A/N: Long, long chapter ahead. To make up for the wait. Enjoy!
Broken Perceptions
Shadow appeared on the down slope of the cliff. He could hear the ocean a quarter of a mile away and taste salt in the air. The ground was rocky and grassy, slightly moist from dew. It was two forty-five in the morning, the moon already below the horizon, leaving the landscape shrouded in darkness. He could hardly see ten feet in front of him.
He saw no trees and for a moment panicked. How was Neville going to find him? But then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There! Something was… It was a sapling! It was growing straight out of the ground at rapid speed, unfurling and sprouting. Within ten minutes, a fairly large oak stood where none had before and silently transformed into Neville. Shadow could only stare in shock. He knew his brother was powerful, but this was incredible.
"Are you okay?" Shadow asked, moving to support his brother.
Neville looked pale and was out of breath, but otherwise was all right. He told Shadow so. "We'd better hurry. We have about four minutes until the Order starts showing up. What's your plan?"
"Well, I can confidently Apparate to where I fell. I have my broom and I'll jump on it, hopefully before I hit the water. Lucius already keyed me through the Impenetrable Ward, so I'll just fly through the cave opening. Can you do this Earth traveling-thing to find me in there? I don't think the wards will let you in physically, but if you can go under them, or around them, or whatever it is you do, that would be good. Otherwise, I'll wait for you inside and you can come in when the Order breaks through the wards on the caves."
"Okay," Neville nodded firmly. "See you inside. Don't forget to wait for me!"
"I won't," Shadow smiled, worry shining in his eyes. He knew how dangerous this was, but doing anything else was unacceptable. He just hoped his brother wouldn't be hurt, caught in the middle.
He slipped his backpack off his shoulder and reached in for his broom. Unshrinking it, he took a deep breath and Apparated, vividly recalling the mouth of the cave, the rush of wind, and the hungry roar of the ocean. And then he was falling for a second time. Heart rocketing in his chest, he shoved the broom between his legs and screamed, "Up!"
The broom jerked violently, almost flinging him off, then he was careening forward toward the rocky cliff-face. He screamed again as he pulled up as hard as he could. Water sprayed into his face, soaked his right pant leg. His left knee scrapped painfully along the wall, and then he was soaring upwards. Panting, he hovered there.
An explosion rocked the night, muffled by the sound of the ocean. A bright flare of light - orange and purple - erupted like candle flames. The Order had arrived. Desperately, he searched for the mouth of the cave, but it was un-seeable, masked by spells. Closing his eyes, he tentatively probed the wall with his magic, looking for a thicker magical buildup and… Yes! He shot forward and held his breath.
Just as he was about to crash, he shut his eyes and gasped in relief as he shot through nothing but air. Shaking, Shadow dismounted and quickly shrunk his broom, returning it to his bag. He listened. He could hear the battle outside only vaguely, muffled by the thick rock. There was no movement inside near him that he could tell.
Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to crouch and examine his knee. His pants were shredded and the skin was trickling blood. Again he reached for his bag and quickly patched it with a spelled gauze pad. He jerked in surprise as a tree began to grow a foot beside him. Scowling at himself, hating that his entrance stunt had shaken him so badly, he forced himself calm and brought up his Occlumency shields to their fullest. It would protect him and distance his emotions.
Neville crouched beside him, his face dripping with sweat, and whispered in his ear. "About half of the Order is attacking the parameter as a distraction to the south. The rest are Apparating into the blind spot to the east right before the main entrance and attacking the wards on the caves themselves."
"Good. We're more north than east. If we do this right, we shouldn't run into too many Death Eaters or the Order." He stood and offered a hand up to his brother. Neville took it. Shadow pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and flung it around their shoulders. He wasn't a first year anymore and the cloak couldn't hide them both completely. But thankfully Neville was also wearing all black. Hopefully their shoes and about two inches of the bottom of their pants would go unnoticed in the dark caves.
Silently, the two teens crept forward, going deeper into enemy territory. Shadow kept all his senses as open as he could make them, especially his Empathy. He could feel the panic, fear, and affronted rage mixing and swirling in the caves before them. Faint from distance, battle adrenaline and joy, mingled with rage and hate above and to the side. It was exhausting and slightly disorientating, but it was worth it. He knew when a Death Eater approached them long before their ears picked up anything.
Shadow flung his arm out and pulled Neville against the wall. He had been waiting for exactly this. As the figure in a black hood and shining white mask came around the corner, he lifted his wand. Neville's eyes went wide, his fear spiking so high that it blanketed the storm of emotion coming from everywhere else. Shadow grit his teeth and cast the strongest binding spell he knew, following it closely with a silencing spell and summoning the Death Eater's wand and mask.
Carefully, Shadow closed down his Empathy and shakily ran his hand over his face. He had been inches away from overloading.
"Why did you do that?" Neville hissed.
"We need him to take us to my father and Draco," Shadow snapped. He tore the cloak off and stalked over to the man who lay helpless on the cold stone floor. Shadow couldn't help smirking; it served the bastard right after locking him away in the small room for days without water or light.
The man looked completely average, brown hair and eyes, unremarkable face. He could have been in his mid-twenties or mid-thirties. And he had a completely average expression of fear on his face, but that drained away into obvious anger when he saw it was only a teen who had taken him down. His eyes communicated threats.
Shadow tisked and knelt down by his head. "I'm going to give you good advice. Think clearly of the location of Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy. Otherwise, this is going to hurt. You see, I haven't practiced this very much."
That said, he gripped the man's face and stared into his eyes. Legemency was a sister art to Occlumency. Being good at one, didn't necessarily make you good at the other. Shadow carefully pushed his consciousness forward, leaving behind the protections of his own mind and slipped behind the eyes before him.
