Disclaimer: You know what comes next…or at least I hope you do.
Warning: Rating is raised to 'R'. Graphic violence ahead and also profanity. I'm sorry but it can't be helped.
Harry Potter and The Power the Dark Lord Knows Not
Chapter 9: Of the Fight for Salvation
As soon as the realization dawned on Severus that Harry must be in danger, a series of loud magical alarms began to ring overhead and flashes of red began to spark signifying what he already knew: The wards of Privet Drive have been breached. Dark wizards where running amok all over Little Whinging, and even a First Year Hufflepuff would know what they were after. Wasting no time, he grabbed his transfigured wand and activated the Order emblem on his shirt which would immediately signal to all Order members that their assistance was needed in an emergency. Knowing he couldn't apparate because the apparating shields were the only wards unbroken, he ran as fast as he could out of the house, his walking stick clutched tightly against his side. He gasped as he reached the doorstep. There was roughly about thirty Death Eaters in the vicinity, and each of them was taking great delight in torturing the muggles that lived in the neighborhood. Torn between wanting to help the victims while blasting all those Death Eaters to Kingdom Come and getting to Harry, Severus made a choice. Making up his mind, he quickly backtracked to the rear of Arabella's house and made his way through the back streets of the neighborhood, leaving the poor muggles for the Order to deal with. There was a time for fight and one for flight. Right now, getting to Harry and protecting him was the more important thing. The thought of how easy it was for him to choose Harry over dozens of tortured muggles barely registered in his mind.
So intent was Severus to get to Privet Drive that he never felt the figure hidden in the shadows shift behind him until it was too late and he felt the distinct prodding of a wand at the back of his head. "Well, well, what do we have here? If isn't the pathetic little squib that Dumbledore assigned as a guard dog. What can you do now with my wand against your throat?" The distinct gruff voice of Walden McNair drawled maliciously into Severus' ear.
Severus, for his part, was viciously cursing himself for getting caught unawares by a Death Eater and for it to be McNair of all people! It was greatly insulting. The man lumbered around with the grace of a drunken cow and for him to have let the oaf sneak up on him was ridiculously appalling. Gripping his walking stick tighter to himself, he quickly tried to think of ways to throw the man off while escaping with his head intact. Before he could pull of his plan, however, and before McNair could finish out the Cruciatus curse, a fluffy orange object had launched itself from overhead and was now battling furiously with McNair.
"Ahhh!" the big bad Death Eater yelled in pain as a vicious swipe from Mr. Tibbles landed on the side of his head, gruesomely slicing it open.
Mr. Tibbles hissed violently as he delivered another blow. How dare this idiot touch his human! Nobody tortured the obscenely hardheaded man but himself!
Severus stared open-mouthed at the scene before him, too stunned to move. If the situation wasn't so dire, he would have laughed his arse off. For there was McNair, once feared executor of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, being assaulted by a fluffy orange pussycat.
Gathering his wits, McNair viciously hurled the orange hellcat away from himself, sending it flying through the air to land on the alley's wall with a sickening thud. A piteous soft meow was heard before the cat stopped moving.
Seeing red, Severus quickly closed the gap between himself and McNair to land a vicious punch on his stomach, forgoing all forms of magic. He was going to extract pain from the despicable man, and the disgusting sound of bones crushing would be more satisfying to his ears.
McNair was stunned, not only by the pain from the punch but also from the fact that it was coming from a decrepit old woman. All his thoughts were silenced, however, when a blow was delivered soundly on his head and the last words he heard before darkness claimed him were, "And that was for Mr. Tibbles."
Quickly binding the unconscious McNair with a spell and hiding his body behind a dumpster, Severus hastily made his way to Mr. Tibbles' fallen body. Then without a second thought, he took out a bottle of red liquid from his sleeve and poured it on the cat's open mouth, not even questioning why he was giving a Death Stopper potion to the impossible animal when he was sure to need it more later. "You stupid fool, it figures you would have the idiotic bravery of a Gryffindor." Severus said with a grim smile. Hurriedly he picked Mr. Tibbles' broken body off the floor and placed it gingerly on the neighbor's backyard. Before he left he made sure to put some defensive spells on the cat and to put a magical Order symbol on the area around him, signifying the need for medical attention. He refused to acknowledge the fact that he now owed a life debt to a certain annoying feline. If the cat ever made it, that is.
