Harry had not expected that they would not lock him up in the cellar again. Greyback had convinced Lestrange to use him as a servant, or house elf. Harry found it ironic that he would die the way he had started living. He was sure Greyback only did it to make him uncomfortable, leering at him at every turn and saying lewd comments Harry would block from his mind. Of course he wasn't about to go down without a fight. He still wasn't sure he could trust Amycus Carrow, in fact, he didn't trust him, but if agreeing to what he says got him out of here sooner, then that was all he needed.
He noticed different little things, like slightly more heightened senses, no doubt from the scratches, and although the increased sensations were uncomfortable he accepted them over lycanthropy any day of the week.
As he was in the corridor, scrubbing the floors. No doubt a way to keep him working through his pain since Lestrange had to wait for him to heal until they were sure the next torture session wouldn't kill him.
He heard heavy steps coming down the stairs and didn't have to turn to glare hatefully at the werewolf, he pressed his lips together to stop that habit he had acquired when he was very angry of growling, but a soft rumble still sounded at the back of his throat.
Greyback smirked seeing him there and walked over to him, Harry standing up, refusing to be on his knees before him.
"How's your back? Does it still sting?" He asked in a mocking tone, leaning close to him. Harry stepped away from him disgusted.
"Don't touch me…" he growled. Greyback simply smirked grabbing him by his throat and slamming him against the wall, knocking the air out of Harry's lungs.
"You are not in a position to give orders Potter…" His grin became even wider and Harry could practically see the blood between his teeth. He sometimes forgot the other's cannibalistic tendencies. He wondered if he would meet his end as the other's dinner.
He glared hatefully at the other not bothering to come up with any reply, knowing the other was just trying to rile him up. The silence however, didn't help his case as the other leaned down to his neck taking in his scent.
"Mmh… smelling sweeter by the minute Potter." He said. Again the deep growl left Harry's throat and glared up hatefully at the other. The other grabbed his face with one hand, fingers pressing hard into Harry's flesh. "I'm glad you're not broken easily… it would take all the fun out of it."
"Snape will come for me." Harry hissed and the other kept his hold tight as he leaned into his face, black eyes staring deep into Harry's green pair.
"I certainly hope so… I want to see his expressions as I take you again, this time in front of him, I'm sure he got the gist from the pictures but," He smirked and Harry had to clench his jaw to stop himself from shouting profanities at the other. "There's nothing like a live spectacle…" He was practically purring as he pressed his tongue against Harry's neck making the other's skin crawl and his growl to deepen as he struggled against the other even more forcefully.
-o-O-o-
"We are not trying again Severus, it's too risky! Your soul could not return to your body and then you'd die." Poppy said finally. "If you have five houses then just have the minister send aurors to each of them." She recommended.
"I have to agree with Poppy Severus. I know you just want to see if he's ok but you have to resist, for both your sakes." Albus said.
"I'll look up to see which of these houses has been recently touched on by magic… it must be a heavily warded one so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out." He grumbled.
It was Miss Granger who had reached the answer by the time sunset approached on that fateful day. Although they had informed the auror department they all went to a home each from the ones Severus had narrowed down. Only one was coated in wards and magic beyond recognition.
The moment Severus received the news he appeared by Hermione's side, who was sitting outside a coffee shop in this small little town, looking up at the abandoned mansion on the hill.
"How close can we get to it?" Severus asked as he looked up at the forgotten looking mansion. At this point Ron arrived as well followed by Draco who would be here to support his godfather with anything he needed. Severus was not happy when he saw that Krum was also here, but decided to ignore him from now.
"Very close," Hermione said. "The wards barely extend a metre away from the house. They are very powerful but also were very hard to spot."
Severus kept his eyes on the mansion trying to formulate a plan. "It looks pretty old, but not old enough to have been abandoned before World War II."
Hermione's eyes widened, realising what the other is trying to say. "Of course, an old house like that probably has a bomb shelter."
"A what?" Draco asked not understanding. Severus and Hermione were ignoring the three wizard-raised young men that were looking at each other in confusion.
"And a bomb shelter has more than one exit."
"But, headmaster, there is no way of knowing if they didn't build their shelter away from the main house." Hermione reasoned.
"It's a chance I'm willing to take." The wards wouldn't have extended under ground. The death eaters were unlikely to know such muggle history.
"I didn't catch all of that, but basically you're saying that there's another way in?" Draco asked.
"That's pretty much it." Severus said.
"We will go looking for this other entrance." Hermione said standing from the table. She already had the invisibility cloak prepared in her bag. Severus didn't ask questions. He knew they had Potter's cloak of invisibility.
"Go now, before there's no daylight left." Severus said finally. He then turned to Krum and Draco, going inside the coffee shop to plan their strategy.
-o-O-o-
It was as they were walking around the mansion beneath the cloak that they saw Yaxley walk out of the mansion, with cigarette in his hand leaving the door open of nothing but an abandoned hallway could be seen from where they stood.
