It was that little Mudblood girl that started it all. The way the blood stained the ground beneath her body…it stayed in his dreams for days.
He finds his enchantment with Avada Kedavra waning. It may be useful to kill those pathetic lumps of human flesh, but it isn't what he has been looking for. The red of the bloodstains, however…that red is what encourages him to become creative. To search for new ways to torture and kill. Avada Kedavra is painless, and that is too much mercy for worthless Mudbloods.
(He wishes he had thought of that before he killed his...relatives.)
The first way is easy to find. He knows Avada Kedavra and Imperio – it's time he taught himself Crucio too.
This time, it's a Muggle. He's fascinated by these creatures. What makes them so different from us, he wonders, is it their blood?
That's what this is, after all. He's not about to hide it with one of those ridiculous euphemisms those foolish Gryffindors use. Gone away. As if. They should be taught to fear death from the moment they're born, not coddled by useless dreams of a better place.
The screams are louder this time. Louder and sweeter.
He's heard it feels like a thousand knives cutting your nerves, like being burned alive, frozen to death, and hit with lightning at the same time. He wouldn't know. But he thinks it's a fitting punishment for this Muggle.
The screams go on forever.
When he finally lifts the curse – I knew I'd be a natural – he's disappointed to find that his prey has managed to escape him.
How was I to know that prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse would cause the victim to go insane? I'll have to be more careful next time – an insane victim cannot scream as sweetly.
He later learns how to prevent the insanity from setting in. Lift the curse every once in a while, and they would be fine. And I can still use my knives on them in the meantime.
It is then that he brings out his knives. If he cannot have the screams, he will have the answer to his question – what is it that makes these creatures so useless, unable to use even the simplest of magic?
The answer must be in their blood. There is no other reason for the blood of that unworthy Mudblood to haunt his dreams for long. It is undoubtedly the act of his unconscious mind – their blood must be as stained as the Mudblood's.
The creature in front of him bleeds – oh it bleeds. He can see the horror in its eyes, even though it cannot say a word. That is how these things should be, he thinks. Unable to talk or pollute the world with their worthless thoughts and words, living only at the mercy of their betters. They would be brilliant for entertaining a party of purebloods, their Masters.
He watches the ruby red of the blood flow down the ground, and he fancies he can see what makes them so different.
It is obvious when one notices carefully, the slight tinge of black darkening the blood. A sign of their impurity, no doubt.
They were made this way, born this way. Which self-respecting human's blood is tinged black? No, it is a clear indication that these things are not fit to be called human.
It doesn't scream any longer, but the blood stained ground makes up for it.
When it finally dies, he realizes that he needs a way to dispose of the corpses of these creatures. Managing the first was an irritating necessity – he does not want to be saddled with the job every time he reduces the impurity in his world by another worthless creature. Vanishing spells can only take him so far – the larger the object needed to vanish, the more effort exerted. And he definitely does not want to waste his precious magical strength on creatures so far below him.
Besides, simply vanishing their corpses is a mercy he does not intend to show these things. No, he needs another way to do things. A more gruesome way, something that will strike fear into the hearts of these fools as soon as they see him, instead of when he starts their torture.
I am the last descendant of the great Salazar Slytherin, gifted with exceptional talents. I will use the abilities I have been given be my esteemed ancestor to strike fear into the hearts of such worthless wastes of space.
A serpent should do the job perfectly.
For:
Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes Competition, Instant Darkness Powder
Musical Terms Challenge, Funebre
Key Signature Competition, Ab Major
Latin Challenge, Crudelis
The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 236. Method To My Madness
All Canon Bootcamp, Prompt 14. Darkroom
The Seven Slytherins Competition, Tom Riddle/Horror
Competition: Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath
HP Potions Competition, Blood Replenishing Potion
Dark Side Competition, Voldemort
Not For The Faint of Heart Competition (Horror/Oneshot)