Work Text
Story Note:
First: this story features a very Dark!Harry; not grey as he was in Rise of the Dark Angel, but dark; in this story, not even Voldemort will compare to him. Harry will be dark and twisted, and he'll have little to no mercy; he won't really care who gets hurt by what he does. All he'll care about is the pleasure he gets from seeing them in pain.Second: this story is an AU; that means ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, as in, it does not strictly follow canon. I unleased my imagination and as such there will be moments of OOC-ness and there will be things that probably doesn't happen in real life. But again, ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, and FANFICTION.So, please, don't read something and then leave a review saying that it is wrong because it didn't happen that way in the book or that isn't the way the person would've acted or nothing like that would've happened in real life.Seriously, I wrote a little one-shot, Payback, and I made sure to say that the story was a crack-fic and that there would probably be things that made no sense and I still got reviews asking why this happened this way, and why were they in court if it was a divorce? (because they don't understand that divorce courts exist and are used if one side decides to fight *eye roll*) and people telling me the story made no sense and was not what someone would do, or things along those lines.It's like people forget that fanfiction is literally fan fiction. So, if you want canon, go read the books or watch the movies.Third: the chapters will contain warnings depending on the content, so please, take heed of the warnings as you go along; if they are not your cup of tea, then hit the back button/exit ASAP! If any reviewer ignores this message and then leaves me a review saying either they disliked something or they criticized me for something that I already warned against, not to be rude, but this will be my response: a very polite, but firm FUCK OFF! Along with the reviewer getting called out (i.e. their review will be shown in the next chapter). I swear, I'm not a rude person, I'm actually really nice and polite, but I just had to get that out there.Fourth: you guys know me, so you know, this will eventually end up containing SLASH, more specifically of the Harry/Draco type (I seriously believe I can't write an HP story without it including Drarry in some form or another )Now…on with the story.Setting: book verse; movie verse; AU; some canon Story Summary: Years of abuse and neglect takes its toll on a young Harry, leaving in its wake something dark and dangerous that will bring about changes that no one, least of all The British Wizarding World, will be prepared for.HP Disclaimer: this story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, Warner Bros. Studios and Bloomsbury/Scholastic Books. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended, and no money is being made from this.General Disclaimer: anything recognizable, unless stated otherwise, is not mine. Whatever it is, it belongs to whoever it belongs to and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended, and no money is being made from it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
True evil only comes by corrupting something truly good
In his very short life, eight-year-old Harry Potter has only known pain. For as long as he could remember, he was constantly yelled at, punished, left alone, starved and beaten by his aunt, uncle and cousin. And it didn't just stop at his so-called family either. Even the other people in the neighbourhood, the kids especially, were mean to him and all because of what his family told them. At school, it was just as bad. The teachers would always believe Dudley instead of him and then he was always punished; sometimes for the things that Dudley did that he then got blamed for, sometimes for lying as they said he was doing and sometimes for both.Which was what had happened today. He sat in the empty classroom and watched as his fellow schoolmates played outside in the yard. He stared at them wishing he was out there playing as well, but he couldn't because he was stuck inside in timeout. Dudley had been the one to spill the juice, but like always, whenever Dudley did something wrong, he got the blame and was the one to be punished. And it wasn't fair.At school and at home, he was always blamed and punished for things that Dudley did and when he tried to say it wasn't him, he was never believed. He didn't have any friends because he was picked on by his cousin and his friends who made sure that no one would come near him. They told lies that got him in trouble and would always steal his stuff.And as he sat there and watched them, he felt something stir within him. He didn't know what it was, but he had felt it before; every time something happened and he got punished unfairly, or when the teachers and other adults ignored him or believed Dudley over him. It made him feel itchy and sent a weird feeling through his stomach and would make his heart race sometimes.'I wish that the jungle gym would fall. That it would break and that they would all get hurt,' Harry thought hatefully.Mere seconds later, he was startled when a loud groan echoed through the schoolyard. The noise frightened the kids while the teachers looked around in confusion. Another groaned echoed and then, almost impossibly, the jungle gym started shaking before it collapsed in on itself, and on the children that were on it. Screams of panic, terror and fear sounded as kids ran away and the teachers ran to the now collapsed jungle gym.Inside, Harry stared at the sight with wide and disbelieving eyes. Had he been the one to do that? He'd just been wishing for the gym to collapse and it did. But still. He was in here. And he was only eight years old. How could it have been him that made the gym fall down when he wasn't even close to it?He slowly stood up and walked over to the window, green eyes unblinkingly latched on to the scene outside. It was almost pretty how crazy everyone was running around. He could hear all the cries and screams of everyone and it left something warm tingling in his belly and without even realizing it, there was a smile on his face. If anyone were to see it, they would be taken aback by how dark and malicious it was.Soon enough, the entire school was in an uproar and completely chaotic. Parents, cops and other people from the neighbourhood were all over the school, all of them talking about the freak accident.Harry stood near the school's entrance and watched it all happen. A lot of people were crying and some parents were even yelling at the teachers. He could hear them asking why and how the gym could've broken but no one was saying anything. And as he watched the bodies of his classmates being covered with white sheets and put into a van, that same warm, tingling feeling spread throughout his body.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, hidden location in the Scotland hills
Sybil Trelawney, the Divination professor at Hogwarts, was heading back to her rooms after another staff meeting. It was one she never liked attending simply due to the fact that she knew the other professors did not like her, especially Minerva.'Which is such a shame as cats are some of those animals with a sensitivity to magic and the otherworld…hmmm…maybe that's why Minerva hates it so…'She had just turned down the corridor, her door in sight, when she stiffened, her eyes going wide and vacant."The balance of Light and Dark is in peril…an innocent soul in danger of being lost…when tears of red are spilt, a new evil will emerge…protect the one and Light shall rule…fail and Dark shall conquer all…the balance of Light and Dark is in peril…" Harsh coughing wracked through Sybil's body and she had to lean against the wall for a moment."Hmm…weird," Sybil murmured as she resumed her trek. "I don't remember eating or drinking anything to make me cough." She shrugged. "Oh well."Behind her, a portrait stared in horror. The man knew that Trelawney had no idea of what she had said, but knew he had to let Dumbledore know immediately.Another prophecy had been made.~…~The man moved from portrait to portrait, hurrying to Dumbledore. When he found him, he attempted to gain the Headmaster's attention."Headmaster," the man shouted out, "I need to tell you something. It's about Trelawney."Dumbledore was on his way out to a meeting with the Minister and stopped only long enough to relay that before he left, indicating that he would be available upon his return. Unfortunately, by the time he did return to the school, Dumbledore had forgotten about the portrait's need to speak with him, and the man himself had pushed what he'd heard away, concluding that it was just a fluke. After all, You-Know-Who was gone and what danger was left?It was a mistake that later, would be looked back on with regret.
