DaF Chapter Two
Hi everyone,
Here's chapter 2 of the DaF. Be sure to read angie's chapter first
Chapter One
DaF
Chapter Two
By chips challenge
Harry landed with a sick feeling in his stomach into pitch darkness. The ground was cold and hard, and he could feel its dampness soaking through his clothing. He felt around instinctively for his wand and began to panic when he couldn't find it. He'd had it in his hand when he'd reached for the portkey, hadn't he? Ever since the trip to the graveyard via portkey, he'd always been apprehensive when traveling that way. Yes, he remembered solidly grabbing a hold of his wand before accepting the portkey, because who knew where he'd end up when traveling with Snape. He could feel his heart starting to beat faster as he began patting the ground around him trying to find his lost wand, but all he felt was were the smooth and cold stones that lined the floor of wherever he was… until suddenly his hand brushed against something a bit softer and rounder – it felt almost like a boot. Snape. It had to be.
"Professor?" Harry asked quietly.
"Missing something, Mr. Potter," the familiar snarling voice from his Potion's class asked.
"Did you find my wand?"
"You know, you should be more careful with this," Snape replied. Even though it was still completely dark, Harry could imagine perfectly the degrading look on Snape's face as he replied.
"I must have dropped it while we were traveling," Harry said admitted.
"Always trying to come up with excuses aren't you, Potter. Well, they won't do you any good here."
Suddenly, the room came into light as torches in each corner room lit up. However, Harry's attention wasn't on the room, but rather the person standing in front of him. The blond-haired man gave him a patronizing grin as he twirled Harry's wand between his fingers.
"So, I'm not your precious Professor Snape," Lucius Malfoy replied his voice shifting back to the familiar drawl that he heard taunting him so much from the younger Malfoy's mouth. "But he did give me something for you."
Before Harry could react, he saw the end of Lucius's wand in his face and a bright flash of light. When he opened his eyes, he found that he could no longer move. Lucius crouched down on the floor in front of him and pulled a potion flask from his pocket. Harry eyed the liquid suspiciously. Had Snape really made that potion? Harry knew that Snape made potions for the Dark Lord; that was his job, and he suspected that most of the potions that he made were poisons or Muggle torture drugs – not anything that he wanted to put in his mouth.
"Yes Severus made this one especially for you. We've just been waiting for you to visit us so that we could give it to you."
No, Snape wouldn't do that, Harry thought. There must be some mistake. Snape would never bring him to Voldemort no matter how much he hated him. But then Harry had a sudden realization. "That was you in Diagon Alley?"
"Observant aren't you, Potter. Severus always said that you were slow, but I knew you couldn't be that thick if you're the prophesized one," Lucius said as he thrust the potion bottle to Harry's lips. Harry forced his lips closed, but because he could move no other muscles in his body, he was no match for Lucius who grabbed his jaw and forced it open and then poured the potion into his mouth. Being unable to resist, the potion flowed right down his throat.
Once he felt the potions settle to his stomach, Harry felt the immobilization spell release him, and a shimmering wall of magic appeared between him and Lucius Malfoy. Harry looked up at Malfoy as Malfoy looked back at him, both of their eyes full of anticipation. They just stared at each other as the seconds ticked away both waiting for whatever was going to happen, to happen.
Harry felt himself beginning to get ill, but he didn't really think that feeling was from the potion, but rather from waiting for the potion to do something to him. Finally, Lucius looked away towards someone out of Harry's line of view, "How long is this supposed to take?"
"You just have to be patient," Harry heard the voice of his potion's master yet again. Harry strained his eyes towards the voice, but he could still see no one other than Lucius. That had to really be Snape, Harry reasoned, because there would be no reason for subterfuge now. So, Snape really had made some potion for him, but surely he hadn't meant for the potion to really be used on him. Why else would Lucius have been to one to bring him here rather than Snape. Maybe this was some kind of test for Snape's loyalty. Harry wondered if he should be playing along and maybe acting like he was in pain or something. But he wasn't sure what exactly the potion was supposed to do or how he was supposed to be acting. He didn't even know if the potion would really not work. It seemed he would have to be patient as well.
After another few minutes under Lucius's watchful eye, Harry really did begin to feel strange – not necessarily bad, just strange. The room wavered in and out of focus and Harry felt his strength disappear. Soon, he felt himself toppling over onto the hard ground but lacking even the energy to brace for his fall. Harry felt tingling in his hands and feet that soon spread through his whole body. Then his head began to ache; small at first, but gradually getting stronger. Harry grabbed his head in a futile attempt to lessen the pain, which grew even stronger when the only thing that he could hear was Lucius's voice laughing at him.
Severus Snape sat on a short wooden bench leaning against the wall. He could see Luicus from his position, but he could not see Potter. But then again, he did not want to see Potter. Watching Lucius's expression as he watched the boy was bad enough. And soon Potter would be nothing more than a squabbling baby. He knew the potion had been made perfectly, and he knew what shape Potter would be in now. He didn't have to see it.
"He's just a baby," Lucius exclaimed.
Severus looked up sharply. Did Lucius really not understand the implications of the Dark Lord's plan?
"You knew this would happen?" Lucius asked accusingly.
"He had to be brought to a time before he was marked by the Dark Lord," Snape explained as if he were actually explaining it to the baby rather than the grown man.
"But the Dark Lord isn't going to look very powerful if he kills a baby!"
Hmph, Snape thought. That didn't stop him from trying to do that very thing before. "He will grow up rather quickly. He'll be one year old tomorrow, two years old for two days, three years old for three days and so on. He'll be old enough to kill before we know it."
"I certainly hope so. I'm not going to be the one taking care of a screaming, stinky boy-who-lived."
Severus very much didn't want to be the one doing that either, but it looked like he would be left with little choice if he wanted Potter to come out of this alive at all.
