4Disclaimer : I do not own anything from Harry Potter.
Harry didn't expect all of this to happen when he barged into the Department of Mysteries with his trusted friends.
Okay, maybe he did expect some of this to happen. When he arrived at the Hall of Prophecies, he was greeted with no less than a dozen Death Eaters. Since Sirius was somehow being held hostage in this place, he had in fact expected this and warned his friends not to come. Obviously being the loyal friends they were, they refused to let Harry go on his own.
It was probably the biggest mistake he had ever made. He shouldn't have let them come with him, one way or another. The whole vision was a mere bait to summon him to the Hall of Prophecies, for the sole purpose of retrieving the prophecy that concerned him and Voldemort.
S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D
Dark Lord
and(?) Harry Potter
He shouldn't have picked it up. As soon as he did so, almost the entirety of Voldemort's Inner Circle appeared to spring the trap. While he couldn't help but feel relieved that Sirius was actually safe, he knew that it was him and his friends that were in danger now. But they would make it alive.
He survived a confrontation with Professor Quirell, who had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head in his first year of magical education.
He had survived from a sixty-foot Basilisk, and slayed it with the Sword of Gryffindor at his second year.
He fended off a whole horde of Dementors with the Patronus Charm at the age of fourteen.
He escaped from the clutches of Voldemort himself at the graveyard of Little Hangleton when he was fifteen.
Who was he kidding? Of course they wouldn't make it out alive, at least not all of them. If anyone was to die it should've been him. But when did anything happen as Harry wanted it to?
Harry could never forget the face of Sirius as he fell through the archway, something he found out to be the Veil later on. Remus had stopped him from diving into the veil like the foolish Gryffindor he was, but he couldn't stop Harry from chasing Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry's sight was reddened with fury as Bellatrix screamed triumphantly, knowing that she had succeeded in killing off her disgraced bloodtraitor of a cousin.
He chased the Death Eater throughout the halls of the Ministry while exchanging spells, eventually arriving at the Atrium. Bellatrix had almost reached the exit of the Atrium, but she fired another curse as she noticed him running towards her. Harry dodged the curse, and covered himself from her spellfire behind a giant fountain. Much to his disdain Bellatrix stopped running, and started to taunt Harry.
"Did you love him, little baby Potter?" Bellatrix mocked Harry in her mock-baby voice.
Harry felt a rush of hatred, and screamed out a curse that he would've never been able to use.
"Crucio!" Harry screamed at the murderer of his godfather. His godfather whom he had barely had the chance of getting to know, and spend any time with. His heart was burning with the hatred he felt at the sadistic witch, and it fueled the unforgivable curse to function as it should properly.
It was to his surprise, that Bellatrix actually dropped to the ground, screaming and writhing in agony. He lost his concentration at the unexpected result, and the curse was lifted immediately from the Death Eater. Bellatrix coughed as she sat on her knees, and squabbled as she stood up with a maniacal gleam in her haunted eyes.
"Not bad for your first time using an unforgivable, Potter. Not bad at all...! Who would've known that Dumbledore's poster boy could actually pull off an unforgivable? Maybe you aren't the little baby I thought you to be!" Bellatrix said while dropping her mocking voice, cackling with glee.
"Wha, what? No, I..." Harry stuttered, unsure of everything that had occurred. Did he actually use an unforgivable, the very one that caused Neville's parents to lose their sanity? It sickened him, or he tried to convince himself that he was sickened by it. Harry desperately tried to bury the sickening euphoria he had felt when the torture curse left his wand, but he knew that his attempt was failing miserably.
"I can see that you have the Black blood running in your veins, how ever thin it is! It's such a shame that you're a filthy half-blood..." Bellatrix sighed. If only he was a proper pureblood, she would've welcomed him as a proud Black with open arms. Much better than her nephew, who was a pathetic excuse of a wizard unlike his father. But he was a half-blood nonetheless, and no half-blood was allowed to carry the proud name of Black.
Harry had almost missed Bellatrix sending another curse at him, too much distracted with all the emotions swarming his head. It really wasn't his intention to actually use a Cruciatus Curse, but more like a momentary slip at the moment of anger. Still, why did it feel so... fulfilling?
