Despite the horrors he had witnessed throughout his short life, Draco wasn't used to the feelings of loneliness and ostracism that plagued him when finding himself surrounded by very close-knit Gryffindors. His life had been far from perfect but he had definitely been spoiled by both his parents, and he had been the most popular kid in his house when at school. Even for the past six months in which he had felt extremely lonely and isolated, he had had Snape wandering silently around. The Potions' master was cold and quiet, rarely engaged in trivial conversation and spent hours locked up in his lab, but Draco was sure that the man cared about him and listened when Draco really needed him to.

Now, the people around him barely tolerated his very existence, and despite being allies, he could tell that they wished more than anything that he'd disappear. His presence alone was making matters so much worse for Harry.

Speaking of, the black-haired boy currently looked more like a cadaver than a living thing.

He had woken up screaming, as usual, stammering nonsense about his mind bond with Voldemort and how he had seen McGonagall. He had desperately tried to get up, chattering about having to get back to save her.

It had been a truly terrible display. Despite their best efforts, Harry was still extremely injured. Some of the wounds had started to bleed again, and he had been unable to take even a step before collapsing on the floor, crying.

It had taken hours for his friends to calm him down, for them to try to reason with him that he couldn't go back to Voldemort; no matter what horrors he had planned for his former Head of House. He didn't even know if it was true - Voldemort could very well be making it up like he had done with Sirius Black when trying to get his hands on the prophecy. Draco had tried to help, but the others had immediately shut him down and told him to get out of the tent, that he was only making things worse.

Now Harry was completely silent, staring vacantly at the floor. Draco suspected that he hadn't really calmed down, he just didn't have the energy to argue anymore. Or to do anything, for that matter. He had stopped responding altogether, and now the only signs that he was even alive anymore were the silent tears that kept rolling down his face and the shallow rise and fall of his chest. His body was subtly shaking, too.

And the Gryffindors were huddled together next to him, muttering things while casting glances at Harry.

Draco was watching all of this from the mouth of the tent.

He decided to turn around and sit a few feet away. He wasn't welcome in there. He didn't know if he would ever be.

Inside, the Gryffindors discussed Harry's latest outburst quietly.

"But what if it's true?" Ron whispered, eyes wide. "What if he really has Professor McGonagall?"

"There is nothing we can do." Ginny deadpanned. "I hate the thought of her being surrounded by those bastards, but we can't risk getting closer to them again, with Harry in this state."

"Ginny is right." Lupin sighed. "Minerva is strong. If the vision Harry described is true, she will survive."

"Harry will never forgive himself if she gets hurt. You know how he is..." Hermione said, softly. "But I agree. What we need is to find a way to calm him down and heal him faster."

"We could attempt to go to the next town over and find an Alchemy store. They are bound to have calming draughts and some medicines, right?" Fred said.

"We have some Polyjuice left... It's worth a shot." George added.

Remus sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"It's way too dangerous. There must be search parties everywhere."

"What can we do, then?" Ginny asked, frowning. "He's not getting better."

"A calming draught is very easy to prepare." Hermione said. "And a sleepless potion, too. With some luck, we might be able to find the ingredients in the forest surrounding us."

They stayed silent for a moment. Luck was definitely not something they had at the moment.

After a few minutes, Lupin inched closer to Harry and sat beside him.

"Harry," he muttered. Harry flinched a little, but didn't acknowledge him otherwise. "You re-opened a few of the injuries that I had healed. I need to clean them and try to heal them again. Can I?" he raised the wand that Ginny had borrowed him. Harry eyed it and his body shook harder, closing his eyes, but he had nothing left in him to fight back. Lupin lowered the wand and put a hand very softly on Harry's shoulder, making him flinch. "Harry, I would never hurt you. You know that right?"

Harry opened his eyes and more tears fell down his face.

His attempt at standing up and thrashing around after seeing McGonagall had made his injuries worse. He was in a lot of pain. Granted, not as much as we had grown accustomed to, but it still rendered him immobile. He could feel the blood running down his body below the blanket that was covering him, and he had realized (way too late) that he was still naked. It was a terrible, horrible, gruesome, disgusting thought, but he couldn't help his damaged brain from wondering why they hadn't dressed him... Logically, he knew they thought that clothes would only hurt him and cling to his injuries, but once again, logic hardly flew in his damaged brain. It was way too difficult to feel safe, to shut up the insistent voice in his brain.

'They don't want to save McGonagall because they are not the good guys you remember.'

