Harry Potter and the Darkness Within

Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter.

Author’s Note: This story is posted on a website called Hogwarts Extreme, or HEX, for short. I’m a member under the name Lunastar1981, so please no claims or plagiarism. Plus, I’m a member of Fanfiction.net under the penname Yamikaykmotou, so no report to that site either. Lunastar1981, Yamikaykamotou, and Kayka are the same person.

Chapter One- The Truth

Harry gasped as he felt Voldemort sliding his way into his mind, controlling his body. He crumpled to the floor of the Atrium, trying to fight back against the dark wizard’s intrusion. But, Voldemort was too strong. He felt his mouth moving on its own and heard his voice speak only it didn’t quite sound like it. It was more like Harry’s voice and Voldemort’s speaking together with Harry’s tones easier to hear than Voldemort’s soft ones.

“You’ve lost, old man,” Harry/Voldemort said; a line that confused Harry. What was Voldemort talking about? Did he mean that he had successfully possessed Harry and that the only way to stop him was to kill Harry? Dumbledore would never do that. Harry fought back as he pondered over the meaning of the statement as well as Voldemort’s intentions.

Suddenly, with his thoughts dwelling on Voldemort, images appeared to Harry in his mind’s eye. They were all about Dumbledore, but not the Dumbledore that Harry knew. He saw a scheming, manipulative man. He really was forming an army, only it wasn’t just against the Ministry, but against Voldemort too. The plan was to eliminate Voldemort before taking over the Ministry with Harry being at the head of his army.

Then, a whole new set of images and thoughts flickered through his mind. They concerned Dumbledore, the prophecy, and him. The prophecy that Harry had removed and that had gotten smashed was a false prophecy devised by Dumbledore, created by him, and placed in the Hall of Prophecy with the same enchantments as the other prophecies that resided there. Dumbledore then took a personal interest in Harry in order to manipulate him to fulfill the false prophecy. The real prophecy, as heard by Snape did state of a baby boy being born in July and Voldemort marking the boy as his equal, but that was where the similarities ended. The true one, whose whereabouts were unknown, spoke of the Dark Lord rising in power with the one he marked by his side. Voldemort wasn’t as dark as people believed, though he did murder a lot of people. In short, Dumbledore used Harry for his plans to take over the Wizarding World and to put Muggles in their rightful place. Dumbledore used Harry.

Harry felt Voldemort leave his body, but the truth he had just witnessed stayed with him. He felt his heart harden and fill with hate toward Dumbledore. He had been used and had been manipulated to defeat the man he was actually supposed to be working with! Plus, Professor Snape was actually Voldemort’s spy and tricked Dumbledore into believing that Snape had reformed! Everything that Harry had ever knew had been turned around and his true destiny had been revealed.

He heard lots of voices and he opened his eyes to see Dumbledore, his nose inches from Harry’s. He wanted to back away from the headmaster, jump to his feet, and go to Voldemort to declare his support, but his body ached from the battle with the Death Eaters and hitting the floor during the possession.

“Harry, are you all right?” Dumbledore asked. Harry managed a nod as he slowly sat up. He saw lots of wizards and witches in the Atrium, most notably the Minister himself. Harry also noticed that Bellatrix and Voldemort were gone, but not before being seen by everyone there.

Harry was sent to Dumbledore’s office by Portkey to await the headmaster’s arrival. He sat in the chair he normally occupied and stared at the carpet to gather and organize his thoughts. So, Dumbledore’s the real bad guy, my enemy. It’s Voldemort to whom I should be loyal. The real prophecy says I should help Voldemort rise to power. Dumbledore is trying to stop Voldemort from succeeding so that he can take control of the Ministry. Snape is Voldemort’s man, not Dumbledore’s. I wonder what else about me is a lie. Maybe I should be in Slytherin and not Gryffindor, for instance.

Dumbledore appeared in the fireplace, took the baby Fawkes out of his pocket and put him on the bed of ash beneath the perch, and finally sat behind his desk, surveying Harry in that way he had. He started to speak, but Harry’s thoughts about the last five years of his live blocked it out. He knew what he had to do before leaving school and after leaving for the summer. The things he needed to do at school can be done once the old man stopped speaking.

At last, silence reigned and Harry was aware that Dumbledore was waiting for him to speak; he didn’t let him down. “Professor, I have a request,” he said, keeping the hate out of his voice and sounding just like he always did.

“Anything, Harry,” he replied.

“I want to be re-sorted right now. I will finish this year in Gryffindor should the hat sort me into a different house.” He had a feeling that he was in the wrong House, but did not say this part out loud. He saw surprise flicker in the old man’s eyes before he sighed.

“Very well, Harry.” He reached up, retrieved the Sorting Hat, came around to Harry, and put the Hat on his head.

Once more, Harry heard the Hat whispering in his ear. You want me to re-evaluate you, Potter?”

You know the answer to that, Harry thought.

“Indeed I do. Very well, I will look again and this time, no arguing or influencing.”

As you wish. Harry sat still, eyes closed and mind blank as the Hat sifted through his mind and qualities. After about two minutes, the Hat spoke again.

“Again, you would be good in any of the Houses. However, my original decision stands. Therefore, the House you belong to is…SLYTHERIN!” It announced its decision for the entire office to hear.

Dumbledore removed the Hat and as he turned to put it back, Harry saw a flicker of sadness in the headmaster’s eyes. No doubt Dumbledore had hoped that Harry would remain in Gryffindor. However, behind Dumbledore’s back, Harry had an expression of elation. He was in the House he should have been in from the start! The House Voldemort had been sorted into! Harry was a Slytherin now!

He wiped the expression off his face before Dumbledore faced him. “Thank you, sir. May I leave?”

“Certainly, my boy.”

Harry wanted to yell that he wasn’t Dumbledore’s boy anymore, but instead got up, crossed the room, and left. He started planning his next move as he rode the staircase down. He needed to speak to Snape. He headed down the corridors and stairs until he was in the dungeons. He paused to take in the fact that he would be heading for the Slytherin Common Room when September arrived. He would be trading the red and gold for green and silver and the lion for the serpent. The idea sent a shiver of thrill up his spine. He proceeded to Snape’s office, not feeling the least bit afraid of the Potions Master anymore. After all, Snape would be his Head of House once the new school year started.

He knocked on the door and he heard movement before hearing, “Enter.” He did so and saw Snape standing in front of his desk as well as an expression of intense dislike on his face. “Potter, what are you doing here?” he demanded.

“To speak to you, sir.” Harry closed the door behind him.

“What about?” Snape folded his arms.

“I now know what Professor Dumbledore is really like. His plans to take over the Ministry.”

“Indeed? And how did you acquire such knowledge?”

“The Dark Lord possessed me at least two or three hours ago and I saw images of the truth during that brief time. The truth about Dumbledore, the real prophecy, and about you, sir.”

“You call him the Dark Lord. You are willing to fulfill the true prophecy.”

“I am, sir. I intend to approach him over the summer and declare my support, but I don’t know where he is. I thought maybe you know.”

“You’re in luck, Potter. I know that he currently resides at Malfoy Manor. Meet me at The Leaky Cauldron at noon on July seventh and I will Apparate us there.”

Harry nodded. “Yes, sir. Oh, and sir, I had asked for the Sorting Hat to re-sort me and after this year, I will be transferring to Slytherin.”

“So, I’ll be you Head of House next year. Well, let me be the first to welcome you to Slytherin.”

“Thank you, sir.” Harry left the office and Snape leaned against his desk.

So, Potter, or rather Harry since he’ll be in my House, has learned the truth. The Dark Lord is meant to rise to power while Dumbledore must be stopped. He learned that his destiny is to support and stand with the Dark Lord, not vanquish him. He also knows that I’m not Dumbledore’s spy. I never stopped serving the Dark Lord even when he disappeared. So, I will deliver Harry to his destiny next month.

Chapter Two- A New Loyalty

Harry kept to himself during his week at the Dursleys, preparing for his meeting with Voldemort. He knew what he was going to say; how he would say it was the question. He was also nervous; even though he learned of the prophecy from Voldemort, it was likely he was unaware that Harry knew of it, too. That being the case, Voldemort would likely kill him the moment he laid eyes on the boy.

Despite this fact, Harry summoned the Knight Bus on the morning of July seventh. He arrived at The Leaky Cauldron shortly before twelve with his trunk and owl. He stepped inside to see Professor Snape standing at the bar, his back to Tom, the innkeeper. He led Harry to the back of the pub before taking the owl cage in one hand and gripping Harry’s free hand with his own before turning on the spot. Harry felt darkness and compression before the sensations lifted. His eye which had been closed, opened to see wild growth on his left and perfectly manicured hedges on the right. The change in his surroundings made him realize that he had Apparated for the first time! I think I prefer brooms, yet Apparition would be so cool if I could do it too.

Snape released Harry’s hand and strode forward with Harry following and dragging his trunk behind him. “Excited, Harry?” Snape asked as they walked, a rare note of his own excitement in his voice.

“Nervous actually, sir. I mean, he could kill me the moment I enter the room.”

“I doubt it. Ever since he returned, he hoped you would learn of the true prophecy and offer your services to him. The previous attempts to kill you were born of the belief that you were never going to learn the truth. But if you wish to stay alive at least a little longer, here.” He drew his wand, waved it, and a hooded cloak appeared in the air. He caught it and passed it to Harry. “This will do until he demands to see your face. By then, you’ll be face-to-face. I suggest saying what you plan to say before he decides to kill you.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Harry had planned to do what Snape had suggested, anyway. He fastened the cloak around his shoulders and threw the hood up so that his face was in shadow.

Snape nodded approvingly as they resumed their walk. Harry’s concern over being killed was valid enough. The hooded cloak would enable Harry to approach the Dark Lord without being killed on sight. The gate of the mansion came into view and Snape raised his left arm, which caused the gate to open. Harry suspected the gate opened in response to Snape’s Dark Mark. I wouldn’t mind having my own Mark.

The gravel crunched under their feet as they continued their approach. Harry glanced around before looking at the manor. He always thought Malfoy lived in splendor, but he didn’t think it was this grand! They approached the front door which swung open by itself and they soon stood in a carpeted hallway with portraits lining the walls. Large, sweeping staircases on either side of the hall led upstairs and doors clearly led to other rooms on the ground floor they were on. A set of heavy double doors stood at the end of the hall.

Snape led the way to the doors and then stopped and turned to Harry. “Leave the trunk here. I’ll watch it and your owl.”

Harry nodded and pushed the doors open as Snape moved to the side with the trunk and owl. He moved toward the tall thin pale man at the other end of the room, the doors closing behind him. He stood in front of a crackling fireplace that had a handsome marble mantelpiece over it with a glided mirror mounted on the wall over it. There was no one else in the room, save for the snake Nagini who was curled up on the hearthrug. He reached the older wizard, knelt down, and kissed the hem of his robes as he had seen the Death Eaters do a little over a year ago.

Voldemort looked down at the cloaked and hooded figure with an expression of curiosity mixed with amusement. Who was this man who was showing loyalty before giving his name? No, not a man, he didn’t seem fully grown. It had to be a teenage boy. Very interesting. The last teenager he let join was Regulus Black and that was a long time ago. He was considering letting Draco Malfoy join only to punish Lucius. He would then give Draco the task of killing Albus Dumbledore and watch him fail and possibly die in the attempt. Perhaps he could have this boy try after Draco failed.

“Rise and let me see your face,” he ordered.

The figure rose and then pushed back his hood dramatically. Voldemort gaped at the face for a moment. “Potter!” he hissed.

Harry bowed his head. “My Lord,” he murmured. “I now see the truth about Dumbledore, thanks to you. He is the enemy, not you. I offer you my services and my loyalty.”

He stared at the bowed head. Was this true? Potter swearing loyalty, claiming he discovered Dumbledore’s plans, thanks to his brief possession? He knew the boy was a poor Occlumens, thanks to Severus’ reports. He could learn the truth easily. He drew his wand, pointed it at Potter, and said, “Legilimens!”

There was no resistance, none at all. He found the memories he wanted in no time. He saw the boy glimpsing images of the true Dumbledore as well as learning of the real prophecy and Snape’s true role while he possessed Potter. He felt Harry’s hatred for the old man. He learned that Harry had been re-sorted into Slytherin and sensed the teenager’s determination to join Voldemort in bringing down Dumbledore. He lifted the spell and a cold smile came to his face. It was all true! Potter had realized his true destiny and he was only too happy to accept the boy.

“Harry, at last you have come to the right side of the coming war. Lift your head and extend your left arm.”

Harry obeyed, knowing what was going to happen: He was going to be branded with the Dark mark and officially be a Death Eater, just as he had hoped earlier! His stomach squirmed with joy at the thought. Voldemort took the extended arm in his left hand and turned it so that the underside was exposed. He put the tip of his wand to the center and hissed, “By my wand, I place the Dark Mark!” in Parseltongue, which Harry understood.

Harry gasped in pain as a burning sensation spread from the wand to his arm. He saw black lines appear on his arm, connecting and spreading outward. It continued to burn and Harry groaned in a way to indicate that he was savoring the pain while he watched the lines. Soon, the completed black image of the Dark Mark appeared before turning red and the burning sensation faded when the wand was removed.

“It is done,” Voldemort declared. “You are now one of my followers, but more than that. Harry, you are also my heir and when we join the Ministry, I will put you in place as Minister of Magic and you will implement any policies I want.”