It was hard. Hard to leave his own space, hard to push into the foreign mind that naturally resisted his presence. He clawed his way forward an inch at a time, instantly realizing that though he studied this process from books and experienced Severus doing it to him several times, he had no great skill or understanding of what he was suppose to be doing. If the Death Eater had any Occlumency skill, this would have been impossible.
Neville bit his lip hard as the man went rigid underneath Shadow. He stood fretfully, terrified another Death Eater was going to happen upon them. Shadow was panting with effort, the muscles on the back of his neck standing out as he strained slowly forward, his face lowering ever so slowing toward the Death Eater's.
He almost jumped out of his skin completely when the man started screaming, blood slowly oozing out of his nose. Neville frantically cast Silencing Charms around them. He didn't think it was a good sign that Shadow's charm had failed. He wanted to jerk his brother away from the man, but knew enough to be certain that was a bad idea. Forcing mental connections apart would hurt both people.
Hurry up, hurry up, the thought frantically, turning to watch the mouth of the hallway in case the man's screams had garnered attention.
Shadow gasped and finally retreated back into his own mind. He felt heavy and his mind oversaturated with things that didn't belong there. He had no idea how Severus, or anyone for that matter, could stand it. But he had what he needed to know, among a wealth of stuff he didn't, like the man's favorite color and his pet's name.
"Let's go," he croaked and forced himself to stand.
It wasn't hard to let the information he didn't want metaphorically drain out his ears. As more and more of Brandon's memories and thoughts spilled from him, leaving only vague impressions, his disorientation slowly lessoned. He blinked and was surprised to realize Neville was supporting him in a weird parody of a hug. Shadow quickly jerked upright on his own power and wiped at the sweat dripping into his eyes.
"I know where they are," he explained.
"What about him?" Neville gestured to the Death Eater lying unconscious on the floor.
"Leave him. I don't think he'll be coherent for a while even if he wakes up," Shadow answered with a shrug and moved forward, turning down the right hand corridor.
Neville frowned. He wasn't comfortable with Shadow's casual dismissal of the damage he had caused. Injuring another person's mind was one of the most evil things there was. He thought of his parents and clenched his fists. He was definitely talking to his brother when this was all over with. Surely there had been another way. They could have asked for the information, or threatened the man for it, or tried a tracking spell. Something!
Shadow was unaware of Neville's distress. He was completely focused on the task at hand. They had to dodge six more Death Eaters, all moving quickly to either escape or defend the caves, some rushing past them, some rushing in the opposite direction. They even caught a glimpse of Tonks down a conjoined hallway. She was cackling madly as she chased a Death Eater in full retreat.
Finally, they reached the door Shadow had learned of within Brandon's mind. He quickly checked for spells and found none. He flung it open and stepped into the room. It was bigger than the one he had been locked in and had furniture: a bed, a dresser, and a second door was open revealing a bathroom. Draco was laying on his stomach, sound asleep.
Shadow hurried over, Neville shutting the door behind them, and reached for his friend's shoulder. He froze, his hand hovering an inch above bare skin. Draco lay topless, the covers coming halfway up his back. Long red welts criss-crossed his shoulders. Shadow felt all the blood drain from his face and it was as if time itself stopped. His fingers moved of their own accord and pulled the blanket down to the blond's waist. The welts covered the whole of his back, the skin tender and still healing. Draco had been whipped.
The blond stirred and opened his eyes. He felt sleepy still and suspected Professor Snape's healing draught had been mixed with sleep inducing ingredients. He turned over languidly, only to freeze, eyes going wide. Shadow stood beside his bed, looking down at him. He was sweaty and disheveled, but it was the look in his blue and green eyes that arrested him. They were hard, cold, and utterly devastated. Draco sat up quickly, blushing with shame. Though he wasn't sure what for.
"Your father?" Shadow whispered distantly. He felt like he was watching all of this from within a Pensieve. Like he wasn't really standing there.
"What are you doing here?" Draco demanded, ignoring the question. He quickly got out of bed and went to the dresser for a shirt and robe. Partly to get away from his friend's expression.
"We need to hurry," Neville spoke. Draco jumped, startled. He hadn't noticed the quiet Gryffindor standing there. "We still need to find Professor Snape."
"What are you two doing?" the blond demanded again, now fully angry. He had done all this to get Shadow away from this place and here he was with Longbottom, of all people!
"The Order is attacking at full strength. They are determined to break this stronghold. I wanted to make sure that you and my father got out unharmed and not as prisoners," Shadow explained. He was still staring down at the bed.
"What?" Draco gasped, shocked. As if to prove Shadow's statement, the floor rocked under the strength of a distant explosion.
"We have to go!" Neville insisted. "Do you know where Professor Snape is?"
"Not for sure," Draco shook his head. He tucked his blond hair behind his ear and readied his wand. "But I know where the labs are. He's usually there."
Shadow nodded and let Draco take the lead. He felt calm, warm ice crackling through his limbs as Demon's laugh resonated through his head. The anger pulsed inside him, seductive and powerful, and all he could think of was that Lucius Malfoy would pay for whipping Draco.
Flashes of dream-memory sparked behind his eyes. It was as if he stood in the room and watched as Vernon whipped Boy. He couldn't feel the pain, but he watched the too skinny child's skin part, red flowering out in a curtain, sprinkling Vernon and the walls. He heard the short, sharp screams awakened by the lick of the bloody whip - the long tortured moans of pain as the child arched with agony - the gasping sobs when Boy was too exhausted for even screams - as Vernon struck again and again.
