The Riddle Answered
Disclaimer: SEE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS FOR PLOT AND TAGS AND DISCLAIMER
Pairings: Harry/Daphne; Draco/Ginny
Normal Speech
(Thought)
{Parseltongue}
Mental Bonds (Harry with Daphne, Fawkes and his parents)
Review Answers for Ch 16:
410 reviews and still rising: personally, I'm sorry I thought about ending it there, but, for those who asked, here's why:
The last part of ch 16 was like the end of an anime arc that led onto the next part, so I wanted to use the same methods in this fashion:
Harry's Rising – The Battle Begins – The Final Conflict
However, you all voted that this continue as one story, so here we go with Ch 17: just think of it as the start of TRA Pt 2:
FinalDestination23: I'm glad you liked that part; it just seemed right, like Harry's frustration was building to a point where magic wasn't enough;
HeartOfLies: Sadly, thanks to my little poll earlier in the year, this will all be one story, but thanks for the kind words;
Lunathevamp: Harry is the Lord of Slytherin and Dark Prince: the 'Silver King' is just a nickname and the 'Black King' is his title as the Dark Chosen;
Atharos: Since this story will continue, I think you just answered your own question;
Nightwriter84: Perhaps; it's still early days but I don't want to look at that side of things until the HBP content of this story;
Slytherin66: Yeah, I liked writing that part too;
Last Time…
Leaving the office, Harry walked with intent, purpose and a dark stride, his ice-blue eyes now fully red and almost glowing with some dark fire as he walked the corridors of Hogwarts. Somewhere above him, the school clock chimed noon and Harry, making his way to a private area of the school, otherwise known as the Chamber of Secrets, began counting with it:
One…"Gryffindor…" Two…"Ravenclaw…" Three…"Hufflepuff…" Four…"Slytherin…" Five…"Weasleys…" Six…"Hermione…" Seven…"McGonagall…" Eight…"Lily…" Nine…"James…" Ten…"Sirius…" Eleven…"Remus…" Twelve!
"Hogwarts…Dumbledore...Potter…Everything is falling into place."
As they reached the Chamber, Harry then began shuddering, his face cracked into a malicious, cold, Dark Lord worthy smile; near him, Daphne could feel her boyfriend's ecstacy, before they all heard it in the form of raucous, victorious, evil laughter, every note echoing around the Chamber as Harry let out a cry of success.
"Dumbledore has fallen! I've WON!"
Chapter 17: The Dark Days of Hogwarts
Slytherin Common Room
If revenge was sweet, then Harry was up to his eyes in sugary, excitement-driving goodness; if it was a dish best served cold, then he had put Hogwarts on ice. It was hard to believe that only a month had passed since the cowardly escape of Albus Dumbledore and his pretender saviour, but Harry had managed so much in so little time. With his Society of Shadows being built, there was no real chance for any act of rebellion: as soon as Professor Umbridge had become Headmistress Umbridge, the school had entered a dark time.
First, to Harry's sheer delight, Umbridge had seen to it that any mention of the words Voldemort, Dumbledore or Harry Potter were made taboo and any support for said people was punishable by a searing detention involving Blood Quills and a round of duelling drills with the new Head Boy and Girl. Harry now held all the power and he loved it: he had the majority of the teachers on his side and those that weren't on his side were put under academic warnings, their sessions being watched by either Umbridge or Remus, who had been given an appointed position as the new High Inquisitor. Harry also, in agreement with his parents' suggestions, used the new time to get closer with Daphne and be a kid again around his friends.
If the Inquisitorial Squad were a force to be feared, then the Silver Circlet, and their leader Harry Riddle, were a greater force of fear and intimidation than Voldemort himself.
Seated in the Common Room, Daphne resting on his shoulder, Harry looked into the fires of the common room fireplace, his ice-blue eyes colder than ever as he considered how soon things had changed. With his plans for the school now under his control, he had the means to begin working on his next big dilemma: the identity of the White Paladin.
"Harry?"
The familiar voice made the Black Lord look down, noticing Daphne softly rubbing her hand across his abdomen, which in turn was soothing the worries of the Black Prince.
With a kind smile, he asked, "Yes my Green Queen?"
