Chapter 21

Sirius Black groaned while tightening his grip around Remus' waist

"Can you make it a while longer?"

But in this moment he felt how his friend slumped unconsciously against him. Cursing he managed just in time to not drop him and to lay him nearly gently on the ground. Panting for breath he sat down next to him. Alertly he peeked around but when noticing nothing conspicuous he sighed relieved while running a hand through his head. He was exhausted and he would have nothing preferred better as to lie down and to sleep but he knew that he somehow had to get Remus on the fastest way to Hogwarts.

The situation couldn't have been worse. Namely they had escaped by a hair' breadth with their life but in this terrible fighting they had both lost their wands and Remus had been injured. Be damned Voldemort, thought Sirius.

They hadn't had a chance against him and his thousands Death Eaters. It had been too many. He regarded Remus' ashen face and reluctantly he realized that he just had to risk it. An apparition was the only possibility.

He was so tired that he barely could keep his eyes open and Remus needed help as quickly as possible.

Never before however was he apparated in such a bad condition and he knew only too well what consequences it could entail. Apart from this he also had to take Remus with him and a double-apparation was already difficult under normal circumstances. Sirius kneeled down, grasped Remus' arm and took determined a deep breath while praying that he wouldn't splinch them. Then he began to concentrate.

At the same time the Dark Lord was pacing furiously through his room. His red eyes were glowing in a scary light. He stopped abruptly in his tracks, turned around and sized the three people, who were kneeling in front of him, up with an ice-cold gaze.

"How is it possible that you weren't able to find him in one week!" He whispered dangerously quiet.

While staring at Lucius, Bella and Narcissa he felt how boiling rage shot through him. How those idiots could have lost his son? His heir? When he had retuned a quarter hour earlier from his stay in France – it had taken him longer as he had actually planned to crush the resistance – and had discovered that Harry and his friends had disappeared one week ago and that Lucius, Narcissa and Bellatrix hadn't been able to found them so far and had indeed dared not to inform him he had seethed with fury. Without asking them what exactly had happened he had imposed them with the Cruciatus Curse, so long until his anger had ceased a bit by hearing their agonizing screams.

"My Lord, we sent them Portkey letters but they didn't work and we searched everywhere but they aren't nowhere to find." Lucius said with a hoarse voice.

The Dark Lord frowned thoughtfully. He couldn't believe that the children had been kidnapped. But what had been their reason for running away? Letters which had been charmed to be Portkeys wouldn't be, of course, of any use since he himself had taught Harry to be wary of everything he would get so he could assume that Harry would check every letter he would receive. Could it be that he had fled from the tortures he should learn? When remembering his walk in the park with Harry where the boy had asked him, if he would really have to torture and kill, this thought occurred him as not so devious.

The reason wasn't so important however right now; more urgent was that he found Harry as soon as possible. Fortunately the Malfoys and Bella had had so much sense at least that they had kept the disappearance of the children a secret. He didn't want to think about it what would have happened if the Order of the Phoenix had discovered it.

This fool Dumbledore would have searched day and night to find the children. While thinking about the various possibilities how to find them he suddenly held his breath. Of course! Cursing himself that he didn't think on it earlier he immediately set off to see if he had been right. Seconds later he knew that a certain little house-elf hadn't also been seen since the children had disappeared. Back in his study he stepped smiling to his desk, took a sheet of parchment and paused. He had to be careful, he mustn't rush anything.

Otherwise it could easily happen that he would lose the boy forever. Although there was of course always a possibility. Even, if everything would fail. But perhaps he could still prevent it. As a plan begun to form in his head he felt how his anger slowly blew over. Yet nothing was lost. Confidently he began to write a short message. Then he ordered Lucius to send it to Harry, reached out his hand and started to whisper.

It was early afternoon as Harry, Caro and Draco sat on the soft blue blanket and relaxed. Although it was cold it was a beautiful day. Rather unusual for April but the sun was shining and warmed them pleasantly while a slight wind was blowing.

