Avery Apparated himself and his prisoner to the outstation located just beyond the village of Hogsmead. Once there, he immediately located and confiscated Harry's wand.

"Is ... is that Harry Potter?" Victor Crabbe stuttered as he scrambled awkwardly to his feet, knocking over his chair in the process.   

"Of course it is, you idiot. What are you waiting for? Give me the Portkey."

"Uh ...You gotta say the password first ... Sir," he added as an afterthought.

"Damn, these blasted new rules," the gruff Death Eater growled. "What was it now..." Avery had to think for a moment. "Oh yeah ... putus*."

Crabbe nodded and handed over an old quill that was missing its nib, then stepped back and began to say the word to activate the Port Key.

"Wait, you idiot, wait!" Avery yelled.

"What?"

"The Port Key has to be touching Potter to bring him along with me, or didn't that occur to you?"

Crabbe just stared back with a blank expression.

Avery reached out his arm and touched the Port Key to Harry's chest. "All right, now you can activate it."

~~~~~SH~~~~~        

Dumbledore and Severus stared aghast as Aberforth relayed the shocking event he'd witnessed only minutes earlier.

"But he was just here," Severus said in disbelief. "He just took his Defense final."

"Apparently he and his friends went to the Hogs Head for a drink," Abe replied. "If I'd a known they were there I'd a sent ‘em packing. But I was in the back tending to other matters; I have a new bloke working the night shifts."

All eyes turned when Remus entered the Headmaster's office followed by Dobby who slipped quietly over to the nearest corner. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Why did you send Dobby for me?"

Aberforth relayed once again what he'd seen when he stepped out the back door of the Hog's Head. "I'd just taken out a crate of empty bottles when I heard a commotion at the front of the alley."

"What was it?" Remus asked apprehensively.

"A Death Eater got Potter. Hit him square in the back with a Stunning spell; whoever did it Disapparated with him before I could stop him."

"Do you know who it was?" asked Dumbledore.

"Couldn't tell - their back was to me."

"And the others?" asked Remus.

"Minerva is dealing with them," Dumbledore said sternly.

Remus released a shaky breath. "We've got to do something."

Severus had been contemplating that very thing. "I may have a plan." The Potion Master looked over to the worried elf. "Dobby, go fetch Harry's Invisibility Cloak."

The House Elf disappeared and returned in a flash with the cloak clutched tightly in his hand.

"What is your intent?" asked Dumbledore.

"No doubt I'll be summoned shortly. If we can get to Harry before The Dark Lord, then Dobby can bring him back to Hogwarts."

"He can pass through the wards," Remus reasoned aloud.

"And what about you Severus?" asked Dumbledore. "You can't take on a fortress full of Death Eaters single-handedly, not to mention Voldemort."

"Harry's survival is paramount. I am expendable," Severus stated matter-of-factly.

There was no denying the truth of Severus' words. Dumbledore stared into the ebony eyes and knew it may be for the last time. Then he knelt down next to the trembling little elf. "Dobby, you don't have to do this."

"But Dobby is wanting to be doing all he can to be helping his Harry Potter," he answered adamantly as he pulled on one of his ears.

The old wizard got to his feet. "All right then," he said through a sigh. "It's settled."

~~~~~SH~~~~~        

The Fastness sat upon a large outcropping of rock in the middle of a raging river that cut its way through a dense forest in a far northern land. It was an immense stronghold, built by wizards of ancient times.

Access to the Fastness was impossible without the use of magic as it was banked with sheer rocky cliffs; there was no bridge to traverse and no door for entry. But even with magic, entry was vastly limited as Voldemort had established anti-Apparation wards all around the fortress. Only by specially designated Port Keys could one travel to and from the Fastness.

The building was rectangular in shape and it covered the entire plateau of the outcropping. The outer walls were flush with the sheer cliffs, so that from any level in the stronghold falling would result in a straight drop down to the torrential waters below.

 The upper levels of the Fastness were illuminated with light that entered from the numerous floor-to-ceiling windows. In contrast to the upper floors however, the dungeon level was dark and dank. It was built directly into the outcropping itself, its stone used to form the walls. The water from the river below made its presence known by affecting the surfaces and air with a cold, oppressive moisture that made the place unforgivably inhospitable.

The dungeon consisted of one long corridor, along which were positioned numerous small, leaden doors that led to holding cells that were just as small and impossibly dark. Centrally located was a much larger room, the torture chamber, with all of its old apparatus standing in their well-worn positions - waiting to be used.

Avery landed on the floor of the reception room with Harry in tow. In the blink of an eye both guards jumped from their chairs and raced over to the unlikely duo.

"Where's the Dark Lord?" barked Avery.

Staring dumbstruck at the supine form of Harry Potter lying motionless upon the floor, the senior of the two guards reported that their master had been away for the day but would be returning to the fortress later that evening.

