Harry Potter and the Star of Senkrad
Author: l'Ciel
Fandom: Harry Potter
Disclaimer: JKR, and some more I think – I don't own anything but the plot – oh, and Ice Drakes, that's mine too! And that sexy nurse (god bless her brainless boobs)
Rating: hard R for implicit sexual content, NC-17 for explicit sexual content
Warnings: violence, brain washing, non-con,
Pairings: HP/DG, SS/LM; side pairings: HP/BZ, NM/LM
Genre: Action/Adventure, Romance, Angst
Summary : After the events of OotP, Harry runs away from the Dursleys. The only one to find him is Snape, but where do the spy's loyalties truly lie? Slash & Het, war-story
Main characters: Harry, Snape, Lucius, Voldemort, Dumbledore
19) Path of Redemption
People were hurrying about. People with blank faces. People he didn't know. Desolate he sat by the fire on an old bench in the kitchen next to Bill. His father was off to the Ministry to clear things up and his mum had fallen asleep crying on George's shoulder. Fred was leaning against his twin's other side and both were dozing twitchingly. They probably suffered from nightmares. Percy could even see them by just closing his eyes; the flames, the screams, the Death Eaters, Ginny... Ron!
Charlie had arrived just minutes ago and was unpacking upstairs. He also seemed pretty shaken...
A strangled sob escaped his throat and Bill moved slightly, looking at him.
"It's good you're here. At least we are all together now," his eldest brother sighed and pulled him into a bear hug. Sniffling, Percy pressed his face into his brother's robes and cried, feeling like a ten year old again when the twins had wound him up again, only that this was much worse...
Ron was still alive, albeit barely. The Cruciatus curse one of the Death Eaters had fired at him had inflamed his nerve endings, but when it had progressed after time also damaged his back marrow. He was lucky the curse had not reached his brain, the potential next stage of the curse, which would have led to insanity. His brother would most likely be maimed partly or suffer from muscle spasms or twitches, but he would live.
Hours later Dumbledore stepped through the floo to tell them that the Burrow and its grounds had been sealed off by the Ministry and warded thoroughly, but he would advise them to stay at headquarters for the time being. Everyone agreed mournfully.
Arthur came back from St. Mungos without any news – Ron was still unconscious and the healers said they could only be sure after speaking to him that everything with his mind was fine.
The trees closing around him preserved the eerie silence of the forest. Light flickered through the dense leaves of the ancient trees when the soft breeze rustled them. The winter seemed to have spared the valley and the snow he had waded through the last few hours had disappeared once he had continued his flight in the morning. As he walked on the wood began to lighten and from beyond he heard the gurgling of a stream. When he reached the clearing he completely missed the other person standing in the shadow of one of the many obelisks standing in a large circle around a burst, onyx block it the middle.
After he had stilled his thirst at the rivulet and eaten some berries from a bush that ought to be raspberries, he took in his surroundings more clearly. He had obviously encountered some mystic old ritual place. From what he had learned in early history classes it seemed to be a Celtic Wizarding monument, because the runes carved into the megaliths of the circle were definitely of magical origin, just like in Hermione's textbooks. It was then that he noticed the robe-clad figure beside the stone.
"Ollivander!" he exclaimed warily. "What are you doing here?"
The old wizard chuckled and his eyes twinkled mysteriously.
"Just taking a nice bath in the sun, why? Don't you enjoy the beauty of eternal spring, young man, or why else would one visit the Spring of Awakening?" he asked penetratingly.
"I didn't know what it was," Harry admitted, hoping the man wouldn't betray his whereabouts to Voldemort, "But I need to go on. Can you tell me where to turn to find London?"
He really hated to be so vulnerable without his wand.
"If you're heading for London you are definitively in for a long walk, young Mr. Potter," the other replied. "But if you go further north you'll get to Godric's Hollow, a small village near Bristol. I think in one of the old Wizarding houses the floo might still be intact... who knows!"
Harry was bluffed when the old wizard disapparated away and left him standing in the middle of the clearing all alone. Befuddled, he plucked another few berries from the bushes and left the clearing at the opposite side. The warmth of the clearing dimmed with every step he took and soon he fought against the snow again.
The glass shattered when the realization hit. The bond rebounded on him and collapsed, and Harry was gone. Screeching he summoned the Death Eaters, raging with fury that his precious boy had escaped. Storming down the stairs to the library he entered the throne hall and took his seat above his followers. Most of them had already taken their place and the gaps soon filled out with the last arriving.
Snape stood at his right, Pettigrew on his left, but between them Malfoy was missing – again!
"Severus – where is Lucius?" he snapped at his Potions master, who sighed and offered to fetch the absentee. Tom waved him off and soon later Lucius was dragged in by his elbow. The blond looked horrible after his son's suicide and had only attended one meeting since.
"Lucius – I will not tolerate such weakness anymore! Crucio!" he hissed and Lucius doubled over, screaming in agony. His wide eyes were dull and empty of any thought. Still furious about Harry he did not notice the increasing pressure until he felt something in the magic snap. Damn...
"Finite Incantatum" he spat and the squirming body stilled.
"Snape – take him away. Then go and find Potter, or die in the attempt! Everybody else comb this godless island until I have him! I will not accept failures! OUT!" he roared and his minions scrambled away. Still mad with anger he swooped away to the darkness of the dungeon to steam off some energy...
Horrified, Severus knelt beside his lover. Lucius whimpered as he touched his shoulder. Whispering softly Severus turned him onto his back and slipped some healing draughts from his pocket into the blonde's mouth. Massaging his throat he urged him to swallow.
Lucius struggled weakly and Severus knew it burned as the potion tickled down his throat -raw from screams. A low moan escaped his lover's mouth and his face twisted in pain as Severus floated his body out of the room and towards the floo. Using some of the green power from the jar on the mantle the fire whisked them away to the master bedroom.
Summoning a house-elf, Severus ensured they give Lucius the potions he had left on the nightstand and alerted Narcissa, before he flooed back to the library and walked the short distance to the front porch, before he apparated to Grimmauld Place 12.
