Title: A Jade Eyed Kitten
Summary: Harry Potter has vanished from the wizarding world. Voldemort has won. It is now four years later, and a Potions Master seeks to rectify that. DMHP, SSHP, LMHP, LVHP
Warnings: Shounen-ai, Language, Dark Imagery, Angst, Character Death
Possible Pairings: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Severus Snape/Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy/Harry Potter, (Lord Voldemort)Tom Riddle/Harry Potter
Note: Not all pairings are slashy per se. Some may be just mentor-ish or one-sided. So no, Harry Potter is not an ultimate uke here.
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A Jade Eyed Kitten
Chapter One: Memories of the Past, and Thoughts on a Dark and Distant Future
"Draco! What are you doing?!"
"I'm saving your stupid life! GO!!" Hands pushed, shoved. Hands pressed against the resisting body.
"No! I won't let you! Stop!"
Suddenly, he was touching cold metal. The object was smooth, well worn, well cared for. It fit comfortably in his hand. Jade eyes widened in surprise and shock. He tried to fling the object away. Larger pale hands gripped his, closing long fingers around the metal. "I love you Harry." A gentle kiss on bleeding lips.
"Portus." The hands released him in an instant.
The pull of powerful magic.
"No!!"
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Snape was not happy. Time crawled by too slowly. Hours passed like years. Days were eons. He had found that he was simply existing, surviving. He woke up each day with only the goal to live through that day and into the next. Dumbledore was dead, slain by his very own hand. The Order was gone, dead or hidden through out the world, creating various pockets of resistance, but nothing more.
Any wizard or witch strong enough, in body and mind, had flocked to the Order when Voldemort had finally taken the reigns of the wizarding world, but it had not been enough. They had the will to rebel against the Dark Lord, but not the power. Now, they were methodically being extinguished, like vermin.
He had been a double-agent for the Order, but anyone who knew of the truth was either dead or doubted. He had killed Dumbledore. His lot in the war had already been cast. Both sides viewed him as loyal to the Dark Lord. He was to remain the Order's spy, their information, their protection, but his own insurance was no more. Voldemort was not supposed to have won. The Boy Who Lived had not been expected to lose. The prophecy had made it sound as such. But, as any prophecy, misinterpretation and human error can cause grave mistakes.
They had been wrong.
He had seen, with his very eyes, the death of Harry Potter.
It had been a terrible loss. It had angered him greatly. The fools. They couldn't protect their Golden Boy.
True, the forces they were trying to protect him from were greater than their combined power, but just how blind had they been to allow the boy to walk into such an obvious trap?
Perhaps it was the stubbornness on Potter's part. That boy had always found way to dig himself into his grave, and yet at the last second, find a way to crawl out. It was a pity that his luck had not held. There had not even been a look of surprise on Potter's face when the curse was cast.
Severus could only watch in a horrible sort of shock. Time froze as his eyes could see the ripple of magic in the air, hurtling toward its target. Then Potter vanished. Rage had welled up within him. A terrible shriek erupted from his throat. Hexes and curses flew from his wand, almost heedless of his targets. He poured his magic into his attacks.
Potter was gone!
With him had died all of his hopes for the future. His future was gone!
Without Potter, there was not a chance of redeeming himself to the wizarding community. He cared nothing about their opinions, but it was the matter that he would not be exiled that concerned him. If the war could be won, then with memories from Dumbledore's pensieve given to him by the late headmaster, he could prove his innocence. However, the damned fool Potter had to go and get himself killed. The wizarding world was doomed.
Moral would fall when the news of the boy's death was spread. They would still fight, but it would become desperate. There would be little hope for victory, only the hope to remain alive. Voldemort had won the moment the spell had touched Harry.
With that anger, Severus fought. For once, he put little thought into his battle. If he died, it would no longer matter. Yet he lived. He would have to continue to do so without Voldemort learning the truth. So, he passed his days as a Professor at the new Hogwarts.
