Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JKR, not to me.

A/N: I know, its been ages. But here it is, the next chapter all prime and ready to go. For those of you who tend to be a bit squeamish, this is going to be a gruesome chapter, I warn you now. Things will be fine until you reach Caius' incantation. You will know the incantation by the Greek characters.

Translation of Caius' incantation- taken from the Simon Necronomicon.

(They are Seven. They are Seven. In the depths of the Ocean, they are Seven. In the shining heavens, they are Seven. They proceed from the ocean depths. They proceed from the hidden retreat. They are neither male nor female. These which stretch themselves out like chains. They have no spouse. They beget not children. They are strangers to charity. They ignore prayer. They scoff at wishes. They are the vermin that comes forth from the Mountains of MASHU. Enemies of Our Master ENKI. They are the vengeance of the Ancient Ones. Raising up difficulties. Obtaining power through wickedness. The Enemies! The Enemies! The Seven Enemies! They are Seven! They are Seven! Spirit of the Sky Remember! Spirit of the Earth Remember!"


Draco sighed to himself. It had been a long journey. Although he had not been able to contact Hermione since that painful Christmas, he still thought of her often. He could only hope that she hadn't forgotten him. But he had to think positively. It never did him any good to dwell on the past. It only brought him pain, and if that was the only thing he learned during his apprenticeship with Caius, it was that bringing pain on one's self was utterly pointless. It simply diminished the focus and made it difficult to properly allow the magic to flow.

He had learned much over the past months. It seemed that just as long as he did everything Caius wished without too much difficulty, that kept the mad wizard at bay. The elder wizard seemed to constantly be surprised by Draco's capacity for learning. And it had only been a few days before that Caius had expressed to Draco that it would not be long now before Draco would learn the final secret… Amazing considering that as far as Draco could tell, he'd only been gone for a year and a day. He did not get his hopes up, however. It would do no good whatsoever for Draco to hope for an early release. Even thinking it possible would only cause Caius to possibly extend his stay as apprentice. If there was another thing that Draco had learned about Caius, it was that he played by his own set of rules, which unfortunately were constantly changing.

It wasn't that Draco had lost his spirit. No. It was more so that he chose to obey. Rebellion simply only caused him torture, he had learned that the hard way. Draco could only satisfy his anger with a silent plan for revenge. If it killed him, he would make sure that the fall of Caius would certainly occur once his apprenticeship was complete.

But everything had not been bad. Draco had Caius to thank for coming to terms with his darkness and embracing it. He was no longer the boy afraid of his power and choosing to disfigure himself to control the pain. No, Caius had changed that; shown Draco what pain truly was. Now, Draco simply knew he was dark, and could never be the harbinger of light and butterflies- that was Potter's job. No, Draco Malfoy was designed to keep the darkness at bay; by using it to control the balance between good and evil. Did this make him some sort of supernatural power? No. He simply now knew his place in the world. It certainly would take more than one man to control the balance. He simply now held the knowledge of how to do so. Caius had taught him all. There were no more mysteries regarding magic for Draco, not because he was particularly special, but rather, because he had been chosen because he looked like the people whom Caius remembered. His head had become a fount of knowledge, full of possibly useless information. Useless, that is, until it is needed by someone.

This created an interesting conundrum for Draco. He now housed knowledge in his brain that Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore couldn't even fathom, and that was unnerving indeed. If he made it back to Hogwart's, he would have absolutely nothing to do… But that, in a way, was the stuff of fantasy. There were too many ifs. He needed to concentrate on the present.

Draco suddenly sensed the feet of his master stepping softly across the grass and turned to meet his master.

"Ah, Dragon. It is good to see you this early. I had hoped that you would wake early."

Draco smiled. "Perhaps it was fate smiling down upon us."

"Perhaps indeed." Caius said with an interesting lilt. "It is time."

Draco looked at his master, puzzled. "Time for what, Master?"

Caius motioned for the young man to follow. "Time for a new beginning. This is to be your final lesson. It is the last thing I have to give…After this day, I believe I can feel comfortable in knowing that you will easily be able to find your place in the world."


