Shadowed Truth
Author's Note: English is not my mother tongue so be warned. I don't know where this story is going but I just couldn't not write this. The idea kinda stuck in my head. I don't have a beta reader so bear with me on this account. Well, enough with this. On with the story.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. Everything belongs to JKR and I only do this for my enjoyment and not for any profit or money.
Chapter 4-
The Darkened
Explanations
Knowing is one thing. Explaining is something entirely different.
The infirmary was and always would be the place Harry Potter liked the least of Hogwarts. The cause of this being, that he always landed, one way or the other, in it. So how could it be any other way, than that Madame Pompfrey was now nursing a throughout sarcastic, moody and annoyed Harry Potter.
"I've already told you that I'm alright!" he drawled angrily, his eyes flashing with annoyance, as Madame Pompfrey ordered him to take off his shirt. With resigned compliance, he sighed and did as ordered, ignoring the gasps from behind him. He knew that his back didn't look good. It never did, actually. But he wasn't a Slytherin for nothing and concealing spells were a wonderful thing. A wonderful thing if you weren't currently tired after saving someone's life. Again. Add to that his uncle's tender ministrations and you had a high chance that everything would go very wrong.
"What happened to you, my dear boy?" the voice of his headmaster, someone he loved like he would have loved his grandfather said. He didn't think that there could be a more loving grandfather, or as near to a grandfather as he would ever get, than Albus Dumbledore. He knew that he wouldn't be able to deny his condition to this man for long.
"I got into a fight with some street kids. It turned out to be a little more violent than expected…"he said in a nonchalant voice. Dumbledore looked skeptical and was about to answer when the infirmary doors opened.
The young man's head spun around and his breath caught in his throat. There she was, storming into the infirmary, her pale face in an impassive mask, her designer robes and cloak billowing behind her, making her look even more dangerous than normal. But it were her eyes that gave her away, concern and pain, great pain, shining in them. His annoyance quickly turned into seriousness and concern, although his face was almost as impassive as hers. She turned to Dumbledore, anger in her eyes.
"What am I doing here?" The mask turned hateful and she shot a glare at Harry, who glared back, equally hateful. But both were thinking something entirely different than that.
What happened and why is he in pain? Blaise mentally frowned. If this bastard of his uncle did something then I'm gonna make him wish that he'd never been born!
Behind them Severus raised an eyebrow and Minerva looked on, clearly confused. The behavior of both teenagers was strange, especially after Minerva told them that she had seen Blaise and Harry kissing. She felt Severus step up to her back, whispering.
"Look beyond the masks, facades and tricks. Look into their souls and you will find something entirely different than hate there." And she looked, looked and saw beyond the conventional appearances, as they argued with Albus, seemingly angry and hateful towards each other. Concern, love and pain seemed to be barely contained, flames of passion burning in their eyes. If she hadn't looked for it, Minerva wouldn't have seen it, for it was hidden behind layers of facades and masks. Minerva nodded to him, telling him, that she finally saw, too. Pride filled him as he saw their cunning tricking everyone, who didn't know the truth.
"Children, children! There is no need for this. Minerva remembers the incident." Albus looked at her for confirmation.
"Yes, I saw you two meeting," fear flashed for a millisecond in their eyes. "and I saw everything." The protests and denial struck abruptly in their throats. A glance passed between them, seemingly saying everything without the use of words. In this one second a decision was made, a decision that would alter the lives of those involved irrevocably, truthfully.
But truth, as the saying goes, was a double-edged sword, a terrible thing, both real and also painful. The consequences of their actions would be unpredictable and they wouldn't be able to change them.
