Disclaimer: No money is being made or received for this work in her playground of characters.

Chapter 14 -- Revenge and Rescue

When they emerged from the doorway, holding hands, they found themselves alone in a small library. Rowan consulted the map. "I seek the most direct route from my location to that of Harry James Potter." The map shifted to the interior of the castle, reminding Hermione of a game of CLUE that she had played as a child.

Walking through several doors, they finally opened a door which led down a flight of stairs. She passed the map off to Severus, and pulled out her gun. Her powers, at that point, were too strong to use them to stun anyone. She half grinned as she heard her dad's voice in her head reassuring her that it would be okay to shoot them.

Slowly, they made their way down stairs and stone steps, stopping to listen to the sound of anyone or anything that might be there with them. Finally, on the eleventh sub-level, they heard people talking. There were additional torches on the walls. She motioned Ron and Neville to the side. The group put themselves as close to the wall as possible. Tucking her weapon in the back of her jeans, Rowan walked to the men, and before either of them could ask who she was, she had kicked one in the head while punching the other in the jaw. Ron was only close enough behind her to catch the second one as he fell to the ground. Ron set him down slowly so as not to make any additional noise. She nodded once at him before continuing down the torch-lit corridor.

Ron was impressed. The final set of stone steps was comfortably lit with an array of candles and torches. There were many voices; some complaining about the boring job of watching a defenseless kid, some complaining that if he was their savior against the Dark Lord, they were all in trouble. Dumbledore sent Hermione and Ginny down first. They would serve as a distraction. They cried when they reached the flat ground. "Somebody help me! My friend has hurt herself!" Ginny obediently began to limp pathetically.

The speakers stopped speaking; apparently trying to decide who these beauties were and what to do with them. Dumbledore motioned for Rowan to go next.

She walked down the stairs with the air of superiority and importance. "Oh good, you found them! My sister instructed me to bring them down and show our dear guest what happens when you cross her. These are young Master Potter's closest friends: Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger." The girls feigned fear at the woman.

The men eyed her warily. "Who are you?" One finally asked.

"I am the sister of your superior and if you choose not to do what I say, you can suffer her wrath!" She spat at the men in the long hallway. They turned away from her for a small conference. They finally decided to put all of the females in the same cell with Harry and wait for her to show up again. Either way, they couldn't go wrong.

One man opened the door to a dark cell. Rowan, pretending to push them in, handed her backpack to Hermione. Ginny hobbled in first, supported by Hermione. Just as Rowan made to follow them, one of the men grabbed her shoulder and made to push her in too. She reached for his hand and twisted it, breaking his wrist and causing him to scream. That was the signal the men of their group were waiting for. The footsteps of four running men were heard echoing off the walls as they entered the fight. There were no less than twenty hired hands set in the hallway to keep Harry Potter firmly in his cell.

Ginny and Hermione entered darkness as the fighting broke out. "Harry? Are you here?" They both heard a groan to the left before all hell broke loose outside the door. "LUMOS" Both girls tried to light their wands. When nothing happened, Hermione rummaged in the bag Rowan had just given them, pulling out the flashlight. As she turned it on, she found Harry was laying on the floor, his wrists and ankles shackled. Hermione screamed when the rats scurried away from the light and their feast. Long gone were the sandwiches, the rats were now eating fresher meat. Harry was covering his eyes screaming at the light intrusion on his eyes which were long since accustomed to the dark.

When the commotion in the hall died down, the room filled with the heroes. Ron ran to Harry's side. When he bent to pick him up however, he was shocked by a current of electricity which ran from the shackles. Harry sobbed open mouthed. "Sir, what the hell are those?"

Examining the shackles, he answered, "I believe that they are shackles which dampen the magic a person can use. The problem being that if I am accurate, the only one that can touch him is the one that put them on."

She looked to Hermione who was still holding her bag. "Look at me. Hermione, the bag has things that can help. He may have to do some of it himself. Get as many torches into this room as you can, keep him warm. I'll go her then." Turning to the group, she told them to stay and protect him, as if they were all students rather than a group of powerful witches and wizards. With a last fleeting look at her Godson, she turned, running out the door.

Once she was back in the main house, she shimmered to the Ministry of Magic. She went directly to the office of her prey. Opening the door without a knock, she found Cornelius Fudge and Delores Umbridge deep in conversation. She walked over to the short round woman. "Hello Delores. Remember me?"

"Who are you and what do you think you doing in my office?" The toad like woman spat. Fudge said nothing.

As Rowan leaned over the woman's desk, she saw the parchment with the orders to keep Harry Potter occupied until he was needed again. She picked up the parchment, folded it, and put it in her back pocket. Then leaned flat handed across the woman's desk, ignoring Fudge who sat to the side. "I would like to invite you to Land's End and free Harry Potter of the shackles in which you currently have him secured."

