A.N.: Hey my lovely readers, lol, I AM NOT DEAD!! It just took me a while to get a clear picture of what I wanted to do with this chapter. As usual I had a bit of a writer's block but I worked through! Fight! Lol anyways I hope this meets everyone's expectations and was worth waiting the month or so for!
Chapter 16: The nothingness
"God made everything out of nothing, but the nothingness shows through."
Anne glared at her reflection a bit, studying her every feature looking for any flaw and anything that clashed with what she wanted to display today. Her gleaming red hair reflected the light and she smirked noticing no faults. She had been the wallflower all through high school with her brown hair and her out of date clothes. However, no longer, with her red hair and fashion sense she was certain that her high school reunion would go good for her.
To choose to be a red head was to choose to be noticed after all and Anne desperately needed to be noticed. Smiling she plumped up her lips and strode confidently out of her house. Sadly she never made it to her car, Anne never got to show up at the reunion and no one really noticed she was gone until much later. For not a minute after Anne stepped out of her house the world went black for her and her body didn't even get the chance to hit the ground before it disappeared all together.
The woman Anne wasn't the only one mysteriously going missing, all throughout the world people were vanishing so suddenly and so many of them the world noticed. Dozens disappeared, and no one could explain it. The subtle currents of mass hysteria began to set in when every day more and more people went missing. All around the world there was a tension, something was coming, something had begun but the truly terrifying thing was no one knew what exactly was stirring.
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In the faded magical Castle of Hogwarts there was also something very disturbing occurring which no one could really voice or more actually they didn't want to voice it. Since the first Lesson with the Headmistress of Noctiluca the other gathered schools had been in equal parts frightened of their power and awed. After what had happened in the first lesson the Headmistress had not allowed another demonstration to take place. Mostly because Seline had noticed that there was something wrong with Harry and she could not risk another debacle like the last.
Harry had been acting strangely since the first Task and Madeline was in constant fear that at any moment he would snap under the pressure. Perhaps that was why she had not been far from his side all week but even then there were times when Harry would disappear somewhere. The Hermione girl was a curious addition to their little group and Madeline had mixed feelings about the girl.
On one hand training the girl subtly to be a loyal follower distracted Harry enough that he had not slipped from his control and killed anyone yet. However, Madeline was also very anxious for the girl because Madeline knew that if Harry should lose it for even a moment the girl would be the first to be harmed. Honestly Madeline wasn't sure what she was supposed to do as Harry's mother, should she warn the girl or let Harry harm her?
For she had no doubt that Harry was going to hurt someone soon, he needed to, and Madeline wanted so badly to help him be better. This kept her up at night, and her attention to detail suffered for it. By the end of the week she was dead on her feet and barely able to drag herself into Severus' potions lab. He was already there when she arrived and he immediately noticed something was terribly wrong with Madeline.
It worried him enough that he paused in his brewing and went right away to confronting her about it. "What is wrong?" he asked in his silky deep voice, concern subtly laced in his tone. Madeline blurrily stared up at him and just said, "nothing". Snape sneered, "Obviously not if it has tired you enough to dull that wicked tongue of yours! What is it?" For a good minute they just stared at each other, eyes locked in a heated battle but in the end Madeline was too exhausted to put much effort into it.
"I'm worried about my son," That stunned Snape enough to make him break from their staring contest. "Tristen? Surely you jest a tournament such as this would be nothing to someone as powerful as him. You have no need to be worried over it." Madeline scowled at him, a fire sparking up in her eyes, "That is not what I'm worried about! I'm confident in my son's abilities that is not what disturbs me!"
Snape raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Oh, then pray tell what has you so worked up you look like someone has been poison your drink with a sleep stopper?" Madeline was so tired and worked up she just snapped, effectively losing her brain to mouth filter, "I'm worried he's going to lose it soon, he is usually so in control of it! I don't understand at all and I have no idea if I should warn the foolish girl away or let her be the sacrificial lamb!"
At first Madeline's words made no sense to Snape, the abrupt way she said them shocking his brain into inactivity for an all of two seconds. However, when he did manage to understand them they disturbed him enough that he actually gasped, "How bad is it?" Snape asked clasping his hands behind him keep her from seeing his hands shake. This was too familiar, so much so that he didn't want to begin to think of the consequences of this conversation.
Madeline realized too late she had acted so rashly that inadvertently she had revealed far to much and she knew all she could do was trust this man. Trust him enough not to talk of this, a risk for certain. Walking to a stool Madeline sat down heavily in defeat, "You have to understand all the abuse he went through broke him in a way I could never hope to fix…there is something very dark in my son, very dark."
Their eyes connected again and Madeline was stunned to recognize something in Snape's eyes. "You went through it too?" She smiled bitterly at his startled face, "The ignorance of Muggles, right?" At his hesitant nod Madeline laughed bitterly, "It's all their fault you know? If they hadn't done it, hadn't hurt him like they had then my son would not be as he is today. Lost in a darkness so deep that all I can do is stand beside him."
She looked away, staring at a crack in the ceiling, "It's all their fault," she whispered sullenly. Snape got an eerie feeling that Madeline wasn't talking about Muggles anymore. "He was so much better before but now I'm frightened…I'm losing him…he's slipping through my fingers all the time it's like trying to grasp water." "How dangerous is he Madeline?" Hearing him say her name shocked Madeline enough she locked eyes with him again.
Smiling bitterly at him Madeline lost a bit of that fire in her eyes, "Oh, there is no one I can think of more dangerous than my son. He would never harm me on purpose but even I am not safe should he lose the battle for his little remaining sanity. He is too clever, too slick, too powerful, should he lose Severus…no one, not even your esteemed Headmaster could ever hope to stop him." Her words were like frozen lead in his stomach and the force of it made him sit down.
"Is there nothing we can do?" Madeline laughed softly and hollowly at his muttered question. "Pray he stabilizes soon, and if nothing else hope that he recognizes me if he does lose his grip on it. I am not foolish enough to believe I can stop him but I might be able to calm him enough so that some will survive…I hope…" she finished darkly. Snape didn't want to believe such a small fragile looking boy could very well be the end of his world but something in Madeline's voice made him believe it.
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Harry just stood there staring at the phone booth; to any passerby he just looked like he was glaring fixedly at a random object and not think any further on it. Had anyone really studied him at that moment they would find that beneath his bangs Harry's green eyes were glowing with power.
