Edited 4/18/2010: Spelling errors - thanks for that review!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its universe belong to J.K. Rowling. I make no claim to any of it with this fanfiction.
A/N: Thank you everyone for your kind reviews and the constructive criticism - I must confess I'd never expected this story to have such a reception! A few things to address:
Firstly, yes the prologue is longer than is typical; however I wanted the story to begin during canon Harry's 4th year. All of this is leading up to that point, and once there the story should slow down slightly and contain less flashbacks and time skips. If the length of the prologue proves to be an issue in the future, it's at most nothing more than a simple format error to fix.
Secondly, I'd like to thank the guys over on DLP (I really need to sign up...) for their comments - I confess to revising sections of this chapter more than once in an attempt to prevent a few expressed fears from coming through in the writing. Cliches are apparent, but I hope they're done in a refreshing enough way that they can be accepted in most cases.
Lastly - story updates will likely be a bit slower from this point; I'm approaching end-of-term deadlines at my college. As a minor consolation, this chapter is a bit longer than usual.
All that aside, let's move on...
- Control -
Prologue IV
Consciousness returned slowly. I felt warm for the first time in so many months; I felt whole for the first time in far longer.
I opened my eyes, blinking as my vision was greeted by a thick veil of darkness. It was always dim within Azkaban, but it was never pitch black such as this. The darkness had slight lines in it, almost like runes or signs of wear. It's a cloak… I realized; the sluggishness of my mind cleared instantly as a dawning horror gripped me. Dementor!
I screamed and flailed my limbs, trying to get the creature off of me. Kicking violently I managed to untangle myself, jumping to my feet and flattening against the wall of the cell to glare viciously at the beast on the floor. My heart thundered in my chest, and I felt the familiar stirrings of flame in my mind.
The panic began to recede as the numbing cold spread through my back. Clarity returned and made it easier to take stock of my situation. The dementor on the ground was unmoving – in fact, it seemed more formless than usual. Slowly I moved forward and prodded it with my foot, raising an eyebrow as it continued to lie still. It's a warden's cloak, but where's the warden?
Memories swam into focus, memories of battling a creature of myth above a crimson sea. Dark fire had delivered me, given me the strength to face the demon within its own twisted realm. I fell to my knees next to the cloak as realization struck me. I killed a dementor… the flame returned for me… As if answering my thoughts, a swell of ebon fire rose and swallowed all of my doubts and insecurities.
"I've missed you…"I whispered before slowly reaching over and touching the cloak with my hand. I can't believe we won…
I ran my hands over the dark material, not at all surprised that it was cold to the touch. Regardless, I pulled it to me and began to inspect it. The cloak was thick and made of some material I had never seen, sporting frayed edges at the hem and several apparent scorch marks. On a whim, I pulled it around my shoulders and shivered as I felt it wreathe me in numbing cold. It feels like the fire, but more tangible…
It was not an unpleasant sensation, not at all. The cold of the cloak was different than the ever-present chill of Azkaban, and I decided I preferred it. Pulling the dark material closed around me, I noticed a flash of silver near where the cloak had been laying.
Odd… I thought, reaching over and touching it. My hand recoiled as if struck and I hissed. It's cold, so cold! There was frost on my fingers.
Memories continued to enter my mind of the battle between myself and my warden. I recalled a flash of silver just before I eviscerated the beast. Using the hem of the cloak I picked up the item on the ground and brought it closer. On inspection, it was actually a small silver chain – though it was of a craftsmanship I'd never seen before. Not really a chain… I thought, realizing the links fit together far too closely and seemed to be entwined around a single, almost-ethereal filament. More like some kind of bracelet or rosary… but it's broken, disconnected. I didn't notice any type of latch on either end, and the filament was frayed as if recently severed.
One thing was for certain – the item was a dark artifact. I could feel the cold malevolence pulsing from the chain in waves, and the twilight fire within me answered with its own rising tides of flame. To my surprise, I found my own heartbeat matching the tempo set by the two opposing forces of darkness. Fascinating…
Screams were still echoing from outside. It's still dementor feeding time, I suppose… I thought darkly, closing my eyes and leaning back against the stone wall behind me. I pulled the warden's cloak closer to my body and descended into my mindscape to assess the damage.
Azkaban… home sweet home. The mental projection of the fortress was remarkably undamaged save for the scene of my battle with the dementor, which was slowly repairing itself even without my conscious thought. I stepped out onto a battlement, letting a hand trail over one of the massive demonic gargoyles I had painstakingly recreated from memory.
That ocean isn't supposed to be there. I realized suddenly, looking out at the storm-tossed seas around my mental fortress. It was a dark crimson… Just like… I backpedaled in surprise, nearly tripping and falling from the battlement. I recalled a battle high above a bloodied sea just such as this, a sea that had been consumed in fire… Where did it come from? I didn't make this!
A crack of thunder sounded from above and I looked up, frowning as I saw a maelstrom of black fire rather than clouds. All of this is a mental representation; all of it is symbolism. I recalled from my occlumency texts. This is the way my subconscious views myself and my reality, and it forms structures from my experiences and deeper emotions…
With a start I came to a sudden realization – the ebon flame was my magic. It made so much sense I nearly slapped myself. I'm such a fool, of course! The wards on Azkaban suppress magic, that's why it didn't come to me sooner…
My thoughts were running faster now, and the crimson sea began to churn along with them as my pulse raced. High stress environments can cause accidental magical discharges, but nearly having my soul ripped out is obviously taking it to the furthest extreme… did that help me overcome the wards? The fire had come for me in my darkest hour; it had given me the strength to destroy my tormentor when all hope had been lost.
I cast my eyes high into the burning sky above as a slow smile came to my face. "You've always been there for me, haven't you? I'm sorry it took me so long to see it…" I whispered, recalling the greatest horrors of my childhood and the mysterious power that had saved me. Apparition to escape Dudley, broken bones healing in days, my cupboard unlocking just when I was about to starve… My Hogwarts letter had been a revelation, giving name to my gifts and a promised explanation of my power. I had found the answers myself however. Blood is the price of power. I recalled from one of my dark arts texts, glancing out at the red sea once more. I've paid my share through the years.