True to his twisted nature, Voldemort had been obsessive about the school. He had tried to warp the school to his own dark designs, and he failed. It would not accept him, but he was able to darken it in other ways. The Forbidden Forest was no longer forbidden. With the influx of dark magic, the forest grew thick and wild, encroaching upon the school grounds.
Many of the staff had been replaced, Severus running into unfamiliar faces in the hallways always. There were still the four houses of Hogwarts, yet Slytherin reigned supreme. Strangely enough though, accidents had all but vanished from the school. Under the Dark Lord's will, strict rules had been laid down to protect the school and its inhabitants, and none were brave or daft enough to break them.
His days were boring as a Professor, but as a man trying to survive, he feared. It became more trying as time passed, living as a shadow, a mask of himself. Each day, he drained himself in controlling himself and shielding his mind. He could not slip. He could not let anyone know that he was anything but a loyal Death Eater.
He was a double agent for the Dark Lord. He had betrayed the Order. He was a traitor to the light.
It was something he hated. He loathed himself for his cowardly existence. He awoke each morning in a cold sweat and his jaw locked tight. It was wearing him down. He knew eventually, something would break.
He had spent his entire life under the thumb of more powerful wizards. His 'father', Voldemort, even Dumbledore to an extent. His true father had been a muggle, but another had also called himself Snape's 'father'. A mentor to him when the young Potion's Master was coming into his magic. He had been inclined toward Dark Magic since he had been a child.
It had frightened him because he knew it was unnatural. He had been unknowing indentured to a man renown for less than respectable abilities, but powerful and wise beyond a doubt.
Then at Hogwarts, he had fallen into the lure of Voldemort and his cause. Finally, he had tried to escape his enslavement to the Dark Lord by becoming a servant to the Headmaster. Though Dumbledore would never have referred to it as such, Snape knew what he was, and he acted willingly. He was servant, at Dumbledore's beck and call, so strong was the hold the Headmaster had on him. Snape did respect the man, but he also knew that he was a tool for the Order, a means to end the war. He never thought of himself otherwise.
He had little left to lose. So Snape made a promise to himself. He would end the fighting. He would find a way to destroy Voldemort. And he would, if only for a moment before death, finally taste freedom.
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Lucius watched as his friend poured over the books in the Malfoy Mansions extensive library. Snape scanned pages, dark eyes alight with intent, over collections thousands of pages thick, and hundreds of years old. The air was heavy with dust as covers that had not been touched in ages, were opened.
He sighed.
The tomes in front of his own person were by no means thin, but Severus was researching like a man possessed. He had an idea about what had brought about the change in his friend, but he was sure that if he brought it up, Severus would be quick to deny it. The anniversary of Harry's death was nearing. In a few weeks, it will have been four years to the date that the Boy Who Lived lost his battle against the Dark Lord. A few months after that, they would be celebrating the anniversary of the death of his own son, he thought grimly.
Draco, in some Gryffindorishly stupid way, had tried to save Harry, insisting that the boy lived. He went on mission after mission, each of them suicidal tasks in themselves, in trying to reach Voldemort and free Harry, whom he was convinced was imprisoned there. It was a type of madness that gripped his young son to the very death.
He did not blame him.
If he had been as close to the jade-eyed youth as his Draco, he probably would have refused to see the truth as well. He would have denied it to the very end. It wasn't very Slytherin, or even Malfoyish of them, but...Draco had truly loved Harry. Lucius had seen it and he had respected his son's decision.
He sighed, causing great clouds of dust to billow. He stifled his coughing. "Severus." He said wearily.
The Potions Master did not even deign to look up. The blonde rubbed his eyes tiredly, then stood. He placed one pale hand on the open tome in front of his companion, obscuring the text beneath his palm. Snape looked up with narrowed eyes, silently commanding him to remove the appendage.
Lucius only shook his head and slowly closed the book. "Go to bed." He said softly.
Snape only huffed and reached for the text Lucius was holding. Almost childishly, the aristocrat held the book out of Snape's reach, as the Professor was still seated behind a large desk.
