June 23 1996
As the Dark Lord´s gaze fell upon her Daphne couldn´t help but shiver slightly. The man- no, man wasn't an accurate description. The creature that sat within the luxurious seat was no man, he was a monster. The aura he exuded was as oppressing as it was intoxicating. Being in such close proximity to someone with such an incredible feeling of power Daphne could understand how the man had amassed so many loyal followers.
To Daphne the Dark Arts had always been something alluring. Growing up in the Greengrass household, she was confronted with what the Ministry classified as "dark" magic from very early on. Despite their lineage carrying an image of being gray, their family magic had much stronger connections to dark magic.
She for instance had shown considerable aptitude for the Dark Arts from an early age. Her father, ever the opportunist had recognized her potential. Thus she had to forgo a normal childhood in favor of being trained in the art of dueling. Daphne supposed that she should count herself lucky that she likely wouldn't have to suffer being a trophy wife for some old aristocrat, serving no other purpose than pumping out babies and looking fashionable.
Now however it seemed that her magical prowess would lead her into damnation instead of serving to protect her. As she locked eyes with the Dark Lord, she couldn't help but feel that whatever he had planned wouldn't end favorably for her. But she refused to confront her fate with her head held low. And so she stared at the Dark Lord anxious to hear what he had planned for her.
Break
Voldemort observed the girl evenly. She was young, couldn´t be older than 16 he mused. However, age wasn't an indicator of skill as he himself had proven time and time again in his youth. The girl locked eyes with him and he couldn't help but feel slightly impressed. None of his Death eaters dared to look him in the eyes unless he explicitly commanded them and here was this girl, not even an adult and still with more spine than any of them.
Case in point as he looked at the rooms two other occupants, their heads bowed, facing the ground. Sneering in disgust he returned to observe the girl who still remained silent. She was tense he noted, her body positioned in an advanced dueling stance. Despite her outwards appearance of fearlessness he noticed the occasional twitch of her eyebrows and the way that her eyes swept the room ever so often.
Every subconscious movement of her body indicated that she didn´t want to be here. Voldemort was intrigued. What could possess a father to bring his daughter into such a dangerous situation without her consent?
Still, what little he knew of Cygnus Greengrass lead him to the conclusion: a rise in station. And whilst the Dark Lord could respect the want to further one´s own power and influence he hadn't expected that someone would risk their own family for it.
Deciding to finally break the oppressive silence that had settled in the room he spoke "I wonder …" and watched as the girl jumped slightly before calming herself almost immediately. "Why are you here, Daphne Greengrass?"
Break
Panicking slightly at the sudden interruption of the silence, Daphne's mind began to race. What did he mean by that? That he didn´t care for her own opinion was obvious by virtue of him being the Dark Lord. Lying to him was out of the question, the Dark Lords Legilimency-capabilities were the stuff of legend after all. And so she went with the truth, no matter the consequences. "My Lord, I´m here because of my father. Apparently, he decided that the potential opportunities are worth abandoning his own flesh and blood."
By the end of her short outburst her voice had become angry and despite knowing that it was probably not the smartest move to speak like that in the Dark Lords vicinity she couldn't care less at this point. Her Father had cost her so many things and now with his latest ploy, quite possibly her life. The least she could do was let the man know how much she despised him before meeting her maker.
As expected, her disrespect seemed to annoy the Dark Lord quite a bit. She watched as he narrowed his eyes, stood up and drew his wand. Deciding that she would go out on her own terms she prepared herself and as soon as the first spell left the Dark Lords wand, dodged to the left. The spell missed her and crashed against a bookshelf, tearing half of it to pieces.
Before she could do anything else she was knocked down by Lucius Malfoy, the man's presence completely forgotten during her adrenaline rush. "Are you daft, Girl?!" he hissed. "When the Dark Lord decides to punish you, you accept it!"
Observing the man, Daphne noticed Lucius´ panicked breathing. "What have you done? "The man muttered. "You could have just remained respectful like I said! Now you´ve cost us both our- "
That was as far as the man got however before his back suddenly arched in pain and he began screaming. Flinging the Malfoy Lord off herself, Daphne quickly stood up. Wand still in hand, she searched the room frantically, expecting the Dark Lord to curse her once more.
When she found him however, the man was standing above Lucius, his wand trained on him. Shortly thereafter he stopped and turned, looking at her. Tensing, she readied herself. Daphne knew that she stood no chance against the might of the Dark Lord but as before, her decision stood . She would go out on her own terms.
Right as she thought about starting with her own attack however, Voldemort pocketed his wand and began to clap slowly, mockingly, a pleased smirk etched onto his face. Utterly bewildered now, she looked at the Dark Lord questioningly, hoping for an explanation.
Break
Watching the girl´s indignation over the unfair treatment her father had subjected her with, Voldemort felt thrilled. That anger, the desire to prove one´s own family different, he could use this.
Even so, the girl needed to be tested before he would decide to train her. He had no need of another mindless follower that accepted everything that came their way, be it punishment or reward. The girl would have to think for herself to be successful in finding and subjugating Potter.
Channeling his disgust at Lucius and all the other boot-lickers under his command, a facade to portray anger came easily to him. Whilst he stood and drew his wand, he observed the girl carefully. She had seemed to expect a response from him, indicated by the tensing of her hands and the subtle shift of her stance.
Pleased that so far it didn't seem that she would simply accept retaliation lying down, he quickly fired a curse at her. It was one of his favorites that wasn't the killing Curse, one that whilst it wouldn´t kill the target, it would severely cripple them. Should the Greengrass girl get hit by it not only would her dueling career be over but she would also suffer extreme spouts of pain throughout her life. In his eyes it was the perfect punishment should she fail to meet his standards.
To his utmost joy however she dodged out of the way, the curse instead ridding the world of one of Lucius´ shelves. It seemed that the slippery Malfoy Lord had once again managed to prolong his life, this time by providing him with a seemingly perfect candidate.
Almost as if to squash the small bit of appreciation he had gained for the man however, he watched as Lucius started to berate the girl. That wouldn´t do. He had no intention of letting him criticize Greengrass for precisely the qualities he wanted.
