Chapter Six:
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Silently the Chosen Mates followed their Subcubus/son, Charlie followed diligently, into an alcove. Placing his hand on the Basilisk head which adorned the stone wall Harry hissed, "Son of the Serpent, Daughter of the Lion seeks entrance to the Serpents Lair".
The tiny spot of blood left on the wall told him this archway was protected by bloodwards. Voldemort found it a bit odd to hear Harry, no, Shadow he mentally corrected himself, refer to himself as son and daughter; he decided to file that information away for now.
The stones rearranged themselves into an archway, allowing the six of them to pass through. For the next ten minutes or so they silently walked through a long corridor, at the end of it they stopped in front of a beautiful green marble door. The inlaid Gryphon roared menacingly at the intruders making Harry laugh, "Silly, Gryphon, these are my mates and dad. Now let us enter Shadow's Realm."
The Gryphon bowed low as the door swung open to grant them entrance.
The Slytherins were surprised to find themselves in a garden. Looking around while they walked towards a three-story house, Severus noted that the yard only consisted of a patio and off to the right side was a small garden full of plants used as potions ingredients. Voldemort was surprised to note that the house in front of them was Muggle. Harry pulled a key from a chain around his neck and opened the door. The Slytherins followed the only Gryffindor in their midst into the house. Through the small hallway they entered the livingroom.
"Please have a seat everyone. Would any of you, and that includes you Charlie, want something to drink?" Harry took their orders and walked into the adjacent kitchen to retrieve the requested drinks.
As soon as he'd given everyone their drink, he sat down with a sigh.
"Before any of you comment on my sanctuary I'd like us to clear several things between us. I'm going to give you the full truth about my life as it was before I approached dad. I know most of you have experienced flashes at the Dursley residence however even those do not tell the full story as there is almost as much at Hogwarts.
Like the true Slytherin the Sorting Hat recognized me to be, I've worn a mask for the past five years here. I'm shedding my mask before you because I do not wish to enter into a bond without the other knowing who I truly am.
Likewise I expect you to show me who you are behind said mask. If either of us finds ourselves disagreeable to bond then you have my permission to Obliviate me. Know that upon our exit the others will cease to remember as well. The same goes for me, my secrets will remain here, there is a permanent Obliviate spell on the Gryphon's door. If you choose to bond with me, I shall key you into the wards thus letting you retain your knowledge of me," Harry said.
"Shadow, do you not think you are perhaps paranoid?" Lucius queried carefully.
"Not if you take to mind that the information I am about to divulge could very well be used to destroy or worse control me. I'll tell you about my hopes, dreams, fears and most importantly my magic prior to my inheritance and the reason why I knew I could force my transformation nearly a month earlier. Dumbles saw Harry Potter as a tool to defeat Voldemort believing I was marked his equal in power. If he ever was to find out dad marked me his equal not in power but in charisma, cunning and ambition I doubt he would have dared to let me live past birth. Whilst I know most people wouldn't consider to adopt the murderer of their real parents as their father, I find you have been punished more than justified already," Harry looked directly into Voldemort's red eyes, "The day you killed mum and dad was also the day you were forced out of your body and spend the next 13 years roaming as a spirit-parasite. I do not kid myself if I say that if it were not for the fact that the Founders claimed me and my siblings, Harry Potter would have still lived and Dumbles would have me kissed by the Dementors the moment father was defeated. It is one of the reasons why I never sought to kill you dad. But alas I digress, my sanctuary is warded against everyone but the Founders not even my siblings can enter this domain. As you have probably noticed it is mostly Muggle in style and get up, save for my potions lab."
"You have a Potions Lab?" Severus asked incredulously.
"Yes. I shall show you later if you still wish to after hearing my tale, Severus."
The normally taciturn Vampire nodded, respecting his mate's wishes.
Harry took a sip from his firewhiskey to have the time to gather his thoughts. Although those present would have allow him to even if he hadn't. All present were aware of the cost to the young man to even disclose a small portion of his life. They had come to realize that Shadow was an intensely private man, perhaps even more than any of them which was saying something.
Finally Harry sat up straight and after taking an encouraging gulp from his drink, he nodded to himself. And started his tale, he shared his gruesome childhood with them in detail, his hopes and dreams as a young child. Hopes and dreams he never gave up despite or perhaps because of the horrors he endured each day.
