Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence, goriness, and foul language all readers please be advised. No flames for that you have now been warned.
Sirius dropped to the floor like a leaf in the fall. The letter clutched in his hands. This couldn't be happening, his Moony was rejecting him and their friendship. He apologized for Merlin's sake what more could he do. 'Nothing' that one little word popped out of his head. There wasn't anything more that he could do. He was a broken man with nobody in the world. He had to leave this house, get away from the quiet otherwise he would go insane. Maybe Molly would take him in for a few days, while Arthur was away on his mission. Yes, the Burrow would be a fantastic place to go to. While there would be kids, he knew Molly would give him a room where nobody would disturb him and he wouldn't feel so lonely. But, maybe he deserved to be alone, he let his best friend die. It was his fault, he told James he couldn't be secret keeper and to give that position to Wormtail. Wormtail he couldn't even think anymore on that rat, if he caught him he would fry the little nuisance up and than feed him to Tawny on a silver platter. No he would go to the Burrow he decided, he needed a change. With a quick few accio's his essentials were packed in his trunk.
"The Burrow." Sirius yelled and stepped inside the floo, his trunk shrunk in his pocket. He passed through the floo connections and came out of the fireplace on an unsuspecting person. Realizing who it was he jumped off as quick as he could.
"Watch where you're going Black." Remus' eyes flashed a very threatening shade of silver.
Sirius could see that Moony was trying to break through, Remus was putting on a good fight trying to hold back the wolf, otherwise he'd probably tear his body apart if he could've been given the chance.
Sirius made as if to lay a hand on the thin man, in hopes to calm, and resume their friendship but Remus just snarled and walked away as fast as he could.
"Sirius I'm so glad you're here." Dumbledore's presence took him by surprise. What was this an order meeting without him? Of all the ungrateful…
"It's Arthur." Albus broke through his thoughts.
"What's happened to him?" Sirius asked becoming the Auror he was trained to be. He could not lose another person, while he was not best friends with the man they were still close, Arthur and Molly became second parents to the Marauders and they were part of their family. How he could've almost forgotten them was beyond him.
"He's disappeared on his mission. Not more than two days into his mission. Not a word has been heard from him." Sad eyes turned to stare at the woman sitting in the rocker with a baby cuddled into her chest. Her pale face daunting, her eyes red rimmed. "We think its Voldemort." Albus said the aforementioned name as if he just called a student.
"How do you know that You – Know - Who really has Arthur?" Sirius asked. "Maybe Arthur decided that he was on the wrong track and went somewhere else without informing anyone."
"Arthur was on a mission at the ministry. An official ministry worker was found bounded by a petrificus totalus by Alastor, almost to the time when you kicked me out of your floo network. When Moody talked to the man he described Arthur's description and said that another man dressed as a ministry official took something off the shelves and than took Arthur with him."
"What did he take Albus?" Sirius asked urgently.
"I have no clue, the ministry official couldn't make out what it was. But he knew for sure that Arthur was taken."
"What can I do?" Sirius jumped to his feet ready to storm through the ministry itself to search for another Order member.
"I need you to take care of Molly for me. She's not doing too well. If Voldemort has Arthur there's not much we can do. Other members are busy trying to find him. Molly needs someone for support."
"I'm the wrong person to ask of that right now Albus." Sirius said almost getting away from those sparkling eyes.
"You've both lost people right now. Wouldn't it be better to try and find comfort with each other's help. She needs someone right now Sirius, look at her closely."
Sirius looked and gasped. She looked worse than when she did when he came through the floo, and that was only five minutes ago. The little baby boy was still being cuddled, but now he was crying, she was smothering him. She was smothering the baby. She was smothering Harry.
"Harry." Sirius whispered. Walking closer to the grieving woman. Before Molly knew what happened little Ron was out of her arms.
"Harry I found you, you're alive." Sirius started cooing to the baby, ignoring everyone around him.
Ron started to cry. Not liking the fact that he was without his mum. He was quite content in the little cocoon that she made for him. "No no Harry don't cry. Sirius has you now. Hush little baby don't say a word, Siri's gonna buy you a mockingbird…" Sirius sang.
"Sirius," Dumbledore approached cautiously while watching the bedraggled woman from the side, reaching for her baby. He knew instantly that it was a mistake to suggest to Sirius to comfort the distraught Molly, but he didn't need the man getting in the way during a time like this, and that's what he knew would happen Sirius would be more of a hinder than a help.