'What if Malfoy manipulated them? What if they are waiting for you to lower your defenses so they can hurt you?'

'What if this isn't real? Maybe it's an illusion crafted by Voldemort. Maybe he is just waiting for you to feel safe and then this will all disappear.'

"Harry?" Lupin tried again. "Please, let me try again. Your injuries need cleaning, and I can tell you're in pain."

His voice sounded so gentle. No hatred, no mockery, no anger... Just pure concern. He lifted his eyes to look at his friends, their faces equally worried.

"Maybe we can wait until you fall asleep?" Ginny offered, trying to smile.

Harry closed his eyes again. He was exhausted, but...

"He said..." he tried to take a deep breath. Even talking was taking a toll, "he said he would visit me every time I fell asleep to show me what they were doing to her."

"That bastard won't even let you rest." Ron growled.

Harry almost laughed at that. No shit. That was one of Voldemort's favorite torture methods - him and his followers would deny him sleep every time they could. They would keep him awake through continuous torture sessions and that dreadful spell whenever he passed out. They rarely stopped, often taking turns to make sure he was suffering as much as possible. Voldemort in particular was vicious, using every waking hour he had to make him suffer one way or another. And, even when he was left alone, his injuries were so severe that the pain kept him on full alert; not to mention the conditions in which he was kept: not only hungry and thirsty, but also either sharing a bed with his worst nightmare, locked away in the horrid chest, or left chained up against a dungeon wall.

"Harry, how far along did you get with Snape's Occlumency lessons?" Lupin asked.

At that, Harry did let out a chuckle that sounded like a gasp of pain.

"Not far." Not far enough to fight against Voldemort with a shattered brain and fear clouding each and everyone of his senses.

Besides, his attempts at Occlumency had caused him nothing but the worst agony imaginable.

"I bet he trained Draco, maybe he can..." Hermione started, but Harry didn't even want to hear the rest of that sentence.

"No. No, no." he said, breathlessly.

"Harry," Lupin started.

"NO!" he exclaimed in a strained voice. Then he cringed, a twinge of pain running through his ribs.

"Harry, we need to find a way to combat those dreams." The Professor said.

Harry's eyes watered, his mind buzzing with terror.

"No." Draco said suddenly, from the entrance, his arms crossed. "The only way to teach Occlumency is through Legilimens. And it was," his eyes crossed briefly with Harry's before he looked at Lupin, "one of his... methods."

Lupin nodded slowly, trying not to freak out.

"Dreamless sleep it is." Ginny said.

Harry swallowed again, at the verge of another panic attack.

"No potions, please. No."

Ginny swallowed hard before making up her mind. If there was something she had become good at, it was to become detached and emotionless in order to be efficient and survive. She shoved her pity and pain deep down and cleared her throat.

"He can only reach you when you are asleep, right?" she asked, her sudden hard tone making Harry jump a little. He nodded, eyeing her warily. "Well, then, Harry I'm so sorry but the only way to keep him away is to give you Dreamless Sleep. You need to be able to rest in order to heal. And, speaking of, I know you don't want a wand anywhere near you but you need to let Professor Lupin look at your wounds and heal you, with magic. But even then, we have already seen that his magic won't be enough, so we need to start brewing potions that will help you gain your strength back as well." She turned to the others, ignoring how Harry was subtly shaking his head. "We need to start looking for ingredients right now. Professor, Hermione and Malfoy, you are the ones who know most about Potions so start brainstorming what can be done quickly with as less ingredients as possible and come up with a list of things and where we will be more likely to find them. While you do that, Professor, take a look at Harry's injuries and try your best at healing what you can. Once that is done, we will take turns, two search parties going to look for ingredients, three people staying with Harry."

The team seemed taken aback for a moment, and Harry looked at her with fear. But then he felt grateful, at the fact that she didn't treat him with pity or like a broken toy. He nodded, and the others followed suit.

Lupin slowly lowered the blanket to uncover Harry's shoulders and chest. He would start there, since he knew the boy would die of shame and terror at the prospect of being completely naked.

Hermione and Malfoy sat next to him and began to list possible potions, and Ginny, Ron, George and Fred began to cook their meager resources.

Having Draco that close, with a wand pointing at his naked flesh was more than Harry could bear, and soon his mind dissociated. And travelled back to his horrible memories.

He was kneeling next to Voldemort's chair while they discussed their next plans over a very sweet-smelling dinner. As usual, his hands tied behind him.

