Snatcher's Library - Halloween Edition
Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling and I don't own her characters. However the OCs are mine.
Prompt 1 - afraid
Was there anything Scabior was afraid of? Some people might say no, not a tough, rugged Snatcher like him. But there was a secret he'd been keeping for the past few months, a secret that revealed itself one day when the elevator broke down at the Ministry of Magic.
Scabior hated the golden elevator that was used to get around inside the Ministry. He hesitated before getting on, watching the people as they passed him by. He didn't know how they could do it, how they could so easily walk into a cage of golden bars, letting themselves get locked away with no guarantee of getting out. Of course they hadn't been to Azkaban like he had. They didn't know what it was like to lose yourself in a darkened world of torment and misery with no hope of ever escaping alive.
Greyback tapped him on the shoulder, causing the head Snatcher to start as he spun around, his kohl lined eyes wide as he looked at the werewolf behind him.
"C'mon, Scabior," said Greyback, jerking his thumb towards the elevator. "Umbridge wants to see us in fifteen minutes. Let's go."
"Right," said Scabior, tugging on his plaid scarf as he eyed the elevator doors nervously. His throat and chest felt tight, constricting with fear just from looking at those golden doors. It was like he was suffocating, a feeling of entrapment surrounding him as he thought about how those doors would close, locking him inside.
He gathered his courage and stepped onto the elevator. They were halfway through their descent when suddenly the elevator jammed, the floor beneath their feet creaking and shuddering before coming to a complete stop.
His heart stilled within his chest, skipping a beat as he felt the walls and floor vibrate, his eyes growing wider as he glanced down at the floor. Scabior felt the elevator grind to a hault, and suddenly he froze, unable to move or breathe, hoping and praying that they weren't trapped inside this golden prison.
He'd been like this ever since the two months he'd spent in Azkaban. Being confined to a cell in prison had caused Scabior to develop a horrible fear of small, enclosed spaces. They reminded him of his time in prison, and he swore to Merlin that if he ever got out he was never going back to that accursed hell hole of misery and despair.
"No," Scabior murmured, his eyes darting from one side of the elevator to the other. "No, this isn't 'appening." He practically fell against the closed doors, his palms flat against the door infront of him.
Greyback took a step back, not knowing what to make of the situation as Scabior began to panic. He'd never seen him like this before, the head Snatcher screaming as he beat on the door with his fist.
"We're never going to get out of 'ere," said Scabior, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath. He'd begun to hyperventilate, and any minute now Greyback feared he was going to pass out.
"We're never getting out!" Scabior screamed, frantically pounding on the door. "We're trapped. We're never getting out an we're going to die in 'ere!"
"Scabior..." Greyback began, but was cut short by Scabior's panicked screaming.
"I don't want to die in 'ere! Let me out! Let me out! I can't go back to Azkaban. I can't, I won't! I won't!" He was almost on the verge of tears as he leaned his weight against the door, throwing his head back and screaming.
Suddenly the floor jerked, and the elevator started moving again.
It took Scabior a minute to realize that they were moving. His back against the door, Scabior collapsed as he slid down the door into a sitting position on the floor. His eyes wide, he gazed around the room like a frightened animal huddled in the corner. It took a moment for him to compose himself, and when he realized what had happened - what he'd done and what Greyback had seen - he felt horribly embarrassed, and mentally kicked himself for allowing himself to have a breakdown in front of Greyback.
Fortunately, the two of them were alone in the elevator. And Scabior would make sure that before they left Greyback would have no memory of what had happened here.
The elevator doors opened, and a very dazed and confused werewolf stumbled out into the hall. Scabior followed behind, twirling his wand in his fingers before tucking the length of ivy in his pocket. He wouldn't let anyone find out about his panic attack in the elevator.