Hello everyone! Goodness it's been a long time and I'm so sorry about that. Pregnancy was very unkind to me and I had to work my butt off at the end of it to get a decent maternity leave, then of course I had to get used to balancing 3 children, something I'm still getting used to to be honest. My newest little man is 13 weeks old tomorrow and already wearing size 0 clothes if you can believe it and I am in no way a big person, 45kg dripping wet on a regular day, so it always shocks people to see how big and chubby my mini me's are. Anyway, enough about me, let's get on to the chapter.
I hope this reads okay, I've edited it between feeding a baby and dealing with two small children who don't want to go to bed. I have decided to have a little competition this time around and put two lines from two of my favourite shows in this chapter. The first is the name of the chapter, the second is in Voldemort's speech and has been altered slightly, but if you recognise the line you'll know where it's from. Whoever can tell me where they both came from will be able to request either a scene or mini story based on this one to be written and posted up as an extra chapter when this is finished. There will be guidelines, but I'll tell them to the winner.
Here are some hints. The chapter title is a line in the show as well as being the first line to one of the season's opening credits. It's an older sci fi show. The other one is more recent but still a few years old now and happens during a scene where the main character's time line is being revisited.
Good luck.
And now, without further ado, here's the chapter
And So It Begins
At last the day before the attack arrived. Harry spent the morning with his friends, reminiscing old times and doing their best to think about anything other than what was ahead of them. He spent the afternoon with Severus and Remus, just relaxing together and talking. He asked them to tell him about Lilly as they were the two who knew her the best and he had a wonderful time hearing all their stories about her and just being with them. He desperately didn't want to lose any of them, but he knew it was a possibility, so he relished every moment he got to spend with the people, aside from Tom, who mattered most to him. None of them spoke about the next day and what it could bring and he was glad for that, he didn't want their last day together tinged with sadness and dread.
That night the death eaters all congregated at Slytherin Manor. Voldemort threw a massive ball, knowing that not all of them would live through the next day and nobody would be sleeping well anyway. Having spent the entire day with everyone else he loved, Harry spend the entire night with Tom; not leaving his side even for a moment. Tom seemed just as eager to keep him close. He touched Harry constantly throughout the party; whether it was holding his hand, having an arm around him, or even something as simple as resting a hand on his back. He even kissed Harry several times. It was the first time they'd shown each other this sort of affection around anyone besides the inner circle and it drew more than a little attention. Harry ignored all of that however, happy to be able to show his lover that kind of affection on the night before the final battle.
They enjoyed their time at the party together, even sharing a dance or two before Voldemort made a speech thanking everyone for coming and announcing that he was heading off to bed for the night. He invited the rest of them to stay at the party as long as they wanted, telling them to enjoy themselves as much as they could before the battle the next day. He and Harry then headed up to their room to spend the rest of night alone together, knowing there was a possibility that it may be their last.
XX
Lucius hadn't come to the party, choosing instead to stay in the medical wing with Narcissa. He knew, just like the rest of them did, that if she hadn't woken up by now chances are she wasn't going to. Draco went to the party for a little while, to give his father time alone with his mother, before going to join him.
Luna stayed out with Harry and her father for several hours, wanting to give Draco and his father privacy to mourn. She left well before Harry however, not really being in the mood to celebrate while her love was feeling so terrible. Her father left with her, giving her a long hug when they reached his room and telling her how much he loved her. She wasn't going into battle with the others the next day, she was staying back to help in the medical wing, but Xeno was and they both knew he may not come back.
She hadn't had any visions about the upcoming battle which bothered her more than a little, it would have been really good to be able to give Harry and Voldemort some pointers on how to win, or to warn her father about upcoming danger. Of course the universe never worked that way, and as much as it annoyed her, she knew there was nothing she could do to change it.
