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Rise of the Dark Angel	By : isabel88 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 61369 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 12
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does, as such, I am NOT making any money off of this....

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Title: Rise of the Dark Angel

Author: Izzby09

Beta reader/Co-Author: Tonks-is-Cool

Chapter: 5: Truths Revealed

Settings: AU after OOTP: It's canon up to the beginning of the battle at the DOM when they are in the veil room, after that, it's AU and mine.

Pairings: HP/DM; LV/SS; RL/LM; NL/LL; BL/RL

Warnings: This story will contain mentions of Violence, Child Abuse, Alcohol Use, Adult Language, Slash/Het Sexual situations. Please discontinue reading if such scenes or themes are offensive to you.

A/N: I know, I know; I’m like days ahead of schedule, but I got so excited when I read the reviews that I decided to post it today...enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving to those that celebrate it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing…if I did, Ginny would have died in the CoS, Dumbledore would have choked on his lemon drops and Harry would have stood up for himself against Molly and Dumbledore.

Disclaimer 2: this story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Letter or commentary/introduction

{Parssseltongue}

O.P.D.:

~…~

Last time on RDA:

The group reappeared outside the gates to the Manor. Remus looked around with wide eyes; he hadn't been there since Lily and James were still alive.

"What are we doing here?" George asked.

"Don't tell me you own that godforsaken shack?" Draco snorted.

"Hang on," Harry said. He pressed his finger into the lion's mouth and the others stood still at the manor that appeared. "That is what I own."

He chuckled at the looks on their faces and smiled when he saw the tears in Remus' eyes. "Come on."

He led them up to the door, like last time, he pricked his finger to allow the drop of blood; instead of opening the door like last time, he cast a spell and turned to each of them.

"Prick your finger on the lion's teeth and let your blood drop into its mouth," He told them.

Trusting him, they did as they were told. The doors opened and then stepped inside. When they got inside, he cast another spell, the one the Minky and Tanna had told him to.

"What just happened Harry?" Neville asked.

"We were keyed into the wards," Remus answered.

"Why?" Draco asked.

"I suppose we allow Harry to explain to us exactly what is going on and why he brought us here," Snape's drawl cut across any more questions the others might've had.

"Just follow me and I'll explain everything," Harry said as he led them to the living room. They all found seats before they turned to Harry.

"Now cub," Remus said. "Explain everything."

~…~

Harry looked at them; his gaze travelled over each of them, staying longer on Draco, causing the blond to squirm.

"I know you guys want explanations," Harry spoke. "So, any questions you have, I'll answer."

"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Neville blurted out the question that was on everyone's, minus Snape's, mind.

Harry laughed and Draco found himself mesmerized at the sound; he had never heard him laugh like that before. Feeling a gaze on him, he looked around and saw his godfather looking at him with a knowing look in his eyes. He scowled before he schooled his expression into boredom.

"Well," Harry started. "Before I tell you that, I need to know something first."

"What is it?" George asked.

"How loyal are you to Dumbledore?" he asked.

"Loyal only to you," Luna said; as before, her voice and eyes were clear and precise.

"I told you before," Neville said. "I'm sticking by you, no matter what."

"We meant what we said at the will reading," Fred said. "We'll choose you over anyone else."

"Why is that?" Harry asked. "Why did you say I need someone in my corner?"

Fred and George shared a look before turning back to Harry.

"We overheard mum and dad talking one day," Fred started.

"They were talking about vaults and your name came up," George continued.

"Mum made a comment about asking Dumbledore for more money," Fred picked up. "And then she started talking about a possible engagement between you and Ginny."

"We already think of you as our little brother," George said. "And if things were different, we probably wouldn't have minded, but we know how Ginny is…"

"And we also know that she is not your type," Fred said. "We were a bit concerned, so we started paying more attention to things around us."

"But what made you guys decide to be behind me?" Harry asked. "What made you basically abandon your family?"

"Because our family," Fred said and the word family was sneered, "was already thinking about your death and what they would get upon it."

"What?!" that was exclaimed by the rest of the room's occupants.

"We overheard mum, Dumbledore, dad, Ron and Hermione talking about your will," George said. "They were saying that you would have to die with You-know-who, leaving everything to them and if that didn't work…"

"Then Ginny would marry you and somehow, they'd set you up," Fred continued. "That way, Ginny could file for a divorce and get everything from you. Or if you didn´t fall for some lust potion trap, they would set up some accident; in this case Ginny would inherit as the unfortunate, tragic widow."

The others stared in shock, anger and disbelief over what they were hearing. Harry's reaction was more explosive; his magic went wild. Everything in the room started levitating; the windows shattered and the pieces were swirling around in the air above them.

Hedwig started trilling and the angry tone to it had them cringing.

"Harry!" Remus shouted to his godson. "Calm down!"

He didn't; his mind was too focused on what Fred and George had just revealed. The others tried as well, but to no avail.

Draco sat in his seat, terrified at what he was seeing and feeling. He'd always known Harry was powerful, but seeing it now was beyond anything he knew. He knew they needed to calm Harry down, but so far, nothing they did had worked. His mind drifted back to what had happened in Harry's room a few days ago and he got a thought. It was ludicrous, he knew, but it was worth a try.

He got up from his seat and made his way towards Harry; to his surprise and the surprise of the others, the shards of glass seemed to make a path for him. He walked directly to Harry and touched his shoulder; the effect was instant.

Harry's magic started calming down and everything fell to the floor. He blinked, and when he saw the shards on the floor, he waved his hand, repairing the windows easily, making the others gape at the display of wandless and wordless magic.

Draco ignored the looks from the others as he went back to his seat, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Sorry about that," Harry said and Hedwig flew to his shoulder. She butted her head against his and he reached up to rub her breast. "Sorry girl."

She trilled, this time, the tone was soft and light.

"I know," Harry nodded; none of the others looked surprised, as they knew that Harry was always able to talk to Hedwig.

She trilled one more, only to pause before trilling in succession.

"Alright," Harry nodded. "I trust you. If you say they are, they are."

"I take it she has established that their auras are compatible?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "And it makes things so much easier."

"Harry," Remus called, "what's going on?"

"You guys should settle down," Harry said. "It's going to be a long night."

He called Minky and Tanna and had them prepare a meal for them. As they ate, he told them everything: from his home life at the Dursleys to his theories about Ron, Hermione, Molly and Dumbledore. He also told them the truth about Hedwig and the letters that he had gotten from both Ron and Hermione. When Harry was finished, everyone was quiet as they digested what he had revealed.

"Merlin," Fred was the first to speak. "I never really looked at it that way. I mean, it had always bothered me as to why mum would make a sweater for someone she's never met…"

"…especially when she's known Lee was our closest friend since first year and he's never gotten one," George finished.

"And then," Fred continued, "when you add in our taking the muggle way to King's Cross station that year when we'd never done any other year…"

"…everything makes sense," George finished.

"Dumbledore set the whole thing up," Neville said. "He wanted Harry to make friends with the people he chose and to look up to him, with no questions asked."

"We should be thankful that the butterfly decided to fly in the other direction concerning Harry," Luna said, to the puzzlement of the others. "It is not the first time our esteemed Headmaster as made such a grave mistake; he sneezed the other way during that time as well. History does have a way of repeating itself."

"What the bloody hell are you on about?" Draco raised an eyebrow in her direction. He was still reeling from what he just heard; he couldn't believe that Harry's life had been what he said it was. Besides everything else, now that he reflected on the past five years, he could see that it all made sense. Why else would all those things start happening at Hogwarts when Harry started if it wasn't all orchestrated by the Headmaster?

"She's referring to the "Chaos Theory"," Snape said.

"Chaos Theory?" Everyone except for Harry, Luna and Snape questioned.

"What's that?" Neville asked.

"Muggles have this saying," Harry spoke. "A man sneezes one way, the world is fine, he sneezes the other, and the world is in utter chaos. There's also one that is called "The Butterfly Effect"; a butterfly dies in the past and the future is drastically changed. The one Luna is talking about though is the Chaos Theory."

"That makes no sense," Draco sneered. "Filthy muggles and their stupid sayings."

"Filthy though they may be," Snape's icy tone silenced Draco quickly. "There is truth in that saying. If you would listen to what was beneath Ms. Lovegood's words, you would understand."

At the confused look on not only his godson's face, but the others as well, had Snape sighing.

"What Ms. Lovegood said, or didn't say is rather simple," Snape said. "Had Harry not reacted the way he did that day when he was a child, he would've made the perfect tool for the Headmaster. If he had chosen not to act on his anger, then he wouldn't be who he is now."

"But he did," George said, finally understanding. "He acted on his anger and that changed everything. Harry changed his path so that he wouldn't become a weapon for the light, but rather a weapon against them. "

"Exactly," Snape nodded in approval.

"History repeats itself?" Neville questioned.

"Voldemort," Harry said, causing the others to look at him and Snape to scowl, snarling "Don´t say his name, Potter."

"Sorry, Sev, it’s a habit, I’ll try to remember," Harry replied with a sheepish look.

He saw the looks of confusion and disbelief, so he clarified. "Think about it; there have only been two Dark Lords in this time; Grindelwald and You-Know-Who. Luna said that Dumbledore made the same mistake before; it couldn't have been with Grindelwald as they were in school together, which meant it had to be someone that came after."

"And that's You-Know-Who," Neville answered, his eyes going wide with understanding.

"Exactly," Harry nodded. "I'm not too sure, but my guess is, the Dark Lord´s life as a child was similar to mine and he may have gone to the headmaster or some teachers at Hogwarts like Dumbledore for help, but was refused. He allowed his anger to take over until all he felt was hatred for all muggles and non-purebloods."

"And it would also explain his hatred for Dumbledore as well," Remus said. "Since Dumbledore refused him help, it made him into the Dark Lord he is now. And it's the same thing he did to Harry."

"Exactly how much like You-know-Who are you Harry?" Fred asked, and it was a question that all, except Snape, needed an answer to.

"Equal," Harry smirked, "and yet different."

"He's as dark as he is," Luna said as she examined her nails, "but with a more colourful and vivid imagination."

"You guys are taking this better than I expected," Harry said after a bout of silence.

"In all honesty," Remus said, "a part of me expected it sooner or later. Since I met you in your third year, Moony sensed darkness in you and it drew him even closer to you."

"Guess you really can't beat a wolf's senses," Harry chuckled.

"Of course not Harry," Luna remarked as she got up from her seat and moved to sit on his lap; his arm automatically went around her waist. "Shame on you for thinking otherwise."

