The Raven's Call

Torture

They say pain is an excellent teacher. I say it's a lazy one. Brutal. Impatient. And always looking for the shortcut.

The dungeons stank of mildew and iron. Blood, maybe. Or fear. Hard to tell anymore. The torches on the wall flickered low, casting long shadows that clung to our faces. I sat with my back straight, not out of pride, but because if I slouched my bruised ribs would scream. The bruises were courtesy of Amycus Carrow yesterday. They call it Defence against the dark arts. I call it torture.       

Amycus paced at the front of the room, his voice sugarcoated and dripping venom.
"Crucio is not a curse," he said. "It's a gift. A tool. A way to educate the disobedient. Repeat after me." No one spoke. A first year girl near me sniffled. She was trembling, trying to make herself small. I didn't know her name, and I couldn't decide if that made this worse or better. "Gaunt." Amycus snapped, turning to me with a glint in his eye. "Up."

I stood slowly. Every muscle ached. My wand was already in my hand, it always was now. You didn't want to be caught reaching for it. Made you look like you hesitated. He stepped closer, his smile feral. "Let's see if that Gaunt blood of yours remembers what it means to obey. Cast it. On her." 

My stomach twisted. I looked to the girl, she was looking back, lips trembling, eyes wide with fear. She looked at me like I might save her. Or damn her. "No." I refused.
His smile dropped. "No?"
"I won't do it." I didn't flinch as his wand rose. I know what was coming.
"Crucio."

The familiar feeling surged through me. I don't have words for the pain. Its not sharp, not blunt. Just everything. My bones felt like they were melting, my skin like it was being peeled from the inside out. I couldn't scream. I wouldn't. Gritting my teeth I endured the torture. Then it stopped. Just like that.

I was on the floor. Cold stone beneath me, the taste of iron in my throat. I force myself up on shaking arms. My knees buckled, but I got to my feet. I wouldn't let him see me crawl. He looked at me with something like disappointment, or maybe amusement. "Still stubborn," he said. "You'll break eventually. They all do." I wiped my mouth on my sleeve. Didn't answer. He waved his hand like I was nothing. "Sit down. Before I decide she should take your punishment instead." I sat. Slowly. The girl was still crying, but she wasn't looking at me anymore. She didn't have to. I made my choice. My whole body was still trembling. Pain echoed in my limbs like aftershocks. But at least she was okay.

I begin collecting my things as the class was dismissed for the day, and I hear a soft voice from behind me. "Atti?" It was Asteria. "Can I talk to you?" She asked. I turned towards her, faking a smile. "Hey, Astra. What's up." I respond, trying to hide the pain that lingered in my body. "Not here.. come with me." She spoke, gently grabbing my hand before leading me to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "Are you okay?" She asked, pulling me inside. "Yeah, fine, why?" I answer quickly, trying not to think of the pain I'd just endured.  After a small pause, she sighs. "I'm so sorry for casting that on you in our fourth year,' cause now I know what it actually feels like to be in that immense pain. Please don't hide your pain from me." 

"Asteria. I volunteered to have you cast it on me. That was my choice. I never blamed you for it." I start, shifting uncomfortably on the spot. "Secondly, don't ask me to share my pain if you're saying you know what it feels like. Why didn't you tell me?" "It only happened last night, and after seeing you go through it today just brought back flashes of when it happened to me." She confessed, beginning to pace around the room. "I didn't want to be a burden." "Oh, Asteria." I sigh, pulling her into my arms. "You are not a burden. Not for me, not for George. Not for anyone in the DA. We love you." She pulls away, her eyes meeting the tearstain that formed on my shirt. She opens her mouth to apologize, but I quickly stop her. "Don't say it." We both smile at each other before we both burst into hard laughter. 

"Good to see you two happy." Moaning Myrtle spoke up from her toilet stall before she began floating around the room. "I haven't seen your brother around this year. Is he okay?" she asks, looking down at Asteria. "Draco is okay, I guess. He's still under the control of father and the dark lord. I do feel bad for him, he's struggling a lot with realizing what side he's on." Asteria explains. "Oh, I understand. He was a mess last year." Myrtle mumbles, looking saddened. "I know. Thanks Myrtle for being there for Draco when I wasn't" Asteria smiles, looking up at her. "No problem Asteria. You two are nothing like your father or Tom for that matter. Ooh he was a handsome boy. That Tom Riddle oooohhhhh."

"Hold on, you knew Tom Riddle?" I speak up, watching as she floated around the room. "Well, yes. We both went to school around the same time. Of course, he treated me like dirt from the moment we met up until the day I died but.. He was very handsome. A bit weird though, always carrying around random items, trying to hide them away." She rambled on. Asteria and I look at each other. "What kind of items?" Asteria asks, peering up at Myrtle.

Myrtle thought for a moment as she circled around us. "Well, from what I saw, he had a book  and a ring. But after that he started breaking into the other dorms to steal things. I don't think he ever found what he was looking for, but I remember overhearing him asking Helena Ravenclaw about her mother's lost diadem. He disappeared after that, I never saw him again." She shrugged before floating away.

I glanced down at the ring on my finger, the gaunt crest carved into it. Was this the ring? It had to be. "Well, thanks for that Myrtle." I smile, waving. "Is that the real ring? The one Tom Riddle had?" Asteria asked, looking at me. "I think so. Dumbledore left it for me in his will. I figured it was because it was a Gaunt Family heirloom." I replied with a half shrug. "Oh, okay. Cool. Um.." She muttered, unsure of what to say.  "So, see you in class?" I ask, tilting my head to the side. She smiled and nodded before we both took our leave.