Chapter 4

AN: YO! I return once again to give you an update! I am still searching for a beta so if you want the job my e-mail is in my profile. So enjoy!

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"I assure you Headmaster there is nothing I can do. The boy is locked up in that room tighter then a Gringotts bank account.", Spoke a dark figure in death eater robes as he paced back and forth in front of a fireplace.

"Do you think Severus would be of any help in recovering him?", Asked the floating head of Albus Dumbledore.

"No. Voldemort has him trapesing throughout the the country trying to research something they found on Harry's body, and before you ask no I was not able to find out what.", The figure finished abruptly cutting off the obvious question that had been on Dumbledore's lips.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts frowned at the pacing figure in irritation. It was no secret to the man that Dumbledore did not trust him, nor like him. But when your loosing a war you take what help you can get, and two spies is always better then one. "Anthony. I know you know of what Harry's role in this war is to be. We can not lose him no matter what the cost."

The man, who was now known as Anthony, growled at the use of his real name and rounded on the Headmaster. "What would you have me do old man? The dark lord all but sleeps in that room! Countless wards and charms have been placed on the door and walls! The only time I was able to gain accesses was to give a brief report to Voldemort about your movements and that was it!", He then turned away from the fireplace and went to stare out a window off to the left. "Besides what good will he do you and your precious rabble now? He has cast the killing curse Albus! Once you start down that path there is little that will save you from it, and sadly you don't have what it takes to save Harry's mind from being twisted by the dark magic.

The old man sighed before replying slowly, as if he was talking to a child. "It does not matter what shape Harry's mind is in. If he goes dark we will simply wipe his memory and start over. After all he need only be alive long enough to get rid of Voldemort and then he too can be taken care off." Dumbledore finished.

Anthony turned from staring out the window so that he could look Dumbledore square in the eye. "Thats mighty cold of you professor what about the morals that you claim to stand for?"

Dumbledore shook his head before replying. "If we can get Harry back and keep him from going dark then I will be happy, but you of all people should know that I will do anything to win this war. Morals come after the fact."

"I knew there was a reason I chose to side with you.", Anthony replied, a sick little smile starting to spread across his face.

The Headmaster threw him a warning look. "I don't care why you chose to aid me. Just know that if you betray me I will make you suffer ten times worse then anything Voldemort would ever do to you."

"Don't worry I haven't forgotten about our little arrangement.", Grumbled Anthony as he brought his left arm up to rube a spot on his chest right below the neck.

"Be sure that you do not.", Dumbledore replied before pausing to think for a moment then continuing. "I want you to find a way. I don't care if you blow your cover. There are millions of others like you that I can use so you are expendable. I don't care how you do it, but you are to retrieve Harry and deliver him safe and sound back to headquarters as soon as possible. Is that understood? Albus finished before his head vanished from the fireplace not even waiting for a response and leaving the figure alone.

"Ya. I understand. probably better then you believe old fool.", The figure said to himself while absently toying with the locket that was hanging from his neck.

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Thoughout her life Mio had been lots of things. She had been a younger sister to Mayu, though the traditions of All Gods Village claimed her the older of the two. She had been class president once, but had stepped down almost immediately after wining when she realized she didn't want the responsibility. Out of all the things that people had called her nobody could call Mio Amakura a coward. Certainly her exploits in the Lost Village would prove to anyone that she was very brave. Willing to face an unknown supernatural threat with nothing but a camera with exercismal powers to save her sister was an act of bravery that would have sent most gryffindors screaming into the night never to return! However as she stood in front of the little door that seemed to have been built for a child and lead to a room that contained who knows what. she could not shake the fear from her like all the times she had before. Try as she might whatever sixth sense that allowed her to see visions and spirits was all but shrieking at her that whatever was beyond the door was in her best interest to avoid. However the butterfly had gone threw this door, and if Mio's hope's where true, she had yet to have evidence that did not support her, then the butterfly was Mayu in which case Mio would follow her to the gates of hell if she had too.

Irony is a terrible mistress.