Little Whinging, Surrey, England
After the incident with the jungle gym, the school closed for the rest of the week while the police tried to figure out just what had happened exactly. Unfortunately, for them, they couldn't and in the end, they simply put it down to just an unfortunate accident and that perhaps the gym was old and rusty.A week and a half later, school was back on. The students were still shaken up, but it had been the consensus of the parents, teachers and authorities that it was best to get them back into their normal routine. However, the playground was still closed down, so recess would be inside, using the school's gymnasium instead.It was the class before lunch, and Harry, as always, sat by himself in a corner of the classroom, a book opened in front of him. Unlike Dudley, he loved reading. It was one of the few things his aunt and uncle had insisted he learned because it meant being able to read the cook books so that he could cook for them, but despite that, he loved it. And what made it even more enjoyable was that he knew that he was better than Dudley. Loads better.Being by himself was nothing new. He was used to it. His teachers would quickly send him to the corner or leave by himself if he was reading. Normally, it would upset him, but today, he didn't mind. He needed to think. He knew that somehow, he had made the jungle gym collapse."Oi! Freak!"He looked up to see one of Dudley's friend, Mason Cartwright, standing in front of him."What do you want Mason?" Harry asked."What do you think you're doing?" Mason asked, glaring down at the shorter boy."Reading," Harry replied, "Why? What does it look like to you?"Mason scowled and reached out to rip the book away, but Harry leaned back to avoid it. "Give it to me.""No," Harry shook his head. "I'm reading it and I doubt you'd be able to understand it so I'm not giving it to you.""You're such a stupid freak," Mason snarled. "I'm gonna enjoy pounding you.""Go away and leave me alone," Harry told the other boy. "I didn't do nothing to you and just want to read."Mason grinned and pushed the boy to the floor. "And I say no."Laying on the floor, Harry stared up at the other boy. He felt that feeling again, the need to punish Mason for daring to hurt. His eyes flickered to the bookshelf and back and for a split second, they were completely black.There was a low rumble, drawing confused looks from teacher and students, then the feel of the building shaking. The shaking got louder and worse and then, the bookshelf detached from the wall and fell over. On Mason.The students started screaming and crying, and the teacher tried to keep them calm. When the shaking was over, the teacher looked over her students. She saw Harry on the floor and hurried to his side, thinking he was hurt.She helped him to his feet, and that's when she saw the arm sticking out from under the bookcase. She paled and ran to the door yelling for help.Harry stood still, book clutched into his hands, staring at Mason buried underneath the bookshelf. He was sort of aware of the teacher freaking out and the other students crying, but his focus was on Mason. He had done it again. He had wished for the books and the shelf to fall on Mason and it had happened. He turned away, and as he did so, a satisfied smile was on his face, one that was seen only by Dudley.
Dursley House, No. 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging Surrey, England
Later that evening, Petunia and Dudley, along with their neighbours, were watching the news as the newscaster talked about the second tragedy to hit Little Whinging Primary School in two weeks. First a jungle gym collapses, then just over a week later, what seems to be a mini earthquake hits the school, causing injury to another student; although, officials were baffled as the earthquake, if that is what it was, had only been localized to the school. Nowhere else had been hit with shakes or tremors.Dudley scowled at the cupboard under the stairs where his freak of a cousin was sleeping. Mason had been hurt. And Dudley had seen the way his cousin had smiled. He didn't know how, but he knew it was Harry that hurt Mason. He must've used his freaky magic to do it."Harry hurt Mason," Dudley tattled to his mother, startling her."What did you just say Dudders?" Petunia asked, eyes flickering the door under the stairs and back to her son."I said it was Harry who did it," Dudley repeated, glee filling him at the thought of his freak of a cousin getting punished. "I saw him. He used his freaky magic and he was smiling when he did it."A nasty sneer filled Petunia's face and she threw a dark look towards the stairs where her freak of a nephew was sleeping. Punishment was easy enough; he would have no breakfast tomorrow.~…~Due to the newest incident at school, the students had the rest of the week off. True to her word, Petunia withheld breakfast as punishment from her nephew, and sent him to the backyard to work on the garden. She wanted him out of her sight, and of the neighbours.Harry didn't care. For once, he didn't mind working outside in the garden. He was alone, and he could think about everything that had been happening. He had caused the jungle gym to collapse, he had caused the school to shake and the bookcase to fall on Mason. Somehow, he was able to do things just by thinking it. His gaze turned to the bed of flowers in front of him, and he wondered…moments later, every flower was in bloom, and the bed was cleaned of weeds.A smile wormed across his face, but it was wiped away moments later when he heard barking. Small, high-pitched yapping from a small yet brutal dog. Marge was here…and so were her hellhounds.He whirled around and stood up, watching as the three dogs ran to him. Standing at the back door stood Marge, a satisfied smile on her face.He thought about the last few weeks; the things he's been able to do, what he just did with the flower bed. And then, he remembered all the bites, the scratches, all the times the stupid dogs chased him around and made him cry, the way they all laughed and did nothing.Not today.He glared at the three dogs. The one in front let out a yelp as two of its legs broke, stopping it