BEYOND SECRETS AND LIES
By: Chiki Yumeshisa

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I am up to no good….all right fine! Harry Potter does not belong to me. All original characters/ideas are mine to claim. 'Swallow the Knife' lyrics by Story of the Year are used here and I don't take credit for that.

AN: HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! Terribly sorry about the mess up last time. (Blushes). With so many stories alternatedly getting updated, I made the mistake for the first time in my life of putting up the wrong story's chapter. Again, my humblest apologies. Sorry for the late update, please enjoy.

Warnings: None!

Chapter 12:
- Are you afraid of the dark? -

Now our hands are tied…the problems lie within…

3 days passed and Harry refused to come out of his room except to use the washroom, which was just across the hall. He did not want to see Snape ever again: he was a silent prisoner.

Literally.

The silencing spell that had rebounded onto him had not yet worn off – he must have cast a very powerful one…so the days were spent in complete silence. He had nothing to comfort him except for Abcde's light.

He was hungry and tired – despite the fact that he spent the entire day holed up in his room, he could not sleep. If he did, he would have terrible nightmares and he was afraid that Bryce would enter his mind. He could not risk it.

He occupied himself instead, by cleaning up his bedroom and making it feel more like home. He erased all the cobwebs and scuffed clean all the surfaces from dust. He even managed to get a fire in the grate so he wouldn't feel so cold at night.

When he was too overwhelmed, he listened, numbly, to Abcde talk and watched her beautiful light shine and wash over him in comforting waves.

But even that had started to ebb over the course of the time she spent down in the dungeons with him. So much so that he began to worry that she would indeed, die. He felt like he was on the edge too…maybe dying would be better than this…..

By the fourth day, he could not stand it any longer. The pills he was supposed to be taking stared defiantly up at him from his dresser drawers, as if taunting him. He had to break the spell or Abcde would not last much longer – he would not last much longer. There was no choice but to face Snape again.

Just as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, the Professor was just coming out of his own room, and the two of them froze, finally face to face.

Harry stiffened and felt the primary urge just to run back to his room and lock himself within. At the same time he refused to be the first one to turn away.

His hand went instinctively to his pocket where his wand lay at the ready, when he saw Snape move. He would not be caught unaware like the last time – he was always on guard now.

But Snape did not take out his wand, nor did he make a move to come any closer. Instead, he inclined his head slowly towards the direction of the kitchen. "Breakfast will be on shortly if you care to come down to it." His voice was monotone as he spoke. "Unless you insist to hole yourself up again."

Harry felt the floor sway under him, but he never moved. He felt like he had been turned on pause, or petrified. He stared up at Snape, hollowly wondering whether he could hold off on food for just a bit longer so long as he didn't have to be in the older man's presence.

"It won't help you if you don't take your pills." Snape continued, sounding desperate to cut the tension between them. "And you know as well as I do that they can only be taken after eating – and you're underfed as it is….."

Why the elder man was telling him something he already knew, Harry could only wonder. Could it be that Snape was worried about him?

Harry couldn't help but scoff at the thought.

The sooner I'm gone the happier he'll be. He thought, miserably. But those words were like a beam of light: the sooner he was out of Snape's presence, the better.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Harry found the courage to nod. And before he knew it, Snape had left him standing alone in the hallway.

Breakfast was an event.

When they sat down to the table, they resembled bottled sodas waiting to burst. And when food appeared before them, neither made a move to pick up their utensils; Harry kept his hands tightly balled into fists in his lap, while Snape sat rigidly, his eyes like black coals watching every move he made.

Finally, he let out a frustrated sigh. "It's bad manners to stare." He said, flatly.

Harry did not respond – he couldn't. Instead, he mechanically picked up his fork and poked at his bacon, suddenly very weak. The exhaustion and pent up anger had taken its toll on him – he was surprised to see that he wasn't falling over. He was afraid he would at any minute.

"Spell's still got your tongue tied?" That made him glance up warily. "Maybe I should leave you like that – it's better when you're not speaking."

If looks could kill, Snape would have died right away as his eyes met with Harry's.

He looked away quickly and waved his hand, silently reversing the spell that Harry had cast accidentally on himself.

"You shouldn't have tried to hex me."

"And you shouldn't have said that." Harry retorted, feeling his temper rise. He had a fine one and he was beginning to get used to letting it free. His voice croaked after not having used it for so long.

Snape cut through his meat slowly, choosing not to reply. Instead, he reverted back to familiar grounds: teachers could always order their students around.

That was their plane: Teacher and student.

Nothing else.

"After breakfast you will take the potion. You've delayed for long enough as it is: at this rate, you won't be leaving my quarters until halfway into the first month of the year. And I'm sure you'd rather not."

