Lawrence had not long ago bid Josie goodnight when he heard Sandy’s feet on the stairs. His conversations with the witch had moved on in the days since strawberry jam and porridge[1]. They hadn’t spoken more on the child and the cliff, but Lawrence had put effort into befriending Josie as best he could. For such a creepy, violent arsehole, he could still be quite charming when he backed down his defence. That, and being pinned to a bed with no way of escape unassisted did make one more desperate to appease captors in hope of some new freedom.

She had to dash off, do her proper job, interview Edwin Glass[2]. Lawrence had congratulated her on securing an interview with one of the three tipped for the top. He’d laughed when she read him the newspaper on Wednesday morning[3]. Then he’d had to recount a few stories of both Miranda (or as he knew her, Andy) at school, and Edwin from working with him when he was an obliviator. Reminiscing had brightened Lawrence up no end, and his appetite was mammoth.

He’d managed to persuade Josie not to give him some of the more questionable potions, and had managed to figure out in the process which was definitely the one for pain relief, and quickly rectified his decision. Still, when Sandy was around he didn’t get much of a chance to struggle against things. Healers had ways to force a potion if a patient was incapacitated, and he didn’t doubt that Sandy would use it.

“Heal the sick and cure the lame today, Sandy?” Lawrence asked, raising his voice so it could be heard. “Come tell me a bedtime story.”

1.	14 March, 2011 Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds You
2.	18 March, 2011 A Good, Honest Man
3.	16 March, 2011 Three for the Top

Sandy did not want to spend time with Lawrence. The dementors were still outside. He needed to get rid of Lawrence somehow. He should never have helped him. He should have called the aurors. This was making him very anxious. He wanted to tell someone and get it over with. Lawrence would make sure everyone knew. He had threatened before. Sandy did not want everyone to know. He wanted to keep his private life a secret. Josie kept asking when he was going to tell the aurors. He said when he was better. Lawrence was not going to get better. At least here he was under control. Josie could get his story.

When Lawrence called out to him, Sandy came in the room.
"That is what healers do." He said. He was tired. He was not sleeping well. "Have you been telling Josie stories?" He asked. "About you and me when we were at school?" He could give Lawrence his potion early and make him go to sleep. That sounded like a good idea.

“Only the polite ones,” Lawrence clarified, studying Sandy carefully. “She’s a clever girl.” Misslethorpe had been avoiding him, and he was looking haggard. Whereas Josie was progressively more comfortable in his presence, Misslethorpe was the opposite.

“You look like shit, Misslethorpe.” Lawrence observed, attempting an odd kind of sympathy for his captor. “Dementors getting to you? Perhaps you should try some of that stuff you give me each night, knocks me right out.” Lawrence tipped his head to the bedside table full of bottles. Sandy would try and dose him up at the next opportunity, Lawrence was quite sure.

Since he’d convinced Josie not to give him all his potions, Lawrence had been feeling brighter, and sharper. His lethargy was leaving him and although it frustrated him that he couldn’t move. He ached to stretch and was quite sure that after almost two weeks of being laid up he would need a bit of time to find his feet. At least he wasn’t wasting away as he had been when he struggled to find food in the summer and autumn.

“Release the binds, Sandy. If I’m as sick as you make out, I’m hardly going to run away from the only healer that will treat me.”

"No." Sandy said. If he gave Lawrence an inch he would take a mile. "I need to clean your wound." He hoped that would be it. But he did not think so. Sandy lifted back the covers to show Lawrence's chest and stomach. He had lots of scars. Sandy's hands were clean but he pointed his wand at his own hands to be sure. He supposed that he could keep Lawrence weak with potions. It would be easier if he could go to the toilet and take a bath. Sandy peeled back the bandages healer spellotaped to Lawrence's stomach. It was healing at last. Sandy felt relieved. "Tell me if you feel pain." He said to his patient. He pressed his fingers around the wound. He looked at Lawrence's expression. He cleaned the wound. "Why are the dementors still here?" He asked. He dried the skin and packed the wound quickly. He smeared aloe vera over it. He did not have to think much about what he was doing. A new bandage went on easily.

