Caught

Chapter Eight - Protect And Survive

"Mr Potter, who is Brian Burke?"

It was, all things considered, quite an innocent question on Albus Dumbledore's part though it did betray the headmaster's interest in Harry's private life for only a person that had questioned Petunia Dursley would have heard of Brian Burke, Barty's pseudonym when he went to fetch Harry that summer.

Harry closed his eyes briefly trying to focus his thoughts. When he opened them he analyzed his environment briefly – ones office said a lot about one's personality after all and while the headmaster probably arranged his office to create a certain effect, even that tidbit of knowledge said a lot.

'What will it be, honesty or deceit?' Harry asked himself. The answer to his internal question was quite simple and easily formed: he would be as honest as one had to be when deceiving another. It wasn't like the headmaster was that difficult to fool – it partly worked with Quirrel and it certainly worked during the whole of Harry's fourth year.

"Brian Burke, sir," Harry answered, "does not exist and even if he did, I do not think it is your business to inquire about him."

"Yet the welfare of my students concerns me greatly as a headmaster," Dumbledore countered. "Especially when they leave their guardians without permission and can't be accounted for if one of my teachers or I want to contact them."

"Yet I received my Hogwarts letter without any problem," Harry said.

Dumbledore hesitated slightly. He knew how to play the game, but it would have been easier if his student was more willing to answer questions. Harry considered it an advantage that his divination skills caused him to be a natural Occlumens – Occlumency was the art of protecting once mind and was more about adopting perspective and an egocentric attitude than it was about acquiring skills. Harry's nature complemented the idea of "the world versus I" well. If Harry was selfless or wanted to please others more, Occlumency would have been near impossible. It was this detached state of mind that made the Ministry of Magic ban the learning of Occlumency and the Department of Mysteries separated from the rest of Ministry – knowing Occlumency was required to be an Unspeakable and the importance of research was at the front of an Unspeakable's mind.

"You did receive your letter on time," Dumbledore acknowledged, "but aside my duties of Hogwarts' headmaster, I consider it my duty as the person who placed you with your guardians to ascertain your wellbeing, is that so difficult to accept?"

Harry glanced at his watch, bought that summer in Knockturn Alley and capable of telling the time, the weather and the proximity of enemies, like an altered Foe-Glass. It was five thirty PM on the fifth November 1995, there was a hard wind blowing from the north and a storm was approaching, there were 379 enemies within a mile, one within four feet.

"Your concern, if it really is concern you refer to, is appreciated, but invalid in my opinion. After the events of the Triwizard Tournament I needed some space - I wouldn't have gotten that at my aunt's home, so I arranged for a friend to pick me up. It was an enlightening experience, last summer, one I needed to form my opinion upon a great number of things. I think that usually happens after graduation, something I believe you originally planned to do when you were young?"

The reference to Dumbledore's youth had a dual purpose: firstly, that period of time was Dumbledore's weakness; secondly, if Dumbledore believed Harry to know more about his days of shame and guilt, the elder wizard would proceed with even more care with his plans concerning Harry.

"A trip around the world was a common activity for Hogwarts graduates in my time," Dumbledore replied, not betraying his unease. "You went abroad this summer?"

Harry shook his head slightly. "Not this summer, though I am thinking of visiting the mainland later on in life."

"And what about the Death Eaters that kidnapped you?" Dumbledore inquired softly. "Do you not worry about them?"

Harry's lips curled. "During the Third Task I was surprised and didn't quite know how to react, especially concerning the Death Eaters' fanaticism. I am better prepared for the unexpected now – people forcing me to do as they want me to do, will probably find themselves overwhelmed with my resistance."

The double meaning wasn't lost by the other party, though the headmaster refrained from retorting. His student hadn't acted improper so far and actions still told more than words.

"Vengeance shouldn't cloud your judgment, Mr Potter," Dumbledore advised. "Nor should anger at your lot in life confuse your ideals, whatever they may be."

"It isn't anger or a quest for revenge that motivates me, headmaster, it is the reality of my life that shapes my thoughts and beliefs." Harry rose from his chair. "Now if you would excuse me, I have homework to do before dinner."

"You are excused, Mr Potter," Dumbledore concluded. "If you have any question, you are always welcome in my office."

But as the gargoyle closed off, Dumbledore still sat looking at the phoenix, his companion, contemplating the apparent neutral position the Boy-Who-Lived claimed in the greater scheme of life, it was a pity there weren't a lot of people that believed in the greater good of the world.

"It's a far cry from my time with Gellert, isn't it, Fawkes?"

