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Perilous Journey | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance Warnings: Death, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use, Sexual Situations, Spouse/Adult/Child Abuse, Violence Rating: R Reviews: 314 Summary: During Christmas at Grimmauld Place, Harry and Ginny realize they can help each other overcome the memories of their past. Watching them, Sirius finds the courage to forgive himself for his past mistakes and start living again. Umbridge, however has other plans. She expels the couple, starting them on a very perilous journey. *Mentions of child abuse and alcohol/substance use* Hitcount: Story Total: 144896; Chapter Total: 8579 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: Thank you so much to my betas StephanieO and Ministry Malcontent for their hard work! |
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April 3, 1997 — April 4, 1997 Ginny was puttering around the house picking up when she heard screams coming from the meadow. As much as she wanted to charge outside, the training of the past few months took over. She ran upstairs to the first floor landing. There were two large windows that overlooked the back of the house. She bit back a scream when she saw the Death Eaters standing over Harry. Pushing back her fear, she counted seven Death Eaters. She knew there was no way she could outfight them, especially seeing as they already had Harry. Running to her room, she used the spell Tonks had taught her to pack her belongings. She did the same thing in Harry's room and soon had both of their bags over her shoulder. Covering herself with one of the Invisibility Cloaks, she looked outside again. She'd heard Dafydd's screams and bit back a sob when he fell to Lucius Malfoy. She wanted to scream when she saw Lucius attack Harry once again, but she forced herself to remain silent. Tears coursed down her face as she watched Malfoy disappear with the love of her life. She watched the Death Eaters headed for the house and positioned herself at the landing across from the stairs. It was a long few minutes as she heard them tossing things around downstairs. She didn't know how many there were, but she thought there were at least three of them. The straps of the heavy bags were cutting into her shoulder and she was sweating under the unexpectedly thick Invisibility Cloak. She could feel sweat dripping down her back, but she didn't want to leave quite yet. She wiped her hand on her jeans and re-gripped her wand. Eventually she heard someone clattering up the stairs. She didn't really understand how they expected to surprise anyone with all of the noise they were making. As the Death Eater cleared the stairs and turned towards the bedrooms, Ginny hit him with a silent stunner. He fell quickly, but luckily the Death Eaters downstairs were making so much noise they didn't hear him fall. She quickly walked over to him and felt around his neck. To her relief, he had a Portkey. She pulled it off of him and hurried back to her room where the brooms were leaning against the wall. Grabbing the brooms, she took one more look around the place. She didn't see anything that would give them away so she Apparated away. Harry landed heavily and Lucius Malfoy pushed him down on the ground. As Harry looked up, he realized he was surrounded by Death Eaters. They took turns kicking and stepping on him. A large foot connected with his head and blessedly he lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, he found he was in a small, dank cell. A damp musty smell permeated the space along with a tangy smell that took him a moment to identify as blood. He listened carefully, but didn't hear anything. Cautiously he opened his eyes. He didn't immediately see anyone, so he carefully sat up. Pain raced through him. He knew his arm was broken and he thought that he had a few broken ribs as well, judging from the chest pain he was experiencing. It was difficult to open his left eye all the way; he gently reached up and found his eye swollen. Blood was caked under his nose and mouth and his lips were split. The only good thing he found was his nose didn't seem to be broken. With his good hand, he felt his chest and abdomen and found numerous cuts and bruises. As a matter of fact, his abdomen seemed to be one huge bruise. He wondered briefly if he was bleeding inside. He wondered where his wand was. He vaguely remembered it being taken from him back at the farm. Standing up, he swayed a bit; but determined to stay on his feet, he staggered over to the bars. Looking through, he found he seemed to be the only person imprisoned in the dungeon. There were two cells across from him, both empty; and there was a cell next to him that he thought was empty as well. Looking to the right, he could vaguely see a hallway leading into darkness. Looking to the left, he saw a stone wall with several shelves. He shuddered as he recognized several sharp looking instruments hanging on the walls. The only purpose he could see to them was to cause pain. He squinted through his swollen eye and his heart jumped when he saw his wand on the top shelf. It hadn't been broken and that gave him hope. He staggered back to the back of his cell and sat heavily on the rough stone ledge that served as a seat. He drew his hand back as it made contact with the slimy walls. Looking over, he noticed for the first time that the stone walls were covered with a type of greenish-black, slimy substance. He wiped his hand on his torn jeans. It didn't seem to do much good. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself. As he slowed his breathing, he realized his bracelet was still on. Concentrating on the bracelet, he felt to his relief that Ginny was nowhere near him. He was angry at Dafydd for not realizing the Death Eaters wouldn't keep their end of the bargain, but he was angrier at himself. How had he let everything slip so much that he could be so easily recognized? He and Ginny had been with Carys for almost five months and hadn't changed their look or their names. He'd even gotten lax with wearing coloured contacts and keeping his hair coloured. He and Ginny had gone into town several times and hadn't taken pains to hide their identities. Guilt crashed down on him, threatening to swamp him. After a few moments, Harry took a deep breath. He couldn't allow himself to give in to his guilt. Yes, he had made mistakes, but he couldn't deal with that now, he had to figure out how to survive. As much as he wanted to rage at the unfairness of it all, he knew he needed to conserve his strength. He found himself leaning back against the wall closing his eyes; he drifted into unconsciousness once again. Ginny arrived at the abandoned house in the Lake District that she'd identified as a 'safe house.' Carys had asked each of them pick several safe houses that the other didn't know about in case one of them was captured. This house was at the north-eastern side of Bassenthwaite Lake — Ginny had noticed it during the summer and had asked Deena about it. It was a holiday home that had fallen into a bit of disrepair. According to Deena, no one had lived there for over a year. To Ginny's relief, it was still abandoned. One of the reasons she'd chosen this house was it was furnished. She set to work deciding to risk some underage magic by cleaning the kitchen and one of the bedrooms. It was warm enough that she could open the windows without it cooling the house too much. She aired out the bedroom and conjured up some sheets with the spell she'd taught Harry almost a year before. Setting their two bags down, Ginny rummaged through the bags to find some money. She Apparated into town arriving in a secluded area behind the store. Knowing she didn't want to spend too much time, she bought some food, mild pain medicine, and bandages. Hurrying back to the house, Ginny found that the house had its own generator. Cranking up the generator, she was relieved to find the refrigerator powered on. She had been afraid that the amount of magic needed to set up a cold cupboard would be easily detected. Once she'd set up an area to bring Harry back to, she focused on a plan to rescue him. She briefly considered attempting to find someone to help her, but recalling the warning in the paper, she quickly discarded that thought. She couldn't imagine she had the time to try and find someone, much less come up with a discreet way to contact them. Digging through the bag, she pulled out the