It was as if Demon were riding him, wrapped around his shoulders, his clawed fingers gripping his hair, but the alter wasn't trying to come Out. He was merely sharing the rage, communing with Shadow, whispering to him like he constantly whispered to Boy. In that moment, Shadow saw how Boy and Demon were two different faces of the same entity. Demon was aware of all of Boy's sufferings because he was the pure rage produced by them. He hated the people and the world that inflicted and allowed such suffering of an innocent child, while Boy feared people and the world for the same reasons.
Demon's magic spilled around the cracks of his soul. Then the flashes behind his eyes were of Draco as the demon's magic summoned them from the very air. Through a hazy mist of red, they watched as Lucius spelled his son violently to the floor and physically tore his robe and shirt from his body. Yelled words of disappointment and rage for letting "the Snape brat" escape saturated the air. A snap of those long fingers and a submissive Death Eater brought him the whip. It was thick and vicious looking. It tore through Draco's skin like butter and his screams rang through the air. Faster and faster, more blood flowed, and the screams became keens of agony, became weak moans, became helpless wretched sobs. All punctured by sharp yelps and the sharp crack of leather. And Lucius grinned manically, madness in his eyes, while the four Death Eaters did nothing to stop the madness and suffering of Shadow's best friend.
The only thing keeping Shadow from hunting down every last Death Eater - This second, this instant! - and making sure they PAY was ironically Demon. His alter's whispers and promises of utter destruction for everyone who had ever caused them harm trapped him helplessly in a half-trance of rage. Shadow was caught somewhere between letting Demon Out or staying conscious so that he could collect their revenge himself.
Neville constantly looked back at his brother, worry tightening his stomach muscles and sweat decorating his brow. His Earth sense was screaming as the faint scent of Demon's magic, the antithesis of Neville's own, wafted around Shadow's form. His brother's face was utterly expressionless and bone white, his eyes looked unfocused as he walked as if in a trance after them. It was like he was a puppet, and Neville literally shook with the fear that at any moment the puppet was going to come roaring to life with demonic intent.
"Draco…" he whispered. He was terrified speaking would tip the balance and wake Demon, but he decided that he couldn't just stand there silent as the worst happened.
The blond glanced back, impatience in his eyes.
"I can sense Demon's m-m-magic. I think he's cl-cl-close to the surface," Neville explained barely above hearing level.
Draco's eyes went wide and flashed further back to take in Shadow's vacant expression and stiff posture. "Do you have that potion?"
"No. Mine expired," Neville said, wringing his hands nervously.
"Mine, too," Draco hissed furiously. Merlin! As if what they were doing wasn't difficult enough, Shadow was hanging by a thread, about to fall into insanity. -- He couldn't bring himself to admit why Demon might be pressing to be released; the welts on his back suddenly stung. -- They had to find Severus and fast! Dropping all concern about encountering a Death Eater, he began to run.
Their shoes slapped against the stone and they could hear the battle going on all around them. Neville and Draco pleaded with any deity caring enough to listen to keep them clear of the war. But of course, their luck could not last. They rounded the corner and Draco literally crashed into a black-robed figure. Neville skid to a stop and practically lunged at his brother, pinning Shadow to the wall, protecting him with his body.
Draco jerked away from the hands that grasped at him and cast a Cutting Hex. The Death Eater dodged and his pale hand came flashing up. Draco let out a battle cry and flung himself backward, rolling and coming up ready to fling another spell, only to realize that the Death Eater merely reached to take off his mask. Severus stared back at him, eyes practically glowing they were so focused.
"We must move," he hissed furiously. "The Order is attacking and this is the only time to make our escape." He tossed his mask to the floor and removed the outer hooded robe. If they were going to run into the Order's arms, he could not look like the enemy. That would be suicidal. He had only donned the robe so that he could get to Draco more easily.
"Professor… Shadow…" Draco gasped, out of breath. He gestured weakly toward the two shadowed figures huddled against the wall.
Severus froze, eyes widening in shock, before he swooped forward, reaching for his son. His mind raced furiously, imagining all sorts of reasons Draco had said his son's name so desperately. The Longbottom boy was obviously shielding him. Shadow would only ever allow that if he were incapacitated. Severus expected to see gory wounds, his son bleeding out, on the verge of death. He flung Longbottom away and grasped his son by the shoulders, quickly looking him over.
Shadow stood dazed, unresponsive to outside stimuli. But Severus saw no physical wound. He hissed and his wand snapped up, casting diagnostic spells, fearing internal bleeding. All that came back was a severely skinned knee. The sound of spell-battle was getting closer. They could make out a few words and screams now instead of just a jumbled sense of noise. Quickly putting his wand away, Severus tangled his fingers in his son's hair by his temple and dipped carefully into his mind.
A swirling storm of rage swept him up immediately. He could sense Shadow's consciousness entangled in the cold entity that was Demon. They revolved around each other slowly, caught together in the eye of the mental storm, focused solely on each other and the fever-dreams of rage and revenge. Blood swirled around their heads, the rhythmic cracking of a whip flashing like lightning, and screams rolling through like thunder. Severus sucked in his breath, recognizing both Boy and Draco in that deadly song.
Severus couldn't get any closer, couldn't reach his son. But he wasn't about to lose him, not now and not to this. "Shadow," he bellowed, throwing his voice forward like a knife, making it a summons. "Shadow Harold Lillian Snape!"
Shadow heard his name like a fresh breeze. With it came the scent of the ocean, reminding him of water. The allowance of thought outside rage and bloodlust fractured his focus from Demon. He stumbled and with bleak horror realized what he had almost done. His brother and Draco were out there! His father and the Order! If Demon had come Out, all of them would be dead as well as the Death Eaters. Demon was never an option! He was unreasoning and utterly insane. Demon was more destructive than Voldemort!
Horrified, Shadow flung himself away and right into his father's mental embrace. Joy flooded through him as he clung to Severus, allowing the man to calm and sooth his mind. Shame bubbled up underneath his happiness. He had come to rescue Severus and Draco, not the other way around! And behind the shame, the remnants of his anger sill simmered because of what Draco had suffered for him.
