HP: The Arcane Thief
chapter-156

"Shut it, will you?"

!!!

Martina and Akiko suddenly found themselves unable to move, their mouths were sealed shut.

Axel's voice. . . It contained this hint of Absolute Authority that they found unable to disobey.

At this moment, alarmed by the commotion, Aurors rushed into the room, trying to understand what had happened, and saw the target they were supposed to protect walking out without a care.

"Mr. Hunt, please stay where you are. The minister Black has strictly ordered—"

Axel couldn't give a fuck about minister Black's orders right now.

""Move.""

Suddenly, everyone was pushed out of Axel's way, creating a path for him.

Axel began walking out of the room with difficulty. As soon as he was out of the door, he disappeared.

Axel had to find Daphne as soon as possible. He had no idea how she would react to the news, but he had a feeling that she didn't take it well. Right now, he just felt an inordinate amount of vexation towards that Minister of Magic.

'Would it have killed you to not save her?!' He cursed his dead father, who had saved this witch not once, but thrice. If only his old man had just let the bitch die, he would not have had to suffer so much due to her. Now, her meddling has potentially put Daphne in danger.

To be perfectly clear, everything was his dad's fault. Had the man not brought the keys here, Voldemort would have still been just a harmless little local darklord of Britain that he could have one-shot by now.

Well, it is what it is. Now all Axel can hope is for Daphne to be alright.

Killing his presence, he entered the Ravenclaw Dorms and checked her room.

'Damn it.' Daphne wasn't there. He read the minds of some of the students, and none of them had seen her since the incident. In fact, she had already been reported missing.

... Axel was hoping that he had been needlessly worried, but now he knew that something was definitely wrong.

Where could she be?!

He tried thinking about where he could find her, and one place came to the forefront.

Not long after, Axel stood in front of the abandoned Greenhouse. This place was abandoned because the plants here have gotten too wild and dangerous to let the students in. Now it has become a wilderness of its own. But Daphne likes to come here whenever because, well, because she's Daphne. She treats the wild plants here like pets.

Axel entered the place, all too mindful of the plants, but they didn't seem to be in the mood to attack. They let him pass, even appearing to invite him in.

!

Axel finally found who he was looking for. But….

Daphne was lying on the ground, unmoving.

"No..." He mumbled, getting closer. She had just regained her memories. Everything was just going back to normal. Then why?

"What have you done?!" He whispered, kneeling down and holding her hand.

Relief washed over him as he detected a pulse. At least she was alive! But it was very faint.

"Daphne?"

"Hey! Wake up!"

He tried shaking her awake, but Daphne showed no signs of waking up. Axel's frown deepened. This wasn't a natural sleep. Something was wrong with her. She was too cold, and her lips are blue.

?

Axel's gaze went to the conspicuous silver coloured leaves lying by her side and his brows furrowed.

"Damn it, Daph!"

Daphne's voice echoed in his mind. "This is slumbershade. Just one leave and you'll be out like a light. Eat too many and you're gone." That's what she had said, when describing each and every plant in the greenhouse to him.

Axel cursed under his breath. What was she thinking?! Her lips are blue, meaning she has taken an overdose. Her pulse is also weak.

[Poison Mastery]

Axel got to work, gathering ingredients from around the greenhouse. He quickly made up an antidote. Axel couldn't understand why she would do this! He had been unconscious for days! But he was being fed and hydrated while he was unconscious. Daphne, she has been lying here for so long without food and water all this time.

It didn't take him long to make the antidote. He quickly poured it in his mouth and fed it to her mouth-to-mouth.

"Come on!" He muttered. "Wake up!"

Daphne coughed as the bitter antidote went down her throat. As the antidote took effect, she slowly opened her eyes and saw Axel looking down at her, desperation showing on his face.

"No…" Daphne's breathing suddenly quickened. "No… put me back to sleep! I can't be awake!" She said, her voice hoarse.

She suddenly began thrashing around. Her hands went to the leaves of Slumbershade lying on the ground and she quickly tried to eat it again.

