Darkness Unveiled
Chapter 8-Despite the Closing Storm
As his feet landed on the ground, Harry swayed for a moment. The light that receded as he and the other Death Eaters apparated away had struck him unfortunately, now leaving a half foot long gash on Harry's back.
The cut wasn't deep but it was enough to make him sway slightly from dizziness due to the blood loss. The other Death Eaters had already arrived just outside the boundaries of the wards for the hideout. Bella, Dolohov, Rodolphus were waiting for Harry, Snape, and Lucius and they were not too patient either.
"What the hell took you so long!" yelled Bella, her patience was, as usual, nonexistent.
"We met a bit of trouble as there were more Aurors on our half of the house than there were on yours," Snape replied stiffly as if it took all of his willpower to not send a curse her way, even if he did grace her with a sneer.
She sniffed, "Well let's get going shall we? I don't want to get caught when it bloody rains!" quickly, they walked through the wards protecting the stronghold. The "password" for walking through the wards was the Dark Mark on their left arms.
"Open in the name of darknessss," said Harry as he spoke in Parseltongue to the ward, opening the passageway to him. Voldemort had not marked him since he considered Harry his equal and not his servant. Therefore, he had keyed the wards to allow Harry entrance when he spoke this phrase in Parseltongue. Voldemort and Harry were the only people left in the world that spoke Parseltongue and the chances of another parselmouth knowing the correct phrase was slim to none.
The other Death Eaters shifted uneasily at the soft hissing sounds. Even though all saw Harry's special talent at the dueling competition, it still unnerved them to hear the sounds their master often made.
Quickly the six made their way across the grassy lawn lit only by the light of the moon in silence. None wanted to talk to the others and even Bellatrix kept silent.
The five minute track across the grounds led to the side entrance of the mansion. The hideout contained exits on all sides in case the Ministry or the Order of the Phoenix, which was the more obvious reason. Enormous and opulent, the mansion was rumored to be from the time of Salazar Slytherin. It is rumored that the spacious mansion was passed down to his heirs so only they could have access to it. The stone exterior greatly contrasted the silky, richly decorated interior.
Once they crossed into the room, the five Death Eaters went towards the meeting chamber to report that their mission was completed. Harry pulled Snape, as he was the one closest to him, behind to have a word.
"Tell my father that I will talk to him in my rooms," Harry whispered. Snape's onyx-black eyes had a questioning look in them but wisely held his tongue. He nodded slightly and walked onward behind the others, who had now started a silent conversation.
As the others went and turned left around the corner, Harry continued walking straightforward. After a few more turns, he came to the dragon statue protecting his chambers.
"Open now," Harry hissed in Parseltongue. He had long ago learned the importance of learning his heritage. His passwords always were in Parseltongue due to the fact that basically no one could gain entrance by using English. His father was the only other one who could gain entrance.
The black dragon flew out of the way and Harry opened the oak door. Closing it behind him, Harry proceeded to change out of the rapidly blood soaked robes. He flung his white mask onto the bureau and discarded the robes carelessly onto the leather chair. It would need to be thrown out anyways from the blood stains and the large cuts on it. He stripped down to just his pants since most of the wounds were on his upper body.
Looking in the full length mirror, Harry could see the rather large cut on his back. Muttering a quick blood clotting spell, Harry used a simple cleaning charm to clear away all the blood. It was not just on his back but also on his arm from the duels previously in the evening. Damn Dolohov and Snape for double teaming me with that spell!
Once the lacerations were cleaned up, Harry wrapped the wound with bandages that he kept in his rooms. Sparing himself one last look in the mirror, Harry decided that he looked somewhat like a creature of muggle imagination, the mummy. How they achieved that name, he knew not.
Harry was just in the process of donning an informal sleeping robe when the door to his room opened. Rather it was the bottom flap just big enough to fit a cat through. Only two creatures ever came through those doors. Both were of the same species but distant relatives. The snake entrance, as Harry called it, was created to remember the special signatures of Nagini, Voldemort's pet snake, and Sly, Harry's pet snake and his one remaining tie to the world he left long ago.
"Massster, you are hurt," hissed the snake.
"It'sss nothing Sssly relaxxx. Ssimply was carelessss but I won't do that again," hissed Harry's reply.
"What hasss happened when I wasss gone on the missssion?"
