The Shattering of Souls

hopefully, by now, every one knows that the majority of the people, places, and things found within this text are not mine. i am merely borrowing them, no matter what any one says. including that psycho monkey. i swear the git is trying to get me in trouble! a few of the characters are mine. nearly everything else belongs to j.k. rowling, the harry potter goddess extrodinaire! i will return everyone to their proper places when i\'m through with them. i swear i will..... no really, i do. i\'ll even swear on this stack of bi....erm, chocolate frogs.... what was i saying?

the nasty stuff should be starting up in this chapter. i will warn you that there will be some depictions of rape and abuse, perhaps mild torture. if any of this offends you in any way, and i do mean *any,* please do not continue on! i will not be held responsible for your over active imagination working over time. i have enough to deal with in my own....

as always, please let me know what you think of my endeavor. no flaming, or i will use it to roast your ass. then i\'ll let my dragon have a go. he really likes extra crispy!

Chapter Three: That Which Cannot Be Broken Is Lost
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\' I am as upset by this as you, Harry. But even if we did know where she was being kept, there\'s no one left to go in and get her,\' Albus sighed, sitting in his chair once more. He was too old for this. \'All of our people are stretched thin as it is. There is simply no one left to.....\'

\'Headmaster, I must..... Damn! I\'m sorry. I didn\'t know you were busy. I will come back at another time.\' Harry looked to the door, then turned to Dumbledore, a smile stretching his lips. The gleam in his eye was now one of calculation.

\'Why not him?\' the green-eyed yound man gestured to the figure in the door. \'He isn\'t doing anything that would prevent him from getting her back!\'

Dumbledore looked as startled as the other two people in the room. He gave the man in his office doorway a thorough once over. He would be the perfect candidate for the mission. But there were certain drawbacks to Harry\'s suggestion. The man in question, to begin with. He looked back to Harry, seeing the undying hope the boy was known for possessing. Even when things had gotten bad, Harry had never given up the thought, the burning need he held and believed, that he would see things finished.

\'Come in, come in,\' Albus motioned to the figure in his door. He watched as his unannounced visitor came into the room and took a seat in the other chair. Dumbledore hid the grin that threatened to spread his lips, despite the grave seriousness of the topic they were discussing. It was comical to see Severus Snape take his seat in so stiff a manner, his black gaze regarding Harry Potter in the same manner as always. The pasty looking Professor was giving Potter one of him most menacing glances, one that was known to strike terror in a student\'s heart in only a few seconds.

Harry was blatantly ignoring the man.

\'What have I walked into?\' Snape demanded, his tone glacial as he continued glaring hatefully at his former student.

\'Harry was just making a suggestion. Perhaps, now that I think on it, it\'s not so far-fetched that it wouldn\'t work,\' the twinkle in those blue eyes was back. He shifted his attention to the green-eyed teen in the other chair. \'Go ahead and ask Professor Snape, Harry.\'

\'My bodyguard has been taken captive by Malfoy and his party. I would like you to go after her and bring her back,\' Harry told him, finally looking to his former Professor. Snape stared, unblinking, for several moments before he let out a bark of laughter.

\'Me? Why ever for?\'

\'You\'re the only member of the Order not currently assigned to some other task,\' Harry supplied, ignoring the other man\'s behavior. This sobered Snape, any expression on his face wiped off by the statement.

\'Perhaps that is because I am dead,\' he replied, sneering out the last word with as much venom as he could manage. Had his words been acid, the boy across from him would now be melting away from the poison of them. Albus sighed. Severus had never forgiven the Order for that little trick. Read, Severus had never forgiven him, as he was the one that had agreed to and set up the entire thing. He couldn\'t imagine how Severus felt about it.

\' It makes you the perfect candidate for the task,\' Potter insisted. He kept eye contact with Snape, intent on making the other man see reason. He knew it wouldn\'t be easy, by any stretch of the imagination.

\'What if I don\'t want to accept this gracious offer of yours?\' the Potions Master hissed at his fromer student. He had already decided he would say no. There was no way he would go prancing about Europe on one of Potter\'s hairbrained whims. He was content to stay in his dungeons, away from everyone. Not a soul bothered him down there. And it was of no importance to him if he didn\'t see daylight. The sun was vastly overrated, anyway.

