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Weapon	By : uqui Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 105432 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 26
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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27/03/2012

Thank you to SuryaPrakash for the betaing. If there are mistakes, they are my fault.

Anyone remembering the comment back at Chapter 40? If you don't, don't worry, it was eon's ago but here it is for you 'The delay is my fault. I wrote the wrong chapter, when I sat down to write this one, then got depressed about that and refused to write this one. Silly I know. Go figure. ' I said quite clearly, I wrote the wrong chapter. Well... this is the chapter that got written... There's been a few minor changes to it along the way but it is pretty much word for word exactly what got written that very long time ago. I'm somewhat bragging about this because I want everyone to know that the major plot points are already known, the smaller details are working their way out as we continue and by the time I finish I hope to have all those lose ends gathered up and neatly tied off.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. EvilDime I'm glad I could please you with all the new chapters. If you were a bit more specific about anything you didn't like, I'd be happy to explain. LeaniaSTL yeah Madam Bones is a difficult one, and I'm not sure what will happen to her and unneeded anyone who didn't answer Voldemort's question correctly at Azkaban got given to the Dementors so that they could make little Dementors. Keeping allies who want human or wizard sacrifices is a pain!

Weapon LXV - Arabella Figg

The Dark Lord sat in quiet contemplation.

Kisha was away for the moment. No matter their agreement, she was still a vampire elder and still had duties to attend to. She'd indicated she'd be back in a few weeks and Voldemort snorted to himself. Duties. She had to make sure that when their alliance broke her forces would be in position, though she was tactful enough not to say that outright. Her support was amusing now, it would not change much in this game and he knew that she was playing her own game. She would help him, but only so long as it suited vampire interests. She though probably thought they'd be allied for longer than they would be. He knew that their paths would part before the year was out, but he also knew that Kisha would adapt fast and know when the time had come. All that remained now was who betrayed whom first. For now though...

"Arabella..." he called the name of the Auror he had given to Xeoaph as assurance; the gift he had now been given back, slightly altered. She was his proof that Kisha had been in contact with her childe and knew both sides of the game. It would be interesting to know the vampire elder's reasoning to support him, but he would live without the knowledge, and in the end it made no difference.

"What do you want?" A sullen voice answered his call.

He smiled. So the Auror maintained some spirit yet, but was obviously tied by her elder's order to obey him. "Come forward." He ordered, willing her to move into his line of sight. He wasn't sure yet what to do with this vampire youngling, but he would use her. It was only fitting that he should make use of his gift. "That's better," the Serpent Lord said as the ex-Auror moved forward with a less than good grace.

He half-closed his eyes as he looked at her. He'd left her to her own devices for a few weeks and she'd spent the time exploring his stronghold before reading some books from the library. She hadn't attempted to run and had been respectful when requesting food, something that had surprised him slightly though he had sensed her dislike of her need.

She was dressed plainly in clothes that would not bring overt attention in either wizarding or Muggle crowds - loose pants of a faded blue with a dark red jumper that showed the collar of the shirt beneath. A single simple stud earring pierced each ear and the Dark Lord could not see any other ornamentation. Even her hair was styled to be forgettable. As a fledgling vampire he presumed she'd been instructed to be innocuous, something her wizarding heritage of hiding with Muggles and her Auror training would have reinforced. Her appearance was designed to give the illusion of normalcy and harmlessness and while she was harmless to him, he did not discount the damage she could do if he used her correctly. But before he could even consider that, there was something more important the Serpent Lord had to know. There were some things that were unforgivable and if she had known then, while her life span was measured in years, they would be years of agony.

"Did you know?" he asked.

"Know what?" Arabella returned the question. She had the good taste to look genuinely unsure as to what he was asking.

Voldemort resisted the urge to lash at her with his power as he forcibly reminded himself that it was possible she did not know and an inkling of an idea formed. "Perhaps it is possible you do not know," he murmured, half to himself and half to calm her as she had become tense knowing full well his volatile temper. "Tell me about Harry," he instructed looking at her fully.