Mio inhaled and then let it all out slowly feeling the fear finally start to disperse enough for her to move. With a sure step, that made her wish she had as much courage as the step had given off, she got down on her knees, being much too big to go through the door while standing, brought her hands down on the rusty old handle and, after straining a bit due to the door not being open in countless years, she managed to force the little door completely open allowing her accesses to the room on the other side, leaving it open of course in case she needed to make a quick exit.

The room behind the little door was...strange to say the least. On every free space of wall a doll had been pined with a stake through the middle. There was literally hundreds of the little things, which all looked exactly like the dolls impaled on the stakes surrounding the tree in the courtyard she had just come from. She paid little attention to it however when she spotted the delicate little butterfly hovering above a small alter built into the wall. Upon closer examination Mio found a small book stained green lying umoung the nick - knacks scattered over the alter. The butterfly landed on the book and then slowly faded away.

If this had been the first time this had happened Mio would have panicked. However the butterfly had already pulled this stunt several times so Mio knew that when the time came she would see the butterfly, or Mayu if it indeed turned out to be her, again. Curiosity getting the better of her Mio reached out with cautious but delicate hands until she firmly lifted the book from its resting place and started to flip through it.

As it turned out the green stained book was a diary and like all diaries, this one indeed belonging to a young girl if the writing was any indication, most of the entires were about frivolous things that didn't concern Mio at all. However as she reached the end the last entre caught her notice.

"Amane led a man into the shrine.

The head of the family is so angry. If the priestess wakes up, the commandment will be broken, and the Rift will spread.

The family head teaches all the handmaidens so hard that they won't forget their duties.

The head of the family ordered that Amane be impaled, and that her brother be cast out of the manor.

Because of the duties of the handmaidens, and the duties of the Kuze Shrine, there was no other choice.

Amane, I'm sorry."

From what the diary said it was clear that like the village a ritual must have been performed in this house as well, and judging from what the diary said something had gone wrong just like in the village.

Mio would have continued to ponder on this discovery had not the sound of creaking floor boards warned her that suddenly she was not alone.

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Voldemort was not having a good day. But then again ever since his return Voldemort had not been having good days. Why was that you ask? It was many things. One being the fact that he looked like some kind of monster instead of the handsome man he had used to be. The other was the direct reason for this and he was currently laying on the bed in front of him. Thats right after all the years of plotting Voldemort had finally captured Harry Potter, and yet even now the brat had escaped his wrath by performing a simple bodily function.

He was asleep.

Normally that would not have been a problem. But no matter what they tried they could not get him to wake up at all! It infuriated the dark lord to no end that he was unable to savor his victory simple because Potter refused to leave the dream world. He would have just said to hell with it and gone ahead and killed him had it not been for Snape's discovery of the tatoo that seemed to be spreading. This had piqued the dark lords interest, which is why several weeks ago he had sent Snape out to try and recover any information on the phenomenon. With that taken care of and with Malfoy and Rookwood, Rookwood taking Bellatrix's place after her untimely demise, directing death eater raids there was little actual work for the dark lord to do but to sit and plan out his next major offensive against Dumbledore and his pathetic Order, and watch as the tattoo slowly but surly spread over the boy's body.

It was really a masterful design he had to admit. But make no mistake the tattoo was spreading albite very slowly, two weeks and a branch had appeared weaving around the part of the serpent tatoo that had already formed. Voldemort was just considering a glass of fire whiskey when the doors to the room burst open and Malfoy, Rookwood, and a masked death eater entered the room following behind them was none other but the body of Severus Snape and tucked securely in Malfoys hands was a small stack of books.

"My lord", Malfoy said at the same time as he and the others bowed in respect before he continued. "Goyle, who had been traveling with Snape, and Snape have just retuned from the tasks you set them."

"I can see that.", dead paned the dark lord as he eyed Severus's floating body. "Well? Is he dead?"

"No my lord apparent, according to Goyle, they found a lead on the information that you ordered they look for in Japan. After many days of searching they were able to gather several clues as to Potter's condition and were going to return here as soon as they made one last stop." Malfoy reported crisply trying to keep the fear from his eyes.