"Bed, Severus. You haven't slept in weeks. I can see it. You sustain yourself with your potions, but your body is weakening. You cannot keep this up. And, as rather amusing at it would be to finally watch you succumb to your folly, I'd rather not risk you exposing our plans and putting us both in danger by your hardheaded actions."
Snape's lips pressed into a thin line. He would argue, Lucius saw. He waved his hand, and with a silent Nox, he put out all the lights wandlessly. "Bed."
Muttering something under his breath, the Potions Master stood slowly.
He grumbled a Lumos. Lucius watched as the tired man all but shuffled down the hall, and upon reaching his room, snuffed out the light of his wand. When Lucius was sure the door was closed, he waved his wand, carelessly returning the books to their dusty shelves. He regretted the action a moment later when the ensuing cloud of dust forced him out of the room.
He held the sleeve of his robe to his nose and quickly banished the dust.
He was more exhausted than he had thought. Bed sounded like a good idea to him as well. However, before he left his library, he stepped over to one bookcase and slipped a tome out. Tucking it beneath his arm, he walked toward his own room, shutting the door tightly, and hoped that Severus did not have the same idea as he.
Lucius frowned at the thought that Severus had probably hidden a few texts in his room to peruse out of sight from his friend. Neither of them would be getting much sleep tonight, he thought resignedly.
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The next day, Snape left the mansion early in the morning, apparating to the edges of the Hogwarts wards. Though the school had changed hands, much of its protection had not been altered. So, the weary potions master trudged his way, uphill, toward the school.
He had planned to noiselessly slip into his chambers without the notice of the others, however, as he approached the school, his mark, his brand, began to burn. He cursed under his breath, exhausted and weary, but paused.
He waited a moment for the location of their meeting to be revealed to him before continuing to walk. The Dark Lord was in the Main Hall of Hogwarts. A surprise to Severus since it had been well established that the school was not to fond of him. Nevertheless, he entered the school, and made his way to the Main Hall.
The tables of the four houses had not been moved, but instead of students seated there, witches and wizards from all over the wizarding world were present. Severus noted particularly that those seated at the table belonged at their respective houses.
He could see clearly, Lucius sitting at Slytherin, near the head of the table, his trademark sneer spread across his face. At the Gryffindor table though, there were, surprisingly, the last of the Weasely family, Arthur, Charlie, and the twins. Ron had been killed along with his wife, Hermione, in a fate to similar to that of James and Lily Potter. That had been a sad day as the Order had lost two of their most devoted Aurors. Ginny and Bill had been slain in battle. Molly had died trying to protect her children. Arthur had been devastated. He simply fell to pieces, despite the efforts of his sons.
Professor McGonagall was seated beside the remaining Weasleys, and Hagrid flanked their other side. They sat silent on their end. Only the Slytherin table wore any face of enjoyment.
Slowly, Severus raised his eyes to the head table where the professors normally sat. Taking up the seat of Headmaster, the Dark Lord smirked triumphant.
The most disturbing thing, however, was that it was not Voldemort who sat smirking, it was Tom Riddle. Also, rather than the serpentine Nagini twined about the Lord's lean form, a dark shape lay upon his lap instead.
Silver glinted around black fur.
Severus' sharp, black eyes could barely make out the thin, ornate chain, binding the creature to Riddle's wrist. It was a kitten, bound and collared. His eyes narrowed imperceptively.
Cats, even domesticated, were notoriously wild. Filch's cat, Ms Norris, was known to have a nasty temper when cornered. Why would Voldemort suddenly change from his beloved pet Nagini, to a feline. It struck him as odd. Though he hadn't seen the Dark Lord in some quite time, there were too many surprises in too short a time for this to bode well.
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Riddle smirked as Severus took his seat. Severus was the last to arrive, as he had timed it that way. He wanted to see his precious potions master as he entered the room. He wanted to see the man's expression when he saw his pet, and he wondered, just what would he think of his darling pet.
