Birth of a Nightmare Man
Summary: Prequel to The Nightmare Man. How did Harry Potter become a feared lord of ancient times? Here we'll see the start of it.
Pairing/s: None.
Warnings: Violence, gore, evil!Harry and Twisted!Harry. Like, seriously, he's not too friendly with some people.
Disclaimers: I don't own Harry Potter nor do I make any money writing this or any other fanfiction.
-o-
Late again. A lack of inspiration is the culprit, but hopefully I'll start to get more ideas soon. Or at least release perhaps shorter chapters more often. Until then, enjoy!
Gore and violence is described/mentioned here.
-o-
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hogwarts grew more and more known amongst wizard families around the country. They began to write their children up before they even had the right age for starting school. Rowena had the idea of having families write their children up when they are born, so they could get an acceptance letter once they turned eleven.
The four founders had all but stopped teaching, and didn't live at the castle at all times either. They had even gotten married.
"Don't worry," Rowena reassured the Nightmare Lord. "I'll always fancy you a little bit."
"Me too," Salazar told the man. "After all… you are very pretty."
They had known the Nightmare Lord for almost twenty years now. They had all gotten older, and it was beginning to show; lines around Godric's eyes, crinkling when he laughed. Salazar's frown became more pronounced, and for both Helga and Rowena small lines had started coming in at the corners of their mouths.
But the lord hadn't changed at all. While they looked more mature he still appeared the same as when they first met him. Youthful and mysterious.
There were days when the four friends went to visit only to find all the mirrors in the manor covered with cloth. Elise had explained it the first time.
"He doesn't like the reminders," she told the founders. "That you're aging, and he's not. You're master's first friends in a very long time."
The last friend had been George, as far as they knew, and George had met a violent end far, far too early. Perhaps that was why they didn't risk their lives. Sure, there were challenges but actually nothing that would put their lives at stake.
The closest thing anyone of them had gotten to a near-death experience was a potion gone wrong. The fumes would have been deadly to inhale, the Nightmare Lord informed them later, as he had breathed it in and it completely shut down his organs for a while.
"Nasty feeling," he had added.
They wondered if that was it, or if he just spared him from the more painful reactions he had experienced having his organs shut down. Either way, they knew he wouldn't tell them. They also knew he'd rather risk himself than have one of them die too early in his opinion.
-o-
They all had children, but for some reason the Nightmare Lord wasn't too keen on meeting their families. He did come sometimes to see the families from afar, but usually met the four founders outside their private homes, or when the families weren't around.
"They know you know me, isn't that enough?" he said.
"They are curious about you," Salazar replied.
"Well, that's hardly my problem."
"Can't you just say why you won't meet with them?" Godric said. "We won't feel offended, lord, you know this."
"I know, I just… I just don't want to meet them."
"That's a lie if I ever heard one," Helga said.
The lord looked at them. They had gathered in his home, and it was one of those days when the mirrors were covered. The Nightmare Lord had been found tucked in a dark corner with some books and they had to coax him into the light. He sat so that he didn't really look at them.
"You're growing older," the lord said.
"Yes, we know this," Rowena said.
"I'm reminded… when I see your families. That you're growing older. That, and your faces, they're changing in little ways. But far too fast for my taste."
"Our families remind you that we're going to die one day," Rowena realized.
"Yes. I'd rather not… I won't be bothering them, trying to remember you by hovering around your children, and their children… I'll just be the weird friend your four had, the one that never showed his face to them."
He smiled. It looked like it was painful for him to smile like that.
"I have your portraits," he added. "So I won't be lonely even if I don't interact with your families."
"You need more than portraits," Salazar said.
"I have my servants. They insist I speak at least five sentences a day."
"Oh, such torture," Helga told him. "A whole five sentences a day."
"Shush you."
Elise served them something to eat and drink, but put a plate down in front of the Nightmare Lord. He glared at the plate, then at her. She crossed her arms.
"Master hasn't eaten since yesterday morning," she said.
"Which means we'll have him clean this plate off before we leave," Salazar reassured her. "Come on, lord."
