Chapter 20

• Escape •

"Up," a voice snarled.

Harry opened his eyes to the new Death Eater. It must have been the thirtieth one to barge into his cell in the last few days. He wasn't sure exactly how long it had been, but it had been a long time, at least a week, probably more.

He didn't respond to the Death Eater, not at first. He was very sore at the moment and wasn't sure how well he could respond. They had been practicing the Cruciatus curse on him lately, one by one. Lately he was beginning to float away when they did. It was as if he could no longer feel the pain. Or else he would black out from the horrific pain. He certainly felt it afterwards. It seemed the prolonged exposure to the curse meant that the post-curse pain lasted longer and his body had started to physically get hurt. Bruises covered most of his body, even places he'd never been struck physically.

"Get up!" the death eater shouted, kicking Harry in the rib cage.

It wasn't the first time that had happened and Harry winced as the chest bruises flared painfully. At least it was better than the broken arm he'd sustained. It was almost healed now, probably because of the potions that had been forced down his throat lately.

With a gasp of air he was finally able to get himself into a sitting position. The Death Eater wouldn't be happy with that, and he knew it, so immediately he tried to push himself to his feet. It only made things worse because he ended up lying on the ground once again.

The Death Eater seemed to have even less patience than the others and Harry found himself being dragged from his cell and into a room where people had accumulated. It was the same room that everyone had died in. He caught a flash of red hair behind several Death Eaters. He looked away quickly, even though his eyes widened. They still had Ginny and he didn't want to see her, not after what they'd done to her. He was ashamed about what had happened because of him.

When he had to choose between Ginny and Luna they'd sworn they wouldn't kill whoever he chose. He knew he couldn't trust a Death Eater, but it was his only choice. He'd picked Ginny to live, because he didn't want to see the same thing that had happened to Ron and Hermione – it had torn him apart. He had had to make the choice again and he hated it, if he could have he would have given himself instead of the first two. Of course, even the decision had not turned out the way he had hoped. Luna was dead and he knew even if Ginny lived he'd never be able to look her in the eyes again not after he had seen her abused.

"Well, well, well. Baby Potter's finally come to join the fun," a familiar voice said. Harry looked up to see Bellatrix's wicked smiled shine down upon him. He frowned and spat at her, knowing that by doing it he would at least receive a slap, possibly even a Cruciatus curse. He was lucky, and only received a slap. However, her nails drew blood from his face, not for the first time.

Several of the Death Eaters laughed. Harry was sure he recognized a few of them. One was almost certainly Lucius Malfoy, but he couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from. He was startled, because he had thought Lucius was in Azkaban. He shook the thought away, Lucius or not, he wasn't exactly the worst person Harry would be dealing with. Many of the others had been excessively violent in their dealings with him.

"So Baby Potter, guess who we found?"

Harry's head jerked sideways to the captives and he saw that the flash of red had been not one, but two heads. One of them was buried in the others chest, crying.

He blanched, refusing to believe that that could have her. They couldn't have caught Mrs. Weasley. But, as the head looked up to see Harry he saw that it was her. He shook his head and looked away, refusing to believe it. He'd left Mrs. Weasley with the twins and they would die before they let her get hurt. His fear seemed to strike a chord in Bellatrix's mind and she laughed.

"It took quite a lot of work to take her. The fools protecting her would only let us take her over their dead bodies, so we did – just to bring her before you now. I doubt that those protecting her had the foresight that your mother had. Shall we find out?"

"NO!" Harry screamed, trying to move forward. He wouldn't let them take Mrs. Weasley, no matter what sort of beating he received. They would have to kill him first.

It was then that Harry found himself in mid air, unable to go anywhere. He fought hard, trying to get out of whatever charm they'd used on him. He couldn't go anywhere and after a few minutes of struggle, opening his old wounds up, he gave in, no longer having any energy to fight it.

"Don't," he whimpered, staring at her, not willing to look in the faces of any of the other Death Eaters. He doubted that the pleading would help, but he was willing to do it if that's what they wanted.

Bellatrix moved around Harry in mid air so that she was looking directly at him. "Join us," she said. "Swear that you'll fight for our cause and she can go. Our lord has seen your strength and knows that you would be a strong ally and a worthy Death Eater."

It occurred to Harry that that was why they were keeping him alive. They wanted him to join them.

He looked at Bellatrix and then toward Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. He didn't know what to do, he knew he couldn't swear himself to the dark side; it went against everything he'd ever strived for. "Come now Harry," Bellatrix whispered in his ear. "I saw you use that curse against me after I killed my cousin. With a little training you could rival my own talents with the dark arts."

The mention of Sirius snapped Harry back to attention. Inside he fumed, he remembered his promise, to never allow someone to die for his sake. After taking a deep breath he knew he couldn't do it. There was no way he'd join the people who had killed nearly everyone he loved.

