Hurray for Wednesday! I bring you a lovely chapter to read, aren't you all so excited? Reviews are lovely, as they have been, so leave a few more, and let the awesome begin!
Chapter Thirty Three
A Sharing of Secrets
Luna had quite enjoyed her holidays. Her father, Xenophilius, had taken her on a shopping spree to Diagon Alley right before Christmas, and she had a lovely chat with one of the teller goblins at Gringotts.
When she had seen him, minding a stack of papers on his desk, she felt drawn to the goblin, and skipped across the busy bank to talk with him. At first, the busy creature had ignored her, as goblins tended to most wizards, but Luna was persistent, standing there staring up at him on the raised desk.
Finally, the goblin sighed slightly, and looked down at Luna, "Yes," he said, a slight note of exasperation in his voice at being disturbed.
"Oh, I was just wondering how you son was doing…" Luna said, not entirely sure why she was nudged to ask that specific and rather personal question. The goblin paused, looking at her in confusion for a long moment, then jumped down from the tall stool he sat at. Luna was taller than the goblin, nearly a foot and a half or so, but her eyes never left his as he gazed over her.
"You child, are gifted," the goblin said at last, more to himself than Luna, "and you have powers that this world hasn't seen in ages. Except for…" he trailed off, shuddering slightly, before leaning in toward Luna conspiratorially, "You attend Hogwarts I presume." He stated.
"Yes," Luna whispered, unsure why they were being secretive.
"You must beware the Potter heir and his guardian," the goblin continued in hushed tones. "They possess great evil about them, and are drawing more to their cause unsuspectingly."
Luna nodded, thinking of poor Colin Creevey, sorting into Slytherin and now working directly under the Darkness, "I know." She said sadly.
"If the worst ever occurs," the goblin said, "come here for refuge, we will protect you as long as we can. Ask for Griphook the Lore Keeper, and any of the tellers will bring you straight to me without question."
Luna nodded again, as her father turned and started to call for her. The goblin took her arm in a clawed hand, but the grip was surprisingly gentle, "You have much light in you young witch," he said hurriedly, "never let the darkness extinguish it."
As Luna and her father departed, he had lightly questioned her about speaking with the goblin Griphook, but all Luna told him was that she made a new friend. Her father was very understanding, but there were times that even he simply didn't need to know.
As the train chugged along toward Hogsmeade station, Luna sat comfortable in a compartment with her closest friends, Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley, as well as a few of the other second and thirds year Gryffindors. After the incident the previous year, Ginny had returned to normal, albeit Luna could just feel that something was off about her friend, like there was something missing in her mind.
Luna shivered slightly as a shadow passed their compartment. She didn't need to look to know that it was the Darkness and his entourage of befuddled followers. She was mightily disappointed to see that Miss Granger from Ravenclaw was now in their midst. After hearing about how brilliant the girl was, Luna had somewhat looked up to her standards for learning, but ever since Hermione got involved with the Slytherin boy things seemed to slowly start turning sour.
Neville had also noticed the faces of those students passing by their cabin. He paled slightly as the boy who was once Harry Potter glanced inside their cabin with a cold, calculating smirk, and turned to Luna and Ginny after the group had passed, "Whatever happened to the Harry Potter we were told stories about when we were little?" he asked quietly.
Luna considered Neville for a moment. The boy, once so timid and shy that he quaked in his shoes just when asked a question from a professor, was slowly growing out of his shell. It was rather adorable in a way, like watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon.
"I don't think that boy ever existed Nev," Ginny replied sulkily. Luna knew that Ginny had always harbored a strong crush on the storybook Boy-Who-Lived, and sympathized with her on how much it must have hurt to discover the real one to be far different.
"He's frightening at times," Neville continued, "it's like he's always watching those around him, like he's something like that grisly Head Auror, Mad-Eye Moody…"
Luna nodded absently, her mind elsewhere. Somehow, she felt herself sinking into herself, and for some strange reason, her mind suddenly expanded to be able to comprehend things that hadn't happened yet. Blood and death and screams filled her mind as she saw Neville and Ginny trying to investigate what the monster disguised as Harry Potter was doing.
"una… Luna!" Ginny said loudly, shaking her back to the present.
