Rating: R (Adult)

Genre: Romance, Drama, Angst, H/C

Pairing: Harry/Draco

Warnings: Language, Anal, Explicit Torture, Disturbing imagery.

Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form do I own any portion of the Harry Potter Universe. I am not making any profit from this fanfiction.

Summary: When Draco disobeys everything he's learned in a single action, he is made a prisoner in his own home. Can Harry and Severus save him, or will he be destroyed by an obsessive Dark Lord's plans? Can bonds of love and friendship triumph over ultimate evil? Harry/Draco, H/C, Tort, Lang, Anal

Author's Note: Well, my computer crashed. Lots of fun, that. I had to hack my butt off to get these files off of my hard drive, which was nearly fried by the way. But now I've learned my lesson… I'm going to keep like twelve back-ups of every fanfic file I have. Seriously. And there's really no excuse for this unintended hiatus—sorry, sorry, sorry! I'll try to never leave it more than a month before I update this story. I do want to get it finished, can't stand the idea of this staying a WIP.

Thanks to my wonderful beta, Vittani, for making sure I didn't give up on this chapter.

Also, I don't think this chapter is my best, the rescue scene might seem a bit too easy, but I can promise that there's a reason for that—something that you'll have to continue reading to find out ^_^.

Chapter Sixteen: The Raid, Pt. 3

Harry's stomach gurgled, but his hunger was easily ignored as he paced around the small room and waited for their return. He refused to consider the fact that they wouldn't come back into his mind, but wasn't naïve enough to dismiss the likelihood that someone would be injured upon their return. Malfoy would certainly be in a bad way, and he could only hope that whatever injuries the others had weren't bad enough to call on Madame Pomfrey. They really didn't want to involve her at this stage… but Harry figured it might as well be inevitable.

They had left three hours ago, and each minute that ticked by drove Harry's nerves a bit barmier. He wished they would just, hurry up already and get back. And he knew how irrational that was, but he couldn't be bothered to truly care. The door creaked suddenly as it was pushed open, and Harry jumped slightly before relaxing at the familiar sight of Padfoot. He couldn't help but note that his godfather's Animagus form was looking much better than it had a few short weeks ago. Padfoot had looked little more than a half-starved, bedraggled waif back then. Now he was a powerful canine with rolling muscles and thick, shiny black fur. He still had a couple more pounds to gain before he was restored fully to his former glory, but his overall transformation was still startling.

Padfoot gave a small growling whine as a greeting, and proceeded to prowl around the room, sniffing for Remus' scent, no doubt.

"Hey, Siri," Harry ventured, already able to tell that his godfather was half-mad with worry over his lover.

After sniffing around for a few more seconds, the large grim bounded over to his godson, pushing at Harry's stomach with his snout until the boy stumbled over to the large couch and fell down. Padfoot then proceeded to jump on the couch, laying his heavy frame over his godson's lap and nudging Harry's hand until the boy rolled his eyes and proceeded to scratch the dog behind his ears.

"You are so spoiled," Harry murmured, scratching him for a bit before smacking Padfoot on the back of the head. The Animagus' two hundred-plus pounds were making his legs go numb. Padfoot gave a rather undog-like snort at that, sitting up on his haunches and transforming back into Sirius.

"This waiting is driving me bloody mad. I can't believe I actually let Remus go on this… this fool's errand What in the hell was I thinking?"

"You were thinking that Remus is his own man, and regardless of how much you love him, you don't control him. And that, deep down, you know what he is doing is right."

"I was?"

"You were," Harry verified wryly, watching as Sirius frowned deeply. "Besides, Remus is with Bill, Tonks, and Snape. He's going to be fine."

"Who taught you to be reassuring?" Sirius asked with a grimace. "Because I have to let them know that they failed utterly."

"Ha, very funny. What I meant was that he's with an Auror, a Curse-breaker, and a very skilled Potion's Master with an extensive knowledge of Dark and Light Arts."

"Well when you put it like that…" Sirius paused, collapsing into an armchair. "…I'm still not very reassured."

