Chapter Two "Reverse"
DISCLAIMER: The characters and story plot of the Harry Potter franchise do NOT belong to me, I am just one of the many privileged enough to write on J.K Rowling's marvelous novel series.
Harry awoke with a sharp intake of breath. His head felt as if it were split in two and his body ached in pain, an agonized moan of pain escaped his chapped lips as he tried to put his tense and sore muscles to use. The only thing he could do with simplistic ease was look around, yet there wasn't much to see in the darkness.
In a matter small amount of time his eyes adjusted to the dark enabling him to see more clearly, the room, if you could call it a room, was small and square in shape. A thick layer of grime covered the stone walls and in the far corner of room an old stained mattress lay forgotten. The only form of light came from a thin slit in an iron door on the wall opposite of the one Harry was propped up against. It was quite clear to him that this was a room specifically designed to hold him against his will.
Deciding to find out exactly where he was being held Harry called out. "Hello?" His voice was raspy and hurt him to use it.
When he received no answer, Harry reluctantly used his sore muscles and picked himself off the cold damp floor. He swayed back and forth until getting hold of his balance, clumsily he stumbled his way to the iron door. Peeking through the slit he couldn't see a single thing except an identical iron door across from his own.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" Harry asked, the only reply was a scared muffled whine. "Are....are you okay?"
"Go'way, go'way, I didn't do it. Please no, no, NO!" replied the voice in panic.
Harry clenched his hands over his ears as the person in the room across from his began to scream in sheer fear. Crawling away from the door Harry's eyes were fixated at the thin slit as the person across the halls screams came pouring through, after an hour or so of drowning the screams out with unharmonious humming Harry relaxed contentedly in the quietness of the dark. He was sure that as the time passed slowly by Voldemort or one of his lackeys would come by, curse him a bit, then leave, but even that didn't happen. The only visitor he got was a gaunt looking rat running around his cell then scurrying back into a crack in the wall.
Dozing off and on, Harry's head rested tiredly on top of his knees as he sat crouched in the far corner of the cell. His eye lids had just fluttered closed again, when he heard a loud explosion go off in the distance, the room shook from the impact of what he guessed was an explosion. Getting quickly to his feet, Harry went to the iron door. He couldn't help but feel hopeful that it was Dumbledore finally coming to rescue him, yet as the minutes passed he heard nothing and his hopes started to dwindle. Just as he was about to move from the door and mark down the explosion as a figment of his imagination Harry heard something in the distance.
Harry scrambled to the door and pressed his ear eagerly to the slit in the door.
He heard an excited voice from afar. "I got Rookwood! I got Rookwood!"
A deep voice replied just as excited as the first. "Good, let's find Mulciber's and Abernathy's cell, they should be down here somewhere."
There was a soft sound of shuffling feet, then silence.
"Wait! Come back! Come back!" Harry yelled desperately.
The only response he got was another explosion in the distance, the force of it sent him from his squatting position to flat on his buttocks. Clambering to his knees Harry strained to hear another voice call out from down what he guessed was the hallway outside of his cell.
"Brilliant lads, just brilliant. One more to go!"
"Help! I'm down here! Help!" Harry yelled through the slit.
He waited impatiently silent for some sort of reply or recognition, finally he heard a voice speak.
"You hear anything?" Asked a deep voice.
Another voice from moments earlier quickly replied. "No, and I don't care! Find Mulciber, he's our top priority."
There was a snort of indifference from the first speaker. "We've got plenty of time before those Ministry idiots start to arrive."
Harry opened his mouth to yell for help again but a new and slick toned voice cut him off.
"I found Abernathy! They've got wards set up, and I can't get through, get your bloody arses over here!"
The two people conversing near Harry's cell mumbled something that Harry couldn't quite hear then ran off to aid whoever yelled for them.
Harry banged his head repeatedly against the door in frustration. He stilled as he heard another explosion, it was farther away than the last one. Dust fell from the roof of the cell and covered Harry's hair and shoulders. He was dusting his shoulders when the quiet sound of shuffling feet grew steadily louder and seemed to be coming in his direction.
"Hey! Down here! Help! Help!" yelled Harry, who ever was coming towards him came to a complete stop.
"I knew I heard something! Did you hear it that time?" asked a voice.
The slick toned man snapped back an annoyed reply. "Of course I did you fool! But it matters not, we've done our job, let's get out of here."
