AN This is a repost of my first chapter 'the descent', with a few modifications. Hopefully it will be better now.

\The descent/

Harry stood, listening to the argument between Arthur and Lucius. He stood there, wondering a single question: Why me?

Why? What have I done, except the best for them? I defeated Voldemort as a child- due to my mother, true, but I still defeated him- and I stopped him from getting the Philosopher's Stone. I defeated the memory of Tom Riddle left in the diary and his pet basilisk and I saved Ginny as well. I saw Pettigrew escape and help Sirius escape and last year, I came out of the Triwizard Tournament with Cedric's body in my arms. I saw Voldemort rise, The-overdramatic-dark-lord or He-who's-name-most-be-hyphenated. And is this my reward? My thanks for giving my all, for living in fear almost every day since my eleventh birthday? To be left in the dark by friends and hounded by my enemies?

Tears almost sprang to his eyes- and then they were pushed back by a flood tide of sheer anger, a wave of fury, pure rage at all who had crossed him. More hatred than Harry had ever felt rushed to the front of his mind- he barely heard Fudge say "This way, Lucius"- and in it, a single thought came out.

I will make them pay.

Mr. Weasley, taking one look at Harry's haggard and drawn face, decided to stay quiet. The history of Wizarding might have changed had he spoken, but he said nothing.

I will make them PAY!

As he thought this, they stepped into the "elevator" that led upwards through the Ministry of Magic. As they stepped out, heading back, he looked at the fountain. The wizard, who looked so handsome from afar, looked like a fool up close. The woman had the blank, vapid smile that often appears on the faces of women who have realized that their bodies are far more valuable than their minds in this world. The Centaur looked at disgust at the two, the house elf beaten and cowering, and the goblin in greed. Harry stopped for a second, considering throwing a coin in, then decided not to. He would need the money, for his war. And he wasn't about to aid his enemies by funding their medical efforts.

\The descent/

After returning to the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters and being greeted by everyone, he announced that he was drained and wanted to sleep for a while. He was allowed to go, and he heard Mr Weasley speaking to Sirius as he left.

"Settle down! Listen, Sirius, Lucius was at the Ministry-"

Harry heard Sirius' interrupting "What?" before closing the door of the bedroom he shared with Ron. Sitting on one of the beds, he began thinking. He had to know now if he had it in him, if he had the will to strike down his foes or even those that would turn on him. He thought of them all, both friends and allies, each time asking himself, "Can I kill them?", then the little voice that had always been there would answer, "Yes."

He asked himself, again and again, each time the voice getting a little stronger and louder, until it deafened the other, light, voice.

Harry looked at his hands. They would soon be the hands of a killer.

The thought caused a grin to appear on his face. Harry made plans for his revenge.

Several days passed- Harry helped the others clean out Sirius' old house- with nothing happening. Harry plotted and planned as well as studied all of the books "thrown out" and some still in the library, but nothing could be done yet. No one here had done anything to warrant his revenge yet, except Mrs Weasley who had tried to keep information from him. As he walked down to breakfast one day, he say his first target.

Severus Snape.

\The descent/

It finally drew to that precious first day of school. Harry found himself a booth next to Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and a girl with large, shiny eyes. Ginny announced that her name was Luna Lovegood. Shortly afterwards, Neville's new pet cactus showered him with gunk, seconds before Cho Chang, a girl Harry had really liked, happened to look inside. Harry became almost angry enough with Neville to rip his arm off using one of the many dark spells he had learned.

Although several things happened between this time and the time of Sorting, none of it was of note to Harry, save perhaps the new teachers. One was one of those who had voted against him in the trail that started his descent, Umbridge. Harry grinned when he saw her, a very cruel decision had delivered this woman to his hands. When Snape was dead, Harry would see to her, like he would all of his enemies.

The first week, Harry avoided trouble- he almost raised to the bait several times in Umbridge's class, but thinking of her eventual demises prevented him from losing his temper and ripping her throat out in front of oh so many witnesses. It was vital that he not get detention, he had a special subject he was studying, the art of pushing.

There were so many ways you could shove someone, he was discovering. And that was what he planned for Severus Snape to discover very soon.

\The descent/

Thursday 19th September

Hogwarts

Harry waited that night inside his cloak, an expectant look on his face. Strands of hair fell into his face, and his lips curled in a strange snarl. Anyone who could gaze at him then, through his cloak, would swear they had glimpsed a demon.

