26

Chapter XXVI: A Present

(Daphne P.O.V)

The halls of Hogwarts had never felt as uncomfortable as they currently did. Hogwarts had once felt so welcoming to her. Now felt as if it was pushing her out more every day. She'd nearly killed a student less than a week ago- granted, that student was Draco Malfoy, and he had been trying to attack her- but it still felt wrong.

Adults, Death Eaters, Monsters, that's who she'd agreed to fight. It was naive of her to think, perhaps, but she'd never wanted to harm another student. She'd never wanted to hurt Draco the way she had. Sympathy, Daphne thought to herself as she clutched her fist, Why do I care?

Because I- I could have so easily turned out like him, Daphne thought as she turned to face the boy protectively hovering at her side. If it weren't for Harry, filling me up with hope that I'd save Astoria, perhaps I would have considered joining him too?

"Hey," Harry whispered, softening his hawkish eyes as he rubbed his thumb over her hand, "You alright, Princess?"

Daphne stayed silent for a moment, pushing quietly towards the Great Hall, though never far from Harry's warm frame. Harry gripped her hand, stopping her before she whispered, "Not really." He turned her, pulling her into a tight hug. Her face rested in Harry's firm chest as she whispered, "I know it sounds stupid, but I feel guilty, I feel like I did something wrong."

"No, you didn't do anything wrong," Harry said, "You heard it from Claire and Michael themselves, neither blames you for Michael getting hurt. He's doing just fine now. He's just a bit sore and-"

"I wasn't talking about Michael," Daphne said, "He's annoying, but he's my friend. I'd have done the same for him. I just-," Daphne's eyes locked upon Harry, "Am I stupid that I feel bad for what I did to Draco?"

The grip around Harry's arms loosened as she gritted her teeth, "I know he's done so much terrible shit, I know he doesn't deserve forgiveness, but I can't help feeling that if things were just a little bit different- If thinks changed just a little, maybe I'd have ended up like him." Her eyes fell to the ground, "What if you'd never approached me? What if I gave into my despair and joined him if he claimed he had a way to save Astoria? If that happened, and we fought, would you kill me?"

Harry broked their held eye contact as he glanced out the glass window, taking a deep breath before turning back to her. "Yeah," he muttered, "I would." His face sunk as he continued, "Right or wrong, I lived my whole life with one purpose, to avenge my parents. I'd kill every single one of them if I had too. I told you, the night this whole thing on the clocktower started, you are a much better person than I could ever hope to be, Daphne."

"We were only thirteen, and both of us were exhausted when I first told you that," Harry said. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't fully understand what I was saying then, but that part of me, no matter how I feel about you, or how much I care about Astoria, Michael, or Neville, that part of me will never change. Does that frighten you?"

"A little bit," Daphne whispered, "But in fairness, I feel like everything that's happening in my life frightens me. I came to Hogwarts with the idea of learning how to be a great medi-witch and save Astoria. Then I developed feelings for you, and now I wrapped up in a war. I don't regret anything, but sometimes I stay up at night and wonder how the hell I got here?"

Her spine shivered as Harry placed his hand on her cheek, "I'll let you in on a secret, but I'm sure you already know. This whole war- it scares the fuck out of me. It scares me that I have so many friends and family willing to put their life on the line for me. It scares me that they look to me to be in charge and fulfill my destiny. Life terrifies me every day, but you make it more bearable, you make me feel like I have a life once this war is over. Something I never though I'd have before, and I am so thankful for that."

"What I'm about to say goes for every aspect of our relationship," Harry said calmly, "I will never force you to do anything you don't feel comfortable with. But I need you to be honest with me. Michael, Neville, and I, if it comes down to it, we'll take a life to protect each other. If you're coming, I need to know that you're willing to do the same."

Daphne nodded, "I'll do what I have to do. You're important to me, Flyboy; if you think I'm letting you go on a mission without me, you're insane." Harry smiled as she pressed, "I said I felt guilty about harming someone our age; I never said that I wouldn't do it again if the situation were the same. Protecting you and our friends, that's a top priority. I guess, part of me just wishes that it never came to this- that it never got this far."