Severus gently pulled out of his son's mind when he was confident he was in control and stable. Shadow blinked up at him, sweat rolling down his chin. Severus stroked his son's hair once before pulling away. Shadow forced himself to hold still and just catch his breath. It felt like he had run a mile. Neville and Draco stood in battle-ready positions, ready to defend the two Snapes no matter what came. He smiled and gripped his brother's shoulder firmly, both in apology and to reassure Neville he was all there.
"I made certain to retain your things," Severus said and handed Shadow his jewelry (the portkey ring tuned to his blood, the summoning bracelet, and his piano necklace) and his new wand. "Now come. Follow me quickly."
Shadow put everything in its place and hurried after the other three. "Why can't we use the ring to go home?"
"The Order broke the Impenetrable Wards, but left the anti-Apparation and anti-portkey wards in place. Most likely to keep the Death Eaters easy prey," the Potions Master explained.
"Are you okay?" Shadow asked quietly, coming up behind his father. He noticed that his limp was even more pronounced than normal and his voice deeper with exhaustion.
"I am well," he sneered. "Now hush and pay attention. All of you!"
Neville jumped, surprised at the tone. Shadow scowled and Draco nodded, his wand held steady despite the trembling in his arms and legs. They made their way closer to the sound of battle. Only to find Mad-Eye battling Edmund Lestrange. A nephew of Bellatrix.
The Ex-Auror should have been able to take down the young man without much trouble, but the older man was struggling with his right arm almost completely severed. Blood soaked his side and Severus could see the Auror was about to fall. He wasn't sure if Edmund had given the paranoid old codger the wound, but it didn't matter. He came around the corner and began to attack the Death Eater.
Shadow could have cussed up a storm, seeing who his father was rescuing. There was no doubt in his mind that Moody would turn on Severus as soon as the Death Eater between them was down. He wasn't about to let that happen. He moved to the mouth of the intersection, so that his father wasn't between him and Moody, and prepared to cast a curse as soon as it became necessary.
Draco ran low to the ground over into the opposite tunnel so that he could guard that entrance into this section of the caves. Neville stayed with Shadow. He was trembling and felt sick. Moody's wound made his mind flash back to the Dursleys and the scent of dark spell residue and the battle screams were nerve wracking. He forced himself to stay calm, focusing on protecting Shadow's back.
Edmund fell in a spray of blood, his chest cut open revealing broken ribs and damaged lungs. He had been so busy deflected Severus' curse that Moody's got through. He collapsed with a gurgled scream. Draco's battle call answered as two Death Eaters appeared before him and began flinging curses, after a quick glance at the fallen Edmund and the guilty Snape and Moody.
Severus leapt over to help the teen, knowing Draco wouldn't last long against the more experienced Death Eaters. Moody cackled and turned his wand to the Potion Master's back, and Shadow ran forward with a roar, blasting the old man back a few feet. Shocked, Moody flung a powerful spell back. Shadow dodged and a furious spell battle began.
This wasn't like dueling Sirius or Remus. It was more like fighting Severus, but worse. Even with one arm incapacitated, Moody's casting was fast and, unlike with his father and godfather, Shadow had no means of predicting what the old bastard was going to throw. He flung himself flat as a violet spell flashed over his head. Before he could rise a second spell came flying at his head, followed by Moody's triumphant laugh.
Neville watched horrified as the spell raced toward his brother. He flung his wandless arm forward and screamed, "No!" His heart twisted in his chest and he gasped, almost falling, as a sheet of rock stabbed up out of the ground about three feet high. The orange spell splashed harmlessly off of it.
Shadow had no time to be shocked. He jumped to his feet and bellowed, "Ultimus Dormus!"
Moody was still staring at the rock sheet and didn't block the spell. He collapsed into a deep slumber.
The only problem with spells like Petrificus Totalus, Stupefy, and other elementary spells that the younger children were taught at school is the fact that trained adults can break free of them within a minute or two. Thankfully, Shadow knew stronger, adult-level spells from his hours of studying in Hogwart's and Severus' library. That sleep spell would last ten hours, or until the old Auror was released. He turned to face his brother and cried out in dismay.
Neville sat hunched against the wall. His face was white as snow and his eyes were glassy. Shadow skid up to him and knelt. He put his fingers against this brother's pulse point and sighed in relief when he felt the steady thump. Neville groaned and his head fell limply sideways as he passed out.
Worried, he looked over to his father. They finally felled the last Death Eater and Severus immediate spun around. His angular face was twisted with anger. Shadow scowled as the man swept down on him. Draco met his eyes briefly. He looked older, and though Shadow felt a pang of sadness at that, he also felt fierce pride.
"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?"
"He was going to attack you!" Shadow spat.
"Did it ever occur to you that he may have been moving to help Draco and I?"
"No. It didn't occur to me to delude myself!"
Severus snarled silently, but the oncoming tirade was cut off at the sound of many people approaching. The Potion Master ran toward the downed Moody and searched his person before levitating him. "We must go!"
"How does the Order expect to get out of here alive?" Shadow demanded as he levitated his brother in the same way.
"They're suppose to be in groups. If a member goes down, then the remaining party is to retreat outside the wards to take the injured to care. Alastor most likely continued on despite all good sense."
"So what are we going to do?" Draco panted, coming up on their heels.
"We are going to follow procedure. I found a return portkey. Hopefully it will be activated by the code words I'm familiar with," Severus explained impatiently. He held up a hand to stop them and checked the corner before allowing them to go past.
