn’t coming back without her. So Narcissa would be keeping his son.

                “I am so sorry this happened, Draco,” his mother hugged him, “Please be safe and bring Elizabeth back to us where she belongs.” Narcissa had tears in her eyes. Draco kissed his mother’s cheek; he knew she still blamed herself for Elizabeth’s disappearance while they had been shopping for Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

                “I will and I am not coming back until I find her,” he truly believed that she was still alive out there somewhere.

                Draco kissed Scorpius goodbye and told him he loved him and Scorpius clung to his neck not wanting to lose his father like he had his new mum, Elizabeth, who he asked about constantly, not really understanding why she was not back with them, “I am going to find Elizabeth, Scorpius. You be good for Nana and I will be back soon.”

                Draco quickly left his son and Malfoy Manor and apperated to Diagon Alley. It was time to find some answers and he made his way toward Knockturn Alley; the best place to seek out dark wizards and any information they might have.

                It was time. Elizabeth just hoped that her make shift rope was long enough and she had the strength and nerve to do what she was about to do. It was almost daybreak and soon Black would be sleeping his sleep of the undead. She had no reason to think that he suspected anything. The tower she was in was too high off the ground so he had not even bothered putting up any protection which was a good thing because not only was Black a vampire, but he was a vampire with magical powers. He had already told her about his childhood and how he had been a wizard in his late twenties before a vampire had changed him into what he was now. That was the reason he looked so young despite the fact that he was actually over 100 years old. He had also been married to a young woman who was a wizard, back before the dark lord came to power and they’d had a child. Her name had been Sarah and actually it was her child by another man who had died shortly after the baby’s birth. Black had fallen for her and she loved him, so he raised the child as his own and married Sarah, only changing her into a vampire after she had begged to be with him always. The child had remained human though.

                Black had been in with Voldemort during his first rise to power, despite the fact that Sarah wanted nothing to do with it. But then Black realized Sarah was right and had tried to get out of the group of Death Eaters. So their little family went into hiding, but it had been Lucius Malfoy who had betrayed where they were to the dark lord and while Black was away Voldemort came and killed Sarah and their baby girl, Adelaine. Black just escaped with his life. So that was why he hated Lucius Malfoy, whom he had once been friends with.

                Elizabeth felt sorry for Black, but not enough to agree to become his mate or let him take her and Draco’s child. She had to escape now. Black was already becoming very obsessive with her and had started staying in her room most of the nights when he arose from wherever it was he took his vampire sleep.

                Elizabeth quickly pulled out the rope and the make shift bag she had sewn which contained food such as breads and things that would last her a little while and also a blanket and a change of clothes. She had put straps on the bag so she could place it on her back and she started tying the rope securely around her under her arms. She could not put it around her stomach which was too rounded now with the baby.

                Elizabeth quietly opened the glass paned windows that swung out from the castle and looked down in terror, swallowing hard. This was not the time to chicken out; it was her only chance to escape. She would have to tie the rope off on the huge wooden bed and hope it held her weight. Having done that and making sure it was secure; she went back to the window; winding the excess rope around her arm she slowly stepped out of the window, sitting on the ledge. She found a foothold in the stones of the castle and started down. It was taking all her strength to lower herself; using her footholds in the castle she descended downward, trying very hard not to look down as she went. Bit by slow bit she made her way down, hoping that the rope was long enough and continued to hold her weight. The lower she went the heavier the train on the rope, and at one point she thought it would not hold but she continued on determined, until finally her feet found some bushes surrounding the bottom of the castle.

                Elizabeth didn’t care about the scratches she suffered from the prickly holly bushes, she continued until her feet hit the ground and then she slung off the rope from around her and collapsed on the ground after getting herself out of the holly bush. She was trembling and shaking all over, especially her arms, but she had done it. Now she had to get as much distance as possible from the castle and hide before nightfall because Black would come looking for her.

                She had no way of knowing in which direction to go, but decided to head east in the direction of the rising sun, maybe she would get lucky and find a road or someplace to hide for the night until she could find her way the next day. Having rested on the ground, Elizabeth quickly got up and ran as far from the castle as she could until she came upon a forest. She entered slowing down to a brisk walk. She had to conserve some of her energy because she was already exhausted from the climb down the side of the castle.

                After several hours of questioning everyone he could in Knockturn Alley, Draco was finally getting some answers. He questioned a wizard in one of the pubs there on Knockturn Alley and he said he had been in the pub when none other than Astoria had come in and meet with a dark gentleman at a back table. He didn’t know who it was but the pub owner might. So after paying the pub owner several gold galleons Draco finally got his answer and it made his blood run cold. Astoria had a meeting with a vampire. After a few more gold galleons the pub owner revealed that the vampire’s name was Malcolm Dunkirk; a vampire with wizard powers and a former death eater.

                The pub owner did not know where Dunkirk lived; only that he was from Scotland. So Draco quickly left and headed to the Ministry to see if he could find out where this Malcolm Dunkirk might be living now. Draco sent an owl to his father letting him know what he’d found out and also called for Harry Potter to see if the aurors’ could help find this dark vampire.