"What the—" Was there a way that Axel would just sit by and let her do that? He quickly stopped her, wrapping his arms around her to stop her from sleeping herself to death.

"Let go! Please!" Daphne desperately struggled to break free.

"Stop! Why are you doing this?!" Exclaimed Axel as he struggled to keep her from moving. They were both really weak right now, so it wasn't doing anyone any favors.

"I don't want to go through it again! I can't!" She wailed..

"Go through what?!" Axel couldn't understand at all.

"The curse! It's coming again!" She revealed, shocking Axel. "I know I deserve it! It was my fault you went through all the pain. I will accept any punishment, but not this! Those memories are too important! She cried, her hands reaching for the leaves.

Axel finally understood. He understood why Daphne would come here. He understood why she put herself to sleep. And he understood why she would do it again even when he is right here.

Somehow, she has gotten in her pretty head him getting torture was her fault. The revelation made her have emotions extreme enough that the curse was getting activated again. When that happens, she's going to lose something that will give her the most pain, which would be forgetting him. And she seems ready to rather die than to let that happen.

Suddenly, a chuckle escaped his lips, which turned into a full blown laughter.

"Fuck—haha— it's only this," he muttered in between his laughs.

??

In this situation, it was so absurd that even Daphne stopped struggling for a moment, question marks appearing in her teary eyes.

"Can you please enlighten me, Madame Greengrass. How in the three worlds is it your fault that I got tortured?" He asked in amusement.

"It's not funny!" Daphne was suddenly feeling very angry at Axel's reaction. "If only I had killed that man myself, if only I hadn't been such bloody coward...you wouldn't have had to go through all that terrible pain!" She said, tears pouring down her eyes.

That's right. It was all her fault. She wondered if getting the curse was really the right punishment for her.

"Then," said Axel. wiping her tears. "I guess I should be thanking you, for not killing him," said Axel instead, completely bewildering to her.

"What…?" Daphne had expected that Axel might not blame her, she had even expected that he would blame her, but this...

Why the hell would he thank her for that?

"Well, if I hadn't been injured, I would have never met you then. I would still be a petty thief in London."

"WHAT?!"

Axel nodded. "It's true. When I got the letter, I thought someone was messing with me. I wasn't going to come."

Daphne's eyes widened. A life without Axel? She shuddered. Now that is far worse than forgetting the memories and still having him.

Axel smiled. "Well, looks like the curse is not going to activate."

!! Daphne suddenly realized that it was true! Somehow, Axel had managed to make go away. Just being in his presence had calmed her mind enough that the curse was not activating. It means her memories were safe! Daphne was so relieved! Now, other priorities...

She threw away the Slumbershade she had just picked up and lunged onto Axel, tackling him down into a tight hug. "I missed you so so so soooooo much!" She mumbled, her face buried in his hair. She suddenly bit his ear.

"Ouch!" Exclaimed the guy who isn't fazed by the Crutiatus. "What was that for?!"

"You almost gave me a fucking heart attack by that call! Don't let anything like that happen again!"

Axel laughed. "I'll try."

"You…" Daphne hit him in annoyance with her weak hands.

"Hey! Knock it out." They began messing around on the floor without a care that they were getting messy in the dirt while laughing.

But slowly Daphne stopped smiling as she slowly separated herself from him. She shook her head. "I don't deserve to be this happy. I can't."

"Axel got up from the ground. "What's the matter?"

Daphne shook her head. "You are just saying you don't mind, but I do! I saw your suffering! And I made you go through all that! Maybe not forgetting you, but I can't be allowed to get away with it without repercussions!"

Daphne was angry. At herself! If there was someone else in her position who was so weak and pathetic to not kill the one man responsible for everything, then she would have wished the worst fate possible on that weakling.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine now, aren't I? And you have to trust me, it's for the better that I went through that."

Daphne was not having it. Surely, not going through that would have been worth it, right? Daphne dug her nails into her palm. "Can you… can you please just blame me? I need to do something with all this guilt."

