Title: Book One of the Shadow Strider Quartet:Tainting Darkness
Author's Note:
Hi, Shadow of the Ankh has other commitments right now, so I'm taking over for her. I'm using her notes, but am fixing up the chapters to be slightly darker and have a little more drama. In addition I hope to slow down the progression of the story.
Please Enjoy,
Night Fury
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure
Spoilers: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Warnings: SLASH, HET, violence, cursing, gore, smoking, AU, OOC, OC, Character bashing, creature inheritance, inheritance, new abilities, different lineage and possible mentions abuse (physical/verbal/sexual/psychological)
Summary: SLASH. Voting inside. After HBP. Over the Summer Harry makes a deal with a demon, but will dealing with it end in his death? Dead Manipulative Dumbledore! Creature inheritance. Dark! Independent! Harry! Dark and Morbid.
Main Pairing: Severus Snape/Harry Potter or Charlie Weasley/Harry Potter or Bill Weasley/Harry Potter Please
Harry's pairing – Winner: Severus Snape
Bill Weasley: 5
Charlie Weasley: 2
Severus Snape: 6
"Blah" – Speaking
'Blah'– Thinking
Blah - A Snake Speaking
- Blah - - Harry or Voldermort Speaking parseltongue
:: Blah :: - General Beast-speak
: Blah : - Draco's Beast-speak
'Blah' – Telepathy
"Blah" – A Demon Speaking
PART ONE
Fall
PROLOGUE:
To survive among murderers
The Demon's education
"Effrego penitus orbis of three; mens phasmatis quod somes per cruor per vox per sentential(break the inner circles of three; mind, spirit, and body by blood, by word, by thought)."
"So be it!"
The darkness pulled at him, eating away at his very being. He felt as if his flesh were melting away. The sickening smell of blood and rot filled his nose. Glancing down he saw his own bones appear as his flesh was pealed away. RIP. TEAR. YANK. And he was bare, glistening muscles without an inch of skin, slowly that too faded away. He burned, his body, god it hurt! Suddenly a voice floated by "You're who you make yourself to be."
Who am I? Harry asked himself. I'm the boy who lived. I'm the youngest Quidditch seeker in a century. I am a Gryffindor. No… those are not who I really am. Those are just superficial titles. Something I became for the sake of my title the-boy-who-lived. Who am I?
Who was I before Hogwarts, who is Harry? I was a shy, quiet child… The Dursleys limited my capacity for intelligence with their abuse when I appeared smarter than their child. I was introverted and quick thinking. I thought before I acted. I did not judge. I was flexible in my thoughts and beliefs I was willing to learn and understand, indeed I had a passion for it.
I became resistant to anything new, I rejected education. I became impulsive and moody. All of those qualities I regret for they have hurt more than healed the world. Who am I? No, who do I want to be, since I can not grow younger?
I can no longer be the Harry Potters others knew. I need to be quick thinking, competent if not intelligent, careful, a problem solver, I need to be more open to idea and beliefs, I need to ask for help when I need it. I need to know who I really am.
I've played the golden Gryffindor role for too long. I've lost myself… who am I?
Harry Potter stared into the mirror as he traced the contours of his face with a shaking hand. Sharp, angular visage composed of high defined cheekbones, a pointed chin. Cotton candy pink full lips a petite freckled nose and shoulder length dark auburn hair, highlighted with copper and various hues of blond. Almond shaped Ocean blue eyes framed by long dark eyelashes and soft golden brown skin spoke of a mix of European and East Asian descent. He was very slender and of average height for a male (5'7"), with an almost a delicate appearance. His scar had faded, but still remained as a faintly pink mark.
"BOY!" Vernon Dursley's voice boomed from downstairs.
"Ah shit!" Harry swore before reapplying his glamour wand-lessly and soundlessly. "Coming, Uncle Vernon!" Harry called.
Horace Hellborne, a young man of questionable alliances and beliefs, was walking down the dusty Arizona highway, his lank auburn hair hung to his hollowed cheeks and his black eyes flashed dangerously.
He was an immortal man, deathless because he was 'death'. Though he may not seem it he was millenniums old, a true tale of mythology. Hellborne, the name of his family, a name associated with the dark history of necromancy, a talent born of darkness. But he strayed. Neither being a man of light nor a man of darkness. He was a wanderer by nature. However, he was a wanderer with a debt, a debt to certain demon. Horace was heading back to his family estate in England, a deserted and desecrated home, ready to serve his new master.
