Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable belongs to J K Rowling. Also this story is inspired by 'A Shattered Prophecy' by Project Dark Overlord.

Chapter Twelve

It had been almost nine hours since Harry was locked in a cell on lower ground of Nurmengard. With each passing minute, the cold seemed to get worse, making Harry shiver uncontrollably. He found sitting was unbearable as the concrete ground only sent the cold deeper into his aching body. He chose to stand, occasionally leaning against the walls for support.

Harry did what he could to keep warm; he pulled at his robes, trying to wrap them as tight as he could around his trembling body. But since his hands were shackled in Kelso cuffs, which had a very short chain between the cuffs, he couldn't quite manage the task. He tried to preserve as much heat as he could by hugging his hands close to his chest. He stamped his feet on the ground, trying to force the numbness out of them that the cold had brought on. Occasionally, he blew on his hands, trying to warm them, noting with dismay that his hands and fingers were beginning to show signs of frostbite. But the only thing that did was make his mouth drier. He cursed himself for ignoring the goblet of water that morning. He had found that no meals or water were sent to the cells on lower ground. The last time he had ate or drank anything was yesterday morning's breakfast at Riddle Manor, so by now, almost thirty three hours later, he was desperately hungry and thirsty.

The air was heavy and sluggish, even though it was so cold, and it made Harry feel light headed. His chest ached with the effort of breathing and he found himself wishing he could just pass out, so time would pass quickly.

He could hear the sound of waves outside. There was a storm slowly building outside the prison and the sound of the thunderous waves slamming against the rocky island that held Nurmengard was unnerving. Harry tried ignoring it but the ominous feeling only continued to grow as the storm seemed to get worse. He could almost make out the sound of the wind, strong and forceful, whistling outside the walls of the prison.

Harry was distracted when he heard a door slamming open before footsteps echoed through the corridor. Harry stayed where he was, leaning against the wall, trying with all his might to stop shivering. Jackson came into his line of vision and he felt his anger peak at the sight of the smirking man.

"So, have you cooled down yet?" Jackson asked.

"You started it." Harry replied.

Jackson smiled, tilting his head to the side a little to observe the petulant teen.

"Yes, well that was your fault too." he said. "If you had just answered the questions, I wouldn't have lost my temper with you."

"I did answer your questions." Harry pointed out.

"With useless answers." Jackson replied.

Harry straightened up but stayed where he was.

"Like I said, that's not my problem."

This time, Jackson didn't get angry. Instead he smiled at Harry, almost as if he found the answer amusing.

"You know, the more I try not to, the more I'm beginning to like you." he said with a chuckle. "I gotta hand it to you, kid. You have some nerve."

"I'm touched." Harry replied dryly.

Jackson gave Harry another unsettling look before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. Immediately, Harry tensed up, staring at the wand before his eyes focused on the man's face.

"Have you had enough?" Jackson asked. "If you want, I can take you out of here and back upstairs to your other cell. At least it's warmer." he tempted.

Harry stared at him for a minute, trying to work the man out.

"What happened to staying here the whole night?" he asked.

Jackson shrugged.

"You've been here the entire morning and afternoon. I think that's enough." he replied. "Don't you?"

Harry was still suspicious. He couldn't see why the guard would change his mind. But Harry was painfully cold, hungry and incredibly thirsty. His body ached like never before and all he wanted was a warm place to sleep. He moved towards the door, the only indication he was willing to give that he wanted out.

Jackson chuckled and touched the wand to the door. He didn't say the incantation to open the door though. He paused and looked up at Harry. He pulled the wand away from the door.

"You know, I'm doing you a favour by letting you out early." he stated. "If you had pulled the sort of crap you did to me, with one of the other guards, they would have left you in here forever." he gazed at Harry, smirking at him again. "I think, since I'm showing you such tolerance, you should be a little more forthcoming, don't you?"

Harry just stared back at him.

"What do you want?" he asked, more curious than anything.

Jackson smiled triumphantly. His gaze dropped from Harry's face to his chest and Harry suddenly realised what he wanted.

