AN: Yay for the end of AP Tests. Must write more story, must finish by June. twitch
Harry Potter and the Snake's Veil
Chapter 10 Of Dungeons and Demons
Harry sat on the chair in one of the various underground chambers. He waited anxiously to hear the gentle footsteps outside the doorway. "No, Master is too quiet; he wouldn't be able to be heard, even by me…" He was silenced by the creak of the door opening.
"Ah, Harry, I'm glad you waited. You'll have to wait a little longer though so I can give you the disposition." Nagini slithered in behind him. He smiled at Harry. "I think I can even say: this is one of your final steps to becoming my heir." He paused surveying the teen. He gestured to Nagini, starting his story, "As you may remember in your fourth year, it was my dear Nagini who helped me retain my strength before I was given this body. It was because she contains a bit of my soul Harry." He pulled out a syringe. "Your arm, my son." Harry unfolded his left arm and offered it to the Dark Lord.
No one could miss the three veins traveling up Harry's arm. His arms were so pale that the purple stood out like stripes on a prisoner's uniform.
As Voldemort gripped his arm, Harry came back. "No, get away from me!" He tried to yank back his arm but Voldemort's hold was too strong. Voldemort pressed the needle into the soft flesh and released the liquids. Harry calmed and once more the vacant eyes met red ones. "Thank you Master."
"You're welcome my heir. It should take a few weeks before it fully germinates. I have another present for you, but in a few days time."
Harry stretched in his large bed. Some house elf had already started the fire, warming not only the room but also warming his blood. He stretched one last time before pulling the covers back and stepping out of bed. Harry walked to the bathroom and didn't reemerge until the flush of the toilet was heard. He walked out with a toothbrush in his mouth wringing his wet hands on a towel. Vanishing the towel, Harry drew out a black robe from his wardrobe.
He returned to the bathroom to spit out the minty foam. As he looked up, he caught his reflection in the vanity mirror. He would've unrecognizable to most wizards, even with the lighting bolt scar.
Harry was pale with dark circles haloing his dull green eyes. His cheeks had sunken in like the hollow craters of the moon.
He felt emotions trying to surface and he snapped the lines before they had a chance to breathe air. Now was not the time to mull over those things anymore; the Masters had taught him that.
Harry returned to his bedroom and finished dressing. He walked to the door without an acknowledgement to Sirius who was still snoozing at the foot of the bed. As the door slammed shut, Sirius awoke with a start looking around for his godson, before resting his head on his paws.
Meanwhile, Harry made his way to the dining room meeting a few Death Eaters here and there. All of them averted his gaze and humbly said, "Good morning Young Master Potter."
Harry arrived at the dining room and discovered it was busier than usual. He bowed to the head of the table before sitting in the chair to the right. "Good morning, my lord."
"Good morning, my son." Voldemort sipped his tea surveying the teen. "They're all here because I asked them to be," Voldemort responded, reading Harry's mind. "Hmm, sees we should increase your training in Occulemency; seems you're just as weak at it as you were when you followed Dumbledore."
"I am sorry to fail you master."
"It happens."
A peal of laughter interrupted their conversation. Wormtail was making wild gestures to a group of Death Eaters trying, and failing, to communicate to his peers.
Voldemort set down his tea. "If I may ask, what spell did you use on the poor rat? I haven't been able to identify it and the bumbling idiot has been forced to use crude hand gestures to get his point across for the past three days."
Wormtail flipped the group off and caught sight of Harry sitting next to Voldemort and started walking over.
"I made it up. He deserved it, the rat."
Wormtail had reached the two and bowed before the Dark Lord. He pointed a shaky finger at Harry then at his throat. Harry laughed.
"Harry for the love of Slytherin, give Wormtail his voice back."
"I think I'd like to hang on to it for a while."
Wormtail started waving his arms around much to the enjoyment of the room and Harry. His face reddened considerably.
Voldemort gave Harry a look. "Harry, I said remove the spell."
Harry flinched as his scar zinged. "Fine." Placing his forefinger and thumb together, he aligned them with Wormtail throat and pulled them apart.
"Th-Thank you Master."
"Yes, yes, now leave me in peace with my son and my tea." Wormtail scuttled off. Turning back to Harry, Voldemort said, "Now eat before Crabbe and Goyle take all the hot crossed buns."
