So damn hard to write this part. No wonder it took me three
chapters to get up the nerve to write the Death Eaters meet Vernon chapter.
Enough moaning …

Chapter 53 Shocks and
Misrepresentations

Shortly after Seamus arrived with the two Dursleys, all the
information was related regarding the attack.

The top psychiatrist in the ministry was a personal friend
of Albus Dumbledore. He was the same wizard who had lunch with Arthur Weasley
every Wednesday when Molly sent in her prize meatloaf and apple crumb pudding.
So, it was no surprise when the doctor was willing to go in with an added
selection of questions for an appointment with Petunia Dursley.

"Now Mrs. Dursley, I won’t take up too much of your
time," explained the doctor. She eyed him with distaste. He began on a
line of questions and they discussed Vernon and their son. This calmed her
nerves… in addition to the calming potion with which they had spiked her
tea. "We, here at the Ministry,
consider the care of children very important. It's imperative that we ensure
your is is in a safe environment."

After the questioning went on for a while the Ministry had
all the answers they needed. The doctor then began with a few of the questions
that were on his special list from Albus, adding several of his own as he went
along. When it was clear Mrs. Dursley was uncooperative, even blatantly lying,
they took a small break and had a second cup of tea. The doctor subtly checked
Petunia's eyes, confirming the mild truth serum had taken full effect. She wouldn't
notice anything amiss.

"Tell me a little about your nephew, Harry. What was he
like as a small child?"

"He ruined everything."

"How is that? Was he a difficult child? Did he cry a
lot?"

"No, he learned soon enough that crying didn't get him
anywhere." She continued to go on, explaining what Harry was like at
different stages during his very young years. Once that particular line of
questions was finished, it became clear to the doctor that what made Harry
difficult was his cousin's behavior. While praising their son but not Harry,
they had taught a young Dudley that poor behavior gained reward, while hard
work and keeping your mouth shut did little more than keeping the switch off
your backside.

"We needed Didums to know we loved him more. We
gave him more attention, more things; let a few incidents slide when he
misbehaved, praised him whenever possible. If I couldn't think of something to
praise, I could always demoralize Potter, and that would make my Didums feel
good about himself."

"And later, after Harry got his Hogwarts letter?"
coaxed the doctor."

She sighed. "The school years were quiet, just Vernon
and myself. I would do my best to be the happy housewife, and made sure to get
the post first, in case there was something that would upset him. Summers were
horrible. I couldn't wait to be rid of him. Then those horrible people came to
our home. It's over a year and I still can't get the lawn back to how it was
before."

"The Death Eaters?"

"Magical people!" She said in disgust.
"Wizards! They came and practically destroyed my home, fighting right in
my own yard! My poor Dudikins was so upset. Then they took 'him'. One of those
horrible men from the school, he came and dragged out the 'trash', and I never
had to set eyes on Potter again. Well, not until he had the nerve to come to
our home and speak to us the way he did. Threatening us with magic if we didn't
do what he wanted. Wards indeed! We said no, and just like he said it would, it
happened. They came and took my Vernon from me! She sobbed. It's HIS fault!!
Harry Potter is the one to blame. He should be dead, not my Vernon! She
screamed and collapsed on the floor.

A sedative and some food later (after the potions, the
muggle’s stomach would need a buffer) the questioning continued, this time with
a stronger does of truth serum. She could no longer distort the truth for her
own comfort. She may have convinced herself of what she'd said earlier, but
now, only truth would pass her lips. They needed to find out if the
Dursleys had sold out Harry back when Privet Drive was attacked over a year
ago. They were also concerned she was angry enough to get revenge on her
nephew. Harry had once joked that if it meant getting rid of him and they were
offered the right amount of cash, the Dursley's would gladly hand him over, or
at least help his enemies ny wny way they could.

"Do you believe Harry Potter should be dead?"

"Yes! He destroyed my family."

"How did he do that?"

"He left."

Bewildered, the doctor asked. "You said you wanted
Potter out of your house, out of your life, is that true?"

"Yes."

"Then how did his leaving destroy your family?"

"I thought it was his fault the summers were so
horrible after he started at that freak school. Then he left for good, but the
summer didn't get any better. It was my own godforsaken son that made my life
hell. We spoilt the brat so he would know we loved him better, but he didn't
turn out so well. He’s a spoilt rotten bully, just like his father," she
sobbed.

