After the Second Rise

The Unwritten Summer

Disclaimer: All rights go to JK Rowling for Harry Potter

By Redfeathersky

Note: The things in this were excluded from the original document due to their violent and somewhat disturbing nature. This will be posted under Mature for sexual content, violence, and torture. Read at your own discretion.

May

Trembling fingers brushed across encrusted skin riddled with red striations and scars. Water tumbled down beneath the fingers splashing away from the flesh in ruby tainted droplets. The chest constricted irregularly accompanying panicked sobs and gasps. Every movement made was jerky and shivering. The figure hunched over on his knees beneath the raised mouth of a common garden hose behind a quiet sleeping house.

Harry Potter opened his green eyes and lowered the hose until his pale; scratched up fingers dropped the plastic snake to the dark grass. His arms wrapped around himself tenderly and his torso lowered until his forehead touched the ground. His face which was ravaged by a dark angry red cut running from the top of his forehead down to his chin through his closed left eye contorted. His teeth clenched and his eyebrows fell together and up as tears forced themselves out of his un-injured eye. He breathed in a breath his shoulders and back raising as his lungs expanded with air. Then with a shuddered gasp a sob exploded out of his chest forcing his body down and forward.

He tucked his body further beneath him and slowly stretched out his legs allowing himself to carefully, gingerly, lie on the grass no longer having the strength to stay upright. His shoulders shuddered with each heart-raking sob. His teeth stayed clenched trying to keep the sound in so as not to wake the Muggles he was trespassing upon. He hurt so much. So much. Harry couldn't imagine having ever experienced the constant burning pain he was now feeling. His side was a ravaged mess. His right side indented, the ribs broken and a good chunk of skin missing. A result of having been stabbed by a magically volatile wand.

That had been two days ago.

He rubbed his head across the grass slowly writhing on the ground his arms tensed as a wave of heat threatened to consume him. A slow whine trickled out of his lips and danced across the pearl evening dew. A single thought ran over and over again in his head: He should be dead. Harry couldn't understand it. He'd blown up, he'd literally blown up. Yet he lived, he'd survived…but at what cost?

Slowly his sobs ceased and he lay cold, wet, and naked in the soft grass. He listened to the distant sound of a car driving past on a road somewhere far away. A Dog barked, the sound echoed across the dark sky. There was no wind; thankfully, the sheets behind him were strung up forgotten on a clothes line beside the wall. There were jeans there; Harry planned to use them in a moment. He needed the energy to move but couldn't muster up the courage. Death Eaters could be on him in any moment and a part of Harry whispered that he'd be glad if they did. He felt so completely helpless that a part of him, just wanted it all to end. But,

Harry thought, if he died, if he let them kill him after killing so many for the one hopeless chance to escape…what would be the point of the blood on his hands if he died now? He'd been changed, physically and emotionally. He now knew he was capable of taking a life. He couldn't take that back. And the reason was he'd paid for his own life, in blood which meant, to him at least, that he had to live. He'd bought his freedom, however temporary it would be. He needed to treasure it.

His muscles constricted his legs were once again pulled up toward his body as he carefully rolled over pushing himself up onto his knees. He heaved in breath as his body strained. He knew he needed to keep moving. The Death Eaters were scared right now but they soon wouldn't be. Harry knocked down their numbers dramatically, but there were many left who hadn't been there that night and Voldemort was still re-recruiting. Voldemort himself knew Harry was alive. That Harry could feel in the marrow of his bones.

He'd steal the sheet for bandages again. The wound in his side kept re-opening and needed to close. Harry couldn't risk bleeding to death after everything he'd been through. So he tore the sheet down from its close line and worked on ripping long pieces off of it between tears. He pulled the jeans on, they were too tight but at that moment he didn't really care and a t-shirt he'd throw on after he bandaged up his torso. It would be daylight by the time he finished ripping apart the sheet which meant he needed to take the sheet with him so he could be far enough away by morning so as not to get caught.

So he left. He stumbled down the street clutching a sheet and a t-shirt to his bleeding chest using the feces as support when he needed to and leaving bloody smear marks that slowly absorbed into the red brick. By dawn all that was left of Harry Potter was a trail of dark muddy red droplets on the sidewalk, some missing clothes and a wet lawn. The hand prints on the fence wouldn't be noticed before the rain washed the stains away and the street was left as quiet as it began.

***

"You think he'll ever wake?" Snarled a deep gravelly voice to his left.

