Chapter 42

His return

Harry woke up confused and slightly stiff in a place that he didn't recognize at all. Neville was still knocked out in a cot next to his in a house that looked like it had seen better days. He checked his wand holsters. Both were empty. His heir ring was still invisible and gave him a jolt to know he was not safe. He didn't need his ring to know that. Shaking Neville awake was easier than he thought.

'What happened?' asked his friend.

'I don't know. Your uncle put a sleeping charm on us. But why he did it and where we are now, I don't know.' Harry remembered the blank look on Algerius Longbottom's face. That man was definitely under a spell when he attacked the two of them. But Harry didn't want to think why that was.

'Ah, you two are awake finally.' A man that looked like he had seen better days had entered the room. Neville grew completely white recognizing the face of one of the people that had driven his parents into madness. Barthemius Crouch Jr.

'You're…' Harry had seen the pictured in the Daily Prophet of the Azkaban Inmate that had escaped with the aid of his mother and father, but the pictures showed a boy at his arrest 13 years ago, what Harry saw now, was a man, slightly malnourished and unkempt with a disturbing glint in his eyes.

'Harry Potter. A pleasure to meet you at last.'

'I can't say the same.' Harry glared at him defiantly while shielding Neville who seemed to be frozen in place.

The man's grin grew bigger.

'I knew you wouldn't disappoint. It is always best to break the feisty ones. But there is someone here that wants to meet you first.'

'We're not going anywhere with you.' Harry said though he didn't know how he would be able to stop the man if he used force.

'I was hoping you'd say that.' He pulled out his wand from his pocket and Harry could glimpse his own two wands as well as Neville's. He didn't have a chance to think of a way to retrieve them when the man sent an Imperius curse their way. He wanted to duck but Neville was holding onto him petrified.

It turned out that he needn't have worried. Padfoot materialized in front of them and took the blunt of the spell.

His guardian was still able to protect him. A wave of relief washed over Harry. Dobby was at the house. Dobby would inform Ar-Sirius that they had been taken and Sirius would come.

'What is this?' hissed Crouch.

'As I said, we're not going anywhere with you.' Harry added more confidently than he felt.

'We'll see about that.' Crouch strode out the door before locking it behind him.

'Harry…what was that?' Neville asked when Padfoot vanished.

'My Godfather's protection. We need to find a way out of here.'

'What do you think happened to my uncle and the others?'

'I don't know about your uncle but there is a chance your gran and aunt were not taken.'

As if to contradict him, screams started from somewhere above them. Distinctly feminine screams that made Neville jump.

Aries was trying and failing at working through some of the many documents that needed his signature. Ever since Harry had left Black Manor he had been feeling restless. He had allowed Harry to go, to give the teen time to process and decide whether he wanted him in his life but he should have insisted Pan go with him. Being away from British soil could make things problematic if something were to happen.

He was going to pour himself a cup of coffee when the spell seized him. It was like a punch in the gut and then the familiar sensation of the Imperius curse clouded his mind but only for a second until he fought it back. Harry was in danger was the last thing he thought before almost collapsing on the kitchen floor just as Pan arrived with a distraught Dobby in toe.

'That's my gran!' Neville's distress was almost impossible to look at. He rushed to the closed door trying to open it, to go to his grandmother's aid.

'Neville, that's what he wants us to do.'

'I know, but she's the only one I have left. Harry I can't let her go mad as well.'

Harry knew that whatever he said would not deter his friend, he just hoped the door would remain closed. But just as he thought that the door was opened and Neville rushed out into Crouch's arms.

'NO!' Harry made a step forward before realizing that, that was what the mad man wanted.

'Come along now baby Neville. Your grandmother wants company.' And he dragged Neville away as Harry was left helpless behind, the door unlocked in silent invitation.

He really didn't want to follow Crouch, but he couldn't just abandon his friend. Neville had no protection what so ever, but Harry knew very little of what Padfoot could do. Except that the dog appeared whenever Harry was truly in danger and could handle any spell thrown its way. Hopefully any spell thrown its way. So the teen cautiously advanced in pursuit of his kidnapper.

He didn't have to go far. One flight of stairs and he was in a room where Neville was trying to awaken his grandmother, who was lying on the floor unconscious and Crouch was leering over them. Once Harry entered the room the ex-prisoner of Azkaban pulled Neville up by his hair and pointed his wand at his friend's throat.

'Harry Potter. We meet again.' Harry's blood turned to ice when he saw the other three people in the room. Neville's uncle was standing in a corner looking vacant while Lucius Malfoy was holding onto a ghastly looking baby.

'Voldemort.' Harry whispered.

'Seize him!' hissed the creature and Harry felt before he saw the huge snake try to strike him. But Padfoot came forward once more and blocked the animal.

'What is this?'

