Harry awoke as suddenly as if he had been slapped. Taking in his surroundings, he felt slightly disoriented. After a moment, the memories of earlier that morning came back to him.
I’m… home, then? he asked himself, desperately hoping for his surroundings to trigger a memory. None came. Harry sighed, getting out of bed and stepping onto the cold, stone floor. Putting on his glasses, he took a look at his room now that he was fully awake. Like the rest of the chambers that he had been in, this one gave the distinct impression of an underground bunker. It was just as cold, damp, and dark, causing his spirits to sink. There were no windows and no furniture other than the bed and bedside table. The only source of light was a small, gas lamp that illuminated the entire room, as it was, at most, only about six feet by six feet.
Well, this certainly is a step up from the other place, Harry mused sarcastically. At that moment, however, he was pulled from his thoughts by the door opening. The man named Severus Snape entered, his face devoid of all emotion.
“Potter, the Dark Lord wishes to speak to you,” he said softly. “Follow me.”
Harry, who had fallen asleep in his plain, black robes that morning, obliged immediately. He followed Snape out of the room, closing the door behind him, and they started down the corridor together.
“Sir?” Harry began, unsure of how exactly he should address his companion. “What time is it?”
Funny, Snape mused silently for a moment, it takes him losing his memory to remember to address me as ‘sir.’ He smirked slightly as he answered, “It is noon.”
Harry nodded and the two walked on in silence. After about five minutes, they arrived in front of the same door that Wormtail had brought Harry to that morning. Snape turned to Harry and began to speak.
“You will have to wait inside. The Dark Lord has other”“ The scream of a man in the distance caused Snape to pause as Harry jumped, both looking in the direction of the sound. “…business to attend to,” Snape finished slowly after a moment, turning back to Harry. “He will be here shortly.”
Harry nodded again and walked into the room when Snape held the door ajar. After the boy was inside and the door closed, Snape stole a glance around himself to ensure that he was not being followed and set off toward the hideout’s exit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grimmauld Place was quiet, all of its inhabitants somberly awaiting news. Remus, Tonks, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat in the library with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. As all of the exams were over anyway, the three were allowed to leave Hogwarts early for the summer. They were also allowed to sit in on the Order meetings, given the circumstances, and had promised Neville and Luna updates as soon as possible on Harry’s whereabouts.
Jerking everyone out of their silence, the doorbell rang. Remus sighed as Mrs. Blacks shrieks began. “They couldn’t have just knocked?” He and Tonks left the room to see to the new arrival and the newly-awakened portraits.
When Remus opened the front door, he was surprised and more than a little nervous to see Severus Snape on the doorstep. The Potions Master was paler than usual and looked utterly exhausted as he stepped over the threshold. Remus closed and locked the door, turning to study the professor intently. The spy’s eyes met the gentle werewolf’s.
“I have news.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By half-past noon, the Order, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were once again seated around the table in the kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Snape stood as the others waited with baited breath for the new information. After a few moments, he began to speak.
“Potter is in the Dark Lord’s stronghold. Wormtail arrived with him early this morning,” he said, his impassive face never wavering.
“Is he okay? Is he hurt?” Mrs. Weasley asked quietly and anxiously. They all knew that Harry must have been taken to Voldemort, but none were sure of what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would do to the boy.
“He is, as of yet, uninjured,” Snape answered. “The Dark Lord spoke to him in private between approximately midnight and one o’clock this morning.”
“What were they speaking about?” Dumbledore asked sharply, his eyes still devoid of their familiar twinkle. Snape sighed tiredly.
“I do not know.”
“What do you mean?” Remus practically snarled. “You’re the spy; it’s your job to know!” The thought of what Voldemort may have done to the boy weighed heavily on his mind, bringing his temper to rise to just below the surface.
“I am not privy to everything the Dark Lord says, Lupin,” sneered Snape in response. “All I know is that, after their conversation, Potter looked confused and rather overwhelmed, to say the least.”
“What happened afterward, Severus?” Dumbledore asked wearily.
“I was told to take Potter to his quarters. The Dark Lord gave the order casually; as if he often did. He also asked me to bring Potter to him just before I left. It is my duty to be his escort and guard.”
A long, tense silence followed Snape’s speech, everyone wondering what had happened and what was happening as they spoke. Finally, Tonks broke the silence.
“What do you think he’s up to, Dumbledore?” she asked softly. The old man sighed, looking closely at those gathered around him for the first time. The teenagers looked horrified and worried at the thought of what may have befallen their friend, Remus lost, Mrs. Weasley devastated, and the rest worried. He knew, in that moment, that it was not only their physical safety that was tied to the survival of the fifteen-year-old boy; if he died, so would their hope. He sighed, leaning forward slightly.
