Tempesta Scura

Note: As the fic progresses, the rating will be bumped up to PG-13. I realize that the last chapter probably needed that rating, but this one is pretty tame. As the plot goes on, there may be more chapters in need of that, just to warn you.

 

It was a little slip of parchment. He had woken up and it had been upon his bedside table. He had rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, yawned and stretched, and then he had noticed it. It was just an innocent piece of parchment. The writing on it was bold and black in dark cursive. The words were short and to the point and when he had read them, he had nearly dropped the paper.

Now he couldn't stop staring at it. He had woken up and changed from his black silk pajamas and into some more suitable clothes. He had taken a quick bath, just to clean himself off and then hurriedly pulled on an elegant robe of hard and startling black. The edges were lined with silver and the hood lay heavily upon his back.

His hair was still wet and hung in dark tendrils against his face. He paced the room staring at the piece of parchment. He reached up to readjust his glasses, the way he sometimes did when he was thinking, but he was only met with empty air. He kept forgetting that his glasses were gone, that he no longer needed them.

With a sigh, Harry sat down at his desk and dropped the piece of parchment in front of him, rereading the words. So this was to be his first task. Voldemort had told him that Harry's service would consist of a multitude of tasks that Voldemort would give him. Harry was now allowed out of the castle. Since he was no longer a prisoner, Harry could go anywhere he wanted. But there was nowhere he wanted to go.

In the first week he had learned how to Apparate, but Harry hadn't done it much, unless Voldemort sent him anywhere. Harry's days mostly consisted of training, which to Harry's disgust, he was learning from Lucius Malfoy. There were a number of spells that Harry was learning that he knew he never would have learned at Hogwarts.

Then, sometimes Harry would spend time with Voldemort, in his "court" as Harry had taken to mentally calling it. Harry was Voldemort's heir and there was more that was expected of him. Harry still wasn't quite sure how he had gone from being Voldemort's enemy to his heir, but he knew it had something to do with why Voldemort had tried to kill him when he was a baby. Harry knew he was powerful, more powerful than most of the Death Eaters. But, he was also only sixteen. He didn't know everything they knew and didn't have as much experience. The Death Eaters treated him with reverence, but Harry knew that he still didn't have as many privileges as they had. He still had a lot to learn and a lot to prove.

And now, he had been given his first task. He took in a deep breath. "I can do this," he said quietly, looking at the paper. "I want to do this...after all they did to me. They deserve this."

Harry looked down at his hand. On the middle finger of his left hand was a silver ring, engraved with snakes. Voldemort had given it to him, saying it was the ring for his heir to wear. Harry didn't understand why Voldemort needed an heir, considering that Voldemort planned on living forever, but he figured the title just made Harry his second-in-command or something of the sort. Harry wasn't making any commands yet, but it was only a matter of time.

He idly began twirling the ring on his finger as he thought to himself. This would mean going back. This would mean facing his traitorous friends again. But any task Voldemort commanded had to be carried out. Any task that Voldemort commanded had a reason. And Harry knew the reason for this task. It was just one last thing to assure Voldemort of Harry's loyalty to him. If he did this, then Harry had to be loyal. There could be no way he was pretending.

Harry didn't like the idea that he was loyal to Voldemort. He hated Voldemort with a dark passion that stirred deep inside him every time he saw that pale face and that cold glare. But he wasn't loyal to anyone else. And, at the time, Voldemort and Harry had the same goals. All Harry wanted was sweet revenge. He wanted to let his anger out and show off his power. Plus, Voldemort's reign seemed inevitable. Wouldn't it be better if Harry was on the winning side? It just made sense.

Harry took one last look down at the piece of parchment.

"Harry James Potter. Your first task will be simple. You are to go to Hogwarts, obtain Hermione Granger and Virginia Weasley, and bring them back to the castle. When they are here, you are to kill them. As with any orders, these are part of a bigger plan and you are not to question the importance of the orders or the reason for them. You will do this task without hesitation and figure out a method by yourself."

Harry clenched his hand and slammed it on the table. He would do it. He was going to kill Hermione and Ginny.

*

"Well, what are we supposed to say?" Hermione asked frantically as she paced in the hallway. "We're just supposed to tell Dumbledore that we happen to accidentally stumble into his office and we heard everything so now we know that something is up with Harry and that we stole potion from Snape and used it even though we really shouldn't have? We're going to get in so much trouble."

"Calm down, Hermione. Think about Harry," Ron said. He had his arms crossed and he was looking at her with a calm expression on his face.

"Harry, that's right, Harry..." she said, calming herself down. "We need to help him. That's all that's important. We need to get him away from You-Know-Who and get him away from serving him. Harry wouldn't ever willingly serve him. He had to be forced into it." She suddenly stopped pacing and whirled so that she was facing Ron. "We've waited far too long. We really need to talk to Dumbledore!"

