What If?

By: JessePottler7

Chapter 1: The Cruciatus

Harry's POV

She seemed to be talking herself into something. She was shifting her weight nervously, foot to foot, staring at Harry, beating her wand against her empty palm, and breathing heavily. Harry felt horribly powerless without his own wand as he watched her.

"You are forcing me, Potter... I do not want to," said Umbridge, still moving restlessly on the spot, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use... I am sure the minister will understand I had no choice..."

Malfoy was watching her with a hungry expression on his face.

"The Cruciatus curse ought to loosen your tongue," Umbridge said quietly.

"No!" shrieked Hermione. "Professor Umbridge – it's illegal!" But Umbridge took no notice. There was a nasty eager, excited look on her face that Harry had never seen before.

She raised her wand.

"The minister wouldn't want you to break the law Professor Umbridge!" cried Hermione.

"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," Umbridge said, who was now panting slightly as she pointed her wand at different points of Harry's body in turn, apparently trying to decide where it would hurt most. "He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted in the chance to expel him, all the same..."

"It was you?" Harry gasped. "You sent the dementors after me?"

"Somebody had to act," breathed Umbridge, as her wand came to a rest at Harry's forehead. "They were all bleating about silencing you somehow—discrediting you—but I was the one who actually did something about it... only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Potter? Not today though, not now..."

And taking a deep breath, she cried, "Cruc-"

No!" shouted Hermione in a cracked voice from behind Milicent Bulstrode. "No – Harry – we'll have to tell her!"

Umbridge just ignored Hermione, and cracked a huge grin of fury. Her wand arm was shaking with anger.

She moved her wand to point exactly at Harry's famous scar. "Hopefully, instead of my little reminder I gave you," she paused and indicated the scar that read 'I must not tell lies' on Harry's hand, "this, will actually teach you that lies are sins that aren't to be forgiven lightly."

She took a deep breath, and then cried,"Crucio!"

The pain was so intense, so all consuming, that he barely knew where he was. He started writhing on the floor, biting his lip to the point of drawing blood, so as not to scream. There seemed to be invisible daggers stabbing Harry, and the pain was so extreme, that even the Slytherins, looked horrified.

Harry couldn't see it, but the expressions on his friends faces, were terrible; Ron was screaming his self hoarse profanities at Umbridge, while watching his best mate, writh in pain on the floor. Hermione was sobbing and pleading for Umbridge to stop. Ginny was also screaming profanities at Umbridge. Luna's normally cheerful and dazed expression, was clouded over by a sombre look. Neville was probably the worse of all. Neville was shaking, with hatred, disgust, and terror. They all caught themselves wondering how only a curse, could cause so much... pain.

Harry hardly noticed that Umbridge had lifted the curse, he only did notice when instead of writhing on the floor, he was twitching and trembling. He started coughing and was alarmed that when he drew his hand away from his face, there was blood.

"Have you learned your lesson yet, or are you going to have to get punished again?" Umbridge asked in a sickly sweet voice.

Harry opened his eyes, which he didn't even know were closed, and looked her in the eyes. "Oh I-I'm d-done telling l-lies Professor." Harry said seriously. There was a collection of gasps, but Harry ignored them. They didn't know what he was about to say.

"SILENCE!" Umbridge bellowed to the group of five new friends. "Let him speak." Umbridge turned to Harry. She let out one of her 'ahems', and it took all of Harry's willpower not to roll his eyes.

"I'm done t-telling lies, P-professor. I should h-have t-told you f-from the start." Harry paused. "No m-more lies. Y-you're a toad."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut from the blow he knew was coming. Sure enough there was a scream, and Harry felt himself being put under the curse again.

But only this time, it was a hundred times worse. It felt like his bones were on fire, his head pounded with pain, and it felt like his head was splitting open. The pain was so intense, there isn't anything to describe it. Harry tried to contain his screams of agony, but one slipped out, and it was uncontrollable from there. He just wanted it to end, even if that meant that to end it, he'd have to die.

Everything was a blur from there, but Harry faintly heard the familiar incantation 'stupefy' being preformed. He heard a soft thump, and his name being called before it all turned to black, with him knowing no more...

Sirius' POV

It was just a boring day at the headquarters, yet Sirius Black had a nagging feeling eating it's way through his head. More specifically, it was a nagging feeling concerning his bespectacled godson, Harry James Potter. He didn't know how to explain it, but it was almost a feeling of... dread... worry... and pain.

He would've brushed it away, claiming he was worried over nothing, but it only encouraged his beliefs that something was wrong mainly because headmaster Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, wasn't the headmaster as of now. No, instead it was that cow Umbridge, that he'd earlier discovered had carved 'I must not tell lies', into said godson's hand. The only reason she has all of her body parts attached to her was because Harry had begged him not to do anything rash. Even though he didn't like it, it was his godson's wish, and he respected Harry's wishes, like a good godfather should.

He was still worrying over his nagging feeling, when he felt a vibration in his pocket. He instantly knew it was his mirror, getting a call from the mirror he'd given Harry. He reflexively pulled it out to face the caller, and was surprised to see the face of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry's two best friends instead of Harry himself.

"Sirius! You're okay!" They both said together.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He looked at their faces, and saw little scratches on them. "But you two don't look like it. Is everything okay? Where's Harry?" Sirius asked, a bit worried.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other and bit thier lower lips. "Er, about that... er more about Harry though than anything..." Hermione started, looking a bit hesitant about answering the question.

"Okay, go on. What about Harry?" Sirius asked. "Wait, is this why he isn't here with you guys?" Sirius asked catching on.

They slowly nodded, and Sirius saw the tears on Hermione's face, and the look of silent fury on Ron's.