But you couldn't be always standing on the edge, not knowing if you would fall or not. This was the fate of those who remained neutral, or tried to at least. They would be pulled by others towards the right or the left but it wouldn't matter. It would always mean going down, the difference being that on one side, you would have a security net. You would fall down, yes. Maybe you'd even injure yourself somewhat but you'd still be alive and would step on the ground. There you'd recognize that there wasn't any edge to jump from and you would laugh tears, cry laughter and sob with relieve for you weren't on that edge anymore. You couldn't fall down. In the end you would pity those who still walked on the edge, still had to do this leap of faith.
Then there were those who fell to the other side, floating in mid-air and fearing that they would some time plummet to their death. For even those who tried to float up, to fall down the other side this time and succeeded, would still fell the pull of their first fall.
In this one moment they decided that it was worth jumping, worth doing this leap of faith, faith in those, who waited on the other side for them. And with that Blaise Zabini and Harry Potter jumped.
One single look of understanding, of relieve passed between their eyes before they let the masks down, all of them. And in front of those, who were in the infirmary, they walked towards each other, their eyes locked, their stride precise and urgent.
This time the passion, the love and the concern broke free from their confines, mixing and exploding in one desperate kiss. They were like two fallen angels, their black cloaks embracing them like wings, hands caressing black hair, bodies pressed together, desperate to get nearer, to feel more, their lips crushing and their tongues dueling. The magic built around them, swirling around the pair like flames.
Severus Snape stared at them. Such a powerful sight it was. He felt their power, their magic, their love, their passion and it overwhelmed him in its brilliance. The potions master turned to look at his fellow professors. They, like him, had wonder written over their faces. Albus' eyes twinkled like the brightest of stars and Minerva had a small smile on her lips. His gaze settled on the pair again and for the first time in years Severus Snape smiled.
A shadowy figure smiled as he looked up. Such a power, such emotions. They deserved it. They deserved happiness and someday soon he would be able to return, to claim his son as his.
His heart filled with love as he thought about the future. Ro was right. Sometimes it was worth jumping.
Many miles away a cruel man sneered and beat the caged soul down. It had been many years since he heard that despicable song, felt that hated power. This dark, clean and unique power. The last one had been him. He, who dared to lock him up for so long. Someone was out there and he didn't doubt that he was the one who searched for the keys to open the portal to them. The ones who had the power to defeat him. The last ones of the Darkened. The last ones of them.
He growled as the one who was caged filled with hope, as he recognized the power at last. But this wouldn't defeat him this time. Oh no, he wouldn't allow it.
They slowly separated with her leaning backwards and him embracing her. The corners of their lips were turned a little upwards, the barest of smiles lighting up their faces. Then, Blaise turned her head and glared.
"Why the hell are you in the hospital wing, again?" she asked accusingly. The young lady stepped away from him, crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised an eyebrow. Behind them, the teachers came out of their shock and watches amused as the spectacle progressed.
Harry inwardly winced. He had to stick to the story he told Dumbledore and Blaise wouldn't believe him. Shit.
"I've gotten into a fight with some street kids. Got a bit violent…" The look she gave him told the young Slytherin everything he needed to know and he sighed, resigning himself to the unavoidable.
"Are you kidding me?" Her voice was throughout sarcastic. "As if some little kids, who think they're cool with their knives and those ridiculous clothes, that almost fall off of them, could beat you up. I'm not even speaking about them getting you into the hospital wing." She paused, concern flashing in her eyes and setting the guilt into him. "So what the bloody hell happened?"
"You know that it had to be done…" He flinched as her eyes dawned with understanding. Blue eyes widened, anger flashing in them.
"You didn't…Fuck it, Des! Where did this Gryffindor idiocy suddenly come from? You know what could've happened! You….you imbecile! What.." her ranting stopped when he caught her lips in a placating kiss.
"I'm sorry, but you know as well as I do that it had to be done." She hugged him fiercely, the emotions of this gesture almost touchable, when a soft cough interrupted them. The headmaster's eyes twinkled like never before, a small happy smile on his face.
"I think that we have something to discuss."
