Author' Notice: Yes, I know…(already?), but this is quite important. Firstly, this story is going to be quite a bit darker than any of my previous ones no matter if they were finished or not. This story is definitely not going to be pleasant or easy to read for those who like the Weasleys, Hermione, Albus and numerous other characters associated to the Light Side. There is going to be a lot of death, bloodshed, violence, and much more to this than any other story I have written before now. I caution all to read this with hesitance and discretion.

Next, please note that this story is still in the experimental area of planning. I do not have any spare chapters for this written as of this moment in time; though, I do intend to get some more done as the plot comes more together and my muse helps me to cohesively put the pieces together. As the direction of the story is somewhat clear, but not finite…I am liable to change some aspects as more chapters come and evolve the work too. I also have not set a specific number of chapters for this one, but I do plan on trying to update it and one other story more frequently now that I am free to do so.

Survival Instincts

Chapter I: Breaking the Bond to the Light

It had been four years since he had graduated school and was then pushed to train harder for the war that had engulfed them all. Three of those years he sweat, bled and gave all he had to the fight for the freedom he thought was deserved from the encroaching shadows. In one conversation; he had heard enough to be furious and walk away with knowledge that others would rue he had ever heard them talking and that they had ever known him.

He was twenty-one years old now, and no one made choices for him anymore. He had secured his estates and his personal freedom next to as soon as he could have after he had confirmed to himself of the learned betrayal. It had been a hard road for the last two months as everything was finally finished up and put to order, but he knew it had well been worth the effort.

The dawning sun was rising steadily over a vast manor estate in the hidden woods somewhere outside of Bristol. The Manor was well-kept and secluded from most people who dared not enter the forest because of old tales surrounding them. Today was the day where the young lord of the estate set to make his move and to free himself from the bonds that had him chained down once before in full totality for the betrayer's actions to him. It really was war now.

Inside a large and obviously expensive master suite, was a young man who had seen a lot in his short life. He had black hair the color of the darkest night sky and now reached just past his mid-back as it swayed in the light summer breeze that floated in through the open windows while his eyes glittered and sparkled as if they were the most precious and costly of emeralds.

He had already broken free of the binds that kept him within a life of misery before. Once uninhibited by his watchers and assured he would not be found unless he wanted to be, he had then trained hard physically and honed his body back into shape from its state of malnutrition over the last several years with aid of people he thought had his best interests at heart. His eyes hardened as he gazed to the mirror while finishing dressing for the day; it had all been lies.

Four years ago, leading up to his majority…he had always known he was powerful, but he had never exactly quite realized how much so until he literally felt magic run through his veins as if it were his own blood. The blood of the Peverells that now would once more be known to the world as he got his revenge to those who used him. Death favored him and Harry knew the spirit eagerly awaited his actions; for many on the light had cheated death as well as those to the dark side.

The difference was that Death allowed some of the cheats to come to pass, but the ones Harry intending to dole out were to those who had trespassed on the laws of magic, time, and so much more. The spirit would come to him; if he but asked, and Harry knew many would be scared out of their minds to know he had sway over one of the spirits that governed life on the world.

Harry sighed; Death had also helped him personally after his initial break from Albus, the Order and those who sought to control him and his powers.

The malnutrition had not hindered the magical growth of his core; only his physical growth oddly. Of course, signs of it still were there now in his body if one was observant, but to the brief glances of most…they would not be able to see it.

Death had given him time to train without further aging himself. He had come to respect him as Harry did to the spirit and both knew there would come a day where the last Peverell heir would walk to the Void without regret and be accompanied by his friend willingly. Death had never asked for nor sought his cloak from Harry; the spirit had told him he had yet to have a need for it.

The young lord was known as Harry James Potter-Black to all around him, but he then sneered as tried to concentrate on getting dressed for the day ahead.

Not more than a week ago, Harry had endured another magical surge of growth to his core. His magical core combusted like a fractured grenade that set-off alarmingly fast and broke many sealing spells on him. Ones that had not been broken during his original inheritance. The required power to do this nearly had killed him if not for his head house elf here and his otherworldly friend who had helped the elf guide its actions.

