WARNING: THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS SITUATIONS OF AN ADULT NATURE, LANGUAGE NOT SUITABLE CHILDREN, AND GRAPHICAL VIOLENCE THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 17. IF YOU FEEL YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY ANY OF THE AFOREMENTIONED—DO NOT READ THIS STORY! IF YOU ARE NOT EASILY OFFENDED THEN I HOPE YOU LIKE THE STORY.
DISCLAIMER: As it should be obvious, I am not J.K. Rowling, and I am in no way affiliated with her, or anything that has the trademark Harry Potter. I just borrowed characters from her story and brought them into my world. Harry Potter and the Ultimate Betrayal
Chapter 1
Changing Sides
"I've come to a decision." Harry said, as he opened the door to the Order meeting he had just interrupted. It was 31 August, the night before they were to leave to go to Hogwarts, but soon that would all change. For better or for worse, everything would be changing with this one decision.
"What do you mean, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley voiced the question that was on everyone's mind. "Wait, this is an Order meeting, you shouldn't be here you're not old enough. Wait until the meeting is over and you can tell us what you mean later."
"That's just it Mrs. Weasley," Harry said calmly though everything inside of him wanted to scream in her face. "This can't wait, there probably won't be a later."
"What do you mean there won't be a later?" Mrs. Weasley again voiced the question that was on nearly everyone's mind.
"I've come to a decision on what I want to do with my life."
"Potter, while you and a lot of idiots in this room may think that your life is overly important, those of us with brains could care less. Now if you would shut up and get out of the room, we can finish this meeting and then those of us who could care less what you want to do with your life won't have to suffer." Snape said getting to his feet.
"Sit down and shut up! NOW!" Harry said putting all the emphasis on the word 'now.' Despite himself Snape complied. There was something in Harry's eyes that warned him not to mess around.
"Harry, I have to agree with Molly and Professor Snape. We have very important business to take care. We would be more than happy to listen to anything you have to say afterwards." Dumbledore said as though the matter was closed. "Now if you'll excuse us...."
"You'll shut up and listen just like the rest of them!" Harry said pointedly. This got everyone in a right state about things.
"Now see here, young man. You can't just go around talking to...." Mrs. Weasley started, getting out of her seat.
"Sit!" Harry said simply, leaving no room for argument. Mrs. Weasley still looked as though she were going to argue, but a quick glare from Harry and she sat down in her chair with a thud. Something about Harry's eyes had unnerved her.
"Harry..." Dumbledore started.
"No! You're done talking now! It's my turn talk and you all are going to listen with your undivided attention!" Harry growled. Snape snorted, making as though this was the last thing he would ever do, but was quickly silenced and had his undivided attention on Harry after receiving another one of his glares.
"As I was saying, I have come to a decision. A decision about what I am going to be doing with the rest of my life, and nothing you say or do is going to change a damn thing." Harry said addressing this last part to Dumbledore. "Ever since entering Hogwarts when I was eleven, I felt as though I had received a new found freedom. I freedom to finally do what I chose to do. It has, however, come to my attention that I had no such freedom. I have been lead by a very short leash, by you. EVERYthing I have done, has irrepressibly been through some decision of yours." Harry was starting to get heated now.
"In my first year, you lead me down the path to the Philosopher's stone. You gave Quirrell, the information he needed on where the Stone would be and how to break in to get it. You also gave Hagrid, the bumbling idiot that he is, the job of removing the Stone within my presence, so it would 'peek' my interest. You also gave Hagrid info that you know he would 'accidentally' divulge to me. You also arranged a chance meeting with the Mirror of Erised. How else would you make sure I knew the workings of the mirror? You conveniently went missing on the day that Quirrell went after the Stone. But, you were never really gone were you? You were there the whole time, hoovering over us to make sure that no true harm ever came to me. You implanted ideas in our heads so we would easily get through tasks made by the professors. There was no way in hell three first years could have got through that alone, even with someone as smart as Hermione." The Order members around the table all had their mouths open in shock.
"Second year, you knew all about the Chamber of Secrets. You helped Lucius Malfoy along his way in deciding to implant the journal in Ginny's cauldron. You also knew all about my Parselmouth abilities, from the Order member who was on guard duty that day at the Zoo. You knew that one way or another, we would have figured out what it was that was petrifying all the students, where it was coming from and what we should do about it. You had Ginny taken down into the Chamber to give us that much more incentive for going down. If we couldn't have figured it out on our own, you would have found some way to make us figure it out. You were down there in the Chamber with us, weren't you? You had to make sure nothing truly bad happened to your weapon, right? We couldn't have that now could we? I never called Fawkes to me, he was down there with you wasn't he. You had the Sorting Hat in your hand too. Fawkes is a wise bird, but he isn't that wise. You knew that I would pull the Sword from it. You knew that, that would be the weapon with which I would eventually kill him, and you wanted to introduce it early on. Something went wrong down there though didn't it? You didn't expect me to lose my wand so early, nor did you expect that I would actually get bitten by the Basilisk. You truly knew fear then didn't you. You weren't afraid that you had cost a student his life, you were more afraid at losing your weapon. But, luck pulled through in the end. Fawkes was there to save my life, and you released a breath that you didn't realize you were holding."
"How am I doing so far Professor? Am I missing anything yet? No? Well, in third year you arranged for Sirius's escape didn't you? You saw that the Weasley's won that contest, anything so you would get a picture of Pettigrew in the Prophet. The photographer was rather adamant that all pets be included in the picture, didn't he Mrs. Weasley." At Mrs. Weasley's shocked nod, Harry continued. "You then arranged for the Minister of Magic to take a tour of the Wizarding prison Azkaban, something that no Minister had ever done before. But then, Cornelius is very easy to manipulate, isn't he. Why do you think Dumbledore has never accepted the position of Minister of Magic? Is it because he cares too much for his school? Nope, 'fraid not. Why take all the baggage that comes with being Minister when he can wrap the Minister around his fingers?" Harry asked to everyone as a whole before continuing. "You made sure that Fudge had a copy of the Daily Prophet, with the picture of the Weasley's showing as you took the tour. You knew how smart and observant Sirius was. You knew he would have no trouble spotting Pettigrew. You also knew that he would have no problem escaping from Azkaban either. Something that no one has ever done before? That's only because everyone who's ever gone there has been guilty. You knew that the innocent were not affected by the Dementors as bad as the guilty, and you knew that Sirius was innocent! You knew DAMN well that Pettigrew was the secret keeper. You knew DAMN well that Sirius would take the blame, and you let him! You knew that if he was free he would have taken me into custody and you would not have had as much control over me! So you sent an innocent man to Azkaban for twelve years and you felt nothing about it."
"The only thing that I couldn't figure out was why you wanted Sirius free after all this time. Surely, you knew he would have insisted on taking me into his custody. Then all your plans would have been obvious. But, then the answer suddenly struck me. You wanted me to live with him didn't you. You wanted me to have some happiness and most importantly a very skilled wizard that could teach your weapon how to fight. That was, until I told you of Trelawny's new prophecy. You knew who it was talking about immediately, and you could have stopped it from happening, but you felt it was time. So you made Remus think that he had taken his potion, when in reality he didn't. You knew that Sirius would be there to protect me, and that you would be near by as always, ready to step in if things took a wrong turn. And so, Pettigrew got away, Sirius was made to be on the run, and I was forced to remain in the Dursley's care."