"About Harry?" She once again questioned his request, her tone confused.

"You were the Auror assigned to watch him, so tell me about him. I am curious to know about the boy that the wizards hold as a saviour," he added the last hoping to put her at ease with the thought of his downfall.

She smiled despite of the situation she was in, the expression gone almost before it appeared. "He was a quiet boy. With that overbearing whale of a cousin it was easy to lose him and I think half the neighbours forgot he even existed. That's kind of hard though because he has... well I don't know what it is," Arabella searched for the words, her voice becoming softer, less confrontational as she recalled her memories. "A sense of presence," she decided speaking gently. "Even when he was trying not to be noticed, you just knew he was there, not in a bad way, of course, but just in the way that you always knew where he was. Well... I did anyway, though perhaps that's because of the magic. No one else seemed to notice him quite as much."

"Oh, they did," the Dark Lord interjected, a note of steel underlying the soft velvet of his voice.

"Well my cover was as that irascible old cat-obsessed biddy down the street and since I was there to watch him, I noticed him. I know why Harry had to stay with his relatives, but I think someone should have better explained it to them. Or maybe they did and they were just Muggles. They weren't exactly happy to have to take care of him but they did. You could tell though, sometimes they wanted him elsewhere. Not often, just sometimes though with that spoilt whale of a son taking their attention it just appeared they weren't noticing him. I reported it, but was told he needed to stay there... for all the good it did," she muttered the last, thinking back on the night the Dark Lord had decided to come for Harry.

"It did make a difference," Voldemort told her.

"Could have fooled me," she retorted with spirit.

"Without the blood protection, I would have come for him, or one of my followers would have a lot earlier and he would be dead. Assuming he made it to his first year at Hogwarts, he would not have made it to the second year, that I assure you. It did take quite a bit of planning to cut through those defenses as easily as I did."

"Well... maybe they did do some good but... sometimes I think it would have been better if he was with someone else."

"Perhaps," the Dark Lord said. "Go on," he added the instruction.

"There's not much more to say," Arabella replied. "Not unless you have something specific you want to know."

"There is," he said, concentrating slightly to transport a thin sheaf of parchment into her hands. It wouldn't take her long to read and he'd know from her reaction if she had known.

"What's this?" Arabella questioned, forgetting for a moment who she was talking to and what he represented. The Dark Lord was surprisingly... nice all things considered, but she was aware that he was assessing her worth and she knew from her training as an Auror that this Lord had mastered the subtleties of appearing friendly. He knew that there was no point in making an enemy, even of one bound to obey such as she was. If he wanted to be civil though, she supposed she would return the favour, but she would watch him carefully and she would not be surprised when civility ended and he once again became the brutal creature of Dark she knew he was.

"Just read it; you will no doubt recognise the seal."

Looking down she did recognise the seal which shone slightly with magic. Wax held the parchment pieces together but stamped into the wax was the seal of the High Wizard Tribunal, the ultimate governing body for Wizards. As she looked, the illusion embedded into the seal activated and she saw the two crossed wands spring out of the parchment, the point of impact defined by small sparks and a laurel of an omega surrounded the two. Unless this was one of the best forgeries she had ever seen, this was a legitimate document.

"How did...?" she started, not quite sure how to phrase the question. "Where did...?"

"Just read it," the Serpent Lord replied, waving one hand slightly to dismiss any further inquiry.

Arabella broke the seal with some trepidation, not really seeing as the illusion wavered and vanished as the parchment opened. These were official documents she decided somewhat glumly wondering what was so important for her to read. But the parchment bore the heavy feel of the High Tribunal and was shot through with tiny gold veins. Stamped over the writing though was a charm of concealment, or what was left of one and she shivered involuntarily. This was the testament from a sealed case, one that as not meant to ever become public.

She scanned through the basic details, feeling her eyes widen with each name she read... Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy and others she didn't recognise... What were they doing in court together? Chief Judge Gilamy Horton was a name she recognised and respected. His reputation was severe, but he was one of the toughest but fairest judges who took the hardest cases. Seeing his name was not comforting.

