A Pale Shadow

As the sun rose of the Island, Harry stood in the cold darkness of the underbelly of the prison, his wand raised as light seemed to surround him in an intensity that caused all to look away. Suddenly the light fell away from him and quickly spread across the floor and walls of the prison. Echoing of screams slowly died out as Harry looked blankly around him, startled by the magic he had just preformed. As the world slowly came into focus, Harry fell to his knees in the blood pooled on the floor and let out a pained scream of his own.

Lifting a still body in his arms, Harry rocked back and forth as tears spilled down his face and the horror of what had happened was finally sinking into him. They had fought hard to get to the room where Fudge had kept his \'special prisoners\' but none of them had been prepared for what they would find upon opening the door.

Neville was the first that they had found, he was a ghost of the boy that Harry had known, his skin stretched tight across his skeleton. His face, pale and guant had instantly broke into a smile causing his lower lip to start bleeding as he gasped out, \"Harry...is it...you are really here?\" The boy broke into tears as he sobbed, \"I knew you would come.\"

Harry had felt a sickening plunge in his stomach as he pulled Neville into his arms and gently led him away from his cell. He handed the over emotional lad to Ginny and continued into the room. He was sure that he should have paid attention to the stickness of the floor but he had just told himself it was that they just hadn\'t cleaned in here. It wasn\'t till he found Cho that he was forced to admit that maybe he was wrong about that. Most of her hair was buzzed and what wasn\'t no longer existed because of the massive burn to the left side of her head. Harry had nearly lost it as he noted that the burn went down to her neck and stopping just above her left breast, which had been removed. Her right arm had been skinned and he could see the muscle, he knew that it had to be magic that kept her in what only could be a nightmare. Tears began to burn in his eyes as he looked at her and touched the right side of her face, \"I am sorry Cho, I let you down.\"

A dark eye opened and she smiled the best she could before a pleading look took over her expression. Harry nodded and placed her into a healing sleep, not sure if the girl he had once had a crush on would ever wake from. A part of him hoped not as he was sure that what he was seeing was only the surface of the torture she must have been forced to endure. Leaning down he kissed her forehead softly, \"Don\'t worry they will pay for all that they did to you, I promise that justice will be done.\"

Moving on the condition of those in the room slowly began to get worse and Harry could feel the curses that had been used on those that had been sent here. Anger took over as he stopped at another table, it was too much to take in as he reached out and touched the cold hand that was peeking out of the soiled blanket. It was then that the light had surrounded him, it was then that the begining of revenge began and all that still stood in the wake of his magic could only look at him with awe. Harry looked up at Draco still rocking and holding the dead body, \"Why...I don\'t understand?\"

Draco knelt down as well before he looked to the one that he held, \"I don\'t know why men become monsters or why life is valued so little by those that should know better Harry. I am sorry i know you didn\'t expect to find this.\"

Harry touched the face that was brusied badly and cut in several places before hissing, \"He wanted to know what they would do to a person, Fudge used unforgivables because he never thought he would be caught.\"

\"Well well it would seem that my tormentor has finally come to understand what this is all about.\" A sinfull but scratch voice said from the shadows and Harry gasped as he looked over to see black eyes glittering and a cruel smirk on bloodless thin lips.

A/N: Thanks to all that have taken the time to review on the story, sorry that it has been a long time but this chapter has been well really hard to write. In the next chapter you will learn just who it was that Harry was holding and what happened. Sorry it was so short and I will try to flush it out more when it isn\'t two in the morning, i promise.