Chapter 3: The end of summer and the great façade.
There was a little over a week left until the term started, and Harry was getting extremely irritated. Life at Grimmauld Place, despite the presence of Bella, Sirius and Remus, was altogether irritating with its normalcy and sheltered nature. Harry reveled in the sense of independence and the thrill of the danger in his job, and this sudden change of pace was irritating to say the least. He had tied to adjust to it, but it was getting to be too much, and he decided to make a short excursion. On the 22nd of August, he simply got out of his chair and made up his mind to go find something fun to do.
He walked over to Bella and told her "Hey. I'm getting out of here for a while; the normalcy is getting to me."
She laughed and replied "I know. Well, it's not like they can stop you, so go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow?"
He nodded, and kissed her cheek. He ducked into his room (he had vehemently protested against rooming with the Weasley boy) and grabbed his stuff. He was going to one of the Vampire bars in London, so he dressed accordingly, wearing his pistol, dagger and one wakizashi, all of which he camouflaged. He wore black combat pants, his boots and a blood-red shirt. He threw on his trench robe, and made his way out of the room. He walked into the entrance hall, and smirked at the portrait of Sirius' mother. The woman stopped her tirade in shock at Harry's boldness, but before she could start again, he flung a throwing knife right into her head, the runic magic on the dagger causing an explosion on impact that ripped the portrait wide open.
Harry nodded at Moody, and started walking to the door to leave, but was stopped by the Weasley woman. She began lecturing him about how he wasn't allowed to leave, and started mentioning that his hair was too long, etc, and Harry got pissed.
He said in a chilly voice "Woman, shut up! You are in no position to lecture me or tell me what I can and cannot do, so shut your mouth. You need to stop pretending to be my mother. Now, get out of my way, I will go where I please. I don't fancy this bloody house-arrest that you idiots have put me into."
She gasped, and began puffing herself up to scream at him, when he lazily pulled out his dagger, the blade glinting in the lamp light. She gulped, and he snarled at her "OUT!"
She backed away carefully, and he smiled pleasantly, and sheathed his dagger, and walked to the door, throwing it open, and stalking outside. He breathed in the fresh air with a slight smile on his face, and slammed the door shut in the faces of the Weasley woman, Dumbledore and Snape.
Without a sound he apparated away and landed in a corner of Knocturn Alley a few feet away from the most popular Vampire Bar in London. Contrary to popular belief, the people of Knocturn alley purposely made the entrance and the first hundred or so feet of the alley look depraved, like the epitome of a dark place. The rest of the Alley was rather nice, and ordered. Despite the fact that the inhabitants of the Alley were less than pure, no-one wanted to work or live in a hovel.
Harry changed his features to those of Levicorvus, and regally walked over to the entrance. He was a few feet from the door when an arm snaked out of the shadows and tried to grab him. Harry spun in a flash, drawing his blade with one hand while yanking the hand forward, so that the edge of the blade now rested against the throat of the attacker. The attacker in question was a hag, and Harry snarled at her, baring his fangs. His eyes turned a bright and icy blue to emulate the bloodlust of a Vampire, and she paled considerably, and opened her mouth to scream until Harry drew the blade across her neck, slitting the throat wide open. There was no theatrical spray of blood, merely a small spurt that cascaded gouts of blood down her front as the hag died.
He flung his arm out, throwing the body a good thirty feet away into a nearby dumpster, and re-sheathed his blade with a flourish. He rested his left hand on the hilt of his blade and walked towards the bar, nodding to the bouncer who stood up straight and saluted him.
Walking in, Harry's scent immediately permeated the atmosphere, and nearly every Vampire and Werewolf in the club turned towards him. Two people burst out of the crowd and came up to Harry, grinning at him as they clapped him on the back. Harry grinned back and greeted "Vance, Darrin, how's life treating you?"
They made their way over to the VIP section of the bar, and took seats on the barstools at the bar. This bar, unlike the one for the rest of the throngs, was more privileged, and meant for the highest classes of the Vampire hierarchy. Levicorvus' relationship with the Elders meant that he was automatically ushered in to the VIP sections of most bars he frequented.
"So, Darrin, how have you been doing?" Harry asked his friend. Darrin and he had a long history, Darrin being one of the Vampires he trusted the most. Vance, their other companion, was one of the elite Warriors of the Vampire clans. He had trained for years and years, and his skills with weapons and Blood Magic were second only to Levicorvus within the Vampire ranks. Since all Vampires saw each other as comrades, there was no jealousy between them; they simply accepted the fact that some people were better than them. Vance and Harry had been part of a tactical force of Vampire Warriors that had single-handedly ripped apart an attacking force of Dark Elves about two years ago. The Dark Elves, or Drow as they were called, were the last of the elves that remained on this realm, the Pure Elves having left nearly three thousand years ago to another realm that they called Elvendom.
The battle between the Drow and the Vampires lasted for four bloody and painful years, as the Vampires fought to remain as the dominant forces on the planet. The Drow wished to eliminate the Vampires, and assume Lordship over the Wizarding World. When the team led by Harry and Vance had eliminated the last pockets of Drow, they finally finished the war, but refused to publicize it, and the Wizarding World remained unaware of the great service done for them by the beings that they hated so much.
Until the War started, the Drow had stayed in the shadows, living in isolation. They left Elvendom earlier in the century because of their impure and dark ways, and grouped on Earth, living in the highlands of Scotland and forming their own community. They had numbered a little more than 8,000 in total by the start of the war. Harry had lost many of his comrades in the war, seeing bloody sights of butchery that was the result of some of the attacks by the Drow. Once they prevailed, the filthy beings had taken great amusement out of butchering and desecrating the dead, a practice that the Vampires abhorred. They had corralled the women, magically binding them, and forcing them to watch as their husbands, friends and acquaintances were butchered, and then raped them viciously for hours on end before killing them and disfiguring their bodies.
The war was a real eye-opener for Harry, who had not known how depraved the nature of beings could get. Harry did not join the war until he was thirteen, which was two years after it had started. When he did, the sights he saw inured him to death and destruction, and turned him from a rarely emotional child into a hardened warrior, who betrayed no emotion at all. He had fought well, but this changed one night, a few months after Harry had joined the Warriors, one of his best friends, his teacher for two years, was found at the site of a massacre.
