A/N: I'll probably be updating once a week, on Friday/Saturday nights, from now on. Thank you for the reviews!

Harry was dozing, half asleep and half unconscious, when he heard the footsteps outside of his cell door and the familiar laughter that he was starting to get really tired of. The cell door swung open, and shadows fell over his body. He tried to remain still and relaxed, hoping that if Bellatrix thought he was still passed out from their last torture session, she might leave him alone. No such luck. A booted toe caught him in the upper ribs and he couldn't quite keep back his choked, hollow cry of pain. Cupping his stomach protectively, he rolled onto his side and huddled into a ball, hoping to protect his aching ribs from any more blows.

"I knew you weren't sleeping," said Bellatrix scornfully. Harry didn't have to look at her to know that was holding her wand. "Thought you could lie to me, eh?"

"Hey, Bella, you brought me here so I could have a try," protested a second voice. "If you start, he'll be incoherent in no time. At least let me get a shot in."

"This one's different. Lasts longer. But alright, Reggie, you've proven your loyalty to our Lord... so I'll let you give it a try. Hear that, boy?" That boot nudged him again, this time in the back. "Your precious godfather's little brother is here to have some fun with you. I suggest you wake up and look attentive."

Emerald green eyes cracked open slightly, and Harry tilted his head so that he could look up at the two of them. His glasses were missing, but his eyesight didn't seem to be quite as bad in this world (no doubt regular, healthy meals during childhood could do that) and he could still make out a short man with dark hair standing over him, holding what was unmistakably a wand. Was it really Regulus? He'd never considered that maybe Regulus might have been a part of the kidnapping. How awful. Sirius would be devastated. He switched his glare to Bellatrix, who was holding out her wand, and scowled as he fought to speak.

"Bitch," he croaked out at last. He cried out in the next breath.

"See? Different, I told you," Bellatrix said casually, like she hadn't just kicked the teenager in the ribs with all of her stength. "Much harder to break. I've been having so much fun with him."

"I'll remember that, Bella. I certainly hope it was worth it, because you can be sure that the Marauders will pay you back in full for every wound they find on this child. Stupefy!"

Bellatrix's body collapsed on the ground, landing half on top of Harry. He groaned with pain and watched with a dazed expression as the man who had been standing over him swore under his breath and yanked her body off, then grabbed her wand. He snapped it cleanly in half and tucked the two halves into his pocket before he leaned over Harry and gently shook the boy's shoulder. "Hey, kid, can you hear me? You still with me?"

"Who... are you?"

"I really am Regulus Black. Sirius, your godfather, is my brother," said Regulus. "We met the other day, remember? Here, drink this." He knelt and pulled Harry's upper body into his arms, supporting the teen against his chest. With one hand, he placed a vial against Harry's lips. Harry tried to fight, but his limbs were sluggish and slow to respond to his commands. Regulus dodged the weak blow and easily pried his mouth open so that he could tip the contents of the vial down his throat. The taste was absolutely vile, and Harry gagged, coughing harshly. His whole body trembled and Regulus gently patted him on the back, trying to soothe him. "Shh, it's okay. It was just a numbing potion that Severus gave me. I had to give it to you so that I could get you out of here. I'm sorry, I can't do anything about your injuries until we're out of here."

Blessed coolness was settling over his bones and muscles, chasing away the pain that had been tormenting him for days. "Why?" Harry whispered, relishing the feeling of being able to swallow and speak without wanting to cry.

"Your little girlfriend got the word out to Dumbledore and the Marauders about where you'd be. The next thing I know, my brother blasted my front door to pieces and demanded to know if I knew anything about your kidnapping. I'd had my suspicions since you disappeared, but I didn't know anything concrete. I knew Sirius would never be able to get in here, since Riddle is paranoid enough to do checks for Polyjuice and glamors before anyone is allowed in. Fortunately, Bellatrix has never been the brightest star in the box. She'll swallow anything as long as she thinks you're loyal to her lord."