She read on, before flinging the parchment from her as she spun, instinctively turning away as she retched, grimacing in pain as her stomach muscles contracted on an empty stomach. She couldn't stop though and coughed as her eyes watered, the tears streaming down her face. The ex-Auror had forgotten this. On high level cases the testament was be-spelled to make you actually feel the evidence, to make you see the case. It was an effective way to prevent questions about the legitimacy of the decision by those who weren't there and who didn't have the facts and in this case... Arabella shuddered, wiping her mouth reflectively as she brought herself back under control.

The Dark Lord watched her reaction impassively, his eyes showing nothing as she took several deep breaths to steady herself. Breathing wasn't necessary for a vampire, but she was still close to human and the reflex helped to calm her. Arabella wasn't ashamed by her reaction; if anything the rising sense of guilt and shame was brought about by her inaction... she'd been set to watch young Harry and she'd missed... How the hell did Muggles do that... how did they hide that...?

"Well, did you know?"

"I... what... No!"

"Did you know?"

Arabella flinched away. If Voldemort had screamed or shouted she would have been more comforted yet his voice was soft and quiet, displaying more raw menace and power than she really wanted to deal with. Even Kisha at her angriest had been less frightening.

"No, the Dursleys were normal..."

"Did you know?"

"They always had visitors, but so did everyone else..." the young vampire stumbled at her words, struggling to breathe at the presence that was focused upon her.

"Did you know?"

"With Vernon's business it was normal for people to come and yeargh!" she screamed as a lance of power ripped through her, making her arch on the spot, quivering as her muscles locked and twisted of their own accord.

"You are making excuses," the Dark Lord said softly. "Did you know?"

Desperate to escape Arabella did the only thing she could, grasping at the power Kisha had bestowed upon her with her making, even so the Serpent Lord's grip was such that she couldn't completely shake his power, or else her master's wish that she serve was still in effect.

"Of course I didn't know!" she screamed back at him. "If I'd have known you wouldn't have the Muggles to torture!" she added as a rage filled her. She still felt guilty, and sickened by what she had felt, but she wasn't the one to blame for this and she wanted to rend things for it. Her fledging power whipped around her, but the Dark Lord didn't even flinch as he extended his force again.

Arabella felt a flash of panic as the power cut through her newly-raised defences and then all she felt was pain as everything in her seemed to writhe against everything else. She didn't feel herself fall to the ground as the sensations warred for attention. She felt nauseous and cold at the same time as she burned and her lungs screamed for air, but the passage of wind in her throat sent tickles of ice and flame around her neck and she choked.

:She didn't know,: a whisper came eventually, followed by a deliberate foot fall as someone else entered the room, stepping out from the shadows.

For a moment Arabella thought it was her master, but as the Dark Lord's power weakened slightly on her she looked up and saw the face of death.

"Do you think if she'd known, I'd have let her out of the Atrium alive?"

The pain the Dark Lord had caused vanished, washed away by pure unreasoning panic. Arabella got her body working well enough to scramble away from the new speaker. She only got a couple of yards before she collapsed again, still trying to flee but a couple of yards was more distance than before. Black hair, black eyes, and black clothes. The ... thing before her was plain, but she could feel the pull of his power, feel her vampiric blood reacting to the one who had killed so many of her brothers and sisters... even if she didn't want them as brothers and sisters.

Voldemort inspected the newcomer for a moment. He was going to have to have a word with the Shadows about defences and soon, but he was experienced enough to play along. "No," he said softly and while the word was denial, his tone was agreement. "I don't suppose you would have if she had known." He let his power fade from the youngling vampire. "But I also don't expect that she is important enough for you to come visiting."

"Ah, quite true," came the equally soft reply, the voice pitched so as to be unrecognizable though definitely male. "I'm here for a few reasons, but let us first deal with this one," the Shadow's Servant said, turning towards the vampire. "They have one thing they wish to know, Arabella," he said gently, his tone lightly inquisitive without being forceful. "Have you taken of Kisha's blood and bite?"