"Yeah," Harry said, taking in a long pause as he wrapped his arm around her, "Me too." He sighed as he placed his lips to her temple.

Daphne nodded, "I know this sounds crazy, or maybe it doesn't. But with Draco disappearing from the Hospital Wing, and Professor Snape being unusually quite. I just feel as if things are going to get a lot worse before they get better."

"Unfortunately," Harry said, his eyes falling to the floor, "I think that you're right about that too."

Draco's disappearance had been weighing on Harry's mind heavily. The full moon that appeared yesterday had left Harry with some hope that Draco had simply been confined during his transformation, but he'd yet to return. Dumbledore, too, had been missing for a few days, and that was beyond coincidental. Yet Harry had claimed to have spotted him on the marauder's map, and after sending a letter to Moody about the situation, he knew the last person to confront was Dumbledore.

In a way, Daphne often marveled at Harry. The boy had grown far more patient and level-headed. Third-Year Harry would have been blowing things up by now, but this Harry remained collected, his fear never getting the better of him. It was a trait she admired greatly. For as reckless as he could be at times, nobody operated better under pressure than Harry Potter.

The chatter from the Great Hall passed over her as she scanned the Slytherin Table looking for the missing Draco, but as she'd expected, the boy was nowhere to be found. If he were in the castle, though, he couldn't survive forever without coming up eventually. She parted from Harry, passing the Ravenclaw Table, watching as Claire nearly shoved the awful medicine vial down Michael's throat. He gagged but waved shortly after catching her eyes.

Compared to the Michael, she'd seen the first year of Hogwarts, who spent his days chasing around Bones or pulling pranks for attention; she could hardly believe she was looking at the same person. She sent Blaise and Tracey a quick grin, taking her seat beside the auburn-haired girl before listening in on her and Blaise's conversation. "Nothing again, huh?"

"No," Blaise said, "We all thought that Draco just disappeared because of his situation, but he still hasn't gone back to the common room. Stranger still is that Crabbe and Goyle have been keeping quiet. Granted, they're idiots, but I feel like they know more than they let on.

Daphne nodded in agreement. Bafoons they might be, but they more than likely had some information. Something to look into, she thought to herself. She glanced up at the table, finding that Harry had done the same. It hadn't taken her long to understand the sour expression that coated Harry's face- despite clearly being on the map; Dumbledore was not at the staff table. Damn, Daphne hissed, something is definitely wrong here.

As expected, the sound of flapping wings soon soared over the house tables. She gripped the falling Daily Prophet tightly in her hand before laying it out on the table. A grin crossed her face as she read the headline: Boy-Who-Lived Weighs in on Fudge Trail, A Call to Action.

Not bad Skeeter, Daphne thought as she skimmed the print, Not bad at all. A soft thud filled the air, pulling her eyes from the paper before a chill raced down her spine. The hall had quickly grown silent. The air had begun to get thicker, and her heart pounded heavily in her chest. For the first time in her life, she'd sensed magic, and for the first time in a long time, she felt true bone-chilling fear. For a moment, she felt death as Harry stood from the Gryffindor Table and left the Great Hall.

(Harry P.O.V)

Harry felt his blood freeze in his veins at the package's contents. For a moment, he'd felt time fall still as he saw the note that rested in the dismembered hand. Dear Mr. Potter, We Have a Present for you. Simply press your wand to the box and reveal your gift. It was so simple, yet, it worked.

His skin crawled as he watched present take it's shape- the shape of a dismembered hand. He didn't need to note to get the message, but it was read all the same.

You harmed the Dark Lord's Property; we harmed yours. This letter will turn into a Portkey at midnight tonight, bring the prophecy, or the bitch dies.

