Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Harry Potter that will be used, unfortunately.
Summary: Harry was captured by Death Eaters and taken to Voldemort. Can he defeat him and come out alive?
Warning: Torture, Blood, Death, Slash
AN1: Severus was found out as spy about 6-7 months before the defeat of the Dark Lord.AN2: In case anyone is wondering the first chapter took place in November. Harry was 19 because his birthday was that passing July.
Title: The end…or the Beginning?
Chapter Four
(AN: This is basically what Draco is seeing and reliving in his unconscious state.)
He looked up as the door opened and cringed closer to the wall as the man entered the room. The chains clinked and scraped on the stone floor a bit as the young man moved. He didn't want to have to feel this again, no, he didn't want to have to suffer this abuse anymore. He kept his eyes downcast, not wanting to see those eyes so like his own glaring at him.
"I was so disappointed in you Draco," the smooth, velvet like purr of the man's voice washed over him making him tense. "I had such high hopes that you would be everything I wanted, the perfect Malfoy, but instead you had to go and do something so foolhardy." The voice tsked mockingly as the man stepped closer to the blonde of the floor, looking down at the young man in disgust.
Draco remained silent and still, eyes still downcast and body pressed against the wall. He was tired, so very tired and he didn't even know how long he'd been locked up. He chanced a glance at the man in front of him, a minute tip of the head and didn't even see the hand coming. He was smacked across the face, head snapping to the side and face stinging. He cried out before biting down on his tongue not wanting to give the man the satisfaction.
Lucius looked at him with a smirk on his face as he extracted his wand from some hidden fold of his robe. He looked at his son again and noticed the boy wasn't looking at him but had his eyes on the stone floor. "Have you forgotten your manners along with your loyalty son," he spat out with venom in his voice, glaring at the young man he held such hopes for. "Crucio!" Lucius roared when his son didn't look at him, when he didn't even glance at him.
The curse hit the blonde on the floor and Draco went down on his stomach writhing, jerking and bucking violently. He held on as long as he could, kept the scream in as best as he could but in the end he screamed. He screamed and cried and pleaded and begged and Lucius laughed a cruel and twisted laugh. And the torture continued. For a whole hour Lucius found different ways to torture him, like he had been for Draco didn't know how long. He added more scars to the already extensive collection, knife cuts deep and bleeding crimson life fluid. He used a whip to leave welts across his front and back, violent red standing out against creamy pale, or what used to be creamy pale but was now some morbid canvas of bruises, scars, dirt, blood and other things he'd preferred not to think about. And Lucius laughed and insulted and berated as he punished him and Draco took it all because, what else could he do? But finally the world blackened around the edges of his vision and the pain seemed to be drifting away and he fell into the arms of the darkness of unconsciousness.
In a hospital room at St. Mungo's Draco Malfoy lay unconscious. Anyone watching him would have seen the young man who hadn't moved since he was brought in flinch, relaxed expression quickly turning to pained. His brow was furrowed together, his eyes squeezed fractionally more tightly and his lips pursed a bit, his face pinched up. He twitched briefly and mumbled under his breath, twitched again and went still. His expression never changed and his thin, tensed body remained tensed. His eyes fluttered behind his pale almost grayish lids as he relived his horrors, his time of torture. He whimpered, low and barely audible as his mind dragged him back into the memories he wanted to forget.
Albus Dumbledore walked into the hospital room of Draco Malfoy and sat down in a conjured armchair. He looked at the young man in front of him sadness and regret showing on his face and in his eyes. He felt a little more than responsible for the current state of the young man who now lay before him.
It had started out with anonymous letters from a person in the Death Eaters addressed to him and giving information about Voldemort's plans. He had been cautious at first; naturally, of the sources trustworthiness and authenticity in the information but soon realized that the information coincided with what Severus had gathered. He had still been cautious but took the information and used it for the Light's advantage as it had some information that even Severus hadn't provided and that had led Dumbledore to believe that the person was close the Dark Lord.
The letters had started about a month after the graduation of the 1998 class. Severus had still been a spy in the ranks of the Dark Lord then when started receiving anonymous letter's with plans of attacks, place and whatnot that the Dark Lord had had planned. Albus had been naturally worried in the beginning of the information being given so freely to them. He hadn't been able to show anyone them as the parchments were charmed for his eyes only. In the end he had decided to keep this anonymous informant to himself and use the information if it coincided with Severus's which it did.
Everything had been going well, they were hindering the Death Eater attacks and saving many more people then they would have been doing. It had all been going so well though they were no closer to getting to Voldemort when Severus was found out as spy and barely escaped alive. Though the letters continued Albus had become more wary of using them but without any other inside help these letters from the mysterious Maverick as the writer titled them self were all the Order had. But the letters proved to help them not lead them into traps and ambushes. Albus had finally told the Order about the inside help they were receiving and though they were all skeptical at first they came around when the letters seemed to be truly helping them.
Once again everything was going well and they were succeeding in hindering the Death Eater attacks. Things had been going so well when Albus, three months later, received the last letter from Maverick, the letter that he still kept to this day. He remembered the letter so vividly too.
AD,
I am writing to you again A with my last letter I believe. I have been receiving odd looks from the other DE's and I'm sure that my cover as an unofficial spy has been found out. I wanted to write to tell you about the attack in the wizarding town of Lochrin. They are looking for a family there that it rumored to have seer blood in the line. The family if their there are the Amherst's. The attack will be in three days time at 11pm.