The Dark Lord stirred at the question. He could tell the vampire youngling was Xeoaph's childe, but because her blood called to his and he'd assumed that she was merely a servant of the elder vampire. But if she was also a childe... In the end it would mean nothing, but it did perhaps open other avenues to be pursued.

"I ... ah..."

"Answer him, little one," Voldemort instructed, his voice carrying the coerciveness of master to servant, and her vampiric elder's words had made her his servant and she could not disobey.

"Yes," Arabella confessed, looking down at the ground. "Xeoaph made me and while that means I am subject to Kisha's orders, she prefers more direct control and so she remade me. I cannot take Xeoaph on though, if that is what you are thinking."

The Serpent Lord was slightly surprised when the Shadow Servant laughed quietly. "Nothing of the sort, my dear Auror, however were you to make such a move you would find yourself supported by the Shadows, even though for now you'd be doomed to fail."

The young vampire nodded. "I'm not strong enough yet," she admitted and the Dark Lord blinked, realising now what he should do with her.

"I, like the Shadows could probably push you to the point where you had the power," he said, "but you lack the experience," he added, "something Xeoaph discounted too heavily when he backed Lucius." The Dark Lord brought his hands together as the Shadow Servant nodded at him, stepping back slightly to allow him to once again take control of the situation. "Since your usefulness as a combat vampire is limited by your youth Arabella, I am forced now to find an alternate use for you. You will, I trust, therefore ignore the blatantness of the following questions. Would the Auror's accept you back?"

Arabella rose, trembling slightly as she steadied herself on her feet against one of the pillars of the Serpent Lord's throne room. The Shadow creature was still there, but he had withdrawn slightly and didn't appear to be paying much attention. She couldn't sense him either as a vampire or wizard and the only reason she knew he was still there is that she had yet to take her eyes from him. While his previously demonstrated ability in the Atrium was proof enough that she was unlikely to be able to defend against anything he could do to her, she wasn't about to let him strike her from behind. If she was to die, she wanted to at least attempt to defend herself. But it appeared that the Shadow creature had lost interest in her after that one question and now was watching Voldemort with a slightly calculating gaze, a gaze the Dark Lord did not see because his attention was focused on her.

She shook her head, both to answer the question and to clear it. There was too much going on here that she didn't understand; too many chances for her to make a fatal misstep and she didn't want to die. Nor did she wish to become a living symbol of an alliance she had nothing to do with. "With the current state of affairs between the Order of the Phoenix and Vampires, they might accept me," she elaborated "but as soon as that's over, I'd be over too." She concluded with a small shudder at the thought of her death at Auror hands. The Shadow creature nodded slightly, as if agreeing with her.

Voldemort showed no reaction, but a slightly flickering of his eyes showed he was considering her answer. "Well then, what do you want?"

The question took her by surprise. As an Auror, she'd been ordered to serve her duty; her desires didn't come into it. The Dark Lord had certainly not asked her opinion when he used her against Xeoaph, nor had that vampire when he turned her. Kisha had been slightly more considerate, but in the end, the elder vampire's desires were absolute. What did she want?

"I don't want to be a vampire," she blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"That wasn't exactly my intention, either," the Dark Lord said with an amused lilt to his voice. "But nor is that something I can change. What else do you want?"

"I don't want to serve you."

That reply earned her a hissing chuckle. "As I recall, I do not want you to serve me. Though I do wonder... If you do not wish to be a vampire, yet you are one, and you do not wish to serve me, but by your master's command you are now bound to, why have you not killed yourself?"

"I do not wish to die yet," Arabella said with some heat.

"Well this does leave us with a quandary, though not one that is unsolvable. I believe, I will give you a gift," the Dark Lord said.

"A gift?" the former Auror questioned uncertainly, her doubt plain to hear.

