Warning: None for this chapter.
#parseltongue#
Embracing Evil: Series 1
Chapter 2
Glaring bright light was shining down in to Harrys shut eyes and he groaned, he did not want to wake up yet, he slowly moved sighing in relief when he was free of pain.
"Good afternoon Mr Potter, it's good to see you awake. Now, if you could sit up and order some lunch I may let you leave this evening. Only if you eat a whole meal, I've see you at meal times and I disapprove." The stern matron admonished brandishing her wand threateningly, Harry nodded quickly calling a house elf for some food, the little elf popped back happily with a steaming meal that Harry eat at an alarming rate; he was starving. He sat back and thought of everything that had happened the night before, he couldn't help the grin that came to his face. He finally had some freedom, he was doing something he wanted. Harry knew he had a lot of questions to answer when he next saw the Dark Lord but he didn't mind, he felt the pendent around his neck and sighed, it was keeping away the ringing and it was thrumming with Voldemort's magic.
Being released from hospital was both a blessing and curse, he had to keep his acting skills up to a superior level constantly as his 'friends' kept hassling him and others around would stop to listen, the bonus was he didn't have to stay under the all to watchful eye of Madam Pomfrey but he was currently thinking of injuring himself to get away from Ron and Hermione. He was sick to death with them. Harry knew the reason he was 'friends' with them, it kept the image of boy saviour, friends with a mudblood and blood traitor, the perfect little lion. Harry sneered as he sat in a hidden archway closing his eyes relishing in the peace and solidarity, there was 1 day left until he was away from Dumbledore and his minions. They all worshipped the ground the man walked on; it was pathetic. The headmaster was nothing more than a manipulative old coot after his next fix of power, he saw Harry as that ticket but Harry didn't agree. Dumbledore placed him with the Dursley's to supposedly help him have a normal childhood, instead he got beaten and starved learning only to rely on himself. What gave a headmaster of a school the right to decide where Harry was place, numerous wizarding families would have taken him as he was their 'saviour'. He was no one's saviour. Harry had built up his image of the saviour but it was getting harder to hide, the repetitive practice of dark magic tainted his magic and he couldn't quite hide his aura because it was so large, after practicing his magic swirled around him which only raised questions. He pulled out the map and groaned, Ron and Hermione were heading towards him so Harry got up and ran, tearing through a hidden tapestry and throwing himself through a pseudo solid brick wall he tore down the pitch black passage way and fell out of another apparent brick wall, he nearly cried when he realised he hadn't checked the map before coming out and appeared in front of a group of Slytherin's. He wiped the map blank and hid it discretely just in time because they seemed to get over their shock of him suddenly appearing from nowhere.
"Potter, what are you doing down here?" Malfoy demanded and Harry internally groaned, he really didn't have the patients to deal with them without throwing curses.
"Walking Malfoy, is that a crime now?" Petty Gryffindor remark; check.
"Why would a mangy lion come walking in the dungeons?" Parkinson sneered and Harry honestly didn't know whose voice was worse; hers or Hermione's.
"I felt like it, do you have a problem with that." Harry told them haughtily and he felt like banging his head on the wall, he wanted to curse the lot of them.
"Actually we do, this is our territory." Malfoy spat and Harry couldn't help it; he laughed.
"Whatever Malfoy, I cannot be bothered with you lot today." Harry said shaking his head, he stepped backwards through the wall and immediately hissed 'lock' in parcel, he put his hand to the wall and grinned when it was solid. Harry walked back up the passage and this time checked the map, he did a little happy dance when he saw his 'friends' back in the tower, he cast a tempus and realised he had 4 hours before dinner so he made his way to the second floor and down in to the chamber of secrets. Harry had been down here a lot and it looked completely different from when he faced the basilisk, he had, with the help of some house elves, cleaned it and restored to its former glory.
He had explored it and found Slytherin's library, study, potions lab, training room and hidden quarters, and since second year he had begun to truly learn anything and everything. He had nearly read the entire library and he had mastered majority of spells, he had taught himself to be a multi animagus in the forms of a rare knight phoenix, they were the dark version to the fire phoenix which could disappear and reappear in a puff of black smoke and Harry had learned how to do that as a human, it also gave him healing abilities as a human too. His other form was a non-magical animal of a black panther, Harry loved running in that form and he often used it to creep around the school in the shadows. He taught himself wandless magic which was a huge advantage, he mastered nearly all of the curriculum spells wandless the only ones he struggled on were the patronus and he could do most of the dark arts he had learned. He had mastered the unforgivables and deep in the in the depths of Salazar's library he had found a set of books on a magic that the founder had created; Parcel Magic.
