A Touch of Evil
DaggersBloodPain
Chapter Fourteen
Memory That Haunts My Mind
(I Wish It Was You-Trace Adkins)
"Harry we were thinking about heading over to Hell's Paradise this weekend. Are you up for it?" Blaise asked Harry over their simmering cauldron two weeks later. Most of Slytherin house had taken up a neutral stance towards him since the breakup, but surprisingly Draco's best friends still accepted him, he could only guess Draco had done some quick talking to keep them on good terms.
"I would like to come, but can I bring someone with me?" He both agreed and asked.
Blaise just raised an eyebrow in question.
"No we are not dating if that is what you are thinking. I just have someone that needs to broaden his horizons a little." Harry explained.
"Alright, you can bring him but make sure he is prepared for it. It can be shocking to someone that has been sheltered." Blaise warned.
"I will make sure he is ready. We will meet you at the usual time." Harry assured.
Severus' voice cut through their conversation at that moment. "Please bottle, and legibly label them. If I can't read it you do not get credit." Harry had to hide his snicker at that. He knew that comment was directed at Ron, whose essay from the week before had Severus going cross eyed trying to decipher it.
Carefully signing his own vial he handed it in to Severus a smirk dancing on his lips, unable to be released in front of his classmates. All he received in return was a death glare that just made his eyes shine brighter in suppressed mirth.
"Careful Imp, you are under my control tonight, you do not want to cross me." Severus' voice ghosted into his mind. It wasn't telepathy exactly more like a direct link Legilimency. He placed the words in his mind manually instead of just projecting them.
"I would never dream of it." Severus still didn't know how Harry managed to convey sarcasm even in a Legilimency conversation. It was just a tribute to the boy's power, and the galling part was Harry didn't seem to realize it.
"I suggest you get going, I will not be writing you a note, if you miss Transfiguration you are on your own." Severus ordered, not bothering to mention it would look suspicious if Harry was the last to leave the classroom without appearing to be speaking.
"I'm going, I'm going: Harry said as he went back to his desk for his things. As he reached the door he gave one last message. "I'm bringing Neville to Hell's Paradise."
If anyone had bothered to look at their potion's professor for the split second after Harry had given him the message they would have been treated to the look of pure unadulterated shock coursing over his face.
That same evening Severus' arm burned with the call of his true master. He quickly retrieved his mask and robes, hurrying towards the aparation point of the gates of Hogwarts. He honed in on the source of pain and was gone in a crack of sound.
He quickly discovered this was an Inner Circle only meeting. Voldemort was seated at the head of a long table situated in a lavish dining room. The setting was just unusual enough to pique Severus' curiosity.
"Master," He said as he bowed and took a seat at the table, noting the presence of Malfoy, Rosier, and Rabastan Lestrange already.
In the next ten minutes the seats at the table slowly filled up. The last one was that sniveling rat Pettigrew, tripping over himself trying to excuse his tardiness and not succeeding.
"Take your seat Wormtail," Here Severus knew Voldemort liked to use his old Marauder nick name as a reminder of his betrayal. Voldemort did not believe in betrayal just for betrayal's sake. Loyalty was something to be invested in with care. Having a valid reason for your change of heart was one thing, but he knew Wormtail hadn't had any reason to betray his friends. Therefore he was trusted amongst the Death Eaters about as far as he could be thrown in human form without magic, if he had already committed one betrayal without cause what was stopping him from doing it again.
Wormtail only remained in the Inner Circle due to his small inconspicuous Animagus form. One could only guess why Ron had not noticed his pet rat Scabbers had disappeared. It was assumed he thought the rat had became a victim of the many cats running around Hogwarts.
"I need reports from all of your projects, Malfoy your task at the ministry how has that fared?" Voldemort commanded drawing Severus from his musings.
"I still have sway with the current Minister, but I must confess he is a bumbling fool. If Dumbledore ever got wind of just how deep that sway went he would be easy to kick out of office. To counter this I have made contact with those in the ministry with a high likelihood of succeeding Fudge." Lucius reported succinctly.
