Snakeheart: Chapter 26: Atrum Phasmatis
Disclaimer: AS BEFORE: Also, several parts of this story are taken from ideas seen in films, television and, yes, from books; whatever references I made, I do not own the idea; all credit goes to the original designers.
Normal Speech
(Thought)
/Parseltongue/
(Dumbledore,) hissed Harry, his thoughts filled with rage, (Why is it every time something is connected to my parents deaths it is always that senile fucking bastard who's responsible?)
"And now he wants me," Harry nodded, "He wants to reclaim the old fool's little puppet. Well, let him come; let him find me, because…" He held up his hand and summoned a bolt of lightning to his palm, the black lightning bolt crackling with dark energy as he hissed, "When Sirius Black comes looking for the son of James Potter; all he'll find is the heir of the Dark Lord. I'll let him find me and then, when he does…"
He threw the lightning bolt against the wall, its energy radiating through the room as he added:
"When he does, I'm going to be ready; when he finds me, I'm going to kill him!"
()()()()()
Notice: I would like to thank pureb99 for the inspiration behind this chapter; the original content of the potion explained as an Animagus is used in their story Dark Lord Potter part 1: all credit and copyright to them.
"Happy Birthday Harry!"
The Heir of Slytherin smiled with a warming gaze as he looked to his friends and family; they were all gathered in the Banquet Hall of Malfoy Manor, each member of the group apparently seated to occasion. At the head of the table was an empty chair that looked more like a throne; on the left of this seat was Lucius with Draco seated opposite him; next to Lucius was Narcissa, Gabrielle seated opposite her; Luna was sat next to Gabrielle and opposite her was Dante and finally, Ginny was occupying the last seat, Severus opposite her.
As Harry was about to ask about someone who was missing, there was a rush of cold and Harry smiled again as he saw his Father, the Dark Lord, take place next to the head chair, his phantasmal body looking more corporeal by the day. Even though he had sworn not to remove the Horcrux from within his Heir, Harry had this sneaking suspicion that his Father was instead feeding on the dark energies emanating from the dark gift he had bestowed upon his son.
"Thanks everyone," sighed Harry, as Draco indicated the head of the table; taking a hint, Harry walked past each of them before he took his seat, feeling slightly elated to notice how they had to turn to look at him; he really was the centre of attention and, despite the reason they were assembled, each member of the Malfoy Family as well as Severus, Dante and the Reavers were taking this seriously, as if Voldemort had returned and called them to a meeting.
As Harry found himself getting comfortable, he saw Narcissa flick her wand before the whole room became an array of decorations in silver, emerald and violet – to match his eyes, apparently – a large crimson banner depicting the words Happy 13th Birthday Harry James Riddle hovering above them, the letters changing from silver to emerald and then to black.
"You really didn't have to do all this," Harry explained, before Lucius passed him a parcel; unwrapping the present, Harry gasped as he found himself looking at an album, which, once he opened it, Harry found to hold pictures of his Mother, James Potter, as well as pictures of Lucius, Narcissa, Severus and, to Harry's pleasure, the Reavers.
"Thank you Uncle Lucius," Harry smiled, turning back to a picture of his Mother; she was dressed in a flowing white dress and her red hair was tied behind her in a braid; her stomach was rounded and, as the picture looked to Harry, it seemed to be crying as it waved merrily at him.
"She would be proud of you, my son," sighed Tom, placing a phantasmal hand on his son's shoulder.
Turning back to the front of the page, Harry read a strange inscription under a moving Slytherin serpent: Ut unus quisnam gero vox; Harry looked back to Lucius, who smiled as he nodded and said, "It says; to one who bears the power; Narcissa thought of it personally."
"Thank you," repeated Harry, setting the album aside before Draco looked to the other Reavers, who nodded before the young Malfoy returned his attention to Harry.
"This is from all of us," he explained, pulling out a long, narrow package; opening the wrappings, Harry gasped at what he saw: inside was a long pair of black robes with a male figure on the crest; this figure had emerald green skin and his clothes were seemingly made from unicorn hair. In his hands were a crook and flail and, underneath the image were the initials HJRRL.