"I…" he said, and tears seeped out of his eyes. He looked at Mrs. Weasley again and could see that she was frightened. He wondered if they knew she was pregnant. Could he allow them to kill her?

The decision was made for him quite suddenly. Two Death Eaters raised their wands and spoke the killing curse. Harry watched in horror as two more of his family dropped dead in front of them, and a third that was yet to be born.

It frightened him that they could kill someone so easily. As if life didn't matter. But life mattered, all life mattered, even those people who he hated didn't deserve to die. By joining Voldemort he would be crushing people's hopes, forcing their children into repression. The prophecy said it was Voldemort or him. Harry knew now that even if he died he would take Voldemort with him no matter the consequences. He would fight, and he would win for the children who had yet to be born.

Turning to Bellatrix, tears streaming down his face, he spat at her again. As he'd watched the two die he'd bitten his tongue and now his blood filled spit flowed down Bellatrix's face. Her smirk told him what was about to happen and he closed his eyes as the Cruciatus curse struck him, refusing this one time, to cry out in pain. He would be strong because others needed him to be strong.

•

"Is the potion doing alright?" Blaise asked, entering the hidden room at Hogwarts, hours later.

Hermione snapped to attention, and her wand was suddenly pointed at Blaise. "You tricked me," she snarled, rage on her face. "You used a spell on me to make me trust you!"

Blaise smiled and ignored the wand. "It took you long enough to figure it out," she said, plucking a grape from the bowl in her hand and putting it in her mouth.

"I should turn you in right now," Hermione growled. The sound seemed almost unnatural coming from her, she never had been so angry at anyone.

"If you don't want Harry to be freed, that's fine with me," Blaise said calmly, placing another grape in her mouth and finding a seat next to the potion. She examined it carefully, and then picked up the recipe for it. "It doesn't matter anyway, I don't think that your little elf friend is going to be able to locate the Acromantula blood. He's been everywhere that is within his reach and found nothing. If we don't get that then there is no way I'll be able to get to Harry without revealing myself. Even if I do get to him we have to get out of the dungeons he's in, they're warded against Portkeys.

Hermione stared at Blaise as she popped another grape into her mouth.

"Why did you use the charm on me?" she demanded.

Shrugging, Blaise pulled out one of her books. Hermione growled again. "Alright, alright," Blaise said, raising her hands defensively. "I knew I needed your help and you aren't the sort that trusts others, especially when it involves your friends. When I saw you alone in the library I used the charm on you to make sure I would be able to approach you successfully. I only did it to save Harry's life. It's not as if I tried to deceive you. I just needed to make sure you'd work with me."

"So you really where the one that told Harry about the attack?" Hermione asked, her wand dropping a little.

Blaise nodded and turned back to her textbook, flipping the page and putting another grape in her mouth.

"I know where we can get Acromantula blood," Hermione announced quietly.

Blaise froze.

Turning slightly, forgetting her grapes and the book, Blaise stared at Hermione. "Where?" she asked. Her usual tact had disappeared with the announcement.

"There is a nest of them in the forest. Harry and Ron ran into them second year, almost got themselves killed."

"I always thought you should have been put into Ravenclaw. Now I think you'd have made a good Slytherin," she said, getting up from her seat and heading out the door. She stopped, turned to Hermione and smiled. "Coming?"

Hermione looked to the potion, they didn't need to add anything to it for almost a full day, it was almost finished and it had gone perfectly so far. She made a decision in her mind, nodded and followed Blaise out the door. She knew where the blood was, but it was going to be difficult to actually obtain it.

•

Tonks was in the hospital wing, having just woken from a long session of dreamless sleep. Her arms were still badly fouled up, and she doubted she'd be able to hold a wand for several more days. The encounter with the Death Eaters hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped. It didn't help that the information had been a trap. She winced as she recalled the Auror next to her collapsing when he got stuck with a killing curse that was meant for her.

It was suppose to be a surprise attack. The ministry had gotten information that a few of the higher ranking Death Eaters were going to strike a prominent member of the American wizarding government. The man was planning on discussing the American involvement with the 'Voldemort Affair'. Tonks didn't like the idea much, when the American's involved themselves things always went wrong.

The Aurors who were dispatched to keep him safe had already disappeared when Tonks and the team she was with showed up. In fact, if they hadn't received information that had said he'd arrived they would have thought he hadn't. Tonks was extremely pissed off as it was, and wanted to capture one of the Death Eaters so that she could find out where Harry was being kept.

When the Death Eaters attacked it was quick, precise. They knew exactly how many Aurors were there and had superior numbers. Quite a few more than had previously been reported. Only three of the twelve Aurors survived, and Tonks had only survived because she tripped and ended up avoiding the last curse because of it. The other two had been beaten even worse than her. But, luckily enough more Aurors had shown up at the scene and scared the Death Eaters off. Two had been captured, at least that's what she'd been told.