and sending to the ground; another was lifted and sent through the air, slamming against the house, then fell to the ground with a thud, body no longer moving; and the final one, its head tore clean off its body.He heard screaming and looked up to see Marge rushing into the backyard. Moments later, Petunia and Dudley came running after.Marge collapsed to her knees next to the only dog left alive, gathering it into her arms, crying over its broken legs. She looked around at the remains of her other two dogs and then up at her brother's freak of a nephew. He had done this. And the little freak was smiling."YOU!" Marge screamed. "What did you do?!"Harry smirked and said nothing.Enraged, Marge surged to her feet, hand raised as if to hit the boy.Unbeknownst to Harry, his magic rose within and pressed out. It pushed against Marge, pushing her to the ground. The remaining dog barked and growled at Harry and he glared at it; its chest tore open, the heart falling to the ground.Marge was horrified, but more than that, she was terrified. "What are you?"By that point, Petunia had reached them, and she stopped, frozen, when her nephew turned his gaze towards her. Even in her frozen state, Petunia shivered; there was something wrong with the boy. Still, she had to stop him. If the neighbours even caught wind of what was going on…"Stop it!" Petunia hissed. "Do you want the neighbours to see how much of a freak you are and start asking questions? Stop it right now!"The pressure that could have been felt suddenly disappeared, leaving Marge to fully collapse back to the ground.Petunia helped her up, all the while apologizing and consoling her as the woman broke down over her beloved pets. She hissed at Harry to clean up his mess, that she didn't care how, but it needed to be done, as she slowly led her sister-in-law in the house.Harry watched them go.~…~Later that evening, Petunia sat on one of her couches, the TV was on, but her focus wasn't on it. Instead, her mind was on her nephew. The freak was getting stronger. She remembered that about Lily as well; how, the more she practiced, the better she would get. They needed to stop it. She needed to speak to Vernon.As if summoned by her thoughts, the door opened and said man walked through. Vernon Dursley took in the sight of his wife and son and smiled at the two before losing it when he caught sight of his wife's freaky nephew.Petunia got off the couch and went over to her husband. "We need to talk."Vernon was confused, but somehow, he knew it was about the boy. Oh, how he wished they hadn't taken the boy in. he had tried to argue for leaving him at an orphanage, but Pet had been adamant. "What is it Pet?"In a low voice, Petunia revealed to her husband exactly what had transpired that day, and about the two incidents that had happened over the last month. With each retelling, Vernon's face turned red then almost a purplish colour as his anger grew.At that moment, Harry walked into the room with cleaning supplies in his hand. He hadn't even noticed his uncle's presence, and as such, was unprepared for the man to step forward and strike him.Vernon's hand came down hard, and the force of the blow was enough to send Harry tumbling to the floor where he hit his head on the table."You stupid boy!" Vernon yelled as he kicked the boy. "What have I told you about doing freaky stuff?!" another kick. "How could you do that to Margie?"In between blows, Vernon spewed his venom, yelling at Harry about how they should've given him away, how he should've died with the stupid parents and save them the trouble, how they never wanted him.Petunia stood pressed against the wall as she watched her husband. She has never seen him this angry, but the boy deserved it. He had used his freaky magic in public, and worse, on Marge and had killed her dogs. Petunia still couldn't get the image of the backyard out of her mind.Harry lay on the floor, body in pain and his mind whirling. Through swollen and pained eyes, he watched his uncle and aunt and cousin. His body was in pain and felt broken. This beating was worse than all others. In his near unconscious state, he heard metal on metal and his swollen eyes opened slightly to see Vernon pull out a fire poker, and he knew that the man was going to use it on him and Harry felt as his heart was splintering apart. These were the people that were supposed to care for him, to protect and comfort him, but instead, they had spent his entire life hurting him. His eyes slipped shut as he started crying silent tears.Unbeknownst to him, his tears were not normal. They were red, and not from the blood on his face. No, he was crying tears of blood.In some cultures, it was said that when a person cried tears of blood that meant that their soul has suffered irreparable damage. The blood-red tears meant that the soul was weeping for the loss of its innocence, its purity. It was also said that only a true innocent, some whose core was good and who suffered what they should not have, would those tears be spilt.And as he laid there, the blood-red tears running down his cheeks as proof of irreparable damage being done, something within Harry snapped.Thousands of miles away, the Wizarding World's Azkaban PrisonHuddled into the corner of a dark and damp cell, sat a dog. The dog trembled and whined as a wave of magic crashed into it, forcing the canine to change shape back to its human form. And as it did, the man dropped to his knees, raised his head and released a howl, one that echoed throughout Azkaban, terrifying the rest of the prisoners while sending the Dementors scattering. The only one seemingly unafraid, was a prisoner kept in the high cells, one Bellatrix LeStrange, who cackled in glee.Back in the cell, the man's howl echoed for moments more, before tapering off, leaving him shuddering on his knees, tears spilling onto the floor. He knew what that magic was; his godson. Something had happened to Harry, something or someone had hurt him, enough that it caused the magic between them to snap back so strongly and painfully. And as he stayed on his knees, the man's own eyes darkened as a rage built within him. Whoever had damaged his godson would pay.