"Was your husband abusive?"

"Yes. He beat the freak constantly. I don’t know what
Vernon did before they took Potter away the day of the attack. Vernon didn’t
allow me in the boy's room the last few weeks. Vernon had said the freak had
magic food and I needn't worry about feeding him."

"Magic food? Did that sound like a possibility to
you?"

"You freaks can magic anything. I think he was getting
food from his friends with those godforsaken birds."

"Was Vernon abusive to you or your son?"style="mso-spacerun: yes">

"No! He would never hurt his son. He …he." She
paused. "It's Potter’s fault. If he were there, Vernon would have a way to
get out his aggressions. Then, the freak stopped coming home. Vernon had no one
else when he got upset. He would never have hit me if Potter had been there for
him. I hear he doesn't even have a job. The good for nothing bum, just like his
father.

The doctor, a onetime Auror that had known the Potters
through Albus, did all he could to refrain from cursing the woman.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Severus knelt on the floor, waiting for the Dark Lord to
address him personally. He rehashed the evening's events in his head. So many
things had gone wrong. Vernon should have been home alone. It was a total shock
when Petunia Dursley and her son arrived home moments after they stormed the
house. They were supposed to have been out for hours. Originally, the plan was
to torture dear Vernon and bring him back to the Dark Lord for some real
fun. Voldemort had wanted Vernon to be one of Harry Potter’s latest visions.
Severus had every intention of altering the plan. He was going to make sure
Dursley didn't live through the torture. If he didn't make it back to
Voldemort, it would keep the whole thing out of Harry's nighttime visions and
give Severus the honor of personally taking Vernon's life in retaliation for
the years of abuse to Harry.

The problem was that he was getting worried about Harry's
reaction. Harry had been angry and upset with his family jbefobefore Severus
left to see Voldemort. But Severus wasn’t too sure whether later, when time had
passed and the dust settled, so to speak, Harry would forgive him for taking
the life of his despicable Uncle.

Prepared to change the plans once again, Severus was going
to make sure Dursley paid for his appalling treatment of Harry. He would
administer the Drought of the Living Death, in order to convince the others
he'd died from the torture and leave him there. Voldemort would be furious, but
Severus had expected that would be the reaction regardless of which plan he
acted on. Any time the Dark Lord didn’t get precisely what he wanted, there was
Hell to pay.

.

New plan in place, Problem Number Two had been the arrival
of Dursley’s wife and son. They were subdued easily enough, but Severus
couldn't simply give them all a potion to look dead. Problem Number
Three was the arrival of two unexpected wizards. Oddly enough, they did take
care of Problem Number Two. The wife and kid were out of the way. The only
thing that had gone right so far was that Harry was occupied for the night.
Severus was hoping Ron would keep him busy, but the redhead had plans. Ron had
seemed rather nervous when he mentioned Wednesday. Maybe Ron thought I was
hitting on him? Severus almost laughed. It had all worked out in the end.
He had Kieran ask Harry to go out, but the young man was already going to some
kind of show at Granger’s University. If only everything else had gone as
planned.

Severus was pulled from his thoughts when the Dark Lord
approached. He stopped at Goyle, Sr. who was kneeling beside Severus.

"Goyle." Voldemort's accusatory tone was
unnerving. Goyle looked stricken and pale from the night’s events. Not waiting
to for him to get his bearings, the Dark Lord cast a memory projection spell.
The room, while already dim, darkened further, bringing them into total darkness
for a few seconds before the scene played out in front of them. Five figures in
black robes and masks entered the Dursley home. Voldemort held his wand tip to
Goyle's head, causing him to spasm in pain as the scene advanced quickly to the
more interesting parts.

In the
scene, Severus sidled up to Walden Macnair and spoke quietly into his
ear. Macnair looked
over at the enormous, quivering muggle, and a twisted smile slid across
his face. "Why Severus, I never knew. How creative.... Yes,
ah... delightful." Macnair looked to be on the verge of climax. "You would allow
me this pleasure? I now see how the more common methods would bore you. We are
connoisseurs, you and I."

Lucius Malfoy watched silently for a moment. He hadn't seen
Severus at work in quite a while. He was curious to see if the Potions Master
had gone soft, since he'd managed to avoid the torture scene in lieu of brewing
potions. Lucius was aware this could be an act on Snape's part to keep in the
Dark Lord's good graces.

