The Nightmare Man

Summary: In the depths of the Ministry, there is a cell for the world's most dangerous man… and he wants out.

Pairing/s: None.

Warnings: Time travel, OOC-characters, Light!bashing, Twisted!Harry, Evil!Harry, violence, mention of gore. Yeah, stuff like that.

Disclaimers: I don't own Harry Potter nor do I make any money writing this.

-o-

Edited 2021

-o-

Chapter Fourteen

People from both the Order as well as the Ministry were worried. The Dementors had vanished without a trace one day, and they were growing concerned where those creatures had gone. The Ministry had no way of calling them back. The Dementors had simply abandoned Azkaban and disappeared.

However, Cornelius Fudge was quite certain of what had happened.

"He's called for them," Fudge said. "That monster called for the Dementors, now he has them on his side! We should have tried to eradicate them when we had the chance!"

"It doesn't matter if we had tried, Cornelius," Albus tried with. "There are no records of Dementors even getting physically injured."

"Surely they must die at some point, and of something. Why no one has tried to figure that out is beyond me, but if we can kill them in front of the Nightmare Lord? That would be a welcome relief, something to rattle some bones and upsetting him!"

Albus only met the Nightmare Lord briefly, but didn't strike him as a man who would let an enemy see him upset, but he didn't share his thought with Cornelius. The man was furious enough.

"There is nothing we can do about the Dementors at this moment," Albus said instead, watching Fudge as he paced the room.

They were in the Minister's office, a few Order members outside talking to Aurors.

"They have a duty to fulfil," Fudge interjected, turning to face Albus. "Their duty is to Azkaban! Since they aren't there, I have to send more Aurors there. Aurors that should be busy trying to find the Nightmare Lord!"

"He made Dementors, Cornelius, maybe they must answer to his call."

"Why didn't they do that before then? They would have broken him out centuries ago, yet nothing was done. Why was that?"

Albus was beginning to realize that asking question when it came to this mysterious lord didn't let to any answers, only more questions.

Lily was in and out of consciousness, unable to give them any answers at all. Using Legilimency on her was out of the question, per orders of the healers at St Mungo's, as well as Poppy herself. The mind was delicate, and the Nightmare Lord had been anything but careful when he broke into Lily's. Performing mind magic on her could set back her recovery, or render her completely broken.

But there was little evidence on her body of any physical injuries. Had the Nightmare Lord enjoyed breaking her mind more than her body? But the mind healed as well, and she hadn't been tortured like the Longbottoms. She would recover.

When was the question. Albus didn't like the uncertainty. Not knowing if she had information, and wouldn't be able to provide it in time.

Because it felt like they were running out of time. Christmas was upon them, and what did they have? Fear spreading throughout magical England and an almost fanatic Minister for Magic, tearing through every village and town for any sign of the Nightmare Lord. As if Voldemort had ceased to exist. As if their only enemy was an ancient man with a very violent and bloody past.

-o-

Harrison, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as worried as Fudge and Dumbledore were. Why would he be? He was the enemy, after all. All he really needed to worry about was any future raids and if he would move in on the Ministry. He did want to kill Cornelius personally, just because he could. Voldemort hadn't expressed a desire to take out Fudge, but he did want to kill Dumbledore.

Now, Harrison did want to kill him too, but figured it would be nice to let Voldemort take care of that. So he didn't worry much about Dumbledore's death just yet.

"Have the lakes frozen?" he wondered instead aloud one day.

It was almost Christmas, Yule, and Harrison hadn't really noticed until the servants started decorating without asking him. Right now Severus and Elise were nearby, and they both looked up; Elise from her garland made out of bones, just don't ask, and Severus from a potions book and yes, Angel was there too… smearing one book full with red paint.

"Is that a real book?" he asked, getting distracted.

"It's empty," Elise said. "Everyone knows better than to let Angel near any real books with any type of colour on her hands."

"Good; I'd hate to have to chop of her hands as punishment."

"She's Muggle, I'm not sure they'd re-attach," Elise said. "Also, everyone really likes the child."

"So do I, but children are still annoying."

"If you say so, master. Now what lakes?" The bones rattled together as she began to hang the garlands.

"Elise, those garlands are so old. Can't you make new ones?"

"But they're made out of my relatives," she replied.

"Oh," Harrison said. "Also, any lake."

"It depends where they are," Severus said. "Why? Do you want to go fishing?"

"I hate fish," Harrison told Severus. "Slippery and cold, nasty fishes."

"Lucian did warn you repeatedly before you ate raw fish straight out of the river," Elise pointed out.

"I was hungry," Harrison defended himself. "And about the lakes, I just remembered my Inferi."

"Just break the ice if the lakes have frozen," Elise said. "It's not like the cold hurts them anyway. The colder it is, the more comfortable they are."

"That is true."

"I'm sorry, you have Inferi… in lakes?" Severus asked.

"Yes, and in bogs too. I made them go to sleep, and then I got captured."

"How many do you have?"

"Oh, I stopped counting after I reached two-hundred. Counting is boring."

"And they're still there?"

"I hope so, because I liked the one I made leader."

"Inferi doesn't have leaders," Severus said.

"Voldemort's Inferi doesn't have leaders," Harrison corrected. "Mine does. I liked her so I made her into an Inferius and had her control the rest of them when I wasn't controlling them. Maybe I should call for her first. She can tell me how many are still… alive."

"She can't talk, master," Elise pointed out. "She growls and snarls and thinks people are just walking food."

"So she has some issues. It's not like she'll eat anyone she meets, and her thought-process works just enough so I can derive information from her."

"Some issues, he says," Elise muttered.

"Says the one who hangs up garlands made out of her relatives," Harrison retorted.

"The leader, how do you call on her?" Severus asked.

"Magic."

"Yes, naturally, but how?"

"I send my magic out and tell her to come to me, it's not very complicated. Much easier than when I call for the children."

"So do it," Elise said. "Just tell her not to chew on my bed sheets. I like my bed sheets; you let me buy new ones. Expensive, nice ones."

"She just wanted to feel the texture!"

"You can feel with your hands; no need to have teeth involved."