Draco watched Caius curiously as the elder wizard made himself comfortable on a stone slab that had been placed in the center of their cave. The cave had been cleared out, so that the only items that remained inside the structure were the items that belonged to Draco, a multitude of lit candles, and the stone slab upon which Caius was now sitting.

Draco looked at his master with a questioning glance. "What is the meaning of all of this?"

Caius laughed a deadly laugh. "Why, my dear pupil, this is merely the beginning of your final lesson…You have made me so very proud. Your intelligence could never have been guessed before your arrival to this realm. I am supremely happy, as I am sure that the gods are smiling upon us."

"What?" Draco asked incredulously. "That doesn't make any sense."

Caius chuckled. "Oh, it is no matter. Soon you will understand everything. Now, stop fretting and undress."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "For what reason?"

Caius seemed to be getting annoyed. "You are beginning to speak as if you have learned nothing. Don't make me have to find a new pupil at this late hour."

Draco quickly righted himself. It was not long ago that Caius would have already been torturing him for such talk. "I apologize, sir. I must be forgetting myself."

Draco quickly undressed, not bothering to hide himself. The elder wizard had whipped him for such foolishness more than once. It wasn't that the elder wizard was perverted….At least not in a sexual manner. But rather, the elder wizard had strange ideas about skyclad rituals. Of course, Draco could not deny that performing rites skyclad did lend one's self a sense of freedom he had never known. But the fact remained that Draco seemed to be able to accomplish the same outcome whether skyclad or fully clothed.

Draco stepped closer to the slab and looked into the eyes of his master. Caius smiled. "Now, this is the dragon I have come to know. My reasoning for your state of dress is not for my own enjoyment, but rather, as an aid to you. This final ritual can get a bit messy."

Draco's eyes widened at the prospect. If Caius was saying that things could get messy, he was beginning to think that it might have been best if he had disappeared. This final ritual could be anything…mean anything. Fear was beginning to creep over his flesh. He had to calm himself. He had to think of Hermione…his Hermione.

Caius cleared his throat and began to chant in an archaic language that Draco immediately recognized as the language of the Green Man. Of course, before Draco had come to this place, he never even fathomed that such a language existed. But here it was, the language that predated Merlin; the true language of magic.

"Είναι επτά. Είναι επτά. Σε βάθη του ωκεανού, είναι επτά. Στους λάμποντας ουρανούς, είναι επτά. Προχωρούν από τα ωκεάνια βάθη. Προχωρούν από την κρυμμένη υποχώρηση. Δεν είναι ούτε αρσενικοί ούτε θηλυκοί. Αυτοί που streach οι ίδιοι συμπαθήστε έξω τις αλυσίδες. Δεν έχουν κανέναν σύζυγο. Γεννούν όχι τα παιδιά. Είναι ξένοι στη φιλανθρωπία. Αγνοούν την προσευχή. Αυτοί χλευασμός στις επιθυμίες. Είναι vermin που προέρχεται εμπρός από τα βουνά MASHU. Εχθροί κύριου ENKI μας. Είναι το vengence των αρχαίων. Αύξηση επάνω στις δυσκολίες. Λήψη της δύναμης μέσω της διαφθοράς. Οι εχθροΐ Οι εχθροΐ Οι επτά εχθροΐ Είναι επτά! Είναι επτά! Το πνεύμα του ουρανού θυμάταϊ Το πνεύμα της γης θυμάταϊ." (translation in Author's Note)

The old wizard seemed to have recited the entire thing in a breathless voice, almost a whisper. The words themselves were not comforting. Draco could not understand why Caius was summoning the words of an ancient exorcism. This was definitely not expected.

Draco looked at Caius who seemed to be washed out; drained of all color. "Master, what is going on?"

Caius smiled evilly at Draco. "This is only the beginning, dear boy. This is the beginning of your new life."

Draco shivered at the coldness that suddenly filled the cave. "But why an exorcism?"

Caius smiled. "Because dear boy, this ritual involves blood. Lots of blood, and the things that lurk in the dark are attracted to blood. The cave must be blessed before we begin; warded against the evil things, so that we may continue without inviting difficulties."