Harry admired his new Mark and felt excitement at the thought of being Minister. He looked at his master. “I thank you, my Lord.”

“As you should. Now, I will give you a mission to fulfill within the next year; one that shouldn’t be too hard for you to carry out. I want you to kill Albus Dumbledore.”

Harry kneeled before his master. “Yes, my Lord. I will kill him.”

“I expect no less. Come, I will have someone escort you to a room upstairs.”

Harry followed Voldemort to the doors which swung inward and revealed Snape standing to one side with Harry’s trunk and owl. The Potions Master kneeled. “My Lord.”

“Ah, Severus. Excellent. See Harry to a spare bedroom upstairs then come down to the drawing room. But, first…” Voldemort pushed back Snape’s sleeve and pressed the Mark.

Harry felt his new Mark burn painfully and clamped his right hand on it. The pain ended when Voldemort removed his finger. “Now take Harry upstairs.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Snape rose, took out his wand, and levitated the trunk before leading the teen, who was holding his owl’s cage, upstairs. Once out of earshot, Snape said softly. “I notice that you’ve been Marked. That’s a high honor.”

“I will treat it as such and I have been given a task. Our Lord wants me to kill Dumbledore.”

“That will be easy for you. I know that he still trusts you and believes you to be the same person he met in previous years, just in a different House.”

Harry smirked. Dumbledore is an old fool. Gryffindor Harry trusted Dumbledore blindly, accepted everything the headmaster said, believed him to be benevolent. But Slytherin Harry knows better. I will pretend to still trust him and once the perfect opportunity to strike comes, I will kill him. I have no doubt that I can do it.

Chapter Three- Draco and Kreacher

Snape entered the drawing room to see that most of the furniture had been pushed against the walls and a long mahogany table sat in the centers was line with chairs that were almost all occupied; there were two empty chairs, one to Voldemort’s right and the other one was right next to Voldemort on the right. It was clear to Snape that he was to sit in the chair on the right; the other chair was reserved for Harry, who was now Voldemort’s favorite Death Eater; his right-hand man. Snape took his place and saw that Lucius’ seat had been filled by Draco Malfoy.

“My friends this is a momentous day! Soon, we will take over the Ministry and the Wizarding World. I estimate that we will be in charge by August next year.”

Everyone exchanged looks of surprise and small murmurs were heard. Bellatrix stood. “My Lord,” she breathed. “What of Dumbledore?”

“I have a plan already in place. Dumbledore will be gone before we take over. Now, to another matter: the fiasco at the Ministry last month.” He allowed some uneasy shifting to be done before continuing. “It was unknown that the prophecy record that got smashed was a fake prophecy. The true one remains hidden somewhere, but no matter. Severus heard the true prophecy and told it to me on that fateful night many years ago. It wasn’t clear to me back then, but as I dwelled on it over the years, I finally understood it.

“The prophecy starts the same as the fake one: A baby boy born in July whom I would mark as my equal. As we know, I went after Harry Potter. The prophecy further stated that the one I marked will stand with me and help me rise to power.”

“My Lord,” said Yaxley slowly. “How will Harry join you? Dumbledore has done a good job on him.”

Voldemort smiled coldly. “The scar Harry bears forged a connection between our minds and allowed me to possess his mind and body last month. In that brief time, he learned from me of the true Dumbledore, the real prophecy, and that Severus is my spy.” He nodded to Snape to indicate that he should speak.

Snape rose. “Harry came to me shortly after the possession to ask for the Dark Lord’s location. He revealed what he had learned and that he had been re-sorted into Slytherin House.” He sat again.

“Severus brought Harry to me shortly before I summoned you all here. He has been made a Death Eater as well as my heir.” He gestured at the empty seat. “Once the Ministry is ours, I intend to have Harry as Minister and through him, I will control the Wizarding World. But first, Harry has a mission to fulfill over the next year that will require some assistance.” He looked at the blonde sitting across from Snape. “Tell me, Draco. Would you like to be a Death Eater as well?”

“Yes. Yes, my Lord.”

“Good. Listen, then. You will assist Harry by finding a way to introduce the others into the school. I am sure that Dumbledore will persuade the Ministry to provide top security protection for the school. Harry needs Death Eaters in the school before he can act. Understand?”

“Yes, my Lord. I’ll do it.”

“Good. Draco, stay for a moment. Everyone else can go.”

&&&&

Harry looked through his trunk. He was going to need a new uniform as well as robes for school and perhaps Quidditch. Everything with the Gryffindor crest needed to be replaced with Slytherin. He elected to keep the cloak Snape gave him; it somewhat resembled Death Eater cloaks and he liked it.

He heard a knock and he shut his trunk before saying, “Come in.” The door opened and he turned to see Malfoy looking smug and composed. Harry wasn’t sure how to respond. Malfoy was his rival, yet this was Malfoy’s home.

Finally, he nodded and said neutrally, “Malfoy.”

“Draco will do. We are housemates both here and at school.”

He’s right. Voldemort resides here and so do I since I’m his heir. Plus, I’m in Slytherin now. Voldemort must have told the others about my re-sorting. “You’re right, Draco. We are housemates.”

“We’re both Death Eaters also.” Draco pushed up his sleeve to show off his Mark.

“Congratulations! Your mum must be proud.”

“I think she is. Aunt Bella certainly is. The Dark Lord wants me to introduce Death Eaters into the school so that you can carry out a mission he’s given you. What is it?”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Draco, if our Lord did not tell you what my mission is, I doubt I can speak of it myself.”

“Of course. Sorry, Harry.”

“It’s all right. So…our O.W.L. results should arrive this month.”

Draco nodded. “I just know I’ll get into the N.E.W.T. Potions class. What about you?”

“I don’t think I got the grade needed for Potions, but I’m sure I got an O for D.A.D.A.”

“That class seems like a bit of a joke now, doesn’t it?”

Harry though a moment. “I suppose you’re right. But, it’s important to act as if it isn’t.”

&&&&

It took Harry some time to get used to living in Malfoy Manor and being greeted pleasantly by people who had tried to harm or kill him in the past. Narcissa Malfoy was as good to him as Mrs. Weasley, in her own way. He hit it off with Draco and the two boys were soon practically inseparable. He found Bellatrix a little hard to take. He believed that Azkaban did unhinge her in a big way. She was loud, worshipped Voldemort in a nauseating manner, and proudly declaimed her pureblood status. The fact that she killed Sirius was still hurtful to think about, but Harry had resolved to wipe the slate clean when it came to siding with Voldemort. That mean forgiving the Death Eaters for every single thing they’ve ever done. Sometimes, it was easier said than done. He was making progress though, after all he was a Death Eater too.

One day, ten days after arriving at Malfoy Manor, Hedwig swooped into Harry’s room bearing a scroll. Curious, he took it, unrolled it, and glanced down at the signature: It was from Dumbledore!

What does that fool want with me? he thought angrily. He moved his eyes to the top and started to read. His eyes widened with each line and then narrowed. Apparently, Sirius’ will had been found and he had left Harry everything he owned. A large amount of gold had been added to his account, he owned Buckbeak the hippogriff, and most of all, Number twelve Grimmauld Place which included Kreacher the house-elf. All of this was wonderful, but Dumbledore had two questions: One, could Hagrid take care of Buckbeak who would be rechristened Witherwings and Two, could the Order of the Phoenix continue to use the house as headquarters? It was this last question that caused his eyes to narrow.

After all the lies, the manipulating and everything else he put me through, he has the nerve to ask for that? Hagrid can take care of Buckbeak, but everything else is mine! He grabbed a quill, ink, and some parchment before politely stating yes to the first question and no to question two. He attached the letter to Hedwig and sent her on her way.

He turned his thoughts to the house and all that was in it, particularly Kreacher. He never owned a house-elf before, but he had seen how elves were treated by their owners. He recalled Hermione saying that Dumbledore wanted Kreacher to be treated with kindness. He knew, without a doubt, that that was how he wanted to treat Kreacher: Kindly as opposed to how Sirius treated him. Dumbledore’s suggestion was not influencing his decision in any way.

It was with this thought in mind that Harry cleared his throat and said, “Kreacher!”

There was a crack and the elf Harry had met last summer appeared and bowed low. “Master called?” he croaked before muttering words that questioned Harry as a person. Harry let him; they were valid enough questions considering the circumstances.

“Stand, Kreacher. I wish to speak with you.”

Kreacher obeyed, but his look was that of a death glare. Harry looked back with a gentle look. “I know you don’t think will of me and I don’t blame you. You were right to think of me as you did.”

A look of surprise flickered across the elf’s face before Harry continued. “I am now on the Dark Lord’s side and will help him rise to power. I am also in Slytherin now and will make new friends there. My new home seems to be here at Malfoy Manor.”

“Master called Kreacher to Malfoy Manor?” The elf looked around with a look of reverence on his face.

“I did. I want you to be nearby whenever I need you. I want us to have a good relationship; better than you did with Sirius.” Harry waited for Kreacher’s response. He hoped the elf would accept his offer of a good relationship.

Kreacher bowed and straightened up. “Master is different now. He sides with the Dark Lord. He is a Slytherin now. Kreacher would be proud to serve Master now.”

“Excellent. Please go to the kitchens.”

“Yes, Master. Call Kreacher anytime.” Kreacher bowed again and with another crack, he vanished.

Harry smiled as he opened his trunk to select a book to read. Kreacher was friendly to him now and would be with him whenever he needed him. Perhaps, Kreacher could spy for him while at school. Yes, I could have him spy on Dumbledore or other Order members. I, in turn, would pass the information to Voldemort. However, I’ll probably too busy with my mission as well as schoolwork to think about any spying. Besides, that’s Snape’s job anyway.

Hours later, Harry was seated beside Draco at the dining table. Also at the table were Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Voldemort. On his first night at the table Harry had been surprised that his master had joined them for dinner, but now he thought nothing of it. Harry watched as elves emerged from the kitchen with platters of food and trays of drinks. One platter was placed before Harry and a voice croaked, “Your dinner, Master.”

“Thanks, Kreacher,” Harry said as another elf put goblets on the table for Harry and Draco.

Kreacher bowed and backed into the kitchen. Bellatrix looked open-mouthed from Harry to Kreacher and back again while Voldemort sat there with a look of mild amusement. “How? What?” Bellatrix managed to say.

“Sirius left me everything he had in his will which had been found recently.”

“Everything?” Bellatrix gasped.

“Everything,” Harry confirmed before starting his dinner.

Chapter Four- Diagon Alley Detour

The owls bearing Harry and Draco’s results arrived four days later. Draco tore his open and gleefully examined the results. As predicted, he got the required grade for Potions. He also passed Charms, Transfigurations, and D.A.D.A. Harry examined his paper. Astronomy-A, Care of Magical Creatures-E, Charms-E, Defense Against the Dark Arts-O, Divination-P, Herbology-E, History of Magic-D, Potions-E, and Transfigurations-E.

Draco looked over Harry’s shoulder. “An E in Potions. That’s not bad, Harry. You can still try to get into Potions. You did get the O in D.A.D.A. like you said.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, I’ll put Potions down on my application. I might get lucky.”

“Perhaps you can try out for the Slytherin Quidditch team,” Draco added.

Harry looked at him in surprise. “Maybe, but I’ve only played Seeker and that’s your position.”

“Try out for Seeker. I’m going to be busy getting Death Eaters into the school.”

“Have you figured out how?”

“I think so. You know that Montague got shoved into that broken Vanishing Cabinet last year, right?”

“Yeah. Fred and George told us they did that.”

“Well, Montague said he could hear things from either the school or Borgin and Burkes. This makes me think that there’s a second one at the shop. I just need Borgin to tell me how to fix the broken one and to not sell the other one. Once the broken one’s fixed, they’ll form a passage from the shop to the school.”

“Brilliant,” Harry said. “No way Dumbledore’s going to think of a way to defend against that, much less think of it at all.”

“Yeah?” Draco sounded optimistic.

“Well, we’ve talked for five years. I think I’ve got an idea of how the man thinks.”

Dinner was a happy affair as Narcissa and Bellatrix congratulated the boys on their O.W.L.s. Voldemort was absent this night; then again Harry noticed that he had been absent the last few days. Harry didn’t know what he was up to, but he was sure it wasn’t anything his master couldn’t handle.

A week later, Harry and Draco stood in line at Gringotts alongside Narcissa Malfoy. Security at the bank had been increased greatly, resulting in long waits. Harry was resigned to wait for his turn, but Narcissa wouldn’t hear of it. She left the boys in the line and swept up to the front. There were several long minutes before Narcissa said, “Boys, please come here.”

Harry and Draco stepped out of line and toward Narcissa who had a Gringotts goblin standing beside her. Harry was impressed by how the name “Malfoy” got them to the head of the line, considering Lucius had been revealed as a Death Eater. Perhaps Draco’s surname still commands respect in the Wizarding community. I wonder if my surname could work like that.

Once out of Gringotts, the trio stopped at Madam Malkin’s as both boys needed new robes. Narcissa already had Slytherin patches for their new robes and she would make sure the elves did them properly. Harry had no doubt of that; he had already considered asking Kreacher to do his. After that, it was buying books, quills, ink, parchment, and potion ingredients.

“Mother?” said Draco once they left the last store. “There’s one more place I need to go.”

“Oh?” Narcissa raised an eyebrow.

“I need to go to Borgin and Burkes,” Draco said softly, yet firmly.

