Shattered Surrender
by sick-atxxheart
Chapter Five

A/N- Just a quick note to answer some questions- obviously, this is an AU fic. Harry is about eight years old. Sirius is in Azkaban, but Harry didn't know that, and the older man was kept in a different part of the prison. Hope that clears some things up!

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Severus' heart nearly stopped as he stared at the boy, and when it re-started it was almost beating out of his chest, it seemed. The child looked so innocent, so helpless, and as a human being Severus' first instinct was to comfort and soothe Harry. However, every time he was about to put that plan into action, the boy's huge green eyes struck him like a sword in the side. He was Lily's child- innocent, perfect Lily… and her very son had just asked for comfort from the Wizarding World's most dangerous witch.

The irony of it almost tasted sweet in his mouth.

It took a few moments for Severus to return to his senses, and when he did he found that Harry had fallen asleep again. Severus couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief- even though he was a teacher, dealing with children had never been his strong point. Although Harry's slumber did not look particularly peaceful, the boy looked much better now that most of his wounds were healed. Ugly scars still remained, however, and Severus inwardly winced when he realized they would never go away.

Severus turned his face away quickly as he was reminded for a single second of himself. He too had scars from his childhood that would never go away. He knew for a fact that Harry had never suffered abuse like he had, but he supposed that Azkaban was just as good as, if not worse. Severus, at least, had gotten fed regularly as a child.

The older man quickly shook his head, as if to rid himself of such disturbing thoughts, in favor of doing something proactive. He found himself contemplating what to do next; the obvious thing that came to his mind was reporting back to the Dark Lord, as he knew was expected. However, something else seemed to be more important, and Severus couldn't believe he was even thinking it.

The boy had asked for Bella, when he woke up. Severus could only assume that the next time the child awoke, he would ask for her again. The obvious thing to do, then, was to get Bella and have her watch over the child while he reported back to the Dark Lord. Severus' mind told him that the plan would likely backfire, and the Voldemort would be furious that Severus had not personally brought the child to him to see; however, the logic of leaving the child behind overruled any other thought the Potions Master had. Taking Harry to see the Dark Lord would provide an unnecessary strain on both the child's emotions and his fragile body, and as a Healer, Severus was unwilling to risk that.

Placing a simple charm over the boy that would alert him if the child awoke again, Severus slipped out of the room and across the hall into a similar room. There, Bellatrix Lestrange was sleeping on the bed, looking more peaceful that Severus knew she had been in years.

The dark-haired man was almost unwilling to wake her; never having experienced Azkaban himself, he couldn't imagine how she felt; but if his instinct was right, she was dead tired, sore, and extremely drained- both mentally and physically. Bella had never been his favorite person, but no one deserved to live through what she had. Severus didn't want to wake her, as she looked so peaceful; however, the practicality of the situation overruled his wish for her to rest.

Severus walked as quietly as possible over to where she lay, and gently shook her shoulder. He quickly stepped back after he had done so; if he had learned anything in his many years of being a Death Eater, it was that everyone was always expecting an attack.

True to his prediction, within mere seconds of him tapping Bella's shoulder, she was up with her wand pointing directly at his heart. Severus stood perfectly still, waiting for her to register who he was. When she did, her wand lowered slightly and wavered before she completely fell back onto the bed. It appeared that, even though she had not had a wand in many, many years, Bellatrix had not lost the ability to use one. It was quite fortunanate for her, in fact, that the Dark Lord had had an extra and had been kind enough to give it to her.

"What is it, Severus?" She asked quietly, her wary voice betraying true exhaustion. Severus winced; he felt even worse, now.

Taking a deep breath, Severus went right for the punch. "Harry was asking for you."

The reaction was instantaneous. Bella was up in a flash, her eyes dancing around the room and her wand secured neatly in her pocket. "He asked for me? What did he say?"

"He asked if he was dead." Severus watched carefully for her reaction, and he was rewarded when her eyes softened in a way he hadn't known possible for her.

"Oh, poor child. It really wasn't fair- you have to know he didn't really do anything-" Her words were jumbled and soft, trying to convey emotions that Severus wasn't quite sure he caught. He nodded mutely, listening to her tirade with a heavy heart and a sympathetic face.

He, of course, knew that Harry really was innocent. Dumbledore had revealed to him when it had first happened that it was all a set-up; a clever but cruel one that was designed to make the perfect weapon. Putting Harry through a living hell, Dumbledore had decided, would mould him into a strong, hateful killing machine; having this type of monster on the Light's side would truly be beneficial.

According to Dumbledore, anyway. All for the Greater Good.

Severus had cried when Dumbledore had first told him about it- out of earshot, of course, but he had cried all the same. Lily had made him promise that he would always watch over her son, and he had planned to do that to the very best of his ability; however, having the child in Azkaban really did make fulfilling that promise rather difficult. Never before had Severus hated Albus Dumbledore as much as he had in that moment.

