Disclaimer: You guys know the drill.

Author's Note

The next three chapters have been edited from their original format. Things have been added…and subtracted. After reading several replies, I felt as though this was needed.

May: Thank you for pointing that out about the rack. It has been corrected.

Not Myself by Saerry Snape

Chapter 169 – Find the Dragon

"Harry, have you seen Malfoy?"

"No. Why?"

"We were supposed to get together and study for N.E.W.T.S., remember?"

"Oh shit! Ni, I…"

"Its okay," said Niamh. "Ron forgot too. But Malfoy – I wouldn't have expected him to have forgotten."

Harry's eyes narrowed to emerald slits, his dark eyebrows dipping as he frowned.

"No," he said after a moment, "that's not like Drake at all. And where is he? Its nearly curfew!"

"I don't know." Niamh suddenly had a horrible thought and she cast a wild look at her best friend. Harry caught it and arched one eyebrow, the other remaining lowered.

"What?"

"You…you don't think that the fight earlier was a distraction, do you? Parkinson's been glaring at him ever since we came back from hols."

"I wouldn't put it past her," snarled Harry, rising from where he'd been lounging on the couch. "Hold on a minute."

"Where are you going?" called Niamh to his back as he stalked towards the boy dormitories.

"To get something!"

The dark-haired girl sighed and slumped against the couch, waiting for him to return. When he did, her eyes went wide.

As did those of everyone else who was currently in the common room.

"Wh-what is that, Potter?" stammered a third year, backing away hurriedly.

"It's a sword," replied Harry as he casually tightened his belt. "A scimitar to be exact and I do know how to use it, so stop cringing. And I won't use it on any of you."

The common room seemed to relax then Harry smirked and added, "Not unless you piss me off, of course."

Every eye in the room widened and Niamh grabbed the older wizard's arm, dragging him towards the door.

"Stop scaring the locals," she growled. "And where are we going?"

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good!"

"The map?"

"How else are we supposed to find Drake?" asked Harry as he knelt, spreading the map out to its full length. Niamh dropped down beside him and watched him as he ran his fingers over the map.

She hadn't looked at him closely in a long time and now that she did, she was in shock. Since the beginning of the year he'd looked like he always had, a tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired wizard with startling green eyes. But now he looked…older. Even his eyes were old.

Older than the twenty-one years he had now lived.

He made her think of his father, who – from what she had been told– had also seen too much in his life before he even reached the age of twenty-five. His eyes too, once his guard was down, were older than his years.

It made Niamh suddenly realize how truly alike father and son were.

"Here we are," said Harry suddenly, placing his fingers on the spot where the names Niamh O'Feir and Harold Snape hovered. "Now where…"

"He's down here," whispered Niamh. Her fingers, just five inches from Harry's, touched the name Draco Malfoy "But…that can't be. If I'm reading this right, that's below the dungeons."

"The dungeons go deeper than this, Ni," said Harry softly. "But Da said no students knew about them…"

"How do you know?"

"He told me, of course. C'mon."

He gathered up the map, flipping it so he could see the floor Draco was on was on top. Rising to his feet, he extended a hand towards her. Niamh looked at the scars that crossed his knuckles for a moment before she placed her own in it. He pulled her up and she found herself standing very close to him quite suddenly.

"Is he okay?" she asked nervously. "Shouldn't he be moving?"

Harry just looked down at her, his eyes blank. Then he tightened his grip on her hand and turned, pulling her down the corridor without a word.

Niamh, fear rising up in her belly, followed him silently.

"We're close."

"How close?"

"He's just one floor below us now. If I can just find the stairs…"

"Can't I light my wand too?"

"No!" hissed Harry. His eyes glittered in the light from his wand as his head whipped around to look at her. "To even use magic down here, your wand has to be acknowledged by the wards. Mine is, yours isn't."

"What's so important down here?" asked Niamh.