"Then came the fourth year, probably the most despicable thing you've done yet. You knew all about Crouch Jr., from Bertha Jorkins. You got all the info from her before Crouch Sr. put the memory charm on her. Or, was it you who put the memory charm on her? No matter, you sent her towards where you knew Pettigrew and Voldemort were hiding. You knew how Crouch Jr. had taken over Mad-Eye's identity, how he had the real Moody locked in his trunk. You even went down into the trunk to give Moody food and water, otherwise he would have died, surely Crouch Jr. could have cared less about his life. About your excuse of needing Moody's hair for the Polyjuice potion, hair continues to grow even after death! The thing that made this year so bad, was the fact that you had no idea what was going on. All you knew is it had something to do with Voldemort, and still you let things play out as they were. As for the Triwizard Tournament, you were planning on entering my name anyways, another challenge for the hero to overcome, another training session for your weapon!"
"And then, on the Third Task, you had the second biggest scare of your life. The Portkey went off and you had no idea where it took me. Every second that I was gone, was an eternity for you wasn't it. You nearly had a hard attack. And finally when I returned with Cedric's body, you were more than relieved. But, Crouch Jr. got to me too, and he took me away when you went to 'console' the Diggory's. But, you came and saved me, making me believe in you, and trust you even more. When I told you my story about what happened in that grave yard, your eyes lit up with glee. I had done what so many people have tried and failed to do. I dueled Voldemort and I survived. Your weapon was starting to become ready for your final task."
"Fifth year was the straw that broke the camels back wasn't it? You made every mistake that you possibly could. You cut me off completely when I needed friends the most. I was nearly expelled from Hogwarts, because your guards were completely incapable of protecting me. Finally, you lost control over every situation. Fudge was saying his own thing, slandering both me and you. Sirius had begun to discover what you were doing, and was thinking of telling me all about it. Voldemort was going after the one thing that you wanted absolutely no one to know, not even me. Voldemort, at his full power, now added the threat of possession. You couldn't be around me for too long, couldn't even look me in the eyes for fear that Voldemort would find out more than you wanted to know. I lost all trust and faith in you when you started ignoring me. I did the dumbest thing of my life by leading five students into the Department of Mysteries to fight fully grown Death Eaters. If it wasn't for the Order and yourself, we probably all would have died. But, as I look back on it, I wish you wouldn't have showed up. If you hadn't shown up Sirius would still be alive."
"Sirius had finally come to the decision to tell me all about your manipulations and you couldn't have had that. So when Sirius was dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange, you cast a freezing charm on him. It only froze him for two seconds, but that was enough. Lestrange, sent whatever curse it was at him and it connected, sending him back through the veil just as you hoped would happen. The shocked look on Sirius's face was not because Lestrange actually hit him with a curse, it was because he knew what you had done. He knew that he was going to die, because you decided he was too much of an anomaly."
"After everything was said and done, you were at a qualm of whether or not to be happy. I had survived yet again, but I now knew that there was a Prophecy. Sirius had been eliminated, but I was taking it a lot worse than you had expected. How did you expect me to take it? Did you expect me to say 'Well, the closest thing to a father that I've ever had is dead, better get on with my life.' and then move on? Why did you tell me the Prophecy? Did you think that by my knowing the Prophecy, I would forgive you of everything that had happened that year? Did you honestly think that by telling me everything that I wanted to know in the first year that it would make up for all the wrongs you'd done that year? Oh, and those tears, they were priceless. Did you preform a charm so you could shed some tears? Or, are you just that good of an actor?"
"Did I get everything right Dumbledore? Anything I missed? Anything you want to add?"
"Harry, you've got it all wrong. Voldemort has been clouding your mind again. You must learn to recognize lies from the truth. Why would I do all that too you? I've wanted nothing, but to protect you from everything. Harry, you have to learn to think clearly for yourself." was Dumbledore's reply. The Order members looked more than relieved. Of course that was what happened. How could they have possibly believed that Dumbledore, their mentor and leader, could be capable of something like that. It was absurd.
"Ha ha ha ha." Harry laughed manically. "Oh my, that was good. Putting those excellent acting skills to use again, are we Professor? That was so good, that I almost believed it. You were lacking one thing though. I've finished my Occlumency lessons this past summer. You couldn't use your Legilimency on me to make me believe you. For once in my life I am thinking perfectly clearly and perfectly for myself."
"Harry, listen to me...." Dumbledore started.
"No! You listen to me! I'm sick and tired of your shit! All of your shit! Now as I said at the beginning of our little discussion here, I've come to a decision. I've decided that I'm leaving, and I will not becoming back. I will not be going to Hogwarts tomorrow, or ever again."
"Harry, you can't! You have to finish your education! What will you do without a proper education? You'll never be able to get a job, or anything!" Molly Weasley interjected.
"Do you honestly think that I'll need a job after this? If I stay here, I'll soon be dead. Maybe not today or tomorrow or even this year, but someday I'll be killed. Dumbledore, your luck won't last forever. You won't always be there to protect me from Voldemort, even if you were, you can't match his power. I have absolutely no chance in hell of ever defeating Voldemort, and it's either him or me in the end isn't that right professor? So what would you do if you saw a tank coming your way without any signs of stopping? Would you stand in its way, even though death is inevitable? Would you run away like a coward? Or would you jump on the tank and enjoy the destruction? I choose the last one. Neither the muggle world or the wizarding world has brought me happiness, so I'll destroy both and make my own."
"Potter what are you talking about? Do you think that the Dark Lord will share his power with you? He'll kill you in the end, thinking you are a threat to his power." Snape stated.
"Harry, that is the easy way out. Do you remember when I said that you must decide between what is right and what is easy? You are taking the easy way out and that is what a true coward would choose to do." Dumbledore said calmly trying make Harry see reason. "Whatever it is you think I have done to wrong you, we can talk about it. Don't make a choice that you will regret in the end. You will regret this choice in the end, if you choose it. You are nothing like Voldemort, he may be able to live with what he does, but you won't. It will eat through you until you can't take it anymore and either loose your mind, or end up killing yourself to end the pain."
"I thought you may say something like that Professor. You greatly underestimate me. This may be the cowards way out, but at least this coward will still be alive when all is said and done. About Voldemort trying to kill me eventually. Well, that's probably true, but that won't be until we have created a world worth living in. By the time that happens, I will be powerful enough to contend with Voldemort. You see, he has promised me his own personal tutoring. Together we will conquer all, and there is nothing you can do about it. Now there's just one last thing to do." Harry said drawing his wand with amazing speed. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The green light of death shot out of Harry's wand faster than anyone could believe. When it hit its intended target everyone was so completely shocked they could do nothing. "I guess I'll be seeing you all later." Harry finished pulling a Portkey out of his pocket and activating it.
It was another couple minutes before anyone in the Order moved. No body had any clue as to what to do. When they did move, it was complete chaos. Some ran over to their fallen member, praying that the curse had failed. Others ran out of the room, looking for Harry to no success like they knew would happen. People apparated in and out of the building, not knowing what they were doing. With two words, Harry Potter had completely destroyed all order the Order of the Phoenix had. With two words, Albus Dumbledore lay dead on the ground.
