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Harry had no idea how many flights of stairs he had been dragged up or how many halls his captors had taken him down. But he had a feeling they hadn't left the building he had woken up in.
"We have to clean up his face before we meet the others." Lucius stated as they came to a stop. Harry's numbing shoulders protested the hands that pulled him to the right. His leg felt like thousands of needles were stabbing into the broken bones every time his foot rubbed on the floor.
"Remove the blindfold." Malfoy commanded as a thick arm grabbed Harry
around the waist. As soon as the blindfold was off, another hand
grabbed his hair and pushed his face into ice cold water while the arm
around his waist held him up. The shock of the cold rekindled the fire
that enshrouded his head. The thought of never coming up from the water
danced across his mind. Oh, the peace of death. But as his lungs began
to scream for air, panic gripped him. He still possessed a will to
live. There was hope yet.
Just as he thought his lungs were going to force him to gulp down water, the hand holding his hair jerked him upright. Before he could complete his first gasp, another hand pressed a rough cloth against his bloody face and scrubbed none too gently. Harry began to envision himself as the Boy-With-No-Skin as his tender face was nettled by his captors. He felt as though his face was bruised through to his skull.
"Rinse it again." With that, Harry's face was forced into the water again. Just as before, they held him there until his lungs threatened to burst, then they yanked him up. As Harry gulped in as much air as possible, he caught a glimpse of Crabbe standing just in front of him, beside the sink his face had been emersed in. The towel was at Harry's face again before he could take in too much. Once his face was dry, the blindfold was returned and he was once more being dragged to his doom.
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The four wizards apparated inside the kitchen on Privet Drive to avoid attracting any attention to the house. Dumbledore led the way upstairs to find an hysterical Petunia and Dudley weeping over Vernon.
"Minerva, Tonks, move them back. Arthur, make sure we don't have any visitors." Petunia gasped through her sobs at the sound of Dumbledore's voice. Instinctively, she grabbed Dudley and began to cower away.
"We're here to help, Petunia." Albus soothingly spoke as McGonagall and Tonks walked up to the muggles and gently pulled them back while speaking in low, calm voices. Arthur Weasley walked around the group and began to survey the damage in the small, second bedroom. Dumbledore pulled a vile out of his robes as he bent over to examine the incapacitated man.
"What are you going to do with that?!" Dudley inquired protectively, stepping forward, ready to prevent any more magic from being used on his father.
"Trying to save his life." stated Dumbledore matter-of-factly as Petunia shushed the boy and Tonks gently pulled him back. Dumbledore poured the contents of the bottle into Dursley's mouth, then levitated the man down the hall and into his bed. All the while, Arthur had fixed the window and cleaned up any signs of the night's events as the witches managed to calm the remaining Dursley's.
"Did you see who did this?" asked Professor Dumbledore as he returned to the hallway.
"No." Petunia and Dudley answered in unison.
" I'm sorry this happened. Vernon will be fine when he wakes up in the morning. And we are working to get to the bottom of this." With that, Dumbledore cast two Memory Charms and the four wizards disapparated before the muggles could regain their senses. The wizards apparated just outside the house.
"Tonks, stay here with Mrs. Figg and Mundungus until I send someone else to patrol. Arthur, I need you to make sure the Ministry doesn't find out about this until after we find Harry, if at all. I'm afraid they would blame him with no regard to the circumstances. Report to me as soon as you can. Minerva and I will return to Headquarters."
After that, the only sound that broke the night's silence was the "Crack" of the wizards disapparating to their separate destinations.
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The two professors returned to a group of worried, anxious faces. Except Severus Snape. His face was an unreadable mask as usual. Hagrid and Molly Weasley were both red-eyed and sniffling. Remus Lupin looked the most worn and sallow. His already pale complexion was now a most unhealthy grayish tint.
Dumbledore mentally debated with himself before allowing the increasing weight on his heart persuade him to sit down. He was thankful the others hadn't bombarded him with questions. He rubbed his temples, then looked up, focusing on Snape.
"Severus, would Voldemort have summoned you if he was planning on something like this?" Dumbledore received a nod as an answer. "Would Lucius Malfoy have told you if he was planning anything?"
"No, probably not. Unless he needed my help."
"Do you think he would grow suspicious if you decided to visit unannounced?" Albus felt like he almost had a plan. It would be easier to think if he could empty his thoughts into the pensieve, but he hadn't thought to get it while he was at Hogwarts', and there was no time to retrieve it now. Severus' reply interrupted his thoughts. "...but if he is behind this, and he suspects that you're onto him, then he would probably figure out that I'm spying. And then he'd kill me."
It was the fact that Severus said that last sentence with no emotion that worried McGonagall the most. She knew he put on an apathetic front most of the time, but where did the front end and the real apathy begin? After knowing him this long, and being one of the closest things he had to a real friend, it unnerved Minerva that she still couldn't read him accurately. Some days, he was easy to read, almost like a normal person. But usually, he was like trying to decipher a nonexistent language.
"An open confrontation with Malfoy right now would only make things worse. We've only just gained some of the Ministry's confidence. Anything drastic will turn them completely against us. Severus, can you go to Voldemort without being summoned?"
"I never have before, so to do so now would be suspicious."