'My lord, it happened before, downstairs, when I tried to cast a spell on him.' Crouch spoke.

Voldemort's eyes widened as his pet snake retreated when faced with Padfoot. Harry saw something akin to fear or doubt pass the snakelike eyes of the baby monster.

'Then why did you let him out of the room?!' Lucius barked

'It's only good for protection, otherwise it would have attacked already.' Explained Crouch. 'Reggie used to speak of such protection being hypothetically possible.'

'You're saying Black did this? He's a squib.' Snorted Malfoy.

'Was I the one that spent all those years with my brain all mushy from the Imperius or was it you? There is no way a head of the Black family is a squib.'

'I know the bastard personally. He's full of money but no magic.' Snarled Lucius

'ENOUGH! I am sure that whatever magical misgivings the new Lord Black has, he can be persuaded to join our cause.'

'My Lord, if the protection is from Black, then only Black can undo it.' said Barty

'Kidnapping him would not be as easy as getting to Potter. And the boy is his Ward, he is honour bound to protect him.' Added Lucius.

'Honour is such a fickle thing. If faced with the ruin of his own family, do you think this squib lord would not bend?' asked Voldemort.

Crouch and Malfoy exchanged a cautious look before Crouch finally dared to answer.

'My Lord, you are right of course that the Blacks like any Noble and Ancient family value blood before all else. However the Black Lords are famous of never breaking their word. If Black acknowledged Potter as his ward the boy will remain under his protection no matter what you offer in return.' Not to mention that Aries was Sirius, so there was the duty of the godfather to that of guardian added in the mix, but Harry wouldn't tell these people that.

'We will see about that when I meet with this so called Black Lord. Boy, lower your protection and we may spare your friends.' Snake Face finally said a menacing glint in his eyes directed at Crouch.

'Don't do it Harry!' Neville spoke up before Crouch pulled at his hair again.

Harry didn't know what to do. He was certain that if he complied with their request they would not let him live, or Neville, or Augusta for that matter, maybe Algerius would be allowed to live if he was still of use. But that was a moot point, since it was not him who controlled Padfoot, so he wouldn't know how to stop the dog from manifesting. He hoped Ar-Sirius had a way of finding him; that is if he even knew he was in trouble.

'So you want to see your friend suffer, do you?' snarled Voldemort and to Harry's horror the creature shot a Cruciatus at Neville who screamed like he was being skinned alive and collapsed against Crouch.

'Stop! Stop!'

'Lower your defences.'

'I don't know how.' Harry finally admitted.

'Will it away.' Hissed Voldemort.

Harry looked at Neville who was breathing fast and saw his friend jerk his head saying don't do it. then he looked at the now still visible Patronus Padfoot and tried to calm himself down trying to think of Aries coming to his rescue and repeating the mantra go away, so that instead of Neville, the spells would be directed at him. He thought he had succeeded when Padfoot slowly faded before vanishing completely. But not seeing the dog also left him feeling vulnerable and alone.

'Very good, Potter. Now come here.' Harry made to move forward when Neville struggled violently and managed to break free of Crouch. But his friend stumbled and though Harry managed to catch him before he fell Crouch was now looming over them. A cutting spell hit Neville's back and he collapsed.

'Neville!' Harry went down to try to help his friend. He was still breathing.

'Get up Potter.' Snarled Voldemort.

Harry made to get up and stand in front of Neville to protect his friend when he felt Neville's hand grasp his and the familiar touch of his holly wand. Neville managed to get one of the wands back from Crouch. They had a fighting chance.

'Cru-'

'EXPELLIARMUS!' he shouted disarming Crouch.

'CRUCIO!' it was Voldemort that sent the spell against him, and Harry was sure there was no chance in hell he could dodge and leave Neville to take another round of torture. But Padfoot appeared again and somehow the curse was blocked.

'YOU DARE DEFY ME!' the wand was turned against Augusta now and the older woman was woken up from unconsciousness screaming.

'STOP! STOP IT!' He shot a spell but Voldemort deflected it.

'Why should I? You didn't keep your end of the bargain.'

'I don't know how to stop the shield from appearing.'

'You better learn fast, she's tough but she won't last much longer.' Crouch said grinning as he created a sort of barrier using Neville's wand that prevented Harry's next attempts at stopping the torture.

'Gran…' Neville stirred and Harry helped his friend up but kept him behind him. Padfoot seemed to only appear when his life was in danger, so he would act as a shield for his friend. But that still didn't leave them with any chance of escaping. The room they were in had a window but it was barred and the door which Harry used to come in through had been locked and was guarded by Malfoy.

The two teens didn't know how much time had passed until Voldemort stopped torturing Augusta. But though it was probably minutes, it felt like hours. No matter what they said, Padfoot would not relent and nor would the Dark Lord. They were at a stalemate.

'Gran…granny…' Neville cried but Harry held him away.

