Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Giving A Chance	By : Leania07 Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 17354 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I make money from this fic.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
A/N: Thanks for the reviews again. ^.^ Enjoy! As always, I enjoy reviews.
Chapter 11: Shadowed Messages
The rest of September and October went surprisingly well for the students of Hogwarts; Harry still had his visions as Occlumency couldn’t block those, however they rarely got too bad. When it was discovered that Narcissa Malfoy was gone from Malfoy Manor and Lucius was unable to retrieve her, it was a difficult night. Voldemort was enraged and demanded to know who this Lord Black was, when he was told no one was certain who it could be a few of the Death Eaters suffered from the Cruciatus. Upon asking why Lucius didn’t say who he was, Draco mentioned that unless the Lord is known, they cannot reveal their identity, a type of confidentiality clause that kept solitary Lords from being thrown to the wolves.
He received a response from the Board of Governors a few weeks later and was pleased; it seemed they’d rather see the results of his test before voting and have given him until mid-February to present his findings. When he informed Snape, the man seemed determined to complete his experiments before then; he still made plenty of batches of the original Heritage potion after another trip to the Chamber. Their group had grown in size, even gaining a few more Slytherins though mostly younger years, there were a few in their same year.
Mid-November brought the first of many messages from an unknown person; they did not declare themselves allies or enemies. The messages were found on Harry’s bed and each one was signed ‘Shadow’; none of them could identify the handwriting and Draco came to the conclusion the writer used a special quill. The Repetus quill writes in a very standard style that has no flair and as such documents cannot be tied to one writer. It was commonly used by Court Scribes as it can be used like a Dicta-Quill in that it writes what is said, however unlike aforementioned quill, does not take on the writing style of its owner. ‘Shadow’ gave accounts of the comings and goings of people of interest from the four Houses; Harry was inclined to believe ‘Shadow’ was a Slytherin. However the information was useful as it even let slip when some of the seventh years slipped out of their Houses during the night; the fourteen names listed consisted with many children of known Death Eaters to be considered coincidental even if some were not Slytherin.
Harry had received many ‘summons’ to the Headmaster’s office for ‘chats’, always refusing sweets or tea, and learned that after the winter break he would be tutored by Dumbledore on how to understand Voldemort. Harry personally thought there wasn’t much to understand; power-hungry lunatic with an ego the size of a professional Quidditch stadium, a superiority complex compiled with mass paranoia. An insane maniac hell-bent on either controlling or destroying the world; depending on his mood at the time. He even got a snicker out of Snape one evening with that comment. He still continued his nightly ‘lessons’ with his Professor, however they had managed to grow closer; Harry thought he could even call them friendly evening chats with the way they were progressing.
Harry, Snape, Draco, and Hermione made frequent trips down to Slytherin’s Chamber to read and converse with the portrait; they found the other Founders’ portraits and unfroze them, and Salazar was joined by the others on occasion. They taught the four information that was ‘lost’, whether by age, Ministry decree, or change in curriculum, and helped them understand branches of Magic that were forgotten over the years. It was during one of these ‘teaching sessions’ that Harry was informed there was a spell that was created by a wizard who wanted to live forever. It was a deformation of the Necromantic spell Semper Vivens which was used to animate either a corpse or an inanimate object, which was commonly used as a servant. He also learned a lot about necromantic magic, though he made sure those days he was by himself or with Snape, as Hermione thought it best to let that branch of magic be forgotten. Even after Rowena and Helga explained there were many spells that would aid against certain beings found in other Realms, Hermione refused to learn. Needless to say it shocked Harry there was information Hermione refused; however he didn’t let it deter him.
They also briefly explained the different Realms, to which Draco knew a little about as old history that Purebloods were taught; mostly of the folly of ancient wizards who tried to become more than what they should, doing rituals to gain the magic of the other Realms. It was also how the belief of ‘stealing magic’ came to be and why some of them thought muggle-borns ‘stole’ magic.
Harry was soon reading books that went into much detail about many branches of magic when he came across a passage about a Horcrux. The description made him shudder and after talking to the four Founders, discovered that bit of knowledge was ‘gifted’ by the Demons.