He saw rather than heard Snape walk by the stairs with his billowing cloak. Snape was walking with an unusual smile on his face like when he was going to bust a Gryffindor. He reached the top of the stairs near the Gryffindor dorm when Harry rushed forwards and shoved with all his might. Harry had a very pleasant view of Snape's face, looking perplexed and confused then horror and finally hatred as he saw Harry, as he saw that his body was falling over the banister. He was already nearly four floors down when he noticed Harry. They meet eyes and Harry had all he wanted. Snape never even screamed even as skull popped like a balloon as and his body broke from the high fall.

After entering his cloak again and making sure no one seen him, not even the portraits, Harry grinned. The darkness closed around him, welcoming him.

It was a week after Snape's death. The school still rang with news and rumors of it. Although Harry had immediately been suspected, the hate between him and Snape was old news, he was cleared of any blame soon enough. Oddly, the suspicion landed on Goyle, who had last been seen with Snape, arguing about Goyle's grades. Crabbe attempted to clear Goyle by saying that he was with Goyle the entire time but this back fired, and then the Slytherins lumped them together and decided they were both to blame for Snape's death, and had decided to give him a free trip to the bottom of the stairs. Both were expelled two days later.

Harry was exonerated by an unlikely source. Daphne Greengrass came forward with evidence that Harry had been helping her with 'homework', when Snape was killed and even had memories to prove it. This was an unexpected surprise as Harry hadn't thought ahead as far as getting away with the murder, and it was highly likely that he had a devoted follower right here. Tonight he was going to give Miss Greengrass a visit and maybe find out a bit more about her 'homework'.

On that same day, Dumbledore had held a meeting, and everyone in school was gathered. Even those who didn't like Snape were shocked by his end, and that two students had been responsible for it, more importantly that two Slytherins were responsible. Harry kept his face shocked but happy; the proper face of someone who has just realized his worst enemy is dead, but inside he was laughing and raving. He was going to manipulate all that he need to and take all that he wanted. He would recruit from Slytherin and they would be some of his best people.

He had many reasons to laugh. One was simple enough. Severus Snape was dead, and little could spoil the humour that brought on. The second was more complex. He had found his place in the great scheme, not that of the hero, but that of the anti-hero. And he was enjoying the hell out of it. He would take his pieces and make a game of this yet.

Another good reason for chuckling was that he had formed the D.A, this group, Dumbledore's Army, was formed to perform Defense against the Dark Arts in the student's spare time, ever since Umbridge's first class, the bitch had made Defense against the Dark Arts a joke. She had also gained power, being named High Inquisitor the day after Snape's death. Oh well. Things couldn't always be perfect, as Harry found out.

The D.A. was going to change soon, although they didn't know it. Already he had moved them from approved jinxes and hexes into completely different spells, spells far more powerful than mere jinxes. Already Neville Longbottom, who seemed determined to become the best at these new spells, could perform the chant that made him a shadow and let him pass unseen, and Hermione could create a blizzard that froze anything in its path, She was rather good at cold spells. Whenever anyone asked why they were studying such powerful spells, he simply replied, "Because Voldemort is." That stopped further queries. Dumbledore's army, which Harry hoped to make Potter's Army soon, was growing by leaps and bounds, both in numbers and power. They would soon also have Slytherins in their numbers.

Harry waited in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the fire whilst waiting for the common room to empty. He thought back to that night's meeting of the DA and felt it could have gone better. About half of the original number had left already, feeling that the direction the group was taking was wrong and wanted to get out. But tonight any none believers in his cause had been weeded out, including Hermione, who had been of great potential so Harry was sorry to see her go. Apparently she felt that his goals were too ambitious for her and she wanted to step out of the way. Others, like Ron, stormed out, no longer believing in 'the golden boy' and claiming they were going to Dumbledore.

"Let them go," Harry thought when he heard their weak threats, "They are too entrenched in this old order and will only hold us back."

Stage two of his uprising was about to kick off. Preparing himself he tore off his cloak, wincing at the sickly smile. Before she could blink he fired off a spell.

\The descent/

AN love it, hate it? Wait, that's marmite. But the phrase still counts. Let me know by pressing the button marked review, please.