"That's a picture of your alias namesake," explained Gabrielle, "That's Osiris; we all decided to get these robes fashioned, but yours Harry, we had done specially. The robes are made from an enchanted piece of Acromantula Silk mixed with Thestral Hair and Phoenix feathers; they're enchanted to remain warm and grow as you grow."
"Do you like them?" asked Luna, watching as Harry slowly glided his fingers over the material.
"I love them," Harry replied, before he asked, "What are the initials?"
"Harry James Riddle; Reaver Leader," explained Draco, "We all have them: mine says Reaver Regent or RR; Gabby's says Reaver Second or RS; Ginny's says Reaver Scion or RSc and Luna's says Reaver Wingman or RW."
"Why Wingman?" asked Harry, surprised at the level of detail gone into his robes.
"Because of her…alliance with the Leader," explained Draco, sending Harry a sly wink, before he paled as Voldemort growled to him.
Setting the robes aside, Harry watched as Dante passed him a rather heavy package, but, when he opened it, he saw why: inside was a triple-set of books that were each entitled Magical Focus with either Beginner, Intermediate or Master Level; however, when Harry looked back to Dante, the Galean warrior then handed his charge a long, thin package that, as soon as Harry touched it, seemed to hum with magic.
Opening this second parcel, Harry gasped as he withdrew a long, thin katana sword sheathed in a black scabbard with a picture of a white dragon encircling the scabbard. Withdrawing the weapon, Harry gasped as he found the blade light to the touch and easy to wield; clearly this was an item of great power.
"Wow," he gasped, looking to his bodyguard, "Thank you Dante, but why did you get this for me?"
"I advised him," Voldemort explained, before he added, "Dante told me about your…conversation about this Sanctuary, so I did some research and found that one of the things you will learn is how to wield a magical weapon."
"So you're turning me into a Magical Swordsman," Harry nodded, feeling slightly ashamed that he hadn't done any research about the Sanctuary himself. Sheathing the sword, Harry placed it on the desk before he asked, "What did you discover Father?"
"Not much," admitted the Dark Lord, "But what I did find out is that not only will you be trained magically, but mentally and physically; the Sanctuary's secrets are hidden even from the greatest of wizards, but I did find out that all those who have been chosen have gone on to become great and powerful wizards. There was even an obscure reference that your ancestor, one Salazar Slytherin, even founded the Sanctuary."
"Which he must have done after he left Hogwarts behind," Draco shrugged, "That explains why you were chosen Harry; you are the Heir of Slytherin in both blood and magic, so it would make sense you would hear this message from your spectral friend."
"I guess," Harry replied, before he looked to Severus and asked, "What about you Knight? What did you get me?"
"This," Severus explained, handing Harry an envelope with the Ministry symbol etched into the clasp; opening the letter, Harry gasped with pride and gratitude as he read:
This parchment – validated by Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic – grants full emancipation and privileges thereof to Lord Harry James Potter. With this parchment, Lord Potter now has the right to decide his family and legal guardians; while said wizard holds this parchment, his words become legitimated by the Magical Enforcement Act of 1857 ensuring that the words spoken by one holding this parchment cannot be swayed or broken.
"Wow," Harry gasped for the second time that day, "So does this mean I can now decide my Family?"
"Yes," Severus explained, "It took me a long while as well as several meetings, but if you say it now, not even Black will be able to claim you."
"In that case," Harry nodded, "I, Harry James Riddle-Potter, do hereby name the following as my legal and magical guardians: my legal guardian, from this day forwards, will be Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy and Narcissa Vesta Malfoy whilst my magical guardian shall be my godfather and good friend, Severus Orion Snape; so mote it be."
There was a strong gust of wind before the words spoken by Harry appeared on the parchment, almost similar to the blood test he had taken two years before. Closing his eyes, Harry breathed in a strong air through his nose as he felt a strange magic lifting from his body; when he next opened his eyes, he looked to Severus and asked, "What just happened?"