The magical wards of the Ministry of Magic were not something to sneeze at, they were strong and unlike Hogwarts they were regularly infused with new Magic. That made it very difficult for Harry and anyone really; to break in would trigger plenty of alarms and cause a great fuss. Something Harry wanted to avoid at all cost so that was why he was currently standing on a corner glaring at a phone booth trying to decipher a very intricate web of wards.
Eventually Harry began to realize there was no way he could get into the Ministry undetected and gave up trying. So he walked to the booth and told the Operator that he was 'visiting' and got a badge that said 'visitor'. After that, things went smoother for him getting past security was pathetically easy since most were Hogwarts graduates. The wards on the inside of the Ministry were thinner and less layered than the ones he had encountered outside.
Harry thought this was possibly due to the fact that they thought the hardest part was to get in, when it was really getting out. He found what he was looking for in the department of mysteries, something he found so intriguing he made a mental note to come back later to investigate the place. Leaving went smoothly, he had no trouble bending the wards just so that he could leave with his acquired item inside his pocket.
Now had he taken something more significant, Harry was sure that he would have had a harder time of it, but as it was a simple medium sized time-turner there was no difficulties. The time turner weighed down heavily in his pocket, waiting for him to put it to use. However, now that he had a means to get what he needed Harry felt a churning in his stomach, a thirst came over him and he closed his eyes to it. The hunger did not dissipate, only grew, his hands shook and when he could not stand fighting it any longer he let himself fade.
In the still of the night, people began to disappear, no one would ever find them and there screams would never reach the world from which they came. However, their cries of agony did reach one person, the beast that had come knocking at their door and into the night their screams washed over him. Harry stared down at the girl, her flaming red hair flashed like a beacon to him, and her screams were the sweetest melody to his ears. This one's cries were powerful, so breathe taking, it ran through him like an intimate caress, and it satiated his hunger a bit.
He watched with cold eyes as the girl was seemingly eaten alive, not by a beast or even by anything physical but by a black intangible mist. Her body broke apart as if by the great mauling bites of some unseen creature, the girl sobbed and screamed…begged for him to end this. Yet he simply stood over her and watched his creation do what it was made for, his eyes half lidded he took in her screams of agony with relish. When it was all done he turned from the bloodied ground to leave, all that remained of the girl was the blood on the ground he left behind.
The sun was just peaking in between the branches when Harry returned to the place where he had summoned Tom to him. He hid himself among the grasping branches of the trees and took the time turner from his pocket. Spinning it Harry got lost in the hypnotic motion and let time fall backwards all around him. When the world once more flowed forward Harry heard the heavy thud of a body falling down not to far from him.
With cold eyes and a serene face he watched the past him break and Tom emerge from his place inside the diary. Harry could not take his eyes from Tom's face; it was why he was here in the past, because he needed to be sure. His stomach plummeted when he realized that his memory had not been false, and Harry could not understand the how in finally knowing where the future Tom dwelled, he wished he had remained ignorant.
Still, there were questions he needed answers to and so he turned his sight away from Tom, his beloved. Calling out to Tink using their bond Harry summoned the tiny creature to him. When she appeared before him, glowing a blue green light Harry held up his hand so that she could rest there. The tiny creature was twinkling happily at him, reporting what she had seen around the school, on what she found about Tom Riddle and various other little things she had observed.
"Very good Tink, you've done well," Tink waltzed around his hand hips swaying in smug satisfaction from a job well done, "Now in need you to be very careful with your next assignment Tink." Tink smiled and chimed a bit with her agreement, "I need you to shadow the Hogwarts Headmaster, report anything of consequence to me. However, take care to remained unnoticed by the old fool and his silly bird." Tink scowled at the mention of the phoenix, as a water-based creature it was in her nature to hate the fire-born bird.
When Harry could no longer see the glow from Tink in the distance he turned from the forest and was once more gone before anyone even realized he was hidden there. He left his past self, lying in the field knowing there was nothing he could do about it now. There was one more thing he needed to take care of before he moved on with his plans, just one last thing he needed to confirm.
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The room was dark, only the faint light of his enchanted candle cast a dim illumination that was enough to read by. His hands shook as he reread the passage in the ancient looking book before him, and he felt bile rising up in his throat as he read. It wasn't fair, this shouldn't have happened, it shouldn't be true but as he read more into this demented art of splitting one's soul Harry could only see the truth of it.
Harry knew Tom enough to know he would not of hesitated to do such a thing to himself, hadn't Tom told him to search for a way to gain immortality? Didn't Harry know that at the core of everything Tom hated the thought of dying so deeply he would do anything to stay death's hand? Harry knew all this and yet when faced with the truth of what Tom had done to himself, all he could feel is loneliness because even though he could feel Tom's dairy against his chest Harry was a world away from him.
There was no Tom out there in the world that knew of him, no Tom that had a body he could touch and feel. There was no one waiting out there for him to come and find him like a childish game. Though Harry couldn't take it in, how many had Tom made? How many times had he cut up himself so that he could live on long past his time? There was a painful restriction in his heart when he thought of something else…were they protected enough?
If he had figured out how Tom, or Lord Voldemort, had cheated death…then who else knew? Were the protections Tom had placed on them good enough? What if someone like Dumbledore knew, with his power would he be able to get past those protections? Shaking Harry cut his hand and wiped his bloody hand on his forehead. The warm crimson liquid slowly dripped into his eyes as he bathed his forehead in his own blood.
After he was sure he had coated it enough he healed his hand and gently brought it back up to trace with shaking fingers his lightening bolt scar. Harry felt disgusted with himself, he should have figured it out earlier, and he should have felt that piece of Tom in him before now. However, now that he was aware of it Harry could feel in inside of him, pulsing with the beat of his heart, it had become such a part of him Harry doubted it could ever be torn from him now.
It was as much a part of him now as his own soul, and now that he was conscious of its presence he could use it for an advantage. With narrowed eyes, blood slowly dripping down his face Harry knew what he had to do. He tasted the copper flavor of his blood as his mouth opened as he panted; his heart was racing pounding in his ears. The candle beside him flickered and went out.
