Finally! I reach this chapter! Things get a lot more interesting from here! I'm introducing the two new characters. They're my own characters but I promise they're the last of my own characters that I'm incorporating here. Anyway, I had to put them in. They were essential to the plot and I really like them. Besides, if I left them out then I'd have to redo the entire Dark Chronicles plot. And I've fine-tuned it too much for that to happen. My great thanks to all who reviewed.
KikiLala: Sorry this chapter's short. I'd already written it when I updated the previous. But I promise chapter 13 onwards is longer... (smiles)
irat: Yeah, I can't believe he's only nine either (cheeky grin)
Queen Caira: I'm sorry, Draco doesn't meet Stephen until the second story (Light Chronicles)... Although I really do want them to meet already!
kawaii-kitsune22: Um... thanks. I'm touched. I really am (blushes). I didn't think the plot was that good.
Shinigami-Sama1: Well, Dumbly isn't going to figure it out yet. (wink)
RoyalDemon: Nah, Stephen isn't going to end up calling Voldie 'father'. My God, Voldemort would murder him if he did that (grin). It's just that I don't believe Voldie's the fatherly type and Stephen isn't very trusting of 'parental figures' after James.
hewhoistomriddle: I updated. Please take my name off your profile page before your rabid readers strangle me or worse (raises eyebrow). Still haven't completely forgiven you for making Bitter Laughter het. And I am not a heterophobe... Cool term, though.
- hiss - Parseltongue
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Would've thought that would be obvious by now.
THE DARK CHRONICLES
Chapter Eleven: Marric and Melandra
They were in a large, airy room in the manor. All the furniture had been pushed to the side and Stephen and the Dark Lord stood in the center. Stephen's expressionless mask concealed his nervousness. It was three days after his final exams. Thran had given him that amount of time to be rested and now here he was ready to be taught by Thran. It was just the two of them for not even Nagini was present. The Dark Lord looked Stephen over before speaking.
"All right, boy. For the past years you have been learning how to keep that power of yours, your tingle, under control. Now, I will be teaching you to use it." Calmly, the Dark Lord began telling Stephen what he knew of Stephen's powers. What Gal had told him long ago. The boy's expression did not change and only the slightest glimmer in his green eyes indicated his surprise at the news.
"So you're saying that my tingle is a power called the Darkness and it allows me to destroy anything at all?" the incredulity slipped out of the young boy's voice.
"Yes, precisely," Voldemort nodded. "And it is this Darkness that you will attempt to learn how to use."
A bright smile broke the boy's stoic visage. "Will you be teaching me how, Thran?"
Voldemort clenched his hands. He could never get over how the boy's face could suddenly shift from having no expression at all to that of a cheerful child's. It was unnerving.
"Yes. That is what I will be teaching you," Voldemort rolled back the long black sleeves of his robes. "During your first few lessons, Gal taught you some shield spells didn't he? Ones that would barrier your magic, more specifically your tingle, and prevent it from leaking." Stephen nodded. "Do you know what those spells feel like?"
"Er… feel like?"
"When you probe the magic inside you, can you tell the difference between those shield spells and your own magic power?" Thran added impatiently.
"Yeah, actually."
"All right. What we're going to be doing today is assessing the strength of your Darkness," Thran explained. "Each wizard is born with his or her magic bound by multiple naturally-formed barriers. Without these barriers, our magic would go haywire all the time – we could never control it. Whenever a wizard casts a spell, one of these barriers temporarily open to release a stream of magic for the wizard to use in the spell, and the barrier shuts again. Do you understand so far?"
Stephen nodded cheerfully. "Yes, I get it. But what does this have to do with my shield spells?"
"These naturally-formed barriers are stronger versions of the shield spells you use. The first thing I want you to do is to deactivate the shield spells you have on you right now."
Stephen's eyes widened. "Deactivate my spells? But what if – "
"Your Darkness will not go awry, boy," Voldemort interrupted. "I have noticed it only goes out of control when you are under a particular kind of stress. Now do it."
Stephen remained motionless for a while. Then he raised his wand and muttered the incantations. A gray light glowed around him and dissipated. The young boy frowned. He felt strange without his shield spells. Almost naked somehow.
"Good," Thran intoned. "Now, go into your magic and search for just one barrier. Then I want you to take that barrier down."
"Take it down?" Stephen repeated faintly. "What if something happens?"
Voldemort rolled his eyes. "Nothing will happen. If something does, I am quite capable of taking care of it. Hurry, I haven't all day."
