Ron screamed loudly as the pain flared through his body singing along his nerve endings. There was nothing left but pain, unending white-hot agony. His long body bucked and thrashed on the carpeted floor as he flailed ever closer to a boarded-up fireplace along one wall.

Ginny awoke with a start at hearing her brother’s anguished screams. Preparing to flay her twin brothers alive yet again for their foolhardiness in testing their creations on her brother, she quickly crossed to her brother and reached for her wand. Surprised that it was not there, she then patted down all her pockets and could not feel the wand anywhere. Thinking that Fred and George took that as well in this silly prank she turned, bellowing, “That is quite enough!” and looking for the first time into the face of her captor. Stunned speechless she froze, her pale eyes wide and jaw slack. She swayed for a moment as the edges of her vision blurred before she fell to the floor in a dead faint.

§§§§§§§

“Ron! Ron!” Harry screamed. “Please stop! You’re killing him!” The young teen grabbed at the robes that he found before him as he gradually came back from the daze.

“Mr. Potter, do not allow these visions to take over your mind. Block him from your mind,” Severus said very calmly as the teen gripped the front of his robes and twisted them, pulling him down close to Harry’s face.

“I. Have. To. Go!” Harry snarled.

“Absolutely not!” Severus peeled the boy’s hands from the front of his robes and straightened, smoothing the wrinkles from the fabric. “It’s much too dangerous, Potter. Is that understood?” The Potions Master was not unmoved by the passionate pleas of the young Gryffindor. “If the children are gone, they will be retrieved. The Order will do all they can, child.” Blast! I’m starting to sound like Albus! he thought to himself, cringing inwardly.

“He said he’d kill them if I don’t go alone!” Harry tried again to get his stubborn teacher to understand.

Severus leaned in again, coming very close to the teen’s face. “Listen to me, Potter! This could be a trap. Do you recall the last time you saw someone with the Dark Lord?”

Harry shook his head fervently, yet a small seed of doubt had been planted in his mind. “Of course I remember! How could I forget what happened to Sirius?” He closed his eyes and lay back for a moment to compose himself before continuing. “But what if it’s not a trick? What then?”

The door opened and Dumbledore strode in, a crackling energy filling the room. He quite strangely pointed his wand at a portrait across from the beds and cast a quick spell, murmuring something unintelligible. He then turned to the wizards in the room saying, “An Order emergency has been declared. The youngest Weasleys are indeed missing.” The headmaster’s lips were a thin line and his eyes had taken on an angry glint. “A routine sweep of the areas where they might have gone revealed their broomsticks at the Whomping Willow on Hogwarts’ grounds. We are acting on the assumption that the two were taken by force.”

“Sir, I have to go or he’ll kill them!” Harry implored.

“That would not be prudent, child. We will handle this in our own way.” The headmaster’s expression told Harry that he would not listen either.

“NO! He said he would kill them if I didn’t go. Alone!” Harry cried, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

Snape cut in. “Don’t you think that that the Dark Lord knows you’re in a vulnerable state right now and that this is why he wants you to go to him?”

“No! I can’t take that chance. He’s torturing Ron with the Cruciatus Curse!” Harry’s eyes reflected his deep concern for the safety of his friends.

Dumbledore’s eyes flashed. “Where are they, Harry?”

Harry shook his head. “I’m not saying unless you take me with you.”

The air in the room began to get hotter and the hairs on the backs of the wizards’ necks stood on end. With a thunderous expression on his face, Dumbledore responded, “Don’t be foolish, child! You will tell me young man. You cannot go with us. It’s out of the question. You are the last hope of the wizarding world and I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself—”

“—Before you’re ready for me to! I understand what the prophecy says. I’m not stupid. I’m probably dead either way.” Harry’s eyes narrowed to green slits.

The silence was deafening. While Harry and Dumbledore stared daggers at each other, Severus looked from one to the other trying to decide what the best course of action would be. He had not been privy to the actual prophecy, but it somehow did not surprise him that Albus would send the child to such a fate. After all, he had sent Severus on wickedly dangerous missions time and time again.

“Enough, Potter,” said Snape. “We will bring the children back.”

“You will stay here with Harry, Severus. You are not in any condition to be in a battle right now.” Dumbledore ignored Snape’s thunderstruck expression. “Tell me where they are, Harry.”

