Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Pain

The last thing he remembered was a whispered word that he could barely make out and now as his blurry vision showed him very little more than darkness, Harry sat up and started feeling around the floor for his glasses. His hand landed instead on something soft and warm.

"Val." He whispered her name.

A soft groan escaped her lips telling him that she was still alive. "Harry."

"Are you hurt?" He asked.

"I don't think so." She whispered and then sat up shaking her head. She looked around the room. They were in what looked like a dungeon. Most of the room was empty, except for chains hanging from the walls and what looked like a muggle examination table. There were six wall sconces with torches in them, but only one of them was lit. The ceilings were very high and there were two doors leading out of the room on opposite sides. But the doors were six foot from the floor with stone steps leading up to them. She looked to Harry and besides for a few scratches he looked whole. But something was missing. "Your glasses." She felt around the floor until her hands came across them under her left leg. Apparently she had landed on them when they were dumped there. She lifted them up to see that one lens was broken. "Sorry." She said handing them to him.

He nodded and put them back on his face. "I'm used to it." If their wands had not been taken from them he could have fixed them easily.

"Where do you think we are?" Harry wondered after standing and walking around the room examining the muggle table, wall chains and shackles.

"I think I know. But I never really believed it existed." Val said frowning. She had not stood. She knew it would be impossible to escape the place she was thinking of. The only thing keeping them alive at that time was the fact that Lucius wanted them that way. The wards placed on the place she was thinking of were designed to kill anyone other than true Slytherins or Death Eaters upon entry unless disabled first.

Harry looked around at the bitter tone her voice held, but waited for her to say more.

"It has many names. But from what I've heard those that know it the best call it The Secret House of the Serpent." Val said shuddering slightly. She had heard stories of the things that Death Eaters had done to Muggles and those that were not pure blooded in the Manor. She had never believed in its existence. She hadn't wanted to.

Harry looked at her recognizing the name from Regulus' journal. "But Voldemort surely knows of this place. How can Malfoy bring us here?"

"That's a good question, Potter." A voice spoke up from one of the doorways. They both turned towards the voice. Lucius Malfoy was standing inside one of the doors on the landing at the top of the steps. He leaned on the railing in front of him with his wand grasped in one hand. He had a triumphant look on his face.

Harry wanted to rush the wizard but knew without his wand he had no chance of ever overpowering him. "If it's such a good question, why don't you answer it?"

Lucius smiled at Harry's insolence. He would soon change the young man's attitude. "Well I'm afraid the rumor that I am completely in the bad graces of the Dark Lord, is a slight exaggeration. He has given me a task to perform, and then I will be brought back into the fold and his good graces."

"Judging by the smile on your face, I guess the task is an agreeable one to you." Harry said knowing that could only mean horrible things for them.

"Very much so. And there's no better time than the present to get started." Lucius said with an evil glint in his eyes.

Harry moved back a few paces closing his eyes expecting to be hit by the Cruciatus curse immediately. But when the word was said he did not feel the pain. "Crucio."

Harry looked in horror toward Val as she writhed in pain on the floor. A bright blue light had enveloped her coming from Lucius' wand. Harry could see the look of glee in the wizard's eyes as Val's screams echoed throughout the room.

Harry ran towards Val as the blue light died and her screams ended. He kneeled next to her and could see how difficult it was for her to breath as her breaths came in large gulps mixed with sobs of pain. Harry faced Lucius. "What are you doing? She has nothing to do with Voldemort."

"I'm just assuring your compliance." Lucius said starting down the steps. "Oh, I know that the Imperius curse has no affect on you. So other forms of persuasion will be necessary."

Harry looked at Lucius realizing what his words meant. "And if I refuse?"

"Crucio." Lucius called out pointing his wand at Val yet again.

Val screamed again in utter agony as her body bowed unnaturally attempting to fend off the pain. Harry reached out grabbing her shoulders in an attempt to do anything. He immediately felt the pain and agony soar through his own body, but only for a moment, as the curse ended. He had doubled over in pain cringing at the after effects of the curse.

After Harry was able to sit up again he stared in extreme anger at Malfoy. "Stop this. She is innocent in this war." He demanded gritting his teeth.

"If you do as I say, and obey, she will be spared any form of physical pain." Lucius smiled sweetly.

Harry knew if it was just himself in that room he would never give in to any of Malfoy's demands, but he could not stand by and watch as Val was tortured before his very eyes. "What do you want?" Harry said bitterly.

Val was regaining her senses as the conversation continued. "No, Harry. Don't give in to him." She whispered.

Harry ignored her soft pleas standing and waited for Lucius to explain what he wanted.

The last thing he remembered was talking to her in the seventh floor corridor. Then the world had gone black for Draco Malfoy. He could hear whispers as he came around, and it seemed as if the world was spinning as he opened his eyes.

"We are not supposed to hurt him." Pansy said in a harsh whisper.

"How did you expect me to get him in here? Invite him graciously." Meggit the largest of all the Slytherin students said as he lounged against a wall on the far side of the room.

"And what is all this?" Pansy said a little louder as her hand motioned to the room around them. It seemed as if they were in a dungeon of sorts with various torture devices hanging from the walls around them.

"Fear, Pansy Dearest." Meggit said a large smile spreading across his face. Then his attention was drawn by Draco's movements, which were making the chains he was hung from rattle. "He's awake."

Pansy turned to Draco and smiled broadly. "Sorry for the horrible accommodations, Draco, but they were the best we could do for now."