A I would like to tell you a few things as this will probably be one of the last things I do before I am killed, for surely they will kill me for betrayal. In my seventh year I had realized I didn't want to follow the Dark Lord but I had no choice really. I was destined to do this, take the Mark and become a black cloaked person among a mass of black cloaked people. I had decided then and there the day I received the Mark that I would help the Light side to win the best way I could. I had reflected and changed a lot since fifth year and no longer held the beliefs of my sire. I had over six and seventh year learnt and grew and broke the chains of prejudice that I had once wore so proudly. So I took the mark and became the Light side's unofficial and unknown spy. I didn't know Severus was a spy also until the Death Eaters almost killed him before he escaped. I am sorry if my help inadvertently was the reason of his discovery.
I chose Maverick as a codename for a reason A. Maverick means one who takes an independent and that is what I'm doing, taking an independent stand against Voldemort, the Death Eaters, my father and the life that was chosen for me since birth.
I must end this letter for a meeting is schedule shortly and I must be there no matter how I wish to be elsewhere. If I live longer than expected I will send you more information but if not, you will know I am dead. Please do not mark me as a hero A, for I was nothing but a misguided youth who saw the truth or, ironically, the light a little too late. Please win this war and keep the Wizarding world from the clutches of that madman.
The Dragon knowing bad faith will be a light in the dark,
Maverick AKA Draco Calleo Malfoy.
He had told the Order about the possible discovery of their inside unknown spy and that he may be dead but he didn't tell them who the spy was. He had had a feeling that Draco wouldn't have wanted others to really know though he was sadden greatly that no one would know the truth about the Malfoy heir and his sacrifice for the world. He was a hero even if he didn't want to be called one.
Little over two months after the last letter Harry defeated the Dark Lord and they found Draco barely alive, obviously tortured in a stone walled room. Albus had thought the young man dead but when Harry had informed him that he was there being held prisoner Albus had been a knot of emotions. Relief and horror the two most prominent. And here he was now, sitting by that young man's hospital bed looking on the person who had helped stop many Death Eater Attacks. It was a blessing for the crystal that he and Harry had created to be tuned to Harry's magical signature when a strong blast of magic is released that Albus knew Harry was alive and able to find him. It had been a plan between them in case Harry was caught and it worked out in the end.
Reaching out a wrinkled hand Albus gently touch the hand of the young man. "You, Draco Malfoy, are one brave young man." Albus murmured softly with a small smile. He sighed and sat back looking out the enchanted window. With another sigh Albus stood slowly from the chair. Looking at the blonde on the bed one last time, Albus Dumbledore left the hospital room.
Voldemort walked calmly into the stone walled room, Dolohov and Lucius behind him and Draco barely held himself from flinching. Each Death Eater was to one side of the Dark Lord and Voldemort was casually holding a leather whip looking at Draco calmly.
"How are we today Draco?" Voldemort asked nonchalantly as he softly stroked the whip. Draco remained silent, trying to draw his mind to a blank for the pain that was too come. He kept his eyes downward and therefore didn't see the booted foot coming toward him that hit him in the stomach until it was in his line of sight. He cried out at the pain that burst from the hit, gasping and panting.
"You should show respect to our Lord Draco. Answer him!" Lucius hissed at the young man.
"He's not my Lord, I don't bow down to a sadistic maniac," Draco said through gritted teeth, glaring at his father. The whip lash to his side caught him off guard and he sucked in a breath at the sting.
"Draco it was this kind of disrespect that got you in this situation in the first place," the Dark Lord chided mockingly as he waved his wand at Draco and muttered something. Draco was lifted off the ground and soon situated a in mid air, suspended as if by imaginary bonds though the metal ones he wore were still there. A soft whistling broke the silence followed by a crack and a loud hiss of breath as the whip was lashed across his stomach.
The lashes continued in a rhythmic pattern. Whistle, crack and Draco would try to stifle his sounds of pain until a scream finally tore from his throat. "Dolohov!" He vaguely heard through the rushing of blood in his ears, the gasping of his own breath as tears trickled down his cheeks. He kept his head down preferring to not see what was in store for him next. There was a shuffle of feet, a rustle a fabric and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He barely heard the whistle of the whip before it struck his body and broke skin. The sting was worse than before, feeling as though his flesh was actually burning; fire dancing on the his stomach where the whip hit. He screamed, the sound ripping itself from his throat that felt as if it was raw.
"You'll have noticed," Voldemort said almost conversationally. "That your skin will be feeling as if it's burning, like you've been set on fine. That's this wonderful little potion that one of my Death Eaters created. It causes the skin to burn in the most aggravating way."
Draco whimpered as he was turned around and the whipping continued on his back, the potion making each lash mark feels as though he was being burnt. A particular lash across his back made him scream as the potion came into contact with nerve endings and it felt as though the fire seeped into the nerves and began burning there before spreading out to other places. Tears were flowing heavily down his face, fist clenched and muscles taut and tense. "You'll learn before we kill you," Voldemort hissed in his ear and he didn't even know he was that close behind him. Draco whimpered pitifully at the harsh voice that grated against his raw and sensitive nerves. "What pain really is. That traitor Snape may have gotten away at the last minute but there's no one coming for you and nothing to help you escape. Welcome to Hell Draco Malfoy," the dark chuckle in his ear was the only warning he got before his world exploded in pain again and he knew he was truly in hell.
In a hospital room in St. Mungo's hospital for magical maladies Draco Malfoy came back to consciousness, waking up gasping and panting after being unconscious for a full week and three days.
AN3: It case it wasn't easy to understand I'll explain it a bit. The crystal that Dumbledore had was spelled to be connected to Harry's magical signature. If Harry released a burst of his magic even in a warded area the crystal would activate letting Dumbledore know where Harry is. When Harry performed that spell at the end of chapter 1 the crystal was activated with the release of his magic and by way his magical signature.
AN4: Just for those who may be wondering Calleo is a Latin name meaning knowing. So Draco's name: Draco Calleo Malfoy means Dragon knowing bad faith.