Harry landed hard on the ground in the middle of a forest, two-hundred miles from where he had previously been. For the first time he remained on his feet. He preformed the Point Me spell that he learned from Hermione. North pointed off to his right, so he turned to his left and began his trek southwards.
Harry was shocked to say the least when he started to receive letters from Voldemort at the beginning of the summer. He was even more startled, from what he had learned from the letter. Voldemort had told Harry all about how he had gotten information about the Philosopher's stone from Dumbledore himself. Voldemort did not even know that it existed until he heard it from the conniving old Headmaster. But, that was all Harry needed to get him thinking. If Dumbledore could have done that in his first year, what about all the other years. He went out on a limb saying all that stuff at the Order meeting. He had absolutely no proof, but Dumbledore's eyes were all the proof he needed. It was nothing that could be seen on the surface, but down deep he could see the mixed worry and furiousness in his eyes.
Voldemort had taught Harry the basics of Legilimency and Occlumency for free, through visions, and sent him books that helped him out greatly and helped him to master both. Harry was a little shocked to see that the books were written by Tom Riddle. That was what made Harry believe Voldemort. Why would Voldemort teach Harry how to stop his greatest weapon against him?
Then Voldemort had made his offer. If Harry would come and join him, he would teach him things that Harry could only ever dream of learning. Things that would make Harry an equal to Voldemort and a superior to Dumbledore. Why would Voldemort want me as an equal? I thought he hated sharing power? Were Harry's first thoughts, and when he asked Voldemort this, he was answered with a completely truthful answer for once in his life: "To conquer this world, I will need someone with power as great as mine. While I may be able to conquer it on my own, it is not a sure thing and I only go after sure things. With you by my side and as my equal, it will be a sure thing and we will be able to do it in half the time that it would take me alone. Yes, you are right I hate sharing power, and I would never do this under any other circumstances. I will freely admit that once we succeed, I will attempt to kill you, but you will have been trained enough that it would be a fair match and to the victor would go the world."
Harry knew that they wouldn't be true equals. He wasn't that stupid. He knew that Voldemort would hide some things from him in order to have an edge over him in the final battle. But, he too would hide things from Voldemort. He would secretly learn things that Voldemort knew nothing about, and then he would be the one with the edge.
Harry had been walking in silence for about an hour, stopping every few minutes to cast the Point Me spell to make sure he was still going south. His instructions had been very vague to say the least. He was that after he activated the Portkey he was to walk south. That's it just, walk south.
Eventually, he his walking paid off. He came across a clearing in the forest. In the middle of the clearing stood three figures dressed all in black. Harry had his wand out a second after seeing them, prepared for anything. What if he was wrong and Voldemort really did screw him over.
As he came closer to the three ominous looking figures, one of them spoke. "Are you alone Potter?" came the voice of Lucius Malfoy. Voldemort must have broke them all out of prison already. That was quick.
"What do you think Malfoy?" Harry replied patronizingly.
"Watch how you speak to your superiors Potter, it may get you killed." came the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange. If it wasn't for the fact that he had his Occlumency shields up, his face would have shown just how pissed Harry was. This was the bitch who helped kill Sirius.
Harry calmed himself on the inside so he could speak levelly. "When I see my superiors, I will show them the proper respect. So until that time, shut the hell up."
"I'll teach you a lesson that your Mudblood mother should have taught you." Lestrange said pointing her wand at Harry, on the verge of cursing him.
"You know what are orders are Bellatrix, we are supposed to bring him in alive and unharmed. I don't like it anymore than you do, but those are our orders. You know it will be worse for us if we break them." The third member said stepping in-between Harry and Bellatrix, his back towards Harry. Little did he know, he had just saved Bellatrix's life. Harry wasn't even going to mess around, he would have just killed her right then and there.
"Just keep your mouth shut Potter and everything will be a lot easier. I don't know why the Dark Lord requires wants us to bring you to him, or even why you're coming willingly. Frankly, I don't really care. As long as I get my opportunity to make you suffer, I'll be fine." Malfoy said lowering his wand that he too had drawn. Harry just snorted with mirth. They had no idea what was coming.
"Well, let's get moving, I don't have all day." Harry said.
"Alright, you three grab hold of this Portkey, I've got other things to do before going back." The third companion said finally, turning around and showing his face for the first time. Harry recognized him easily. It was the husband of his second most hated person, Rudolphus Lestrange.
No one said anything as they put their hands on the Portkey. Bellatrix didn't even bother saying good-bye to her husband. She just put her and on the Portkey and waited for it to be activated. Malfoy was the one to activate it, and with the familiar tug behind his navel Harry was whisked away to his final destination. Seconds after they disappeared, Rudolphus apparated away.
Upon landing this time, Harry stumbled and fell into Bellatrix who shoved him off rather roughly, only to be tripped by Lucius Malfoy. Harry landed hard on his backside and let out of grunt of pain. The next thing he knew both Lucius and Bellatrix were on the ground, writhing in pain.
"Don't let me see anything like that happen again. I told you to bring him to me unharmed and your simple minds cannot even accomplish that. Am I correct in assuming Rudolphus has gone on to his next mission?"
Bellatrix managed to get to her feet first and quickly flew to her knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's cloak. "Yes, he is my Lord." Malfoy was quick to follow Bellatrix's actions, kneeling down and kissing the hem of Voldemort's cloak. Harry got slowly to his feet and stood where he was, back stiff. He was not about to give someone his complete submission, no matter how much power that person held.
Voldemort sat back down in his throne like chair and Bellatrix and Malfoy took this as their cue and fell back in line among the twenty-some people wearing black cloaks and white masks. Harry was unnerved for a second as he took in this site. If he were to see this just a couple weeks ago, he'd probably be conjuring himself another pair of pants.
"I trust I find you in good health Harry? They didn't harm you I hope, for their sakes?" Voldemort asked in a calm voice.
"Bellatrix attempted to attack me, but was otherwise unsuccessful." Harry said with a smirk. He knew he didn't really need to say anything about this, she wouldn't have had the chance to get a curse of before she was dead, but the more she suffered, the better it was.
"Is this true Bellatrix?" Voldemort asked, his anger rising.
"My Lord, I–I did not...did not mean anything...." Bellatrix was cut off as a Cruciatus curse connected with her chest. After three minutes the curse was finally released, and Bellatrix's screams ceased.
"I am very disappointed in you Bellatrix. I gave you a very simple order and you could not follow it. Bring me your wands, now!"
Bellatrix looked on the verge of tears. "No, please no. Anything but...." Her pleas were cut off again by another Cruciatus curse. This was only held for a minute before being cut off.
"I will not ask a third time. Bring me your wands, NOW!" Voldemort shouted. Bellatrix, tears running down her cheeks, crawled over to Voldemort and handed him her wand. She was about to turn to crawl away, but Voldemort stopped her.
"I do not remember using the singular form of wands." Voldemort said holding out his hand.
"My Lord, please, I...."
Voldemort was on his feet faster than Harry thought was humanly possible, and Bellatrix was on the ceiling faster than Harry's eyes could follow. After a few seconds, the invisible force that held her there vanished and Bellatrix fell the fifteen feet to the ground with a sickening crack, her left arm sticking out at an odd angle. Voldemort reached into the folds of her cloak and removed her second wand before sitting back down.