\'The Death Eaters have her, sir. They\'ll do unspeakable things to her if we don\'t.....\' Harry\'s voice trailed off as he noticed that Snape was laughing silently, his shoulders shaking beneath the complete black of his robes. \' I don\'t see what\'s so funny about all this. It\'s a perfectly horrible situation.\'

\'Of all the people present, you should know by now that I would be the first one to understand what type of situation your guard has gotten herself into. You should also know that I would understand better what kind of torture Malfoy will inflict upon the girl,\' Severus replied smoothly, his shoulders still shaking with laughter. For some reason he couldn\'t come up with, he found the entire situation funny. \' It would be better off to leave her to her death.\'

\' I am not abandoning her!\' the three Wizards were surprised by Izzy\'s sudden outburst. She had been silent for so long, they had forgotten her presence in the room. At Snape\'s words, she marched forward. She positioned herself between the chairs he and Potter occupied. Her face was tight with anger, her fists clenched at her sides. Her gaze went from one man to the next, staring at each of them pointedly. \'You may be able to live with being a callous bastard. With letting innocent people die! I will not. I will not allow you to leave her. Not if you can do something about it.\'

\' It is not my place. Nor do I wish to do anything about it. Let her die in what ever hell hole they place her in. I can promise you it will be in her best interests. I know what Malfoy will do to her. She could perhaps live with those memories. But will she be able to live through the scars that Bellatrix Lestrange leaves with her?\' he glared hard at Izzy.

\'She\'s my best friend. I\'ll not leave her to that torture. I won\'t!\' Izzy spat at him.

\'And you\'ll be able to end her pain for her, should she come back battered and beaten. Scarred both mentally and physically. Because that is what will happen. Malfoy will abuse her with his fists and his words. He\'ll rape her body and mind. Bella will merely torture her. For the sake of something fun to do.\'

\' I\'ll do what ever I have to,\' Izzy declared, her icy stare now centered entirely on the Potions Master as he looked up at her in what could only be called a smug manner.

\'Then you are as big a fool as Potter. The two of you would likely get yourselves killed. I can\'t say that I\'d mourn either of your deaths, should that come to pass. Oh, do let them go, Albus. I should be filled with joy at the death of Potter and this gung ho body guard,\' Snape gave his attention to the Headmaster, something obscenely passing for hope shining in his eyes.

\'You know I cannot do that, Severus,\' Albus sighed. He watched as Snape got what appeared to be a crest-fallen look on his face. Though this was the first hint of emotion he\'d seen Severus show since he\'d been \"killed,\" there was something completely inappropriate about it. \'We\'re awaiting your answer, my boy.\'

Severus sneered at the term of endearment that Dumbledore used with him, then turned to look at Potter and the other body guard. \'You will have to find someone else to undertake this idiotic notion of yours, Potter. I will not be a party of it. As I am dead, there is nothing I can do. Nor is there anyway you can make me do it. I am, at the very least, being realistic in the fact that I know what\'s best in this situation. I will not go. You should get yourselves used to the idea that this woman is already as good as dead and leave it at that.\'

\'Then you\'d best become a touch more unrealistic and get off your arse. You will be going after her. You\'re the only one who can,\' Izzy told him. She leaned down, placing her hands on the arm of his chair to stare him straight in the face. The man was loathsome and an utter coward in her opinion, and nothing would change that. Not even if he did go find Bri and bring her back. The man was a toad that she would like nothing more than to curse.

\'Then I believe you are in a bit of a spot, aren\'t you? I told you already. I\'m not going off on this suicide mission of yours,\' he snarled, arms crossing over his chest once more. He let his eyes show his total lack of feeling in the matter. He didn\'t care one whit if the girl lived or died. It wasn\'t his concern. He only wished to be left alone.

\' I know a thing or two, Professor,\' Izzy spat his title at him with as much venom as she could muster. Given that she hated the git, she managed quite a bit. He merely looked at her, unimpressed with her announcement. \' If you do not go willingly, I will force you. I will risk imprisonment by using Imperious on you. I personally will see to it that you go and find her.\'

\'Really? Try me. You\'ll find I\'m not so easy to control,\' he returned, his voice now low and soft. Deadly. Izzy was too angry to hear the warning in his tone. Before she could say more, however, Harry jumped into the conversation once more.

