Possession
Chapter XXXIX – The Dark Lord's Choice
---------------------------------------------

Voldemort countered Lucius' curses easily, casting his own back with calm air. He'd learnt early that no matter how stressed you were, you never showed it in combat. Lucius was powerful and the Vampire's strength was making him formidable but the Dark Lord could see the strain and worry beginning to show on his former servant. He hadn't learnt that lesson.

They hadn't clashed physically again. Both of them knew that it was useless. They had equal physical strength. Their last clash had proven that. It was going to come down to their mastery of magic and the breadth and depth of charms and curses that they knew and could cast. On this score Lucius unfortunately had the benefits of a classical education and it would take a while to push his education to its limits.

Around him, the air burnt with magic, the streams alive and brilliant. Oh, there were the set charms and wards of the Ministry, the standard security wards - the anti-apparition wards were particularly bright, their force highlighted by Xeoaph's power - but there was also the combat magics, the whipping force vanishing almost before it was seen, their shimmering power flowing in deadly curtains throughout the Atrium. There was also the magic of the people, but the assembled wizards and witches watched the duel with their own power dampened from within at the audacious strength displayed.

But something was wrong. He could feel it. It wasn't something with him. His power levels were stable. Lucius' increase in power had brought the former Death Eater only to his Lord's normal level of power and Voldemort could counter that at any time. It was only a pity that at the moment he wasn't experiencing a power increase or Lucius already be dead. Mentally Voldemort shook himself, bringing himself back to his contemplation. It wasn't anything wrong with his body. There was no poison in the air and he had sustained no cuts or injuries through which a toxin could have been introduced. It wasn't anything that was wrong with him.

Something else was wrong. "Harry..." he whispered, flicking his hand out and allowing his mind to counter Lucius without thought. -Shadows?- He hissed in his mind.

-We're busy, Dark Lord, what do you want?-

-Your Master?-

-What do you think we are busy with?-

His heart skipped a beat. -Problems?-

The Shadows were silent and Voldemort felt his eyes widen fractionally. -No...- He reached out with his mind, trying to brush up against his beloved but felt...

...nothing...

That wasn't possible.

Voldemort paused. "...harry..?" He whispered.

Nothing.

"Harry?" The call was more urgent this time.

Nothing.

That wasn't possible... That wasn't possible unless...

The Dark Lord felt his lips curl back in a guttural snarl as his eyes flashed. Anger fuelled his power and he could feel it burning through his body as he gave up any pretence of defence.

There was no choice.

Or rather there was but he had faced this choice in the past and he had always chosen this path. The only difference this time was for the Dark Lord to acknowledge that he would eventually pass beyond the veil to his beloved but it would not be by the hand of a petty servant. It would not be at the bidding of a vampire. And it would not be before the world knew his vengeance for his mate, not before the world understood the gravity of its crime in letting Harry die. Only then would he consider that journey.

However before then...

Lucius and all his miserable forces would be screaming for his mercy before the sun rose. But that would be nothing compared to what he would do to those who had touched Harry at Hogwarts. He'd let Dumbledore watch. The man should have protected his mate but had just let it happen again. Dumbledore would know, as he watched, he would know that his dream was dead and that there was no hope for the future. He would hear it in every blood choked cry. He would see it with every laceration made. He would smell it by the perpetual stench of blood and shit. He would taste it in the blood that would be as wine and he would feel it with every fibre of his being. The Headmaster would know and that would be torture beyond anything the Dark Lord could do to the aged wizard personally.

"Evisucate Imperio! Crucio! Petrifis!" He snapped the curses out with a speed Lucius couldn't hope to match, laughing coldly as the blond was forced to dance in an ungraceful jig to avoid them. "It's not that easy, Traitor," he added, signalling to the basilisk that had been waiting for his command.

The serpent hissed in triumph and surged towards the blond, fangs bared and eyes alight with a sickly yellow glow as its master began to cast spells indiscriminately into the watching wizards and witches. Voldemort didn't care what curse he cast, so long as it hurt and the screams of the afflicted were like music to him. The whole world would be screaming before he was through.

Lucius dodged the basilisk, regaining some of his grace as he drew his sword with a tight smile. Did the Serpent Lord truly believe he was unprepared to face his minions? That with all his planning he had failed to develop a counter to even the most deadly serpent. Well, if the Dark Lord believed that, he would soon have him educated about the truth of the matter. He cast a quick shield, blocking the serpent's open-mouthed strike before he slashed at the snapping jaws driving them back. The serpent was quick to retaliate, coiling its body defensively and lashing its tail as a counter to his strikes. Scales met steel with a hail of sparks and Lucius knew he couldn't penetrate the thick skin with a slashing motion. He lunged forward, extending his blade and was satisfied as he felt the tip meet the spongy resistance of flesh. The great serpent hissed, an almost strangled stream coming from it and the sharp tang of its blood filled the senses of those who could detect it.

The wound wasn't serious and Lucius was smart enough not to gloat as the serpent shifted, twisting so that the wound could not be attacked before striking again with its tail and fangs.

