Dance of Kings
By Iesh

Summary: AU. A secretive Harry Evans joins Tom Riddle's fifth year in 1943 and nothing remains the same. Rules and traditions get trodden upon; secrets are spun in lies and truths; love and hatred are twisted together. Beware Hogwarts! For the Dance of Kings has begun.

Pairings: Harry/Tom, Charlus/Dorea.

Tags: NOT TimeTravel!, Light!Harry, Dark!Tom, Slash & Het relations

Disclaimer: Harry Potter World & Characters belong to the talented JK Rowling. I'm just playing with them.

"…" - Conversations/Talking

'…' - Thinking/Thoughts

§…§ - Parseltongue

Italics - dreams/written words…

Chapter 3

Harry dove in an alcove as he heard voices ahead. Darkness pressed against him while he stilled his breath and waited. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two pearly white figures disappearing in the next corridors- ghosts making their nocturnal rounds. Thanking his luck for the narrow escape, he pushed open the door and entered the room.

Of all the places in Hogwarts, Harry thought that the Library was the most interesting. Its reputation preceded the school in itself as a real trove of knowledge. Now, standing in between the shelves in the pitch dark night, he wondered if at the moment, it didn't reflect the true danger and horror hiding in knowledge. His steps resounded in the quiet room as he made his way to the restricted area. Going past the rope segregating the two sections, he sincerely hoped that no wards had been placed in for unauthorized intruders.

He ran his fingers along the spine of the books. They ranged from the most common subjects liked Advanced Charms to the most forbidden ones like Dark Arts. He stopped at one title whose fading golden lettering grabbed his attention- A Study of the Unforgivable. Harry stared around him, peering in the shadows for any hidden persons. He found nothing yet his heart beat faster as he took out the book and opened it.

Many opinions have been heard about the three Unforgivables. Each one remains a true horror on its own - losing your life, losing your individuality or losing your sanity. And of these three, the Cruciatus Curse is the oldest and most studied yet no cure or proper defence has ever been found. It is known as one of the most intriguing curses which go beyond the strict arithmetic matrix of curses. Its results, while at first view same in each victim, differs in composition and matrix.

Harry skimmed past the rest of the introduction as they spoke of the information he had already gathered in his intensive research. He flipped through the rest of the book and stopped at a page.

Many attempts have been made to reproduce the Cruciatus in potion form- a poison which never kills but tortures to the brink of sanity. Many poison have been inspired from the Unforgivable, most notorious amongst is the Icy Death of Morgana, one which kills its victim after one minute of agony.

Helbert Highbridge was probably the one who came the closest to rendering the Curse in potion. He managed to replicate it while keeping its matrix and composition completely loyal to the Unforgivable. However, one of the intricacies of the potion made the duration of the pain unstable. It is known to range from one minute to full three hours for the same dosage.

Harry grinned as he walked to one of the corners with the book. He couldn't take the book with him. If ever someone found this book with him, it would lead to unwanted questions. He carefully took out a slim diary from his pocket. Blank pages stared at him as he flipped through the pages.

"Fate," he whispered.

Ink filled the pages, curling into words and figures. But they were no mere words; they were torture spells and curses, many long lost to wizard's knowledge. Balancing the diary in his lap, he started making notes about Helbert Highbridge's potion.

His muscles ached in pain as Harry dismounted from his broom. The practice had ended half an hour earlier but he had stayed behind to master some of the moves Michael had given. Following Charlus' and Michael's instructions, he had a better understanding of the rules and culture of Quidditch. Both had thrown a fit when he confessed that it looked that mere flying around. Now, his muscles were more than enough proof that it was more than that.

"I certainly didn't expect to see you here, Harry."

Harry turned and saw Cepheus approaching him from the ground.

"Yes, practice just ended. I didn't mean to disturb you here, Lest- I mean, Cepheus."

"It's for the best," Lestrange smiled, "I have to say that you look good in Quidditch gears."

"Uh, thanks," Harry said as he took in how Cepheus came closer, much closer than was comfortable.

