Chapter 19 – The bad man is in prison

There was snow covering the ground of the Azkaban's courtyard but, for some reason, even snow lose its charm and purity there. Where the inmates had walked in their yard time was only a grey mush and where it lay untouched, only increased the sense of emptiness of the place.
Cold was biting. Many of the people imprisoned there, if already weak, didn't survive the winter. Most of the cells were not much warmer than the outside and surely damper. A humidity that penetrated right in the bones.
Despite the chill, him and Earnest were sitting on a bench both looking at the main door where the guard had disappeared with their new guest.
His trip with the Inferi guy had been silent. Usually there was never much talking, sourness at having been captured and a sense of foreboding at the idea of entering Azkaban typically left the unfortunate wizard wordless. Harry was never too inclined on speaking either, especially after a capture so much felt as this one; his contempt prevented him speaking. Only before being taken away, the wizard had met Harry's eyes 'I'll be out. And you will be the first one to pay' he murmured threateningly.
Harry didn't even answer. It wasn't the first time he received this kind of menace on a capture, and they never bothered him much. This made no exception; he watched the guy being taken away. Judging by his constitution it was already a miracle if he survived the winter. He was the one who was going to pay, he thought somewhat pitifully, and dearly. Harry in an hour or so would have been in his warm house, in a comfortable bed and in a few days on the beach in Australia with his wife.
No, it's not me the one who is going to pay.
Azkaban was a dreadful place that always left him weary and that day more than ever, only the thought of the bed waiting for him sustained him.
He had received a firm order from Elisabeth not to show up in the office again for that day and to go home to catch up with some sleep.
While dozing on the sofa, an hour before, he was having a nice dream but the sound of a quill scratching on paper woke him with a sudden jolt.
'What time is it? How long did I sleep?' he asked alarmed to Elisabeth sprinting up realising only at that moment he had fallen asleep.
She looked up and smiled. She was sitting on his desk filling some more forms.
'Don't worry, only about twenty minutes. I didn't find the heart to wake you up' she said serenely carrying on with her scribbling. It was then that she gave him the order of repose to which he had been forced to an acquiescence. He lingered on the sofa still a while, the scratching on paper accompanying pleasantly his musing. The dream he was having left him a good feeling. He tried to recall it, but it was gone. Only a sensation of warmth and brightness was left.
When the unpleasant task of securing the wizard to prison had been fulfilled, Earnest suggested to get a cup of coffee together at which he agreed wishing for a chat.
They both had a fuming cup in their hands that was bond of cooling down very quickly if they didn't hurry to drink it.
They exchanged tidings of the respective families and now watching the closed door they were both lost in their consideration.
'Things must change' Earnest said after a while.
'What do you mean?'
Earnest brows knitted together, and his expression darkened 'Here, I mean. The situation is getting ungovernable. We have too many inmates, we struggle to control them'
Harry was silent for a moment 'Many will be dead by the end of the winter' he said in the end. It was not exactly a happy thing to affirm but that didn't make it less true.
'Yesterday a boy died. We found him froze to death in his cell all crouched on himself in a corner trying to stay warm. He wasn't even twenty. This cannot be right'
Harry didn't answer, Earnest had too much heart to work in a place as such. He couldn't have done it either. None of the two had enough fibre for it. Harry was sorry for him. He had always liked the guy and felt pity knowing he was spending every day in that place. He had suggested him more than once to change job, he had even considered to speak his name to the Minister, against his usual inclination, as the man deserved it all, but he always refused.
In Azkaban the salary was much higher than any other place and he needed those money to support his family where he was the only one working. Nevertheless, Harry had noticed him aging fast. The lines more marked on his face, he was losing that openness and cheerfulness that characterised him when they first met.
'I would prefer to see them decreasing in a different way. This is only heightening the resentment. There are fights every other day and we are just not enough to control them' he concluded worriedly sitting back on the bench 'We asked for some help, but they are not sending any. It's months we are understaffed. This is a dangerous game they are playing at'
Harry reflected on his words. He was right, it was a dangerous game. The Ministry was always unwilling to dispense additional money for a place like Azkaban, that was another reason why the place was so dismal.
It was very expensive to keep. And it had become even more so after the dementors had been banned. Guards needed to be paid adequately while formerly Dementors weren't, working only for the sake of feeding on despair of inmates. Moreover, prisoners needed to be fed and without Dementors they were surviving longer, despite the dreadful living condition, contributing to the overcrowding.
And the return was null. Many people in the magical community weren't very happy to know their money was used for the keeping of criminals therefore, expenses were kept at minimum and requested of changes or improvement ignored.
Harry had mixed feeling toward the issue, on one side he thought that most of the wizards imprisoned there deserved it all, on the other he was reminded on when Hagrid had been there in his second year because believed to be culpable on the attacks on student. He hadn't had any fault in it and the experience had greatly shaken him. He remembered about Sirius as well who had an even worse experience out of it. And then he was reminded again about what Ted told him once "if they come out, they come out even worse".