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Leon glanced around the room curiously before turning back to the scroll in his hand, studying it like it had the answers to the world within. His mark burned, urging him to open the letter from his lord and he did so with just a bit of worry, wondering what in the world the Prince could want of all of them. "Does everyone feel that?" Ophelia asked as she clutched at the place her Mark lay. Grimacing in pain the others nodded, all feeling that same burn, "It goes away once you open and read what our Prince has sent," Leon said as if to give an excuse.
The rustling of paper could be heard as everyone quickly began to read their orders; they were the elite, hand picked by their Prince to help him reach his goals. There was a sense of loyalty here, no one seemed to give a second thought to the pain they had felt from the Mark as if they had already accepted it as necessary. "Mine says…" Cleo began before her mouth seemed to trip over her words and the scroll disintegrated in her hands.
"It would seem that our missions are to be secrets, even from one another," Gabriel said calmly as his eyes swept along their faces. "Huh, well, I guess he has a reason for it," Logan said gruffly, "After all he wouldn't want his enemies to know all the little parts of his plan if they managed to capture one of us." The twins nodded and said in unison, "This way no one but our Prince can know the whole picture until the end." "Its brilliant really," Alex murmured, "but it's also somewhat unnerving."
"Couldn't agree more," Simon said a bit dully, "But we have chosen the path, all that is left for us to do is walk it. I will never leave his side, even if it kills me…" With surprisingly sharp eyes Cleo voiced her agreement, "Yes, I whole heartedly agree. I don't mind standing beside him in this darkness even if he cannot see or feel me beside him…I will be there. I will not leave him to suffer alone." Leon's hands clenched at his sides, "Neither will I, I would see the world burn first."
Every eye locked together and a silent passion was simmering beneath their silence. Each one of them looked into the others eyes and saw a reflection of themselves staring back at them. This was belonging, this was what Harry had given them, something that they could belong to and belonged to them. This was something that they could never escape, something that would guarantee that never again would they feel the cold emptiness of loneliness. All of them had a story, a reason, a purpose; all of them knew that if it came down to it they would give up their lives willingly for him.
Most would never, could never, understand their reasons or understand why they were so devoted to Harry. It was something very unexplainable, words could not do it justice; they had no definite emotion to pin on it. It just was, and oddly enough they were content in that. This was not something that grows in a day, a month, even a year, it takes time to take root and grow into this. Whatever it was, call it loyalty, call it love, or call it devotion, it was not going away.
That indescribable thing could be seen in those tiny moments, those flashes of feeling, that silent presence of Harry, or Tristen, or their Prince. It was in his jaded eyes, in his broken words, in his scarred body, in his kind manner, it was in everything that Harry was and ever will be. Words are too shallow to even begin to convey what they felt in that moment that their eyes met and their hearts linked as one. They would not abandon him to the darkness, no matter what he did to them or what happened, they would never leave him…could never leave him. …Even if they had wanted to.
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The night was quiet, peaceful almost and he enjoyed it this way. There was nothing to do, his work was finished for the day, his followers had their assignments and he liked using this time to simply be alone. Red eyes flashed as the gazed out the window, wondering, scheming, thinking and contemplating. What was the difference between good and evil? How had Dumbledore put it again? Oh, yes, choosing to do what is easy and what is right? Something like that.
Voldemort didn't think it was so simple; nothing was that straightforward in this world. Evil? What was evil? What defined it? What was good? None of the silly titles that people adored using matter much to him. When it came down to it Voldemort didn't there was such a thing as evil, only power, only those who had the strength to fight for it. Power. That was all that mattered to him, not good, not evil, just power. Turning from his window Voldemort looked at his shadowed room and thought about the Winter boy.
Power mattered a great deal to him, and that boy Tristen had a lot of power. The boy reminded him so much of himself…and yet the boy was also so very different. Voldemort wondered about him, thought of him constantly, and truthfully he couldn't really understand why he was so obsessed with the boy. His hands clenched at his sides, no, not just obsessed but also possessive. The thought of anyone capturing the boy's attention besides himself had Voldemort angrier than was wise. He didn't like that he felt this why, and especially he hated that he had no real idea why.
Only two meetings, two meetings! Yet whenever he had an idle moment Voldemort inevitably thought of him, of his power, of his cold emerald eyes and his soft voice. Then as if his thoughts had summoned the boy to him, there he was, emerging from the shadows of his room like a ghost in the night. Greedily, Voldemort took in his face, too distracted by his presence to even begin to wonder how he had found him let alone gotten past his wards.
However, after a second Voldemort knew something was very wrong. The boy, his face, it wasn't as serene and calm as he had become accustomed to seeing. Tristen had a wild look in his eye, and there was a faint frown on his lips. "Why have you done this?" His voice was haunting and accusing, it stunned him into silence. "Why have you done this to yourself!" The boy started to walk then, slipping in and out of the shadows in his room like a predator stalking his prey. "Done what?" Voldemort said, slightly confused about the boy's behavior.
"You've taken him from me!" Tristen hissed, circling him closer and closer. "Taken who?" Confusion and anger had begun to creep into his voice. His green eyes glowed eerily, piercing him through and pinning him to his spot on the floor, freezing him into inaction. "Why did you do this?" Tristen said coldly. The boy was standing so close to him they were almost touching, his glowing emerald eyes glaring into his own crimson ones.
"You'll never be him as you are now," Tristen said and Voldemort watched his face crumble…it disturbed him more than he could phantom. His smaller hands gripped Voldemort's shirt forcing him to bend down to Tristen's level. "Can't you see I need him?" Tristen whispered brokenly, "Why have you done this! Why! You'll never be him now! You don't remember me, you don't know me!" His fierce green eyes seemed to blaze at that, "You should know me! You should be here before me now, but you're broken!" Confusion and outrage ran through Voldemort, eventually outrage won out.
He knocked the smaller male's hands from him and drew back, "Who are you to say I'm broken!" he hissed at the boy enraged. This only seemed to fuel the other on; Tristen face contorted, feverish, crazed, he shouted, "I'll make you know me!" Before Voldemort could move against him Tristen hissed out, "Astrictus", Voldemort felt his body stiffen with invisible bindings. Seething inside he could do nothing as Tristen circled him, and he hated it.
