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UnBroken	By : OddDoll Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 6172 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 38
- 39
- 40
Unbroken
By Odd Doll
Chapter 39
Narcissa Malfoy sat in her sunny blue morning room and reflected that the Dark Lord had been remarkably silent about her continued failure to capture Severus Snape.
She poured her morning tea in dainty Wedgwood china, added the milk, but did not immediately take a sip. To dive into one's food was vulgar behavior. After a moment she transferred a scone to her plate, read a paragraph from the morning paper, and took a small bite. It tasted like sawdust in her mouth, the thought of Voldemort having spoiled her appetite, her enthusiasm for the little things in life. She really ought to savor them. Any day, his patience would wear out and Narcissa Malfoy would die.
Of all the dirty things her late husband had done, involving the entire family with Voldemort was the one she hated him for the most. She never took the Dark Mark, but it mattered little. The whole family became enslaved when Draco took the mark as well.
A discreet knock at the door and it opened to admit a dark man in dark robes, haughty features giving him a sinister air.
"Theodore, please join me. There is plenty." She would never make the offer to dine for just any employee. Theodore had been employed by the Malfoy family for two decades and was trustworthy and devoted to Narcissa. They had slept together for years.
He sat across from her at the small table and filled his plate with eggs and ham, diving in immediately.
His first words electrified her. "Snape has been sighted."
"Where?"
"Plymouth. Boarding a Muggle boat. The American woman, Granger, and a few of the Weasley kids were with him. Passel of Muggles, as well."
"Plymouth? What was their destination?"
"It was supposed to be a day trip, but they haven't returned."
Theodore helped himself to a cup of tea, taking it black.
"What's out there?" she asked.
"Nothing, as far as I know. There is no explanation I can find."
"I assume you've set a watch at the port?"
"Of course."
"Good. Keep it there. I'll make inquiries. We must find Snape soon. You know what the consequences will be."
In that instant, Narcissa had a revelation: she was tired of being Voldemort's puppet, but she didn't know what else to do.
*****
Eerie silence met them as soon as they stepped into the dome of magic that surrounded the city. Even birds did not sing. They saw no bodies, and Yew informed them that the victims had been moved to their beds.
Where the fishing village had seemed homey, almost Muggle-like, the city of Avalon had grown in alien spires of colorful stone. Marble, granite, and sandstone in every shade rose to unbelievable heights in graceful spires. Stone bridges crossed the avenues, and mosaics and murals covered many bare walls. It took Severus a moment to realize that the windows held no glass. Some magic must protect them from the elements.
The mausoleum lay underground, but they didn't go through the palace to reach it. Entering through a side door, they descended stairs to a small, lightless anteroom with archways leading to corridors in the cardinal directions. Yew led them through a maze of corridors for a short time. Severus didn't try to remember the turns, nor was he unobtrusive when he marked them with magical arrows glowing in the air. This amused everyone for different reasons.
"If I wanted to trap you here, I wouldn't need to lead you into a maze," Yew said.
"Sidhe are known for their subtlety," Severus said.
"What a polite way of saying we are devious." Karill, the blond who had accompanied Yew the night before, snorted. He was the only one of the four Sidhe they met who had a name that wasn't a plant or animal, or natural feature. He knew this meant Karill had obtained more age and maturity than the others. Severus kept his eye on him.
They arrived at a long room with a row of eight marble slabs down the center. Four held bodies. Harry and Albus rested on the two closest to the door. Their group -- Phoebe, Bill, Hermione, and himself -- gathered around these two slabs.
"I never knew Albus Dumbledore was so old," Phoebe said. "And Harry Potter looks so young."
"He's hasn't aged a day since we put him to sleep. Have a look, Bill."
Bill stepped from Dumbledore's side to Harry's. Carefully, with his wand tucked beneath the chain, he raised a small circular amulet a few inches from Harry's chest. In it a large ruby glowed and pulsed an angry red. Bill dropped the amulet suddenly and backed away.
"Prince Yew, you and your people might want to leave the room. You carry a lot of magic in you. It's trying to feed off of you. Us humans are safe, though, for now."
Phoebe disappeared and then Apparated back with a pop that reverberated in the stone room. "We can come and go," she said to Severus.
"Good, that will give us an extra forty minutes out of every hour."
"My soldiers and I will remain, but we will go to the outer corridor," Yew said.
"Can Sidhe Apparate?" asked Hermione.
"Yes."
Bill and Hermione stood shoulder-to-shoulder at Harry's side, speaking softly to each other, while Severus stood back and watched both them and Phoebe as she wandered the room. He went to her side.
