The Safe Wizards

38: In the Cell

A slap woke Charlie up and he let out a cry of pain. His whole body hurt so much that he couldn't really move. He realized that he was sitting on a metal chair, to which his wrists and ankles were strapped. He felt dirty, confused and thirsty. His eyelids were heavy, sticky, and his head was sending jolts of pain from the cheek that had received the slap.

"Yeah, it's a tough wake-up call when you decide to let three stories of a house fall on you...not that it's something I've ever experienced, but I can easily imagine...especially when you see what it did to your mom and sister."

Charlie opened his eyes violently to stare at the bastard who dared to talk about the death of the only two women in his life as the end of a de-naming chore. In front of him sat Peerce Gestand on a table. He was a tall, muscular man with a handsome face, but mean eyes! Dressed in suit pants and a tight black t-shirt, he appeared to be in his living room waiting for coffee.

"Don't talk about them," Charlie articulated with difficulty angrily.

"Oh glad to see you're able to talk, looks like the mediwizards took good care of you!"

The man's irony horrified Charlie who, given the migraine and multiple pains he was experiencing, was in no condition to take it upon himself to measure his words.

"Given that I feel like I've been trampled by a horde of dragons, I think you should have your mediwizards re-evaluated, they must have missed a few tests at school."

"No, they did exactly what I asked them to do," the Prime Minister replied with an evil smile. "They treated everything that was a life-threatening or disabling emergency, but not the rest. So all the little pieces of rubble, wood or glass that got into your skin are still there, as well as your multiple fractures in your right arm or ribs. We did, however, fix the one in your jaw so we could have a proper conversation."

Charlie glared at him, he remembered wanting to die when he folded his shield. Obviously he had failed.

"So Charlie, if you tell me about your older brother or Harry Potter."

"I don't know where they are. Harry has been missing for months, I haven't heard anything more than what they say in the papers."

"That's not true Charlie and we both know it, but I understand. You want to protect them, that's brave, but you're going to talk. So before I force you to, I'll give you one last chance: where is Harry Potter?"

"I don't know!"

The dragon rider was afraid of what would happen to him, afraid of leading them straight to Harry and his family, of causing their downfall.

"Do what you want to me, I have nothing to say to you," he added.

"Oh, but I intend to, my dear! Henri, please."

Charlie began to struggle against his bonds as he felt the man move closer to him behind his back, but it was perfectly useless. One hand grabbed his jaw to force his mouth open, drawing a groan of pain from him, and another came to place three drops of a potion on his tongue. A glass of water was then placed on his lips, making the liquid flow in his mouth and forcing him to drink. The hand released him as he half choked. He coughed to clear the water from his airway, causing great pain in his ribs that brought tears to his eyes. He felt himself slipping away, becoming a docile puppet. He concentrated on fighting the potion.

"So Charlie, where is Harry Potter?

"Gone," he managed to answer, convincing himself that the man he was meeting in Alaska was not Harry Potter.

"Mmmh... Who were you writing letters to via Muggle mail?"

"Harry Smith", the name slipped out before he could remember it.