"Alright then, help me get this prisoner down to the dungeons."

Avery levitated Harry into the adjoining corridor and then down the wide stone staircase that led to the dungeons.

Once inside the torture chamber, the Death Eater placed his prisoner in front of the far wall and rotated him into a vertical position. Next he cast Petrificus Totalus and then manually spread Harry's legs as wide as they would go - each arm was then raised so that they were perpendicular to his torso.

Then he levitated Harry backwards so that his body was flush against the wall and cast a temporary Sticking Charm.

Finally with a wave of his wand, Avery removed Harry's school robe, shirt, shoes and socks and left him bound to the wall wearing only a pair of trousers.

The veteran Death Eater stepped backwards and viewed his prisoner, glaring at the macabre sight before him. Oh, how he loathed this young man. The trouble he had caused Avery with that fiasco concerning the prophesy.

The Dark Lord had not yet forgiven Avery for his mistake and had continued assigning him to jobs generally delegated to lower ranking Death Eaters. Now with his quarry just waiting to be presented, perhaps he would finally regain some favor with his Master.

He pointed his wand at Harry's head, "Silencio." Satisfied with his work, Avery turned and left, followed by the junior Death Eater.

The heavy door swung closed and with a thud of absolute certainty, Harry was enveloped into a void of utter blackness.

~~~~~SH~~~~~

The first thing Harry sensed was that he was cold.

Really cold.

So cold, he was shivering and his shoulders - they ached.

In fact, his whole body ached and it seemed as though he was against something hard and moist.

That made him wake up more and he opened his eyes.

But did he? He wasn't certain because everything was still black.

He blinked a few times to make sure, but still - all he saw was black.

He tried to move and realized with a start that he couldn't. His foggy brain snapped into sudden clarity.

What the fuck?

He tried again, tried to move his arms then his legs, maybe just a hand? A finger?

But they all remained absolutely, stubbornly still.

A sense of panic swept over him, causing his heart to pound and his breaths to shorten and come as shaky gasps of air.

Always maintain your composure, Severus' sage advice floated across Harry's panicky thoughts.

Calm down. Gotta think.

He tried to recall the last thing he could remember. The Hogs Head.

He called for Ron, or at least he tried to but his jaw wouldn't move and he had no voice.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

His efforts to calm down weren't working and his erratic breathing was starting to make him dizzy, or maybe he was getting dizzy because he was so cold. 

Is this a trick? he hoped desperately. But logic told him that his friends would never place him in such a predicament.

A tremor ripped through him as his body protested violently to the cold. It was as is Harry had no control his over his body; he couldn't make himself move but at the same time, it was shaking and shivering of its own accord.

And that cold hard surface he was pressed tightly against was starting to feel like icy needles, piercing into his skin.

Then suddenly with a sickening jolt, the memory of the graveyard came roaring back as he realized that the cold hardness of the tombstone had felt just like the thing he was touching right now.

Oh fuck!

The possibility that Voldemort had him in that graveyard again was too terrifying a thought to entertain.

Can't be happening.

He was overcome with a consuming need to free himself but despite his monumental efforts, he remained stuck steadfastly to the wall while his shivering grew with intensity.

Gotta do something!

He tried calling, "Finite." But he had no voice.

He tried casting a silent, wandless Blasting curse, but he couldn't move his arms or hands, so that didn't work either.

Then he remembered his surges and he thought that if he could just make one happen, maybe it would break these spells.

But he hadn't had a surge in a very long time and he had never actually made one happen - at least not intentionally.

Remembering the many times his magic had surged because he was worked up about something, he concentrated on his fear and tried to focus his panic. But nothing happened. All he accomplished was to wear himself down even more.

Determined not to give up, Harry made himself think of what else he could possibly do.

Gotta wait till someone comes.

He'd have to wait until he was freed from these spells, then he could fight back.

He set about planning what he would do, deciding which curses and hexes he would use.

He waited and he waited. The silence persisted, the black got thicker and the cold felt as though it was slowly consuming him.

And as he hung there stuck to the wall in that pitch black room, his shaking and shivering continued and his exhaustion grew.

The cold was draining him of what little energy he had left and gradually, Harry's focused thoughts slid into dreams.

He was flying on his Firebolt whilst holding the Snitch above him in victory.

Gotta stay awake. Gotta stay ... Gotta ...

He was walking with Ron to their very first Auror class.

His time stuck to the wall ticked on. How long has it been?

He couldn't tell.

And as time seemed to be slowing, the silence seemed to be getting heavier.

At least I'm not so cold...

The blackness felt like it was starting to envelope him.

Gotta stay awake ...

Seeped of his energy and worn to exhaustion, Harry slipped into another blackness.

~~~~~SH~~~~~

*Putus: Latin word meaning pure.