Harry almost felt sorry for her now as she lay crumbled on the ground sobbing from pain and fear. Harry had heard all about the rules of hierarchy among the Death Eaters. Any Death Eater could challenge another for rank and face. Killing was against the rules of engagement, but anything else was allowed. First to submit or unable to continue lost. It was better to have someone submit than to have them unable to continue. But, the problem with that was that some would rather die than admit defeat. The only other rule was that all duels were strictly one on one. Bellatrix held one of the highest positions among the Death Eaters, and she did deserve it. She worked her way from the bottom, defeating everyone she had ever faced. But, without her wands, she was screwed, and she knew it. That is why she truly sobbed.
"You will receive your wands back when I feel you are deserving of them." Voldemort said over Bellatrix's sobs. "Now on to other matters. I believe you are all wondering...." at this point Bellatrix's sobs had become too loud and Voldemort cast a silencing charm on her and banished her to the side. " I believe you are all wondering what my sworn enemy, Harry Potter, is doing here. What's more you're wondering why he is still alive. It seems that Mr. Potter has seen the 'light,' so to speak. He has decided to take me up on my offer and join me. Together we will conquer all."
At this announcement their was a stunned silence. It was impossible to see through the masks that nearly everyone wore, but if he could have Harry thought that all faces would be wearing similar expressions. Some, mostly the newbies, would be shocked that Harry Potter had decided the Dark Lord. They had always thought that Harry would be the direct opposition of the Dark Lord. The rest, mostly the lifetime Death Eaters, were pissed. They had hated Harry with everything they possessed since the day he was born and now he had joined their side, and there dreams of gaining favor with the Dark Lord by killing the Potter brat were gone.
"He will be second to no one but myself." If they weren't pissed before, they certainly were now. They had had to break their balls to get where they were now. And for some that wasn't very high. Now this little kid comes in and shoots right to the top. "He will take orders from no one but myself. He is not to be harmed by anyone. If anyone attempts to harm Mr. Potter, you will wish you were in Bellatrix's position right now. He is not open to challenge from anyone either, he will remain in his position until the very end. If any of you have a problem with this speak now." This was Voldemort's attempt at humor. He knew that everyone probably had a problem with this. He also knew that no one would have the gall to question his authority. The pain that they would be in, would be most severe and would last for the rest of their very short life.
"Good, now tell me Harry, were you successful in your mission?" Voldemort asked turning his attention back to Harry.
Harry met Voldemort stare for stare and answered, "yes, I was. Dumbledore will plague this earth no longer." There was a gasp of astonishment from the gathered Death Eaters. Albus Dumbledore was dead. Killed by his star pupil. So that was why Voldemort had offered Harry to join him, he got rid of his two main oppositions in one fell swoop. The wheels in their tiny, little brains were spinning with what this meant for them.
"Very good. I knew you would be successful. Now," Voldemort said turning his attention back to everyone else, "this meeting is over for now. Do not go to far, I am expecting news shortly and you will all want to hear it directly. Challenges are now open."
"My Lord!" nearly everyone in the room stepped forward and spoke up.
"What is it Copier?" Voldemort asked of one particular Death Eater. Everyone except the aforementioned, stepped back with angry growls.
"I wish to officially challenge Bellatrix Lestrange for position and rank." Copier answered.
"Very well. Bellatrix, step forward, you have been challenged." Voldemort instructed.
"My Lord, p–please—I cannot...." Bellatrix started as she limped into the circle cradling her arm.
Her pleas fell on deaf ears as Voldemort shouted "Begin!"
"CRUCIO!" Copier shouted immediately. Bellatrix didn't stand a chance and fell to the ground screaming once again. After a minute Copier released her asked if she would forfeit. The tremors that ran through her body were the only sign that she was still alive.
"Bellatrix is unable to continue. Edward Copier is declared the victor. Challenges are closed for today." Voldemort said lazily shooing everyone away with his hand. "Narcissa, take Mr. Potter to his room. Also, take the mess that is your sister with you. If Harry gives his permission you may heal her arm."
Narcissa helped her sister to her feet. Bellatrix had to lean all her weight on Narcissa as she was just too weak to stand at all. Very slowly the two sisters made their way over to Harry. "Follow me." Narcissa panted with as much of a sneer as she could manage. Lucius made no attempt to help his wife with her load.
It took about five minutes to reach the door that led out of the chamber, and Narcissa had to stop outside it to try and catch her breath. "Is it far to my room?" Harry asked agitated.
"Yes, it is on the other side of the castle." Narcissa hissed at him.
So they were in a castle. I wonder where it is? Harry mused to himself. "Here." Harry said grabbing hold of Bellatrix. He should have let them both suffer, but the less time he spent in their presence the better. "Lead on." Harry instructed. He fell in-step with Narcissa as she began walking again, dragging Bellatrix along with him. It wasn't hard dragging Bellatrix along, she weighed next to nothing. Azkaban must still have its effects on her. Narcissa must have been extremely weak if she couldn't manage it.
Eventually they did come to Harry's room. Narcissa was right when she said that his room was far. If Harry would have let Narcissa drag Bellatrix, they would have still been making their way to his room when the sun rose. Harry set Bellatrix down against the wall opposite his door as gently as he felt necessary, which wasn't much, and made to enter his room.
"Potter," Narcissa stopped him with a hand on his arm.
Harry looked from her hand on his arm, back up to her, and she got the message quickly dropping her hand to her side.
"Do I have—do I have your permission—am I allowed to—can I heal my sister?" Narcissa asked taking all her will power not to throw-up at the idea of asking permission from a little kid.
"That was really hard for you to ask wasn't it? Well, I suppose you can, if, that is, if you ask really nicely, saying pretty please and all that." Harry taunted.
Narcissa didn't even think about it, she turned to leave immediately. She paused as she bent to lift her sister which elicited a groan of pain from her, but continued quickly after she looked back at Harry. After her first couple steps down the hall before calling out to her. "Narcissa." She turned back to him with a glare set firmly on her face. He blamed it on the five years that he had followed Dumbledore. It was hard to break habits the were ingrained as much as this one. "You can heal your sister if you want to."
Narcissa's face softened for a second, but the glare was back quickly. "Don't expect a 'thank you' from either of us."
"The thought never crossed my mind." Harry said shutting the door behind him and taking in the scenery of his room. The room was huge, complete with the largest bed Harry had ever seen in his life, a nice, large writing desk, some comfortable looking chairs scattered here and there, and a door that led to what Harry assumed was his bathroom. The odd thing about the room, was that there were no windows at all. In fact, Harry had yet to see any windows in this entire 'castle.' "What kind of castle doesn't have any windows?" Harry wondered aloud.
"The kind of castle that is underground." answered a sarcastic voice from the door way. "The Dark Lord wishes for us all the reconvene in the Gathering Hall."
Harry had turned around with his wand drawn the second he heard the voice. When he saw to whom the voice belonged, his grip tightened. "Up and about so soon?" Harry asked with an equally sarcastic voice. "I thought you'd have been out for the next couple days." He hadn't really thought that. He had heard about her 'durability.' He knew that she would be up already. He just liked getting her riled up.
"Don't think you won't pay for what you did to me today, Potter. You may be in the Dark Lord's favor, for now, but you won't always be. Revenge is at its sweetest when its totally unexpected." With that she turned to leave, expecting him to follow.