"Then I'll need you to go to Malfoy Mansion. Sneak in if you need to. We have to find Harry. Do you need my Invisibility Cloak?" Severus nodded. It never hurt to have one. He took the roll of cloth Professor Dumbledore retrieved from the folds of his robe, then disapparated despite the dread building up in the pit of his stomach.
After Severus left, Dumbledore turned back to the remaining Order members. They had been extremely patient and calm, but Albus knew they could only contain their nervous energy for so long.
"Before you start asking questions: Alastor, I need you to relieve Tonks of her position watching the Dursley's on Privet Drive. You'll be able to keep an eye on things easier than she will." Mad-Eye Moody disapparated after a short nod to Dumbledore. Then the headmaster turned back those remaining.
"All right. Thank you for waiting. Now you can ask all the questions you want." Immediately, a flood of questions filled the room.
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Severus had been to Malfoy Mansion enough times to know almost every nook and cranny. He apparated in the woods, just out of view of the manor. Throwing the Invisibility Cloak over himself, he began walking towards the small castle. Just being in this place weighed heavy on his heart. He had watched Malfoy and other Death Eaters kill and torture witches and wizards in these woods. He also knew the horrors that occurred in the dungeon below the house. Just the memories made him want to turn and run. But he knew the boy would be in the dungeons, if he was there. And a small voice in the back of his mind told him the boy was here. After spending years as a spy, he'd learned to listen to that voice.
It had been a dark night, but dawn was now approaching, casting a gray glow over everything. Severus was thankful for the cloak. Once he reached the edge of the lawn, Snape levitated himself so he wouldn't leave any footprints on the grass. There was a large fountain in the yard on that side of the mansion. It looked a little out of place, being back where almost nobody would see it. But those who didn't understand its purpose usually assumed it was just one of the rich family's ways of being eccentric. Only Death Eaters knew of the portkeys that resided in its large basin. There were three portkeys, each one leading to a different section of the dungeon.
The gold medallion transfered its user to the medieval torture chamber, which boasted an antique instruments collection that had been added to and passed down by each generation for hundreds of years. The thought of it made Severus' spine chill. He knew all too well what most of those instruments did. Imagining them being used on Harry washed a strong wave of nausea over the man.
Quickly moving on, Severus looked for the other two portkeys. He found the seashell that led to the prisoner cells. They resembled most dungeon cells; chains and cages hanging on the walls being the decoration of choice. The rats and spiders loved these rooms.
Finally, he searched for the small skull portkey that connected to the interrogation rooms. There were only two of these rooms, both of them dark and cold. They each had only a single, stone chair and served but one purpose: to break the mind. Severus had seen too many great wizards be reduced to babbling idiots in these rooms, including the Longbottoms. If he had found out in time, he might have been able to save them. But he didn't arrive until after their minds had already been ruined. Guilt ate at him every time he looked at Neville.
The skull was nowhere to be found. That could mean only one thing. Someone was using the interrogation rooms right now. The hollow pit in Severus' stomach grew at the thought of Harry sitting in one of those rooms for almost four days. His mind would most likely be mush after that amount of time. Severus grabbed the seashell. Since the cells were furthest away from the interrogation rooms, he hoped he would be less likely to be caught. The next second, he felt the familiar tug of the portkey transporting him to the dark destination.
Snape almost lost the Invisibility Cloak when he appeared outside the group of cells. Even with the dim light of sparsely placed torches, Severus knew there was nobody in any of the cells. Lucius really hadn't used the dungeon since Voldemort's fall. But, apparently, he was quickly developing his taste for it again, if this was indeed where he brought the Potter boy. Severus stealthily walked down the hall he vividly remembered from his past. The stench of blood, dirt, and death still hung heavy in the stale air. Severus' stomach retched at this familiar smell. It was almost too overwhelming. The only thing that kept Severus walking through that dungeon was the urgent need to save Harry. He prayed that he wasn't too late. Or that they had finished off the boy quickly and painlessly. Like that was reasonable. He had to remember he was dealing with nothing short of monsters.
Up a few flights of stairs and Severus was in front of the torture room. He continued quickly, not even wanting to look in the room for fear of seeing blood on the walls and instruments. Nothing but more dark, silent halls greeted the wizard. He finally arrived one hall away from the interrogation rooms. He paused and listened. Nothing but silence met his ears. He slowly peeked around the corner, and after seeing no one, crept up to the doors. Both were standing wide open. Severus dimly lit his wand and checked the first room. It appeared that nothing but cobwebs had occupied that room. He walked into the second room, and immediately saw drops of blood leading from the door to the stone chair in the middle of the room. His heart dropped through the floor at the sight of this. Whoever they'd had in there had been moved. Severus put his hand on the seat of the chair. It was still warm. His heart jumped up slightly. They had just recently left. Maybe he could still find them. He rushed out of the room and raced up the stone stairs. He stopped just short of the top flight upon hearing footsteps in the hall ahead of him. He tried to calm his rapid breathing as he crept up the last flight. Just as he peeked his head around the corner of the landing, he saw Malfoy leading the way as Crabbe, and Goyle dragged a blindfolded Harry to the end of the hall. Before he could react, Lucius picked up what appeared to be a dead or stuffed rat, and the portkey whisked them away. Severus had finally found the boy, only to have him stolen away seconds later.