"Why are we really here?" Draco asked; he would never admit that he was jealous of the fact the Luna was sitting on Harry's lap. 'What the hell is she doing? And why is he letting her sit on him? He's mine! She has no business sitting there! Yours, is he? If I recall, you feel nothing for him. Didn't you say that episode in his room was a fluke? So, why the anger for him having someone else on him? I don't care! It was a fluke damnit, but still…

"Oi, Malfoy," Fred called out. "You ok over there?"

"I don't know Freddie," George smirked. "Looks like he's thinking awfully hard about something."

"Like he's AK-ing someone in his mind," Fred picked up on his brother's train of thought. "I wonder who it could be."

"Shut up," Draco hissed as he fought the flush. "I'm not thinking about anything or anyone. All I want to know is why Potter brought us here."

"I brought you guys here to include you in my plans," Harry said. "Like I told Severus, I have no intention of acting the same I have been doing the past five years. After everything that has happened with Sirius, I don't feel much like being the Golden Boy anymore."

"What are your plans?" Neville asked.

"My plans are to train this summer," Harry said. "I want to learn how to duel properly, advance my magic, especially my wand and wordless; I want to make sure I can properly protect myself. I might be more in control of magic than anyone else, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything I still can't learn."

"We're in," Fred and George said as one.

"Nev?" Harry asked.

"I'm with you Harry," Neville said. "All the way."

"Remy?" Harry turned to his guardian.

"It's taking a while for everything you've told us to sink in," Remus said. "Including the part about Dumbledore; I've placed my trust in him to take care of everything and to know he was responsible for everything. However, ever since Sirius, Moony hasn't trusted Dumbledore. And to hear all this destroyed what little trust either of us had left for him."

"You Gryffindors talk too much," Snape cut him off. "Put Harry out of his misery and give him the answer he so desires."

"You're my cub," Remus said. "Nothing is more important to a wolf than its cub…not even its mate. With that said, I'm with you. It might take a while to get used to the new you, but I'm standing on your side."

"Potter," Draco sneered. "I get what you're saying with everything, but are you seriously thinking of having us do muggle exercise? Are you that daft?"

"The muggle exercise that you're sneering at is effective," Harry said. "It's the reason I look the way I do."

Draco couldn't help but to let his eyes run over Harry's body once more.

"I suppose it does have some effect," Draco said grudgingly, not wanting to admit just how much he liked Harry's new body and Harry smirked because he knew it.

"What other things will we be doing?" Neville asked.

"Along with everything I said before, we'll also work on our speed," Harry said. "Our spell casting and everything else; just think of it as an advanced DA."

"Got it," Neville nodded.

"Harry," Snape called. "In regards to the will reading…"

"You're talking about what Siri said at the end?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Snape nodded. "Past actions caution me to be wary, but I would like to know."

"OK," Harry nodded before he held out his hand. The others watched as a parchment appeared in a flash of fire in his hand.

"How in the world did you manage that?" Draco asked.

"My bond with Hedwig," Harry said before he levitated the letter to Snape. "I want you to read it."

"Alright," Snape nodded as he took the parchment. With slight trepidation, though it didn't show, he opened it. As he read through it, Harry watched him closely to read the emotions that flashed across his eyes. When he was done, Snape turned to look at Harry and for once, his emotions showed in his eyes.

"You were supposed to be with me?" he asked, a slight tremble to his tone.

"What?" Remus asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You can give him the letter," Harry said. "And yes I was; that's another thing Dumbledore took from us."

"I don't believe this," Remus' hand trembled as he read the letter. "How could he do this? How could he destroy so many lives?"

"What's going on?" Draco asked as he looked between the three of them.

"It's a letter from Sirius," Remus said and then he proceeded to explain the contents.

"So much damage," Neville shook his head. "And for what?"

"To control me," Harry said. "He wants to control everything."

"Severus," Remus spoke up. "Sirius has already done this and I would like to do so as well; I am sorry for everything that happened in school."

"Foolish wolf," Snape said. "Your apologies are wasted as I have no use for them. Nothing untoward was done to me by you."

"I knew what they were doing was wrong," Remus explained. "And I didn't do anything to stop it. And for that, I am sorry."

Snape was quiet as he listened to Remus' words; ever since he had gotten that letter from Harry days earlier, he found that life as he knew it had been turned upside down. He had found out information that had rocked his foundation of beliefs and that same foundation was being rocked once more. He was shocked when he had gotten that missive from Gringotts about being a recipient in Sirius' will and had been wary about attending.

Sirius' apology had shocked him as well and with Remus' own, he was at a slight loss. He looked at Harry and knew that there was really only one thing he could do. Harry had confessed that he was one of the few people he trusted and he surprisingly found himself reluctant to lose that. With that thought in mind, he turned back to Remus.

"I suppose it is the best interest of all parties involved to let bygones be bygones," he said and the small smile on Harry's face had him relaxing, as he knew he made the right decision.

"Thank you," Remus smiled. "Though from what I've observed and what I've learned, it was accepted because of Harry."

"Of course," Snape nodded and he shared a smirk with Harry.

"So that's why Sirius had Severus as a recipient in his will," Draco said. "What I don't understand is why he had me."

"We can…" Fred started.

"…answer that," George finished.

"We've looked out for Harry over the years," Fred said.

"So I think we'd notice anyone that develops a certain interest in him," George continued.

"We just happened to mention certain things to Sirius," Fred picked up. "And I guess his imagination took care of the rest."

"Wait," Neville held up a hand. "Are you saying that Draco has feelings for Harry?"

"And Harry feels the same," Luna said.

"I do not have feelings for Harry!" Draco said.

"Hmmm," Harry smirked as he looked over at Draco. "You're protesting just a little too much."

"I think so too," Remus smirked. "A wolf's senses never lie."

Draco turned his face to hide the flush that was working its way up to his cheeks. Hedwig trilled a few times, her tone light and musical, which gave them the feeling that she was laughing, before she flew to land on Draco's lap. He ignored everyone as he groomed her.

"Severus," Harry turned to the potions master. "What did he say?"

"After Draco and I left your place," Snape said. "We went back to Malfoy Manor…

Flashback

When the light cleared away, Snape looked up at Hedwig. "Thank you."

She trilled twice before she flashed out. Both walked out of the room and headed directly to the West Wing where the Dark Lord was. As they passed Lucius' office, the door opened and said man stepped out.

"Severus, Draco," he inclined his head towards them.

"Father," Draco nodded.

"Lucius," Severus spoke, "is there something wrong?"

"No," Lucius shook his head, "except for the fact that the Dark Lord seemed to be in a good mood these past few days."

"Has he?" Snape raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling as to why the Dark Lord would feel that way and from the sounds of things, Lucius hadn't been confided in.

"Why do I have the feeling that it has to do with whatever news you had for him a few days ago?" Lucius raised an eyebrow.

"I will neither deny nor confirm that statement," Snape said. When he noticed the flash of irritation in Lucius' eyes, he sighed. "Lucius, I am aware of the fact that you may feel as if you are being excluded, however, the information that I am passing on is somewhat sensitive and I cannot and will not divulge it without expressed consent from the Dark Lord."

The two shared a long look before Lucius nodded slowly. "Understandable."

"If you will excuse us," Snape said. "We must speak with the Dark Lord."

"Draco as well?" Lucius looked towards his son.

"Yes," Snape nodded. "It is the Dark Lord's request."

Lucius was worried as to what the Dark Lord would need his son for, but as much as it pained him to do so, he refused to question it. He just hoped his son would not undergo any torture.

"So be it," Lucius nodded. "He is where he was the last time you were here."

"Good evening Lucius," Snape nodded before he walked off.

"Father," Draco looked at his father before he followed his godfather, leaving Lucius staring after the two of them.

They walked down the hallway in silence and when they came to the door, Draco stayed where he was, while Snape stepped forward and knocked on the door three times.

"Enter."

Snape and Draco walked into the room, the door closing softly behind them. As always, Voldemort was seated in that same wingback chair and Nagini lay curled in front of the fireplace.

"Severus, Draco," Voldemort beckoned them forward. "I take it you have news about Potter?"

"Yes my Lord," Snape said. "I spoke to him about an allegiance towards you."

"And?" Voldemort questioned as he leaned forward slightly.

"He has agreed, though he has one condition," Snape answered.

"And what may that condition be?" Voldemort raised an eyebrow.

"He does not want to bear your Mark," Snape said. "He revealed that he would join you only as an equal."

All three were quiet; Draco was slightly too terrified to say anything, Voldemort was thinking over his plans and Snape knew that the Dark Lord would need to think things through.

"He will not bear my mark," Voldemort said finally. "But he will not be my true equal."

"My Lord?" Snape looked up at him.

"The boy is powerful," Voldemort decided to elaborate. "But there can only be one Dark Lord. While in the past I would've rather he be dead, in light of the circumstances, having him on my side is much more beneficial to me."

"I understand," Snape nodded.

"When you meet next," Voldemort spoke, "I have no doubt that when he learns of this he will have questions or concerns. I would like to arrange a meeting with him."

"I shall pass the message on my Lord," Snape nodded.

"Good," Voldemort said before he looked at Draco. "Is it safe to assume that Mr. Potter was agreeable to Young Malfoy's appearance?"

"I would say my Lord," Snape tossed a smirk in his godson's direction, "that he was more than agreeable to having Draco there."

"Excellent," Voldemort said and he smirked as Draco tried and failed to fight the blush that was quickly staining his cheeks.

"Have you nothing to report Young Draco?" Voldemort said.

"No my Lord," Draco said as he bowed his head.

"What do you think of the new Potter?" Voldemort asked. "Do you think he is being truthful?"

"I was suitably shocked my Lord," Draco said as he looked up. "But, I do believe he was sincere."

"You are dismissed," Voldemort said. When both Draco and Snape turned to leave he held up a hand. "Not you."

Draco looked at his godfather before bowing once more to Voldemort and walking out the room.

When the door closed, Voldemort waved a hand, placing the suitable Silencing and Locking Charms. He got up from his seat and walked over to stand in front of Snape. As he did the last time, he brought up a hand and ran the back of it across Snape's cheek.

"Tell me your thoughts on Potter joining us," Voldemort said as he let his hand fall back to his side.

"I truly believe it will be beyond beneficial to us," Snape said as he fought with himself not to react to the man's presence. "He has changed; he is no longer acting the naïve part and he wants to be in control of his future."

"I must ask this," Voldemort said. "As I have truly come to appreciate the idea of having him on my side, how do I ensure it?"

"From what I have gathered my Lord," Snape said, suppressing the shiver of need as he heard his name from Voldemort's lips. "He does not like to be lied to or controlled. He is strong, confident and bold. He will make a great enemy, but a more powerful ally."

