Chapter 29

Betrayal

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As the room slowly came back into focus Harry heard,

"Bring in the other hostage."

The door opened and Cho was brought into the room. Harry slowly raised his head and saw his love being pushed along by one of Voldemort's minions. Her arms were tied behind her back but she didn't look like she was in physical pain, there were no visible bruises. Harry wanted to call out and run over to protect her but he couldn't move. She didn't look at him when she passed near him. Anger boiled through Harry's weak body.

"Leave her go" he thought

"I will ask you one more time Harry" Voldemort hissed. "Save her Harry and join me, or leave me kill you now"

Snape watched from the side, his own hood well and truly covering his face.

"Fool" he said to himself looking at Cho, "Didn't you think it would be dangerous for you getting involved with Potter."

Snape's thoughts were interrupted by Voldemort's voice.

"Harry, I can have her killed in a few minutes."

Harry looked straight at Cho and a single tear fell from her eye. His heart cringed and facing Voldemort he said,

"Leave her go. I'll do whatever you want. Please just leave her go."

"Stupid boy" Snape thought

"Men" Voldemort called, "Release the hostage, I'd say her hands are getting sore from those chains. The noble Gryffindor has spared her life and sacrificed his own. Get her robe Macnair."

Snape held his stare on the boy but it wasn't until the door on the far side was opened that he released the breath he was holding. Macnair had walked back into the room with a cloak the same as Snape's and every Death Eater in the room.

"Come my dear" Voldemort said, "Your seat beside me waits for you."

When the chains were removed Cho took the cloak from Macnair. She kept her hood down compared to the rest of the Death Eaters. Her long black hair swayed slightly as she walked across the room. Harry watched as she knelt down in front of Voldemort and said,

"My Lord, I serve only you."

Then standing up she took her place beside Voldemort. Harry tried to wriggle free but Crabbe and Goyle senior held him tightly. He couldn't believe it, Snape couldn't believe it. Before Snape started to think about the whole situation Harry spoke.

"What have you done to her Voldemort? I told you to leave her go, you have me"

Rising from the chair, Cho walked back down the stone steps to Harry and stopped in front of him.

"I am free Harry, and I have never felt better."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You killed my boyfriend Harry. He was just an innocent boy who got caught up in your pathetic miserable life. That cup was his and you just got in his way. Cedric would be alive today if you hadn't touched that cup."

She slapped Harry hard across the face.

"That was for Cedric" she said coldly

"How could you" he whispered. "You of all people I trusted."

Harry's cheek was stinging but the pain in his heart was worse than anything. He laughed slightly.

"You think this is funny" she snapped

"Maybe the kid's finally losing it" one of the Death Eaters called out from behind.

Harry looked straight at Cho and said,

"I was warned I'd be betrayed. Trelawney told me back in September and I didn't believe her. I thought it was Trelawney being her usual wacky self" he gave a little snigger

"Well it seems the old dear might actually know what she's talking about after all" Cho sneered.

"I loved you Cho. I really did. Why did you do this? How could you do this?

Harry thought he had gotten through to Cho, he thought he saw a flicker of hope. He thought he saw the Cho he loved until she looked straight into his eyes and said,

"I never loved you Harry."

Lifting the chain from his neck she said, "I bet you were wondering what the inscription says. You may recognise it. It says Kill the Spare"

She went to walk away when Voldemort spoke,

"Enough of this idle chat" he hissed, "We are wasting time, no doubt Dumbledore is on the way."

"Let's just kill him and get him out of the way" Goyle interrupted

"Crucio" Voldemort shouted, "You will speak when spoken to. I have plans for the boy. Ms Chang your seat waits."

Removing the spell on Goyle he turned his wand on Harry and once more Voldemort shouted,

"Crucio"

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"If she has anything to do with this, I won't be able to hold back" Hermione said pacing the common room floor for the hundredth time.

"Hermione, will you please sit down, you're giving me a headache walking up and down" Ron complained from the armchair.

"Is that all you have to worry about Ronald Weasley" she snapped back. "Merlin knows where Harry is"

"We'll find him 'Mione, I promise" Ron replied taking his girlfriend in his arms. "Dumbledore is doing everything he can. We'll have him back before we know it"

"I can't just sit here Ron and wait"

"But 'Mione we don't know where to start to look for him"

"I think we should track down Malfoy. Ron get the map and Harry's invisibility cloak"

"Right" Ron replied going towards his dorm

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Dumbledore was also pacing up and down in his office. McGonagall and Lupin were with him eagerly waiting for Snape's return.

"Was there anything left at the lake that would help? Did Longbottom remember anything that was said? Do we have anything Albus? McGonagall asked with pleading eyes.

"Alas no Minerva" Dumbledore replied, "Neville told us everything he could remember but unfortunately he couldn't hear any conversations. I hope Severus will be back soon, at least then we will have something and hopefully a place to find Harry and rescue him"

"But you know and I know those meetings can take a long time and the longer we just sit around and wait, the less chance we have finding the boy" McGonagall said dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief

"Now, now Minerva, we must not give up so easily."

"Dumbledore is right" Lupin replied. "I have contacted Sirius and he's going to get in contact with people he knows. Arthur Weasley is on duty at the ministry and is keeping track of any updates, he will owl us as soon as he knows anything. Harry is not going through this alone. We must be brave if Hermione and Ron or any of the other students saw that we were worried then that would be worse."

"Remus is right" Dumbledore replied. "We must be brave and strong, especially infront of the students."

