Crucio

Harry stared at Snape.

Snape's normally grim face remained contorted in an almost-gleeful sneer; a chill ran down Harry's spine. "What do you mean?" he asked quickly, grateful that his voice remained steady, even as his heart sputtered erratically.

"Don't exaggerate," Sirius snapped to Snape and then turned a little again so that he was blocking Harry's view of the cold-faced professor. "Do you remember anything that happened?" he asked, his voice softening as he addressed Harry. Harry tilted his head as he tried to figure out exactly what he was supposed to be remembering.

"I was in Umbridge's office, and then I was here," he shrugged. "Did I pass out?" he guessed. Sirius, his face pinched oddly, shook his head.

"She subjected you to Cruciatus," he explained and Harry nodded. He remembered her threatening to do something like that.

"But you said I'd been in here for days," Harry reminded him. A simple Crucio shouldn't have done that much damage. Voldemort had subjected him to the same curse.

"You don't remember any of it?" Sirius repeated, stressing his words. Harry tilted his head up a bit to get a clearer look at his godfather's face. The spaces under his eyes were deeply shadowed--whatever had happened in the past few days, it was obvious that Sirius hadn't slept.

"Albus told you he wouldn't remember it," Snape snapped scathingly at Sirius. Harry twisted his neck to look at the professor. He ignored Harry's reproachful look. "This is the first time he's even been lucid."

"I know," Sirius snapped, not even bothering to look at the other man as his light eyes continued their study of Harry's face.

"What's going on?" Harry asked impatiently, tired of the interplay between the two enemies.

"Harry," Sirius began in a tone that made Harry squirm beneath his sheets. It was too coddling. Too ominous. "Umbridge's curse had an unforeseen effect on you..." But Sirius seemed to lose his ability to speak. There was an irritated sigh from above and Snape was glaring down at them again. That seemed to make Sirius find his voice again, apparently not wanting Snape to explain. "...you've been subjected to the curse four times in the last three days," he continued.

"And each time, the only way to get you out it was for Snape and I to enter your mind... together. You construct some sort of barricade in your mind whenever the curse strikes you," he rushed on when Harry could only stare at him in total perplexity, "and the only person who can dismantle it is Snape. Dumbledore thinks it's because he ended the original curse in Umbridge's office," he finished on a weary sigh.

"I've been randomly attacked by Cruciatus for three days?" Harry repeated in disbelief. He twisted a little to see around Sirius, who was nodding in resignation by now. At least now he understood why Snape was gloating. What could possibly give the man more pleasure than to watch him suffer? And to wield such power over him....

"We don't know how this happened, and neither Pomfrey nor Dumbledore have any idea how to stop it," Sirius tried to apologize, but somehow Harry wasn't surprised by the news. Umbridge had probably dreamed this up especially to torment him. The Blood Quill could only satisfy her for so long, he supposed.

"But you said you entered my mind with Snape," he reminded his godfather, wanting to understand what all this would mean until someone could find a way to counteract the curse.

"I had to," Sirius nodded. "You wouldn't allow anyone else in your mind. You only allowed Snape in when he brought me along."

"Brought you along?" Harry echoed.

"Yes, Potter, " Snape snapped at him. "Has the curse affected your hearing as well?" he asked, his voice draped in sarcasm. Sirius pivoted around to glare at him.

"You've delivered your message, Snape," he said coolly, "and I really can't think of any other reason for you to be here now, unless you enjoy our company more than you're willing to admit..." he trailed off in suggestion. Snape glowered at him, and then favored Harry with a fierce snarling frown before gathering his black robes around himself and sweeping away from the bed and out into the corridor.

Harry watched him go, his skin prickling in apprehension. "Do you really think you should have done that?" he asked, turning back to study his godfather's smirking face. "If he's the only one who can stop the curse, he's right...my life is in his hands," he said uncomfortably. Sirius' face grew grim. He sat on the edge of Harry's bed, leaning his palms close to Harry's legs.

