82
Crucible
At first light, Severus woke and then woke Lily and the baby as well. After feeding the baby and putting another washcloth on her, Lily and Severus used the Floo and traveled home to the Hogsmeade cottage. There Lily had access to the nursery and all the cute baby things she and her family had gathered together for the baby's arrival. She dressed Grace and put a new nappy on her and the baby fell asleep in her arms in the rocking chair.
Meanwhile, Severus sent out birth announcements to everyone, though he Flooed Eileen, Polly, Cindy, and Petunia directly. They came over, eager to see the newborn and also to give advice. Petunia brought Harry and the two infants slept side by side in the Snapes' cradle while their mums talked.
Regulus, who'd been at the meeting last night, but had hardly gotten to speak with Severus, came over all bleary eyed and asked Severus how he was doing now that he was a father. "I could hardly believe it! I mean, I knew Lily was due, but to have the baby then? With only you deliver it? Dear Merlin, I hope that won't be me. I don't think I could handle it."
Severus paced his quarters for a moment, they had elected to go to Hogwarts and talk because the small house was full of women and they needed privacy, or at least Severus felt they did, even though all the women knew about their dual roles. "That was something I shall never forget, Reg. And you'd better hope it doesn't happen to you, Black, because I was scared to death the whole time. So make sure Cindy stays near a hospital. But I wouldn't trade my baby for the world." He smiled lightly. "However, there is another problem we need to deal with. Arthur has been captured."
"Captured? By one of the Death Eaters?"
"Yes. Along with his friends Nate and Misty. They infiltrated the school grounds about two days ago, injured Nicholas Morhaven, and took the children."
"That's horrible! You think they're being held in the castle?"
"Where else? But I had no time to search with Lily in labor. Can you go back and look for them, Reg? We have to get them out of there. Them and any others we find . . . before he uses them for his infernal device. Arthur knows too much. He discovered our double roles a week ago and I didn't Obliviate him."
Reg's eyes bugged out. "Oh, bloody hell! If the Dark Lord questions him . . ."
"We'll be exposed," Severus said tightly. "Not that I would expect him to question someone he regards as mere cannon fodder, or energy, but you never know."
"We can't take that chance," Regulus said gravely. "I'll have to search extra hard and find him. If I do, I'll Obliviate him if I can't get him out of there."
"I hate doing that, but we have no choice," Severus said grimly. "Until we disable or stop him from using that device, he can crush us if he knows, and he will."
"You're right. I'll do what I must," Regulus sighed. "I just wish the damn bastard would drop dead one of these days trying one of his "experiments"."
"Fat chance of that," Severus sneered. "All I ask is that you find Arthur and the others. If it's too risky to get them out yet, don't. Just Obliviate the boy and note where they are. I think we'd probably need a team of wizards, like a Hit Squad, to take out the device, the rest of the Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord."
Regulus nodded. "That goes without saying. But I'm going to be one of the ones that do it. The game nears its end, Sev, and this is for the win. Match point."
"Yes. May Merlin watch over you, Reg."
"He always has," the other replied. "Now let's go home and celebrate that little girl you've got."
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Somewhere inside Voldemort's castle:
Arthur woke up with a pounding headache and the inside of his mouth tasted liked cotton. For a moment his vision was blurry and he didn't know where he was or how he had gotten there. Then the coldness of the stone floor began to seep through his robes and his clothing and he began to shiver slightly. That woke him up further and it all came back to him. The afternoon, picnicking on the grounds, and then Morhaven being attacked by Death Eaters. Trying to help Morhaven and being captured. He cautiously sat up, wincing a bit at how sore he was. Where were Misty and Nate?
He glanced around and saw that he was in a blank walled room colored a stark gray, the walls were made of gray stone and so was the floor, which was why he felt so cold. Beside him lay Misty and on the other side of her he saw Grimsby. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. At least they were together . . . wherever they were. He bit his lip. Being taken away by Death Eaters was not a good thing. That had not been what he intended while helping Professor Morhaven. He had hoped he could help the Defense professor drive them off, but things hadn't happened the way he'd planned at all. He grimaced. Severus would scold him, saying it was another case of him being all Gryffindor impulsive and that he should have gone with Rhys and gotten a teacher. Arthur would have argued there wasn't time for both. But now . . . now he wondered just how much trouble he'd gotten himself and his friends into.
He shifted to a sitting position, wondering how long they'd been in here. Long enough for him to be cold and achy from lying on the floor. He wondered if he ought to try to wake up Misty or Nate. Then at least he'd have company. He felt a frisson of fear crawl down his spine. Nothing good would come of being a Death Eater captive. He knew firsthand just how merciless and cruel they were.