Quickly putting an end to the mans unwanted interruption through the use of the Cruciatus, he kept an eye on Greengrass one last time. True to his expectations the girl remained alert the entire time.
Convinced that it was worth his time to train the girl, he decided that it was finally time to inform her of the plans he had for her. Grabbing the girls attention with a few sarcastic claps he began to speak. "Do not pay attention to Lucius´ ramblings, Girl. It seems he has once again forgot his place."
The Malfoy Lord who laid scrunched up on the floor from the curses´ aftereffects seemed to shrink into himself even further upon hearing his masters words, aware of the consequences they carried for him. Undeterred of his servants movements, Voldemort continued.
"Do forgive my rude reception. I simply had to ascertain if you are … worthy." He trailed of looking at the girl. As he had hoped, the almost derogative words angered her, indicated by the narrowing of her eyes.
"Do you make it a habit of trying to kill even the people you specifically request the help of?" she bit out, her body still tense. With every word she spoke the girl became more appealing for Voldemort's plans. So much anger, so much potential.
Perhaps he would have to change his plan from simply training her minimally and throwing her to the wolves to a more thorough approach. If the girl continued to meet his expectations maybe she could truly replace the vacant spot of Bellatrix.
To rid the girl of her confusion he let loose his aura, the previously repressed magic flooding the room. As soon as the wave crashed into the girl, she buckled. Her legs couldn´t withstand the oppressive feel of his magic. As she kneeled on the floor trying to catch her breath he stalked towards her.
Seizing the girl by her robes he roughly brought her to an upright position, pleased to see the fire of resistance still burning in her eyes. " You have been brought here today to be trained by me." He hissed.
Narrowing his eyes he continued "Be warned that I have no need of another mindless drone under my heel. Your training will be grueling and should you be inattentive or unwilling to listen you will wish for a painless death. But you have withstood me so far and so I ask you: don't you want to surpass your limits? To be above them all, your father that merely sees you as something to trade for influence and all the others that only see you as a pretty face?"
Despite the fact that he simply valued people for their ability, Voldemort was acutely aware how women were often seen as being less valuable than man. If he could exploit the fear to be made a mere trophy wife to make the girl more willing to be trained by him all the better.
He truly hoped that she would agree. It would be much more beneficial for his plans as well as her wellbeing. All of that potential, it would be wasted should she refuse. He had no need of an unwilling apprentice and holding her under the Imperius would severely limit her usefulness.
Break
The Dark Lords advice to not listen to the Malfoy Lord only served to confuse her even more. Why did the man curse his own underling? Why was she here? Daphne doubted that she had done something to anger the Dark Lord that warranted being lured into his base under false pretenses only to be murdered.
Sadly Voldemort's next words also didn't help to rid her of her confusion, instead only serving to make her angrier. What had she done to be brought before the Dark Lord only to be almost killed and subsequently belittled?
Expressing her anger she bit out "Do you make it a habit of trying to kill even the people you specifically request the help of?" tensing in anticipation for any further attempts on her life. Curiously instead of the expected anger the Darks Lords eyes seemed to gleam and he looked positively gleeful, a surprisingly human reaction from the otherwise inhuman man.
Before she could ask anything to finally understand the situation a wave of the Dark Lords aura swept through the room, knocking her to the floor. It was several times stronger than the aura she had felt upon entering the room. She came to the startling realization that he must have suppressed it when their group had entered the room.
It should have been impossible as even when she had first laid eyes upon him the feeling he gave of was incredibly powerful. Nonetheless the Dark Lord seemed to defy all laws and so she could do nothing than watch with heavy breaths as the Dark Lord slowly, predatorily walked towards her.
As she was hoisted into the air by her robes by the man's incredible strength, she was sure her life was finally over. As a result his subsequent revelation that he wanted to train her came as even more of a surprise.
Had the previous attacks really been part of a test? They had to have been since the Dark Lord had clearly held back. If the man truly wanted to kill her, she would have been dead as soon as she entered the room.
Despite fortunately still being alive the Darks Lords demand presented her with a new problem. Demand, because despite the wording that suggested it being an option to simply deny the Dark Lord, Daphne was under no illusion how that choice would end for her.
In truth, she did not subscribe to the ideals Voldemort advocated. Whilst she couldn´t care less about muggels, she was a firm believer that they should simply be left alone. The less the two worlds crossed over, the less the chance that anything that could harm the statute of secrecy would happen.
Furthermore she thought that killing muggels for simply feeling better about oneself was not only disgusting but beneath her dignity. Unfortunately her being trained by the Dark Lord would most likely include such acts.
Still, in the end the advancements that she could make and simply her wish to survive led Daphne to only one possible answer. Vowing to do her utmost to keep the violence against innocents as low as she could manage, she gave Voldemort her answer.
"I would be delighted to receive your guidance my Lord. It is an utmost honor to be trained by you." Upon hearing her decision the Dark Lords eyes lit up and his face twisted into a malignant smirk. Shivering slightly, Daphne couldn´t help but feel like she had just made a deal with the devil.
Abruptly the Dark Lord let her go and as she plummeted to the floor he turned and spoke to her father who kneeled in the corner of the room, hiding behind a cabinet that had fallen over during the previous commotion. Looking at the man whose presence she had completely forgotten Daphne couldn´t help but snarl in disgust.
True to his cowardly nature the man had done nothing to help her, his own daughter, during the previous events, choosing instead to do anything to keep his pathetic life.
Looking down at the Greengrass Lord, Voldemort spoke "Remove your daughter from Hogwarts immediately Cygnus. She shall not be needing their education anymore."
Backing away slowly from the Dark Lord Cygnus stuttered "Of c-course my Lord. It will be done as soon as possible."
Without waiting for a response her father practically ran from the room, leaving Daphne alone with Voldemort and Lucius who had slowly picked himself up from the ground and stood again, legs twitching occasionally.
The Dark Lord´s gaze stayed on the empty corridor where Cygnus had left for a few more seconds before he spun around. "Take Greengrass to one of your empty spare bedrooms Lucius."
