Previously on Defiance...
It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross by foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for Harry's entertainment. Once inside the station they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through onto platform nine and three quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families. Harry inhaled the familiar smell and felt his spirits drop... it felt odd now that he was leaving Black Townhouse and moving to Hogwarts for a year. He wondered over his decision to make Sirius stay back at the house and not come with them to the station. He ignored the commotion, the rest of the Order members were causing, especially the fuss that Mrs. Weasley was causing with little Ronnie's prefect badge and his new trunk and everything. He could hear Moody telling everyone something along the lines of ... "don't forget, all of you — careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all." Harry tuned everything out as he found himself a compartment and took a window seat. This was going to be a very long journey.
"Daphne, the dark lord is back, and no matter what the Ministry stooges might say, he is back and definitely on his way for another rise. The last time I had sufficed by making some donations to his camp, but I am afraid this time, he won't allow anyone to remain neutral."
"So what do you want me to do, Father?"
"I am afraid that there will be no bystanders this time, including our family, and as the Lord of Greengrass, my top priority will be to ensure that my family survives the oncoming disaster."
"So we are going to support the Dark Lord?" Daphne surmised.
"No." Cyrus deadpanned. "I lost my brother to his service. The dark lord cares for no one, but himself. There is no loyalty in his heart, only ambition and a quest to be above all."
Daphne stayed quiet.
"The Malfoy brat has tried to court your younger sister three times so far. I am told that you have intimidated him away. I am afraid that this time it isn't going to work."
"You want Astoria to allow Malfoy to court her."
"Yes," Cyrus sighed. "The Malfoy scion, for all intents and purposes, is nothing like his father. If he courts Astoria, it will automatically ensure that our House will stay safe from the Dark Lord's wrath."
Daphne nodded.
"I want you to feel up Harry Potter."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Daphne. I want you to get closer to Potter, sense his powers and his strength. It is obvious that Potter holds significant political power, and if the rumors are correct, his magical prowess is beyond ordinary."
"Potter is at most, an above-average in academics." Daphne frowned.
"I did not expect my daughter to be so short-sighted. Tell me my dear, how is it that an above-average student won the Triwizard Tournament competing against three adults?"
"Luck?" Daphne supplied.
"Luck can only go so far. I am afraid either Potter is hiding his true strengths, or he is underprepared and has a ton of unused and unhoned power. Either way, it is clear that the Light side will be fighting under Potter's banner, and not Dumbledore."
"Potter is Dumbledore's golden boy." Daphne defended.
"We will see, my dear. We will see."
Daphne walked past the lengthy train corridor, her disillusionment charm holding up very nicely as she walked slowly and carefully, past the individual compartments that housed the students going to Hogwarts. Knowing Potter, he was sure to be in some compartment with the Weasel and the beaver, and neither of them was her type. Then again, Potter was someone she would not touch with a nine-foot long pole either way. The silencing charm worked perfectly, and should one notice carefully, they would spot nothing than a blur in the air. Then again, no one had ever accused Hogwarts' students to be great observers.
She had passed most of the compartments, and had spotted the Longbottom boy and one blonde girl sitting together, chatting amiably about stuff out of her interest. Potter wasn't there, and neither were Granger and Weasley. She was just about to leave when the sound of oncoming footsteps stopped her. Daphne paused, and stood still, holding her breath.
Granger and Weasley crossed her and entered the compartment. As expected, Granger went for the window seat and lifted a book out of her trunk while Weasley predictably, took out a beef sandwich and shoved it down his throat.
Daphne felt disgusted. However, her cunning instincts all but forced her to stay and listen to their mindless droning. Apparently, Granger and Weasley were the new Gryffindor Prefects. Daphne rolled her eyes. Mcgonagall must have been having one of her periods when she had decided on making those two morons as Prefects. Anyone with an eye for observation could notice how almost everyone that was not in Gryffindor hated Granger on principle. Weasley... well he was Weasley. Full stop.
But where is Potter?
Her hand slowly went up to her ear as she carefully twisted her earring, as the rune activated. Instantly, the voices became much more distinct and audible than before. Daphne was very proud of her earrings. She had enchanted them the previous year using a very carefully merged form of the sound-amplification charm and the stealth rune, helping her to hear inaudible conversations with excellent audibility. It wasn't eavesdropping, she told herself. After all, it was other's fault that they were not cautious enough to raise privacy wards when having private conversations.
Harry Potter is not friends with these two? How the fuck did that happen?
She closed in.
"Harry has changed," Granger was saying, "he has spent the entire summer studying dark magic. His behavior has changed, and even Dumbledore has noticed it."
