WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME VERY GRAFFIC DESCRIPTIONS OF EVENTS. THESE AREAS ARE MARKED SO IF YOU WISH TO SKIP OVER THEM YOU MAY. NOTHING WITHIN THESE PARTS ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE PLOT OF THE STORY, THEY JUST HELP ESABLISH CHARACTER BEHAVIOUR WITHIN THIS STORY. THIS STORY HAS DUMBLDORE/VOLDEMORT BASHING IN IT, IT IS ALSO A DARKISH HARRY FIC. Sorry for not saying this sooner, I kinda forgot and this is a complete rewrite of the story (my old comp crashed so I'm trying to write this from memory and then gave up and am going in a totally different direction.)
As much as I wish that I am the genius that is JRR, I am not and I do not own anything except for the character of Emillie Riddle (and I don't even own the last name of Riddle…that belongs to JRR as well).
Chapter 4 'Life and Times of Crazy Men'
Three Years Later
A lone figure stalked the halls of the castle, heading towards the seventh floor. Six months of planning, preparation and multiple break-ins into the castle had lead to this point. Each break-in, it had been painfully obvious how much the school was lacking in defensive wards and protections. The mission was clear, and after tonight all of the objects will be safely hidden within the manor, this lone artifact was the last in a series, and the most difficult to obtain. The others had taken a maximum of two days to retrieve; the first one that was reclaimed took twenty minutes. But this one, oh no, this one had to been hidden within the heart of Hogwarts. Why this location was chosen, the figure would never understand. To put an object of such great importance within reach of one's enemy seemed to be the pinnacle of foolishness, yet that was not the issue at hand at this very moment. Up ahead of the figure was a flicker in the shadows cast from an overhanging torch, the figure stilled, listening for any movement; not sensing any further movement the figure began to slowly to move forward once again. A few steps into the continued journey, there was a loud bang and the figure crumpled to the ground. Standing, with wand raised and a triumphant twinkle in his eye was the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. The aged man walked forward to the stunned figure lying before him, he kicked the body over onto its back and bent to uncover the identity of the intruder.
"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" He asked the air about him, he reached out and grabbed the black mask that hid the prone figure's face from him. The young feminine face before him had striking resemblance to a male face he had seen nearly fifty year previously. The girl's high cheekbones, strong brow and straight nose all added up to one name;
"Riddle," he hissed at the unresponsive teen, "We meet at last. I wonder how daddy would take the news of his heir's death. That might be something worth seeing."
The aged man aimed another kick at the prone body before levitating it before and walking to the hospital wing. Luckily, it was early in the morning, too early for any teachers or students to be wondering the halls, and the Hospital Wing was luckily vacant. He ended his spell on the woman, dropping her none to gently onto a nearby bed, then went to wake the school nurse from her slumber.
"She is in here, Madam," Dumbledore said, leading the sleepy nurse to the bed. "I caught her sneaking on the fourth floor heading towards the staircase. I'm not sure what she is after, but I want you to heal her, let me know when she awakes."
"Oh course, what happened to her, Headmaster?"
"She put up a bit fight when I attempted to apprehend her," Dumbledore lied easily to the worried nurse. "Take care of her, so that I can interrogate her."
The nurse just nodded her head and watched the Headmaster leave the hospital wing. She turned to the young woman's face, there was a large burse forming on the side of her face along with several abrasions marring her face, neck, and her upper arms. The nurse looked at the young woman's hands searching for physical defensive marks, finding none, the nurse searched for a wand. The wand was strapped to the holster which was wrapped about the young woman's forearm.
"Oh child, I wish you had never come into this castle, the Headmaster has been losing his touch for quite some time now," the nurse said sadly as she went to a cabinet to retrieve bandages, healing spreads and potions, when she returned she continued to talk to the woman she was taking care of. "It started the day of your birth, not that any of that is your fault, but your betrothal did send him for a loop."
In fact, the nurse had no idea how far the betrothal had pushed the aging Headmaster towards the brink between sanity and insanity. He had vowed to bring the Potter heir onto the side of the light and have the young man kill his would-be father-in-law. Emillie's life was nothing to the Headmaster other than a mean to the end. The nurse knew nothing of the Headmaster's fall from grace, nor of his plans to murder many innocent people, but upon seeing the damage inflicted on the woman before her at the hands of the headmaster, she was beginning to open her eyes to his madness. For the better part of an hour the tired nurse worked to heal the young woman's injuries. Once the injures had been healed as much as they would be that night, the nurse pulled privacy curtains around the bed, cast several privacy, locking and security spells around the concealed bed and the Wing's doors, then headed back to bed to sleep for a few more short hours.
