Author's Note: This is my first fan fiction so please bear with me. Also, please review after reading. I am open to any types of reviews as long as they are constructive. Thanks!
It was black all around him but Harry no longer noticed. It had been ages since he had been able to see anything and he rarely bothered to open his eyes. Somehow, his captors were able to keep his cell in complete darkness, even when they entered to torture him. Harry's mind sometimes drifted to the possibility that his cell was in fact not completely dark but that he had gone blind some time ago. As soon as that thought came to his mind, he would push it away. He had been able to keep himself sane during his captivity only due to the strength of his will. He did not allow any thought to remain in his mind that would depress or discourage him.
The torture sessions had intensified of late and Harry hoped this was a sign of impending change. He did not care whether his circumstances changed for the better or worse, he simply craved a change. His routine had remained constant during the entire year of his captivity. At least he thought it was a year; he had been attempting to keep track of the days that passed but the hours dragged on. At times, especially after a particularly brutal torture session, he would lose consciousness and when he awoke, he had no idea how long he had been gone.
He had not broken. His captors asked a single question during every torture session. The question never varied and neither did Harry's resolve that he would not break. He would not give up the location of Albus Dumbledore. No matter how long or how brutal the torture, Harry remained silent. Except for his screams, he had not uttered a single word for a year.
Harry's guiding light and constant source of strength was his memory of Ginny Weasley. The image of her face the last time he had seen her was burned into his head. He saw her almost constantly and would conduct elaborate conversations with her in his mind. She was the one who would comfort him after torture or sustain him when he thought all was lost. The sole reason he was still alive was his love for Ginny.
It was due to his love for her that he had been caught. Dark wizards came for him just after dawn. Ginny was in the shower having been called into work early that day. Harry was still in bed and heard the intruders enter their apartment. Had he been alone, Harry would simply have disapparated and been miles away within seconds. But he could not leave Ginny. If he left, she would have no warning and would not be able to hear the intruders until it was too late.
Instead, Harry had grabbed his wand and crept to the door of the bathroom. He had entered silently and gone to the shower to get Ginny out. His plan had been to grab her and apparate them both away from the apartment. Before he could do so, one of the dark wizards had entered the bathroom and all he had time to do was to cast a spell that built an impenetrable wall around the shower. He remembered hoping desperately that it would be strong enough to keep them away from her.
He did not know if it had been strong enough but he never allowed himself to think of Ginny being caught or killed. In his dreams she was alive and well. In some dreams, she had formed a search party and was trying everything she could to find him. This hope sustained him; one day she would find him and they would be together again.