Arimanius by Darth Kottaram
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.
Rated R for disturbing subject matter.
To Alianna15, Star Mage, LyLogic, HPIceAngel, Sparky, Fallen Dragon, Angel_01: Thanks for the review!
To Lina: Yes, I know it was a bit hurried. I really had to kill off James Potter and Moody, as they become problematic later on in the story. Thank you for the review!
To ntamara: You're probably right. I've been thinking about rewriting Chapter One, as it is rather short. Thanks for the advice!
Chapter 2
It was a warm night at the end of July. Soon-to-be eleven-year-old Harry Riddle was sitting at one of the many windows in his room. Harry was extremely tall for age, and had greasy, unruly hair. His emerald green eyes were quite intense, but the feature that set him apart from others was his lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. He lived in his Mother's quarters at Hogwarts. They had lived there, ever since Voldemort attacked him at Demon's Dell. /Ever since my Father attacked me./ he mentally corrected. /I suppose I should be angry, but I'm not for some reason. He did after all, sacrifice himself for me in the end. Mum says he's still out there somewhere. I hope that's true. It would be nice to have a real father. Severus is more like a big brother; and Sirius and Remus are like little brothers. Dumbledore's nice, but he seems to be a bit frightened of me. Although I must admit, I do enjoy having the 'Greatest Wizard of Modern Times' wary of me./ reflected Harry.
Two warms hands wrapped around his stomach brought him of his reverie. "Hello, Sweetie. Can't seem to get to sleep?" asked his mother, Lily.
"No, Mum. I just can't wait till I'm eleven." replied Harry.
"Well, wait no longer; it's 12:01 AM. You're eleven!" congratulated Lily. "And here is you Hogwarts letter. Go ahead open it."
On the envelope of the letter, in green ink it stated:
Mr. H. Riddle
Professor Riddle's Quarters
Central Tower, Hogwarts
Scotland
Harry carefully opened the envelope to pull out the letter within:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Riddle,
We are please to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await you owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Lily Riddle
Deputy Headmistress
"But that's today! Why'd you wait until the last minute?" asked Harry.
"Oh, don't be silly, the date doesn't really matter. I already put your reply down as an 'Yes' anyway. Unless, you don't want to go to Hogwarts?" she asked.
"Of course I want to go! Can we go get my books and equipment this morning, please? Pretty please?"
"Actually, you should get dressed; we're going to go shopping now."
"Now? But the stores on Diagon Alley don't open till Ten o'clock in the morning."
"Are you kidding, Sweetie? You know I don't trust the stores on Diagon Alley. Except for Ollivanders, and that's open twenty-four hours. Quite convenient. We'll be going to Knockturn Alley, and things don't get going there until after ten at night. Now come on, get out of your pajamas and get dressed."
Harry ran around his room and hurriedly put on his robes. "Ready, Mum." he announced, as he arrived at the fireplace.
"Good. Now you know how to travel by Floo. Remember it's 'Simmering Goblet', say it clearly dear." Lily instructed, giving him a handful of the powder.
"Okay, Mum. Simmering Goblet." Harry shot past dozens of fireplaces before coming out in a tavern in Knockturn Alley.
"Evening, Harry." greeted Remus Lupin and Sirius Black from behind the bar. Remus and Sirius had bought a run-down tavern in Knockturn Alley, and had renovated it specifically for Dark Creatures and Beings. There were rooms for Werewolves during the Full Moon, Vampires during the daylight hours, and other such things. In a short time the 'Simmering Goblet' was more famous than the 'Leaky Cauldron', and making quite a bit more gold as well.
"Evening Uncle Remus, Uncle Sirius. Mum's going be here in a little while, ah, here she is." replied Harry, as Lily came out of the fireplace.
"Evening, Remus, Sirius. No drinks tonight. My boy's got to do his Hogwarts shopping!" beamed Lily.
"Ah, congratulations Harry. The next seven years will be some of the best of your life. And regardless what your Mum says about studying and that sort of rubbish, remember to go wander around the Forbidden Forest, carouse drunkenly with your friends, and all the other good stuff." advised Sirius. "I remember the night I spent with a rather pretty Ravenclaw girl in first-year…"
"Come one, let's get of here before Sirius gets graphic." said Lily, pulling a blushing Harry out of the tavern. "You already have robes, so go on to 'Cadavers and Corpses Apothecary', Sweetie. I have to get something from Gringotts."
"Does it have to do with what's in vault 713?" asked Harry.
"How do you know about that?' Lily asked, surprised.
