Chapter 22: Prisoners
Ron and Hermionie were thrown silently onto the cold, harsh floor of their cell in the dungeon of the castle where they were being held. They were confined to a cage with prison bars along with Cho, who had obviously been there for some time. Her clothes were dirty from the stone of the floor, and they had blood stains, Cho's blood... The only lighting in their cell came through a small window high above them on the left hand side. On the right was another strong wooden door. There was no way to fight their way out, and they had long since given up on trying to get out through magic. They had decided that they must be in the region they had read about where magic didn't work. They hadn't been able to put up a fight on the journey because they had been out cold, and when they came around they couldn't use magic.... Ron and Hermionie were dirty, but physically fine, the knights hadn't treated them badly on the day long journey from Hogsmeade... Cho however was in bad shape. Her face was covered in bruises, and there were numerous cuts around her face. Ron noticed one especially large one running from the corner of her right eye all the way down to her check bone. It was bloody, fresh... He realised he'd been staring at it for some time, so without a sound he turned to Hermionie.
"We've got to do something..."
Cho spoke for the first time since they had arrived.
"There's nothing we can do... I used to think like that... They put me in here because I talked to much to the others..."
"Cho, don't worry... Harry knows where we are now, he'll come for us, all of us..." Hermionie tried to comfort her...
"Excellent..." A new voice called into the cell... "He'll bring Black with him won't he?"
"Don't tell them anything..." Cho said quietly.
"Who are you?" Ron asked bravely. He wondered if he was being brave, or simply very, very stupid...
"Your captor. That's all you need to know of who I am. There are some things you need to keep in mind. If you tell us lies, we'll punish you... If you "Don't remember..." we'll punish you... Understand?"
"Yes." Hermionie and Ron said in turn.
"Yes, SIR..." Said the new voice.
"Yes sir." Ron and Hermionie repeated in turn.
"You two have no respect... But you will learn..." He sounded pleased about what he was about to do, and he had a sick smile. "You..." He pointed to Ron. "Get up..." Ron did so. The first guard unlocked the cage for the new voice. Ron eyed him up. He was huge, tall, muscular and his eyes seemed to sit far in the back of his head... He reminded Ron of his image of Malfoy in a few years... Twisted and evil.
The first guard pulled Ron from the cell violently, handed him to the second man, and closed the cage again. The second guard spoke again...
"I'll be back for you later..." He sent an evil smile to Hermionie which chilled her to her bones. He winked. She felt scared for Ron, as well as for herself... The second guard turned and left, taking Ron with him...
Cho slid into a corner, turning her head to the wall... She started softly weeping... Hermionie came to her and put her arms around her, understanding...
"Cho... Cho... It's gonna be okay... I promise..."
Cho kept crying as they began to hear Ron's screams from the next room... Before long Hermionie was crying too...
Five hours later, Ron returned, carried by two different guards... They dropped him into the cell, into Hermionie's arms...
"Ron!" She shouted as the head guard (who had taken Ron in the first place) re-entered. Ron was battered from the five hours that had been spent interrogating him.... All over his face and arms there were cuts and blood was all over his shirt... It was like he was a prisoner of war... Hermionie considered if that was what they actually were...
"You better persuade him to speak, Granger. Otherwise you'll be next... After that we'll start hanging your friends..."
He walked out, laughing, leaving only the one guard with the three prisoners...
Ron spoke weakly as Cho again wept in the corner... She had seen it before, but the experience was affecting her badly...
"I didn't... I didn't say... anything..." He spoke slowly... I was obviously painful to speak.
"It's gonna be okay Ron..." Hermionie tried to sound convincing, but was having a tough time believing herself... She held Ron close to her... It was as if they each knew that they may never come out of this castle alive...
They sat together for hours without a word to each other... Silently praying for Harry...
Ron and Hermionie were thrown silently onto the cold, harsh floor of their cell in the dungeon of the castle where they were being held. They were confined to a cage with prison bars along with Cho, who had obviously been there for some time. Her clothes were dirty from the stone of the floor, and they had blood stains, Cho's blood... The only lighting in their cell came through a small window high above them on the left hand side. On the right was another strong wooden door. There was no way to fight their way out, and they had long since given up on trying to get out through magic. They had decided that they must be in the region they had read about where magic didn't work. They hadn't been able to put up a fight on the journey because they had been out cold, and when they came around they couldn't use magic.... Ron and Hermionie were dirty, but physically fine, the knights hadn't treated them badly on the day long journey from Hogsmeade... Cho however was in bad shape. Her face was covered in bruises, and there were numerous cuts around her face. Ron noticed one especially large one running from the corner of her right eye all the way down to her check bone. It was bloody, fresh... He realised he'd been staring at it for some time, so without a sound he turned to Hermionie.
"We've got to do something..."
Cho spoke for the first time since they had arrived.
"There's nothing we can do... I used to think like that... They put me in here because I talked to much to the others..."
"Cho, don't worry... Harry knows where we are now, he'll come for us, all of us..." Hermionie tried to comfort her...
"Excellent..." A new voice called into the cell... "He'll bring Black with him won't he?"
"Don't tell them anything..." Cho said quietly.
"Who are you?" Ron asked bravely. He wondered if he was being brave, or simply very, very stupid...
"Your captor. That's all you need to know of who I am. There are some things you need to keep in mind. If you tell us lies, we'll punish you... If you "Don't remember..." we'll punish you... Understand?"
"Yes." Hermionie and Ron said in turn.
"Yes, SIR..." Said the new voice.
"Yes sir." Ron and Hermionie repeated in turn.
"You two have no respect... But you will learn..." He sounded pleased about what he was about to do, and he had a sick smile. "You..." He pointed to Ron. "Get up..." Ron did so. The first guard unlocked the cage for the new voice. Ron eyed him up. He was huge, tall, muscular and his eyes seemed to sit far in the back of his head... He reminded Ron of his image of Malfoy in a few years... Twisted and evil.
The first guard pulled Ron from the cell violently, handed him to the second man, and closed the cage again. The second guard spoke again...
"I'll be back for you later..." He sent an evil smile to Hermionie which chilled her to her bones. He winked. She felt scared for Ron, as well as for herself... The second guard turned and left, taking Ron with him...
Cho slid into a corner, turning her head to the wall... She started softly weeping... Hermionie came to her and put her arms around her, understanding...
"Cho... Cho... It's gonna be okay... I promise..."
Cho kept crying as they began to hear Ron's screams from the next room... Before long Hermionie was crying too...
Five hours later, Ron returned, carried by two different guards... They dropped him into the cell, into Hermionie's arms...
"Ron!" She shouted as the head guard (who had taken Ron in the first place) re-entered. Ron was battered from the five hours that had been spent interrogating him.... All over his face and arms there were cuts and blood was all over his shirt... It was like he was a prisoner of war... Hermionie considered if that was what they actually were...
"You better persuade him to speak, Granger. Otherwise you'll be next... After that we'll start hanging your friends..."
He walked out, laughing, leaving only the one guard with the three prisoners...
Ron spoke weakly as Cho again wept in the corner... She had seen it before, but the experience was affecting her badly...
"I didn't... I didn't say... anything..." He spoke slowly... I was obviously painful to speak.
"It's gonna be okay Ron..." Hermionie tried to sound convincing, but was having a tough time believing herself... She held Ron close to her... It was as if they each knew that they may never come out of this castle alive...
They sat together for hours without a word to each other... Silently praying for Harry...
