This story takes place during the first months of the Half-Blood Prince story (HP6) at the beginning of the school year and may be continued by the canon story.

This story is a translation of my original fanfic "La Dama Oscura". Please, forgive any spelling and grammar mistakes.

...

It was the strangest dream Harry had ever had, and yet he felt a strange familiarity. It seemed to him that he had been there before, but he couldn't remember when.

At first, he only heard the sound of the waves, calm and close, but when his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he could make out the shape of a fantasy beach, smooth, elongated, covered by soft, white sand, bordered by endless rows of palm trees. The water whispered, crawling across the sand. It had not yet dawned, and he only felt peace and tranquility.

Harry couldn't remember where he had seen that place before, since he had never visited a beach like this in person. But he kept having that strange feeling of having been there before, although perhaps with another body and another name.

But then the rustling of water transformed into something else: the hiss of a snake, close and threatening. Harry put himself on guard, sensing that he was in danger, but there was nothing and no one near him.

The once calm water became a surface of moving scales, illuminated by the soft moonlight. The palm trees fell to the ground and grew in size, joining together, forming an elongated, hissing mass. The snake's skin was infinite and seemed to enclose the world. Harry found himself surrounded by that very long, scaled body, with no possibility of escape.

Suddenly, the circle closed, and Harry felt the animal seize and immobilize him in a cold embrace, and he found himself trapped, unable to escape or breathe. In the distance, he heard a woman's screams, but he couldn't understand her words.

His left eye began to hurt, as if it were burning...

ooo

Several kilometers away, the woman opened her eyes.

It was the same dream again, with the beach, the sea, and the snake. And that unbearable pain... But this time she had felt something different, like a presence next to her. She could have sworn it was a boy...

"Is the mistress all right?" a house-elf looked at her with concern, from the foot of the bed. Her huge, rounded green eyes shone in contrast to her grayish skin.

"It's nothing, Win," she answered, with a tired voice. She hadn't been able to sleep for several nights, and it was taking a toll on her. But with an effort, she stood up, ignoring the pain in her head, and let Win prepare her clothes.

Even though she didn't want to do it, she looked at the mirror and groaned. She was in her mid-thirties, but her reflection looked like that of an older person. Her black hair fell in disarray over her shoulders, disheveled after the hectic night, and her eyes were framed by deep circles.

But what stood out most about her face was the scar that ran from the left side of her forehead to her chin. The dark line crossed her eye, her cheek, and almost touched the corner of her lip. Her left eye was, for that reason, opaque gray, like a sphere filled with smoke, and contrasted with her healthy eye, which seemed immersed in darkness.

That scar was a mark that allowed her to be distinguished from the other death eaters and made everyone recognize her. She was the Lady, and that was how they should refer to her.

The Lady dressed with Win's help, checking that her black robe covered her from her neck to her feet. She gathered her wavy hair into a tight bun, and looking in the mirror, set her features in a careful neutral expression. She had to hide at all costs any hint of nervousness or emotion from her face.

She also protected her mind, raising all the barriers that Occlumency could provide. She looked towards the house-elf, who nodded to her, confirming that everything was in order. Then the Lady squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and left her chambers.

Lord Voldemort was waiting for her.

ooo

"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione's voice brought him back to reality. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it even more, trying to focus on the conversation.

"It's that dream... I can't get it out of my head. It's like I was inside Voldemort's mind, but it wasn't him. I think I heard a woman's voice."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked. "It could be a trick from You-Know-Who."

"I don't know. The sensation is different, it didn't seem like she wanted to possess me. It's as if I had entered her mind, and not the other way around. Besides, my scar didn't hurt," Harry looked towards the teachers' table, from where Dumbledore briefly returned his gaze. He had already spoken to the headmaster that morning, but he had not known the meaning of that dream either. "I tell you, it was a woman," he insisted.

"And why are you having that kind of dream? It does not make any sense. A tropical beach..." Hermione looked around and lowered her voice. "Was it anything like the dream you had about Nagini attacking Mr. Weasley?"

"No, she wasn't attacking anyone, in fact, she was afraid. I had the feeling that she was hiding. I wish I knew from what."

But neither Ron nor Hermione could give him an answer, and Harry soon became thoughtful again.

Why was the woman yelling at him?

ooo

The Lady positioned herself next to Voldemort, occupying a prominent place in front of the death eaters. Not even Bellatrix was allowed to stand shoulder to shoulder next to the Dark Lord, and yet this stranger did it as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Many had still not gotten over the impression when, a few weeks before, their lord had introduced them to that woman.

