Metamorphosis
Chapter 10: Imprisoned
Panic flooded through him as the hazy ceiling brought back his last memory: the memory of shouting out to Dumbledore, of Voldemort (or what appeared to be Voldemort at first) vanishing, and the cold laugh behind him. Harry's instincts told him he had been tricked. He knew the feeling all too well by now. And the fact that he couldn't move was all the proof he needed. It was one thing if a Death Eater had captured him, but it would be nearly impossible to escape if Voldemort himself had captured him.
Harry struggled and then looked down. He appeared to have been bound to the table with magical ropes. No surprise there. But why hadn't he been killed? Maybe…maybe Voldemort wanted information. If Harry withheld it as much as possible he could buy time. Hopefully Voldemort didn't have Veritaserum potion.
His thoughts were interrupted by something graver. The door to the small, windowless room opened. Harry stiffened automatically trying to apparate even though he knew it was useless. Harry closed his eyes shut, praying that it wasn't Voldemort. He heard the door open, and a shuffle of footsteps. And he tried not to tense as he heard the footsteps approaching the table. There was a heavy breath nearby; the person was too close for comfort. But it wasn't Voldemort; his scar hadn't reacted.
The door creaked again and there was another movement farther away.
"Potter's still unconscious," a gruff voice said. It was definitely the man standing beside the table.
"I'll report to our lord at once," another voice, female, said and Harry heard footsteps moving away.
The man beside him seemed to hesitate and Harry waited. He felt the hard tip of something against his neck and knew the man was pointing his wand at him. He wasn't as stupid as he seemed; he was testing to see if Harry was faking. Thankfully, Harry had remained relaxed. But his mind was racing. The other one, the female, had said she'd report to Voldemort. This meant that Harry was definitely in a very dangerous position. There hadn't been too many times when Voldemort had actually had Harry alone with the upper hand. And now here he was wandless, unable to move and at Voldemort's mercy.
The man (a Death Eater no doubt) finally removed his wand and left the room. Harry heard the door shut with a bang. He kept his eyes shut. There was no point in taking risks. It wouldn't help to see where he was anyway. Without his wand, he had no hope of escaping.
Harry concentrated on hiding his emotions and anything he thought Voldemort might need. And even if he didn't…Harry knew Voldemort would take great pleasure in his death. Harry breathed in and out. He had acted too rash again. If Voldemort found out about the Hag and the real ring it was all over. There was no way Harry could fight against Veritaserum, or any of Voldemort's methods for getting into people's minds like he did to Amelia Bones during his fourth year when he'd had the vision. Harry didn't know exactly how Voldemort delved into her mind, but he remembered his vision: Voldemort had described having gone deep into her memories, probing her mind to the point that she was irreversibly screwed up and had to be killed. And he didn't want to find out.
There were voices somewhere close and Harry instantly held his breath. Although his eyes were still shut, he kept his head turned away from the door (and trying to look still unconscious) as he heard the shuffle of footsteps. He couldn't tell how many there were this time. And he wondered if they were coming to get him…to bring him to Voldemort. Maybe if he pretended to be unconscious a little longer they would leave him there, buying him a little more time.
But to do what? How am I going to get out of this? I just hope that Dumbledore is at Hogwarts and that Aberforth was able to give him the ring! If so, Hogwarts and the rest of the world might actually stand a chance, especially…if something happens to me.
The door opened and Harry heard a couple of footsteps.
"He's still unconscious," one voice said. It was the deep, gruff voice Harry had heard earlier.
"Why don't you torture him to wake him up?" a female said, sounding excited.
Harry inwardly felt his heart race. He couldn't stop himself from screaming if they used the Cruciatus curse.
"Perhaps we should just use the reviving spell!" another whispered anxiously.
There were three this time, Harry guessed. Harry heard someone approach the table again. Suddenly, something hard whacked his cheek and Harry felt the sting. His muscles instantly tensed and his eyes fluttered. The person above him must not have noticed, hopefully because Harry's head was turned away from the door.
"I thought I saw him move a little!" the female exclaimed. "Hit him again."
"There's no need for that," a cold, hissing voice sounded.
Goosebumps instantly rose on Harry's skin and he was thankful that he was wearing his cloak.
"My lord," the voices murmured at different times.
"Potter is awake," the cold voice hissed. Harry could hear pleasure in the voice and it made more goosebumps appear on his skin.
Harry's mind began to spin. Harry knew that Voldemort was there. He quickly focused on what Snape had taught him in Occlumency. He had to do it if only to hide all his fears. That would make him too vulnerable and he was already in a very fatal position.