"Ugh, I don't want it."
"Don't be like that, lord," Godric said, pulling his chair closer to the lord's. "You shouldn't starve yourself."
"I'm not."
"Not eating for an entire day isn't normal."
"Never said I was normal."
Rowena took a spoon and shoved it near the lord's mouth.
"Open," she said. "Take the food, chew, and swallow it."
"Sometimes, I don't like you."
But he took the food, and the spoon, because he refused to be hand-fed. They would've done it if necessary, and they all knew that. Salazar settled back and said:
"What's up with the not eating?"
"I forget," the lord said.
"Forget that you're hungry?"
"I ignore that part until I stop feeling hungry," the lord said.
"That's idiotic," Helga said.
"You all know I can be an idiot at times, so why are you surprised? It's been twenty years; you should never be surprised at anything I do, ever again."
"Don't say that," Godric said. "You can still surprise us. And not always in a good way."
The Nightmare Lord frowned. They glanced at each other. Over the years, he hadn't tried to change for them. He still spoke of torture and death, and people still disappeared from time to time. Also, his personality still shifted. From calm to sad to angry to manic to sad again and then happy with a splash of sadistic glee.
So they never really knew what kind of person he was when they came to visit, or when he came to find them.
"I suppose," the lord confessed after a while. "Being as old as I am, it's… difficult to remain the same. Difficult to live sometimes, because I don't know when the end comes. If the end comes. I say that I've died, but I'm not sure if I ever have died. I've just… rejected death."
"While that does sounds impossible, it also sounds like something you would do, lord," Helga said. "Now, I'd like your opinion on the new greenhouses at Hogwarts."
Talking about Hogwarts always helped. Whatever mood he was in, the lord never stopped them from talking about the castle. It also got him distracted to the point he ate everything on the plate without a single complaint.
-o-
The children did meet the Nightmare Lord eventually. He showed up during Salazar's birthday celebration before the people visiting had gone home. Usually he came afterwards, sometimes in the middle of the night, to congratulate them. When he came in the middle of the night, he had the Dementors waking them up. He thought it was funny to see the look on their faces when one of his children woke them up. If not for the faces, then the yelling. They never understood why he didn't mind the yelling.
So when Salazar discovered the lord walking around the room, carrying a goblet no doubt from his own home, the man choked on his drink. His son pounded his back and said:
"Father, what is it?"
"Lord," he wheezed out to Helga. "It's the lord!"
She looked around.
"Oh my," she said. "It really is him."
"Lord who?" both Salazar's and Helga's sons asked.
"The Nightmare Lord of course," Helga said and then raised her voice, "Over here, lord!"
What the sons saw was a man younger than their parents, dressed in flowing, dark robes with a pale man following him. At first glance, it was the pale man that would've caught their attention. At the second glance, they realized the man with dark robes was… there, and not there. His eyes were bright green, and when he looked at them shivers ran down their spines. His smile did nothing to reassure them.
"Hello Helga, Salazar," the lord spoke as he came up to them, eyes on them now. "May I offer some congratulations to you, Salazar, having survived another year? Why are you coughing?"
"Are you trying to kill me?" Salazar said. "I thought I'd choke on my wine!"
"Salazar dear, had I wanted to kill you I would've come up with a much more slower death than choking on wine and you know that," the lord said. "Besides, I like you four too much to even think the thought."
"Not even once?" Helga wondered.
"Well, no."
"I thought you always imagined how to kill someone you just met," Salazar said. "You know, at least ripping out our hearts and preserving them."
"I've only done that once."
"Yes, but once is one time too many," Helga said.
"Well, to be completely honest I didn't do the preserving."
"You're the one who kept the heart," she continued as Salazar cleared the last of the wine from his lungs.
The two sons stared at their parents, then at the Nightmare Lord.
"I do what I want, and she didn't need the heart anymore anyway," the lord said. "As for not imagining killing you… you did make a good impression."
"As if that matters to you," Helga muttered.
"Hush, you. Salazar, I hope you don't mind I took my own drink with me."
"Not at all," Salazar said. "I could have some food made especially for you, lord."