Daphne wondered for a moment how the bushy beaver met with Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore over the summer break, but she held on.
"It's almost like he doesn't recognize us, mate." Weasley emphasized, "All the time we were downstairs, and he didn't even come down for a match of chess."
How cruel... Daphne thought sarcastically. So, these morons were staying with Harry Potter, but wasn't Potter staying at his muggle relatives every summer?
Her mind went back to the newspaper article. Right. His relatives were killed, so did that mean he was living with Dumbledore? Moreover, what were Granger and Weasley doing there? Something was wrong and-
"That's a very good demonstration of the disillusionment charm."
Any other person would have spun around in a matter of milliseconds, but Daphne Greengrass was not any other person. She stiffened as she heard the voice, her mind recognizing it instantly. By some cruel stance of Fate, Harry bloody Potter was standing behind her. Her breath on hold, Daphne tried to see through the corners as much as she could without making the slightest movement, since movement was the key to spotting someone under the charm. Surprisingly, Harry Potter seemed uninterested in her presence or her reason to be there. In fact, he did not even consider that a Slytherin was standing there, right in front of the door. It was all so puzzling.
Potter entered into the compartment, facing the Longbottom boy. Anyone else would have missed it, but Daphne noticed the slight movement of his wand and a slight simmer in the air as a privacy ward took effect. Potter discussed something with the Longbottom boy, before leaving the compartment. Daphne noticed that he did not even give a passing glance to the Weasel and the beaver as he departed.
Daphne let her breath out, not realizing that she had been holding it for quite long. Something had fundamentally shifted between Potter's golden Trio. In fact, something about Potter seemed very different. Previously, he was brawny, always running into the fight wand waving, wearing his emotions on his sleeve. Now though... it was almost as if he had changed completely. There was no way the golden Gryffindor could become someone this cold and composed. It was almost...
Slytherin.
There was something different, something interesting, which was going on. And Daphne would be damned not to figure out what it was.
Sometime earlier...
Harry was sitting alone inside a compartment. If Hagrid had been there, he would have been overjoyed at finding a fire-breathing dragon. Indeed, Harry's fists were so tight that it hurt and blood slowly trickled through them, drop by drop on the floor. His eyes were red with rage, his heart wounded and lost in vengeance. To think he was thinking of giving the two bastards another chance...
He pondered over the workings of fate. No, not fate. Dumbledore. The wily old man who had, one after the other, slowly snatched away every good thing in his life. He had removed him from Godric's Hollow, and left him to suffer at the Dursleys, destroying his chance at a childhood. He had suffered all his early life, knowing that he was a freak and that his parents were worthless drunks who killed each other in a cars accident. Then, after returning to Hogwarts, the man had placed the stone in school, and he had to fight Voldemort for his life. The same happened with the basilisk and then with the dementors, and the tournament and the...
He felt tired.
And now the old man just had to bribe his friends to spy on him. The sad thing was- he should have seen it coming. It was almost ironic that the revelation was the result of a prank...
"Come on Ron, it is time for our patrol duties." Hermione ordered snobbishly. Ron looked mortified at the thought of serving and maintaining order among students, as was visible from his face. Ginny laughed childishly and even Harry had a smirk on his face.
"What's the hurry, Hermione?" Ron protested, but shut up under the brown-haired witch's glare. Ron gulped.
"If we do not serve our role properly, what will the younger ones learn from us?" Hermione began but Ron cut her off. "Come now Hermione, no need to be so- okay, okay, I am coming." Ron raised his hands in surrender as the two of them began to get up from the couch.
"Ron doesn't want to upset her, because he has got a crush on her." Ginny whispered to Harry up close, making him raise his eyebrows. It made sense, given the way Ron had allowed Hermione to run over him all summer. He might not have spent much time with them but even he wasn't that oblivious.
"He wants to get her to kiss him." Ginny explained animatedly. Harry smirked as a little prank germinated in his mind. Raising his finger in a completely unassuming manner, he thought of the monitoring charm. Immediately, he could feel a magical point on Ron, as his spell now told him what Ron was talking at the moment.
It was almost hilarious, the way the two of them were bickering like an old married couple. He heard Ron yell out as Hermione pushed him into another compartment, preferably private, he mused. He was half-way between deciding whether he wanted to hear what the clumsy couple did behind hidden doors when-
"Shut it Ron, this type of attitude won't work. You know Dumbledore gave us the Prefect posts for a reason."
All thoughts of pranking and fun vaporized from Harry's mind. His breath turned slow as he listened.
"What do you mean Dumbledore gave us the-"
"Stop being an idiot. You know very well that no one in the right mind would choose you as a prefect. Especially when Harry is in the line."
