-153- A Nightmare

Sirius abruptly felt the sharp tug behind his navel as he and Buckbeak where portkeyed to the gates of Hogwarts.

He shouted out a string of profanities, angry at himself for waiting until the last minute to talk with Harry. He hadn't had the chance to finish his conversation with his godson. Now he would never have the chance to tell Harry how honored he was to give his own life so that Harry could live.

He looked up at the skies, still bizarrely filled with several polyjuiced Harry Potters. He desperately wished the real Harry Potter was here.

He prodded the hippogriff to take flight and get him back up to the school in haste. He knew that Snape would be ready to begin the Elixir of Life potion. As the hippogriff took flight he admired the dark skies shining bright with stars. The sight filled him with a longing to be young again. His best memories were those spent at this school, out late at night roaming the forest with the marauders. Very soon he would be back with James and Lily.

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Harry didn't even have a chance to brace himself before the first spell hit him. He felt a sharp pain in his side as he crumbled to the ground. He didn't move or try to fight back. Surprisingly, now that he was just moments from facing death, he found he wasn't as scared as he thought he would be.

Someone reached down and grabbed a handful of his cloak. He was unceremoniously lifted back up to his feet before two more death eaters put a binding spell on him.

One of the death eaters grabbed his chin and turned it side to side, "Do you think this is the real Harry Potter? I heard there's a whole bunch of fake Harry Potter's wreaking havoc up at that school." The death eater pocketed Harry's glasses and wand.

Another, taller death eater stepped forward and peered closely at Harry's face, "What's your name, boy?"

"Harry Potter," Harry twisted away when the death eater tried to touch his scar. "Just take me to Voldemort!"

Without warning, the death eater cocked his arm back and struck Harry across the face, cleaving open a deep wound underneath the teen's eye. Harry slumped to the ground, rolling onto his side and pulling his knees up as much as the bindings would allow.

"Do you dare to speak the Dark Lord's name, you bloody little fool!?!"

A short, squat man bent low to peer into Harry's face, "If you're the real Potter then I have a message for that blood sucking scum you consider a father."

Harry braced himself for the worst but wasn't quite prepared for the sharp kick that landed on his back. A sharp crack was heard as a few ribs shattered.

"Piss off," Harry managed to say through clenched teeth, feeling the need to defend his father to the very end.

He could feel heavy footsteps coming through the forest just before another group of death eaters tramped out from the grove of trees. His current captors quickly stepped back away from him, almost cowering from the new set of death eaters.

"What have we here?" McNair looked closely at the trussed up bundle on the ground. He used his foot to roll Harry onto his back. The moment recognition took hold he immediately straightened up and pointed his finger at the four cowering men,

"Which of you struck this boy!?! Which of you dared to go against the dark lord's orders and harm Harry Potter!?!"

Nobody spoke.

McNair raised his wand, pointing it at the closest death eater but seemed to change his mind as he dropped his arm to his side. He knelt down in front of Harry and stroked the teen's blood stained hair back, revealing the famous scar." So good to see you once again, my lord." He leaned down and kissed the pulsing scar.

Harry cringed and scrunched his eyes tightly shut.

McNair stood up and faced the four culprits. In a threatening voice, he hissed, "Come with me."

Harry was carefully hovered through the thick dark trees. He knew where they were going.

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The infirmary was under tight security with only a handful of people allowed inside. A makeshift infirmary had been prepared in an unused classroom for any student who might necessitate care.

Severus had brought down all the items he would need in order to make the Elixir potion. He spelled forth a long wooden worktable and placed his cauldron and several potions on top. With great care he placed the vial of Elixir of Life in a padded box upon the table.

His gaze continually shifted to the empty bed that had been prepared for the arrival of his son by portkey. The dark mark on his forearm blazed with the usual intensity as of late. He was waiting for the moment when the dark mark ceased to cause any pain at all, then he would know that Voldemort was gone forever. On the other hand, it would also indicate that Harry was dead.

A sharp stab of alarm went through him at the thought of what Harry was enduring at this very moment. His hands shook as he tried to unpack the last of his potions. A precious bottle of Valerian Roots slipped from his fingertips. He caught the bottle before it hit the ground.

