Chapter Five: The Fear

Severus stood back, eyeing Potter warily as the Dark Lord approached. The boy was managing to stand upright somehow, although his body still shook slightly. It seemed to be through sheer will power that the boy continued to stand, refusing to give in to what must have been an overwhelming level of exhaustion.

"Welcome back Harry." The Dark Lord greeted with a cruel smile. "I've missed you these past few days. Severus insisted that you required intensive healing but I'm pleased to see you so well today." Potter swallowed, flinching a little at his words but said nothing. Snape hoped he remembered his warning this time and continued to choose deference over pride - the Dark Lord had been in a foul mood since their conversation the day before about Dumbledore being aware of his horcrux.

"I'm afraid I'll be missing you for a few more days." The dark Lord said regretfully. "I thought we could catch up a little before I leave." There was no mistaking the meaning of his words, and the death eaters around him grew visibly excitable. He had summoned most of them again, he liked nothing more than to have an audience.

Potter clenched his fists and appeared to steel himself, he put on a brave face but Snape could see the fear behind Lily's vibrant green eyes.

"I'll have to be more creative this time," The Dark Lord said, his tone darkly apologetic. "Severus doesn't want me using the cruciatus curse again." With that he spun to face Severus, beckoning him forward.

Severus gritted his teeth behind his mask but stepped forward dutifully. "Yes, my Lord?"

"What would you recommend instead?" His tone was taunting and it felt like a test. All he had done was heal Potter thus far and he suspected the Dark Lord was testing his loyalties. Snape racked his brain for an acceptable answer, trying to think of something painful enough to satisfy the mad man but not overly cruel. Before he could make a suggestion the Dark Lord shook his head, motioning for him to step even closer.

"Actually Severus, why don't you show us instead." The daring tone made his skin crawl, but he knew he couldn't refuse. The Dark Lord was about to leave, if they could only get through this one last night he had a real chance of getting Potter out.

He nodded slowly, stepping forward and drawing his wand. He found Potter staring at him, his eyes pleading wordlessly for mercy. He had no way of communicating to the boy that he was not doing this by choice, but he met his stare and tried to convey what little he could with only his gaze. I'm sorry Potter.

"Aguamenti." Water flowed from his wand and hit Potter's face, the stream seemingly endless. It filled his mouth and nose making him cough and gasp, unable to take in air. It was what the muffles called waterboarding, and while it was surely awful, it was the least harmful thing Severus could think of.

He held the spell for a long minute until he was sure the Dark Lord would be satisfied, before finally realising it. Potter gasped for air looking on the verge of passing out, desperately sucking oxygen into his lungs. He was on his knees unable to withstand the onslaught of water, collapsing under the effort of trying to stay conscious.

"Interesting, Severus." The Dark Lord commented. "However, I think you can do better." Severus pales slightly, not sure what else he could bring himself to do. It was one thing to watch the boy suffer at the hands of another, knowing he was trying to help as much as he could, but it was another entirely to cause the boy harm by his own hand.

"Perhaps a potion, Severus?" The Dark Lord suggested, a note of enjoyment in his voice. He pulled a much larger vial from his robes, and Severus paled as he recognised the drink of despair.

"Yes, my Lord." He intoned, his voice betraying none of the inner turmoil he felt. The drink of despair was a torturous potion to withstand but it wouldn't kill Potter. He took the potion and approached the boy, kneeling next to him.

"Drink, Potter." He said softly, implying him to do what he was told. If they both played along and Potter didn't do anything stupid or defiant he may make it out of this alive. The boy met his eyes once again, this time they were much colder and more expressionless. He was no longer pleading with Severus to spare him, he had realised it was completely useless.

He poured the potion into the boy's mouth, trying to get as much as he could down his throat before he could react. Potter blanched, eyes widening as he jerked away from Severus. He could see the pain in the boy's eyes as the burning began before they clouded over with fear and disorientation.

"No." He gasped, looking around wildly. "No, stop!" He threw himself backwards trying to escape as the fear overwhelmed him. Severus knew the potion was likely to cause hallucinations as well as the overwhelming pain and debilitating fear, Potter probably had no idea where he was anymore.

"Finish it, Severus." The Dark Lord ordered coldly. Severus gritted his teeth, grabbing the boy by his shoulders. He held him at arm's length as Potter tried to swing at him, desperately reacting to the pain and fear that was overwhelming his nervous system. He forced the potion to his mouth once more, managing only a small amount before Potter screamed and managed to twist away. He nearly lost his grip on the vial but managed to scramble not to drop it, knowing if he did the Dark Lord would simply produce another one.