Stephen hesitated but then complied. He closed his eyes and evened out his breathing. Gal had taught him that his magic core could be accessed through meditation. He took in a long breath then let it out. Took it in again and let it out. This pattern followed until he was deep in his meditative state. In his mind, Stephen quickly found his magic core. He had gone there before in lessons with Gal so he knew what it was like. Frowning, he searched for one barrier to take down like Thran told him to. He ran his hands along the outside of his magic core, feeling the barely restrained throb of his power. The barriers were doing their job well. Pity he would have to take one down. He found one barrier and proceeded to take it out.
Voldemort stood patiently watching the boy who was in a meditative trance. He knew Stephen had reached his magic core now. It was merely a matter of waiting. He did not have to wait long. Pretty soon, Stephen's entire body became suffused with a black glow that Voldemort knew to be his Darkness.
The Dark Lord frowned. Had Stephen taken out just one barrier? By the strength of this magic, it felt like he had taken down all. Voldemort did not want to admit it but he had never felt a power this strong before. Perhaps he had underestimated the boy's Darkness.
He felt the magic flooding the room, flooding the very air and permeating into everything. Stephen remained motionless and standing, lit in black. A wind as strong as a tornado picked up in the room whirling everything every which way, slashing across the room.
"Patrocinium", Voldemort muttered the spell and raised a shield just in time.
Stephen's power continued to grow in magnitude. Voldemort felt the utter Darkness that lay within the power. It derived its strength from malice, greed, hatred, wrath, envy, all that was dark. A smile twisted in Voldemort's pale face. The boy's power was perfect.
The Darkness was twisting around and around the room. The only thing that Voldemort could see now was the boy. He felt the Darkness pressing in, felt his shield start to give. The Dark Lord gritted his teeth, pointed his wand at Stephen and cast the spell. Before it could hit the young boy, it was vaporized by the boy's power. He cast again and again only to have it end in the same way. Voldemort scowled. He had to get closer. But his shield would give in any time. Strengthening the shield, step by step he went closer to the boy.
"Renovare Carmen," he shouted and the spell managed to hit Stephen just as the Dark Lord's shield gave way. Instantly, the Darkness stopped.
Stephen blinked his eyes open and his jaw dropped in shock. The room looked like it had been through every natural disaster known to humankind. All the furniture was in ruins, the walls were starting to crumble, a jagged crack split the floor in half and Thran standing near him had his robes in tatters. Despite the fact that he was wearing little more than rags, Stephen noticed the expression on Voldemort's face. It was a happily victorious one.
"Thran?" Stephen asked.
There was a glint in Voldemort's eyes. "You are even more powerful than I dared imagine. How are you feeling?"
Stephen frowned. "Tired. Exhausted."
Voldemort nodded unconcernedly. "Common side effect. This is enough for today. Go and rest. I will have Braon along with a potion that will help revive you."
Before anything more could be said, the doors opened and Nagini slithered in. She stopped dead at the sight of the destroyed room and stared incredulously at Stephen and Voldemort.
-What issss it, Nagini?- Voldemort lazily asked as he spelled his ragged robes into brand new ones again.
-Masssster… Malfoy, Lesssstrange, Ssssnape, Nott, Rosier and Avery are here. They have newssss for you- the snake replied. Voldemort frowned. What was wrong now?
He nodded to Stephen who grinned and walked back to his rooms. Following Nagini, he went out to meet with his Death Eaters.
" – can tell you one thing, Master will not be pleased!" the shrill voice of Bellatrix Lestrange echoed throughout the circular room.
Snape glared contemptuously at her. "What would you have done, Bella? Left them there for the Light to find? They saw us. They saw our faces! Master would be even less pleased if he knew that we left them there!"
"I am not saying we should have done nothing, Severus," Bella sniped. "All I am saying is that we should not have brought them here!"
"Severus, Bella, that is enough," Lucius reprimanded sharply. "What's done is done and all of us are to blame."
"Well I for one will make sure the Dark Lord knows that I was very much against this whole thing!" Bella proclaimed.
"Very much against what whole thing?" a chill voice drifted to them.
The six Death Eaters turned and prostrated themselves to Voldemort. Each crawled in his turn and kissed the hem of the Dark Lord's robes.
Lord Voldemort stood gazing at them, letting the silence build up until he noticed them squirming slightly in discomfort in front of him. "What has happened this time, Death Eaters?" he asked in a quietly dangerous voice.
There was silence for a while. Then Rosier spoke up, "My Lord, it has to do with that new recruit, Corvin."
"What about him?" Voldemort hissed.
"He… he turned traitor on us, my Lord. The turncoat knew that some of our people undercover in the Ministry would be meeting today. He told this to the Order of the Phoenix, along with the place where the meeting was being held. They Ministry naturally ambushed our… companions. They managed to raise the alarm but it was too late by the time we got there."