The masked Death Eater next to Lucius style='mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;color:black'>drifted away. He was familiar
with Macnair's methods, and if this were something that one considered
'special', he didn't care to watch. He was only too happy to volunteer to
investigate the sudden noise heard from the kitchen. No one paid much attention
that he'd not returned right away. Most assumed he'd gone off to 'play' with
the two muggles.

Severus
declined Lucius' offer to bind the fat flubberworm that squirmed as if having a
seizure. He inwardly chuckled at Lucius’ description of the coptibptible
muggle. Severus waved his wand at the
hot water pipe. A strip of metal supporting it from the ceiling lowered and
wrapped itself around Vernon's massive neck.

"I
believe this will hold him in place." Severus slid his finger beneath the
metal against the red skin, making eye contact with Vernon. "I thought
we'd begin with some muggle techniques, then we could show him how wizards
do pain," Severus smirked with an evil grin.

Lucius
was so far disappointed in the way things were going, and felt the need to
speak up. "A body bind would keep 'it' from wriggling all around. I hope
you at least made that sharp," complained Lucius, sliding his hands around
Vernon's neck in examination, disappointed by the lack of blood. Vernon, who
had long been silenced, could only glare at Lucius for daring to touch him.
"Interesting, Severus, it's warm, hot even, near the top. I'd imagine as
more hot water went through this pipe, it would scorch him nicely." Lucius
gleamed at Severus approvingly. " You’re a sick fuck, Snape. Now I
remember what I liked about you. Let’s see some action."

Severus
pointed to the hot water pipe with his wand, giving Vernon a pointed look.
"Only a sick fuck would think of something like this," he whispered
silkily into Vernon's ear, and cast a spell on the pipe, increasing the
temperature. Vernon's eyes grew wide, both at Severus' words and the increased
heat coming through the strip of mewrapwrapped around his neck. As he moved his
head, the rolls of fat wrapped over the strip, burning even more of his neck.

Severus
stepped back, allowing the other three to have a go at Vernon. It had been a
while since he'd taken part in such torture, and even longer since he enjoyed
it. He assessed the session with a critical eye. Lucius was particularly
brutal, though not that creative. He only enjoyed it for a little while,
watching Vernon go from angry to panicked and then terrified to the point of
wetting himself. After that, Severus didn't enjoy the look of terror on the
man's face. There was a sense of detachment, and a vague awareness of other
feelings he did not care to investigate. He could only think of his Harry
enduring so many similar punishments from the man. Severus may have stopped
enjoying himself, but that didn't stop him from taking out his wrath on the
despicable man when it was his turn again. When he wasn't participating,
Severus quietly cast 'Legilimens', moving easily through Vernon's thoughts and
memories. It was interesting to look through Vernon's mind during the torture,
before Lucius cast the third Cruciatus curse on him.

It wasn't hard to find memories of Harry, as the man was
blaming his nephew for his current predicament. Seeing the memories of Vernon
abusing Harry enraged Severus. He was seeing first-hand where some of Harry's
scars came from. Harry may have endured the very painful procedure to remove
most of his scars while he recovered from the window incident, but Severus
remembered each and every one of them. Although he and Harry didn't speak of
each other's scars, he'd mapped out each of them during his exploration of his
lover’s body. By the end of the evening, Severus had inflicted many of the same
injuries on Vernon. Severus grinned an evil grin as he recognized the exact
moment the pattern in Severus' torture occurred to Vernon.style="mso-spacerun: yes">

As the scene proceeded, Voldemort grew angrier as he saw
where his followers went wrong. Macnair had over-indulged himself, pushing
Vernon too far. The muggle had started having convulsions, and would have
collapsed from heart failure if they’d continued. Severus had forced a potion
down Vernon's throat. Within seconds his heart rate leveled out, and Severus
criticized Macnair for almost costing the Dark Lord his opportunity to
personally see to the man's torture and death.

Severus had been about to slip Vernon the Draught of the
Living Death when they heard a commotion. The Death Eaters quickly apparated
away from Privet Drive; there had been no time to activate a portkey for Vernon
Dursley. The projected scene faded from view when Voldemort barked 'Crucio' at
Goyle, Sr. He continued to cast the Cruciatus curse on each of them. He held
Macnair under the painful curse the longest, and ‘rewarded’ Severus by cursing
him only half the time as the rest.