"Nothing much but the Death Eaterssss grumble about losssing," Sly said with a glimmer of amusement in her golden eyes. Harry just grinned at her before the door opened once again. This time Harry was sure that it was not the snake entrance but rather the main entrance.
Turning around, Harry looked into vivid blood red eyes.
"Father."
"How was the mission, and why did you not go to the meeting room to report your findings?" the Dark Lord asked with a raised eyebrow. Harry remained silent and stared at the rich creamy carpeting. Drawing in a breath, Harry finally spared a look at his father and saw Voldemort draw his eyesight to the bloody robes on the chair. Looking at his son once again, he raised an eyebrow in questioning.
"When we were apparating out of there…a minor cutting spell caught my back. And the other one on the shoulder was from the duel with Dolohov and Snape prior today," he replied nervously.
"You've gotten careless Harry," Voldemort said softly. Harry inwardly flinched from the disappointment he could hear in his father's voice.
"I'll be more careful next time father," he replied quickly.
The Dark Lord nodded, "See that you do." He walked to Harry's other chair that was not occupied with the robes and sat down while watching Harry. Walking over to the potions cabinet, Harry opened the doors and retrieved some minor numbing, healing, and after a moment's pause, a light sleeping draft.
Carrying the three potion bottles over to his bed he deposited them on the bureau. At Voldemort's questioning gaze, Harry explained, "It's just to speed up the healing process."
After a nod the Dark Lord opened his mouth, "There is another matter I must speak with you about. I've told Severus to tell the Order about you seeing as how they will know nonetheless from the lesser Death Eaters."
Harry hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should point it out to his father but decided to voice his opinions, "Wouldn't they suspect that I'm Harry Potter?" Harry spat out the word.
To his surprise Voldemort just shook his head. "I've solved that problem years ago but I'm not surprised that they kept it quiet." Harry just stared at him in confusion.
"Do you remember the blood I took from you a month after you came here?" Harry blanched. He could still remember the pain he was in when the knife penetrated his flesh and a vein. Apparently he lost a pint of blood and was dizzy for hours due to the blood loss.
"Let's just say that the Order found Harry Potter on the ground in the forest near Godric's Hollow and he had frozen to death," Voldemort said with a smirk.
Harry just grinned and shook his head, "How very…Slytherin father."
"What else can I be?"
Harry pretended to think. "I could say that was slightly Hufflepuff in loyalty to keeping me a secret," he said cheekily with a smirk.
Voldemort narrowed his eyes, "Think what you want brat, but there is another matter I must discuss with you. I've decided to start lessons on the art of potion brewing. I've taught you all I know so Severus will now teach you, as he is the potions master."
Harry thought about the change before addressing his father, "I do not trust him, but I trust his potion skills if not his loyalty." Voldemort regarded Harry for a moment.
"I am not assured of his loyalties either but I'll humor him for now until I know the truth. Now rest, your lessons start tomorrow in the main potion lab."
Harry nodded and prepared for bed as the Dark Lord left. Sly just curled up on the mattress where Harry's feet laid.
Snape arrived that the Order meeting later than the rest. Voldemort had ordered him to stay behind for orders with what information to tell the order. Surprisingly, he also ordered Snape to train his heir in potions. Great, another mindless brat to teach but I can't taunt, scare, or mentally torture this one. How unfair is life?
The atmosphere at Number twelve Grimmauld place was grim. Actually, nowadays it seems that there rarely were meetings that weren't grim and desolate. Attacks have increased, even if they are small raids, and many people have been killed.
Everyone turned and made for their wands when the door to the meeting room opened and Snape entered the room. Some relaxed but others were still wary of him.
"Well, well, if it isn't Snivilus! Come to join the party finally have you?" sneered James. Before Snape could retort, Dumbledore cut him off and shot a warning glance at James. Everyone watched as James squirmed under the Headmaster's gaze while Snape walked to his chair in the back of the room.
"Something grave has happened tonight I'm afraid," started Dumbledore, "tonight, the house of Frank and Alice Longbottom has been attacked." Dumbledore was cut off from saying more as the group suddenly burst out in loud protests of disbelief. The only ones that stayed quiet were the Potters and Sirius, since their Auror duties most likely provided them with the information.
