To Heal and To Hurt
Kindly beta'd by Deena while Nutnatz is in Baltimore without a laptop!
Lee couldn't feel his legs.
When he tried to shift his body into a different position, he noticed the weight upon him and grimaced. His hands moved and he felt something beneath them. The smell of urine, blood and sweat hit his nostrils and he blinked the world back into focus to see what the hell was going on.
"Ron," Lee gasped as he suddenly came back to his senses and saw the unconscious body lying across his lap.
He lowered his head to rest upon Ron's chest and listened.
"Lee, what's...?" Tommy murmured as he struggled to sit up in his hammock.
"Shhh..." Lee hissed as he listened, his own chest tightening as he waited.
Then he heard it; Ron's heartbeat, and a shallow breath lifted his ribcage ever so slightly. Lee exhaled in great relief and lifted his head again. He heaved Ron into a cradling position and began to tap the side of his face firmly.
"Ron. Ron, it's me, wake up."
The pale face was as still as it had been the night before. Lee slid his fingers into Ron's hair to feel the gash at his hairline. It seemed to be healing. He then shook the limp body in his arms urgently.
"Open your eyes, c'mon, open your eyes Ron," Lee pleaded. "I know you're tired but just look at me for a second, mate."
"What's going on?" the rough and weary voice of Sam Robbins called out from his cell by the main door.
"He still won't wake up," Lee responded with a crack in his voice.
There was a short pause before Robbins called back in a low voice. "Maybe that's for the best, eh, Lee?"
Lee glared up at the small opening in his cell door. How could he say that? How could he say Ron being tortured into unconsciousness was for the best?
"What?" Lee spat.
"Come on Jordan, don't you wish you could just sleep through all this?"
Lee looked back down at Ron. He looked dreadful. The parts of his face that weren't discoloured and puffy were as pale as death. His hair was greasy and matted with dried blood. His shoulders were tender and swollen and his wrists were raw and cut from the shackles.
"I don't like seeing him helpless like this," he said before pausing to compose himself, the emotion in his voice had caused him to squeak out his words, and he tried the earlobe pinching technique once more.
"Is it better or worse then seeing him in pain?" Sam asked.
Lee could hear shuffling from a couple of other cells. He knew that some of the hostages were waking up and probably listening to this exchange quietly.
"Good point," Lee answered. "I still wish he'd open his eyes for a second, just a second, y'know?"
"Yeah, I know," Sam sighed. "I woke up an hour ago and for a few seconds I couldn't work out why Prang wasn't there."
Lee shifted his numb legs beneath Ron's motionless body and settled his hand upon the boy's bruised chest, feeling his breathing and the warmth of his skin through the torn and blood stained t-shirt, before lowering his head and forcing his eyes closed.
"Ron's still alive, Jordan," Robbins went on," and he's not in any pain and he's with you. You're with him when he needs you."
Lee lifted his head and looked back at the opening in the cell door with glistening eyes.
"Yeah," he said, his voice sounding humiliatingly small.
"I didn't even get to say goodbye," Sam said, his voice breaking., "I was too busy digging his fucking grave."
Lee heard Ernie MacMillan's voice as he tried to comfort Robbins. Tommy was watching him from his hammock, attempting to give him a smile but obviously feeling far too ill to commit to it fully, and then he averted his eyes to stare out of the window at the bright morning sky. There were sixteen, no fifteen, open graves down in the cellar and no hope of any escape. All they could do was wish to be rescued but if that were possible then why hadn't it happened yet?
"Fred, George," Lee whispered to himself as he watched a bird fly by the open window, "where the hell are you?"
"Over here Mrs Jordan," George waved cheerily while Fred pulled out an empty chair between the two of them for their best friend's mother.
"Tea, coffee, pumpkin juice?" Fred offered as she sat down and shared an amused glance with the boys' mother.
"Pumpkin juice is fine, thank you boys," she said, "but you really don't have to wait on me. I'm quite happy to serve myself."