"I see. So what is the problem with our Potions Master?", Voldemort asked.

"We...we don't know. Goyle claims that the last stop they made was the ruins of some feudal manor. He claims he lost sight of Snape for a moment and when he found him again Snape seemed deeply disturbed about something. They left and spent the night at an inn and the next morning Severus would not wake up and Goyle found this on his wrist.", With that Malfoy floated Snape's sleeping body over the his side, and after holding up the wrist, was able to show Voldemort the new tattoo exactly like Potters' that now covered the entirety of Snape's right arm.

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at the sight of it and then turned and snapped at the death eaters. "And the research that they brought back with them?"

Malfoy brought the books forward and handed them to the dark lord so he was able inspect them.

Truly there was nothing inspiring about the books. There were six in all and only one seemed to be new. The other five looked like they were about to fall apart. "Leave me.", Voldemort said quietly, but with authority.

With that all three death eaters bowed and left leaving the dark lord alone to pursue the material.

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It was not a pretty sight. before Harry was a scene that, until just now, he thought he would never see. Before him was a girl...but maybe not a girl? Harry wasn't sure. Her skin was purple and if Harry squinted he could make out some kind of tatoo that covered her whole body. She had raven black hair the flowed down to the middle of her back and, judging from what he could see, she was naked from the waist up, not that he could say for sure as she had her back to him and had not noticed him yet. All that paled in comparison to what she was actually doing.

What she was doing was holding a young chinese, or japanese Harry still could not tell the difference, woman up by her throat and had slammed her up against the wall. What was peculiar about it was that the woman was not struggling. Her lips kept moving as if she was trying to say something and tears flowed down her face. Thinking fast Harry did the single worst thing he could do.

He got her attention.

Harry drew his wand and with a quick shout of reducto sent the spell on its blazing course, which was the purple girl. However instead of hitting her, as Harry had sort of hoped it would, it passed through her as if she was not there and hit the woman instead riping a hole in her stomach and causing her intestines to fall to the floor in a splatter of gore. The woman however didn't react any other way but a widening of the eyes and then all life left her.

Harry had no time to realize the fact that he had just killed yet again because even though it had not hurt her it had gotten the girls attention fixated on him. Then Harry made the second worst mistake he could have made.

He looked into her eyes.

It was safe to say that nobody likes Damentors. When they are around all happiness leaves you and your left in the dark and cold with the most painful memories you posses. Harry, having many strongly negative memories, was thus affected badly by Damentors. Damentors also are noted, as many books on dark creatures say, for the sheer mind numbing fear that they cause in their victims.

This was nothing like a Dementor.

Like a tidal wave it hit. Pain...red hot searing pain. Not just physical but also mental and emotional. Harry could not keep the pain in and released a blood curdling scream as he clutched his head, dropping his wand in the process, trying futily to get it all to stop. For in his mind he saw countless loved ones. Friends, lovers, family all of them dieing in one gruesome way or the other. and with each death a new wave of pain on all fronts assaulted him. Vaguely he realized that the tattooed girl was coming closer and that he had wound up on the floor his wand not an inch from his head.

Biting the insides of his cheeks to help stand the pain Harry reached out with his right hand and grabbed his wand. With a shaky aim he took aim and fired a stupefy. But as before the spell went right through her and she did not even seem to flinch. Gritting his teeth Harry tried to focus. Obviously normal spells would not work...then maybe...yes! Whatever she was doing to him was similar to a Dementor maybe the Patronus would work?

Concentrating Harry took aim and with his happy thought in place "Exprectro Patronium!", He yelled only to have a huge dark something clamp down on his mind sucking the happy thought away...no thats not right...the happy thought was still there! But it was being buried under all the grief that was flooding Harry's mind. Growling Harry tried to get at the thought but the dark thing kept it from him and without it he would not be able to cast the patronus!

Then Harry snapped.

His rage boiled forth. As if summoned. It did not take the pain and grief of loss away but it made Harry focus. He didn't where he was or why he was here. "But.", Harry thought to himself as he struggled to his feet using his rage to fight though the pain. "I'll be DAMED if I let myself be killed HERE!" Harry roared in his mind and in so doing raised his wand at the tattooed girl and focusing all his will, all his rage into what he wanted to happen he let loose a second scream filled with such anger that one would worry for his sanity.