Over the last few days everything had been going wrong. Dozens of Aurors had been killed on missions, as if the Death Eaters knew exactly how and when to strike. Ministry officials were hiding in their rooms or houses. The minister himself was said to be cooped up with three hand-picked Aurors around him at all times.

A scream echoed from the ring and Tonks groaned. She knew she should turn it off, but it almost felt as if, by doing that, she was somehow abandoning Harry. When Madam Pomfrey had moved to take it away from her Tonks had threatened her life, something quite unusual for her. Madam Pomfrey left it there.

Struggling, Tonks finally was able to get to a sitting position. She examined her arm carefully wishing that it would heal faster. One of the ups and downs about being a metamorphmagus was that they healed differently, the body healed much faster. But there was a problem with healing spells, they often made things worse, sometimes even having the opposite effect. That was, unless the proper spells were used. Most potions would counteract the healing abilities too, but not all. The true problem was that most healers didn't know the proper healing spells and potions to use because metamorphmagus' were quite rare. Of course Madam Pomfrey knew them, but the healer who'd gotten to her right after the battle hadn't, and she'd only made things worse.

Madam Pomfrey appeared, looking agitated. "Lay down Nymphadora Tonks or I'll have to give you another dose of sleeping draught."

"But…"

"You're not going to be able to help the boy if you can't even use your wand. I told you it'll be at least two more days before you even get back use of your arm, and another before you have full use. Your legs are almost in the same shape. It's a good thing that healer didn't use her spells on them, or I doubt you'd be able to walk for a week. I want you to rest, that's the only way that you're going to heal.

"I need some food," Tonks said, knowing that to argue would be useless. As soon as her legs healed, probably by tomorrow, she'd get out and talk to Dumbledore. She needed to know if the Death Eater they'd captured knew anything about where Harry was located.

•

Another Death Eater, and another and another. Soon even they seemed innumerable. Dragged and beaten, Harry only clenched his jaw and held his resolve close to his heart. He needed to stay alive, for everyone. He was put through tortures that were unimaginable. He had to make decisions that tore him apart inside and out, things that he would never tell anyone about if he ever escaped. He tottered on the edge of breaking, only holding on by a few small strands.

It was more obvious one day when he woke in Cin's lap and he didn't even push away. She had been there through almost ever session of torture, sometimes participating, sometimes watching. He always saw her eyes meeting his when he looked towards her. He hated it, hated her, but he hated her more than most of them because she seemed to play both sides. He hated waking in her lap, her hands stroking his hair, comforting him. But it was also the only reprieve he had and he felt himself using it as a last string, something to keep him sane. That was what made him hate her even more.

It was several days later, the exact amount of time he wasn't sure, when a Death Eater entered into his room to take him for more torture. He'd seen it all and likely felt most of it. Many of the Death Eaters reveled in using muggle methods on him. The scars on his back had been added to by a whip that the talkative Cin had come up with. The silent Cin had taken great pleasure in cleaning the wounds while Harry was immobile, making him scream in pain as she did. Whatever she had used on his wounds burned almost as bad as the initial whipping.

He knew he'd been close to death a few times, probably more. They'd killed his best friends, Luna, the ditzy blonde who could never have deserved death, Ginny, the girl that was like the sister he never had, and Mrs. Weasley, who had taken the place of his mother when he needed it most.. He was sure that they couldn't hurt him any more than that, physically or mentally, even if it meant breaking his mind with the Cruciatus curse.

"Move," the Death Eater said, kicking at Harry, but not very hard. Harry had the distinct impression that whoever was doing it wasn't being as rough as they could. His skin ached, the last torture they had done was quite creative, putting thousands of needles in to him and then heating them all up until they were white hot. He had screamed and screamed until he'd passed out. When he awoke he was in Cin's lap just like usual. His skin had healed most of the way, but it was still red. He wondered exactly how long he'd been asleep. She left him when he woke. As usual, she never said anything. It was her sister that talked, the one that took such great pleasure in his pain.

"Can't stand," Harry croaked. It hurt most to talk, they'd done something to his throat that made it hurt even to breathe. Of course he could breathe, just enough to stay alive.

The Death Eater, who seemed strangely sympathetic to Harry's plight, roughly pulled him to his feet. "Move," she growled again. Shoving Harry, but gripping him so that he didn't fall. He glimpsed another Death Eater in the doorway, one who disappeared quickly. The Death Eater holding him seemed barely as tall as him, much shorter than the rest of them. She shoved him through the door and the second Death Eater nodded their approval, then continued down the hall ahead of them.

Something dropped into the remains of Harry's cloak, something heavy. Harry turned to look what it was but he was shoved again and then held up. "Don't look! Drink it when no one's around," a familiar voice hissed in a voice that was so quiet Harry barely heard it. Harry gaped but the hand shoved him, growing to keep moving. Blaise! It was Blaise, he was sure of it.

