Ride Along: Chapter Seven: Rock Bottom.
When people say, the thing about rock bottom is that everywhere is up, they haven't been to Azkaban.
Harry woke up lying on a very uncomfortable bed and he could vaguely see the blurry lines of lines and the distance
He sat up the bed was very uncomfortable hard and the room he was in was pretty cold Harry sat there trying to squint and work out what the hell was going on once it's going to the now if you could see that the lines in front of them were bars cell bars he was in some sort of cell oh shit, Ginny, Ginny, Harry started to breathe far too fast his chest got tight so tight the room got dark and Harry fell unconscious.
-==0==-
Harry woke up on an uncomfortable bed he opened his eyes and it was cold.
Harry tried to look around but then discovered that he was strapped to whatever bed he was in and couldn't move. Harry squinted and with a bit of effort could work out the ceiling was a stone ceiling without any decoration he turned his head; his head seemed to be strapped down he could only just turn it and over on the edge of his field of vision he could see blurry bars. He was in a Cell.
He felt very confused and there was something he couldn't remember but he couldn't remember what it was and he felt muddy headed.
Harry lay on the bed unable to move for a long time eventually there was a clunking of metal and someone walked over and looked down on him he didn't recognise the person but they were wearing some sort of uniform
"Oh you're awake" they said "Well I suppose I will feed you" with that they took a jug and a funnel,
put the funnel in Harry's mouth and slowly but not too slowly that he didn't spill on himself poor some sort of liquid into Harry.
"Well we can't let you lie around keep trying to hurt yourself" they said.
Harry said what "I don't remember"
"we've had to put you on calming draughts; you keep fainting panicking and fainting; which his strange considering you that you were a big hero in the war" they said.
"Upset now you attacked your girlfriend eh?"
"what?" said Harry
"Well you and you her blasted into a wall cracked her skull and then nobody didn't find you for ages because you were lying on the ground unconscious. I guess she must have got you with something before you attacked her" Harry felt something ; horror.
But his head felt so muddy and muddled and the guard left. The guard it appeared, turned up several times a day poured food into Harry with a funnel and stopped talking to him .
Harry didn't mind Harry could barely remember yesterday whatever this potion was it was making him very muddy headed.
-==0==-
Harry woke up strapped onto the bed in the prison cell again but this time things were different.
The guard came in and started undoing straps that were holding Harry to the bed.
"Well you're getting your day in court" said the guard.
Harry staggered along with the guard a long stone corridor down in a lift down, down, down, into a dark stone hallway vaguely familiar and then Harry was dragged along to pair of big doors into a dark cavernous room. 'Oh Courtroom 10' thought Harry.
The guard dragged Harry onto the chair and the chains on the chair wrapped around Harry holding tight. Someone in fancy robes came over to Harry and stood by him.
Over on the benches someone stood up and started talking
"Now opening the trial of Harry James Potter for the murder of Geneva Molly Weasley we will start with pleading"
"Mr Potter how do you plead in the case of the murder of Ginerva Molly Weasley"
Harry swallowed "guilty" said Harry "guilty"
The room was filled of murmuring must be a lot of people Harry couldn't quite see the light was right on him after all.
"Silence silence in the court." called someone. There was a bang as someone used a noise making charm.
"Given that the defendant has pleaded guilty to murder and we have the body of the victim all that Remains now is sentencing so"
Someone next to Harry "my plaintiff" said the person "Is suffering diminished responsibility due to a stress response from extreme stress over a 10 year period we have as evidence items one two and three evidence of his medical examinations by two independent healers and proof that he has uncontrollable stress reactions."
The judge looked briefly at the paper "true, so a vote to commute the mend the murder sentence to a manslaughter sentence, How do you vote"
Above Harry on the benches that went out into the dark distance warns lit up.