Fred rolled his eyes and thudded down into his seat beside her.
"And they wonder why chivalry is dead, George."
"Ungrateful, that's what I call it, Fred," George shook his head ruefully.
"Boys!" their mother snapped from across the breakfast table.
"I know they're only joking with me, Molly," Mrs Jordan said., "It's alright."
Fred had been using Lee's mother to channel all his excess energy into for days now. If he didn't release all the physical and mental activity he had stored up inside him somehow, he would be bouncing off the walls. George was the same way, although he now seemed to be feeling guilty for neglecting the family in favour of Mrs Jordan.
Something had gone on with Charlie but they didn't know what. All they knew was that Harry, Bill and their dad were all keeping a wary eye on him at all times. Fred suspected that it must have something to do with their dad hexing Charlie when the Death Eater scum had come into the Embassy the day before. He knew how Charlie felt and sort of wished that his father hadn't interfered. Those murderous bastards deserved a good kicking before they were dragged away to Azkaban.
While he buttered his toast, he watched George wink at Ginny and nod towards Harry. Ginny gave him the slightest of smiles before looking down at her untouched breakfast. She was still shaken up by the latest execution. She had stood at Lynne Prang's side and watched as the Death Eater walked right up to the girl and her family to drop an Auror trainee badge into Mr Prang's hand. Lynne had fallen to her knees and wailed, Ginny supporting her as best she could before the girl's mother took her into her arms and Ginny was left gaping blankly at the scene of devastation. Their mother had rushed to her and whisked her away to the kitchens before anybody could react. By the time a blotchy-faced Ginny came back the Prangs had gone.
"Fred, are you planning to put some more toast on your butter?" Mrs Jordan smiled.
He glanced down and saw that he had practically worn a hole through the centre of his slice of toast with the butter knife and the butter was smeared on almost as thickly as the bread itself had been sliced.
"Oh, um well..." he grinned back at Mrs Jordan, "It gets rid of that pesky 'bready' taste doesn't it?"
The woman laughed while George snorted and leaned across for the marmalade.
"Get a grip, Fred," he mumbled as he did.
"Sod off," Fred muttered back under his breath.
Somebody rushed towards the breakfast table and almost fell over backwards as they skidded on a spillagenear Mad-Eye Moody's chair. The panting young wizard, Fred thought he was a filling clerk or something, whispered something into Moody's ear and the old Auror dropped his knife and fork down onto his plate and rose from his chair without a word.
"Alastor?" Lupin asked with curiosity as the man stomped away, his false leg booming against the wooden floorboards.
"Eat your breakfast all of you," he barked gruffly,. "Tonks, Shacklebolt, come with me!"
Fred and George shared a look.
Something was happening,; something big, and they wanted to be a part of it. They both rose from their seats as one and as their mother and father both yelled at them in perfect synchronisation.
"Sit down!"
George was pulled back down into by Mr Thomas who seemed to put an arm around his shoulders, not only for reassurance, but also in an attempt to hold him firmly in his seat. Mrs Jordan's long fingers curled around Fred's wrist and tried to pull him down into his seat beside her but he yanked his arm free with ease.
"I'll be back in a minute, Mrs Jordan," he grinned his most charming grin,. "I've just got to go about my ablutions. Won't be long."
He scraped his chair backwards to let himself out and George frowned at him and mouthed 'ablutions?' Fred shrugged and set off towards the bathroom.
"Fred Weasley where do you think you're going?" his mother called after him.
"Don't worry mum," he heard George say., "he's He's just 'abluting' himself!"
"I will have none of that innuendo at the table young man!" his mother was scolding while snorts and sniggers drowned her out.
The bathroom wasn't anywhere near the conference room or the Ambassador's office, the only two places Moody could have staged his impromptu meeting, and as he Fred pushed the door open and let it swing shut behind him, he hadn't a clue how he was going to go about this intelligence gathering mission of his at all.