Blaise, the person he thought had betrayed him. The one who'd got him to leave the castle where he'd almost walked right into a group of Death Eaters. He thought she'd done it on purpose. She had warned him, but she had also sent him there. Now that she was there he had a hard time keeping his emotions in check. She'd come to rescue him when no one else had. The thought almost made him collapse with relief. Were others here? Had Dumbledore sent others? Was Tonks here? If it was Blaise then he was sure none of the other students were with her, but teachers might be. He took a few deep breaths. His worst nightmare might be ending soon now that she'd come to his rescue.

Another shove and the Death Eater in front of them disappeared beyond the door. Blaise slowed a little and leaned over again. "Don't let any of them see it. It's a rejuvenation potion. Use it after the torture. I'll be back with a Portkey, but they know I'm here now so I can't just escape they'll torture my family. I'm sorry about everything ahead of time."

Harry nodded. He knew what she was going to have to do. He also knew they were watching her.

They moved into the room where all of his friends had died. It was filled with Death Eaters now; everyone else was gone. Harry briefly wondered if they might try and capture others. If Tonks turned up before he escaped he wasn't sure he'd be able to survive her death. So much was happened already, there was no way he could bear to loose any others.

Blaise kicked him behind the knees and he collapsed to the ground. Several of the Death Eaters laughed as she grabbed his hair and forced him up to his knees. "Bow to your master," she said gruffly. Her apology kept echoing in his head as he looked up to Voldemort. His mind was still intact and he held the thought beyond the man's reach. His scar pulsed with pain as Voldemort tried to enter his thoughts. It wasn't the first time, but it was the first time they had been in the same room.

"So," Voldemort said with a laugh. "Harry Potter finally kneels before me." His red eyes cut through the darkness and Harry's skull pulsed again, painfully. He fought it, he could feel the man pushing through his barriers, breaking them down. Harry grimaced, trying to hold on to the shields he'd created.

"You have become strong of mind Harry Potter," he said with a hiss. "It was only a few short months ago you were just learning such things. How is it now that you have gained such masterful skills?"

The Dark Lord paused and glanced around, realizing he was revealing too much. Harry could feel it. The connection went both ways and with Voldemort trying with such difficulty to insert himself into Harry's mind he had let his own protections break down a little. Harry didn't know what to do with it, he couldn't enter into Voldemort's mind, he was afraid of what he would see. There was something, some thought of triumph that sat on the edge of Voldemort's thoughts. But, it wasn't about Harry, it was about something else. Harry couldn't quite grasp it, nor did he try, afraid of what would happen.

"Dumbledore's meddling no doubt." Voldemort sneered. "Crucio!"

The pain of the curses was nothing compared to the one that was placed on him now. His own head was splitting open, and his bones were crackling inside his body. His blood had turned to red hot fire, burning its way through his body. The pain continued pulsating through him like a hammer and he felt his back arch. His scars, the one on his forehead and the one that spidered across his back tingled, burned and then burst open. He could no longer bear the pain and he knew what was going to happen even before it did. With a breath of relief the pain was gone except for a gentle throbbing.

Everything clouded over and he stared lazily at Voldemort. Usually by this time he had fallen into an unconscious state, but here he was, still awake. He barely felt in control though, everything seemed to lull past, like he was drifting on a broom.

A memory took him by surprise and he reached out to grab a hold of something, but collapsed to the ground when he found nothing to hold on to.

"Now you understand the things that are done by the weak," a voice said. Harry opened his eyes to find himself staring into the eyes of something he did not know. But he did know the man. It was a familiar looking man.

"But Nicholas," Harry said, "why would they do such things?"

Nicholas Flamel chuckled, as if Harry had said something funny. "In the time I've been alive, well over five hundred years, I have never been able to truly answer such a question. There are many answers. Power, fear, money, hate… all these things and more contribute to the condition that we call evil."

Harry looked around, seeing the other duelers in the room. They were hidden, somewhere far away, somewhere where the evil things could not come. "Crucio!" someone said and Harry turned to watch the man's partner crumble under the pain of the curse It was released immediately and the partner ran forward to help the crumbled man stand.

"These curses are forbidden for a reason, but in order to conquer them we must understand them. Are you willing to try it on me?"

Meekly, Harry nodded. He could feel the mixed emotions of using such a curse well up in him. But he knew that the ministry allowed them here, in this place. There were always exceptions to everything. Holding up his wand he took a breath. "Crucio!" he yelled, trying to want to hurt the man who had become his mentor. Nicholas stepped back when he was hit by the curse, but other than that barely registered that it had struck him.

"You must mean it, you must put all of your hate into that curse and want to cause me pain. Pretend that I am one of the vilest wizards you have ever met."

"Again!"

