Even though I'm hella slow, I already have a basic outline of the end, so I'll have that sucker up within the end of the week, hopefully:) Here's to the end:pops open a bottle of champagne and kicks it with Snape:

Chapter 28: In the Enemy's Keep

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Thrown unceremoniously onto the floor, Harry groaned in pain. His head was killing him, passing from consciousness to unconsciousness several times over with only bits and pieces of images that confused and alarmed him until blackness engulfed him once more. When he finally awoke into a conscious awareness all he saw and felt was pitch blackness and cold, moist stone; he didn't know where he was, and all he could remember was being hit with a spell in the back.

This was not good, and the throbbing in his head coupled with the churning ball of dread in his stomach made him sick. Where was he? How much time had passed? Was it day yet? Or was it still night?

He checked himself for his wand to find it missing, and squinted into the darkness trying to make out anything that might give him clues as to where he was. That was soon discredited to be pointless. He got to his feet on wobbly legs and remembered all the potions Snape had pumped into him. With the sleeping potion he'd been given, he supposed he'd been out for quite a few hours, and knowing Snape, it wouldn't last longer than the requisite six hours he was used to, what with all his homework and Quidditch practice.

He knew he'd been taken somewhere within that time. As to where, he had no clue, and who had done it he couldn't recall either, but he sensed such maliciousness and spite about him that there was no doubt in his mind that Voldemort had something to do with it, and chances were that he was well within His keep.

Flailing his arms about, Harry came in contact with a cold stone wall and felt about it for a possible doorway and hopeful escape. This wasn't good at all. If he was in as dark a presence as he thought, Snape's potions wouldn't protect him for much longer, considering they even withstood the Dark Lord at all. It only made sense as to why he was dumped here without being immediately tortured or the like. The mind-blocks and mental-protections that the potions gave him were sure to be waning about now. He didn't have any more vials of that stuff that Snape wanted him to take every twelve hours, and he was sure that the stuff in his hands was long gone. He had, what, maybe five hours left? Six at the most? But that was depending on if he hadn't been trifled with while he was unconscious, but who knew what had been done to him?

Smirking in the darkness, Harry looked all about him, barely making out a glowing amber-eye halfway through a spot in the darkness high above him. A Dractnox! This could be his ticket out of here!

Dractnox! he mentally called, more overjoyed than ever to have one at his disposal. He wasn't sure if he'd caught its attention or not, as it was currently in a state of sedation, but that was probably just as good as naught. Dractnox, where am I?

he mentally called, more overjoyed than ever to have one at his disposal. He wasn't sure if he'd caught its attention or not, as it was currently in a state of sedation, but that was probably just as good as naught.

"You arrre with the other..." he heard. Or thought he heard. They sounded so very strange now. So unlike the last time he'd spoken with them. Restrained, perhaps, unnatural unto themselves. This, too, was very bad, and indicated foul play.

What 'other'?

"The Darrrk one that ssspeaksss, too."

The Dark one that speaks? Like me? He thought for a moment. Hm, one that speaks like me, a parseltongue that converses with Dractnoxes. Duh.

"Voldemort," he said aloud. He had to get out of here, wherever here was.

-Where- am I? No answer but the glowing amber eyes, the creature slowly moving through the wall.

"Dractnox, where!" He stopped mid-speech as a sudden heavy noise was made before him like that of stone against stone. He was temporarily blinded as a door lit with brilliant light cut through the darkness and illuminated his confines.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to quickly adjust them and perhaps launch an attack if the chance came. Looking through his fingers gave him a shock as he caught sight of fair hair and an all-too-familiar face looking at him with quiet scrutiny.

"Draco!" he said almost accusingly. He looked the other boy over trying to come to some logic that made sense, but found none. "What's going on?"

"It seems father wasn't making the usual complaints when he said he was coming to retrieve me from that bloody institution." He looked at Harry with abject hate. "You're a present for the Dark Lord, and now I'll have the honor of joining his ranks."

Harry moved towards him warily, trying to figure this out. "What did they do to you? What are you playing at!"

"Now, now, Draco, the pleasure of ridiculing this waste belongs to the Dark Lord alone," Lucius Malfoy said from behind his son. He stepped into the doorway blocking out most of the light, leering at Harry with a proud hand on his son's shoulder.

"You evil scum!" Harry yelled and glared right back, taking a lunge towards Lucius when his instincts told him to take a step back. It was a bold move; one that didn't go wasted on Malfoy sr. He took out his wand and muttered something under his breath as Harry was suddenly unable to move. However, he felt no pain, and credited that to the fact that Voldemort must've wanted him unharmed.

"Tsk, tsk, Potter, such bad manners. What would your mudblood mother have to say?" he asked smoothly. If he wasn't frozen in place, Harry would have killed him right there, wand or no wand. Yet all he could do was stand there and take it as his anger bubbled inside amid his confusion.

