liquidsky | Snake's Pit

Snake's Pit

The best thing one could hope for when caught by Death Eaters was to be killed quickly. But of course, in the case of Sirius Black, that would have been a fool's hope. He was a captive of utmost importance and killing him before yielding any results was out of question.

Of course, that importance didn't really result in better treatment, as Sirius could probably attest to by now. The dungeon was dark and dreary, as dungeons tended to be, and his wrists were chained together above his head, the chain leading all the way up to a hook in the center of the ceiling. At least the chain was long enough that Sirius could sit.

In fact, he had no choice but to sit, since there was a collar locked around his neck that connected to the floor with a second chain, keeping him down to a certain level. So his hands were forced up a bit above his head, while said head was forced down to keep him from standing up. Uncomfortable and humbling, or that was part of the thought behind it.

There were no windows and only one door, locked, of course. Sirius had been brought there a good while ago, of course suffering some curses on the way. Now there really wasn't much for him to do but wait. Shouting would have been useless, but was also prevented by the dirty piece of balled of cloth kept in his mouth with another that was tied off tightly behind his head.

There was no way for the captive to tell time, but Barty thought that it must have been long enough for a feeling of dread and unrest to settle in firmly and for thirst to start. When he walked in, he didn't wear the hood or the mask, just his own face, betraying his youth, and his own eyes, hinting at dark intelligence and at least a hint of madness. He stopped in front of Sirius and looked down at him, not yet at his face, just looking him over as if he barely viewed him as a person.

Finally his eyes tried to meet Sirius' and he smiled, not bothering to make it anything but fake in its friendliness. "Doesn't seem to be your day."

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Sirius didn't know how long he sat there with the weight of the collar pulling his head down, waiting for something to happen. He knew what was coming. His death was inevitable, as was the torture. No one was coming to rescue him. No one would even know he was gone for at least several days and by that point, if he was lucky, it would all be over. He just wished they would hurry up and get it over with.

But they didn't. Instead the minutes ticked by although he had no way of measuring them. But he felt it with each passing moment as the hands above his head drained of blood and went numb. He felt it in the twinge and ache rapidly developing in his neck. He felt it in the wave of fear that rose from the corners of his mind, no matter how hard he fought against it.

You knew, Sirius. You knew this would happen. You knew they would take you. You knew.

This was for Harry, for James and Lily, for the family he thought of as his own, the people he would do anything for.

The people he was about to die for.

A shudder rippled through Sirius's body but before he could succumb to his own fears Barty Crouch entered. Sirius looked up sharply. His eyes narrowed. This Death Eater had to be younger than he was but he didn't recognize him from Hogwarts. He couldn't say he regretted that.

Sirius flexed his arms before clenching his hands into fists. It was nothing more than a gesture of defiance. He was helpless-- wandless, bound, and gagged. But he was damned if he was going to just give in. His eyes burned into Barty's.

I see you, monster. You're getting nothing from me.

Barty's smile was a subtle thing, for now. Just a slight turn of his lips, a gleam of amusement in dark eyes. He ran his fingers through Sirius' hair and then, quite suddenly, grabbed it, yanking his head back with unnecessary force, given how vulnerable and defenseless Sirius was right now. Despite the violent act, his voice sounded casual, only carrying enough light amusement to be mocking.

"That's cute."

He looked down at Sirius, quite pointedly so, eyes first lingering on the collar around his neck before meeting his gaze.

"Now, let's talk." That said, he used his other hand, his fist still in Sirius' hair, to loosen the gag enough to have it fall off, though he left it to Sirius to try and work the cloth out of his mouth. "Assuming you have something to say I want to hear."

Sirius forced himself not to flinch when Barty jerked his head back. Instead he stared him down, even as he spat the cloth out of his mouth. And then he spat up at the Death Eater, aiming for his face.

"Go to hell!" Sirius sounded anything but casual. His voice held all the venom, all the hatred and loathing he felt for Death Eaters. These bastards had murdered innocent people, those he didn't know and those he cared about. They ripped families and friends apart.

Voicing his fury was not, he knew, the best of ideas. He was completely at the Death Eater's mercy but what did he have to lose? They were going to torture him anyway. They were going to kill him. There was no way out of this but Sirius was not one to give up even when facing his own death.