"She won't do it again. Honestly, Elise, she knows how to behave."

"The more you speak, master, the more she sounds like a dog."

"She can follow more complex demands than those you give a dog," Harrison protested. "Oh, small human."

Angel had manage to crawl over to him and was now using his leg as support to slowly stand up on wobbly legs.

"She needs to eat," Elise said. "Take her to Joanne if you're not going to feed her yourself, master."

Harrison picked Angel up, holding her at arm's length.

"Maybe hold her a bit closer?" Elise suggested.

Angel gurgled and waved her arms around. Harrison very hesitantly brought her closer. Angel got a hold of his hair, and put it in her mouth.

"She's eating my hair," Harrison said. "Why is she eating my hair?"

"Just get her to Joanne."

Severus waited until Harrison was gone before he said:

"Inferi, as I know them, aren't supposed to be… well, human. Right?"

Elise put the last of the garlands up and surveyed her work.

"Master found it funnier to make the Inferi more like humans," she said. "He worked so long with the ones he submerged, because they've been made to terrify people the most. Some of them look almost normal, while others weren't as fortunate."

"What do you mean?"

"They don't exactly look human anymore, but they still act more like humans than other Inferi. They're important to master. He doesn't want to lose them."

"I see," Severus said. "Master has done so many things, yet so few remember him. Do the Ministry and Dumbledore even stand a chance against him?"

"Not really," Elise replied. "Master can destroy them right now."

"So why hasn't he done that?"

"He probably feels he hasn't tormented them enough. After all, just straight up killing bores him."

-o-

There was a thing Elise had insisted on, and gotten the other servants onboard with just a mention. So now Harrison had a throne room. Honestly. A throne room. He did feel a little bit like a king. But, very importantly, the chair wasn't uncomfortable, and there were lights, almost like stars, all over the ceiling.

Harrison did suspect Elise put in the lights purely to entertain Angel, but they were nice so he didn't complain about that.

He was alone now though, tapping his fingers together as he wandered around a bit. Calling for the Inferi was easier than calling the Dementors, but he didn't want to wake them all up at the same time. He needed time to organize them, and avoid detection, which meant what he needed right now was the leader. It would take her some time to arrive, so he should just call for her now.

If she was still intact. Harrison looked up at the lights.

"I don't like that thought," he told them.

He didn't like to think that any of his Inferi had disappeared or been destroyed during his years in prison.

… Great, now he couldn't relax. Harrison sighed and stretched out a hand. Magic rose. It wasn't really logical, his magic. He shouldn't be able to do the things he did, because he had no spell in mind. He was just forcing his magic to do his will.

The magic sparked, creating a circle around him. Around him, ghostly images of his Inferi appeared, their eyes closed, their arms curled up against their chests. Sleeping still, waiting. Harrison focused on the leader, and a woman appeared.

"Hey," he said.

Cloudy eyes opened, and the woman looked up.

"Come to me," Harrison said. "But be careful. Leave no trace behind you. Let the rest sleep for now."

Harrison closed his eyes. He heard the cracking of ice, the sounds of a body climbing out of water. A spear tapping against the ice, closing the hole again. Then slowly, shuffling steps.

"Are you doing something, master?"

Harrison opened one eye. Christian was staring at the circle.

"Almost done," Harrison said. "Why?"

"The lights are flickering."

"Oh, are they? My apologies, I suppose. I'm almost done."

Once he was assured the Inferi leader was on her way, he closed the circle.

"What did you just do?" Christian asked.

"I made a call."

Christian looked around the room.

"A call?" he said. "But you didn't say anything."

"Oh, you've never been around many Muggles, have you?" Harrison said. "Muggles use things like, let's say a telephone, to make contact with people… calling them. Like how we use to Floo people. only Muggles can't see faces through telephones, only voices. I think."

"Telephone?"

"Quite a nifty invention actually, you can someone on the other side of the planet."

"What do they look like?"

"Do you know how hard it is to describe something to someone who has never seen the item in question?" Harrison told him. "I'll just show you, she doesn't move that fast anyway…"

His Inferi moved faster than normal humans at times, but she had been asleep for hundreds of years so he supposed he should be nice and give her some time to reach him.

-o-

Voldemort entered Harrison's manor to the sight of Harrison and Christian around a Muggle telephone. Or rather, Christian was pressing the buttons, looking fascinated. Harrison looked up to see Voldemort, and frowned.

"Why are you empty-handed? Do you have nothing to do? Are you bored?"

"Is that a Muggle phone?" Voldemort said instead of answering.

"Oh, I said an expression, and one thing led to another so I stole him a phone to play around with." They both looked at Christian still tapping away at the buttons. "It was surprisingly easy to entertain a grown wizard. And you didn't answer my question."

"There were three questions," Voldemort replied.

"Smart-ass," Harrison replied.

Voldemort was in the company of Lucius and Rabastan; Bellatrix nowadays refused to come with him if there was any indication he might stop by Harrison's manor.

"Seriously, have you nothing to do? Are you just lying about being a Dark Lord?"

"Of course I am lying," Voldemort said, playing along. "My real job is as a Muggle postman."

"Naturally you had to come with one of the most boring-sounding jobs. No, wait, drill manufacturing director sounds even more boring."

"Where did you even get that job from? No, wait, don't answer me. What about you, you're not doing anything either."

Was he really getting into an argument about which one of them was the most Dark Lord? Voldemort really hoped not; a childish argument had not been on his agenda today.

"I am doing things," Harrison replied.

"Like what? You're watching a grown wizard play with a telephone."

"While I'm waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

Elise had wandered over, looking a bit bored, when she turned towards the still open doors leading into the hall. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, no," she said. "Master, she's here. How did she get here so quickly?"

"Maybe she was eager, Elise."

"She?" Lucius said.

"Ah, yes, Voldemort, you two, meet one of my Inferi. Don't mind the spear; it's like a toy to her, an important one so don't take it from her."

They all turned around. There was a woman standing in the doorway, her feet and legs dirty, her clothes more like rags, and her skin a greyish-white tone. The hair was a wild, black mess, while the eyes were milky white.