Sirius lifted a finger to his closed lips, signalling Albus to be quiet. "I think Harry's finally going to go to sleep. Isn't he adorable when he sleeps?" Sirius continued to rock the infant in his arms.
"I'm sorry Sirius, but that's Molly's son Ronald. You know Ron; you've seen him before. Now why not give him back to Molly, she needs him now." Albus tried to soothe the man to no avail.
"This is Harry, Dumbledore. Look at his amazing eyes; they sparkle just like Lily's. Don't they, yes they do." Sirius said poking a finger into Ron's chubby little stomach.
Ron in the meantime continued to wail.
"Sirius Black you madman give me my child." Molly shrieked finally coming to her senses. Her red hair flying around her face wildly, for a woman who was getting to be on the heavy side Molly moved like a dragon protecting its young. She flew out of the chair and grabbed her child right out of Sirius' arms before he knew what hit him.
"Give Harry back you crazy lady. He's mine. James and Lily left him to me. Give him back." Sirius became desperate. He needed the little one; they belonged together, along with Remus.
"It's not Harry, Sirius." Molly stated gently trying to soothe the man. "It's Ron, mine and Arthur's child." At the mention of Arthur, Molly burst into tears. "Any word Albus. Anything at all?" She asked desperately in hopes of finding her husband.
That's all the time that Sirius needed before he grabbed the child again.
"My baby." Molly cried. "You give him back now Sirius, this isn't funny anymore."
"Like I said before Molly Harry was left in my custody, how you found him is beyond me, and why nobody told me the instant he was found is above my reasoning. I'm taking Harry and nobody can stop me." He turned to leave, but found three wands pointed at him.
"MOVE." He shouted. "Harry's mine, the last remaining piece of James. MINE, MINE, MINE."
"Give him back to Molly." A rough voice cracked, and Sirius realized it belonged to Remus.
"Make me." He growled in reply at his once best friend.
"You fool Black. You've always been one. Look closely at the child. Look at his tuft of hair, his eyes. It's not Harry. Why are you doing this to Molly? She doesn't deserve it. She's going through a really bad time right now; think of someone other than yourself. Its. Not. Harry." Remus snarled right back at him.
"Why don't you fools look at him, it's clearly Harry. Look at the way he smiles, the dimples."
"Harry never had dimples you imbecile…"
"Remus that's enough." Albus intervened before the two got carried away. He saw the way they were looking at each other. One ready to hex, the other ready to fight bare handed. "Sirius that's Ronald Weasley, the youngest of the Weasley clan. Now would you mind giving him back to Molly? I think he would appreciate being in his mother's arms right now."
"It's Harry." Sirius mumbled quietly. "It's Harry. Why don't you believe me?" He asked dejectedly to the three men holding the wands.
"Listen to Remus, Sirius. Look at the child closely." Albus said, trying to calm down the bewildered man, and bring the baby back to his distraught mother.
Sirius looked at the child, examining him for the first time. He gasped with what he saw. A tuft of red hair sticking up in all directions, baby blue eyes staring straight into his. "It's a trick." He proclaimed. "Harry's wearing a glamour. They changed my Harry."
"No Sirius, there's no glamour, there's no magic, this is Molly's child. We're still searching for both Arthur Weasley and Harry Potter. Now give the baby back to Molly." Albus said feeling very old all of a sudden.
"Not Harry, not Harry, not Harry." Sirius kept repeating. "Harry's gone, gone forever." His mind returning, he pushed little Ron back to his waiting mother's arms. "I'm sorry." He mumbled to Molly.
"It's alright Sirius, it's understandable. You're upset, we're all upset. Mistakes happen."
"I'm sorry." Sirius repeated as if not hearing the words just spoken. He pushed past Remus who was standing in his way, knocking him to the ground, and before anybody could say anything to Sirius Black he disappeared in the fireplace.
"Well that certainly didn't go too well." Molly said still cradling Ron to her, who was now content once again. "Shouldn't someone go after him, to see if he's alright?" She asked, her worry for others pushed aside her own grief.
"He'll be fine Molly, don't worry. It's been a stressful couple of days on all of us. Our main goal is to find Arthur." Albus said.
"He's alright for now." Molly whispered glancing at the clock that read that Arthur was lost, but not in mortal peril.
The other's followed her gaze to watch the clock, praying that it didn't move any further ahead.
