The Dark Warrior
Chapter One
A/N: Sorry. This was part of the Introduction that I wrote before the other and totally forgot about. I thought I'd put it up there right away (I hate it when authors have a chapter written and wait for a certain amount of time or enough reviews before they update. I will not be that person).
Chapter Start/ 3rd Person Point of View:
Dumbledore stared in disbelief as alarms were going off, signifying the wards protecting Harry Potter from Death Eaters had just fallen. Finally, he began reacting, fire-calling the teachers and members of the Order to the room. In twenty minutes, everyone had arrived, including a very reluctant Professor Snape, followed by Professor Quirrel.
"What's going on, Albus?" Minerva asked, seeing the normally calm Headmaster coming close to an anxiety attack.
"The wards have collapsed." Dumbledore said, head in his hands.
All but two were either panicking, concerned, or terrified. Quirrel had a look of glee for a moment, which Severus registered to mull on later. Severus was torn: part of him, the part that still hurt after the loss of Lily and wanted to keep his vow to protect her son, was worried, while another part wanted the Potter brat to stay gone. He pushed the worry away and spoke.
"Is it possible he simply ran away?" Severus asked. "Possibly he threw a tantrum about not getting enough presents and ran away for a show."
Remus Lupin glared at Severus. "Do you remember how Petunia treated Lily after she learned that only Lily was magic? The words she used, how she pushed her around, and when her parents were dead, that she kicked her out on the street after Vernon attempted to hurt her? What makes you think she suddenly had a change of heart? If anything, she's worse because she had to take him in."
Severus tried to ignore his words and to forget, but he still could remember Lily crying and him comforting her after everything Petunia did to her.
"He was raised by them?" Severus asked before he thought about it.
"They're his family-"
"They're abusive pieces of shit, and you know it!" Remus lost his temper and yelled. "Lily put it in her will that Harry would go with me, and you put Harry on their doorstep. You do remember Poppy taking care of her bruises, how she never wanted to go home, how she begged to stay at school in the summer, or have you lost your memory like you lost your mind and morals?"
Minerva didn't bother to defend Dumbledore: she looked livid at him. Poppy was in a similar state.
"Lily was a child, and sometimes children make up-"
"Don't you dare say Lily was a liar!" Severus finally snapped. "Being a child doesn't mean that her stories were false, that she only wanted attention, and that we should disregard anything a child says!"
Severus realized he was doing what he had just preached against, but told himself that with Potter, it was wrong.
"I saw her bruises." Poppy's voice was cold with anger. "You know Petunia was dangerous, especially to a child. We need to make sure he's safe. Albus, you are to leave and not be a part of the search for Harry unless you want me to find a reporter who will gladly ruin your reputation and report how you knowingly put a child in an abusive home and never checked on him, resulting in Harry Potter being in danger or even dead."
Dumbledore looked around the room, trying to find an ally, but all he saw was anger in their faces. He walked out.
"We need somewhere to go where he doesn't have access to. Hogwarts has portraits who are bound to Dumbledore' whim, not to mention House elves. Anyone?" Remus took charge.
Amelia Bones raised her hand.
"I have a portkey to my place. The Floo network would be easy for the portraits to give away." Amelia suggested.
"Then let's go." Remus replied. "Maybe one extra portkey is needed."
Amelia sighed when Remus made one out of his wallet.
"I didn't see anything." She says, and the group laughs, knowing she upholds the law and charges people, even on this.
The group goes to the grounds, where they use the Portkey. All of them felt the familiar feeling of being pulled up and spinning around far too fast until they reach their destination. Only Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora, lost her balance and scowled, her hair turning as red as the color on her cheeks.
Amelia leads them to the sitting room and has Remus take the head chair.
"I think we should run the story anyway." Remus says, and some of the group's jaw dropped. "We need to make Dumbledore's words hold no weight, otherwise he'll try and put him in another place. He's losing his mind."
"Or he just wants a weapon." Quirrel spoke up for the first time.
"Are you crazy?"
"Dumbledore? He'd never-"
"Let him speak." Remus raised his hand and everyone quieted.
"Like Severus, Remus, Minerva, and Poppy said: he knew Lily was abused, and that Petunia's house was unstable and best, abusive at worst. Abused children tend to cling to their saviors and do as the person says to please them. They tend to be one of two things: either they grow angry, cold, and twisted, a broken child; or, what Dumbledore doubtless wants, obedience can be ingrained in them from fear of being punished, starved for affection and would do anything to get it, wants to have everyone have a good image of them so they change to suit that image, low self-confidence to the point where they think everyone else's lives are worth more than their own… Harry Potter would be the perfect savior and hero, a warrior for Dumbledore. What's Dumbledore's motto?"
"For the greater good." Minerva said, and suddenly, everyone shuddered.
"Exactly. It means: that people are expendable for that grand vision he has. He'd do anything to achieve it, and if it means letting a child go through hell, so be it. The prophecy states that Voldemort and Harry will kill each other, but prophecies can be stopped at any time by the two people. He couldn't risk Harry getting different ideas, which is why he was put with magic-hating Muggles. It served a double-purpose: wizards would also make him stronger and able to think for himself, while his family would punish him for it. If he grew up in a loving home, he wouldn't be as attached to Dumbledore and might form opinions other than what he wants. Even if he went to a Light family, friends who were neutral or dark could influence him. Harry's life means nothing to him." Quirrel finished.
"What if he grows up the first way: twisted?" Amelia asked.
"If he'd do that to an innocent child, he wouldn't hesitate to do it to a future Dark Lord or Death Eater." Quirrel explains.
Some of them had their doubts, but the seed had been planted in their minds. Voldemort had originally thought he was simply spinning everything, but as he talked he knew he was onto something major. He needed to find Potter… perhaps he was the former, and he could tip the scales in his favor. All he needed to was be sure that the prophecy didn't have any weight. Dumbledore would believe that the hero was on his side, when in reality, Harry Potter wasn't a savior and could make his own choices: provided it didn't result in Voldemort's death. Voldemort had to contain a laugh: in a small speech, he had turned Dumbledore's Order against him and figured out the man's manipulations. Now he just had to gain their trust and find him first while leading the others astray.
Voldemort looked to Lupin, then to Severus… they would be the easiest to turn to his side and most valuable. Mind made up, he joined the group, whose first stop was the Dursley's house.
In the Department of Mysteries, a prophecy broke, and the future for Voldemort and Harry Potter held no restrictions.
