Trapped Behind the Window

Trapped Behind The Window

I didn't hear you leave

I wonder how am I still here?

And I don't want to move a thing

It might change my memory

Oh, I am what I am

I do what I want

But I can't hide

And I won't go

I won't sleep

I can't breathe

Until you're resting here with me

And I won't live

And I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here with me

- Dido, Here With Me

Chapter 3

"Section D will lay aside their tools and bring them back!" a voice yelled across the closed-in yard.

Harry picked up his shovel and made his way over to the shed where all tools were kept. He put it away neatly with the other prisoners - in section D mostly boys - and went to stand in the line infront of the leader of their group.

"Numbers one-five-three to one-seven-eight will follow me! Others wait for their group leaders!" the man shouted.

Harry's group followed the man back into the house where they were led to the washroom. Five minutes to shower, brush teeth and basically do anything that was part of your personal hygiene. Harry showered quickly. He was tired and hungry; it was nearly eight o'clock, he had not had any food since twelve and had been forced to work all afternoon. He stumbled into the line of people that were ready and waited for the leader to bring them to their rooms.

"Time up! The group will follow!"

They rapidly set off through the house and were escorted back to their rooms where their dinner - mostly consisting of very little - would be served.

"Number one-six-four! Step out!"

Harry stepped out of the line as they came to a halt infront of his room. The leader tapped the doorhandle with his wand, a key appeared, he turned it and the lock clicked open. Harry was pushed inside quickly. The door was shut behind him, leaving him alone to the darkness of the room.

Harry waited until he heard the rest of the group setting off again before finally losing some of the tension that filled him whenever he was in the house. He wondered why Ginny was not back yet. This was the second time in a row that he had been brougt back earlier. Strange. Especially as it was quite late. Normally they would be brought back - at the latest - at seven. Today he had had to work for an hour more. They had not been pleased with the group's attitude. Harry grinned to himself. He opened the curtains of the window and stared out. The sky was of a dark, dull colour; it did not have the streak of red in it that had been there yesterday. He decided to wait to eat until she arrived and sat down on the bed, only to fall asleep almost immediately.

~

He woke up in the middle of the night, wondering what time it was. There was no means for him to find out, but it was absolutely dark outside now, no moonlight, no starlight. Harry guessed that he must have fallen asleep and slowly closed the curtains of the window.

It was then that he noticed Ginny was still not there.

Harry's heart stopped beating for a few seconds. He felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. Prisoners were not kept out at night. Never. They were locked away into their rooms.

~

Ginny trembled. She was sitting on the cold stone floor of the Silencing Room, arms wrapped around her knees, hiding her head in case it started again. However, it stayed calm. Ginny inhaled deeply. It was over. A voice spoke through a loudspeeker.

"Number two-two-one will stand up!"

Ginny did as she was told and scrambled to her feet as the door opened and two men came in she did not know. She looked down at the floor as they came closer. Rule. You are not allowed to look up unless if you are being addressed.

"You are number two-two-one?" one of them asked.

Ginny looked up and answered quickly. Speak loud and clear when you answer. Rule. We don't like asking twice. We want to hear it properly the first time.

"Yes, Sir."

"You do know the rules, don't you, number two-two-one?"

If you break the rules, you will be punished. Rule. Depending on the damage caused to the community, you will be punished differently.

"Yes, Sir."

"I believe you have been in this room more than once before?" he inquired.

For the worst kind of rule-breaking, you will be sent to the Silencing Room. Your stay there depends on how high the damage was and how quickly you see the errors in your ways. Rule.

"Yes, Sir."

Both men stared down at her coldly. Ginny bent her head down again, assuming that it was the end of the conversation.

"Look up when I'm talking to you," the man demanded.

Ginny looked up again, startled. She had hoped that they were going to let her out now. She had been in here long enough. Long enough to be brought back to her room. Long enough to get out again. No? The man raised his hand slowly and then suddenly slapped her hard in the face. Totally shocked by his actions, Ginny stayed in the position she now was; head turned to the right, hair all over her face.

"Look up when I'm talking to you, I said!" the man yelled.

Ginny looked up immediately. Her cheek was burning like fire, her heart pumping frantically. She tasted blood in her mouth. She swallowed hard and kept looking up to them, bleeding out of the corner of her mouth, cheek red and swolen, hair messed up.

"You will be staying here a little longer," the other man said softly and smirked.

They turned around and left as Ginny collapsed to the floor weakly, dreading yet more hours to come, locked up in the Silencing Room.

~

She was not here. She had not been brought back. Harry tore the curtains open again with an angry movement and rested his head against the cool surface of the window in an attempt to calm down. Why? Why had she not been brought back? There were not that many possibilities. For one, she could have been punished for something. Harry wondered about this though. Even if you were punished, you were brought back in the evening. If it had been really bad, you would be punished some more the next day. No, this could not be the reason. Of course, he did not doubt that she might have been punished. After all, they were the top rebels most of the time. Well, he had not been that day. Too tired and exhausted to resist.

How could he have let this happen? How could he have been too weak to resist? How could he have dared to give up the last hope they had? She had not. She resisted.

Always.

But perhaps not today. After all, you simply were not kept outside the room in the evening, not on punishments, not on special tasks.

No.

Never.

Second possibility... Harry did not want to think about it. It was actually even worse than the first. For him at least. But it did make more sense, a small voice in the back of his head whispered. Harry slid down the cold window. No. This could not have happened. Not today. Not without a real goodbye. Not like this.