Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
AN: Thanks for all the reviews!
As for Voldemort owing Orion a debt, he doesn't, because the ghosts weren't going to kill Voldemort, just attack him, so it doesn't constitute a life debt, and in my fic, just saving someone from a tight spot, doesn't cause a debt. About the ring, Snape doesn't know about Horcruxes, in the original books, Dumbledore never told him, and I'm keeping it that way. So Snape can't help Orion with the ring, Orion will have to find a way on his own. And Orion can't go to anyone and ask about it, the Horcruxes are supposed to be a secret, for Voldemort's sake, and Orion's, since he is one as well. And if he goes around showing the Ring, people might wonder why he wants it, and Orion's quest for the Hallows must be kept a secret above everything else.
Note: In my fic, Umbrigde never became Headmistress of Hogwarts, just High Inquisitor, since the DA wasn't formed in Hogwarts and therefore, Dumbledore wasn't charged with treason and he didn't flee from the school.
WARNING: This chapter is filled with angst, but bear with me, because it serves a purpose, and things will get better.
Enjoy & review!
Chapter 38
He appeared in Lezander's room, which was silent as a tomb, and shrouded in darkness, since the hour was very late. A shudder ran through Orion's body, as the atmosphere felt lifeless and ominous. Large shadows seemed to form monstrous shapes on the floor and walls, fearful creatures that surrounded him, flicking with the light of the only lit candlestick in the room. Orion shook his head, to clear the images from his mind, no doubt a representation of his own fears for Lezander's fate.
He tightened his grasp of Lezander, and ran from the room, towards the Central Hall, since he knew that Lezander's parents usually held important meetings with other Clans after midnight. He hoped to find them there, or he would have to start hollering for them through all Zraven Citadel.
As he made a mad dash along a narrow, deserted corridor, Orion frantically snapped his eyes to Lezander's face, whispering pleadingly, with tears brimming in his eyes, "Hang in there, my love… soon, very soon we'll be together again… we'll merge as one in body, completing the bond… then nothing will tear us apart…. just hang in there… please, don't give up….please, don't leave me…"
He felt his blood flowing wildly through his veins, his heart clenching in sorrow and fear, and pumping fast in desperation and impotence, as his eyes took in the paleness of Lezander's face, and his absolute stillness…
When he reached the large, dark, wooden doors of the Central Hall, Orion blasted them open with a jerk of his hand and a violent swirl of his dark wind…
With the last breath he had, Orion ran frantically towards Lezander's parents, who were holding a meeting with three vampires, which were dressed in a different fashion than the usual outfits of the Zraven Clan vampires.
As Orion flashed under the high, painted domes of the immense hall, he saw Mireilla and Răzvan jumping from their thrones, to their feet, in alarm, just a few feet away from him, as he quickly approached them.
Orion flew up the few stairs, and instantly laid Lezander at their feet, and he crouched besides Lezander, looking up at Mireilla and Răzvan, and saying desperately, in between choked sobs, "You have to help him, please! He- he protected me… he took a spell that was meant for me and because of that, he crossed over a Necromancer's Gate! - but, but I – I snatched his soul in time. Do you understand?! I was able to return his soul to his body and pull him out from the Gate! - He is alive! I felt his heart beating… but very faintly… his body isn't injured but there's something wrong with him- He won't wake up! But he must be alive! I know he is- but I don't know what else to do… You must do something to save him! Please!"
Mireilla gasped fearfully as she launched herself at her son's body, frantically inspecting him, as blood tears brimmed in her dark eyes. Răzvan shot his son a very worried glance, before he bellowed, "GAVRIL NECULAI! Come here, we need you!"
In a shift of shadows, an old vampire appeared before them, who bowed deeply, as he said, "My Rege, what is your command?"
"We have to take my son to the healing chamber," said Răzvan hastily. "You need to inspect him carefully. I'll tell you everything I know as we go."
He shot Orion a narrowed, enraged glance, and commanded curtly, "You'll stay here."
As Gavril charmed Lezander's body to float above the floor, moving him towards a room to one side of the hall, Orion jumped to his feet and said pleadingly, "No, please! Let me go with you! I could help!"
"You've done enough damage already! You'll wait for us here!" growled Răzvan furiously. "Mireilla, let's go!"
Mireilla quickly followed her husband into the room where Gavril had already disappeared into, with Lezander's body. The other three vampires hastily left the Central Hall without a word, with worried expressions on their faces, and casting Orion intrigued glances.
Orion dropped on the stairs with a heart-breaking sob, as he frantically clutched his hair, tears rolling down his cheeks, as he whispered to himself words of hope and fear for Lezander's wellbeing...
The minutes seemed to stretch indefinitely, as they became hours, and Orion felt that he was slowing losing his mind, as guilt and anguished sorrow consumed him… All that flashed in his mind was Lezander arching backwards until he crossed the Necromancer's Gate, his handsome face shocked as he crossed over towards death… All he could remember was Lezander shielding him from a spell meant for him, protecting him, even ready to die for him… All he could see was Lezander's beautiful, pale blue eyes widening in fear… And all he could hear were Lezander's whispered words of eternal love and devotion, over and over again, echoing in his mind, breaking his heart and sanity with deep stabs of sorrow, guilt, and impotence…
Suddenly, he heard a door opening, and Orion snapped up his red, swollen eyes.
Mireilla's beautiful face was stained with crimson trails of tears of blood, her expression sorrowful, but there also seemed to be a mutinous and discontent glint in her black eyes - or maybe he was imaging it? On the other hand, Răzvan's stern face betrayed nothing.
Orion instantly jumped to his feet and speedily approached them, as he said fearfully, "Is he alright? Is Lezander going to be alright?"
Răzvan's pale blue eyes turned icy and cold, and he furiously snarled, menacingly striding towards Orion, "He died! My son died because of you!"
Orion gasped, his chest clenching in unbearable pain, and he staggered backwards, as he whispered desperately, sobs choking on his throat, "No… no… he couldn't have died… I saved his soul…I heard his heart beating…."
Abruptly, he launched himself at Răzvan, seizing the vampire by the collar of his coat, and he said frantically, "I want to see him! He must be alive! He must! I still feel him in me, rushing in my veins! I know he has to be alive! He gave me his blood and I still feel him! Please, you must let me see him!"
Mireilla's eyes widened, and she gasped out, "They bonded in blood, Răzvan!"
Răzvan mercilessly clutched Orion's shoulders, and he demanded forcefully, "Did you complete the bond? Was it a complete bonding?!"
"No!" cried Orion, in between desperate, mindless sobs, "We shared blood but we didn't complete it… We were going to… Do you understand? We didn't finish the bonding, BUT HE'S STILL MY MATE. HE'S MY LIFE!!"
"Răzvan…" said Mireilla pleadingly, looking at Orion with infinite sorrow. "Please…"
Răzvan abruptly released Orion, and started to argue heatedly, in Romanian, with Mireilla, who looked sorrowful, but also rebellious and determined.
Finally, Răzvan snapped in exasperation, "It's not a thrice bond, Mireilla!"
"It could still-"
"No! We've already discussed this! It needs to be done!" roared Răzvan. He rounded on Orion, and fiercely said, "My son gave you his blood, you're a Zraven now, but you didn't complete the bond, therefore, he's not your mate! And be grateful for that, boy, or you would be in much more pain than now. The changes brought by his blood will soon stabilize in your body, giving you some measure of our characteristics. And you will feel the need to be with my son, but he's dead, do you understand?! There's nothing that can be done! And the only thing that stills my hand from killing you is that you share his blood… If you didn't…" He heaved a deep breath and clenched his jaw. "As you spend more time without him, the need and sorrow will subside. You must forget and go on."
