Descend to Darkness

By: Kyuubi04

HARRY POTTER FANFICTION

Chapter 9: The Sting of Betrayal

Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort through some unknown magic and has been in a coma for months. Upon waking up, he had somehow changed, in both attitude and stance, and was confusing everybody. During a visit to the infamous Chamber of Secrets, he discovered the reason behind this change along with the confirmation of one Albus Dumbledore.

Warnings:There will be slash... Harry is Salazar Slytherin and will be calmer and colder than before. It will be a Dark Harry but he's not evil. There will be Ron and Ginny Bashing as I don't like the two of them and they will be the main antagonists along with Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. Pairings would be HPDM, SSRL, LMSB, NLLL, DTPP, BZHG, and TNPP. This will probably be a short series and updates will probably range from twice to once a month. Also, there will be mention of male pregnancies but only in theory. 'Coz I don't know how to write lemon fictions.

Notes:"Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness" – regular speech

-Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness- parseltongue

+Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness+ gobbledegook

=Fall Prey to the Eternal Darkness= temporary mind-speak between Harry and Draco

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

There's only a week left before the thirty-first of October. Everyone at Hogwarts was busy preparing for the upcoming feast.

In-between the preparations, Harry and Draco were made busy by trying to break up arguments between the students, mostly those started by Ron and some of the most incorrigible Gryffindors and Slytherins, and it left them frustrated. Somehow, they realized that the peace that they had the previous month suddenly vanished after the shock of having their leaders bound together dissipated. The two were only grateful that the Hufflepuffs were putting an effort to help them while the Ravenclaws tended not to participate in the squabbles.

Even bound together, the pair still managed to live their lives separately, both spending time with their peers during vacant periods, while getting to know each other better inside their quarters. They still tried to act antagonistically with each other, in order to mislead some of their peers, but not so much as to instigate another major conflict within Hogwarts. During their mixed classes, the preferred to pair up with each other so as to further understand their connection. They knew that they could speak telepathically and surf each other's surface thoughts but somehow within the span of a month, they realized that they were also capable of feeling whenever one or the other was in danger.

This happened during one of Harry's quidditch practice. The teen had thought that someone imagined that doing another Dobby on him during practice would free Draco of their connection. However, it only served to deepen their link when Draco came rushing to the pitch and inquire as to 'What the hell was that annoying feeling of being chased!' to which Harry just laughed and recapped his experience much to the bemusement of most of his teammates and the irritation of both Weasleys. After that incident, another one happened in which Draco became a target of one 'stray spell' that Harry managed to deflect when he suddenly appeared from behind a suit of armour after another of his escapades as Gerald. Harry tried to find the culprit but was unable to so since almost everyone left their magical residue on the place. Draco asked him how he managed to intervene quickly and he replied that he suddenly felt a certain type of tension from Draco, a tension that signifies that a body was waiting to block an attack of any form. And thinking logically, since Hogwarts was a magic school, he imagined that the attack would be in the form of a spell and was actually thankful that he was in the vicinity to deflect it. In truth, Harry simply commanded Hogwarts to open a temporary passage for him, which was the purpose of all the hidden alcoves in the castle.

So far, the two were enjoying their time and were worrying about nothing in particular. Harry even put his actual plans on hold because he trying to enjoy his second life as it is. He even managed to spend some time with his godfather while his partner did the same with his. To the adults who knew who he really was, it was a relief to see him act like a teenager and not as an adult. To his true friends, they were happy to finally have him act as carefree as he was acting now. Even the teachers, they thought that without the threat of Voldemort, the young man was finally able to relax and enjoy himself. Even Draco and his peers wondered as the sudden change in Harry's demeanour. It seemed to them that the Golden Boy was acting like he was freed from some sort of chain. They imagined that knowing the reason of his fame must have been a burden rather than a gift.

As for Draco, the Slytherins marvelled at the softness that was entering their Prince's face. They realized that trying to antagonize Harry during the last five years must have only added to the tension that he was feeling when the so-called Dark Lord was still around. Most of them were really relieved to see the young blonde become free of his own shackles just like them. Even the older one smiled had thought that maybe, being paired to Harry Potter was doing Draco some good, and through Draco, them as well.

