Carry On

By: Teenlaunch

Disclaimer: I wouldn't be writing if I owned it.

a/n: Okay, here's the part you all have been dying for. I'm sorry it's so short. My computer died on me and I haven't had a chance to fight it long enough to connect to the internet. And, just so you know, Lyme Disease is not fun! Also, I will be on vacation next week and should have another ready when I get back. Anyway, here you are!

a/n2: Okay, I had a couple reviews that I really would like to respond to as none of the ones I need to address were either signed in or members at all.

First, nothingpersonal – I love the fact that you are reading closely, however, I wish my author's note would be more easily remembered as I have posted it twice concerning the Lupin/Century deal.

Second, lundigurrl – I could have sworn I updated the years. Ah well. To be honest, I think I've given up on that. So long as there is not a huge difference I'm not being too picky anymore.

Finally, elise – Thank you for finally reviewing. I also noticed how Lily was in and out of the story. However, she was never a bit part of the plot to begin with. She will continue to pop in and out, perhaps staying along for the ride every few chapters just to drop out of sight again. I imagine a lot of people feel the same as you do about that. I simply was more focused on Harry and the Marauders in this story. I am afraid I am not sure what you mean about the future deal. What is currently happening in the future is of no consequence. You will understand why later. If you meant something else by your comment, I would love for you to explain it. Thank you for a wonderful critique.

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Harry sighed. It had already been a week, a rough one at that. The Marauders were practically walking on eggshells around each other and Harry was caught in the middle of it. Now Harry had to decide whether to meet Wormtail or not. He preferred not, but if it was sincere Wormtail wouldn't be indebted to him anymore and he'd have the way home.

That was probably why he was standing in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, watching for Wormtail. He'd been there for an hour and was getting tired of waiting even though the rat was only a few minutes late. It was then that he suddenly appeared at the other end of the field, jogging over to Harry. Harry crossed his arms and looked down at the disgusting creature as it greeted him in a squeaky voice. Harry couldn't even see a resemblance of Peter in him. "G-good evening, H-Harry," Wormtail stuttered.

Harry inclined his head slightly. "I don't have all night; hurry up."

"O-of course." He gestured toward the goal posts farthest away from the school.

As Harry drew nearer, he saw something was slumped against the middle post. Harry immediately bristled. "It seems you have already broken your end of this."

He went to turn around but a wand at his neck made him stop. "Don't move, Potter." Harry glanced over at the Death Eater. He didn't have on a mask as there was no one around to recognize him. It was Rudolphus Lestrange.

Harry reflexively lashed out, knocking Lestrange's wand from his hand. The next moment he had Lestrange bent double with his arms locked painfully behind his back and Harry's wand leveled at Wormtail's head. "You underestimate me."

A cold laugh made him whip toward the goal posts. Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, his wand at the neck of the person who had been slumped against the post. As they drew into the moonlight, Harry bit back a gasp. The young man was a prisoner, that looked like him. "It is you who underestimate us." The prisoner was James.

Harry looked at his father again and his eyes widened. Being able to trace magic did have its advantages. Harry silently undid the spells around the man and watched as a scar and green eyes shimmered into existence on the man's head. Harry threw back his head and laughed. "Perhaps next time you should leave off the green eyes and scar, Malfoy!"

Lucius glanced at the man, howled in disgust, and threw him to the ground. "Fool! Your spells were weak!" The Death Eater jumped up and skirted around Lucius. He ran toward the forest and disappeared from sight. Lucius snarled. "Insolent boy! I will fulfill my master's wishes if it means my death!"

He started launching curses at Harry who jumped out of the way, dodging Lucius' every attempt to harm him. A sudden scuffle at the edge of the field made them stop. Wormtail dragged a flailing young man to the goal posts and hooked him to them. When Wormtail stepped back, Harry froze. It was really James.

"It seems you didn't come alone either, Harry." Wormtail gestured to James and Harry cursed. If James was there then the other Marauders were around too, but why hadn't Wormtail ratted them all out?

James struggled against his invisible bonds and glared at the Death Eaters. "Let me go, cowards! I'll take you all on! I'll-"

Lestrange, released long before, slapped him across the face. "Shut up or I'll make you permanently mute!" James glared at him but didn't speak again. He knew this was one situation that would take a miracle to get out of this time.

Lucius turned to Harry and smirked. "Now what will you do? We have James Potter wandless, fragile, at our mercy. Whose life do you value more?" He frowned for a moment, realizing the threat wouldn't hold. Even he didn't want to completely alter the timeline. He seemed to be at a loss for words. For once the man hadn't planned ahead. "It seems that is the wrong question. Let's try again."

Someone came up behind Harry and chuckled softly in his ear. "The scars I leave should certainly be incentive enough, physical…and mental." Harry shivered. It was Bellatrix. "How much pain are you willing to cause him?"