"It is not fair you know, to have finally found you only to know you don't know me," Tristen was murmuring incoherently as he began to circled him again as a predator would a wounded prey. Voldemort continued to try to keep him in his sight, which was hard since half the time the boy was behind him. In the dim lighting he could see Tristen twirling what appeared to be an odd-looking paintbrush in his hands. "I'll fix it, you'll remember me when its done, and you'll eventually see it had to be done. You'll understand, just like always, it's for the best," he was talking to himself in low tones and Voldemort became increasingly worried at the boy's mental health.
When the glowing emerald eyes of his capture met his own crimson ones again it was like someone had gripped his inside with a freeze fist. Those eyes, they spoke so loudly of a broken mind and they were as shards of glass…piercing him with their biting edge. "This will hurt," Tristen said in low tones as he approached him, "please scream", he said as he caressed Voldemort's face words spoken as if to a lover. "I wont think less of you, please scream for me," his lips brushed against his frozen body's throat, "I'll only hurt you this once, it has to be done, you'll understand when its over." Tristen's broken eyes stared up at him as he ran his hand down Voldemort's chest gently, his action belying his words.
Tristen drew back and withdrew a book from his breast pocket, Voldemort tried to see it clearly but the light and his condition made his efforts futile. His body was tense, his mind was in a whirlwind of thoughts, all focused on escaping Tristen's spell, but nothing he did seemed to be able to counteract his bindings. He watched in a sort of abstract fascination as Tristen painted something onto the mysterious books cover, tensing only when the boy came towards him again.
"Exui" Tristen murmured while scowling at Voldemort's shirt, the cool night air bit at him as his shirt vanished from his back exposing him to the boy's eyes. However, that didn't disturb him nearly as much as when Tristen began to paint a strange symbol onto his chest with cold ink that felt very unpleasant. When he had finished Tristen drew back to study his work seemingly satisfied he began to draw up his magic. Voldemort could practically taste the boy's power in the air, he could see it glowing under his skin and sparkling in his eyes. Dread filled him, his power matched his own, it might even surpass it given enough time and too late Voldemort realized this boy was more a threat to him than even Dumbledore.
For all his meddling Dumbledore was, and always will be something of a pacifist. Dumbledore hadn't the stomach to do what was needed to be done to defeat him; after all even killing him would not keep him down forever. That is why Voldemort had been so sure he would win this time around, after all the light's 'savior' was missing and without that prophecy's child they would not stand a chance. However, Voldemort had over looked the boy, this powerful, broken boy did not have the same qualms the foolish old coot did. Just by seeing him now, half-crazed, and out of his mind Voldemort knew this boy would not hesitate, would not stop.
Tristen's power was heavy in the air when he placed a slightly glowing hand on the book's cover, "Spiritus Apocatastasis, Solvo", his voice echoed in the room; it overlapped and was hauntingly filled with magic. Voldemort could not dwell long on Tristen's voice. For not a moment after Tristen had spoken the symbol on his chest and on the book began to burn with a bright light blinding him. After that all he knew was pain.
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Severus sneered as his eternal enemy, James Potter, blathered on about the Winter boy and he was 'a god-damned menace'. It had been like this ever since that damnable first lesson of the Noctiluca Academy; every Order meeting seemed to circle around Voldemort, Headmistress Seline, or the Winter boy. Dumbeldore, of course, had been playing master manipulator since the incident hoping to discover the secret behind such a powerful way to cast magic. However, Seline had not been very forthcoming with any trade secrets on the subject.
"Severus, my boy, have you discovered anything useful from the time you've spent with the girl, Madeline?" his eyes were twinkling full blast. Severus knew his game of course and watched Sirius' hands clench at his sides, sometimes Severus was almost certain the old coot did this on purpose. It was as if he likes making his life miserable. Now, he knew that Dumbledore didn't really expect him to find out anything useful from his fellow Potion Master. So he was somewhat smug to actually have found out something from Madeline.
However, just as he was about to speak and tell Dumbledore about what Madeline had told him of the boy's increasingly deteriorating sanity, Madeline's voice echoed in his head. 'You went through it too?'…'The ignorance of Muggles'. Severus found he didn't have it in him to betray Madeline's trust in him, moreover, none of them would understand. His eyes swept over the gathered people as he thought his choices over. They could never understand what it is like to suffer under the hands of someone lesser than you, to be so helpless and yet so powerful at the same time.
They never had to go to bed hungry, or feel the aches of a beating. They could never know what it feels like knowing that one well-spoken spell could stop your tormentors but fearing the consequences of doing so. They would never know what it was like and so they could not understand the kinship he felt to Madeline, to the boy he had never even spoken to. So with his usual velvety sarcastic voice he replied, "Oh yes because a Potion Mistress is so well informed about the going ons of the world. Albus, you really should stop eating those lemon drops they seemed to have rotted your brain along with your teeth." The gathered people were outraged at him because of this, while Dumbledore just kept smiling with his twice-damned twinkling eyes.
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Harry watched his love writhe on the ground, he did not scream but his face was contorted in pain. His mouth was open but no sound past his lips. He did not like this, hurting him was painful to Harry and he was on his knees before his love just watching him suffer. "It had to be done my love," he whispered crawling to where Voldemort was thrashing on the floor. At the sound of Harry's voice Voldemort's glaring eyes connected with the boy beside him. "Don't look at me like that, you'll understand when its over." Harry soothed as he watched Voldemort's eyes go from bloody red to a deep blue and back.
The sight of his flickering eye color sent a thrill through Harry, and he crawled closer to him resting a gentle hand on his beloved's chest. "Yes, that's it. Give him back to me," his voice was low and coaxing. Voldemort arched up in pain, gasping, the symbol on his chest sizzled as if it was trying to burn its way into him. The book, his old dairy, laid not two feet from him also felt the burn of the symbol etched onto it. The edges began to blacken, and his spasms became more pronounced.
All the while Harry watched with glowing green eyes as his spell got to work, "I had to fix what was broken, you see." He whispered into Voldemort's ear, "I could never be satisfied with just a piece of you Tom, you know that." Harry ran a light hand over Voldemort's cheek as his other hand pushed down on his chest to keep him from moving away. "You are mine," he said forcefully, "and I was always yours." Sad broken eyes stared into the flickering orbs of Voldemort, "Always yours my love, my heart is too small and broken to have anyone else."