Her mouth was hanging open, showing off a set of filed teeth, sharp like an animal's.

"She's barely dressed," Voldemort commented.

"I've tried to reason with her about it, to no avail," Harrison said. "She acts as if she's allergic to cloth. Those things around her hips and breasts are about the only things I managed to convince her to wear."

She also held a spear in her left hand. Her eyes tracked all over the hall before finally landing on them. She gave off an odd gurgle, and began to move, one hand out. Rabastan and Lucius backed away once she realized she was moving quite quickly.

"No need to be frightened of her, she doesn't bite," Harrison said. "Usually. Anyway, I don't do Inferi into shuffling, slow creatures. Not anymore, that is. The first few versions could barely walk."

"You've experimented with different sorts?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, until her. She's the most perfect Inferius I've ever made. I based all of the Inferi I have now on the work I did on her."

"Is she holding a heart in her hand?" Rabastan asked.

She dropped the spear once she got close to Harrison, and fell to her knees, presenting indeed a heart to Harrison. Blood dripped down on the floor.

"This is why we can't have carpets," Elise said.

"I bring in more mess than this," Harrison said. "Oh, what a nice-looking heart. I didn't make her this way, but she likes it? I think. I think she likes bringing me hearts."

"Why have you made her so creepy, master?" Elise wanted to know.

"Because that freaks people out. Thank you, dear."

He took the heart, and the Inferius woman rose again after collecting her spear. Elise came closer, and the woman turned her head to snarl, baring her teeth. Elise did it right back, and the Inferius woman grinned.

"Oh, that's right, you two do greet each other that way," Harrison said.

"So the other Inferi you have are like her?" Voldemort asked, walking around the woman to take her in.

"They are all a bit different," he replied. "The work I did on her, I did on the other Inferi, but they are all individuals. Special. They could almost be called my army."

"Crazy army," came a voice from above.

Lucian came walking down the stairs.

"And scary," he continued.

"That's the whole point with Inferi. Many, hard to defeat, hence scary. I like scary."

Meanwhile, the Inferius woman had wandered off.

"Where did she go?" Elise said. "I swear, if she dares to touch a single thing in my room, I'm going to see if she can survive having her spine removed."

"Then go and lock your door," Harrison said. "It's been a while she last was here, I'm sure she just wants to explore. Maybe also make sure she doesn't find Angel. Not sure how she reacts around babies."

Elise went upstairs, passing Lucian, while Voldemort had another question:

"Your Inferi explore?"

"Yes, they're quite curious. I better make sure I have a meal ready for them when I wake them all. I mean, Inferi really doesn't need to eat, but it's always nice to remind them how to chew on human flesh. And probably rip people apart."

"Who did she kill to get the heart?" Lucian asked. "Are you keeping the heart?"

"Why not, it was a gift," Harrison said, looking at said heart. "I don't think she ate the person she got the heart from. She always did know how to restrain herself."

They were interrupted by Angel wailing, and Severus swearing.

"Oh, she found the baby," Harrison said. "Lucian, hold this for me."

He dumped the heart in Lucian's hands and ran off, yelling:

"Woman, do not chew on the baby! They like the baby around here!"

"Dementors and Inferi combined is a deadly force," Lucian said. "But it'll be a living hell if they live with us."

"I see my Inferi are not quite as good as Harrison's," Voldemort said. "Then again, I stopped making them some time ago, when Dumbledore's lot got too good at killing them. But his book, I never saw anything he mentioned. No experiments beyond reanimating the corpses again."

"Master probably didn't write it down. He could have forgotten about it. I remember the woman when she was alive. She was a leader back then as well… probably why he made her the leader of his Inferi."

Harrison came back with the Inferius in tow, pulling her and saying:

"No, you do not need to eat that child in particular."

The woman was growling and pawing at the air from the direction they had come from.

"If you were hungry, why didn't you eat the person whose heart you stole?" Harrison said. "No, no children. You do not eat a child unless I say so."

He passed them, and kept moving.

"Where is he going?" Voldemort asked Lucian.

"His throne room. We made it a surprise to him."

"I thought he had one."

"Not in this manor, he never bothered."

Voldemort nodded as he began to follow Harrison. The throne room seemed to have appeared out of nowhere from last time he was there, not noticed from the outside either really, and with a single throne at the end of the room. The rest was a vast space of dark walls and floor.

The Inferius stood still now, Harrison standing before her with a hand placed on her forehead.

"You use her to see the other Inferi?" Voldemort guessed.

"Yes. She's connected to all of them. She won't get hurt if one gets destroyed, but she'll notice."

"She doesn't speak?"

"No. She's fond of growling at people though."

"So she can growl, but not speak?" Voldemort said, peering closer at the woman's face.

"I didn't remove her vocal cords; she just stopped on her own. Maybe she felt growling was more efficient at scaring people. Ah, now, there we go, I can see them now. Just want to make sure that all my Inferi are doing fine."

There was a low humming in the air. But the woman didn't seem to be in discomfort. Harrison's eyes flickered back and forth.

"They're all there," he said at last. "Almost time to wake them up, and feed them."

"I assume you have a decent number of them, so it would be difficult to feed them."

"I have a few hundreds," Harrison as he released the woman. "Or more. I should probably feed them in turns, to avoid suspicion of course. And a location not near here, because the stench, even for me, will be horrible."

"How will get enough meat for them?" Voldemort wondered.

"Kidnapping a hundred people from the same place is suspicious, and idiotic," Harrison said. "Not even I am that stupid. But kidnap a hundred people from all over the world? No one will even know I was there."

-o-

When a person went missing, depending on who you took, it did not become apparent that person was missing. But Harrison also didn't mind people turning up missing right away. It was all about timing.

So one dark morning, in London, he snatched a teenager most likely heading for school, knocking her out and handing her over to Lucian. By the time she would be considered missing, she'd be in a cell, awaiting her death.

Elise had taken Christian with her to take people from several countries in central Europe. Severus had gone to east Europe, and Harrison sent a few servants to Asia. Asia was big enough he could have sent all of his servants there to take a hundred people, and not much would be noticed, but whatever.