He clutched Orion's face tightly, and growled, "I will only see you, are you listening? I will only negotiate my Clan's involvement in the war with you."
"I don't care about the fucking war!" cried Orion insanely and desperately. "I only care about Lezander! How can you even think about the war when he's dead?! Oh, Merlin help me… I don't want to forget… I can't go on without him! Don't you understand? I love him! He can't be dead! Please, let me see him-"
Răzvan shook him violently, and snarled, "Listen to me, boy. I never approved of my son's involvement with you, and his death proves that I was right! But now you're a Zraven and you owe it to him to fulfill your promise to him. Didn't you vow to further the vampires' cause? Now you have the obligation to do it! My son was never meant for you! But yet, he gave you his life and blood, so you must fulfill your destiny for him, and you will deal with me, so that my Clan reaches the freedom it deserves. You owe it to me!"
Orion desperately clutched Răzvan's collar, and cried brokenly, in between wretched sobs, "Please, I must see him… Please let me see him… He can't be dead… Please, I beg of you…"
Răzvan struck him hard on the cheek, and as Orion's head snapped to a side, he growled furiously, "Enough of this, boy! You won't see him again. He's dead! You took him away from me, and now you will repay it to me! And the price I ask is that you work with me to win this war for both your side and mine! YOU OWE IT TO MY SON TO HELP MY CLAN!"
"I- I'll do it," whispered Orion, as thick tears streamed down his cheeks. He looked into Răzvan's eyes, and choked out, "I will, I promise you. You'll have your freedom, even if it takes my last breath…"
"Good," said Răzvan coldly, releasing him. "You can go, now. When you're ready to start negotiations, you can apparate directly in here, since you have Zraven blood in you."
Orion nodded mutely, still drowning in unbearable sorrow, still being unable to think about anything but Lezander's death. With a trembling hand, he reached towards the portkey.
Suddenly, Mireilla halted Orion's hand, and said quietly, as she pierced him with a resolute glint in her dark eyes, "Orion, there's sti–"
"Mireilla, enough!" snapped Răzvan angrily. Then he commanded fiercely to Orion, "LEAVE!"
And Orion did; despondently whispering Lezander's name, as he felt that his whole life had been shattered to pieces, his heart broken beyond repair, and his mind wrecked by endless pain, sorrow, and guilt.
'He's dead… He's dead…And it's all my fault…' were the painful echoes that reverberated in Orion's mind, as Calypso flung herself at him, after he had portkeyed into Black Manor's parlor.
Orion hugged her tightly, and whispered brokenly, as he sobbed wretchedly on her shoulder, "Lezander is dead, Calypso… He died… They couldn't save him… I couldn't save him…."
Calypso gasped, and as they both fell to the ground, hugging each other in between heaving sobs, she whispered, "Oh, Orion… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…."
"Wasn't your fault," whispered Orion, his guilt consuming him, and looking at her with tears rolling down his cheeks. "It was mine…" A painful, sorrowful sob tore from his throat, and he whispered despondently, "I can't survive without him… I don't want to live without him…"
"Orion," said Calypso, with infinite sadness in her tearful dark eyes, "we will survive this… We'll help each other… You can't give up, Orion… You must move on and -"
"I DON'T WANT TO MOVE ON!" roared Orion mindlessly. "I don't want anything but to sink in the pain I deserve!"
Calypso looked at him in alarm. "You don't deserve pain! Don't punish yourself for his death. You did everything you could!"
"But it wasn't enough!" said Orion hysterically. "I lost him! The one I loved, my mate-to-be, my future spouse! All the plans we made Calypso. All the love we shared! And I let him down. I allowed him to die! He died because of me, to protect me. He died because I wasn't powerful enough!"
"You can't control death, Orion!" said Calypso frantically.
"I should!" cried Orion wretchedly, as sobs violently shook his body. "I should… Everyone dies… everyone I love dies…because of me… I have no one…"
Calypso grabbed him tightly, and hissed, "You have me! You have Draco, the Malfoys, and many other friends!"
"That's not the same," said Orion brokenly. Then he sunk his head into his trembling hands, and whispered, "Leave me, I need to be alone…"
"No," said Calypso with determination. "I won't leave you alone, not like this. You're not thinking clearly. You need-"
"LEAVE!" roared Orion insanely, pushing her away. "I WANT TO BE ALONE!" Then he snapped, "Bogsy!"
In an instant, a house-elf popped in front of them, and Orion commanded harshly, "Take her away."
Calypso leaped to her feet, as the house-elf approached her, and she said desperately, "No, Orion! Listen to me! You can't go to-"
But with a flick of the elf's fingers, she was apparated away from Black Manor.
Orion instantly raised the wards around his Manor to full power, to keep everyone away, and he crawled towards the couch, and curled on himself, rocking slowly, as he sobbed wretchedly. He cried and whispered brokenly to himself, for long hours, full of pain and unbearable sorrow; for his lost love, his shattered future, his solitude, despair, and unrelenting guilt. Orion imagined Lezander's tender caresses on his heated skin, his warm lips against his, his handsome face smiling lovingly at him, his pale blue eyes glinting with devotion, and with each heart-wrenching sob, Orion lost a piece of himself...
"Take me with you, Lez… without your arms around me, I can't go on… without you, there's nothing…" were Orion's last sobbed words, before he fell asleep in exhaustion, feeling that he had no more tears to shed, feeling that his heart had shattered and hardened; feeling senseless, numbed.
The next day, Orion wallowed in sorrow and despair, without moving from the couch, just sleeping, waking up, wretchedly sobbing, and then falling asleep again. He refused all food and water that the house-elves tried to coax him to take. He even threatened them with clothes if they kept bothering him. He simply wanted solitude wrapped in endless pain.
In his mind only flashed images about his time with Lezander, and only echoed whispered words spoken to each other. He couldn't think about anything else; not about the war, the many things he had yet to do, nor his promise to Grindelwald and Răzvan... He pushed it all to a side; he didn't want to think about anything... What he was doing was self-punishing, and he knew it, but he needed to feel the pain, and it never felt harsh enough...
As Orion rolled to a side on the couch, feeling exhausted, and with his throat dry and raspy, he suddenly heard a 'pop', and he snapped his head up in alarm. No one was supposed to be capable of crossing his Manor's wards….
His eyes widened, and he instantly leaped to his feet, when he saw Dobby looking around with frantic, huge eyes, with Sirius' body floating by his side.
"Dobby? What are you doing here?" said Orion hoarsely, quickly moving to inspect his father. Then he added with deep, desperate worry, "Is something wrong with my father? Tell me! Is he alright?"
"Master Orion's father is well," said Dobby, looking at him nervously. "Mistress Malfoy sent me here, to keep safe Master Orion's father, to look out for him… Mistress is frantic, desperate… Oh, poor Mistress, what will she do now?"
"Cissy is in trouble?" said Orion in alarm and deep concern. He rushed by his trunk, towards the fireplace, as he sharply commanded, "Stay here and take care of my father, Dobby! I'll be right back!"
"No, Master Orion is not to go!" said Dobby frantically, rushing towards Orion, to stop him.
But Dobby was too late; in a swirl of green flames, Orion had instantly disappeared, Dobby's words not reaching his ears.
Orion stumbled out of the fireplace of Malfoy Manor's main parlor, his robes dirty and disheveled, his gaunt face lined with worry, as he frantically looked around.
He gasped when he saw Narcissa worriedly pacing the room, nervously wringing her hands, her beautiful face full of despair.
"Cissy!" cried Orion, as he ran towards her. "What happened? Are you alright?"
Narcissa swirled around in surprise and her expression instantly seemed to crumble, as she said with desperate urgency, flying towards him, "Orion, you must leave at once! Why did you come here? Oh Merlin, leave! They will get you!"