"Daphne, It's not your fault. My life before…, it's better off this way."

"At least cast a few Cruciatuses… Please…" she begged.

Seeing her being so adamant, Axel sighed. "There's no choice. You'll have to see it for yourself," said Axel, clenching his jaw as he grabbed her by her cheeks.

??

Daphne didn't understand what Axel meant by that. But as soon as their gazes met, she suddenly found herself standing transported to a different space, completely disorienting her,

"Fuck! How did we get here?!" She asked in confusion. They were on Hogwarts grounds, then how the hell did he do that?

"Relax. It's a memory," said Axel, his countenance serious.

"A memory?" The place felt so real that she couldn't even tell. This is much better than a pensieve. Daphne looked around the place more curiously now. Axel has hardly talked about his life outside Hogwarts, so Daphne is eager to receive anything he reveals.

They were currently in a dark alley, surrounded by buildings. It was cold… so cold, and a rancid smell hung in the air. Daphne wrinkled her nose. "Where are we?" She couldn't help but ask. Why would Axel even come to a place like this?

Axel shrugged, looking at the place with a hint of nostalgia. "This place… it used to be my home."

"Home?!" The words that reached Daphne's ears left her utterly dumbfounded. What did he mean by home?!

"Yep," Axel nodded in affirmation. She thinks that was the worst he had gone through? Well, maybe. But he has to show her that it might as well be called just another day in the life he had lived. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so guilty.

They watched as the dumpsters in the alley opened and a younger Axel emerged from inside. Daphne gasped, her hand moving to cover her mouth.

She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't. "It's you…?" She asked in a whisper, even though she already knew the answer.

It was just how different the appearance of the boy she was watching was. Axel looked nothing like his current self. His hair was wild and overgrown, covering most of his face, which was sunken, with bruises all over it. The little boy could not have been more than 8, and looked nothing like the Axel she was used to. But those striking amber eyes were still the same, calm and rebellious.

Daphne couldn't help stepping forward. She couldn't see Axel in this condition. But she realized that it was just a memory.

As they watched, young Axel stepped out of the dumpster after looking around cautiously. His stomach growled, making him frown.

They watched as he walked up to the most busy street, his eyes going everywhere. There was a slight limp in his steps from a previous injury.

"What are you trying to do?" Asked Daphne. She had no idea how Axel was going to manage to eat. "Surely there must be a place where they feed children?"

Axel scoffed. "Not one I was aware of. I'm trying to steal the money."

Daphne felt nothing wrong with that. What choice did he have? She felt it was even alright to mug someone as long as the boy she loves can live better.

Axel walked on the road for a long while. He was, of course, trying to steal some money to buy food. But it wasn't working out well for him in the beginning. He was too conspicuous. People would take distance whenever or just keep an eye on him since he looked suspicious.

"There! That guy's purse was practically hanging out. Why didn't you steal that?" Asked Daphne.

"Did you look at him? He looked like he could barely pay for his own meals," said Axel.

At this moment, an old lady walked by him who had dropped her purse. Daphne breathed a sigh of relief, since Axel could finally eat now. Maybe get his injuries fixed. It hurt her to see him limp.

Little Axel looked at the purse, then at the old lady. He sighed. Picking up the purse, he walked back to the old lady.

Watching little Axel's actions, Daphne felt a lump in her throat. "You were such a gentleman thief," she said, gripping his hand. "She'll at least reward you for this, right?"

Axel said nothing to that.

At this moment, it just so happened that the old lady also noticed the absence of her purse. Turning around, she saw Axel holding it out.

"...THIEF! YOU DIRTY THIEF! HELP! THIS BOY STOLE MY PURSE! OH MY LORD, PLEASE HELP!"

Instantly, everyone on the busy street that their attention focused on Axel.

Axel looked at Daphne, who looked beyond outraged at this moment, and shook his head. This was just the beginning.

"The outside world... can be a cruel place."