They had just played Quidditch. After they hadn't been able to play for so many months, now they hardly could break it off, such fun they had. Harry smiled happily while grasping his cup of tea tighter, taking a sip of the hot liquid and letting his gaze wander around. Draco was currently eating a sandwich, Caro had turned her face towards the sun, had closed her eyes and got a tan, Diamond had curled herself up and was sleeping and Nell was mumbling on a piece of cake.

Afair way off Peter Pettigrew was meanwhile busy to prune the twigs and branches of the savaged hedge. Since he had to do it without magic he worked already the whole day on this. Harry grinned slightly; Peter had been really useful the last days. He had gone even two times to Diagon Alley to go shopping.

The one week since they had arrived here had been just marvellous. Every day they had played Quidditch, had talked and laughed with each other or had worked a bit on the still unfinished things who had still to be done in the house and in the garden. Draco had recovered from his terrible experiences, at least Harry hoped that.

The first days he had been rather reserved but meanwhile he seemed to feel better. The only annoying thing had been the many letters they had received from Bella and Draco's parents. Anything else however had been wonderful. Harry would have never imagined that it would be like this; so perfectly dreamlike. A quiet agonizing scream jolted him back into reality. His tea slopped over and was running hot across his hand but he didn't sense it. His entire attention was focused on Nell whose face was marked with fear and contorted with pain. She only managed to say in a choked voice,

"Master is calling."

Then, with a soft noise, she disappeared. Harry looked shocked at Caro and Draco who stared with white faces at the spot where Nell had been just sitting. Harry felt how fear seized him. A flapping of wings caused them to flinch and at the same moment something hit Harry's head. It was a single sheet of parchment. Graceful, almost charming, it fluttered to the ground where it remained. With thumping heart Harry glanced at the clear angular handwriting of his adoptive father.

Harry

If you don't want that I accidentally curse your house-elf I would suggest that you come home immediately!

Father

Harry stared at the parchment and couldn't believe that everything was over. He knew that he had to go back He just couldn't allow that his adoptive father killed Nell. He had not the slightest doubt that his adoptive father would do exactly this. A house- elf more or less made no difference to him. Harry gulped. He hadn't a choice however. If he wanted Nell to be alive, he had to return. Defeated he raised his head and looked wordlessly at his friends. Draco was watching him; he grimaced and lifted rejecting his hands.

"No, no, no. Don't say me that we'll have to go back only because of such a wretched house-elf!"

"Draco! How can you say something like this? You know that Harry loves Nell. And I…I do it as well. We'll have to return." Caro said with a wavering voice.

Draco's eyes widened horrified.

"But…but I can't go back! My Dad will kill me!"

Harry looked at his friends and said with difficulty:

"You could stay here, if…"

"Forget it, Harry! Nothing will bring us to stay here while you have to return! If we go back than we'll go all together!" Caro exclaimed.

"Won't we, Draco?" She added.

Draco hesitated one moment and nodded finally.

"They'll be terrible infuriated." Harry objected and when noticing Draco's unhappy face he continued.

"It would be really better, if you would stay here. I wouldn't mind it."

Draco snorted and shook his head.

"Harry, either we all stay here or we all return. There isn't another possibility. If you namely return then the Dark Lord will discover where we are anyway. Yes, I know that you wouldn't betray us but a drop of Veritaserum would be for example enough already. Moreover there are still other facilities as well."

Harry sighed sadly. Reluctantly he realized however that Draco had absolutely right.

He reached out his hand, put Diamond in his pocket and looked up. Their eyes met and for a moment there was such a deep understanding and trust between them that Harry all of a sudden realized how very much Caro and Draco meant to him.

"Then we should better go packing now." Harry said flatly and looked around for Pettigrew. He couldn't spot him anywhere. Probably he had gone back into the house to make a pause, Harry thought. Obviously he hadn't noticed that Nell had disappeared. While striding slowly over the lawn Harry tried to blink away his tears. He had the strange feeling that he was going to suffocate. How could he have forgotten that house-elves were magically bound to their owners? Of course Nell hadn't stopped to be the property of the Dark Lord as she had begun to take care of him. The helplessness which was rising in him made him angry. A single mistake and everything was broken!