"I do not know what you are talking about." she said confidently, until her eyes met the orange cast of Rowan's gaze.

"Okay, let me out it this way, you WILL be accompanying me to Land's End, to the ancient house of Umbridge. Once we are there, you will go with me to the lowest level of the dungeons, and you will attempt to release Harry Potter from the shackles."

"I will not."

"You put them on him, correct?" Delores gave nothing away, her fear not completely hidden. "Your touch is the only one which can release him. I do not believe that you must be conscience to achieve his release." Turning to Fudge, she spat, "I'll be glad to deal with you later… wait for me, okay?" With a solid right hook to the jaw, Rowan hit Delores Umbridge and touching her arm, shimmering back to Land's End.

She literally dragged the woman down the first few flights of stairs; then was even kind enough to let her lead the way for a few flights, when she kicked Delores ahead of her. Eventually, she called out to Remus and Ron to help her. They came out of the cell to find a bloody, beaten half dead Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic.

All Ron could say was "Excellent!" Hermione handed Rowan her bag back.

Remus grabbed Delores' hand and dragged her into Harry's cell. He used Delores' hand to release Harry from the shackles, then grinned and put a single shackle on Delores Umbridge and left her. Ron scooped Harry up into his arms; stating simply that he would carry his brother to safety.

Neville led the way out. Unfortunately, the noise that Rowan made bringing Delores in, caused the other occupants of the house to know that they were there. She apologized to them for her miscalculation. They would have to fight, hand to hand to get Harry to safety. "I know we can shimmer at the main level, we just have to get there."

"Don't you have a gun?" Snape asked cuttingly.

"I hate you," she hissed as she removed it from her waistband once again, "if they can't do magic, we can make them wish they had stayed up where they could have." She began firing blindly up the way; using one clip after another, she led the group up flight after flight.

Neville followed the rear of the group and surprised even himself when he had to hit someone in order for the rest to escape. Apparently, the years of anger had caught up with his body, and he packed quite a punch, sending the unknown enemy against a stone wall. When they finally entered the light of the corridor, Harry screamed a weak, hoarse scream, raising his hands to cover his eyes, while trying to squeeze them shut. Dumbledore conjured a blanket and covered his face. Ron nodded. "Can you get us out of here?"

"We need to go straight to St. Mungo's." Dumbledore decided.

Harry, his voice dry and muffled said "Please…Poppy."

The Headmaster met Ron's eyes and changed the destination to Hogwart's Hospital Wing. Each held hands with another, and Rowan shimmered them all to Hogwart's Hospital Wing.

When the group landed in the Hospital Wing at Hogwart's, Snape was the first to run from the room. As Ron laid Harry on his usual bed, Madame Pomfrey came at her top bustling speed to his side, the door snapped closed as Snape left the room. Snape ran to his Potions Dungeon picked up several vials and continued to run as fast as his legs would carry him back to Harry's side. The door opened to the most horrible scene a parent can imagine:

Harry was lying naked in bed, his clothes having been banished away. The sheet, which covered him, was a mass of blood and gore. He was fighting the hands that held him down. Ron, still covered in Harry's blood, and Neville were holding his arms and shoulders to prevent him from hurting himself. Vials and windows throughout Hogwart's were shattering as Harry's magic released itself in protection and fear.

Remus and Dumbledore were trying to hold his legs. The combined stench, activity and noise level of Harry made Severus want to wretch; but he walked closer to the patient, finally getting Poppy's attention. "This is a combination pain medication and a calming draft; but he needs this first: anti-serum for rat bites." Poppy nodded, allowing Snape to force the liquid down Harry's parched throat.

Once he was sedated, Hermione and Ginny ran back and forth from Poppy's side to the store cabinet with whatever she requested. Madame Pomfrey was bustling around the bed to determine the extent of Harry's injuries, attempting to give him potions.

Moments later, the four men were able to release their grip as Harry's intense agony and fear subsided as the potions took the desired effects. The bustle in the room seemed to drop a few notches. Dumbledore left the room muttering something about notifying the Ministry, while Remus found a chair and did not leave Harry's side.

Harry's immediate injuries were the rat bites over most of his body. He had not been able to defend himself against the creatures as he was too weak from the lack of water and food over the course of his imprisonment. He would need blood replenishing potion at the rate of one teaspoon every fifteen minutes. Ron volunteered to do that when he realized that his best friend was naked, hovering just above the bed with a levitation charm.

Neville got him a chair and sat next Remus, then he then charmed a portrait on the wall to notify them every fifteen minutes. Hermione and Ginny would notify the family and the DA of Harry's return.