The Dursley House
Vernon went back to the body of his nephew, the fire poker held in his hand as he glared down at the boy. He had told Petunia that they shouldn't have taken the freak in and look what had happened! The boy had been nothing but trouble and it was time her fixed it. So, he raised the poker above his hand, intent on bringing it down as harshly as possibly.He never got the chance.His hand, and the poker, froze just above Harry's head as the boy's eyes snapped open.They were completely black.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
True evil only comes by corrupting something truly good
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, hidden location in the Scotland hills
It was lunch break and the hallways were filled with students going to and from the Great Hall, their common rooms and outside.A female student had decided to stay behind in the Divination classroom, using the quiet to finish up some homework before meeting up with her friends. She was sitting there, adding the final few paragraphs when she noticed her teacher come out of her office and head to her desk. “Hi professor.”Sybil looked up, surprise on her face at the fact that a student was still there. Normally, her students couldn’t wait to leave, especially since lunch break was right after. “Is everything alright?”The student nodded. “Yeah, I’m just finishing up some stuff before I leave, if that’s alright?”Sybil made to answer, but before she could, she froze. Her eyes went wide, pupils dilated, and there was a vacant stare to them.The student was worried. “Professor?”Sybil opened her mouth. “The innocent soul is no more…eyes as black as night, his power shall have no bounds, his evil no mercy…colour of silver is strength and weakness…with his faithful by his side, Light will fall and Darkness shall reign supreme…the window has closed, the time has passed…the innocent soul is no more”With harsh, hacking coughs, Sybil came out of her trance to see her student staring at her with wide eyes. “My dear girl, are you alright?”The teenager was freaked out and it was easy to see. Although most people believed in Divination, the general consensus among the school was that Trelawney was as close a fraud as one could get. She was sure if anyone had seen and heard what she just saw, they’d think again, because that was a premonition of some sorts.Heart pounding, the student quickly gathered her things, assured the teacher she was fine and left hurriedly left the classroom.Sybil watched her go with a confused frown. “Poor girl must’ve forgotten something.” Shaking her head, Sybil turned back to her desk.
Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, England
Vernon’s face turned red as he struggled and tried over and over to move the poker, but he couldn’t. He turned to yell at his nephew, knowing that the freak was using his freaky magic, ‘and how dare he? In my house?!’ but froze when he caught sight of him.Harry’s body slowly lifted off the floor until he was floating in front of his “family”. Before their eyes, there was what could only be described as a pulse and then, his body started to heal. When it was done, Petunia and Vernon were stunned to see the boy’s body looking as if he had never been punished.Black eyes fixed on Vernon, more specifically on the fire poker he held in his hands. Seconds later, it fell from the older man’s hand with a yelp as it had it heated up to the point of pain.Vernon could only watch on as the poker hovered in mid-air, glowing brighter until it was orange in colour.“Let’s see how you like it.” Was all the warning before the same fire poker that he had planned to use on his nephew was turned on Vernon. The man yelled as he fell to the ground, hands coming up in an attempt to stave off the beating. It didn’t work.Over and over, the red-hot fire poker lashed against Vernon’s skin, leaving behind welts and bruises. The beating continued until Petunia, though completely terrified out of her mind, took a step forward. “Stop! You’re going to kill him!”Harry was tempted to kill him, but he curbed it. He didn’t want the fat man dead as of yet. He had years of payback to give to his uncle and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.The poker was replaced, and Vernon lay on the floor, hurt and bleeding. Harry ignored him and turned his attention to his aunt. The woman flinched back when those soulless black eyes met her own.“What am I?”Unbidden, a sneer crossed Petunia’s face and for a moment, she thought about not answering. A low moan from Vernon drew her gaze to her husband and then she turned to look back at her nephew. Swallowing, she told him everything; about Lily, her magic, how she went away to that school, and then, how she died. It all came out in a bitter vitriol that she would never have been able to hide, no matter what.“So, magic,” Harry said. A slow smile spread over his face, giving him an even more chilling look, causing Petunia to shiver and take a step back.Harry slowly lowered himself to the floor and the blackness faded from his eyes until they were once again the green they normally were. His mind was more on what he had just learned instead of his aunt and uncle and he left the two in the living room as he made his way up the stairs and towards Dudley’s second bedroom, mind already thinking on things he was going to do.Downstairs, Petunia rushed over to her husband’s side. Her hands hovered over his body as she tried not to touch any of his wounds. She remembered the look on her nephew’s face, the way he had used his magic to not only heal himself, but to do this, and she knew that things had changed, and it wouldn’t be for the better; at least, not for her, Vernon or her Dudders.For the first time, Petunia was absolutely terrified of her nephew and of being in her house.
(Short time skip: A Park, Two Blocks from the Dursley House
)
A few days later, Harry was in the park, sitting on a seesaw as he thought about what he could do. Learning that he was magic had been a complete shock, but it explained everything. After that night, he had started using his magic on anything and everything. It was more than fun; it was freeing. He could do whatever he wanted, what he thought about, it happened.Now though, his gaze flittered over the park, trying to find something to do. He saw some kids a distance away; some were on the seesaw, some on the slide, while three of them were on the swings. They were far away that he couldn’t hear them, but he did recognize them; they were some of his classmates who would laugh at him and join in when Dudley and his friends picked on him.They were perfect.He stared at the group before choosing the ones he thought would be easiest; the kids on the swings. He stared and stared. ‘Go faster.’To his delight, it worked. The kids on the swing started swinging even faster. There was confusion, and one kid even tried to slow down, but they kept moving faster. And then, there was a loud creak, followed by screams and then loud thuds; all three kids had been thrown from the swing, each of them landing brutally on the ground.The screams echoed throughout the park and Harry sat back and watched it all with a smile. He didn’t move until the sounds of the sirens from the ambulance and police cars showed up and he walked away without notice. He was still smiling as he made his way back to the house.As he walked, he thought more about his magic. He had already tried it out on animals, objects, even causing one man to have an accident (he was a teacher who had always been happy to punish him for things that weren’t his fault), whatever he could, and the more he did, the more he liked what he was doing.~…~Needing a way to boost morale, and to help the students move pass the horrific events, it was decided to send the school on a field trip. The primary school was very average sized, so it was not that much of a hardship to send all the students on the trip. After much thought and consideration, the London Zoo had been the choice.The day of, the air was filled with excitement from both students and teachers. The school buses out front were quickly loaded up with students. On his bus, Harry went directly to sit in the back seat. He was amused when no one came to join, but he honestly wasn’t bothered by it. He didn’t want to be friends with of them anyways. Even Dudley was keeping his distance, though his cousin was throwing him looks, but Harry ignored him and instead, focused his gaze to looking out the window. He couldn’t wait to get to the zoo. There was something he wanted to try when they got to the zoo.