Harry kept his eyes closed regardless. He knew if he saw Voldemort's face before he was ready he would lose concentration. He had to relax his muscles the best he could.
"Move aside." Voldemort spoke calmly but coldly. "Using such childish tricks would disappoint your mentor, Potter."
He heard chuckles in the background and Harry decided that it would be better to open his eyes and cooperate somewhat than be forced to by the Cruciatus Curse. He didn't want to give Voldemort that satisfaction. Besides, his mind was as protected as it was ever going to be at this point.
Opening his eyes slowly, Harry let the breath he had been holding come out. Then Harry turned his head. Voldemort was standing inside the room staring at him with his snake-like expression in a wide grin. His eyes stood out against his unnaturally pale skin. The Death Eaters, three of them, were all knelt over by the door. Thankfully Voldemort was still a good seven or so feet away.
Voldemort twirled his wand with one hand and continued to stare at Harry with such intensity, a combination of hunger and satisfaction, that Harry could just barely keep eye contact.
"You see, Potter, I knew this day would come," Voldemort said, still staring at him. He hadn't blinked once and Harry was beginning to wonder if he could. "You haven't ruined my plans yet and now…I have you."
"You didn't get Dumbledore," Harry said quietly, managing to keep eye contact. "You didn't get into the sanctuary."
Instead of becoming angry or cursing him, Voldemort just laughed coldly. The walls echoed and Harry blinked, hoping that he hadn't winced.
"The sanctuary doesn't concern me Potter. And Dumbledore can only hold me off for so long. The power that he is searching for is useless compared to the power I have."
Voldemort then moved his wandless hand into his robe and Harry watched as he pulled out a ring. Harry tensed and tried not to show shock on his face. The ring looked like the real thing. But it couldn't be…no, Harry had given it to…No, he couldn't think about it. He couldn't let information seep into his mind if he could help it.
"Do you know what this is, Potter?" Voldemort asked.
Harry just stared at it. If he said 'no' Voldemort would know he was lying. He had to remain silent and hopefully that would buy him time.
"While you were sleeping I've obtained the one item that will destroy your precious mentor," he said, twirling his wand as his Death Eaters laughed. "And Hogwarts will be easy to take over," he continued, stepping closer. "My servants have already surrounded the real Hogwarts. I saw through Dumbledore's pathetic attempts at trying to protect it. And now I have the ring and I have Dumbledore cornered. If the fool has returned to Hogwarts he will be there in time to see it crumble! This ring gives me powers you can't imagine, Potter," Voldemort said sneering.
"But before I go to Hogwarts and use this ring to destroy Hogwarts and Dumbledore, I must take care of you. I know that Dumbledore has already altered his memories by now, or at least will have by the time I reach him, so he won't be able to reveal the Ministry's secret even if I capture him. However…perhaps his favorite pupil knows."
"I don't know," Harry said firmly. He was grateful that Dumbledore hadn't revealed that to him.
Voldemort didn't respond at first. He just stared at Harry and his lips were still set in a smile. As Voldemort came closer, Harry felt his scar throb.
"Leave me with Potter," Voldemort said, smirking. "Nox, you wait outside and alert me if anything changes at Hogwarts. For now I'm going to invade Potter's mind."
"Yes my lord," Nox answered.
The Death Eaters rose and then left the room, shutting the door behind them. Harry shouldn't have been surprised that Voldemort was alone with him. Harry was tied up and defenseless…there was no need for any Death Eaters to help Voldemort. And now there was nothing Harry could do; Voldemort was going to probe his mind and in doing that he'd be able to find anything.
Voldemort's lips curled into a wide grin and he stepped closer. Harry's scar reacted. Harry turned his head away and instinctively struggled against the binds as his scar burned intensely. He had to look away so that it would be more difficult for Voldemort to realize that he was in agony.
"There's no use in trying to escape, Potter." Voldemort's hissing voice came from nearby. He sounded amused. "You will soon find that my abilities can get me any information I want. I can delve deep into your mind…into any memory until I find what I want. I can even alter your memories…"
Harry struggled more violently, biting his lip to keep from screaming. He knew Voldemort was right beside him. The pain was so intense Harry had to squeeze his eyes shut, hoping that Voldemort would only think he was trying to block him out. His head was burning and he couldn't think.
Harry felt his head suddenly jerk the other way. He forced his eyes open. Voldemort's face was right above his and the red eyes were scorching into his. And Harry felt he could barely keep his eyes open. His head was going to explode! Voldemort was holding his wand right at Harry's face.
"Now, let's see what you know, Potter…," Voldemort hissed coldly, laughing.
