Authors Notes: ^_^ Well here's the next Chapter! I'd like to start things of by thanking my newly acquired Beta! (I also changed the text of the first two after they betad them. No plot things changed though. It's just more organized. ^_^) I couldn't have kept this so neat and error free without them! ^_^ And, I should probably include a disclaimer too: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the associated characters I just torture them with my angst romantic fics once and a while. ^_^ Now on to the third chapter!
Beautiful Pain
Chapter 3
Bring Me To Life
Sirius Black marched down the hall to Dumbledore's office with no uncertain plans to raise holy hell. None of this was ever supposed to happen again, especially not to Harry. He'd already suffered far too much. If he had to, he would tear apart the very walls of the school looking for the bastard responsible for Harry's continued suffering. With a resounding kick Sirius all but blew the door of Dumbledore's office off its hinges. The other people who were gathered there looked up with various degrees of shock and disdain at his rude entrance, but Dumbledore remained calm as always.
"Ah, Sirius, glad you could make it," Dumbledore said with a calm air, "Please, sit."
Sirius glared around the room angrily to make sure everyone he'd called to this meeting was there, obviously not intending to sit until he was good and ready. Hermione and Ron had been among the first ones there along with Remus, Prof. McGonagall and a few top notch Aurors that had been assigned to guard the school against any stray Deatheaters trying to make an attempt on Harry's life. They had all been called, more likely ordered, to Dumbledore's office the morning after Harry's collapse to discuss a plan of action. They all knew that Harry was hurt and that someone had been hurting him but no one, save Sirius and Dumbledore, had a clue to who had done it or how to stop them.
Sirius continued his frantic pacing for a few more moments before finally taking a seat next to Remus. Even though he was seated it looked like he was ready to spring up at any moment. The tension in the room seemed almost palpable as the small group waited for Dumbledore to explain what exactly he thought they could do to help Harry. Everyone was truly worried about Harry, who had been allowed no visitors except Sirius, due to his fragile state of health.
"Now I'm sure all of you would like to get straight down to business," mumbled Dumbledore in a matter-of-fact tone while shuffling some papers in front of him. "As you all know it seems Harry has gotten himself into quite a bit of trouble again. As things stand he is in the hospital with a few broken ribs, massive excoriation on his back, and a few nasty potions circulating through his system. Let me assure you that all of his physical injuries can and shall be healed as soon as possible. Our only concern in this meeting is the culprit of these beatings and Harry's emotional wounds. So if- "
Sirius, who had apparently had his patience worn thin already, jumped to his feet and began to scream, "We already know who the bloody culprit is! Let's just ship the bugger off to Azkaban already and be done with it!"
"Sirius," Dumbledore said in a tone that was neither harsh nor one to be argued with. "I assure you we are doing all within our power at the moment, but we must not jump to conclusions. There are at least a dozen stray death eaters still on the lose that would love to torture Harry for their own devious purposes."
Sirius sat down at last albeit reluctantly, and Dumbledore continued talking to an audience that was growing more and more concerned. "Now, as I was saying, Sirius has recently made a discovery that may shed a great deal of light onto the situation at hand. Late last night, while he was watching over Harry, he discovered a slave necklace charmed to invisibility around Harry's neck."
As always Hermione was the first let out a strangled gasp, obviously knowing exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. The other adults present merely stared at Dumbledore with a look of disbelief. Indeed, it seemed everyone but Ron, who was neither old enough to remember to stories nor dedicated enough to his studies to know what, exactly, was around Harry's neck, knew what a slave necklace was. Hermione, not missing a beat, turned slightly to Ron and fell into lecture mode. "I read up on them briefly right before that final battle with Voldermort--- honestly Ron there's no need to flinch anymore"
Ron glared at her indignantly, annoyed that he always seemed to be the last to know things, save Neville. "Not all of us can put away facing an army of Dementors in some underground sacrificing temple of doom too easily!"