And now? What would happen yet? He didn't want to learn how to torture and kill! Arriving in the house he stormed upstairs to his room where he snatched for his things and threw them violently in one of the suitcases which they had found in the castle. He doubted it that he and his friends would find once more a possibility to escape from the headquarters of his adoptive father. Ten minutes later they met in the hall.

"What'll we do with Pettigrew?" Caro asked while beginning to collect her things out of the living room. Harry shrugged with his shoulders.

"He'll come along. He can change himself in a rat again. But definitely he won't stay here. I'll go searching him."

Harry turned around and went in the garden. After Pettigrew had rather reluctantly changed back into his animagus form, Harry put him into his box, raised his gaze and stared wistfully at Godric's Hollow.

"Harry, we should go now."

Caro laid shortly her hand on his arm and he saw that she had tears in her eyes. Harry blinked, nodded and cast the house of his parents a last glance. Then they mounted their brooms and flew into the sky.

The way back passed in silence. None of them remembered to charm themselves invisible. The only thing what occupied their thoughts was how the reactions of the adults would turn out when they reached the castle. Rainbow trilled comfortingly while flying next to them; the three could only think of their fear however. Meanwhile Harry blamed himself heavily. Why, why only hadn't he thought of this?

After a while they landed in the forest which surrounded the castle. They sneaked into the secret passage and trotted dejectedly to the study of the Dark Lord. In front of the right door they paused and stared at each other. No one of them said a word. Harry gulped nervously; he would have given everything in order to have not being here just now. When sensing the light weigh of Rainbow who had settled on his shoulder, he bit his lip, lifted his hand and knocked while feeling how his heart sank. Then he opened the door and they stepped in. They had hardly entered as they heard the cold voice of the Dark Lord.

"I want to speak alone with my son and remember my orders."

Lucius and Bella rose shakily, bowed, grabbed their children by their arms and dragged them with expressionless faces out while Narcissa whose eyes were riveted on Draco, was following them with a happy smile. Harry looked after them. As the door had slammed shut he lifted defiantly his head:

"Where is Nell? What did you do to her?"

The red eyes of his adoptive father narrowed and studied him piercingly.

"I didn't do anything to it and now it should be in the kitchen. But I am much more interested in this: Where have you been the entire last week? And why did you run away at all, Harry?"

Harry blinked unbelievingly at his adoptive father. Actually he had expected everything but not that he would ask him in a calm, almost indifferent, tone where he had been and why he had fled. Could he however trust him that he hadn't done anything to Nell and that she was all right?

"Why did you run away? And where were you?" The Dark Lord repeated his question and this time his voice had an impatiently undertone.

"I didn't want to torture and to kill! I don't want to watch any torture sessions and I don't want to be forced to torture or kill, if I don't want to and we were in Godric's Hollow!" It broke out from Harry while glaring furiously at his adoptive father, angry that he had forced him to return. In the next instant he could have bitten his tongue off. How on earth could he have said this?

The red eyes widened surprised.

"Godric's Hollow?" A sudden dawn of understanding appeared on Voldemort's face.

"So you have discovered it? How?"

Harry hesitated one moment, then however he begun to talk. After all it didn't play a role anymore. As he had finished he even felt a strange relief. The Dark Lord nodded slightly.

"Impressive. So that's why you suddenly wanted to know who your mother was. "

Abruptly he stepped to Harry, who startled flinched back, raised Harry's chin and stared with his red eyes straight into Harry's emerald ones. Rainbow trilled warningly but Voldemort didn't pay any attention to the magical bird. Harry sensed how he trembled, he wanted to avert his gaze, yet he didn't manage it. Those red eyes seemed to mercilessly adhere him.

"And what shall I do now with you, Harry?"

Harry did not quite know what to answer.

