HP/LV: What if Harry found out he was a horcrux before he was meant to? What kind of path would that lead him down and to who would he turn to when everything else around him falls apart. Dark Harry and Slash
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other character based off the series, those rights are JKR's not mine.
A/N: Thank you to emma wolf94 my beta for all her hard work. To my reviewers I would love to see more, but thanks to you all who got in touch with me, it is great to know that you are enjoying this fic as much as I love writing it.
Mind talking: Voldemort and 'Harry'
-Parseltongue-
"Normal Speech"
Letters
Chapter Four
Riddle Manor
Voldemort smirked at his Death Eaters with satisfaction. Tonight's attacks had gone off without a hitch: they had gotten rid of both Bones and Vance and Ollivander was now locked away in his dungeon, ready to be put to good use.
Voldemort had originally wanted the capture Ollivander to get an explanation for the connection between his and Potter's wands; however, with Potter out of the way, this was no longer important. 'But then again, it's always better to know these things. Knowledge is power, after all', he thought.
Regardless, kidnapping Ollivander would prove useful: his Death Eaters would now have no shortage of wands, which would be especially beneficial for the Death Eaters he had broken out of Azkaban who had had their wands snapped.
"I am very pleased with you, my faithful. Tonight was a total success, one that I am sure will strike terror in the hearts of our enemies", Voldemort spoke with glee. The Death Eaters sighed in relief when it looked like no one would be punished and then, as one, began to cheer.
"I think this calls for a celebration!" Voldemort announced, smiling gleefully as all the Death Eaters cheered again. With a wave of a hand, tables appeared around the room, filling with a huge variety of food and drink.
The Death Eaters, realizing that they were being dismissed, migrated into groups to discuss the night's victory. Voldemort left the comfort of his throne to join his mingling followers.
Exclamations of "My Lord" could be heard left and right as he walked by. Voldemort acknowledged them with a small inclination of his head as he scanned the crowd. He was not quite ready yet ready to join the celebrations: he had one more thing he wanted to do tonight. Following the insane cackle that could belong to only one person, Voldemort was quick to find his target: Bellatrix Lestrange.
"My Lord, congratulations on your success", a grinning Bellatrix said to him, fluttering her eyelashes. Voldemort gave her a small smile: he was very pleased with her tonight.
"My dear Bella, thank you. But we must not forget your success in bringing me Ollivander."
"My Lord, you flatter me! But if you have to thank someone I think you should look to my niece over there. Cassiopeia was the star of tonight's operation." Bellatrix said as she looked at her niece with eyes full of pride.
Voldemort turned towards the latest Lestrange to join his ranks. "Is that so?" he said, arching an eyebrow. "Well then Miss Lestrange congratulations are in order. It seems that you have inherited your family's talents: this pleases me greatly."
Cassiopeia, who had dropped into a curtsey at the sight of her Lord, raised her head, offering Voldemort a small smile. "Thank you, my Lord" she said, slightly confused by the Dark Lord's behavior as he studied her with keen interest.
"May I ask how you found your mission, I believe it was your first, was it not?" Voldemort asked, never taking his eyes off of her.
"It was exhilarating: I had never experienced anything like it in my life. But most importantly it felt good to finally be doing something for the Dark Order. And yes, my Lord, it was indeed my first real mission. I have participated on a few little ones, but nothing quite like this."
"And how would you feel about going on more of these missions?" inquired Voldemort, who wanted to know if the girl was ready for more.
"Oooh! Is little bitty Cass moving up in the world?" sniggered Bellatrix, who immediately stopped talking upon receiving a glare from her Lord.
"I would love nothing more than to serve you, My Lord, doing anything you require of me", Cassiopeia said, bowing her head. Voldemort smirked at her. 'Well I could take that in a few different ways', he chuckled to himself, gaining the attention of the two Lestranges. Cassiopeia found herself blushing at how her words could have been interpreted, whilst Bellatrix burst out laughing at her niece's red face.
"I would love nothing more than for you to serve me, my dear" teased Voldemort, with good humor, leaving Cassiopeia an even brighter shade of red. Voldemort smirked evilly as he added for effect: "In fact, I think I will take you up on that offer right now. If you will follow me, my dear."
