A/N: Hi everybody! Apologies for the delayed update. You see, I have written and rewritten this chapter so many times trying to get it perfect! I think I've got the rest of the story planned out the way I want it to be now, so I really hope you like it! There's only about 3 or 4 more planned chapters left in this story. In the meantime, thanks to everyone who continues to read, follow, favor, and review this story! Enjoy Chapter 10!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter, but who else is pumped for the grand opening of Diagon Alley next week? :)

Chapter 10: Return to Riddle House

Crack!

Albus Dumbledore apparated just outside the gates to Malfoy Manor. A few moments later, he was joined by several members of the Order of the Phoenix: Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, and Sirius.

The alarms went off almost immediately.

"So much for the element of surprise," grumbled Moody.

"Nonsense, Alastor," Dumbledore replied, "Everything will be fine! We will get Harry back soon."

"Then, what are we waiting for?"

Suddenly, before anyone could stop him, Sirius ran forward to try to break down the gates, screaming Harry's name.

"Sirius! Wait!"

Kingsley's warning came too late. As soon as Sirius touched the iron bars, he was blasted off of his feet. He landed five meters behind the rest of the Order, panting and shaking, but otherwise in one piece.

Lupin and Tonks rushed to his side and helped him get back on his feet.

"The wards were forged with a powerful Dark magic, Padfoot."

"Now you tell me!"

The group focused its attention back on the Manor.

"Here comes the welcoming committee."

Sure enough, two cloaked figures were walking out of the front doors of the house.

"Let's get Harry out of that hellhole," Sirius growled.

The gates swung open, and the group quickly entered the enormous grounds of Malfoy Manor.

Voldemort was facing the fireplace again when the Carrows escorted the Order to the drawing room. He continued to stare into the flames until he heard the doors shut and lock behind his guests.

The Carrows bowed before their master and then returned to their places along the walls of Death Eaters.

The amount of tension in the room could have been cut with Gryffindor's sword.

Snape was chained to the device that was originally intended for Harry. He slowly lifted his head to reveal a black eye, broken nose, and a busted lip partially hidden by the gag in his mouth. When he met the eyes of the Hogwarts headmaster, the message was received as if he had spoken aloud.

I'm sorry, Albus. I've failed.

Several seconds passed before Dumbledore spoke.

"Good evening, Tom."

"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Dumbledore," Voldemort spat angrily. "I know why you are here."

"Then you know that we will not be leaving this manor without Harry."

Voldemort sneered.

"Is that so? Well, he doesn't seem to be here, does he?"

The Death Eaters chuckled.

Sirius, meanwhile, was frantically searching the room.

"DAMN IT! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HARRY, YOU MONSTER?"

The Dark Lord's evil grin widened.

"Very well, Black. I will show you what has become of your Savior."

Voldemort snapped his fingers. The crowd to the left of the fireplace parted, revealing a small door, partially hidden by a tapestry. A Death Eater opened the door and Wormtail entered the already crowded drawing room, dragging Harry behind him on his leash of chains. The boy's hands had once again been chained behind his back and his ankles were shackled. Wormtail pushed him forward until they were standing beside Voldemort in front of the fireplace.

Voldemort grasped his most prized possession firmly with one pale hand under his chin. The other hand stroked the boy's jet black hair, as if he were a beloved pet.

The Order looked upon the boy sadly. After being held captive for nearly two weeks, he was even paler and thinner than usual. Harry's eyes, once a bright, emerald green, had dimmed. His scar now looked more prominent than ever on his sweaty forehead. Bruises could be seen through the gaps in the dirty Hogwarts robes he wore.

He looked like he had been through hell.

Harry took a long look at the rescue party. Dumbledore couldn't help but notice that despite Harry's appearance, there was still a tiny bit of spark left in his gaze. The old headmaster felt the pride flow within him like a river. Lily and James would have been proud to learn of their son's never-ending fighting spirit.

The gag in Harry's mouth prevented him from speaking, but the expression on his face clearly said what he could not.

I knew you would come.

After what seemed like an eternity to Sirius, Dumbledore finally spoke up again.

"Well, Tom, if you'll just hand Harry over to us, we will be on our way."

Sirius stared at Dumbledore in shock. He was itching for a fight! He wanted to teach Voldemort and his followers a lesson for what they had done to his godson.

Voldemort laughed a high, cruel laugh; it was almost a snakelike hiss.

