Chapter 10: Occísum

Not wanting to put Harry down, but fearing that he'd wake him in his rage, Tom placed the child on the plush sofa. He quickly conjured a blanket and tucked the toddler in, frowning when he noticed the child didn't seem to be settling down.

Severus stepped forward, conjuring a plush green dragon that he placed under the boy's arm. When Harry instantly snuggled into the creature's fur, settling down, he stepped back.

The entire room took a moment to watch the child sleep, Tom removing his shoes and sending them off with an elf to be put away. The peace didn't last long, as both men turned their attention to the silent witch.

Casting a silencing charm around Harry, Tom took a seat in a nearby armchair to look at the witch and her fiancé. "What did you find?"

Hermione took a moment to glance at both men. They were stoned faced, looking as if they were ready for the entire world to come crashing down. She couldn't believe the information when she had first come across it either, but the curse was something so uncommon and cruel that it was hard to believe a man she had once respected would do it.

Burrowing close to Draco, whom instantly wrapped his arms around her in reassurance, she looking down at the old book in front of her. Clearing her throat twice, Hermione began to read.

"The curse of occísum should be used with caution. The creator of this curse is unknown, but the effects are irreversible to some degree. When cast, both the castor and the victim will receive an extent of this curse." She cautioned a look up, trembling slightly at the look of pure hatred on the dark lord's face.

This was what made the man so frightening, how he was rumored to be. Moving closer to Draco for the comfort the blond provided, she continued reading.

"The victim will be blinded and de-aged. At this point, the child's memories will be repressed. The victim will be cursed to live the worst moments of his former life each night." A crack sounded in the room, Severus' hand had snapped a glass ornament on the table beside him. The former professor ignored his bleeding hand. It was only Draco's nudge that allowed Hermione to continue reading, even if her voice shook.

"If someone finds a way to bring the victim's eyesight back, it will be impossible to bring them back from the de-aging curse. If a powerful castor manages to break the nightmares, the child will still grow with some irrational fears of things that affected him from his former life. The victim may still experience nightmares. If sight is returned, there will be a fifty percent chance that it will be taken in the span of the victim's next ten years of life. There is never a true cure for the curse of occísum.

The castor will receive some of the pain they have cast on the victim. While this may be little, depending on the victim's past, this can also be debilitating depending on the victim's life."

She shut the book gently, trembling at the thought that Harry had been hurt by someone who they had trusted so much.

Pulling her legs up so that she was completely in Draco's lap, she chanced a look at the two men sitting across from them.

Severus appeared as if he wanted to hurl every item in the library into the wall. The hand that had been bleeding from the ornament seemed to be gushing blood, the glass now squeezed tightly in his fist. The puddle starting underneath his hand was an indication of just how angry the man was.

The dark lord, however, was an entirely different story. He sat completely still, as if a statue. The lack of movements were dangerous, it meant the man was beyond angry. Nobody daring to speak and break the heavy silence that had followed the information from the book.

"I want him found," the voice was almost a whisper. It was dark and filled with such anger that even the hair on Draco's arms stood up.

"I want him found alive," Severus turned to Tom, standing. "He will be tortured, by my hand."

The man released the glass, allowing it all to fall to the floor. It was the movement that had the dark lord looking up, his own expression murderous. Without a word his hand shot out, grabbing Draco's arm and throwing he tip of his wand to the dark mark.

The blond was surprised at the lack of pain, the spell stronger than he could ever remember it being. "Hermione, you will remain with Harry."

There was no arguing with the dark lord, whom had now stood and all but thrust Draco up, Hermione barely managing to catch her feet. "We have a meeting, now." He hissed the words in anger, looking for all the world as if he were ready to murder someone on the spot.

Without another word he swept from the room, Severus taking a glance at his son to make sure he was safe and asleep before following. Draco, looking a bit pale but serious, nodded at Hermione before following. Despite his normal prat attitude, the male had truly grown up and knew when things were serious. He'd even honed some Gryffindor bravery from his new friends.

Hermione, watching as the group left the room with a click of the door, turned to face the sleeping child. She gave the boy a warm smile, moving to sit next to the sofa and summoning one of the books from the shelf.

"I'm so sorry Harry," the girl whispered, before silently enjoying Harry's company and reading.

Stepping into the oval room, Voldemort, for that was whom he was at the moment, glowered at the hundreds of followers. His inner circle stood nearest his chair. He recognized Lucius Malfoy as he raised a brow at his son, whom had moved and stood next to his father.

Since his takeover, many people had taken the dark mark, but the ones that currently stood in the room were the most loyal. Ones that would do anything for the dark lord in order to keep their wizarding world the same.

"The senile wizard has gone too far!" He announced, watching as two redheads shuffled uneasily nearby. His foul mood was obvious and frightening, even if it had been a long time since he had crucio'd anyone without cause.

"I want him found!" He growled. "I want him found now!" He demanded again.

It was silent before one of the circle stood forward, Severus tightening his hold on the chair. The potions master stood behind Voldemort, his new place as the man's husband. "My lord," the man almost took a step back as the furious eyes turned to face him. "If you don't mind my lord, what has happened?"

While they had been searching for Dumbledore since his disappearance, this new determination was new. Obviously, something had sparked the anger.

"Do you question me, Rodolphus?" Came the hissed reply.

Instantly the man shook his head, stepping back in fear that the man they had known before the takeover had returned. Everyone knew that Voldemort was dangerous, but no one had seen it in a long time.

"Good. Find Albus Dumbledore, I want him alive." He hissed. "Dismissed, all of you."

The death eaters did not stick around to see what might happen, all disappearing. Even the inner circle was gone, minus Draco whom was quite aware of what was going on. He refused to tell his father, even as he felt the questioning eyes of the man before he'd apparated away.

It's short but it's something ;)