"The necklace is special, isn't it?" Jackson asked quietly. "That's why it's charmed so no one else can take it off." he raised his eyes to meet Harry's. "Take it off and hand it to me and I'll let you out."

Harry wasn't surprised with the blackmail. He had seen it coming.

"No." he answered simply.

Jackson's expression hardened.

"If you want to leave this cell, you have to give me your pendant." he stated.

"I'm not giving you it." Harry replied.

Jackson hesitated, his wand still in his hand but not pointing at the door or Harry.

"Let me put it this way," he started, taking a step nearer the cell. "The only time you will leave this freezing cell, is when you hand over your necklace." he said the words slowly and carefully, wanting to ensure the boy understood them.

Harry took a step back, turning to walk back to the wall. He leaned against it again and stared back at the guard with icy green eyes.

"Then I guess I won't be leaving." he replied.

Jackson stared at Harry with a dumbstruck expression. He couldn't believe that was the answer he got. He pocketed his wand and looked back at Harry, shaking his head at him.

"It's your choice." he whispered to him before turning to walk away, leaving Harry alone again.

xxx

James, Remus and Sirius had apparated onto the mainland. The strong wind swiped at their faces, making their robes billow around them. Thankfully, the co-ordinates James had acquired had them apparate at the main dock, from which they had to take a boat to Nurmengard, so they didn't have to battle their way in the windy weather. They met with the wizard that would take them across to the island. There was only one problem.

"What do you mean you can't take us?" James asked.

The grey haired man shrugged.

"Exactly that, I can't take yeh across." He turned and pointed at the sea. "Yeh see that?" he asked, referring to the violent tides. "That's a warnin. There's a storm risin. I ain't taken a boat out in these waters. It's too dangerous."

James was beside himself with annoyance.

"You have to understand, we only have clearance to enter Nurmengard tonight! You have to take us across!"

The man shook his head again.

"Sorry mate! There's nothin I can do."

"Can we take a boat ourselves?" Remus asked.

The man smiled, revealing his crooked yellowing teeth.

"Sure! Yeh can take one but yeh ain't gettin very far with it!" he twirled his wand in his hand. "They're magically bound to me yeh see. They'll only operate if I'm the one steerin them."

James cursed. He couldn't believe he had made it so close but he wasn't able to get to Nurmengard. He turned to the aged wizard, Dennis Marlin, who was in charge of taking people to and from the prison.

"The weather's not that bad. Surely you can handle the water?" he said.

Marlin chuckled.

"Aye, but why should I risk it?" He turned his hazel eyes to the water again. "I've spent most of me life on these waters. I can read em like the back of me hand." he looked back at three Aurors. "There's gonna be a storm surge soon and let me assure yeh, it'll be brutal!"

Remus and Sirius shared a look. They were ready to turn back and leave. James however wasn't convinced.

"How soon? Because it only takes an hour to get from the mainland to Nurmengard." he argued. "We can make it before the storm hits."

The grey haired man looked surprised.

"Yeh know an awful lot about Nurmengard." he chuckled.

"Occupational hazard." James returned. "So, are you taking us?"

Marlin shook his head again.

"It's a matter of safety. I ain't taken yeh lot."

James turned to look at his two friends before looking back at the man. He slipped his hand into his robes pocket.

"How about now?" he asked, holding out a small bag, filled with gold coins. "Can we make it across before the storm?"

Marlin eyed the bag carefully, before his gaze lifted to James' face.

"It really is unsafe..."

"I believe you." James interrupted. "But I also believe we can make it across to Nurmengard before the storm hits." he shook the bag gently, making the galleons inside rattle. "What do you think?"

Marlin looked uncertain.

"I don't know, it'll still be a rough journey..."

James dug a hand through his trouser pocket, pulling out a fistful of gold coins. He added them to the bag.

"And now?" he asked, dangling the bag in front of the man.

Marlin took the bag from James, a grin on his face.