“That place? During a time when people are suspicious and fearful? I think not.”

“Mother, please. It’s important. If I don’t go, I’ll disappoint Harry and …Him.”

Harry saw Narcissa bite her lip. She knew disappointing Voldemort was a dangerous thing to do. He, however, had gotten an idea before leaving the manor and decided to speak up. “Mrs. Malfoy? Draco and I could go there together. I…brought my Invisibility Cloak with me.”

“Invisibility Cloak?” Draco repeated, then grinned. “Perfect. No one would see us enter Knockturn Alley.”

Narcissa nodded slowly. “I’ll accompany you to the entrance and I expect you both to return to me once your business is concluded.”

They agreed and began their trek to the alley dedicated to the Dark Arts. A glance brightly-colored store caught Harry’s eye as well as the name: Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. The sight of it gave Harry a pang in his stomach. He gave the twins his Triwizard money to fund the shop which seemed like a lifetime ago. He also felt a twinge of guilt at turning his back on his friends by switching Houses, but it had been necessary. He couldn’t stay in Gryffindor, where loyalty to Dumbledore was strong when he knew the headmaster’s intentions weren’t pure or good.

My feelings toward Dumbledore are more suited to Slytherin as is my loyalty to Voldemort. Harry tore his eyes from the joke shop and strode away with Draco and Narcissa.

They reached the entrance where Harry removed his Cloak and threw it over him and Draco. They were completely hidden and slowly walked into the alley which was practically deserted; Borgin and Burkes seemed to be the only one open. They removed the Cloak before entering the shop.

“Ah, young Mr. Malfoy again,” Borgin said upon them entering. His eyebrows rose and his eyes widened. “Oh, Mr. Potter. An honor this is. How may I be of service?”

Harry glanced to the left and saw the Cabinet he had hidden in four years ago. It looked exactly like the one Peeves broke…four years ago, not long after he had hidden in the shop one! If Peeves hadn’t broken the school one, there would already be a passage. Damn that poltergeist!

He nudged Draco and tilted his head to the Cabinet when Draco looked at him. The blonde’s eyes widened and a grin came to his face. Draco approached the counter. “There’s a Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts that’s exactly like that one,” he gestured to the one in the shop. “However, it’s broken. I need you to tell me how to fix it.”

“Well, I can’t be sure without seeing it. Why not bring it in?”

“No! It has to stay put!”

“I recall,” Harry put in. “that a poltergeist dropped it from a ceiling.”

“Hmm,” Borgin said. “That gives a vague idea on what kind of damage has been done. I could help you, but I don’t know if I should.”

Harry scowled as did Draco. This man clearly didn’t know who he was dealing with! Draco pushed back his left sleeve and held out his arm. “I think you’ll want to reconsider.”

Borgin recoiled at the sight of the Dark Mark and Draco continued, “You know Fenrir Greyback? He’s a family friend and he’ll be stopping by to check to make sure you’re giving the problem your full attention.”

“Y-yes. Ab-absolutely.”

“Good,” Draco said as both boys headed for the door. “And make sure to keep that one safe.” He pointed at the Cabinet before stepping out behind Harry and getting under the Cloak.

“Who’s Fenrir Greyback?” Harry asked softly as they walked.

“He’s a werewolf. He considers it his mission to bite enough people to overwhelm wizards, but he specializes in biting children. The Dark Lord uses him as a threat; says Greyback will bite their children if they defy him.”

Harry was, at first, horrified by what he was hearing, but he changed his opinion. Threat are sometimes necessary to get the intended results and if Voldemort was utilizing threats like Greyback, that was fine by him. Voldemort’s my master and it’s not my place to question his decisions. Besides, he’s working to make the Wizarding World a better place. The threats, retributions, and punishments are absolutely necessary to achieve this end.

“Oh!” Narcissa gasped when Harry and Draco removed the Cloak. “I didn’t know you were back. That Cloak’s amazing. So, everything fine?” The trio started toward The Leaky Cauldron.

“Not fine, just okay,” Draco answered. “I think I have my work cut out for me.”

“Just don’t disappoint Him, dear. Oh, by the way, Harry. What would you like for your birthday dinner? Your birthday is in three days, yes?” Harry was startled. “Er, yeah it is. I’m…not sure what I would like for dinner, but I would like treacle tart for dessert.”

“Well, think about it and let me know so I can tell the elves.”

&&&&

I can’t believe how nice Mrs. Malfoy really is, Harry thought as he put his things away. He had already disposed of his old school and Quidditch robes. I always thought she and Draco were arrogant snobs, but they have feeling just like everyone else. That being the case, I know that I’ll love being in Slytherin far more than being in Gryffindor. The people in Slytherin are just like other people; they’re no different.

Chapter Five- Back to Hogwarts

Harry’s birthday and the month that followed went by in a blur. Voldemort appeared on Harry’s birthday to give his wishes, but nothing more. Harry didn’t mind; being in his master’s presence and service was enough. He did receive gifts from the Malfoys and Kreacher; a gold ring with the Slytherin crest and a birthday card, respectively. Harry was surprised when he returned to his room after dinner to find gifts from Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid. He felt another pang of guilt as he opened them. It was hard to move to another House after making friends in one for five years. He told himself again that the switch was necessary and he pushed away the guilt.

September first arrived and Harry was pushing his trolley through King’s Cross alongside Draco and Narcissa. The time he had spent at the Malfoys had been awkward at first, but the last month was another story. Both Malfoys and Bellatrix shared their views on a variety of subjects, such as wizards, Muggles, and Muggle-borns. Only Draco shared his concerns and fears when the two boys were alone. Harry’s behavior, attitude, and beliefs changed completely under the Malfoys’ influence. He was now proud to be a Death Eater, a Slytherin, and be in the company of an old and respected Wizarding family as well as his own surname. He despised Muggles, thought of Muggle-borns as second-class citizens, and that wizards and witches were infinitely superior.

They reached the platform and Draco led Harry to the last carriage and the last compartment. Both changed into their uniforms before stowing their belongings and returning to Narcissa for farewells. Harry watched Draco and Narcissa hug and whisper words before releasing. Harry came forward, hand outstretched. “Thank you for everything, Mrs. Malfoy. It’s been delightful.”

Narcissa pulled Harry into a hug. “It’s been a pleasure having you with us. Our home is yours, Harry. You’ve been like another son and you’ll be coming to me for Christmas and Easter.”

“Thanks again, Mrs. Malfoy.”

“Please call me Mother or Narcissa, whichever you prefer.”

“Okay, Narcissa.” Harry was released from his hug and hopped onto the train. Just as he turned to head for his compartment, he spotted Hermione and the Weasleys arriving through the barrier.

“Come on, Harry!” Draco called. “There’s some friends you need to get to know.”

Grinning, Harry followed Draco to the last carriage. The Slytherins Draco hung out with he knew by name and looks only as well as his Gryffindor-colored perceptions. Now, he would get to know them as people and housemates. Draco opened the door and Harry followed him in.

“Hi, Draco,” called Pansy Parkinson just before the door closed. Then, her eyes narrowed. “You’re in the wrong carriage, Potter,” she spat.

“No, he’s not,” Draco said. “Harry was re-sorted at the end of last year. He’s in Slytherin now.” Draco pointed at the crest on Harry’s robes.

Pansy, Crabbed, Goyle, and a tall boy Harry didn’t know stared open-mouthed at the crest and Harry enjoyed watching their reactions. “Slytherin?” Pansy said in a whisper.

“That’s right,” Harry answered. “My eyes were opened last year concerning Dumbledore. I see how old and foolish he is now. I asked to be re-sorted because, when we were first being sorted, the Hat considered putting me in Slytherin. I asked not to be because of some stupid rumors. I finally realized that Slytherin really is the best House in the school.”

The foursome exchanged looks before the tall boy stood and extended a hand. “Welcome, Harry Potter. I’m Blaise Zabini.”

Harry took the hand. “Nice to meet you, Blaise.”

The other three got up to re-meet Harry and as the last re-introduction was completed, the train whistle sounded and the train started to move. Harry took a seat as he said, “Draco, aren’t you and Pansy supposed to go to the perfects carriage?”

“Yeah, but it seems lame compared to other things.” He winked at him meaningfully. Harry smirked in response.

The group made easy small talk once Harry expressed views that were shared by the others. One topic was O.W.L. results and all of them agreed that D.A.D.A. was a joke. Harry looked at the compartment door, wondering if it was time for lunch when Ron and Hermione’s faces appeared in the window. Both were staring at Harry in shock who gave a lazy wave. Ron’s eyes trailed over to Draco who gave a rude hand gesture. Both prefects left amidst a round of laughter from the compartment due to Ron’s expression at Draco’s gesture.

The laughter subsided long before a fourth-year girl came in. “I have messages for Blaise Zabini and Harry P-Potter,” she said, blushing hard. She handed over two violet-ribboned scrolls and left in a hurry. Harry unrolled his and saw it was a lunch invitation. He looked at Blaise who was bemused.

“Who’s Professor Slughorn?” he asked.

“I’m guessing a new teacher,” Harry answered. Probably the new D.A.D.A. teacher.

“Well, let’s go, Harry. See you guys later.” Blaise went out the door and Harry followed.

The lunch with Slughorn and other students he invited was boring and, for Harry, awkward as Cormac, Neville, and Ginny all stared at his green and silver crest while Slughorn went on about Harry’s claim to fame and the false prophecy, though he didn’t know it was fake. Harry was impressed when he learned that Blaise’s mom was a famous witch who married seven times with each husband dying mysteriously and leaving her lots of gold. At last, it ended but only because it had gotten late.

As Harry entered the corridor after Blaise, he heard his name being called. He turned to see Ginny approaching. He saw Blaise turn around also, probably because Harry stopped. He looked at his housemate. “Go ahead, Blaise. I’ll be right there.” He waited until Blaise was walking away before turning to Ginny. “Yes?”

“Why are you wearing Slytherin colors?” she asked.

“Because I am in Slytherin,” he replied almost coldly. “I asked for a re-sorting after the Ministry battle.”

“But, why?”

“It was something I had to do. I’m sorry, but that’s how it is.” Harry turned and walked away. As he headed for the last carriage, he was aware of people looking out their compartments at him. He was pretty sure it was because of the articles in the Prophet, detailing what was called Battle at the Ministry. Harry still received a subscription as to keep up with what his fellow students would be discussing. The Prophet wrote that he, Harry, was destined to defeat Voldemort since a prophecy was involved in the battle. Thus people, like Slughorn, dubbed him “The Chosen One.” Harry entered his compartment and, as he closed the door, Draco said, “What did the Weasley girl want?”

The words rocked Harry slightly before recovering. All Gryffindors were referred to by last name in Slytherin just as Gryffindors called Slytherins by their last names. That was going to take some getting used to. “She wanted to know why I’m in Slytherin. I told her it was something I had to do.”

Draco nodded. “Blaise was just telling us about Slughorn raving about you and this prophecy calling you ‘The Chosen One’.”

“It’s all lies. There no prophecy, no Chosen One.”

“Really?” Blaise asked.

“Really. The Prophet thinks there is one and that I’m supposed to defeat the Dark Lord.” Harry gave a bitter laugh. “Why defeat him when you can side with him?” “Hear, hear,” Draco said. “I, for one, may not attend Hogwarts next year.”

“What?” Harry asked. He intended to finish his education so that he would have a career until he became Minister. He already had some ideas of his own he would implement that would benefit his lord greatly.

“Yeah. I think he’s more interested in what you provide in terms of service, not how many O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s you have.”

Technically, my job’s more important than Draco’s, but I can’t act until Draco succeeds. Harry reflected on several missed opportunities he would have to kill Dumbledore. Perhaps I can assist Draco in the repair. I have a couple of items that might be useful to him.

“I can see Hogwarts,” Draco said, abruptly changing subjects. Minutes later, the train came to a stop and everyone left with their possessions.

&&&&

Harry sat among his fellow Slytherins, enjoying the sensation he caused when he entered the Great Hall and sat at the Slytherin table. There were points and whispers among students and he savored every moment of the attention as opposed to how it irritated him last year. He should be enjoying the attention. He was, after all, the famous Harry Potter. The students weren’t the only astonished ones. All of the staff, except Snape and Dumbledore, were staring in shock.

The headmaster stood and raised his arms wide, revealing that his right hand was blackened and dead-looking. Students’ eyes were drawn to it and he smiled in understanding before shaking his sleeve to cover it. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts,” he began. “I have a few notices to give out after the feast. So, without further ado, let the feast begin.”

“I wonder what happened to his hand,” Harry murmured.

“Who care?” Draco said dismissively.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Harry agreed. It doesn’t matter since he’ll be dead by the end of the year.

When all the plates were gleaming and clean again, Dumbledore stood again. “Now to the notices. First, let us welcome Professor Horace Slughorn who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions Master.”

“Potions?” The question spread from table to table and looks were exchanged among the students. The whispering carried on for a few minutes until Dumbledore raised his hand for silence. “Meanwhile,” he said. “Professor Snape will fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

The Slytherin table exploded with loud cheers and applause to which Snape responded with a lazy wave. The other three tables were shocked into silence. Harry was thrilled that Snape got his dream job and looked forward to his classes the next day.

Chapter Six- Private Lessons

Harry watched as Snape was doing the sixth-years’ schedules after breakfast the next morning. He could hardly wait to see his schedule, but he also wanted to tell Snape that he wanted to try out for Seeker on the Slytherin team.

