Salt in our Wounds
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They mean a lot to me!
Chapter 4 (Heartache every Moment)
The next few days seemed like a very long, very uninteresting theatre play to Harry; he saw faces, heard voices, but nothing he really cared about. All that he wanted was for the door to open and to see his beloved Ron run into his arms like always. That didn't happen, however. People like the current Minister of Magic (Percy Weasley, the youngest Minister EVER!) had come to see Harry and comfort him, but nothing could really help Harry. He didn't even know where to look for and he was completely lost without Ron who had usually done all the research for him. One day while Harry was just sitting on the couch like usually, the front door's door handle announced a new visitor: "Mad Eye Moody and Mr Dobby ... whatever."
Harry frowned. Why would Mad Eye and Dobby visit him **together**? He shrugged and told the door to open itself and so it did. Mad Eye had barely stepped in, before he pressed himself against the wall, obviously checking out if there were any enemies out to get him. Dobby jumped in, looking very unhappy.
"Ohhh ... Master Harry, it's aaawful!" the Elf sobbed.
Harry made a face like he had just bitten into a lemon; he KNEW that! He didn't need a hysteric House Elf to remind him of his loss.
"Wheezy's gone!" Dobby sobbed louder.
"He knows that already you fool!" Mad Eye grumbled and came in. "Hello there, Mr Potter."
"Hello," Harry replied dully; he wasn't really keen on company now.
"Just in case you were wondering: That fool works for me now. Dumbledore talked me into taking him. Shouldn't have done so," he muttered under his breath.
Huge teardrops were trickling over Dobby's cheeks now. "Oh Harry," he whispered. "It's AWFUL!"
"I know it is, Dobby! I fucking know!"
Dobby stared at Harry; he had never heard him use such foul language before and he was obviously shocked that his hero could ever do something like that.
"There, there," Moody said. "No need for that now. We're here to help you."
Harry was surprised; it would have been such an obvious idea to ask Mad Eye for help. He hadn't even considered it before.
"Help me? But how? I don't even know who it is!"
"Well, we actually do have more information than we could ever hope to get. This is not an ordinary kidnapping, boy. I have heard that this kidnapper was your target before he kidnapped your ... ummm ... partner. And he called you Potter in that note of his, so he obviously **knows** who you are."
Harry thought for a moment. Potter ... it sounded so familiar. Well, of course it did, it was his name after all, but still ... something about the way the kidnapper had used it seemed so familiar.
"Well, boy," Moody continued. "You can't have any deadly enemies like I have. You boys have just finished your Auror training after all, so who could want to harm you? Since all of this isn't about Mr Weasley, but more about yourself. Someone wants to take the thing you love most away."
Harry had the suspicion that Mad Eye Moody **knew** that Ron was more than a partner to him.
"Well, Voldemort is dead and gone, so ... no."
Potter ...
Potter ...
Potter ...
"WAIT! Do you remember what he said after I had defeated Voldmort?! 'Don't you think you are done with doing this. There is more evil in the world than him, Potter.' It's Snape!"
Moody considered that for a moment. "But he's in Hogwarts. He couldn't have done it. He's a teacher after all and you haven't seem him in quite a long time. Why would he do that after three years?"
Harry thought about this for a moment. Mad Eye was probably right, but still ... he knew that this Potter thing came from his Hogwarts time.
"But who would do this to me? WHO?"
"Well, obviously it's the same person who you have been hunting after for your job. This dark wizard's victims know. Haven't you ever asked them?"
"Of course I have," Harry answered irritably. "But they won't tell me. They are all too frightened. I'm not sure what he has told them, but they are ... afraid."
"What about young Miss Parkinson? I think the key to all of this lies with her. She's a Pureblood after all. Why would a dark Wizard want to harm a Slytherin who is obviously quite interested in the Dark Arts herself. Has been engaged to that Malfoy kid, I think."
Harry sighed. "She didn't even let me in. Actually I was going to get a permission to get into her house by Portkey since she has used some ... well ...dangerous, not to mention forbidden spells to protect it."
Mad Eye nodded. "She is hiding the truth, Potter. Ask her and you will get the truth."
~ * ~
After the terrible lunch at the Weasley's house Ronjust Apparated away. He just wanted to get away and the first place that he could think of was Diagon Alley. He was so excited, though and so he had gone to a place just a few metres away from Diagon Alley, but it was a bad place: Knockturn Alley. The street was deserted which was quite weird since it was day, but he didn't have time to worry about that. Ron knew that this was the worst place he could have landed and he immediately went to look for the way back, when he was grabbed from behind. He wanted to scream, but the person put their hand over his mouth and rammed their knee into his back so hard tears ran down his face. The person was strong and easily dealed with Ron. The redhead struggled, even considered biting for a moment, but then a sudden blow to his head knocked him out and the world before his eyes vanished.
When he woke up it was cold, damp and dark. He groaned and tried to get up, but to no avail: His wrists and ankles were bound with robes; he frowned. If his kidnapper had been a wizard he would have simply cast a spell on him, no need for these ropes.
He tried to get up again, but the hot, searing pain in his back reminded him of the other blow he had received. The redhead tried to see something, see where he was, but it was just too dark. He laid back down and waited; after five minutes or so a cold, green light appeared in front of him and he looked into a face he hadn't seen in a long and which he had never wanted to see again.
"YOU!"
Ron's kidnapper laughed, cold and high-pitched. "Yes, it's me! In all my glory!"