There wasn't a single person there who was not shedding tears by the time the teen finished. After collecting himself, as Harry too cried for his lost childhood.
He looked at them, perhaps now you understand why I could never treat anyone like a catamite or a slave. Why I feel the need to save any from such a faith.
When Hagrid came to fetch me from the Dursleys, I truly believed I was saved. Instead I found myself caught in elaborate scheme designed to empower, enrich and elongate the life of an evil, old man.
Hagrid is under a compulsion, specifically designed for giants. He is basically unable to say or do anything against either Dumbles or Gryffindors unless said person knows the true nature of the old goat.
Thus he was forced to tell me lies about Slytherins and the old coot. Combined with the so-called helpfulness of Mrs. Weasley and her youngest spawn, I fell for Dumbledore's schemes hook, line and sinker. Suffice to say I was Dumbles' golden boy until end of summer before my third year.
The old coot did not seem to realize that you can not repeatedly Obliviate a person for the same memory over and over again before said person becomes immune against Obliviates. During that fateful summer he once more enjoyed Vernon's hospitality with me as the main entertainment.
I found out that evening just how evil and manipulative the bastard was. Neither Dursleys are related to my mother, in fact they aren't even true Muggles. Vernon's a squib and Petunia is little better than a squib, though she is quite versed in potions. They received quite a monthly stipend to make sure I remained ignorant of the Magical World and he allowed their mental, physical and sexual abuse of me. Going as far as to pay them extra while encouraging them and partaking in the abuse.
As a toddler I used to dream my parents would come save me from the Dursleys. Later on I realized they never would because they were dead but I focussed my hope on the strange man in my head with the red eyes. When they were particularly brutal to me, I retreated deep inside my mind and there I would find another entity. Someone who accepted my presence, though he was weak. There were times when, Red Eyes, as I called the mysterious presence was suffering even more than I was. Those moments I tried so send him as much love as I could while praying he would recover so he could save me.
Imagine my surprise when I learned the man I cared for, saw as my father-figure, for so long turned out to be no other than the Dark Lord Voldemort. Something broke inside me when he tried to kill me, but still my heart refused to give up on the man who would sometimes sing to me in Parseltongue."
Voldemort responded in shock, "You were the one who fed me magic at my lowest moments, when even Aly's Animagus tears weren't enough to heal me. I thought I was delusional."
"Yes, dad, that was me. I might have unconsciously healed you as a child, you too kept me strong enough to bear the destiny thrust upon me.
During Third year I discovered my so-called best friends were traitors, working for Dumbledore. The Weasel was stupid enough to try and molest me on the train when the dumbarse thought the Dementor knocked me out cold. Unfortunately for him while I was unable to do anything, I was conscious and Moony interrupted him before he could actually enjoy me. My dreams and hopes were crushed in that instant. I realized I would never amount to more than someone's toy. The only comfort I have is that at least I know how to pleasure my masters."
The others were quite disturbed about the self-loathing they heard from the teen. They realized he still saw himself as a toy, a plaything to be used for the pleasure of others. They were slowly coming to realize that while their mate/son was strong, he had no self-worth. This was probably why Charlie's sacrifice hurt him so much. He did not want to reduce the young man, he considered his brother to the same fate.
The mates shared a knowledgeable look. If they were ever going to have their mate restored to full mental health, they needed to show Harry that he meant more to them than just a mate for breeding and allow him to restore Charlie Weasley's free will and sanity.
"So now that you know just how used I have been. Do you still wish to be my father? Or you my Mates..., my Masters?," Harry asked in a small voice, fearing rejection.
"Precious, I could never saw 'no' to you. You have always been the son I wanted, that has not changed now. I swear we will punish those monsters who made you think you were only to be a wizard's toy," Voldemort growled even as he wrapped his son in a loving embrace.
The older Mates shared another look between themselves, on one hand was the temptation of having their own personal slave to do with as they pleased. On the other this was the same boy they had always admired from a far. Being the Dominant beings they were, the chance of having a True pet to please them, sounded like heaven. Draco however looked furious at the elder mates. To Harry however he was only supportive.