Draco wanted to groan from the pain in his arms, which were chained to the wall above him. He had been hanging unconscious and the strain on his muscles had taken a toll. Not to mention the splitting pain in the back of his head where he assumed Meggit had hit him earlier. He looked around the room, which he did not recognize as one of the dungeon rooms of Hogwarts School. And he had explored the entire dungeon area in his seven years at the school.

"I have to get to classes. Are you sure your teachers won't notice that you are missing?" Pansy asked in a worried tone.

"I just have Flitwick and Binns today. Flitwick lets us get away with anything, and Binns has been dead for so long that he wouldn't know if I was there or not." Meggit assured her.

"All right. Remember he is not to be hurt. Just kept out of the way for a day or so." Pansy warned.

Pansy slipped from the room and Draco caught site of a very familiar drapery outside the door. No wonder he did not recognize the dungeon room. He wasn't in the dungeon at all, but in the Room of Requirement. "So, Meggit, what did you ask the room for before entering?"

Meggit smiled a devious smile letting Draco know that he had no intention of following what Pansy had said. "Isn't it obvious? Don't you like the décor? I figured you being the son of a high ranking Death Eater would feel quite at home in this atmosphere."

Draco had found some of his strength and had stood straight letting some of the tension off of his arms. Meggit walked closer to Draco. He was within a foot of him when he stopped. "You're not answering."

"Oh, I do feel at home, but I'm not much on small talk." Draco said sarcastically.

"No small talk huh, well that's fine too." Meggit said reaching out and grabbing the tie that was tied loosely around Draco's neck and yanking him forward so his face was next to Draco's ear. "My parents were hurt in that raid on the Death Eaters, you prick." He whispered.

When Meggit let go Draco's head snapped back and hit the wall behind him. He could see stars for a moment and then shaking his head to clear it some, looked to the larger boy. "Well I guess they should pick the company they keep a little more wisely then, shouldn't they?" These words gained him a fist in the stomach.

As the air left his lungs Draco wondered if he should have opted for the small talk option. Meggit immediately followed the punch with an uppercut to the chin, which made the stars dance before his eyes again. After that Meggit slunk back watching the dazed young man.

After a few moments Draco was able to look at Meggit again. He gave him what he thought was a piercing glare.

"Still think your better than me don't you, Malfoy?" Meggit gloated.

"I'm not attacking an unarmed man who's chained to a wall, am I?" Draco said his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"And why should that make any difference to me?" Meggit laughed.

"To you it wouldn't." Draco scowled. "By the way, how did you ever sneak up on me in the corridor?"

"Your wonderful father was so kind as to provide Pansy with an invisibility cloak. She has been spying on you, Potter, and your so called sister for months now." Meggit said gleefully. He enjoyed knowing things that Draco did not and wanted to brag about it.

"Hmm. That explains a lot." Draco said as the wheels started turning in his head.

"But what difference does that make?" Meggit said walking forward again. Draco watched him cautiously wondering where the next blow would land. But Meggit surprised him as he reached out to the side pulling an unlit torch from a wall scone. "You know, the Death Eaters have their own specific jobs to do for our cause. Not all of them can be as special as your father, just walking around and looking important. Some of them actually have work to do. My parents specialized in Muggle Studies. But not the kind of Muggle Studies that the Ministry does. They study the Muggle's barbaric torture methods. Honestly from what I've learned I rather prefer some of those over the magic forms of torture." Meggit said smiling so enjoyably.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Draco said more to himself than Meggit.

"It shouldn't." Meggit snarled and then swung the torch low landing it against Draco's upper leg.

Draco screamed as the unexpected pain knocked his legs out from under him and his full weight pulled down again on his arms.

"Hurts a little don't it, Pretty Boy?" Meggit said gleefully.

Draco growled low hating the fact that he had screamed out. He didn't want to show any weakness to the hateful bully.

"Not talking, huh. That's okay. I'd rather hear you scream." Meggit said drawing the torch back and clubbing Draco in the ribs.

Draco expected it and did not scream this time. A cold sweat started to form on his brow as he anticipated the next blow. But it did not come so quickly.

Meggit instead walked away and leaned against one of the walls. "I've got all day to have my fun. So get comfy. You're not going to have such a great day."

Draco stood as best he could with his leg still throbbing. He stared at the large Slytherin wishing he had his wand. There were a couple of Unforgivable Curses he was dying to try out at that moment. But his curiosity was peaked by something Meggit had said earlier.

"All this time Pansy was the one working for my father. That's a little hard to believe. She's never been all that bright." Draco said breathing raggedly.

"She's smarter than you might have imagined." Meggit said in an ironic tone. "Hell, you never even knew she was on school grounds during Christmas break."

"She was?" Draco feigned surprise.

"Who the hell do you think set that big oaf's shack on fire?" Meggit said nastily.

"So it was Pansy who tried to kill Val." Draco said staring off a little as he remembered how Val looked when he removed her from the burning house. His temper fired again as he imagined all the times he had missed the opportunity to take revenge for that act. "But why?"

"Are you blind?" Meggit said chuckling. "You care so much for that stupid girl, who would rather spend her time with the Chosen One, and you barely give Pansy the time of day. You may see Val as a sister, but Pansy sees her as competition for your affection. That's another thing I plan on changing soon. It's time Pansy sees what a real man is."

"As far as I'm concerned you're welcome to her." Draco snorted. "That is if there is anything left of her after I get my revenge."

Meggit truly started laughing at those words, and then moved forward again ready for another go at his sport.