Bonds of Affection

When Severus Apparated to the cemetery of Gordic\'s Hollow, the physical agony overtook him without any warning. He stumbled mindlessly, using the nearest gravestone to support him. Luna was standing next to him, her tranquil gaze never wavering.



Severus looked around – and saw nothing. The tombstone next to the grave of Harry\'s parents belonged to someone else. He had come for nothing, he thought.



“Unearth it,” Luna demanded.



Severus pointed his wand at the grave, and used a series of spells to levitate the dirt away from it. It had gone on for a while, and finally, at the depth of about ten feet, lay a coffin.



“Wingardium Leviosa,” Severus commanded. The coffin levitated and rested on the edge of the grave. Agony stabbing through his entire body, Severus knelt before it, and traced it with his hands. This coffin... it looked just like it had in his dreams. The rough, uneven surface of the wood with a faintly familiar smell, the smell that reminded Severus of the enslavement potion. The lid of the coffin was burrowed with extraordinarily thin, long grooves, and Severus touched them, over and over again, even as his tears fell on the wood.



He reached to open the coffin, but it was locked.



“Don\'t,” Luna said softly. “It\'s empty anyways. For now.”



“When?” Severus asked bitterly.



“Ah,” Luna murmured. “Too soon.”



He continued weeping, kneeling over the wood – unable to think, unable to bring himself to move. The agony of the bond\'s punishment still stabbed through him, but he could endure it for eternity, if only he knew that this could be avoided.



“It can\'t,” Luna said bluntly. “The prophecy must be fulfilled. You must do your part, and fulfill the last of it.”



“I can\'t,” Severus cried out, all self-control and restraint abandoned. “No! Not like this...”



But Luna was whispering something with terrifying gentleness and haunting cruelty, and he yielded to her voice, even though it went against his every rational thought and his every impulse and instinct.



Before he left, he lowered the coffin back into the depths of the grave, and covered it up, removing all evidence of having been there.



X x X



When he Apparated back to the location near the mansion, it was not a moment too soon. He saw Lucius and Bellatrix, about to enter the mansion. The Invisibility spell on his clothing was still functional – he raced as quietly as he could, and entered the Mansion right behind the two of them, just in time, a few seconds before the lockdown was back in place.



Harry, he thought in instant panic. Severus found an isolated room and quickly removed the invisibility spells from his clothing, and then exited, intending to head downstairs to find Harry. However, when he left the room, he came face to face with Lucius.



“Well, now,” Lucius purred. “Did you heal the duckling while we were gone?” he asked.



“I placed a few basic spells,” Severus lied quickly. “I need to go back and complete the healing.”



“Procrastinator,” Lucius chuckled. “I will bring him up for you to finish the job. Wait for me in the dining hall.”



Severus nodded absently and walked into the dining hall, where Bellatrix, Pettigrew, Draco and Voldemort were standing together. Severus stood aside, waiting, dreading the sight that was about to be presented to him. When Lucius finally showed up, he was carrying Harry in his arms, and the boy appeared to be sound asleep. But to Severus\' utter shock, that he almost did not manage to suppress, Harry\'s nude body, even though carrying traces of blood, was healed – and looked whole. He did not know what to make of it – and whether it was a good omen or not.



“You are too modest,” Lucius said wryly. “The boy is fine. And a few scars here and there won\'t make a difference to our plans.”



“Of course,” Severus nodded agreeably.



“Surrender your wand,” Voldemort commanded suddenly.



Severus spun around to face him. “My Lord,” he whispered quietly, “Is my loyalty in question?”



“Not at all,” Voldemort said evenly. “Obey.”



For a second, Severus considered fighting. But the odds of winning against the five of them were nonexistent, and he didn\'t want to abandon Harry alone with them. Severus bowed his head, and handed his wand to Lucius.



Lucius chuckled and tucked it away. He then nodded to Harry\'s sleeping form and said to Severus:



“Dress him.”



Severus complied, collecting the clothes from the floor, and putting them on Harry\'s body. Lucius watched him with a benign smile.



“Your loyalty isn\'t in question, Severus,” Lucius purred. “I am, however, concerned, that you have grown attached to your pet, and might act emotionally, once you find out what we intend. Simply put, we don\'t want to take any chances.”



Severus snorted derisively. Lucius chuckled. “You will thank me later.”



Lucius walked over to a corner of the room, and opened a small trunk, producing a set of chains. Quickly and skillfully, he created a chain harness that completely immobilized Harry, binding his arms to his body, and restraining his legs. Severus watched him with dread.



“Isn\'t that a bit of an overkill?” Severus asked in a bored voice.



Lucius chuckled. “Interesting choice of words, Severus.... yes, I suppose... it is!”



Bellatrix issued a harsh giggle. Draco\'s face was that of perfect confusion.



“Well then,” Lucius murmured softly. “Pick him up, Severus.”



Severus did, cradling Harry\'s body in his arms. His head was thrown back, and he was breathing evenly and deeply. Even asleep, his body seemed to melt into Severus\' arms. Lucius noticed it and chuckled.



“Shall we proceed to our final destination?” Lucius asked gently. “Or perhaps, I should say, Harry\'s final destination?”



Severus swallowed hard, feeling a lump in his throat. “As you wish,” he forced out a response. They left the mansion together, and headed towards the gates, where Apparition restrictions were lifted.



Carrying Harry\'s chained, sleeping body in his arms, Severus felt nothing but pure terror. It was still before dawn, and the cold wind beat against them, making Harry shiver in his sleep. Severus cradled him tighter, pressing his own body against Harry\'s, hoping to impart some warmth to him. As discreetly as he could, Severus rocked him, and applied some pressure to his arms, and shoulders, hoping to wake him – but Harry remained sound asleep, as if under a spell, or under effect of a sleeping potion.