"Bellatrix," Harry called after her. She stopped, still facing the other way. Harry remained silent until she reluctantly turned to face him. "Next time you come to my room, knock and wait for permission to enter."
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes in a glare towards Harry, who just shrugged it off and walked past her out the door. He had to slow his pace to a near crawl, to allow Bellatrix to catch up. He hadn't really been paying attention when he was being shown to his room and needed Bellatrix to show him the way.
When she finally did catch up, it was with great speed that she walked by him, purposefully bumping into him, nearly knocking him to the ground. She did not slow, for a second and was quickly putting a large space between them.
A devilish smile crept its way onto Harry's face as he pulled out his wand. "Locomotor Mortis." he whispered the leg-locker curse. Bellatrix never heard or saw it coming until it hit her in the back and her legs snapped together. She quickly overbalanced, and would have fallen on her face if she couldn't have gotten her hands up in time. This, however, was a mistake as her left arm was still extremely tender from the break less than an hour ago. Under the pressure, Harry heard the bone snap again, and Bellatrix hissed in pain.
Harry casually walked up t Bellatrix, looked down at her, and continued walking past. He did not know how to get to the Gathering Hall, but then, he wouldn't have to find his way on his own. Bellatrix wouldn't dare show up late, and so would have to ask Harry for his help out of the Leg-Locker curse. He was considering making her beg, but thought twice as Bellatrix would rather die than beg Harry for anything.
Harry was a little shocked that Bellatrix never said a word as he walked out of sight. She must be a glutton for punishment. He thought as he continued walking. There was no way that she could ever make it to the Gathering Hall in time, and Voldemort would have nothing but punishment for her.
Harry turned left down the next hallway thinking about what kind of punishment Voldemort would have in store for Bellatrix. It was because of his pondering that he walked right into Narcissa Malfoy. Both fell to the ground hard.
"Watch where you're going, you...." Narcissa started, but as she looked at who she had run into she cut off suddenly. "Where do you think you're going?" She asked impolitely.
"I'm trying to find my way to the Gathering Hall." Harry answered getting to his feet. The thought of offering her a hand of never even entered his mind.
"You're going the wrong way, you—where is my sister? She was supposed to show you the way."
"She's back down the hall, it seems that she is incapable of walking so I left her behind. So I guess you get to show me the way."
Narcissa simply ignored him and went down the way he indicated her sister lay. Harry not knowing what else to do, began to follow after her. When they reached Bellatrix, she was still laying in her prone position cradling her arm. Narcissa bent down to her and had a quick, whispered conversation that Harry couldn't manage to hear. When they were finished, Narcissa stood quickly, turned towards Harry, and without warning slapped Harry hard across the face.
"Bitch!" Harry shouted bringing a hand to his cheek and rubbing it soothingly. "Don't ever, do that again." Harry said calmly. Narcissa reached back with her other hand and slapped him across his other cheek.
"Some people may be afraid of you. They may even take orders from you, but you ever expect me to. If you ever touch my sister or myself again, you'll be dead. I don't care what the Dark Lord says about you, you're still just an insolent child."
Narcissa pulled out her wand and turned back to her sister. Bellatrix looked both grateful and pissed, but mostly pissed. She did not need anyone to look after her, especially her sister who just happened to be younger and weaker than her. She was supposed to look after her not the other way around.
Narcissa had her back turned to Harry, so the only indication she had was when Bellatrix's eyes went wide. The next thing she knew, Narcissa was disarmed and hanging, upside-down from the wall and completely unable to move. She tried to point her wand at Harry so she could curse him, but it wouldn't budge.
Bellatrix was on her feet and slowly walking towards her sister's wand which lay about five feet in front of her. If she could just reach it, she could teach this brat a lesson. Unluckily for her Harry had excellent peripheral vision. Even though he couldn't see her clearly as his glasses didn't wrap around his face, he still saw her blurry form walking to where he knew Narcissa's wand to be. He waited until she was about to bend over and pick it up, before whispering a summoning charm.
Bellatrix's fingers were nearly on the wand when it shot away from her and into Harry's waiting hand. "Now what did you plan on doing with this?" Harry asked holding the wand aloft. "You weren't planning on attacking me, were you? I didn't think so." With a flick of his wand, Bellatrix was flung to the wall opposite her sister. Harry drew a circle with his wand and Bellatrix was upside-down. "Adglutino." Harry said, fastening Bellatrix to the wall like he had her sister.
Harry walked back over Narcissa and reached into the folds of her cloak. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Narcissa shouted at him.
"Don't flatter yourself. You may be beautiful, but you're about thirty-five years too old for me." Harry said, removing his hand, and with it her spare wand. Narcissa looked quite insulted at the insinuation that she was fifty-one. "Tell me, do a lot of people come this way?"
"No, they don't Potter. You are the only child here, and therefore the only one unable to apparate." Narcissa answered snidely.
"That's a shame then, you'll be up there a long time. I just hope the charm holds out until someone can release you. That's the first time I've ever used it on a human, I'm not sure how long it will last." Harry said, before walking away.
"Potter! Wait!" Narcissa yelled in a worried voice. Harry just ignored her and kept walking. "You'll never find the way without help!" Narcissa tried. That got Harry to stop. He turned around and walked back to her.
"You know, you're right. I'll never find my way on my own." Harry said, a relieved look coming over Narcissa's face. "Legilimens!"
This being the first time that Harry had ever used this curse, he was completely unprepared for the storm of memories that assaulted him. The memories were incoherent at best. One right after the other, having absolutely no connections to one another. Her arranged marriage to Lucius, the birth of Draco, getting beat by her father, Harry at the Quidditch World Cup, Draco getting accepted to both Durmstrang and Hogwarts....Wait why does she have a memory of me at the Quidditch World Cup.
With this thought the memories began to focus on that specific event. Harry was, sitting in the first row of the box, looking out into the stadium, when Cornelius Fudge announced Lucius's name and he turned quickly to face him. The scene shifted swiftly to Fudge's face as he greeted her and bowed. A sense of loathing came over Harry as he saw fudge. He was not sure if it was his own loathing of Fudge or Narcissa's.
The mascots came out onto the field and when Narcissa saw the Veela's anger overwhelmed. She looked to her husband and to her son, both had drool dripping off their chins. She observed the rest of the males in the Top Box, all with varying degrees of ecstasy covering their faces. She then looked to Harry again, and was in time to see Hermione pull him back into his seat. The scene stayed on Harry for a few minutes as the Bulgarian and Irish teams were announced respectfully. Suddenly a hand appeared out of no where and reached into Harry's pocket pulling out the wand that was there, before disappearing just as suddenly. A sensation of shock overtook Harry. As the shock passed and the scene stayed on Harry a new emotion overtook Harry, one that he wasn't too familiar with. Lust. Just as Harry had recognized the emotion, it started to fade away.
The edges of the scene started to blur and the picture started to flicker. Narcissa was trying to force Harry out of her mind. He needed to quit fooling around and get the information he needed. As his thoughts were left to wonder, the memories began to come at him incoherently. Last time I thought of the Quidditch World Cup and it came to me. Again the Quidditch World Cup scene appeared, starting from the beginning. I guess this follows whatever I think of.
How do I get from my room to the Gathering Hall? Harry asked in his head. Suddenly, Harry was walking from his room towards the Gathering Hall. His gaze kept forward the entire time, never looking left or right, up or down. I didn't even feel as though he were walking. It felt more as though he was gliding through the hallways. As he opened a door and walked into the Gathering Hall, the scene faded and went back to the incoherent memories.
