Only You Can Set Me Free

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 22

Escape the Darkness



Harry bared his slowly extending fangs at the snake man, his emerald eyes beginning to illuminate, unnoticed by the tall dark man, who was showing special interest in Draco. The blond struggled lamely against his captor, his energy depleted after trying to dislodge Bellatrix from her painful grip.



“Befitting actions of a cowardly Malfoy, just like your father. You do not deserve to be pure bloods, filth.”



Draco stared up at the man in hatred and defiance. His silver eyes shined with grim pleasure.



“In case you have not heard, I am no longer a Malfoy, and I am nothing like my father. You are the coward,” Malfoy jerked forward, trying to grab for Voldemort. The latter smiled snidely as Bellatrix tightened her hold on his neck, causing him to choke back a snarl.



Harry growled, completely ignored by everyone, even the man holding him, his tail slowly extended from his backside. His nails grew as did his fangs. Harry snarled, the man that held him finally realized he was no longer holding an ordinary wizard as he felt the boys’ tail against his leg.



Voldemort, finally turning his attention from Draco, was slightly caught off guard by the sight of the snarling and straining youth. He had held the phoenix loosely now, it took the opportunity to break loose. Voldemort did not seem to notice.



Luna, having been calm under the circumstances, looked at Harry, curiosity illuminating her blue eyes. Her captor released her in shock, stepping back slightly. Bellatrix kept a firm, yet shaky, hold on her nephew.



“What is this?” The demented woman screamed, moving the wand from Draco’s neck and pointing it at the hardly restrained dog boy.



Voldemort looked at the boy in confusion, then, remembering his position, drew his wand, pointing it between Harry’s glowing eyes.



“I don’t know what this is, but it won’t matter soon, for you shall die Potter.”



Draco lunged forward again, only to be grabbed by the hair and tossed roughly to the floor. That was the last thing Harry allowed before he broke free of the large death eater holding him, moving with deft speed on all fours. He dropped the sac containing the little bird none too gently on the floor. He pounced past an outraged Voldemort, his claws outstretched as he whipped past him. His long claws scratched the side of the snake mans’ face, drawing four thin trails of blood on his pale visage.



With a hiss, the man grabbed for the boy, but missed by inches. Harry was too far gone into dog mode to even consider any repercussions for his actions. All he saw was the dark woman that attacked his mate.



With a savage snarl, he ran and jumped onto the screaming woman, who sent a killing curse at him, missing by mere millimeters. The blast hit Harry’s captor, Goyle, straight in the chest. His eyes flew skyward and he collapsed back onto the hard, dirty floor.



Bellatrix screamed in rage and horror, trying to fend off the boy as he scratched her face and bit at her face and anything else he could get his claws and fangs on.



Voldemort rushed forward, eyes blazing hell fire, wand pointed at Harry’s back.



Draco, who had rolled away from the struggling pair on the ground, saw the mans’ motions and flew at him, tackling his tall frame and knocking him sideways. Luna rushed forward, pulling her wand from her pocket and staring up as Fawkes flew over her head. She trained her wand on the fallen man, who was wrestling with the blond on the floor, each fighting for dominance of a single wand.



It was Voldemort’s.



Luna tried to point at the taller man, but could not fire for fear of hitting the struggling boy.



Bellatrix’s screams reverberated through the small shack, her face was nothing but blood and gore as she thrashed wildly beneath the boy.



Voldemort gained control of the blond after delivering a harsh blow to said boy’s nose. Luna cried out in horror as the man floated into thin air, becoming a dark mist that floated over the wild Harry.



“Harry!” Luna cried out, but before he could respond, the mist became solid and fell beside him, Harry turned from the wailing woman a split second too late.



“CRUCIO!!”



Harry was racked with a horrible and tremendous pain, his scar seemed to burst open, his eyes shut tightly as his body convulsed.



Luna rushed forward, as did the red phoenix, the creature shrieking as it flew at the man. Voldemort waved his hand at the bird and it flew into a nearby wall with a sickening crunch. Gasping, the blond girl rushed at the man, knowing no spell that would affect him; she decided to use brute force instead of magic. Jumping at the man, she plunged the wand into his left eye. With a howl of rage, he gripped his face; his screams were terrifyingly blood curdling.



With a violent swipe of his wand, he struck the Ravenclaw girl across the face, sending her flying back and crashing into a small table. Meanwhile, Harry had fallen, panting on the floor. His dog powers began to ebb, causing his tail and fangs to recede. He struggled to stand, to rush to his fallen pack mates, but could not gather enough strength to get onto his feet. He fell onto his side, looking over at Draco, who slowly and painfully got to his feet. Then to Luna, who still had not emerged from the wreckage of the table.



Voldemort hissed angrily, calling for his beloved Nagini in parseltongue.



‘We must retreat!’ The snake emerged from a doorway, too preoccupied with devouring hippogriff eggs to be bothered by the commotion. Seeing her master writing in pain, she hissed and reared, her long fangs bared threateningly, ready to strike out at anyone who neared the snake man. She slithered forward and climbed Voldemort’s body, sensing the urgency his voice held.



