Harry Potter and its characters and settings are the executive property of J.K. Rowling. I use them without permission.

Blurring Visions

By Kaj-Nrig

Author's Notes: First off, let me say that I am not a fan of Harry Potter (then what would this be called? A 'non-fanfic,' maybe?). I believe that it is extremely cliché (well, that's not a good choice of words, but that IS part of it), and I don't see why people all over the world are so into it. But don't get me wrong. I actually have a lot of respect for it. It is just that a story that has the entire 'definite evil, definite good' thing going on doesn't really appeal to me.

This story is an AU – an alternate universe. The characters may be the exact same, or they may be completely polar to their original selves. Keep that in mind as you read this story.

PS – This story only contains characters from the first novel.

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"There are many who don't like me. Potter is just another one of them." - Keinslan de Voldemort

Light struck into him again, and he let out a hoarse cry of pain. The mystical energies that flowed through his body seemed to seep out of him like a mist, and he could feel the machines overhead sucking his magic from him. A plethora of voices conversed with each other outside his little prison, but they seemed to drift in and out of his consciousness. His eyes half-closed in exhaustion. Faintly, he could see a mash of color come into focus directly in front of this torture chamber, peering into the glass at him as if he were an animal.

"Well, you've certainly got more in you than we thought. We're going to have to increase the pressure if we want to meet the deadline. Have fun in there, kid." The man's pale wrists thunked against the glass twice, and the sound seemed to reverberate forever in the watery confines.

Another jolt of light and pain, but this one was much more powerful than the last. A black haze filled his vision, threatening to close in on him. His mind was shutting down. There was no more time left...

"Good. One more time. That should be more than enough for the transplant." Flash of light. Bright, white-hot pain.

The haze returned, and the young man convulsed, thrashing against the stainless metal. Misery, despair, and hopelessness all coalesced into a single organism, feeding his desperation. But his mind caught a familiar scent; his magic continued to ooze out of him, but the sapping machines were finished with their meal. The energy flowed through him again, and he realized that he could escape this situation. He didn't have to put up with this sort of undeserved punishment.

Then he became angry.

BLURRING VISIONS

Chapter One: The Calm Before the Storm/Turning of the Cogs of Fate

{The capital city of Gryffindor, Griffin's Watch}

Closing her eyes, Hermione slipped another string of energy into the etched stone, trying for the umpteenth time to get a reaction out of the mystic glyph. Something sparked in her mind's eye, and she grasped at it, frantically attempting to draw out more and more of it.

"Relax, Granger. You're making the same mistake. Don't force the magic. Just let it come to you," her teacher spoke in a light tone, criticizing her while buffering the blow.

Hermione let out an irritated growl. "I'm TRYING, sir." She knitted her young eyebrows in concentration, sending more tendrils of her magic into the stone. Ah! There it was. Something almost tangible hung in the distance, almost beckoning for her to come greet it. She was so close now...

Something lashed out suddenly, ensnaring her and pulling her in. She let out a frightened gasp, and began thrashing in her seat. "Aah! Help, Professor Snape! Help! Aagh!" The dark tendrils of magic drank her essence in greedily, slithering into her frightened mind. No! I don't want to go there! Get me out of here! I don't want to see it! The tendrils paid her no heed, however, as they pooled into her body, pulling her closer to the swirling nexus. No! Let me go! Please, let me go!

Then a light flashed behind her eyes, a strange warmth flowing through her body. Her hands went up to shield her face from the incredible light, but it seemed to come from somewhere she couldn't sense. Her skin soaked the warmth in, bringing her to a calm state. The panicked moments before seemed to leave her as quickly as they had come, and she bathed in the light's presence for a while, an almost angelic tranquility coming over her.

But as soon as it had come, the light vanished, and in the moments after, as the green and purple spots vanished, something appeared to her. A... a face. Yes, a face. Dark brown hair with a silver sheen, ferociously dark and foreboding hazelnut eyes almost glaring at her, a grim, determined chin, and...

Pointed ears? The thought barely had time to register before the man suddenly snarled and lunged at her, but it was as if he were seeing someone else.

[Potter!]

Potter? Harry? The light suddenly bled into the distance, leaving her in a realm of pitch black. Something... faint sounds registered in her brain. Then a bright light came over her again, but this time it was from above, and she slowly rose her hand to block it out. The blotched sounds sorted themselves out in her ears and soon became clear, concerned voices.

"Hermione! Hermione, are you okay!? Answer me! Hermione!" Who was that? ...oh yeah, that was Snapes.

"Granger! Hey, Granger! Stop being so dramatic and get up!" Huh? ...Draco. Should've figured.

"Miss Granger? Are you alright?" That... Ron Weasely.

"Hermione! Hey, what's wrong!?" Harry.

The young girl stirred, shakily opening her eyes. There he was, staring down at her, concern writ plainly on his beautiful face. She smiled softly at his angelic expression, slowly dragging herself into a half-sitting position, her weakness momentarily forgotten in his presence. "D-don't worry, Harry. It's alright. I'm fine. It was just-" A sharp pain lanced through her head and cast aside all thoughts. Wild, eldritch coils pounded against her temples, demanding to be set free on the world. A single image flashed through her head, and the tendrils of magic ached to touch it, snap it in half, slash at it until it was nothing but a bloody pulp. They wrapped around the image, encircling his neck, slithering into his nose, snapping at his arms and legs. No...! Harry...

