Author's note: Okay, I'm sorry it took me soooooooooo long to redo this
chapter, or update at all. I've just started a new job (money very good
:-) !! ) And then when I went back and reread my story, I realized that
this chapter was originally nothing like what I wanted it to be. So
I've made some MAJOR changes, and may even make some more once I have a
day off work. Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooooo much for being
patient with me and I'm so sorry if I lost some of your reviews when I
switched the chapter. Please review and let me know what you think.
They mean so much to me!! Have a FANTABULOUS day!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS: Anne Phoenix, thanks for the tip. I'm trying this in a new format to see if it's easier to read. Let me know if it helps.
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What I wouldn't give for my wand right now, was the only thought going through Harry's head. Lucius had seemed disappointed by Harry's emotionless face when presented with the news that he was going to be burned at the stake. Harry certainly wasn't keen on the idea of being devoured by flames, but he was so tired now. He was tired of worrying about Voldemort constantly; he was tired of the nightmares and headaches that plagued him chronically; he was even tired of being referred to as the "Boy-Who-Lived." At this point, he wanted nothing more than to be anybody else. But seeing how that was impossible, he would just have to settle for death.
Screw everyone else. I'm fed up with going through hell for them time and time again. But as soon as he thought that, the faces of all the people he cared about began passing through his mind. Hermoine, Ron (the entire Weasley clan, in fact), Dumbledore (though he was still a little pissed at him), Professor McGonagall, Hagrid (especially that lovable oaf that had rescued him from the Dursley's on his eleventh birthday, which now felt like a million years ago), Remus...... The longer he thought, the more guilty he felt for even thinking such a thing. All these people have been doing their best to help and support Harry. True, they couldn't fully understand he burden, but they did everything in their power to lighten it. Besides, enough people had died for his sake. He couldn't let another person be harmed because of himself. If his dream of Sirius was real, and help really was on the way, he was going to have to either escape and keep them from walking into a Death Eater's meeting, or find a way to kill Voldemort and end this now, before anyone else got hurt. So now I'm back to square one. I REALLY wish I had a wand.
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Severus arrived in Voldemort's main chambers. The light outside was low enough that the fireplace and candles cast shadows that crept around the room. This room never changed. It always impressed upon its visitors a blanket of dread and fear. Even the most seasoned Death Eaters were not immune to its effects. Severus always wondered if it was caused by a spell or the blackness of Voldemort's soul.
In the chair nearest the fireplace, Voldemort was resting in his "throne." Of course, this was only a makeshift throne because Voldemort always said his true throne is Dumbledore's chair in the Great Hall, which he will take once he kills the old bugger. A rather childish way of adding insult to injury, but Voldemort had clung to this dream since he was a child. Originally, before he desired world domination, he just wanted to replace Dumbledore as headmaster if he ever retired. But he had since altered his dream to stay in stride with his psychosis.
Curled lazily around the "throne" was his pet snake. As always, it regarded Severus with nothing more than a brief raising of its head and then returned to its nap. The large lump in its abdomen was the telltale sign that Voldemort had allowed it to recently. Severus had only witnessed one feeding, and that was too many. That time it had been a small pig, but Severus had heard rumors that Voldemort sometimes allowed that giant monster to eat small children.
Gruesome as the snake was, it was nothing compared to Voldemort. The blackness of his soul has twisted the once attractive Riddle into a monster of no comparison. The faint of heart required but one look upon his being to be forced into a groveling mass. The strong of heart needed only to gaze into those red eyes to forced into the same.
Severus approached the chair and kissed Voldemort's hand before standing and awaiting to be addressed first. One never spoke before Voldemort. It was a very fast way to get killed.
"My servant, have you any news of that bumbling old fool?" Voldemort inquired in a low hiss.
"He is searching for the Potter boy, my Lord, but has no ideas where he is or what has happened to him."
"Why are you cut?" Voldemort asked, seeing the multiple cuts and scrapes that resulted from Severus' earlier encounter with Peter Pettigrew.
At that moment, a knock sounded on the door. "Enter!" permitted Voldemort. Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew emerged through the doorway, and immediately Peter ran to the throne and began groveling at Voldemort's feet.
"Do you see what this sniveling rat did to Severus?!" half-shrieked Bellatrix. "This is why he didn't come."