---

"Let's go for a walk," Luna proposed, "And maybe we'll see a Grumbling Geezer flying."

"Okay," Harry agreed. Luna Lovegood was an odd girl in appearance, wearing accessories that weren't meant to be worn like vegetables and Butterbeer bottle cap, but quite an intelligent friend when one got to know her better. She was to some extent aware of Harry's constant duplicity and accepted it, just as he accepted her oddity.

They gathered their books and put them in their bags before heading out of the castle, onto the grounds of Hogwarts. When they were out of immediate sight, Luna turned to Harry.

"Why do you live like that?" she asked.

"Live like what?" Harry questioned closer.

"Like everything and everybody is an immediate threat to your person."

Harry hesitated for a moment. "Because to me everything I don't have any control of is a threat. I have a very pessimistic look at life because of what I know and am confronted with every time I come close to someone. There isn't a lot in this world I genuinely like. As I'm sure you know, the gift of divination is as much a curse as a gift. Yours works different to mine; to you it comes and goes and you see possibilities, while mine is constant and I know what's beneath the surface. Different gifts, different personalities, thus different reactions.

"I needed to act based off what I knew; what kind of man would I be if I neglected the truth? At the moment, it seems to pay off a little, but who says it's going to do now? The headmaster once told me that it are our choices that define us and to a certain extent he is right. Only time can tell whether I made the right choice."

Luna was silent for a while. "I understand a little, I think. Why did you choose to befriend me? Wouldn't it be more logical for you to hang around with people who partly share your goals?"

Harry grimaced. "Those that support the dark lord's agenda aren't necessarily those that fully realize what it's all about. And despite my choices, a bastard remains a bastard. As much as Malfoy might sympathize with the Death Eaters, he remains a nasty piece of work. Don't get me wrong, Marvolo, the Dark Lord, is quite a bastard himself, but circumstances make it easier for me to work with Marvolo. And there's far more to the Dark Lord then just a coup, something only people with my gift seem to realize.

"As for befriending you... Despite my inner wishes, humans aren't solitary. As much as I would like to isolate myself and live a hermit's life, it would kill me. I hate associating with people, yet I yearn for it at the same time. Everybody needs affection, everybody needs friendship. Taking my gift into account, you're safe. Your wishes aren't too demanding or suffocating, unlike those of others. I can provide you with what you want the most – friendship and understanding – without too much difficulty. The fact that you aren't unintelligent helps; you're interesting person to know."

"Thank you," whispered Luna, "I needed to hear that."

"One of your visions?" questioned Harry.

She nodded. "We were several years older, you resisted Voldemort and defeated him not that far from here when you were eighteen. During the months after killing Voldemort and getting the wizarding world back on its feet, your health – both physical and mental – declined a lot. The scene I witnessed was of you dying like a mad dog. It shook me."

"Guess a Nargle ate my brains," Harry commented, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Are all your visions like that?"

"Not all of them, but there's always something sad that lingers. Once I saw you carrying me from one of the hills surrounding the castle. In that vision, you and I exchanged marriage vows as children after I kidnapped you and you came to live with my parents and I. We were happy and my mum still lived thanks to your intervention. It was a nice dream, but bittersweet at waking up.

"Another time I saw myself giving birth to a boy. Neville Longbottom and I were married. We were happy. But it's unlikely that will happen - I don't know the boy and the events needed to bring us together aren't going to happen now."

Harry didn't comment. Neville was a likable boy if you had the patience to give him self-confidence, but other than that? He was curious though.

"What's different now compared to life in that vision?"

"Hermione Granger talked you into giving defense lessons in what would have been this year; I joined through Ginny Weasley and Neville was a member as well. At the end of that year you, Hermione, Ronald, Ginny, Neville and I went to the Department of Mysteries to save your godfather from torture. Death Eaters and You-Know-Who were there. The next year, Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts, Neville and I were the only two others to help defend the castle. In my sixth year Death Eaters ran Hogwarts and a lot of students that wanted to resist were helped by Neville and I in surviving under the radar."

"You haven't got anyone to speak about your visions, have you?" Harry asked.

"I haven't," Luna acknowledged.

"If you need someone who understands a bit how it's like, you can tell me."

"I'll think about it."

---

Life as Guy Bloke certainly was interesting. Working directly under Amelia Bones, Bloke was one of those permanent fixtures of the Ministry of Magic, surviving Minister after Minister, department head after department head. He was the head of all the management assistants of the department; if Amelia Bones needed to sign something or received mail, Guy Bloke was the person to go to. It was also Guy Bloke that went through each demand from the law enforcement employees and regularly compiled a list Amelia Bones could easily read through.