"Hop on aboard!" he chuckled.

xxx

Harry paced the length of his small cell in an effort to keep warm. He didn't know what else to do so he kept his pace up, trying his best to stay active. His head was thumping painfully, his headache worse with the cold.

"Come on, Harry! Don't think about it!" he muttered to himself, as he rubbed at his scar with his bound hands. He forced himself to keep moving.

He could hear the rapid and thunderous sound of the water, beating down on the rocky island and he felt the cold intensify because of it. He didn't know how he was going to brave the cold for the rest of his time in Nurmengard. He had no doubt that Jackson was going to keep him here until he agreed to hand over the pendant. Harry scoffed to himself. He would die before handing his father's Horcrux over to the Ministry. Harry paused mid step and glanced around his cell. He probably would die here because he didn't hand over the pendant. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Harry resumed his fast pacing. It wouldn't do well to think such things.

It was only when Harry happened to glance over during his pacing that he noticed it. He paused mid step, halting completely. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of the dark stain, steadily spreading on the floor of the corridor, outside his cell. He walked towards the bars, staring out at the strange sight. The flickering torches on the walls of the corridor gave enough light for Harry to make out what he was seeing, he just couldn't believe it.

A steady stream of water was spreading from the furthest side of the corridor and was slowly making it's way across, spilling into the cells. Harry stepped away as thin trickles of water entered into his cell. Harry looked at it in surprised shock. What the hell was going on?

xxx

On the ground floor, inside the guards break room, two guards were busy talking, sipping at their hot cups of tea, discussing their youngest prisoner.

"I can't believe he's only sixteen." Davis said, shaking his head. "I thought he would be a lot older, judging by all the things he's done." he took a gulp of his tea as he brought back the details he had read in the paper that morning, about the Dark Prince's crimes. "It's kind of sad, no?"

Jackson shrugged.

"He's the spawn of evil itself," he said. "I don't feel sorry for him."

Davis raised an eyebrow at him but didn't fight the statement. Voldemort was evil in every sense of the word.

"Are you really going to keep him in the lower cell?" Davis asked.

Jackson pulled a face.

"Of course not! I might be reckless but I'm not stupid." he picked up his cup. "He'll die of hypothermia in that place. I just want him to think that he's staying there. That way he'll do what I ask of him without giving me cheek."

"And what is that, exactly?" Davis asked, even though he knew what it was his friend wanted from the boy. "Why do you want that pendant so badly?" he came outright and asked.

Jackson hesitated in answering.

"It's not just a pendant. It wouldn't be so heavily protected if it was just a necklace. I want to see what's so special about it, since it's charmed so securely."

"So it's just a case of curiosity?" Davis asked. "That's why you're being harsh with him?"

"That and to break the boy's spirit. He's too confident. He needs to see where he is and that he's not the one in control any more, we are." Jacked took a sip of his tea. "The sooner he learns that, the easier things will get for him.

Davis nodded in understanding and both men lapsed into silence for a minute.

"When are you bringing him back upstairs?" Davis asked.

Jackson smirked.

"Another hour at least." he said. "I'll get him for about seven. That way, he can swallow his pride and have his dinner before he sleeps off the cold in his warm cell." he grinned at Davis. "Bloody teenagers, hot headed idiots!"

xxx

Harry pulled at the bars of his cell, trying with all his strength and might to break them apart. The cell was old but reinforced by magic, the bars wouldn't budge. Harry slammed both hands against the bars in anger, achieving nothing more that a smarting pain in his hands.

"Very funny, Jackson!" he yelled out. "If this is your attempt to scare me, it's not going to work!"

He was certain that the water flooding his cell was a prank of the guard. A way to scare him into handing over the pendant. He was expecting the smirking face of the guard to appear any second now, ridiculing him and demanding the pendant in return of being saved from drowning.

But the water had now reached past his knees and there was no sign of the guard. Harry kicked out at the bars again in panicked frustration.

"Hey! Jackson!" he yelled. "Cut it out, you son-of-a-bitch!"

