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CHATER 2: The Darkness

16 years later

The sun light was streaming to the office through the open windows. The office was large but the book collection was even larger. The walls of the office were covered by books aside from the big collection of old parchments and scrolls at the center. Four gargoyles were situated in the four corners of the room.

The new Lord of the Temple was sitting comfortably on his chair behind his mahogany table. His long white beard was almost touching the ground and his dark blue eyes were shining with excitement. He is looking at the Mirror in the corner of his office. This mirror was interesting. The mirror can tell the deepest desire of the person standing before it. It can also say if the future is peaceful or disastrous. Cities rise and fall in front of this mirror. The mirror is almost as intelligent as a seasoned general in battle field.

The mirror glowed and the image was formed in the surface. He went nearer and looked closely at the image. His eyes twinkled even more and smiled slightly. The time is now.

"Fiona," the man said softly. The gargoyle on the east side is opened its mouth and a snake crawled out from its gaping cavity. The snake has blue and gray colors. Black circular patterns were visible in its scale. With an uncanny speed, the snake slithered to the Lord. It crawled to the chair opposite the old man standing in front of the mirror.

Even though she was a snake, Fiona was far from being ignorant compared to her other co-species. She was special in a way that she is also magical. She was also intelligent and judging by the twinkle on the eyes of her old master, she knows that something will happen—although she is not sure if it is for good or for bad.

"Fiona," the Lord started, "I want you to go to the office of Harry and tell him to go here now."

Fiona raised her figurative brow. Just call Harry? The Lord usually asked his "human" guards to fetch the young – no, Harry was not young, young-looking – seer.

: Are your human guards not so useful to get the man for you? Or do they turn barbaric again, hmmn?, Dumbledore? :

The old laughed at his snakes antics. "They are useful and not barbaric. I just want this to be secret. And you know, as far as I know, that keeping a secret is a forgotten etiquette in the temple."

Sign.: Acepted. They are primitive species anyway. : Fiona laughed – hissed actually – and crawled out to get the seer.

This ought to be exciting, Dumbledore thought. He turned again to the mirror; on it is an image of a wasting rose. We have to be ready. The saviors journey is about to start.

Harry was sitting by the low table in the center of his rooms. He was looking on a plain parchment, on his right hand was a bottle of ink.

It was already sixteen years since the apparition but the seer's features were still the same as of sixteen years ago. It was as if the time feared this man. It was now afternoon and he was resting after practicing martial arts. Since the knowledge of the birth of the savior, he prepared himself as a warrior as well as a seer. He had a feeling that he will need it in the future.

He poured the ink on the parchment and slowly the ink spread on the surface. Weird images were forming. It was really hard to decipher the meaning of the image, even for an experienced seer. He looked carefully and conjured a small rat from a grapefruit.

"I am surprise by your visit," Harry said to the shadows. Slowly, in the shadow, a blue and gray snake crawled out. Fiona. He slowly looked at the beast.

"Good day, Fiona," Harry said courtly to the snake. "I knew someone is coming but I didn't expect you. Why are you here?" Harry smiled softly to the snake.

The snake hissed quietly and haughtily said . : I hope I am not interfering something? :

"No you did not. May I ask your purpose for visiting us at this time?"

: Dumbledore is calling you. For the reason, you can ask him. :

"Thank you, Fiona. Here, have some rat before returning to your master."

: Thank you, Seer Harry. We must go now. :

"Oh I will." The man stood and started to walk to the Lord's office. He was wondering why he was being called. The last time he was called was sixteen years ago, when he confirmed the birth of the savior. The new Lord was still an alien to him but he was getting use to the presence of this enigmatic old man.

The ink on the forgotten parchment on the low table stopped flowing and started to dry. The black ink formed an image of a skull with an undoubtedly image of snake crawling out from the right eye socket of the skull. The image of Death reincarnated.

In a faraway village outside the Temple, almost a week worth of travel by foot, was a house of green bricks. Inside the house lives a small family of three: the mother and her two sons. The father of the family died years ago in a freak carriage accident.

Narcissa, the mother, was in the kitchen busy cooking their dinner. She was hauntingly beautiful if only her clothes were not tattered and thorn apart. Her dress was evidently regal few years back, but the constant use of it worn it out. Her husband was a rich merchant and very thing was coming to their family alright. They were happy and satisfied until the birth of her second child sixteen years ago.