Without a backward glance, Severus furtively made his way to Privet Drive with a lot more stealth and care than previously. He'd be damned if he was caught unaware again. He almost made it out to Privet Drive when he encountered the gruesome scene before him.
"Crucio! How does that feel, you filthy muggle?" A manic Rodolphus Lestrange taunted his terrified victim, the nosy matron who lived at the corner house on Wisteria Walk.
Severus curled his lip with disgust. He had never been too fond of the torture-happy Lestranges and was quite glad to stun him when he crept up behind the lunatic. He quickly bound him with magical ropes after harshly telling the neighbor to run and hide where it was safe.
"Incendio!" A voice bellowed to his left and Severus immediately countered with a Protego spell, years of training automatically taking over his actions.
The spell hit a flabbergasted Nott whose face contorted in pain as he is hit with his own spell. "Finite Incantatem!" Nott bit out through his anguish. "Well, what do you know, the bitch isn't a squib." Nott sneered as he straightened himself and seconds later he threw out an Impedimenta jinx.
Severus quickly swerved to the right to avoid the curse at the same time he also fired a Petrificus Totalus spell which effectively stopped Nott from making any movement. Looking down at his fallen former colleague, Severus couldn't help but smirk and say quietly, "The supposed squib isn't a bitch either, Nott." It was the last words the Death Eater heard before Severus' fist collided with the side of his head rendering him unconscious.
"Sometimes the best way is the muggle way." Severus said with a sneer as he dusted himself off. "Diverbero!" someone from his right chanted softly and he barely escaped without his body being cleaved in two. "Finite Incantatem!" He painfully choked out, his hand immediately going out to cover his bleeding side which was grazed by the curse.
"Well, well, look who went out and got herself some magic powers." The snide voice of Augustus Rookwood mocked him.
"Really, is that what all you idiots are going to say to me all day? Because it's really getting quite tiresome." Severus smirked, ignoring his pain for the moment to taunt the bastard. It would figure that all Death Eaters were just as insipid as the next.
Rookwood's lip curled hideously as he prepared himself. Oh he was going to love torturing this arrogant old fool! He quickly sent a bone-melting curse which Severus immediately deflected. "Ah! You've got some spirit there, old woman. I like that! It makes killing you so much more fun!" Rookwood said maliciously, his dull brown eyes glittering deviously.
Severus rolled his eyes. Death Eaters are so boringly unoriginal. "If you are going to taunt me with my death, dear, you best make it more witty and original. Don't they teach you that in your 'So you want to be a Death Eater' classes? Or is it your plan to bore me to death?" Severus said sarcastically, adapting to his Mrs. Figg persona just to mock the man.
Enraged at being laughed at, Rookwood gritted his teeth and viciously yelled out, "Conglacio!" Severus, getting the careless reaction he wanted, was ready with a deflecting curse and a Confundus curse of his own. He sneered as he knelt down to bind the babbling man. He really was an idiot, too hot-headed for his own good.
It was only through his superior sense of alertness that he managed to evade the next attack which came from behind. Rolling over to his right as he dodged the attack, he quickly shot out a freezing spell at his attacker. He looked up to see Rabastan Lestrange dispelling the curse.
"I see that the squib-" Rabastan began to taunt.
"Yes, yes. Arabella Figg is not a squib. She has magic powers and so on and so forth. We all know that already." Severus said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.
"Why you!" Rabastan roared as he gripped his wand tighter. He would show the cocky bitch who was boss soon enough. He smiled wickedly as he fired an Imperio curse at the squib. True to his calculations, the old woman deflected his attack and quickly sent one of her own. Grinning like a mad man through the pain of the Consectio jinx, he raised his wand, not to dispel the curse as the old woman would have thought but to shoot a bone crushing spell at the witch. Rabastan's grin grew wider at her pained shout, knowing that he hit his target. Being criminally insane doesn't mean he didn't have his brilliant moments from time to time.
Severus winced as he quickly dispelled the force of the spell. He struggled valiantly to stay upright, putting all his weight on his right leg, knowing that his left one was broken in two places. He cursed himself for underestimating Rabastan Lestrange. After all the bastard was an infamously skilled dark wizard even if he was incurably mad.
"Look whose hurting now, eh? Anymore witty quips, woman?" Rabastan sneered arrogantly as he readied himself to cast the final blow, one that would take care of the annoying old witch in front of him permanently.
