The pressure around his body was unbearable. He couldn't breathe. He was suffocating. Scorpius panicked. He didn't want to die.
Then, when he thought he wasn't going to last a second longer, the murderous pressure vanished. Scorpius sucked in precious air and opened his eyes. He didn't remember that he had closed them.
He was still holding Albus's shoulder. Albus was extremely pale and judging by his gasps, he hadn't borne the Apparition any better than Scorpius.
"Albus? Are you alright?"
Albus took a shaky breath. "I'm fine. What happened? Where are we?"
"You're in my flat," said a deep male voice.
Scorpius turned his head so quickly it hurt. Beside Albus, holding his hand, stood the man that had run into him in Hogsmeade moments ago. He looked younger than Scorpius's father, tall and lean with dark hair and beard. He looked at the boys with his striking grey eyes. Scorpius noticed a white scar on his lower lip.
"You ran into me deliberately. You wanted to kidnap us!" Albus tried to free his hand from the man's grip. "Who are you?"
The man released Albus and reached for his wand. Before Scorpius could grab his own, the man flicked his wrist and Scorpius's and Albus's wands flew into his outstretched hand. He slide them into his pocket. Another wand lost, thought Scorpius angrily. At least this one isn't broken. Yet.
"We've met before, Albus," said the man. "It was a short meeting, but rather intense." He smiled slightly, showing white teeth.
Albus gasped. "No. You're- you're Edward Mortimer."
"So you found out who I was." Mortimer grimaced. "How?"
"Scorpius, run!" Albus grabbed his hand and took a few steps back. But there was nowhere to run. They were in a small room with no windows. The only door was behind Mortimer, and Scorpius was sure it was closed. Without wands they were defenceless. Besides, what could they do against a strong, adult man who was undoubtedly a very skilled wizard?
"You can't run, Albus," said Mortimer calmly. "Sit down and answer my question."
Scorpius had never heard a voice like Mortimer's before. It was deep and noble. It was a voice Scorpius always imagined kings of old had spoken with. It was a voice you had no choice but to listen to.
Scorpius guided Albus to a narrow bed in the corner of the room. They sat beside each other, still holding hands. Albus's hand was shaking.
"How did you find out who I was?" Mortimer asked again. "I thought I didn't leave any traces. I thought it would be impossible to find me."
He was still standing in front of the door, his face impenetrable. Scorpius couldn't say if he was angry or merely curious.
"Tattoo," Albus said through gritted teeth. "I saw your tattoo. One of my dad's Aurors was your good friend and he recognised it immediately."
Mortimer stroked his beard. "Was it Philip Beumont? He always wanted to be an Auror." Albus nodded. "I'm glad he fulfilled his dream. Working with the great Harry Potter." He smiled.
Mortimer took the only chair in the room and put it close to the boys. He sat down and put his legs on the bed, definitely too close to Scorpius. He was displaying confidence and nonchalance with every gesture, every word.
"I've made a mistake. When did you see the tattoo?"
Albus turned his head in the direction of Mortimer's voice. "When you put your wand to my forehead. Your sleeve fell down and I saw the tattoo for a moment. I didn't remember that for some time but one of the pain attacks triggered my memory and I recalled those names."
Mortimer nodded. "You have pain attacks?"
Albus scowled. "What do you want? Why did you kidnap us? My father will find you!"
"No, he won't. He hasn't found me so far, he won't find me now."
"We'll see," Albus murmured under his breath.
Mortimer laughed. "Maybe your friend and I, but definitely not you. By the way, what's your friend's name?"
"I'm Scorpius."
"Ah, yes, Scorpius Malfoy, Albus's boyfriend. By the way, I didn't want to kidnap you. You were holding Albus's arm so you can blame only yourself. But I won't let you go, you may be useful to me in the end."
Scorpius shivered. Once again he was going to be used as an incentive to make Albus do what his captor wanted.
"Don't hurt Scorpius, please," Albus said and tightened his grip on Scorpius's hand. "What do you want from me? Do you want to kill me? Do you want to torture me again until I'm mad like your family?" A shadow of fury ran across Mortimer's face. "Do you want a ransom for me?"
"I don't need your money," Mortimer said. "I want knowledge."