"Oh no, I think I'll try some that's already out," the lord said.
"He thinks it might be funny if he was poisoned," the pale man told Salazar and Helga.
"Don't force Lucian to watch that!" Helga told the Nightmare Lord.
"Helga, dear, he's literally seen me in pieces; some poison will hardly impress him."
The lord sauntered off.
"I've already checked the food for poison," Lucian told them. He then offered a box. "Master's gift for you, lord Slytherin."
"Are there any body parts in that box?" Salazar demanded to know.
"Why would he do that?" Salazar's son said. "Father, you can't let a man even think he can give you such things!"
"The lord does what he wants, and no one can or should convince him otherwise if they wish to live past meeting him," Salazar told his son. "Lucian?"
"No body parts. He knows you four are not overly fond of such gifts."
With that Salazar accepted the box and opened it. He pulled out a figurine of a snake, emeralds for eyes but the body made out of clear quartz.
"Master has taken up a new hobby," Lucian explained.
"He made this?" Salazar said.
"Indeed he did. He did shout a lot when he failed though."
"How many vases did he destroy?"
"Three," Lucian promptly said. "Nearly four, but he stopped himself in time when he remembered Elise rather liked the fourth one."
"He didn't turn to torture anyone to calm himself down, did he?" Salazar asked.
"No, he doesn't take this new hobby that seriously," Lucian said. "He just thought it would keep his mind busy, as well as making beautiful gifts for his friends."
"He better make me one," Helga said. "I don't have to wait until my birthday; he can do one for me earlier than that."
The sons realized they were more or less forgotten as Salazar ran off to show his gift to Rowena and Godric, Helga trailing behind him whilst pulling Lucian with her. The sons went to find the other children, to tell them about their parents' strange friend, the one they spoke of often and the one mentioned in history as a mysterious dark lord.
Soon all children knew, and gathered to have a look at him. He was conversing with the four friends, Lucian slightly behind him, and Salazar's hands free of the gift. He must have sent someone to put it in his private chambers.
"I thought he would look older," Rowena's daughter confessed.
"Didn't our parents say he's supposed to be older than all of them?" Godric's son said. "It does sound strange, when looking at him. He looks to be younger than them."
"Is that truly the man everyone used to fear?" Helga's daughter said.
"What do you mean, used to?" Rowena's daughter said. "They still do."
"Yes, but… I thought he would be more impressive."
"Doesn't mean he's not impressive," Salazar's son said. "He seems… odd."
Only two had heard him talk, but from what their parents said odd was one of many things that the Nightmare Lord was.
Meanwhile, the four friends didn't mind neglecting conversation with others in favour of speaking with the lord for a while. Or rather, for the rest of the night.
"Didn't you say it reminded you we got older if you saw our children?" Helga wondered.
"Yes, I did say that but… it's not like I don't get reminded anyway, so what's the point in trying to keep away?" the lord said. "Now I can come whenever I want."
"But you were so adamant about it," Rowena said.
"I was being a fool; surely you know this by now. My face hasn't changed in a long time. Your faces still will change, get older, and I have to accept that. I get reminded all the time people die. I have to let them die, even when… even when I have the means to keep them with me."
"You would offer us immortality?" Salazar wondered.
"The only kind I can offer is how I made my servants. I don't want… to do that to you. I wouldn't mind having all four of you live for a lot longer, but I can't… it's up to you to choose. I didn't let Elise and Lucian choose."
They had never even thought about it. But perhaps they should have thought about it, the fact that the Nightmare Lord had made other people immortal like him. At what prize though? For how long would Elise and Lucian and the other servants live? For how long would the Nightmare Lord live?
They looked at Lucian. He didn't seem to mind, but what did they know? Perhaps somewhere deep inside he didn't want to live for as long as the lord did. Perhaps a part he wasn't consciously aware of. Didn't the lord also say… he'd changed their personalities as well? Mostly Elise, Lucian's considerably less but he had still changed things in their minds.
"Don't choose immortality," the lord said. "Living this long changes you as a person. I would rather have you as you are… not what the thought of eternity will make you into."
