So ppl liked the last chapter, now I hope u like this one. And if I am going too fast, I apologize, but I wanna get this story out of my head! Anyway, enjoy! ^^
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, only Garuse
Nathara had led him straight down into the dungeons, which he wasn't all that surprised about. The Dementors were probably more comfortable in a place like this since it resembled Azkaban so much. She stopped in front of the stone wall that provided as a dead end before raising her hand and placing it on the wall before frost covered the stone. The stone seemed to have soaked in the frost before it slid open and Nathara glided into a dark room that only had the light of the fireplace in it with Harry right behind her.
"You can remove your invisibility," the Dementor told him.
Harry hesitated, seeing the other Dementors in the room, but noticed that though they were staring at him, or in his general direction, the air wasn't cold. He took off his Invisibility Cloak before folding it up and placing it on the dark wood table in the center of the room.
"Urkan, go and inform Lord Garuse that the boy in here," Nathara ordered a Dementor before the one by the hallway nodded and glided down the dark hall. "Boy, you should sit," she advised, giving Harry a gentle push onto the black couch. "The Lord will be here in but a moment."
"Okay," Harry said with a small nod of his head before Nathara went over to another Dementor.
Except for the usual rattling breaths and hisses from the Dementors, it was oddly a comfortable silence for about three minutes before Garuse came into the room with Urkan (or Harry thought it was Urkan) behind him. "I'm glad you agreed to come," Garuse stated, waving the other Dementors out of the room. They all did a small bow before leaving through the 'wall' that Harry and Nathara entered through moments ago. "I apologize for calling you at such a late hour, but I believed that it would be near impossible to speak with you during the day, considering those who watch you."
"Watch me?" Harry repeated in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Those people you call friends and family and mentors," Garuse replied as he fluidly sat next to Harry. He waved his hand over the table before a pair of tall glasses filled with an amber liquid appeared. "They only have their own best interest at heart, not yours. I am sorry to say this, but you being pulled around like a puppet. Strings are attached to your limbs and your mind, manipulated by the puppeteer."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Harry stated before one of the glasses was in front of his face with Garuse's hand on it.
"Drink," the Lord of Dementors said. "You will need it for the information I am about to tell you." Harry hesitantly took the glass, but didn't drink from it. Garuse seemed to look like he didn't care as he took a sip from his own glass. He glanced at the boy before smirking. "While mine is alcoholic, yours is merely juice with a calming potion mixed into it as well as a potion to restore memory and another to remove all seals on you. If I had added every potion to remove certain seals on you, you wouldn't taste the drink, so I added one that would remove every seal on your being."
"How do I know that's all?" Harry suspiciously asked. That was a lot of potions in one drink.
"Drink, I promise you that is all that I had put in your drink," Garuse stated with a small wave of his hand. "You will not even taste them."
Harry just placed the glass on the table.
"I see you listen to your most basic of instincts," the man chuckled. "If you do not trust someone, accept nothing from them. Very well then. I take no offense. But I must ask you to listen to my words. It is of utmost importance."
"Alright," Harry cautiously replied, shifting a little.
Garuse sighed gently before leaning back against the couch. "You are aware that your life started turning darker and darker from the moment your parents were murdered by Voldemort," he began. "But of course you do. After all, it is your life. But the darker your soul and mind became, the more it attracted the Dementors. I had ordered them not to feed off any humans, but they were allowed there as long as others were not aware of their presence. The Dementors were drawn to you and watched you for years, hoping that one day your soul would become dark enough that one of them could make you their Childe.
"Dementors are very particular about those they adopt and bring into their culture and family. Only those that have no other option or no hope left can attract a Dementor enough to be adopted by one."
"Is that what happened to you?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Garuse replied. "Though my story is different. Perhaps another time, if you trust me and I you enough, I will tell it to you. Right now, we are talking about you." At Harry's nod, he continued. "Now let me see if my memories are as well as I hope they are. Ah, yes. You had a small magical accident when you were six years old that involved as many dangerous objects in the kitchen to attempt an attack on your relatives. Apparently, their abused and neglect sent you over the edge.
"What happened next was the reason why I put in the potion that would help you remember any memories you lost as well as the one to remove any seals on you. Your headmaster came in and bound a majority of your magic, intelligence, and strength then cast a memory charm on you to make you forget everything that happened. He assured your relative that it would never happen again and let them continue with what they were paid to do: physically, mentally, and emotionally abused you as well as neglecting you."
"What?" Harry weakly asked. "Dumbledore paid my relative to treat me like shit?!"
"Yes," he replied. "He wanted you to see him as the hero in your eyes so that it would be easier to manipulate you, to mold you into the perfect weapon that he could dispose of once your task was complete. But to keep you on his track, he hired a family to spy on you while acting like you were a part of their family, another son or brother, while agreeing to marry you off to their only daughter if you survived this war, and hoping that your hormones would be too much for you to control and you would impregnate her with the Potter Heir if you did not."