Harry really didn't have anything to say to that, so he opted to stay quiet, running his hand through his messy hair. They were quiet for a couple of minutes. Then…

"You do know that Ron and Hermione are looking for you, right?"

Harry blinked, suddenly realizing that he couldn't remember the last time he'd even spoken to his best friends. Ron had spent a couple of days at the Burrow along with Ginny as the Order tried to figure out what to do about 'the recruit,' among other issues. But Hermione was spending the summer at Grimmauld Place, and the last time Harry had given her more than a passing glance was… when he blew up at her for mentioning the circumstances surrounding Sirius' death.

Harry winced. She probably thinks I'm still holding a grudge or something. Really, he knew that she hadn't meant things the way they sounded, and Harry was still a bit sensitive about the whole deal.

"Hey, what's that look for? Everything's alright with you guys, isn't it?"

Harry determinately stared at the wall. "I think."

Sirius' eyebrows rose. "You think? They're your best friends and you think that you guys might be okay?"

Well, when he put it like that, it sounded even worse. "It's just… complicated. I haven't really seen much of them since this whole deal with, y'know," Harry waved his hand in a complicated gesture. "And Hermione had a bit of a disagreement with me before this all happened."

Sirius made a small 'ah' sound, nodding thoughtfully. "Well, why don't you take time to spend with your friends once this whole mess is over, then? Not like you owe that Malfoy brat anything—you've done more than enough for the twat and it's not like you're going to want to be around him anymore than you have to. Besides, you mustn't let things get stale between you guys. Believe me, that last thing anyone wants is a ruined friendship," he finished, mouth twisted slightly in a grimace.

But Harry was already shaking his head. "I'll do what I can when D-Malfoy is brought back here to spend a bit of time with Ron and Hermione, but I can't make any promises. I'm going to have to convince the Order that Malfoy isn't a danger, and I can't exactly do that if I'm avoiding him as much as they are… but I doubt that he's changed much. I wouldn't be surprised if he started complaining about the size of his room the moment he's feeling well enough to. Still, I've promised myself that I would give him a chance—no one can suffer like he has for doing the right thing and still be such a bloody prat."

"I still don't see how it would be hard for you to make time for your two best friends. They've stuck by you for the longest time, Harry, and you shouldn't lock them out of your life for no reason," Sirius reprimanded slightly, for once sounding like the father figure he was.

Harry winced a little, turning his head slightly as he stared blankly at the wall for a moment. "No. You're right… it's not just about Malfoy. Sometimes, I think about this past year, think about all that I've seen, all the time I've spent in Voldemort's head, hearing all of his sick and twisted thoughts like they are my own; waking up in the middle of the night reaching for a wand, thinking that I'm going to be attacked… and I feel so old, Sirius. I'm just scared that I'll won't be able to relate to them anymore, that I'll go play Exploding Snap with Ron and find out that it no longer interests me or that I have nothing to talk about. I feel like I've changed so much, and that they've stayed the same. And it hurts."

Sirius was silent for a long moment before he sighed deeply, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder and shaking him reassuringly. He still didn't say anything, and Harry wondered if there was anything he could say.

And so Harry went back to counting minutes, waiting for Draco Malfoy to arrive at Grimmauld Place.

xXxXxXx

He heard the man next to him growl as Voldemort referred to his godson as a 'pretty boy,' but did hardly acknowledge it. Inside, he was seething, so much that he almost felt his blood boiling, the steam of it rising in his veins and clouding his judgment. His fingers twitched along his wand, aching to cast a spell, any spell that would give Voldemort even a modicum of the pain that Draco was experiencing, had experienced at the monster's hand. But they must wait for the right moment, there was no room for error. He grasped the vial in his robe pocket, taking it and handing it to the werewolf. There was no shame in admitting which one of them had the better aim to Severus, at least not in a situation that was so dire.

The Dark Lord's back was turned to them as he stepped far enough from Draco to be safe, finally, and Severus met Lupin's amber eyes for a moment, watching as the other man nodded in agreement. If it were not for the situation, he would have snorted. As if he needed the werewolf's approval on his every action.

