The Heir of Slytherin

Part 1

Slowly, but determined nightfall came, as a silent whisper before a storm, laying its cape upon the world of daylight and opening the portal to the world of the night, where nothing was as it seems, nor ever would be.

The world of humans rested in these final hours of the day and eventually came to a stop, when the sunlight disappeared behind the horizon for another twelve hours of darkness. In these single minutes, the world had changed, from a safe and familiar place to a world unknown to many and barely known by the few who lived in it.

The daily world made space for the world of darkness, the rules of human society were exchanged for the rules of the jungle and in these early hours of the night, the game began. The game called surviving.

I knew fairly well how to play that game, seeing as I have played it for longer than I could even remember. My earlier memories, they went back to the days when I was still reckless and uncaring, with a certain wish to die. It was only later that I learnt that my kind cannot die, for that privilege is not given to those who are already dead.

I was a creature of the night, a being not many people knew of, too special to describe in words and yet too common to be noticed by the few who passed me by that night.

I appeared quite human, but my heart and my soul were those of an animal or worse, a monster.

The real name of my kind was forgotten millennia ago, but the new name people, generations later, had given them, was a name that caused fear and commotion whenever it was said, a name that pronounced so much power in just one single word that my breed was feared by more than half of the worlds population.

Vampire.

What a fitting name it was and yet how small for a creature so powerful, so close to the Gods that once ruled the world. But perhaps it was as close to a real name for my kind as they could ever get: after all, how would it be possible to use a thing so small as a word to describe something as unique and special as a vampire?

But of course, that is not all I am. Besides the fact I am a pureblood vampire, one of the Ancient, I am also a witch, and a powerful one even. Born into the Most Ancient House of the Nightinggale, I am the last heir of the Nightinggale legacy which has lasted for many centuries. I am the last one alive or dead, if you prefer to carry the powers such a strong legacy has given me, powers beyond belief and understanding.

As far as my life history goes, there is not much I can tell, for there is a lot of it I do not know anymore. I was born under the name of Robyn Nightinggale, this year exactly 666 years ago, in a town in England, the Old World. Every memory of my parents has faded and I dont even know if I ever knew them. As I already stated, my earliest memories go back to the time when I was a young and foolish vampire who dared to challenge the moon, the night and life all at once.

But I have learnt from my mistakes, perhaps more than I even wanted to. Of course, not even certain knowledge can prevent us from doing the wrong thing, as I, obviously, did more than once.

I was foolish enough to follow a new leader, as he called himself, a Dark Lord, who went through life being called Lord Voldemort, while his real name was none other than Tom Marvolo Riddle, Heir of the Slytherin Legacy, a pureblood wizard and an orphan.

I was foolish enough to believe everything he told me, to put aside everything I had worked for so long, and to eventually throw it all away for this new leadership, this new war he had started.

But perhaps, it was not foolish, for it had given me more power than ever before and the goal was pure. Even though I see it all as a mistake now, I must admit that those days where my glory days, standing alongside the Dark Lord and deciding about the faith of many Muggles, wizards and witches, without even blinking my eyes.

Oh yes, the number of deaths I have on my record are enormous, as are the numbers of victims I put under the Cruciatus Curse or bluntly paralysed for life.

Evil was the trail I left behind me, evil were the things I did, evil was I. Perhaps I still am, but I wouldnt know, for I have said goodbye to those days of darkness forever, for a reason not many know nor ever will know.

Except now the Dark Lord forced me, once again, to give up something very valuable to me, to support him in his battle, the battle I created for him, the verdict I made in his name. Maybe it wasnt fair for me to do that, but then again nothing in life is ever fair.

I got ripped out of my thoughts when I suddenly realised where I was. The house.

Memories appeared into my head, as sudden as the cold breeze that made my hair flow, memories that brought great sadness upon me along with a tender feeling I hardly ever experienced before.

Maybe it was all meant to be, maybe it had been written in the stars thousands of years ago, or maybe it had just been all coincidence that I was the reason for the Reign and Fall of Lord Voldemort, that I was the one to begin and to end a legacy.

Or maybe not.

I felt guilt flooding through my body when I looked up to the window on the first floor of the house. Nothing in life is ever fair, but life for some, is totally the opposite of fair, it is a burden they have to carry with them for ever and always, through this life and the next, a scar they will never get rid of.

