Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

In Servitude of the Dark: The Hand That Guides Me	By : xXxLuckyxXx Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 74965 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. I just play in her world.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
A/N: I cannot believe the overwhelming support I had, especially in response to how I've developed my Snape character. I swear some of them could have been excerpts in 'Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul'! I wish I could respond to each of you individually, for all those who encouraged me to continue, but since I cannot please give yourself a virtual hug from me. Each and every one of your thoughts makes this all worth it.

Also, I had a review wondering what all my secondary and tertiary characters were up to, so I decided to do a little interlude to address the issue. The following subchapters are written in the point of views of the secondary characters…

Chapter 16 - Interlude

16.1 - December 20, 1993

The world of Draco Lucius Malfoy was good. Winter break was here and Draco was back in Malfoy Manor, where there was house-elf service round the clock, where there was no annoying curfews and irritating little rules to follow. Yule will be coming soon too, and it was time to fortify the Manor's defenses. The defenses were scheduled to be renewed every five years, and this time Draco was actually old enough to participate in the Major Ritual, using the magic of Yule to reinforce it. The manor will then truly, in the magical sense, be part of his legacy.

Things were also going good at school. For the past several months he had nearly the entire staff of Hogwarts cater to him for fear that he would make that oaf of a giant's life more difficult. The big brute was so easy to bully and maneuver around, and the only one who tried to stop him was his own godfather.

He didn't like how distant he became with his godfather. For some reason his godfather was spending more and more time out of his office, labs, and private rooms. Draco couldn't figure out where the man went, and Uncle Sev wouldn't tell him either. Another thing that was starting to bother Draco was how his godfather was suddenly becoming nice to Potter. Oh sure, the two still antagonized each other in potions class, but Draco had a distinct suspicion that it was all for show. Knowing his godfather as well as he did, he could tell that all the barbs Sev sent to Potter lacked the usual venomous hatred of the previous years. What he couldn't fathom is the how and the why.

Unfortunately, this whole case with the hippogriff was just another wedge that pushed him away from his godfather. For some inexplicable reason, Uncle Sev was completely against his plans. Draco still scowled when he remembered the earful he got.

"Tell me, Mr. Malfoy, that the rumors aren't true. That you are not actually going forward with this imbecilic plan to get Hagrid fired."

Draco winced when Severus called him by his surname. It meant that his godfather was really irked with him, not just irritated like when he'd prank the Gryffindors and got caught. Peaking up slightly, Draco felt a clench in his chest at how angry and disappointed the professor was. "But Uncle Sev, he's just a big duffus," Draco said, not sure why his godfather was making such a big deal out of this. "Didn't you see how sad all the Gryffindorks looked?" he asked, hoping to cheer his godfather up with that little tidbit. "The Mudblood and the Weasle were practically crying with him."

"How many times must I tell you not to use that word around me," Severus barked. "And while the reactions from the Gryffindors were entertaining, did you fail to notice how the other staff members are looking at you?"

Draco gave a careless wave. "They can't do anything to me," he said confidently. "I was the injured party, remember? Besides, I'm a Malfoy. If they do anything to me, Father will have them up before the Board of Directors." And then Draco leaned forward, looking so proud and excited. "I haven't told anyone this, except for Father. Just before Break started, I even got Professor Babbling to increase my test score just enough to put me over the top of that know-it-all Mud…er muggle-born."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. For one, he couldn't believe his godson actually confessed to cheating to him...a Professor! Secondly… "You blackmailed a Professor! What were you thinking, Child! Have you completely loss all good sense?"

Draco reared back slightly from the vehemence and spittle that flew from his godfather's mouth. The last time Uncle Sev got this mad at him was when he foolishly conjured that snake in the middle of the mock duel against Potter. "But…but Father thought it was a grand idea," Draco said defensively. "He said I was a true Slytherin from coming up with such a cunning plan."

Severus actually snarled in frustration. "Of course your Father would," he sneered. "But no, blackmailing and threats are not attributes of our fine house. We are the house of the cunning and the ambitious. Outright threats and blackmail are only resorted when the snake is trapped in a corner with no escape…then and only then do you bare your fangs, Draco."

Draco crossed his arms mulishly. He didn't want to admit it, but his godfather made a lot of sense. Like always.

"Think on it Draco," Severus encouraged, seeing that his message had gotten through.

And think on it, Draco did. He was even beginning to warm up to the idea too. He could just imagine how grateful, how indebted the Gryffindors and the teachers would be if he voluntarily dropped the case. Why they would practically do anything for him, maybe even throw a Quidditch game, just to get that big oaf out of trouble. That was probably what his Uncle Sev had meant all along. Nodding to himself, he was satisfied with this alternate route….that was until he spoke to his father about it.

