Icy Heart #wattys2017

Crumbling Walls

The Azkaban prison was freezing and light-deprived like always, as the thirteen year old witch crumbled away a last bit of stone in the tunnel from her cell to the next. Her hazel eyes were wide when she climbed through, to find a man who she didn't know at all. He could be a murderer, a rapist, a kidnapper, or even worse... A death eater. But Icy Peverell craved human company more than she craved air. She would rather die than spend a minute longer in her dreadful cell, alone. And so, she put her warm hand on his shivering chest, and willed him to wake.

Sirius began to hyperventilate when opened his eyes to find the crazy looking child. Her auburn hair was all over the place, her eyes wide as plates. She had the biggest grin in the world plastered across her face, and he wondered, what could a child have done to land her in this place?

"Collect yourself, Sirius Black," she said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you, unless you try to hurt me."

"Who are you? What did you do to get locked up in here?" asked Sirius, shuffling away from her, being met by a wall.

"Read the name tag, Black. My name is Icy Peverell. I was falsely convicted of murdering my betrothed's parents, along with my parents and seven siblings, when I was but five years old.

"I was falsely convicted of murdering one of my best mates, and a street full of muggles," he breathed. "And how can I trust you, little girl?"

"Only the guilty ones go mad, Mr. Black. And I'm relatively sane compared to the others in here, along with yourself," said Icy. "It was very lucky that you were placed beside me, because I'm breaking out of here, and you're welcome to join me. I've heard your mutterings. Whoever did this to you is out there... I can help you find them.

"He's at Hogwarts, Icy. With my godson... He could kill him at any moment," Sirius confessed, and the petite girl nodded.

"I can control my accidental magic," she said. "It used to come out in uncontrollable bursts, but now I've learnt to use it properly, without a wand."

Sirius stayed silent, willing her to continue with whatever plan was in her mind.

"Next time one of those aurors comes up to move a prisoner, I'll try to summon their keys. The cells can only be unlocked the muggle way," she looked at his long, thin arms, and smiled. "My arms are too short to reach the lock through the bars, so you'll have to unlock the cell, after the auror leaves. We'll be out before anyone can say 'Azkaban,' and we'll swim away from here."

"You've thought this through, little girl."

"Call my Icy, or I'll strangle you in your sleep, Mr. Black. Now are you in, or am I going to have to kill you?"

"I'm in, Icy. Anything to get out of this hellhole."

"You realize, we'll be given the dementor's kiss if we're caught?"

"It's worth it." Sirius passed her a newspaper, that lay on the ground beside him. "See that rat, on the boy's shoulder? He's an animagus. He can transform from a human to a rat. And he framed me."

"We'll squash that rat."

"Who framed you?"

"He's long gone. The betrothed. He died a week after I was sent here, I heard. I was told that a dark mist came over him, in his sleep," Icy looked at the ground. "I can't prove my innocence, because he's dead. But we'll prove your's, and you'll save me from this awful world."

"I will?"

"You will. Now I'm freezing cold, and I'm just a wee little girl, so fetch me the blanket from my cell, and lay beside me until I sleep."

Sirius smiled for the first time in twelve years. This girl reminded him of himself, at that age. Demanding and brave, naïve and foolish. And of course, very egocentric. She was so certain that her plan would work, that it offered him hope.

And hope meant the world to him, as his world had been devoid of it for ages.