Slowly walking down the street, Harry sighed. It had been three weeks since Sirius had gone behind the veil at the Department of Mysteries. It had been three weeks since he had found out about the prophecy which explained why Voldemort had tried to kill him as a baby. Harry wished that he could leave the Dursley's house, but he knew that Dumbledore wouldn't allow it until August. It wasn't that the Dursleys were acting any worse than before. If anything, they had taken the Order's threat seriously. He was mostly left alone. The only times that he really interacted with the Dursleys were at mealtimes, and besides the occasional scowls and glares, he was ignored.
Ron and Hermione had owled him several letters since school had ended. They expressed concern for him, and he was grateful for his friends. He had also received letters from Order members; however, the letters were sparse on details. Harry wished that he knew what was going on in the wizarding world. Even though he was receiving the Daily Prophet every morning, he knew that the paper was inaccurate in many ways.
Harry was shaken from his thoughts when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. He sharply looked in that direction and was suspicious when he only saw a mangy cat eating out of an alley dumpster. Picking up the pace, Harry stuffed his hands into his pockets and tightened his right hand around his wand. Harry hoped that he was only being paranoid, but he had the feeling like he was being watched. Sliding his eyes back and forth, Harry only saw ordinary people milling around minding their own business.
Since Hogwarts had ended, Harry hadn't experienced any visions. He was glad, yet he felt like everything was building up and would explode soon. Voldemort might not know what the prophecy said; however, Voldemort had already proven the obsession that he had with killing Harry. He wasn't going to stop until one of them was dead.
Even though he hadn't been away from Privet Drive for very long, Harry thought that he should return soon. He had been feeling uneasy all day, and he hoped that being back in the safety of the wards surrounding his relative's house would make him feel better. That ironic thought brought a bitter smile to his face. He couldn't believe that the day had arrived when he acquainted the Dursley's house with any kind of safety or good will.
As Harry was rounding the corner of building, he stopped short upon seeing a cloaked figure in front of him. Letting out a small gasp of surprise, Harry tried to turn around and run away, but he was dismayed to discover that he was surrounded by Death Eaters on all sides. Harry frantically looked around for help, yet he saw that the street was now deserted.
Before Harry could yank the wand out of his pocket, a stunning spell hit his body. Harry felt his body stiffen, and he could only stare straight ahead as someone grabbed him from behind and Disapparated. The figures quickly re-appeared in the middle of an old, decrepit building. Without warning, the Death Eater dumped Harry on the floor as the rest of the figures formed a circle around Harry's body.
Harry was aware of Voldemort's entrance when he heard the shifting robes as the Death Eaters kneeled and murmured their allegiances. When the stunner was lifted from him, he slowed gathered himself together and pushed off of the floor. Keeping his eyes focused on the red eyes of his enemy, Harry was only dimly aware when the Death Eaters stood up and resumed their positions around the two of them.
"It was shockingly easy to remove you from Surrey, Harry. You would think that that fool Dumbledore would have protected you harder than that, especially now that I have regained my full powers. It is only a matter of time before I have the wizarding world underneath my feet again."
"I'm surprised that you continue to hunt me down," Harry answered. "One would think that you would have given up by now after failing to kill me several times already."
Eyes narrowed slightly, Voldemort answered, "I admit that you have been lucky in the past, Potter, but luck will only carry you so far. I believe that your luck will end tonight."
"Don't you think that you should hear the rest of the prophecy before you decide whether or not to kill me?" Harry taunted. "For all you know, the prophecy could state that killing me will bring about your downfall. We are connected, after all, through my scar. I guess you will never know, however, since I destroyed the prophecy. Are you willing to tempt fate?"
Voldemort continued to stare into Harry's eyes as though searching for something. After a few seconds, a smirk crossed his features. "You're lying, Potter. I may not be able to fully read your mind, but I can tell that you are hiding something. No matter. I have a man who is a fully competent in Legilimency."
Turning to a Death Eater standing nearby, Voldemort instructed, "Go to the potion's lab and get Severus. He should have my potion ready by now. Tell him to bring it here immediately."
"Yes, Master," the man responded as he eagerly left the room.
Harry knew that Dumbledore trusted Snape, but Harry didn't trust the man at all. His dislike of the man had only increased after the events of the last school year. The man had been cruel and vindictive during Occlumency lessons. Harry had been sorry about looking in the man's pensieve, yet he had not been given a chance to apologize. It was obvious that Snape could hold a grudge against someone. After all, he had hated the Marauders for over twenty years. Harry believed that Snape would be perfectly content with helping Voldemort by savagely rampaging Harry's mind before allowing Voldemort to murder him. Harry was sure that Snape wouldn't even lose sleep over it.
Once Snape entered the room, Harry thought he saw a moment's hesitation as the Potions Master noticed Harry standing in the middle of the cloaked men. Harry was sure that he was wrong, however, as Snape headed straight to Voldemort without sparing Harry another glance.
"I have completed the potion that you asked for, my Lord," Snape said as he handed over the vial of black liquid.
