Embracing His True Self

Chapter 14

Voldemort hated to say it but he was continuously impressed with the fifteen year old teen. Harry was honestly surpassing anything he could have expected. They had truly began training (he didn't consider learning to close ones mind or read one training) four weeks ago at the beginning of August, it was now the end of August and he had exceeded his expectations. He had never complained about the length of time they duelled, or being hurt, with the obvious exception of needing his arm reattached when the shield Harry used failed and his spell met its target it had been reattached easily enough. Considering if he did that to Pettigrew or his followers they would have been brawling their eyes out he was grudgingly awed at his pain tolerance. He flicked his wand in a long complicated motion and fired a spell at the teen, watching his reactions keenly.

Harry's eyes widened, he didn't know what the hell the spell was, and the motions weren't familiar to him, knowing Voldemort though it would be an advanced and painful curse or charm. So without more ado, he quickly erected the strongest shield charm he knew that could hold pretty much under any spell. It was up in time, but the blast of magic both his and Voldemort's was explosive to say the least and Harry was blasted back five feet and painfully against the wall then the floor as his body lost its fight with gravity and plummeted down. For a good few moments, Harry lay there unable to think of anything dazed and winded and most of all in pain. "Fuck," Harry wheezed, trying to breathe but finding it impossible, groaning in pain, he lay where he was unable to move, as he tried to right his breathing.

"Are you alright?" Voldemort asked smoothly, showing no concern even if he was. "Is anything broken."

"Um, no, I don't think so," Harry said, wincing in agony as he sat up, his breathing was getting easier each passing minute, which was good, his body had still taken a hell of a beating. They'd been duelling for over three hours, which was more than usual actually; he knew he couldn't continue anymore.

"Amita!" Voldemort commanded sternly.

"What can Amita do for Master?" the House-elf appeared and bowed immediately, its green eyes gleaming up earnestly, an obvious desire to do whatever her Master asked of her.

"Bring me up a pain reliever," Voldemort ordered, Harry was obviously in worse shape than he was letting on, otherwise he would have been forcing himself off the ground, refusing to show weakness. No matter how bad it was, Harry did refuse to show how much pain he was in, he admired that. Amita left as soon as he stopped speaking, the House-elf knew her way around potions.

Harry heard footsteps and glanced towards the door, watching Barty levitate an unconscious person by. Arching an eyebrow, genuinely curious, was that what Barty had been up to recently. He would constantly be gone doing stuff, then coming back, he would never say what it was either. He'd actually had a lot of fun with Barty, at Pettigrew's expense but really, he didn't care about the disgusting rats feelings. He had learned quite a few…lovely spells along the way. Although lately they hadn't been doing much of anything with his training and Barty being gone all the time.

"What is he up to?" Harry asked shrewdly, his eyes going from the now empty corridor to Voldemort.

Voldemort just smirked at him, he was happy to answer quite a few of his questions, but this wasn't one of them.

"He's been leaving for irregular intervals for two nearly three weeks now," Harry said, relaxing his tense pain filled body, and if he was going the same thing all the time then…"You actually listened to me?" he gaped at the black haired wizard, he had seen Voldemort in many guises, a parasite on the back of someone's head, a sixteen maybe seventeen year old preserved in a diary, the Horcrux he should say, then the snake visage he supported once he returned, which admittedly was only for a brief time before he changed his looks once again and Harry would say he looked barely older than twenty-one, exactly like the Horcrux in the diary only a little older obviously. He preferred this one, and not just because of his appearance which was very easy on the eyes but because he seemed a lot calmer and in control, but he was judging that solely on the half hour he spent in his presence in the graveyard. To know he had taken his advice left him stunned, he hadn't expected that in a million years, pride wormed inside though, pride and satisfaction, Voldemort had actually taken his ideas seriously and obviously given it a lot of thought. He was picking up Muggles to replace the Death Eaters he planned on getting out of Azkaban. "Where is he getting them from? And how the hell does he know how to blend in? He's a pureblood; they tend to stand out from the crowd."