packet of Floo powder Carys had given them. It made her very nervous that she had no idea where she was going or what she was heading into, but she knew that Harry would never abandon her. After all, when he was only twelve he'd braved a Basilisk to rescue her; she would do no less for him. She twisted her bracelet around her wrist. She hated how far away he felt. From the feelings she was getting, she thought maybe he might be as far away as London. She quickly plaited her hair so it would be out of the way and pulled on a pair of black cargo trousers and a dark shirt. She slipped the Floo powder, a vial of Pepperup Potion, a pocket knife, and Harry's folded up Invisibility Cloak into her various pockets. Securely gripping her wand in one hand, she cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself before donning her Invisibility Cloak. Taking a deep breath, she activated the Portkey she'd taken off the Death Eater. She arrived in a thankfully empty courtyard of a rather imposing house. Relief flooded through her when her bracelet warmed up suddenly. She was in the right place. Scurrying over to the shadows at the side of the house, she looked around trying to figure out her next move. Harry was jerked awake when he was splashed by a wandful of cold water. "On your feet, Potter!" Apparently he was too slow in complying, as several Death Eaters pulled him none too gently to his feet. Swaying, the pain of his broken arm and the bruising in his chest and abdomen suddenly seemed much worse. He managed to keep up with the Death Eaters so he didn't get pulled along too badly. He was led up a long hallway. When they walked through the doorway, the corridor abruptly changed from rough stone walls to smooth, nicely painted walls. Harry realized they were actually in someone's house. He shuddered inwardly at the thought of having a dungeon in your home. At the next corridor, he was somehow not surprised to see Lucius Malfoy awaiting him. Malfoy had eschewed the traditional Death Eater mask, but was wearing what appeared to be a very expensive set of black robes. Silver serpent clasps on his robes gleamed in the candlelight. This was a man very sure of himself in his own kingdom. "Mr Potter, I hope your accommodations have met with your approval," Malfoy said with a touch of malice in his voice. Harry forced himself to laugh. "Even my Muggle relatives had a nicer place for me to stay." Malfoy's face darkened, but he merely nodded. "My Lord is waiting for us." "He's not my Lord." The words had barely left Harry's mouth when a fist crashed into his face. Malfoy smiled. "Thank you, Crabbe." Looking Harry over he said, "You will be singing a different tune soon enough." Another Death Eater prodded Harry from behind so he started walking again following Malfoy. He looked around, but he couldn't see much through the group surrounding him. They passed several closed doors; he wondered longingly if there was a fireplace in one of the rooms behind them. As they neared the back of the house, Harry suddenly gasped in pain. His scar felt as though it was on fire. Pain seared through his head — it was worse than the pain he'd felt in the graveyard two years earlier. He retched suddenly from the pain, earning smacks from the Death Eaters as they cleaned their robes. Lifting a shaky hand, he wiped his mouth. The Death Eaters cleared out from in front of him and for the first time he could see the opulent room they had just entered. It appeared to be a ballroom like in the romance novels Ginny read. The wooden floor was gleaming. The back wall was all windows and French doors opening out into a beautiful garden beyond. It amazed him that such evil could thrive in such a beautiful place. Voldemort stood in front of him on a raised dais, behind Voldemort was an actual throne. Harry felt a sudden desire to laugh, but he suppressed it as he knew it wouldn't do him any good. Coiled next to the throne was Nagini, her head was raised and she was watching him. "Mr Potter." "Tom." The response was quick and painful as he was hit behind the knees so he fell on his knees in front of Voldemort. Two heavy hands on his shoulders held him in place. He settled for glaring defiantly at Voldemort. "As I have told you before," Voldemort began, "that name means nothing to me anymore. I have chosen a new name." "Please," Harry returned. "You jumbled together the letters of your name to come up with a ridiculous new name. You are no Lord." "Crucio!" Harry screamed as the curse hit him from three different wands. He was actually lifted briefly off the floor by the force of the curse. He convulsed from the intensity of the pain. When the curses stopped it took him a moment to gather himself. As much as he just wanted to curl up on the floor, he dragged himself to his feet. "You have spirit," Voldemort said. He turned to fully face Harry, his scarlet eyes drilling into Harry's. "I want to know about the prophecy." "What prophecy?" Harry asked honestly. "Crucio!" To Harry's relief, the spell didn't last as long this time. Voldemort was glaring at him. "I need to know the contents of the prophecy." "I don't know anything about a prophecy," Harry said flatly. Voldemort paced on the dais in front of him. "I have been sending you dreams about the Department of Mysteries for almost a year. Did you not ever ask anyone what they meant?" Harry shrugged. "Who would I ask? You killed my parents, my godfather's on the run, and my Headmaster wasn't talking to me." Voldemort laughed. "You actually do have a point there. I don't know why Severus dislikes you so much, you can actually be quite entertaining." "Severus doesn't like me because he's an immature, greasy git," Harry returned as he looked around the ballroom. Some of the Death Eaters were masked, others were not. He wondered briefly if the Potions Master was there — he rather hoped he was. Voldemort laughed again. "I can see the dislike is mutual. Did Severus not ask you about your dreams? He might have helped you." It was Harry's turn to laugh. "Me, ask Snape for help? Please, he hates me. Why would he help me?" "He would help you because I ordered him to," Voldemort returned angrily, no longer amused. Harry didn't respond, he didn't have anything to say. Voldemort paced on the dais for a moment before turning to Malfoy. "You will have to take him to the Ministry." "Of course, my Lord," Malfoy returned immediately. "Shall I take him tonight?" "Severus, do they still guard the Department of Mysteries?" "Yes, my Lord," came the reply. Harry had to stifle a smile at the thought of Snape hearing exactly what he thought of him. "I want it done tomorrow," Voldemort said. He turned to Bellatrix. "You may play with him, but don't damage him." She gave him a rather deranged smile. "Of course, my Lord." Voldemort turned and sat on his throne while Bellatrix sailed over to Harry. She looked him over in a rather predatory manner. "We shall have fun together." Harry felt ill at the look on her face. He considered struggling, but thought it better to get back to his cell away from most of the Death Eaters. He didn't want to make it too easy for them, so he did crash into the Death Eater nearest him. That resulted in another punch to the stomach. He was dragged back to his cell and bodily thrown inside. Bellatrix walked around the outside of the cell. "I hear my disgrace of a cousin has been championing your cause." Harry smiled proudly. "Sirius knows I didn't do anything wrong. He believes in me." "He is a disgrace to the Black name and he will be hunted down like the dog he is," Bellatrix countered. "He is the only decent Black, as far as I can tell," Harry retorted. "You should hear your crazy aunt's portrait yell at everyone. It seems like you would fit in well with her." "Crucio!" Bellatrix yelled as a fanatical gleam blossomed in her eyes. She watched in satisfaction as he hit his head on the way down to the floor. She released him from the curse and watched as he sat up panting in pain. The moment he regained his composure, she put him in a full Body-Bind Curse. He glared at her, unable to do anything else. She reached over to where he knew the wall holding the torture devices was located. Inwardly he started to panic, in a way grateful the curse didn't let his body reflect his full terror. "This will do, I think," Bellatrix said as she opened the cell door. Two large Death Eaters held him up. She gave him a deranged smile as she stood only a few meters from him. With the flick of her wand she