Amulet of Time 3: The Wolf and The Pelican

Chapter 17: Dark Plans

" 'Mione, I said he didn't trust me. He may trust my judgment, as he knows enough about me to see that I want the Dark Lord killed, and Sev will be essential in that. It's me he doesn't trust, not my judgment. He knows at the moment I'm firmly on the side of Light, and would do anything so see my parents' murderer annihilated."

" What are you getting at, mate?" Ron asked his friend.

" What I mean is that he knows I'm a Dark Wizard, and as such practice the Dark Arts. He doesn't like it, but he tolerates it because he is hoping to use my skills against Voldemort, and he knows in that respect we have the same goals. What he is afraid of is me becoming the next Dark Lord. Dumbledore knows I know more Dark Magic than Voldie, and he's scared I will become corrupted, and turn into a worse threat that the one at the moment. That's why he doesn't trust me."

" I see your point, Harry, but where did this suddenly come from? I mean, what has this got to do with you being the heir of Gryffindor?"

" Ginny, it has everything to do with it. I have just been proven to be more powerful than most, by a combination of ancestors. This will cause problems with our esteemed headmaster. If he knows I am the one in the prophecy, he will want to maneuver me into the role I am destined to play. This is what happened in the future, before we came on this jaunt. He was starting me on the road he thought I should be following in my first year. It will also back up what I said about him not trusting me. Tom Riddle was the heir of Slytherin, and as such was powerful enough to be a Dark Lord. You think Dumbledore will trust me more or less if he knows I am the heir of two founders?"

The other three all let out long suffering sighs. They could see what Harry was getting at, but they still thought he was wrong. It disturbed them that the Boy-Who-Lived had seemingly lost faith in his mentor. If he distrusted Dumbledore, it could cause factions in the Order of the Phoenix, causing innumerable problems. However, they all had a niggling feeling in the back of their minds that Harry had a point. When they thought it through, as their friend had done, the headmaster did seem to have manipulated a lot of situations in his favour. They didn't trust his motives any less, but it gave them something to think about. Before Hermione could start arguing her point further, the bell rang for their next lesson. As they headed out of the door, Harry and Ron to Charms and Ginny and Hermione to Herbology, the four time travellers were all deep in thought, considering the prophecy and the ramifications it would have on the future.

That night, during Sev's lesson with Harry, his Dark Mark suddenly started to burn. With a hiss, he dropped his sword on the floor and grasped his left forearm in a vain attempt at lessening the pain. Harry could instantly see what was going on and gently prised Sev's right hand off his arm. Pushing his friend's sleeve up, he looked intently at the angry black tattoo before holding his other hand over the blemish and starting to chant in the elven language. Seconds later, he released the arm and looked into the younger Slytherin's eyes.

" You'd better go."

" What did you do to my arm? It doesn't hurt any more."

" Elven healing spell. You'd better get ready."

Sev nodded, before rushing out of the door. Several minutes later, Harry was roused from his book writing by a frantic knocking on his door. When he opened it, he was met with a very flustered looking Sev, dressed in Death Eater robes and holding the familiar white mask in his hand.

" What's wrong, Sev."

" Harry, what do I do? I don't know how to apparate!" he said, breathing heavily.

" Calm down, you'll start to hyperventilate. What do you mean, you can't apparate? I would have thought that would have been a requirement for a Death Eater. How else are you supposed to get to the meetings? How did you get there for your initiation?"