Addressing her he continued "Your training will begin tomorrow at 7 am in this room. Do not be late." Once again assuming her previous persona Daphne chose to remain silent, merely bowing in response before she followed Lucius out of the room.
It seemed like her life was about to take a truly unexpected turn. Despite her now constant close vicinity to the most feared man in all of Britain Daphne couldn´t help but feel slightly excited about everything she was about to learn.
It had always been one of her aspirations to become one of, if not the best in the field of magical dueling. Training under Voldemort would definitely help her to achieve that goal, if only she didn´t die beforehand. It was after all still the Dark Lord whose regiment she would be subjected to.
Break
June 24 1996
Harry looked at himself in the mirror, blinking away the last traces of sleep. Today was perhaps the most important day of his foreseeable future. Yesterday he had finished his last O.W.L. and so today was the day to potentially rid the world of one of Tom Riddles soul anchors.
It had felt quite surreal to go through his exams as if nothing happened after all the chaotic events of the last few days. Nonetheless with nothing in Hogwarts that still required his attention he could finally go through with the plan he had developed over the last few days.
Anxious to finally be able to set his plan in motion Harry quickly finished his morning routine and walked over to his bed. Rummaging through his trunk that stood beside it he carefully removed the vial with the basilisk venom and stored it into his Mokeskin pouch. After a few seconds of deliberation he took Dumbledore´s wand as well.
Whilst he had not used the wand since he had acquired it, he still remembered the strange rush of power that occurred when he first held the wand. Such power could come in handy facing whatever protections the ring might have besides the Parselwards.
Harry hesitated for a second before he decided to don his invisibility cloak as well. Whilst he was loath to bring one of the few things that remained from his parents into such a dangerous situation, the secrecy the cloak offered would undoubtedly be very helpful.
Harry checked one last time for anything that would be useful for his endeavor. Finding nothing else he gave a mental command to Fawkes who had been resting in the tattoo until now. Instantly he disappeared from the room, unaware that this would be the last time the castles walls would house him in a long, long time.
Break
The first thing Harry noticed when he reappeared was the onsetting decay that seemed affect everything around him. Fawkes had blazed him into the middle of a sloppily paved street, encased in overgrown gardens.
His gaze fell upon the building right in front of him. Whilst it must have been quite a big, luxurious house once it was now rotting, the decay turning the formerly proud building into nothing more than a defunct corpse.
As he mustered the partially caved in walls, it finally clicked why the area gave of such an unsettling feeling. Whilst the noticeable decay certainly didn't make for a pleasant atmosphere, the feeling the building before him emitted was in a league of its own. It was malignant, twisted and Harry had felt it a few times before: when he was in Voldemort's presence.
Any doubt that a Horcrux waited for him in the building was now gone and Harry slowly tensed, the reality of the situation beginning to dawn on him. If he was successful today, he could severely weaken his archenemy.
Thinking quickly Harry called for Fawkes, the bird appearing on his shoulder. "Thank you for transporting me here." He said quietly, stroking the birds feathers. "You can feel it to, can't you? There's no doubt in my mind that one of his Horcruxes is here."
Fawkes chirped in agreement, the sound additionally serving to calm Harry´s nerves somewhat. "Your right" Harry nodded. "I can't let myself be distracted so easily." Looking at the house he continued "Remember what we learned about Parselwards? They will likely challenge me as soon as I come into contact with them. Since you are connected to me mentally it's possible that I'll draw upon you to help me."
The Phoenix looked at Harry for a few moments before lightly headbutting him as if to say that he shouldn´t worry so much. Chuckling with suppressed mirth Harry nodded. "Of course I don't doubt that you´ll help me. I simply wanted to remind you to be cautious."
And so with Fawkes still clinging to his shoulder Harry carefully approached the house, expecting the wards to attack him any moment. Voldemort must have drawn the wards quite narrow Harry mused, most likely since he was quite young when he erected them and didn´t have access to as big power reserves as he did nowadays.
As a result Harry was able to cross the caved in fence without being impeded and made his way to the door without any complications. Just when he thought that Dumbledore had perhaps been wrong in his assessment of the wards, said protections hit him with their full force.
They tore through his meager occlumency shields that he had been able to form based on Snape´s lessons in an instant and Harry stumbled, the assault on his mind coming with incredible power.
After a few seconds the force of the wards proved to be too much and Harrys legs gave out, causing him to fall to the floor. All the while the assault on his mind continued, Harry noticing sardonically that it did indeed have the feeling of a large predator coiling around you just as the book had described. Finally he couldn't take the pain anymore and with a last tormented breath he lost consciousness.
Break
As Harry came to, he noticed relived that the pain was gone entirely. Remaining alert he quickly stood up and took in his surroundings. As he regained more and more of his senses, he did a double take. The area around him had completely changed.
Whereas before decaying houses and nature retaking man-made structures had dominated his surroundings he now stood in a small clearing deep within a forest. The trees were extremely dense, reminiscent of the forbidden forest. Above him he could barely make out the sky.
Even more perplexing were the stars that adorned said sky. Hadn´t it been noon when he confronted the wards?
As he looked around himself panic threatened to overwhelm him, before a memory suddenly appeared in his mind. It was from his occlumency lessons and one of the few times Snape had actually done his job and taught him something useful.
~ "Should you be able to rid yourself of some of your inaptitude you might one day be able to construct your own mindscape." Snape bit out as he mustered Harry disdainfully. Harry had actually asked the man a question for once, curious of the other uses for occlumency besides the protection it offered from mental attacks.
"A mindscape can be extremely useful for constructing an environment unhindered by the laws of physics. It can take any form you wish and serve as a place to where the mind can still be active whilst the body rests. It´s only drawback is that an individual with considerable skill might be able to trap you within their own mindscape."
Snape looked at Harry and whilst his face still showed the contempt it always held when looking at him Harry noticed the seriousness in Snapes voice. "Should someone like the Dark Lord be able to overwhelm you mentally and trap you within his own mindscape your life is as good as over. There he is unhindered by most laws of nature that govern this world. He will not be able to harm you physically, but he can ensure that your mind breaks. And a body without a functioning mind is as good as a dead one." ~
Didn´t Snape say a mindscape could be anything the creator wanted it to be? If true then the sudden change of environment and time would make sense. Furthermore the book clearly stated that the Parselwards would commence their attack on a mental level.