Voldemort's wand came at him and Harry knew the tip had touched his forehead. The whole room turned white and Harry couldn't contain his cry of pain. White-hot knives seemed to gouge into his head and only constant pain existed—time, place and thoughts all vanished. And in all the pain, Harry saw a flash. Eyes…they were bright but intimidating eyes. The most shocking element was that they were a luminous gold. At first they appeared hazel, but from the way they glowed, they didn't appear human. And he heard the cackle…the face that he glimpsed…and he knew he had seen the Black Hag again.
And Harry couldn't remember anything. Was he still there? Had she killed him? Why was he in so much pain? And then the white-hot knives seemed to pull away. And the blurry white began to fade. At the same time Harry heard a hiss of fury and was startled awake. His eyes opened and the room swirled around him. What stood out were the horrible blood-red eyes glaring down at him. The thin white lips were open, seemingly yelling.
And suddenly there were others standing around with their wands pointed.
"My lord!" one exclaimed. "Do you need help?"
Voldemort's expression darkened and Harry felt the fury even as he saw it flicker in the depths of the unnatural crimson eyes.
"Crucio!" Voldemort hissed in Parseltongue.
The man screamed and writhed on the ground and the room began to look normal again. Harry didn't realize he was breathing harshly, as if he had been running. The pain…the burning pain in his scar was gone. Voldemort had stepped away from him and now one of his Death Eaters was screaming in agony. Voldemort lifted the curse.
"If you ever dare challenge my power by saying I need your pathetic help, Redolf, I'll kill you!"
"Y-yes…m-my lord," Redolf stuttered.
"My lord," another voice said. And Harry moved his eyes to see Bella standing nearby. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have an update for you."
Voldemort waved his hand to tell her to proceed.
"We have begun to attack Hogwarts, but it seems as though the protections are stronger than we thought."
"Hmm…perhaps the fool made it there in time," Voldemort murmured. Harry was certain he was referring to Dumbledore. "Very well. I will have to go myself eventually, as it should be. I want to kill Dumbledore myself. Continue to keep it surrounded and make it as weak as possible. I will take care of his precious student."
Bella's eyes landed on Harry and her lips curled upward. "I'm pleased you have him alive, my lord, to do with as you wish."
"Not quite," Voldemort hissed, turning his eyes on Harry. His thin lips were pulled in a straight line. And Harry's scar burned as he felt Voldemort's anger. "It seems as though a strong power is protecting him. I could barely get inside his mind, though whether it's coming from the boy or if it's Dumbledore's doing I have yet to find out. But I will get through."
"Of course, my liege," Bella said, bowing.
Then she left and the Death Eater Nox left with her. He was probably going back to his post outside the door. The room was once again quiet and Harry blinked several times. Something had happened…he was protected. Voldemort couldn't get into his mind. Perhaps…
The image of the Black Hag flashed in his mind again and he wondered if what he had seen was her magic. Maybe she was protecting Harry, at least the memories that were about her. That was why she took so long, after Harry relayed his plan to her and then she vanished. She was probably taking precautious, but what she did exactly Harry wasn't sure. He was just grateful that for the time being Voldemort didn't know about the ring.
Once again Harry was left in the room with Voldemort alone. He felt relieved that his mind was protected, but he had no doubt Voldemort would try anything to get into his mind. And he knew about Voldemort's reputation for being cruel and using any tactics—painful ones. And he was determined to get into Harry's mind. Still…hopefully that meant he wouldn't kill Harry until he got through, which bought some time for him. Not that Harry had any delusions about Dumbledore coming to rescue him before Voldemort could murder him or at least torture him.
Voldemort turned around and his red eyes bore through him. Harry pushed thoughts of Aberforth and Hogwarts away so that Voldemort wouldn't detect what he was thinking about.
"I will find a way into your mind, Potter," Voldemort hissed as he stood over him.
Harry's scar burned with such intensity that Harry had to look away. He felt the tip of Voldemort's wand at his head again and same blinding white pain scorched through his head. Again, Voldemort hissed with fury at not being able to get into his mind. Harry was prepared for the Cruiciatus curse. He waited, but it never came. Slowly, he turned his head and saw Voldemort pacing back and forth slowly.
Suddenly, Voldemort wheeled around and sneered at him. "I know just the thing, Potter. First, though," he said raising his wand, "crucio!"
Harry tried to hold back his screams but it was no use. His body reacted almost instinctively. Once Voldemort lifted the curse, Harry's muscles relaxed a bit.
Without a word, Voldemort left Harry alone and confused. Obviously, Voldemort had something planned for Harry and that unnerved him. He struggled hard against the constraints to no avail.
How am I going to escape? I've got to reach Dumbledore somehow!
