A/N: It's been a while since I've written or updated anything; university's been pretty busy. Exams are coming up soon too, so me starting to write again probably wasn't a good idea. But I was browsing the forums and came across an interesting challenge (well two, but one hasn't been updated in a year so I'm not sure I'll get a response) that I wanted to take up. It's called The Choose-Your-Wand Challenge and it was created by praseodymium (formerly called Coruscanti Clover).

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Title: Incarceration

Rating: T for some language and the classic Azkaban-induced insanity

Pairing: N/A

Summary: It was cold damp wet and he wanted out because Bella is in the cell down the hall screaming bloody murder, Rodolphus is calling out his wife's name, but Barty knew she couldn't care less, Bella's cousin Black and wasn't that a surprise? shouting for the woman to shut the hell up and die already, and then there's Rabastan hissing about trying to sleep but always waking up in the middle of the night pleading for the nightmares to stop.

Prompt: Ebony (write about a Death Eater)

Warning(s): N/A unless you count the crap conditions of Azkaban prison and the complete isolation and eventual insanity caused by it.

Incarceration

Cold, wet, damp. Hard stone against his back, the metal chains causing a cramping in his wrists that went straight down to his legs, bare feet bruised calloused and blue it was so cold too cold. The single window in the tiny cell was just as small, if not smaller, but it let some light in, not enough but just enough he wouldn't want to seem ungrateful, it was a pale blue so he guessed it could be night out and the moon just so happened to be shining through but he didn't know for sure he would like to know for sure.

He licked his lips.

They were dry and he could feel cracked skin and dried blood on his chin or was that drool? no, blood was more dignified and you must always be dignified, upstanding, perfect, flawless-

Striking pain that shot straight to his mind, numbing his mind freezing him, paralyzing him, and mentally he braces himself though he knows that it won't do much good- he wants to cry but holds it back with a swallow and a whimper and there's a change to the air do they revel in their charges' suffering they probably would if they could feel

3… 2… 1…

There's the screaming and he wonders vaguely who it might be this time as their jailers drift passed, cloaks bellowing bringing with them cold and hate and despair his father sneering down at him with disdain "you're no son of mine" he's being dragged away screaming and crying and begging and pleading he wants his mother where is his mother? his father barely glancing over to him when he mentions getting straight Os on his O.W.L.s then his N.E.W.T.s was he not good enough what could get his father's attention? the Hat calling out Slytherin for all the world to hear and he beams but there is still no acknowledgement from his father despite it being his old house and all he wanted was the man's approval it was his ambition to achieve it cold damp wet and he wanted out what did he do wrong how did they find out how did they know he was there? his Lord was gone where did he go? what happened everything was going right he'll kill the bastard who did this how dare-

It stops and he's gasping for air he doesn't have enough air his throat hurts had he been screaming? There's more screaming down the hall, they seem to be taking and taking was it his father's doing? from whoever was down the hall shrill voice with a hoarseness to it from either the screaming or the constant cackling when she crucio'd her victims and he knew, Barty remembered from his Lord's displeasure and while Bella was one of his favourites she was not any safer if she made a mistake that was Bella's cell.

He licks his lips again, shuddering as the body in the cell next to him shifts and he internally pleads for the man not to say anything to not draw their attention and bring them back oh fu-

No, he was simply turning in his nightmare-filled sleep but it was only a matter of time before Rodolphus' own madness-induced screams for his wife, she didn't care for it, never did, she was only loyal to one and only one, their Lord, and Rudolph seemed to have forgotten that in his madness or perhaps she was a comfort of sorts, a reminder of better things and happier times so no wonder he always screamed for her, would draw them to them and Barty doesn't need doesn't want his memories to come back, if only he could erase his own mind maybe the Aurors that would come by would be kind enough to obliviate him just once or twice?

He hears movement from further down the hall where the growl of a dog seemed to be coming from and then a snappy "Shut the hell up woman!" from Sirius Black's cell, and wasn't that a shock when Barty realized it was him, could be heard but Bella's screams only got louder and louder and louder until the noise was like a siren, ringing in his ears and Barty tried to block it out but couldn't. A groan came from the cell across and to the right from Barty's and suddenly Rabastan was also shouting, something about trying to sleep and would Black kindly do him a favor by taking his own advice? even though Barty knew the man could barely go an hour or two without having a nightmare and being forced awake again.

The body in the cell next to his shifts again shit, shit, sh- and then there's a fourth voice in the mix, drowning out the others, and were those sobs?, anguished screams of "Bella!" resounding over and over and over and Black is shouting for Rudolph to shut up too, Rabastan snarling back and Barty just wants it all to sto-

They come back and all the noise falls silent for a moment as the cold washes over them, like being thrown into the Black Lake and its freezing depths, and he's drowning, drowning, drowning- his feet are shuffling under the stare of his father's disapproval, he's on the floor and twitching to his Lord's cruciatus curse he's crying on the Hogwarts Express because his mother couldn't be there for the beginning of his first year he wants his mother he wants his mother he wants his mother where is his mother where is she?

He screams first and then the noise around him starts up again.