She had been a beautiful woman, who taught him the art of using knives. She had been raped for hours and hours, her hands and legs restrained. Her crotch and anus had been violently ripped apart, and her body mutilated beyond belief. Her breasts had been cut off, her arms and legs lacerated with slices, her lips and nose removed and her eyes gouged out. The worst part was that she had been alive the whole time, since Vampires were essentially dead, and could only die when subjected to silver. She was bruised and battered all over, and eventually a silver knife had penetrated her heart, killing her instantly. Vampires did not burn away upon being pierced by silver, they simply died. She had been almost unrecognizable when her body was cut down from the rigging that had been set up, and Harry had wept as he saw a pair of earrings that he had bought for her as a thank-you gift dangling from her ears, recognizing the dead body of his teacher and friend.
This act had turned Harry into a true warrior, and his attacks became ruthless and perfect. While he still did not torture his foes, he killed them with such calm and quick efficiency, that all died with varying expressions of shock and fear on their faces. The name Levicorvus had become a feared one within the Drow; he had amassed a reputation so fierce that the most valiant of the Drow trembled in their boots upon seeing him. Harry was quickly promoted through the ranks of his team, becoming a Commander about three months before the end of the war. While it was clear that the Vampires would win, the Drow were much more powerful than the average Vampire, and it was certain that if they continued attacking at the same rate, the casualties of war would become too great.
A week from the end of the war, about thirty percent of the remaining Drow attacked the Vampire mansions, which were situated in a neighborhood full of Vampire citizens. The fight had been vicious and bloody, and a team which was co-lead by Vance and Levicorvus met their attack admirably. Harry fought with viciousness, using all the weapons at his disposal. Ultimately, he drew his blades, charging them up with potent magical energy and attacking, cleaving through the nearly one thousand attackers explosively. Arms, heads and legs fell; blood flew through the air as skin was slashed in Corvai's demonic rage. His team numbered fifty people dressed in combat clothing, apart from the two hundred or so other Vampires that fought to defend their families. Corvai, that night, killed more than two hundred of the attacking force all by himself, flinging his magic through his renowned blades to kill, maim and destroy the Elves. He had eventually slumped down due to physical and magical exhaustion, and his life was saved by Vance and two others, who covered him for a long time while Corvai weakly leaned on one sword, the other back in it's sheath.
The fight was still going strong, and Harry had taken two pepper-up potions to keep fighting, although he was no longer able to call on his magic until he rested enough to rebuild his reserves. The fight had started at 7 AM, the Drow being assured of their success by attacking when they thought the vampires would be at their weakest. They had been painfully proved wrong all thanks to Levicorvus. He had perfected his potion that allowed Vampires to endure ultra violet light two weeks ago, and had mass made the potions and supplied them through depots for the past two weeks, and almost all the vampires had taken the potion which caused a permanent effect that would now even be hereditary. When the last of the elves was dispatched by Darrin at 4:30 PM, a loud war-cry had erupted from the assembled army of Vampires, and they had disbanded, cleaning up the dead and tending to their friends and family. Harry had captured one person, a skilled fighter who was eventually overcome by him. She had fought well using daggers, and their duel had taken nearly twenty minutes until he had overcome her, smacking away her oncoming dagger, and cleaving her arm off. He then smashed the hilt of his weapon on her head, knocking her out. It was her set of daggers that he wore in his boots now, beautiful pieces of weaponry that were crafted out of some metal that he had never heard of. They were made as one solid piece of metal with a handle that he had crafted for them, not appreciating the slippery grip that they afforded him. The magic on them was useful and powerful, having been enchanted hundreds of years ago, presumably by a Pure Elf weapon maker.
Through interrogating the female elf with Veritaserum and then giving her a quick death, they found the location of the Drow base. Harry had slept for three straight days at the Healer's center, recovering from magical exhaustion while they treated his numerous wounds, which were generally small slashes on his skin where he had not entirely evaded oncoming attacks. After he awoke, the Elders, who had been too old to actively fight, had summoned him to lead a team of four hundred Vampires along with Vance, Darrin and Luciana, They each were set as the leaders of hundred-man battalions, and they attacked the Drow base exactly one week afterwards.
A long story short, their attack was a complete success. Harry used multiple spells to make sure that the elves could not flee, and they took on the two thousand, three hundred elves. They worked in stealth until they were discovered when some idiot breached the wards around a building on accident, and then the fight turned into an all out war, the two armies clashing. By then they had carefully eliminated a little more than a thousand elves in total, and the odds were much better. No Vampires were dead yet, but this soon changed when the twenty or so best Drow fighters entered the fray. In total, nearly seventy Vampires died, although two hundred and fifty or so more were grievously injured. Most of the Drow had been using Elven weaponry which was not made of silver, and so many vampires were hurt in ways that would kill a human, but the absence of silver meant that they had to simply lie there in pain until they were healed. Of the seventy that died, eight died of pain overloads, another fourteen from being beheaded (which is lethal to a Vampire), and the rest from the silver weapons of the few elves that had them.
Levicorvus killed more than seven hundred elves that day, but was careful to use as little magic as possible. He had taken five pepper-up potions over the course of the eleven hour fight. He took particular pleasure in using the Elven Daggers to dispatch some of his foes, noticing the widening of the eyes of some of his opponents when they noticed his weapon. The war ended that day, the total count of the dead being nearly four thousand Vampires in total. The Drow had been wiped out, Harry had interrogated their 'King', and had gleaned that no other Elven encampments existed apart from the one they had just taken, and none of his elves were scheduled to be outside the boundaries of the encampment.
The end of the war signaled a new age of peace for the Vampires, who took to life with a new vigor. Levicorvus, Luciana, Vance and Darrin were given gratitude and titles by the Council, Levicorvus being known as 'Saerificus' or 'The Weapon' amongst the Vampires. He was still called Corvai by most, but his name was spoken with a reverence by even the oldest of Vampires in respect for his skills and the help he had given to the Vampires in their time of need. Luciana was called 'Icares', a Vampire word that meant killer. Vance and Darrin were called 'Navitas' and 'Veneris' which meant commander and destroyer respectively.
