AN: Chapter 2 here we go! Again thank you to my Beta Reader! Who knows maybe one day ill complete a chapter and there wont be any mistakes! (Unlikely but I'm nothing if not optimistic!)
Chapter 2
Present Day
Hermione walked along the marble pathway to her favourite plaything; her puppy, she reached the cage and shifted into her human form.
"Hello puppy" She cooed as she unlocked the cage, the broken man inside the cage whimpered as the cage door opened.
"Please... mercy..." He begged, Hermione giggled maliciously.
"Mercy... You want mercy? First you devoted your life to making others feel like complete and utter shit and you want mercy?" She grinned as she went to the tool box holding puppies' toys; knife's razor blades and gasoline.
4th year flashback.
Harry awoke with a start he tried to gain his surroundings but didn't recognise where he was, he went for his wand and was surprised that he still had it.
"Lumos" he muttered as his wand's tip lit up, he looked around the room and then he saw Hermione, out cold lying on the floor he ran to her as quick as his legs could carry him, he dropped to his knee's beside her to wake her up.
"Hermione!" He said as he shook her, she stirred and opened her eyes.
"Ouch, if that's a return trip I think I'll pass." She muttered as Harry helped her to her feet.
Hermione looked around and noticed the gothic antiques displayed around the chamber, she lit her own wand and tried to see if she recognised anything.
"Where the hell are we?" she asked examining the chamber.
"You are in my domain." A voice suddenly boomed over causing Harry and Hermione to grasp hands, both had their wands raised; it was then that they noticed a man in a very sharp black suit approaching them.
"Please put down your wands, I mean you no harm." The stranger said holding his hands up by his sides. Harry and Hermione both with four years of judgement and experience did no such thing.
"Wh...Who are you?" Harry asked the stranger gave a soft chuckle before responding.
"We'll get to that later, the fact of the matter is I know the type of situation that you are in and I want to help you." He said sitting down on chairs which seemed to appear from thin air.
"How do you know?" Hermione asked, not convinced.
"I know everything that there is to know, I am knowledge absolute." Hermione scoffed.
"Oh great and here I thought you were going to be egotistical." This caused Harry to grin slightly whilst the stranger burst into laughter.
"Oh Hermione Granger, I like you but then again I've always known you were special. I can see your sceptic and you of course have every right to be, but allow me to prove myself?" He asked.
Hermione nodded still very much apprehensive.
"Hermione tell me, did your parents ever ask you the question you wanted to hear?" He asked causing the young witch to gasp before quickly regaining her composure, she didn't want anyone to see her weak.
"I...Don't know what you're...talking...about" She replied with as much confidence as she could muster, which wasn't all that much.
"They never asked, did they? You spent the last four years on an adventure that re-define your entire existence and not once have they ever asked you about it." The man said as he stood and knelt in front of Hermione who looked to be fighting back tears.
"Stop it" She pleaded. The man placed a hand on her shoulder, Hermione couldn't help but notice how hot this guy's hand was. The man turned his attention to Harry who was comforting Hermione.
"Harry, did you remember to hide the shoe box back in the wardrobe so your relatives won't find it?" he asked, Harry's eyes filled with a mixture of dread and fear
"You never told anyone what happened during your third year summer vacation did you, how you found out where Godric's hollow was and then flew there during the night. You never told anyone that you found the house you were born into and how you found some small trinkets and took them with you hiding them in a shoe box and hoping that no one ever finds them" the man said staring deep into Harry's eyes.
"I..." but the man stopped him.
"You don't have to explain, I understand the pain of loneliness. Believe me I do now I must ask you both now, do you both believe my claims?" He asked, both nodded silently.
"Good than we can begin first introductions; I am Diabolus." He said bowing, Hermione gasped and held her wand in an attacking position.
"You... you're..." She muttered the man smiled.
"For time you may call me Luke." He chuckled to himself, Harry looked confused and turned to Hermione.
"For those of us who don't understand Latin, Who or what is diabolus?" He asked confused, Hermione turned her head slightly but not daring to take her eyes off the man who had revealed his name.
"Diabolus is the Latin word for devil, Harry that man is the devil." She answered; Harry looked at the man and then back at Hermione.
"Come off it." He said with a quick laugh, he stopped dead when he saw the look of seriousness in Hermione's eyes.