Cassiopeia wished that the floor would open and swallow her up: she was so embarrassed! 'Is the Dark Lord flirting with me? Did he really mean what he just implied?' Blushing furiously at the thought, she peeked at her Lord for confirmation, sighing in relief as she realized that he was only teasing her. Thank Merlin! Her aunt, however, didn't seem to realize this.
"My Lord… surely not!" Bellatrix gasped, looking between them.
Voldemort glanced at Bellatrix with an amused expression: "Are you questioning me Bella?"
"No, no, no, my Lord. Its just… its just...?"
Voldemort laughed, shocking quite a few Death Eaters. "Come Cassiopeia, I think we shall leave your aunt to gather her wits", he said, placing a hand on the small of her back and leading her out of the room, leaving Bellatrix to gape after them.
Voldemort steered a confused Cassiopeia to his study. She didn't know what the Dark Lord wanted from her and she hoped that she hadn't done something wrong. From his easy manner so far, she didn't think she had: still, she was very curious.
Upon reaching his study, he motioned for Cassiopeia to sit down. He looked at Nagini who, seeing him walk in, had raised her head, stirring from her curled up position on the rug in front of the fireplace.
-How are you tonight, my dear? - inquired Voldemort. Cassiopeia gasped at the silky hisses of Parseltongue.
-I am well, Master- Voldemort's eyes found Cassiopeia again, who was gaping at his familiar that had already gone back to sleep.
"Take a seat, Miss Lestrange. Would you care for a drink?" he asked, making his way over to his drinks cabinet.
"No, thank you, My Lord." Cassiopeia said softy as she took a seat in front of the desk, trying to regain her composure.
"Suit yourself." He shrugged, pouring himself a brandy. Taking his own seat, he indulged in a sip of his drink before placing it down on the desk and turning his attention to the young woman before him. Voldemort noted that she was very nervous, but then again he'd always taken great pleasure in unsettling even the most loyal of his followers, so he didn't hold it against her.
He wasn't sure exactly how he felt about Cassiopeia: on one hand she seemed to have really taken to tonight's mission like a true Death Eater, but on the other, she had seemed very reluctant to take his Mark. It was for this reason that he had been reluctant to send her on any truly important missions. She was definitely a Dark Witch through and through, but that didn't necessarily mean that she was loyal to his side.
Tonight had been a test to see where her loyalties lied. He had to be sure that she was truly on his side as he wanted to assign her an important project, one that would require him to place a certain amount of trust in her. As of right now he was still unsure whether she was worthy of that trust. Tonight she had certainly proven herself, even Bellatrix signing her praises, which was usually enough for him, but this mission was different. It required absolute loyalty to him, as it involved the most important thing to him and to the eventual success of the war.
"Tell me Cassiopeia, what was it that made you become one of my Death Eaters?"
The question took her by surprise: she had been a Death Eater since her father had broken out of Azkaban, so why was he asking her this now? She frowned, looking down at her hands. Had she done something to attract his concern? She dearly hoped not: she was aware of her Lord's punishment for those who failed him.
"Well?" Voldemort prompted.
Still looking at her hands, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead, she took a deep breath and made eye contact with her Lord. "I joined for the pride of my family and also for the betterment of the Dark" she answered, unsure what it was that he wanted to hear.
"So would you still join regardless of your family?"
"Yes" she replied immediately, with a cautious nod of her head.
"And do you believe in what we are trying to accomplish?"
"Of course, my Lord. Why else would I be here?" she said, feeling very nervous.
"Why else indeed…" Voldemort said softly, seemingly getting lost in his thoughts.
"I apologize, my Lord, but what are you trying to get at? Have I done something to earn your displeasure?" Cassiopeia was now terrified: what had she done wrong? Why was her loyalty being questioned?
"It's not what you have done, but rather what you haven't done. In your time in my service so far, there has been very little participation on your part, certainly nothing of your own initiative. There is also the matter of your avoidance of this base unless you are called. Let's just say that I have felt some reluctance on your part, which seems to have increased since the end of June. What I want to know from you is the reason behind this reluctance."
Cassiopeia knew that she couldn't lie to her Lord: no one could. She would just have to speak honestly and hope that it would be enough for the Dark Lord.