The two had waited for over a week. They had kept putting off the idea of talking to Dumbledore, hoping that there was some other way or that the dreams had been just Hermione's imagination. But they had finally decided that if there was even a possibility of any of it being true, that Professor Dumbledore should know about it.

Hermione thought back to what Ron had said. The day of his presentation in Divination, Professor Trelawney had told Ron that Dumbledore had told her that he didn't think the prophecy was appropriate to teach at this time. This only convinced Ron and Hermione further that the prophecy had to do with Harry. Why else would Dumbledore say anything? He probably wouldn't want the kids to figure out what was going on. The prophecy made it all too clear that it spoke of Harry Potter.

"You finally ready then?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," she said, "yes, I am ready." She looked around. "Now, we just have to find that gargoyle that leads to an office," she said looking around. "How hard could that be?"

"In Hogwarts?" Ron sighed, "Impossible."

Hermione groaned. "Okay, okay. We'll just have to start looking."

The two set off down the hallway, trying to remember where they had gone last time, but knowing full well that even if they went the same way they had gone last time, there was only a small chance they would end up in the same place.

"We could ask a teacher," Hermione suggested after they had been looking for nearly a three quarters of an hour.

"Who would we ask? Snape?" Ron asked.

"Well, some of the teachers are very nice. You just haven't gotten to know any of them."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Sorry if I don't approach them after every test begging to know if I got question four right or wrong."

Hermione just shrugged. "Well, I'm sure the teachers know where his office is."

Ron sighed. "Well, we could just talk to him during dinner again. He's always at his staff table."

"But we'd want to talk in private," Hermione pointed out.

"Well, we could ask him where his office is then! Or we could just tell him that we want to talk in private. I'm sure he'd listen to us." Ron shook his head. "Harry talks to him all the time. He seems like he likes talking to students. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"No, I most certainly wouldn't."

Ron and Hermione turned around to find themselves face to face with Dumbledore himself.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't help overhearing. Did you want to talk to me?"

"Oh yes! Yes, we were looking for your office," Hermione said with obvious relief. "We've been looking for such a long time."

"Yes, sometimes the castle even puzzles me," he said merrily. What worried Hermione, however, was that although Dumbledore spoke with merriment, none of it was distinguishable upon his face. His face was set in a serious expression. "What did you want to talk to me about? Would you like to go to my office to discuss it?"

"Oh, yes!" Ron said and the two followed as he led the way to the stone gargoyle and up the winding stairs, through the oaken doors and into his rounded office.

Professor Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk and motioned for both Ron and Hermione to sit across from him. "It sounded like what you wanted to talk about was important," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes, it is!" Hermione said. "But," she glanced at Ron, "we have to confess something to you first."

Dumbledore just looked at them expectantly, leaving them time to get out what they wanted to say to him.

Hermione took in a deep breath as Ron began speaking. "Well, Professor Dumbledore. The other day...last week, we saw Mr. Moody here walking down the hallway and we saw him and well...we didn't exactly know why he was there. We know he is or used to be an Auror or something and we thought the reason he was here might have something to do with Harry. We thought something might have happened to him or something."

"And we know it was completely wrong, but we were kind of worried, so..." Hermione sighed, "Well, we did the Invisivius charm and we followed him and...we were in the office when you two had your meeting." She was looking down at her shoes. "We know we shouldn't have done that..."

Dumbledore was quiet for a moment before speaking. "The thing I want to know," Dumbledore said, "is why you were worried about him. Harry would have been perfectly safe if he was with his muggle relatives." He sighed, "I should have sent him there, like we told everyone we did."

"Well," Hermione said, "this is the thing that we wanted to tell you. I'd had a dream only recently about Harry and the dream just seemed so real. I could feel things in the dream and usually that doesn't happen. Anyway, Harry was chained to the wall and he looked really unhappy." Hermione could feel tears coming to her eyes at the thought. "He was bruised and bloody and from what he told me he sounded like he'd been tortured or something. At first he didn't even believe it was me who was talking to him. He thought I was someone pretending to me. I usually don't believe in things like dreams, but it seemed so real and I just wanted to make sure."

Professor Dumbledore was looking at her ponderously. "Yes, dreams can be very strange things. It is better to be sure of them if you suspect anything. But, you should have come to me before sneaking into a meeting I had with Mr. Moody." He was quiet for a moment. "Right now, we have an extreme lack of information about Harry and I suppose your dream is really the only lead we have."

"You mean, the Aurors haven't found anything?" Ron asked, surprised.

"No," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. He looked at the two of them sternly. "You shouldn't know this information and I would expect you not to tell any of your classmates. I have no desire to perform a memory charm on you, but you cannot let anyone else know about this. Understood?"

