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Sirius was dead.

A punch, the sound of bones snapping, his Uncle shouting something. Pain.

He had to kill or be killed.

Another punch, a kick. Harry was on the ground, trying his best to imagine being anywhere but there. Pain.

Sirius was dead.

Ribs breaking, more shouting. His Aunt Petunia watching from the kitchen. Dudley watching TV in the living room. Pain.

Sirius was dead and it was his fucking fault.

His Uncle pulling him up by his throat, squeezing. A punch. Blood from his nose flowing down. Another punch, more shouting. Pain.

Harry knew it was his fault, if he hadn't spent so much time in hiding his memories of Privet Drive and Maria and Everything Else from Professor Snape, he would have been able to recognize the false vision for what it was. If he had just shown Snape that he had mastered Occlumency in the first week.... If he hadn't lied.....

Another punch. Pain.

There were so many secrets inside of him, so many that he wanted to let out. He wanted to break down and tell Dumbledore everything, if it would only get him away from here. He wanted to tell everyone about everything they didn't know about him.

How his Uncle had thrown him into the cupboard as soon as they got back to the house, how he had been forced to watch as all of his magical things were burnt. How he had seen every single one of his possessions reduced to ash. How his Uncle Vernon had been forging the letters to the Order for the entire time that Harry had been back at Privet Drive. How, just that evening, his Uncle Vernon had lost an important client and began to blame him for it and as punishment had allowed Dudley to kill Hedwig. How the sound of Hedwig's neck snapping made him sick.

Punch, kick, his Uncle pulling his hair. Screaming. Pain. He was on the ground again. A kick, his leg snapping. His Uncle telling his Aunt and cousin to go upstairs and pack.

Footsteps going up the stairs. Pain. His Uncle pulling at his arm, a loud pop and a feeling of numbness in the appendage. A kick to his stomach, more snapping of bones. Pain.
His Uncle going into the kitchen. His Uncle coming back with something metallic. Pain. The knife making a deep gash into his chest. Pain Pain Pain. The knife rising...plunging into his stomach...slashing his face... Pain Pain Pain. Blood, all he could see was blood. Pain.

His Uncles voice. "That'll be the end of you, freak. Not even one of your kind could survive that! We're leaving now; everyone will think that we left you on your own while we were visiting Marge. They'll think it was some sort of gang thing, they think you're freaky enough as it is! This'll teach those freaks to threaten me!"

His Uncle leaving. The knowledge that he was going to die if he didn't do anything. The fear of never seeing Maria or any of his friends again, the fear of Voldemort winning the war. Pain. The sound of the front door slamming and a car speeding off. Merlin, so much pain!

Moving his broken arm to reach his neck. Pain. Finding the invisible emergency portkey that always hung on the necklace there. Pain. Touching it. Pain. Feeling the hook behind his belly button lift him off the ground and start spinning, spinning, spinning... Pain. Knowing that he would land at Thorne Manor. Pain!

He wanted to see Maria, wanted to have her hold him and tell him that everything would be alright in the end, that good would always win and that she loved him. He needed her to tell him that she loved him; he needed her to tell him that he wasn't a worthless freak, because Merlin knew that he had a hard time believing it without her help. He needed her lips on his, her hands in his hair and her breath skimming his neck. He needed the pleasure of holding her
to numb the pain. Pain!

Pain, then Darkness.




Maria stared at the parchment intently.

"Come on Harry!" she muttered "One word, that's all I need! Just one!" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She was worried, more than worried really, and growing angrier by the second. "For fucks sake Harry! This bloody parchment was your idea! Use it you idiot!" she snarled, trying her best not to cry.

It had been 10 days since Harry had gone back to his Uncles house after his fifth year. 10 days since Maria had gotten a message from him through their 2-way parchment. 10 days full of worry and anger as Maria did her best to assure herself that Harry would be ok.

Maria dipped her head into her hands with a heavy sigh, closing her eyes. She wanted to see him, wanted to make sure that whatever damage he had gotten through losing his godfather and spending 10 non-stop days with his Uncle wasn't permanent. Maria wanted to be able to see Harry without the Glamour he wore; the Harry only she was allowed to see. The one she helped and healed and loved to hold.