"Everything. If the Ministry knew what was down here, they'd have closed Hogwarts years ago."

"You mean…"

"Dark Artifacts?"

Niamh just nodded.

"Tons. Hundreds. Thousands. I dunno. These corridors go deep – deeper than the Chamber even, I think. I'm not sure if Dumbledore knows what lies in the deepest ones."

"What's in the topmost?"

"Paintings, tapestries, rugs, mirrors…just furniture. Maybe one or two suits of armor."

"Second?"

"The professor's old school trunks. 'Cept for Da's. He's got that in his rooms."

"Third?"

"Books that are more restricted than those in the Restricted Section."

Niamh was silent then she asked, "What floor are we on now?"

"Seventh."

"And what's down here?"

Harry halted and said, "Luminosus."

Niamh gasped and took a step back as she saw a pair of eyes leering at them from inside a jar. Another pickled creature was in a jar next to it. And next to that one. And that one…

"There are thousands of them," she gasped, staring at the shelves with their hideous jars in awe.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Product of all the Potion Master's to be hired here since Hogwarts was founded. Next floor's…oh, bleedin' hell."

"What?"

Harry spat something in Elven and slapped the heel of his hand against his forehead. His green eyes were wide as he gasped, "How could I have been so stupid?"

"Whaaaaaat?" cried Niamh, tugging on his arm.

"Ni…the next floor…" Harry swallowed hard before he continued, "The next floor's what they call the Corridor of Blood. Can you guess why they call it that?"

Niamh shook her head then she gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth.

"You mean…"

"Torture devices," growled Harry. "From thumbscrews to the Iron Maiden. Ishbé! If he's dead, I'll…"

"I'll help you," snarled Niamh. "But we'll plan revenge later if he hurt – or worse. Right now we just have to find him!"

"Right. This way!"

He grabbed her hand again and pulled her down a set of stairs that spiraled around once before it exited into the corridor below it.

Halfway down, Harry's nostrils flared at the smell of blood. Half-buried images of a pair of twins lying in a pool of their own blood and another of a dark-haired boy just a year younger than they flared up but he shoved them back.

Stuffing the map into his pocket, his snapped, "Nox!" then waved his wand about the room, shouting, "Lumen Lampas!"

In torch brackets all the way down the corridor, fires sprang to life. Niamh shivered as various torture devices came into view – some she knew and a few she didn't.

"Lai Istveil…" she heard Harry breath and turned to look at him.

She immediately wished she hadn't.

In front of them on a table, his wrists and ankles tied to ropes that wound about large wheels at either end of the table, was Draco. He was bloody, battered, and beaten severely – but he was still alive.

"Gree Haldish," hissed Harry. "The Rack. Those bastards. They'll pay for this."

He drew his scimitar and slashed the ropes that bound the blonde Slytherin to the table after releasing them slowly. Draco moaned and opened his eyes to a bare slit, revealing them to be bloodshot. A bruise was purpling nicely over his right eye and it opened less than its counterpart.

"Harry to the rescue?" he croaked through parched lips.

"Don't forget the Lady," said Harry as he cast a spell over the other boy before carefully lifting him into his arms. Draco arched back and screamed wordlessly in pain.

"Sorry," whispered Harry. "My spell will keep me from injuring you. If I could levitate you out of here, I would."

"Just…just go," hissed Draco. "Doesn't it take the pain away?"

"No. Sorry."

"Just get me out of here," whispered Draco, leaning his head wearily against Harry's shoulder.

Harry looked at Niamh, who had taken one of the torches from its bracket and had the Marauder's Map in her hand. She looked at him for a long moment then said, "We'd better hurry."

"Lead on, fair Lady," said Harry. "The faster we get him out of here, the faster we can seriously injure whoever did this."

Niamh grinned wickedly, her eyes glinting with ice.

"Let's move then, my dear Lord."

"Good Heavens, what happened to him?" exclaimed Madam Pomfrey when Harry appeared in the hospital wing carrying a now unconscious Draco.