Unfortunately, there were a few who were unhappy about these changes in the atmosphere. For one, Ron Weasley was acquiring some followers on his crusade to deactivate the rule. He even managed to find some Ravenclaws and Slytherins to join him, and that was actually a wonder. At first, Ginny Weasley didn't seem to balk at the idea of having peace with the Snakes, but soon, this idea was going to shatter and would make the wheels of fate turn once again, not with another prophecy, but with the action that a certain lord would take as soon as he learns of this.

-x-x-x-

Ginny Weasley was proud of herself, she even managed to confound one of the house-elves to put the potion on Harry plate as soon as the feast would begin. Soon, she would be the future Mrs. Potter, the wife of the famous defeater of the Dark Lord. Soon, all of her dreams would come to fruition. She could hardly wait for the potion to take effect.

She seduced Seamus Finnegan to help her brew the potion, since she didn't have the resources to collect the ingredients alone, and she was sure that asking Know-It-All Granger would only hinder her plan. As she was discussing it with her co-conspirator, she failed to realize that someone overheard them.

-o-o-o-

Harry was beyond furious. How dare that girl think that he would fall for such a cheap trick? He wasn't a Potion's Master for nothing, albeit a master from a thousand years ago. Is this how ambition could blind even the most innocent person? Or is this a side-effect of the taint that had been left by Riddle? He was angry and yet he didn't want to vent it towards another, afraid to do anyone harm. As he furiously paced the hall, he hadn't realized that he was heading to the actual entrance of his chamber, the entrance that Solivan failed to see. It was located on the farther end of the West Wing, just a bit away from his current quarters. He hissed the password onto the portrait of Mistress Moonhaven, a lovely blonde of a woman with sapphire eyes. She appeared to be a soft lady but one look at her eyes would tell that she was more than aware of her surroundings. Back then, He, as Salazar, didn't understand why his Mistress gave him her portrait. But now, he understood. Somehow, Marianne Moonhaven imbued her portrait with magical abilities by redirecting her soul inside it instead of allowing herself to be reincarnated like the usual souls. Although, she could no longer walk the earth, one could still feel her presence once she wished it. He decided to place her as the guardian of his chambers, fully knowing that she'll be able to hide it from those who didn't deserve to learn everything that he knew. All of his researches, even his teaching quarters, were inside the Chamber of Secrets. Too bad, Tom Riddle hadn't dared to venture farther than the special gate that he opened that was now located in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom. If he did, he would have realized what he was actually trying to teach his students and not the trash that history told that he did. His talent was wasted and Harry regretted not being able to open the man's eyes to the truth of the matter.

One's inside, he could feel the eyes of his former Mistress follow him as she settled on a frame identical to the one outside the chamber. She watched as he entered his training room and unleashed the anger that he was feeling. He threw spells that would be considered dark if the ministry learned of their nature. He destroyed everything that appeared on the room, venting his frustration and disbelief on the inanimate objects that surrounded him.

-x-x-x-

Outside the chamber, everyone could feel sudden tremors coming from within the castle. The older one even felt the strength of the magic behind these tremors. They shivered at the thought of someone having enough power to shake the foundations of a castle as fortified with magic as Hogwarts.

Dumbledore was looking grim. He recognized the magical signature that drifted from within the castle. It was still fresh and quite strong. He knew that Harry, before knowing of his true self, being a Child of Prophecy, would be a very powerful wizard, but not like this. He could just imagine what accumulating a mountain of experience and constant increase in magical potential could do to bring out such enormous strength inside his favoured student. He was only thankful that he knew that Harry wasn't going to take the baton that Tom had left, because if he did, the Wizarding World would be doomed. After all, even without followers, the skill and power that the boy now possessed could probably overpower several of the trained wizards in Britain. And with his mind, if the sorting hat was correct in his description, being the reincarnation of Salazar Slytherin would give Harry Potter the edge to take on anything that he wished to do.