Harry didn't care if he had to beg to get these men to save him, he wanted out. "No! Don't leave me here! Please! Please help me!"
"Should we at least take a look? See who it is? We'll still have ample enough time to get, what do you say Lestrange?" asked the first voice.
There was a pregnant pause of silence before the slick voice of Lestrange answered. "Fine. Whoever it is though, if they aren't one of us we leave them behind." he paused. "That also applys if they've gone all wonky in the head, they stay here. Agreed?"
The first speaker replied instantly. "Agreed!"
With a smile on his face, Harry stepped back from the door so that when they looked through the slit they would be able to see he wasn't crazy. He tried to make his matted hair more presentable, but when a pair of beady eye's looked through the slit, he immediately dropped his hands to his sides.
"Well I'll be damned! That's Potter that is in there!" exclaimed the person looking through the slit.
The man looking in was abruptly pushed out of the way, and a dark grey pair of calculating eyes replaced him.
"You weren't lying." stated the voice of Lestrange.
"Of course not! So, does he look sane to you?" The man asked who was looking in before getting pushed.
Lestrange hesitated before answering. "I don't know, he looks to be alright. Our Lord will be mighty pleased if he is."
Harry went still, what did he mean by "Our Lord." He could think of only two kinds of people who talked like that. One being religious people, the second being Death Eaters, he picked the latter and slowly backed up into the corner of his cell. He hoped they might simply forget about him and move on, they didn't.
"Alright, first of all, go give word to Yaxley to Port Key out with Rookwood and Abernathy, tell him we'll take care of Mulciber. Once you've done that, come on back. Hopefully by that time, I should have Potter out, once he's out, one of us will then Port Key out with him while the other goes and gets Mulciber, do you understand?" Lestrange asked.
"Why don't Yaxley just take Mulciber with him?" asked the man opposite of Lestrange.
"All three of them are crazed you twat, I doubt Yaxley will even be able to get them to hold onto the Port Key long enough to get out!" Lestrange's slick voice snapped.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I suppose your right." The other voice grumbled.
"Of course I'm right, why do you think the Dark Lord put me in charge of this mission and not you Nott." Lestrange said smugly.
The man named Nott huffed and stomped away.
"Potter, if your listening, get to the far side of the cell. I'm going to blow the door." Lestrange warned.
Harry stood motionless on top of the ratty old mattress in the corner of his cell. When he didn't reply to what Lestrange said, the man blew the door of it's hinges. The iron door hit the ground and made a sound louder than the blast that detached it from the wall. A thick cloud of smoke and dust filled the puny room, Harry clenched his fists as he heard approaching foot steps. Stepping through the cloud of dirt the man named Lestrange came into view, he was tall in height and wearing flowing black robes, a white mask concealed all his face except two dark grey eyes.
"Come on Potter, lets get you out of here." Lestrange said gesturing to the empty doorway of the cell.
Harry shook his head. "Stay away from me!" he sneered.
The mans eyes narrowed behind the mask. "Stop being an idiot Potter. Get out of that ruddy corner!" Lestrange ordered impatiently.
Harry could easily tell the man was getting annoyed. He shook his head again. "Leave me alone! I'm staying here!" said Harry.
"Are you dumb? You're in Azkaban you idiot! We're going to free you, take you home to where you belong." Lestrange snapped.
"What? I'm not in Azkaban! That.....that's impossible...why would I be there? You're lying! Stay away from me!" Harry protested in disbelief.
Lestrange began to say something but he fell quiet as his accomplice from earlier came back.
"Yaxley's gone with the other two, and he said to hurry, said he heard someone apperating in," Nott informed, his eyes turned to Harry. "Whats wrong with Potter?"
"The kids not all there, doesn't even know he's in Azkaban!" Lestrange snapped angrily.
The other Death Eater stepped into the cell, he looked at Harry who was huddled in the corner like a scared animal.
"Well we already blew his cell open. I say we take him anyway, the worst that could happen is our Master will give the boy to Black. You know how your cousin-in-law thinks of the boy practically as his own, he'll be thrilled." Nott suggested.
Lestrange seemed torn to agree. "Fine. I'm going to go to get Mulciber before the Auror's start to show, you take the kid back!"
With that Lestrange stalked out of the cell leaving Nott and Harry staring alone at each other.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Harry stated, the shaking in his legs was the only thing portraying his actual fear.
