A/N: I don't own Harry Potter. Sorry for the long wait, several things interfered with my updates. I should be able to update more frequently from now on. On with the story.
Chapter Two
Snape apparated just outside the wards that protected Grimmauld Place. His mind was racing with the events he had witnessed in the dark lord's stronghold. Harry Potter...the one person who could possibly destroy the dark lord had joined him. How? How could that boy do this to them!? Bellatrix had something to do with it. That much was perfectly clear. Maybe she cast the Imperious curse on him. No! He was very lucid when he accepted the mark. Snape ran faster glancing behind him to make sure Bellatrix or Lucius hadn't followed him.
If he were caught there would be hell to pay. Bellatrix would love to torture him into insanity and Lucius was extremely jealous of his and Narcissa's close friendship. As if I don't have enough problems. Snape thought angrily. I knew that little brat was trouble from his very first potions class.
" Hello Severus." A voice laughed from a nearby tree. Snape stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned toward the voice. He searched the branches, but still could not spot anyone.
" Who are you? What do you want?"
" Well, no snappy comebacks or sarcastic remarks?" The voice asked disappointedly. " I was so looking forward to them." Suddenly a twig snapped as a figure leapt to the ground. Snape glared at the cloaked being standing before him. The crimson material, tattered and torn with age, shifted in the afternoon breeze.
" Who are you?" Snape questioned.
" My name is unimportant." The man stated. " The important thing is that you can't tell Dumbledore that Potter has joined the dark lord."
" And why not!?"
" Mr. Snape, I have been planning this for a very very long time." The cloaked man said. " I have been planning this since before Tom Riddle was conceived in his mother's womb."
" How could you possibly plan any of this?" Snape barked. The figure chuckled and lowered his hood. Snape stared at the creature before him. The man had dark blue skin, smooth as the most precious gem, and long hair black as the night. His cold, dark eyes pierced Snape to the very depths of his soul. His pointed ears perked up, presumably to listen to the surrounding wilderness.
" Though I don't look it, I am quite old." He said smiling. " I've been alive for so long. All of my kinsmen are dead and I have to complete our plans."
" And what would those be?"
" My race's goal was always the conquering of the muggle world." He answered. " And we would have succeeded if it hadn't been for the wizards getting involved in something that didn't concern them. We would have gladly let your people keep your world, but now I must avenge my fallen brethren by ruling both the muggle and the wizarding worlds."
" What does Harry have to do with this?"
" Severus you don't understand." The creature said exasperated. " It's not just Harry. It's Voldemort, Bellatrix, Dumbledore, the Death Eaters, and the Order of the Phoenix. I have manipulated everything since the founding of both organizations and I will not have it all ruined because a turn-coat like you decided that he wanted to be a 'good boy'." With that he launched a fireball from his hand at the potions master.
Snape dodged as the fireball barley missed him by a fraction of an inch, singeing his greasy hair. He rolled behind a tree and watched as a group of bushes burst into flames. He watched the fire spread quickly and knew that if he didn't get out of there, he would be dead and Harry would be undiscovered.
Sercumsosia! Snape shouted pointing his wand at the man. A lavender beam sped for him, but just before it hit, the person disappeared into thin air. The tree behind the man had been cut down as the spell struck it. The fire now blocked his way to headquarters and his rear was flanked by a wall of roaring flame, keeping him within the anti-apparation wards. Suddenly he screamed in pain as electricity cackled around him.
He fell to his knees unable to stand. " Goodbye Severus." The man's voice echoed in his ears. He watched, paralyzed, unable to move. His skin started to burn as the flames leapt up around him. The stench of his sizzling flesh filled his nostrils. The flames consumed him until the entire forest surrounding Grimmauld burned to the ground. By the time the Order was able to put it out, the evil being had disappeared and Severus Snape was ash beneath their feet.