In the next moments, three simply amazing things happened. First, Remus threw the small vial of black liquid with deadly accuracy, the potion soaring through the air, solidly focused on its target. Severus waited in baited breath for half a second, needing it to be just a bit closer, before striking with the same deadly accuracy as the werewolf at the glass vial. His nonverbal spell hit it at exactly the right moment, causing a close range wave of flames, which flickered blue and black. It hit. Made contact. With the Dark Lord.

With the unique, toxic formula of Dragon's blood, mandrake root, basilisk scales, Mer skin, the potion had the effect of liquid Fiendfyre, except twice as hot, made to trigger only on a specific individual, and thrice as deadly. Voldemort, nothing more than an inhumanly shrieking ball of black flames, hit the wall so forcefully that it caved with an explosion that shook the foundations of Malfoy Manor. The sight was stunning, to say the least. The idea that he'd brought down the Dark Lord, however temporarily, was quite the ego stoker. The damned Felix Felicis wasn't helping either.

The prophecy wouldn't allow for anyone to do anything but temporarily incapacitate the bastard.

It had to be Potter, after all, who dealt the final blow.

Severus was in the room a moment later, avoiding the black smoke and flames as he made a beeline for his godson. And, consequently, he laid eyes on Draco for the first time since he'd seen huddled in that disgusting cell too many days to go. This was, by far, much worse.

He wasn't even sure the boy was alive until he saw him breathing.

Draco seemed dazed, hanging limply from the metal that bound his wrists. Blood was dripping steadily from nearly every part of his body below the neck and he shook slightly in after-affects of the Cruciatus. Cuts that gleamed wetly with red liquid almost seemed to gape on Draco's torso and back. Severus could see glimpse of bone near the boy's ribs when Draco drew a sudden, shaking breath. Long strands of his blond hair swung in front of his face, soiled with blood and dyed red because of it. Just like before, Draco's face was mostly unharmed, only the shallowest of cuts and shadows of bruises under his eyes and chin. His eyes were clenched shut, tears streaming from them almost rebelliously and his mouth was clench tight, as if he were fighting off a scream at this very moment. Severus knew they had to hurry, that he had to free Draco now, but the boy was so hurt… and there was no place Severus could touch him that wouldn't make that pain worse.

"Gods," he heard the werewolf mutter hoarsely behind him, and for once, they were in perfect agreement. This was utterly… monstrous.

The softly spoken word spurred him into action and Severus let out a nonverbal spell to release Draco from the chains, catching the frail, bleeding boy in his arms and immediately moved out of the room and a little ways into the hallway. Draco let out a pained whine beneath his clenched teeth, immediately struggling from Severus' grip with shaking coltish limbs that didn't seem to cooperate. Severus stilled for a moment, the boy obviously didn't know who he was.

"Draco," he spoke quietly, close to the boy's ear as he held the struggling body securely. "It's Severus."

He seemed to still for a moment, blank eyes opening briefly and he heard Remus' sharp intake of breath. Then Draco shook his head furiously and buckled his body with a strength he shouldn't be able to possess in his condition, causing Severus to grip him tightly.

He seemed to be trying to speak, but only harsh whimpers and groans seemed to be able to leave his bleeding mouth. Severus had sudden fear to check inside the boy's mouth to make sure his tongue hadn't been removed when Remus uttered a quiet, "Finite Incantatem."

Immediately, Draco's almost animalistic sounds began to resemble words. "L-let me… go you b-bastard! You-you c-can't expect me… to fall f-for t-that. Lemme go, Severus is dead, I know he's dead, you killed him you fucker—" Severus was both relieved and worried that his godson was currently cursing him to the high heavens.

"I'm here, it's alright now, Draco," he spoke evenly, trying to calm the boy's obvious hysteria.

"No, no—" Draco whimpered. "Severus is dead," he almost moaned out in despair. "You killed him."

