Disclaimer: Harry does not belong to me, but rather belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: This is the sequel to Harry Potter and the War of the Wizarding World. I suggest that you read that first or else you won't have any idea what's going on in this story. Not that I'm saying you can't read this, but in all honestly, I truly believe you will be thoroughly confused...

Summary: This is a story about Harry's summer before and during his seventh year at Hogwarts. Just after Harry turns 17, Privet Drive is attacked and Harry is forced to protect the family who had never showed him love. Shortly before the start of school, a close friend of the trio disappears and Harry is thrown into turmoil. School begins and the friend returns, but only as the shell of a person. Harry has much more on his plate this year with N.E.W.T.S and the battle against Voldemort coming ever closer.

Warning: There are scenes of torture, mention of rape, and implied sex within this story. The rating may be raised because of this.

Title: Harry Potter and the Battle of the Worlds

Ch. 10

Tales of Another Escape

The month of September had been a roller coaster ride for Harry and his friends. It mainly required them to help Tally heal physically and mentally from her ordeal. Her second night back she had fallen asleep on the couch and had woken a few hours later screaming bloody-murder. In fact, most of her nights ended this way. Harry had taken to either sleeping on the couch nearest to her if she fell asleep in the common room or waking in his bed and finding her asleep beside him.

He never minded either because he knew that he was her comfort. Usually if Tally fell asleep in the common room, the rest of them found a comfortable place and slept there. It was a sign of unity, loyalty, friendship, but most of all, love.

There were only a few drawbacks in Tally's recovery. Her first and most major happened when they were in transfiguration. They were learning about human transfiguration, something Harry was very interested in learning. McGonagall had asked the class a question and called on Tally to answer. However, Tally's focus seemed to be elsewhere. McGonagall called out her name repeatedly without any sort of response or reaction from Tally. Harry was about to tap her when Hermione gasped. Harry turned to Hermione and she whispered in reply to his unasked question,

"Her nose is bleeding." Harry turned back to Tally and faced her completely. Sure enough, a steady stream of blood fell from her nose and onto the desk in front of her. Harry grabbed her arm, causing her back into reality.

"Miss Adams," McGonagall said harshly when Tally turned to her. McGonagall's stern face faultered and a look of concern replaced it, "Your nose is bleeding." Tally's hand shot to her nose. When she took it away and saw the blood a sudden change in her demeanor occurred. She stood quickly, knocking her chair over. Harry stood to help her, but she enmitted a loud terrified scream and ran from him to the front of the classroom. Her eyes were glazed and had that frantic panicked look Harry had seen on the night of her return.

It was almost as if she had reverted back into that same state of mind. She wouldn't allow anyone near her and she continuously stared at the blood on her hand. Her frantic mumbles were subtle, but constant. McGonagall tried to take tentative steps toward her, but Tally was too quick for her.

"Malfoy, get Pomfrey, now!" Malfoy obeyed without any objections. The entire class was pale with fear and confusion as they wached Tally in front of them. Harry tried to get close to her, telling her that she was alright, that he was here for her, but she didn't seem to recognize him. Harry watched in horror as, like the night of her return, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell unceremoniously onto the hard stone floor.

Harry reached her with ease and tried to steady her convulsing body. He looked over at McGonagall, who was kneeling beside her,

"What's wrong with her? What's happening?" His voice was filled with panic while trying to restrain Tally's body.

"She's having a setback, Mr. Potter. These were bound to occur." She awoke Tally with the wave of her wand. Tally, whose body now stopped convulsing, looked confused and fragile. Harry leaned close to her and found her eyes were no longer frantic.

"Tally?" She focused on him before looking around the rest of the classroom.

"Wha-? Why?" Then her eyes widened as they understood her unanswered questions. She began to sob into Harry's shoulders, apologizing to McGonagall through her tears. Soon Malfoy and Pomfrey entered the classroom. Pomfrey didn't asked questions, but gently pulled Tally away from Harry.

"There, there dear. It's alright." Pomfrey scanned her wand over Tally before coming to a decision. "Potter, if you would help me, carry Tally to the hospital wing for me so that I can perform a proper check-up." Harry nodded and lifted Tally with ease. He was surprised to find how easy it had been to lift her. Not that Tally had ever been a heavy girl, but she was nothing more than bones now. Harry shot a worried glance to Pomfrey, who only frowned and shook her head.

