Hit the Floor
Summary: This is a Dark!Harry and Manipulative!Dumbledore, where Harry makes his choice to join Voldemort because of Dumbledore's manipulations. One-shot, just basically, Harry's thoughts and decision ending with a meeting with Voldemort.
A/N: This came to me when I was listening to Linkin Park's song, "Hit the Floor". So, it's kinda/sorta based off the song. And it sorta pays no attention what-so-ever to HBP. Flashes "Creative License" So, Harry's about 16 in this one ... and I kinda made him slightly more mature. And it's from Harry's POV.
Disclaimer: I don't own either Harry Potter and all his associates, nor do I own the rights to "Hit the Floor" or Linkin Park.
I don't know why I never saw it before the summer of seventh year. I don't know why I never questioned Dumbledore on anything he said. I'll never know why no one else seemed to listen to him just as blindly and never realized what was going on. And, I'll never understand why he turned out to be the same as the Dursley's. I'll never question why he was so great, so good to others while manipulating them. I'll never question why my friends always told me to go to him. I'll never question why people talk about me, either when I'm around and facing them or when my back is turned. And he hoped that I'd never question him enough to push him away.
No, I do understand why. He was perfectly fine after he defeated Grindelwald as the saviour of the Wizarding World. He had power, he had charm, he had people looking to him for answers, he had people admiring him and, when a new Dark Lord in Tom Riddle arose, he had people looking to him to save them again. And then he heard the prophecy that stated someone else held the power to defeat Voldemort (the name that Riddle chose) and he was mad. Well, first he thought that it wouldn't happen. But, when Riddle killed Dad and Mum sacrificed herself to save me and somehow the Killing Curse was reversed slightly, he saw that the prophecy was real. And it was then that he became angry.
So, he did what he thought was right. He decided my path in life would be nothing more then his pawn. He decided that I was to be handed over to the Dursley's when he knew that they hated magic and would try to beat it out of me somehow. He decided that I needed to be told Slytherins were evil and nothing ever good came out of being one. He decided that I was to meet the most Light family ever in the Weasley's and was to befriend Ron. He decided that he was going to keep Quirrel on, when he knew well enought that he was working for Riddle, and then brought the Philosopher's Stone into the castle to 'protect'. He decided that I was going to save Hermione from that troll in first year. He decided that I was going to go through all the trials each year to get used to being the hero and saving people. He decided that I was to keep going back to the Dursley's each summer so that I had something to look forward to going back to Hogwarts for. He also decided that the Dursley's needed to keep me as downtrodden as possible so that I'd be glad to leave them.
But, I've finally seen his ways. And the upper hand is now mine. And I'm going to take advantage of that.
There are just too many times that people have tried to look inside me
Wondering what I think of you and I protect you out of courtesy
Too many times that I've held on when I needed to push away
Afraid to say what was on my mind afraid to say what I needed to say
Too many things that you've said about me when I'm not around
You think having the upper hand means you gotta keep putting me down
But I've had too many stand offs with you it's about as much as I can stand
So I'm waiting until the upper hand is mine
Dumbledore's little plan backfired before this summer started though. I overheard Weasley and Granger talking about me when I was trying to sneak out of Gryffindor tower so I could get some time alone under my invisibility cloak. About how Dumbledore's plan was ingenious really and how they couldn't wait to see who won the final battle between Riddle and me. Apparently, they wanted me to win against Riddle and then Dumbledore was going to charge me with murder and get me sentenced to Azkaban. I don't think so.
Well, thanks to that little talk they had, I went out to think and found myself in the dungeons. Now, the only ones that I knew hadn't really lied to my face about me and my bloody life were Slytherins. So I found Snape in his office and started to rant to him. I think I shocked the poor bugger, but I needed to get it off my chest. Of course, afterwards I got a lecture about interrupting a professor and about ranting to said professor, but I felt better. Then, Snape sits down and agrees that Dumbledore has a plan and I sighed and sat down hard on a chair. That was when I finally let my long, locked up Slytherin side out to play and told Snape that I'd rather rule side by side with Riddle before I let Dumbledore continue to rule my pathetic excuse of a life. Apparently Snape thought I was serious (which I was, but was rather surprised that he took it to heart), and the next thing I know, I'm getting an owl at breakfast with a letter from the Dark Lord to negotiate me ruling by him.