A noble effort, but given Sirius was down on his knees and Barty was standing up, it would need quite a bit more momentum than Sirius was capable of in his tied up state to come anywhere close to his spit actually reaching him, so Barty just raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

Despite the lack of anger, when he let go of Sirius' hair, the slap that followed immediately after was hard enough to knock his head to the side. He wasn't above physical violence, although naturally magic was his preferred method for dealing out pain. But he knew of the psychological implications of being manhandled and slapped around, it would be a shame not to make use of them.

"This is going to be interesting. I hope you're not too disappointed your family hasn't been by to greet you yet. It will happen, sooner or later."

The slap jarred Sirius for a moment. Though he expected something like that he hadn't been able to do a good job bracing for it. But he'd taken worse. He reminded himself of that as the stinging in his face faded into numbness.

He turned his head back to look at Barty. He grinned.

"I look forward to making up for all the family reunions I've missed."

Barty was going to have to try harder than that if he was determined to break Sirius. He wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"So they sent a little snot in here to entertain me until the real party begins? What's the matter? They couldn't afford a pack of clowns? Too bad because they might actually stand a chance at scaring me, which is more than I can say for you."

"We wouldn't want you to be bored." Barty looked at him silently for a few moments before nodding again. "Humour. Your friend did say you'd use that."

He let the sentence stand like that while reaching for his wand. A small flicker and the chain holding Sirius arms up shortened, pulling his hands up higher still, while the collar kept him from raising the rest of his body with them. More pain, just a subtle start.

Your friend did say you'd use that.

The fire in Sirius's eyes died with all the suddenness of a snuffed out candle. He was grateful for the fact that Barty had pulled his hands up, it covered the true reason for the brief sound of anguish that passed his lips.

Remus wouldn't. It was just something that Death Eater was saying, trying to get under his skin. Remus might be a Death Eater. He might be working for the other side but he would not be part of their plan to take Sirius. He would just...

He would stand by and let them. He would do nothing. He would abandon him.

He had abandoned him.

What else had he done?

"So what do I have to look forward to? Tea, biscuits, long boring talks about blood purity? Why bother asking about the last one." He did his best to sound flippant. It only worked so well.

But even with the sound being covered up in a way, Barty was watching Sirius' face too closely to miss the reaction. He had said it on purpose, of course, casual as it had been, and he took note. Excellent. This would work out just fine.

"Pain, mostly," Barty replied. Then he pointed his wand and sent a Cruciatus Curse, simply watching the effects for a while without showing any sympathy. Finally he ended it, after all this wasn't exactly the method that promised results. Just a necessary backdrop.

"We know you're the secret keeper, Sirius. It's an easy enough guess, although in this case... Well, you probably already figured out that we have inside information." He smiled. "On more than just that, of course."

The Cruciatus Curse was no surprise. Sirius knew it was coming when Barty pointed his wand at him. But there was no preparing for the pain. It ripped through him and he let out a sharp yell before he could stop himself. He wrenched painfully against his bonds, body jerking as he struggled to stay upright. He shut his mouth, bit his tongue, tried to force down the groans of pain that were working their way up his throat. When it was over he was shaking. His head was bowed and, after a long moment, he looked up again. His eyes snapped back into focus.

"Doesn't matter." He rasped and sucked in a deep breath. The defiance had returned to his features, clear in the stubborn set of his jaw and the way his eyes shone. "That's going to be your only source because you're not getting anything from me."

"Right. Because you're ever so loyal, aren't you? Heroic. Very admirable." Barty took a step back, tapping his wand against his palm thoughtfully as he looked down at Sirius, his expression thoughtful.

"I've always wondered how far that famous chivalry extends. You're willing to suffer and die for your friends, isn't that right?" He tried to catch Sirius' eyes and smiled. "How many others are you willing to sacrifice? That's the true test, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "One of you, at least, is ready to sacrifice you all for himself. I wonder if he'd change is mind if I made him watch."

Sirius steeled his expression.

If he wanted to bring Remus in to watch, let him. Let him see what he'd done. Sirius didn't care. He didn't care if he would see him weak, helpless, and pitiful. He didn't care if it meant realizing that Remus never loved him. He didn't care at all.

Maybe if he told himself that enough times he would actually believe it.