-Crouch

Red filled his vision as he lifted from his seat, the eyes of the hall watching him. "Harry, is that-"

Harry paid his little sister no mind, in truth, Astoria's words barely registered in his mind as he turned to the door. His muscles felt tight, as if constricting his ability to run. He wasn't sure where he was going; his mind felt foggy. Footsteps rushed behind him, one then two, then more. Distantly, he heard his name shouted, but he couldn't talk. He couldn't breathe. For a moment, Harry felt himself floating in a cloud of nothing but anger.

His footsteps stopped as he pulled up to the Gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office. The muscles in his neck throbbed as he tried to open his mouth, his capacity to speak vanishing from his mind as with a feral roar, he commanded the statue to erupt.

"Harry!" A voice he thought may have belonged to Hermione called out, but there were no words to share. His body pulsed as he climbed every stair towards the mahogany door of the Headmaster's office. "Harry, please, tell us what happened," Hermione called out from behind. "Harry you need to-"

Her words fell silent as with a tug of his hand, the door flew off its hinges. Sitting across from him was the missing man himself. Dumbledore sat with his hands folded, his frame skinner than Harry could ever recall, the twinkle in his eye completely absent. His view of the Headmaster was blocked by the swooping black cape of Severus Snape, a stern sneer plastered against his lips.

"Mr. Potter," Snape scolded, "What is the meaning of this intrusion. The Headmaster and I-" the potion master quickly fell silent under Harry's glare.

"Move," Harry ordered, "Now."

"You cannot speak to me-," Harry growled as his magic exploded, the 'former' death eater's figure slammed against the wall with a heavy thud.

"Shit," A voice muttered out behind him, both Tracey and Blaise racing towards Snape's side. "Professor, are you, alright?"

Harry didn't care to hear the reply; it didn't matter anyway. Snape's life was inconsequential in comparison to Tonks. His steps felt like that of elephants as he approached the Headmaster's desk. "Well, Harry, my boy, you certainly know how to make an entrance." Dumbledore sat forward, his eyes thin as he pressed on, "How can I-"

"Where's Draco?" Harry muttered.

"Pardon?" Dumbledore replied.

"Don't play dumb with me," Harry barked, "You both go missing on the same day, I know you are aware of where he is. So tell me, where's Draco?"

"Perhaps I do know where he is," Dumbledore said, his fingers tightly laced. "But I must know, what do you plan to do if I tell you?"

"I'll start by taking his hand and go from there," Harry said, his face twitching from the fire that burned in his chest.

"Hmm," Dumbledore said, his head deeply bowed. "So I take it that Severus's suspicion of what happened to Tonks is correct. I do feel sorry for the young lady, and I understand she was very dear to you, but I will not disclose Draco's location. He still has a role to play in this-"

"I don't think you understood me clearly," Harry said, "Tell me where he is, or I'll pull the information from your head by force." Dumbledore's eyes widened in fear, "You're not strong enough to repel me now, and I've learned all I care to learn from you. If you live or die, it doesn't matter to me anymore, Professor. And if you think that I value your life over Tonks', you're wrong."

"Please, Harry, you must understand. Draco has a role yet to play in-," Dumbledore tried to speak, but Harry cared no longer.

"He's dead," Harry whispered, "When I find him, he's dead. He has no more roles to play. I promise you that." Harry inhaled, placing his palms atop Dumbledore's desk before, with a low growl, he muttered, "Legilimens."

The twisted library of Dumbledore's mind had crumbled to ashes. The magic upkeep for even the most basic of occlumency shield now failed him. There was no denying it, the once-proud Headmaster of Hogwarts now stood on death's door, and in truth, Harry no longer cared. Part of Harry felt as if he didn't quite care about anything else but saving Tonks, and ending Draco. That's all that matters right now; everything else can wait.

Dust coated the library's floor, the lighting dimmer than Harry had ever seen. No books soared at him, not pressure weighed on his shoulders, even the protective image of Grindlewald sat motionless, unable to rise from the ground.

