Harry Potter and all related characters are copyright J.K. Rowlling. The Mark of the Beast is copyright me. Do not copy or change in any way without my permission.
Harry Potter and the Mark of the Beast Chapter 1: The Mutilations
By:DementorGrl-Hey, sorry this chapter is so short. It was kind of a test. I hope to get more up today. Hope you enjoy!
*News Reporter* "Police are baffled today by the bizarre slaughtering of several civilians this morning outside of a small café on the outskirts of London. An employee of a nearby gas station found seven bodies early this morning. Three of the bodies found belonged to employees of the café leading investigators to believe that the murders took place some time late last night after closing. The other four bodies have yet to be identified. All of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. So far the only clue investigators have to unraveling this case is a strange black claw found imbedded in one of the bodies. The claw is about seven inches long and does not appear to belong to any known animal. The claw, police stated, could be a weapon designed by gang members for the torture of victims, but much speculation has arisen. So far there are no leads or suspects concerning the murders. And now on sports this week...." Harry stared blankly at the television, unaware that his cousin, Dudley, was sneaking the remains of his meager breakfast off of his plate. Strange attacks? Bodies mutilated beyond recognition? Could this somehow be connected to Voldemort? He shook his head, scolding himself for worrying so much, but still, ever since Lord Voldemort had risen again the number of disappearances and strange deaths had been increasing at an alarming rate. Harry couldn't help but fear that Voldemort was behind each and every one of them.
"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!" "What?" Harry blinked up at his Uncle Vernon, who had obviously been talking to him while he was so deep in thought. "I told you that I'm going to work now! Your Aunt and Dudley are going shopping in a bit. There's a list of chores on the counter. You had better get them done before I get home or there'll be hell to pay, do you understand me?!" His Uncle's purple mustached face quivered as he glared at Harry with a look of disgust. Harry opened his mouth to argue that he had better things to do than chores (like homework) and that Dudley never had to do anything, but then Harry decided that getting his Uncle's temper up was the last thing he needed to do. Getting kicked out of the house would not be a good idea with Voldemort and his Death Eaters back. "Yes, I'll get them done," Harry muttered darkly wondering what his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were doing at the moment and wishing he could talk to them. His Uncle then turned and walked out the door, saying goodbye to his wife, Petunia, and his son, Dudley, on the way out.
Harry heaved a sigh as he pushed himself up out of his chair and headed for the back door, snatching the long list of work to be done on his way out. It was a fairly nice day out; a soft breeze played through his unruly hair as he stepped out onto the lawn. The bright rays of the sun filtered through a layer of white clouds, striking the yard at odd angles. He consulted the list: Weed the Garden. Luckily he had already mowed the grass this week so that was one less thing to be done. Moving silently among the rows of flowers in the garden he allowed his mind to wander as he began a never-ending battle with the stray weeds he couldn't seem to kill. It seemed as though every time he pulled out a weed, four more would replace it. It was grueling work, and it made his back hurt from bending over constantly. After half an hour of launching a counter strike on an army of plants he tiredly sat down beneath a tree to rest, striking the first task off of his list. Only eight things to go, and, in his opinion, the worst was almost over. He scanned the list: Sweep out the Garage, Mop the Kitchen, Vacuum the Living and Dining Rooms, Dust the Living Room, Make the Beds, Go to the Store and Fetch the Groceries (the list is on the fridge), Prepare Dinner, and run down the street and mail the letter on the kitchen table. Nearly six hours and a lot of running around later, Harry was pleased to see that everything except the preparation of dinner was done, and he had two and a half hours before his Uncle would be home.