A wave of relief went through Harry. Ginny had been able to get help after all. He made a mental note to shower her with love and said hoarsely, "Want... Sirius..."

"I know. Hang on, I have to cast a couple of spells." Regulus held his wand over Harry's body and muttered a few complex charms. Then he cradled Harry's body close to his chest and stood up. "We'll have to get out of here quickly. No telling how soon it might be before someone sounds the alarm."

"Ministry?"

"Dumbledore didn't want to risk alerting them because Riddle has so many friends," answered Regulus quietly, glancing around the hall. "I'm here in an unofficial capacity... meaning that if I wasn't, your idiot of a godfather would have come in like a Gryffindor and gotten himself killed in the process. Now, shh. You need to be quiet so that you don't attract anyone's attention, okay?"

That was easy enough. Harry closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on breathing slowly and deeply so that nothing jarred his broken ribs any more than was necessary. Regulus crept down the halls of the mansion, performing quick checks around each corner before he continued on. There didn't seem to be many wizards or witches around, but that fit with what Harry had learned about the mansion during his stay. The only people he'd seen were Bellatrix and Tom Riddle (and once, Peter Pettigrew before the rat sidled out of sight around the corner) and he had no way of knowing how many people Riddle might have gotten on his side. He hoped that there weren't many.

"Shit," Regulus hissed suddenly, freezing. A low, far-off sound was resonating through the upper levels of the mansion. "Someone must have found Bellatrix and sounded the alarm. Sorry for this, kid." He switched to carrying Harry over his shoulder and ran for it. Harry tried to keep from crying out in pain, knowing how important it was, and ended up stuffing the hand that wasn't clinging to Regulus into his mouth so that he literally couldn't. The numbing potion, as it turned out, could only do so much.

The two of them burst into a rather dull looking room that had dust everywhere. Regulus raced over to the fireplace and swiftly cast a spell with his wand, causing a fire to appear. He reached into his pocket with his free hand and drew out a handful of glittery dust. "This location has been temporarily connected to the Floo Network," he explained in a rush. "You go and I'll be right behind you."

"Are you so sure about that, Black?"

Tom Riddle's voice was smooth and soft. He stood in the doorway of the room, wand in hand. "Did you believe I would be so foolish as to not know when someone was connecting the Floo to my home? Really."

"I had hoped," Regulus said. "Protego!" A shield formed in front of the two just as Tom was lifting his wand. Regulus threw the handful of powder into the fire and shouted, "Hogwarts Headmasters Office!" The fire flared green and he pulled Harry off of his shoulder and shoved him into it.

"Wait!" Harry tried to fight it, wanting to help Regulus, but the Floo Network picked him up and flung him away. The last thing he saw was a green spell tearing through Regulus' shield and striking the man in the back. Then he was watching fireplaces and the dizzying shapes of other people flashing by. His head began to throb with pain, and by the time he was thrust out of the fireplace and onto the floor of Professor Dumbledore's office, he was unconscious.

HGHGHGHG

"You're sure he's going to be alright?"

"Please, Sirius. Back away from the bed, would you? I can't do my work if you're hovering. Could one of you talk some sense into him while I get the next dose of potions?"

"Padfoot, sit down."

"But he's my godson!"

"And he's James and Lily's son, but you don't see them trying to shove Poppy out of the way, do you? Sit."

Harry had processed the conversation enough by the time he opened his eyes to realize that he had, somehow, made it to safety. His mind felt foggy and blank, and trying to recall much of anything was like swimming through thick sludge, but he knew that much. Carefully, mindful of the way his neck had throbbed after that last bout with Bellatrix, he turned his head to the side and saw that Lily, James, Sirius and Remus were seated around his bed in the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey was bustling back to the bed carrying a tray covered with several potions. A wave of relief went through him when he realized that Bellatrix and Tom Riddle were no where in sight. This was all so... so normal.

