Chapter 6: Nothing More, Nothing Less

Harry wasn't sure how much time had passed since his capture. Not for the lack of trying, but every precaution had been made to ensure that he had no concept of time or ability to see anywhere around him. Obviously, sight was out of the question since he had been blindfolded. He tried listening for sounds, but there were none, he didn't know who was watching him or where they were when watching him. Using magic was out of the question, his mouth had been gagged and every single limb had been tied and chained to a wall, he couldn't move if he tried. Above all, the hunger and thirst were the biggest deterrent, he could hardly think, let alone try to maintain a passage of time. For once, in his life, Harry felt completely outsmarted.

"You're holding up better than your friend Pansy did."

Startled by the voice, Harry felt pain radiate throughout his body from moving so unexpectedly against his restraints. Yet, he felt relieved to hear another voice. A woman's voice.

"Here's the deal, I'm going to ask you questions and you're going to answer. You try anything, I will kill you. You don't answer truthfully and things get a lot worse for you. Nod if you understand me."

Harry nodded slowly. It was quiet for a moment, but he felt his mouth gag become undone. His sore jaw cracked and popped as he closed his mouth for the first time.

"Who are you?" The woman asked.

"My…" Harry attempted, his throat felt like it had filled with sand. After a feeble attempt to clear it, he mustered, "Harry…Riddle."

"Your original name?"

"Potter."

"And what does it mean to you?"

Harry turned his nose up at the question. "I am the son of the Emperor, nothing more, nothing less."

Harry felt his blindfold fall so that he could finally see in the dimly lit cell he was in. Taking in the surroundings, the outside of his cell was coated in pitched black. The only thing he could see was the woman who stood a few feet away. Taking in her appearance, she was young woman with fair skinned and choppy brown hair. A powerful set of brown eyes that seemed to be digging into Harry's own, but the most noticeable thing about her was the left side of her face. Below her left eye, running down to her neck and beyond was a mess of unevenly covered grotesque patterns and discolored skin; taut and lifeless compared to the rest of her face.

"You're a murderer. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Maybe so," Harry admitted, staring at the strange woman in front of him. "But so are you."

"I am nothing like you."

Harry let his head fall back against the wall, "When you fall asleep and you see their faces, do you think about your justification? What does the label matter when your chest tightens, your heart accelerates, the heaviness sets on your stomach, and your hand, instinctively, locates your wand? Murderer, killer, surviver…you'll choose yourself every time."

"And your point?"

Harry looked at the woman. "I'm impressed by you."

The woman's expression didn't change.

"Here you are, the only person living that's ever fought my brother and lived. You may not have killed him, but you did something far worse. You destroyed his ego. You've made the insular world of purebloods worry about something more than their manors, and you've captured me. All of this from someone that looks my age. I'm impressed by you, the Great Hope."

Watching the woman, her face faltered for a moment.

"You're smart. I know you're wondering why I'm saying all of this," Harry said, laying his head back against the wall. "Everything you want to know, I will tell you, and when it is my time…all that I ask is that you make my death quick."

Harry kept his eyes glued to the ceiling as silence permeated through the room. He could feel her eyes bearing into his soul from where he sat, trying to understand his words. After a few minutes, she relented.

"You expect me to believe you?"

Harry sat up, looking her in the eye, "Of course not, but you will."

"And why would you tell me, your enemy, everything I want to know. Where is your loyalty? "

"Loyalty?" Harry asked. He let out a weak laugh. Clearing his throat, he continued, "I am a prince over fat lords and ladies who have never known the word, too bloodthirsty for gold, slaves, and status to be concerned with the stability of the realm. I am a brother to someone who thinks he could lead a realm alone when those who plot against us laugh at his own table. I am the son to an emperor who kidnapped me, young, to use against his enemies. And what does anyone want from me? To take care of their problems and participate in their traditions, so no. I don't believe in loyalty."

"Who was that woman in your manor?"

"Her name is Lily. She…" Harry said, stopping for a moment. He let his head down, "She's my birth mother."

"Wasn't she killed?"

"She begged to come with me when the emperor chose me on that fateful night, and the emperor allowed her to on one condition, he took away her ability to speak. She was kept in the castle to clean for its men, feeding them, servicing them when it was required." Harry said, stopping to inhale a long breath. "All for the measly chance to see me every few months."

Harry felt his fists curl. He could feel his face flush red.

"Did you - did you know it was her?"