"Yes, of course!" Hermione said. "But, we weren't done telling you what we had to tell you. There's still more and it's even worse."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Then, continue," Dumbledore said seriously.

"Well, then since I was so worried after figuring out that Harry was in trouble, Ron and I were trying to figure out some way that I could maybe repeat the dream and then in potions we learned about the Smaerdio potion and so when we made it in class, we..." She hesitated.

"We took some," Ron said, taking over. "We decided that Hermione could drink it and maybe see if she could talk to Harry again, if the dream was really real. And Hermione said that it was awful!"

"Oh, it was, Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione chimed in. "Harry has gone to the other side. He joined with You-Know-Who! I could see him and he looked completely different. You-Know-Who had performed some spell on him so that I wouldn't be able to talk to him. He said that..." Hermione paused, "he said that Harry was going to kill me. And I don't really know if I believe him, but I saw Harry perform Avada Kedavra! It was only on a spider, but it was still really disconcerting. He seemed so different."

Professor Dumbledore had a very grave expression on his face. "Well, dreams can be misleading. You can't rule out the idea that Voldemort may have possibly been controlling your dream and making you see things that weren't really true. But, you should just let us worry about what is going on with Harry. We will be doing all that we can to get him away from Voldemort, or whoever took him, and safe again. I know you won't be able to stop being worried, but right now, there isn't anything you can do."

Hermione nodded. "I suppose you're right," she said. "We're really sorry for bothering you."

"It's quite alright," Dumbledore responded. "And if you have any more dreams, I trust you will let us know. Whether they are true or not, they could very well be important." He looked at them. "I also trust you won't be sneaking around into meetings anymore."

"Oh, of course not!" Hermione said, embarrassed. "Don't worry. We're really sorry about that."

"Yeah, we won't do it again," Ron added.

Dumbledore nodded. "Now, I need to get some things done. If you want to talk again, just tell Professor McGonagall. I will inform her that if you come to her, she is to take you to me. But try not to worry and make sure you don't let anyone else know."

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"But..." Ron said, hesitantly. "I have one last question. I was wondering..." He looked around, thinking. Should he ask what he wanted to ask? "Well, I mean...you know the prophecy about the Tempesta Scura, right?"

"Yes, Ron," Professor Dumbledore said. "But don't worry about the prophecies. They can often be misleading and one can often misinterpret them."

"But Harry's the Tempesta Scura, isn't he?" Hermione asked, resignedly. "That's who it's talking about."

Professor Dumbledore looked at the two of them. "You can never be sure about prophecies, but that is what we suspect, yes. Please, do not worry about it, though. There isn't anything you can do and I'm sure that Harry would rather you stay safe at Hogwarts then go off trying to find him."

Hermione and Ron just nodded. "Well, thank you," Ron said.

Dumbledore just nodded and led them back to the hallways.

When Hermione and Ron were alone once more, Ron said quietly, "How can there be any doubt? Harry has to be the Tempesta Scura, doesn't he? He's fulfilling everything in the prophecy...that is, if your dreams are true."

Hermione nodded. "Well, Professor Dumbledore does have a point. Prophecies can be very enigmatic and hard to interpret. You can never be completely sure about them."

"I guess so, but it seems simple enough," Ron said. "Well, I guess Dumbledore told us not to worry about it."

Hermione sighed. "How can we not worry about Harry?"

"Well, the Yule Ball is coming up in another week. Maybe we can have fun there." He raked a hand through his fiery hair. "But I don't suppose it'll be much fun without Harry."

"No," Hermione sighed, "nothing's much fun without Harry."

*

Ginny couldn't stop thinking about kiss. She just couldn't get it out of her head. She had been surprised when it had happened and she was embarrassed to admit she had let it go on for far longer than she had meant to. But Draco hadn't been lying, he certainly was a good kisser. And how had Ginny responded? She had slapped him. Of course, that was only after she had finally gained the willpower to pull away from the kiss.

She slammed her Charms book shut and sighed, tapping her fingers against the desk. Did she like Malfoy? The thought disgusted her, but it also excited her. She knew that her with Malfoy would certainly make Ron go insane. But, she did need to get over Harry and what better way than by dating his sworn enemy?

But then she really began to think about what it would be like to date Draco. What would everybody think? It was a big jump to cross the borders of the two Houses and she knew that Draco's reasons for liking her weren't likely to be entirely pure. He probably just wanted to get Ron riled up. Well, Ginny wanted to do the same thing.

She stood up and walked aimlessly around her dorm room. She didn't feel much like doing homework anymore. She was getting a little bit hungry. Perhaps she could go and see if it was time for dinner yet.

Satisfied with the idea, she exited her room and skipped down the stairs two at a time. When she reached the Common Room, she looked around, but didn't talk to anyone. There were people all over. Some people were doing homework or playing Exploding Snap or Wizard Chess and some people were just talking. She didn't feel very much like talking to any of her friends. She knew she'd just end up bringing Draco up and she knew that her friends would most likely not support the idea of any sort of relationship with him.