Voldemort took the vial with one long, pale hand. He lifted the vial up into the air and examined it. He spoke while continuing to stare into the vial, "I have waited for this moment for a long time, Potter. You have been an annoyance for far too long. It is time that I took the full power that is rightfully mine."
Looking over at Harry, Voldemort spoke again. "Do you know what this is, Potter? It is a very old, obscure potion that is used to suppress magical abilities. One of my faithful Death Eaters discovered it while doing some research for me. There is an antidote to this potion, but most people have forgotten that this potion exists. Besides," Voldemort haughtily said, "you will be dead before long and it won't matter anymore."
A glimmer of fear shone in Harry's eyes, but he forced himself to stifle his emotions and to respond. "If you are going to kill me, why bother wasting that potion on me?"
"You have escaped me several times in the past. I have taken many precautions in order to ensure that it won't happen again. Without your magic, you won't have a remote chance of escaping my lair. Besides, no one knows where you are. They all believe you to be safe and sound at your pathetic relative's house. By the time that they discover you missing, it will be too late."
Harry knew that he couldn't escape the circle of Death Eaters, yet he found himself unconsciously edging backwards while inching his hand towards his wand pocket.
"Grab him."
Upon Voldemort's orders, two Death Eaters forcefully yanked Harry's arms behind his back and restrained him. Harry struggled against the men, but he suddenly stopped whenever someone punched him in the face. Slowly turning his face back around, Harry clamped his mouth shut upon seeing a Death Eater holding the vial near his face. Before Harry could react, the man pinched his nose hard and put the potion beside Harry's mouth. Holding his breath as long as he could and trying to release himself from the man's grip, Harry eventually gave into the urge to gasp for breath. As soon as Harry deeply inhaled, the potion was forced down his throat and a hand pushed his jaw closed. Knowing that it was useless to delay the inevitable, Harry swallowed the potion. When the hold on him loosened, Harry slumped tiredly against his captors.
Voldemort waved the two men away, and Harry had to force his weary body to remain upright. Once he was released, Harry hurriedly grabbed the wand from his pocket and pointed it at Voldemort.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted.
Nothing happened.
Panic was creeping into him, but Harry made himself concentrate harder and tried again.
"Stupefy!"
The Death Eaters were beginning to laugh upon seeing Harry's disadvantaged state. Harry slowly lowered his hand and let it limply hang beside his body. It seemed that Snape's potion had fully worked. He didn't have any magic, and he was alone.
"Before I kill you, Harry Potter," Voldemort said, "I think that I will allow my followers the chance to play with you a bit." Turning to the Death Eaters, Voldemort continued speaking, "This is your reward for your service to me. You may do what you wish to him, but I will be the one to kill him."
After giving his orders, Voldemort stepped to the side of the room and settled himself in a chair. The Death Eaters moved backwards and Harry found himself standing alone in the center of the room. Once Voldemort had nodded his approval, one Death Eater stepped confidently forward.
xXxXxXxXx
It seemed like forever to Harry before Voldemort called an end to the torture. Lying battered and bruised on the floor, Harry's chest hurt with every breath that he took. He didn't want to die, but he was glad that he would finally be put out of his misery. He would finally be able to see his parents and his godfather again. Harry closed his eyes in pain. He heard someone walk towards him and stop.
"Look at me, Potter. I want to see your eyes as you die," Voldemort said.
Harry struggled to open his eyes again. He knew that he wouldn't be able to die standing and fighting for his life, but he was not going to allow this monster to kill him as he lay there with his eyes shut. He was going to defiantly stare into Voldemort's eyes right up to the end.
"Before I kill you, however, I think that there is one matter which we have yet to take care of. Severus," Voldemort spoke as he looked over at the Potions Master. "I want you to look inside his mind. I can tell that Potter is hiding something from me. Something very important. It shouldn't be that difficult to find it considering that he has been weakened."
Harry's eyes shifted from Voldemort's form to Snape's as the man walked over to him. The man knelt beside his body and stared into Harry's eyes. Since Harry had not been able to learn Occlumency during the school year, he knew that he didn't stand a chance in blocking Snape now. Harry wished that he could stop the man from finding out about the full prophecy's wording; however, he knew that nothing would stop Snape from finding it and telling Voldemort.
Snape pointed his wand at Harry's head and whispered, "Legilimens."
Tensing his body on the ground, Harry waited for the memory of the prophecy to appear. Confusion filled him, however, when that didn't occur. Instead of hearing the prophecy, Harry was seeing other fragments of his memory.
"Why don't you relax for a bit? I can finish the rest of this…"
"We have to be quiet now…"
"Only reveal your advantage to your enemies at the opportune moment…"
Harry was wondering what in the world was going on. Why were these the memories that he was seeing? Where was the prophecy? If Snape wanted to find it, it should have been discovered by now. One memory in particular caused Harry to pay even closer attention.
