Warnings: Bit of low level violence
Chapter 10
Come Back to Me
Black leathery ropes materialized in an instant to snap tightly around Harry's entire body.
He fell painfully to the ground, his futile struggles against the bindings just serving to extract more laughter from his captors. The largest of the four hooded figures came to stand over him and drag him roughly to his feet to face Dolohov, jabbing the tip of a wand painfully up under his chin.
Dolohov reached him in two strides; his face an inch from Harry's as he examined him like a predator would his prey. Harry returned his loathing stare, taking in the Death Eater's severely blood shot eyes, his hollow cheeks and the pungent smell rising from his unwashed body.
"Finally. I knew I could count on your… sentimental heart." Dolohov spit the last few words out as if they tasted foul.
Harry's mind fought to gain control and assess his situation but it was battling a rising dread in him at not sensing any movement from Hermione's body lying at his feet. He tentatively tried to enter her mind with his but couldn't sense anything, and he couldn't bear to think about if that was for any other reason than his panic clouding his senses. She had to be alright, she would be alright. He repeated the mantra in his head as he was dragged to the middle of a clearing.
He felt a small amount of rain break through the canopy of trees overhead and decided they were in the forest somewhere. The glasses - they had been a portkey, but how? How many times had Hermione told him - you couldn't apparate within Hogwarts grounds… but then there had been the Triwizard Cup. His eyes darted round to take in a disheveled camp site- rubbish strewn around in front of a shaky looking lean-to hidden amongst the trees, before he was dumped brutally to the ground again. Curled on his side he saw two other figures dragging Hermione's limp form before throwing her down next to him. His eyes raked over her, trying to see her injury and his insides turned to ice as he saw a dark stain across the front of her dress.
Blood.
"Hermione - Hermione talk to me!" he called to her, her colourless face deathly still. A low growl escaped him and he writhed in frustration as Dolohov grabbed a handful of her hair and held her face close to his before letting her drop again.
"She's still alive, but not for long. So you better tell me what I want to hear if you want your girlfriend to stand a chance."
Harry raged inside as Dolohov stepped over Hermione to crouch low next to him. He found it hard to focus as the pale face swam in front of his eyes and he recognized a physical reaction building inside of him, his new powers striving to be awakened. He willed it down with his mind, he knew he had to focus now, and choose his actions carefully. He wasn't scared for himself but he needed to keep his head for Hermione, getting her to safety was his only concern.
He took in all the details of his surroundings as the Death Eaters encircled the two of them, Dolohov by his side, Augustus Rookwood standing over Hermione, his wand pointed lazily down at her. He recognized Alecto and Amycus Carrow, laughing wheezily at Harry though he noted that the short squat man hid a little behind his sister, an air of hesitation about them both.
Dolohov dragged Harry by his hair to his knees, digging his wand into his chest.
"What a pitiful sight." He grabbed Harry's jaw, his dirty fingers pressing hard into his cheeks. "The boy who lived, and continues to live - in spite of EVERYTHING!" He shouted in Harry's face, showering him with spittle. "How?? HOW did you do it??"
His fingers tightened painfully on Harry's face. "The Dark Lord was the most powerful - immortal!! And then YOU!" He slapped Harry hard across the face sending him to the ground. "You managed to overcome him again! A mere boy - a pathetic one at that." He stood and started pacing.
Harry lay there, his breathing even as he watched Dolohov pace with a manic energy. He noted Rookwood still standing over Hermione, watching with amusement, but the other two held rather more concerned looks on their faces, their eyes flicking warily to Harry at regular intervals and their wands held in front of them were both shaking a little.
Dolohov plunged to his knees next to him. He bent close, his breath fetid, but Harry's face remained passive.
"What do I have to do to kill you." He said it in a quiet and lethal voice, almost as if talking to himself.
Harry met his eyes.
"You won't have to. I'm going to kill you."
Dolohov's eyes widened momentarily till his face cracked into a grin, displaying yellow teeth. "You! Did you hear that?" He turned incredulous to his companions, still grinning and they laughed nervously. "He -kills me! Ha!" He frowned and dug his wand into Harry's neck. "We'll see about that."
A wave of pain burst through Harry, his whole body arching under the ropes as flashes of purple exploded behind his eyelids. He fought to control it and suddenly, a cool calm seeped over him. His body relaxed as the pain wracking it subsided and he opened his eyes again to a bewildered Dolohov.