In Knockturn Alley, in a shabby apartment building three murderers and one would-be-murderer lived. These three murderers were infamous among the wizard community and among he-who-shall-not-be-named death eater's group. So in desperate need they had devised new identities to protect themselves. The first murderer was a potions master, who dealt in illegal potions, he called himself Leoncio Fay. His Apprentice was a boy by the identity of Corentin Mallery. The Apprentice's parents, two murders by the identities Adilene Mallery and Damien Mallery were the apartment manager's children's teacher and a freelance spy. Their real names were Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy. Not wanting to be controlled by Voldermort, the ministry or the remnants of the Order of Phoenix they had isolated themselves, forsaking their former lives and beliefs to possess free will. This is not to say that they readily apologized for their actions. No, they deemed their transgressions necessary, most of all Severus's.
Dumbledore had been a sick conniving man, who had used Severus's vulnerability against him forcing him into heinous criminal acts. Dumbledore had used Severus's own lineage against him. Severus was a Dhampir, a half breed vampire, half pure blood wizard half creature of darkness. Dumbledore to ensure Snape's subservience punished him with psychological torture and starvation, denying him the substance that kept him powerful… blood.
It had been, accidental that Snape had been freed from his constraints. He owed it to a Quidditch wound Harry had earned and a mistake on Madam Pomfrey's part. You see one, in ever forty million mortals, runs the life stream, a direct conduit to the energy of the universe and it was Snape's fortune that Harry had been one such person. His blood broke the bonds on Snape's mind that were controlled by Dumbledore. Snape had immediately killed Dumbledore.
After Dumbledore's death Snape had proceeded to break down the wards on his inner conscious and had come to the startling revelation that he had been the secret fifth Marauder named Twitch and was a panther. The incident in the Shrieking shack had never occurred. He was supposed to be a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff, but Dumbledore had manipulated that hat into placing him in Slytherin. His best friend had been Remus Lupin and when Harry had come to Hogwarts he had been immediately attracted to him.
After drinking Harry's blood, Snape had regained his youth and vitality. He was now appeared to be a dashingly handsome man of nineteen, but he had eyes for only one; the child known as Harry Potter.
Harry was sitting comfortably on his bed after another back breaking day of work in the Garden. He was practicing a newly discovered magic he learned he could perform. With this magic he had narrowed down one of his parents to either three men Lucius Malfoy, the late Sirius Black or Avery Zabini. Raising his hand he gestured to a stone on his desk, focusing he imagined a spark, a spark of fire deep within the stone and then he slowly fed it power turning into a fiery blaze. The stone began to reshape itself becoming pliable. Harry then focused on a shape, a little stone creature made of small stones. "Speak!" Harry commanded, letting his hand fall to his side.
"What shall I speak about master?" The stone asked in a gravely voice.
"You're a stone from Hogwarts. Tell me what you've seen there."
"Yes master." The stone said and the newly animated creature began to speak of Hogwarts's history.
"And I believe the headmaster now keeps that artifact in, oh wait he's moved it today—"
Here Harry interrupted the creature, "You know what's going on at Hogwarts at this very moment?" Harry asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yes master." The stone said bowing, "Hogwarts is always moving and always knowing. We're one. Every piece of Hogwarts 'knows'. Usually once removed from the boundaries Hogwarts looses that part, but you, master, are part of Hogwarts, you are a descendant of the creators."
"You mean to tell me I am a descendant of one of the founders?" Harry laughed.
"Yes master, you smell like Snake and books…. I would say the blood of Rowena and Salazar runs in your veins."
"Then you must be mistaken, perhaps Rowena, but it is most likely that I bear only the powers of the snake and not the blood." Harry said. He sighed in exasperation, he was arguing with a stone. He must be going crazy.
"I assure you do possess the blood of the snake." The stone's voice became garbled and then the spell Harry had cast on the stone was forcefully ended by an outside force. Harry jumped from the bed and reached for the stone. He found no trace of magic of foreign magic.
"Odd." Harry murmured.
Mrs. Weasley lay on the couch as her second oldest son checked his brother growing within her. Leo was going to be a troublemaker. Charlie smiled gently at his mother, "Leo is fine." Charlie had a degree not only in Dragon handling, but also in minor healing. He was still learning to heal animals. His mother stroked her belly and Charlie was flooded with warmth before he clamped down on his empathic abilities.
Mrs. Weasley formerly Molly Campbell was a descendant of Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw and possessed the fire sprite blood. Mr. Weasley was a descendant Morgan Le Fae, Mab and a cousin line of the Malfoys. Both the Malfoys and the Weasleys possessed Veela blood.
From their lineage the seven, now to be eight children, of Molly Campbell-Weasley and Arthur Weasley possessed an array of abilities. Empathy was predominant in Charlie, but he also possessed the gift of telekinesis (like George, Fred, Bill and Percy) and fire starting (like Ginny).