Relieved to finally have a break, Harry walked out back to sit in his usual thinking spot beneath the tree in the backyard. The evening air smelled strongly of the flowers from the garden, and the silence was peaceful and relaxing. Next door, his neighbor, Ms. Figg, had guests. They were sitting at a picnic table out back of her house enjoying cool glasses of Lemonade and cookies. One of Ms. Figg's many cats slowly padded its way over to where Harry sat and began rubbing up against his leg. Reaching down, he scratched in on the head, once again lost in his thoughts. What could possibly have killed all of those people that morning? It had to be connected to Voldemort, but what kind of monsters could have done it? He didn't know a great deal about monsters associated with the Dark Arts, at least not monster capable of doing something like this. They had mostly learned about smaller monsters; he supposed larger, more dangerous creatures would be dealt with in the following years. Perhaps Hermione would know; she might even know about the killings, living with muggles and having access to muggle news herself. Harry decided that the best thing to do would be to write to her about it later; right now he wanted to relax after a long day of
After an uneventful dinner in which Dudley convinced his mother that he needed third helpings of everything (his diet hadn't worked out) because he felt faint, Harry went up to his room, his haven. Hedewig watched him kill over onto his bed with her larger, amber eyes. He sighed loudly and rolled over to fetch his quill and a piece of parchment from his nightstand.
Dear Hermione,
How are you? Have you heard from Ron this summer? Everything's fine here. Dudley's diet didn't work out so it looks like my Uncle's going to have to dish out some money to get a custom made uniform for Dudley for school. Have you got all of you homework done or are you doing triple the amount of work that was assigned. I managed to get Potions and History of Magic out of the way already. I'm halfway through Transfiguration (she didn't give us as much as usual.). Did you see the news about the murders in London? I saw it on the TV this morning. Do you have any idea what sort of creatures could be responsible? (If you've seen the news. If you haven't, I'm sure you will.) Say hello to your parents and Crooshanks for me.
Harry
"Come here, Hedewig. Take this to Hermione for me, okay?" Hedewig nipped his ear gently before taking off into the settling darkness of the night. Harry watched her fly off into the night. Down on the street below a shadow stirred.
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That's all for this chapter ppl! I'm sorry it's so short! I promise the next part will be longer! What killed those people? What's Voldemort up to? I'm planning on making this a nice long fic, so enjoy!
-DementorGrl
Harry Potter and the Mark of the Beast Chapter 1: The Mutilations
By:DementorGrl-Hey, sorry this chapter is so short. It was kind of a test. I hope to get more up today. Hope you enjoy!
*News Reporter* "Police are baffled today by the bizarre slaughtering of several civilians this morning outside of a small café on the outskirts of London. An employee of a nearby gas station found seven bodies early this morning. Three of the bodies found belonged to employees of the café leading investigators to believe that the murders took place some time late last night after closing. The other four bodies have yet to be identified. All of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. So far the only clue investigators have to unraveling this case is a strange black claw found imbedded in one of the bodies. The claw is about seven inches long and does not appear to belong to any known animal. The claw, police stated, could be a weapon designed by gang members for the torture of victims, but much speculation has arisen. So far there are no leads or suspects concerning the murders. And now on sports this week...." Harry stared blankly at the television, unaware that his cousin, Dudley, was sneaking the remains of his meager breakfast off of his plate. Strange attacks? Bodies mutilated beyond recognition? Could this somehow be connected to Voldemort? He shook his head, scolding himself for worrying so much, but still, ever since Lord Voldemort had risen again the number of disappearances and strange deaths had been increasing at an alarming rate. Harry couldn't help but fear that Voldemort was behind each and every one of them.
"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!" "What?" Harry blinked up at his Uncle Vernon, who had obviously been talking to him while he was so deep in thought. "I told you that I'm going to work now! Your Aunt and Dudley are going shopping in a bit. There's a list of chores on the counter. You had better get them done before I get home or there'll be hell to pay, do you understand me?!" His Uncle's purple mustached face quivered as he glared at Harry with a look of disgust. Harry opened his mouth to argue that he had better things to do than chores (like homework) and that Dudley never had to do anything, but then Harry decided that getting his Uncle's temper up was the last thing he needed to do. Getting kicked out of the house would not be a good idea with Voldemort and his Death Eaters back. "Yes, I'll get them done," Harry muttered darkly wondering what his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were doing at the moment and wishing he could talk to them. His Uncle then turned and walked out the door, saying goodbye to his wife, Petunia, and his son, Dudley, on the way out.
