Tainted Existence

by tinhead

COMPLETE! While Peter rots in Azkaban, Sirius has imprisoned himself in his own mind. He's tried everything, but now Remus is onto their last resort - Harry. But what difference can one 7-year-old make? Pre-Hogwarts AU

14. Scarlet Eyes

Saw hp3.  Omg.  Funniest hp movie EVER :D

tweet tweet tweet tweet... PFFF!

Snape: Mr Potter.  Just what do you think you're doing!?  (or something like that)
Harry: ... sleepwalking?

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Well im proud.  That was rather quick, considering my last time :D

Enjoy!!

DISCLAIMER: Nothing here is mine, except for bits of the plot.  And when I say bits, I mean bits.  Because a lot of this chapter is pretty much directly taken from chapter 32 of Goblet of Fire.  After all, I'd screw it if it wasn't the way JK wrote it.  I would get half of it wrong.  So, if it sounds like you've read it before, you probably have.
Please don't kill or sue.  I don't really want to die, and sueing is pretty much out of the question as I have a total of 35 cents in my wallet.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 14 – Scarlet Eyes

"Mooonneyyy!" Harry screamed, and Remus lunged for him.

"Wormtail – NO!"

But as Remus reached towards Harry, Harry felt a tug behind his navel and his feet lifting from the ground, and the man's stricken face disappeared in a howling of wind and a swirl of colour.

"MOOONNNEEEYY!"

THUMP!

Suddenly, Harry felt his feet slam into the ground, and he stumbled slightly.
If it wasn't for Wormtail still holding onto him, he would have fallen over.

He felt the knife being taken away from his neck, and he was shoved roughly forward.

"Get moving, you!"

Harry miserably trekked through the dense trees surrounding them, painfully aware of the wand now pressed between his shoulder blades. 

Suddenly, they were out in open air, and he was ordered to stop.  Harry straightened up and took a look at his surroundings.  They were in a grave yard.  It was dark and overgrown, weeds scattered around the shadowy shapes of the gravestones.  They were obviously nowhere near Hogwarts anymore, as he could not see the castle, or even the mountains that surrounded the grounds.  To the right, the black outline of a church could be seen shadowing the churchyard eerily.  To the left, a lone mountain rose in the distance.

Harry squinted into the darkness.  Something was coming towards him! 

It was a man dressed in a black cloak.  He was levitating something in front of him that looked like a baby wrapped in cloth.

Suddenly, the man stopped.  He lowered the baby to the ground, and bent over behind a large shadow.

"Incendio"

Fire sprung up beneath it, lighting up the area.  It was a huge black cauldron, large enough for a man to sit in it.

Harry turned away, shuddering.  It felt evil.

Suddenly, he was pushed forward again, towards the cauldron.  Harry ducked the wand and almost got away, but the other man strolled over to intervene.

"Pertificus Totalus"

Harry felt his arms, legs, neck and jaw snap together, so the only thing he could move was his eyes.

He whimpered in his throat as the other man levitated him over to a gravestone, and he was slammed roughly against it.

The spell was lifted and the man conjured ropes up around his body.  As he straightened up, his hood fell back, and Harry gasped in surprised.

He'd seen those eyes and hair before.  Where - ?

"Recognise me, do you, boy?" he spat.  Harry raised his chin in defiance.  "I've heard you've become quite good friends with my son."

It clicked.

This was Lucius Malfoy.

Harry felt anger course through him.

"You never deserved to have Draco as a son." He spat.

He cried out pain as a hand snapped across his cheek.  "Don't you ever speak to a Malfoy in that way, filth."

Harry glared up at him.  "I'm not the filth around here."

Lucius Malfoy's lip curled in anger and disgust, and he raised his wand.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut – 

"Cruc –"

"Lucius, leave the boy.  Prepare the potion!"

A high, cold voice coming from the direction of the cloths made him open his eyes.  He shivered.  No baby ever sounded like that.

"Yes, My Lord." Malfoy said.   

He walked briskly over to the cauldron and busied himself underneath it.  The surface of the liquid began to bubble, and sent out think fiery sparks.  Large billows of steam blurred the form of Malfoy. More and more sparks formed as Malfoy tended the fire, until finally it looked as if the surface was encrusted with diamonds. 

"It is ready, master."

"Let me see the boy."

Malfoy picked up the thing, turning his face slightly away as he did so. 

Then he pulled the cloth away from it, and turned it to face the boy on the gravestone.

Harry screamed.

It had the shape of a crouched child, but it was scaly–looking and had no hair.  It's skin was a raw reddish-black, and its limbs were thin and flimsy.