Whatever Harry had been aiming for with his desperate act we will never know. What did happen was a flash of light so bright and powerful that it knocked Harry onto his back and caused the overflowing pain in his mind and body to stop abruptly. When the light finally faded there was no sign of the tattooed girl. Harry gave a small sob of relief before he passed out from exhaustion not noticing the book and slip of crumpled paper that lay on the ground where both women had once stood.

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"Well that was educational.", the dark lord said out loud bitterly as he put down the fifth book. The first two books had been dubbed Legend of Song one and two respectively and had contained little that seemed to be important to him as had the fifth which had just been some observations Severus had made while observing a particular part of the manor ruins. However books three and four had proved useful. Their documentations on the myth and use of the snake and holly tattoo had been able to uncover some of the mystery and proved a suspicion of his.

From the moment that he had seen the tatoo he had been getting a strange feeling from it. He had not been able to understand it at first, but then he remembered his encounter with a Japanese Shinto Master ages ago back when he explored the world and set up his Horcruxes.

However the tattoo spread. It was obviously a type of divine magic. The type of magic only a true priest or priestess could produce, which had been dieing out in the last hundred years. Of course what was making both Severus and Potter sleep was still beyond him. That was until he picked up the sixth book.

Unlike the others, which had been old with faded words. This ones paper was protected by a metal cover that snapped into place and ,when he investigated further, turned out to be water proof. Clearly it was meant to keep whatever was written inside safe. The title simple read "The Manor of Sleep" Which tipped him off that this was what Snape had considered most important. Opening the book quickly he began to read.

"The Manor of Sleep" urban legend

"The Manor of Sleep" is an urban legend that was whispered among those in psychiatry, about hospitalized patients suddenly disappearing.

There are several stages to it, and it progresses like a sickness.

1. Having the same dream

The patients (who later go missing) first see the same dream every day, usually about dead lovers or family.

2. Dreaming of the Manor

Next the patients dream about wandering into a large manor. It is a huge, snowy, Japanese - style house. It is laid out haphazardly, as though many extensions were added. Then, deep in the manor, one discovers their dearly departed.

3. Proceeding deeper into the Manor

Patients follow the dead deeper into the Manor. Most patients find the same scenes and phenomena along the way. For example, "hearing a lullaby", "seeing a masked funeral march", or "being pursued by a tattooed woman.

4. Hallucinations while awake

At this stage, the patient complains of abnormalities of the body while awake. The symptoms are common to all patients, and when they wake they feel a sharp pain and see a growing blue bruise or snake - like tattoo

5. Decrease in waking hours

At this stage. a patient's response to external stimulation grows weaker. The time spent in sleep also slowly increases. From a medical viewpoint, this is a "defensive reaction to pain," so if the patients are actually in pain, it is a normal response

6. Missing, vanishing

Then, one to two months after the first stage, the patient goes "missing." "Missing" is the offical term. It is said the patient actually "vanishes, leaving only a black soot - like mark."

The above - mentioned is the original "The Manor of Sleep" urban legend but the popular legend is more story - like and includes the following elements:

1. Strong feelings for the dead summon the first nightmare

2. Once you follow the deceased in the dream you can no longer return.

3. If the sleeping person dreams of a lover or a friend, it will beckon that person into sleep. The Manor of Sleep "disease" spreads thusly.

4. Deep in the Manor of Sleep is the world of the dead, and if you make it you can meet the deceased there.

That was all the book said...but...then that was all it needed to say. Voldemort let out a victorious chuckle. He didn't care that he had probably lost Severus for good, after all, there were a lot more potions masters in the world. No the great part was Harry Potter was going to die, and all he had to do was watch.

He needed fire whisky, and lots of it.

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AN: ow! My fingers hurt! LOL! Anyway there it is chapter 4! Hope you like it! See you next update, and remember! if you have questions comments or you want to be a beta e-mail me!