Seeing the danger, Severus quickly focused most of his magical energy into three simultaneous spells. He administered them so quickly and so forcefully that Rabastan didn't even have time to blink much less to defend himself against the onslaught of spells.
Severus visibly sagged as he limped past Rabastan's unconscious body. It had taken most of his magical reserves, which was already dangerously low, to administer that attack and maintaining the mutare spell wasn't helping matters either but he knew he needed it because the element of surprise is one worth having on his side in battles like these. He set off again stealthily making his way down to Number 4, albeit slower and with more pain than before. The five Death Eaters he encountered were of no laughing matter and they have clearly taken their toll on his already weakened body. The loss of massive amounts of magical energy and blood plus broken bones was draining him but he had to be strong. He was so close. He had to make it in time. He just had to. Harry needed him and through hell or high water he would be there, although to his eternal consternation, he was at a loss on just why he wanted to do so in the first place. It didn't matter. It wasn't important…for now.
Meanwhile just a short distance away inside Number Four, a bewildered Harry Potter tried his best to calm his racing heart.
Harry gripped his wand closer to his body as he stared nervously at his locked bedroom door, feeling like a trapped rabbit. Opening the door and stepping outside would surely run the risk of an encounter with a Death Eater. However, waiting for his doom in a locked room was also unappealing since it would make it easier for his assailants to corner him and thus capture him. Summoning all the Gryffindor bravery he had and praying his ridiculous luck would hold, he spelled open the door and managed to stealthily creep to the edge of the stairs. He cautiously peered down, wanting a better view of the house. He also wanted to know what happened to the Dursleys. He fervently hoped that they were able to escape. A short while after the first explosion had rocked Privet Drive, Harry had distinctly heard the sound of the Dursleys' car pulling out of the driveway and racing out of the neighborhood. They must have seen the first barrage of cloaked dark wizards making their way to Privet Drive and had quickly hightailed it out of there, knowing what those cloaked men were and what they came for. Harry couldn't even manage to be properly bitter that they have left him locked up in his bedroom and not bothered to take him with them. He just hoped that they were safe. He didn't want another death on his hands, especially not his cousin's since for once in their lives they were getting along rather amiably.
Thanking Merlin that the Dursleys were nowhere in sight, he began to think up of an escape plan. There was a lot of shuffling sounds coming from downstairs, meaning that there was bound to be a horde of Death Eaters looking from him there at the moment so he dismissed that idea. He needed to get outside. Once he was there, he would see where he could go. Surely, Dumbledore and the Order must have been notified by now judging from the sounds of battle coming from the outside. Suddenly the words Order, Dumbledore and notify flittered into his brain and he barely managed to restrain himself from crying out. Mrs. Figg! What has happened to her? Surely she was alright? But how could she be when there was about thirty Death Eaters loitering about the last time he looked out his bedroom window? Stamping down his mounting panic, he quickly made a decision. He needed to get to her and he needed to do so now. He couldn't stand the thought of her being hurt and he would take whatever means necessary to prevent it. Sometime during the summer, Mrs. Figg had taken a great hold of Harry's heart and it pained him to even think of her dying.
He gritted his teeth as he quickly and noiselessly made it back to his bedroom. He spelled open the windows as well as removed the bars and he stepped out into the roof, quickly ducking behind the chimney to avoid being detected. He nervously scanned the neighborhood and his green eyes widened in shock to see the chaos happening around him. More Death Eaters were arriving and they had Dementors in tow! Harry closed his eyes for a moment as he steeled himself against the cold chill running down his spine at the sight of the ghostly phantoms. He had to remain strong if he wanted to make it out of here alive and with Mrs. Figg! So focused was he on blocking the Dementor's effects that he didn't hear the figure creep behind him until a high-pitched voice called out to him.
"Well, lookee who we have here? Is wittle Hawee scared of the big, bad meanies?" the hated voice of Bellatrix Lestrange filled the tense air.
Harry quickly whirled around to face Sirius' murderer and his eyes narrowed. Even now that he had accepted the passing of his godfather, the sight of the manic bitch who killed him still sent his blood raging with alarming hatred. His fingers curled dangerously around his wand. He had to make her pay. Sirius' death would not go unavenged.