"And why on Earth would I do that? He is my property now! His blood runs through my veins, Dumbledore! You might say we were kin…that a part of me lives inside him…"

At his words, something clicked inside Harry's brain. The reason why he could talk to snakes…the way he could see into Voldemort's mind, and Voldemort could see into his…why his scar hurt whenever the Dark Lord was around…It all made sense now…

Voldemort had been keeping him alive for the last week because a part of him lived inside Harry!

"Neither can live while the other survives."

As the realization hit him, Harry hung his head in disbelief.

The Dark Lord knew then that he had won.

"It has certainly been a pleasure catching up with you, Dumbledore," he said in a loud voice, "but, I think it is time that Harry and I found other accommodations. My friends will show you out."

"LIKE HELL!"

"Sirius, wait!"

Once again, the warning came too late. As Voldemort and Wormtail slowly dragged Harry back to the hidden door, the room erupted into chaos. The Death Eaters began shooting curse after curse at the Order members who were trying to fight their way towards Harry. The last thing Harry saw before Wormtail closed the door to the hidden staircase was Sirius reaching out to him. Then, the world went black around them, and the three Disapparated.

Harry felt as if he was being sucked up in Aunt Petunia's vacuum cleaner. Having never apparated before, he was finding difficult to breathe as the wind started to pick up. His legs began kicking wildly in a desperate attempt to escape, but Voldemort and Wormtail simply tightened their grip on his arms.

Finally, the world stopped spinning, and Harry felt his feet hit solid ground. As he tried to get his bearings, his heart jumped into his throat.

The three had apparated in the graveyard of Little Hangleton.

It came as no surprise to Harry when, five minutes later, he found himself once again tied to the tombstone of Voldemort's father. The memories of the events that had occurred during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament threatened to overwhelm him, yet he was somehow able to remain calm.

What did surprise him, however, was Voldemort taking the gag out of his mouth.

"Why did you do that? Aren't you afraid that I will draw attention to where we are?"

Voldemort's sneer was back.

"Not at all, my dear Harry! By all means, scream as much as you'd like! It will do you no good, of course….the village below has been empty for quite some time now…tragic, really."

Harry felt the icy words touch his heart. Voldemort had murdered an entire village of Muggles!

"YOU SNAKE!," Harry roared angrily, "YOU ROTTEN, UGLY SON OF A-!"

"Language, Harry. It appears that I will once again have to teach you some manners."

Voldemort started to pace in front of Harry once more.

"You and Severus tried to deceive me, Potter," the Dark Lord almost whispered, "Of course you must know that I cannot allow this to go unpunished. Snape should have been taken care of by my followers and left for dead, so there's no reason to worry about him any longer. My friends will join us shortly once Dumbledore and his pathetic Order are destroyed. But what should I do to you?"

"You might as well just kill me know, Tom. I'm still not telling you where the headquarters is!"

Harry could almost feel the intense anger that flashed in his enemy's eyes at his words. He would definitely be punished for that outburst.

He was right.

"CRUCIO!"

When Voldemort finally lifted the curse, Harry was leaning his head back against the headstone panting and sweating.

Voldemort began to walk towards the house on the hill with Wormtail following close behind him.

"I think a night in the graveyard is a suitable start to your punishment, Potter. I suggest you try to get a good night's sleep while you can. You might not get another one for quite some time."

"I can hardly wait," spat Harry.

"Pleasant dreams, Harry."

Moments later, the Dark Lord vanished into the darkness.

It was going to be a long night.

Earlier that night…

The scurrying of rat feet could be heard as Snape turned to leave Harry's cell in Malfoy Manor.

"Professor! What happens if the plan goes wrong?"

Snape gave Harry a last look.

"Keep the phoenix feather close. As long as you have it in your possession, the Order will be able to find you."

"And if Voldemort finds out about it?"

"He won't be able to. The phoenix has bonded with you and you alone. Only you will be able to see and feel it."

Then, the Potions Master left Harry's cell, ready to prepare for his final act as double-agent.

A/N: And that concludes Chapter 10! Was it worth the wait? I certainly hope so! I'm getting ready to go out of town for a week, so I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but I will try to have the next chapter ready soon. Don't forget to review, and have a terrific week! And for my fans in the U.S., have a great 4th of July! See you soon!

Love, Mickeygirl20 :)