"I heard you talking to Professor Dumbledore this morning." replied Harry.
"Never you mind. We'll talk when I get back." said Lily in a angry tone, before she turned and left.
/I guess that's a yes./ thought Harry. /Oh well, I'll find out somehow./ Harry quickly walked towards the Potion Shop, greeting the friendly Hags and Vampires. As he entered the store, he noticed the delightful aroma of simmering eye-balls. /I like this place already/.
"Excuse me , sir? I would like to see the advanced potions kits please." said Harry.
"A Hogwarts student? Don't get many of those here. You look a little young to be using advanced potions kits." replied the shopkeeper.
"Well, I don't think my Uncle Severus would expect any less from me." replied Harry.
"Severus? Severus Snape, you say? Right this way sir, my best potion kits are in the back." answered the shopkeeper quickly, as he led Harry. He pulled out two large, and expensive-looking boxes from a closet. "This one happens to be recommended by Arsenius Jigger and this one is made by the descendants of Parcelsus. These two are used by some of the top Potions Masters in the world."
Harry looked at both kits, but neither quite felt right. He looked around the back of the shop, and noticed a small silver chest, covered in quite a bit of dust, on top of one of the shelves. "Excuse me, sir. I'd like to look at that one. The small, silver chest up there."
The shopkeeper took down the chest, and looked at it with anger in his eyes. Engraved on the front were two large snakes, with emeralds for eyes. "I believe this has been here for about fifty years. Some bloke sold it to me for thirty galleons. I bought it, but never figured out how to open it. Conniving Son-of-a…"
"I'll take it." interrupted Harry. "Here's fifty galleons. Have a good evening." He left the money on the counter, and quickly left the store.
/Now what possessed me to do that? This box might not even be a potions kit. But, yet, I know it is. Maybe I'll ask Mum about it. Now let's see what's next on that list. Oh yeah books./ Harry entered a store named 'Necromancer's Sanctum'. He had overheard his Mum praising it as the best bookstore in England.
He easily managed to get all the requisite books, and picked up two others. Advanced Charms for the Ambitious Wizard as well as Advanced Potions for the Superior Slytherin. /There's no way I'm not going to end up a Slytherin. My Dad's the greatest Dark Sorcerer of All-Time./
As Harry made his way to the counter, he noticed a leather-bound book that had the same two serpents on the front cover. /I sense that this will be helpful/ he thought as he took the book.
When he got to the counter, the shopkeeper spoke up. "I wouldn't buy that book lad. We haven't been able to even open it."
"I'm pretty sure I know how to open it." Harry replied, as he paid for his books.
Lily was waiting for him outside, and Harry noticed a grubby little package in her pocket.
"Did you get that from vault 713? What is it?"
"I can't tell you anything about what I got from vault 713. It's Hogwarts business." she replied putting the package deep inside her cloak. "Are those two things what I think they are?" she asked pointing at the silver chest and the leather-bound book.
"I don't know, Mum. I just felt the need to buy them. The shopkeepers said they couldn't open the chest or the book." Harry replied.
"Harry, I want you to try something. Look deep into the eyes of the serpents on the chest." Lily instructed. "Good, now say 'Open Up'"
Open Up said Harry, but to his own ears it sounded like a snake's hiss. However, his Mother was right and the chest opened up. Inside was jet-black pewter cauldron, a gold set of scales, a mortar and pestle set, as well as hundreds of drawers of potions ingredients. Somehow Harry knew that the ingredients restocked themselves, and that the equipment was indestructible.
"What is this Mum? How do I know about it? Why do I feel this way?"
"I believe that this is the potions set of Salazaar Slytherin. The last one to be in possession of it, was your father. Only a Parselmouth, from the line of Slytherin, can open it. I believe we are the only two still alive. This was quite an extraordinary buy. This must be worth millions of galleons. The book is probably something of the same sort. You can open it when we get home. Now, put your things away, it's time to get you a pet."
"A pet? What about Hedwig?"
"Well, he's more like the family owl. I think you'd like something more personal, something you can keep with you." The pair entered 'Creatures of the Night' and began looking around.
"How about this black cat, Mum?"
"Cats are really more for witches than wizards. How about this salamander?"
"I thought I cold only get cats, owls, or toads."
"Ah, I really don't care for the school rules. I'm letting lots of kids bring rats and dogs this year."
"Oh. Well how about a snake then?"
"A snake? You sure, sweetie? It's a bit of a dark creature."