\'You owe this to me, Professor,\' the young man in the other chair said with a great deal of conviction. Snape let his gaze move from the enraged bodyguard to Potter\'s pale face. He said nothing, but gave a look of very faint interest that had Harry going on with his sentence. \'You owe this to me and my family. If not for you, Sirius wouldn\'t be dead. If you had tried harder, he\'d still be....\'

\'I\'ve had bloody enough from you about Black!\' Snape bit out in a very precise, very controlled tone of voice. He was soon to lose his temper, then the lot of them would be in serious trouble. He would have no trouble in cursing all three of them. He\'d get up and walk out the door without a backward glance.

\'Why? Because you know I\'m right, don\'t you? It is your fault!\' Harry threw himself from his chair, nearly screaming the words out in his rage. He still hadn\'t come to full terms with his godfather\'s death. He still could do nothing but blame his former teacher for Sirius\' demise.

\'Black took his life into his own hands! I warned Albus about your foolish plans. It was all I could do. Be glad you didn\'t die that day, as well! Voldemort would have seen it done, had *I* not gotten to Dumbledore and told him the situation! I\'ve bloody well done enough for you, Potter. Now leave me alone,\' Severus spoke each word with carefully controlled rage lining them. He was not going to give into theatrics, go into a fit, and allow himself to be badgered into anything.

\' If you can\'t do it for either one of us,\' Harry gestured to himself and the woman standing between them. \'Perhaps you can do it for Bri.\'

\'Why should I do it for her?\' Snape glared at the boy, wondering what trick the Gryffindor prat had in mind now.

\'Because she saved your life once, Professor,\' Harry supplied, his voice now calm once again. When the Potions Master gave him a blank stare, telling Harry he had no clue what he was talking about, the Boy Who Lived smiled. \'When you were returning form Hogsmeade that night. When you were attacked and nearly killed. Do you remember that?\'

As a matter of fact, he did. It wasn\'t every day that a man was hit in the back with a curse meant to kill. He\'d been coming back from the small wizarding hamlet after making some purchases and speaking with a spy. He\'d felt something was off the entire time he\'d been walking, but had paid the warning no mind. Until it had been too late. As he had neared the gates of the school grounds, he\'d caught the rustle of robes, a low mumble made in a gravelly voice, then he\'d felt pain shoot up his spine.

He\'d gone stiff, had been falling to the ground when he\'d felt something pressed into his hand. Then there\'d been a soft woman\'s voice. He\'d never been able to remember what she\'d said. Had only known that it was a woman speaking. The pain had given way to the oblivion of unconsciousness. He\'d woken up in the Hospital Wing in mild agony and confusion. Poppy hadn\'t been able to tell him anything other than what had happened that she was aware of. He\'d been able to remember nothing of that night, but he\'d found a small charm pressed into his hand, and had kept it.

Coming back to the present with a narrowing of his eyes, Severus looked to Harry suspiciously. \'How do you know it was your guard, Potter? How do I know you\'re not making this up to do as you want of me?\'

\'Because I was with her when it happened. She didn\'t know, mind you. I was under the Invisibility cloak. But I was there. I saw it all. If nothing else, Professor, you owe her this. She saved your miserable, unworthy life. You owe her the same in kind,\' Potter told him smugly.

Severus sighed, muttering a curse or two or ten under his breath. He knew Potter was right. But that wasn\'t likely to put him in a better frame of mind. He disliked being coerced into doing anything. His sense of honor, twisted as it was, would not allow him to let a debt go unpaid. If this woman, this bodyguard of Potter\'s, had indeed saved him from death, it was the very least he could do for the woman in return.

\'Might I interject here that the longer we sit and debate this, the longer Malfoy has to begin his abuse and torture?\' Dumbledore put in, his voice quiet in the silence of the office. All three heads turned to look at him as if they\'d forgotten he was there. Izzy and Harry showed surprise, as if they hadn\'t thought about the time they\'d been arguing with the other man. Snape looked mildly amused, but there was an underlaying current of disgust there. He knew well enough what would be happening. It was enough to give Albus hope that the man would offer his assistance.