"Is it really that hard to believe, how could he know so much about us? How could he know things that we have never told anyone? How the hell did he get us here?" she asked incredulously. Luke interrupted at this point.
"Actually you can thank Fawkes for that!" He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Fawkes?" They both asked, Luke smiled and nodded his head.
"Yes, regardless of what that old git thinks Fawkes is not bonded to him, no Fawkes is not a regular phoenix; Fawkes is my dark phoenix. He scouts the castle and protects those who I deem worthy of my protection." He explained noticing that now Harry had his wand drawn and pointing at him.
"Why would you want me protected?" He said wand at the ready, Luke sighed before replying.
"Look, if I wanted to kill you guys, I could have dropped you into a volcano or something like that trust me when I say nothing you do not ask for will happen down here besides, magic doesn't affect me anyway." He replied rather smugly, Harry and Hermione lowered their wands but didn't put them away.
"Now the reason I wanted you protected is because you two are part of a bigger game and it's a game I want to help you both win." Harry and Hermione looked intrigued.
"What game?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore has you two intertwined in a game which will cause nothing but heartache for the both of you, he is working with a group of people known as the Order of the Phoenix; the majority of those people are loyal to him and worship the ground he walks on. Now there is a 'prophecy' stating that Harry is the only one who can destroy that Tom bloke but in truth, it's a complete fake, the woman who made that made it up on the spot so she would get the job." He explained.
"Who was the woman?" Hermione asked curiosity getting the best of her.
"That divination woman, you were right, Hermione the woman is a complete fraud." Hermione celebrated the fact that she was right for a whole of two seconds then realised where she was and instantly sat back down.
"Anyway... the point is, they are going to try and make it so you have to take the most difficult path going in order to achieve this goal and whilst you're at it they also want you to die doing it but that's for later on it the story. Now you two are connected but you're not connected in anything that Dumbledore wants you to do." He replied taking note of their body language at the time.
"Do you know the story of Persephone and how the Hades wants her to stay and if she eats the pomegranates she has to stay there for all eternity?" Luke asked Hermione nodded.
"Supposedly that is how we got the four seasons for the cold seasons Persephone was forced to stay in purgatory" Hermione finished, Luke smiled he liked this girl's intelligence.
"In truth, that story did happen but not in the way it was told, it is true that Persephone was offered the choice to stay in hell with me and co rule it or return to the light but she choose the light. But during that time she predicted that there would be another like her who would fall prey to the darkness but instead of turning away from it, she would embrace it. I studied throughout the ages to determine who that woman would be and after eons of searching, I found the woman who Persephone predicted." Luke said looking at Hermione who almost didn't want to ask the question she had no choice but ask.
"Who was the child?" Luke smiled.
"I thought that was obvious Hermione. You are the child." he smiled ,Harry decided at this point to make a stand.
"Wait a minute, you still haven't explained why you wanted me protected. You said that you protected the ones you deemed worthy but yet, Hermione still was attacked by the basilisk. I've faced Voldemort three times in the last four years, how is that protection?" he asked frustrated.
"Harry, my boy you had to face those challenges. It is true that Hermione was attacked but she was never meant to be, but she was in the wrong place at the wrong time; Harry, you had to face Voldemort because you have to keep the impression that you are Dumbledore's puppet. If he suspects otherwise it could end very badly." He explained.
"How badly?" Harry asked.
"Harry put it this way, I'm the epitome of all things evil, and even I am disgusted by the lengths he would go too, I mean come on the guy's sister was nothing more than a stepping stone for the guy." He replied solemnly Harry still wanted answers.
"And what about me, what does all of this have to do with me?" he demanded from Luke.
"Harry, throughout my research I found that I could not be the object of the new Persephone. She would never accept and the world's natural balance would tip Instead I was forced to begin a new search. To find someone who would be capable of taking on my powers and yet still walk the earth as a human, I needed someone who was powerful and yet subtle. Someone who would be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for someone who he cared for; you are that someone, Harry."
Harry was confused. "Hang on a minute, are you trying to say that you needed someone pure hearted to take on a range of evil power that Voldemort could only dream of?" With this Luke laughed out loud.
"Pure heart? You two are not pure hearted! You forget I can see your minds; Harry, I know you were tempted to give Voldemort that stone in your first year and join him. I know that sometimes you lay awake at night wondering what it would be like to be a ruthless killer. As for you my dear sweet Hermione; I can read your mind as easily as you read your books. I know you crave to be feared by others instead of undermined. I know you crave power and knowledge and I know you dream of revenge. Please don't try and insult me by telling me you are pure hearted." Luke laughed.