The book began to crumble, blackening as it did, until all that was left was the glowing symbol in the air the twin to the one on Voldemort's chest. The ashes from the book invaded Voldemort's eyes, mouth, and nose making it impossible to breathe. Frantically he tried to move his arms to grasp at his throat but his limps felt as if they were made of lead. Just when Voldemort thought he would suffocate the last of the dairy's ashes entered him and then the symbol met its twin on his chest.
That is when the pain became so much that he had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming out, blood pooled in his mouth as he did so. Then Voldemort became very still, and soon fell unconscious. Harry lay there beside him, staring intently at his face and barely making a sound. It was very unsatisfying hurting him, he hadn't screamed once, and Harry found that very frustrating. Though he loved Tom as much as he could with his crippled heart that didn't mean he had grown past enjoying inflicting pain on others. Tom had not screamed, Harry's hand clenched at his sides, and it made Harry want to hurt him again.
"Why didn't you scream Tom?" Harry whispered sullenly to him. He scooted closer to him and slowly wiped the blood from Tom's mouth. Without quite realizing what he was going Harry licked the blood from his fingers, the flavor of copper and spice hit his tongue. His actions confused him, Harry wasn't sure what was happening to him, he didn't like this and he felt uncomfortable with how close he was to hurting his beloved again. After all he had promised that he would hurt Tom just this once.
Still, he had wanted to hear him scream. Shakily Harry sat up and moved Tom's head to his lap, and began to run his nimble fingers through Tom's hair. "I don't want to want to hurt you," Harry murmured sincerely, "You know that right?" It was true; he hadn't wanted to desire to hurt his beloved. There was a monster in him, it lusted for blood and destruction nothing else. Then there was the little left in him that still had the capacity to feel, to love, and that part of him wanted to never leave Tom's side again.
Harry tensed when he felt Tom shift in his lap, and he turned his attention to Tom's face waiting for him to awaken. Tom's eyes flickered open, a deep blue, his hand shot out to grab Harry hand that was carding through his hair. "Well, that was unpleasant," Tom said, as his eyes flickered back to a deep bloody red. That made Harry tense, before he relaxed, "You can hurt me back if you want," his tone was bland and accepting.
Voldemort stared at him, just quietly studying his face, the memories from his journal still fresh and running through his mind. Also there was something else he had gained from his diary, a deep burning possessive love for this child. He began to think if it had been him, if Harry hadn't known him, what would he have done if he couldn't touch him and he found his answer. For the first time in his life Voldemort found it in him the will to forgive. He forgave Harry, Voldemort realized, before he even knew what was going on.
Slowly he raised his heavy hand to caress Harry's cheek, a part of him reveling in the ability to do so, and just stared into jaded green eyes. Before Harry knew what was going on their positions had been reversed, he was lying on his back with Voldemort hovering above him pinning him down. He made no move to get up or defend himself, silently awaiting his punishment for hurting him. What happened next stunned and confused him. Instead of lashing out against him Voldemort's lips came crashing down on his own. The kiss was fiery, possessive, passionate and demanding. It took only a moment for Harry to respond to the kiss, this only seemed to push Voldemort on and the kiss became consuming.
Voldemort nipped at his lips demanding access, Harry granted it easily enough and soon a dominating tongue began to trace his mouth. Harry didn't know what it was he was feeling, but it was like the missing part of him had been found. In this he found a peace, he forgot the world, he forgot his dark need and gave into another unexplored need. Lying there, being thoroughly kissed Harry found he felt contentment and happiness. Harry lost himself in Voldemort, drowned in him, gave himself up entirely just so that he could abandon the world for that brief moment.
As he did so Harry thought, 'My joy, my sorrow, my pain, my entire life…I'll forsake everything I am, to live only for you,' not that he would ever tell Voldemort such things. When Voldemort finally pulled away from him Harry looked thoroughly ravaged, "I could never hurt you Harry, you are precious to me in way I do not fully understand." Harry for his part just laid there for a bit, silently enjoying the feeling of floating while it lasted, "That makes two of us then, I will never understand what I feel for you."
Somehow that seemed to snap Harry out of his daze and he got up to face Voldemort. "I knew you would understand, now that I have restored you I must go before I am missed," He faded away before Tom could move to stop him. Voldemort clutched at his head as it spiked with pain, his eyes turning blue for a second before they returned to his usual crimson color. Inside, he was seething, he was confused as to why he had just let the boy go and also why he didn't feel like tearing him apart for what he had done. Love, Voldemort decided, was a very inconvenient and perplexing thing.
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Leon scowled at the owl, a most tiresome way to communicate. It would take at least four days for his message to reach home and then another four before he could get a reply. Still, he knew it would not take more than six messages before his clan was ready to do as his prince bid. After all the benefits if they succeed were too tempting for them not to want to join in on this, plus, his was a warring clan they would join just for the pleasure of fighting. It has been to long, Leon decided, since his people had seen the glory of war.
Gabriel bit his lip and looked on in envy at Leon. He would not have as much trouble as Gabriel would in seeking aid from his people; they were peaceful to a fault. Though he did not know what the Prince had asked of Leon, he could guess, and Gabriel was a bit jealous that Leon would be able to succeed so easily. Turning to his own carrier animal, a Vixi by the name of Starshine (his mother's), he consoled himself that at least his message would be arriving faster than Leon's. It wouldn't be too hard, Gabriel decided, to convince them to provided the things prince wanted. His people were natural healers and in the end they would not be able to ignore his call.
The others were already in the process of sending their messages as well; Flora and Fauna had already sent their letter to their mother. Logan was relaying his messages to his pack through another wolf, he had more than one and everyone was curious as to why though they knew better than to ask. Cleo was contacting her father through her bank. Ophelia and Alex didn't have any messages to send only mysterious packages. Whatever his plan was the Prince's elite had already set it in motion.
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As he stared at the orb in his hands, the thing he had been working toward his entire life was right here in his hands and yet there was no satisfaction in it. The walls of his room seemed to close in on him. Harry had never felt so empty before…so lonely. His hand automatically went to his breast pocket where Tom's Diary no longer laid and a pain shot through his heart. It had been so long since he had been truly alone, usually when he felt like this he would write to Tom but he was no longer here.
There was a bittersweet feeling here now, choking his heart, Tom was out there in the real world waiting for him and Harry felt awe over that. However, now he could not talk to him whenever the mood struck. He could not tell him his secret in the dead of night, could not feel him and it made him feel so alone. More than ever before. Harry turned his focus on the crystal orb in his hand desperately searching for a distraction from his pain.