Hermione's expression softened and her eyes glazed over a little at the memory. "Yes… I suppose not…."
"Ron this is really not the time to start another fight," Remus chided gently. Ron let out a small huff, but backed off. Hermione stole a glance at Dumbledore, who nodded politely, and continued with her explanation.
"A Slave Necklace was a type of torture device Voldermort used in his first rise to power. It's something like a metal choker with the a lump of it forged into the shape of the dark mark in front. Once it is placed on the victim or the 'slave', the person who placed the necklace, the 'master', is given total control. They can't tap into their slaves free will, mind you, but they can call the necklace to contract sharply and choke their slave to death. More often than not, the Slave necklace was used to get involuntary spies for Voldermort's side. All the Deatheaters would need to do is pick a mark, collar them, and release them. Then, whenever they wanted information, they could simply send them an unsigned owl with a meeting place and time. If they didn't come it was a simple flick of the wrist to strangle them. It's a dark art known only to Deatheaters. As far as I know most of the necklaces power is centered in the Dark Mark. No one who's ever become a 'slave' has come back alive."
Ron's eyes grew wider and wider as Hermione explained exactly what kind of trouble Harry was in. Harry had faced many horrible things over the years but this was really high up there among the worst. He opened his mouth to offer something which probably would've come out as a squeak of some sort when Dumbledore took things up again.
"Thank you, Hermione. Now that you all know exactly how grave this situation is, we can move on the discussing exactly how to help Harry. I have scanned the necklace, briefly, while he slept. It's one of the strongest magical auras I've ever felt. However, it appears to me that whomever placed it on Harry poured almost all of their magic into it. I doubt it would've held him effectively otherwise. This person obviously never expected to be caught because this surely left them with little more magic than a squib."
Sirius, who had been fighting nervously in his seat spoke up again, "Great! If that greasy bastard is weak lets just go get him now and put this all behind us!"
Everyone in the room, save Dumbledore, seemed to be getting more and more anxious of Sirius as the meeting went on. He was a dangerous man, yes, but no one had really ever seen him this…bloodthirsty… before. It was just a little bit frightening. Dumbledore, however, gazed upon him with the same calm he always seemed to have.
"Sirius," he began, "I understand how frustrating this is for you, but we can not arrest anyone without evidence. However, if we didn't arrest anyone at all and simply tried to remove Harry's Slave Necklace there could be another one on him within the week. For all we know there is a horde of Death eaters using him willing to turn everyone among them into near squibs if they can have Harry at their beck and call. Unless you want to further endanger the life of you godson I suggest you sit down now." Dumbledore did not yell, but there was undeniable force in his words that was meant not to be argued with.
Sirius obeyed immediately, clamping his mouth shut and sitting down, but no one thought for a minute that he wasn't planning a violent murder of anyone and everyone they found to be hurting Harry.
"Right then. Now, if we may continue. I believe the best plan of action would be simply to keep Harry under secret observation until he is called again by his 'master'. Then we can simply let him lead us to his master. From that point it would be a simple matter to seize the guilty party and begin the hard part of this mission."
"Hard part?!" Ron gulped nervously imagining them creeping into the depths of the forbidden forest, the chamber of secrets, or some other god forsaken place nearby.
Dumbledore turned his soft gaze upon the two youngest members in the room; Harrys' best friends. "Yes, Ron. While it would be fairly simple for us to capture this 'master' simply because he has not armed himself against such an attack I'm afraid Harry's sanity will be a slightly larger problem…."
Hermione's head snapped around to meet Dumbledore's gaze, "What do you mean his sanity!?" Dumbledore lifted his hands gently as if trying to shush her and continued, "It was not widely known, save for those directly involved in the battle against Voldermort, that the relationship of 'master' and 'slave' is far deeper than torturer and victim. The necklace allows the 'master' to weave his way into the depths of his 'slave's' psyche and cause near irreparable damage. Though I was able to tell the extent of the power of the spell surrounding Harry, the magic was so unstable I was unable to get a lock on how long this has been going on. I can only hope we have not noticed too late."