It took all of Harry's willpower to not collapse right then and there. The pain of his injuries was insane. He had just been tortured for hours, with knives and whips and... He closed his eyes, trying not to remember anymore. He was also exhausted, and so, so, soooo hungry... His eyes lifted momentarily to the table. He couldn't help it.

"I think your little baby Potter might be a bit hungry, my Lord." Bellatrix said.

Harry closed his eyes shut, a lump forming in his throat and a cold lightning of fear running through his body.

Voldemort's hand sank into his hair before pulling at it to force him to stare up at him.

"Is that so, Harry? Are you hungry?"

"N-n-n..." he tried to talk but was interrupted as the table erupted in laughter. Oh no.

He had tried to make absolutely no noise, so that they would forget about him while they ate and then they'd leave. Voldemort would probably hurt him again, but it wasn't as bad as serving as entertainment to all the rest. He couldn't take it. Not today. Please, they had already tortured him today...

Voldemort pulled at his hair again and forced him to stand up. Harry's legs shook madly, his knees threatening to buckle under the weight of his injuries and his rising panic. He closed his eyes, refusing to stare at the terrible mass of faces that were surely twisted with sadistic pleasure and bloodlust. That would only scare him even more.

Being unable to see was equally terrifying, though, as he couldn't brace himself from the inevitable horrors that followed. Not like he could do anything about in anyway. He could hear a chair moving back, someone getting up and walking closer to him, and snickers and giggles. He was hyperventilating by the time the person was close to him... He could feel it, and he couldn't help the flinch and whimper of terror as a hand closed itself around his neck. It didn't squeeze, instead it softly travelled up to his face and cupped his jaw.

"I can feed him for you, my Lord." Yaxley's voice said. Fuck. Yaxley was one of Voldemort's closest for a reason... He was almost as cruel as the Dark Lord himself.

The hand on his jaw finally squeezed, painfully, forcing it open, and in the next second a loaf of bread had been shoved into his mouth. It was too big to bite, and even so, Yaxley's hand didn't stop as he pushed the bread into his throat, choking him. Now Harry knew what the torture was going to entail, and he tried to pull away from Yaxley and step back, choking, but the man wouldn't allow that. The grip on his face was unyielding. Harry's eyes watered, he couldn't breathe and it was impossible to swallow the entire thing. The man kept pushing, and Harry's jaw was already aching. He struggled as much as he could, before the man finally pulled the bread out and released him.

Harry sank to his knees, desperately fighting for air, coughing and gagging, his entire body shaking.

"Having trouble swallowing? Your throat must be a little dry. Let me help."

Still coughing, gagging and gasping, the boy watched with dread as Yaxley pointed his wand at a water jug and the liquid began boiling. The laughter around them only made his fear spike.

He shook his head, unable to speak as he was still coughing, and Yaxley grabbed the jug and approached him.

"Incarcerous." Voldemort muttered from his seat, smiling widely, and instantly Harry's body was enveloped in ropes that pulled him down, forcing him to lie on his back unable to move. He still tried to squirm away, but the Death Eater was soon on top of him, leaning down, forcing his jaw open again.

The boiling water landing inside his mouth was monstrously agonizing. He screamed and squirmed, his violent attempts to escape the torture making things worse as Yaxley's aim was thrown off and it ended up landing on his face and neck as well. The man's grip on his jaw was like steel, so he couldn't move his head, the position forcing him to either swallow the water or choke on it. Both options were equally, horrifyingly painful.

It went on for far too long, as the man magically re-filled the jug several times whenever it was empty.

Finally, as he began to see black spots in his vision, he could feel the ropes slipping away and Yaxley getting up. He used the last bit of strength he had and rolled over onto his side, to ease the process of coughing out the remaining water.

"Ain't you being a little ungrateful, Potter? I fed you and gave you water. You should be thanking me."

Harry could feel the burns inflaming his face and neck, and his tongue felt twice its size. The taste of copper invaded his senses, his throat and chest hurting so much that even breathing was torture. His eyes lifted to the Death Eater, and then landed on Voldemort.

"What's wrong? Your little tongue hurting too much?" Bellatrix taunted.

"Say thank you, you slimy excuse of a man." Yaxley pressed on. "Or do you want more?"

Suddenly, Harry felt rage so strong that his self preservation fell short.

Despite the pain, he spoke.

"Yes, if that will shut your fucking mouth." he spat.

There was a moment of tense silence.

"What was that?" Yaxley hissed, his eyes narrowed.