She left the room through the portrait hole, trying not to be noticed by anyone. She didn't really want to talk to anyone right now. Well, that wasn't completely true. She wouldn't mind talking to Draco. She felt like she should apologize to him for her slap. She felt bad for that, but it seemed like a good idea at the time, and Draco probably deserved it. He really was a stuck-up git.

Ginny didn't see Draco very often, though. Obviously, she didn't have any classes with him. She was a fifth year and he was a sixth year. But she did see him at meal times. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to approach the Slytherin Table, though. They didn't seem like they would be the friendliest bunch.

When she reached the Dining Hall, she realized that there were still another few minutes before dinner started. There were some people milling about in the room, waiting, but Ginny didn't feel very much like doing that. She was about to leave, when she heard her name called.

"Ginny!"

She turned around, looking for the speaker. And there he was. He was leaning against the wall confidently, his arms crossed. Had she just not noticed him before? How did he always end up showing up at exactly the times she was thinking about him? She approached him, thinking about what she wanted to say to him. Part of her was slightly worried he'd try to kiss her again.

"Still mad at me?" he asked with a half-smile.

She just sighed. "I still think you're a sodding git, Malfoy," she said, "but I'm sorry I slapped you."

He just looked at her. "Was that supposed to be an apology?"

"It was an apology, Malfoy. It's not as if you didn't deserve the slap." Ginny crossed her arms.

"Well, you were enjoying it for a while there," he said with a smile. "But, I guess you're right. I understand."

Ginny just looked at him for a moment. "What was that?" she asked. "Did you just say a sentence that was not completely centered on yourself?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "You don't even know me, Ginny. I may not be as self-centered as you think."

"Right," she said, sarcastically. "Are you honestly trying to tell me you aren't selfish? Because you should know I'll never believe that."

Draco shrugged. "Well, I guess that means you wouldn't want to give me a chance then."

"Oh, just stop with this," Ginny said exasperatedly. "I know that you only want something to happen with us so you can get my brother upset."

He looked at her, surprised. "What? Is that what you think? No, it's purely because I want to get laid, and you're the prettiest girl that I can see."

Ginny groaned and took a step back. "Oh, is that it? All the other girls turning you down? You're just a teenage boy aiming to get some sex? Well, what makes you think I'd ever do that?"

Draco just smiled. "Relax, Weasley. I was kidding."

"Oh," Ginny said. She could feel color flushing her cheeks. She turned away for a minute and caught sight of her brother. Ron and Hermione had entered the Dining Hall and were sitting at the Gryffindor table. It looked like they hadn't even seen her. It seemed like the food had come without her even noticing. More people had begun filling the hall and they were eating heartily. Ginny noticed, with some disgust, that she was standing only a few feet from the Slytherin table. She backed away so she was standing next to Draco against the wall. Some of the Slytherins were staring at the two of them talking.

"You're friends don't seem to like me," Ginny said to Draco.

He glanced at his House table. "Well, they can sod off," he said with a smile.

Ginny turned back to Ron. "If anything happened with us, Ron would get so upset."

"Well, the solution to that is simple," Malfoy said in his smooth voice, "We won't tell him."

Ginny turned to him with some surprise. "I don't understand you, Draco." She sighed and looked back to her brother. "I would really like to get him riled up, though. He keeps on bothering me about who I should and shouldn't date. His chaperoning is getting really old." She groaned. "All my brothers are like that. They're so protective. They were all so happy that I was dating Harry. 'Harry's such nice guy' they all said. Well, they don't even know what happened between us. Honestly! It's like Ron didn't even think we were dating. He probably didn't even think we'd ever kissed."

"Well," Draco said, "did you two ever sleep together? You and Potter?"

She turned to him. "That's personal, Draco! And I can't believe I told you any of that." She shook her head. "I really should be going. I don't think anything is going to work between us. It would cause too much of a stir." She walked back into the hallway. Suddenly she didn't feel very much like eating.

"Wait," Draco said, running after her. "I'm sorry I asked that, Ginny. I just couldn't resist the urge to find out if Potter's still a virgin. I don't understand why all the girls like him. It seems like the girls are always throwing themselves at him. I don't see anything very special about him."

"Well, you don't even really know him," Ginny said, stopping. "But I don't like him anymore. I really don't."

Draco nodded. "Sure, you don't."

"I don't!" she said. She looked at him for a moment, thoughts rushing through her head. She was sick of everyone knowing she liked Harry...or rather, everyone thinking she liked him. She didn't! If people were going to talk about her, she would rather they talk about a scandalous relationship than a nonexistent one. She let out a sigh and looked at him for a moment before speaking. "You know what? Who cares about what everyone thinks, right?"