On the other side of the room, Sirius's pencil suddenly found itself in two halves --- clenched tightly in Sirius' fists --- but he managed to keep himself silent.
"Now then, "Dumbledore went on, "Is this pan of action acceptable to everyone involved?"
A few moments passed and no one seemed to dispute Dumbledore, he was a very wise man after all, but Hermione ended up breaking the silence anyway. "Sir? It just seems a bit strange that you'd want to include us," she waved her arm to indicate her and Ron, "in all of this. You never seemed too eager to openly let us get involved in any of the serious messes that seem to follow Harry around before, so why now?"
Dumbledore smiled fondly as if he was recalling every time they'd snuck out of bed and went beyond their permitted boundaries before answering, "Well Mrs. Granger, I very much doubt you two would've given me much choice on the matter either way. Not to mention that you will be leaving the school after this year to attain jobs wherever you wish. And finally, you seemed to have been involved in every other terrible disaster before this. If anything else, you two do not scare easily anymore."
Both seventh year Gryffindors smiled slightly at the complements of their Head Master. It truly meant a lot to them to be openly allowed to help their best friend without having to worry about sneaking around. The peaceful moment was shattered, however, when Sirius chair struck the floor with the force of his abrupt standing.
"Shouldn't we get going now then Head Master?" the question was forced and restrained. As though he were being held there by feeble chains, about to snap.
Dumbledore sighed and looked at Sirius sadly and understandingly. "Sirius, Poppy is watching over Harry. If he makes any move to leave the infirmary I will know immediately. From the information I have gleaned from you and his closest friends, I can expect his 'master's' summons soon, if not tonight. In the mean time I suggest we discuss exactly how we may go about sneaking after Harry and restraining his 'master'. I assure you Sirius we will most probably end up finishing this whole business by tonight."
Sirius nodded gravely. "Tonight then."
Dumbledore nodded, knowing Sirius would wait no longer before acting. Dumbledore, together with Ron, Hermione, Remus, the five Aurors, and Sirius black, began to hatch a plan….
**********************
It was sometime past midnight when Harry finally came to. He knew where he was without even opening his eyes. It was the one room in Hogwarts that had always seemed to have the emptiest feel to it, because there was hardly anyone in there over night. Madam Pomfrey was very diligent about healing people ---despite all the rumors, true as they were, that she would try to keep you there as long as she could.
Harry let that train of thought go and returned to the black emptiness of the room. It was the closest thing to comfort he could ever ask for or feel at this point. He was trying to slip into a dreamless sleep--- he'd stopped dreaming altogether months ago, when he heard it. It was soft and just barely audible, but it was there… a gentle …tap…tap…tap…
Without the slightest groan against moving with his half-healed wounds Harry sat up stiffly and glanced out the window. Sure enough there was a coal black owl pecking on the window closest to him. Although he didn't need to know what the message said he knew he'd be punished if he didn't accept it. Like death in life, he rose up and glided to the window. In a single motion he swept back the window and took the parchment from the bird perched on the windowsill. With a quiet 'hoot' the bird lifted silently into the air and back to the man they both called master.
Harry stood gazing out the window for a moment, just clutching the parchment in one fist before he let it fall to the floor, unread, and started to make his way out of the hospital wing. He was so focused on his destination that he failed to notice the large black dog behind him, moving as silently as the owl, who picked up the unread parchment in its teeth and handed it to an unseen force in the air. The letter was promptly plucked from mid air and disappeared. Seemingly satisfied, the dog continued silently after Harry followed only by a medium sized cat and a few disembodied rustling of fabric.
********************************
Harry made his way down the deadly familiar passageways of Hogwarts, making his way to that one specific godforsaken room. He almost seemed to be in a trance as he walked onward. Not even the sudden lurch of a moving staircase could startle him to flinch. He was, for all respect and purposes, a broken shell of what people once knew him as.
