Harry Potter and the Dark Lord

Warning: This chapter may be considered slightly gruesome and does contain some swearing. Read at your own risk!

Chapter 55 Back to the Lair

Summary: Set in Harry's sixth year. He encounters far more than he ever could have expected, but he does not have to go through it alone. An old friend returns to help him. Harry's defeat of Voldemort rests on him getting The Scepter of Light and Dark, something that would allow Voldemort to destroy the world if he can get the whole thing. Voldemort's powers are getting stronger and Harry has more than one encounter with him.

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acciodanrad9: Oh, you'll be surprised at what my insane mind comes up with. It's not so much as something bugging him as something harming him. And that makes absolutely no sense, at least to me. Read on to see what I mean...

This Chapter: Harry returns to Voldemort's lair.

Now...on with the story!


Harry's POV

The party in the Common Room lasted all day and all night, but Harry was not a part of it. He had insisted he was fine after flipping off his broom and refused to see Madam Pomfrey. The truth was, he did have a headache, but he'd had that before falling.

Harry had gone up to the dormitory alone, not feeling in a party mood. He sat on his bed and slowly drifted off to sleep, hearing the shouts and laughter of his excited housemates.

"It is working, my Lord." came the drawling voice he knew so well. What was working? What was Malfoy doing?

"You are finished for now, my loyal servant. I have others who will complete the plan, but I promise that you will be allowed to see the culmination of my plans." said Voldemort.

The scene whirled and Harry awoke with a start to find it was morning and bright light was streaming through the windows. He heard loud music and voices from downstairs in the Common Room. He tried to block the noise out, as it hurt his already throbbing head, but ended up performing a Silencing Charm around his bed. He lay back down and fell asleep again. He awoke several hours later to find his head was hurting worse than ever. He climbed wearily out of bed and got dressed, noting that all his dorm mates, including Sirius, were fast asleep.

He decided that he would go to the hospital wing and get something for his headache, then take advantage of the time without Sirius. Madam Pomfrey fussed over him for about fifteen minutes, complaining about him not coming to her right after the match, before letting him leave the hospital wing.

After leaving the hospital wing, he wandered around the lake for a while before heading over to Hagrid's hut to see if he was home. He was nearly there when he heard a voice behind him.

"Harry, wait!" He smiled when he saw who it was. Ginny was running towards him when he heard another voice behind him.

"Stupefy!"

The curse hit him before he had a chance to react. He could hear Ginny scream just before his world went black. He awoke in a dimly-lit room with his hands tied behind his back. He struggled to sit up and saw Ginny's lifeless form lying on the floor next to him.

"No, not Ginny." he muttered.

"Aww, bitty baby Potter's crying over his girlfriend. Crucio." came the cold voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Harry felt intense pain all over his body for several minutes before the curse was lifted and he lay shaking on the floor. The curse had hurt, but not nearly as bad as when Voldemort did it.

"Hmm, lets see who baby Potter reacts when I torture his precious girlfriend." muttered Bellatrix to herself.

She pointed her wand at Ginny and said, "Ennervate…Crucio!" in rapid succession. Ginny's screams of pain were mixed with Harry's pleas to leave her alone. Bellatrix laughed wickedly and finally took the curse off Ginny.

She then said, "Viemort." and a jet of orange light shot towards Ginny, who lay motionless on the floor again.

"What did you do to her?" demanded Harry.

"You'll find out soon enough." said Bellatrix and smiled.

Harry watched her leave the room. He struggled to his feet and turned his back to the door, trying to open it. It was locked, so he sat back down next to Ginny. He looked around the room, taking in his surroundings. The room had bare, stone walls. There were no windows and only one door.

"Ginny, wake up." said Harry, shaking her gently. She didn't move. What had that bitch done to Ginny? He was going to kill Bellatrix for what she had to Ginny and Sirius. She was pure evil and deserved to pay. Several hours later, Ginny opened her eyes.