Godric looked at Helga, Rowena and Salazar before motioning towards one of Salazar's smaller libraries. They made a decision, and pulled the Nightmare Lord with them in there for some privacy. Salazar called for some light food and more wine and ale. Lucian insisted he'd help get it for them.
It only took minutes for it all to arrive, and they refilled their goblets and drained them at least once more before conversation started once more.
"How were you really, before you realized you were immortal?" Godric asked as they settled down. "You've spoken a little about it, but please… tell us some more?"
"Only because we're all drunk," the lord said, raising his goblet. The four friends chuckled. "I was… you mean before I started killing people?"
"Yes."
"I did kill people even before I realized I was immortal, I didn't realize I was immortal for some years but… me as a child? Do you dare to hear it?"
"Were you horrible?" Rowena asked.
"My family certainly thought so. But I wasn't. At least I'm rather certain I wasn't."
Aunt and Uncle, the demons… they knew that much. But not much about the Nightmare Lord himself.
"I didn't know my name until I started my education. Aunt sat me down the night before and had me repeat it for ten minutes so I wouldn't shame them by not knowing. Or rather, making the teachers realize they never let me know my real name."
"How were you as a student?" Rowena asked, steering away from Aunt and Uncle.
"Quite horrible," the lord admitted. "I wanted to learn, but Cousin, no, I wasn't allowed to be better than Cousin… and then I started a magical school. I hadn't known magic existed until I was eleven."
"You didn't know?" Rowena said.
"Not at all. Uncle made me… think magic was wrong. He would hit me if I even mentioned the word."
He cleared his throat.
"But at the magical school, I guess I did try," he said. "I'm not sure now; my memories are a bit foggy. I keep getting reminded there were an awful lot of things going on every year. Never had a peaceful one. I never finished my education either, now that I think about it."
"You never did?" Rowena said. "How?"
"A lot of things happened? War, death, prison, release from prison, death of friend… madness." He smiled at them. "Never really thought about education after that. Was more concerned of destroying as many lives as I could. Did pretty good there, better than with… books, and tests… I hated tests, why do professors insist on them?"
"I think he's drunk," Lucian said.
"We all are," Godric stated.
"Master usually is never drunk," Lucian said.
"Never really learned how to drink either," the lord confessed. "So I probably drink too much when I do try it. When I started killing people I didn't drink."
He was slurring a bit, but then again, they had been steadily drinking during the conversation.
"Not even a celebratory drink?" Rowena asked.
"Never really got the point of those," the lord said. "I don't think I ever have had one. Or have I? Not one with… wine in it. Or other drinks that make my head hurt in the morning. Will my head hurt in the morning now?"
"I don't know master."
"Damn… well, I might as well continue for a bit when I'm already this drunk. Anything else you wanted to know?"
"Did you like learning about plants?" Helga demanded to know.
"Never had the patience for it, I'm afraid."
"Potions then?" Godric wondered.
"Had a horrible professor."
"Oi, speaking to former professors," Helga said. "Well, almost former, we do still teach on occasion."
"Don't you worry," the lord said, "he won't mind being called horrible. You've met him. Haven't you?"
"Where?" Salazar said as Godric refilled his goblet.
"I did… the thing, the wishy-thing with the stone and he appeared," the Nightmare Lord said, waving his hand. "I can call him horrible, he'll just insult me back. Like clockwork. Good at that part, insults… teaching us how to make a potion, not as good."
At one point, Lucian replaced all the wine and ale with water. Then he made the lord nibble on some food, threatening with Elise and Dementors' cries if he didn't. Dementors crying their non-existent eyes out to make the Nightmare Lord feel guilty made Godric and Salazar snort, and then laugh so hard their stomachs started to hurt.
"I believe it's time for bed, master," Lucian said when the mansion had grown quiet around them, most guests gone and those staying having gone to sleep.
"Stay," Salazar said. "Stay the night. Please?"
"Do I have to do anything tomorrow?" the lord asked.
"You left four corpses in the dungeons," Lucian said.
"Eh, they'll keep one night. Besides, if I left them then I didn't need them fresh anyway."
