Disclaimer - I own nothing other than the plot.
As I sit here and slowly close my eyes
I take another deep breath
And feel the wind pass through my body
I'm the one in your soul
Reflecting the light
Protect the ones who hold you
Cradling your inner child
It's serenity
In a place where I can hide
I need serenity
Nothing changes, days go by
Where do we go when we just don't know
And how do we relight the flame when it's cold
Why do we dream when I thought mean nothing
And when will we learn to control
Tragic visions slowly stole my life
Tore away everything
Cheating me out of my time
I'm the one who loves you
No matter wrong or right
And every day I hold you
I hold you with my inner child
It's serenity
In a place where I can hide
I need serenity
Nothing changes, days go by
Where do we go when we just don't know
And how do we relight the flame when it's cold
Why do we dream when I thought mean nothing
And when will we learn to control
Where do we go when we just don't know
And how do we relight the flame when it's cold
Why do we dream when I thought mean nothing
And when will we learn to control
- Godsmack
Trapped
It was a moment that lasted an eternity. Harry looked into Hermione's face, trying to interpret her emotions. Did she think he was guilty? Innocent? But her face didn't betray her emotions in the slightest.
Hermione took a moment to look at the man in front of her. It seemed like so long ago that he had been the excited 11 year old on the train to Hogwarts. Now, the bags under his eyes betrayed his age, and his eyes were hollow, like grief had taken away the sparkle.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, breaking the silence.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Hermione replied breathlessly. "Here," she dug into a bag that was sitting by her chair.
Out of the bag came some chocolate, broken up into small pieces, being held in a plastic bag. She gave it to Harry.
"Thanks. . . ." Harry looked at the food in his hands. "It's so cold here," he said, forcing himself to concentrate on the bag. "I can't get warm. It's so cold. . . ." His eyes were burning. He refused to look at Hermione.
"I know," she said quietly.
Harry shook his head. "No, you don't. You don't know what it's like," he looked up into her face. "I didn't do it, I swear."
Hermione leaned over to Harry and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know. . . we'll find someway to get you out of here."
"Ron thinks I did it, doesn't he?"
Hermione hesitated. "Yes, but I know a part of him wants to believe you didn't do it."
Harry closed his eyes. "I don't want to die here, Herm," he said softly.
"You won't. Just hang in there, Harry."
Harry and Hermione broke the hug, and Harry continued looking at the chocolate. "How are things?"
"Things are. . . . Things are. . ." she started, "Oh, Harry, things are awful. It's not the same without you. Ron and I are constantly at each other's throats, and Mr. Weasley is getting a lot of the blame for you being in here. I'm living in London now, but whenever I visit the Burrow it's always a mess, they're always fighting. Ever since my parents died, I've counted on them to be my family, but it's hard when they don't act like family to each other." Tears were streaming down Hermione's face.
"I'm sorry," Harry said. "This is all of my fault."
"Don't you dare blame yourself," Hermione said. "I need someone at least partly sane to talk to, and if you blame yourself for all that's happened, you're crazy."
"I can't stay sane for long," Harry said, shaking his head. "Not here. . . . Not when I'm always hearing my parents dying, or Sirius dying. . . ."
"But you'll get out of here," Hermione said. "I don't even care if it's legally or not. Listen, I'm at a room in the Leaky Cauldron. It's the one you were in when they took you, the suite. If you ever get out. . . ."
The door opened.
"Hermione, Hermione, wake up. . . ."
Don't let her be dead, don't let her be dead, it's my fault if she's dead. . . .
Harry instinctively leaned forward and hugged Hermione again.
"Harry, I'm putting the chocolate in your pocket, so you won't drop it, okay?" Hermione said.
Harry maintained his grip on Hermione.
High, cold laughter was ringing in his ears. . . .
"Harry? Harry, look at me. . . . If you ever get out, come find me."
Harry sucked in a breath as a tremor ran through his body. He forced his head upwards, even as his eyes were rolling back in his head.
"Harry, don't give up. . . ."
Hermione was going pale as she looked at something over Harry's shoulder. The rattling breath was getting closer.
Harry didn't know how it happened, but Hermione's and his lips met, and for a brief, fleeting moment, he felt warm, and his head seemed clear.
Harry was pulled from the chair and dragged out of the room, getting a last glimpse of Hermione's tear-streaked face before the door slammed and he was among darkness once more.
-
Harry sat in a corner of his cell.
"No. . ." he groaned, clutching his knees to his chest. "No. . . Get away. . . leave me alone. . . ." In front of him, was a bubbling stone cauldron, large enough for a full-grown man to sit in. The surface of whatever was inside of it was spitting out fiery white sparks so bright that Harry turned his head slightly.
"No. . . it's gone wrong. Please let it have died. . . ."
The sparks stopped suddenly, and a continuous stream of white steam issued from the cauldron. Harry couldn't move. . . he had to run, he had to get out of there. He knew what was coming. . . he knew, but he couldn't do anything about it.
