Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I even been J.K. Rowling. I don't own any of the characters. I'm just someone that enjoys the stories and wants to see it continue in different ways.
The Essence of Darkness
It had been almost a week since Albus Dumbledore had dropped Harry off at the Burrow to spend the summer with the Weasley family, as Harry usually did. At first, it was a surprise when Harry had first shown up since it was usually right after his birthday. However, this year it had only been a week since school had let out for the summer before the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry took the boy away from his relatives.
From the moment Harry arrived, everyone knew something was wrong. He was quiet and had barely said more than a few words. He had also taken to wondering off by himself in the mornings and not returning till around when the sun had started to set.
The first day this happened, Mrs. Weasley had asked where he had been all day. With Voldemort now back and publicly known, she was responsible for his safety.
"Around," was his answer.
"Around where?" she asked.
"Just around," Harry said.
Mrs. Weasley, who was well known for her temper, let loose on Harry as though he was one of her own children. However, half way through her rant about how unsafe it was for him to be wondering around alone like he had been, she stopped. The usual look of fear she got from her own children when she was upset wasn't there. Instead all she saw was a blank emotionless face and empty eyes staring back at her.
"Arthur, I'm worried about him," said Mrs. Weasley later that night after everyone else had gone to bed and they were alone.
"He's recently lost the last person he could call his family," said Mr. Weasley. "He needs time to grieve."
"He isn't grieving Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "He isn't doing anything. In fact, it seems more like… Like he's been kissed by a Dementor."
"That's not possible," said Mr. Weasley. "He was as normal as could be when he left for the summer, and members of the Order have been keeping an eye on him around the clock till Dumbledore picked him up personally. Not even his relatives bothered him during his short stay there."
"Then what could be wrong with him?" she asked.
It was a few days later when Hermione Granger, smartest witch in her age, arrived to spend the summer with her best friends.
"How is he?" she asked shortly after the Knight Bus dropped her off.
"The same," said Ron.
Ron had sent an owl to Hermione, letting her know what was going on and how empty Harry had been acting since he arrived.
"Well, where is he?" she asked. "Maybe if I talk to him, I can find out what's bothering him."
"I don't know where he is," said Ron.
"What do you mean you don't know?" asked Hermione.
"Nobody does," said Ginny. "He wakes up before everyone else does and leaves for the day, only to come back when the sun sets. He eats a few bites of dinner and then goes to bed, only to do the same thing the next day."
"Maybe he's a reverse vampire," said Ron. "You know, he has to be inside when it's dark out and goes out during the day to suck someone's blood."
Ron was rewarded for his idea with a slap to the back of his head from his sister as she said, "That is the dumbest thing you have ever said."
Later that day, just as the sun started to set, Harry returned and was instantly hugged by Hermione. She immediately noticed he didn't return her hug or move at all.
"Harry, is everything alright?" she asked as she took a step back and looked at him.
"Fine," he said flatly. "I think I'm going to turn in early and get some sleep."
Without saying another word, he went upstairs to Ron's room where he was sleeping and went to bed.
Less than an hour later, the three of them had come up with a plan.
"So, we're all in agreement?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah," said Ginny.
"I guess," said Ron. "Though, I don't like it."
The following morning, they were all up and dressed before Harry woke up. Once he was dressed, he left the Burrow with them following him.
Harry suddenly stopped and they stopped as well and hid behind some bushes.
CRACK!
Harry was gone.
"Did he just apparate?" asked a shocked Hermione.
"It looked like it," said Ginny.
"But… How?" asked Hermione. "He's not even old enough and hasn't taken the classes on how to do it."
That mystery boggled their minds the rest of the day while they waited for Harry, deciding that when he came home, they would corner him and force him if they needed to in order to find out what was going on.
Meanwhile, in a dark corner of Knockturn Alley, a young dark wizard with the Dark Mark on his arm was slammed hard against the wall.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Harry Potter said as he looked at the dark wizard. "Where is she?"
"Screw you, Potter," spat the dark wizard.
"Wrong answer," said Harry as he pulled out his wand. "Where is she?"
"The dark lord is going to kill you," the dark wizard said. "You and those blood traitors and that filthy mudblood whore."
Harry then grabbed the dark wizards hand and held it against the wall. "Again, wrong answer," Harry said before he then used a cutting curse to slowly slice off each finger from the dark wizards hand, who screamed in pain before he finally passed out.