"You still have a lot to learn, Potter! Crucio!" Bellatrix cackled as Harry ducked to avoid the torture curse once more. He didn't recognize more than half of the curses she was throwing at him, but that only meant that he just had to avoid getting hit with them at all costs. Apparently his luck was running out, if the deadly curse he could recognize as a Bone-Shattering Curse whizzing past his ear was any proof of it.
Harry didn't know how much time had passed, but he knew that he couldn't keep up with the insane witch forever. She was absolutely dominating him, seeing how he couldn't even think of returning the spellfire. Bellatrix Lestrange was just that good in a duel. The word good didn't do her justice, if he was being honest about it. He had to admit that there was a reason she was the most feared witch in the entirety of Magical Britain.
"Give me the prophecy, Potter! This is your only chance, and I just might spare your life!" Bellatrix shouted, firing another Blasting hex at Harry.
"Then you'll have to kill me, because it's gone!" Harry yelled in response.
The tables were turned at that point. It was now Harry who was taunting the opponent, while Bellatrix was fearing her master's response.
"He can't hear you here!"
"Can't I, Potter?"
Harry froze upon hearing the cold voice he could never forget, the one that haunted him in his nightmares. And there he was, the Dark Lord Voldemort himself in his full glory in the middle of the Atrium. To Harry's relief, Professor Dumbledore arrived not long after, and the two powerful wizards engaged in a duel.
It was simply breathtaking. The sheer power of the two most powerful wizards to ever exist in the Wizarding World, the spells they casually threw at each other as if they were nothing. Dumbledore's animation magic with the statues of the fountain was far greater than any kind of magic Harry had ever seen since he had learned the existence of magic. Voldemort's Dark Magic wasn't something to scoff at either.
It was then, that Voldemort cast a spell he didn't recognize. Massive flames erupted from the wand of the Dark Lord, and the flames shifted into the shape of a giant Basilisk which rushed to swallow Dumbledore. Harry would never admit it out loud to anyone, but he found himself almost mesmerized by the dark flames. Never in his wildest dreams, he would've imagined to be intrigued at the sight of such Dark Magic. But here he was, finding the flames to be so... intoxicating.
Harry gasped as his eyes met with Voldemort, who smirked knowingly at the young wizard. Voldemort knew that the Boy-Who-Lived would never be the same again, when he caught the morbid fascination in the eyes of the child. There were those who held the natural affinity for the Dark Arts, and it seemed that the Potter boy was much more similar to him than he had originally thought. He felt pleased at himself that he had planted the seed of corruption to the boy, albeit unintentionally. With the connection he had with the boy, it wouldn't be long before the boy found himself delving into the Dark Arts. Yes, he would turn the so called savior of the Wizarding World - Harry Potter into a dark wizard.
"I have won, you old fool! And you will realize that you've lost, soon enough! Mark my words, Dumbledore. The dark... always quenches the light." Voldemort roared with laughter as the employees of the Ministry poured into the Atrium.
Minister Fudge gasped at the sight of the Dark Lord in flesh, realizing that everything he had tried to deny was indeed the truth. His days as the Minister of Magic was about to come to an end.
Everything passed like a blur to Harry, after that. Voldemort vanished with Bellatrix in a wisp of black smoke. Dumbledore's not so subtle threats to Fudge, following with being practically forced to take a portkey made by Dumbledore, right in front of the Minister at that. Nevermind the fact that it was illegal, Harry wasn't all that appreciative of the act itself. He wanted to check his friends' safety with his own eyes, rather than to wait to hear anything from the Headmaster.
Harry couldn't help but think of Sirius when all he could do was to wait obediently in Dumbledore's office. The unbearable silence only served to fuel the grief he felt at his godfather's death. Everything was his fault. His fault! If only he hadn't been a foolish Gryffindor, none of this would've happened. He could've trusted Hermione's words a little more. He should've known better than to believe in Kreacher's words. He could've just flooed into Grimmauld Place, and see if he was safe with his own eyes. It's not like Sirius wouldn't have granted him access through the floo network, and if he was able to connect with Grimmauld Place from Umbridge's fireplace, he reckoned that he could've used it too. Then again, maybe not. He didn't know how the floo network worked with a property under the Fidelius Charm.