"Nothing?" He murmured tentatively at last,

The Dark Lord let go of Harry and asked:

"Do you hate me?"

Harry stared at him and he said the first thing which came into his mind.

"I've hated you as you forced me to torture Nell. "

"And now?" The red eyes eyed him searchingly and Harry lowered his gaze to the ground.

Suddenly Harry realized that he didn't know it. He just couldn't clothe his feelings, which he had for his adoptive father, in words. He didn't love him exactly above all things, he was even a bit afraid of his adoptive father but did he really hate his adoptive father? He was angry at him, that was for sure; when he thought of his parents then he hated him at times as well. But actually he didn't really hate him, did he?

"You don't hate me? Although I killed your parents?" The voice of his adoptive father who was still studying him closely jolted him out of his musing

Harry blinked confused.

"I don't know. But somehow I don't do it. Not really, anyway. Only sometimes… you've raised me and have taught me so many things… but as you've forced me to torture Nell and wanted that I kill her…" Harry broke off and one moment they were silent. Harry looked at his adoptive father and tried to see what he was thinking but the face of the Dark Lord didn't reveal anything.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Harry couldn't prevent that this question all of a sudden burst out of him. Since he had discovered the truth he had often wondered about this query.

His adoptive father raised one eyebrow.

"I tried. The killing curse I cast on you rebounded however and you survived."

Harry tore his eyes open, with such an answer he hadn't reckoned. As the words really dawned on him however, he shook dazed his head.

"I've survived the Killing Curse? But that's impossible!"

"Yes, normally it is. I don't know why but you survived it, Harry. I thought then that you had to be extremely powerful, more than I and thus managed to fight the curse off. I can't say however if this was really the reason for it. This caused your scar by the way. "

Unintentionally Harry's hand darted to his forehead while his thoughts began to spin around in his head.

"And that's why you decided to take and raise me? Because you thought I would be more powerful than you?"

"Yes, Harry. Exactly. I wanted to use your power, with your help I wanted to conquer and rule the world and destroy any resistance. But obviously you are struggling with all your mind against it. Perhaps you are still too young. We'll see how you will think about this in one or two years. Come, I'll bring you to your room."

The Dark Lord laid an arm around Harry's shoulder and led him silently to his rooms where he left him. As the door had closed Harry remained staying and stared at it. Never had he thought that his encounter with his adoptive father would go like this.

He had awaited a punishment, angry scolding and rage but nothing of this had happened. His adoptive father hadn't even become infuriated as he had told him that he knew who his real parents were. He shook his head. He didn't understand it. Sighing he reached into his pocket and began to pack everything out while thinking of his friends. Hopefully it wasn't so bad for them. Actually, he thought, he could go and visit them to see if they were alright. Then he also could look after Nell at the same time. He went to the door and wanted to open it. But it was locked. Bewildered he whispered,

"Alohomora."

As his charm didn't help, he tried more powerful magic. This however hadn't the wished effect as well. He couldn't believe it. Even as he had been five years old, he had managed it to break the charms on his door and now he wasn't capable of doing this? After a while he realized that the spells on his door had been altered and that he was indeed locked up and that he really wasn't able to open his door. What on earth did his adoptive father had in mind? What was he planning? Did he want to hold him captive in his room forever? Confused

Harry sat down on the ground and brought his knees to him and slid his arms around them. So he was now a prisoner. Suddenly he jumped up, ran to the window, ripped it violently open and felt a magic barrier. Rainbow trilled and flew through, she returned however instantly to him. Full of hope he looked at his phoenix,

"Rainbow, can you…"

"No, Harry. I can't destroy the barrier. The magic can't do anything to me since I am a phoenix but I don't have the power to make it disappear. "Rainbow sang sadly and laid her tiny head on Harry's shoulder.

Shocked he stared out in the park and the fact that he was trapped seemed to paralyse and cold fear rose in him while only one question was plaguing him. What did his adoptive father try to achieve by that? Why had he locked him up? His adoptive father had surely to know that he wouldn't escape without Nell. So why?