It was dark when I woke up; I had no clue where I was. I just knew I was in big trouble- Voldemort had kidnapped me as bait for Sirius. He'd keep me alive... but, then again, I'd punched him in the face... I didn't even want to think of the kind of revenge he could get for that.

I looked around, trying to place my surroundings. It was nowhere I recognized. I was in some sort of cell, the only light filtering in through a barred window near the ceiling.

"Well, this is just great," I huffed. "If I'd just stayed home, I wouldn't be in this mess."

And what a mess it was. If Sirius caught wind of my capture, things were going to spiral downwards very fast. I could easily picture what would happen: Sirius would rush heroically to the rescue, give himself up in exchange for my safety, and get himself killed. Again.

Then again, that was a worst case scenario. Perhaps the Healers would be able to keep Sirius from leaving, or Dad would get here with a bunch of Aurors and rescue me before Sirius ever finds out.

Now I'm being too optimistic.

I shifted my position, wincing at the pain in my shoulder. I brought my hand up to it, and pulled away, hissing in pain. My hand had a sticky red substance on it, but not enough for me to be worried. I didn't feel too lightheaded, at the very least.

Other than my shoulder, my head was pounding horribly. I ran my hand through my hair, and jerked away again, cursing. My fingers had more blood on them, and I groaned at my bad luck; I'd probably hit my head after being knocked out.

I leaned against the wall, grimacing and wishing someone would hurry up and find me. I was less worried about myself as my friends. Had Regulus been with Dad when I was taken? I knew Dad had been there; I'd heard him yell my name. I hoped Regulus had stayed at home- he was as rash as his brother, although he was less likely to jump into danger. Unfortunately, he'd probably tell Sirius what happened, and Sirius would come up with a stupid plan that Regulus would go along with.

The door opened; I grabbed a rock nearby, ready to strike.

"Fancy seeing you here, Potter," said Bellatrix, eyes glinting. I growled. "I can't wait to see my cousin again."

"Really?" I said. "Cause I think he was glad to see you go."

Bellatrix hissed. "Don't be cheeky, boy!"

"I wasn't being cheeky," I replied. "Just stating the truth."

Bellatrix brandished her wand at me. "Would you like a little taste of what I can do, Potter?"

"If it's anything like your cousin's cooking, I'd rather not," I replied. Bellatrix's eyes flashed again, and I didn't have time to dodge the red jet of light that hit me in the chest. I screamed (I think) as the unbearable pain took over again. I hated the Cruciatus; not only because of the intense feeling of being ripped limb from limb and being burned alive and all, but also because it reminded me too much of Sirius's death. The curse was over as soon as it started, and I lifted my heard from the dirt to glare hatefully at Bellatrix.

"Painful, isn't it?" Bellatrix asked, a sadistic smile on her face. "It's a shame Sirius ran away; it was always so entertaining to see him squirm. Aunt Walburga is fabulous at that curse."

"Shut up," I growled, pulling myself shakily to my feet. "Don't talk about Sirius like that."

"He stopped screaming, though," continued Bellatrix. I gritted my teeth. "It's a shame. I'd like to learn that curse the Dark Lord used- that made him scream."

Her black eyes held so much delight that I punched her in the face. She let out a shriek of fury. "INSOLENT BOY! YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT! CRUCIO! CRUCIO!"

Both curses hit me in rapid succession, doubling the pain. I know I screamed this time; I wondered how anyone couldn't. I tasted a coppery, warm liquid in my mouth that dribbled down my chin. The curse lifted, leaving me panting and wiping blood from my chin, spitting the rest of it on the floor in front of Bellatrix.

"Don't like that, do you?" she taunted.

I responded by saying some very nasty things to her.

Bellatrix's eyes flashed. "You do understand, boy, that the Dark Lord can do much worse than me? He is angry with you. You won't survive to see the light of day when he's through. You'll see; he'll kill my cousin and make you watch, and then he'll kill you too."