Harry looked up at the woman, whose expression was still impenetrable. "Never and she liked it like that, but I was too inquisitive for my own good. We had servants upon servants growing up. Why would this one random servant be seen every few months? So once I began my studies in the art of Legilimency, I…cornered her. I found out everything I needed to know, and I even tried restoring her speech. Yet, tampering with the mind in any capacity is dangerous, especially for young inexperienced legimens. For every answer I received, I did far more damage than I had realized, and my arrogant attempt to undo the actions of a master legimens ensured that she would only ever have the brain capacity of a child. Does that answer your question, Great Hope?"

"My name is Hermione." Hermione said, "And If you expect me to feel sorry for you, I won't. Not when you've helped destroy thousands of families."

"You're right, Hermione," Harry admitted. Saying her name out loud seemed to make her face scrunch in disgust.

Hermione tilted her head, "Tell me something, You're unloyal and have the capacity for compassion, and yet, you've stayed…why did you never try to defect…after everything he did to you and your family…why stay?"

"Same reason as you, Hermione."

"I stay because it's the right thing to do."

"You stay because you have to. You-We never had a choice."

"We always have a choice."

Harry chuckled. "You're too smart to believe that."

Hermione's eyes didn't leave his and for a moment, Harry wondered if she was attempting to perform legilimency, but finally her gaze broke.

"You don't know me."

"I know what it's like. It's suffocating what everyone expects from you. Every day, the world demands so much from someone who never asked for it. They look at you and see only a tool to use. I've always wanted to run, but if I did…I'd only escaped to continue being used as a tool. There's no choice for me." Harry stopped, watching as Hermione's expression softened, he continued, "I'm glad I'm here. It's freeing."

"You think this is freeing?"

"Despite the chains and hunger, yes, and the view isn't bad either." Harry said, without pausing, "It's just all so draining, you know, these vultures expect me to save their world with little thought to my own. I say fuck them."

His words fell to silence, but Harry could see something soft and familiar in her brown eyes. Standing over him, He knew she could see it in him too. They both had been made prisoners by their world, forced to bear consequences of decisions made by men far older than they.

Harry broke away from her gaze. " I know your people will want to get into my manor, I have the exact coordinates to a hidden emergency portkey that enters it."

"You can save them for now," Hermione replied as she turned away from Harry, "If all this information is honest then it's appreciated, but it will not save you from death."

Harry nodded. "Death is the easiest punishment. I deserve far worse."

"That we can agree upon."

"Before you leave, I must ask for another small act of mercy from you."

Hermione turned her head to listen to the request.

"Please save Lily…my mother. Without me around, she's…unsafe. I beg you."

Hermione nodded reluctantly. "We will try."

Harry shook his head, "Not we. You. Can you promise me that?"

"Me?"

"Whatever you think of me, she deserves none of my punishments."

"And why me?"

"Because Hermione, you and I wear the same chains, I trust you."

Hermione locked eyes for a moment longer before she fully turned away.

"I promise I'll try, nothing more, nothing less."

With that, she was gone and silence fell back over his dark and tiny cell. Harry leaned his head back against the wall. Patiently, he waited for his blindfold and gag to come back on, but they hadn't. Instead, what amounted to a few minutes, his right arm was given freedom from its chain as a plate of food appeared before him, just a bit out of reach.

A few meager potatoes and a small bowl of water. With his front foot, he pushed the food closer to him until he could finally bring the tray to him. There he grabbed a potato with his free hand. It was cold and uncooked, but it wouldn't matter.

Staring into blackness, he couldn't help but grin. To their credit, he had been hopeless an hour ago. He, The Black Prince, had been forced to consider the possibility of death. Thankfully, he had gotten lucky. Yet, he would still be in uncharted territories, he would have to trust his brother completely. A thought that made his stomach ache, but it was his only choice.

Just tell Father. He thought, playing with the potatoes.

Harry looked at his free hand and clenched his jaw as he prepared for what was next.

"Nothing more, nothing less."

Harry brought his thumb to his mouth and bit into it hard enough for the bone to snap. He let out a whimper as blood leaked from his mouth. Instantly, he felt his arm become chained again, and his mouth and face gagged.

As his consciousness began to fade, he watched as Hermione furiously entered the cell again, brandishing her wand at him. Her words fell on deaf ears as the corners of his vision began to blur, looking into her angry eyes though he still felt the connection they had shared. Even though he had to lie to get here, he knew something there was real. The first real thing he had encountered in a long time.

It's too bad, Hermione, but I'll choose myself every time. He thought as his head fell forward, unconscious.

Post-Chapter Thoughts:

Hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading.

-For earlier readers, I went back and fixed some issues with 'zones and districts'

-Districts are apart of the empire and owned by pureblood families.

-Anything in the zones are pretty much no man's land.