Burden of Prophesy: The Devil's Daughter
Genre:
I thought to myself one day: I am going to write a magnificent, blow-you-away story. And this is the result: A captivating tale of mystery, horror, treachery, romance, and friends in unlikely places.A/N:
If you like this story, I'm going to make a sequel… SO REVIEW!Summary:
The story of Albus Dumbledore and Tom Riddle and what happened in the late 1940s that changed both of their lives forever. A very twisted Romeo and Juliet type of story, if you will. (really good says my beta reader. Please read)Chapter One: That One Girl…
As the warm vermilion stained the clean white crystals surrounding them, a young boy with emerald eyes and coal black hair lay in the cold, shivering, tending to the wound in vain, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. In the barren desert of white, stood a dark figure, outlined in the moonlight. A predator, staring down at it's prey.
"It wasn't her fault at all, was it? She was just another victim, wasn't she?" panted the boy who was so much more than a boy.
"You're nearly out of breath, boy. Relax."
"You're telling me to relax?" There was grim laughter from the wounded. "I always thought you would be the last person to tell me to relax."
"The prophecy held true. The so-called curse has been broken. I need you no longer. I need no one any longer." The hunter seemed weary, as if jaded with hunting and perhaps even life itself.
"Prophecies…" the boy spat in disgust. "Prophecies! You think a stupid prophecy is the reason this all happened? This happened because you made it happen. There are no such things as prophecies, only silly fortune cookies people take too seriously. You made it happen, Tom!" The way the boy hissed the name, so full of malice, so coldly, made the predator wonder who the evil one among them really was.
"Tom…" A simple syllable, a long forgotten name uttered on the lips of a cold blooded sadist. "I had forgotten the sound of that name. Tom."
"Tom," the boy repeated, in a calm whisper.
"Sit up boy, and lean against that rock," the hunter nodded at the side of a cliff behind the boy. "Go on, before you die of frostbite or loss of blood. I don't want you dead. Not now."
"Not yet," the boy added as he scowled at the beast with a loathing he had never felt so strongly before. But he took the suggestion anyway. The hunter brought out a long slender object and muttered words under his breath. The blood stopped oozing and the wound on the boy's chest vanished.
"Why did you do that?" the boy asked, evenly.
"You already know I can take your life away from you any time I need to. I need not demonstrate that to you any more. You already know. This ceaseless killing… It tires me. Don't look so surprised, Harry Potter. Surely things you do daily must bore you?" The boy, Harry, looked down at the cold white of the snow and sadly shook his head.
"Minutes ago, you were ready to slaughter me. And now, you're telling me you're bored?" A ghost of a smile flickered across the hunter's features as he gave a small, unnatural chortle.
"Yes, odd, isn't it? I, the one man, nay, the one creature, to achieve immortality, has now no need for it at all. I have no desire to live anymore, Potter. Long life eventually begins to take its toll on you. Your demons eventually catch up with you."
"Funny. You were always my demon."
"I didn't kill you, Potter, because I saw the same thing in your eyes that I have felt for years. Fatigue. I saw an understanding in you. Only you can understand." The boy threw back his head and laughed a loud, morose, laugh.
"Understand you!" he jeered. "Who the hell could ever understand someone like you?" The predator sighed, almost sadly.
"How did this all begin?" he asked himself, not expecting an answer.
"You went mad," Harry replied. The hunter turned to the boy and saw that his expression was inscrutable.
"Yes. I believe I did. It all started with that one girl."
"And it all ended with that one girl…" Harry added.
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Decades Before…
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A young redheaded girl walked down the hall casually. As she past the Head Girl, she smiled politely and inconspicuously slid her hand into the young girl's pocket and pulled it out again, holding a wallet. She continued to walk down the hall casually.
"You never cease to amaze me, Lucy," Tom smiled as he met the girl at the end of the hall. She smiled and handed him the wallet.
"I learned from the master," she laughed.
"Indeed…" Tom looked through the wallet and counted the money. "This is child's play."
"Indeed," Lucy mimicked. She grinned as she leaned in to kiss the man gently. As she pulled away, Tom licked his lips, tasting the soft kiss.
"You are a special girl," he said to the sixth year. "A special girl indeed."
"I am also a lucky girl to have met you," she replied with a toss of her hair. The corners of Tom's mouth twitched into what could have been considered the beginning of a smile. But his lips became straight again.