Telling the Dark Lord of Dumbledore's plan had also brought Severus great pain; listening to the snake-like man's statements of excitement and joy at the boy's expense hadn't been easy. He had been shocked, in fact, when Voldemort had brought the boy back to their headquarters. It was quite out of character, but then again- Severus figured he should know by now that the Dark Lord is never, ever predictable. He had made that mistake once, and would not make it again.

Bella had obviously been trying to get his attention for some time now, and Severus quickly shifted his attention once again to listen to her agitated rant. "Please take me to him- he must be so scared, he must- oh, please-"

Severus almost chuckled to himself. He would never have guessed, in a million years, that Bellatrix would experience any even slightly maternal feelings towards anyone. It was quite odd- she was acting like a flustered mother hen, just waiting to get back to her young and ensure that they were, in fact, safe. It was almost reassuring to see her acting like a sane person- more often than not, her apparent insanity got in the way of all logic. It was then, however, that she was at her strongest; Severus, at those times, just made sure to not get in her way. He really wasn't a fan of having his head blown off simply for being in the wrong place at wrong time. She had already demonstrated many times that she had no apparent degree of control, and because Severus had a very high degree of self-preservation he was careful not to anger her.

Severus stopped her tirade abruptly, simply saying, "Follow me." The stunned woman nodded quickly and swallowed once, shoving back her massive hair behind her ears. The years in Azkaban hadn't been kind to her, Severus mused, as he led her slowly across the hall. Her once full figure had flattened out as she lost weight, and her face was only skin and bones. Her hair was a frizzy mess of dirt and scum, and even her eyes looked dead. It was quite sad to see what was once an extremely vibrant woman, full of life and spirit, so dead.

Harry was still sleeping when the two stepped into the room, and immediately Bella was next to him, running her pale hand down her cheek and smoothing his hair. She looked at Severus pleadingly, asking in a small voice, "Did you heal him?"

Severus nodded at the woman gently, his long hair concealing the fact that his eyes were shadowed with a thin veil of tears. He hadn't cried in a long time; but now, to see two people who he believed to be broken souls- it was heart wrenching. He had never thought Bella had a heart, but it appeared she did.

After informing Bella that she needed to watch over Harry while he reported to the Dark Lord, Severus slipped out and carefully locked the door, sealing it with his magic. He rarely did such things, especially in a place where privacy is not valued or respected; however, somewhere deep in his heart he wanted to protect Harry- and Bella, he realized. For now, they needed protection. Even though Bellatrix had her wand, Severus strongly doubted she would be strong enough to perform any big spells that would make a lasting impact on her enemy.

Taking a deep breath as he placed the white mask on his face, Severus mentally prepared himself and then entered the doorway that led to the Dark Lord's chamber.

"My Lord," he spoke softly, immediately kneeling down before the seated, pale figure. "I have news."

Chancing a glance up just in time to see Voldemort motion for him to continue, Severus took another deep breath before speaking again. "I have healed the majority of the boy's injuries. Although he is still weak, I have examined him and it appears he has not been broken as badly as I had originally thought."

The Dark Lord nodded slowly, and then asked, "And what of his mind?"

Severus' mind subconsciously thanked Merlin that the snake-like man had accepted his report, before continuing. "I have assessed that also, and have found that although he is obviously damaged, his grasp on words and language is quite astounding. He is still capable of making simple sentences and putting thoughts together. Although he is stunted for his age, I believe that with the right training he will be able to make a full recovery."

Voldemort's lack of response scared Severus, and he focused on the ground as he waited for the man's response. When the reply did come, Severus had to work hard to contain his shock.

"Astounding. Better, stronger men than this child have been broken from a year in Azkaban; yet he, the smallest of them all, survived with simply scars."

Voldemort waved Severus out, and after bowing Severus complied. He was left with his thoughts, all which seemed to point to one single question- What is he planning for the boy?

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Bella hummed contentedly as she stroked Harry's hair softly, her hand following the rhythms of her song. The boy looked so peaceful, despite the ugly scars and scattered bruises that were left on his face and arms. It was rather sad, that someone so young and small had to suffer; but Bella was glad in her heart that he was out of Azkaban, as was she. It all seemed rather surreal.

Her thoughts continued in a sporadic pattern for quite a few minutes, before a tiny voice broke her concentration and her attention turned back to Harry just as quickly as it had turned away.

"Bella?"

Her hand moved more frantically across his hot forehead as she replied, "Yes, Harry, child. It's Bella." She couldn't help but feel hopeful- when she and Harry had been brought to headquarters, both of them, but Harry in particular, had looked close to death. Severus had done a spectacular job healing the boy.

Harry smiled gently, looking her softly in the eyes. "We got out of there, Bella," he said quietly, his eyes taking on a far-away look. "We won."

Bella smiled back at him, her words gentle, remembering what she had said to him while they were still in Azkaban. His simple words seemed almost hopeful, and they inspired her that just maybe, maybe, everything would be alright. "Yes, child. We won."

It wasn't until Harry fell back asleep that Bella realized his forehead was hot, much too hot.

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A bit of a longer chapter, I think. Sorry for the long wait. It's finally summer- hopefully updates will be faster. Please review.

Poll for this chapter:

Should Harry have anything special about him? If so, what?

Thanks all!! :)