The Little One with Green Eyes

16: The Murder of Harry J. Potter

The sound of feet pounding against the ground snapped Draco out of his horrified shock. He snapped his head up in time to see his father, Aunt Bella and the Dark Lord come around the corner. His father and Aunt stopped in their tracks, their eyes widening in horrified disgust at the sight of the toddler.

The Dark Lord, however, is terrifyingly calm in his rage.

Draco watches as the Dark Lord steps forward, his face composed into a calm mask, yet the rage Draco sees in the Dark Lord's crimson eyes give away what the Dark Lord is truly feeling. Draco shivers at the look of pure, unadulterated fury in the Dark Lord's eyes. Never has Draco feared the Dark Lord like he did in that moment.

Little One wheezes louder at the sight of the Dark Lord, and a choked whimper escapes the Inferius's lips. Draco suppressed a gag when blood spatters against Little One's lip. Draco watches as the Dark Lord crouches down next to Little One, and Draco does not fight against the tug on his arm as his father pulls him away from the gruesome scene.

"Oh, dear heart," the Dark Lord coos softly. The tone is gentle and soothing, and would seem genuine if his crimson eyes were not alight with a fury Draco never knew could burn so brightly. "Calm yourself, Little One. You will be fine. I'm here."

Gently, tender in a way Draco had never seen before, the Dark Lord slipped his hands under the toddler. He put one hand under Little One's head, offering support and keeping Little One's neck from being jostled even further, while his other hand slipped under his knees. Little One's damaged neck rested in the crook of the Dark Lord's elbow while the Dark Lord lifted the toddler off the ground. Another pained whimper left Little One's lips, and it made Draco's chest feel unbearably tight.

With the Inferius safely secured, the Dark Lord turned his gaze towards everyone else. Draco couldn't help but shiver at the mad look in the Dark Lord's gaze. "Find them." he commands. They all bow before the Dark Lord turns around and walks away briskly, his strides wide and quick while his footsteps echo across the empty hallway.

"Draco..." Draco hears his father say softly, but Draco can't.

The blood lays in a puddle on the floor, and this time, Draco notices splatters all over the wall as though the person who did this just ripped at Little One without a care. This time, Draco doesn't have a chance of keeping his stomach.

Draco doubles over and loses his lunch all over the ground.

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Voldemort's hands tremble, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't get them to stop.

The rage is overwhelming. Voldemort has never felt such seething anger before. It's overbearing, it runs through his veins like blood and it makes Voldemort grit his teeth and clench his jaw hard enough for it to pop. Voldemort has never felt this way before. Not even when Little One was kidnapped. This rage... This anger... This impossible desire to destroy whatever did this... whoever did this.

Yet deep down, Voldemort was lying to himself. This was not the first time he felt this rage.

Little One whimpers softly again, tears sliding down his face and mixing with the blood. It sets Voldemort on edge. He gently places Little One on the medical table. Little One cries out when Voldemort's hands leave him and Voldemort is quick to shush him.

"Calm, precious," he soothes. "I am here. Please, calm yourself. You are safe now. You are safe." This was not the first time Voldemort was in this position, and the deja vu threatened to overtake him.