“Well? Do turn around! Let’s see what we have to work with here, shall we?”

Severus forced himself to breathe. The small body in his arms was absolutely quaking. Lucius, Sev could see, was rapidly trying to think a way out of this situation. Severus knew it was a lost cause, though. Unless, by some miracle, Voldemort had suddenly turned into the poster child for the light, they were all going to be very, very painful, very, very soon.

“You won’t move?” The question came towards them softly. “You dare defy me?” Severus tried not to look into Lucius panicked eyes as he tightened his hold on Harry. In a chilling second, the boy pressed his face deeper into Snape’s robes, and then there was pain.

He didn’t even hear the incantation. All he knew was when his world faded from dark greys and greens into a blinding black overlaid by noise, a terrible, high, painful noise that was him screaming and then, it was over.

He lay trembling on the grass, his body reeling in the aftershock of the curse., not daring to open his eyes. He breathed, short, heavy breaths and strained his ears for any sound at all besides the rustling of grass in a breeze.

“Pathetic.” The word hit him from directly above. Bearing up his courage, Severus opened his eyes. Towering above him was Voldemort, gazing down at him the way one would look at a particularly bothersome mosquito. “Care to explain, Severus?”

His mouth would not work. He tried to speak, but it would not obey his commands. But what would he say? ‘We’ve just spent the last half hour pulling the boy you are intent on killing from the brink of death. Can we have a promotion?’ Somehow he didn’t think that would go over too well.

He was cut off from attempting to answer again by a series of ‘pop-pops’ behind the evil wizard. Snape closed his eyes, praying those pops didn’t mean what he thought they did.

Of course, he always had to be right.

“Welcome friends!” Voldemort spun away from him, walking towards the wall of black robed followers standing a few feet away. “Tonight, you shall have a treat.” The potions master found his eyes searching out his fellow spy’s. There, a little way off, knelt Lucius, Harry pressed into his chest. The man was positively grey, and Severus found he couldn’t blame him. “I give you, my most loyal men, two traitors, and the Boy-Who-Lived!”

~*~

Harry had always known there was something inexplicably screwed up with his life. He’d known it for as long as he’d known himself, really. It was a fact he’d grown used to, and, subsequently, taken for granted. Such was his life.

But tonight, the fact that The Life Of Harry Potter just had to include the stuff of nightmares hit him again full force. He wasn’t at all phased that his uncle had nearly beaten him to death. It had happened before. He wasn’t even worried that Voldemort was close and planning on killing him. It had happened far too many times, and its novelty had worn off. But the fact that he had been rescued from his vicious uncle by none other that Death Eater Number One, Lucius Malfoy, had been healed by the same along with the Greasy Git of Hogwarts, Severus Snape, had been comforted by said git and then wrenched away from the supposedly loyal Death Eater by the other supposedly loyal Death Eater before the terrible Cruciatus Curse hit him….. It was becoming too much for his beleaguered brain.

He focused on focusing on the rant Voldie was delivering to his troops, and not on the fact that he was pressed against Malfoy’s chest, holding him as tightly was he was being held. Of course, listening to Voldemort had never been able to do anything for his nerves, and so, his eyes began to wander.

Harry took in the small clearing they were in, the trees surrounding them from the back and the large, wrought iron gates looming above them, leading onto Malfoy property. They were trapped. The realization made his stomach drop, far down to a region near his toes. They weren’t going to be able to get out of here. His heart pounded in his chest. They were going to die. His head hurt, and he couldn’t breath. The air was running away from him. No! I need you! They were going to die. Lucius and Severus who had only tried to keep him alive were going to die and it was all his fault. If only he hadn’t been born! Someone was screaming his name. Harry chocked. He couldn’t breathe. Voldemort had hired an elephant and it was sitting on his chest. He was probably going to kill Snape first. His vision swam, tunneling swiftly, there was grass, hands, no air, darkness, deep, black darkness …. and then pain.

Someone was boiling his flesh, while he as still in it. Oh Merlin this was horrible. Harry screamed, writhing and scratching at his forehead, trying to tear the pain away. It covered every inch of him, and he couldn’t get away. White hot knives were stabbing at every cell in his body, tearing at him, slicing him open for Voldemort’s pleasure, trying to tear his mind away… and then it was gone.

There was roaring laughter some distance away from him. His chest was on fire, the bones Severus had worked to mend now shattered once again. Biting his lip so as not to cry out, Harry stood, by sheer willpower on shaky legs. A little ways off, Snape was doing the same, but having far more trouble with it. ‘Come on, get up. You’re too stubborn to let him win.’

Snape faltered, and while Voldemort and his cronies laughed, he looked up to meet the green gaze of his student. ‘Harry?’