Lucian stayed behind to make sure no one woke up or tried to escape, as they did pluck a fair number of witches and wizards. Harrison meanwhile had snatched a few people, but also searched for a field big enough for what he wanted. Once he found it, in the middle of Scotland, he took a page from Elise's book and warded all around it. He brought the Inferius leader, so the others would be led to her. He had instructed them to be discreet and avoid contact with people and settlements.

He didn't send anyone to Africa, on the account that he had been there far too few times to actually know how the continent worked with magic, and once enough had been gathered in Europe and Asia they all Apparated to the US. It had been a long time since he last was there. In fact, when he last was there he mostly met Native Americans.

Landing in New York, Harrison was therefore in for a bit of a chock at all of the noise and people. This modern time was his birthplace, and he had gotten used to London again but this was something else.

"Is it always this lively?" he asked Severus.

"Does it look like I've been here often?" he replied.

"Christian then?"

"Sorry, master," Christian said. "I started working for the Ministry straight after school, I haven't travelled anywhere."

"And I'm guessing the rest of you lot were asleep?"

"Mostly," Elise said. "You told us not to leave."

"Of all the times to take my orders seriously… alright, let's start with blending in."

They could hide themselves with spells, but that was a bit more boring. Harrison transfigured his robes into a black three-piece suit, brushed away his long hair to make it temporarily short. Severus chose a long-sleeved shirt and pants, as did Christian but the other servants chose a similar outfit they spotted on a Muggle that walked past.

"Two and two," Harrison said. "We're not as familiar with the US as Europe and Asia. And not just here, use the country's size to our advantage. Signal which city you take from, so we don't accidentally take two from the same city. Spread out the time as well."

"Understood," Elise said.

"Christian will be with you, Elise. Severus, you go with Solona. Ywgraine, you and Hadrian. Joanne and Constance. I'll take Louis."

They all nodded, and Harrison set down the street with Louis by his side. He remembered people thought he had loads of servants, but he chose each one after careful consideration. Louis for example Harrison had plucked from the Silk Road during the twelfth century after following him for quite some time.

"Master, him," Louis said.

Louis had been picked as a servant because he was observant, and of course he found a more isolated Muggle right away. Harrison looked.

"He'll do just fine," Harrison said. "I'll make a distraction, you pick him up."

By the time they returned to England with their victims, it was early morning and Harrison was quite tired. His servants weren't fairing much better. Lucian greeted them at the manor and after counting the people they had brought back he said:

"The total amount is now two hundred and fifty-five people."

"Bit more than I thought of, but alright."

"So it's a satisfactory number, master?"

"Yes, yes," Harrison said with a wave of his hand. "More enough to be a good appetizer for my Inferi. Good work, everyone. Now time for some sleep. Lucian, with me."

"Angel appears to be sleeping with no troubles," Lucian said to the others. "I have a monitoring spell put up in the small library downstairs, in case she woke."

With that, he followed Harrison as Joanne volunteered to take the spell with her instead of Severus.

"Is there something you wished to discuss, master?" Lucian said. "Because you're certainly old enough to put yourself to bed. Unless you blew up parts of yourself, which you haven't this time."

"No need to rub that into my face," Harrison said as he removed his outer robe. "Have you checked the progress of my Inferi?"

"Naturally. Some of them have reached the field."

"Where are the victims? They can't all fit in my dungeons."

"Safe from the Inferi for now, I built a temporary shelter. Crude cells underground, with good enough ventilation so they don't choke to death. How long will we wait until we feed the Inferi?"

Harrison grinned.

"You know what's more terrifying than seeing someone being eaten alive?" he asked.

"I have a feeling you will tell me, master."

"Seeing someone being eaten alive in broad daylight. People always feel safer when it's daytime. It's so much funnier when they realize daytime is no better than the night. I'll send some of my children out to guide the Inferi, make sure no one goes near them."

"Master, as strong as your Inferi are, if you are going to use them as an army some of them will be lost."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'll just risk them," Harrison stated. "They're not immortal, no corpse is, but these ones aren't as easy to destroy as an average Inferius."

"You will still lose some of them."

"I'll take that as it comes."

Lucian raised one eyebrow.

"I don't think you will, master," he said. "Not well, at least. You've always valued your creations, but being imprisoned has changed you a bit."

"In a bad way?" Harrison wondered.

"You care more. In a way. Then again, you've always seen your creations as individuals."

He had. He certainly hadn't made noise about it to other people, but to him both Dementors and Inferi had their own… personality? Inferi for example were best for mass panic, not to be individuals. Yet Harrison had evolved them to be something more than just a horror show. Logically he knew some would be destroyed, but that didn't mean he had to think about it.

"I'll take it," he repeated. "As it comes. Lucian, it's fine."

"Really?"

"Maybe. I'll probably get angry, but I'll try to channel that into our work to remove annoying people from power and life itself. Now, we both need some rest. Will you be alerted if something happens to the people we caught?"

"Naturally. I'll see to it if something happens. Goodnight, master."

"Goodnight, Lucian," Harrison said and watched him leave.

Once he was gone, the door closed, Harrison opened the windows to his room with a wave of his hand, calling for some of his children. A few Dementors entered, but left as soon as he instructed them to guide the Inferi. Harrison watched as their dark shapes became one with the night. Then he closed the windows and fell onto the bed still mostly dressed.

His mind was whirling, but his body was tired. Harrison rolled over, kicked off his shoes and tried deepening his breathing while closing his eyes.

After a few minutes of breathing and patient waiting, he opened his eyes again.

"Well, that never did work with me now did it?" he asked the ceiling.

It didn't answer him. with a sigh he got up and entered the hall instead. The lights were dimmed, and the manor was quiet around him. As he walked, he felt there should be a ticking clock somewhere, just to set the mood. But their ticking usually made him irritated, so any clocks existing in the manor was silent.

One of his Dementors came up behind him, and followed as Harrison began to wander, reaching out to place its hands on his shoulders. Harrison kept walking. He went through every room but the bedrooms twice. Then he took the concealed corridors. Then he crammed himself into every nook he hadn't explored on the first two rounds of walking.