"Ah, it'll be alright, Mum. Since I'm a Parselmouth, I'll be able to talk to it."
"Fine. But pick out a friendly one. The last thing I need is an ornery snake slithering around the Common Room."
Harry looked through the different snakes, but was attracted to a rather small snake. It was black, with silver stripes and had odd emerald eyes. Hello.
You can speak to me? My Mother told there were wizards who could speak Parseltongue, I am Sara, What is your name? asked the snake.
I'm Harry Riddle, and this is my Mother, Lily Riddle. Nice to meet you.
Harry Riddle? The Boy Who Lived? Imagine my luck. Nice to meet you as well.
Well, tell me about yourself. I'd like to buy you.
I am female, and one year old actually. My Mother died three months ago. She was quite old, almost sixty. I am a Silver Kingsnake. I like to eat other snakes, but lizards and mice are quite tasty as well. I am a viviparous kingsnake, which means I give birth to tiny snakes rather than lay eggs. My turn-ons are bloody vipers and long slithers on the beach.
A bit of comedian, aren't you? I'm definitely buying you.
Harry picked up the snake, which wrapped itself around his left arm for warmth. Soon Sara was paid for, and the only thing left was to buy a wand. The two made their way into Diagon Alley. Their thoughts were so absorbed in the snake that Harry purchased, that neither noticed a dark shadow creep towards Gringotts. They were soon at Ollivanders.
An old man with moon-like eyes greeted them as they entered. /He doesn't seem quite human./ thought Harry as he examined the man.
"Welcome Harry Riddle. I've been expecting you for some time now. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday you were here, Professor Riddle, purchasing your wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, made out of willow. Quite swishy, isn't it?" commented Mr. Ollivander.
"Yes, it is." she replied.
"Ah, and your father's wand. Yes, I know who your father was. Thirteen and a half inches. Yew, Core of a phoenix feather. Extremely powerful wand, and in the wrong hands … well, If I'd known what that wand was going to do… Well, no point dallying about. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather was in his wand, gave another feather - just one other. Here, I made this wand with you in mind. Fourteen and a half inches. Yew, holly, and willow. Core of that particular phoenix feather. Quite supple and swishy, but a great amount of power. Well, try it out." instructed Mr. Ollivander.
Harry felt a warmth in his hand as soon as he took the wand. He raised it above his head, and brought it swishing down through the air and a stream of silver, green, and black sparks shot from the end like a firework.
Harry noticed tears in his Mother's eyes and a smile of pride upon her face. She enveloped him in a tight hug, and whispered into his ear. "You're surpassing my greatest hopes for you. I'm so proud, Sweetie." After a few moments, she ended the hug and paid for the wand.
They exited the shop just in time to see a large explosion at Gringotts. Harry could hear several screaming voices. As they got closer they saw a dark figure point his wand in the air and say "Morsmorde." The Dark Mark soon flew over Gringotts, and the figure apparated away. A few moments later, thirty Aurors apparated outside of Gringotts. The outer walls of the large building had been blown away, and it was clear that many goblins and a few wizards were dead.
"A Death Eater?" whispered Lily. "Come on, Harry we have to get home."
"But shouldn't we stay and …"
"Now, Harry. We're going now." Lily dragged Harry to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry noted the anxious expressions on the patrons faces, as by now the whole of Wizarding London knew of the break-in at Gringotts and the Dark Mark that flew above it. The particularly terrified face of a pale young man, caught his eye.
"G-good evening, P-professor R-R-R-Riddle. C-can't tell you h-how p-pleased I am to m-meet you Mr. R-R-R-Riddle." the man stuttered.
"Good evening, Professor Quirell. Sweetie, he will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor." introduced Lily.
"Pleased to meet you as well, Professor Quirell." Harry said extending his hand.
Professor Quirell shuddered for a few moments. Harry thought he could hear a voice softly whisper "Take his hand, you spineless bag of bones. How Dumbledore gave you that job, I'll never know." Quirell then gingerly grasped his hand, and quickly let it go; as if he were afraid of being burned. However, Harry felt a faint warmth in his scar, a sensation much like being hugged by his Mother. /Odd. I get the feeling that I'm the only one who heard that voice. He feels familiar though/.
Lily seemed to be amused by the Professor's fear of Harry. After giggling quietly, she spoke up. "Come along now, Sweetie. It's rather late. I'll see you in a few days Professor Quirell."
They to the Floo back to Professor Riddle's Quarters, and Lily told Harry to get ready for bed. He quickly put his things away, and put on his pajamas. He then settled in waiting for his Mother to arrive.