I felt a numbing chill fall down in waves around me, dusting the citadel of my mind with frost and filling me with purpose. Gazing around at the spiraling tongues of dark fire dancing about me, I couldn't help but smile. You'd think it was almost sentient… Knowledge that the fire – my magic – would never leave me again filled my mind, causing my heart to swell and bolstering my will. "Thank you," I murmured sincerely to the shifting flames, spreading my arms in a gesture of appreciation and acceptance.
My arms extended, the fire came to me and bore me back to the waking world.
My eyes opened and I gazed around my cell for a moment. "We need to get out of here," I murmured simply to dark pyre within me, standing and pulling my warden's cloak closer to my emaciated frame.
A glint of silver caught my eye and I looked down. The rosary… I reached down and picked it up with the hem of my cloak. A stray thought flitted through my mind and sparked a torrent of flame. It's almost ridiculous enough to work. I mused with a slight smirk. Time to test a theory…
Steeling myself, I grasped the tip of the silver chain and hissed as the cold immediately chilled my fingers to the bone. Tightening my occlumency barriers against the discomfort, I held the chain aloft and gazed at it for a moment. It seems to have some affinity to my magic…
Focusing, I gathered the flame and pushed it into the chain with bated breath. The chain began to glow brighter, filling the cell with silvery light. It's working! I thought excitedly, though I rapidly became concerned as the glow continued to increase in brilliance. I… can't stop it. I realized; it seemed to be pulling my magic into it. Frost began to cover my hand and the first stirrings of panic settled about my mind.
This has to stop! With effort I managed to open my hand and let the artifact fall to the floor, sighing in relief as the drain on my magic ended immediately once the contact was severed. The chain continued to glow however, and I took an involuntary step back. It flared brightly for a moment and I felt my magic hurriedly wreathe my mind and body in a protective shell of fire. What's… oh shi—!
A sudden wave of concussive force exploded outward from the chain and flung me into the stone wall behind me. Dazed, I fell to a heap on the ground and groaned in pain. Fuck me… that hurt. I thought darkly, pushing myself up and glaring balefully at the chain sitting innocently in the center of the cell.
"Well it certainly works as a conduit," I groused, snatching up the chain again and glaring at it as it sat in my palm. A frosty mist rose in the low light, and my eyes bulged as I felt the drain on my magic begin anew. I hurriedly stuffed it into a seam on the cowl of my cloak and that seemed to insulate me from it. So much for that idea…
I slumped against the back wall in defeat, resting my head back against the cool stone. At least I know it can channel magic, though it's useless without some medium to focus it… I considered what might happen if I tried to actually cast something through the chain as it was and shivered at the prospect.
Probably end up legless like Dudders… the thought brought a cruel smile to my face. Closing my eyes, I decided to sleep.
Sometime later I was awakened by a persistent rubbing sensation across my chest.
Opening my eyes in annoyance and a bit of anxiety, I beheld a pair of violet eyes… less than an inch from my own. I couldn't help it – I jumped. "Damnit Bella!" I hissed, glaring at her.
She didn't even flinch at my venom, instead running her hands over me beneath my cloak. "Ickle Harry… I heard you screaming earlier," she murmured. Her voice was soft, which usually meant she was near-lucidity. She was seated directly atop me, straddling my legs and pinning me beneath her against the wall.
I rolled my eyes. "I scream all the time. So do you. It's a side-effect of having your mind raped," my sarcasm didn't seem to affect her either, as her hands continued to slowly run over my chest before sliding into my shoulder-length hair. This is actually kind of nice, but I'm not telling her that…
She shook her head after a moment. "No… your voice was different… angry…" she whispered, leaning in closer until our noses nearly touched. "Where did this cloak come from, ickle Harry?" She's been lucid for too long… Warning bells sounded in my mind, and I tensed.
"It came from my warden after I killed it," I replied, discreetly crossing my fingers beneath the dark cloak. I wasn't above resorting to muggle superstitions when Bella was involved. "It's a dark artifact, and I have a theory that the wardens will leave me alone as long as I wear it. I would assume its magical signature would be tied to the wards here—"
"Ickle Harry… killed a dementor?" She interrupted though her voice was so quiet I could hardly hear it despite our proximity.
"Yes… I'm not sure of the specifics. The memory is hazy… but my magic intervened just as it was about to steal my soul," I murmured, making the mistake of focusing too much on the memory and not enough on filtering my words. I felt her entire body tense the moment I finished speaking. This won't be pretty… I quickly tried to recover, "But I came out of it just fine! Not to mention I can kill wardens now, I'm sure I could do it again—"
"Ickle Harry…?" her voice was soft as she leaned forward and brushed my hair back from my left ear. What is she doing…? I wondered as she leaned forward and her breath washed over my earlobe. I shivered.
"Bella…?" my voice was hesitant, though I had to stifle a gasp as she gently nibbled my ear and blew warm breath over the lobe once more.
It goes without saying that I was absolutely terrified.
"Mmm… Ickle Harry…" she whispered, and I felt her tense suddenly. Oh fuck me— "You arrogant ickle murdering plotter fool!" she screeched into my ear then bit the lobe harshly, causing me to cry out.
"Ow! Damnit Bella, stop it!" I hissed, trying to push her off and only succeeding in receiving more pain as she wrenched her head to the side. Warmth flowed down my neck as she finally pulled back, and I saw blood coating her bared teeth.
"Do you think? Do you even consider? What if you had died!?" She was still shrieking, roughly grabbing my hair and making me look into her mad eyes.
"Then I'd be out of Azkaban," I replied darkly, glaring up at her. To my surprise, her eyes shifted once more and she seemed to deflate atop me.
"And you'd leave Bella…" she whispered, and to my dawning horror I saw tears prick her eyes, "You'd leave me…"
How do I get myself into these situations!? "That's not what I meant Bella!" I protested. Honestly, the wardens of Azkaban were probably better at comforting people than I was on my best day. "Besides, it worked out for the best," I offered, "I ended up with a pair of dark artifacts for my trouble!" I produced the chain, held in the hem of my cloak.