He tried to take a step back but Lestrange grabbed him hand, stopping from moving much.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't think I have been clear enough," Lestrange smirked as he came so close that their chests were on the point of touching. "Did I ever say that you were very pretty, Harry?" He ran his hands through his red hair.

"Back off, Lestrange," Harry broke free from his grasp and took a few steps back.

"Oh my, you do a backbone, after all. Well, you are Gryffindor, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."

"What do you want?" He could his magic thrashing rousing underneath his skin. He took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself.

"You mean, your friends haven't told you yet," Lestrange came closer and ran a finger along his cheek, "Now isn't that funny? Maybe you should ask them? It's much more fun when my pets try to fight. It's… enticing."

Harry dove his hand in his pocket for his wand, a spell almost on his lips when Lestrange let him go and walked away.

"We'll be seeing each other for sure, pet. Just keep your eyes open." Lestrange said as he smiled. And it wasn't the fake warm ones he was used to. His blue eyes hardened in coldness and his face changed in a vicious grimace. Harry shook in rage.

"What the hell is Lestrange's deal? And you better give me proper answers this time?" Harry snarled as he walked towards his friends in the Gryffindor common room.

"What happened?" Theodore said he looked up from his brook.

"I was coming back from practice. I was alone, just .. lost in my thoughts. Then, he came. He was… too close. His hands were very bold and he was… Argh he called me his pet or something," Harry didn't even deem to sit down. He was way too agitated and his magic was trumming for a confrontation, for a fight, for blood.

"Don't worry, Harry. We won't let him come close to you," Charlus said as he rose from his eat.

"That's not what I asked," Harry yelled. A lamp exploded to his left. "He had the gall to taunt me that my friends were hiding things from me. He thought it was amusing. So you better answer me before I…"

"I'm sorry. We were just trying to protect you."

"I'm no weakling, Charlus!"

"Yes, we know that. But you are new here and we didn't want to overwhelm you," Maya said sympathetically from her seat.

"We better tell him. Charlus," Theodore said somberly, "We won't be able to shield him every time. Lestrange has his eyes set on him. He better know what to expect."

Charlus sighed before he continued. "Lestrange is just a sick bastard. The sickest one in Hogwarts. He likes to play with people. He thinks of them as his toys. Once broken, he discards and moves on to the next…."

"That's…" Harry said, trying to come up with the proper term but for once, he could barely think of anything.

"I know. Sarah Madelaine was the first. We were in the second year. She was with us in Gryffindor."

"Was?"

"Yes," Maya continued, "She was a good girl. Very pretty. Maybe the prettiest one in our year. And muggleborn."

"What happened to her?"

"We don't know. We just know that she was rather close to Lestrange for some time and one day, she just packed her stuff and left."

"Then, there was Gary Fraught, another muggleborn one year below us from Hufflepuff. He was a rather sweet and pleasant fellow. It was last year when were in our fourth year. He said that he was sexually assaulted by Lestrange. He tried to go to the Head of Houses, Berry, Slughorn, Dumbledore and even the Headmaster. But in the end, Lestrange's father, who is in the Board of Governors claimed that it was just a fallacy to frame his son. He was claimed as a liar and instigator. He was even fined by Wizengamot for defamation. He left Hogwarts after the taunts and he never returned."

By this point, all fight had left him as he reeled in shock. "No one did anything?"

"Everyone knows the truth but can't do anything… Lestrange is a powerful family."

"And," Maya continued, "these are just the ones that the student population knows about. I feel like that there are more than that."

"And now he has his eyes set on me…" Harry sighed.

"Don't worry, Harry. We won't let him touch another Gryffindor." Charlus said as he squeezed his shoulder.

Harry just shook his head as mirthless laughs escaped through his lips. He waved them off and went to his room. He went for his bath and turned in early, foregoing the dinner. It was just his luck. Just when he was trying to keep it low, the sick sexually frustrated guy got his eyes on him… If only his life was simple for once.

"I'm sorry for yesterday," Harry said as he joined his friend for breakfast the next day, "I was just.. not thinking right."

"It's okay, Harry," Charlus smiled at him, "We understand. You were under lot of stress."