The three friends chatted for a while, and Harry enjoyed the two things he loved, freedom and independence. When he was with the Vampires, Harry was free, he felt as if he was in his rightful home. The Elders had made him a promise after the war between the Vampires and the Drow, that if Harry so wished, he would be turned by the Vampires, being the first human to be turned in more than a few centuries, and enjoy immortality with his friends and true family, living in his element as Levicorvus, Master Assassin. Harry had vowed to carefully think things over before making such a decision; although the prospect of immortality was appealing, he retained his human views of finally finding an end to his life and living peacefully in the afterworld. While Harry was an Assassin, his first allegiance was always to his family, the Vampires, and he always put their demands higher than the demands of his work.
As the night wore on, Harry sat at the bar alone, nursing a strong whiskey while he fiddled with the counter top. His friends had found a few girls and had headed into the rooms that were reserved for the use of the VIP guests. Harry was snapped out of his reverie as a soft hand circled his waist and rested on his stomach, and someone rested their chin on his shoulder. A sultry voice whispered into his ear "It's been a while, Corvai."
Harry grinned and turned around, greeting his on-and-off lover Luciana with an embrace. He pulled her onto his lap, and hugged her to him. She was more than just a partner to him, she was a friend and confidante, and they had dated for a while before withdrawing and keeping their relationship informal to say the least. She was a vision of beauty, with long, dark tresses that flowed to her waist, perfectly framing an angelic face. She had aquiline eyes with enticing brown irises, a cute nose and full, blood red lips with a slight pout that made them look extremely sexy. Her slim, toned body was graced by a pair of beautiful, perky breasts, a curvy waist that tapered to rounded hips, and long legs that completed the package perfectly. She wore an emerald green top that hugged her body enticingly, and leather pants that showed off her rounded ass and long legs perfectly.
He smiled "Luci, it has been a while." She was one of the few Vampires who knew his true identity, and he grinned as he told her what he was up to. She laughed a beautiful laugh once she heard his plan, and said "Corvai, I swear you are the sneakiest person I have ever met."
They grinned and chatted for a while until she suddenly stopped in the middle of a sentence, and smirked at him, before running her hand down his chest suggestively while she whispered "Corvai, love, I think we should move into a room." Harry smirked at her, and rose to his feet, politely offering his arm to her as they walked to one of the rooms, and went in, carefully locking the door. As soon as he turned around, she pounced on him, passionately kissing him and sucking on his lips. His hands feverishly roamed her body, caressing and stroking her, making her cry out in passion. They pulled their clothes off, and got into bed, and Harry straddled her comfortably, and began moving in and out of her. Their cries echoed across the room as their passion built up, only to be released simultaneously as they cried out in tandem and climaxed, Harry slumping on top of her, nestling his head against her chest until their breathing slowed.
She moaned into his hair "God, I've missed you, Corvai." Harry was stroking her breasts and sucking on her nipples gently until he raised his head to hers, and kissed her with blinding passion. Luciana had always been his soft spot. She was a mere year older than him, but was one of the most skilled warriors that the Vampires could offer. They had grown up together in the Vampire mansions until Harry had begun his trade, moving around the world, doing jobs while learning all he could to further his skills. He, however, always took time out for her, returning to the mansions every once in a while to meet her. They had had sex the first time when he was fourteen and she fifteen, and it had been a night of passion that neither would forget. Harry knew that he loved her more than any other in the world, but since meeting Bellatrix, he was a bit confounded as to what he should think.
They played with each other for a while until Harry began to harden again, and she got on all fours, encouraging him to join her in her favorite sexual position. He grinned at her and mounted her from behind, pushing his member into her vagina, the tightness of her sex squeezing against him pleasurably. He bent over her slightly, one hand holding her hair in a bunch, the other gripping her hip. He thrust while he pulled her towards him, building pace rapidly, and moved his hand from her hair to first fondle her breasts, and then rub against her nub, stimulating her even as he roughly plunged into her from behind. They came explosively, Luciana climaxing with a primal scream while Harry finished up inside her seconds later, exploding rivers of come inside her. He withdrew from her and fell onto the bed, embracing her tightly as he kissed her forehead. She was panting heavily, and she lay with him for a while, enjoying each other's bodies for a long time until dawn came, and Luci had to leave.
She kissed Harry passionately, still naked in his arms, and snuggled against him comfortably. She whispered "Corvai, you were great. Please, don't forget me, Harry, don't. I need you."
He saw the look in her eyes, and felt like an asshole for not meeting her at least once in the past four months, and nodded to her. He bent his head down, and locked lips with her, gently placing his kiss on her lower lip, and tugging on it playfully, before sliding his tongue into her mouth slowly, and meeting hers in an explosion of passion. His tongue danced skillfully around her mouth, stimulating her once more, before he withdrew, and whispered against her lips "Luci, I will never forget you. I'll always be there for you, okay?"
She nodded, and he hugged her to him one last time before they got dressed. She grinned at him before leaving and said cheekily "Why, Corvai! You look like a stud!"
He grinned back and said "Oh, Luci, anything for you, dear!" Then, in a more serious tone, he said "Luci, I'll meet you at your place tonight, okay? I don't know how many times I'll be able to see you while I'm at Hogwarts, and I want to spend some time with you before going, okay?"
She nodded, and gave him a quick kiss before smiling and blood-jumping away. This process of apparation for the Vampires was a bit disturbing, as the person's body seemed to explode in a shower of blood for a second, before imploding and disappearing.
Harry grinned at the display, shook his head, and apparated away. He could blood-jump as well, but he did not want to alert the Order members to the fact that he was either a Vampire, or give them any indication that he was Levicorvus. He reappeared in the main hall of Grimmauld Place, and strode into the kitchen to whip himself up some breakfast. It was early morning, barely a few minutes past dawn, and the only person awake was one paranoid Alastor Moody.
He sat down heavily at the table, and waved his wand, conjuring some coffee, which he drank gratefully. Sleepily, he rubbed his eyes, and scowled when Moody chuckled and said "A long night, eh Potter?"
He nodded shakily, and walked over to the cooking range, where he got down to whipping up some eggs and bacon for him and Moody. A few minutes later, they were eating with gusto, Moody making the occasional snort of appreciation. Harry finished off, and flicked his wand at the plate, muttering a cleaning charm, and banished the plate back into the cupboard, and threw his fork into the sink. A few waves of his wand later, the fork as well as the pans that he used for making the eggs and the bacon were clean, and sent back to their places.