When Goyle had recovered somewhat, Voldemort sent him to
look for the fifth Death Eater who had disappeared during the evening. Macnair
had yet to stop shaking enough to listen coherently, so for the time being he
was given no further instructions. Severus, who was suffering from the same
curse, still managed to enjoy the sight of Lucius Malfoy sprawled on the floor.
The blonde man usually oozed refinement, breeding, and sex appeal, but when
thrashing about on the floor, screaming, he was no better than Severus himself.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Having finished his errand for Albus Dumbledore, Ron quickly
apparated to the Ministry of Magic to see how Seamus was doing, and to give
explanation, as he was sure they'd have a lot of questions in regards to the
night’s events and how Mrs. Dursley and her son arrived with Seamus at a safe
room with Ron's emergency portkey.

Ron convinced a fellow Auror he had met in training to bring
word to Harry and escort him to the Ministry building. His Auror friend
protested, having no firsthand experience with such a situation. Counselors
knew how to broach the subject tactfully and handle emotional breakdowns; they
were the ones who dealt with this kind of thing, not nervous Aurors just out of
training. Ron, on the other hand, knew the best psych guys were currently with
his dad, Arthur Weasley, talking with the Dursleys. He didn't think Harry would
be terribly devastated about his uncle's death, in his mind negating the need
for immediate counsel. If he could
have, he'd‘ve gone to bring Harry himself, but he knew he needed to stay and
give report, since he’d in a sense, started the whole thing.

Harry was startled slightly by the sudden appearance of
Albus' head in the fire. He explained that something had happened, and that
Remus was on his way over to speak with him in person.

"Albus, what is it? It's bad isn't it?" asked
Harry with a slight panic in his voice.

"Harry, I am not going to give you this information
across the floo. Remus has asked to speak with you, and while I'd like to speak
with you personally, I'm afraid I have my hands full at the moment. I am
waiting for a report from Severus." He added the last line to reassure
Harry his lover was safe, or at least as safe as usual. Harry had only paced
the room a few times when there was a knock at the door. With a flash he was at
the door, but his greeting for Remus died on his lips when he saw a stranger
there.

"Mr. Harry J. Potter?" confirmed the man no older
then Harry himself. Harry immediately recognized the black envelope the man was
reading from. In the wizarding world, the only thing worse than a man in a
Ministry robe carrying a black envelope was coming home to the Dark Mark
hovering in the sky over your house. Both meant horribly bad news. He'd seen a
wizard deliver a black envelope to a professor at Hogwarts; she was being
informed of a death. When the official arrived, a hush had fallen over the
Great Hall. When the Ministry official stopped in front of the Astronomy
Professor, she had all but collapsed on the floor, and was quickly escorted out
by Albus and Minerva. It was then that Ron explained what had happened. Harry
had always assumed that since he had no magical relatives, he wouldn't be on
the receiving end of that kind of news.

Harry nodded wordlessly when he realized the man was waiting
for an answer.

"Oh, um, of course you are Mr. Potter," stammered
the Auror. "I am here, regretfully, to inform you that earlier this
evening, there was an attack at your family's residence."style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He then proceeded to recite the address in
an attempt to sound as official as possible. The Ministry wizard had begun to
sweat.

"What?" Harry interrupted the wizard from his
prepared speech. The man continued to read his long wordy speech from a
parchment in his hand, until Harry got aggravated and took it from the man,
wrinkling it up. "Just tell me in real words what happened!"

In an attempt to start with the good news, the good news
being that his aunt and cousin were OK, the nervous wizard began to explain.

"In a great show of bravery, our mutual friend Ron
Weasley has saved the lives of your aunt, Petunia Dursley and your cousin,
Dudley Dursley."

"Ron? What was Ron doing at Privet Drive?"style='font-family:"Century Gothic";color:red'>

"I'm not sure, I saw him tonight in the Critical Care
Medical Unit when he asked me to come get you," he explained, before
remembering why he was there, and again putting on his practiced voice.
"But um, you see I'm afraid that despite his best efforts, Ron was unable
to go back in for your uncle, Vernon Dursley," he read the name off the
envelope.