XXXXXXXXXXX
Back at Hogwarts…
"Where the bloody hell is Dumbledore?" Ron bellowed. "We're sitting here worried out of our bloody minds about Harry and nobody's telling us anything!"
"Calm down, Ron! Throwing a tantrum isn't going to solve anything," Hermione exclaimed.
The two of them were seated in the Gryffindor common room with Ginny, Neville, Dean, Fred and George. All the aurors and their families, as well as Ministry members who hadn't been attacked or killed were all at Hogwarts.
"Harry," Ginny whispered. "What's going to happen to him? What if V-Voldemort found him?"
"Don't worry, he's a tough chap," George said, patting her back.
"And what's going to happen to us?" Neville asked. "I mean, you heard those bangs. I think we're being attacked! And the aurors and teachers are all running around like mad trying to get more protections up. For all we know, we could be in more danger than Harry is right now."
"I don't understand it…I thought Hogwarts would be safe, especially with Dumbledore's plan. It was so brilliant," Hermione whispered.
Suddenly, the common room door swung open and Ron and Hermione jumped to their feet. A man dressed in rather old-looking dark blue robes came waltzing in. At first it appeared to be Dumbledore but the man's beard was not quite as long. And he looked more sullen.
"I am sorry to intrude, but I was told to relay some information to you all. I know you're all worried about Harry and I've come to give you peace of mind. My name is Aberforth Dumbledore."
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.
"Is Harry ok?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, I just spoke with him about an hour ago."
The whole group of them breathed out sighs of relief and Ginny wept.
"Listen, there isn't much time. Harry told me that Voldemort knows about Dumbledore's plan to have this school disguised while Beauxbatons is disguised as Hogwarts. However, I have given an item to the professors and aurors, which they are using to enhance the protections around this school. It will buy us time so the death eaters can't get in. Harry was going to go find Dumbledore to let him know he has to come back."
"How did Harry escape from the muggle world?" Ron asked.
"No time for that, I'm afraid. I have something to give Dumbledore from Harry that could in fact give us a great advantage. I wanted you to know though that Harry is safe and once Dumbledore returns everything—"
"Aberforth!"
An auror hurried inside with wide eyes. "Dumbledore's back!"
"I can't believe it!" Ron exclaimed with excitement. "This is the best news ever!"
"Is Harry with him?" Ginny asked, standing.
The auror stared at them confused. "No, Dumbledore was only with the aurors he took to the sanctuary. Harry Potter wasn't among them."
Aberforth's expression turned grave. "I must see Dumbledore."
He followed the other auror out, but not before Ron and Hermione dashed out behind them. Ginny and the others were left in the common room. They all arrived in the Great Hall where the aurors and professors were all gathered in a meeting. There was Dumbledore looking graver than them all, standing at one end of the table.
"I am afraid I have some grave news," Dumbledore said, as his eyes landed on Ron and Hermione. "Voldemort has captured Harry."
Hermione covered her mouth as a loud gasp escaped. Ron's eyes practically bugged out of his head and his entire face paled.
"No…Harry," Hermione whispered between sobs.
"I'm afraid that not only will Voldemort get Harry, but he apparently knows of Hogwart's disguise."
"Fear not, brother," Aberforth spoke up.
All eyes turned to him and Dumbledore nodded.
"I just saw Potter not one hour ago and he gave me something that will give us all hope."
Hermione wiped at her eyes and Ron stared down at the ground, unable to look up or utter a sound.
"Voldemort may have him right now, but not all is lost. Harry gave me an item that he retrieved from Voldemort when he posed as a death eater to escape the muggle world. It was Salazar's Pearl."
Aurors whispered in awe.
"Right now Minerva is using it to enhance all the protections around the school, which is why the death eaters have been unable to get inside. I assume brother that you used our secret passage," Aberforth said, smiling slightly. "And one more thing Harry gave me for our survival Dumbledore, which he instructed me to give to you."
Wordlessly, Aberforth approached Dumbledore and handed him the ring. Dumbledore's normally unreadable expression turned to one of surprise. His eyes widened in the slightest as he held up the ring to the light.
"What is that Dumbledore?" Cornelius Fudge asked.
"I don't believe it. Harry has never failed to amaze me," Dumbledore said. "This is the Silverback Tyrants ring – a ring that was forged in the days of Merlin himself. It contains the heart of a Silverback Tyrant, one of the most lethal and most powerful creatures ever to be in existence. This is supposedly from the last tyrant. This ring is something that Voldemort no doubt was after. I had only heard of this back in my days at school."