"Why pull back now, when you've got them by the throat, Draco," Lucius said, looking perplexed. "You have a good thing going here. Do not fall short on your convictions now."

Draco refrained from biting his lip, a habit that his parents abhorred. "But Uncle Sev said it wasn't the Slytherin way, and I agree."

Lucius' eyes narrowed. "I think you're letting your godfather influence you too much," he said, disapprovingly. "If you don't follow through now, no one will take you seriously later. And in turn, the Malfoy name will suffer for your weakness."

Draco looked down. He didn't want to shame his family anymore. It was already bad enough that the Granger girl kept besting him in almost all his classes. Suddenly, Draco was feeling out of depth. When he had started all this, he was only aiming to get a little attention and sympathy here and there, and make the Gryffindorks suffer a little. Getting out of the first Quidditch match because of his faked injury was another bonus. But somehow when his Father got involved, it had snowballed into this massive case, and all of sudden people were talking about lawsuits and executions!

"I'm not sure if I want to go on with this, Father," Draco said quietly, giving into the urge to fiddle awkwardly beneath his father's heavy gaze.

"Stop twitching, Draco. That is unbecoming," Lucius snapped, now losing patience with his weak willed son. "Fine then, boy. If you can get that blumbling oaf, that the Headmaster loves so much, fired and the giant bird executed, then I will buy you that Firebolt you've always been whining on about."

Draco's head snapped up, suddenly forgetting all his concerns and his Uncle's warnings. An arrogant smirk replaced his previous frown. "I want a Firebolt and tickets to the Quidditch World Cup this summer, in the VIP section."

Seeing as how the World Cup was an excellent opportunity to make international contacts, Lucius nodded. "I shall inquire about the tickets."

"Consider it done, Father," Draco said happily. "You won't be disappointed."

Lucius nodded satisfied. "Then we will deliver the date of the trial on Christmas Eve," he concluded, wishing he could see the looks on the Old Man and that bumbling giant's face when they received the summons…and on Christmas Eve of all days.

A/N: Poor confused little Draco. He's not a bad kid. Just terribly spoiled, and adores his father. He hasn't learned to think for himself yet.

Chapter 16.2 - December 30 - Shortly after the Reading of the Will

Hermione closed the tome, feeling even more conflicted than when she left Gringotts after the reading of the will. She had just finished reading a brief overview of the previous war against You-Know-Who. Of course, she already had a general idea of the main events, but this time she was looking for anything that might justify the Headmaster's behavior towards Harry.

Hermione vaguely remembered how she and Ron had given their goodbyes to Professor Lupin after they flooed from Gringotts back Hogwarts by way of Lupin's floo. Harry had gone after Professor Snape and Madam Tonks, probably to start the paper work on the guardianship. And who knew where the Headmaster went. Professor Lupin gave them a distracted nod, but otherwise didn't respond, not that Hermione could blame him. She was so troubled after the reading of the will that she did the only thing she could when faced with a problem…research.

After researching for two days, Hermione realized how much she didn't know about the last war. For one thing, the war that rose shortly after Grindewald's downfall started out more like a political movement than outright warfare. In the early years, 1960's and 70's, Voldemort was a charismatic man, tempting wizards and witches to his side like moths to a flame. Hermione had found a rare black and white photo of Voldemort, and in the privacy of her own mind, admitted that the man was as handsome as they come. Coupled that with his brilliance and power and promises of a glorious future for all magic-kind, it was no wonder the dark side was swelling with supporters.

It wasn't until that last several years that You-Know-Who suddenly decided to change tactics, going from political maneuvering to terrorist and gorilla warfare. The death toll of muggles, muggle-borns, and purebloods went from the mere teens to hundreds seemingly in the span of a couple months. At the time, no one could figure out why the Dark Lord changed tactics, especially since the Dark side was so close to actually winning, but the history books offered a wealth of theories on this matter. Some said You-Know-Who had summoned a demon, lost control of it, and it in turn possessed him. Some claimed that Voldemort was finally consumed by all the dark arts he practiced, driving him to insanity. While others said that once the Dark Lord had a taste of blood, he couldn't get enough of the pain and violence. Such was the nature of the Dark.