"I said," he raised his voice a little, despite the pain it caused to his throat and chest, "I'd rather drown in hot lava than having to hear your hideous voice, you fucking bastard."

It wasn't a smooth comeback at all, not like the ones he used to throw to Snape or Malfoy or even Umbridge back at Hogwarts, but in his current state, he was actually really proud of himself for coming up with it, along with the courage it took to say it.

It was short-lived, though, as Voldemort stood up slowly and motioned for Yaxley to back down. The man gave a few steps back, but his sneer was replaced by a smile as he watched his Master approach the boy on the floor.

Harry couldn't help flinching and scrambling backwards as the man lifted his wand and pointed it at him.

He knew instantly the curse that had been cast upon him as it wasn't the first time he felt it, but it was no less terrifying. The pain of his injuries grew to a horrifying degree, his brain keenly aware of each cut, each bruise, each burn. But on top of that, his eyesight cleared somewhat, the smell of the food grew stronger, the sounds around him a lot louder. He was now extremely aware of the rope still wrapped around his wrists, the cold floor below him, the sweat pouring out of his skin. He could feel everything around him with incredible precision. The Nerve Enhancing Curse, truly dark magic. It made him extremely sensitive and aware of everything, so much so that it took a lot more to knock him out. Voldemort only used it when he was extremely angry, since it was usually followed by a stretch of time of numbness that lasted twice as long as the curse had, in which he couldn't torture his pet with as much cruelty as usual. But the numbness, despite giving him a small rest, wasn't at all worth it.

Harry nearly started crying, not only at the heightened pain he was feeling, but at the prospect of the torture that was about to follow.

The Nerve Enhancing Curse paired with Voldemort's closest followers attacking him was...

With a flick of his wand, the nearly empty plates on the table disappeared.

"Yaxley, bring the boy to the table will you? He apparently wants some attention."

Yaxley ignored Harry shaking his head and muttering pleas for mercy under his breath. He grabbed him by the arm and lifted him up, making him scream at the pain of his newly sensitized body. He took advantage of the moment to sink his nails into his skin. Then, he hauled the boy over to the table, made him spin around and grabbed him by his hair, pulling down and slamming him harshly against the tabletop. Harry kept screaming, the simple slam feeling like he had been hit by a bus. With the next flick of Voldemort's wand, his hands were freed for a second and then tied up again in front of him, and pulled upwards to the other end of the table. Now he was lying completely prone and vulnerable.

The first Crucio that hit him was unbelievable. All of his rage, bravery and defiance abandoned him in the first few seconds. The pain was all-encompassing. There was nothing around him but the pain. When it was lifted, he kept on screaming for a few seconds, and as soon as he stopped, he began to beg for mercy.

The monsters around him laughed, and offered none of it.

The torture that followed was indescribable. Both magic and muggle methods were used to cause him pain, and even the slightest cut or brush against his skin was enough to have him shrieking and writhing and begging for it to stop. They didn't even take turns, al attacking him at the same time. Harry's naked, exposed body was like a canvas for them to portray pure suffering. It didn't take long for him to lose his voice, but he still tried to beg, even tried to apologize a few times.

Voldemort finally lifted the horrible curse. His body was completely torn apart, but he welcomed the slowly increasing numbness. With it, his mind finally shut off.

"Harry? Harry, can you hear me?" Lupin said.

Harry's glazed over eyes slowly focused. He blinked a few times and looked around, realizing that everyone was staring at him.

"Sorry, what?" he muttered. At the next blink, a tear rolled down his cheek.

"You were shaking really bad, I was asking if you're cold." Lupin said, softly.

Harry cleared his throat and shook his head. He noticed that a few of the cuts and bruises on the top part of his torso were gone, and smiled briefly at that before lifting his hands to clean the tears that he hadn't noticed forming in his eyes.

Hermione offered him the pouch with water, but after the last memory, he flinched back and shook his head.

"Are you alright?" his friend asked.

"Yes, I... yes. Sorry." he muttered. "I'm not thirsty."

Hermione didn't fully believe him, but she didn't want to push him. She instead turned to the group.

"We have a list of what we think we should find first." she said. "I think most of these we can find very easily close by, but Draco has to go with one party and me with the other because some of these ingredients will be a tad hard to identify."

"I'll stay with Harry, to finish healing him." Lupin said.

"I can stay, too." Ginny said.

"And me." Ron added. He wanted to stay close to Harry. He couldn't bring much comfort to the boy, but he hoped he could make him feel less alone.

With that, Fred and Hermione; and Draco and George ventured out into the forest.