"The Critical Care what? What happened to him?"
Harry was panicking. He hardly heard the words to understand Vernon could be in
trouble. All he could think about was Ron's safety. It didn't occur to the
Auror to explain Ron hadn't been one of the patients in the CCMU, but was
delivering a message to a doctor there.

.

"Sir, I think you should come with me to the Ministry
of Magic, where you can speak to someone who can better answer your
questions."

"No, just tell me what happened to him," demanded
Harry. He was keeping his face somewhat impassive, but clearly he was getting
unnerved.

Taking a deep breath, the Auror explained what had happened.
"An Auror teem arrived on site at Privet Drive where Death Eaters had
attacked. He was still alive at arrival to the CCMU, but he succumbed to his
injuries shortly afterward. I'm very sorry, Mr. Potter," he sighed.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Harry was frozen by the misunderstood words.
The Auror hadn't actually said it was Vernon that had died; he had assumed that
Potter was asking after his family. Harry had been asking about Ron's well
being. Unable to get the words resorted in his head, Harry decided he wouldn't
panic until he was sure.

"You should come with me to the Ministry of Magic. Now,
sir." The young Auror cringed when he realized Harry was in distress. He
recognized that Harry was about his own age, and he really wasn't prepared to
deal with telling him that he had dead and injured family members.

"The Ministry?" asked a dazed Harry.

"Yes sir, it is um, you may um, visit with the deceased
before…" he trailed off. "I really shouldn't be the one explaining
this stuff to you, sir. It's just that all the best psychologists on staff are
currently working with Arthur Weasley and your family."

Harry froze. The counselor was with Arthur Weasley. His hope
for Ron was fading. It made sense they'd run out of counselors, considering how
big the Weasley family was. It never even occurred to Harry that the wizard was
referring to the Dursley family. The Weasleys were the only people he referred
to as such these days. Without a further thought he locked up his home. He
hardly paid any attention when the Auror placed the black envelope in his hand
and it portkeyed them both to a receptionist at the Ministry of Magic building.

"This is Mr. Potter," said the Auror, looking at
the woman and gesturing to the black envelope in his hand. The woman looked up
and stood to greet them.

"Mr. Potter, I know this is a difficult time for you
and we will do everything in our power to make this process go as smoothly as
possible." She was a pleasant looking witch, who spoke with authority,
while still seeming kind.

"Thank you," Harry said with his impassive mask
only faltering slightly. "He said
I could see Ron," his words come out monotone, matching his expression.
Harry wouldn’t allow himself to think Ron was dead, but he the dread was
threatening to overcome him.

"Ronald Weasley?" she asked. Harry nodded dumbly,
and the witch checked a chart on her desk. She wrote the name Ronald Weasley on
the top of the chart, and waited a moment. Harry leaned over the desk to watch
the words form below his name. It was a complete listing of where Ron had been
in the building and where he was now. His eyes gazed over the various words,
stopping at the last few on the list. Critical Care Medical Unit, the morgue,
and then the last place listed was 'Viewing room'. Harry closed his eyes tight,
determined to keep his composure in front of these people. He didn't see there
were additional words forming, as Ron walked from room to room in the building.
Ron was, in reality, at that moment being chastised for sending an
inexperienced Auror to pick up Harry.

The witch behind the desk came around and took Harry's arm,
leading him to another area. She asked if he wanted to wait for his aunt and
cousin, or did he wish to have a private viewing first. Harry was only vaguely
aware of the question. When she repeated the question about seeing his aunt and
cousin, he shook his head and mumbled he wasn't ready to see them yet. She led
him to a room with a small sign that read, ‘Vernon Dursley (non-magical)’.

"I will give you some privacy, but feel free to call if
you have need for anything. Someone will be right outside the door," she
gestured to a small bell on the wall. "I'll go check to see where Ronald
is now," she left, gently closing the door.