It was nearly an hour before the dark wizard regained consciousness.
"Good," said Harry, who was sitting on a crate near by with his wand in hand. "You're awake. Now, before I do the same to your other hand, tell me where Bellatrix is."
The dark wizard, fearful of what would happen if he continued to deny him what he wanted, told Harry everything he wanted to know.
"Very good," said Harry before he grabbed the uninjured hand of the dark wizard.
"You said you wouldn't if I told you where she was," said the dark wizards.
"Think again," said Harry in a cold and emotionless voice. "I never said any such thing. In fact, I never said I wouldn't do it at all. I said I wanted you to tell be me before I did. And now that you have told me, I am going to slice off the rest of your fingers. One. By. One."
And that is exactly what Harry did. No one came running to find out what was going on. Not in Knockturn Alley. It wasn't uncommon, especially with Voldemort's return, for someone to be tortured or even killed in the place known for the dark arts.
Just as Harry was about to leave, he noticed someone familiar in one of the shops and decided to have a word with him.
"Hello Malfoy," said Harry in his cold and emotionless voice.
The blond heir of the Malfoy family turned and sneered. "Potter," he hissed as he pulled out his wand.
"Reducto," said Harry as he pointed his wand, causing Draco Malfoy's wand and the hand holding it to explode.
"Now that I have your attention," said Harry as he walked over to the whimpering Slytherin who was holding the bloody stump of what used to be his hand. "I want you to do me a favor."
"Fuck you, Potter," shouted Draco. "I'll kill you for this."
Harry ignored his threats and continued, "I know Bellatrix is currently staying in your home, along with quite a few other Death Eaters and even Voldemort."
Draco's eyes shot wide open upon learning that Potter knew.
"I want you to deliver a message for me," Harry said. For the first time in weeks, he smiled and something about it was so terrifying, it made Draco wet his pants.
Ten minutes later, Draco's lifeless body arrived in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor. His mother screamed when she saw his body, broken and twisted.
"Get the dark lord," one of the Death Eaters shouted and a few minutes later, Voldemort was standing over the young boys body and reading what was carved into his chest.
"Tomorrow. Sun rise. I'm coming for you all. Harry Potter," Voldemort read out loud and then smiled.
"Bellatrix," he said and the crazed witch was by his side a second later. "Notify every one of my followers not currently held in Azkaban to be here before sun rise tomorrow to witness me destroy the boy once and for all."
"Yes master," she said with a twisted grin.
When Harry returned to the Burrow later that day, he was stopped by Hermione, Ron, and Ginny.
"Where have you been?" asked Hermione.
"Out," said Harry.
"Where?" she asked again. "I want to know."
"No," he said, looking at her with his cold eyes. "You don't."
He then pushed his way past them and went upstairs to sleep, gathering his energy for what awaited him tomorrow.
When the sun started to rise over the hills near Malfoy Manor, a loud crack announced the arrival of Harry Potter.
Looking around, he could see hundreds of witches and wizards in black cloaks. He smiled as he pulled out not only his own wand, but a second wand he had taken from a Death Eater he had 'questioned' and started sending blasting and cutting curses at every Death Eater he laid his eyes upon like a man possessed and no matter what spells they sent at him, it was as though he couldn't be touched.
It wasn't long till the ground was littered with the dead bodies of those not quick enough or smart enough to run away.
As all this happened, Voldemort watched from one of the upper floor windows.
"It would seem that young Mr. Potter no longer has the problem of killing his enemies," said Voldemort. "This will make things much more interesting."
Harry sent a curse towards the front doors of the manor, causing them to explode as he walked inside.
"Well, if it isn't wee baby Potter," Bellatrix said in her mocking baby voice.
"Just the witch I wanted to see," said Harry. "Remember last time we met, I tried a certain spell on you and it didn't work? You told me it wasn't because I didn't mean it. I didn't want it enough."
Bellatrix remembered his pathetic attempt of using one of the Unforgivable curses on her.
"Tell me if I mean it now?" asked Harry. "CRUCIO!"
Not expecting it, Bellatrix screaming out in pain worse than any she had felt before. Even at the hands of Voldemort himself when he had used the same curse on her after what happened in the Ministry.
"How does it feel?" Harry asked. "How does it feel to know that you are going to slowly go insane worse than you are at my hand? Remember Frank and Alice Longbottom? I know you do. When I get done with you, what you did to them will seem like a tickling charm."
