America, Harry decided, was not what he had expected.
Never having traveled overseas before, he'd thought it would be something entirely different, totally different people with different ways of life.
He'd expected, in fact, something out of the movies he'd grown up watching: car chases and kidnappings, daring heists and shootings.
He'd expected it to be interesting.
It wasn't, after the first day.
Granted, they were in a wizarding town in rural Nebraska, way out in the middle of nowhere.
Any muggles who came near saw nothing except enormous cornfields, stretching as far as the eye could see.
To the wizards, however, it was a different story.
The area was dotted with small hidden wizarding villages, most of them tiny, with less than a hundred families per village.
Most of them, but not the town they had come for.
The town, Gaitlin, was relatively large, boasting almost four thousand magical citizens. Due to its size, it was the center of commerce and community for the magical population of the are. It had a little street of shops, it had the primary school for the area.
As such, a contingent of American Death Eaters had been placed there.
One and a half weeks previously, a group of Gaitlin residents had attacked the Death Eaters stationed there, causing them to retreat to New York. They had reveled in their puny victory and invited all the witches and wizards around them to come and celebrate.
Most had been clever or afraid enough not to.
A few had even been clever enough to Apparate to New York and head to the offices of Congress, offering whatever information they had.
One had even been so clever as to offer his services as a spy.
The Death Eaters' retaliation had taken a day or two to get started. But once they had gathered up all their information and gotten their forces together, they had returned to Gaitlin.
And they had wreaked absolute fucking havoc, all but tearing the town to shreds in their fight with the rebels.
But the residents of Gaitlin had managed to barricade themselves into their Town Hall, a fortified and warded building with enough food for a long haul. And no matter how much they tried, the Death Eaters couldn't break their way into it.
And so it had remained in a stalemate until the Dark Lord arrived. The Death Eaters waited outside the Town Hall, their own anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards layered over the safehouse.
Until the Dark Lord arrived.
He'd been ready to go, two days earlier. But He'd wanted Harry to go with, to show the Americans what Harry's position was, what his standing among the Death Eaters was.
And so He'd waited two days, for Daphne to be woken up and recuperated.
Those two days had actually been amazing for Harry. To be able to talk to Daphne again, to hear her voice.
It was like a gift from God.
They'd agreed to make their second Horcruxes as soon as they returned from America.
Neither of them had needed any real convincing. Not with Theo lacking from her bedside, and Blaise present with the cold depression surrounding him.
Not after he'd been tied up and tortured, with nothing other than Lupin and Shacklebolt's desire to get answers from him holding him back from being in Grindelwald's clutches.
No, they needed no convincing to do whatever was necessary to ensure their immortality.
After she had recuperated they had taken a long-range portkey to America, leaving Bella behind with promises that they'd come to play with Capella when they got back.
The portkey had been pretty horrific, to be honest. Far worse than any other transportation Harry'd taken before. Usually, portkeys, floo, and apparition took around a second to complete the trip.
The long-range portkey took at least a minute. A minute of being squeezed and squashed, twisted and turned.
And then they finally arrived.
It had been pretty crazy, even for Harry, to see the Dark Lord taking out the rebels' safehouse.
The Dark Lord had cast some spell, something that made the wards on the building show up, glowing in an eerie blue light under the overcast sky.
He'd then stood there facing it for about ten minutes, just twisting His wand and muttering under His breath.
And then, moments after the glow vanished, He'd jabbed His wand forward with a growl, stabbing it toward the Town Hall.
And the building had fucking collapsed, metal and wood groaning as it lost its form and dropped, throwing up great clouds of dust.
"Gather the survivors. All of them"
At first, Harry had started walking forward to join the Death Eaters in doing their lord's bidding.
Voldemort's warning hand held him back.
"No" the Dark Lord whispered. "You do not work alongside the servants. You are above them"
Voldemort had punished the rebels the same way he had in Liverpool: by crucifying the fighters and burning their families. With one major difference, though.
Harry had been the one to light the flames, to ignite the inferno that licked and bit at the screaming prisoners.
After that, their time in America was full of meetings and discussions. Harry shook hands and spoke with the top Death Eaters in Nebraska the entire next day, bored out of his mind and sick of hearing the same things over and over again.
He kept looking to his side, making sure that Daphne was standing there, still smirking at his obvious discomfort.
By that night, Harry was ready to kill the next person to speak to him with that fucking condescending tone, wishing him well when they should be licking his shoes and thanking him for the privilege.
That night, though, the Dark Lord granted their boon.
After a long lecture on what they would do, they were finally ready.
He held his wand in a trembling hand, the tip just touching her skin.