"The Weasleys?" Harry choked out, trying not to let tears escape his eyes.
"Yes," he replied, picking up Harry's glass before holding it out to him. "Drink. It will help calm you. I knew this news would hurt you, that is the reason for the Calming Draught."
Harry took the glass before taking a hesitant sip from it. It caused a mild headache and it seemed to try doing something to his magical core, but it also calmed him down. "I'm okay," Harry sighed, taking another sip. The headache remained mild and whatever was messing with his magical core was being quite gentle about whatever it was doing.
"Shall I continue?" Garuse asked.
"Yes," Harry replied.
"Very well," the Lord said with a small nod of his head. "The Muggleborn girl that is your companion was also hired, but after you saved her from that troll in your first year. The old man told her that if your powers grew too far out of your control, you would turn into the next Dark Lord. So if she saw any sign that was happening, she was to report to him and he would handle it. In all actuality, he was just making sure you didn't get out from under his thumb. And he didn't want you to grow too intelligent and figure him out.
"Thus the reason why he had those two become your friends. The girl was to act like she wanted you to study, but she never really did. The boy seemed to play his part perfectly, even if his jealousy grew out of hand sometimes. He kept you from studying, which was his job, as well as made sure you didn't make friends with anyone else. I see no point in that, but I suppose Dumbledore made it that way so that you would not get the point of views from those whom did not believe him."
Harry took another sip. "How do I know I can trust your point of view?" he asked.
"Allow me to open your eyes from the past few years," Garuse suggested with a small wave of his hand. "And by tomorrow morning, all seals will be removed as well as all your memories revealed. So if you do not believe me for my words, believe me from your memories. They tell you much more than you think."
"Alright," the teen said with a nod of his head. "Shoot."
Garuse gave a small nod of his head before taking a sip from his own drink. "I am sure you have noticed, but yet to accept," he began. "Shall I go year by year?" Harry gave him a single nod. "Very well. In your first year, did you not find it suspicious that Dumbledore sent the Groundskeeper to fetch the Stone the very same day he picked you up? Why did he not retrieve the Stone sooner? He wanted you to see it. Also, witches and wizards may rely on their magic too much, but they are not stupid enough to yell out where the secret platform is in the middle of a Muggle train station where anyone would hear them.
"He also should have known that Quirrell was a puppet Voldemort was using, yet he behaved as if he didn't know. The challenges he set up to 'protect' the Stone were pointless, especially since Quirrell helped set them up. He knew where the Stone was, just like Dumbledore wanted him to. And the troll that Halloween. Curious how he and the teachers did not show up until after you defeated it when Dumbledore always knows who and what is where in the castle. He allowed you to see the Mirror of Erised before he moved it to the Stone's chamber.
"Now, if he knew who was using Quirrell, why did he hire him for the DADA professor? And why did he have you see everything you were supposed to see, give you everything you needed, and let you off with not even a slap on the wrist? He was encouraging you to break the school rules so you would do your job and prove that you are the Savior to the Light. He was already molding you into his weapon the moment Hagrid took you from your relatives, filling your mind about dark wizards then the Weasley told you where the dark wizards normally come from, leading you against the Slytherins."
Harry took another drink from the glass. Garuse did have a good point. Actually, a lot of good points.
"Your second year: why did he hire a complete buffoon who was obvious he was a fraud? Certainly it was not because of his supposed 'talents'. Fifty years before then, the Chamber of Secrets had opened, and Dumbledore knew who had opened it, yet he let Hagrid take the blame. Dumbledore also knew who was writing on the walls as well as setting the basilisk onto students. He knew where the Chamber was, yet did nothing.
"He told the Muggleborn girl what was doing the attacks and how she could escape death and get away with merely being petrified. He told her to always hold onto the paper with the information concerning the beast and if she was attacked, make sure it was in her hand so that you would find it. He suspected you would want to get revenge for your friend being attacked, and as soon as you heard Ginny Weasley was taken by the creature, you would go down there to rescue her.
"How else do you think Fawkes knew you were down there in that chamber? Why would he send you the hat unless he knew you would pull out the Sword of Gryffindor in order to slay the beast and rescue the Weasley girl? And why did he not stop the attacks since he knew where it was, where there were other entrances (which would explain how the phoenix entered), and what kind of creature was attacking the students? Why did he make a twelve-year-old boy do all of these things? He could have prevented it from the beginning by destroying that diary, yet he acted oblivious and had you do it all."
Harry gave a hesitant nod at that as he finished his drink. It did calm him down immensely, and he was starting to remember things from what he was a child. There was also this hum or something, he couldn't quite describe it, flowing through his entire body.