"38 to 12 against the motion is carried Harry James Potters murder trial has been commuted to Harry James Potter manslaughter trial. Potter has pleaded guilty all that remains is sentencing"
Harry sat there 'I Killed Ginny, I killed Ginny'. Harry cried.
The person next to Harry spoke up "We would like to point out that the defendant is showing remorse"
"Yes he is isn't he" said it's judge "remorseful manslaughter the sentence to be 4 years in Azkaban" said the judge "How do you vote"
Wands lit up.
"Motion carried Harry Potter to be sentenced to 4 years in Azkaban for remorseful accidental manslaughter of Molly Weasley. Case Closed. Prisoner to be transported Immediately by private floo" the judge banged the gavel
Out of the corner of Harry's eye he could see two people in Aurors robes approaching him they got to him one of the raised their wand said "stupefy" and Darkness
-==0==-
Harry woke up lying on a hard stone bench and everything was blurry and black. Harry squinted and he could just see above the bench a small window to a grey light. After a while and his eyes adapted to the darkness he could see he was lying on a stone bench in a square stone room with a heavy wooden door at the bottom of the door was a little steel flap. It was cold.
Harry could hear the wind blowing outside the window, there wasn't any glass that Harry could see.
Harry didn't feel like moving today. Nothing happened, and a lot later it got dark. Harry eventually fell asleep, seeing his mother die and someone saying 'you can die', except this time Harry knew it was Voldemort inside Harry; Harry had done it. He'd died. He'd killed.
Much later there was a metal on stone noise and Harry woke up the little flap over by the door being lifted and a metal tray slid into the room with something on it.
Harry got up from the stone shelf staggered across the room and knelt down by the metal tray there was a bowl of greenish stuff and that was all. Harry pick the bowl up and ate it with his fingers it, wasn't hot so it didn't hurt. It tasted terrible but Harry was very hungry when he was finished digging it out with his fingers he licked the bowl and then his fingers and went back to set on the stone shelf.
The day got lighter, Harry assumed it was a day and then eventually got darker.
Harry woke up to the sound of the tray sliding on the stone, taking his old tray and bowl and replaced it with another bowl of green stuff.
Harry got up and ate it.
There wasn't was much and he still didn't feel like using the toilet.
He looked around the room, oh there in the corner was a hole in the floor that must be the toilet.
Harry pissed in the hole, and lay back down back on the stone shelf. As he slept, his memory played the memory of killing Ginny over and over again.
-==0=-
Harry lost track of time apart from the food turning up, The light going up a bit and then down a bit that was all the happened any day. Harry wondered if he was in Azkaban, then where were the Dementors, he did feel cold he supposed and never felt happy but then why would he; he'd killed Ginny.
It was all his fault Harry's fault. he had ended up just as bad as Voldemort.
-==0==-
Time passed. Harry figured time was passing because he hadn't had a beard and now he had a beard and his hair got longer, his beard got longer and longer and it itched.
Food got caught in his beard, there's nothing he could do. Harry felt cold. As his fingernails got longer his nails got better at scraping food out of the bowl. They got longer and longer.
Harry realised he must look now like any other Azkaban inmate; tattered clothes, long hair, beard long fingernails. He couldn't tell what his skin looked like anymore; there wasn't enough light but he figured he hasn't seen the sun in while.
'How long does it take your hair to grow this long' thought Harry.
'Or your beard , or your fingernails to end up half as long as your fingers.'
Harry didn't know all he knew was that he'd killed Ginny it was all his fault.
-==0==-
Harry was lying on the stone bench one day when something happened. Harry felt frightened; things didn't happen.
There was a metal sound in the door and the door moved. The door never moved. The door opened and terribly bright lights came into the room; behind the lights were voices. Harry remembered voices
"Well there he is" said someone.
"I have to do these checks it's the regulations" said the other person. someone cast magic on Harry
He could feel it it; it tingled.
"Well he's about average" said the person who cast the spell.
"Now" the first person said "see told you no problem stupid regulation."