Sirius, who was pouting after having been yanked into his seat by Remus, looked up at that moment and saw that he was awake. "Harry!" he cried, leaping to his feet.

"Sirius!" Madame Pomfrey fairly shouted, and Remus hastily pulled him back down. "Good to see you're back with us, Mr Potter. You gave your family and friends quite a fright," the matronly woman said, her fierce glare just daring Sirius to maul her patient before she'd had the chance to look him over. She placed the tray on a nearby stand and took out her wand. "Do hold still, now. This won't take long..."

A cold feeling slid over Harry's body and he shivered as a piece of parchment popped into existence in front of Pomfrey. She scanned it swiftly, making thoughtful sounds. Remus stood up and peered over her shoulder, frowning. After a moment, Pomfrey destroyed the paper with a wave of her wand and started handing potions to Harry, who swallowed them obediently. The fact that he was no longer in horrible pain hadn't gone unnoticed, and he would've gladly done anything for the nurse that she wanted.

"You're doing much better. I've managed to heal most of the physical damage, although your muscles are still weak from excessive use of the Cruciatus curse," she said. "You'll be taking nerve repair potions for at least a week."

"Swell," Harry mumbled, downing the last one and cringing when the dreadful taste lingered in the back of his throat. He didn't have much time to ponder it, though, because the second Pomfrey took the empty vial from his hand, he suddenly found himself buried in four sets of arms that held onto him so tightly that it hurt. Holding back tears, he clutched at his father and Sirius, who were the closest.

"Oh, Harry, thank Merlin you're alright," Lily whispered, her face streaked with tears. She was stroking his hair, her hands gliding through the curls in a loving motion. "I was so worried..."

"We all were," said Remus, taking a seat on the end of the bed. He placed one hand on Harry's ankle, as though to reassure himself that the boy was really there.

"I'm sorry," said Harry, voice muffled from where it was pressed into Sirius' shoulder.

"It's me who should be apologizing," Sirius said. "I shouldn't have left you alone in Hogsmeade, kiddo." His face shadowed briefly, and he sat back, allowing James more room. "Me and my bloody family... I always knew Bella was off her rocker, but I had no idea how crazy she really was."

"I told you not to blame yourself, Siri," James scolded. "You couldn't have known."

Harry watched the two of them bicker, and found himself wondering if he should tell them the truth, which was that Sirius wasn't to blame, because it was entirely his fault. He'd known that Bellatrix LeStrange and Narcissa Malfoy couldn't be trusted, and he'd foolishly allowed himself to become lax around them, anyway. If it weren't for Regulus... His mind stuttered to a halt as the memory crashed into him, and he went cold all over at the recollection of that green light. Regulus!

"Regulus!" He burst out suddenly, cutting Sirius off. "What... is he...?"

"He's in St. Mungos," Sirius said, looking unusually sombre. "They haven't told me much yet, but I gather it's not... good."

Guilt flickered into emerald green eyes. "I... I'm sorry... He made me leave..."

"Don't be sorry, Harry. Regulus wanted to help you," Sirius told him. "If he had been even the least bit opposed to the idea, I would have taken Polyjuice and gone in myself."

"Though it is hard to say whether we would have had such a fortunate ending," a new voice said. All four of the adults around Harry's bed stiffened a bit as Professor Dumbledore entered the infirmary. Sirius, James, and Remus all got up from the bed and gathered around him almost protectively. Harry frowned in confusion as the headmaster said, "Madame Pomfrey informed me that you were awake, Harry. It is good to see that you were not harmed too badly. I have some questions about what happened, but of course, that can wait until you're feeling better," he added after seeing the looks on the faces of the Marauders.

"Yes sir," Harry said, nodding. He purposely avoided meeting those twinkling blue eyes and looked up at his mum instead. Her hand came down on his shoulders and he leaned his head against her arm. "There's not much I can tell you, though."

