Disclaimer: None of this is mine. I wish, but it's not.

Ah, I'm back. Tell you what; I was delighted at the reaction from the first couple of reviews on that cliffhanger. ;-) Sorry about that. But, after careful consideration, I decided that I like ya'll so much that I'm going to go ahead and update this one. How about it? Are you ready for another exciting chapter? Ready to find out what happens next? Hope so, cause I am. So sit back, enjoy. And don't forget to read and review.

By the way, so sorry about the short chapters. I have a hard time writing long ones. I'll try harder on this one. (Keep your fingers crossed). Also, does anyone know any good publishers out there? I am in the middle of writing a novel, so I would appreciate any help I could get from someone. (This has nothing to do with HP or anything, this one is mine.)

And for those of you who enjoyed the torture in my last story (To Wish One Could Forget, Chapter 19), ;) here's more. Hope you enjoy. (Hint: I brought the flesh-eating worm back)

New note: My computer crashed, so sorry. I had to recover this chapter (after a lot of work). So, just know that I didn't forget about all of you. So sorry.

Well, here goes nothing. Sorry for that little rambling spill, I'm just a little tired. 

Chapter 8: A Plan Has Begun to Form in my Mind

"NOOOOO!!!!!" a voice screamed into the dungeons of Voldemort's hideout. Harry dropped to the floor, face down. He had just been forced to suffer through some of his worst memories, while the death eater's laughed. He had seen Sirius die over and over again, like a broken record in his mind. He breathed evenly again as the potion wore off. Snape did know how to brew a mean potion.

As he lay on the floor of the dungeon, trying to regain his composure, Voldemort turned on Snape. "Ah, the traitor," he hissed quietly. "I haven't forgotten about you. Untie him." The death eaters did as commanded. Snape didn't move. "Stand, Severus, and welcome your pain."

Snape didn't move, and for that, he was hit with a blinding Cruciatus curse. The white hot pain consumed him, but he was good at concealing his pain after years of service to Voldemort. Only his eyes and his clenched teeth showed he was in agony. Anyone else would have thought he was having some sort of fit at the most.

"Stand, Severus," Voldemort commanded again, and with a wave of the wand, forced Snape to stand. It was as though his legs were being straightened on their own accord. He had no choice, and had to stand. Voldemort laughed, and the death eaters cackled with him. Snape spared a glance at Harry, and saw that the boy had his head raised, watching what was happening. Snape turned back toward Voldemort, standing now instead of being on his knees. He watched with apprehension as Voldemort started whirling his wand around, as if making a decision as to what spell he should use next. A small smile showed in the corner of his eyes as he made his decision. "Adlido!" he cried out, in an almost triumphant voice. Severus Snape felt as though his head were about to split open. The curse was almost as bad as the Cruciatus, in terms of pain. It did less permanent damage, though, and the sufferer was more aware of his surroundings afterwards. Voldemort did not want to drive his captives insane for the moment. He wanted them to be as aware as possible. The curse was released, and Severus found himself on his knees again. From his cloak, Voldemort produced a large dagger, much like the one Harry had been pricked with during the Third Task of the Triwizard tournament. Snape was retied to the pole he had previously been held to, but this time in a standing position. Voldemort handed the dagger to Lucius Malfoy, who stood on his right side. "Torture him Muggle-style," Voldemort commanded.

"Anything you wish, my lord," Lucius said, bowing low to the ground. He took the dagger and strode over to where Snape was struggling with his bindings. Lucius took the dagger, and cut into his arm. It wasn't very deep, but it bled freely and the incision hurt. Snape didn't yell out, or even really give an indication that he had been hurt. But he certainly felt hurt. Lucius cut again, this time across the stomach, and deeper, although not too deep. Snape hissed despite his best efforts to remain in control of his pain. The death eaters laughed at his pain, although some of the laughter was uneasy.

"Deeper, Lucius," Voldemort said. "Cut deeper. Make him suffer."

Lucius nodded, and proceeded to do as told. Harry screamed, "Stop it!"

Lucius paused, and the entire crowd turned to stare at Harry, who was attempting to stand on his feet. "What did you say, Potter?" Voldemort asked.

"I said stop! It's me you want to torture! So just leave him out of this."

"How wrong you are, Potter. Brave, but wrong. While I sincerely want to make you suffer, Severus here betrayed me, and must learn the price of betrayal. But, for now, I will leave Severus alone. You will regret interrupting me, Potter."

"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled, and the curse hit Harry full force. Harry didn't scream, but fell down upon the floor, and as the curse was released, he gasped for breath in his pain. That last one had hit him right in the chest, and had seemed to impair his breathing.

"I believe it's time for our special weapon," Voldemort hissed to someone over his shoulder. A tall, robed Death Eater stepped forward with a phial that had something in it. The phial itself was covered in a slender cloth that kept the contents hidden. Harry strained to see around Voldemort's fingers as he unveiled the glass, but he still could not see what was in the phial. Voldemort gave a nasty grin to Harry, who grimaced at the thought of what could possibly be in his enemy's hands.

Voldemort kneeled down to where Harry was on the floor. He turned the phial in his hands so that Harry could see what was inside. It was a rather grotesque looking worm that might have looked like any except that there was something different about it completely. It had a very visible mouth, and Harry had a horrible wrenching feeling as to what that mouth would be used for.