Bill had a lot of charisma and inner strength, while Ginny was very sensitive and had a fiery temper. Charlie was quiet, sure and very gentle he could soothe any scared animal. Percy was imperious, yet intelligent and innovated. The twins were mischievous, but loyal and Ron, well Ron had the sensitivity of a teaspoon. He was the odd one out. He had a temper like his sister, had irrational jealous, was dense, he was moody and rather unpredictable. He was always angry when his siblings used their abilities around him (he having none), so the family had taken to hiding them.
Charlie smiled at his mother, before leaving her there to croon over the newest addition to the family and went to grab food from the kitchen. Charlie Weasley had chin length wavy auburn hair, scarred freckled brown skin, large honey colored eyes, a tall (6'6"), broad, yet lanky frame was quite built. His time studying dragons and caring for them had made him into an athletic young man of nineteen. He was not front-cover-hunk-of-the-year handsome, but he was distinctive and charming in his own way.
Bill soon entered the room and began to chat with his younger brother about his studies. While Charlie was not a picture boy, Bill certainly was. With his fiery shoulder length red hair, pale lightly freckled skin, lanky muscled frame, that devilish smile, bad ass attitude and impressive height. He was every boy and girl's dream boyfriend. Unbeknownst to Molly both Charlie and Bill were gay and had been dating guys off and on for a while now.
Harry walked to the edge of the wards surrounding the Dursleys and much of the neighborhood, before dropping his glamour. Wearing half of his hair tied back with a bright blue ribbon, the other half fell to his shoulders and curled on them. His golden brown skin looked enticing with the black ribbed muscles top and long black pants. He wore combat boots and had a bottomless red backpack thrown over his shoulder. Harry caught many people's eyes, both boys and girls. He quickly hopped on a muggle bus and stopped two streets away from Diagon Alley. Putting on some muggle concealer over his distinguishing scar, he entered the Leaky Cauldron. And made his way to Flourish and Blots.
"Can I help you with anything?" A mousy young woman asked nervously gazing with pink cheeks at the beautiful young man.
"Yes, I'm trying to discover my ancestry and have been having difficulties searching. I was looking for anything to—"
"You're muggle born then?"
"Umm… no, adopted by muggles. I never knew my parents, but I have enough evidence to believe they are pure bloods."
"How peculiar." The girl said, her voice was very much like moaning Myrtle's, "Well, I suppose the best way to go about it is to go to Gringotts and ask for a lineage test. Most pure bloods do this every ten years to see if they have come into any unknown inheritance. The Goblins will have no problem with it. I suggest you pick up some books later in our ancestry section after you get your results." The girl said. Harry beamed at her.
"Thank you, that was most informative. I believe I'll do just that." Harry said.
Harry strode over to Gringotts. What he did not see was two pairs of eyes watching him, one with a look of shock and pain and the other with a look of curiosity. Once entering the hall of Gringotts, Harry approached a very familiar Goblin, who sat as a teller, "Hi Griphook I see you were promoted. Good for you." The Goblin looked shocked for a moment before his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Do I know you?" He asked.
"Well, yes I suppose you know me, but let's say my identity is troubling me. You see, I discovered I was not quite who I was led to believe I was. Actually this is the reason I am here. Someone informed me that you do lineage tests and I would like to have one performed on myself."
"Of course, Mr.?"
Harry leaned over towards the Goblin to whisper in his ear, "Potter, Harry Potter. Though I'm not so sure anymore." The goblin took in his appearance with surprise before signaling the young man to follow him. Through a twisted corridor and up several staircases, to a door labeled, 'Let blood bind thee, let blood identify thee, let blood define thee.'
"Mr. err Potter…" Griphook said leading the boy into the room and took a seat across from him at a desk. "Basically, all you must do is prick your index finger on your wand hand and," Griphook said bending over and pulling out an empty black marble basin shaped like a pensive, "let a drop form in here." Harry nodded and accepted the proffered dagger. He nicked his finger on his right hand and then let a single drop of liquid fall into the basin.
The blood began to spin and quickly grow until it fit the bowl. For several moments it spun chaotically, before settling down into a placid pool. "Alright, all you need now is to put your hand in and withdraw your rings and signet paper. Harry nodded again and stuck his hand into the icy red liquid. He withdrew a piece of parchment with four rings around it. One ring was an ornate silver basilisk with silver scales and emerald eyes. The next was a Ring with a gold ring with carved Grim on the center. The band was made of ivory carved into bones. The next ring was made of silver shaped as a Dagger against a tree, that ring was made of silver and lapis and diamonds. The tree branches entwined to make a silver band. Finally the last ring was made of gold and had the Gryffindor Lion on it, but a giant 'P' with a crown over it.
When the Goblin saw the ring with the dagger and tree, he scurried from the room, promising to be back momentarily, assuring Harry that he was not in trouble. Unrolling the parchment as the Goblin was away, this is what he read:
NAME:Elijah Leonardo Malfoy-Black
D.O.B.: 7. 31. 1980.