"Aww, is widdle Hawee still mad that I killed his flea-bitten, good-for-nothing godfather?" Bellatrix taunted him and she watched with insane glee as Harry's bold eyes ignited and stirred with emerald flames, razing her with his angered glare. Bellatrix licked her lips, almost tasting the unadulterated rage in the air which sent her blood on fire. Those emerald eyes burning hate had filled her dreams with hunger and she wished for nothing more than to be the one to finally extinguish the bold fire within them.
Remembering Mrs. Figg and her talks with him, Harry smirked as he readied his stance, determined not to let the witch get to him. Her taunts may have worked once but never again. He would not let his hate overrule his senses. Merlin knows things only got worse when that happened. His revenge could wait. He needed to get to Mrs. Figg. Calming his anger and summoning his courage, he put on his best Snape imitation as he sneered confidently, "Let's dance, you and I." Snape would have been proud. He never looked so intimidating in his life. Apparently watching Snape intimidate people, mainly himself, for hours had its perks.
Bellatrix's blue eyes narrowed in suspicion as she surveyed the confident boy in front of her. This was not the Harry Potter she was expecting. She had anticipated an easy duel with a temperamental teenager who was still mourning for the loss of his godfather, not the cocky bastard in front of her. She smirked, no matter, he was still only a boy. "Let's see what you've got, child." She sneered in response.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted as he dodged her approaching spell.
Bellatrix's wand almost shot out of her hand before she was able to jump up and catch it. "Tsk, tsk. What, Potter? No dark curses today? Feeling very into the Light, are you?" she mocked the boy. "It would take a lot more than a simple Second Year spell to disarm me, you fool!" She sneered.
Harry gritted his teeth, still determined to shut out all her attempts to get a rise out of him. "Tarantallegra!" He fired without warning and he was treated to the sight of Bellatrix tap dancing for a few seconds before she dispelled it. The amusing sight calmed him down instantly. It was highly important not let his anger blind him once again.
She tossed her head as she straightened herself. "Tricks and games, Potter! Is that all you can do? Why, you're wasting my time." She taunted, clearly unamused by the spells he was throwing at her.
"Well I was going to use the Confundus Charm but I figured it wouldn't work on you because you were already beyond confused." Harry said sarcastically, enjoying the nasty scowl that his comment produced on Bellatrix previously gloating face.
"Enough! I'm tired of your childish tricks!" Bellatrix raged as she fired a powerful Cruciatus curse on him.
Harry, anticipating this, deflected the curse with a reflect spell but the force of her jinx still hurled him into the air, the same time Bellatrix own curse threw her off, her body writing with pain as she came hurling down the roof. With the use of his quick reflex skills, he muttered a levitation spell on himself which saved him from being flattened on the ground that was just a few meters beneath him. Once he was on the ground, he quickly made to run to safety but was stopped by the wand that poked him on his back.
"Just where do you think you're going?" a sinister voice asked him from behind and Harry quickly whirled around to face his parents' traitor.
"You." Harry bit out and this time, he was unable to restrain the huge waves of blind hate that was crashing into him as he stared at his rat-faced captor.
"No!" Severus cried out as he ran towards the two figures that were standing at a face-off on the Dursleys' front lawn, no longer caring that his left leg was broken in two places and that his side was bleeding profusely. He had felt half dead minutes before, but now his drained veins were stirring with renewed adrenaline. They would not take him! Not if he had anything to do about it!
His hand reached out desperately, seconds away from grasping the boy's shirt, only to find himself grasping nothing but air…and a long wooden wand pointed at his throat.
"I suggest you come with me, squib. You don't want this to become messy," The drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy told him arrogantly.
Biting his tongue to restrain all the sarcastic remarks that would surely give his identity away, especially since he was forced to work with Lucius the most during his Death Eater days, Severus nodded. He would let himself be captured. After all, he had a better chance of rescuing Harry if he was in the same place he was, even if there was a good chance that 'place' would be a shared prison cell. Not his most brilliant plan but considering the circumstances, it was his only choice. Inwardly he winced as he felt Lucius' hand grip him tightly on the shoulder and a tugging sensation pulled at his navel before they were both spirited away by the portkey.
"Ennervate!" a cold whisper chanted softly and it hurled Harry into the first stirrings of consciousness. Clutching his painful head, he willed for the stars to stop dancing around his eyes. Oww! That really hurt! Harry thought with a grimace as he recalled Pettigrew's vicious stunning spell. He opened his pained eyes and quickly regretted that he did, for he found himself staring deeply into the blood red eyes of Voldemort.