Harry raised his wand once again and frowned, concentrating. He pictured one person, then another and another trying to find someone he could hate. Even those who had tried to hurt and ruin him did not deserve such pain. He could not hate them that much. He fumbled and looked to the ground. "Albus," Nicholas said, placing his hand on the young mans shoulder. "I know that this is hard, but if you ever want to become a powerful wizard you must understand magic. Even if you do not use it again you must be able to use it this one time.

Once more Harry raised his wand, trying to picture something he hated. He concentrated, willing himself to want to cause pain but, as the thoughts of the pain he would cause filled his mind, he stopped. He could not use such a spell on someone. The wizard who had killed his elder brother did not even deserve it. He deserved death, but no on deserved such agonizing pain.

"I can't," he whimpered. He knew what it felt like and Nicholas had just done it to him, but he could not do such a thing.

Nicholas smiled instead of sighing. He grasped Harry by the shoulder and led him out of the room. "It is alright. Even I could not do it for many hundreds of years. You have potential in you, such wonderful potential. Some day you will understand evil. You will be able to face it and conquer it. Then you will no longer feel fear of such things."

Harry looked to Nicholas and smiled, happy that the man was his mentor. He glanced one last time out at the crowd watching as William Potter was put to the ground a fourth time by the Cruciatus curse. His mentor taught things much differently. He glanced to the mirror just before leaving the room and looked into his own eyes.

Harry sat up quickly, surprised at what he'd seen at the last moment. He had seen Dumbledore young and spry, not more than twenty years old, his dark red hair hanging to his collar and his eyes without their familiar sparkle. He was frowning, frustration welling up in him. If he was going to fight evil he had to be better, stronger. It was different, to see the man he knew so normal.

Someone was sitting with him again. He knew who it was, Cin. She was always there, always stroking his hair as he slept. It was scary and comforting at the same time. He hated her, she simply didn't care when it mattered and cared when it did not. He didn't need comforting; he needed someone to save his friends. He needed to make sure that Mrs. Weasley hadn't died.

It was then he realized that the weight in his pocket was gone and his eyes widened. He sat up, looking at Cin as she examined the vial. Fear crept over him. If she knew, if she told someone, then Blaise was likely to get caught. He didn't say anything but instead looked away, trying to keep himself emotionless.

He felt something brush against him and he turned to see that she was holding out the vial to him. His eyes widened and he shook his head, expecting that as soon as he took it he'd get beaten down again. She nodded vigorously, and pushed the vial towards him then stopped. She made a motion for him to come to her and lay his head in her lap and he shook it. Irritated she did it again, then threatened to break the potion vial with a second motion.

Meekly Harry crawled forward and lay his head down in her lap again. He could feel her hands stroking his hair again and then one of them reach out and his pocket suddenly dropped a bit, the weight of the potion filling it again. Harry wasn't sure how to react. This Cin acted so much different from the other one, unless they were both together.

He felt her move and his head rose in the air, then was gently placed to the ground. He didn't open his eyes at first, wondering if she was going to harm him until he felt a kiss on his forehead. Then, as he opened his eyes Cin disappeared out the door without looking back. He blinked, wondering what was happening. She'd left him, and given him the potion.

He sat up again, staring at the door, wondering how long she'd be gone for. But, taking no chances he pulled the vial from his pocket and drained it into his mouth. It was the most disgusting concoction he'd ever drunk, but he choked it down. It was worth it if it helped him get his strength back. It didn't happen quickly, it was rather slow acting, but he could feel it. It moved through his body slowly at first, a soft burning sensation that slipped into his chest and then flowered out into his body, moving into everything. The pain was easily bearable compared to the Cruciatus curse, and he closed his eyes as his body tingled. The broken arm snapped taught and Harry grimaced, but didn't make a sound. His bruises ached, a numb pulsing, but it faded. The wounds he'd gained over time healed with a searing pain. His whole back burned for a moment, but it too faded it to a blissful lack of sensation.

When all the pain had ended Harry carefully stood, finding that all his muscles could move freely. His arms were still cut up but they looked a bit more healed, and his bruises didn't ache quite as much. His energy seemed full supplied and he smiled, but moved into the shadows of the room immediately. If someone glanced in he didn't want them to know he was alright.

No one did look, or enter for an hour or two. Harry was able to get some restful sleep and when he awoke to movement he felt even better than before. Something was in his room, but he had a hard time seeing it. It was as if every time he tried to look at the person his eyes continued past them. After trying nearly a dozen times he looked away, focusing.

"It's alright Harry," a voice said quietly. "You're not supposed to be able to see me. That's how I snuck in."

Relieved that it was Blaise, Harry nodded, no longer trying to look at her.

"Did you take the potion?" Blaise asked. Harry nodded again.

Something slipped into his pocket again, a different vial, and Harry blinked, looking at the ground. "How are we getting out of here, you said you had a Portkey."