Harry blinked, not sure if he had heard his professor speaking to him in his head, or if the Cruciatus had finally robbed him of his sanity. A drop of blood dripped into his eye, and he turned to rub painfully at it. It was then that he realized he didn’t have his glasses. He looked around, eyes, locking on Lucius kneeling beside him, astonished that he could see everything clearly. It didn’t stop his eyes from watering in pain though. They had to get out of here.

Voldemort stood, gazing at Harry contemplatively, wand trained on his chest. “Scared, Potter?” He gave an ugly smile. “You should be. I don’t know how you managed to snag two of my previously most loyal supporters, boy, but I assure you, you will pay. Before you die tonight, you will pay.”

“Fuck off, Tom.” Harry coughed, bringing up blood. He spat it in the dark wizard’s direction, ignoring his look of outrage. His voice sounded hoarse and raspy, and he could barely take a breath without his chest feeling like it was caving in. It didn’t help that the word ‘boy’ was reminding him of his massive uncle. “I don’t know if it’s occurred to you, but if you actually focused on killing me and not giving these grand speeches about how you’re going to kill me every time we manage to end up together, you might actually have a chance.” He wheezed. “Of killing me, that is.”

The clearing had gone deathly silent. He was certain Lucius was trembling next to him, but finally the man was standing, so he was willing to overlook that. Severus was standing beside him, obviously in extreme pain. Harry couldn’t be sure, but it seemed as if he’d been hit with something besides Crucio, if his limping was anything to go by.

“How touching,” Voldemort sneered. “Two Slytherins and a Gryffindor. Salazar would be rolling in his grave.” Harry stood still, giving their situation his full attention. Obviously, none of them had wands, and Dumbledore was the only wizard he knew could do wandless magic. They could attempt to take the house, and from there, the Floo, but they’d have to get past the snake-faced bastard and his cronies to do that. He grimaced. None of them were in any shape to try that.

“No response, Harry?” He flicked his wand, and Harry nearly passed out, the loud cracks letting him know that yes, Voldemort had just broken each of his limbs. Collapsing to the ground, he threw caution to the wind.

“Fuck, Tom. I’m trying to think!” He was rewarded with the Cruciatus, and for what seemed like hours he screamed and thrashed wildly against the spears of blinding fire seeking entrance into his body.

Cold, maniacal laughter greeted his ears when it was all over. “Think, boy?” This time Harry flinched. “You’re about to die. Thinking is not necessary. You have no wands, and even if you did you could not escape. I’ve risen the strongest Anti-Appirition wards around us, and none of you have portkeys on your person. There is no way for any others to rescue you either.” He cackled madly, and Harry fought the urge to throw up. “You’re on Malfoy property. No Ministry official will question any amount of magic done here, because my dear, dear Lucius is such a respected citizen of the Wizarding community,” the evil man gushed, in a sickening parody of a proud parent. “And who would expect Harry Potter to be here, at the home of his greatest schoolyard enemy? I certainly didn’t. But my beloved Nagini has always watched out for her master’s best interest.” He turned to scoop something out of the high grass. As he stood, the easily recognizable form of his enormous pet snake sliding over his shoulders, Harry hissed in outrage. He’d thought he’d anted to kill the reptile this past June, when she had circled around the grave he had been bound to, but now the urge was nearly as strong as the one he had to kill her master.

“And who could forget,” Voldemort sniggered, “The Great Albus Dumbledore. Of course he sent his loyal servant Snape to retrieve the boy from whatever trouble he’d managed to land himself in this time. And of course, he trusts his spy so much that he wouldn’t for an instant think they would be in trouble without contacting him.” He smiled, stroking a finger lovingly across Nagini’s head. “I’ve told the old man time and time again, trust will be the end of him. He will soon see that I am right.” He turned back to Harry. “Crucio.”

Harry expected his world to erupt in pain. He didn’t expect to see Lucius bound over the distance separating him from Severus and throw himself in front of the curse. He watched dazedly as Lucius screamed, thrashing and scratching at himself in sheer agony. A delayed reaction to his own bout of crucio set in, and he found himself retching in the grass beneath him. He scrambled away bearily, sharp pain lancing every cell as he struggled with broken limbs.

He was inches away from Lucius’ prone form when a blasting curse threw him across the clearing. Harry screamed, all thought rushing from his mind as the overwhelming pain took over everything. Bloody hell, he didn’t even know he had bones in some of these places. Voldemort was talking again, and it took a minute for the teen to realize he wasn’t being cursed any longer, but the blinding pain throbbing through him was a side effect to Voldemort’s ministrations.

“Why Lucius, I never knew you cared!” Disparaging laughter could be heard around him. “I’ve subjected Severus to more than this, and you’ve never given any sign that you cared.”