"Ah! How good of you to join us! I was afraid for awhile that Pettigrew was too zealous with his spell. Not to worry, though, he was duly punished anyway." Voldemort greeted his archenemy with a malicious smile as he glanced at the shivering Pettigrew out of the corner of his eye. "He really shouldn't have taken the liberty of stunning you so hard. That pleasure should only be mine." He sneered.
Harry picked himself carefully off the ground, trying his best to swallow his rising panic. Here he was captured by Voldemort again but this time he didn't have his wand with him! Best to play it cool then. Harry thought after he composed himself. "How nice of you, Tom. I didn't know you cared." He said evenly, his emerald eyes blazing with distaste.
Voldemort visibly stiffened in anger. How dare the halfblood call him by that name! He smiled sinisterly, "Ever the Gryffindor, eh Potter? Always so brave in the face of adversity. Well, that won't last for long." His mad smile promising great tortures to come.
Harry forced himself not to shiver at the sight. He would not let Voldemort get to him. He had to remain in control. He needed all his wits about him in order to get out of here. At least Mrs. Figg is safe. Harry thought as he surveyed the area around him that was littered with a handful of gloating Death Eaters but no other hostages. The thought sent a blanket of warmth in his chest and it eased his suffering.
"Strap him to the chair!" Voldemort ordered the cloaked wizard to his left and Avery pushed Harry roughly onto the transfigured chair that appeared beside him. Avery bound Harry's arms and legs tightly before stepping back.
"Bondage? I didn't know you were so kinky, Tom." Harry sneered at the half-human monster that was hovering above him and he watched with inward delight as Voldemort's jaw clenched. Hopefully, if he unnerved him enough he would find a moment to escape.
"Tsk. Tsk. Potter. Watch your mouth. Better yet, let me remove it for you." Voldemort smirked in triumph as he watched Potter's eyes grow wide in shock. He threw his head back and laughed. The child was out of his league if he thought he could intimidate him! "But not yet. I need that pretty little mouth to tell me something because I have a question I know you have the answer to." Voldemort watched with morbid satisfaction as Potter's already dilated eyes grew even wider. Yes. The boy did know about the prophecy and he would cleave it out of him. "What does the prophecy say?" Voldemort asked, his wand poised just above the boy's leg.
"You think I would tell you if I knew? You're much stupider than I thought, Tom." Harry replied as he steeled himself for what he knew would be a torturing of a lifetime.
Voldemort's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as he whispered viciously, "Diverbero!" and a shot of red light cleaved a long wound on Harry's right limb.
Harry gritted his teeth and shut his eyes as an unbelievable pain coursed throughout his body. He would not give the madman the satisfaction of seeing him scream! He would control himself.
Voldemort pursed his lips in anger. The impertinent child didn't even make a sound! No matter, this would just make this more fun. "I'll ask you again, Potter. What does it say?"
"Why don't you go down to the Department of Mysteries and find out for yourself?" Harry taunted with amazing courage. "Oh right, you already did and you lost it."
Voldemort, in retaliation, brought down two massive slices along boy's chest. This time Harry couldn't help but make a small whimper. The monster smiled maliciously as he licked his withered lips, tasting the boy's agony in the air. "You're aura tastes so good when it is in pain." He whispered manically.
Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust. It was clear to him that Voldemort was more insane than he thought. "You're weird, you know that?" Harry sneered with enough disdain and sarcasm to make Snape think he was his long lost son.
Voldemort raised an eyebrow. The boy was showing more nerve than he ever thought the little child could possess and it was beginning to annoy him. A slow smile graced his ugly features as an idea formed in his mind. "It seems that this torture method has little to no effect on you, Potter. So why don't I just go for the big finale, eh?" Voldemort said his voice low and dangerous. "Such pretty eyes. Eyes like your mother, really. It would be a shame if I had to cleave it out of you since as people might say they're the only thing you have of her left." Voldemort threatened cruelly.
Harry shut his eyes for a moment, so horrified was he at the thought of loosing his eyesight. However, he began to think of the countless people who would suffer much worse if Voldemort ever found out about the prophecy. People were counting on him and he couldn't just sit here and let the bastard get to him! He would play the Insane One's game and he would win. He would get out of here alive. Too much was at risk for him to start putting himself first now. He was never expected to do so before and he wasn't about to start now. With wondrous amount of sheer nerve and courage, he managed to reply nonchalantly, "Go ahead. Cleave away. Green was never my favorite color anyway."