"Just finish it Potter." He hissed, trying to break through whatever hallucinations the boy was fighting against.

"No, please no." He begged, falling to his knees. "Please stop. I'll do anything."

Severus squashed the rising guilt immediately, locking it away behind his occlumency shields. He couldn't afford to feel anything right now, if he did and the Dark Lord saw it the game would be up and he would be dead.

He grabbed Potter's jaw once again and forced the last part of the potion into his mouth before stepping away. The boy writhed on the ground, hyperventilating and gasping in terror. It was a long few minutes as he waited for the potions' effects to wear off, Potter slowly seeming to calm down and regain control of his body. He finally was still, lying in a crumpled heap, his eyes were blank and lifeless.

"Very good, Severus." The Dark Lord praised, patting him on the back. "That was very satisfying indeed." For a moment Snape thought Voldemort may continue himself, but it seemed to be less satisfactory a choice now that Potter was already mentally pushed to his limits. "I will be leaving you in charge of the boy. Make sure he is fresh and ready for me when I return." He said finally. "Malfoy!" The blonde man stepped out of the circle, seeming pleased behind his mask. "You will oversee the guard with at least three others at all times. I won't risk the boy trying to escape." Malfoy nodded, stepping back obediently.

Severus winced a little, four guards was more than he had expected the Dark Lord to leave and may prove problematic. Once they were finally dismissed Severus took Potter back to his cell, the boy following him obediently without seeming at all aware of his surroundings.

He had no potion that would counteract the drink of despair, but he slipped the boy a calming draught that would allow him to at least sleep.

It was now just a matter of waiting, once the boy had his strength back he would take the first opportunity that presented itself. He would only get one chance at getting the boy out, it had to be the right one.

…

Harry woke slowly, becoming aware of an odd sense of calm that he hadn't thought he would ever be capable of feeling again. He opened his eyes to find himself still in the now very familiar blackness of the cell, but it somehow didn't manage to send his anxiety sky high as it normally did. The door immediately opened and Snape entered, he must be using some kind of monitoring spell, Harry realised. When Snape met his eyes he felt anger and a sense of betrayal rising up in the background, but it was somehow muted and the sense of calm remained at the forefront.

"Potter." Snape said before turning back to the door. "Muffliato." Harry frowned, he had never done that before. "I need you to listen to me very carefully."

Harry didn't particularly want to listen to Snape, nor did he really think he should. He remembered the water spell that had him gasping for air, and the terrible potion that had invoked such a primal fear within him. Snape had done that. He still felt calm though, and somehow willing to hear him out anyway.

"The Dark Lord is gone, that means there is a very small window where an escape could be possible. Do you understand me?" Snape was staring intently at him, clearly trying to impress the importance of what he was saying on Harry but he still found it hard to really care that much about it. "Potter." He snapped. "You are under the effects of a very strong calming draught but I need you to pay attention." Calming draught, oh. That made sense. He nodded, trying to focus. "I am a spy for Dumbledore. You need to trust me now and do what I say, can you do that?"

Harry frowned, fighting the strong sense of calm that still tried to dampen his every thought and emotion. That wasn't right was it? "I can't trust you." He said finally. "You're working for Voldemort." He remembered Snape choking him with water, and giving him the horrible potion. He wasn't able to feel any fear at the thought but the memory was still very fresh in his mind.

Snape growled, glancing over his shoulder quickly. "We don't have a lot of time. Dumbledore has sent me to help you, if you don't listen to me you will miss the chance to escape." Harry looked back blankly, the calming potion still too strong for him to really care that much. Snape cursed, shaking his head before reaching into his pocket. "I'll have to reverse it, but then you may panic." He looked between the potion and Harry indecisively for a moment. "Take it, Potter." He said finally. Harry shook his head he didn't trust Snape and he never would, he would take his chances with Voldemort. It didn't seem so bad now anyway.

In a quick movement Snape grabbed his jaw and forced the potion down before Harry could even react, causing him to cough and splutter as it went down his throat. He started feeling anger and frustration at Snape, and a strong sense of mistrust. It took a long moment as the calmness receded and the anxiety poured back in, almost drowning Harry in its intensity.

"No, stay away from me." He gasped, pushing himself back against the wall.

"Potter." Snape said sharply, "I am working for Dumbledore. I have no way of proving it to you, but when I get you out you can ask him. You need to come with me now, The Dark Lord has left and the guards are changing over. There will

Be a change of guard soon and only Malfoy and Nott will be at their posts, this will likely be the only chance you have to escape, I can overpower two of them but likely not four."

There was a loud sound in the hallway that startled Harry and made Snape curse again. "Just follow my lead Potter, you must trust me." He waved his hand and cancelled the spell he had first cast, just seconds before another death eater came into view.