The Death Eater didn't reply, all he did was pull out a piece of yellow cloth from within his robes.
"Come here!" he ordered, Harry didn't comply. "Dammit boy! If you make me come over there, Merlin so help me, a punishment from our Master will seem like a pat on the back compared to what I'll do to you!"
Harry tried to think of a way to get out, but nothing came to mind except the mans threat. The Death Eater watched Harry expectantly, yet when Harry didn't move from his corner to the man, the man went to Harry. With his hands outstretched in front of him like two sharp talons Nott stalked menacingly towards Harry. When he was close enough he lunged and pinned Harry to the corner of the cell. Harry tried vigorously to struggle free from the mans hold, but the Death Eater just wouldn't budge.
"Stay still!" Nott growled, he grabbed the front of Harry's ragged clothing with one hand, and with the other he grabbed one of Harry's swinging hands and held it in his own.
The piece of yellow cloth in between their clutched hands.
Harry let out a yelp of surprise as an uncomfortable and all to familiar pull came from behind his naval, within a matter of seconds he found himself sprawled out on the floor of an entirely new room with the Death Eater on top of him. An audible gasp of breath flew from Harry's lungs as the man on top of him finally managed to pull himself up. Rolling onto his stomach Harry looked around the new room. It was a large circular stone chamber lit up by dull candle light, and filled with dozens of men and women dressed in Death Eater robes. Beside him to the right on their knees were two men dressed in rags like himself, both men had gaunt features and hollow looking eyes, they reminded him a lot like the face of his Godfather last year.
Forcing his focus from the gaunt looking men,a man stood above all others on a platform made entirely of black marble caught his eye. Behind the man was a throne painted an olive green with snakes carved artistically into it. The man himself had black hair streaked with grey and a pair of crimson coloured eyes, his face was one Harry recognized yet hadn't seen since his second year at Hogwarts. It was Voldemort as his former self, Tom Marvolo Riddle, but he looked older, much older.
Harry flinched as a loud pop echoed through the chamber and two men appeared beside him from thin air. He recognized one of the men as the Death Eater Lestrange, the other was a man looking much like the other two who were on their knees. Bowing respectfully in the direction of Voldemort, Lestrange dumped the other man beside Harry and then went with Nott to stand with another man just in front of the mass of Death Eaters assembled in a semi-circle acting as an audience behind Harry and the haggard men beside him.
"Welcome back my friends," greeted Voldemort. "I'm pleased to see yo--" An offended hiss rumbled through the Dark Lord's throat as his red eyes passed over the cowering form of Harry. "What is he doing here?" he sneered outraged, his eyes immediately searched out Lestrange, Nott and another Death Eater who stood by side.
Lestrange broke from the ranks of the two others beside him and kneeled before the Dark Lord.
"If I may speak freely my Lord I can explain." Lestrange said, he waited for a curt nod from Voldemort before he continued. "We had just freed Rookwood and Abernathy when Nott started to hear things, pleas for help my Lord. The boy was calling for us, myself and Nott went simply to satisfy our curiosity at first. But when we discovered the boy and realized he had not suffered the Dementor's kiss as we were so informed, myself and Nott thought it might please you my Lord if we were to bring him."
Voldemort raised a bony hand and pointed it threateningly at Lestrange. "Are you saying the information given to me by a member of my inner circle wrong?" he hissed vehemently.
"I only report what I saw my Lord, nothing else," Lestrange said. "I mean not to implicate another for their lack of competence."
The Dark Lord turned from his kneeling servant to the two Death Eater's standing behind Lestrange. "Nott, Yaxley. What say you? Does Rodolphus speak truth or false truth?" he demanded.
The Death Eater beside Nott stepped forward and took a knee beside Lestrange. "I can not say for sure my Lord, I was merely informed of Nott's and Lestrange's plan to free Potter. I had not seen the boy till this very moment." The man named Yaxley answered.
Voldemort's eyes turned impatiently on the lanky Death Eater named Nott. "Speak!" he ordered
Nott kneeled where he stood. "Rodolphus speaks the truth Master. I've seen Potter with my own eyes, I brought him here I did. He ain't soulless, I swear it."
Voldemort stepped down from his plat form and strode to where Harry lay. "Potter, my young servant. Speak to me your Master!" he hissed.