His smirk gentled a bit as his fingers scratched the top of his kitten's head, sliding down behind his ears. The kitten closed his eyes and mewled softly.
"Good boy, my pet." He murmured affectionately.
The kitten stretched, tiny white claws slipping from his furry paws to clutch at the wizard's robes a moment, before retracting. The kitten yawned and curled up into a small ball in his master's lap.
The hall sat in complete silence, awaiting for the Dark Lord to speak. Fear was palpable in the very air, and Riddle reveled in it. A slow grin spread across his lips, malevolent in every aspect. "Hogwarts has fallen to its new master." He announced with no small amount of glee.
The Slytherin table cheered unabashedly, while Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor sat in stony silence. That was acceptable. As long as they were obedient, he had no reason to punish them.
"As Hogwarts has now acknowledged me as its Lord and Master, I shall take to residing within its walls." His grin grew impossibly wider. "I am the new Headmaster." He announced proudly.
Three table shuddered as one exploded in triumph.
He stood, beaming, as if he were some benevolent benefactor. The small, black kitten was cradled in the crook of one arm, his free hand stroking its back. He raised his hand, summoning a feast reminiscent of the welcoming feast at Hogwarts.
"Celebrate." He hissed maliciously.
The Slytherins jumped in with unconcealed gusto. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs nervously picked at their food. The Gryffindors didn't even move. He smiled. Soon, the others would be just as willing to obey him as his serpentine followers, he just needed to be patient. He moved to leave the hall.
"Lucius, Severus, meet me in my office at the conclusion of the meal." He commanded quietly, his silky voice resonating through the hall for their ears only. His two loyal subjects nodded their affirmation, giving a slight bow from where they sat at the Slytherin table.
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As per the orders, the two wizards sat dutifully at the table until the food vanished. Then they stood and made their way up to the headmaster's office. Their faces were carefully schooled in their respective facades they had worn over the years. Severus, scowling and dark. Lucius, cold and confident, sneering.
Giving each other a look, they suddenly, and foolishly realized, that they had no password. The Gryffin sat unmoving before them. Both stilled the need to shift nervously, acutely aware that the Dark Lord detested tardiness. Punishment was swift for any command not obeyed completely and immediately. They wracked their brains for some clue, some hint of the password, knowing that their Lord word have had the foresight to reveal it to them, just subtly enough for them to pick up on it.
Severus frowned. "Celebrate." He murmured.
The Gryffin sprang to life, jumping aside and allowing them entry. Lucius raised a brow at his friend, who simply shrugged. It had been the obvious answer, as it had been the only single word the Dark Lord had said, and the correct one.
At the top of the stairs, they knocked on the door to the office. They received no reply. Knowing better than to open the door unannounced, Lucius raised a hand, knocking a bit louder. The doors were made of thick wood, perhaps their first timid knock had not been heard?
The door eased open under Lucius' fist. Curious and cautious, Lucius poked his head inside. The office was unremarkably empty. His blond head withdrew and he looked to his friend. "He's not inside." He said quietly.
They stared at each other, unsure of their next move. Finally, Lucius pushed the door fully open, and together they stepped into the room. Lucius slowly made his way across the room, toward the desk. The room was almost the same, but the portraits of the previous headmasters had been removed, and dark artifacts had replaced the shiny, complex mechanisms Dumbledore had owned.
Severus went to follow his friend, but a hushed sound caught his attention. He stilled instantly, lest they were caught in wrong doing. The sound was coming from the Headmaster's quarters. He moved toward the door on silent feet. It was hissing he was hearing. Soft, infrequent hisses. The door was slightly ajar, and he peered in cautiously.
It was that cat.
The small bundle of black fluff was batting at a reptilian tail while hissing at the head. Severus immediate recognized the serpent as Nagini, and the snake seemed to be, curiously enough, conversing with the kitten.