Perhaps this was a mindscape brought about by the intent Voldemort had empowered the wards with. But that would mean … .
As if to confirm Harry´s barely finished thought the tree beside him abruptly began to shake violently, a sudden and sharp hissing filling the clearing. "Of course the protector had to be a goddam snake." Harry muttered under his breath. "What else was to expected from something called Parselwards …".
Before he could think of any potential combat plan the snake burst forth from the tree and landed in the small clearing, the ground shaking under the massive reptile´s weight.
Stunned Harry mustered the enormous creature. It was slightly smaller than the Basilisk had been and possessed quite different traits as well, clearly marking the snake as a different breed.
Still, the tiny clearing was several times smaller than the vast Chamber of Secrets, making the snake all the more imposing for it. As Harry gazed at the animal its eyes locked onto him. They shone with terrible intelligence, betraying the creatures supposed animalistic nature.
The serpents tongue shot out, tasting the air. §You …§ It hissed. §You are not my master! Die!§
The Snake launched at Harry with unnatural speed and he barely dodged, cursing. With his wand now drawn he called upon Fawkes for help, praying that the bond they shared did indeed enable the Phoenix to help him within a mindscape. Thankfully his prediction proved to be correct and the bird appeared not a second later, clearly agitated.
"Hey buddy" he shouted, throwing himself to the left to avoid the snake´s fangs from piercing his arm. "Remember what you did to the Basilisk back in the Chamber of Secrets? You up for some snake extermination again ?"
Whilst the reptile before him wasn't a basilisk it would still be immensely helpful to bereft the serpent of one of its main ways to locate him.
Just before Fawkes could respond the snake´s tail suddenly whipped around, catching Harry unaware. The immense force took Harry of his feet and hurled him through the air before he impacted with one of the trees. Groaning in pain Harry slowly picked himself up, thankful that nothing seemed to be broken.
Fawkes gave of an incensed squawk of anger and suddenly changed trajectory, pouncing on the snake which was still attacking Harry, blinded by rage trying to slaughter him.
The snake, unaware that another combatant had joined the fray was solely unprepared for an assault from the air. As a result Fawkes had free access to the snake´s eyes, the usually peaceful Phoenix slamming his sharp talons into them. He ripped out both of the eyeballs and violently tore them to pieces, blood flowing freely from both of the now destroyed eye sockets.
As quick as he had come Fawkes was gone again leaving the massive creature writhing in agony on the forest ground whilst he settled in one of the treetops.
Harry meanwhile had not been idle. With the snake suitably distracted he quickly applied sound- and smell-masking spells onto himself. Both of them had been a necessity to learn in the Gryffindor Boys dormitory. The former had been very useful for getting around places without waking his dormmates up whilst the latter had been the only things that made sleeping even a feasible possibility whenever Ron had eaten a bit too much before bed.
His prolonged use of the spells had made him quite adapt at casting them and so Harry was reasonably sure they would be able to protect him against the serpents remaining senses.
The only real downside laid in the sound-masking spell. Whilst it was very useful in masking the little sounds that still occurred when you were sneaking around, a too loud sound would break the spell, rendering it useless.
As it turned out Harry had unfortunately been right with his previous assessment of the snake´s intelligence. It had slowly stopped trashing around and now laid in the clearing, blocking it in its entirety.
Whilst Harry watched with baited breath to see if the creature would be able to detect him it suddenly spoke. §You might blind me, false speaker. You might hide yourself from my senses§. As he listened Harry couldn't help but shiver slightly. The snake´s voice was obviously still racked with pain, but it also held a hateful quality that he had heard before- whenever Voldemort spoke to him. The creature was truly like its creator, intertwined with dark magic and filled with the intent to kill.
§But you forget, little speaker§ the voice continued, §that you will never prevail against true might!§ With sudden force a wave of concentrated dark magic burst forth from the snake sweeping over the clearing and through the nearby trees, including the spot where Harry stood.
The unexcepted assault left Harry reeling and he stumbled before he could stabilize himself. As he involuntarily took a step back trying to balance himself, he stepped on a branch, the loud sound of breaking wood cutting through the forest´s silence.
The snake hissed triumphantly and launched at the spot where the sound had come from whilst Fawkes , who had been observing the events from above gave off an alarmed cry and began to dive towards his master.
A split-second look however told Harry that Fawkes would not be able to reach him in time. Acting on pure adrenaline Harry whipped his wand around and just as the snake´s jaw was about to close around his arm he desperately shouted "Bombarda!".
With his wand essentially already inside the snake the resulting explosion ripped the reptile apart from the inside out. Due to his close proximity Harry was flung away as well from the recoil and impacted hard on the forest ground. "Fuck!" he bit out as he landed, spraining his shoulder.
Not a second later Fawkes was by his side and settled on Harrys head, observing his master worriedly. "Don't worry" Harry groaned softly. "It´s just a bit of scraping. Nothing that I'd need your tears for."
Gingerly Harry sat upright and looked at the remains of the snake, adrenaline slowly subsiding. As he observed the now dead creature Harry couldn't help but feel like he had done quite well.
Where the head of the snake had once been now only pranged a gaping hole, spilling blood freely on the forest floor, slowly staining it crimson. Before he could observe the grisly result of his handywork any longer however, he suddenly felt the environment around him change into the defunct road with its overgrown gardens once more.
Harry quickly came to the conclusion that his defeat of the mindscape's guardian had sufficed for the Parselwards to demonstrate his superiority over Voldemort's intent.
Whilst he stood up from where he had fallen, he looked at the rotting house in trepidation. If merely the outer ward had proven to be such a challenge, just what would await him inside?
Break
Daphne awoke an hour earlier than usual on the next day. A she looked at the time with a quick Tempus she was confused as to why she would wake up so early compared to the usual schedule before the events of the previous day hit her again.