I have my scars, perhaps not noticeable, but they are there and I know exactly where they are. But I also know I am not the only one with a scar and one of those scars brought upon someone was completely my fault and even on the day of today I feel sorry for it, regret it more than any other of my actions, than any murder I ever committed or any mistake I ever made.

My heart crashed into a thousand little pieces again, as it had been doing over and over for the last fifteen years and, if I had any tears left to cry, I would have cried, but the river of tears inside of me was currently dry, as it had been for a long time now.

I have failed you again, I thought as I stared to the window, guilt and sadness taking control over me. I failed the world again.

I slowly looked down and the events of the past few days, the events that brought me to this place in the first place, replayed themselves in front of my eyes, but now it was as if I could watch them from a distance, as if I was watching a movie and not just a memory.

Flashback

"What do you want from me now, Voldemort?" I asked him, my voice shaking of the anger I felt clearly burning into my soul.

"I want your blood," the Dark Lord simply replied. "I want to live forever, as you do. I want immortality, as you have. And most of all, I want power. The power to kill my enemy."

My jaw dropped and I stared at him disbelievingly. Did he really want me to give up the last thing that was completely mine, the last piece of me that was human?

As I stared into his black eyes, I realised that was exactly what he wanted from me and I knew I could not give it to him, knew I could not share the last blood of the Nightinggales that was streaming through my veins with a person who did not care about anything but the destroy of everything we all had built for so long.

"NEVER!" I cried out. "Never will I give you such powers! Never will I allow you to do as you once did, never"

"Stop it, Robyn," Voldemort said in a calm tone that made me suspect he wasnt up to any good. I pulled the handcuffs that pinned me to the wall, but my attempt was useless. Bewitched chains, I should have known.

"You are only making things worse," the Dark Lord added, a small smirk playing on his lips. He looked me straight in the eye then, as he continued. "You claim to have changed, Robyn Nightinggale, but have you truly? Has your desire for power just faded away as the snow does when spring comes ahead? I cannot believe that. I cannot believe that your desires just melt away from one day on the other. I can see it in your eyes that your desire for power, leadership, is still there, the desire for independency and freedom. You are who are you, Robyn Nightinggale, and nothing else. Do not try to change yourself just for the better of everyone else. When was the last time you were happy, the last time you laughed, the last time you enjoyed yourself? Was it before, or after, you decided to leave my side?"

I didnt even blink, but just kept looking Voldemort in the eye. I had never been afraid of him, for the only thing he could do was kill me, and death was something I did not fear. But nevertheless, I answered his question truthfully, for I saw no reason in lying.

"When I was still on the Dark Side," I answered.

"Ah, so then I am right, that living all those years in sorrow and guilt have never made you feel any better. Can you live with yourself, Robyn? Now the guilt has finally appeared, can you sleep at night or do you hear them scream? Scream for the mercy you never gave them?"

"They died for the cause," I said without any emotion. "I feel sorry for their dead but I cannot change the past no matter how much I wish I could."

"Oh, do you?" Voldemort asked now, a grin of pleasure clearly viewable on his face. "They were creatures, just as much as I am and you are. The only difference between them and we is that we are both murderers, and no matter how much we try to change, their blood will always be on our hands. Do not run away from your past, Robyn," the Dark Lord warned me, "because your past is your present and your future. Once a murderer, always a murderer. Do you want to feel this miserable forever or do you actually want to live again?"

I did not answer, but just looked at him, as he approached me. He had not changed a lot through-out the years, perhaps a little weaker than in his glory days, but I, on the other hand, was now a completely different person and it sickened me. It sickened me, right then, to feel his overwhelming power compared to the lousy powers I had left. He had regained strength after his Fall, I had lost more than I could have ever imagined.

I am weak.

The thought alone made me shiver and when Voldemort put my thoughts into words, it was as if the mist in my head disappeared and made a path clear, a path that led directly back to my past.

"Do you want to stay this weak forever or do you actually want to mean something again?" Voldemort asked me.

Even though part of me would probably regret it, I had made up my mind.

Once upon a time, namely fifteen years ago, I had given up my life for the life of a one-year-old baby I held dear. What had seemed to be the right thing to do then, had appeared to be the biggest mistake of my life now. I knew the damage could never be undone, but perhaps it could be fixed, at least a little.

My fangs grew quickly and I leaned in, to bite the Dark Lord in his neck. Then I drank the blood, the ancient blood, that streamed through his veins, the blood of the ancient Slytherin Legacy, blood that was connected to mine in more ways then I knew back then.