"Cissy, what -?"
Orion's words were swallowed by a loud bang of a door being hastily opened. And he stumbled backwards when he saw Dumbledore come inside, followed by a group of ten stern-looking Aurors, with their wands raised.
He looked quickly at Narcissa, who seemed to have frozen, then at the group; instantly making a move to whip out his wand, only to remember that he had left both of them at his Manor.
Orion pulled Narcissa behind him, and growled at Dumbledore, "What's the meaning of this? Under what authority do you break into my Aunt's Manor? If you don't show me the warrant to inspect this Manor, then you're breaking wizarding law, and we will press charges!"
Dumbledore signaled the Aurors to lower their wands, then he looked at Orion intently, and said gently, "We're not here to inspect Malfoy Manor, but to take you with us."
"What?" gasped Orion. "You can't take me anywhere! The Malfoys are my guardians, by law, and they-"
"They aren't anymore, my child," said Dumbledore quietly. "Lucius Abraxas Malfoy was charged and sentenced to Azkaban for being a proven Death Eater. You're now in the custody of-"
"What?!" said Orion frantically. "Lucius- he's been taken?" He shot Narcissa a glance and saw a lone tear streaming down her cheek. He clenched his hands in fury, and spat at Dumbledore, "What proof do you have that Lucius is a Death Eater? When was he taken?"
Dumbledore looked at him with gentle eyes, and replied, "You were there, my child. Mr. Malfoy, and others, were captured after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. The mark on his arm and his presence there was proof enough to earn him a life-sentence in Azkaban."
"No, no…" whispered Orion brokenly. "Oh, Merlin, no…"
Narcissa stepped to Orion's side, and said curtly, "My nephew is still under my custody." She pulled up her left sleeve, and said sharply, "I'm no Death Eater. You have no right to take him away from me!"
"You will have to excuse me, Mrs. Malfoy," said Dumbledore quietly, "but you are no longer fit to be anyone's guardian, not with your husband currently in Azkaban. The law clearly states that a child's guardians can't have any criminal records, neither of them. He's to be taken to his relatives; which, I'm sure, will be glad to have him back."
"Have me back?" whispered Orion confusedly to himself. Then he gasped in horror, and added desperately, "NOOO! You can't take me to the Dursleys! They hate me; they'll make my life miserable! Don't do this!"
Dumbledore frowned at him, as an Auror said gently, "Come, boy, I'm certain they've missed you all this time. They are your nearest relatives; it will be good for you to be with your mother's family."
Orion spun around to look at the Auror, and his blood boiled in insane fury, when he saw that it was Kingsley Shacklebot.
"YOU!" shrieked Orion madly, as he leaped towards Kinsgley, wanting nothing else but to tear the light wizard to pieces, "It was your fault! He died because of you! I'll make you pa-"
As Kingsley staggered backwards, in alarm and surprise, the other Aurors quickly shot Stunning Spells at Orion's back, who fell to the floor unconscious; the last voice ringing in his ears was Narcissa's, yelling frantically for him.
While Orion spent hours unconscious, the wizarding world was in a confused and fearful turmoil over the events of the previous day; their certainties utterly shattered.
In the front page of every newspaper was an in depth account of what it was believed to have happened in the Department of Mysteries. The articles said that some sources within the Ministry confirmed that the disturbance was centered on the fabled Hall of Prophecy. Though Ministry spokewizards refused to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the wizarding community believed that the Death Eaters, now serving sentence in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft, were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of the prophecy remained unknown, although speculation was rife that it concerned Harry Potter and You-Know-Who, both revealed to be alive.
The articles shocked the wizarding world, and spun it off its axis. Over a matter of hours, the rumor was widely spread that not only Harry Potter was alive and well, but that he was also the Chosen One, many believing that the Boy-Who-Lived, only known survivor of the killing curse, must be powerful enough to rid them of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and that the prophecy must have said something along those lines.
When the newspapers revealed that Orion Black was Harry Potter, the commotion was such, that the Ministry barely survived the assault of howlers sent to them; not only for blindingly disbelieving Dumbledore's assertions about You-Know-Who's return, but also because of the life their Savior had endured. And Rita Skeeter was back, in all her glory, relating everything that could be known or suspected about Orion Black, a.k.a. Harry Potter.
Rita Skeeter portrayed Orion Black as a confused boy who had been kidnapped by his father - infamous Death Eater Sirius Black – from his loving muggle family. According to Skeeter, Orion Black had been brainwashed by his father, never knowing his true identity or who his real mother had been, and becoming a dark wizard against his will. The poor boy had to be pitied for being the son of the man who betrayed the Potters and thus, causing the death of his mother. Sirius Black was a ruthless Death Eater, thankfully kissed by a Dementor, who had hoodwinked Lily Potter to bear his son, being obsessed with the sweet and beautiful witch, and planning to steal the baby as soon as he could. James Potter was hailed as a hero, for dying for his wife and a boy who wasn't his flesh and blood; while Lily Potter was martyrized as a loving and self-sacrificing witch, who had been taken advantage by a ruthless dark wizard. Many excused her infidelity, certain that Sirius Black had cast upon her a mysterious dark curse. And all wizards and witches were appalled to discover that their Savior had been educated in Durmstrang, surrounded by the malignant influence of dark families and the corruptive learning of the Dark Arts. They stood in an uproar when it was revealed that honored and respected Lucius Malfoy, guardian of their Savior, was a Death Eater; and they demanded that Orion Black was returned to England to be educated at Hogwarts, and to be protected from the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who.
The Wizengamot unanimously cast a vote of no confidence on Cornelius Fudge, and he was succeeded by the former Head of the Auror Department, Rufus Scrimgeour; who had, a few months ago, renounced from his position to launch himself as a candidate for Minister of Magic in the elections to take place in six months, his previous office taken by Kingsley Shacklebot. Dolores Umbridge was ignominiously fired from her position as the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, but remained a Ministry official, thanks to her many connections.
To all this, Orion remained oblivious, as he rolled over, still asleep, on a small, tattered bed. Suddenly, with a crash, he fell to the floor. Startled, Orion woke up, his mind slowly returning to him, as he looked around confusedly. Where was he? What had happened? He didn't recognize the room… His heart froze when he finally remembered, as the room became more and more familiar. The broken old toys messily lying around everywhere, cluttering the small room, and barely leaving him with enough space to move. A small bed against a wall, the only furniture in the dusty room… It was Dudley's old bedroom, used for storage when the boy had demanded to have a larger space for himself.
He was certain that the Dursley had tried to squish him inside the cupboard under the stairs, probably only giving up when they saw that he was too big to fit in, and thus, throwing him inside here, in a room which didn't seem to have been cleaned in years.
Orion scanned the room with a defeated sigh and a grimace on his face. His eyes snapped back to the window… There was something there… Slowly, he got up from the small bed, trying not to step on any old toys, and he finally reached it and saw three Daily Prophets on the window sill. Orion frowned before he remembered that the owls from the bookshop in St. Petersburg must have flown all the way here to give him his already-paid-for newspapers. He snatched them from the window sill, and sat back on the small bed.