The blond bided his time blocking each attack nimbly. He was immune to the poison of the great serpent but the fangs could still rip and tear at his flesh and while the yellow eyes could not kill him, they could still leave him stunned and that would leave him as good as dead. All he needed though was one opening and that would be enough. The Dark Lord's servant would fall before him, a symbol of his forthcoming victory over the Lord himself.

The serpent though, despite being a magical construct was skilled. Its attacks were careful, planned and showed thought beyond that of an animal. Lucius sweated as he continued to block and it wasn't all due to exertion. The huge basilisk was alternating its attacks, switching between whip like strikes with its tail and lunging, venom filled bites but with every attack it was careful not to over reach itself, never putting itself in a position where Lucius could strike at its tail, slashing the sensitive tip or where he could drive his sword through the soft palate and into the creatures brain. No... it was too cunning for this.

Grey eyes narrowed and Lucius looked out from his long lashes, a soft smile creasing his features. The serpent was being careful... too careful. With a fluid motion he holstered his wand, sliding it home into the small of his back, a place where it was protected but still on hand, before he drew his short dagger, spinning it to hold it in an imitation of the Dark Lord's fighting style. He flexed his fingers around the hilt of his sword, adjusting his grip minutely, feeling the leather pads of his gloves stick to the cotton binding of the sword before they came away, bonding with his fingers before he pressed them down again. He could almost feel the individual atoms joining with each other and felt vaguely reassured. He couldn't afford to lose the long blade now.

He lunged forward, spinning and striking at the serpent, ignoring the sparks his slashing attacks made with the tough scales. The attacks weren't meant to damage the constructed basilisk, they were only meant to distract it, and keep its sharp fangs off him as he manoeuvred himself into position, creating an opening to attack that the serpent could not resist, no matter how cautious it was being.

Lucius suppressed his smile as the serpent began to move, slowly uncoiling itself, its eyes beginning to glow in anticipation. It thought it had him trapped. Well, he would be happy to educate it otherwise but it would be an expensive lesson.

He stepped left and then lunged forwards straight into the waiting coils. With a hiss of triumph the basilisk pulled it's bulk in tight, wrapping itself like a boa around the blond man, craning it's head to look down at him, it's brilliant yellow crest raised in a full display of power.

Lucius growled as the coils tightened around him but he didn't lose his grip on his sword and while he couldn't drive it into the serpent's body, he did keep it upraised the ward of the poisonous fangs. Almost lovingly he laid his head against the cool scales of the summoned basilisk, listening for the magical pulses that were present in every quasi life form.

For an instant Lucius thought he was lost. There was so much sound. With the vampire blood coursing through his system he could hear everything and the serpent that was wrapped around him was an almost overwhelming cacophony of sound that in no way represented a living being.

In the Dark Lord, twisted though that life may be, he could hear the beat of a heart, the sloshing of blood and the hiss of breath. The basilisk was a magical construct and he assumed that it would be silent save for the soft whisper of the magic source that was sustaining it but it was alive with noise. The skin crackled with energy and now that he was closer he could hear a watery like noise coming from the deadly yellow eyes, almost like the magic was circling like tears, keeping the eyes moist, reinforcing the deadly killing gaze. But the sound of magic was not limited to things that maintained the constructs external appearance.

It was everywhere - pinging against the skin, maintaining the illusion, roaring back and forth down the length of the body, spiralling around and around in a loop that perpetuated the construct. It was almost as if the entire thing was filled with magic and Lucius suppressed a shudder at the thought that the Dark Lord was that strong but then he clenched his teeth, as the coils tightened around him and forcibly reminded himself that he could match whatever power was put forth. He frowned slightly, focusing his hearing, listening for the node of power. If he destroyed that, then the magic could no longer retain its form and the serpent would be destroyed.

To say nothing of the pain the backwash of magic would cause the Dark Lord.

There... The noise of the magic was concentrated in one spot. It wasn't louder than anywhere else on the construct... No... It was more controlled. It wasn't rushing around with blind haste instead the movement of the magic at the node was precise, an elegant dance controlling everything. And it was physically located at the back of the snake's head... almost where the brain would be.

Lucius shook his head irritably. No... it wasn't almost where the brain would be, it was deeper. If the great serpents crest was flat against its scales, the node would be there, almost on the first coil where it was well protected.

A basilisk was a near perfect being. Its scales were tough enough to repel most attacks and if you wanted to kill a large one, the only sure way was to pierce its cranium, but no one had the strength to puncture both the skin and skull so the only way to do that was to attack through the eyes or mouth. It protected its eyes through its deadly gaze and if you got close enough to the mouth, its fangs dripped with poison, enough so that even if you did pierce the brain and killed it, you would have been bitten in the process and be killed yourself. An almost perfect being... save for its slow reproduction rate, slow growth and the difficulty in controlling them.

If the Dark Lord had located the node of magic where the brain was usually situated, Lucius could have killed the construct easily. By moving it back, he had ensured that the blond would almost be swallowed in any attempt to pierce the node through the soft inner tissues.