BIOLOGICAL PARENTS: Under the Potion of Three (A potion that allows three people to pass on their genetics to a single child)
FATHER 1: Lucius Rafael Malfoy
FATHER 2: Sirius Orion Black (Deceased)
MOTHER: Ember Aster Cross(Deceased – executed under orders of the ministry)
ADOPTIVE PARENTS:
FATHER: James Fredrick Potter
MOTHER:Lilly Emerald Evans-Potter
GENETIC TRAITS:
Animation Magic (Active) – both of Black and Malfoy Lineage
Multi-animagus (Inactive) – of Black Lineage
Beast Speak (Inactive) – Of Black, Campbell Lineage
Parseltongue (Active) – Of Black-Slytherin Lineage
Parselmagic (Awakening) – Of Black-Slytherin Magic
The Assassin Complex (Inactive) – Of Cross Lineage
Wand-less (Active) – Of Cross, Dumbledore, Snape lineage
Soundless magic (Active) – Of Cross Lineage
Ceremonial Magic (Inactive) – Of Malfoy, Zabini, Snape and Nott Lineage
Mind magics (Awakening) – Of Snape, Dumbledore, Malfoy, Potter and Zabini lineage
CREATURE INHERITANCE:
Forest Sprite – (Cross) superior speed and agility as well as reflexes and balance, controls three elements (Earth/Air/Water), controls the spirits of trees
Veela – (Malfoy) sexuality
Dark Elf – (Black) Shadow Magic
Demon – (?) Seeing magic, absorbing surrounding magic, feeling magic, Empathy, channeling magic, self-healing and superior strength and endurance
Harry nearly dropped the parchment in his shock. "Mr. Malfoy-Black?" Griphook asked concerned.
"What was the reason given for my mother's execution?" Harry asked his voice void of emotion. "Do you know why my parents never claimed me?"
"We can only guess that they never knew. The Goblins supported the Cross family even when the Ministry had the last of the line charged as a criminal. Our entire race held a debt to the Cross family. I must assume that your fathers didn't know of your conception and when the ministry executed her, she had given birth to you. Most likely they bound your abilities and gave you up for adoption… may I see your lineage parchment." Harry nodded and handed over the sheet. Griphook glanced at it before sucking in his breath and handing the parchment back shakily, "I suggest you never reveal that you possess the assassin complex. That is why they killed your mother."
"What is it?"
"The assassin complex is genetic trait that makes the Cross family into the perfect killers. The Assassin complex allows the inheritor to see weaknesses in people's magic, in their bodies and in their minds and know where to strike. Ember described it as a grid that covers normal sight (A/N: think about those arcade games that light up to tell you were to punch the dummy). If a person has a weakness in a magical shield it will show as broken lines in the grid. If a person will attain damage from a certain physical attack it will be highlighted in red and if a person's mind can be attacked in a certain area or in a subject it will appear in a number code circling their head. The last is best used with their illusion affinity to create psychological torture. That's all I really know."
"But why did the ministry kill her?"
"They deemed her a risk to national security, but personally, I believe it was the ministries attempt to gain power by destroying something muggle-borns feared. I believe my associates are fetching your mother's lineage books for you. They will tell you how to access and use the assassin complex. They probably also grabbed the family's spell books and illusion texts. We are and will always be very loyal to your mother and there was nearly a revolt when we learned she was executed. I have a question…"
"Yes?"
"If they bound your abilities how were you able to unbind them?"
"Have you heard of the Demon Lord Azeal."
Griphook sucked in his breath, "What was price of your deal?" He asked with trepidation.
"He decided he liked me and found it would be humorous if the savior of the human realm was actually part demon. I agreed to those terms and he changed me into a half demon and the commander of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse."
"That is a gift." Said a voice from the door. Another Goblin came in carrying four heavy books. "These belonged you're your family. Know, my Lord, that the Goblins will always support you."
"Thank you Artemis. You're dismissed." Griphook said nodding.
"My Lord… Elijah, thank you." Griphook said ushering the young man back into the Lobby.
"Griphook, do you know where I can pick up texts of parselmagic and the rest of my inheritance magic?"
"For animation magic, beast-speak magic and animagus magic I would go to Flourish and Blots, but for mind magic, and ceremonial magic I would go to Borgin and Burkes. And I can send you your family spells and the parselmagic books. The Malfoy heir, Draco, sadly only possess The Blacks' multi-animagus and wolf Beast Speak. The Malfoys' Ceremonial Magic and his Shadow Elf and Veela genes' shadow magics, superior speed and agility and sexuality. Back to books I also advise you to pick up books on potions and illusions being that by now you possess an affinity for both."
"Thanks Griphook, I will do that."
TO BE CONTINUED