Lily entered the room dressed in her nightgown. She sat on the edge of his bed, and kissed her son's forehead and cheeks. "I won't be able to tuck you in when you stay at the Slytherin Dormitory, you know."
"I know Mum. I'll miss it, but I'll grow out of it eventually."
"You're growing up so fast, Sweetie. Soon, you're going to be a fully-trained Wizard."
"I want be he most powerful Wizard in history, just like Dad."
At this Lily's smile faltered a bit, but she quickly recovered. "Goodnight, Sweetie." She tucked him in and quickly left the room.
*****************************
As Lily lay in bed, her mind kept going back to what Harry said. /Everyday he gets more powerful. Sometimes he frightens even the other teachers. Dumbledore was terrified when Harry was yelling at a seventh-year for stepping on him. He's so much like his father, our father, that it's uncanny. But is that a bad thing? I remember when Sirius and Remus told me that they, and James, had been Death Eaters. I had been shocked then, but really don't feel so bad about it now. They're my closest friends, and they aren't evil. Severus, whose only second to Harry in my heart, was a Death Eater too. And then there's Voldemort himself, he gave his life for Harry in the end. Is he really that evil, if he's capable of such love? Can he really be that bad? Perhaps, if he ever returns, Harry could have a Father. And perhaps I could too./ thought Lily as she went to sleep.
*****************************
Harry headed towards Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross, feeling quite foolish. His Mum had insisted that he take the Hogwarts Express along with the other students so that he could make friends, and gain experiences. /Yeah, right. I'm positive she just kicked me out so that she could spend some quality time with Severus./
As he walked towards the portal, he overhead three voices arguing. "Mum, I'm sure that this is the way to the Hogwarts Express. It says so in Hogwarts: A History." said a girl with brown, bushy hair.
"Are you sure dear, it looks like a plain old wall to me." said her Mother.
"I don't want you walking into a wall, and breaking you nose dear." said her Father.
Harry decided to help the obviously Muggle-born girl out. "She's right actually, that is the portal." he told them, before running through it.
Harry approached the Hogwarts Express, and quickly put his trunk on the train. He looked for a empty compartment, and soon found one. As h began to doze lightly, the brown, bushy-haired girl came into his compartment, and sat down next to him.
"Thanks for your help back there, I'm Hermione Granger, who are you?" asked Hermione.
"Harry Riddle." he replied.
"Are you really? said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books for background reading and you're in …"
"Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century. Yeah, my Mum bought them for me. She was quite amused. My Mum's a Professor at Hogwarts."
"Really? Do you live there?"
"Yeah, I've lived there since I was one. It's rather boring actually, no one my own age to play with. But I did get access to most of the library. There are hundreds of thousands of books in there. I've mainly stayed in the Charms and Potions sections though."
"Wow! You're lucky. What house do you think you'll be sorted in?"
"Slytherin. Both my parents were Slytherins."
"I, um, heard that they don't like people from non-magic families in Slytherin. Is that true?"
"Ah, that's a load of rubbish. There are people like that in every house, not just Slytherin. But I'm going to be a Slytherin, and I don't hate you. In fact, you're rather nice company. Here, let me introduce you to Sara, my pet snake."
Harry uncoiled the snake from his arm, and set it on Hermione's lap. "Are you sure this is a good idea? She doesn't look too friendly."
"Don't worry she's not venomous. She actually quite funny, if you can understand what she's saying."
"You're a Parselmouth? I thought only a Dark Wizard could be a Parselmouth."
"It's a rarer gift that the books make it out to be. The only two Dark Wizards who were Parselmouths were Salazaar Slytherin and Lord Voldemort."
"I thought you weren't supposed to say his name?"
"Only fools are afraid of a name. I'm sad to say most Slytherins are afraid to say his name as well."
At that moment a pale boy, with platinum blonde hair, along with two huge kids about Harry's height came in to the compartment.
"Is it true?' asked the pale boy. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Riddle's in this compartment."
"Yeah, I'm Harry Riddle. This is my friend Hermione Granger, and this my snake Sara. Please sit down. Here let me expand that for you. Expandus Compartmentum." said Harry, and with a flick with his wand, the room expanded to accommodate all five of them.
The three other boys sat down, impressed with the control Harry had at such a young age. "This is Crabbe and Goyle. And my name's Draco Malfoy." said the pale boy, extending his hand to both Hermione and Harry
Harry took and shook it firmly. "Pleased to meet you." A moment later, Hermione did the same.