"I'll tell you when I find out," replied Harry as Niamh came in behind him, tucking the now wiped Marauder's Map in her pocket.

Madam Pomfrey gave him an odd look then ordered, "Take him to one of the private rooms and lay him on the bed. I'll be there in a moment."

Harry just nodded and walked towards the back of the wing, shifting his burden uneasily. Niamh sprinted ahead of him and opened the door that lead into the corridor that the private rooms branched off of. There were four such rooms and Harry and Niamh both were of the opinion that seeing them once was enough.

Entering the first room, Niamh pulled the sheets back and Harry carefully laid Draco down on the mattress. He then stepped back and drew his wand, removing the spell he'd placed on the other boy.

The gray eyes snapped open then and Draco croaked, "Where…?"

"The hospital wing, Mister Malfoy," said Madam Pomfrey as she bustled into the room. "And in my good hands. Now out – out – you two! I'd suggest a new shirt, Mister Snape."

Harry blinked then looked down at his shirt. It was a long-sleeved shirt he'd bought the year before in Diagon Alley and now the dark green cotton was covered with Draco's blood.

"Sorry bout that," breathed the blonde.

"Quite alright," said Harry, leaning over his friend. "Drake…"

"Out, I said," growled Madam Pomfrey, glaring at him.

Harry's dark head came up and his emerald eyes flashed angrily.

"I'm trying to find out who did this to him!"

"Leave punishment to your father, Harry."

Harry growled and spat, "I'll handle this one myself. No one, and I mean no one, harms my friends and gets away with it. Now, Drake…"

"Parkinson," croaked Draco. "Crabbe, Goyle – they grabbed me from behind. But Pansy…Pansy and Greengrass. Blaise… They did the torture…"

Harry's expression was as hard as stone as he heard the name's. His left hand, which had been resting on the hilt of his scimitar, was gripping the leather-bound Elven iron tight enough that his knuckles showed white through his skin.

As Niamh watched the dark of the Tethdaìr took over his eyes.

"I'll get them," he growled to Draco through clenched teeth. "They'll regret this."

"I trust you," mumbled Draco before he closed his eyes wearily. Madam Pomfrey looked up at Harry then, her expression stern.

"Now will you leave?"

"Yes, ma'am. Please tell me when we can come visit him."

"Of course, Harry."

The dark-haired wizard nodded then turned to leave, pushing Niamh gently out in front of him. They walked across the hospital wing in silence until Niamh asked, "What are we going to do?"

Harry halted and turned to look at her. Niamh, who had never been frightened of him since she'd met him, nearly took a step back at the rage she saw brimming in his all-black eyes.

"Get our book," he growled. "And every book of hexes and curses in my trunk. The password is Lilai."

"Where are you going?" she asked to his back as he began to walk in the opposite direction. He stopped and turned his head to grin ferally at her over his shoulder, looking like he was trapped between sanity and sheer madness.

"I'm going to go set up for the party."

Latin Translation

Luminosus – Bright ; so, essentially, Harry just made the light from his wand brighter

Lumen Lampas – Light Torch

Elven Translation

Ishbé – Hell

Lai Istveil – By Heaven

Gree Haldish – The Rack

Lilai - Lily

Author's Note

Sorry for the Draco!Bashing. I couldn't resist.

Heheh. Old habit die hard, neh?

And, yes, Harry is veeeeeeeery pissed off. ::rubs hands together gleefully:: I'm going to have sooooo much fun next chapter! 'Cause its torture time!

This chapter was written whilst listening to the soundtrack for PoA. Which is WONDERFUL! Its all composed by John Williams (not adapted from the SS like CoS) and all excellent. Track 7 (A Window to the Past) is by far my favorite. I don't know WHAT is playing on that track but its excellent.

Suppose I'll shut up now and go write some torture sequences. Muaaaaha.