"Mr. Potter, seeing as how the Headmaster has entrusted you to me for learning Occlumency, I would think that you would put in more effort. You will not get anywhere in these lessons if you do not listen to me and pay attention. You may get away with goofing off in my classroom, but learning this could be a matter of life and death…"
That last memory was cut off as Snape abruptly left his mind. Harry's brow creased as Snape momentarily lingered near him and continued to stare into his eyes. Harry had the feeling that Snape was trying to tell him something, but he could not figure out what that thing might be. After lifting an eyebrow meaningfully, Snape stood up and slowly turned to face Voldemort.
"The boy's appalling lack of mental defense allowed me to track down the source of his secret. It seems that Dumbledore has placed a tracking device on Potter. When he was captured, my Lord, the imbecilic headmaster knew that Potter was no longer with his relatives. That is what Potter was hiding from you, Master. The idiot was hoping that help would arrive soon."
Harry nearly gasped aloud upon hearing Snape's words. He managed to stop himself, however, knowing that he had to make Voldemort believe that Snape was telling the truth. At that moment, the memories from a few seconds ago came back to him.
"…relax for a bit… I can finish the rest of this…"
"…be quiet now…"
"…listen to me and pay attention…this could be a matter of life and death…"
Snape had been trying to warn him about what he was about to do. The man was saying that he was going to attempt to get both of them out of there alive. All Harry had to do was play along with the game. This was the last thing that Harry had been expecting. He hoped that Snape had a good plan because everything looked pretty hopeless from Harry's perspective. He couldn't use magic, and Snape was outnumbered.
When Voldemort turned his skeptical gaze onto Harry, Harry knew that he would need to amp up his performance.
"You bastard," Harry hoarsely yelled at Snape. "I thought that you were on Dumbledore's side."
"Calm down, Potter," sneered the Potions Master. "My betrayal will be discovered soon enough."
Voldemort looked pleased. "Well done, Severus. It appears that you were correct."
Harry inwardly smiled. Voldemort had bought the lie. Snape would have to act soon, though. Harry knew that Voldemort would attempt to kill him any minute now, especially if he believed that Order members had tracked his location and would be storming the building at any moment.
Turning back to Harry, Voldemort aimed his wand. "This is the end for you, Harry Potter."
Frozen, Harry could not turn his eyes away from the wand. He wanted to turn desperately to Snape, but it was impossible.
An explosion caused everyone to quickly look over at the source of the commotion. Voldemort and the Death Eaters walked over to the doorway and cautiously looked into the hall. Harry was bewildered by what had caused the explosion until Snape knelt beside him and hoisted Harry up. When Harry nearly yelped in pain, a hand was slapped over his mouth. Snape raised a finger to his mouth and indicated that they must be silent.
Legs buckling under him, Harry put an arm around Snape's shoulders. The two of them tried to hurry over to the exit farthest away from the Death Eaters. Nearing the door, they were stopped when they heard a voice yell behind them.
"They're getting away!"
Quickly glancing back, Harry saw that they had been caught. Snape pushed Harry in the direction of the door.
"Go, Potter."
Stumbling slightly, Harry began to scramble towards the door. Snape stood between Harry and the Death Eaters, and he was prepared to fight so that Harry could get away.
Spells shot from all directions. Forced to defend himself, Snape raised a shield. When the spells hit the shield, they bounced off and headed away. Harry was almost at the door when one of the spells ricocheted off Snape's shield and hit the ceiling above him. Part of the ceiling exploded, and a heavy stone fell directly onto Harry's head. As soon as the stone hit him, Harry dropped immediately to the floor unconscious.
xXxXxXxXx
Snape heard a loud thump behind him. Putting more power behind his shield, he took a quick glance behind him. Cursing under his breath, Snape saw Harry's still body lying on the floor. Some blood was pooling around his head.
If he could get out of this room, Snape knew that there was a slight chance that he could escape. He had an emergency portkey hidden in the sleeve of his robes. The wards around the house prevented him from leaving right now, but the wards did not extend over the whole property.
With his adrenalin high, Snape summoned all of his power. After holding it in as long as he could, he then allowed the power to fling outward. The power hit the Death Eaters and knocked them backwards. Seeing a slight advantage, Snape hurried over to Harry and grabbed the boy under the arms. Dragging Harry was hard work, but he made it through the doorway and spelled the door shut behind him. He knew that the door wouldn't hold them off forever; however, he hoped that it would stall them long enough.
Light shone softly through a nearby window. Leaning Harry against the wall, Snape aimed at the window and blasted the glass out. Quickly looking through the hole, he noticed that they were on the second floor. Splintering wood caught his attention, and he knew that it was only a matter of seconds before the door broke open and the Death Eaters descended upon them.
Pointing his wand at the ground, Snape fired a cushioning charm. After picking Harry up again, he stepped through the hole. For a brief second, Snape wondered if his cushioning charm would work; he had expended a lot of energy fighting the Death Eaters. As soon as he and the boy bounced on the ground, Snape grabbed Harry and began dragging him away from the house.
Spells shot from the open hole on the second floor. Apparently the Death Eaters had finally broken through the spelled door. A cutting spell clipped Snape's arm, and he hissed in pain. His hold loosened on Harry, and the boy started to slip through his arms. Ignoring the pain in his arm and the blood trickling down it, Snape tightened his hold on Harry as he activated the portkey.