She stared at it for a long moment, her eyes flashing between the malevolent rosary and my face. "Mmm. I suppose I should get used to you leaving now…" she seemed to brighten as she spoke. I was thoroughly confused – not a new emotion when this woman was involved. "My ickle Harry, spreading his wings and flying away…" The sudden image of raven wings spread over a bloodied sea flashed in my mind and I brushed it aside.
"Erm… yes. It's high time we left this place, no?" I offered with my best smile. The muscles strained from the alien gesture. "We'll wait until the next time the wardens leave, then—" I trailed off as she began to shake her head.
"Mmm… no," She murmured, and I blinked. At my curious gaze, she elaborated. "No, ickle Harry. I'm waiting for my master… He will deliver me from this place and together we will—"
"Now who's being the fool?" I hissed, glaring at her. "You'd stay here and rot while waiting in some vain hope that your lord not only cheated death but cares enough about the lot of you to rescue you from this hell?" I was livid, never once had I considered she wouldn't be escaping with me.
She blinked at me once – I'd never snapped at her with such venom. Her expression darkened as she processed my words however and I hissed as her hands gripped my throat. "Do not… do not… question my master," she whispered, and her eyes promised murder. I glared into the violet depths.
"I will question whoever I damn well please when you're involved," my words were a low growl. To be honest, I'm not sure when our shared comfort turned to some form of affection. I couldn't help but feel this way however – she was the only one within this place that seemed human to me and not some shell of flesh lost in sorrows.
An amused look flitted across her face. "And what of the wardens? How does ickle Harry plan to break the big bad Azkaban and set his Bella free?"
"I'm not afraid of the wardens! I'll destroy them all just like this one!" I gripped my cloak and pulled up the tattered cowl for her to see. "Then I'll level this prison and we'll freeze the fucking ocean and walk out of here!" I hissed. I truly hated being questioned, especially when I was still working out the details…
She stared at me for a long moment and leaned back. At first I thought she was going to stand, but then a resounding crack echoed through the cell as she slapped me. She just… how dare she!?
"You are a fool, Harry," she whispered, her voice deathly quiet and without a trace of madness. "An arrogant fool! You are not all powerful. No one is… not even my master…" she trailed off and all the fury left her voice. I blinked in surprise. She's never said one word against Voldemort before…
"You'll die if you challenge the wardens. You'll die if you challenge my master, too… you'll die just like Sirius…" she trailed off and leaned forward, pressing her head against my chest. I took a breath to object before her last words struck me. I know that name…
"Sirius Black?" I queried softly; the name was unique enough that her reference warranted investigation.
She nodded slowly, her hair tickling my chin. "He was my cousin. Rodolphus killed him." She whispered quietly and I nodded, reaching up to stroke her hair slowly.
"You were a Black, then?" I asked, trying to steer her away from the memories. Silently I cursed the wardens; they'd likely been the ones to bring this on with their daily sessions.
She nodded again. "Mmm. Silly cousin Sirius… always thinking he could save everyone…" her voice was distant. "But he couldn't save Bella, oh no… couldn't save his Longbottoms either… couldn't save himself…"
"I was told he died during the attack that night…" I offered, trying to gently lead her along. Her lucidity was faltering and I felt this information was important. She must have been there…
"Sirius was a fool. He tried to help me…" she suddenly began shrieking, "Come back with me, Bella! We'll get you a trial, Bella! I know Rodolphus drugged you, Bella!" she slumped against me, her fury spent as quickly as it had come. Her voice was barely more than a whisper as she continued, "He tried to help me and died, ickle Harry… just like you will."
"Drugged you?" I asked quietly, sliding off my cloak and draping it over both of us. She hissed at the cold of the fabric for a moment, then calmed.
"My husband wanted the Black family fortunes. He convinced my master that Regulus was a traitor…" she trailed off. You didn't answer my question, Bella… Her eyes locked onto mine suddenly and she gripped my shoulders. "Regulus would never betray us! He was loyal, he took the mark! He was my blood!" she hissed, and I nodded quickly in agreement.
"I'm sure he wouldn't Bella… so, Regulus was killed for his supposed treachery?" I felt it was a reasonable assumption by what I knew of Voldemort.
"Yes. After that, Sirius was the last obstacle… as long as I produced an heir. Cissy was younger…," she murmured, leaning up and stroking my hair slowly. Her eyes were locked onto mine, but they seemed distant. I wonder what she sees when she looks into the past.
I considered delving into her thoughts, but even I was leery about exposing my ordered conscious to the chaos of her mind. "So when Sirius arrived at the Longbottoms, your husband killed him?" I asked. If Sirius was the last male heir of the Black line, then lordship would pass to the eldest son of the eldest daughter, which is apparently Bella… and until the child was of age, stewardship of the family and estate would pass to her husband – Rodolphus. Living with the Slytherins at Hogwarts had necessitated a bit of study in pureblood customs.
She nodded slowly. "I tried to convince him to join us… but Sirius wouldn't listen. He was such a fool…" Her eyes slid from mine before she snatched them back to meet my gaze, gripping me tightly. "Promise Bella you won't be a fool, Harry!" Damn her direction changes! I knew better than to press her, however. Especially since I've never heard of the Lestranges having a child…
I pushed the thoughts aside and reviewed her words before frowning at her. "I'm not joining the Dark Lord, Bella," I muttered. Unless it's to get close enough to rip out his heart.
She matched my expression but shook her head. "It doesn't matter! When we break this world and the sky falls, I want ickle Harry to find a hole and hide while we fix it!"
"I'm not going to hide, Bella! My parents tried that and died for it!" I all but snarled. She gripped my hair again and leaned in close.
"And you will join them," she whispered, enunciating each word clearly while her eyes never strayed from mine. I shivered.
"Just… just let it go for now, Bella…" I finally whispered, sighing as she sat up and pulled my head to her chest. "We need to escape Azkaban first, anyway…" I added, leaning into her slightly.