With the release of his power and the new knowledge that invaded him from somewhere; it had caused him to panic. He had managed to accidentally apparate outside the wards that had contained his magic and presence. Outside the protection zone, he became very vulnerable to attack and if not for Mipsy…he would be dead now.

Even now the Order, or what remained of it who was loyal to Albus; they hunted him and Harry knew they wanted to persuade him to come back to them. Not after all they had done; there was no more chances left for him to give to them all.

Once he had time to recollect his mind, Harry was further enraged with Albus Dumbledore, the Order and some of those he considered closest to him. Albus's untimely demise had forced him to become more quiet and solemn. As so not to arouse suspicions from anyone else. Then, his inheritance gave him the confidence he needed to have to be doing what he was planning. But, this new knowledge had also given him the means to execute his plans more quickly and efficiently.

Harry had just finished dressing in the luxuriant robes of emerald velvet. They had a golden lining and were not formal robes, but still high-collared. His tailored black dress pants and new dress shoes gave him the regal appearance of someone his age should have. His wand hidden in the sleeves of the robes amid a concealed holster and an enchanted knife was hidden within the garments as well.

Harry smiled slightly as he pulled his now longer hair into a high-pony-tail and secured it with a black silk hair tie. A pop sound was heard as he turned with a raised eyebrow.

"Master Potter, your invited guests…they have arrived here early and are waiting on you in the sitting room off of the dining area. I hope you is knowing what you are doing. Mipsy be knowing it is necessary; I can feel it in the bond to me to your house, but I worry what the old magic may do to you in time." The female elf said to him, "Simply because the dark magic can no longer corrupt and taint you does not mean it cannot harm you."

Harry merely nodded his head with a stoic expression and ignored her concern over the old magic she spoke of; it was irrelevant now.

"Thank you for letting me know Mipsy. I will be down soon, so you can return to your duties. Just be sure to listen if I should need to summon you for anything. Have the others be watchful. I do not exactly think this plan will go afoul, but I wish to be prepared should it do so."

She bowed and popped out.

Harry smiled slightly as he looked himself over in the mirror before a smirk graced his features, "Time to turn things upside down."

Down on the ground floor, there were three guests waiting for the young man who had cautiously asked to have an audience with them. All of them were nervous, as they were in his territory now and they had no idea what to expect while they were here. The tension in the air now was palpable and you could almost assume that it could have been cut with a knife if it were visible to the naked eye. The magic of the home also was far more sentient and present in the place than any of them had ever thought it to be. It had them all on the edge.

"What do you suppose Potter wants, Father?" Draco Malfoy said, "I mean…he has absolutely no reason to wish to speak to us really, and we are his enemies?"

Lucius eyed his son wearily as he had no wish to try and explain this to him, "Draco, I do not know why he asked for this. All I am aware of is that Harry came into his inheritance four years ago today and into massive power that has great influence worldwide. He has been absent from the war-front for too long, except for a few skirmishes here or there; and no one knows why. It is odd. If I had to guess…his coming of age did something to promote this surely…however, I believe that something more recent has happened to push him to this. It would be a bad idea to…ignore what could potentially be a gain for us."

The third man in the room remained silent to this. His ruby eyes both curious and suspicious. He would admit to being surprised when he had received the request from Potter for a chance to speak to him. A chance to talk on neutral ground and where no one needed to be killed or hurt to ensure that the talking was kept to civil tones and outcomes.

"I somewhat agree Lucius, but Draco does have a point. Even if Potter had something revealed to him during his majority…why wait until now to speak up; the chances it led to this are slim at best." Tom told them finally as he spoke up

All three then went silent as they felt a massive aura approach the room. They tensed and waited as the doors opened. Soft and light steps came forth, nearly silent and as if a alpha hunter had stalked in, and Harry glided into the sitting room regally with his shoulders proud and tall.

Draco's eyes widened to this. This was not the image of Potter he remembered seeing leave the school, and magic or not; inheritances do not fix everything. Four years had done him a kindness in his time away in hiding. Lucius and Tom were just as stunned though both remained stoic and observant to him.