"What do you need four corpses for?" Salazar wondered.
"They were annoying," the Nightmare Lord said.
Lucian had to help the lord up from the chair, and they realized that during all the years they had known the Nightmare Lord, he never really drank.
"Master, are you feeling alright?" Lucian asked.
"I just remembered… I hate being drunk."
"Perhaps some water before you sleep then?"
"Yes… water sounds nice."
It was silence all around them as Salazar got to his own chambers, and the friends to guestrooms. The Nightmare Lord was given the biggest one, they all remembering his love for large, airy rooms. It also had a nice view of the wild garden.
"You may move around as you like," Salazar told Lucian. "The kitchens are also to your disposal. Perhaps more at breakfast than now."
"Thank you, lord Slytherin," Lucian said as the Nightmare Lord squinted at a painting near the doors to the guestroom.
Then they all parted ways for some well-needed rest.
-o-
If there was something the Nightmare Lord disliked, it was hangovers. He wasn't sure if they were called hangovers in this time-period but they had to have existed. Or did people drink so much they never got a hangover in this time-period?
He didn't want to leave the bed. But he had to. Had to eat breakfast… along with his friends' families. Their children… oh dear.
"Master, I've prepared some water for you to wash yourself with," Lucian said.
"I don't want to go up…"
"You need to get up eventually."
"Take me home directly?"
"No," Lucian said. "They're even preparing breakfast as we speak."
Damn it. The lord sat up. Lucian started brushing the lord's hair without asking, and he let the man do it. His head was throbbing. Maybe he could drink the water he was supposed to use to wash himself.
Lucian didn't let him, and the Nightmare Lord came down to the dining room with throbbing head and thus squinting. To his relief, Rowena didn't look much better.
"Mother," Rowena's daughter said, "you should really think about how much you drink."
"I wasn't thinking," Rowena moaned. "Oh… lord. Please tell me you're in pain too."
"Not so loud," he begged.
"Good, someone who's older than me is still being stupid," Rowena mumbled.
"Don't call your elders stupid," he muttered as he sat down.
He noticed the children were glancing between each other. Salazar and Godric sat with their hands over their eyes. Helga seemed somewhat unaffected, the monster.
"Why aren't you in pain?" the Nightmare Lord demanded of her.
"I didn't drink as much."
"Nonsense," Salazar said, "she must have made some sort of concoction to ease the pain."
"I tried that once," the lord said.
"What happened?" Rowena wondered as she slowly lifted her head from the table.
"Let's just say my arm didn't grow back for an entire day, probably just out of spite."
"You are truly lousy with potions," Godric said. "At least when you experiment."
"Never had the patience," he muttered even as Lucian slid over a goblet of water for him. "Thank you, Lucian."
"Light or heavy food?" Lucian asked.
"Light, for goodness' sake. I hate vomiting."
"You say that, and yet you vomited twice last week."
"That was because of poison, don't blame me," the lord said, pointing his finger at Lucian.
"Did you eat poison again?" Helga said. "Lord…"
"It was an accident this time."
Salazar's son was definitely staring. Oh well, not too unlike his father.
The food did help with the headache, but it made him sleepy again. So while the four founders talked with their children he dozed off for a bit in the chair.
"He's different than what we thought," he heard one, Rowena's perhaps, say.
"In a bad way?" Rowena asked.
"Not for me. He's… strange, yes, but I'm more at ease now having seen him."
Strips of conversation, some involving him, some not, and at one point Lucian put a blanket over his legs. As if he was an old man.
Although, I am an old man. I'm older than what Nicholas Flamel ever became.
"Should we wake him?" Godric's voice, quiet.
"No, let him sleep." Helga. "We'll keep him company here."
It was rather peaceful. The Nightmare Lord wished it would last a little longer.
But good things rarely did.
To be continued…
Could that be considered a cliffhanger? Maybe just setting up for sadness ahead.
Anyway, chapter twenty-nine: All good things come to an end. Doesn't mean the Nightmare Lord has gotten any better at accepting it.
See you later,
Tiro