Unlike his mind that relied on confusion to protect his secrets, Dumbledore's occlumency was always orderly. After all, he had believed himself to be the most powerful wizard alive, why would he think the reorganize his mind? You claim to be great at evaluating others; Harry thought as he turned into the row where the books that started with D were. Yet you never even consider to evaluate yourself... fitting.

Harry's head pounded with fury, yet there was no denying that the sheer breadth of knowledge Dumbledore possessed was astonishing. His memory books stacked what looked like 100 meters high in each section- Harry's throat dried at the sight. For the briefest moment, Harry felt hopeless until, with a whisper, he spoke, "Accio, Draco."

Just as he'd done before, this time, a purple book zipped into his hands. He pulled the cover open, damn near ripping it from its binds as he skimmed through the most recent updates. Dumbledore's handwriting was pristine in his mind, as Harry began to read the Headmaster's thoughts.

Severus had informed me that Draco's plan is near completion, though I fear for his safety once Harry learns of Nymphadora's condition. I will try, but I do not think that Harry will be willing to understand the role I see Draco to play in my vision.

Currently, the boy is wisely staying hidden. Had I not trailed him, I doubt that even I'd know that he is presently resting the in Chamber of Secrets. Tom must have gifted him something to allow him the parseltongue required to enter the chamber through the 2nd-floor girl's lavatory. While disturbing, Draco has undoubtedly done some powerful magic in the chamber.

I only hope that-

"Damn," Harry cursed, watching as with the last of Dumbledore's occlumency, he blurred out the words. "Just stay out of my way for once." Harry dropped the book, beginning to feel it heat up in his hands. "Tsk, it doesn't matter anyway. I don't care what he's doing; I just needed to know where he was."

Harry stumbled back into Michael, who caught him after exiting the Headmaster's head. Sweat poured down Harry's neck as he watched Dumbledore lift his head from his desk, his body trembling from his expended magic. "Harry," he whispered, "Please. Don't do it."

"I'm sorry, Professor," Harry said as he turned his back on the withering old man, "But as I told you before, I'm not as good of a person as you think I am."

The aching groans of the elderly Headmaster vanished from earshot as Harry quickly raced down the steps. "Harry! Potter! Rook!" Michael's shouts all fell on deaf ears. Harry wasn't interested in talking any longer; there was nothing left to say. With alacrity, Harry raced down the steps of the castles, unable to even think of secret passages that may have shortened his trip.

In truth, Harry felt as if he could think of nothing more than the objective. Draco would pay for what he caused, and Harry planned to relish it. Seconds passed like hours, minutes like days, but finally, he arrived at the lavatory mentioned in Dumbledore's journal.

"Harry," Daphne whispered, "Why are we- the parseltongue story."

From out of the toilet, the former witch marched into the open. For a moment, her expression was stern until Harry felt her eyes fall on her. "Ah, Harry, you're back. Did you come to see me again?"

"Where's the chamber," Harry whispered.

"W-What?" Myrtle whispered.

"Where did Draco go?" Harry hissed, "I know he's in here. You live here; you must have seen it. Where did he go?"

"H-Harry, what's wrong? Why are you-,"

The ghost fell silent as Harry shot her a glare. If looks could kill, she'd have died all over again, "Unless the next words out of your mouth involve telling me where Draco is, I suggest you keep it shut."

Myrtle's apparition trembled, sinking to her knees. Her eyes wide behind her glasses, her non-tangible throat looking as if it was trying to swallow something. Her hand quaked as she lifted it, pointing to a sink in the far corner of the room before she sank into the ground, out of Harry's sight.

"Over there, huh?" Harry said as he stepped towards the separate sink. His eyes tightened at the smallest sigil of a snake that had seemed to have been inscribed at on the faucet's base. "~open~."

Nothing happened for a moment, but then, the next second, the sink began to move. The sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

"Harry," Daphne whispered, "Is that- is this the Chamber of Secrets?"

