Chapter Seventeen

Separation Anxiety

"HELP!" Draco screamed at the top of his voice.

"No one will be able to help you right now." Harry said. "You see, most of the Death Eaters who came here today are dead, and everyone is busy sifting through the bodies trying to find any who might be alive. But you are the one who is important. Now, you are going to tell me where Voldemort is hiding."

"I don't- Aaargh!" Malfoy screamed, feeling as if his insides had just burst into flames.

"Do I have to ask again?" Harry asked, emotion still not finding it's way to his voice.

"I can't say." Malfoy said just before screaming again and grabbing his leg. The bone had just shattered.

"It might be able to be fixed in a day, if you get to the hospital wing quick enough." Harry said. "Now tell me where Voldemort is."

"How would I know?" Malfoy asked. Then he collapsed to the floor as his other leg was taken as the first.

"I know you are the secret keeper." Harry said.

"I won't tell you, Potter. You are nothing compared to the wrath of the Dark Lord." Malfoy said bravely.

"Then I will have to show you my wrath." Harry said.

Harry held up his hand and thought of the most painful torture and emotions that could come to a person. Then he fed them all into a spell, creating it as easily as if he were combing his hair. Malfoy immediately felt knives sticking into every spot on his body at once, then images of his father and mother dying, being tortured by Voldemort, being pranked on by the Marauders, his own father torturing him with the Cruciatus curse. Malfoy howled in agony and cried in pain and sadness as he saw all the things that made his life so miserable. When Harry put his hand down, still no emotion came to his face or voice and his eyes remained black.

"That was only a taste of what I can do." Harry said. "Now tell me quickly and I will let you get to the hospital wing."

"He called it Riddle Manor!" Malfoy said. "I don't know where it is, but that's what he said! Now make it stop! Please! Make it stop!" Malfoy began begging.

"Of course." Harry said, and the spell stopped. Holding his hands up, the swords flew into them. "I'll leave you to your thoughts." He finished and walked out of the room.

They saw Harry walk back towards them, but no one knew how to react to him. He had not even given them a chance to figure out what happened to Serena and Hermione before he walked away from them. The blank look was still in his eyes, which were still black, giving the illusion that he had no eyes at all. As he approached them he spoke only one sentence.

"I know where they are." Harry said.

"Where!" Ron said quickly.

"Riddle Manor." Harry said.

"What are we waiting for!" Ron said. "Let's go!"

"I can't." Harry said.

"Why not!" Ron asked angrily.

"I can't move. I can barely stand. I should be dead." Harry said. "I'm using magic around me to cast the spells I'm using now, not the magic in me."

"Neville, Ron, take him to Madam Pomphrey immediately!" Dumbledore said with authority. "Tell her to give him the strongest sleeping potion she has. Harry, sleep."

"How?" Harry asked.

"Take him now, you two." Dumbledore said.

Ron and Neville walked Harry to the hospital wing quickly. After receiving the potion they took him back to their dorm. Making him take a shower first, they gave him the potion and went to sit in the common room. It was only then that Ron began to weep, knowing that he had no way to save Hermione without Harry to help him.

Serena woke up in a cement room with no windows and no visible doors. Shaking her head to clear it, she noticed she was not alone. Hermione was sitting next to her, looking around the room nervously. Soothed by the fact that she was not alone, she decided to try and find out what happened.

"Why are you here?" Serena asked, sounding annoyed.

"Passed out." Hermione said. "You?"

"Power drain, damn near killed me." Serena said. "No one else?"

"Seems that way. We've been here for an hour or two now, so I would say the battle is over and we won." Hermione said. "At least they didn't loose."

"Did you ever have a doubt?" Serena said, smiling.

"Not one." Hermione responded, smiling back. "How long do you think it will be till they come?"

"Don't know." Serena said. "But I doubt it will take long."

"Yeah." Hermione said. "This is FUCKED UP! I've been married a month and now I stand a chance of getting killed."

"Not much better for me." Serena said sadly. "I had hoped for at least a year before I died."

"I'm sorry, Ser." Hermione said. "I just don't have any idea what to do now."

"I know Mione." Serena responded. "Can't move like Harry. Those bastards made me drop my ring when I was struggling."

"You know, I'm going to fight the whole 'You can't apparate till your seventeen, but we won't teach you in school' thing as soon as I get out of here." Hermione said, causing Serena to laugh. Then an idea came to her.

"Mione! I can apparate!" Serena said, a smile broadening on her face.

"Go! Get help. Come back with an army." Hermione said.

Serena went to apparate, then screamed loudly. When she calmed down she said. "Anti-apparition spells."

"Damn!" Hermione said angrily. "Where the hell are we anyway?"

"If I knew that, we would be able to talk to Harry." Serena said.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"The Fidelius charm blocks all our thoughts from the others. That's why we can't hear them right now." Serena said.