"Don't worry about that, Harry. He was exaggerating. He can't leave you like that... as much as he might wish to," he finished darkly. When Harry didn't look convinced, Sirius assured him, "Dumbledore told me that Snape vowed his loyalty to him many years ago. A wizard's oath," he elaborated, "is unbreakable."

Harry considered that. "Then Snape really is on our side?" he concluded. "Even though he was a Death Eater?"

Sirius nodded, shrugging slightly. "I admit I would have preferred to think of him as a traitorous coward, but not right now. Dumbledore assured me that Snape has no other choice but to keep you safe," he said seriously. Harry shuddered. He liked it even less that Snape apparently had to help him. It meant only that he couldn't let him die. There wouldn't be anything to stop him from being unnecessarily cruel.

"He won't hurt you, Harry," Sirius interrupted his thoughts, startling Harry at how close he had come to reading his mind. "I won't let him."

Harry focused again at that statement. "You won't be able to stop him from going to Grimmauld Place," he said in resignation, trying not to let his voice betray his disgruntlement. Sirius couldn't help his circumstances, after all.

Sirius squeezed his hand, his mouth forming a gentle smile. "I'm coming with you to the Dursleys'," he said. Harry stared at him.

"You are?"

"Of course, Harry," Sirius chuckled lightly. "You can't be left alone now, and besides, you need me just as much as you need Snape to undo whatever Umbridge did to you," he reminded him. Harry felt himself grinning. It was the worst possible reason to have a companion during his stay with the Dursleys, but it made his heart feel lighter anyway.

"We'll only stay a few weeks to satisfy the Blood Wards," Sirius added, "and then you can come live with me at Grimmauld-"

It was utterly childish, not to mention, completely embarrassing, but Harry did it anyway. He threw himself at his godfather, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Live with him. Like he should have been doing for the past two years. And it only took a reverberating curse to finally make it happen.

Sirius, startled by the sudden weight in his arms, went silent. But his surprise only lasted a second, before he responded quickly and pulled his godson in close. "Hey," he said gently when Harry only moved tighter against his chest, "it's all right, Harry. I promise you that I won't let anything happen to you, all right?"

Harry couldn't explain that it wasn't fear that drove this embrace, and he ignored the many questions buzzing around in his head, to simply nod in acceptance of his godfather's promise. They'd have time to talk about everything later. All summer, in fact. He could ignore, as well, the shadowing curse that had driven them together. It didn't matter anyway, Harry told himself silently. None of it mattered. Sirius was safe. They could be a family now.

--

Harry lightly fingered the amulet that hung heavily around his neck, as he watched the Hogwarts Express pull away from the station. He didn't have any more answers, especially to his most pressing question of why he'd woken up only after the fourth time that Sirius and Snape had ended the curse. Not even Dumbledore had any answers, and he'd personally questioned Umbridge, who, Harry was pleased to discover, was awaiting trial for the use of a forbidden magical artifact, abuse against minors, and the use of an Unforgivable. Azkaban would shortly become her new home.

"Are you ready?" Sirius asked, though he was hidden under one of Dumbledore's Disillusionment Charms, rendering him virtually invisible. It was odd to find a disembodied voice completely comforting.

Harry nodded, hoisting his bag more securely over his shoulder. The train was just disappearing from sight. It had been hard to watch his friends go, but Sirius had told him that he could invite them for a visit once they returned to Grimmauld Place. Harry had told both Ron and Hermione about Umbridge's curse, and they'd both promised to find out as much as they could about the possibility of counter-curses. Harry didn't hold much hope of them finding answers. Not if Dumbledore hadn't a clue how to solve this.

"Yeah," Harry finally answered when he could no longer see the scarlet train. The weight of what was happening to him had finally sunk in sometime after breakfast, when Ron had looked ready to pass out at the news that Snape, out of all the possibilities, was the only person who could end the curse.

And then even more when Hermione had asked, rather shrilly, "Four times? Do you have any idea what sort of damage the Cruciatus Curse can do to you, Harry?" Sirius had interrupted then to tell the pair that Harry needed to rest.