He looked around at the walls for any sign of a secret passageway but didn't hold out much hope. It was generally frowned upon to build secret passageways into bathrooms, and understandably so.
He looked up at the window. It was blocked with unbreakable wire mesh type stuff, like iron cobwebs, and far too narrow for his shoulders to squeeze through anyway.
He glanced up at the ceiling and spotted a vent to let the steam escape when anybody had a bath or a shower. He smiled; he could fit through that all right, but didn't have a clue where it would lead.
"Well, let's find out, shall we?" he Fred muttered to himself and jumped up onto the cistern of the toilet before stretching up to push the vent open above him.
Lee had just finished tipping Tommy's share of the water into his mouth and turned to get the glass refilled by the Death Eater guard when the familiar measured tread of the Puppet Master sounded against the stone floor. Lee tried to keep his cool. His hand shook with rage and fear as he held the glass while the cool clear water trickled into it all the way to the top. He turned and dropped to his knees beside Ron and set the full glass on the ground.
"Drink jongens, drink!" the Puppet Master said with amusement.
Lee lifted Ron's body into his arms and sat him up as best he could before reaching for the glass and holding it to the dry and cracked lips that were ever so slightly parted.
"Water Ron, c'mon, time to drink something mate," Lee whispered as he gave Ron's body a slight shake before tipping the glass so a little water touched his lips, "Come on Ron, please."
The trickle of water ran out of the corner of Ron's mouth and dripped onto the floor. Lee felt the Puppet Master's eyes upon him, boring into his back, and tried not to panic.
"Wake up for a second, Ron," he said shakily,. "I need you to drink this."
Lee tipped the glass a little again and a few droplets moistened Ron's lips but nothing more. There was no movement at all. Lee felt his heart beating faster now as the cell door magically unlocked and the Puppet Master took one step inside.
"Please," Lee begged Ron's still form, giving him another shake in desperation.
"He has not woken?" the Puppet Master said, emotion completely absent from his voice.
"No, he fucking hasn't you spiteful bastard," Tommy growled before coughing from somewhere deep inside his chest.
"I have volunteers to give you a firm pat on the back if you continue coughing, Mr Painter," the Puppet Master said coolly.
Tommy grimaced and held in his coughing fit as best as he could.
Lee tried to tilt Ron's head back and pour the water in but the Puppet Master snatched the glass away from him as he brought it to the unconscious redhead's lips.
"Foolish boy, do you want to drown him?" the Puppet Master snapped.
Lee finally turned his head to face the Puppet Master and glared at him while gritting his teeth.
"That's Ron's share, you can't take it away from him," Lee snarled.
The Puppet Master leaned over Lee and his eyes widened in a maddening fashion.
"I can do," he said in an even low tone, "as I wish."
Lee swallowed and suddenly felt his breath catch in his throat as the Puppet Master aimed his wand at Ron's face.
"No don't..." Lee began to plead.
"Ennervate!" The spell hit Ron full in the face but he didn't even stir.
The Puppet Master stood up straight and snapped his fingers over his shoulder. A Death Eater came running.
"Ja?"
"Deze jongen heeft hulp nodig. Haal de dokter. Nu!"
Lee watched as the Death Eater ran deeper into the cellblock and opened another cell door with a flick of his wand. The Puppet Master stepped back away from the door and seemed to be covering something with his own wand.
"You, in here," he ordered.
Lee held Ron tightly and tried to shield him from whatever hexes might be thrown in inside at them. His hold loosened immediately, however, when he saw Cally being shoved in through the open doorway and dropping to his knees in front of them.
"Cally, do something," Lee pleaded breathlessly.
The man's warm brown eyes looked right into his own and a concerned but confidant smile stretched across his thin lips.
"It's okay, Lee," he said, his Scouse accent and the firm hand upon his shoulder seeming to send calming waves through his entire body,. "Lay him down on the floor for me will you?"