"Contact our friends in Durmstrang and bring me Lestrange, Malfoy and Larkin." Lucy looked at him, questioningly.
"And Dumbledore? What are you going to do about him?" Again, the young man almost smiled.
"You should know better to question me, love. All will be discussed in the Chamber." Lucy nodded, obediently.
"As you wish." Within the blink of an eye, she was gone.
"I don't know why he thinks he can order us around as he pleases," one young man hissed to his comrades.
"Quiet, Malfoy, before I chop your tongue off!" Another man threatened Malfoy with his wand.
"Yes," said the final one, imperiously. "Gareth is right. You do seem to talk too much, Lewis." Lewis Malfoy took on an expression of annoyance.
"I have no time for this," he muttered. "Marisa is pregnant. I should be with her."
"She will still be pregnant when we are through," Jonathan Lestrange assured him.
"However, Malfoy does have a point," Gareth Larkin put in. "What is so urgent he needed to see us right away?" Before anyone could answer his question, they met a lovely young redhead greeted them at the entrance to the Chamber.
"Greetings, young Death Eaters," she said with a seductive smile. "Lord Voldemort is waiting." Glancing at each other, the young men walk into the Chamber of Secrets to see a powerful looking Tom Riddle on the throne, stroking the head of a dangerous reptile.
"Have a seat," he encouraged, "And pay no heed to the basalisk." As the men looked around, they noticed they seemed to be the last to arrive, even though they had to travel the least to get there.
As they took their seats, the young woman entered the chamber herself and closed the door. The hall was full of men of all ages from fifth year students at the school, to forty-year-old full grown men. The crimson haired woman was the only female in the Chamber.
"I have gathered you all here today to say that these last few months have been a startling success. The assassination of the Minister was one of our best accomplishments. Those mudbloods think they're just as good as us. They even think they can control our government! But this is more than just killing and torturing mudbloods." A ripple of curiosity spread through the crowd.
"For months we have been discretely torturing muggles and murdering mudbloods and exploding buildings. But no one knows who is causing all this mayhem! Who would guess it was a seventeen-year-old boy and his followers? Which is why I propose we make our presence known with the public and brutal assassination of one of the most respected wizards known today. Albus Dumbledore!" A wave of excitement rustled the crowd as if it were water.
"But how, if you pardon me asking sir, do you intend to do this?" It was Malfoy who bravely said it. Tom gave him a crooked grin.
"Why, I'd need a clever and loyal assistant by my side. Someone who would never betray me, and would do any order I give him quickly and efficiently. Someone sly and devious and in control." As he said this, he looked long and hard at Malfoy, who was one of his original Death Eaters and Malfoy smiled. He was sure his Lord would choose him as his loyal and trustworthy accomplice. But he was wrong.
"Lucy Kilbourne, would you please come up to the front?" Malfoy couldn't help but gape as he whipped his head around and noticed the sexy female who had greeted them walk down the aisle, her crimson robes flowing at her feet and her green eyes sparkling. Tom was smiling.
"This is my successor, should I die, which I assure you I will not for a long time." As he introduced her, he put his arm around her shoulders. "She is also my most trusted. My queen. Lucy Kilbourne." Everyone rose and clapped in approval, except for Malfoy who stayed in his chair, angry that his Master could overlook him like that. And all for some, some female!
As the clapping died down and everyone took their seats again, Tom continued.
"As I said, I shall not die for a long time. The reign of Lord Voldemort will be a long and glorious one!" There was another loud cheer. "I have taken many steps to ensure my lasting life. Soon, I will live longer than Nicholas Flammel himself!
"You may think, 'All this from a seventeen-year-old orphan?' Well, might I remind you I am about to graduate top of my class with high honors and respect. I can do almost anything I want. Why not try to achieve immortality?"
"I always knew you were a child prodigy…" Lucy whispered. Tom couldn't help but smile slightly as he continued, but didn't even glance at her as he concentrated on the stage.
"When I reach this goal of immortality, nothing will be able to destroy or contain me. No one can stand in my way. And that, my dear Death Eaters, is the ultimate goal.
"But first, as usual, we must start slow. To make our presence known, we must compromise Dumbledore's position and use him to our advantage."
"I thought we were going to kill him!" called one random voice, backed up by other cries of "Yeah!"
"Patience, patience, in time. But first, I want to see the bastard suffer. Lucy, that is where you come in." His mistress nodded.
"I have already started my mission, master."
"Good. Everything is working well."