-==0==-
Harry was lying on the stone bench, nothing's happening and then the door made a noise again something was happening. Harry's heart pounded his vision faded.
"Look" said someone "you don't want to see him just a fucken' murderer"
"My client has hired me to come in inspect Mr Potter " said a person very precisely "and I should therefore inspect Mr Potter"
"yeah well, he's just a murderer" said the guard.
The other person said "I've read Mr Potters HR file. Mr Potter killed a possessed teacher who was trying to take over the world as you know who when he was 11. His parents died when he was 1 and he had to fight Voldemort when he was seventeen, and had been on the Run for a year before that. Not exactly a normal life" said the person.
Harry hoped nothing awful was going to happen.
The door opened and the unspeakable bright lights came on again.
Harry lifted his hand to cover his eyes. "Merlin, he looks terrible" the person said primly.
"They all look like this" said the other.
"Scourgify" someone cast and Harry felt magic ripping across his skin.
"Good grief has he been eating at all" asked fussy voice.
"He gets the same food as every other prisoner one bowl a day" said the… guard.
"You can see his ribs from here." said fussy voice, from behind the bright lights.
" you can see all of their ribs from here" said the guard "its just how it is."
The person with precise voice cast a few spells and Harry felt his hands something happened he couldn't feel this fingernails anymore they were falling away. Harry could still feel his fingernails they just weren't long anymore; how weird.
"Mr Potter" said someone "I'd like to ask you some questions Mr Potter"
Harry spoke "I killed her I killed her I killed her I killed her I killed Ginny"
"Well that's all he says" said the guard "it's all he ever says"
"Good grief the man's mind has gone" said the precise voice.
...
"Well it's doesn't normally happen this fast "
"in one..."
"It affects different people differently you know" said the guard.
"People with hope you know they do pretty well, I've been told people who are wrongfully imprisoned, you know, they do quite well" said the Guard.
-==0==-
Harry woke up on his stone shelf feeling cold the door. The door made a noise and the door opened and the bright lights came in again and someone said "Get up Prisoner"
Harry sat up on the stone couch and staggered towards the lights something grabbed him something really strong and pulled him through the doorway.
That wasn't right it was no through the doorway. They dragged him along with the unbearably bright lights his feet scuffing on the cold stones.
The trip turned into just a long sequence of pain eventually they stopped somewhere it was intolerably bright of course. Of course it was. Someone cast magic and with a 'scourgify' Harry's skin suddenly itched.
Then out of the brightness someone handed Harry a bundle of something soft and said "put these on."
Harry couldn't really see, it was to bright but it was clothes, Harry supposed.
Harry fumbled with it and found that it was robes. He found the big end, and managed to climb into the robes which were itchy and blue.
"Alright come on" said someone from behind one of the bright lights and someone grabbed Harry's arm again; didn't hurt quite as much this time with more padding and dragged Harry.
His feet hurt quite a bit. They went along corridors, lit far too brightly.
And then Harry was dragged eventually through a steel doorway into a room that was far too bright but wasn't cold.
That was strange it was always cold.
Harry was dragged through the room out another steel door way into freezing cold wind. It was colder than normal out here out. The the stones were grey like grey and far away.
Harry couldn't tell what was going on. Eventually they stopped and pulled Harry on to; must be a boat he thought.
Harry wondered, maybe we're going to go to the little island on the lake and this time I'll drink the poison.
Wondering if it would feel worse, Harry rode along in the boat for a long time it rocked and bobbed, He felt a little bit sick, and would have vomited if he'd had anything to eat.
Eventually the boat stopped Harry could see fuzzily they were somewhere it wasn't windy anymore. Someone grabbed Harry and pulled him to his feet and took them off the boat along; That felt like wood along a wooden something; a building. This must be outside. The guard dragged Harry into small building.
Inside the building the Guard said "prisoner 819 13"
"81913 Potter Harry J identity checking" said someone else and they pulled up Harry's tattered sleeve.