Albus looked perplexed. "Knowledge?" he repeated. "You know what? I want knowledge too. Why did you attack me in August? It was Death Eaters who destroyed your family. Why did you take revenge on me and my family?"
"Revenge? I didn't want revenge on your family. I'm grateful to your father for destroying Voldemort. I'm grateful to the Order for saving me from Death Eaters."
"Then why me? What did I do to you?"
"You did nothing, Albus. As I said, all I want is knowledge."
"It was here?" asked Harry, turning to Professor Warmund.
"Yes, exactly in this spot," he answered, pointing to a place just around the corner. "He ran into Albus and knocked him down. Before I reacted, he grabbed Albus's hand and Disapparated."
"And Scorpius?" asked Draco, looking around.
"He was holding Albus's shoulder, helping him up, and thus was taken along with Albus," Warmund explained. "I'm so sorry. I should have reacted quicker, but it all happened so fast. It seems Mortimer had everything prepared, that he ran into Albus deliberately."
"It's not your fault," said Harry. "I shouldn't have let Albus leave Hogwarts. But he wanted to go so badly. I thought Mortimer hadn't known it was Hogsmeade weekend, I thought he wouldn't dare attack or kidnap Albus in the middle of the wizarding village. How could I be so stupid?" Harry kicked a small rock in anger and frustration. "Why haven't I learned from my mistakes? He was kidnapped before. I should know how to protect him."
"Potter, calm down," Draco said harshly. "It doesn't matter now. We must focus on finding them. Think, where could he take them?"
"I have no idea," admitted Harry. "Philip Beumont, the Auror who was Mortimer's friend, told me where he used to live. I went there with my Aurors but another family had been living there for many years. And we have no trace of him after he left the school. We only know that he visits his sister once a year, that's all."
"Is there anything we can do? Or are we going to search every house in England?" asked Draco.
"There is something," said Harry, running his hand through the hair. "There's a spell which may show us where Mortimer Apparated to from this spot."
"Then what are you waiting for?!" Draco asked in disbelief. "Cast the spell and we'll know everything."
"Ha, it's not so easy. It's a very complicated spell, long and demanding a lot of concentration. It's almost impossible to cast it alone," explained Harry. "I sent for my best Aurors, they should be here any moment. We'll cast the spell together. But I can't promise it will work. For best results it should be cast immediately after Apparition, in our case it's almost two hours. Moreover, even if we succeed now, it's very probable that Mortimer made a few jumps. If so, we'll have to cast that spell on every spot."
"Well, at least it's something. Let's hope it works," said Draco.
Just as he finished speaking, a man Apparated at the end of the street and ran in their direction. He was soon followed by two others. They greeted Harry and listened carefully to his story.
"It will be hard," said the oldest Auror. "But we need to try. Are you ready?" He rolled up the sleeves of his robe and took out his wand.
"Harry!" Harry turned around and saw Ginny running towards him. "Did you find anything?" She hugged him briefly.
"Not yet. We're about to cast the spell which may tell us where Mortimer Apparated to."
"Good. I told Lily and James what happened. They wanted to come here with me but I told them to wait for us in Gryffindor Tower. I said you would visit them later."
"Of course. How are they?"
"Not good. Lily couldn't stop crying, it took me a long time to calm her down a bit. Rose is with her. James tries to stay strong but he's devastated and scared as well. I should have stayed with them, but I needed to know if you found out anything about Albus and Mortimer."
"I'll visit them as soon as I can. But I must help with casting that spell now. It's our only hope of finding where the boys were taken."
"Good luck." Ginny kissed Harry on the cheek and stepped back, standing beside Draco.
Harry turned to the Aurors and nodded. Four men pointed their wands on the spot Mortimer and the boys had Apparated from and started chanting a long and complicated spell, trying to work through tangle of space.
"You're sure there's no way out?"
Scorpius sighed. "Yeah, I'm sure. There're no windows. The only door is not only locked with a standard key but presumably with powerful spells we couldn't break even if we had wands."
"Is there a ventilation shaft we could crawl through?"
Scorpius looked around. "No, it's a bedroom, not a bathroom or a kitchen. There's no ventilation system here."
Albus hugged his knees to the chest. He hadn't moved from the bed while Scorpius had been exploring the room for a way out. Mortimer had left them after declaring his strange wish for knowledge. He had searched them, taking their money, Scorpius's sweets and Albus's potion, said that he would bring them some food and locked them in the room.