"I do," Blaise said. "But we can't use it here; there are very strong wards against it. We need to get out of the dungeons so that we can use it. The vial I put in your pocket is a dose of the same potion I'm using. Don't drink it until I say. I need to be able to find you if we're going to leave together. Your wand is there too, I switched it for a spare. I didn't get both of them though, so you'll only have one. Don't reach for it yet, don't worry about it until you've drunk the potion."

Harry nodded. "Alright, what do I do?"

"Just wait a moment," Blaise said. "I need to go make sure that no one else is watching your cell. It was difficult to get in unnoticed and the guard might have returned. If he is not there I'll take your hand and as soon as I do that I want you to drink the potion. Don't let go of me or we won't be able to find each other. You'll get lost down here, do you understand?"

For the third time Harry nodded. "What if the guard is there?" he asked.

"Then I'll stun him when he's not looking and we'll have to hurry out of here. There are not a lot of options right now. Hermione and I discussed every possible method of escape."

"Hermione?" Harry gasped. "But she's dead!" he hissed. "I saw it."

"No," Blaise replied quietly, her voice had moved to the doorway. "What those saw were not your friends. No one other than you was captured. Death Eaters often use special transfiguration methods on muggles when they torture people."

"Then Ron, Luna, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley… they're all alive?"

"Yes," Blaise hissed. "Just keep quiet, you'll see them all soon."

Harry nodded, his heart beating faster. If Blaise was telling him the truth and they were all alive… he took a deep breath, trying to keep his excitement from bubbling over. But then he remembered that people had still died. Even if they were muggles, even the worst of muggles, he couldn't be happy about them dying. They were dead, and that meant that they had died because of him, because the Death Eaters wanted to see him suffer.

Frowning he closed his eyes. He needed to focus on the task at hand instead of worrying about them right now. Once he was free he could worry about everyone else, but until then he needed to worry about his own safety. If this escape attempt failed he doubted that there would be another that got this close to him. They would know and they would keep even better watch on him.

"Alright," a voice hissed through the door and Harry paused. There was something wrong, something different in the tone of the voice it was almost strangled, like she was trying not to talk. It sounded like Blaise, but it didn't sound like her, as if he was hearing an echo of something. Instead of leaving immediately he peaked through the door and saw a hooded figure standing there.

Almost immediately he knew it wasn't Blaise. Even if she was dressed as a Death Eater she had said the potion made it so that he couldn't see her. Instead of leaving immediately Harry tried to think. His hand slipped into his pocket and fingered his wand instinctively. He knew that he couldn't give it up, not again. But he was having troubles thinking of what to do. It was possible it was Blaise, perhaps the potion had worn off and she was normal again. Would she even know it? He had to take the chance. If he was going to escape he couldn't just wait until the Death Eaters came barging in with spells flying.

Once he'd decided to take the chance Harry moved back slightly, adjusting his robes and fixing them as best as possible with his wand. He only spent a moment on them, but he needed something that wouldn't get in his way. Once he'd done that he tucked his wand carefully under his robe, making sure it wasn't visible. It might be to his advantage to not show them that he had a wand, because they might not know about it.

"What," he asked through the door. It cracked open as if letting him out, but no words came. Something wasn't right and he began to rethink his decision. Shaking his head, Harry pushed the thought back. He had his wand, he'd make sure that he got out safely, and Blaise was coming with him. Even if she was captured, he'd find her. He couldn't just leave her after she'd come for him.

Stepping through slowly, he got a moment to stare at the figure before something thumped him on the back of the head. The resulting crash on the ground broke the vial in his pocket. He felt the shattered glass enter his leg, leaving his leg cut up terribly bad. He ignored the pain though, trying to get back to his feet as quickly as possible.

A spell struck him just after he made it to his knees, sending him flying across the hall. He slammed into a wall violently, and fell to the ground, blood spewing from his face. He touched his face instinctively and found that his nose was at a very crooked angle and was the reason for a great deal of the blood. His eyes hurt, his glasses had broken and slivers of them were in his face, but none had entered his eyes.

He moved as he heard another curse thrown at him, and in an instant he had launched himself to the side. The time he got from avoiding the curse was enough to pull himself to his feet and pull out his own wand.

The Death Eater must not have known he had a wand because when Harry rounded on him his own wand was lowered and it looked as if he was trying to make a decision. While an unarmed Harry might have been easy to capture Harry knew he wasn't going to be so easily taken. He was shouting even before he thought about it. "EXPELLIARMUS!"

The figure he'd first seen on the other side of the door, the one that had used magic on him, was thrown across the room. He hit the wall so hard that Harry wasn't sure if he'd killed the man or just knocked him out.

The second man, the one who he hadn't seen, was holding Blaise to him, wand at her throat. The other hand was holding a large piece of wood, or something similar, he couldn't make it out well. Harry suspected that it was what had struck him from behind. The Death Eater looked edgy, because he couldn't use his wand on Harry and keep Blaise in check.