Harry nodded distantly, his eyes sinking into the abyss of the pipe before, without another second's hesitation, he plunged down the tube. Screams for his safety echoed as he slid, but he didn't care about himself anymore. Tonks, Harry thought as he continued down the pipe, his knees buckling slightly from the impact when he touched the ground. I swear I'll save you.

"I made it!" Harry shouted, alerting the others, though he didn't really care if they slid down or not. What was bound to happen next was between him and Draco. Nobody else mattered.

Harry scratched his scar; the tunnels made him uncomfortable. But he'd gone too far to turn away. Despite their age, the plumbing that surrounded the chamber was incredibly well maintained. Traces of rubble still remained, but it was clear to Harry that Draco had done some renovating to make the chamber look brand new.

Footsteps resonated behind him, but Harry didn't turn to see them. Rather, his eyes had become fixed upon a moss-coated statue of a man's face. He'd seen the face before in his textbooks, but standing before a figure of that magnitude had made Salazar Slytherin truly feel larger than life.

The clicking of black stone had replaced the sound of scraping gravel as Harry stepped foot onto the chamber's grounds. Water that flooded the stonework seeped into his socks, forcing a squishing echo. His eyes shifted, just catching a glimpse of a blue bolt of magic flying towards him.

Harry swung his arms, catching the bolt and redirecting it into the water. The magic erupted with the impact of a crater. For a moment, a hole had become visible in the water to the point that Harry could see the bottom. He felt the tension from his friends behind him, but Harry didn't bother to lift his guard.

Instead, he stood calmly, watching as from a room in the distance, the blonde-Slytherin prefect appeared. "Well, well, it looks like you've discovered my hiding space." Draco's expression was filled with forced smugness. "And you brought your entourage along. What's the matter Potter, too afraid to fight me yourself?"

"They came of their own free-will," Harry replied, his voice cold as ice. "They'll just be spectating." Harry flicked his wand into his hand as the two boys began to circle each other. "I promise you, resisting me is futile. So why don't you just tell me where my sister is Malfoy."

Draco growled before he flicked his wrist, a jet of red light now barreling towards Harry. Harry hadn't even blinked as he batted away Draco's spell, the impact leaving a black, sizzling mark on the masonry below. "You couldn't even beat Michael; you don't have a chance of beating me. Talk, and I might leave you alive."

"You don't have the guts to take a life, Potter!" Draco shouted, "You don't have the-"

"Diffindo," Harry muttered, a wave of light silencing Draco as he clutched his abdomen. Blood leaked from his chest, his white oxford dripping red as he gazed up at Harry. "If I had put a bit more power into that, I'd have split you in half. I plan to do just that with my next attack. If you'd like to remain in one piece, I suggest you answer my question. Where's Tonks?"

"Go to hell, Potter!" Draco barked, "Avada Kedavra!"

A smirked burned across Harry's face as he slammed his foot to the ground, conjuring a wall from the tiles. Green flashed across his eyes, but Harry didn't need to see. He sensed Draco's magic, that was all he needed. Harry forced his arms up, commanding the ground to bend to his magical whims.

Draco's scream filled the air, and Harry chuckled, watching as the boy squirmed. Draco's screams had sounded like music as Harry increased his spell. The black chains that sprouted from the ground subdued the boy's movements. Harry snapped, reaching out his arm, before as if his palm were a magnet, Draco's wand flew to his hand.

Harry ran his fingers over the Hawthorn Wood of Draco's wand. He watched the look of fear manifest upon Draco's face before, with a flick, he tossed the wood into the water. The wand sunk like steel into the murky waters, and Draco trembled with every step that Harry took towards him.

"Let's try again," Harry said, gripping Draco's chin in his hand, "Where is my sister?"

"If you think I'd betray my Lord for you, you're mis-" Crack!

Harry's fist pounded as he slammed his knuckles into Draco's face. Blood gushed from his nose. The Slytherin leaned forward but was stopped as Harry clutched his now white hair with his off-hand and pummeled him once more. "Wrong answer," Harry said, gripping the top of Draco's head once more, "Let's try again? Where's my sister?"