"81913 verify. Right I've got them you can sod off" the next person grabbed Harry and then suddenly he was in blackness crushing down on him from every side crushing the breath out of him. And then it wasn't and he was somewhere bright everything was blurry and it was warm.
Warm is not normal. The person holding Harry dragged them off to a chair. That's a chair it's a wooden thing for sitting thought Harry and sat.
"Alright Potter Harry, your effects, one wand Holly Phoenix core, one money bag, 18 gallons 12 sickles 14 knuts, 1 pair glasses, wire frame."
Harry remembered glasses and held out his hand.
Glasses are placed in his hand. He put his glasses on and the room stopped being fuzzy. He could see an old man in blue hit-wizard robes standing with a little paper bag.
On the side of the bag was written 81913.
"You're clothes went missing somehow so if you just sign here" they said handing him a Quill and a clipboard "you can leave"
Harry looked at the Quill and his hand "sign on the form" said the person
The held up the clipboard. Harry made a cross mark on the bottom half of the form "And you're done" said the hit wizard "Here's your bag"
They grabbed him by the shoulder and let him towards the doorway; it was wooden. They opened the door pushed Harry's through, and shut the door behind Harry.
Harry looked around. He was standing in a hallway it was tiled in black tiles and there were doors along the way and in the distance he thought he could see people. He was getting used to the brightness he supposed.
Harry wondered when it was going to get dark and cold again.
Harry started to feel tired so he sat down against the wall of the hallway he had a bag now. He closed his eyes and leaned forward. Just a little nap.
Someone was shaking Harry awake "Mr Potter Mr Potter" they said.
Hurry opened his eyes there was a person in brown robes shaking him "what are you doing" they asked.
Harry stared at them; he didn't know how to answer that question.
"I killed her" said Harry "I killed her" Harry repeated.
-=0==-
"Oh bloody hell" said the person in brown robes
They ran off saying something about Mexicans.
Later Harry had his eyes shut resting and someone spoke to Harry, someone familiar "Harry Potter stand up",
Harry opened his eyes and there was was Andromeda; she was wearing green robes and she looked cross.
"Hi Andy" said Harry, standing up.
"Harry come with me with me we'll floo back home"
"home?" asked Harry.
"yes home" said Andromeda.
Harry remembered the green spinning flames and then being taken to a soft thing and covered in warm and then nothing.
-==0==-
Harry woke up lying on; it was soft, and he felt warm and that was all very strange. He opened his eyes and he was in a bright place the walls with light colours and it was warm.
Someone woke with a start "you're awake" said Andromeda.
"Here take this potion" and she pressed a potion vial to Harry's mouth.
Harry swallowed the potion it tasted absolutely disgusting.
After he had taken that one "here is another one" after the tenth potion Harry wished wished he was back in the cold dark place because the Potions tasted awful
"Alright you'll go to sleep any minute now" said Andromeda "I'll see you in 5 or 6 hours sleep well Harry"
-==0==-
Harry woke up feeling warm and his head felt less muzzy he lay in the bed. 'Yeah, it's a bed'. He lay in the bed feeling warm. Sometime later Andromeda came into the room looking concerned and proceeded to feed him 10 Potions
"bad" said Harry "tastes bad"
"Yes I'm sure they taste bad" said Andromeda "however you need them you're on ten Potions a wakening maybe tomorrow till food."
"Food" said Harry
"Well you're only getting soup today" said Andromeda and clicked her fingers.
A tray with a bowl of soup on it floated into the room and Harry smelt it. It smelled delicious. Andromeda slapped his hand when he went to eat the soup with his hand.
"Use a spoon" she said.
Harry looked at his hand fuzzily his fingernails were short again. 'Oh well that's nice' he thought. After the soup Harry's stomach felt strangely full nastily reminding him of being 11 years old at Hogwarts.
