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Note for this chapter: Assumptions are the mother of all screw ups.
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Weapon (Possession Chpt
LXI)
Chapter X - Play the Game
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Xeoaph flexed his fingers, admiring the ripple of sinew and muscle and the way the knuckle bones pressed on his skin, close to the surface when he made a fist, his forearm muscles tense. He was almost healed, the exhaustion he should never have felt from loaning Lucius his power, was gone. He was ready to go speak with the Wizards, to force them to see the truth about this Dark Lord and to offer them an alliance never before heard of.
His children had healed as well. While it would take time for them to accept the losses they were ready to extract revenge. It would also take time to replace the fallen but that was something they all understood. While the physical process to become a vampire was easy, it was not as random as some Muggle movies and most Wizards believed. Each potential candidate was screened and assessed, their worth determined before they were either accepted or eaten. When you lived eternally, you could not afford to have those who were unsuitable within your ranks.
His blue eyes narrowed. There was a disturbance at the entrance... He listened again.
It wasn't hostile. His children weren't attacking... No... they were... awed?
Blue eyes snapped open as Xeoaph brushed up against the presence entering his domain.
"Master," he'd whispered the word before was aware he had spoken, jumping to the ground to abase himself before the one who had made him.
The elder waved the gesture of respect away with a flick of her slim hand. Her two flanking guards watched him with calculating eyes. He didn't expect anything else and rather forcefully reminded himself to keep his movements steady in their presence. These two had been his Masters Guards for as long as he could remember and there was a reason they were still there. Nothing got passed them, nothing. "Master, why are you here?" He didn't look up.
"I read my childe. And I always know when one of my children is in to deep, or in this case, when the humans are playing with things better left alone. The shadows are moving."
"The shadows have moved before," Xeoaph said softly, concerned about the slight note of worry he could hear in his Master's voice. He knew without looking that she was examining everything, almost as if searching for something.
"They have, but they have not been this confident for over one thousand years. They are everywhere, my childe, even here!" Slim fingers flicked through ancient symbols, long forgotten and a sphere of energy coalesced at her call before it was thrown into a corner.
There was a scream and the vampire winced at the noise, noting that only his Master seemed unaffected. Around the energy sphere motes of darkness scattered, almost like rats running everywhere. They reformed into a shadow on the stone before it rose slightly, two points of absolute darkness forming the eyes that locked gazes with his Master.
The shadow and the ancient vampire stared at each other for a few moments, another sphere of energy gathering between the vampires fingers before the shadow hissed, "To you."
With that it vanished and Xeoaph felt more than saw his Master relax and became aware of exactly how tense her guards were.
They were slightly more relaxed now that the shadow had departed but he could see the strain in their eyes. And if something was straining them...
"There have been attacks?" He asked quietly.
"I told you, they have not been this confident for centuries."
Xeoaph nodded, looking down as he considered this information.
"There has been no condemnation of your decision to help Malfoy. Most just think you were playing."
Xeoaph's eyes blazed in sudden anger. "Do they not realise how dangerous this one is?" He growled.
"Not yet," his Master responded. "But then on the other hand, humans are such an apathetic topic for us, it's not surprising. I gather though, my childe, you had a specific reason for wanting to see this Dark Lord destroyed?"
Xeoaph shivered. He was sure his Master already knew everything and even if she didn't she could have known in an instant by forcing him to reveal what he knew but she was asking. There was something he didn't know. He struggled for a moment before sighing softly. There was no way to tread easily around his Master. No matter what she knew, she would tell him only if she thought it necessary and even if she didn't force him to talk, she wouldn't let him rest until she knew.
"I... he... this Serpent Lord is the Dark Lord."
"The Dark Lord?"
"The one who controls the darkness, the shadows."
"Impossible!"
"I thought so myself, Master until I saw the Shadows obey him."
"They obeyed him?"
"He flicked the power at me and it burned."
"That's not possible."
"It burned. It felt like I was dying again."
"The Dark Lord Voldemort is too corrupted to hold power over the shadows!"
"It burned."
His Master fell silent, flexing her fingers in an imitation of the gesture he had made earlier. "My childe," she said finally. "While I do not doubt that happened, it is impossible for this Dark Lord to hold that power. Caliph examined him, many years ago, and Riddle was already too corrupted then and it is not possible to purify yourself to that extent."
Xeoaph nodded but was not quite ready to concede the point. "I do not doubt Caliph, Master but could an alliance between him and the shadows be possible. Because there was more than that one instant."
"An alliance between him and the shadows is not possible, but an alliance been him and the Shadow master is possible," his Master said carefully. "That would also explain why they are so confident. Although... light does not treat well with dark... I would be interested in meeting such a Shadow Lord who could deal with the Dark Lord Voldemort."
"Then that is what has happened," Xeoaph concluded, "although there must be more to their alliance that we have guessed at."
"Oh?"
Xeoaph opened his mind to his Master, allowing her to see his memories as he began his explanation. "I mean because of this," the vampire said as he recalled the end of the battle in the Atrium. He recalled with particular clarity the Dark Lord's words as he died, 'Vengeance will be mine,' and the rippling shock that had been present when Lucius' sword was stopped by another. But Xeoaph focused not on the Dark Lord and the small mage warrior who had taken his body but on the taller wizard who had appeared in the shards of the broken warding, the wizard who had wielded the shadows to destroy his children with a facility no wizard should even possess.
"I know this man is only a servant of the Shadow Lord," Xeoaph began as he sensed his Master's anger at the destruction. After all, his children were her children. "But to use the shadows so easily he has to be a ranking servant and if the Shadow Lord is prepared to show himself so openly, and is prepared to resurrect the Serpent Lord then their alliance is quite... encompassing."