Arabella felt her breath catch in her throat as her attention focused on the Dark Lord. The movement was subtle, but it was there as he gathered his power and alarmed, she tensed, replaying his words through her mind... A gift... that would only mean one thing. She lacked the desire to kill herself, even though she loathed her current predicament. He was not so inhibited and as his hand moved towards his wand, her eyes narrowed as her power gathered. She didn't have to block it all; she just had to dodge him. That would be enough to save her. Her power gathered as she prepared to fight her creators' command of servitude and as she raised her hands to strike, there was a flash from her side, followed instantly by a hot pain and she knew darkness as she fell.

"Very smooth," the Dark Lord complimented his guest as the young vampire fell in a compact heap. He hadn't missed her power spikes, but she had obviously forgotten the Shadow Servant was still here.

"Don't get used to it," the man said as he stepped forward into the light, moving over to the young vampire before crouching beside her. As the Dark Lord watched, he pushed back her sleeve and made a quick incision with a dagger drawn from his belt. A sluggish stream of crimson oozed from the wound that was already closing itself and the Shadow Servant wasted no time in collecting the blood, filling several vials that he held expertly between his fingers. When the three were full, he wiped away the excess blood and pulled her sleeve back into place, letting the arm fall again before he rose and stoppered each vial. He re-sheathed his dagger and tucked two of the vials into a belt pouch. The third he kept out and was spun idly though his fingers as he examined the Dark Lord.

Voldemort was not offended by such an intense gaze and indeed he used the time to assess the man he had heard about but had never seen. He knew who he was of course, but this was the first time he'd actually seen the man. More importantly, he did not know who lay behind that mask. Was it some wizard the Shadows controlled entirely, or was it someone Harry trusted... someone who knew Harry's true heritage and who therefore knew what his true relationship was with the Boy Who Lived?

Eventually the man sighed, clenching the vial in one fist as he ran his other hand through his hair. "I still do not see it," he said softly.

"See what?" The serpent Lord enquired.

"What the Shadow Lord sees in you," came the response before another sigh. "But I suppose I do not have to see it," the man continued. "All I need to know is that you are true and I can see that clearly enough."

Voldemort smirked. "And if you don't?"

"You won't live past the day I don't," came the ice cold reply without the faintest trace of bravado or doubt, and the Dark Lord felt himself nod as the surety of the voice recognizing the promise for what it was.

This man was not threatening; it was merely a statement of fact, something the Shadows confirmed with their flicker. For them though it was still somewhat playful as if daring him to try, but it carried the promise that they would be behind this man if it came to it.

"That will not happen," Voldemort said confidently as he closed his red eyes, thinking of his mate. "It will not happen," he repeated, looking back towards the Shadow Servant to find him gone, along with the youngling vampire, leaving behind the last vial of blood on the stone.

"What..?" Voldemort questioned.

:You were going to let her go, weren't you?: the Shadows said, their voice echoing with amusement at his reaction.

"Yes, but..."

:Well then, our Servant will take her and let her go somewhere where it is safe to do so. Then we can see what path she walks.:

"I expect her to go back to the vampires," Voldemort said, recovering slightly. The Shadows had pre-empted his request and that was actually good. If they did this voluntarily, he didn't have to pay them for the service.

They chuckled as his thought. :Now you are getting the hang on it,: they said cheerfully before returning back to the subject of the ex-Auror. :Yes, she will most likely go back to the vampires, which will in due course, lead back to us.:

Voldemort nodded, knowing that that 'us' referred to him as well. Arabella would go back to the vampires because that's the only life she had left unless she decided to become a complete recluse or hide within the Muggle population. Neither of those options were likely or feasible and Voldemort smiled; he knew she knew that. Which meant the vampires, and with her power having been re-made by Kisha, Arabella would, over time gather much influence with them. And when they rose against him, as they would invariably do, he would be waiting and the duty laid upon her by Kisha would be claimed.

He summoned the vial to him, tucking it into his sleeve. It always was much more pleasant when people participated in their own downfall and he did so hope that in time, Kisha would appreciate her handiwork.

So there we go. Arabella who I'm sure most had forgotten about has been dealt with.

Review please? :)
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