Harry entered a small room. It was softly lit, with
cream-colored walls and glowing sconces giving the room an ethereal feel. There
were several chairs and small tables with tissue boxes on them. Finally, there
was Vernon Dursley laid out on an odd piece of furniture Harry had never seen
the likes of before. What had the young Auror said? Harry asked himself.
Ron had saved his aunt and cousin, but couldn’t help Vernon? Did Ron die trying
to save that bastard? Harry rounded the soft table-like structure his uncle was
on. The large man was dressed in his best suit, looking a little too peaceful.
Harry was seeing something, but wasn’t sure what. He thought perhaps it was
glamour of some sort he could detect, but didn’t care enough to see what it was
they were hiding about his uncle's appearance. His angry thoughts of Ron dying
for this man were building at a frightening rate. In front of others, Harry had
held his emotions in, but now, alone…

"See what you did!" demanded Harry, yelling at the
deceased Vernon. "You had to be so bloody thick-headed! No, you didn’t
want 'magic' on your house to protect you from this. You lousy, rotten
bastard!" Harry had gripped the lapels of Vernon's jacket and was shaking
him. His lifeless body merely jostled, it could give no protest. Defeated,
Harry paced the floor, thoughts of Ron flooding his mind. Ron, his best friend,
who had so much life ahead of him. Thoughts of the Weasley family and how they
would react to the loss came to mind. Thoughts of Hermione, how he was sure Ron
and she would have gotten engaged this year, and had a bunch of their own
little redheads running around in a few years’ time. Harry was near
hyperventilating, but refused to allow his emotions to get the better of him.
What had Severus and Kieran taught him? 'Maintain his cool until he knew for
sure what was going on.' Harry could feel his emotions boiling close to the
surface. He gulped, an intake of breath that sounded suspiciously like a sob.
Harry was determined he would keep his cool, knowing the witch would return
soon, but thoughts of Ron returned tenfold.

Outside of the soundproofed viewing room, a few wizards were
casting containment spells on the room. "Isn't this room already secured
for a magical release?" asked one wizard.

"Yes, but I hear Potter was in bad shape when he got
in, and his powers are rumored to be in the same league as Albus Dumbledore,
when he was that age."

"He's not as powerful as Dumbledore," argued the
first wizard.

"Not yet," the other replied simply, and continued
to cast the containment spell.

Before the first wizard could respond, he shuddered as he
felt a wave of magic slam into the barrier they'd been constructing. The door
into the room where Harry was vibrated then split, a large crack appearing
right through the thick wood. Their hair blew up and back as the two wizards
felt the backlash of magic, as if a great storm had blown through the building.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

One irate psychiatrist was currently berating Ronald
Weasley. "What were you thinking, sending in a first year Auror to deliver
an official 'Black Envelope'?" he demanded. He had been informing Arthur
Weasley about Mrs. Dursley's state of mind when he'd heard what Ron had done.styleo-spo-spacerun: yes"> "To Harry Potter, no less!"

"You spoke to his aunt, you know how they are. I didn't
think he'd be that upset and I didn't want to pull you away from what you were
doing," explained Ron. "How did he react when you told him?"
asked Ron, turning to the wizard who had run the errand, fetching Harry for
him. The young Auror winced and looked down at his shoes. Seeing his reaction,
Ron grimaced

The psychiatrist let out a sigh. "I would like to know
what to expect before I speak with Mr. Potter. If you don’t mind?" he
asked the Auror, aiming a wand toward his head. He then explained that he would
like to view the scene, either in a pensieve or using a projection spell. Of
course, he was giving the wizard the choice only to be respectful, both knew
there were no pensieves available to them on such short notice. Ron, his
father, and the other two wizards were silent as they watched the scene at
Harry's doorstep from earlier that evening.

"He was more upset about his uncle than you
expected," stated the young Auror as the scene came to a close. But Ron,
knowing Harry as well as he did, realized what had happened. style='font-family:"Century Gothic";color:red'>

"No, you idiot! He thinks I'm dead!" roared Ron,
and was out the door before the others had a chance to register what Ron had
said. Ron ran full speed on his way to the viewing room. He only faltered for a
moment when he passed by the witch who had been looking for him on Harry's
behalf.

As Roundeunded the last corner, he felt the wave of magic as
it surged though air like a current. Ron tried to open the door to the viewing
room, only to cause the crack to deepen, almost causing the door to split in
two. When he did manage to open it, Harry was standing in the far corner of the
room with his arms folded across his chest. He was looking as if he was in total
control. His face was impassive, but his red-rimmed eyes betrayed his emotions.

Harry watched the door open and saw several people in the
hall, and then a familiar redhead approached him. "Ron?" he
questioned uncertainty, cursing his cracking voice.