"Severus." Harry could immediately tell it was Malfoy Senior. "Bring the boy out, we want to see him." He said cruelly, his eyes glittering with excitement behind the mask.

"The Dark Lord left me in charge of Potter while he is gone." Snape said simply, his tone even.

"He left you in charge of keeping him alive." Malfoy corrected. "Now bring him out so we can have some fun." Snape stood still for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Come, Potter." He muttered as Malfoy left the cell. Snape caught Harry's eyes for a long moment and drilled into him with his dark gaze. Harry felt like a deer in the headlights, how could he possibly trust Snape?

It didn't matter either way anymore as he was forced to follow behind him, his heart getting heavier with every step closer they got to the Throne room. His breath started coming more and more quickly and no matter how hard he couldn't control it, anxiety flooded into every cell of his body and he felt suddenly like he was either going to pass out or have a panic attack.

"Breathe, Potter." Snape hissed from beside him, pausing before the door. Harry thought he was probably greatly regretting reversing the calming potion now that Harry was proving he couldn't control his panic. There was no time to wait for him to calm down, though that likely would have been futile anyway. They entered the room and saw Malloy lounging in Voldemort's place, his mask removed and looking extremely pleased with himself. There were three other death eaters at the table that looked to be pfinishing a meal, all three looking up as they entered.

"Bring him here, Severus." Snape hesitated for only a moment before gesturing for Harry to follow him further into the room. Harry tried to calm his racing nerves and slow his breath down, feeling like his vision was going black around the edges as he struggled to get in enough oxygen. It's not Voldemort. He told himself firmly. Malfoy is nothing compared to Voldemort. It was true but it didn't really help much, just being inside the room again was enough to make him panic.

"Don't antagonise him." Snape hissed out of the corner of his mouth as he turned around, taking a few steps back from Harry.

"Potter." Malfoy sneered. "I so enjoyed that first night you were here, it's been so difficult just to watch and not take part." He eyed Harry up and down, smirking widely. "It seems you are afraid of me. Good, you should be."

Harry wanted to argue that he wasn't afraid of Malfoy specifically, but decided to hold his tongue and listen to Snape's advice this time. He kept his head down and didn't talk back, biting his lip to stop himself from saying anything.

Malfoy smirked, pulling out his wand. Harry flinched a little, recalling vaguely how similar Draco had looked when he had done the same action. There was no mistaking who his father was, it was clear as day where the younger Malfoy got all his worst parts of himself from. "I want to hear you scream, Potter." He said wildly, before flicking his wand wordlessly.

Harry didn't know what he had cast but his skin began to blister all over his arms, causing white hot pain as the nerve endings were exposed. It was excruciatingly painful causing him to fall to his knees, gritting his teeth against it as his skin burned. It started to spread from his arms to his chest and soon most of his upper body was covered in blistering, third degree burns. The spell stopped but the burns remained in the same state, open and oozing painfully.

"I said scream Potter!" Malfoy sounded angry now, slashing his wand viciously. Suddenly there was a gust of hot air blowing directly onto him, lighting the burns up with a whole new level of pain. Every nerve ending screamed but Harry bit his own scream back, he had screamed for Voldemort but he wouldn't give Malfoy the satisfaction.

Malfoy lifted the curse giving Harry a brief relief from the more intense pain before snarling loudly. "Crucio!" He roared, the word echoing through the room. Harry tried to get away this time, unable to stomach even the thought of that curse again but it hit him before he could move and suddenly his world was on fire again.

…

"Lucius stop!" Severus interrupted, causing the other man to lower his wand for just a second. "The Dark Lord wants him alive, he won't survive any more exposure." He said quietly but firmly, praying Malfoy would take heed.

"Nonsense Severus, you and I both know his body is all the Dark Lord needs and that can survive plenty more than the mind can." He turned back to Potter, who was now shaking on the floor. "Crucio!"

Severus wracked his brain for a solution, knowing this wasn't going to end well no matter what happened. He looked carefully between the three watching death eaters and Malfoy, his mind working overtime trying to formulate some kind of a plan that didn't end up with him being killed by the Dark Lord for a failed escape attempt.

It was Nott, Avery and Yaxley. The first two would be less of a challenge but Yaxley was formidable on his own and Malfoy would complicate things, anything he did now would be four to one and incredibly risky. He looked back at Potter and knew he had to do something immediately though, the boy couldn't take another single minute of the cruciatus curse after his recent over exposure.

The apparition point was only about eight or nine feet beyond where Lucius stood, not an impossible distance to reach. Potter was already close to losing consciousness, it was either act now or lose any hope at all of saving the boy.