He watched Crabbe, Goyle, Draco, and Pansy get their schedules before it was his turn. “Potter, Potter,” he said, consulting his papers. “Everything seems to be in order. Good that you applied for Potions despite your grade. Professor Slughorn will accept E grade students into his classes, though I wouldn’t. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfigurations, and Herbology in addition to Potions. All right, here’s your schedule.” He tapped a blank card with his wand and his schedule appeared.

“Sir,” Harry said as he took the card. “I plan to try out for Seeker on the Quidditch team.”

“Very well, Potter. I’ll add your name to the list.” Snape moved on to the next student and Harry consulted his schedule. Great, a free period right now. D.A.D.A. would be next, then Herbology after break, a free period after lunch, and then Potions. Not bad, he thought as he headed for the Common Room.

“Harry!” Draco called when Harry entered. “Told you to apply for Potions and you got in.”

“Only because Snape’s not teaching it. Still, can’t complain.

“So when are you going to work on the Cabinet?” he whispered.

“I’m thinking Saturday and maybe Sunday. I want to look it over first.”

“I think tryouts are on Saturday.”

“Good luck, Harry. Though, I imagine you’ll get picked. You are good and you’ve got a Firebolt.”

Harry’s first D.A.D.A. of the year started off with doing nonverbal spells. Harry found this difficult to do, but was determined to master it. The rest of his classes weren’t as hard on the first day, but as the week went on, all his classes except Herbology required the use of nonverbal spells. He was relieved when Friday night arrived. He was about to start his homework when Crabbe came over and handed him a scroll with Dumbledore’s handwriting! “Thanks, Crabbe,” he said, unrolling it. He was being asked to come to the headmaster’s office at eight tomorrow night for private lessons. He rolled his eyes. He didn’t care to receive private lessons, but if Draco fixed the Cabinet as some point, these private times would be perfect opportunities to commit the murder.

Harry went to the tryouts the following morning where he outflew and outperformed the other Seeker hopefuls and earned himself a spot on the team. He returned to the Common Room to see Draco sitting in a chair in front of the fire, frowning. Harry approached him. “Draco?”

He looked up. “Oh, Harry. I was just thinking about the Cabinet. Fixing it is going to take a lot of time and will require lookouts so that no one bursts in on me.”

“I see.”

“Oh, I didn’t ask. How’d the tryouts go?”

“Great. I’m Seeker.”

I had no doubt that you would get it.”

Harry went upstairs to put away his broom and the folded Quidditch robes he was given. He wanted to assist Draco and saw the two things that he knew could be very useful. He seized them and headed back to the Common Room.

“Draco,” he said softly, kneeling beside the chair. “I want to help you with the Cabinet, so I’m going to loan you two things that’ll do that.”

Draco looked down. “Your Cloak!” he exclaimed in delight and then frowned. “An old piece of parchment?”

“Watch.” Harry took out his wand. “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” He tapped the parchment.

Draco watched in amazement as lines, dots, and words spread all across the parchment. “It’s a map,” he gasped softly.

“Exactly and it shows the location of every single person in the school. This eliminates the need for lookouts and if someone does intrude, you can hide under the Cloak.” Harry tapped the map again. “Mischief Managed!” and the map went blank.

&&&&

“Good evening, Harry.”

“Evening, sir.” Harry sat in his usual chair and managed to look at Dumbledore with a pleasant expression. What he wanted to do was show his contempt and hate for the old man and then kill him, but he restrained himself. It was far too early in the year to do that. Plus, he was rather curious what these lessons would entail.

“I trust you’ve enjoyed your first week back?”

“Yes, sir. I was picked to be Seeker for the Slytherin team.”

“I’m pleased to hear that. It seems you were right to request a re-sorting. You are well-suited to Slytherin it seems.

“Now then, I’m sure you’re curious about these, for want of a better word, lessons we’re having. Well, after your adventure last year, I was aware that you needed information about the prophecy; specifically why Voldemort tried to kill you.”

Harry said nothing. Dumbledore wanted to go on about the false prophecy. Naturally he didn’t know that Harry had learned the truth and no longer trusted or believed the headmaster.

Dumbledore smiled at the silence that filled the office. “In these lessons, which will occur on an irregular basis, we will be exploring Voldemort’s past and hopefully learn how to defeat him.” Dumbledore rose and gestured for Harry to do the same.

Harry followed Dumbledore to the cabinet where he kept his Pensieve. Learn to defeat my Lord? I know his dueling skills are extraordinary, but surely he could be defeated like any other person. I’m going to go on the assumption that Dumbledore means defeat as in kill. I would like to learn my Lord’s past so that I can protect him, not kill him.

Dumbledore and Harry used the Pensieve to enter Bob Ogden’s memory of summoning a man named Morfin Gaunt to a hearing. It was this memory that introduced Harry to the Gaunt family, who could speak Parsletongue, as well as Voldemort’s father. The headmaster wove a scenario afterwards of how Merope Gaunt, free of her father’s abuse, used a love potion to snare Tom Riddle, the man she loved. He went on to say that Merope that using the potion at some point under the belief that with time and the fact that she was pregnant with his child, that Tom grew to love his wife. It turned out that she was wrong: He left her and she would die soon after delivering her son.

Harry felt sorry for Voldemort. His Lord never knew a mother’s love or any kind of love like Harry had. It wasn’t just a lack of love that made Voldemort the way he was: It was also a trait of cruelty that he had gotten from his father, for Harry had seen a hint of that in the Pensieve. He filed away the important points of the lesson, determined to write it down once he got back to Slytherin. He was learning Voldemort’s past and he didn’t want to forget a single detail.

Chapter Seven- Slytherin versus Gryffindor

“Hey, Harry, wanna watch the Gryffindor tryouts?” Draco asked the following Saturday. “Should be worth a laugh.”

“Sure.” Harry had no problem watching the tryouts of his old team. Draco was probably right that watching would be entertaining and he was absolutely right. Harry thoroughly enjoyed watching the tryouts. Katie Bell had been made Captain since she was the only remaining member of the team. He noticed Ginny, Ron, and Cormac among the hopefuls and was pleased that he didn’t feel any pang of guilt at seeing them.

More people were showing up as the tryouts progressed. Harry paid close attention to the ones selected as the first match of the year would be Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Ginny was chosen as Seeker and Harry knew he would have to work hard at practice to make sure he got the Snitch first. After all, he had seen Ginny play Seeker last year when Umbridge had banned him from the team.

The Keeper tryouts proved to be the most entertaining of all. Most only saved one or two goals. Cormac saved four, but for some odd reason completely missed the last one by flying off in the wrong direction. Ron, however, saved all five and thus became Keeper.

Harry smirked. With Ron as Keeper, scoring goals will be easy. I am confused about Cormac. Why did he fly off in the wrong direction? If I didn’t know better, I would think he was Confunded. His eyes lowered and, oddly, landed on Hermione a few benches below. Hmm, maybe he was Confunded. Odd that Hermione would interfere with Quidditch tryouts. Not that I really care. Gryffindor will not win, no matter who’s on the team.

Harry was kept busy with classes, homework, and Quidditch practices over the next few weeks. Draco, when not in class or doing homework, borrowed Harry’s Cloak and map so that he could work on the Cabinet. He remembered Draco’s assessment, but was confident that his friend would be able to mend it. Draco first tried to fix it with Reparo, but it didn’t work, so obviously it had to be mended by hand.

The first Hogsmeade trip of the year arrived, but Harry decided to stay in. It looked rather unpleasant outside with the wind, rain, and sleet pounding down on the ground. However, Blaise said, “Come on, Harry. We could go to Honeydukes and perhaps a warm butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks or maybe try to get some Firewhiskey at The Hog’s Head. What do you say?”

“Well…” Truthfully, the way Blaise talked about a trip into the village was really enticing. Draco was currently serving detention and Harry thought this would be a good time to bond with Blaise. He grinned at the tall boy. “Sure, okay. Let’s go.” Minutes later, bundled up in sweaters, cloaks, gloves, and scarves, the two boys made their way into Hogsmeade.

They first went to Honeydukes where they met Slughorn. He happily chatted with them and mentioned hosing another dinner party Monday night. Harry sadly declined, saying he had a meeting with Dumbledore, having received a note earlier in the week. He truly did want to attend Slughorn’s party since he had enjoyed the previous ones despite being in Cormac and Hermione’s presence. He hadn’t seen Ginny at any of them and suspected that she had asked Katie to hold Quidditch practice during those times. A shame. She has no idea what she’s missing.

Blaise and Harry soon left the warmth of Honeydukes with bags full of candy before agreeing to head for The Three Broomsticks. As they approached the inn, Harry recognized a man beside the front door: Mundungus.

Mundungus turned and upon seeing Harry, dropped an ancient-looking suitcase which burst open and spilled its contents. Harry bent down and picked up a silver goblet. He stared at it for a moment in shock before Mundungus snatched it away. “Uh, nice seein’ ya, ‘Arry. Well, don’t let me- OUCH!”

Harry shoved Mundungus against the pub’s wall with one hand while he snatched the suitcase away with his other hand. “That goblet had the Black family crest. I suggest you leave everything where it is or next time I won’t be so generous. Understand?” Harry pushed Mundungus up harder against the wall.”

“Y-yes,” Mundungus sputtered.

“You better mean it,” Harry snarled. “I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

“I swear, ‘Arry. I won’t!” Mundungus cried.

“Good.” Harry released him and Mundungus Disapparated.

“Harry?” Blaise asked, confused over what happened.

“Do you know of Sirius Black? He was my godfather who died in June. His will was found shortly afterwards over the summer and it was revealed that he left everything to me, including his home and house-elf.”

“You got a house and a house-elf!? Harry, that is so cool! Was that man trying to sell your stuff?”

“That’s right. I may want my elf to watch the house to make sure he doesn’t try it again.”

“You think that’ll work?”

“Oh, I’m sure. Kreacher, my elf, is very protective of the Black family treasures.”

Harry was right when he called Kreacher that night and told him what happened. The elf expressed contempt for the thief and swore to Harry that he would take the case to Grimmauld Place and remain there unless Harry called. “I appreciate that. Thank you, Kreacher.” The elf bowed and Disapparated, case in hand.

Monday evening arrived and Harry presented himself at the office door at eight like last time. He looked forward to learning more about his Lord’s past, sensing that he’ll eventually learn what Dumbledore hoped to find to defeat Voldemort while Harry was determined to protect whatever this thing was.

“Good evening, Harry,” greeted Dumbledore as Harry entered. “I heard you had an argument with Mundungus over the weekend.”

“I did, sir. I asked Kreacher to restore the items I reclaimed to the house and to keep watch over the house unless I need him.”

“A wise precaution. Rest assured, he will not be taking any more of your inheritance. Now, we will continue the tale of Voldemort.”

Harry listened as Dumbledore told him how Merope, pregnant and broke, sold her only possession, the locket of Salazar Slytherin, to Borgin and Burkes for gold before ending up at an orphanage where she gave birth and died after naming her son. Dumbledore then took Harry inside his memory of the day he met young Tom to tell him that he was a wizard and would be attending Hogwarts. Harry watched carefully, noting certain points that Dumbledore reiterated after their trip into the Pensieve was over.

His independence, need for secrecy, and his friendlessness persist to this day, Harry thought as he left. He also liked to collect trophies. I wonder why Dumbledore wanted me to bear this particular point in mind? I’ll not it anyway; it might be something I’ll be able to use.

Harry soon found himself doing more Quidditch practices as the match with Gryffindor drew closer. He told his captain, Urquhart, about the Gryffindor team members’ weaknesses and he, in turn, used the information to devise several strategies to surely win them the match.

“Of course, we also have the best Seeker in the school,” Urquhart said, winking at Harry.

Harry smirked back. He had been practicing maneuvers as well as the strategy Urquhart came up with for him. As long as Harry stuck to the plan and trusted the speed of his broom, Ginny wouldn’t get her hands on the Snitch.

The morning of the match was filled with the usual excitement. Harry savored the wishes of luck from the Slytherin table and joined them in hissing and booing the Gryffindor team as they passed. Indeed, Ginny fired an angry look at Harry as she and Ron passed, the latter looking a pale green. Harry smirked as he glanced at the ceiling: A pale blue sky; a good omen.

“You plan to work on the Cabinet?” Harry whispered in Draco’s ear.

Draco nodded. “Yeah. I’ve got the Cloak and the map with me right now,” he hissed back.

“Excellent.” He saw Urquhart stand as well as other team members. “Well, time to go.”

“Good luck, Harry. Crush them.”

Harry grinned as he got up and headed outside before heading for the locker room. He changed into his robes, still loving the green instead of red. He shouldered his Firebolt and followed his team outside to cheers and boos.

His information on the Gryffindor team from his spying paid off as Urquhart’s strategies were working on Gryffindor. Within several minutes, Slytherin was ahead, sixty to thirty. Harry kept close tabs on Ginny who did the same with Harry. Her looks of burning angers was surely because he changed Houses.

He put that from his mind and ignored her looks as he searched for the Snitch. Slytherin put away another goal as did Gryffindor: Seventy to forty. He glanced over at Ron and saw a gold glint near a passing Slytherin Chaser, ready to receive the Quaffle should it come his way: The Snitch! He went into a dive, hoping Ginny would follow. She didn’t let him down as she dived after him. The ground came up fast and Harry pulled out of his dive while Ginny crashed.