Ron grunted angrily. "You too, Hermione, you also think that I am less than-"
"Shut it, Ron. You and I both know it. His grades are better than yours are. He has saved the school so many times."
"We were also there." Ron defended angrily.
"We were, but he is the one whose name came on top. He is Harry Potter for Merlin's sake. Do you really think that Mcgonagall would have chosen you over him?" Hermione scolded condescendingly.
Harry almost imagined Ron to be green with envy.
"You know very well that Dumbledore told us that he would pay us back because of the service we are doing for the Order." Hermione explained with a rush. "You wanted limelight, and now you have it. You are a Prefect, as am I. Now if you do not do the Prefect duties, he is going to be angry. Do you want that to happen?"
Ron grunted.
"Plus with your fight with Harry, he is already cold towards the both of us. Now if for your laziness, Dumbledore gets angry on us, I am not going to stand it." She huffed.
Harry had had enough. He got up slowly, his mind lost in emotional turmoil. All those memories he had with his friends, and they had sold him out to Dumbledore for favors. Excusing himself, he escaped out of the compartment, not willing to stay inside it any longer.
A part of him wanted vengeance for the betrayal. A part of him wanted to simply go to Hogwarts and punch the old bastard in the face. A part of him wanted to simply forget everything else and cry.
I will not let the old bastard win. They chose him over me, so let that be it. I will get over it. I will leave them back as I progress on my path to become the greatest wizard of the world.
His aura flared. His wand began sparking as a sudden change came over his demeanor. Then he remembered- his trunk. He still had his trunk in that compartment. Getting up, he walked back to the compartment, hoping against hope that he should not meet the two betrayers on the way. Knowing his anger, he was not sure what he would do.
He walked past the long corridor of the train, steadily towards the compartment. He was just about to enter the compartment when he noticed the slight shimmer in the air.
A disillusionment charm.
Someone was standing at the door, eavesdropping on the inmates of the compartment. He could see Neville and another girl sitting inside the compartment. Whoever it was, was eavesdropping on their private conversations.
"That's a very good demonstration of the disillusionment charm."
Whoever it was, he or she was good, really good. One of the easiest ways of trying to detect a disillusionment charm was to check for movement. Harry could see the person get completely still, all most unto to the point of not breathing, until said person were almost a slight shimmer in the air. Whoever it was, was trying very hard to keep from being discovered. Harry almost smirked. He could see the betrayers inside, talking amongst themselves. For a moment, he thought to unmask the eavesdropper, but then he let it go.
What does it matter to me anyway?
He walked into the compartment, and found everyone looking at him. Waving his wand with the shortest possible movement, he raised a privacy ward. He raised his wand as his trunk shrunk and came down to him.
"Hey Harry, nice to see you." Neville wished. The other blonde girl was busy looking at some kind of magazine, though he could see that it was inverted.
"Harry mate, where were you?" Weasley asked. Granger smiled at him. Nobody noticed how Harry's fingers gripped his wand tighter.
"Nice to meet you Neville," Harry wished, trying his level best to keep his emotions under control. The last time he had lost control, the Black family magic had poised to strike down everyone in the room. He did not want that to happen. Not now, anyway.
He kept a tight rein on his emotions as he gave a passing glance towards the betrayers, his expressionless façade seeing through Hermione's smile and Ron's enthusiasm.
Fake. He told himself. All fake.
I need to be out of here.
He walked out of the compartment, ignoring the eavesdropper and the betrayers behind.
Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton.
"What news do you bring, Selwyn?"
The man in black knelt in front of him, his face hidden by the white death eater mask. He kissed the helm of the dark lord' robes. "My lord," he began, lifting the mask to reveal his face, "Potter is returning to Hogwarts. The Ministry is still against Dumbledore and Potter, though Umbridge's attempt at killing Potter had the opposite reaction that she intended."
"Umbridge," Voldemort mused, "Pureblood, ruthless and holds a position of power. Perhaps we can influence her to join our cause."
"I don't believe it will be difficult, my Lord. The woman is perhaps the most extreme when it comes to the pureblood cause. Most of the laws against creatures are forwarded by that woman."
"Interesting. How is the progress at the Department of Mysteries going on?"
"We have a new spy at the place. The process of trying to extract the prophecy orb is under process, but the presence of the Order is making things difficult." Selwyn commented.
"The Order is of no consequence. Continue your work with full force. If it comes to open battle, I will reveal myself if I must. The orb remains top priority."
"Of course, my lord." Selwyn commented, standing up and leaving the room, leaving the dark lord alone to his musings.
"Something is wrong with the Potter boy, Nagini," the dark lord hissed in Parseltongue, as the great snake coiled around his arm. "Something about the boy troubles me."
