The Riddle Answered

Disclaimer: SEE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS FOR PLOT AND TAGS AND DISCLAIMER

Pairings: Harry/Daphne; Draco/Ginny

Normal Speech

(Thought)

{Parseltongue}

Mental Bonds

No real reviews for this chapter, but I would like to apologise for the long wait for this update: now that we're getting into the real adventure, it gets harder to come up with new parts to write;

Last Time…

"Kiyo," he whispered; sure enough the Kariyami Commander emerged from the shadows, his face grave and his head bowed.

"My King," the Kariyami spoke with a sense of defeat, "I am sorry: I failed you."

"How?" asked Harry, looking around the room as he asked, "Who did this?"

"I did not see their face," Kiyo answered, "But they had power and they left this."

He handed the Riddle Heir a parchment, upon which was a crest: a longsword with a golden hilt planted firmly in a stone crown; beneath the crest was a message:

You may think you have won, but now I have the upper hand: I have watched you for long enough;

Let the games begin

THE WHITE PALADIN

Turning back, Harry saw Draco returning from his search, his eyes red with tears and his body shaking; Daphne ran over and held him close, her own eyes on Harry.

"Who?" she asked, using their bond.

"Him," Harry answered, "The one destined to bring me down."

Looking to Draco, Harry felt a small part of his old self resurfacing as he whispered, "Ginny, I'm sorry, but I swear I will find you."

The battle that Harry had been training for, the Black King vs. the White Paladin, had now begun…and Harry was losing:

But he would not allow this Paladin to win the final conflict: that he promised himself, his red eyes shining in the light of the Common Room.

Chapter 18: Out of the Darkness

Unknown Location:

Ginny Weasley didn't know where she was; all she could remember was a scuffle in the Gryffindor Common Room, followed by a flash of pure white light, then something hitting her and finally, her blacking out.

She hadn't seen her attacker, but she had seen the light and it had blinded her. Now, as she moved her arms weakly, Ginny could only think on two people: her lord, Harry Riddle, and her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy.

(Draco,) she thought, the sound of metal jangling reaching her ears, (Please come and find me.)

The sound of a lock brought her to full attention: looking through bleary eyes, Ginny saw a white-clothed figure standing in the doorway, a pair of ghostly silvery eyes looking back at her. Gathering all her strength, Ginny tried to summon a wandless spell, her training in the DA and the Society aiding her; however, when she did, finding a spell to melt her metallic restrictions, Ginny gasped as a wave of nausea and weakness ran through her.

In front of her, the white figure spoke with clarity, "I do apologise for the extremities Miss Weasley, but your Lord left me no choice: I couldn't risk him knowing who I am."

"Who…are…you?" asked Ginny weakly, finding something familiar in that voice, "Why bring me here?"

"You are here as my experiment," replied the figure, "You are strong child, but know that very few powers out there can compare to the strength and power of White Magic. Harry Riddle has lied to you: he only seeks you as a means to an end. Draco Malfoy is his right hand and he will bring you to his Master once you have outlived your usefulness."

"That's not true," Ginny exclaimed, her eyes bleary once more, but this time with tears, "Draco loves me!"

"Love?" laughed the white figure, "They are Dark Wizards and he is the Dark Lord; they have no room in their hearts for love: ah," he sighed and turned his back on Ginny as he added, "Such resolve in your words, but I see the truth in your heart Ginny Weasley: you know this to be true; you know Harry Riddle has betrayed you and you know that the power of White Magic calls out to you. You hunger to taste its power; it's glory. Why continue to be a pawn of Black Magic when you can have real power?"

"N…NEVER!" Ginny screamed, but as she did, another blast of pain racked her body and she felt herself spinning through the air, her body landing on something hard and coarse, a nearby voice making her feel safe.

"It's all right Ginny: I'm here!"

Weakly looking up, Ginny saw a pair of cold ice-blue eyes and smiled, her voice filled with relief as she whispered, "Harry…"

Little did she know how wrong she was…

HJSRR

Riddle Manor:

"Crucio!"