"My Lord, first let me assure you that my reluctance has nothing to do with being a part of the Death Eaters and what that entails. Morgana, its quite a long explanation."
"Miss Lestrange, my patience is running out. I don't care for excuses or how long it will take for you to tell me: you will not be leaving this office until I am satisfied with your explanation." His voice was ice cold, sending chills down Cassiopeia's back.
"My father. It's about my father" Cassiopeia took a deep breath, her heart beating one hundred miles an hour. "I have been angry with my father."
"That doesn't explain why you aren't taking a real part in the war."
"I'm sorry, I should start at the beginning. You see, I feel like this war has already taken almost everything from me and I am scared that it will make me lose the last few things I have left that I care about. I already held some resentment towards my father for getting himself locked up in prison and leaving me alone, but it was nothing to the anger I felt when he got captured again. I felt like he only wanted to use me in the war: its all he cares about! I realize I seem weak and I guess I am at times. It's just that I feel like my whole life has been consumed by this war and I didn't ask for any of it! At the same time though, I can assure you that, had I been asked and not pushed, I would have still chosen to be here. But it's precisely because I was pushed into this that I have been resisting it. I was just trying to gain some independence from my family."
"So this is some kind of rebellious stage you're going through?" Voldemort was shocked. He never thought he'd hear about the Lestranges having family domestics: it was incomprehensible!
"Well, when you put it like that…" but Voldemort was quick to cut her off, before she started telling him about anymore of her family problems.
"A simple yes or no will suffice", he said coolly.
"Yes" was Cassiopeia's meek answer. Talking about this to someone, especially the Dark Lord of all people, suddenly made the whole thing seem so immature.
Voldemort glared at her, annoyed. He couldn't believe that he'd been concerned about her loyalty all this time when her apparent reluctance stemmed from her immaturity and her father-daughter problems.
At least this suited his plans perfectly. Wanting to make sure, just in case, he quickly scanned her mind, and, confirming that she'd been telling the truth, withdrew from her thoughts, sneering at her.
"You're right about one thing: you are weak. And not only that: you are also pathetic and selfish. Wake up Lestrange! You aren't the only one being affected by this war! There are many others that are in the same predicament as you and you don't see them complaining: if anything they are the ones who are the most involved in the war, the most determined to make this world a better place, precisely because they know what it's like to live a life full of fear."
Voldemort stood up and started to pace around his office: he couldn't believe how stupid this woman was being, and to think that he'd been sure she'd been on her way to gaining a place in his inner circle. Reading the reports from her schooling at Drumstrang and hearing about her successful Potions Mastery, he'd been thrilled, becoming even more excited when he realized that she'd almost stolen Severus' place as the youngest potions master in history, only missing out by a mere month. That was no small feat, which only served to make him even angrier. Turning sharply towards her, he spoke crisply.
"We have been trying to turn the Wizarding World into a better place for us to live in, one where there will be no restrictions on the practice of the Dark Arts. But that is not all we are doing Cassiopeia: we are also fighting to protect our traditions. Right now Dark Families are losing their magic: with the introduction of Muggleborns into our families we are getting weaker with every passing generation. So why do you think, Miss Lestrange, that your pitiful problems should hold any sway over the current crisis we are facing?"
Cassiopeia couldn't believe how far she had fallen: how could she have been so selfish, putting her needs over the continuation of Dark Wizardry? Tears welled up in her eyes as shame washed over her face. Voldemort took notice of this, gladdened to see that Cassiopeia was not a lost cause, that she really did believe in what they were fighting for.
"Tears will not help Cassiopeia", he said, coldly. She immediately looked up at him, trying to regain control over her emotions as she brushed the tears off her face.
"That's better. Now, your father should be of no consequence to you: he's hardly been in your life so it shouldn't matter to you whether he ignores you or not. In fact, I would recommend doing the same to him once he returns. You have far too much potential to be dragged down by emotional baggage. You said you wanted independence? Well, now is the time to take it: let go of the past and embrace the future."
"Thank you, my Lord, for your guidance. You are right, as always", Cassiopeia said in appreciation. 'How could anyone not follow this man? He is brilliant!'
