Chapter Twenty One

Azkaban was a horrible place. A fortress on an island in the middle of the North Sea, Azkaban reeked only of death and despair as its main inhabitants spent their days listlessly locked in their cells, yelling madly as Dementors patrol the hallways. Harry felt the intense despair the moment he, Tom, and Mr. Malfoy appeared on the island. Mr. Malfoy had a grim expression on his face as he turned to Tom and Harry. "I sincerely hope one of you know how to produce a Patronus or else you will die in there," he said in an annoyed tone. It was the middle of the night, like always, two days since Xavier told Harry and Tom about Tom's past, and two days since Tom started researching the Elder Wand. While Tom just wanted to appear in Malfoy Manor again like last time, Harry had the decency to send a note in the morning.

"I can," Harry said. "I just hope this talk will go quickly." He pulled out his wand and thought of the happiest feelings and memories deep inside him. "Expecto Patronum!" A handsome, dazzling silver stag burst from his wand and stood by Harry's side.

"Hmm… impressive," Mr. Malfoy hummed. He looked down at Tom, a small sneer appearing as he said, "And I guess it that our Dark Lord cannot produce a Patronus?"

"No Mr. Malfoy, I cannot," Tom gritted out. "Let's get this over with, the more time here is time wasted that I could be researching the wand."

"Ahh yes, this Elder Wand," Mr. Malfoy said. "Who would have guessed that the Dark Lord would be obsessed with fairy tales." He chuckled to himself while Tom ignored him. The Dark Lord took the lead as they entered the prison.

Harry was expecting a lobby or sort of welcoming room, however the front door of the prison only led to a grim looking large space with moss-grown stone walls. There was nobody in it, no furniture, no dementors or any sounds at all. He thought that he would hear the screams of the insane but instead… nothing. He took a few steps forward and looked around. There was an opening that suggested a door once stood there, Harry peaked in it to see container upon container of wands both broken and whole. He ignored this and turned to the only other door on the opposite side. This door was made of metal and looked as thought it hadn't been moved in a millennia. Harry and Tom moved to the door and tried to push and pull it open, having no luck.

"Imbeciles," Mr. Malfoy scoffed. He moved forward and produced his own wand from his cane. "That door can only be opened by high-ranking Ministry members. Observe." He aimed his wand at the door and twisted his wrist then flicked his wand down. A lock sounded somewhere and the door opened silently, and with it Harry felt a wave of misery overcome him before his Patronus jumped in front of them, warming the three.

Harry kept close to Tom as the Patronus led the way up a long, winding staircase. "How… when will we know which Dementor to talk to?" Harry asked, looking at both Tom and Mr. Malfoy.

"The wraiths? They ally themselves naturally to Dark Wizards," Mr. Malfoy said. "All Thomas has to do is prove himself… words won't save you here boy." He chuckled to himself as he stepped forward, leading Tom and Harry up the staircase. The staircase led to a circular hallway with small cells pushed against each other. The screams started as soon as the Patronus stepped into the hallway. Harry winced and covered his ears as the entire hallway erupted in noise. Mr. Malfoy rolled his eyes at Harry's actions. There was banging, and Harry looked to his right to see a ghastly man, more akin to a skeleton with flesh than a human banging his fist on the bars.

"Ahh, if it isn't Travers," Mr. Malfoy chuckled. "He was one of the Death Eaters who chose to stay loyal after the old Lord's fall. … He used to be less skinny than this."

"I see," Tom said. He stepped forward and observed Travers for a moment. "He looks useless to me," he said.

"As he was during the first war," Mr. Malfoy commented. "Blood thirsty mongrel. He barely killed one person, who he was sentenced here for."

Harry frowned while Tom just nodded. They moved on, ignoring Traver's screams, as they walked along the circled hallway until they reached another set of staircases, leading to the middle. It looked to Harry to be the main staircase as there were many stops with doors leading to another area of the prison. The three of them climbed, the Patronus always in front of them, shielding them in a warm glow that battled against the depression that did it's best to seep into the three of them. They climbed and climbed, but only the sounds of screams greet them. There was no sign or hint of dementors, no hollow sounds of their gliding or peeks of tattered robes… until…

There, at the top, Harry opened the door to reveal them all. A room full of pitch blackness that moved and ebb like silent waves. Fear overcame Harry and his Patronus moved closer to the three wizards as he reached for Tom's hand. The dementors all stared down at them, waiting for a time to strike but fearful themselves of the silver stag that protected them. Harry looked towards Tom, hoping to see him scared too, but was met with an expressionless face.

