Marked

Harry looked around the room in an attempt to memorize the faces of everyone there. Sirius was watching Dumbledore speak, frown lines creasing his face. Lily sat next to him on the sofa, her hand in his, dark circles beneath her eyes aging her far beyond her thirty-six years. The Minister wore the same sober expression he'd worn when he'd begun telling Harry and Neville of their eventual fate. Harry looked up to where Hermione sat on the arm of his chair. The weeks of worrying had also taken their toll on her; her mouth was drawn into its usual frown and her eyes held a wealth of emotions Harry knew no plan, however carefully drawn, could ease.

He had to leave them all behind. In less than hour, he could be leaving this whole life behind. For weeks, Harry had been trying to convince himself it was worth it to save the Wizarding world from what Voldemort and the Death Eaters could do to their way of life. In this moment, in these last minutes before it would begin, Harry knew apprehension. Fear and regret and longing for what he might never have filled him as he listened to the Minister describe what would be happening when he stood to challenge Voldemort. But he was resolved. Stand up and be willing to die for everyone or watch everything he loved be destroyed, one life at a time. He and Neville had made the only choice that could be made. There would be no going back.

"The Aurors will be surrounding the house in exactly thirty minutes," Dumbledore said after glancing at his watch. He caught Harry's gaze. "Once we are in place, you will be able to sneak in with your Invisibility Cloak."

"What if someone notices?" Hermione asked. "There's bound to be some sort of monitoring around the house."

"We'll take the chance," Harry responded. "As far as I know, no spell can affect the Cloak. Even if they know I'm there, they won't be able to hurt me. I should be able to get in and get Neville out without a problem." Pain flared briefly behind his eyes and he closed them to consciously focus on blocking his thoughts. As far as Harry knew, Voldemort hadn't been able to read him as easily as he could Neville, but he didn't want to take the chance--not if they planned to take everyone in the house by surprise.

"Are the boys going to fight him today?" Lily asked.

"I would prefer to wait until Neville has recovered from the injuries he has suffered. If they have no choice but to fight today, they will." Dumbledore caught Harry's eyes as he said this and Harry wondered if the man was reading his mind without him picking up on it. Very few of his thoughts were of anything but what Neville had been going through and killing the people responsible for it. They all knew the chances of he and Neville returning that day, even if no one was willing to say it aloud.

"I expect you to get back here as soon as you can," Dumbledore added to Harry. The narrowing of the bright blue eyes betrayed the lie behind the words. Harry felt it was an unnecessary gesture for his mother's sake. As it was, she'd spent most of the last fifteen minutes barely holding herself together. He wasn't sure if it was unnecessarily cruel to have her waiting around the house for him to come back--just as he knew Hermione would be driving herself crazy, waiting for word of what had happened--but he appreciated that no one, not even the Minister, wanted to say the words Lily was dreading to hear.

"Sirius is going to arrive not long after you," Dumbledore said. "There is a field on the other side of woods near the house. He will wait there for the two of you, a considerable distance from the fighting."

"In case something goes wrong, how long should I wait before I go into the house to look for them?" Sirius asked. "I think ten minutes sounds fine, but I wasn't sure if that was enough time for Harry to find Neville."

"I think that should be more than enough," Harry said. "Especially if everyone else is outside."

"You're assuming he isn't being guarded," Lily said sharply.

"As far as I've seen, they've only been keeping him in a room by himself," Harry responded. "It won't take much to unlock the door. He's been too weak to run away, so they may not have done even that."

"It still sounds too risky for you to go in by yourself," Lily argued. She turned to Dumbledore. "I think Sirius should go in with him from the beginning. Or I should."

"Mum, you don't need to be there at all," Harry said quietly. "I don't want you getting hurt."

Lily frowned and sat back on the sofa. "I'm not going to argue with you about this, Harry. If my being there will be of any help to you--"

"It would be better for you to remain here," Dumbledore said, interrupting her. Lily's frowned deepened and Sirius squeezed her hand. "You may feel like you'll be of help, but I think you and Harry will only serve as distractions to each other." Dumbledore stood from his chair and checked his watch. "Harry, you have a little time to say goodbye and then I need to see you alone before we leave. I'll wait for you in the kitchen."

With one last glance at Lily's expression, Sirius stood from the sofa, motioning for Hermione to follow him into the hall. Once they were alone, Harry approached his mother. Without a word, he sank next to her on the sofa and pulled her close, steeling himself against his own emotions as Lily began to cry.