~…~Harry walked through the zoo, green eyes taking in everything. He stopped in front of the lion exhibit and watched, unblinking, as the male lion lifted its head and stare at him. Most of the people around him, the children especially, looked excited when they saw the lion move to its feet. The noises of excitement turned to fear when the lion roared, took a step forward and roared again; not only him, but the lionesses around him followed as they too got to their feet, glared at the glass, right at Harry and roared their displeasure at the scent of a dangerous predator in their mix.Harry stared back in response, unphased by the show before he walked away. Throughout the day, at every animal exhibit he went to, the reaction was the same; all the animals would turn to look at him before reacting in fear to his presence; soon enough, the area was filled with the screeches and roars of the agitated animals, and then the panicked and confused cries of the people who had no idea why the animals were behaving that way.His final exhibit was the reptile one. While his fellow classmates went over to the crocodiles and alligators, he came to a stop in front of a python exhibit. The animal lifted its head to stare at Harry. Its tongue flickered out and then it uncurled its body and slithered over to the glass. Unlike the others, there was no fear coming from animal.He stared at the snake, taking in the yellow scales; a quick glance at the placard noted that it was an albino python. {Beautiful}
{Why thank you}
Harry was startled, and he quickly looked around, but saw very few people near the exhibit and none of them were paying attention. His gaze went back to the snake and he saw that it was watching him. {Did-did you just talk?}The python, to his surprise, nodded.{You can talk} Harry said. If anyone had been close enough, they were would’ve been stunned, and horrified to note that he wasn’t actually speaking with words, but was hissing…just like a snake.{Of course, I can. I am more surprised by the fact that a human can understand me} the snake replied.For a moment, Harry wondered how it was he could understand the snake, but then he remembered that he was magic. ‘This must be part of my magic powers. Awesome.’ The two chatted for a bit, before an unholy gleam lit up the green eyes. {How would you like to cause some mischief?}The snake tilted its head before its tongue flickered out. Mischief? Well, he supposed it could make his day interesting, considering all that’s been happening is simply him laying around while the humans watched him. It’s not like he had anything else to do. He nodded.Harry smiled. He looked at the python enclosure, then around at the rest of the reptiles. His eyes flashed black.
{What did you do?}
Still smiling, Harry raised a hand reached out to touch the glass…only, there was no glass. Smile changing into a smirk, he stepped back, and continued doing so until he was sitting on a bench a short distance away and waited for the chaos to begin.It didn’t take long.First, was a family standing in front of a gator exhibit. The young girl went to press her hands against the glass, and instead she fell in. The gasps of surprise and disbelief became screams of horror when one of the gators realized someone was in and immediately went her way. The mother screamed, as did a few spectators, but the father reacted and grabbed his daughter, pulling her to safety. Or so he thought.As the family scrambled, the gator came right out of its enclosure and fell on the floor. Others followed.The python that Harry had been talking to made a show of slithering around its own space before it came out, snapping at a few people.Soon enough, the chaos that Harry wanted erupted as the other reptiles took advantage of their sudden freedom. The gators and crocodiles hissed and snapped their massive jaws; some people were unlucky enough to get caught in those jaws and blood was being sprayed all over. There were people convulsing on the floor from multiple snake bites, while some were wrapped up in the tight coils of a few snakes.People were fleeing in terror, screams echoing throughout the zoo, which set off some of the other animals. Gorillas, apes, and lions could be heard roaring while the howls and snarls of wolves joined the cacophony of noise.And in the midst of it all, Harry sat on the bench with a smile. He felt movement on his legs, and he looked down to see the same yellow python making its way up and around his body until its head was resting on his shoulder.
{I thought you would’ve taken this chance to escape?}
{I could have. However, I was born and raised in captivity and though I am sure I would have survived, it would not have been for long. Staying with you seemed my best chance}
Harry thought about it for a few seconds, but then realized that having a pet snake could come in really handy. {Alright.} he didn’t want anyone to stop him, so with a brief thought and touch of his magic, the python turned invisible. Satisfied, he stood up and calmly made his way out of the zoo, bypassing all the panicked, grief-struck people.Outside, the chaos continued. There were ambulances and police cars and people crying and still running away. He saw the school buses and made his way over to one. He got on, and went all the way to the back, sitting in the back seat, knowing that no one would come back sit next to him.His hand came up and rubbed the python’s head, and he giggled when he felt the tongue flick out and tickle his neck. {So, what do you eat?}
{Rodents…like mice}
Harry held up his hand. It took but a moment for a small, white mouse to appear. He threw it in the air and watched as it seemingly disappeared. As the python ate his meal, Harry hummed as he looked out the window. He could still hear the screams and could see the police running into the building. He smiled.~…~The next day, Harry was once again at the park. School had been cancelled, again, due to what had happened at the zoo. When he had left the house, the news channels were all still talking about the zoo; the amount of carnage that had occurred, including deaths due to animal attacks and trampling. The Dursleys had looked at him in fear and he had felt so good.Now, he was sitting on the same bench, watching as Dudley’s friend Piers walked in his direction with a grin.“Oi! Potter!” came the greeting as Piers drew closer.Harry said nothing, just watched the boy come closer.“Didn’t you hear me calling you, freak?” Piers asked, stomping to a stop in front of his best friend’s cousin. He hated the other boy and it was so much fun to pick on him. But something was up with Dudley. He wasn’t picking on his cousin anymore and seemed to be afraid of him. Big D was afraid of his puny, weak little cousin.Harry just stared at the boy before making a move to turn away, pulling out a bag of candy as he did so.“What do you have there?” Piers demanded. He reached out and grabbed the bag from the other boy, shoving him to the ground as he did so.“I wouldn’t eat that if I were you,” Harry warned, though he did nothing to actually stop him. “It’s my candy.”“Freaks shouldn’t eat candies,” Piers sneered. “And it’s mine now.”Smirking at the other boy, Piers popped a candy in his mouth. He chewed, showing a taunting grin. After a few seconds, he swallowed and opened his mouth to eat another piece…or rather, he tried to. The candy hadn’t gone down. It felt like rubber in his throat and it was stuck there. He started coughing, hoping to get it moved, but nothing. His hands flew to his throat, panic filling him, and tears springing to his eyes as the realization that he couldn’t breathe hit him.He glanced down at Potter, and reached out hand, begging him for help. The panic turned to fear when he saw the smile on the boy’s face and the knowledge that he wasn’t going to help him.Piers fell to the ground, choking and scrambling at the dirt and his neck. His face started turning blue and his eyes slowly started rolling back into his head. The scrambling and panicked movements went on for a few minutes more before the body went still.Satisfied, Harry stood up, brushed off the dirt from his clothes and stepped forward to stand over Piers’ body. “I told you not to eat that.”Humming, Harry turned to walk away, a smile playing around his lips. He froze however, when he saw a man standing not too far in front of him. The man had long, curly hair, and his clothes looked like the ones he got from Dudley and he was staring at him with an intense expression.Harry remained where he was, but felt his magic surge forward, ready for him to use. “Who are you?”“My name is Sirius Black,” the man said, “And I’m your godfather.”