But it was its face that terrified Harry the most.  It was flat and snake-like, and its two gleaming red eyes stared straight into his.

It grinned.

"Harry Potter."

His scar exploded in pain.

-o-o-o-

Meanwhile, in the Hospital Wing,  Remus crashed into the bed stand with a cry.

He stood up, and looked around wildly, but they were gone.

Harry was gone!

He stood, staring for a minute at the place they had disappeared from, breathing heavily.

He turned to Madam Pomfrey, who was sobbing in the corner, and sprinted out of the hospital wing.

Taking the stairs four at a time, stumbling as he did so, he finally burst through the doors of the Great Hall.

Silence fell as he ran up to the teacher's table, and stopped in front of Dumbledore.

"Albus," He breathed, "Albus, he's gone.  Harry's GONE!"

The hall erupted.

Dumbledore stood up abruptly, a look of fear on his wizened face.  "What?"

Remus looked up in despair.  "Wormtail took him."

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore roared.  The talking stopped.  "Prefects, please take the students back to their houses immediately!"

Their quiet speculation started up again as the students were taken back to their dormitories.

Draco didn't move.  Harry was gone? 

"Draco..."  Bill was shaking him.  "You can come back to Gryffindor with us if you'd like" he said sadly.  The Weasley boys were all looking downcast. 

But Draco shook his head.  "I'm staying here." He whispered.

Bill nodded.  "Alright. But if you want to come up, the password's hiccups." He smiled sadly.

Draco nodded, swallowing back tears of desperation as the Weasley boys trekked up to Gryffindor tower, heads bowed.

Draco stared at the table in front of him.  Harry hadn't run away.  He had been captured.  And the only person that would capture Harry was Voldemort.  His father would be there. 

He knew what his father could do.

- Flashback - (Draco is 4)

"Hi, Aunt Andwy!"  Draco bounced happily alongside his favourite relation.

"Good morning, Draco." She smiled. "How are you today?"

"I'm good.  Can we go to Diganallee today, pwease pwease pwease?" he looked up at her pitifully.

 "Don't you use those eyes on me young man." She scolded.  But Draco just gave her another dose of 'those eyes'.  She looked at him defiantly for all of three seconds, before her resolve crumbled, and she gave in.  "Oh fine, fine." She said, "But let me speak to your father first."  Draco nodded happily and gave her a smile and a hug.

"Andromeda!"  His father's cold voice reminded Draco of where he was, and he sprung apart from his Aunt.  After all, being a Malfoy meant you showed no emotion.  Draco had learnt that at a very early age.

"Coming Lucius." His aunt called. 

 She patted Draco on the head.  "I'll come and take you to Diagon Alley afterwards, alright?"  Draco nodded.

"But – be a good boy, Draco.  And always remember, you're my favourite little boy and I will love you forever." He nodded again, slightly confused as to why she was saying this now.  After all, he'd be seeing her in a few minutes, wouldn't he?  She gave his hair one last ruffle.  As Draco watched her walk away, he heard her whisper "Just in case..."

'Just in case of what?' Draco wondered.  Now he was really curious.  He knew he'd never be allowed into the den to hear.  He sighed and was climbing up to the stairs to his bedroom, when he saw something that made his heart leap – his father had left the den door open! He scrambled back down the stairs and crept up to the door.  Poking his head around it, he saw the two adults had their backs to him.  He slipped into the den and scooted across the soft carpet to behind the arm chair.  He made it just in time, because as soon as he was behind the chair, his father turned around and closed the door with a snap.

"Andromeda – "

Draco found a peep hole in the couch.

"Lucius, if this is one of your spiels about pureblood loyalty, I really don't have the time." She said angrily, turning towards the door.

But his father just smirked.

" Really, Andromeda.  I would've thought you would have gained some sense after the tragic death of your dear husband."

"That is none – " She stopped, and cruel realisation dawned in her eyes.

She whirled around, pure rage on her face.  "You.  You killed him!" she hissed

His father laughed. A cold, cruel, mocking laugh.  "Why, dear sister-in-law, if I do remember correctly, it was me!"

Draco's eyes widened. 

"Why you BASTARD!" she growled, advancing on him, her wand outstretched.  "You pathetic excuse for a man.  Don't you have anything else to do then prey on innocents? You think he was lower than you. Did you want to wipe out the 'scum'?  Is that why you killed Ted?  Left my daughter without a father?  Left me without a husband?  Or maybe it's because you can't stand to see that a mere muggle-born may be better than you!"

"How dare you!" His father spat. "CRUCIO!"