He checked the dates at once. It seemed that he had been unconscious for three days, which under normal circumstances wouldn't have happened, even if he was struck by nine Stunning Spells at once. But he guessed that his body's exhaustion was such that not even Lezander's blood could help it recover fast enough. Then, his heart clenched as Lezander entered his thoughts once more… With supreme effort, he swallowed the sob lodged in his throat, and started to read the Daily Prophet…
By the end, he didn't know if he wanted to cry or to laugh… They way Rita had depicted him was almost humorous, but he despised how his father was viewed in the public's eyes, and he detested the light wizards' demands that he had to go to Hogwarts…
He couldn't leave Durmstrang, everything he needed to learn was there, including Necromancy, starting in September…
Orion fisted his hands in his hair, grasping it painfully, as everything seemed to be crumbling down on him… Lezander dying, loosing Tom, his identity revealed to everyone, the light wizards trying to control him, losing Narcissa and Lucius…. dear Merlin, Lucius in Azkaban in a life-sentence, which he could have prevented if he had cared to look out for him…. And how many of his friends would reject him now that he was Harry Potter, a half-blood? How many of the DA members will stand by his side now? What did Lucius and Draco think of him? That he had betrayed them, perhaps?... And above everything, once again, the only person who had loved him enough to support him through it all, had died, because of him… A disheartened sob wrenched from his throat, and he curled on himself as he lay on the bed, without having the will of fighting his depressive thoughts, just sinking further and further in his anguish… He felt that he didn't care what happened to him anymore… He had lost everything and everyone already…
Someone was roughly shaking him, and Orion slowly opened his swollen eyes, to be confronted by Petunia's thin, horsy face, her nose scrunched in disgust.
"We don't want you here," she said sharply, "but since we seem to have little choice, you'll pay your bed and board by making us breakfast, lunch, dinner, cleaning all the dishes afterwards and wiping the floors."
"Back to my old duties, it seems," said Orion coldly.
Petunia narrowed her eyes at him. "I won't take cheek from you, boy. And change clothes! You can't go around with those freakish clothes of yours!" She threw at him a pair of very old and tattered pants and T-shirt, which seemed several sizes too big for him, and snapped, "You'll wear that!"
Orion inspected the clothes with disgust. They were Dudley old cast-offs, there was no doubt; they looked almost like a tent, he would float inside them. He snapped his eyes at her and snarled, "I won't be treated like a house-elf. I refuse to wear –"
"Don't mention your freakish stuff in here!" hissed Petunia, looking around as if expecting to see a neighbor's head sticking out the window, listening in. "You'll do as you're told. You have nowhere else to go, do you? Nobody seems to want you… Surely they've realized by now what a useless little hooligan you are. Just like your father, useless as well-"
"Don't say anything about my father!" snarled Orion furiously, getting up from his bed.
Petunia sneered at him, "Which one of them? Oh, they told us about you, boy. It seems my perfect little sister wasn't so virtuous after all, was she? Married to one man, and bedding another… I always knew that she was a –"
Orion furiously leaped at her, grabbing Petunia tightly by her throat, as he hissed, "That she was what? Let's see if you dare say it in my face!"
Petunia's eyes had widened with fear, as she tried to pry Orion's fingers from her throat, when a heavy clambering was heard pounding on the stairway, and an impatient, angry voice said, "What's taking so long, dear? Is the freak causing you trouble?"
As Orion tightened his fingers around Petunia's throat, the massive form of Vernon appeared in the threshold. A shudder ran through Orion's body as he saw the big, beefy man, with hardly any neck, several chins dangling with fat, with a very large mustache covering most of his round face, and two small beady dark eyes squinting at him.
Vernon roared in fury, turning a bright shade of purple, as his sausage-like fingers painfully gripped Orion's hair, tearing him away from Petunia, while bellowing, "Stay away from her, you disgusting freak!"
"Let me go!" roared Orion furiously, as Vernon violently threw him to the floor.
Orion landed with a groan of pain, many toys stabbing him painfully on the back. He tried to get up, but Vernon instantly kicked him viciously in the ribs, while he furiously yelled, spittle landing on Orion's face, "Don't you ever touch any of us, you little freak! You can't hurt us!" Vernon ruthlessly kicked him twice more, before adding, "We know you can't hurt us or do your freakish things because of those international laws you freaks have! They'll expel you from that school of yours!"
Orion stilled on the floor, his arms tightly wrapped around his aching ribs, certain that one might be broken, but still saying nothing and not moving. In his rage, he had forgotten about that. Even if he was in England, physically assaulting a muggle or using magic against a muggle, would get him expelled from Durmstrang. The muggle protection laws were, indeed, international. And he was certain that, sooner or later, some wizard would come to check on him, and if they saw the Dursleys hurt, it was good-bye to Durmstrang.
In that instant, Dudley came hurtling in, heavily panting for breath. Orion saw that the boy was even fatter than he remembered. Dudley resembled now a small whale, wider than taller, and even more beefy than Vernon.
Dudley said excitedly, "Get him dad, get him!"
Vernon gave Orion a nasty smile, and replied, "Oh, I will Diddykins. He'll pay for what he put us through." He pulled Orion by the hair and snarled, "Do you have any idea of what we had to go through when you ran away? Neighbors asking where you were… People whispering about us… Even the police interrogated us! We had to lie! We had to say that we sent you to a boarding school, far away!" He painfully tightened his grasp on Orion's hair, ruthlessly snapping Orion's head back, and he furiously said, spittle covering Orion's face once more, "As if your kind deserved anyone's concern! And now we're saddle with you again! Oh, you'll pay, freak!"
A beefy fist made contact with his face, and Orion's face snapped to a side as he fell to the floor with a hiss of pain.
Vernon stood menacingly over him, his fat chest heaving with exertion, and his purple face enraged. "You'll stay locked up in this room, freak!" He turned to Petunia and added, "He's too deranged to be let out of the room, my sweetheart. We'll keep him here until they come to fetch him."
Petunia silently nodded, hastily taking Dudley away with her. Vernon swiveled his porky face towards Orion, and nastily added, "I'll see you soon, freak."
With that, Vernon left the room with a bang of the door, the noise of several locks clicking from the other side.
Orion slowly crawled towards the small bed, hissing in pain as his ribs seemed to crack at the slightest movement. Panting heavily, he laid on the bed, already feeling his body recovering, the pain slowly fading away, as his ribs mended… He furled on himself, trying to push from his mind Vernon's threat, already knowing what would happen; the repeated beatings again… Instead, he imagined that Lezander was there with him, on the bed, wrapping his strong arms around him, and whispering encouraging, soft words in his ear… Needing to hear them, since he would require extreme control to bridle his dark magic, which was now swirling furiously inside of him, demanding to be used… Orion choked a despondent sob... He couldn't use his magic, he couldn't defend himself, or he would lose Durmstrang… He needed to be strong, he needed to survive this without losing control…
That very same night, as he expected, it happened.
Orion woke up startled, feeling a heavy knee pressing painfully on his back, pinning him to the bed, face down. He frantically tried to move his limbs, only to discover that his wrists and ankles had been tied with ropes to the bed's posts.
"I'm going to enjoy this, boy," grunted Vernon's harsh voice near his ear.
Suddenly, Orion screamed in pain as he felt a belt buckle striking his back with unbearable force. Instantly, Vernon's sausage-like fingers painfully covered and gripped Orion's mouth, stifling his screams, as Vernon growled, "No screaming, freak! Or you'll wake up the neighbors!"
Orion's body shook with fury, but he swallowed every subsequent scream as Vernon's belt kept viciously striking his back. He felt his skin breaking, and his blood flowing, and he forced his mind to disconnect from what was happening… Not defending himself went against every fiber of his being, and his dark magic was furiously urging him to let it explode in waves against the attacker… But Orion gritted his teeth with determination, and he kept his mind blank and empty from every thought, as Vernon growled and grunted words of satisfaction as he kept hitting him and marring his skin with belt welts.
The days and nights seemed to mesh together, as Orion slept, whispered desperately for Lezander or Tom in his dreams, woke up to be allowed to go to the bathroom once a day, being led by a stern-faced Petunia, returned to his bed, refusing to eat anything that Petunia shoved through a newly installed cat flap, and clenching his jaw every night when Vernon brutally lashed the belt against his back, each night with more anger and frustration since Vernon always discovered Orion's back healed the next day. And Orion fell asleep each night, with nightmares of Lezander's death tormenting him ruthlessly, his sorrow so deep now that he had stopped caring, even about the beatings…
One night, Orion was startled out of his slumber when he heard the locks being opened. He frowned when he saw, through the small window, that the sun was just setting. It was too soon for Vernon to be paying a visit…
Orion's eyes narrowed when he saw Dudley striding inside the room, with a smug look on his face.