She hugged him as tightly as she could, channelling as much magic as she could into the protection talisman she'd made for him as she did. She may not be able to be there to protect him, but hopefully the talisman did it's job well. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and headed into his room, giving her one final smile before he closed the door. Luna hadn't mentioned it to him, knowing he wouldn't want to know, but she was planning to spend the night with Draco. It would be the first night they'd ever spent together and she dearly hoped it wouldn't be their last.
She was heading in the direction of Draco's room when a vision hit her without warning, the images burning through her mind like a searing flame, bringing tears to her eyes. She'd been asking for a vision to show her what tomorrow would bring and the universe had brought it to her. She knew now how it was all going to play out and she knew what she had to do. Checking first to make sure the coast was clear, she headed back down the corridor to retrieve what she needed, wishing like hell she could tell the others what was coming. Unfortunately she knew she couldn't, if anyone altered their behaviour, even a little, it would destroy the future, and she couldn't do that.
Their world needed that future, she just wished getting there didn't have to hurt as much as it was going to.
XX
When Harry and Tom reached their room that night they took a long bath and made love for hours. It was closing in on dawn when they crawled into bed together to get whatever sleep they could before the battle, which was scheduled to begin that afternoon. As they lay there together, enjoying the time they had and knowing they should both be sleeping but neither being able to, a sudden thought occurred to Harry.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Yes, dearest?" Voldemort asked.
"Can I ask you a favour."
"Of course."
Harry leant up on his elbow and looked down at his lover. "Tomorrow's going to be difficult and we both know it, just like we both know we might not survive-"
"Harry-"
"No, this is important," Harry said, placing a gentle hand over his lover's mouth. "Neither of us want to think about it, but it is the reality of the situation and if I don't make it through I want you to promise me something, all right?"
Tom pulled Harry's hand away from his mouth. "All right."
"This," Harry placed a gentle hand over Tom's heart, "the man you've become over the last couple of months, I want you to promise me that he won't disappear; that you won't go back to who you used to be. I know you say you became a better man for me and I'm so proud of that, and of you for doing it, but I also know that deep down this is who you're meant to be. I know you can hold on to him if you try and I want you to promise me that you will. Can you do that, please?" Harry asked softly.
Tom studied him closely for several moments and Harry could tell the man wanted to argue with him and make him take back the very thought of him dying, but instead he said, "All right, I'll agree to that if you'll agree to something for me."
"All right," Harry agreed, waiting to see what he'd say.
"If I'm the one who doesn't survive tomorrow." The very thought made Harry want to die but he stayed silent, knowing this must have been how Tom felt when he'd said the words and he'd managed to stay quiet and let Harry speak. "I want you to take command of the death eaters."
Okay, that was the last thing Harry ever expected him to say.
"I've already written it into my will and left it with the Gringotts goblins so no one will be able to dispute your leadership."
"But are you sure it should be me?" Harry asked. "Shouldn't it be someone like Lucius?"
Tom shook his head, "No, you're the one. Lucius is a broken man. Without Narcissa he'll never be the same and he'll definitely never be the man this world needs to run it. I don't honestly expect him to survive tomorrow, mostly because he doesn't want to. I could pass the mantle to one of the others, but none of them would keep the vision I have for the organisation and our world alive, they'd turn it back into the dark, evil vision I used to have and I don't want that. It was you who made me a better man and it's you the world needs to make it the way it needs to be."
Harry was stunned speechless for several moments, but he managed to pull himself together enough to agree.
"And don't bring me back," Tom added. "No matter how much you miss me or how much the others might want you to; promise me you won't. I don't want to be that way again, all right."
"All right," Harry agreed, knowing if he were in Tom's place he wouldn't want to live like that either.
"All right," Tom echoed, sealing the deal with a kiss. "Now, can we stop talking about dying and do something else?" he asked.
"Like what?" Harry asked.
"Oh I don't know," Tom replied slipping his hand down Harry's body, "I'm sure we can think of something."
Harry grabbed his hand before it could touch him and when Tom looked at him questioningly he said, "My turn," and disappeared under the covers.
