AN: Welcome to the next chapter!
I hope many of you will enjoy this one.
I am rather proud of the idea myself and I think it's something unique that has never been written before.
Enjoy!
The recognizable sections belong to JKR
Chapter 91
March 13th, 1997
"What are you thinking about, my love?" Harry whispered into her ear while absently playing with her soft long hair and enjoying the warmth of her body pressed against his under the covers.
It was a Sunday night and he had spent the day with his girlfriend, doing something shopping and just spending some time as a couple. They had spent the last few hours in bed, partaking in one of their favorite activities and simply talking afterward, nestled up next to each other.
However, Fleur had been rather quiet for the last few minutes, simply staring up in her boyfriend's emerald, green eyes and snuggling as close to him as possible. She seemed deep in thought and Harry was curious what might be going through that pretty head of hers.
"The future, Harry..." Fleur sighted as a cute smile crept to her face.
Harry grinned and bent down to kiss her forehead: "The future, huh? Care to share some details?"
"What are you going to do once this is all over? Once he is defeated?" Fleur asked him with bright blue eyes.
"I like your optimism..." Harry chuckled: "But to answer your questions, I don't really know yet..."
"What is it you would like to do then?" Fleur asked curiously and pushed herself up on her elbows. Harry chuckled as the blanket dropped from her shoulders. His eyes involuntarily dipped to her cleavage.
"Eyes up here, Mr. Potter." Fleur pouted while doing her best to cover her breasts: "You've seen more than enough today already."
"I don't get tired of it... I think I never will..." Harry grinned. Fleur raised a delicate eyebrow and regarded him expectantly. He frowned as he thought back to the question: "I just want to do whatever I want. I will certainly finish my masteries. Maybe I will check out that university in Switzerland McGonagall told me about. Perhaps I will work as an Unspeakable for some time, but ultimately I just want to live a carefree life."
He looked back down at her: "What about you?"
Fleur hummed and her eyes beamed up: "I think once I finish my apprenticeship as a curse breaker, I will continue studying. I want to get a mastery in charms and enchanting."
The Veela gulped heavily: "We might be separated again, then..."
"Nothing could stop us from being together." Harry shook his head as his eyes flashed slightly: "If a Dark Lord can't keep us separated, then geographical distance will hardly matter."
Fleur seemed to fight with herself. She opened her mouth several times, but no words left her lips. Finally, she pulled herself together: "What about other things in the future then... like marriage... or family?"
Harry's heart fluttered: "You know my heart's deepest desire. You know what I want more than anything else..."
"You have shown me the memory of it." Fleur nodded and her eyes never left him: "If the woman in the mirror did not look so much like me, I might have gotten jealous of her."
Harry chuckled: "I don't think there is a need for that... It's you, I still imagine all those things like marriage and family with... It's only ever been you..."
Fleur beamed up at him and pressed her lips to his for a tentative, sweet kiss: "I feel the same way."
"Glad we talked about it then," Harry replied with a grin.
"How many then?" Fleur asked as she gently trailed a finger along his jawline.
"How many what?" Harry asked.
"How many children of course." Fleur blushed ever so slightly: "I know in the mirror it only showed two... but we were still rather young..."
"How many would you like?" Harry asked curiously, thinking back to the little boy with unruly raven hair but dark blue eyes.
"I could deal with another... perhaps even two more..." Fleur mused and shot a smirk at him: "They are quite fun to make, non?"
"I heard it's not as much fun for you nine months later" Harry laughed: "But you're right... More than two would be nice... I always wanted a large family... The Potter's were nearly extinct... it would be nice to see our numbers grow..."
"I'll do my best, my love" Fleur smirked up at him and kissed him once more.
What might have progressed into something more heated, as their kisses grew more passionate, was suddenly interrupted by a loud snap.
"Harry Potter, Sir, and Mistress Flower need to stop making little masters and mistresses!" A high voice exclaimed loudly.