Tom took a step forward, his wand held tight in his hand. The room suddenly filled with the rattling wheezing sounds of the dementors' breathing. He looked around the dementors, considering them for a moment, before pointing his wand at the black mass. "Avada Kedavra!" The Killing Curse hit it's mark but the dementor did not die, it instead went up in flames unaffected, uncaring as the fire continued to spread across the black mass, it's angry flames joining the uneasy rattling breaths. Harry screamed as the Patronus jumped towards the Dementors, having them back away in fright.

"Idiot boy!" Mr. Malfoy yelled out. "Dementors are not living things! They cannot be killed by the Killing Curse."

Tom looked back at Mr. Malfoy, scowling menacingly, before turning back to the dementors who tried to swarm the three only to be blocked by Harry's Patronus. "Then I will use words old man," he spat out. He took a step forward, standing next to the stag and began to address the Dementors. "I am the Dark Lord, a time is coming where the Ministry and those who defends it will fall. Help me towards that goal and I promise you free reign on England. Stand in my way, however, and I will find a way to personally execute each and every one of you. The Patronus charm keeps you all at bay… however I will find a more powerful spell to eliminate you. Now… move, I wish to inspect whom you've imprisoned on the highest floor." He waited a moment, the dementors all stared at Tom, their faces visible from the fire's glow and it made Harry physically ill.

"Have the stag ram into them," Tom ordered. Harry stomached his nausea and nodded. He whipped his wand and the Stag charged towards the nearest Dementor, catching it in its horns before driving it into the wall. The others fled in fear, leaving the room in a fiery blaze. Mr. Malfoy moved out of the way and watched as the dementors left, looking like a mass of fire slowly dwindling down the stairs. When the darkness of night returned, he turned to look around the prison.

The room was small, the cells even smaller. With a small glance, Mr. Malfoy knew that this is where they've stored the most dangerous and insane prisoners. Including his sister-in-law, Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry and Tom looked around as well, but with no recognition of any of the Death Eaters in here.

"If we are done?" Mr. Malfoy asked.

"Yes, we are," Tom nodded. "The Dementors are on our side now I believe."

"Good, then let us get out of this wretched place. I've been in here too long," Mr. Malfoy said, and he left without another word. Tom and Harry followed. "Mr. Malfoy, I want to ask you something," he said as they descended down the winding staircase.

"If it involves Dolores Umbridge's recent appointment as High Inquisitor, then no, I know nothing about that decision. That was the Minister's idea entirely," Mr. Malfoy said.

Harry frowned, but nodded. "Do you know what exactly her role is? She's been High Inquisitor for a week and so far has done nothing."

"Did you not read that article, Potter?" Mr. Malfoy spat. "She will be monitoring your teachers and, if she finds them lacking satisfaction, she has the ability to remove them from teaching positions if needed."

Harry nodded, "Vile woman," he muttered darkly.

"Even so what are you going to do about it, boy? You are just a fifteen year old wizard barely of aged," Mr. Malfoy said. "Yes I admit, you show more cunning and ability than your average wizard, however you alone can do nothing to stop her."

"But at this rate there will be an entire year wasted," Harry said. "She is not teaching us proper Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"And you are complaining about this?" Mr. Malfoy laughed. He turned and stared at Harry. "I thought you're a Dark Wizard, Potter. Or was that just frivolous talk?"

"I am a Dark Wizard," Harry said. "But that does not mean I won't allow others to not have the opportunity to learn how to defend themselves."

"Then teach them yourself for all I care," Mr. Malfoy said, waving his hand dismissively, "Just leave me out of your little ploys for a while. All I want now is brandy and an uninterrupted sleep with my wife."

Harry frowned but said nothing. The three returned to the entrance of the prison, the rest of their journey was silent. Once fully outside, Mr. Malfoy pulled out an old worn-out coin from his pocket and held it out. Harry and Tom touched it and the three were taken away from the prison on the North Sea, traveling instantaneously back to the front gardens of Malfoy Manor.

"I trust the two of you can return yourselves back to Hogwarts," Mr. Malfoy said. He turned and rapped his cane against the cobblestone path leading towards the manor twice. A house-elf appeared, and he ordered it, "Bring a glass of brandy to my room immediately. Mr. Potter and Mr. Riddle are on their way out."

Using the same secret passage they used to get out of Hogwarts, Harry and Tom returned to the castle, using floo powder to get into Hogsmeade, and the passage under Honeydukes to get to the school proper. Once they were safe in the dungeon, Tom saw Harry's thoughtful expression and said, "You are not actually thinking of teaching the others yourself, are you?"