vanished his torn and rather bloody shirt. Fear spiked through him when he saw her raise a large whip. She nodded to the Death Eaters holding him and they turned him around and used a spell he didn't know to tie his wrists above his head. The pain from his broken arm was almost too much to endure. Once he was secured, the Body-Bind Curse was released. The bite of the whip was excruciating as the deranged Death Eater deftly wielded it. "This is the punishment for daring to think you are good enough to be the heir of the House of Black." She lashed out with the whip again and again. Harry's voice was hoarse from screaming. He lost track of the number of times she drew the whip across his back. He could feel the blood dripping down his back. To his surprise, it was rather easy to block out her ranting. Who would have thought the time spent with his relatives had left him with some useful skills? A cool voice from the shadows outside the cell interrupted Bellatrix. "Really, Bella. He needs use of his hands. The Dark Lord would not be pleased if his plans were ruined once again." She stopped and turned to look at her brother-in-law. "I suppose that is true." A flick of her wand unexpectedly released the ropes on Harry's wrists. He fell heavily to his knees. Fighting against unimaginable pain, Harry hauled himself to his feet. He wouldn't give Bellatrix the satisfaction of knowing how badly she'd hurt him. He swayed, but managed to stay on his feet. His left eye was now completely swollen shut, but he could still see out of his right eye. Bellatrix glided over to him. "Such a handsome boy, it's too bad we don't have more time together." To his disgust, she cupped his cheek in her hand. So help him, if she did anything else he was going to throw up on her. Instead, she struck him across the face. "Once my Lord no longer has any use of you, we will have fun, you and I." "I will die first," Harry said honestly. She laughed. "You will only wish to die." Ginny crowded into an alcove across from the large ballroom. Tears spilled silently down her face as she listened to the monster she'd befriended as a child torture her boyfriend. Looking around the deserted corridor, she realized she had a chance to explore the house. Wordlessly, she cast a Silencing Charm on her feet to ensure she didn't make any noise. Sticking to shadows, she made her way down the corridor. She wasn't sure how well her Invisibility Cloak and Disillusionment Charms would hold; she knew neither were infallible. She also knew that she was the only one who even knew that Harry had been captured, much less where he was. The corridor led to the front of the house and a much larger corridor traversing the width of the house. Retracing her steps, she walked past the ballroom where she was pleased to find a much smaller servants' hall. She hurried down the quieter corridor. The first two rooms she peeked into were both occupied. Thankfully they didn't seem to notice the door opening slightly. She imagined they were used to the house elves scooting in and out of the rooms. The last room was a rather small room by the standards of this house. It appeared to be a child's school room. It was colourfully decorated with a large mural against the far wall. Ginny thought it depicted the Trojan horse, but she wasn't certain. What really captured her attention was the large fireplace. The face of the fireplace was white brick. Bricks decorated with children's books' characters were interspersed with the white brick. It gave the room a whimsical look. Ginny hurried over to the fireplace and was grateful to see green flames indicating the fireplace was connected to the Floo Network. If she couldn't get out another way, this was a good back up plan. She heard the commotion in the hallway and peeked out in time to see Harry being pushed down the corridor towards what she presumed was the dungeon. Her heart stopped at the sight of him, he was bloodied and shaky on his feet. Determination filled her, she would get him out. She just wasn't sure how yet. The house had an Anti-Apparition ward around it, Ginny had tested that while she was still in the outside courtyard. She left the cheerful little room and headed back to the servants' corridor. A door leading out to the back garden was at the end of the hall. A cupboard stood just inside the door. Ginny opened the cupboard and bit back a cheer. Malfoy's old Comet Two Sixty was stashed in the back of cupboard. Ginny supposed he'd just left it there when his father had gotten him his Nimbus 2001. Leaving the broom where it was, she hurried down the rough stone steps that seemed to lead to the dungeon. She supposed that the servants needed to access to the dungeons as well. The sound of Harry's screams echoed through the dungeon. Ginny wanted to rush to him, but managed to restrain herself. She sank down on the bottom step and curled up under the Invisibility Cloak. Tears streamed down her face and she buried her face in her arms as she sobbed silently listening to Harry's screams. They seemed to go forever, but eventually Ginny realized it was now silent in the dungeon. Ginny stood silently and renewed both the Silencing Charm and Disillusionment Charm before venturing towards where she thought they were holding Harry. To her relief, it wasn't far to the corner that held Harry's cell. She wanted to rage when she saw the blood dripping from the whip that had been rehung on the wall. She noticed Harry's wand on the shelf and she grabbed it, tucking it into one of her empty pockets. She was a bit surprised there was no guard at the cell, but she supposed they didn't expect he would be in any shape to move. She frowned as she looked at the lock. The unlocking charm was not one she'd ever managed to perform silently. Taking a deep breath, she pointed her wand at the lock and quietly said, "Alohomora." To her relief, the lock clicked open easily. Looking down the corridor to ensure she was indeed alone, she hurried into the cell. Harry was unconscious, laying on the rough stone ledge. "Baby," she whispered. She tried to gently turn him over, but before she could do anything else a noise sounded in the corridor. Panicking for a moment, Ginny sent a quick spell closing the cell door and backed up against the wall hiding in the shadows. It was Professor Snape who strode down the corridor and into the cell. "Idiot boy, he stands up there and insults me, and I am supposed to help him." He turned Harry over, much more roughly than Ginny would have, and somewhat roughly smacked his face. "Potter! Wake up!" Harry groaned and tried to open his eyes. Ginny watched anxiously as Snape pulled several vials of potion from his robes. He poured them down Harry's throat and ordered Harry to swallow. "Those should help you." More gently than Ginny expected, Snape conjured up a wet flannel and cleaned the blood off Harry's face. He murmured a spell she was not familiar with to conjure up a splint and set Harry's arm. Placing a Cushioning Charm on the stone ledge, he rolled Harry over onto his stomach. Ginny felt the bile rising in her throat at the damage done by Bellatrix Lestrange. "Damn that woman!" Snape said angrily. Ginny looked at him in surprise. He actually looked a bit concerned about Harry. Snape looked between the corridor and the flannel in his hand. He seemed to come to a decision. Standing, he used to wand to hose the blood off Harry's back. Harry screamed as the water hit his back, but thankfully fell silent. The blood ran off his back and onto the floor. Once his back was clean, Snape waved his wand over the boy's back and muttered some charms Ginny didn't recognize. The wounds didn't close, but the bleeding stopped and Harry seemed more comfortable, so Ginny thought maybe one of the charms was a numbing charm. "That's the best I can do," Snape said. He looked down at the boy almost regretfully. Ginny couldn't make sense of his attitude. Turning abruptly, he strode off. Waiting a few minutes, Ginny crept over to Harry. "Sweetie, can you hear me?" she whispered. Harry looked around in a daze. "Ginny." "I'm here, baby." "No, no, no." Harry moaned. "Sshh." She soothed. "Sweetie, you have to be quiet. Can you do that for me?" He nodded. Ginny gazed down at him unsure how aware he was of what was going on. He looked a tiny bit better after Snape had healed him slightly. She wanted to give him a Pepperup Potion, but she wasn't sure how it would react with the other potions Snape had given him. While she really had no idea of his motivation, Snape had definitely helped Harry. Ginny looked at the cell door uncertainly. Ideally she'd like to give time for Snape's potions to work, but on the other hand she wasn't sure if it wouldn't be better to move him now. She tip-toed over to the cell door and noticed the hallway was clear once again. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door once again. She hoisted Harry to his feet and cast a Silencing Charm on him. Reaching into one of her pockets, she pulled Harry's Invisibility Cloak out and threw it over him while keeping a hand on his arm. She half dragged and half pulled him along. It took an agonizingly long time to make it back to the servants' corridor. Ginny looked despairingly up the long staircase. Ordinarily, she wouldn't think twice about jogging up the stairs, but dragging Harry she knew it would take a long time. Slowly the two managed to climb the stairs. Twice Harry almost fell, but Ginny caught him in time. It was very slow going, but at last they were at the top. Letting Harry rest against the wall at the top of the stairs, Ginny pondered her options. She could make it to the school room, but she didn't know where to Floo. Part of her was tempted to Floo to her brothers' shop in London, but she knew if she was spotted or followed she would be in a lot of trouble. A slithering sound caught her ears. She froze as Nagini slithered down the hall. The snake stopped within a meter of them, her tongue flicking in and out as though she was trying to figure something out. Ginny looked over at Harry and prayed he would remain silent. She didn't think he was aware enough to realize the danger they were in. A sibilant hissing filled the air. Ginny recognized Parseltongue, but this time she didn't understand any of the words. Harry stirred at snake's words, but to Ginny's relief he didn't respond. After a few harrowing moments, Nagini slithered out into the courtyard. Ginny's eyes widened as the snake left via a pet door that she hadn't even noticed until now. A bit of hysterical laughter welled up in her and she had to bite her cheek so she wouldn't laugh out loud. Ginny waited a few minutes, her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. Once she thought Nagini was gone, she cautiously opened the door. When nothing happened, she pulled open the cupboard door and retrieved the broom she'd seen earlier. Carefully, she mounted the broom and helped Harry to mount the broom behind her. She performed a fastening charm she'd seen her mother use to secure children to their brooms. Once she was certain Harry was safely on behind her, she took off. She flew high to leave both the Death Eaters and Nagini far behind. As she looked down at the expensive estate, she was momentarily saddened that it was being used for so much evil. Looking around, she couldn't tell where she was, all she could tell was it on the outskirts of a city. She tried to remember if she'd ever heard where the Malfoys lived, but she couldn't. In the end she looked up and searched for the North Star. Following the North Star, she flew as fast as she could. It was cold, but she didn't want to stop to cast a warming charm. They weren't being followed at the moment, but she couldn't count on that to last. A loud roaring noise took her by surprise. Looking around, she screamed as she saw a large white aeroplane descending. It was probably a good kilometre away, but it was huge. She looked down at the ground and realized the large area that was lighting up the night was an airport. Looking up she bit back another scream at the number of planes flying high above her. Just seeing them above her was scary. Turning, she headed in a north western direction until she felt she was out of the path of any planes. More scared than she remembered being in a long time, she soon left the city and the scary aeroplanes far behind her. To her dismay, many of the areas she was flying over were populated. Looking down, she spotted an old castle. It seemed to be empty at night, so she flew into the central courtyard of the castle. As she landed, she noticed signs indicating they were at Warwick Castle. Climbing off the broom, she shot a worried look at Harry. He roused slightly when they landed and Ginny quickly released him from his bonds. His skin felt warm and his cheeks were bright red. Ginny realized that he was running a fever. "Madam." Whirling around, Ginny saw an Elizabethan-looking gentleman approaching her. Calming herself, she nodded to him. "Good evening, sir. I'm sorry if I have trespassed on your lands. My friend is ill." "Aye, he is quite ill," the man said, looking at Harry. "May I offer my assistance, dear lady?" Ginny looked at the courtly ghost. Could he really help? While she wanted to get Harry back to the cottage, she would be on her own once she arrived. "That would be very nice, sir." The man smiled. "Wonderful. I am Sir Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke." "I'm Ginny Weasley and this is my boyfriend, Harry Potter." Ginny said. A noise sounded across the courtyard. Sir Greville said, "Hurry, Madam. The Muggle manservant who sees to security is preparing to make his rounds. Do you see the top of that tower?" Ginny nodded. Sir Greville said, "Can you Apparate up there?" Nodding, Ginny held onto Harry tightly and Apparated as instructed. The room at the top of the tower was a hexagonal guardroom. The thick stone walls hid them from any security personnel. A large wooden table was in the centre of the room. "This way," Sir Greville said, gesturing towards a shimmering wall. Recognizing the magical energy in the wall, Ginny levitated Harry in front of her and followed the ghost. He led her along a completed section of wall and into a tower not visible from the grounds. They travelled down the steps to a large round room. Ginny almost cried when she saw it was set up as a bedroom. She quickly got Harry settled in the large bed. "There are some medicinal herbs as well as the strange potions Muggles use in the kitchens, my lady," Sir Greville said. He gestured to another ghost who had just joined them. "Lady Anne will be happy to look after your betrothed while we are gone." Ginny smiled gratefully at the woman who nodded briefly at her. "Thank you, my lady." Following the ghostly shape of Sir Greville, Ginny made her way down to the kitchen. Sir Greville was able to instruct her in disabling the security system and they entered a large kitchen. It was rather a hybrid of Muggle and Magical kitchens. Ginny found some broth that she heated with her wand. The large commercial refrigerator held many bottles of water, so Ginny grabbed several of them. She found a loaf of bread that she sliced and buttered. While she was preparing some food, Sir Greville was searching the kitchen for potions. "Here is some yarrow tea and willow bark, my lady. They will be good for your man." Ginny recognized the ingredients and quickly brewed them into a tea. While the tea steeped, Sir Greville pointed to another jar of ingredients. "This is agrimony. It can be made into a poultice to help with bleeding." Thanking her mother for forcing her to make many poultices for her brothers, Ginny quickly chopped and ground the agrimony and added some more willow bark to the ground herbs. She slowly added some warm water until it was a paste like consistency. She put the paste in a bowl and, rummaging through the drawers, she found a soft cloth appropriate for a poultice. A few waves of her wand cleaned the counters and returned the kitchen to its previous state of cleanliness. Loading everything onto a large tray that Sir Greville found for her, she retraced her steps back up to the tower room. She found Lady Anne singing softly to Harry. He was either sleeping or unconscious, she wasn't sure which. "Harry, love." He opened his eyes, but they were glazed with fever. His skin was so pale; she really wished she had Blood Replenishing Potions. Climbing up on the bed with him, she managed to get most of the tea and some broth in him before he fell back asleep. She hoped he'd gotten enough of the herbs to bring down his fever. Wetting two of the towels she'd brought back, she lay one on his forehead and, getting him to turn over, lay the other on the back of his neck. Lady Anne gasped at the sight of the whip marks on Harry's back. "Poor lad, it must have been an evil one who caused this." Ginny nodded as she blinked back tears. "Very evil." Sir Greville interrupted them. "Madam I don't mean to