Andromeda said "don't worry you'll go to sleep in a minute or two"
-==0==-
It was Andromeda who told Harry a month later, that Harry got up from the bed and on tottering legs made his way to the bathroom. Harry had started to eat food it was nice but Andromeda kept making him take him Potions every-time he woke up. They didn't get any less disgusting. Andromeda after he drank his Potions would cast some diagnostics spells on him look at the results can add a clipboard write them down shake her head and say Azkaban is inhumane.
One day Harry opened his eyes and saw a little child; tall as the bed staring at him from the doorway. The child has brown hair and a heart shaped face.
"Teddy?" asked Harry
"Harry" asked the Child.
"yeah I'm Harry" said Harry.
"You went away" said Teddy
"I Did a Bad Thing" said Harry "I had to go away"
"Gran makes me go to my room when I'm bad" said Teddy
"I did a very bad thing" said Harry and cried.
"You're sorry" said Teddy.
"Yes Teddy, it was an accident when I did the bad thing" said Harry, crying.
"I break things by accident sometimes" said Teddy.
Harry cried and Teddy ran away.
"So you met Teddy" said Andromeda to Harry later.
"He's got bigger" said Harry.
"Well four months is a long time" said Andromeda.
"I was sentenced to four years" said Harry "I killed her"
"Harry, you did not kill Ginvera Weasley, You were sentenced to four months."
"Years" said Harry "I remember"
Andromeda said "Oh dear" very loudly and dashed out.
-==0==-
Hermione Weasley came to visit Harry one day, before Harry could leave the bed full-time.
She walked in, and gasped. "Harry, you look like Sirius"
"Azkaban does that" said Harry crying.
"It was an accident, Harry" said Hermione.
"But no other Weasley will ever speak to me" said Harry "And that's fair."
"Andromeda told me you were found outside the Auror offices… just sitting" said Hermione, wet eyed.
"I didn't remember much" said Harry.
"There needs to be someone to help people when they get discharged" said Hermione indignantly.
"I mean if people just get dumped in the corridor what's what stops them" said Hermione.
Harry said "what stops in getting kicked out of the ministry into Knockturn Alley and murdered? Not much" said Harry "I'm lucky I'm rich and I have a family."
Hermione looked rather upset "There needs to be something" she said "there needs to be something to help people that get discharged from Azkaban."
"You know the does, there should be a foundation; the Sirius Black foundation" said Harry "Sirius would like it too. I can put some Black family money into it, not too much; I've got to leave money for Teddy"
Hermione look thoughtful "Teddy is a dear."
"Well" said Harry "If Teddy's aunt Hermione would take him to the Burrow from time to time so he could meet other kids that would be pretty nice"
Hermione said "Teddy's Aunt Hermione will probably do that that."
"Back to the Sirius Black foundation" said Harry glumly and pulled up his sleeve Hermione looked at the number tattooed on Harry's arm. '81913'
"So I think anyone with a number can go to the Sirius Black foundation to a safe house and then maybe we can hire somebody to sit by the exit to pick people up take him to the safehouse give them potions, give them food."
"That sounds terribly expensive" said Hermione.
Harry said "Well I can put most of My vault into it after all I don't need much money, I never really have"
Hermione said "I don't get paid very much working for the ministry."
Harry said "don't worry about it find someone who doesn't work for the ministry you know one of the Muggle born graduates with good grades and wants to change the world find one of them.
Or even maybe one of the people left over from the war you know the kind"
"I think the Sirius Black foundation might get quite a few of them" said Hermione.
Harry Potter pulled his sleeve up "well I'm tired now" said Harry "I'll probably sleep"
"Harry I'm sorry" said Hermione.
Hermione had a conversation with Andromeda; Harry fell asleep.
A few days later Hermione got a letter, addressed in wobbly chicken-scratching.
'Hermione,
I thought of the perfect person to be the "benefactor" of The Sirius Black Foundation.
