Xenith
"Once you have experienced a fear, it becomes less terrifying."
~~~Dune
Chapter Forty
"How long do you think we've been here?" Fred rubbed at the carpet of stubble on his chin. "Well into two months, I'd think," he answered himself. "I mean, take a look at this," he moved his hand away. "I'm thinking about keeping it when we get out of here. Some of it anyway. What do you think of a goatee?"
Ron sighed. "I miss her. I didn't think I would this much but I do."
"We're going to need new wands too," Fred mumbled more to himself then his brother.
"What do you think they're doing?"
"And a haircut."
"Fred---you're rambling to yourself."
"I know, but this way I don't have to think about anything."
"It's nearly sunset."
"I know, that's what I don't want to think about."
"He's coming soon."
"I know." They always knew. Everything went cold and the sounds of torture and death quieted as the Death Eaters prepared for their master.
"I can hear them . . ." Ron trailed off. "They're coming."
"Now."
A key scraped through the lock before them.
"Well," Voldemort said in lieu of greeting. "My servants tell me you still haven't given us what we want." Ron glared at the cloaked figure. "Now do you really want me to continue with the interrogation, boys?" They didn't answer. "Is that a yes?" With an almost lazy wave of his wand Fred was thrown against the wall; the air knocked from him as he slid to the floor.
"Fred . . ." Ron said quietly though not moving to his brother.
"You're his closest friend," Voldemort moved in to Ron now. "You know everything he does; I know he tells you everything." Ron began to slide up the cold stone behind him. "Come now, tell me what you know."
"No." Ron spat into his face.
"Crucio!" Ron screamed as tremors of pain tore through his entire body. "Now do you want to tell me what you know?"
Ron was still shaking halfway up the wall as the curse subsided. "Did I tell you anything last time?"
"Should I get the potion m'Lord?" A voice came from within one of the cloaks of the hooded Death Eaters.
"How many times do I have to say this Goyle, the potion won't work. Everyone in Albus' ridiculous order was given an immunity spell that I have been unable to break due to the fact that it is specified to the individual wizard that creates it! That is the same reason that I have been unable to put them under The Imperius Curse you invalid." Voldemort gave the impression that he'd repeated himself to the elder Goyle quite often.
"Now," he smashed Ron into the wall above him. "You want to tell me, don't you?" Smash. "Or do you want me to continue with this _ particular_ order of questioning?" Ron spat at Voldemort again only this time it was blood that covered the snake face. "Still not talking? Well I do enjoy screaming nearly as much as I enjoy talking. Crucio!" Tremors of pain ripped though his entire body as he twisted and flailed in the air above the Dark Lord's head. He screamed less though. The pain always seemed less the second time around.
Voldemort let Ron smash into the ceiling once more before he crumpled to the ground coughing up more blood.
"Leave me." Voldemort directed his servants.
"But, my Lord---" They protested.
"Need I repeat myself?"
"No m'Lord." The men scurried out of the dungeon like the rats they were.
"I can't get to Harry Potter." Voldemort mused to the two boys. "I hate to say it but he's out of my reach. Protected by that bloody Order at every turn and Dumbledore and even those ruddy Muggles he spends his summer with. I can't get to him. It drained me of most of my power to send those two into Hogwarts to retrieve him. Instead they got you. You ruined my plan!" The two boys couldn't breathe. All the air had been sucked from their lungs as Voldemort raised a clenched fist at them. "I would kill you but unfortunately you are the most important link I have to Harry Potter. So you live. For now at least."
"You bore me." He continued circling the small, high-ceilinged dungeon, spinning the two boys slowly above him. "Did you know that? It's a good thing you are so close to Harry Potter, because without your wands you are nothing but insolent, insignificant Mudblood lovers and would have died the _instant _ captured." He twisted his wrist and the two boys fell from the air.
"Don't say that," Ron hissed from the floor.
"What?" Voldemort turned on Ron.
"I said," Ron was dragging himself up, through the lingering pain, to his full, and considerable, height. "I said, don't say that."
"Don't test me boy."
"Then don't say that."
"Crucio!" He doubled over in anguish but didn't scream. Ron strained to straighten himself up to a sitting position, using all his will to block out the pounding in his head and the burning on his skin. "I'll be back. Tomorrow isn't going to be a fun day for the Weasleys."
---
~~~One AM~~~
The door slammed behind the Dark Lord and all of the oxygen was sucked from Fred's body. He felt as if a large hand had taken hold on his lungs and pulled every last wisp of air from them.
He was on the verge of blacking out when he was allowed to breathe again.
But only for an instant.
"Crucio!" Voldemort hissed. Fred began to convulse---curling in upon himself as his skin crawled---burned. Every nerve felt as if it was exploding over and over again under the pressure of the curse, much worse, and much stronger, then the previous night.
And just as soon as it had started, it stopped. The door slammed again and the pain was gone.
"W-what . . . was that?" Ron panted out, lying on the floor and holding his stomach as he vomited.
Fred rubbed at his aching head before answering as he listened to Ron's heaves. "That would be the beginning of our FUN day." Ron was kneeling now, clutching his abdomen as dry retches continued to tear through his entire body; drops of blood littered the vomit and stone beneath his knees. "You're going to regret that."
"Regret what?" Ron asked finally, wiping the mess from his face on to the un-torn knee of his pants.
"Throwing up. You do realise that we aren't to be fed for a while?"
"And you call that muck they feed us food?"
"You okay though?" Fred looked across the dungeon to his brother but didn't move to him. //He's too young for this. We're all too bloody young.//
"Just another day in hell Fred. Just another day."
