The Azkaban Boy

The Cell

Brice woke up to the screaming of his deranged cell mates like he did every morning. He groaned and stood up in his cell, still chained to the wall by his ankle. He could hear the ocean, and the waves crashing against the building exploding against the sturdy walls. Today was just like any other day; depressing, dark and bland. Pretty soon the dementors would be swooping in making sure none of the prisoners had escaped, sucking on their souls and "double checking."

Brice sat back down after a brief stretch and uncovered a small hole in the prison floor. He pulled out a stale cracker, and a small Polaroid of his family. "Ha" Brice thought, "And to think these people threw me out on my fifth birthday after kissing that boy. I mean look where it got me, my own cell in a high security prison and charged with a life sentence for committing a "horrendous" crime." After Brice had kissed a boy at his fifth birthday party his parents had thrown him out saying, "He was a disgrace!" and "To go burn in hell!" Shortly after Brice was on the streets the Ministry of Magic had captured him, tried him, and sentenced him to life in Azkaban for homosexual acts. Brice didn't understand at the time, he liked boys and girls, what was wrong with that? Well apparently in the wizarding world everyone was heterosexual and anything else was frowned upon and a very serious crime.

Brice snapped his head forward when he heard the sound of clinking keys. His cell door swung open and my wizard guard escort accompanied by a dementor enter my cell. The wizard guard unlocks his ankle brace and says "prisoner 412001, it is time for your shower" and escorts Brice away in a pair of handcuffs. Brice knew the morning routine; first a shower (always very awkward because of all the grown men around Brice, and his little pre-pubescent body in the middle of them.) No fights ever broke out because of all he dementors and wizard guards keeping an eye on them, but all the same awkward and uncomfortable for Brice. After the showers in was breakfast time in the giant mess hall. The food there usually conceived of a block of spam, a hard cookie, and an apple. Water was also available but it was always dirty and tasted funny. After breakfast it was back in the cell till noon and do on and so on. Brice wished there were books so he would have some sort of entertainment, but he was lucky. Some of the other prisoners never got to leave their cell they just sat there and got served the food. Most of the other prisoners passed the time by screaming at one another, singing vulgar songs or touching themselves. None of those things appealed to Brice so he spent his time the the corner of his cell dreaming of the outside world. He dreamed of the green grass and yellow daisies, and the feeling of the sun on your face.

Today however this was interrupted. While Brice was in the middle of one of his reveries he heard the clinking of keys. He jerked awake back to the real world and saw his escort, a dementor, and another man. He had a long, sliver, wispy beard that  was chest length and half moon spectacles. "Its not lunch time already" Thought Brice. "Prisoner 412001" announced the guard, "you have a visitor." Brice almost never had visitors, and when he did it would be people insulting him and throwing things at him for his crime. Brice shielded his face and prepared himself for the rotten tomatoes and rocks. "You can put your arms down. I am not going to throw anything at you, Brice." said the man with the beard. Brice lowered his hands and looked at him properly. Brice gasped, "What would the headmaster of Hogwarts want with me?"

"I bet you're wondering why I'm here Brice." He answered almost reading Brice's mind. "I think I can get you out of here" continued Dumbledore, "There is a wizarding law about the importance of education that may help you. If a child under 17 is sentenced to Azkaban with a non-violent crime they have a right to go to school and then have a second trial after they graduate." Brice's face lit up and Dumbledore smile back at him. "That is if you want to go to school of course" finished Dumbledore.

"Of course I want to go! When can we leave?" Exclaimed Brice.

"Three weeks" answered Dumbledore, "Then your out of here forever."

"But what about the trial?" Questioned Brice.

"I can pull some strings" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Well I best be off, you can ask me all your questions when I come back" promised Dumbledore. And with that Dumbledore left, winking at Brice as he exited the cell.