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"Look Ron" Hermione gasped as she looked at the map. "Lupin is in Dumbledore's office. Maybe he knows something. We should go there"

"Right" Ron said, "But what about Malfoy"

"Don't worry about him for the moment, if he goes anywhere we'll see him on the map"

"But Hermione we can't just walk into Dumbledore's office"

"Harry is our friend Ron, they will understand. Now stop looking for excuses and come on before Lupin goes or we'll miss everything."

She marched out of the common room door.

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Harry didn't know how long the "game" as one of the Death Eaters had called it went on for. He woke up to find himself lying face down once more on the stone cold floor. He tried to wriggle his toes and flex his fingers to see if anything was broken. His chest and ribs hurt. His head felt like a lead balloon, his lip really hurt and he felt a bruise in his cheek. His scar was paining him but that was because he knew Voldemort was near. He tried to remember what had finally made him pass out but it was just a blur and concentrating made the pains worse.

Slowly he tried to pull himself off the ground. He looked at the dark grey floor in front of him and saw a tiny pool of fluid that he guessed was blood. He coughed slightly when he lifted his body off the ground and tasted blood.

"Great" he whispered, "I'm still bleeding"

He finally made it to the stone wall and resting his back up against it he lifted his knees up and rested his head on his arms. At least they had left his glasses intact; he had found them on the floor.

He recalled Malfoy senior saying, "Don't break the glasses, our Lord wants him to be able to see death not just feel it."

It didn't matter to Harry, after being told that his girlfriend never loved him and had betrayed him Harry wished for death, his heart was already dead. Hot tears stung his eyes, he felt broken, empty and lonely. He missed his parents, Ron and Hermione.

For a split second he felt anger and jealousy towards Ron and Hermione. They had the perfect relationship, parents that loved them and what did he have? Nothing. He scolded himself for thinking so ill of his best friends, he wasn't jealous of them he was happy for them. His thoughts turned to the conversation he had with Ron and Hermione that day in the common room.

"We think Cho is cheating on you, with Malfoy"

Harry snorted to himself.

"And you didn't believe them Potter, did you? As always you wore your heart on your sleeve and someone came along, took it and stood on it."

He remembered Malfoy on the train telling Cho that she should be with someone better, someone who could look after her, spoil her and all along Cho was already with him. The two of them were just laughing, plotting behind his back, not to mention slowly drugging him. Harry started to think past the pain as he slowly put all the pieces of the jigsaw together.

"Has your neck felt tingly the past few months, tired or sore" that what Voldemort had asked him in the room.

He remembered Cho's gentle touch at the back of his neck. It had started that day at the Quidditch pitch when she kissed him on the cheek for luck and she had pretended to play with his hair at the base of his neck. At the Yule ball he had danced with her all night. At the duelling club Malfoy shook hands with him but refused to release the handshake and of course the cologne he had received as a Valentine's gift.

"I've been so stupid," he said to himself, "All this time I trusted her. I rowed with Ron and Hermione over her."

His tears stopped and his temper started to rise. The more annoyed he got the better he felt. The pain eased and he was more determined to bring the "great" Voldemort down and seek revenge on Cho. He felt the wall behind him shake and the bolted door rattle. He didn't know what was happening.

"Was it an earthquake?" Harry thought, "No the floor isn't moving, but the door definitely did make a noise"

Breathing heavily and leaning against the wall he tried to stand but his side hurt. Frustrated and annoyed he swore and returned to his sitting position. Slowly he tried to raise himself off the floor again and feeling weak he stumbled away from the wall, exposing a crack that had appeared on the stone wall where his back had just been leaning against.

"Whoa!" he said as he traced the new crack with his finger. "Did I do this?"

Harry heard a noise outside and quickly he sat back down wincing from the pain but making sure his back covered the new crack in the wall. Pretending he was unconscious the Death Eaters came in, lit their wands to scan the room to make sure nothing had changed and to see if their prisoner was still there.

Harry had his head resting on his arms face down. One of the Death Eaters knelt before him. Harry remained still, eyes closed trying to control the fear he suddenly felt. The Death Eater raised Harry's chin with his finger and a familiar scent filled Harry's nostrils. It reminded Harry of his potion's class.

"Potions class, could it possibly be Snape?" he thought

Anger seared through Harry, he always knew Snape was a spy but this confirmed it. He wasn't a spy for Dumbledore he was a spy for Voldemort. His anger must have been noticeable on his face because Snape's voice whispered through so softly that Harry nearly missed it.

"Potter, I know you are awake. Help is on the way. I contacted Dumbledore; we're doing our best, stay with us."

Snape stopped suddenly.

"Severus" a voice called from the door. "What are you doing?"

Snape's normal voice answered. "My Lord wants the boy alive when he's called. I was only checking to see if the boy was still breathing. He's out of it still. Do you have to question everything I do?"

Harry felt Snape getting up and ever so slightly he gently touched Harry's arm for reassurance and Harry also took this as don't move for the moment.

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A while later Harry felt his leg cramp for being in the same spot for too long. He wanted to move it slightly but wasn't sure if it was safe. He kept his head down but noticed the room was getting darker and quieter.

"The Death Eaters must have believed Snape" he thought, "They wouldn't have had anyone to play with if they thought I was still knocked out from the previous round" he sighed with relief.

His leg was beginning to hurt now; maybe he could chance moving it slightly. The room was dark and quiet once more, slowly he moved his leg a tiny bit. Harry waited but there was silence. So he decided to take a chance. Raising his head he didn't mean to release a groan from his stiff sore neck and certainly wasn't expecting the welcoming party. They had been hiding in the dark room, waiting for Harry to move.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? Little Potter want to play?"

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End of chapter