"The Dark Lord won't forgive you for-," Blood spilled from Draco's lips, silencing him as Harry swung his leg into his core, knocking the wind from his body.

Draco flopped forward, stopped only by his chains as he gasped like a fish out of water. "I don't care about what your Lord thinks of me. I do know that once I'm done here, I'm going to kill him, though. But before that, let's try one more time, where's Tonks?"

Draco heaved, desperate to regain his breath. "I won't ask again, Malfoy. Where is my sister?"

"I won't-" Draco hissed, "I will be saved. I won't tell."

Harry's frown hardened as he lifted his wand once more. "I got to hand it to you, Malfoy. You're much tougher than I thought. But that doesn't matter. I'll make you talk, one way or the other." Harry took a deep breath, "Cruci-"

"Harry! Stop!" Harry felt his body tense as Astoria's hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling it down. "This isn't you. You need to get a grip."

"Let me go, Astoria," Harry growled, "What they did to Tonks, it's unforgivable. I'll make them pay; I'll make them all pay."

"I'm not letting go of you, Harry," Astoria whispered, placing herself before Draco. "You're not the kind of person that would stoop this low. You're angry, and I know that I can't fully understand the pain you're going through, but I won't let you go any further."

"If you torture him," Astoria said, "You may get the information you want. But once you get back Tonks, will you ever be able to live with yourself? If you torture him, how would you be any different from the bastard who killed your parents."

Harry felt his body tremble, "When we fight, we both know there will most likely come a time when we have to kill. But this, it just feels wrong to me. This isn't combat. Draco, he's not a threat to anyone the way he is. We can capture him and send him to Azkaban or through the veil if necessary. We're not in the place where we need to resort to torture or killing."

"Move, Astoria," Harry growled.

"I won't," She whispered. "I can only imagine how angry you are, but you've always said how you never wanted to be like them. There are other ways to get the information you need. You're not torturing him because it's the only way to get information, you're torturing him because you're angry. That's not right, Harry." She swallowed, "I won't let you become like them, I won't let you become somebody you'd hate. If you want the information that pulled it from his mind like Dumbledore, he doesn't have the strength to resist you anyway. Just look at him."

"If you cross that line, Harry," Astoria muttered. "If you torture just because you lost your cool, you'd never be able to forgive yourself." She stepped closer, bringing down Harry's arm, "That note is going to turn into a portkey with or without Draco telling you the answer. When midnight comes, we'll know where Tonks is. Probe his mind for information, do whatever you want, but don't become a person Tonks would be ashamed to see at your reunion. You're better than they are, Harry. You're better than Malfoy. I've always believed that, so please, don't prove me wrong."

Harry's body trembled as Astoria wrapped her arms around him. "Get what you need and leave him for the aurors to decide his faith. Please, Harry, we'll do whatever we can to get Tonks back. We'll fight with you until the end, but I don't want to fight for the lesser of two monsters."

Harry's heart felt heavy, his muscles tightened and strained as he gazed into Astoria's eyes. "He deserves to die."

"Yeah," Astoria said, "I know. But we don't always get what we deserve. If we did, I wouldn't be on borrowed time, and you wouldn't be an orphan. Remus wouldn't be a werewolf, and Tonks wouldn't be kidnapped." Harry swallowed as Astoria peered into him with her kaleidoscopic eyes. "We don't have that much time to plan everything, Harry. We don't have the time to beat on Malfoy to let your anger out. If you want to let loose, wait until we get to the bastards that actually took Tonks. The use of unforgivable, we're better than that Harry. You can't stand for justice while laughing in its face."

"No matter what I do, you won't move," Harry whispered.

"I'd die before I let you become the thing you hate," Astoria whispered. Harry watched as the girl remained steady as he lifted his wand. "Go ahead then," Astoria said, her eyes misty, "I know you won't. You're my big brother Harry, I know that you'd never hurt me. It's not who you are."

