Flashback: Recovery
Time had completely lost meaning quite some time ago. It was August when he went into hiding, August when he was arrested, August when he was tried and found guilty of crimes that weren't even crimes, and August when he'd been locked away like he never mattered. After a while, he'd started to think that no, he hadn't. No one had been looking for him, no one had been trying to get him out. It was nothing but dark, damp, dank cells and screaming.
The screaming was almost worse. If not for the "interrogations" that happened on some sort of schedule that he'd never been able to work out and the hexes those included, the screaming would have been worse.
As he struggled up, gasping and eyes shooting open in the dim but not dark - never fully dark - room, Gabe heard some kind of alert go off as his heart raced and he tried to calm himself down and remind himself where he was.
Never mind the physical injuries and lack of basic necessities that Gabriel had suffered while in Azkaban, nothing was worse than this.
Nothing could ever be worse than knowing he was safe, technically, in a hospital after the War ended and still feeling like the only other voice in the world was in his head, even when he could look up and see the young healer - or one in training? Did details matter? - coming into his room and saying words that didn't make sense to him around his burning lungs and stinging eyes.
The screaming was almost worse. If not for the "interrogations" that happened on some sort of schedule that he'd never been able to work out and the hexes those included, the screaming would have been worse.
As he struggled up, gasping and eyes shooting open in the dim but not dark - never fully dark - room, Gabe heard some kind of alert go off as his heart raced and he tried to calm himself down and remind himself where he was.
Never mind the physical injuries and lack of basic necessities that Gabriel had suffered while in Azkaban, nothing was worse than this.
Nothing could ever be worse than knowing he was safe, technically, in a hospital after the War ended and still feeling like the only other voice in the world was in his head, even when he could look up and see the young healer - or one in training? Did details matter? - coming into his room and saying words that didn't make sense to him around his burning lungs and stinging eyes.