Harry felt his lungs seize up. His eyes locked with James' and he let his wand tumble limply from his hand. It landed with a soft flump on the grass. Bellatrix scooped it up and cackled, the other Death Eaters joining in. "Tie him up, Lucius! And give him the potion."

Once Harry was hooked to the middle goal post, James was moved to the side and held back by Wormtail. Lucius forced Harry's mouth open and poured a sweet potion down Harry's throat. He instantly felt his blood run cold. Bellatrix laughed and caressed his cheek. "Your magic is now dormant until the potion wears off. You cannot perform any spells, even accidental magic. Wonderful new thing developed just recently. It will allow us to do whatever we wish to you, little Harry."

She laughed and backed away. Lucius, Bellatrix, and Lestrange circled him. Lucius shoved his face near Harry's. "You will know pain by the time we are through with you."

Bellatrix pointed her wand lazily at him. "Imperio!" Harry almost groaned. It was his will that fought off the Imperious, not his magic, meaning getting off easy was out of the question. Perhaps he could fake it. Bellatrix's voice floated into his mind. "Scream for me, my pet."

Harry's head shot up. "My pet? I'm not your pet, you sick cow!" There went that plan.

James' mouth dropped open. Lucius snickered. "I forgot to tell you, Bella. He can fight off the Imperious. He beat our master at it."

She rounded on him. "What? This whelp fought off my master's Imperious?" She was met with silence. The next thing Harry felt was pain. The Cruciatus curse he realized. Every muscle spasmed. His shoulders protested most violently, his arms jerking in response. As it continued, the pain coursed through every limb, making him wish for it to end. How long it lasted, he didn't know, but it felt like hours. It finally stopped and he relaxed, panting heavily.

A stifled groan made Harry look up. James was staring at him, his mouth open. "Oh, Lord, what have I done?"

Harry smirked slightly, mind fuzzy from the spell. His head was yanked back against the pole, someone's hand in his hair. Lestrange snarled, "No communicating, Potter." He let go as Lucius approached James.

"Leave him alone," Harry hissed. "You have me." The Death Eaters laughed. Bellatrix took Harry's chin in her hand and made him look straight at his father's horrified face.

"James, it is James, of course. Tell me, are you proud of him, of Harry here?" Lucius asked with a sneer.

James raised an eyebrow, succeeding in looking calm once again though his heart and mind were racing. "Should I be?"

"Most fathers are."

"Fathers?" James' brow furrowed.

Lucius smirked, his eyes wide in delight. "You don't know, do you? You don't…" He laughed and turned to Harry, a manic gleam not unlike Bellatrix's in his eyes. "I thought you wanted to get to know your father, Potter. Well, let me get the formalities out of the way and perhaps the irony of this situation will finally be revealed.

"James, meet Harry Potter, your son!"

James' face went slack. "W-what?"

Lucius chuckled. "Poor thing took a wrong turn and ended up in your time. Pity. He is so missed back home."

"It can't be. No…it's not possible." James' head shook almost without him knowing it. His eyes were locked on Lucius, searching for something to tell him it was a lie. Death Eaters weren't known to tell the truth after all. Harry's head tilted downward as Bellatrix released him.

"Look at him and tell me you don't believe it!" Lucius yanked Harry's head back to its upright position, jerking pained tears to Harry's eyes as he was forced to face James' scrutiny.

James stared into Harry's eyes, finally seeing the sorrow and pain in them. James felt his body shut down and his knees buckled, sending him to the ground. He shook his head, tears coming to his eyes. Everything he'd done to Harry since he'd known him came flooding back: the pain, the taunting, the accusations. James sobbed, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," not sure if it was because he believed Harry was his son or because he realized that he should never have doubted Harry.

The Death Eaters laughed. "Crucio!" Harry tensed again and thrashed wildly against his bonds. He grunted in pain when it stopped.

Bellatrix cackled again. "I have a surprise for you, Potter." She drew something out of her robes. Harry fought back a wave of nausea. "You know what this is, don't you? Yes, I can tell." A glittering hunk of metal sat in her hand. If Harry hadn't been so worried at seeing it, he would have realized how bizarre it was Bellatrix had one in the first place. "This is a Muggle gun, a simple handheld. However, it has a few modifications. It never runs out of bullets and they disappear after they enter the body, but the damage is just the same as a regular gun." She placed the barrel below his chin.

The cold metal seemed to heighten his senses. Harry ignored the gun and stared determinedly at her. She trailed it across his collarbone and he fought back a disgusted shiver. She placed it over his heart. "Are you scared, Potter?"

Harry smirked. "No."

Bellatrix drew him to her and whispered, "You were raised a Muggle and you will die tonight like a Muggle. Without hope, without friends, without love."

Harry snarled, stung by her words. "Wait until Voldemort finds out the pleasure of killing me has been taken away from him. He didn't send you, did he? You did this on your own."