He even went down the dungeons, cleared a few spots he had missed during his last clean there, and then went back to the main hall. His head was throbbing, and his body wanted to rest. But the culprit, like many other times, was his mind. His thoughts kept spinning. There was a pulsating sensation behind his eyes, enough to make him want to gouge his eyes out. He clenched his fists instead.

As he was contemplating how hard he had to slam his head into a wall to pass out, the Dementor began pulling his arm. Harrison followed without a thought, wondering just how angry Elise could get if she woke up and found out he had basically caused enough brain damage to temporarily collapse. It could be worth it. He would at least be asleep.

He blinked. The Dementor had led him back to his room.

"Yes, I want to sleep," Harrison said, "but it's not going to happen just because you want me to."

He lay down anyway, because he figured the Dementor wouldn't let him leave.

"A book maybe?" he mused out loud. "No, I don't want a book. Wait, is there a fire?"

He looked and yes, there was a fire going that had been there when he left.

"Did you wake someone to make a fire?" Harrison asked.

The Dementor screeched.

"That didn't help," he pointed out and lay back down. "Don't just hover, come closer, silly."

Once upon a time that eyeless face and that gaping mouth had terrified him. It had invaded his dreams and shook him to the core. Looking at it now, there was no screams. No nightmares. He had created that face. This creature, fully aware of what it did.

Eventually he fell asleep to the sight of a creature he once had feared.

-o-

The next day, Harrison and Lucian moved the humans to the field Harrison had set up earlier. The Inferi was standing in clusters, milky eyes watching them. At one point Lucian stepped almost behind Harrison and said:

"Must they look like they want to eat me too?"

"Don't be silly, Lucian, they don't look like they want to eat you."

"Yes, they do."

Harrison glanced behind him, at Lucian and then beyond.

"Must be that man over there, he looks tasty."

"What—no, master, no, we've gone over this before. Do not attempt to eat human flesh."

"I didn't actually eat any of it," Harrison protested. "Now, how are we going to put them out?"

"Small groups I suppose."

It was a bit tricky feeding the Inferi, and he normally didn't, but what was normal to him had been put on hold for centuries as he was stupid enough to let himself get caught and imprisoned. So it was necessary this time, so Harrison knew they'd react like usual if he used them in battle.

The Inferi seemed to understand what was going on, because they started growling and groaning, some even reaching out to the humans.

Said humans shrank back, while others began to scream for help. A few, like the teenager he took, was just crying, stumbling to keep on their feet. Once upon a time he would have killed to keep them safe, even if they were strangers. Now he would break their legs if they tried to run away from their own death. The Muggles were terrified, while the wizards and witches seemed to have a clue that they were facing Inferi.

A woman began to scream and he looked back. An Inferius hadn't been able to contain themselves, and people shrieked as the meat was stripped from her arm. As blood began to fall onto the ground, several Inferi moved in on her.

"They're making a mess, like usual," Lucian said as he watched pieces of flesh and bone fly. "Are you lot actually eating or just playing? Chew properly!"

"They don't know etiquette, and they certainly don't care for it, Lucian," Harrison said. "Just let them enjoy themselves."

"But they're being so messy."

"Angel does that, and you don't complain about her."

"Angel doesn't throw raw, bloodied meat on the floor," Lucian said. "Porridge yes, but that's easier to clean up."

Harrison shrugged and spread the people out.

"What are you waiting for?" he told the other Inferi. "Come on, dig in."

They did, with frenzy. But still in their own way. Some of the Inferi tore the flesh away in chunks, sitting back and eating it piece by piece. Others ate directly from the body. A few seemed to prefer the blood, and there were even those who broke bones from the rest of the body to gnaw them clean.

Some of the humans got killed quickly, their throats torn out or hearts pulled from their chest. Others were writhing for a long time, screaming. A few tried to push Inferi away, only to have said Inferi eating their hands and fingers.

"Should we keep them here afterwards?" Lucian asked.

"No, it's rather open and they still don't like the daylight very much," Harrison said. "Maybe we'll dig some holes in the ground, I'm not sure yet."

"The smell of the leftovers will attract people eventually."

"We'll have them moved away by that point, I imagine, it'll be fine."

As the Inferi fed, Harrison and Lucian began digging out holes for them. Harrison carved out a tunnel underground and Lucian set up additional wards to keep Muggles and magical people away. It wouldn't do if their enemies found the Inferi while they rested.

-o-

Three days before Christmas Eve, Harrison was alerted that a rather large group of magical people were moving near the field where his Inferi were still stationed at. As his servants were busy with various duties, he went alone.

Well, not alone. He took the cloak the Dementors used as a nest, and as he travelled, several came out with them, easily keeping up with his pace. Once he saw the group, he stopped to survey.

He wondered why they hadn't Apparated, or at least used brooms for quicker transportation. They weren't escorting any Muggles. They were just a large clump of people moving around like idiots. There were also children there, which is why they really should be quicker about moving around instead of just… walking.

Already from here he could smell the decay from the field, and he could see many of the adults were fingering their wands, glancing around.

"Oh, maybe I should've cleaned up the leftovers," he muttered. "Can't be helped now. Children, gather around."

More and more Dementors came out, huddling near him. The cold weather helped with hiding the Dementors' presence for now, but not very much longer.

"They'll use the Patronus spell," Harrison said, and the Dementors reared back. "Yes, I know, it's such a horrible, horrible spell. I want as many as possible alive, so just capture them. The children don't matter as much though. Alive or whatever, do what you want."

"Dementors!"

People began to move immediately, while a line of Aurors had their wands out, aimed at the Dementors. Harrison sighed and moved so they could see him.

"Identify yourself!" an Auror yelled.

"With pleasure," Harrison said, bowing a bit. "I'm the Nightmare Lord."

"Get the women and children out of here!"

"Oh, we can't have that," Harrison said and slammed his foot down.

He couldn't say his ward work was as precise or nearly as good as Elise's. She was the expert. But he could put up decent anti-Apparition wards in case of emergencies. He didn't need them to hold for long.