Where am I? Emillie thought looking about the sterile white walls, bleached sheets, and the stainless steal rods that held the white fabric around the bed she was laying in.
I have to get out of here…this is so not good!
Emillie tried to move but found herself magically bound to the bed. She started to panic which increased her heart rate, setting off a spell and alerting the nurse to Emillie's awakened state. The nurse rushed over to check on the panicking girl, forcing a Calming Drought into her before rushing off to alert the Headmaster that she had finally woken up. Thirty minutes later the proud Headmaster strolled into the Hospital Wing and stood next to the bound girl.
"I'm am glad you have recovered and are awake. How are you feeling?"
Emillie kept her mouth shut, glaring up at the Headmaster, hate coursing through her veins like fire.
"Refusing to speak I see, well we will have to loosen your tongue a bit then wont we? Poppy, I shall be taken Miss Riddle with me; you will no longer have to deal with her. Thank you for the work you have done." Dumbledore stunned the young witch, disguised the bed and its occupant as a large trunk before leaving the Hospital Wing with the covered witch in front of him. He headed towards the dungeons passing Snape, who had a very suspicious look on his face at seeing the large trunk and the Headmaster's exuberant expression.
Dumbledore took Emillie into the deepest part of the dungeons in which no one every traveled to, there, Dumbledore chained Emillie to a wall in a small cell.
!WARNING: GRAPHIC CONENT!
"Let's see if we cannot loosen your stubborn tongue?" Dumbledore stood back and examined the woman in front of him. The resemblance between her and her father was un-canning, but there was something there within her appearance that was different.
Her mother. But who could it be? Tom never married and never showed interest in any girls.
"Who is your mother, girl?" Emillie didn't answer, just glared at the Headmaster.
"Hmm, not going to answer? Well maybe this will help. Cursio!" He held the curse on Emillie for five minutes; he had to admit she was a strong girl, never made a sound.
"Shall we try again? Who is your mother?"
"Go to hell you bag of shit." Emillie answered, spitting on the floor in front of Dumbledore.
"Well that wasn't very lady like. Hmm, I guess that means five minutes for not answering my question again, another minute for talking back, and one more minute for the spitting. Does that sound correct to you?"
"Fuck you."
"Well I guess that means you would like one more minute. Very well." When Dumbledore started his spell on Emillie she was able to hold her tongue for a few minutes but near the end of her 'punishment' she began to scream in pain.
"Ah yes, I knew that every person had their braking point. Now don't try any of that, there are special wards up just incase you decided to try." Emillie had tried to perform nonverbal wandless magic in attempts to free herself, but to no avail.
Well if I can't perform it against him, maybe I can perform it on myself. Emillie thought to herself. SILENCO!
"Maybe a different spell will do the trick." Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Ragni Affamato."
Emillie felt many pinpricks of touch, like something was crawling over her body. Then the movement stopped and bites started occur. All over her body, thousands of invisible creatures biting her arms, legs, neck, breasts and more intimate areas.
"A little spell I created some time ago. It means 'hungry spiders', and they are hungry aren't they. I can send them wherever I want them to go." His point was made as one of the spiders scurried over her cloth cover core and bite down hard on her inner thigh. "Will you answer my questions now?" Emillie remained silent. "Very well then I assume you have no further need for those." He waved his wand again and her clothing was removed, leaving her stark naked in front of the old man. The spider that had bite her thigh now traveled up into her young core and ran around inside her, biting occasionally. Emillie still said nothing, but a single tear ran down her face.
!END OF GRAPHIC CONENT!
Slytherin Common Room
Harry Potter doubled over in pain, not his own; it let up a small amount leaving him breathless. Then, moments later it felt as if his whole body was on fire, burning him from the inside out.
"Harry? Harry what's wrong?" Draco Malfoy cried rushing over to his friend as Harry feel to his knees, trying not to call out in pain.
"Em," Harry panted. "Where…ah…is she?"
"I-I don't know…Let me get Sev. Pansy! Watch Harry, I'll be right back." Draco ran from the Common Room leaving behind several very shocked people and a worrying Pansy who was on the floor next to Harry, holding him as he tried not to cry out.