Sirius and Remus, being around Harry after the revelation of his existence, recognized his signature as well. They understood that this power was actually magnified by the strength of the wizard's emotions. And anger was the only emotion they knew that could bring out such an intense power. They only wished that whoever angered their godson knew what he or she was doing.

Luna Lovegood was looking quite grimly at her surroundings. She had already 'seen' this event but nothing could have prepared her for the intensity of its effects. She understood that both as Harry and as Salazar, her friend valued everyone close to him as a special person. And the only thing that could set him off on a rampage such as this was betrayal. She had seen it once. Even though she wasn't Harry's friend two years ago, she understood the look that entered his eyes when Ron Weasley declared his detachment from Harry when the Boy-Who-Lived was announced to become a champion. She was clearly watching him back then, knowing that he would play an important part in the future, and she was just glad that he hadn't awakened at that time or else, things would have gotten from bad to worse. This time, however, she was happy to have him back to his old self, especially since he managed to hasten the turning of the wheels. And if Harry does the right thing, he would leave the wizarding world a legacy that would survive longer than a thousand years.

Neville and Hermione who were sitting together on the Gryffindor common room, apart from the ranting Ron, who was oblivious to his surroundings, felt Harry's magic. They recognized it from being in his presence constantly. But somehow, they found it different from usual. They never imagined that the calm rain of magic that was usually surrounding their friend would turn out into something akin to a raging storm. They had felt glimpses of it when the scarred boy was getting angry or hyped up but that was nothing compared to the tremors that he was causing now. The felt a shiver run down their spines and felt afraid for the person who angered the defeater of Voldemort. They were only too glad that Harry was a kind person and would never actually resort to murdering someone, but it was only a minor consolation for them.

Draco, on the other hand, felt his partner's magic through their link. At first, he never understood why he hadn't felt Harry's magic through their bond when he knew that the other teen felt his. Now, he wished that he could still not feel it, because now that it was as unrestrained as it was, Draco could feel shivers of fear creeping into him. He didn't want to be afraid of the other boy but the extreme anger and frustration that he recognized as emotions coming from the boy-hero seeped into his being, he couldn't help but fear. Fear for the person who caused this emotional turmoil, fear for those that would have suffered the backlash of his magic if he didn't know that the other boy would never unleash something like this to somewhere that could harm others, and fear for himself because he was the one living with this well of power that could turn from being calm and controlled into a raging inferno that would swallow anything in its path. He looked at his friends and realized that although they hadn't felt it as closely as he did, they still felt the magic that his partner was releasing. Thank goodness that they were unable to recognize the magical aura since they never did spend some time with Potter as much as he did now.

Ginny Weasley and Seamus Finnegan had felt it too. But they decided to ignore it. One, in favour of savouring the imaginary fruition of her plans, while the other, was oblivious to the fact that he merely a puppet to Ginny's game. It's sad really. One was getting lost in her ambitions and the other was already lost to his delusions. No one would have said the Seamus was a bad guy, but his decision of abandoning his best friend for someone who didn't even see him, was just pathetic.

Dean Thomas, even in his solitude, managed to bring his head out of its haze to recognize what was happening. But he simply didn't care. Ginny was his girlfriend but after he declined her request of brewing a love potion for Harry Potter, she broke it off with him, taking away his best friend to do her bidding. At first, he wanted to hate Harry but seeing that the boy was changing, softening to the world, he just couldn't. But that's not to say that he's the same with Ginny and Seamus. He despised them now since he knew that the girl only saw him as a tool and when her target didn't take the bait, she left and chose another route. He was just thankful that he realized how shallow the girl was before he got serious about their relationship or he would have lived his life bitterly.