When they reached the hospital wing, Harry set Tally down onto one of the beds and moved away to allow Pomfrey some room to work. The check up didn't take long and Pomfrey escorted Harry away from the bed to allow Tally some much needed rest.

"What happened?" Harry asked quietly.

"The blood from her nose triggered a relapse. In her mind, she went back to that cell. Back to the horrors she had endured. It had been a rough one, but she'll be alright. Set-backs like that are bound to happen when a person goes through trauma such as the tortures Tally endured." She paused and looked Harry hard in the eyes, "In fact, I'm sure even you experienced such events with all the things you have endured." Harry shook his head in reply,

"No, I don't think I've ever had any moment like that."

"No Harry, I don't mean her type of set-back." Pomfrey nodded her head in Tally's direction, "I meant that something or someone will trigger a painful memory." Harry nodded. Things like that happened a lot for Harry, but he had become accustomed to them. They were like second-nature to him now. "You should go back to class now, Harry. You may come back later if you would like."

That was Tally's only major set back. She usually would only get lost within her memories but could be brought back easily with a mere touch from a friend.

A week and a half after Tally's escape, news of another escape came to them while they ate dinner in the Great Hall. Harry had just made it to dinner after staying late in Potions at Snape's request. They had glared daggers at one another during the lesson; Snape had never quite forgiven Harry for seeing his worst memory back in Harry's fifth year and Harry had never forgiven Snape for the death of Sirius. In order for Snape to feel smug with Harry, he forced Harry to clean up all of the frog spawn that had splattered around the dungeon classroom. However, as soon as Snape left the room, Harry took out his wand and used the cleaning spell Neville had taught him over the summer. As soon as it was clean, Harry made a break for it and ran all the way to the Great Hall.

Now sitting beside Tally and Ron, each stuffing their faces and chatting quietly with their friends, Harry gulped pumpkin juice to slow his racing heart.

"What took you so long, mate?" Ron asked when Harry was finished.

"Snape made me stay late to clean the frog spawn." Ron made a disgusted face before turning back to his food.

"Well, serves you right. The two of you were oozing of animosity. You should have known better than that, Harry." Hermione scolded from across the table. Harry rolled his eyes and Blaise and Neville choked on their food to hide their laughter.

"I still don't understand why you two hate each other so much." Tally commented from behind her hand, stifling the yawn she had just had. Harry turned to her to reply when they were interrupted by a small figure tapping Harry on his lower back. Harry looked down to see Dobby standing awkwardly behind him.

"Dobby, what's wrong?" Dobby's ears were lowered, which only happened when he was afraid or when he was going to punish himself.

"Dobby has been sent by his Master to fetch Harry Potter and his Misses." Dobby turned and bowed slightly to Tally. Tally smirked at Dobby. She knew that Angel had taken a shining to Dobby.

"What does Dumbledore want with us?" Harry asked the house-elf.

"Dobby is to escort Harry Potter and his Misses to the Informary."

"Okay, it's Tally, not his Misses," Tally cut-in with an amused tone while glancing at Harry, "and why the informary?"

"Misses Tally's Angel has returned." Tally's amused look was placed with one of fear and panic.

"M-my Angel? My Angel?" She stuttered and stood quickly, "They found her, she's okay, she's alive?" She swooped low to face Dobby, tears of happiness in her eyes. Harry stood as well while their friends looked on in confusion.

"Misses Angel is Dobby's friend. Angel is not well and is needing her Misses." Tally stood straight and ran from the Great Hall, Harry and Dobby at her heels.

"Tally, slow down!" Harry yelled after her. She stopped quickly and whirled to face him. He saw hope in her eyes, excitement, and fear. Tears leaked from her eyes. "What, what is it?" He asked her when he caught up.

"I-I'm scared to see her." She breathed out and closed her eyes.

"Why?" Harry was bewildered at her behavior. Dobby finally caught up to them, watching them with lowered eyes.

"Wh-what if she's angry with me for leaving her?" Tally began to cry harder, "I shouldn't have left her; it's my fault and I just left her there."

"Tally, Angel was saving you. I don't think she could possibly blame you for what happened."

"Dobby is speaking with Angel and Angel is happy her Misses made it to her Harry Potter." Dobby said quietly from below them. Tally bent down to see Dobby,

"Really Dobby? Is she really okay? She's really alive?" There was a pleading note in her face as she searched Dobby's face for the truth.