"Now that Lucius and Narcissa are your guardians by Magical Enforcement," explained Severus, "The wards that made sure you needed to return home have been moved to this establishment; as of today, Malfoy Manor is your home and Lucius, Narcissa, Lord Voldemort and I are now your family."
"Then," Voldemort added, looking now to Harry, "As your blood relative, I hereby enforce your decision, my boy, and now, Lucius, a word if you can spare a minute."
When Lucius followed Tom out of the room, Harry watched as Narcissa summoned a House Elf – whose name Harry found to be Dobby – before she looked to the creature and explained, "Dobby, from today, you only have one Master; this is Harry Potter, also known as Harry Riddle, and you will obey his every word."
"Dobby understands Mistress Malfoy," the creature bowed, before it walked over to Harry and bowed again, "Greetings Master Riddle; Dobby is now yours to command sir; what do you wish of Dobby sir?"
"Continue with your regular duties until I summon you," Harry instructed, watching as the small creature left his sight; when Dobby vanished, Narcissa then flicked her wand once before she looked at Harry.
"Enjoy yourself Harry," she smiled as plates of party food and drink filled the banquet table, just as Lucius and Tom returned, the Malfoy patriarch looking both intimidated and proud.
"Harry," Tom whispered, making his heir look to him, "I have to leave for a while; to try and gather my strength as well as find a way to return to this world in flesh and blood; since I cannot be with you, I have granted Lucius the right to hear you address him as Father and Narcissa as Mother. They did adopt you after all; will you be all right at Hogwarts?"
"Unless Black shows his face," Harry replied, looking to Lucius and Narcissa, "Then not even Dumbledore will stop the chaos that I will bring down upon that traitorous murderer. You go Tom, I'll be fine with my Reavers and my new family watching over me; besides, Dante will be teaching again at Hogwarts, so he'll be there to help me."
"Excellent," smiled the Dark Lord, happy that his son and heir had now gotten used to calling him by his name, "Then I will leave tonight; remember Harry, you now have control over the Chamber of Secrets; if you need to use it then do not hesitate to obey your instincts."
"Yes sir," Harry replied, giving the Dark Lord a formal bow of respect, "I only hope that the next time I see you, we can truly begin to bring about the heritage of our family as the new Dark Lord of Magic."
Voldemort nodded before he vanished with a wisp of smoke before Harry turned back to his adoptive parents as he asked, "Are you both all right with this? I mean, I don't mind still calling you Aunt and Uncle; I know who I am and what my destiny is."
"Thank you Harry," Lucius smiled, a note of relief in his voice, "The Dark Lord said that only you could override his will if you wished; don't worry though, we will still treat you as family; after all, as the Dark Lord said, we adopted you didn't we?"
"You did Uncle Lucius," nodded Harry, before he turned back to the party and enjoyed his birthday.
()()()()()
September 1st was always a day that Harry looked forward to, namely because he knew he was going back to Hogwarts and back to learning more about these powers that he was yet to unleash; after explaining that the incident in the Chamber had unlocked the barrier around his Multimental side, Severus had told Harry that their lessons would resume, but this time, at a slower, more controlled pace so that any accidents could be avoided.
As the Reavers boarded the train, Harry then noticed that their usually empty compartment now had one occupant; a male figure who was fast asleep, a long brown cloak covering him.
"Who do you suppose that is?" asked Draco, taking a seat opposite the man, Harry seating himself near the window.
"Professor RJ Lupin," explained Gabrielle, pointing to a suitcase above their heads, "And it doesn't take a Hufflepuff to figure out the lesson he's here for."
"Defence Against the Dark Arts," Harry nodded, before he did a double take and asked, "Wait, did you say Lupin?"
"She did," Luna replied, knowing where this was going.
"Damn him," snarled Harry, his hands crackling with lightning already, and it was only the first day, "I bet he did this to try and lure me back to the right side; and I bet anything he'll say it's for the Greater Good."