XX
They managed a few short hours of sleep and woke up with plenty of time to get ready for the battle. They showered together and made it a thoroughly enjoyable one before donning their battle robes that were already laid out by Lissy, complete with the masks they would wear to protect their faces. All the death eaters and the children had battle robes and full face masks prepared for them, although the children would keep their masks and robes hidden in their school clothes unless they were needed. To pull off their part of the mission they needed to blend in with the rest of the Hogwarts students as well as possible.
When they were dressed and ready they walked together to their bedroom door and paused to share one last kiss.
"Hey," Voldemort whispered when they parted. "I've never said this to you before, but-"
"And don't," Harry cut him off with a finger to his lips. "Not now."
"Why not?" Tom asked confused.
"Because I've been longing to hear you say it so desperately, and if I know it's coming it'll give me one more amazing thing to fight for," Harry replied, stroking Tom's face gently. "I've been waiting to say it back to you and I can if you want to hear it before we go," he offered, not wanting to disappoint his lover.
"No, you're right," Tom replied, taking his hand gently and kissing it. "It's one more reason to stay alive and keep fighting. Just kiss me," he asked softly.
Harry threw his arms around his lover and kissed him, pouring all the feeling he wouldn't give name to until after the battle into that one amazing experience. They held each other for a moment afterward and when it was over Tom pulled back and held up his mask.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready," Harry agreed, slipping his mask onto his face and with it his battle persona.
He watched as Tom did the same, the loving man he knew and cared for disappearing completely behind the mask of Lord Voldemort. When they left the room that afternoon they were no longer Harry and Tom, they were the Dark Lord and his right hand, and that's who they'd remain until the battle was over.
They headed down the stairs and out into the manor grounds where all the death eaters and children were gathered waiting for them. It wasn't long before someone announced their presence and as one the assembled group turned to face their leader.
Voldemort removed his mask and greeted his followers. "Good afternoon everyone. Today is going to be a difficult day, for all of us as well as the wizzarding world in general. Today we will either kill Dumbledore, dismantle the ministry and begin to change our world for the better, or our vision will end and we will become nothing more than a story. I don't know what fate has planned for us on this day, but I for one intend to fight until my dying breath to see Dumbledore and the ministry taken down."
There was a general chorus of agreement from the group but it quietened quickly so Voldemort could continue.
"I know some of you are new to our mission, while others have been with me since the beginning of their adult lives. I know some of you have always shared my vision for a better magical world, while others just don't like what Dumbledore has been slowly changing the world into, and more still have been drawn here by the actions of the order. I honestly don't mind which category you fall into, the fact that you're here and willing to fight alongside me to change the world is all that matters."
Here he paused and studied the group.
"We might not win this day, we might just, as I said before, become nothing but a story people tell their children at night when they're tucking them in. If it comes to that, that's all right, we're all stories in the end; But we're going to make it a damn good one that they will never forget aren't we?!"
"Yes, My Lord!" The assembled group chorused.
"They will not leave this battle unchanged!"
"No, My Lord!"
"And we will fight til our last breath to be victorious!"
"Yes, My Lord!"
"That's what I like to hear. Now you all have your assignments, you all know what to do. I know you've all been studying and training hard for this day. At long last it's time to strike, so get into your assigned teams and let's go."
Severus, Hermione and several of the pureblooded children were in one team, Remus, the twins and more of the children were in another. They hadn't wanted to be parted from Harry and they'd tried to argue that they should remain with him, but in the end they all knew the plan had the best chance of success if they followed their issued instructions. They all stopped to acknowledge Harry in their own way as they passed him, then they apparated away, the marauders map held securely in Remus' hand, Harry's invisibility cloak in Hermione's.
The remaining death eaters split off into three teams, to attack the school from different sides and create the best possible diversion until the plan had been set into motion. More than anything they needed to draw Dumbledore and the order out, Severus' and Remus' teams could do the rest.