Slightly panicked she checked the time again. "6.30 …" she muttered under breath, relived. Half an hour should give her ample time to prepare herself for the ordeal that was sure to come.
She was under no delusions that the Dark Lord´s training would be easy and she was fairly certain that even if surviving, she would still be crawling into her bed today hurting all over.
But she wouldn´t falter. As she hurriedly got herself ready Daphne told herself the same thing she always did. She had survived so far, through her father's manipulations and her mother's uncaring nature, she would not lay down and simply accept her fate now.
With a last look in the mirror she determined herself to be ready and left the room, her hand clutched tightly around her wand. As she roamed through the empty halls of the Malfoy manor Daphne wondered what to expect from Voldemort's training.
Would the man be as uncaring as Snape, simply expecting her to do everything right the first time? Or would he actually deign himself to give a few helpful comments?
Whist she couldn´t imagine the Dark Lord in the role of a teacher, the man was also extremely intelligent. As such he had to know that a method such as Snape´s likely wouldn't yield ideal results.
So caught up in her own thoughts was Daphne that she nearly missed the door to the room Voldemort had demanded her presence in today.
With a last deep breath she carefully knocked at the door before stepping inside the room.
Before she took even a few steps Daphne stopped again and mustered the room critically. It´s appearance remained unchanged from the day before but something felt off.
Cautiously she took a few more steps before something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. It was small, green and moving at her with enormous speed. With a startled yelp she threw herself to the ground, not one second too late.
What she could only imagine had been a killing curse crashed into the wall behind her, its force so strong a few bits of concrete came loose. Rolling to the side she quickly calmed herself as much as possible, jumping up and surveying the are the curse had come from.
Nothing. Just a few shelves bathed in candlelight. But Daphne was certain the curse had come from that direction. Before she could investigate further a noise behind her made her jump. Acting on instinct yet again she snapped around and jabbed her wand at one of the shelves that lined the wall.
The object sprang in place before her just in time. Acting as a shield it was unceremoniously shattered by the curse that came from her back.
"Is that your idea of dueling?!" Daphne yelled into the empty room, incensed. "To hide in the shadows and curse your opponent into their back?"
Not really having accepted a response Daphne was startled when the voice of Voldemort reverberated in the room, seemingly coming from everywhere at once.
"Foolish girl. You have come here to be trained to survive, not to duel in a fancy competition. Do you think that a clever opponent will not strike while you are vulnerable?"
The voice was cold and mocking, making Daphne feel the sting of embarrassment deep within her gut. Of course he expected a fighter, not a dueler.
Before she could linger anymore on her failings, she was forced to dodge yet another curse and the Dark Lords voice spoke again. "You must learn to use the environment against your foes." The voice hissed.
"Rid them of their protections and the use those to crush them with." it mocked whilst still peppering her with a variety of curses. One of them was too quick for her dodge or reflect and scratched Daphne´s arm, leaving an angry red mark.
Hissing in displeasure she considered the Dark Lord´s word´s and a plan formed in her head. Yelling out Protego Maxima to give herself a short amount of safety she focused on the various shelves and pieces of furniture around the room.
Almost immediately the shield began to crack under the continued assault from Voldemort but she continued to focus, uncaring for her failing shield. Just before the protection finally gave out, she sent an overpowered Accio through the room with no specific target.
Suddenly everything in the room that had not been secured with magic rushed towards her. Just before the mess of mangled bookshelves and broken furniture reached Daphne, she sent them back with an equally as powerful Depulso.
The mass of wood and other materials slammed against every wall of the room and a panting Daphne looked for any inconsistencies.
Suddenly she spotted it. The walls had marks like tiny fractures and cracked wood everywhere from the furniture she had thrown against it. Except that one spot looked absolutely pristine, as if something had intercepted the banished mass before it could hit the wall.
As fast as she could she gathered her remaining strength and sent a powerful Flagrante at the spot, watching in satisfaction as the Dark Lord finally revealed himself to block the flames.
Completely exhausted from the previous events she stumbled slightly, catching herself almost immediately and kneeled down, which had the benefit of allowing her to both catch her breath and show respect to the Dark Lord.
"I trust that … I have removed any … reservations you might have had about my ability?" she bit out looking the man directly in the eye. She refused to show any fear. As soon as the man had your fear, he could completely dominate you. And if there was one of thing Daphne would not allow herself to be it was to be dominated by another person.
"Indeed" the snake-like man hissed. "That was quite impressive" he allowed and she watched as his features shifted into a satisfied smirk, clearly pleased about the outcome of the confrontation.
"We shall continue tomorrow in the same room at the same time. But allow me one more piece of advice." And before she could react in any way the Dark Lord´s wand was pointed at her and her entire world was filled with pain. Blinding, searing pain that tore through her body as she screamed, until it was gone as soon as it came.
Through the haze in her head she could barely make out the words of her tormenter. " Do work on your stamina. We can't have you almost pass out after only a few puny spells." He spat derisively.
"But feel free to not follow my advice if you want a few more rounds after your training. I often find that pain is such a delightful motivator after all." He laughed again high and sibilantly.
Slowly Daphne picked herself up from the ground with wobbly legs, barely able to stand. She locked eyes with the Dark Lord and she knew that he could see they were filled with hate. Nodding almost imperceivably she turned around and limped out the room.
It seemed her schedule would have to include quite a bit more exercise. She didn´t particularly favor a repeat of today's training´s ending. Silently she vowed to herself that the monster that sat within this mansion would never again have her at his complete and utter mercy.
Break
As soon as the girl was out of the room the Dark Lord slashed his wand into the air and with the powerful gesture the room repaired itself, returning to pristine condition within seconds.
As he seated himself behind his desk Voldemort allowed himself a satisfied smile. The first day had gone very well and whilst the girl was still quite naïve in the ways of true battle, she was an exceptionally fast learner.
All that hate inside her would serve to make her exceptionally powerful. Once she was taught the ways how her emotions could amplify her spells power, he could truly see what she was capable of.
Throwing back his head in elation he laughed loudly. It had truly been another of his master strokes to train a worthy apprentice and he couldn´t wait to unleash her on Potter and all those that stood against him once she was fully trained.