"Harry." she whispered hoarsely.

"Hey, how do you feel?" asked Harry.

"I feel fine. Just like someone Stunned me." said Ginny. She sat up and looked around.

"Is there any way out?"

"No, only the door and that's locked. Do you still have your wand?" asked Harry.

"No, that bitch took it from me. She took yours too. She didn't get either without a fight, though." said Ginny, grinning at Harry.

"Good for you." said Harry.

Harry heard the door open and spun around to see who it was. Lucius Malfoy and Snape had entered the room with their wands drawn and pointed at the two. He glared at them and moved in front of Ginny to protect her from them.

"How sweet. The Mudblood protecting the blood traitor." said Malfoy sarcastically.

"Get up Potter." said Snape.

"No." said Harry and stayed where he was.

"Get up before I make you get up and trust me, it wont be any fun." said Snape nastily. "Why don't you make me then, you greasy bastard." retorted Harry.

"Imperio." said Snape.

Harry grinned at Snape. Apparently, no one had told Snape about his resistance to the curse. He felt the blissful emptiness of the curse, but didn't give in.

'Stand up.'

'No.'

'Stand UP!'

'NO!'

The voice left and Snape growled fiercely. Harry had really pissed him off.

"Damn it Snape. What are you, afraid to touch him?" asked Malfoy. He reached out and grabbed Harry roughly by his right arm. He pulled Harry to his feet and began dragging him along. Harry kicked at him.

He landed one of his kicks and got smacked in the face by Snape. Harry spit at him and he backed off. They got him out of the room and started dragging him down a hallway. Harry stumbled on a loose rock and fell. He heard a loud crack as his right knee hit the stone floor. He was pulled back onto his feet and into another room.

This one was much larger. It was circular and was full of men in black robes and white masks. Death Eaters. That would mean…… Voldemort was seated in the middle of the room on a large, throne-like chair. Harry's scar began to burn, but he didn't have a free hand to rub it with. He settled for glaring fiercely at Voldemort instead. Malfoy tried to push him onto his knees, but Harry fought him, earning himself a kick in the knees.

"Always disrespectful, Potter. Just like your arrogant father thinking you can defeat me. A sixteen year old defeating me? Crucio!" said Voldemort. The pain ripped through his body, making him scream in agony. Several long minutes later, the curse was lifted and Harry lay panting on the floor.

"Take him back. Play with them all you want." said Voldemort.

Play? He had a good idea what that meant, and he knew he wasn't going to like it. He wasn't sure Death Eaters even knew how to play. He was grabbed roughly by the arms again and dragged him back to the room he'd been in with Ginny. They deposited him unceremoniously on the ground. He scooted over to where Ginny was lying, but was pulled back. He fought against the arms that held him and heard Snape's silky voice in his ear.

"Stay where you are Potter, or the girl will get it worse."

He calmed down, not wanting Ginny to get hurt. Several Death Eaters walked over to Ginny. One of them pulled off their mask and Harry glared at him. It was Lucius Malfoy. Lucius pulled out his wand and pointed it at Ginny.

"Ennervate." said Lucius. Ginny barely had opened her eyes and looked blearily around before Malfoy threw the first curse.

"Crucio!" Ginny's screams pierced Harry's soul.

"Stop it!" he yelled, but to no avail. He kicked at the Death Eaters holding him. He heard several grunts of pain and felt the arms release him. He darted away from them and towards Ginny.

"Stupefy!" yelled someone.

Harry dodged the curse and tackled Lucius, knocking him onto the ground and ending the curse on Ginny. Harry quickly knelt by Ginny's side. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Behind you," she whispered hoarsely.

"What?" asked Harry before something collided with the side of his head and he knew no more.

He awoke in a dimly-lit room without his glasses. He looked around at the slightly blurry room and saw that he was alone. He had been moved to another room. He pulled himself up and leaned against a wall, wondering where Ginny was.