Lucius smirked with a last leer and took his leave. "Leave him that and return to the study. Get those idiots working on assembling that glass. And hurry. The Dark Lord won't accept failure, and neither will I."

He left then and Harry and Draco were alone. Taking up a plate given him, Draco left Harry his 'meal' inside the dark stone room. He looked behind him and back at Harry, still frozen in place for several more minutes.

"I'm sorry," Draco said quietly, full dread in his voice. "Father came last night..." He laughed hopelessly. "Turns out he honestly wasn't joking about coming...and I had to...they have the silver of the glass and the glass itself..." He lowered his eyes, the full hopelessness of the situation hitting him as Harry tried to move his mouth; to ask the questions that were driving him mad. "I don't know what He has planned, but something really bad is about to happen. To you." Harry twitched and he frowned sadly. "He took your wand...there's nothing I can do..."

Harry tried his hardest to move, speak; anything that would get his questions across. If he could blink in code, he would've done it.

Draco looked behind him into the corridor and turned back to Harry, his voice becoming more and more covert and wary. "I have no clue where we are, Potter, but He isn't happy because things are going too slow with you, and He's desperate, for some reason." Draco looked Harry straight in the face with a genuine look of worry. "They say he can't mess with your mind for a few more hours for some reason, but until then, Potter, you'd better figure something out, because something very bad is about to happen to you, and the rest of the wizarding world...I don't know how strong your belief in Dumbledore is, but I hope he finds this place..." Draco shook his head subconsciously, hopeless thoughts in his mind. "...I'll do what I can, but you'd better do whatever it is you do against the Dark Lord, Potter, or we're all screwed..." Draco whispered as he left the room, the door closing on the light and letting the all-consuming dark come in once more.

-

Harry figured it had been two hours since he'd last seen Draco, but then again, it was hard to tell when one was in pitch blackness. But as the door opened once again, Harry knew too much time had passed and his luck was running short. This time he was greeted by Malfoy senior and a very irate Bellatrix Lestrange, who immediately hit him with a painful spell that made his skin feel on fire.

"Now, now, Bella. The Dark Lord wants his body in excellent condition, and he won't look too kindly if you mar the thing more than necessary," Lucius told her with restraining hand on her arm.

"I suppose," she agreed reluctantly, taking the spell off Harry who was convulsing and writhing on the floor. Lucius petrified Harry's body and left the room with Bellatrix in tow, leaving the task of moving Harry's body to Draco. The boy went in with seeming disgust, but with wide-eyes he looked at Harry and bent low.

"This is it..." he whispered. "He's going to do it within the hour."

What 'it' was, Harry didn't know, and neither did Draco for that matter, as he wasn't yet privy to such information. As he felt himself being levitated and moved through many rooms with countless stone ceilings, high, low, and sometimes leaking, he began to hope and pray that something would happen, or someone would intervene. As he was taken to the main room- what he supposed was 'the laboratory'- he caught sight of many Death Eaters, sans masks, lining the room. A spark of hope entered him at this grave sight, and that was that, if Death eaters were being called forth for whatever was going to happen, Snape would be there, wouldn't he?

It was a small hope, the only one he had, but as he was brought closer to the center of the room and caught sight of a table with arm and leg bindings, the Omnivieve Glass close by, his hope grew to panic and panic to desperation.

Dumbledore, where are you?

-

Okay, rather short, yes, but I think the next chapter will be the end. With that said, we're finally bringing this to a close after my lazy ass has spent years writing it, it being the very first fanfiction I've ever written (and the only one so far I've freakin' finished:o). So now I'll give a bit of recognition and see you all next chap!

Lady Foxfire: I guess we found out, didn't we:)

S.S.I: Hee hee, honestly, this story IS a freakin' beast! It's taken the better half of almost two years (due to it being my very first, plus I was an amateur). But I promised I'd finish this thing and damn it all I am:D I have several other HP fics in mind, but I'd like to finish this one and then my PotC story first, and then I'll start those. Otherwise I'll be all over the place like a bad oil spill:) Thankx for your kind words! I always look forward to your reviews!

Flyingpixie: Thanx so much...only one more after this:)

divinething: And now we know what's going on (at least a bit more) don't we:D Yes, Voldie can talk with the Dractnoxes since he's been sneaking around up here :taps head: And oh darn, that omnivieve glass...What -does- he have possibly planned! Heh heh, some answers and some riddles:) Glad you liked that line! I was hoping someone would:)

Bahzad: Guess we know, don't we?

omega-i: Thanx much! And now we come to a close...

Buijana: Well thank you so very much! I had thoroughly believed I'd lost my touch (I'm kinda lazy and a real idiot some time) but thanx! Never read your fanfic before, or heard about such things, but I guess great minds DO think alike:D Thankies much! If you'd like any pointers, I have a large friggin' guide I created about a year ago for fanfic help:)