Chapter 2
Lucius tracked his friends movements across the cell to retrieve the paper and the hard bread that formed their breakfast. He watched as Severus caught sight of the headline, and then pulled the expression that he had only seen once before on the mans face, the day Potter had made Minister.
"Merlin, Severus what is it?" Lucius found him self saying after several moments silence.
"Potter had had Weasley executed on treason charges." Was the final reply.
"But surly we would have heard if they had taken her?" Lucius threw back quickly, without doubt the girl was still in her cell.
"No, not Ginny, the boy, Ronald." Severus said, finally looking away from the front page of the paper, "The Ronald Weasley." Severus repeated in almost a whisper.
"Potter is mad, that boy is, sorry was, no more a traitor than Dumbledore himself." Lucius hissed out pulling him self upright and snatching the paper away to read the front page, not noticing or maybe not caring as the guards cleared the cell next door of another dead prisoner.
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Screams were rarely heard in Azkaban now. Not since the removal of the Dementors, pitiful moaning sometimes, desperate sobbing often cut through the night, but screaming almost never. Which is probably why Lucius actually paid attention when shrieking, akin to a banshee cut through the desolate calm of the high security wing.
"Harry Fucking Potter I am going to kill you."
Well she wasn't mad, Lucius thought idly, not bothered enough to look up from the crudely carved chess pieces distributed on a grid drawn in the dust between him and Severus.
"I'm glad Sirius and Remus are dead, they couldn't stand to see this." The voice cut through again. The door in the newly vacated cell creaked shut as the cursing woman was locked inside, unfortunately for Lucius, without a gag.
Lucius tried to concentrate on the board in front of him, resolutely looking down, but not seeing the pieces as the noise continued to pierce through his thoughts. He had to win this game, keep the winning streak that had lasted for almost 2 weeks. Finally he cracked, shouting for the woman to shut up, all that accomplished was a new direction for the tirade.
"Oh it is ok for you, criminal, I am innocent, I shouldn't be here. Fucking Minister." The slightly sarcastic, incredibly bitter voice directed though the bars at the top of the wall between the two cells. Severus raised an eyebrow at his companion, Lucius was not used to being spoken to like this, even in Azkaban his name still demanded some respect.
"I distinctly heard you threaten to kill the Minister, I believe that is classed as treason. Nowadays that warrants execution if today's paper is to be believed, count your self lucky. And shut up when I am trying to play chess." Lucius's reply cut back swiftly.
"Oh my god, Ron." Were the last words to be heard from the cell as the sounds broke down into heart wrenching sobs, a sound that Lucius had thankfully become accustomed enough to, as he moved his Queen forward to checkmate.
"Another game, my friend?" Severus asked, looking to Lucius for direction as to what to do next, of course everyone was equal in prison, but old habits die hard, and somehow everyone found it comforting to keep the old hierarchies in place.
Lucius shook his head slightly, "I am troubled by the news this morning, this is Darkness we have rarely seen in our world. Things were never this bad under Grindleward or Voldemort."
"True, and this is what they are publishing as propaganda, things must be worse outside. Do you think she knows anything?" Severus replied quietly, nodding his head in the direction of the recently occupied cell.
"Probably, do you think she is in the mood to talk?" Lucius said standing up and climbing onto his shelf to look through the bars into the woman's cell. "You, girl, what is your name?" He directed to the shaking mass on the floor, moving over as Severus came to stand next to him.
Nothing could have prepared the two men for the head lifting its self, and the torn voice, dry with screams choking out the words, "Hermione Granger."