I felt her shake with a stifled laugh. "Not we, ickle Harry…" then she tensed and placed a hand under my chin, lifting my gaze to hers. "When you get out… among the normal people... remember this," she whispered before lightly brushing her lips to mine. I blinked in surprise.
"You're better than them, ickle Harry… we are better than them. We are more than them… they fear us – they lock us in their cages!" Her arms flew into the air in a grandiose gesture to the ageless stone around us. "But we will have our day, we will shatter their precious little fantasy world into a thousand ickle pieces!" she was on the cusp of shrieking before her volume fell and she looked deeply into my eyes. "Ickle… no, Harry… we are gods and they are but insects… remember this. Don't let them tell you different, don't let them control you. Kill them, for they deserve no less!"
My eyes widened as she spoke. Us? What does she… A cold wind blew up my spine and I suddenly understood. Us. Dark Wizards. Those who this world has forsaken, those who are feared by ones who know nothing of suffering or loss or hate…
I slowly nodded and whispered, "I won't be controlled, Bella…" Not anymore.
She stared into my eyes for a long moment, searching. Finally she seemed to find what she sought, and she nodded. "Good."
Bella's warden had come for her nearly an hour ago. I'd been pacing ever since, my eyes glancing at the open bars to my cell every few moments. Finally I walked determinedly towards the exit to my personal slice of Azkaban and stopped. Bella's words were still echoing in my head. I'm not arrogant – I killed one once and I can do it again! I sighed; it was impossible to fake confidence with the voice of your own mind, I was realizing.
I stood near the cell bars for a long moment considering options. There has to be a way out of here, but do I dare face the wardens? I looked outside my cell into the half-darkness of the hallway beyond. Fingering my cloak, I took a determined step forward. I need to test my theory.
Barely a dozen steps from my cell a warden descended from above and hovered directly in front of me. Dread settled within my breast but I refused to show any outward signs of fear. "Hello," I offered. A skeletal hand reached forward and rested over my shoulder – I flinched. What is he doing…? My memories rattled within my mind, but I felt no overt signs of intrusion. "I can kill you too, you know," I threatened with a confidence that I truly did not feel.
The hand slid down my shoulder, passing over the fabric of my cloak. "Was he a friend of yours?" I asked sarcastically, cocking my head. The warden simply floated back and drifted away. Odd…
Sensing eyes on me, I leaned my head back and looked to the high gothic ceilings; I very nearly fainted. Over two dozen wardens circled high above me, each of their hoods swiveled to observe me. That… is beyond disturbing. My heart thundered in my chest; it was so loud I could hear it over the ever-present screaming of tortured prisoners.
My feet scraped on the stone as I slowly backpedaled. More wardens began to gather from outside the prison, flying in from the windows and joining the swarm of wraiths above me. Why aren't they doing anything? I was not a coward, but my anxiety was nearly driving me to hysterics. I could feel the borders of my mind being tested, but they made no attempt to breach my barriers.
Clamping my will down savagely onto my mind and mastering the panic, I pulled my cloak tighter around me and walked determinedly across the hall. I refuse to be afraid of them anymore. My hands gripped the dark fabric around me in a white-knuckle hold.
As I walked across the hall, the wardens began to slowly disperse. I expelled a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I suppose they got bored… or does this mean my theory is correct? My pride demanded the latter, but I had a sinking feeling it was simply the former.
In short order I was standing before one of the massive adamantine doorways on either side of the hall. Reaching out to run a hand over the metal, I hissed as protective wards flashed wherever my hand touched and illuminated hundreds of ancient runes carved into the metal. How did the warden open it? I wracked my brain for the memory; it had been nearly a year ago now.
He just… floated in front of it for a moment and it opened. That's all I could remember him doing; it was absolutely infuriating. "Damnit, open!" I hissed finally in exasperation, kicking the door with my bare foot and immediately regretting it. "Fucking…" Sighing in annoyance, I leaned forward and rested my forehead against the cool metal. The collar of my cloak fell open, and I heard the clink of metal on metal.
Raising an eyebrow I glanced down. The rosary… Part of the silver chain had slid free from the seam in the cloak's cowl and was resting against the doorway just beneath my chin. Several of the runes nearby flickered. Is it really that simple…? Emboldened, I pulled out the chain and hissed as it touched my skin. There was an immediate pull on my magic; a pull I once again was unable to stop.
"Damnit, not again!" I panicked and tried to drop the artifact, but it seemed fused to my skin. The cold was slowly traveling up my arm in numbing waves. Suddenly the runes on the doorway before me flared to brilliance as a quartet of massive metal locks shifted. The door creaked open on ancient hinges while the chain fell from my numb fingers moments later.
I glared down at it balefully before carefully retrieving it with the hem of the cloak and tucking it back into the seam. Simple enough I suppose… The doorway beckoned, and I walked through it with purpose.
The prison was just as mazelike as I remembered. I wandered through dreary corridors for some time before finding myself standing in an exposed outer hallway. I walked to the stone barrier and leaned over, looking down at jagged rocks and crashing waves. "There's no way to leave…" the realization was as sudden as it was crushing.
I can't make portkeys. I only know the principles of apparition, and even then I don't know how far it is to shore. It also didn't escape me that the island was likely warded against both forms of transportation. I could conjure a boat, perhaps… I recalled the small boat I'd arrived in, though it had been wreathed in protective wards to survive the journey. "Conjured items don't take enchantment well…" I whispered to myself before sighing explosively. Defeated, I leaned back against a nearby stone pillar.
I'll have to wait on another prisoner to come. The boats must transport back to the mainland at some point to gather more prisoners. I reasoned, immediately feeling better now that I had some semblance of a plan. Until then, I planned to improve mine and Bella's lot in this hell.
"That's fourteen, now," I murmured happily as I walked past a warden to exit the cell. Glancing back at the screaming woman on the floor I sighed. Better you than me.
After learning how to open the large doors I'd gone through three other wings of the prison and nicked nutrient potions from the other prisoners. The wardens never bothered me when I entered the cells, though I paid careful attention not to stand between their hooded gaze and their victims. I'd been scavenging for nearly two hours now and I had quite the haul.