But that begged the question—why had they not been killed for interfering? He knew that they had no qualms about killing anyone—not even a child, after all, they'd killed his baby sister, who was just two. So why had they saved three children? It had to be for a reason, because it sure as hell wasn't out of the goodness of their hearts—since they didn't have hearts.
Arthur shivered and clasped his knees to his chest. The way the Death Eaters and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named acted, it reminded him of the old stories his father used to tell him about World War II with Hitler, Mussolini, and the Nazis. The parallels were very similar—both despots who'd come up from nothing with a warped vision to rule the world and who had fanatic followers who believed absolutely in their dark cause. Hitler had hated Jews and anyone who didn't agree with him. You-Know-Who hated Muggleborns, Muggles, and anyone who didn't agree with him too. Both wanted to exterminate entire races of people. The only difference was Hitler had failed. But if Voldemort was going to fail, someone had to stop him. Soon.
Perhaps Severus, Lily, and Regulus could do so. After all, they were secret agents, surely they could gather enough dirt on the corrupt bastard to bring him down. Thinking of Severus and Lily made his chest hurt, he was frightened and wished someone would rescue him. He was also concerned about the baby and hoped Lily would be all right.
Suddenly, Misty sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Samantha? It's really cold in here, can you shut the window?" she said, as if she were speaking to one of her Ravenclaw yearmates. An instant later, she blinked and saw where she was and whom she was with. "Arthur? Where are we?"
"We're somewhere in some Death Eater prison, I guess. You all right?"
"I'm just . . . tired and a little foggy," she yawned. "Probably a result of whatever spell they put on me. It's cold in here."
"Because we're sitting on a stone floor," Arthur surmised. "My guess is we're inside a castle dungeon of some kind."
"But even Professor Snape's dungeon was never this cold!" Misty said, giving him a wan smile. She was scared down to the marrow of her bones, but she was determined not to show it. Just because she was a girl and a Ravenclaw didn't follow that she was a coward.
"I know. I wish we had a blanket," Arthur said, his teeth chattering.
"I wonder why we're here?" Misty queried. "They could have just—"
"—killed us," finished Nate, also waking up. "Maybe they have something else for us in mind." He was shivering too and the scar on his face stood out in livid contrast to his pale skin.
"And none of it good," Arthur said darkly, glancing away to keep from staring at Nate's cheek, which would be rude. Then he thought of something else and cried out in horror. "Oh, no!"
"What is it?" asked Misty, concerned.
"It's . . . I . . . know too much," Arthur said miserably. "What if . . . You-Know-Who finds out?" It hadn't occurred to him before, but now it did.
"What do you mean? You know too much? About what?" asked Nate. "Quidditch scores?"
"Ha ha. Real funny, Grim," Arthur sighed. "No, it's not about that. It's about . . . my guardians. If he remembers who I am . . . he could ask me questions about them . . . and I know secrets about them."
"What sort of secrets?" Misty asked.
"The sort that can get them killed if he finds out," Arthur said desperately. "Can you Obliviate me? Please? I don't want to be responsible for getting them killed." Not like my parents and sisters.
Misty and Nate looked at each other.
"I wish we could, Art, but . . ." Misty worried her lip.
" . . . we don't have our wands and even if we did, I'm not sure I know how to cast a Memory Charm right," Nate said sadly.
"Great!" Arthur threw up his hands. "I can't believe I was so dumb as to get myself captured. Now what?"
"We have to hope they don't know who you are," Misty whispered.
"Yeah, keep your head down and act like an idiot. We won't call you by name or nothing," Nate said, sighing. He drew closer to the other two, for he was shivering as well. "If somebody doesn't get us out of here soon, we're going to become icicles." He tucked his hands under his arms to keep warm.
The other two nodded, no one knew how much time had passed and they both dreaded and looked forward to the return of their captors.
"Do you think . . . anyone will come and rescue us?" asked Misty hopefully.
"I don't know. I hope so," Arthur replied. He knew Severus and Lily would try. But would trying put them in danger? He didn't want something bad to happen to his guardians, not after they'd done so much for him.
"Let's hope then." Nate said quietly. "I know that sometimes my parents used to joke about sending me away, but I doubt they really meant it, even after the accident." He looked towards what should have been a door and said, "How's anyone get into this room anyhow?"
"Maybe they Apparate in," Misty mused. "However they do it, I want them to get us out of here. It's so cold I can see my breath."