Severus was about to respond gently when he heard the sounds of feet coming down the opposite end the corridor. Death Eaters coming to check on their beloved master no doubt, and at the worst time. "Listen to me very carefully, Draco," Severus hissed, knowing what his godson would respond to. "I just turned the Dark Lord into a fireball not a full two minutes ago. I can assure you I am most definitely not dead. I will be dead, however, if you don't stop screaming like some bumbling fool. Those footsteps you hear are from Death Eaters, none of which will be very happy to see us after they take a look at their smoldering master. Pull it together if you want to get out of here alive. Now."

Remus was staring at him disapprovingly, but he cared little since Draco's struggles ceased as the boy choked out a weak, "Severus?"

"Yes. Now quiet. It's alright now, I've got you."

The boy's body shuddered for a moment before falling limp, finally succumbing to the pain.

Severus gathered up the injured body next to his own, tensing out of reflex when Remus pointed his wand in Draco's direction. But it was simply a mild sleeping charm to insure the boy didn't wake in another panic, and healing spell to stop most of the bleeding.

"We need to leave. Now."

Severus glared at the werewolf for stating the obvious, before setting off swiftly in the direction of Tonks and Weasley. It would only be minutes before the Death Eaters, as woefully idiotic as most were, realized what was afoot. They were dead if they didn't get to the forest before every sycophantic worshipper in the manor began to search for them. Especially if the Dark Lord healed as fast as Severus thought he would, which meant the monster would only be incapacitated for twenty minutes if they were lucky. Severus couldn't help but smirk as he held his bleeding, unconscious, alive godson in his arms. If anything was going for them tonight, it would be luck.

The smirk was quickly wiped away when they finally reached Bill, who was waving his wand in archaic motions that Severus had only seen in books towards the door to the Dark Lord's chambers, which was shimmering malevolently with sick yellow light.

Damnation. Tonks was still on the other side. And if they couldn't get her out within the next five minutes, she would have to stay there.

Bill didn't seem to hear them coming at first, his tall frame taunt with the force of his spell work and his brow furrowed in concentration. Then looked to the side for a moment and his mouth turned upwards in a tired, grim smile. "See you…got what you came for."

Remus opened his mouth to reply when Severus jumped in. "You have five minutes, William. We can't stall any longer." Severus saw Remus stare at him as if he hadn't known the same thing, as if he was going to protest the fact that they could stand in front of the door forever and wait for the Death Eaters, or gods forbid Voldemort, to find them.

"Wait," Bill panted out, visibly sweating and shaking. "I-I've almost g-got i-it… just a l-little b-bit more." But regardless of what Weasley was saying, it was obvious the man had strained his magic to the max and had little left in reserves. If he drained his magic anymore, there would probably be permanent damage to the man's magical core. At the very least, he wouldn't be of any use if they had to carry him out of Malfoy Manor.

Severus didn't even blink pausing to gently lay his godson down, snapping out a stern "Watch over him," to Lupin. He then walked behind the red haired man, placing his hand flat against Bill's back, directly in the middle of his shoulder blades. He closed his eyes and concentrated, wandlessly doing a spell he'd created long ago and had never had use for until now.

He felt Weasley tense in shock, his body suddenly stronger and his magic seemingly restored.

"W-What—"

"Just finish your curse-breaking," Severus muttered out, hardly able to whisper because of the taxing spell. He felt the red-head pause for a moment, before restarting his spells with new fervor and urgency. Though calling them spells was a bit of a stretch as it sounded as if the other man was continuously chanting, furiously weaving an impromptu, intricate curse-breaking enchantment, changing his language several times.

"Absentis per ut quod redimio(1)! Forvise muren (2)… Revelar a riqueza (3)!"

Severus had created quite an ingenious piece of spell-work, honestly, allowing one wizard to share his magic with another so long as contact was kept between the two. However, Severus hadn't expected how draining it would feel on his end and wondered if he would be able to hold on long enough for Weasley to get Tonks out.