Lestrange Manor
Bellatrix watched as Harry's chest rose and fell rhythmically. She had given him a sleeping potion after dinner that evening, during which he had consumed ungodly amounts of food. "Those filthy muggles." Bellatrix growled as she saw Harry's ribs come into view as he took in another breath. " I should return to his home and finish off those two other beasts." She studied Potter for a few more moments before leaving the room.
" How is he Bella?" Came a cool voice from the resting chair next to the fireplace.
" He's still weak Cissy." Bellatrix said sitting across from her sister. Narcissa Malfoy nodded and took another sip of tea.
" Did they really not feed him?" She asked.
" Yes, but from what I can tell the ickle baby starved himself." Bellatrix said giggling. Narcissa looked at her sister, who had lapsed into a fit of lunacy. She was used to this of course, ever since they were children, Bellatrix would go into psychotic rambles for no reason at all.
" Why would he do that?" Narcissa asked.
" Ickle Potty was depressed about the mutt's death and sat in his room whining all the time." She smiled and took a sip from her wine glass. Then her face turned serious. " I will make sure that ends and those blasted muggles pay!" The glass broke in her hand and blood flowed down her clenched fist.
" Bella!" Cissy exclaimed rushing over to her sister's side.
" Awww ickle Bella hurt herself Cissy." Bellatrix laughed/whined. Narcissa shook her head and sighed. She used a small healing charm to fix Bella's cuts and a cleaning charm to remove the blood.
" Go to bed Bella." Narcissa told her sister as she helped her to her feet. " I'll let myself out."
" Kay, Cissy, see ya later." Bella sang as she pranced up the stairs. Narcissa smiled at the insane woman and turned to leave. She took a quick look at Harry to make sure he was ok and stepped out the door. She locked it, unsure why, seeing as how Bellatrix could easily defend herself and the boy. Just habit, she assumed.
She took a few steps and apparated away to join Lucius at Malfoy Manor.
Sarafiri Temple: Inner Sanctum
All was going according to plan. Potter joined the dark lord and Snape had been stopped before he could alert Dumbledore. Morose Sarafiri couldn't have been happier with the way things were going. " Soon, once Potter has reached his full power, all my years of sacrifice will finally be worth it." Morose said running his hand across a casket made of polished obsidian stone. A crazed gleam spread in his eyes as he knelt before the coffin. " Soon my dear sister, your death, and the deaths of all our race shall be avenged."
He had forgotten how long he had lived in the great temple that held the bodies of the other Dark Elves. His race had long ruled on the earth. Like the death eaters, and most pureblood wizards, The dark elves viewed muggles as weak and insignificant. At one time they stood poised to conquer the muggle kingdoms and eradicate those fools from existence. Until THEY came along. Those who now represent the houses of Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindore, and Salazar Slytherin. They believed that the muggles deserved their world and to live in peace. Morose was only a child at the time maybe ten or eleven.
His parents were strong believers in "The Cleansing" as they called it as was his older sister. He didn't understand it fully at the time, so they took him into the muggle world and showed him all its faults and why they should be exterminated. They were weak and did not even deserve to breathe the same air they did. They could not even do magic, at least the wizards had something going for them. The muggles had nothing to contribute to the world!
So they met the muggle loving wizards on the plains of the dark elf land in eastern Russia, then called Crouken, or "Black Fields" in the English tongue. Many people died that day, both wizard and elf. They estimated about ten thousand bodies littered the land. That was where his father fell and where Morose vowed to kill the man who had done the deed: Godric Gryffindore.
Soon another battle took place in the swamps of Glaferoth, " Poisoned Water". Aptly named for one sip of the liquid could kill a full grown giant in a matter of seconds. His sister died there at the hands of Rowena Ravenclaw.
The final battle had taken place at the dark elf capitol of Sruniach, modern day Moscow. He remembered the look on his mother's face as she tried desperately to find a place for him to hide. Eventually, she took him into her arms and ran out the back door as the wizard forces approached from the southeast. Panic reflected in her crimson orbs as her breath grew ragged from running for so long. Morose had been silent at this point unable to comprehend what was happening.