Daphne chuckled at the new pen-name she had been given by the other snakes: while Harry was the Silver King, she was the Green Queen, which sounded childish, but Harry had made sure that it was a name that, like his, grew to be respected. After all, green and silver made Slytherin the regal house that it always had been.
"Can I ask you a favour?" asked Daphne, pressing down on a tender spot on Harry's stomach.
"What?" he asked, running a hand through her hair.
"Now that we have time," Daphne suggested, "Could we have…a…well…a…date?"
"A date?" laughed Harry, the noise almost alien to him as he asked, "You are nervous about asking me, your bonded, on a date?"
"Well," Daphne answered, sitting upright, "You've been so busy with the changes around here that I just…"
She was cut off by Harry moving closer to her, his lips suddenly running along her neck and up to her mouth where they seemed to link together, both of them knowing the other's intentions as Harry whispered, "Daphne, you are my girl, my queen, my mistress of the dark; you, apart from my Father, are the single most important person in my life: if you want to go on a date, we'll go: when?"
"This weekend?" asked Daphne, "It's a Hogsmeade weekend, so I'm sure no-one would mind."
"All right," Harry explained, putting an arm around his girl as she resumed her soft, massage-like stroking of his chest, "I'll speak with Remus about setting us up with an alibi and inform Professor Umbridge that I'll be off campus for a while."
"Harry," Daphne then wondered, "With Dumbledore gone, why do you continue to put up with her?"
"Simple," answered Harry, "Because of something my Father once told me."
"And what was that?" asked Daphne.
Looking into her brown eyes, Harry smiled almost coyly as he replied, "He said, and I quote: 'Go right ahead with whatever plans you may have Harry; as your Father, I support you and as the Dark Lord, I encourage and allow you to do this.' So that's what I'm going to do: my plans for Umbridge and the Ministry stretch beyond Dumbledore. At the moment, I have weakened him, but that's not what I want: I want…" he flared his hand, his eyes flashing red as the flames in the fireplace suddenly flew to his hand, their elemental dance flickering in his eyes as he explained, "To watch Dumbledore suffer and beg: I want to make him sweat, make him wish he were dead and then I will grant his wish."
"You know," Daphne whispered, easing herself into a comfortable position on her boyfriend's lap, "You're damn sexy when you use your dark powers."
"Tell me something I don't know," Harry sighed, holding the flame in his hand for as long as he could.
"I'm pregnant," Daphne whispered.
Harry dropped the flame, "WHAT?"
Her laughter suddenly made him feel like a real idiot, "Just kidding…no!" she laughed, rising from the seat and running away.
"I'll get you for that," laughed the Black Prince, running after her, his Black Magic now being used as a means of playfulness.
HJSRR
Hogsmeade:
"I can't believe she said that," Harry moaned, rubbing his neck with strained emotion as he added, "I know that when people say tell me something I don't know, they don't mean it, but that!"
"She was only having a laugh boss," Dudley commented, looking at the still ashamed Harry as he explained, "Anyway, why should you worry: girls are just that way: weird one minute, playful vixens the next."
"Yeah," sighed Harry, looking to his other side, where Draco was still laughing from the revelation. With a slow smile, the Black Prince asked, "How's Ginny doing?"
"I told her what you said," Draco explained, "Of course, now it helps that she's a member of the S.O.S, but aside from that, she's not too bad. Mind you, I'm worried."
"What about?" asked Harry, ducking a low-hanging branch as they reached the edge of Hogsmeade.
"She and the others have been watching the lions carefully," explained Draco, "And according to them, there's still a small band of them that refuse to deny the fact that Dumbledore and the pretender have gone and guess who's leading them?"
"Weasley," Dudley hissed, "I ran into him the other day: he was ranting on about how you would fall and he would be there to watch it."
"That boy is nothing more than a load of hot air," Harry told them, "He's what the Muggles would call grasping at straws: his sidekick position has gone down the drain and he's the only supporter left, so he's left with nothing more than feeble threats and excuses."
"While the Big Bad otherwise known as Harry Riddle holds control over all of Hogwarts," laughed Draco, exchanging a high-five with Dudley.
"Exactly," Harry replied, stopping before Honeydukes as he added, "Right you two: scarper; this is as far as we go together."