Amita popped in with the potion, and handed it to her Master before leaving without another word.

"Drink it," Voldemort stated, handing the potion over, his red eyes gleaming, he wouldn't accept any challenges on that, although it had been a while since Harry protested against any potion he took. Obviously Harry had come to trust him to a certain extent that he no longer felt suspicious about any potion he consumed.

Harry grasped it and removed the cork and gratefully drank it, not even a few moments later, he felt the potion rapidly working, the pain diminished considerably before fading to a dull throb. Sighing in relief, he got shakily to his feet, not wishing to remain on the floor, especially now that he could move. He'd spent his childhood on the floor supporting one injury or another, he never wanted to feel or be that weak ever again. "You really took my advice on how to get them out of Azkaban, didn't you?" Harry wanted confirmation.

"You may stay if you keep quiet," Voldemort stated, moving away from the makeshift duelling area he'd created for training Harry, and made his way to his desk and began to deal with the paperwork. The vampires had finally joined his side, and it had taken a month of hard negotiating on both sides the deciding factor was the vampires realizing Harry was at his manor, what could he say? He was a Slytherin and wasn't above using any means at his disposal to get what he wanted. He still hadn't had any luck locating Fenrir and his pack, they had probably moved several times since his temporary defeat.

Harry wanted to pout, but he didn't, instead he summoned his book or 'Grimoire' as Voldemort and the others called it. Severus had edited his potions, to maximise their strength. Severus had been there quite often this past month, brewing his potion, the stronger nutrition potion; he kept urging him to name it too. He had also been brewing a variety of others, ones he couldn't identify, there was no book and Severus just had him copying his moves, telling him what to add and how to add it. He had asked but Severus obviously hadn't been in the mood to share, same as Barty, now that was annoying but he also sort of understood it, not that it mattered he already had his suspicions about everything - he wasn't stupid.

The next few hours were silent, as Harry took time to create a few more spells, it was something he did during the summer to stave off boredom and keep his sanity. He wasn't exactly bored these days, but it was nice to have at least one habit and something he enjoyed doing that could continue. He hadn't been flying despite the fact the property was huge and he could fly for miles in each direction he'd bet. He had been curious how far he could go, and did go further each and every time, but it didn't seem to activate whatever was strapped to his leg. Either Voldemort was giving him more leeway or he had lied but Harry knew Voldemort didn't lie, he told you how it was whether you liked it or not.

"My Lord?" Lucius said his dulcet tone wavering as he caught sight of Harry Potter of all people sitting in his Lord's office as if he belonged there. He couldn't have been more stunned, what on earth was Harry Potter doing there? And more importantly why was he just sitting there? Why hadn't he been killed?

Harry looked up in surprise, he was usually told to leave whenever anyone came into the manor, well with the obvious exception of Severus who knew he was here. A sneer planted itself over his face; the urge to curse the wizard was strong. In fact he was unconsciously gripping his wand green eyes glimmering coldly.

"Potter," Lucius spat, gripping his cane tightly, ready to defend himself.

"Malfoy," Harry stated coolly, his lip still curled at the blonde.

"Harry," Voldemort warned, seeing the teen holding his wand, not that he blamed him, Lucius had almost cast the killing curse on the teen when he was twelve years old. He had as well, but that was totally beside the point, it would take a while for Harry to even want to be in the same room as some of his death eaters, never mind trust them, if such a thing was possible. Such anger did intrigue him, even Pettigrew didn't illicit that kind of reaction from Harry. "Leave us." not even Barty and he had tried to kill him as well.

"I want to go flying," Harry stated after dismissing Malfoy, his lips twitching vindictively at the indignant look on his face. Hopefully Malfoy would appear more often, he did need someone new to wind up. Just thinking about flying earlier made him long for the open skies, at least for a while before the pain reliever wore off, since he knew he would be in agony after.

"Go," Voldemort stated he wanted to know everything Lucius did and not sit and argue with Harry. And it would be an argument; no matter what he threatened the teen with he didn't seem to listen. While it was infuriating it was also a refreshing change, nobody denied him, with good reason he would end their lives where they stood. An exception was being made when it came to Harry Potter, not only solely because he was a Horcrux either.