" I'll take it." Harry allowed, forcing himself to come to terms with the man, if it meant getting out faster.

"I'll be needing some more blood samples too right afterwards."

"Fine. Anything else?"

"No, that will be all."

"Then I'll be heading upstairs today – there are some things I need to get." It wasn't a lie. He wanted to grab his books and make sure that Abcde got some light while he was at it.

When Snape continually stared at him, he wondered whether or not the man would allow him to go. His temper that he had so carefully tucked away was resurfacing again, and quickly.

He was surprised at the answer he received. "Fine. I expect you back for lunch."

Feeling his muscles loosen, Harry nodded. At last, freedom.

Snape couldn't help but feel the same way.

The things between them would not be settled.

Not for a very long time…

0-0-0-0-0

"Harry! There you are! I was wondering what happened to you for the last couple of days!" Cecil cried, upon hearing Harry's voice. The latter had been speaking to Madam Pomfrey, telling her all his miseries, knowing it was safe to do so. Wanting to do so.

"Where have you been?" The younger boy asked. Harry noticed that he was using his cane but he did not bother to ask about it. Instead, he concentrated on the question that had been posed to him.

"I've been sick." He said, trying to make his voice sound casual.

Cecil raised an eyebrow. "I'm feeling better, though." He amended, quickly, before Cecil could press him for answers. "It must have been because of the time…the time that we stayed out in the cold for too long…"

"But you weren't in the hospital ward…." Cecil's voice was quiet.

Harry tried to keep his voice cheerful, but the thought of where he really had been was making it hard for him to do so. "No, I was in…my room." That wasn't a lie, but he had paused for too long with the answer and he saw Cecil cock his head to the side and purse his lips.

He knew he was lying.

"If you say so." Was all he said. "Madam, I guess I'll talk to you later. Harry, could you walk with me?"

Shooting an apologetic gaze to Madam Pomfrey, Harry complied, falling into step with the younger boy.

They walked for a while in silence, passing a group of students who were immersed behind their books, trying to finish off their homework, which they had left until the last minute. It couldn't be helped: vacations were to be celebrated.

Other than that, there was no one else in sight as they walked past the fourth floor.

"Harry, what's really wrong?" Cecil demanded at last. "I've never heard anyone lie so horribly in my life. For someone who's been able to keep such a huge secret to himself thus far, you sure make a bad false voice."

Harry was glad that Cecil could not see him blush. "Okay, so I'm lying." He finally relented, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But whatever it is I'm keeping a secret is none of your business." He hadn't meant for his voice to get harsh and commanding, and he bit his lip when he saw the younger boy flinch slightly. "Just leave it be, okay? When the time comes…"

"Yeah." Cecil sighed. "But you're all right?"

Harry squared his shoulders. "I will be." He promised, more to himself than to the Hufflepuff.

A grin broke out over Cecil's face. His cane bumped crudely into a body of armor, which turned its head toward him squeakily and clapped its shades down angrily. "Watch where you're going!" It snapped.

"Sorry." Cecil muttered, and with Harry's help, he steered himself away from it.

"Why are you using the cane anyway?" He asked, as they moved upward toward the fourth floor. There, the sound of wind was strong, as someone had left the window wide open toward the end of the hallway. It caused the fine strands of Cecil's dark hair to fly as he stepped toward the top of the stairs.

"It's a long story."

"Oh."

There were some secrets everyone kept to themselves, he supposed.

Something came sailing through the window, just then, and would have hit Cecil square on the head had Harry's long arm not come out on instinct to catch it. A Quaffle.

At his gasp, Cecil blinked unseeing eyes at him. "What happened?"

"You nearly got hit…."

"Quidditch?" His instincts were good.

"Yeah…." He tossed the ball nervously between his hands. He was reminded of the Gryffindor team. If Angelina caught sight of him again, would she recognize the change? Would she still want him on the team if she found out about his condition?

No, she wouldn't.

No one would.

His hands tightened around the ball momentarily before he shoved it toward Cecil. "Here, you take this." At the questioning intonation, he hurriedly explained, "I just remembered, I have something I have to do."

Cecil called after him, but he did not turn back. He caught sight of Angelina through the open window and he was glad that he had not stuck around.

He was a coward.

His feet led him to his dormitory, where he had left Abcde by the open window where she could bask in the sun's rays. She was sleeping peacefully still, and he hoped that when she woke, she would be better. He would have to leave her alone for the rest of the holidays, and he hoped she would understand.

Quickly, he grabbed the things he needed – rolls of parchment and ink bottles along with his new chess set and his brain teaser box to keep himself busy.

It was nearing lunch time, to his dismay, so he could not continue with his free roam of the castle. Snape would not be so forgiving if he came late, and he did not want another row with the man so he decided (with much regret) to go back down to the dungeons.