"Well," Hermione started. "You know Umbridge, right? How she carved 'I must not tell lies' into Harry's hand? Well... now added to the 'Horrible Things Dolores Umbridge Has Done To Harry Potter List', she sort of... putHarryundertheCruciatuscurse, and now he's in the hospital wing, and Snape's heading to his office to inform you." Hermione said the last bit so jammed together Sirius barely knew what she said. Barely.

As soon as he heard what happened, he dropped the mirror so fast, and ran to the fireplace in Grimmaulds Place kitchen in record time. Remus Lupin had just walked into the kitchen when Sirius ran in, and Sirius almost knocked into him.

"Woah, what's the hurry?" Remus asked jokingly.

Sirius didn't even answer. He took a hand full of floo powder, and stepped into the fireplace.

"Hogwarts, Severus Snape's office!" Sirius cried as he threw the floo powder in the fireplace.

Remus sighed and reluctantly did the same process that Sirius had just done.

"Black? Lupin? What are you doing here! I was just about to floo you!"

A cold voice spoke and Sirius instantly knew who it was. "Listen here Snivellus. Just tell me how Harry is, and then I'll get out of your greasy mop you call hair." Sirius growled.

"Well I am sure you know where the hospital wing is, so that's not my job, Black." Snape sneered.

Sirius and Snape glared each other down for a second, until Sirius pushed Snape out of his way, and changed into his animagus form. He bounded down the hallway, thanking Merlin that the dungeons were close to the hospital wing.

Sirius came to a stop at the hospital wing door. The door was slightly opened, and he saw about 5 teenagers crowded around a bed. An arm reached in front of him, reaching for the door, causing Sirius to jump, but he looked behind him, and saw Remus. He turned back, and bolted towards the bed, with Remus close behind him.

He saw Harry's ebony black hair clashing against the whiteness of the hospital wing pillows. There seemed to be talking going around behind him, and felt three people beside him, leave Harry's bedside to wait in the hall. Without hesitation, Sirius transformed out of his animagus form. He wished he didn't.

He now had a clear view of Harry, and how he was twitching even in his unconscious form. He saw how he had marks over his scar, most likely where the curse was aimed, and how his lip was split, and blood was still dripping down his chin. His left eye was twitching slightly, and his breathing was ragged, and shaky.

Sirius moaned, and plucked himself into the chair closest to Harry, and scooted it forward. He started stroking Harry's hair softly, and took Harry's hand, that was hanging off the side of the bed. He started rubbing his finger over the front of Harry's hand, which so happened to be the hand where that cow of a professor, carved 'I must not tell lies', into Harry's hand.

"Sirius!"

Sirius jumped in his seat, and his head jerked to the side, stopping at Hermione.

"Oh, sorry Hermione," Sirius said quietly. "I was... distracted." He said the last part, as he looked down at Harry.

Hermione sighed. "We'll leave you two alone. Come on Ron." Hermione said softly.

Ron made an indignant sound and started to protest, but the sharp look Hermione sent his way, he shut his mouth hesitantly. They left quietly with Remus, leaving only Madame Pomfrey, Sirius, and Harry alone.

Sirius held Harry's hand again and started stroking Harry's hair again. Madame Pomfrey came bustling over to check on Harry and sighed.

"I see he's not awake yet."

"Yeah." Sirius said lamely.

"Well, I better call everyone back in." Madame Pomfrey said. Seeing the panicked look on Sirius' face she told him that she would tell the boy and girl, that were supposedly named Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood that he was innocent.

When everyone was settled, with hesitation Neville sat down as far away from Sirius as possible, but Luna seemed unbothered by it. Everyone seemed a bit nervous about why they were called back in, and why Harry wasn't awake yet.

They waited about ten minutes for the news to come, but nobody was in sight to give it. Suddenly, right when they were loosing faith that news was coming, the hospital wing doors burst open, and Albus Dumbledore strode into the room, stopping at the door of Harry's bed. Everyone was taken aback by how sombre he looked. It looked as if he'd just aged fifty years in front of their eyes. The twinkle in his eyes were gone. That was never a good sign.

"I'm sorry about my tardiness on giving you all the news, but as you all know, I haven't been at Hogwarts," He paused. "So, I hear that Dolores has put our young Mr. Potter under the Cruciatus curse, yes?" Everyone nodded their heads.

"Well, do not fret, Mr. Longbottom, he will not end up like your parents, but it seems as though his body wasn't able to endure the Cruciatus for more than ten minutes, which is extraordinary for anyone, especially a teenaged boy, but I'm afraid he was put under the curse for twenty minutes, ten minutes overdue the time his body can take." Hermione and Remus were the first to understand what it meant, and Hermione let out a sob and Remus visibly paled.

"What?" Sirius asked alarmed. Sirius was a bit confused, and he wasn't the only one.

"Ah, what I am trying to say, is that Harry's body took more than he could handle of the curse," Dumbledore said gravely.

"WHAT!" Sirius and Ron bellowed together.

"Hold on, let me finish," Dumbledore said, the twinkle returning ever so slightly in his eyes. "But I am sure, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley are ever so familiar with Mr. Potter's stubbornness I assume?" Hermione let out a watery chuckle, and Ron rolled his eyes.

"Yes well, Harry wasn't so keen on going away quite yet." Dumbledore chuckled. "We were able to stabilize him, but we don't know if it will last, or when he'll weaken, and give up, but knowing Harry, he most likely won't give up easily." Dumbledore said merrily.

We were all relieved to hear those news, all except Sirius. Sirius wasn't relieved from his stress, as the thing he caught onto more than anyone, was that Dumbledore said most likely...