forbidden [h.s.]

twenty three.

harry's pov

I walk through the corridors of the prison, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. The hallways are so dark. I can barely see anything. Someone could be walking right next to me and I wouldn't even be able to see them. However, I know that I'm alone. I can feel it.

Something about the darkness makes these halls even creepier than normal. I run my hands along the walls to keep track of which direction I'm going. I'm panting and I'm afraid, but I continue to move forward. I hear the distant, muffled, cries of the other prisoners. It sounds like they're all calling out to me. They want me to get them out.

I want to. I want to so badly, but I can't. I'm determined to get wherever I'm going. I have one goal in mind, and it lies at the end of this hallway.

I place my hands out in front of me so I'll be able to feel when I've reached the door. After a while, the palms of my hands make contact with the cool metal of a cell door. For whatever reason, I decide to knock.

There's no answer.

The door creaks open on its own and I step back anxiously. There is one spot of light in the entire room. In the middle, a girl sits on the floor, her back to me. She doesn't say anything, or seem to notice me at all.

I take a step forward and the girl sits up quickly. She waits for a moment, the bright light illuminating her red hair. Her breath is shaky and I watch as her shoulders rise and fall nervously.

"Who is it?" She asks, her voice sounding as though it hasn't been used in years.

I don't say anything. I continue to stand behind her, staring at her back. She scowls and turns around quickly. I gasp as I get a view of her face. She's very unkempt. Her eyes are gray and completely glazed over. Her lips are chapped beyond repair and her face is so slim is looks as thought she's gone all her years without eating anything. She looks so young. Too young to be here.

"I said who is it!?" She yells, throwing her arms up in frustration. At this time, I notice the shackles around her wrists, clanking noisily as she moves. "Who's there!?" She asks again. When I don't answer, she screams. It's a horrifying sight.

She screams for a long time and, eventually, begins to cry. For some reason, I empathize with this girl. She looks so young and so afraid. I approach slowly and place my arm around her shoulder. She stops crying immediately and gasps, her eyes directed down at her hands.

"I knew there was someone there." She whispers. "Are you here to help me?"

I stare at her for a moment, considering her question. Am I? Her bright red hair is disheveled and her complexion is ghostly. She looks like she's past the point of getting help.

"No. I'm not."

And suddenly, she turns to me. But she's no longer herself. Her red hair changes to black and her gray, glazed, eyes dissolve into a sweet, but desperate, brown. My breath hitches in my throat as the girl stares at me.

It's Jade.

"But you promised!" She yells in my face and I fall backwards onto the floor.

Jade stands over me and cries out in agony. "You said you would stop them from making me crazy! You promised!" She screams at the top of her voice, tears running profusely from her eyes. She thrashes her shackles around in frustration and pain, crying and screaming all at once. She looks possessed. The girl in front of me can't possibly be Jade. This girl is insane.

"You promised! You promised!" She continues to scream. I can't take it anymore. I cover my ears to try and drown her out, but I can't. I can't drown her out. I know I promised this girl something. And I know I've let her down.