"More than you realize, I suspect," Dumbledore said with a jovial smile. "Sometimes the smallest detail can be the key to everything. But that is a discussion for another time, and I have brought a visitor with me that likely can't wait any longer." He drew forth his wand and cast a wordless spell in the direction of the infirmary door. It swung open to reveal...

Ginny. Harry's heart nearly stopped beating when he saw her standing in the doorway, looking even more beautiful than he remembered. She was staring at him, and her face was pale, but she wasn't crying, and he was relieved for that. His body moved of its own accord when she took a tentative step into the infirmary, pushing the blankets back and pulling out of Lily's grip and shoving by Remus, Sirius, and James. Walking required muscles that weren't quite ready to work yet, and he nearly tripped and fell on his face, but then Ginny was there, standing in front of him. Her arms came up and slipped around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist and held on for dear life, because nothing could have felt as good as hugging Ginny Weasley did right then.

"Thank you," he whispered into her hair, breathing in the sweet scent. It made the hours of torture at the hands of Bellatrix seem like nothing, because she was soft and warm and the feel of her body beneath his hands was surely heaven.

"You're welcome," Ginny answered, and then she was crying, except this time Harry realized he really did not mind. It was quite different when a girl was crying over you instead of your dead rival, and even when she tilted her head back and he gave in to the urge to kiss her, it wasn't at all salty or wet. The taste was simply Ginny, and the feel of her was like a balm to his soul.

"Mr Potter, you should not be out of bed!"

"Only you could interrupt a reunion like that, Poppy."

"I'm warning you, Black..."

Ginny pulled away, her cheeks glowing a faint pink, and lifted a hand to trace a bruise on his cheek. "I'm going to kill her for this," she said, making no pretence to hide the promise in her words.

Harry knew, then, for certain that she'd told the Marauders, his mother, and Dumbledore the truth... or at least some of it. He kissed her again and said with a wry smile, "Not if I get there first. I have a lot to get even for."

"You'll have to get healthy first. Even that rat could run circles around you right now. Maybe you'd best lay down before Sirius and Madame Pomfrey get into a fight," she suggested, amusement shining in her eyes.

Now that he was no longer involved in kissing her, he became aware of the tremendous strain in his weakened muscles. Of course, he could have kissed her again and happily forgotten all about it, and even contemplated doing so, but Ginny made the decision for him when she entertwined their hands and led him past Dumbledore and back to his bed. Harry slid back into the bed and allowed Lily to draw the covers back up before he pulled Ginny down on the bed beside him, appeasing Madame Pomfrey and Sirius at the same time.

"He took my wand," Harry said, remembering. He ached for the Slytherin wand that he hadn't even had the chance to use. It was probably snapped by now, lying in two halves somewhere in Riddle's mansion.

"Ollivander should have the wand we ordered ready soon," Lily said. There was a quiet little smile playing around her lips. "We can pick it up as soon as you've healed."

He nodded, feeling sleepy now that he was back in bed. Madame Pomfrey was speaking in quiet tones to Dumbledore, and Remus and James were listening closely. Harry took the chance to reach for Ginny's hand and lean down towards her. "He's awful," he breathed. "When I think of you... being in his hold for nearly a year..." A shiver ran down his spine. Voldemort had been a bloodthirsty, psychotic monster, but Tom Riddle had his own brand of cruelty that was equally chilling.

A sad smile touched Ginny's lips and she rested her forehead against Harry's. "That was a long time ago, Harry. He can't hurt me anymore."

"Soon, he won't be able to hurt anyone ever again," Harry said firmly. "I'll make sure of that."

Golden brown eyes widened slightly, and then Ginny kissed him softly before she curled closer, laying her head on his shoulder. Harry wrappd one arm around her shoulders and watched as Lily and Sirius joined the dicussion. Whatever they were talking about was obviously of great importance if the look of concern on his family's faces were anything to go by, but he didn't even care. The next time he woke up, he would tell everyone everything – all about the Boy-Who-Lived and the prophecy that had dictated his future. For now, he was content to lay there with the girl he was pretty sure he was falling in love with.

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