Draco ran down the halls in search for the Potions Master, finally finding him walking slowing down a hall which would eventually lead to his office.
"Professor!" Draco called, but the man didn't seem to hear him. "Professor! We need your help! Harry-" he didn't get any further for Professor Snape and turned around quite suddenly and clamed a hand over Draco's mouth in a vice like grip.
"Do-not-say-another-word-out-here" The man breathed harshly. Then, with his hand firmly on Draco's mouth, Snape hurried them to his office at the end of the hall. Once there, Draco was able to disentangle himself from his Godfather as Snape started to cast many security, privacy, detection and protection spells around the room.
"Now," Snape said once he had finished. "What is wrong with Mr. Potter?"
"I-I'm not sure, sir. One moment his completely fine and the next his bent over in pain wondering where Emillie is."
"Oh Merlin. Draco, go get Harry and bring him to my office. NOW!" He thundered when it looked like the young Malfoy may start asking questions which there was no time for. Once Draco was gone, Snape tossed a fine powder into the fire, changing the colour from orange to deep purple before returning to its normal state. Now the only thing to do was to prepare for Harry's arrival and for the arrival of which ever member the Dark Lord sent to Snape's office in answer to the signal.
Severus did not have to wait long, ten minutes after Draco had left he returned with Pansy helping him support a very weaken Harry Potter. The two teens laid their friend onto the transfigured bed that Severus had pointed them to, then stepped back to allow Snape to look over the boy. The fire turned green and out stepped a worried looking James and a furious Lucius. James hurried over to check on his son, Lucius hung back with his son while the two dark haired men worked over the moaning teen.
"What is wrong?" James asked Severus.
"I am not sure. Where is the Dark Princess?"
"Where is…what does that matter?"
"It may matter a great deal. Now where is she?"
"She was on an assignment to get the…items. She isn't expected for a few more days."
"Any idea as to where she was retrieving these items?"
"Um…the cave, the house, Bella got that one, Lucius the other…um shit."
"What?"
"She was coming here. It was her last stop."
"When was the last time anyone heard from her?"
"That would be yesterday afternoon at 4 o'clock," Lucius answered. "She told us that she would contact us at 4 o'clock today."
"What time is it now?" James asked.
"It's only 10 in the morning," Draco piped up.
"So, it is unclear if she is in any kind of trouble," James responded.
"James, what do you know of the bond that Harry and Emillie share?" Severus asked, still looking over Harry, who was now quietly moaning on the table.
"Only what everyone else knows."
"It is believed that two betrothed children such as Emillie and Harry can strengthen their bond beyond what the normal ideals of what a bond entails."
"How?"
"Emillie and Harry have grown up together from the day they were born. They have slept in the same house, eaten meals together, learn many skills together. Now, even for the rare coupling such as Harry and Emillie, it is unheard of for the children to grow up in such proximity. Normally the children are raised separately but are brought together to bond several times a month. It is theorized that if the two children are raised such as Harry and Emillie then a special bond will form between the two."
"What kind of bond are you talking about?"
"Again, different people believe different things. But some believe that the couple would be able to feel any pain inflicted onto their partner."
There was silence, Harry let out a few more weak moans of pain before passing out.
"Are you telling me that my son may be feeling some pain that Emillie is feeling?"
"I'm not sure. Without knowing what is and has happened to Emillie there is no sure way to tell."
"DAMNIT SNAPE!" James yelled suddenly. "Is or is not my son and his betrothed being hurt by someone?"
"It is very likely that, that is the case."
"Then there's only one thing to do. We take Harry home before he wakes. Severus, you and Draco need to track down Emillie if she is within the castle, then both of them and Draco should be removed from Hogwarts. It is no longer safe for them."
"Yes," Severus said, thinking. "That does sound like the only option. Luc, borrow the Cloak and search the school the best you can. We must find her!"
"What is to be said to the Dark Lord?" Lucius asked quietly.
"Oh Merlin," James swore. "I'll do it."