But he got no answer in return.

The freezing water continued to flood into the cell, filling it and the corridor, at an alarming rate. Harry could see it wasn't just his cell that was being flooded. The empty cells next to him were filling up with water too. He found it strange that the empty cells were being flooded. If this was a attempt to scare him, surely it would just be his cell that would be flooded.

A terrible thought occurred to him then. What if this wasn't a prank by Jackson? What if this was a genuine flood? Harry knew no guard would be checking up on him tonight. There were no meals scheduled to be delivered and Jackson would probably come to see him in the morning. But by then, it would be too late. He would already have drowned.

Harry pulled at the Kelso cuffs around his wrists, trying desperately to get them off so he could open the cell door and get out. But no matter how much he pulled at them or how brutally he tried to force his hands out of them, the cuffs stayed put.

"Fuck!" Harry swore, giving up on the cuffs. "Fuck!...fuck!"

The water was now at Harry's waist, numbing his lower half with it's icy grip. Harry struggled to think straight. The cold was already unbearable but now with the cold water threatening him, he couldn't stop the panic from overwhelming him.

Harry tried the door again, willing his exceptional raw magic to force it's way out, past the Kelso cuffs, and unlock the door. But no matter how long he kept his hands on the door or how hard he tried to break past the cuffs, his wandless magic failed to make it past the cuffs.

Harry pulled his hands away, instead wrapping them around the bars and he violently pulled on them again. He needed to get out of the cell. The ceiling of the cell was a lot lower than that of the main corridor. If he could make it out of his cell and get to the corridor, he would stand a chance of survival.

xxx

Jackson was in the main office, talking to a fellow guard, Hugh Beckett, about the handful of prisoners Nurmengard had, when he heard a knock at the door. He frowned, no one usually knocked on the door. The office was available to whichever guard needed it. Before he or Beckett could call out to ask who was there, the door opened and an astonished looking Davis walked in, with three blue robed Aurors trailing behind him.

"Jackson, you have to see this." Davis said as he walked inside.

Jackson didn't have a chance to wonder what his colleague was talking about. He saw it the moment the man walked in behind Davis. The messy hair and strikingly similar features made Jackson reach for his wand reflexively.

"Whoa!" James halted mid step, throwing his hands up in the air, as the guard pulled his wand out and aimed at him. "What are you doing?"

Behind James, Remus and Sirius pulled out their wands, aiming at the blond haired guard.

"Jackson, It's all right." Davis said, reaching out a hand towards him. "I've checked them. They're Aurors from the Ministry. Their passes are verified."

Jackson, still wasn't convinced.

"Who are you?" he asked the wizard he was targeting.

"Auror James Potter," James replied. "Do you mind lowering your wand?" he asked derisively. "We happen to be on the same side!"

Jackson lowered his wand, making Remus and Sirius mirror the action. Jackson stared wide eyed at James.

"You look...so much like..." he stopped suddenly, narrowing his eyes at him, "Wait, did you say, Potter? Auror James Potter?" he asked.

James was looking at the guard with severe dislike.

"Yeah," he replied tightly. "Why?"

Jackson stared at him dumb-founded.

"As in the Auror Potter who took down Karakoff?" Jackson asked. "You're the Auror that uncovered Dolohov of being a Death Eater?" he looked at James with awe. "I've heard about you. You're somewhat of a legend when it comes to capturing Death Eaters."

James relaxed a little. An awkward smile graced his face.

"Yeah, well, I didn't do it alone. I had plenty of help." he grinned, looking back at Remus and Sirius, who were grinning back at him. He looked back at the guard."Do you usually attack anyone who comes to your office?" he asked Jackson.

The guard seemed to snap out of his daze. His eyes sharpened as he took in the similar face again.

"No, I...sorry. You caught me off guard. You have a very uncanny resembl-"

A sudden beeping sound interrupted him, making all the men in the room look around at the wooden shelf, holding more than a dozen clear orbs. One of them was flashing.