"Your third year, you finally met friends of your parents," Garuse continued. "Now, think about this, and think hard on it. Dumbledore spoke to your parents, Sirius, and Peter in secret so that no one else would know that they had someone else as the Secret Keeper instead of the one that would be obvious. The night your parents died, Sirius went out to search for Peter and kill him for the murder of your parents.
"Your godfather went to Azkaban without a trial, without being questioned under a truth potion or memories inside of a pensieve. Dumbledore could have prevented this, but he did not. He let your godfather be sent into prison so that you would be under his control. Now, he also did not tell you that Sirius was your godfather, only some deranged murderer wanting to kill him. He acted oblivious to everything once again. Only after Sirius was caught and Dumbledore learned of your affection towards your godfather did he decide to help so that you would see him as the good guy.
"He allowed you to go back in time and save Sirius's life as well as help him escape before he received the Kiss. Do you need another drink?" Harry shook his head. "Alright. But I do hope that I am opening your eyes, if just a little."
"You are," Harry replied. "What about my fourth year?"
"Ah yes," Garuse chuckled. "The Tri-Wizard Tournament. There are so many things I could point out in that year that it would take my over an hour to explain it all. Let me see where I can begin. Well I suppose I could start with the moment your name flew out of the Goblet. Dumbledore said you had no choice but to compete, yet he was wrong. As a matter of fact, anyone under the age of seventeen is not allowed to enter the tournament and if the name of someone younger than seventeen somehow entered the Goblet and the Goblet chose that name, whoever the champion that is of age for that school can compete. Not the underage student.
"As I said, if I explain everything, it would take over an hour and it is close to the middle of the night as it is. So I shall only point out one more from your previous year. He knew of Voldemort's return as soon as you appeared back with the body of that boy." Harry blinked away a tear so it wouldn't fall. "He also knew that your teacher was not all he seemed to be, yet waited until you endured all of that to reveal who was playing the role of Mad-Eye Moody.
"There are so many points in your life that he made manipulated, making you his puppet. He has been molding you into his weapon from the day you were left on the doorstep of your relatives. When a problem arose with you, he came in, bound your powers and obliviated your memory."
"Especially when I caught Ron and Hermione giving him a report about me," Harry stated, suddenly remembering the middle of his fourth year right after the first task. Once they were done reporting to them, Dumbledore started berating Ron about losing his temper and needing to be Harry's friend once again or he wouldn't get paid. And he told Hermione to watch her temper as well. They were slipping and needed to put themselves together. Harry was soon found out and his memory erased.
"Yes," Garuse said with a nod. "I see your memories are starting to return to you. You should sleep so that it would not overbear your mind. Your mind accepts things easier when you sleep and it won't cause such a headache. The seals should be removed and your mind will subconsciously control your body to reign in all that extra power. If you get curious as to what your abilities are, I would suggest writing to Gringotts. They can tell you your abilities, properties, accounts, and such."
"Alright," Harry replied with a nod of his head and a small yawn.
"I believe Nathara should lead you back to your dorm tonight, unless you wish to stay here," Garuse offered. "I do have an extra room with a bed in it."
"I probably should go back to my dorm," Harry replied. "But I don't think I'll make it. Are you sure I can stay here for the night?"
"Tonight and as many other nights that you wish," Garuse said with a small smile. "Come. I will lead you to the room."
The two rose from the couch before Harry grabbed his Cloak and followed after Garuse down the hallway. "Hey, Garuse?" Harry called out. "Why did you tell me all of that?"
"I already said earlier this night, I do not approve of what Dumbledore is doing," the Lord of Dementors stated. "I dislike children being used to fight a war that is not theirs to fight yet. I believe in allowing them to enjoy their childhood while they can instead of training them from the moment they turn eleven to fight a battle."
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Garuse was right. The next morning, every memory Dumbledore erased from his mind had returned and his already felt more powerful and smarter, which proved that all the seals on him were removed as well. He wanted to thank the Lord of Dementors, but couldn't find him anywhere in his suite. Only one Dementor that was as quiet as the day was long was there. He sighed before nodding once at the Dementor. It seemed to nod back at him and lead him out of the dungeons and to the Great Hall. It left when he reached the door, probably ordered by Garuse to do so, so that Dumbledore wouldn't know that the two spoke.
He entered the Hall alone, surprised that there were few teachers and students already there. He groaned quietly when he noticed both Ron and Hermione sitting at their usual spot, but he felt like messing with their minds a little bit. They waved him over, but he ignored them and headed towards the Slytherin table where Draco Malfoy was seated with a group of his friends.
Ron and Hermione watched wide-eyed. Dumbledore would be furious at them if they allowed him over there. They got to their feet and tried to rush over, but a Dementor got in their way quick enough that they nearly crashed into it. It started to make some sort of hissing noise at them as the temperature around them dropped.