"Master, if I may ask, why are they are here?"
"You will see tonight my heir, for tonight I shall give you your second present."
Harry finished his breakfast and went off to study with Lucius as Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters left to finish plans.
That evening, Harry waited for Voldemort to address the full congregated group of Death Eater. It had to be something big, Harry's hadn't seen Voldemort so alive since, well, Harry didn't quite remember much before his training with the Masters. That was time when he was weak and foolish.
"Evening my brothers and sisters, it has been a long time since we met under such a joyous occasion. Last we met, my heir was initiated and tonight, he will enjoy the pleasure of creating some havoc." Voldemort paused glancing to his right.
'What an honor the Dark Lord is giving me; it takes most Death Eaters months of training before they're allowed to join the group…' He absentmindedly scratched at the bump that was forming on his left arm.
"Tonight I am treating all of you to a fun round of Muggle bating."
Cheers sprang up around the room. Glasses were raised in honor toward the Dark Lord.
Voldemort allowed the appeasing and praising to go on for a few minutes before raising his hands for silence. The room instantly quieted and Voldemort continued, "No holds tonight, I went over what areas you can ravaged with your group leaders. The Apparation point is all settle." He mentally sent the coordinates to all present in the room. Everyone pulled on there masks. "See you there."
He turned to Harry and gripped his arm. With a 'pop,' the dining room dissolved into a grassy knoll. The whole of the Death Eaters stood behind the two, their cloaks billowing in the wind. The lights twinkled in the town below, greeting the newcomers.
"Have fun my family; instill that we are back." He turned to Harry, "Follow me my heir." The Death Eaters all went their separate ways. Voldemort led Harry to a house off the main road. They entered quietly through the front door. Harry followed Voldemort down the hallway and up the stairs to the master bedroom.
The couple lying in bed didn't even stir as the two intruders stood over the foot of their bed.
"Muffilato." Voldemort turned to Harry. "I'm sure Lucius has informed you how to properly torture?"
"Physical. Mental. Pain. Remorse." Harry chanted. The mantra most Death Eaters followed in creating mayhem. It was one of the first thing Lucius taught Harry. The Masters taught him how to perfect it.
Voldemort smiled at his heir. "I am sure you can carry on without further instruction."
A gleam lit Harry's eyes. He was burning for the power to be dominant, to hold these people's lives in his hand. "I am ready Master." 'Physical. Mental. Pain. Remorse.'
"I shall not interfere at all, but merely be an observer." Voldemort raised his hand and offered the couple to Harry and removed the muffling spell.
Harry cloaked both of them in a nonverbal camouflage spell. He removed the wand that was tucked in his belt. Pointing it at the wife, he murmured, "Crucio."
Her husband jerked awake at the sound of her screaming. "Darling, what's the matter? Can you hear me?" He grabbed a hold of his convulsing wife trying to hold her down. As her screaming intensified, her husband lunged for the phone beside his bed. Harry was too quick for the Muggle and blasted the phone into tiny fragments.
"What the bloody hell?"
Harry released the spell on the wife. Silence filled the room, only to shatter by the screams coming from outside.
"Imperio."
"Are you alright? Darling, speak to me." A few more screams. "I think we need to leave, something's not right."
The wife slid out of bed. She went to the nightstand, her back to her husband. He slowly approached.
"Let's go. I'll get the car warmed up. Just grab a few things." He had reached her and went to grasp her shoulder. Her hand moved to the nightstand. She turned suddenly, thrusting the knife into her husband's gut, the knife that had conveniently appeared.
The husband stumbled back onto the bed, his crimson blood staining his nightshirt. The wife climbed on top of him stabbing him two more times. The last stab had punctured a lung and the husband started coughing up blood as it filled his lungs, threatening to drown him in his own life-force.
Harry paused in his infiltration in the mind of the woman. He felt evil somewhere deep in her blood, calling out for freedom. She wasn't fully human. Using powers taught from the Masters, Harry broke the chains.