"Dobby?" Harry groaned: "That's truly horrible timing..."
Fleur's blonde head poked out underneath the blanked, which she had thrown over herself when she heard the intrusion: "We were not making little mistresses and masters, Dobby, we only talked about it!" She huffed.
"Dobby is very sorry, Mistress Flower." The elf bowed deeply: "But Sir has ordered Dobby to notify him immediately should the Malfoy brat do anything suspicious."
"What is he up to, Dobby?" Harry sat upright at once and silently conjured himself a pair of shorts underneath the blanked before he left the bed and walked over to Fleur's wardrobe, where he always had a spare outfit. Ever since Malfoy's attack on Fleur, Harry had ordered Dobby to tailgate him and report anything suspicious.
"Dobby saw the Malfoy brat leaving the dungeons by himself a minute ago." The elf reported: "The bad former master is sneaking around in the castle at night."
Harry took a look at the clock on Fleur's bedside table. They had truly lost track of time. Indeed, it was almost 4:00 am in the morning. He looked over to his girlfriend. The Veela's eyes had narrowed upon hearing the name of the boy, who had almost succeeded in poisoning her: "If he is alone, then this might be our chance."
"Let's see what he is up to." Harry nodded: "We can still take our revenge before he returns to the safety of his common room."
"Thank you, Dobby. You did very well." Fleur spoke to the elf and Dobby disappeared with a snap after another short bow. The Veela lost no time and threw the covers away, as she jumped out of bed and over to her wardrobe, where Harry was already getting dressed. Roughly a minute later, Harry apparated them to the Salazar's quarters. He looked over to the wall, next to the sleeping Portrait.
"Malfoy is on the third floor already." Harry said as he took the Marauder's map off the wall and pocketed it: "He is moving rather slowly; we should be able to catch up with him."
Fleur just nodded as she walked over to the exit of the chamber, with Harry right at her heels. As soon as they exited the broom closet that concealed the entrance on the first floor, the couple disillusioned itself with a flick of each wand. Soon, Harry consulted the map once more on their way to the giant staircase.
"He is on the fifth floor now," Harry whispered while taking two steps at a time. Next to him, Fleur's long legs allowed her to do the same.
Harry felt the heat radiating off of his girlfriend and grew slightly concerned: "Please remember, let us first figure out what he trying to do. Afterward, you can have your fun with him."
The shiver of air that was Fleur gave no visible reaction. Nevertheless, Harry knew that she would not compromise the entire operation just to take her rightful revenge. At least he hoped so... By now, they almost caught up with the Slytherin. According to the Map, Malfoy was moving up the last set of stairs to the seventh floor.
Harry and Fleur hurried around the corner and barely caught him under a rather well-cast disillusionment charm for an average sixth year. Harry was very curious about where Malfoy was going now. There was nothing else up here on the seventh floor besides Dumbledore's office and the Room of Requirements.
He had tried to ward off the room against anyone else, after discovering it back in his third year. However, the magic of the room and the entire castle itself was fighting any wards or notice me not charms he had cast. Rowena Ravenclaw must have wished for every student to have a fair chance of finding and exploring her creation. Still, he would have never expected Malfoy to find it of all people.
They watched as the shimmer of air walked past the one-eyed troll and came to a stand in front of the blank stretch of wall. Malfoy dispelled his disillusionment charm and scowled as he watched the wall.
"How the fuck is it supposed to work..." They heard him whisper.
Harry had a hint of what this might be about. Nevertheless, to confirm his suspicion, they had to wait... Next to him, Fleur grew restless... Harry found her hand and gently squeezed it to reassure her that he had a plan.
Meanwhile, Malfoy had pulled out a small piece of parchment. He seemed to read whatever was written on it a few times. Then he just shrugged and walked up and down the blank wall three times with his eyes closed.
"Incredible!" He whispered in excitement, when the, to Harry and Fleur familiar, door materialized.
