As Harry ran, he remembered the promise he'd made to obey Dumbledore. The moment they'd apparated back to the Astronomy Tower, he'd felt the change in the wards. "Sir?" he'd asked nervously.
"Something is wrong." Dumbledore had hissed as he drew his wand. "Run, Harry! Get outside the wards."
And so Harry ran. In the crowded halls, it was hard to return fire, but his reflexes were as good as ever and he managed to not get hit. He ran with the others towards Hogsmede and the Forbidden Forrest and realized his mistake. There weren't Death Eaters attacking the fleeing students –they were merely ensuring everybody passed through a specific section of the wards. He stopped and let others run past him. Something told him that his crossing the wards would draw the attack. Somebody screamed behind him and he turned just in time to see Voldemort step through the door. He'd have to risk the wards. Just a few more steps would have put him through to safety.
Harry never saw the spell coming, much less who cast it, but as it tore through the skin of his face, he kept silent, afraid his voice might give him away. Another spell hit his chest, but he felt no different.
A firm hand gripped his shoulder and he heard Ron's voice call, "Hermione!"
"It isn't him Ron. Just look at the robes."
He tried to open his eyes, tried to call out, but whatever had hit him left him unable to do either. Shock took over and he slipped so far into his own mind that everything else simply went away.
-:-:-:-
When Harry woke, his eyes would not open. He knew, based off the smell alone, that he was in the hospital wing. "My Lord," he heard Snape say. Snape must have betrayed them! What else could have possibly happened?
"It's hideous," Voldemort said in what could only be shock.
"It," Snape spat, "appears to be a Hufflepuff." Was that why Ron and Hermione had left him? Had somebody changed his robes during the attack? "Whomever," Snape said slowly, "attacked the poor bastard was beyond cruel. The blindness and scaring is completely permanent and I can see no remedy for the loss of speech."
The silence was disturbing and Harry had to wonder if he'd heard correctly. He was blind and the scaring was permanent. What scaring? He wished desperately to be able to move. No remedy for the loss of speech…. So it wasn't a potion keeping him out? He was physically incapable of movement and speech? "I seem…to remember," Voldemort said slowly, "ordering that no students be harmed. Dumbledore killed and Harry Potter captured, isn't that right? As it is, I see no reason not to simply kill it."
"My Lord," Snape interrupted with a nervous tone. "I am in need of one such as this. My investigation of the wards has provided no solution for repairing the bells –the wards are simply too old. They can, however, be manually rung."
There was more silence and Harry knew he'd never understand for sure if he couldn't see. "The bells are traditional," Voldemort finally said. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "No one can know, Severus. If anyone comes to me with concerns that the castle's magic is not functioning properly, you will remember my attempt at kindness as your hot blood runs across the cold stone floor."
Harry heard Voldemort leave and tried to remain aware. There were moments where he thought he was moving, but that was just a gut feeling. He heard a heavy door creak open and then shut and noticed the air smelt different. "Are you awake, Potter?" Snape asked calmly. "I've relocated you to the bell tower and collapsed the wards, making it impossible to perform any sort of magic. Your voice will return in due time, though I would not suggest using it. Should anyone hear you, both our lives will be forfeit. Now sleep."
-:-:-:-
When Harry next woke, it was to the sound of the heavy door swinging open. "Are you awake?" Snape called quietly.
"Ess," Harry hissed as he tried to sit up. He'd hurt Snape for locking him up, maybe even kill him.
"It will take time for your voice to return," Snape said as he pulled Harry up by the shirt. After a moment, he leaned Harry back against some pillows. "The ward collapse will prevent any and all magic, but I managed to install some self-cleaning appliances for you." He shoved a bowl into Harry's hands and went silent.
It was warm, but not uncomfortably so, and Harry easily located the spoon. Finding his mouth was much more challenging. There was quickly hot cereal on his chin and he hoped Snape wasn't watching. Once he'd finished the bowl, he tried to hear if the man was still there. He heard nothing.
A warm towel wiped over his mouth and heat rose in his cheeks. Snape had cleaned him like a child. "I enjoy this no more than you," Snape muttered. "Get up."