Voldemort thought. Yes, there was a meeting. It had been held in Zephyn's manor. He remembered placing Crouch in charge, thinking the young man had earned it at last. Barty Crouch, Jr. had been ecstatic at the opportunity.
"They were all captured?" Voldemort's voice was an emotionless monotone.
"Half of them, my Lord," Malfoy silkily supplied. "The other half that were not were badly wounded and are now being treated by my Lord's Healers."
"Names, Malfoy!" Voldemort snapped.
"Of course, my Lord!" Lucius Malfoy choked. "Those who were captured were Williamson, Seinfeld, Brennan, Emory and Crouch. Zephyn, Callahan and Delaney died in the ambush."
"And where is the traitor now?"
"Corvin is with the Ministry now, my Lord. They are honoring him for the capture of the other Death Eaters," Snape replied.
Voldemort fell into quiet. His eyes lingered on each one of the Death Eaters bowing before him. Then his spine went rigid.
"Who is there?" he asked in a menacing tone, rounding on the Death Eaters. "Who have you brought with you?!"
The faces of all six Death Eaters paled. It was Severus Snape who turned around and made a motion with his hand. From the shadows of one of the pillars, two small figures emerged. They were children, Voldemort was stunned to see. He looked them over with a critical eye.
A boy and a girl. They were twins. The boy's hair was a deeper chestnut while the girl's was auburn with brilliant highlights yet both their eyes were tawny amber. Voldemort realized they were the same age as Stephen. Their expressions were fearful as they hurried and, imitating the other Death Eaters, also bowed down before him.
"I repeat," the edge in the Dark Lord's voice chilled the room. "Who. Are. These. Children."
"M-my Lord, they are Zephyn's twins, Marric and Melandra. They were in the manor at the time of the ambush. We barely managed to get them out," Avery trembled.
"And what exactly are they doing here? Do you not realize that this place is held in the highest secrecy and you brought two brats back with you? Crucio!" Avery fell to the ground writhing and screaming in pain. The boy and girl stared horrified at the twitching, agonized figure of the man being tortured.
Voldemort pointed his wand at each one of his Death Eaters and cast the Cruciatus on them in turn. The boy and girl were clutching each other, both terrified out of their wits. Voldemort turned to them menacingly. Surprisingly enough, they did not cower or whimper but met his look with determined albeit scared expressions. The Dark Lord held back the Cruciatus he would have cast on them and observed them with a speculative eye.
Five minutes later he lifted the Cruciatus on his Death Eaters. They were shaking from the pain. He glared coldly at them.
"Nott, Avery leave," he ordered. As the two scurried away, he cast his concentration on the remaining four. "I give to the four of you the task of purging the Death Eater ranks from spies that the Order and Ministry may have planted. If there turns out to be another spy or another person who turns traitor among the Death Eaters, I hold the four of you personally responsible. Am I understood?"
"Understood, my Lord," the four of them murmured.
"Now to take care of these two brats," Voldemort said silkily.
"Take care, my Lord?" Snape ventured to ask.
"Yes, Severus. Surely you realize that they cannot be allowed to live. They know our headquarters, your identities. They have seen too much and heard too much. The manticores are hungry. They would make a nice snack," Voldemort told them.
"Surely my Lord, we could obliviate them and they would be none the wiser," Snape hurriedly interjected.
Voldemort laughed coldly. "There are spells that can break even the strongest memory charm, Severus. I myself know how. I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore not to know. These two must die."
"But my Lord – " Voldemort's eyes flashed and whatever else Snape would've wanted to say died in his throat.
"Do you wish to join them too, Severus?" Voldemort asked softly.
Snape's normally pasty expression turned vampire-pale. "N-no… my Lord…"
"Very well then. Wait here. You two. Boy, girl follow me," the Dark Lord commanded as he exited out the door.
"Is he going to kill us?" Melandra Zephyn whispered to her brother as they walked behind the Dark Lord's billowing robes.
Marric Zephyn didn't reply but the look he gave his sister was enough of an answer. They both knew who Lord Voldemort was of course. At home, father always kept saying that when they grew up, they would be privileged to serve under the great Lord Voldemort, too. It hadn't mattered to Marric and Melandra very much back then. But now with the threat of death imminent it did.
"I thought father wanted us to serve under the Dark Lord," Melandra whispered again. "Why does the Dark Lord want to kill us?"
Marric sighed. "'Cause we saw and heard something we weren't supposed to."
"I don't want to die."
"Father says to serve under the Dark Lord is the greatest honor. How much greater do you think it would be if we were to die under him?" Marric hissed at her but in his heart, he agreed with his sister. He did not want to die.