Lee nodded and set Ron down as gently as he could. Cally had one of his hands resting behind Ron's head to cushion it against the stone and as soon as Lee pulled his arms out from under the limp body, the Healer lowered his ear to Ron's lips and then to his chest before smiling a little wider and nodding.
"He's a strong kid."
Lee gave a half laugh, half choked sob, and nodded.
"He won't take water," the Puppet Master said, the steely mask of detachment seemed to be firmly in place, . "He won't revive. Fix him."
Cally's face twisted with anger and frustration before he swallowed it down and turned to face the Puppet Master with his own mask of polite determination.
"I'll need a wand to fix him; it was magic that damaged him after all, wasn't it?"
The Puppet Master looked as if he wanted to kick Cally in the face but turned his glare to the Death Eater guard standing beside him and nodded for him to hand over his wand. The hooded wizard was clearly outraged by this but all the Puppet Master had to do was snarl at him like a predatory wolf and the wand was immediately offered to Cally with a grunt of displeasure.
Cally took the wand and turned back to Lee, his eyes wide with the shock at being armed and only watched over by one other armed wizard. This was the closest any of them had been to having a fair fight and a decent chance of escape.
"Dead boys everywhere, Callahan," the Puppet Master said,. "That is what any misbehaviour will bring you. You can use that wand to heal Weasley or duel with me but I guarantee you the end result to an attack will be lots of dead boys. Use that wand wisely, Healer Callahan."
Cally swallowed and pointed the wand down at Ron's face.
"Corrigo corroboro!" he mumbled with a swish of the wand.
A yellow light swirled and then snaked all over Ron's body before sinking in through his bloodied clothing and deep into his cut and bruised flesh. Lee saw the deep cuts at Ron's wrists reduce into pink swellings.
"Permeo pulpa vivificus!" he said with a slight smile as he saw the spells taking effect.
Ron's bruises faded and the swelling in his shoulders reduced by two thirds.
"It's working," Lee said with a relieved sigh.
"Sano plaga!" Cally flicked his wand at Ron's head and the singed laceration at Ron's hairline was as good as new.
"Corroboro servo...corroboro contego!" Cally chanted.
"What is that?" the Puppet Master snapped,. "Those are not healing spells, Callahan."
"They're strengthening spells," Cally said, his back to the man and a look on his face that let Lee know that he was lying to some extent, "Corroboro, to strengthen. A man of your breeding must know that."
There was a snigger from Ernie MacMillan and Lee looked back down at Ron and wondered exactly what Cally had just been strengthening within him.
"I have seen him healed enough now," the Puppet Master barked impatiently. "Wake him."
Cally pointed the wand at Ron's face and drew a three quarter figure eight before tapping Ron's forehead with the tip of the wand.
"Agito!"
Ron's body arched and he drew in a rattling breath. Lee grabbed him up into his arms again.
"Ron?" he gasped hopefully.
He glanced at Cally briefly before looking back down at the pale freckled face and saw Ron give a slight wince before he let out a weak groan and he head fell backwards again. Lee shook him roughly and the patted his face several times but all that happened was the Ron's head turned away from him and then lolled heavily again.
"He still won't wake up," Lee whimpered.
"Give him time, Lee. He's responding isn't he?" Cally smiled before turning to glare at the Puppet Master. "That's the best I can do without potions."
The Puppet Master gave a single, unimpressed nod.
"The wand; return it to it's owner."
Cally raised the wand and held it out towards the unarmed Death Eater who stood rigid.
"Point the wand towards yourself, Callahan," the Puppet Master snapped with obvious annoyance.
Cally seemed to smirk and turned the wand around in his hand so the handle was now pointing towards the Death Eater. The Dark wizard snatched it away and wiped it upon his robes childishly.
"Don't worry," Cally huffed. "Decency isn't contagious."
The Puppet Master smiled at this and handed the glass of water to the Healer.
"Make him drink."