Rodolphus was leading one team while Lucius led another, most of which were the lords he'd been leading in their vengeance for the last several weeks. Luna was to stay behind and help the healers, Draco however had chosen to come with his father and help those injured on the battlefield. Lucius and Tom had tried to talk him out of it but he'd been adamant, and he could be as stubborn as his father when he wanted to be.
At last they were all in their assembled teams and as one they disapparated to Hogwarts.
XX
The school was surrounded by a protective shield caste by those inside, but that wasn't a problem, with the marauders map in Remus possession the groups who needed to be inside the castle could easily slip in while those outside attacked the shield. The groups outside spread out until they easily surrounded the shield, but before they struck at it Voldemort used the shield to enhance his voice and said.
"Residents of Hogwarts, hear me. We are not here to cause you any harm, we only want Dumbledore and his order. If they come out now and face us we will leave your school in peace. We don't want to harm any of the children, however, if you attack us we will defend ourselves. The choice is yours, choose wisely." He then sent the order to his death eaters to begin and the attack on the shield commenced.
Those inside used the time they were working on the shield to set up their defences, but the death eaters were ready for this. Voldemort had managed to gain the assistance of many of the magical creatures and as the Hogwarts stone soldiers came forth so did they. The order and the aurors followed behind them along with several older students. The death eaters, as ordered, did what they could to avoid causing serious harm to the students, incapacitating them whenever possible.
Harry, as ordered, stayed by Voldemort's side throughout most of the battle, but as he knocked an order member back toward the abyss that bordered either side of the Hogwarts bridge, the man flew into a young Hufflepuff Harry didn't recognise. The order member fell over the edge, but the girl managed to grab a hold of one of the bridge's planks. This was one of the moments Harry knew would help those within Hogwarts accept that the dark weren't all bad, and he called out to tell Voldemort that he had to help a student before racing to her aid.
She screamed as he approached but he spoke to her softly, "I just want to help you," he said, putting all the sincerity he could into his voice.
"You'll push me off!" the girl shrieked, terror in her eyes.
"No I won't," Harry promised. "If I wanted you to fall I'd have shot an expelliamus at you from back over there wouldn't I?" he asked.
The girl looked thoughtful for several moments, before finally seeming to decide that his logic made sense and holding her hand out to him. He pulled her up on to safe ground and after giving her a quick once over to make sure she was all right, he released her hand. "Now run back inside and don't come out here again. You shouldn't be tangled up in this fight, we're not here to hurt the students."
"Then why are you here?" the girl asked puzzled.
"Dumbledore," Harry replied. "He isn't the man you think he is and we're only here for him and his order, like the dark Lord said. Nobody else has to get hurt. Go inside and tell the other student this for me, okay, we really don't want any of them to come to harm."
The girl studied him closely for several moments before turning and running back over the bridge toward the school. He watched her until she disappeared from his view, then headed back to join Voldemort.
He was nearly back to his Lord's side when a spell hit him from behind, sending him sprawling to the floor. Pain ripped through his body as he looked back toward the bridge and saw Dumbledore standing where the young girl had not long ago been. Even from this distance he could see the gleeful look on the man's face. Harry reached out with his wand and fired a spell back at the old bastard before the pain tore through him again, ripping a scream from his throat. The spell caught Dumbledore and he withdrew back into the castle, but Harry knew in his weakened state he hadn't ben able to make it strong enough to do any decent damage; something that made him absolutely furious.
Suddenly he was in Voldemort's arms and he could see the man's concerned eyes through his mask. "Harry, Harry, can you hear me?" he asked worriedly.
Harry tried to reply, but all he could get out was another scream of pain. One moment they were on the battlefield with fighting going on all around them, the next they were in the medical wing of Slytherin manor and Voldemort was screaming at the mediwizards and witches to help him. Several of them ran over to him and started waving their wands, but Harry could tell from the looks on their faces that there as nothing they could do.
"I'm sorry, My lord," one of the women said softly, "The spell is damaging his body faster than we'd ever be able to repair it."