Well ... there goes Dumbledore's plan.
(One minute you're on top)
The next you're not watch it drop
(Making your heart stop)
Just before you hit the floor
(One minute you're on top)
Next you're not missed you're shot
(Making you're heart stop)
You think you've won
(And then it's all gone)
So, I entered negotiations with Riddle. I must say, I think I impressed him by telling him the prophecy, Dumbledore's ... interpration of it ... and what I thought it actually meant. I mean, the line And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives is rather self-explaining and simple. I sure as hell wasn't living the way I was, I was surviving. And Riddle admitted that he was only surviving himself. And I know that my Gryffindor self was killed when I found out Dumbledore's whole plan from a rather smirking and respectful Severus Snape. So, it stands to reason that the prophecy had then came to pass.
I was rather shocked when I found the extent of Dumbledore's manipulations though. I found out that he had basically treated Riddle the same as he did me. In fact, he even pushed Riddle into the Dark Arts and what not. And when Riddle was trying to bring some reform into the Wizarding World (that is actually needed mind you), Dumbledore twisted it around to make it into what witches and wizards now think it is.
And now that we both knew that truth about each other and about Dumbledore, well let's just say that our negotiations only lasted for around a week. Riddle accepted my offer to rule beside him and I accepted his offer of killing all those that had betrayed me for Dumbledore. Which there was a couple of surprises when I was subtly asking around others opinions. Remus Lupin for one was grateful that Dumbledore let him into Hogwarts, but was sick with his ways of controlling me. He was also planning on taking me from the Dursley's and either fleeing the country or talking to me about joining Riddle. Fred and George Weasley both expressed their points of view that Dumbledore was an idiot because of their younger brother and because Dumbledore was trying to put a stop to their joke shop. Which was actually a front, for which ever side they joined, so they could invent weapons. Dumbledore told them that there was no need for that and then lied through his teeth to their mother and father that he was looking for ways to use their products. Bill Weasley was also a surprise, but I guess being in Egypt for how long he was and coming back to fight in the war was an eye opener.
All I know is that us five plus Neville Longbottom, Tonks and Luna Lovegood all saw through Dumbledore's many lies and turned away from the Light so that we wouldn't have to waste our time tip-toeing around him. We all wanted to get out from under his thumb and we all thought that Dumbledore had long ago crossed the line. So, we grabbed the upper hand be siding with Riddle and the Dark and tipping the scales of Dumbledore's little plan to fall.
So many people like me put so much trust in all your lies
So concerned with what you think to just say what we feel inside
So many people like me walk on eggshells all day long
All I know is that all I want is to feel like I'm not being stepped on
There are so many things you say that make me feel you've crossed the line
What goes up will surely fall and I'm counting down the time
Cause I've had so many standoffs with you it's about as much as I can stand
So I'm waiting until the upper hand is mine
So, in my negotiations I included bringing those seven into the folds. Of course, I had to explain about why I wanted to bring them, and was told that the inititation test was waved for them (which I agreed with). And then came the brillant part where all of Dumbledore's plans started to fall.
We all started to learn the Dark Arts ... Well, atleast those of us who didn't already knew it. And we started to plan what we would do to the people who were under Dumbledore's thumb and wouldn't change their minds. And I listened to some of the changes that they wanted to see happen to the Wizarding World. It was a lovely two weeks of non-stop owl mail at the Gryffindor. And, even though Weasley and Granger wanted to know my letters even Dumbledore agreed that they were mine and were personal. Which was really great of him because this let me and Riddle start to put our negotiations to the end and I started to take a more political role for the Death Eaters and some of those letters were reports from them (Riddle's bright idea was for him to hear the reports, but for them to write them down so they could be sent to me so I knew what was going on), and replies to the many inquiries I had made to the Department Heads in the Ministry of Magic. Really, I didn't feel like having to force my hand before the time was right.
