mast3

Disclaimer in Part 1



Moonlight. What a wonderfully deceptive substance it was, bathing the world in it's pale glow and giving everything a feeling of safety when in fact so many acts of treachery and fear were committed in it's silvery shine. It was an illusion; it was a trap. A trick. Deception made manifest, choking everything it touched. And disguised as something so innocently beautiful.

It was perfect.

Harry apparated into Diagon Alley, the only living thing in an otherwise empty street. During the day you would be hard pressed to find a busier place, what with all the wizarding folk converging to do their shopping and socializing, but at night - at night it was something else again. The normally bustling shops were closed, awnings drawn tight over shuttered windows; the happy, chattering crowds were sound asleep leaving nothing but the somewhat eerie noises of the night. It was creepy at night, with brooding shadows lurking everywhere and the cobblestones adding a feel of the archaic and mysterious to the scene. And it seemed to hold whispers of danger; the wind spoke of sorrows untold: of heartbreak, of loss, of death and betrayal. The sadness hovering over everything was so palpable that it would be hard to imagine the place possibly being happy by the the light of the day. Which fit Harry's errand perfectly.

Checking to make sure that the vial of potion was still secure in his robes, Harry set off for Gringotts, quivering with anticipation beneath his invisibility cloak.

One thing he'd learned so far in his liaison with Draco and Co. was that being evil was actually quite fun. It gave one an exhilarating sense of power, being able to invoke so much fear so effortlessly, having ability to disrupt and ruin so many lives. And having the freedom to not have to worry about making the right decision all the time, not having to always work for the common good. Which was, quite frankly, something he'd had quite enough of for one lifetime.

Evil is also very addicting. And Harry was thoroughly intoxicated.

So here he was, preparing to do something reputed to be utterly and completely impossible: rob Gringotts bank.

The first part went smoothly enough. Stun the goblin standing guard at the gate from beneath his wonderfully convenient cloak and snip off a few hairs. Add them to the Polyjuice Potion. Drink it down and lo! Harry was now an official Gringotts goblin.

The problem being that he would only be one for a scant hour. He'd have to be very fast.

In through those impressive silver doors and scurrying down that vast marble hall to the entrance to the vaults. Climbing into a cart and zooming down, down through the bowels of the earth to deep under London, the staggering amount of earth pressing in around him. Stopping in front of the vault. Running his finger nervously along the cold metal of the door, wondering if this could possibly work.

It did.

With an inner sigh of relief Harry stepped into the vaulted underground chamber, his keen eyes immediately finding the coveted object. He pocketed it and hurried out.

He was almost up to the surface when he felt himself starting to change back, his features morphing back into those of a human, the stolen Gringotts uniform starting to tear from his increased size. As the cart rolled to a stop he hurled out into the entrance hall, his nerves jangling as he sensed the magical alarms going off as they noticed that something was very much amiss.

He had to act fast. Grabbing his wand he cried, and his bundle of things came soaring at him. He grabbed it and ran desperately for the doors, wishing it was possible to disapparate in this bloody building.

Coming from the various trapdoors were the goblins, staring at Harry with narrowed eyes. There was nothing else to do at this point, with a deep breath he raised his wand high.



 The effect was immediate; a searing blue light flashed through the hall, causing a minor explosion. Several goblins lay strewn on the marble floor, killed by the force of the curse, others staggered around in blind confusion; they'd never encountered Dark Magic in that magnitude before. Harry took advantage of the panic to slip through the hole he'd managed to blast in the wall, disapparating the second he felt the cool night air touch his skin.

The next thing he heard was Draco's cold, toneless voice. Well? Did you get it?

Harry handed the thing he'd stolen over without a word, watching Draco's face break into a chillingly triumphant smile as he held the palm-sized silvery orb in his hand.

The Arnelin. At last.



Ooooh, Harry used a serious curse(finally). I hope that wasn't too bad, I don't specialize in action sequences. Anyway, I still haven't figured out who's going to be dominant and who's going to be submissive in the Harry/Draco relationship. I like the idea of a dominant Harry but not of a submissive Draco...hmmm. We'll see.

Next chapter: Ron and Hermione find out about Harry's new lifestyle!!!