Harry shaking all over looked up to meet the red eyes of the Dark Lord, confused with everything else that happened in the last hour or so the only thing he could say was. "What?"
Voldemort however seemed content with this, a smirk spread onto his pale face. "So you do speak, you clearly have not been kissed then. I'm delighted to see that."
"I bet you are!" Harry snapped suddenly, the smirk fell from the Dark Lords face.
"Now, now Harry. I thought you to have been kissed by a Dementor, had I known the information I was given was wrong I would have sent for you instantly." Voldemort replied, his crimson eyes searched the crowd of Death Eaters for someone in particular, finally his gaze settled on a man that even though he wore a mask his long blond hair easily gave him away as Lucius Malfoy.
The blond Death Eater pushed and threw people from his way as he practically threw himself on the chamber floor in front of his Master.
"My Lord, forgive me. The information concerning Potter I believed it to be legitimate," Lucius said, his voice wavered. "My source is higher than I within the Ministry, I gave him no reason to lie to me..."
Lucius began to carry off with his rant for forgiveness until Voldemort seemed to have had enough with Malfoy.
"Quiet, Lucius! your groveling doesn't suit you or your noble lineage." Voldemort sneered disgustedly.
Lucius remained subdued as Voldemort stalked from Harry to the blond Death Eater.
"My Lord, I'll be sure to check the information more thoroughly next time before I relay it to you. Please forgive me and my carelessness." Lucius begged.
Voldemort made a tutting sound as he pulled his wand from his robes, Lucius flinched at the sight of it. "Next time, be sure what you tell me is true for I wont be as lenient as I will be today....and Lucius, you know I do not forgive! Crucio!"
Harry watched in bewilderment, as the blond patrician wriggled and thrashed on the floor, his screams of agony filled the chamber. Very few Death Eaters had the decency to turn away, most watched in fascination and amusement. Voldemort lifted the pain curse moments later and smirked in satisfaction as he eyed Lucius groaning in pain. A shiver ran down Harry's spine when Voldemort turned back to face him and the three others still kneeling.
"Again Harry I apologize. Now tell me all of you, how does it feel to be free of that horrid prison and back amongst us?" Voldemort asked, his bony hand gestured to the crowd of Death Eaters for emphasis.
Harry didn't reply but the three others did, they mumbled incoherently, at least until the Dark Lord grew tired of waiting for them to make sense and ordered them to silence.
"I'll converse with you all individually in a few days time, till then, rest and regain what you have lost in that putrid place." Voldemort said.
The three gaunt looking men muttered their thanks to their master then picked themselves off the ground and staggered out of the chamber. Harry watched them go before realizing he to was supposed to leave as well. He didn't know what was going on, or why Voldemort was acting strangely, but he was given a chance to escape and he definitely wasn't going to miss the chance to use it. He had just about reached the double door's of the chamber when Voldemort ordered him to stop.
Nervously Harry cleared his dry throat.
"Uh... Y-yes?" Harry asked, he then quickly added, "My Lord." As he noticed the strange looks he was receiving.
Voldemort tapped his chin.
"Your heading to Black's house, are you not?" Voldemort questioned.
"...Yes, sir?" Harry replied unsure.
The Dark Lord shook his head.
"No, that will not do." Voldemort said, his red eyes raked Harry over. "You've been in Azkaban for three months now, you'll need more help than the others. You're to stay here until your fully recovered."
"But my Lord!" protested a voice, all heads turned around to see a slim Death Eater pushing his way through the crowd.
Yet a single glare from the Dark Lord and the man stopped in his tracks, the man did however continue to stare sympathetically at Harry with a pair of piercing blue sapphire eyes.
Harry tore his eyes from the blue eyed Death Eater and was about to say something, but the words died on his tongue as Voldemort called upon Severus Snape. A Death Eater with black greasy hair hanging loosely around his mask went from the crowd of assembled Death Eaters and took a knee in front of Voldemort.
"My Lord?" Snape asked, his voice was sleeker then ever and It gave Harry the creeps to see his Professor as he always imagined.
Voldemort looked from Snape to Harry, then back again.
"I want you to take care of Potter, I want him healed and in a suitable state of mind by the weeks end, understood?" Voldemort requested.
Snape nodded and hid any repulsion he may have had. "Perfectly my Lord, shall I tend to Potter now?"
"You may. Oh, and Severus." Voldemort said.