"Dumbledore will try anything," Ginny told him, suddenly appearing at the door and seating herself with the others, "But why do you suppose he's travelling with us?"
"Who knows?" replied Draco, before he asked, "How was the last week of your summer Ginny?" He got down on his knees and added, "Please tell me you killed that prick who calls himself your brother."
"No such luck," Ginny sighed, holding a hand to her forehead, "Mum tried to make sure that I was restrained from you Draco, but then Dad took my side and explained about how Harry had saved me and defended my honour in the summer. He even added about how Slytherin had actually welcomed me even though my name's Weasley."
"You didn't talk about the Reavers did you?" asked Harry, surprised that Mr Weasley had defended Slytherin. Then again, he supposed that it was namely because of how honest – so to speak – Harry had been on the last day of term.
"No," explained Ginny, pausing as the train shuddered into life, the familiar sound of the whistle filling Harry's ears as they began to move out of King's Cross. "Ron was adamant about what I was doing hanging around with Malfoys and what he calls traitors, but I told him that who I was friends with was none of his business."
"A wise move," Harry nodded, watching as the city of London was replaced by countryside and rolling hills, "Anyway, did anyone find out anything else about this year? Namely one escaped convict who seems to have a death wish."
"I did," Draco replied, before he checked to see if Lupin was still asleep as he added, "Apparently, the guards of Azkaban are actually stumped about how he did it, but according to Father, Black has more than one secret," he beckoned to the others before he lowered his voice to barely a whisper as he added, "They say he's an Animagus!"
"A what?" asked Luna.
"Someone who can turn into an animal at will," Harry explained, "I was studying them over the last few days of the summer; thought we could try and find out forms."
"Not a bad idea," Draco nodded, "We could use these animal forms for fun and to keep an ear to the ground."
"How will we find our forms?" asked Gabrielle, "It's not as easy as they say, is it?"
"There are two ways to do it," Harry replied, "One involves a complex blood ritual, which would also register you as an Animagus with the Ministry."
"Pass," chorused the Reavers before Draco asked, "And the other?"
"A similar ritual," Harry explained, "This one, however, involves a potion that will act as some kind of hallucinogen that will allow me to find my form; I think it drags my consciousness into the Shadow Realm and takes me on a journey; physically, I'll still be the same, but the instincts of the animal could be released."
"So," Draco asked, "Potentially dangerous potion or registering with the annoying Ministry?"
"Potentially dangerous potion," the Reavers agreed, Harry nodding as he closed his eyes, his Archive-like mind bringing up memories of what he had learned about this potion. As he sifted through them, Harry then felt a strange entity suddenly crawling through his mind and almost trying to sift through his magic; before Harry could inquire further, the presence vanished, leaving Harry both confused and once more relaxed.
()()()()()
"Harry, wake up!"
The sound of Draco's voice made Harry open his eyes; he must have fallen asleep, because the train was slowing down, but, as Harry looked outside, he saw nothing that looked like Hogsmeade village.
"Why are we stopping?" asked Harry, "We can't be there yet."
"We're not," Draco replied, "Gabby and Luna have gone to see what the problem is, but, Harry, can't you feel that?"
Harry suddenly did feel something; like a numbing cold had entered the compartment and was slowly slithering through each of its occupants; however, when the cold reached Harry, it froze solid before Harry clasped at his head, a powerful magic trying to burrow inside him. Looking all around the compartment, Harry tried veiling before he felt it; another numbing presence was now building inside him and, with this presence came a voice, a cold, leering voice that hissed at him.
(The shadows are coming for you Harry; looks like this is where I come in.)
Harry was about to ask what was happening when the compartment shook heavily, throwing Harry, Draco and Ginny out of their seats; Harry went to grab for something, but the cold had now entered his blood and, as he looked, he felt his head collide with solid wood, before the voice came back.
(This was easier than expected; thank you, my Host, for allowing me to come out and play.)