---
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ ·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- tbc -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*
"Once you have experienced a fear, it becomes less terrifying."
~~~Dune
Chapter Forty
"How long do you think we've been here?" Fred rubbed at the carpet of stubble on his chin. "Well into two months, I'd think," he answered himself. "I mean, take a look at this," he moved his hand away. "I'm thinking about keeping it when we get out of here. Some of it anyway. What do you think of a goatee?"
Ron sighed. "I miss her. I didn't think I would this much but I do."
"We're going to need new wands too," Fred mumbled more to himself then his brother.
"What do you think they're doing?"
"And a haircut."
"Fred---you're rambling to yourself."
"I know, but this way I don't have to think about anything."
"It's nearly sunset."
"I know, that's what I don't want to think about."
"He's coming soon."
"I know." They always knew. Everything went cold and the sounds of torture and death quieted as the Death Eaters prepared for their master.
"I can hear them . . ." Ron trailed off. "They're coming."
"Now."
A key scraped through the lock before them.
"Well," Voldemort said in lieu of greeting. "My servants tell me you still haven't given us what we want." Ron glared at the cloaked figure. "Now do you really want me to continue with the interrogation, boys?" They didn't answer. "Is that a yes?" With an almost lazy wave of his wand Fred was thrown against the wall; the air knocked from him as he slid to the floor.
"Fred . . ." Ron said quietly though not moving to his brother.
"You're his closest friend," Voldemort moved in to Ron now. "You know everything he does; I know he tells you everything." Ron began to slide up the cold stone behind him. "Come now, tell me what you know."
"No." Ron spat into his face.
"Crucio!" Ron screamed as tremors of pain tore through his entire body. "Now do you want to tell me what you know?"
Ron was still shaking halfway up the wall as the curse subsided. "Did I tell you anything last time?"
"Should I get the potion m'Lord?" A voice came from within one of the cloaks of the hooded Death Eaters.
"How many times do I have to say this Goyle, the potion won't work. Everyone in Albus' ridiculous order was given an immunity spell that I have been unable to break due to the fact that it is specified to the individual wizard that creates it! That is the same reason that I have been unable to put them under The Imperius Curse you invalid." Voldemort gave the impression that he'd repeated himself to the elder Goyle quite often.
"Now," he smashed Ron into the wall above him. "You want to tell me, don't you?" Smash. "Or do you want me to continue with this _ particular_ order of questioning?" Ron spat at Voldemort again only this time it was blood that covered the snake face. "Still not talking? Well I do enjoy screaming nearly as much as I enjoy talking. Crucio!" Tremors of pain ripped though his entire body as he twisted and flailed in the air above the Dark Lord's head. He screamed less though. The pain always seemed less the second time around.
Voldemort let Ron smash into the ceiling once more before he crumpled to the ground coughing up more blood.
"Leave me." Voldemort directed his servants.
"But, my Lord---" They protested.
"Need I repeat myself?"
"No m'Lord." The men scurried out of the dungeon like the rats they were.
"I can't get to Harry Potter." Voldemort mused to the two boys. "I hate to say it but he's out of my reach. Protected by that bloody Order at every turn and Dumbledore and even those ruddy Muggles he spends his summer with. I can't get to him. It drained me of most of my power to send those two into Hogwarts to retrieve him. Instead they got you. You ruined my plan!" The two boys couldn't breathe. All the air had been sucked from their lungs as Voldemort raised a clenched fist at them. "I would kill you but unfortunately you are the most important link I have to Harry Potter. So you live. For now at least."
"You bore me." He continued circling the small, high-ceilinged dungeon, spinning the two boys slowly above him. "Did you know that? It's a good thing you are so close to Harry Potter, because without your wands you are nothing but insolent, insignificant Mudblood lovers and would have died the _instant _ captured." He twisted his wrist and the two boys fell from the air.
"Don't say that," Ron hissed from the floor.
"What?" Voldemort turned on Ron.
"I said," Ron was dragging himself up, through the lingering pain, to his full, and considerable, height. "I said, don't say that."
"Don't test me boy."
"Then don't say that."
"Crucio!" He doubled over in anguish but didn't scream. Ron strained to straighten himself up to a sitting position, using all his will to block out the pounding in his head and the burning on his skin. "I'll be back. Tomorrow isn't going to be a fun day for the Weasleys."
---
~~~One AM~~~
The door slammed behind the Dark Lord and all of the oxygen was sucked from Fred's body. He felt as if a large hand had taken hold on his lungs and pulled every last wisp of air from them.
He was on the verge of blacking out when he was allowed to breathe again.
But only for an instant.
"Crucio!" Voldemort hissed. Fred began to convulse---curling in upon himself as his skin crawled---burned. Every nerve felt as if it was exploding over and over again under the pressure of the curse, much worse, and much stronger, then the previous night.
And just as soon as it had started, it stopped. The door slammed again and the pain was gone.
"W-what . . . was that?" Ron panted out, lying on the floor and holding his stomach as he vomited.
Fred rubbed at his aching head before answering as he listened to Ron's heaves. "That would be the beginning of our FUN day." Ron was kneeling now, clutching his abdomen as dry retches continued to tear through his entire body; drops of blood littered the vomit and stone beneath his knees. "You're going to regret that."
"Regret what?" Ron asked finally, wiping the mess from his face on to the un-torn knee of his pants.
"Throwing up. You do realise that we aren't to be fed for a while?"
"And you call that muck they feed us food?"
"You okay though?" Fred looked across the dungeon to his brother but didn't move to him. //He's too young for this. We're all too bloody young.//
"Just another day in hell Fred. Just another day."
---
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ ·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- tbc -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*