Harry watched with an enraged satisfaction as he saw Remus Lupin cowering before the Dark Lord, the werewolf screaming and writhing in torturous agony as the curse hit him hard. At Harry's side, Bellatrix Riddle cast the curse at Remus, her free hand on her son's shoulder as if to keep him calm against the storm within him.

"Remus," scowled Harry, "You leave one of my own society to be snared by the trap and now, thanks to my lack of protection, Ginny is gone, Draco is broken and I have no clue as to the identity of the White Paladin. Why didn't you protect her?"

Releasing the curse, Bella lifted her wand as she hissed, "Choose your words carefully wolf!"

"Y…yes my Lady," Remus gasped, his body convulsed with pain as he looked to Harry, "My young prince, I apologise profusely for my lack of foresight: when I heard you summon the Inquisitorial Squad to the Room of Requirement, I did believe that your Gryffindor followers would travel together."

"Did you ask them?" asked Harry, noticing how his darkness was making the lights in the room flicker dangerously, "Did you speak with Hermione, Neville or Fred and George about this? Did you ensure that my friends, my followers and my eyes and ears were kept safe? That is why I made you the new High Inquisitor, after all!"

"I am sorry my lord," Remus whispered, still on his knees, "But I will make sure that Ginny comes back to us: I swear it on my life."

"Get out!" snapped Harry suddenly, his blue eyes turning black as he felt the magic within him rising to the surface. When Remus obeyed, Harry turned and seated himself not on his throne, but on his Father's, his hands massaging his brow as he looked to his Mother. "Do you believe him?"

"Too early to say," Answered Bellatrix, "We've had all of them here Harry: Sirius, James and Remus and, although he is family to us, I hate to say it, but I fear that Sirius may have something to do with it."

Curling his knees to his chest, Harry asked, "What makes you say that Mum?"

Seating herself on her own throne, Bella smiled at her little snake as she told him, "He's done it before, remember? Only he would know how to get past the defences so easily."

"But last time he had help," Harry explained, recalling when Sirius had last infiltrated Gryffindor Tower, "And besides, only those within Hogwarts know the passwords and, as Hermione delights in telling me, no-one can Apparate in or out of Hogwarts."

"But you forget Harry," Bella replied, "This is your other that we're dealing with: the White Paladin, remember?"

"So you're saying that just because I can move about like its nothing, then so can the Paladin?"

"Yes."

Harry put his head in his hands, his eyes cold as he whispered, "I wish Dad were here: where is he anyway?"

"Looking up some of his own sources," answered Bellatrix, taking her son into her arms, her lips tweaked into a sad smile as she hummed her song to him.

HJSRR

Unknown Location:

"The one…with…the…power…"

Harry looked up, startled by the voice that had crept into his mind; he didn't know where he was, but wherever it was, it was cold and dark, a deep light shining in the distance, the mysterious voice pulling him towards the light.

Deciding it would be better to try and leave, Harry closed his eyes and willed himself to move away from there; however, instead of going anywhere, his legs began to move unconsciously, pulling him to the light as if he were on a treadmill. (What is going on here?) he thought to himself, watching as the light grew brighter, each intensifying beat being accompanied by the voice until, at the last moment, Harry's legs stopped in front of a large blue sphere, his ears hearing a strange voice.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him... 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 ..."

With a scoff, Harry asked aloud, "What is this bullshit?"

"It is a foretelling," answered a slick voice; turning, Harry saw both his Father and Daphne standing there, both of them surrounded by the red glow Harry associated with the darker side of magic.

"But where did it come from?" asked Harry, slowly stepping away from the light, "And why does it say that I am meant to destroy you?"

"How do you…" began Tom, before being cut off by Harry.

"Born as the seventh month dies; the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal; come on Dad, I'm not stupid," he felt his Father's hand on his shoulder, before he laughed and added, "It's so obvious: this is a trap set up by Dumbledore. He knows he can't reach me physically, so now he's trying spiritually. I always think the worst case scenario, but it's so clear to me now."

"What is?" asked Daphne.

Harry turned to her, his black clothes now glowing with his own magical presence as he exclaimed, "Albus Dumbledore is the White Paladin!"