"Please Harry..." she was crying now, of course. Harry always said that she was too emotional when it came to him. "Please."

Sometimes hit gobsmacked her how much she loved him. She was only just turning 15, a whole year younger than he was, how could she possibly be in love? But there was no doubt in her mind that she was. Every other fling from their self-imposed 'break' from each other that past year hadn't come close to equalling the passion and fun and comfort she felt with Harry. She loved the summertime, only for the reason that it was the only time of year when she was able to get her hands on him.

She could barely wait for that time to come. She felt herself shudder slightly and blush. To feel his breath against her throat, a silky whisper of things yet to come, his hands skimming over her, burning enthrallment and fiery desire running through her entire body. Consuming her, devouring her even as his eyes seared her with their power. Merlin, but she loved his eyes. She moaned softly. It had been too long since the last time she'd seen him, been able to love him. Soon though, soon he would be hers to possess. Finally. Her dark eyes flashed with anticipation and want, a smirk coming to her face.

Soon though, the happy memories of time with him faded and her expression regained its angry look.

She was in love with Harry, and it hurt her when she saw the cuts and bruises Harry's Uncle gave him. Wasn't she supposed to be the Indigo? Why couldn't Harry just bloody come and live with her? He'd be better protected than at the Dursleys, that was certain.... Maria sighed; it was an argument that she never won. Too many people would notice if Harry Potter suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth.

Bloody idiots. Blind, all of them.

"Mistress Maria should be getting her rest." A squeaky voice said from her left.

"I'm not tired Marta." Maria protested weakly through her sniffles. She didn't dare look up at the House Elf, Marta had a way of making anyone do what she wanted without them knowing with just a look from her watery brown eyes.

"Mistress Maria has not been sleeping well." Marta said imploringly "Marta has turned down the bed and put a sleeping draught on the bedside table for Mistress to take. Please forgive Marta's impertinence Mistress but Master Harry will contact Mistress Maria as soon as he can. Master Harry is a good man." Marta had become increasingly fond of Harry over the years and Maria had a feeling that the House Elf liked Harry better than her.

Maria nodded tiredly. "All right Marta." She gave in. "I'll got get some sleep, but can you wake me up if-"

There was no time to finish the sentence though, as there was a loud thump that echoed over from the Potions Lab through to the living room where she and Marta were sitting. Maria's heart immediately began to pound a painful rhythm against her ribcage.

She leapt up from the couch, Marta hot on her heels, and barged into the Lab. There, lying on the large steel preparation table, just where the emergency portkey they created had been charmed to place him, was the mangled body of Harry Potter. Maria gasped, rushing over to him while her brain tried to comprehend all of the blood that she was seeing.

"Harry? Harry! Come on love. Open your eyes..." she pleaded. Damn! He had never ended up this bad before! Harry didn't respond at all.

Quickly, Maria went to find a pulse and thanked the stars when she found one, however weak it was. "Marta!" she called out "Clean and bandage his wounds, then start setting bones if you can. I'll go make a blood replenisher. Call me if he changes at all or if we need to remove his Glamour to work on him." She instructed, going around the room and gathering up whatever ingredients she needed for the potion.

Maria deftly chose a cauldron from the rack. Harry would be so much better off with proper medical care! She wasn't a bloody medi-witch! He needed professional help but unfortunately all Maria had to offer was her basic knowledge of healing draughts and charms. Over the years she had become quite adept at them, true, but there were only so many books on medi-wizardry in the library and she and Harry had so much more to study. She wished that she was better but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. She was a little busy trying to save her lovers life.

This was it. The last bloody straw. Maria ground her teeth and turned up the heat under the cauldron. His Uncle was getting worse, and sooner or later Vernon Dursley would end up trying to kill him, if he hadn't already tried that tonight. Harry couldn't go back there, he just couldn't.

Screw what Dumbledore said about blood wards, Harry would be far safer anywhere other than Privet Drive.