Harry was fascinated with it, it had its own runes, spells, wards and magical forms, Harry had learned you could write in parcel and practiced doing so, it was swirls, flicks and curves and it took a while until he could actually form a legible sentence and now he was fine. A parcel magical form was naturally a snake and it was like an animagus form only you had to chant in parcel to gain one, Harry took on a midnight black magical king cobra, he was well over 7ft long and 6inc thick. There was a slight problem with the parcel transformation, if Harry got angry he could partially transform and the snake instincts could take over. It had happened once at the Dursley's 2nd summer, Harry had only just got to the bathroom before he had completely lost his mind, he had caught sight of himself in the mirror and was amazed. His face had hollowed and he had vicious fangs curling from his mouth that were dripping with venom but the thing that had changed the most were his eyes, they turned in to livid AK green slits; it was a sight. His instincts were screaming at him to strike, to bite, to poison, to kill, but he fought it down and it was the hardest thing he had ever had to do.
That incident made Harry begin studying occlumency, Salazar had a few books on the subject and Harry had worked his way up to having pretty solid barriers, it helped him control his anger and had saved a few lives. Parcel wards were unbreakable unless you were a parcelmouth so Harry counted himself lucky that there were only 2 known ones left, and warded all his belongings with them. As well as having its own spells, parcel magic could interpret ordinary spells making them brighter and much more powerful, Harry had tried a Reducto in parcel and stood shell shocked for 5 straight minutes looking at the wall which was no longer standing afterwards. He had no luck on parcel runes, as he was only just managing parcel writing the runes were hellish, he nearly blew himself up when he miss-wrote a rune and decided he would try again when he could write properly. His potions grades had soured thanks to the snake founder, not that he let it show in class, he finally understood the meanings and reasons behind the different cuts and ingredients, by no means was potions his best subject but he would ace his OWL and NEWT. Harry decided he had enough time to practice magic and went straight for the training room, he needed a new wand and to go shopping over the summer, he was using a handy spell to wipe his wand from traces of dark magic and the spells he cast but it was too good, he left it sparkling, like he had never used it before.
He fell in to his poised duelling stance, Harry's stance was unique to him and some would laugh him of as an amateur but it was perfect for him especially as in the chamber he didn't need his glamour. He stood with his feet together, left arm bent at the elbow poised out for balance and his right bent the same way but palm up wand held almost lazily between hit index and middle fingers, as soon as the target dummies activated Harry struck like a viper. His movements were sharp, precise and deadly. Harry moved all around the podium and didn't raise a shield, preferring to dodge than waste the magic, he relished in the release it gave him and his magic gradually got darker until the unforgivables were spewing out in links, when the final dummy was down Harry grinned. Harry loved magic, and the swirls of magic crackling around him made his skin tingled, he sat down and sunk in to a meditative trance. His mindscape was literally a forest, Salazar's book had said create something to protect your memories rather than a solid wall so Harry had based his on the dark forest. There were plenty of tricks and traps set before anyone could actually get to the memories and thoughts and then there were fake thoughts made to through them off. It was good to check up on everything and he walked in to the heart of the forest where there were a ring of trees, each branded with the what they held, the trees were like filing cabinets but the writing was in parcel so the only person who had a hope of knowing what was what was in what. Harry ordered his latest memories and thickened the fog surrounding the haunting trees, when he pulled out it had been over an hour and a half so he cleansed his wand and left the chamber. Checking the map, he headed to the great hall making sure he had his glamour secure and sat down on the end of the Gryffindor table, luckily he wasn't bothered by anyone. His luck ran out as soon as Ron and Hermione came in and spotted him, they immediately rushed over to him and sat down.
"Harry, where have you been, we've been looking for you everywhere!" Hermione demanded and Harry forced himself not to roll his eyes.
"I was wandering around the castle Hermione." Harry told her.
"Why have you been avoiding us then? We are your best friends and you haven't told us anything that happened and you just keep disappearing." Harry took a deep breath to reign in his temper, the itch to curse everything that moved had returned with a vengeance and he crushed it.
"I haven't been avoiding you, I've have been trying to figure everything out." Harry began and his voice had a clear warning of 'stop talking now'.