"Merlin if I know," Intoned a bored, "He didn't wake up after you stunned him, even with the counter spell. What the hell did you go and hit him so hard for?"

"The Dark Lord!" The gravel voice snarled angrily.

"Wants him alive you twit!" The bored voice grew in inflection as it livened with anger, "You could have killed him and He would never have forgiven us. Bellatrix He might forgive but not one of us!"

Harry was aware of strain in his shoulders. His hands were numb. He twitched a finger wishing immediately he hadn't as needles thundered up his arms from his hands behind his back. His head throbbed, though that was such a normal sensation he easily shrugged it off.

"She's coming isn't she?" The Gravel voice whispered.

"Yes," The bored voice was once again toneless, "Charlie alerted her that we have him."

The Gravel voice cursed.

"You'd best hope he wakes up before then," The bored voice sighed, "You know how she likes them awake as she plays with them."

Harry shivered his eyes snapped open as he realized who they were talking about. Bellatrix Lestrange? Had she broken out of prison all ready? A creak and a gust of wind alerted Harry to an opening door. His captors stilled growing dreadfully quiet as the click of heals echoed across the room.

"Where is he?" A quiet voice chuckled, "He'd better not be damaged yet. I'm the first that gets to break him; the Dark Lord told me so!" Her voice grew in pitch with fevered excitement, "I want to see him! Where'd you hide him?"

"Yes Bella," Harry's captors intoned nervously, "Of course Bella…"

Rough hands grabbed Harry's arms causing the boy's good eye to snap open in order to stifle the yelp of pain from his arms being yanked backward awkwardly. He fell to the cold hard wood floor with a thump and stared into the dull black eyes of one of his captors.

"Your awake," He said with a bored sigh his long hair falling in greasy clumps around a plump face as he bent over to stare at Harry, "Bella, he's here, and he's awake. Just like we said he'd be."

Harry began to kick and wiggle against his captors hold knowing it was useless as he was dragged across the floor out of the small dark room he'd been thrown into until he was dropped unceremoniously in front of the ripped black robes of a very thin Bellatrix Lestrange. Her wide ghostly pale eyes drank him in and she licked her strikingly red lips ad she viewed his injuries. A long thin bony finger slowly traced the wound on Harry's face a sharp nail digging in to the scab making it bleed again. Harry clenched his teeth but still a small sound growled in pain at the back of his throat.

Bellatrix lurched back from him crowing high-pitched laughter from her lips. She jerked back down until her face was just above his her long black curled and nested hair dangled around their faces cocooning them. She smelled of frozen roses and rotted leaves.

"Was that the best you could do?" She asked gleefully, "I heard you can scream fire and that's all you gave me?" She jumped back up clapping her hands together her pale eyes shining in her sickeningly gaunt face, "He's going to be fun!" She screeched to Harry's captors.

His captors roughly hauled Harry to his feet and Bellatrix leaned in stroking his bloody cheek, "It's ok to scream Harry," She cooed then pulled her hand back slowly licking his blood off of her fingers, "It will make you feel better," She smiled dreamily staring at him as she tasted his blood.

Harry glared darkly at her and clenched his jaw shut his heart pounding fearfully in his chest as the two holding him dragged him back into the room he'd been held in. Bellatrix followed gracefully swaying her hips from one side to the next as she walked. Harry's eyes traveled down her arms to the bloodied hand holding a long black, twisted wand.

His eyes shot back up to her wide grinning face and she flicked the wand shutting then silencing the door her eyes never leaving him as she did so. The two Captors holding him in place tightened their hands around his arms and Bellatrix grinned and raised her wand tilting her head back in preparation of ecstasy.

"Crucio!" She shrieked and Harry buckled clenching his teeth together as he felt his insides being ripped apart, repaired, then ripped apart over and over again.

Fire grew on his skin causing his captors to drop him to the floor. Bellatrix laughed with gleeful surprise as the fire around him grew hotter and brighter as Harry clenched his fists against the ground his good eye wide. She screamed the incantation again and another wave of tearing pain scratched into his muscles. He gasped his lips opening even as he kept the sound barreled up behind his throat. His clothes burned and the fire caught the floorboards dancing threateningly toward the lackeys beside him. They both backed up away from him their wands out. One showered Harry with a torrent of water and Bellatrix stopped the curse dancing and clapping her hands together excitedly.