Break
Cautiously making his way through to the door of the run-down shack Harry made sure to remain aware of his surroundings. While doubtful that Voldemort had employed another protection with the ferocity of the Parselward it certainly didn't hurt to remain careful.
As he got to the door, he contemplated sending Fawkes inside to scout before dismissing the idea. Whatever protections might remain inside likely weren't on the physical level anyway.
And so he slowly opened the door, gazing inside the defunct building. It was laden with filth, dust and rotting interior. Weeds and other tiny plants had begun to take the house back to nature, raking the walls. Warily Harry made his way through the small foyer and into one of the three equally as tiny rooms that lined it.
At one point it must have been a kitchen combined with the living room, an indent in the left side of the wall still resembling a sink despite the disrepair.
Quickly observing the entire room Harry was tempted to dismiss it as a possible hiding place, at least before an irregularity in the ground caught his eye. Kneeling down he narrowed his eyes, looking at the floor in contemplation.
Despite the complete deterioration of the house the wooden ground had maintained a surprisingly intact condition. It had merely become dirty over the years, suffering no structural damage. And so it stood out that one of the floorboards was clearly loose, disrupting the undamaged flooring.
It seemed almost too trivial to serve as a stash for something as important like a horcrux. But perhaps that was its greatest strength, hiding in plain sight.
Helping himself to one of the many loose pieces of wood that laid within the house Harry carefully pried the floorboard away, exposing a depression in the dirt underneath the wood.
Inching ever closer to the hole he looked inside, revealing an ornate golden box. "Now that looks more like something old Voldie would hide his Horcrux in." he muttered, smiling slightly.
Mindful to not touch the box itself he levitated it out of the hole, setting it down before him. With slow, deliberate movements he pried the box open, once again using the loose piece of wood.
Within the container laid a simple golden ring, adorned wit a stone of pure obsidian color. Despite its simplicity the ring carried with it a feeling so abhorrent and warped that Harry could not prevent himself from almost puking.
He may have been in close contact with the Dark Lord before but the immediate presence of something as corrupt as the man's soul carried with it a feeling of wrongness that was unparalleled.
Unwilling to spend any longer than necessary in the Horcrux's presence Harry quickly took his pouch and after a few seconds of searching, grasped the vial of basilisk venom.
The fluid inside was sloshing around lazily, its innocent appearance betraying the venoms destructive properties. Carefully removing the vial´s lid Harry poured half of the liquid onto the ring before closing the flask once more.
The venom seemed to almost sink into the ring for a second before abruptly a loud, high-pitched shriek echoed trough the room. It sounded agonized, the voice not unlike of someone tortured with the Cruciatus.
Alarmed Harry took a few steps back from the box and watched as a cloud of black smoke rose from the ring, shaped in human form and clearly writhing in immense pain. It twisted and contorted before suddenly disappearing, the smoke fading into the air.
Instantly all sounds vanished, leaving the desolate shack in eerie silence only broken by the noises of nature. Calming himself Harry took a few steps forward and looked at the place the container had been. As expected, the venom had completely eroded the gold of the ring and the box. Bizarrely however the obsidian stone that adorned the ring had been left intact, with nary a mark on it.
Kneeling down in fascination Harry took a closer look at the stone. Its color was truly astounding and it appeared as if the stone consumed the light that fell on it instead of reflecting it.
As he observed the strange symbol on the front of the stone Harry couldn't help but feel a certain familiarity. It was quite perplexing as he was sure he had never seen the stone before .
Almost automatically his hand drifted forward and closed around the stone. Before he could lift it to get a closer look at the stone however everything changed.
The air which had been mild and dusty suddenly became icy. The walls off the old house around him creaked and groaned as if fighting against an unseen force. The wind picked up around him and whipped against his face with unnatural ferocity.
Thoroughly spooked Harry prepared to blaze out of the house until he found to his horror that he couldn´t. Trying to run out of the house on foot however he realized that his body was rooted to the spot as well.
Before he could even try to comprehend what happened the stone was suddenly ripped out of his hand by an unseen force. Its sharp edges left several deep gashes and Harry, clutching his hand in pain observed as Dumbledore's wand was ripped out of his pouch as well.
At last his precious invisibility cloak was ripped from his shoulders by the howling winds. The three objects began to spin around him for a few seconds before they stopped abruptly.
Eyes widening Harry saw them change trajectory as they launched towards him and barely got out a startled yelp before the objects slammed into him and he knew no more.
Break
The first thing Harry felt was pain. Head splitting, biting pain that seemed to originate from his midsection. Slowly picking himself up from the ground he lifted his shirt and mustered his torso.
Where the objects had collided with him several marks had appeared, the rashes colored in an angry red.
Carefully lowering the shirt once more Harry took stock of his surroundings. Due to the concern for his wellbeing he had not noticed their unfamiliarity before but now that he observed them closer, he immediately noticed several things.
In the rotting shack and even the forest mindscape nature´s sounds had always been there, be it the sound of the wind or a bird´s call. Now however nothing could be heard and as Harry mustered the environment he understood why.
All around him stretched a seemingly never-ending plain, the grass under his feet dead and tinted in an unnatural gray. The dull landscape was occasionally interrupted by a dead bush or broken tree, none of the plants showing any signs of life.
Above him stretched an endless grey sky, as monotone as the ground. The further away he looked the harder it was to properly make out things, a thick, gray mist obscuring his vision. His surroundings felt hostile and cold, not in the least helped by the frosty wind that seemed to chill him to the bone.
Since this was now the second time the backdrop had changed Harry thought that this was perhaps another mindscape. Perhaps the shack housed another defense that had activated once he destroyed the ring?
It wouldn't explain the strange events with the three objects but it was the only thing that made the slightest amount of sense in Harry´s mind. Reasoning that should it be another mindscape there could be a second guardian Harry tried to call Fawkes to his side.
He found however that just as he had been unable to blaze out of the house, he was unable to reach the Phoenix. This only served to confuse Harry further. Since he had been able to call upon his companion in the previous mindscape no problem his current surroundings had to be something different.
His voice straining he called out "Fawkes?".