Maria made a mental note that when Harry woke up, they would be having a long discussion about where he was going to live. He would wake up, she assured herself nervously, he was Harry Potter.... he wouldn't leave her alone like that...




Albus Dumbledore looked over the letter from Cornelius Fudge once again, light blue eyes scanning over page 5 of the 12-page document. He was currently alleviating his boredom by counting how many times the word 'apologies' was used. Presently the count rested at 27. It would surprise many to learn that Albus held no major grudge against the Minister for his actions during the past year, for in his mind there were only so many times a man could be called a 'senile old fool' before the insult began to lose meaning.

What he was angry about, however, was Cornelius's invasion of Hogwarts and his treatment of Harry Potter. It had been uncalled for; paranoid behaviour and Albus had his fears that the damage done to Harry may have only added to the long list of wrongs done to the boy. Having the entire wizarding world's opinion of you change so drastically, so quickly, was confusing at best.

Albus sighed and placed the letter down on his desk, admittedly he knew that a good Headmaster should not have a favourite student, but who ever said that he was a good Headmaster?

Harry Potter. The boy was a magnet for trouble and adversary, making enemies with the Darkest wizard of the century before he was 2 years old. Albus often found himself second-guessing every decision he made concerning Harry, always wondering if this or that was best for the boy, much like a concerned grandparent would. It was hardly a proper professional relationship but Merlin knew that Harry needed guidance and support. He didn't seem to see all of the people around him that thought of him like family, always acting as if he was alone in his life.

As if to demonstrate their familial thoughts toward Harry, the Weasleys had been harassing him constantly at every Order meeting they held to let Harry go to the Burrow early that summer. They said that he needed to be around people who loved him so that he could grieve for Sirius properly. Albus agreed wholeheartedly, truly he did, but more than giving him the opportunity to recover from the loss of his godfather, Albus wanted the knowledge that the blood protection placed on Harry was still effective. They could all grieve in four days time, when they would be able to take Harry away from Privet Drive. It was somewhat puzzling how eager Harry always was to leave his Aunts house, but Albus supposed that Harry's love of the magical world that made him anxious to leave his muggle relatives.

Albus was about to pick up Cornelius's letter up again and turn his mind back to the preparations needed to be made by the Order concerning Voldemort when a sharp, piercing whistle emitted from the large silver orb on his desk. On a day-to-day basis he used it as a paperweight but its true use was far more important. It served as a warning device should someone attempt to purposefully take the life of whichever student Albus chose to monitor while they were away from Hogwarts. Not surprisingly, the student Albus chose was Harry Potter.

Albus's head shot up, nearly sending his glasses flying off his nose. Impossible! The Order was watching him! Did Voldemort finally gather the location of Harry's relatives home? With speed that undermined his age, Albus practically leapt up from his chair and crossed the room to the open window where, after multiple flicks of his wand, he sent out copies of his patronus (a phoenix) and a message to the members of the Order that he wanted with him. He paused for a moment, allowing each person some time to receive the message, then sprung back into action.

Quickly, because time was undoubtedly of the essence now, Albus crossed over to the fireplace and Floo'ed directly to Arabella Figg's house, into her cluttered living room, nearly stepping on a cat in the process.

Arabella was waiting for him, sitting on her floral couch looking very confused. It looked as if his patronus message had caught her just as she was preparing for bed, as half of her hair was up in muggle curlers. "Are you sure that it's Harry, Albus?" she questioned. "It's been completely quiet all day, and Tonks hasn't come to report anything."

Albus frowned, had a Death Eater bypassed all of their surveillance? But, Harry would have made some noise, or his relatives at least.... "Nothing unusual?" he pressed, the entire situation was unsettling. Something was not right.

Arabella shook her head just as Tonks walked in through the front door and in rapid succession, Severus, Molly, Bill, Remus and Minerva all Floo'ed into the room. Albus wasted no time.

"Tonks, report." He commanded, noticeably startling everyone in the room with his abrupt tone of voice. Even Severus had been shocked, and all were glancing at him worriedly. Albus supposed that they had never seen him so frantic.