“Gifted? This sounds horrendous, why would someone willingly do this?” Harry had read over the ritual and felt a chill down his spine and his stomach churn.
“We use the term gift loosely, Harry. It was more a trap laid for those greedy wizards, and witches, whom did not respect the soul. Those who follow the ritual and kill with pleasure cause their soul, their humanity, to split from itself. The void left behind is filled by a darkness that increases the pleasure the caster finds upon each ritual act. This causes the soul to become wrapped in darkness, a delicious taste to the demons who feed upon souls. The more darkness, the more ‘taste’ for the demon.” Rowena and Helga left, having no stomach to hear this particular part of magic that should never have been.
“This speaks of the caster’s completion after the ritual, and it mentions they feel pleasure and satisfaction; Salazar does this speak of what it implies. That the sensation is similar to…” Harry turns a bit green, “sexual satisfaction?”
“Unfortunately it does, Harry; the demons responsible for this spell were mostly Incubi and Succubi. When/if the Horcrux is destroyed and the human is slain, the soul can be claimed by the Demon Realm and will provide a feast for those Demons.”
“If someone had done this, how could one find the Horcrux? It could literally be any object.”
“Well it is said when the Host and a Horcrux are close, a type of pull can be felt. Sometimes a sound can be heard if there is more than one Horcrux placed together.” Salazar frowns a moment, “There have been reports of human possession of a Horcrux, though it is not normally done I believe there was one wizard who attempted it just to see if it was possible. He slew his own child and put his soul fragment into his wife’s body; once done, she had killed herself because of his monstrosity. It is unknown what a person who is used as a Horcrux container endures as most do not trust a living person to guard their soul.”
Harry nodded, rubbing his scar in absent thought as he reads the next spell in the book. Salazar watched the young man with an increased frown. “Excuse me a moment, Harry; I should check if Severus needs to return to his quarters. Sometimes Valis ignores him when I am away.” He received an absent nod and left the painting. He stopped by Rowena’s painting, but found her conversing with Miss Lovegood and decided not to interrupt; what he had to ask should not be heard by others. He found Godric lounging in a scenic picture in a deserted hall; he spoke quietly to him as one could never be sure ears were not listening. Godric nodded and left for the Chamber painting to keep an eye on Harry while Salazar went to the painting on Severus’ door. Indeed Severus was there and had just turned to stalk away when Salazar entered the frame.
“Severus; I had thought Valis would do something like this. Do you have some free time, I feel I must ask a few questions.”
Severus had turned upon hearing Salazar’s voice and nodded; he wasn’t sure this would be good as the last time the man had asked questions he found his world turned upside down. Once again he locked down the Floo and warded his room before sitting.
“Harry is down in the Chamber; I have sent Godric down to keep an eye on him. We were discussing Necromantic Magic and he came across a spell and the subsequent deformation of the spell and asked some questions. Now I must ask if you are familiar with the term Horcrux.”
Something tickles his mind, “Information does not come forth, but it does seem like I should know of it or perhaps heard the term before.”
“Oh this is not a well-known term and you would never hear it in casual conversation. A Horcrux is a container for a person’s soul; specifically the caster’s soul. It was used to make the caster immortal, as even if their physical body was killed, they would still be bound to this realm and be ‘resurrected’…What is it, Severus?” Salazar noted the look of horror on Severus’ face; something that was based on more than just what was said.
“The Dark Lord boasted about how he found a way to become immortal and indeed the night he killed the Potters, his body was destroyed. Our Dark Marks however were still there, however faint, and as such we knew he was not truly gone. Harry spoke of how a ‘memory’ of Tom Riddle, the name the Dark Lord was born to, existed inside the diary. Just last year the Dark Lord did a ritual to gain his body back; a blood ritual that used Harry’s blood.”
“Aye that sounds like he had a Horcrux to anchor him. When this diary was destroyed did your Mark get fainter at all or did it remain the same? Is there a way I can see this Mark for myself?” Salazar had clasped his hands tightly.
