Harry Potter and the Star of Senkrad

Author: l'Ciel

Fandom: Harry Potter

Disclaimer: JKR, and some more I think – I don't own anything but the plot – oh, and Ice Drakes, that's mine too! And that sexy nurse (god bless her brainless boobs)

Rating: hard R for implicit sexual content, and to be safe

Warnings: violence, brain washing, …

Pairings: HP/DG, SS/LM; side pairings: HP/BZ, NM/LM

Genre: Action/Adventure, Romance, Angst

Summary : After the events of OotP, Harry runs away from the Dursleys. The only one to find him is Snape, but where do the spy's loyalties truly lie? Slash & Het, war-story

Main characters: Harry, Snape, Lucius, Voldemort, Dumbledore


05) Russian Roulette

The alarm clock on the bedside table rang him awake at 7:15. Lazily he turned around and wiped his swollen eyes sleepily. With a fuzzy nice feeling, he got up and went into the adjourning bathroom to do his usual morning routine. Yawning, he opened the wardrobe near the door to find some simple clothes about his size. He grabbed some simple woollen trousers, black, socks and briefs, black too, and a shirt, white. Slipping into his own boots, he took the black death eater robes from the hook behind the door. Somehow he thought it wise not to oppose the 'system' just jet. His hair was still a little wet from the shower he had just had, so he smoothed it back and cautiously opened the door. Thinking about it, he might better have explored the manor yesterday, but he had been too upset to do so.

Now it was seven to eight and he had no idea where to go for breakfast. So he simply walked down the corridor, since that was the only option up to then, and came to a stairway that led into the entrance hall. And from there on he was lost: There were three large portals leading from the room in three different directions.

He tried the door to the very left and peeked through it: a parlour, with French doors to a large garden, it seemed. Not that way, then.

The doors opposite the stairs would not open and he heeded Lestrange's words from the day before. Therefore he went through the doors of the right and found himself in some another corridor. From an open door to his left, he heard chatter, and some of the voices sounded strangely familiar…

Bracing himself, he stepped into the room. In the middle of it stood three huge tables, lined up behind each other to form one long table and on each side were long wooden benches. And on them sat about twenty youngsters about his age or slightly older. He immediately recognized Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini, who chatted loudly about Quidditch.

Somehow this room was strangely similar to the great hall in Hogwarts. Only that all tables were Slytherin. No wait! There sat a Ravenclaw, whose name Harry did not know.

Accidentally, he tripped over a leg of the nearest bench and suddenly everybody in the room looked at him. Big eyes stared and Pansy had stopped her fork centimetres in front of her mouth, what would have looked really funny, if the situation had not been so dire.

Blaise was the first to come to his senses.

"P – Potter?", the brunette asked perplex.

"Uh, yes?", Harry asked, somewhat helplessly.

"You – here! Has hell frozen over?", the Slytherin asked astounded.

"Temperature steadily dropping", Harry shrugged and sat down two seats from him.

He put some bread and cheese onto his plate and glared at the Ravenclaw, who kept staring at him. Some others around the room had started to whisper and pointed at him.

Obviously Lestrange had been wrong when he had said everybody in the house knew about him.

"Uh, you better keep away from the eggs.", Blaise said neutrally, "You never know where they come from, could be chicken, could be duck, could be a snake or some other weird thing."

Harry nodded thankfully: "I'll keep it in mind."

In that moment the doors burst open and some older death eaters entered, among them the dark lord himself. Harry shivered, but curiously his scar did not hurt. The death eaters sat down on the benches near to the other end of the table and Harry inquisitively looked down the table, where Voldemort had seated himself on some large chair.

"My death eaters, and recruits, "the dark lord began, "welcome a new member amongst our ranks: Harry Potter has joined us in these dark days to fight with us! For each new fellow in the fight, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and strength, for mate and friend, for everything Merlin has send. "

The death eaters lifted their cups and goblets and toasted to the cause. Harry swallowed and stayed silent, sipping from his pumpkin juice now and then.

When the meal was over, he rose with the other recruits, but the lord held him back: "Harry?"

"Y-yes, my lord?", he asked and inclined his head slightly in a smallest-as-possible bow.

"Please stay for a moment; Your lesson today will be separately from the other recruits anyway. I wanted to ask now: do you have everything you need, apart from your wand? I fear it got lost when Severus brought you here."

"Y-yes, I believe so – Milord. I do have a second wand anyway. No worry 'bout that.", he stuttered.

"I see. Do you have it on you?", the dark lord asked.

"Yes, milord. In my pocket, why?"

"Fine, fine. Show it to me, will you?", the held out one long-fingered hand and Harry reached into his sleeve to pull the case out. Flipping it open, he handed Voldemort the wand handle first.

"Interesting. A Saduj Ollivander?", the lord asked.