"It's a good idea," Harry said.

"That we don't have the time to do love," Tom said. "We have Death Eaters to order around, as well as research about the Elder Wand and it's location, keep up the façade that the old Voldemort and myself are one and the same, all the while keeping cautious of Dumbledore, Snape, and now Umbridge does not find out any of our plans. Look. Remember the trend that's been going on with the Defense post? Every teacher only last a year. A single year. We've survived Lockhart's mucking about, we will survive Umbridge's."

"But this is O.W.L. year for us and a lot of our friends," Harry said. "We won't pass because of her. For our plan to succeed, in order to create the grey world of both Light and Dark Arts, then we need to pass Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L."

Tom was silent for a moment. He turned to Harry and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders. "If you believe you can handle the added responsibilities, then teach our friends," he said. "Teach them enough so they may pass, and defend themselves against the more brutal and idiotic of our followers."

"Oh yeah… I was just focused on making sure we all pass," Harry nodded. "Though now that you've mentioned it… what are you going to do with them? After everything is over."

Tom began to undress along with Harry.

"Those without children I'll just kill," Tom shrugged. "And those at the top floor of Azkaban I will kill first, if they do not fall during our take over."

"Do you think you're up to that?" Harry asked. "Killing all those people?"

"People?" Tom scoffed. He was fully naked now, his erection pointing towards Harry. "My little snake, they are not people. They're monsters. Monsters we are using just as we're using the giants. Now… get in bed Harry. I think we both deserve some fun before we sleep."

Harry smiled, his own cock growing, "Yes Daddy," he chuckled and got into Tom's bed, the curtains closing around them.

.

As if to prove Mr. Malfoy correct, when Tom and Harry walked into Transfiguration the next day with the Gryffindors, they found Professor Umbridge sitting in a corner with her clipboard. "You've missed it," Ron whispered at Harry. "She was there during Divination too. She made Trelawney go ballistic. …Where were you anyway?"

"I skipped in order to help Tom in the library," Harry said vaguely. "He's obsessed with his new research." Ron nodded then looked around. "Look mate… about what happened there, me storming off… I wanted to say sorry about that. And you don't need to worry about me," he added as they sat down. "I'm behind you two, one hundred percent."

Harry didn't know if Ron just realized he was pledging his support to a Dark Wizard or not, but the act and effort made his heart go soft. He smiled warmly, and thanked Ron as Professor McGonagall marched into the room without giving the slightest indication that she knew Professor Umbridge was there. "We need to speak after class about something," Harry whispered urgently.

"That will do," she said, and silence fell immediately. "Mr. Riddle kindly come here and hand back the homework—Miss Brown, please take this box of mice—don't be silly, girl, they won't hurt you—and hand one to each student—"

"Hem, hem," Professor Umbridge said, employing the same silly little cough she had used to interrupt Dumbledore on the first night of term. Professor McGonagall ignored her. Tom handed back Harry's essay; Harry took it and saw, to his relief, that he had managed an E.

"Right then, everyone, listen closely—Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again, I shall put you in detention—most of you have now successfully vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today—"

"Hem, hem," Professor Umbridge said.

"Yes?" Professor McGonagall said, turning round, her eyebrows so close together they seemed to form one long, severe line.

Tom leaned over and whispered as Umbridge was talking, "If we are lucky, Professor McGonagall would rid of her now for us," he hissed. Harry smiled and nodded as Professor McGonagall said, "Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom," and she turned her back firmly on Professor Umbridge. "As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell—"

"Hem, hem."

"I wonder," Professor McGonagall said in a cold fury, turning on Professor Umbridge, "how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."

Professor Umbridge looked as though she had just been slapped in the face. She did not speak, but straightened the parchment on her clipboard and began scribbling furiously. Looking supremely unconcerned, Professor McGonagall addressed the class once more.

"As I was saying, the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to vanished. The snail, being an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, being a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic you can accomplish with your mind on your dinner. So—you know the incantation, let me see what you can do. …"

"What is it you want to talk to me about?" Ron whispered as they started to work. Tom looked at both Harry and Ron as Harry concentrated on the mouse.

"I told you, after class," Harry said, his eyes glancing up at Professor Umbridge, who stayed sitting in her seat.

By the end of class, Ron ran up to Harry and said, "What did you want to talk about?"

Harry took Ron's arm and looked at Hermione, "You too," he said, motioning for both of them to follow him. The three moved away from the others and down a corridor. Harry did not stop until he was sure that they were alone. He turned around and said, "I've decided I'm going to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts by myself. And I want to help my friends learn it as well so we can pass our O.W.L.s. We're learning nothing from that vile woman so this is the only way I see the three of us passing."