Parvati Patil felt it too but she was more engrossed with her conversation with her best friend to pay it any heed. She was only too happy to have Lavender back with her. Although it was just a shallow happiness, she was still glad that her friend finally decided to give her some of her time. Too bad, when she realized that the other girl was merely trying to convince her to join Ron's crusade, she was highly devastated. She thought bitterly that maybe, spending five years together wasn't just enough to keep a friend's loyalty. She couldn't really understand why the redhead wanted to deactivate the rule when it was doing the school some good. It's like he was trying to have the previous status quo reinstated, which was actually quite foolish in her mind. Couldn't they see that the school now was better than it was before, without the prejudice becoming a wall, more students were able to interact and share opinions; some even became the best of friends in just a month.

Severus Snape, at first thought that he merely imagined it, but as soon as the tremors continued, he decided that he was dreaming. He didn't recognize the owner of the magic that was pouring into the castle but he understood that it was someone strong and very emotional. He imagined that after his initial shock of learning his godson was now bound to Potter, nothing more could surprise the hell out of him. But it seemed that he was wrong, the owner of this power would be a pillar of their world if he or she used it for the better. He gave a deep sigh and acquired a contemplative look. He tried to search his memory of someone here in Hogwarts that had enough power to shake the castle but none came to mind. He didn't want to even contemplate the idea of the owner being Harry Potter so he immediately dismissed the boy from his mind. Without obtaining his answers, he decided that it was high time to speak with the headmaster. With that, he left his quarters and searched for the wily old man.

-o-o-o-

As soon as he managed to calm his raging emotions, his thoughts began to wonder back onto the feeling of being watched. He tried to resume his calm facade but failed miserably so he simply turned and faced his Mistress.

Marianne was eying him, recognizing him for who he really was. She was scrutinizing every part of him. Harry even felt that the woman could see through him with just one look.

"What is it, Mistress Moonhaven?" Harry asked in order to divert those eyes from himself.

"You haven't changed a bit, Salazar." The beautiful lady replied, "You still allow your emotions to get the better of you and yet you're still aware enough to vent it without involving others." Her voice was cool but the way she answered expressed many things that only the two could understand.

"Is it bad that I haven't changed, Mistress?" Harry replied a bit hesitantly.

"No, I guess not. But I just hope that you'd be able to manage them better. After all, it would not do for all the inhabitants of this castle to know of your power and treat you as a threat to them."

"I would try my best, Mistress." The teen replied as calmly as he could but inside he was still trying to suppress the rage that was trying to unleash itself once again.

"Something is bothering you. Would you not tell me? After all, I did choose this form to be of assistance to you." The lady replied softly but piercingly.

Harry gulped but replied nonetheless, pouring the hurt that he had felt and the anger that's been trying to claw its way out of his system through his voice, "I just learned that someone I considered to be my sister is planning to drug me with a love potion just to claim the title of being the wife of the defeater of the greatest dark lord of all times. It's funny really, I thought that she's fine with being my friend, after all, she already had a boyfriend but I guess, it wasn't enough for her." He couldn't help but express his bitterness. This was a similar feeling that he had when he realized that his very own flesh and blood had set him up to be killed.

Marianne eyed him once again, recognizing the feelings that he was expressing. She was just like that two, and that's why he chose Salazar to be her personal apprentice and successor. He was a good kid from the beginning, always wanting to please but not so willing to trust. It took her some years to fully drag the boy out of his shell and realized that once he came to care for someone, he would treasure and protect that person even at the expense of his own life. But, that's what made it more difficult for him, because he had difficulty in managing his emotions when it comes to having someone betray him. She understood full, after all, she was like that once, before she met four of her companions. She just hoped that she'd be able to guide the boy as well as she did all those years ago before she finally left the living world and joined her comrades.

"You mustn't let that ruin your view of your friends. I'm sure you have friends that are real and would stay by your side no matter what you do or pull you back if ever you've strayed from your path. You're a strong person, Salazar. Suffering betrayals is not rare but it's not common either. You must simply learn from this experience and realize that the world isn't the ideal place that you usually dreamt about. Beside what would Godric, Rowena and Helga think if they saw you like this? You were always the one with the tactical mind, my dear, so use your head and put your heart at rest." Marianne chided him lightly.