If Guy Bloke weren't such a neutral, apolitical person, capable of dealing with all kinds of people, modern law enforcement wouldn't be what it today. It shouldn't be surprising that it was Bloke Barty had to impersonate. For Barty, it was one of the most difficult things he ever had to do – playing Moody under Dumbledore's careful eye was a walk in the park compared to having to act neutral all of the time. Paranoia wasn't difficult to copy, but absolute indifference with a healthy dose of servitude was.

It were the first weeks of impersonating a person that were the most important though and Barty was almost through with them – it being midway into December. The purpose of infiltrating the administrative side of the department of law enforcement was twofold: knowing what lived within the ranks of the Aurors, and finding enough information pertaining Azkaban. The latter especially was a priority, considering that the Death Eaters simply weren't the same without the LeStranges and the others – Lucius Malfoy had grown too arrogant in the years without the Lord.

Barty regretted not being capable of visiting his lover during the holidays, but it simply would be too suspicious. Bloke was, aside his importance among the management assistants, a workaholic and the one important people contacted during times of duress. When the Dark Lord freed his followers in Azkaban, Barty needed to remain in Bloke's house. And remain as inconspicuous as he could.

Barty hoped his mission would succeed.

---

The train ride to London was a quiet one, even if Luna accompanied Harry and they talked freely to each other. Classes that term had been like they always were – sometimes difficult, sometimes a bore, and time had flown by. While Dolores Umbridge still annoyed Harry, she learned the hard way not to mess with Harry or even Luna. It still amazed Harry how gullible people were – aside from a mild compulsion, Harry hadn't even cursed Umbridge – the woman simply was too stupid to brew and drink a cleansing potion, which would easily cure the compulsion he'd put upon her. She hadn't yet figured it out though and had to procreate six times with a 'halfbreed' already. From what Harry knew, she had spent the night with an Imperius'ed werewolf, a half-troll, and a centaur named Bane.

Harry Apparated to Crouch Manor in Blackpool from a secluded corner at King's Cross, where he was greeted by an enthusiastic Winky, who hadn't seen one of her Masters in weeks. The house was eerily quiet, bringing the absence of Barty closer to mind. It was as Harry ate his meal in silence that he vowed to successfully raise a basilisk. To that end, Harry went about searching for an isolated room in the house, a toad in the garden and a fertilized chicken egg in the city of Blackpool – eventually finding one in the garden of an old couple. It was morning by the time Harry had set everything up.

Harry slept until well into the afternoon that day and made his homework in what was left of the day.

It wasn't until several days had passed that the Dark Lord announced his pending arrival, apparently the Dark Lord decided that Karkaroff's manor was getting too cold and Crouch Manor would be a pleasant change of scenery. It limited Harry's activities only slightly, but it certainly was an interesting experience for their little trinity – Marvolo, Nagini and Harry to be present in the same room. That three was a magical number was confirmed when Harry and Marvolo concentrated on their connection at the same time, bringing Nagini into their folds. For a minute their bodies were illuminated from within and each of their minds relaxed like they never had before.

Despite their closeness, conversations between Marvolo and Harry still happened quite formal and banter wasn't really appreciated. Nagini seemed quite excited of the creation of a basilisk, especially if it was a male basilisk. Apparently all of Marvolo's procreation instincts had joined up in Nagini and her maternal instincts, leaving the Horcrux'ed snake eager to be impregnated by the King of Snakes.

Christmas wasn't a very special day, though received some gifts, one of which was, surprisingly, a journal given by Luna. The Dark Lord in turn was quite surprised to find a small sculpture of a snake among his Christmas gifts, fetched from the room behind Salazar's statue in the Chamber of Secrets and created by the founder himself.

It was on the thirtieth of December that the Dark Lord told Harry they and the Death Eaters would be breaking the followers in Azkaban out the next day.

---

Side-Along-Apparition was a nasty experience, the feeling of being squished through a narrow tube even more prominent than with regular Apparition, though it was a testament of the Dark Lord's capacities that he could do so with a snake and a fellow wizard as companions.

Their destination was once again the grounds of the old Riddle manor, Wormtail arriving quickly after them from the deceased caretaker's house near the edge of the grounds. The Animagus, dressed in his Death Eater garb just as Harry was, greeted them cordially, offering his Dark Mark to the Dark Lord so the latter could summon the rest of the Death Eaters.

It was a stark contrast to the previous few meetings Harry had witnessed, all of the Death Eaters prepared for action. The Death Eater Harry identified as McNair carried with him an ax, while Crabbe and Goyle senior carried beater bats.