Sir Cadogan seemed ecstatic to see someone other than Snape. "Visitor?" He asked, importantly.

As much as Harry did not want to admit it, he nodded. "Can you please let me through?"

"Oh, all right! It's dreary down here….all by myself." The knight grumbled, swinging aside to let him enter after he had received the password. Harry felt most sorry for him: guarding rooms seemed boring enough – guarding Snape's rooms must have been torture.

Snape looked up from his desk as Harry entered. His dark hair was pulled back instead of hanging in their usual clumps around his face. It caused Harry to pause for a moment. He had never actually seen Snape's face uncovered like that before.

He was surprised to see that Snape didn't look as condescending as he normally did.

In fact, he looked quite….well, normal.

And for Snape, that was saying something.

He had a strong jaw line, something that was not seen with his hair in the way. He was so pale and thin that Harry had an unbidden thought enter his mind: they were alike in that way. He almost missed the fact that the elder man had dark rings under his eyes.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Snape stand up. "Good. I was expecting you to come late, as always."

Harry grit his teeth and looked away, not wanting to be like this man in any way, shape or form. "I'll just, uh….put my stuff away…." He said, awkwardly, sidestepping and making his way across the living room and into the hallway and then into the refuge of his given room.

Everything was still spic and span, and he carefully placed his things down at the foot of his bed before coming back out.

When he saw Snape again, the Potions Master was back to normal. His hair was let down again and he was sitting stiffly at the head of the dining table, waiting for him.

"Shall we begin then?" He asked, and as his hand waved in gesture, the food magically appeared before them. The silverware appeared too, and he picked up his fork. Harry imitated him, and the meal began in silence.

It was an improvement from earlier.

Surprisingly, it was a comfortable silence. Harry preferred it over having to speak to the man. What would they have to talk about? Nothing. Memories were best buried.

Just as he was finishing up, Snape decided to speak. "Classes start on Monday. I trust you've finished your work?"

"Yes." Harry answered, warily, in a tight voice. "Sir." He added, on an afterthought.

Snape nodded. "Good." He wiped his mouth with his napkin and got up. He staggered slightly as he did so, and Harry's eyes snapped up to him in surprise. But Snape composed himself quickly, gripping the back of his chair. "Then we'll begin the tests after you're finished eating."

"Tests?" Harry asked, the thought of Snape off-balance flying out of his head.

"Yes. I'll need several vials of your blood in order to do so."

Harry's heart jolted at the thought that Snape had finally found a solution. He managed a nod and finished off his mashed potatoes quickly. He then followed his teacher back into the living room where test tubes were waiting to be filled.

He sat down on the couch as Snape brought them over along with a syringe. He shivered involuntarily – did he even know how to use those?

"Relax." Snape snapped. "Make sure you don't tense up."

Harry pursed his lips. Forcing himself to push up the sleeves to his sweater, he watched as Snape carefully found a vein. Harry couldn't help but edge away as the man came closer.

Close encounters with Snape had never been good in the past….

With a sort of gentleness, the elder man carefully poked through his flesh and began to extract the blood. The pinch was not felt, because Harry was too busy staring down at his teacher.

Again, he saw the dark rings around the Potions Master's eyes. He could also smell the fumes of various potions clinging to the man's hair and skin. His fingers were cold against his skin and his mouth was pulled down into a frown of concentration.

When he was done, he had the teen drink something else, to keep him from getting dizzy. Harry didn't bother to argue, and took it.

"That will do." Snape said, corking the last vial shut after having transferred the blood from the test tubes into them.

Harry could not keep his anxiety at bay any longer. "Did you find something?" He asked, getting to his feet. He felt a bit wobbly but Snape's potion must have worked because he managed to find solid ground quite quickly.

"Nothing yet. I'm still in the process. In the meantime, boy, make sure you don't interfere with these samples too."

Harry scowled. "It wasn't me back then."

"Then keep your friends locked up." Snape answered, scowling right back. "And try not to bother me any more than you already have. I've got more to do now that your case has gotten worse and I don't need any more interruptions."

As anger laced through Harry, his scar began to prickle. His hand instinctively went up to it, as the pain began to intensify. Soon, he lost his balance again, and found himself stumbling back to the couch.

Snape's face took on a look of alarm as the boy groaned. For a moment, nothing existed in Harry's world but him and the pain – it felt too much like when Bryce managed to free himself from the confines of his mind and tied him up.

It was like drowning. The back of his throat closed up and a hot, searing pain clawed over his brain.

Harry heard laughter.

Please…no... he thought. Tears began to stream down his face in fear. He couldn't place his finger on the exact reason as to why his head hurt so much. He just wanted out – he wanted it to stop.

Stop!