"How's dad treating you, freak?" said Dudley, with a gleeful smile on his face.
Orion sneered, as he sat up on the bed, "Your dad's beatings are nothing, ball of grease. I've had curses cast on me that are much worse. And believe me, when the time comes, I'll use some very interesting curses on you, and I'll enjoy your screams of pain as your entrails splash on the floor, and your copious fat splatters on the walls."
Dudley curled his ham-like hands into fists, and spat, "You're lying! You can't use your freakiness on me!"
Orion nastily smirked at him. "Maybe not now, Diddykins, but what about when I turn seventeen, hmm? Has your tinny, pea-sized brain thought about that?"
Dudley blanched momentarily, before he sneered, "You're full of shit. You're a coward, you would never do anything. Besides, you are not this brave at nights, are you?"
Orion frowned at him. "I told you that I don't give a fuck about your father's beatings." He smirked at him, and added, "In the end, my body doesn't remain injured for long, does it?"
"Freak!" spat Dudley in disgust. "You're more of a freak that even we suspected you to be. And I wasn't talking about my dad's beatings! I meant your nightmares!"
Orion paled and Dudley's expression turned into one of triumphant satisfaction.
"What do you mean?" said Orion quietly, but there was a cold, plunging sensation in his stomach, and his hands trembled.
Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter, then, he adopted a high-pitched whimpering voice.
"Don't leave me, Lezander! Please, I need you! Come back to me! – Who's Lezander – your boyfriend? I always knew you were a disgusting queer-"
"Shut up," said Orion quietly, his fisted hands shaking. "Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!"
"And who's Tom? And Voldything? Are you taking it up the ass already? Three people at once, you disgusting faggot?! But who would want a freak like you, hmm? They seemed to have abandoned you, haven't they? No one cares for you, do they?"
"Shut your fat trap, Dudley!" hissed Orion dangerously, his blood furiously boiling in his veins.
Dudley adopted the high-pitched whimpering voice again. "Oh, Tom, I miss you! Oh, Lezander, please forgive me! Oh, Voldy, I –"
"SHUT UP!" roared Orion insanely, as he leaped at Dudley, and punched him hard on the face, his fist sinking into Dudley's flabby cheek, with a satisfactory 'crack'.
It felt so good that Orion couldn't stop, he kept bellowing at Dudley, savagely punching him in every unprotected spot he could find, as Dudley flailed and wailed on the floor, trying unsuccessfully to push Orion away from him… Orion felt exhausted, and about to drop dead on his feet, due to the complete lack of food during a week and a half, according to his estimations. But he didn't care. With every ounce of strength left in his body, he brutally slammed his hard fists into the flaccid flesh of the boy under him….
Suddenly, Orion was violently jerked away from Dudley, who lay whimpering on the floor. And he painfully hit the floor, all his energies spent, as he dizzily saw Vernon advancing on him with a furious and thunderous expression on his purpled face, as Petunia shrieked and quickly took Dudley away from the room.
Vernon grabbed Orion by the throat and brutally slammed him on the bed, face down, and he furiously growled, "You've done it now, freak! Didn't I warn you?"
Orion lay on the bed motionless, exhausted, feeling that he couldn't even more a muscle if he tried, and resigned to the beating to come.
Vernon ripped Orion's shirt, as he gleefully hissed in Orion's ear, "You can't tell anyone about this, can you, freak? If you tell anyone, I'll tell them that you attacked my son… And you'll be chucked into whatever madhouse or prison your kind has for your type! And you'll be expelled from that freak school of yours!"
"What-?"
Vernon slammed a meaty fist into Orion's face, as he growled, "Don't speak! You'll get what you deserve right now! Oh, how I've waited for this opportunity, boy! And you won't tell anyone, you can't, or it's your ass in jail!"
Abruptly, Vernon pulled down Orion's tattered and oversized pants, leaving Orion bare from the legs down, and with sausage-like fingers, Vernon brutally wrenched apart Orion's legs.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" shrieked Orion disbelievingly, desperately; his face pressed down agasint the mattress and frantically moving his limbs to dislodge from Vernon's grasp.
Orion heard a zipper being pulled down, before Vernon smashed a fist into his face again, leaving his opened mouth spluttering with thick, red blood. He felt an unbearable heavy weight pressing his back, pinning him to the bed, and Orion yelled desperately, as he tried to move under Vernon, "NOOOOOOO! DON'T DO THIS! PLEASEEEEEE!"
"SHUT UP, FREAK!" roared Vernon, pressing his sweaty, heavy body against Orion's back, as he ruthlessly parted Orion's legs further.
Orion felt something beginning to prod his entrance and he simply lost his mind… He insanely bellowed and flailed, as his dark magic furiously rushed all through his body, filling him with endless rage and hatred, igniting every particle of his being with such a thunderous and all-consuming dark power that he couldn't contain it, even if he wanted to, it felt too much, too wild and consuming… He let it all out, and it happened so quickly, that he barely understood what was occurring. With a mind of its own, his dark magic exploded in black waves from his body, bursting savagely, as it flung Vernon through the air, brutally smashing the fat muggle against a wall, indenting the solid brick wall…
From his bed, Orion lay motionless, watching entranced, with all-black obsidian eyes swirling with power, as Vernon shrieked and wailed in insurmountable pain, as his dark magic attacked his Uncle ruthlessly, as if it were a mindless, savage tornado, ripping Vernon's skin, layer by layer, flesh and blood splashing everywhere, even reaching Orion's face. Vernon shrieked and whimpered insanely, his organs being ripped one by one from his fat body, entrails and stomach splattering on the floor, Vernon's blood drenching it with dark, thick blood that started to reach Orion's bed…Vernon's flaccid muscles were ripped to pieces, the dark powerful force attacking as if it was an avenging demon from hell… Vernon's eyes were brutally tore and consumed in the black swirling wind, and finally, Vernon's throat was ripped, and the shrieks and screams stopped, as the only thing remaining was a gruesome skeleton with some pieces of flesh hanging from the bloodied bones…
Orion closed his eyes as he felt an intense pleasure coursing through every single cell of his body… It was exquisite, addictive… Never before had he felt so overwhelmingly powerful … It was mindless ecstasy…His exhausted body shivered in intense pleasure as his dark magic rashly returned to him, purring contently as it wrapped itself around his inner magical core… He felt supreme, unbeatable, complete, and all-powerful…With an insane desire to destroy everything around him while he watched in enjoyment...
"This is what I need to learn; how to control it and make it explode when I will it, obeying my every wish," said Orion breathlessly to himself, his obsidian eyes opened and glinting with endless power in the darkness of the room. "This must be what Gellert failed to do or control… Merlin! The ravaging power, the pleasure…"
He shivered again, as he tightly clutched the bed covers, his whole body aching with exhaustion… But, as his mind slowly returned to him, Orion was confronted with the consequences of his actions.
"Oh, Morgana, I'll be expelled, at the very least," was his last frantic thought, before he lost consciousness.
Orion felt strong arms wrapped around him, his exhausted body resting on a warm hard one, and, as he felt a familiar powerful aura tingling on his skin, he burrowed his head into a warmly clothed and strong chest. Then, inadvertently, a soft whisper escaped from his parted lips, "Tom…"
The arms tightened around him, and Orion, his consciousness slowly coming back, opened his green eyes, and he trailed them upwards, until they caught sight of the handsome face of Voldemort, inches away from his.
