Harry couldn't help but be happy for the Weasleys when Mr. Weasley was able to come home a few days before the new-year's celebrations. They all celebrated a small late Christmas where they each saved up a present to open with their injured father. It was a happy occasion all round. Harry got a little embarrassed when the attention was turned his way and they made a toast to him.
Ron pulled out a warm looking fur-covered vest and smiled faintly at his mother, who encouraged him to put it on but when her back was turned, Ron turned Harry's way and grimaced, putting the vest on. It hurt Harry but he didn't say it. The vest may look a little scruffy, but his mother made it for him. By hand. To keep him warm.
Harry was glad when he sneaked away from Hermione and Ron. He decided to occupy his time exploring a couple of the empty rooms that had already been checked. Most were empty and very spacious, reminding Harry that this was the house of an aristocratic family. He looked around once more and closed the door. He sighed as he made sure the red charm remained intact at the door's handle. It was the code chosen to show that the room had been checked and declared clear to enter.
"Filthy muggle loving scum…" He heard Kreacher's voice down somewhere in the house. Harry turned trying to see where the sound came from but he figured the vile house-elf was busy far away from him. He saw the door at the end of the corridor now had a red tag on it. It wasn't there a few days ago. Curiosity set in Harry's chest and he walked to check the new room out. Opening the door it led to a grand dark corridor, with a small brass chandelier at the centre emitting an eerie green light to the whole stretch of corridor.
Harry walked inside, an odd faint breeze encouraged him further in. Something scurried past that he couldn't see. Harry gasped turning round to see Kreacher close the door. The corridor fell into a tomb-like silence. His instincts must perked up but he did not know why. His heart raced as if it could anticipate something that Harry himself couldn't identify. Harry pulled out his wand and stepped back slowly, without turning his back to the corridor.
He reached back to the door knob but turning it did nothing. He kept his eyes fixed on it while he pointed his wand at the door knob. "Alohamora." Harry brought the wand back to the front and tried to open the door again to no avail.
The corridor was mostly empty, a few tables covered in dark cloth here and there. What looked like a broken mirror hanging at the centre and at the end a bulky small figure blocked the door beyond. The figure was covered in a black cloth and Harry feared that in fact it was some kind of creature that he was now trapped with.
"Hello?" His voice did not carry past his lips and his ears felt stuffy, his own voice sounding muffled. He needed to get out of here. Through that door. He hesitantly walked toward the covered figure without it moving. The pressure in his ears became stronger and he was getting a little lightheaded. The corridor seemed to distort as he took a few more steps toward the door. It was getting warmer, and god what was that stench? Harry covered his nose though it did little to block the smell. He glanced at the draped figure and realised that it came from it.
He snuck past it and reached to push the door open but it slammed shut. Harry turned and froze as he saw the drape on the floor and the uncovered figure standing in the centre of the corridor, facing him. It was an iron maiden, metallic, ancient, and blood stained. It only looked big enough to fit a house elf… or a child. It opened slowly and the stench worsened. Harry turned around and struggled to force the door open. The metallic screeching stopped and Harry braced himself, turning back slowly.
He did not expect what he saw. Inside the iron maiden a climbing plant had mangled its insides, dislodging several of the sharp spikes. The twisted vines had tiny orange flowers. The breeze, started again. It carried a sweet, fresh scent from the flowers. It made him want to get closer, to breathe in the scent, to try and erase the vile stench from his memory. He let his wand hand drop to his side as he came closer. It was calling him, welcoming him, it smelled oh so sweet compared to the rest of the dingy corridor. Harry dropped to his knees, dazed by the scent, reaching for the flowers.
oOoOoOo oOoOoOo oOoOoOo
Severus was actually in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld place. He had brought a couple of improved potion recipes and was explaining the more complicated ones to Molly Weasley. He had not seen the boy yet. He was probably with his friends. Hence, when the golden trio, minus one, rushed in to alert them of Potter's disappearance, he was more than a little annoyed. And not at Potter for once. At Black. He turned to the mangy bastard who walked in behind the two as they made their declaration only to frown.
"Well done Black. Your one role this winter was to keep an eye on Potter. Your one role." Severus said.
"What do you mean he's missing? Did you check your room Ron?" Ron shook his head.
"We've checked in tagged room! Nothing… I don't think… he wouldn't have left… would he?" Hermione said.
"The wards would have been alerted, Granger." Severus said in annoyance.
"Kreacher!" Sirius yelled. The house elf popped into appearance before them.
"Yes master?" he asked lazily.
"Do you know where Harry is?" Sirius demanded.
"Why, of course, master. Kreacher knows where everyone is in this house, mast-"
"Where is he?"
"Why, in the east wing, master."
"The east wing has not been cleared yet." Black announced and rushed out. Molly rushed out after him as did the two teenagers. Severus was a little surprised to find himself momentarily frozen in place. It was not that he didn't know how to react. It was that for a few seconds every single horrid outcome was passing through the potions master's head, twisting his insides with a crippling fear he hadn't felt in fourteen years.