Severus rolled up his sleeve, “I don’t recall ever looking, really, though as you can see it is dark once more. I am…looking for a way to remove it, this Mark, or at the very least transfer the bond to someone else if I have to. While I am aware of the dangers of spying like I have been, my godson Draco had this forced upon him and he wishes it gone. Is there anything you can tell me, or any hints, about the spell or spells behind this?”
Salazar curled his lip in repugnance; the audacity and ego of such a man to put such a mark as this on others. “I am appalled that he would use a snake in such a way. There are many type of Marking Bonds, many are variations of Loyalty Oaths; unfortunately just looking at it I cannot discern any information. Do you not know the spell that was used?”
“The ritual was spoken in Parseltongue so no. I did not want to involve Harry if I could help it, however he is the only living person who could help in this case. What else of the Horcrux situation did you come to ask about; I doubt just asking if I had heard of it was the sole reason.”
“Indeed; I was wondering if you knew the circumstances of that night this Dark Lord killed the Potters. I have a theory but most of it relies on what went on that night.”
Severus sighed heavily feeling he will not like what he will hear. “Not much is known about that night as the only witness was a one year old Harry. However when I arrived after the attack, I noticed James Potter dead at the foot of the stairs, no doubt trying to keep the Dark Lord at bay. Lily was dead in the middle of the nursery,” he suppressed a shiver at the memory, “and beside her was a pile of ash and the Dark Lord’s wand. Harry was in the crib, crying, with his trademark lightning bolt scar the only mark from his altercation.”
“Did he have that mark before that night, Severus?” Salazar felt cold; he knew he was merely a painting infused with magic and thusly could not, in fact, feel. If he was alive, however, he would.
“Of course not, that mark is why the boy was so famous; the only person known to have survived the Killing Curse and all he had to show was that scar.” No longer did Severus feel hatred for Harry Potter; no after those nights of conversation he had gotten to know the young man. He knew his home life was far from ideal, though Harry refused to go into specifics, Severus suspects some type of abuse was done. He also found Harry was a kind and caring young man with a warm, infectious smile that upon further reflection Severus realized was not often seen upon the young man’s face. Any resentment upon his survival or hatred due to his father had since been dissolved, especially after the letters, and Severus came to realize he cared for the young man and was attracted to him. That was a hard realization for him to accept.
“Has Harry ever experienced unusual behaviors, anything other than the Parseltongue?”
That feeling of dread expanded as Severus nodded, “He has visions when the Dark Lord feels extremely angry or even extremely pleased. I have witnessed one of these visions and along with convulsions when the Dark Lord cast the Crutacious, he spoke in the Dark Lord’s voice. He also said during those visions it is like he is the one speaking and doing those actions. Salazar, please tell me the conclusion I have is wrong, tell me Harry is not some form of Horcrux of the Dark Lord’s!”
Salazar sighed, “I fear it to be true, Severus. It is rare that such a thing happened, but if he does have a piece of the Dark Lord’s soul in him, it may be the cause of these visions. It would also be why Occlumency doesn’t work to prevent them, as there is no way to stop the connection of a soul to its host. This is a strange anomaly, and it may prove to be beneficial to Harry in a way.”
“What could that possibly be? How could we get rid of it?” Severus felt a bit ill; to have something so evil and twisted placed inside one’s body just sent his skin crawling.
“The soul latched on to the child because it was the only living thing around; it has remained with him as Harry grew and may feel connected to him because of it. A soul strives to live to its fullest; a soul that has been splintered seeks to be whole. It may have already become part of Harry as they child grew, and only the evil of the act remains in the scar; the magic seeks to remove the evil but keep its ‘host’ alive. It may be where Harry developed this stubborn will to succeed from, and how he is able to understand things on an instinctual level. The soul part helps him know what needs to be done even though he does not have the knowledge. I have often heard the young man say ‘it just felt right,’ or ‘I just knew what to do,’ when speaking about his past adventures, and I think it is that soul fragment that guides him.
