Secrets and Masks

57. Click, click, click.

TW; Very graphic depictions of torture.

31st March

"Ooooooooooh, Crouchy baby, just slip a knife under my ribs, for me!"

There was a movement to his left, a stirring in the shadows of the dimly lit basement he was being kept in.

"Been an awful bad boy, Crouchy baby, so hurry up and gut me tonight!"

Theo didn't bother to look around, it wouldn't have done much good. He couldn't see, and it wasn't like he could fucking run away from whatever it was anyway.

Bastard ropes.

Bastard ropes and bastard chair.

Bastard ropes tying him to the bastard chair.

Could be worse, he supposed. At Least Crouch hadn't cast a silencing charm on him. Or gagged him. If he couldn't sing, how else was he supposed to enjoy himself in this shit hole?

"Crouchy baby, a seven-inch knife would do, or six, I'll wait up for you mate, so hurry up and gut me tonight!"

The sound of metal rubbing together filled the small space. Two knives, or maybe machete's - if he was lucky - were being scraped against another, each being used as a tool to sharpen the other.

"Ooooooh, the Dark Lord is gonna be pissed, but think of all the fun you'd have if the Dementors gave me the kiss!"

Barty Crouch Jr came out of the shadows and walked slowly towards Theo, a sharp, glittering knife in each of his hands. He stopped when he was standing in front of Theo and smiled down at him.

And all Theo could think as he watched Crouch twirl the knives in his hand like they were bloody batons, was that he hoped to God or Merlin or whatever made-up deity was in the clouds - that he never, ever, ever, EVER, looked that fucking stupid when he tortured someone.

"Now," Jr said slowly.

Wait, was he putting on a voice? Theo was sure Crouch's voice wasn't usually that deep and brassy.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

Theo burst into a fit of laughter. He didn't try to keep it in. His body wanted to curl forward as loud cackles bubbled in his chest and throat, but the ropes around his torso prevented him from moving much.

"I'm - I'm sorry - " he managed to joke out between fits of laughter. "I tried to keep it in - I really tried - but mate - mate! Do you have any idea how fucking ridiculous you look right now?! Oh my ... " His cheeks started to hurt, he could hardly breathe from laughing, but just when he started to calm down, one look at Crouch's face set him off again. "What's ... happened to your voice? Did you ... smoke a whole pack of ciggys before -"

"Enough!" Crouch bellowed. "I've heard enough of this! You pathetic-"

Yep, he was definitely putting on a voice.

"-insignificant worm-"

Who even talked like that?

"- swine of a man-"

The bloke sounded like he was reading from a bad script.

"You call yourself a Death Eater?! You aren't even worthy to lick the boots of my master!"

A fucking awful script at that.

"- vermin! Would cut you like a fish! Would throttle-"

Even porn had better dialogue than Crouch.

"Are you even listening to me?!"

"Hmm?" Theo hummed, tilting his head to the side and staring up at Crouch innocently. "Whatcha say, Crouchy baby?"