"Maybe we can somehow send a message to our parents?" Albus proposed.
"There's no owl, no fireplace, no phone," said Scorpius, looking around to be absolutely sure he hadn't missed anything. But it was a small room with little furniture: a bed, a table and a chair. And a self-emptying bucket for their needs that Mortimer had so graciously provided. "We have no wands to send a Patronus. Not that I can conjure a Patronus. Can you, Albus?"
"No. Dad tried to teach me this summer but I never managed to conjure more than a wisp of silver mist. And later I had other things on my mind."
Scorpius sat down on the bed. "I'm sure our parents are looking for us."
"It's worse than in Godric's Hollow last year," said Albus. "We were in a different time but at least we were free. But now? What can we do?"
"I'm afraid all we can do is wait for someone to find us or for a chance to escape." Scorpius tried to stay optimistic but it was extremely difficult in their situation. "He even took my sweets."
"He took my potion," Albus said.
"Do you feel any pain?"
"Not yet. I drank the potion right before we went to Hogsmeade. It should suffice for a few more hours. But it probably won't matter if he decides to torture me again."
Scorpius didn't know what to say, how to comfort Albus. He just embraced him tightly. Albus rested his head on Scorpius's shoulder. He was trembling.
They sat in crippling anxiety for a long time. Scorpius felt his stomach starting to cramp with hunger. He didn't want Mortimer to return, as he was sure that would mean only pain and anguish, but on the other hand he was scared of being left in this room without any food and water.
He heard the key turning in the lock and the door opened. Albus raised his head and Scorpius watched as Mortimer came into the room with food in his hands. He had taken off his black robe and wore ordinary Muggle clothes. He gave them sandwiches and bottles of water, sat down in the chair and watched as the boys ate hungrily.
"I like you, Albus," said Mortimer. "I really like you." Albus stopped eating and looked in Mortimer's direction with surprise and disgust on his face. "We have a lot in common." Albus snorted. "Oh, yes, we do, trust me."
Mortimer fell silent and waited until the boys finished their sandwiches. With a flick of his wand he got rid of leftovers. He leaned forward and looked intently at Albus.
"You're special, Albus. I decided that you deserve to know the truth about why I tortured you. I guess Philip Beumont told you everything he knew about the Death Eaters' attack on my family, about my tattoo, about how I disappeared after graduation."
Albus nodded.
"He was my best friend, in the final years of school my only friend, but even he doesn't know everything." Mortimer stroked his beard. "Do you know how long you were under the Cruciatus Curse?"
Albus swallowed. "Healers estimated that it had been about fifteen minutes," he whispered.
"Fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds," Mortimer clarified. "And I suppose you know that most people lose their minds after seven minutes and there are only a handful of documented cases of people surviving more. Have you ever wondered why you survived so long?"
Once again Albus was only able to nod.
"My parents and sister survived only six minutes. I had to watch as Death Eaters tortured them into insanity. I was only twelve, terrified not only of losing my family but of suffering the same fate as they did. And then a Death Eater cast the Cruciatus Curse on me. Do you know how long I survived?" Mortimer paused dramatically. "Sixteen minutes. There was a clock in the room. I remember it very clearly after all these years. Sixteen minutes until the Order came and saved me."
Scorpius listened mesmerized. He forgot all about escape. He could only focus on Mortimer's deep voice. He didn't want to miss a word. Albus was trembling beside him and Scorpius knew he was waiting anxiously for answers he had longed for for so long.
"I spent the rest of my time in Hogwarts reading as much as I could about the Cruciatus Curse," Mortimer continued. "I even got a pass to the Restricted Section in the Library. I searched for an answer as to why I survived so long without going insane while my family and so many other people couldn't make it past a few minutes. The only thing I found was Occlumency but I wasn't an Occlumens. Are you, Albus?"
"No, I'm not," Albus said in a hoarse voice.
"I thought not. You're too young to master Occlumency. And while many survivors were Occlumens indeed, not all of them. So the obvious conclusion is, there must be something else. Something that helps you endure the torture and keeps you sane. Do you know what it is, Albus? Do you have any ideas?"
Albus just shook his head.