He stumbled up to his room, and collapsed on the bed, belatedly groaning as he realized that his clothes were still on. He got up with a heave, and stripped off his clothes down to his underwear. There was an intake of breath from the doorway, which suddenly opened, and he groaned as he saw Ginny and Hermione standing there, openly gaping at his body. Their eyes raked over his chiseled form, and came to rest on his face, at which a blush spread across their cheeks as they realized he was looking between them and the doorway quite pointedly. They stammered out an apology, and quickly left the room, blushing brightly. Harry just waved his hand irritatedly at the door, and the door slammed shut and locked. The last of his strength gone, he gratefully slumped onto his bed and drew the covers over him.
Ginny and Hermione stood a few feet away from the door, giggling like little girls. They looked at each other once more, and burst into giggles again, thinking about Harry's chiseled muscular body, and the tattoos on his shoulders, back and chest. Harry had Vampiric runes tattooed on each bicep, denoting strength, skill and knowledge, tattoos that he got when he finished his training with Jehovah. On his back was an ornate depiction of a Japanese character that meant Ninja, a tattoo that appeared once his master deemed him fit to be a master in the arts of the Ninja. On his chest were similar Japanese symbols, but in a much smaller size, a simple line of writing across his pectoral muscles. None of the tattoos were frivolous, being far from the immature pictures of dragons or phoenixes that most 'rebellious' wizards favored. They went down to grab some breakfast together, a faint blush still tingeing their cheeks.
Over the next week, Harry spent a good deal of time with Luciana, meeting her most evenings, and sleeping through the day. He had told Bellatrix about her, and she seemed happy that he had someone that he could call a true friend. Both girls seemed completely fine with the fact that Harry was sexually intimate with the other, since neither was at the period in their lives that they needed any emotional attachments. Since neither wanted any other sexual partners, their sexual drive was not dampened in the least, and Harry was frequently exhausted throughout the whole week, having never received such a rigorous workout before.
It practically made Harry ache when he had to exhibit Gryffindor characteristics, the exuberance and idiocy of the actions being wholly contrary to the cunning and sly way in which he normally operated. However, he reasoned, it was all for the greater good. He needed to keep this façade up for the time being so that he would not draw unnecessary attention to himself, and delude the Headmaster into thinking he had a Golden Boy.
Two days from the start of term, Harry decided he should get around to buying his stuff for school. He went with Bellatrix, who accompanied him while wearing her glamour charm. It seemed that the features of her glamour had also de-aged, so she looked positively stunning. Harry apparated them out of Grimmauld Place at 9:30 in the morning, having no desire to accompany the 'brats' as he had termed them later in the day. The Weasley boy was, as usual, snoring like a pillock even as late as 9:30 and this was fortunate, since Harry absolutely detested their company.
They arrived at the apparation point between the Leakey Cauldron and Diagon Alley, and they walked through the doorway after tapping the bricks. They made their way through the shops, and Harry bought himself a trunk with three compartments in it. He would later conceal the third compartment using the Fidelius charm, and use it to store his weaponry. He bought his books according to the course list, having decided to take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy rather than Divination and COMC. A quick stop at Gringotts later, Harry had a few bags of gold that he stashed in his trunk in the weaponry compartment, and picked up a dagger from his family vault that looked dangerous and useful. It had an engraving of a leaping Panther on it in exceptional detail, and for once, was not a shoddy piece of craftsmanship for only visual benefit. It was sturdy and had runes inlaid on the hilt that made it an exceptionally useful tool built to be versatile, a weapon for both stealth and pure attacking force. He substituted his dagger for it, since they were both of the same length, having nine inch blades. The handle of his new dagger was covered with a layer of tough sponge, which fit his needs perfectly. He spent about half an hour in Madam Malkin's shop, buying school robes made in Acromantula silk with a fitting and cleaning charm built into them.
He also bought himself a broom, buying the latest model called the Firebolt 2. It was essentially the Firebolt with a few upgrades, and was created so that the owner could create a blood bond with it, and automatically call it to him from anywhere. A visit to the apothecary got him the potions kit for the year as well as a new cauldron that was well made, but not too expensive. He also bought some collapsible brass scales and a set of crystal vials for his potions.
They enjoyed lunch at the Leakey Cauldron, and returned to Grimmauld Place after a quick trip down Knocturn Alley to check out some rare books, which Harry found useless to him. Appearing back at Grimmauld Place, they ran into the Weasleys and Granger who were about to leave for Diagon Alley through the floo. Mrs. Weasley bustled over to him and beamed at him, before shooting a glare at Bellatrix that seriously pissed Harry off. She tried to tug him towards the fireplace, all the while saying "Come, Harry dear, let's go to Diagon Alley and get your books. Forget Lestrange here, she's dark and evil."
Harry blew a gasket, and roughly shook her arm away, and glared at her menacingly. She gulped, and he whispered "Apologize to her."
The woman looked affronted and said "Absolutely not! She's evil, and I don't want her in this house! As for you, young man, you need to stop taking that tone with me! Now, come along!"
She made to grab Harry's arm, but he batted her away, and glared at her with malice in his eyes. He snarled "Ms. Black here is a good person, and I will not stand for you demeaning her and slighting her character, woman. You pretend to be high and mighty in your supposed pureness, but I know about you, woman, so you can stop your pretense. Your incessant and annoying mothering had better cease before I finally get irritated beyond a point and get rid of your falseness forcibly. What a pompous woman you are to say that you don't want her in this house. What authority do you have here? You have a house of your own, no matter that it is a hovel, so go there. I don't want you here, but we don't get everything we want, do we? I will tell you this only once; Bellatrix Black is a hundred times the person you can ever hope to be. The next time you make the mistake of insulting her in front of me, I will take extreme measures, and you will get painfully acquainted with my knife. I have no interest in accompanying you, so be gone quickly, my patience is dwindling."
He said that with such icy coldness in his voice, that the woman was shaken to the bone. Horrified, she backed away, and urged her children through the floo, before casting a scared glance at Harry, and leaving as well. Harry was furious, and he turned to the sobbing Bellatrix and hugged her tightly to his chest, whispering comforting things into her ear as he stroked her hair.
He whispered "Bella, listen to me, not her. You are a wonderful person, and she is a lying, conniving bitch, so don't ever take anything she says to heart. Please, Bella, trust me. I love you, and I trust you, and those are two things I never give out unless the person I give it to is completely deserving of my trust."
She sobbed fitfully, gripping him with desperation as she wept "She's right, Harry, I'm dark and evil. I'm a bad person."