It was as if a boulder hit him hard over the head and suddenly, there was a pause in the pain, like someone had put a cork on it.

He didn't remember blacking out.

- "What are you so afraid of, Harry?" -

- "The dark…." –

He fell with a thud, on cold, hard floor. The fall caused him to lose his breath when all the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Disoriented, he tried to sit up.

His head hurt so badly, he wondered if his brain was trying to tear its way out.

It was dark, except for a small beam of light that was coming from a doorway's window. Even so, it was not enough to light up the whole room. Harry could only make out a faint outline of a knife, lying no more than two feet away from him.

With a gasp of fear, Harry scooted back, momentarily forgetting about the pain in his head. Breathing hard, his eyes made out another silhouette….the body of a man.

Bryce.

"Oh, dear God!" Harry heard himself cry, pitifully, as Bruce stepped closer.

"Hello, Harry…." Bruce murmured, bending down slowly to pick the knife up.

"No…not you…" Harry whispered hoarsely. "How….?"

Bryce stepped even closer, causing the boy to push back in fear until his back hit a solid wall. He could do no more than whimper. "No one can save you, now."

"You're sealed!" Harry cried, desperately. "How did you get out?"

"I'm not out. Yet." Bryce said, in that same, calm voice. "You entered my world, courtesy of the Dark Lord. He's been eager to meet with you."

At that, Harry's headache grew to such intensity that he screamed. It echoed off the walls of the room and lasted for quite a while. When they finally subsided, Harry found himself flat on his face, shaking.

Bryce was bending over him, knife in his hand. "So, you see, you and I are linked; the Dark Lord and I are linked, so, it doesn't take a genius to know that all three of us are linked in some way."

"No…."

Bryce laughed maliciously. "Oh, yes, Harry….deny it all you want, but your wards are no match for those of the Dark Lord's. Now, since you're in my company, why don't we play?"
Harry could not find the strength to move. "Maje…Liliana…."

Bryce laughed again, and Harry's scar prickled. "They can't help you. They won't help you because they know the consequence if they open that door."

As if to prove his point, he heard a pounding come from the door, and Liliana's voice rang out, "Harry! Harry!" She sounded frantic. "Maje! Harry's in there with Bryce!"

Maje's voice joined Liliana's at the door. "Harry?" He pounded his fist against the door as well, the sound resonating through the relatively empty room and he peered in. "Bryce, don't you hurt him!"
Bryce chuckled, the sound like nails scratching against the chalkboard. "Oh, Maje…hurt him? Now, why would I do that?" His hands tightened around the handle of the knife he held.

"You're sick, Bryce! You know that?"

"Oh now, that's not very nice." Bryce said, his voice sugary sweet as he raised the knife thoughtfully. "I'm not the one who's sick….remember…."

"Harry, we'll get you out!" Liliana called, her voice determined. "Stand back, Maje, I'm going to open the door." There was a scuffling sound as Maje must have moved aside for her.

"Alohamo - "

Harry lifted his head slightly, alarmed. His shout surprised even him – his voice rang loud, clear – panicked. "NO!"

The spell died on her lips and there was a pause.

"Don't open the door! If you do, he'll be free!"

Paris' wail followed. "Harry, you can't stay there with him!"

"Leave me." Harry commanded, feeling blinded by the pounding in his head. He forced himself to his knees, facing Bryce as valiantly as he could. He ended up looking sick and pale and rather pathetic. "I told you Bryce: I'll fight you till the end." He knew though, that his words were empty – with no wand and his condition – he could barely stay conscious.

Bryce winked. "Then, this is the end."

As much as he didn't want to, Harry collapsed as Bryce advanced, the pain too much to bear, the darkness a welcome friend, enveloping him again in its arms.

And once more, his screams filled his ears but this time, Bryce's laughter joined in, before he heard no more.

…and we pray for night to start over again…

To Be Continued…

Preview for the next chapter:

Harry peeked out from behind the wall's corner, and saw Malfoy holding one vial up, eyeing it critically, a frown creasing the boy's mouth downward. "Why do you have loads of that Potter Pal's blood here? Is that potion for him?"

This time, Snape sighed in annoyance. "Don't touch things you aren't familiar with. And if you don't stop ruining my concentration, this will come out wrong."

"What's wrong with Potter?" Draco demanded, ignoring Snape's reprimand. "Father told me that he was a freak."

AN: I decided to do a preview for the next chapter, so please look forward to it. I look forward to your reviews. Thank you so much, as always! It really helps me, and my dream is to reach at least 100 reviews. Look! I'm almost there! won't you contribute? Thanks to Mimiheart, mikemack, SensiblyTainted, SpiritualWitch, and Thee-unknown-factor for the wonderful reviews!

Please review and see you next update!