"Good luck," Draco whispered, watching as Harry walked to the edge of the village; Daphne was there and, when Harry saw her, his heart seemed to stop and his eyes widened with awe: she was dressed in a low-cut tank-top that revealed plenty of flesh; her pale arms were now exposed to the air with two silver-trimmed gloves over her hands. Her lower body was covered by a pair of denim jeans in sky-blue complete with a pair of black and green trainers. Her long brown hair was tied back in a braid and, when she saw Harry, she walked up to him and kissed him firmly on the lips.
"Surprise," she whispered, looking him up and down: Harry was dressed in a black and green cloak underneath which he wore a short-sleeved blue shirt and black leather trousers; he too had braided his long black hair so that it hung over his shoulder like a rat-tail and he had poured some wandless magic into his ice-blue eyes making them sparkle like jewels. Seeing him like that, Daphne asked, "Or is this my surprise?"
Harry wrapped his arms around her and deepened their kiss as he then took her arm and led her away from the village, up towards the same mound where he and the once Golden Trio had been meeting Sirius. When they reached the familiar cavern, Harry whispered, "Close your eyes."
Daphne obeyed and Harry, with a sly smile, pulled what looked like a battered key from his pocket, before he whispered, "Now hold out your hand and don't let go." When she did so, he pressed both of their hands together and looked out over the village of Hogsmeade, a part of him feeling his obligation to the school override his duty to his girl; however, when he looked back, seeing the Silver Angel before him, Harry made his choice: Hogwarts and everyone within her was second to Daphne.
"Activate," he whispered, before the feeling of being pulled from behind his navel filled Harry. When the spinning stopped, Harry smiled and whispered, "Open your eyes."
Doing so, Daphne gasped with awe and wonder: before them was a long, endless stretch of forest that seemed to shimmer with emerald and brown majesty; when she looked to their left, Daphne felt awed as she saw a raging river flowing steadily over the edge of a large cliff-face; the skies above them were filled with nothing but the shining sun and, when Harry looked down, they both watched as the waterfall ran on forever. Looking to her boyfriend, Daphne asked, "Harry, where are we?"
"Angel Falls Venezuela," Harry replied, indicating the area beneath them, "The highest waterfall in the world overlooking the Canaima National Park: but that's not the best part."
Daphne then watched as Harry held out his hand, his ice-blue eyes shining as he whispered, "Avisortus."
As Daphne stared, she gasped in love-filled wonder as a flock of multicoloured birds flew up from the forest beneath them, their shimmering feathers glistening in the sunlight. With his job done, Harry then flicked his wand once and conjured a makeshift picnic for the two of them, before he held out his hand and asked, "Impressed, my angel?"
Daphne answered that with, quite possibly, the deepest make-out session Harry had ever experienced, before she pulled him up and added, "Thank you so much Harry; this is amazing."
"Well eat up," Harry smiled, indicating the food and drink, "We've got all day."
HJSRR
Riddle Manor
Tom and Bella both knew that something was up when their fifteen year old son walked through the front door to their home, his mouth stained with lipstick and food remains, his cloak askew and his eyes full of contentment. Walking over to his daydreaming son, the Dark Lord smiled and asked, "Did she like it?"
"It was perfect," Harry replied, "Thank you Dad, but how did you guess?"
"It was where he took me," Bella answered, cuddling her son from behind, "Right before he proposed to me."
"Mom," gasped Harry, suddenly being brought back to Earth with a thump, "I'm only fifteen!"
"We know," laughed Tom, guiding his son through to the throne room, "But we're both very happy for you Harry; and it's nice to see that you took my advice and started to relax."
"Not like I had a choice," Harry sighed, sinking into his throne, "Ever since Dumbledore's running, I have been too pent up to notice my own changes: I'm getting stronger, but I still feel that there's something I'm missing."
"What do you mean son?" asked Bella, sitting on her son's right, Tom on his left.
"I don't know," Harry replied, wiping his mouth as he added, "But, ever since the Minister appointed Umbridge, I can't help but feel that there's something I'm yet to see: like there's something else, aside from Dumbledore, his zombified puppet and the Order that I haven't taken into account. But, whenever I try to solve this dilemma, all it gives me is a major headache and just one more problem to solve."