Nothing. There had of course been little hope of reaching the phoenix with a verbal command after his unsuccessful mental try, but it had been worth a shot.
Still, a quick check for the mental connection to his familiar served to ease Harry's tension somewhat. The bond was still present albeit there being a strange pressure when trying to find it. Whatever it was that prevented him from contacting his familiar apparently also made any kind of connection to the Phoenix difficult.
Unwilling to simply sit around, waiting for any potential dangers to come to him, Harry gripped his wand just a bit tighter and began to warily walk in a random direction. With nothing to differentiate the drab veld, he quickly lost sight of where he started.
The time he spent walking seemed to stretch as endlessly as the sky above and Harry found himself wishing for his trusty broom more than ever before. On and on he went, making his way through dead shrubs and cracked tree trunks.
Finally after a time that could have been hours as easily as a few minutes Harry spotted something that cut into the repetitive environment. A simple wooden stool stood in the midst of the dead nature, a difference that was as perplexing as it was welcome.
Approaching the chair Harry looked at it with a healthy dose of skepticism. Whilst the break from the same over and over again was quite welcome it also presented him with a new problem. Should he sit on the chair or not, potentially triggering something that was connected to it?
Still the longer he thought about it the more sense it made to chance it. For all the time walking in this strange plain Harry had nothing to show except sore feet. Anything that might happen with this chair could potentially give him something understand his situation.
And so he slowly lowered himself onto the chair, wand ready to defend himself against anything that might come from the action. However nothing happened. Harry stayed put for a few more seconds to wait for something, anything to happen before he allowed himself to relax a bit. The chair served as a welcome place to rest, his sore feet thankful for the break.
A problem arose however as soon as he tried to stand up again. Having sufficiently rested Harry felt ready to continue his trek trough the desolate land but found that despite his desire to move his body felt weak. He was barely able to get up from the chair before he crumbled back down.
As he laid upon the dead floor, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Against his protesting muscles he forced his hand to raise his wand and pointed it shakily at the area the movement had come from.
Only a few meters away from him the shadows cast by the dead plants nearby had begun to move on their own, the darkness consolidating into a shape that roughly resembled that of a human male.
Unable to do more than watch Harry observed as the figure took a few steps towards him and brought his hand forward. Immediately Harrys wand was ripped out of his hand, his failing grip offering no resistance against the unseen force.
The figure closed its hand around the wand, looking at it with apparent intrigue. Before Harry could say anything, the figure´s head snapped towards him. Despite the fact that its head was obscured in shadows Harry had the distinct impression that the being mustered him.
"Who … who are you?" he muttered, his voice weak from the strange fatigue that had befallen him. Instead of answering the being stared at him for a few more seconds before speaking.
"You do not belong here." It stated, every word spoken with a rattling voice. The sounds drifted through the air heavily, each of them carrying with it an ancient feeling. It seemed silly to attribute the term to spoken words but there was no better way that Harry could describe them. Merely the simple sentence awakened in him the feeling of standing before an ancient, powerful being.
Uncaring for anything Harry might say the figure continued. "The living have no place in this space between worlds." It paused." And yet … there is a reason you are here."
The figure paused again. As Harry watched in horrified fascination, the shadows around the creatures head slowly cleared, revealing a face that could almost pass as a human one. And yet small irregularities threw Harry off, the face invoking the feeling of someone trying to unsuccessfully emulate a human one.
The eyes were sunken in and missing their irises, instead gleaming entirely in rich onyx. Harry had seen the color once before- the strange stone that hadn´t melted under the venom had been the exact same.
The man kneeled down and looked at him closer, his immediate presence making Harry feel strangely numb. "Yes …" the man rumbled. "I can see his traces. Ignotus …"
Apparently satisfied with whatever he had uncovered the man stood up again and looked down at Harry. He began to speak once more, his voice still holding its ancient feeling but this time mixed in with a strange, foreboding finality.
"Last of the Peverells. Just as your line´s legacy began with me it shall end with me. Welcome to your eternal resting place."
Harry´s mind began to race. There was that name again – Peverell. Really wishing that he had read the story Dumbledore had suggested he racked his brain for anything to do with them.
If what the figure said was correct, he was the last of their line. But what had brought them fame? He nearly screamed in desperation before it finally clicked. A tidbit previously buried in his mind had popped back up and he remembered that when researching about his own family, the Potters in a quest to know them a bit better, something about the Peverells had been there as well.
If he remembered correctly, it stated that the family had always been shrouded in mystery, ever more deepening after allegedly becoming intertwined with a higher force. Seeing as the figure before him wandered through a dead land and obviously had some connection to his Peverell ancestry, the pieces fell into place.
Lifting his head he focused on the figure, his voice trembling from both the unnatural exhaustion and the potential at being proven right with his hunch he addressed the man "Death?".
The man stared him down, unmoving. Just as Harry thought he wouldn´t answer them man dipped his head, confirming his worst fears. "Indeed" the primordial being droned, his voice reverberating in Harry´s skull.
The pressure, combined with the ever-stronger exhaustion made Harry want to simply lay down and close his eyes. But he refused, knowing instinctively that once he would surrender to the realm his live would be forfeit.
"So you still fight against the effects my domain has on the living. Impressive." The man turned and stared into the vast, grey emptiness. "But no matter. Within time, you must submit. The Peverells shall end as they've begun; with death."
With his declaration still ringing in Harry´s ears the figure began to fizzle out the same way it had come into existence, its form slowly melting back into the shadows. In a last-ditch effort Harry yelled out desperately "Wait! How about a deal?"
The misshapen mass of shadows stopped, before rapidly flowing together once more in the shape of a man, looking at Harry. "There will be no deals, Peverell. Your line must end here and so it shall be."
Gulping but unwilling to let himself be discouraged so easily at his last chance he might have to live Harry continued. "What if I bring you the soul of one that claims to have bested you? A man that mutilates his soul in an effort to escape the finality you represent?
Watching the being closely Harry spotted the first trace of emotion in the mans face since he had begun to speak to him. His lip was curled slightly in distaste, the simple show of such a human emotion from a primordial being serving to unnerve Harry to no end.