"I will take your thoughts into consideration," Voldemort nodded.

End flashback

"He didn't mind me not wanting the Dark Mark?" Harry asked.

"No," Snape shook his head. "But like I said, he will not have you as a true equal either. He respects your power, but he wants to be the only Dark Lord."

"I have no problem with that," Harry nodded. "I have no intention of wanting to rule anything, so I'll leave that to him. He can consult me on raids, deaths and whatnot, but that's just about it."

"And what of the meeting?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"I have no problem meeting with him," Harry said. "I would like to talk with him as I have some questions."

"Very well," Snape nodded. "I shall inform him of your decision. However, if I may ask, why are you willing to not pursue being his equal?"

"Sev, everyone here knows I'm powerful, but so is the Dark Lord and the one thing he has on me is the fact that he has decades of knowledge," Harry shook his head with a smile. "Not only does he know a vast amount of dark arts, spells, curses and rituals, he has had more than enough practice with them. I know many spells myself, but I haven't really had a chance to actually use them to familiarize myself with them. Knowing spells is good, but without the practice…"

Snape nodded when Harry finished, while Draco watched him in awe.

"This is all so weird," Neville shook his head, drawing looks from the others.

"What do…"

"…you mean?"

"I'm sitting in a room with Malfoy, Snape and all you lot," Neville explained. "Talking about turning on the Light and joining You-Know-Who's side. It's just weird is all and a little hard to take."

"I'm not asking you guys to join the Dark Lord's side with me," Harry said, not wanting to force them into something they didn't want.

"Harry," Neville shook his head at his friend before looking at him with a determined expression. "You don't have to ask that; I told you I'm sticking by you and I mean it. And with everything you've told us, I can see why you would. Sure this is a bit much to take in, but I trust you Harry and nothing will change that. If you're joining him, I'll be right beside you."

"As will I," Luna said as she ran her hand through his hair, drawing a glare from Draco.

"You don't really think…" Fred grinned.

"…you're doing this without us little brother?" George smirked.

"We're with you…" Fred continued.

"…all the way," George finished.

"You're my cub," Remus smiled at Harry. "I've been kept away from you for the majority of your life and I will not let that happen again. If joining the Dark Lord's side means I get to stay by yours, then so be it."

Harry smiled while Draco and Snape stared in awe and amazement; their master had just gained five more followers.

"So about this muggle exercise," Fred smirked. "Where can we get in on that?"

"Yeah Harry," George grinned. "If muggle means did that to you, by all means let us in on it."

"Well," Harry laughed, "I signed up for some Karate classes to take over the summer."

"What is that?" Neville asked as he leaned forward.

"It's kinda like muggle exercise," Harry said. "Except it teaches you how to fight and defend yourselves at the same time."

"Sounds fun," George grinned.

"Where can we join?" Fred asked.

Harry laughed as he explained the way the art was. By nightfall, the others had gotten more insight into his plans and he was beyond happy for that.

The tides of the war shifted once more as new changes emerged.

~…~

Albus Dumbledore was not having a good day; first, he was angry over the will reading and now he had to deal with the rest of the angry recipients, the Weasleys and Hermione.

"Silence!" he yelled as their noises became too much.

Everyone looked at him and he took a calming breath.

"I understand that you are all angry," Dumbledore said. "As am I, however, we are not going to let it get to us."

"Not let it get to us?" Molly spoke up. "How can we not let it get to us? We were cheated out of what we were rightfully supposed to get. I cannot believe that that dog said that about me."

"And how could he compare me to Peter?" Hermione was outraged; as far as she was concerned, she was nothing like Peter. She was conveniently forgetting the fact that she had done exactly what Peter did by betraying her best friend.

"I can't believe the twins got that much money and I got nothing," Ron complained. "You said we would get something; you said that we would get paid for everything we've been through."

"And I was supposed to marry him," Ginny added in. "We already had everything planned out and now because of that mutt it's all going to hell."

"I understand your concerns," Dumbledore said. "However, we should not let what has happened deter us."

"What the bloody hell are you on about?!" Ron shouted.

"Ronald," Arthur scolded his son.

"There was one person missing from that reading today," Dumbledore said. "If the cards are played right, things will look up and we will receive what we should've in the first place."

"You're bloody bonkers aren't you?" Ron gaped at him; his loss of the money from Sirius' left him angrier than he ever was and he forgot all about respecting Dumbledore. "What the hell does that mean?"

"He means Ronald," Hermione turned to glare at him, "seeing that Harry wasn't there, we can use it to our advantage."

"How so?" Ginny asked as she crossed her arms across her chest; she was peeved at what happened, because she had been guaranteed a marriage to Harry. Her mother had been grooming her for the position since she was old enough to understand. The Potter fortune, along with the Black, would guarantee her a life of fame for being the wife of the Boy-Who-Lived. She felt she deserved it and she was tired of not having enough money.

"Since he has no idea what the real will said," Hermione explained, "we can tell him about the one the Dumbledore had created, ensuring that we get what we're supposed to."

"Excellent deduction Ms. Granger," Dumbledore smiled at her while his eyes twinkled behind his glasses. "And along with that will, he will be told about the marriage contract for him and Ms. Weasley."

"Sounds perfect," Arthur smiled.

"Except," Ginny spoke up, "that the two of you wrote to him over the summer telling him you didn't want to be friends anymore."

"I forgot about that," Hermione sighed.

"Actually Ms. Weasley," Dumbledore spoke up, "that as well can work in our favourite."

"How so?" Molly asked.

"I will need to think things through," Dumbledore smiled. "For now, I suggest you go home and relax. Ms. Granger, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea if you were to reiterate your previous letter to Harry with a little something extra. If by chance, you feel the need to mention certain aspects of the will, then do so, but do it discreetly."

Hermione gathered the implications behind his words and she smiled as she nodded. "Yes sir."

"If that is all," Dumbledore said. "There are a few things I have to take care of. Good day."

Hearing the dismissal, the Weasleys and Hermione got up from their seats and left. When they were gone, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, allowing his thoughts to drift to the will reading earlier.

"Why in the world would Black create a new will? Did he somehow manage to overthrow the memory spell?" he shook his head at that. "It was powerful magic…my magic, so he could not overthrow it no matter how much he tried. So then, how is the second will explained?"

Dumbledore sighed as he laced his fingers together; he was not as overly concerned about the will as they thought he was. What he was worried about was the contents inside it; especially Sirius' analysis of the others.

"What exactly did that mutt find out? I cannot let all my plans go to ruins because of one dead man. I need to know what it is he knew."

He closed his eyes for a split second before he opened them. He got up from his seat and walked over to the bookcase. Moving to a specific book, he tapped his wand against it and spoke an incantation. The bookcase moved aside and a table came forward; on it was a pensive. Placing his wand at his temple, he pulled out the memory of the will reading followed by the one he just had. When he was done, he tapped his wand on the side and watched as the table and bookcase moved back into place.

He walked away without a backward glance, never noticing the smug look on Phineas' face as he watched from behind the bookcase in his own portrait.

~…~

The next day, Harry woke up before the others. After taking a quick shower, he dressed in a pair of black sweats with a green tank top before heading down to the kitchen. When he got there, Minky and Tanna were already there and were about to prepare breakfast.

"Morning Minky and Tanna," Harry said as he walked in.

"Morning Master Harry," Minky and Tanna replied.

"We's just be getting breakfast ready," Minky said.

"I'll help," Harry said as he moved to the stove.

"No Master Harry," Tanna shook her head. "Youse not be helping; our job."

"I know," Harry smiled. "But I want to help."

The two elves nodded reluctantly and allowed him to help. When the others woke up, it was to the smell of breakfast; they quickly showered before heading down to the kitchen.

"Morning," Harry said when he saw them. "Sit down; I hope you guys are hungry."

"Smells good," Fred said as he and the others moved to take their seats.

Even as Draco took his seat, he couldn't keep his eyes off of Harry and his gaze followed him as he moved around the room. A flush took over his face as he took in Harry's body; the flush grew even more when he remembered what his dreams consisted of the night before.

"Breakfast be ready for youse," Tanna said as she levitated the plates to the table.

"Thank you." The friends said as one as they ate.

"You alright there Drake?" Harry turned to look at him. "You are looking a little flushed."

"I'm fine," Draco scowled.

Remus stifled a chuckle as he could smell the pheromones coming off Draco in waves.

"So what are we doing today?" Neville asked.

"Interesting places you have here Harry," Luna spoke up. "Perhaps it would be fun if we were to wander about. We might come across a few herbs, feel the fresh air of the outdoors or even catch a glimpse of a cauldron."

Harry grinned while the others stared at Luna. "Every time Luna, every time."

"Alright that's it," Draco turned to the female blonde. "Since when do you speak like that?"

"Would you prefer I speak of Nargles and Crumpled-Horn Snorkacks?" Luna raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Luna wears a mask Drake," Harry said, "a very good one, but a mask nonetheless."

"What?" Draco looked between the two. "Are you saying that Looney Luna Lovegood is truly a mask?"

"Yes," Luna nodded; when she saw their interest, she continued. "My ancestry held seers from time to time, but I never got the full gift. My precognitive abilities are just highly more developed that the average person thus enabling me to know things that the average wizard wouldn't."

At the awed looks, she smiled before she continued. "I knew that people would treat me differently because of my abilities, after all, I had seen it first hand with my mother, so I created Looney Luna to protect myself and to keep people away. It worked."

"What about the Weaselette?" Draco drawled. "I was under the impression that the two of you were the best of friends? Didn't she see through it?"

"Ginerva fell into the same trap as everyone else," Luna shook her head. "She saw Looney, but because of the fact that she was the only girl and she didn't want to be alone, she became my friend. She never saw through the mask and though it was subtle, she treated me like everyone else. Harry is the first person to see through it and accept me for who I truly am. Neville was next."

"First Harry and now you," Snape spoke up. "I am impressed with the cunning and intelligence both of you has shown over the years. However, let me inform you that this coming school year, I expect to see more of that intelligence and cunning. I will not tolerate the Golden Boy or Looney Lovegood. You will be who you're meant to be and that is Harry and Luna. Is that in any way unclear?"

"No sir," Harry and Luna replied, leaving the others smirking at them.

"What about…" George started.

"…you Neville?" Fred continued.

"Are you hiding intelligence…" George picked up.

"…and cunning as well?" Fred finished.

"What about power?" Remus added.

"Me? Cunning? Powerful?" Neville shook his head.

"Don't underestimate yourself Nev," Harry said. "Remember, you went up against some of the Dark Lord's top Death Eaters and you held your own against them."