"No!" Tom snarled and Harry could feel the man's energy begin to flow into his body; a desperate attempt to save him. Harry knew it wouldn't work, but it dulled the pain he was feeling enough for him to speak to the man he loved.
"Stop, love, you're only draining yourself for nothing," he gasped.
Tom ripped his and Harry's masks off and tossed them across the room, the thud they made when they hit the floor echoing like a gong through the silent room. He pulled Harry into his arms and Harry could clearly see the anguish in the man's beautiful, ruby eyes. "No, I won't let you go!" Tom snarled defiantly.
Harry gazed up at him, the sadness in his eyes a testament to just how much he'd grown as a person in the time Harry had known him. A loss like this would be hard for anyone to deal with, let alone someone like the dark lord who'd only recently began to feel anything other than hatred, and all Harry could do was hope it didn't completely destroy amazing man he'd become.
"Remember your promise to me," Harry said softly, hoping that promise would be enough to keep Tom's murderous, hate filled persona from resurfacing. "You are a good man, Tom, and you can still be a good man without me. Don't let that old bastard turn you back into a monster. Go back to the school and obliterate him, for me, make the world better. I know you can do it."
Tom shook his head even while he whispered, "All right, my darling, I'll do as you ask."
Harry felt his strength leaving him and tears filled his eyes. He tried to blink them away, not wanting his last vision of his love obscured, but it was so hard. He didn't want to go, he wasn't ready, he finally had such a wonderful life and he was devastated to be losing it now. He reached out and gently touched Tom's face, the face he loved so much, the face he'd never get to see again. "I love you, Tom … I love you," he gasped, fighting to get the words out while he still could.
"I love you, too, Harry," Tom replied shakily and Harry smiled despite the anguish he was feeling as he felt himself slipping away.
"Thank you, Tom, these last few months have been the best …" Harry's voice failed him and he felt the last of his energy fade. Tom shook him but he could barely feel it. His hearing was the last sense to leave him, and in his final moments he heard his love's beautiful voice.
"Harry! Harry! … No."
The last word was barely whispered, but in the silence that had fallen over the medical bay it was louder and more agonised than any scream.
XX
Voldemort stood at the window of the medical wing, using every ounce of self control he had to pull himself together. He wanted to shout, scream, tear through Hogwarts and kill everyone he saw until he found Dumbledore and made him pay.
He didn't though, because he'd made a promise to Harry.
Shortly after Harry had fallen the order had been defeated, now all that was left was Dumbledore who was still holed up in the castle. So the only two members of the inner circle that were in a position to leave the battle ground, Rodolphus and Rabastan, had left the other death eaters to guard the castle and returned to the manor to find out what happened.
Severus and Remus weren't there of course, they should hopefully be inside the Hogwarts grounds, and as far as Tom was concerned it was only for the better as he knew the sight of Harry's dead body would destroy them. Lucius was missing too, Voldemort could only assume he'd been injured and had sent a command to Draco to go and look for him.
"You shouldn't go back now, my lord, you should give yourself time to recover properly," Rodolphus said.
"And yet we all know it must be now, or all of our planning will have been for nothing. Whatever happens today Dumbledore must be defeated," Voldemort reminded them.
"We never anticipated this in our plans, My Lord," Rabastan reminded him.
"No we didn't," he acknowledged. "But plans change and I will not leave Severus, Remus and those children in the castle to be discovered and killed, nor will I let Harry's death be in vain. I am going back to Hogwarts and I am going to draw Dumbledore out and face him," he said with finality. "You know what I need you to do, it's time to get to it."
He turned back to face them, his war mask firmly back in place and hiding his anguish from the world. When all of this was over, if he survived to see the end, he would mourn Harry's loss properly and for a long time to come; it wasn't a luxury he had time for right now.
He knew Rodolphus and Rabastan wanted to argue with him but they didn't, they simply accepted his decision as they always had.
Harry would have argued, Severus, Lucius and Draco would have argued, but the LeStrange brothers never had and that was both a relief and a sadness right now. He headed for the door, not daring to look at Harry's sheet covered body as he passed. As he moved out into the hallway however, he was stopped by Nagini.