"Astoria, get out of the way," Hermione hissed, "It's not safe over there."

"Do you hear that, Harry?" Astoria hissed, "Look behind you. They're your friends Harry, and even they're a bit scared of you right now. If the people who follow you do so out of fear rather than love, how are you any different than him!"

Harry's eyes hollowed for a moment as he turned, watching as both Michael and Neville watched him with concern, and Daphne-. Harry had felt his stomach churn as he watched the fear he'd created in his girlfriend's eyes. "This isn't you, Harry." Astoria said as she wiped her eyes, "I know it's not."

"He's responsible for Tonks' pain. I-"

"I don't care if you're the person to kick him through the veil yourself!" Astoria screamed, "I'm not arguing that he deserves to live a life of luxury, I'm not even saying he deserves to live in general! All I'm saying is that I don't want you to resort to their methods. Please Harry, please."

Harry sighed as he gnashed his teeth. "Fine," He whispered, "Legilimens."

Draco's mindscape looked like nothing Harry had ever seen before. It looked somehow even less organized than his own. For a moment, Harry wondered the blank space stopping only to find a manifestation of the boy rocking in the corner, his head curled with fear. "Can't fail, must live, can't fail, must live." Harry watched the rocking boy with disgust as he placed his hand to the rocking boy's forehead. "Very well then, let's see what we can find."

(Voldemort P.O.V)

Romania, it had been a place that Voldemort had never considered re-visiting. How long had his body roamed the area, desperately clinging to life? No, Voldemort thought to himself, I will erase those days from my memory. I will never be that weak again, I will rule. And once I come to terms with them, I will rue with impunity.

Voldemort floated above the rocky grounds of Mount Izvorul Câlimanului. The story of vampires had been nothing but legends to the muggles, but Voldemort knew they were far more than myths. Of all the creatures that roamed the magical world, they were the only ones who posed a worthy opponent for wizards. That was something that he could not stand.

The castle loomed over the town of Transylvania, hidden in clouds of mist. But to those who dared to venture, they'd find a sight reminiscent of nightmares. The iron-studded stone doors were the first sight one came across, their bridge's rails now clattered, rattling chains. Massive bolts seemed to hold and protrude from the castle's stone, and the castle great round arches seemed to swallow the sun.

Magic radiated from within the castle, far fouler that the magic that coated the walls of the castle he'd once called home. The castle where his plan was set to commence. Please master, the voice of Bellatrix had rung in his head, Allow me to accompany you. I beg you. The witch had made a foolish request. Vampires respected only one thing, power, and showing up with accompaniment only mitigated the Dark Lord's magnificent.

His hovering ceased as he arrived at the castle's doors. The pale creature awaited his approach, his yellowed-eyes watching his every movement. Yet, Voldemort didn't waver; the beasts would soon learn not to stand as equal to him, but for now, he'd relent.

The gate's guard was well dressed, coated from head to toe in designer material, a black, well-fitted top hat resting over his hair. "Voldemort, is it?" The vampire muttered, "Our lady has received word of your arrival. My name is Herbert Varney. I've been selected to test your ability. Our lady has no interest in meeting with... lesser men."

Voldemort's eyes hardened as he gazed upon the impudent monstrosity. Vampire's had been well known for their natural occlumency, but few Legilimenswere as gifted as he. "It's Lord Voldemort," The Dark Lord said, his eyes never leaving the vampire's yellow glow. "I imagine it's been quite a long time since you've visited the mortal world, but it is customary to bow before a lord."

"I bow to nobody but our Queen, Volde-,"

Suddenly, Varney fell quiet before he clutched his head, falling to his knees. His sharpened nails dug deeper into his scalp, ripping his hair onto the floor beside his discarded hat. "There," Voldemort whispered, "Much more appropriate." He released the mental pressure, watching as the well-dressed creature gasped with relief. "Now, take me to your Queen. As you said, I have no interest in dealing with lesser men."

"Yes, Lord Voldemort."