\'True. The longer we debate, the further away Malfoy can get,\' Severus agreed, then heaved another sigh. \'Did Lucius by chance call out his destination when they left, Potter?\'

\'No, sir,\' the boy blinked.\' I didn\'t hear them say anything. They hit her with some curses, then she went down. One of the Death Eaters picked her up and carried her out of the room.\'

\'How long ago was this?\'

\'No more than two hours, sir,\' the boy returned.

\'Shite,\' Snape cursed softly. He looked up into the piercing green eyes of Harry Potter. He saw the hope srping to life in them, before he even uttered a words. \'Malfoy could be anywhere in the world. It\'s going to take time to find her. And, since I\'m dead, I\'m going to have to send out my network of spies once more. I can\'t guarantee when we\'ll find her. If we even do find her.\'

\'Thank you, Professor,\' Harry returned automatically, a ghost of his usual smile breaking over his face.

\'Don\'t thank me yet, Potter. I want you to understand what she\'s up against. Malfoy will do all in his power to break her. To make her give him the information he wants. When she does that, he\'ll simply kill her or leave her to die a slow, painful death. Bellatrix will not be so discriminate. She will take every opportunity she can to hurt the girl,\' Severus made sure to use his most business like tone. He didn\'t want to think too long on what either one of the twisted Death Eaters would do to a singular woman. No matter what she could do to defend herself. \' If we find her, and I do mean if, there\'s no guarantee that she will come back in the same state she was in when she was taken. I want you to know that ahead of time.\'

\' I understand, sir,\' Potter nodded. Severus had a sudden notion that the boy most likely did have a good understanding of the situation. He was also struck with the thought that Potter might perhaps be nothing like his father. He pushed that thought aside before it could cause more trouble and stood.

\' If I am to be of any help, to get anything done, I must get started immediately. I can only hope that there is a god somewhere who will smile upon us and grant us good fortune. If not.....\' his voice trailed off as he stepped for the door. \'All I can say is I hope that this Bri person can withstand. If not, then we\'re all in deep trouble.\'

\' I\'ll leave you to it then, Severus,\' Albus nodded, watching the other man leave the room. The older wizard then turned his attention back to the remaining two people in his office. Izzy had a grim, yet determined look on her face. Harry was smiling, his triumph eveident in the gleam in his green eyes. \'You two are more trouble than you\'re worth. You know that, don\'t you?\'

\' She\'s my best friend, sir. Granted, it\'s a bad thing, given the job we\'re doing. But it\'s the truth. And I\'m not going to stand by and just let something happen if I can avoid it. I will see to it that Bri comes home. One way or another,\' Izzy stated. He nodded, then looked to Potter.

\' I owe her my life. Several times over, sir. I would do whatever I could to repay that debt,\' Harry replied, still feeling smug with himself.

\'You just might have to, Harry. Don\'t forget that,\' Albus informed him. The boy stared at him a moment or two, then nodded wordlessly. \'Now, for the time being, Harry needs a replacement guard. As you are not on assignment at present, the task falls to you, Izzy.\'

\'But, sir....\' she began, ready to protest the placement. She still felt responsible for the death of Percy Weasley, no matter what anyone told her. She felt that assigning Potter to her would be a guaranteed death sentence for the boy. She was only human, and she couldn\'t possibly keep an eye on him every second of the day.

Dumbledore raised a white eyebrow at her hesitation. She stared at him, waiting for him to realize the error of his announcement. He merely looked on, waiting for her to say something. Harry was the one who broke the silence. \'Whats the problem, Izzy? Don\'t want to take on the Boy Who Lived?\'

\' It\'s not..... I,\' she stammered, trying to come up with a good excuse. Nothing was forthcoming, so she opted for the absolute truth. She turned to Harry, looking him in the face as she spoke. \' I am the one who was assigned to guard Percy Weasley. I....\'

\'Percy stepped in front of Ron. There was no way you could have stopped him. You shouldn\'t blame yourself. It was hell in that field that day. It was a miracle that no more died than did. If I could have stopped it sooner, I would have,\' they both heard the regret in Harry\'s voice as he spoke.

\'Be that as it may, Harry still needs protection. You will do that, Izzy. When Bri comes back, she will have the option of taking up her old post. I want you two completely out of sight,\' Albus instructed.

