Bonds of Affection

He did not know how long he remained unconscious. It could have been hours, or minutes.



When Harry came to, he was lying naked in a cell, face down on the cold stone floor, a metal collar around his neck chained to the wall. His back, backside, chest and legs felt as if they had been ripped open. Without opening his eyes, he touched his backside, fingers finding deep cuts, unevenly torn skin, and blood, some still trickling down his body, some, beginning to dry.



Severus was not here. He was told he could heal him, and he hadn't come. Harry buried his face in his arm, sighed deeply, and instantly shuddered at the agony the deep sigh elicited.



He groaned quietly, turned to his side, and lay motionlessly, in an attempt to relieve the pressure from his injuries. Pain stabbed through him brutally with every breath, and he shut his eyes, hoping to drift off into mindless oblivion once more.



He heard faint voices, probably no more than a figment of his imagination, he thought.



“Hurry it up!” Ron's voice.



Then, Hermione's. “I am doing the best I can, so may be you can forgive me for actually scanning the door to ensure that we are not going to set off some ward or charm and have Voldemort come after us.”



“He's bleeding!!!”



“Shhhhh.”



Ron's voice again: “I thought you had scrambled the audio surveillance spells...”



“Someone upstairs might still hear us, so keep your voice down.”



Harry attempted to open his eyes, but his eyelids were glued together from the sweat and tears. He rubbed his eyes furiously and finally opened them. He saw no-one.



“Hermione? Ron?” he asked hesitantly.



He heard a sound of someone moving and, struggling against the pain, reached for the sound, his hand grasping something that felt like a piece of clothing.



A loud gulp answered him, and he saw the familiar shimmer of Invisibility Cloak being lifted. Hermione and Ron stood above him, smiling uncertainly.



“Hi,” Harry said hoarsely. “You two are the best hallucination of my life.”



“Oh, Harry,” Hermione whispered with dread.



He blinked, and stretched out his hand. She took his fingers and squeezed them firmly.



“You are real,” he whispered in disbelief. “How...”



“Let's take a look at your injuries,” she said softly. “Can you sit up?”



“I'm not moving,” Harry said sullenly. “It hurts.”



“Don't then,” she offered. She sat on the floor next to him, and surveyed his cuts thoughtfully, wincing at the sight. Ron joined her as well, and his face went absolutely pale, making his freckles stand out darkly against his skin.



“Who did this?” Ron demanded.



“Severus,” Harry said reluctantly. “He had no choice. If he hadn't,.... they might have killed us both.”



Hermione sniffled. “What did he use? The cuts... metal?”



“Yeah,” Harry whispered. “A whip... it had pieces of metal in it.”



“Well,” she muttered. “Thank goodness for the Undetectable Extension Charm.” She started pulling out vials and jars from her pockets, setting them on the floor in a neat, orderly row. “Let's fix you up, shall we.”



Harry laughed bitterly. “Have you forgotten one little detail? That only the Master can heal the injuries he inflicts? You know, the slave-bond and all.”



Hermione shook her head. “I haven't forgotten... but I think that it will be fine.”



Harry glanced at her sceptically. “How do you mean?”



“Well,” she said softly, rubbing an ointment between her palms. “I mean... the bond responds to the Master's will... What if it is the Master's wish that you heal yourself? The real question is, would Severus want you to be healed, or to remain bleeding or injured? If it is the Master's wish that you are well, I don't think the bond will punish you. So you tell me....”



Harry smiled sadly, surveying his battered body. He still did not know why Severus hadn't shown up to help him. “He means for me to be well,” Harry said quietly.



She nodded with her head to one of the vials on the floor. “The smallest vial – drink that,” she said. “It's a numbing potion.”



Harry complied instantly, and felt the agony become bound within him, as if surrounded by a barrier, still there, almost tangible, but unable to come in contact with his nerves. Hermione started applying the ointment into his wounds, it still hurt, but not nearly as bad as he had thought it would, and he lay on the floor quietly, allowing her to work on him.



“You know, it's not half as bad as it could have been,” she told him. “Not a single blow to your spine, or your ribcage. Even the tissue and nerve damage is minimal. You'll be alright...Apart from the scarring, but we'll take care of it later, when everything is over.”



“Yeah,” Harry whispered.



She applied another layer of ointments to Harry's skin, and he felt his cuts beginning to close. She had him drink a few more potions, and his thoughts cleared.



“Thanks,” he said quietly. “So... tell me. How did you find me?”



She shook her head. “I would rather not, not yet. For your safety, and ours. But we've been with you since the beginning.”



“You were back at the first hideout?” Harry whispered furiously.



“Yes,” Ron said quietly. “ We entered at about the same time you did, under the Invisibility Cloak. Unfortunately, once we entered, we were stuck, until.. well. We knew Nagini wasn't there, but we couldn't get out and warn the Order.”



Harry looked at Hermione and Ron in wonder. “And to think... I had no idea... that you were around.”



Hermione blinked furiously, her eyes glistening with tears. “I told you we'd always be with you. I told you you wouldn't be alone.”



“I thought it was... like a metaphor or something,” Harry said.



She smiled at him through the tears. “Or something. Who do you think made Draco get sick when he was trying to Crucio you? I also placed a spell on your mind. To help you.. you know... stay sane.”



“I thought I heard your voice in my mind,” Harry muttered. “Thanks.”



“By the way, sorry about Pettigrew,” Ron said quietly. “We couldn't enter the room ... the door shut too quickly. We ended up outside. I kept trying to place him under Imperius, without him noticing but...”



“I think it worked to some extent,” Harry mused. “I mean, he didn't touch me physically. And, he talked more than anything. Told me things he probably wouldn't have otherwise... Did you hear him talk? About us and Draco, and...”



“I heard,” Ron said tersely. “Draco is still a damned twit, and whatever happened between us, he started it.”



Harry chuckled unhappily.



Hermione sniffled slightly and pointed her wand on his collar, uttering revealing and scanning spells. Harry looked up at her with curiosity.



“Damn it,” she swore. “We can't remove it.. . Can't detach it from the wall. It will set off every charm and ward in this place.”



Ron sighed. “So much for busting you out of here.”



Harry sat up and hugged his knees. “Well... for what it's worth, I should stay anyways. I think I am near the end of my journey. Next stop, Nagini.”



Hermione looked at him fearfully. “You think so?”



“Yeah,” Harry said. “I overheard Lucius talking. They are setting up the new place. Don't know where.”



Hermione hugged him tightly, and Ron did as well. They sat on the cold stone floor, merged together as one.



“We should go,” Ron said finally. “We can't afford to get stuck here. We need to be ready to leave when Bellatrix and Lucius return...and the lockdown is lifted.”



“Yeah,” Hermione agreed miserably. “I know.... Harry – listen, if we leave now, we might be able to find you again... Just try to make sure that you stay above ground, literally, okay?”



“Sure,” Harry said. “I'll do my best. Well... goodbye.”



“See you later,” Hermione whispered, collecting the vials and jars from the floor, and placing them into her pocket that appeared to be nearly bottomless.



Ron nodded to him and they wrapped themselves into the Invisibility Cloak. They left shortly, having removed all evidence of them having been there. He would have thought it had been a dream, if not for his body, that was now healed – with only faint traces of ache reminding him of the torture that had taken place a short time ago.



... To Be Continued...