Harry nodded as he put an arm around Blaise, who still didn't seem happy with him. He looked at his professors. These were the people he trusted most in his life. It would be alright to tell them.
"As you wish. Although, the infirmary is probably not the best place for such a discussion. I know a better one." He walked out of the hospital wing with Blaise on his arm. The teachers followed.
As they followed the pair, they walked further and further into the dungeons. So far, that even the potions master didn't really know where they were. Endless corridors and turns later they came to stop in front of a wooden door.
Harry hissed something and pressed his hand to the door. A green snake appeared on it. On their right a hiss was heard. They turned to see the previously normal wall sliding back and revealing a dark corridor, seemingly endless in its descend downwards. There was no hesitation as the pair began to walk down, their teachers a little nervous but nonetheless following.
Minutes later they came to another door, decorated with tiny snakes and an inscription in Latin engraved in it. Hope for the lost. Strength for the forsaken.
With a quiet hiss the door opened. Shadows moved around the room, as soft light from the various torches and the fireplace illuminated the walls. It was a big room with mahogany furniture, decorated in silver and green. The family crest of Slytherin hung on the walls, weapons and paintings lining them. On the far side of the room was a family tree.
Everyone seated themselves, the professors with curious looks on their faces. Finally, after a prolonged period of silence, Albus began to speak.
"Interesting room you have here, Harry. I've certainly never been here." The unasked question wasn't missed by anyone. Harry smirked lightly, clearly a bit satisfied to have one up on the illusive headmaster.
"It's no wonder, really. You wouldn't, couldn't, have actually." He didn't say anything else. "What do you want to know?" The question seemed to be said in a resigned tone. He saw the boy steeling himself against everything that would come.
There was a brief moment of silence, when the teachers contemplated the situation. It was the potions master, who spoke first, his silky voice echoing loudly in the room.
"How is it, Mr. Potter, that you found this so obviously Slytherin room?" Harry raised an eyebrow, clearly hearing what hadn't been said. How is it that you are in a relationship with my goddaughter and not the moronic Gryffindor Golden Boy everyone thought you were?
"Did you hear of the Darkened?" he asked instead of answering. This question would be answered in a little while. Albus frowned, while the other two only looked confused.
"It was an ancient order, if my memory serves me well. The history of them is extremely fuzzy as the Darkened liked to shroud everything in secrecy and fog. There were rumors about them being very powerful and dangerous. They preferred the darkness of night and delved into the Dark Arts." The headmaster said as an explanation, a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, telling him that he would be told something he had not expected this evening.
Harry nodded. "You are right, for the most part. At that time, there wasn't a ministry to control the wizarding population. Mostly, the power laid with the lords of the areas. The Darkened delved into the Dark Arts but at this time, people weren't hypocritical enough to think that dark equaled evil. Something our society sadly does. The Darkened were the hidden protectors of the wizarding world, saving the day but remaining in the shadows." He smiled a soft smile, a far away look in his eyes, while Blaise only stroked his chest, her head lying on his shoulder and smiling contently. "Not many people know that the founders of Hogwarts were members of the Darkened." Surprise and shock flickered across their faces. They clearly weren't expecting something like this. He raised his hands, stopping the questions that would have been asked otherwise.
"Wait. Let me explain to the end. It is…hard enough to tell you this after so many years of silence. I do not think that I could be able to repeat it again." He swallowed heavily, his face falling into an impassive mask again. Albus' eyes dimmed and even Severus' scowl didn't seem as menacing as before. Blaise squeezed his hand, giving him reassurance.
"Salazar Slytherin was obviously one of the most powerful Darkened in the history of the order." He smiled. "Together the order saved many people. They were fighting against those, who were truly evil, not dark. For it is always our actions, that define us. That had been the code of the Darkened. Unfortunately, there was one foe that they had problems defeating." His gaze turned dark. "Salazar's brother, Silton, was possessed by this evil, too weak to withstand it, lured into hate by this demon and condemned to live an existence in misery." He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "They fought Silton for many, many years, but were unable to defeat this demon. But then, one day, they decided to risk everything."
