Chapter 5

Harry was walking down the street, having just escaped the Dursleys for a stroll. He was miserable. Nightmares of Sirius' death came nightly, and during the day he spend his time bored stiff of dwelling on the past. This is what had lead him on his walk. He thought some exercise might clear his mind to allow him to be able to concentrate long enough to begin one of his homework essays.

Harry was slightly surprised to discover that while deep in thought he had wandered to the play park he had frequented the previous summer. He flopped onto a swing and began to gently swing back and forth.

A hand closed over Harry's mouth and he was pulled backwards off of the swing. Harry felt a jerk behind his navel as his captor activated a portkey. They slammed into the ground in a bare blue room. Harry was being held tightly by the captor who had a nasty grip on each of Harry's arms.

Looking around Harry saw that he was surrounded by people in lime green robes. He struggled strongly against the arms that held him while the people came closer. There were four men (including the man holding him) and two women.

One of the women, who bore a startling resemblance to Pansy Parkinson drew her wand and cast a charm on Harry that immobilised him. The man holding him lowered Harry to the ground, and took his wand.

"Who are you?" Harry questioned fiercely from his prone position on the tiled floor.

"That is not important." The woman snapped

"At least tell me where I am." Harry demanded

"You are in Daleside Halls; from this point forward YOU aren't anyone, just our test subject. If you do not behave we will punish you. Any attempts to escape will fail, so there is little point in trying." With that the woman waved her wand again and Harry's clothes were replaced by thin hospital robes.

"Let me go!" He shouted "I'm NOT your lab rat!"

The 'Parkinson' woman shook her head in annoyance and gestured for the men to pick Harry up. He was carried by his shoulders and legs into the adjoining room and placed on a bed.

One of the men waved his wand and restraints circled around Harry's wrists and ankles. He then lifted the immobilising charm and his captors left the room. Harry pulled with his arms to get free of the restraints, but they were too tight.

He began to hyperventilate. He was terrified. What had the woman meant by 'test subject? What kind of 'tests'. Harry had a gut feeling that Voldemort had nothing to do with this, and that was more frightening than anything else about the situation. Voldemort wanted him dead. That he could understand, given the prophecy.

But here, he did not even know who his enemy was, let alone what they might want with him.

Harry calmed his breathing and looked about the room. It was white and plain. The door was held shut by a series of complicated locks. Looking to one side Harry saw a set of machines lined up along the side of his bed. He had never seen anything of the like in the muggle world.

The door swung open and two people entered. Harry craned his neck to see who it might be. The woman who looked like pansy entered, followed by Cornelius fudge. He was deep in conversation, and spared Harry only the merest of passing glances.

"When can you begin?"

"Immediately."

"Begin what? What's happening here?" Harry questioned loudly

The minister spun round to face Harry. "I've had enough of you and Dumbledore meddling. This war will be won OUR way"

"What?" Harry spluttered, not understanding what the minister was talking about.

"Your magic was powerful enough to bring you know who down once. It will be again. But this time it will be wielded by us, not a child and certainly not Albus Dumbledore.!"

Harry felt his blood run cold. The ministry were going to try and use him like a weapon against Voldemort. "No! You can't keep me here!"

Fudge snorted "Can't I? You were instrumental in the return of You know who. It was your blood. I have every right to keep you here! Proceed with the testing Madame Parkinson."

So they are related, Harry thought as the she stepped forward and pushed a needle into his arm. "I'll pump the various potions through here as I really can't be bothered with the endless struggle that would be trying to get him to swallow them."

She levitated a bag of potion above Harry's head and it began to drip down into his arm.

"What will that do?" Fudge asked eying the potion

"It will subdue him sufficiently for him to be more receptive to the mind control testing."

"Excellent. I want regular updates." He smiled at the woman and swept from the room. The woman fiddled with the speed of at which the potion was dripping downwards and left the room herself.

Harry was again alone now and began writhing on the bed to dislodge the needle.A man poked his head round the door

"Don't do that or I'll petrify you."

Harry stopped

The man sighed "Here, listen to this. If you behave ill let you have it on whenever you want. If not…well your loss I suppose." With that a magical radio activated across the room and the man left.

The radio was doing a programme about whether the daily prophet could be trusted to report accurately about the war, and about Cornelius Fudge's pitiful attempts at a public apology about refusing to believe Dumbledore.

As the hours ticked by Harry began feeling very strange, a strange tiredness and detachment. Harry fell into a stupor, staring blankly at the ceiling, before dropping off to sleep.

When Harry awoke he was surrounded by people. The machined by his bed had been activated and connected to various parts of his body. Harry could feel things stuck to his head attached to a machine that was displaying lots of wavy lines in thin air above it.

A man stepped forward. "Legilimens"

The experience was nothing like how it had been with Snape. There were no replays of memories, just a pressure that was increasing on Harry's mind. He felt as though an invisible force was wrapping his mind, suffocating it. A second before the mental pain became agonising he realised this man was trying to possess him.

Harry felt the man force his mind to make him sit up. – the bonds had been removed. A plate was placed in front of Harry. He felt his arm lift and grasp the spoon. Soon he was eating the porridge, body completely out of Harry's own control. The pain was excruciating, He tried to get the man out of his mind, pushing with all his might against the suffocating force. Harry's hand went limp and he dropped the spoon as he won he battle over control of his fingers.

With another hard shove the man was gone from his mind and he flung himself from the bed, pushing the gasping man aside. He ran on shaking legs towards the door, and fumbled uselessly with the locks. Legs eventually giving out Harry fell to the floor and was sick. He then collapsed onto his side, a useless shaking mass. He was lifted up and tied back down. A few tears leaked from his eyes.

"Hmm". Parkinson said, checking her watch "Five minutes, not as good as expected. I want at least ten tomorrow morning."

The team of torturers nodded and followed her out. Harry descended into unconsciousness.