The orb looked very much like a remembrall with only a few differences, for one the smoke filling it was black and it never went away. The main difference though was that the orb in his hand was nowhere near as benevolent as a puny little remembrall. This orb in his hand along with the others he had made would bring his deepest darkest wish into reality. Harry focused on that, this little orb in his hand was going to do so much to further his goals.
Now all he needed to do was wait, for the right time to strike, when the entire world is looking elsewhere he would act. They would never know what hit them before it was too late to stop him. His grip tightened around the orb, all that was left was two more tasks and then the first stage of his plans could begin. It was lucky they had entered his tournament; it brought him much closer to the target. In a few more days he would compete in the second task and though he was confident in his abilities Harry was also cautious.
With the use of the time turner he was getting a lot of things done, and that was the important thing. Suzie was being handle well, along with all of her little 'friends' and his elites were managing their tasks beautifully. Madeline was keeping him updated on the Ministry front and she had also begun talks with the Potions Guild. They were going to need a lot of potions in this war, and they needed more funding for their research, which would be provided when there was a victory.
The gargoyles would be ready to mobilize in a week time to begin night raids to key targets. His 'Medusa' was currently rallying the gorgons to his side; they would be excellent in the front lines. Harry knew Tom was already in talks with the giants, so that was something he didn't have to deal with and he considered that a burden off his shoulders. One of the marked students back at school was handling the gathering of the troll forces, Harry was glad he had him at his disposal.
In all they would be more than ready when the time came to take Britain, and from there it shouldn't be too hard to capture the rest. Though he admitted that the rest would probably put up more of a challenge then Britain did because they would be more prepared for the attack. But such were the burdens of war. Harry felt a thrill go through him when he thought of finally being able to begin the purge of this world. The Muggles would not know what hit them before it was too late to do anything but bend to his will.
Harry did think that the vile creatures' nuclear weapons were going to be a problem but he would take care of that himself before he released his orbs. Muggle fire arms shouldn't put up too much of a problem once his orbs got to work and Harry estimated that the muggles would probably only last about a month at the most after he moved against them. Still, that was a ways off. Voldemort had yet to make his move against the light and Harry knew he couldn't incite his plans until that happened.
The magical world needed to be focused on the war, there attention focused solely on that and nothing else. That was why he was lending Voldemort so much support; if his beloved had enough momentum to start taking on the world no one would pay him much mind. The Magical community would be too worried about defending against this Dark Lord to notice the goings on of the non-magical side of things. It would give him just long enough to finish those lowly things off before anyone magical could champion for them.
However, Harry was cautious to a fault. As the old saying goes, 'People Plan, God Laughs', he knew that there was no certainty in any of these things. Even the best-laid plans go awry and so he had many put many back ups in place should anything fail. Then he thought of the alliances he had made, and the conditions they came with…. It really was a shame that vampires wanted to feed off the humans, he couldn't kill them all because of that. Still, he would have to content himself with the fact that they would be little more than food.
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Seline pursed her lips, she was tired, and this was a relatively new experience for her. It has been so many years since she last felt this magically drained that she had forgotten the feeling. Using her magic to lessen the blow of the 'incident' with Harry making the entire student body dance against their will had worn her out. It had taken her a good two hours to make them forget how horrible the ordeal really was and treat it as an impressive show a power.
Now everyone just thought Harry was a very powerful wizard, and she wanted to keep it that way. Without her intervention Seline was sure Dumbledore would have done something to Harry, just so he could 'redeem' him and keep him under his thumb. It had been hard manipulating so many minds to make the event seem dim, not frightening, and relatively unimportant. She was sure it was worth her effort though, positive, no matter what anyone thought of him Harry really was such a sweet boy.
He was her way out of the shadows, her path to glory; soon no one will doubt that Noctiluca is the finest Magical school in the entire world. Then maybe they could get their numbers up. The Academy needed more students…badly…otherwise the castle would dim and there would be no more Noctiluca. Already Seline was seeing the signs that this generation might be the schools' last.
Every year the number of potential candidates lessens, more and more fail to make it past their fifth year. Harry's year was the exception not the rule; his year was unusually gifted and dedicated. They needed more students to keep their school running, it would break her heart if they had to shut it down. That was why she was the first Headmaster to ever break with tradition and step from the shadows and into the light. She would bring this school up, give it new life, and then when they were thriving once more everyone would understand that she had done what was necessary.
When she made it down to the Great Hall the morning of the second Task she felt the excitement drumming in the air, everyone was anticipating this one. Harry was close behind her, his dark presence made her nervous to have him at her back but none of this showed on her face. Seline made it to the Head table calmly taking her seat a little ways from Albus, much to her displeasure.
"AH, Seline, your looking well this morning!" Seline just barely managed to keep from sneering in disgust at the old fool. "Well, yes, I was able to rest easy last night knowing how soundly your school will be defeated his morning Albus." Albus chuckled, "I find that my students are full of surprises Seline, I daresay they will show you that today." Seline sent a patronizing smile at him, "Oh, I'm sure they will."
Snape sighed inwardly as the two Headmasters went at each other again this morning. Sure their tone was polite and smiles were warm; however, anyone within hearing distance knew they were hurling insults at each other left and right. Every morning was the same; Albus and Seline would throw insults at each other deftly making it look to any outsider like a pleasant conversation. Then while all this was going on Albus would proceed to eat everything on his plate while Seline ate nothing, silently insulting the food provided.
Never had Severus been so painfully aware that Albus had grown up as any other pureblood had and Albus had been trained as one also. Purebloods for all their posturing very rarely did anything to their enemies, they were more inclined to skillfully insult them then harm them in any way. All this boiled down to was that Severus got a very bad migraine and would have to excuse himself early. Albus hated this Seline woman; to have reverted back to his boyhood training there was no other explanation.
This also gave Severus a sinking feeling; Dumbledore wasn't really a man of action and if the worst should happen Severus was nervous about how he would handle it. Severus wondered why everyone put so much faith in the man to stand up for the light. Really. It was like everyone had forgotten that it had taken Albus a critical amount of time to work up the nerve to duel the Last Dark Lord. And then he hadn't even killed the bastard, just locked him away…foolishness.