"Could it have something to do with you being the Black King?" asked Tom, watching as Harry used wandless magic to clean up his appearance.
"I don't know," Harry answered, "I have to admit that I have wondered about that, but, I've tried speaking to Martinez' ghost and not even he has any answers: I thought that getting rid of Dumbledore would end all my problems, but all it's seemed to do is create more."
"You'll figure it out," Bella told him, "You always do Harry; besides, your Father has a surprise for you that you will get pretty soon."
"If you think it will help," Harry replied, looking to both of his parents as he then stood up, his eyes on them as he explained, "However, all things aside, it was a nice day out; now, I guess you two have a meeting to get ready for, so I'll head back to school and see you later."
He barely got to the door before his Mother's voice called after him, "Harry, is something wrong?"
"No," replied the Dark Prince, "Nothing."
"I think there is," Tom added, speaking in his son's mind so that Harry could not miss them, "What is it son? Tell us and we will try to understand."
With a sigh, Harry turned and looked at Tom and Bella, his eyes almost darkening to a cold blue shade as he spoke, "All right, but only if you're sure: ever since Dumbledore's cowardly escape, a little fact has been eating away at me: it's only now that I realise just what I'm doing."
"What do you mean little snake?" asked Bella, watching as Harry walked back towards them; smiling at him, she pulled him into her embrace and let her teenage son curl up in her lap, his head resting on her chest as he continued speaking.
"In the short space of six months, I've done more for the Greater Good than ever before: over the past four years before this one, I…I tried so much to help those I care about. But now," he looked up at his Mother as he felt her hands trailing through his black hair, "That doesn't matter anymore: I don't have to play this game anymore; the more I played, the more I had to lose. For a while, I wondered if…"
"If what?" asked Tom, watching his wife slowly soothing her son with her soft touch.
{If it was better to go it alone,} Harry replied, Parseltongue rolling off his tongue with a dark truth, his blue eyes seemingly relighting as he poured his heart and soul out to those who loved him dearly.
Speaking in his normal voice again, Harry continued, "But that doesn't matter, because now I have my own game to play, my own pieces on Dumbledore's little chessboard and, when I meet him and his saviour again, neither will walk out alive. Thanks," he added, looking to his Mother, who planted a kiss on Harry's brow as she smiled down at him, "I needed to let that out."
"I noticed," Tom remarked, his voice almost as cold as his son, "But you…" he remembered what Harry had done and switched through to Parseltongue.
{You need not be afraid little snake: your Mother, Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Lucius and especially myself; we will all be here to help you: I know that the past can't be undone, but the future is something we can work on. Now, young Mr Riddle, why don't you go on back to Hogwarts and I'll call you at the next meeting? You can use that time to torture some prisoners.}
Harry laughed with amusement as he climbed down from Bella's lap, before he walked over and, with true familial intentions, hugged his Father and replied, "You always could make me smile Dad: all right, I'll see you soon."
As he left them, Tom looked to Bella, his red eyes dim with emotion as he told her, "Our son needs us Bella."
"I know," Bellatrix replied, watching as her little snake left the throne room, "Now more than ever."
"I think," Tom then added, a crafty smile on his face, "I think it's time for an old friend of his to return to Hogwarts."
HJSRR
Hogwarts:
Harry felt a lot better; speaking with his parents, coupled with his Mother's gentle touches in his hair, had lifted a great weight from his mind, leaving only the true Prince of Darkness and future Black King that he was. Making his way through the corridors, Harry stopped before the statue in front of the Headmistress' office: as soon as he had returned to Hogwarts, Professor Lupin had come to him and told him Umbridge had requested his presence.
"Ministry Victory!" he announced, watching as the stairway to the office appeared: personally, Harry was also pleased that Umbridge was in charge, especially when it came to her passwords. Stepping off the winding stairwell, Harry brushed down his robes, adjusted the Head Boy badge on his robe and knocked.
"Come in," the familiar voice answered; opening the door, Harry saw that all the ex-heads of Hogwarts portraits had been removed and replaced by Umbridge's cat portraits. Sat in her chair, the Headmistress looked up and smiled with warm welcoming as she exclaimed, "Master Riddle, thank you for coming so quickly: I have a delicate situation that I need your help with."