"I'm sorry, Master! I thought he was a spy. I was doing it for you, Master. Please forgive me!" pleaded Pettigrew, still kissing the floor.
"Enlighten me as to why you believed one of my best and most loyal Death Eaters to be a traitor."
"Master...... I just .......... He was ............" Pettigrew was so scared now that he could do nothing more than sputter a few words at a time. "Please....."
"Enough! Severus, do you know why he believed you a spy?"
"No, my Lord." Severus spoke as little as possible, knowing that Voldemort would think over-explaining to be a sign of guilt. With that, there was only silence from the Dark Lord. The two standing Death Eaters were waiting with bated breath, while Pettigrew lay on the floor sobbing softly. The silence became suffocating; waiting for Voldemort to make his move.
"Master, PLEASE!!! I'm so sorry!"
And that was it. Pettigrew's fate was sealed. He had fallen for Voldemort's trap. The first one to break the silence was the one with a guilty conscience, or so Voldemort believed.
"If you had any real reason to believe Severus a spy, you would've come to me directly. No, you were just trying to rid yourself of a man you knew to be your better in every way. And seeing how he is worth far more to me than you, you shall pay the ultimate price for your insolence. I fed my pet only half his usual meal size. Tonight, he will finish dining."
"NOOOOO!!!!" screamed Pettigrew, every ounce of blood draining from his face and being replaced with a horrible shade of green. With his sentencing complete, Voldemort stood and transformed Pettigrew into his rat form. The scent of a familiar meal stirred the serpent from his slumber. Pettigrew the Rat squeaked and scrambled for somewhere to hide, but Voldemort placed a trapping spell around him, giving the rat nothing to do but run in a circle of death. Severus and Bellatrix stepped back, not really desiring to see this morbid sight, but knowing they had no choice. It was Voldemort's gift to Severus and reward to Bellatrix. True, Severus wanted Pettigrew dead, but he never wished such horrors upon anyone. And Bellatrix was famous for her ruthlessness, but there was such a thing as too much. This went beyond that.
Now Peter was ramming into the spell's shield head first as hard as he possibly could. Severus wasn't sure if he was trying to break through the shield or break his neck before being eaten alive. The clicking on the floor caused by his tiny silver paw was becoming irritating to Snape. The anticipation was too much as the snake slowly sauntered over. At long last, the snake came to the shield. He raised up and slithered through the shield, carefully eyeing the panicked rat. Then, fast as lightening, he struck, mouth wide open. Pettigrew actually managed to jump aside, just far enough to avoid the large fangs protruding from the serpent's upper jaw. This angered the snake. He became more alert, his skills sharpened. The second strike was dead on, his fangs penetrated the rats back with a sickening crack as they tore through flesh and bone. Blood splattered the floor as Peter Pettigrew let out one last shriek, and then he was truly dead, as he had been believed to be for many years. The snake quickly swallowed him whole and returned to his slumbering and digesting. Bellatrix looked slightly green and Snape was praying that he wouldn't throw up until after he had left Voldemort's presence. The Dark Lord himself, had returned to his "throne" and was looking quite amused.
"Now my faithful servants, it is time to witness this evening's final entertainment. Tonight, Harry Potter WILL die!"
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Harry was forced out of his thoughts by a large boot kicking him square in the back. He landed face down, since his hands were still uselessly bound behind his back.
"Come on. Time to play." Came the gruff voice of Goyle Sr. as he grabbed Harry by the throat and yanked the boy to his feet. Just as Harry gained his balance, a Crucio curse crashed into him, slamming him back onto the ground in a fit of seizures. Every inch of Harry's body screamed, threatening to pull apart completely. His arms and shoulders pulled against their restraints until, through the pain, Harry felt the rope on his wrist loosen. Just as the curse was finally lifted, the bonds snapped, freeing his arms at last. However, his shoulders had been bound behind him so long that they felt frozen in place. Harry didn't have time to work through the pain as another swift, but forceful kick sent him sprawling from his side onto his back. He vaguely realized, through the throbbing of his body, that his arms were now at his sides, his joints slowly releasing like someone was oiling the rust.. He looked up at Goyle to see if he had noticed, but the giant buffoon was too busy gloating about how he could beat up a kid to even begin to pay attention to Harry. It's now or never, thought Harry.
"I could squash you like a bug, right now." Said Goyle, approaching Harry with a maniacal look in his eyes.