"What?" she said quickly, trying to shake off the horrid feelings from hat she had seen.
"I was just saying that maybe we need to figure out what that slimy Slytherin thinks he's playing at…" Ginny repeated, but Luna quickly cut her off.
"No!" she cried, startling everyone in the compartment. The other Gryffindors muttered something about Looney Lovegood and turned away again, but Luna started shaking again at the thought of what her friends had suggested, "We should just leave him well enough alone. He's done nothing to anyone for the last three terms, why should we bother?" she said quickly.
Ginny looked annoyed that her plan was being challenged, but Neville quickly agreed with Luna. It was testament to his forgiving nature, as Neville of the three of them had any claim to a grudge against the Darkness.
Soon enough the conversation returned to normal topics and Luna was able to slip into a daydream for the short remainder of the ride to Hogwarts. But, thoughts of her father and their silly trips to hunt imaginary animals couldn't quite remove the edge of uneasiness that hung around Luna as they exited the train and boarded carriages to take them to the castle proper.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sirius watched mutely from the edge of the forest as the carriages carrying the many students, including his godson, made their way up to the castle. It truly pained him, not knowing how well Harry was being treated over the holidays, but when he spotted the green robed boy, his heart rose in hope at the how healthy he appeared, if not slightly thin like James.
At the front gates of Hogwarts, Sirius saw Harry turn suddenly, and look straight at him across the grounds. At first, Sirius thought nothing of the gesture, until he felt a strong presence attempting to rake through his mind, far worse than even the dementors. Withdrawing into his animagus form's primal instinct, he crouched and made his way farther into the forest. As soon as he was out of Harry's sight, the pain vanished, replaced by worry and confusion.
What had just happened? Had Harry somehow known he was there, watching him? There was no way that the boy was a legilimens at thirteen, not even Lily had been that good. But still, Sirius had a sinking, frightening feeling that his godson was definitely the one to mentally assault him, not to mention how he spotted the grim-like dog hidden in the foliage from over the entire distance of the grounds, almost like he could just sense him.
More than ever, Sirius wished he had Moony with him, as his dear friend would have had a much easier time riddling out this new mystery. He had heard him howling over the winter vacation, and had been tempted more than once to run with the man in his werewolf form, just for old time's sake. Unfortunately, he couldn't risk revealing himself, not even to Remus. The sooner he killed the rat and disappeared, the better for everyone, Harry especially.
Never mind that he was in Slytherin, and not the correct house he had been born to participate in, he was still Sirius' godson no matter what had happened to make him seek refuge in the den of snakes, and Sirius was going to protect James' son.
The passage into the castle from the grounds had gone overlooked in the staff's previous sweep for him when he failed to gain access to Gryffindor Tower, but this time he had help, in the form of a mangy orange Kneazle that belonged to one of the students. The cat had found him right before the winter holidays and, being very intelligent for its species, had discovered that he was no dog very quickly. In addition, the lumpy feline had also agreed to assist Sirius into the castle to get at the 'rat-man' as it referred to Pettigrew. Apparently the cat had its own vendetta against the spy and traitor.
Sadly, in the meantime there was little for Sirius to do but wander the grounds and forest, occasionally risking a venture into Hogsmeade to beg for scraps as a lovable stray dog. It was a hard life, but the last twelve years had toughened the Black heir. He would make sure he survived, and killed Pettigrew, or died in the attempt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lord Millennial did not expect to hear from Lucius so soon after the debacle at the man's Yuletide gathering, so the sight of the man's seal on an owl-born letter was somewhat of a surprise.
Tearing the envelope, Millennial was again surprised to find that the letter was completely unrelated to the party in the slightest. Rather, it was in regards to a minor incident that had taken place at Hogwarts. Madam Zabini, one of Lucius less conspicuous associates, was infuriated at the Care of Magical Creatures teacher for allowing her only son to be injured by a Hippogriff, and was demanding the man be sacked and the beast slaughtered.
Millennial was aware of several of these facts, having participated in the meeting of the School Governors that ruled to keep the man Hagrid on staff, as per the influence of the Headmaster, however the animal in question was being investigate further by the Ministry, at Lucius' insistence. The man was being quite vindictive, Millennial thought, to want so much to harm a mere creature to make a point against Dumbledore.
