"Harry."
Dumbledore sighed in apparent relief.
"Where are you?"
"I'm at Hogwarts, I've been assigned as Snape's slave!"
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, yes I'm fine, couldn't be better, I have a huge gang of deatheaters kicking me whenever they feel like it, so yep, life's great!"
Dumbledore looked at Harry reproachfully.
"Sorry professor, but please you have to get me out of here before I'm discovered."
"Floo out now." Remus said looking as though Harry was mad for not having already done so.
"Snape's put this collar around my neck, he says it will stop me leaving the room."
Albus sighed
"Standard death eater slave equipment. If you try to leave it will paralyse you until your 'master' returns. Look Harry, I'll speak to Severus, get out of the fire before someone works out what you're doing and keep your head down. Do exactly what you're told."
Harry saw Mrs Weasley sobbing quietly. He nodded and pulled back out of the fireplace
"You fool!" Harry turned and looked up at his 'master' who was looking furious.
"How do you know that the Dark Lord isn't monitoring the fireplaces?" Harry gasped, he hadn't thought of that!
"Get up!"
Harry stood . Snape took the jar from Harry and locked it away. This is it, he thought, he was about to die, painfully.
"If you ever do ANYTHING like that again you will be severely punished!"
The dark lord wants to meet the slaves for a little 'motivational' talk. He's about to demonstrate what will happen to anyone that tries to escape or harm one of us. I have half a mind to suggest you as the demonstration slave.
Snape affixed a gem to the collar, "that will allow you to go to the great hall, if you deviate from the most direct journey, there or back the collar will activate and you will be paralysed until I can be bothered to remove the hex. Now get moving!"
Harry stumbled from the rooms, and made his way along the corridors he once thought of as his home. A first year Griffindor rounded a bend in front of him. She was walking with a pronounced limp, using the walls to keep herself upright. Harry dashed up to her and helped her to stand properly. "Are you alright?"
The girl burst into tears "Who are you?"
"I'm...." Harry thought quickly for a fake name and supplied quickly "James. I'm a sixth year Ravenclaw. Let me help you to the Great Hall. Who've you been assigned to?"
"Lucius Malfoy." The girl said sobbing.
"What's your name?"
"Mary."
Harry helped her up a flight of stairs, pitying the girl who Malfoy would most likely kill. "Are you muggle born?"
"yeah." Mary said, tears sliding down her bruised cheeks. "Why didn't I just stay at home and go to a muggle school?!"
Harry looked her in the eyes, she was absolutely terrified. He could feel her shaking.
"James?"
"yeah."
"Who were you assigned to?"
"Snape."
"Poor you." The young girl commented. Harry made a noncommittal noise thinking that he'd probably got off lightly.
They neared the Great Hall. "Mary, I know this is difficult, but for now just focus on staying alive until someone comes to rescue us. Whatever you do, do not tell anyone else that you're a muggle born!"
they entered the great hall, and instantly, Harry's scar burnt so fiercely that he fell himself. He clambered back to his feet and joined the assembled line of 'slaves'.
Voldemort stood at the front of the room and began to talk. "Your lives as you knew them are over. You now exist for one purpose only – to serve your masters. You will do as ordered without fail. It they tell you to kill yourself you will, if they tell you to place your hand in a fire you will. For nothing will be as painful as the consequences of disobedience.
A severe act of disobedience will result in a beating you will not have the strength to crawl away from. A second time will see you under the Cruciatus curse until you begin to loose sight of who you are. A third will result in death!"
Harry watched horrified as Dennis Creevy was dragged up to the front, there Voldemort stood and thrown as his feet. "If you look away, the same will be done to you!" Voldemort shouted and he stood and carried out all three stages of punishment upon the screaming thirteen year old. As Dennis died in a flash of green light the pain in Harry's scar made him throw up and then loose consciousness.
When Harry awoke he looked up from his spot on the floor. Voldemort was staring down at him.