She skipped toward him and fell dangling her hands on her knees her face just inches from his, "When my Brother in Law stabbed you," She whispered excitedly grabbing his face within her fingers, "Did you revel in the feel of him disintegrating? Are you trying to destroy me too?" She laughed jumping up again she pointed her wand at him and screamed, "Crucio," Again.

Harry's knees buckled underneath him his muscles shook at the extreme pain it was trying to fight. Steam grew off of his person and his hair began to dry. Small tendrils of flam began licking at his finger-tips the heat inside of him grew as the intensity of his pain grew. The edges of his hair singed smoking and glowing in the dark room. Another wave washed over him and this time he couldn't fight the cry that escaped his mouth.

Bellatrix responded to the cry increasing the spell and laughing out loud, "Yes!" She screamed, "That's it," She waltzed toward him waving her wand as if she were an impatient conductor.

She swished the wand back ending the curse and a strangled sob burst out of Harry's lungs as he fell all the way to the floor. Bellatrix applauded him and bounced forward dousing the flames that had again appeared on his body. She kicked him over forcing him to lie on his back and straddled his naked form pushing the tip of her wand against his gasping chest. He clutched her robes on instinct and she lowered her head breathing in the scent of heat and fear. She exhaled slowly her eyes rolling up into her head in pleasure. He writhed beneath her weakly wanting nothing to do with her but unable to have the strength to push her off of him.

"Keep him doused boys," She purred digging her sharp nails into his chest and dragging them down as he whimpered.

She pushed the tip of her wand harder into his chest and rolled her head back as she purred the incantation. Harry bucked beneath her screaming full on as his back arched of its own accord lifting Bellatrix and himself off of the ground. Water cascaded on Harry in a constant stream creating steam fogging the room as his fire fought to destroy the invader above him. Bellatrix laughed in pure joy and arousal at his screaming, buckling, pain. Harry's bloody ruined eye opened to reveal a red pussy mess of an eye ball as he stared at nothing plunging rapidly into his pain.

A wave of heat erupted from his body sending Bellatrix flying off of him to slam into the wall her wand rolling on the ground as her head hit the wood and she fell dazed. The Lackeys poured more water on him but the water began to evaporate as it was poured the room becoming too hot for fresh water to handle. Fire climbed on the moist air toward the water wielding assailants. Harry was still screaming in the middle of the room in his arched position off of the ground. The fire danced around him daring anyone come close and detracted from his body incasing him in a ring of flame.

Bellatrix stared at him entranced as the flames reached her lackeys and consumed them. Their flesh charred and burned away first exposing muscles and sinews to be the new targets while their hosts screamed. She picked up her wand and banished the door behind her never allowing her eyes to leave the delicious destruction that Harry's fire was creating. She walked backwards as the last of her companions fell to ash and breathed quickly her heart thumping in her chest rapidly.

She turned slowly apparating in a way that she could witness the fire fold in to Harry's body and still for an instant placing the boy outside time itself. His hair stilled and his glowing body froze his mouth closing in peaceful unconscious bliss as he floated slowly up off of the ground. By the time she disappeared an explosion incinerated the shack and the ring that was hidden beneath it turning the capture of Harry Potter into the death of a cursed soul and the end of Bellatrix Lestrange's place in her Lords favoritism.

Harry learned two things that night. First: apparently he could blow up a second time and survive. Second: Bellatrix had been correct; it did feel better to scream.

***

Harry was running through over grown brush. His legs pounded on the ground jarringly. His lungs constricted and he leapt jumping in the air turning to face his pursuers unfolding his hands to reveal fire blowing against his fingertips. His one good eye glared hate at one of his pursuers while his other eye was shut tight encrusted over by dried blood and puss. He landed on his knees and clenched his teeth as white pain traveled up his leg. Slamming his hands to the ground sent a torrent of air and fire into the air. Two spells his the wall of flame and dissipated burned up by the unnatural magic.

The flame evaporated into smoke and Harry threw his arms out clamping his hands as though clutching the air. Both of his pursuers stopped clutching their necks as the air in the lungs began to burn. One shot off a cutting hex even as he knew he was dyeing fire bursting out of his mouth as he did so. The cut slammed into Harry's chest and the boy fell back with a cry. Two more hexes were fired from another direction and Harry rolled to his back allowing the spells to ooze over him harmlessly. He threw a hand up sending a stream of fire to ignite the grass and jumped up stumbling as he pushed himself into running again. He jumped down into a dry canal and screamed as a snap was heard from the leg he'd all ready landed on badly.