Harry spent the next hour holding the torture curse on the witch till her heart finally gave out and she died, all the while thinking of his godfather and wanting her to pay for taking him away from him.
Suddenly, a slow clap started from the other side of the room, grabbing Harry's attention.
"I must say that I am surprised," said Voldemort. "I never expected you to fall to the lures of the dark arts."
Harry just stared at him with his cold eyes and said, "There is a lot about me you don't know."
"Obviously," said Voldemort. "You've killed a good deal of my followers, including young Draco just to let me know you were coming. You tortured Bellatrix to death. Tell me, what other little secrets are you hiding?"
"Just one," said Harry. "I know the full prophecy."
"Of course you do," said Voldemort. "Dumbledore told you."
"He did," said Harry. "Would you like to know what the missing part you don't know is?"
"Do tell," said Voldemort.
"It says I kill you," said Harry.
Voldemort looked into the young mans eyes and saw as they filled with fire just moments before Harry pointed his wand and sent the most unforgivable of the three curses at the dark lord.
"AVADA KADAVRA!" shouted Harry, firing the spell from both wands.
Voldemort managed to dodge the first curse, however the second one hit him right in the face.
Harry stood there for what seemed like hours as he stared at the lifeless body of the darkest wizard ever known.
As he left the manor, he ran into Dumbledore, members of the Order, as well as a few dozen Auror's.
"Harry?" Dumbledore asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"It's done," he said.
"What's done?" the Headmaster asked.
"Voldemort," said Harry. "He's dead. All of them are dead."
Dumbledore was about to ask Harry how he had done it when he collapsed to the ground. When he checked him, he wasn't breathing and his heart had stopped beating. He quickly took the boy that was like a grandson to him to St. Mungo's where after countless spells, said there was nothing they could do.
"I'm sorry," said one of the healers. "He's gone."
It was a little over a week later when Mrs. Weasley finally brought herself to be able to take Harry's things out of the Burrow. As she was cleaning up, she found a vial filled with a silver gas like liquid with a note attached that said 'In the event of my death, please watch this memory'.
Mrs. Weasley floo called Dumbledore, who immediately came over with his Pensieve. When he got the call, he had planned on watching it himself. However, when he arrived, all of the Weasley family was there as well as Miss Granger, wanting to know what Harry had left them.
He tried to argue, but it was pointless when Mrs. Weasley stated that they would all see it together, or he could leave and they would find a way to watch it without him.
Dumbledore agreed with a sigh and Mrs. Weasley added the memory to the bowl before they all stuck a hand in.
They suddenly found themselves standing in Harry's bedroom at Number Four Privet Drive. Standing by the wall was Harry. Aside from the red and puffy eyes indicating that he had been crying, he looked like his normal self.
"Um… Hi," the memory of Harry said. "I guess if you guys are watching this, that means I'm dead. It also means that Voldemort is dead also. I'm sure all of you are wondering what was going on with me while I was at the Burrow. Why I wasn't acting like myself. To explain that, it goes back to right after Sirius died. Dumbledore told me about the prophecy that was made right before I was born. That I was the only one who could beat Voldemort and would have a power that he didn't know about… Well, I found that power. I'm not sure how, but somehow I found a very ancient bit of magic that had been lost for a very long time… Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was part of the prophecy that I was supposed to find it. Either way, I found it.
"I also know none of you would approve of or even let me do this if you knew about it, which is why I never said anything. You see, the magic… It's the essence of darkness. The source of where all dark magic comes from. And while Voldemort may have used the magic, he didn't full understand it. But I did. I learned how and fused my own being with it. The downside of doing this is that when I finish what I set out to do with the essence of darkness, my life will end. There's no way around this.
"I'm sorry guys, but it was the only way I could think of beating him without putting everyone that I care about in danger like I did at the Ministry."
The memory of Harry started to cry, as well as everyone watching.
"I'm seriously going to miss you guys," the memory said. "All of you were the closest thing I had to a real family. But now I have to do what I know deep inside is what must be done. And soon, I'll be with my parents and Sirius again. And one day I'll see all of you again as well. Till then, just know that I love and care about all of you… Oh, and Ron. You're zipper is down."
Ron looked and saw his zipper was fine. He then started to blush as he looked up at the smiling face of his departed friend.
"Gotcha," said the memory of Harry before everything started to fade away and they left.