Not sure exactly how to handle the situation, Harry looked around, trying to determine if there were other threats. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see Blaise and the guard. It was difficult to actually look at her, but because she was being held he was able to actually see her. It could also be because he no longer had his glasses and his eyes were not focusing well. Blaise was carefully reaching into her pocket. He suspected she was reaching for the Portkey, because they would have taken her wand. But, she might have something else in there too. He needed to distract the man holding her.

"What do you want," Harry asked. "A trade? You let her go and I become a prisoner again?"

It wasn't exactly the best trade, he didn't want to be a prisoner again, but if Blaise did get away he was sure that she would find him again, even if they took him elsewhere. He wasn't going to let her get hurt because she'd come to save him. One thing he knew that even if he was tortured there was only one person who would be able to kill him, Voldemort, and until that happened he would fight back. It was nice to know that she was still on his side, and that someone was still trying to find him. For all he knew they could all think he was dead.

"No trade," the man said gruffly, moving forward awkwardly. "You're both going to be prisoners here. I don't know who this is, or care. I don't even know how she got in, but she'll certainly be tortured for trying such a heroic deed, we'll find out eventually."

Keeping a distance between himself and the Death Eater, Harry stepped backwards. He needed to find a way to get to the man, but Blaise was a great shield and it was difficult to differentiate where she ended and where he began in the dimly lit halls. The only thing he could distinguish well was the white masks of both of them.

"What if I don't care if she dies?" Harry asked quickly, wondering if he would risk firing a curse at the both of them. The problem was that he didn't know if he'd hit both of them, with Blaise shielding once she was hit, the man was free to duel with him. It would be nice if he knew a strong enough spell that it would affect both of them, but he didn't, or at least he was pretty sure he couldn't.

Harry could hear the sneer in the man's voice. "Harry Potter is a hero! He won't let someone die, especially his rescuer. I heard about what you did when we invaded the headquarters of the order. Jumping in front of a killing curse to save an Auror is quite a heroic deed."

Harry squirmed. The man was right, he knew Harry too well. If he knew it, then they probably all knew it. He was going to have to do something major. "Forgive me," he whispered and raised his wand.

"CRUCIO!" he bellowed, trying to want the man to be in pain. It was difficult, because no matter how angry he was he couldn't want the Blaise to feel the power of the curse. Still, it knocked the man off his balance, causing him to take a few steps back. Harry moved forward, trying to catch the man before he was able to regain his balance, but he wished the he could be behind the man. As he moved he felt the magic build and was surprised as he stepped through the warp hole that apparated him. Quite suddenly he found he was standing in the doorway of his cell again, staring at the back of the man.

"Stupefy!" he bellowed and the stunned man collapsed, pulling Blaise down with him.

"Let's go," he said, pulling her out of the man's grasp. He reached over again, and took the wand from within the man's pocket, handing it to Blaise. He took the second wand and tucked it into his own belt. Blaise was already bent over the second man, and took his wand as well. He watched as she conjured ropes around both the man and used a second stunning curse on them.

"Alright, follow me," she said after glancing at him, her eyes filled with wonder. Harry wondered how he was able to use his apparating technique inside the building. He knew it wasn't exactly apparating, Tonks had proven that to him. But, whatever it was didn't matter, he had already tried doing it before. Then again, he had only tried to apparate out of the building last time he'd tried. Maybe the wards somehow stopped that. However, his head was throbbing badly and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to do it again. He could barely focus enough to see what was going on in front of him. Besides, Blaise had a Portkey, all they had to do was get to somewhere where it'd work.

As they ran Harry saw Blaise use the wand on herself. He couldn't see it that well; his glasses had been broken during the battle moments before. However she shimmered and Harry could no longer see even a blurred form. Her fingers laced into his, gripping him tightly. "I just removed the counter spell they'd used on me," she hissed, then yanked him forward. "We're not going to be safe here, they'll know magic was used and come check soon."

They ran. Harry found it was difficult to keep up with her. Between the curses he'd taken the brunt of and the head wounds, and blood loss he was having bouts of lightheadedness. It didn't matter if he got a little sick, he was sure that Madam Pomfrey would be able to fix him up nice and it was a whole lot better than staying around and being tortured for longer.

They came to a winding staircase and Harry heard shouts behind him. He had a brief glimpse of a masked Death Eater in motion before he was pulled up the stairs and out of view. He tried to say something, but found it came out as a cough. His lungs were restricting again and it was slowly becoming more difficult to breathe.

For a moment Harry lost his footing and stumbled, only to be yanked back to his feet by Blaise. "Be careful," she yelled, slowing for only the moment it took to right him. Then, she yanked him again and continued up the stairs.