As he was thinking, the door opened and several Death Eaters stepped in. They were wearing masks, so Harry couldn't tell who they were.

They wasted no time in cursing him several times with the Cruciatus Curse. The curses ended and Harry lay panting on the floor. He heard whispers from above him and strained to hear what they were saying.

"…..him at all costs."

"…Lord does not want him to……"

"We won't kill….."

"…..sure he does not……"

"….needs….alive…."

What were they talking about? He was sure he heard Snape's voice in the jumble of voices. Was Snape trying to keep them from killing him? He shouldn't be doing that, he would get found out and killed, and then they would have no way out.

"..the exact way to…."

One of the Death Eaters walked over to him and pointed their wand at him.

"Stupefy."

Harry heard Snape's voice and knew no more.He awoke in yet another room. This one was much smaller than the ones he'd been in previously. The walls were of dark gray stones with no windows or doors that he could see. He stood up and found that his hands were no longer tied and we could walk freely. He began pacing around the room and found that each wall was eight steps long.

He soon got bored and sat back down in the center of the room, wondering where Ginny was and why they had been separated. He pondered what the Death Eaters had been talking about before he had been knocked out again. He got tired of thinking and began pacing around the room again.

Suddenly, the light vanished from the room and Harry stood stock-still in the middle of the darkness. He sank slowly to the ground, not wanting to run into one of the walls. He heard a girls' scream from somewhere far away and jumped to his feet, forgetting that there was no door in the room.

"Ginny!" he yelled.He slammed painfully into a wall and slid to the floor, moaning in pain. He slowly drifted off to sleep in a haze of pain.Harry lay wearily on the floor. Thankfully the pain from his stupidity was gone.

He heard voices approaching the room. A few minutes later, he heard a slight whooshing sound and a door appeared out of nowhere in the wall to Harry's left. Several Death Eaters stepped into the room with their wands trained on him.

"Aww, is little baby Potter all by himself?" asked a cruel, mocking voice. Harry ignored her. The bitch would get what was coming to her one day. Hopefully, he'd be able to kill her himself. She would be sorry then.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." said Bellatrix. Harry raised his head and glared at her.

"Someone needs to be taught a little respect." said Bellatrix.

She looked appraisingly at him before raising her wand again and saying, "Crucio."

The curse hit Harry, filling his body with pain. He fought the curse, but ended up screaming in torment. The curse was lifted and Harry lay shaking on the floor, vaguely hearing Bellatrix laughing.

"Did that hurt the bitty baby Potter?" asked Bellatrix mockingly.

"Oh well, maybe that wasn't enough pain for you. Let's see, what curse should we play with next? Oh, I know. Serrer sans cesse."

It was complete agony. He felt like he was being squeezed to death and couldn't breathe. He lay for several agonizingly long minutes, trying to take in air. Dark spots clouded his vision, and he knew he couldn't last much longer without air.

"Finite Incantatem." She lifted the curse and Harry breathed deeply, enjoying the return of air to his lungs.

He weakly raised his head up and hoarsely said, "Bitch."

"That wasn't very nice." said Bellatrix, kicking him in the stomach, making him even more winded than he had been.

"Severus, did you bring the potions the Dark Lord requested?" asked Bellatrix.

"Yes, Bella, but I'm afraid I must be alone to administer them." said Snape.

"Fine," huffed Bellatrix.

She herded the rest of the Death Eaters out of the room, following them out and shutting the door behind her. Snape quickly cast a Locking Charm and a Silencing Charm.

"You need to listen to me, Potter. I have to give you these potions. They will not be as effective as they should, but they will still cause you a great deal of pain. Do you understand me?" asked Snape. Harry nodded, he couldn't summon the strength to talk.

"Good. Bellatrix will be casting a spell on you that will not allow you to sleep. You must fight it, or they will break you. Do NOT let them break you. The Order is trying its hardest to get you out of here. Now drink these." said Snape. He gave Harry several potions that tasted disgusting.