"Yes, but it still doesn't excuse my yelling. You had nothing to do with him. In fact, you were trying to help me. So thanks for that and sorry for my actions."

"You're welcome," Maya replied. She took a generous helping of diced apples and placed it on his plates. Last week, she had noticed that he barely ate and took it upon herself to ensure that he was properly fed. He was just surprised at first but then found himself pleased by her motherly affection. It was nice to be cared for.

After the breakfast, they walked together to the transfiguration class.

"Good morning, Harry."

Harry froze as he listened to the voice. He turned and saw Cepheus standing with his friends to the left. He smirked as he took in his Gryffindor friends surrounding him.

"Leave him alone, Lestrange," Charlus pushed Harry behind him, shielding him.

"Oh, so you finally talked to the mudblood about how things go on around here."

"How dare you use such a word!"

"Well, but it is true…"

Lestrange stopped right there as the door for the class opened and Dumbledore strode out. His eyes went over the confrontational stance between Charlus and Lestrange.

"Get in. It's almost time for class."

The rest of the week passed in more or less the same manner. Lestrange spent most of his time leering at Harry and making inappropriate comments which would set his friends off. Harry knew that the Slytherin was just playing with them. Just like a predator playing with his prey. It was no secret that he was enjoying every minute of seeing the Gryffindors so agitated and helpless. Normally, he would have dealt with Lestrange himself but he didn't want to get everyone's attention on him till his plans were further ahead. So he contented himself with staying with his friends, shielded behind them. So he let Lestrange go on, ignoring him and his comments.

And things spiraled out of hand on Thursday afternoon, after the end of the last class. Maybe he was getting complacent with mere word games. He forgot about the real danger that Lestrange was.

Harry excused himself from his friends and went to the boys rest room on the second floor. As he was washing his hands, he heard the door closing. He turned and saw Lestrange standing there.

"Glad to see you here without our guard lions, though they do behave more like dogs," Lestrange said, coming closer.

"Believe me, Lestrange, you don't want to do this," Harry hissed as the boy intruded in his personal space. Their chests were practically touching. "You have no idea who are playing with."

"I know exactly who I'm playing with, little mudblood. You see, my friends think that your kind is just good for nothing and need to be weeded out. But I beg to differ. I think no matter how dirty your blood is, you can be pretty entertaining."

"Back off, Lestrange," His back was against the wall. Lestrange ran his hand through his hair.

"I must say though you are very pretty. Your hair.. softer and even more beautiful than a girl's." And then, he stared at his eyes , "And your eyes... It gives me thrills when you look at me with such hatred filled eyes. As if you could ever harm me. But it's nice to see a fight, and nicer when I would take all fight out of you."

Harry could hear yells and spells outside the door. Lestrange had surely locked it and set wards. His magic hummed under his skin, waiting to lash out. His fist tightened by his side as he fought to maintain control over his power. It wouldn't do to give away his real potential now. He watched as the boy's hands lowered from his cheek to his neck, his chest, his waist and then lower to finally cusp his groin.

"You dare touch me," Harry yelled as he pushed him off. He clenched his fists, his body still in shock from the sheer audacity of the boy.

"You sure are a fiesty one," Lestrange said. "Well not that I'm not enjoying myself but your guard dogs are calling for you. They can be noisy."

With a wave of his hand, the door flew open.

"What's the meaning of this?" Ogg, the janitor said as he looked at the two boys coming out of the restroom. Charlus and Theodore were standing there with their wands drawn .

"Nothing, sir," Harry said in his best innocent voice, "The door was jammed. We were stuck in and couldn't get it to open."

The man just nodded and walked away while Lestrange shot him an amused look. The other two Gryffindors rounded on the latter, most probably on the point of cursing him and getting landed in detentions.

"Let him go," Harry said dispassionately. Charlus and Theodore looked at him as if he had just grown antlers. Lestrange just smirked and walked away.

"I don't want anyone touching him. He's mine now."

It seemed that his plan to keep a low profile was out of game. There was no way Lestrange was going to go unpunished for his audacity.

Hi Everyone. Sorry for such a late update. Things had come up. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Please review. Thanks!