Voldemort quickly bent over, hand covering his ruined eye, and grabbed the pitiful form of Bellatrix then disappeared into thin air.



Harry screamed at the spot the dark man was just standing, using his back legs to push himself up. He looked from his mate, to Luna, to the dead death eater, lastly to the twitching phoenix as it lay on the ground. He cried out, a sound that, surprisingly, sounded very much like a howl. Draco limped over to him, pulling Harry up and turning to check on Luna, who began to stir from the pile of broken wood. Somewhere in the shack came the calls and screams from the chained boy. Amidst the fight, they could not hear his screams.



Draco nodded for Harry to go to Cedric’s aide. The blond boy pulled the Ravenclaw up, making sure there was not much harm. She smiled, thanking him and wiping blood from her forehead.



“Quite an adventure so far, don’t you think?”



Draco’s eyes widened, then he smiled stiffly, turning to see if Fawkes and Helios were alright.



Harry rushed into a small, dimly lit room. He sniffed softly, then allowed his eyes to adjust, he saw the struggling boy on the bed.



“Who’s there?” Cedric twisted wildly, not being able to see much but a lone form near the doorway. His room was dark by magic, another punishment for his insolence and lack of cooperation.



“Cedric… It’s me, Harry.”



The naked boy became still, squinting into the darkness, trying to determine if the intruder was really who he said he was.



“How did I help you in the Triwizard tournament?”



Harry snickered at the boys’ attitude.



“You told me to put the egg we took from the dragons under water in the prefects’ bathroom.”



“Harry!” Cedric grinned widely, now knowing for certain that the person in the room was none other than Harry Potter.



Harry rushed forward, wand pointed at the cuffs that held the tall boy to the filthy, bloodied bed. He cringed at the sight of the beaten boy, his naked body marred by endless bruises and scars.



“Alohomora!”



The chains binding the boy fell away, disappearing behind the headboard with a soft thud.



Cedric sat up weakly, rubbing his raw wrists softly.



“Sorry it took so long Cedric,” Harry said, smiling slightly and rubbing the back of his head, causing his long unruly hair to look even more windswept.



Cedric looked the boy over in awe.



“How did you..?”



“I’ll explain it later.”



“You know, you just saved my life…”



“Yeah… I guess I did-...”



Cedric threw himself forward, hugging Harry with what little strength he had. Harry looked around a bit uncomfortably, as much as anyone would with a naked boy hanging onto them for dear life.



Someone clearing their throat caught their attention, the boy on the bed released Harry, looking into the doorway.



“It’s ok, they’re friends.”



Cedric relaxed, climbing off of the bed he despised for the last 2 and a half years.



Draco cast a spell Harry did not recognize and the light in the room flicked on. Luna walked in after the boy, carrying the large bird in her arms and the smaller one in the sack across her back.



Harry looked at his small pack, noting that they only sustained minor injuries compared to how badly they could have been hurt at the dark mans’ hands. He sighed inwardly in relief, pocketing his wand, simultaneously making sure both the locket and ring were inside.



‘Strange, that he did not feel the presence of the containers of parts of his soul.’



“Oh my, I have never seen one up close before,” Luna thought out loud, staring at the naked boy before her.



Cedric looked down, horrified by that part of his body that attracted the girls’ interest.



“Well, I really don’t want to see it. Pack it up there Diggory.” Draco remarked with, what Harry amusedly thought, a hint of jealousy.



“I ain’t exactly running a clothing store here Malfoy,” Cedric bit back, turning from Luna’s wandering eyes.



Harry snickered.



“Accio luggage.”



Luna’s bag hovered to Harry from the main room. He caught it and rummaged through, bringing out some of his clothes, tossing them to the other boy.



Cedric smiled appreciatively, quickly climbing into the pants and large shirt. Luna smiled at the boy as he turned, causing his cheeks to become a light pink.



“Ok already, we got the guy, what do we do now? Voldemort is on the run, probably gathering forces as we speak.” Draco looked from Harry to the others, expecting a quick answer. He had to wait a bit, though, for none of the others seemed to have a plan.



“I don’t really feel like seeing that bastard too soon,” Cedric said, looking at Harry imploringly.



Harry looked at the thin boy, another pack mate, if the boy chose to stay with them, anyway. He decided he would tell him later, now, they all needed to regroup and recuperate.



“Will you join us in our fight Cedric? I can’t make you, but it would be a hell of a good deal of help.”



Cedric looked at the boy who rescued him from his tormentors. How? He did not know, but he knew he owed this boy a great deal. He nodded solemnly, golden brown eyes determined.



Shouldering the large bag, he looked around at the beaten and weary group. He wondered how they would fare against Voldemort, now that the man was full of rage and agony. He felt his scar burn slightly and dropped his head; he shook it to clear the headache he felt coming on. His green eyes hidden behind a curtain of ebony hair, he finally raised them to the others, who stood looking at him expectantly.



“Right, here's the plan.”



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TBC