Weasley cast a particularly powerful and complex de-warding hex that sounded faintly Germanic in origin and Severus felt his legs buckle under him for a moment before he locked his knees, refusing to fall. Severus wasn't sure how long he stood there, his hand emanating warmth from its position on Bill's back and his brow dripping in sweat. He was shocked out of his stupor of sorts when a loud 'click' sounded down the corridor as the door finally opened and Tonks, who had been leaning against it for the better part of thirty minutes, tumbled out in a display of her usual grace.

Then they stared at her in shock.

This was a Tonks none of them had ever seen, with ash blond hair only a few shades darker than Draco's and pale blue eyes that shined from under finely arched brows. But that wasn't what made them all freeze for a moment. What did were her pale, pretty features that seemed uncannily like those of Narcissa Malfoy nee Black, a timeless beauty that was far cry from the usual short, spunky colored hair, neon eyes, and stubborn features. She could have been Draco's sister, the resemblance was so strong.

"Whoa," Bill finally whispered in shock, and the moment was gone.

The next second that Tonks was gone, and short blue dreads replaced her fine blond locks while her eyes turned electric green. She was flushed under their stares, and finally hissed out. "Don't even say I look like my aunt. Just don't if you value your limbs. And I fully expect all of you to forget you ever saw that." She gave them all a glare that was somehow menacing even to Severus, and he froze for a moment before rolling his eyes, knelling next to Draco. He didn't notice how Bill's eyes lingered on him in shock, his mouth agape as Severus shakily used his wand to lighten his godson and check the boy's vitals, which were weak but steady at the moment. He didn't notice how Tonks and Remus, confused as to why Bill was suddenly staring at Severus like he'd never seen him before, turned his direction as well. They saw nothing out of the ordinary, of course.

Bill, however, had seen through Severus' glamour when it wavered due to the man's taxing magic transfer spell, or whatever the hell it had been. The shields that kept the concealing magic in place dispersed for a mere moment. Just for a moment. And Bill couldn't move… because. Wow. Just. Freaking. Wow.

Now there was definitely no going back. He was going to lay with Severus Snape if it was the last thing he—

"Weasley, are you quite well? Because we need to move, unless you wanted to greet the Death Eater welcoming party?"

Bill was snapped out of his lust-induced stupor by the snide remark, and he flushed as he looked into the other man's coal eyes… perhaps the one thing that was the same without that pesky glamour covering up his beauty, and even they were dimmed somehow, diminished. He shook himself even more forcibly out of those thoughts, knowing that he would have time later to obsess over the impossibly sexy Severus Snape.

"Righto, lets get the hell out of here," Tonks said pseudo-cheerfully, dragging a bemused Remus by the hand as Severus carefully lifted a lightened bleeding Draco. Tonks glanced back, a smile still on her lips when she caught sight of her younger cousin. "Oh. Oh, god. Is he—he's not—?"

"Not yet," Severus replied quietly, unable help the relief that spread through his body with every weak, shaky breath his godson took. That was all Severus needed Draco to do. To keep breathing. To live. And Severus would figure out the rest. He would find a way to get out of this bloody Manor. "But we need to move. Or Draco's health will be the least of our worries."

Tonks nodded, dreadlocks shaking as she did so. They stealthily began to make their way down the corridor, Remus behind everyone, Tonks and Bill to the front, and Severus in the middle protecting their precious cargo. The sounds of echoing cries and orders from above them did nothing to help their nerves. Obviously, the Death Eaters had found their master and were now searching for the culprits, searching for him. They rounded a corner sharply, wands out and a thousand curses on the tips of their tongues. But it was empty.

No one was there.

"What the hell," Tonks muttered. "Not that I'm complaining, but where are the legions of darkness? Shouldn't they be coming to wreak bloody vengeance upon our head or some crap like that?"

Severus couldn't stop his smirk. "I believe you'll find that the 'legions of darkness,' as you put it, are quite detained as they attempt to salvage burning bits of their master."

Her blue eyebrows rose and her mouth formed a goofy, disbelieving grin. "It worked? It actually bloody worked! You torched the Dark Lord?"

Remus and Severus exchanged a rather smug look, a look of camaraderie—Severus blamed it on the Felix Felicis. Surely it wasn't because he was actually learning to tolerate the wolf.