"The potions will be taking effect shortly. I'm going to let the Death Eaters in now." said Snape.

"Finite Incantatem."

He opened the door just as the potions took effect. His blood burned as though it was on fire. His muscles contracted painfully, causing Harry to scream in agony. He screamed himself hoarse before finally passing out from the pain.

He awoke to find himself alone in the small room. His body still felt like it was on fire from the potions Snape had given him. He knew it could have been much, much worse and that Snape had altered those potions so that they wouldn't be so bad. Snape was definitely a good asset to have on either side of the war. The Order was lucky that he had switched sides.

The potions he could have actually made for Voldemort………Harry didn't want to think about that possibility. His potions knowledge was going to be invaluable to the war effort. Still, it would be much better if Snape wasn't working for Voldemort, he could be spending his time working on more worthwhile potions than some new way to torture Muggles and Muggle-borns.

After a while, the pain ceased and Harry was able to sit up and wonder what Snape had been talking about when he said they were going to prevent him from sleeping to break him. He didn't see how not sleeping was going to break him. Besides, he would never willingly join Voldemort. Not after all the hell Voldemort had put him through. No, he would never join him.

He was thinking less optimistically several hours later. The lack of a good sleep and being cursed so much was starting to wear on him. He desperately wanted to sleep and get away from it all. He heard Ginny screaming again, and jumped up to pound on the walls and scream for them to let her alone.

He would rather they came back and cursed him some more than torture Ginny, who had done nothing wrong except like him. Following him was what had gotten her in this mess. He sighed and sank down the floor, Ginny's cries echoing in his ears. The cries did not cease some time later, and Harry was starting to wonder if he was hearing it in his head.

Was he cracking up? No, he would never imagine hearing her screaming. Wait, who was she? Something with a 'G'? He knew that for sure. His wonderings were interrupted by the entrance of a group of people clad in black cloaks and white masks.

Several of them took off their masks. He felt sure that he recognized them from somewhere. He was certain he knew a man with shoulder-length, greasy black hair and obsidian eyes. He frowned at them and the dark-haired man looked curiously at him.

"Hello Harry," said a woman with long, black hair and heavily hooded eyes.

Harry, who was Harry? Was he Harry? Who was the woman? He was getting so confused. He couldn't suppress his urge to ask who they were any longer.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Why, don't you know?" asked the woman sweetly.

"No," he said.

"You will know us and our Master quite soon." said the woman.

"Come with me and you shall meet our, soon to be your, Master."

Curious, he stood up and followed the woman. The group of cloaked and masked people followed them. He was led into a circular room filled with more cloaked men, with and without masks.

A thin, white faced man with crimson eyes smiled happily and announced, "Today, you will all witness a most wonderful victory. Today, Harry Potter shall be mine!"

Harry Potter, who was he?

"Come forward and kneel before your new Master." said the white-faced man. He obediently kneeled before the man, who pulled out his wand and pointed it at his upper left arm.

"Do you pledge your loyalty to Lord Voldemort?" asked the man. Who was Voldemort? Oh well, he didn't think it matter.

"Yes," he said softly. He thought he heard someone groan softly from somewhere behind him, but dismissed it.

"Morsmordre!" said the man loudly.

He had never before felt so much pain. It was as though his forearm was on fire. He screamed loudly and a brilliant green light spread from his arm and throughout the room. Suddenly, a wind began to blow around him and he heard screaming. The green light turned to a blinding white light.

A strange sort of force sent him flying backwards, away from the man called Lord Voldemort, and into a stone wall. He felt the wall shake and start to come down. He felt stones slamming into his body through a haze of pain. Mercifully, he lost consciousness.

Sirius's POV

It was late afternoon when Sirius woke up. He got out of bed and changed clothes, then turned to wake up Harry. He was surprised to find that Harry wasn't in his bed. He walked down to the Common Room and saw that Harry wasn't there either.