"Let's see what happens if we give Fudge a little backbone. I want you to work on making Fudge as paranoid as possible. If he fears what Dumbledore may try and do, he might just play into our hands and tie up some of Dumbledore's. The less sway he has in the ministry the less resistance to change there will be. I want to see some significant progress on this mission before the year closes." Voldemort commanded giving Lucius his new task.
"Now Snape, how goes the boy?" There was much more interest in his voice at the prospect of this report. Harry was his pet project and he had high hopes.
"He is progressing well. His biggest problem seemed to have been a lack of confidence in his magic. When he returned this school year he was much different. He has more control and he is much more willing to use the power he has. It can be quite frustrating to watch him do the impossible over and over again with him not even realizing it. He was able to resist the Imperious Curse at thirteen and is well on his way to working up a tolerance to the Cruciatus. He can now duel a second person while under the spell. Yours will still cause some difficulty though as you are more powerful than myself.
He has shown an amazing affinity for Dark magic. His Essence has now surpassed most of the pureblooded children in Hogwarts. He does a commendable job of shielding it though. Although from what the other students have told me he doesn't shield, or at least not completely, when they go out in the evenings. I have not told him to start shielding then as well because with the company he is surrounded by it actually helps him blend in." Severus explained shortly, there was more he could tell but did not want to say it in front of the other Death Eaters.
"I see, please stay after this meeting is over. I will give you your instructions then," Voldemort declared correctly reading Severus' reluctance to speak.
As the other Death Eaters made their reports Severus was left to get his thoughts together in order to tell Voldemort exactly what he needed to know in a coherent manner.
Only one Death Eater managed to get himself Crucio'd. MacNair had been ordered to find out information on one of the neutral families on whether or not they could be swayed to take a side. In his efforts he was seen by the family's patriarch. A quick Obliviate saved him from being reported but it was too close a call for Voldemort to just overlook. As he cast the spell at his follower he wondered just how powerful Harry was if he could fight down a Crucio. Not many could, and no one had when they were as young as Harry.
Soon enough the inner circle members had left, leaving Severus alone with Voldemort. "Severus I know you had more to say about Harry, what else is there?"
"Harry has had a strange reaction to the Essence on certain people. He is actually attracted to it." This piece of information was new to Voldemort. "He has told me he does not get the feeling from everyone with the Essence just some of us. He has also dated the Malfoy heir and officially declared himself gay." Harry's sexuality was only important to Voldemort because if Harry fell in love with the wrong person it could spell disaster, or at least that's why Severus told him, the importance to Voldemort was up to him.
"He has also befriended Neville Longbottom. I first assumed this would be a set back for us, but it turned into a boon. Harry has Longbottom considering his loyalty, but as far as I know he has not made a full decision yet. From what I have seen the Longbottom boy is helpless around a cauldron and shy around wand work, Harry assures me Neville is stronger than he shows, bu i will need more time with the boy to know for sure." Severus explained the odd friendship.
"It might be worth checking into his background a little further. With that twice damned prophecy Dumbledore puts such faith into, it is possible he has done a few things to Neville too, but not quite to the degree he has to Harry. The lack of confidence in magic suggests Dumbledore feared he would turn into a Wild Card for the war if left to his own devices. Dumbledore prefers all his pawns in the right places in the right times." Voldemort contemplated.
"Now you mentioned earlier that Harry likes to go out in the evenings with his friends. Where is he going that it is actually safer for him to go around with an unshielded Essence than if he appeared to be a Light wizard?"
"My snakes have found a club in Knockturn Alley that is not picky about it's clientèle. I let them go to it because it keeps them from getting in trouble at Hogwarts. I only let fourth years and above attend through so they have a chance of defending themselves if they have to. I have seen the club myself and the students are safe for the most part." Severus asked warily.
"Do you know when the next time they plan on going is?"
"Yes, they are planning on going this weekend, their usual time is Saturday at 8 o'clock." Severus answered despite the warning instincts screaming at him.