A perfect Wronski Feint, thought Harry as soared up, looped one of his team’s Chasers and a Beater before grabbing the Snitch. Cheers erupted from the mass of green and silver: Slytherin had two twenty to forty. Harry was caught in an airborne hug while Gryffindor dismounted to check on Ginny and Ron was sulking off to the locker room.

“Harry! Party in the Common Room!” Blaise called over the cheers.

Harry gave a thumbs-up before going into the locker room. He planned to tell Draco the good news and ask him a question. Harry was soon heading for the pitch exit when an angry voice said, “Oi, Potter!”

He turned to see Katie Bell stalking toward him. She called me Potter just now. I guess I better return the favor. “Yes, Bell?”

“The Wronski Feint!? I would never have believed you would pull such a stunt!”

“It’s perfectly legal and Weasley’s not hurt.”

“No, but she’s a bit disoriented and is being taken to the Hospital Wing. The point is that I don’t care if it’s legal, it seemed like a sneaky, rotten thing to do, but then you are a Slytherin. Sneaky and underhanded tricks are what your House is all about.”

Harry’s face flushed red with anger. “That’s not fair, Bell! We’re people just like the rest of you! We’ve got feelings like everyone else! I did nothing wrong, except maybe be a traitor in Gryffindors’ eyes! Well, fine, if that’s what you want, so be it.” Harry turned and stalked off the pitch. My friendly ties with Gryffindor is done! If they think I’m a traitor, then I’m through with them.

Chapter Eight- Christmas Party

Harry approached the spot where the Room of Requirement stood, knowing he would see the door since Draco admitted that he worded it so only Death Eaters could get in. He saw the door, opened it, and as it closed behind him, he called, “Hey, Draco!”

There was the sound of a startled gasp, then footsteps, and Draco appeared around the corner. “Hi, Harry. Match over already?”

“Yeah and there’s a party going on. I thought you’d like to take a break.”

“Of course I would! Slytherin hasn’t beaten Gryffindor in years! That means it’s gonna be a great party!”

“Speaking of parties,” Harry said as they left the room and the door to it, vanished. “How would you like to be my guest at Slughorn’s Christmas party?”

Draco smiled. “Sounds great. I might be a little late. I plan to work on the Cabinet a little after classes that day.”

“Of course. I understand.” As they passed Gryffindor Tower, Harry shot it a poisonous look, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Draco.

“Something wrong, Harry?”

“I had a row with Bell after the match. I used the Wronski Feint on the Weasley girl and Bell accused me of being sneaky for using it.”

“But you weren’t. That move is perfectly legal and you were allowed to use it. What was the final score?”

“Two twenty to forty.”

Draco chortled. “We crushed them all right.” Draco reflected on Harry as they headed down to the Common Room. His friend probably had some ties to Gryffindor left, but they seemed to be severing one by one. The fact that he was calling his former housemates by last name instead of first name was one example.

The party in the Common Room was indeed noisy and festive. Each and every team member was toasted and congratulated on the win. Harry’s Wronski Fein was recounted and there were ripples of laughter of how the girl crashed. Even Harry laughed, not feeling one bit sorry about it.

&&&&

Christmas was fast approaching. The usual twelve trees had been delivered, strings of holly and mistletoe were strung in halls and girls clustered under the mistletoe whenever Harry passed by. He avoided them by taking the secret passages he knew so well.

Several girls would come up to Harry, hinting heavily that they would like to go to the Christmas party. Harry politely apologized, saying he had already invited his friend Draco to the party. They would walk away, crushed and Harry would roll his eyes. He suspected that they only wanted to go with him because he was “The Chosen One.”

It was finally the night of the party and Harry was heading upstairs to Slughorn’s office at five to eight and alone as Draco was working on the Cabinet. He was worried about his friend. He rarely went outside and it showed in his appearance. Perhaps, I should tell him to forget it. I can carry out my mission without the other Death Eaters.

“Harry, m’boy!” Slughorn exclaimed as Harry entered the room. Slughorn pulled him into a tight hug before steering him around the room, introducing him to famous people who would chat excitedly to him. Harry responded just as excited and clearly enjoying the attention. He spotted Snape, Granger, and McLaggen in the crowd as he met and talked with people who were connected with Slughorn.

It was when he was talking to Slughorn and Snape that Filch showed up, dragging Draco by the ear. “Professor,” he wheezed. “I caught this student lurking in the corridor. Said he was invited.”

“He was,” Harry spoke up. “I invited Draco weeks ago and he told me he’d be a little late.”

“Oho!” Slughorn exclaimed. “In that case, welcome Draco. I’m glad you could make it.”

Filch released Draco and slouched away, disappointed as Draco expressed his thanks for Slughorn’s welcome. Harry slipped away to grab a cup of butterbeer and found himself face-to-face with Granger.

“Harry!” she exclaimed, smiling.

“Hello,” he said stiffly.

Granger’s smiled vanished. “Harry, please don’t act this way toward me. I don’t understand Quidditch that much and I would like it if we remained friends at least.”

Harry was surprised. “You would? It doesn’t bother you that I’m a Slytherin? Most of Gryffindor considers me a traitor for switching Houses.”

“Of course it doesn’t bother me. Just because we’re in rival Houses doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

Harry had to admit that she made a lot of sense with that point. She still wanted to be friends; she didn’t think of him as a traitor. She’d think differently if she knew I was a Death Eater and that I will eventually kill Dumbledore. I don’t know if I should be friends with her; she’s a Mudblood. However, I see nothing wrong with making her think we’re still friends.

Harry smiled. “I’d like us to remain friends too, Hermione.”

“Great!” She hugged Harry and quickly released. “Oh, shoot. Here comes McLaggen. See you later.” She disappeared so fast, it was like she Disapparated. Harry laughed softly as her hurried departure.

The next day, Draco and Harry departed for Malfoy Manor on the train. Harry voiced his concerns about Draco health on the ride to the station. “You should spend more time outside, Draco. You don’t look so good.”

“But I have to fix the Cabinet,” he insisted. “You can’t act until I do.”

“And I have to act before the school year ends. So, if the Cabinet’s not fixed by then, I’ll have to move forward.”

“I promise I’ll have it fixed by then at the latest.”

“Just do your best and I won’t think anything bad about you.”

“Thanks, Harry.”

“No problem, Draco. We are friends, after all.”

&&&&

“Harry,” Voldemort said. “How goes the mission?”

Harry knelt. “The mission is moving along. Draco is working on getting Death Eaters into the school. Dumbledore is giving me private lessons on an irregular basis.”

“Private lessons, you say? Excellent. You will have plenty of opportunities to kill him at some point, won’t you?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Good. You are dismissed.”

Harry rose, bowed, and left the room, a feeling of elation in his chest. He always felt this way every time Voldemort was nearby. Being in his presence and in his service was thrilling and made him feel very special. I should feel special. He name me his heir and plans to make me Minister of Magic once the Ministry is ours. I don’t know when that will be, but ideally not long after Dumbledore’s murder.

Christmas was a pleasant affair at the Malfoys. Harry didn’t receive present from any of his old friends, save Hermione. He did receive presents from his new friends, Narcissa, and Kreacher. He summoned the elf and asked him to help prepare Christmas dinner to which he happily complied. Harry noticed that since the elf said he would serve Harry, his appearance was cleaner and neater, his expressions were always happy, and his mutterings had stopped. Kreacher was a happier elf and Harry was the reason. He had made the correct decision to treat Kreacher kindly.

A few days later after New Year’s, Harry and Draco used Floo Powder back to Hogwarts, thanks to the Ministry. Both arrived in Snape’s office and trooped off to Slytherin after receiving the password from Snape. As they entered the room, Pansy came up, hugged Draco and handed Harry a scroll. Harry opened it and saw it was another lesson for the following night.

Chapter Nine- Heated Confrontations

Harry saw a notice for Apparition lessons on the House board the next morning and signed up as did the other sixth-years. Harry stated that he had already experienced Side-Along-Apparition and the Slytherin sixth-years asked him to describe it. Harry did so and his housemates seemed awed by his experience. Somehow, word spread about him having Apparated already and he was asked by almost every sixth-year to recount the experience. He excused himself at ten to eight, claiming a need to use the bathroom. He got to Dumbledore’s office at exactly eight and entered.

The Pensieve was on the desk once more and two vials of memory sat beside it. Dumbledore sat behind the desk, smiling gently at him. “Hello, Harry. The Minister was looking for you over Christmas break.”

“He was? Why?”

“I believe he was hoping that you would consent to be a type of spokesman for the Ministry. A morale booster, if you will.”

Harry gaped for a moment before saying, “After everything I went through last year? They’ve got some nerve!”

“Indeed. I hope you continue to elude the Minister.”

“I will, sir.” Harry had no doubt he would. Only Voldemort and the Death Eaters knew where he was staying and Harry’s dislike for the Malfoys made it seem unlikely that he would be found among their company.

“Good. Now, to our lesson. Riddle arrived at school and was sorted into Slytherin. Somehow, he learned of Slytherin’s gift of Parseltongue and no doubt it made him fee special. He had a good deal of charm and he worked it on the staff except for me since I knew what he was like at the orphanage. I chose to give him a second chance to redeem himself.”

Harry inwardly rolled his eyes. No doubt you were even then planning to raise an army and was hoping Tom Riddle would be the head of that army, that’s why you were willing to give him a second chance. Well, he didn’t and you’re hoping I will be the head of your army. Well, no chance. Just as Tom felt special with his Parseltongue ability, I’m special with being Voldemort’s heir.

“Riddle gathered a group of followers around him,” Dumbledore continued. “A curious mixture of people who could be likened to the forerunners of the Death Eaters. Indeed, some of them became the first Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts. Riddle was obsessed with his parentage and after much searching, he reasoned that his father never went to Hogwarts or was magical at all. I believe that’s when he dropped his birth name and assumed the identity of Lord Voldemort. He then delved into his mother’s family and after painstaking research, he discovered the existence of the Gaunt family. In the summer of his sixth-year, he went to visit them.”

It was then that Harry and Dumbledore dived into the memory of Morfin Gaunt, who told Riddle about the Riddle family who lived in the big manor in the village after saying that Riddle looked much like the Muggle his sister fell in love with. The memory ended somewhat abruptly due to Morfin not remembering anything beyond that point. Dumbledore explained after returning to the office, that he believed Riddle stunned Morfin, stole his uncle’s wand, murdered his father and grandparents, returned to Morfin to implant a false memory of him doing the crime, took Marvolo’s ring from Morfin, and left.

“Why take the ring?” Harry asked.

“Possibly because it was an heirloom of his magical family and Riddle liked collecting trophies like he did at the orphanage. I want to bring your attention to the second memory which is the most important one.”

Harry eagerly dived into the second memory- was this the one that would reveal Voldemort’s secret, the one he wanted to protect? He quickly determined that the memory belonged to Slughorn and watched him entertaining at least six teenage boys. He quickly recognized Riddle and saw he was wearing Marvolo’s ring; he had already killed his father and grandparents. He paid attention anytime Riddle and Slughorn spoke. It was when Slughorn said, “You’ll go wrong boy, mark my words,” when something odd happened: White fog obscured the scene briefly before clearing again.

Slughorn was now dismissing the boys. Slowly, they all left- except Riddle. It took Slughorn a bit to realize he wasn’t alone. “Look sharp, Tom, you don’t want to be caught out of bed after hours and you’re a prefect, too.”

“Sir, can I ask you something?” Riddle asked.

“Ask away, my boy, ask away!”

“Sir, what do you know about…Horcruxes?”

Again, white fog obscured the scene and through it, Slughorn’s voice boomed, “I don’t know anything about Horcruxes and don’t let me hear you mentioning them again!”

“That’ll do, Harry,” said Dumbledore and the two returned to the present.

Harry felt disappointed. “That’s all?”

“Yes and no. All that white fog we saw was Slughorn trying to obliterate certain portions of the memory, trying to put himself in a better light.”

“But, why would he do that?”

“Likely that he’s ashamed of that memory. The true memory is still there under the alternations. Therefore, Harry, it will be up to you to persuade Slughorn to give you the true memory.”

“So, this is homework then, sir?”

“I suppose you could call it that. Good night, Harry.”

“Good night, sir.” Harry left the office, his mind whirling over what he saw. He knew his master had killed once when he first opened the Chamber of Secrets, but apparently not long after that, he killed three more times. After that, he had asked Slughorn about Horcruxes and it would seem he didn’t get an answer.

Or maybe he did get an answer and Slughorn is ashamed about it so he tried to tamper with his memory, only it didn’t fool Dumbledore. I have to admit, I’m curious about Horcruxes myself. In order to learn about them, I’ll get that memory and I’ll start tomorrow by asking Slughorn after class.

Harry waited anxiously for Potions class even though it meant sitting at a table with Ernie, Hermione, and Weasley. Hermione and he sat on one side while Ernie and Weasley sat on the other side. Harry had noticed that Weasley had been shooting him nasty looks recently and he guessed it had to do with the Quidditch match. Oh, come on, he thought. That happened a couple of months ago. He needs to let it go.

Harry ignored him and paid strict attention as today’s lesson was particularly difficult. He did his best but Hermione, as usual, was better. He was better off than Ernie and Weasley in any case. Slughorn even approved of the work he had done. That was a good sign. Maybe getting the memory won’t be so hard. He took a lot of time doing his bag while everyone else left. Soon, it was just him and Slughorn.

