"How could you?" she asked, tears in her eyes. He couldn't tell if they were tears of sorrow or pain. He found that he didn't really care. He tilted his head at her question, however. It was audacious of her to ask, he thought, given her circumstances.
"How could I?" he mimicked, then let out a sharp laugh. Then, he smiled, a smile that sent shivers down her spine. He was glad at that. It showed she was scared, as she should be.
It had begun soon after Voldemort died. He found that there was little that he enjoyed doing anymore. All his older pass-times seemed childish compared to battling a Dark Lord. They simply did not hold the same...thrill as searching for horcruxes or fighting Death Eaters. In short, the Boy-Who-Lived-Yet-Again, was bored.
So of course he took it upon himself to relieve that boredom. He had learned early enough that he had power. And while he had not intended to use any of the Hallows after the War, he decided to change his mind. The world, both muggles and wizards needed a powerful leader. He could be that.
He found little ways to amuse himself with the cloak and the wand, and quickly gained a reputation. A reputation that contrasted strongly with the one he had had as the savior of the wizarding world. He was not admired, now, though he was still respected; respected out of fear. He found he liked it. It was oddly addicting. He often wondered why he had spent years fighting on what he now knew to be the wrong side. The side that lost even when it won, because in the end, he figured everyone was selfish, and Dumbledore's greater good was simply a farce.
It did not help his friends' futile cause to "bring him back to the light side", that he realised in retrospect he had simply been expendable to the old Headmaster he had trusted. He was only kept "safe" (if living with the Dursleys could be called that), and later brought to Hogwarts, so that he could be a means to an end. What was worse was that his teachers and so-called friends had willingly condoned it.
This did not sit quite right with him. It would have to be fixed, of course. And that would involve a lot of pain, for a lot of people. He would start with the ones who had caused hi hurt, and then move on to bigger things. A few examples would have to be set before the world cowered, of course.
And that brought him back to the present. Hermione at her knees, in front of him, bruised and bleeding and rather broken. Well, it couldn't be helped. She was being stubborn, and refusing to believe that he could hurt her, and so her took great pleasure in proving her wrong.
It was strange to him, that even after knowing all he had done in the past few months, she still believed he was the friend she used to know. She even tried to remind him of his parents and how they would feel if they saw him now. He scoffed at her pathetic little attempts. He had a different legacy to uphold now. The legacy of the man he killed. He grinned at the thought.
Harry Potter, Dark Lord.
How brilliant.
Notes: For my sister Jenny (via the Singing a Song Along Challenge at The Golden Snitch. Prompt: Harry Potter)
Also for Star Wars Week! Prompt: Write about an evil character who wants to rule over all people.
And for the Through the Universe Challenge. Prompt: Harry Potter.