"Greetings to all of you. I am…pleased you have decided to entertain my request. I honestly expected you to ignore it." Harry smiled truthfully as he sat across from them, "Now, have you all eaten yet?"

All three shook their heads and Harry nodded before he snapped his fingers. Mipsy then reappeared and looked curious.

"Master Potter?" She asked

"Please bring my guests and myself some breakfast. I would also appreciate it if you brought tea and scones." He asked

She bowed, "Of course."

She vanished and Harry turned to them and saw that they looked like he had grown an extra head. He scowled now, "I am trying to be a courteous host even if the company is some that others would question. I am also trying to be polite."

"This request is not meant to be a simple social call. Far from it, and the matter I wish to discuss is quite a bit more serious than run-of-the-mill conversation. So, serious in fact, that it could change the flow of the war if handled delicately enough and you all are willing to hear me out."

Tom seemed intrigued by this, "How so?"

Harry eyed him hesitantly, "Before I get to the more urgent problems, I have to ask. Have you ever found out the remaining half of the prophecy?"

Tom tensed as his eyes narrowed, "No. I have not been able to find another recording stored anywhere."

Harry then sighed and nodded, "I suspected as much. Albus holds his share of information closely to him. It makes sense that he would be unwilling to share it with any foreign ministries due to security risks."

Tom eyed him warily, "You know the full contents of it, don't you?"

Harry smirked now in his direction, "Yes. I have known the full contents of the prophecy for nearly six years now. Its contents are now void though, and I will endeavor to explain why now."

The three guests seemed intrigued and sat back more easily as the young man had made no move to threaten them.

Harry sipped at his tea and gave a momentary pause before he spoke softly, "My inheritance brought about a lot of…changes for me to deal with. Ones that I was not prepared to handle, and especially not with how Albus has always kept me in the dark when things were important for me to know. My core is obviously much larger than last you saw me. My magic is so because the seals that Albus placed on me before he left me with my relatives are gone and have broken."

The room was utterly silent.

Mipsy returned with food as Harry then allowed them a moment to let what he had told them sink in. Tom was seemingly the most affected; even if his expressions gave away nothing.

"He sealed your magic? Why and for what purpose?" Lucius asked, "I have a hard time understanding why he would need to do such a thing? Not only would that have made you virtually helpless to whatever harm the muggles did to you, it would have also made your core's reserves double or triple their natural boundaries because of the suppressed magic?"

Harry scowled, "To use me as means to an end for the war; one that would inevitably sacrifice himself for the good of all others without ever questioning why it was necessary. The prophecy was fulfilled that night seventeen years ago, Tom. You came after me, marked me with my famous scar, and tried to kill me. For some reason beyond magical knowledge, you failed as your curse ricocheted back at you and I obliterated you for the next eleven years."

Harry eyed them warily, "But, we both survived the encounter. This is key in understanding why the prophecy is void."

"Whatever means you have used to keep yourself here have worked. Now, you have no need for them. Because we have both survived, the prophecy is void and we are both immortal."

Tom's eyes widened, "How do you know for sure?"

Harry eyed him hesitantly, "Under normal circumstances; I would refuse to tell this to anyone. But, I cannot hope to do my tasks alone any longer; not with how the Order hunts me in the dark hours while the Ministry seeks me in the daylight. I nearly died several weeks ago. My magic surged again and my core grew for a second time. The raw power required of this should have drained out of me, but then the magic surrounded me and healed me. I was mortally wounded from the backlash of the combusting of my own core and should not have survived, yet; here I am."

Tom wanted to question why he had even had a second growth like this, but refrained when Harry continued to speak.

"Regardless, we are both immortal and cannot die by any normal means. This means that whoever attempts to kill either of us needs to be very creative or very cunning. Albus believes the prophecy is to be fulfilled when you are dead for good and I died along with you. Regardless of fate and destinies, the headmaster used me and still is trying to through his Order and other allies. I no longer will tolerate it."

His gaze hardened as he paused his meal, "Not after being hunted down like an animal to be slaughtered by the very people you had entrusted your life to. I gave them my power, trust, loyalty for years and then my inheritance came and everyone then gives me the fearful eyes and shuddering breaths whenever I came around."