Most prisoners it seemed drank their potions immediately as I did, but some of them simply ignored the sustenance and the vials had collected in their cells by the day. I suppose death by starvation is a kinder fate for the weak-willed. I thought, hearing the jingle of potion vials in my pocket. I'll put these to better use.
The screaming began to die down as I was leaving one wing of the prison, causing me to turn and look back into the hallway. Wardens were slowly pulling out of the cells and ascending to the high ceilings, and I blinked in surprise. Has it truly been that long? I should get back. I fingered my swollen left ear for a moment. Definitely don't want to keep dear Bella waiting…
As I dashed back through the hallways to my cell I had a sinking suspicion that I was forgetting something. Probably just nerves. I concluded just as I stepped through one of the massive, unlocked gates.
I returned to my cell and winced as I spotted a tall woman in the back, leaning against the wall and staring listlessly ahead. "Hello Bella!" I greeted cheerfully, stifling a wince as her eyes swam into focus onto me. She cocked her head. You've got some explaining to do, Harry… I muttered in my head – I knew that look, after all.
"I, erm, brought presents!" Recovering quickly I began to pull vials from the few pockets of my robes that remained viable. "Drink up, I can probably get us more tomorrow," I murmured, setting the vials in the corner of my cell and offering her one.
She stared at me for a long moment before her eyes slid down my arm to the vial. "Tsk… ickle Harry bringing home meals…" her eyes slid up to mine again before they flashed. Damnit! "Shall I set the table like a good wife!?" she shrieked. I wonder what memory brought this on…
"What's wrong, Bella?" I asked hesitantly. That's such a loaded question.
Her eyes stayed locked onto mine for a long moment before she snatched the potion and swallowed it. After tossing the vial carelessly, she grabbed my robes roughly and pushed me to sit down against the wall before plopping down atop me. I grunted from the sudden impact but knew better than to argue.
"Explain," she finally stated after staring me down for nearly a full minute straight. I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.
"The doors open to the silver artifact, and the wardens left me alone," I started, wincing as her eyes narrowed. "So I explored the prison. Did you know there are several more wings beside this one? I wonder just how big this place—"
"Did you see…?" she interrupted quickly, glancing over her shoulder. I blinked and fought the urge to slap my forehead. Of course, her husband is in one of the other wings.
"I don't think so. I might have, but I wouldn't recognize his face," I offered. She stared at me for a long moment before slowly nodding.
Sliding over next to me, she leaned against my shoulder and closed her eyes. Crisis averted. I thought with a trace of happiness, pulling out one of my recently-stolen vials of nutrient potion and pouring it down my throat. What I wouldn't give for some pumpkin juice right about now…
"I had a child once," a soft voice whispered some time later. I jumped slightly, having thought she'd fallen asleep some time ago.
"You did?" I asked, watching as her hand rubbed over her stomach for a moment. For some reason, a sense of foreboding fell about me.
"Mmm. For a few months," Bella murmured, pressing her face deeper into my hair. "He'd be nearly ickle Harry's age."
For a few months…? "Bella, what happened?" I asked softly. I knew better than to pry, but this wasn't something I could simply let drop.
"Rodolphus needed an heir…" she hissed, then shook her head. "No, Rodolphus needed a meal ticket to the Black fortunes…" she corrected, nodding to herself. "After he got himself an ickle Black wife…" she trailed off before suddenly gripping me tightly. "He gave me the nicest candies! They shined like pearls!"
Pearls…? I had learned things from my extended proximity to Bella. One of them was that she never said anything irrelevant, even if it was under the disguise of madness. The trick was being able to decipher her psychosis and find the meaning beneath. "What kind of pearls, Bella?" A sinking feeling settled into my stomach.
"Like ickle mummy pearls…" she giggled, nuzzling me.
Mother of pearl. My mind worked on overdrive, sifting through my memories with a speed I'd have never achieved before Azkaban. Sirius thought her husband drugged her… what has a mother of pearl… my thoughts stopped suddenly and I turned my head to her, eyes wide in shock. "He drugged you with Amortentia!?"
She cackled loudly and nodded with an almost violent motion. "Ickle Harry is so smart! Mmm, my husband thought he was so clever… thought he'd put one over on Bella, thought he'd deceive a Black!" she shrieked, her eyes suddenly locking onto mine. "He was a fool. One day he forgot to give Bella her candies…"
"You recovered?" I asked softly.
"Mmm. Not for long, just long enough…" her eyes glanced down at her belly for a single moment, but I caught it. My heart nearly stopped.
"What… what did you do, Bella…?" I asked slowly, morbid curiosity forcing me to speak.
"Silly Rodolphus…" she whispered, clutching at my cloak and apparently heedless to the cold of the fabric. "So many plans, so much ambition… and yet…" she lifted her gaze and smiled at me; tears shined in her eyes, but her smile was wide and open. "He kept Bella's wand, but he left the potion cabinet unlocked."
Gods… "Bella… what potions did you take?" Horror settled deep in my soul.
She smiled at me then as a tear finally broke from her eyelids and tracked through the dirt and grime on her face. It looked far too pure, far too alien in such a place as this. "Everything…"
My heart actually did stop. "Bella…" I could scarcely do more than whisper.
"Sleepy time, ickle Harry…" she interrupted, leaning against me as she pressed her face back into my shoulder. "Sweet dreams…" She fell asleep nearly instantly.
It took me over an hour.
I awoke to shrieking.
An emaciated man had Bella's long hair in his hand and roughly wrenched her to her feet, backhanding her across the face and sending her spiraling into one of the stone walls. Her head struck the wall at speed, and she collapsed to the ground unmoving. I left the gates open…
"Stupid whore! Why the Dark Lord favored you I'll never—" he started.
I cut him off by barreling into his midsection with a tackle, managing to force him against a wall. He snarled at me and slammed his fists into my back, sending me to my knees. Grunting from the impact, I forced myself back up only to catch a fist directly to my face that staggered me back across the cell.