(The day after the bond was felt—Azkaban Prison)
In his prison cell, Sirius Black shivered as he sat in the corner. For the first time in years, his mind wasn’t focused on the one truth he held (that he was innocent), nor was it on the Dementors that guarded the prison; instead, his mind was on what had happened the day before.His godson was supposed to be safe. He was supposed to be protected. But somehow, he wasn’t. The bond between them wouldn’t have snapped back that way if something hadn’t happened to Harry. He needed to get to him. His body was too weak from being around the Dementors for years, so he couldn’t just Apparate, nor could he use the bond because his magic wasn’t strong enough to support his weakened state.~…~For the next few days, Sirius paced as his mind whirled with the options, limited though they were, that he had at his disposal. His mind kept going back to Harry.The bond between godparent and child was a magical one; it was a spell, one that was cast when the child was but a few months old and was designed to let the godparent be aware if anything life-threatening happened to their godchild and to be at their side in that instant. It was how he had known about the attack on the Halloween night that James and Lily had faced Voldemort and died. He had felt Harry. And now, he had felt it again. Something had to have gone seriously wrong for the bond to react so strongly.He needed to get to his godson.Magic.He needed magic, and there was only way to get the boost and reserves he needed. He had vowed to never choose this option, but for his godson, he was willing to do anything. Even claim the heritage he had run from.He was still too weak to handle the magic. He needed to regain some more strength. So, over the next few days, with the Dementors no longer, he meditated; he focused on his magical core, seeing how damaged it was, testing it, and slowly building it up. He needed it strong enough to withstand what he really needed to do. When he felt it was, he was ready:‘This is for Harry’. “I am Sirius Orion, calling upon the ancient magic of the Noble House of Black, claiming my birth right as the last heir and scion of the family. With this claim of heritage, I accept the responsibility of those who remained loyal to the ways of the family, and vow Black Family justice to those who dared to harm one of us. Famille Avant Tout. So, I speak it, so mote it be.”Thunder roared, and lightning flashed as the magic heeded Sirius’ call. It slammed into him, the force of it enough to make him stagger a bit, but Sirius held strong. He could feel the magic moving in him, welcoming him and he let it fill him.
(Grimmauld Place, London, England)
Miles away, back in London, Mrs Black awakened in her portrait when she felt the Black family magic rush through her ancestral home. For a moment she was confused, but then the realization sank in and she started cackling. Her cackles grew louder as she took in the sight of her home slowly being transformed until it once again resembled the status of a Noble house. She knew what it meant that the magic was doing this.Sirius had reclaimed his birth right, and for that to have had happened, he had to have returned to the Dark. And only something severely drastic would have brought about such a change on her once wayward son. Whatever had caused the change, whoever had done it, would come to regret that decision for the Black in Sirius would demand retribution and vengeance and with him returning to his Dark roots, it would not be swift nor painless.
(Malfoy Manor,)
Narcissa Malfoy, née Black, was on the couch in her husband’s office, a book in her hand, while her husband Lucius sat behind his desk going over some papers.Lucius glanced up and for a moment he paused just to take in the sight of his wife. She was everything he had ever wanted in a wife and lover. Not only was she beautiful, but she had a wit and sharp tongue about her that had reduced those unfortunate to be on the receiving end to tears. Add in the fact that she was a powerful witch in her own right, and he knew that there was no one else that would have been as perfect for him as she was. Women envied and feared her in turn, and men wanted her, but she had chosen him as the one she wanted. He was brought out of his musings when his wife shot up with a gasp, the book falling from her hands. He was on his feet immediately and striding over to her with barely a thought. “Narcissa?!”He reached her side, and knelt, one hand going to her shoulders, the other around her waist to pull her body into his. “What happened? Are you ok?”It took Narcissa a few moments before she could speak. “I am fine Lucius. I was simply caught off guard.”“By what?” Lucius demanded.“Magic,” Narcissa looked up at him. “Specifically, my family magic.”His brows pulled together in a frown, not understanding what she was talking about. What about her family’s magic? What had caused her to react?“In the Black family, when the heir claims their birth right, their magical inheritance, and swears the Family Vow, the magic is felt by the remaining family members,” Narcissa revealed.“But, how is that possible?” Lucius asked. “Your cousin is the last heir to the Black family and he was disowned, was he not, for turning traitor and joining the Light and now sits in Azkaban.”“I know that Lucius,” Narcissa nodded, “But, for me to feel this particular magic, it means that something must have happened that was enough to have Sirius reclaim his magical birth right.”She fell silent and leaned against him, taking comfort from his presence as she felt the magic finally settle in her. Her words kept swirling around her mind though, and she couldn’t help but to wonder at just what could have caused her cousin to make the conscious choice to return to the family and reclaim his birth right.