She paled. "It is worth the risk just to hear you scream for mercy! If you die in the process…" Bellatrix drew back, leveled the gun to his chest, and smiled sadistically. Her finger tightened on the trigger and Harry stiffened. The bang came almost five seconds after the stabbing pain. But he didn't dwell on it. Bellatrix emptied at least six shots into him. Harry couldn't tell where he was hit. His entire body was on fire and blood was dripping from his body. He coughed and almost choked. He was spitting up blood. She had been serious. If he happened to die after they left it would be no loss to them. He'd never watched much Muggle television, but he knew that without medical attention very soon he would be in serious trouble. He was lucky Bellatrix was a mediocre shot.

Harry's bonds suddenly disappeared and he staggered as he tried to regain his balance. Something large connected with his back and he landed facedown on the pitch. He was dragged to his feet and his arms were pinned behind him. Lucius came up to him and smirked. "Have you ever been properly beaten, like a Muggle? This will be the worst you have ever experienced. This is for corrupting my son!" His fist connected with Harry's stomach. For the next few minutes Harry was pounded by Lucius, all the while applauding Draco in his head to distract himself. It was when Lucius stopped that he realized he couldn't tell what hurt the most. It felt like every bone in his body was broken, and some probably were. The ache was a singular feeling, each part of his body undistinguishable from the rest.

Bellatrix instructed Wormtail to put him back against the pole. Harry had already lost so much blood that his eyes were rolling and he was lightheaded. He couldn't hear anything over his own horrible, labored breathing. His mouth was forced open but he bit down on the offending fingers and spit blood in the person's face. He was slapped hard across the face and something was forced down his throat.

"Now you will scream!" Bellatrix laughed. "Crucio!"

It was like a match had been set to his blood. It was burning, literally boiling, searing through his veins with every beat of his heart. Doubling the effect was the pain from the Cruciatus curse. It felt like his muscles were being torn from his bones and his head felt like he'd cleaved it open and allowed someone to dissect it. And the pain didn't stop. It kept building. It seemed to be getting hotter and sharper. He coughed up large amounts of blood, making him almost choke and he gagged. The pain became too much and a blood-curdling scream tore from his bloody lips.

Harry really wished there was a way to tell how long he'd been under the curse. When it stopped, he slumped against the pole, his entire body screaming in protest. Sometime during the session his body had been hit by multiple cutting spells. He spit out more blood and looked up. The Death Eaters were smirking. Lestrange leveled his wand at him. "And now for a final touch." An eerie red light shot toward Harry's chest and he felt a few ribs crack, and, he realized a second later, one punctured his lung.

Even as he started coughing up mouthfuls of blood, the broken bone scraping against others as he breathed, Bellatrix cackled again. "One more round of crucio should do it." She leveled her wand at his chest once again and Harry watched her in a detached haze. He was going to die. There was no question about it. He wasn't even getting the painless death he wanted. Bellatrix's horrible snarl would be the last thing he would see. Her wand rose to deliver the final spell.

But suddenly a cry rose up from a spot some ten feet to his left. A dark figure detached itself from the stands and launched itself toward the Death Eaters. Harry felt his bonds disappear and he clutched the pole to stay standing.

It was a full-fledged fight. From what he could tell through his blurred vision, it was the four Death Eaters against Dumbledore, McGonagall, the Marauders, and an enraged Remus Lupin who had abandoned his wand for his fists. Harry, coughing wildly, reached into his pockets to see if he had any weapons he could use against Bellatrix if she got near him again. Swaying on the spot, he drew out something small and circular. It was his Christmas present from Dumbledore. He closed his left hand around it.

Someone suddenly slammed him against the pole. He looked up wearily. It was Bellatrix. "That ring on your finger," she hissed. "I'll be taking it. You don't deserve it!"

Harry tried to fight back but she yanked Sirius' family ring off his finger. She turned to a broom that was leaning against the stands. Harry hadn't noticed it before. He grit his teeth and, transforming the device into a rapier, staggered a few feet toward her. "Bellatrix," he rasped. She turned around to smirk at him. "For Sirius." Her eyes widened in surprise and her hands were halfway to her wand when Harry's rapier sliced through her chest, piercing her heart.

Her body was held up by the rapier for a split second before it reformed into its compact size. Bellatrix's body crumpled to the ground, blood seeping from the hole in her chest. Her lifeless eyes stared up at him. There was a look of horror frozen on her face. Harry fell to the ground beside her. With the little energy he had left, he pried her hand open and took back Sirius' ring. He smiled slightly and started gasping for breath.

"Harry!"

Someone turned him over. Just as Lupin's distraught face swam into view he choked and started coughing again. His punctured lung protested to the movement. Harry's head started spinning and his world went black.

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When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.

-Psalm 27:2