He was appalled, and he held her face in his hands and brushed the tears away and said "Bellatrix, you are a beautiful, kind, caring, funny and lovable person. You might be dark, but that is nothing to be ashamed of. I am dark. But you are not evil. I can feel evilness, and I cannot feel it in you. You truly repent what you were forced to do, and you didn't enjoy it. Bella, please, don't make yourself believe that woman's lies. Please, Bella, don't do this."
She wept harder, and nodded, burying her face into his shoulder and sobbing. He held her for a long time, just stroking her hair while she sobbed into his shoulder. She fell asleep in his arms as they sat on the sofa in the entrance hall. Sirius and Remus came through a little while later, and they looked at the pair oddly, only to grow weary at the look of pure fury in Harry's eyes. He explained what happened softly, after casting a spell on Bella that would make sure she slept through their conversation, and the two of them were furious. They left after a while, when Harry said that he would make sure that Molly Weasley regretted what she said.
Two hours later, the Weasley children and Granger returned with her, only to come across Harry and Bellatrix in the entrance hall. She was sleeping in his lap with her head nestled against his chest, tear streaks on her face. Harry gently picked her up and laid her down, conjuring a pillow for her. He turned to Molly Weasley and snarled "You bloody bitch! Do you know what you almost did? She cried for nearly an hour just because you had to say such vile things about her!"
Ron tried to defend his shocked mother, and he charged at Harry. Harry saw the idiot coming, and impatiently shifted sideways and plowed his fist into the boy's stomach, knocking him off his feet to thud onto the ground painfully. He walked over to the Weasley woman, and snarled "Get out of this house. Take your spawn with you. My godfather was understandably pissed off when he heard what happened. You have ten minutes to gather your things and leave, or I will make you leave forcefully. MOVE!"
She was shocked, and stuttered "B-but Albus…have to stay here…protection…"
Harry just sneered at her and said "You have nine minutes left. Get moving or I swear to god, I will hurt you so badly, your whole family will never walk again."
She backed away quickly, rushing through the house and gathering her things, as did the kids. Ron was unable to move, so the others did his packing for him. They were assembled, eight minutes later, by the floo. Harry sneered at them from the other side of the hall and said "Oh, very good, woman. Now, get out, and take your spawn with you. If I ever hear you saying another thing to Bellatrix again, I will cut out your heart, understood?
She nodded awkwardly, and the family left. Harry muttered "Good riddance" derisively, and lifted Bellatrix gently, carrying her upstairs and laying her down on her bed. He walked down to the living room and sat on a couch with a Dark Arts book, and conjured a glass of Firewhiskey for himself. He read for a while, and was interrupted by Snape, who stalked into the room theatrically, his cloak billowing about him dangerously. He sat on the couch opposite Harry and spoke.
"Reading a book on the Dark Arts, and drinking alcohol? As well as threatening a Weasley with bodily harm and defending an ex-Death Eater? Not exactly behavior fitting of the Golden Boy, Potter."
Harry smirked at Snape, which unsettled him slightly, and replied "True."
Snape said "So, who are you, Potter? You don't have me fooled like you have Dumbledore and the others."
Harry put down his glass, and laid the book on the table. He leaned back, and looked at Snape carefully for a minute, before he nodded. A slow smirk spread its way across Harry's face as his features changed, his eyes turning an icy blue, and his scar disappearing as his facial features shifted slightly. He grinned at Snape, flashing extended fangs at the man, who simply gaped in response.
He whispered "Corvai…but it's impossible! No, you're lying, Potter. You might be a metamorphmagus, but I am unwilling to think you are Levicorvus."
The grin on Harry's face became slightly wider as he slowly pulled out his wand, and undid the disillusionment charm on his blade, which he extracted, and held expertly in his hand. With another wave, the suppressing charm that he had put on his scent disappeared, and his unique scent flavored the air. Snape goggled for a second, his Slytherin mask disappearing as he gaped. A slow smirk spread across his face as he said "Corvai." He nodded his head, and Harry nodded back to him, putting his blade away neatly, and redoing the charm on it.
He took a sip of his drink and swirled it around a bit before speaking. "Severus, I'm sure you understand why this particular fact must be kept secret from all others. Only the Elders, two Vampires and three mortals currently know both my names, and it must remain that way. Oh, and I must thank you for that absolutely glittering little description that you gave to the Order, it did a lot for my ego." He grinned sarcastically, and Snape laughed in response.
He rose from his seat and clapped Harry on the back once and nodded. Then, almost as an afterthought, he said "Well, Corvai…err, Potter, I'll be seeing you in Slytherin then?"
Harry laughed "As if there was any other house for me."
Snape grinned, and left. Harry resumed his 'Potter' features, and got back to his book.
((-))
The 1st of September dawned without a cloud in the sky, a perfect day. Harry awoke at 6 AM, and showered. He packed his trunk with a few quick waves of his wand, and shrunk it. He dressed well, to make a good first impression on both the ladies and the guys. He wanted to establish himself as someone that shouldn't be fucked with, just in case there were some idiots who wanted to challenge him due to the bullshit fame that he had as a cause of the fact that he simply did not die.
He wore a pair of black combat trousers that were neither baggy nor tight on his muscular frame. He wore a pair of Basilisk skin boots which were also Black, with silver fastenings and laces. He put on his trusty vest with a layer of Acromantula silk on the inside as well as comfort charms to prevent him from sweating, and slipped on a dark green collared shirt over it, tucking the shirt in. He wore a leather belt with a silver buckle on it, and strapped his multi-purpose pouch onto it. The pouch contained some potions, his lockpicking set and some other useful odds and ends that were shrunken down and weightless.
He put his dagger onto his right thigh with the handle leaning back, and strapped on the harness of his wakizashi to his left thigh at a slight angle forwards. He disillusioned this blade, and put his two eight-inch Elven daggers into sheathes in his boots, and tucked his Holly wand into his ankle holster. He slipped on his wrist holsters comfortably, and pulled his hair back into a loose ponytail, using a strip of black cloth to tie it back. He slipped on his trench robe and slipped his pistol into the holster that he had harnessed to the inside of the jacket on the left side.