(Azkaban Prison, Highest Levels; those reserved for the Most Dangerous)
Bellatrix LeStrange, née Black, was lying on the tiny cot in the cell when the Black magic rushed into her. She gasped as her back arched off the cot, holding the position for a few seconds before she fell back. She laid there for a few seconds before she started cackling, because just like her aunt, she knew what had happened.“The traitor is a traitor no longer,” Bella sang over and over until the other prisoners started yelling and shouting. It simply made her cackle even harder than her singing.
(Azkaban Prison, Lower Level)
When the magic finished settling within him, Sirius took a deep breath, held it for a moment; he could feel his strength, stronger than it was before, and a quick glance at his body showed that he wasn’t as gaunt as he was as a result of his last 7 years in prison, but he would still need time to regain his full body and full strength, but for right now, it was enough for he planned to do.He knew he couldn’t escape the prison and leave his cell empty; it would raise an alarm and people would know he was gone, and he didn’t want anyone to know just yet. So, he tore off part of his clothes, cut his palm and let his blood drip on the cloth; as it did, he quickly rattled off a familiar spell, watching with a blank expression a form appeared at his feet. Soon enough, there was a replica of himself lying on the cot.He then shifted to his Animagus form, slipped out of the cell and quickly made his way to the lower levels, closer to the ocean. He wasn’t worried about the Dementors sensing him as he had learned early on that when he was in his Animagus form, the creatures had a hard time sensing him. When he got to the lowest level, he quickly made sure no Dementors were around, and after shifting back to his human form, he used a bit of magic and created an opening in the wall that was just big enough for his Animagus form to slip through; when he was done, he shifted back to his dog form and slipped out, falling the few short feet to the ocean below.He swam the distance to the shore and the moment he got to the shore, he collapsed on the bank for a few moments to regain his breath and strength. When he did, he shook off the excess water and started running. He wanted to put some distance between him and the prison.When he was a few miles away, the dog stopped and shifted back to its human form. Sirius closed his eyes, focused on the bond between him and Harry and between one moment and the next, he was gone.
(The Park, Two Blocks from the Dursley House)
Sirius reappeared at a park and saw two boys; one was on the ground, with the other standing over him. The boy on the ground was convulsing, his hands at his throat and the other boy was just standing there watching him. When the body stopped moving, the other boy spoke.“I told you not to eat that.” With that, the boy turned, and Sirius felt recognition hit him at the sight of the familiar green eyes; green eyes that were bright with a disturbingly familiar light, one he had seen before in his cousin’s eyes.“Who are you?”“My name is Sirius Black,” he answered, “And I’m your godfather.”Harry simply stared at him. “If you’re my godfather, then where’ve you been? How come I don’t know you?”At that moment, Sirius felt the pressure of his godson’s magic reach out. His own rose in response, but he didn’t attack, or go into a defensive position; he could feel that the magic was testing, seeing if he was a threat. He was also curious as to not just the strength behind it, but the control.“Who was he?” Sirius nodded towards the dead boy. He supposed he should feel something, alarm or anything, towards what he had witnessed, and he might’ve if it had been a week or two ago.“No one,” Harry answered. He had felt the other man’s magic and it felt familiar to him, as if he had been around it before. Maybe the man really was telling the truth and he really was his godfather. There was one way to find out. He turned and headed home.Sirius said nothing as he fell into step next to the boy. He had questions, and he wanted answers, but he could wait.~…~The two arrived back at the Dursley house in short time. When they entered, Sirius remained in the doorway, in a shocked standstill when he saw a woman come through from what was obviously the kitchen. He recognized her.Why in the name of Merlin was Harry living with his mother’s sister?Sirius remembered what Lily had admitted about her sister, about why she rarely returned home during their school years, choosing instead to stay at friends, about how her sister hated magic and her having it; it was something they had bonded over, their treatment at the hands of their family. And then suddenly, he remembered the snapback he had felt; the backlash of magic that had told him that something irrevocably had happened to his godson and as that thought sunk in, coupled with his memories of Lily’s words, Sirius felt his rage fill him.Harry for his part, his attention had been taken by the television and the fact that the news was talking about the events at the zoo the day before. A smiled played on his lips as he remembered the chaos, and it grew as he heard the man on TV talking about all the deaths that had happened, both people and animals.He was startled when he felt a surge of magic press against him and he looked up to see the man who claimed he was his godfather glaring at his aunt.“You!” Petunia hissed, eyes wide and face paling when she took sight of the man standing in her home.Sirius was barely aware of her reaction, as he took a step forward, his magic lashing out in response to his rage and slamming the woman back into the wall, where she then collapsed to the floor.“What did you do?” Sirius demanded as he took another step forward, blue eyes darkened with rage.“I-I never t-touched him,” Petunia groaned out. She was so terrified. She had thought all they’d had to do was deal with her nephew, but now him? Not for the first time, did she wish she had listened to Vernon and left the little freak at an orphanage.“Legilimens!” Sirius casted, and then he dived into her memories and he saw; he saw the verbal abuse, the starvation, forcing him to do all the chores, and the few times she did touch him, though she mostly left physical punishment to her husband. His rage grew even more when he saw the day that he had felt the bond back on him; the day Vernon had nearly killed Harry.It was at that moment that Vernon stumbled down the stairs. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?!”“He’s my godfather,” Harry answered when he saw the other man still busy with his aunt. “And I brought him here.”“I should kill you both,” Sirius snarled, his magic pulsing with the need to act. It reached out and lifted Vernon up off the stairs and viciously threw him next to his wife.Harry stepped forward. “Don’t. They’ll pay, but not yet.”Still glaring at the couple, Sirius’ magic retreated as he heeded his godson’s words. “Get your stuff. We’re leaving.”“You can’t do that!” Petunia protested. “That blasted old codger said we had to keep the brat here!”Her husband however, disagreed. “Take him! We never wanted the freak in the first place!”It was clear the man had no sense left in his brain.Sirius’ eyes turned near black and his magic once again lashed out. Vernon screamed as he felt a burning sensation on his face.Harry hummed as he stood there and watched, green eyes alit with dark pleasure. A grin came on his face when he saw what his godfather, wow that was still weird, had burned onto his uncle’s face: FREAK“What did you do to me?” Vernon whispered, body shivering from the pain.“Nothing less than you deserved,” Sirius hissed back.“He can’t go out like that,” Petunia cried as she looked over at her husband. “Please.”“Not my problem,” Sirius remained unmoved by her pleas. Where were hers when she watched her husband nearly kill her nephew. “That mark will never be removed. Consider it part of your punishment for what you did. Now, I’m taking my godson, and we’re leaving.”Taking that as his cue, Harry turned and headed up the stairs, leading the older man to the bedroom he had claimed as his own. Dudley had tried to throw a fit, but one good beating later and he had stopped his sniffling and his tears. Harry had been in bliss then and was smiling now as he recalled the memory.Stepping into the room, Sirius was taken aback at the little possessions in the room, and even more so by the snake curled up on the windowsill.Using his magic, Harry quickly gathered his stuff together before moving to the window, where Snake was lying curled into a ball.