Harry then smirked as he turned to Draco, "Some families are better than others. You warned me of that ten years ago now, and I did not wish to listen. I blame it on my need to find my place in our world. Not realizing I had already had one. Perhaps that is also what the Headmaster counted on me doing. If so, I did what he wanted without asking myself much even though I have always viewed adults in authority with caution."

Draco then smirked as well as his father looked confused on what this was about and Tom's eyes narrowed between the two.

Harry stood and gracefully walked about, "I have a theory as to why Albus may have sealed my magic so long ago, but to prove it I need to gather some artifacts that are my heritage."

"Many know that the Potter lineage is nearly as old as the wizarding world in Britain. We were there when Merlin founded it and set about the laws that governed it. We were there when the first Ministry of Magic burned in rebellion to the new laws that restricted the citizens and endangered their welfare to outsiders. What many fail to realize is that the name 'Potter' was never recorded then." Harry smiled mysteriously, "No, it did not exist in any familial genealogy until much later."

Lucius's brow furrowed, "I notice you fail to mention what family the Potters came from?"

Harry turned to Tom, "You are the heir of Salazar Slytherin and I am the direct descendant of Godric Gryffindor. However, Tom, do you know if your line goes back much farther?"

Tom seemed curious now, "It does go back a bit further, but not anywhere to where yours seems to be heading. Why?"

Harry seemed disappointed, "Because if it did then we both would have been descended from the Peverell line."

The three looked shocked now and showed it openly.

"How exactly are you related to the Peverells?" Lucius asked slowly as he came from his stunned state as Draco nodded to this.

"I am directly related to Ignotus Peverell through my father obviously. One of Ignotus's heiresses married into the Gryffindor line and this is how Godric was brought into my line as well and how he had retained the Gryffindor name."

Harry paced about now, "As for the sealing of my magic; Albus has always feared that someone would come and take his place as a leader away. Albus defeated Grindelwald for personal reasons as much as he did for the community. Then Tom came to his school; an orphan and magically gifted beyond comparison to many others his age."

"He was so talented; even many of the professors there now who knew him as a boy or those who teach but were students alongside of him agree to this, and they also are in agreement that he could have done anything he wanted in the world. But, Tom was also bitter and cold from what he had endured in his young life. And now as Tom's antithesis, I was born."

Harry's smile now was bittersweet, "Or at least I was in order to fulfill Albus's demands of the false prophecy. I survived the attack at the Hollow, and Albus had not expected that to occur. Don't get me wrong; my parents loved me…they died for me in order for me to live, but they were blind to Albus's hidden agenda until far too late to counteract it."

Tom watched Harry warily; he seemed to know a great deal of his former life and he knew not how other than Albus may have told him.

Harry then stopped, "I can now no longer trust those I once thought to be my allies. I can no longer give the light my support as fully as I once did. It would be nigh impossible when my magical orientation is now darker than most."

Harry then smirked as his eyes became far-away and a deep purple energy sort-of surrounded him. Tom gasped, "Harry, you shouldn't do such magic without preparing other defenses if your body should collapse."

Harry heard him, but the smirk remained as Tom frowned. Lucius watched this display and wondered what the boy was trying to achieve with it. Draco turned to his father, "What is Potter doing and why is our Lord so distressed by his actions?"

Lucius spoke softly without removing his gaze from the boy, "He is drawing upon all the dark energy within himself and the house. He is allowing it to come to him and to surround his body and to encase him. Like a shield, except it would fully cover his whole body."

"The danger is that the dark energy feeds from his magic and should he run out; he could die."

Draco's eyes widened as he turned back to Potter and saw how the dark energy just kept coming to him. Tom was in vain trying to get the boy to stop, but Harry ignored him.

Tom then stopped as he waited to see if Potter wanted them to see something. Indeed, that seemed to be the case as Harry kept drawing dark energy and did not tire out nor seem to be able do so soon.

After a few moments, Harry stopped and smiled.

