Disclaimer: I own none of these characters or locations. If I did I would own a billion dollar brand, damn that sounds nice.
Chapter 3
There it was: beautiful Azkaban prison, the future second stronghold of Lord Voldemort. The Ministry had installed Aurors as guards to help with what Dementors had remained loyal to the prison. Voldemort had portkeyed him and the followers that remained who were not in the prison. He viciously smiled as he sent in the first wave. Wormtail rushed forward, his silver hand gripping the black bars of the front gate. With a tug the metal crumbled. Five death eaters followed Wormtail through the now useless gate. They began casting curses to bring down the wards and walls. After the first barrier crumbled the first wave backed up to guard the entrance. This was the cue for second wave to enter the building. Bellatrix along with five followers streaked through the falling fortress.
The room had emptied. Harry was still restricted to his bed, even his breathing hurt within his chest. Ginny had fallen asleep again, curled into her pillow. He glanced to her sleeping form, something was different now. Everything was different now.
Harry tried to stand, he really needed to piss. His feet hit the cold floor and a shiver ran through his legs. He arched up his weight shifting onto his legs. He let out a cry a crashed to the floor. His glasses fell and shattered. He tried to lift himself, but he couldn't manage it. He laid there, helplessness washing over him. Hating the feeling he let a tear slip out of the corner of his eye. He hated his weakness, and the weakness that compiled onto it from being weak. He was cursing himself when a voice broke his thoughts.
"What happened to you?" Ginny asked from her bed.
"I needed the loo," Harry said low, trying to mask his despair.
Instead of some smartass comment that he expected Harry heard a sigh and the rustle of the bed stuff as Ginny kneeled next to him. She started to try and get him to his feet.
"This would be easier if you gave an effort," she said, short of breath from the struggle.
"It's a little hard," Harry ground out. But he redoubled his effort anyway.
Finally he was to his feet. The majority of his weight rested on her small frame. Harry was in awe of the strength that hid in her small size. She was practically dragging him. The two managed to get the door open, Harry gave her a smile of thanks, as he tried to make it on his own he swayed, Ginny caught him before he fell. She walked in with him.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked her incredulously.
"Oh, don't be such a baby, you need help, and I'm helping you."
Harry blushed; feeling like he would die now of embarrassment as Ginny deftly undid his pants and dropped them and his underwear. She gently pushed him down on the toilet and turned to leave.
"Call when you're done," she said shutting the door.
Bellatrix's week in Knockturn Alley had paid off. She had found a Creotian who could modify her Cruciatus curse. The fact that he wouldn't take money didn't bother her. The blowjob she gave him was worth what she could do now.
"Crucialo!" she cast with glee on the first Auror she came across. The new wand movement second nature to her now.
He fell, his voice shattered in the pain of the curse. Bellatrix smiled behind her mask has she moved on. The curse would stay intact long after the man was driven into insanity. It would take about an hour but the pain would eventually force him to bite his own tongue off. His skin would begin to split as his nerve ends shot and spliced themselves. Eventually he would die, but not soon.
She and her team rushed through, looking for every Auror they could find. The Dementors fled when they had showed up. She gave a wicked grin as another Auror entered her field of vision.
Ron and Hermione sat on Ron's bed. Both silent, neither bothered by this. The silence was welcome in their friendship. Hermione's face was pale, her eyes worn. Her head downcast with the weight of the past couple days.
Ron's head was straight up. His eyes unfocused as he stared ahead. Unconsciously his left hand rubbed the sleeve of his right arm. It was he that broke the quiet air.
"Why?" he asked the open air.
"His life is shit. We didn't notice because when he's with us he hides it, or we choose not to acknowledge it."
"Yeah, poor pitiful Potter, everyone loves him, he's rich, every girl at school drools over him, it must suck to be him," Ron said not bothering to hide the bitterness in his voice.
"Think of what we know Ron," Hermione started, her tone of one trying to make a child understand, "he was locked in a cupboard until he was eleven, his parents died for him, Cedric died in front of his eyes, his Godfather is dead because of him, he doesn't care about the money, and he very well doesn't care about the fucking girls at school Ron!"
Hermione shot from the bed and rushed from the room.
Voldemort stood proud; he and five followers guarded the apparation point in case reinforcements arrived from the ministry. His cruel almost lipless face contorted into what was for him a smile. Slit like nostrils flared, red eyes with black slits dilated a little. He could feel that all the Aurors present were on their road to death.
A high pitch cackle escaped his lungs. Azkaban was his. With a wave of his wand the dark mark appeared in the sky. It slowly floated lower and lower until it imposed itself onto the front of the fallen prison.
Lucius Malfoy strode from the front doors; eleven more death eaters followed his wake. Normal perfect platinum blonde hair disheveled. He then collapsed in front of his master cowering.
"My lord, I have failed you," his voice cracking in the proclamation.
"No shit," Voldemort's emotionless voice rang. "As much as a failure you have been, I understand."
Malfoy knew what should be coming; he raised his head at his master's understanding voice. Usually this act too would earn a punishment but the ludicrousness of the situation had Lucius' curiosity peaked.
"No Lucius, you will not be punished…this time. For it is a glorious time, a time of our celebration. The last remnants of the Potters are gone." He broke into laughter again that would send chills down even the most hardest of individuals.
"This is wonderful news master," Lucius groveled, still from his knees.
"We celebrate for fate loves Lord Voldemort. Potter is gone; my second stronghold is in place. Now the Ministry will feel my wrath."
Hermione opened the door to find Harry asleep, his head using Ginny's lap as a pillow. She had her eyes cast out the window; she didn't even realize someone else had interrupted her space. She was absentmindedly stroking Harry's hair. Hermione found the scene serene in a way. It calmed her to see an image that said, at least to her, that everything would be ok.
Ron appeared behind her. He started to barge into the room when she caught his shoulder.
"If you ruin their moment, or say anything to either of them about it you will regret it," Hermione hissed.
"I don't remember this being your concern, that's my sister and I can say what I want to her," Ron deadpanned.
"Please Ron," Hermione said with pain clouding her eyes, "normalcy is what we all need now."
"Too bad Harry sleeping on my sister's lap is as normal as us not arguing." Ron came back.
"Is it so bad?"
"A week ago it would have been peachy fucking keen, too bad it's today."
"What is so different now?"
"I no longer know the guy in that bed."
Ginny, lost in the landscape of the outside world, stroking Harry's hair, almost laughed at the situation. This would have been her dream not too long ago. Now, everything was different. Escaping into the tree planted in the back yard Ginny gently smiled at the squirrel running along a limb. Completely at peace in her place at this moment in time she began to hum a lullaby.
Harry slightly stirred at the sound. Ginny again stroked his hair and told him to shush. She was babying Harry because when they linked in his death, they also linked through his journey back to life. She knew this was the first time anyone had ever just babied him. All those times her own mother had held her when she was sick or scared. All those times she had been told how proud her parents had been of her for some trivial thing like painting an unrecognizable picture. Every time her father had read her a bedtime story. Harry never had any of it.
She was happy to know that she was his first, even if it didn't mean anything, she was happy.
Alas! Short again. All of these chapters may end up this way. Now, onto responses. Wait, correction, onto the response.
Fanastygirl721: This came from another fic where Harry almost tried to commit suicide, I found it interesting so I ran with it. Plus I get to vent some of my issues at the same time. I too like RoH better, but this will have an end, I just don't know what it is yet. Thanks for the review!