"How can I help you Headmistress?" asked Harry, noticing his own familiar, Fawkes, preening his black feathers, Headmistress Umbridge obviously watching the bird for Harry.
"I would like you to investigate these rumours of an uprising," Umbridge explained, "Use your people within the four Houses to gather your information and, when you find who and where, then please, deal with them…accordingly."
"As you wish Headmistress," Harry nodded, before he looked to Fawkes and, walking past Umbridge, began stroking his noble dark familiar as he continued, "When you say deal with them, Headmistress, does that include the use of curses freely?"
"You are my Head Boy Master Riddle," Umbridge replied, "I gave you and the Inquisitorial Squad free reign over your magic, so I think you just answered your own question."
(So it would seem,) Harry thought, before reaching into his bond, "Fawkes?"
"Yes Dark King?" asked the phoenix, his voice echoing within Harry's mind.
"These rumours: can you tell me more about them?"
"Of course Dark King; in the past few days, Professors Snape, Lupin and McGonagall have received a great many tricks played on them all with the same message: the phoenix will rise again. The Headmistress has asked your Gryffindor people if they suspect anyone and all have given her the same answer: the red-head known as Ronald Weasley."
"I see," Harry nodded, the torches in the office flickering dangerously as his Omniform magic began to emit a strong wave of energy through his rage, "Obviously I didn't hit him hard enough: thank you Fawkes; now, I would like you to find my Bonded and tell her what you have told me: then, stay with her until I summon you again."
"Yes Dark King," Fawkes bowed to Harry, his plumage igniting with black flames as he vanished from the office, Harry turning to Umbridge and, with a soft smile, inclined his head to her in a gesture of respect.
"All is taken care of Headmistress," Harry told her, "I will bring this war-monger and all his followers to justice: before that happens, I would like to gather the Squad and meet them in a private place. Do I have your permission, Headmistress?"
"Of course Master Riddle," Umbridge answered, "You may do as you wish."
Harry smiled and left the office, his hand reaching for the silver Sickle that all members held: activating its link, Harry commanded, "All members to the Room of Requirement at once!"
Five minutes later, with his Silver Circle gathered around him, Harry looked out across the sea of heads, his eyes scanning each of them with precision: the Room itself had given Harry a raised platform so that he was able to watch over all the Squad, including those who had willingly betrayed Dumbledore and his so-called Army to them.
Looking to his Society members, Harry's voice spoke with clarity, "I'm sure that, by now, you all have heard of the rumours pertaining to this Second Coming of the one who calls himself the Phoenix. Now, judging by what I have seen and heard from Headmistress Umbridge as well as several reliable sources, I have narrowed down the suspects to one House: Gryffindor."
His eyes fell on Hermione, Neville and the Weasley twins as he said this; the four of them were stone-faced, but they were also bound by oaths to serve him, so he knew they were out of suspicion. Looking back to the group, Harry spoke again, "Now, just because I say Gryffindor, does not mean that Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are out of danger: this Phoenix, whoever he is, seeks to bring down the Headmistress and is doing this by means of copying a certain foursome from the old days, better known as the Marauders. Now, if it wasn't for their undying loyalty to our cause, then I would suspect the New Marauders once known as Fred and George Weasley as being behind this; however, because of this little fact, I have one key suspect: the last Weasley loyal to Dumbledore and his so-called saviour: little Ronnie Weasley."
There was an uproar at Harry's declaration, several members of the squad vying for Ron's blood as Harry, raising his wand, commanded, "Quiet: now, if any of you are planning on some unorthodox interrogations of Mr Weasley, I want you to know this: as Commander of the Squad and Regent to the Minister, I, and only I, will handle Ron and get the truth. In the mean time, I want each and every one of you to visit Professors Snape and Lupin and undergo a little truth test: you see, this is the sad news. If Ron is targeting our cause, then he must have inside help: those of you who joined me from the Army will be called up first; however, the ones here," he indicated his circle, "Who hid in the shadows are in the green, so to speak. In the meantime, while these tests go on, I also want all of you to be calm and use morality and pride to seek out the cracks in our little foundation. So, as Head Boy, I ask those who were rewarded with Prefect duties to use what methods they can and report to either myself or the Headmistress with your findings: everyone else shall report back to Draco Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass or myself. You have your orders; now, for the sake of the Ministry, for the safety of our noble school community, I command you: go to it."