Tonks looked as if she wanted to ask more, but they rounded another corner and her attention was focused on the Death Eaters—five of them, actually—who immediately attacked upon sight. Severus could immediately tell by their nondescript white masks that they were lower level servants, hardly cannon fodder; certainly no match for trained Order members with a vial of Felix Felicis each. Pity for them, Severus thought rather viciously, attacking with out a second though. He let loose a wandless slashing hex that caught one of the robed figures in the throat with a bloody arch, causing the man to crash to his knees and gurgle for a few moments before lying still. They would be pulling no punches now—anyone that came near them would be dealt a killing blow. Any Death Eaters left alive out of mercy might end up coming back to kill them.

Remus had already gotten another of them with the freezing hex that had served so well against the Russian Tar Spiders, and was well onto his next opponent before the first one shattered into a million bloody ice crystals. While some would believe such brutality was against the man's 'gentle' nature, Severus had seen what the werewolf could do on the battlefields of the first war. In these situations, Remus was ruthless—one of the reasons he was chosen.

Now that they outnumbered the Death Eater's Severus hung back, content to hold Draco's still body while letting the others dispatch the remaining three, which didn't take long at all. Luck truly was on their side, it seemed.

Weasley, in a clever bit of transfiguration, changed the four dead bodies into dead spiders that would lie unnoticed on the stone floor. Tonks waved her wand and muttered, "Tergeo,"4 effectively removing all of the blood from the hallway, and leaving behind no trace of the fight that had just occurred. Once again, Severus commended himself on his choice of 'companions' for this little heist. Even William had his redeemable qualities.

Of course, Weasley then turned around and winked, reminded Severus of exactly why he was the most infuriating man known to Wizardry.

They continued down the hallway, and Severus felt a surge of excitement when he saw the entrance to the stairs which lead down to the lower level they'd came in through. The stairway seemed to be entirely deserted, and while the clamor of Death Eaters on the floors above them was audible, the sounds were not getting any closer. Hopefully things would stay that way, and they wouldn't have to fight their way out. They were almost out, Draco was still alive, they were all still alive, and he was beginning to think that the Felicis Felix was the best idea he'd ever had.

"Great," Tonks muttered, shattering his momentary (and highly uncharacteristic) goodwill. "Lethifolds, here we come. Again."

"Lethifolds are the least of dangers that we could be facing," Weasley remarked. "This is turning out to be far easier than I imagined."

Bill froze as he found himself on the receiving end of three incredulous stares. "What?"

"Are you familiar with the concept of a 'jinx'?" Remus remarked mildly, an eyebrow rising.

"Jinx, sminx… lets just get the hell out of here," Bill grumbled, beginning the group's descent down the stairway. In a moment, the red-head's playfulness was gone, replaced swiftly by a keen alertness and grace as he led the group down the staircase. He waved his wand to-and-fro while muttering lowly, intent on catching any traps so that the potential disaster with Tonks didn't repeat itself. Severus followed, with Tonks and Remus close behind him. The hallway was just as dark and dank as before, the Lethifolds billowing black robes that somehow seemed darker than the darkness in the unlit hallway. As they finished their descent and reached the bottom floor, they once again began to form the same line they had before when they realized that they hadn't counted on something—Draco.

He was lying limp and bloody in Severus' arms' still a child by Wizarding standards, and the Lethifolds began stir excitedly at the smell of an injured adolescent. As the horde of cloaks began to descend on them, Tonks cursed creatively and Bill whispered, "Damn, but we really didn't think this part through."

Thinking quickly, Remus summoned his Patronus charm and Tonks and Bill followed suit. But the Patronus charm was one of the few spells that Severus had never been truly adept at so he concentrated frantically on wandlessly constructing a powerful shield that would cover both himself and Draco. He couldn't even think about helping the others at the moment—if they couldn't protect themselves from a few Lethifolds, then he would not be able to step in on their behalves.