"Mum, I--"

"Shh," Lily said. She raised one hand to caress his cheek. Identical pairs of eyes met. "Harry, don't say anything. I can't listen to you say it or I'll never--" She closed her eyes briefly and swallowed. "Just know that no matter what has happened the past few weeks, I love you. I will never stop loving you. If it's the last thing you ever hear from me, I want you to know that you and your sister mean everything to me. I believe in you and I know you will do everything in your power to save all of us from that monster and come back to me."

Her words had come out in a whispered rush amidst her tears, but Harry understood the meaning behind every word as she clung to him. After a minute, she released him, stood abruptly from the sofa and stalked from the room. As Harry heard Lily going up the stairs, Hermione pushed open the door to the sitting room.

"Where's Sirius?" he asked.

"He followed her upstairs," Hermione said. Harry nodded, his eyes drifting up to follow the footsteps in the rooms above them. Hermione began crossing the room. Her steps faltered. Harry moved to meet her in the center of the room. She looked down at her feet and pulled her arms around herself. "I can't." Her voice had fallen to a whisper.

"You can't what?" he asked, moving closer.

"I can't say goodbye to you again," she answered, her eyes returning to his. Harry put his hands on Hermione's shoulders. "You just..." She raised her hand to the crystal at her neck and Harry felt a wave of sadness and fear wash over him. "After the way you came into my life, you have no idea what it did to me that we had to start over. It took a lot to get us where we are now. I don't think I can let you go. Not again."

"Hermione, you don't have to let me go," Harry said.

"Aren't you the one who's always telling me to be realistic?" Hermione whispered. "I have to because there's every chance you're going to be hurt. Or worse. As much as I've wanted to deny it, I know what could happen. It's never felt as real as it does now." His hands slipped from her shoulders to her waist.

"I know you can do this," she said after a minute. Hermione looked up at Harry. "Neville needs you. Don't let anything stop you from doing whatever you can to help him and get rid of V-Voldemort. Even if it means you won't come back." She slid her hands up to lock behind his neck. "Fight until you can't anymore."

He looked into her eyes and knew then what he'd been alternately wishing and praying against for days--she was letting him go, without the begging and hysterics he'd half-expected. Harry wasn't sure if it was a relief that she wouldn't make this any harder than it had to be, or torture that she was strong enough to say it with the conviction of truth behind her words.

"Promise me you won't forget me," Harry said.

"Never," Hermione whispered. She leaned up and brushed her lips over his. Harry tasted the saltiness of her tears as they kissed. Before he could tell himself he didn't have to go, he pushed back from her and walked out of the room quickly. Harry's hand went to Neville's wand in his pocket and he clutched it as he entered the kitchen. The sound of Hermione sobbing in the sitting room faded out of his hearing as he went to meet his fate.

A short while later, Sirius entered the sitting room, a worn out shoe in one hand. Lily had long since been sedated. Watching Harry's godfather cross the room, his expression saying everything he would not put into words, Hermione wished she'd taken the potion Dumbledore had offered them both. In the end, she knew it would be pointless. No amount of potion could sufficiently numb her if the day ended the way she suspected it might. There would be only one course of action she would allow herself, then and now--steadfast resolution and complete focus on what needed to be done. For now, she had to do everything necessary to help Harry and Neville. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't.

"Is that the Portkey?" Hermione asked. Sirius nodded. Hermione stood from the sofa and slipped her hand into the pocket of her jeans, grasping her wand. Before he could anticipate her next move, Hermione had summoned the object from his hand and held it behind her back.

"What are you doing?" Sirius took a step forward. "Give that back to me."

"No." She twisted in place as Sirius tried to summon the shoe from her hands, but held it firmly, twining her fingers in the laces. She pointed her wand at Sirius. Hermione took a deep breath and spoke in a voice much steadier than she was feeling. "Take us with you or we go without you."

"Us?" Sirius frowned as he moved forward. "You can't be serious. I'm not taking anyone else with me, and that includes you and your friends. You're all underage and the Minister--"

"Fuck the Minister," Hermione said slowly, more sure of herself. Sirius tried to get the Portkey from her again. Hermione began walking towards the fireplace, her eyes never leaving Sirius. "He doesn't give a damn about either of them. He sent them to die. Harry and Neville need as much help as they can get. I'm not going to stand here and do nothing. Either you agree to take us or I'm going to activate this and we'll go on our own."