I must say, I think that I should torture Dumbledore by letting him read them when it's time for him to get what's coming to him. Maybe I'll even let Weasley and Granger read them. Afterall, they did want to.
(One minute you're on top)
The next you're not watch it drop
(Making you're heart stop)
Just before you hit the floor
(One minute you're on top)
Next you're not missed you're shot
(Making you're heart stop)
You think you've won
(And then it's all gone)
So, with everything starting to go good and everything falling into place, something had to happen. And that something was Dumbledore. Really, with all the lies he started to tell me before I left for summer holidays, I could build a house. And so, I did the only thing that I wanted to do about those lies. I confronted the bugger and left him with a nice little speech.
Basically, I told him that I was tired of being lied to, that I would never fully trust him ever again and that I will fight the war. I'll just do it my way because I was tired of being lied to. I also inquired that he had to know that when I found out what was going on that he had to know that I could never trust him again and that we would more then likely split ways. His response was that he did everything for my own good and protection. What a load of bullshit. Anyhow, I just told him that all those lies that he told were now going to come crashing down on him and would bite him in the arse. But I kept up my good little Gryffindor persona and he thought that meant that I would still fight the war on the side of the Light. He then started to congratulate me on fighting for the Light, even knowing what I knew. I nearly scoffed at him
Fight for the Light? Yea, right.
I know I'll never trust a single thing that you say
You knew your lies would divide us but you lied anyway
And all the lies have got you floating up above us all
But what goes up has got to fall
And with that, that is where you came in. With me going through my thoughts. Remus and Bill are suppose to come and pick me up in half an hour and then we'll leave to go to Slytherin Manor and join Riddle and the Death Eaters. Personally, I couldn't be happier that this happened only a week into summer break and that the Dursley's will be coming. They are my gift to Riddle to do with as he pleases. I hope they get tortured to insanity and then slowly killed. But, it is up to him.
I am going to love the moment when I see Dumbledore's face when he finds out that all his plans are going to come crashing down around him. He has missed his shot at what he wanted. It's gone. And he thinks that he has this war won? Please. Riddle and I are going to win this war, and then Dumbledore will be recognized for what he is. A manipulative old man that has been controlling the lives of those around him for longer then he should have.
And it's about time that the Wizarding World saw him for this.
(One minute you're on top)
The next you're not watch it drop
(Making your heart stop)
Just before you hit the floor
(One minute you're on top)
Next you're not missed you're shot
(Making you're heart stop)
You think you've won
(And then it's gone)
And would you look at that? There's Remus and Bill. Oh, and they stunned and bound the Dursley's. Excellent. I smiled and nodded my thanks at them. We can leave this rat infested place and Dumbledore behind now.
(And then it's gone)
Good. Now we can get on with this party. The three of us and the Dursley's have been portkeyed to Slytherin Manor. And look, there's the others that are with me, Riddle and the Death Eaters. This is going to be good.
(And then it's gone)
It's about bloody time I forged my own path with my own choices I realize as I walk through the Death Eaters with my companions behind me. Upon reaching Riddle, I bowed my head and gestured to Remus and Bill to give the Dursley's to Riddle.
(And then it's gone)
Riddle nods and gestures to me to stand beside him. I move to my designated place and watch the Death Eaters bow to me and Riddle. Remus, Bill, Fred, George, Neville, Tonks and Luna are all given the intititation test (which they all pass) and become marked Death Eaters. Riddle looks at me and we both nod.
"Now is the day that what we represent is known."
"Now is the day that the Wizarding World will know that we will win."
"Now is the day that our ideals for a better future will be recognized and made possible."
"Now is the day that we will be free from one man's manipulations."
Yes. I smile as I say the last line. Now is the day that Dumbledore's plans are done for. They will be dead and gone.
(Now it's all gone)
A/N: Tell me what you think by clicking the lavenderish button ... Please??