He took in several deep breathes, chiding himself for his foolish behavior. At that moment the infirmary doors banged open and Lupin and Black came strutting in.

"Well, he's there, Snape," Sirius bitterly spat, looking as if he were outraged at the prospect. Then suddenly his demeanor changed and he whispered, "The place I had to leave him was so bloody awful …" His voice became choked up, forcing him to stop talking.

Severus stepped around his worktable and stood before the broken man. He quietly asked, "Had the death eaters been alerted to your arrival?"

"Yes," came Sirius' faint reply, "They were almost upon us when Harry set off my portkey. Blasted boy! So like James…"

Severus bit back the sharp retort he wanted say at the thought of Black being captured. Harry's life depended on the mutt's life. He turned sharply to face his work bench, not wanting to get angry at the man who would be saving his son's life.

Lupin moved to sit next to Sirius, "It was for the best, Sirius. Harry did the right thing."

"He was so scared, Remus. The poor boy was trembling with fear. One of us should have been with him," Sirius said in a defeated tone.

Severus felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach, for those had been his thoughts as well. Why hadn't he arranged for someone to stand by Harry's side? His guilt was almost debilitating, forcing him to sit on the closest chair. He dropped his face into his hands.

"Don't fall apart now, Snape," Sirius admonished at the unusual sight of Snape looking so subjugated. "You did the right thing. If anyone had gone with Harry they would have been killed. The last thing we need is for Harry to feel responsible for someone else dying."

His words hung in the air. They were all thinking the same thing: Very soon Sirius would give his life for Harry and they all knew the teen would never forgive any of them for it.

Severus felt a twinge in his dark mark and placed a hand on top of it.

Sirius noticed and asked, "What is it, Snape?"

Severus peeled back his sleeve to look at the mark. He had never revealed the mark to anyone except Dumbledore. The black snake was twisting and moving around the skull. "Either Voldemort is very happy or extremely irate."

All three men knew that either choice was not good for Harry.

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Harry had been deposited on the hard stone floor in a very large dark room. He knew there were several people in the room but his vision was so blurry that he couldn't tell how many death eaters were surrounding him.

A door opened and he saw all the blurry figures drop to the floor in submission to the person who had just entered. His scar raged with pain so intense that he could hardly hold down the bile that burned his throat. He swallowed hard knowing that he couldn't allow himself to vomit up the portkey ring.

No one moved or spoke. The air was filled with uncertainty and fear.

Harry saw the figure of Voldemort approach him, those red eyes boring into his own. It was all he could do not to shrink away from the white hand that snaked down to tenderly touch his face.

The hand was quickly snatched back as the evil lord stood up and faced his soldiers. With clear menace in his voice, the Dark Lord addressed his followers, "Who dared to touch, Harry Potter!?!"

Harry moved to sit up and was shocked again when Voldemort leaned down to help him.

"Get your slimy hands off me!" Harry spat, pulling out of the firm grip.

Voldemort knelt down in front of him, "Don't be frightened, my boy. You will be harmed no further. You never should have been harmed in the first place."

Voldemort stretched his pale arm out and cupped the back of Harry's head. When Harry moved to get away, Voldemort grasped onto Harry's hair, forcing the boy to stay put. He leaned down and quietly whispered into Harry's ear, "We are one now."

Harry's heart clenched in fear. He struggled against the firm grip Voldemort had on him and flailed to get away. His punch landed directly on Voldemort's chin, sending the dark man sprawling back.

Gasps could be heard from around the room but still no one spoke. Harry awaited the retribution that he knew would be coming. He only hoped Voldemort didn't torture him too much before casting the killing curse. He watched as Voldemort stood up and straightened out his robes. A long minute passed before the dark lord spoke again.

"I see now why your uncle treated you so. I suspect Severus has been far too lenient with you. Your punishment will be swift but painful so you remember your place, Harry," Voldemort withdrew his wand from his robe.

