Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter and the canon characters belong to J.K Rowling and I am only borrowing them to write for my and other people's enjoyment, without any intention of profiting from it. I thank this creative lady for blessing us with such a rich ground to build up our creativity on!

A/N: Alright, the thing is, you will not enjoy this story if you hold Albus Dumbledore, the Weasley family, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Minerva McGonagall, the Diggory family, and most of the Order of the Phoenix members in high regard. I would like to state that this is not a 'bashing' story, and I adore most of those characters aplenty, but for my idea to work, they will be the ones with the prejudices and the darkness. Dumbledore is the real Dark Lord of this story, and everything is his scheme towards world domination, but I cannot say more, as that will spoil how I would like to work this. This does not mean that the Dark is actually Light, because that is not true, they are just true to their selves, as opposed to the Light, who mask themselves in innocence.

It was in the chaos of the aftermath of the Triwizard Tournament that found Harry Potter and Hermione Granger huddled together in one of the dim corners of the Infirmary. The brunette witch held her best friend in her arms as he let his emotions go and sobbed into her soft hair, holding on to her like his life depended on it, and in his mind it really did.

For The-Boy-Who-Lived, it was almost expected that he would get into some life-threatening mishap every single year, and his Fourth Year was not an exception from that. It was announced at the Welcoming Feast that the school would host an elusive and most prestigious event, that would bring eternal glory to the daring and bold, who was adventurous enough to put their name forward to possibly be selected as a Champion.

There was an explanation about how a selection of students would arrive from two other Wizarding Schools, Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. When they arrived in a flash of magic, they paraded their unique abilities around to show-off to the Hogwarts student body, in a clear message of skill and poise.

It came as a shock that Viktor Krum, who was an international Quidditch player, arrived with the rest of the Durmstrang contingent, to enter his name in the Goblet of Fire. His presence meant that there were drooling witches staring longingly in the Bulgarian Seeker's direction, and excited wizards sought his autograph.

There was a breeze of anticipation blowing through the Great Hall when it was time to begin the Selection Ceremony. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, did the honours of announcing the selected Champions. His enchanted voice boomed as he read the names out loud. It was decided that Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum would represent their respective schools in the tournament, which was when it happened, and the flickering flames threw another name into the mix, Harry Potter.

That was the moment when pandemonium erupted, and a bewildered teenage wizard's predicament generated disbelief, shock and betrayal among year-long friends. The shared consensus was that Harry found a way to cheat the age restriction lines, and sneaked his name into the Goblet. Even though his Professors knew better, and realized that whomever entered his name wished harm to come to the boy, they did nothing to dispel the character deflaming rumours.

There was only one person who publicly believed in his innocence, the one witch who unwaveringly stood by his side, his best friend, Hermione Granger. She explained her reasoning that there was no way he would knowingly endanger his life, and this tournament was anything, but a free-ride towards glory, and besides, she knew how much he hated his fame. When she then told him with a soft teasing tone that there was no way that he would do something so utterly stupid, she lightened his mood, and got the first genuine grin from him since the unfortunate announcement.

It was a well-guarded secret of theirs that Harry was much more intellectually distinguished than he portrayed in his classes. In their First Year of school, the pair connected instantly when they started a conversation away from their redheaded classmate, and talked about their childhood. They realized how familiar their situations were, and confided in each other.

Harry and Hermione talked about how they were both lonely, and the butt of jokes and bullying by their muggle classmates. He shared the abuse that was inflicted upon him by his Aunt, Uncle and their whiny son, and she reciprocated by telling him about the emotional neglect that she experienced. She talked about how she found her solace in books, and she explained why she was so eager to learn and show that she was not to be underestimated.

Harry then sheepishly shared that he always had to hide how much he knew and understood. He secretly befriended the Librarian in their school, and the old woman let him sit in her Library and read for hours on end, until he had to go home and complete his chores. Hermione smiled at that revelation, and then they started discussing that given his fame, and the expectations that they both could sense were radiating his way, they decided that he should down-play his intelligence and skills somewhat, so he was underestimated.