"Quickly!" Harry whispered as Malfoy pulled the handle and entered the room. Harry started running over to the wall. He cast a silent Aresto Momentum on the closing door and slowed it down just long enough for himself and Fleur to slip through it.
Luckily, Malfoy did not seem to have noticed, as he was too perplexed by what he discovered. He looked around in amazement upon seeing the thousands of hidden items. Harry's suspicion confirmed itself even further. Malfoy had wished for the room of hidden things. This was hardly a coincidence. Still, they decided to wait.
Under their concealment charm, Harry and Fleur watched as Malfoy took out the piece of parchment again and walked a rather familiar path until he came to rest before a cupboard and the chipped bust of an ugly old warlock from on top of a nearby crate.
"Under the wig... under the wig..." They heard Malfoy murmur as he frantically searched for something he would never find: "Where the fuck is it?!"
Next to Harry, Fleur had finally lost her patience. Her silent disarming charm hit Malfoy square in the chest and he was thrown backward into the plunder. She dispelled her concealment charms and caught the wand expertly as her eyes narrowed at the blond boy. Harry decided to follow her lead and dispelled his charm as well, revealing himself to Malfoy.
"YOU!" Malfoy spat as he saw the couple and hectically looked around for anything he might be able to use against them. A cold laugh escaped Fleur's soft red lips as she conjured a set of thick ropes, keeping Malfoy firmly in place.
"How dare you cast a spell on me, you filthy halfbreed." The boy roared after he failed to fight against his binds.
"You truly don't learn, do you, Malfoy?" Fleur spat. Harry could feel her rage and her magic reaching out, intending to hurt, intending to cause pain... Then, her features turned slightly avian:
"Crucio!"
Malfoy screamed in pain as his limps started spasming wildly. He must have bid his own tongue at one point, since blood started trickling from his mouth.
"Enough, Fleur!" Harry gently lowered her wand, causing her to dispel the torture curse.
"Why did you stop me?" Fleur hissed at him: "This little boy tried to poison me. He tried to take me away from you! He almost succeeded in destroying our dream and your heart's deepest desire! How can you deny me my revenge?!"
"He will get what he deserved, but we need to think about the bigger picture right." Harry placed his hand on her hips and tried to calm her: "He was sent here to take the Diadem. Why do you think that it?"
Fleur looked like she could care less about whatever reasons Malfoy has been sent here for, but in the end, she saw reason and allowed Harry to pull her in a comforting hug.
"Fine, we interrogate him first!" She snapped and shot a stream of cold water at Malfoy's head since the boy had lost consciousness at some point.
His head shot up and he spat a mixture of blood and water: "You -" he panted heavily: "You have nothing on the Dark Lord. Just kill me already... I am a dead man anyway for I have failed his mission..."
"You won't get away so easily, Malfoy." Harry shook his head: "You can probably imagine how this goes. You either tell us everything you know, or Fleur will torture you long enough until you are too weak to hold your mind shields... We will get the information we need, one way or another."
"Try your best, half-blood!" Malfoy spat once more, his face trembling with rage: "As I said, neither of you have anything on the Dark Lord. And he will kill you more painfully than anything you could come up with for me."
"Perhaps you are right..." Harry shrugged: "Let's play then."
He turned back to Fleur and gave her a nod. Once more the Veela cast the Cruciatus curse on the blonde boy until he was just about to pass out. They repeated this, two more times. Then, Harry decided to give it a try already:
"Legilimens!" He delved into the boy's mind searching for any clues. Then, he found the first thing he was looking for:
He stood in a Dark Room, the last in a line of masked, dark robbed figures. One by one they bowed before the Dark Lord and screamed in pain as they received their Mark. He could feel Malfoy's excitement at the situation all the same. It had been shortly after his father was taken from him and he was proud to take his place among the inner circle of Voldemort. Finally, he stood forward and crimson eyes bored into his.
"Draco..." The Dark Lord hissed as he pulled his wand.
"My Lord." Draco gulped heavily as he dropped to his knees.