He was upon me in moments, backhanding me savagely and sending me sprawling to the ground. "Who the fuck are you, boy? Bella's new toy?" he snarled, straddling my chest and wrapping his hands around my throat. My eyes bulged as he began to squeeze. Can't… breathe…
Magic flared inside of me in a torrent of fire, and I tried to catch his eyes to vent the enraged flames. It was not to be, as his gaze alternated between my throat and Bella's prone form. "The bitch ruined everything… everything…" he was whispering, but I was hardly paying attention. My hands clawed at the ones around my throat, but it was to no avail. He's bigger… stronger… "The master isn't here to save her this time…" he continued, a manic grin spreading over his face.
I'm going to die like a muggle. The thought was incredibly distressing. I pulled at the hands harder, my vision starting to blur as I sputtered for breath. His thumbs pushed into my windpipe and my eyes bulged wider. Panic gripped me as my heart thundered in my chest and wasted what precious little breath I had. I won't… I won't die like a dog!
There was only one option. At least Bella might survive it… I groped at the collar of my cloak, succeeding in freeing the silver artifact. The man's gaze was still on Bella as I fumbled with the rosary, but his eyes snapped back to my face when I jabbed the frayed tip into his side. Smirking savagely, I gathered the last breath in my body and hissed the incantation, "Cru…cio…"
My world exploded into pain. Strands of unfocused burgundy power lashed from the artifact and clenched around our bodies in a vice of torment. Screams assaulted my ears, screams from two separate voices. I could hardly form thoughts as my traitorous nerves laid siege to my mind. The crimson sea of my mindscape was churning, slamming tidal waves into my mental fortress as my body rebelled from the pain.
Can't stop it… can't… the artifact had a hold on my magic now; it was impossible to cut the spell. Distantly, I felt frost cover my hand and forearm. The man atop me was twitching violently, fingers of deep crimson power wrapping around his body along with mine. The pain came in tremendous waves, searing every nerve of my being. Each pulse of torment was punctuated by a crimson wave striking my mind's barriers; they were eroding quickly… What happens when they're breached…?
I was spared finding the answer by a feminine shriek. The pain stopped immediately afterwards and I collapsed back onto the cool stone. The artifact slid across the floor, wisps of burgundy still extending from the chain. She… knocked it away… It was so hard to think.
Bella spared the malevolent artifact a single glance before descending on the man atop me, shoving him off and straddling him. "Hello husband…" she hissed, looking down at his twitching form. The torture curse had left us both nearly immobile.
"You forgot to bring candies…" she started then trailed off as she stared at his face. "Oh wait, you did bring me some! How thoughtful…"
I watched in morbid fascination as she used her nails to roughly remove his left eye from its socket.
"I do so love my candies, Rodolphus…" she whispered as she stared at the eyeball in her hand. The man was twitching violently, blubbering something that I couldn't hear. My ears were ringing; it was hard enough to make out Bella's words.
Her hand flexed once and the eyeball burst, causing the body beneath her to shudder violently while a clear fluid ran between her fingers. "Oops…" she giggled before glancing at my prone form. Our eyes met for a single moment, and I saw her violet orbs flash magenta. I tried to sputter something to tell her I was alright, but it came out as a strangled wheeze. Her eyes widened at the sound.
It was at this point that she completely lost it.
Shrieking like a banshee, she tore into the body beneath her. Her nails broke the flesh of his face, tearing off strips of skin and ruining his other eye in moments. She wasn't done however, as she clawed her way down to his throat. "Eat the candies, Bella!" she screeched, ripping into the tender flesh as he thrashed beneath her. He screamed almost as loud as he had under the Cruciatus.
Eventually she must have severed an artery, as a fount of blood sprayed and coated her upper body along with one of the walls of the cell. Some splattered over my face as well, but still I could hardly move. At least it's warm…
It's so hard to breathe… my throat was constricted, and I could feel my consciousness slipping away.
My last sight was the body of Rodolphus Lestrange going still.
A scraping noise drew me from unconsciousness some time later.
Slowly I turned my head and watched a warden drag the body of Bella's husband from the cell. I could see bits of bone standing out like islands in the ruined flesh of his throat. Bella…
I looked up at her – my head was resting in her lap. She was rocking back and forth slowly, staring into space while her hand absently stroked my hair. She was drenched in blood. "B-Bella…?" I croaked softly, it was the best I could do. Still hard to breathe…
Her hand slid up and lightly brushed across her stomach before returning to my hair. "Arcturus…" she whispered, looking down at me after a few moments. She stared into my eyes for several long minutes. Who is—?
"Ickle Harry kept his word…" she whispered softly while I watched her gaze slide over to the bloodstains on the walls and floor.
Huh? "W-what…?"
Bella looked down at me, the violet of her eyes standing out brightly against the red stains on her face. "Ickle Harry set his Bella free…"
She never left my cell after that day.
It took me some time to recover from my near-strangulation and the Cruciatus exposure, and Bella stayed with me through it all. Her warden had come for her and she had shrieked and fought the creature with all she had, until it had finally simply given in and tortured her in my cell. That was days ago though, and I had been thankful that I had procured so many additional vials of nutrient potion. After my warden had been killed, the vials had stopped appearing in my cell each day and I was in no condition to scavenge for more.
Bella had taken care of me during my recovery. She would suffer her torture, then drag herself to the vials and pour one down her throat and another down mine. Afterwards she would sit next to me, hardly ever speaking, and glance between the artifact near the bars and back at me. One day she had finally walked over to retrieve it and screamed when she touched it.
"Ickle Harry's bracelet attacked Bella…" she had muttered, slumping next to me once more and glaring balefully at the artifact. Her fingers were still frostbitten. I crawled to it the next day and stuffed it into the cowl of my cloak to prevent her from having to try again.
Getting back to the present, however…
I watched from my slumped position against the wall as she thrashed in the other corner, one hand on her stomach and the other clawing for the air. "Arcturus… mummy Bella is sorry…" she whispered, over and over. Whatever she sees when she looks into the past… I don't want to know anymore.