Snape had just taken a few steps towards Harry when he stopped and turned back to Voldemort. "My Lord?"
"I know of your malice towards the boy's Father, don't let it get between the task I've set before you, for I promise you now I don't take well to failure." Voldemort warned.
"Of course my Lord." Snape replied, his sleek voice wavered just the slightest.
Voldemort gave a nod and a lazy wave of his hand to show Snape he was dismissed.
Harry gave a yelp as his Professor grabbed him by the wrist, and dragged him from the chamber. Two pairs of eyes watched him leave, one was of crimson colour and the other a pair of blue sapphire. Snape didn't glance back at all as he pulled Harry along several dark corridors.
"Slow down, let me get to my feet!" Harry demanded, his request fell upon deaf ears as it only made Snape walk faster and tighten his grip on Harry's wrist.
They only stopped when they came to an old rundown door.
"You wouldn't happen to have the key to your room, would you Potter?"Snape asked coldly.
"Uh... No.. I don't have any sort of key... Sir." Harry replied, he absentmindedly felt around the rags he was wearing to make sure.
"I should have thought not, considering where you've just come from" said Snape, he gave Harry a look of disgust, before pulling out his wand, and aiming it at the handle of the door. "Alohamora!"
There was a soft click and the door creaked open an inch, Snape kicked it the rest of the way open and dragged Harry in with him.
Inside Harry was met with a room filled with candles flickering with flames. A queen sized bed lounged in the center of the room as an empty book shelf, and unused desk were pushed carelessly to the side, all of it, except the wood, was decorated in Slytherin colours.
Snape pointed to the bed. "Go and lay down." he ordered.
Harry was tempted to run for it, but the wand in Snape's hand had Harry on the bed in an instant with out so much as a spiteful retort.
"So Potter, care to share how your stay in Azkaban was?" Snape asked as he swept to the right side of the bed, Harry scooted to the left.
"Azkaban?" Harry repeated, he looked at the door longingly.
"Yes Potter, Azkaban! That's where you were, now tell me, was the company of the Dementor's as enjoyable as I've heard?"
Harry watched his potions Professor feel around his robes for something.
"I don't know, but I can tell you from what I witnessed in my third year that they're none to pleasant." Harry answered.
"Third year? If your referring to the years you attended school, I know nothing of it, so don't bore me of tales that I have no interest in hearing. Especially if the school is some second rate institute like Durmstrang." Snape said, he pulled two vials from within his robes and held them up to the light of the closest candle.
"What are those?" Harry asked timidly, his original question was going to be what he meant by Durmstrang, but the vials in the pale man's hand had his utmost attention.
Snape turned and gave Harry a smirk, it didn't make Harry any more comfortable in the already uncomfortable situation he was in. Snape then held a vial in each hand for Harry to take.
"Drink the right one first." Snape instructed.
Apprehensively Harry reached out and took the right vial, it was filled with a teal looking liquid.
"You know, these aren't needed I feel fine." Harry murmured, he held the vial out for Snape to take back.
"I really could careless how you feel Potter, the Dark Lord gave me a task and I intend to complete it. Drink that liquid." Snape growled.
Slowly Harry popped the lid of the vial and sipped it's contents.
"Swallow." Snape said annoyed.
Harry swallowed and prayed dearly he wouldn't die. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt no pain, at least not at the moment.
"Do I have to drink the left one as well? I'm feeling loads better." Harry said.
Snape rolled his eyes.
"Yes, now drink this one and make this one quicker than the last, I do have other things to do than take care of you Potter." Snape replied.
Harry muttered a retort under his breath then took the second vial. It had a bitter taste compared to the first and it's effects he could clearly feel working fast, his muscles all started to relax, and his eye lids became very heavy.
"What?... What was that?" Harry asked, his words slurred.
"It was a sleeping draught, you'll need it to help with the insomnia you no doubtably suffered from your stay in Azkaban." Snape answered.
Harry tried to fight the effects, but he was over powered by its potentness. The last thing he saw before drifting off to sleep was Snape walking out of the room and closing the door with a snap, the candle lights dimmed to pitch black.
A/N: Thanks for reading my story, its much appreciated. I hope it supplies you guys with just as much entertainment, as it is for me to write, and if you have the time please review and let me know what you think of it. Anything you have to say I'd be glad to hear about, well till next time I guess. I'll hopefully have the next chapter out as soon as I can. Chow!