He cursed as another spell slammed onto the wall of the canal in front of him carving out a large chunk of concrete that fell with a crash in front of him. He limped forward ignoring the white that threatened the edge of his vision in favor of moving. Slowly his stumbling gait turned to running as he hugged the side of the canal that gave his pursuers less visibility of him. Concrete exploded from his left to his right and a few times he had to dodge out of the way for fear of being crushed. All he could do, all he could think about was movement, and to continue on that line of thought.

***

Harry gasped in heaving sobs as his hands shook hovering around the bone that protruded out of his leg. Hopelessness was a weight that pushed down on his shoulders constricting his air as panic set in. He grew cold at the thought of giving up, at the prospect of dying in the shed he'd sheltered himself in. Fire grew around him and he fought the heat not wanting to kill himself because he'd burned down the shed accidentally.

"Fuck," He sobbed touching the white jagged edge of bone gingerly.

He knew what he had to do. Dreaded it even and didn't even know where to begin. How could he run with a broken leg? Harry clenched his teeth his chest heaving as he stared at the break. Carefully and with a few sobs he used his hands to lay his leg down strait on the ground in front of him. He breathed in several deep breaths and touched the tip of the bone. He whimpered and with his other hand pulled open the hole in his leg the bone had come out of digging his finger into torn muscle and sinew. Bile rose in his throat and Harry gulped breathing quickly as he slowly pushed the bone back into his flesh with one hand then wriggling it in to place with his other. He held the two pieces apart with a single finger inserted between then quickly pulled the finger out. The bones snapped together and Harry screamed pushing the two bones the rest of the way into place passing out in the process.

***

He could smell her; the scent of decaying roses was suffocating as he crawled literally across the ground away from her. The shack behind him had been a good hide out for the past week but the poorly done splint on his leg and the self sewn stitches would do nothing for him now. He'd ironically; chosen one of the homes the Death Eaters were raiding. It had been random but it had been his down fall. Broken leg or no he should have kept moving. Now his body twitched and shivered in pain as Bellatrix Lestrange once again gleefully had him in her clutches. Along with way too many others.

He dug fingers into the earth and pulled his body forward. Heeled boots followed him calmly almost dancing among the blackened earth as embers stirred the air. The end of her charred robes swished across the ground and she grew tired of playing. She kicked Harry with a high-pitched squeal of joy and Harry fell to his side. He kicked him in the face and his head ricocheted to the side sending him to his back. She crouched down grabbing his shirt and yanking him forward her lips crushed his own and she bit into them until he screamed and blood oozed out.

"I've missed you," She whispered with sadistic pleasure, "Your blood is my favorite." She grinned.

He spit his blood into her face and she shrieked dropping him.

"You filthy little brat!" She yelled kicking him in the side while she frantically whipped at her face, "you stupid little half blood prick!" She whipped her wand forward and sliced a cut across the hand that he'd been using to wipe his mouth with.

He yelped then screamed as she cast a vindictive Crucio on him. The panic that had built over the course was so much that the only warning she got was the fire wrapping around him then the resounding 'Pop' and he was gone. She stood perplexed for a moment then bent over in laughter and jumped around hysterically. He'd apparated, somehow, past the apparition wards the Death Eaters had placed on the house.

***

Harry crouched on the edge of a low one story roof top; in his right hand he clenched a butcher knife. His left hand clutched the edge of the roof his one good eye peeking out from behind the shingles. He wore only the tattered and bloody remains of a pair of jeans held to his waist by a rope. A splint made of rusted metal was lashed to his left leg and tattered sheets acted as bandages yet again for his torso. Rain matted his matted black hair to his skull and steam rose off of his skin wherever the rain touched. Three fingers in his right hand were broken and blood dripped out of the side of his mouth.

Below him where two death eaters walking cautiously through the alley with their wands held before them defensively, fearfully. They'd learned to fear him when they realized he'd do anything to escape them. He fought without rules using teeth, nails, and whatever accidental magic he could muster. Nothing could hold him down for long and he'd figured out how to apparate…or at least he did it instinctually. He'd become feral, unpredictable. It was the only way he could survive. The only way he could keep Voldemort and his followers on his toes. He'd made rules for himself, and followed them religiously.

First rule: No matter how bad it hurts, keep moving. Rule number two: forget about morals, they won't help you. Rule number three: Eat what you can, when you can, and don't think about what it is you're consuming. Fourth rule: keep changing clothes and bandages, the last thing you need is an infected wound. Fifth rule: It will get worse so don't cry, tears will only slow you down. Sixth rule: If you can, kill them, before they kill you.