Caius suddenly patted the slab beside him- almost as if to welcome Draco to sit. Draco was frightened, but he did as he was asked. He sat on the table beside Caius. In the span of an instant, Draco felt frozen and cold. There was nothing that he could do, the old wizard had him completely immobilized.

"Now, don't start trying to take off this spell. It will wear in its own time. It is part of your training…Now, I imagine that you are wondering what is going on, and why I have suddenly done this to you. It is all very simple. For you see Draco, I am giving you everything. You have surpassed my every expectation, as I believe I have told you before. So, you are being given an honor of sorts."

Draco watched as Caius readjusted himself on the table and stripped himself of his robes.

The old wizard nodded at Draco in assurance.

"This is what is called the Rite of Rebirth. For me to be able to pass on everything I have to you, I must give everything of myself to you; become a part of you. I imagine that you are asking yourself how this will happen, it is very simple. You must eat."

Draco wished that he could shudder.

"Ah yes, I know that it is not an appetizing thought. But, it is the only way. You must eat of my flesh entirely before you can know everything. It is my gift to you as it was the gift of my master many many years ago. The spell you are currently under, will wear off in a small while, and when it does, it will propel you to eat. There is nothing that you can do to stop it, so do not bother. The spell will cease when there is nothing left of me but bones."

Draco could not curtail his horror. He was being forced to eat another wizard. If he wasn't immobilized, he would vomit.

"I can see what you are thinking, Draco. Try not to think so much. It is true that the taste will stay with you for some time, but after a few days, you will manage to get the taste out of your mouth. If it were possible, I would tell you to smile. This is the beginning of your manhood."

Draco could only watch as Caius waved his hand over Draco's eyes, muttering an incantation that he did his best to ignore, but the very words seemed to melt into his flesh. The words bonded with him; became a part of his being, his soul. Draco then watched as Caius laid himself down on the slab and pushed Draco unceremoniously onto the floor of the cave.

Gradually, feeling came back to his limbs. He could feel the spell already beginning to drive him; making him hungry for the taste of human flesh. He wanted to be horrified, but the spell kept that at bay. He stood up and looked down upon the prone form of his teacher. The old wizard had lashed himself to the slab- perhaps to keep himself from escaping?

He felt the spell change him. The spell was now in control. It was almost as if there were two parts of him now: the Draco that was horrified and felt like vomiting all over the cave, and the Draco that wanted the evil, wanted the darkness gained from the exchange. He felt his true self pushed to the background, and could only watch this new Draco wreak havoc. The alter Draco smiled evilly at the body laid in front of him. It was to be a feast that he would never forget.

He stroked his prey lovingly; feeling the power located just underneath the surface. The flesh was so white, so unmarred. Suddenly, like a viper, the alter Draco tore into the body of Caius, ripping through the white flesh. Crimson flowed off the slab and dripped onto the dirt floor of the cave. The great wizard cried out in agony, but it did not stop him. Eventually, Draco became one, no longer caring if a spell originally was the cause of this desecration. He was finally getting his revenge on Caius.

He ate until his stomach was bloated. The eviscerated corpse lay on the table, bits of intestine were scattered around the floor of the cave. Sprays of blood arced across the walls in splatters reminiscent of a Jackson Pollack painting. Draco stood, panting. Caius was nothing but bloody bones now.

Draco crouched on the floor in horror when he realized that he had even split open Caius skull; the brain was gone. He had eaten it. He tried to force a finger down his throat to vomit, but the spell would not let him. He wanted to die.

Draco ran out into the stream and let himself fall; hoping silently that he would drown, but he simply floated on the surface of the water; the blood slowly washing away. He couldn't bear to think of what he had done. The horror of it all had set in. He allowed himself to be washed up to a shore down the river. He sat and sobbed for what could have been minutes or hours. Time had become nonexistent.

Finally, he stood. He mentally called his clothing and his things from the cave. Summoning had become so very easy. He carefully dressed and sighed. There was only one man who could possibly hope to understand. One man who had come close to the horrors he had experienced. Yes, Severus Snape was waiting for him. It was time to go back.