Cally took the glass and Lee sat Ron up as best he could. The Healer pinched Ron's earlobe hard and Ron grimaced before moaning and turning his head away towards Lee.
"Water, Ron," Lee said with a hopeful smile, on the off chance that he might just open his eyes a little. "Drink some water for us, mate."
Ron sighed deeply and his head rolled back towards Cally. The healer brought the glass to Ron's lips and tipped it gradually. Ron's lips moved a little but not fast enough and some water dribbled down his chin. Cally cursed under his breath and mopped it up with his sleeve.
"Sit him right up," he ordered Lee. "As much as you can."
Lee hauled Ron up a little more before putting his hand on the back of his head and holding it up. Cally tried again and they both sighed with relief as Ron's Adam's apple bobbed and he swallowed.
"That's it kid, nice and slowly," Cally grinned while tipping the water as sparingly as possible so as not to flood Ron's mouth with too much liquid.
"You're doing brilliantly Ron," Lee said with a relieved smile. "Take your time. Get it all down ya."
Ron had paused for a moment to take a few deep breaths before draining the rest of the glass. As Cally thrust the empty glass behind him without even turning around to meet the Puppet Master's eyes Lee gently set Ron back onto the floor and looked over his shoulder to share a relieved smile with Tommy.
"Healer Callahan," the Puppet Master said loudly and coldly.
Lee saw Tommy's face falling and his eyes widen and his head snapped around to see Cally being dragged out of the cell and the door slamming closed with an almightily boom while the Death Eater flicked his wand at the healer and bound his arms behind his back.
"Uw dood wordt uitgevoerd in naam van de Dooddoeners," the Puppet Master drawled.
"No!" Lee roared and flung himself against the door of the cell to reach through and try to claw at the evil wizard.
"Cally?" Marcus Belby shouted from the cell he shared with the Healer.
"But he just helped you," Colin jabbered, . "He just did everything you asked, you can't do this!"
"Kom vreedzaam of lijd in de dood," the Puppet Master's eyes flickered gleefully as the tiny glass was tipped down Cally's throat, "Thank you for repairing my plaything, Callahan. You can go to your death with the knowledge that you helped to prolong his suffering."
"I take his place," Krum bellowed from his cell opposite Cally's, "He has children, I have none, I take his place!"
"Ga!" the Puppet Master instructed his Death Eater flunky who shoved Cally ahead of him towards the main door.
"No!" Lee yelled again.
"I've protected him, Lee. I'll be protecting him even after I've gone," Cally called out with what sounded like a laugh in his voice. "You see to it my kids are looked after, see that they don't want for anything all of you. This'll be over soon, you'll see!"
The door slammed shut and Cally's voice was lost in the echo.
"Oh shit," Rodger Davies hissed to himself before there was a frantic scrambling sound and what sounded like all three occupants of the neighbouring cell; Davies, Fergus and Peakes; were all struggling to see out of the window.
"Cally!" Fergus suddenly roared, "We're with yeh, mate!"
"Up here!" Jimmy Peakes shouted.
"My family'll take them in, Cally, I promise," Belby was hollering. "I'll get out of this and I'll see them all through school and everything. I swear on my life Cally!"
"I'll help him him, Cally," Colin Creevey added in his own high-pitched yelp of a shout.
Lee looked at Tommy who shook his head and covered his face with his hands. There was a whooshing sound and then that the sickening thud they had all come to know so well and hate more then any sound they'd ever heard before.
"Bastards!" Fergus shouted with such ferocity it sounded as if he had torn through his own vocal chords.
Lee shuddered and slid down the wall, bumping against the hard floor with his buttocks, and reaching out to rest his shaking hand upon Ron's chest for reassurance that he was still alive.
"It's me tomorrow," Tommy whispered into his hands.
"No," Lee shook his head before setting his jaw with determination and staring at the sick wizard in his home made hammock. "No it won't be."
He would see to that.