835Darkness Is My Ally
Disclaimer: SEE FIRST CHAPTERS
Plot: Dumbledore's worst nightmare seems to have come to pass: finding Harry at Wool's Orphanage and then seeing him in Slytherin, the headmaster is faced with the prospect of another Tom Riddle, but the real truth about Harry is darker than he could ever imagine.
Author's Note: Now, before I get onto this story, I can take a guess at what you're thinking: DZ2, where did THIS come from?
The answer to that is that, lately, I've been working on Supernatural-themed stories and so, with a bit of imagination, I decided to complete what I call the dark trinity of Supernatural characters: Vampire, Werewolf and now…well, you'll see when I write it. Beyond that, I only hope my readers enjoy the story and enjoy how I add to my dark repertoire.
As always, I'm not going to rant this time, but if you don't like it then DON'T READ IT!
Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to my friend Winged Seer Wolf, who has always encouraged my dark side to show itself; my recommended reads are Demon Contract by 9foxgrl, Hadrian Potter, Darkness Rising by AvatarVecna and The Rise of A Dark Lord by Little Miss Xanda; three amazing Dark Harry stories.
Hadrian/Pansy
Eventual Neville/Hermione
Other Pairings TBC
Normal Speech
'Thought'
'Shadow Speech'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
StormyFireDragon: We're coming to the end here, Storm: I hope you enjoy it;
DarkLelouch: All Hadrian's 'unfinished business' will be dealt with in one final stroke;
T4: And if you think I'm stopping the ride here, you'd be sorely mistaken, old friend;
"You betrayed my family, your best friends, for the sake of that half-blood pretender and then you murdered people in trying to ensure someone didn't get you first."
"That's only half-true," Sirius argued, his eyes looking into Hadrian's as he lifted his other hand, which the Black Kaiser saw to hold a wand of Sirius' own, before he gave his exclamation, "I, Sirius Orion Black, do swear on my life and magic that I did not betray Lily or James Potter and that I do not have any intentions to harm, threaten or kill Hadrian Potter: by magic it is decreed, by magic, it is done!"
A bright flash of light filled the Shrieking Shack, the force of the light blinding Hadrian as he tried to pierce it, his mind racing with what he'd just heard:
'Why would he swear such a powerful and dangerous vow if he's guilty? Unless…'
Chapter 19: The Darkest Secrets
Sirius' vow still rang in Hadrian's ears as he watched the light from the magical aftermath fade, revealing a still-alive Sirius Black, though he was now unarmed and on his knees, his eyes looking right into the green eyes of his godson as he spoke, "There, maybe now you will listen to what I have to say, Hadrian?"
"Start talking," Hadrian replied firmly, his words edged by darkness as, despite the vow, he still felt a desire to actually kill this man for what he'd done to abandon the family and, through them, Hadrian himself.
"The day you were born, nearly fourteen years ago," Sirius explained, keeping himself still and calm as he told his story, "Is where it all really began as your parents, not long after that day, were approached by Albus Dumbledore and told of some reason for them to go into hiding. When they asked why, Dumbledore told them that it concerned you, their only son, and that it was for the Greater Good that they do as he said and go ahead with it."
"Meaning he convinced them using his manipulative old bastard ways," Hadrian scowled, earning a nod from Sirius as he asked, "So what? How did that lead to this?"
"The Fidelius Charm," Sirius explained, "It's a…"
"I know what the Fidelius is, Sirius," Hadrian scowled, "I'm not some Freddie First-Year after all: someone cast a spell of privacy and protection and thereby anointed a chosen member of my parents' circle as the appropriately-mentioned Secret Keeper. I'm guessing that person was you?"
"Correct," Sirius nodded, still holding his hands up as he spoke, "But don't think that means I'm guilty of what they say I did, Hadrian: on the contrary, shortly after your first birthday, I was approached by your Father and, for some reason I couldn't understand, he started yelling at me and telling me that he had trusted the wrong person. I had my suspicions, but I needed to know more and, when I approached Albus about this, he said that he'd had a word with James about me and said that it could be too obvious that I was the one protecting him. I didn't mean to do what I did next, but I did it anyway: I allowed Dumbledore to switch Secret Keepers from me to our lowest-ranked friend, Peter Pettigrew, and then I was banned from Godric's Hollow and told never to come near you until they were sure that you were safe."
"So Dumbledore struck again," Hadrian scowled, earning a raised eyebrow from Sirius before, to the Slytherin King's surprise, Sirius shook his head.
