Dark Rage: The Manipulator
~*Smoke and Ash*~
Darkness. Pure unending darkness. A dark world filled with dark memory.
Whispers…
You are darkness now…
I am darkness…
You now know true power…
I know true power…
You will defeat that which seeks to defeat you…
I will defeat them…
All that is good in this world is your enemy…
They are my enemy…
Everyone left you…
They all left me…
And now you will seek revenge on all those who betrayed you!
I will get my revenge!
***
Harry woke with a pounding headache. Quickly what had just happened began to elude him, and soon he forgot everything that had occurred except the last few words `I will get my revenge!'
Shaking slightly, Harry stood up from his uncomfortable position on the ground and stretched, his joints protesting at the motion.
It was then that Harry realized he had no idea where he was. He was inside some small house, it seemed. Strangely though, all the furniture was flipped and torn and some of it lay in great piles of ash. The walls were crumbled; drywall and plaster littering the scorched carpet that covered the ground. Half the ceiling was caved in, and all the light bulbs in the room that he could see were blown out. The ground in front of him seemed unstable, and when he took a step forward it creaked as if ready to break.
Where am I?
To his right was a doorway, and slowly and cautiously he inched forward until he passed through. It was a small kitchen, with muggle devices that had been decimated; the wiring was showing and the metal was melted. The cabinets above the stove and such had fallen, somewhat crushing the objects beneath it.
Littered amongst the ground were utensils, pots, and pans. Half the objects were melted, while some were bent and twisted in odd ways.
The window above the half smashed sink was shattered, the glass not inside but outside, near a burnt oak tree that looked to tower over the small house.
In the kitchen, there was a staircase as well. Carefully, Harry climbed the staircase, flinching each time the floorboards sounded as if they were cracking under his weight. About a minute later, Harry was at the top and peering around at an upstairs floor with only two doors: one on his right and one on his left. He turned right and entered the room cautiously, instinctively reaching for his wand just in case whatever had caused this damage was still inside the room, waiting for him to enter unprepared. However, his wand was nowhere to be found. It was nowhere on his person. With a deep sense of unease, Harry continued on inside the room and found it to be a bedroom. A large four-poster bed with torn, dust-covered red and gold sheets greeted him. The room was not that large, and aside from the bed there were two nightstands, one on each side, and then a large cherry dresser across from the bed. The room looked as if it had not been used in a long time.
There were two other doors inside this room, one that Harry found to lead to a somewhat large, walk-in closet; the other lead to a simple bathroom that contained a toilet, a sink, and a bathtub/shower. Straight across from where he entered, there was another door. Finding nothing of interest to look at in the bathroom, Harry proceeded and opened the new door.
Inside was small room that looked as if it had belonged to a child. There was a small crib adjacent to the wall across from him. In front of the crib, however, was a large, jagged hole surrounded by many a scorch mark. Only then did Harry notice that the windows were completely blown out and half the wall behind the crib was missing. He could see the woods surrounding this quaint home.
This room, however, seemed quite familiar.
A flash of green light.
Harry jumped in surprise and closed his eyes; he had just seen a flash of green in his vision. And then he remembered. This was where his mother had sacrificed herself for him. This is where Voldemort condemned him to his fate.
The night my parents were murdered.
Harry opened his eyes. The room was back to normal. The wall wasn't missing, the windows were in good quality, and the floor looked as if it had never even been touched. There was a small giggling sound. A baby was in the crib. Harry stepped over to it and looked down at the baby within. The baby had black hair and was staring up at Harry with bright, green eyes. There was no scar on the baby's forehead.
Harry reached down to pick up the smaller version of himself, but his hands passed right through the baby and the crib. Like being in a penseive. Harry looked up away from the haunting face of his baby self. There was a calendar on the wall. It was October 31st, the very day his parents were taken from him. And now he was going to relive it. But something caught his eye. Inside the box marked October 31st were the words Mommy and Daddy's Anniversary!
A soft cry echoed from within Harry. He had never known. My parents died on their anniversary. What a wonderful present that must have been, death. All because Voldemort wanted me.
There was a crash downstairs. Quickly Harry turned and left the room, jumping down the staircase and ending up in the family room.
James Potter was standing with his wand pointed towards the front door. To his left, in the kitchen, was Lily, standing above the remains of a glass vase that used to hold flowers. Her wand was in her hand.
"I'm going to help you James."
"Not this time Lily."
The front door blew off of its hinges, extending outward and ricocheting off of James' quickly conjured shield. The first Death Eater to enter the room was blasted away by an orange jet of light sent out by Lily. He hit the wall, slid to the ground, and didn't get back up.
Quickly, two more entered, but were quickly eliminated as James transfigured a piece of glass into a cricket bat and charmed it to hit them both over the head, knocking them out cold. Silly Death Eaters, trying to take out the most talented wizard of the Hogwarts class of '77.