Dumbledore lowered his hand. "You all know of our meeting with Rita Skeeter before she disappeared. And she mentioned that she overheard a death eater say the 'Black Hag'. The Black Hag is an ancient being who feeds off magical items to keep her immortality. She is neither witch nor demon – and I believe one of the last of her kind. She has been in hiding and not much is known about her. Only one man survived an encounter with her – Salazar Slytherin. The only reason we know of the Black Hag is because of Salazar.
"And I know that Tom Riddle when he was here discovered Salazar's journal and no doubt kept it for himself. As I can't read parseltongue, I was unable to translate quite a bit of it. It must have had more information on the Black Hag and where this particular ring might be."
"Excuse me Dumbledore, but where exactly does this Black Hag come from and how does she have such powerful items?" Fudge asked.
"It's not proven, Cornelius, but it's said that back in the days of the Silverback Tyrants, there were three infamous Black Hags who worshipped them. Or rather there were hideous looking women who appeared to be able to do some magic without a wand and seemed to live for over hundreds of years. It's said that the Black Hags came from the same world as the Silverback Tyrants. It's believed that there is actually a separate world connected to our own, but out of our reach. That is where the Silverback Tyrants supposedly came from."
"So why is the Black Hag here and not going back to this world?" one auror asked.
"Good question, Radolph. I assume she probably can't get back for whatever reason. Only Merlin was said to know how to get to that world because he himself had a battle with a Silverback Tyrant and it's actually how he became so powerful. Of course, Merlin vanished and no one knows where he is, but some say he died secretly to protect his knowledge of how to get to that world," Dumbledore explained.
"What can the ring do?" Fudge asked.
"It can double the wearer's power," Dumbledore said. "No doubt Voldemort wanted to use it to find out the secret that the Ministry has long been protecting."
"Yes, and what secret is that? And why am I not aware of such a thing?" Fudge questioned.
"Considering your term is ending soon and Scrimageour will take your place there's no need for your to know now," Auror Moselby said.
Fudge glared at her. "Yes, if we survive this."
"Don't concern yourself Fudge, there are only a select few in the Ministry, usually people as old as myself, who made an oath back when the Ministry was still relatively new that once this secret was discovered it would go with us to our graves. And now I am one of three left from that oath. My brother Aberforth knows and Auror Moody."
Moody gave a rather gruff smirk toward Fudge but otherwise remained silent.
"Now lets get back to what we're going to do," Auror Moselby said.
"Of course, Fyona. Now that we have the ring it can strengthen our protections even more and I can also enhance my own power if Voldemort gets inside and I need to battle him. However, I fear now that Voldemort has Harry he's not going to come to Hogwarts. And sooner or later Voldemort is going to find out that Harry found the ring and brought it here, which means that it buys us some time while he interrogates him."
Hermione and Ron winced. They knew that entailed torture, as did they all. It suddenly became silent.
"Fear not, everyone. I have a suspicion that Harry received help from the Black Hag, who Voldemort wanted to track down in the first place, through Rita Skeeter's vital information, and now we find out why. It was for this ring, which is just a means to an end. This is a good sign," he said, as his eyes twinkled at Ron and Hermione. "In order for her to help, that must mean Harry and the Black Hag have some sort of agreement. The Black Hag would not risk Harry's well-being or the opportunity for Voldemort to find out that she's involved, so I'm sure she's protecting him."
"So he won't be tortured?" Fudge asked.
"Unfortunately, Harry still could be tortured, but with the Black Hag's help his mind will be protected. If Voldemort can't get the information he wants out of Harry, he knows that torture will be pointless because Harry wouldn't tell him anything. It doesn't mean he won't try," Dumbledore said gravely. "I'm positive though that the Black Hag wouldn't leave Harry there once she realizes he's been captured. I'm sure she will summon him to her for both of their protection eventually. I have no doubt Harry will be ok. He's survived many impossible obstacles before, including being trapped in the muggle world and he has never failed to impress me." Dumbledore smiled slightly.
Everyone in the room seemed to relax a bit.
"For now we must all concentrate on not letting Voldemort inside. At least Voldemort doesn't have this ring. And as long as he doesn't find out the secret we've been protecting he won't become too much for us to handle. It is important that we finish the spell we started at the sanctuary."
"Yes, what is it that you're actually doing there," Fudge said. "I don't understand how that spell will stop V-Voldemort."
Dumbledore's eyes gleamed with intense power. "You see, this sanctuary is considered a sanctuary because Merlin himself taught his first students magic. And on that spot he left an amulet that he created to protect his students and their location while they were secretly practicing magic. Back in Merlin's time they didn't have wands like we do and of course it was forbidden to do anything unexplainable like magic without being killed out of fear. So they had to do it in secret.