HJSRR

Hogwarts: Three Days Later:

Sat alone in the Room of Requirement, Harry looked over a crafted list of suspects as to the identity of the White Paladin, but, as he did, the answer still came out the same. It still all added up to Dumbledore and that gave Harry the assurance he needed to know what he needed to do.

He needed to do, in a few months, what his Father had been unable to do in a few years: kill Albus Dumbledore.

"Harry?"

Looking up at the sound of a voice, Harry nodded with welcome as he saw Draco standing in the doorway; raising a beckoning hand, Harry asked, "What's up Draco?"

"The Circle are ready," Draco replied simply and that made Harry take notice: not too long ago, he had released Hermione and the others from their oaths under the condition that they think about where they stand. Giving each of them a code to show they wanted to give him their answers, Harry had waited for weeks.

Nodding once more, Harry commanded, "Summon them!"

As Draco left to obey, Harry faced the darkness before, with a voice still tinged with anger, he called, "Kiyo: I need you!"

The Kariyami appeared on call, his head bowed, his Shatari weapons drawn and his body tense; when he saw no threat befalling his King, the Kariyami commander asked, "How may I serve you my lord?"

"The Circle are ready to give me their answer," Harry explained, "Do you remember what I asked you to do?"

"Yes sire," answered Kiyo, his voice calm as he asked, "Do you require any additional protections?"

"Why?" snapped Harry, his hands suddenly filled with black flames as his Omniform power came to life, "So you can fail me again: just do as I say Kiyo and maybe I won't kill you."

"Yes sire," Kiyo answered, his voice strained with fear as he saw Harry douse the flames and turn to the door, the Room's magic removing the table where he'd been sat and instead replacing it with a podium upon which was a replica of Harry's throne. As they sat there, Kiyo on his knees next to his Master like a dog, Harry thought about Kiyo and what had happened since the day of Ginny's abduction.

Remus, Sirius and James, he surmised, had gotten off easily: Kiyo, on the other hand, had been subjected to Harry's full Black Magic arsenal, as well as a few choice curses learned from Severus, Lucius and even his Father. Kiyo's screams and pleas for mercy had rang throughout the Chamber of Secrets, which had also been refurbished by Harry as the Heir of Slytherin, but Harry had continued the punishment, venting out all his rage before, with one blast from his Wind Omniform, the Black King had made Kiyo remember always who held the power.

The sound of the door opening made Harry turn back, seeing his Circle enter, all of them – save Ginny, of course – looking ready and confident; raising his hand, as he had seen his Father do on more than one occasion, Harry made them stop before he spoke to them all.

"Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Fred and George Weasley, Dudley Evans and Draco Malfoy; you all come before me with your final decisions and your futures decided. One by one, you shall all approach the podium, kneel before me and give me your answer; be warned, should you try, in any way, to strike me down, I will do whatever I must to defend myself, as will Kiyo. Now, first things first: Dudley?"

The muscled Evans Heir stepped up, his eyes on Harry as he recalled the boy telling him that his debt would be paid no matter what decision he chose. Kneeling before Harry, he declared, "I, Dudley Jonathan Evans, choose to serve King Harry Riddle as an emissary of Shadows."

"And I shall not forget this," Harry replied, laying his hand on his ex-cousin's head, "Nor shall I forget to reward such loyalty."

Dudley rose from before Harry and then stood at his left-hand side, next to Kiyo who was fidgeting with his Shatari in a nervous glance to the others.

Draco was next and, as soon as he had kneeled, he had sworn his allegiance and taken his place at Harry's right-hand side, his eyes on the group before them with a look of loss.

As Hermione stepped up, Harry looked to Draco as he whispered, "I promise you Drake; I'll get her back."

Kneeling before Harry, Hermione then announced, "I, Hermione Granger, speak for Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Fred and George Weasley when we say as one that we shall serve King Harry Riddle until the end of our lives as emissaries of Shadows: Harry Potter is the enemy and Darkness is our ally."

Shocked, Harry looked past her and saw the others in question kneeling to him, Fred and George actually clasping each others hands as they tried not to think about their lost sister.