"You need rest, Tom," his familiar hissed.
"There is no time, dearest," he replied, reaching out to pull her into a hug and stoke her scales. "You know this has to happen now." she opened her mouth to argue but he silenced her with, "Harry is dead, Nagini, I won't let that be for nothing."
She wrapped her body around his and for a second he thought she was going to physically restrain him and keep him from leaving. Instead she hugged him tightly then let him go with a hissed, "Go and kill that bastard, for our Harry,".
He kissed her snout and helped her down to the floor before apparating out of the manor and back to Hogwarts, taking the Lestrange brothers with him.
XX
Lucius was leaning against a tree, nursing a rather nasty blow to his abdomen and a most likely broken ankle. He cursed the auror for her lucky shot, but he knew his injuries were also partially his fault as he wasn't being as careful with himself as usual. Besides, he'd certainly paid her back, with interest.
"Father!" he heard Draco's voice call out and he looked round to see his son running toward him. He smiled as the boy approached, knowing his brilliant son would be more than capable of sorting out his injuries. Draco really was a remarkable healer, he was glad the skill had been nurtured in the young man.
A spell suddenly hit Draco from the side, knocking him flying into a tree, and Lucius glanced round to see a group of young men and women rapidly approaching. Lucius hauled himself to his feet moving toward them as quickly as he could on his injured ankle. Two of the group picked Draco up by his ankles and began dragging him toward one of the school's doorways. Lucius Shot a spell at one of the boys, catching him in the shoulder, and the group all whirled around to face Lucius, wands drawn.
"Get your filthy hands off my son," Lucius snarled, his wand pointed at them menacingly.
"If you want him, come and get him!" one of the boys hissed and the group began firing spells at Lucius. He took cover behind a tree and fired back, doing his best to take them all out without hitting Draco. The group changed direction and headed toward the forbidden forrest, taking cover behind the tree line which made Lucius' job harder. He cursed those still standing as they disappeared into the forrest and began to limp after them. He'd already lost his wife, there was no way he was going to lose his son too.
XX
Those within the Hogwarts grounds were gathered in the great hall trying to muddle out what to do. The order and most of the aurors were either injured or killed and even if everybody else headed out to fight, students included, they were dreadfully outnumbered; there was no way they'd survive. Lizzy, the young Hufflepuff Harry had saved on the bridge, told the others that the lord's right hand had saved her and had given his word that they'd all be free to go if they didn't try to fight. Ron, the bastard, Weasley, argued that the right hand had lied to her and was just trying to gain their trust so the death eaters could kill them all easier. She knew that wasn't the case though, she'd seen the sincerity in the man's eyes when he'd said it. Of course, being a Hufflepuff, nobody listened to her. The school's stupid house system really sucked sometimes.
They were trying to think of a way to sneak the children out of the school when the Dark Lord's voice suddenly rang through the castle, making them all jump.
"Good evening aurors, Order of the Phoenix members -if any of you are still alive-, faculty and students of Hogwarts. It is with great sadness that I inform you of the death of Harry Potter. I'm sure many of you are thinking that I am responsible for this, but actually, Harry's death was the doing of your beloved headmaster."
A gasp of surprise rang through the room.
"I imagine you may be asking yourself why he would do that? Harry was the chosen one was he not? Why would Dumbledore kill the chosen one? Well the truth is that there was no chosen one. The prophecy was a load of garbage spewed from the mouth of a mad woman, then spread around by your own dear headmaster, in a known disreputable establishment full of dark wizards and witches, with the full intent of it getting back to me. It was nothing more than a lie cooked up by that man to try and gain control over this world and twist it into the skewed, dark landscape he wants it to be, - and don't let the silly clothes and twinkling eyes fool you all, there is very little in that man that isn't dark; just have a proper look into his past-."
"Is that true? Is it even possible?" a small voice asked from somewhere in the room. Lizzy wondered if there was any way to find out.