\' I\'m going with Snape to fetch back Bri,\' Izzy insisted. Dumbledore shook his head, sending her his sternest look. She frowned at him, prepared to argue.

\'We do not know how long it will take him to find her. When he does, he will need to get in and out as quickly as possible. You cannot go with, because you will be watching over Harry. I want to have one less worry on my shoulders. Off with you two. And don\'t worry. Severus will do his very best. When he sets his mind to something, he applies all his abilities to it.\'

Harry turned toward the door, followed by Izzy. He was standing with his hand on the knob when he recalled something Bri had said to him, just before port keying him out of the villa. He turned back to the man behind him, waiting a moment before Dumbledore looked at him again. \'There is something else, Harry?\'

\'Something Bri said. I wondered if it might mean something to you. It means nothing to me,\' Herry returned.

\'What was it, Harry?\'

\'Just before the Death Eaters stormed the villa, she jumped up from the couch, rounded on me, and said \'traitor.\' Does it mean anything to you, sir?\'

\'Oh, yes. A great deal. Thank you, Harry. That will be all. I know we\'ll be in contact. Good luck, children,\' Albus sighed, then turned his attention to a pile of papers stacked upon the desk. Both saw the dismissal for what it was, and they left, stepping out of the office and onto the stairs in silence.

Albus lifted his head when the door closed behind them, looking to the portraits on the wall. All the former Headmasters and Headmistresses were staring back. This was not a good thing. Not at all. One of the old Headmasters got up out of his chair and marched over to the very edge of his picture, pressing his face against the glass. \'A traitor means bad business, Albus.\'

\'Yes, it does. My only concern is who? Who would want to see Harry and Bri dead that badly?\' the current Headmaster sighed, scrubbing his hands over his tired eyes.

\'Not a clue. But you\'ll figure it out. I\'m certain of it,\' another voice piped in. Dumbledore nodded absently, picking up his quill to finish some paperwork that was over two weeks late. Some days, it was hell to be the Headmaster.

~*~*~*~*~

Severus left the office to stalk to his dungeon quarters, uncertain as to how the Potter git had managed it. He was now commited to finding the boy\'s missing bodyguard and bringing her home. He sighed, sinking deep into thought. It would take him some time, he knew that. He would need to discover the location of the Death Eater\'s hide away. For that, he needed to employ his network of spies once again. He only hoped they would be as willing to stick their noses into things when they found out what they would be looking for.

He would be lucky if they could find where she\'d been taken. It would be a miracle if the girl was actually still alive. His biggest concern was the girl herself. What kind of mental state would she be in, if he found her and got her out? He knew first hand what both Malfoy and Bella were capable of. While Malfoy was cruel, he very rarely did anything without a hidden purpose. He made sure he gave only enough to get him what he wanted in return. He\'d been like that when they\'d been in school.

Lestrange, on the other hand, was completely unpredictable. The woman was mad, and it reflected in her dealings with others. She liked to find the one thing that she knew would help her break a soul. Then she exploited it. She was a true sadist, only looking for the pleasure she could find in someone else\'s agony. Potter\'s bodyguard wouldn\'t stand a chance against that kind of torture.

Muttering another curse, Severus stepped into his private rooms to write a quick note on parchment, then tie it to the leg of his raven. He only used the black bird when he was spying. He could only hope that his network was still in full operation. He hadn\'t used it in some time.

With a sigh, he watched the bird fly away. Dropping into one of his chairs, he picked up the small charm he\'d found on his person after his near death experience. He swore he could feel the silk of the rose\'s petals, while the body of the dragon felt warm to the touch. If they didn\'t find the rogue Death Eaters soon.....

Gods help them all......

end chapter three.
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my eternal thanks to madam shark, for her continued support, as well as kenly and red. they are my greatest muses, always willing to lend a hand when i need it. many thanks and lots of chocolate frogs to you, ladies. you guys mean bunches to me.

please let me know how you think i\'m doing. i see that this is being read. i know i haven\'t clicked on my own story three hundred times, so someone else has got the looking at it. please, all i\'m asking for here is a little review.... not much. and no flames. my barbeque is broken, and the dragon is still a touch under the weather.

the gritty stuff will happen in the next chapter. promise!