"He won't hurt Sirius," I snarled. "I'd die before I let that happen."

Bellatrix let out an evil cackle that resounded horribly around the walls of my cell. "Why, Potter, you don't have much of a choice."

She was right, of course. If Sirius came to my rescue, I'd be no help to him, especially in this state. My head was spinning, and black spots were dancing in my vision. Only fierce will and anger was keeping me conscious. I was hardly able to protect myself, let alone Sirius. Bellatrix's charcoal eyes glinted malevolently, obviously thinking the same thing.

"I do hope the Dark Lord will allow me to participate in my cousin's death," she said. "I want to see the light leave his eyes."

I lunged, tackling Bellatrix to the ground, a burning hatred filling my mind, blinding my common sense. Bellatrix screeched in anger as I punched her again. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my side; I gasped painfully, and Bellatrix moved away, holding a dagger gleaming with a dark red substance.

My hands found my side; I glanced down. In the dim light, I could make out a horrible gash. Bellatrix smiled wickedly, and left the room. I wondered if now would be an appropriate time to panic.

No. No, it wouldn't. I pulled off my t-shirt, shivering in the coldness of the cell.

Better cold than dead, I thought, pressing the shirt to my side and hissing in pain. I slid down the wall, leaning against it and trying to quell the bleeding. Well, this would be a great way to die: alone in a cell hoping desperately that my friends would be smart enough not to come looking for me.

I felt myself losing consciousness, and tried hopelessly to stay awake. I had to stop the bleeding; if I fell asleep now, I knew I might not wake up. Nonetheless, darkness consumed me once more.

"Is he dead?"

"No, you dolt! He can't be dead, the Dark Lord wants him alive!"

"Are you sure?"

I winced slightly, feeling a sudden, sharp kick to my ribs. I didn't move; everything hurt and I didn't want to aggravate my wounds. I registered just barely two Death Eaters standing above me.

"Well, just leave the food," said one. "If he's dead, we're already in trouble. If he dies cause we didn't feed him, we might as well dig our own graves."

"Okay," said the other. A plate of food (if you could call it that) was set in front of me. The Death Eaters left the room, slamming the door. I groaned, and sat up, letting out a tiny cry as pain shot up my side. At least I was alive. I ate the food quickly; even if it was horrible, I'd rather not starve. How long had I been out?

I checked my side. The bleeding had stopped. I was relieved; I'd been worried. I felt lightheaded and dizzy, and judging by the amount of blood on the floor, I'd either been out a while or I'd lost a lot of blood in a short span of time. The blood sickened me, but I stopped myself from vomiting up my meal. I kind of needed the food inside my body.

I must have been a miserable sight to see: my torso was covered in dirt and dried blood, and my glasses were cracked and blurry. Not that I could see much anyways, in this darkness.

Just then, I heard something. An impossible sound. "Prongs? Hullo? Regulus, I don't think he has his mirror."

"No, I think he does!"

I started suddenly, pulling a slightly cracked mirror from my pocket in disbelief, staring and allowing myself a small smile. Regulus and Sirius turned to face me, and Sirius let out a string of curse that Regulus really didn't need to hear.

"Are you okay?" Regulus asked worriedly. "You're all bloody!"

"I'm fine," I said, my voice hoarse. "Just a bit beat up."

"A bit?" Sirius repeated incredulously. "Mate, what the heck happened to you?"

"Well," I said pensively. "The cut on my shoulder I got when fighting the Death Eaters, and I must have hit my head when Voldemort knocked me out. And, er, Bellatrix got me with a few Cruciatus."

Sirius growled. "Bloody snake. I'll kill her."

"Er... yeah, and then she said some... not so nice things and I tackled her and she stabbed me," based on Sirius and Regulus's expressions, I probably shouldn't have mentioned that. Regulus whimpered, and Sirius muttered more curses. "It's fine! Where are you guys? That certainly doesn't look like the hospital."

"It's not," said Sirius. "We're on our way to rescue you."