She nodded at him, and he began.
The process was reminiscent of the creation of a Horcrux. It was pure will and magic, no wand waving or incantations required.
Just him and her.
His eyes closed, he focused every bit of willpower he had, reaching out with senses he wasn't even aware that he possessed.
Reaching out to her very soul. He could see it, in his mind's eye, a beacon of light in the pitch darkness.
With hands made of will and magic, he gripped hold of her soul and twisted it around himself, pulling her closer to him than words could ever possibly convey. He pulled it tight, and the world thrummed around him as he bound her to himself.
His wand pushed forward, and he felt the magic pulse through his very being, felt his magic imprinting his Mark on her skin.
And then it was over.
He kept his eyes closed for a few moments longer, relishing in the way he could feel her in his mind. Not like the muggle minister, not like someone under the Imperius. But he could feel her, could feel her location, and he knew, that even if she were on the opposite side of the world he would feel it just as clearly. He could feel her, and he would never be without her again.
He opened his eyes slowly and found her staring at him breathlessly.
"It worked" he whispered.
She nodded her head down, toward her arm as a wide smile spread its way across her face.
And there was a tattoo just below her wrist, a raven in flight, it's one visible eye glinting ominously.
He held his own hand out, afraid to speak further, afraid to somehow ruin the perfect beauty of this time.
She closed her eyes, frowning in concentration.
He tried to keep his breath even as he waited, tried not to let his excitement overwhelm him.
And then her wand jabbed into his arm, and he had to bite his inner cheek to keep from screaming. Receiving the Dark Mark had been an exceptionally painful experience. But it had been over in an instant.
This seemed to go on forever.
Until, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.
The raven on his arm seemed to wink at him.
She didn't speak. She just put her own arm next to his, their matching tattoos side by side.
"Only us," he said hoarsely. "Just the two of us. Forever"
"Forever" she echoed. "You're mine, forever"
Their lips crashed together, and they fell back onto the bed, scrabbling at each other's clothes.
"Forever" She snarled, "And if anyone ever tries to get between us if anyone ever tries to steal you. I'll make them eat their fucking heart"
They lay there, tousled around each other, basking in the after-sex glow.
"Harry," she said hesitantly, "you've been very… overprotective, the last few days"
He cast his mind over their interactions since she had been woken up. He had been a bit fussy, but that was just cause she'd been injured.
He said as much, and she shook her head, dislodging him from her shoulder.
"Babe. You can't-you can't wrap me up like I'm made of glass. For fuck's sake, you tried to get out of telling me what they did to you!"
"I just-"
She sat up on her elbows and glared down at him.
"Harry. I told you when we first got together. Don't you dare treat me like some porcelain doll. Don't you fucking dare. I love you. You know that. And I know you love me. But you don't need to pretend I can't handle just as much as you"
"I-"
"If the Dark Lord tells you not to tell me something, that's one thing. But when you're keeping things from me to protect me, that makes me feel like I'm-like I'm a child. It's fucking patronizing, and you know full well that I can protect myself. The last few days, you've been acting like a fucking bodyguard. That's not what I want"
"You were almost dead! And I couldn't do anything! I just had to watch! How am I meant to not be all-all-overbearing?"
She stroked his chest gently, her sudden anger seeming to drain out of her.
"Oh, Harry. I had the same thing with you, you know. Just-there's no need to worry. I can take care of myself. And-and we both have Horcruxes. We literally cannot be killed"
"Unless someone destroys them" he muttered.
"Yeah, right," she said with a snort. "No-one knows we have them except the Dark Lord. And He doesn't want to kill us, does He?"
"No"
"And we never will give Him reason to. No-one else knows that we even have one, and so soon, we'll have a second"
"Yeah. But knowing that-that you would be fine. It didn't help, not when you were just lying there"
"That's just how it is. I'm not gonna stop fighting. And neither are you. We can't be killed. So if fuckups happen, and we end up unconscious for a bit, that's just how it is"
She poked him roughly. "And you don't really have room to talk, mister I'll be unconscious for five fucking weeks"
He laughed sheepishly. "Yeah. You're right. Listen. I'll-I'll try be less overprotective. But it's-it's hard. I just-"
"All I want," she interrupted, "us for you to accept that I can take care of myself at least as much as you can. I'm not talking about during a fight or something. I just mean like, you don't need to keep checking that I'm ok"
He sighed. "I'll try, babe. I'll keep it in mind, and I'll make an effort. Just-just give me a few days. Let me get over it. It was a big shock, you know"
They lay back down again, settling back into the mattress.