Harry absentmindedly listened to the portraits talk to him about Dumbledore, how they missed him and Dumbledore held Harry in high-regards. Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to believe that. After a whole year of ignoring and dismissing him, and forcing him to take Occlumency lessons from Snape out of all people? Hell, even if Snape was teaching the mind arts to him in the proper way, the man was enjoying the weekly torture sessions! Forcing him to go back to the Dursleys every year for supposed protection when he begged to let him stay elsewhere didn't paint him any better in his book.
If Dumbledore tried to send him back to the Dursleys when Grimmauld Place was protected with the Fidelius Charm, his suspicions that something fishy was going on would be proven true. He wasn't sure if he would like to return to Grimmauld Place in the first place, but he would rather stay in Sirius' old room in grief than to go back to the Dursleys.
Despite the popular belief of Snape, the whole school, and even his friends, Harry wasn't stupid. He wasn't offered Slytherin as a first choice for no reason, and he could've fit in any of the houses if he actually wanted to. Dumbledore was manipulating him for sure, not that it would take a genius to figure that out. Seriously, Dumbledore was the Headmaster of his school, not his actual grandfather. He didn't have any say in his life out of school, but Harry listened to him out of respect, because he looked up to the wizard. Harry wasn't going to let him dictate his life any more than he already did... not anymore.
From what he had read about the families in the library, the Potters were from an old pure-blooded line. Ron was always jealous about his supposed wealth which he rarely showed, much less flaunted, so he reckoned that they were quite wealthy too. It wouldn't be all that hard for him to get a room in Leaky Cauldron, not that it would be a wise decision on his part seeing how Voldemort and his pet Death Eaters were walking freely. But he could probably get himself a hotel room in Muggle London if he wanted to, and a hotel in Muggle London would most likely be the last place the Death Eaters would search him for. Harry knew that if he disappeared without Dumbledore knowing, Snape would report it to his master for sure, which would lead to the Death Eaters searching for him.
After what felt like a whole year of waiting, Dumbledore appeared from the fireplace, which lead to the the greetings of the wizards in the portraits. Dumbledore placed the baby form of Fawkes in his usual post, and turned to Harry. Dumbledore informed to him that his friends wouldn't suffer any long term damage from what had occurred in the Department of Mysteries. Dumbledore tried to sympathize with him, and Harry almost exploded out of grief and anger, but he didn't. Dumbledore tried not to show it, but Harry knew that the Headmaster was indeed surprised.
There was a long uncomfortable silence, which lead to Dumbledore starting another conversation.
"It is my fault that Sirius died, Harry." Dumbledore stated, causing Harry to flinch.
Harry balled his fists for a few seconds, and he knew that he was close to losing control, not only of his emotions but his magic. He did not want that.
"Please, sir. I would like to talk about a different topic."
"Harry, my boy... It wouldn't do you any good if you bottle your emotions inside you, without releasing it properly. I..."
"Professor, as I said, I do not want to talk about it." Harry glared at the Headmaster, daring him to say otherwise.
Dumbledore opted an impassive expression, and nodded. It was awfully obvious that he didn't like him refusing to talk about the subject, but Harry wasn't about to say anything related to Sirius' death. Not today, at least.
"I owe you an explanation, Harry. When I saw your scar upon your forehead fifteen years ago, I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between you and Voldemort."
"You've told me this before, Professor."
"Yes, but it is a necessary opening for this topic, Harry. Ever since you joined the Magical World, your scar gave you warnings when Voldemort was near you, or if he was feeling powerful emotions." Dumbledore said in a calm voice, despite Harry's rather rude response.
"And I also know that, sir. Can we just get to the point, rather than circling around it needlessly?"
Harry knew that he was being rude, but he didn't care if he was. Not today, at least. Dumbledore sighed, obviously not pleased with Harry's reaction, but nodded anyway.