"That will come later." Came Lucius Malfoy's voice from across the yard where he and Crabbe Sr. were finishing the circle where the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord would be apparating to any minute. Harry jumped at his opportunity as Goyle turned his head to look at Malfoy. With his good leg, he kicked Goyle as hard as possible in the crotch and, almost simultaneously, reached up and grabbed the oaf's wand before Goyle could retaliate. The wand pulled his hand down like a lead weight, fighting against its captor. But Harry fought harder, and forced the wand up and shouted "Petrificus Totalus," willing the foreign wand to obey him. There was a slight hesitation, but finally the wand reacted, freezing Goyle in his spot, then crashing him down with a satisfying thud. Lucius yelled at Crabbe to deal with Harry while he kept the Dark Mark and circle open so the Death Eaters would know where to apparate to. Harry pushed back with is good leg, ignoring the resistance of his body, and waited for the perfect moment to take out Crabbe. Harry barely managed to duck a bright yellow light that Crabbe sent at his head, and then quickly sat back up and yelled "Expelliarmus!" forcing the wand to disarm his opponent. He tried to follow it up with another petrifaction spell, but he was losing energy fast. His adrenaline was running out, and he hadn't eaten in an unknown amount of days. His body was broken and tired. It begged him to lay down and stop, but there was a tiny voice at the back of his head that told him to keep going. He raised the wand again, aiming the curse at Crabbe, but it only hit his arm and was too weak to affect his whole body. Crabbe just kept walking towards him with an evil grin and one frozen arm. Harry scooted backwards as fast as his gimp body would allow, but Crabbe quickly caught up to him and sent a fist careening into the side of his face, making him see stars. Harry felt the wand being yanked out of his hand, and with it, his last ounce of hope.
With his own wand, Crabbed levitated Harry and flipped him upside-down in mid air. All Harry could hear was the blood rushing to his head, which felt like it would explode from the pressure. His shirt fell over his eyes, preventing him from seeing the next curse Crabbe shot at him, which sent him flying through the air. His newfound ability to fly was abruptly halted by the back of the dilapidated house his parents once inhabited. Harry landed in a heap on the ground, barely breathing through the pain. He heard heavy footsteps approaching him, but could not even summon the strength to open his eyes. As he braced himself for another round of attacks, a voice slithered over the grass and encompassed the entire area.
"It is time."
The footsteps stopped, and Harry knew immediately......... Voldemort had arrived.
PS: Anne Phoenix, thanks for the tip. I'm trying this in a new format to see if it's easier to read. Let me know if it helps.
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What I wouldn't give for my wand right now, was the only thought going through Harry's head. Lucius had seemed disappointed by Harry's emotionless face when presented with the news that he was going to be burned at the stake. Harry certainly wasn't keen on the idea of being devoured by flames, but he was so tired now. He was tired of worrying about Voldemort constantly; he was tired of the nightmares and headaches that plagued him chronically; he was even tired of being referred to as the "Boy-Who-Lived." At this point, he wanted nothing more than to be anybody else. But seeing how that was impossible, he would just have to settle for death.
Screw everyone else. I'm fed up with going through hell for them time and time again. But as soon as he thought that, the faces of all the people he cared about began passing through his mind. Hermoine, Ron (the entire Weasley clan, in fact), Dumbledore (though he was still a little pissed at him), Professor McGonagall, Hagrid (especially that lovable oaf that had rescued him from the Dursley's on his eleventh birthday, which now felt like a million years ago), Remus...... The longer he thought, the more guilty he felt for even thinking such a thing. All these people have been doing their best to help and support Harry. True, they couldn't fully understand he burden, but they did everything in their power to lighten it. Besides, enough people had died for his sake. He couldn't let another person be harmed because of himself. If his dream of Sirius was real, and help really was on the way, he was going to have to either escape and keep them from walking into a Death Eater's meeting, or find a way to kill Voldemort and end this now, before anyone else got hurt. So now I'm back to square one. I REALLY wish I had a wand.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Severus arrived in Voldemort's main chambers. The light outside was low enough that the fireplace and candles cast shadows that crept around the room. This room never changed. It always impressed upon its visitors a blanket of dread and fear. Even the most seasoned Death Eaters were not immune to its effects. Severus always wondered if it was caused by a spell or the blackness of Voldemort's soul.