The stairs continued to wind in circles, going on and on. The Death Eaters were shouting below them, and though Harry never caught sight of them he knew they were there only a few yards back. From the voices he heard he thought there must be at least a dozen, likely more.

When they finally appeared the Death Eater wasn't looking up, but looking down, trying to keep from falling. He glanced up and looked back down, but his head rose again in surprise just as Harry yelled a strong stunning charm. The man was blown backwards, hopefully holding up the other Death Eaters behind him. There were shouts of alarm, but the running stopped momentarily. Blaise stopped a minute later, dropping his hand as she fumbled with the door. She tried an unlocking charm but it didn't work either.

When it wouldn't open she snorted and shouted a curse that Harry had never heard. The door exploded outward with a great deal of force, knocking aside to Death Eaters who had been waiting just beyond. Harry grinned. "I'll have to learn that curse," he said as fingers wrapped around his wrist and yanked him. His head throbbed from the violent movement. They moved into a dark area, some sort of side-room and Blaise fumbled in her pocket. "Salazar," she hissed, and then Harry felt a heart shaped locket shoved into his hand. Nothing happened.

Blaise panicked. "It should have worked!" she said.

"They said that Portkeys didn't work here at all," Harry said helpfully, a little too cheery for the situation. His head was bothering him and even though he knew he shouldn't be happy he couldn't help it.

Blaise looked up at him, a wild gleam in her eyes. Several Death Eaters poured out of the door they'd just come through and Harry was jerked as Blaise set off running again, holding his hand still. "The outer door is on this floor, but we're in the middle of the mansion."

"Protego!" Harry shouted, putting up another shield behind them as nearly a dozen hexes headed their way. All of them got through, but it slowed and changed their course. He stumbled twice more. Blaise kept tugging on him, and was the only reason he was able to stay on his feet.

Death Eaters seemed to be filling in all around them, coming from doorways that didn't exist until the Death Eaters appeared. Many of those who appeared were unmasked and Harry giggled between curses, they all seemed so shocked.

Though it was a simple spell Harry simply continued to wave his wand shouting stupefy over and over again. He was able to get a few of them, which in turn tripped up others, but most of his charms were met with other curses and shattered mid-flight.

When Blaise finally let go of his hand he knew they were in trouble, but it was a distant thought in his mind. He giggled again as more Death Eaters appeared in front of them. For a moment his mind cleared and he shoved Blaise towards a side room. "Get out," he said, still lucid. He knew that they couldn't see her and she'd be able to go further without him making them both a target. "Get me later," he added, trying not to say it too loud.

"No," Blaise said defiantly.

"You get out now or I'll curse you!" Harry growled, then raised another golden shield just before a dozen curses put pockmarks in it. He wasn't sure what was going on. His shield had never been strong enough to stave off many spells, especially if they were strong. Someone must have ordered them to be careful and not allow him to get too badly injured. "I trust you. They can't curse you properly if they can't see you, so just get out. I still have a few options."

For a moment he thought she was going to defy him and try to fight. He knew that if they were too serious he wouldn't be able to win. Then, he felt the brush of her fingers against his hand and she was gone. He moved sideways, away from the direction she'd taken, avoiding spells. Even though he couldn't see them clearly, he was able to make them out and avoid them.

He gave a sideways glance to the room that Blaise had entered and noticed that a window had shattered. He suspected she was going out that way and wondered if that might be his best bet too. He could apparate, and anywhere was better than here. Still, when he moved again he moved away from the window, Blaise needed a little more time.

Some of the Death Eaters seemed to have read his movements and he was unable to avoid all the curses. One of them struck him quite hard and an explosion of pain filled him as he was thrown clear of the throng of Death Eaters. Whatever curses they had been using had now been upgraded. Another struck him in the stomach and he suddenly felt horribly ill. More curses struck him and he flew around the room like a rag doll being batted around by the Death Eaters.

Nearly naked, and horribly injured once more Harry tried to avoid more curses. He could no longer feel most of his body, and he wasn't even sure if he still had his wand. His right eye had already swelled shut and blood was entering his left so he was having troubles keeping it open. Trying with all his might he focused on the window where Blaise had jumped, but Tonks came to him. She reached out and touched him like a ghost of a memory.

A hold formed and Harry collapsed into it, hoping that wherever it opened would be away from the Death Eaters.

When he crashed it was on a table, he could smell food, and feel it in the parts of his body that he could still sense. He looked up and recognized the now blood-spattered face of Draco Malfoy.

"Help," he groaned, not sure where exactly he was. If Draco was there he was probably at Hogwarts, but then he couldn't apparate within the Hogwarts grounds, so Draco must have left. He hated to think that he was still somewhere within the Death Eater stronghold he'd been in.

Screams echoed through Harry's head. Draco stepped back, and leaned over to puke. And the last thing he heard was someone who sounded vaguely like Tonks scream his name.

• Updated 2004.10.06 •