"So. We're gonna visit Capella when we get back?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah. After what the wolf did, I think she deserves some attention"
"Good. Because I was going to whether or not you would. And if I ever get my hands on him…"
"I'm sure he's dead," he said with a shrug. "I just let the fiendfyre burn. He could have apparated, but he wasn't exactly thinking clearly"
"I'm sure he wasn't. I'm surprised, actually. That you didn't tell him about his kid. That Bella killed it"
"I meant to" he admitted. "Just-after the second Crucio, I kinda lost track of where I was heading with it"
"I swear. I'll fucking kill that wolf"
"Maybe," He said softly, "you'll be able to let some of that frustration out on Capella. And then we're gonna take that Weasley girl for a bit"
"How long do you think she'll last?" She asked, intrigued.
He shrugged, again. "Depends, I guess. If we keep her for ourselves for a bit first or give her to the wolves straight away"
"How are we gonna do it? Use her to get her brothers, I mean"
He grinned at her, the low light making his eyes gleam.
"Photographs"
"Maybe," she said, speaking in a husky voice that set Harry's heart racing. "Maybe we can try out a few things with her. Things we've only ever talked about"
"Everything" he whispered, his hands moving as if in their own, pulling her close and turning her to face him. "Everything we can take"
The Dark Lord woke them up early the next morning, simply walking into their room and shooting off a loud bang from His wand.
Harry shot bolt upright, pulling the blanket off of them in his haste.
Daphne sat up a second later, seemingly caught between wanting to put her arms over her tits and not wanting to offend the Dark Lord in any way.
"We leave for England in ten minutes," He said, ignoring the two teens' nudity and confusion.
"Uh-my-my lord, I thought-"
The Dark Lord smiled at him. "I have an urgent appointment at Azkaban. You shall accompany me, Harry. It seems the trap has fallen"
Azkaban Prison, one hour previously.
The burly wizard glared them, his bushy eyebrows making a v in his forehead.
"Weren't expecting anyone today. We get told when people are coming"
Neville managed to hold himself from shifting nervously. "We don't argue when our Lord tells us to do something," he said, his enchanted voice sounding as strange to him as his assumed body looked, "Do you?"
The wizard's frown deepened. "I thought He's in America?"
' Shit'
His mind went totally blank. He stood there for a moment, feeling like he was standing in front of the Fat Lady and trying to remember the password.
Thankfully, he wasn't alone. He heard Ron pipe up.
"Yeah, But Bellatrix told us in his name. You want to be the one to tell her we couldn't do what we were told?"
"Fuck, no" the wizard muttered. "Go on. But if you're lying. I'll put you with the smugglers"
"The smugglers?" He asked, trying to sound interested.
"Yeah," the wizard said, spitting to the side, "those smugglers. Taking mudbloods and their families to Africa. Assholes, the lot of them"
Neville forced himself to laugh, trying to sound as nasty as he could.
"Good thing you've got them here, in their proper place"
The guard unlocked the gate and ushered them in. "Their proper place would be in the fucking ocean. But no, we've got to give off appearances of being all humane and shit. Worse than animals. Where're your Marks?"
This time, Hermione came to the rescue, her voice sounding as ugly as the hag she had based her appearance off of.
"Don't have them yet. He wanted us to prove ourselves first. Hopefully, when he gets back from America, we'll get them"
The guard rubbed his arm. "See how hopeful you are when your friends are screaming. Alright. Straight through, left at the end of the first cell block, down the stairs on your right"
"Thanks"
The guard just nodded absently and sat back at his desk, picking up his magazine again.
Neville had seen some horrific things in his life. He'd been present at the Battle of Hogwarts and seen the blood and gore and death.
He'd seen the terrible pictures that graced the Daily Prophet these days.
But nothing had prepared him for what he saw in the first cell block of Azkaban prison.
The stench of human waste filled the air. As they walked past the rows of cells, the prisoners within drew back from the bars, whimpering and moaning. He could hear pleading, begging cries filling the air as they walked past.
He kept his eyes trained forward, on the cold stone coming up to meet his shoes. But from the corners of his eyes, he caught snatches of things that he knew would give him nightmares for the rest of his life.
The few prisoners he saw were emaciated beyond what he would think people could survive, with their bones all visible through their skin. They were covered in cuts and bruises, and their bones seemed to have been broken and badly set.
He kept his eyes forward, ignoring the sounds around him.
' This is how we'll help you. We can't break you all out, but we'll destroy his Horcruxes' he swore to himself.
It was a relief to get out of that corridor, to go down the dark stairwell and into the room where the prisoners' possessions were kept.
Even though what he saw was heartbreaking, it was still a relief.