A second later Harry felt his bones melting into each other and twisting with horrible pain. He kept his lips pressed together, refusing to scream. Just when he thought he might actually pass out from the pain, the curse was let up. He stayed lying on his side, panting until he could get the pain under control.

"Come now, Harry, let us not start off in this way. You are mine now," at this point Voldemort leaned down once more and tapped Harry on the scar. "This little mark proves that we are family, you, me and Nagini. You are very fortunate to have been inadvertently blessed with a piece of my soul. With our forces combined there is no one in this world who can stop us."

"Why in the bloody hell would you ever think I would join forces with you!?!" Harry asked incredulously.

Voldemort flicked his wand and Harry felt his whole body freeze. He couldn't speak or move a muscle.

Voldemort knelt down once more, gripping both of Harry's arms firmly.

Harry felt a small satisfaction when he saw a bright red mark blooming upon Voldemort's chin from his punch. His pleasure was short lived once the dark lord spoke.

"Harry, I have been waiting for you to come to me. I knew you would come to get your magic back. We are meant to join forces, to become a family. I have even gone so far as to prepare a magnificent room for you in my castle. I took great pains to acquire your heart's desire. Would you care to see it?"

What could Voldemort possibly have that he would want, thought Harry. The man just seemed so sure of himself, piquing Harry's curiosity.

Voldemort laughed out loud, sending chills down Harry's spin. The high pitched voice filled the room when Voldemort spoke, "Of course, I forgot, you can not answer me, can you, Harry? I will take the spell off if you promise to be a good boy and do as you are told. If you attempt to flee or disobey then I shall be forced to cast the Imperious curse against you."

Harry knew he wasn't strong enough to combat the curse. As soon as the freezing spell had been released, Harry fell onto his back as his frozen muscles relaxed. He struggled to his feet.

Harry reared back when Voldemort leaned in closer to examine his face. A look of fury crossed the dark man's demeanor. "Who struck you, Harry? Which of our servants had the audacity to strike you?"

Harry looked around at all the many death eaters bowed before them. He hadn't thought there were that many still alive but there were at least fifty in the large room. One smaller death eater in particular was shaking with uncontrolled nerves. Harry knew it was the death eater who had struck him but found himself incapable of revealing that fact.

"Come now, Harry, don't be shy. Once our forces are joined you may command any of our followers as you see fit. They must learn to fear you from the start." Voldemort walked up to the closest death eater and used his toe to lift the masked face upwards.

"Bella, tell me who did this to our boy?"

The fury in Harry was overwhelming. He felt a sudden draw of powerful magic course through him with his anger rising. There she was, right there, just a few feet away, the person he most wanted to kill!

Voldemort must have felt the pull of magic for he swiftly turned to look at Harry. He smiled, a dark sinister smile, "Yesss, my ssson!" He spoke in parseltongue, "Yesss, take what you need."

Harry recoiled in shame. No, he wouldn't let Voldemort entice him this way.

Now, speaking in English once more, Voldemort turned to address Bellatrix, "Harry doesn't like you very much, Bella. You haven't disobeyed my orders, have you?"

Bellatrix immediately started to grovel, "Please Lord, please, I only wanted to please you. It was months ago, I merely thought he needed coaxing."

Voldemort looked to Harry, "I will let Harry decide how you are to be dealt with."

Harry stepped back, shaking his head, "No."

"Harry, I know you want to cast Avada Kadavra against her. I give you permission to use my magic and cast the curse," Voldemort held his own wand out to Harry.

Anger and hate pushed against Harry's soul, inviting him to let go and kill. He had to fight against it with everything he had left.

"No!" He finally yelled, backing further away from Voldemort's outstretched wand. "No! I won't turn into someone as despicable as you are!"

Voldemort shook his head, obviously displeased with Harry's answer. "I hope to change that defiant attitude in the coming days. How are we to co-exist if you talk in such a disrespectful way, Harry?" He turned to face Bellatrix, "Bella, my faithful servant. You are to find out who put those marks on Harry's face and bring the culprit to me …or I will hold you personally responsible."

Bellatrix groveled down lower, "Yes, My Lord, yes, thank you, I will not fail."