She stopped before the fireplace. Hermione slipped the shoe under her wand arm and reached into the pot on the mantle for a handful of Floo powder. Just as Sirius reached her, she stepped backwards into the fireplace. He jumped in next to her just as she shouted to be taken to the Gryffindor common room.

Dumbledore and Harry's Portkey brought them behind a small copse of trees on the edge of the coastal property. Several Aurors turned at their arrival; one of them approached the Minister as he recognized him beneath the shadow of the trees.

"Has there been any movement from inside the house?" Dumbledore asked. Absently, he waved to Harry to begin walking towards the house. Harry moved forward slowly, conscious of a faint humming that seemed to grow louder as he approached the edge of the woods and stepped into the clearing.

"As far as we can tell, they haven't sensed our presence yet," Scrimgeour said. "The minute we reveal ourselves, it should not be long before we can draw all of them outside."

"Good. How many Hit Wizards do we have on the other side of the house?" Dumbledore asked. The Head Auror's answer was lost to Harry as he walked forward under cover of his father's Cloak.

Harry stepped further away from the cover of trees. The dark house loomed in stark relief against the oranges and pinks of the early morning sky. Streaks of light glinted against the windows; Harry's eyes drifted from floor to floor, searching for movement inside. His eyes settled on a window near the ground that lead to the basement. He decided that would be the best way to enter the house, before he had to make his way upstairs. After viewing Harry's dreams, Dumbledore had told him to start looking for Neville on the second floor, near the back of the house. They'd heard the faint sound of the ocean crashing against the cliffs on the other side and reasoned that he would probably be kept as far away from the road as possible, though the seaside house was isolated from the nearby village.

Feeling the air around him change, Harry stopped walking and had to control his natural urge to scream as two men dressed in black came charging out of the house, heading in his general direction. Instinctively, he ducked and felt a rush of air as both men passed him, heading for the grouping of trees he'd just left. Before he could take stock of what was happening, over a dozen men streamed from the house towards the group of Aurors waiting outside for them. Harry scanned the fighters for a moment; Bellatrix Lestrange was not among them. Pulling the Cloak around himself, he approached the window and pried it open.

It felt like another dream. A part of the nightmare from which Neville had been trying desperately to wake for days on end. He'd given up praying for rescue on the sixth day, and instead began wishing for death. Bellatrix, of course, would not have it. She'd begun force feeding him potions when he stopped eating and practicing rudimentary healing spells when he was too ill to drink on his own. Keep him alive long enough to break him, inside and out, Voldemort had ordered and she'd obliged with a level of enthusiasm Neville had never witnessed from his former Potions professor. Death was a prayer he thought would not be answered.

That is, until the door opened and closed and he heard soft footsteps cross the room. The steps stopped in front of him and a pair of dirty sneakers came into focus in front of his face. Then, jean-clad legs. Neville looked up. His heart stopped for several beats as he took in the grim face of Harry Potter.

"Are you all right?" he asked. He let his Invisibility Cloak fall to the floor. "Never mind. I know what they've been doing to you," he said, kneeling next to Neville's side. "Dumbledore gave me some potions for you that should help." He pulled three vials out of his pocket and held them towards the disbelieving boy on the floor. "As soon as I can get you outside, Sirius and I are taking you to the hospital."

Neville shook his head slowly, wondering if the vision in front of him would disappear as suddenly as it had come to him. He struggled to push himself up and winced as Harry grabbed him by both shoulders to help him into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "I don't know how bad the rest of your injuries are, but from your face--we're going to get you to help as soon as possible."

"How do I know it's really you?" Neville asked. He blinked as a stinging began behind his eyes. "For all I know, she snatched you the day she took me from Hogwarts. I thought sure it was your blood on that wall."

Harry swore. "Has Bellatrix sent someone in here before? Someone who looked like me?"

Neville frowned. "No, but I wouldn't put it past her to give me hope like this. She'd find that kind of thing funny." He motioned to the vials in Harry's hand. "Of course, whatever you have in your hand, she'd never send you in with poison. She's counting the hours until she can watch Voldemort kill us," he said, his voice cracking on the last word.

"I'm sorry they were able to do this to you," Harry said. "If I can help it, you won't be hurt again anytime soon." He lifted one of the vials and motioned towards the window. Shouts could be heard from outside mingled with the sound of water crashing against rock. "Magical Law Enforcement is out there capturing or killing every Death Eater here. She wouldn't fake a battle outside just to get you to believe it, would she?"