The raven-haired boy grinned at his friend, and agreed that was a brilliant and rather mischievous idea, that he could easily get behind. After this talk, their friendship had only grown stronger every year, and this year brought something new in the air between them. At the Eve of the Yule Ball, Harry was shocked into the realization that his female best friend was the most beautiful girl in the castle in his eyes.

Unlike their other friend, Ron, he was always aware that Hermione was a girl, but he never considered that she could become more than a friend to him, because in the back of his mind he figured that what he felt towards her was what a brother would feel for his sister. He discovered how wrong he was when he saw her attend the Ball on the arm of Viktor Krum. There was a sinking uncomfortable sensation bubbling in the pit of his stomach every time he saw him hold her close to him.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Hermione had a similar problem when she spotted him dancing with Parvati Patil at the opening dance. Her heart sank into her stomach as she saw his arms around her waist, as he cautiously lifted her into the air. Even though she was dancing with her date, her attention was on Harry, rather than on Viktor, which the tall Bulgarian brought up at the end of their date, and she flushed bright red, and apologized for not giving him the attention he deserved.

He was surprisingly understanding, and told her that he should not have invited someone else's girlfriend to the Ball, and left the spluttering witch behind. She was shocked that he thought that Harry was her boyfriend, because they were only best of friends, and that is what she assumed they would always remain, as he never showed the slightest bit of interest in her, even though she was crushing on him since last year. She wished he would ask her to the Yule Ball, but she was aware that was merely wishful thinking, and unfortunately it never happened.

Since that night, there was a new tension in their air between them, but they carried on like normal. They shared snuggles in front of the Common Room fireplace, and they studied in the Library together, their heads and shoulders bumped against one another as they trained for the tournament.

Even though it was Harry whom they had to get ready for his challenges, Hermione learned all the charms, curses, hexes and jinxes right beside him. The brilliant witch often mastered the spells before her friend did, but when Harry learned something, he would easily out-perform her. While Hermione had theory and spell-casting accuracy in her arsenal, Harry had creativity, and an immense amount of magical power at his call, that he could draw from.

Together they poured through old tomes about Defense, Charms and Offensive Spells, and given Harry's affinity to get deviously creative, they looked through Advanced Transfiguration texts in search of useful spells he could learn. Hermione even found a spell in one obscure book, that would allow her to make magical copies of the books in the Hogwarts Library, and she was excited to try that out, but did not get the chance yet, because Madame Pince was a very able guardian, and her eyes were seemingly everywhere.

Sometimes the pair thought that there was more to the Librarian than they knew, but they batted those thoughts away, and went back to scouring for useful information that could aid Harry to survive the tasks.

The duo had a much easier time to train when their other friend, Ronald Weasley, was sulking in his self-inflicted feeling of Harry's betrayal to exclude him from his supposed shenanigans to cheat his way into the tournament. They discovered early on that the redhead's loyalty was as fickle as Veela allure. There were many occasions that he alienated either Harry or Hermione, and there were only so many times they could forgive him completely. They let him hang around them, but they did not trust him anymore, thus a lot of conversation and information they found out remained private between the two of them.

When the Second Task came and passed by, Harry was incensed that they had the audacity to take living beings as hostages. He was seething with anger that Dumbledore risked Hermione's life, and he did not understand why he assumed that it would be Ron whom he treasured the most, because it most certainly was not the case. Even without his budding romantic feelings towards the witch, she was still the dearest person to his heart, and the youngest Weasley male did not rate anywhere close.

If he was honest with himself, he counted Neville a closer friend than he did Ron. This year showed him the shy Gryffindor wizard had a sense of honour that his redheaded friend lacked. He quietly drew him and Hermione to the side two days after the ruckus the Goblet of Fire had caused, and let them know that he believed in Harry, and he apologized for not standing up for him publicly. They smiled at him, and thanked him for his sincerity, and even though he respected their close-knit friendship, he had occasionally trained with them, and it was thanks to Neville that they found a solution to the dilemma of breathing underwater for an hour.