However, sounds did travel and they could hear Harry's screams. Ron was about to break into a run, taking out his wand but Hermione stopped him. "We can't Ron… they might kill him… we can't enter as it is." Hermione whispered gently.
"Get. Off… me!" Ron gripped his wand tightly unable to believe they were unable to help but nodded as they hurried round the house looking for a trap door of some kind. It didn't take long to find the uneven patch of grass about fifty meters away from the house. Not knowing if anyone was looking out the windows at the time, Hermione whispered couple of silent spells that cleared the grass away. It revealed a pair of wooden doors, the wood rotten and decaying from the pass of time.
Hermione cast a strong concealment charm so nothing looked out of the ordinary and they turned, leaving the same way they had arrived. Everything was quiet and Yaxley was once more nowhere to be seen.
-o-O-o-
Hermione had advised Ron not to mention what they had heard. Severus looked desperate enough as it was, the last thing they wanted was to simply hand the death eaters another hostage in their desperation.
"We will enter tonight," Severus said absently rubbing his chest. No doubt the emotional connection had been restored at this distance. Whether he knew exactly what was happening neither of them knew.
-o-O-o-
Once more Harry was thrown at the centre of the sitting room, though this time by Alecto on Lestrange's orders.
Greyback looked furious at the interruption and Harry glared with pure rage at the other, his lower lip cut from when the other punched him to quiet him down.
"He needs to heal Greyback!" Lestrange growled.
"Honestly Lestrange, you should just unseal his powers." Amycus said simply. "What harm can he do? It's not like he can run away, and this way his magic will heal him and Greyback can have his way and we can all enjoy torturing Potter. What's the point in having to wait so long to torture him?"
"I agree with my brother… I want Potter in pain every day." Alecto purred smirking as she shot at Harry's leg and the young man's eyes widened as he felt a painful crunch and screamed, knowing his lower leg had been broken. He breathed deeply as he tried to keep his leg still. Lestrade chuckled seeing him squirm in pain.
"Hmm… you have a point." He said and bent down. Harry couldn't believe it, was the other really going to fall for that? Were deatheaters that stupid? He could feel his powers moving wildly inside him at the prospect of freedom.
"No! Don't!" He exclaimed frightened.
-o-O-o-
They reached the end of the tunnel, it lead to a wooden door. Severus opened it slowly. Draco had sent warning to the aurors saying where they were and the situation. If they got there in time to be of any use that was yet to be discovered.
They heard Harry's screamed words and Severus' heart leapt to his chest at the other's terror and he ran with the others up those stairs.
-o-O-o-
The ring slipped off his finger and Harry's powers exploded, and it hurt. The deatheaters were blasted back as Harry screamed, arching his back on the floor turning onto his stomach, hitting the floor hard in pain, not even feeling his broken leg as the raw power felt as if it was burning him from the inside out.
"Stop him!" Greback barked and the moment any of the deatheaters withdrew their wands, the energy from Harry snapped them as if they were twigs in the wind.
The power started dying down but Harry could still feel it, mixing with the rage, the anger, the pain. He shuddered as the energy coursed through every fibre of his being, giving him control, total control.
"Hold it right there Lestrange." Snape hissed stopping the deatheater that was trying to escape. They were all at wand point in seconds. "Harry! Are you alright!" Snape called to him, not wanting to take his eye of the bastard that took his soulmate.
Harry shuddered and got up slowly, hopping onto his non injured leg. He said nothing, and with the pale silver aura around his silhouette it was enough to make anyone worry.
"Harry!" Ron yelled trying to get the other to react. Harry turned, his irises glowing the same silver white as his aura. He absently looked at his leg and with a click and a groan it snapped into place and healed.
"Potter… remember the deal!" Amycus exclaimed. "Tell them I helped you!" He said.
"Did he Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry turned to Amycus and Alecto.
"Oh yes… you asked me to spear your sister." Harry said walking towards Alecto, everyone having to steady themselves as each step seemed to twist the air around them. Everyone's eyes were on Harry in confusion.
"You betrayed us?" Alecto yelled at Amycus.
"I was trying to save you Alecto… there's no way we were winning this!" He yelled. "Potter will spare you now. That was the deal." He explained.
Harry smiled and raised his hand, pointing his index finger at the other's forehead. The signature green blast of the killing curse shot Alecto Carrow backwards, slamming her against the wall, leaving her dead on the ground.
"NO!" Amycus screamed going to his sister's side.
"Harry!" Hermione gasped covering her mouth with her freehand in shock.
"You promised Potter!" Amycus screamed at the young man. Harry laughed it was such an innocent laugh that it made it all the more chilling that the other was using it in such a situation. Once Harry calmed down he looked up at Amycus once more.
"I lied…" He said and with a faint wave of his hand the other was screaming in agony and in an excruciatingly slow minute he too was dead.