"If I didn't know any better Severus, I could almost say you were actually concerned about Harry's well being? What a change there. Put your mind at ease I am not going to hurt the boy. I wouldn't have asked you to put forth all the time and effort training Harry if I planned on killing him the moment you succeeded. I just wish to meet him again. I want to see the results of your commendable efforts in person. The last time I met him he was still Dumbledore's lap dog." Voldemort reassured Severus, and found himself having to hide amusement at Severus' abrupt change in manner since he had first set the task of guiding Harry.
"I know you have classes to teach tomorrow your task is to continue with Harry as you have been, and to look into the Longbottom bot and see what is happening there." Voldemort dismissed him with the reiteration of his tasks.
Rising from the table Severus bowed before leaving Voldemort alone in the manor with only Nagini for company. Severus made it back to his quarters only to find Harry and Draco waiting for him. He had forgotten their lesson due to the summoning. Harry and Draco took in the skull mask clutched in his left hand, and understand why he was late.
"What did he want?" Harry was the first to ask a question.
"Get inside before I tell you." Severus ordered herding them inside.
He shrugged out of the heavy black robes leaving him clothed in plain black slacks and a black buttoned down shirt. Throwing the robes and mask into a cabinet with an automatic lock, he finally turned to explain the meeting to the boys.
"He just wanted the Inner Circle to update him on their assignments, only MacNair screwed up badly enough to be Crucio'd. I told him about your progress and some of the things you are capable of. Oh and be warned he is probably going to be at Hell's Paradise when you go this weekend. I don't know if he will have a glamour or not, but his Essence is hard to miss." He warned.
"Yeah, I remember," Harry whispered, remembering back to the Chamber of Secrets.
"Harry, he told me he would not be there to hurt you." Severus assured for once misreading what Harry meant with his worry.
"Oh, I am not worried about that, if he wanted me dead I would have been Killed in second year." Harry replied simply.
It took them a minute but both Severus and Draco put the pieces together. "You are afraid of how you will react to him." Severus stated.
"Yes, I can remember how he felt. His Essence was over powering. He managed to attract me, before I even knew what attraction was. I could loose myself in his presence easily, and the scary part is I may not want to be found." Harry explained to both of them.
"I will not lie to you. It is not easy to resist him. He always had a strange charisma around him. It was enough to attract followers to him away from the Ministry and Dumbledore. It is the one quality that Dumbledore can't compete with the Dark Lord in. Dumbledore is too used to being completely obeyed and remaining in control, the fine art of getting people to do what you ask because they want to marks the difference between them." Severus explained to the even more nervous wizard.
"What can I do to counter it?" Harry asked anxiously.
"Simple, just be Harry. Dumbledore may lack the ability, but you do not. You could overpower him in the same way he could to you. I know he won't harm you and might even enjoy the challenge you would be to him. Don't be afraid of him, although a measure of respect and caution wouldn't be a miss. You are probably the only wizard alive that could insult him to his face and live to tell about it. He is curious about you use that to your advantage." Severus advised.
"This isn't going to be easy," Harry predicted.
"Don't think like that. He will be able to walk all over you with that attitude. Take control of the situation, you will do just fine." Severus warned.
"You can do it Harry, and you won't be alone. I have seen the qualities Severus has told you about. Treat Voldemort like you would any other powerful wizard, with grace and respect, fear and you just shouldn't go together." Draco added in trying to help Harry overcome this last obstacle of fear.
"Alright I will take your word for it. I can bail if things get to be too much." Harry answered gaining back some of the confidence he had shown since coming back from his hellish summer.
"Besides there is no point in fearing a memory." He added.
"That's a much better attitude." Severus agreed.
"Now we just have to wait until Saturday." Draco added in. "This weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend, early on Saturday we can get you something better to wear." He crinkled his nose at the thought of Harry's current wardrobe.
"Than you want to prepare for an extra person for the shopping trip. I think I am still going to bring Neville. He can help distract the others while I talk to Voldemort." Harry ordered.
"If you insist," Draco allowed.
"I do," Harry answered serenely despite the rhetorical nature of the question.
Severus just shook his head at the randomness of it all. Only a group of teenagers could go from talking about meeting the Dark Lord to shopping in less than ten seconds. He hoped the tentative optimism boded well for the coming meeting.