Her warden hovered in the entrance of the cell; its hooded gaze was locked on Bella's writhing form. As I watched however, it spun around and looked at something in the hallway before shrieking and flying up into the high rafters above. Odd… I thought, watching a pale white light begin to illuminate the area outside the cell. Voices drifted to me from the hallway…
"Which one is his cell? This is horrible…"
"Focus, Rebecca. Keep checking."
"Remember what Mad-Eye said; when we find him don't look in his eyes."
"He's just a kid. I doubt he'll be in any position to do a damn thing after a year in this hellhole."
Aurors. I glanced at Bella and saw her just beginning to recover. Sliding over to join her, I pulled her to me and hissed into her ear, "Aurors are outside, Bella."
She looked at me with a lost expression for a moment before she blinked and seemed to process my words. Immediately she sprung up and sat on her knees next to me, her eyes locked on the cell bars and a hard look on her face.
Presently a blinding light appeared in the entrance to the cell, and I hissed as a patronus trotted past. Those things really are too damned bright… "Erm… I think this is him, Kingsley!" a woman's voice called. Squinting against the glare, I made out at least four Aurors grouping at the entrance to my cell.
"Is that him? And who's that with him?" the Auror on the left asked. I could feel Bella's disdain as she sat next to me.
"Awww… the ickle Aurors came to play, Harry. If only Bella had a wand…" she trailed off and giggled suddenly. "Frank and Alice taught Bella the best way to play with Aurors…"
The center Auror who I assumed was their leader, a rather tall black man, turned a glare onto her. "Bellatrix Lestrange, I presume. Frank and Alice Longbottom were friends. Step away from Mr. Potter," he commanded quietly. No such luck there, friend. I thought sarcastically, glancing between the four of them. I was unable to resist a smirk as I found none of them would meet my eyes. Except…
"Why don't we just stun them both and levitate him out of here?" the one on the right asked, and his eyes locked onto mine…
Master Legilimens can enter a person's thoughts without their conscious knowledge and leave no traces that they had been there at all. It goes without saying that I was not a master Legilimens. I dove into the man's thoughts with the force of a battering ram, crashing through the barriers of his mind and expelling a wave of ebon fire into his conscious. The blaze scoured his mind for what I sought before returning it to me for my perusal. He's here? Now this is interesting…
The intrusion had lasted perhaps three seconds in the real world. The man fell to his knees as I withdrew, shivering uncontrollably and clutching his head. Two of the Aurors raised their wands at me instinctively. Bella shrieked and dove at them, her nails glinting in the light from the patroni outside. The Aurors' wands immediately shifted to her.
"Stupefy!" the female Auror incanted even as their leader yelled at her to hold her fire. Bella! On instinct I gripped the artifact hidden in my cloak while my other hand reached out and grabbed the hem of Bella's tattered robes to stop her. I felt a gout of black fire rush from my chest and into the rosary.
The stunner slammed into a shield inches from Bella's chest, expelling a shower of sparks to join the few traces of dark energy that had stopped it.
No one moved. Even Bella was confused, glancing back at me before glaring at the Aurors in front of her once more.
"That's enough. Dumbledore is waiting," I muttered dryly, pushing myself to my feet and discretely tucking the artifact back into my cloak. Where did that urge come from…? How did I know it would even work…? I felt drained.
"Yes, he is," the dark-skinned man murmured, giving me an appraising look. One Auror was helping the other off the floor – I couldn't resist a smirk when I noticed he was still shivering.
"What the hell was that, Kingsley? It looked like some kind of shield, but it didn't put off any light at all…" the female Auror murmured quietly to the tall one. My eyes widened at her words, but any thoughts on the matter were interrupted as Bella suddenly gripped me by the shoulders.
"Ickle Harry…" she whispered, glancing at the Aurors and back at me. "Old pigeon-lovers wouldn't come to big cages unless they thought an ickle one from their flock was there…" she continued. What is she…? I suddenly remembered her words from some time ago and my eyes widened. "Remember what Bella said…" she whispered intently, staring into my eyes.
I nodded slowly. "I won't let them control me, Bella," I quietly promised to her.
She nodded back at me before pulling me into a tight embrace. I hugged her back just as tightly, ignoring the clearing throats of the intruders. "If he doesn't come for you, I will," I quietly promised before releasing her slowly and walking towards the Aurors.
Bella grinned madly at me and nodded. "I'll hold ickle Harry to that…" she trailed off while I walked away from the cell, following the Aurors. We made it halfway through the hallway before gales of insane laughter came from behind, "Ickle Harry, spreading his wings and flying away!"
I couldn't help it – I cackled madly along with her. The Aurors didn't find the situation nearly as amusing.
"I want the kid brought up on charges…" one of the Aurors near me groused as we walked through the mazelike corridors of Azkaban. "What the fuck did you do to me anyway? How long is this going to last?" he turned to me and glared – at my nose. He was still shivering, after all.
I snorted and muttered, "It'll wear off eventually." Probably.
"Listen you—"
"Leave him alone, Jeffrey. He's been through enough," the female Auror murmured and I barely hid my grin at the expression on the man's face.
"Cut the chatter," the dark-skinned Auror – Kingsley – barked from in front.
"Sorry, sir," the female Auror – who I had learned was Rebecca – replied. I glanced over at her. She was walking closer to me than the others and appeared to be visibly unnerved by her surroundings. Looking down, I saw her wand resting in her left hand near me. I could grab it… But even if I had a wand and assuming it had enough affinity to function for me, I'd still have to deal with four Aurors.
An Ice Tomb spell at point blank into the lead one's back would kill him and likely incapacitate the other two beside me. I thought, my eyes discreetly glancing around and judging distances. The cloak would probably shield me from the worst of it, but the question is if I can recover fast enough to deal with the one in the back…
They had to have portkeys to leave this place, after all. However, I realized my chances of escape were slim even if I struck down all four of them. The old man was here somewhere… And he probably has the portkey, anyway.
Sighing, I decided to bide my time. Rebecca heard my sigh and reached over to pat my shoulder, apparently believing my surroundings were affecting me as much as her. I fought the urge to hiss at the contact, though thankfully the chill of my cloak warded her off. "D-don't worry, we'll have you out of here soon…" she whispered.