The rapid stomping on the stairs snapped him out of it and he rushed right after them, taking the steps two at a time. He arrived close behind the teenagers who were chastised and told to move back by Mrs. Weasley.
Black viciously ripped a red cord from the door. "Kreacher if you put this here I swear… Alohamora!" He yelled blasting the door open with the sheer force of the spell. Severus faintly saw the limp silhouette in lying in the pitch-black corridor. He entered close behind Sirius who illuminated the way with his wand.
A sinister sweet smell hit his nose. "Cover your nose Black! That's Devil's Torture." Snape said. In a haste the other pressed his sleeve against his nose and they rushed to the boy. Snape hovered the figure covering the boy, a hollow Tibetan wooden doll. Hip high and cursed by the feel of its magic as it was moved.
"Harry! Harry!" Black desperately shook the child who did not move.
"Let's get him out of here Black! Before both of us pass out." It was unclear where the scent of the Devil's Torture was coming from but if they inhaled it any longer they would all be in a bad state. He carried Potter outside with ease and Molly made sure to seal the door properly.
Severus rushed to the boy's side checking him. "He's not breathing Snape."
"I can see that Black!" He snapped back, grabbing the boy's hand, roughly shoving his sleeve up his arm, showing his darkened nails and the black tendrils going up his arm.
"He touched it... oh Merlin." Mrs. Weasley whispered. Severus pulled out his knife, cutting the boy's shirt open seeing the black tendrils slowly reaching his shoulder. It spread slowly, with each heartbeat the poison inched further up the boy's veins and closer to his heart.
Black instantly spelled a cord to wrap around Harry's arm and tighten fast, stopping his circulation. Severus reached for a mustard yellow potion in his belt and forced the boy to swallow it. He placed his hand on the boy's pale chest feeling for any movement, praying for the steady rise and fall to begin. The seconds stretched into hours but in what seemed like too long a time the boy gasped and started breathing quickly. His body's cold temperature spiked quickly and the poison brought against Black's binding to spread further.
"We need to get him to Hogwarts. I don't have any of the potions required for this level of poisoning. The bezoar essence won't hold back this kind of poison for long." He said, managing to sound fairly calm about the whole situation. There were no arguments.
oOoOoOo oOoOoOo oOoOoOo
It was so hot. So hot. Where was he?
"Potter… come on… dri… Pott… ink this… Potter… Harry." Harry gasped opening his eyes, whimpering and crying out instantly. His entire body felt like it was on fire and he tried to get away from it, but all he could manage to do was toss his head from side to side, his body feeling too heavy to move.
"Make it stop… stop it… stop it." Harry whimpered.
"Potter!" Harry turned to see Snape beside him. Behind him some white curtains. Oh, he was in the hospital wing. Snape reached to help him sit up and help restrain him as much as he could from thrashing too much. He didn't want that drink. It was steaming. It would just make him hotter.
"No!"
"Don't be a child! Drink this right now!" Snape demanded. Harry whimpered in frustration and opened his mouth, closing his eyes. He felt the hot sludgy potion go down his throat. Finally it was all gone and he lay back, panting.
"Hot… 's too hot… hot…" He whimpered, squirming uncomfortable.
"It'll get better." Snape's voice said. Harry felt the other press a cool cloth to his forehead but he felt too heavy to push the hand away. He remembered some flowers… the corridor.
"Mmh… iron maiden… the… smell so bad… I… had to…"
"Shh… sleep Potter." Harry whimpered, wishing it were so easy to go to sleep. However, as he prepared the words to tell him just that, he found himself taking in a different kind of scent. Peppermint. Was that the potion? Snape? It was nice.
oOoOoOo oOoOoOo oOoOoOo
Severus sighed in relief as he felt the boy go back to sleep. He carefully moved out from behind him, laying him back down carefully. The boy's breathing remained erratic and his remained flushed.
Lucky him that the boy decided to regain consciousness just as he took over for Madam Pomfrey. Yet he couldn't help… the relief that came with seeing the boy somewhat conscious. It meant that the unending flow of potions was actually starting to push back the poison. "Idiotic child…" He whispered closing his eyes, rubbing his forehead, trying to push away the feelings of exhaustion from brewing the antidote continuously for two days straight.
Removing the endless curses on the Tibetan doll had proven arduous on Molly Weasley and Black's side as well. Only that morning had they managed to split the hollow beast in half to reveal the small orange flowers known as the Devil's Torture. Its scent lures you close and its spores can make you pass out but it only enters the body if you reach out and grab them.
Those curses on the doll must have made the boy want nothing more than to reach for them. But even with all the antidote in the world… the worst part was still to come. It was not called the Devil's Torture for nothing.
For the first time in a long time Severus longed to be called away by the Dark Lord. He did not want to see the child go through it. It seemed like the gods would not take kindly to his desires. He should be used to that by now.