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"Harry are you sure it is alright that I come?" Neville asked for the millionth time as they got ready on Saturday.
"Neville you met Draco this morning and nothing particularly bad or noteworthy happened. If you weren't allowed to come you would already know it." Harry explained as he sat doing his hair, and despite prior protests he voluntarily applied eye liner.
"I can't help but be nervous. I always feel so awkward around people." Neville admitted as he fidgeted with his clothes.
"Neville its ok to be nervous, but you should have a little more confidence in yourself. No one will hurt you as long as I'm around. You are under my protection and anyone going with us tonight knows it. If I can't be there Draco will take care of you because he understands how good a friend you are to me." Harry reassured.
"Do I look ok?" He asked meekly, understanding what Harry was trying to say and changing the subject.
"You look good Neville," and he did. Neville was heavier than Harry more on the level of Theodore. So instead of close fitting fabrics, he was encased in smooth black pants that were slightly baggy around this legs and covered in silver chains and electric blue stitching. He had on a midnight blue shirt that slid and shown across his torso. It had short sleeves so his tan muscular arms, achieved from working with his beloved plants, were displayed. His rounded face and light hazel eyes made him look younger than he was, but not too badly. His short brown hair was controlled with gel and blond highlights had been added for contrast.
"If it's any consolation, I am nervous too. Someone is going to be there tonight that I haven't seen in awhile." Harry added hoping that Neville would relax knowing it was normal to be nervous but try an have fun any way.
"Well whoever it is, they are going to get an eyeful." Neville said in answer. Harry was in black leather pants, with an emerald green vest, the vest had the top few buttons undone showing off the muscles he had gained from years at the Dursleys and Severus' lessons. The bottom of the vest did not completely touch the pants. His hair was the same as the first time they went. Harry's only accessory was a black choker with a piece of hammered silver in the shape of a snake as the focus.
"We had better get down to the dungeons or we will be left behind." Harry observed, but knew full well they wouldn't be left, he had a date with the Dark Lord after all no one was quite stupid enough to interfere.
He led Neville down to the Slytherin Common Room where Pansy was ready to let them in to use the floo. Neville managed to contain his curiosity so he wasn't caught staring at everything in the serpent house.
They were soon standing in the entrance to Hell's Paradise. Harry had to put his hand on Neville's back and physically steer him into the club. Yet he wondered why he was so insistent on Neville facing his fear when he was having trouble with his own. He honestly wasn't as terrified as he thought he would be. That confused him until he held onto the conversation he had with Draco and Severus. He was supposed to use this to keep his cool when dealing with the Dark Lord. He could use all the courage he could muster.
Besides the immediate shroud of the Essence that perpetually covered Hell's Paradise. There was no single source strong enough to be the Dark Lord there that he could sense anyway. It was altogether possible that Voldemort was there hidden by glamours and shielding.
He decided the most direct way of meeting Voldemort would be to unmask his own Essence and wait for the Dark Lord to come to him. To settle his last hold out of nervousness he started to dance. He didn't know the majority of people he danced with, and couldn't honestly tell you the names afterwards. Some of his dance partners were women but his favorite and the majority by far were men. Some of his partners had the essence but nothing even close to his own, let alone what he remembered Voldemort's to be.
The first hint of Voldemort came in the form of a strong wave of Essence that let anyone in the club, with the Essence or not, know that someone very strong was near. By the time a tall lithe figure entered the club, Harry had become used to the strong Essence, and a bizarre side effect of that wall of concentrated Darkness was the loss of whatever nervousness had still been within him.
The figure glided like a specter through the crowd. If it weren't for the waves of power emanating from the figure he could have been mistaken for just another attractive male. His smoldering scarlet orbs were partially shielded by black hair cut shortly leaving just enough to frame his face and brush his neck. He was dressed entirely in black with no embellishments or adornments. The look on his face, so much like a predator, had the mass of bodies moving aside not missing a beat of the throbbing music as they danced. Seeing the mass of gyrating humanity wasn't even a remote distraction for his hunter Harry let his Essence flair to full volume for a second than let it return to it resting rate.