Standing, Harry nodded and declared, "And I shall not forget this, nor shall I forget to reward such loyalty: I know that we have lost one from our ranks, but, rest assured, I will do whatever I must to bring her back to us. Understand though that, just as my powers are limitless, so too are those of the White Paladin, so, I do mean this, no matter how much I wish to avoid it. If Ginny stands against us, then she will fall before us; I want you all, right now, to tell me: if she stands against us, do you swear to do what is necessary, no matter what is asked of you, to protect and further extend the ways of darkness?"

"I swear," Draco replied, though his heart was telling him otherwise.

"I swear," Dudley answered, his head bowed to Harry.

"We…swear," chorused Fred and George, the two of them shaking slightly as they said the fated words.

Luna, Neville and Hermione then swore their pacts and, when they were done, Harry dismissed Kiyo and stood before them all, his voice filled with the kindness only he could manage as he addressed Fred and George.

"Like I said," he told them, "I don't want to, but I will if I have to: understand?"

"Yes sir," they answered, both of them now stronger as they stood with Harry.

"Then it's official," Harry beamed, "You are now all, once and for all, recognised as the Inner Circle of Black Magic, the Society of Shadows. Like my Father, Lord Voldemort, has his followers, now I have mine. Draco is my sword and Dudley my shield, which reminds me…" he trailed off as he looked around, his eyes on Draco as he asked, "Where's Daphne?"

"Back in the Common Room with Severus," answered the Malfoy Heir, "They said for you to meet them at his office once you were done: don't worry Harry," he added, seeing the look of angst in his cousin's eyes, "I won't let anything happen to her: you have my word."

"I know I do Draco," Harry nodded, "Thank you."

He also knew how much those words had truth in them: Draco had, against Harry's wishes, blamed himself for not being there for Ginny and now, with his place at Harry's right hand secured, the Malfoy Heir saw this as penance for his sins.

HJSRR

Severus' Office:

Harry entered Severus' office with a new lease on the future: his mind was set solely on discovering the truth about the White Paladin. As he shut the door, he turned and asked, "You wanted to see me Severus?"

"I did," answered the Potions Master, Harry vaguely aware of Daphne sat in the corner of the room, her eyes on her king as he stood there.

"And?" asked Harry.

"I just wanted you to know that it's not your fault," Severus explained, "Ginny's disappearance was not your fault, nor was it the fault of anyone you believe to betray you. We all care about you Harry, though our pasts may say different and, when we do find her, and we will, I will make sure to bring her back to you and to the Circle."

"I see," Harry muttered, his blue eyes dim in the light as he added, "That all seems rather rehearsed."

"With good reason," hissed a cold voice, making Harry stop dead; turning to the door, he found himself looking into a pair of familiar eyes: two dark brown eyes and a head of straight black hair that actually reminded Harry of Severus, stylishly combed around a pale face and the tips of which brushed against the collar of a long emerald and silver robe.

"Professor Orion?" asked Harry, before he saw the teacher's features change and mould into the young Tom Riddle that he knew and loved.

"Guess again," the Dark Lord smiled, "Hello Harry: I'm back!"

HJSRR

A Month Later:

"Still no word," Harry scowled, pacing the area in Severus' office, both teachers – Snape and Orion/Voldemort – looking at him with a slight sense of fear and worry. "One whole month and no new word from the Paladin: it's like he's toying with me, all the more that suggests him to be…"

"Albus," nodded Orion, "Harry, you need to stop fretting so much: you'll make yourself ill. I know that, in the past month, your mind has been focused on finding her, but you need to face facts son: this White Paladin has her trapped and he's not going to get rid of her so easily. It's all one big mind game and, because you're so busy worrying, he knows that he's winning."

Waving a hand, Harry ignited the fireplace in Snape's office, his voice full of conviction as he explained, "It's not just that Dad and can you please change back?"

Becoming his true self, the Dark Lord smiled and watched as his son stood in front of the fireplace, his blue eyes filled with the reflection from the roaring fires.

"It's not just that," Harry repeated, "He knows that he can get to me and that's why he hasn't done anything: every day we search for another clue; even Umbridge has banned Gryffindors from using the Tower and having them take refuge with the other Houses, but that still won't matter if we can't find her!"