Draco gave her a puzzled look. "Right, who cares?"

"And my brother can do whatever he wants. He can't control my life."

Draco nodded. "What are you saying, Ginny?"

She grabbed his hand. "I'm saying, let's see what happens. If you keep acting like a sodding git, then we con stop. But is there any reason not to give it a chance?"

"I don't see a reason." Draco smiled. "So..." he leaned forward. " Now am I allowed to kiss you?"

*

Ron and Hermione were eating in silence. They were thinking quietly about the conversation that had just had with Dumbledore. Hermione tried her best to push her worries out of her head, but it wasn't the easiest thing in the world. She just wanted to be able to talk to Harry again. She wanted to hold his hand and she wanted to tell him how she felt about him. She wanted to tell him that Voldemort was evil and she shouldn't follow him. She just wanted him to be safe.

She vowed to herself that if she ever saw him again she would tell him that she loved him, that she had liked him since he had started dating Ginny and she had been too cowardly to tell him. "But what if the next time you see him, he's trying to kill you?" She asked herself. That's what Voldemort had said would happen. He would kill her and Voldemort would stand by and watch.

But she knew Harry could never kill her. He was too gentle. Hermione knew that Harry wouldn't be able to do it. He couldn't, no matter what had happened to him. The core of him still had to be the same Harry Potter she knew and the Harry Potter she knew would never kill anyone.

"Are you all right?" Ron asked, nudging Hermione. "You look like you're somewhere else."

Hermione just shrugged. "I guess I'm okay. I was just thinking."

"Yeah." He sighed, "Me too. But we should probably try and focus on other things. There isn't anything we can do."

Hermione just nodded and lowered her voice so the other people at the table couldn't hear. "Harry's been in trouble lots of times before and he's gotten himself out. Maybe he'll be fine."

Ron nodded, "I hope so." Hermione turned back to her food and forced herself to shove a bite into her mouth, but was immediately distracted by Ron speaking once more. "Oh god."

"What is it?" she asked, glancing up at him. He was looking behind him so she just turned to see what he was staring at. All she could see was the entrance to the Dining Hall. "What is it, Ron?"

He took in a deep breath. "I just say Ginny and Malfoy leave the Dining Hall together." He looked at Hermione. "You don't think anything's happened with them, do you? That she's just hanging out with him to get me upset."

"Well if she is," Hermione said, looking Ron over, "it's working isn't it?"

Ron pushed his chair back and stood up. "What does anyone see in Malfoy? I don't understand. He's selfish and he's a Slytherin! What is there good about him?"

Hermione just shrugged and stood up with him. "Well, if something is happening, at least she's getting over Harry."

Ron just rolled his eyes. "I'd rather have her be with Harry then with Malfoy." He glanced around. "I think I'm going to see what they're up to."

"Oh, come on, Ron!" Hermione said. "Ginny is fifteen. She can take care of herself. I'm sure nothing's happening. When I talked to her she didn't sound like she was very interested in him."

"Well," Ron hesitated, "I'll just glance in the hallway to see what's going on."

"They're probably just fighting," Hermione said with a groan.

"Well, then, I'll just make sure," Ron said, walking towards the hallway. "I mean, they probably aren't even in the hallway. They probably went somewhere else. I'm just going to look in the hallway."

Hermione followed after him, grabbing his arm. "Come on, just leave your sister alone."

But it was too late. They had already reached the hallway and Ron had already seen them.

Ginny was against the wall and Draco was standing in front of her, kissing her. One hand was in her hair and the other was on her waist. Both their eyes were closed and they didn't even seem to notice Ron or Hermione.

Ron groaned angrily, "Oh bloody hell."

*

"Well, how am I supposed to do this?" Harry asked angrily. "You can't Apparate into Hogwarts. Do you really think no one is going to notice me? I'm just about the most bloody recognizable person in the wizarding world!"

Lucius regarded him coldly. "That's part of your task, Potter. You should get used to thinking for yourself. You can't rely on other people to figure things out for you. That's part of serving the master."

Harry just rolled his eyes. "Fine, then. I guess I'll just have to figure something out." He sighed and began to pace, then paused and glared at Lucius. "Well, aren't you supposed to be teaching me something? That's what Voldemort told you to do isn't it?"

Lucius took in a controlled breath. "Potter, you will pay me the proper respect."

"Or what? You'll go tell Voldemort? I'm his heir, Lucius," Harry pointed out crisply. Usually he tried to be as respectful as he could of Lucius. Harry was aware that Lucius was quite skilled in the Dark Arts, but Harry wasn't in the mood today. He was too busy worrying about his task and how he would complete it. "Why don't you just leave me the hell alone? I'll learn that stuff later."