"Crucio!" Dolohov cried again, and the curse hit Harry's body but he absorbed it as if taking a punch then, opened his eyes again to meet Dolohov's who screamed in frustration. Rookwood looked from Harry to Dolohov in confusion and the Carrows staggered backwards a few steps.
Dolohov moved backwards himself until he stumbled against Hermione's body. Turning to look down he almost dove to her side, grabbing a handful of her hair again and pressing his wand tip into her cheek.
"Now you tell me." His eyes bored into Harry's and he knew without a doubt that he was seconds away from killing her. "Where is it?"
Harry's eyes flickered with confusion and Dolohov laughed.
"Don't tell me you don't know. You're a bigger idiot than I thought." He pulled Hermione's unconscious form up in front of him and Harry's heart gave a jump as he saw her frown in pain. Still alive, he thought, she's still alive. He clung to the thought as he tried to focus again on the situation, and how to get her to safety.
"The wand."
Dolohov watched Harry as it dawned on him - The Elder Wand. They had come for the Elder Wand. He saw Rookwood's eyes blaze hungrily in his pockmarked face at the mention of the wand and the thought of it in any of their hands made Harry sick to his stomach. He struggled up to his knees to face them.
"I don't have it."
Dolohov gave a frustrated shriek and adjusted his hold on Hermione to grab her in a headlock, his other hand moving to press his wand down on to her temple.
"Then…you…will… GET IT!" The crazed desperation in his voice echoed in the dank clearing and Harry had no chance to reply before he shoved Hermione to the ground and held his wand high before yelling "Crucio!"
"NO!" Harry bent over, as if feeling the full agony of the curse for the first time that night just from seeing it assault Hermione's motionless form.
"STOP!" His mind refused to focus anymore out of fear, fear that she might not survive this. "I'll get it for you!!" Dolohov stopped and regarded him, his head tilted to the side. "I'll get it for you" Harry repeated more quietly, breathing heavily as if the curse had hit him physically instead.
Dolohov once again pressed his wand against her pale skin as he watched Harry carefully. "I won't ask you again."
"The ropes." Harry looked down at his bound body and Dolohov nodded at Rookwood who stepped up to Harry to release the ropes that dropped to his feet. As Harry reached for his wand, Rookwood kept his own pointed in-between Harry's shoulder blades and Dolohov pushed his wand harder into Hermione's temple.
"Try anything, and she's dead."
Harry nodded tersely and slowly raised his wand arm. "Accio wand."
But even as he said it, he could feel the peculiar sensation of his spell going unanswered. The wand wasn't coming. He said the words again, trying not to let his confusion show on his face. Again he felt the distinct intuition that the call had not been answered from the wand in his dormitory. A droning panic started to build in his ears until he noticed a miniscule movement at Dolohov's feet.
Hermione's hand on the forest floor unfurled gradually and he heard her unspoken thought like a shout in his mind.
"Accio wand…"
A surge of images bombarded his brain in an instant, the memories flicking through his thoughts at lightening speed.
Her face, under the cloak on his bed in the dorm, still and in sleep…a flash of red in his vision and then… her scream and the sight of her scrambling away from him on his bed…his words, coming back to him… "Hermione, you need to get away from me"… backing away from her, searching with his hands for his wand…
His heart stopped. The wand. The Elder Wand had still been in his drawer, waiting for him to take it back to the tomb, but he never had, he hadn't even thought about it with all that had happened since. So he had brandished the Elder Wand at her that morning, when his eyes had glowed red and she had…
She had disarmed him.
And now she had worked it out. She was conscious enough to be listening and figuring out what was happening - the thought warmed him hugely. He closed his eyes to try and deny his feelings access to his face but he felt a movement from Dolohov and knew he was too late. Dolohov had sensed something was wrong and he had seconds to do something to throw him off.
His mind leapt back to his last conversation with Dumbledore - two words ringing out. "Mere theatrics."
He concentrated all his energy inwards and then, in a blinding flash of white sent out a signal to the four minds of the Death Eaters. Projecting an image of a chalk white face, complete with snake like nostrils into each of their heads he rose slowly from the ground.
Hearing Alecto's cry of elation he knew his images were being received and he filled his gaze with red before opening his eyes.
The four Death Eaters were staring at him in awe as he slowly levitated, projecting an appearance of their master onto himself with the very Legilimency he had inherited from him. Opening his mouth he spoke to them in parseltongue, not knowing if they could understand it but completing his masquerade.
