"Do any of us, except in our dreams, truly expect to be reunited with our hearts' deepest loves, even when they leave us only for minutes, and on the most mundane of errands? No, not at all. Each time they go from our sight we in our secret hearts count them as dead. Having been given so much, we reason, how could we expect not to be brought as low as Lucifer for the staggering presumption of our love?" -Stephen King-The Dark Tower
"And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all."-Edgar Allen Poe-The Masque of the Red Death
"Control the things you can control, maggot. Let everything else take a flying fuck at you and if you must go down, go down with your guns blazing."-Stephen King-The Drawing of the Three
Harry woke up to voices around him.
The voices were familiar, but the faces and names associated with them hovered just beyond his capability to think.
His head pounded like someone had been beating him with an iron pole.
' Where am I? What the fuck happened?'
"Remus, you can't keep him here too long! Grindelwald wants him, and-"
He heard growling.
"Shut. Up. Diggle. Grindelwald can have him in a few hours"
' Remus? Diggle? Grindelwald? What the fuck is going on?'
He didn't open his eyes. He kept them shut, trying to figure out what had happened and who these people were.
He seemed to be sitting on a chair. Metal, by the feel of it.
There was a tight rope around his chest, and another around his wrists.
"Back me up here, Kings. Tell him-tell him I'm right"
' Kings?'
A deep baritone filled the room.
"I think Grindelwald can wait a few hours, Dedalus. He's going to be getting Harry alive, along with his wand. In the meantime, Harry can at least answer some questions for us"
' Kings. Kingsley. Lupin. Diggle. Oh, fuck!'
Memories flooded him. He opened his eyes, not flinching at the sudden influx of bright light.
' Daphne!'
The trio in front of him stopped their argument, their faces turning to him at his sign of life.
He was in some sort of stone room, large boulders fitting together neatly and forming a wall.
Kingsley was sitting on a chair in front of a table with a wand on it. A few meters to his right, Lupin stood, looking haggard as fuck.
Diggle stood next to the door a bit away from the wolf.
The details flickered through Harry's mind as he focused on Diggle, eyes narrowing.
"You," He said, his voice coming out slurred, "you fucker"
Diggle ignored him, instead just looking at Kingsley and saying: "I'm heading home. Don't keep him too long. And tell the twins thanks for those beads. Tell them how well they worked"
"Yeah. Send Mary my best"
"Will do"
Harry cleared his throat and tried again.
"I'm going to fucking destroy you, Diggle"
Dedalus tipped his hat forward mockingly, and with a crack, was gone.
"Now, Harry," Kingsley said, "let's have a chat, shall we?"
"How long do you think you can keep me here?" He asked sardonically, looking down at his arm, "do you honestly think the Dark Lord can't find me?"
"Actually, I don't think he can. If he could somehow find you through these wards, the Fidelius would still keep him out"
A Fidelius. That gave Harry pause. Even the Dark Lord couldn't blast his way through that.
"Now. What are Voldemort's plans?"
Harry stared at Kingsley incredulously for a moment before he burst out laughing.
"You-you actually expect me to tell you? You really think I'll do that? Just betray my lord like that?"
A fresh gale of laughter took him, and he shook with mirth, the rope rubbing against his chest.
"Why not? You've shown no compunctions about betrayal before"
Lupin stood in the corner, growling softly.
"Betrayal? You think I betrayed you people? No, Shacklebolt. You and the wolf can go fuck yourselves, along with everyone else who stands against us. You all betrayed me!"
He leaned back in his chair, sitting in it as if it was a throne.
"How could you?" Lupin finally said, the words coming out twisted and clipped. "Betray your parents' memories? Betray Sirius?"
In the back of Harry's mind, a plan began to form.
' Get him angry. Make him too angry to think. It might work if there's only one of them. If there's two, I'm fucked'
He ignored the fact that if it didn't work, he'd get handed over to Grindelwald like a trussed turkey. He ignored the fact that the chances of his mad plan working were extremely low.
Instead, he grinned.
"Oh, it was fucking easy. And you should have seen the dog's face, wolf. He was so shocked when I killed him. I wonder what you'll look like"
Furious pain twisted Lupin's face.
"How long have you been a Death Eater for?"
"Now, why should I answer anything you want?" He said, still grinning at Lupin, "Do you think I'm afraid of you? Is that it?"
Lupin snarled, baring his teeth.
And drew his wand.
"Don't make me do this"
"Do it, wolf. Let's see what you're capable of"
"Where. Is. She?" Lupin asked, his knuckles whitening around his wand.
"Remus" Kingsley said, in a warning tone.
"Where?" Lupin repeated, in a whisper.
Harry grinned as widely as he could, and as insolently as he was capable of being, said: "who?"
Lupin slapped him with a shout, his long nails drawing furrows down Harry's cheek.