In the chair nearest the fireplace, Voldemort was resting in his "throne." Of course, this was only a makeshift throne because Voldemort always said his true throne is Dumbledore's chair in the Great Hall, which he will take once he kills the old bugger. A rather childish way of adding insult to injury, but Voldemort had clung to this dream since he was a child. Originally, before he desired world domination, he just wanted to replace Dumbledore as headmaster if he ever retired. But he had since altered his dream to stay in stride with his psychosis.
Curled lazily around the "throne" was his pet snake. As always, it regarded Severus with nothing more than a brief raising of its head and then returned to its nap. The large lump in its abdomen was the telltale sign that Voldemort had allowed it to recently. Severus had only witnessed one feeding, and that was too many. That time it had been a small pig, but Severus had heard rumors that Voldemort sometimes allowed that giant monster to eat small children.
Gruesome as the snake was, it was nothing compared to Voldemort. The blackness of his soul has twisted the once attractive Riddle into a monster of no comparison. The faint of heart required but one look upon his being to be forced into a groveling mass. The strong of heart needed only to gaze into those red eyes to forced into the same.
Severus approached the chair and kissed Voldemort's hand before standing and awaiting to be addressed first. One never spoke before Voldemort. It was a very fast way to get killed.
"My servant, have you any news of that bumbling old fool?" Voldemort inquired in a low hiss.
"He is searching for the Potter boy, my Lord, but has no ideas where he is or what has happened to him."
"Why are you cut?" Voldemort asked, seeing the multiple cuts and scrapes that resulted from Severus' earlier encounter with Peter Pettigrew.
At that moment, a knock sounded on the door. "Enter!" permitted Voldemort. Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew emerged through the doorway, and immediately Peter ran to the throne and began groveling at Voldemort's feet.
"Do you see what this sniveling rat did to Severus?!" half-shrieked Bellatrix. "This is why he didn't come."
"I'm sorry, Master! I thought he was a spy. I was doing it for you, Master. Please forgive me!" pleaded Pettigrew, still kissing the floor.
"Enlighten me as to why you believed one of my best and most loyal Death Eaters to be a traitor."
"Master...... I just .......... He was ............" Pettigrew was so scared now that he could do nothing more than sputter a few words at a time. "Please....."
"Enough! Severus, do you know why he believed you a spy?"
"No, my Lord." Severus spoke as little as possible, knowing that Voldemort would think over-explaining to be a sign of guilt. With that, there was only silence from the Dark Lord. The two standing Death Eaters were waiting with bated breath, while Pettigrew lay on the floor sobbing softly. The silence became suffocating; waiting for Voldemort to make his move.
"Master, PLEASE!!! I'm so sorry!"
And that was it. Pettigrew's fate was sealed. He had fallen for Voldemort's trap. The first one to break the silence was the one with a guilty conscience, or so Voldemort believed.
"If you had any real reason to believe Severus a spy, you would've come to me directly. No, you were just trying to rid yourself of a man you knew to be your better in every way. And seeing how he is worth far more to me than you, you shall pay the ultimate price for your insolence. I fed my pet only half his usual meal size. Tonight, he will finish dining."
"NOOOOO!!!!" screamed Pettigrew, every ounce of blood draining from his face and being replaced with a horrible shade of green. With his sentencing complete, Voldemort stood and transformed Pettigrew into his rat form. The scent of a familiar meal stirred the serpent from his slumber. Pettigrew the Rat squeaked and scrambled for somewhere to hide, but Voldemort placed a trapping spell around him, giving the rat nothing to do but run in a circle of death. Severus and Bellatrix stepped back, not really desiring to see this morbid sight, but knowing they had no choice. It was Voldemort's gift to Severus and reward to Bellatrix. True, Severus wanted Pettigrew dead, but he never wished such horrors upon anyone. And Bellatrix was famous for her ruthlessness, but there was such a thing as too much. This went beyond that.