()()()()()
"Harry!" cried Ginny, holding him by the neck; his violet eyes were open, but they seemed glazed over by some unknown trance; as she looked from the obviously out-cold Harry to the worried Draco, the cold feeling that had snaked along the train now filled the compartment, its icy grip encircling Ginny, Draco and the still-sleeping Professor Lupin.
"Miss Weasley," Harry's voice was suddenly the only thing Ginny could hear, "Would you be so kind as to let go of my neck?"
Ginny gasped as Harry stood up and looked to the door, before he turned and asked, "Now, could you be so helpful as to keep your thoughts only about happiness? What's happening is something I never thought I would have the pleasure of meeting."
Ginny was about to ask what Harry meant when she saw a figure near the door, a cloaked figure that she would later describe as being darkness incarnate.
The figure looked to stand at almost 10ft tall with a ripped, yet deathly looking cloak covering its body; its hands were snaking along the window of the compartment and, when Ginny looked to those hands, her blood ran cold: they were pale and scabbed with an almost skeletal appearance to their look.
"Do not worry Miss Weasley," Harry's voice informed her, "They cannot harm one who has walked among the darkness; leave this to me."
Before Ginny could inquire as to what he was talking about, she gasped as Harry raised one of his hands and commanded, "Darkness; leave this place; the one you seek is not here."
Then, as Ginny watched, she saw an orb of dark energy flare in Harry's palm, before the young Slytherin pushed the energy forwards, the creature outside screeching as the energy seemed to repel it from their compartment.
"Harry?" asked Ginny, watching as the young Slytherin turned to her; when he looked at her, Ginny gasped in shock: Harry's usually-kind violet eyes were now a deep, evil shade of gold, a red slit like a snake-eye replacing his pupil. "What's happened to you?"
"Harry Potter no longer exists," replied the Heir, or whatever was taking him, "Now there is only me; and you may call me Atrum Phasmatis."
"Atrum Phasmatis," Ginny gasped, "Dark Spirit: it was our password from last year, but where's…"
"Conscensius Barriken!" a stern voice suddenly commanded, a jet of silver light striking Harry/Atrum in the back, forcing the young wizard to his knees. Behind him, Ginny saw none other than Professor Lupin holding out his wand, his face set in an expression of sorrow.
"Professor?" asked Ginny, "What did you just do?"
"I can't explain it now Miss?"
"Weasley," replied Ginny, "Ginny Weasley; Slytherin second year, but what do you mean?"
"It's better if we wait for Harry to recover," replied Professor Lupin, "It's a long story!"
"What is?" asked the weakened voice of Harry Riddle, his violet eyes once again shining in his pale face.
Lupin looked to Harry, before he held out his hand and explained, "The Curse of Atrum Phasmatis: the Darkness in you, Harry."
Chapter 26 and that was a twist: Harry has some kind of dark spirit (literally) that is affected by shadows and Lupin knows about it, but will Atrum Phasmatis return and, if yes, can Harry fight him?
Also, what are the Animagus forms of the Reavers and what will happen the next time Harry meets those cloaked creatures of the night?
Keep Reading to find out…
Next Chapter: 3rd year, 1st week: Lupin would like a word with Harry and the Reavers; also, Harry decides to look up some info on how to be an Animagus…
Following Chapter: Defence lessons with…SEVERUS? Where's Lupin and why does Harry suddenly feel so afraid; also, the first Quidditch Game of the year brings an unwelcome consequence for the young Slytherin and there's an attack…on the Gryffindors!
Chapter 29: Hogsmeade; Lupin offers Harry some help and reveals a startling secret about the young Slytherin; also, Christmas comes to Hogwarts and Harry spends it – for the first time – at Hogwarts where he receives a surprising present…
Chapter 30: Harry tackles the Animgus potion alone and comes across his darker half for the first time: can Harry vanquish this demon in him?
Please Read and Review…
OC SPELLS:
Conscensius Barriken: A powerful hex designed by…find out in the next chapter…to negate the possession of Dark Spirit
FINAL NOTE: The idea for Harry's dual identity is inspired by Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex; all copyright goes to Colfer (and Artemis, since I don't want a visit from Butler.)