"That was some powerful magic there, Harry." commented Draco.
"Students don't learn that until third year." added Hermione.
"Well, I've seen my Mum doing it loads of times at Hogwarts. I guess I just picked it up."
"Isn't your Mum, the Head of Slytherin House?" asked Draco.
"Yeah, I have feeling that's going to be a bitch. She's going be twice as hard on me than the other students." replied Harry.
"Hey, I heard a rumor that your Mum and Snape, the Potions Master were …" said Draco.
"Yeah, they are. Severus, ah, Professor Snape is really cool. He's great to the Slytherins, they say he would have been the Head of Slytherin if it wasn't for my Mum having seniority." said Harry.
"What does your Mum teach?" asked Hermione.
"She's the Spells and Charms teacher, but she teaches the Advanced Defense against the Dark Arts students Hexes and Curses." replied Harry. He looked out the window to see that it was getting dark. "We better put on our robes, we're almost there."
Hermione and Harry had just fished putting on their robes, when the train arrived. They exited the train to see the huge Hagrid greeting the first-years.
"That's Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. He's a bit afraid of me, but really nice. He has some cool creatures so try to get on his good side if you want to play with them." advised Harry.
Harry, Hermione, and Draco got into a boat leaving Crabbe and Goyle in another. The boats smoothly glided across the lake until they were in an underground cavern. They reached a door. Hagrid knocked three times on the door, and then Professor Riddle opened the door, wearing her scariest face along with her normal teaching outfit. This consisted of a form-fitting black leather bodysuit, and a satiny black cape. Needless to say, she was quite popular with the male population of Hogwarts.
"Follow me." she sneered. Of all the students, only Harry was not intimidated by his Mum. And that was only because he saw the smile in her eyes. /She does enjoy scaring little kids doesn't she./ Professor Riddle led them into the small chamber beside the Great Hall, and gave them the standard introduction speech.
"How exactly do they sort us into our houses?" asked Draco.
"They put the Sorting Hat on you, and it tells you what House you belong in by reading your mind and character." answered Harry.
Soon, Professor Riddle led them Into the Great Hall and the sorting began. Harry was surprised to see Hermione sorted into Slytherin. As his name was called, whispers broke out all over the Hall.
Harry confidently walked over to Hat, and put it on. He could feel the Hat feeling around His head for information.
"Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting…So, where shall I put you? Slytherin, eh? You want to be great. Mhm. Better be SLYTHERIN!"
Harry took off the hat to loud cheering from the Slytherin table. He took his place at the end of the table next to Hermione and opposite of Malfoy. The Hall quieted down after the last students were sorted, and they waited for Dumbledore to speak.
"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we start our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" The Hall erupted into cheers, as students began to dig into the plates now filled with food.
The Bloody Baron came to sit next to Harry, and looked longingly at his plate. Seeing the ghost's hunger, he began filling a plate for him. He muttered "Ghoulatus" and seemed to transfigure the food into ghoulish form.
"Why, thank you young Slytherin." said the grateful Baron, as he dug into his plate.
The others at the table stared at him, before slowly turning back to their own meals. Hermione was looking at him with a mixture of awe and something else that Harry couldn't fathom. Draco on the other hand, seemed to look amused at Harry's generosity.
"We giving out charity now, Riddle? I didn't think Slytherins did that sort of thing." commented Draco.
"Perhaps, this one act of kindness will be helpful in the long term." said Harry wisely. Harry, now finished with his meal, began to look around the Hall. His mother was speaking with Professor McGonagall, and Severus was speaking to Professor Quirell. A burst of warmth shot across Harry, as he looked at the Professor Quirell's head.
As Harry continued to stare at Professor Quirell, he realized that the entire Hall had already finished the school song. Snapping out of his trance, he got up and followed the Slytherin Prefect down to their dormitory in the Dungeons. The dormitory was furnished rather lavishly, as many of the rich Slytherin parents didn't want their children staying in less than perfect conditions. Harry trudged off to their bedroom, and quickly put on his pajamas. Without a word to anyone, he went to bed and was instantly asleep.
Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was in a beautiful meadow, sitting under a tree with his father, Lord Voldemort. Lord Voldemort looked just as his Mum described him: extremely tall, pale-skinned, greasy hair slicked back, and red eyes. They talked about Quidditch, School, Girls, and so on; just as a father and son would normally do. However, all Harry could remember the next morning was a laugh; not a cold and cruel laugh, but a warm and loving one.
End of Chapter Two.