Severus didn't even notice Bill telling him to run until the red-head latched onto his arm and began to pull him along, three corporeal Patronus' rushing along side them to fend off the Lethifolds. The next few minutes were some of the longest of Severus' life. He was still drained from the magic he'd shared with Bill and his shield collapsed about halfway through the Lethifolds, leaving himself and Draco completely unprotected. Suddenly, the full crushing weight of Dark Creatures and the difficulty of breathing made itself known—but Weasley's hand stayed clamped around his arm, pulling him along past the danger. The man's Patronus, a large Sphinx, seemed to grow until it was a mass of white light that lit the hallway and the creatures reeled away in agony as it protected not only Bill, but Severus and Draco as well. And for a few moments, Severus knew what it felt like to have someone care about his wellbeing as much as their own for the first time in his life.

Then it was over, and everyone was gasping for breathe but unwilling to stop running until the exit was in sight, a nearly indiscernible patch of dim light in the darkness and they all clambered for it even though the Lethifolds were far behind them. Something was telling them to run, run for their lives and when they finally flung the door open and stepped out onto the grass, they found out why. The bottom level of Malfoy Manor, the floor they'd just exited, was suddenly lit with a scorching Fiendfyre that would have no doubt killed them all had they been a second slower. And as they gasped for breath, trying to find the energy to get back up and run for the forest, Remus (who was nearly completely recovered, the bastard) managed a, "That luck potion's one hell of an invention."

Severus, in the middle of checking Draco's weak vitals, smirked tiredly at the backhanded comment. Had the potion not urged them, not fabricated a sense of urgency when there shouldn't have been one, they would have all been burned.

Then they continued on to the forest, knowing that the Death Eaters were not far behind. When they got to the first tree, they all began to exchange each other confused and slightly incredulous looks—it was hard to believe that they'd all gotten out alive with the mission fulfilled, even as they stood in front of each other. Even on missions that weren't this risky often ended with a life lost more often than not. And Severus, for a moment, thought that he might have stumbled onto a combination of people—a team—that was unbeatable. Then he rolled his eyes, cursing the euphoric effects of the Felix Felicis. They weren't out of danger yet.

They were traveling through the forest at a slightly more sedate pace, still striving to get to the point where they could Apparate but everyone was worn down, tired and aching and longing to get back to Headquarters. Severus was perhaps more tired than them all, but he could feel a well of endless energy within himself every time he took a glance at the boy in his arms. This had been all done for Draco, but he hadn't honestly expected to find his godson remotely coherent or even alive. Even though he'd known the Dark Lord seemed to believe Draco had something he wanted, Severus knew better than anyone how temperamental the bastard could be, how he could go from seeing Draco as a valued possession to someone to rape and torture and kill. That had been his greatest fear, finding his godson cold and dead in some room, completely ravaged by the Dark Lord's lust and rage. And while Draco was badly hurt, he knew who he was, knew who Severus was, and had enough energy to curse in a way that was most unbecoming of a pure blood heir. And it made Severus was to scream out his relief to the stars.

Not that Draco hadn't gone through a terrible ordeal and wouldn't be changed because of it. But now, at least, Severus had the opportunity to help his godson survive what had been done to him. He could help Draco live past this. Even though he knew that he should be focused purely on getting out of danger, he couldn't help but glance down at Draco's face and try to gauge the boy's state—both mental and physical.

What he saw made him suppress a chuckle. Pale, weak, and bloodied, Draco's face somehow reflected a deep stubbornness, a refusal to give up. And suddenly, Severus knew everything was going to be alright.

Then Weasley interrupted what had to be one of the most affectionate moments in Severus' life. "So, how's he doing?"

Severus picked up his pace, hoping that the man would get the message but Weasley merely kept up with him, long legs doing all the work.

"He's alive," Severus finally snapped out curtly.

"Well, I figured as much," the man said with an eye roll. "I meant, do you think he's going to be okay? Not just physically, but mentally?"

Severus shrugged, not willing to give voice to his uncertainties and fears—especially not to Weasley.