upset your sensibilities, but I believe you should remove his trousers as well. They appear to be covered with some sort of filth." Blushing, Ginny vanished his trousers, thankful that his underpants seemed to be in one piece. Ginny quickly levitated Harry off the bed and pulled off the sheet that had been under him. To her relief there was another sheet underneath that. Lady Anne smiled. "This was my bedchamber. I was rather ill towards the end, so the bed is well layered. But don't worry, my lady, my son kept the linens fresh while he lived." "Thank you," Ginny said as she settled Harry back on the bed. She spread the poultice paste on the soft cloth and lay it on his back. Some of the wounds were already looking red and inflamed. Harry seemed to relax a bit into the bed as he fell back asleep. "Have some bread and tea, my lady," Lady Anne said gently. "We will watch over you until morning." "Thank you," Ginny said gratefully. She managed to eat several slices of bread and butter and drank two bottles of water before she lay back onto the bed. She didn't want to get too close to Harry, but the bed was so comfortable she soon fell asleep. Dumbledore looked up as Severus burst into his office. Albus leapt to his feet when he saw the shape the younger man was in. He knew Severus had left for an unexpected meeting in the late afternoon and hadn't returned until the early morning hours. "Severus, are you all right, my boy?" Albus asked in concern. "I will be fine," Severus replied. "It's Potter. Somehow Lucius managed to capture him yesterday." "What?!" Albus was shocked. "Where is he? How is he?" "Unfortunately, I do not know," Severus replied. "Lucius had a contact in Wales somewhere, I'm not certain where. Somehow he knew they were in Wales, again I'm not certain how. He's been searching Northern Wales for quite some time now. He does an excellent job of cultivating those who are vulnerable. He somehow found a boy who had some sort of potions problem and fell behind on his payments to his dealer. The boy told Lucius that Potter was staying on the farm where his brother worked — I think the fool was trying to make a deal with Lucius, but that never works out well. Lucius has investigated several rumours of Potter's whereabouts, but they usually don't turn out to be anything. This time he took a few Death Eaters to this farm with him and actually returned with Potter. "The Dark Lord questioned Potter about the prophecy, but of course Potter didn't know anything about it. The Dark Lord decided to have Lucius take Potter to the Ministry tomorrow…well, today I guess, and retrieve the prophecy." Dumbledore stared at the younger man in shock. Severus didn't seem to notice. He continued, "Bellatrix played with Potter for a bit. Luckily for him, she wasn't allowed to cause permanent damage. I was able to see him afterwards and heal him a bit. I'd planned to come and let you know what was happening, but Potter of course didn't do as expected. He escaped somehow." "Thank Merlin," Dumbledore breathed. "The Dark Lord was not pleased. I am just lucky that Crabbe checked the door as I left and he is being blamed for not locking the door. Nagini reported she thought there were invisible people in the house, but she didn't think that was possible, so she thought she imagined it." "People?" Dumbledore questioned. Severus nodded as he accepted the cup of tea Dumbledore offered him. "I believe Miss Weasley was somehow able to rescue him. It is the only thing that makes sense." "Did anyone see her?" Severus shook his head. "Flint, one of our new recruits, went to the farm with Lucius and he was one of the three left to search the farm. His story is he went upstairs and was attacked by an unknown and unseen force who stunned him and stole his Portkey. Of course, he didn't admit this until hours later under the Dark Lord's encouragement." "So you believe she used the Portkey to get to the house?" "Yes, it is the only way anyone could have gotten through all of the enchantments and such around the manor. I don't know how she escaped with him. None of the Floos were used and there are Anti-Apparition wards around the manor. He was in no shape to aid in his escape." He faltered for the first time looking up at his mentor. "I don't know exactly what Bellatrix did to him, but I know she certainly whipped him. I stopped his bleeding, but I didn't dare heal him. I made him more comfortable, but he will need medical care." Dumbledore closed his eyes and shook his head at the image his imagination conjured up. "Could Miss Weasley have reversed the Portkey?" "I don't believe so," Severus answered. "I visited the farm. The farmhand and his brother were left dead in the yard. There are signs that two other people were living there other than the owner, but nothing to indicate who they were." "What sort of signs?" Dumbledore asked. "The two other bedrooms were lived in — the beds had been used and two types of shampoo in the bathroom. However, there were no personal items left in the rooms. If it was Miss Weasley, she must have packed quickly." Severus handed him a paper with coordinates. "This is the location of the farm. If you would like to have your Aurors investigate, I would suggest you do so quickly. The Dark Lord might go back and retaliate." Tonks and Kingsley worked with the local police department in investigating the murders of Dafydd and his brother, Elfred. The prevalent theory was that Elfred, who had been known to have problems with drugs, had fallen in with the wrong crowd. Presumably, he had been killed by this crowd and his brother was killed when he tried to intervene. To the Aurors it was close enough to the truth. Kingsley walked up to the larger of the two guest bedrooms where Tonks was examining the room. She was leaving the ensuite when he arrived. "Find anything?" She shook her head. "Nothing in particular, just like Snape reported. There is shampoo and conditioner in the shower and a toothbrush in the medicine cabinet, but nothing personal." "I found out the farm is owned by a Mrs Carys Astley. This was her husband's family farm. He was killed in a farming accident over fifteen years ago. She owns and runs an antique store in Rhyl, but she usually stays here on the farm in the winter months. She has a manager who runs in shop in her absence. The detective tells me that she is on a buying trip — she left on Monday," Kingsley reported. "We need to find her," Tonks said. She looked around to make certain they were alone. "Mrs Astley appears to have been a practising witch." She gestured to the light switches on the walls. "Those are just for show, the house doesn't appear to be wired for electricity. In the kitchen I noticed the cold cupboard resembles a Muggle refrigerator from the outside." "That's ingenious," Kingsley said admiringly. "So she is a witch who seems to work well with Muggles." Tonks nodded. "Do we know about the brothers?" "They are magical as well," Kingsley said. "I found this on Dafydd." He held up a broken wand. "Elfred shows signs of potion abuse, so that backs up Snape's story." The two quickly searched the two bedrooms and came up empty. In the sitting room, they found the first hint that Harry and Ginny had been there. On an end table, they found a Charms book with notes in what Tonks thought was Ginny's handwriting. Flipping through the book, she smiled when she saw a stylized HP inside a heart in the margin of the book. She showed it to Kingsley. He nodded and continued around the room. "Look at this." He held up a framed picture of Harry and Ginny standing with their arms around each other. She was wearing a green dress and he was nicely dressed up as well. Kingsley removed the picture from the frame and flipped the picture over and read — Harry and Ginny — Valentine's Day 1997. Harry was recognizable to those who'd seen recent pictures of him. He was tall and fit with broad shoulders and lean muscles. His dark hair was just past his collar and his green eyes sparkled from behind his contacts. His scar was not visible, but Harry Potter was easily found in the pictures if you looked closely enough. Ginny looked elegant with her brown hair piled up on top of her head. Her makeup was expertly applied and in all honesty she looked several years older than her fifteen years. Tonks had a hard time finding her young friend in the elegant young woman in the picture. "They look good," Tonks said after studying the picture for a few moments. "They do, but he is a bit too recognizable," Kingsley