"You didn't come when Dumbledore first brought Harry?" she asked.
"No."
They looked down at King Arthur. "He was in the prime of his life when he came here," Severus said. "I expected him to be an old man.
"I'd never thought about it, but I suppose he should be. I don't know the lore about the circumstances that brought him here."
"To heal his wounds from his final battle."
The mention of battle reminded him. "There was talk about trying to take back Hogwarts. As soon as Dumbledore is back."
"That quick? Before the Ministry?"
"Yes. Control is at the Ministry, but the real power is at Hogwarts."
"Will we fight together?" She slipped an arm around his waist briefly and kissed his cheek. "Do you think you're ready?"
"Almost." The truth was, if he hadn't been teaching Phoebe, he probably would not have worked up the stamina. "You've helped me get stronger faster. You've helped me in so many ways, Phoebe." Not interested in public displays of affection, he tried to only give her a quick kiss on the lips, but Phoebe had fewer inhibitions. Her arms wrapped around him and she gave him a scorching kiss that left him breathless and weak.
"Don't do that before battle, I'll be too weak-kneed and disoriented."
Hermione cleared her throat and Phoebe laughed. They turned to see both Bill and Hermione staring at them.
"I've seen enough," Bill said. "I'll work on altering the spells a little bit and we can probably start tomorrow. You two will have to spend less time kissing and more time memorizing," he added with a cheeky grin.
Too embarrassed to speak, he simply stood still while Phoebe laughed. She pulled away from him, leaving a cold spot at his side. "We'll study together," she said to him. "Like teenagers."
Even though it sounded fun, he growled just to maintain his image.
*****
The next day, about ten minutes after Hermione and Bill Disaparated, the dome of magic seethed, brighter ruby lines snaking through its glowing surface. The glow itself deepened over the next half hour, until it held the dark red hue of the ruby that rested on Harry Potter's chest.
Severus remained still the entire time to conserve his energy, sitting on a fallen log in the forest at the edge of the city. Phoebe paced and said mantras until finally she leaned against a tree trunk and did pushups.
"Must you?" Severus asked.
"Now would be a bad time to have a panic attack. Physical exertion helps."
He would not patronize her by saying there was no reason to panic, but simply said, "You won't. I'm sure. Every time we were at a crisis, you came through with flying colors. It's only when you have time to think that you panic."
"I do have time to think, though. There's nothing else to do. That's the problem."
"It's been fifty minutes. Let's go and do something."
"Yeah," she said with relief. She held out her hand. "Together?"
He took it and together they raised their wands. They Apparated into the mausoleum to find both Bill and Hermione on their knees, chanting hoarsely. Their wands pointed toward the slab on which Harry rested, emitting white streams of magic to cut through the sullen red glow around the amulet.
"Get her out of here," Severus said to Bill. "We'll join the chant."
Bill shook his head. "Start the second. This one isn't working."
He staggered to his feet and hooked Hermione under the elbow to lift her with him. They kept up their chant for a few minutes while Severus and Phoebe began, and the amulet reacted, shooting out red sparks and short streaks of lightning.
"We need four," Bill said, looking at it. "We'll be back as soon as we can."
But the big hourglass they had set on the marble beside Harry's head had dropped over three-quarters of its sand before Bill and Hermione returned. By then Severus sat with his back to Dumbledore's marble slab. His mouth moved independently from his brain, saying words that no longer held meaning for him. Dimly, he heard Bill speak and then Phoebe knelt beside him and took him along with her when she Disapparated.
"Severus!"
His head lolled a little, but he was awake. "What happened?" he asked Yew, who still remained in the clearing at the edge of the city with his soldiers.
"Hermione almost succumbed to the double effect of the magical exertion and the curse. It took her almost the entire hour to recover. You look little better than she did."
He sat on the dusty path that wound through the clearing, leading to the city, but he didn't try to get up. Phoebe knelt beside him.
"We're going to need Ginny and Ron," Phoebe said.
"Good!" Ginny said, appearing from between two tree trunks. "I've memorized the spells, and so has Ron."
"Damn Weasleys," Severus said weakly. "Never could mind your own business."
"This is about Harry," Ginny said. "It is my business. Can we go?"
"And mine, too," Ron said.
"They've never been to the mausoleum," Phoebe said. "Can you take them, Yew?"
Yew nodded at Karill, who led the them to the edge of the city and on into the dome of pulsating magic.
"Something's happening," Phoebe said. "That's for certain. It's almost as if it's alive and knows it's being attacked."