Maybe it was just his years of dwelling on the edge of darkness that had influenced his instincts but Severus would not leave an enemy at his back. When Severus dueled his enemies he aimed to kill, so that his opponent cannot come back to kill him in his sleep another day. The bickering coming from the other end of the table was driving him daft, and to save his sanity he focused his thoughts on something more pleasant (more accurately someone).
She was sitting at the Hufflepuff table currently, next to her adopted son, and her kind smile this morning was a good distraction for him. Madeline was younger than him, but her mind more than made up for the age difference. She was so bright, so quick witted and she had a venomous tongue when provoked. Something Severus found very attractive, unlike much of the wizarding population Severus liked a strong woman. Someone who wasn't afraid to tear into you when they thought you were wrong, and one that wasn't shy about voicing her opinions.
Madeline was like, but she also had such tenderness in her. Oh, Severus knew she tried to hide it behind a hard exterior but his years of reading people had helped him see through that quickly. He felt such a connection to her, and it was staggering for him to think that she occupied his thoughts more often than not. His eyes hardened and swept over to glare at another whom he knew was paying Madeline attention, Sirius Black, his childhood nemesis.
Black didn't deserve her, just like Potter had not deserved to win Lilly. If he hadn't been so foolish, blinded by his hatred he would have won Lilly but he was older and wiser now. He would not lose to them again. Black was a playboy and he was a pompous bastard…Severus refused to loose to that. Severus smirked when he thought of how Madeline had taken to the 'Black Charm' not to long ago. Madeline was smart enough to see through that moronic fool, and she had clearly picked him that time. It gave him hope that this time he might actually get the girl.
The tension in the air rose, as the champions were lead away to where they were to compete while the rest followed the Professors to the viewing stands. Snape was among them, guiding his House and making sure they kept up the composure expected of them. Though he did sneak sidelong glances at Madeline when he could as she was guiding her own group not to far from him.
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The water's surface was placid now, and somehow it only made it seem that much more dangerous. Harry was no fool, there was more than one thing living in there and he was not anticipating running into too much resistance. The other champions were shifting nervously beside him. Harry thought they probably knew there was going to be more than one opponent down in those murky depths. Still, his face was serene and his body relaxed…Harry was confident in his ability to survive.
Kairi was in the process of casting the bubble-headed charm, Victor was gulping down a potion, Percy was swallowing something that looked like Gillyweed and Harry thought they were well prepared. Harry was the only one remaining that had not gone about preparing to breathe underwater as of yet. The booming of the cannon sent the other three into the water.
All eyes turned to him as he simply stepped off their platform on the water and began to walk. Strolling deftly across the water's surface ripples radiating outwards as he steps disturbed the water along the top. The Noctiluca students stood in silent amusement watching him make his way to the center of the lake were Harry felt the largest pool of magic. The students of the other schools were speechless; at first, then a big murmur went through the crowd as everyone got over the shock of seeing him walk on water.
Harry watched the water, feeling the cold soak into his bare feet, and he was using that to keep him grounded. His loose pants swished around his legs as he walked and he found a rhythm in it he appreciated. The loose black pants and matching green tunic like shirt had been a gift from Madeline, the fabric had been soaked in one of her special potions. It would allow him to treat water as if it was air as soon as he transfigured himself some gills Harry would be able to enter the water easily.
Lifting his hand Harry traced his finger along the back of his ear, gills sprouting discretely, and as soon as he made it to the center of the lake he let gravity work its magic. To everyone else it was like Harry had vanished, one moment he was walking on the lake the next he was gone. A truly elegant entrance that had Madeline puffing up a bit in pride. Falling through water was like floating on air, a novel experience for Harry.
He closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling with his hair floating up around him like a halo. When he felt the cool sandy bottom of the lake met his feet Harry opened his eyes. Nearby he could hear the sweet tones of the Mermaids, singing alluringly to entice them to come to them. He walked that way simply because he knew it was there he would find some clue as to where he should really be searching. He pasted through a kelp field and then he was in the Mermaid's underwater city, just on the outskirts.
At the center he could see four chained figures floating, Suzie, Hermione, a girl he didn't recognize and a small child that was obviously related to Kairi. However, Harry didn't immediately head to where the 'captives' were instead he studied this scene. After a moment he realized what was stopping him from taking action to free Suzie, he couldn't feel her magic, his girl wasn't the real Suzie it was just a reflected illusion of her. She was being held somewhere else and this was merely a staged scene to keep him from finding the true captive.
Narrowing his eyes Harry quietly reviewed the clue from the puzzle box, and immediately he started to look for something glowing. Then he noticed that the edges of the buildings were glowing faintly, he walked around this underwater city for a bit trying to find some clue to Suzie's location. He had to rescue her soon; the longer this went on the more control he lost on himself. Just the thought of Suzie down here, chained, waiting for him to come to her disturbed him.
Harry had a hard time even explaining it fully in his mind, Suzie, what she meant to him. Suzie was everything he wasn't innocent, loving, caring, gentle, Suzie was everything he could never hope to be. That was why he cared so much thinking of her in pain. Suzie lived for him, loved for him, and like the muggles who screamed for him Suzie did something he could not do himself. She was innocence. She was his purity.
Finally he found a place that didn't have the glow, it looked like a shack, and when he opened the ratty looking door all he saw was stairs. Scuffing Harry thought it was a bit ironic, 'above' would certainly mean something different to a Mermaid than a human. Nonetheless he took the stairs steadily descending deeper into the lake. At the end of the stairs there was a wide circular passage he followed until he reached the place that froze his movements for a bit.
The cavern was big; bigger than he thought it should be naturally so Harry knew Magic was involved somehow. That wasn't what stilled his movements though. Inside the cavern was piles upon piles of treasure and curled around that treasure was a rather aggressive looking sea Serpent. Harry understood now, the people in charge of the tournament must have connected the shack in the lake to a cavern in the sea somewhere. It wouldn't be too hard, and when he saw the floating figures in the center of the Serpent's coils Harry couldn't help but wonder how they had managed to put them there.
The glint of gold form their chains told him that the Serpent was no going to be very willing to let his captives go. Sea Serpents were worse then dragons when it came to hoarding treasures. It was amusing to think of really, the moment the Sea Serpents saw something shiny and desirable they attacked to obtain it. Which was why they had gotten so notorious during the Middle Ages when the use of ships was the common way to travel.