"For too long has our kin been banished to the prison of Azkaban, no more say I! Some among you have helped greatly in the preparations of this mission proving once more the power we carry when we stand together! I do not expect great trouble in freeing our fellow men and women from the dark isle, but it would be arrogant for me to negate the risks. Most of you have family locked behind bars, others may be reminded of their brief passage years ago and it is true we should fear the Dementors guarding the prison, but I have confidence in your abilities and feel confident in my own strength. Tonight we free our compatriots and tomorrow we feast! Death Eaters, split up in groups of five, Portkeys have been provided by our colleagues in the Ministry."

A hand sign from Marvolo made Harry refrain from joining the others, apparently he would be taking a Portkey with the Dark Lord. Nagini remained behind to guard the clearing – it would after all be a sorry affair if they succeeded in freeing the Death Eaters in Azkaban only to be captured at arrival in Little Hangleton.

The Portkeys to Azkaban weren't charmed to operate with a passing phrase or transport at touch like the on from the Third Task, rather they were timed like the Portkeys used for the Quidditch World Cup – the difference between a Ministry issued Portkey and a custom-made Portkey.

Azkaban Prison was unlike what he imagined it to be – there was no dark, stony fortress, nor did it resemble any Muggle prison Harry had ever seen, rather it was like a fortified manor with a silver fence and only one entrance protected by a steep stone wall, invisible from the inside, enchanted to shift form and position, and a guard post on either side of the inner gates. The trust the Ministry of Magic had in the Dementors was great, that much was clear from the number of human guards assigned to this outpost of wizarding Britain – a grand number of three demoted Aurors. Since the Death Eaters arrived through quite legal ways, thanks to Barty's influence as Guy Bloke and Yaxley's position as a member of the Wizengammot Office, the road to the guards went without much trouble. Walden McNair and Gregory Goyle senior's beater bats were put to good use by knocking two guards out, Tiberius Worcestershire casting a thorough Stunner Blast Hex at the third. The oldest guard, the one Tiberius hexed, was quickly relieved of the Keys of Azkaban. It was unlikely he would ever resume his duty as Keeper of the Keys of Azkaban.

Once the doors were opened and all twenty Death Eaters had entered – not every member participated in the action related part of the organization – Marvolo divided everybody into pairs. Their mission was to release the prisoners wearing the Dark Mark; Marvolo himself would seek out the prime Dementor and Harry's task was to remain at the entrance and assure their escape. It was an important task which, were he part of the regular Death Eater hierarchy, represented a lot of honor to be given. Harry wasn't a simple servant however, he was the silver masked aid – still an unknown, thus a legend, to most operating under Lord Voldemort's banner.

By the time an hour had passed, Harry had closely examined the guards' provisions, stunned, silenced and levitated the Aurors upside down, summoned a snake and ordered it to be a lookout and received a visit by several curious Dementors. The Seer in Harry rejoiced in their presence – Dementors numbed his ability greatly, while Harry's consciousness hated not being able to detect his surroundings completely. Slowly the Death Eaters arrived, some accompanied by shadows of what once were men and women, others returning alone. Despite the Dementors' close proximity, the number of people near him simply couldn't be suppressed. Those that hadn't resided in Azkaban were complicated in a way Harry couldn't explain properly – how did one describe desire within desire and hope from association properly?

The former prisoners in contradiction were, like Barty, simple and raw – revenge, devotion and the yearning of freedom at the forefront of their mind. No doubt that after several years that would disappear and the attraction Harry felt now evaporate gradually, but as long as he was in the presence of their primal fears and wishes, he would bathe in that sense of belonging – his gift, ability, curse, seemed to exist in order for Harry to help people achieve their heart's desire – it was a relief to realize he controlled his instincts instead of his instincts controlling him.

An hour and a half after their arrival, all Death Eaters were assembled and it was only a matter of the Dark Lord rejoining them before they could leave. Before Marvolo did so though, dark clouds gather above them and a team of five Hit-Wizards Portkey'd in. Harry's conjured snake was their only warning, but it sufficed.

Their leader must have sensed rising trouble, for Marvolo came sweeping from an obscured room mere seconds after the Hit-Wizards' arrival. Orders were given, a tactic quickly shared. Five Death Eaters, among whom Harry, would lead them to the designed open spot of the wards, the prisoners, seven Death Eaters forming the back of the circle, while Marvolo and two teams of four would hopefully provide enough distraction.

Getting into Azkaban wasn't difficult, all it took was a paper from the Ministry and a Portkey. Breaking out of Azkaban, especially after Sirius Black's escape, was going to be hard.