"Great, we have to leave our fate in the hands of two boys who are probably a wreck, and a couple who are probably spending their time consoling them while being emotional wrecks themselves." Hermione said, leaning back against the wall. "We are so screwed."

"Not yet, Mione." Serena said. "At least we can protect ourselves. That's something."

"You are handling the powers we have given you well." Gryffindor said.

"Yet to do as you have done today will kill you." Slytherin said.

"It wasn't meant to be that way." Harry said softly. "They took them. The Death Eaters took Serena and Hermione. What am I going to do now?"

"You must get prepared. We can feel that you control the power now instead of it controlling you. Use this to your advantage. Have you not seen what happens when you let your power flow through the bond you share with your friends?" Slytherin asked.

"We all become stronger. I don't know how to control that though. It only happens when I'm angry." Harry said.

"No, Harry Potter." Gryffindor said. "It comes when you are afraid of losing love. Your anger is triggered by that as well."

"Use what we have given you well, and you will succeed." Slytherin said. "The time for you to face him approaches swiftly. You must be prepared, and you must prepare those you love."

"How can I kill him? I don't know how to see the part of him that mortal eyes cannot." Harry said.

"We do not know anything of that. You will find your way when it is needed." Gryffindor said. "Be brave, young Gryffindor. Good will win in this battle."

"But who will good loose as the price for winning?" Harry asked.

"Only you decide that." Slytherin said. "Plan well, use all the powers given to you, and you might be able to win without serious harm coming to any."

"I hope you're right." Harry said.

"What are we going to do about this?" Neville asked them.

"What can we do?" Ginny asked.

"Face it guys, without Harry, we aren't going to get far even if we come up with a brilliant plan." Ron said. "None of us can beat you-know-who but him."

"Then we have to wake him up." Neville said firmly. "How can he sleep at a time like this, anyway?"

"I don't think this is asleep." Ron said. "Dumbledore said the potion should have worn off after a few hours. It has been a week."

"Remember what he said about not having magic in him?" Ginny asked. When they nodded she continued. "What if he wasn't exaggerating like Dumbledore said. What if he really had used all the magic that was in him?"

"Gin, Dumbledore said that'd kill him." Ron said.

"But shouldn't almost everything Harry does?" Ginny asked. "Think about it. What if Harry's body is trying to rebuild the magic that is in his body? Wouldn't it drive him into the same kind of coma that using too much power does, only longer?"

"She has a point, Ron." Neville said. "That might be exactly what happened. Do you remember how much power we had once Harry stopped responding to our thoughts?"

"Bloody hell!" Ron said. "You're right. I felt like a god until I couldn't find Mione."

"I wonder if that's the kind of power he feels all the time." Ginny said thoughtfully.

"Even if it was, he wouldn't pay any attention to it." Neville said. "He never has paid attention to the power he has. Hell, he hates it most of the time."

"Can't say I blame him much. Look as all the good it has done him." Ginny said.

"Well, whether its done harm or good, we need him and all his power to get Mione and Serena back." Ron said. "C'mon mate, wake up." He added to Harry, trying to will him awake.

"Those poor kids." Sam said, crying uncontrollably into Remus' chest. "How could this happen to them? They are so strong, and now they are going to be torn apart!"

"They will be fine, Sam." Remus said. "I have seen them in worse situations than this. They will make it through this, all of them. I just wish we knew more about what was happening to Harry."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Albus confirmed that what Harry said was true. He had no magic in him after the battle." Remus said. "It seems to be building up again rapidly considering, but it has never been done before. No wizard has ever been devoid of all their magic and lived, let alone replenish it."

"So, you're saying Harry might-" Sam started, but stopped as a fresh wave of tears overcame her. "Oh, god! Those poor kids!"

"No, Sam. Harry is going to be fine, but this might affect his strength with his spells." Remus said. "That can be as bad as having someone killing you, in Harry's position."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"He's going to go after Serena and Hermione as soon as he wakes up." Remus said. "Albus and I already know. We wish we could stop him, but we know it would be in vain. We can only hope he wakes up with a plan."

"God help those kids." Sam said. "They need a miracle, just like always."

"Yeah, they do." Remus said, then smiled. "But with Harry, miracles seem to happen every day."

"Damnit, where are they?" Serena asked angrily. "They should have been here a week ago."

"What if something happened to them?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Then we would be dead now, serving no purpose to him anymore." Serena said.

"Then why-" Hermione started, then her eyes widened. "Harry! He's not awake!"

"What?" Serena asked.

"He's passed out! That's why they're not here, blasting spells and saving the day as their normal arrogant and smug selves!" Hermione said excitedly.

"That still doesn't help us." Serena said.

"Of course it does." Hermione said. "Last time Harry woke up, he started with a plan as soon as he heard everything that happened."

