Harry Potter and the Eyes of the Dragon

Chapter IX: Through the Painting

Harry followed Voldemort upstairs, and for some reason, he was sure were he was taking him. The painted eyes of the dragon didn’t look alive like they had when he had heard Lucius Malfoy’s voice coming from them, but it was obvious there wouldn’t be any talking today. Voldemort walked towards it, still grabbing Draco by the shoulder, and placed his index and middle fingers over it’s eyes, which glowed for a few seconds as it moved its head savagely. The colours in the painting faded to black.

‘OK, Potter, go through it’, he ordered frigidly.

‘Only if he goes first’, Harry said pushing Lucius toward the empty painting. Voldemort nodded and told the Death Eater to climb it.

After Harry saw Lucius disappear, he followed. He felt chills as he crossed the line that divided Hogwarts from wherever he was being taken to, and when he had fully gone across it, he found himself at a dark dungeon he felt he’d been in once.

‘Welcome to the most recondite spaces of Malfoy Manor’, he heard Lucius say behind him, right before chocking him with his left arm.

Harry was struggling to get Malfoy to release him, but it was in vane… he couldn’t breathe.

Voldemort entered the dungeon and immediately raised his wand and said ‘Crucio!’

A flash of red light escaped from its tip and hit Lucius on the arm.

‘How many times… have I told you… not to mess with my victims!’, he yelled to the squirming wizard. He stopped the curse and pointed at Harry, who hadn’t quite recovered from the attack yet, but had already his wand up. ‘Now, let’s do this properly. I think you remember the procedure, after all, we’ve done this three years ago, haven’t we?’, he asked, bending slightly and expecting for
Harry to do the same. He spitted him instead.

Voldemort’s snaky face turned red in anger and Harry heard Draco swallow in a corner.

‘I was going to duel fairly with you, Harry, but apparently, you’re not smart enough to follow rules. Expelliarmus!’

‘Huracano!’

The disarming spell hit the magic shield and its light mixed with the beautiful colours of the small tornado that surrounded him. He didn’t wait for it to disappear to cast the next hex, seizing the distraction.

‘Rictusempra’, Harry yelled, and a flash of silver light hit Voldemort on the chest, making him fall to his knees, incapable of breathing.

Without getting up, Voldemort said ‘Imperio!’.

Floating. For like the fifth time in his life, Harry was floating. Not a worry in the world, before he heard Voldemort’s distant voice saying ‘get on your knees’.

«Yeah, right… like I’d really kneel for you», Harry’s inner voice said on the back of his head, a lot more audible than his opponent’s. «Unless…»

I said, get on your knees!

This time, Harry complied, but he had gotten rid of the curse. He looked up at Voldemort, trying to look as inexpressive as he could. Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry’s chest. ‘Say goodbye, Harry… Avada Kedabra!’

It all happened so suddenly, that the Dark Lord didn’t realize what had occurred. As he muttered the curse, Harry had taken the rock he always carried around in his pocket and blocked it. The rock exploded and Harry stole Voldemort’s wand in the process. He snapped it right in front of his enemy’s face whilst he said ‘Goodbye. Avada Kedabra!’

Voldemort falling dead with his eyes wide open in shock was the last thing Harry saw before falling unconscious himself.

***

For the first time of his life, Harry felt like he had no absolute control over his own body, which in fact was true. His mind was fully awake, but he could not move his limbs, open his mouth, he couldn’t even open his eyes; but he did sense what was going on around him. Lucius had dismayed him right after he had killed Voldemort.

‘Why did you do that for?’, Draco had asked.

‘What do you mean by that? He killed our master, Draco, and he made me go to Azkaban. He will pay!’

Then, Harry was being grabbed by the armpits and dragged to a wall, where Lucius dumped him like a bag of rubbish. Harry heard the sound of chains and felt cold metal on his wrists. FUCK!, Harry thought, the nightmare! That’s why I remembered the dungeon! Oh, God! It was my future!

If he had been able to, he would’ve been struggling in vane to escape what he feared would follow, but his thoughts didn’t reach his inert body.

‘Finite Incatatem!’, Harry heard Lucius voice say, and a rush of heat fell upon him.

Harry opened his eyes widely and looked around savagely. He was right, it all looked exactly like it had that night. He couldn’t even remember how long it had been since then, but cursed himself for not recognizing the place when he had time to get out… if there was even a way to get out… Harry saw a door to his right, but now it was completely useless.

‘So, Potter, you finally killed him. Years of planning against you, completely wasted!’, he yelled. ‘But guess what? You’re bravery, or how I call it, stupidity, will end up killing you, just like I always thought it would.’ He grinned viciously.

Harry looked at Draco. He was just standing there with a gloomy expression on his face.

‘But first’, he went on, ‘I’ll teach you not to ever mess with a Malfoy. Accio whip!’

The whip he had seen in his dream flew to Lucius’ outstretched hand from a corner.

‘Draco, take care of his clothes’, he said through gritted teeth.

Draco walked towards Harry and muttered the Diffindo spell, ripping the robe’s black fabric, and then unbuttoned his school shirt, touching slightly his chest with his cold fingers. Just for a second, their eyes met, and Harry was unable to breathe. Draco looked down immediately and finished his task.
‘You have no idea how long I’ve been dreaming about this moment, Potter’, Lucius said, whipping the floor. The sound made both Harry and Draco hold their breaths. He walked a few steps in Harry’s direction, each stomp making Harry’s heart beat louder. He closed his eye, unwilling to see what he already had.

The sound, the hit, his laugh, the pain… He had told himself not to scream nor cry, he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but he couldn’t.

‘Leave him alone!’, Draco yelled at his father. Harry opened his eyes and looked at him. He had never seen him so pale.

‘What’s wrong, Draco? Is it too hard for you to look at?’, he laughed. ‘You should try doing it yourself, then’, he said offering him the whip.

‘You’re insane…’, Draco said disgustedly.

‘Draco… I don’t know if you realize I’m not asking you to do it’, Lucius drawled, ‘I’m ordering you to do it.’

‘I said I won’t!’

Lucius slapped him.

‘If you don’t do it, I’ll have to punish you too. Is that what you want?’

Draco took off his cloak and threw it onto the floor defiantly. He unbuttoned his shirt and did the
same. Harry looked at his back and saw a lot of lineal scars going in all directions, which meant it wasn’t the first time he disobeyed his father. He also saw Draco’s wand on his waistband, which he took out in a quick movement.

‘Petrificus Totalus!’

Lucius’ arms glued to his body, his legs attracted themselves like magnets and he fell rigidly to the stone floor.

‘Rule number one, always disarm your enemy’, Draco said and kicked him on the hip. He released Harry from the chains and together they managed to chain Lucius instead. ‘OK, let’s get out of here.’

They left the dungeons and headed to the front door.

‘Wait’, Draco stopped suddenly, ‘I need to get something from my room.’

They ran upstairs and into Draco’s large bedroom. Harry had never been anywhere so luxurious. Draco took an empty suitcase and put some clean clothes and a small bottle he took out from a drawer in it. He took out two old brooms from under the bed and gave one to Harry.

‘Where will we go?’, Harry asked.

‘Anywhere, as long as it’s not here. And don’t say Hogwarts. It’s too obvious and too far away.’

‘I think I know where to go, then.’