I gaped. "What?"

"Reg came and told me what happened, then he broke me out of the hospital," explained Sirius. "When we got home, we overheard some Aurors talking with your dad about your location. They were trying to figure out a plan, but me and Reg left immediately. Then Regulus thought of the mirror."

"I remembered that you had it with you," said Regulus. "You must not have realized, though, since you carry that thing everywhere."

He was right; I hadn't realized, and, thankfully, neither had the Death Eaters.

"So we stopped here," Sirius continued. "To try and call you and make sure you were okay."

"Go back," I urged. Sirius rolled his eyes. "No, really, Sirius! It's a trap!"

"A trap?" asked Regulus sharply. "What do you mean?"

"Voldemort wants Sirius!" I exclaimed. Sirius didn't seem surprised, but Regulus's eyes widened almost comically. "I mean, he's pretty mad at me too for punching him in the face but-"

"You punched him in the face!?" Sirius laughed. "Oh, that's brilliant! Wish I'd seen it!"

"Not the point, Sirius," I said, shifting slightly and wincing at the pain in my side. "Look, he expects you to come rescue me. He'll kill you, Sirius."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Does it look like I care?"

"Regulus, hit him for me," I muttered. Regulus must of punched Sirius in the arm, because seconds later, Sirius yelped. "Thank you."

"No problem," said Regulus easily.

"That's nice," Sirius grumbled. "Anyways, James, I've told you once and I'll tell you again: saving your life is worth sacrificing mine."

"You wouldn't even be able to save my life, though," I argued. "He'd kill you then he'd kill me, or vice versa. And you're dragging Regulus along, so he'd probably be killed too."

Sirius flinched; he obviously hadn't thought of that. Suddenly, his face lit up. "That's it! I've got a plan."

Regulus and I both groaned. "Oh no, not good."

"No, it's a good plan!" Sirius insisted. "Regulus is good at being sneaky, right? I mean, he managed to get me past those Healers. We've got the cloak, too. So, Reg sneaks in and breaks you out while I create a distraction. Hopefully the Aurors will show up before Voldie kills me, but it's no big loss if they don't. There. You'll both get away."

I frowned, and Regulus hit his brother in the back of the head. "Sirius, you dolt, we aren't just going to leave you."

"Well, we can't wait for the Aurors," Sirius replied. "James is hurt; he'll get hurt worse if he stays longer. This is the best plan we've got; there's no way all three of us can sneak in and out, I'm clumsier than James is on stairs."

"Oi!"

"Well, it's true," Sirius shrugged. "If I can provide a good enough distraction... of course, I won't be stupid; I'll try to stay alive."

It was the only plan we had, but I was still completely against it. "There's no way I'm going to let you risk your life-"

"There's not much you can do, is there?" Sirius pointed out. "Look, tell you what, we'll send an owl back to your dad with the plan. That way they'll be more likely to show up on time and I'm less likely to die. Lily, Remus, Peter, and Snape-"

"What?" I said. "When did they get brought into this?"

"A few hours ago," Regulus answered. "We owled them too."

"Yeah, they're on their way too, so I ought to be good," Sirius beamed

I narrowed my eyes. "Sirius, the Killing Curse takes literally two seconds to say and it kills you instantly. Voldemort could be done with you before Regulus even reaches me."

Sirius smiled wryly. "I get the impression he won't want my death to be quick and painless, though."

I grimaced; he was right, of course.

"Just hang tight," Sirius said. He gave me a reassuring smile. Regulus's eyes were worried and sad. "We better go; the sooner we get there, the better."

With that, the mirror went blank.

A/N: Hi! An update! :D Sirius has a plan- a dumb plan, but a plan! James (miraculously) has the mirror! Bellatrix is still evil! Big thanks to my reviewers, jeremiah123, sk8boards4ever, and guest! Erm... can't think of any more virtual gifts. :P Hope everyone enjoyed!

I don't own Harry Potter.