Tonks licked her lips anxiously before beginning. "There's been nothing sir." She said "Completely quiet all day! No strange people or animals, nothing giving off any readable magical energy outside of the house... no suspicious noises..." she trailed off, looking at Albus warily.

Severus looked irate but Albus was glad to see that his trusted friend come prepared with the case of healing potions that he had requested, in case of the worst. "Potter probably tripped the sensors somehow, doing some sort of reckless, foolhardy, idiotically Gryffindor-"

"Shut your mouth." Remus growled. Albus sighed inwardly at the normally placid werewolf's temper. Remus had been on a short fuse ever since his final boyhood friend Sirius Black had died. Adding the stress of wondering if his late friend James Potters son was in fatal danger was not a good combination. Remus's dark amber eyes were ferocious and fixed on Severus. Molly, Bill and Minerva looked equally incensed by Severus's comments and to tell the truth, to some degree he was too, but Albus kept his own face blank. "Harry's not like that, which you'd see if you didn't have your wand stuck so far up your as-"

"Enough!" Merlin grant him patience today, there was no time for this! "Severus, Remus, no more. Settle your grudges on your own time. Now, Disillusionment Charms everyone, we do not know what we are in for." They all nodded and after a few icy glares exchanged between Severus and Remus, all followed his command and cast Disillusionment Charms on themselves.

Before casting one on himself, Albus turned to Arabella "Have the Floo open and be ready to call the Aurors in if you see the Mark." He instructed.

She nodded "Be careful Albus, get Harry back safely." Severus's disembodied snort of distain was loud and Albus was only prevented from casting a reprimanding glance by the fact that he had no idea where Severus was standing.

Swiftly, Albus tapped himself firmly on the head with his wand and felt the sensation of water flowing over him that signified the spells success. "Move out." He called, striding toward and out the door purposefully.

The night was calm all around them, no sound aside from their footsteps and the occasional cricket. It was unnerving. Why was there no sound? Albus warily held his wand out ahead of him, not worried about the Order members not seeing him, he had sent the address of Harry's home with his summons.

"So this is where Potter lives." He heard Severus mutter "Disgusting."

"Hasn't changed a bit." Said Minerva, sounding frank. Albus had been on the receiving end of many tirades about the severe 'same-ness' of Privet Drive when Harry was first taken there.
Quite suddenly the quiet air around them was quiet no longer.

The loud noise of screeching tires wailed out all around them and Albus tensed, holding his wand in a defensive position for a moment before the speeding muggle car slid around the corner ahead of them and tore off down the street. Through the windshield, just as it passed them, Albus thought that he saw a family of three in the vehicle, instead of the joyriding teenagers that he had expected.

"Bloody hell!" Tonks breathed.

"Dad would have a field day if he saw how fast that car could go..." Bill Weasley commented dryly.

"Don't give him any ideas!" scolded Molly.

"Enough! Harry may be hurt!" Albus said quietly, not wanting any Muggles in the area to have their attention drawn to the talking patch of thin air. "We must hurry."

The eerie calm that first surrounded the group of wizards continued, it was as if nature was unaware that anything was wrong and was doing everything it could to present the night as completely normal. But Albus had a feeling that something was more than just wrong, something terrible had happened to Harry. They moved silently toward Number Four Privet Drive, its perfectly manicured lawn and trimmed hedges. Minerva was right, it hadn't changed at all in the 15 years that Albus had been away. Not a blade of grass seemed to have moved.

"Bill, Remus, Minerva do a quick perimeter check." Albus commanded and heard the footsteps move away with pride. The Order knew their business well. He and the others waited in silence, just at the end of the driveway, until the three returned.

"All clear outside." Said Remus.

Albus nodded, not quite remembering that no one could see him. "Then we shall move inside." He said and moved up the drive and along the pathway to the door. "Wands at the ready." He said then moved up to the navy blue door and muttered the unlocking charm.

The door swung open on its hinges, allowing the group access into the pitch-black house. They filed into the entryway silently and one by one, took off the Disillusionment charms.

Minerva closed the door behind them, plunging
them into further darkness. For a moment they all listened intently for any other noise in the house but there was nothing, not even the sound of snoring. But then where was Harry's family?