"It doesn't change anything." Sirius said flatly. He kept staring into Barty's eyes. "Not for me. You might as well save your time and kill me now."

Not that he would, of course. No, half the fun was torturing people, not for information but for their own twisted pleasure.

"Perhaps that is true. But unfortunately, I don't really believe you. So I'd like to see it, I'm a curious man." Barty definitely didn't break his gaze, the tip of his tongue swiping over his lower lip before he continued. "If you'd not mind him watching, then how, I wonder, would you feel about watching as I do the same to him?"

He shrugged. "Just a traitor, right? But unfortunately treachery doesn't mean to stop caring. Your brother knows about that."

This was for James, who had always been there for him. This was for Lily, who never shied away from telling Sirius what she thought of him, both good and bad but always, always what he needed to hear. This was for Harry, who had his whole life ahead of him, who Sirius had rocked to sleep while he sang him lullabies. This was for all of them. He loved them.

But, damn him, he loved Remus. He might have betrayed him, James, Lily, Harry, everything they stood for, but he still...

No.

Sirius's mouth twitched at the comment about his brother. Did they do this to him too before they killed him? Did he know the pain that Sirius was about to endure? Their lives had diverged so far since the time they'd been young boys. Funny that they should meet their deaths in the same way.

"You'll have to kill me." He said evenly, jaw set stubbornly to mask the fact that he'd just had to forcefully smash the first doubts that crept into his mind.

"Don't be so worried, Sirius. Trust me, you will die." Barty shrugged. "A loss, perhaps, to end the Black line. But I'd rather have kept your brother alive than you."

He stepped closer again, his touch gentle this time as he combed his fingers through Sirius' hair. "Although you do look similar." He shrugged and glanced to the side, tongue touching the corner of his mouth. "I did like him. I really did. My Regulus."

There was a measure of sincerity to the words, there actually was a good measure of truth. But not even that could keep Barty from using it manipulatively, from using it to serve his Lord's goals. Regulus had died a traitor, there was no need for loyalty to him.

Sirius's lips curled back into a snarl. He jerked his head back as much as he was able (which was to say a little), trying to get away from the touch. He rebelled against the slide of fingers through his dark hair in a sick imitation of the way Remus had passed his own hands over him. He would rather have endured the Cruciatus again than to feel that touch.

But it was what Barty said that made him thrash in his chains before he came back to himself. He should stay quiet. He shouldn't let this get to him. But damn everything that Death Eater had no right.

"Don't say his name." He snapped. "Don't talk about him like that." Like he'd put his filthy hands anywhere on Sirius's brother.

"I've known and understood him better than you ever bothered to, so I think I'll talk about him any way I see fit and say his name all I want." Now the next words actually did have him hesitate, because he had memories and principles and didn't actually care to sully either of them. But this was bigger than that, so only a few moments passed before he continued.

"Just as he's moaned my name. I made him scream a lot, although not in the way I'll do with you."

Barty sighed and kept petting Sirius' hair. "There's nothing quite like a lover's touch, is there? And it hurts to be betrayed."

Sirius jerked his hand against his shackles so hard it was a wonder he didn't break his wrist. The metal dug into his skin, sure to leave dark bruises-- bruises that no one would see but Sirius would feel.

"You didn't-- Regulus never would have--"

Oh but he would have, wouldn't he? What was there to stop him from taking a lover among the Death Eaters, the group that he had joined of his own free will, even if he had backed out later. He used to idolize them. There must have been nothing more thrilling than to know that one of them had looked his way.

"You're lying."

Not his brother. He wouldn't have let this monster touch him. He wouldn't have.

Just like Sirius wouldn't have let a Death Eater take him to his bed? Fallen in love with one?

Oh, Barty was right, it did hurt.

"We joined around the same time. I'm just a year younger." Barty didn't bother defending himself against the claim of being a liar. He knew he believed him. He could see it in his eyes, in the way he jerked and even in the very denial himself.

"But he was scared. He never really had what it takes, I suppose." He wet his lips and shook his head. "Not really, no. But it was alright, for a while. I could watch out for him. The way you failed to do, I suppose."

He stared at Sirius for a few seconds before speaking again. "He never got over your betrayal. Not even when he was mine in every way."

For the first time Sirius looked away. He couldn't stand to see those eyes. It was all too easy to imagine Regulus gazing into them with nothing but blind trust and misguided love in his own eyes.