Currently, this letter was a carefully worded request for any assistance possible that the Sith Lord could offer in swaying the Ministry to ignore any defense the half-giant would make to potentially spare the beast.
Which led Millennial to consider what he could do…Crouch Sr. was still trying to gather an air tight case against Lucius so the man had no place to slither out of, but Millennial felt that perhaps it was time for the business-like man to learn of the heavy amount of leeway that dear Lucius was being given by the Minister himself.
That would set Bartemius on the war path, regardless of how prepared he might have been. Lucius would be derailed in his attempt, and Crouch would pounce. At best, Malfoy would have a wonderful cell in Azkaban, and at worst Millennial would be in the position to end Lucius' power, permanently.
Snatching up a stylus, as he wouldn't condescend to using a quill, Millennial quickly penned out a response to Lucius, sending it with the bird. After it was gone, Millennial seized another piece of parchment, and wrote to Crouch Sr., telling him in generalities that he had information that the man would be most interested in, and to meet him in the wizarding marketplace of Diagon Alley.
The Sith did not want to risk entering the man's home again, just in case the elf or Crouch's son reacted badly to his presence. He was unaware how exactly his wiping of the creature or boy's mind would work out, given how each had been powerfully willed beings.
As Millennial thought, he calmly stood from his study, and strode down to the turbolift to the underground chambers of the Manor. As he went, glimpses of the future sailed through his mind, each dedicated to a possible route of action when or if Lucius discovered his hand in this public embarrassment or worse.
Sinking deeply into the undercurrent of the Dark Side that was currently overflowing in the building, Millennial saw the pathway he must take, one that would secure a strong grip on the Malfoy household by the Sith. Lucius would indeed be important, but whether he would be alive to be of use during that time was looking less and less likely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Veneficus returned to Hogwarts with a pleased smirk on his face. He knew the moment he felt eyes on him as the carriages arrived in from of the castle that his dear Godfather, Sirius Black, was watching him, and after he locked eyes with the ragged and wild-looking dog on the edge of the forest he knew for a fact how the man had escaped and was still running free.
If he had been one to go to the ministry with such information, the man might have been captured or dead by the next morning, but Veneficus was intent on having that happy pleasure all to himself. The man would pay for his crimes, real or imagined, but more importantly he would be silenced from ever revealing who the Sith Lord Darth Veneficus was in the future.
'Identities must be eliminated,' Veneficus remembered his Master tell him, so long ago as the pair has descended upon the home of the Sith's old relatives. A glorious initiation into the Order of the Sith Lords, and a chance to banish all that Harry James Potter once was away, or so they had thought.
Black was too much of a threat if the Sith were to able take this planet under their control, not that they would ever do so openly, but one never left anything to chance when they were followers of the Dark Side.
The next morning found Veneficus back at classes, the first taking place out in the frigid winter air, only managing to keep warn by the burning of the Dark Side within him, and a pile of Salamanders smoldering away in the nearby fire pit that the half-giant Professor had prepared for them. At the same time, he also endured Divination up in the North Tower, amid the heavy incense of Trelawney's room, attempting to read the future in the palm of Miss Granger's hand.
Once that nonsense was complete, the final class of that morning was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Veneficus chose to take that lesson in observation of Professor Lupin, and he was surprised at how poorly the man concealed what he truly was. Not only were the amber eyes of a lycanthrope plain as day on the man's face, but everything from his Force aura to the way the man held himself betrayed his more canine nature.
Unfortunately, it also seemed that despite his poor adaptation to living with his disease, the man had not lose any benefit of being a werewolf, including what seemed to be a closer attunement to the Force through their change, as throughout the lesson Lupin seemed to detect the probing strands of Dark Side energy that Veneficus sent at him, only betrayed by the occasional sniff.
It was most intriguing, not only to witness the display of the werewolf's abilities, many of which the research that the Sith had already conducted only scratched the surface of, but even more so the fact that none of the surrounding children even noticed that something was off. The only comment of the students as they finally departed was to merely murmur how ill the man still looked.
The Dark Lord felt the amber eyes on him as he left the room, and was not in the least surprised that, while on his way to the second floor, Lupin followed him.
