Gravity of it All by PLS
Summery: Sick of trying to survive as Harry Potter in a post-Voldemort world, a young wizard takes a new path in the past that leads to the stars.

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Chapter Ten- He's Scary, Run Away, Run Away!

Rule # 34- I will not turn into a snake. It never helps.

from Peter Anspach's Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord List

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Harry cursed quite loudly in Arabic and generally let his feeling be noted as he was tied up again, only this time he was stripped first, their captor's version of a wizard cast some kind of illusion dispelling charm on him, and the ropes were saturated in a magic that nulled his own. Jack was given the same treatment but managed to keep quiet about it. Probably because he's too busy reliving memories from when he was a P.O.W. in the Iraqi's gentle care.

In the middle of their trying to tie him up he let himself slip into his animagus form, a big snake. As he thrashed around and acted like he was going to eat the people doing the tying, it really didn't help. Mostly because he ended up getting knocked out by the wizard and in the end woke up confused and with a splitting headache. He also noted that he was human and tied up in the damned ropes. Jack made light of it all, but it didn't change the fact that Harry was spitting nails and ready to go off on a rant worthy of a Dark Lord just thworted by his arch nemisis.

In the end Jack told him to rant so that he could make fun of him again, which in some odd way snapped Harry out of his bad mood and just made him want to cry in frustration and bitterness. Jack wiggled his way close enough to harry for them to cuddle as Harry cried then fell asleep. They were both jerked out of their sleep by the warriors dragging them to odd make-shift sleds that were hooked to what looked to be slightly larger than ox-sized elephants with longer legs, shorter trunks, no tusks, and naturally armor covered heads and backs. Harry saw that the warriors lashed him down to the sled so that he wouldn't be knocked off, nor could he roll away. The tents were gone and there were about thirty of the elephant creatures, all with riders and most had carts of stuff.

Harry closed his eyes as the caravan got started and just forgot about thinking. It wouldn't do him any good, and he really didn't want to take Jack's way of passing time. He could hear his friend bellowing out the song that never ended. Once upon a time he would have started answering back with I Know How To Get On Ev'rybodies' Nerves, but now Harry was just too depressed. He wasn't suffering from the flashbacks that Jack did. Harry instead drifted into his own mind, instinctually making himself easier to control. It was one of the traits that was etched into his mind, if he alowed himself to grow the least bit despondent during capture, he'd slip into a state where occlumency and other forms of resitance wouldn't work.

Harry could tell that the warrior who was riding the monster dragging him knew something was wrong with him. The poor young guy looked at him like he was about to explode or something at first, then like he was a curiousity at a zoo, then like he was an invalid in the intencive care unit of a hospital. The animal's gait sped up then slowed back down as the young man talked to someone. That someone turned out to be the same wizard who had tied him up.

Harry felt a cool wash of a translator spell and looked into the face of the wizard.

You are not well? Harry shook his head in the negetive, You are not sad? Harry frowned. He didn't want to talk but he could feel the ropes second trait, compulsion to obey and be helpful to this wizard.

I am in a state of readiness to be taken and turned to my primary function.Your function is?Weapon and servant to whomever turns me to this state.How do you get turned into servant state?Say the pass phrase while touching the scar on my forehead. The wizard looked surprised then thoughtful.

What is the pass phrase? Harry closed his eyes in pain and resignation as he heard Jack's voice, Jack could hear the conversation and was now protesting it in terms that were far from polite. Harry whispered the phrase, he knew it was heard though. The wizard touched his scar and with a grin that was nothing short of evil, said the phrase just as Harry told him. Harry went stiff, then knew he could do no more. He lay there waiting for his first command. The ropes were taken off and away.

Turn the other one into a gollum as you are. Harry stood and walked to where Jack was bound, he wanted to say how sorry he was, how much that he loved Jack, how he wanted to die, but instead he started casting spells, youth, strength, mental will stattering. Spells to bind, spells to enhance, spells to do everything that he never wanted to do to Jack. Finally he took a rock and trasfigured it into a knife of iron. He untied the ropes enough to get at Jack's chest and carved a glyph of servitude and obediance then carved a rune of power into Jack's forehead. A spell healed the damage, as well as sealed the previous spells and cemented the binding passwords.

The wizard didn't take his time as he bound Jack just as Harry was bound to him. He and Jack were both in bodies of their teenaged selves, it was part of the spells, and it really didn't help their physical and mental shock when they were ordered to flank their new master as he rode. Harry deeply wanted to die and saw that Jack understood he had no choice but still felt betrayed.

They were forced by the spells and orders to keep running until the caravan finally stopped for the night. The wizard ordered them to keep guard, and Harry and Jack both, despite being weak with hunger and exaustion stayed up all night, keeping guard over the camp. They had to do all their master told them and only what their master told them. Thankfully, their master finally understood his mistake in the morning, and they were ordered to eat then sleep in the back of their master's cart as they traveled that day. He also ordered them to dress in tunics and gave them swords to defend him with.

Despite this all Harry wanted nothing more than to free Jack then to hang himself. Jack wanted nothing more than to get free and kill the arrogant fool of a wizard then to get Harry as far away from the people surrounding them. For Jack, just seeing that self hatred in Harry's eyes was enough to forgive him anything. He only wanted his Harry safe and sane.

That night they were ordered to keep watch again, but now they had a feeling that the wizard would only order them to do that, and not to run all day. And they found they were right until the wizard ordered Harry to tell him how to transfer ownership. Harry told him and the next night they woke in the middle of a marketplace and heard and understood that the wizard was selling them to the people's king.

The sale went well as the king ordered the gold be handed over and touched both the scar on Harry's forehead as well as the now visable mark on his chest, then uttered the spell's pass phrase to transfer the bonds from the wizard to himself. Harry had never felt a transfer and was surprised at the pain that burned through him as the bonds were cut and remade. Harry wasn't sure but he had a feeling that he let his pain be known in a scream. He knew Jack screamed in pain just a few minutes later, probably as he was bound to the king. Knowing that felt worse than the pain he knew before.

-End Chapter Ten.

(A/N- I know, poor Harry, poor Jack. I will get them out of this. Maybe. I'm just in a bad mood because I'm PMS-ing.)