"I cannot tell you anything if I don't know myself and Madam Pomphrey said peace and calm may help but the memories may never return because it was such a traumatic experience. So I am sorry if I am not coming to your expectations in complying with your every whim but this time I have to sort myself out first." He got up and strode from the hall, he gripped his secret pendent and it calmed him, the constant scrutiny wasn't helped by the fact he was set to go back to the Dursley's the day after tomorrow. Cutting through a nice short cut he walked in to two identical chests and fell to the ground.
"Alright there Harry?"
"It's usually best it you walk around the person." Harry grinned up at the twins, he truly liked the pair and had a sudden idea.
"Gred Forge just the people I like to see." They looked at him expectantly and he petted the ground next to him.
"Take a seat I have a business proposition for you that will make us both happy." Both sat looking curious but eager.
"Well?" They said together.
"You still want to open a joke shop right?"
"Of course-"
"What else!"
"I would like to let's say invest." Harry told them.
"We're listening!"
"We would do this all properly of course get a contract drawn up and ill chip in to www!"
"Ok but how much are you thinking?" George asked as Harry lent back against the wall.
"1000 galleons." He said nonchalantly and grinned when both jaws dropped.
"You can't be serious." They gasped.
"No he's my godfather." Harry grinned at the glare he got but sobered up quickly.
"Listen guys, I'm telling you this because you won't think differently of me or get jealous; I'm rich."
"You may be rich Har we know we've seen your vault but you can't give away 1000 galleons you're not that rich." Harry smirked at Fred.
"That's where your wrong dear twins the vault you have seen is my trust vault I have 6 other vaults from the Potters alone and me being the heir to the Black fortune..." He trailed off at the twins wide eyes.
"Ok we will draw up a contract and get back to you." Fred said faintly with George nodding next to him Harry grinned.
"Pleasure doing business with you." With that he continued back to the tower. He went straight to bed locking his hangings and curling up without his glamour, it took him a good hour before sleep came but he finally submerged in to the land of dreams.
When he got to the leaving feast the hall was nearly full so Harry sat down at the end of the table with the twins when they finally snuck in, instead of the winning house colours the hall was decked in black and was near silent. Dumbledore stood and raised his goblet.
"Another year has passed but we do not finish in our usual celebration, today we mourn the loss of someone dear to us; Cedric Diggory." The Hufflepuff table was in bits with barely a dry eye, the ravens and Gryffs weren't much better with all down and solemn looks the only table that wasn't affected was the snakes who Harry expected no less from.
"I hope each of you has an enjoyable summer, don't remember Cedrics death but the happier times." Dumbledore sat down as the pudding came, Harry ate silently ignoring everything around him, Ron and Hermione had finally stopped annoying him when Dumbledore had told them that he would have to stay at the Dursley's the entire summer as it may help with his memories to be away from magic, Harry very nearly beamed at the man when he said that but refrained from doing that as it would have been suspicious, instead he nodded dismally and his 'friends' took to comforting him about the injustice of it. As it was the last night everyone was in a mad rush to make sure everything was packed and ready to go home, Harry was done so he scrawled a quick note to Tom and sent it with his beloved owl telling her to stay at the manor. He went asleep that night thinking of the possessive red eyes which he would be seeing in just over a week.
He was quiet in the carriages down to the train but Ron and Hermione just put that down to going to the Dursley's, they would be right, he had always expressed how much he hated staying there for the summer. Harry made an effort to talk to them when the train pulled away from the Hogsmead station and he played exploding snap with Ron and Ginny whilst Hermione read a book.
"You know I think it's horrible Dumbledore making you stay with the muggles all summer." Ron said as he cleared up the mess from the exploding cards.
"Yeah it is," Harry sighed.
"Professor Dumbledore knows what he is doing and if he believes that it's best for Harry to stay with his family for the holidays, then clearly it is." Hermione put in in her usual stuffy 'I am superior' voice, it was times like that when Harry found it hard not to strangle her.
"I guess you're right," Ron said, "But it doesn't mean Harry has to like it."
"Hrm well," Harry rolled his eyes at her, Harry bought the usual sweets from the trolley and he laughed and joked like he usually did all the while sneering at the patheticness he had to deal with.