"There is still powerful energy in that spot. In fact, Merlin actually planned it that way. There are five areas all around England in which he left these amulets with powerful incantations performed by him along with his students. In order to keep this amulet active even after death, Merlin used his blood, which had been infected by a Silverback Tyrant. It's how he ended up dying eventually. Yet ironically the poison in the Silverback Tyrant made it so that his spells held even after his death, which is of course unheard of nowadays," Dumbledore explained.
Hermione was listening with utmost interest like the rest, but Ron stifled a yawn.
"Now it's taken me some years after studying what little documents we have on Merlin, including his journal which was thankfully discovered and deciphered, I have theorized that should we cast the strongest protection charms known to us in each of these locations – called the Heart of the wizard world because of all the powerful magic left behind by Merlin – then we can create sanctuaries. And these sanctuaries will become vital in times like these so people have a place to run to where they can be much more protected than hiding in their homes or in random places that can easily be penetrated.
"Not only that, but now with this ring that Harry has given us, if we complete the charms in each of these 5 sanctuaries, we may even be able to summon a protection fog – a very powerful charm – that can spread across this whole city, and maybe farther, if we have enough aurors helping. It will bide us time and prevent Voldemort from finding us or anybody else in the Order who is in hiding right now."
"Yes, these sanctuaries will be good, but what good will they do us right now with V-Voldemort and all of his followers on the loose? Not to mention, they've surrounded us and are trying to get inside," Fudge said.
Dumbledore inhaled deeply. "I know you are skeptical Cornelius. But there is a secret way out of this school. It's how I entered to come back inside without the Death Eaters' awareness. These sanctuaries are in case they start breaking in. Then we must move everybody to the sanctuary that I was just at. We finished the protections thankfully just before Voldemort arrived. It's a Plan B in case anything goes wrong.
"Unfortunately, nobody has yet to locate the fifth and last sanctuary. I suspect it's where Merlin's burial place is. I no doubt believe he hid himself when he knew he was dying in order to protect that sanctuary and the secret the Order has protected as well."
"I would be a lot less confused if you actually told me what was being so highly protected! Even Merlin apparently protects it in death and yet you cannot reveal it?" Fudge exclaimed.
"I'm afraid not Cornelius. As long as only a select few know about it, the less likely Voldemort will ever come to know about it. Now, we must focus on utilizing the power of this ring to strength the protections on this school. Should they break in, everyone will be shown through the secret passage into the sanctuary and I will hold the Death Eaters at bay with this," Dumbledore said, gesturing toward the ring on his finger. "Let's be prepared for anything. We must also keep putting protections up to make sure they're held off."
"And what about Harry? Shouldn't we go rescue him?" Ron asked.
Dumbledore's eyes dimmed. "It would be much too dangerous, Ron. But don't worry, I have a feeling Harry will be all right."
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances but didn't utter a sound. They obviously didn't like the idea of leaving Harry to fend for himself, but there was nothing they could do.
XXXXXXXX
Harry struggled hard against the restraints to no avail. He desperately needed to find a way to escape before Voldemort came back. He realized that even if he could break out of the bonds, Voldemort had his wand somewhere probably hidden. It seemed hopeless. Even if the Hag was protecting his mind, there was no way she was coming to come to his rescue.
There were footsteps coming down the hallway and Harry's heart thumped loudly in his chest. The door creaked open and he was expecting red eyes to be gleaming at him, but instead it was a death eater. It was a big burley man with a black beard and such dark brown eyes that they appeared black. There was a scar across his cheek to his lip and a tattoo of a snake on his neck.
"Time to go Potter," the man said gruffly, whipping out his wand.
All of a sudden Harry's body levitated off the table, but the restraints tightened around his body so he couldn't move. Harry's throat had constricted, but he tried his best not to show his fear. He knew that whatever was in store for him was not good.
He was taken into another room, a larger room with a chair seated in the middle of the room. The room, like the one he had been in before, had only one exit – the door to the room. Swallowing, he could only watch as he was levitated toward the chair. The death eater said a spell gruffly and Harry's body was dropped into the chair. He groaned as his muscles ached from the contact. The ropes that restricted his body tied to both arms of the chair so he was bound tightly to the chair. The death eater sneered at him then walked away to stand guard by the door.
Harry stared around the room and noticed there was a fireplace up against the left wall. It looked dusty and unused, and there was a mantel above it covered with dust. Besides that, there was nothing else in the room. It was made of a gray cement and appeared rather old. Harry assumed they were in some part of the house somewhere underground. It was the same place that Harry had been to when disguised as Mulciber. There was probably hidden rooms in the house that Voldemort used to hide the bodies of the people he killed…
The door opened and two more death eaters entered the room. They were wearing masks, which made Harry even more nervous. He had to instantly hide his fear as Voldemort appeared behind them. To Harry's relief Voldemort didn't seem to have his wand out. Perhaps that bought Harry some time.