As the husband felt his lungs fail him, he looked into the eyes of someone other than his wife. He coughed feebly, trying to breathe. She was even starting to look different. He blinked a few times trying to clear his faltering vision. Her hair grew long and thick. Her pale skin became tinted with blue. Her eyes turned purple. Her small chest grew, stretching the silk top its capacity. A ripping noise caught the man's attention as a spade tipped tail grew from the small of her back. Lastly, two leathery wings sprouted from her shoulder blades, unfurling themselves.
Harry released the imperious curse on the demon and let it roam free, allowed it to satisfy its own hunger. He cast a healing spell on the husband to keep him alive longer, even if that meant only a few more minutes.
The demon, more commonly known as the succubus, straddled the man, smiling wickedly. She dropped the knife and leaned forward, exhaling over the husband's face. She dove in, licking the blood that trailed down his chin following it back to the lips. Her claw-like hands roved over the body, leaving no place untouched. The husband moaned under her lips, sending the succubus into a frenzy. She pulled him fully onto the bed satisfying her lust.
She leaned down to the quivering husband, stealing one more kiss, and draining the husband of his last breath. Harry removed the cloaking spell and emerged from the shadows.
He raised his wand to take down the demon. The succubus immediately sensed his presence and screeched loudly as he began casting a spell. It flew across the room, gripping Harry by his throat and pushing him up against the wall. The demon snaked a leg around Harry's waist. Harry froze as the succubus kissed him. Collecting his wits, Harry hit her with a spell, sending the demon crashing back into the bed.
It screamed as its wings wilted and disappeared, its tail slid back into the body. It climbed onto the bed and collapsed upon the dead body, as the skin lost its blue hue, the hair lay limp, and the breasts shrunk. The wife shuddered a breath, her demons hid away.
"Incendio! Incendio!" The room slowly became engulfed in flames.
"Well done my son," Voldemort praised brushing off the cloaking spell. "I wasn't aware that you could morph Muggles."
"I can't m'lord. She already had succubi blood; I merely allowed it to take form."
"Interesting." The two slowly began walking down the stairs, the fire not far behind. "Why not just kill the woman yourself my heir, why let the fire take away your glory?"
"The fire won't kill her; she stole her husband's life. If the Muggle police find her, she'll remember everything she did, everything her demon did."
Voldemort smiled, "You truly are my heir."
Harry didn't respond. A card was framed on the wall so the occupants could always read the inside note. Harry didn't need to go pass the greeting before he felt sick. It read: "To Lily and James…" He sprinted down the steps two, three at a time. Voldemort grinned as he turned to the card now reading, "To Liz and John…"
Harry ran out of the burning house, his breathing restricted. He stumbled over a lawn gnome and fell to his knees. Ripping off the Death Eater mask, Harry vomited into the nearby bushes. 'What have I done?' He retched a few more times before Voldemort approached him.
"Are you felling alright Harry? Was it that succubus? They do leave that effect." He paused as Harry retched again, his lip starting to curl in disgust. "Well, go on, send up the Dark Mark, you've earned it, my son."
Harry jerked around, his wand pointed at the Dark Lord. "What have you done to me?" He stood up shakily, the wand still aimed at Voldemort's chest. "Change me back. I want my life back!" The wand grew shakier. "You killed them, not me, you killed my parents…" Harry trailed off gaining momentum. "I hate you! Avada…"
"Confrigo!" The spell hit Harry's right arm, breaking the humerus bone clean in two. As the bone ripped through the skin, Harry dropped his wand as he howled in pain and crumpled to the dewy grass. Voldemort picked up the discarded wand.
"I may have cast the spell that killed your parents but you were the reason they had to die." Harry released a sob as he cradled his arm. "You are a Death Eater now Harry. Dumbledore wouldn't want you back now if I asked him. Morsmordre!" The green Dark Mark lit the sky. Voldemort wrenched Harry's right arm out and pulled up the black sleeve. He prodded the tattoo enlisting a whimper of pain from Harry.
With a 'pop,' they along with the rest of the Death Eater returned to the dining room.
"Wormtail!"
"Yes Master?"
"Take Potter back to his room; he's had a little too much excitement for one night."
Wormtail dumped Harry into his room. Harry crawled over to Sirius. He dropped down next to his godfather, tears rushing down his face. "I… I killed them… Sirius… I killed my parents…" Sirius whimpered, nuzzling the broken youth. "I failed them, all of them; I can't go back."
-Anaticulapraecantrix, 2006