"He's right Longbottom," Draco said. "Not many people can say that."

"You're powerful Nev," Harry said. "You just need to tap into that power and express it."

"Why don't we check out the rest of the Manor?" Remus suggested.

"Alright," Harry nodded as he stood up, followed by everyone else.

He led them through the hallway, coming to a door; he opened it and went down the stairs. They came to another door, and he opened that as well, leading them inside.

"Lumos," Harry waved his hand and the room lit up; behind him, he heard the others gasp in surprise.

"Welcome to the Potions Lab," He smiled and watched as they walked around the room in awe. "What do you guys think?"

"Unbelievable," Draco breathed.

"Do you know…" Fred started.

"…the things we could…" George continued.

"…create in here?" Fred finished.

"Harry," George said. "This is bloody amazing."

"I was thinking you guys could use it whenever you wanted," Harry said.

"Truly?" Draco turned wide eyes to him. He knew that they thought that Snape favoured him in Potions, but the truth of the matter is that he is actually very good at it. He is Snape's godson and he grew up around him; since Snape spent a lot of time in a potions lab, so did Draco and as a result, he picked up the talent for it.

"Well, actually," Harry said. "I was going to ask if you guys, all of you, would like to stay here with me for the summer."

Snape, who was still looking through the room, turned to Harry. "I find myself at a loss for words to explain what that would mean. This lab is exquisite and to have access to it whenever I wanted would be beneficial. What shall you do for herbs?"

"That is where Nev comes in," Harry smiled. "And I have something for him as well."

He led them out the room and back up the stairs. They went back down the hallway, but instead of going back to the kitchen area, they turned to a door. He opened it and they walked in; he smiled when it was Neville's turn to gasp out in awe.

"Bloody hell!" Neville's eyes were wide as he walked further into the room.

"Welcome to the Greenhouse," Harry chuckled. "Is this to your liking Sev?"

"It is more than sufficient," Snape nodded as he walked around.

"Wow," Fred whistled as he looked around.

"Lily used to grow her potions herbs here," Remus said, "as well as many of her favourite flowers."

"The soil is amazing," Neville breathed. "And so much space; do you know how many herbs and plants can grow in here?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "But I have a feeling that you'd make use of it. There's something that makes it different from other Greenhouses."

"What's that?" George asked as he walked over to a flower.

"You can charm a section of the Greenhouse to host any plant you want," Harry said. When he saw the slightly confused looks on most of their faces, he explained further. "Like say you need a potion, but there's a specific ingredient in it that is not grown here in England; you can re-create the soil and climate in a small section and it will allow the plant to grow here as if it was its natural home."

"Amazing," Fred said.

"I know," Harry said. "So? Nev, what do you think?"

"I think he's too captured," Luna giggled. "Let's go show Fred and George something else that they'll like."

"Alright," Harry smiled. "Nev, we'll back or if you're ready to find us before, just call for Minky, Tanna or Hedwig."

All he got was an absentminded nod. Chuckling, he led the others out of the room. They went back down the hallway and out the back. He took them directly to the pitch and held his hands wide when they got there.

"Welcome to the Quidditch Pitch," he said.

"I shall rejoin Mr. Longbottom in the Greenhouse," Snape drawled as his eyes took in the pitch. "I find it more interesting than being here."

"Alright," Harry nodded as did the others as he made his way back inside.

"Let's play," George said and excitement was evident in his words and eyes.

~…~

By mid-afternoon, everyone had met up in the living room.

"That was awesome," George said as he collapsed in a chair.

"Now what?" Draco asked.

"We get something to eat," Harry said. "In two days, the first of the classes will start. I'll have to go back to Surrey to talk to the teacher to let him know four others will join up and to know what we will need for the class."

"Sounds like a plan," Remus nodded.

"Would you permit me to teach you the ways of duelling?" Snape asked.

"We're going to be in a war," Harry said. "So I'll need all the help I can get; if you're willing to teach me how to better myself in a duel, who am I to say no?"

"Would you be willing to teach me as well, Sir?" Neville asked. "I'd really like to get better."

"I have no problem with teaching all of you," Snape said, "provided that you are willing to listen to what I have to say."

"No problem," Fred grinned.

"When we're not in class," Harry said. "We will be here, working on other things. I want you guys to learn how to increase your speed."

"How will that happen?" George asked.

"Remember those muggle things I said you'd learn?" Harry asked. "Well, there's this one game that's called dodge ball; it's a real treat for speed increase."

"Although I would like to stay and enjoy your company," Snape said as he stood up. "I must get back."

"Aren't you off for the summer as yet?" Harry asked.

"I have to close out the lab and my office at the school," Snape said. "And I have to meet with the Dark Lord to relay your answer to him."

"Alright," Harry nodded. "Just be careful around Dumbledore; he's cunning."

"I can protect myself brat," Snape said, though his tone was laced with affection.

"I know that," Harry smiled. "Oh and Sev? Tell the Dark Lord I can meet him next Friday."

"As you wish," Snape nodded just as Hedwig flashed into the room. She flew over to land on his shoulder and the two disappeared in a flash of fire.

~…~

The next week passed by quickly. On Monday, just as promised, Harry and the others had gone to Surrey to start their Karate classes. To the surprise of the purebloods, they had enjoyed the class immensely and had quickly gotten the hang of it, including Draco, who was known to be abhorrent of manual labour.

It was now Friday and Harry's meeting with the Dark Lord was later that afternoon. The others had wanted to go with him, but he had dissuaded them from that thought, saying it would be better if he went alone for the first time. They had agreed reluctantly.

Both Neville and Luna had spent the time that they weren't in class in the Greenhouse working with the plants and herbs. To the slight shock of the others, they could see that something was happening between the two and was happy for them.

Fred and George had spoken to Harry about furthering their plans to open the joke shop in Diagon Alley and he had promised to have Gringotts look into his properties once more to see what he owned or if he could buy the store that they wanted. They had protested his help, but he refused to budge on it. They, as well as the others, had taken up Harry on his offer to live at the Manor and had told the rest of their family that they no longer lived at the burrow, but they did not say where their new home was. Right now, the two were in the potions lab creating potential products.

Remus had spent time talking with his godson. He wanted to know him better as they had been denied the opportunity far too often. The two were in the library when Hedwig flashed in with Snape.

"Hi Sev," Harry smiled up at him.

"Severus," Remus nodded towards him.

"Brat," Snape said. "Wolf."

"What is it?" Harry asked as he closed the book in his hands.

"I have come with a message from the Dark Lord," Snape said as he sat down in the chair across from Remus.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"He would like to move up the meeting with you as he has a meeting with his followers today as well," Snape told him.

"When does he want to meet?" Remus asked.

"Now, if you don't mind," Snape said.

"Alright," Harry nodded as he stood up. "Remy, could you tell the others I'll be back?"

"Sure thing cub," Remus nodded.

"Ok," Harry smiled. "Let's go. Sev, just hold the image of Voldemort's meeting room in your mind, Hedwig will do the rest; Hedwig."

She flew to land on his shoulder. As he stood, Snape did what Harry had asked. He kept the image in his mind and he felt a calming presence wrap around him. Hedwig trilled and Harry grabbed his arm, the three disappeared as they flashed out.

~…~

Lord Voldemort was sitting in his room at Malfoy Manor awaiting the arrival of his potions master and his guest. After Severus had told him of Potter's plan to join him, he had spent time after that thinking over everything. He knew that Lucius had been particularly peeved about not knowing what was happening, but with everything going on, he couldn't bring himself to care enough to appease Lucius.

Someone flashing into the room pulled him from his thoughts. He was on his feet immediately as he knew of only one person that could do that. He was shortly shocked when he saw who it was.

"Severus?" he raised an eyebrow as he looked at his potions master. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I apologize my Lord," Snape bowed. "I hadn't informed you of the phoenix as I wasn't sure Harry was ready for you to know as yet."

"When did you acquire a phoenix Mr. Potter?" Voldemort asked as he reclaimed his seat.

"My first time in Diagon Alley," Harry answered. "I gained a snow-white owl by the name of Hedwig and it turned out that said owl was actually a phoenix in disguise."

"Explain," Voldemort's eyes narrowed as he looked at Harry.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" Harry gestured to one of the empty chairs in the room.

"By all means," Voldemort waved his hand. "Severus, you as well."

"Thank you my Lord," Snape murmured as he took a seat.

"Well Potter?" Voldemort looked at him.

"Ok," Harry said. "Here's how it goes…"

When he was finished with his explanation about Hedwig, the Dark Lord was staring at the two of them with a calculating and slight disbelieving expression.

"It was shocking as well to me my Lord," Snape spoke up. "As it shattered every fact I believed to have known about phoenixes in general."

"I must agree with Severus," Voldemort nodded. "There is a question I would like to ask, but first, let us move on to the true nature of this meeting."

"Very well," Harry nodded.

"As I am sure you are aware," Voldemort said. "Severus told me what you revealed to him about your childhood, your relatives and your take on this war."

"Yes," Harry said. "I had no problem with him doing that."

"You also requested to be my equal, but would rather not take the Mark," Voldemort continued. "And I accepted those requests. A question had been created, but it had been answered by you through Severus."

"I suppose you're talking about why I was willing to allow you full control," Harry smirked.

"Yes," Voldemort nodded.

"I have no problem with having only one Dark Lord," Harry explained. "As Sev explained, I would like to be consulted on and share my opinions, but when it comes down to it, I don't want to rule. I leave all that to you simply because I'm too young. I'm about to have my sixteenth birthday and as far as I'm concerned, I have other things to do than to worry about ruling the Wizarding World.

"I have no problems with torturing people, punishing them or even killing them. You can think of me as an avenger of some sorts or your own personal mercenary. I have a phoenix that can go through any wards, no matter how strong they are, and I have more control over my magic than the average witch or wizard.

"I won't go against you as I'm not stupid enough to think I'd actually win; like I told Sev, which I have no doubt he told you, when it comes down to it, you have years of dark arts and knowledge in your arsenal…more than I do. I'd just as soon step out of your way, but I'd rather be fighting for you; if you'd have me that is."

All were quiet as Harry's words sank in.

"You are an enigma Harry Potter," Voldemort said after a few minutes. "One I will enjoy figuring out; welcome to the Dark Side."

"Thank you," Harry smiled. "I have no doubt I will not regret this."

"Brat," Snape said affectionately.

"And proud of it," Harry grinned. "Now, I don't mean to be rude, but I have to go; Drake and I are going over to Grimmauld Place to do some cleaning."

"As you should've done right away," Snape said.