"Now," he said to the Dementors. "Go."

The Dementors all screamed and charged past him. Harrison moved as well, more shadow than man and kicked one of the Aurors in the chest, strengthening his leg enough so that he broke the man's ribs. As the man coughed up blood, Harrison grinned.

The women and children began to run. But some women stayed, wands out, and many teenagers did the same. Harrison spotted a familiar shock of red hair, and saw Fred and George. A very nostalgic sensation filled his chest and he could hardly breathe for a few moments.

Besides them being Fred and George, he liked twins. Maybe he should steal them? Upsetting Molly Weasley would be fun. She got so, well, emotional, about things. She didn't seem to be here though. No matter, he could spy on her if he wanted.

Before he could change direction towards the twins, he was distracted by a couple of Aurors and had already killed two of them before he remembered he wanted them alive. Harrison somersaulted over their corpses and knocked out the next three with his magic.

He lost the twins in the crows and whirled around just in time to stop Kinsley Shacklebolt's spell from hitting him.

"Hello there," Harrison said. "It's rude to attack from behind."

"You've done it!" Shacklebolt retorted.

"Well, I've never said I wasn't rude."

He slammed his elbow into Shacklebolt's face, and laughed when he saw the blood gushing out of the man's broken nose. He knocked Shacklebolt down to the ground and bound him. Several other Aurors were being rounded up as well. in the distance, Harrison saw children running.

Tonks was there too, pushing the Dementors back with a powerful Patronus spell whilst screaming for Shacklebolt. He must be her Auror partner. Harrison waved a Dementor over and said:

"Get him to the others. Alive and soul intact. No, no, don't pout, just do as I say."

He moved on, and found Fred and George at last. Or their bodies at least. One, or more of his Dementors had been naughty and taken the souls anyway.

"What am I now going to do?" he said, hands at his sides. "I guess I have no choice…"

Screams alerted him that the Inferi had come, the noise attracting them to the spot. Some of the Inferi began to attack, but it wouldn't do that they ate early. Magic tore out of his arm, and the Inferi staggered backwards. Then they growled and grabbed people without even biting them.

Good.

The last Patronus died out, and Harrison had a look around. Except the few that had been killed by him, and the twins, people had merely been captured, straining against their bonds but with Inferi, Dementors and Harrison's magic keeping them down, they didn't have much luck at escaping.

"Alright," Harrison said. "Children. Who took these souls?"

He pointed at Fred and George's bodies.

"Come on now, children, I'm not in a guessing mood!"

"What children?!" someone screamed.

"You monster!" another one shouted.

"You won't win!"

"Oh, shut up you lot! Children, I told you to take people alive. This… isn't really alive. Plus I want twins." Harrison didn't really want twins all the time, but might as well work on his reputation; meaning, making it worse amongst this sorry lot. "I like twins. So many things you can try out with twins. Come on now. Oh, it was you two?"

Two Dementors had slunk over to him, hanging their heads.

"Bad children," he said. "Now spit them out."

Harrison held out his hands, as if the Dementors were children that had swallowed something they shouldn't have. The two creatures twisted on the spot.

"They can't spit back souls!" Tonks screamed at him. She fought hard against the ropes binding her, trying to get to her wand.

"Excuse me, woman, who made Dementors; you or me?" Harrison said. She glared at him. "Me, that's who, so don't go telling me what they can and can't do. You two, spit them out. Now."

Finally they listened, spewing black vomit. Out of it came two bright lights that Harrison caught in one hand.

"Now that wasn't so hard, now was it?" he said. They hung their head once more. "Oh, are you feeling a bit sick now?"

The two nodded in unison.

"I know, I know, what a bad father I am… my poor children."

Harrison looked around, and snapped his fingers. Two Aurors were ripped from their captors and dragged across the ground to him.

"You can have these two instead," he told the Dementors, who perked up. "Now don't play with your food. Chew properly. Not that you have any teeth to chew with…"

The Dementors pulled at the Aurors, not minding their screaming and kicking. Harrison didn't care either, instead cradling the two souls. They shivered gently against his skin.

"It's alright," he reassured. "I'll get you two back into your bodies soon enough."

Tonks was still screaming at him, still trying to get to her wand. The two Aurors were being slowly consumed, their happy memories going first before getting the Dementor's Kiss. The few bodies lying around the free Inferi had begun to chew on. Harrison nudged one of them away from the twins.

"These two are special," he said, "you can't chew on them. Go on now."

He still had plans to complete.

-o-

Shacklebolt, along with some twenty others, were being led somewhere. A small group had been left behind, Tonks among them. He could still hear her screaming threats and insults at the Nightmare Lord.

He was first, and was forced to lead the way. Two of the Dementors carried the Weasley twins' bodies, while the Nightmare Lord was toying with the two souls, gently floating them from one hand to another, humming to himself with a slight smile.

"Where are you taking us?" Shacklebolt said at last.

"To a field," the lord replied.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what? Walking? I like walking. Sometimes at least. It's nice outside today."

"No… I… why are you killing people?"

The Nightmare Lord glanced back at him, and released a sharp laugh.

"Why not?" he replied. "I like killing. Mind your step."

Shacklebolt looked down. A newbie Auror behind him began to cry. Shacklebolt swallowed back his vomit, focusing on breathing through his mouth.

He walked over a half-rotten arm, a wedding ring glimmering amongst dried blood. But then he saw there was no point in minding his step, because there were bones and flesh and entrails everywhere. There were skulls and ribcages. Legs swollen up, half-eaten. A hand here, a hand there. Nails delicately painted.

A teenager's head lay nearby, eyes plucked right out of her skull, tongue protruding. Shacklebolt heard someone violently throwing up, and people sobbing.

The Nightmare Lord stopped and turned.

"Children," he said, and the Dementors moved closer, a few of them pawing at his shoulders. "Time for you to go to bed. I'll be fine for now. But you two, be nice and take those bodies back home, alright? Tell Elise to take care of them until I get back."

He spoke to them like they were creatures meant to be treasured and protected. The two holding Fred and George's bodies moved, sped over the gory field while the others began to crowd the Nightmare Lord. The black cloak he was wearing rippled, and Shacklebolt's eyes widened as he saw the Dementors began to slip into it, as if the cloak acted like a portal to another place.

Soon enough, they had all vanished into the cloak and it settled again.

"Alright, there we go," the Nightmare Lord said and clapped his hands.

Magic rose from his skin, and he moved his hands. To Shacklebolt's surprise, the ropes around them turned into chains, and then burrowed into the ground. Shacklebolt felt the cold metal tighten around his throat, chest, arms and each of his legs.

"Now, you lot, I hope you didn't have any plans for the evening. Not that you'll live to regret it for long."

He raised a hand, sending up sparks. Shacklebolt looked around, wishing for his wand. Wishing Tonks had gotten free by now and was on her way with the biggest goddamn Auror squad she could get her hands on.

But soon enough the Inferi were coming. A lot more than before. Hundreds of them maybe, most of them covered in blood from head to toe. They moved a lot faster than normal Inferi, their milky eyes focused on the group.

A few began to scream. The Nightmare Lord laughed and said:

"Yes, go on, scream, you'll only make them more excited. They like screaming."

That didn't make anyone stop and the lord shrugged.

"Suit yourself. I'll leave them to it."

"Wait!" Shacklebolt called out. "Why, why are you doing this? For what purpose? For what end?"

The Nightmare Lord looked at him, tilting his head. A slow smile came over those cruel lips, and the man answered:

"I already told you; I like killing."

With that, he turned his back on them and began to walk. The Inferi seemed to see this as a signal, as they all began to scream. They snarled and Shacklebolt stared at their teeth, covered in rot and dark slime.

Then they ran. They grabbed at anything they could find. Someone's hair, an arm, a leg. They tore at necks, stomachs, opening their mouths wide to bite in. A few twisted the arms around to tear them off completely, people shrieking with pain and fear.

Beneath that, Shacklebolt heard the Nightmare Lord hum a hearty tune, ending it with his laughter. It echoed in his soul. Vibrated through his very soul, and then the first Inferi attacked him.

-o-

The Order was on the move. They had heard about the attack from the fleeing survivors, terrified children accompanied by women, and as they approached the location they found a bound group. Some Aurors, then adults and teenagers that had been amongst the people they had been escorting.

"Tonks!" Sirius called out, them all seeing the ever-shifting hair colour on one of the bound people. "You alright, Dora?!"

"He took Kingsley!" she called out. "The Nightmare Lord, he took Kingsley, he took others, get these ropes off of me… we heard screaming, so many screams…"

"Where?" James asked as he and Sirius began to work on the ropes that held them captive.

"Not far from here," she sobbed out. "But they stopped… a while ago. Kingsley's dead isn't he?"

"We don't know that," Sirius said. "Shacklebolt's a skilled dueller, he's strong."

"He was tied up, Sirius, his wand was taken from him! That Nightmare Lord led them as if they were animals!"

"We'll find them, they'll be fine."

"No, no, they won't be fine," Tonks said and now she was full-on crying. "No one screams that much, Sirius. No one screams that much and remains fine in the end… no one screams that much then just stop…"

They were freed, and Albus took the lead to where Tonks pointed out the others had been led. They ran, wands out and ready.

But only to be met with horror.

It was a field filled with humans remains. Rotten humans, bones mixed with entrails. A hand sticking up, a grinning skull with some meat stuck to its lower jaw. And in the middle of that field… a man rose up. He turned to them, clothed in black.

His eyes shone like the Killing Curse, green flames in a pale face. He smiled wide once he saw them, and raised his hand, wriggling his fingers in an absurd good-bye gesture.

"Stop the Nightmare Lord!" Albus shouted.

The lord laughed out loud, echoing across the carnage, and became shadows even as they began to run. He was gone before they knew it, and they stopped.

"Here!"

Shacklebolt's voice alerted them to the fresh bloodbath, some parts still steaming in the cold air, and he was there. Parts of him at least. Both of his legs were gone, as was one arm and his stomach had been ripped open, parts of his organs consumed. Blood leaked out of his nose and mouth, and the light in his eyes were dim. But he raised his remaining arm and Tonks ran over.

"Don't," he said as she began a healing spell. "Don't, it's… it's too late, too late, Tonks. You have to stop him, have to stop him…"

Albus kneeled down and took his hand.

"You've fought well, old friend," he said. "May I see your memories? Perhaps we can find something to use against him."

Shacklebolt nodded and Albus aimed his wand at him.

"Legilimens."

Memories filled Albus' head. Shacklebolt's memories rose. He felt the beating of Shacklebolt's heart, rabbit fast against his ribs, the harsh breathing, the fear, the horror, the pain and then the anger. He felt how the Inferi had eaten on Shacklebolt, tore his flesh from his bones, and then Albus saw the Nightmare Lord. The man just watching with a smile, before saying:

"Don't tear his throat, my dears. I need him to live a little longer… good."

Shacklebolt hadn't passed out, but happier memories had consumed him for a while and by the time the Nightmare Lord slapped him back to the present time, both his legs were gone.

"Why?" Shacklebolt had said. "I'm dying… just tell me why."

"Why I do this? You keep asking that."

"Surely not just because…"

"Because I like killing?" The Nightmare Lord smiled. "I'll tell you why."

Something tugged at Shacklebolt's arm, he still had both, and Shacklebolt screamed as that arm was torn away from him. the Nightmare Lord grabbed his face so he was forced to look at the man.

"I do this… because I can," the lord told Shacklebolt. "I do this because I'm insane. I do this because I want to."

"Why? Why this cruelty?"

"It's not boring," the Nightmare Lord said. "I do a lot of things to not be bored."

An Inferius woman approached them. Unlike other Inferi, this one was holding a spear. She had a heart in her free hand. She crept closer and softly growled. The Nightmare Lord turned around. She went down on her knees and offered the heart to him with something resembling a smile, meat sticking to her teeth. The lord took the heart and said:

"Thank you, dear."

And then Albus was back, out of Shacklebolt's head and on the gore-filled field. Shacklebolt was gurgling, his lungs were giving up.

