Support System

Chapter VII X-Ray Man

**

Harry was sent back to school the very next day through Floo Powder. Immediately returning really didn't feel that ideal to Harry, having literally just escaped his trauma in captivity and all. Regardless, Dumbledore had come to Grimmauld Place that very evening and took Harry by surprise when he insisted in an annoyingly chipper tone, "Two weeks of term have passed already, Harry, and I can't stand to have you suffer academically!" Thereby, that next morning Harry half-willingly arrived via Floo at the Hog's Head (due to the difficulties of Hogwart's recent Floo ban) and --with thanks to the shady connections of Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, no doubt-- ably journeyed from there to the castle.

Shockingly, upon actually viewing the castle that following morning, Harry couldn't believe how picturesque Hogwarts suddenly felt. He had spent so many nights dreading that he would die without ever returning here, die an innocent man. And yet now, somehow he indeed was free and back at the only place he had ever called home. So although the sun was barely visible during this early morning hour (for Dumbledore had felt a low-key arrival was best), the brisk autumn air never before had smelled this sweet...

"Welcome home, Harry, where you belong! Go on ahead - don't suffer the absence of your friends any longer!" Dumbledore said generously. Beaming, the Headmaster gestured a hand suggestively toward the castle doors.

Obviously, when Harry Potter entered the Gryffindor Common Room, he took everyone by total surprise. No one still expected his safe return, so the minute he walked through the portrait door twenty Gryffindors went into an uproar. Although Neville and Lavender were the only ones he personally knew, it overjoyed Harry that everyone was so happy to see him alive:

"Harry, it's so good to see you're okay!"

"We reckoned you'd been finished, mate!"

"We can't believe you made it back alive!"

Harry, guilty enjoying all the attention, burst into laughter. He let himself forget momentarily about the inappropriate questions that inevitably would come at him later. For right now, Harry was elated to just announce, "Yeah, I'm actually back in one piece! I couldn't be happier to back at Hogwarts!" Searching around with his eyes, Harry right away asked, "Has anyone seen Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger?!"

Neville eagerly answered, "Ron's still asleep, but I'll go wake him up!"

Harry meant to politely tell Neville to let Ron sleep, but he simply couldn't help his own impatience. Harry smiled more than ever as he watched Neville rush up the stairs. But then, upon the slightest tilt of his head, Harry fell completely flabbergasted: Hermione was rushing downstairs from the Girls' Dormitory directly at him, looking ecstatic. She landed in his arms and nearly suffocated him, almost making him turn blue; it was as if to reassure her better half that Harry was really present. Then, jubilant as ever, Hermione cried out, "Harry, oh Harry, you're alive! We were absolutely certain that you were dead by now! For Heaven's sake, Harry, it's a miracle to see you here, alive and well!"

Harry laughed dotingly at Hermione as she released him from her choking embrace. Placing his hands gently on her shoulders, Harry graciously whispered, "It's great to see you too, Hermione." He patted her twice on the back, and then Hermione became overwhelmingly tearful. Harry wasn't sure how to respond to that though, especially since he too, was very close to crying...

"HARRY!" Ron Weasley was screaming for his attention from the stairs. In a millisecond he'd jumped at Harry and barricaded his arms around him. Rougher than Hermione in his squeeze, Ron breathlessly managed saying, "Bloody hell, mate! You're alive! We were so sure you'd been killed! Who was it that betrayed You-Know-Who to save you, Harry?!" Although stuck in a state of shock, Ron was red with glowing excitement for the first time since Harry disappeared.