“Come on Harry, you’ll be late for your next class.”

“Sir, can I ask you something?” Harry asked, feeling a bit like Voldemort and secretly relishing the feeling.

“Ask away, my dear boy, ask away.”

“Sir, I wondered what you know about…Horcruxes?”

Slughorn froze and stared at Harry in horror. “Dumbledore put you up to this. He showed you that memory, didn’t he?”

“Yes. I just thought that maybe there was something more to it.”

“Of course, you did. Well, since you’ve seen that memory then you know that I don’t know anything about Horcruxes. That memory is complete.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir.” Harry left, feeling disappointed but determined to get that memory. There had to be a way.

As he rounded the corner on the ground floor to go to dinner later on, he came face-to-face with a sneering Weasley. He took a step to the left, but Weasley matched it. Harry sighed before saying, “Yes?”

“I didn’t like what you did to Ginny,” he said.

“Yeah, you and the whole team.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Oh, come on! It wasn’t illegal. You know that.”

“Yeah, well, you’re still a traitor.”

Harry felt like he got punched in the stomach. He had said the word to Bell and had thought the word, but to hear his first best friend say it was hard to take. “What?” he managed to say in a whisper.

“You heard me: Traitor. We were friends for five years and then you suddenly switched to Slytherin and turned your back on us and then you decided to play on the Slytherin Quidditch team. What friend does that? I’ll tell you: No friend does that. So, since you’re in Slytherin and I detest anything Slytherin, you and I are no longer friends, Potter.” Weasley turned and stalked into the Great Hall.

Harry growled and his anger rose. Weasley had no right to say all that! If he knew the truth of why I switched Houses, he might have understood. However, everything I’ve done after the re-sorting he probably wouldn’t understand. Truthfully, I knew he would end our friendship, I’m just surprised it took this long.

Harry spent the rest of the week thinking about how to get that memory. He was going to let Slughorn think that Harry had given up asking him before returning to the attack. Perhaps, his next attempt would be to reason with Slughorn. Maybe if he played on the false prophecy, Slughorn might relent. But, what if he didn’t?

There’s no potion to get the truth except Veritaserum which I don’t have on hand and Slughorn will likely have an antidote to it ready to use. Dumbledore could have used Legilimency, but I got the feeling that Slughorn is a good Occlumens, so that obviously isn’t an option. There is something I could do. If reasoning doesn’t work with Slughorn, I could use the Imperius Curse to get the memory.

Harry nodded as he laid in bed Friday night. Yes, the Imperius Curse would definitely get the truth from Slughorn. True, the Imperius Curse was illegal, but as he would be using the Killing Curse later on, a second Unforgivable Curse wouldn’t make a difference to him.

The next morning was the first Apparition lesson and Harry was nervous and excited. Yes, he had Apparated before but that hadn’t been him doing the actual Apparition; that had been Snape. He desperately wanted to know how to Apparate. Death Eaters were expected to Apparate to the Dark Lord’s side when they felt the Dark Mark burn.

Soon, the tables of the Great Hall were gone after breakfast and a large space was free for lessons and Dumbledore had lifted the enchantment that prevented Apparating, but only in the Great Hall. The lesson’s object was simple enough: They were going to try to Apparate into a wooden hoop five feet in front of them. The art of Apparition, however, was not as simple. The instructor explained how it’s supposed to work, but no one succeeded in that first lesson. The only interesting thing that happened was Susan Bones Splinching herself. The lesson ended and Harry returned to the Common Room with Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

“Man, that was awful,” Pansy groused.

“It was only the first lesson,” Harry pointed out. “Surely, it’ll get better the more we practice.”

“Yeah,” Blaise said. “We just have to keep the three D’s in mind.”

“Yeah,” Draco muttered distractingly. “The three D’s.”

Harry noticed that Draco was distracted and was sure he was thinking about the Cabinet. He was making progress in fixing it, but it was slow going. Harry had full confidence that Draco would eventually mend it.

Just as I have full confidence that I will get that memory from Slughorn, learn more of Voldemort’s past including his secret, and kill Dumbledore. I just have to be patient in waiting for Slughorn to relax his guard before I try to reason with him. An opportune time would be one of his dinner parties. Of course, if reasoning doesn’t work, I have a backup plan,

Chapter Ten- A Request Denied

January faded into a wet February and Harry was almost prepared to go after Slughorn again. He had been occupied with classes, homework, Quidditch practices, and Apparition lessons. No one had succeeded in Apparating though a few more people did Splinch themselves, but at least they were closer to Apparating than Harry was at this point. At least, that’s how Harry felt.

Slughorn hadn’t sent any party invitations since Harry first asked, making it clear that he hadn’t quite forgotten the encounter and wasn’t about to give Harry another chance to talk to him. He also made sure that he wasn’t alone with Harry, either. That didn’t deter Harry, who was determined to corner Slughorn.

Harry took his chance in mid-February after another unsuccessful Apparition lesson. He headed up to Slughorn’s office with an empty vial in his pocket just in case Slughorn relented. He knocked on the door, told to enter, and did so, closing the door behind him, and seeing Slughorn with his back to him.

“Hello, professor,” he said.

Slughorn froze at his voice before whirling around. “Harry,” he said faintly, then it grew stern and firm as he continued, “I already told you, I know nothing about Horcruxes.”

“I think you do you know, sir,” Harry said calmly and soothingly. “I need that memory in order to defeat You-Know-Who. I am ‘The Chosen One’ after all.”

“You are, huh?” Slughorn said gruffly. “Well, sorry but what you’ve seen is all there is and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.”

“But-,”

“Goodbye, Harry.” Slughorn moved toward Harry, opened the office door, gently pushed Harry out, and slammed the door in his face.

Harry snarled as he stormed away. That’s it! he fumed. I tried to be nice, but that’s not working! I’ll wait some more and once I see my opportunity, I’ll use the Imperius Curse and force him to hand it over!

Harry backed off from his attack on Slughorn by leaving class before Slughorn did and busying himself with other activities. Then, on the second Monday in March, Harry received another note from Dumbledore for a lesson that night. He bit his lip. He hadn’t gotten that memory yet and knew the headmaster would ask. He wasn’t concerned about disappointing Dumbledore since he no longer cared about the old wizard. Yet, he had to keep the “good boy” act in order to keep Dumbledore unaware of his feelings.

“Good evening, Harry. I have some interesting memories for us to examine tonight.”

“Good evening, sir. I’m sorry I haven’t gotten the memory from Slughorn. I have tried, twice, but he refused. I do have another plan to try, though. I mean, third time might be the charm, yes sir?”

“Indeed, it might. So, I have your word that you’ll get it this time? We will have no reason to continue without it.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll get it,” Harry said with firm conviction.

“Good and when you do, come here at your first opportunity so that we can examine it and discuss it.”

“I say, the first eight o’ clock that comes up.”

“I’ll wait here every night at eight, hoping you got it. Now, as I said, this will be our last lesson until you retrieve that memory which is where we left off last time. Well, Riddle graduated with high marks on his N.E.W.T.s, Head Boy, Special Award for Special Services to the School, and everyone expecting great things from him. Slughorn had offered to set up interviews at the Ministry for him, but Riddle declined. The next thing everyone knew, Riddle was working at Borgin and Burkes.”

“He what?” Harry asked, stunned a bit. His master working for Borgin and Burkes? He had a hard time imagining Voldemort working for anyone.

“Oh, yes. Surely you can imagine the dark glamour a store like that held for him. He worked as an assistant who was asked by the owners to talk people into selling their prized possessions, a task at which he was quite good.”

“I bet he was.”

Dumbledore smiled at this comment as he stood and poured a memory into the Pensieve. “This memory comes from a house-elf named Hokey who served a rich witch called Hepzibah Smith, whom Riddled visited quite often, at the direction of the shop. In you go, Harry.”

Once more, Harry entered the Pensieve and observed an older Tom Riddle, charming Hepizibah as he had done with Slughorn. He was deeply impressed with how Tom flattered the old woman and made mental notes on how the flattery went so he could write it down later. Tom’s flattery paid off for Hepizibah decided to show him two of her most treasured possessions. One was a golden cup with two handles that bore a badger that was Helga Hufflepuff’s mark. Hepizibah reminded Tom that she was distantly descended from Hufflepuff. The second item caused Harry to gasp: It was Slytherin’s locket! He frowned slightly. I feel like I’ve seen in before, and not in Ogden’s memory, but where? Hmm, was it at Malfoy Manor, Hogwarts, or…Grimmauld Place!? I seem to recall a gold locket no one could open. Could that be it? I’ll ask Kreacher to locate it and bring it to me.

The memory ended as Hokey went to hide the treasures again and Dumbledore and Harry were soon back in the present. “A couple of days later, Hepizibah Smith died from a little know and lethal poison and it was discovered that Hokey was responsible for unintentionally poisoning her evening cocoa.”

“I don’t believe it,” Harry stated.

“Nor should you. I believe Riddle manipulated either Hokey herself or her memory in order to kill Hepizibah and make off with the cup and the locket. It makes sense to take the locket, but why the cup you may ask? To Riddle, Hogwarts was his home and anything connected to the founders had an incredible pull on him. Speaking of Hogwarts, he had desired to be a teacher before working at Borgin and Burkes. He appealed to Professor Dippet about teaching, but he refused saying eighteen was too young and to reapply in a few years.

“Riddle quite Borgin and Burkes after taking the cup and the locket and disappeared for several years. This last memory is mine and centers on Riddle seeking a teaching post. At least ten years separates Hokey’s memory from this one. By this point, Professor Dippet had passed on and I became headmaster. After you, Harry.”

They entered the Pensieve again and landed in Dumbledore’s office of the past, where it was snowing outside. A white-haired Dumbledore with two undamaged hands sat behind the desk as if waiting for someone. It turned out he was for there came a knock at the door. “Enter,” he said.

Voldemort entered, but not the one that Harry now knew and served. He had the pale face and the white of his eyes had a bloody look to them, but his face wasn’t snakelike or masklike and his pupils weren’t vertical yet. His features were waxy or distorted; burned and blurred. He no longer looked like handsome Tom Riddle. This new appearance, nonetheless, appealed to Harry.

“Good evening, Tom. Won’t you sit down?”

“Thank you,” Voldemort said in that high cold voice Harry knew so well.

Harry watched as Dumbledore took control of the conversation by refusing to use Voldemort’s chosen name and the teenager felt anger at that. Voldemort didn’t wish to be called Tom anymore, so why not accommodate him? Voldemort was not the bad person everyone thought he was.

He continued to watch the memory and felt Voldemort had been wronged in the interview. Dumbledore could have been wrong. Suppose Voldemort really did want a teaching post. Dumbledore was wrong to refuse. I feel Voldemort probably would have made a good teacher.

“What job did he want? Which subject?” Harry asked once they returned to the present.

“Defense Against the Dark Arts and the aftermath of that meeting is felt to this day. You see, we have never been able to keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to Lord Voldemort.”

And that proves that he was wrong to refuse, Harry thought. In my opinion, he got what he deserved for refusing to give my Lord the post he desired.

Chapter Eleven- Memory Secured

“Kreacher, I want you to see if a large gold locket is still in the house.”

“If Kreacher finds it, does Master want it?”

“Yes, please. Bring it here and then return to watching the house.”

“Yes, Master.” Kreacher bowed and then vanished.

Harry paced his dorm room after the elf left. If Kreacher did find it and it turns out to be Slytherin’s locket, then how did Voldemort lose it? Hopefully, the answer will present itself in time.

March slowly progressed, still wet, but windy too. Harry kept an eye out for the chance to get S-lughorn alone and he had the feeling that Slughorn knew this too. Nevertheless, he waited, knowing his time would come. He started mixing up his strategies; sometimes he would leave before Slughorn, other times Slughorn would leave before Harry did.

He finally got his chance on a Friday two weeks after his last lesson with Dumbledore. Slughorn was his usual jolly self and the potion they were brewing required a sample at the end of class. Harry corked his sample before cleaning up and packing his bag. He waited until everyone else had submitted their flasks and cleaned up before he approached the desk, bag on his shoulder and his wand and a vial in his pocket. He put his sample on the desk just before the bell rang. The other students filed out and Slughorn collected the samples. His face darkened when he looked up and saw Harry still standing there. He sighed in exasperation. “Harry, I’ve told you twice. That memory is complete.” He came around the desk and started to head out.

Harry drew his wand, remembering that he had to mean an Unforgivable Curse in order for it to work. His hate for Dumbledore would cause the Killing Curse to work, so he just had to be willing to control Slughorn. It was with this in mind, that Harry focused his will and mind as he aimed at Slughorn’s back and said, “Imperio!”

Slughorn stopped abruptly and stood absolutely still as Harry came to stand in front of him, empty vial in hand, wand still pointed at his teacher. “You will give me the memory that I want,” he ordered forcefully.

Slughorn said nothing as he drew his wand, put it to his temple, and pulled it away, a long silver thread of memory attached to it. The strand grew longer and longer until it broke away and hung on the tip of the wand. Harry put the vial to the end and the memory fell from the wand and coiled up in the vial before swirling into gas. Harry stoppered it, put it away, aimed his wand again, and said, “Obliviate!”, to wipe Slughorn’s mind of handing over the memory and then ordered him to put his wand away. Harry then stepped behind Slughorn and let the Imperius Curse end. Slughorn continued to walk out, unaware that anything had happened.