A storm was growing increasingly restless outside the castle walls as Harry again drew back the tapestry that hid his darkest secret. He began another long walk down the darkened hallway toward the room and the man that had destroyed him.
He was bearing the type of expression that one wears on their last walk to the executioners block. He was determined, serious, and unfocused. A short while later, he stood before the off-white doors of what he knew to be hell, waiting for them to open. This would be his last night, he was sure. He couldn't physically survive another trip about the blackened tomb of a room.
With a sickening moan the doors crawled open. He dared to glance up, to find his 'master', Severus Snape, waiting for him in the center ring. Yes, this would be his last time. He moved three step forward when a bloodthirsty growl roared from behind him and some large black object lunged past him towards his 'master'. Harry blinked with confusion as the form jumped and turned into a man in thin air and shouted, "You're dead you greasy bastard! I knew it was you!"
Behind him there were other noises. Shuffling, transforming, and spells being lifted filled his ears. There were people all around him within seconds. Some had their hands on his shoulders, others were rushing towards his 'master', but none of it mattered. Hands were trying to pull him away and he was moving blindly until something clicked. One of the forms assaulting his master was Sirius.
With widened eyes he glanced around him taking in his friends and comrades. No. No, this couldn't be happening! With strength he didn't know he had Harry wretched away from those who were holding him and ran forward towards the crowd around his 'master'. "Sirius! NO! Stop!" he shouted, but the words came too late. His master's magic was weak and with five Aurors on him, he was magically handcuffed before he realized what was happening. Somewhere in the depths of the struggle Harry heard him whisper the triggering word.
The word, just barely audible, that would doom him forever. Stumbling halfway between the door and the crowd of people subduing his 'master' Harry gagged and clutched his throat. There was a pinprick of pain, and icy feeling that washed over him, and the his Slave necklace fell, visible and magic-free, to the floor.
Sirius pulled back from the crowd at that moment running a concerned gaze over his godson. Harry was always the only person that could distract him from his passionate desire to kill Snape even if the Aurors had already handcuffed him. That was when he saw the necklace fall to the floor like the last chain on his imprisonment. A grateful smile spread across his lips. He moved a few steps forward with the intention of comforting his godson when Harry's head snapped up and he lunged for the wall, pulling down a sword and aiming it at Sirius with fire in his eyes. Sirius stared at Harry confused, but took another slow step towards him just the same. Harry waved to sword menacingly towards his Godfather, keeping him a good distance away.
"Sirius, so help me, if you come just one step closer you'll die by my hands!"
Sirius could only stand and stare in shock, vaguely aware of everyone, save the Aurors trying to subdue Snape, turning towards him and Harry.
"Harry…" Sirius said softly easing one step forward with an outstretched hand. But Harry just waved the sword dangerously closer to Sirius and he was forced to retreat back a few steps.
"Oh god, Harry…" Sirius thought with a pained look in his eye, "What has that bastard done to you?"
To be continued….
Authors Notes: You should probably know I love ending fic chapters at the worst possible cliff hangers. ^_^ hehehe. I hope you're all enjoying yourselves so far. Hope I didn't confuse anyone with that first person POV chapter either. That'll happen from time to time during the more intense and reflective scenes or chapters. ^_^ I hope to get the next chapter up soon, so hang in there! ^_^
Anonymous: Thank You for reviewing. ^_^ I assure you I'll be here for a while. I make it a point not to leave fics unfinished. ^_^
Moon Fairy2: Thank You, I'm glad you like my writing. ^_^ hehehe I know I'm horrible to Harry in this fic. I'll try not to keep to much time between my updates. ^_^
Crimson Wings: ^_^ LoL Thank You for such and enthusiastic review. ^_^ like I said before I won't let this fic drop, don't worry. LoL ^_^