"Hey," Harry said. "I had more important things to do than to worry about the Old Ass and his bunch of farts and what they're doing."

"Hmm," Snape said as he tried to stop the smile from taking over.

"Speaking of Old Ass," Voldemort said. "You said because of your bond with your phoenix, you can tap into her powers, I have never heard of Albus doing that."

"I have a theory as to why," Harry said. "But it is one I will keep to myself until I have further proof."

"And what of your friends?" Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "The last time I checked you were close with the blood traitor Weasley and the Mudblood; I'd like to hear your views on them directly from you, not that I didn't believe Severus."

"Now, now Voldemort," Harry smirked. "In this game, a player cannot give away all of his secrets at the start, now can he? Over time I will divulge more of my own, but for now, just trust what Severus told you regarding my feelings towards them."

"Well played," Voldemort nodded. "You truly are a Slytherin in disguise."

"And proud of it," Harry said.

{I take it everything isss ok?} Nagini hissed as she slithered up to Voldemort's lap.

{Yesss} Harry answered.

Nagini turned her head to look at him and her tongue flicked out. {Young ssspeaker; I take it by your presssence here you have decided to join our caussse?}

{Yesss} Harry nodded and smiled as she left her master's lap to slither into his. She rose up until her head was directly in front of his while the rest of her body curled on his lap and the floor.

{Good} Nagini's head bobbed up and down. {It would be nice to have another ssspeaker to talk with}

"Doesssn't Voldemort ssspeak with you?} Harry asked.

{Not too often} Nagini turned her head to look at her Lord before looking back at Harry. {He isss too busssy lusssting after hisss potionsss massster}

{Nagini!} Voldemort hissed out while Harry threw back his head in laughter and Snape looked at the three in confusion.

{I ssspeak the truth} Nagini flicked her tongue at Voldemort.

{That isss not the point} Voldemort hissed as his eyes narrowed at his snake and his new recruit.

{Sssure it isss} Harry smirked. {Tell me Nagini, doesss he do it often?}

{He ssstarted to do it recently} Nagini said and Harry laughed once more; she flicked her tongue at him, delighting in his joy. She hadn't been sure of her master's decision to recruit him, but she was glad he did. Not only did she get another speaker, she got someone who seemed like fun. She knew immediately, that they would get along.

{Did he?} Harry smiled.

{Yesss my little sssnakeling} Nagini hissed as she moved her body to wrap herself around Harry's neck, careful of the phoenix on his shoulder. She let her head rest on his other shoulder, allowing her to look out at Voldemort.

"Are you two quite finished?" Voldemort growled; he was contemplating placing Harry under the Cruciatus curse, but he did not want to hit his snake with it as well.

"Don't be such a spoilsport," Harry laughed; he knew he was taking privileges with talking to the Dark Lord the way he was, but he was still a teenager after all, and teens were rash if not anything.

{He isss right massster} Nagini said. {After all, I can't have my little onesss around sssomeone ssso ssseriousss}

{Little onesss?} Voldemort raised an eyebrow.

{You're pregnant?} Harry shifted his head slightly to look at her.

{Yesss} she hissed an answer.

"What?!" Voldemort flew from his chair, startling Snape before he started speaking very fast in parseltongue.

"What is going on?" Snape turned to raise an eyebrow at Harry.

"Nagini's pregnant," Harry chuckled. At Snape's shocked and incredulous look, Harry laughed outright.

"His reactions are pretty much the same," he said as he nodded towards the Dark Lord.

"What are they saying?" Snape asked as he gestured to the snake and their master.

"She's telling him how she got pregnant," Harry mused. "And he wants to find the snake that got her pregnant in the first place; he also wants to know why the hell she would do it."

"What is she saying?" Snape asked as he heard Nagini hissing back.

"She told him it was during her heat cycle," Harry translated. "So she can't really be blamed for not being able to stop it." Harry paused as he laughed at Nagini's next words.

"What is it?" Snape would deny if asked, even under torture, but he was enjoying himself immensely. It wasn't often he got to see the Dark Lord how he was, but when he did, it was always enjoyable and to know that it was caused by his own snake just made it even better.

"She told him that just because she was a snake and his confidant," Harry giggled, the sound causing Snape's eyebrow to shoot to his hairline. "And just because she was a cold-blooded animal, that doesn't stop her from having needs like every other race and warm-blooded animal. She said she needed her needs sated and since it was her heat cycle, she got them more than sated and the pregnancy was a result of that."

"My word," Snape couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. Nagini hissed something else, which caused Voldemort to stop ranting and smirk at her.

"What did she say now?" Snape asked.

"She killed the male," Harry giggled again. "Because he got her pregnant and because he thought she was weak so he could take advantage of her. She let him mate with her, before she showed him how strong she really was."

{Good girl} Harry hissed as he rubbed his finger across her head.

"She is isn't she?" Voldemort said with a proud tone to his voice.

"As much as I would love to stay here and continue talking," Harry said as he gently removed Nagini from his body. "I really do have to go."

"I'll see you Potter," Voldemort said as Harry and Snape stood.

"You will," Harry nodded. He reached up a hand to pet Hedwig.

"Oh before I forget," Harry said. "To show you the start of what I can do, I have five followers ready and willing to join your side."

"What?" Voldemort looked at him in shock.

"Sev can tell you all about them," Harry said just before he and Hedwig flashed out.

"Severus?" Voldemort turned to look at his follower. "What and who exactly is he talking about?"

Snape hid his smirk, not wanting to be Crucio’d, before he proceeded to tell his Lord of his five new recruits.

~…~

It's been weeks since Harry's meeting with the Dark Lord. Since then, he and the others had excelled in the Karate class and Harry had showed them how to play dodge ball. They had been reluctant at first, especially Draco, but then Harry had asked them to throw spells at him and when he had dodged every single one, they had come around after seeing the merit of him showing them the game. During the time that passed, the others were excited to note that their ability to dodge spells had actually increased. When Harry had suggested doing muggle exercises, the others had accepted it without much fuss; they had also taken to run with Harry when he started doing it on the Quidditch Pitch.

Snape, along with Remus, had also started teaching them how to duel properly. They taught them protective spells, defensive spells and offensive spells; the teens had no problem with learning the Dark Arts as they knew they would need it since they planned on joining the Dark Side.

Right now, the group was in the back yard of the Manor relaxing after another day of training.

"I am so bloody tired," Draco said as he leaned back on his elbows.

"You're not the only one," Neville said as he dropped to sit on the grass, Luna leaning against him.

"Yes," Luna breathed with a smile. "But it will all be worth it."

"Right you are Luna," Fred panted as he fell to the ground.

"But it's still bloody exhausting," George breathed heavily as he collapsed next to his brother.

"Amazing," Remus laughed as he and Snape looked down at them; to his surprise, he had been able to form a friendship with the potions master. It was a bit touchy at first, but they were able to get past it.

"Indeed," Snape drawled.

"Oh man," Harry laughed as he watched his friends. "I can't believe you guys."

"You can laugh Potter," Draco sneered. "But you're used…." Draco's voice trailed off and his eyes widened as Harry took off his shirt. Harry's muscles glistened as the sunlight caught the sweat that covered his body. Draco couldn't stop his eyes from travelling over Harry's chest. His mouth went dry and he licked his lips as he watched him.

Harry smirked as he watched Draco; he saw how the lust flared in the blond's eyes as they went over his body. He took a deep breath to stop his body from reacting and he shifted his body, running a hand over his chest; he smiled at the slight whimper that escaped Draco's lips.

"Draco," Snape's voice cut through his godson's haze of lust. "It is unbecoming of a Malfoy to be caught in such a situation as yours."

"Wh-wh-what?" Draco stuttered out as he tried valiantly to drag his gaze from Harry; he was oblivious to the snickers from the others.

"Close your mouth Draco," Neville teased. "You're liable to catch flies."

"Shut up!" Draco snapped as he finally tore his gaze from Harry to glare at Neville. He then turned to look at his godfather. "I was not drooling after him."

"Why Draco," Snape smirked. "I never said you were drooling after Harry, but I do thank you for letting us know."

The others laughed at the look on Draco's face.

"What is going on?" a voice asked. The group turned and saw Lucius walking over to them.

"Mr. Malfoy," Harry nodded at the Malfoy Patriarch.

"Just having a bit of fun…" Fred smirked.

"…at your son's expense," George grinned.

"I take it your training exercise went well then?" Lucius asked; he had gotten the shock of his life about five days ago when his Lord had called him to a meeting.

Flashback

Lucius was sitting in his library going through some documents; or rather, he was trying to. His mind kept going over the Dark Lord and his plans, plans that included his son and his closest friend. He knew that Severus wouldn't allow anything to happen to Draco if he could stop it, but he was still worried. They had been having meetings with the Dark Lord for weeks now, and it irritated the blond as he was usually included in things the Dark Lord. As reluctant as he was, Lucius had to admit that he was jealous.

He scowled as he looked down at the papers, not seeing the words on them. He was in the process of going to move them when his Mark flared; the Dark Lord was calling.

He quickly got to his feet and hurried out the door, heading to the wing where the Lord was. When he got to the door, he knocked three times and waited for his Lord to bid him in.

"Enter."

He opened the door, walked in and stopped, astonished at the sight in front of him. Seated in the seats around the Dark Lord was his son and his friend, but that was not what shocked him. It was seeing the other occupants of the room and the ease in which they sat around the room. Nagini was slowly slithering over her master’s lap and climbing the backrest of his wingback chair as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

Lucius, though shocked at what he saw, prided himself on being an upper class aristocrat, his iron-clad self control, his Slytherin background and lifestyle and his accomplishments in the Political world, so therefore, he quickly devoid his face of all emotions, adopting a blank expression.

He turned to his Master and bowed. “My Lord.”

"Lucius," Voldemort beckoned him to stand and take a seat in the only free chair before he continued. "I know you have been feeling a bit despondent due to my lack of correspondence to you. You are here for me to correct that."

"My Lord," Lucius started only to be stopped by the raising of Voldemort's hand.

"Let me explain everything to you," Voldemort said, while gently stroking Nagini´s smooth scales. "During the first week in June, Severus came to me with some information, information that was very valuable. He told about a shift in tides in the war. The mishap at the Department of Mysteries seemed to have created a backlash bigger than what I expected."

Lucius was quiet as he listened, though his gaze kept straying to the others in the room.

"It seemed that the esteemed Headmaster," Voldemort said, "created more havoc than I ever could and shifted the tides to our favourite. The presence of Mr. Potter is the result of that shift."

When Lucius' eyes drifted to Harry, he saw the dark smirk on his face and suppressed a shiver. His eyes widened as the implications of Voldemort's words became clear.