It was dark, cold, and damp. Her body hurt, every inch of her seemed to have be run over by ragging Hipogrphys or Gryphins. Even her hair, which was caked in dried blood and grim, seemed to hurt. She knew that she was somewhere deep within the castle, deeper than where the students and staff traveled. The Headmaster had left hours ago, but his influence had not left the small cell, he had cast a spell to keep her awake and to keep the pain in her body from ebbing. He was trying to get her to speak, scream, react to his actions but she had kept silent, mostly because of the Silencing Charm she had cast on herself nonverbally. The only way she would take it off is when she was out of this cell and safely in Harry's embrace. She could hear footfalls coming closer to her, she braced herself the best she could for what would surely be a painful few hours.
A few days had past and there been no sign of Emillie. Harry, now away from Hogwarts, could only feel a few twinges of pain which made his temper all the more worst. Voldemort, on the other hand, had taken the news almost well, until the implications of Emillie's role of a captive had become clear after seeing the pain Harry was in, then his temper was inconsolable. He had cast the Unforgivable Curses on anyone who had dared to disturb him. James was the worst, he was being treated by some of the Healers who had switched sides. Harry, with his father laid up in bed because of his soon to be father-in-law, had turned into a tornado of power, destroying half of the dinning hall and kitchen before Lucius had Stunned him and put him to bed. Hours later, when the spell had finally worn off, Harry had stormed through the Manor demanding blood. Harry stormed into Voldemort's office, a magical wind billowing about him and tossing the two men standing before the maple wood desk easily into the bookshelves on the opposite side of the room.
"I'm going to go get her. Now."
"Mr. Potter, as I told a few days ago, that is not possible without knowing where she is. If we knew that, don't you think I would have gotten my daughter back before this moment?"
"She's at Hogwarts! I know she is. I'm going now, with or without your support. I will not allow her to spend one more day at the hands of the Headmaster."
"Take your father, Lucius, and Severus, he came back today to give his report, with you. Make sure they are covered."
Harry left the room, wind still blowing about him, and prepared to leave for the castle by the end of the day.
She could feel the blood trickle down from the cuts on her wrists. The chains were just a little too small and cut into her flesh every time she moved, the fact that the Headmaster had just left after a few more hours of 'interrogation', did not help the cuts. She was growing weaker, she had hardly slept and the only form of nourishment she had been given was nutrition potions. Her magic was growing weaker as well; he hadn't bound her magic yet, just because he wanted to prolong his interrogation of her. As best as Emillie could tell, the Headmaster came to see her twice a day, once in the morning and then again at night, she had seen the Headmaster ten times, which means she had been here about five days. She had to do something to free herself. The first day she had tried to break the chains and the walls around her, but the magic of Hogwarts seemed to be working against her and prevented her escape. Now, five days later, she knew that she did not have much time; she would either be killed or be turned into a squib. Emillie straightened up, placing her feet evenly apart, grasped the chains around her arms, threw her head back and concentrated on her core of magic. She could feel how tired it was, how much damage had been done but as she focused on it more, she could feel the magic start to pulsate in anger and hate. The power grew as the anger raced threw her veins, growing, bubbling, and expanding until it nearly expanded over. She opened her eyes, gassing at the stone ceiling above her and let her magic go, it pulsated about her body once more before snapping away from her.
The whole castle shook; some younger students were knocked off their feet by the force of the blast of power. Dumbledore, who was sitting in his office feeling quite pleased with himself, looked around in fear; there was only one person within the castle walls who could produce a blast of pure magic like that, and she would be taken care that very night.
James looked worriedly at his son, who, at the moment, was arming himself with everything from Muggle hand weapons to potions and other magical offensive gear. Harry threw a pack of throwing stars at James and Lucius, then handed Severus a large case filled with healing potions. Harry had been busy preparing to invade the castle for nearly two hours; it was now approaching seven in the evening. Through the weak bond between himself and Emillie he could tell that she was not being put threw anymore pain but she was gradually weakening and did not have much time left. Finally, when Harry believed that they were as prepared as they were ever going to get, he lead the other men out of the Manor and towards Hogwarts. Before leaving the Manor entirely, he had instructed Nott to be prepared to come to their aid if they were to call for it. The small group Apperated just outside the wards to the school and had to wait a moment for Harry to recover from the sudden onslaught of pain the washed threw his body.
"Alright," Harry panted after a moment. "Let's go bring her home. Draco has gone back to school correct?"
"Yes," Lucius replied. "He will return with us if the situation gets out of hand. If not he and Severus will remain at Hogwarts for as long as possible."
"Good, I don't like leaving him there, but for now it's the best we can hope for."