'I'll talk to the Minister about it' he said emptying his cup in one gulp, the now tepid drink going pleasantly down his throat 'I'll see what I can do'
Earnest brow eased and after a few minutes of silence, with a lighter tone, addressed him again 'So, going to Australia?'
Harry was bemused 'How do you know?'
'I heard Ellen and Diana talking about it, we do the night shift together time to time, they were discussing a magazine, I believe. A friend of your is marrying there, isn't it?'
Harry couldn't stop the annoyance being clearly visible on his face and Earnest, spotting it, chuckled.
'If that make you feel better the discussion was adorned by many interesting remarks on the sensation created by your person wearing a swimsuit …'
'Which I don't want to know, thank you' he tailed him off quickly already starting to feel rather hot around the neck while Earnest burst out laughing.
'And yes, hopefully I'm going. I'll be off as soon as I can'
'I'll tell them then, so they'll buy the next number for sure' Earnest boomed in a fit of mirth.

Harry was sitting on the bed contemplating a big luggage almost empty in front of him. He was wondering why Ginny's one was full to the brim rendering necessary for him to help her closing it and his, after having put inside all he could think of, was still basically empty. He had been tempted to call her to been enlightened of what he was forgetting if only, doing a quick calculation, he realised it was very early in the morning there and surely, she was still sleeping. He was on his own.
He looked inside: three t-shirts, one pair of jeans, one trunk for day wear and one for swimming, some pants, and socks, running shoes, a pair of sunglasses and a toothbrush. It barely layered the bottom.
He scratched his head reflecting. Usually, it was always Ginny managing this kind of things, like it was always her buying clothes for him. He loved to pick nice things for her and Sunrise, but he didn't care at all about what to wear himself. Clothes were magically materializing in his wardrobe and Ginny, to avoid him always wearing the same stuff, sometimes even arranged them on his bedside table in the morning.
He stood up and lazily fished from the wardrobe a hoody, hoping not to have the need to use it, and an additional t-shirt.
It was still dismally empty.
After some more consideration, he took a rucksack and, emptying the luggage, stuffed everything in that one. It filled perfectly. Problem solved.
He took a book found in one of his explorations in Nocturnal alley about a vicious branch of dark magic he wanted to be better informed and left behind (with much satisfaction) a very boring scientific one about Inferi he was reading.
The small box containing the ring was still on the bed side table. The purchase hadn't been as easy as he thought it would have been. To start with there were hundreds of models and Ginny never wore any jewellery rendering difficult for him to imagine what she may like. In the end the girl behind the counter had helped him 'if she never wears any you should get something simple' and so he had done. He had chosen something simple and easy. Something that reminded him of her but then he found out rings had sizes a bit like shoes, a thing he should have imagined but never crossed his mind.
Frustration growing, he didn't know where to turn for help. It the end, despite unwillingly, he asked Molly who furnished him with a more than enthusiastic help. He only hoped her enthusiasm wouldn't have made her spill the beans caring for the whole thing to remain a surprise.
He took the box and stuffed it in the bag.
As he was considering that maybe he ought to pack flip flop too and, throwing him in a sudden fit of panic, something for the wedding, an acute scream pierced the air.
Harry left the rucksack still open beside the door and followed the scream knowing already what was about.
He switched on the light in Sunrise's room. He had been to pick her up that day from the Burrow to spend a bit of time in her company before leaving.
He found her crying clutching her teddy convulsively.
'What's wrong, sweetie? Another nightmare?'
'Daddy…' she wailed seeing him.
He picked her up and kissed her hair 'Did you dream about the bad man again?' he asked consoling her.
'Yes, daddy. He hurt you'
Harry taking her to his room thought about what the Inferi guy had told him as a parting. He was going to die in Azkaban there wasn't any risk of him hurting anybody anymore.
'No, sweetie. The bad man is in prison.'
'In prison?' she asked tearfully.
'Yes, bad men always go to prison, and they never get out. You can sleep tight; he cannot hurt me.' He said reassuringly laying her in his bed under the duvet.
'And mummy?'
'Nor mummy. She is safe too' he added laying close to her and switching off the light.
'Where is mummy?'
'At the sea'
'At the sea?' she asked excitedly.
'Yes, I'm going there too soon. We need to make everything ready for this summer you know, for when we will go with Jamie and Alby. That's why you will have to stay with grandma and grandpa for a while. You will be a good girl while we are away, are you? If you do, we will go all together at summertime'
'And the bad man?'
'The bad man will stay in prison forever. No sea for him, he hasn't been good. Only good girls get to go to the sea'
'I'm a good girl' she said steadfast.
Harry smiled and yawned 'I know you are. Now you'll show it to daddy going to sleep straight away, alright?'
'Allight daddy'
He kept her close knowing already it was going to be hard to leave her to the Burrow the next day, the repetition of "daddy" that marked his waking hours was going to be missed intensely.
But then he thought about the blue sky that was waiting for him, the crystalline water, the white sand and Ginny wearing her fetching swimsuit coming toward him and consoled himself somehow.
And just when the reverie was losing shape into a dream, Sunrise voice startled him up making his heart jolt.
'Daddy?'
'What, sweetie?'
'You give Teddy a kiss?'