They ran on like this for several minutes, Shadow activating the swamp enchantment the twins had given him. Hopefully that would slow their pursuers down a bit. He became aware of Draco falling behind. Worried, he looked the blond over and saw that he was cradling his wand hand to his chest. Hissing, he grabbed his friend's forearm and tugged so he could see the injury. Draco's hand was swollen and pussy, severely burned. Draco met his eyes and now Shadow could see the pain there. But they couldn't stop. Death Eaters were on their tail and they had two vulnerable people to protect. Battle would not be in their favor. They had to push on.
"Almost there," Severus encouraged, slowing his pace for the two teens. "I can sense the end of the wards up ahead."
It didn't come soon enough. Suddenly spells were exploding all around them. Shadow dropped his brother and cast a powerful shield around him, before turning and facing their enemies. His distraction cost him and pain scrapped along his nerves. Screaming, he collapsed, fighting not to resist the searing pain as Boy slowly began rising to the surface. Severus stepped over him, roaring in fury, and as his father passed, the spell disappeared.
Sobbing, wiping sweat and tears from his face, Shadow got back on his feet and faced the five Death Eaters that had come up behind them. The first two were kneeling, giving the three standing shoulder to shoulder behind them room to aim. The front two cast blocks and shields that bounced all of Severus' and Draco's spells clear.
Shadow copied their formation, falling back to his knees and focused solely on shielding. He broke out in a sweat in minutes, not only having to concentrate on his father and friend, but also on his brother and the bastard Moody. His father would obviously not appreciate it if something happened to the Order member.
Severus was skilled and vicious, especially when it came to protecting his son, but he was only one man. He was standing against three well-trained Death Eaters. Draco was a help, but the boy was quickly approaching the end of his strength. Fatigue would take him down soon even if the Death Eaters didn't.
The situation looked bleak. Spells were leaking through his son's shields. A deep cut slashed open on his arm, would have taken out his head if he hadn't raised his arm to protect his neck. A quick blood clotting spell prevented him from bleeding out. Draco screamed as he was struck blind, but he didn't fall. He continued flinging spell after spell toward their enemies.
Severus thought furiously. They couldn't last like this. They were going to die if something wasn't done. He grew more and more desperate and finally one of his spells struck home. The man screamed hysterically and began to thrash, trapped in a hallucination that convinced him he was being attacked by poisonous African wasps.
The other two Death Eaters practically growled and doubled their efforts. Severus was slammed backward, the power of the attack cut in half by Shadow's shields, but still he saw stars as his head hit the side of the cave wall. Draco screamed his defiance and cast the Cruciatus Curse. One of the defenders in the front was struck, allowing a short opening for Severus to inflict some damage. But Draco couldn't hold the curse for long and the Death Eater was released and the shield went up again. The spell bombardment increased in fury.
Shadow whimpered, his head bowed, sweat dripping from his curls. He was running out of strength. A fine tremor took up in his arms and shoulders. Black dots danced in his vision, but he refused to let go. His heart beat a rapid pace and coldness was seeping back in his veins. Demon was practically salivating at the prospect of Shadow falling and letting him Out.
Draco took a face full of puke-yellow spell-light and fell. Shadow watched, almost like his friend went down in slow motion. He couldn't move. His shields were already sputtering and about to crumble. Severus yelled something dark and sinister and for a second Shadow felt the pressure on his shields ease as the Death Eaters did all the could to block the Potion Master's attack.
"Don't be dead," he ordered in a croak and crawled over to his friend.
The blond lay cold and clammy. His breath literally frosted the air. Shadow shakily cast warming charms, any that he knew. If Draco's core body temperature dropped too low, he would die. He looked up to see Severus' distraction fall and another assault was coming. He looked back and saw Neville sitting with wide eyes, awake, but still weak. The Gryffindor flung his wand forward and bolstered Shadow's shields. But it wasn't going to be enough. That understanding passed between the two teens, horror and resignation drifting through their eyes like clouds.
"Lumos Maximus!"
Both boys gasped and, when they could see again, discovered Charlie Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt standing at their sides. Shadow dropped his shields, Charlie taking his place. The redhead spared him a glance, merely to ascertain his status, before focusing on the battle. The curly-haired teen grabbed Draco and dragged him over to Neville. They sat huddled together for warmth and safety; Shadow kept his wand out and cast a few spells here and there, but mostly he sat guard as his brother fainted once again.
xXxXxXx
"What were you thinking?" Severus demanded with icy calm.
He stood in his temporary bedroom back at Grimmauld Place. They had returned only thirty minutes ago after almost three hours of fighting free of the caves. Word must of spread about Severus and Draco turning traitor and most of the battle had been focused on them afterwards. Downstairs, the Order members were being treated, the worst cases flooed on to Saint Mungo's or Hogwarts' Infirmary. Virtually no one who was part of the attack had come back unscathed. And the gains of the morning were minor.
They had only two Death Eater prisoners, and both of those were lower members. They were being interrogated by McGonagall, but there was no real hope that they would have very important information. The death toll was high. Four Order members had passed on, along with two Aurors borrowed from Fudge. The final tally for reported certain deaths of Death Eaters was at eleven. Not nearly as high as they had hoped.
Shadow was sitting on his father's bed. Still exhausted, but was obviously not allowed to rest yet. Draco was laying unconscious next to him and Severus was treating his injuries himself with several potions. Neville had been collected by his grandmother. Shadow had expected some kind of angry reaction, but she looked proud. That made him feel sick to his stomach. Neville finally gained approval, but he had to risk his life to do it.
"I am a grown man. I did not need you to come rescue me," Severus drawled, fury flashing in his black eyes. "Such reckless behavior is frankly astonishing coming from you. Perhaps my understanding of your intelligence is not quite accurate. Either my cover was blown and my life was already forfeit, or I was relatively safe among my former colleagues. Your presence would not have assisted me or anyone else in either scenario. For the first, there was nothing that could be done. For the second, you would have blown my cover and endangered my life. Not only that, but you put your closest friend, one whom you call brother, in danger as well as yourself."