Coldness was the first thing that greeted him when he woke. Not the overpowering of the darkness, not the blood he could feel running down his body, not even the bones he knew were broken. Just the cold. Like an old unwanted friend, it was there. Greeting him, welcoming him, in the most brutal of ways. He wrapped his arms around him, trying to protect himself from the cold. Nothing worked. He knew he must be in some sort of cell, there was a fight, he could remember that much, he was on an important mission from Dumbledore, he had to try and find something, and when he was in the middle of his mission he was attacked right in the middle of the ministry, but the question was by who? Who took him, who knew what he was after, and who on earth knew that he was after it. He couldn't figure it out. Nobody was supposed to know. Not even Snape the spy.
"Think Arthur, think." He ran his fingers through his hair, that in the clear daylight would look just like the sunset. Red and fiery. He felt a wetness in his hands. And knew at once that it was even more blood. He had to find away out, get word to Dumbledore and the rest of the Order. He needed to get out of here and fast. His wife and kids must be worried sick for him. How on earth did he land himself into this situation?
"Thanks for the hospitality." He shouted at no one, but at the same time to everyone. "Show yourself, you spineless coward, come out here and fight like a man." If he were meant to die, he would die with bravery and not like a stuttering house elf.
The light went on fast, way too fast for Arthur Weasley's liking. It knocked him down and he was forced to close his eyes and scurry into the corner away from it. "Smart move Weasley." He said to himself. "You have no wand, nobody knows you're here, and you shout at the person who abducted you to come to you. Smart, real smart." He kept berating himself, waiting for his captor to appear.
The heavy fall of footsteps ricocheted off the walls. One heavy footstep at a time. Yet he could still see no sign of the person it belonged to. The light was still too bright.
The footsteps stopped the lights dimmed. "Ahh, Mr. Weasley, I'm so glad you could join us in my lovely abode. Do hope you're enjoying your stay here."
Arthur remained huddled in the corner, not recognizing the voice and at the same time not daring to look up to see the man or demon that the voice belonged to. "Wh-what do you want?" He was finally able to spit it out.
"Is that the way to treat your host? Now come on Weasley it's not so bad here. And once you tell me what I want to know you're free to leave. I already have in possession what you were after, now I just need a few questions answered."
Arthur could feel the man smiling at him. He shuddered with distaste. "I don't know anything. Let me go." His courage returning for a brief second.
"Au contraire. I think you know a lot more than you're willing to reveal."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just an innocent man with a wife and kids. Please let me go. They need me." There that was right bringing up kids had to make this mad man leave him be and let him go back to his family.
"I want to know about the order of the phoenix, Arthur. Tell me what you know. What is Dumbledore up to?"
Arthur's head snapped up at the mention of the order of the phoenix. Who was this man? Than he saw it, the red eyes of the monster known as Voldemort, but it couldn't be, he looked different, younger. He had hair, and he didn't look like a snake anymore, he actually resembled a man, but the eyes explained it all and he knew the truth. "no…no…no…no…"
"Oh yes, Dear Weasley. Until you tell me what I want to know, you will be my personal guest."
"I told you I don't know anything about this so called Order. You delusional psychotic…"
"CRUCIO!" Voldemort yelled.
Arthur struggled on the floor, his screams deafening him, never before had he felt so much pain. He just wanted to die.
Voldemort held the curse, until he could see droplets of blood fall from his prisoner's nose, than he stopped it just as abruptly as it started. He needed answers after all, and not from a half crazed man. "Ready?" Voldemort asked a little too sweetly for Arthur's liking.
Beads of sweat rolled down Arthur's face. "I'll never tell you anything. You crazed lunatic." He shouted.
"Rippartè." Voldemort crowed.
Arthur let out a sigh of relief, when nothing happened. There was no pain, no broken ligaments, nothing. He slumped back in his cell with relief.
"I wouldn't get too comfortable just yet." Voldemort hissed.
Arthur looked at him quizzically. He never heard the spell before, nor knew what it was supposed to do, but the look on Voldemort's face told of pain that was yet to come.
And the pain did come. Slowly at first as if it were taking a Sunday walk through the park than faster. Yet no matter what he did he could not find a release for the pain. He knew it was travelling down his body. And than with wonderment and fear he realized that the pain was travelling a certain course straight down his body, and there was only one way out. "No…no…" Arthur cried. Preparing for what was about to happen. He could feel it moving towards his hips and when it reached the destination it split in two. This energy would not stop. "Oh please. Merlin help me!" He shouted into the nothingness of his cell.
Voldemort's cruel laugh filtered his ears. The balls of energy (which he could now call it) travelled down his legs. Here it came. Faster and faster first to his kneecaps, than it came within seconds to his ankles, and than straight out through both his feet. Ripping them off the appendage and splattering against the wall in a mangled mess of flesh, blood, and bones. Arthur who was usually a strong man, was now huddling on the ground whimpering in pain.