" Mommy?" Young Morose asked as his mother ran on the verge of collapsing.
" Not now honey, we have to get away." His mother said gasping for air. Suddenly she fell to her knees unable to use her legs anymore. " Run Morose Run!!!!" She shouted at the child. Morose ran away quickly not looking back, but that could not stop the sound of his mother's screams reaching his ears.
From that day on he promised his family and his entire race that he would accomplish their dream and finish off the muggles once and for all. He would stay alive until his quest was complete, but first he had personal business to take care off with the four founders of Hogwarts.
Many years later they found a retired Godric Gryffindore dead, face down in a bowel of soup, with an elven dagger plunged into his back. Rowena Ravenclaw was discovered hanging by her intestines from the top of the Ministry of Magic building. Helga Hufflepuff's head had been nailed to her front door and Salazar Slytherin was drug up from the bottom of the Hogwarts lake, weighted down by enchanted obsidian stones.
Indeed Morose had been very busy since the fall of his nation and the slaughter of his people. Now all that stood in his way was Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. His cold laugh filled the chamber as he realized that his dream would soon come true. The wizarding world would fall and the muggles would die all at the hands of their so called "Savior." Harry Potter would kill Voldemort and take over the death eaters. Morose had every intention of making this take place. Then there was Lestrange. She would play a major role in his scheme, perhaps even the biggest next to Potter.
He would let the wizards live of course, but he would rule over them. Then he would find a wife and begin to replenish his fallen race. All would be as it should be, as it should have been so long ago...
Grimmauld Place
Albus Dumbledore sat staring into the fire ignoring the looks from the Order. Severus Snape. His friend and confidant had been killed. Horribly burned to a charred husk, almost unrecognizable. It had to be a death eater or group of death eaters who did this. Maybe even Tom himself had killed the traitorous potions master.
What of Harry? They didn't have anymore spies in the death eater ranks. Snape had been their source of information on everything the death eaters were up to. What information had he carried about Harry? Was he being tortured? Murdered? The possibilities were endless and equally terrifying. " May Merlin have mercy on us and on him." Albus said quietly so Tonks, who had sat the corner next to the fireplace, would not hear.
" Headmaster?" Tonks asked not looking at him.
" Yes Nymphadora?"
" Do you think Harry is..."
" Don't... we have to have faith."
" That's what you said about Snape and look where he is now!" Tonks screamed standing up in an act of rage. " We can't just sit and wait for You-Know-Who to drop him on our doorstep!"
" I understand Mrs. Tonks, but..."
" I don't think you do!" Tonks said crying. " He's the only thing I have left of Sirius. If he dies I'll have nothing left to remind me of him." She knew she sounded selfish, but that was the way she felt.
" Please calm down Nymph..."
" CALM DOWN?"
" Nymph..."
" CALM DOWN?" Tonks shouted. " How could you tell me to do that? Harry could be tortured as we speak or worse. My aunt Bellatrix is not a kind person, she will tear him apart if we don't get to him soon!"
" YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT?" Dumbledore yelled catching Tonks completely off-guard. " YOUR NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO CARES ABOUT HARRY! I CARE. MOLLY CARES. AND HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN RONALD AND HERMIONE? HAVE YOU?"
" No..."
" THEN I SUGGEST YOU STOP THROWING BLAME AROUND AND ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING TO THE ORDER INSTEAD OF TRIPPING ALL OVER YOURSELF ALL THE TIME." The ancient wizard snarled. That was it. He had gone too far. Tonks began to cry and ran out of the room leaving the old man in silence. He knew what he did was wrong and guilt quickly overtook his anger. He put his face in his hands and let out a sorrowful moan. How could things get any worse?
A/N: I hope this chapter is to everyone's liking. Thank you for all the reviews so far. Please continue to R&R and the next chapter will be up soon.