Voldemort was about to descend a staircase when a voice spoke up, "Don't kill them."
The Dark Lord, Marric and Melandra turned. From the shadows of the hallway, a figure emerged. Marric and Melandra stared. It was a boy about their age. He was wearing the black robes everyone in here wore. The boy had messy jet-black hair and green eyes that appraised the twins coolly.
"Did I not order you to your room?" the Dark Lord's voice was so cold a chill ran down Marric's spine.
The other boy merely grinned as though it didn't affect him. "Braon's potion worked. I'm feeling a lot better," then his face resumed the serious expression. "Don't kill them, Thran."
Thran? Marric and Melandra exchanged a confused look. Who was this boy? And how dare he address the Dark Lord in so familiar a manner?
"Don't presume to order me around, boy," the Dark Lord snapped. "They are of no use to me anymore. They know too much and that is dangerous. They must be killed."
"Why don't you just take them in?" the boy suggested. "You know, like you did with me."
Green light sparked from the Dark Lord's wand but he held himself. "This is not an orphanage. You at least had something to offer me. Your powers. They are merely sniveling brats who are worth nothing."
"How do you know?" the boy challenged. "I used to think of myself as a sniveling brat who was worth nothing. You'll never know unless you try. And besides, if you train them now then they'll be even more powerful when they grow up, right?
"Wrong," the Dark Lord calmly disagreed. "And I already have my hands full training you."
"Well then Aithinne, Gal, Scraithin and Braon could do it!" the boy exclaimed. "They could be, I don't know… sort of elite Death Eaters! Merlin knows you need better ones anyway."
Voldemort ignored the insult. "My elementals would never consent to this of their own free will. And contrary to your opinion, I do not need elite Death Eaters."
The boy frowned and played out his trump card. "But it gets kind of lonely here without anyone my age… Come on, Thran. Please?"
Voldemort struggled for a moment, then his red eyes flashed. "No. And that is final."
When the Dark Lord returned without the Zephyn children, Snape's stomach turned as he tried not to imagine what their fate must have been. Manticores were savage and vicious. Even though they were Death Eaters' children, they still deserved to live.
Bella Lestrange and Rosier did not say anything. Lucius Malfoy paled a bit at the thought of his own son Draco being in those children's place.
The Dark Lord discussed their new mission some more with them and then dismissed them. Snape immediately apparated to the Eveleigh manor where the current meeting of the Order of the Phoenix was being held. His mouth was taut and his expression grim as he entered the manor.
"Snivellus!" a loud voice called out. Sirius Black smirked as he approached Snape. "How was your meeting with your master? Enjoyed yourself?"
Instead of snarling back or hexing Black, Snape just walked past him. Sirius frowned, unused to being ignored. He noticed that Snape's expression was sallower than usual and there was a haunted look to his eyes.
"Something wrong, mate?" James Potter asked as he approached Sirius.
"Nothing serious, Prongs," Sirius replied as they entered the room where the Order members were gathered. Sirius saw Snape talking to Dumbledore and he could have sworn the greasy-haired git looked sorrowful for a second.
"Must've been a trick of the light," Sirius muttered.
"Well?" Voldemort demanded as Stephen walked into his study with a smug look.
"They agreed," the young boy told him. "All of them. Told you they would."
Voldemort stared at him incredulously for a second. "What in Salazar's name did you do to make them agree? Blackmail them?"
Stephen shrugged. "Something like that. Wasn't hard really." It actually was that hard especially when it had come to convincing Scraithin and Aithinne but Stephen wasn't going to admit that.
Voldemort shook his head. Stephen was full of surprises today. "When do they want to start?"
"They'll start teaching them next week," Stephen told the Dark Lord. He paused, searching for the right words. "Why'd you do it, Thran?"
"I thought this was what you wanted," Voldemort replied acidly.
"It is what I want but I know you didn't do it just because I wanted it," Stephen defended. "What made you decide not to kill them?"
The boy was being extremely bothersome today. In all reality, Voldemort didn't know why he had decided not to kill the Zephyn children in the end. So he just shook his head.
"I have no idea. But they had better prove themselves useful around here," Voldemort muttered.
"They will be especially with Gal, Scraithin, Aithinne and Braon training them!" Stephen enthused.
"How you actually got those four to agree to train those two brats is beyond me," the Dark Lord expressed. "Now leave. I have work to do."
Stephen said goodbye and went to find Marric and Melandra.
TBC
Read and review, guys, cause I really want to know what you think of Marric and Mela. Initial views etc. Actually, I wasn't planning to update till my birthday but looking at my schedule, my birthday's smack dab between our exam in chem 26.1 and midterms in math so... I am in deep crap.
Coming up: growing up together