"This is my daughter," he had told them. "You will obey her as you obey me."

Only the oldest remembered hearing the rumors, many years ago, of the existence of that Slytherin heiress. Very few had gotten to know her when she was young, and no one had seen her since the fall of the Dark Lord.

She was thought to be dead, killed by the aurors at the end of the First Wizarding War.

Voldemort himself was unaware that she had survived, as he had never bothered to look for her, but the snakes had warned him a few weeks before of the existence of another Parselmouth speaker in the country, and that is why he had found her.

Now, the Lady was his new favorite, overtaking Bellatrix and Snape. The first had been furious, and the second had turned pale when he saw her, but neither had dared to protest loudly at the presence of the witch.

Voldemort was delighted with her. She was silent, obedient, loyal, and very powerful. It was rumored that her powers almost equaled those of her lord, and that she did not need to use a wand to do magic.

And to prove her worth, Voldemort had entrusted her with a mission.

ooo

"He's going to send her to Hogwarts," Snape whispered, so that only Dumbledore could hear him. "He wants her to act the same way Umbridge did but serving the dark side."

"And he thinks I'm going to allow it?"

"She is very powerful. She will be able to pass through the protective spells. She has the ability to manipulate the minds of those around her."

"Do you fear her?" Dumbledore studied the professor's expression carefully. Snape did not respond immediately, but instead pushed the breakfast around, with the help of a fork.

"She's capable of anything," he finally answered, with a serious face. He seemed more sullen than usual, but the headmaster sensed that this time his frown was due to restlessness, and that worried him.

It was unusual to see that man with nerves of steel so nervous.

"If she tries to do something against the students–"

"I won't allow it."

They both remained silent for a few seconds. Dumbledore absently stroked his withered black hand while the professor continued to manhandle the food on his plate.

"I remember hearing rumors about her before the end of the First War, but then it was said that she died. Alastor claimed to have killed her."

"He must have mistaken her with another woman."

"Where has she been until now?"

"The snakes found her. They told the Dark Lord that there was someone speaking Parseltongue in an abandoned castle outside a small town in Scotland."

The old headmaster looked at him suspiciously over his half- moon glasses.

"She is his biological daughter. How could he not find her before? It shouldn't be so difficult for him to locate someone who has the same blood as him. And why didn't she contact him before?" Snape held his gaze without blinking, defending himself from the implicit accusation that he was hiding something.

"The Dark Lord hasn't explained the details," he whispered coldly, sitting up very straight. "But it's possible... she may not have used magic in all this time."

"What? The Lady living as a squib?" Dumbledore's eyes expressed the same disbelief as his voice, but Snape shrugged, still keeping his imperturbable mask.

"The other death eaters think she was affected by the Dark Lord's disappearance. It's possible that they were linked in some way that I can't understand, and his destruction left her... injured," Dumbledore continued looking at him, with skepticism in his eyes. "Be that as it may, the return of the Dark Lord has brought her back, and he considers her his new weapon. She has become much more important than Bellatrix."

ooo

"Have you understood it?" Voldemort asked, with a hissing voice.

She nodded silently. In fact, the mission seemed simple. She had to enter Hogwarts, take control and turn it into a center for teaching the Dark Arts.

"You will have the assistance of Narcissa. She is much more suitable than that elf," Mrs. Malfoy was also present, and nodded at her name. Voldemort had appointed her as her personal assistant, but the Lady knew that one of her duties was to monitor her every movement and spy on her.

But the Lady had counted on it, and did not protest, even though she had to temporarily separate from her faithful Win.

She bowed back at Voldemort, showing her agreement. After all, she was his most loyal follower.

"Do not disappoint me, my daughter."

ooo

Before becoming the Dark Lord, lord Voldemort had been Tom Riddle, a handsome, ambitious and manipulative young man. With his charisma and persuasion skills, he could handle all those around him and subject them to his will.

He liked adulation and power, and he got that easily from both men and women. However, what he liked most was causing pain.

There was something about the act of torture that gave him a satisfying power. Already in the orphanage, as a child, he had developed various methods of causing pain to those who were weaker than him, and as a young adult, he discovered that sometimes the greatest harm was done by causing pain to those whom his enemies loved.

It didn't take long to discover that, in a way, the sexual act could also serve its bloodiest purposes.

Although he prided himself on not being tempted by the weakness of human passions, he did appreciate the immense satisfaction he derived from torturing and humiliating the witches close to his rivals.