"Or it is not an alliance at all," his Master said with narrowed eyes and a note of speculation in her voice. "If we are dealing with a Shadow Lord who is not afraid of his power, as the last one was, that would explain the shadows' arrogance, and it would be possible that the Serpent Lord is nothing more than the Shadow Lord's puppet which would explain why those two servants arrived late. He may not have been expecting Malfoy's interference... Although," the ancient vampire grinned tightly, her eyes glittering in anticipation, "I truly do wish to meet this Shadow Lord," she said with a laugh.
"Master?"
"No matter what the true situation is, my childe, I think it's obvious that this Shadow Lord knows how to play," her voice lost the amusement as she continued. "But they are playing our game, and the shadows are arrogant to think that they or their Master can play our game and win!
"You will go to the Ministry," she said suddenly, eyes burning as he turned to face him, speaking in a voice which would bear no insubordination. "I... I think I will play this Lord's game. I will go to the Dark Lord. He will be over joyed to see me, I'm sure. The chance to humble you through me will be an opportunity he will not pass up."
"Why not go to the Shadow Lord?"
She smiled. "We know a lot of things, my childe. The shadows can be quite generous with information when you speak with them although that has changed of late but on the identity of their Master they are silent. I could torture one of them for eternity and they still would not speak on that. Their Master is the one thing they guard above all others, the one thing even they are afraid of losing. Their Master is their only weakness for without their Masters guidance and will they are nothing more than insubstantial shadows. But I will find them through the Serpent Lord, when they are sure of their power, they will reveal themselves to me, and then we will strike."
"Master," Xeoaph bowed.
Xeoaph's master nodded towards him. "I will however take Arabella with me."
"She is very new, Master."
"She is also a witch and a seduction gift from the Dark Lord. I'm sure someone will appreciate the irony of me giving her back. We play the game, my childe, but we play to win."
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Harry closed his eyes as he retreated further into his mind. His body was currently sitting in Dumbledore's office waiting for the wizard to come to speak with him. It was probably better, safer, if he didn't know what was happening, since he wasn't sure how sensitive Fawkes was. The small piece of Fawkes couldn't sense him normally, but in the actual presence of the phoenix it was best not to take any chances. Besides, this would give him a chance to clarify a few things with the shadows.
-I think you went a little too far,- he began as he felt Xaos' mental presence. The basilisk slithered up to him before coiling around him protectively. Harry couldn't help but smile as Xaos purred, butting his nose into his cheek gently for attention. He raised his hands to stroke at the great basilisk's crest as a shadow materialised in front of him.
He felt it sift through his memories and his emerald eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared at the shadow, it sighed. -You could be right.-
-I need her,- Harry hissed, -as a cover, not as a lover! And if this copy of me loves her then I am stuck!-
-We can prevent that from happening.-
-Why didn't you just help me create a shade, rather than a whole copy? I could have used my animagus form like Sirius does!-
-No, Master, you can't.-
-Why not?-
-Because Master, you aren't quite ready to become your animagus form, and your form is... some what... unique.-
-Unique?-
-Conspicuous too.-
-What is it?-
-No, we can't tell you yet. Only one half of you is ready to embrace it and the other,- the shadow indicated towards the copy that was still waiting for Dumbledore, -is not yet ready.-
-I do not ever want them to be ready!-
-Master,- the shadow began seriously. -To keep Fawkes from knowing the truth you are going to need her. And to be able to embrace your whole animagus form you are going to need him. He is subservient to you though, so what he feels you do not have to feel, and we will ensure that you do not love her. We would suggest though that for the moment you act as if you do, Master. Her seduction will be worth it and when the time comes the Andalusian Bind will tie her to you.-
-You're agreeing to this very easily.- Harry said suspiciously.
The shadow looked back at him as if to say that he should know better by now. -We have told you Master, when you are happy, content, it is very easy for us to get what we want, what we need from you. When you are upset, angry or otherwise disappointed with us, then it is difficult.-
-I could also destroy you.-
-True but we do not believe you want to.-
-If I end up loving her, I will want to.-
-We know and therefore we will ensure that doesn't happen. However you will need to cast the Andalusian Bind on her once she is seduced.-
-The bind where she will see me only as she imagines and obey without question? You seem sure of the need.-
-You will be sure of the need as well. Well, you could use Xanadu but you will probably want her to have more mind than a gibbering obedient mess.-
$Master, if you aren't sure, may I eat her?$ Xaos whispered into his ear.
Harry laughed and stroked his face against the basilisk's looking into the serpents now red eyes. $You may,$ he hissed happily, $but if they are so sure, then I will probably have to find another for you.$
Xaos' tongue flickered. $I like the taste of the King on you. I do not like the taste of others.$
$I do not like the taste of others,$ Harry agreed.
-As we told the Dark Lord, we will do everything in our power to see that you can lie with him again, Master.- the shadow said by way of parting.
-And, as I'm sure he told you, see that you do!- Harry snarled as he returned his attention to the office, as Dumbledore walked into the room.
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Andalusian Bind - no meaning, just liked the sound of it. As Harry explains it, it is a binding charm where by the one charmed will see the person who placed the charm always as she imagines them. So Harry could say and order her to do anything, and she would justify it to herself and then go and do it.
Xanadu - Imperio is one way to control people. Andalusian Bind is another. Xanadu is yet another but it's more restrictive that Andalusian and the subject is in bliss the entire time they are subjected to. They obey the person who cast it because that is the only way they can get pleasure, but because of this, they have very little mind to themselves.
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