"You've never side-alonged, have you?" Sirius was asking, and Harry shook his head. "I'll need to hold onto you," Sirius told him, a smile in his voice.

"It's sorta hard when I can't see you," Harry smiled, and then he found his godfather's arms wrapped around him.

"This'll be extremely unpleasant, so hold on tight," Sirius advised. Harry squeezed around Sirius' middle as hard as he could. Sirius chuckled and then Harry was turned inside out.

He didn't know how much time had passed, if indeed any had passed at all, but he was standing in the shade of a large tree, at the end of Privet drive. Sirius' arms stayed around him, kept him steady as the waves of disorientation passed through him.

"All right now?" he finally asked when Harry's breathing had evened out again. Harry nodded, and then the hold slackened and Harry stepped away. He stared silently down the street, at the house he had spent most of his life hating. He found he didn't hate it quite as much right now. He took a deep breath as he felt his godfather's comforting hand on his shoulder.

"They'll piss themselves when they find out who you are, you know," Harry told him with a small smile. Sirius laughed and clapped him soundly on the shoulder.

"Let's not wait then," he said, his voice full of mock-seriousness. Harry grinned and they made their way to number four together. Harry steeled himself, feeling the fleeting memories of childhood fears, and then he was rapping his knuckles sharply against the door.

He could hear Petunia's shrill voice beyond, arguing with a deep-voiced Vernon. He didn't hear Dudley, but that wouldn't mean anything. He was probably cowering in silent trepidation behind his mummy's skirts. The elder Dursleys seemed to arguing whether or not to try to make a mad dash for the family car. Sirius, with a sigh of irritation, solved the problem, with something that sounded suspiciously like a booted foot, and the door was thrown open with a loud bang. The Dursleys, all three of them, were cowering on the other side, their eyes wide with terror.

But all they could see was Harry, and Uncle Vernon's face immediately shifted in anger. "You ungrateful brat," he began sputtering, his face red. He moved toward Harry, his arm stretched outward as though to grab his nephew, but Sirius was faster. He took Harry's arm and steered him away from any harm, and then the door slammed shut. Vernon didn't even falter. "You're not to do any of that freaky stuff here, boy!" he shouted, his chest huffing and puffing as he lunged for Harry once more.

Sirius materialized in front of his target, and Vernon's face went white. He froze in mid-step. Petunia screamed, while Dudley moved faster than Harry would have thought possible, to cower in a far corner of the sitting room. Petunia ran pell-mell after him, scrunching herself down, trying to cover as much as Dudley as possible, presumably attempting to hide her precious son from the mass murderer towering over their entryway.

"What in--what is..." but Vernon could only stammer his aborted queries before Sirius was leaning down to speak directly into his flabby face.

"If you so much as look like you're thinking of touching my godson again, I will kill you more slowly than I have ever killed anyone before," he said in a soft, serious voice. Vernon's mouth opened and closed a few times in response. Sirius, satisfied that he'd made his point, straightened up again. "Harry will only be here for three weeks, and," he added with a smile, "I will be staying as well."

There was another scream from Petunia, muffled this time, by the pillow she was holding in front of her face now, and Vernon looked close to fainting. But neither of them tried to protest. Sirius nodded at them, in seeming politeness before turning to Harry. "Why don't we go get settled in your room?" he suggested. Harry nodded, fighting hard to keep the smile off his face. Sirius ushered him up the stairs first, following closely behind him.

"This is your room?" he asked when they'd reached the padlocked door. His jaw was quivering now, and he looked about to head back down the stairs. Harry grabbed his arm before he could move.

"They're not worth it, Sirius," he said quietly, pulling his godfather along with him as he entered the familiar room. It felt strange to be here without Hedwig, but she'd stayed at Hogwarts, as she wouldn't be able to roam free at Grimmauld Place. Sirius made a quiet noise that Harry recognized as anger, but he didn't make any more sudden movements toward the stairs, so Harry let go of his sleeve.