Orion gasped, and tried to scamper away, but Voldemort simply held him closer, looking at him with deep crimson eyes which seemed to sink into his soul.
Still in Voldemort's arms, Orion looked around in alarm, guessing that they were in Voldemort's Manor. But they were seated on a huge, ornate, four-posted, dark wooden bed, in a room he had never seen before. The bedroom was shrouded in darkness, but he could see that the walls were of a deep and rich dark green color, with elegant silver linings, here and there, some elegant tapestries hanging from the walls. There was a large, ornate mahogany closet on one side of the room; an immense library filled with ancient-looking books, which was closed by locked, fine glass doors; and two comfortable reading sofas of dark green velvet. The dim light of the candlesticks hanging on the walls allowed Orion to see two doors on one side, and then he inspected the bed. The dark wood of the bed posts were intricately carved, depicting two large and beautiful snakes entwined around each other, bearing their fangs, and on the high headboard, wrapped in two large, carved snakes, there was an ornately cursive 'S'.
Orion looked up at Voldemort, and frantically rushed out, "What happened? Why am I here? Did – did anyone see what I did? Do you know what-?"
"Orion," interrupted Voldemort quietly, "everything is alright."
"What do you mean, alright?" demanded Orion, deeply worried. "Just tell me what happened!"
"I found you unconscious in the muggles' house," replied Voldemort calmly. "And I brought you here."
Orion clutched Voldemort's collar tightly, and said desperately, "But what happened to my relatives? Does anyone know that I killed my Uncle?!"
Voldemort smirked at him. "I played for a little while with your muggle Aunt and cousin, before I killed them. I would have liked to play with your Uncle as well, but I saw that you had anticipated me."
Orion's eyes widened, and he gasped out, "You killed them?"
Voldemort narrowed his eyes at him. "Yes. Why? Did you want them to live?"
"Of course not!" said Orion immediately, before knowing what had sprung from his lips. He clasped a hand to his mouth, and said with wide-eyes, "I mean-"
Voldemort smirked amusedly at him, before he turned serious and demanded forcefully, "Do you regret that they're dead? Or that you killed your Uncle?"
Orion tensed, but replied with curt honesty, "No, I don't regret it. My Uncle deserved what I did to him, and I would do it all over again, and enjoy it just as much. As for my Aunt and cousin…" He heaved in a breath, and added quietly, "I don't care if they're dead. There was no love lost between us."
Voldemort grabbed Orion's face tightly, lifting it up to pierce his crimson eyes into Orion's, and he asked quietly, "Did your Uncle-?"
"What?" spat Orion tensely. "Raped me?" He gritted his teeth, and said, "No, he didn't. He certainly tried, but I stopped him before he - But it was a close call…"
"Before he – what?" growled Voldemort, tightening his grasp on Orion's face.
"What do you think?" snapped Orion. "Before he stuck it up my ass, of course!"
Voldemort let out a furious hiss of fury, and Orion tried to inch his way away from him.
Voldemort instantly grabbed his arm, and demanded, "How did you kill your Uncle?"
"What does it matter?" said Orion impatiently. "I don't want to speak about it." He looked at Voldemort inquiringly, and said, "How did you know where I was? How did you find me?"
"I already knew were you lived, from before, when I sent Death Eaters to discover where Harry Potter had ran away to," replied Voldemort quietly. "And Narcissa told me that Dumbledore had taken you to the Dursleys, but I couldn't get to you since there was a Fidelius Charm on the house. Only when you screamed in your mind, was I able to locate you." He smirked at him, and added, "This link is quite convenient. Through it, I could see where you were, and thus, I went with a couple of Death Eaters and brought down the wards around the house. That's when I found your Aunt and cousin sniveling pathetically, and then I found you, in that filthy muggle room, with what remained of your Uncle. I must admire the way you killed him… It seemed very…imaginative… Dare I say that you enjoyed it?"
"I did," said Orion curtly. Then he shakily carded his fingers through his hair, and said worriedly, "They'll expel me from Durmstrang, won't they? They might even chuck me in Azkaban…"
Voldemort smirked at him with satisfaction. "Oh, they won't, my little serpent. It was a Death Eater attack, with the Dark Mark gloriously floating above the house. No one can possibly find out that you killed your Uncle; I destroyed the monitoring wards which recorded the magic used inside. So, in the end, it was obviously a gruesome murder committed by me."
Orion looked at him with wide-eyes, and he whispered quietly, "You did that for me? To help me?"
Voldemort tightly clutched Orion's face, and growled, "Didn't I tell you that I would protect you?"
"So you did it to protect your horcrux, then?" snapped Orion angrily, jumping away from Voldemort. But with his very first step on the floor, his knees buckled, and Voldemort swiftly grabbed him before he hit the ground.
Voldemort forced Orion to sit down, and he snarled, "You're still very weak. You don't seem to have eaten for days. Why didn't you?"
"Because I didn't feel like it!" snapped Orion moodily.
Voldemort's nostrils flared, and abruptly, he clutched Orion by his robes, and pulled him towards a door.
"What are you doing?!" said Orion in alarm, trying to disengage from Voldemort's tight grasp. "Let go of me!"
But Voldemort kept pulling Orion towards the door, and with a wave of his hand, it opened, and he pushed Orion inside. He instantly grabbed Orion's shoulders, swirling him around, and making Orion stand right in front of him, with Orion's back pressed against Voldemort's chest.
"Look ahead!" snarled Voldemort furiously. "And tell me what you see!"
Orion snapped up his eyes and was confronted by his own reflection on a large, full-body mirror; which stood against a wall of a grand bathroom, every inch of the walls and floors covered by marble tiles of black and dark green streaks.
Orion's emerald eyes widened when he saw his reflection. He stood in front of Voldemort, only reaching the older wizard's chin, and he looked small and weak in comparison to Voldemort, who towered behind him, the image of strength, with his crimson eyes narrowed at him, in the reflection. Orion saw that his own face was gaunt and pale, with sunken cheeks, his eyes seeming too large for his thin face. His body, clothed in black robes which would have been of his size two months ago, was emaciated, the robes hanging loosely. He looked exhausted, tired, and consumed with sorrow. Only his eyes seemed to be alive, brightly swirling in an intense emerald hue. And his heart painfully clenched when he recognized why his eyes were like that… Lezander's blood had brought upon that change…
Orion took several steps forwards, Voldemort releasing his shoulders, and as he looked into his own green eyes, he touched their reflection with a fingertip, and whispered despondently, with a sorrow that ripped his heart, "Lez…"
Abruptly, Orion was violently spun around by Voldemort, whose crimson eyes were flashing with rage.
"You did this to yourself because of that half-breed?!" Voldemort snarled furiously, as he painfully dug his fingers into Orion's shoulders.
"Don't call him that!" spat Orion enraged. "And I didn't do anything to myself! I simply didn't felt like eating! Why can no one understand?!" He clutched Voldemort's robes tightly, and bellowed, "I NEED TO MOURN! I NEED TO FEEL THE PAIN! WHAT'S SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND?" A sob choked on his throat, and he yelled with infinite sorrow, "WE LOVED EACH OTHER AND I COULDN'T SAVE HIM! DON'T YOU SEE? IT WAS MY FAULT! AND WE WERE GOING TO BE MATES BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO COMPLETE THE BOND! I TOOK TOO LONG TO ACCEPT BONDING WITH HIM! IF WE HAD DONE IT SOONER- " He broke off, as a wretched sob tore from his throat, and then he roared fiercely, "HE DIED TO SAVE ME!!!! IF I WANT TO FEEL PAIN, THEN I WILL BLOODY FEEL IT AS MUCH, AND FOR AS LONG, AS I WANT!"