The blond gasped, breathing shallowly as the coils tightened again. There was more than one way to strike! He looked up, grey eyes narrowing as he considered the options.

The serpent was weaving above him, its mouth parted slightly and its eyes half closed in pleasure, their glow muted. The brilliant red crest was raised and almost seemed to be burning as the shadows shifted over the feather like texture. Lucius raised his arm, flipping his sword over as he murmured the charm.

Without the vampire blood coursing through his system he would never have attempted this, but he could feel his muscles making minute adjustments and his fingers moving slightly as everything worked to make his aim perfect and even as he threw the blade he could feel his little finger push forward, tapping the hilt slightly, nudging the point into a perfect alignment.

It was a beautiful shot. The distance was only a metre and a half but had to be was exact and Lucius smiled as he saw the blade pierce the magic node precisely, the charm embedded in the steel activating, white blue lines of power rippling outwards, defining the longitude and latitude of a sphere. Within the sphere there was nothing but a space devoid of magic.

In a flash it was over. The sphere expanded and literally wiped the constructed basilisk from existence before the white blue lines disappeared and the free magic rushed into the void. The creature didn't even have time to hiss in surprise although Lucius almost saw the hatred in its eyes. He dropped easily and with a delft movement plucked his falling blade from the air before he turned to face the Dark Lord grinning in anticipation of the pain.

He was not disappointed. The intensity of the curses cast by the Dark Lord had forced several Auror units together so that most of them could pour their energies into shields while a few others cast back pitiful resistance. It was resistance the Dark Lord had brushed aside as he expanded his range, including the vampires and Lucius' supporters within his attacks. It seemed impossible that one man should be capable of so much magic but Lucius knew this was the man he had formerly given his allegiance to. This was the man devoid of emotion and filled entirely with power that the world should bow to. The blond suppressed a shiver at the thought before he shook his head slightly. This was the man who had fallen, who had betrayed them he reminded himself as the energy backlash struck.

The Dark Lord swallowed the curse he had been about to cast as he felt the destruction of the basilisk, too late to raise even rudimentary defences. The pain washed through him but he gritted his teeth, turning to face Lucius, his mind already reaching for new charms to cast at the blond. With a determined shrug he ignored the pain. Physical pain was nothing. No one got to his level of power without mastering purely physical reactions and he had experienced pain far worse when learning the Dark Arts. The backwash of a broken charm was nothing compared to the pain of rebirth, or the pain of death. Avada Kedrava was not painless... Not when you had the power to fight it.

Lucius knew nothing about true pain. About the pain of losing half your soul but he would... Before he died, Lucius would appreciate pain in every form, in every nuance.

Ruby eyes glowed as pain was translated into power, adding to the burning aura surrounding the Dark Lord. With a snap of his wrist he copied the blonds previous actions, creating a shield around himself as Lucius re-sheathed his dagger and drew his wand again.

"You should have let my servant finish it, Lucius. It would have been quicker."

"And you should acknowledge that you are no longer fit to rule us and submit to what mercy I may grant."

Voldemort smiled grimly. Lucius was growing bold again but he would fix that. With a second wave of his hand, he extended the shield, surrounding them both within its dome and effectively isolating them from their audience. "There will be no more distractions."

"There will be no more escape," Lucius countered, as he began to circle.

They cast their charms simultaneously, both dodging as the curses struck each other with a flare of magic, before each consumed the other and disappeared. Further curses followed but each one was countered and the magic dissipated in brilliant flashes of energy. While the Dark Lord didn't show it, he could feel himself becoming frustrated with his former servant.

The man was happy to use power when he had no conception of the consequences of that power... He should be showing the strain of vampiric blood but it appeared the blond was untouched. Voldemort spared a glance towards Xeoaph and he understood. The vampire's face was contorted in concentration. He was shielding Lucius. What cost? He thought to himself as an Avada Kedrava curse brought his attention back to the battle.

-Hold still! Do not defend.- The shadow's voice was annoyed as they brought their power to bear. In an instant they had wrapped themselves tightly around him, physically restricting his movements, holding him in the direct line of fire for the curse.

Red eyes burned and the Dark Lord extended a personal shield around himself through sheer force of will. He didn't need a gesture. The power was his and he would use it as he saw fit. Nothing would stop his vengeance.

-This is the way it must be.- The shadows hissed at him but Voldemort snarled at their voice.

-You don't really think we'd let our Master die that easily, do you?- The shadow's voice showed both exasperation and an anger that rivalled his own.

Voldemort froze as the implications became clear. The shield faded and he raised red eyes to look at Xeoaph, smiling up at the vampire as Lucius' curse struck, outlining him with an unearthly green aura.

"You've lost." His voice was strong, even as he felt his body collapse and he ignored the fleeting glance of the looks of surprise that were showing on every Auror and traitors face. Even Lucius seemed stunned.

Darkness closed around him and he felt warm with the assurance of eternity. The shadows gave him the strength to utter one last sentence... a warning, a promise, a description of what was to come.

"Vengeance will be mine."

---------------------------------------------------