"Harry," he called casually, making the Sith pause on the landing of his designated floor.
"Yes Professor?" Veneficus answered coolly, keeping all emotion locked tightly away.
Lupin froze on the last step, and Veneficus could sense him trying to smell the aspects of the Dark Side he had detected before. Truly it maddened the Sith that the fool Dumbledore thought he could keep an effective eye on him via this guard dog.
"Oh, I was just hoping that you were having a good first day back from the holidays. I heard that you spent them with Mr. Malfoy and his family," Lupin said, feebly trying to hide his failed attempt at discovering the source of the Sith Lord's darkness.
"You know, Professor," Veneficus said slowly, bringing Lupin's attention back before the man could make his escape, "the others in Slytherin were very concerned about your illness these past few weeks. It would be a shame for it to become something more regular…"
Lupin flinched momentarily; something only a Force user would have been able to notice, so trained was the man to shrug off comments about his condition. "Yes," he said, before pausing, "hopefully not." And with that the man made a hasty exit.
Smirking to himself, Veneficus quickly made his way to the Chamber of Secrets. Food was already there waiting for him, brought by Anguis, but the Sith Apprentice had no interest in it. For weeks he had trained long and hard to wield both wand and saber in tandem, expanding the uses his dark curses and hexes could perform in the middle of saber sequences. But he had lost time being locked away in the home of the Malfoy's, with no place of secrecy wherein to train effectively, and his bloodlust had grown considerably.
But he was capable of controlling himself now. Two years previous Veneficus had not had the will to stay his violent nature for such a long period of time, nearly being driven into a homicidal rage at the inability for him to find a private place to vent his rage. Even now however, he could feel the anger building, and why should he keep it pent up and restrained.
No sooner was he inside the room that housed his training droids, than his sabers flew to his hands, crimson blades reflecting off his face and the walls around him. In answer, the near dozen droids ignited their multicolored blades and charged to meet the Sith head on.
The rage of battle sang in Veneficus' ears, something more bold and strong than the subtle machinations of twisting minds to his will, and much more stirring for the raw Dark Side that was so ingrained into the Sith's philosophy and being.
Screaming in unleashed fury, Veneficus dove into the fray, cutting, hitting, hacking and scoring many blows. All fluidity and elegance had left him for the time, as he became a living hurricane. He was a warrior, born and bred, wrought through the fire of trial and torment, and he lived and breathed for the day when he could cross swords with the Jedi in open war, just as the Sith of old did across countless worlds.
The plans and schemes of Lord Bane, down to Millennial and Veneficus themselves would only put them within reach of their prize, and the young apprentice knew that it would require a strong hand to reach out and take the Galaxy when the moment was right. Years, decades, centuries, it would not matter how long it took anymore, Veneficus had one thing no other Sith had ever possessed, albeit they longed for such a tool and dreamed of the power they could command with it. Immortality was his, and with it the freedom to take as long as the Sith needed to win over the Jedi and their Republic.
Minutes of combat later, a bloodied and disheveled Veneficus stood victorious over the ruin heap of metal that had one time been a force beyond his match. The Dark Side proved and tested the individual, stretching them beyond measure and balancing their will with limitless power.
Soon, Veneficus knew he would no longer have need for a Master. He would write his own destiny, burning it along the stars of a Galaxy run solely by the Sith Empire, reborn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Albus sat in silence as Remus gave a report of his latest class with young Harry. It was clear that only after one term that the werewolf could easily sense the same distressing attributes that he and Severus had both concluded upon. Some sort of thick darkness hung around young Harry, and it was clearly no devising of Voldemort, but something far more sinister.
"I'm telling you it's not right, Albus," Remus said angrily, his eyes flashing as he half rose from his seat. "Some… thing, out there has corrupted Lily's little boy into what he is now. I could smell it plain as day on him, emanating from his every thought and action."
The man slumped in despair, "Lily's boy is dark Albus, there's no denying it. Whomever or whatever happened to him between the time his muggle relatives took him in till now had totally corrupted the happy little baby that I remember from Godric's Hollow."