"Ah, there is nothing like the feel of raw magic." He smirked to Tom who was now scowling, "Especially raw magic tinted with darkness. I can feel magic around me and easily replenish my reserves this way if I need to. I can absorb magic now and take it in even when I may not need it."

"Albus and the Light have betrayed me and I cannot sit here idly while I wait for them to decide whether they will keep me alive or try again to kill me. As they did a few weeks ago."

"I offer my allegiance to the dark in return for not bearing the dark mark. I can do more for you without it." Harry said slowly, "The people still respect me and your side needs to have someone willing to help others see the benefits of dark magic without causing panic."

"Ruling through fear is fine if you enjoy revolts and such. Ruling a nation without anyone to rule over is just not the same. I do agree in principle to many of the dark side's ideals, but we need to reevaluate how to go about them." Harry smirked, "I am not saying that the raids and such have to stop…just be more limited and restrained."

"I might even participate." He added slyly

The three others eyed him warily now and Harry sighed; he knew this was a major decision for them all to consider. He had been fighting against them for nearly his whole life actively.

Tom watched him with contemplation after his words seemed to be genuine, "Why should we even trust you to be on our side? You have fought us at every turn for your whole life; even when I have tried before to persuade you to join me?"

Lucius raised a brow to that as Draco stared between them; they had not been aware that their lord had ever considered such a thing.

Harry smiled, "Funny, as I was just thinking how this was such a complicated and large decision on your part because of the exact things."

Harry then walked to the fireplace as his smile faded and his looks became darker, "On your parts and in full amounts of common sense, you should not trust me at all. However, I gave my trust and my loyalty to the light once. They abused it, betrayed it, and finally they would have forced me to fight for them if they thought I was going rogue."

"I knew to keep them at arms-length; though I often appeared too trusting to others to keep both sides from knowing too much of my plans. The Light thought me gullible for being so open in some ways. It was this that allowed Albus to use me as he has. The dark has always seen my openness as a weakness, one that would get me hurt."

Harry's face smiled darkly, "Oh it did, but that hurt is now going to come back and to haunt those who betrayed me. It also made me stronger."

"The one thing you need to know about me is that if I give you my loyalty and trust; it is always at its fullest until you betray me. Once you break that bond of trust, you will never regain it unless I deign to hear the reasons why you broke it."

"If I say I am willingly giving the dark my allegiance, this means I am giving all of you the benefit of doubt and placing all my trust in you to help me avenge the wrongs that have been done to me. I am giving you my full cooperation and loyalty in return for the same should I ever need it."

Tom eyed him with respect, "So, there is no turning back for you after this?"

Harry snorted, "To the light side? Definitely not, but should you betray me…I will vanish and you will never find me again until I decide to return here. I will get my vengeance on my own terms and will not interfere with your agenda."

Harry then turned to Tom, "Think of my offer more as of a courtesy. I do not need to side with you to do what I want. It would make things easier for me, but I do not necessarily need you or your resources to aid me."

"You, on the other hand, need me. You know how manipulative Albus is, but you do not know his plans or how far he was and very much still is willing to go to destroy you. I do, and I have information that could destroy his image if you wanted to do this before you kill him."

Tom raised a brow, "And exactly how do you know I am not well-aware of how far he is willing to go?"

Harry smirked now, "Because he knows what all your Horcruxes are and is now trying to locate them. He nearly had the Gaunt ring, but I managed to undo the curse around the traps and swipe it before he managed to get to it."

Tom then paled as Lucius looked ill and Draco seemed confused. Harry looked to the two blondes before he made a tsk sound at Tom, "Surely your elites know of how you have kept yourself alive for so long?"

Tom the scowled deeply, "Some of them do yes, but not all of them."

Lucius then eyed the two warily. Only those two could argue as they were without consequences. If he had tried this years ago, his lord would have tortured and killed him before he had uttered three words.

"Anyway, how do you know of the horcruxes?" he asked suspiciously

Harry snorted, "How do you think? Albus started training me in fifth year to defeat you. First, he had Snape try to teach me Occlumency to shield my mind from you. His hatred of me led to us mentally clashing too often and the lessons stopped. I learned the skill and Legilimency much later on."