Potion. It only struck my mind after I had felt the sweet taste of a potion that the Dark Lord had looked just about the age I looked when I saw him today, and did not look at all like the hideous creature I had left behind in that one room of terror fifteen years ago. It had been so common for me to see him that way that I did not even notice he had used a potion to be young again, seventeen years to be exactly. And that, now I had turned him, he was going to stay that young forever.

It was only a half hour later, when Voldemort released me and said I could go out hunting for the night, if I wanted to, that the consequences of my choice finally flew back into me. I was on the Dark Side again, renewed in my Death Eater position, and not only that, but I was also back to being his property, the property of the Dark Lord. Even though technically he would allow me to do as I wished, in most circumstances, he would kill me without any hesitation when I did not grant his wishes.

I stood right outside of the Riddle Mansion when I realised the awful position my decision had brought me in. But I also knew that I had no choice really and that my life would probably not change a lot. Before, I had been controlled in some way by the boy whose life I had saved and now I was controlled by the Dark Lord.

I sighed in sorrow as I changed into my bat form and flew up, into the direction of Privet Drive, London. Not for the first time, I wondered if I would ever be truly free.

End of Flashback

I woke up out of my daze when I felt two strong arms wrap around me and pull me closer. He was here. Voldemort. But of course, I could have expected that. His new vampire abilities would make it easy for him to find me, whenever he wished, for not only he was now one of my kind, but he was also a bloodrelative of mine now.

The thought that his blood raced through my veins and visa versa sickened me, but again, I cannot undo decisions that I have made before.

"A penny for your thoughts," the Dark Lord said to me.

I sighed. "It seems as if history is repeating itself," I slowly said. "And I feel the wind tensioning. Something is going on."

"Maybe," Voldemort said, "you think that way because you regret your decision. But Robyn, you know, that you are best of on the Dark Side. You were meant to be there, you were meant to be evil."

"No one is ever meant to be evil," I said flatly. "And I do not regret my decision."

"You are a great liar Robyn," the Dark Lord said, "but you cannot fool me."

I sighed. "Why do you even want to kill that boy, Tom?" I said, using Voldemorts first name. I knew he hated it when I did that, but it was a way for me to connect to him. Tom was the person I loved and liked, Voldemort was the demon Tom became.

You know very well I have no choice Robyn, the Dark Lord said. "But there is, indeed, another reason why I want to kill him even more than I did in the past."

"Why?" was my obvious question.

Because...because he is the only who could ever come between us, Voldemort said, a tone in his voice that I had not heard in there for a long time.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"I mean that he is a danger, to us, to the cause, to the world. Ancient prophecies, proven to be true, have told me more than once that the cause will be destroyed when he is still alive. Trust me, the world will be better off when hes dead."

"Then why dont you just go and kill him?" I asked Voldemort, but I already knew the answer to that question. I had been disloyal and know I would have to prove my loyalty towards the Dark Lord again and I knew exactly what he wanted from me and I knew it would be the hardest thing I had ever done.

"Because, Robyn, I want you to kill him."

"What?" I cried out. "You have to be kidding me. Why would you let me kill them if you might as well just do the pleasure yourself?" I asked Voldemort. The question was rather pointless, because I already knew the answer. He wanted me to prove my loyalty by asking me to kill the only boy I had ever truly cared for, the only one I had cared for enough to rescue his life.

"You already know the answer to that question so don't ask me," Voldemort said, anger rising in his already pretty terrible voice.

I turned to face him and looked him straight in the eye, looking for...What exactly was it I was looking for in those eyes full of hatred, those dead eyes, those eyes which I knew could never love nor care? I suppose I was looking for some kind of some compassion, some kind of regret, some kind of feelings. But there was nothing and there would never be.

"You cannot make me do this," I said to Voldemort.

"And why not?" he asked me on an airy tone. "You are mine Robyn and mine alone. You are my slave, if you want it or not. When I tell you to jump, you will jump. When I tell you to die, you will die. When I tell you to kill that boy, then you will do so."

"And what if I refuse to?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "You won't. You won't give up everything once more just to save Harry James Potter. I have no doubt about that. You will go back to Hogwarts this year and you will kill him. Don't think you have a choice, because you have none. I won't settle with a no."