"You are about to be granted the honor of wearing my Mark... Do you swear to remain loyal to only me? To do my bidden and serve me until you draw your last breath? To rather die than reveal my secrets?" The Dark Lord drew his wand in a complicated pattern and hissed under his breath.
"I swear!" Draco replied just before every single nerve in his body exploded in pain as the Mark was deeply and permanently embedded under his skin.
Voldemort chuckled cruelly and turned to the rest of his newly branded followers: "Leave us! Remain behind, Draco. I have your first mission for you."
"My Lord?" Draco gulped when it was only him and Voldemort left in the room.
"Harry Potter has become an annoyance to me." the Dark Lord whispered: "Upon your return to Hogwarts, you shall do everything in your power to kill either him or the people closest to him if the opportunity arises. Especially... his halfbreed of a girlfriend... I am certain you know of her... The Veela, Fleur Delacour. The creature that has killed your aunt Bellatrix..."
Range and fear surged through him. He was not too blinded by hatred to realize that Potter was undoubtedly the superior wizard. He wielded magic Draco could not even begin to understand. Was this a mission or a punishment in hopes he would fail and die? Nevertheless, Draco was determined to complete his mission and earn the trust and respect of his new Master: "I will do as commanded, My Lord."
"Do not disappoint me, Draco." the Dark Lord's eyes bored into his once more: "Your father has failed me too many times, but you shall have an opportunity to restore glory to the House Malfoy. It shall be done by the end of your sixth year."
"Yes, my Lord." Draco stuttered.
Harry retreated from the memory, his suspicion since the beginning of the year was now confirmed.
"What did you see?" Fleur asked next to him as he found himself back in the brightly lit Room of Hidden Things and not some dark drawing-room at Malfoy Manor.
"He was branded and given a mission to kill either me or anyone close to me." Harry explained: "You were explicitly mentioned to be a target as well."
"I knew it," Fleur growled. She was about to raise her wand once more, when Harry stopped her again: "I have a better idea, Fleur. Please, trust me."
The Veela seemed to be fighting with herself but reluctantly nodded. Harry walked over to Malfoy and searched his robes for the small piece of parchment.
"Get your hands off me, Potter." Malfoy spat: "How dare you touch!"
He silenced the boy with a flick of his wand and continued. Harry finally found it cramped in a side pocket it was a list of keywords and phrases.
The seventh floor in the left corridor
Hidden entrance opposite the tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet
Walk up and down three times
Think about the Room of Hidden Things
Third aisle from the left
Wooden cupboard with the chipped bust of a warlock from on top of a nearby crate
Search under the wig
Discolored taira / Diadem
Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure
He handed it over to Fleur so she could read it as well.
"So, he knows?" Fleur frowned after she finished scanning over the keywords.
"These notes were made in Malfoy's own handwriting." Harry explained: "Let's see what Voldemort actually told him."
Harry leveled his wand back to Draco and entered the boy's mind once more. The scene changed:
He was walking back to the common room in the dungeons on the day the Dark Mark had been declared illegal when suddenly a sharp pain surged through his forearm and the Mark grew unbearably hot.
"What is it, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson asked next to him.
"Nothing." Malfoy dismissed her: "I will just get some fresh air before joining you in the common room."
"Be careful." Pansy warned him: "Those Dorks would love to catch one of us by himself after tonight."
"I will not be caught." Draco shrugged her off and left the group of Slytherins to head for the entrance of the castle. In the shadow of a corner, he concealed himself as well as he could, after having practiced the charm all summer.
It was not perfect yet, but certainly better than anyone would expect from a sixth-year. Out in the open, he ran towards the ward line. As soon as he was out of bounds, he pressed a finger to the Mark that had turned a dark black and was whisked away on the spot.
He reappeared in the drawing-room of his own home.
"Draco... I have another mission for you." The Dark Lord greeted him.