Harry stood hesitantly and held his arms out at his sides. He counted off his steps silently as Snape led him forward. "We walked straight from the right of your bed. The tub and dresser are here." He placed Harry's hand on both. They walked to the left wall. "Reach your hand out and you have a toilet. The sink is on your left. Both are self-cleaning, same as the tub." Harry did as instructed and tried not to panic. He really couldn't see.
They walked left until Harry's hand was wrapped around a rail. "These are the stairs up to the bells. I will assist you until the week's end, after which the students will return and then ringing them will be your responsibility." Snape showed Harry to the table as he led him back to bed and waited for Harry to get comfortable before continuing. "I will feed you twice per day at my convenience and find you something mentally engaging to occupy your time. Stay quiet and do not hinder my attempts to keep you alive."
-:-:-:-
It took another 2 days for Harry to stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. He heard the door swing open and slowly sat up. "It is 5 o'clock," Snape said as he shoved a bowl into Harry's hands. "I assume your mobility has improved."
"Ye…" Harry cleared his throat, "yes. My face?" He'd discovered, much to his horror, deep gashes running across his face. "Hideous."
Snape hissed. "Yes, the Dark Lord did say that. I assume you have noticed the damage." He waited for Harry's nod. "They are permanent. The blindness is permanent."
Harry swallowed his mouthful of hot cereal. "Why?"
Snape's chair creaked as he shifted and Harry wondered what he was doing. "The Headmaster managed to get out an order that you could not be allowed to leave the wards. Whomever attacked you succeeded in preventing your departure." He shifted again. "Nobody escaped. All who escaped through the wards were captured in an ambush. Pot…Peter, yes, that will work. The Dark Lord placed a taboo on your name." The chair slid and Harry thought Snape must have stood. "The students will be returning shortly –you must learn your duties."
He took the bowl from Harry's hands and then grabbed Harry's arm. Harry struggled as Snape attached something to his wrist. "It is just a watch, you twat. Push the button on the side and it will verbally give you the time. Now come." He pulled Harry up and led him to the stairs. They walked up them slowly. About half-way into the room, Snape handed Harry a very heavy rope.
An electronic voice spoke. "5:59:30, 31, 32, 33…."
"We will pull 6 times," Snape said at 10 and grabbed the rope from where he stood behind Harry. The voice said 1, and they began pulling. After just 3 rings, the rope fell from Harry's hands and he realized he didn't have the energy to continue. How could he possibly do it again in an hour? "It will get easier," Snape said as he moved his hands to Harry's shoulders.
Harry trembled before turning on his heel and swinging at Snape's head. His punch hit and Snape gave an oomph. "If you wish to assault me, Pot…Peter, I must insist you mind your small stature and compensate for it. My face is a good 9 inches higher. Would you like to hit me again or should I get you settled?"
Angry at Snape, angry at everything, Harry took the invitation and added what he thought to be 9 inches onto his swing. This time, he heard a snap. "Better?" Harry snapped.
"Acceptable," Snape responded. "You can either sit here for an hour or return to bed for… 45 minutes, at most. If you are concerned you will not have the energy, I would suggest staying here."
"No," Harry said quickly. "I…I need to…well…."
Snape cleared his throat and turned Harry toward the stairs. "I assume you will not need help relieving yourself?" Snape asked as they descended the stairs.
Harry blushed. "Just get me close and I can handle it." He found the sink with his hand and tried to shrug out of Snape's grip. "Fuck off, you perv," he hissed. Snape said nothing as he left, though Harry only knew he had because the door shut. He reached his hand out and felt the toilet tank, then turned around and lowered his pants. As he sat, he put his hands slightly along his hips so he could make sure he was aligned with the bowl.
Afterwards, he stood too quickly and fell forward, his pants sill around his ankles. He flailed as he tried to stand, but couldn't find anything to lean his weight on. Before he'd had a chance to figure out what to do, tears were streaming down his cheeks and he lost control.
"Peter!" Snape yelled. Harry drew his knees up to his chest and tried to stop crying. "Have you injured yourself?" He pulled Harry up by his elbows and then reached a hand down to bring up Harry's pants.