He laughed.
"Is that the best you can do? One of these days, wolf, I'm gonna show you how it's done"
"Great plans, for someone tied to a chair," Shacklebolt said mildly, as Lupin paced, breathing deeply to himself.
Shacklebolt appeared mild, at least. But Harry could see his nervous glances toward the wolf.
"You know! Where is Tonks?"
Again, Harry grinned, and repeated "who?"
"Crucio!"
Harry shook with it, with the glorious torment.
It was nowhere near as bad as Bella's had been.
It receded after a very short time, and through the ringing in his ears, Harry made out Shacklebolt shouting something at Lupin.
He pushed the words out, through his burning throat "Not very good, not at all. I think you need more practice"
Lupin bared his teeth. "I'm going to practice plenty right now. Where. Is. Tonks?"
Harry forced himself to laugh, to ignore the aches in his muscles.
"Tonks? I don't know anyone by that name"
Lupin raised his wand again with a growled curse.
And again, Harry was filled with pain.
Every cell screaming in a beautiful chorus of ecstatic agony.
He joined his voice to theirs.
Lupin slapped him again, on the other side of the face this time.
' More scars' he thought deliriously, as blood began to seep down his face.
But the slap had helped clear his mind from the Cruciatus' after effects.
' Make him angry. Get him out of this room. Then I can start'
He laughed again, his ribs hurting with the effort of it.
"Getting better, I'll give you that"
"Where-"
"I told you. I don't know a Nymphadora Tonks. But I do know a woman who used to think she was Nymphadora Tonks"
Lupin's mouth hung open, and his eyes took on an amber sheen.
"Used to think she was…?"
He giggled.
"Well, Capella Black's her name. Bella's been teaching her, you see. Training her. You should hear her. Hear her scream"
"What've you done to her?" Lupin whispered.
"Oh, wolf. There aren't words for what we've done to her. Bella's had her for months, wolf. Months. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep someone that long with breaking them?"
Lupin looked like he wanted to vomit. His whole body was shaking.
And his eyes were steadily growing more and more orange.
Harry just went on.
"You should see her. So beautiful. She's not allowed clothes, you know. Chained to the wall. No bed. And Bella plays with her almost all day. She doesn't even think of herself as human anymore, wolf. She's begun to accept it. That she's nothing more than Bella's toy"
Kingsley stood up suddenly and placed a hand on Lupin's shoulder.
"Remus, come, I think-"
"Shut up," Lupin said, staring straight at Harry, his wand shaking in his hand. "Shut up"
"And she's so close" Harry continued, "so close to just accepting that she's Capella now. Then she'll do whatever Bella wants from her. You've been helping with this all, actually"
Lupin's arm suddenly fell like a weight. "M-me?"
"So much. You see, when I was living at your Order headquarters, I collected some of your hair"
He saw it when the realization flashed across Lupin's face in a furious wave.
He went on, heedless of the wand being raised toward him.
"You should hear her when she thinks you're torturing her. When you tell her how much she disgusts you, how weak and sickening she is. It's so funny, she-"
"Crucio!"
This time, the pain was total.
Every inch of him in utter, horrific agony.
He screamed, biting deeply into his tongue and then spraying out blood.
"Remus! Stop!"
"You hear him! How-how can you just listen to this!"
"Remus, get out of this room. Just-just don't be in here. Well take him to Grindelwald soon, and-"
"I want to know more! Where is she?"
"He's not gonna tell us!"
"We can make him!"
Harry watched this through twitching eyes, the rope scratching him as he rubbed against it with his tremors.
Blood dropped off of his chin, adding to the growing pool spreading over his chest.
The scratches on his face stung.
"But," He said, drawing them out of their argument, "she hates you now. She doesn't want to see you anymore. You hurt her too much. It's fine though. Bella's given her a replacement wolf. You know Sharptooth? He's playing with her. He likes to fuck her in the-"
Lupin leaped onto him, his claws scratching right through Harry's robes, cutting into his chest.
' Oh. Fuck'
Luckily, Kingsley was there, and he didn't let Harry get eaten by the wolf.
There was a loud bang, and Lupin flew off of Harry, flying right into the wall.
"Remus" Kingsley said, voice cold and hard. "Out. At least to the other room"
"I-"
"Now!"
Lupin slunk off, slamming the door behind him hard enough for it to shake in its hinges.
' And now. We begin. Please. Please. Please. Let this work'
He began to concentrate as hard as he could.
Voldemort had spoken with great contempt about wandless magic. He'd called it a fool's errand, one that required an enormous amount of effort for even the simplest tasks.
But He had been insistent that Harry learn, at the very least, how to summon his wand wandlessly.
' As useless as wandless magic is, as incapable of complex tasks as it may be, if you are disarmed, you will at least be able to gain your weapon again'
So he began to think, focusing on the feel of a summoning spell, remembering time after time when he had successfully used it.