"For the first, even if you were dead, there was still Draco to think of," Shadow glared back. "The Order would never have even conceived of the notion that he may need help. So my presence was necessary. For the second, maybe I want your cover blown! I don't want you spying! It's too dangerous!"
"That is not your decision to make!" Severus yelled hotly. "You are not my keeper!"
"No! I'm your son!" Shadow yelled back, horrified to find tears in his eyes. "I've only had a father for a few weeks! I'd kind of like to have one for a bit longer!"
Severus was struck speechless. He stood, stiff and panting, just staring down at the exhausted teen glaring defiantly back at him. "I will not let my life go easily. I understand your fear, but it is not acceptable for you to believe you can act so recklessly. Do you understand?"
Shadow rubbed at his eyes with stiff fingers and didn't answer. The whole night was pretty much a disaster. He hadn't been in control from the moment he found Draco. And that was the real problem. He had been ill prepared for the battle that resulted. He agreed completely that it was unacceptable that Draco and Neville got so hurt. Even his father had been wounded, though the man was too secretive to admit it.
"We'll discuss this later," Severus spoke, drawing him out of his thoughts. "As well as your near miss with Demon. For now, rest."
Shadow nodded. He was too exhausted to even stand, let alone walk back to his room, so he moved to lay beside Draco. The bed was big enough for the both of them. Severus said nothing and pulled the covers up around him. Shadow was asleep a second after that. Severus watched him for a moment longer, making sure he was well and truly asleep. Then he cast a monitoring charm on both of them and silently slipped out of the room.
He was surprised they allowed him to put it off this long. As expected, there was someone waiting for him to come out of his room. Kingsley Shacklebolt gave him a neutral look and gestured for Severus to follow him. The Potion Master did so, limping after him with tired dignity. Kingsley slowed his pace and they walked together into one of the smaller sitting rooms.
Minerva and Doge were already waiting there. They both looked grim and exhausted. Kingsley shut the door behind them and Severus' skin tightened with the feel of the strong privacy wards snapping into place.
"Sit down, Severus," Minerva said, not unkindly.
Severus made his way to one of the chairs and sat slowly.
"What happened?" Doge wheezed, his eyes on the dark-haired man.
Severus began to explain the trial, leaving out nothing. His recitation was concise and it only took ten minutes. Minerva was pacing by the end like a caged lion. She was obviously unhappy.
"We knew we couldn't expect much help from the Ministry," Kingsley's deep voice rumbled.
"Yes, but I didn't expect to have to guard ourselves from them either. They obviously are ill prepared to even acknowledge this fight," Minerva snarled.
"We will have the anklet gone from you," Doge promised, though how he thought to keep such a promise, Severus didn't know. He was secretly shocked at how they were reacting to the Ministry's treatment of him. He assumed they would think the precautions unfortunate but necessary.
"What happened after you were portkeyed away?" Kingsley asked.
Severus took a deep breath and began to report on all he saw and heard. He didn't leave anything out. Not even what happened to Draco or the mental instability of many of the Death Eaters. He explained that in an attempt to protect his son, he pretended loyalty to them, but at the first sign of attack, he abandoned his post, retrieved Draco, found Shadow and Longbottom, and the rest was battle.
"Why are they so unbalanced?" Doge asked, worriedly.
Severus could only stare at the man. Were they not going to berate him for his deception, for pretending even for a moment to be a Death Eater again? He cleared his throat and answered the old man's question. "The Dark Arts are a destructive force. Perhaps they tried some spell or ritual that backfired and effected their minds." Which was true in a way. They did unleash Demon, and the dark alter did indeed effect their sanity.
Minerva summoned an elf and ordered it to bring them all drinks. In seconds everyone was sipping warm tea. Severus sighed, the liquid soothing his dry throat.
"Do you think their mild insanity will hurt or help our cause?" she asked thoughtfully after a few seconds.
"Perhaps sometimes it will benefit us, but not always," Severus answered regretfully. His long fingers cradled the cup in his hands, the heat beginning to relax him. "They are more ruthless than ever and perhaps more focused on their end goal. Obsession is dangerous."
"And you heard nothing about the Dark Lord or Harry Potter?" Kingsley sat down, disappointment obvious on his bruised face.
"Nothing. They didn't exactly believe my professions of allegiance."
"Well, the two we brought back insists that the Dark Lord is alive, if not well. Supposedly your potions were to bring their Lord back to health," Minerva sighed. "I'm going to take this as a sign of encouragement. Surely if the Dark Lord survived the encounter in the grave yard, then Potter must have as well. And I'm going to assume the Death Eaters don't have the boy prisoner. Surely they wouldn't be able to stop themselves from boasting about that."
Severus nodded, though inside his heart had skipped a beat. The Dark Lord was alive? He didn't want to believe it, but suddenly attitudes and evasive conversations he overheard made sense. But how was that possible? He saw with his own eyes the destruction of the Dark Lord at Demon's hand! If the Dark Lord was somehow back, Shadow was in grave danger. Hopefully, Lucius was merely spreading a false rumor to support his claim of leadership over the others.
"It's late," Minerva spoke, drawing him out of his chaotic thoughts. "We're falling asleep as we sit." She stood and removed the silencing wards. "I'm glad to have you back, Severus. Be sure to check in with a healer before going to bed. And we'll discuss your son's little act of thievery tomorrow. Very brave and reckless of him, wasn't it?"