That form of punishment, however, was still animalistic and grotesque for him, so it was soon abandoned.

One of his victims had been returned to her family, at death's door. No one expected that the woman would survive long enough to give birth, but perhaps, as a last act of defiance, the young witch resisted until she heard the first cries of the child that, against her will, she had brought into the world.

The family kept quiet about the event and hid the baby. Even having a despicable father, the girl was loved for the bond she shared with her mother. However, that weak security did not last long.

The girl was a descendant of Slytherin, and the snakes found her right away. They would sneak into her crib and curl up around her. It didn't take them long to bring news of her existence to the Dark Lord.

He didn't appreciate the existence of the stupid brat, and his first instinct was to eliminate her.

However, the snakes had also revealed to him that the girl was capable of performing magic at only eighteen months old.

This fact made her an important weapon that he could use in the future, so lord Voldemort decided to allow the girl to live and watch over her from afar.

The death eaters began to harass her family, ensuring that the girl was raised with values consistent with the regime that the Dark Lord wanted to establish. As soon as she was able to speak, she began to be instructed in the dark arts, so that she would be ready for her lord.

And on the day the girl turned four years old, lord Voldemort deigned to visit her. He had not yet decided what use to give to this creature, and he wanted to evaluate her magical potential before continuing with her training.

Until that moment, the girl's family had custody of her, and despite the presence of the death eaters, they had cared for her and loved her. She was the greatest treasure of that house, and the last memory of the daughter they had lost. And that's why, when she stood in front of that man who everyone said was her father, the girl let herself be carried away by her childish innocence.

"Dad, do you love me?"

He looked at her, his eyes lit with a reddish glow, and his mouth pressed into a thin line. Then he swung his wand, as if it were a whip, and she fell to the ground, screaming in pain, her face hurting, covered in blood.

ooo

The Daily Prophet, like the Ministry of Magic, had fallen into the hands of the death eaters, who did not hesitate to use it to their advantage.

That morning, the Lady's photograph occupied the front page, under the headline "The Ministry imposes order at Hogwarts."

Three pages explained that, given the carelessness with which Dumbledore ran the school, and in retaliation for the horrendous attack committed against Dolores Umbridge, the Ministry had decided to take matters into its own hands and send the Lady to impose order.

Hogwarts could not refuse, since the order came from the Ministry itself, and disobedience would be punished.

In the Great Hall, everyone was commenting on the news. Even the Slytherin students seemed worried, and that didn't bode well.

"Can they really do something like that?" Hermione asked, for the umpteenth time.

"He's You-Know-Who, he can do anything," said Ron.

"Dumbledore will not allow it," Harry was very sure, putting all his faith in the headmaster. "He won't let her set foot in Hogwarts."

However, at that same moment, the headmaster stood up and raised his hands, asking for silence. His face was serious, and the other teachers wore identical expressions.

"You have all read the news of the Daily Prophet," his voice echoed throughout the room. "Unfortunately, it is a problem that we cannot prevent," he confessed, and the murmurs of the students rose in protest. "Hogwarts is protected by the most powerful shields, but I fear that the... the Lady may penetrate them," Harry did not miss his slight hesitation, and clenched his fists, worried. "But I ask you not to be scared. Many aurors and other wizards loyal to Hogwarts will be present to protect you. We will try to fight it and expel her, in case we cannot–"

His words were abruptly interrupted by a loud click that echoed through the large room. The magical ceiling that covered the Great Hall flickered, momentarily losing the image of the slightly cloudy sky, as if it were a poorly tuned television.

Another click made the glasses and plates vibrate, and a more powerful blow made the stone walls rumble and the candles and torches flicker.

From the door behind the teachers' table, a group of wizards rushed in, waving their wands. Harry distinguished among them some members of the Order of the Phoenix. They were joined by the professors, who had stood up, wands in hand, ready to fight for the protection of the castle.

A new sound, high-pitched and trembling like a moan, filled the Great Hall, causing everyone to shudder.

"She's coming in," Snape whispered, leaning into the headmaster's ear.

He nodded, his face completely serious. His eyes no longer shone with the mocking spark that was usual in them but were cold and calculating. His wand emitted a faint silver glow, as the headmaster silently raised the last protective shield, meant to protect the students.

A loud knock suddenly shook the doors of the dining room, threatening to break them. The students of the first years screamed in fear, and many stood up from their places, scared.

Harry grabbed his wand, and felt Ron rising next to him, his fists clenched, but his expression determined. He was also preparing to fight.

Then the doors burst open, and the Lady entered.

ooo

The scar did not heal, and remained on her face, a reminder of what she should never name: love.