He clutched his fingers around the shaft of the blade more tightly watching those below him with a predator's eye, waiting, willing one to look up at him so he could justify the death. Every muscle was taught, every breath hitched in his throat as he waited patiently. He didn't hide the thought that he was there, above them. It was a dare to let Voldemort know where he was, a dangerous tease, but Harry was beyond the point of caring. He just wanted it to end.

There, the first glance then shout of the second Death eater. The man flung his wand up with a yell firing off a bludgeoning curse. Harry moved leaping from his ledge knife raised high as he fell screaming in defiance. A bludgeoning curse slammed into him from the side just as his knife plunged into his target. Harry slammed into the wall and slid down with a jarring crack on his leg as the Death eater he'd killed with his Muggle weapon slumped to the ground. Harry shook his head and clutched his leg rolling to the ground to avoid another curse this one slicing a long thick gash into the brick.

The Death eater was screaming off curses and hexes. The world around Harry was exploding sending up shards of concrete and brick obscuring his vision until a rough large hand yanked him out of the mess and slammed Harry hard against the wall. Harry stared into the snarling lips of a man that couldn't just be a man. His jowls were ringed with sharpened teeth and elongated canines, his yellow eyes were only barely human.

Harry pushed his feet against the wall slamming his head into the chin of Greyback's jugular and propelling the two of them in a forward motion. Harry scrambled off of Greyback sweeping his fingers across the wet pavement. His fingertips sparked then lit sending a volley of flame into the moist air at the Werewolf desperate suddenly to run, to get away from the terror. Greyback was more than a death eater, he was more than human. As was proven when Greyback reared and lunged at Harry. Harry spun willing flame to his hands he slashed at Greyback with flame tipped nails creating long gashes of seared flesh on Greyback's arm.

The Werewolf reared slashing Harry with claws instead of fire. He kicked Harry 's broken leg and the boy fell slamming his palms onto the pavement. Hot air pushed Greyback back flinging him against the alley wall Harry had previously been pinned to. Harry struggled to get up his re-broken leg protesting any sort of movement. His first rule had been simple: keep moving at any cost. His leg was preventing him from doing so.

Movement out of the corner of his eye cued Harry to the hulking figure that rose out of the brick rubble. Slowly Greyback moved toward Harry, watching him with grinning golden eyes. The boy in turn felt panic begin to rise and with it adrenaline. He stumbled to his feet just as Greyback grabbed his shoulder digging claws into his flesh. He pulled back slamming Harry to the ground expelling the air from his lungs. Greyback raised a fist holding Harry's struggling body to the pavement then slammed it into his broken leg.

Harry screamed and Greyback rotated his fist into the bruised flesh causing Harry to scream out with an uncontrolled sob clutching Greyback's shirt. The werewolf laughed and Harry screamed cruses at him grabbing his arms and allowing the fire to take control of his fingers. Greyback howled in pain as fire engulfed his arm. He slammed the back of his fist into Harry's skull which in turn reeled back colliding with the pavement. Lights exploded in Harry's vision for one instant before all awareness left him.

He'd wake up caged with both legs broken and Bellatrix Lestrange waiting to play.

***

The summer would continue with Harry running, fighting, stumbling, being captured and tortured. His will to survive is the strength that keeps him alive even at deaths door. Each man or woman he'd kill would be ingrained in his memory and he'd become the very thing he sees himself as: A monster so deformed as to be unrecognizable until that fateful day when he ends up on a Muggle suburb in front of the house of his best friend Hermione Granger. Bellatrix Lestrange will forever be the one being in Harry's life that will forever make him tremble in complete and utter fear as she will continue to be a part of his own personal hell.

This chapter was not written because it is a time of utter repetition, one of a spiraling cycle that seems endless and filled with no good or happy thought. Harry would never speak of these things, and much will be left ambiguous for the sake of the readers' imagination. Perhaps more will be written as Harry's story progresses and he continues to grow away from the pain of these days.

This is a written memory of the first month of Harry Potter's summer after fourth year.

I wrote this to gain some perspective on After the Second Rise. I do intend it to be in three parts and at the end of each part a short narration. The time line might be confusing but that's because of the nature of that Summer. One tends to remember and hold onto only the most horrifying moments all other moments kind of blur into the background. Their still there, and they are still just as traumatic but it is the worst moments I will be focusing on. And the best in terms of miraculous. Hope everyone enjoyed it.

-Red