"Oh my god! Mione, you're right!" Serena said, smiling for the first time in a week. "Harry's gonna wake up pissed and storm this place, and he's gonna leave every one of those bastards lying in his wake."

"Thank god for happy thoughts!" Hermione said jokingly.

"Seeing Harry again is my happy thought." Serena said quietly.

Harry bolted up from the bed fully awake. He didn't even see the three people sitting on the other side of the bed from him as he ran towards Dumbledore's Office. Halfway there he thought how stupid that was and just moved there. Just as he did he felt three hands grab him.

Appearing in Dumbledore's office, he smiled at the headmaster. Dumbledore immediately noticed the change in Harry. Emotion had returned to his face, his eyes were once again green, thoughtful, and just by looking in them you could see a plan was forming. Dumbledore smiled happily at seeing Harry awake, fearing for the worst in the beginning.

"Professor, I have a plan." Harry said, his voice filling with a victory none of them had yet seen.

"Collect Remus, Minerva, Fillius, and Hagrid, then meet me at Grimmauld Place. I will have the other Order members there immediately." Dumbledore said quickly before flooing to Grimmauld Place.

Thirty minutes later found Harry and his friends sitting with the Order, no one speaking. They were waiting for Kingsley to arrive. Kingsley assured them he would be there quickly, but he had to finish writing his report of the war at Hogwarts. When everyone was sufficiently angry at Kingsley, he managed to appear in front of Harry. Seeing the glares he received he sat quickly and stayed quiet.

"Harry, tell us your plan." Dumbledore said.

"We are going to walk into a death trap." Harry said easily.

"What!" Kingsley said. "Is this your plan? Just walk up to you-know-who and tell him to give Serena and Hermione back?"

"No." Harry said. "We are going to walk into a death trap." He waved at his friends and him. "You will be making sure it doesn't stay a death trap. We have risked our lives in every fight, and I won't stop now. I know Ron is right beside me, regardless of the odds."

"Damn straight I am." Ron said.

"Agreed." Ginny and Neville said.

"See." Harry said. "So you know, we are the bait. We will keep Tom busy, while aurors and the Order storm the manor. I will rip the Fidelius charm to shreds before we even walk in there. All you guys have to do is fight Death Eaters. Is that easy enough for you, Kingsley?"

"Harry, I am willing to help you no matter what. I'm sorry for what I said. It just sounded so preposterous." Kingsley said.

"I know." Harry said. "That's why it will work."

"When are we conducting this assault?" Moody asked, suddenly very intrigued with the idea.

"Immediately." Ron said.

"No." Harry said. "We attack in two days."

"What! Why are we waiting?" Ron screamed at Harry.

"Because for the four of us to make it out of there with Serena and Hermione, we are going to need a lot of items in preparation." Harry said. "Professor, All four of us will be taking leave from school for the next two days. Some things have to be handled before we can go on this adventure."

"I understand." Dumbledore said. "Take care of yourselves."

"We will." Harry said. "What day is it, anyway?"

"Wednesday." Ginny said.

"Thanks." Harry said. "Friday morning at six o'clock we attack. Be here and waiting by five thirty."

"We will be ready, Harry." Dumbledore said. "I assure you."

"The aurors will be here waiting, as well as any other able bodied wizard I can convince to fight with us." Kingsley said.

"Good. Now we must go. We have much to do, and very little time to do it." Harry said. His friends took his cue and grabbed hold of him and they disappeared.

"That boy sure knows how to make an exit." Moody said, smiling. "I hope he knows how to make a helluva entrance as well."

"He does Alastair." Dumbledore said to him, smiling as well. "Believe me he does."

Harry, where the hell are you at! Serena thought, though she wasn't expecting an answer. She sighed after the thought.

"Still doesn't work?" Hermione asked.

"Nope, not a bit." Serena said.

"Damn! Where are they?" Hermione asked.

Messrs Snuffles, Red, Bambi, and Stripes are alive and well. Currently we are visiting a place of great peace. Soon will be the time when I see you again, love.

"Harry!" Serena cried happily. "Oh damnit!" She said as she realized he wasn't talking.

Harry, what is going on?

Can't say yet, but don't worry. We will see you before you know it.

I doubt it. It feels like we've been here for years.

I'm sorry, I was almost dead after the battle. It takes time for a wizard to build his magic back.

Hurry up and get me and Mione out of here now that your back to normal.

Already working on it. Don't worry, I have a plan.

Famous last words.

I'm not going to die in this battle either. I'll live to grow old with you yet.

Promise?

How could I not.

I love you.

I love you too. I have to get to work now. Lots to do before we're ready.

Be quick and careful.

I will.

"What did he say?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Don't worry." Serena said easily, smiling at Harry's words. "He has a plan."