Harry followed the direction of the heartless sniggering and found a haggard looking looking Lucius Malfoy kneeling at Voldemort’s feet, glaring up at the wizard with more hatred Harry thought existed. Pressed against his back and being held up by the blonde man’s arms was Professor Snape.

He probably shouldn’t have found the sight fascinating, but he did. He’d never seen Snape let anyone touch him. Not even Headmaster Dumbledore. To see the man so exhausted and pain ridden that his only course of action was to completely collapse against someone, completely collapse against another man, to Harry it was an eye opener. The man actually was human. It probably helped, too, that the man was bleeding profusely, turning the tips of Malfoy’s hair an interesting auburn color.

Harry shuddered. He was going to kill them. Voldemort was going to kill them first, and then come back for him. His vision swam, but he managed to turn himself so that he could face the freak.

“Oy, Tom. Quit harassing my doctors, will you? I’m going to need them in a few minutes.” His shouting resulted in another coughing fit, this one seeming to tear the blood right out of his lungs. When he had himself back under some type of control, he looked up to see Riddle glaring at him malevolently, but Malfoy and Snape were both gazing at him with dumbfounded expressions. “He glared at them silently. ‘We need a portkey. You two work on that. I’ll distract Snake-face.’ If possible, their eyes widened further. Harry ignored them in favor of giving Tom his full attention.

“This whole love thing really gets to you, doesn’t it?” He didn’t have the energy to sneer, and so the question came out as mildly curious. He hadn’t a clue how he managed to keep speaking. He was utterly terrified. His life rested in the hands of two hardened Death Eaters, one too injured to do anything but think, and the other who might be as evil as his son. Things were not looking good.

“If it makes you feel any better, Snake-face, I’ve never had a real loving, caring home either." He stared at Voldemort, noting that he no longer looked angry. He couldn’t exactly read his expression, but unreadable was better than spitting mad, in his opinion. So, he forged on. “You lived in an orphanage, didn’t you, Tom? Brought up by muggles till you got your Hogwarts letter? A lot like me, really.” He attempted to sigh carelessly, but his breath hitched. “But did your Muggles ever hit you, Tom? Starve you for days? Ever been locked in your room with bars on the windows and only allowed to use the toilet once a day? “

Tom’s face was decidedly angry. “Who do you think you are fooling boy?” He raised his wand. “Do you truly expect me to believe Dumbledore, pure-hearted leader of the side of light allowed his Golden Boy to be abused?”

“Don’t truly care if you believe me or not.” Harry decided not to shrug. The hairs on his body were hurting, even. “Malfoy knows I’m telling the truth. Had a lovely conversation with my uncle. And even your fanged lover knows when I showed up here I was in bad shape.” He tilted his head to the side. “Go on, ask her.” He almost grinned with satisfaction as Voldemort, eyes narrowed and suspicious, engaged a hissing conversation with his snake. He hazarded a glance at Malfoy, and felt relief flood through him when he received small nod. It was immediately replaced by panic though, when he caught sight of his potions professor.

“You are a very interesting boy, Mr. Potter. You obviously care for the filthy Muggles as much as I do – “

“That’s where you’re wrong Tom.” Harry spoke with his eyes closed. The pain that had began to fade into a numb throb was returning full force. “I don’t hate the whole lot of them. One particular couple, yes, of course. But to kill a whole race just because they don’t have magic, or some other rot, no. I don’t think so.”

“It helps if you think of them all as one unit, child.” He could tell by Voldemort’s voice he was no where near as angry as he had been. “I could teach you, willingly, if you join me.”

It made Harry’s while body sear with pain, but he laughed. Had Voldemort just called him 'child'? It was absurd. He giggled painfully, and when he spoke, his voice was wet. “Tom, I’ll join you when hell freezes over.”

And just like that he was convulsing in pain, his scar seemingly splitting open, as he scratched and scrambled to get it away from him. He was screaming, screaming himself hoarse, but then there were other screams, hoarser and deeper and so incredibly painful that for a minute Harry thought Snape would die under Crucio alone. He hadn’t realized he was screaming for the man, till Voldemort’s laughter filled his ears. “You want your filthy Professor?” He giggled evilly. “Then go to him!”

Fresh screams were torn from his lips as he was launched across the clearing, only to land heavily ontop of an already screaming Snape. His brain fuzzily wondered where Lucius had gotten himself to in all this, and then Voldemort made his blood run cold.

His high, cold voice cut through Harry’s mental scrambling with two words. “Crucio Maxima!”

He could register nothing. Nothing existed over the net of bone breaking pain he was in. Every bone in his body had shattered, and he screamed, over the blood gathering in his throat, he screamed as if it would lessen the pain, then there was a flash of magic….. he couldn’t move, and then another, a flash of bright blue…….. a painful tugging behind his navel….. then it was dark.