"Come on Harry you have to change were nearly there." Harry grimaced but dug out his old hand me downs and tucked his wand in his waist band. The train pulled in to the station and they all got off, he ran in to Fred and George who slipped him some parchment. He nodded to his friends and left through the barrier dropping his glamour as he went over to his relatives. One look at his uncle and Harry knew it was going to be a long week, sighing he carried his trunk to the car and climbed in. As soon as he crossed the threshold he was belted over the head, he fell to the floor hard narrowly avoiding hitting his face. His uncle dragged him over and threw him to the cupboard under the stairs and Harry heard the distinct crash of his trunk hitting the ground, Harry sat up. He felt new wards surrounding the house from Dumbledore's magic and swore up a storm, the man had added a magic dampening ward and a magic sensory ward meaning even wandless magic would be picked up, not to the ministry, who could only trace wands, but straight to Dumbledore. Harry's head dropped in to his hands; he was so screwed.
The week dragged on and Harry was made to cook, clean and tend to the gardens only being fed a slice of bread and glass of water a day. Vernon got home Thursday the day before he was set to leave in a towering rage, Harry had a bruise on his cheek from the beating the day before and Vernon lost it. Grabbing Harrys face roughly he yelled.
"Boy why have you got a mark on your face, the only reason we keep you is because you're easy on the eyes!" Throwing the teen to the ground he took of his belt.
"I'll teach you not to be disobedient, take of your shirt." 20 lashing later Harry was led on his front in his cupboard wondering how in god's name he was going to hide this from a possessive temperamental Dark Lord. Vernon repeated the process again when he returned from work Friday because there were drops of blood on the floor and he was shoved back in the cupboard without food. Harry must have passed out from blood loss because the next thing he knew was there was yelling outside the door.
"There's no Harry Potter here leave now." Vernon was yelling and Harry cautiously sat up, that turned out to be a mistake as his head swam and his back flamed. He hissed out some violent curses and heard the voice of Barty Crouch Jr speaking just outside his door.
"I know Potter's here so tell me before I curse you." Harry's eyes widened, if Barty used magic they would all be screwed, he needn't of worried because as soon as Vernon heard the threat he squeaked and ran away slamming the door behind him. Barty cursed and muttered something about muggles, Harry grinned and tapped on the cupboard door.
"Whose there?" The death eater demanded and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Unlock the damn cupboard and get me out, I need food before I pass out again." The latch slid carefully across and opened the door revealing a bright eyed dirty bruised Harry Potter.
"What in Merlin's name happened?" Barty gasped as Harry climbed out stiffly.
"As you can see the muggles treat me well." Harry muttered limping to the kitchen and wolfing down anything he could get his hands on.
"But-but, I mean wh-," he seemed to be lost for words, Harry shrugged and hissed as his back flared.
"Potter are you bleeding?" Barty demanded and Harry nodded checking his reflection in glistening counter tops, he looked like utter hell.
"Oh he is going to be pissed." Barty breathed when Harry looked at him, Harry gave a dry smile.
"You haven't seen the worst of it yet." Harry's voice was hoarse with disused, he pulled up his shirt and Barty backed up in to the counter.
"Mother of Circe, I have to get you back soon, you'll bleed out if I don't get you a healer then I'll die because he'll kill me for failing to save his Chaos." Harry was barely listening, he began to sway in the spot and had to grip the counter.
"I think I like that idea." Harry slurred, "But you can't use any magic because it will alert Dumbledore, my stuff's in the basement." Harry told him, Barty literally ran out the room and was back in seconds puffing due to the weight of the trunk.
"Do you know where the wards end?" He asked the teen.
"Just in front of the garden wall." Harry answered, Barty supported the teen out and as soon as Harry stepped free of the wards he was flooded with magic, it made him stumble but it cleared his head. Barty came back with the trunk and shrunk it as soon as he was out, he told Harry to grip his arm tightly and apperated them back to the manor. Harry did not like the feeling of side apperation what so ever and voiced his opinion, Barty chuckled and half carried the teen through the many halls and pointed to a set of grand double doors, he handed Harry the shrunken trunk.
"I can't go in there but you have to get something to eat and milord will be there soon." Barty explained and Harry nodded.
"Barty don't say anything about this." He motioned to his current state, Barty shifted uncomfortably.
"I have to I can't lie, he'll know."
"Well if he asks if everything was ok just say that I want to talk to him and try not to make eye contact." Harry said and Barty grimaced.