"What's wrong now?" Beckett muttered, walking over to the orb. He stared at it for a second. "Another flood." he announced. "Looks like we get one every time a storm hits." he turned around to face his colleagues and Aurors.

Jackson muttered something under his breath. He was getting so sick of this. Any time the weather got too rough or a storm hit, the surge tide would cause severe flooding. But of course, nothing was done about it. They had just been told to keep prisoners out of the affected section of the prison.

"Let me guess, lower ground, south west again?" he asked.

Beckett shook his head.

"No, south east this time." he said.

Both Jackson and Davis paused, the colour rapidly draining from their faces.

"What? South east?" David asked.

Beckett looked back at the orb and nodded.

"Yeah."

"No, no, no!" Jackson hurried over to the orbs, pushing Beckett out of the way. "South east never floods! It's always ever been south west!" he protested, checking the orb and seeing to his dismay that it was in fact the orb for south east that was flashing, signalling that the area had a problem.

"This place is a dump!" Sirius muttered quietly.

"Prison, Sirius," Remus reminded, just as quietly. "It's a prison, not a holiday resort."

Without another word, Jackson and Davis bolted out of the room, running at top speed. Perplexed and curious, the three Aurors ran behind them, out of the office and down the dark corridor.

"What's going on?" James asked catching up. "Is there a problem?"

Jackson ran to the heavy metal doors and opened them, revealing a winding staircase downwards.

"There's a big problem!" he said, "Fudge will have my head!" he started making his way downstairs, Davis, James, Sirius and Remus following behind him.

"Why? What have you done?" Remus asked.

"I put the boy, the Dark Prince, in one of the cells down here." Jackson explained as he hurried down the steps.

"You what?" James asked, nearly tripping down the stairs. "Why would you lock him here?"

"He was being cheeky." Jackson explained. "I was questioning him and he tried to fight back. It was only supposed to be for a short time, just to get him to behave." Jackson jumped the last few steps and ran to the double doors ahead.

"Why would you lock anyone down here when you know the place is vulnerable to flooding?" Remus asked angrily.

"This is the first time this section has flooded!" Jackson said, taking out his wand. "I wouldn't put any of my prisoners' lives in danger. I take my work seriously!"

"Clearly!" Sirius mocked.

Jackson ignored the remark and quickly cast a bubble charm on the door, encasing the doorway in a shimmering clear bubble.

"Alohomora!" he yelled.

The doors opened and the bubble encasing the entire door frame was the only thing that stopped the sudden rush of water from knocking the men to the ground.

"Oh fuck!" Jackson swore when he saw the lower ground corridor.

The water had filled the chamber, almost reaching midway. The water had reached the point where the wall torches were hanging and had now extinguished them, making it too dark to see into the cells.

"Lumos!"

Both Jackson and Davis lit their wands, trying to see into the cells. The three Aurors did the same to help see the situation better.

The water had flooded the cells completely. The water was just touching the ceiling of the cells but even now continued to rise above it, filling the chamber itself.

"We're too late!" Davis exclaimed.

James felt his stomach clench painfully at the sight. The boy was locked in one of those cells, unable to get out as the water continued to fill it. He felt sick at the thought of the boy drowning, completely helpless to save himself.

"Oh, God! He's dead!" Jackson was panicking. "I killed him! Oh fuck! I'm dead. Fudge will have my head! Fuck!"

"Which cell was he in?" James asked, grabbing Jackson's arm to make the man focus on him.

"The...the fourth one." Jackson muttered, still in shock over what he had unintentionally done.

James quickly let go of the man and pulled off his outer robe before kicking off his shoes.

"James! What are you doing?" Remus asked, moving forward to grab a hold of him.

"We might still have a chance. The water has just touched past the ceiling of the cells. He might still be alive." James explained in a rush. "If I can get to the cell, I can unlock it and pull him out."

"Are you insane?" Sirius asked. "There is no way he could have survived. The water is freezing! If he didn't drown already he would have died from being in cold water for so long!" he grabbed at his friend. "Prongs, he's dead!"