Hermione knew most of these were outlandish embellishments. In fact a lot of the books in the library were clearly biased towards the Light side. After all, as an avid reader, she knew how history was written by the victors. But still, regardless of how seemingly noble the war started out, it was crystal clear that by the end of the war, Voldemort and his Death Eaters had to be stopped. The population of the Wizarding Britain was plummeting at an alarming rate and the Statute of Secrecy was barely even functioning anymore, considering how the war was spilling over into the muggle world. The Ministry of Magic could hardly keep up with the unpredictable pattern of attacks, and the only one who even made a difference anymore was Albus Dumbledore and his mysterious Order of the Phoenix.

And this was where Hermione felt torn. She knew how important it was to Harry to be able to keep something of his parents. As an orphan, with an unpleasant childhood, he would treasure anything that he could get from them. It sat wrongly with her innate sense of justice for the Headmaster to try and take Harry's inheritance away from him, especially after hearing how much the Potter Family had already given up for the Light side.

On the other hand, it was because of people like the Potters, who gave their fortunes and their lives to the war that the Dark factions could not take over. Their sacrifice was what made it possible for muggle-borns like her to go to Hogwarts and hold a respectable career afterwards. Without the Headmaster and his Order, Hermione and her family could easily have been hunted down and exterminated or even enslaved. And if the war ever started up again, like how the Headmaster insisted, she didn't know what she'd do if Harry kept all that resource to himself instead of helping with the war effort.

Hermione shot a glance towards Ron, wondering what he thought about all this. She knew money was an important thing with the Weasleys, and she remembered how indignant Ron had looked when the Headmaster tried to convince Harry to give up 70% of his Family fortune. But the Weasleys have been steadfast in supporting the Light side and the Headmaster. Considering how at odds Harry was with the Headmaster, Hermione wasn't sure which side Ron would choose either.

And that was another thing. Harry was changing so much. Their friendship with Harry wasn't the same as it was in first and second year. Unfortunately, she had been too busy with her overloaded schedule to realize that Harry had distanced himself from them until it was too late. It was only when she saw him hanging out with Neville, while Ron was hanging out with Seamus and Dean, did Hermione realize how the Golden Trio had become separated.

It hurt to realize they'd broken up. Harry was her first friend, bringing Ron along with him. They had rescued her from the troll, and they'd been inseparable ever since. She wanted that closeness back, but for all of her brilliance, she couldn't find a way to bring them back together again. With all of them having their own interests - Ron with Quidditch, Hermione with her schoolwork, and Harry with whatever he did-they were bound to lose touch, but for some reason Hermione felt there was more to it than that.

Ron always had his own issues. It seemed he was much happier with Seamus and Dean, who shared the same work ethics as Ron did and enjoyed all the same hobbies like exploding snap and Quidditch. It always made Hermione and Harry uncomfortable when Ron started comparing how rich and how famous Harry was. And so getting out from Harry's very long shadow was doing wonders for his confidence and self esteem.

She, herself, knew she harbored a slight jealousy towards Harry's newfound intelligence in class. She remembered how they were trying charms on animate objects. They each had a frog or rat on their desk, and the incantation was Tripudium, with a double swirl of the wand.

She looked over to Harry and heard him mumble, "Tripidum." Then he simply jabbed his wand at the sleeping frog.

Hermione opened her mouth to correct Harry's pronunciation and wand movement, but before she could, the frog rose onto its back legs and started doing a quick little gig back and forth across his desk! Her jaw had dropped.

"Excellent, Mr. Potter," Flickwick announced. "Ten points to Gryffindor for being the first."

Hermione watched as Harry smiled a thanks and slid lower into his seat, almost as if he was hiding or embarrassed.

Hermione remembered how unfair it was. By all logic, that half spell shouldn't have worked. She had studied this for more than an hour before class, going over the theories, the arithmetic calculations, and still she couldn't get it down. While Harry had only glanced at the frog, waved his wand, muttered a nonsense word, and the frog was merrily doing backflips! It was so utterly frustrating, and as if to rub it in her nose, his charm had continued on and on and on until Harry finally deactivated it when the bell rang.

It was this distance, jealousy, and Harry's secretive nature that prompted Hermione to go to Professor Lupin. After learning how close Professor Lupin was with Harry's parents, she hoped the Professor could get Harry to open up to them again. She had rationalized that maybe they could entice Harry to speak with them if they could tell Harry stories about his parents, since it was obvious that Harry was being ridiculously paranoid about being alone with the Professor. Who could have thought it would

Backfire the way it did?

Hermione realized now that despite their good intentions, they had hurt their friend. She didn't know what would become of their friendship, and she didn't know what would happen if You-Know-Who came back, but she instinctively knew that Harry was in the center of everything. And sometimes, she would get hit with this sense of pure dread, that if she couldn't reconcile with this anti-social and secretive Harry Potter, than terrible things would happen to her and the Light side.