She let out a silent scream, and everything seemed to vanish, leaving her once again in merciful darkness.

(The edge of the enchanted forest, near Gryffindor)

Voldemort shook his head vigorously, trying to discard the invasive images from his mind's eye. Smoke trailed from his gloved fingertips, and a red haze of heat arced from his outstretched hand to a nearby tree, which was now charred a midnight black with a few embers glowing like ominous eyes. What the hell just happened? He placed his left hand on another tree trunk, this one free of burns, and placed his weight on the mighty wood, panting from a mixture of exhaustion and mental and spiritual draining.

Holding himself against the cool bark, Voldemort's eyes scanned the thinning grove of tanned, golden evergreen pines. Soft light filtered through the needles above and cast a crisscrossing shadow to wrap around his weary frame. About a hundred yards ahead laid the edge of the forest, where the realm of sensible, normal humans started. The golden shafts of light seemed to coalesce wherever his eyes met the dusty road, as if to deter him from viewing a small portion of normalcy.

Gritting his teeth, the young wizard pushed off the tree, making his way to the open path ahead. The dirt path that normally held roves of travelers was unusually deserted; then again, not many people traveled with roads (or at high noon, or next to the Forbidden Forest) anymore. Letting the tip of his sword dig a path in the grains of the highway, Voldemort trudged along, heading for his one and only destination at the moment – Griffin's Watch.

(The capital of Griffin's Watch)

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Panicked cries echoed throughout the vast castle walls, issuing from the equally panicked mouth of Minerva McGonagall, who was currently racing down the courtyard, rushing to the castle gardens in haste. "King Dumbledore! I must speak to you!" Her robes flapped around her like a ship's flag caught in a storm, nearly snapping at the castle's residents as she ran by. The large double doors leading to the gardens were easily slammed against the castle's stone walls, their enchanted wood creaking under the blow. "King Dumble-"

"Quiet!" the old wizard snapped softly, holding his hand out to stifle her. "Minerva, it is almost blooming. Please do not disturb me in this truly miraculous moment." His wizened eyes were trained on the soft petals of a large black petunia-like flower. The giant petals were slowly unfurling, leaving a gleaming, crystal-like cocoon behind. "Devil's crystal peonies bloom only once in their two-hundred year lifespan, and they only do so to feed."

McGonagall wringed her hands together and stepped from one foot to the other. "Your Majesty, I MUST tell you something of dire importance!"

Dumbledore reached his hand to the gleaming crystal, rubbing his fingertips together gently, completely ignoring her. "They make this crystal out of sugar and their own glossy fibers. The crystal reflects certain types of lights to attract its prey..." His hand crept closer to the softly shining crystal. "...and the sugar in it keeps the prey secured to it, both in its taste and its stickiness." His eyes were glazed over now, and he was speaking more to himself now than her. The tips of his fingers were right above the crystal now, dipping down. "And after it senses a prey..." McGonagall leapt back as a blur of black snapped in on Dumbledore's hand, cracking closed with a loud snap. She looked frighteningly at Dumbledore, eyes slowly trying to make out the fountain of blood that was sure to start spraying everywhere.

"It snaps the creature in, trapping it for the next hundred years in a slow, torturous digestive system." The crystal pulsed slightly in his grasp, and he gave her a small, comforting smile.

Snapping out of her daze, McGonagall fished for her forgotten words. "Umm, uh, s-sir. Well, I'm reporting a very sudden and unexpected occurrence just a few minutes ago-"

He nodded curtly, cutting her off in mid-sentence. "Ah, yes, yes, yes, that. I sensed that as well, Minerva. Trust me, there is nothing to be worried about. All is going as planned." His eyes shone with a dangerous glint that mixed with the reflection from the crystal, and McGonagall felt a shiver go down her back.

"E-excuse me, Your Majesty? What plans?"

His next grin was none-too-comforting, and, casually, he tossed the crystal in the air. "Oh, there's no need for you to know, Minerva." The crystal suddenly shattered, and Minerva McGonagall barely had time to gasp before the jagged shards tore into her body. As her limp, bloody body tumbled to the ground, Dumbledore rubbed his hands together, barely holding back a laugh of exultation. "Oh, yes. Soon, everything will come together as we planned. Soon."

-End Chapter 1-

Author's Notes: Well, there goes my first cruddy, ill-conceived chapter. Tell me what you think. Flames, rants, one-sided criticisms, biased reviews, whatever you want to call them, I'll gladly accept them. It'll show me just how stupid I really am. I honestly think I did a better job on this one than my other stories (though this one still isn't all that good), but, nyeh, I'll let you be the judge of that.

Anyway, that's how my 'alternate reality' is setting up. Think it's good? Think I'm a J. K. Rowling-wannabe wannabe? Think I should stop this before I make everybody on die of Horrible-reading-material-citis? Tell all! I'd like some good criticism (like 'oh, this was alright, but you could work on this part more'), but if all you guys've got is rants, then oh well, it's all good.

PS – Now, if I don't get any bad reviews (on second thought, if I don't get ANY reviews), then I'll continue this story. So, if you really really REALLY hate this story and think I should take it off immediately, you'd better let me know now or don't come biting to me later!

Encyclopedia

None, yet. In the next chapter I'll get some of the terms and locations down. There's going to be a lot of things in this section, though.