“No,” was Harry’s simple reply, “not unless you take me with you.” He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the two older wizards.

‘Well, child, you leave me no choice.” Dumbledore drew his wand and pointed it between Harry’s eyes, “Legilimens!”

Severus stepped back in shock over what he was witnessing. The headmaster was forcibly entering the child’s mind!

Dumbledore lifted his wand after a few short seconds. “I’m sorry to have to do that but I hope you will come to understand someday that I did what was best for all concerned.” With that, the headmaster strode from the room in a flurry of electric blue robes.

Harry lay there, stunned. “He broke into my mind,” he said numbly.

Severus was at a loss for words. He looked at the exhausted young wizard, his lips a thin line.

“I thought I could trust him,” said Harry softly.

“You can trust him, Potter. He will…he will bring the others back.” Snape could not meet Potter’s eyes as he told the boldfaced lie.

Severus knew the Dark Lord better than anyone in the Order, having spent years staying one step ahead of him only by knowing how the evil wizard thought. Voldemort would kill the two children in the most horrific manner imaginable simply to show that he could. Then there would be two more children that Potter will add to his growing list of ‘people I’m responsible for killing’. Two more dead students from Hogwarts. And Molly would have to cope with the loss of two children.

Contrary to what people thought, Severus did like Molly. She was caring and compassionate and downright determined when she put her mind to something. She could also brew potions admirably well, a trait that her daughter seemed to posses, as well as those two twins! Severus was not surprised that Fred and George were running a successful joke shop. The merry pranksters showed an aptitude for potions that, properly harnessed, could have gained either or both of them the title of Potions Master. He shook his head thinking, what a terrible waste of keen minds.

The door opened and Healer Snape rolled in, a potion bottle on her lap. “I have heard that you and young Harry have been up for a bit? Are you well enough to be in separate rooms?”

Both wizards looked to each other, so caught up in their grave thoughts that they had forgotten the rest. Severus recovered first, “Yes, Mother, I have been up for a while and desiring separate accommodations. However, I didn’t realize that Mr. Potter had been up and about.”

“The portrait told me that there has been a bit of excitement in here,” said Healer Snape, smirking. “She’s a very sweet young girl.”

Portrait? Harry and Severus looked at each other and then to the picture frame but they could see no one. How long had they been spied on? How much did Healer Snape know? They now understood why Albus had cast some sort of charm over the frame, presumably to keep the girl from reentering.

“Don’t worry, boys. She left the frame to tell me that young Mr. Potter was out of bed. I would’ve checked on you sooner but Albus told me not to enter until he had had a word with you.” She looked from one face to the other. “Albus was in a right sour mood when he left me. Is something wrong?”

“No, Mother, everything is fine. I’d like to be moved posthaste,” Severus said in what he hoped was an even tone.

“Good, good.” She held out the potion bottle to Harry. “Drink this, young man. It will numb your legs for a period of time, to allow you to get some more exercise. I would like you to be out of the bed for at least a few hours today.”

Harry mumbled his thanks and quickly took the potion, moving his legs around as he felt the potion take effect. He then slid off the bed and stood, still a bit wobbly, but much better than earlier.

“Severus, I thought you might prefer a numbing charm to your wound site, since you don’t respond as well to the numbing potion,” Healer Snape said briskly as she turned to her son.

After the patients were well tended Healer Snape left the room to have the House-elf help her to dress. As soon as the door shut, Harry lunged out of the bed and reached for his wand.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Severus snapped.

Harry froze, barely stopping his hand from grabbing his wand as he thought up a quick lie, “I have to go to the washroom.”

Snape narrowed his eyes and he smirked. “For that you need a wand?” Snape said, pocketing the teen’s wand as he followed the sneaky teen out of the room and down the hall.

Harry rolled his eyes as he saw Snape plant himself just outside the bathroom door. Where am I going to go without a wand, anyway? Greasy git, he thought to himself as he shut the door.

§§§§§§§

Ginny had quickly roused from her fainting spell by the sound of her brother’s hoarse screams. “Please stop! Please!” Ginny knelt at Voldemort’s feet, her hands clasped in front of her. “You’ll kill him!”

Voldemort lifted the curse and for the first time turned his attention to the young witch. “It’s not likely that this curse would kill someone as young and as healthy as your brother. But insanity, well that’s a distinct possibility.”