Someone had obviously tried to keep track of all the inmates' stuff. There were rows of shelves with boxes on them, all neatly labeled.
They had tried to keep track but clearly had given up.
Below the rows of shelves, there were mounds of people's things. There were clothes and books, wands and shoes, all piled haphazardly together.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from a doll that was perched atop a pile, some child's treasured toy, tossed onto the rest.
' Destroy the Horcruxes' he reminded himself. ' Destroy the Horcrux. That's what I'm here for. That's all I can do'
"We need to find the secret floor," he said shakily. "Any ideas"
Ron immediately stepped up to one of the walls and began running his hands over it, as if he was trying to find a switch or a button.
"Hermione," Neville said, finally turning away from the doll, "any ideas?"
She was standing next to one of the boxes, her hand stroking the name.
"Hermione?" He asked, worriedly.
"This-this says Burbage. C Burbage. Pro-Professor Burbage taught at Hogwarts," she explained, still not looking away. Ron turned back from the wall, frowning.
"Professor Charity Burbage," she said, with a hitch in her voice. "She-she taught Muggle Studies. She-she must be here. She-she was so nice. And-and she's here. But-"
"Hermione! We-we can't do this now! We have to do what we're here for!"
She looked at him, her eyes swimming with tears. Ron put his arm around her shoulder and whispered to her.
"I-you're right, Nev. just-just give me a minute"
He nodded and turned away as she shoved her head into Ron's chest.
After a few minutes, he heard her give a great shuddering breath.
"Ok. Ok. Let's-let's find it"
She began muttering, waving her wand around in strange and complex patterns.
She growled, holding her wand ramrod straight.
And an outline of a door appeared on the wall.
"And we just-just go in?" He asked, uncertainly.
She nodded, looking at him.
He kept his mind from gibbering as he walked forward and pushed the wall.
It swung open, as easily as any door would.
They followed him in, down the flight of stairs.
He pushed open the heavy stone door at the bottom, bracing his legs against the floor and pushing with all his light until it moved
And they entered the cavern.
Light shone off of the stone walls from no perceivable source, and cold seemed to emanate from the very floor.
And the room was entirely empty.
"It's-its gotta be in here somewhere. Invisible or something"
The walked in and spread out, searching through the room.
And the door slammed closed behind them making them all jump and spin around.
' Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck'
"Hermione" he called, ignoring his rising panic.
She nodded and began waving her wand at the door.
"It's-I can't do anything! I can't open it!"
Ron ran over to it and began trying to pull, his muscles flexing.
' Fuck. Fuck. Fuck'
"We need to Apparate. Ron! Come, we need to Apparate"
He looked over at Hermione and wasn't surprised to see her face and body shifting, to see the polyjuice and glamour charms wearing off.
A second later, he felt it himself, as his bones began to shrink and weight and muscles disappeared off of him.
"This-this was a trap" Hermione whispered through her hands. "He-he planned this"
Ron fell over. "Apparation isn't working! It's not working!"
Hermione pulled the broken quill out of her robes. Ron scurried up from the floor and drew near.
"Come on, Neville! We need to go before-before someone comes!"
He gulped and touches his finger to it.
"Escape," Hermione said firmly.
Nothing happened.
"Escape! Escape! Escape!"
Neville spun around, removing his hand from the useless portkey.
He growled out an incantation, and his blasting hex collided harmlessly with the walls.
"We're-we're fucked" he heard Ron whisper. "We're trapped"
Ron collapsed against the wall and began to shake. "We're trapped! We need to get out of here! Come on, Hermione! Get us out of here!"
' I led us into this. This is my fault'
"Hermione," He said softly, "is there anything you can do?"
She turned toward him, teary-eyed and pale-faced.
"Something? Anything?"
She nodded slowly and took a deep breath.
And then began waving her wand around like crazy, speaking too fast for them to hear.
She ended whatever she was doing with an upward flick of her wand and a muttered "revelio!"
Blue lines began appearing all over the room, covering the walls, the roof, the floor.
Runes began appearing, glowing with that same blue light, all connected to the lines.
"Wards?"
She nodded, looking even grimmer than she had until then.
"Containment wards. And-and I can barely even recognize half of the runes. I don't know. I don't know what to do, I've never deconstructed a ward before, I've only ever read about it, and never about anything like this. I don't know what to do!"
Neville flinched at her shrill voice as it rose and shook.
"Hermione. Hermione. If there's anyone who can, it's you. There must be something you can do"
She looked at Ron while he spoke, biting her lip.