"Fine but if I get crucio'd it's on you." He muttered and walked away, Harry rolled his eyes and stepped in to the room. The room was gorgeous. A grand king size bed on the back wall and the decor was greens and black, with dark wood floor and a black rug. Harry looked in the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of black pyjama bottoms and headed for the bathroom. The bathroom was simple with a large walking shower, Jacuzzi like bath and a large mirror. Harry stripped of his bloody clothes and threw them in the hamper, he got in the shower and winced as the water assaulted his back. Blood ran down the sink quickly but he paid it no mind as he washed his dirty hair and body. Finally when he was squeaky clean he got out and dried off wrinkling his nose at the blood coted towel. Harry picked up the mirror and set it on the floor sitting down in front of it after he put on the bottoms, he grimaced as he felt his back start to bleed again because his healing abilities hadn't kicked in yet. Staring in to the mirror he looked at the dark blue/purple bruise marring his jaw and cheek shining up livid on his pale skin. He let out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush as he realised that there was no way to hide it, Harry also noted he had a large bruise on his ribs.
"Damn it all to hell, stupid Dumbledore, stupid muggles. How the bloody hell and I supposed to hide this from him." Harry yelled to the empty room.
"Hide what." Said a cool voice from the door, Harry stilled mentally cursing and thinking of numerous ways to get around this.
"Uh hi Tom fancy seeing you here." Harry said in a would be calm voice only it came out a bit higher than normal.
"Indeed, Barty wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him when everything went accordingly, he said you would speak to me." The Dark Lord's magic washed over the teen who shuddered, Harrys eyes flicked to the man and widened. Over the past 2 weeks Voldemort had changed a lot, instead of looking part snake he looks gorgeous. Over 6ft tall, dark shoulder length unruly hair, pale skin with high cheek bones pink lips and a sharp nose that was ever so slightly upturned. Glowing scarlet eyes shone out gazing down at him possessively and Harry's mouth went dry.
"Yes about that," Harry began.
"What were you trying to hide Harry?" The possessive tone was back and Harry internally cringed, he turned to face the older man fully and waited. Voldemort blinked once then twice.
"What else?" He demanded and Harry swallowed, standing up he revealed the larger bruise on his ribs.
"Anything else." By now Voldemort's voice was a hiss.
"Don't be too angry." Harry tried as he stepped closer to the man.
"Tell me." Harry took a deep breath and turned around showing his threaded skin that was still bleeding heavily, he heard Tom suck in a sharp breath.
"It's not that bad I mean sure they could of not thrown me in a cupboard and actually fed me but at least they let me out once a day even if it was only to do the chores and feed them-." Harry slapped his hand over his mouth a little too late, he cursed his nervous ramblings; it was a very bad habit. Turning back to the Dark Lord he saw the man had his eyes shut and was breathing deeply, he flicked his wand and conjured up a black mask and handed it to the teen who placed it on his face. Suddenly he turned and stormed to the door of the bedroom, wrenching it open he screamed.
"SNAPE!" Harry winced at the loud voice, Voldemort pointed to the bed and Harry got the message to go and sit. A sharp knock at the door and Snape entered.
"You uh called My Lord." Voldemort nodded tersely pointing at Harry, who now understood the reason for the mask, he was actually surprised the man was still here.
"Fix him and there had better not be a scar, I'll be back in about an hour." With that he left. The potions master looked worse than Harry had ever seen him ad couldn't help but feel exceptionally pleased by that face, he hissed as Snape applied the salve to his back. Snape wrapped the wound up securing it around his torso after he applied salve to the bruised ribs, then he placed cream on to the teens face and watched in satisfaction as the bruise faded in to nothing. Pulling out 3 potions he handed them to the teen.
"The red is a blood replenisher, the green is and infection killer and the purple is a pain reliever. Take the pain one after you've eaten because it will make you drowsy." His voice seemed strained, nodding Harry drank the first 2 down wrinkling his nose in distaste, Snape packed up and left without a word, and Harry felt as if that was the most pleasant experience he had ever had with the man. Harry called for an elf and ordered some food wolfing it down like no tomorrow, Harry sent the plate back and drank the potion. The effect was instantaneous, the ache in his back went but his eyes got heavy, Harry curled up on his arms under the covers and settled for sleep. That's what the Dark Lord returned to that night, all he could see was a shock off raven hair poking out. Voldemort showered and changed, climbing in to bed he was surprised when Harry immediately rolled over and settled on his chest. Shrugging he went to sleep.