Draco Malfoy.
He owes me, he has lots of family and acquaintances in Azkaban and is rich.
Harry.'
Ron couldn't work out why Hermione laughed then sobbed.
-==0==-
Harry still had nightmares often. Andromeda would come into Harry's bedroom and look at Harry eventually she organised some special Potions which Harry had to take for an entire month at the end of the month Harry stopped having nightmares but still wasn't very happy.
Andromeda arranged for a special healer to come and see Harry and they asked Harry lots of questions. Harry got quite upset.
And then he explained loudly how Ginny had died in the sitting room how he'd accidentally blasted her against the wall her head cracked the blood. Blood on the wall.
The specialist looked at Harry and said "I know what you need , obliviate".
Harry woke up the next day feeling sad he remembered, it'd been a terrible accident and Ginny Weasley had got hurt; the details he couldn't remember but he knew he'd been an Azkaban for 4 years so that was enough. Andromeda insisted it had been four months, but Harry remembered.
-==0==-
At the point where Harry started helping cook food Andromeda said "well it's probably time for you to visit your house" and Harry rather nervously took her hand and they flooed through the fireplace to Godric's Hollow
Harry stepped out of the fireplace into his front hall he recognised it it was cold and smelled damp.
Andromeda said "sorry I should have got Kreacher to warm the place up."
Harry walked into the dining room, looked at the massive table. He laughed remembering the dinner party with the quiche 'good times'.
He walked through around the table into the kitchen and looked around; it was dusty and rather neglected. Through the windows he could see the gardens of his house a bit messy.
"The garden have got pretty messy" said Harry.
Andromeda said "yes quite."
Harry turned around from the kitchen back through the dining room thought the hall and looked into the sitting room. The room looked a little dishevelled the couches are out of position but was just a room.
Harry turned and went up the stairs around the landing up the other landing up more stairs finally stepping out into the narrow hall that ran lengthwise along his house.
He peered into the master bedroom where the bed lay neatly made with pillows and a spider web from one of the posts to the other.
Harry walk to the end of the bedroom, by the bedside table and looked out the window.
He could look down into the front yard with the roses a bit out of control.
"The garden really is a mess "said Harry.
Harry turned around and walked back the other way Andromeda was standing by the trouser press. Harry walk past her down the hallway all the way to the end all the way to the nursery, He opened the door and looked inside. The room was exactly the way it had been left. He walked over and looked to the small bed.
"still no mattress" said Harry and looked out the window.
The Harry abruptly turned around and went to the hall and opened the bathroom door. The soap had somehow dissolved into a misshapen blob.
Harry opened the cupboard door and there were towels they smelled a little bit musty.
"Well needs a bit of a clean" said Harry glumly.
"Well I'm sure Kreacher will have his work cut out for him " said Andromeda.
Harry turned and looked at Andromeda and said "But Kreacher's doing all the cooking at your place and looking after Teddy"
Andromeda nodded "Now maybe Teddy can go to the Weasleys for some playdates perhaps"
Andromeda said "I shall simply take him by flu there before I go to work, and Kreacher can be there when he comes back to cook him dinner and then I will arrive from work and eat dinner you will floo over and eat dinner.
"Yes Andromeda" said Harry.
"Right now let's go back to my house to tell Teddy about his arrangements and get Kreacher psyched up to clean your house"
Harry lay in the bed not really sleeping, thinking wondering what he was going to do. He couldn't really get past the memory of lying on the stone bench so very cold.
'They were right' thought Harry 'Even without the Dementors or with them a long way away Azkaban really did suck all the hope right out of you'
-==0==-
Harry walked shakily around his house. The sitting room, back to normal. Harry remembered something bad had happened there, but not what. Harry tried sleeping in the bed, but found the light worried him. In the end, he crawled into the cupboard under the stairs and slept. The next day he clumsily added a bolt to the inside of the cupboard.