"Yeah, Har' it's me," replied Ron, his own voice
cracked. It occurred to Ron that Harry had been upset enough to do a
substantial amount of damage to the room with the uncontrolled magical release,
in addition to breaking through some very powerful containment charms, and yet
he seemed to be doing his level best to control himself. Despite his friend's
distress, Ron couldn't help but feel a little honored by Harry's reaction to
his supposed death.

Harry looked Ron over several times, convincing himself that
his best friend was in fact standing there and looking as healthy as usual, or
at the very least, not dead. Harry didn't remember moving, but the next moment
he was standing in front of Ron, firmly grasping his shoulders, confirming to
his frazzled brain that his friend was really there, safe and sound.

"God, Ron," sobbed Harry. He kept the tears at
bay, but in a great hug, nearly squeezed the breath out of his friend. A wave
of relief came over him as he shook with emotion.

"Har, I'm sorry. I never should have sent that guy. I
didn't think you'd be real freaked about your uncle, and I didn't have the
patience to wait for the official head shrink." click

Harry gave Ron's shoulders one more squeeze before backing
up a step, facing him. "It's alright, mate." Harry looked over at
Vernon's body. "He's really dead? I can hardly believe it." They
stepped closer to the body to take a look. Ron closed the door to the viewing
room, giving them privacy from the others in the hall.

"How do you feel? I mean, are you upset,
relieved…" asked Ron tentatively.

"I think I'm still in shock. I don't know what I
feel," he admitted. "Did you hear a click earlier?"

"Yeah, but I didn't want to ruin the moment."

Harry rolled his eyes at his obnoxious friend whom he loved
dearly; still relieved he was living.

Ron snorted. "Should we track it down? Do you
care?" asked Ron. They were familiar with the 'click' sound of a camera.

Harry shook his head 'no'. "Let 'em make their money
selling my picture. I don’t care," he said honestly. He’d stopped worrying
about his lack of privacy a long time ago. Though he would rather Sev didn't
see him looking so pathetic. "What happened tonight?" he asked,
referring to the attack on his 'family'.

"Well, Seamus and me…" Ron began, and explained it
all to Harry.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

After hearing all the details Ron could remember of the
story, Harry thanked his friend for going on the inane mission to scare the
Dursley family, and for the heroism he showed by saving who he could. He was still
in a state of shock, unsure of how he felt about Vernon. He couldn't help but
feel for Dudley. He could barely stand his cousin, but losing a parent, he
understood. Having Sirius die, Harry knew what his cousin would be feeling.
Harry had yet to give thought to his aunt. One thing Harry was sure of, he
wanted out of that room.

"Ready?" asked Ron before he opened the door.
Harry took a deep breath and nodded. He knew there would be a group of people
on the other side of the door and he didn't want to deal with any of this. When
the door did open, Harry was relieved to see Remus Lupin standing there.
Ignoring the Ministry employees, Harry greeted Remus.

"I totally forgot you were on your way to my place when
I got word," explained Harry. Remus waved him off.

"That's not important," Remus said with
outstretched arms. He gave Harry a brief hug and continued to hold one shoulder
with a firm, supportive grip. Harry found the gesture surprisingly comforting.
"Mr. Weasley has secured a room for us where we can speak freely,"
explained Remus as he ushered Harry in the direction of Arthur Weasley.

Once seated in a room deemed secure and soundproof, Remus
spoke.

"Harry, before I begin, I need to know where to start.
I hate to have to ask, but I must. Did you know about the attack before you
were approached by the Ministry agent?" he asked formally.

"No," Harry answered honestly. He quickly
registered why Remus would ask such a thing. "Severus," he said
aloud, not necessarily meaning to do so. "Is he, did he…" Harry
trailed off, not sure which question he was asking.

Fortunately, Remus understood, and continued, "I didn’t
think you knew, but I had to ask, you understand."style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He continued when Harry gave an
understanding nod. "Severus was summoned just after the day’s classes
ended. He hasn't returned as of yet." Remus raised a hand to stall Harry's
outburst. "We have information from another spy. He's not very high
ranking, but was able to gather a small amount of intelligence. He confirms one
fatality. Our spy could not discover the identity of the Death Eater, but was
told his body had been delivered to his wife and family." Remus handed
Harry a cup of tea and continued.

