Murderous Paradox

Prologue: The Revival of Evil
Timeline: Sixth Year Hogwarts (Harry's year)
Summary: Two years after the fateful event of Voldemort's emergence, Hogwarts was hit yet again with the mysterious deaths of several students.
Categories: Mystery, angst
Rating: R

Warning: Contains psychological disturbances such as self-injury, insanity and murder.

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. *sniff*

It was that dense, stormy night when he first emerged from the darkness. Her sobs were left choking in her throat as she looked at him through tears filled eyes. Her hand, which was holding the bloody razor, fell limp at her side. She could hear the sharp noise of the razor as it hit the floor.

His face was a canvas of perfection shattered only by the cold flicker seen in his silvery eyes. Within a heartbeat, he was by her bedside, burning her with the warmth from his body. Too close, she thought, he was a bit too close. But she did nothing of the sort to push him away. No, it had been too long; she had wanted this for far too long.

She felt his fingers trailing smoothly down her tear-stricken face, sending shivers down her spine. He held her bloody arms and kissed the wounds that were inflicted by the razor. She caught sight of his mouth, made bloody by her open wounds, as he glanced up to look at her. It made him look almost vampiric, almost evil; like a prince of darkness, she thought. Maybe he is.

Her room, which was illuminated by a single candle, was then shrouded with darkness as the boy swiftly put out the light with a single flick from his wand. She could feel his warm breath on her cheeks, a perfect contrast to the chill that was residing in her soul.

Forget the pain, he whispered, I'll help you build a new beginning.

She could hear the earsplitting roar of the thunder and the sound of the rain as it fell down outside her room in fast, furious drops. That was the last thing that she heard.

After that, her mind went blank as she fell deeper down the dark, empty hole that was her life.

***

The Great Hall was swept by a sea of turmoil and panic. Students were screaming whilst the staff were busy calming the students down. It was revealed that two students; Lisa Turpin and Morag Macdougal, both sixth year Ravenclaws, were found murdered and their bodies were discovered early this morning by Filch. What Dumbledore did not mention is the fact that both of the girls were found with their eyes destroyed. It was gruesome and horribly cruel. Dumbledore remembered seeing Filch's pale face as he reported the news to him.

Dumbledore gave a soft sigh as he stood up and demanded for the students to calm down. He surveyed the hall once again and his eyes fell down on Harry Potter, whose expression was just as grim as his.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir?"

Dumbledore turned to look at the person who was tugging at his robes. It was little Tom Egan, a first year student from the Gryffindor House.

"Sir, please, can you assure me that everything will be okay? Will there be war, sir? I'm scared…"

Dumbledore reached out and stroked the child's hair softly.

"There's nothing for you to be scared about. Everything is under control. The security around Hogwarts will be tightened and I'll have more prefects and teachers to take care of the students. Don't you worry, Mister Egan. Don't you worry."

Tom gave a soft sigh of relief.

"And Harry Potter will always be here to save the day, wouldn't he, sir?"

Dumbledore gave a small smile and nodded.

"Yes… and we will always have Harry Potter to save the day."

***

A dark shadow was lurking at the farthest corner of the hall, coolly surveying the chaos around her. How ironic, she smirked; it was just like this two years ago. But her smirk was wiped out by the stark anguish that came with the memories that were flooding into her mind.

The raw, searing pain struck her to her knees as she heard the news of his death. There was nothing that they could do to help. He was dead. It was inevitable. She could feel the tears trailing down her smooth cheeks as waves of pain and anger flooded through her trembling body.

She felt his arms around her as she turned to gaze into his eyes. It was a shade lighter than the shadows that were enveloping them. He whispered soothing words to cool her down, words that would keep her calm and steady until the next vengeance was perpetrated. She murmured softly before turning her body towards him and wrapped her arms around his perfect, pale neck.

"Those two girls deserved whatever that had happened to them. They made you depressed, didn't they?" He murmured softly at her ear. He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

She breathed hard at his neck, ignoring the panic screams around them. "Yes." She said determinately. "They made him miserable. They were the source of his troubles. I hate them for pitying me. Yes, they deserved their deaths."

She looked up and gave him a very cold smile; cold enough to chill whatever warmth that was there between them. He returned a smile as frosty as her own.

To be continued…