"Liked that trick, didn't you?." Voldemort sneered. "Here let me help you to stand." Voldemort reached through the bars offering the now invalid man a helping hand.
"F…F….Fuck You." Arthur yelled. Dignity be damned. Despite the pain and the missing feet, Arthur crawled across the floor a trail of blood following him in his wake. "I'll kill you, you bastard. I'll kill you."
"Why not stand up and say it like a man." Voldemort hissed. "I dare you."
Arthur growled in rage. His energy already anew. He forced his body to move faster despite the pain he was going through. He lunged with all his strength at the bars trying to get to the sadistic man beyond them. The instant he touched the bars he knew it was a mistake. His hands started to burn and than in the blinding light he could see his fingers melting like a candle. Within seconds his hands were no more, just like his feet, all gone and now a puddle of goo on the floor.
"Finite Incantantum." Voldemort waved his wand lazily, finishing the curse that was placed on the bars.
"Why'd you do that?" Arthur asked through gritted teeth, more from the pain and the lost limbs rather than anger. He hoped that Voldemort would be fooled.
"I need you alive for just a little bit longer, having your body melting would be of no help to me, Mr. Weasley." He drawled.
"I told you I don't know anything and even if…"
"You did you wouldn't help me. But let's see how helpful you would be if I left you alone for a couple more hours, by yourself."
"That wouldn't change a thing." Arthur screamed.
"Oh I think it would." Voldemort sneered. "Duressio." Voldemort shouted as he walked away from the screams.
Arthur thought he knew pain, first when he was put under the Crucio, than when his feet were catapulted off his ankles, than when his hands melted like burning wax, but those were nothing as to what he felt now. He knew the one that called himself the dark lord, was sick, sadistic, and just plain evil, but this was horrible. This durressio curse cut right into his being. He could feel it going after every vital organ, slashing his insides. He could feel his skin tearing from the inside out, and it was the oddest sensation he had ever felt. And yet every time he thought he would die, he didn't. He knew the odds against him living were slim, but this was insane. He should have been dead by now on all accounts. After what seemed like forever and the pain had numbed, and he could barely remember his own name, because the curse didn't allow him to go insane, the pain stopped, the curse ended. But Arthur was a smart man; he knew it wasn't over yet. This game was played on him before, it was all leading up to one gigantic explosion, and Arthur knew through all the madness that he was feeling, that he was going to lose another part of his body. "MOLLY!" He screamed the name of his beloved. If only to give him some hope, some strength in order for him to continue on through this ordeal. "MOLLY! MOLLY! MOLLY!" His cries screamed, his handless arms waving around like a maniac, his footless legs trying to kick out the madness he desperately needed to feel. Then finally he felt it, another cutting sensation, but it wasn't in his body. That would've been too easy. This one felt like it was coming from the left side of his face. "MOLLY!" He screamed once more as he felt the skin part from his skull. Inch by inch the skin on that one side broke apart. It felt like the time when he was a kid and he pulled a scab off, it was agonizingly slow and painful. His left ear was no more, and he couldn't hear the curse made sure of that. Along his face frame it travelled. He could now feel the top half portion flapping to and fro in the soft breeze that came into his prison. Each time it banged against his cheek he could feel the ear slapping against his cheek and nose causing him revulsion, until he vomited on himself, making the pain even more unbearable as now the curse was already moving towards his eyelids. Almost there, a little bit more and it would be off. "Almost done, almost done, almost done." The mantra was said over and over again. He could now feel his eyeball coming loose from its socket it was now deemed useless dangling by a large vein. Lying down on his back, clasping his two wrists together, he got a hold of the eyeball and yanked with all his might. His scream was loud, but no one heard. The eyeball rolled to the dark corner. The loose flap of skin finally fell off and all that was left was bones, muscles, and veins, miraculously still holding together.
Clapping and laughter could be heard from outside the cell. His pain was causing the murderous monster pleasure. "Over an hour and you're still alive." Voldemort whispered. "Your new face looks good on you, Weasley, suits you much better than the other one did."
Arthur ignored him. His cries having finally subsided, his breathing almost returning to normal even after that long and strenuous ordeal.
"An hour and forty minutes, quite impressive."
"Drop dead." Arthur managed out. His face still stinging, he sat up, and with his one eye left, glared at the man before him. But something in the man's arms stopped him in his movements.
"I'd like you to meet a special guest of mine." A toothy grin was let loose as brown eyes met emerald green.
"Harry," Arthur murmured, "it's true. You have him, he's alive." Arthur laughed. The little boy was miraculously alive.
Harry giggled at the man trying to reach through the bars with his pudgy hand. "No Harry, you'll hurt yourself." Voldemort admonished him. Harry continued.
"If you give Harry to me and let us go, I'll tell you everything you want to know." Arthur finally said defeated and broken. It wasn't his life at stake anymore it included Harry's now too. He had to return Harry back to Sirius and Remus, Merlin, they would be so happy to get the baby back. Taking a closer look with his one good eye, Arthur took a look over Harry. And was glad to see he looked to be in perfect health.
"Agreed." Voldemort replied. "You tell me what I want to know, and you're free to leave, with Harry."
"I want a wizards oath." Arthur exclaimed.
"Deal." Voldemort agreed.
Arthur didn't feel too happy about this. The most feared man in the wizarding world just agreed to something way too easily. This could not be good.
"I Thomas Riddle, give a wizards oath that I will allow your freedom and Harry's in exchange for all the information that I want." A golden burst of light surrounded the dark lord and his prisoner, finally diminishing into darkness again.
"Ask, than." Arthur demanded.
"Tell me what the prophecy says." Voldemort hissed in eagerness.
"I don't know. I'm not privy to that information." Arthur's shoulders slumped.
"Alright tell me where the order of the phoenix is located."
"I can't say either. I'm not the secret keeper." Arthur's voice dropped.
"Tell me what the order of the phoenix is up to, what their plans are in stopping me."
"The other night Dumbledore told us about a possible raid. It was my duty to watch the area in case of a disruption, but first I had to go to the Ministry and retrieve something for him. The other main concern that Dumbledore has is over the boy. He believes he's in your care, and he's right. Dumbledore is anxious to get the boy back because of the prophecy. Otherwise there's not one set plan in stopping you, the order's been taking it step by step on the information that Snape gives us." Arthur realized his mistake and knew that the spy was outed.
Voldemort smiled cruelly. His spy was doing a good job. The Order believed everything that he was feeding them. He would have to reward Severus generously for a job well done.
"Thank you so very much for the update Weasley. You and your Order are just as pathetic as you sound."
"We will stop you Voldemort. We will destroy you and your followers. We will win."
"We shall see won't we?" He said while jostling a restless Harry in his arms. Harry was getting very bored of just standing and he wanted to be very much doing something else.
"Come Harry I think a bath is in order for you."
"Baff, no Baff." Harry said his face looking disgruntled.
"Yes, you are a very dirty boy. Being down here near a filthy mudblood lover isn't very hygienic."
"NO BAFF." Harry yelled.
"We'll negotiate than. You'll have a bath or I'll Crucio you." Though he had no intention of doing that on one so young.
"DUCKIE." Harry demanded.
"Fine the duck can have a bath too." Voldemort said as he walked away with Harry.
Arthur sat there stunned while hearing the conversation going on around him. The so-called dark lord, looking after his enemy, a child that he killed the parents for in order to get to him. "Wait." Arthur yelled out.
"What is it Weasley?" Voldemort turned around annoyed, making Harry's babbling stop.
"Your promise, the wizards oath. You can't break it. You promised that me and Harry would be free to go."
"Ahh see that's where you're wrong. I promised you both freedom if you gave me all the information that I wanted. I didn't get all information I desired. So the wizards oath that I made has now become null and void."
"You can't do that. I told you what I could." Arthur screamed.
"Alright I'll keep part of the promise that I made, I'll send you home."
Arthur eyed him sceptically. Knowing the man before him now, he knew there must be some kind of catch to it.
"CRUCIO!" Voldemort yelled with his wand hand. Harry's cries joined the screams emanating from the other man that he couldn't reach.
Voldemort kept the curse on him for fifteen minutes. Then when he had finally broken Arthur Weasley, and the man couldn't remember his first name, he portkeyed his prisoner to a place where he would be found. "Let that be a warning Dumbledore. I win." Voldemort said into the darkness, carrying Harry out of the damp dark dungeons, after all this was no place for a little child.
A/n well there you go, chapter four finally up I know. Ducks for cover I swear I didn't mean for it to take this long, but it did. The chapter was not exactly what I had planned, it changed a little bit near the end. New chapter will be up… I honestly have no clue. I'm happy that this was able to be posted. One will come no promises when though, I'm sorry.
Hope you enjoyed, and please review, and thanks to those who reviewed last time, it was greatly appreciated.
Much love to everyone,
Hedwig11445