Having got what he came for, Harry ended the spell, just to be spat in the face by Narcissa. "You son of a bitch. How dare you...." Narcissa started venomously.
"Silencio." Harry said, jabbing his wand at her and cutting off whatever it was Narcissa was about to say. "That's better." He finished and began walking away. Bellatrix, who had been silent through that whole exchange, decided that she would voice her opinion on the matter.
"You piece of shit! You better pray that I don't get down from here! When I do, I'm going to cut off your testicles and put them where your eyes should be!" She continued yelling what she would do to specific parts of Harry's body until he got far enough away that he couldn't hear them, which happened to be three hallways down.
As Harry walked into the Gathering Hall, he noticed two things. One, everyone was already there except for the two that he had previously dealt with. And B. every head in the place was turned towards him, and Voldemort had a glare on his face that could kill quicker than a Basilisk.
"If there is one thing that I do not tolerate, Potter, it is being kept waiting. I hope, for your sake that you have a good reason for being so late." Voldemort hissed.
"I had trouble finding the place."
"Where is Bellatrix? She was supposed to bring you here."
"She and her sister are hanging around somewhere." Harry answered. "They got in my way, so I dealt with them."
"Lucius, go and retrieve your wife and her sister. I want everyone present for this. Now!" Lucius immediately disapparated. "Harry, come and take your place at my side." Harry obligingly walked over to Voldemort's side. It was then that he remembered that he had Narcissa's wands. He pulled them out of his pocket and handed them to Voldemort. "Whose are these?" he inquired.
"Narcissa's." Harry answered simply. "She tried to attack me, so I took them away from her." Harry half lied half told the truth.
"Very well. I will deal with the both of them later."
Three minutes later there were three cracks of people apparating. Narcissa and Lucius went to their places beside each other, while Bellatrix went to her new position, all the while giving Harry the death stare.
"Now that Bellatrix and Narcissa have decided to join us.... Severus what information have you brought me."
Severus Snape stepped forward, kneeled to one knee and kissed the hem of Voldemort's cloak.
"It is as the boy says," Snape began when Voldemort gave him permission to rise. "Dumbledore is indeed dead." So Voldemort didn't trust his word. Well, he couldn't expect much less now could he.
"Excellent! And Minerva McGonagall is the new Headmistress?" Voldemort asked, though it wasn't really a question. "What about the new Defense teacher?"
"There is not much about him that anyone knows. He was an old friend of Dumbledore's from the time of Grindlewald's rise. No one knows where he came from, as he was just there. After Grindlewald's defeat, he disappeared. To where no one knows. Now he is back. That's all that Minerva knows. It seems that Dumbledore hired him not two weeks ago, and told no one." Snape explained.
"And his name? Were you at least able to overcome your ineptness to find that out?" Voldemort snarled angrily.
"Adwiraloth Deriwyn." Snape replied, bracing himself for the pain he knew he was about to be in.
"Very well. For your failures Severus. Crucio!" Voldemort cursed Snape with a wand that Harry never even saw Voldemort draw. Snape was fortunate, Voldemort had more pressing matters at hand and only held him under the Cruciatus for a minute.
When Snape finally made it back to his spot in the semi-circle, Voldemort called out the next person. "Dolohov." Dolohov stepped forward and after he finished with the formalities, waited for Voldemort to question him. "What of your team's mission?"
"We were not completely successful, my Lord."
"What do you mean 'not completely?' You either accomplish your mission or you pay for it! Crucio!" Voldemort held him under the Cruciatus for a little longer than he did Snape. "Now were you successful?"
"No, we were not. We were only able to kill her guards before she triggered a Portkey, and seconds later backup Aurors arrived on the scene. It seems that Madame Bones was indeed a member of Dumbledore's Order."
"Very well, she was not key to my plans." Voldemort said offhandedly. A extremely relieved look came over Dolohov's face. "For your failure, Dolohov—Crucio!" Dolohov was held under the Cruciatus for longer this time, but was able to make it back quicker than Snape. Snape must have just been weak. "Rudolphus, you better have some good news for me. Your mission was key."
Just by watching Rudolphus walk to Voldemort and kiss the hem of his cloak, Harry could tell that he was in for a world of pain. His nervousness, his fear was palpable. Harry already knew that Rudolphus was reporting a failure. He almost felt bad for the man. Almost.
"M–my Lord—with news—with news of Dumbledore's death. T–the security—around the Minister's house. It—it was—was impossible to pass. Not even y—only you—could have passed that security. It would have taken a team—a team of at least fifteen, t–to pass it. If—if we were to—if we were to wait a month—then the security would be less, their guards down. Then I will be able to accomplish my mission." Rudolphus answered. Every word was a struggle for him to get out.
"Rudolphus. The entire point of you trying to assassinate the Minister tonight, was that, with the deaths of both Dumbledore and Fudge, and with Potter joining our side the Wizarding world would be crippled. They would have no one to look to in their time of need. So many would have joined my ranks out of fear, that it would have moved forward our ultimate goal by months!" Voldemort said calmly.
"My Lord, Fudge is a nothing. Without Dumbledore to tell him what to do...."
"I know Fudge is useless! The Wizarding world still thinks him to be a great leader. And while he is still alive the people will back him, and the people with more sense will lead him! You have failed me too many times Rudolphus, too many times." Voldemort finished shaking his head. "Harry," he started taking his eyes off Rudolphus to look at him. "It is time for your initiation. You will give Rudolphus the punishment that he so rightly deserves. Now I have heard from Bellatrix, that your first attempt at the Cruciatus was a failure. Just remember that you have to want to cause your victim pain. Give it a try."
This is the part of joining Voldemort that Harry had been dreading. He knew it would have to happen sooner or later, but he would have much preferred later than sooner. Torture was just not something he wanted to do. He could kill, either way it was unavoidable. But torture, that was something he would never like.
A look of relief came over Rudolphus as Harry began to step forward. In his opinion he had highly lucked out. He rather be tortured by anyone in the world than Voldemort. Comparing Voldemort's cruciatus to anyone else's, was like comparing a super nova to a bee sting. Especially with an amateur. No one got the Cruciatus right on there first couple of tries.
I have to want to cause the pain. Harry told himself as he pulled out his wand. He would have to get this right on the first time for to reasons. One, if he failed, everyone would think he was weak and he definitely could not have that. Letting someone from this group know that he was weak, was like showing a pack of lions that you had no arms or legs. They would pounce on him at the first opportunity, despite Voldemort's warning. And two, if he failed it would displease Voldemort and displeasing Voldemort meant pain. He'd rather have Rudolphus in pain than himself.
I have to want to cause him pain. Harry repeated to himself as he aimed his wand. What has he done to you to deserve the pain? That nagging voice that he had so hoped would go away said. He tried to do harm, to kill me and all my friends. Harry answered the voice. But who hasn't done that? The voice rebutted. Harry didn't have an answer for that.
He was never going to be able to do this, and what was worse, he knew he wouldn't be able to do it. Not being able to do something pissed Harry off. He used to not care about it, but now it really pissed him off. He couldn't afford failures with what he was trying to do.