Mortimer sighed. "I didn't know either for a very long time. But I was determined. I'm a Ravenclaw, I desire knowledge. And so finding out what makes some people survive the Cruciatus Curse became the sole purpose of my life. After graduation I left the country and started the practical part of my research. I learned how to cast the curse. It wasn't as easy as I'd expected but soon I mastered it and could move to the next part of my project."
Scorpius clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He had an ominous feeling what Mortimer's project entailed.
The man looked at him and smiled. "Don't look so disgusted, Scorpius. It was for the greater good. I thought that if I discovered that other way of surviving the curse, maybe I would be able to teach it some day and thus save many people. So, for years I travelled around the world and tortured many people. I aimed for as much diversity as I could get. I cast the curse on men and women, Muggles and wizards, old and young, even children, on people of different ethnicity, different background, poor and rich. I observed them for some time beforehand to get to know what kind of people they were: if they were alone or with family, happy or sad, fulfilled or always unsatisfied. I-"
"You're mad," Albus interrupted him.
"No, I'm not mad. I just don't hesitate to get what I want. I wanted answers, I wanted knowledge and I was determined to gain it by any means. And I think I've almost solved the mystery. Don't you want to know the answer, Albus? Don't you want to know why you're so special?"
Albus didn't say anything but both Scorpius and Mortimer knew that it was the only thing he craved in that moment.
"Most people I tortured survived only a few minutes, no longer than the average seven. But there were some that survived longer, I remember a couple that endured eighteen minutes. When I see that a person is still sane after fifteen, sixteen minutes I usually end the curse and question them. Then I let them go free. I gathered all information, especially what they told me after the curse, and started to formulate a theory. I'm almost sure it's true. But I still need a few more cases to prove it absolutely right."
Scorpius and Albus held their breaths but Mortimer wasn't keen to share his theory with them just yet.
"Then I started to think who else I could torture, who else could be a proper person in my research. For a moment I thought about Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived, the saviour of the wizarding world. To test him, to see if he could survive – that would be something, wouldn't it? But I abandoned that idea, I knew he was too strong, I wouldn't be able to attack him. But one of his children – that was a nice alternative. So I started to observe your house, waiting for a convenient moment. I'm sorry, Albus, that it was you. It could as well have been your brother or sister. You just were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Why did you kidnap me now?" asked Albus. Beads of sweat appeared on his pale forehead. Scorpius knew that it wasn't only from the stress and anticipation of torture. The effect of the painkilling potion was ending. Soon Albus would be in pain regardless of Mortimer torturing him or not. "You know I can survive the curse for a long time. Do you want to torture me again?"
"Maybe," Mortimer smiled ominously. "As I said, I always question victims after the curse. But due to unfortunate circumstances I didn't get a chance to ask you a few questions to see if you fit into my theory. You were under the curse for fifteen minutes, I knew you were still sane, I was about to end the curse, when I heard someone approaching. I had to flee, leaving you behind. Since then I sought for a way to kidnap you, to end your case so I can move on to a next person. Only today an opportunity presented when finally you left the castle. Though I didn't know you were followed by a teacher. He almost ruined my plan."
"Why didn't you kidnap me in August? No one would have disturbed you then, you would have been able to finish your job," Albus sneered.
"Good point, Albus." Mortimed smiled genuinely, showing white teeth. "Yes, usually I kidnap my victims to a safe place. But I was tired that evening, I had just Apparated from another continent. I was afraid that Apparition, moreover with another person, would result in splinching. I didn't want to wait for another opportunity though, so I decided to torture you on the spot. Soundproof charm, alerting spells. It worked until that man with the dog came. I hid, your parents came and took you away. I was sure they had taken you to St Mungo's so I went there a day later, pretending that I was visiting my sister. I overheard Healers' conversation about you. You were in a coma and those fools couldn't say anything about your mental state until you woke up. But I knew you were sane. I always know the exact moment a person loses their mind. I guess it comes with practice." Mortimer shrugged. "I also learned that you had lost sight. Sorry about that. That wasn't my intention. It happens sometimes. The Cruciatus Curse destroys the nervous system. Some of my victims went blind, some deaf, a few got paralyzed."
Mortimer stood up. He neared the bed on which the boys sat. Scorpius moved closer to Albus and grasped his hand.