But before Harry had time to respond, Hermione jumped into their giant hug. Unsurprisingly, once they finally let go of each other their ribs hurt badly from laughing so hard. Harry was absolutely shell-shocked by how mesmerizing the ordinary sight of his two best friends was in this special moment: Harry, Ron, and Hermione ecstatically celebrated their reunion, reassuring one another a thousand times that this was not a too-good-to-be-true dream --

**

The Dark Lord was livid as he speedily paced through the Malfoys' dungeon. His time for vengeance was finally now because, under Veritaserum, Wormtail had pathetically confessed to saving Potter. Although Voldemort felt immense relief at this discovery, the complicated circumstances left him all the angrier and far from satisfied. Justice alone could relax Voldemort's enraged bones--

Finally Voldemort arrived at the jail cells and surveyed the expected scene: Snape rigidly stood guard in front of the cell, glaring at Wormtail, the traitor inside it. The Potions Master, so focused, was rather startled by his master's early arrival; as a matter of fact, Snape found himself for a moment daunted by the Dark Lord: stalking forth in his black cloak, wand ready and hood up, his merciless, fierce-looking demeanor, radiated more as he stepped closer. Dumbstruck, Severus for a second forgot Wormtail as his master reached face-to-face proximity, which made him choke behind a pleasant smile. Embarrassed, Severus said in a fast, hoarse voice, "It is a pleasure to see you early, my Lord. I take it that you couldn't wait any longer before eliminating our troublesome little prisoner?"

Excited, Voldemort nodded, smiling at Snape before surprisingly holding his hand out to shake. Snape felt quite pleased to receive this rare gesture, and shook Voldemort's hand firmly to show sincerity. This effort made his master appreciative. Snape couldn't have felt gladder about satisfying Voldemort, who now nodded quite collectedly as he took his first glance at Wormtail:

The tiny man was crouched against the cell's farthest wall, trembling with overwhelming fear. Shielding his hands over his head and keeping his eyes shut, Wormtail whimpered pathetically and nearly fell backward upon Voldemort's stare. (Understandably, though, his master was menacing his classic, exponentially haunting smile.) This made the Dark Lord laugh healthfully before beginning his grand, confident speech. "Hello traitor of mine, little Peter Pettigrew. Finally we confront one another. Ah, how misfortunate it must be for you, the guilty man here! Oh Wormtail, you were once a man who, despite being an inferior wizard, gloriously revived me. It was you that ended my powerless exile after so many years. But now, Wormtail, you've shamefully become my Judas." Voldemort hosted perfect grace, clearing his throat before enunciating, "Wormtail, pathetic fool, unfortunately your selfish impulsiveness and plain stupidity led you to betray me. In consequence unfaithful traitor, now you will pay for your unforgivable actions!"

Wormtail shrieked loudly, feeling uncontrollably tremulous. In a heartbeat he convulsed wildly before shortly hitting the granite floor face-down. The terrified man, yelping painfully, quickly chose to try pleading for his life nonetheless; bravely Pettigrew moved closer to kneel subserviently before his master, and then daringly begged for mercy. "My Lord, greatest of all sorcerers, please, please forgive my unconscionable double-crossing. With complete and total shame I see myself, because -- in being a wizard much weaker than the formidable Dark Lord, you Your Highness -- I commissioned disaster. I solely acted in the worst of self-interests, and I absolutely feel the strongest remorse possible for my irreversible--"

But Lord Voldemort had heard enough of Pettigrew's insolent boldness, furiously interrupting, "SILENCE, IMPOSTEROUS FOOL! NO PLEA WHATSOEVER WILL CONVINCE ME THAT YOUR LIFE IS WORTH SPARING, NOT AFTER SUCH A DAMNING BETRAYAL! NO WIZARD OR WITCH WHO SWEARS ALLEGIANCE TO LORD VOLDEMORT CAN WORK FIRST TO BENEFIT HIS OR HER SELF-REGARD! DON'T TELL ME YOU DON'T REMEMBER YOUR PRIMARY DUTY AS A DEATH EATER, WORMTAIL! YOU KNOW WELL THAT YOU SWORE TO PUT SELF-PRESERVATION SECOND TO THE LIFE AND WILL OF ME, THE VANQUISHING DARK LORD. THIS OATH MATTERS MOST IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES, UNWISE BETRAYER, DON'T YOU SEE?! THE CHOICE BETWEEN POTTER AND ME WAS A TEST OF YOUR LOYALTY, BUT BEING THE PATHETIC MAN THAT YOU ARE, PETTIGREW, YOU FAILED! YOU CHOSE TO BECOME A TRAITOR -- INSIGNIFICANT VERMIN!!" Voldemort's voice was greater than every force in the room, beyond palpating and antagonizing, even as it dropped to a final, sly hiss. "Alas. Forsaken betrayer of mine, you must now face capital punishment!"