Harry smiled and answered, "Thank you for reminding me, Mistress. I guess I needed that."

After that, the two settled in a comfortable silence, basking in the presence of each other. Once another hour had passed, Harry stood and said, "I'll be leaving now, Mistress. I do not want to miss the feast. I promise that I would return since I have some questions to ask from you."

"Very well, until I see you again, Salazar."

With that, Harry headed to the Great Hall and settled himself at his house table. It was All Hallows Eve and it seemed quite ironic to Harry that no matter what, he just couldn't escape having to face some sort of misfortune on this date. He smiled a bit wryly and greeted his friends who were waiting anxiously at him. He realized that they must have felt his magic coming from the chamber and judging from their faces, they were worried about him. To appease their worries he made a motion to say that he they would know later.

-x-x-x-

Ginny was anticipating the end of the feast when Harry would declare his undying love for her. But, unfortunately for, she didn't count on the fact that Harry could have taken precautions against such attempts. And for that Harry was quite thankful because even though it would be easy to recognize a drugged food, it would be hard to counter it without knowing the exact ingredients of the potion used in it. He thanked the gods that being a soul keeper had its benefits because if not for that, it would take him a long time to battle the potion out of his system.

After the feast, Harry decided to play along with Ginny a bit and stood up pretending to be affected by the potion. Ginny tried to suppress a smirk, thinking that she succeeded, only to be shocked by what Harry had said next.

"Ginny, it's a shame really, you know." Harry voice was frozen and it caught everyone's attention.

Ginny gulped, frightened by the anger that she saw from those cold emerald eyes, "What is it, Harry?"

"I trusted you like a sister, and yet you seem to forget that I am not as nice as your family."

"What do you mean?" There was a tremble in her voice, the coldness of Harry's voice was getting to her and it was scary. Even the on-lookers were now able to feel the boy's suppressed rage.

"I mean to say, that though I consider you important to me, it doesn't mean that I'd just sit back and do nothing when you tried to drug me with a love potion." The young man replied smoothly, scaring the young girl more and more with his hidden barbs.

Ron, true to form, rose to defend his sister but his words fell on deaf ears as Harry incanted an unknown spell that showed everyone in the hall the plot that he had witnessed just a while ago.

The students were too absorbed in the knowledge that one of their own tried to do something horrendous to realize that what Harry just did was far more spectacular since it was quite difficult to reproduce a memory without the use of any type of magical tool. The older wizards, however, recognized this and were in awe. Even Snape admitted that it was impressive, albeit reluctantly.

Those who recognized Harry's magic earlier now understood the reason for his rage and pitied the youngest Weasley who ignorantly awakened it just to further her own ambitions. Even Ron was unable to rebuke the fact being shown to them. Ginny was forever shamed because of this. She didn't even stop to think that someone would realize her plan and for that someone to be Harry, it was frightening. She could still feel his eyes on him, those frozen emeralds glistening with something akin to disappointment and anger. Hiding her face from everyone, she ran and left the hall, followed by her brother and Seamus who had the look of a love-sick puppy that it disgusted those who saw it.

-o-o-o-

The rest of Hogwarts were silent. Harry took his seat and sighed a bit woefully, fully knowing that he would lose two friends after this fiasco. He just took comfort from the fact that his other friends stayed with him, comforting him while the rest of the school was merely giving him some pitying looks.

One by one, the students left for their dormitories, leaving Harry alone with his friends. Even Draco, didn't dare to approach him when he felt the blonde move away towards their own quarters. Knowing the time, he bid his friends goodbye and left for the West Wing as well.

Upon entering, he imagined that Draco would throw in a barrage of question but surprisingly the blonde allowed him some time for himself and the two slept the rest of the evening, expecting the effects of this night's event to fully show itself tomorrow.

-x-x-x-o-o-o-x-x-x-

Well, that's over...

I hope that I'm not moving on too fast with most of the events...

Hope you like this chapter...

Chapter 10: Harry will finally have the answers that he was looking for...

Until next time,

Kyuubi04