Neville watched him for several long moments. "No." He reached for one of the vials in Harry's hand and grasped it weakly. "Even if I'm wrong and this is poison, maybe it'll be enough to keep me from being aware of what's going to happen next." After watching him fumble with it for a few seconds, Harry pulled the cork from the bottle and held it up for Neville to drink. After a minute, Neville sat up a little straighter and grasped Harry's hand. There was no further confirmation needed. Salvation was only a few steps away.

"When could you expect Bellatrix to come up here?" Harry rose from the floor and helped Neville stand. He handed him a second vial of potion and then gathered his Invisibility Cloak.

"She's never come for me this early before, but that doesn't mean she isn't walking around the house somewhere, especially with what's going on outside," Neville said. "Are you sure she hasn't joined the fighting?"

"I'm sure," Harry responded. "Voldemort isn't there either." He lifted the Cloak and held it up. "We can both fit under here, but I think we'll have to take it slow. There's a window open in the basement I can help you through without anyone outside noticing."

"But won't that leave you inside the house unprotected?" Neville asked as they headed towards the door.

"Only for a few seconds," Harry whispered. He traded the empty vials in Neville's hand for the last of the strengthening solution in his and tiptoed towards the door to look out. Neville finished the potion as Harry came back. "It's still quiet." He took the last vial from Neville and slipped it into his pocket. He handed the other boy his wand.

"I don't think I can do any spells," Neville said. He traced the end of his wand with one finger before slipping it into the pocket of his trousers. "Voldemort--"

"He can't hurt you right now," Harry said. "I'm only giving it to you just in case. I think we can get out without either of them catching us. And you should be able to defend yourself once the last of the potion kicks in." He held up the Cloak and motioned for Neville to get under it with him.

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace and shook off Sirius's arm. Looking around her, she glanced around the Gryffindor common room and then towards the stairs.

"We can't do this," Sirius said. "I can't knowingly let you put a bunch of other kids in danger."

"If it makes you feel better, you can tell Dumbledore I didn't give you a choice," Hermione said over her shoulder. "It's early. I bet my roommates are still asleep."

"Hermione--" Sirius stopped when he realized the girl had darted up the stairs. Scarcely a minute later, he heard a scream; several more followed. He glanced up the stairs in time to see Hermione run across the landing and head for the boys' dorms. Lavender and Parvati came running down the stairs seconds later, the latter girl's hair floating around her head.

"What is going on?" Lavender asked. She tugged at the knot of her school tie k, turning as Hermione came down the stairs. She was followed quickly by Ron, who was struggling to button up his shirt.

"Does everyone have their wands?" Hermione asked. She pushed past Sirius at the foot of the stairs and motioned for them to join her in the center of the room.

"It's happening, isn't it?" Ron asked. He glanced at Parvati and Lavender. "The fight has started."

"If you've changed your minds about helping, now is your last chance to back out," Hermione said. She held out the Portkey she'd snatched from Sirius and motioned for them to come closer again. Sirius glanced at his watch and then moved quickly across the common room, grabbing one of the shoe's laces as the students watched.

"There's no more time," Sirius said. At his words, the three students grabbed the shoe in various places, seconds before it began glowing and transported them into the area of trees where the battle had already begun.

"I'm sorry," Neville said. Harry helped him up and then slipped an arm around his waist. Neville hated feeling helpless, especially when Harry needed him to use every bit of strength he had. He felt lucky to still be sane after all that had happened, but he knew that would be little consolation if they ended up getting caught because he didn't have the physical strength to escape.

"Don't be sorry," Harry whispered. "I know how hard this is for you. I don't blame you, I blame that crazy bitch for hurting you."

Neville nodded and pulled the Cloak around himself again; he winced as he tried to put weight on his ankle and it started to fold beneath him. "I don't think I can do this."

"Of course you can," Harry said. "I'm not leaving you behind."

"I don't believe either of you is going very far." Bellatrix reached forward and pulled the Invisibility Cloak away from Harry and Neville and tossed it to the floor. She pointed her wand at Neville and smiled. "I suppose if I hadn't broken your leg last night, you might have hobbled away a little faster." She kicked at Neville's ankle and he gasped, pulling his foot from the floor. "I have to admit, this is far less entertaining than having to chase you, but we've had plenty of fun over the last several days, haven't we?"