"That's right Lucius," Voldemort smirked. "Harry Potter has joined the Dark Side and he brought friends with him."

At the shocked look in Lucius' eyes, the room's occupants smirked.

"My Lord," Lucius was quite hesitant in what he was about to say, and it was seen by everyone else. "I am not undermining your actions or questioning you, but…"

"Speak Lucius," Voldemort said.

"Are you sure that they truly are spies and not here on the Old Man's orders?" Lucius asked just before he closed his eyes and waited for the Crucio he knew he would get. Seconds later when he realized he wasn't writhing in pain on the ground, he opened his eyes and saw amusement on everyone's faces. Harry chuckling shocked him.

"I told you he would do that," Harry said as he turned to face the Dark Lord.

"Don’t make me Crucio you Potter," Voldemort hissed at him. Nagini slithered from her spot and headed for Harry.

“Sorry,” Harry said as he watched Nagini come to him.

Lucius watched astonished as a slightly heavier Nagini slither up on Harry's body before resting her head on his shoulder.

"I think the explanations should continue," Snape said. "Preferably before Lucius collapses from shock."

"I suppose Lucius that you expected me to Crucio you for your question?" Voldemort raised an eyebrow at his follower.

"Yes my Lord," Lucius nodded.

"No Lucius," Voldemort shook his head. "I shall however explain everything to you."

And so he did; he told him about the conversations that he had had with Harry and the ones Harry had with Snape. He also told him about what he had seen in Harry's mind when he had possessed at the Department of Mysteries. The others had chipped in here and there with the explanations for their own appearance.

Throughout the explanations, Lucius wondered just how many shocks his body could take as he found it hard to take in everything he was being told. By the time they were done, he could only stare at them in silence.

"Father?" Draco called out softly.

"I think we broke him," Fred laughed.

Lucius snapped out of his stupor at those words; he was a Malfoy and Malfoys prided themselves on their control over their emotions.

“Mimzy,” Lucius called and a female house elf appeared in the room.

“Yes master?” Mimzy bowed.

“Bring a pot of tea for everyone,” Lucius ordered, “and a bottle of firewhiskey as well.”

“Yes master,” Mimzy said before she popped out, only to reappear seconds later with what she had been asked to get.

“That will be all,” Lucius said and the elf popped out. “Tea?” he offered before he poured a glass for himself, pouring in some of the firewhiskey and drinking it. When he was done, he looked at the group.

"I must admit that this information is very enlightening," he said.

"Yes it is," Voldemort nodded.

"My Lord," Lucius spoke again. "I am hesitant to ask, but what of the Dark Mark? Will that not cause problems with Dumbledore?"

"It would've had repercussions," Voldemort smirked, "if I had marked them."

At Lucius' look, the seven showed their left arms…they were bare.

"At this moment in time," Voldemort said. "The Mark is not needed to show their loyalty to me. I know it to be true. As it is, right now, it is much more beneficial for me if they remained unmarked."

"Of course my Lord," Lucius murmured. "I apologize for asking."

"There is no need for that Lucius," Voldemort said. "The reason you are here is simple. Severus and Remus are teaching them how to duel, among other things, and I would like you to assist the two of them."

"As you wish my Lord," Lucius replied.

End Flashback

"Yes it did," Remus nodded as he looked at the man; ever since the meeting a few days ago, he had felt a pull to the elder blond. The pull was faint, so he couldn't really identify it or why it was happening, only that it was happening. What had him curious was the fact that he also felt a pull to Draco and it was similar to the one that he felt for Harry; his wolf recognized Draco as its cub. Remus thought it was because Harry had chosen Draco. He was half right, but he didn't know that.

"Lucius," Harry turned to him. "May I speak with you?"

"Certainly," Lucius nodded and the two moved away from the group.

Draco narrowed his eyes as he watched them; he wasn't sure he liked the two of them alone together. He knew of his father's preference and knew with how powerful Harry was his father could easily be attracted to him.

"Don't worry Draco," Luna said. "His affections are entirely yours and yours alone."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Draco sneered and turned his head away, only to look back seconds later. He swallowed when he saw Harry smile at his father and had to stifle the mild panic and jealousy that rose in him when he saw Lucius lean down to say something to Harry. He turned his head when Harry turned to look at him.

Remus had to stifle his chuckles and turn his head so that Draco couldn't see the smile on his face; due to his wolf, he could hear everything that was being said between Harry and Lucius. 'It won't be long before Draco gives in…not with how determined Harry is.'

(Harry and Lucius)

"What is it?" Lucius asked when they stopped a distance away.

"It's about Draco," Harry said as he turned to face him.

"What about my son?" Lucius raised an eyebrow.

"I love him," Harry was straight and to the point. "And I have every intention of being with him. I'm not looking for your approval because frankly, I don't need it. Whether or not you like it, I will be with him as I plan on spending the rest of our lives together. No one, and that includes you, is going to stop that from happening."

"If that is true Potter," Lucius said, "then why are you telling me this?"

"I wanted to give you a heads up," Harry shrugged.

"And if I do not consent?" Lucius asked.

"Draco's happiness means everything to me," Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the Malfoy Patriarch. "And I will not allow anyone to hurt him. I don't care if it's you, his mother or the Dark Lord himself; if anyone hurts him, they will answer to me and I will inflict the hurt back on them even worse than they did to him."

Lucius stared at Harry; he was in awe at the young man before him, not only because of the magnitude of his power, but also because of the protective aura that he saw and felt flare in him as he spoke about his son. He had no intentions of denying Harry anything as he knew that despite his actions, his son felt something for Harry as well and he knew that his Lord loved the fact that he had the Boy-Who-Lived on his side and he valued his life too much to do anything to mess with that.

"I have no intentions of stopping you," Lucius murmured. "Contrary to what my son is doing, I know he feels the same for you."

"I know," Harry grinned.

"As such," Lucius smiled. "You have my full blessing."

"Thank you," Harry nodded. "It makes things easier because I know Draco cares about your opinion a lot."

"Exactly what do you have in store for my son?" Lucius asked.

"He's in denial right now," Harry shrugged. "But that doesn't bother me; his control is breaking apart and he will be mine. I could say that it's best he stops fighting, but his fighting this is what makes it fun."

"I can see as much," Lucius nodded. "My son is very easily prone to jealousy."

"I know," Harry chuckled. "It's the one thing he cannot hide easily; even now, he's trying hard not to look over here."

"I suppose we should give him a show," Lucius grinned before he leaned down to speak in Harry's ear. "I propose you will have my son before the month is over."

"I agree," Harry nodded before he turned to look at Draco. He smiled when he saw that the blond had turned his head immediately. "I think we should go back before your son hexes you."

"I concur," Lucius smiled and the two walked back to the others. Harry went straight to Draco and sat down behind him.

"Only you Drake," Harry leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "No one else but you."

Draco shivered as he felt Harry's breath caress his ear. He knew his jealousy was irrational, but he couldn't help it. Every day Harry had told him everything he wanted with him and Draco could admit to himself that he wanted the same things as well. He wanted to give in to him, but in all honesty, he liked the fact that Harry chased after him. He knew that anyone else would've probably given up already, but he also knew that Harry wouldn't. With a sigh, Draco decided to give in just for today and he relaxed his body enough that he was leaning back against Harry.

Harry smiled as he shifted his body so that Draco would be more comfortable.

"Don't think anything of this Potter," Draco said as he fixed his head on Harry's shoulder. "I'm just too tired to move away."

"Whatever you say Drake," Harry shook his head. The others smiled as they watched the two of them.

"I say we spend the rest of the day relaxing," George said.

"I agree," Fred quipped. Luna laughed, which caused the others to laugh as well. It was a good afternoon.

~…~

Over the course of the next week, the training increased as did they results. While the boys were nowhere near Harry's physique, which was understandable, as he had been doing it for the past five years, they still changed.

Draco still looked pretty much the same, except his body was more toned and from being in the sun so often, he had developed a slight tan, which made his skin look a lot more healthy than it normally was.

Fred and George looked a little different; the normal dark red hair was now about a shade lighter from being in the sunlight and like Draco, they had gotten a slight tan as well. Their already well-developed bodies were more muscular than Draco's.

Neville was the biggest change. His body filled out under the training, the exercises and the karate classes. He had been given a potion by Snape that had straightened his teeth out, and he had lost his baby fat in his face, showcasing a slight dimple in his left cheek that he hadn't realized he had. Like the other boys, he had gained a nice healthy tan as well. Not only had his body changed, but his confidence had grown as well.

Luna hadn't really changed much either. She was like the female version of Draco. The only difference was her hair. Harry had taken them to muggle London two days ago and she had decided to die her platinum blond hair to brown with blond highlights, giving it a dirty blond look. The brown was a shade darker than Hermione's and it made her eyes pop even more.

The group had just returned inside from their usual run around the Pitch, when Snape came in.

"Make yourselves presentable," Snape's drawl cut off any greetings they were about to make. "You're about to be inducted."

"What?" Neville raised an eyebrow.

"The Dark Lord requests your presence at a meeting," Snape intoned. "It is mandatory."

"Our coming out party I presume?" Harry asked as he changed his clothes from the t-shirt and tracks into a pair of black slacks, a dark green shirt and a black sports coat. The others followed suit when they saw what he did.

Snape's eyes filled with pride as he watched them do it all without the use of words; he, Lucius and Harry had worked around the clock with them, Remus as well, to improve their wordless and wandless casting and the lessons and patience had paid off. While they were no way near Severus', Lucius' or even Harry's level, they were above that of their schoolmates.

"We're ready," Luna smiled.

"Good," Snape nodded as he walked to the Floo with the others following him. "I suspect you remember the password without my having to remind either of you."

"Yes sir," Neville nodded along with the others.

"Very well then," Snape said before he allowed them to step through. When they came out on the other side, he led them out of the reception room and down the hallway. When he got to where the meeting was, he stopped and turned to them.

"It is best if you were to dress in these," He held out seven dark cloaks towards them. "And do not allow you face to be shown before the Dark Lord bids you to."

The seven nodded as they did as they were told. When they were done, Snape turned to the door and knocked three times.

"Enter."

~…~

Voldemort was sitting in his chair in the meeting room. Unlike what many probably thought, the chair was not a throne but rather a slightly bigger version of the wingback chair in his room. He had called a meeting with all of his followers to not only get updates, but to also introduce the newest members. He had the meeting in Malfoy Manor simply for the fact that he wasn't worried that the Ministry would come knocking. While Cornelius Fudge may dislike Lucius, he hated Dumbledore with a passion. And even if they did come, the room was cloaked with extensive protections spells.