When Winter faded into Spring, and the flowers were in fragrant bloom, they continued training for the final task with a new ferocity, as they were well aware how Harry's summer terms usually went. That was when their misadventures neared their climax, and everything would come undone, resulting in their lives being threatened. There was no doubt in either of their minds about the fact that it would be the same this year, and they had a sense of foreboding gloom that hovered above their heads.

The Third Task was by far the most dangerous and most traumatic for young Harry Potter to survive, but survive he did, at a heartbreaking cost. One of his fellow competitor's life was lost. Cedric Diggory, the honourable Hufflepuff Champion, the one true Hogwarts Champion had died by the wand of a Death-Eater, and according to his reasoning, it was all his fault.

He kindheartedly proposed a Hogwarts double-victory, as both boys neared the Cup together, but the second they touched it, he realized that he had made a mistake, as they were whisked away to a cemetery, landing in a heap on the muddy soil in different parts of the area. As his eyes searched for Cedric, so he could warn him to take the Cup and go, he realized with horror that Pettigrew had his wand pointed at the young wizard, and as a bright green light left the wooden stick, Cedric had the lights fade from his very eyes, to the sound of maniacal laughter.

Harry had to endure the ex-Marauder's jibes and taunts, that he found out of character from the wizard that he met last year, but he did not have any time to question it, as he was used in a dark ritual to bring The Dark Lord back to life, only to be challenged to a duel, as his loyal followers watched on. No one expected their wands to connect and perform an unusual kind of magic together, and he was overwhelmed when he was surrounded by the ghosts of the past. He saw Cedric, who asked him to take his body back to his parents, and then to his shock, his parents appeared and talked with him, buying him ample time to escape.

He summoned the Cup into his hand, and grabbed Cedric's lifeless body, and they traveled back to Hogwarts, arriving in front of the maze, before the audience's very eyes. Professors and the judges had rushed towards them, with Hermione, Ron and Neville following close behind. The Headmaster disappeared with Cedric and his parents, and he did not think much about it, but eventually only Hermione remained by his side, who half-supported, half-dragged him towards the Infirmary, where he completely broke down.

"Shh." Hermione soothed him gently, as she caressed his messy hair with her fingertips. "None of this was your fault." She whispered, holding him closer. "Please believe me, Harry." Her soft voice pleaded with him, the usual bossy undertones absent, and replaced with a gentle warmth.

"I suggested we both grab the Cup, 'Mi." He replied, his voice raw and strained. "It is my fault Cedric had died." He insisted, clutching her tightly in his arms.

"Of course you suggested it, because you have a good heart, but his death is not your fault, you could not have known that the object was a Portkey." She whispered passionately, resting her chin atop his head, holding him closely. "If you had any idea what the Cup really was, you would not have let any of your fellow Champions get a hold of it. I know you Harry, and we both know you have a saving people thing." She sighed. "You would have jumped head first into trouble before letting anyone else face it."

"Well said, Miss Granger." The Headmaster interrupted, before Harry could reply. "Harry, may I speak with you in private?" He asked, looking at the boy.

Harry lifted his head slightly to stare at the white-bearded wizard blankly. He felt a sort of empty numbness seeping inside him. His chaotic thoughts swirled around in his head, and he couldn't help, but keep re-living the horror of seeing the light fade out of Cedric's eyes, as he crumbled into a lifeless heap on the muddy terrain. He swallowed, tightened his hold on Hermione, because she was his lifeline, and shook his head in the negative.

"I-, I don't want to be without Hermione right now." He mumbled, and the little witch's expression softened, and she rested her chin on his head once more, holding him in her embrace. If there was any way she could help him feel better, she was determined to follow through. Harry was her world, and he needed her right now.

Dumbledore subtly raised an eyebrow and stared at the boy. "Sirius is waiting for you in my office. Wouldn't you like to meet him?" He asked gently, and saw as conflicting emotions filled his eyes.