Still, there was one thing the Tournament people didn't know that certainly put Harry at the greatest advantage during this task. Harry was a parseltongue, and thanks to Morgan's training handling a Sea Serpent would not be so challenging for him. However, getting the thing to give up some of its 'hoard' would take a lot of power on his part. He stayed in the shadow of the passageway gathering his magic for his assault, his guess was the Serpent wouldn't be able to notice him until he passed the 'border' and entered the cavern.
Channeling a good portion into his throat was considerable easier due to the fact he had practiced doing so countless time when he was singing. When he felt he was ready Harry stepped out from the passageway, immediately the Serpent moved to strike. Eyes glowing an eerie emerald he hissed, "Stop." There was a flicker of confusion in the Serpent's demeanor as he immediately moved to do so. No Serpent or reptile for that matter could disobey him when he had this much magic behind his Parseltongue. "Don't Move. Don't attack. Let me leave with what I came for and then you may continue with your business."
Calmly and confidently Harry moved towards Suzie, the Serpent hissed his annoyance at having to let him but he did not move to do anything to him. He melted the chain links holding Suzie down and then cast a silent spell to levitate her beside him. Turning he faced the other captives, Hermione, the Hogwarts student and the Kairi's relative. Vaguely he wondered what he was supposed to do with them because he wasn't sure if Suzie would forgive him for leaving them behind.
Shrugging Harry melted their links also and levitated them beside Suzie before head back to the passageway. He was slightly disappointed he hadn't gotten the chance to harm anything but Harry thought that might be for the best considering how his control continued to slip away from him. At the entrance of the shack he was mildly taken off guard to see the Weasley boy about to enter. The boy went to retrieve the Hogwarts girl and Harry didn't really care letting him take her easily enough.
The three remaining with him began to rise as he did, up and out of the water as quickly as he had entered it. Like jumping through air, their bodies met no resistance. When Harry broke the surface the applause and roaring of the crowd reached his ears. The three he had rescued were waking as he levitated them onto the platform where he saw the illusions that Viktor and Kairi had saved were fading. Weasley came up not to long after with the other girl.
Harry didn't pay them much mind choosing instead to head to his rooms not even bothering to even pretend to listen to his scores. It was clear he was the winner, as he was the first to bring back the real captives but Harry wasn't sure how it would turn out with the old coot as a judge. Not that he cared much anyway; the tournament was nothing but a distraction for the light anyway. No one bothered him on the way to his room and he made there relatively undisturbed. Once there he showered off, dried himself and dressed quickly.
Using the time turner he went back in time so that his absence would not be noticed before he made his way to the Forbidden Forest. The trees seemed to embrace him now, welcoming him were before they had a hostile energy. Harry let his feet carry him to his own little 'oasis' in this dying forest, the one he had made not to long ago. All the while his thoughts were consumed with his loneliness and his plans. He felt unsteady; as if he could break a part at any given moment, he hated that he was so far from Tom now.
Harry was half expecting him to be there already when he sat down in his little meadow but instead he made it in time to watch him emerge from the shadows. The wide grin was doing wonders to show off Alucard's long fangs but Harry remained unperturbed simply baring his neck to the hungry vampire. His long pointed tongue dashed out as he licked his lips and knelled down to bite into him. Harry remained impassive, for some reason the sensation didn't sway him that much anymore. After the heated kiss he had received from Tom this sensation paled in comparison.
Alucard suckled at his neck, embracing him tightly, trying in vain to get some sort of reaction from him. Harry couldn't bring himself to do so though, not with Tom on his mind, not with knowing that this was pathetic compared to how Tom made him feel. When Tom had kissed him it was like his world had fallen away, all there was had been Tom and him. He had felt like the part of him that had been missing had finally come to him, he had felt like he was floating.
Before he had indulged Alucard because it let him forget everything. The kisses he had shared with the vampire had always been filled with desperation and a yearning for something more. They distracted him, he could lose a bit of himself in those kisses but in the end Harry knew he had been left unsatisfied. With Tom it felt like he imagined coming home would feel like. Now with Alucard drinking from him Harry remained impassive because he had tasted something better.
Harry waited for Alucard pulled back before he stood up to address him. Even though he didn't or couldn't lose himself in Alucard it didn't mean the vampire wasn't still very useful to him. After all how many wizards could say they had a Master Vampire as an ally. "There is a ball coming up, a Masquerade, I am in need of an escort." Alucard chuckled darkly, "I will be honored to be by your side little one," answering the unasked question. "Good, keep a low profile and be sure to wear something appropriate." Harry said curtly before moved to leave.
Truthfully Harry would have preferred to have Tom by his side, always by his side but it was impractical to do so for this event. Not with Dumbledore so close, his feelings aside it would be detrimental to his goals to have Tom discovered before it was absolutely necessary. However, it didn't stop the yearning in his heart. He gripped his clothes that cover his chest, it hurt, this pain, this loneliness, never had he been so long with out Tom near. Without his realizing it Harry had gotten used to having Tom near, just a word away, now he felt exposed and alone.
"It doesn't matter," Harry murmured to himself. It didn't matter how alone he felt knowing Tom was out there waiting for him, someone he could touch, was enough. "I'll forsake everything I am," Harry whispered. Looking to the sky he realized he had another hour before he had to return to his room so he decided to return to Morgan's study. After all, he had to find all the pieces, every last one, so he could protect them. Tom was too precious to leave to chance. Dimly Harry wondered what he would do when all this was over, when all his goals were achieved. Empty emerald eyes blinked and then he was gone.
A.N.: Hey guys, sigh, I am always a bit sad when the chapter ends! Lol. So I was thinking it over and I realized that I had gone totally insane…^_^…oh well it helps to write this sadistic crazy Harry! So I don't mind too much lol. Sorry if I take too long between updates but its just a bit hard to update frequently. Mostly because when I write my brain gets too fired up and I get too many ideas! Lol So I have probably another half dozen stories I'm writing right now. Some I've posted, some I've haven't, I got to write these ideas down otherwise I get distracted and can't write my precious Jaded eyes confidently! Oh damn, here I am ranting again. Lol I just wanted to thank everyone for being patient with me! AS always I value your guys thought! (P.s. LOVE LOVE LOVE long reviews with in depth thinking!) So Read, Review & Motivate me! Lol
Until next time then! Chapter 17: The Masquerade coming soon!
~Wicked~