Harry stood up, still smirking, keeping a hold of his book, before walking to the door sniffing in distain he walked passed Lucius sniggering quietly at the look of rage on his face. Oh he was so going to enjoy winding him up, definitely have to get Barty to help if he was willing. Although Lucius didn't really spend any time in the manor, it would have to be something that would really piss him off but short in taking affect.

"My Lord?" Lucius questioned, still furious with the audacity of the boy.

"Do you have any news?" Voldemort questioned, completely ignoring Lucius' subtle move for answers.

"I have everything I was able to collect, My Lord," Lucius said bringing out a large folder from his cloak and passing it over, bowing as he did so. Grateful that Harry Potter wasn't here to see him doing such a thing, he would never live it down, especially considering the boy showed no respect to his Lord nor did he defer to him much to his annoyance. The fact his Lord said or did nothing in reprimand was even more insulting.

"And memories?" Voldemort demanded.

Lucius nodded firmly, removing an intricately box and returning it to its correct size and handing it over. Watching as the Dark Lord opened it and revealed the dozen of crystal vials holding the memories contained within. Despite how much money the items were worth he didn't even blink an eye at handing them over.

"Good, I have a new mission for you," Voldemort stated, and he knew the blonde wouldn't like it - an added bonus for giving it to him.

"Yes, My Lord," Lucius said giving him a bow of deference once more.

"Find Fenrir Greyback and his pack, do not come back without their location and informing Fenrir that I require his presence." Voldemort informed him, it went without saying that he would be furious if the wizard did come back without them, and torture would be one of the things he'd dole out too.

It took everything for Lucius to keep his face impassive; all the while he just wanted to sneer at the thought of going anywhere near Greyback. He loathed werewolves, and hated that the Dark Lord wanted them in the war, they were filthy animals that should be put down to save anyone else from turning into the horrendous beasts each month. "May I enlist a few others to aid in the mission?" praying that he would allow that, he did not want to scour the countryside looking for the beasts, at least not any longer than he had to. He knew if he tried to get out of it and send the others the Dark Lord would find out and he wouldn't be happy and he rather valued his life.

"You may," Voldemort conceded only because it would ensure they were found much quicker.

"Thank you, My Lord," Lucius said, waiting impatiently for his dismissal so he could find the beasts and be done with it.

"And Lucius? If anyone finds out about Harry Potter's presence here…it will not be you paying the price, have I made myself clear? Nobody not even your family will be informed." Voldemort threatened him, knowing it would work, Lucius loved his family and it was the best way to get him to pay attention and refrain from screwing up. "Now leave."

Lucius paled drastically at the threat, visibly swallowing thickly, bowing low before straightening up and preparing to leave. He couldn't help but cringe a little when the Dark Lord stood up abruptly, expecting a curse to come his way, but it didn't, all he could do was gape a little when the Dark Lord exited his office without sparing him a glance. Breathing out shakily, he swiftly made his way out of the Dark Lord's office, he had been told to leave, he wasn't about to stand around and wait to be cursed, he wasn't stupid.

Harry zoomed around on his broomstick and breakneck speed, lying flat out on his broom the air whipping around him violently, the sun beaming down, but largely unfelt due to the wind and coolness. He had almost forgotten how good it felt to be on a broom, he'd used to think it was Quidditch, or just being normal perhaps it wasn't just those reason after all. Twisting around holding tightly as his broom did a turn Harry slowing it down, exhilaration filling him, his broom stopped and Harry just gazed out at the scenery, he'd chosen a brilliant spot, there was nothing around for miles, well nothing but grass and trees and even a few rivers he could see.

He hadn't seen his life taking this sort of turn, hell he'd just been biding his time, until when he didn't know if he was honest. He was just going through the motions, playing Dumbledore's game while he tried to keep himself alive. Voldemort hadn't been the only threat to his life either, the Dursley's were, or more accurately Vernon. Vernon was a big man, and he wasn't able to defend himself, one wrong hit and there would have been nothing he or anyone in the magical world could have done - although they would have probably found his rotten corpse on September when he didn't show up at Hogwarts more likely.

