Without You.

Chapter20: ...In the light

Footsteps awakened Harry. He did not have the strength to lift his eyes, keeping his chin resting on his bare chest that was struggling to rise and fall. His breathing had been heavy and erratic as hunger twisted his stomach and pain had made his home in all parts of his body.

An eternity earlier, the Auror had come to his cell to make him drink. Since nothing had happened. Only the black who continued to surround him. He felt perfectly well that his body was struggling to cope with these tortures. Being thirsty and hungry reduced his strength and his magic. Staying in complete darkness disrupted his metabolism.

What day was it? How long had he been here? He was struggling more and more to stay conscious. His end was coming soon. He was sure of it. How could it have been otherwise? Days passed, pitiless to his pain. And the more days passed, the more he felt himself leaving. His strength faded quickly. Too much, surely, to be able to think of a happy-ending. His life would end in cold, damp, and dark dungeons.

Without the moisture - and without the chains that fluffed his flesh - Harry could have thought himself in his closet after Uncle Vernon punished him. The fever that shook his body for a moment already made him delirious. And it became more and more common that a vision of his uncle planning his death with Lucius would appear when he was conscious. Or rather half-conscious.

The footsteps grew louder. Harry fluttered his eyelids. He hardly caught the characteristic sound of a cane hitting the ground. He frowned. Did Lucius decide to visit him today? From the time he was shut up here, the fallen aristocrat had not even entered his cell. It was strange. But Harry did not complain. On the contrary. The further he remained from his jailer, the better he went.

However, this time he could only face it. Already the grid was opening. The grinding she let out as she was forced to open wide, drew a grin at Harry. It was spinning all around him and the noise was ringing his ears. Merlin, did Lucius end his existence?

"Hello Harry," Lucius said as he entered the cell.

Harry gently raised his face to stare. He did not want to appear weaker than he actually was. His captor was not to see that his body was giving up and giving up. He must be strong and show that he was not afraid of him. Even if ... Even if he was a little scared anyway. Lucius was crazy. Not being afraid of him would have been stupid and suicidal. And from what he knew, he was neither one nor the other. Not yet anyway.

- 'day,' cius.

He would have liked to answer him as he had done. With grace and class. But his dry throat, fever and aching body prevented him from doing so. Before him, Lucius circled the cell, sometimes slamming his tongue against his palate in a gesture of disgust. Cane in hand, he turned to him to fix it with his piercing eyes. Harry restrained himself with all his might not to look away. He had the impression that the other could read in him as in an open grimoire, that he could see how weak he was and how much he stank of death. He hated that.

Lucius tilted his head to the side, his long blond hair slipping over his shoulder. He stared at it again. Harry bit his tongue to keep from making a sharp remark. This guy, he hated him. Like he had never hated anyone. He wanted him to die painfully and his death to be anything but fast.

Harry clenched his jaws.

- So how are you Harry?

- Well, it shows no? he managed to say with difficulty.

His vocal cords, which had been underused recently, seemed to be relaxing with the words that came out of his mouth. They burned slightly. Consequence of too many cries he had launched in the rain of Doloris who had fallen on him at Manoir Snape.

"Always impertinent, as I see," Lucius spat disdainfully.

"Always when I see you," Harry said in the same tone.