'Don't lower the shield…' Augusta said when she finally mastered enough strength to look up from the ground.

'Grandma.'

'Go…run…' she managed to say before the next bound of torture hit her.

Run, run where? They were trapped, there was no way he could break through Crouch's barrier or pass Malfoy. The dirty window didn't show any lights in the darkness outside, they were probably far away from civilization. Even if they somehow got outside, what then? But he had to try, he had to try something.

Dobby probably got word back home that they had been taken. Or maybe Mrs. Enid, she had gone to Zagreb but surely had to have returned since they had been kidnapped. Were they even still in Croatia?

Adam and the circus had made it to the place they assumed Voldemort was hiding but the protection still prohibited them from entering the house. Pan and Dobby's spells to get passed the Fidelius were futile.

'It has been too long.' Roy finally spoke up.

'The little master is protected.' Pan spoke.

'And Black?' Roy frowned.

'He'll recover…with time.' Pan didn't sound too sure however.

'Something is happening.' The Vella spoke just as the empty space before them seemed to implode before the blast shattered the Fidelius from the inside and they could finally see the half standing cottage in the Albanian woods.

'Move now! The priority are the children. Hurry.'

The debris were not yet all settled when the High Elf Apparated to where Harry and Neville had been knocked out by the blast. Crouch too had been rendered unconscious by Potter's Bombarda Maxima. Voldemort saw the shadows of the others coming forward and decided to cut his losses. He was still weak. A sign to Lucius and Malfoy vanished with both Voldemort and a still imperiused Algerius.

'They got away.' Said Roy.

'It was inevitable, the blast destroyed our antiaparition wards.' Explained Pan as he reassured himself that Harry and Neville were still alive. The young master had a concussion but nothing more. The Longbottom heir was worse. His spine was heavily bruised and his back was bleeding from a nasty cut. He healed what he could to get them ready for transportation.

'The lady is surprisingly still alive.' Said Roy

'It would be a mercy if she wasn't.' spoke Adam 'Her mind is in tatters.'

'We will take her with us. And that scum also. Aries will want to interrogate him.' Said Pan.

'Pan…' Harry murmured as he was coming around.

'It's ok, young master. You're safe now.'

'I destroyed…'

'You broke the charm that was prohibiting us from entering the house with an exploding spell. An overpowered exploding spell. You need to rest now. We will get you home.'

'Home…Si…ri.' And Harry fell into the abyss of unconsciousness content that he would be back with his guardian shortly.

Voldemort was livid. All his preparation, gone, gone down the drain because of Potter and that thrice damned protection. Crouch was lost to him, and he still needed the last ingredient to make the potion work and return to his body. The only good thing, and by good, he meant not bad, was that the cauldron of potion was still intact in his sanctuary deep inside the forest. But without Potter's blood, the bone from his father that Crouch got him using Algerius Longbottom was useless.

'My Lord-'

'Not now Lucius! Potter escaped my grasp and all my plans have come to ruin. The potion is useless without the blood of my enemy.'

'That's just it, my Lord. I took a vile of blood from the Longbottom matriarch. She is not Potter, but she still qualifies as an enemy.'

'Potter's blood will make me more powerful. To use anything else other than his blood would be a mistake.'

'There are other rituals to steal blood and power that could help with that. The potion will only be good for the next 48 hours.'

Voldemort frowned. As much as he hated it, Lucius had a point.

'Very well, prepare the final steps. I will rise tonight.'

Far above the Scottish planes in the tower of divination Sybil Trelawney woke from slumber in a daze.

"The choice of expedience will mark a swift end to the Lord of Darkness. But Darkness will rule supreme when the last light of kindness is extinguished by the Blackened heart and life will cease to exist if the Conqueror of the broken prophecy does not embrace his legacy and surrenders life to the heart of death."

The portrait of Sir Cadogan heard the drunken seer but thought nothing of the ravings of an addled fraud.

A/N: And I managed the update. Rejoice. We are heading slowly towards the finish. I won't lie. I was planning a much longer run, but somehow it made sense to shorten the story now. We'll see. I won't be updating until after the middle of May. But May will get an update. I hope I didn't traumatize you too much with the use of the Cruciatus. I'm not sure, but should I change from T to M because of the torture stuff? It wasn't too explicit.

Thank you for the reviews. I always viewed Augusta and Neville as more interesting, more human, than the stereotipical Weasley family. I am glad for the friendship between Neville and Harry since I doubt Ron would have been able to understand our hero's problems. Anyway, the kids are now safe again. How would you like Crouch to be punished? Do you think Augusta will recover or will she join Frank and Alice in St. Mungo's?

Side note, the geraniums are still alive. The jasmine is slowly dying and my balcony looks nice with solar powered lights dangling on the railing. Until next time, stay happy, healthy and enjoy life.