Draco watched in horror as his aunt doubled over in pain.  He squeezed his eyes shut, but it still didn't block out the screams. 

Finally, after what seemed like ages, his father lifted the curse, and the screams stopped.

Draco opened his eyes.  His aunt was on the floor, gasping for air.

Draco's father stood above her, his wand pointed straight at her heart.

Her eyes shifted to the couch, and widened as she caught sight of Draco, crouching terrified.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she relayed him one last message through her eyes. 'I love you'.

Then, she turned her face to his father's. 

She took one last gasp of breath.

"You are nothing, Lucius."

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Draco watched in horror as the green light consumed his aunt, and she fell back onto the ground, dead.

Lucius laughed long and hard and Draco saw his father for what he truly was.  A maniac.

He watched in angry silence as Lucius stopped laughing, and after transfiguring his dead sister-in-law into a cushion, strolled out of the room.

It was only after he was sure his father had left the house, that he crept out of his hiding place and took the cushion.

Draco buried his aunt that day.  The pouring rain washed away any small piece of love for his parents, and his innocence.

- End Flashback -

Draco looked up at the teachers conversing at the table, and jumped of his seat.

He ran up to them.  "Excuse me."

They continued talking.

"EXCUSE ME!"

The professors started.
"Draco?" Dumbledore asked.
"Sir," he said, "has Harry gone to the Death Eaters?"
He sighed. "I am sorry, Mr Malfoy."
"I'm not a Malfoy" he growled.
"Ah.  My apologies.  But there is nothing you can do.  You may go to Gryffindor Tower if you'd like.  I believe the password is hiccups." He said.

Draco was angry.  "I know what the password is." He snapped.

Cries of 'watch your manners, boy' and 'don't you speak to the headmaster like that!' met his statement.

"Oh shut up." He sneered at them.  "My friend is in danger here, and I am not going to sit around and wait for them to use him to bring Voldemort back!  He's going to die if you don't do something."

Most of the teachers were whispering amongst themselves ('bringing Voldemort back? What is he babbling about? That's impossible!) and looking at him warily, except for Dumbledore, a greasy raven-haired man who was looking very pale, and Remus, who had been silently standing off the side the entire time.  He suddenly spoke up.

"I agree with Draco.  And I will listen to what he has to say.  If he says he knows something, I think it's well worth it to listen."

"But he's only seven!" a voice cried.

"I don't care." Remus barked.  Draco smiled at him gratefully.

"Now Draco," he said, "what do you know?"

Draco took a deep breath and begun.  "I overheard Lucius talking..."

-o-o-o-

All Harry could feel was a white hot pain in his forehead.

"See what I have become?" the thing hissed.

Harry moaned in pain. 

"I cannot even support myself anymore.  I must rely on my servants to feed and clothe me. 

But that will change soon, Harry.  Then you will pay."

Harry could make out the thing being carried over to the cauldron and it being lowered in.  There was a hissing sound and he heard its feeble body hit the bottom of the cauldron.

The pain in his scar burned harder then ever.  Please let it drown, he thought, Please.

He watched as Malfoy raised his wand and closed his eyes.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

Harry watched, horrified, as the grave beneath his feet cracked, and a fine dust rose into the air and fell into the cauldron.  The liquid hissed and bright sparks leapt off the surface and flew in all directions.  The liquid had turned a vivid, poisonous blue.

Malfoy pulled out a long silver dagger from inside his robes.

He gripped it tightly in his left hand.  When he spoke, his voice carried a tone of steely determination.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master!"

Harry squeaked in fright and closed his eyes.  A sharp intake of breath was heard from Malfoy and he felt something splash softly into the cauldron. 

Harry carefully opened his eyes, and saw that the potion had turned a brilliant shade of red.

Malfoy was coming towards him, holding the knife.  His right arm was bleeding heavily, half way between his elbow and his wrist.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe!"

Harry struggled desperately, but Malfoy just growled and held him down.  He closed his eyes, trying to believe that this was all a dream.

But the sharp point of the knife cutting deep into the crook of his arm assured him it was not.  Harry screamed in pain. 

He saw, rather then felt, Malfoy take out a glass phial and hold it to the cut, collecting a part of the blood that was starting to pool around the cut.

Malfoy straightened up, and went over to the cauldron and poured the blood in.

Harry closed his eyes to shield the sudden brightness of the potion, which had turned a pure white.  The sparks were flying off in all directions. 

Then suddenly, the sparks were extinguished and billows of white steam began to rise from the cauldron.  The steam covered everything.  He could not see Malfoy, or even Wormtail, who had been standing blankly and silently to the side. 