Making sure he aim was true, Harry closed his eyes, and began imagining that Rudolphus was everyone who he had ever hated. Imagining those people doing everything that he hated them for. The hatred inside him aflame, Harry released it all into the curse. "Crucio!" he shouted.
Rudolphus saw the red beam coming towards himself, and braced for impact as moving would have sealed his coffin.
The curse impacted in his chest and immediately sent afferent neurons through the dendrites, towards the brain. The problem with this was that dendrites conduct away from the brain towards the cell body. This shuts down all voluntary muscle movement. The victim begins falling before they even begin to feel the pain. The brain then interprets the neurons as extreme pain.
When preformed incorrectly, the Cruciatus curse and the pain that it causes, lasts only as long as it takes for the neurons to reach the brain and for the brain to interpret, which is only milliseconds. When preformed correctly, the curse forms a connection between the caster and the victim, causing the process to repeat itself over again until such time as the caster chooses to disconnect it.
Unfortunately for Rudolphus, the curse was preformed correctly.
Unfortunately for Harry's psyche, the curse was preformed correctly.
The victim is not the only person to get stimulation out of the Cruciatus curse. The caster also receives his or her own form of stimulation. While the victim gets the stimulation of extreme pain, the caster gets quite the opposite effect, extreme pleasure. The stimulation for the caster does not begin until the curse has been connected for five seconds. This is why many people become addicted to the usage of the Cruciatus curse. This is why it was so unfortunate for Harry.
As soon as the curse connected with Rudolphus, and remained connected Harry opened his eyes. What he saw confused him for a second. From the point of contact with Rudolphus, a bead of energy begin to crawl its way back along the beam towards Harry. He was about to stop the curse, but before he could the bead reached him, and the sensation he felt from it cut off all thought of ever ending the curse.
His eyes closed and rolled up in the back of his head, as Harry was lost with the pleasure he was receiving from the curse. Rudolphus's screams and Voldemort's maniacal laughter fell upon deaf ears as Harry basked in the pleasure. He began wanting to bring the pain to Rudolphus if it meant continuing these sensation. He had thought that being under the Imperious was bliss, this made that feel like being stabbed in the eye. It wasn't until Harry ejaculated in his pants that he released the curse, and that was only from shock and embarrassment. When the curse ended, Harry immediately longed for the sensation again, and almost cast the curse to bring it back.
What had felt like mere seconds, Harry later found out was fifteen plus minutes. He had completely lost himself within the curse. He learned that that was normal for a lot of people. A lot of people had lost themselves within the curse the first time the preformed it correctly.
One would mistake Rudolphus for dead, if it weren't for the occasional spasm. His brain was completely fried, exactly like he had done to the Longbottoms. With the realization of what he had done, Harry emptied his stomach onto the floor in front of him. Several of the Death Eaters began laughing at this, which angered Harry.
"Excellent, Harry, excellent. Very good for your first time. Now finish him off." Voldemort said laughing heartily.
Harry really didn't want to do this for two reasons. First and foremost, he wanted to leave Rudolphus like this, so he and his wife would know what it felt like to be a Longbottom. Secondly, he didn't think he could stomach it. But, he had to save face in front of the Death Eaters. They had to believe that he was a cold-blooded killer.
That is why he got up close to preform the curse. He wanted to look Rudolphus directly in the eyes as he killed him, to show the others what he was made of. When he reached the body, Harry bent slightly so that the tip of his wand was pushing Rudolphus's head into the ground.
What Harry didn't know, what no one really knew, was that with the Avada Kedavra curse a great amount of energy is realized. The part that no one knew was that a lot of that energy dissipates into the air. Since Harry had his wand connected to Rudolphus, this was not allowed to happen.
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry said allowing the hatred to take hold of him once more. Instantly, Rudolphus's eyes became devoid of life, like everyone expected. What no one expected, was for Rudolphus's head to swell. It continued to swell until it could stretch no further and simply exploded. Pieces of brain and skull flew everywhere. Harry was completely covered. The Death Eaters looked horrified, some even emptied their stomachs like Harry did for a second time. Voldemort just smiled and laughed manically.
"Clean yourself off and step forward Harry." Voldemort said, not waiting for people to regain themselves.
Harry looked at him incredulously before muttering a cleaning charm on himself. He would wash himself a million times, but he would never get the smell or the feeling of the tiny pieces of brain off his body.
After cleaning himself as well as possible Harry stepped forward. "Kneel." Voldemort ordered. "Today is a day that you will remember forever, Harry. Whether you want to or not. Today is the day that you will be marked. Now remove your shirt."
"What!?" Harry shouted. "We agreed that I would not be marked. It was one of my stipulations for joining you." Harry had made all kinds of stipulations before he joined. He knew that Voldemort would be so anxious for him to join, that he would give him whatever he wanted. "I refuse to be marked."
"Harry that may have been part of our agreement, but I've changed my mind. You see, I can do that, I'm the one with all the power." Voldemort said mockingly.
"What about my training?" Harry asked icily. "Are you going to go back on that too?"
"Don't worry, Harry. I was telling the truth when I said I need you by my side. And I do need you strong. You will get your training. And don't worry about the mark, yours will be different from the rest. It will set you apart from them, higher than them. It will help you along your way."
"Ok." Harry said, reluctantly removing his shirt. What else could he do? If he refused, Voldemort would just torture him and do it anyway, or just kill him. He was up shit creek without a paddle.
When Harry was kneeling, his eyes cast towards the ground, Voldemort stood and began walking around him. "The idea for a new mark came to me when we first began exchanging letters. While I was training you through our connection, I was analyzing it at the same time. It was very helpful for the creation of this new mark. I have imputed some of my knowledge into this mark, and it will help you along the way." Voldemort finished, putting his wand against Harry's back. For a second, Harry was scared that Voldemort was going to do to him what he did to Rudolphus. But, when Voldemort began chanting in Latin, he relaxed.
This relaxation, was short-lived as Harry began to feel the burning pain. It wasn't as bad as the Cruciatus, as it was just in one spot, but this one spot was intensified with more pain. Slowly the pain began spreading from that one point on his back, to covering his entire back.
Voldemort finished his chant and removed his wand. The burning pain remained in Harry's back. It was all that Harry could do to remain conscious through the pain. "Very good Harry." Voldemort said in a low voice. "Most pass out from the pain when they receive their mark. Your pain has bee increased twofold with the new mark and still you remain conscious. You are going to be very powerful indeed." Voldemort said. His voice sounded as though it were a mile away and echoing. "Narcissa, help Mr. Potter to his room and do something to help with the pain. Then come back here for your punishment." Voldemort said.
Harry stood by his own volition. He would not let people see him weakened. He walked out of the Gathering Hall upright and without anyone's help. As soon as Narcissa closed the door behind him he nearly collapsed. He was only saved by leaning heavily on the wall.
"Here, drink this." Narcissa said, indifferently shoving a vial into his hand. Harry gave her a 'do you think I'm an idiot?' look. "It's not poisoned. Drink it, it will give you strength. Then drink this, it will dull the pain." She said handing him another. Harry just continued to stare at her. "Well get on with it. You've caused me enough trouble, I don't need you to add being late for my punishment to the list." When Harry still made no move to drink the vials in his hand she snatched it out of her hand. "Honestly!" she said incredulously, before grabbing a hold of Harry's face and forcing his mouth open and pouring the contents of both vials down his throat. Harry tried to fight her off but had no strength with witch to do it.