"Unfortunately it is. Cissy and I have decided to pull him out of Hogwarts at the end of-Harry! Are you alright?"
The three men rushed around the fallen teen. They had all felt the pulse of magic as they crossed the wards but none of them we as affected by it as Harry was. He was currently on all fours panting as if in great pain.
"Luc, Draco will be coming with us tonight." With that he launched to his feet and raced up to the castle doors, the others following in close pursuit.
Dumbledore's day had been a very pleasant one, up until this moment. He had been cosigner on a few new bills that would help his cause and prevent scum like Riddle from gaining more power. He had no interruptions from teachers complaining about the Potter boy for he had fallen ill and his father had taken him home. This seemed to derail young Malfoy from wrong doings, which meant that the rest of the castle was fairly happy due to the lack of pranks performed by the Slytherins, and the loss of the Slytherin Seeker which allowed Gryffindor to take the lead for the Cup this year. Oh yes, his week had been very pleasant, until now. Emillie's magical surge had last nearly ten minutes and was starting to give the Headmaster a nasty headache.
Well, the Headmaster thought to himself. I believe that it is time to bind her magic. I had no idea she was this powerful.
With that cheerful thought, Dumbledore laid down his paper work and left his office to deal with 'the Riddle problem' as he called her.
I can't keep this up much longer. Gods above, Harry where are you?
Almost there, just a little bit further. Harry thought to himself, racing up the hill that led to the front doors. The magical surge that he first felt when they crossed the wards was becoming stronger and weaker at the same time. As he drew closer to the castle the presence of the magic became more powerful, and confirmed the fact that Emillie was within the castle, but, the magic itself was becoming weaker. Harry had no idea how long Emillie had let her magic pulsate around the school, but he had been running for nearly ten minutes, so he knew that she wouldn't be able to hold on to much longer.
Just hold on a little bit longer, Em. Please, just a little bit longer. Harry thought desperately, as if Emillie could hear his thoughts.
Ron Weasly was hungry, as was normal for seven o'clock in the evening, and was trying to hurry along his girlfriend Hermione Granger, little sister Ginny, and his best friend Dean Tomas so that they could get to the Great Hall before the food disappeared. They were running late because of Hermione and her never ending search for answers, tonight she was researching magical coupling bonds, the reason why she was doing that eluded Ron, as did the reasons for most of his girlfriend's actions.
"Ron?" Hermione asked, stopping suddenly.
"Yes, Hermione, I will go with to the Library after dinner. Now can we please go?"
"No, not that…do you feel that?"
"Feel what?" Ginny asked looking around.
"That pulsating. You don't feel that?" She asked again looking at her companions.
"I kinda do, it's like I can feel it within my chest or something," Dean said.
"Does it really matter?" Ron asked, exasperated. "It's Hogwarts, weird things are always happening. Let's go get dinner."
The other three agreed and continued to walk towards the Great Hall. When they were at the top of the marble staircase Hermione stopped once more.
"Are you sure that you guys can't feel that? It's getting stronger and it feels like it's grown or been added to or something." No one answered her. Ginny was clutching her chest like it was painful and had tears in her eyes. Ron was holding his head and shaking it slightly, almost as if there was a persistent ringing in his ears. Dean had fainted. Hermione swooped down to check on her fallen friend, then looked up to go have Ron get Madam Pompfy but Ron wasn't paying attention to her, he was staring out of a nearby window, his face ashen.
"What is it Ron?" Hermione asked.
He didn't have to answer because a moment later the Entrance Hall doors opened with a humongous bang. In strode four hooded and cloaked figures, the leader of the small group threw back his hood to reveal Harry Potter.
"WHERE IS DUMBLEDORE?" He shouted, his voice easily caring through the Entrance Hall and into the Great Hall, which silence imminently. No one answered; they just stood in shock looking at the furious Slytherin Seeker.
"WHERE IS HE?" he shouted once more at the shell shocked students.
"There is no need to shout my dear boy. I am right here," the man had appeared quite suddenly on the other side of Hermione, Dean, Ron and Ginny, and was now looking down at the angry teen with a delightful little twinkle in his blue eyes.
"You have something that belongs to me, Dumbledore, and I want it back." Harry's voice had lowered an octave, and he sounded extremely dangerous.