"We will," Tom explained, "Harry, you know how much this Paladin wants you dead: if he gets it, then I can't bear…"

"Don't say it," Harry exclaimed, turning to the Dark Lord, "Don't be Tom Riddle, Father of Harry, would you Dad? Be Lord Voldemort: Dark Lord, merciless killer and monster of wizarding nightmares: make plans, send out raids; have James and Lucius return to the Ministry…just don't tell me you can't bear…it!"

With a cry, Harry sat down, his rage spiking as he yelled to the heavens. "One whole month and still you hide! What am I supposed to do when I do not know my own enemy? How do I fight the coming storm if I can't tell that it's coming: what…do…I…DO?"

A powerful, buffeting wind suddenly blew all around Harry as he vented out all his rage, his magic forcing the wind to become a torrential tempest that began to destroy the office.

"Tom!" cried Severus, "He's your son: do something!"

Doing the only thing that he could, the Dark Lord reached out and tried to communicate with his son through their link; however, as he brushed against Harry's mind, the Dark Lord gasped when he found an impenetrable barrier blocking the way in or out; Harry's mind was like Fort Knox: his anger had turned his magical sub-consciousness into Alcatraz Island, a mental Azkaban.

{Harry,} he hissed, using Parseltongue as a last resort, {Harry, please hear me little snake: this is not, nor was it ever your fault: you swore a month ago that you'd find her and you will.}

{Hmm,} laughed an unfamiliar voice, {So foolish Tom Riddle: you think your son can stop what is his destiny.}

The wind died down, the mental link withdrawn; however, when Harry looked to his Father, he didn't have a pair of friendly blue eyes; instead, he held a cold pair of silver eyes that stared through Harry, his voice distorted as he hissed, "You've lost old man!"

"Who are you?" asked Tom, "What have you done with Ginny?"

"Miss Weasley is safe," laughed the cold voice, "But if the Black King cares so much, then let's end this: he'll come to the Department of Mysteries within three days, or he'll lose something more precious than Miss Weasley!"

"What do you mean?" asked Tom, reaching out and shaking his son, "Who are you?"

As he shook Harry, the silver eyes faded and were replaced by a pair of blue eyes that looked to Tom in confusion, "Dad?"

"What did you see?" asked Tom, looking at his son.

Harry's answer turned Tom's blood to ice, "Mum and Lily…dead!"

Falling back, Tom put his head in his hands, while Harry, checking his body, gasped, "It was him, wasn't it?"

"Yes," answered Severus, "The White Paladin."

"Then," Harry sighed, putting a hand on his Father's shoulder as he explained, "It's time!"

HJSRR

Unknown Location:

The White Paladin smiled with a decisive victory as he felt his mind being withdrawn from his other, his White Magic failing as he once more masked his presence.

"It's time," he smiled, "Time for all to be revealed, but Harry Riddle is in for a surprise!"

Standing, the Paladin gathered his magic around him, like a protective cocoon, before he smiled and vanished in a flash of white light, his mind echoing across the world, to a place only Harry could hear him.

"Will you keep your own promise Harry Riddle? Will you do what is necessary to save the family you love or will light triumph over darkness once more?"

The time is now: it's time for the two forces to meet, but what will be the outcome?

Keep Reading to Find Out…

Chapter 19: Sick of the voices, Harry ventures to the DOM to get some answers; while there, he gets more than he bargained for; plus, the Golden Boy takes on the Silver King and Harry suffers a terrible loss, but it's NOT who you think…plus, the White Paladin reveals himself and it's Black vs. White round 1…

Chapter 20: Grief-stricken, Harry taps into the Hidden Power of Black Magic to right his wrongs; plus, there's some light in this dark time when the Ministry decide they've had enough with a certain old fool and the White Paladin celebrates their one-up over the Black King, but it's not over yet…

Please Read and Review…

Also, as the Dark Prince, what should Harry be known as to the Death Eaters? Take into consideration his allegiance to the Black Magic and this mysterious visitor in his dreams…

As a little challenge:

Who do YOU think the White Paladin is?

Also, please check out my challenges in my Forums; link found on my profile page;