Drawing himself from his thoughts, he watched as his followers came in one by one until only Severus and the seven were missing. He sat with Nagini on his lap, the snake hissing in pleasure as he rubbed her head. She was due in week or two and had become somewhat attention seeking…not that he minded.

When they door closed behind the last Death Eater, he held up a hand for silence; he got it instantly.

"I have some news to share with you," he said. "Before I commence, is there anything to report?"

"No my Lord," came the murmur.

"Lucius?" Voldemort turned to the blond. "Any news regarding the Ministry and what happened at the end of May?"

Lucius bowed as he stepped forward before answering.

"Other than what had appeared in the Daily Prophet," he said, "the Minister seems willing to ignore anymore than that. He acknowledges that your Lordship is back, but refuses to believe you are as strong as you were last time due to the fact that the raids have considerably been less."

"Hmmm," Voldemort was quiet as he stroked Nagini's head. "Cornelius is a foolish man, but one that could help. Very well, Lucius, I want you to keep him thinking like that. There are plans that I have in motion and everything would run smoother if the both the Ministry and Dumbledore remained in the dark." He chuckled slightly at the use of his words.

"As you wish my Lord," Lucius said as he bowed once more before stepping back.

"Now," Voldemort said as he removed Nagini from his lap, allowing her to rest in his seat as he stood up. "The reason I called for this meeting is very simple; it is to introduce to you the newest members of our Dark Family. However, as I have no need for their identities to be advertised to the rest of the Wizarding World, you will each take an oath to prevent you from doing so. Be it by Veritaserum or Legilimency, you will not be able to divulge their identities or any revelations that may be made about them during this meeting or any other ones."

The Death Eaters shifted as they thought on their Lord's words. They were curious as to whom these new followers could be and so, they each gave their oath. Just as they were finished, three knocks sounded on the door, Voldemort smirked as he knew who it was.

"Enter."

The door opened and Snape walked in, followed by seven people, each of whom was wearing a dark cloak with the hood covering their faces. The group moved to the front as whispers broke out between the Death Eaters. When they were a few feet from where Voldemort was standing, they bowed.

"Thank you Severus," Voldemort said to his potions master.

"My Lord," Snape bowed once more before he moved to take his place next to Lucius.

"Tonight marks the beginning of the end for the Light and its master as we welcome these seven into our folds," Voldemort said to his followers. "The defection of them has caused severe damage to the Light, though they do not realize it as of yet."

Whispers broke out once more among the Death Eaters as they tried to figure out who the seven was.

"I think it is time to appease their curiosity," Voldemort turned to the seven. "Reveal yourselves."

One by one, the seven removed their hoods and the noise in the room increased when the Death Eaters saw the platinum blond, the dirty blonde, the dark brunet, two redheads, one tawny haired and a head full of jet black hair. When the seven turned around, some of the Death Eaters' mouths dropped open in shock and the volume in the room increased.

"Silence," Voldemort hissed and the reaction was instant. "You may be in disbelief, but I assure you, they are on my side."

"Are you sure that's wise my Lord?" A Death Eater shouted.

"Identify yourself," Voldemort narrowed his eyes when he saw who stepped forward. It was Gibbon.

"My Lord," Gibbon said as he bowed. "I'm not sure it's wise to have them here; we all know that Potter is under Dumbledore's thumb. Who's to say he's not doing this to spy?"

The other Death Eaters looked at Gibbon in shock; while they did have concerns, they were not stupid or suicidal enough to question their Lord.

"Do you think me so incompetent Gibbon," Voldemort's voice was low and tinged in anger, which had almost everyone cringing. "Do you think me such a fool that I would not know if there was a spy among them?"

"N-n-no my Lord," Gibbon said. "I just find it hard to believe."

"I told you," Harry smirked. "Maybe all he needs is proof."

“Potter,” Voldemort hissed his displeasure at being interrupted. Harry conceded with a quick bow of his head.

"As if the Saviour could do anything," Gibbon sneered.

"Crucio," Voldemort said and Gibbon collapsed to the floor screaming. Voldemort stepped up to him and growled. "You dare to question me! You dare to believe I would have commandeered them if I was not sure of where their loyalties would lie?"

The rage pouring off Voldemort had Harry and everyone else wincing; Harry because he was suddenly reminded of the link between the two of them, his scar was burning. With that in mind, he stepped forward.

"If I may?" Harry asked. He looked directly into Voldemort eyes and the dark inside of them had Voldemort smirking.

"As you wish," Voldemort said as he stepped back.

Harry looked down at Gibbon and smirked; the pure malice in the smirk had the Death Eaters flinching. "You seem to be under the misconception that I don't have what it takes. Maybe I should have you visit my relatives and see if that will change your mind."

Snape smirked when he heard that, as did Voldemort, as he recalled what Harry had done to his family.

"However," Harry said, "since I doubt that would have any effect to make you believe, I think you should have an up close and personal view of just what I can do."

Harry thought of what he wanted to do and his magic flared in answer. He smiled and the others shivered at the darkness in it. "You know, you can learn so many things from books. But you know what? You can also learn things from muggles. Muggles have such imagination. In fact, why don't I show just what I have learned and what the Muggles can create?"

Harry waved his hand, removing the dark cloak from Gibbon's body; he ignored the gasps that came from the Death Eaters at the sight of his wandless magic. He looked up into the roof and conjured a meat hook, before looking back at Gibbon. He levitated the body upwards, crossed Gibbon's wrists together before he moved the hook through his joined wrists. The scream that tore from Gibbon's throat made him smile.

Harry tilted his head to the side as he thought more on what he wanted to do; when he had attacked his family, he couldn't do much as he hadn't wanted the neighbours to know what was going on, but now, now he had free reign to stretch his magic. He recalled something he had found in the Manor Library.

Flashback

Harry and the others were in the library after a day of training. Snape had been merciless, but they didn't mind as it only made them better. He was walking back to where the others were sitting when he felt a pull. He stopped and turned in the direction, oblivious to the questioning looks from everyone else. He walked until he came to a stop in front of portrait. He stared at it for a few minutes, a puzzled frown on his face.

"Harry?" Neville called as he stood behind him. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know Nev," Harry said. "I'm getting this weird feeling from this portrait. It feels as if there's something there."

"Blood magic really is a dynamic thing," Luna's voice sounded across the room. "Especially yours Harry."

Harry smiled before he raised his hand to the portrait. He didn't even wince when he felt the slight pull from his magic. The portrait glowed for a second before it slowly swung open.

"What the hell?" Draco said as he and the others, minus Luna, moved forward.

Harry stepped forward and when he did, lights came on and he, along with the others, let out a gasp; in front of them was a shelf filled with books.

"Why are these books separated from the rest of the Library?" Draco asked as he watched Harry walk into the room.

"I don't know," Remus shook his head as he picked up a book. "More than likely because they cannot be read."

"How do you figure?" Snape asked as he stopped next to him.

"Look," Remus said as he showed him the book. When he opened it, Snape saw what he was talking about; the book was written in a different language and it was one that was not familiar.

"This is amazing," Harry said. "Nev I think you'd like this one; it's on Herbology and the properties of plants."

"You can understand it?" George asked.

"Of course," Harry said as he gave the book to Neville.

Neville grabbed the book and flipped through it, but soon he looked back at the others confused. "Harry, I can't read this."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he looked through more books.

"I mean," Neville said. "I can't understand what it's saying."

"What?" Harry turned towards him.

"It's in a different language," Neville said as he handed the book back.

"They all are," Fred exclaimed as he grabbed a few.

"But then," Harry asked. "How come I can understand them?"

Snape had thoughtful look on his face. He looked from the book in his hands to Harry and back again. There was something tugging at his memory. Seconds later, his eyes narrowed.

"Harry," he held the book out. "What does this say?"

"It's a potions book," Harry said excitedly when he read the cover. He flipped through it. "Sev, you'd love this; it's filled with so many potions, even more than the books in the library at Hogwarts and the ones from Diagon Alley has."

"Can you read some of it for me," Snape said; he had a suspicion as to why Harry could understand the book when they couldn't.

"Sure," Harry nodded and he started to read. He read for about a minute before he realized that everyone was looking at him in awe. "What?"

"It is as I suspected," Snape's voice was filled with confusion and awe. "The books are written in Parseltongue."

"But," Harry looked at them. "Why would my family have Parseltongue written books in their library?"

"I can answer that," A voice called out. The group filed out of the room and saw Harrison in a portrait.

"Explain please," Harry said and his ancestor spent the rest of the day explaining the books and how they came to be in the library.

End flashback.

Mentally shaking himself out of his memory, Harry smirked. That day, the information that his ancestor had given to him about his family had shocked him more than anything else had. One thing, however, stood out from what his ancestor had told him; spells done in Parseltongue were a lot stronger than normal ones. He stepped back from Gibbon and held out his hand; in it was what appeared to be a whip.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked as he shifted from one hand to the next. "No, I suppose you don't. Muggles call it a Cat-O-Nine Whip. The reason is because of the many spikes on it."

The room stared at the whip in shock. They had never seen anything like it before.

"I see you're intrigued," Harry smirked. Without warning, he brought the whip across Gibbon's back.

Gibbon's body jerked as he screamed out his pain. Harry frowned.

"Hmm," He said as he walked around the body. "No, that won't do, that won't do at all."

He walked around the body again before stopping in front of him. He looked thoughtful for a second before his expression cleared.

"I know," He clapped and the Death Eaters shivered again. He looked Gibbon in the eyes and hissed, {Diffindo}

Gibbon screamed as he felt the Cutting Curse on his body. His clothes fell away with each cut, falling to the floor beneath him.

"There," Harry said when he was done. "Now that's better."

He held up the whip and struck Gibbon's body once more, this time, the result was better. Blood flowed from his body in rivulets and Gibbon screamed even louder from the pain.

"Perfect," Harry said as he brought the whip down on Gibbon's body once more, this time across his chest. He repeated his swing over and over, sometimes even hitting Gibbon's legs and arms. When he was sure the body was torn up enough, he dropped the whip from his hands.

Harry looked down at the whip and held out his hand, transfiguring the whip into a bucket. The Death Eaters stared at him. He pulled a vial out of his pocket before throwing it into the bucket. He waved his hand over it, hissing out a spell that had Voldemort raising an eyebrow in approval. He grabbed the bucket and threw the contents over Gibbon's body. The scream that tore from his throat had the Death Eaters cringing in horror.