"No sir. His son made it, but the elder sold it to me."

"Ah yes, Alexei. I believe you will meet him once we take Askaban. A gifted wandmaker he was. Holly, ten inches - I see, what's the core?", Voldemort asked.

Harry could not believe he was actually chattering with the dark lord: "Dragon heartstring, sir."

"Interesting mix. Very fancy looking. Now, run along. I will see you in three days for our first lesson."

Harry nodded and bowed lightly, before leaving quickly to his first lesson with Lestrange.

"Your first lesson", Lestrange began in a clear, dominant voice, "is on the basic rules of this house and its inhabitants, the death eaters. How to distinguish, how to greet and how to treat each."

Harry nodded numbly, while he sat at one of the desks in the library corner, his instructor pacing behind him.

"There are basically three kinds of death eaters: the lowest ranking, recruits, such as you. They are your equals. You may address them by either their last name or given name, it does not matter. Do as you please. It is refined to greet them, but not necessary. The second rank death eaters are the junior ones, the masses. It's unlikely you will find any within these walls apart from the monthly grand meetings. You can distinguish recruits from common death eaters by their robes: the recruits wear plain buttoned robes with white shirts while the higher-ranking servants of our lord wear black shirts, and more importantly, their robes are hooded and they have received their masks. A recruit becomes a death eater, when his teacher deems him ready. Our lord will test his abilities in the battle and afterwards decide weather he is worthy. Everything noted?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Death eaters are to be addressed by their last name. If you don't use the name, say sir or mister. The next higher rank is the senior death eater. Their robes are identical to the junior death eaters, but have shiny black lining at the outer robes and collar. Their masks are smaller, the lower side of the face visible. They don't need to be fully obscured, since they rarely fight in the small riots. You might know some of them, such as Nott or Wilkes. They usually fulfil special tasks and life hidden amongst the 'normal' people", Lestrange continued and Harry noted everything.

After taking a sip from his tea, Lestrange continued: "The highest rank one can achieve without special skills – I will tell you more about these later on – is the inner circle. I myself am part of it. We are the most trusted and advisors of the lord, easy to tell apart from the lower ranking by the knee long cloaks. A member of the inner circle is to be treated with utmost respect – heed my words! Do not speak in their presence unless you are asked. If you answer their questions, do so honestly and immediately. Address them as sir or lady. They are the elite of all followers. There are not many of them, twelve, to be exact, right now. – Note the following down!"

Harry nodded.

"Avery, a broad, older wizard, not very reliable, but a great strategist and curse breaker. He demolished the wards of the ministry three month ago. Dolohov, Antonin. Be careful around him, he's a master of his art, namely the darkest! Not choleric, but once infuriated you'll wish you'd never been born! The Lestranges, Bellatrix, my wife, and Rabastan, my brother. He tends to work in the back ground. HE is choleric, I'll only warn you now. Keep it in mind. He will have no qualms to fry you, should he feel the urge. Askaban has not increased his rationality. For Bella the same. She's a master of her art, too, like myself."

"Yes, sir."

"Macnair, Walden. A creatures professional. That's his job and you'll be no more than just another creature to him, so don't get on his wrong side. Malfoy…"

Harry looked up.

"He is the treasurer, a talented businessman and former spy in the Ministry. He is one of the lord's favourites. Should you meet the landlord of this house, you'll pay him the same respect you pay our lord. The masters are the highest instance here apart from the dark lord himself. You are his servant, act like it!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Mulciber, THE imperialist. It's his element. Few can deny him. A beautiful fellow with a taste for pretty girls, so he won't be a danger to you. Just don't get near the females in his reach, or he'll make use of his talents."

"Pettigrew, the rat. He's sly, be careful – he's more harmful as he looks like. His magical hand will squeeze you to dust. Rookwood. Strong wizard. Just DON'T CROSS HIM!"

"I'll keep it in mind, sir.", Harry answered dutifully.

"There're three more left, being Travers, a brilliant strategist, me and Severus Snape, who you already know as your Potions professor. What you don't know: he's the best, the very best in his field. That's why the dark lord favours him above all the others. You cross Snape, then you're as good as dead. Although… in your case you might have a some leeway, but I would not count on it, Potter. Severus is a virtuous man, don't doubt me here, he IS a death eater, but he is one of the most honourable persons I know. You are lucky to have learned from him."

"I knew he was good, but I had no idea he was THAT good.", Harry said, hoping it was the right thing to do.

"Very well. I will test your knowledge today and then we can start on more advanced charms and hexes tomorrow. This evening after dinner you will meet the Baroness Malfoy in the ballroom for dancing lessons or whatever and the day after tomorrow you'll have your first lesson with the lord. You are honoured he is investing time in you. Use this chance and you'll take it far. Now, lets begin with some easy spells…"

And Harry did as he was told for another few hours.


R&R