"How is that possible Albus!" screeched Molly Weasley, "They have some of the strongest wards and not to mention the fact that they're Aurors!"
"While their wards are strong, they are not indestructible. I was hoping Severus would be able to tell us the events that developed tonight," he said and turned his gaze towards Snape, drawing the rest of the room's attention to him as well.
"I know what happened tonight…I was there when they killed the Longbottoms," he said and that was all he got before James cut in.
"You were there! Yet you did nothing as they tortured and killed the Longbottoms! I've seen the state they were in as we arrived and it was some of the worst torture ever!" Both glared at the other until Dumbledore silence them both with a look.
"Despite what you think Potter," he spat, "I can not do as I please if I value my position as a spy and let's not count my life!" The glaring contest continued until Kingsley Shacklebolt asked a question.
"The Department of Law Enforcement will want to know who the ones responsible were. Do you know who were there and what they did?"
"Bellatrix Lestrange," he said ignoring Sirius' death glare at his relative, "and Lucius Malfoy were the torturers. There were also Antonin Dolohov, Rodolphus Lestrange, myself, and teenager," he replied.
The Order sat in shock. They knew that the Longbottoms were powerful Aurors but to send five Inner Circle Death Eaters to an assassination mission seemed extreme.
"I do not believe that you can tell who they were seeing as how Malfoy has influence in the Ministry," Snape cautioned while Shacklebolt looked pensive.
"Let's get back to the matters of the wards," said Dumbledore, "do you know who took them down? Was it a single person or a group effort?"
Snape paused and appeared nervous. "There is another matter I must tell you about. The Dark Lord has an heir." The quiet room once again exploded in shocked exclamations. Even Dumbledore looked too surprised to quiet the room for some moments.
"What do you mean Severus?"
"The teenager that I mentioned before was the heir. He looks about fourteen and was introduced tonight," Snape said while conveniently mentioning that he knew about him years ago but couldn't tell them due to a spell.
"The Dark Lord showed him to us and gloated about his heir's power," Snape said slowly from the memories of the night.
"But he's fourteen! He can't be that powerful or anymore powerful than other fourteen year olds at Hogwarts!" exclaimed James in disbelief.
"Believe what you want but know this; he defeated all the Death Eaters in a one-on-one duel and has been trained by the Dark Lord for who knows how long. If you don't care about those facts, then how about this. Do you remember the wards around the Longbottoms? The one twenty other Aurors helped raise? Do you know who took them down! The heir that you say has no power!" he finished with a sneer.
The rest of the room fell silent in shock and all were graced with the stunned Dumbledore for a second time in one evening. When he snapped out of his daze he asked, "Did Voldemort," the room flinched, "give a name Severus?"
"Yes he did…Harry Mortimer Riddle," he said fixing his gaze upon Dumbledore.
"There is another thing. His looks…there are only two people that I can think of that looks like him. The Dark Lord's younger self, and Potter," he said with a curled lip at James' shock expression.
"Professor, is it possible that it's Harry?" asked Remus Lupin, who was otherwise quiet previously. Dumbledore looked sadly at Remus' hopeful look for a moment.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. A month after Harry ran away…his body was discovered in the forest and he died of hypothermia. Blood evidence has shown that it was indeed Harry Potter," he said remorsefully. Remus and Sirius closed their eyes and fought for bland expressions and to keep their tears in place. Both were struggling valiantly and when Snape spared a glance at the Potters, he was surprised to see that they didn't seem to care at all.
The weirdness of that family will never cease to amaze me.
"That bastard!" said Sirius furiously and continued before Molly could berate him for swearing, "He had his precious heir's name the same as Harry's to attack us emotionally!"
"While that may be true it is time to draw our attention to measures that the Ministry will doubtlessly take due to the death of the Longbottoms. At the moment Severus, I would ask you to watch the heir and obtain any information that you can."
Matters turned to ways to not get the public into a chaotic mess for an hour. Afterwards Severus mentioned to Dumbledore about the Potions lessons that he must give Harry.
"Be careful and observant as always Severus," was all he said but Snape was struck by how weary and old Dumbledore looked at that moment.
The morning arrived and just before nine thirty Snape appeared in the main potions lab as instructed. Entering the room he launched into full teaching mode and tried to look as menacing as he could without being punished for arrogance.