"Are you sure about this Harry?" Hermione asked. "It sounds like a wonderful idea but are you sure you're up for it?"

"I am," Harry nodded. "So what do you two say?"

"I'm in," Ron said automatically. "Can I bring Xavier along?"

"I…I guess?" Harry said questionably. "I'm going to tell Blaise and Draco about this during dinner."

"Then shouldn't we open it up to more people?" Hermione asked. "Get as much as we can."

Harry frowned, "I mean… I guess but… who else would want to learn from me? The public think I'm insane along with Dumbledore and… this is mostly so I know that my friends can defend themselves if…when the time comes."

"All the more reason to open it up to anyone who wants to join," Hermione said. "We'll keep it secret of course, but you'll never know…"

Harry frowned and thought for a moment. He just wanted to make sure he and his friends knew how to defend each other and pass their O.W.L.s. He did not really care about anyone else. However when he saw the conviction in Hermione's face, he knew that there was no way he could say no.

"Fine," he said. "There's a pub that Tom and I found last year in Hogsmeade. It's off the road barely anyone comes to it. It's called the Hog's Head. We go there whenever we want to be alone. Tell anyone who wants to be taught by me to meet up there at eleven precisely. I will be waiting ten minutes after eleven before leaving. Understand?"

Hermione and Ron nodded.

"Good," Harry said. "Now, we should head towards Care of Magical Creatures before we're late. Tom hates it when I'm late to class and goes on about it for hours. Besides, Umbridge might be there and I rather not give her the satisfaction of seeing me in trouble." As they made their long way to Care of Magical Creatures, Harry's mind wandered. He thought of what exactly he was doing, agreeing to teach a whole amount of students he didn't care for when he just wanted to make sure his friends were safe. He felt uneasy about it, but then he thought of how it would feel knowing he took the students from Umbridge. He wasn't paying attention in her class anyway. He spent the class reading about Dark Wizards, cloaking his books to look like Umbridge's textbook. Yesterday he started reading about a wizard called Emeric the Evil who terrorized the Middle Ages. His thoughts then turned towards the mythical Elder Wand which always seemed out of grasped. He wondered how long it would take him and Tom to find it. For some reason he felt like they were close, that they were on the right step to proving it's existence. They just missed one piece. Clutching his back closer, Harry's mind finally wandered to Umbridge and her inevitable demise.

Tom was true, all Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers only last a year at Hogwarts, he and Tom even killed one of them in their first year. A terrible thought entered his mind and wouldn't leave it as they stepped onto the grounds. What if Umbridge would follow in Quirrell's footsteps? It would be satisfying, grimly enough, and Harry believed that nobody would miss her as nobody missed Quirrell. However… if she did die, if Tom and Harry did kill her, then it would out the two of them immediately. That said, it was a nice thought to Harry's twisted mind, and when he saw Umbridge waiting for them with Professor Grubbly-Plank, Hagrid's substitute, the thought aroused the boy even more. So much so that it began morphing in his mind, changing as he rejoined with Tom and slipped his hand in his. The thought formed it's own conviction, it's own importance until it moved from just a simple thought to a conviction, a truth that Harry needed to make reality. Staring daggers at the woman, the truth now circled Harry's brain, searing itself into Harry's everlasting memory until, for that moment it became his whole universe, his whole existence, until fading down into a promise made from himself to the heavens. A promise that he will carry out without a fail. A promise that he will keep to himself until it is time to carry it out. A promise that went like this:

I'm going to kill Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge.

A/N: Oh Harry, look at your development. If you like it, leave a review! They motivate me to work faster lol and I'm doing my best to go back to replying them.

Pelcia: The history? You mean Tom's history? I'm a bit confused lol. Tom's history is all canon.

AnnaMerteuil: Wanna know a secret? Every time people ask me for lemons I purposefully delay it by one chapter lol Anyway, thank you for giving me your strength. The drama's done and now I just need to move on… which reminds me I need to get rid of him on AO3, some of the oneshots are gifted to him.

MirrorOfShards: I'm glad you've enjoyed everything about this chapter! As for the Deathly Hallows, they may believe that the three exists, however they're only focusing on the Elder Wand because that is what they want. They already have the Cloak and the Resurrection stone has no use to them… for now.

Chris Darkheart: Thank you

Alice: No, everything about the history is canon taken from the wiki and Pottermore. I've just edited it into a nice presentable package.

Gurgaraneth: Thanks!