{Snake. It’s time to get up. We’re leaving.}
The python slowly woke up, lifting its head to stare at the boy. {Really? Where are we going? And will there be food?}
{Turns out I have a godfather and he came to get me}
Sirius raised an eyebrow in shock when he heard the hissing; his godson spoke Parseltongue.The python shifted its gaze to the man standing behind the boy. He could sense something about the man. {Very well}Harry held out an arm, allowing the reptile to slither up and settle around his shoulders. “Ready.”Sirius stepped closer, and with a wave of his hand, Harry’s stuff was shrunken and then placed in his pockets. He then gently grabbed his godson’s arm, and the two disappeared in a twist of magic.They reappeared in the entry way of a huge house, and Harry felt his eyes widen in surprise. “Where are we?”“Welcome to Grimmauld Place,” Sirius looked down at his godson. “Our new home.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
James and Lily Potter never expected that they would end up in the Afterlife so early on in their lives. At the age of twenty-one, despite the fact that they were in a war, they still held expectations to live a good long life with their friends and their young son.Alas, it wasn’t to be.Instead, they had been betrayed by one they had called friend and had met their end at the hands of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Now, they were stuck in the afterlife watching with horror at all that had happened since their passing.It was bad enough that Remus had been all but exiled, and that Sirius had ended up in Azkaban being blamed for their deaths, but their son? Harry, instead of being raised in a loving home, was in living hell with the Dursleys, something that was not their intention; they had made it very clear that Harry was never to go anywhere near Petunia.As it was, they had been shocked when they had been pulled from the Veil by their son’s distress and could only watch in horror at the abuse that their little boy was subjected from Petunia and her family, along with the other children, and even some of the adults from the neighbourhood as the years went by.James was completely horrified. Was this payback for the way he had treated Snape? But why would the universe punish his son for his own misdeeds? How could everything had turn out so wrong? He and Lily dead, Remus gone, Sirius locked up, Harry with Petunia, and Peter having betrayed them all. All he felt was sorrow and pain over everything that had happened.For Lily on the other hand, the pain had long since diminished, giving rise to pure anger that was slowly turning to rage. How dare Petunia allow her son to be hurt like that? And Dumbledore?! How dare he go against their will and decide he knew what was best?If only she had enough strength and power to manipulate the physical world; Petunia would rue the day she ever set eyes on her son! And not just the snivelling, cow of a woman, but everyone else who had dared to hurt him, including that arse Dumbledore.The more they watched the torment their son went through, the deeper James felt the pain of the inability to help and the pain of his only child in pain; but Lily, oh, she felt her rage build.James didn’t notice…not until that day at school, when Harry caused the jungle gym to collapse. James was horrified at the dark satisfaction on his son’s face and when he turned to Lily, the horror grew when he saw the same expression on her face.“Lils?”When she turned to look at him, James almost took a step back from the dark glare on her face. Even more worrying was the fact that he could see blackness creeping in on the corner of her eyes, and even worse, her aura/spiritual presence seemed to be bleeding black as well.“Lily,” He breathed out in pure shock, wondering what in Merlin’s world was happening to his wife.“What James?” Lily answered, her voice shaking with rage that could clearly be heard. Oh, how she wished she had the strength to do something about it.But…yes…maybe…James shook his head and said nothing.Instead, the two turned their attention back to their son and watched everything he did over the following weeks.“Why is Harry doing this?” James whispered at one point, after watching Harry attack another set of kids. Just a few days before, he had caused a car to run off the road, leaving the driver injured and bleeding out. The man had survived, but he would be forever changed by what had happened.“Because they all deserve it,” Lily replied. “All of them. They all hurt my baby and thought nothing of it.”“Lils,” James turned to look at her. It did not sit right with him, the path his son was on. He understood revenge, but never to the lengths Harry had taken. And he was just eight years old.They had just seen Harry at the zoo and the entire thing left James aghast. So many injured, dying or dead and the smile on Harry’s face; he had enjoyed it! What had gone so wrong?“No James!” Lily cut him off harshly, “I don’t care. If I was there, I would have helped him hurt every single one of them, including my bitch of a sister and her waste of space husband.”James was horrified by the malice in her voice and the darkness in her eyes. She meant every word. This wasn’t his Lily. She was good…Light.Lily knew James was staring at her, probably in horror, but she didn’t care. She meant every word she said. Everyone who had a hand in hurting her son, they all deserved whatever happened to them.“As it is,” Lily purred with dark satisfaction, “The little I can do now…He turned to Lily, realization creeping over him as he suddenly remembered the little things that had happened to the Dursleys since that night; the night terrors, things being moved. He had thought it was a part of Harry’s power, but it wasn’t.“Lily,” James whispered, “What is happening to you?”Lily whirled around, a snarl on her face and her green eyes turned black. With a force of power, she blasted James away from her. She was tired of his snivelling. She turned back, the snarl smoothing out to content when she saw Harry kill one of his bullies and Sirius showing up. That she hadn’t thought of, but, seeing Sirius attack Petunia and Vernon, seeing him take her son away and him not having any issues with everything…well…that just gave her the most brilliant idea.