The child is a curse. Narcissa strongly believed that "the" child is the curse in her family. After his birth, their business which is flourishing in the port suddenly became a victim of bankruptcy. After that, her mother and father died in their old Mansion, leaving a huge amount of debt in her name. She sold the mansion and the other properties but it is still not enough. Their manor was sold and they were forced to live in this small green house for the lowest of the poor. And to make everything worse, her husband died after being crashed by a fast running carriage. His body was almost unidentified.

Narcissa chopped the meat a little harder than she ought to. But she didn't care. Right now she was mad. The child was evil. How I wish to kill him now. But she can't she cannot do it. The child is not doing anything wrong, she thought belatedly. He was innocent. But the feeling of hatred towards the child did not leave her.

As if on cue, the child in question appeared on the doorway although the word "child" is not applicable anymore. This is a young man. Strong and hard physique and tall height made him outstanding even in the crowd; an imposing figure just like his father.

"Mom, are you ok?" The man's voice was soft. Narcissa turned sharply to his son and glared at him.

"I am fine," she said curtly then continue what her doing.

Draco's brow frowned in concern. He was a young, yes, but he was not dumb and oblivious. His mother's attitude towards him was quite obvious: she detested him and loathed him. Once, when he was a child, he just thought that he have to do his best to gain a little portion of her favor. So he tried to excel in his lessons. The town is offering academic sponsorship to few children who are very intelligent. He got the scholarship. He topped all his subjects. Still his mom seems to hate him.

When he was ten years old, his older brother, who was then fifteen years old and soldier in training, won the sword fight tournament. His mother was very proud of his brother. He got an idea; he will join next year's tournament. He trained really hard for one year and beat all his opponents. He won the tournament. Happily, he approached his mother. But instead of being proud of him just like what she did to his brother, his mother shouted and screamed at him for almost killing his enemy which was an accident and it is not his fault since the man cheated. Since then, he stopped trying to please her. It is obvious that she will NEVER be proud NOR care about him.

Next month he was turning 17—the legal age in Hogwarts. His mother will surely be too happy to finally be free of him and start the life of his own. She already arranged his house and it was in the other end of the kingdom.

Still he was thankful of his mother for allowing him to grow up and be the man he is now. He has some difficulty in expressing himself to the others but he was sure of himself. After years of denial, he finally accepted that he was gay. He kept that to himself because once his mother knows that, she will surely disown him.

Although people now are tolerant about homosexuality, homosexuals were still far too discreet about it — especially to the conservative and traditional family, who will never accept such preference. And her mother was far too near for being traditional.

"Stay away from the Zabini kid," his mother suddenly said. "They are too socially dangerous. People might think we are queer and like them."

"And what's wrong with being gay if that is what you are?" he inquired irritably to her.

Narcissa looked incredulously to her son. "What is wrong? What is WRONG! They are fucking queer that's wrong! And the Zabini boy was found in compromising position with another man. They should rot in hell. If I saw you with him again, I will make your life a hell."

Draco cannot take it anymore. Years of neglect and humiliation with her and now she was saying this? Blaise Zabini is the only good friend he has since the start. He will not waste that in just petty bias. If being gay is a sin then his soul might be an ash in hell right now. He suddenly shouted. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? MEN LIKE THE ZABINIS ARE MORE DESCENT THAT THOSE JUDGEMENTAL FOOLS IN THE TEMPLE. THEY ARE HYPOCRITES. THEY ARE CONDEMNING THEIR OWN. JUDGMENTAL PEOPLE DESERVE MORE POSITION IN HELL THAT TRUE PEOPLE ARE!" He stopped an breath. "I don't care what you will say right now but I am gay."

His mother's face was flushed with anger or embarrassment. But I didn't matter. He cannot take it any longer. He will go out of this place, away from her and away from everything that reminded him of his own failure which even he is not sure if it was his.

He ran out of the house and never did turn back. The world is a much better place without her or his brother. He will find a better place than this.

As he run, he never did notice the two cloaked men following him. The last thing he saw before darkness engulfed him was a blue cross with an eye at the center. The symbol looks familiar but his mind was too drowsy to even think about it. And darkness.