He met the eyes of those present evenly, conveying the seriousness of the situation to them.
"They decided on a ritual. One of the most dangerous in existence. It demanded a sacrifice. They poured all of their magic into their items, chosen to bind Silton into a cage, a demon realm, where he would suffer forever for his crimes, whereas the founders would be captured between the realms, on a plane of existence, that is between worlds. It worked. They bound him but they themselves were captured for eternity in this realm." He paused, taking in the various reactions from those around him.
Disbelief was written all over their faces. He knew that the story sounded fantastic, even unbelievable. In the end, it didn't matter. They would believe him eventually. Blaise's soft voice continued the story, knowing how hard it really was for him to speak about it.
"This was the time when the animosity between the houses began. Some years after the founders' sacrifice, the rumors about Salazar started. He had made a lot of enemies in his years as Darkened and now that he wasn't there to defend himself, his foes spread the rumors, making him out to be a Dark Lord. As time went on many believed them, even the Slytherins, who thought that they had to do their founder proud, not knowing that he'd never wanted muggleborns to be prosecuted." She sighed quietly, sadness lingering in her voice.
The professors looked puzzled, not really knowing what to say to this story, that changed everything.
"But how do you know these details, this story, Blaise?" Severus' soft voice penetrated the silence, speaking so unlike himself. He had always been close to his goddaughter, whereas her real parents didn't even care for her. Pureblood mania and status fanaticism where clearly dominating the minds of the rest of her family. As a child, Blaise had often been with him, finding her love for potions and books in this quiet time, that was too short. She was like a daughter to him and seeing her lying there beside the boy he thought he hated, completely overcome with sadness, wasn't something he liked.
It was Harry that answered him, his voice serene and calm.
"Do you remember, Professor Dumbledore, that time in your office, when you told me that it is our decisions that make us into who we are, that it was my choice that had the sorting hat place me into Gryffindor." He met the eyes of his professor, emerald crystals eerily sparkling in the dim light. "You were, of course, right. But you forgot something. You told me that only a true Gryffindor could take the sword of Godric Gryffindor out of the sorting hat." He reached into his robes, pulling the magnificent sword of Salazar Slytherin out, the metal making a soft sound in the now completely noiseless room. "I asked myself after our meeting, how I was able to get this sword to aid me. The sword of Salazar Slytherin, when you told me that only a true member of Gryffindor could pull his sword out, then why did Gryffindor's sword leave me and why did I get this?" The name of the founder glinted powerfully on the sword, the beauty of the craftsmanship not lost on anyone.
"And to what conclusion did you come?" the headmaster asked, partly knowing where his pupil was getting to.
"Tom Riddle told me once that we were similar, so similar that it was downright frightening." He smiled amused at the shivers that cursed through Minerva. "Disconcerting, isn't it? He was, of course, right, even though I didn't really want to see it at that time. You forgot that even if we choose, we will never forget our past, our experiences, our motivations. So even if I chose Gryffindor over Slytherin at that time, it didn't make me any less one of them. In a different house, yes. In the shadows, yes. No one else knowing about it, yes. But I was still one of them." He paused briefly, wondering how they would take the next part.
"It was after this encounter that I went down to the chamber once more." The sharp glance from Dumbledore didn't escape his notice. "Yes. I went down there and in this moment everything changed." The small smile on his face widened slightly.
"What changed?" the question was asked reluctantly, almost fearfully. The other adults stared expectantly at him, knowing that they would her the most crucial part now.
A voice from behind them made them all jump.
"He met me."
Well, the fog is starting to clear, romance is coming and I just love Blaise's attitude! grin So, who do you think is this mysterious person? I know, I'm mean, making such a cliffhanger but there are a lot of hints in the chapters. You should be able to work it out. What do you think?
Chi