Harry heaved a sigh as he pushed himself up out of his chair and headed for the back door, snatching the long list of work to be done on his way out. It was a fairly nice day out; a soft breeze played through his unruly hair as he stepped out onto the lawn. The bright rays of the sun filtered through a layer of white clouds, striking the yard at odd angles. He consulted the list: Weed the Garden. Luckily he had already mowed the grass this week so that was one less thing to be done. Moving silently among the rows of flowers in the garden he allowed his mind to wander as he began a never-ending battle with the stray weeds he couldn't seem to kill. It seemed as though every time he pulled out a weed, four more would replace it. It was grueling work, and it made his back hurt from bending over constantly. After half an hour of launching a counter strike on an army of plants he tiredly sat down beneath a tree to rest, striking the first task off of his list. Only eight things to go, and, in his opinion, the worst was almost over. He scanned the list: Sweep out the Garage, Mop the Kitchen, Vacuum the Living and Dining Rooms, Dust the Living Room, Make the Beds, Go to the Store and Fetch the Groceries (the list is on the fridge), Prepare Dinner, and run down the street and mail the letter on the kitchen table. Nearly six hours and a lot of running around later, Harry was pleased to see that everything except the preparation of dinner was done, and he had two and a half hours before his Uncle would be home.
Relieved to finally have a break, Harry walked out back to sit in his usual thinking spot beneath the tree in the backyard. The evening air smelled strongly of the flowers from the garden, and the silence was peaceful and relaxing. Next door, his neighbor, Ms. Figg, had guests. They were sitting at a picnic table out back of her house enjoying cool glasses of Lemonade and cookies. One of Ms. Figg's many cats slowly padded its way over to where Harry sat and began rubbing up against his leg. Reaching down, he scratched in on the head, once again lost in his thoughts. What could possibly have killed all of those people that morning? It had to be connected to Voldemort, but what kind of monsters could have done it? He didn't know a great deal about monsters associated with the Dark Arts, at least not monster capable of doing something like this. They had mostly learned about smaller monsters; he supposed larger, more dangerous creatures would be dealt with in the following years. Perhaps Hermione would know; she might even know about the killings, living with muggles and having access to muggle news herself. Harry decided that the best thing to do would be to write to her about it later; right now he wanted to relax after a long day of
After an uneventful dinner in which Dudley convinced his mother that he needed third helpings of everything (his diet hadn't worked out) because he felt faint, Harry went up to his room, his haven. Hedewig watched him kill over onto his bed with her larger, amber eyes. He sighed loudly and rolled over to fetch his quill and a piece of parchment from his nightstand.
Dear Hermione,
How are you? Have you heard from Ron this summer? Everything's fine here. Dudley's diet didn't work out so it looks like my Uncle's going to have to dish out some money to get a custom made uniform for Dudley for school. Have you got all of you homework done or are you doing triple the amount of work that was assigned. I managed to get Potions and History of Magic out of the way already. I'm halfway through Transfiguration (she didn't give us as much as usual.). Did you see the news about the murders in London? I saw it on the TV this morning. Do you have any idea what sort of creatures could be responsible? (If you've seen the news. If you haven't, I'm sure you will.) Say hello to your parents and Crooshanks for me.
Harry
"Come here, Hedewig. Take this to Hermione for me, okay?" Hedewig nipped his ear gently before taking off into the settling darkness of the night. Harry watched her fly off into the night. Down on the street below a shadow stirred.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
That's all for this chapter ppl! I'm sorry it's so short! I promise the next part will be longer! What killed those people? What's Voldemort up to? I'm planning on making this a nice long fic, so enjoy!
-DementorGrl