"It does," Severus said. "It's not sentient like you or I, but Dumbledore designed it to survive an attack by the Dark Lord. He didn't stop to think that any attempt to break it would come across as an attack."
"Here. Let me help you up."
She guided him to the fallen log, and sat beside him, holding his hand. When he felt the trembling in her own, he had a realization about Phoebe. Her touchiness -- the hugs, hand-holding, the hand on the shoulder -- were to reassure her as much as anybody else. They were part of her anti-anxiety arsenal.
"Are you alright?" he asked her softly.
"No," she said with a vehement shake of her head. She turned to him, amber eyes full of anguish. "The exhaustion, the worry. What if I panic, Severus?"
"You won't panic."
"But what if I do?"
"You won't. Don't think that way. It will just lead to another attack."
But he could already see her descending into the spiral of fear and doubt. Just as she jumped up and began to pace, the color of the glow deepened further, until the entire city lay under its shadow. The lines crawling over the surface writhed, a frantic dance.
"It's working better," Severus said, "but it won't be enough. We need to go back. We can't rest."
Phoebe stood stock still, mouth open as she stared with wide eyes at the seething lines. He watched the trembling begin.
"No, Phoebe! Not now." He rushed to her side, but the panic attack had already begun. "Not now, Phoebe," he said in a small panic of his own. "They need all of us."
Phoebe knelt in the dirt, arms crossed over her chest. Severus held her shoulders and guided her down to lie on her side. He remained a few minutes longer, torn with indecision. He didn't want to leave her like this, but he knew the attack could last as long as thirty minutes, and they needed him in the mausoleum. They needed them both.
"Try, Phoebe. Try like you've never tried before."
Lake, one of Yew's female soldiers, knelt beside them. "Go. You are needed. I will tend her."
He looked at Lake. "Talk to her. Soothing. It seems to help."
Phoebe began to crawl. He thrust his arms around her torso and held her back. "You're safe, Phoebe. Everyone is safe." He gave her over into Lake's care and rose to stare down at them. Reluctantly, he raised his wand and Disapparated.
****
Phoebe's world narrowed to a crucible filled with pain, heart pounding, muscles clenched so tightly cramps gripped her entire body. She never heard Severus's words, only the urgent tone of his voice. His own anxiety had made hers worse. Gentle arms held her, though, with the sweet smell of green things and water, and a soft voice whispered in her ear. Gradually she emerged from her well of anxiety.
The dome now glowed so darkly that it looked like nighttime in the shrouded city.
"It's dying," she whispered.
"If they let up now, it will come back. They need you."
Phoebe tried to rise, staggered, and then stood on swaying legs. "How long has it been?"
"Almost half an hour," Yew said, walking over to steady her with a hand on her elbow.
Phoebe lowered her head in shame. "Bill and Hermione don't have much time then. I need to go."
"Are you able?"
She swayed. She was so tired. "I have no choice. I will be able because I must."
In the mausoleum, the members of her party all remained conscious, all chanting and pouring magic into the ruby, but Bill and Hermione sat upon the hard marble floor, and Severus knelt. He hadn't rested long enough. Only Ron and Ginny stood on their feet, but their faces were flushed and the knuckles of their wand hands strained white.
Phoebe had to lean against a wall, but she took up the chant, and immediately the ruby's glow flashed and settled into the color of drying blood. She stepped to Harry's side and stared down at the malignant thing resting on his chest. A glance at Severus, his eyes closed against his exhaustion, his wand wavering, and an embarrassed shame filled her. It transformed into anger at Albus Dumbledore for ignorantly creating this malicious magic. A red film rose before her eyes that had nothing to do with the ruby haze the amulet emitted. Rage coursed through her, so thick she tasted iron on her tongue and a painful buzzing filled her ears. She had failed those around her at the most crucial moment, because she was weak. Fate had made her weak, and she wanted to hurt something as badly as it had hurt her.
Severus had told her that cursing was all about intent. As he taught her to duel, he worried that even though she had been a dominatrix, there wasn't enough real anger in her to curse effectively. Now, though, she owned enough rage to curse anything. Not knowing how or why, she pointed the tip of her wand directly at the ruby, summoned up all of her fury, and snarled, "Crucio!"
The ruby shuddered. She held her wand in place, pouring her anger into the gem as its glow stuttered. There was a resounding crack and a blast of deep red light, laden with power, exploded from the dying ruby, thrusting Phoebe back until her hips slammed into the marble slab behind her. Drained of magic, exhausted from the day and her panic attack, she fell to the floor and lost consciousness.
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