TBC
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They mean a lot to me!
Chapter 4 (Heartache every Moment)
The next few days seemed like a very long, very uninteresting theatre play to Harry; he saw faces, heard voices, but nothing he really cared about. All that he wanted was for the door to open and to see his beloved Ron run into his arms like always. That didn't happen, however. People like the current Minister of Magic (Percy Weasley, the youngest Minister EVER!) had come to see Harry and comfort him, but nothing could really help Harry. He didn't even know where to look for and he was completely lost without Ron who had usually done all the research for him. One day while Harry was just sitting on the couch like usually, the front door's door handle announced a new visitor: "Mad Eye Moody and Mr Dobby ... whatever."
Harry frowned. Why would Mad Eye and Dobby visit him **together**? He shrugged and told the door to open itself and so it did. Mad Eye had barely stepped in, before he pressed himself against the wall, obviously checking out if there were any enemies out to get him. Dobby jumped in, looking very unhappy.
"Ohhh ... Master Harry, it's aaawful!" the Elf sobbed.
Harry made a face like he had just bitten into a lemon; he KNEW that! He didn't need a hysteric House Elf to remind him of his loss.
"Wheezy's gone!" Dobby sobbed louder.
"He knows that already you fool!" Mad Eye grumbled and came in. "Hello there, Mr Potter."
"Hello," Harry replied dully; he wasn't really keen on company now.
"Just in case you were wondering: That fool works for me now. Dumbledore talked me into taking him. Shouldn't have done so," he muttered under his breath.
Huge teardrops were trickling over Dobby's cheeks now. "Oh Harry," he whispered. "It's AWFUL!"
"I know it is, Dobby! I fucking know!"
Dobby stared at Harry; he had never heard him use such foul language before and he was obviously shocked that his hero could ever do something like that.
"There, there," Moody said. "No need for that now. We're here to help you."
Harry was surprised; it would have been such an obvious idea to ask Mad Eye for help. He hadn't even considered it before.
"Help me? But how? I don't even know who it is!"
"Well, we actually do have more information than we could ever hope to get. This is not an ordinary kidnapping, boy. I have heard that this kidnapper was your target before he kidnapped your ... ummm ... partner. And he called you Potter in that note of his, so he obviously **knows** who you are."
Harry thought for a moment. Potter ... it sounded so familiar. Well, of course it did, it was his name after all, but still ... something about the way the kidnapper had used it seemed so familiar.
"Well, boy," Moody continued. "You can't have any deadly enemies like I have. You boys have just finished your Auror training after all, so who could want to harm you? Since all of this isn't about Mr Weasley, but more about yourself. Someone wants to take the thing you love most away."
Harry had the suspicion that Mad Eye Moody **knew** that Ron was more than a partner to him.
"Well, Voldemort is dead and gone, so ... no."
Potter ...
Potter ...
Potter ...
"WAIT! Do you remember what he said after I had defeated Voldmort?! 'Don't you think you are done with doing this. There is more evil in the world than him, Potter.' It's Snape!"
Moody considered that for a moment. "But he's in Hogwarts. He couldn't have done it. He's a teacher after all and you haven't seem him in quite a long time. Why would he do that after three years?"
Harry thought about this for a moment. Mad Eye was probably right, but still ... he knew that this Potter thing came from his Hogwarts time.
"But who would do this to me? WHO?"
"Well, obviously it's the same person who you have been hunting after for your job. This dark wizard's victims know. Haven't you ever asked them?"
"Of course I have," Harry answered irritably. "But they won't tell me. They are all too frightened. I'm not sure what he has told them, but they are ... afraid."
"What about young Miss Parkinson? I think the key to all of this lies with her. She's a Pureblood after all. Why would a dark Wizard want to harm a Slytherin who is obviously quite interested in the Dark Arts herself. Has been engaged to that Malfoy kid, I think."
Harry sighed. "She didn't even let me in. Actually I was going to get a permission to get into her house by Portkey since she has used some ... well ...dangerous, not to mention forbidden spells to protect it."
Mad Eye nodded. "She is hiding the truth, Potter. Ask her and you will get the truth."
~ * ~
After the terrible lunch at the Weasley's house Ronjust Apparated away. He just wanted to get away and the first place that he could think of was Diagon Alley. He was so excited, though and so he had gone to a place just a few metres away from Diagon Alley, but it was a bad place: Knockturn Alley. The street was deserted which was quite weird since it was day, but he didn't have time to worry about that. Ron knew that this was the worst place he could have landed and he immediately went to look for the way back, when he was grabbed from behind. He wanted to scream, but the person put their hand over his mouth and rammed their knee into his back so hard tears ran down his face. The person was strong and easily dealed with Ron. The redhead struggled, even considered biting for a moment, but then a sudden blow to his head knocked him out and the world before his eyes vanished.
When he woke up it was cold, damp and dark. He groaned and tried to get up, but to no avail: His wrists and ankles were bound with robes; he frowned. If his kidnapper had been a wizard he would have simply cast a spell on him, no need for these ropes.
He tried to get up again, but the hot, searing pain in his back reminded him of the other blow he had received. The redhead tried to see something, see where he was, but it was just too dark. He laid back down and waited; after five minutes or so a cold, green light appeared in front of him and he looked into a face he hadn't seen in a long and which he had never wanted to see again.
"YOU!"
Ron's kidnapper laughed, cold and high-pitched. "Yes, it's me! In all my glory!"
TBC