"Whats your name slave?"
"James." Harry coughed out, trying to clear his mind of all thought –
"Are you a mudblood?"
"Halfblood." Harry said – thinking it was probably best to use as few lies as possible around this skilled legilimens, wondering how long it would be before Voldemort saw through his pitiful disguise. He steadfastly avoided eye contact.
"Who do you belong to?"
"Snape."
Harry sat shaking – trying hard not to place his hand on the scar that was still buring fiercely.
"Get back to his rooms – tell him the dark Lord wants his slave starved for a week as his stomach is obviously too weak to manage food. I will know if you eat anything so don't bother not telling him of my order"
Harry stood and turned towards the doors of the Great Hall, filling up with guilt as he saw Mary cleaning up his mess.
When Harry reached Snape's rooms he explained to the enraged potions master what had happened.
"If you had succeeded with occlumency your scar might not present the huge problem that it does! I may resume lessons with you so you do not blow our cover." Snape said, angrily.
"How will he know if I don't eat?"
"I expect he cursed you when you were unconscious – eating will cause you suffering that will not slide by unnoticed and I will end up taking the fall for allowing you to disobey him."
Harry sighed. Snape handed Harry a list of chores that he wanted doing. "This place is to be spotless at all times, and as long as you're here you will ensure that it remains so. I may have visitors at any time of the day and if you have not cleaned up you may be reassigned to someone who will be more 'forceful'. Is that understood?"
"Yes Sir."
"It is also likely to be a frequent event where you are sent to work with other slaves jointly. It is Draco Malfoy's birthday today, Lucius has requested that you assist his slave to prepare a feast and then you and the other will serve us. Whatever you do, don't give yourself away!"
Harry nodded and began to wash Snape's robes. "Why don't the Hogwarts house elves still do this stuff?"
"They are loyal to Dumbledore and have been slaughtered".
Harry looked down sadly and continued to wash – wondering for a brief moment if this man owned any clothes that weren't black.
Dumbledore sighed in apparent relief.
"Where are you?"
"I'm at Hogwarts, I've been assigned as Snape's slave!"
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, yes I'm fine, couldn't be better, I have a huge gang of deatheaters kicking me whenever they feel like it, so yep, life's great!"
Dumbledore looked at Harry reproachfully.
"Sorry professor, but please you have to get me out of here before I'm discovered."
"Floo out now." Remus said looking as though Harry was mad for not having already done so.
"Snape's put this collar around my neck, he says it will stop me leaving the room."
Albus sighed
"Standard death eater slave equipment. If you try to leave it will paralyse you until your 'master' returns. Look Harry, I'll speak to Severus, get out of the fire before someone works out what you're doing and keep your head down. Do exactly what you're told."
Harry saw Mrs Weasley sobbing quietly. He nodded and pulled back out of the fireplace
"You fool!" Harry turned and looked up at his 'master' who was looking furious.
"How do you know that the Dark Lord isn't monitoring the fireplaces?" Harry gasped, he hadn't thought of that!
"Get up!"
Harry stood . Snape took the jar from Harry and locked it away. This is it, he thought, he was about to die, painfully.
"If you ever do ANYTHING like that again you will be severely punished!"
The dark lord wants to meet the slaves for a little 'motivational' talk. He's about to demonstrate what will happen to anyone that tries to escape or harm one of us. I have half a mind to suggest you as the demonstration slave.
Snape affixed a gem to the collar, "that will allow you to go to the great hall, if you deviate from the most direct journey, there or back the collar will activate and you will be paralysed until I can be bothered to remove the hex. Now get moving!"
Harry stumbled from the rooms, and made his way along the corridors he once thought of as his home. A first year Griffindor rounded a bend in front of him. She was walking with a pronounced limp, using the walls to keep herself upright. Harry dashed up to her and helped her to stand properly. "Are you alright?"
The girl burst into tears "Who are you?"