He had thought about the matter a lot, but he was still unable to get any inference from it so far. It was simply impossible, the way the events of the night of the Third task had unfolded. He distinctly remembered setting up anti-apparation, anti-portkey wards and even special anti-phoenix wards by a private ward master. Yes, the Triwizard Cup was indeed a two-way portkey but that was insignificant. The anti-portkey wards would have prevented it from portkeying Harry Potter away. Yet...
The more he thought about it, the more it made even less sense. He was the dark lord Voldemort. He knew better than to stand around, boasting how he had captured his enemy when said enemy lay tied in front of him. He should have thrown a killing curse at Potter, finished him for good, and then called up everyone else and boasted.
But no...He had not done that. He had been overcome by his vanity, and took his time to boast about his accomplishment, giving that brat to think of an escape plan. Somehow, the boy had an ace up his sleeve. However, even that, did not matter. Hubris or not, he was the dark lord Voldemort, there was no way a teenager could have bested him in a battle of wills. It was unfathomable. Three main questions still troubled him. Questions that he had no way of getting an answer to.
How did Potter best me in a battle of wills? It is impossible that his magical power is the same as my own if not more.
How is it that a brat with nothing more than four years of magical education escaped the attacks of twenty-two death eaters and himself, escaping away with the Cup, alongside the other boy's body? There was simply no way that he could have deflected all of those curses that had rained down at him.
What happened to the wards? How was it that the normal two-way portkey broke out through the anti-apparation wards designed by Lord Voldemort himself?
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Importantly, that feeling of wrongness was centered on Harry Potter. The boy was an enigma, and Lord Voldemort could not help but reverberate the words that had brought his doom the first time around...
"The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches...
born to those who have thrice defied him...
born as the seventh month dies..."
What is this power? What is so special about Harry Potter that he continues to evade me every single time? What power is it that can vanquish me?
He stroked his familiar caringly. "I need the entire contents of the Prophecy, Nagini. Only the entire prophecy will solve the enigma that is Harry Potter."
Nagini hissed loudly, reverberating her Master's emotions.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I will take this time to answer a few questions asked to me in the reviews. First and foremost, I want to state that the response has been overwhelming. I never imagined that my story would get almost 500 followers in the first week. Thank you.
I will try to answer the questions asked right from the first review onwards until the ones asked in Chapter 9. In case I miss something, please inform me privately on PM or post it in another review. As long as it is not a spoiler, I will answer.
How long will the story be? I expect it to finish by the end of sixth year or maximum seventh year Halloween. I am anticipating a word count of 300k.
My update schedule? I am afraid I am a very moody person. It all depends upon my mood and of course, my work schedule. Unless I am awfully busy, I will try to upload at least one chapter every two days. However, in case I have something else in mind or am engaged in some different pursuits, the updates might take some time.
I stole this story? I am honestly intrigued by your proposition. If you can indeed find someone who has this story posted before I did, I will accept your accusation. However, I would advise you to make sure your accusation holds merit before you go and mindlessly spew it. Thank you very much.
What is Bill's father going to do with the information? I am afraid you will have to wait to find out.
Clone or time-traveler? I do not know.
How am I updating so quickly? Interesting. Well here goes. I DO NOT write chapters in advance. I am a more of a spontaneous person. My day job leaves me free in the evenings, which I use to write the chapter and post it instantly. Whenever you see a chapter's notification on your email. Understand that it has been written in the previous two to three hours and posted instantly.
The goblins aren't helpful. They are simply ambitious and know that their customers are bringers of more gold. You aren't going to be anything other than HELPFUL to people who bring you wealth, unless you are exceptional (I believe that is the modern, unassuming word which translates to RETARD).
Stupid manipulative Dumbledore? I am not sure when Dumbledore demonstrated any kind of stupidity so far. Just because Sirius and Harry ran circles around his plan and caught him off-guard doesn't make him stupid. Does it?
Hermione and Ron. To be honest, I am not in love with those two characters. As for this story, I needed them in the story but outside the main picture. They are important, but in a different kind of way. I like to think as a form of a stupid idiot and will continue to paint him in that color. It is not bashing, it is just the way he is. I am simply trying to play with the canon characters and storyline and putting my own twists in the middle. Harry is not some super Slytherin, super intelligent, super powerful wizard. He has his limits, his weaknesses and his flaws. To be honest, even canon Harry demonstrated a huge amount of power. Not my fault if JKR never decided to use that plot and instead did her best to show him as a weak retard.
Last but not the least, I am very, very thankful to everyone who has been reading, reviewing and following this story. Your reviews are always welcome and hope you will continue to like my story.