"Of course I am right, that is why I am the Dark Lord", he said with his usual air of arrogance. Cassiopeia smiled slightly at the comment, but was quick to regain her expressionless mask, not wanting to aggravate her Lord further.
"So, my Lord, how do I start embracing my future?"
Voldemort smirked. As usual, his manipulations had worked, getting his minions to volunteer their services instead of him demanding they do something for him. It felt amazing to have his sanity back.
"Simple: you will come work for me", seeing her confused expression, as she was undoubtedly thinking that she already worked for him, he added: "What I meant by that is that I will be assigning you a special project, which means that you will be reporting to me and only to me. You will no longer answer to your commanding Death Eater."
To say Cassiopeia was shocked would be an understatement, she couldn't believe that her master would trust her with something so important, especially after her recent behavior.
"Thank you, my Lord. What is it that you require of me?" she asked with breathless excitement.
'We are finally getting to the point', Voldemort thought, relieved.
"I hear that you are running old Tiberius's Apothecary in Knockturn Alley all by yourself", he stated.
"You would be partly correct, my Lord. I have two assistants for the night and weekend shifts, but I run the front of the shop from eleven to five on weekdays for grandfather, before doing my usual brewing duties in the evening." Cassiopeia said, wondering how her family's shop was related to her new mission.
"Good, very good, it sounds as if you are busy enough. As of tomorrow you will put up a sign advertising for an assistant. I presume that you can afford to hire a new assistant during the hours you work at the shop?"
Cassiopeia nodded. "There should be no problem in affording to have an extra assistant. May I ask why?"
"Yes, you may: I want you to hire Harry Potter", Voldemort said with a smirk.
Cassiopeia felt her jaw drop. 'Hire Harry Potter? What in the world?' she thought, dazedly.
"As you already know, Potter and I have come to an understanding: I will stop trying to kill him and he will leave Dumbledore's side. The reasons behind this agreement are none of your concern, so don't bother asking. As to why I want you to hire him, it's quite simple really: he will be residing in Knockturn Alley for the foreseeable future, hiding from both the Order and the Ministry, which means that he won't be able to visit Gringotts very often, so he will need a job to cover his expenses."
Cassiopeia was sure the world had just turned upside down: the Dark Lord was arranging a job for the Boy-Who-Lived.
"Obviously, I'm not simply trying to find him a job", he said, as if knew exactly what she'd been thinking. "Potter and I are already in contact, but, as I won't be able to see him, I want you to be my eyes and ears around him, reporting all your findings to me, of course."
"Yes, my Lord."
"That is not the only thing I want you to do: young Harry has already begun his journey to becoming a powerful Dark Wizard."
Cassiopeia gasped: 'No way! Potter a Dark Wizard? From all I have heard about him, that should be impossible!'
"Over the years, he's shown a lot of potential and now that he is no longer working against me, I want that potential to flourish. In time I want Potter to willingly join me." Voldemort continued. "As it stands, as you can imagine, things are quite tense between us, our cease fire still very new; however, I will be sending him books on a variety of subjects that I want him to learn. We are in correspondence, but Potter, in a misguided attempt to keep his neutrality, is refusing to come to me for any training, for now anyway" he ended with a smirk.
'How could anyone, even Potter turn down personal training from the Dark Lord himself?'' thought Cassiopeia.
"This, my dear, is where you come in. Harry and I have been in conflict for far too long, which unfortunately makes him rather untrusting of my judgment, so he wouldn't be able to keep enough of an open mind to learn the cultural aspects of Dark society from me. You, on the other hand, can court him to our side by showing him what it means to be Dark. He will be living in the heart of Dark society, where almost everyone is a Dark Wizard and he will see that it's not what the Ministry or Dumbledore make it out to be. He will get curious, he will start asking questions and you will answer every single one of them. If Harry Potter forms bonds to the Dark community and truly finds a connection with us, you will show him the true motives behind this war. I have no doubt that with Harry Potter on our side we will be able to end this war once and for all, with the Dark emerging victorious of course."
Cassiopeia's brain hurt from all the information her Lord was giving her; she kept hearing over and over again: 'hire Harry Potter, teach Harry Potter and convert Harry Potter'. It seemed that her Lord was asking the impossible. How could he think that he would ever get Harry Potter on his side? A glance his way told her that he wasn't changing his mind anytime soon; as usual he seemed certain that things would go his way.