I narrowed my eyes and shot him a death glare. "You have become even more heartless," I said in a tone that held no fear, because if he killed my right now - which I knew he wouldn't - it would only be salvation.

"Is there nothing or no one you love in this world apart from yourself?" I asked Voldemort then, after a few minutes of silence. I had been wanting to know the answer to that question for a long time now.

Voldemort just shrugged. "You know, Robyn, I could ask you the same question," he said to me.

"No you can't," I told him, shaking my head. "And you know pretty damn well why you can't."

I turned around and walked away then, slowly and determined, not planning on looking back. Voldemort had won, as always, but not without any loss. This time I had been able to confront him with the truth and I knew, somewhere it had gotten to him, that I insulted him for being unable to love anyone. Perhaps it was the truth, perhaps it wasnt: only time would show. But time was the only thing I didn't have anymore. In a few days, if Voldemort got as he wanted, which I do not ever doubt as I know what the Dark Lord is capable of, I would be on the train to Hogwarts Express and on a mission to kill Harry Potter.

I felt anger boiling in me, anger towards Voldemort, the world, but mostly towards myself. What a fool I had been to give up everything to save that small baby and what a greater fool I was now to kill him after spending so many painful nights and days away from the places I called home just to save his sorry little ass.

Even on the day of today, I cannot recall why exactly I saved him from such a cruel destiny. I didn't know him, he was just a baby, and would not have been the first baby I would have killed before, so it couldn't be that either. Of course, he was James kid, but being related with James had not saved anyone from my killing-spree before, so perhaps it wasnt that either.

Maybe there was just no reason for why I decided to throw my life, my future, my past and everything else on the line to save that one little boy. Or perhaps the reason was still covered in a dark cloth and I could not see it right now, maybe it was for time to reveal the true reason why.

I have always believed, ever since I was a vampire, that certain things in this world are determined long before we were born or the world itself was created. Certain reasons why things happen, certain reasons why things don't happen. I believe it is not just coincidence that I joined the Dark Lord's army just to betray him and then eventually come back to him.

I haven't come back to him yet though, I must admit. I am not the same person I was before. I have changed, for the better or the worse, it is not for me to tell. I can only say I have changed, not alone I am weaker in a way but I am stronger in a way too. Surviving had become a burden, a goal, far more than power, surviving, observation, waiting, it had all filled my days. It's not like I have disappeared off the earth for so many years without doing something useful, no.

I am a vampire. It is in my nature to see things others cannot see and so I have opened my eyes and have seen from first handed that the world has been changing, slowly but determined, the tables have been turned.

How long did I expect Harry Potter to survive against the Dark Lord? With all the spells Dumbledore used, perhaps until his twelfth birthday. But look at him now: he is fifteen, going on sixteen, and still very much alive and Voldemort, however still very strong, has weakened nearly every attack he tried to do on Potter. No, I believe there are changes hanging in the air, I see new opportunities, new chances. And perhaps, perhaps someone will be able to stop this legacy of evil. Perhaps the time has come to make an end to Voldemort's reign of terror. But only time can tell.

It started raining, as if the weather liked to represent my mood for the moment. I growled and pulled my hood over my head, sheltering my long black hair from the merciless rain.

The rain started dropping down faster and I took a run for it. Even though, over the past few years, I had preferred to stay alone, be alone and had sheltered myself from the outside world, becoming a total creature of the night, there was always one person I ran to when in real trouble, one person I considered my friend, who I trusted and cared for, but not enough so it would really hurt me to see him die.

See, when you live on life between the edge of life and death twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, then you cannot care for people enough so their death would hurt you. Why? Because, if you do that, they will most certainly die. That's a law of the jungle and an all-known fact in the world of evil. Once, a wise man said, "The less you love anyone but yourself, the less you will ever get hurt." A wise lesson if you are forced into surviving in the world of the hunter, where you get hunted down or be the hunter yourself.

My thoughts had already made the logical decision that I should go see my friend, my one and only friend in this cold and distant world. Perhaps it would give me comfort or I would feel a false feeling of safety, at least it would do some good for me.

So my feet carried me into the direction of his house, not that far away from Diagon Alley and quite a while to run, but being a vampire has its benefits, one of them being able to run for miles without getting tired.

A small smile appeared on my face. It had been too long since I spoke to him, but I had been busy and I am sure he had other things, like Quidditch on his mind.

Oh yes, Oliver Wood, how he loved Quidditch.