A cold, triumphant smile, much like Voldemort’s own, came to Harry’s face as he left the classroom. He had done it! He had successfully used the Imperius Curse and got the memory! Wow, I never realized how incredible and empowering using that curse could be! To control someone’s mind and order them to do your bidding! Just incredible! Imagine what I could do with that curse!

A crack broke into his thoughts and he stopped at the sight of Kreacher bowing before him. “Kreacher apologizes for long wait, but Kreacher had many places to search. Kreacher found locket Master asked for.” He stood up straight and held out his hand, the locket hanging from its chain. Harry’s heart beat faster: It was Slytherin’s locket!

“Well done, Kreacher,” Harry praised, taking the locket. “Please have some food from the kitchens and then return home.”

“Thank you, Master.” Kreacher bowed and vanished.

Harry stood there for a moment to admire the locket before putting in in his pocket next to the vial and heading to dinner. It was truly a beautiful piece of jewelry. It was as large as a chicken’s egg with an ornate serpentine “S” inlaid with emeralds. He could see why the Gaunts and Voldemort prized it so highly. I intend to return it to my master as the earliest opportunity.

At five to eight, Harry rode the staircase up to Dumbledore’s office, eager to see the full memory at last. He knocked on the door and heard, “Enter.”

He opened the door and smiled at the old man sitting at his desk. His silver eyebrows rose and a gentle smile appeared. “I take it that you succeeded?”

Harry held up the vial he had pulled out on his staircase ride up. “I did it, sir. A few hours ago.”

“Excellent, Harry. I knew you could do it.” He quickly strode over to his Cabinet, picked up the Pensieve, and brought it to the desk before Harry handed him the vial.

“Now we will see,” he murmured as he poured the memory. “Let’s go Harry.”

Harry, once more, landed in Slughorn’s office of the past and watched a scene he had seen before. However, no fog obscured like before. A clock chimed eleven and the boys were leaving save for Tom. Once again, Slughorn asked him to leave, Tom asked to pose a question, Slughorn told him yes, and Tom posed his Horcrux question. Harry waited for the true events to play out.

Slughorn looked uncomfortable. “Project for Defense Against the Dark Arts, is it?” he finally asked.

“Not exactly, sir,” Tom said. “I came across the term while reading and I didn’t fully understand it.”

“No…well…you’d be hard-pressed to find a book at Hogwarts that’ll give you details on Horcruxes Tom, that’s very Dark stuff, very Dark indeed.”

“But you obviously know all about them, sir? I mean, a wizard like you-sorry I mean if you can’t tell me obviously- I just knew if anyone could tell me, you would- so I just thought I’d ask-,”

Harry admired Tom’s flattery. It wasn’t overdone, the casual way in which it was spoken, and the hesitancy in all the right places. This was a master charmer at work and Harry again made mental notes about it.

“Well,” Slughorn said slowly. “It can’t hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul.”

Harry’s eyes, unnoticed by Dumbledore, lit up with interest. Horcruxes don’t sound Dark nor its use. What’s so bad or dark about them?

“I don’t quite understand how that works, though sir,” Tom said and Harry sensed excitement in Tom’s carefully controlled voice, an excitement that he also felt and quite understood.

“Well, you split your soul, see, and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one’s body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But, of course, existence in such a form…few would want it Tom, very few…Death would be preferable.”

“How do you split your soul?”

“Well, you need to understand that splitting your soul is an act of violation, it’s a crime against nature.”

“But, how do you do it?” Tom pressed.

Yes, Harry thought. How do you do it?

“By an act of evil,” Slughorn answered. “The supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage. He would encase the torn portion-,”

“Encase?” Tom interrupted. “But, how-?”

“There is a spell, don’t ask me about it, I don’t know it! Merlin’s beard, Tom! Do I look like a killer?”

Tom went on to ask if a soul could be split more than once. Wouldn’t it make one stronger if their soul was ripped into seven pieces since seven was the most powerful number in magic?

Slughorn was aghast at the thought. Then, he swallowed and said, “This is all hypothetical, isn’t it? Purely academic?”

“Of course, sir,” Tom replied and the memory ended.

Chapter Twelve- Secret Exposed

Dumbledore and Harry returned to the present and both sat in their respective chairs. “I thank you again for securing this memory, Harry. It confirms a theory I’ve had for years.”

“So you think he succeeded? He made a Horcrux?”

“One, maybe more. After all, you heard him ask if one can split his soul into seven pieces.”

“He made seven Horcruxes!” Harry tried and succeeded in sounding horrified, when truthfully he was impressed and fascinated.

“No. I think he made six; the seventh piece resides in his body.”

“Okay, six then.”

“Again, no. You already destroyed one: Riddle’s diary. I destroyed another: Marvolo’s ring. There was a curse on it. If it wasn’t for my skills and Severus’ timely actions, I wouldn’t have survived.” He showed his right hand.

Shame that, Harry thought, but out loud said, “So that leaves four, but what could they be and where are they? I mean they could be anything and be anywhere.”

“I appreciate your understanding of the magnitude of the problem, but let me shed some light on the nature of the objects. I believe Voldemort would choose objects with a certain grandeur for his Horcruxes, thus I have delved into Voldemort’s past for such artifacts that have disappeared around him.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “The locket! Hufflepuff’s cup!”

“Yes. I would wager that they became Horcruxes three and four. Now, four objects from the four founders would exert a powerful pull on Voldemort. I doubt he has four as the only object of Gryffindor’s remains safe.” Dumbledore gestured to the sword behind its glass case. “I have an idea what the sixth Horcrux is. What would you say when I confess that I’ve been curious of the behavior of the snake, Nagini?”

“Animals can become Horcruxes?”

“Oh, yes. But it is risky to confide part of your soul to something that can move and think for itself. However, I do think he turned her into a Horcrux since she underlines the Slytherin connection and adds to Voldemort’s mystique. Plus, he has remarkable control over her, even for a Parselmouth.”

“Are you…searching out hiding places of these Horcruxes? I’ve noticed times when you were absent at the Staff Table throughout the year.”

“Very observant, Harry and yes, I am. I think I’m close to discovering one.”

“And if you do,” Harry said quickly. “Can I come with you and help dispose of it?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Really!?” Harry was surprised; he had expected Dumbledore to say no.

“I think you’ve earned that right. I will send a message to you when it’s time to visit the place. Until then, Harry. Good night.”

“Good night, sir.” Harry closed the door and rode the staircase down, deep in thought over what he saw and heard. Voldemort had made six Horcruxes, but now only four remained. Their hiding places remained known only to Voldemort, but Dumbledore may know one of them; he had found the ring’s hiding place after all.

The Horcruxes were Voldemort’s links to life; if they were destroyed, he would be vulnerable to death like everyone else. It was a thought that horrified Harry. He can’t die, he thought. And I will do what I can to insure that his Horcruxes remain safe and undamaged, starting with the locket. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket. He stared at it, a thrill welling up inside him. He was holding a piece of his master’s soul in his hand and it excited him. He was sure that any Death Eater would love to be in his position right now, having the Horcrux in their hand. As he admired it again, he wondered. Where was it originally hidden and how did it get to Grimmauld Place? Maybe Kreacher knows. I might ask him about it.

Harry’s joy over learning Voldemort’s secret spurred him to want to kill Dumbledore soon. He offered his assistance to Draco in fixing the Cabinet. “But-but I’m supposed to fix it,” he protested. “I believe I have to fix it alone.”

“Then, how about this? I’ll offer suggestions only. I won’t touch anything and I’ll keep lookout with the Map. Perhaps, I’ll think of an angle you hadn’t.”

Draco looked thoughtful before his face cleared. “Yeah, I like that. Okay, Harry. Maybe the two of us can fix it more quickly.”

Harry spent more time in the Room of Requirement as the weeks went by. He sat near the Cabinet, looking between it and the Marauder’s Map, checking for any unwanted people. Of course, Harry still attended Quidditch practices and matches. He got Draco to take a break when he learned that Slytherin had won the Quidditch Cup. Draco happily agreed and when Harry looked surprised that he agreed so easily, Draco laughed.

“Well, I’ve just about got the Cabinet fixed. A few more adjustments and it’ll be ready.”

“Excellent!” Harry crowed.

“Yeah, that last suggestion you gave helped a lot.”

“You’re welcome,” Harry said before they entered the Common Room and the party.

Draco and Harry returned to Malfoy Manor a few days later for the Easter holiday. Harry immediately went to Voldemort when the Dark Lord came by. He knelt before him. “My Lord, my mission will soon come to pass. Draco reports he only needs two more weeks once we return to Hogwarts.”

“Very good. Dumbledore will soon be gone.”

“Yes, my Lord and it couldn’t be at a better time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dumbledore has shared with me that he knows your secret: Your Horcruxes.”

“What!?” Voldemort screamed. “He knows!? How many are gone?”

“Two, my Lord. The diary and the ring.”

“Only two. I knew of the diary last year from Lucius. I want you to know, Harry that I am not angry with you. You obviously did not recognize it for what it was and you were clearly still under Dumbledore’s influence. The ring he must have found last summer.”

“My Lord, I don’t know how or why, but this was in Grimmauld Place.” Harry reached into his robes and pulled out the locket.

Voldemort gasped and took it. His eyes narrowed at it. “I think I know what happened. Regulus Black must have learned my secret from his house-elf for I used his elf to test my defenses. Regulus must have died to retrieve the locket and his elf took it home. Regulus intended to betray me. He deserved to die, in that case. I thank you for bringing this to me and once your mission is complete, you will place the locket in your Gringotts vault where it will be safe. I will teach you enchantments for you to cast on the locket to insure that it remains secure.”

“As you wish.”

Chapter Thirteen- Missions Fulfilled

The sound of joyful whooping broke the relative silence of the Room of Requirement, causing Harry to start slightly. He looked up from the map. “Draco?” he asked.

“It’s fixed!” he cheered. “It’s finally done! Your mission can proceed!”

“Wonderful! It took two weeks just like I told the Dark Lord.”

“Good. So, when will you act?” Draco and Harry left the room once they checked that the coast was clear.

“I have a good idea of when and once that moment comes, I’ll have a job for you to do that’ll help both you and me.” They descended down into the dungeons.

“Snake fangs.” Draco spoke the password and both walked into the room and met up with Goyle holding a scroll which he held out to Harry.

“Thanks, Goyle,” he said and his heart thumped harder. It was Dumbledore’s writing! He opened it and saw that the headmaster wanted to see him as quickly as possible. Does this mean that he found one? I better find out.

“I have to see Dumbledore immediately,” he said to Draco. “I’ll be back soon.” He left the Common Room and dashed upstairs to Dumbledore’s office. He knocked and heard, “Enter.” He did so and saw Dumbledore by his window, a long black traveling cloak in his arms.

“You found one, sir? You found a Horcrux? Do you know which one?”

“Yes, I have. It is in a cave near a village that Riddle’s orphanage sometimes visited. I can’t say which Horcrux it is, but I think we can rule out the snake.

“Now, Harry, I want you to get your Invisibility Cloak and I’ll meet you in the Entrance Hall in about five minutes.”

Harry nodded and left the office quickly, moving down the staircase and into the dungeons. He entered the Common Room, caught Draco’s eye, and jerked his head toward their dorm, which was mercifully empty.

“It’s time, Draco,” he said as he opened his trunk and pulled out the Cloak. “You need to tell Snape that it’s time and then you need to get to The Room of Requirement and bring our fellow Death Eaters here.”

Draco nodded as they left the Common Room together before splitting up, Draco for Snape’s office and Harry, the Entrance Hall. He arrived at the Hall and Dumbledore said, “Please, put the Cloak on.” He waited until Harry was concealed before striding down the steps with Harry following in his wake.

“Are we going to Hogsmeade, sir?” Harry asked.

“It’s the closest place to Apparate, plus I let it slip that I was going into the village for a drink. This disguises one’s true destination. You can Apparate, yes?”

“Yes. I succeeded a few times in the lessons, but I haven’t got a license.”

“No matter. I can assist you.”

As the pair drew even with The Three Broomsticks, the sky lit up bright green and in the direction of the school. They turned and saw the Dark Mark set over the Astronomy Tower! While Harry’s face reflected Dumbledore’s astonished one, he was smiling on the inside. The Death Eaters are in the school and Snape’s set the Dark Mark. Perfect

. Suddenly, the door to The Three Broomsticks burst open and Rosemerta stumbled out. “Oh! Albus!” she gasped. She pointed at the Mark in horror. “The Dark Mark! Do you think…?”

“I don’t know. Rosemerta, can we borrow your brooms to get back fast?”

“We? Oh!” She started as Harry removed his Cloak. Then, she darted into the pub and returned with two broomsticks. Dumbledore and Harry each mounted one, kicked off, and were soon soaring to the school, toward the Mark.

As they dismounted, Harry swiftly drew his wand a second before Dumbledore did. The headmaster looked back, saw Harry had his wand out, nodded in approval, and turned to face the tower door. Harry aimed his wand and shouted, “Expelliarmus!” Dumbledore’s wand flew out of his hand and Harry caught it, stowing his own in his robes. He figured if he used his wand as the murder weapon, his role as innocent Harry would be compromised. It was best to use his victim’s wand.

Dumbledore whirled around, outright shock on his face. “Harry! What are you doing?”