The last was said with a teasing glint in her eyes. Severus sneered at her and swept by. He headed straight for his room, secretly enjoying hearing her laugh behind him. He had no illusions about his son. There were Gryffindor aspects to him, which had been on full display this morning. However, the more domineering aspect of Shadow's mind was Slytherin. He'd just have to remind Shadow of that. If the Dark Lord was in those caves - even had he been injured or ailing - Shadow's rescue attempt was even more dangerous than either of them had realized.
The thought of the Dark Lord getting a hold of his son was enough to insure he had nightmares. Fortunately, he had a few Dreamless Sleep Potions in his case. He conjured one and stretched out on Shadow's bed, since the boys were in his. He downed the potion and was asleep in seconds. He didn't even bother to change his clothes or get under the covers. He had much to consider and, even in sleep, his unconscious mind whirled and dissected what he knew.
xXxXxXx
"How are you feeling?" Shadow asked. He had woken a moment ago to find his friend sitting up and staring at the wall.
"It doesn't hurt," Draco shrugged.
"What's wrong?" Shadow climbed out of bed and moved to stand in front of the blond.
"I can't ever go back, I don't think," Draco whispered, tilting his head so his hair covered his eyes. It wasn't only Shadow who was picking up Severus' mannerisms.
Shadow smiled faintly, but it was a sad smile. He knew what Draco was talking about. Going home, going back to his father. If Lucius ever got a hold of Draco again, he would be dead or worse. It was final now, and though he knew Draco didn't regret his decision, Shadow could understand the lost feeling. Draco was orphaned now, alone. Unless…
"What about your mother?" he asked gently. "I thought she realized Lucius was mad and left him."
"She did, but they are married. Lucius won't break that bond. She can't help me or see me. Not until Lucius is dead," Draco explained angrily. He stood and was glad that he was still dressed. He wasn't sure the welts were gone completely and didn't want Shadow to see them.
"I'm sorry, Serpentine," Shadow said softly. It was the right thing to say.
Draco turned to him, the tension in his shoulders relaxing and his silver eyes lightened with mirth as he smirked. "Yes, well… It's not the end of the world. Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."
Shadow grinned and led the way. He kept up a whispered commentary about the rooms they passed and who was probably in Grimmauld Place. But when they found the kitchen, only Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were there. Draco hung back, his face blank. Shadow stepped forward and Ginny smiled at him.
"Are you hungry? We're just making dinner. It should be ready in an hour," she said.
"Come in, come in. Sit. You can have a snack to hold you over," Mrs. Weasley insisted. She had flour on her nose and Ginny subtly cast a cleaning spell at her.
Shadow laughed and Ginny winked at him, flipping her long, red braid over her shoulder. Draco came into the room and sat stiffly beside Shadow. His eyes were glued to the table, but when Mrs. Weasley floated a cold sandwich in front of him and a glass of milk, he looked up long enough to thank her politely. Ginny was watching him like a hawk, and her eyes got huge when she heard Draco's polite words. Shadow lifted an eyebrow at her curiously. She blushed and spun away, returning to helping her mother with dinner.
They ate in silence, just listening to mother and daughter chat and work. Once they were done with their plates and glasses, Shadow spelled them into the sink and set the sponge to scrubbing. Mrs. Weasley spared him a grateful glance before she rushed to a boiling pot. Shadow turned and left them, looking for Draco, who had left as soon as possible. He found him in the floo parlor at a chess board.
"What's up?" he asked worriedly.
"It's just a lot to take in," Draco answered casually and gestured at the other side. "Care to play a game?"
Shadow took the hint. Draco didn't want to talk about it. So he sat down and moved a pawn. They were only three moves into the game when Ron and Hermione came in. Both Gryffindors froze when they saw Draco.
"Hey," Shadow smiled, pretending to be ignorant of the tension in the room. "Things didn't go quite as planned. Did you guys get in trouble for covering for me?"
"Not yet," Hermione answered. "But I don't think they know we helped. If anyone gets in trouble, it will be the twins, but I don't think they mind."
"Good," Shadow smiled.
"What the bloody hell is he doing here?" Ron finally exploded.
"Draco was rescued from the caves," Shadow explained. Draco blushed furiously, hating the fact that the statement but him in a position of weakness in front of Ron Weasley.
"Rescued?!? He's probably a plant from his father! He's going to spy on us for the Death Eaters!"
"Ron," Hermione tried to calm him, but it was obviously not a full-hearted attempted.
"Draco is not his father. And besides, I'm sure the Order is taking precautions if that is the case. I don't see how it concerns us. What could spying on us accomplish?" Shadow shrugged, but his eyes had gone hard.
Ron was red with fury, "It does concern us! He could capture us as hostages for our parents or something awful like that! He's a slimly little Slytherin and…"
"My father's a Slytherin, and I may be as well," Shadow interrupted, glaring. He stood and challenged the redhead with the tilt of his head.
"You don't understand," Hermione pleaded as Ron spluttered. "Malfoy had antagonized us since our first year at Hogwarts. He believes in Pureblood Supremacy and is very derogatory toward Muggleborns like myself."
"I've come to see things differently, Granger," Draco finally joined the argument. He stood next to Shadow, his posture perfect, his hands clasped behind his back to show he had no intent to duel or cause harm. "I was a child repeating what I'd been taught by my father. I've begun to question those ideals. My father's service is neither glamorous nor full of honor."
Hermione's eyes were wide, but Ron looked about ready to murder. "So you just want to switch sides, is that it? You think all you've done, like trying to get Harry killed or all the times you've attacked us, can be forgotten? We know what kind of person you are, Malfoy. That don't change!"
"Don't be an ass!" Shadow yelled just as furiously. "People can change. He was a child, as he isn't any longer. And the Order isn't an exclusionist club, Weasley. It's a war. Anyone who is willing to fight is welcome. Who the hell do you think you are to think you have the ability and the right to judge of anyone's soul? You have no idea what happened in those caves! Draco saved my father's and my life at great risk to himself. I don't know about what Draco's done to you in the past, but it sounds like school boy rivalries. And that hardly makes anyone evil."