"Dobby does not lie or else Dobby is to be punishing himself." Tally let out a strangled cry of relief and stood back up. Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her along the way to the hospital wing.

When they made it to the wing, the entered to find most of the professors, including Dumbledore, surrounding a bed at the end of the wing. Harry immediately began to pull Tally to where the stood, but he was met with resistance.

"What, what's wrong?" He asked when he turned back to her. She was biting down on her lower lip and looking at the Professors with caution. She met Harry's eyes, he saw the haunted look in her eyes that had begun to fade only recently. She pushed past him and was now the one leading him to where the adults stood.

The Professors nodded to them and made way for them to get a better look at the bed to which they were surrounding. Josh Adams sat in the chair beside the bed and Poppy Pomfrey was bent over a small creature. Tally breathing became shallow as she looked over the creature that had once resembled her beloved house-elf. Adams turned and saw her standing there, face pale, eyes wide. He stood and took Harry and Tally away from the curtained area to talk.

"Tally, she's been cursed terribly. Much like you were."

"Why, why would they hurt her?" She asked in a trembling voice. Her eyes never leaving the area where Angel now lay.

"They blamed her for your escape. They wanted to punish something and she was the only thing there. For their own amusement, who knows?" Josh told her. His voice was harsh and Harry understood that he was angry at the injustice of it all.

"How'd she escape?" Harry asked quietly.

"They thought her to be dead, so they discarded her. When they had all gone, she crawled to the apparation field and apparated into the kitchens where Dobby found her and brought her here. Poppy informed the Headmaster immediately as well as myself." He looked over at Tally and grasped both of her arms, "Tally, it's not pretty. She nearly died, and still may. Her tortures were longer than yours, more brutal. You may not want to see her like this." Tally looked at him and it took her a moment to catch her breath and find her voice.

"No, I need to see her. I need to know." Tears fell from her eyes once more and again, she looked over to the curtained area, "I need to know she forgives me." She said it in a whisper, but Harry and Adams heard, but did not comment. Slowly they walked back over to Angel's bedside. Tally leaned into the bed and lowered her face so that she was only a few inches from Angels. Harry looked on in a fury of disgust and hatred. Those Death Eaters weren't human, they were monsters.

Angel had once had large, innocent hazel eyes and a small button nose. Her large ears and small frame, gave her the impression of a child. Now looking at her, her eyes were both so swollen that she could not open them. Her small nose crushed from the beatings. Her ears dangling from her head. Her body broken and shattered.

"Angel?" Tally's voice cracked and came out in a harsh whisper. Her hand gently stroked her house-elf's face and head. Harry could see the pain in Tally's eyes that this was causing her. "Angel, it's Tally. Can you hear me?" The small elf turned her head slightly at the sound of Tally's voice. Her small mouth opened and Harry saw that her teeth had been shattered.

"Misses?" Came the small, chocked out reply. Tally broke down in sobs when she heard Angel speak. "Misses, I is okay. Do not cry for Angel, Misses. I is fine. I is happy my Tally is here." Tally kissed Angel's forehead through her tears.

"I'm sorry Angel, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you. I should have fought beside you, protected you." Harry heard a choke from beside him and turned to see Adams fight back tears. He excused himself and left the area.

"I is not wanting my Misses to fight. I is wanting her to run. I is always protecting my Tally."

"Please, please forgive me, Angel!" Tally pleaded, her please interrupted by a sob.

"I is not have anything to forgive. I is asking for my Misses forgiveness. I is to be punishing myself." Tally stood up straight when Angel said this. Confusion evident on her face.

"Why would you have to punish yourself, Angel? What do I possibly need to forgive you for?"

"I is not finding you soon enough. I is not protecting you like I promised." Tally gave a pained laugh,

"Nonsense, Angel. You will always be my Guardian Angel. My sister." She whispered to her house-elf. Her face once again lowered so that it was only inches away. Tears leaked from Angel's swollen eyes as she listened to her misses.

"Misses isn't mad, then? Angel is not needing to be punished?" Tally only kissed her again. They stayed like that, head's touching, for a few minutes. Suddenly pain flashed across Angel's fragile features and she began to groan. Tally looked at her in fear.

"I love you Angel. You have to fight for me, okay? Fight to live like I did. Can you do that for me? Can you fight this for me?" Angel's small, fractured hand rose a little to touch her Misses face. Tally closed her eyes and released a sob at her house-elf small gesture of love.