"In my sixth year, training began before I ever reached the school. Albus took me to help him get Horace Slughorn to come out of his hiding and retirement. Once that had happened; Albus had begun showing me memories of you in your youth to help me understand how Tom Riddle became he who is known as Dark Lord Voldemort."

"This is why Horace Slughorn was teaching us Potions in our last two years of school. Mainly so he could use me and my fame to try and manipulate him into giving up memories of what he knew since Albus was aware he was your head of house and he had told you things."

"It did not work to his advantage exactly. See, Horace does not play in Light or Dark. He is a scholar and prefers knowledge over all else; be it light, or dark. Slughorn is the one who inadvertently made me begin to see what Albus was doing and why it was not so…light. Albus constantly pestered me to gain memories from him when I attended the club Horace was known for. Much to my utter displeasure, I might add. Even after I did manage to get the memories from him; I did not hand them over. I had become too suspicious by that point."

"Instead, I kept them to myself and used what I learned from him to aid me. How Albus found out…I can only guess at."

Tom was silent as Harry then scowled, "Oh yes, I want to know why you have a certain fabled black stone embedded into your family ring instead of the emerald that is supposed to be there?"

Tom now fidgeted under the scrutiny as Lucius watched in interest as did Draco.

"That stone belongs to me by birthright, so I will be removing it soon and replacing it with the proper gemstone." Harry told him and Tom scowled but did not say anything.

"If you three would like, you may stay here over the night to think on what I have proposed to you all? You can watch and see if I seem genuine or not?" Harry asked of them

Draco smiled, "I would like to stay and get to know the you I haven't seen since first year?"

Harry smirked now, "And how would you know? I can be very deceptive when I want."

Draco then scowled, "I know. I felt you would have made a great ally all those years ago when we were eleven. But, you rejected my hand for a chance at friendship and an alliance. Then sorted in Gryffindor…"

Harry smiled, "Ah, a mistake I will never forgive myself for."

Draco's brow rose in confusion as the other two men watched in intrigue.

"I will never forgive myself for allowing myself to talk the Sorting Hat out of placing me into Slytherin as it originally wished to." Harry smirked as all three seemed shocked, "But, I was younger and more naïve even if I was wary. I wanted to badly find my place. You came to me when I was already having my first chance a friendship with someone and then appeared to bully them."

Harry smiled sadly, "I did not want to reject you necessarily, but you made it rather easy to do. You were a prat."

Draco scowled, "You're the one who had to sit with Weasley."

Harry sighed, "Maybe, but you still should have gone about things more tactfully. Perhaps asking to speak with me in your own compartment?"

Lucius then turned, "Draco, you may stay if you wish to. I am returning to the Manor to inform your mother of the happenings. She will know you intend to stay, so we will not expect you for lunch later today or dinner tonight."

He then turned to his liege and bowed low, "My lord, I bid you a good rest of the day."

Tom nodded as he then turned to Harry, "I will stay for the time being. There are some matters I wish to discuss with you privately."

Draco frowned, "Guess that means I am not wanted for those."

Harry smirked, "Well, the world does not revolve around you."

Draco glared now, "Nor does it around you; much despite your fame in our world."

Harry smiled, "Touche."

Harry then beckoned them, "Come follow me and we can adjourn to garden or somewhere less formal."

Draco followed him easily as Tom watched his friend's son with wariness. Draco had always been…obsessive over Potter and he wondered if it was due to the fact Draco harbored romantic inclinations to him.

Tom did not know exactly how he felt about that. Part of him didn't care much. Another part said romance would simply distract him and he did not need it even if he desired it or wanted it. The last and most dark part of him was jealous of Draco and how open he could be to the young lord Potter was now.

The boy had power that drew him to him and made Tom rather attracted to the younger wizard. He would not act on his desires though unless he felt he needed to or wanted to at some point. Especially if Harry initiated it. One part of his mind said to simply take the boy and make him his to keep Draco away. A part he agreed with but would not act on.

Harry was not an object to be claimed. He would have to wait and see if anything came of his feelings as mutual between them.