"The plan had always been for Harry to face me and die in battle, a sacrificial lamb that would unite you all against me and then conveniently die to become a martyr that you'd all want to champion. Harry found out about this not long ago, and when he knew that staying on the path he was currently treading would do nothing but lead to Dumbledore ruling the world, he left the old man's clutches and sought me out."
Another gasp of shock sounded through the great hall. Why would Harry do that? The dark lord wanted him dead.
"We struck up a mutually beneficial agreement and I made him my right hand," -Lizzy's eyes watered as she thought about the young man who'd saved her. That had been Harry.- "I'm sure you would have seen him around the place. Now some people would say that this made him a bad person or a coward, but that couldn't be further from the truth. He didn't leave because he wanted to run away from fighting me or defending you, he did it to save you."
Save them how?
"You see part of his arrangement with me was that there were certain people I had to keep safe from myself and my death eaters, the people he loved and thought of as family, and I believe a lot of Gryffindor house was included in that list. The agreement was binding and would continue to apply even if Harry were to die, and he was expecting just that. Dumbledore had spent so much time grooming him to fight me, while still instilling a sense that I was unbeatable, and therefore he'd assumed he'd never live past the battle."
Poor Harry, what an awful way to live.
"Fighting for Dumbledore would gain him nothing, fighting for me kept his loved ones safe, and after finding out he'd been betrayed by several of the people he'd thought he mattered to, that was all he truly cared about. He'd expected to have to adapt and change a lot in my service, he never expected to change me, but nether-the-less that's exactly what happened."
How could anybody possibly change the Dark Lord?
"Now I won't go into details, I'm sure you're not all that concerned about the how, all that matters was knowing that Harry made me a better man. He taught me patience, showed me other ways to think about and view things and more than anything else he brought me the most wonderful gift anyone could ever give … love. I have never loved anyone that way and I never will again, he made me whole in ways I couldn't possibly describe and I would have done anything for him."
The gasp of surprise that time was the loudest yet. Harry had been the dark lord's lover?
"And so, to circle back to the beginning of this little announcement, why did Dumbledore kill him? Because somehow he worked out what Harry meant to me, don't ask how, how does he do anything that he does? He knew killing Harry would destroy me and he was right, but of course that's to be expected from the man who helped make me who and what I am. When you help create a person and shape their personality you usually have a pretty good idea how to hurt and manipulate them."
Dumbledore created the Dark Lord?
"Yes, that's right, Dumbledore is the main reason I am the way I am. He abandoned me as a child in a place that he knew would scorn and mistreat me, he played on all those feelings when I came to Hogwarts and made me trust him and believe he cared for me, and then he abandoned me again. I won't blame him for all of my misdeeds over the years, I could have decided not to do them, but I give credit where it's due, and without Dumbledore setting me on the path I would have never become the man I am today."
How could Dumbledore do that? Was it true?
"He did exactly the same thing to Harry as he did to me, leaving him in the care of people who beat and starved him, then drawing Harry close when he came to school, hoping to earn his trust and loyalty; which is exactly what happened until Harry learnt the truth."
Dumbledore did that to Harry? Poor Harry.
"This is the kind of man who walks among you. The problem is he's become so good at hiding it that you'd never know. And here we come back to the beginning again, why did Dumbledore kill Harry? Because he was counting on me reacting to the death of my beloved in a certain way, and in all seriousness that reaction is exactly what one would normally expect from me. Usually I would sweep through a place full of innocents and destroy everything I saw, not that much of an overreaction when you've lost the most important person in you life and not in the least unexpected."
A thrum of fear swept through the room.
"He wants me to do this so he can parade it in front of as many people as possible and demonstrate just what an evil man I am, because you always want to fight harder against an enemy when they've made you angry, and he's more than happy to let you all die in the process. He expects this reaction from me, and honestly I could start doing exactly what he's expecting any second …"
Everyone in the great hall held their breath.
"But I'm not going to."
What? Really?