Like a real army, the Squad all filed out from the Room, leaving Fred, George, Neville, Luna, Hermione, Daphne, Dudley and Draco to look up to their leader, the aforementioned Gryffindors looking slightly nervous as they watched the Room's magic lower Harry's platform.
"What about us?" asked Hermione, "The Society?"
"You will simply watch and wait," Harry told her, "I know that no-one here is the traitor thanks to the oaths sworn when I revealed my true self to you all: by the way, has anyone seen Ginny?"
"She was in the Common Room," Neville told him, "I made sure to check on her before coming here Harry."
Looking to Draco, Harry saw his right-hand looking nervous and almost frightened: his cloak billowing behind him, Harry commanded, "Follow me."
The Society all obeyed their leader as Harry led them out of the Room of Requirement and down through the corridor until they came to the portrait of the Fat Lady; standing tall, Harry commanded, "By order of the Headmistress, open your portrait and admit us to Gryffindor Tower."
"As you wish," answered the portrait, swinging open and allowing Harry and the others to follow him inside. Once there, Harry barely had time to say anything before he felt Draco push past him, running for the stairs towards the girl's dorm. Harry, meanwhile, inspected the scene before them: wand scorch marks lined the walls and chaise chairs, several books and items just thrown all over the place, most of the portraits were askew and there was a strong sense of magic in the air.
"Ginny?" cried Draco, his voice echoing down the stairs; as they all began to join the search, Harry then noticed a shadowed area of the Common Room shifting; checking the others, he walked over and stopped, his eyes peering into the shadows.
"Kiyo," he whispered; sure enough the Kariyami Commander emerged from the shadows, his face grave and his head bowed.
"My King," the Kariyami spoke with a sense of defeat, "I am sorry: I failed you."
"How?" asked Harry, looking around the room as he asked, "Who did this?"
"I did not see their face," Kiyo answered, "But they had power and they left this."
He handed the Riddle Heir a parchment, upon which was a crest: a longsword with a golden hilt planted firmly in a stone crown; beneath the crest was a message:
You may think you have won, but now I have the upper hand: I have watched you for long enough;
Let the games begin
THE WHITE PALADIN
Turning back, Harry saw Draco returning from his search, his eyes red with tears and his body shaking; Daphne ran over and held him close, her own eyes on Harry.
"Who?" she asked, using their bond.
"Him," Harry answered, "The one destined to bring me down."
Looking to Draco, Harry felt a small part of his old self resurfacing as he whispered, "Ginny, I'm sorry, but I swear I will find you."
The battle that Harry had been training for, the Black King vs. the White Paladin, had now begun…and Harry was losing:
But he would not allow this Paladin to win the final conflict: that he promised himself, his red eyes shining in the light of the Common Room.
So, the White Paladin reveals himself and Harry now has a real reason to renew his battle with the Light, but is Ginny safe?
Also, now that his alter-ego has revealed himself, can Harry gather all his power and win this war or will Light triumph over Darkness?
Keep Reading to Find Out…
Chapter 18: There's a surprise return from an old mentor; Harry has dreams about a strange room; Severus tries to help his Lord while keeping his secret from the Light; the White Paladin strikes again and the sorted students pledge their allegiance to Harry, but what's with the voice in his head repeating the Prophecy?
Chapter 19: Sick of the voices, Harry ventures to the DOM to get some answers; while there, he gets more than he bargained for; plus, the Golden Boy takes on the Silver King and Harry suffers a terrible loss, but it's NOT who you think…plus, the White Paladin reveals himself and it's Black vs. White round 1…
Please Read and Review…
Avisortus: The Feather Flock Charm; calls on a whole flock of birds to fly through the skies: can be used to distract a target or reveal hidden surprises;
Also, as the Dark Prince, what should Harry be known as to the Death Eaters? Take into consideration his allegiance to the Black Magic and this mysterious visitor in his dreams…