Once Harry's life-threatening injuries were stabilized, Madame Pomfrey performed more tests on her patient. Each bite from the rodents had to be meticulously cleaned before healing. They would remain open for eight hours after cleaning to insure that there were no hidden contaminates. As such, everyone knew they were in for a long night.

It was decided that they would take shifts to assist the Healer. Hermione and Ginny would take second shift, Ron and Neville had already started the first one; two hours on and two hours off. No one asked Remus to leave. Snape returned to the dungeon to make additional needed potions, returning as each one was completed to leave the constant supply with the healer. Dumbledore returned to check on his young charge and quietly explained that unlike Rowan's burst of magic from being bound, Harry's magic could easily manifest itself into a protection of him. The sleep this soon after being released could have strange effects on the boy and each of them should be prepared with a personal shield charm should it become necessary as Harry awoke.

It took several hours for anyone to notice that Rowan was slumped to the floor unnoticed between two beds on the other side of the wing. When Hagrid came in that evening, he heard someone moan. He looked around to see her on the floor and quickly picked her up and laid her in bed.

Madame Pomfrey came over to check her quickly, but was interrupted as Harry let out a moan. Loud, long and forlorn, Harry cried out "Please, no more… Please…." His voice dry and cracked as the pleading ripped from his dreams. Hagrid's eyes showed tears as he watched Poppy return to the more important patient.

Over the course of the night, his hands and arms were bandaged. Most of the rest of his skin joined as the night ended.

The next morning dawned clear and bright. As the sun filtered gently into the high window of the Hospital wing, it fell on Harry's closed eyes. He screamed and put his bandaged hands up to cover his eyes. The sun, after weeks of no light, hurt more than the combined bites which covered his body. Hermione had been asleep on Ron's shoulder when she heard Harry's cry. She rose quickly, realized what was happening, and shot a darkening spell to the window above. She also reduced the flames of the candles around. Satisfied, she walked cautiously to Harry's bed. "Harry? The lights are out now. Are you okay?"

He slowly removed his hands from his tear streaked face, his voice still weak, "'Mione?" His eyes remained closed.

"Yes Harry, we're all here. Would you like some water?" He nodded. Ron and Neville helped their friend into something of a sitting position. Ginny handed Harry a glass as the door opened and the adults entered the wing. Harry drank the water greedily. "More?" he asked, and the glass was refilled. Over and over, he drank the cool liquid. His thirst was not sated however, even when his stomach rolled. He thought at first that he would be sick, but Ron and Neville helped him lay back down and he fell into a deep sleep, surrounded by those he trusted most.

Rowan woke the following morning. Apparently, she had used the burst of magic and was only in need of rest to stabilize the normal magic uses. She was released to meet with Dumbledore to find out what she could do to have Delores Umbridge arrested. After the meeting, he asked her to go to her quarters and rest for the day, assuring her that Ms. Umbridge would be dealt with and she had nothing to worry about. Before she left, she handed Albus the folded parchment showing Fudge's orders. He read it, nodded once and Rowan left the wing.

She did not, however, stay gone long. She went to her quarters and rummaged in her satchel for a moment. Withdrawing her darkest pair of sunglasses, she returned to the wing. She walked in, put them on Harry's bedside. Hermione returned her backpack to her, as she nodded to Hermione and left to take a shower.

Harry was in the hospital wing another three days. His bites and dehydration were healed, but his soul was weak and the nightmares continued. He was allowed to return to Molly's care at the estate, on the condition that he would continue certain potions. Snape agreed to provide those potions daily.

Harry's return to the Estate combined with the love of the Weasley's and the house elves, the daily potions and food, made for few nightmares. When those did occur, they always took him back to the darkness. He would not sleep alone or without the room being well lit at all times. It felt good to be with these people again. He did not go outside as the unfiltered light still hurt his eyes, andstill did not seek to leave the estate. His friends noted that as the bites healed at an alarming rate, that there were few, if any, scars. The only seeming side-effect from his prolonged captivity was that he was magically stronger. His magic, being bound for those weeks seemed to make the amount he used less, while the results more intense.

Hermione and Ron could be found at any given moment giving support and comfort to their friend. Ginny was there often, but was studying as hard as anyone could ever remember when she wasn't. Rowan joined them at the Estate only a few times. She still did not know how to tell him the details about her leaving him. It was much harder than she thought it would be. So with the excuses dwindling, usually it was to return a book borrowed, or to have dinner; she still did not know how to tell him everything.

Harry's birthday had found him in the care of Mrs. Weasley. She brought him a cake, but this year, there was no party. He had only been home a few days. She did promise to make it up to him the following summer, however. He smiled at her and ate the best birthday cake he ever tasted, surrounded by his friends that did not leave his side often.

Rowan chose that night to talk to him. She felt he deserved to know the truth. She asked Molly and Arthur to join her and Remus as they went to Harry's room.