Harry glanced at Hermione briefly, and they communicated with their eyes, and she nodded subtly at him, letting him know that she agreed with him. "Can Hermione come with?" He asked, and looked pleadingly at the Headmaster. He wanted to see Sirius, but right now he craved his best friend's company way more than his Godfather's.

The Headmaster's gaze flickered back and forth between his young charges, and eventually agreed. "Yes, Miss Granger can accompany you. Would you like me to send for Mr. Weasley as well?"

Harry shook his head slightly. "No, Headmaster. He disappeared off to somewhere, and there is no need to interrupt whatever he is doing, it must be important after all." If the old wizard was surprised by this admission, it did not show.

"Please come up to my office after Madame Pomfrey treats your injuries. I do have something rather important to take care of."

"We will." Hermione politely agreed, and they watched as the Headmaster left the Infirmary.

"I really don't want to recount what happened at the cemetery, 'Mi, and I suspect that is what he wants." Harry frowned, as he wiped his tearful eyes with his sleeve.

She nodded. "I know Harry, but you have to, so Professor Dumbledore can help you." She sighed. "You know as well as I, that if there is one wizard You-Know-Who is afraid of, it is Dumbledore."

Harry slumped slightly, and no matter how much he disliked it, he knew she was right. Only the Headmaster had the power to protect them from the terror of Voldemort.

He stared blankly at the beds of the Infirmary, holding Hermione's hand, as Healer Pomfrey quickly treated his injuries, and got some potions into his system, before they left to make their way to the Headmaster's Office.

~oo~oOo~oo~

Albus Dumbledore had a dilemma, and that dilemma's name was Miss Hermione Granger. That young witch had way too much influence over his precious chess piece, and he needed to deal with her immediately.

He was deep in his thoughts, as he muttered his password and pushed forward, leaving the Gargoyle that guarded his office slightly open, and as he entered the spacious circular room, a small group of people gathered around him, eagerly anticipating his arrival.

"Where is the boy, Albus?" Molly Weasley asked with a curious voice.

"In the Infirmary, with Miss Granger." He frowned, and walked behind his desk to sit on his golden throne-like chair.

"Didn't you tell him I was waiting for him?" Sirius Black asked in indignation. "I find it hard to believe that he would refuse meeting me." He snorted. He had the young wizard eating out of his hands, as he was supposed to, so this was rather surprising.

Dumbledore chuckled. "And you would be right, Sirius, he did not refuse." He sighed, and tapped his chin lightly, gazing at the tall wizard from behind his half-moon shaped spectacles. "He merely objected to come without Miss Granger."

Molly's face reddened at the mention of the young witch, and she worded her frustration. "That little mudblood bint! According to my children, she is always hanging around Harry, keeping her dirty hands around him, and flaunting her brain, like she was worth anything." She huffed. "Every respectable witch and wizard knows that she cannot measure up to the worth of a proper Pureblood."

There was a murmur of agreement among the occupants of the office, as they looked at each other and nodded. Muggleborns had their place, but it was far beneath them, and preferably in the Muggle World where they belonged, wiped of their magical abilities and memories, and away from their society, which they threatened with their very existence. They had absolutely no desire to mix with the non-magical filth.

"I agree Molly, but everything has it's time and place." Her husband, Arthur agreed. "We all have a role to play here, and our family has to put up with her kind for a little while longer." He said calmly. "Not to mention that if we play things right, we can use her to our cause." He chuckled.

The plump redhead witch was not completely placated, but she nodded and held her youngest children close to her. "I am sorry you have to endure her presence, my darlings. It must be really difficult to breathe the same air she does." She sighed, and fussed over her favourite brethren.

"You have no idea how hard it is, Mum, especially when she goes on and on about the boring crap she reads about." Ron said with an expression of disgust. "It's not normal, or healthy to read all day, and it is just one more thing that is unnatural about her."

Ginny nodded. "And then she gets in the way of my flirting with my Harry all the time." She huffed, with a dark look in her eyes. "He was supposed to be looking at me as possible girlfriend-material by now, and yet he ignores me more often than not."