"I think you now know everything, Albus," the man said. "Now it's my turn to ask you a few questions and get answers. I waited for them long enough."
He gripped Albus's arm and ordered him to get up. Albus tried to fight but he was too small and weak to resist Mortimer. Mortimer wrenched Albus's hand from Scorpius's grasp and led the boy to the chair he had sat in before.
"Sit down." Not too gently, he pushed Albus down. Albus had no choice but to obey him.
"Albus!" Scorpius scrambled up from the bed and rushed in his boyfriend's direction.
"Stay where you are," Mortimer said, a wand suddenly in his hand, pointed at Albus. Scorpius froze in place. "Sit down on the bed and don't speak a word. This is between me and Albus. If you behave, no harm will come to you."
Scared that if he didn't obey Mortimer, he would hurt Albus, Scorpius reluctantly sat down on the bed. Mortimer flicked his wand and a moment later Scorpius felt his whole body freezing. He could not move a muscle, except his eyes. Mortimer turned his attention back to Albus.
"Tell me, Albus, what did you think about during the torture?" He stood over the boy, playing lazily with his wand.
Albus raised his head, putting on a defiant face, but Scorpius could see that his whole frame was shaking. "What did I think about?" he asked incredulously. "You must know that it's hard to think about anything when you're in extreme pain."
"Of course, I know, but- did you wish for the pain to end?"
Albus scoffed. "Who do you think I am? I wished for that with all my might. I was ready to give anything just so the pain would end."
Scorpius noticed a change in Mortimer's demeanour. He stopped playing with his wand, straightened up and fixed his gaze on Albus's face.
"Anything?" he repeated in a grave voice. "Were you ready to give up your life?"
"My life? You mean-?"
"Did you wish for death? Did you want to die just not to feel the pain anymore?"
Albus opened his mouth to answer but closed it without saying anything. He thought for a while, then spoke again: "N-no, I didn't wish for death. I wanted to lose consciousness. But- I didn't want to die."
Scorpius thought that he saw something like triumph appearing in Mortimer's steel eyes. The man's lips twisted into a little smile.
"You didn't want to die. You preferred pain to death." Mortimer stroked his beard. "And now? What would you choose now?"
Albus looked terrified. Scorpius's gut twisted when he thought about Albus's choice.
"Y-you want me to choose?" Albus's voice quivered. "And if I don't choose anything? Are you going to torture me again?"
"It's a simple choice, Albus," said Mortimer, not answering Albus's questions. "Pain or death. I'll torture you. You know the agony of the Cruciatus Curse and what consequences it may have. You went blind last time, who knows what may happen now. You may lose your hearing or get paralyzed." Albus shivered. "Or I'll kill you. Avada Kedavra – quick and painless, you won't feel anything."
"Do I have to choose? Don't do it. I have money – my parents have loads of money – they'll give you anything you want. They'll let you go free, we won't seek revenge. Please."
Mortimer's tongue ran over the scar on his lower lip. "Albus, I'm not interested in your money. And your promise that you will let me go free doesn't mean anything. Your father has no idea where I am, he'll never find me." Mortimer leaned over Albus, his face just inches away from Albus's. Albus turned his head away. "Make your choice, Albus. Crucio or Avada Kedavra."
Tears swelled up in Albus's eyes. "I-I don't want to die. Please, don't kill me."
"So you choose pain?"
"N-no, please, don't torture me again." Albus was trembling and tears were flowing freely down his cheeks.
"Albus, my patience is wearing thin. Choose or else I'll choose for you."
Albus was sobbing, taking big gulps of air. Finally he uttered: "I don't want to die. Don't- don't kill me."
Mortimer smiled. "Pain is it, then?"
Albus nodded. Mortimer straightened up and raised his wand. Albus curled in the chair, awaiting his fate. Scorpius wanted to run to him, to protect him, but he couldn't move a muscle, he couldn't speak a word.
"You chose well," said Mortimer and then muttered a spell under his breath. Albus slumped from the chair and lay motionless on the floor. Mortimer turned to Scorpius and lifted the paralyzing spell.
Scorpius sprang to his feet. "What did you do?! He told you not to kill him!" he cried in despair.
Mortimer was still pointing his wand at Scorpius. "And what would you choose, Scorpius?" Those were the last words Scorpius heard before everything went black.