“I’m doing my job,” he replied coldly, dropping his “good boy” act and fixing Dumbledore with a contemptuous look. “You did a good job on me, I’ll admit that. You convinced me that the Dark Lord was my enemy and that it was my destiny to defeat him due to a prophecy.

“But that was a lie! I’m not meant to defeat him but to support him. When he possessed me last year, I saw in his mind the real you- A scheming manipulative old man. You really did plan to raise an army to first defeat the Dark Lord and then take over the Ministry. Do not deny it!”

A cold look crossed Dumbledore’s face. “All right. It’s all true. I thought if I had an army to defeat Voldemort, the Ministry would be grateful and once they had dropped their guard, I would attack. I had planned for you to be the head of my army.”

“Sorry, old man. I have a different future in mind. I’m the Dark Lord’s heir and I’ll be Minister of Magic in time.”

“No,” Dumbledore whispered in horror.

“Yes.” Harry exposed his Mark before aiming the wand. “Farewell, old fool! Avada Kedavra!” The jet of green light sailed through the air and struck Dumbledore in the chest who crumpled to the ground, dead. Harry tossed the wand onto the stones and exited through the stairs.

He emerged from the tower stairs to see Death Eaters and Order of the Phoenix members dueling one another. He avoided the jets of light flying through the air and sometimes boldly stepped between duelists who didn’t dare strike. The Order believed Harry was on their side while the Death Eaters didn’t want to hit the Dark Lord’s heir.

He reached the marble staircase and met Snape and Draco. The black-haired professor raised an eyebrow. “Well?” he prompted.

“I did it. He’s dead,” Harry said with cold satisfaction.

“Then let us be off. The Order has blocked off the Room of Requirement so we must cross the grounds until we can Apparate.”

The trio walked out of the castle in silence and were halfway to the gate before Draco said, “Who’s dead?”

“Dumbledore,” Harry answered. “You see, Draco, you were to introduce Death Eaters into the school to cover Professor Snape when he set off the Dark Mark. The Mark lured Dumbledore to the tower where I killed him with his own wand.”

Draco looked stunned. “You killed Dumbledore? I didn’t think you were capable of killing anyone.”

“Neither did Dumbledore,” Harry chortled.

Chapter Fourteen- Darkness Descending

Voldemort laughed triumphantly after Harry finished recounting his murder of Dumbledore. “Oh, well done, Harry, well done. I knew you were the right man for the job. Tell me how it felt to have that fool at your mercy and then to kill him.”

“It was wonderful, my Lord. I had him at wandpoint and he was powerless to stop me. I let him know exactly what I thought of him before I killed him. I feel so free now that he can’t try to trick me or anyone else ever again.”

“Precisely, my boy, precisely. Now that Dumbledore is dead, our path to the Ministry is clear. I have great plans that will make the Wizarding World a better place- or at least our part of it. I have spent time this year traveling the world and observing other Ministries to gather ideas for our Ministry. You will learn of these ideas once you are Minister.

“Of another matter: Our imprisoned followers. I have great influence over the Dementors and I am certain I can convince them to seek prey elsewhere. Once they do so, our followers will escape and may Imperius a few other prisoners to do the same, once they reclaim their wands and powers, of course.” He saw Harry stiffen slightly at the mention of Dementors and knew why he reacted thus. “No worries, Harry. You will not need to be near Dementors.”

It took another two weeks before the Death Eaters in Azkaban were free, but it was well worth the effort. When each one came forward to thank Voldemort, Harry was right beside him as he was the heir and Voldemort insisted Harry be with him constantly. Harry was surprised when the first one kissed the hem of Voldemort’s robes and then Harry’s as well. “My Lords,” he murmured before stepping back to his place in line.

Lords? Harry thought as the next freed Death Eater copied his comrade’s actions. I’m being addressed as a lord and given the same treatment as Voldemort? Hmm, well I am his heir. It is only fitting that I am treated with respect. It gives me high authority just under Voldemort and I like this feeling. I’m sure I will grow accustomed to it in no time.

The last Death Eater came forward and it was Lucius Malfoy. He kissed both hems and said softly, “My Lords, thank you for my freedom and let me say that it is a great honor to have you both in our family’s house.”

“That will do, Lucius,” said Voldemort.

Harry noticed a good deal of activity going on during the rest of the week. Death Eaters were coming and going and all that passed him stopped, bowed or knelt, and murmured, “My Lord,” before moving on. The way they deferred to him gave him a sensation that felt wonderful in a way he couldn’t really describe, but it was good nonetheless.

Then a week and a half before his birthday, he was in his room idly reading his Standard Book of Spells Grade Seven that he had ordered a few days ago, when he felt his Mark burn. He promptly rose and Apparated to his Lord’s side who was in the Drawing Room. He knelt before him, kissed the hem, rose, and then sat in the chair beside Voldemort’s once the older man sat.

“My locket is in your vault now, yes Harry?”

“Yes, my Lord. I have also put the enchantments you taught me on it.”

“Very good.” He stopped speaking as the Malfoys and Bellatrix Apparated into the room. He directed them to the seats he assigned for them. Once they sat, other Death Eaters appeared and took their assigned seats. Harry occasionally looked from the Death Eaters gathering to the unconscious woman hanging upside down above the table. He didn’t know her nor the reason for her presence. Hopefully, the reason would soon become clear. He wasn’t the only one looking at her: Draco was also looking, only more often than he was.

Yaxley and Snape were the last ones to arrive. Yaxley was directed to a seat next to Dolohov while Snape was to sit on the side of the table on Harry’s right who sat on Voldemort’s right. There were a few seconds of silence before Voldemort spoke. “Yaxley, how goes the Ministry takeover?”

Yaxley rose. “I have good news, my Lord. I have succeeded in placing an Imperius Curse of Pius Thicknesse.” There were sounds of clapping and Dolohov clapped Yaxley on the back.

“It’s a start,” Voldemort said and the room lapsed into silence again. “But Thicknesse is only one man. Scrimgeour must be surrounded by our people before I act.”

“Yes, my Lord. However, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Thicknesse has regular contact with the Heads of all other Ministry departments as well as the Minister himself. Thicknesse should be able to subjugate the others and they can work together to bring Scrimgeour down.”

“Good and once Scrimgeour is gone, I will have Lord Harry replace him as Minister.”

There were nods around the table and a brief applause before the sound a heavy body moving across the floor as well as hissing was heard. A huge snake emerged slithering up the left side of Harry’s chair before sliding over to Voldemort’s chair, and then across his shoulders. Voldemort stroked the head with his left hand while his other hand drew his wand and flicked it at the revolving figure, awakening her. She began to struggle against her invisible bonds.

“Do you recognize our guest, Severus?” Voldemort asked.

“Severus! Help me!” the woman cried out, terrified as she revolved to face the firelight.

“Ah, yes,” Snape said as she turned away.

“Do you know, Harry?” Voldemort asked.

“No, my Lord.” Harry focused a level gaze at the woman who looked at Harry with wide, shocked eyes. No doubt she’s shocked to see me sitting beside Voldemort and addressing him as my Lord.

“And you, Draco?”

Draco merely shook his head, unable to look at the woman anymore even as she faced him.

“But neither of you would have taken her classes. For those of you who do not know, we are joined by Charity Burbage who until recently taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

There were small noises of comprehension before Voldemort spoke again. “Yes… Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles…how they are not so different from us.” He twitched his wand so that Burbage couldn’t utter a word of protest before he continued. “Last week, Professor Burbage wrote an impassioned defense of Mudbloods in the Daily Prophet. She says wizards must accept the thieves of their knowledge and magic. The dwindling of purebloods is a desirable thing. She would have us all mate with Muggles…” A look of contempt crossed Harry’s face as Burbage faced him again. The few brief weeks since Dumbledore’s death were mostly spent in Voldemort’s company who educated Harry in the belief that he should be proud of his pureblood side and forget about the Muggle-born side of his parentage. Harry had been told this so many times that he believed Voldemort was right that purebloods should rule and that anything to do with Muggles and Mudbloods was evil. That included his friendship with Hermione; which was now over. We need to clear away the Mudblood scum if Wizardkind is to survive.

“Avada Kedavra!”

Voldemort’s curse cut into Harry’s thoughts as did the body of Burbage hitting the table with a resounding crash causing several Death Eaters to leap back in their chairs.

“Dinner, Nagini,” Voldemort said softly and the snake slid off his shoulders and onto the table.

Chapter Fifteen- Ministry Policies

Harry’s seventeenth birthday arrived and he received a gold watch from the Malfoys and a promise from Voldemort that his present to Harry will be a little late, but it will be the best birthday present he’s ever had. Harry had a good idea what that present would be.

Harry practiced his magic the next day, reveling in the fact that he could now use magic outside of school. He also wanted to be prepared for when he went back to Hogwarts for his final year. He intended to pass his N.E.W.T.s with the grades required to have access to a wide range of careers. Perhaps he could get Slughorn to set up some interviews through his useful contacts at the Ministry.

A knock at the door around mid-afternoon sounded and Harry said, “Enter.” The door opened and Lucius was on the other side. He approached Harry, knelt, and said, “Lord Harry, your presence is requested at the Ministry.”

“Rise, Lucius and take me there.”

“Yes, my Lord.” He stood, allowed Harry to take his arm, and Apparated to the Ministry.

They appeared in a large and gorgeous office complete with a large desk and a comfortable-looking office chair. Standing in front of the desk were five Death Eaters and next to the chair was Voldemort.

“Everyone has been told that Rufus Scrimgeour has retired. So, Happy belated birthday, Harry Potter, Minister of Magic,” Voldemort said. He swung the chair so that it faced Harry. “Take your place, Minister.”

“Thank you, my Lord.” Harry approached the chair and sat down to applause of the Death Eaters as he swung the chair to face the desk. Voldemort swept over to Harry’s left side.

“Now, for those ideas I spoke of before. They are a couple of policies I need you to carry out as soon as possible, preferably before September first. One is to form what I call The Muggle-born Registration Commission. It is designed to know who, among witches and wizards, are of Muggle-born lineage and to determine how they have stolen the wands in their possession as well as the magic of the wand’s previous owners.

“Another is to make Hogwarts attendance compulsory. Only students with a Ministry-given Blood Status will be allowed to attend. Harry, as you are still school-age, you will be going back to school on September first. Therefore, be sure the Ministry gives you the Blood Status of pureblood. I have no doubt that they’ll give it to you.”

“Yes, my Lord. I’ll make these policies quickly.”

&&&&

Harry was hard at work over the next week implementing the Muggle-born Registration Commission as well as what he called The Mandatory Hogwarts Attendance Policy. He had two Death Eaters posted outside his office as his first three days as Minister were marked with protests of having a seventeen-year-old as Minister. The Death Eaters who have worked at the Ministry for years quickly silenced those protests with threats. He wanted to make sure he hired someone who would be adamant at upholding the laws of the Registration Commission and, after much thought, appointed Dolores Umbridge as Head of the Commission. Yes, he didn’t like her that much, but the way she tried to take over Hogwarts during his fifth-year convinced him that she would be ruthless in her new position which was what he was looking for.

Once he sent the memo to Umbridge’s office with news of her appointment, he turned his attention to the Hogwarts policy. He had received his Blood Status of pureblood two days after taking office as well as his Apparition License, so he was set to go back to school in September. He also made some staff changes at Hogwarts as directed by Voldemort. The position of Hogwarts Headmaster was given to Severus Snape. Alecto Carrow was given the post of Muggle Studies as Burbage was dead while her brother, Amycus Carrow would take the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts which would be changed to just the Dark Arts. The Carrows would also be in charge of discipline.

But when I go back, who will watch the Ministry, take care of business, and implement any policies Voldemort or I want? I need a Junior Minister and I think I know who I want, but I need my Lord’s approval first.

Voldemort stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You want to appoint Lucius as Junior Minister to act in your place when you go back to school. Yes, I like that idea, Harry. Lucius.” Voldemort turned to the man who escorted Harry home every night as a sort of bodyguard. “Will you accept the position of Junior Minister once Harry returns to school?”

“Yes, my Lord. I would be honored,” Lucius replied, kneeling and bowing his head.

“It is done, then,” Harry declared.

Harry returned to work the next day with Lucius at his side and set up an office for him that was right beside his own and announced the creation of the position of Junior Minister as well as the person who occupied that office. With Voldemort’s two policies in place and already in effect, Harry turned his attention to some pet projects. One was making his home, Grimmauld Place, inaccessible to everyone who knew about it except for himself, Kreacher, and whomever he chose to tell. The second was making his Lord’s name Taboo. Anyone who spoke it out loud would be immediately found regardless of any hidden spells or concealment charms. It also made it easy to find Order members as well.

On the day before term started, Harry told Voldemort of his projects, who seemed intrigued by the Taboo that had been put into place. “I am impressed. Now, I have a question for you. How would you like to be immortal, or close to it?”

“I would like that very much, my Lord. Are you referring to a Horcrux?”

“I am. You have already taken the first step by killing. The next step is to find an object in which to place part of your soul.”

“What about my Invisibility Cloak? It belonged to my father and yet it still looks brand-new.”

“What an intriguing idea. Very well. Fetch your Cloak and I will instruct you in the spell to turn it into a Horcrux.”

Harry did so, excited to learn this Darkest of Dark Magic. When he boarded the train the next day, he was, to all intents and purposes, immortal and the second most important person in the world.