"There was a reason I myself did not teach you Occlumency, and left the task to Severus, a reason for me to go as far as to ignore your presence for months... I believed that it wouldn't be long before Voldemort attempted to force his way into your mind, to manipulate and misdirect your thoughts, and I was not eager to give him more incentives to do so. If he realized that our relationship was closer than that of a Headmaster and pupil, he would have jumped at the chance to use you to spy on me. I feared that he might try to possess you, Harry. I was trying to distance myself from you, to protect you..." Dumbledore let out another sigh. Harry could see that the man was tired from everything, but he wasn't sure of how much of Dumbledore's words he could believe.
Harry merely nodded through Dumbledore's story about his fears of the possibility of Voldemort possessing him, the length of Kreacher's betrayal, and so on. Harry stayed impassive through it all without even a single outburst, which surprised Dumbledore much more than the boy could see through. He had prepared to take on most of the young Potter's blame, but he didn't blame him as expected.
"If that is all... may I take my leave, Professor?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore considered his options at Harry's request of dismissal, on whether to tell him about the prophecy or not. He was actually tempted to bid another year, but he knew that this would be the best time to inform Harry of his destiny. Harry seemed to be fairing quite well with last night's events, so Dumbledore figured that he could handle the weight of the situation. "I believe I have something to tell you, Harry. It is time for me to tell you about what I should have told you five years ago. I ask for your patience, as I shall tell you everything."
And so he did.
Harry almost exploded when Dumbledore confessed that he knew that Harry would suffer under his uncle and aunt's care. Ten dark and difficult years? He wanted nothing more than to grab the old man's beard and strangle him upon hearing such words, but Harry merely bit his lower lip, and nodded as if he understood the Headmaster's reasons. He had many questions he wanted to ask, to know the answer, but he didn't ask yet.
Harry listened to Dumbledore's excuses, his reasons for keeping the truth from him for the past five years. He almost scoffed when Dumbledore admitted that he cared about him too much. If that was Dumbledore's definition of caring, he would rather be Malfoy than himself.
Dumbledore talked about the prophecy, of how it was the reason Voldemort came after him. He showed the memory of the prophecy that Sibyll Trelawney spoke in the voice he had heard once, when she prophesied Wormtail's escape. Dumbledore told him about how he and Neville fit into the first part of the prophecy, but chose to mark Harry as his equal. Harry would've blamed himself for his parents' death, if it wasn't for the fact that there was an eavesdropper who leaked the first part of the prophecy to Voldemort.
"Who was it?" Harry asked.
"Pardon?"
"The eavesdropper, sir. Who delivered the prophecy to Voldemort?" Harry nearly growled out the words. Dumbledore grimaced upon receiving the very question he had been dreading to answer.
"I'm afraid, Harry that it is not my place to answer that question..." Dumbledore started, only to be interrupted by Harry who slammed the Headmaster's desk with his palms.
"Don't give me that crap, Professor. I have the right to know who caused the death of my parents! If you don't tell me now, you can forget about the Prophecy, sir. This will be my last year at Hogwarts, for I will, and I mean it sir, I will withdraw from this school and seek my education elsewhere. I doubt that Voldemort will come after me if I left overseas to live my life, Professor. I know that the ICW won't allow Voldemort to spread the war outside of Britain, and frankly I feel no obligation to fight this war for this country."
"But Harry..."
"No buts, sir. Tell me now, or this'll be the last time you see me."
Dumbledore sighed, and nodded in defeat. He didn't know what exactly had changed inside the boy, but he couldn't afford to lose control over his pupil at this point. All of the plans were set into motion, and it was too late to change anything. He could only hope for the best.
"The eavesdropper was Severus, who was a misguided young man at that time, desperate for recognition as a half-blood in Slytherin. Voldemort acknowledged his skills in Potions and the Dark Arts, and recruited young Severus into his Inner Circle as his treasured Potions Master. He did not know that by giving that piece of information to Voldemort, your family would be painted as a target. The reason I trust Severus with my life, Harry, is that he had been working as a spy for us ever since he learned about the mistake he had made," said Dumbledore.
"You, you're meaning to say, that the very man who made my life in Hogwarts as miserable as possible in his capability just because my dad bullied him in his youth, who belittled me on a daily basis, had a hand in my miserable upbringing?! And you casually dismiss it as a mere mistake?" Harry gritted his teeth in fury, and he was about to continue his ranting when Dumbledore raised his hand as a gesture to calm him down.