She gestured towards the front of the house. "That is your doing?" she asked Harry.

He nodded and a blast of blue light shot from the end of her wand, hitting Harry square in the chest. Harry collapsed to his knees with a scream, Neville fell to the floor next to him. "Two loyal men have already lost their lives due to your interference," Bellatrix said over Harry's cries. "They will be the last." Bending, she reached into Harry's pocket and pulled out his wand. She grabbed Neville's wand from him before releasing Harry from the spell. "Get up," she ordered. "I have something to show you."

Harry helped Neville stand and they began moving down the hallway at her direction. After a command, they stopped and waited while Bellatrix opened a door on their left. Harry and Neville turned to look inside. Draco was in the center of the room, floating above the floor inside a translucent green bubble. His face was contorted in scream after silent scream. From what Harry could see, he didn't appear to have anything close to the physical injuries Neville had suffered, but he knew Bellatrix wouldn't stop at mere physical torture if she wanted to hurt someone--especially if she believed Draco had been working against her. He thought it was a miracle the boy was still alive, though he probably wished he wasn't.

"Don't feel bad for my nephew, boys," Bellatrix said. "He made his choices and he is living to regret them. You will not have that luxury." She pulled the door closed and motioned for them to continue up the hall. When they reached the stairs, Harry turned quickly and swung his fist to hit Bellatrix. She sent him crashing to the floor with one quick flick of her wand.

"Still playing games, I see," Bellatrix said. "When are you going to learn that you're no match for us?" Her smile widened as Harry leaned up from the floor, cradling one of his arms to his chest. "Aw, did the wittle baby hurt himself?"

"You're never going to get away with this," Harry said. He started to move his arm and flinched.

Her low laugh filled the empty hall. "Potter, what you don't get is that we've already won. You didn't think finding out about this house was an accident, did you?" She smiled at Harry's wide-eyed expression. "That's right, Harry. You were fooled again. Never let it be said you'd learned from the mistakes of your past."

"I don't believe you," Harry said. "Voldemort didn't let me read his thoughts on purpose. He--"

"He lost control of his emotions. He's too weak to block his thoughts. He has no idea what you're capable of," Bellatrix supplied. She smirked and bent closer to Harry. "You have a history of being too cocky for your own good. If you were half as intelligent as the Minister seems to think you are, you might have thought of it before now. There's a reason he can fool you so easily, though you should know--"

With a grunt, Neville pushed all of his body weight onto Bellatrix, knocking her to the floor. Before she could react, Harry punched her in the face and Neville grasped her shoulders, slamming the back of her head onto the floor until she fell unconscious; a trickle of blood trailed from the corner of her mouth.

"I don't care how much that hurt me, she was asking for it," Neville said. He punched her unconscious form again before sliding his body from hers to the floor; pain flared through the lower half of his body and his hand.

"Cracking her head open is kinder than what I've been thinking about," Harry responded. He pulled Bella's wand from her hand and retrieved both their wands from her pocket, returning Neville's wand to him. "What do you want to do with her?"

"Head first down the stairs sounds good." Neville glanced down the hall again. "Voldemort's going to know we've escaped soon if he doesn't already. We need to go. We--we'll have to send somebody back for Draco." Using the corner of a doorway as leverage, Neville pulled himself up until he was standing.

Harry nodded. "Incarcerous." Thick ropes shot from his wand and bound Bellatrix. He levitated her through an open doorway and dropped her onto the floor. "Are you ready?" he asked, turning back to Neville. The other boy picked up the Invisibility Cloak and held it out for Harry.

"She was right about Voldemort," Neville whispered as they made their way down the stairs. "He knows what he's doing this time. There's something different. Haven't you felt it?"

"Shh." Harry glanced around the first floor as they reached the foot of the stairs. "I can't get you through the basement on that leg." He'd tugged Neville through the front door and began making his way in the direction of the fighting when a sharp flare of pain stopped Harry in his tracks. He heard Neville moan next to him before both boys fell to the ground, each of them clutching their scars as pain pulsated through them.

Voldemort reached forward and pulled the Invisibility Cloak from the boys, a grin overtaking his pale face. "Oh, don't be so surprised," he said as Harry turned to him. "You never had a chance. I am in your heads." One long finger pointed at Harry's scar and the pain intensified. "Indeed, in your very souls."