Misslethorpe defied him firmly. Lawrence’s eyes narrowed. Misslethorpe was scared, rather than empowered by this, he was sure. If he was feeling powerful about keeping Lawrence captive he would be enjoying the control. He didn’t seem the sort. Healers were too nice, too trained. Even Andy Carter who was a right cow and never changed had wanted to help. And then let her husband knock seven bells out of him. It was hard to really judge.

Lawrence sighed and let Sandy peel back the sheets to change dressings. He tried to get a better look at things. It certainly didn’t hurt so badly as it had when he’d finally woken up. It would have been an easy job had it not been made with dark magic which invited infection.
“Tell me if you feel pain.” Despite running through plans on how to pressure Sandy, Lawrence obliged. If he managed to get out of here, he wanted to be able to heal himself as quickly as possible. Sandy’s fingers pressed against the wound and Lawrence hissed in breath between his teeth. Yes that fucking hurt. His scowl at Misslethorpe conveyed it, but the healer carried on cleaning, packing and dressing his wound without further comment.

“Why are the dementors still here?"
“Because I’m here.” Lawrence replied, letting out a deeper breath as the pain from prodding dissipated. “You can pin me to a bed, take my wand and drug me up, but I’ve still got them.” He stared up at the healer, feeling oddly powerful despite his state and the fact he was half naked.

“Can you make them go away?"
"The memories?"
"No, the dementors.”[1]

“And if you think you’re already having nightmares about this house, about your dear old dad and what you did, Sandy, I can make them waking nightmares. I can bring them right here, right into your house.” There was an intense gaze between the two old classmates now. Lawrence reached out to the dementors, hoping to merlin it was going to work. He turned his head in their general direction, and steadily the temperature in the room began to drop. “We can hold you hostage in your own home.”

1.	14 March, 2011 Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds You

Sandy was very anxious. He thought that he had done enough to stop Lawrence. His heart beat faster and faster. He stared at Lawrence. How did he know about the nightmares? Sandy had nightmares every night since Lawrence came in the house. He thought it was the stress. Stress and dementors. He had not told Josie was scared. He gripped his wand very tightly.
"You w-would n-not." Sandy said. "Y-you w-will not!" The panes of glass in the window crackled. He turned round and saw the ice forming. "Lawrence stop it now!" The bad thoughts he felt when he got home were filling his head. He was so sad. Really sad. It was like someone had died. He felt useless. "P-please Lawrence." He was frightened now. He had not cast a patronus for a long time. "L-lawrence you will bring the Ministry here!!" The window was frozen over.

Lawrence felt both glee and despair as he felt the dementors shift. He was both amazed and also horrified that they hadn’t given up. That indicated he wasn’t able to lose them by being incapacitated for a long period. He should feel terrible for doing this to an old friend, to someone who had healed him twice, albeit under duress. But Misslethorpe was holding him prisoner. He had promised Hannah he would help her, and he had work to do. Enough was enough.

Sandy pleaded with him, the stutter Lawrence remembered from when they were teenagers resurfaced. Musgrave’s expression darkened, mentally beckoning. The bedroom window was fully iced over in seconds, there must be more than one of them out there, Lawrence thought. His own body attempted to shiver.

“L-Lawrence you will bring the Ministry here!!”

That was a very good point from the healer. Lawrence entertained it for a split second, the ice thickening on the panes, stretching across the table beneath it, the candle puttering out as frost patterns grew up the wax. The bed creaked beneath him as the wood adjusted to the sudden change in temperature. They were hungry, they’d easily snack on Misslethorpe, from just outside if the wards prevented them.

“Unbind me, or by the time the Ministry get here, it’ll be too late for you.” Lawrence ordered, a distinctly dark and dangerous look crossing his features.

Sandy's hands shook. He could hear friends and family crying. This was horrible. He tried to unbind Lawrence. His hands were shaking too much. "Please Lawrence. I can not." Sandy begged. If he took the spell off Lawrence he could escape. He could still set the dementors on Sandy. Sandy had made an enormous mistake. He should have put Lawrence to sleep. It was too late now. Sandy cried out. It was painful. His head was going to explode. He reached out. He thought he was going to pass out. He lifted a bottle of potion. It was nearly empty. Sandy was crying. But he smashed it over Lawrence's head.

END