Harry plopped his bag in the middle of his bed; his trunk would be waiting for him at Sirius' house, and then he stood where he was in the middle of the room, feeling awkward. Sirius' grey eyes were roving the room, straying much too long at the bars at the windows, the tattered mattress and blankets, the dingy furniture....

"Azkaban is too good for them," Sirius said, shaking his head as his eyes snapped in fury. Harry wanted to shrug, but he couldn't quite manage it and then he was startled as Sirius turned abruptly to him. "Did that lout ever hurt you?" he demanded, his voice deadly quiet. Harry sighed. Sirius' eyes widened.

"No, he didn't," Harry said hastily as Sirius' breathing became shallower. "He would have probably shaken me up a little if he'd managed to catch me downstairs," he explained. "He's too big a coward to do anything more."

"Only a coward would hurt a child," Sirius returned, his eyes darkening. They refocused sharply on Harry. "Do you swear, Harry, that Vernon Dursley has never laid a hand on you?" he asked, and oddly, Harry found himself a wee bit nervous at his godfather's stern tone. He nodded though.

"I promise, Sirius," he confirmed, glad he didn't have to lie. After all, all the times Uncle Vernon had tossed him in his cupboard wouldn't really count, even though he had had to touch his elbow to accomplish it. Sirius studied him for a long minute, before nodding, and then with a weary sigh, he slumped on the bed. He clasped his large hands in his lap, before pinning Harry with a very serious look.

"You should have told me what was happening here," he admonished in a low voice. Harry tried to remain unaffected.

"I was all right," he reassured his godfather. Sirius gave him an incredulous look.

"You have a rather strange notion of what it means to be all right," he said with a shake of his dark head.

Harry smiled a little, but he didn't respond. Sirius gave him a look that made Harry think they would be revisiting this conversation at a later date. Probably sooner rather than later, as there wouldn't be much to do around here, since they couldn't leave without Sirius being concealed in some form or another, but at least he could be bored with someone this summer, and maybe Sirius could help him with his assignment.

"How about a game of wizard's chess?" Sirius asked suddenly and Harry grinned. This would definitely be an improvement over summers past.

--

Sirius leapt up from the lumpy mattress, where he and Harry had fallen asleep last night. Harry's face was contorted in the familiar grip of pain, illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the un-curtained windows. Sirius caught Harry before he could fall sideways off the bed. He was already doubled over on his side, in agony; the curse seemed to be working more swiftly than it had in the infirmary.

With Harry writhing against him, and his screams filling the room, Sirius reached down Harry's collar and tapped the amulet. He hoped that Snape would come quickly. But it was too many minutes of Harry's coarse screaming, his head cradled in Sirius' lap, before Snape finally flung open the door; his face was oddly white and he was moving much faster than Sirius would have thought he would have, given that it was Harry in pain.

Before he'd even crossed the threshold, Snape had already chanted the counter-incantation for the Cruciatus. Harry stopped screaming. Sirius sighed in relief, running his fingers gently through his godson's black hair.

"We need to get out of here," Snape snarled from above them, and Sirius looked up in surprise to see Snape moving intently toward them.

"What?" Sirius asked, bewildered. "Why? And what about Harry?" he demanded indignantly. The impossible git was going to just leave Harry trapped in his mind? And where the hell could they possibly need to go?

"The Blood Wards have fallen," Snape spat out. "The Dark Lord is-"

But there was no need, nor time, for any other explanations. There was the sound of an explosion, and it took Sirius a second to realize that it was coming from inside the house, and then there were the sounds of scuffling, rushing footsteps below them. Sirius, his eyes widening in panic, leapt up from the bed. He hoisted Harry into his arms, intending to Apparate out of the house.

Footsteps were echoing on the stairs.

Before Sirius had a chance to protest, Snape was wrenching Harry from his arms. "You won't be able to Apparate." And with that, Snape turned on the spot and was gone, taking a still-unconscious Harry with him.

Four masked Death Eaters crowded through Harry's open door, their wands aimed squarely at Sirius' chest.