Precisely at nine thirty, the boy entered without his mask and looking extremely grumpy. Seems someone isn't a morning person, he thought with a smirk.
Looking at his face, Snape could still see the remnants of Voldemort but then that left him guessing who the mother was. Mentally berating himself for getting off track, he continued observing the boy as he entered.
Harry entered and took a seat with Snape and the door in his line of vision. Quickly Snape noted that he could not see where Harry hid his wand and begrudgingly admitted that he was quite exact, even if he looked dead tired.
"I will need to know your level on potions," he started emotionlessly, "but I trust you are well acquainted with fourth year potions?" he asked with a raised brow.
"I've covered potions up to, I believe, year six at Hogwarts levels," was the bland response but Snape could detect a trace of sleepiness in it.
"Well than, your highness," he said and wanted to scream at himself for that idiotic opening and not knowing how to address Harry, "what potion do you think will be adequate to prove your level of expertise?"
Harry made a face at the title and said, "Just Harry, I don't stand for all that highness rubbish. And to answer your question, I have been dying to try the potion Felix Felicis." Snape could feel his eyebrows rising. He was not just surprised at the permission to use his first name but also at the choice in potion.
Felix Felicis was a tricky potion that requires a long brewing period. In the six month period, much could go awry resulting in catastrophic disasters. The nature of the potion has it banned at elections, exams and anything else that requires luck but at the expense of another and a possibility of dramatically changing history.
With a nod, Snape went to find a good place in the room to brew and keep it for six months while Harry went to the supply cupboard. Once Snape had set up the cauldron, Harry returned with the ingredients. Staring at the major ingredients of a golden bat blood, skillerts heart, hippogriffs' claws, a Redcap's right foot, and a Hinkipink's left toe, Snape was more than just a little surprised.
He questioned with a look at Harry and Harry just shrugged. "I've been curious about this potion and it seemed like an interesting challenge."
Needless to say, Snape was quite startled and inwardly wished his students showed the same skill and dedication to potion making's fine art. Especially that Potter brat. I swear, if he and Longbottom were in the same year he would go insane. The fact that the Weasley twins are in the same class is almost enough to put anyone in St. Mungo's! I should get an Order of Merlin, first class for not going insane yet! However, his musings were cut short in sorrow at the thought of the Neville Longbottom.
Snape stood back and watched as Harry started the beginning phases of the potion and he was slightly vexed that Harry got all of the steps right so far. After ten minutes of stirring and adding ingredients, the potion was allowed to simmer for a few minutes before adding more ingredients in it.
Harry started cleaning up his work space when Snape said, "Where did you learn how to make that?"
Harry shrugged and replied, "Books are surpisingly good places to start." Normally Snape would have taken points off for the cheek but now he was thoughtful of the amount of knowledge that Harry showed with just experience from books.
"How is it that you are the Dark Heir?" he asked curiously before he could stop himself. Snape watched as Harry's eyes hardened into emerald orbs emiting a frozen chill from them.
"I would watch your place Professor Snape. My father might not be so…forgiving at that probing question," Harry warned coldly and quietly before returning his attention to his potion, and leaving Snape with a lot on his mind, most of which were quite descerning.
A/N–This update is rather quick compared to my usual pace. Currently my spell check is down so I apologize for any wrong spells (well more than usual).
I didn't expect much reviews for the last chapter so to my very faithful reviewers that reviewed, I got a special surprise for you! I will be publishing a new Harry Potter story called Ashes of Betrayal and all the past reviewers get a teaser before I publish it! It should be e-mailed to the following in about a week! Ashes of Betrayal is an Azkaban story where Harry is wrongly imprisoned and how he deals with the friends that betrayed him.
Much thanks to reviewers: anime goddes, phoenix fighters, LadyMegsie, Twinkle (though I need your e-mail address), Fk306 animelover, Angelic Heart of Darkness, Lilith Kayden, jka1, MarauderinglyMagical, flower123, Akira Stridder, CrymsonTear, Gost (I need your email address), Harry Draco Malfoy, Anaelisa, Alexandria Jade Lily Potter, Makurayami Ookami THANKS FOR ALL OF THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! ALSO IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE TEASER, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND AND JUST TELL ME IN A REVIEW/MESSAGE AND I WILL NOT E-MAIL IT TO YOU!