"How may I serve my Lord?" Malfoy panted in relief at not being punished. He had expected the Dark Lord to be furious with him for not achieving the demanded results...
"You shall retrieve something for me from Hogwarts. Now listen carefully, while I explain where to find it. You shall speak to no one about this and carry out the mission in utmost secrecy. Take the necessary time and don't rush it. This is of great importance; do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, My Lord." Draco nodded quickly unable to meet the man's gaze for too long.
"You shall find this item when going up the seven-floor." The Dark Lord comes closer towards him, his voice a whisper:" Hidden opposite the amusing tapestry there is a hidden entrance to a very special room I have found during my time at the castle."
The Dark Lord did his best to hide it, but his demeanor turned edgy ever so slightly. Whatever this item was, it had to be invaluable to him.
"You will walk up and down the blank wall three times while thinking about the Room of Hidden Things. A door will appear and you shall enter. Take the third aisle from the left and walk until you encounter a wooden cupboard with the chipped bust of a warlock from on top of a nearby crate."
By now, Draco stood face to face with the man. His voice was so low that Draco had to concentrate to hear every word: "Search under the wig for a discolored tiara, a diadem, with the words: 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure' on it. Take the item and bring it back to me as soon as possible. Under no circumstances shall you lose it or show it to anyone else. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my Lord, I shall see it done." Draco stuttered, just as Harry left the boy's mind once more.
Harry looked down at Malfoy in disgust, as the boy's eyes widen in fear of what Harry had seen. He turned to Fleur: "Voldemort's ordered for him to take it."
"Does he know we are after them?" Fleur asked.
"I could not tell." Harry shook his head: "But he seemed nervous. He did not just want Malfoy to find it and make sure it's still there. He wanted him to retrieve it and bring it back to him... Perhaps he found out somehow..."
"The Lestrange Vault." Fleur mused: "He must have finally realized that its contents went to Sirius and therefore to you instead of her sister."
"Perhaps. Or he asked for the Dairy and was told that it had been destroyed." Harry explained: "He might have also visited the Ring or the Locket and saw that both were missing. Or in case of the Locket, replaced with a fake."
"He might deduce that the Diadem is gone if we don't let Malfoy report back to him..." Fleur said.
"It does not matter... He will figure out one way or another..." Harry shook his head: "It's only the Snake left anyways. He was always going to keep her close. It does not change things that he knows now..."
"Then we can kill the boy and be done with it." Fleur looked down at Malfoy in utter disgust and raised her wand.
"I have a better idea." Harry smirked: "Malfoy is probably right. Nothing we could think of will compare to what the Dark Lord does to him. If he is going to figure out that we have hunted down the Horcruxes, why not take pride in our achievements and be the one to deliver the message?"
"What do you in mind?" Fleur asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The muggles call it psychological warfare... Let's show Voldemort the destruction of his own Horcrux..." Harry smirked.
"You want to plant a fake memory in Malfoy's head?" Fleur asked in disbelief.
"That is exactly what I will do It will be a mixture between our own memory of destroying the Diadem and an illusion, created by images of destroying other Horcruxes. Hopefully, it will all fuse together into a realistic and uninterrupted memory..." Harry smirked:
"Malfoy will wish that it had been us to kill him... Voldemort will not have an ounce of mercy for him. His father's carelessness brought the destruction of the Dairy and now his son destroyed the Diadem... Imagine what he will do to him..."
"Can you cast the spell?" Fleur asked: "It is one of the most complicated pieces of magic there is."
"I have watched Tom Riddle do it his uncle before murdering his father and grandparents... If he mentioned it at 16, then I shall too. Why don't we find out?" Harry grinned: "We have nothing to lose. He dies either way."
"Not yet, my love." Fleur interrupted him: "First, let's find out a bit about Malfoy Manor...After all, you sounded like Voldemort is currently hiding there..."