Voldemort's lips curled in anger as his fingers gripped his wand painfully over Harry Potter's defiant emerald eyes. The idiot boy was seemingly too stupid to be afraid! His wand descended slowly, his murderous eyes intent upon cleaving those arrogant orbs out of the Boy-Who-Lived's head when a popping noise disrupted him. Annoyed that his fun was intruded upon, he quickly whirled around to face the asinine fool who had the gall to interrupt him. "Lucius, this better be good or by Salazar I swear I will cleave you in half where you stand." Voldemort spit out furiously.
Lucius visibly flinched at the threat and he quickly got down on one knee, ready to explain himself. "My sincerest apologies, master, but I have heard you were torturing young Potter over here and I have something that might be useful."
"And what might this be?" Voldemort said tersely, still annoyed that his fun was disrupted.
"Something that would definitely loosen our noble Gryffindor's tongue." Lucius said with a smirk.
"Really? Voldemort asked, clearly interested, Do pray tell."
Lucius stood up and fished something out of his pocket. "Adducere coronae" He intoned and instantly the magical object was activated and a battered and unconscious Arabella Figg appeared beside them.
Horrified and unable to control himself from reacting to the appalling sight, Harry screamed out as he realized his greatest fear had just materialized in front of him. He was not alone in this hell hole. Mrs. Figg was with him and he was sure they would make her suffer more than he, now that they knew how much the tortured sight of her affected him.
Voldemort squirmed in delight as he heard Potter's horrified screams. Oh this was going to be so much fun! "Good thinking, Lucius." He turned to his right hand man with a malicious grin. "But you really should never interrupt me. Crucio!" Voldemort smirked as he watched the blonde writhing in pain with avid fascination.
"Yes, of course, my Lord." Lucius managed to bite out after his master had lifted the curse. He left quickly after he was dismissed.
"Now, now, where to start?" Voldemort drawled after he had ordered his minions to chain the unconscious Arabella Figg to the wall. "So many possibilities, don't you think? I could cut off her leg, which to tell you the truth would be doing her more than a favor if anything. After all that leg's already ruined as it is. I really have to reward those who did this to her." He said with a sardonic grin.
Harry by this time was already thrashing violently from his chair and straining viciously from his bonds. "Get. Away. From. Her! Or I swear to God, I'll-"
"You'll what, Potter?" Voldemort interrupted him. "Piteously scream like a baby at the top of your lungs? Threaten me uselessly while you're strapped to a chair? Tut-Tut, young Potter. So brave and so noble yet so unbelievably stupid. How can you do anything when you're bound to a chair without a wand?"
Harry smirked at his words. "Well, Tom, why don't you just free me and give me my wand then? Or are you too scared to face me in a decent duel?" His hope that his taunting would free him from his bonds was however shot down when Voldemort coolly replied, "I really don't have time to duel with a fifteen year old and I do so want this torture session to hurry along so…Diverbero!" Voldemort sliced at the open wound that was already gnawing at Arabella's side.
Harry cringed at the sight and silent tears began to course down his cheeks as a pool of blood slowly gathered underneath Mrs. Figg's battered body. "No! Stop it, you bastard!"
Voldemort, however, paid him no mind. "Hmm. I was hoping for a bit more colorful response from you, Arabella." He said snidely to the unconscious witch who hadn't even made any sound of pain. "How disappointing, guess that means I should try for a bit more painful spot, eh Potter?" He sneered as he cried out the slicing spell once again this time he neatly cleaved down a part of Arabella's arm. He was only rewarded, however, by the slightest flinch. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, he viciously sliced at the woman with great speed, wanting to extract the beautiful sound of her agonized screams. He barely acknowledged Potter's voice that was demanding and pleading with him at the same time to stop his cruel attacks until he heard him shout,
"STOP IT! JUST STOP! I'll tell you, ok? I'll tell you about the bloody prophecy. Just-just leave her alone!" Harry sobbed brokenly, his face red and sticky with tears as he surveyed Mrs. Figg's mangled body. He was relieved to see her chest rising as she breathed although she did so very erratically. He knew that only a few lashes more and she would be dead. He also knew that this was hurting her more than he could imagine even though she hadn't thrashed violently or given any indication of pain even once. She really is something. Harry thought with saddened awe.
Voldemort stopped his assault and turned immediately to Potter, his desire to see the old woman scream momentarily deterred. "What does it say?"