"Shade, sweetie, no one thinks any less of you or Charlie. I agree with you that we should see if we can restore his free will but please before you rush of to do as Lady Rowena suggest. Can we research this ritual? I want to make sure there is absolutely no other way before we agree to do this. I know you probably think it is a small price but even I don't want you to suffer through that every Full Moon. Hell, even if it is just a solution where a person should be a willing victim each cycle. I'd gladly take over from you."
"No, Dray, no," the raven-haired teen protested.
"Yes, Shadow, even I would willingly offer myself to save you from such fate," Voldemort agreed in a tone which bore no room for argument,
"However , I agree we should research the ritual first. I know you want your brother back, today if possible. Fortunately it is not and we have until the Full Moon to find a different solution. I am sure that with the help of our finest researchers, the Department of Mysteries and all our allies we can come up with an alternative."
"I agree, if necessary I will even ask Lord Slytherin to help me develop a potion which will return his free will," Severus added sincerely.
"I will enlist the help of Cissy and Poppy as well," Lucius agreed, anxious to show his concern for his Mate.
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, "Very well. It does not hurt to thoroughly research the ritual. I'm sure my sibs will want to add their two knuts as well."
"So why did you choose to make your sanctuary Muggle-like?" Draco asked, wanting to move on to a safer topic.
"I had decided to forsake the Magical World after graduation. So I needed to teach myself to do things the Muggle way. Besides, gardening and cleaning the Muggle way helped clear my thoughts," Harry admitted.
"So the potions lab is Muggle too?" Severus exclaimed in horror, much to the amusement of all.
"No, Sev, the potions lab is a real potions lab however there is a portion dedicated to Muggle chemistry which is quite similar to Alchemy combined with Potions," the teen explained.
"Perhaps, your onyx-eyed Mate would be more at ease once you have shown it to him," Lucius said with a smile.
Harry invited them to a tour of the house. They were pleasantly surprised to find that the small house was actually expanded on the inside. The small cottage held an art studio, a music studio, a study, an extensive library, an exercise room, a kitchenette, a livingroom, a large bedroom and of course the large potions laboratory.
It was not only Severus who was dragged away from the potions lab. They had needed to drag Lucius out of the art studio, Draco out of the music room and even Voldemort had a hard time exiting the library. Surprisingly, Charlie even showed a reluctance to leave the exercise room. The others took that as a sign that Charlie's sanity and will was not totally erased.
The tour ended when they returned to the livingroom.
"Now that you all know everything about me, why don't you tell me why you, safe father and Dray, were so willing to become my Mate?" Harry asked, nursing another drink to sooth his nerves.
"I decided to pursue you long before I felt your call. In fact I send one of my Vampire hounds to shadow you. I feared for your safety this summer. Perhaps the moment when I realized you are the Mate for me was during our so-called Occlumency lessons. That was when I found out you were not at all like the person I thought you were. When I discovered you wore a mask to such perfection you were worthy of the House of Slytherin," Severus started,
"Nothing about you has changed my mind. If anything, my respect, admiration and, dare I say it, love has only grown for you. But I do not know what such a beautiful person as you could ever see in me. I am an admittedly taciturn and controlling man."
"And yet you have always been a constant in my life, Severus. You have never lied to me and that is what I appreciate the most. You might not be classified handsome by most however I don't care. If anything, I know you would never hurt me. I know you are a domineering person but I know I can trust you never to push me beyond that which I am capable of. How about you Lucius?"
"My story is not as grand as Sev's. I admit I have respected and admired you for a long time. Not many children would have dared to duel a fully trained wizard, let alone a Dark Lord or a Basilisk. I responded to your call as much as my Lord's summons. However I admit that tonight has allowed for that respect and admiration to grow exponentially," the Dark Veela admitted.
"I, too, have admired and respected you for a long time. While I know you are controlling I also know that you have been friends with Severus for a long time and you would do anything for your family. You, like Sev, would protect me and my other Mates. While I know you are controlling and will probably enjoy using me, you would never hurt our family. This to me, is the most important factor," Harry stated, "Moony refused however to be the third mate, meaning we still need another. And it has to be someone who will not only care for our family but also accept Charlie."
"Let's continue this discussion tomorrow with your siblings, human and otherwise, and the Founders," Voldemort suggested.
The four Mates followed Harry to the bedroom while Voldemort conjured a nice bed in the library. He planned to peruse some books before retiring to bed.