"The boy is ready my Lord," the gruff death eater said.
Voldemort sneered. "Very good. Give the boy the potion."
The two death eaters who had entered approached Harry instantly. His whole body tensed as he saw them pull out a vial. He clamped his mouth shut and fought against the restraints. One of the death eaters held his jaw tightly to try and pry his mouth open while the other one prepared to pour the potion down his throat.
"That won't help Potter," Voldemort said, whipping out his wand.
Harry's eyes widened and tried to clamp his lips together even harder, but with one spell he felt his jaw unhinge against his will. His mouth opened and the bitter potion was poured down his throat. Harry's body went rigid and he thought for sure he'd be feeling intense pain. To his shock, he was still aware of everything and there was no pain, but he couldn't move. It was like he was paralyzed with his eyes staring straight ahead and his body rigid.
"Leave now," Voldemort ordered.
The death eaters all bowed and left the room until Harry was alone with Voldemort again.
"Now Potter," Voldemort hissed pleasurably, "under Veritaserum you will tell me what I need to know. You are fortunate that torturing you would do no good for me since the information in your mind is protected. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Harry said in a monotone voice.
The word came without his decision to say it. He was suddenly panicking. He was somehow aware of everything under Veritaserum, but he still felt like he had no control. Voldemort would find out everything and once he found out Harry had given the real ring to Dumbledore, he would kill Harry instantly!
"Tell me Potter," Voldmeort hissed. "Tell me, is Dumbledore the one protecting your mind?"
"No," Harry answered instantly.
"No?" Voldemort asked coldly. He seemed surprised. Harry heard his deep inhale. "Then who is protecting you?"
Harry panicked instantly. No, he can't find out!
And yet…no words came out. Harry sat there emotionlessly and didn't answer the direct question. He could feel Voldemort's fury rising.
"You won't tell me who's protecting you even under Veritaserum?" Voldemort hissed.
He was much closer now; Harry could feel his scar burning. Harry didn't say a word. He was still protected even under Veritaserum. The Black Hag definitely had strong magic. Of course she had hundreds and hundreds of years to accumulate magic. She couldn't use a wand and still would be not match for Voldemort in a duel, but she had her own special abilities. And this was one of them. She was protecting his mind even under the effects of Veritaserum. So Harry could obviously answer some questions, but none that would endanger the Black Hag.
"Whoever is protecting you must be powerful," Voldemort hissed. "Tell me, Potter, what did you do with that item I gave you as Mulciber?"
"I gave it to Aberforth to help protect Hogwarts," Harry answered against his will.
"Aberforth? Dumbledore's worthless brother who supposedly died in the first war?" Voldemort hissed. "Interesting…he's still alive. I'll bet Dumbledore has been using him as a spy. That fool! Even so, that item I gave you won't be able to increase the protections for long. It's a powerful source of magic that Salazaar stole from the Merpeople long ago, but it's limited. It cannot last very long so soon Hogwarts will be mine!"
Voldemort hissed the last sentence right by Harry's ear. Harry couldn't move and he felt Voldemort moving next to him. Voldemort couldn't torture him while under the effects of Veritaserum because although Harry would feel the pain he wouldn't be able to scream. And Voldemort no doubt wanted to hear him scream.
"Let's see if you're any use to me at all, Potter. What is the Order hiding from me? What is this special secret that they're all willing to die for?"
"I don't know," Harry replied. His eyes stayed focused ahead even as he saw Voldemort close to him, twirling his wand as if debating whether or not to kill him.
Harry's heart sank. If Voldemort found no use for him and couldn't get into his mind, he would most definitely find no use for him alive. And he could so easily kill him while he was under Vertaserum and unable to move or fight back.
"You don't know?" Voldemort hissed quietly. It was the same tone of voice he had during his fourth year well Voldemort had forced him to duel. "Do you know what Dumbledore is planning to do with the sanctuary?"
"No," Harry answered.
Voldemort's lips curled upward. "Then you are useless to me, Potter."
Voldemort raised his wand at him and Harry's mind went into a frenzy. He still couldn't move a muscle let alone blink! To his shock, however, Voldemort lowered his wand.
"Whoever is protecting you cannot protect you forever, Potter. Until I decide what to do with you, you can rot here."