Lucius glared at him. "Fine. I'll leave. But don't think I'm not going to tell the master about this."

His words scared Harry. He didn't exactly like the idea of speaking to an angry Voldemort, but he didn't let it show. "Fine, tell him," Harry said, waving his arm in dismissal.

After Lucius left, Harry sat himself down. He was inside one of the many rooms in the castle that had become Voldemort's hide out. It was a large room where Harry usually met with Lucius for his training. Harry rubbed his temples. He needed to think of a way to complete the task. Could he even do it? Could he kill Hermione and Ginny? Even after everything they had done, it didn't seem worth death. But he had bound himself to Voldemort and there was no way out of completing the task.

"Well, how am I supposed to do it?" he muttered to himself. He took out his wand and looked at it for a moment, thinking. He had learned a spell a while ago that would allow him to see Ron, Hermione or Ginny. All he had to do was say the word and then their name and he could be transported to wherever they were. He wouldn't really be there, of course, but he would be able to see what was going on. Perhaps he could use that to figure something out.

He knew that the only real reason he wanted to do it was because he wanted to see them. He wanted to see if everything Voldemort had said was true. As he fingered his wand, he wondered if the spell would even really work. He'd never actually tried it. He's just read about it.

He decided he would think about a plan for a little longer before trying the spell. So what could he do? He racked his brain for an answer but couldn't find one. Maybe he could go back to Hogwarts. He could pretend he was the old Harry, that he didn't know anything about how Hermione and Ron were spies and they weren't really his friends. He could pretend that he still thought people liked him, and then he could lead Ginny and Hermione back to the castle somehow and then...kill them.

How would he do it? Simple Avada Kedavra or some other way? He didn't want to think about it; it was making is stomach queasy just thinking about it. He didn't want to think about the expressions that would appear on their faces when he did it. Or perhaps they would expect it. They knew Harry was powerful, right? There was only a matter of time before he turned on them.

Harry thought back to his plan. It would take so much work to do that, though. He would have to think up some story about where he's been all this time and he'd probably have to lie to Dumbledore's face. Could he do that? He didn't quite think so. So what was the alternative?

Well, he could just randomly barge in there one day. He could just kidnap Ginny and Hermione. But how would he ever be able to pull that off? There would be no way he would be able to escape without anyone catching him. Maybe he wanted to be caught. Maybe he wanted to be sentenced to death and killed. That would probably be better than being forced to kill his friends.

But then he realized he wasn't being forced. He was doing this of his own free will. He had willingly joined up with Voldemort. He couldn't blame his actions on anyone else but himself. And they weren't his friends anymore. In fact, they never had been. It had all been a charade.

Well, he could perform some sort of spell that would knock everyone out or put them to sleep or something for a while. Was there any spell he knew like that? Lucius had taught him one yesterday that could put everyone in a room asleep for a time of two hours. But when could he be sure that everyone was all together in one room? Even at meal times people went in and out. There were always some people roaming about in the castle.

Hogwarts really was a safe place. It was nearly impossible to do anything with the protection of the wards in the castle. He looked back down at his wand. Maybe he could see Ron or Hermione or Ginny now. He could take a quick break from his thinking. Maybe they would say something that would give him a good idea.

He searched his brain, trying to remember the word that he had to say. When he finally remembered it, he tried to think of who he wanted to see first or Ron, Hermione or Ginny. With a sigh, praying that it would work, Harry closed his eyes and waved his wand.

"Mallormius Hermione!"

*

Harry looked around himself. He could see a scene forming around himself. The people and walls around him were transparent, but they were beginning to take on solid form and gradually he was beginning to recognize where he was. He was in the hallway of Hogwarts. He could feel his heart speed up as he looked around. He missed Hogwarts so much. He just wanted to be back there and away from the horror of the castle.

Then he began to see people. The first people he saw where Ginny and Draco. They were kissing against the wall. Harry took a step backwards when he saw that. When had that happened? Well, Ginny was definitely over him then, if she was kissing Malfoy. But he kept looking around, trying to see Hermione. She was the person he had really come here to see in the first place.

The scene was becoming clearer and Harry began to feel like he was actually there in the halls of Hogwarts. He suddenly saw Ron turn into the hallway. Behind him was Hermione. He took in a breath when he saw her. It had been such a long time. She was still so pretty. But she wasn't looking at him, she was tugging at Ron's arm. Harry glanced the scene over, trying to figure out what was going on. He tried to pay attention to what Ron and Hermione were saying.

"Oh, bloody hell," Ron said, then he broke free of Hermione's grip and pounced on Draco.

They broke apart with surprise. "Ron!" Ginny said, taking a step away from him and wiping her mouth. "It's not what it looks like!" she yelled.

But Ron was punching Draco with vigor. "YOU GIT!" he was yelling. "Stay away from my sister!"