"A potion vial containing 'Draught of the Living Death'
was found at the scene. It bears the markings of Snape's personal stores.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> It would be safe to assume Severus was
indeed part of a group that went to Privet Drive earlier this evening. We don't
know if he intended to use the potion on your uncle as a way of keeping him
alive or not. We have no way of knowing anything for sure until we speak with
him."

"Ron said the Death Eaters had left before they could
be apprehended. So how was one of them killed? I can't imagine Vernon could
give much of a fight against a group of wizards. He gets winded after throwing
a couple punches." Harry had looked up to Ron and missed the sad
expressions on Arthur and Remus' faces. They hated that Harry had first-hand
experiences with Vernon's violence. "Do you think they fought amongst
themselves? What if they found out Sev's a spy?"

"Don't get too worked up, Harry. If Snape were found
out, our other spy would have heard more. Right now, the biggest news from them
is the one death."

Ron sat quietly. He remembered Snape having asked him what
he was doing Wednesday night. He'd mentioned something about keeping Harry
busy, but nothing else. He decided not to share this with the others. He would
talk to Snape if he could manage it, but he wasn't sure he wanted to tell them
Snape had known it was going to happen and didn't warn anyone. Ron couldn't
help but think Snape had done what everyone else had always talked about in
jest. Revenge on Vernon, Death Eater style.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Severus stirred his potion under the watchful eye of his
hated apprentice. He knew Voldemort was keeping him there doing potions to keep
him out of Dumbledore's hands as long as possible. Severus continued with is
the potion, not bothering to look up when his apprentice startled as the door
slammed open.

"It appears I may have underestimated your evaluation
of the Potter brat, Sseverusss," hissed Voldemort. "Big news today.
The Daily Prophet has even sent out a second edition." Severus took the
proffered paper. The headlines in bold
text read; "The Boy Who Lived” now dubbed "The Boy who outlived
more of his family" Snape ignored the text in favor of the large
photograph. He was utterly shocked to see Harry wrapped in Weasley's arms,
quaking with emotion. The caption beneath the photo read, 'Potter, grieving
the loss of his uncle, is comforted by his friend and lover, Ronald Weasley'.

Had Snape not been so concerned for Harry, he would have
laughed at what a hard time his lover was going to have calming Ron down after
seeing the caption under the photo. Ron was starting to grow on him. He
couldn't help but watch the picture again. His shoulders shaking, Harry looked
absolutely grief-stricken as he held Ron tightly. Oh hell.

" Sseverusss, I have to admit it, Potter's a lot more
mentally disturbed than I gave him credit for. This man nearly killed him, yet
he mourns for the filthy muggle. Potter's more guilt riddled than I could have
guessed. It shouldn't surprise me the same muggle-loving fool that kept him in
that house all those years wouldn't think to get the brat therapy. This is all
very good, Sseverusss. Now that the boy's got his mind occupied, he should be
an easy target. Shame I didn't get to use the uncle for a few visions, but we
wouldn't want to send the boy over the edge just yet, now would we?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> My, this may make him even more entertaining
than I’d guessed." The evil laugh was enough for Severus to close his eyes
from the headache he was about to get.

~'~'~'~'~

Albus Dumbledore took a short break from his many meetings
to apparate into Harry's home. He opened the floo, allowing Molly and her
family access. She had begun to prepare the meal for when Harry returned with
Ron and Arthur. She’d already made several dishes for Harry's freezer for the
next few days. Ginny and Hermione tidied up the apartment, while Fred and
George were on owl duty. They sat by open windows, inspecting the many pieces
of mail that were pouring in from friends and strangers alike, all sending
their condolences for Harry's loss. Occasionally a suspicious piece of mail was
banished. Then the newspaper arrived. The twins thought it rather late in the
day to get a paper.

"I don’t know, Mum. Are you sure Dad told you Harry was
taking things rather well?" asked Fred

"It doesn't look that way in this picture," George
added.

Hermione quickly read over the headlines, and covered her
mouth at the sight of her distraught friend. None of them noticed the other,
small headline in the lower right-hand corner with a picture of Vincent Crabbe,
Sr.

The Patriarch of the Crabbe family was found dead in his garden
earlier today, after succumbing to a fatal snakebite.

Many will mourn Vincent Crabbe, Sr., a proud father from a
long line of pureblood wizards.

TBC

 <>