Voldemort turned around and swept out of the room without another look back. Harry's body was still under the effects of the truth serum so he couldn't budge. He was still stunned that Voldemort left him alive when it was so easy to just kill him. Obviously, Voldemort deemed him useful for something. Maybe as bait for Dumbledore. There was a reason, but Harry was just grateful he was still alive.
The door opened and Harry's heart skipped a beat. A death eater came in twirling his wand. He closed the door behind him and sneered.
"Still under the potion's effects, Potter? Pity. It's such a shame since…I have your wand," he said, taking out another wand from his pocket.
Harry could sense that it was in fact his wand. The death eater was taunting him with it, although he was pretty sure the death eater couldn't have known he was aware of everything.
"Hmmm, you don't look very battered. Master must have gone easy on you," he said.
The man approached him and without warning hit him across the face. Harry felt the burning pain and the aching afterward, but he was unable to utter a sound.
"Humph, how boring," the death eater muttered. "Guess you won't be needing this."
He sneered and tossed Harry's wand into the unused fireplace. It vanished among the old ashes and cobwebs. The death eater wheeled around and left the room. Harry waited in silence unable to do anything. Suddenly, he could slowly move his fingertips and soon his arms. The rush of feeling came back to him and he groaned in pain at his sore jaw. Harry's head whipped toward the left where his wand had been thrown in. If he could summon his wand to him, or somehow reach it he could escape!
Harry concentrated hard on thinking of a spell to loosen his binds. He knew that wandless magic was possible at one point back during Merlin's time when there were no wands. Still, it seemed his wand was too far away. Harry struggled violently against the restraints, trying to loosen them or move the chair.
He struggled and struggled, all the while attempting to move the chair toward the left. Suddenly, his wrist broke free and Harry was stunned. He gasped quietly and fought to free his whole arm. Once his arm was free, he untangled himself from the ropes, not believing that he was actually escaping! He nearly tripped over the ropes as he ran toward the fireplace where his wand was. He pushed the cobwebs and ashes out of the way and grabbed his wand.
Now he had to find a way out. Harry looked around the room. There were no windows in the room. The only way out was through the front door. Unless…unless he could use a spell to create a secret passage through one of the walls. Of course, he had never done such a powerful spell before.
Inhaling deeply, Harry wondered what he should do. He probably didn't have much time until someone came to check on him. Unless…perhaps it was possible for him to apparate. Maybe Voldemort hadn't thought to put an anti-apparating spell in the room, or the house, because he didn't think Harry would escape. Harry closed his eyes and concentrated, picturing the last place he had been at the sanctuary. Then he apparated.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for being sooooooo incredibly patient! I know this has taken FOREVER to update and I'm truly sorry about that! Life became hectic once college took over and now I'm in grad school and, wouldn't you know it, it's even more hectic! But I'm slowly but surely finishing the couple of stories that I left incomplete. I already have the rest of this story planned out, so the next chapter shouldn't take very long to get out. There should only be one chapter left now and I won't make you guys wait long this time! :-)
To Reviewers:
WolfWhispers: So sorry it was put on another hiatus! I'm back to finishing it now and I won't stop until it's complete! And there won't be another hiatus because there's only one chapter left! Hope you haven't given up on this story, lol! And hopefully you will enjoy the rest of it!
Jynx101: hey! So sorry about not updating in FOREVER! Thanks for reviewing! Hopefully you haven't given up hope that I would update this, lol! But if you have, I completely understand. I'll just be happy once I complete this story. And I'm sorry that I'm not really posting estimation dates on my profile for when I'm updating, but the last chapter should be up shortly!
Werewolfsong: Thanks so much for that compliment! I'm so glad you really like it! I know it's hard to keep people interested in suspenseful stories without any romance these days, lol! I'm very glad you like it! I'm REALLY sorry about taking forever in updating it! You might have long forgotten this story, but if you ever do come back to it someday at least it will be complete by then. :-) The last chapter should be up shortly!
Duzen Broken DreamZ: Yay! I'm glad you like this! That makes me happy! I'm really, very, truly sorry that this was on hiatus for so long! But I'm definitely going to finish it very soon! So hopefully you haven't completely forgotten about this! Lol! And I do hope you'll enjoy the last chapter! :-)
Rasul: Thanks a bunch! I'm really glad that you like this story so far! Hopefully you'll enjoy the ending too (if you haven't given up on this yet, lol!). I will update this story shortly!
Anytha5: Awww, thanks a lot! I'm very glad you're enjoying this! And so sorry that it wasn't updated soon at all! It took forever-and-a-half to update, but it's finally off hiatus and I'm back to finishing my stories. I finally found some time despite school and work which have consumed my life, but I promise I will post the last chapter shortly!