Albus stood, resting a grandfatherly hand on Remus' shoulder for support, knowing that for him, the man who had been affected by James and Lily both during their lives and by their deaths the most, this event was paramount to the entire destruction of his life. It was a cruel thing Albus had done, in bringing Remus here to discover Harry's darker side, and the aged wizard regretted it deeply, "But there must still be hope," Albus said softly.
Lupin looked up, the man wanting desperately to cling to every word Albus said, "How?" he pleaded, sounding very much like the eleven year old boy that Albus had graciously allowed to attend Hogwarts so long ago.
"Harry is still very young," Albus said, soothing his own fears as much as alleviating Remus' despair. "There must still be good in him, passed on inherently from Lily and James both. He needs to learn the truth of who he is, and what he means to our world, to you and…" Albus paused, wondering if he dared to reveal this new information that could push the already wounded man over the brink.
"And what Albus?" Remus asked, catching the last word with his incredible senses.
Sighing, Albus knew there was nothing left to it but to admit the truth, "And to Sirius…"
The rage exploded just as he thought, "Sirius! What do you mean what Harry means to him, Albus. The man wants to kill him, just as he killed Lily and James twelve years ago!"
Holding a hand up, Albus waited for the angered wolf to become calm again before explaining, "I've been giving the matter much thought of late, Remus, and I've come to the conclusion that Sirius may not be as guilty as we were led to believe."
Remus froze in his seat, clearly not believing a word that Albus said, but internally hoping and praying that they could be true.
"If Sirius truly is here, at Hogwarts, just as was reported this last October, why would he go to Gryffindor Tower when Harry is in Slytherin?" Albus questioned.
"Well that obvious, isn't it?" Remus shot back, "He didn't know that Harry was in Slytherin, but assumed that he would be in his parents' house."
"Ah," Albus interrupted, "but, not only did Sirius have experience with that sort of conundrum, an individual sorted into a different house than his family, but he had ample time throughout September to spot Harry on the grounds, clad in the green robes of Slytherin House. It is my guess, and I say guess as I cannot prove any of it, but I suspect that something other than killing Harry has drawn him here."
Remus seemed to be thinking the matter over, but Albus felt that the man was trying to find a reason, any reason, to disprove what Albus was coming so close to convincing him of.
"Furthermore," he continued, "if it had always been about Harry, why did he wait to break out now, instead of two years ago, while Harry was eleven? Time is not as lost to those in Azkaban as we think; he could find ways to keep track of how long he had been there, and possible plotting when Harry would be here. But he did not, which means something this year occurred to make him escape. Again, I have no proof, but I think, I feel even, that you may be able to get us the answers we need."
Remus looked at Albus in confusion, which soon melted into disbelief, "You're not asking what I think you're asking, are you Albus?"
"I am, my boy, I am." Albus confirmed, "We need to speak to Sirius, and you are the only one with the capability of finding him. You know this school and its grounds better than anyone else, and you alone could figure out not only how Sirius got inside, but where he is hiding. Find him, I implore of you, find him, and try to reason with him why he has come."
The Defense Professor seemed hesitant, but Albus urged onward, "I suspect Harry is right in his thoughts that Sirius is unarmed, or else why would he have merely slashed the Gryffindor portrait with a knife? With a wand he could have gotten inside in a matter of moments, with one spell. The more I look at it, the more his innocence seems plausible. But we need to know, and more so, we need his help to open Harry's eyes to love again."
Remus sagged in defeat, "Ok, Albus, I'll find him. But I hope for all our sakes that you're right. I don't know if I could control myself if he did do all that we feared."
With that, he stood shakily, and Albus guided him to the office door. As he shut it behind Remus, Albus said to himself, "I hope that I'm right as well, for Harry's sake above all."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Colin was very glad to be back at Hogwarts and away from his family for the next six months. Christmas had always been a difficult time for the Creevey family, between Colin's father never having the money to afford many gifts, and his spoiled brother Dennis demanding some outrageous thing only to be placated despite the family's financial struggles, which always lead to Colin receiving a less than decent gift himself.
Colin never complained, but it hurt him dearly to see his father lavish every toy and candy that Dennis wanted upon demand, while Colin himself was usually laden with all the responsibility that should have been on the adult. If not for Hogwarts, and the muggleborn fund that had been mercifully capable of supporting his every need to attend the school, Colin would have found himself trapped in some dead end job helping to support his father and brother.