said. He took the picture back from Tonks and created several copies. "I'm going to talk to the Weasleys. Do you want to talk to Sirius?" Tonks nodded and after securing the premises, she headed to her cousin's house. Harry's moans woke Ginny the next morning. She could tell from the light coming in the window in was mid-morning. Lady Anne remained sitting in the chair next to the bed. She was humming softly and trying to comfort Harry. Sitting up quickly, Ginny threw the comforter off and scrambled over to Harry's side. He was shivering and moaning. "He's woken up a few times, Miss Ginny," Lady Anne reported. "At one point he seemed to be having pain in his head. I thought maybe he was having a fit." Glancing over at the side of the bed, Ginny realized that Harry had thrown up during the night. She quickly vanished the mess, glad that Carys had drilled that spell into her. Using the basin of water from the night before, Ginny bathed Harry's face. His left eye was swollen shut, but he opened his right eye and seemed to focus on her. "Gin?" "I'm here, Harry," Ginny said soothingly. He looked about in confusion. "Are we safe?" "We are safe," she reassured him. "What did I give you for Valentine's Day?" he asked weakly. "My ring," she smiled holding up her left hand. He relaxed slightly, but still looked miserable. Pulling her wand out of her pocket, Ginny cast the spell to take his temperature. She frowned when a 39.2 lit up over his head. Reaching for an unopened bottle of water, she helped him sit up and gave him two of the Cuprofen tablets she'd brought with her, hoping to reduce his fever as well as help with the pain. "Here you go, love. Take these. I didn't want to give you any pills last night as you weren't very awake." Obediently, Harry swallowed the tablets and drank quite a bit of the water. He moved gingerly in obvious pain. "What happened?" "What do you remember?" Ginny asked him. "Voldemort and Bellatrix," Harry said after a moment. "Is that why my back hurts so much?" Ginny nodded. "I did what Carys taught us and I packed up all of our belongings. I stunned one of the Death Eaters and took his Portkey." She quickly explained their escape and finding shelter at Warwick Castle. He watched her steadily and reached out a shaky hand for hers. "Thank you. I know that's not enough to say, but you are amazing. I can't believe you snuck me out of there." She blushed under his praise. "I just did what I had to do. I couldn't leave you there." She squeezed his hand. "It was so hard just listening to what that horrid woman was doing to you. I wanted to stop her so badly, but I kept hearing Carys' voice in my head telling me to wait until she was gone." "Bellatrix…" Harry shuddered. "She's psychotic. I mean Voldemort's evil, but he has some remnant of …I don't know... something. She's just…I thought she was going to kiss me at one point and I knew if she did I would just throw up on her." Leaning over, Ginny placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I'm glad she didn't try anything else." Climbing out of bed, Ginny walked over to the window. She could see from the people on the grounds the castle was open for visitors. Looking over at Lady Anne, she asked, "Have any magical visitors found this tower?" "Not in many years," Lady Anne assured her. "Almost all of our visitors these days are Muggles." By this time Harry had struggled to put his legs over the side of the bed. He blushed when he realized his trousers were gone. Ginny noticed that. "Sorry, I had to get rid of your trousers, they were covered with…I don't know... some kind of ick." "I understand," Harry said. He stood up and pulled one of the sheets with him, wrapping it around him. He was still shivering, but he looked determined. "We should head out. I'd hate for us to be traced here." Ginny grabbed the Invisibility Cloaks as well as the remainder of the paste she'd made the night before. Harry looked at her in confusion when she picked up the Comet. "Where did that come from?" She laughed, "It was in the cupboard; I think it must have been Malfoy's. He probably wouldn't use it after his father bought them all Nimbus 2001s." She held out Harry's wand. "I think you'll need this." Relief lit Harry's face. "Oh, thank God. I thought I wouldn't get this back." "I don't know why they didn't break it, but I'm glad they didn't," Ginny said as she vanished the tray and the dishes she'd used last night. Following Lady Anne's instructions, she remade the bed and cleaned up the room. Smiling at Lady Anne, she said, "Thank you so much for all of your help and please thank Sir Greville for us as well." "You are quite welcome and I shall pass on your thanks to Sir Greville. He always likes to keep watch over the visitors so he is out on the grounds this morning. It was quite pleasant to have guests in the castle once again." Lady Anne smiled as the young couple. She gazed at Harry quite seriously. "It seems that many wrongs were done to you. I have heard of you as a vanquisher of great evil and I have been vastly pleased by what I have learned of your character whilst you were here. I know as ghosts we may not be of much aid, but if you have need of our assistance, please do not hesitate to ask." "Thank you, my Lady," Harry said sincerely. Ginny took Harry's arm and Apparated them to the cottage. Harry swayed when they arrived and to his dismay he vomited all over the floor. Ginny quickly vanished the mess and hurried him into bed. He fell asleep almost right away. Relieved to be somewhere she felt safe, Ginny cast the security charms Carys had taught them. Once she was done, she walked around the perimeter of the house and secured all of the windows and the doors with locking and privacy charms. Feeling grimy after the past day, Ginny showered and changed before heading into the kitchen. She looked through the supplies she'd hurriedly purchased the day before. As she looked at the food, she realized how hungry she actually was. Pulling a skillet out from the cabinets, she made some scrambled eggs and bacon. Half of the food she placed on a plate that she put under a warming charm for Harry, the other half she carried to the small kitchen table. She could see the lake in the distance and relaxed for the first time in over twenty four hours. Just being in the Lake District she found very calming. She wondered about Carys and hoped that someone would be able to warn her before she returned home. Sirius stared at his cousin in shock. He sank down onto the couch in his sitting room. Tonks sat across from him in an armchair. "It sounds like he was hurt quite badly," Sirius said shakily. Tonks nodded. She always hated giving bad news to relatives, but somehow giving the news to her cousin was much worse. Before she could say anything else, Dobby hurried in with a tea tray. After pouring a cup of tea, she poured a vial of Draught of Peace into the cup and handed it to her cousin. Thanking her, he drank deeply. "So what is being done to find them?" "We've had people patrolling Mayfair in an attempt to find them. We don't know exactly how they escaped. Snape doesn't think Harry could have escaped on foot, but if they flew out, they could be anywhere. We have an increased presence on Diagon Alley. Emmeline talked to the Weasley brothers and she was going to head to Little Whinging and talk to Mrs Figg as well. I don't think Harry would head there, but you never know," Tonks explained. "I'm sure he wouldn't have gone there, especially if he was injured," Sirius affirmed. He looked down at the picture Tonks had just handed him and smiled. "They look good and very happy." "That's what I said," Tonks said. "Hestia is looking for the woman who owns the farm, Mrs Carys Astley." "So they were in Wales?" Sirius asked musingly. "I guess that's why we didn't find them." He shook his head, "You don't have to childmind me. I'm sure you have things to do." As Tonks let herself out, she saw Sirius heading into his study where he had the large map on the wall. Harry woke feeling slightly better. Staggering to his feet, he pulled on his dressing gown that Ginny had laid out on his bed. After a rather necessary stop in the loo, he made his way downstairs. He found the plate of eggs and bacon on the kitchen counter. Taking the food with him, he found Ginny at the table. "Hi." "How are you feeling?" He shrugged. "Not as bad as before, but my back still hurts." Ginny frowned, "It must hurt if you're admitting it." Standing, she found the bottle