Nagini was mostly hidden by the bed as she was coiled up beneath it. Only her head and tail poked out. Her tail twitched, swaying back and forth in front of the kitten. For the cat's part, he seemed engrossed by the tail, batting at it, crouching, and pouncing at it as if it were a toy. Severus couldn't figure out if the cat was truly a pet or a decorated meal for Nagini, until the hissing started up again. He was sure this time, the snake and the cat were talking to each other.
A long, low hiss from Nagini had the kitten turning his head toward the door. The kitten regarded Severus for a moment. Then something flickered in his slitted green eyes. The kitten tensed. He stood high on his paws, back arched. Severus could see it before it happened.
"Silencio." He voice slashed toward the cat, and as the feline had opened its mouth to yowl, not a sound came out. He quickly cast a sleeping charm on the cat as Nagini slithered from the room. Cursing inwardly, he snatched up a pillowcase from the bed and placed the cat inside, bundling it up. Then he tucked the bundle into his robes.
"Lucius, we have to go, now." He whispered quickly.
His friend looked up from the desk, his face oddly pale. He nodded silently.
"Floo, in my quarters." Severus muttered.
The wizards hurried to the dungeons. They flooed to Snape's Manor, then apparated to Malfoy's heavily warded mansion. Snape had felt it prudent to take more than one route as his paranoid instincts were kicking in.
"What is it?" Lucius asked when they had reached the relative safety of his home.
Gingerly, Severus produced the bundle he had obtained from the Headmaster's quarters. He carefully unwrapped the bundle, and pulled the sleeping kitten out from within.
Lucius' eyes widened. "You stole his cat?" He asked incredulous.
Severus frowned. "It's not an ordinary cat, Lucius. This thing's a parselmouth. I saw it speaking to Nagini. Not only that, but I'm becoming suspicious that this is not a cat at all." He lifted the slumbering feline to eye level. The silver collar glinted brightly, starkly contrasting the midnight fur. His eyes narrowed on a part of the kitten's forehead, where the fur grew in a strange pattern. Cupping the cat in one hand, he brushed aside the fur, parting it in a zigzag pattern. He scowled. It couldn't be. "Lucius." He held up the cat to his friend.
Curiously, the blond took the proffered cat. "A lightning bolt shaped scar on its forehead..." He murmured. "Either the lord has a sick sense of humor or..." Lucius trailed off, his tone hinting.
"I saw him die." Severus said adamantly. "I saw the curse strike him. The boy was obliterated. There was nothing left but scattered ash."
"Perhaps..." Lucius said slowly, far more optimistic than his friend. "But what if the spell only transported the boy somewhere. Did you recognize that particular curse?"
Severus frowned. "No." He said after a moment. "I did not."
"Then perhaps there is hope after all." The blond said. "We must at least try."
His dark haired friend nodded sourly. They went to Lucius' study and settled the cat in the middle of the room. They first scanned the cat for any magical signature. They found none, but continued undaunted. A magical signature, no matter how powerful, could easily be masked by a more powerful wizard or if the subject was under some sort of dampening spell themselves.
They tried multiple revealing spells still with no result. Lucius had suggested a Revealing Potion, but Severus warned against it. The potion might have ill affects if they were unaware of the circumstances in which they were administering it.
Severus stared hard at the feline. "Animagus." He said softly.
Lucius looked at him. "What?"
"What if he's an animagus. I want to try on something." He knelt beside the cat and gently removed the collar, unnoticing of the momentary shock of magic. He pointed his wand at the cat and whispered a spell.
The cat flapped an ear. Then it began to grow. The dark colored fur receded to reveal milky white skin. The limbs elongated. Paws rearticulated, lengthening into fingers and toes. The soft muzzle retracted, flattening into the face. Finally the transformation finished, leaving behind a naked slumbering boy.
"Potter..."
:::End Chapter One:::
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Nox: I'm a newbie to the world of writing Harry Potter fanfiction. I do write other fanfics though. I'm horribly slow both in development and in updating, but we'll see how this turns out.