"Do you promise to let her go? I will not tell you if you cannot ensure her safety." Harry said resolutely. He will not let her die, not if he can help it! To hell with the whole Wizarding world, they never cared about him anyway. But this stubborn old cat obsessed squib did as she showed him this past summer and she now meant more to him than everything else put together. So he had to make sure she was safe and more importantly, that she would live. The rest of the world be damned!
Voldemort nodded his agreement. "I will ensure her safety."
"Swear to me!" Harry snarled fiercely. He wanted to be sure the madman didn't have any tricks up his sleeve.
Voldemort raised his eyebrows at the stunning display of intense protectiveness coming from the boy in waves. He might have underestimated the usefulness of the squib. He dismissed the idea. It was no matter. She was unimportant and he would be getting what he wanted anyway so he had no further use of her. "I swear to you, Harry James Potter, that I, Lord Voldemort, will not make any move against the squib."
"And your minions too?" Harry interjected ferociously.
"Yes, yes and my minions too." Voldemort agreed and with a wave of his wand he unchained the squib from the wall.
"Portkey her to safety." Harry demanded impatiently.
"I've already completed more than half of my bargain. She will be released when you complete yours." Voldemort said shrewdly.
Harry swallowed all of his nagging doubts at the sight of Mrs. Figg's dying body and he began to tell Voldemort what he heard Trelawney prophesize that fateful night. His heart sinking with every word he revealed and his mind screaming at him to desist his idiotic breakdown. But he couldn't and he wouldn't because right now the most important thing in his world was slowly dying in front of him and he'll be damned if it happened again a second time. The Wizarding World could wait; he was saving something that was worth much more.
Please Review! I'm sorry if this was too long and it bored you but I just couldn't stop writing! (grins) Also the rating has been raised for this fic from PG-13 to R for graphic violence and profanity. Sorry but it can't be helped. If you don't like it, don't read. And before you say it, I said in the last chapter that the revelation scene was on Chapter 10 and this is only Chapter 9 so don't even start. (phew! Glad I got that off my chest!) Anyway, hope you like the battle scenes and the dialogue! And to all the readers who thought I was dead, so sorry but I had writer's block those last 3 months! (laughs) Thanks to everybody who reviewed as you know I absolutely love it when you do and see what happens? I had the next chapter out in a few days! So please continue with writing your reviews they really do help me write.
Thanks again to all you wonderful people who have saved me on their author's alert and favorite's list.
Special thanks to: Dana (Mystic Phoenix), Silverthreads, LunaShadows, Foureyedsnail (Yey! You're back! Loved your review as always), Jazzylady, Oya, relative1983, fhippogriff, Lady Lily3, Goldilocks31890 (I'll try to read your story in the coming days, RL means Real Life), Viskii, MirreZ, MYSTICAL PANTHER, Loonytunes, Lil Ole Me 97, Silver03, SnakeTalker, shelly101, Jaximillion, silent as a shadow, juliedecarson, shadowsylvia, john, lalaluu, Jeanne2, sakurasaisaka, shannyauburn, Persephone Lupin, and laure.
Many thanks to my sounding board and wonderful beta, Katelyn LouElla Bucy, who even though she is a Gryffindor, I love her anyway! haha
SneakPeak at Chapter 10:
Harry squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to get a hold of his frantic sobbing. There was shame in his heart for breaking down and giving the monster what he wanted but no trace of regret. He did what he had to do and if it meant saving Mrs. Figg's life, he will not regret it. He forced himself to look at the gloating madman's face once more and demand harshly, "Now, portkey her to safety."
Voldemort gingerly backed away from the teen and casually examined his hands, "I think not. You didn't even say the magic word." He said with a sneer, delighted at the chance to taunt the arrogant boy once again.
Enraged, Harry strained against his bondage and snarled, "You utter bastard! You swore you would free her to safety once I told you the prophecy!"
"I did no such thing. I said I would make no move against her and that I would portkey her to safety, yes." Voldemort drawled nonchalantly. His lips twisted in a hideous smile and he continued, "But, my dear boy, I never said when."
Fun Fact:
Harry, Ron, and Hermione identified Lupin the first time they saw him on the train in Book 3 by his trunk which had the words 'PROFESSOR R.J. LUPIN' in peeling letters. But it was his first time as a professor, so why would the letters be peeling?