A/N: Many of you have asked me about Hermione and whether or not she'll stick with Harry. Her loyalty to the light is more than just her respect for authority. As a muggleborn, she has a stake in the Light side winning over the Dark. It all depends on what Voldemort will do this time around and if she ever learns that Dark doesn't automatically mean evil.

Chapter 16.3 - January 3, 1994 – At Malfoy Manor

Lucius looked around the large table with a sense of entitlement and importance. This was the first official gathering of what was left of the Dark Lord's old faction. Before, the dark community had been too frightened, too wary of gathering in a large group like this. Aurors made it their business to hunt down dark wizards who were foolish enough to make themselves a target. Naturally, they all felt safer in the shadowy places, like the ancient Forest of Dean and Knockturne Alley. In this, the Malfoys were an aberration. While it was an open secret that they were dark, rivaling even that of the Blacks, they were also flashy and actually enjoyed being in the spotlight.

And so it had taken Lucius, with all his maneuvering and social climbing, to garner enough power to finally bring the dark community together once again. In attendance were a mix of inner and outer circle Death Eaters, totaling 17 in number. A respectable number, for a first meeting.

"I am glad to see so many of you here tonight," Lucius said, standing up to take his place at the head of the table. "For too long now we have waited and watched as the Light grows and the Old Ways become forgotten. That we have such a promising gathering should tell you that the Dark community is ready once more to face the blood traitors, mudbloods, and oppressors."

"And who do you propose to be our leader?" McNair sneered. "You?"

"True, I am not the ordained Dark Lord," Lucius admitted. To claim the title now, he knew would turn many of these people who were still loyal to the Dark Lord against him. "But none of us knows what became of our Lord. Yes, he did dabble in arts that are far beyond our comprehension, arts that promised immortality, but look at what's happened. Destroyed by a mere baby, leaving many of us to the mercies of the Ministry and the rest of us to languish for over a decade. While, I am here, while we are here, to take up where our Lord has left us."

"You are an ambitious one, Malfay, I'll give you that," Nott admitted. "But what makes you think we will succeed where even our Lord has failed?"

"I will never speak ill of our Lord," Lucius said, though many of them there could hear the lack of sincerity in his voice. "But in the last years of his war, he became unstable. All of you have seen the signs. He punished us even more than he did his enemies, and his muggle raids served no purpose…"

"What about the Potter brat?" Aloise, an outer member, interrupted.

Lucius refrained from cursing the lowly fool, knowing he needed all the support he could get. "The boy is of no consequence. Those of you who have children at Hogwarts will confirm this. He's withdrawn, shows no particular talent in any field save perhaps in Defense, and even that is debatable. He is merely Dumbledore's pawn, a so-called hero in nothing but name. That is where the Dark Lord erred and met his downfall. He had been too obsessed with an insignificant player. We will not make the same mistake. It is Dumbledore who we should be focusing on." Lucius was pleased to see that he was winning some of them over with this. He knew many of them had been frustrated and vexed at how obsessively their Lord went after the so-called Prophesized Child, especially since no one had an inkling of the contents of the prophesy.

"Are you planning then to disassemble the Death Eaters and name yourself the leader of this new faction?" another asked.

"Why change our organization?" Lucius returned. "The Death Eaters still strike fear in the hearts of the wizarding world. I see no need to change that. My immediate plans are simple. Recruit, strengthen the dark community, and when we are ready we will finally reveal ourselves…perhaps in next year's Quidditch World Cup…"

A/N: Oooh, Lucius is up to something. To be honest, I love writing Lucius as a good guy, so it will be a challenge to write him as an antagonist instead.

Chapter 16.4 - January 09, 1994 – Headmaster's Office

"Severus, please have a seat," Albus said, and watched the potion's master settle himself stiffly into the chair. "There is a grave matter I wish to discuss with you."

"I assume this is concerning Potter's guardianship," Snape returned, expressionless. He didn't miss the fact that Albus hadn't offered him any tea or sweets right away, which could only mean the man was completely serious. "I am still not going to give him up."

"You know it is Harry' fate to fight Voldemort in the end," Albus said. "For him to even have a chance and winning this war, he must be trained."

"And why can I not train him, Albus?" Severus asked. "Surely you have seen how he has blossomed under my tutelage, and I above all others understand the dark lessons he must know. I know their fighting styles, their weaknesses, and I myself am a decent fighter."