"You're a fool!" hissed Voldemort irately, tightening his punishing grasp. "You're destroying yourself because of that filthy-"
"Don't insult him!" snarled Orion. "I don't wish to speak to you! You don't understand anything about feelings, do you? You're like an empty shell! A lifeless corpse! You could never understand what it feels like to lose someone you loved! I WANT TO SPEAK WITH TOM!"
"I AM TOM!" growled Voldemort, forcing Orion's head up, to look at him. "And never pretend to know anything about me!"
"What do you mean – you're Tom?" said Orion quietly, almost hopefully. "Did you- did you merge his soul with yours?" He stretched out his fingers to touch Voldemort's face, as he whispered, "Is he in you?"
Voldemort narrowed his crimson eyes at him. "I absorbed his memories. It had to be done, if not, it would have taken an eternity for my younger self to tell me everything that had happened. I have all his memories now, as if I had lived them myself."
Orion's hand froze in mid air, as his heart clenched with a terrible fear. He looked at Voldemort desperately. "But he still has the memories, right? I can still talk to him?"
Voldemort grabbed him tightly by the shoulders, and growled, "You'll never be able to talk with him again. We both agreed on doing this. And no, he doesn't have the memories, I have them. He only remembers up to the time when he was placed in the locket, he wouldn't know who you are if you spoke to him."
Orion staggered backwards, feeling a death blow to his heart, as his eyes brimmed with tears. Suddenly, he launched himself at Voldemort and furiously started to pound on his chest, as he brokenly yelled, "YOU MISERABLE BASTARD! YOU TOOK HIM AWAY FROM ME! YOU KNEW HE WAS IMPORTANT TO ME, AND YOU TOOK HIM AWAY! THE LAST PERSON I HAD, AND NOW HE'S GONE AS WELL! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!"
Voldemort tightly gripped Orion's wrists, and angrily snarled, "It only confused you more, making this difference between my younger self and me! We're the same person! We both agreed that it was the wisest thing to do. I didn't take him from you!"
"But you did!" cried Orion hysterically, feeling that he couldn't take it anymore, feeling that he was on the verge of losing his mind in anguished sorrow and despondence. "You're not him! You have your own experiences that changed you! YOU'RE NOT HIM!"
Orion slumped against the mirror, and holding his face in his hands, he started to shake violently, as heart-wrecking sobs ravaged his body. He whispered in a broken voice, laced with deep pain, "I can't deal with everything anymore…. I can't…. Oh, Merlin… Tom…There's no one left… no one… I've lost everyone who cared for me…Everyone I loved… I have no one…" An insane shriek of sorrowful despair tore from his throat, and he slid to the floor, heavily sobbing, as tears flowed endlessly from his eyes.
"Stop this nonsense!" said Voldemort harshly, as he pulled Orion to his feet. "What about your goals, Orion? Becoming a powerful dark wizard? Becoming a Necromancer? What about that? Will you push all that to a side just because I took my younger self's memories? He was always me!"
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" bellowed Orion insanely, brokenly; not listening to him, not bearing to look at him. "WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO TAKE FROM ME? IS IT THE DEBT? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT? WELL, THEN TAKE IT! DO WHATEVER YOU WISH WITH ME! I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! - DO YOU WANT ME AS YOUR CONSORT? IS THAT IT?"
Voldemort remained silent, intensely looking him, his crimson eyes boring into Orion's.
Orion viciously laughed, and then he spat, "What is it? Am I too hideous for you now? Too wrecked, too emaciated, and too tarnished? Am I unbearably disgusting now?"
Voldemort clenched his jaw, a muscle pulsing beneath the smooth, pale skin, and then he said quietly, "You're still beautiful."
"So take me!" said Orion, laughing hysterically at him. "Come on! It's what you always wanted, isn't it? Then, do it!"
He madly started to tear his clothes away, clawing at everything he could find, not caring if it was clothes or skin. And he finally stood, naked, shaking and trembling, and with thick tears rolling down his cheeks. He stood before Voldemort -who hadn't moved a muscle, who just kept looking at him fixedly with those deep crimson eyes- and Orion finally cried desperately and mindlessly, "DO YOU WANT ME? TO FUCK ME? RAPE ME, PERHAPS?!! THEN DO IT! DO IT NOW! BECAUSE I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ANYMORE! I JUST WANT EVERYTHING TO END!!!!"
Voldemort clenched his hands into fists so tight that his knuckles were white, and his fists shook, as an intense anger flashed in his crimson eyes.
Orion looked at him and relished in Voldemort's anger, wanting to bait him more, wanting to make him furious, perhaps taunt Voldemort until the wizard crucioed him.
A mad bark of laughter sprung from Orion's throat, as he said, "But perhaps you don't really want me. Perhaps you changed your mind some time ago?" He looked straight into Voldemort's eyes, and said with a voice viciously harsh, "You cleared that up for me last time, didn't you? When you left me alone after the Darks Allies Meeting… And you know what? Thank Merlin for that! Because I don't want you either! You're not my mate! My mate died! To save me…because of me! So considering that, I'm making my choice now, since you don't want to voice yours! I'll become your Death Eater, alright?! That's my final choice, the debt has been sealed!"
Orion violently pushed his left arm to Voldemort, and bellowed, "DO IT NOW! MARK ME NOW! AND LET'S BE DONE WITH THIS!"
Voldemort clenched his jaw, his teeth gritting, a small vein pulsing on his forehead... He roughly grasped Orion's arm, and Orion closed his eyes in defeat, waiting for the staggering pain to come, a tear involuntarily running down his cheek. He could feel Voldemort's furious, intense stare piercing him, and he waited, heart pumping fast, for the pain...
Abruptly, Voldemort dropped Orion's arm, spun around, and stormed out from the room, with a loud bang of the door.
Orion opened his eyes, startled, and he whispered confusedly, "What-?"
His legs wouldn't support him anymore, and he covered his eyes with shaky hands, and fell to the floor in heaving, dry sobs. No tears sprung from his eyes, he didn't think there were any left, not after feeling so emotional drained, so completely exhausted. He didn't understand anything anymore, he couldn't think straight… It was simply too much to cope with, and he felt that he had nothing else left in him…He felt empty, detached…
Orion slowly stood up, and walked along the walls, supporting his weight by palming them as he walked… He finally reached the large bed, and he burrowed under the soft, silk, black sheets. As he curled on himself, with a familiar scent wrapping around his senses, he promptly fell asleep.
The next four days were spent in the same way… He slept, he purged his anguish with occasional sobs, he drank the restoring potions that a house-elf brought to him, and he went to sleep again. And slowly, he felt the changes. He felt slightly stronger and healthier, but he still felt very tired, and mentally anguished, but he relished his solitude; he didn't want to think about anything, he just wanted to be alone in his misery. And, strangely enough, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
On the fourth day, as Orion lay on the bed, emptily looking at space, he heard the door suddenly opening.
He slowly turned his head, not really caring who it could be. But, to his surprise, he saw Calypso standing on the threshold, looking at him with a deep frown on her face and a determined glint in her eyes, as she shrewdly inspected him.
"Calypso…" said Orion tonelessly, "What are you doing here?"
She narrowed her black eyes at him, and said curtly, "I asked my father to bring me here and the Dark Lord gave me his permission to see you."
"Oh," said Orion quietly, slowly standing up.
Calypso clenched her jaw, strode to Orion purposely, and abruptly, she slapped him hard.
Orion staggered backwards with wide, hurt-filled eyes, and Calypso snarled harshly, as she advanced towards him, "I hate to see you like this! Wasting away! He is dead, yes, but you have to move on!! What you had with Lezander was an illusion! It was you, desperately clinging to the idea of having a normal life away from everything, away from your responsibilities! It would have never worked out! You were too different, with diverging goals and destinies! Your paths would have separated you eventually. You deeply cared for him, yes, but it wasn't true love. You weren't in love with him! The idea of you two together appealed to you because it was a means of escape!"