Lily and James really were a formidable couple of magi. Without much difficulty they were able to stop the Death Eaters that had so far come their way. But then, they both sensed it. So much Dark Magic could be picked up even by a muggle. Voldemort.
"Lily, it's him! Take Harry and go while I hold him off!"
Quickly Lily rushed up the stairs, rushing into her son's room. He was crying. She gently picked him up and cradled him in her arms.
Back downstairs, James Potter and the former Tom Riddle stood facing each other with their wands pointed unflinchingly at their enemy. Both looked ready to spring to action at the slightest hint of motion.
"I had no wish to fight you James."
"Somebody needed to stand up against you." James was glaring at Voldemort with intense hatred burning in his eyes.
"They needn't have died James. Their lives were in your hands, and you failed them. You made the wrong choice."
"You think they would have lived anyway? They never believed in your ideals. They always hated you. Even if I had joined you, you would still have slaughtered them." The fire in James Potter's eyes increased tenfold.
The two wizards stood in silence for a few moments.
"You're no match for me James. It is true; you are gifted; more powerful than even Dumbledore probably. But you lack experience. You lack knowledge of true magic. Even Dumbledore knows many things about the Dark Arts. You've never even touched a Dark Arts book. Quite an ally you could have been."
"I've always hated the Dark Arts, Riddle." James spat, "true magic does not lie in darkness."
"You're no match for me," Voldemort repeated.
A silver streak of lightning rushed towards Voldemort, but the silver shield Harry had seen once before appeared in his hands once again. The shield deflected the spell, and Voldemort retaliated with an "Avada Kedavra!"
James summoned a piece of furniture; it took the impact of the spell and was incinerated. Responding, James sent a jet of red light towards Voldemort, who was blown backward by the sheer force of the spell behind it. Harry was impressed with the power his dad possessed.
Harry was drawn back to the duel as James transfigured the sofa off to the side into a magnificent lion, which instantly lunged into action. Its claws tore at Voldemort robes, sometimes slicing into the flesh, but the many Killing Curses sent towards the lion soon dispelled it.
And so the duel went on, and Harry was amazed by the skill and speed of his father. He was dueling like Albus Dumbledore had in the Department of Mysteries.
Harry's joy was short lived when suddenly; Voldemort conjured many snakes which curled up around him. Every spell that James sent towards the monstrous congregation of snakes was deflected and blasted into the walls. Moments later the snakes fell to the ground, and Voldemort was nowhere to be seen.
Realization dawned in James' eyes, along with a large sense of fear. As quick as he could, he began destroying the snakes with the Reductor Curse. A small group of snakes slithered past him and one broke away from the group, hiding under a toppled chair. While James was looking the other way, the snake left its hiding place and slowly turned back into what it truly was.
With James' attention still on the few snakes left, it was no hard feat for Voldemort to quickly remove from James his wand, and another spell sent James straight into the wall. Crumpled at the ground, defeated, lay James, and Voldemort proudly stepped over to him, grabbing his face and forcing it to look at his opponent.
"You're not the one to bring me down," Voldemort sneered.
Before Voldemort raised his wand, James looked straight up into his inhuman eyes and spoke clearly:
"No, Harry is."
And with a smile still on his face James fell lifelessly back to the ground as the unstoppable Killing Curse impacted his head.
A tear escaped Harry's eye as he witnessed, for the first time, the death of his father. Swiftly, Harry followed Voldemort's long strides toward the upper part of the house.
***
Upstairs, baby Harry let out another cry as his father was killed. Somehow, baby Harry knew that James had been defeated. Lily, startled by the sudden outcry, held on to baby Harry tighter as she frantically looked for some way to escape. A new, powerful Anti-Apparation ward had been set up, preventing her from apparating away with her son. Anti-Portkey wards had also been set up, so portkeying was not possible. She had tried the door, only to find that it had been magically sealed.
Intense fear flowed through her. There was no way to escape. Voldemort would find them in here and kill them. No sooner had she thought that than the door was blown inwards and in strode Voldemort. Lily let out a cry as the realization of her husband's death set upon her.
"Don't fret, Lily, I'm not here to kill you. All I want is Harry. James I killed for sport."
Lily sniffled as Voldemort spoke of killing her husband as if it was a game. But her resolve was unshakeable. She held baby Harry closer to her, trying to protect him as mothers do.
"You can't have him, Voldemort."
"Stand aside Lily." Voldemort said threateningly.
"No, Voldemort! Take me instead!"
"I said stand aside Lily!" Voldemort's voice grew louder.
Tears were escaping Lily's eyes freely as imminent death grew closer in her mind.
"Please not Harry!"
"Stand aside, you silly girl!"
"Not Harry! Please not Harry! Take me, kill me instead!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Lily Potter fell to the ground, dead, still clutching her only son to her chest. Hesitating slightly, but quickly returning to normal, Voldemort wrenched the baby free from his mother's arms. The small child was crying, screaming "Mummy!"