Dumbledore could see the hatred that burned within the eyes of the boy, and tried to dissuade the thought. He couldn't afford any more animosity between two of his most important pieces in his grand plan.
"He loved Lily, more than anything. Severus is playing a dangerous game to guarantee our victory in this war, Harry. Voldemort is a very powerful Legillimens, much more so than Severus. But even he could not overpower Severus' Ocllumency barriers, which allows him to work as a spy in his ranks. The reason I had Severus tutor you in Occlumency is that other than myself and Voldemort, no one can hold a candle to him in the mind arts. But I feared that Voldemort would use you as a means to harm me through your connection, so I could not afford to teach you myself."
"So Snivellus loved my mom! Big deal! I can bet every last Galleon in my Gringotts vault that he wouldn't have cared if my dad and I died, if only mom had lived." Harry growled out, causing Dumbledore to grimace. He knew that what Harry said was the truth.
"He is still a Professor to you, and you should refrain from addressing him in such manner, my boy. And please, do not let Severus know that I told you this piece of information, as I had promised him to not to do so." Dumbledore said, knowing full well that he had failed to make Harry see reason.
"I will, sir... But you better keep Snivellus away from me, because I can't promise you that I wouldn't jump at every chance I can get to curse him. Good day, sir."
With a grudging nod, Harry abruptly left the Headmaster's office, not even waiting for Dumbledore's response to his words.
All Harry could think about on his way to the Gryffindor tower were the many ways he could give Snape a gruesome death. Even the grief he felt for Sirius was overshadowed by the burning hatred he felt at the Potions Professor. His parents would've lived if it wasn't for Snivellus. He could've grown up in a loving family, something even a ponce like Malfoy had, but he didn't.
He realized that he didn't want to answer any questions from his fellow Gryffindors, and changed his direction towards the astronomy tower. He would spend some time there, and maybe catch some sleep in the Room of Requirement. It could provide a place where more than three dozen students could practice DADA, so he reckoned that it could easily provide a bedroom for him to sleep in peace.
And then the thought struck him.
The Room of Requirement could provide any kind of room he asked. He could probably ask Dobby to provide him with food from the kitchens, and the room would be able to take care of everything else.
Why would he go back to the Dursleys, when he could just hide in the Room of Requirements for the whole summer? He had his Invisibility Cloak, and he could retrieve his Firebolt before the term ends with Umbridge gone. He knew the in and outs of the whole castle with all the adventures he had. Sneaking in and out of the castle wouldn't be that much of a problem, all things considered.
They say that it's easy to miss what's right in front of you. He would hide right under the Headmaster's nose in Hogwarts for the summer, and it wasn't like any Death Eaters would be capable of finding him when he's going to be staying in the supposed safest place in the entirety of Magical Britain. He could actually practice magic in the summer instead of slaving away for the Dursleys!
It was brilliant!
He quickly made his way to the astronomy tower, and found it empty as he expected it to be. He looked up at the sky, and breathed in the early morning air.
Maybe, just maybe... his summer this year wouldn't be as bad all the others in his life.
This idea just popped in my head out of a sudden, and I decided to at least write the first chapter and think about it later. Many other fics always have something happen, and Harry suddenly goes dark. But he's always 'Dark but not Evil! Harry'.
Nope, this Harry is going dark. And when I say dark, I mean dark like really really dark.
Nothing's solid with this fic, but I liked the premise enough to write the opening.
Pairing undecided, but it won't be slash. I'm weighing my options between the two Black sisters(Narcissa/Bellatrix), Daphne Greengrass, and Fleur Delacour. Personally, I think Bellatrix would be best suited since Harry is going completely dark, even with their history. Oh, and no. This won't be a multi.
I have no idea how long this would end up, I could finish it under 20k, 50k, or go over 100k. But I'm not sure if I can handle more than two fics at once that goes over 100k words, so...
I also don't like needless bashing, so there won't be any bashing in my standards. No stupid moRon, no choosing the authorities over her friends Hermione, no manipulative evil Dumbledore, no love potions Ginny and stealing from the Potter vault Molly.