Her left eye had lost the ability to see, and it burned with a deep, stabbing pain that seemed to drill into her brain.

When the reddish liquid flooding it cleared, it revealed a grayish sphere, which contrasted with her other bright blue eye.

Voldemort was merciless with his punishment. He tortured and murdered all the members of her family, forsoften her with their stupid and useless feelings, and he took away from the girl any human being who showed concern towards her.

He only allowed tutors chosen by himself to visit her, sporadically, to teach her to read, and give her the basic knowledge that a witch should know.

However, he left the house-elf Win alive, as the girl still needed someone to take care of her basic needs, and Voldemort considered house-elves to be inferior creatures not worth observing.

The girl was precocious and could easily perform spells and enchantments without using a wand, so Voldemort decided to increase her knowledge of the dark arts, and he harassed her relentlessly.

And so that she could never rebel against him, he used the blood bond that united them to control and monitor her every movement.

And the girl learned and became stronger. At five years old, she was already capable of performing magic like an adult witch. At eight, she mastered the unforgivable curses. Three months later, she murdered her first victim. He brought her muggles that his death eaters captured and forced her to practice on them.

Little by little, he destroyed her innocence, and turned her into a cruel, cold and ruthless being who always obeyed and never complained. He controlled her mind, and dominated even her smallest thought, as if she were a puppet that he controlled at his will.

And she changed. She forgot how to laugh, and how to play. She had no thoughts or desires of her own, and her will was always subject to that of her master.

She could no longer remember the voices of her grandparents or the faces of her aunts and uncles. And slowly, her bright blue eye faded, plunging into darkness.

ooo

The Lady stopped for a second in the doorway to look around with her dark eye, but she continued on her way, her shoulders back and her eyes looking straight ahead. The death eaters who accompanied her followed, emboldened.

Dumbledore stepped forward, pointing his wand at her, as did the rest of the teachers and many of the students. The aurors and members of the Order quickly spread out among the tables to shield the students.

A curse flew at her from the side, but the Lady raised a hand, causing the beam of light to diffuse into the air. However, that was only the beginning of the assault.

Many other wizards attacked her, hoping to overcome her defenses, and the air was filled with lightning and sparks of all colors. Each and every attacker was trying to hurt or incapacitate her in some way.

However, no curse, no matter how powerful, ever touched her. It was as if an invisible wall surrounded her, raised only by her willpower.

The shield also protected those who were with her, and believing himself safe, one of the death eaters stepped forward, and aimed directly at Dumbledore.

"Avada Kedavra."

Screams were heard throughout the dining room as the green beam streaked through the air, straight into Dumbledore's chest.

Many wanted to come forward to protect the headmaster, but then, the lightning bolt dissolved, as if it were made of dust, without claiming its victim.

Before anyone could react, the death eater's wand turned bright red, like a hot iron. He let go of it, yelling in pain. His hand was scorched and smoking.

Dumbledore looked at Snape, who had rushed to his side in a protective gesture, but the death eater's face revealed that he had not been responsible for that spell.

And then everyone in the Great Hall was forced to lower their wands and remain silent. None of their efforts helped them escape from that forced immobility.

The only thing that could be heard was the whimpering of the wounded death eater, kneeling on the ground. The Lady stood next to him, looking at him with contempt.

"I seem to remember ordering not to attack," her whisper, soft but perfectly audible, sounded like lord Voldemort's, and Harry couldn't help but feel goosebumps. "Do you consider yourself special to violate my orders?"

"No, my lady."

"Do you think you are above me to disobey?"

"No, my lady. It will not happen again, my lady," the death eater cowered in on himself, terrified.

"Of course not," she assured. She snapped her fingers in front of the death eater's face, and he fell unconscious.

However, as soon as he touched the ground, he began to stir in silence, giving great spasms, and opening his eyes in terror.

"For Merlin's sake, what's wrong with him?" Parvatil whispered, looking terrified at the death eater.

"It's imaginary torture," Hermione replied, barely moving her lips. "You think you see the most horrible thing in the world, but it only happens in your mind."

"But is it real?"

"Of course it is! Look at him!"

The death eater seemed to be suffering unspeakably, as if he were being subjected to the CruciatusCurse, but the Lady ignored him, and looked straight ahead, facing her forced audience.