"Bow down before your master."
Whether they understood or not, Dolohov at least caught the essence of his low hisses and bent to his knees, forgetting Hermione completely. The other three followed suit, falling to the forest floor.
Hermione lay motionless but her hand was still open and Harry focused on his charade.
He spoke again, interested to find his transformation complete to imitate Voldemort's cold voice perfectly.
"You are the faithful few, trusting in my survival once again. You will be rewarded."
The glee on the Death Eaters faces made them nearly glow in the dim light.
"I believed Master; the Dark Lord would not be defeated!" Dolohov shouted up at him. Rookwood and the Carrows called out their agreement, looking around at each other in obvious euphoria as Dolohov crouched forward.
"My Lord, I came back to do your bidding. The Aurors were no match for us and we escaped on the way to Azkaban."
Harry stretched a hand down towards him to rest just above his head, long white fingers appearing in place of his own.
"You have done well. The Dark Lord is pleased."
Dolohov nearly burst with restrained pride as he looked up at the vision of Voldemort. "My Lord, the current Headmistress is naive. She allows students and inept teachers to repair Hogwarts, and we were able to pose as some of them with my hidden supply of Polyjuice potion. We then planted Portkeys around the school that I thought would appeal to the boy - but it seems you have already overcome him My Lord." He bowed his head again.
"Yes" Harry looked down on them through red eyes. "I am still alive within the boy. I will need you to do my bidding."
Dolohov grinned nastily. "My Lord we have been waiting for just this chance."
The other three murmured their agreement staring up in admiration.
A glimmer of movement passed by Harry's ear as he hung suspended in the clearing, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound. His attention diverted, he glanced at Hermione as she struggled to pull her upper body off the ground. The lapse in concentration caused his façade to slip - his eyes returning to green, his face regaining its usual colour and form.
Dolohov's eyes widened in surprise and horror as he saw Harry again instead of his beloved Dark Lord and he realised faster than the others, whipping his head around to Hermione.
She was up on her elbows now, her hand wide open to receive the Elder Wand as it flew to fit perfectly in her palm. Dolohov's face contorted in rage and he pulled his wand round to point at her in the instant that she raised her arm off the ground.
Harry propelled himself towards her, willing himself to be faster than the jet of green light that had left the end of Dolohov's wand. He knew instantly he wouldn't be and he cried out watching her slam her fist with the wand in it to the forest floor.
Blinding beams of blue light erupted in a circle from the base of the wand; too bright for any of those watching to do anything but shield their eyes. He heard the effort it took for Hermione to shout out the spell she choose to use - Harry not recognizing it but instantly feeling the depth of power as she shouted the words.
"APOCALYATE!"
Dolohov's curse was obliterated by a piercing light that burst out of the wand in every direction. Then there was a ground shaking explosion, knocking all those standing off their feet.
Harry managed to open his eyes again as he hovered above the scene to see a surge of transparent energy erupt from Hermione's hand, and burst out in an ever increasing circle along the ground, a wave of power covering the radius of the clearing. All four Death Eaters were drawn up, struggling painfully against an invisible power holding them off the ground.
Then there was a moment of stillness, time seemed to hang suspended and Hermione's eyes sought Harry - he looked down at her in a silent understanding and swooped as an immense belt of blue wind emanated in a circle from the wand, blasting all the Death Eaters into the trees and obliterating the makeshift camp.
At the same time, Harry dove to pick up Hermione, lifting her off the ground and above the force of her curse, and she collapsed against him as he took them both up and through the trees.
A deathly quietness below signaled no movement from the clearing but Harry was just concerned with Hermione now. She was lifeless in his arms, and he couldn't bring himself to look into her face. He sighted the clock tower of the school in the distance and turning back to the clearing he conjured several Patronus, sending one stag down through the trees to mark the spot, and another up to the castle.
"Hold on Hermione…please be ok…" he murmured into her hair as he took off high into the air towards the tower. He couldn't bear to think that he was responsible for hurting her again - why did he touch those glasses? How did he go from the happiest moment of his life straight to the worst? Landing near the clock he blasted a door to get inside, carrying her down the corridors to the double doors of the hospital wing.
"Madam Pomfrey!! Help me!!" His voice cracked with despair as he burst into the long room lined with beds. "Madam Pomfrey!! Please!!" He walked to the nearest bed and lay Hermione down tenderly as he heard Poppy Pomfrey bustling towards him.
