If I Only Had Power!
Disclaimer/Plot/Challenge Information/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Recommended Reads: Kill me if you can by PercyPendragon3, The Rise of the Last Potter by HPfanfictioner66, Dark Lord Potter, Apex and Bonded by JustBored21, I Once was Lost but Who was Found and Rituals and Artifacts: A Fourth Year Story by bluezinthos, I See No Difference by maschl, Summer Camp by Harry50, Pray For The Wicked by Kapiushon, Harry Potter, Lord of Darkness by SheWhoLivesInHell, The Crimson Sorcerer by TwistedFilms, Harry Potter, Dark Legacy by The Fallen One 2012 and Of Lies and Deceit and Hidden Personas by Jessiikaa15
Key Pairing: Dark-Lord Harmony
Other Pairings: To be determined
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
Ironcoil: It's safe to say you might be able to figure out when she gathers up the courage to do what's right by her friend;
Quatermass: And yet, the Gryffindors are lions and their Head is a pussycat: makes you wonder, eh?
"Get this Death Eater out of our dormitories immediately! He is no longer welcome in Gryffindor House, not as long as he is one of them!"
'One of…what?' wondered Harry, even as darkness rushed up to claim him.
'One…of…what…'
Chapter 2: You Desire Power?
Cold stone.
That was the first thing Harry felt when he was made aware of the feelings of consciousness returning to him; unlike when he'd been collectively assaulted by, pretty much, everyone in Gryffindor House, now, he was lying on a cold, stone floor, with only his clothes on his back and, as he saw when he cracked his eyes open, his trunk and Hedwig's cage, both of which looked like more than a few people had gotten their licks in.
His dear owl friend's cage was dented and charred in places, actually suggesting somebody – and Harry had a very strong suspicion that it was somebody with red hair, hand-me-down robes and an inferiority complex bigger than all of Hell and half of Texas – had basically vented their own impotent frustrations on Hedwig's container. At the same time, Harry frowned suspiciously when he noticed his trunk was similarly dented while, to his curiosity, the lock on the front looked like it had been busted open.
'No…' thought Harry, pulling himself up to a sitting position – which also allowed him to see that he'd been left to lie on the cold stone floor of the corridor nearest to the now-former home-away-from-home he'd called Gryffindor Tower…or so he guessed, anyway – before he pulled his trunk close to him.
Opening the broken latch was easier than it should have been, but Harry wasn't too concerned about that right now; not when he opened the trunk and found his Gryffindor-trimmed-and-crested robes were missing, while many of his books had been tossed in willy-nilly.
To Harry's slight outrage, he found his Dad's Invisibility Cloak was not among his supposedly-forced-in possessions, neither was the photo album that Hagrid had given him. His wand was there, however, seemingly wrapped up in a pair of Uncle Vernon's grungy old socks – a final jest to what the Lions thought of him, Harry guessed – but, as he went digging deeper, his eyes burned with tears of rage while his heart turned colder than cold when he noticed something else was missing.
His key.
His Gringotts key, which he'd always kept safely secured at the bottom of his trunk, mostly because he had kept it folded up in the folds of his Dad's cloak, which was something only a very small number knew about; well, now, it was now missing from said trunk.
And, given that the only ones who knew of his Cloak were, as far as he was aware, Ron and Hermione, as well as Professor Dumbledore himself, Harry was able to narrow down the list of suspects pretty quickly.
Add in the fact that, as he'd actually been embarrassed to have to share with them, he had a king's ransom that belonged to him alone underneath London while one of the three suspects barely had two Knuts to rub together, or so it seemed, and Harry now had a very good idea who had broken his trunk open, stolen his prized possessions and decided he didn't need them.
"Bastard!" hissed Harry icily, grabbing his trunk, and Hedwig's cage, before he slammed the lid shut, hoping it'd hold out for now, if only until he could find a much safer place for them all.
As he walked along the corridor, however, rage fuelling his steps and driving him to…wherever it was that he was going, Harry felt his mind, his heart, his soul and even his magic burning with fury. This fury seemed to reflect itself in the torches along the corridor, judging by how their flames grew dimmer, for only a moment, before flaring into life, as though his ire was feeding the flames.
And all the while, Harry's eyes burned with unshed tears as he wondered to himself, 'After all I've done for them…everything I risked, just so they could say they could still come to school…the troll…the dragon…the wraith in the Forest…the Cerberus…the Stone…even flying a fuckign car to Hogwarts and from Surrey to Devon…is this really how it all ends? So matter-of-factly, without even knowing why?'
Unbeknownst to Harry, his mental tirade, and the questions that came with it, distracted him from his steps, which meant he didn't notice how those steps suddenly seemed to lead him back along the corridor, in the direction he had just come from.
All he knew was the feeling of him blinking away his tears, clenching his teeth tightly as he insisted of himself.
'To hell with that! Power…if I only had power! Power to answer my questions…all of them! Power to escape the so-called hype of what they clearly want me to be, instead of accepting me for who I am…what I can do…and why I choose to do it, nobody else!'
Again, his steps led him back along the same corridor, as though Harry himself were lost in his own mind, and his footsteps echoed that sentiment.
'Power to escape their bullshit! Power not to lose the world! Yes…that's what I want…to have that power…I would do anything!'
Click!
Suddenly, Harry's head snapped up as he heard the soft click of a lock being opened; to his bewilderment, the emerald-eyed scion found himself now standing outside of a door that he was fairly certain hadn't been there before. A large, grey-stone door that seemed to have suddenly appeared out of nowhere and now, as Harry stood outside it, he found himself drawn in by a warm rush of air, accompanied by a scent of soothing berries and fresh linen, coupled with an urge that suddenly rose up inside of Harry's heart.