"That Inferius treated him like a god," Shacklebolt gasped. "You have to kill him… you have to. You heard, Albus… he'll never stop, he'll never, he'll continue as long as he lives."

He convulsed once, twice, and then his breathing stuttered and slowed down. Blood bubbled out of his mouth, and the light left his eyes as his body finally gave up. Tonks bent her head, and then screamed into her hands. Albus leaned over to close Shacklebolt's eyes and laid his hand down gently before getting up and looking around.

How many had died in this field? So many innocent people, good people… victims to the vile creatures Inferi, at the mercy of an insane Dark Lord.

"Albus," Sirius said, jogging up to them. "Dora. We found some of them."

"What?" Tonks said and stood up, tears covering her cheeks.

"Inferi," Sirius said. "Around seventy of them, underground. The place is a lot bigger, so I think there are more Inferi out there somewhere but there are seventy of them right here."

"We must destroy them," Albus said. "That will also serve as a message to the Nightmare Lord, that we will never give up. We will fight for the sake of the future."

-o-

Thanks to a joint effort, the Minister and Albus Dumbledore has successfully destroyed a lair of Inferi!

Yes, readers, you read right. The Inferi, who were used in the active war fifteen years ago, are all too familiar to us. But Albus Dumbledore's Order and our brave Aurors has joined together to destroy these vile things, purge the earth free from these monsters!

"This was an important victory," Minister Fudge stated today together with Albus Dumbledore. "This will send a message to You-Know-Who as well as the Nightmare Lord that they can never win over us. We will conquer in the end."

Now is the question, the Inferi that were destroyed, were they You-Know-Who's or this new lord, the Nightmare Lord?

"We believe they belonged to the Nightmare Lord, all seventy of them," Albus Dumbledore said. "We lost good Aurors and good people to them. We are well underway to destroy all of them."

But what about the Dementors?

"We will deal with them too," was our beloved Minister's reply. "They are not to be forgiven for their betrayal of the Light."

For continued reading, see page 2 through 11.

Voldemort thumbed through the pages of the Daily Prophet, scanning the article before sighing. He hadn't expected this. There were no details how they managed to destroy seventy of Harrison's Inferi, but his guess was that there had to have been a lot of fire involved. A whole lot of it.

Did Harrison know? He didn't seem like the type to keep up with the news. But surely this someone at his manor must have heard of.

Or not. Yule was upon them, just two days away. Voldemort did enjoy being the bearer of bad news usually, but not this time.

-o-

Harrison didn't know. Voldemort had gone there, accompanied by Lucius and Rabastan, and informed him right there in the hall, not believing in drawing out the inevitable.

"May I see?" Harrison asked.

Voldemort handed over the Daily Prophet and Harrison began to read. A few of the servants were coming out to the hall.

"Master?" Severus said.

Harrison didn't answer her.

"Master, what happened?" Christian said.

Still no answer.

"What happened?" a servant unfamiliar to Voldemort, asked Voldemort himself.

"His Inferi has been destroyed. Seventy of them."

"His Inferi," the man said.

"His Inferi?" a young-looking woman said. "Oh no… oooh no. Elise!"

She ran off shouting for Elise, and then Lucian. Harrison turned pages. His face didn't show anything outwards, which was making Voldemort nervous. There should be rage, right? He should be furious.

But no, wait… was his eyes… turning black?

Elise and Lucian came running, followed by the young woman.

"Master?" Lucian inquired, inching closer from the side, as if not daring to be behind Harrison.

"Seventy?" Elise said to Voldemort. "Solona informed us."

"Yes, seventy."

"They found the field then," Lucian said. "Most of the Inferi had moved on to other places, but still… seventy is a fair amount of them."

They didn't offer any comfort to Harrison. They seemed wary of stepping too close. Elise waved Lucian over, and the other servants spoke to each other, but not to their master.

"Go away."

Harrison's voice was sudden, and quiet. His servants all took a step back, even Severus and Christian.

"Master?" Lucian tried with.

"I need a minute," he replied as he lowered the newspaper. "Go away for a minute."

Yes, his eyes were turning black, and the insides of his mouth was going a bit… grey. Voldemort backed away, and so did the servants, giving Harrison some space.

"Why is he so upset?" Rabastan asked. "Inferi aren't alive."

"No one likes to have their efforts wasted," Voldemort said. "Even I don't like it when my Inferi, inferior to his, are destroyed."

"He spent a lot of time and energy into them," Elise told them. "Everyone, back to what you were doing."

"Will you and Lucian stay at least?"

"Yes, we will, Ywgraine. Go on now."

The servants moved back to what they had been doing whilst Elise and Lucian stayed with their master, and in the end Voldemort as well. They stationed themselves between Voldemort and Harrison, hands on their back and it only struck him now how much older both of them were than him. Their youthful faces hid a lot of age and wisdom.

Harrison stood still, eyes on the floor. Other than the blackened eyes, there was no sign that anything was different.

Then the floor trembled. A rumbling went through the manor. The windows rattled for a moment.

"Is this Harrison's magic?" Voldemort asked Elise.

"Yes," she replied.

"He's shaking the entire manor?" Lucius wondered.

"The manor's foundation is master's magic, so it's only natural it responds to him more easily." More magic moved, this time through the air, and Elise continued, "Something's happening."

Harrison breathed in and looked up. The green of his eyes were gone, swallowed by black. The insides of his mouth was rapidly turning black as well, and faint, dark veins began to appear beneath his skin.

"Elise," he said. "Find me a Muggle village. A nice, peaceful place where everyone knows everybody and they'll leave their doors unlocked because nothing bad ever happens there. Once you've found it, seal it shut and come back."

"What are you going to do?" Voldemort asked.

"They destroyed my Inferi," Harrison said. "People don't get to destroy my Inferi without consequences. So I'll show them. Let little Cornelius deal with the mess I'll make. Let him and that stupid headmaster regret ever touching what's mine."

To be continued…


Things are happening!

Chapter fifteen: A horrific scene, and Harrison celebrates Yule.

See you later,

Tiro