"I have no doubt that you would be invaluable as one of his teachers," Albus returned. "But not even you and your…familiarity with the dark..." this he had said with a mixed look of disgust and disapproval. "…Can possibly match that of Voldemort's who devoted his whole life to obsessively learning the arts of the forbidden and immortality." Dumbledore shook his head. "No, if we are to win, this cannot be a war fought by darkness, but one that is fought with Light. With sacrifice and with Love."

"I am well aware of sacrifices, Albus," Severus reminded him darkly. "You have had Harry's favor for two years, and you haven't given him one tool or lesson in battle magic, except for that thrice cursed Cloak." Severus sat straight up. "I would like to begin his lessons now, so that when he faces the Dark Lord on the battle field, he need not rely solely on his damnable Felix Felicis-for-blood luck."

Albus nodded thoughtfully. "You really care about Harry, don't you? And not just as a son of Lily's."

Severus gave a jerky nod.

"And what will he think, what will he feel once he has learned it was you who had delivered the prophesy to Voldemort in the first place? The one who put into motion everything that he has suffered until this day?"

Severus stiffened and his face paled. It would be his worst nightmare. To see the hard earned respect disappear from those bright emerald eyes to be replaced by hatred and vengeance. He shook his head quickly as if to shake away the horrible thought.

"I can spare you that pain, my boy," Albus said soothingly. "For if you grow even closer to the boy, you will surely only know heartache once again. Under my wing, Harry will have the best teachers to ensure our victory, and when he learns of this terrible truth, I will ensure that you are to be forgiven. Forgiveness is another lesson the boy must learn, after all."

"I…I cannot, Albus," Severus said, though it was clear that it pained him to say it. "And not only because this will be a poor way of atoning for my sins against Lily. It is simply because Harry does not wish you to be his guardian. It would be a greater betrayal to Harry if I simply handed him over to you, than if he learned of my role in the past. In fact, he seems to distrust you."

Albus frowned, hearing it put out like that so bluntly. "And have I lost your trust as well?"

"I know you are the general in a war," Severus said carefully. "I trust you to use your soldiers in the best way to ensure victory, and there will come a time when you order me out there and I will not return. But that is my choice to follow your command, just as it was the choice of every other Order member. However, I don't believe that you should command a soldier out of a 13 year old boy, nor should you command one that has not been sworn to fight for you."

"Your words are as sharp as a blade, my friend," Albus said. "And I would agree, but for the prophesy that puts Harry right in the middle of the war. Even if I do not believe in the prophesy, you know that Voldemort does and will come after him because he believes it. Are you able to shoulder that responsibility in addition to your spying duties? What will Voldemort say about your closeness to the boy?"

Try as Severus might, he could not find a way around that simple fact. And even if you took the prophesy out, the Dark Lord will still come after Harry just as revenge or to prove that he is stronger than whatever power had vanquished him in the first place. And it wasn't like he could give up his role as a spy. There was no other that could bring in the information that he could, and Harry's life may very well depend on the information he could gather as a spy-for both sides.

Seeing the hesitation in his potion's master's eyes, Albus pressed on. "If turning over guardianship is so distasteful, at least allow the boy to connect with Remus or any of the other Order members. The responsibility of his training need not rest solely on your heavy shoulders, my boy."

"So you will not pursue his guardianship any longer?" Severus clarified.

"For any other child, I would gladly relinquish this control and leave you to your newfound happiness, but this is far too important to the world for me to just forget," Albus said, almost regretful. "In any case, the ministry will not like seeing their boy hero in the hands of a former Death Eater, no matter that he has renounced the dark ways."

Severus caught the hidden threat behind that. If Severus would keep on fighting, Albus would bring down the full might of the ministry and the Wizengamut on his head. "Are we finished then?" he asked as politely as he could, not allowing any of the tumultuous emotions show on his face.

"Yes, I think you do see my point."

Severus nodded stiffly before sweeping out of the office, feeling distinctly like he had just faced down a dragon with the winner still in question.

A/N: I feel bad for Sev. Many of you are probably impatient for Harry to reveal all his secrets to Severus. I am too, and I promise the wait will be worth it.

Well, I hope this ties up all the loose ends up, and that the subchapters didn't seem too fragmented. This interlude wasn't a part of the original version, but it helps me (and maybe you guys) to be able to see things through the eyes of the secondary characters. The only ones I am missing is Sirius and Remus, but their scenes are coming up soon.

Up Next : Harry finally does something about Buckbeak and Hagrid!
- 15
- 16
- 17
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

In Servitude of the Dark: The Hand That Guides Me