"No," Sirius explained, "I asked Dumbledore and even went as far as enacting my right as Lord Black to force a magical oath out of him saying that he hadn't done anything to James to convince him of this. He was surprised at my ferocity, of course, but he swore the oath and, strange as it's going to sound, when he told me that he was simply asking this for your own good, I believed him also."
"So you switched to Pettigrew," Hadrian scowled, his voice now edged by a growl as he hissed, "You still killed him…and thirteen Muggles…and left my parents to die because of a lie."
"Actions that I regret all the way," Sirius explained, "But I did not kill Peter or those Muggles: he did!"
"Convenient," Hadrian snarled, almost glowing with dark magic as he exclaimed, "You blame the dead for your own actions!"
"Hadrian, listen to me!" Sirius insisted, "Pettigrew isn't dead: he's still alive; I tried to get to him tonight, but the portrait leading into Gryffindor Tower wouldn't let me in. I was angry and desperate, but I promise you that I am only out to clear my name and then, when all is said and done, I can come back…to you…to the Black Ways…to our family!"
Hadrian's rage seemed to die in that moment, his eyes narrowed as he looked to Sirius, his voice soft as he asked, "Why are you doing this, Sirius? From what I hear, you're not exactly number one on the Black Family's list of welcome people because of your defection to Gryffindor. Why are you so adamant that you come back to us?"
"Because of you, pup," Sirius explained, his own voice now gentle as he explained, "An anonymous benefactor informed me that you had become the Black Kaiser and, when I heard, I was scared, I won't deny it, but I also felt strength return to me as I knew you were alive and that you were all right. Yes, I failed Lily and James and I regret that each and every day, but my true loyalty has always been to you: I'm sorry I was so blinded by rage that I went after Peter, but please, let me find him now, clear my name and then, my pup, my Kaiser, I am yours to command however you see fit."
For a moment, there was silence in the room that was broken only by the sound of the wind blowing outside and Hadrian's steady breathing, though there was also a look to Hadrian that Sirius hadn't seen before: curiosity.
Finally, the boy spoke again, breaking the silence as he asked, "Why?"
"I'm sorry, Hadrian?" asked Sirius, earning a shrug from Hadrian.
"Why were you scared?" asked the Black Kaiser, "I mean here I am, Sirius: I am more powerful than any ordinary thirteen-year-old wizard and I have the means to have an entire army at my command. All right, I haven't actually killed anyone yet, but that doesn't mean I'm exactly pure evil either: so why are you scared when I have become everything that your average wizard dreams of being in such a short time?"
"Because I look at you now," Sirius explained, his voice tinged by a dark emotion that Hadrian couldn't identify as he told him, "And I don't see my godson or the boy that Lily and James hoped to take his life to new heights and become the great wizard he could be. I see a Dark Lord in the making: someone who's more like he's following the lines of Voldemort than actually taking charge of his own life."
His words were cut off as a dark burst of magic suddenly knocked Sirius aside, his cheek now bleeding from the impact while, behind him, Hadrian hissed icily, "You dare compare me to Riddle? I who have sent him running with his tail between his legs and managed to use the powers of True Darkness to bring his former self to his knees before me as my servant and warrior? I am so much more than Voldemort and, if he ever came back as flesh and blood, I would…"
"Destroy him?" asked Sirius, wiping his cheek before he asked, "Overthrow him? Eviscerate and obliterate him off the face of the earth? Is that what you're trying to go for, Hadrian?"
"Exactly."
"But what does that get you?" asked Sirius, picking his wand up from the ground before he cast a quick Cutting Jinx on Hadrian's robe, revealing the boy's pale skin and blackened marks around his shoulders, ribs and arms. Indicating these marks, while also noticing the rage in Hadrian's eyes at being attacked so weakly as though Sirius was mocking him, the Black Lord continued, "Look at yourself, Hadrian: you've become darker and more powerful than any Dark Lord before you, this I won't deny. But you're losing yourself: the calm, innocent soul that you once had has become consumed by this dark thing that's grafted itself onto you."
"The Mark of Acheron chose me," Hadrian snarled, "I have been so very powerful ever since…ever since…"
"Ever since the Dursley Family abandoned you at Wool's Orphanage?" asked Sirius, earning another lash from the darkness, but he didn't falter as he asked, "Did you ever ask yourself what happened to them? Or why they chose that particular orphanage when there were others closer to home? Or why they didn't just bother to leave you to die if they hated you so much? And then there begs the question of why it was my cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange that was chosen to be your carer? If you ask me, pup, it's almost like someone else was manipulating fate with what happened next…someone other than Dumbledore."