Voldemort said nothing A death eater took a knife from their own pocket, and sliced an incision in Harry's upper arm. Voldemort uncorked the phial and laid it near the open wound. The worm took the incentive and left his temporary home, finding Harry's warm flesh very appetizing. It traveled into the open wound, and began to eat away at Harry's very insides. It felt terrible, almost as bad as the Cruciatus in some ways, worse in others. It felt horribly dirty to have something crawling around in his skin, but it felt worse that it was eating him alive, from the inside out.

The worm ate flesh, nerve, and blood as it traveled up Harry's arm into his chest. The death eater's laughed once more at Harry's pain, although a few of them seemed a little uncomfortable watching on. Harry began to wonder if they would just let him be eaten completely alive. He almost wished it would, because then the whole thing would be over. Of course, it would be a most painful way to die, and Harry wanted it to be over quickly.

The worm continued to eat, traveling slowly in his chest cavity. As it reached to where his diaphragm was, the same death eater stepped out and cut the worm out in a quick motion. Just like that it was gone. The worm was covered in his blood, and the death eater set it back into the phial it had once been contained in, and set back into the darkness and out of site

That was the last memory Harry had of that day. After that, few know what happened. All of the death eaters saw him take a particularly nasty potion, which caused him to faint onto the floor. He and Severus Snape were taken back to their holding cell. Not an hour later, when Harry was just beginning to wake up, he was drug out again, chained to a wall, and beaten to within an inch of his life by Mr. Lestrange. More potions were shoved down his throat, and he drank them unwillingly. "You should be glad Mr. Potter, for now you won't be awake for your torture anymore," Voldemort said. "I think next time I'll just kill you."

Severus Snape saw when they took the boy out of the cell, and when they through him back in. He was in a terrible condition, and Snape knew he would not last any longer if he had to go through any of those things again. He had to think of a way out. If they killed Potter, all hope would be lost.

Snape watched the death eaters coming and going. He knew their schedule. They would change for shifts. But two of them, newbies named Stark and Beaumont, would leave temporarily to try and win a few hands of poker. They weren't too smart about it, as they would leave at the same time, leaving prisoners unguarded. Snape knew that would be the last chance for the both of them to escape. It would be their only chance.

Watching carefully, he noticed when the two went on shift, and stuck around for a few minutes to act as though they were actually keeping watch. Snape thought they would never leave But Snape looked asleep to them, and there was no way Potter would wake up. So, feeling secure, they left very quietly. Snape made sure they were completely gone, then went over to Harry. The boy didn't move at all, and he was barely breathing. Snape carefully picked him up, and carried him to the cell door. 'Concentrate,' he thought. He knew that sometimes, when a wizard or witch felt emotions enough, they could conjure wandless magic. Snape concentrated on his anger, and how frustrated he was. He reached out his hand, and a few sparks shot out at the lock holding the door in place. There was a hissing sound, and the lock melted off onto the floor. It made a noise that might have been heard by someone close by, but Snape doubted anyone had heard it.

He would have known his way out in the dark, and so it was easy to find an exit out. There were no Death eaters blocking the way. Voldemort was probably out doing his normal heinous deeds now. No one would be expecting them to make an escape.

Snape thought that he had to be dreaming. He made it to the door. He turned the doorknob with his hand, and miraculously it opened. He couldn't believe his luck. They hadn't even thought to lock the door just in case. Snape knew that his luck was bound to run out, so taking the boy in his arms, he ran across into the woods. He sincerely hoped that they got farther this time than last. He knew where the anti-appearation wards ended. It seemed such a long distance away, and he was so tired.

Somewhere inside, Snape found the will power to keep going. He was weary, his arms already ached from trying to drag the young boy through the prison where they had been kept, not to mention the fact that wandless magic always took effort to muster, especially after he had already been so weak.

Severus Snape decided to use his last burst of energy, and ran to the end of the wards. He could feel the magic end as he crossed to where he could appearate away. From down the hill he had just run, death eaters were opening the door and running out, searching for both he and the Potter boy. With what was left of his energy, he appearated them both to Grimmauld Place.

A faint knock was heard on the door. "Who is it, I wonder?" Molly Weasley asked, addressing the crowd eating at the table. Well, eating was an overstatement. Hardly anyone was actually eating anything. They weren't hungry in the least. The crowd looked tired and sad. They were all disappointed at the loss to which they had just suffered. Dumbledore looked especially haggard and old. Ron and Hermione sat across the table from each other, Hermione's eyes red from tears still. Tonks had been silent the entire day, and not really sociable. Molly Weasley looked considerably worried and tired, as though searching for something that would not come. They all had worries of their own, and yet each relating to the other.

"I'll find out, Molly," Dumbledore said, and rose to answer the door. He had his wand out and ready, although since he was the secret keeper, he shouldn't have to. He opened it, and the first thing he saw was two long-lost souls, finally arriving home.

"Severus! Harry!" Dumbledore exclaimed in a mix of surprise, delight, and utter astonishment. The disheveled man standing in front of him didn't move for a moment, but when he did, he dropped the boy he had been carrying, and fell to the ground himself. "Severus!" Dumbledore shouted again, although this time with concern.

Well, not quite as short as some of the others. So sorry it took so long. I'll try to update again soon. If I don't within the week, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (yes I said it and I'll say it again MERRY CHRISTMAS!) Please r/r. 

Stark and Beaumont are names used from a Stephen King novel, "The Dark Half."