Harry was dumbfounded; how could he know such things, they were only little thoughts in the back of his mind, tiny little thoughts completely insignificant. Weren't they?
Hermione was fairing no less, she knew this man was right she did want to be able to treat those pureblood idiots the same way they treated her she just didn't have the power to do it.
"But now, down to the main reason we are here. Like I said the two of your are involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse and I'm going to help you win it." He said, pulling the two teens out of their thoughts.
"How are you going to help us?" Hermione asked.
"Oh Hermione, that's easy, like I told you I am knowledge absolute so that means I know the future and what is going to happen. I'm going to help you keep up your appearance of being Dumbledore's puppets, whilst at the same time training your bodies to accept a new kind of power." Luke explained.
Luke snapped his fingers and two contracts appeared, he placed them in front of Harry and Hermione. Harry noticing this; asked his next question.
"What's the catch?" Harry asked before he read the contract.
"The problem is, I can't share my power with you all the time you have light souls. Oh and just for the record, I don't steal the souls of people. No I do something much more interesting, I taint the soul and turn in black, a white soul can process any kind of light magic but it can't infest dark magic. A blackened soul however... that's something else, tainted souls can process any kind of magic" Luke explained.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other both were unsure but decided to hear Luke out.
"How do you taint a soul?" Harry asked.
"Easy. Sex, drugs and rock and roll! Nah I'm just kidding, no to taint a soul a person has to be open to the darkness... has to be willing to embrace it and become its master or mistress, then when a person is open to it they perform acts that would be considered evil or wrong, torture, murder... all the fun stuff" Luke said grinning.
Harry and Hermione were both thinking the exact same thing.
'Am I seriously considering this?'
Luke clapped his hands together, again shaking them from their thoughts.
"Ok, do you know what, you don't have to decide right now, for now I'm going to help you, Harry escape your past. Tell me, did Dumbledore ever explain why you had to stay with those repulsive muggles?" Harry shook his head for no.
"When your mother threw herself in front of the killing curse that was shot at you by Voldemort, she created blood protection, this is a very strong form of protection. However Dumbledore has taken it one step further, he created what are known as blood wards. Unfortunately, these wards are keyed into your magical core and because of that, the wards drain your magical core by a percentage of fifty eight" Harry was on his feet.
"What! You mean to tell me that Dumbledore put up wards to 'protect me' and in fact they are killing me?" Harry yelled. Hermione was slightly uneasy about Harry's outrage but she knew it wasn't misplaced, Luke couldn't only sit there and allow the boy to vent. After calming down slightly he asked the most obvious question
"What can be done about them?"
"Well think of it this way; each person's magical core is different and unique in its own way, so if these wards are keyed into your magical core, then the answer is simple..." Hermione cut him off reaching the conclusion.
"Change Harry's magical core?" She yelled in both sheer horror and pure shock that the answer was that simple. Luke nodded and smiled at Hermione.
"How do you change someone's magical core?" Harry wondered.
"Well there are many different and rather painful ways, you could change your cell structure which in turn modifies your magical core just enough. There's blood rituals and then there is the most simple and time effective way, merge your magic with another." Luke answered.
Harry and Hermione both looked at each other, neither had to say anything as they both knew what the other was going to say.
"Harry, you can merge your magic with me, I want you away from those god awful relatives." She said quickly, Harry smiled and thanked her silently they both turned back to Luke.
"How do we do this and what are the side effects?" Hermione asked.
"I can merge your magic together, if you tried to do it the both of you would end up killing yourselves, the side effects vary, some feel no different whilst others exhibit tendencies of the other person's character." Luke explained as he began drawing complex rune symbols into the floor. Hermione tried to decipher them but Luke stopped her.
"Without first knowing what I know, you won't even begin to understand this, Hermione." He said not patronising but getting to the point quickly, Hermione looked a little put out but she got over it after (quickly).
"Ok, the two of you step inside the rune circle. Hermione, stand to the left and Harry, to the right. Raise your hands so that they are facing each other and then, when I tell you to say aloud. 'I consent and gladly share'. Got it?" He asked. Harry and Hermione nodded. They stepped into the circle and did exactly what they were asked. Luke began chanting in a language neither Harry nor Hermione even tried to understand. After a few minutes Luke said. "Harry, now!"