The boys agreed, for freezing was not a pleasant option to consider.
Then again, Arthur swallowed sharply, afraid to say what was really on his mind, it was better than torture.
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
Regulus managed to go seek out his Death Eater compatriots after supper that evening. It had been three days since the children had been taken and he hoped that they were unharmed, though he knew that they wouldn't remain so forever. Rumors abounded among the followers of the Dark Lord about when he would next put the machine to use, and that required some fresh blood.
Regulus found Rabastan going towards a room down in the bowels of the castle. "What brings you here at this hour, Rab?" he queried, accompanying the older and bulkier wizard down the stairs.
"Business, what else?" said the other sourly, his mouth twisting. "I'd rather be drinking a pint and screwing the eyeballs out of some girl."
Regulus bit his lip to keep from saying Rabastan would have to pay a girl for a good time, and even then it was a toss up. Instead he said affably, "What's going on here that's so important?"
Rabastan turned to him and hissed, "You heard of the machine, right, Black?"
"The one the Dark Lord invented that sucks the magic out of someone?"
"Yeah. Well, we've got a fresh batch of kids down 'ere, more fodder for it. I'm going to fetch 'em and put them with the others."
"Oh. I see. Mind if I tag along? I'm bored," Regulus asked in a disinterested tone.
"Naw. Come on. You can have some fun scaring the brats," Rabastan laughed and led the way down into the dungeons.
Soon they reached the end of a hallway and Rabastan drew his wand and tapped three times on a blank wall to the left. As Regulus watched, there came an outline of a door and it swung open. Regulus had on his mask, so the children couldn't see his face. So did Rabastan.
The kids were sitting up as the door swung inward. They looked half startled and then frightened. They huddled together like a bunch of puppies, their lips blue with cold. Beneath the mask, Regulus frowned. "Didn't you make sure they were all right, Rab? They're freezing!"
"Yeah, so? They're little punks. Who cares?"
"The Dark Lord will, if they're not up to snuff," Regulus reminded him sharply, incensed at the children's condition.
"Hey, I'm just here to get 'em, not play nanny dearest," Rabastan sneered. "You! On your feet! Quick, now!"
The children got to their feet, unsteadily in the case of the girl.
Regulus stepped forward. He had to pull Arthur away now, before anything else happened. He moved forward and grabbed the boy by the shoulder. "Come on, you dirty little rat. Mudblood scum!" He shook the boy, though he made it seem harder than it was. Then he dragged the boy from the room.
Arthur was too frozen to struggle much at first, but then he suddenly came to life and began thrashing against the older wizard's hold. "Let go of me, you bloody bastard!"
Regulus had to clutch him firmly to keep his hold. He dragged the boy in close and put an arm about him to keep him still, while hissing in his ear, "Hey, relax! Severus wouldn't like what just came out of your mouth, boy."
"How would you know?" Arthur blustered.
"Because . . . Sev and I are old friends."
"Huh? You're not his friend!"
"Oh, yes, I am. You met me once at the cottage. Don't you remember?"
Arthur went slackjawed for a moment, allowing Regulus to drag him into an empty room along the corridor. There he jerked off his mask. "Recognize me now?"
"Regulus!" Arthur exclaimed, starting to grin. "You came for me. But what about Misty and Nate? You have to get them out too."
"I will . . . but not as soon as I'd like. For now, I've come to make sure certain secrets aren't revealed. You understand?" Regulus asked, drawing his wand.
"Yeah. Go ahead. I don't want to be the one who snitches to You-Know-Who," Arthur said resignedly.
"I'm not fond of doing this . . . especially to a child. But I have no choice. Besides, you'll relearn it all after this is over," Regulus said. He put the wand to Arthur's temple and hissed, "Obliviate!" while concentrating on the memories he wished erased.
Arthur went limp in his arms for a moment. Then he blinked slowly and said, "What . . . happened?"
"You passed out from the cold. Come on, wake up. I haven't got all day to nurse you, kid," Regulus growled. "Let's go."
"Where?"
"Where the Dark Lord wants you and those like you." Regulus jerked Arthur's collar, forcing the boy to walk ahead of him.
Soon they rejoined the others and Regulus led Arthur to the large round room which was filled with others the Dark lord had gathered and drained. These were the ones who had survived that process and he was keeping them to reuse them until their magic gave out.
Regulus shoved Arthur into the dormitory, where there were small iron cots with sagging sheets and no windows. But at least there was light and warmth. There was also a rickety table and Regulus made some soup and bread and water appear with a wave of his wand. "Eat up, wretches! Have to be nice and strong for the machine!"
