Title: Scheherazade
Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling and associates own these characters. I am writing this story for fun and not profit.
Pairing: Harry/Lord Voldemort, possibly others
Rating: M
Warnings: Slash, language, violence, possible character death (not main pairing), Grey and possibly Dark!Harry. Cho, Ron, and Dumbledore bashing.
Summary: Voldemort didn't believe that a bound and unconscious Harry Potter was in his dungeon. Seeing Potter with his own eyes, he plans to kill him. But after months of being entranced by tales, his original plans may have changed slightly. A Harry Potter retelling of One Thousand and One Nights.
Author's Notes: This is my first Harry/Voldemort fic, so forgive me if it's less than stellar. This will definitely NOT be one thousand and one chapters, but it will be rather long. Long for me: AKA, the queen of one shots. :] Enjoy, and please tell me what I can improve!
Scheherazade
The Two "Brothers"- Part One
Lord Voldemort walked slowly to the dungeons. He still didn't believe the wild story his Inner Circle had told him. He snorted. Like a bound and unconscious Harry Potter would really appear in the middle of one of their meetings. Already planning to torture Lucius for telling falsehoods, he absentmindedly flicked his wand. The ornate door swung open silently, and Voldemort breathed in sharply.
Green eyes burned in the gloom.
"Hello, Tom."
oOo
He swept quickly into the room, the door shutting behind him with an ominous clang. Torches flared to life, removing any doubt that there was indeed a half-naked Harry Potter chained to his wall.
"C-crucio," Voldemort said, mentally cursing himself for letting his voice audibly shake.
The boy bore the curse admirably, and endured it without making a sound. Voldemort abruptly ended the spell, and jolted in surprise.
Potter was laughing. He had thought the tremors had been an aftereffect of the spell, but no, Potter was merely insane.
He lifted up his head and smiled. "You never change, do you, Tom?"
Voldemort sneered, his composure back in place. "Sorry, Potter, but there will be no witty banter this time. I won't be giving a monologue, either. You would have too much time to think of insipid escape plans that might actually work, with your luck."
Potter suddenly looked weary. "But I so enjoy our little taunts. Ah, well. I have no intention of dramatically fleeing this time. I do wonder, though, if you have enough humanity left to grant a dying man's wish."
Voldemort sighed. "What small triviality do you require now, Potter? A teddy to snuggle as you die? A piece of parchment to write a tearful goodbye to your loved ones?"
Potter chuckled. "All I want to do is tell you a story, Tom."
He wanted to say no, but those emerald eyes were staring at him so earnestly.
He sighed again, Conjured up a chair, and endured another smile from the teen. "Hurry up, Potter. I haven't got all night."
Potter grinned. "Y'know, I could use a chair too."
"Crucio. Get on with it, Potter."
oOo
Once upon a time- Ow. What? I'm sorry. Your little curses start to hurt after a while. And a chair really would be nice. Ow. Fine. I'll tell you the damn story. Anyway, as I was saying, once upon a time there were two men.
This is not a very exciting beginning, you say. But these men were anything but ordinary. The world thought they were like brothers; magically powerful, beautiful best friends. But behind closed doors and in small alcoves, they were lovers.
One of the men exuded charm and made everyone around him fall in love with him and his ideals. His name was Gellert, although he was later infamously known by his surname.
The other was handsome, clever, and polite, but he paled in comparison to Gellert. Everyone did. And yet, Gellert saw fit to take him as a lover and make him his right hand man. The follower's name was Albus.
They were young and in love, so naturally they thought they could rule the world. Gellert had great plans for their future, him in the elaborate throne, and Albus always there at his side. Albus wholeheartedly agreed with whatever Gellert would say. He was, after all, a genius.
So when Gellert expressed his concern for the Muggleborns that were slowly diluting the wizarding community's magical essence, Albus enthusiastically accepted his idea to slowly limit the number of Muggle-borns accepted into wizarding society. Albus secretly found Mudbloods distasteful. They were always looking around with too much awe and asking stupid questions loudly.
Gellert and Albus plotted for years to accomplish this goal. In this time, they grew closer than ever. "I love you's" were finally hanging in the air and clinging to bare skin. And then, their dream romance fell to pieces.
The bards all cry that it was Gellert's fault. He seduced Albus with the Dark, and in the end, fell to its allures. But then again, the bards don't tell this version. In their adaptation, Albus fled at the first sign of Darkness. It's too bad that nobody ever hears the true stories. They're so much more entertaining.
Actually, it was Albus who first introduced Dark spells to Gellert. Gellert was frustrated with his lack of success in convincing people to reduce the Muggleborn population to ten percent of the overall wizarding population. And then, Albus brought the Imperius Curse to his attention. With it, he could persuade hundreds to his side. Gellert was at first hesitant to use it, but Albus convinced him it was for the greater good.
That phrase sounds familiar, doesn't it, Tom? I wonder who uses it frequently nowadays.
The anti-Muggleborn faction was growing larger each day, and yet Gellert still felt guilty about taking away people's freedom of choice. Tension began to grow between Albus and Gellert, but it probably would've merely simmered under the surface if not for that fateful day.
Gellert was working in his Potions Lab on a variation of the Imperius Curse that would hopefully show people the correctness of his position, but let them still choose for themselves, when feminine screams broke out.
He dropped the moonstone he was crushing, and ran immediately to the dungeon. Skidding to a halt, he gasped in horror.
Standing there with a manic grin on his face and holding a Crucio on a small girl, was his lover Albus.
oOo
Voldemort leaned forward, holding his breath. What happened next? He had never heard this version before! Potter opened his mouth, and he anticipated. And then-
"I'm tired, Tom. Can we continue this tomorrow?" Potter asked.
Voldemort's jaw dropped. Continue? Tomorrow? "What the hell do you think this, Potter? A bloody inn? You're not my guest, you're my prisoner! So continue with the damn story. I don't care if you're tired."
Potter glared, and Voldemort unconsciously shrank into the chair. "Well, Tom. I wouldn't be so tired if a certain someone hadn't Crucioed so many times! And the way I see it, I'm the only one who can tell the story, and therefore, I can take as much fucking time as I want to tell it! And I'm not telling you the rest until you let me sleep in a comfortable bed and eat unpoisoned, tasty food!"
They had a nasty staring contest, and somehow Potter won (which should've been impossible, because snakes don't have eyelids). Grudgingly, Voldemort flicked his wand and Levitated the boy out of the dungeon into a guest room. He dumped him on the bed, and said pettily, "You will finish this story tomorrow, Potter. And then I will kill you. Slumber well, for it will be your last time before your eternal rest."
Potter blinked sleepily. "That's nice, Tom. Good night."
Voldemort huffed, and slammed the door behind him. Damn Potter for being such a good storyteller! He had really intended to kill the teen in the dungeon.
But hearing the true story of Grindelwald and Dumbledore was far too tempting.
Voldemort walked slowly back to where his Inner Circle was no doubt cowering in fear. It was too bad they didn't make Time Turners into the future.
Tomorrow could not come soon enough.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: As this is the retelling of Scheherazade, I will need suggestions for stories for Harry to tell. Feel free to give me your favorite fairy tale, myth, or fable in a review, and I will try to incorporate it! Be warned, the stories will all be in multiple parts, because otherwise Tom will kill him. Isn't he cute? :]
Please review; I'd love to hear what you think!