“As for getting rid of it, I am not sure of how to do that. If the soul has become a part of Harry, as I assume it has, then we should focus on purifying the scar that contains the evil. A Horcrux normally has to be destroyed beyond repair, which casts the residing soul fragment into Purgatory; the only known case of a living Horcrux killed herself because of how it was done. I don’t see harm in attempting a purification ritual, however, as that would be preferable to killing him.”
Severus blanched and shook his head, “No, the ritual will suffice, there is no need to take such drastic measures. If the soul has not become a part of Harry, wouldn’t the purification ritual also cast out the foreign soul?”
“I do not know for sure, Severus, however I would like to think so. I would ask that only you be present for the ritual; should the fragment look for a new host you are the only one able to defend yourself from such a thing. Severus, if this Dark Lord was resurrected by something other than the diary Horcrux, which was destroyed, or Harry, and he has such paranoia, wouldn’t it be safe to assume he has multiple?”
Severus nodded, “Yes and as he believed in numerology, I believe he would seek to use that. However the number that comes to mind is staggering for such a task.”
"Three should be more than enough, however if he is as paranoid as I have been led to believe, seven would be the number he would look for. However we must keep in mind that if Harry is one of them, it was not counted and so there are six others beside the main soul.”
“You mean there was a total of eight soul fragments at one point?” Severus shudders, to wish to do such a thing to one’s soul was beyond his contemplation.
“Possibly. It has never been recorded of how many could be achieved, however the consequences of such atrocity is harsh and usually overlooked. Looking less human, the desire to make more because of the feeling it invokes,” Salazar shuddered, that also disturbed him, “and no longer using logical thinking in action. There is also the fact that when the soul, all fragments, are destroyed they are cast into Purgatory where the Demons can take them and feast. The spell was given for wizards to use to feed the Succubi and Incubi.”
“What feeling does it invoke in the caster that makes you react such?”
“Sexual gratification; the ritual completion causes one to reach their own completion. As such, normal acts with others seem substandard and no longer satisfy, which causes them to want to create more.”
Severus gagged, fighting his stomach back from crawling out his throat. To think such a thing was done for sexual pleasure was sickening. “Essentially the person would doom themselves, wouldn’t they? A soul can only be split so many times before life itself is extinguished.”
“Yes, which is why the demons enjoy the results; they tricked the witch or wizard into using such a spell. Evoked pleasurable feelings each time the spell is done, filling the caster with darkness in the void left by the soul piece until finally the life is gone completely. Then each time a Horcrux was destroyed, they’d be able to get yet another piece of the soul.”
“If a living thing was used, their soul would not be part of this, would it?”
Salazar sighed and sat down on the stump, “I am unsure, Severus, however it seems unlikely. As the living host is more a victim and did not take part of the ritual of their own volition, I would like to believe they are not punished.”
The two sit in silence for a while, the implications, and information, settling in their minds.
“Salazar I was wondering if you could have your snake friend keep an eye out for students that may be spying on Harry and his group. Harry has mentioned he has received notes from a mysterious person, identifying themselves as ‘Shadow’ and not claiming to be friend or foe. In these notes they have detailed some things that have taken place in each House or seen two people that would be considered enemies talking or entering a room together. Right now the information is relatively harmless and could be overlooked should a Professor see it, however if someone on the side of the Dark Lord were to know, many students may be in danger.”
Salazar nodded and relayed the information, nodding as the snake spoke in return.
“Valis says she has seen a few students acting peculiar though she doesn’t know their names. Snake, Raven, Badger, and Lion though never together, eventually enter one room. There is no painting inside, and it is not entered by anyone but those same students; I assume it is an unused classroom. She says it is by the painting of Lady Aswin on the first floor; second door to the left. I hope that helps.”
“We shall see, thank you Salazar and Valis. If you could please send Harry up to the Room of Requirement, I have finished the potion for Miss Granger and the others who wish to partake of the experiment. I shall be waiting there.” Severus unblocked the Floo and grabbed the parchment and vials; he would also take this chance to explain about the Squib-born and Wizard-born that Salazar informed him of, as he was certain the test would reveal that. Along the way he sent one of his Slytherins that was part of the group to gather the others that want the test done.
- 10
- 11
- 12
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Giving A Chance