"I'm...." Harry thought quickly for a fake name and supplied quickly "James. I'm a sixth year Ravenclaw. Let me help you to the Great Hall. Who've you been assigned to?"
"Lucius Malfoy." The girl said sobbing.
"What's your name?"
"Mary."
Harry helped her up a flight of stairs, pitying the girl who Malfoy would most likely kill. "Are you muggle born?"
"yeah." Mary said, tears sliding down her bruised cheeks. "Why didn't I just stay at home and go to a muggle school?!"
Harry looked her in the eyes, she was absolutely terrified. He could feel her shaking.
"James?"
"yeah."
"Who were you assigned to?"
"Snape."
"Poor you." The young girl commented. Harry made a noncommittal noise thinking that he'd probably got off lightly.
They neared the Great Hall. "Mary, I know this is difficult, but for now just focus on staying alive until someone comes to rescue us. Whatever you do, do not tell anyone else that you're a muggle born!"
they entered the great hall, and instantly, Harry's scar burnt so fiercely that he fell himself. He clambered back to his feet and joined the assembled line of 'slaves'.
Voldemort stood at the front of the room and began to talk. "Your lives as you knew them are over. You now exist for one purpose only – to serve your masters. You will do as ordered without fail. It they tell you to kill yourself you will, if they tell you to place your hand in a fire you will. For nothing will be as painful as the consequences of disobedience.
A severe act of disobedience will result in a beating you will not have the strength to crawl away from. A second time will see you under the Cruciatus curse until you begin to loose sight of who you are. A third will result in death!"
Harry watched horrified as Dennis Creevy was dragged up to the front, there Voldemort stood and thrown as his feet. "If you look away, the same will be done to you!" Voldemort shouted and he stood and carried out all three stages of punishment upon the screaming thirteen year old. As Dennis died in a flash of green light the pain in Harry's scar made him throw up and then loose consciousness.
When Harry awoke he looked up from his spot on the floor. Voldemort was staring down at him.
"Whats your name slave?"
"James." Harry coughed out, trying to clear his mind of all thought –
"Are you a mudblood?"
"Halfblood." Harry said – thinking it was probably best to use as few lies as possible around this skilled legilimens, wondering how long it would be before Voldemort saw through his pitiful disguise. He steadfastly avoided eye contact.
"Who do you belong to?"
"Snape."
Harry sat shaking – trying hard not to place his hand on the scar that was still buring fiercely.
"Get back to his rooms – tell him the dark Lord wants his slave starved for a week as his stomach is obviously too weak to manage food. I will know if you eat anything so don't bother not telling him of my order"
Harry stood and turned towards the doors of the Great Hall, filling up with guilt as he saw Mary cleaning up his mess.
When Harry reached Snape's rooms he explained to the enraged potions master what had happened.
"If you had succeeded with occlumency your scar might not present the huge problem that it does! I may resume lessons with you so you do not blow our cover." Snape said, angrily.
"How will he know if I don't eat?"
"I expect he cursed you when you were unconscious – eating will cause you suffering that will not slide by unnoticed and I will end up taking the fall for allowing you to disobey him."
Harry sighed. Snape handed Harry a list of chores that he wanted doing. "This place is to be spotless at all times, and as long as you're here you will ensure that it remains so. I may have visitors at any time of the day and if you have not cleaned up you may be reassigned to someone who will be more 'forceful'. Is that understood?"
"Yes Sir."
"It is also likely to be a frequent event where you are sent to work with other slaves jointly. It is Draco Malfoy's birthday today, Lucius has requested that you assist his slave to prepare a feast and then you and the other will serve us. Whatever you do, don't give yourself away!"
Harry nodded and began to wash Snape's robes. "Why don't the Hogwarts house elves still do this stuff?"
"They are loyal to Dumbledore and have been slaughtered".
Harry looked down sadly and continued to wash – wondering for a brief moment if this man owned any clothes that weren't black.