"Rebecca!" Kingsley snapped and she flinched. Have me out of here…? Don't they remember I killed two of their number just a year ago? Oh, and the three muggles. I refused to consider them family.
"What? He shouldn't even be here! You heard what Dumbledore—"
"The hell he shouldn't be here! Did you see what he did to me!?"
"I said cut the chatter!" the lead Auror stated, turning and fixing both of them with a glare. I wonder what she was going on about… Yes, this was very interesting.
"Are you sure this is the right way, Kingsley? This place is damn maze," shivering-Auror grumbled from my other side. Kingsley's back tensed for a moment after the query. So you're not sure, wonderful.
"Take the next left," I offered helpfully, drawing curious gazes from all of them. I honestly didn't have a clue where we were or where we were going, but they didn't know that of course.
To my surprise, the next left did indeed bring us to a door with two brightly-lit torches outside of it. All of the Aurors turned and gave me surprised looks. I gave them my best grin and sauntered through the doorway when Kingsley opened it. My luck is the stuff of legends, you lot had best learn that now.
I froze merely three steps into the room. Dumbledore sat at the other side of a stone table, looking like he belonged there. The room had a slight, dull sheen to it. Recent cleaning charms, lots of them.
Fighting down the sudden anger at the sight of the man and the rush of cold fire up my spine, I sat down in the chair in front of him. He looked at me with his damnable twinkling eyes. What I'd give to see Bella claw those out too… the thought brought a smile to my face. Dumbledore thought it was for him, and he smiled back – I nearly retched.
"Hello Harry," he murmured jovially, sliding a small glass dish across the stone. "Lemon drop?"
I boggled at him for a moment before looking down at the candies. Probably didn't come all this damn way to poison me. Feeling that my reasoning was sound, I reached over and grabbed the entire dish. I tossed one in my mouth and leaned back, closing my eyes in pleasure. Mmm… It was the first thing I'd tasted other than mold and blood in roughly a year, after all.
"Harry… are you alright?" his words were quiet as he looked me over. Looking at our surroundings for a moment, I gave him a look that I typically reserved for Bella when she was at the peak of her insanity. He sighed.
"What happened to your throat, Harry?" He asked instead, frowning as he looked down at my still-bruised neck.
"You should see the other guy," I replied with a chuckle, stuffing a few more of the candies into my mouth. These things are pretty good, but I'll never say it.
He frowned further at my words before his eyes slid over my emaciated frame. "Harry, where did that cloak come from?" So many questions today!
"Tesco's," I replied immediately, forming the multiple candies in my mouth into a confectionery ball and rolling it around with my tongue. I finally glanced up and sighed at his expression. Well I thought it was funny. "You probably don't want to know."
Dumbledore sighed and leaned back in his chair, assessing me for a long moment while I happily destroyed the dish of candies. I wonder if I can get them to take some of these to Bella… probably not. "Do you know why I'm here Harry?" the old man asked quietly, interrupting my musings.
"Probably has something to do with that prophecy," I fired back immediately, glancing up at him.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Harry."
Of course you don't. "I see."
His chest rose in a long, slow breath while he closed his eyes. Finally opening them and looking at me once more, he pulled out a familiar book – no, journal – and set it on the table. I hissed and stood quickly, making the Aurors in the back of the room immediately train wands on me. "What the hell is that doing here?" I snarled, glaring at the book hatefully. Ginny…
"I have managed to convince the Wizengamot that this artifact is responsible for your actions," Dumbledore quietly replied, disregarding my outburst. "We now believe it possessed you and forced your actions that fateful evening."
Is he serious…? Oh, this is rich! I suddenly burst into thick gales of laughter, gripping the table for support and grinning at him madly. "They actually bought that load of tripe?" He's even better than I thought!
He frowned deeply and made a gesture with his hand, and I heard the Aurors leave the room. "Yes, Harry. It is what happened, whether you believe it or not." You're so full of shit and we both know it. What's your game, old man?
Seeing that I was waiting for an explanation, he offered a small smile and continued. "You really must thank Mr. Longbottom. Without his assistance it would have been very difficult to procure your release." I stared at him, and he sighed before continuing, "He was instrumental in re-opening the Chamber for our investigation. We found this book inside the cavern among... other things. I truly wish you had been more forthcoming with your explanation of the events that night, Harry… we could have avoided all of this." He gestured to the citadel around us.
Like hell we could have. I sank back down into my chair and grumbled something about his lineage under my breath while stuffing a few candies into my mouth. "You want something from me, just say it," I muttered after a moment.
"I want nothing from you other than for your continued education, Harry," he replied quietly.
He's actually serious… "You want me to return to Hogwarts?" I couldn't hide my surprise, and a candy nearly slipped from my open mouth before I recovered.
"Yes, Harry. I want to place all of this unfortunate business behind us," he continued firmly.
Hmm… return to Hogwarts where he can keep an eye on me, or stay in Azkaban… I knew I could escape eventually, but it would be infinitely easier to move around if I had an actual pardon from the Ministry. He won't control me Bella, by blood and magic I swear it. A surge of dark fire swelled in me at my silent promise, and I gave the old man across from me a barely-perceptible nod. I'll play along for now, old man.
He smiled widely and I stifled the urge to curse at him openly. Standing, he pulled out a length of golden chain and held it forward. "Shall we put all of this behind us then, Harry?" he asked jovially.
No. I stood slowly, staring at the chain and considering my possible life beyond these dark halls. Azkaban had hardened me; it had been a test of will and I had succeeded where few could claim the distinction. A fortress now stood within my mind where once only ruins of uncertainty had been found. My magic was closer to the surface than it had ever been, filling me with purpose and a drive to become what I was meant to be without regard to the costs.
No more compromises, no more blind following. I won't be caged again. I'd die before I returned to Azkaban, and it'd be with a smile on my face. This world can do its worst.
Smirking at the man before me, I gripped the chain.
A/N: Prologue complete.
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