"Bellatrix loves me," Hadrian hissed, but Sirius could see the tears actually forming in the eyes of the Slytherin King, "She protected me, told me the truth about my magic, helped me to tame the power given to me by this Mark and gave me a family. That's a thousand times more than anyone else bothered to do."
"Hadrian," Sirius sighed, now lowering his wand from where he'd been holding it up at his godson, "I get that Bella loves you; believe me, the one thing she's desired for as long as I've known her is a child of her own and that's okay. I also get that she made you strong and that's okay too, but tell me something: how old were you when you actually consented to accepting the Mark?"
"I've had it…" Hadrian began, but stopped as he recalled what Bellatrix had said when explaining the story of his past to those who had now served and obeyed him:
Flashback Start
"His relatives didn't want him, they dumped him on the steps of Wool's Orphanage barely two hours after they'd found him: it was then that the soul of Acheron found Hadrian and promised him protection and power if he agreed to accept the fate of being the Son of Darkness…"
Flashback End
"Well?" asked Sirius, bringing Hadrian out of his reverie.
"I've had it since I was dumped there," Hadrian answered, "But…hold on…something's not right here…"
"What do you mean?" asked Sirius, watching as Hadrian moved his fingers to the mark's tips on his body before he began to speak again.
"I've always known that I made a promise to Acheron, my Father, to become his heir and I kept that promise," Hadrian's brow was now furrowed as he added, "And I knew that I promised myself that I would accept my fate, but…I was just a baby then…how could I have done this? And that promise: sure, my relatives abandoned me, but was that enough to condemn my soul?"
"What are you doing, Hadrian?"
Looking up from where he was still on his train of thought, Hadrian's eyes widened while Sirius turned, his wand raised at the sight of Acheron now standing in front of him, his dark gaze piercing Hadrian's soul as the Black Kaiser, the Slytherin King watched him warily.
"You have your shot at vengeance," Acheron hissed, his voice reverberating off the walls of the Shack as he explained, "Here stands your parents' murderer, the one who made you what you have become today. Why do you not kill him?"
"Because he knows I'm not responsible for his parents' demise," Sirius explained, earning a flash of Acheron's hand in response; however, when the magic hit Sirius, nothing happened. Instead, with a cold grin of his own, Sirius reached under his robe and withdrew a silver medallion set in the shape of an inverted crucifix mounted on a pentagram.
"Sorry Acheron," Sirius insisted, watching as the Dark Master turned on him, "But when I escaped Azkaban, I made a note to visit my old home, loathed as I was to go there, and pick up a few things. Like this: the Black Medallion, one of the few items in the world that is immune to the powers of darkness that you bestow on those who become your Heirs."
"Black!" snarled Acheron, his glare returning to Hadrian as he asked, "Are you actually going to let him defeat me, Hadrian? After all I've given you? All I promised you: this was our deal, remember? Rather than remain in the Shadow Realm and rule, I allowed you to come back to the mortal realm to avenge your family."
"But you didn't tell me that Sirius was the innocent one," Hadrian insisted, his voice tinged with rage as he asked, "In fact, there's a lot about what you've told me and given me that doesn't add up: like how does a baby promise a big evil like you that he will forsake his future to become a Son of Darkness? Or just how did I wind up in Wool's Orphanage? And then there's the Dursleys? Hate them though I do, it's always been suspicious to me that they wound up broken vegetables in some mental home: almost like someone didn't want me to have any other option but to remain in the shadows."
"Hadrian…" Acheron warned him, but the Slytherin King wasn't done there.
"And that's another thing," Hadrian insisted, "Being all-powerful as you are, how is it that you've never told me exactly why Voldemort went after my family in the first place? Why is it that everything you've done to me and given me seems more like something…well, like it's part of the plan? What do you really want, Acheron? I won't close my eyes to the truth any longer: maybe it was because a part of me liked what you gave me or maybe I was just too far in the illusion to see it, I don't know, but now I want answers!"
Acheron gave a seething hiss before he let out a sound like he was sighing with a smile on his face; as Hadrian watched, the Dark Master gave a small chuckle that erupted into full-blown laughter before he shook his dark head.
"You want answers?" he asked, his voice filled with amusement and laughter as he added, "After all this time, my errant son, you want to know the reason for everything? You want to know why I chose you and moulded you into my heir apparent?"
"Yes!"