of pills that she'd given him earlier. If she was reading the instructions correctly, he could have two more pills now. She handed him the pills and he took them without complaint. Somehow, Ginny didn't think that was really a good thing. He looked at the stairs and then said, "I'm going to kip on the couch for a while." "Okay, love. I'm going into town to get a few more supplies," Ginny said. She helped him get settled on the couch, arranging a pillow behind his head and spreading a blanket over him. He woke a bit later shivering and honestly feeling awful. He shakily sat up. It was a bit difficult with his arm in a sling, but he managed it. Making his way into the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water and climbed the stairs. His legs felt weak and shaky as he reached the top; he was honestly thankful he didn't fall on his way down. Leaning against the wall, he rested for a moment before heading to the bedroom. Although he was still shivering, he opened the window. He felt the need of fresh air. He sank down on the window seat and curled up with a large blanket from the bed. Peering outside, he looked to see if he could see Ginny, but there was no one around the cottage. The sight of the brilliant blue lake made him smile. He loved the Lake District; he hadn't realized that Ginny had chosen a house in the Lake District as one of her safe houses. It was a bit early for boats on the lake, but the scenery was as beautiful as he remembered. He smiled as he watched some bird dive into the lake. A flash of white caught his eye. He shook his head, could it really be? "Hedwig?" his voice was hoarse and low, but the bird turned. Harry stared at the white bird, willing it to come closer to him. He could barely open his left eye and his vision was a bit blurry, so he couldn't see the bird very clearly. As the bird neared, Harry's eye widened. "Hedwig," he repeated in wonder. He watched in amazement as the owl flew in the open window. She flew up to him hooting in joy. She flapped her wings and nuzzled her beak in his hair. He shakily lifted his good hand and touched her soft feathers. He half expected he was hallucinating, so he was thrilled to actually touch her. He felt his eyes pricking as he gingerly hugged his owl. "I have missed you so much, girl." Harry said lowly. He shakily stood up and made his way over to the bed. Hedwig followed him closely and perched herself on the bed next to him. He kept one of his hands on his owl as he closed his eyes. Ginny Apparated to the secluded side of the cottage and unlocked the door with her wand. She'd Apparated closer to town, but she'd still had a bit of a walk to the store. She put the food and water away in the refrigerator and headed upstairs to check on Harry. She gasped when she saw Hedwig on the bed next to Harry. "Hedwig?" Hedwig flew over to her, hooting quietly. To Ginny it seemed as though the bird were chastising her. "I know," Ginny whispered. "He's really sick." Quickly making her way over to the bed, Ginny checked his temperature as was dismayed to find it had risen to 40.3. He stirred slightly when she pulled back the covers, but didn't wake up. She knew his arm needed more treatment than she was able to provide, but that wasn't her biggest concern. Blood was showing through the shirt on his back. Frowning, she vanished his shirt. She gasped at what she found. The welts left by the whip were angry and red looking and she feared that some of them were infected by the look of them. Several of the welts were oozing blood. Ginny sank down on the edge of the bed. She knew Harry needed medical help, but she didn't know what to do. She could have him treated in a Muggle hospital, but she wasn't sure how much they could help him. Besides, how on earth could she have explained his injuries? Hedwig hooted again, capturing Ginny's attention. She looked at the bird. "How did you get here? I thought you'd be with Ron. Can you get help?" Hooting a bit impatiently, Hedwig stared at Ginny with her large amber eyes. Ginny rummaged through her bags until she found a bit of parchment and a quill. She considered what to write and quickly dashed off a note and gave it to Hedwig. "Can you get someone to help us?" Gently nipping Ginny's finger, Hedwig flew over Harry brushing his face with her wing before heading out the window. Quickly repacking everything just in case someone followed Hedwig that she didn't want, Ginny headed down to the ground floor to wait. Sirius looked up as Bill stepped through the Floo. He smiled tiredly. "Hello." "Hi, I came to see how you were holding up," Bill said as he dropped into his favourite chair. Sirius shrugged. "I'm not sure actually. I…I'm glad he's been seen and I'm glad he escaped the Death Eaters, but I really wish we knew where he was. Snape said Harry was hurt quite badly." He shook his head. "He couldn't help him more because he didn't want to give away his position. What position? He never seems to be able to help or provide timely information." He sighed. "How are your parents taking the news?" Bill rolled his eyes. "I don't really know. I talked to my dad and I could hear my mum wailing in the background. All dad said was she was rather emotional. I did talk to Fred and George. None of us have seen any signs that they tried to contact us, but I did see several Death Eaters loitering about on Diagon Alley. It just disgusts me that my sister can't come home, but those…murderers can walk around free." "I know," Sirius said sadly. "It's so frustrating." A fluttering of wings drew their attention to Hedwig who flew straight to Sirius and dropped a note in his lap. Help! Please follow Hedwig. She knows where we are. Sirius jumped to his feet. "Come on, we need to go." Not asking any questions, Bill followed his friend. They followed Hedwig down to the lake and over to the west side of the lake. "Up there," Bill said as Hedwig circled around one of the holiday cottages up the hill. After making certain no one was watching them, the two men Apparated behind the cottage. They both drew their wands, Sirius standing watch while Bill rapidly cast several spells. "There are two people in the house," Bill said after a moment, "one upstairs and one on the ground floor. There are protective charms around the house, but I don't detect any traps or defences." Nodding, Sirius gestured for Bill cover him and walked up to the door. He knocked at the door and stepped back, holding his wand loosely at his side. The door opened cautiously, revealing Ginny holding her wand at him. She looked quite relieved to see him, but she didn't lower her wand. "Where did you first see Harry after you left Azkaban?" she asked. "I scared him when he was running away from his aunt and uncle's house, but the first time I talked to him we were in the Shrieking Shack," Sirius responded promptly. She lowered her wand and hugged him. "I am so glad to see you. I need help." Sirius hugged her tightly, before he said, "There's someone else here who would like to say hi to you." She looked up at him in confusion until she saw her brother step out of the bushes. With a big smile she jumped down the front steps and threw her arms around her brother. He lifted her in the air and twirled her around before kissing her on the cheek and setting her down. "I have missed you so much," she said with a smile. Pulling on her brother's hand, she led both him and Sirius into the house. "I have so much to tell you, but first you need to help Harry." "Snape told Dumbledore what happened," Sirius said as he followed her up the stairs. She didn't seem too surprised by that. "He helped Harry. I don't know exactly what he did, but he splinted Harry's arm and gave him some potions." Pushing open the bedroom door, she let Sirius go ahead of her. He gasped when he saw the shape Harry was in. "Oh, my poor boy!" "I think some of those have gotten infected," Ginny said, gesturing to Harry's back. "I put a poultice on his back, but all I've had to give him is some pain medicine. He keeps running fevers and he gets the chills and I really didn't know what else to do." "You've done great," Bill said soothingly as he draped his arm around his sister's shoulders. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Sirius was gently running his fingers through Harry's hair. "I think you're right, Ginny. What happened to his arm?" "I think Lucius Malfoy broke his arm," was the reply. "We need to get the two of you back to my house," Sirius said. He turned and looked at the other two. "I have a house just on the other side of the lake. I have a room already set up for Harry. How about I take him there and Bill will bring you?" Ginny looked between the two men and nodded. "Okay. I packed up our bags in case we had to leave quickly." Bill picked up both of the bags and held out his arm for his sister. He waited until Sirius gathered Harry gently in his arms and Disapparated. "Is there anything else we need to get?" "I just bought some food," Ginny said. "It's down in the refrigerator." "I'll come back and get it," Bill said. Holding tightly onto his sister, he Disapparated to Sirius' house. Bill led Ginny upstairs and set their bags down in the room Sirius had decorated with Ginny in mind before heading into Harry's room. Harry's room was the biggest room after Sirius' and it was decorated in red and gold. There was a large four poster bed in the centre of the room and a chest of drawers against the walls. The far wall had large picture windows that captured the best of the view. The wall across from Harry's bed had a large stone fireplace. Ginny smiled when she saw the large framed picture of James and Lily over the fireplace. Sirius looked over at Bill as they entered the room. "He needs professional help." "Should we have Andromeda look at him?" Bill asked. "Who's that?" Ginny asked a touch suspiciously. "My cousin, Tonks' mother," Sirius said as he watched his godson. He shook his head. "I think it should be someone he knows." Poppy Pomfrey was in her office taking inventory of her potions when her fire flared. To her surprise, it was Sirius Black in her fire. While she would never admit it, James, Sirius, and Remus had been three of her favourite students. "Hello," Poppy said. She could see from the look on his face that something was wrong. "Can I come through?" he asked abruptly. "Of course," she said, rising to her feet. He came through the fire and she could see bloodstains on his shirt. He looked around her office and asked, "Are we alone?" She nodded and he continued, "I was wondering if you could come to my house. I have a guest who is very badly injured and I really don't know what I can do." "Is it Remus?" Sirius shook his head, but didn't say more. She gathered he didn't want to explain more here in the infirmary. She started gathering potions to take with her. "Can you tell me what you think is wrong with this person?" "He has a broken arm and has some wounds that look like they're infected," Sirius said. Adding a few more potions to her basket, she said, "Okay, I'm ready." "My house is 'Coach House in Keswick'," Sirius said. She followed him through the Floo to a rather charming house. He quickly led her up to a bedroom. She gasped when she saw Harry Potter on the bed. Her wand was out almost immediately. She clucked and shook her head when she read the damage that had been done to the poor boy. Harry was another one of those patients for whom she had a soft spot. She quickly vanished the sling and, lining up the bones in his arm, cast a spell to start repairing the damage. He stirred a bit and Poppy wasn't overly surprised when Ginny Weasley hurried over to his side. He opened one of his eyes; his left eye was swollen shut. He looked around in a bit of confusion, but calmed once he focused on the young girl. "Ginny," he said hoarsely. "I'm here, sweetie," she replied. "Madam Pomfrey is here to help you." This time when he looked around, he realized who was there. "Madam Pomfrey." "Hello, Harry," she said gently. "I'm going to heal your eye. Do you know what happened?" "Got punched," he said simply. "He's wearing contacts," Ginny said suddenly. "Okay," Poppy said as she started to reduce the swelling. Once he was able to open his eye all the way, she said, "Harry can you roll over on your stomach for me? I need to look at your back." "Hurts," he said simply. "Your back hurts?" He nodded. "Let me see what I can do about that, okay?" Poppy said soothingly. Harry rolled over and groaned at the effort. Ginny reached over to take one of his hands. Poppy grimaced at the damage she saw to his back. She looked over at Ginny. "Do you know what happened?" "Bellatrix Lestrange used a whip on him," Ginny said angrily. "Professor Snape cleaned off his back and gave him some potions, but I don't know what. I used a poultice of agrimony and willow bark last night and this morning. I've also been giving him Cuprofen tablets for the pain and fever." "You've done very well," Poppy said. Looking down at Harry she said, "I need to clean these wounds and it is going to hurt." He nodded in resignation, "Okay." Sirius moved to the top of the bed to hold Harry's other hand while he stroked Harry's hair with his other hand. Conjuring up pads to place around him, she used her wand to gently clean the wounds. Harry groaned and bit back a scream, but Poppy soldiered on. Once the wounds were clean, she lanced the pockets of infection around the wounds and gently used her wand to coat his back with a healing ointment. Reaching into her basket she covered the wounds with a large Telfa pad that she attached with a sticking charm around the edges. "The ointment will help promote healing and by tomorrow I can close the wounds," Poppy said. "His arm should be healed in a few hours. I'm going to cast a numbing charm on his back so I can get a better look at his chest and abdomen." Sirius and Ginny both nodded. Harry had passed out, so the other two gently helped him turn him onto his back. Poppy ran her wand over his torso, shaking her head as she did so. She started casting spells to heal the broken ribs, internal bruising, and bleeding she found. Once she was done with the spell work she looked at Sirius. "Can you help him sit up?" He did so very gently, resting the boy's head on his own shoulder. Poppy tilted his head back and emptied several vials of potions into his mouth, helping him to swallow with her wand. "I've done all I can for now," Poppy said. She set a rack of potions on the nightstand and explained what they were and when to give them. "Thank you so much," Sirius said. "I'm glad to do what I can to help," Poppy said warmly. "Of course I cannot reveal to anyone who I have treated so you don't need to worry someone will discover his whereabouts from me. I can come by tomorrow afternoon and check up on him." "Thank you, Poppy." "I'll see you out," Bill Weasley spoke up for the first time. "He looks a lot better," Ginny said softly. Sirius smiled warmly at the girl. "You did a great job and as much as I want to hear where you've been, I bet you could use some sleep." Ginny nodded. "I am tired. Yesterday was so awful." She looked up suddenly. "Someone needs to find Carys and let her know what happened. I don't know exactly where she is; she's on a buying trip." "Don't worry," Sirius said. "Emmeline is out looking for her." Looking around the room, Ginny asked, "Would you mind if I slept in here? He'll get upset if he can't find me." "Of course," Sirius said gently. She left the room to visit the loo and change into a comfortable pair of pyjamas. When she arrived back in Harry's room, she found that Sirius had enlarged the bed a bit and added extra pillows for her. Hedwig was sleeping on the top of the bed with her head tucked under her wing. Ginny climbed into bed and reached out for Harry's hand. She fell asleep almost immediately. Sirius hurried down the stairs and met Bill returning from the study. "She gone?" Bill nodded. "She's gone and I've double-checked the cottage and removed all the food that Ginny bought. I've reinforced the wards around this house and restricted the Floo to the two of us and Madam Pomfrey. I can add Remus if you want…" "Not right now," Sirius said. "I want to talk to him before adding him back. I don't want to do anything to risk Harry." The two men returned to Sirius' study. Sirius sat back with a sigh. "I can't believe we finally found them." "I know," Bill said in amazement. He looked at the older man compassionately. "I'll keep watch over the house, why don't you go upstairs?" Sirius nodded and loped up the stairs. He opened the door to Harry's room and found Dobby sitting quietly near the door. The little elf smiled up at Sirius. "I will watch over Harry Potter." "Thank you, Dobby," Sirius said sincerely. He looked over at the bed, scarcely able to believe his godson was actually here. Changing into Padfoot, he jumped onto the foot of the bed and curled up at his godson's feet. |
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