When the House-elf had grabbed him and he'd found himself in Voldemort's place in a cell he'd thought it was game over then. He hadn't expected the events that followed, he had been angry at first, who wouldn't be? Stuck in Voldemort's lair but hey, go figure he would find a safe heaven with someone who had tried to kill him numerous times. He really liked it here, being able to use magic, learning magic, and contrary to what everyone would say at Hogwarts Harry loved learning. He just left the showy stuff to Hermione, he could only imagine how she'd react if he suddenly just started to outperform when it came to classes. To begin with Hermione had been better, no doubt, but he wasn't eleven year old and new to magic anymore. The only reason he'd been behind was because his stuff had been shoved in the cupboard and he hadn't been able to read any of it.

He really liked Barty, he probably shouldn't, especially given what he had done in the past to his friends parents, Neville would have a heart attack if he saw him and Barty talking and laughing. Unfortunately he couldn't continue living his life to the expectations of others, it was time he started thinking of himself. He felt really proud of himself actually, Voldemort had taken his advice, and he had never expected that to happen in a million years.

Shaking off his thoughts, this was why he liked to fly, he didn't have to think, he just moved, and was at peace. Lying flat along the broom again, Harry began to build up speed passing over the manor before jerking his broom handle downwards and into a Wronski faint, his heartbeat shooting through the roof, concentrating, and yanking it back up at the very last second, leaving his stomach on the grass as he rose back up.

Shivering at t he sudden coldness, frowning, it shouldn't be getting cool yet, it wasn't even dinner time. Shrugging it off as sudden pressure change as he flew up, he began to circle the manor again, and he didn't know how long he'd get before he would have to go back inside. Scratch that he knew it would be soon, he thought feeling the ache in his shoulders and lower back after shrugging.

The chill was getting worse; a bad feeling began to churn in his gut, just as he observed his broomstick handle beginning to ice over, very reminiscent of the time it happened in his third year. His breathing hitched, not wishing to be caught like he was the last time and fall fifty foot from his broom, he began to descend as quickly as he could all the while trying to find out where they were. It was definitely Dementors but the question was why? Why the hell were they here? The last time the Dementors had been out of Azkaban they'd been looking for Sirius and Sirius wasn't here. Could they be after Barty?

He soon had his answer when he touched down just outside the manor; his broomstick lay forgotten as two Dementors began circling around him. His knees buckled as Harry tried to think of his very best memories, clutching his wand closely, "Exp-ex-exp-" Harry felt panic and fear creeping up on him. No damn it, he wasn't going to let them nearly get his soul again, he refused. He could get rid of two measly Dementors; he'd gotten rid of over a hundred in the past.

Harry closed his eyes determinedly, thinking of the few good memories he had, which weren't much but it was always enough. He no longer had to make up fantasies to make this spell in particular work. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry shouted his wand out, raised slightly upwards straight at the Dementors.

It was NOT a stag that leapt from his wand as he expected needless to say Harry's jaw dropped in shock. His green eyes widened and glazed over as he stared. What. The. Fuck?

So what will his patronus be now? who will it represent? will it be Voldemort? his mother? or freedom? if its his mum then it will definitly be a doe of course...but if its freedom how about some sort of bird? can't be a phoenix hmm will need investigating...but if its Voldemort? what do you think Voldemort represents? Of course next chapter Harry will be finding out a lot of information that's been kept back...will he want to return to Hogwarts? or will Voldemort convince him so he would have someone who could spy other than Severus? will Harry reveal what Umbridge is doing to him or will it be his watchers that report back and have voldemort taking action? will she be left alive for Harry to deal with? (after all Voldemort wants to turn Harry dark what better way than give him a woman who tortured him on a silver platter?) and what will Harry say to Dumbledore when he's 'found' i'll definitely need to make it something different from the other stories where he suddenly goes back to the 'light' after being missing for so long :D R&R please