"My boy, I have no idea what you are speaking of. If you like, we can go to my office to discus the matter further." Dumbledore offered, trying to get Harry out of the Entrance Hall because the Great Hall, still packed with students from dinner, had begun to empty to investigate the commotion.
"No, Dumbledore!" Harry shouted, his magic whipping out from him, shattering some windows, causing some students to scream and run from the falling glass. "We talk here! WHERE IS MY BETHROTHED?"
"Harry, I have no idea what you are talking about. Now, if you and your-"
"LIKE HELL YOU DON"T!" At this outburst, the huge oak doors to the Great Hall burst into splinters, showering the still scared congregation of students. "I will tear this building down stone by stone unless you give her to me!"
"Harry, I highly doubt that Hogwarts would let you destroy her in order to find your imaginary girl."
"Oh really?" Harry asked smirking, he pointed his hand at the marble staircase causing part of the stairs to crumble into rubble. "She's not under the stairs, Dumbledore. How about behind that wall? Hmm?" He pointed his hand at a wall on his right, shattering into dust. Dumbledore seemed unfazed unlike the rest of the people gathered there.
"Harry, let the students and teachers go back to their rooms."
"Oh no Dumbledore, I can't allow that. If they leave how will they ever learn the truth about you?" Harry mocked in a false innocent voice. "They will stay until the end of the lesson, as will you, my dear Headmaster." The clock that hung in the Entrance Hall was suddenly flying out the window and onto the grass outside.
"Harry, there is really no reason to destroy the castle. Let them go and I will tell you want you want to know." The Headmaster seemed desperate at this point, he was trying to save his school, his students, his faculty, and most importantly him reputation, all of with were traveling very fast down the toilet.
"You don't seem to understand Professor." Harry said, still mocking the man before him. "You are not in a position to bargain. Your options are give me my betrothed, or I destroy the castle and you."
"Harry I have one better for you." Dumbledore had just thought of a brilliant idea.
"And what would that be Dumbledore?"
"A swap."
A swap? What on earth would he want in exchange for Emillie? Harry thought frantically.
"What kind of swap Dumbledore?" Harry asked in a ringing voice, and causing a few more of the few unbroken windows to shatter, spraying the students with more glass.
Good. He's at least considering it. Now just to get him to agree. Dumbledore thought, the twinkle sparkling in his eyes. He was not frightened by Harry's clear display of power as he destroyed the Entrance Hall, but he was excited at the prospect of gaining someone on his side with such an impressive amount of raw power. He knew that if he could get Harry on his side he had a better of chance of getting Emillie on his side as well, and if he had the set then dear old Tom would not stand a chance against the Order.
"Well Harry." Dumbledore started to answer. "Trade the girl for something or someone else of equal or greater…value as it were. You see, she is very valuable. All that she needs to become the perfect warrior is simply to be broken, and she is nearly there. So, I would need something, or someone, who would be just as valuable, if not more valuable, as a nearly broken…mare."
"Spit it out Dumbledore!" Harry was becoming very angry; his betrothed was not to be compared to a common animal! His spike in anger caused several more stones to shatter and the great oak doors to the Great Hall to crack down the center.
"Very well, my boy. Simply put, you swap sides in return for the girl's freedom."
Harry stood in disbelief at the old man in front of him.
"You want to trade my freedom for hers?" Harry's voice cared every amount of shock that he was feeling.
"Yes, well not your freedom," Dumbledore said, back peddling slightly. "She goes free and you join my side of the war, you will still have your freedom-"
"Hardly! My freedom lies with her not you!"
"If you see it that way, then that will have to be something that you must come to terms with. But my offer still stands. You for her."
Every person in the Hall could feel Harry's magic crackling about him, it seemed to swell and lash out away from him; several more stones in the wall exploded along with two suits of armor.
"Harry, I grow wiry of this. Make your choice!"
Harry looked behind him at the three hooded figures. They gave no sign in agreement or disapproval of the choice that Harry was faced with. He turned back towards Dumbledore, a new plan forming in his mind.
"She leaves, and so does Draco. I will stay, but I must be able to see them along with the three behind me, safely to the wards. Once they are gone, I will return to the castle."
"As long as I can make sure that you will not leave with them."
"I will not leave the wards," Harry promised.
Dumbledore smirked again. "Ah Harry, I wish that your words were enough but alas they are not. Enlazar!" A flash blood red light shot from Dumbledore's wand and attached itself to Harry's neck, squeezing it until Harry fell to his knees, gasping for breath.