Bellatrix LeStrange was the only Death Eater not cringing away. She had been shocked when she saw who the new recruits were and like the others, had not believed that they were being true. For the first time, she was smart enough to keep the comments to herself. When Potter had offered to punish Gibbon, she had snorted, not thinking that the boy had it in him, but looking at him now, the joy in his eyes as he tortured Gibbon changed her mind instantly. She was looking forward to finding out just how far he could go.

"The contents in the bucket," Harry said, "are similar to Muggle vinegar or rubbing alcohol; (Neville and the others' eyes lit up in understanding, as Harry had explained the use of them before) for you lot, the simple explanation is that the potion that I threw on him, intensified the pain from his wounds."

The sadistic smile on Harry's face made the Death Eaters shiver in fear.

{ Adustum Caruncula } Harry hissed as he pointed a finger on one of Gibbon's wounds; his screams began anew as he felt the fire burning his skin and some of the Death Eaters had to turn away to quell the urge to regurgitate what they had eaten at the smell of the burning flesh.

Once again, Voldemort found himself looking at Harry with new eyes. Despite what he had been told by and the boy himself of what he had done to his relatives, he hadn't expected him to adapt to torture so quickly. He spared a glance at the other six and saw that instead of looking hesitant or scared, they were looking on delight and awe. They were clearly enjoying themselves. 'The tides in the war have indeed shifted. Old Man, you will not realize until it's too late that the war has already been won by the Dark Side.'

Harry used the spell on several other wounds before he refilled the bucket and threw the contents over Gibbon's body once more. As the man screamed, he felt a slight pressure on his mind. He didn't react outwardly, but he allowed his magic to flare inward slightly and he recognized magic; it was Snape. A spell was whispered into his mind followed by a quick series of images to show what the spell could do. He smirked as Snape's presence left.

{Sssectumsssempra} Harry watched in satisfaction and awe as the curse tore into Gibbon's body. New cuts appeared on his body and he smiled in delight. When he saw that Gibbon was close to passing out, he shook his head.

"Now, now Gibbon," Harry's smile was twisted. "I can't have you passing out before the fun is over."

{Pervigilo} he hissed out. When Gibbon's eyes snapped to his, he smirked.

"Now you will be awake through everything," he smiled and Gibbon cried as the words registered.

Harry laughed as he turned to the others. "You guys wanna play?" he asked.

The six shared a look before they nodded at Fred and George. The maniacal grin on their faces and in their eyes, had the Death Eaters glad they weren't on the receiving end and for most, they felt as if they were looking at younger versions of the LeStrange brothers.

"Sure we…"

"…do mate…"

"…we even have…"

"…a spell in mind."

"Imitorari Flammoviscera," The twins said as one. When Gibbon began to scream, the gleam in their eyes intensified.

"The purpose of the spell," Fred said, "is to make the victim believe their internal organs are on fire."

"Deliciously wicked isn't it?" George grinned and the room's occupants shivered at it.

Neville sighed in aggravation as Gibbon continued to scream; the man's voice was grating on his nerves.

"Don't worry," Luna smiled at him. "His voice won't be a problem much longer. You'll make sure of it."

"Good," He nodded before he gave her a quick kiss and the two turned back to watch.

"Alright boys," Harry chuckled. "Let's wrap this up."

"Sure thing little brother," Fred grinned.

"Finite Incantatem," George cancelled the spell and the two took their spots once more with the others.

Watching Gibbon choke on his blood, Harry waved his hand. "Anapneo."

Instantly Gibbon took a few deep breaths of air, shuddering though they were, before he hung his head.

Harry focused on his magic and brought a fraction of it to the forefront; he blocked the noise of everyone else as he focused. {Occludictusss}

Gibbon's body jerked as he felt every wound on his body closing up. He sighed in relief, hoping that the pain was over with. It was premature. With his head hung, he didn't see the dark smile on Harry's face, but the others did.

{Cremocarnisss} Harry hissed and he smirked in dark satisfaction as Gibbon screamed once more when the spell washed over him, cauterizing every wound he had. When he was satisfied that every wound was cauterized, he cancelled the spell and stepped back.

"Nev?" he called back to his friend. When he came to stand next to him, he nodded towards Gibbon. "Finish it."

Neville nodded and moved forward to stand directly in front of the man. "You should not have spoken so about my brother. But no matter, you and everyone else here will learn that we are not to be messed with."

"Hiatus," Neville said and Gibbon's mouth opened. He waved his hand and the man's tongue came out. "Never again will you say such things in my presence or anyone else's again. Diffindo minima."

Gibbon couldn't even scream as he felt the wound on his tongue; he would have trouble speaking from then on. Harry waved his hand, allowing the meat hook to disappear and the man collapsed to the floor. Neville sneered down at him.

"Pathetic," he said before he walked back over to stand next to Luna.

"I shall let you know this now," Harry said to the man and everyone else in the room. "The wounds that he has will never heal without scarring no matter what you do. It was placed there by my magic and my magic alone will remove it. Even what Nev did, that will never heal; Gibbon will forever be scarred."

“As tempting as I am sure that is Harry,” Snape interrupted him. “He does have a life and job that he must return to. The scars on his body will draw too much attention to him.”

“Spoilsport,” Harry grumbled good-naturedly before he looked back at Gibbon. He was silent for a second before he raised his hand. He hissed a spell and the wounds on Gibbons body healed over until they disappeared. He hissed another spell and smiled in satisfaction at the glow that covered Gibbon’s body as well as everyone else’s, with the exception of the Dark Lord.

“What did you just do?” Draco asked as he watched in fascination as the glow disappeared.

“I healed his wounds,” Harry explained. “But I also cast a spell that will allow everyone in here to see the wounds as if they’re still there. For him, whenever he sees his reflection, he will see the wounds as well.”

Harry then looked around at the Death Eaters and allowed his magic to flare. His smile was dark when he saw how they shivered in fear. "Allow this to be a warning to all of you; we are here willingly, but we will not take too kindly to any attacks from any of you."

He said nothing more before he walked back to stand with the rest.

"I do so hope that whatever issues you may have had," Voldemort spoke. "They are now resolved. Get him out of my sight. You are dismissed."

As the Death Eaters filed out, with the exception of Lucius, they gathered Gibbon's healed and unconscious body with them, Hedwig flashed into the room to land on Harry's shoulder.

"Hey girl," he cooed as he rubbed her head.

Hedwig trilled softly, the noise heard by Bellatrix as she was leaving with her husband and brother-in-law. Hedwig locked eyes with the witch, amber eyes gleaming as her powers moved through the witch and the two next to her. She broke the connection before trilling softly at Harry.

"Marvolo," Harry turned to Voldemort; a few days after their first meeting, they had met again and he had called the man by his middle name as he had no desire to call him Tom or Voldemort. "Can you call the LeStranges back...please?"

"Bella, Rudolphus and Rabastan," Voldemort raised an eyebrow at Harry even as he did what he asked. "Stay for a moment."

The trio looked at each other before walking to him.

"My Lord," the three said as they knelt; because Lucius and Severus were more trusted than the others, they only had to bow to him while the others knelt.

"Rise," Voldemort commanded before he retook his seat. "While it would do good to talk about what just happened, it is not I that needed you."

"What does ickle Potter have to say?" Bella sneered. "Come to seek more vengeance for your godfather?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "It’d be stupid to fight you now, especially after what I just said. As you can see, I have a phoenix and she's not like regular phoenixes, but I won't go into that."

"What's going on?" Rabastan asked.

"My phoenix senses something off with the three of you," Harry said. "Something is blocking a part of your mind." He turned to Neville. "It's the same thing she sensed with you as well."

Neville turned wide eyes to Harry.

"I suspect the reason behind it," Harry continued. "Especially after what you told me Nev, and if I'm right, then it explains everything."

"Cub" Remus spoke up. "What are you talking about?"

"Nev," Harry said. "Explain your part first."

And so he did; Neville told them about his dreams and the way his grandmother had been acting towards him. When he was done, everyone stared at him.

"Harry," Snape looked at him. "The implications of what you are saying…"

"I know," Harry nodded.

"I assume you have a way to know for sure?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "Hedwig; she can remove the blocks and restore the mind."

"Do it," Neville's voice was filled with determination.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Neville nodded.

"What is going on?" Rudolphus asked.

"Do it Hed," Harry said without answering the man.

Hedwig trilled, the musical tones carried her magic and allowed it to flare throughout the room. It relaxed the others and encompassed Bellatrix, Rudolphus, Rabastan and Neville. The four stood still as the magic washed over them. A bright light slowly spilled from them and fill the room. It let out a bang before it disappeared a few minutes later, leaving everyone blinking slowly. Hedwig let out a satisfied trill before she settled down on Harry's shoulder.

The occupants could only stare at the four in shock. Before anything could be said, the LeStranges turned as one to look at Neville and Bellatrix took a hesitant step forward.

"My son."

A/N 2: so, here is the new chapter; I hope you guys liked it. I had fun writing it. Honestly, I’m having fun writing the entire story. The LeStranges, especially Bella, are more than likely OOC, but I needed them to be that way.

Review Responses (ones that had a specific statement):

Doctor Drarry: don’t worry; Harry will do nothing like that; remember he’s been abused himself and wouldn’t inflict that on someone else...unless they deserved it *smirks*

Usmorgan: I’m glad my story was able to captivate you and that Harry is to your liking...I love him like that; that’s how JKR should’ve made him. I mean, not Dark, but at least more independent...more, I don’t know, something more than they way she did...

Tachimaru: I love them both as well *smiles* and thanks for the address. I don’t have an update list, but I will add you to my account and will let you know information on the story in general

Tam_Black: I’m glad you love this story. Yay me! *laughs* and yes, you have my permission to translate the story into Spanish. I’m very honoured that you want to. So go ahead...*smiles*

Draco_Harry_Lover: I’m really glad you like this. I wasn’t sure I wasn’t keeping Sev as close to character and I’m glad you love him. I also love Nagini...she’s such a joy to write about, especially when she’s teasing Voldy...*laughs*

A/N 3: again, I’m so happy with all the reviews; they’re like my drug. Lol. They make me happy; nothing like the natural high. *smiles* I’m already working on chapter six and it’s going good. Don’t forget to read and review.

Spells:

Imitorari Flammoviscera—act like inflamed internal organs; from Latin word Imitorari-imitate/act like and Flammoviscera—inflame internal organs; from Latin word Flammo-to inflame/set fire to and viscera-internal organs/entrails

Pervigilo—to remain awake

Finite Incantatem—stop/finish the incantation/spell

Anapneo-to clear blocked airway

Adustum Caruncula— singe a small piece of flesh; from Latin word Adustum-to singe/set fire to and Caruncula- a small piece of flesh

Diffindo—cutting curse
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Rise of the Dark Angel