“He could be planning anything, I’m afraid. My greatest concern is that what he is telling Harry may cause him to doubt his loyalties,” he finally answered.
“What do you mean, Professor?” Ron interjected softly.
Dumbledore sighed again; he did not want to worry the children further with his suspicions, but knew better than to conceal them. “What I mean, Mr. Weasley, is that Voldemort may be trying to convince Harry that he is on his side.”
“But, surely,” Mrs. Weasley began, “he must know better than to trust him. You lot told him about You-Know-Who, right?” This question was directed at Remus, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Remus buried his head in his hands and Hermione began to cry into Ron’s shoulder as he dropped his gaze to examine the floor. Ginny, however, was the one to put their thoughts into words.
“No,” she whispered fearfully. “We told him that a wizard started the war and killed his parents, but we never said who!”
“Oh, dear…” Mrs. Weasley cried, fear in her eyes. She did not want to believe the headmaster’s train of thought, but now knew that she had no choice; Harry knew nothing of the company that he was currently keeping.
“Funny,” Snape suddenly spoke from his seat. “With the boy’s position in the eyes of the Dark Lord, I would have thought that that would have been one of the first pieces of information that you gave him,” he sneered softly. This caused Hermione to only sob louder as Ron grew red and Ginny and Remus snarled at the professor.
“Funny,” Remus said sarcastically, “with Harry’s position in the eyes of the Dark Lord, I would have thought that you would have done something to get him out of there!”
“Oh, yes, and then have to explain the boy’s disappearance? Think, Lupin! How could I have done so without compromising my position as spy?” Snape responded, his voice full of venom.
“You could have”“ Remus began to retort before being interrupted by the headmaster.
“Please,” he said wearily, “this is neither the time nor the place for this argument. We need to work together, not fight amongst ourselves.” Harry had been gone for barely twelve hours and already the Order was disintegrating right before his eyes. “Remus, Severus could not risk his position. There was no way for him to remove Harry without doing so. Severus, this is a very trying time for many of us. Insults and sarcasm are not welcome.” Neither man said anything, but firmly avoided each other’s gazes.
“Headmaster?” Ginny asked quietly. “What happens now?” The old wizard looked at the young girl closely. He had known about her fancying Harry in her first years of Hogwarts. She had started seeing other people, however, when Harry hadn’t noticed her. He had thought that she was over him, but from the look in her eyes, he knew that he had been wrong again. He saw only worry and fear stronger than that of a friend in her eyes. One thing was very apparent at that moment: even if she didn’t know it herself, Ginny Weasley would never be over Harry Potter.
“What we need,” he began hesitantly, “is more information.” There was an instant uproar at the table.
“We can’t possibly wait any longer!”
“What’s the difference?”
“He needs to be out of there no matter the amount of information!”
“Silence!” Mad-Eye Moody, who had remained silent thus far, roared. “He’s right. If Potter’s head is full of lies, we can’t take him.”
“Why not?” Ron inquired heatedly.
“If he thinks we’re the enemy, things could get even more complicated, Ron.” Surprisingly, it was Hermione who answered him. “He’d only resent us if we took him by force. We need to know more before we rush into anything.” It was painful to have to say, but she knew that she was right. Harry would be confused enough without who he thought was the enemy kidnapping him.
“Well said, Miss Granger,” Dumbledore said, smiling gently. “For now, all we can do is wait. Severus, find out as much as you can.” Snape nodded.
“I will.”
Remus looked at the others around him, taking in the teenagers’ tear-streaked faces before burying his head once again in his hands. The fate of Harry Potter, son of the “arrogant” James Potter and “Mudblood” Lily Potter, was in the hands of the man who hated the boy the most.
Great, Remus thought grimly. This is going to be interesting. And, for the first time since James and Lily had died, Remus felt a tear slide down his cheek as the teenagers’ tears had, dripping helplessly onto the floor.
Well, there you have chapter eight. It hadn’t planned for it to be that long, but when I started writing it, it kind of took on a mind of its own! Oh, well! I hope you like it! For those who were reading this before it was deleted, you should know that the next chapter is the first one that you haven't read yet. Thank you for riding and you may exit through the review section and gift shop. Thank you!
~Moony ;D
Cruciatus Cursed by Moony 62442
Chapter Notes: Welcome to chapter eight. Please keep your limbs inside the chapter at all times and give all credit for recognizable stuff to Mrs. J.K. Rowling. Thank you and enjoy the ride!