"What-the-fuck-?" Harry managed to gasp out.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is that too tight?" Dumbledore asked not sounding sorry at all. "There. Is that a bit better?" The red band around Harry's neck loosened slightly, allowing him to breathe properly.
"What the fuck is this thing?" Harry demanded, pulling at the collar.
"A simple spell to keep you within the grounds that is all. I would not keep pulling on that if I were you. The spell tends to want to give off a-well there you have it." Harry had not stopped pulling at the collar and was rewarded for his efforts but an invisible hand wrapping itself around Harry's windpipe, depriving him of more oxygen. Harry fell once more to the ground, gasping for air, after a few moments the collar loosened once again so that Harry could breathe properly again.
"Fine. You know that I will not be able to leave the grounds, now where is she?"
"Oh, that's right. You want the girl back, very well." Dumbledore flicked his wand once more and stood waiting for her arrival. Five minutes later a noise was heard coming from one of the corridors that lead to the dungeons. People started screaming and pushing against one another as something came flying over their heads towards the center of the room. It skidded across the floor and rolled three times before coming to a stop a few feet in front of Harry. Laying on her side was the naked body of a very badly beaten Emillie Riddle. Harry slowly walked to her, as if he was afraid that what he was looking at was a trick of a very bed joke. She had clearly visible broken bones, cuts, bruises, burns and bites all over her body. Her dark hair was clotted with dried blood and dirt; her body seemed to be coated in the blood/dirt mixture. When he got close enough to her, he knelt beside her head and pushed away a few pieces of her blood coated hair. Realizing that the image before he was indeed real, he quickly took off his outer robes to cover her naked form.
"Emillie?" Harry asked quietly, trying to determine how hurt the teen really was. "Em, honey? Can you hear me? Please wake up, look at me." As he was pleading with Emillie to wake up, the three men who had come with Harry to Hogwarts had moved to kneel next to the couple.
"Harry," James's quiet voice came from Harry's left. "She's too injured to treat here. We must get her back."
"I just want to know that she'll be alright."
"No time. Luc, get Draco. We're leaving." Severus said harshly from the other side of James. Lucius raised and walked over to his son, making sure that his identity was still concealed. Lucius lead Draco out of the Hall while Harry picked up Emillie to carry her to the edge of the wards.
"Harry," Dumbledore's voice called out just as the group was about to leave the Hall. "Don't be too long, we have many things to discus."
Harry did not respond, his hold on Emillie became slightly tighter and he continued to walk out of Hogwarts. Once they were down the steps and on to the grass, Harry's step quickened.
"Harry, what the hell have you done?" James asked his son ferociously.
"I did what I had to do to save her. She's so close to death. I am willing to forfeit my life for hers."
Harry was in Dumbledore's office, his good-bye to Emillie, his father and the other three men had been cut short by the collar around his neck and now he was standing in front of Dumbledore's desk glaring and the smiling man. Dumbledore was pushing the limits of Harry's temper; first was the swap that had saved Emillie's life but now Dumbledore was asking Harry to agree to an Unbreakable Vow which included some very high terms.
"Let me see if I understand you. You want me to agree to kill both Voldemort and Emillie? You must be mad. I would not be able to kill her, you know that. She's my betrothed. But then if you intend that Emillie and I shall both be dead by the end of this war you're crazier than I imagined. I will kill Voldemort, honestly I hate the man. He treats Emillie like a worthless tool and I will not have her be hurt anymore by her father's cruelness. Emillie is not to be harmed, by me, by you, on your orders, and not by the Order. Neither is my father, Lucius or Draco. I understand this is war but you, nor your Order will not go after any of them."
"And what of self-defense?"
"Fine, but they will not initiate a fight. Once this mess is over you will allow us to leave in peace. And I am not agreeing to an Unbreakable Vow."
"Your terms are steep, and if you do not agree to a Vow how will I know that you will stick to your word?"
"You still have me collared like a dog and I do not see that changing for quite some time."
"True, but I have one more condition; you must train with instructors of my choosing from now until the start of the war. Before you protest too much let me remind you that your actions will determine the survival of your beloved."
Harry started at the man dumbfounded, this was the only way that he could insure Emillie's safety, he knew that agreeing to such an arrangement could possibly spell sever bodily harm to himself at the hands of his 'instructors'.