"Of course, my Lord. I am at your disposal", she stammered.
How do you take the golden out of the golden boy? Morgana, this was going to be difficult. Although, if by some miracle she were to succeed, she'd take great pleasure in rubbing it in Bellatrix's face. She was certain that her aunt would be just as pleased to see Harry Potter on their side as she would be to make peace with the Muggles.
"Good, I am glad that I can trust you with this" Voldemort broke through her thoughts. She looked up to him as he continued. "As I have already told you Harry will be staying in Knockturn Alley. At the moment he is stuck with his disgusting muggle relatives", he sneered.
"He lives with muggles!" Cassiopeia shouted out in horror.
"Yes he does. Don't interrupt me." Voldemort said, glaring. He was quickly running out of patience.
"Forgive me, my Lord", she immediately said, meekly.
Voldemort hummed disinterestedly, opening one of his draws, pulling out a bound pile of parchment and handing it to her.
"As I was saying, Potter is currently with his relatives, but he will be portkeying out of there as soon as possible. What you have in your hands is everything you need to know to complete your mission. Firstly, it will light up when Potter uses his portkey so you will be aware of his arrival. Secondly, it includes directions to his room in the Doxy's Closet inn. Don't go in there as we don't want him to realize that you are following him. Finally, in there you will find all the information about the fake identity I have created for him. He will go by the name Harrison Blake. A rough sketch of what Potter will look like is also in there: he created his persona himself after seeing a photograph of William Blake, his supposed father. This is the disguise Potter will always use while he resides in Knockturn Alley."
"You will need to find some way of hiring him without alerting him to your ulterior motives. I will leave you to decide how you go about doing that, although I would recommend doing something that would make him indebted to you. Harry Potter is a man of honor if nothing else and would not run away from a debt.
Cassiopeia frowned. "I've heard that he rushes into any situation that will allow him to play the hero. Would it not be easier to draw him out that way? Let him think he is the one in charge…"
"No. Forget everything you have heard about Harry Potter. He doesn't like playing the hero. He would go to any length to save his loved ones, but as of right now there is only a few people that fit that criteria and we don't have access to any of them." Voldemort took a sip of his drink, once again thinking that it had been a very pleasant surprise indeed to learn this little bit of information about Harry. Potter was far more cunning than he had ever thought possible.
"If that is the case, my Lord, I will think of something along the lines of what you mentioned before", Cassiopeia said, still not sure how to go about the whole thing. She let her mind wonder, thinking about having to make room for another co-worker at the shop, which would actually be quite helpful as there was lots of work to be done. This train of thought brought her to another question.
"My Lord, do you happen to know if the boy likes potions? It will be much easier to convince him to work for me if he does."
Voldemort smirked. "By all accounts, it seems that the boy despises potions, though that may have something to do with his current teacher: I'm sure you must have heard about the legendary rivalry between Snape and the boy?"
Cassiopeia sighed in frustration: this was going to be even harder than she'd originally thought. 'Damn you Snape', she silently fumed. How was she going to get Potter to work for her if he hated her business?
Voldemort could see the frustration on his Death Eater's face and decided that she had been given enough information for the night.
"Cassiopeia that will be all for tonight. Go home and think about what I have told you. I will call you back here in the next few days to finalize the last few details, so make sure you have a suitable plan by then. You are dismissed."
Cassiopeia shot out of her chair, bowed to her Lord and was out of the door so quickly it almost looked like she'd apparated.
Voldemort smiled to himself: everything was going as planned. Cassiopeia surprised him tonight with her immature ways, but she'd soon recovered from them. She would make a decent asset to him in the future, but for now she was perfect for the role of guiding young Potter. He was sure that Harry would soon come to trust her, he would learn about the Dark from her and, eventually, he would follow her straight to Voldemort. Yes, everything was going as planned.
A/N: Well here it is. No Harry this time but he will be back next chapter. How are you liking Cassiopeia? She is a character with so many sides that I sometimes have a hard time writing about, Still I love her and she is here to stay! Remember reviews are muse!