A big round of applause to xikum, Sage and Snape, S.G, Mikee, Samantha, Piggie, Corgi, Fnxmoon, Hevensdevil, Emerys, Toria, Lady Lightning, litine, Charma1219, artful dodger, lirael, kemenran, and kiara Malfoy.
All of you are entirely correct. The torture thing has gone on long enough, hasn't it? So, without further ado, I present to you…
THE RESCUE!!!
~~~***~~~
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore, I'm fine. YES, I can walk. I know I was hurt, but I'm okay now. I'm ready for this, even if you think I'm not."
Harry had spent nearly all morning trying to get his professors off his back. Really, the whole lot of them were hilarious, and so incredibly infuriating. Good lord, he wasn't a child. Didn't they know that?
"Bloody hell, Remus! I'm FINE! And I refuse to stay in here any more!"
"Harry, you just spent two days in a considerable amount of pain. Just yesterday, you were so out of it that you didn't even know we were there! And you really expect us to believe that you're fine? To let you just walk out of here?"
"Yes, I do. And I'm perfectly ready to march myself over to the Malfoy Manor tonight."
Remus gaped at him, and Harry rolled his eyes. He refused to be babied. He had something to accomplish.
"Professor McGonagall, were you able to save the potion?"
"Parts of it. I tested it on myself. We left it in there too long for it to work perfectly. It makes you invisible, but not soundless. So you-know-who will still be able to hear you."
Harry sighed. "Oh. Well, I guess that will work. Thank you so much for doing that for me. I know it took up a lot of your time."
"Of course, Harry. It wasn't too bad."
Harry grinned at her and marched out of the hospital wing. He had been up and showered before any of his professors were even awake, including Madame Pomfrey. She had gone totally bug-eyes when she walked in to find him dressed, walking around, and working on his wandless magic.
Harry hadn't had much time to practice, but he was very good at it. Everything he could do with a wand, he could do with his hands and his own magic. Well, almost everything. Much to his amusement, he found that he couldn't manage a simple banishing charm without his wand.
In the past few days, before he had been sentenced to bed, Harry had also taught himself how to apparate. He wasn't very good at it, as he hadn't had a proper teacher or any time to prepare himself at all, but it would do to get he and Snape back to Hogwarts.
He hoped.
What Harry had said to Snape earlier was not a lie. The curse- his curse- was perfect. He couldn't exactly try it, but he knew that it would work. Harry did wish that he had gotten the chance to practice, but that wasn't possible. Although he did consider trying it out on Peeves..
Harry knew that he was ready. Knew that the time had come.
And, as his professors followed him to the Great Hall for breakfast, he told them so.
"I think we should do it tonight. I think I'm ready."
"But Harry-" started Lupin.
"No. He's right, Remus. Tonight. Severus isn't going to survive if we keep this up much longer. Harry is his only chance at life," said Dumbledore.
Minerva nodded her agreement, wisely choosing to stay silent.
"So we need to plan out.. something. I mean, I know that I'm going to the Malfoy Manor, to get captured. And hopefully, Lucius will take me to Voldemort," he paused. "So I'm supposed to get locked up, take the invisibility potion, get myself out, and then get Snape out? Then what, apparate to Hogwarts?"
"God. This is not going to work," groaned Remus, shaking his head like it was the worst idea he had ever heard.
Well, it probably was. But it would work. It had to work.
"There now, Remus, don't worry Harry any more than he already is. And yes, Harry, that's the plan."
"Plans don't always go right," retorted Remus.
"Quite right, Remus. That's why Harry is prepared for confrontation. Aren't you, Harry?" asked Dumbledore.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. It's settled, then. Tonight."
~~~***~~~
It was late at night. There was a deafening silence hanging over everything in the air. Only the soft sound of hooting owls broke the stillness.
Harry crept into the forest surrounding the Malfoy Manor. His feet were silent, pressing gently against the ground so he wouldn't disturb a twig and alert anyone to his presence.
Of course, the point of this little trip was to get captured, so he probably should have been making more noise. No matter, they would fine him soon enough.
Harry could literally feel the wards he was breaking through to get to the Manor. There must have been alarms going off like crazy on the inside. Maybe they would wake Draco up.
Harry grinned evilly at the thought.
The Boy-Who-Lived had been reduced back into the Harry Potter that everyone knew and loved. He was small again, his hair was messy and short on top of his head, his face rounded like that of James Potter's own face. The only thing that was different was the glasses. Harry couldn't find a way to make his vision go back, and neither could Dumbledore, so the glasses idea was ousted.
Apparently, Harry Potter had gotten contacts over the summer.
Harry had brought a second wand, one that he could use, if necessary, but not his. He didn't need it, anyway, but he and Dumbledore had decided that it would look suspicious if he suddenly turned up without one. So they had found a second wand for Harry to use.
There were two small tremors that day- the start of the Cruciatus- before Snape had shoved him out of his mind. Harry was infinitely grateful to Snape, for keeping his promise and shoving him away. Although amazingly enough, Harry almost missed the biting comments in his head.
Now that was weird.
The Manor was in front of him now. He could see Lucius Malfoy and two other menacing-looking figures coming his way, wands held at the ready.
Harry breathed in deeply, looked around, and stepped on the nearest fallen branch.
The Death Eaters came running.
~~~****~~~~
Harry made an excellent show of pretending to be shocked that they had found him and trying to do battle with him.
"Expelliamus!" he shouted angrily, pointing his wand at Lucius Malfoy. He couldn't use wandless magic. Not yet, not yet..
Malfoy easily stepped out of the way of the curse. He raised his wand to shout something when Harry yelled, "STUPEFY!"
The elder Crabbe was downed by the hit, obviously not expecting the attack.
Angry now, Lucius and Goyle forced Harry into the back of a tree and hit him with the Cruciatus.
Harry dropped to the ground in pain, feigning surrender. Well, not exactly feigning surrender. He was surrendering, just doing it willingly.
And the Death Eaters fell right into his trap.