"Sorry, old man, but that's not who I am anymore. I became a better man for Harry and just because he's gone doesn't mean I will change back to who I used to be, who you made me. I am furious, you probably can't tell by my voice, but there have been very few times in my life where I have been this livid about anything. I will not take it out on your students or your faculty though, I will bring all that anger and rage down on the person who deserves it and no one else; that's you Dumbledore."
Wow, Dumbledore was in trouble.
"To the rest of you I ask only this, stay out of my way and allow me to avenge the man I love, the man I know many of you also loved. If anyone gets in my way of reaching the headmaster, make no mistake I will obliterate you. If you stay out of my way and allow me to pass, you will be free to go unharmed, you have my word; I don't want to see any more magical blood spilled on this day. Of course, if Dumbledore were the man he's pretended to be for so long he'd come out here and face me just to make sure the rest of you remained unharmed. You won't though, will you old man? You're too scared to face the monster you helped create. You'll hide inside your school and let everyone else fall before you'd willingly take me on and we both know it! You didn't even face Harry, you attacked him from a distance like the coward that you are! So I'm coming in to get you. Merlin help anyone who gets in my way."
The room fell silent then and Lizzy could tell no one knew what to say. Was any of it true? Could Dumbledore really be a monster? Lizzy didn't realise the question had been asked out loud until Ron snapped, "No, of course he's not! How could you ever believe that?"
"Then where is he?" Lizzy demanded. "Why isn't he out there fighting?"
"He's biding his time-"
"Until what? Everybody else has died and sufficiently weakened the dark lord to make him an easy target?" Lizzy cut him off. "If he's the man he says he is why wasn't he out there defending the castle with the order and the aurors?"
"There is a strategy to Dumbledore's plan," Ron snarled back. "I don't expect you to understand."
"Why? Because I'm a Hufflepuff? Tell me what makes your house so much better than the rest of us, Weasley?"
"All the good, brave wizards and witches end up in Gryffindor," Ron argued.
"Peter Petigrew was a Gryffindor," Professor Sprout said softly from the other side of the room.
"And Cedric was a hufflepuff!" Lizzy snapped. "You want to tell me Petigrew was brave but Cedric wasn't? Just who are you trying to fool here, Weasley?"
"Harry used to come back to school every summer looking slimmer," Madame Pomphrey suddenly gasped. "I always thought it was just because he spent the summers running around more but now that I think about it … Oh Merlin, he never did eat a lot at the welcome feast, people who've experienced starvation can never eat much when they're first recovering."
"You don't honestly believe the Dark Lord do you?" Professor Vector demanded.
"Well he makes a few good points doesn't he?" Professor McGonagall asked. "I knew those muggles weren't good people when the headmaster left Harry with them, but he assured me that he'd keep an eye on them. Whenever I asked he told me they were all doing fine … and I never questioned him. But Poppy is right, Harry was always far too thin when he came back from holidays; I just never put two and two together."
"And where is Albus?" Filtwick asked. "Lizzy makes a good point, if he's the hero we all think he is, where is he now?"
The room erupted into chaos, arguments being thrown back and forth and it was during this chaos that Lizzy saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and realised someone had snuck into the great hall.
XX
End of Chapter
Ooh cliff hanger, how mean am I?
Don't worry, the story isn't over, and hopefully there will be more to come very soon.
What did we think? Please review, I love them sooooo much.
I've had a lot of really amazing feedback about this story lately which had been just delightful to read. I love that people are enjoying how the characters are evolving, I've been really proud of it myself. I want this story to be believable, so many like this aren't. I've also loved hearing how much you all love Nagini actually being a character, I've had such fun writing her. I actually had a different ending originally planned for this story and have a funny scene written between her and Lucius that I'll post up when the story is over. It makes me giggle so I hope you like it too.
Did we find the line from the other show? Anyone know where the two lines have come from? Even if you're not completely sure just guess, it doesn't hurt, and I'd love to hear what you come up with.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope to see you soon.