"So this is the child said to have the Power I Know Not? Pathetic. I expected more from the son of James."
Tossing the baby to the floor, Voldemort pointed his wand at the horror-stricken child.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A green flash of light.
A white light surrounded the one-year-old child as the curse hit him in the forehead. The baby screamed in pain as death tried to grab him but was not able. Another scream of pain joined in as Voldemort felt his soul get ripped from his body. The body soon was encased in fire hotter than the sun, and swiftly turned to nothing but smoke and ash.
And then, the body of Lily Potter and the form of a small, bleeding child disappeared, leaving Harry once again in the ruins of the place he knew had once been called his home in Godric's Hollow.
***
"And the hunt is still on for one Harry Potter, suspected arsonist and murderer of the peoples residing in Privet Drive; a small suburb of Surrey. It has been four months now since the crimes were committed, and most authorities believe him to be in hiding-"
Detective Evans of the Metropolitan Police Department switched off the television. He was tired of hearing about murders and the like; listening to reports and examining crime scenes for the last seventeen years really pissed him off.
A knock at the door caused him to stop complaining to himself his frustrations. "Come in."
"Detective, Jones would like to see you in his office."
Ahh, shit. Having to talk to Jones in his office usually means bad news.
Sighing, Detective Evans got up and headed towards the office at the end of the hall. Reaching the door, he knocked, heard a "Come in, please", and entered.
"Please, Detective, sit." The Detective sat down in the indicated chair and looked at his superior. He was a short man with grizzled brown hair. He always wore a crisp suit and tie and always was clean-shaven. Detective Evans didn't like him at all.
"You wanted me here, sir." Detective Evans wanted this conversation over with as soon as possible.
"Oh, yes, Detective. I've assigned you to the Potter case. Local police haven't been able to do a thing, and they requested help from the best."
Damn.
"Yes, sir. I'll get started right away." Evans cursed inwardly.
"Good. Here are the reports, photos, witness names, etc. Good luck."
"Thank you, sir."
***
The magical world was in an uproar. Dumbledore was dead and Harry Potter had been missing for four months now. Most believed him to be dead, kidnapped by Voldemort and then killed. Some, although, thought that he was just in hiding; being protected by the Ministry's Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement since he was the chosen one.
The storm that was ever growing had been forgotten for the time-being. Harry Potter was much more important than the storm. His disappearance from his Aunt and Uncle's residence shocked the Ministry. Most thought he had died in the fire that burned down Number Four, Privet Drive, along with the surrounding houses, but his body was not found amongst the charred remains of the houses' occupants.
The only explanation the Ministry had so far was that the houses and surrounding area had been destroyed by Voldemort (although there was no Dark Mark found in the sky; a signal that Voldemort always uses after killing, destroying, etc.) and that Harry had somehow escaped.
But still, the MLE investigations would continue until more evidence was found.
***
Hogwarts had not opened the coming school year. The new Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, had decided that with the disappearance of Harry Potter and the death of Albus Dumbledore, many families would not feel their children were safe if the Chosen One was not within the school walls. As such, all the students were in their homes, waiting for any news or hints of the school's opening.
Minerva McGonagall believed that the school would never again open until Voldemort was defeated; but this concept seemed highly unlikely. Voldemort was extremely powerful, and with Dumbledore gone….
And so, Minerva McGonagall closed the doors of Hogwarts and locked them, not knowing if they would ever open again.
***
The Burrow was a somber place. There was no more cheerfulness, no more joy. With the news of Harry's disappearance and the knowledge that Hogwarts may never open again, most people were just not happy.
Bill and Fleur had had their wedding; but it seemed meaningless. Nobody was truly feeling utter joy and peacefulness that day, as weddings should be filled with. The facades everyone had up could not really mask what they were truly feeling.
But, out of everyone at the Burrow, Ron had it the worst. He did not know if his best friend was alive or if he was six feet under. His days were spent in solemn desperation. Every day he wondered if he would ever see his friend again.
***
With everything that had happened, Hermione decided to stay with her parents. She had not really been with them for a long time. She would always go off and stay with Harry and Ron.
Her parents were overjoyed at the fact that they would now have more time with their daughter. But they didn't know the true reasons why Hermione was there.
She wanted to be away from everyone. She did not want them to see her this way. She had been watching the news, and Harry's face had popped up and instantly she was drawn to what was being said. The muggle world believed Harry to be a murderer and an arsonist. They thought that Harry would do such awful things. It was just too much.
And then, over the hours and days and weeks, her parents began to grow worried. Their daughter was neither speaking nor making any form of communication whatsoever. When asked about it, Hermione would just say, "Everything's fine," and walk somewhere else.
And each day, she wondered where Harry was.
***
A/N: Well I hope this wasn't too boring or anything. Many of the things in here, however, needed to be said and will be important in future chapters.
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.
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