Then suddenly, everything went quiet.

Through the mist in front of him, he saw the outline of what seemed to be tall and skeletal man, rising from the cauldron.

"Robe me" the figure said in a high cold voice, and judging by the sound, it was facing away from him.  Harry saw the outline of Malfoy walk briskly over to the cloth on the ground, which turned out to be robes.  He picked them up, and pulled them over the man's head.

As the fog began to dissipate, the thin man turned slowly to face Harry, eyes closed.

He moved his long white fingers along his chest, and then up to his face.  It was paler than a skull, and had a nose like a snakes, with slits for nostrils.  Then, with a high, cold, mirthless laugh, it opened its bright scarlet eyes, and stared straight at Harry.

Harry's heart leapt to his throat. 

It was Lord Voldemort.

He looked away from Harry, and beckoned to Malfoy. 

"Hold out your arm, Lucius."
"My Lord...?"
"Your left arm."

He smiled as Malfoy skittered towards him and pulled up his robes, holding out his arm.

Harry saw a red tattoo on Malfoy's arm.  It was a skull, with a snake protruding from its mouth.

Voldemort pressed his long white finger to the tattoo.  Harry's scar suddenly flared up in pain again, and Malfoy grunted.

When he looked at the mark again, Harry saw it had turned black.

Voldemort straightened up. 

"Now we shall see" he whispered.

-o-o-o-

Many miles away, as the teachers back at Hogwarts were listening with rapt attention and Draco was still in explaining what he had heard, there was a sharp intake of breath from one Severus Snape.

They turned to him.  "What is it, Severus?"  Dumbledore queried, noticing the potion master's pale complexion and wide eyes.

"I – I have been called, Albus" he whispered, his right hand holding his left forearm.

Dumbledore bowed his head.

"Then it has begun."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Eh.  I know its not as long as chapter 13, but its better than the others :D

I hoped you liked that chapter.  I think it might be a bit disjointed in places, sorry abt that.  It was a very quick update time, wasn't it? :D   I am proud!

Answers to reviews (woohoo! I made it to 50!):

Flight of the Wild: Thankyou!  -Pins feel proud badge to school jumper-.  I do feel proud, thankyou :D  I hope this chapter is feel-proud worthy too, even if it is a little shorter, and probably crappier.

Sakura Moon: Sorree! No Sirius for this chapter, but there will be soon.  Hopefully.  If I can get up to that spot in my next chapter.  Thing is, I hadn't actually written half of this chapter and any of the next chapters, so if it's a bit off, sorry abt that.  But yeah.  Sirius does come into it eventually.  I'm in two minds about when and how, but I've already written the epilogue (what can I say, im a confusing girl) and he plays a major part in that situation :D  you'll see...

My Divinest:  Yes.  I like beanbags :D They are very nice and comfy and mmmmm....
well anyway, I hope you liked this chapter.

Samara-Morgan-101: Yeah man, its alive and kicking (ow) lol.  And to top it all off, its UPDATED!

Memories of pain: Hee hee hee!  Oh the POWER! :P  but im hurrying, im hurrying lol

Hi: Thankyou.  Holy sock.

Pixie89: Hahaha ur review made me laff!  Possibly because I'd been having sugar shots all day.  But that's beside the point!

And he'll be brought back.  Most unexpectedly.
Well... I thought so anyway.  Its probably really obvious.  But that's beside the point.  And im building up to a dramatic ending here, so pretend you don't know anything :D

When Draco goes up to the teachers, I was gonna have him and snape oh so luvey dovey you're my favourite fathery figure type thing, but then I was like.... NAH!  Lets give Draco some ATTITUDE!  After all, how could I resist such a chance to pay out Dumbledore??  And besides, the whole thing with Snape and Draco would screw up the ending... oh.  RED ALERT! RED ALERT!  SHUT UP NOW TINWEN!

Yana5:  Harry'll be back, don't worry. Thanx for your review!

FroBoy: Thanks man.  Look, look! AN UPDATE! WHEEE! (something very very strange is happening to me.  I am updating.  In a large way.  What the? :P)

A.J. of Gryffindor: Nope! See!  – cheesy grin –

Oh smelly one (aka Anna – the one who is Marshmallow Orc's identical twin):  ummm... wasn't moria all niced out or some shit?  You are weird.  And strange.  And kinda... smelly.  I think it must be the garlic, sister dearest.  You should really stop eating that stuff.

Yeah well.  Good endings SUCK!  (says this as she is typing the mushy happy ending for TE) sigh isn't it wonderful?

Sorry if ive missed anyone!  Thanks for all ur reviews :D