They Apparated to the intended location together, and Severus shuddered inwardly, when he recognized the place. They stood by the grave that he had seen a few hours earlier. Pettigrew cast an invisibility charm around them. Lucius pointed his wand at the grave and began to unearth it. The grave was opened soon, and Lucius lifted the coffin out, setting it on the ground. He unlocked it, and lifted the lid. Severus stood motionlessly, still cradling Harry\'s sleeping body in his arms, not wanting to believe his eyes, not wanting to acknowledge Lucius\' intent.



“You mean to bury him alive,” Severus said incredulously. And he was about to become a part to it...



Voldemort spoke softly: “Change of plans, Severus. I have decided that it is too risky to have the boy with us. He has been nothing but trouble so far.”



“Oh?” Severus asked absently, not even stopping to consider that he was arguing with the Dark Lord. “Forgive me, my Lord, but how is this going to help you? Harry\'s body will die, and the Horcrux will be destroyed.”



Lucius smiled smugly. “Don\'t you recognize the type of wood this is, Severus? With your sharp sense of smell, you should be able to...”



“Wailing Willow,” Severus whispered. “So?”



“So,” Lucius said, still smiling. “Remember, the bark binds itself to two things: human soul, and wood of its own tree. Once Harry\'s body relinquishes its hold on his soul, and the fragment of Our Lord\'s, the wood will draw the Wailing Willow Bark essence to itself. The soul, bound to the Wailing Willow Bark essence, will embed in the wood. Harry\'s tomb will become the Dark Lord\'s new Horcrux... no spell, no effort... just a natural transfer of energy.”



“I see,” Severus said absently. “That\'s... clever.”



“Put him in,” Lucius demanded. Severus complied, laying Harry\'s body in the coffin, adjusting his limbs to give him at least some comfort, even in his wakeless slumber. Harry stirred slightly in his sleep, and smiled faintly as Severus\' hand brushed against his cheek.



“Beautiful,” Lucius murmured. “So peaceful.”



Lucius flicked his wand, and uttered a few spells: a silencing spell, and an obscuring spell, ensuring that if Harry woke, he would have no vision, and no voice.



Severus crossed his arms on his chest. He had never been so helpless in his entire life. “Not afraid of grave robbers, Lucius?” he taunted lightheartedly.



Lucius laughed sincerely. “Now who is being paranoid? No, not at all. No-one will think to search here. As far as people know, this grave belongs to someone else. And even if, by some miracle, someone finds this ... entombment in the next little while – so what? The spell on the lock will kill little Harry, should someone other than the Dark Lord attempt to open, or break this coffin.”



“How much oxygen does he have?” Draco asked with genuine curiosity.



“Two hours, give or take,” Lucius told him. “He will be dead before dawn.”



Severus nodded briefly, as despair gripped him, and settled into his body. Severus caught the last glimpse of his beloved face, just as Lucius slammed the lid shut, and locked the coffin. Using his wand, Lucius lowered the coffin down, and it rested in the depths of the grave.



“Cover it up,” Lucius ordered.



Severus hadn\'t moved. He just stared numbly at the wooden coffin underneath his feet, knowing that Harry was in there, in chains, asleep, deprived of vision or voice.



“I\'ll need my wand,” Severus said absently.



“Not just yet,” Lucius murmured. He flicked his own wand, causing a simple shovel to appear. “Go on, Severus. We don\'t have all day.”



Severus bit his lip. Once again, he considered fighting a losing fight – at this point, he had nothing left to live for.. nothing, apart from destroying Voldemort and Nagini. He would, Severus vowed to himself – no matter what it took. He would play along, he would come with them, he would find a way to kill the two of them... somehow. Then, he would return to the graveside, and destroy this final Horcrux. No matter what, he would ensure that something like this never took place again, for anyone alive.



Still, he could not force himself to move.



Lucius laughed tenderly. “I see that you are hesitant. As I said, your loyalty was never in question. Only your ... unwarranted affection towards meaningless, trivial things. Now, begin.”



Severus picked up a shovel, and threw the first lump of soil into the grave. It fell onto the lid of the coffin with a faint thud.



Draco watched him intently. Next to him, Lucius chuckled. “You really should thank me, Severus. I am helping you... build character, you know.”



“I know,” Severus echoed listlessly, and threw some more soil in. The coffin was soon covered up with an uneven layer of earth, and obscured from his view.



“Enough,” Voldemort said suddenly. “Finish this.”



Lucius uttered a spell, and covered up the grave almost instantaneously. A few more spells created a cover of grass above it, making it look like it had been undisturbed in years.



With a smirk, Lucius spoke again:



“Severus, being a half-blood and all, I know you appreciate Muggle poetry. Here\'s one for you:





“To die is natural; but the living death

Of those who waken into consciousness,

Though for a moment only, ay, or less,

To find a coffin stifling their last breath!

Humanity would shudder could we know

How many have cried to God in anguish loud,

Accusing those who a wrong had wrought,

Beyond the worst that ever devil thought.”





“It really would be something if he were to wake up and find himself like this,” Draco mused. Severus glanced at his godson briefly - his face no longer held the usual expression of disdain or teenage cruelty – it was completely blank.



“Yes,” Lucius murmured gently. “But we are not entirely... inhumane. The sleeping potion is strong. He\'ll never wake up... never grasp the horror of his own death. He will die alone, without ever knowing it.”



... To Be Continued...