It wasn't true. They hadn't. He was just trying to get under Sirius's skin. He was letting him.

"I didn't betray him." Sirius spoke clearly.

He turned his back on his parents, on the rest of his family, but not Regulus. He'd tried to warn him and steer him back on the right path but each time Regulus shoved him away, at times literally, until Sirius gave up. It was clear there was no getting through to him and Sirius soon accepted that there was no saving their relationship. So often he didn't want to.

Stupid, cowardly, ignorant Regulus. He wasn't the only one who had never got over their broken relationship.

Sirius tilted his head away some more. He was breathing deeply, slow, steadying breaths through his mouth. If he could only regain some sense of calm, center himself, he could focus on something other than the falsehoods the Death Eater was uttering.

Lies mixed with truth. Because Sirius had failed Regulus. He knew that. He knew from the moment he learned of his death.

"If you think so. But do you think he thought so, too?" It was easy enough now not to focus on whatever lingering feelings he might have for Regulus' and for losing him, his attention entirely on Sirius, watching his every move and trying to play his mind. It didn't matter that Sirius knew he was doing it. Not as long as it was working.

"Or else he would have turned to you, at the end. But he didn't even try." Barty closed his eyes for a moment as he focused on the feeling of Sirius' hair between his fingers, then he pulled his hand back. Enough sentimentality.

"Your brother liked it rough. I guess you do, too?"

The spell came sudden and without any warning, slashing straight through Sirius' clothes and leaving a gaping wound across his torso.

Sirius gritted his teeth but still cried out. The pain was sharp and through it he could barely feel the blood running down his torso. He instinctively shrank back and pressed against the wall.

But that physical pain was still preferable to the taunts and so he focused on that. Better to track the progress of the blood as it slid across his skin. Better to count each throb that cut across his torn flesh.

Several long moments passed and then, inexplicably, he laughed. He turned his gaze back to Barty.

"That your best? This little paper cut? Merlin, I'm insulted. They sent you to practice on me, didn't they? This is your training session. I guess the Death Eaters have these all the time. 'How to torture people.' Well, you have to start somewhere. Do they hold lectures too?"

"Hm? No, that's just a little cut, as you say." Barty wasn't, generally, easily provoked. Oh, he had his buttons, but even when those were pressed, he tended to keep his temper under control, in his own unpredictable way. Sirius' taunt barely registered as mildly amusing.

With a pang the chain connected to Sirius' collar broke and another wave of his wand and quietly muttered spell had his arms raised further and further, until Sirius would have no choice but either stand on his tip toes or just hang all of his weight off his already bruised wrists.

"Personally I think that it'd be much more efficient to hurt others in your stead. Kill, perhaps. I wonder how many you're willing to sacrifice."

The chains moved before Sirius could attempt to lunge forward. He quickly moved to stand on his toes. He was balanced precariously-- he was no dancer-- and soon enough his toes started to ache from bearing his full weight. Not only that but he was still bleeding and stinging from where his skin had been sliced open.

How many innocent people was he willing to watch die? He had sworn to protect and he would-- but that would mean choosing between his friends and godson and strangers. And he would do anything for his friend's family. He'd promised him.

"I told you, you'll have to kill me." Sirius stared at his captor. "I'm not betraying them."

"We will kill you, Black. Have some patience. Demanding it over and over again just shows your fears." Barty shrugged and watched him calmly. "I think that we can break you. And then you can be killed. Waste of your blood, I suppose, but I'm glad your treachery won't be passed on."

He regarded his wand for a few moments, then he gave a nod. "But as you wish. I'll give you some more time alone, to think, and return with someone to suffer in your stead. Would that be in the spirit of your resistance?"

"No--" The word slipped from his mouth before Sirius could stop it.

Protests wouldn't help in this situation. They would only make it worse. The Death Eater would know he was hitting the right weak point. Then again, if Sirius remained silent, he wouldn't buy it either.

When he imagined being captured this was not how it went.

There was one way out of this. Lie, hope the bastard believed him and didn't know Occlumency, and bide his time until they found out he wasn't telling the truth.

"No..." He continued, letting his mask fall so his pain was clear on his face. "Don't. I'll-- what do you want?"

This was not going to work but at least he'd have tried.

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Snake's Pit

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