Harry smirked slightly. Garuse probably thought of everything. The Slytherins watched him with either glares or wary eyes, not knowing what to expect concerning the 'Golden Boy'. He stopped in front of the Malfoy heir with a smirk dancing on his lips and his eyes seeming to be a darker green. "Hello, Draco," he greeted.
"Potter," Draco greeted back. "Since when did I say you could call me by my first name? And what are you doing over here anyway? Especially without your dear mudblood and the blood traitor." His friends started laughing, but fell silent in shock when Harry chuckled lightly.
"I had my eyes opened," the brunette replied. "Light can do that to you, blinding you from what is truly around you. I came over because I would like to be the bigger man and apologize for the previous years as well as rejecting your hand in friendship on the train in first year. I would like to call a truce, if not a friendship."
Draco was silent for a moment before smirking. "Well, this is definitely different," Draco commented. "Very well, Potter. I accept your offer of a truce and we'll see if it gets any tighter than that."
"Call me Harry," he stated. "See you in class." He turned and walked off, snatching a piece of bacon and a biscuit from the table as he went. The food was already in his stomach by the time he exited the Great Hall.
The Dementor that was blocking Ron and Hermione seemed to let out a low growl before gliding off. The two knew Dumbledore would be angry at them for being scared of a Dementor and not stopping Harry from talking to the Slytherins, so they had to do something quick. They ran out the door and quickly caught up with Harry as he headed up the stairs.
"Harry!" Hermione called out, but was ignored.
Ron made it to the smaller teen before grabbing his shoulders and spinning him around only to face a heavy glare. "What the bloody hell, mate?!" Ron yelling in his face. "Why did you go over to the slimy snakes?!"
Harry just glared at him before placing a hand on the red-head's throat and shoving him away. "I can do what I want when I want and you have no say over my actions," Harry calmly said. "And you can tell that to Dumbledore. Also, tell him that if he ever erases my memories again, as soon as I gain them back, I'll be after his head." He released Ron's neck before shoving him harshly. Ron's foot slipped on the step behind him before he fell backwards down the stairs. He was lucky it was only a fall of a few feet. "I also suggest leaving me the hell alone."
He spun around and continued his way up the stairs, trying to control the power surging through his body. It was only partially familiar. There was a small speck of light that felt familiar, yet the darkness of his magic overpowered the light, as if saying that he always was and always will be destined to have control over the dark. It was unusual and would probably take him a while to get used to it, but it felt like he was finally reunited with an old friend.
Class wouldn't start for another half hour, so what would the harm in meditating be? It would give him a chance to see his core, to know what it was like now. He picked a random room, checking to make sure it was empty, before sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees. His eyes slid closed as his breathing evened out. Slowly but surely, his thoughts started to fade away until his mind was filled with silence and darkness filled his sight.
A small glimmer of light broke through the darkness, drawing him to it. As he approached the glimmer, it grew larger and larger yet it was surrounded by a larger, darker entity with a shimmering surface. He reached out to it, knowing that it was his core, and pulled at a small part of it. A small thread emerged from his core, mostly dark with a sliver of light mixed in with it.
A mild coldness engulfed him before his eyes opened and all his previous thoughts swamped him at once. He looked over his shoulder to see a Dementor there before it waved its hand towards the door. "Time for class?" he asked. The Dementor nodded. "Thanks then." With that, he rose to his feet, grabbed his bag, and left the room.
The Dementor tilted its head to the side a little bit before turning around to see its Lord leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "His eyes have been opened and he is now taking his own choices in his life," the Dementor pointed out.
"Yes," Garuse agreed with a nod of his head. "And soon, his soul will be as dark as any others."
"Then he will be yours forever more," the Dementor added.
"We shall see how things progress from here, then we will allow him to decide if he wishes to be mine," the man stated. "Enough people have made his decisions for him. He should at the least decide who he wishes to be with." The Dementor nodded before Garuse left the room, no doubt the keep an eye on his Chosen.
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Dumbledore was beyond furious. Harry actually made friends with the children of Death Eaters, told Weasley and Granger to stay away from him and the '…or else' was unnecessary to be said, and his powers seemed to grow incredibly, yet darker than anything he had ever seen before. He somehow remembered all his obliviated memories as well as realized what he was planning!
What could have happened?! What gave his weapon the truth?!
His blue eyes twinkled more than ever as he looked towards Garuse, who passed him in the hallway. It must have been him. There was no other explanation for it! He only called the Lord of Dementors to Hogwarts because he wanted the man on his side. He didn't expect him to reveal everything! How did he know the truth anyway? Maybe he had something that gave Potter's memories and powers back. It would explain quite a bit right there.
But the real question was why…
Yeah, I think I'll end it there since I can't think of anything else to write for this chapter. Next chapter, I will try to make longer. Ok? Ok. Now plz remember to read and review. Thanx!