He spent a few hours with Bellatrix, and promised to meet her on the weekends as much as possible. She had spent the last night with him quite adventurously, and they had enjoyed a good many orgasms together before falling asleep, sweaty and tired from the physical activity of sex. He ate breakfast with her in her room, and prepared to apparate away by 10:30 AM. Dumbledore had been notified that Sirius would take Harry to the platform, so he was not interfering. He wiped his mouth on a napkin, and hugged Bellatrix before leaving. She had tears in her eyes, but he smiled at her, and kissed her with great passion, telling her "Bella, I love you. I'll try as hard as I can to come to see you every time I can. Goodbye for now, Bella, I'll visit you in a few days. If I come, I'll spend the night with you, so expect me to be here around 9 PM, okay?"
She nodded at him, still teary, and he sighed, before brightening and saying "Hey, I can probably come tonight, actually. There won't be any work tonight, so I'll try and 'get to bed' by ten or so, and I'll come over, okay?"
She smiled beautifully, and his breath hitched, and he stroked her cheek lovingly, leaning down to lay a gentle kiss on her lips. They opened their mouths together and their tongues met in a flurry of passion and love, and they withdrew slightly, panting. He laid his forehead against hers, and pecked her lips once more, before smiling at her one last time, and apparating away to the platform. His appearance caused a small ripple of conversation on the platform, and Harry winced inwardly at the attention that he was going to get this year. As an assassin, he hated having too much attention on him, and he would have to rely on the Ninja arts to make him seem unremarkable and unnoticeable.
He strode towards the train with calm, measured steps, his boots making no noise on the hard ground. Walking past a group of sixth-year students, he grinned inwardly, marveling at the beauty of some of the girls he saw, while offering a collected smile at the girls who were looking at him, carefully covering their appreciation. He walked past them just as they finally saw the scar on his head and gaped, before entering the train, and getting into a compartment. Knowing that he would be relatively bored for the remainder of the wait and the trip, he pulled a slim book on wandless magic out of his pocket and began reading it. He had found this little treasure nestled between some of the Astronomy books at Flourish and Blott's, and he hoped he could increase his slight command over Wandless magic to something more significant.
A few minutes later, he was joined by three girls who seemed to be in Slytherin house. Noticing him, the one at the door called "Hi, d'you mind if we join you?"
Looking up from the introduction to the book, he smiled pleasantly and replied "Of course!"
She returned his smile, and the three of them walked in. Harry looked at them, finding the first one to be pretty, the second plain, and the third ridiculously hot, making his eyes widen imperceptibly. She was nearly on par with Bellatrix and Luciana, two girls who he thought to be the most beautiful beings he had ever seen, apart from his memories of his mother, which he looked on with a different eye. The first two sat across from him, and the third took the seat by Harry, much to his pleasure.
The first said "Oh, sorry, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Daphne Greengrass."
The second said "Tracy Davis, pleased to meet you."
The third said "Daphne Greengrass, nice to meet you as well."
Harry nodded to each of them and said "Harry Potter, it's nice to meet you as well."
He noticed the widening if their eyes as the first two flicked their eyes upwards to his scar, which was currently covered by a loose strand of hair that framed his face attractively. The third widened her eyes as well, looking shocked, which made Harry think. She had no perceptible smell, which was unsettling. Yet, she did not flick her eyes up to his scar like the others, which made him somewhat happy.
The first, Daphne, asked "Where were you until now?"
Harry knew she was simply interested and not digging for information, so he replied "Oh, I was learning from a mentor who passed away about three months ago."
They nodded, and Daphne tapped him on the arm, and asked "Harry, can I talk to you outside for a moment?"
He was perplexed and nodded, following her out with his right hand resting on the handle of his dagger. The other two girls looked a bit curious, but said nothing. Stepping into the corridor outside the compartments, she drew her wand and cast a silencing charm in a circle around them, making him raise an eyebrow.
She grinned and said "No tracking charms on my wand." He nodded, and looked at her carefully.
She leaned against the wall, putting her wand into her pocket, and asked "Your mentor died?"
He nodded carefully, and she continued "Did that not happen years ago?"
Harry narrowed his eyes at her, and asked "What do you mean, Miss Greengrass?"
She smiled and said "I am one quarter Vampire, Corvai. I have none of the Vampire characteristics apart from my eyesight, sense of smell and my small problem with silver. I have a talisman that removes my scent for when I go to Vampire bars."
He relaxed slightly and looked at her carefully. She said "Saerificus, my grandfather was saved by you two years ago during the Drow attack. I will not betray your secret; I swear this to you upon my magic. Also, I can happily inform you that there are no others in this school apart from Snape who can distinguish your scent."
He nodded at her, and said "Your grandfather is Caelus Davids?"
She seemed shocked and nodded. "You know him? He told me that you only talked to him once, a few minutes after the battle when he thanked you and introduced himself."
Harry smiled slightly and said "I have a good memory. He fought well that day, his opponent was powerful."
Daphne nodded at him, and they walked back into the compartment. They sat down in their seats, and continued conversing with the others. Daphne and Tracey seemed inquisitive, but refrained from asking what they talked about.
Daphne asked "Harry, have you taken the OWLs?"
Harry nodded. He had taken them about four weeks ago, having made an appointment at the ministry to take his exams over a one-week period. He replied "I have. I received 14 OWLs."
The others gaped at him. Tracey managed to pull herself together to ask "How many subjects did you test for?
He replied "Seven. I took the exams for Potions, Defense, Charms, Transfiguration, Runes, Arithmancy and History of Magic. I got O's in each subject, but I dropped History for N.E.W.T.s." He neglected to tell them that his score for all the subjects except History had been perfect scores. He had received bonus marks for demonstrating extra knowledge by casting the Patronus charm for both Charms and Defense, and had impressed all his examiners by casting all the spells wordlessly save for the patronus.
They gaped at him and Daphne said "That's great! Only Granger got a score anywhere near that high, and she got 12."
Harry smirked and said "I know…I had to hear her complain and ask to read my books all summer. She kept asking how I did that well, and practically demanded that I teach her, at which point I called her a know-it-all and told her to get out of my face."
They laughed, and sat together, talking amiably for a long time. They explained that Weasley and Granger were Gryffindor Prefects, and that Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were the Slytherin Prefects. About an hour after the train had started moving on its six hour journey to Hogsmeade, Granger and the two Weasleys came in. It seemed that Ginny Weasley was the new fifth-year prefect, and she wore an irritating smirk because of her new position.
Harry sighed at their entrance, the three girls noticing his dampened spirit.
Ron spoke "Harry! Don't sit with these Slytherins! Come to our compartment with us, you don't want to hang around with the likes of these!"
