A Darker Truth
I disclaim anything that isn't mine ~ XxShadowArchangelxX
The Dursleys are dead, the Amulet is the only thing keeping him alive and the Malfoys are keeping a close eye on him making it nigh impossible to complete his masters wishes that will finally set him free. Harry vs. Nathanael? A true identity crisis.
Prologue
1997
The boy crouched down low behind the brick building in the dead of night, his figure consumed by the shadows casted by the street lamp behind him. Across the street, in a small run down town house his target watched through a lit window with care, he knew what was coming, he just didn't know when.
The light behind the boy flickered and he smiled, she was right on time as always.
"Are you ready, master?" asked a female's voice from somewhere in the night.
The boy stood up slowly still hiding within the shadows. He could have not been much older than thirteen; he was short and slender with his long black cloak hanging off his shoulders. His face was pale and thin, his high cheek bones dominating over the rest of his features. As fragile as he looked he carried himself with stealth and pride.
"The question is are you ready?" he asked into the darkness.
The light behind the boy flickered once more before it went out devouring the street behind him in darkness. It was time.
The boy turned and began walking into the night away from the small town house, hiding in the gloom of the dark. No human's eyes could trace his path.
His plan was simple and fool proof.
He stopped at the end of the street and waited for the next signal. Far away in the forest a wolf howled savagely, its snarl echoing through the night. The boy ignored the creature's cries and turned left to continued on his journey. His step was feather light and made no noise as he hurried across the gravel road. The street he was in was quiet and dark, the houses identical along the street with the few exceptions of personal touches from their owners.
A movement behind a gnome in one of the gardens grabbed the boy's attention. He stopped dead and looked around, he saw no other sign of life. He drew closer, he could clearly see the bricked house as if it was day. The house appeared ugly to the boy as the owner had drawn lime green lacy curtains over the windows and the garden was unkempt with weeds strangling the little plants that adorned the grounds. The worst of it was the gnomes, they plagued the garden as much as the weeds.
He sighed, there was no point getting worked up, he passed the stirrer as a rat and continued.
He once again turned left and slowed his pace, he needed to tread carefully from this point on, his enemy was weak, but still dangerous. He pulled up his hood drawing a dagger from his belt, he had no more chances for mistakes or his master would, without doubt, punish him and it wasn't just a mere slap on the wrist either.
Ahead of him a smashing of glass and a menacing scream told him he was late, there was no more time for pondering.
He broke into a run, time was running out quickly and he could not let the target escape. He reached the building he was looking for. Even for a small run down town house it was more sinister than the ones around it. The look of the building gave the boy the creeps with the dark paint work and tinted windows, but pushing his doubts aside, he neared the rear door of the house, the only thing that stood between him and his goal now was a white picket fence. Or so he thought.
He swept his eyes around his surroundings once more before, sticking the blade between his teeth, jumping over the fence.
The boy gasped in alarm, dropping his blade, as he landed right in the path of a snoring beast. The beast stirred at the noise, opening its eyes to stare at the boy for a moment, startled by the sudden appearance. The boy could do nothing more than stare back, his heart beating fast as an icy terror gripped it.
The monster climbed onto its hind legs, hackles raised, not once taking its eyes off the boy. The beast was a good head taller than him, its sword like claws scrapping along the pavement as it stretched to full height.
The boy felt his legs begin to shake, he couldn't move. A fear he had never felt before rose up into his chest, freezing him into place.
The monster took a step closer, flicking its long furry black tail in triumph, its yellow stained eyes showing the boy it hadn't had fresh meat in years. The boy tried stepping back but couldn't, his feet were plastered to the ground, this was certainly the death of him.
The monster took another step closer and lowered its head to the same level as the boy's. It was so close now, the boy could smell death and decay, that of rotting meat, on the monsters breath. It smelt of the fate that the boy was about to meet.
The beast growled, its mouth drawn back, showing a jaw of dagger teeth, its scaly face now only millimetres away. The boy squirmed slightly looking for a way to escape if only he could move!
Suddenly, a large black wolf jumped over the boy onto the monsters back. The monster roared in frustration and straightened to full height, grabbing for the pest that dared disturb it. The wolf jumped for the ground as a clawed hand reached for it, landing neatly between the boy and the monster. The beast twitched as it studied the new situation. The boy did the same, and taking what he saw as chance he ran for the door, using fear as his only motivation.
The beast moved with him with a frightening speed for something its size, and knocked the boy away with a swat of its paws. The boy cried out in pain as he felt claws rip into his side.
The boy was there, lying on the pavement, slowly feeling the red liquid ooze from his body as the beast come back into view.
Acting as a distraction, the wolf jumped for the beast again, but the beast was too quick. Using its front paw, it swatted the wolf away like a fly. The wolf howled in pain as it flew across the night and landed hard against the brick wall.
"SIRIUS, NO!" The boy hardly noticed his mistake as he called for the wolf.
He tried to move with no luck. His loss of blood had seeped away his energy, but not his rage that now rang in his ears. He could hear them now, all the voices that told him he was weak, that he couldn't do it, that he was a failure.
The beast stopped just above the boy, licking it's lips with its long red tongue, teasing him.
No longer afraid the boy held his breath and closed his eyes, inviting the monster. The beast looked on in interest but did not move any closer as the voices continued to run through the boy's head, telling him was useless, that he was a pathetic excuse for a wizard, that common stones had more brains than him, and he was better off dead.
A surging energy pulsed through the boy and he opened his eyes, they were flooded with the fire of rage.
The beast tried to retreat as the night was consumed by a sickly white glow and an ear-splitting cry. In a matter of seconds the night was once again dark, only to be lit up again by a powerful flame that filled the sky. As the flames continued to burn, the crying of the beast slowly faded until it was no longer heard...
(A/N: Please do not be put off by the short chapter it is, after all, only a prologue)