He felt a jolt of dread in his stomach. Harry wouldn't have left the Tower without him, would he? He sprinted back upstairs and rifled through Harry's trunk. He knew he shouldn't be in Harry's stuff, but he had to know where Harry was. He smiled when he found the old piece of parchment that was the Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." he muttered as he tapped the parchment with his wand.

When the map appeared, he searched frantically for the tiny dot labeled Harry Potter, but couldn't find it anywhere. Looking over the map again, he saw that Ginny Weasley was also nowhere to be found. Knowing that this couldn't be good, he wiped the map and put it back in Harry's trunk, then took off for Dumbledore's office. He skidded into the room and found Dumbledore seated at his desk, poking at a tiny silver object with his wand.

"Harry and Ginny are missing," he burst out, not caring if he was interrupting something.

"What do you mean?" asked Dumbledore.

The twinkle was gone from his eyes as he looked seriously at Sirius.

"I checked the map. They're not anywhere on the grounds." said Sirius.

"Have a seat, Sirius. I need to contact the Order. I believe I know exactly where they are." said Dumbledore. He left the room and came back about a half hour later with a large group of Order members.

"We're going to take a Portkey," said Dumbledore, holding out an empty Lemon Drop package. The group huddled around Dumbledore and touched the Portkey and disappeared. They reappeared at a place Sirius knew all too well. The fortress of Azkaban, only it wasn't at all like Sirius remembered it.

The fortress was now in ruins and whatever had happened, had happened quite recently as there was dust still rising from the rubble.

Sirius felt his heart sink as he look at the mess. If Harry had been in there……he didn't want to think about that. Right now, they had to concentrate on finding him.

"We need to spread out and search for Harry and Ginny." said Dumbledore. Sirius almost ran inside, desperate to find Harry. He opened the first door he came to and gasped in surprise.

The room was almost completely destroyed, with dead Death Eaters lying everywhere. He walked among them, trying to find one that was still alive. He finally spotted one that was moving slightly.

"Ennervate," said Sirius, pointing his wand at the Death Eater. He pulled their mask off and was surprised to find Rodolphus Lestrange with his eyes open, looking surprised.

"Tell me what happened," demanded Sirius, pointing his wand at Lestrange.

Lestrange didn't look like he wanted to, so Sirius said, "Tell me or I will not hesitate to kill you." The Death Eater opened his mouth and began to speak.

"Potter was going to take the Mark, but something strange happened when my Lord put the Mark on his arm. The room was filled with green light and wind. The light turned white and there was a kind of…….magical surge. Potter was flung backwards and most of the Death Eaters were killed. The Dark Lord looked fairly weak. Lucius Malfoy Disapparated with him." said Lestrange.

"Where's Harry?" asked Sirius.

"Over there," said Lestrange, pointing across the room.

Sirius took one look at the pulled of rubble before turning back to Lestrange and Stunning him. He then ran to the door and yelled that he had found Harry. Many pairs of feet came running towards him.

"Rodolphus Lestrange told me what happened." said Sirius.

"Sirius, where's Harry?" asked Dumbledore, stepping into the room and looking around. Sirius numbly pointed at the spot Lestrange had pointed to.

Dumbledore waved his was and the pile of rubble rose into the air and away from Harry. When Sirius saw his godson's lifeless body lying on the ground, he started to run towards him. He was stopped by several pairs of strong arms. Dumbledore walked over to Harry and conjured a stretcher. He then levitated Harry onto it.

"He needs to be taken to St. Mungo's right away. Kingsley, you and Sirius can take him. The stretcher is a Portkey that will take you there. The rest of us will continue searching for Miss Weasley." said Dumbledore.

The hands released him and he walked over to Harry. Kingsley stepped up beside him. They each touched a hand to the stretcher and were Portkeyed to St. Mungos.


Next Chapter: St. Mungo's