No one seemed to really understand or appreciate all that Colin put up with, except Harry Potter, also known as Lord Veneficus. Colin had heard Draco Malfoy call Harry that, and personally, the younger boy approved the title. Colin greatly appreciated all that Harry was doing for him, giving him chances to improve skills that could land him jobs in the wizarding world as a reporter, or other important positions in the media fields that the slightly out of date community used.
In addition, he was being given front line information of things that were going to change not only the magical world, but the muggle one, forever. Harry Potter knew about spaceships! Colin had nearly freaked out when he saw the little glowing devise that lit up the compartment of the Hogwart's Express on the trip to school the past September. Now that he also saw what the brilliant Ravenclaw, Hermione Granger was working on, and after having it carefully explained to him so he could understand the techno-babble that went along with the plans, he was more than excited.
So it was no surprise to Colin that upon his return to school, that Harry sought him out, and noticed immediately that the young Slytherin was not acting in his usual manner. He even took time out of his clearly busy schedule to sit down with Colin, alone, and discuss the holidays.
Colin told Harry everything, his frustration that his father loved Dennis more than him, the anger he felt when they sank further into debt for some unnecessary thing, or activity that they clearly could not afford.
Harry listened with perfect silence, digesting everything that Colin said, and letting the small boy vent all his feelings. Finally, when Colin was spent of all his anger, only saving himself from breaking down in tears in front of his idol, did the older boy wrap an arm around Colin's shoulder, not softly, but in a firm supportive manner, "I know what you feel Colin," he said gently, "I remember that my muggle family was much the same, always spoiling their son while leaving me out, practically an intruder into their happiness."
Colin listened raptly, awed that the Boy-who-Lived had a life even remotely similar to his. "My Aunt and Uncle despised magic," Harry continued, "wanted nothing to do with it, or me. And eventually, circumstances changed and allowed me to leave them forever. Family is important Colin, but it has a place like everything else, and once that place has run its course, it's time to move on and leave family behind. I would not be who I am if not for their abuse, their neglect."
Only the slightest trace of bitterness lingered in Harry's words at the mention of his family, and Colin nodded understandingly. "I think I understand," he said. "I need my family now, flaws and all, because it'll make me stronger in the end, but once I no longer need them, I should move on with my own life."
Harry smiled, "Yes, and never look back or regret. Just as a dying limb of a tree is pruned away, so must those that are holding us back from our true calling."
Colin remembered one of the specific instances that had occurred that holiday. His father had casually mentioned, after several mixed drinks with eggnog, that he hoped Colin would be finished with his 'magic school' soon so that he could get a real job and 'help them out.' At the time Colin had been infuriated that his father cared so little about him or his desires, only wanting the extra income to waste on whatever came to mind in the moment.
But Harry's words sparked a better path for him. He would stay in the magical world after Hogwarts, pursue his talents, the things he wanted to do, and his father's selfish expectations be damned. If the drunk wanted more money, he should get a job that paid him more, not expect his children to support him.
"In due time, when Hogwarts is over," Harry said as they parted, gripping Colin shoulder in a comraderly way, "I'll find you, and with the Potter fortune and my families ties, I will make your future a reality."
A thought struck Colin, something that made no sense to him, "But, why are you doing this for me?" he asked, suddenly afraid that he might displease Harry with his questioning of his good fortune.
But a smile from the taller boy alleviated any fear that Colin felt. "Because, my friend, I look forward to your future career with great interest; for me to let it flounder, without as much as a word, would be a terrible waste of one so talented."
Colin couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face at Harry's praise. It was clear to him that Harry had his back with all things concerning his life. It was more than he could have ever hoped for when he first arrived at Hogwarts the year previously.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~line break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One week into term found Anguis sitting among the Slytherins at the Quidditch pitch, watching a heated game between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. The surrounding students were screaming their heads off at the display, but Anguis was quite content to watching mutely, Force aided eyes seeking out the Snitch as his master truly dominated the airspace.