"Very well," Acheron sniggered, "I'll tell you: firstly, though you seem to be rapidly approaching such a conclusion yourself, I'll tell you: yes, Hadrian, I didn't offer you the Mark that spawns itself on your back, I gave it to you, knowing that it would feed on the darkness that dwells within all mortals and make you stronger. I didn't happen to find Bellatrix Lestrange, she was already in Azkaban and pleading for a second chance: funny what a woman like her will do when there's a child involved. As for the Orphanage, I knew that it was steeped in darkness from when Tom Riddle was there as a child: with the right actions and the correct twists of fate, I knew you'd become just as dark…and then some…as he was."
"You used me," Hadrian scowled, feeling the darkness coalesce in his hand.
"I saved you," Acheron replied, his voice edged by sincerity as he explained, "The prophecy surrounding your Rising wasn't made on the day of your birth, but rather the day that Riddle fell to the strange power that protected you. The Power the Dark Lord knows not as another Seer once told a senile old fool."
"Another prophecy?" asked Hadrian.
"Yes," Acheron answered, clearing his throat before he began to speak with an ominous chanting tone:
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…
Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…
And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…
And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…
Hadrian fell silent as the words reverberated in his ears, his heart suddenly feeling colder and darker than ever before while Acheron continued, "The one who made it doesn't remember making the prophecy thanks to Albus Dumbledore wiping her memories, but the prophecy still existed. You, Hadrian, were born at the death of the seventh month, or the end of July, and in his mind, Dumbledore saw you as the one who would bring about the end of the Dark."
"And let me guess," Hadrian hissed, "You couldn't allow this to happen?"
"Oh I could have allowed it," Acheron replied, "I could have allowed a mere child to grow up in abusive care, get rescued by a world where he's idolised and cherished as a hero and gone on many insane, nail-biting adventures only to destroy the dark and then, in the process, die himself at the hand of one he trusted more than anybody else."
"What?"
"Dumbledore," answered Acheron, "He would have killed you as soon as you ensured the final end of Lord Voldemort's reign: in his mind, there can be no-one more powerful than him and so he would have used that as leverage, making up an excuse that you had become the next Dark Lord, to kill you or see you dead and Riddle weakened. Either way…"
"Dumbledore wins," Hadrian hissed, the darkness building up around him once more as he snarled, "And I lose…again: so why, Acheron? Why me?"
"I suppose you could say," Acheron replied, almost sorry with his words as he explained, "Like Dumbledore, I believed that you fit the description of the Chosen One best, but in the state that you were in at the moment, you wouldn't be ready for the real power, not like you are now."
"He robbed me of my home," Hadrian remarked, almost quoting a phrase from Acheron's Prophecy as he added, "And this power the dark lord knows not, you thought it could be the power of darkness."
"I did."
"You still used me," Hadrian hissed, his voice tinged by pure darkness as he added, "An innocent child: if you really were a benevolent spirit, you could have saved me by making sure I was away from that hell. I could have had a normal life, a normal family…I could have been great!"
"Greater than you are now?" asked Acheron, folding his arms as he explained, "Face facts, Hadrian, you owe me and now I am here to collect: to truly ascend to the throne, you have no choice. You may have used others to wield the knife that robbed many of their lives before, but now you have to kill someone and ascend to the power of Darkness. And, for your insolence and failure to follow through on your promise to me, I choose the death you will bring: Albus Dumbledore!"
Hadrian's eyes widened before he smiled coldly and laughed, "You're giving me what I want in exchange for the throne?"
"I am," Acheron replied, "But when you kill him, it will be as a true demon lord and not as this human you are now: I let you come back to Hogwarts under the assumption that you would finally make that last great step and prove yourself worthy of my power, but now, I am leaving you with no choice. You will kill Albus Dumbledore by the Winter Solstice or, Hadrian James Potter, I will claim your soul and then, for added insurance for what you've done, I will kill your precious Brotherhood!"
Hadrian's eyes turned black as he watched Acheron fade away into nothingness, the power of the darkness coursing through him with the threat of his allies being targeted because of him.
Caught in this state as he was, the Slytherin King barely heard Sirius' voice:
"What are you going to do now?"
Chapter 19 and the true master of the mind games has revealed himself, but with less than two months to achieve his goal, what will Hadrian do?
Plus, will he sacrifice the Brotherhood or will he go after his ultimate revenge?
Keep Reading to Find Out…
Next Chapter: Hadrian goes after Dumbledore, but does he have an ulterior motive with his work? Plus, each member of the Brotherhood is visited by the Slytherin King as he prepares for the end: just what is his plan? Does he have one?
Please Read and Review…
AN: I can guess there'll be some who may be either displeased or disappointed with this end result, but I do have a plan for a powerful ending: besides, you can't argue that there were some holes that needed filling: I mean, dark or not, this is Harry we're talking about here, right?