Ginny leaned over and pulled Ron off of Draco angrily. "Get off!" she said. "God, Ron, what's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" he seethed. "I'm not the one who's... snogging the ENEMY!"

"Oh honestly, Ron," Ginny said annoyed. "We weren't really doing anything. You're overreacting. It was just a kiss."

Harry was only half-paying attention to what was going on with Ron, Ginny and Draco. He was busy looking at Hermione. She was regarding the scene with surprise. Harry walked up to her and tried to touch her, but his hand went right through her. She shivered at the contact but didn't seem to see him. Was what Voldemort had said really true? Did she really hate him?

"Calm down, everyone," she said finally, stepping forward. Ron and Draco were giving each other murderous glares. "Ron, why don't you just let your sister do what she wants?" she said quietly. "She can take care of herself."

Ginny just rolled her eyes at Ron and turned to Draco. "I knew he would get all upset."

"Of course you did!" Ron yelled. "Draco's an idiot, Ginny. What do you see in him?"

Ginny glared at him, but her cheeks were turning red. "Oh just leave me alone, Ron!" she said and turned and flounced away. Draco followed after her.

Harry noticed that Hermione had grabbed his arm and was holding it with a hard grip to keep him from going after her. "Let her figure it our herself," Hermione said. "We all know what Malfoy's like, but I think she needs to figure it out for herself."

"But what if he tries something?" Ron asked angrily.

"Then she'll deal with it, okay?" Hermione said. "It's her own fault if something happens." She released his arm.

He immediately crossed them over his chest and turned to Hermione. "God, I bet they are going to go to the Yule Ball together. I didn't actually think they would."

Hermione just shrugged. "Don't worry. The relationship probably won't last very long."

Harry walked closer to them. He wanted to talk to them so badly, but he knew they wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Well, when we're there, do you mind if we keep an eye on them?" Ron asked.

"Oh come on!" Hermione said. "You're the one who said we should at least try to have fun with Harry gone." Harry perked his ears at the mention of his name. "I'm going to get you to dance or I'm going to die trying," she said in an attempt to cheer him up.

He made a face at the mention of dancing. "Just because I'm going to the Yule Ball with you doesn't mean I'm going to dance."

"Yes you are," Hermione said confidently. "I'll make sure of it."

So they were going to the Yule Ball together? Were they dating? Were they together? Harry suddenly had to know. Had they been dating all along and he just hadn't known? He didn't really know anything about Ron or Hermione, did he? He thought he did, but he really had no idea.

Hermione sobered and she lowered her voice. "Ron?"

He looked at her questioningly.

"I can't stop thinking about Harry. Do you really think he'd kill me?"

Harry watched in amazement. How could she possibly know?

Ron just shrugged. "I don't know, Hermione. If he's joined with You-Know-Who, then we don't even really know who he is anymore. But we need to focus on other things. You're safe while you're here so we need to stay in Hogwarts and not go off looking for him."

Harry could feel the rage bubbling within him once more. It certainly didn't sound like they trusted him very much. They knew what he was going to do. They didn't seem the least bit surprised. They didn't care about him, they only cared about protecting themselves from him.

He didn't need to see any more. He waved his wand angrily. "Mallormius!" And he was gone.

"But I'm worried about him, too, Ron," Hermione continued. "How can we not go look for him?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry. We need to get our minds off him. I'm going to go an do some homework."

Ron just nodded. He was still staring off after where Draco and Ginny had gone. "Too many things to worry about."

*

The Yule Ball; it was perfect. Harry could go to the Yule Ball and attack there. Everyone went to the Yule Ball. He would go into the Dining Hall and perform the curse on everyone except Hermione and Ginny. The only people who wouldn't get the curse would be the students snogging in the bushes and he didn't think they would be able to stop him.

He was slowly pacing. But would there be other teachers patrolling around the school? What if there were? He didn't know very much about their security measures. He tried to think back to the Yule Ball the year before. He certainly remembered seeing all the teachers there. Well, it was his only chance. He would have to take it.

He would have to take one or two of the other Death Eaters with him. It would be easier to get Hermione and Ginny out of there, especially if they already suspected that he had joined up with Voldemort. They probably wouldn't willingly go with him.

When was the Yule Ball? Last year it had been the night before Christmas Break. He tried to think of when Christmas Break was. Well, Christmas break started a week from today meaning that the Yule Ball was only in six days time. Harry could feel his heart speed up at the thought that he only had six more days; only six days.

Now he had to tell Voldemort of his plan. He needed to request aid and he needed to make sure the plan would work. Harry stopped pacing and exited the room, walking briskly through the hallways, heading towards where he suspected Voldemort would be. He slowed down as he approached the door, taking a deep breath in hesitation.