Ginevra's eyes were filling with tears at her admission, and she briefly glanced at Dumbledore, in fear of his reaction. Looking at him as his expression darkened, she realized her fears were justified, as he flicked his wrist at the young redhead witch, and she writhed in pain on the ground, suffering under the effects of a non-verbal, and wandless Crucio.

"I expect more from you, Ginevra." Dumbledore said in a voice, that was unlike his grandfatherly persona. He genuinely liked the girl, but that did not mean he did not have to punish her when she deserved it.

Once he released her from his administrations, Ginny's body slumped, and she panted heavily on the floor, closing her eyes to gather herself, and her strength to stand back up. Ron's heart went out to his sister, as she was trying to catch her breath, and he vowed to avenge her pain tenfold on the mudblood, because it was Hermione, who stood in his sister's way.

"I expect you to ensnare Harry by the end of next year, am I clear, Ginevra?" The Headmaster asked the girl, who forced herself into a standing position, and bowed her head.

"Yes, my Lord." She promised, and her body trembled when the old wizard stepped closer, to gently run his fingers through her silky red hair with a serene smile.

"Excellent, my dear. I am sure that your lovely Mother can brew you a potion if you need it." He glanced at Molly, and she nodded with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

It was a well-guarded secret that Molly Weasley was a masterful Potions Mistress. She apprenticed under Albus himself, and she was certainly an asset to his plans, which she was always privy to know about, before anyone else was trusted with the information.

"Now that we sorted that out, before I interview Harry to tell me what he thinks happened from his point of view, I would like a report on what really happened at the cemetery." Dumbledore ordered, and his request was met with wide grins, and quite a few amused chuckles.

"It was a lot of fun to use my skills to pose as Lord Voldemort, as he rose from the over-sized cauldron that we transfigured for the ritual." Nymphadora Tonks laughed heartily. "It is always fun to play pretend, but this was something else entirely."

"You should have seen the horror on Harry's face as he witnessed the ritual." Remus said. "It was entirely delicious to watch." He admitted. The werewolf had a definite sadistic streak, ever since he willingly underwent the infliction at Dumbledore's order, so he could eventually have the werewolf community under his thumb, with Remus acting as their Alpha.

"I was not particularly enjoying the mental torture of my Godson, but I could definitely tell that we were believable." He nodded. Sirius actually grew fond of Harry over the years, and he was struggling with the concept that Dumbledore already planned the way he had to die a hero for his diabolical plans to work out.

"You are such a softie." Snorted a tall, younger wizard. "I really enjoyed playing dead. Harry's compassion was very amusing, and I could have a lot of fun appearing in front of him." Cedric chuckled, as he replayed the scene in his head. He had taken his N.E.W.T.s early in the year, so he could contribute his part to The Plan.

"It was quite ingenious that you stored Lily and James Potter's hair under a Stasis spell to use in Polyjuice Potions, so some of us could play the part of Harry's dead parents in the illusion we projected." Peter Pettigrew chuckled.

"Oh, look at you using big words, you rat." Remus grinned, playfully shoving his best friend on his arm. He was actually still under a Glamour Charm to make him seem fat and rat-like, but in all actuality he was a very handsome blond wizard, who had a family of his own under a different name.

"You know I have a brain, Moony." Peter rolled his eyes and chuckled. He played the part of a rat really well, but he wasn't the underdog among the Marauders, as everyone thought he was, that role fell to the late James Potter. Albus Dumbledore's scheme for total world domination, and absolute power did not start just a few years ago after all.

"Enough of your banter boys!" Albus shook his head. "I am pleased the plan went well though." He smiled, and turned towards the Diggory family. "When Harry gets here, I want you and Thalia to act devastated, but don't blame the boy, and refuse the prize money when he offers it to you." He instructed.

Amos Diggory furrowed his eyebrows. "Wouldn't it be more effective for our act, if we put some blame on the boy? He would beat himself up about it, and he would be much more receptive to your manipulations." He mused.