“Please, no more!” Ginny scrambled over to her moaning brother, who was curled on his side, shaking uncontrollably.

Voldemort sighed. “I do suppose that may be enough for now. I need to keep the boy alive for later.” He motioned to Wormtail. “Come here, now.” Pushing up his minion’s sleeve he summoned his followers via the Dark Mark.

§§§§§§§

Fully clothed, Harry sullenly sat in the loo, wondering what he should do next. How could he get his wand back from Snape? He absentmindedly ran his feet over the plush rug on the bathroom floor. Rug…Carpet…Carpet? Harry thought. Hey, wait! There’s no carpet in the shrieking shack! It’s a set up! Harry stood and jerked open the door. He saw Snape suddenly clutch his left forearm in pain.

“Sir! It’s a set up! They can’t be at the Shrieking Shack! Ron was laying on a thick carpet!”

Snape’s head snapped up to stare at the boy. “We’ve got to warn them!” He started for the stairs but Harry stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“There’s a hearth in Sirius’ room, with Floo powder beside.”

Nodding, Snape led the way into the next room, Harry staring straight ahead so as not to be distracted by the ghosts of the past. Harry was finding that the more he used his legs, the better they felt. Granted he was still very slow compared to his usual self, but he didn’t feel crippled anymore.

Snape reached for the Floo powder grabbing a handful and throwing it into the fire while calling out for Molly Weasley.

Molly sat sobbing on a threadbare sofa in her living room. She had been wringing her hands and glancing often at her magical family clock and inwardly pleading for Ron and Ginny’s clock hands to move from Mortal Peril. She heard her name and sat up wiping her tears on her apron. “Have you found them?” she asked the floating head in the hearth.

“No, Molly. The Order is walking into a trap. Death Eaters have been summoned and Potter is saying that the Dark Lord gave Dumbledore the wrong location.”

Molly gasped. “They’ve gone, Severus! They’ve gone already!” She started to cry loudly. “My sons are with them! They’ll all be killed!” Frantically looking back to her family clock she now saw that her husband’s clock hand as well as the ones of her three children Bill, Fred and George, were also now pointing to Mortal Peril. Beside herself with anguish she wailed loudly.

“Try not to worry, Molly. We’ll do all we can!” Severus pulled out of the hearth. Things could not be much worse.

He reached into his pocket for his pocket mirror. It was very tricky to contact the Order at this point. If they were in hiding it would alert others to their presence. If they were fighting it could distract them and cause them to be injured. The policy of the Order was clear in this type of situation; No communication once an operation had begun. Severus reluctantly pocketed the mirror. He would not be able to help them now, but maybe he could help the Weasley children.

“I need to go sir! Please! I cannot let them die! Please! I’ll do whatever you want… anything!” Harry leaned forward on the seat.

Severus stood, taking stock of this child before him. Potter had defeated the forces of darkness repeatedly. It was surmised by many, Dumbledore included, that this teen would one day become the most powerful wizard alive. If Severus allowed him to go along and Harry was killed, all would be lost. If Severus went alone and the Weasley children were killed it may be enough to unhinge the child’s mind considering his most recent losses and his tendency to accept blame. Severus made his decision and only hoped that it was the correct one.

“Potter, I need you to close your eyes and focus. What can you tell me about the surroundings where you saw the children? Were they familiar at all?”

Harry closed his eyes and sat back. He tried hard to focus on what he saw but all he could see was Ron screaming and thrashing on the floor. “I can’t!” he yelled, yanking at his hair in frustration.

Snape pulled a chair close to Harry. Reaching out he touched Harry’s hand with his own. “Focus, child, focus.”

As Harry shut his eyes again, Severus drew his wand and murmured an incantation to infuse Harry with some of his own ability to block unwanted emotions. Harry’s brows knit together. He was still seeing the same things, but they suddenly came into crystal clear focus. It was like he was watching a Muggle film, where he had no real connection to the characters. He could turn off the sound and freeze each frame and look at what he saw around Ron. The redhead lay on a thick carpet that was very new and beige. He looked a bit off to the side yet could see nothing more than Ginny whimpering beside her brother. Ron flopped again and moved closer to the wall. Along one wall Harry could now see a fireplace that had been boarded up, just like at the…he looked up on the mantle and saw multiple photos of Dudley Dursley!

“They’re at the Dursleys!” Harry cried leaping from the chair.