It was a little known fact about Quidditch, but the Seekers had basically free reign of the pitch, so long as they never tried to take possession of the Quaffle. So, in true Slytherin fashion, Veneficus was everywhere he could be, scattering the Ravenclaw chasers and herding bludgers into their team consistently, while still maintaining control over the blue-clad Seeker, preventing the boy from looking for, let alone finding, the Snitch.
The game had been like this for nearly thirty minutes, and Anguis knew that Veneficus was well aware of the Snitch's location, but was enjoying venting his displeasure at the game on his opponents. Anguis did wish the Sith Lord would stop toying with the Ravenclaw team and end the game. Quidditch just didn't hold the same level of interest for Anguis as it once had, with the brightening of his world that had come with seeing beyond the stars. He felt a longing to be working toward getting back out among the many worlds; a pain in his chest that he had never know was there before.
Finally, after another fifteen minutes of unprecedented Slytherin domination, Veneficus went for the kill, lazily swooping around the Ravenclaw goalposts and swiping the Snitch from the air. The Slytherin's around Anguis went berserk. Their team had just scored over five hundred points, with Ravenclaw only managing to slip a measly three goals past Veneficus and the rest of the team.
Anguis was one of the first to depart down to the pitch, and greeted Veneficus was he lighted down from his descending broom, amid the cheers and congratulations of the surrounding children. Veneficus and Anguis ignored them, making their way through the press back to the castle. As a mass of girls, ranging from first to seventh year and spread through all houses blocked their path to at least touch Veneficus' clothing, Anguis noticed something that made him smirk.
The cut of Veneficus' Quidditch robes was different. Not drastically different to warrant much attention or even be obvious, but seeing the Sith move gracefully past the flocking students, Anguis could see immediately that the particular cut and styling gave perfect freedom of movement, far more than traditional robes would ever allow.
This was only of interest to Anguis because his father, and quite a few of the others that had attended the previous Yule gathering, had also noticed Veneficus' rather streamlined style choice. What was more was that the old gentry of the upper crust of Wizarding society had overwhelmingly approved. Style was of the utmost importance to the Wizarding aristocracy, and 'Harry Potter' styled robes had just become the absolute latest trend of wizard-wear in the country.
Anguis was certain that the news had reached Veneficus' ears, but what he thought of it, if he cared at all, was a complete mystery. It was rather an amusing thing, that the wizarding world's clothing styles had been so outdated that a Sith's practicality became an instant hit, but Anguis had to admit that he would be acquiring several sets of the new style over the coming summer, and not only because his parents would force him to.
As they finally escaped the crowds, Anguis was able to walk beside Veneficus again, "You're making yourself quite the star lately," he said teasingly, but the Sith only glanced at him, a knowing gleam in his eyes.
"And why not?" he asked, "I'm already known world-wide for something I didn't do, so why not add some actual accomplishments?"
They turned a corner into a deserted corridor of the dungeons and Veneficus' voice fell to a hush whisper, "Besides, these fools have no idea what I have in store for them. All the better that they continue to worship every spot of ground I step on, it will only make the truth all the harder to believe."
As they entered the common room, Veneficus was heralded by another loud burst of applause for his decimation of the Ravenclaw team, which he humbly accepted. Quickly the two Darksiders retired to the third year dormitory, and Veneficus continued, "These tactics always work; the masses never bother to look past the surface of a topic, or person, and choose to see only what they want to see. Therefore, the shrewd will give the masses only the most obvious good that they can, however fleeting or worthless it is, while withholding their darker secrets close to their chest."
"Take Tom Riddle for example," Veneficus continued as he set his broom aside and quickly laid out fresh student robes, "the man was so well liked in Hogwarts that he earned an award for services to the school, as well as making Head Boy. Who would ever believe that this same upstanding boy would become the, 'dark lord,' Voldemort?"
Anguis was surprised at Veneficus' mood. The Sith Lord wasn't prone to boasting often, and only when he was overwhelming confident of something's success. Whatever plan it was, Anguis did not know. "I know what you're feeling, my Acolyte," Veneficus stated, clearly having read the intrigue and confusion in Anguis, "and yes, I have wonderful plans that are nearing fulfillment."
"To what does it relate, my Lord?" Anguis asked hopefully, to which Veneficus smirked in response.
"Sirius Black..."