He finally pushed the door open and entered slowly. Voldemort was seated in what could only be called a throne. He was speaking to someone, but Harry couldn't hear what he was saying. Harry's expression hardened when he saw the glint of silver at the man's arm. It was Wormtail. Harry crossed his arms and stopped walking, waiting for Voldemort and Wormtail to be done with their meeting.

When Voldemort caught sight of Harry, he dismissed Wormtail. Harry shuddered as Wormtail staggered past him. The sight of him still aroused a deep anger within him, nearly as intense as the anger that came with every time he heard the name Voldemort or saw his flinty face.

When Wormtail was gone, Harry approached.

"I spoke to Lucius," Voldemort said icily.

Harry bowed his head. "Yes, I know I shouldn't have spoken to him like that, but I was trying to plan out how to complete my first task." He removed the parchment from his pocket. "And I came up with a plan. The reason I came here was to tell you my plan."

Voldemort nodded, leaning back in his chair. "What have you planned?"

Harry spoke confidently, explaining it to his master, depicting the finer points of his idea. He spoke of the spell that had recently been taught to him and his plan to put it into action during the Yule Ball. He didn't let it show on his outer being that every time his eyes rested upon Voldemort's face, he felt nauseous..

Voldemort regarded him quietly for a moment when he was done speaking. "You think this plan will be a success?" he asked. "You can carry it out?"

"Yes," Harry said, raising his chin. "But I would request one or two of the other Death Eaters so it'll go more easily. They can get Hermione and Ginny while I perform the spell. Preferably it would be someone who wouldn't be recognized so that when we enter, people won't attack us or something."

"Well, what if they already suspect you? You don't think they'll think it strange that Harry as come back from his disappearance just to randomly attend the Yule Ball."

"Well," Harry thought for a moment, "you think I should go in disguise?"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes and spoke coolly. "I think your plan would go better if you were disguised. But I'm not making any suggestions. It's up to you how you do it. All I want is Hermione and Ginny dead. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Harry said, bowing his head once more. "I will capture them in six days and bring them back here and then I will kill them."

"You are dismissed," Voldemort said frigidly with a wave of his arm. "I'll expect you back in two hours."

Harry just nodded and turned away. He only had two more hours before he would have to come back and serve in Voldemort's "court". All that meant was performing the Cruciatus Curse to people who had failed Voldemort whenever Voldemort was too lazy to raise his wand. He scowled in disgust as he walked out the door, but reminded him that this was his life now. This was his life.

*

"He is not as obedient as he should be," Lucius muttered as he walked out from the shadows. "Is he, master?"

"No," Voldemort said, tapping his long white fingers upon the armrests of his throne. "He doesn't address me as master. He's only serving me because he has nothing else to do." Voldemort sighed. "But I suppose his motives don't matter. I'll only need him for a little while longer."

"Do you think he'll be able to complete his task, master?" Lucius asked.

"He better be able to," Voldemort said coldly. "If he can't then I'll have to do it for him. Those two need to be dead or he'll never end up making the right choice. He can't be able to talk to either of them. One of them is the one that will persuade him to make the wrong choice, the choice that will be my destruction."

"You mean one of them is his true love?" Lucius asked, surprise apparent on his face.

"Yes," Voldemort muttered. "I have seen his thoughts and I know that it is one of them, but I can't tell which. If they both die, then he will have to make the choice that will glorify me." A heartless smile formed on his face.

Lucius shook his head and looked at his master. "I don't understand. At his ceremony when he became a Death Eater, he performed better than most of the others. He didn't flinch at killing or torturing a child. I've been wanting to ask you...how did you do it? How did you change him so much?"

A smirk formed on Voldemort's face. "Ever since I've gotten him here, I've been feeding him lies. As vulnerable and gullible as he is...he has believed every single word." He scowled. "But even that wasn't enough. I could sense his resistance. I've had to perform a spell on him to guarantee his obedience." His scowl slowly straightened once more to a smile. "He thinks everything he does is of his own free will. He hates himself because he believes that everything he has done is his fault." Voldemort shook his head. "There is no way that Harry Potter would kill or torture a child without the curse on him. I need his obedience for this to be successful. The curse is slowly breaking him."

"Master, I know I may not be worthy to know this information," Lucius said hesitantly. "But what did you use on him? I have never heard of such a spell."

Voldemort was quiet for a moment as he shifted his cold gaze to Lucius. "That is why you are not in charge, Lucius. I have been studying the Dark Arts for years. It is actually a curse I have been able to invent, a more subtle form of Imperious that is not quite as strong. Harry can't fight it because he doesn't know it is there. It takes a lot of energy to keep up...but I'll only need to keep it on him until he makes the choice."

"Then what will you do with him after he makes the choice?"

"You don't know enough about my plans to be asking these questions, Lucius," he growled. "But if all goes well, let me just say...I'll be in need of a new heir."