"Harry?" Albus called out cautiously "Harry are you here?"

No voice called back.

"Lumos!" said Albus, shedding watery light from the tip of his wand into the hall. "Do a sweep," he instructed "Room by room. Tonks, stand watch at the door." Other soft mutterings of the others lighting their wands filled the air for a moment, a soft and yet deafening roar to Albus's ears. They moved down the hallway, wands held aloft and lighting their way through the dark house.

"Harry?" Remus called out again. There was
almost tangible fear in the mans voice. "Come
on Harry! This isn't a joke, talk to us Harry!"

"Potter!" Severus barked.

Molly sounded fretful too, and Albus expected
nothing less. "Harry darling? Harry?"

They moved swiftly through the hall, passing by
muggle portraits. Everything remained quiet, horribly quiet, tensely disturbingly quiet.... Until a sound heard as they stepped into the living room made Albus's blood run cold.

Splash.

With a sharp intake of breath Albus looked
down, praying that it was water, that it was
just a puddle of water....

Red.

Deep, dark, red, blood.

"Lumina Maxi!" Albus called out, no longer caring to be quiet. On command from the incantation his wand tip fairly burst into bright light, sending numerous glowing orbs throughout the room to light it completely.

Shrieks and exclamations ran rampant for a few moments, Molly and Minerva looking as white as sheets. The sheer amount of blood was enormous, it puddle and pooled by the far left wall of the room in a five foot long stream. A shining
silver knife lay in the middle of it, half of it submerged, showing just how much blood there was.

"What's going on- Oh sweet Merlin!" Tonks, apparently having heard all of the noise, rushed into the room and stopped dead.

"Find Harry." Was the simple command that Albus issued. It was the only thing that his mind could focus on, a mantra running over and over again through his head. He had to find Harry, had to make sure the boy was all right, that he was alive. Vaguely he heard himself giving orders to Bill, Minerva and Tonks to do a wider area search around the house and telling Severus, Molly and Remus to search the house with him.

Albus inhaled deeply, making an attempt to regain control of his thoughts. His heart was racing wildly at the possibility that Harry was not alive; anguish and fear pounding at the back of his head. While the others had already dispatched in search of Harry, Albus could only stare at the blood, drowning in the thoughts of possible events, each thought more frightening than the last.

It wasn't until a hand gently tugged at his shoulder that the Albus was able to snap out of his trance; he turned around to find himself facing Remus, face ashen, features twisted in grief, fear, and anger. Before Albus could interpret this expression, Remus spoke:

"I found Harry's owl." He said, eyebrows drawing together, "it seems that her neck was broken." The strings of fear that clutched at the older man's heart drew tighter. All Albus could do was take another deep breath, and make his way up the stairs.

When the two men reached the room, Albus found himself frowning: the room was in utter chaos. Furniture was broken, books were ripped, clothing destroyed, and spread around the room, which looked even more disastrous when confined into such a small space. Harry's trunk was missing as well. The headmaster approached the body of Harry's owl -Hedwig- and sighed, closing his eyes. The pounding at the back of his head was becoming more painful.

Remus had slid down the wall, and crouched on the floor, holding his head in his hands. His breathing seemed laboured, his whole body rigid, face still the same sickly colour as before.

"He doesn't deserve this," The werewolf started, voice a mix of anger and dejection, "He doesn't deserve to have such a difficult and painful life." Remus shook slightly now, "why is it, that everything that I ever love is taken away from me?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

Albus sighed once more, and approached the younger man, crouching down beside him, and placing his hands on his shoulders.

"You must calm down, Remus." Albus said quietly. The man lifted his amber eyes to look directly into Albus's blue ones, and sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry." Remus stood up, fists clenched. "Panicking will not bring Harry back."

Molly chose that moment to enter the room, and
looked around. She drew a tight breath and approached Albus, clearly ignoring the state of the area for the moment.

"The house seems empty of personal belongings; it seems like the Dursleys took some sort of trip." The redhead looked up at Albus. "Harry wouldn't be here then, would he? He would be on the trip..." Her eyes widened, "what if this is a trap, Albus?"