The red-head didn't seem to take offense to his silence. He smiled a bit sadly at Severus, patting at his shoulder for a moment too long to be merely reassuring before speaking again. "I think everything will be alright. If anyone can help him, you can." Then the man was too far behind him for Severus to reply, guarding Severus and Draco from behind.

What in the hell?

Was Weasley… coming on to him?

Severus' obsidian eyes widened and his glamour wavered slightly before he got a hold of himself, mentally scolding himself for his own foolishness. Of course Weasley wasn't interested in him, who would be? The man was just extraordinarily common, hanging off of and touching everyone like some kind of gangly fool. He meant Severus no special attention. Which he was eternally grateful for, he wasn't looking for a lovesick fool to follow him around. Severus relentlessly squashed down the small tendril of disappointment so quickly he was able to deceive himself into thinking that he hadn't felt it.

They were silent for a long while, the forest yielding no dangers to them. A small chimera had attempted to attack them a while back, but upon seeing Remus, merely snarled and backed away. Tonks had raised her eyebrows, teasing Remus with a tacky 'alpha male' comment while the werewolf merely looked confused and slightly embarrassed.

And then they were out of the forest, the moon shining down on them once again now that it was no longer hidden by the canopies of large trees. Severus could immediately tell the difference in the magic, the shield that had kept them from Apparating or Portkeying dissipating as they cleared the last tree. Knowing that they were finally out, nearly safe, caused Severus to feel weak with relief until he realized that it wasn't just relief that was making him feel weak. His knees buckled and he would have fallen had Remus and Bill not been there, Remus to take Draco out of his arms so that boy wouldn't be harmed (which Severus snarled at him quite irrationally for) and Bill to steady Severus. However, when it became clear that Severus wasn't going to be able to walk on his own, it was quickly agreed that they would use their emergency Portkeys—not exactly ideal, but it wasn't as if Severus could Apparate them all again without splinching being involved.

Severus grudging gave Remus Draco's Portkey, hating that the man was touching his godson but accepting that he was too weak to do so. Especially if he was allowing bloody Weasley to hold him up.

The sounds of Death Eaters in the forest behind them were heard and they couldn't help but exchange a few smirks. They were too late to stop them now, far too late. And, with a flash of five Portkeys activating, they were gone.

When they appeared at Grimmauld Place, completely exhausted, filthy and triumphant, they were met by a relieved Potter and Black. Severus was only able to demand that Draco be checked over at once before succumbing to the draw of unconsciousness, unworried for the longest time.

If he only knew what the Dark Lord had planed, he may not have been able to drop off so easily.

xXxXxXx

It was not impossible. Improbably, certainly. But not impossible.

A Dark Lord, a mage of unimaginable Dark forces, a master of Forces that most feared to speak of, an immortal whose name was dreaded more than any curse, a being even as great and powerful as himself… could fall privy to a slight lapse in judgment. A true rarity, but it was possible. And one of Harry's greatness talents was to privately admit his mistakes and make sure they could never be repeated.

And he did admit.

He lost his temper, a regretful lack of self-control. As a consequence, he nearly lost the most powerful weapon he'd ever had the fortune of laying hands on… which would be more than regrettable. In many ways, he had those fools from the Order to thank for the fact that the key to winning his war still existed. If they hadn't taken the boy away when they did, he might have died in the Dark Lord's hands.

And that just wouldn't have done. Harry would have regretted that action more than he'd regretted anything else in his existence.

Except, perhaps, the fact that he hadn't killed Lily Potter while that retched child was still in her womb.

But those were thoughts for another day.

Yes, he did owe Severus, the traitor, compensation for his rescue of Draco. Because of him, his little weapon was breathing somewhere, ready for when Harry needed him. Kept safe from harm in a secure location… well, he couldn't have planned it better himself. Thin, serpentine lips curled up in an absurd mockery of a smile. Yes, he would find a way to… thank Severus for his services rendered.

TBC

(1) Absentis per ut quod redimio—Latin for 'Away with that which binds'

(2) Forvise muren—Norwegian for 'Banish the wall'

(3) Revelar a riqueza—Portuguese for 'Reveal the treasure'