Harry looked at him evenly, ignoring the cold glares that his companions were giving Weasley. He said "Weasley, I'm fine where I am. It would be grand if you left, the company just got a lot worse."
Ron flushed red, and Granger said "Harry, you should come with us. Slytherins are bad people; you don't want to hang around with them. You should stick with the Gryffindors, we're better people."
Harry raised an eyebrow at her and said "Well, Granger, it seems like the only people annoying me right now are the Gryffindors, so you will pardon me if I tell you to get out, and not to bother me again. I've made it clear enough that I don't want anything to do with you over the summer; despite your constant insisting that you should be my best friends. Please leave, I'm having trouble breathing with the stench of your boyfriend's breakfast all over his clothes."
Daphne, Daphne and Tracy giggled, and Ron flushed a deeper red and shouted in anger "Shut up, you Slytherin tarts! Trollops like you don't deserve to go to a school like Hogwarts. You're better at the brothels you come from!"
Harry saw red, and stood up. With three quick strides, he was standing in front of Weasley, and he grabbed the boy's neck painfully, and hoisted him up in the air with only one hand. He slammed the boy against the wall painfully, and whispered menacingly "Weasley, that was not a nice thing to say. If you apologize to them and kiss their feet, I will allow you to leave this compartment without a scratch."
He was holding the boy up with his left hand, while his right had pulled put his impressive dagger, placing nine inches of cold steel against the boy's neck while he groaned and squirmed in his grip. Granger and Ginny were wringing their hands and screaming at him to stop, but he ignored them and focused on Ron, who was futilely groping at his hand, trying to pry the fingers off his neck.
The boy looked deathly pale, but brought his Gryffindor courage, or rather, his stupidity, into play and said in a weak voice "Never! I'd rather die than kiss the feet of a Slytherin!"
Harry looked at him evenly in response. He was not a person to waffle around with his actions, life had taught him enough for him to never give empty threats. He smirked and said "Very well, don't say I didn't warn you."
With his fingers wrapped around the handle of his knife in a fist, he punched the boy in the face painfully, breaking his nose. Letting the boy down, he twisted his had around his back, drawing another cry of pain, and propelled him out of the cabin painfully, to land in the hallway in a heap. Turning back to Granger and Ginny, he snarled "OUT! You call them low, but you are the ones forcing yourself upon other people and giving insults out like you think they're charity! Get out of here, and don't bother us again!"
He had his dagger raised threateningly, and the two girls paled and hurried out of his cabin. Still seething, he waved his hand at the door, causing it to slam shut in their faces, and the drapes on the tiny window to close. He sat down again and turned to his company and asked "Are they always like that? It's fucking disgraceful that they get off saying such disgusting things about people they probably don't even know!"
The girls nodded, and as one said "Thank you, Harry."
He looked a bit confused at how they had spoken in tandem, but he nodded anyways and sat back against the backrest, picking up a chocolate frog that they had bought from the trolley lady.
Daphne, though looking calm, was thinking 'God, he has a lot of control! Considering what he is and what he does for a living, those idiots should be thankful that he only did that much. Then again, I'm sure they have no clue, he probably said nothing at all, and they probably think he's gonna be a Gryffindor.'
They continued conversing for a while, and Tracy fell asleep, resting her head against the glass of the window. About two hours after the idiots had left the cabin, they were interrupted once more by someone coming in, this time a platinum blonde boy with an air of arrogance around him.
He opened the door and leaned in, two hulking thugs framing his body, and asked snootily "They were saying up the train that Harry Potter was in this cabin. Are you him?"
Harry looked the boy in the eye evenly; the power and ferocity in his eyes making the other recoil slightly and said "Yes. Who asks?"
The boy looked a bit shocked and a bit put off that Harry didn't know him, and he said in a pompous voice "The name's Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prefect, and Lord of the Malfoy family." Lucius had been captured earlier in the summer by the Order, and had tried to plead that he was under the imperius curse. Despite Fudge's agreement, the Wizengamot put him into Azkaban under a life sentence.
Harry nodded at the boy, and turned away to look out of the window, shocking him. Malfoy got a pink tinge to his cheeks, thinking that Harry should pay more attention to him, and said "You're new to this system, Potter; I'll show you where to make the right friends." He extended his hand, and Harry raised an eyebrow at Daphne's closed expression.
He turned to Malfoy and said "I'll look at the competition before I decide anything. You may go."
Malfoy gaped at both the blatant dismissal and the ignoring of his proffered hand, and blushed. He snarled "There is no competition, Potter. Everyone else is below me. I offer you my hand once more. This time, you should take it; it'll save you time and trouble."
Harry looked at him with an amused expression and said "No thanks, then, Malfoy. I don't appreciate being considered 'lower' than you. Now, I will tell you once more that you may go. This time, you should listen; it'll save you a lot of pain and shame."
The girls giggled, Tracy had awoken when the brat came in, and Malfoy snarled "Very well, Potter, if that is how you will be, then I won't bother. You'll end up in the same sticky situation as your parents one day, Potter."
Harry saw red and jumped to his feet, kicking Malfoy painfully in the stomach, and blowing him out of the cabin like a rag-doll. He snarled "Malfoy, if you ever make light of my parents' death again, you will feel so much pain, that you will beg for death."
The two goons tried to move towards Harry threateningly, flexing their muscles which were a lot smaller than Harry's and covered with a huge layer of fat. Harry had taken off his trench robe and had hung it up on the wall, so he was wearing only his shirt over his vest. He flexed his muscles in response, the large bulge of his bicep making them hesitate. Harry sneered at them and said "I see. Bodyguards, eh, Malfoy? You must be scared if you need bodyguards. Quite pitiful, really."
He stared at the two goons with malice glittering in his eyes, and let loose his aura, an explosion of green swirling light erupting from his body that had steaks of black, red and white in it. The effect of this was to make the two idiots stumble back in horror and retreat, dragging the blonde-haired idiot with them. Harry had controlled how much of his aura he had let through, and only showed enough to compare his magical prowess to Dumbledore's.
Slamming the door shut once more, he sat down and sighed "Is this school just brimming with idiots, or is it just me?"
His companions laughed and Tracy replied "Nah, but some people just don't back off. I should probably warn you that he won't let it go, he'll keep annoying you until you promise to be his slave."