Hermione looked confused and a bit ashamed. Ron merely looked mad. Shadow sneered at them and marched from the room. Draco followed, his face expressionless. They made their way up to the library in silence. Draco watching his friend's back. He was surprised at the impassioned defense. He knew they were friends, but still… this was Weasley and Granger. He was impressed. Plus, Shadow's outburst seemed off the cuff, but it had been carefully phrased so as not to give away the fact that they have known each other longer than just last night.
"You didn't have to do that," Draco murmured, sitting.
"Maybe not," Shadow agreed. He grabbed his book and flipped it open roughly.
"Children's stories?" Draco smirked.
"Shuddup," Shadow glared, but his mouth quirked up into a helpless smile.
Then they were laughing hard and loud. All the tension exploding from them in mirth.
xXxXxXx
Ron stood by the chess board and stared down at it with a hot scowl.
Hermione stood next to him, wringing her hands. "Malfoy was quiet most of last year. He didn't really bother us like he normally did, did he?"
"Don't tell me you're thinking of forgiving him," Ron lifted his eyes to her and she flinched slightly at the betrayal she saw there.
"No… I just think we could observe him for a few days and see. I mean, Shadow said he risked his life to get away. And we've heard the Headmistress talking to the others, Ron. The Death Eaters have gone insane from a failed Dark Arts attempted. Imagine witnessing such a horrible thing. Imagine living with Lucius Malfoy. That's bound to turn anyone to our side, don't you think?"
"No. I don't think. I think Draco Malfoy worships his father and still does. I think he's going to get information and send it to Lucius, the man who had You-Know-Who possess my little sister! I think he's going to get a lot of people hurt and killed!" Ron was bellowing by the end.
Ginny walked into the room to tell them dinner was ready, just as the fire turned green and Mrs. Longbottom and Neville stepped out. Ginny grinned and ran to her boyfriend, putting her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Neville smiled down at her and hugged her back. Augusta sniffed at this, but left the room without saying a word.
"Neville! I can't believe you went with him and didn't even tell us!" Ginny exclaimed. She leaned back to look into his brown eyes. "That was really brave and reckless of you! You could have been killed!"
"How did you know Shadow was even going?" Hermione questioned.
"I don't know… It was just in his eyes. So when he walked me out, I made him promise to take me with him," Neville blushed with embarrassment. "I couldn't let him go alone. He would have been killed without help."
"What's with Malfoy coming here?" Ron demanded, still stuck on the previous conversation.
Neville blinked at him. "What do you mean? His father was torturing him. Professor Snape and Shadow wouldn't leave him behind. Neither would I, really. It was awful." He paled as he remembered the marks on Draco's back, imagining what they would have looked like fresh. The horror of the battle that followed was even worse and still hovered in his mind. All that pain and battle-joy, the blood and screams… War was not pretty. It was nothing short of a nightmare. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact that they had saved Draco and Professor Snape.
"Tortured?" Hermione gasped.
Neville blinked at them and frowned. "Look. Maybe I shouldn't have told you. Don't say anything please?"
"We won't," Ginny promised, glaring at her brother. She looked back at Neville with pleading eyes. "Can you tell us anything about what it was like?"
Neville didn't want to actually. He needed some distance from the horrific event, but… He could see the eagerness in her eyes, as well as Ron's, and the curiosity in Hermione's. It disturbed him that they still had the illusions of battle glory. He remembered thinking the same. How wonderful it would be to fight for your beliefs and vanquish the bad guys! To be a hero and have everyone cheer! But real fighting wasn't like that. It was hard and terrifying.
So he spoke in a low voice of what he had seen. Of the horrible sights, the awful sounds, the fear and helplessness, the desperation. Of the sweat and tears, of the wounds, of the moment when he had met Shadow's eyes and they were certain they were about to die, the helpless despair that came with that certainty. War was bloody and madness hung over everyone, even the good guys. It was a desperate bid for life and it wasn't ever certain you would come out the winner.
Hermione was crying by the end. Ginny and Ron were both pale, eyes wide. Neville felt remorse, but knew he had done the right thing. War wasn't something to take lightly. People died. People suffered. It was ugly, and hopefully they wouldn't be so eager now to jump into a battle now.
Mrs. Weasley came into the room and scowled. "What's this? What's the matter, Hermione, Ginny, Ron? You four are holding up dinner."
"Nothing, Mum. We were just talking," Ginny whispered and ducked her head.
"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione wiped at her eyes and hurried toward the kitchen. Ron went with her silently.
Mrs. Weasley tisked and followed them, expecting her daughter and Neville to follow.
Ginny looked over at Neville. His face was drawn, but his eyes were steady. The depths of Neville had surprised her at first. She saw his pure heart and his unwavering loyalty, but it wasn't until now that she really saw his strength and wisdom. Neville had a quiet power about him that you never really saw until you were still and listened and watched carefully. Ginny saw it in full now and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him gently. So she did.
Neville responded and held her to his chest almost desperately. Ginny wished she could take away all he had seen - it had obviously disturbed him - but she couldn't. So she'd settle for showing him he was loved. Neville sank into her warmth, into the comfort she gave him, allowing her to push out the images in his mind. For the first time since the awful battle, he felt his muscles relax.
Chapter end.
A/N: I know you guys are thinking "What the heck is going on with Voldie? Ain't he dead?" Well, I promise that will be explained in full in the next chapter. I'm sure some of you have guessed already where I'm going with this. (grins) Hopefully, I'll post it next week. Definitely by Aug. 8th!