Upon entering the club, Voldemort knew his prize was there. The other Essence he felt was dust compared to the single Dark Flame that drew him to it like a moth. His own power flowed through him joining the flood from the figure in front of him. It connected and merged like two lovers embracing, the perfect harmony of darkness.
The temptation was too much. He could not fight, and he really didn't feel like fighting, the pull towards that darkly dangerous wizard. He easily slid up to Harry replacing his current dance partner, who with a shrug melted back into the crowd. Voldemort felt like he was dancing with death itself with Harry pressed against his body. Severus had warned him that Harry had grown up to be strong and powerful, but he had been unprepared for the intensity of this new Harry. It was like being placed under an imperious that you had no wish to resist, a most unusual feeling for the Dark wizard.
If Voldemort felt like he was dancing with death, Harry felt as if the Grim Reaper was calling his name. He willingly welcomed the Dark Lord's embrace. As the Essence washed over him bringing wave upon wave of arousal. The solid body sliding smoothly against him wreaking havoc on his own. He had known what the Dark Lord felt like, and yet this was new and exciting. It made him forget for the few moments of heir dance who was who. It came as a slight surprise when he regained his mind just enough to realize the feared Dark Lord Voldemort had given up control of their dance to a fourteen year old boy.
A smooth hissing brought Harry back to reality. "Ah, my little Lion, how you have grown."
The parseltongue sent yet another jolt to his lower belly before he replied in the same language making sure to stress just the right syllables. "I am neither Lion nor Snake yet at the same time both."
"Your words are like a venom so sweetly toxic they are poisoned honey spilling from your lips." Voldemort hissed out in a gruff expression of need and desire.
"What have you come for?" Harry asked seriously, remaining in parseltongue, but getting down to business before they both lost themselves again.
"I came for you my little venomous Lion." Voldemort hissed back. "I need to know my follower's efforts were not wasted and I have found no disappointments." Voldemort moved so that the hissing words tickled Harry's ear, pulling the thin body ever closer.
"Ah, for that I owe you. Severus would never have gone to the lengths he did if it weren't for your orders." Harry replied in like, ghosting the syllables over the pale ear.
They were now dancing so close together it was hard for onlookers to tell whether they were dancing or having sex. Both leather clad bodies pressed into each other covering the other from view. Harry was still a bit shorter than Voldemort but he had a few years left to grow. He wasn't thinking about that at the moment. He was focused on the body pressed against his and the words whispered in his ears.
"Ah, but to waste our noble gifts is a true crime. You saved yourself that day. A few more years of careful training and you will be ready to take your place." Voldemort hissed triumphantly as yet another song started and there bodies weren't so much dancing as melting into each other.
"My place at your feet." The edge of anger turning the hiss deadly.
"Not you my little Lion. Your pride will never let you kneel to anyone. I would derive no pleasure from your submission, only if you were under Dumbledore's control would I ever want those Avada Kedavara eyes turned up to me in hatred. You prove yourself to me and you have a place at my side not my feet." The hissing this time was low and enticing, a truly erotic sound for another speaker.
"I see, why am I granted this honor when you have my mentor submit?" Harry questioned, the hiss a near purr in quality the vibrations sending shivers down Voldemort's spine. A feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.
"You are stronger than they are. My Inner Circle walk as close to my side as you can get within my ranks. They are the strongest and most cunning wizards of their time, and you beat them all. Severus knows you will soon surpass his teachings. When that happens, I will teach you. I knew you had potential, but I never thought you would grow into this. Dumbledore very nearly ruined the strongest wizard I have ever met." Voldemort said once more in the seductive hissing.
"I can accept that." Harry hissed before the Essence finally overwhelmed him. The Dark Lord got the shock of his life when Harry pulled his head down. Their bodies intertwining together as their lips met.
Death met the Reaper once again as the two warred for more contact. Melting into each other their hot blood racing as sweat appeared on them. They devoured each other with unabashed abandon. Arms went around necks to keep them in place as the heat built up inside. Darkness flared around them as they recklessly continued with passion and fire, tinged with a touch of evil.