"Robe me."
The icy, high-pitched voice stabbed through Harry so forcefully that he screamed in terror.
The ability to move again washed through him as he stopped screaming. He scrambled to his feet, back pressed tightly to the wall. Fiery red eyes peered at him through the steam. The man. . . no. . . the creature in front of Harry started to laugh as a one-handed man pulled robes around his frame. Harry edged along the wall, then ran to the door of the cell.
"Let me out! Please! Help me! Hurry!" he screamed. He looked quickly over his shoulder. Lord Voldemort pulled a long, sharp wand from his pocket. "Help! Quick! Voldemort's here!" He fruitlessly attempted to dislodge a bar, and then turned back to the wizard in the cell with him.
"Crucio!" Voldemort hissed.
Harry fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Through the bars of the cell, he could see Malfoy watching him with glee.
Knives were penetrating every inch of his body, his scar was burning painfully, he was going to die. . . he knew it.
A pair of black boots appeared at his head, showing beneath a long, black cloak.
The pain went away.
He sat up, and looked at the man at his cell door.
"What are you hollerin' 'bout, Potter?" the guard asked.
"Voldemort," Harry panted, trying to catch his breath.
The man paused. "What?"
"Voldemort!" Harry said louder. He climed to his feet, turned slowly and looked back into his cell. Voldemort was sitting on his bed, twirling his wand in his fingers, watching Harry amusedly.
"Calm down, Harry, there's no one there."
"SHH!" Harry said, putting his fingers to his lips. "He might hear you!" He looked again into his cell. Voldemort stood up and strode over to Harry.
"HELP!" Harry yelled. "Quick!"
The guard laughed and shook his head. He strode off, twirling his wand in his hand, whistling slightly.
Harry felt long, spindly fingers close around his neck. He gasped for breath, trying to pull the hands away.
He couldn't breath. He was falling. . . falling through hollering wind. . . his robes whipping around him.
His body was swallowed by icy water. He sucked in a breath, and, in so doing, swallowed a large amount of water.
He twisted around in the water, coughing and sputtering as the uneven current slapped him in the face. Up above him, on a rocky island, was Azkaban. How did he get out here?
Not knowing whether it was dream or reality, Harry swam to shore and scrambled up the stone rocks. The night air swirled around him, causing him to shiver, his soaking robes clinging to his body. He peered through the darkness. He could barely make out a dock, being abused by the water, with a single boat being thrashed around in the waves.
Still not sure whether he was awake or asleep, he attempted to climb down to the boat. Losing his footing on the slippery stones, he fell to the ground, a sharp rock cutting a slash into his left leg, just along the calf. When he felt the pain and saw the blood, he realized he wasn't dreaming.
He had somehow escaped Azkaban.
Harry crawled more quickly down towards the boat, his bare feet getting cut up by the rocks, but he didn't care. Freedom was 10 steps away. . . . 5. . . . 3. . . . 2. . . .
"OI! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!"
Harry twisted around quickly to see a guard watching him through the darkness, and in that momentary loss of concentration, he slipped off the rock and slid down the slope, feeling rocks slamming into his body.
There was a small drop right before the water. . . he tumbled off of it. When he hit the water, his brain went into shock. Cuts all over his body burned with the salt, and he scrambled to keep his head above the waves. He could feel the rip-tide sucking him under, and he struggled to come up for air. He realized his right arm was in an amazing amount of pain, throbbing in the icy water.
While glancing up towards the prison after taking a breath, he saw five or six guards aiming their wands at him. A split second later, he was hit with five or six stunners, and was sucked below the waves.
-
Pain.
Oh, the pain was unbearable.
Excrutiating. That was the only word. Excrutiating.
Mental pain, physical pain. . . it was all there.
Not any pain, either. It was the type of pain that had your mind screaming, trying to get out; get out or just die. . . end the pain.
When Harry woke up, he was curled up on his cot again. This time, his hands were chained together, and so were his feet. His arm was in a roughly hewn sling. How kind, he thought, they didn't bother to heal it. . . .
The cuts all over his body had stopped bleeding, but the bruises still pounded into him. While glancing down at his legs, he saw a great long gash on the left one, still oozing blood, staining the thin half-of-a-blanket that was on his cot.
He groaned as he rolled over, attempting not to put any weight on his broken right arm.
He glanced lazily out through the bars of his cell, expecting to see Lucius Malfoy huddled in an insecure ball, but the cell was empty. A guard went walking past Harry at that moment, his wand hanging at his side.
"Excuse me," Harry whispered, coughing.
The guard stopped and turned towards Harry.
"What happened to Malfoy?" Harry asked.
The man's brow furrowed, and he leaned against the bars. "I thought you would know. He escaped the same day you nearly did. So did half of the prisoners on this row."
-
A/N Review! ::gets on knees and begs::