James pulled out of both men's grips.

"You don't know that! I still have to try!"

James cast the bubble head charm on himself, allowing him to breathe under water, and without another second of thought he jumped through the secure charm on the door and into the freezing water. As soon as he plunged into the water, the cold hit him like punch in the gut. He gasped, an involuntary reaction to the cold shock of the water. If it wasn't for the bubble head charm, he would have swallowed water.

It was pitch black. He couldn't tell which way was up and which was down. His moment of disorientation had him cursing. He was wasting precious seconds. He would lose the Dark Prince if he didn't get to him quickly.

Suddenly, two blasts of light seared above his head, tearing their way across the surface of the water and giving James his necessary light. Two balls of golden light dropped into the water, right before him. James smiled, at least Remus and Sirius were thinking straight.

James swam quickly, the two balls of light floating alongside him. James turned to his right, trying to make out the direction of the cells. The light was helpful but only for his immediate surroundings. He swam forward, pushing himself to swim as fast as possible. He caught sight of metal bars ahead of him. He had reached the cells, now he just had to figure out which cell was the fourth one without wasting too much time. It was hard underwater to get your bearings right.

He wondered to himself how long someone could hold their breath underwater. A minute, two, three maybe four at the most? He knew some, like professional swimmers could hold their breath for up to five, six minutes but how long could someone who had recently been injured hold their breath for? His own thoughts had him swimming frantically, trying to get to the cells as fast as he could. He reached one and grabbed at the bars, peering into the darkness. He directed one of the balls of light to go inside the cell. It did and James saw it was empty. He pushed away from the cell and swam to the next one. This one was empty too.

With a sense of urgency, James swam to the next, willing himself to be as quick as possible. He grabbed at the bars of the next cell, the floating lights at his side. Before James could see into the cell, something grabbed at the bars. He felt fingers brushing against his own. Startled, he looked up just as the two balls of light floated up towards his head. The light shone brightly, allowing James to see the boy on the other side of the bars. The familiar pair of emerald green eyes blinked in surprise at him.

James gasped, the bubble head charm allowing the reaction, otherwise he would have swallowed a lot of water. He stared at the boy, a young replica of himself but with Lily's green eyes. He was brought out of his stupor when the green eyes narrowed at him and the bars he was holding shook a little. He realised the boy was pulling at the bars, trying to signal he wanted out.

James came out of his shocked daze and quickly pointed his wand at the door, casting the spell to unlock it. He pulled the door open and grabbed a hold of the boy from his robes. Pulling him along, James swam upwards, trying to get to the surface as fast as possible. He could see the air bubbles escaping from the boy's mouth. They broke past the surface of the water in a matter of seconds. James ended the bubble head charm and focused on the boy coughing and gaping desperately for air. He swam towards the group of wizards waiting for them.

"Oh thank God!" Jackson said in relief, seeing the boy was still breathing.

Remus and Sirius neared the edge of the door, reaching out to help their friend with the boy. Davis and Jackson reached out too. James swam awkwardly, one arm around the boy and the other pushing at the water to swim. He reached the doorway and he first pushed the boy out of the freezing water. Davis and Remus grabbed a hold of the boy's arms and pulled him out. Remus noticed the cuffs, binding the boy's hands together as he grabbed a hold of his arm to pull him out. He looked over at the guards angrily.

Remus and Davis deposited the still coughing and gasping boy on the ground. Sirius and Jackson helped James out of the water.

"James, you okay?" Sirius asked in concern, as James collapsed against the wall, leaning heavily on it.

James didn't answer. He stayed on the ground, his eyes fixed on the trembling boy before him. Remus and Sirius looked over at the boy as well, seeing him properly this time. The dark haired boy turned his face slightly towards them, staring at them before his eyes travelled back to James. Remus and Sirius saw the sharp green eyes and the face that resembled a young James Potter.

"Oh, God!" Sirius choked out. "James...what...?"

James didn't say a word but continued to stare at the boy, not daring to believe what he saw before him.

xxx