Remus approached the two, "This isn't a trap Molly. Harry wouldn't leave without his owl." The short woman turned her eyes to the corner where Hedwig's body lay and frowned.

She shook her head, "Even so, Harry must be okay, he must. I mean, it's Harry, he can't..." She stopped, tears welling in her eyes.

"What if he isn't this time." Remus's voice was quiet.

As Molly was about to retort, Albus interrupted, fearing a conflict between the two, "Regardless, pondering over such things is rather useless at the moment. What we must focus on finding out what happened here." He moved to walk out the door, as he heard Remus speak:

"I just hope that your blind faith is right, Molly." He said, before walking down the stairs once more. Albus turned to the woman, grief etched into her features, mouth in a tight line. The older placed a hand on her shoulder, in an offer of silent support.

The red headed woman shook her head, "Go, Albus. See what you can find out." She drew a deep breath, and closed her eyes, letting the tears welling up in her eyes escape, the small droplets cascading down her cheeks, "I'll stay here and investigate this mess." Albus nodded gently, and slowly made his way down the stairs.

Another frown found it's way onto the Headmaster's features; why would the Dursley's leave Harry at home? They couldn't have possibly helped-

No. Albus would not allow himself those kinds of thoughts.

He found Severus in the hallway, examining the pictures. He turned to Albus, and frowned.

"It seems that the Dursley family was rather exclusive of Harry." He turned back to the pictures, "Potter cannot be found in any of the pictures that this family has taken, and clearly, Harry's living conditions were not equal to the rest of the family's" Albus raised his eyebrows slightly. Severus mimicked. "I've seen the boy's room, Albus. Disregarding the chaos, one might see that the room is considerably smaller in comparison to his cousin's or his Aunt's and Uncle's. And still yet smaller then the unoccupied guest room."

Albus frowned, only to have the pale man continue with a sigh: "I still think this is just another one of Potter's attempts to get attention. I know he would go far to do so."

"Severus," Albus's tone was steely, "this is not a time for such assumptions. Your bias will not help in this situation."

After a pause, Severus lowered his head, "Forgive me, headmaster. It's just-" he sighed, "I cannot believe that this is happening..." the raven haired man trailed off, picking up on a different thought. "I wouldn't put it past the death eaters to do this." His voice was low.

Albus closed his eyes, and gave no response. It was true that Death Eaters would take advantage the unequal treatment of Harry. Likely attacking while the rest of the family was away. There were other possibilities, however. Possibilities that Albus refused to think of.

The man closed his eyes momentarily, before moving back into the living room. Severus came back with him. Bill had come back to report that there was nothing strange outside. He also suggested that Death Eaters were responsible
for this.

However, something tugged at the back of Albus's mind. Perhaps the peculiar situation that made him question the involvement of Death Eaters: They were too likely to destroy everything in their path, which was not the case here. Albus focused his mind, shutting away the rest of the world in order to concentrate to the purely magical one. One where he could feel and see magical auras and magical activity, appearing before his (closed) eyes -and ears- as a kaleidoscope of colours and sounds. Any powerful wizard or witch who was knowledgeable of magic's presence and origin could have done it. Albus searched for traces of magic used in this area.

He opened his eyes once more, and frowned.

There was none, with the exception of port key magic. This gave a certain relief to Albus, reassuring him that the boy might still be alive but confusion as to how Harry got his hands on a portkey. The making of a portkey was not difficult per say, but having a 15 year old wizard make one was impossible, no matter if he was The Boy Who Lived or not. Also, there was no other magical activity in this area, no charms or hexes, curses or any other spells, which would exclude the possibility of death eaters' involvement, as they were unlikely to refrain from using magic.

This left few options then. So much evidence lead to it... but Albus still would not heed his own instincts until he had solid proof.

Albus turned the Severus, a grave expression on his face, "Find the Dursleys, and bring them in for questioning."


AN: I owe everything in the second half of this chapter to my AMAZING BETA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sqeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are the best thing since sliced bread!!!!!!!!!!!!!