"I consent and gladly share." Hermione felt her entire body become covered in pins and needles; she tried to keep her composure before hearing Luke shout "Hermione, now!"
"I consent and gladly share" Harry's mind went into overdrive; he was filled with new ideas, new facts and feelings. Everything around Harry and Hermione's life seemed to be connected in a logical view point.
The two of them lowered their hands and stepped out of the circle.
'What a rush' Harry thought
'Tell me about it' Hermione said without hesitating before they both looked at each other.
"Did you speak out loud?" Harry asked already knowing she didn't, he looked at Hermione as she shook her head.
"No I didn't either. Luke, care to explain?" Harry said facing Luke who closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again and almost began laughing.
"Well that's a first, the merge has completed for the first time in history. Both of your magic share the exact same signature, but it seems the two of you shared something else as well Harry shared his best qualities and Hermione has shared hers." Luke explained.
"That doesn't explain how we are hearing each other's thoughts" Hermione said exasperated.
"Actually it does, it seems if our minds were shared, then our neural pathways would have been altered to be able to sustain the new information, in sense we merged into one mind." Harry said before throwing his hand over his mouth.
"How did I know that? More importantly why didn't Hermione?" Harry asked lowering his hand a few seconds later.
"You may share the same mind but you still have your own instincts, Hermione still needs a scientific and reasonable reason whilst you, Harry you connect things that don't make sense and in laymen's terms, you make sense out of chaos" Luke said grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Luke then sat down again in his chair which seemed to appear whenever he went to sit down.
"So have you both decided yet? Will you accept my gifts and help yourselves for once?" Luke asked.
Hermione spoke up first. "I'm not going to lie I find the entire situation completely insane up until an hour ago. I never believed that you even existed and now your offering the choice for me to go completely against every single instinct of mind screaming at me saying that you can't possibly exist." Hermione explained soundly, Luke smiled and knelt in front of Hermione.
"Hermione, tell me, have you ever seen the philosopher's stone?" He asked. Hermione shook her head
"But you know it exists or at least did exist; think about it this way; you don't always have to see something to know it is there. Sometimes you just have to believe in something." He replied, Hermione thought about that, Harry then spoke up.
"I always wanted to believe that there were people who truly cared for my well being and now I realise that I'm being played as a puppet in some sick and twisted game and the most annoying thing is, I don't know who I can trust anymore." Luke turned and faced Harry.
"Harry, I can promise you three things: One, you may not believe it but you can trust me, I may be the devil but I have my honour and I give you my word that I'm looking out for your best interests. Secondly (Two) you can trust Hermione, given the events that are going to transpire in the next few months, you will see just how much faith Hermione has in you. And last but by no means least, you can succeed where others want you to fail" Luke said as he stood leaving Harry and Hermione sitting on the seats.
'Does this seem wrong to you?' Harry thought.
'It does... but at the same time it also seems right. I don't think we can do this without all the help we can get, and if that means we have to make a deal with the devil, then we make a deal with the devil...' Hermione replied, Harry nodded.
Both stood up and faced Luke.
"We accept but we want to set some terms." Harry said.
"I expected as much, what are your terms?" He asked graciously.
"We don't want to be treated as your minion. If we do this ,we are equals. Second, we don't want another Dumbledore... if you have information then you share it with us." Harry started, Luke nodded in agreement.
"Finally, if we do this... if we accept this. We don't want it in instalments, if we make a deal with you we want the full package, powers, blood lust and knowledge the only thing we don't want to have is our own timeline, we will leave that to you to guide us." Hermione finished, again Luke nodded but asked one question.
"Why do you want my bloodlust?" He asked, Harry had the answer to this.
"We don't want to have guilt plaguing our minds; we have a long road ahead us, best not to spend that time grieving over whatever acts we may commit." Harry said confidently.
Luke thought about the answer before nodding.
"Ok sounds good to me, now in order for you to be able to receive my powers you must face your pasts with vengeance; Harry that means you must get revenge on those who wronged you. Hermione, you must get revenge on those who ignored you for being different. Don't worry, you'll get help but this is a vital step." Luke said as he explained the process to them who both nodded in agreement.
Harry and Hermione knelt (bended) one knee.
"Diablous, ruler of hell and purgatory, we accept your gifts." Harry and Hermione said simultaneously.
Let the corruption begin.