Voldemort turned his snakelike face to look at Harry, "Well, come along then, I shall show you to your heart's desire." Without looking to see if Harry was following, he turned and walked out a tall wooden door.

Harry reluctantly followed, gazing about the long dark hallway with scarcely lit sconces along the wall. They finally reached two substantial black doors that automatically opened when Voldemort approached. Now they were in the most lavish, magnificent living room, Harry had ever laid eyes on. Tall pillars of gold rose up to the cathedral ceiling, a giant marble fireplace took up half the wall in front of them, several crystal chandeliers decorated the ceiling.

Voldemort turned and smiled, "Welcome home, Harry Potter."

Harry scowled back at the red eyed beast, "I already have a home."

"You may change your mind when you see what I have waiting for you in your bedroom. Come along now, Harry."

They walked through another long hallway, stopping in front of large white double doors. Voldemort scrutinized Harry's attire and shook his head. "No, that won't due at all. You are covered with dirt and blood."

Harry looked down at his robe as he felt cool air pass over his body. His jeans and cloak had vanished and were now replaced with the same type of flowing black robes that Voldemort was wearing. A large insignia of the dark mark was blazing across the front of his chest in gold thread.

He immediately tried to rip off the offending garments but found the dark magic in them resisted his endeavors. "Get 'em off!" Harry yelled.

"I think not," Voldemort calmly replied. At that point he threw open the door and stepped aside for Harry to enter.

Harry stopped struggling with the garment as curiosity got the best of him. With slow cautious steps he entered the bedroom. To say it was magnificent would have been an understatement. The bed alone was a spectacle to behold. He stepped in further, crossing the room to see this grand prize Voldemort was boasting about. It could not be denied that the bedroom was spectacular but it held no enticement for Harry. How could Voldemort think he would be bought off with a nice bedroom? He turned to look at the snake faced man.

"Your gift is just right over there, Harry," Voldemort pointed to a tall object covered with a black silk cloth. With a wave of his wand, the cloth dropped to the ground revealing what was underneath.

A magnificent mirror, as high as a classroom ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. The inscription carved around the top read "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi," which is "I show not your face but your heart's desire" written backwards. Harry immediately recognized it as being The Mirror Of Erised!

With shock he walked closer, stopping several feet away when he noticed a wispy figure already in the mirror. Without glasses he couldn't make out anymore then a figure of a woman. Goosebumps broke out across his arms and alarm coursed through him.

"I don't want it," Harry declared, without getting any closer.

"Nonsense, Harry. I went through great lengths to acquire this item and bring about your heart's desire. Have you seen who is waiting for you in the mirror? Come now, don't be shy."

Harry stepped a bit closer, squinting to see more clearly the figure in the mirror. With a sudden gasp he recognized his mother's ghostlike form. He rushed to the mirror, placing his hand against the glass, "Mum! Mum, it's me, Harry!"

Voldemort's malicious laughter filled the room, "She can't hear you, Harry. I've placed a spell on the glass, preventing Lily from being able to see out of the mirror. I will remove the spell once you agree to my terms."

"Terms?" Harry asked, furious that Voldemort would even think he would agree to anything! His gaze never left the mirror.

"Yes, my dear boy, terms," Voldemort calmly stated, adopting the term he knew Dumbledore used when dealing with the boy. "Your mother has been called forth from beyond. You may speak with her whenever you desire."

"She looks frightened," Harry whispered, placing his second hand against the cold surface of the mirror. She was real; he knew this was no apparition. Half of him was desperate to talk with her while the other half of him wanted to let her go back. She looked desperate and scared.

"She will learn to accept that which is no longer under her control."

"What do you want from me?" Harry asked, turning to face the beast.

Voldemort tilted his head, scrutinizing Harry before he spoke, "I want to perform a spell linking our magic together. We will become the most powerful wizards that ever walked this earth. More powerful then even Merlin! In exchange, you shall be able to speak to your mother whenever you wish. A simple spell in exchange for the mother you have always dreamt of having in your life, Harry Potter."

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