His mind made up he steeled himself, raising his wand discreetly while the others were focused on Malfoy and Potter. Sectumsempra. He cast wordlessly, striking Malfoy in the chest. Malfoy let out a shocked gasp as he fell to his knees, and before anyone really had a chance to react Severus fired off a lightning fast stunning curse. He managed to catch Avery unaware before conjuring a shield just in time for Yaxley's very fast retaliatory spell to rebound. He dived for cover behind the far side of the table, wincing as several spells bounced off the wood behind him.

He could see Potter lying motionless through the gap under the table, he seemed to be unconscious. Severus would have to first get to him and then get him to the apparition point without being hit by the two remaining death eaters. Nott and Yaxley were on their feet with their wands drawn, Yaxley was shouting for Nott to go around the other side.

Severus darted out the other side of the table before he could do so, hissing "Incarcerous!" And praying it landed - it did. Nott fell to the floor with a thump, leaving just Yaxley standing who was quickly approaching with his wand drawn.

There was a movement behind Yaxley and Severus darted to the side as Malfoy sat up, muttering a healing spell in his peripheral vision.

"Traitor!" Yaxley growled. "Avada Kedavra!"

Severus was able to dodge just in time, but there was nowhere to go. He scrambled back behind the table, casting a strong protective shield before ducking back out. Yaxley's second curse hit his shield and dissolved causing Severus to shudder under the impact, but the shield held. He turned just in time to catch Malfoy's quickly fired curse, he had healed himself enough to stand and was clutching his wand once more.

Severus winced, knowing his chances of succeeding now were very slim. He'd had the element of surprise to begin with but that was long gone, he was a fair dueller but Yaxley was better and Malfoy had his wand in hand making it two against one now.

The two of them advanced on him simultaneously casting at the same time and Severus felt his shield dissipate, unable to withstand both curses. The force knocked him backwards and Yaxley fired a quick disarming spell causing his wand to fly from his hand.

Malfoy sneered, stopping in front of Severus as Yaxley kept his wand trained him. "You've chosen the losing side, Snape." He spat. "Once a traitor, always a traitor."

"Better a traitor than a mindless servant to a mad man." Severus said, resigned to his fate. He had never had any real chance of taking out all four of them, but he had given it a damn good go anyway. He hoped Albus appreciated that he had kept his word and done his best for the boy, for the sake of Lily and what she had meant to him.

Suddenly there was another movement behind Yaxley and Severus realised Potter had regained consciousness and was clutching the wand that had flown from his own grasp.

"Diffindo!" The boy cried, slashing Severus' wand in Yaxley's direction. No one had time to react, with a startled yelp Yaxley suddenly realised his wand hand had been severed from his arm.

"Potter!" Malfoy roared, turning back to the forgotten boy. "You will pay for that! Crucio!" Potter fell to the floor once more, his grasp on Severus' wand releasing as he was once again at the mercy of the cruciatus curse.

Severus looked from the shell shocked Yaxley who was staring at his severed hand on the floor, to Malfoy whose wand and attention was trained on Potter back to his own wand that lay near Potter on the stones.

He focused all his might on his own wand, reaching his right hand out. Accio! It didn't work at first, magic that was both wordless and wandless was notoriously hard to achieve but if anyone had the sheer will for it in that moment it was Severus.

Accio! He tried again, this time wand silently flew into his hand and he waited not even a second to cast before Malfoy could even think to turn towards him.

"Avada Kedavra!" The emerald green light shot from his wand and landed squarely on Malfoy's chest, causing him to crumple into a motionless pile on the floor. He spun around in one fluid moment to face Yaxley who had managed to retrieve his wand with his remaining left hand. "Stupefy." He whispered, mentally and physically exhausted by this point. Still in shock after losing his wand hand so abruptly Yaxley had no hope of counting, and fell to the floor with a solid thump.

Once Yaxley was unconscious he turned back to Potter, the boy was motionless but his eyes were open. His body was shaking violently and Severus hurried to his side as he realised he was having a seizure.

"Potter." He grasped the boy's shoulder but he didn't react, he was completely unaware of his surroundings. "It's over now." He assured the shaking boy before lifting him into his arms. He crossed the short distance to the apparition point in three quick strides and turned on his heel, disappearing into thin air with Potter in his arms. He had done it, somehow, they had survived. He only hoped he wasn't too late to save Potter after all the trouble it had been to get him out.

A/N: Alright folks that's the end of the first arc of the story, for anyone struggling with the violence that part is now over for the most part. There will still be some in flashbacks but those will be in italics so please skip them if you need to. Thanks for reading!