The rancorous fury of Voldemort's speech immediately caused Wormtail to scream with desperation. Nearly fainting, Voldemort's doomed prisoner made one last, lowly-spoken plea, despite knowing it would be pointless. "My Lord, please, please, I beg that you have mercy!"

But Voldemort ignored Peter Pettigrew's apologies. He seized his wand out of a cloak pocket, not hesitating to aim the weapon right at Wormtail; then, in one moment of overwhelming suspense, Lord Voldemort declared, "Crucio!"

Wormtail, who first tried throwing his weight around the cell to avoid Voldemort's aim, went excessively blue as his entire body froze: every bone in his body began to excruciate in agonizing pain so unfathomable, it was if intense flames inundated his body. Wormtail's whole carcass limped savagely--

Then it stopped altogether.

Voldemort smiled, looking at ease for a moment upon watching Wormtail flinch down like a weak hunchback. Hearing Wormtail's tortured cries for mercy seemed to fuse Voldemort's zeal more, apparently, because the Dark Lord somehow turned more ferocious. "CRUCIO! Haha, it hurts, Wormtail, doesn't it? You're receiving what you deserve, traitor-- CRUCIO!!"

Voldemort and Snape burst into an uproar of laughter, compassionless in watching Peter scourge in mortal coil. The two cruel men entertained the poor man's anguish gleefully, sending Wormtail into an unsettling, seizure-like fit. Every bone on his body looked near spontaneous combustion as Wormtail pressed his hand on his chest, failing to steady his overworking heartbeat. Then, after several moment passed, Wormtail, feeling all this blinding, deafening, excruciating pain harder and harder, started to wish that his death would come soon...

Snape had truly succeeded in totally pleasing his master! As he realized this, Severus inhaled the fascinating sensation of great pride, which instantly drew confidence all-throughout himself. Joyous of this, Severus thought not twice before contributing encouraging words. "My Lord, please finish off this cowardly traitor! He deserves not a moment longer to live! By traitorous commission, my formidable Lord, Wormtail made his own death wish! Ha, what a fool Pettigrew truly was!"

Voldemort tilted his head slightly to exchange a mutual smile with Snape, maintaining a firm grip on his wand nevertheless. Severus never could remember seeing the Dark Lord look as pleased as he did now, like the happiest soldier on earth, which made him think, My Lord could never have been so ready to avenge himself, not like now --

Expectantly, Lord Voldemort, with every bit of life within himself, bellowed, "AVADA KEDAVRA!!"

Peter Pettigrew silenced as he lost the wall's support and, with a bang to the head, crashed against the hard floor - dead without question.

Snape and Voldemort felt enormous relief and unearthly happiness rush through them instantly.

**

In spite of the absolute joy that overwhelmed Harry upon returning to Hogwarts, somehow his sleep was disturbed by a puzzling nightmare:

**

Harry was instantly aware that he was a large snake, feeling right about slithering underneath a long table in a dark area. And through a premonitory instinct of some kind, he also knew to keep crawling forward. Moving on, hence, through the eyes of a snake Harry Potter impossibly was slithering slowly toward the legs of a high chair at the table's end. Slowing down after recognizing this chair as his destination, Harry knew to go to the person sitting in it. Using subtle tact from premonitory thoughts, Harry slithered into an upward position and coiled up the chair's legs to rest on the seated man's lap. Right away he was embraced by the male's caressing hands, which triggered Harry to curl around the person's shoulders beautifully.

Before Harry even turned his snake eyes properly past the man's face, he recognized the man as Voldemort because that horrid, stomach-flipping voice specially addressed the table. "Draco--he will be of some help."

Harry was able to get just a fuzzy glimpse of both Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange at the table before the dream disappeared.

**