"I don't-if I mess up. It could-it could turn the air in here poisonous, or set it on fire, or-"
"It's nothing worse than what Voldemort will do," Neville said. "Please. Do whatever you can"
She nodded. "Try-try sending a Patronus. While I'm doing it. To-to Grindelwald. Try"
He and Ron both raised their wands as she began twirling her own.
He was focusing on happy memories, thinking of Luna, of the few, rare compliments his grandmother gave him when they heard them.
Footsteps, echoing from outside the door. Drawing nearer.
They all turned, coming to face the door, gripping their wands.
"We attack," he whispered, swallowing thickly. "Maybe-maybe we'll get a chance to run"
And the door burst open.
Before any of them even had a chance to shout out a spell, Voldemort had flicked his wand.
He rose into the air, his limbs splaying out, his wand flying from his hand. He caught glimpses of Ron and Hermione in the same positions.
And he knew that they had lost.
Voldemort stepped into the room with unnatural grace, and Potter followed him in.
As much as Voldemort was the more horrifying of the two, it was Potter who drew Neville's eyes.
Potter looked… changed. His face looked harsher, his features seeming to run into each other. The sclera of his eyes were reddish.
And he twitched as he grinned at them, the scars on his face pulling against his lips.
"What have we here?" Voldemort asked, making Neville shudder at the sound of his voice.
"Perhaps," he continued, as he took a step forward and gripped Ron's chin, "they should explain themselves"
Neville saw Ron shaking, could see a dark patch spreading on his robes as Voldemort stared into his eyes.
"Well. That was illuminating. Perhaps the mudblood has something to add?"
"Don't you touch her!"
Voldemort turned back toward Ron at his outburst.
"Harry. End this one"
Potter stepped forward, stroking his wand lovingly. "Thank you, my lord," he said, and the sound of his voice grated across Neville's skin much as his master's had.
Potter raised his wand, pointing it at Ron, ignoring Hermione's cried pleas.
"Praefoco"
Ron started shaking violently, his legs kicking out aimlessly, his arms scratching at his throat.
' This is my fault. This is my fault. I led us into this. All my fault'
"RON! NOOO! STOP IT! PLEASE!"
Potter didn't even turn his head away from Ron. If anything, he moved closer, staring into Ron's face.
' He wants to see him as he dies'
Neville felt his stomach churning, felt the bile rising.
He didn't try to hold it back. He vomited, the puke splattering across the floor.
Voldemort looked at him for a second and smiled.
"You're going to die, Weasley. Draco isn't here to save you this time. You're going to die. I'm going to watch you die"
Potter giggled as he spoke, the little of his face that Neville could see twitching like crazy.
Hermione started crying, screaming out threats along with her begging.
And Potter lowered his wand, breathing deeply.
Ron fell onto the floor, limp and boneless.
Neville's mind went totally, completely blank. Thought fled, as he looked into his best friend's sightless eyes.
' This is my fault. I led us into this. My fault'
"Thank you, my lord. Thank you"
Voldemort smiled at Potter for a second, before snatching Hermione's chin in a whip-quick movement.
"Let us see what the mudblood knows"
He kept his eyes closed, only hearing her whimpers as Voldemort invaded her thoughts.
' I wish I had told Luna I loved her one last time'
"What a pity. You had such a mind, mudblood. It is truly a pity you set yourself against me. Avada Kedavra"
The green light illuminated the darkness behind his eyelids.
He tried to think of Luna, wishing she could somehow feel the love he was sending toward her.
He couldn't keep the hot tears from flooding onto his face.
Couldn't keep the shudder from shaking him when he heard a thump of a body landing on the floor.
' This is all my fault'
And then fingers curled around his chin, and his head was lifted off of his chest.
Against his will, his eyes opened, meeting the fires burning within Voldemort's head.
He screamed, as his mind was raped. As memory after memory flashed before his eyes. He saw Dumbledore, showing him memories and talking about Horcruxes. He saw Dumbledore's letter to him.
He saw himself destroying the Cup.
He saw himself torturing the Russian Death Eater.
He saw his parents in their hospital gowns, his grandmother on her rocking chair, Luna on his bed.
And then it was over. Through a veil of tears, he saw Voldemort sneering at him.
"Dumbledore thought you could defeat me? You, who could not even keep your friends alive? You, who led them to their deaths?"
He could hear Potter giggling. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins, his every heartbeat sounding in his ears.
"Perhaps I will send your parents to join you in eternity. And your grandmother. And your little girlfriend"
His eyes shot open again, to see Voldemort raising his wand.
"Or perhaps I will give them to my wolves," he said softly. "You shouldn't have set yourself against me. Avada Kedavra"
There was a flash of green, and Neville Longbottom knew no more.