If Voldemort had managed to piss off death itself Harry didn't want to see what would happen should the being ever get its hands on him.
"You speak of Tom Marvolo Riddle, mutilator of life itself." Death droned. Harry nodded, unconsciously inching back with every bit of strength he had left. "A tempting offer. Even though his soul would come to me through the erosion of time, a quicker solution would be preferable."
Sizing Harry up, Death continued "And yet, you are weak. Despite his foolishness the mutilator is a gifted wizard. I shall not make you his executioner if you lack the skills to bring him to me."
Trying to convince the man before him Harry desperately laid bare everything he had. "I have a Phoenix to help me! With a bit of time I can find his horcruxes. I've already destroyed one, I can do it again!"
"Hmm. The servant of live is indeed a powerful ally." Turning around the man seemed to look into the distance in contemplation. Harry watched with baited breath. The man's decision would literally decide over his life or death.
After a few seconds the man turned back and faced Harry. When he spoke, his voice once again carried with it a note of finality. "The deal shall be honored. Tom Marvolo Riddle´s soul in exchange for Harry James Potter´s Freedom."
Accompanying his words was a small shockwave of pure, cold magic that swept over Harry signalizing the done deal. As soon as he was finished Death waved his hand over Harry who felt the strange tiredness vanish immediately.
Finally freed from the molasses his body had been in Harry picked himself up from the ground and stared at Death, keeping a considerable distance. He didn´t favor an encounter with the numbness that came with the close vicinity to the being again.
Forestalling anything Harry wanted to say Death spoke "Even with the servant of life as your ally, the deck remains stacked in the mutilator's favor. Let us remedy that and make you worthy of being my executioner."
With lightning speed the primordial force flew forward, his hand sinking deep into Harry´s chest. An icy feeling spread through his body, colder than anything he had ever experienced. From where the hand had penetrated his chest Harry´s shirt was ripped into pieces, exposing the tattoo that symbolized his bond to Fawkes.
Uncaring for the pain he inflicted on Harry the man before him pulled onto something deep within his chest and Harry became aware of a faint squawking that grew louder by the second.
After a few moments the hand ripped out Fawkes, clamped tightly around the bird´s body, leaving no traces of injury on Harry´s chest. The only thing that remained was the biting cold that seemed to spread even further throughout his body.
As soon as the bird had been torn from Harry the tree that was the phoenix's resting place began to shrivel and welt, it´s leaves becoming the same sickly grey the landscape was. Harry barley remained standing, the coldness wrestling with his senses.
Albeit knowing that it was futile Harry drew his wand, pointed it at the man before him, and called out "Leave Fawkes alone!"
As he expected the being paid him no mind, its gaze instead directed onto the Phoenix that was struggling in his hand, feebly trying to escape.
"Servant of life, you shall direct your master to the mutilators' anchors." Death whispered and Harry noticed how several dark tendrils began to wind themselves around the hand holding Fawkes captive. They snaked their way through the gaps between the man's fingers and wound themselves around his familiar´s body. Within seconds the bird´s struggle became weaker and weaker until it seemingly gave up completely.
After just a few moments the man opened his palm and Fawkes propelled himself from the limb, flying towards his master. As soon as he was back Harry closed his arms around him, shielding the Phoenix from his captor.
As he soothed his familiar, he became aware of a drastic shift in the bird´s appearance. Whereas before both of his wings had been a rich orange with streaks of red mixed in one of them was now tinted grey, occasional black markings giving the limb an eerie skeletal appearance.
Looking at the primordial being a few meters away Harry whispered "What have you done to him?", clutching the still distraught Fawkes protectively.
"You shall become aware of it with time" the being brushed him of. Meanwhile Fawkes had calmed himself and with a last distressed look towards the man sunk back into Harry´s skin. At once the tree regained its former healthy, green color though Harry noticed that only most of it did. In stark contrast one of the branches retained its grey tint, the wood still appearing dead and rotting.
"But even so the balance remains uneven." The voice of the man continued and Harry head snapped up, looking at him in confusion. "You must face him in a time and place where he thinks himself invincible. A man assured of his victory shall not foresee the knife delivered into his back."
Before he could ask him to clarify the man waved his hand and Harry´s arms snapped to his side, his legs becoming immobile. With slow, heavy steps the man walked towards him, the numbness spreading once again through Harry´s body the closer he came.
Death stopped an arm's reach before Harry, and stared at him before speaking a final time. "Go. Show him that he cannot avoid the only promise that life offers."
His final words given the man laid his hand onto Harrys head and everything fell into darkness.
Break
Harry woke up with the worst headache he had in his entire life. As he looked at his surroundings trying to orientate himself, he noticed something peculiar. He laid within a ruined building but even with the devastation surrounding him it felt strangely familiar.
Looking around trying to identify the building it suddenly hit him. Despite the cracked and dirty appearance of the marble around him had still retained some of its elegance. Harry had seen it a few times before and he was sure of it – he laid within the ruins of Gringotts.
But if he remembered correctly the Goblins were a fierce and powerful race. Just who or what possessed the power to utterly devastate their bank? As he looked around, he spotted a newspaper alongside what appeared to be a makeshift bed in one of the corners.
Apparently, the building was now used by a few homeless people as a shelter. Harry slowly made his way over to the bed. Seeing as no one was there he grabbed the newspaper and his jaw dropped as he read the headline.
"Britain triumphs again! Minister Voldemort announces the fall of Switzerland!"
"What?!" Harry muttered under his breath. Was he still sleeping? Just as he was about to pinch himself some of Deaths final words came back into his memories.
"You must face him in a time and place where he thinks himself invincible. Surely not …" Harry whispered. Panicking he once again grabbed the newspaper and there at the top of the page his fears were confirmed.
"June 24, 2004." Letting the newspaper fall to his side Harry stared blankly into the ruined Halls of Gringotts and uttered the only words he deemed acceptable for his situation. "Well, fuck."
Break
AN: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. As an apology this chapter was extra-long! As always, I appreciate any comments, be they praise or constructive criticism. Wishing you all a happy rest of the weekend!