Rabastan laughed like a fiend until Regulus pulled him out the door. The lock clicked sharply, leaving the three students imprisoned.
Arthur glanced about. "Hello. I'm Arthur Stephens," he introduced himself.
The other children stared at him woodenly, not offering their names.
"Let's eat. I'm starving," Nate said, sitting down and tucking into a bowl of stew and bread.
"What did he mean—the machine?" whispered Misty fearfully.
"I don't know. And right now, I'm too hungry to care," Arthur said, also eating.
Misty sat down reluctantly and picked up her spoon. To her surprise, the food was good, certainly more than she'd expected. But she had a feeling that things were not going to go well. She felt tears prickle her eyes as she thought of her cozy bed in Ravenclaw Tower and how worried her Housemates and parents would be at her absence. What was going to happen to them all?
Page~*~*~*~*~Break
It was almost a week before Regulus, Lily, and Severus could get the Order of the Phoenix together and assemble a strike force. Severus was desperate to get Arthur away from there, as well as Grimsby and Fielding, but he had to wait until the other members were ready to strike. Dumbledore preached caution, and much as Severus disliked it, he knew that this thing could not be done in a haphazard fashion. They all met at Grimmauld Place and discussed options and plans before finally deciding on one. Then, and only then, could Severus relax a little.
In the meantime, Arthur, Nate, and Misty were gradually getting to know the other prisoners in the dormitory. At first many of the others were too tired and weary to talk much, but Nate's jokes and Arthur's persistence wore them down. Misty was usually quiet, but even she spoke to some of the other girls.
They found out that all the children, except themselves, had, at one time or another, been used by Voldemort for his infernal machine. "It felt . . . sort of like it was sucking your life away," reported Nettie, she was a Hufflepuff third year, and older than most. "But it didn't really hurt. You just . . . went to sleep."
"Yeah, but Georgie and Alan never came back," spoke up Peter, he was ten and a Muggleborn.
"You think they . . .died?" asked Arthur.
All of them nodded. "We haven't seen them since," said Stephanie, a first year Slytherin.
The thought sent cold shivers down Arthur's spine. He prayed daily for rescue. Before Voldemort got the idea to use them on the machine. They were fed twice a day, usually some sort of soup and bread, filling but not as tasty as the meal they'd been given the first time. There was water brought to them at certain times, and there were rough water closets at the opposite ends of the dormitory.
They were never bone-chillingly cold, but the sheets and thin blankets never got them fully warm either. Sometimes Arthur and Nate slept in the same bed, because it was too cold, and so did Misty and Nettie. The other children soon copied their example. Most of the time, the Death Eaters left them alone, though some of them came to gloat and tease them occasionally. But the worst thing about their confinement was the boredom.
Boredom and tension in equal measure, for none of them knew when it would be time to feed the machine again. The tension really got to Misty, who started biting her nails and grew nervous, starting at every little thing.
To calm her, Arthur started telling stories—the same stories his mother had told him at bedtime when he was small. When he ran out of them, he told stories he read when he was at Severus and Lily's cottage, then he made things up. Anything to be doing something other than this monotonous waiting and worrying.
"You're good for them," Misty said once one day. "You give them something they never had—hope."
"Here? In this—prison?" Arthur scowled. "What hope is here?"
"The kind you imagine," Nate said then. "Misty's right. Your stories—they give us something to think about except the rotten food, and the fact that we might all die here."
Arthur looked at him. "I never thought about it like that before. I just wanted . . . to pass the time. What else can we do?"
A small hand touched his leg. Arthur looked down at little May, who was a little older than his youngest sister. "Can you tell us another story, Art? Please?"
Arthur smiled at the child. "Sure, May. Just let me rest a little." It was odd, but the monotony made one tired. But he could never resist the little girl.
He drank a cup of water and used the bathroom, such as it was, before thinking up a new tale. Perhaps Misty was right. But he didn't think he had much hope to give. Still, maybe some hope was better than none at all. And he would do something more. He would remember—all of them, the forgotten children, captive to a dark despot. He would remember Nettie, May, Peter, and Andrew. Because someone had to. So that if they were taken one day, before they could be rescued, someone would remember who they were . . . and how they had lived and died. It was, in Arthur's opinion, the least he could do. And then he prayed Severus or someone would come for him. Before it was too late.
A/N: What do you think will happen now? By the way, I;ve finished A Helping Hand, if anyone is interested.