Harry groaned, and his companions laughed again. They spent the rest of the trip in amiable conversation, Daphne was getting increasingly enamored by Harry, and developing a small crush on the boy sitting next to her. 'But,' she reasoned, 'after all he's been through, and just by looking at him, he is more of an adult than most can ever hope to be.'
At 5:15 PM, the train rolled in to Hogsmeade station, at which point, pandemonium began. The students assembled on the platform, and began walking the hundred or so feet to the thestral drawn carriages, the first years walking off to the side to the lake where Hagrid stood. Mere seconds after they had begun moving, a squad of fifteen Death Eaters popped in, and began firing Cruciatus curses at the muggleborn students. Harry, who was walking with Daphne, Tracy and Daphne near the back of the crowd, snapped his head around in disbelief and groaned. He knew he could not betray his cover by using his Wakizashi, so he did the next best thing.
He ran towards the Death Eaters, jostling feeing students out of his way. He noticed Ron, Hermione and Ginny trying to battle them but losing badly due to their complete lack of dueling skills. He snarled at the ten Death Eaters who were apparently mid-level since they neither had the black slash on their masks that marked them as Inner-Circle members, nor the pearly white masks of the recruits. He drew his gun out of the trench-robe, and indiscriminately fired four bullets into the lower legs of two of the Death Eaters, their muscles and bones exploding violently. Granger and the Weasleys had been subdued, and Hagrid had been disposed of with a banishing charm that threw him against one of the columns at the station painfully.
The Death Eaters turned to the interruption, ignoring the six students that were lying on the ground from being exposed to five seconds of the Cruciatus, and fired off killing curses. Harry transfigured a piece of rubble into a long stone wall, knowing that he couldn't dodge the curses since they could hit the students behind him. The wall fell to pieces, and Harry began his attack. He used only curses that were allowed by the ministry, and used his Holly wand since no-one was to know of his other ones.
He muttered "Filipendo" and fired a bludgeoning curse at the first Death Eater, hitting him in the solar plexus and knocking him back about ten feet and into the Hogwarts Express with a crash. With a flick of his wand, and a muttered "Protego Inversa Fortaeus" he created a shield that reflected the incoming stunner, body-bind and bone-crushing spell that was flung towards him, and strengthened all three curses slightly, causing the casters to fall down. 'Six down, four to go…' thought Harry. He was saying his spells so that none of the students who were watching would know of his ability to cast wordlessly.
Getting irritated, he dropped his last idea, and wordlessly slashed his wand diagonally, flinging a powerful burning curse at two of the Death Eaters. One died screaming, while the other shielded it slightly, and he passed out in pain, his body smoldering. With two left, Harry stared at them menacingly. He raised his wand with a flick and created a golden shield that absorbed the incoming skull-crushing curse, and waved it in a jerking motion, a black cannonball being fired at the man's ribcage at high speeds, crushing his chest and blowing him through windows on either side of the train to land on the ground thirty feet away and quite dead.
He snarled at the last man, who gulped, the action looking comical compared to the snarling mask that he wore. The man feebly sent the killing curse at him, only to have Harry conjure a block of wood to take it, and return his shot with a reductor curse that blew the man's legs to bits, the skin being slashed slightly while the bone simply crumbled away.
Harry waved his wand about, and summoned all the live Death Eaters into a pile. He stunned them and healed their injuries, snapped their wands and banished their portkeys. He triggered the portkeys on the dead Death Eaters, sending their bodies back to a room in Riddle Mansion. He shrunk the bodies of the live Death Eaters and tossed them into a conjured jar, putting small holes into the cap to allow them to breathe and an anti-apparation ward in case any of them woke up. With a few waves of his wand, he healed Hagrid, the six students, the Weasleys and Granger, and woke them up, making them scramble around until they realized there was no threat.
Harry snorted, and turned back to the carriages, only to notice an awestruck student body staring at him. He had put on his school robes about twenty minutes before the train stopped, wearing them over his shirt. Since he had not been sorted yet, it looked like a black robe, albeit one with amazing quality, and the close fit of the robes showed off his muscular body to the drooling females of the school. Of course, the fact that he had just subdued ten Death Eaters by himself certainly made him a more uh…intriguing person to them.
He got into a carriage with Daphne, Daphne and Tracy and left for Hogwarts in silence, the jar of stunned Death Eaters resting on his knee. The trip into the Great Hall was uneventful if you discounted McGonagall trying to intimidate the students with her 'stern-face', which made Harry sneer. Harry had been intimidated before by only a few people, the Elder Vampires and Werewolves, and he found neither McGonagall nor Dumbledore to be intimidating.
His new acquaintances sat down at the Slytherin table, and Harry took time to properly admire the ceiling of the Great Hall, marveling at the magics that the founders had known in their time. The students assembled, and the sorting began. Harry stood leaned against the wall at the end of the line of first years looking disinterested, but in reality carefully scanning the throngs of students to assess them. He observed that most of them wouldn't stand an ice cube's chance in hell of surviving the war; they were too innocent and childish, preferring broomsticks and makeup over the harsh realities that the war was sure to bring to their doorstep.
Finally, the first-years were sorted, and Dumbledore stood to address the crowd. With the damnable twinkle in his eye thanks to a magical channel through them, he spoke cheerfully.
"Ah, students, another great year is upon us, and we must strive to fill our minds and stomachs after a summer of relaxation. I trust you have all fared well, and we shall soon be fed and watered. But first, I must introduce to you a new student. Many of you know his name as a household utterance, although he has been away from us for many years. This very same student today protected you from the attacking battalion of Death Eaters. He is our very own Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived."
Harry snorted inwardly, mocking Dumbledore for considering ten Death Eaters a battalion, when one was made of no less than thirty of them, and had members of all ranks in them. Damning the man for his introduction as the Boy-Who-Lived, he pushed his body off the wall, and walked over to the sorting hat, giving the students a cheeky wave, a Gryffindor mask of cheerfulness on his face. Many of the girls swooned at his powerful form, while the males at the Slytherin table sneered at his obvious Gryffindorish attitude.
He sat down on the stool and drew the hat on, creating a small hole in his shields for it to penetrate through.
The hat spoke "Greetings, young Potter. A very ordered mind, I see. I thank you for creating the hole, although I must warn you that Dumbledore is trying to find it right now."
Harry mentally snorted and replied "Well, hat, he will have no success. You see, he is currently being attacked