"I is loving my Misses and my Master. I is fighting. I is fighting." She struggled to get out as the pain became unbearable. Her hand fell to the covers and her voice faded away. Tally looked panicked at looked up at Pomfrey.

"What happened to her, what's wrong?"

"She's just unconscious" Pomfrey answered. She shot Tally a sympathetic look. Of all the adults in this room, besides Adams, Pomfrey was the only one who truly understood the relationship Tally and her brother shared with Angel. "This is bad, Tally. I won't lie to you, you'd know it if I did. But she's strong. She has hope." Tally nodded, her hand still stroked Angel's face lovingly.

"Can I stay with her?" Pomfrey gave her a pained sort of look and sighed.

"I'm afraid not. She's in a delicate stage in recovery right now and it best if she weren't around people. At least, for right now." Pomfrey added. Tally nodded and looked down at her house-elf. Harry lightly touched her shoulders in comfort. She slowly looked at him.

"It's just so unfair. All this pain. All her pain. Why?" Her eyes bore into Harry's and he could only look at her sadly. He didn't have the answers she was looking for. He didn't think anyone did.

"Just be happy she's alive, Tal, be happy just for that." Harry said quietly into her ears. Tally turned and leaned her body against his. She cried into his shoulder for what felt like hours, but wasn't really more than ten minutes. When she released him, she kissed Angel's bruised head once more before leaving the curtained area with Harry trailing behind. Once away from Tally, she turned to Dobby, who had been standing just outside the area.

"Will you protect her for me while I'm gone, Dobby?" She asked him. Dobby's eyes grew wide and round.

"I is doing what Harry Potter's Misses wishes for Dobby to do." Tally smiled sadly at him.

"No Dobby, I wish for you to do what you want to do." Dobby seemed confused at her comment, but said nothing, "Do you care for my Angel, Dobby?"

"I is caring for Angel, I is. Angel is Dobby's friend." Tally knelt down in front of Dobby and pulled him into a hug. Dobby seemed frightened for a moment and looked up at Harry. Harry smiled down at him. Feeling safe in Tally's arms, Dobby returned the hug.

"Then watch over her, Dobby. Protect her when I can't." Tally said quietly into Dobby's ear.

"Dobby will do as he must for Angel to be healed." Dobby replied as he was released from the hug. Tally smiled and stood. She looped her arm into Harry's and together they walked out of the hospital wing. Neither looked back. Tally's Angel was safe as long as Dobby was at her side.

A/N: Angel has returned. Aren't you happy? Lol. There wasn't much to this chapter except Tally's recovery and Angel's return. The next few chapters will be getting back into their daily routines as Head Boy and classes. Plus old foes, like Malfoy.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I plan on getting at least a couple more chapters out before my vacation is over and I have to head back to my last semester as an undergraduate student (cries).

SiriusRulz14: Oh, it's okay for not reviewing, I forgive you. I just honestly thought nobody liked chapter 8, but I'm glad that people evidently did. Tally will be getting better, but I won't really talk much more about her recovery, you'll see it in certain actions that come.

Indigo Feline: Aw, you didn't even know I updated? That's sad. And it was like a month until my ch. 9 update. It's alright though. I didn't kill Angel off! It's funny that you like her so much though, I mean, it's just that she's hardly in the story. But I'm glad you like her just the same. Tally's recovery will take awhile, but I would be really writing about it, maybe an update every so often, but you'll most likely be able to tell by the things she says or does. And I don't think you cold-hearted, but eager.

Esrb99: Aw, I like your fic too. One thing I forgot to mention to you was that I thought it odd how Ron's boggart was that scene. Unless I misunderstood what you wrote. It was just an odd sort of thing for Ron to be afraid of...Anyway, look forward to your next chapter and thank you for being so supportive.

I-Confuse-Everyone: First of all, GREAT name. Love it! Secondly, thanks for the review. I'm so glad that you seem to be enjoying this story. I hope to see more reviews from you in the future.

Cynthia1850: Yeah, I thought it was a good ending, if just a little corny. I wanted people to know that Tally and Harry still have a strong relationship so I wrote it as if Tally was allowing Harry to realize that. Your welcome for the update, lol, and for this one too!

nerd2006: I promise that there will be happier times ahead. Really, I promise. Thanks for reviewing!