Calypso grabbed Orion's shoulders tightly, and bellowed furiously, "What about the war? What about the light wizards who caused Lezander's death? WHAT ABOUT YOUR FATHER, ORION?! WILL YOU DO NOTHING TO HELP HIM? HE NEEDS YOU! STOP BEING SO SELFISH!"
She looked at him with intense contempt, and spat harshly, "THIS PATHETIC CREATURE, WALLOWING IN SELF-PITY, ISN'T YOU! AND IT DISGUSTS ME!"
With a bang of the door, and a whisper to herself of 'Forgive me, Orion, but it was necessary', Calypso left the room; leaving behind a shell-shocked Orion.
"Dad..." gasped Orion as he staggered to the bed; and it was as if a dam had broken in his mind, all the thoughts he had pushed to a side now rushing in, and voices of his past memories echoed incessantly in his head… 'My son was never meant for you! But yet, he gave you his life and blood, so you must fulfill your destiny for him'… 'I know what you are, what you're destined to become. You must succeed, you're our last hope... If you can't do it, nobody can and all is lost… Don't fear your powers, embrace them'… 'What about your goals, Orion? Becoming a powerful dark wizard? Becoming a Necromancer?'… 'The Vindico Atrum has no mate, no equal, no love; his path is one of darkness, pain, and solitude…But it's all worth it; for the immense power, the glory, and the strength to ravage the world and rebuild it as it should be'…'You are powerful enough, you just have to realize it... You won't reach the height of your powers if you keep doubting yourself…You must succeed, Orion. You understand? You must succeed...'
Orion sprung from the bed with an angry snarl at himself, and he rushed to the bathroom. He looked at the reflection of his emaciated face, and spat heatedly at himself, "You're a fool, Orion Black! Calypso is right, this pathetic person isn't you! You're strong, you're powerful, and damn it, you have many things to do! So stop wasting time!"
He clenched his fists in fury, and said with fierce determination, "I will become a Necromancer, and I will save my father. I'll avenge Lezander's death, I'll make them pay! And I'll fulfill my destiny, whatever it is, because people depend on me and I am the most powerful wizard alive, and I know it! I'll restore the Resurrection Stone, I'll get the Elder Wand, and I'll survive the bloody test! I know I can do it, I feel it. I just need to learn how to control my explosion of wild and unbridled dark magic, make it obey my every thought, and nothing will stop me then! I'll break Gellert out and I'll help Râzvan. I'll help the Zravens, my vampires! I'll make the DA remain faithful to me, and I'll contact Remus to jump start our plans…. And damn it, I will successfully pass the ultimate test! I know it! -- I AM THE VINDICO ATRUM!"
Orion ripped away from his neck the only necklace he had left, and he looked at the small vial of blood with a resolved glint in his emerald eyes.
He unstoppered it, and said quietly, "I loved you Lezander, but Calypso was right, we had different destinies. I must become the Vindico Atrum and that would have pulled me apart from you, because I would have never given it up, not even for you, not for anyone. You're the first person I've loved, but I need to let go of you, I must get on with my life to fulfill a destiny which you couldn't have shared with me. This is the last time I'll feel you with me."
Orion quickly swallowed all of Lezander's blood, and he threw the empty vial to the floor. He pressed his palms against the mirror, as his body shook and shivered when the exquisite blood rushed into his veins, a moan of intense pleasure tearing from his throat, as he was ignited with startling energy, suffusing his body with a renewed strength, with new life fortifying every single cell in his exhausted body... Orion closed his eyes as his nerve-endings were inflamed in scintillating ecstasy, and he rode out the hot waves of revitalizing energy, while his body kept shaking and shivering in pleasure. At last, he felt the energy settling in his body, and he straightened and looked at himself in the mirror.
He smirked with satisfaction at the reflection. He was himself again, but better, stronger and, at last, completely restored to his health. He was what a partly vampire-blooded wizard should look like; his skin glowed under the candlelight, his body strong and taut, his green eyes swirling animatedly with intense power, and his senses sharpened to perfection.
As Orion inspected himself for the first time after having taken Lezander's blood when they were about to mate, a quiet melodic voice reverberated in his mind, 'You love two people as well, in different ways, but both, don't you?... It's dangerous for you, considering who you truly care for…'
Orion frowned. He had loved two people, in different ways but at the same time. And those had been Lezander and Tom, who he would never see again. But what else did his mother know or suspect? If it was dangerous for him to truly care for someone… She could only mean Voldemort.
Orion carded his fingers through his hair, as he scrunched his forehead in thought. 'But do I love Voldemort? I loved Tom, but Voldemort is different… He's more ruthless, but more mature, experienced and stronger, as well. But yet, Voldemort has surprised me in several occasions. Voldemort maintained the wand connection when I pleaded with him, even knowing my true identity, even wanting to kill me, Voldemort never broke it, so that I could talk to my mother… Voldemort protected me from Dumbledore, at first, even having his suspicions… And he fixed the mess in the Dursleys' house to make it seem as a Death Eater attack... Voldemort gave me back the chance to return to Durmstrang. Did he do it just because I'm his horcrux?' Orion sighed. 'Because I know now that I am his horcrux, there's no way to deny it... And I have a suspicion that makes me wonder about him… I don't seem to know him at all…I don't understand him... Voldemort didn't make me his consort and he didn't mark me… Why? He had the chance, and he gave it away…'
Orion looked into the reflection of his eyes, and he said aloud, "I don't know him at all, do I? Have I misjudged him?" He frowned and added quietly, "He didn't take me after the Dark Allies Meeting either, and I was there, served on a plate. Was it because he didn't want me, or because he was making an unusual gesture of respect? What did Voldemort want to hear from me? Ah, yes, that I was his… But I never said it…" Orion's eyes widened. "He didn't take me, because in a way, I didn't consent to it. He wanted me to tell him that I was his before he finally took me… Merlin, I've been a blind idiot!" He tightened his fists, and added sternly, "No, he isn't Tom completely, but he has proved to have some of Tom's humanity in him, even before taking Tom's memories… In his own way, he has shown that he cares for me, hasn't he?"
'But what do I feel for him? He's the only one that makes me react so heatedly, either in rage or desire… I want to kill him in many occasions, and in others, I just want to feel him near me… What is that, then? Lust, passion, or something more?' Orion clenched his jaw. 'But the Vindico Atrum has no love, his path is one of solitude and darkness… But who else knows more about solitude and darkness than Voldemort? Who else would understand what I will go through… But I can't tell him. Tom never knew about the Hallows, and thankfully, Voldemort doesn't either. There must be a good reason for all the secrecy… I can't tell him… It's my own private affair.' Orion sighed, as his thoughts rambled on. 'But what do I feel for him? And what does he truly feel for me? I can't make a choice before knowing, and not before thinking about it more carefully. And can I really get involved with someone when I have so many things that I must do? Especially with someone so complex as Voldemort?' He clenched his fists in determination, and finally admitted to himself, 'I care for him. I think I could love him, but my destiny must be my priority. Just as the war is his priority. I've changed… Lezander's death changed me. I hardened, matured, and perhaps, I understand myself better. No more illusions, no more dreams… Just brutal honesty with myself… Perhaps I do love him, perhaps I've loved him all this time, in my way. And perhaps he does as well, even if he doesn't want to admit it. But I must find out first, I won't give my heart so easily, not with him, it is dangerous, my mum is right about that. I will have to confront him, and see from there where to take things…'
"Right," said Orion aloud, in steely determination. "Many things to do, then."