An urge to find a new home, where he might be able to clear his mind and find out the truth for himself.
'Oh well,' thought Harry, hefting his trunk as he mused, 'I'm not one to look a gift unicorn in the mouth, so…'
With that, he stepped through the door, before it closed behind him, sealing him in the room beyond.
Curiously, or perhaps, eerily, seconds later, the door vanished from the wall within the corridor, as though it had never been there at all.
Which was exactly the sort of Room that Harry really felt like he Required at that moment…
Power!
Aww, poor Harry…and to think, from what you say, he has the potential to be…amazing…
"I…I know," whispered the young girl, her hand shaking as she scribbled down her thoughts, feeding all her emotions and desires into their words, and the pages spread out before her. "And…and it only gets worse, Tom; after…after dumping him away from Gryffindor Tower, Ron…my brother, you remember?"
I do…the one who, like so many others, fails to see you for the goddess you truly are…
A blush rose up her cheeks as she pushed on, "Well, he-he-he said Harry owed him for…for traumas and…and what happened in the chess room, whatever that means…and Ron…he…he then said he'd taken Harry's key as compensation and…and Percy? He…he allowed it! He even said, if anyone asked, he'd deny everything…I mean, he's supposed to be a school Prefect, but…but it's like he believes that the rules don't apply to him…and that…that he…he makes the rules…"
The golden rule always applies, my dear.
The words that replied to her shaky hand seemed to drive her forwards, as more of them appeared on the page.
Whoever has the gold, makes the rules…and, in some people's minds, they feel that you are either the most powerful person in the room, or you are nothing…merely second rate…and it sounds…to me…like your brother feels this way…and so…he betrays his own…steals from them…and makes himself the centre of the universe…
"Ron or…or Percy?" asked Ginevra Weasley, earning a feeling of almost-amusement, which crossed whatever bond she had come to share with her special new friend.
Both…
"What…what can I do?"
Take back what belongs to your Prince Charming
"I…I can't…"
Not even to prove to him how your heart yearns only to please him, to hear him say he is proud of you…and that you, dear Ginny, are all he will ever need…is that not worth alienating these…traitors?
Ginny felt conflicted, but, on the other hand, Tom had never steered her wrong.
"What can I do?"
What you always have done, sweet Ginny…trust in a friend…
Ginny felt her eyes glaze over…
Power!
Meanwhile, deep inside the magical makeup of the diary, the shade of Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as the Horcrux of Lord Voldemort, felt a glimmer of interest, amusement and even self-loathing rise up inside of him as he poured more and more of his will into his semi-willing vessel.
For weeks, all Ginevra had talked about was Harry this and Harry that and, to be honest, even though he had succeeded in making her unleash the beast twice now on unsuspecting Mudbloods and a cat, Tom had grown annoyed with her broken record of hero-worship towards someone whom, at the time, Tom silently wished his subordinate had chosen for his new vessel, instead of this silly, little girl.
But now…something had changed.
Tom could feel it, not just in Ginny's words, but also, in something he did not fully understand.
As he poured his strength into Ginny, further cementing the bond between them and, at the same time, sealing the silly little girl's fate, Tom felt something akin to a jolt cross his senses, which seemed to tell him one thing.
Harry…
Harry was angry!
Harry was determined!
And, even though Tom didn't fully understand how he knew this, he knew it nonetheless…
Harry was slowly, but surely, turning Dark…
His magical core, his essence of being, it was turning darker with each passing second, burdened by betrayal, hounded and plagued by sorrow and pain while, from what Tom heard from Ginny, it also sounded like the boy had the Sacred Gift.
Parseltongue.
Yet, as far as Tom knew, he wasn't a Parselmouth or an Heir of Slytherin.
So, even though he'd rather be sicing the Basilisk on more Mudbloods, and driving Ginny closer and closer to her doom by making her rely on him, even intimately-so, now, as he felt his bond growing with his host, Tom Riddle knew only one truth.
He had to find a way to get his host to allow him to meet with, and even interact with Harry Potter, if only to give the boy some sagely advice in how to safely rise to greatness, even under the old fool's nose.
Then, he could return to the task at hand…
Once he knew why he was so driven by the desire to see his future self's vanquisher rise higher and higher than he could ever dream.
Maybe…
Even to the rank of the next Dark Lord of Magic…
Blimey, talk about keeping canon – sort of – but in a twist to the norm: the shade of Voldemort wishes to meet Harry, but rather than trick or gain Harry's trust, he wishes to see this darkening spirit rise high and spread his wings: will he succeed in getting what he wishes?
Also, what might Harry have found inside the seemingly-random, appearing-out-of-nowhere Room that seems to fit his Requirements?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: It's the morning after the night before and Harry confronts the rest of Hogwarts, where he makes both a strange request and a startling announcement; also, an early Christmas Present comes his way, courtesy of someone who seems to only want what's best for him…hmm…right now, I'd say that's one of two people, wouldn't you?
Please Read and Review
AN: Tom
Also, before I get any reviews saying things like oh great, another Harry joins Voldemort story, this is crap, I'm done, let me make one thing CRYSTAL clear to the haters; Harry is NOT joining VOLDEMORT, nor will he be!
This story's plot development is centred around the Horcrux of Lord Voldemort: you know?
That thing Harry confronted in the Chamber of Secrets in canon!
So, before you bash my story because you hate ideas where Harry sides with his parents' murderer, consider that and then, at the same time, press the Back button and go and read something else.
I have already worked out the story, fleshing it out quite a bit, and Tom – the Horcrux – has a pivotal role to play in that, so, as always…
DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ!