One in a Million

Rescue

Harry's POV:

I woke up to the smell of fresh blood. I was in some kind of cellar, my hands bound above my head and my entire body screaming in pain.

I seemed to have cuts and bruises everywhere. Blood was dripping down from a gash on my forehead and I could taste it in my mouth, which made me gag.

I looked around, my eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. The space was small and smelled of decay. That definitely didn't help lift my already dampened spirits.

I heard the door in front of me creak open. A shock of long blond hair appeared, then vanished as the door closed with another creak. Is he here to finish me off? Like they didn't have enough 'fun' before?

"Potter? You awake?" The man asked.

"Does semiconscious count?" I asked, my voice weak and hoarse from screaming.

"I'll take it..." The voice said. It wasn't the Death Eater that took me. The voice was familiar. But where had I heard it? My ears had been ringing for the past hour, so it was hard to think straight.

I felt hot breath next to my face, then the chains loosened and I fell to the floor.

"Why are you helping me?" I gasped out as the familiar taste of blood once again filled my mouth.

"Because as I am loathe to admit it, you were right."

"And what prompted this change of heart?" I asked as an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me to my feet. I let out a gasp of pain. I hadn't realized just how many bruises I had before.

"My family is gone. The ones that matter, anyway. And hopefully bringing you back to them will earn me some points in their favor." Ah. Lucius.

"So...that's why you were trying to get Bellatrix to lay off? So I wouldn't be dead and you could take me back, acting as if you were the hero?"

It was quiet for a moment then, "Yes."

"I'll take it. One minutes though. I think I'm going to throw up."

The arm around my waist slithered away and I fell to the floor, retching. I couldn't see it, but from the smell I could tell a lot of it was blood. Well isn't that just fan-bloody-tastic?

"I'm good now." I reached my hand out and Lucius took it then helped me to my feet again. He directed me up the stairs, then took a sharp right.

"Oh. This is yours." I felt something hard be pressed into my palm and gave a small smile when I realized it was my wand. I could hex him here and now and try to get away, but I'd probably be caught before I got the chance. That's why I stuffed it into my pocket and let Lucius lead/drag me away.

He led me down another set of stairs, then whispered some spell against a lock. The smell of old wine reached my nose and I wrinkled it in disdain. I never had liked the smell of wine. It was one of the things that made Uncle Vernon so violent and I had always learned to stay away from the living room when it smelled of it.

With another scrape of a door, I could hear the falling rain. It made my heart soar, knowing that I was almost out.

Lucius closed the door then practically carried me out of the garden.

"Tell me. How is my wife?" He suddenly asked.

"She's alive. She's at St. Mungo's. In a coma." He gave a small sigh.

"I wasn't home. If I had been, I wouldn't have let them..." His voice trailed off as he led me towards the gate. Maybe the Malfoys aren't so bad after all.

***

Lucius apparated us straight into St. Mungo's.

Where are you? I asked Draco in my thoughts.

Where are you?! Are you at the Manor?

I winced as my head was laid on a pillow. Right before I was about to be wheeled off, I grabbed Lucius' arm.

"Thank you." He seemed genuinely surprised.

"You're welcome."

I'm not at the Manor. I'm at St. Mungo's. It's a long story. A pretty painful one too.  But to sum up, I was kidnapped, then beaten, then rescued. Quite a fine tale to turn into a movie. I could practically hear Draco's scoff.

What is a movie? Oh, never mind. I'm on my way.

"We have to put you to sleep." A Healer with a kind face said to me. I nodded to him and he waved his wand over my face. White sparkles fell onto it and I instantly felt drowsy. As my eyes fluttered closed, I let one thought register in my mind. I'm okay.