Now Peter was ramming into the spell's shield head first as hard as he possibly could. Severus wasn't sure if he was trying to break through the shield or break his neck before being eaten alive. The clicking on the floor caused by his tiny silver paw was becoming irritating to Snape. The anticipation was too much as the snake slowly sauntered over. At long last, the snake came to the shield. He raised up and slithered through the shield, carefully eyeing the panicked rat. Then, fast as lightening, he struck, mouth wide open. Pettigrew actually managed to jump aside, just far enough to avoid the large fangs protruding from the serpent's upper jaw. This angered the snake. He became more alert, his skills sharpened. The second strike was dead on, his fangs penetrated the rats back with a sickening crack as they tore through flesh and bone. Blood splattered the floor as Peter Pettigrew let out one last shriek, and then he was truly dead, as he had been believed to be for many years. The snake quickly swallowed him whole and returned to his slumbering and digesting. Bellatrix looked slightly green and Snape was praying that he wouldn't throw up until after he had left Voldemort's presence. The Dark Lord himself, had returned to his "throne" and was looking quite amused.
"Now my faithful servants, it is time to witness this evening's final entertainment. Tonight, Harry Potter WILL die!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harry was forced out of his thoughts by a large boot kicking him square in the back. He landed face down, since his hands were still uselessly bound behind his back.
"Come on. Time to play." Came the gruff voice of Goyle Sr. as he grabbed Harry by the throat and yanked the boy to his feet. Just as Harry gained his balance, a Crucio curse crashed into him, slamming him back onto the ground in a fit of seizures. Every inch of Harry's body screamed, threatening to pull apart completely. His arms and shoulders pulled against their restraints until, through the pain, Harry felt the rope on his wrist loosen. Just as the curse was finally lifted, the bonds snapped, freeing his arms at last. However, his shoulders had been bound behind him so long that they felt frozen in place. Harry didn't have time to work through the pain as another swift, but forceful kick sent him sprawling from his side onto his back. He vaguely realized, through the throbbing of his body, that his arms were now at his sides, his joints slowly releasing like someone was oiling the rust.. He looked up at Goyle to see if he had noticed, but the giant buffoon was too busy gloating about how he could beat up a kid to even begin to pay attention to Harry. It's now or never, thought Harry.
"I could squash you like a bug, right now." Said Goyle, approaching Harry with a maniacal look in his eyes.
"That will come later." Came Lucius Malfoy's voice from across the yard where he and Crabbe Sr. were finishing the circle where the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord would be apparating to any minute. Harry jumped at his opportunity as Goyle turned his head to look at Malfoy. With his good leg, he kicked Goyle as hard as possible in the crotch and, almost simultaneously, reached up and grabbed the oaf's wand before Goyle could retaliate. The wand pulled his hand down like a lead weight, fighting against its captor. But Harry fought harder, and forced the wand up and shouted "Petrificus Totalus," willing the foreign wand to obey him. There was a slight hesitation, but finally the wand reacted, freezing Goyle in his spot, then crashing him down with a satisfying thud. Lucius yelled at Crabbe to deal with Harry while he kept the Dark Mark and circle open so the Death Eaters would know where to apparate to. Harry pushed back with is good leg, ignoring the resistance of his body, and waited for the perfect moment to take out Crabbe. Harry barely managed to duck a bright yellow light that Crabbe sent at his head, and then quickly sat back up and yelled "Expelliarmus!" forcing the wand to disarm his opponent. He tried to follow it up with another petrifaction spell, but he was losing energy fast. His adrenaline was running out, and he hadn't eaten in an unknown amount of days. His body was broken and tired. It begged him to lay down and stop, but there was a tiny voice at the back of his head that told him to keep going. He raised the wand again, aiming the curse at Crabbe, but it only hit his arm and was too weak to affect his whole body. Crabbe just kept walking towards him with an evil grin and one frozen arm. Harry scooted backwards as fast as his gimp body would allow, but Crabbe quickly caught up to him and sent a fist careening into the side of his face, making him see stars. Harry felt the wand being yanked out of his hand, and with it, his last ounce of hope.
With his own wand, Crabbed levitated Harry and flipped him upside-down in mid air. All Harry could hear was the blood rushing to his head, which felt like it would explode from the pressure. His shirt fell over his eyes, preventing him from seeing the next curse Crabbe shot at him, which sent him flying through the air. His newfound ability to fly was abruptly halted by the back of the dilapidated house his parents once inhabited. Harry landed in a heap on the ground, barely breathing through the pain. He heard heavy footsteps approaching him, but could not even summon the strength to open his eyes. As he braced himself for another round of attacks, a voice slithered over the grass and encompassed the entire area.
"It is time."
The footsteps stopped, and Harry knew immediately......... Voldemort had arrived.