"If I do this, you will allow me to protect Emillie and you will not harm her in anyway, shape or form? Including ordering the Order or other missionaries after her? Dumbledore, I mean it, no one is to go after her on your orders or on a passing suggestion of yours. You must to put the thought of harming her into anyone's mind. Understood?"
"Naturally, my boy."
"Then, we are agreed."
James carried Emillie into the manor and was immediately shouting for Healers. The Healers, a few house-elves, Lucius and Severus followed James up the stairs to Emillie's bedroom where James laid her down and stepped back to allow the Healers and Severus room to work on the injured girl.
"Where is he?" James asked Lucius who was also standing back watching the group surrounding Emillie.
"I am not sure. I sent Draco to fetch him. He has been gone only a few minutes but I have a bad feeling about his absence." Lucius answered shooting a wary glance at the door. James's eyes followed suit; in recent years their Lord had taken on a very harsh and slightly crazed domineer. He spent less and less time with his daughter and the fathers of her friends. He had delighted in pointless murders, raids and other chaos. Bellatrix was right next to her part-time lover, egging him on in his fall into madness. It was almost if he was taking on the persona of an evil Dark Lord that Dumbledore had been building in the media for the past fifteen years.
"Fuck!" Severus cussed; bring James and Lucius out of the grim thoughts. The group of Healers had slowly been removing dirt and grim of Emillie's body so that they might have a better look at her wounds. Severus had just noticed the small bite marks that covered her body which became more concentrated around her womanhood. "That man is sick! No, don't come any closer." Severus said when James and Lucius made to come investigate what had been done to the girl. "You don't want to see this. He used an adaptation of an ancient spell that creates thousands of invisible spiders that crawl over the victim's body and bite at random. These spiders happen to like very sensitive parts of a human's anatomy; the neck, underarms, behind the knees, ears, and also the reproductive organs."
James and Lucius froze in horror, how could someone do that to another person let alone a teenage girl. Severus ignored the still shocked faces of his two friends and returned to working to heal the young woman in front of him. Severus started to pour various potions down Emillie's throat, then pointed his wand at Emillie, running a diagnostic scan over her.
"She has several broken bones, mostly ribs but her right arm bones are broken in three different places. She has internal bleeding but most of it has stopped bleeding several hours ago, up to three days ago. Her body has taken a sever beating, both magically and physically, but it was her magic that saved her life. It could heal her some of her more minor injuries and the internal bleeding; just enough to save her life until someone could get her out, or Dumbledore got bored." Severus was mostly talking to himself but he also was doing it for James and Lucius so they knew what was happening. While Severus was talking, Draco had reentered the room alone.
"Where is he?" James asked, not turning his eyes from the scene before him.
"He is not coming. He wants you three to meet with him once you are finished in here." Draco's voice was emotionless and he stared at the floor, not meeting anyone's eyes. James finally turned toward Draco, his face displaying a little shock; James had been guarding his feelings for years and rarely showed any true emotion so for him to belatedly show so much emotion was a testament of how upset he truly was.
"What do you mean? What did he say exactly? Verbatim." James's voice was strained and harsh.
Draco continued to look at the floor. He knew that his friend's father was acting strangely and not coming to his daughter's bedside was indeed something to worry about.
"He said, 'She's been found then?' and I said 'Yes sir, Harry traded his-'. He interrupted me and said, 'Is she alive?', I nodded then he said 'Good. Inform me when she awakes. Also, tell Malfoy, Potter, and Snape that I wish to speak with them when they are finished.' Then I left and came here." Draco finished his small speech and still hadn't lifted his eyes to look at his father or James.
"That's all he said?" Lucius asked, scandalized.
Draco just nodded again; everyone who had been paying attention understood the seriousness of the situation that they were in. Harry had been taken to save Emillie's life, Emillie might not live and her father was swiftly falling into madness. With Harry held captive by the opposite side it meant that the Order had just taken an extremely good fighter out of the hands of their enemies. Emillie, if she ever woke up, was the stronger of the two just because she had been training longer, but that did absolutely no good if she died. Her father use to be a great leader and man, but for the past several years he had been falling into the media trap that Dumbledore had lain. His more crazed and bloodthirsty followers had encouraged his drastic change and had readily agreed to some of his more farfetched ideas. Killings had increased, brutality had taken place over negotiation and the bloodshed was increasing, all on the orders of one crazed man.