The Headmaster sighed, and shook his head. "Trust me, Amos, he already blames himself for Cedric's 'death', so we don't have to work that angle. However, refusing the prize money will most likely lead to him giving it away to the Weasleys."

Ron grinned. "I can't wait for the last stages of The Plan, when we can reveal everything to Potter and Granger, before they meet their unfortunate end." He was quite excited to be a part of their demise, and he wanted to physically do a few things to the mudblood, before he granted her a painful death.

"The Potter wealth is vast, and it is important for our purpose to get our hands on it." Dumbledore explained. "That is why it is crucial that our Ginevra sacrifices her maidenhood for the Greater Good of Wizarding Society." He caressed her silky hair once more, and looked at her fondly. "Once you are blessed with a child under your heart, and wear the Potter ladyship ring, your role in this scheme will be completed, and you and Cedric can give in to your love." He promised, and released the trembling girl into her waiting paramour's arms.

The couple had never even kissed yet, because they were waiting for Ginny to get older, but they were promised to each other from her birth, and they actually grew up together, with the wizard a few years ahead of her. They both agreed to experience teenage dating and love, and be free of any unreasonable petty jealousies, until they could actually get together. That is why it did not bother Ginny in the slightest that Cedric was going out with Cho Chang, or that she was supposed to be with Potter. It was just how things were supposed to be, so everyone accepted it.

There was one person in the room who had not spoken yet, but he was not here to speak his mind, he was here to observe. His obsidian eyes calculatingly flickered from person to person, analyzing every gesture, movement, and look they made. He sent out a subtle Legilimency probe to be perceptive to the occupants' stray thoughts, and pick up possibly precious information that way. It was so subtle, that not even Albus noticed it was there.

"Severus, what do you think about tonight's events?" Dumbledore turned to look at his Potions Master, who was unfortunately more talented than him, or his Apprentice, which was one of the reasons he kept him around.

The Slytherin Head's lips curved into a cold smile. "I like it. You know that I am always delighted when James Potter's arrogant little spawn gets what he deserves."

The members of Dumbledore's inner circle chuckled amusedly at Snape's outburst. He had a deep rooting hatred for Potter, and very luckily for The Plan, it carried through to his son as well.

"Excellent." Albus' eyes twinkled with delight. Severus was always his favourite pawn to play with, despite his superior skills in Potions.

"If you will all excuse me, I have a cauldron of Felix Felicis brewing, and the simmering time is almost over, and I have to go and stir." He excused himself, and Dumbledore nodded, and dismissed him from their company.

As he made his way down the stairs, he came in straight vision of a pair of Gryffindors, who were seemingly frozen in place, holding to each other's hands, with their backs tight against the wall, and matching ghostly pale expressions gracing their ashen faces.

Severus quickly made up his mind, and grabbed the shell-shocked teenagers by their arms, and disappeared into one of the secret corridors leading from the hall of the Headmaster's Office's entrance, to the floor of the Room of Requirements. He quickly paced in front of the blank wall and thought about a quiet and secretive place to have a discussion with Potter and Granger, and once the door appeared, he pulled the pair inside with him, and closed the door.

Once he pushed the shocked witch and wizard onto a comfortable looking emerald sofa, he asked the question that was bothering him the most.

"How much did you hear?"

A/N: Plot twist!

I know that I have several on-going stories to write, but this idea came to me last night, so I've sat myself down and started writing it down today. I was intrigued by the idea that sometimes not everything is what it seems, and it would be interesting to see how I can spin what happened in canon to mean something entirely different.

Where there is Light, a shadow always follows, for one cannot be without the other, but what if the Light is so dark, it is basically an illusion?

I have several spins on the actual character of Voldemort, so much so, that I haven't decided which one I am going with yet, but as you can see the Dark Lord that returns, is nothing but Dumbledore's illusion.

Harry and Hermione will have to deal with a lot of manipulations. Can they find real friends in this sea of deceit? Furthermore, can they trust Severus, or will he lead them astray? What truly happened to the Potters, and what will become of The Plan?

Stay tuned if you are interested!