"Harry, what's happened?" She bent low to check over Hermione, moving quickly and efficiently. He held his breath until she spoke.
"She's alive - just." The older woman turned to Harry and he was disturbed by the look in her eyes. He shook his head.
"You fix her."
"Harry, I…"
"Fix her." His eyes were filled with tears and she nodded.
"She needs to be at St Mungos but I don't want to move her any more than necessary right now." She turned back to Hermione, shaking her head. "I'll do my best."
Harry ran a hand through his hair and stared at the ground as the doors burst open again and Professor McGonagall strode quickly into the room.
"Harry! Your Patronus - four Death Eaters in the forest? I've alerted the Ministry." Her eyes glanced at Hermione on the bed her hand flying to her mouth and froze in the middle of the room as if not able to go any further. Harry couldn't bring himself to answer or even watch as Madam Pomfrey exchanged glances with McGonagall. They spoke no words and Harry took this to be a bad sign.
"Harry, you'll have to leave." Madam Pomfrey held her hand up to his protest. "You can come back I promise - I just need to work on her alone first."
Professor McGonagall reached his side and he reluctantly let her take his arm and steer him away from the bed. "You need to tell me everything that happened."
He finally looked at Hermione, lying still and frighteningly pale, but he could see her chest rising faintly with shallow breaths, her hand with the Elder Wand of which she was now the master, still gripped in it and lying at her side. He wanted to go to her but brushed away any urge to say goodbye- reassuring himself he'd speak to her soon. But he knew he may be holding out false hope as he caught another silent exchange between the two older women, worried frowns on both of their faces.
He let himself be led to the corridor but no further from the hospital wing. He left nothing out of the telling, and she didn't flinch to hear him speak about his flying them up to the hospital wing - by her reaction he suspected she'd spoken to Dumbledore. When he finished she swore loudly, shocking Harry out of his panicked trance for a moment.
"A portkey - in Hogwarts grounds? How on earth did they manage that?"
"Polyjuice potion. They disguised themselves to set their traps. And I walked right into it."
McGonagall put her arm on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, you weren't to know. The Aurors had no idea they were anywhere near Hogwarts, and I should have been more vigilant." He shook his head and she put her arm around him. "She's in the best place now; Poppy knows what she's doing."
He couldn't answer and just nodded as she told him she would have to go and see to the Aurors arriving now. He turned back into the hospital wing.
When Madam Pomfrey let him back to sit beside the bed he pulled a chair close, his forehead resting on his hands as they covered hers. He had to step back for a while as healers from St Mungo's arrived and examined her, then he resumed his position by her bed. He didn't hear Ginny, Luna and Neville approach until they were right next to him, Luna's hand on his arm. They stayed for only a minute as Madam Pomfrey hovered; Ginny hugging him as she cried and Luna giving him a warm embrace. They told him that Ron still couldn't be found.
He barely noticed them leaving and then Professor McGonagall was back at his side.
"Harry."
He didn't answer but sat waiting, looking at his hands.
"She's hurt very badly Harry. If she makes it through tonight, she may have a chance, but it's only right to tell you that it's a very slim one. I think we should arrange for her parents to be notified."
He looked up. "No, she'll make it. She's strong enough - please" he turned fully in his chair. "Give her some time."
McGonagall frowned at him but remained silent. She told him that the Aurors had recovered Dolohov, dead - and the three others still alive, but barely. The information barely registered in his numb brain, none of it mattered. She moved away soon after and he laid his head back on the bed.
He woke up with a shock, not sure how long he'd been asleep, snapping his head quickly around to check Hermione, his relief overwhelming as he detected her light breathing. He moved in closer to her ear as he held her hand.
"Hermione. Please come back to me. I need you."
Her eyelids didn't stir and he reached out to touch her face, tracing her lips - unable to comprehend how only hours before he'd discovered how perfect they were. He leaned forward and pressed his lips on to hers again, then pulled back to look at her before laying his head into the crook of her neck.
Madam Pomfrey's heels echoed through the hospital wing as she walked down for a final check on her patient before she retired to sleep. It really was devastating, this girl she was always rather fond of, and she felt sure she wouldn't make it through the night. And young Potter, he'd had enough sadness in his life already.
She sighed as she rounded the corner of the privacy screen to see him, lying on the bed next to her, holding one of her hands with both of his, fast asleep.
She watched them for a moment, and then pulled a blanket from the end of the bed up to his chin. She patted him gently on his shoulder before turning and walking away.
~*~