"I have not come to conquer Hogwarts, nor to massacre its students," although she spoke in a low voice, everyone heard her deep voice clearly. "My lord has great respect for this school and its professors. He considers that some changes must be made, but that does not include the shedding of blood that is so valuable and scarce," she looked around, and fixed her sight on the members of the Order, and on the aurors who accompanied them. "I see that you don't trust me, Dumbledore," she added, as if she were disappointed.

With a wave of her hand, she made all the wizards who weren't Hogwarts professors disappear without a trace.

Behind her, the death eaters smiled confidently, and some of them laughed. The teachers, on the other hand, seemed worried, and Dumbledore, clearly furious, struggled to free himself from his invisible bondage.

"You should not fear, they have not suffered any damage. I have sent them to Hosmeade, from where they can return to their homes. In return, I also offer a sign of trust," she waved her hand again, and all the masked figures accompanying her also disappeared, except for three. "The Carrow siblings will be in charge of teaching two of the Hogwarts subjects. And she is my assistant," she explained.

In a subtle movement of her fingers, she restored mobility to the teachers, who stirred angrily. Dumbledore was boring into her with his blue eyes, and his fury radiated from his body like the light of a bonfire. However, the Lady seemed calm.

"As I have already said, I have not come to fight and I do not intend to harm the students, and this will continue to be the case as long as there is collaboration on the part of the teachers. But for everyone's sake, I would like to discuss the issues that my lord wants to resolve in private."

ooo

When the professors, the death eaters and the Lady left the Great Hall, the students were freed from the immobility spell and began to exchange impressions.

"Have you seen that?"

"I couldn't get my wand!"

"She just snapped her fingers!"

"What is she going to do to us?"

"She didn't even use her wand."

"The teachers couldn't handle her."

At the Slytherin table, although most students could boast of purity of blood or connection to the death eaters, signs of concern were also exchanged. The older students didn't like the ease with which the Lady had driven out the death eaters.

Draco Malfoy was even more worried. He knew that the Lady's mysterious assistant was his mother, and he didn't quite know how to feel.

Would Narcissa's life be in danger if something went wrong? How could she protect herself from a mistress who changed her mind suddenly, and could make them disappear with a snap of her fingers?

At Gryffindor's table, the atmosphere was heated. They discussed the attack suffered by Dumbledore and how close he had been to dying. Many angry voices had also been raised protesting the presence of the death eaters and the expulsion of the aurors.

The former members of Dumbledore's Army gathered around Harry, as if he had the solution to the problem.

"Something must be done against her!" Colin exclaimed, angrily.

"Like what?" Seamus snapped. "Have you not seen what she has done? She could make us disappear! Or go crazy!"

"My hand completely fell asleep, I wasn't able to touch my wand," Ginny protested.

"I had it in my hand, but I couldn't pronounce any spell," Lavender hugged herself scared.

But Harry wasn't really listening, instead staring absently at the broken doors. Slowly, a strange grimace crossed his face, as if he had thought about something that amused him.

"Dude, what are you thinking about?" Ron asked him, in the middle of all the commotion, observing his enigmatic smile.

"With her here, I would like to know how Snape is going to continue pretending that he is loyal to both sides."

ooo

At that moment, Snape accompanied the group of teachers, advancing as far away from the Lady as possible, but without losing sight of her.

It was true that his situation was very delicate, especially due to the presence of the Carrows. The death eater siblings didn't understand subtlety, and Snape feared they would ruin everything by forcing him to blow his cover.

As for the Lady... she seemed very sure of herself, even in front of Dumbledore. Even from the rear of the group, it was clear that the headmaster was struggling to free himself from the controlling spell, but she remained stiff and unwavering, not giving an inch.

How would the next minutes unfold? And the following days? Would he be able to play his role without making mistakes? He had to admit, he was nervous. There was too much at stake.

When they reached the staff room, the Lady sat at one of the heads of the table, facing Dumbledore. The others spread out around them, in their usual positions, except for Narcissa, who stood near the wall, away from the others, as if she wanted to become invisible.

The Lady spoke in her deep, calm voice, explaining what changes were going to happen at Hogwarts.

By order of the Dark Lord, each and every one of them would focus on the dark arts. Amycus Carrow would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, and his sister Alecto would teach Muggle Studies.

The professors glared at her, without hiding their hatred, but they could not oppose her orders. She continued to dominate them with that strange and infuriating spell that prevented them from moving.

However, they all knew very well that their priority was to protect the students, and they would do anything to keep them safe.

Dumbledore couldn't do anything against her either, but he studied her carefully, looking for any sign of weakness that would allow him to attack her.

After all, the Lady was still human, and no matter how powerful she was, she couldn't be in control forever.