March 21st, 1997
Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England
The Dark Lord frowned as the blond boy entered the dark drawing-room. He had summoned the Malfoy heir, expecting him to be successful in his most recent mission. He had debated for the same whether to send the boy or Severus. In the end, he had decided against the former potions professor. If Dumbledore somehow could wind of what he intended to do, his secret would be discovered and everything would be at risk...
The mission had been simple and not have taken too much time. However, to his surprise, he was met with a frail, weak, and anxious-looking boy.
"Report, Draco!" Voldemort hissed: "Did you bring what I asked you to?"
"My Lord... I can't seem to remember your mission..." Draco gulped heavily and stuttered: "There are empty spots in my memory... all I know is that I went up on the seventh floor and woke up in my bed two days later. I struggle to remember what happened in between."
"Quiet boy!" Voldemort growled in irritation: "I did not summon you to listen to your pleading... I will take a look myself!"
The pale yew wand flicked in his hand as he brutally entered the boy's mind. In truth, his mind was a mess. Something had happened here, but he could not tell what. But there had to be a memory he could work with, anything...
He delved even deeper and found what he came looking for. Draco walked up the seventh floor and opened the Room of Hidden Things. The marvelous creation of Rowena Ravenclaw, which only he had had ever truly discovered. The anticipation grew in him as he watched himself walk along the path he had described to the boy weeks earlier until he reached the wooden cupboard with the chipped bust of a warlock from on top of a nearby crate.
By now, Voldemort could hardly contain his anticipation of finally seeing the item that had perhaps taken the longest for him to track down, deep in the Albanian forest. He ignored the slight twitching of the memory and brushed it off as Malfoy's weak emotional state. He was too overwhelmed by the joy he felt at seeing the beautifully sparkling Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw shimmering under the old wig Malfoy brushed off.
So, the boy had found it... it was secure and undamaged. But why did he not take it back with him, just as ordered?
The answer came soon when Draco picked up the Diadem and placed it on the floor beneath him. He watched in shock, as Malfoy leveled his wand at the Diadem and spoke the words of pure destruction:
"Fiendfyre!"
Voldemort screamed within Malfoy's mind as his precious anchor was engulfed in bright hot flames. He felt a sharp pain as the demon's fire burned its path through the piece of his very soul that was deeply hidden within the Diadem.
He had never felt as helpless as when he was forced to watch one of his safeguards being reduced to nothing but ashes on the Floor of the Room of Hidden Things. Finally, a high scream sounded from deep within the Diadem.
A few seconds passed in shock. Then, Voldemort pulled himself out of the memory. A hot burning rage that rivals the cursed flames he just saw, was throbbing through his body. He watched as the boy groaned in pain and rubbed his temples. Malfoy's grey eyes widened in fear as they found his crimson red:
"I- I don't remember doing that." Malfoy stuttered: "I don't know what happened. I swear. All I know was that I discovered the room..."
His sentence turned incoherent as Voldemort clenched his fist and the air tightened around the boy: "You family has done more harm to me than any of my enemies combined..." Voldemort leashed out and threw the boy against the opposite wall.
"For too long a Malfoy has failed me. And now you revealed your true face and became a traitor to our cause..."
"My Lord... Have mercy... my Lord, please..." Draco whimpered the is no mercy.
"There is no mercy," Voldemort whispered as he leveled his wand on the sobbing boy.
"Crucio!"
For the next hours, the Dark Lord relentlessly cast the Cruciatus curse on the boy, who had brought down the destruction of one of his most precious possessions. He cared not for how the boy might have found out. All he wished to do, was cause unthinkable pain to him while imagining a different face screaming at his feet. Soon it would be one with bright green eyes instead of grey and dark hair instead of blonde...
The boy screamed until his voice broke, but the Dark Lord did not intend on stopping. The Cruciatus caused had already dealt unrepairable damage to the boy's mind, when finally, his young body gave up and he broke.
Voldemort looked down at the bloodied something that by now, only showed a very faint resemblance to a human body. True to their surname the family had been bad faith indeed...
"Nagini..." He hissed: "Food."