Slowly Harry felt his strength returning, the pain that coursed through his body subsiding. He was so happy to feel his strength return, to numb the pain, that any thoughts of punishing Narcissa left his mind. He even forgot who he was talking to for a second and thanked her.
Narcissa was shocked by this action, that the hardness of her face softened. She had been the designated Healer for Death Eaters since her husband first joined their ranks, and not once had anyone actually thanked her for her services. Not even her husband thanked her for anything. "Yes, well, come along then."
"Why? I know my way now." Harry said tapping his temple. "You're no longer needed."
With the remembrance of what Harry had done to her, Narcissa's face hardened more than ever. "The Dark Lord ordered me to show you to your room, so I will do just that. I'm not overly anxious to receive more punishment than I'm in for." She replied, before walking away towards Harry's room.
When they reached Harry's room, Harry walked into it without saying a word. Narcissa didn't even stop. She just turned around and began walking back to the Gathering Hall.
The first thing Harry did when he shut the door behind him was strip off all his clothes and toss them into the fireplace. He then entered the bathroom and began to fill up the copper tub. He would have rather had a shower, but unfortunately there wasn't one. He avoided looking at himself in the mirror, he did not want to see what he had become.
Harry spent a good hour in the tub, trying to soak his problems away. Upon exiting the tub, Harry took his first look into the mirror. What he saw he did not like. He looked like a different person. His once bright emerald eyes, the eyes he was so proud of, were now dull. His magic had always kept his face clean shaven and his hair the length he wanted it. Now his face was starting to become covered with stubble, his hair was shaggy and even more unkempt than usual.
He was still staring at his reflection when there were three quick knocks at the door, then one, then three more. That was the code they had worked out before he came into this hell-hole. Three, one, and three again, was the signal that it was him and he was alone. Harry wasn't expecting him this early, something could be wrong.
Wrapping a towel around his waste and grabbing his wand, Harry went to the door slowly. He opened the door just a crack to peer out. "What?" he asked.
"Open the door, Potter! I don't want to be seen!" Snape hissed, pushing on the door. Harry stepped back to allow him in. After entering, Snape quickly closed the door shut and put more charms and hexes on it than Harry could keep track of. "Put some clothes on. No one wants to see you half naked!" Snape snapped.
Harry, not in the mood to argue inanely, turned to go to the bathroom and change. Snape audibly winced as he saw the Mark on Harry's back, and absently began massaging the inside of his left forearm. He remembered, quite well, what it felt like to be Marked. His was only a tiny thing, Harry's covered his entire back, he didn't want to imagine what that must have felt like. It pissed him off slightly to see the boy walking around so casually, he was out of commission for an entire day when he received his.
"So how's the old coot feeling?" Harry asked as he re-entered the room fully clothed.
"Show some respect!" Snape snapped at him.
"Don't forget where you are Professor. Here you show respect to me. Now answer my question Snivellus. You don't want me to treat you like I do Bellatrix, now do you?" Harry taunted.
Snape looked as though he wanted nothing more than to curse Harry right now. But, he knew Harry was right. If Harry even said that Snape had looked at him funny, he'd be in a world of pain.
"Seriously though," Harry said, taking on a serious demeanor. "How is he?"
"He is fine, the curse worked as expected. He showed all the signs of being dead for one hour, before waking up with a migraine that even my potions can't fix. As though you really care. You're fitting into your role seamlessly. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a Death Eater from the day you were born." Snape replied snidely.
"You think I want to do this!? You think I enjoyed torturing that guy until his mind broke and then blowing his head up!?" Harry shouted his anger rising. He would like nothing more than to use the Cruciatus on Snape right now, to bring back that feeling—Where the hell did that thought come from? "I can barely recognize myself when I look in the mirror!"
"That is to be expected." Snape said, unexpectedly calm. "When a wizard or witch changes their life from something they truly are to something that they are not, they change on the outside as well as on the inside. Where do you think Dumbledore got his beard from?"
"Wait. What?" Harry asked confused.
"Please, Potter! Don't be so daft! The only way for a wizard or witches hair to grow or shorten, is if they truly want it too. Otherwise, their magic will keep it the same their entire life. Dumbledore was not always the kind, slightly insane, old man that he is now. He used to have a much darker side."
"Dumbledore? A darker side? No way!"
"Yes, well that is not for me to divulge. Ask him if you want to know anything else. Now if there is nothing else." Snape said, implying that there better not be anything else.
"Actually there is. How's everyone taking it? The idea of me going dark, that is."
"The know-it-all still won't believe it. She thinks that you are under the Imperious or some kind of Confundus charm. Weasley is making out as though he knew it all along. The werewolf thinks it was his fault. The Order is quite confused, that ridiculous story you came up with, must have been quite convincing. Some are actually stupid enough to believe it. Fudge is quite ecstatic at the whole development. He has put a reward of 5,000 galleons on your head, dead or alive. And the rest of the Wizarding world finds out with tomorrow mornings edition of the Daily Prophet. Now, if you'll excuse me." Snape said getting to his feet. He quickly cancelled all the charms and hexes that he put on Harry's room. "I would learn some good locking and anti-spy spells if I were you, Potter." With that he was gone.
Harry let him go. He was quite pissed with the news of his friends reactions. Hermione had reacted as he had expected, and he silently thanked her for that. Remus's reaction upset him a little. He should know better than to blame himself, they had gone over this when Harry first arrived at Grimmauld Place. Ron's reaction is what pissed him off, though he should have expected this. He couldn't believe what an idiotic prat Ron was.
Going through the Occlumency processes that he had learned from both Dumbledore and Voldemort, and that he had become accustomed to, Harry slowly drifted off to sleep, his mind blissfully blank.
A/N: Well that's the story so far, tell me what you think. To those of you reading my other story, simply titled Harry Potter, do not fear, I plan on finishing it before the 6th book comes out which happens to be July 16. This idea has been crawling around in my head for some time now. Every time I try to write on the other story this idea attacks me and makes it impossible for me to write. Hopefully it will get out of my system soon, so I can finish the other story. I really don't want to force the story out as I feel it won't be as good, so I'm trying to empty my mind of this story.
To those of you who liked this story, I will continue to write on it too. This chapter is as graphical as it is going to get, but I promise there will be more killing. If your thinking that the torture scene was gross, I agree, but it is just my view on what the Cruciatus is like for the caster, when done correctly. Also, I'm not all that great at science, I doubt I got anything even slightly correct as what is possible in the human body, but it's the best I could do. Those thinking the ejaculation part was too much, I'll remind you that J.K. Rowling somewhat the same in the 5th book, though without such blunt wording. I'll quote what Sirius says here: "'Put that away, will you?" said Sirius finally, as James made a fine catch and Wormtail let out a cheer. "Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement."'
Yes I know that can be taken as him simply pissing himself, but it can be taken the other way too and that's the way I took it.
So remember to tell me what you think. I wasn't going to reveal the truth until the third or fourth chapter, but it just happened this way. Next chapter will have reactions across Hogwarts, an Order meeting, a closer look at the new Defense teacher, Harry's training, more interaction between Harry and the other Death Eaters, and more. Don't look for it to be this long though, as I said this idea has been brewing in my head for a while and it pretty much wrote itself. Also I'm going to work on my other story. Anyway, until next time. Bye.