He focused his will, his desire for nothing other than his wand to fly to him from the table.
It was a lot harder than it had been, practicing in the study of Malfoy Manor or in his room.
He'd never tried it before with blood running down his face and chest, with his body still shaking with the ecstatic remembered pain of the Cruciatus.
Or with Kingsley insistently asking him question after question.
"How long have you been a Death Eater?"
"Summer after the second year," Harry said, absentmindedly, but not without proud. "Youngest ever"
"Well done. Who else of your age group has joined?"
"Oh, you know. Your mother"
"Who else from your year at Hogwarts?"
"Neville Longbottom, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Michael Corner, Padma Patil-"
"Who else from your year?"
Finally, Harry felt he had his mind as focused on the spell as he would possibly get it. It was only getting harder to concentrate, as Kingsley continued asking questions, and the panic about being given to Grindelwald grew.
He made his eyes go wide, and looked as shocked as he could be, staring over Shacklebolt's shoulder.
"Holy shit! What the fuck?!"
It only worked for a fraction of a second.
A fraction of a second was all that Harry needed.
As Shacklebolt turned his head, Harry focused all his mind, and thought: ' Accio wand!'
And it came, flying through the air, coming to rest right in his hands.
As Shacklebolt turned back, his own eyes widening when he saw the wand in Harry's hand, Harry cast a diffindo on the ropes binding him.
And moved his wand through a flowing, complicated motion.
As Shacklebolt's wand came up, Harry exhaled, incanting as he did so.
"Fiendfyre!"
He didn't try to control it. Didn't try to do anything more than watch as his fiery basilisk launched itself into Shacklebolt.
And then he apparated, leaving the monstrous flames roaring behind him.
He arrived a few meters away from the gates of Malfoy Manor.
He raised his left arm as he ran through the metal, blood dripping from his face and chest.
Leaving a crimson-stained trail in the light dusting of snow as he went.
He ran straight in, kicking the door open.
"DAPHNE!" He roared. "THEO? BLAISE? ANYONE? FOR FUCK'S SAKE, IS ANYONE HERE?"
Draco appeared, hurrying his way out of one of the rooms.
His jaw dropped, and both electric-blue eyes focused on Harry.
"Harry? Merlin's balls, where-where-what happened?"
"Is Daphne here?" He demanded, ignoring the question entirely, "Did they get back?"
Draco swallowed.
"Harry, you-you-"
His wand was out before he even knew he was drawing it. His chest had constricted, and his stomach roiled around like a bag of snakes.
"Is she here?" He whispered.
Draco nodded.
"Take me to her. Now. I need-I need to see her. She's alive, isn't she? She's ok?"
Draco was paler than Harry'd ever seen him.
"Draco. Is. She. Alive?"
Draco nodded slowly. "Come, Harry. This way"
He followed Draco, anxiety and fear growing, his head feeling light.
' She made a Horcrux. She can't die. She made a Horcrux. She can't die'
The thought ran through his mind over and over, a repetitive mantra.
It didn't calm him down.
"In-in there," Draco said, pointing with his cane to one of the guest bedrooms. "She's in there. There's a healer with her. You-you should-"
He was through the door before Draco could finish whatever he had been going to say.
He stopped dead in his tracks, as he took in the scene before him.
Daphne lay on a large bed, a bunch of colored lights flashing in midair above her.
The sheets of the bed were coated in blood.
A healer stood at the foot of the bed, taking down notes on a clipboard, and waving his wand over her.
The sheets of the bed were coated with blood.
He walked forward slowly, his legs feeling limp.
The sheets of her bed were coated with her blood. With her blood. With her blood.
"What-what's going on?" He asked.
The healer gave a little squeak as he jumped, and spun to face Harry.
"Mr. P-Potter, I'm sorry, you-"
He looked down. Her face was covered in cuts. Deep, thick cuts. Her hair was thick with her blood.
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
Something pounded inside his chest, screaming to be released.
"What is her-her prognosis?"
"She-she-we can deal with all the cuts and burns, but there'll be a scar or two. Mr. Potter, sir, please, let me look you over, your injuries-"
"When will she wake up?"
His fingernails cut deep into his palm. He wanted to scream, to kill this pathetic man before him who had left Daphne in a pool of her blood.
"We-we can't be sure, sir-"
"You. Can't. Be. Sure. You're telling me, that you can't be sure? Be sure. Now. FUCKING TELL ME, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT. WHEN IS SHE GOING TO WAKE UP?"
He had started shouting at some point. Probably around the same time that he had drawn his wand and pointed it at the shaking man.
"We-it-the explosives, they were rune based! We-we aren't sure which rune exactly was used, and we've narrowed it down to two, but we need to figure it out further before we can give treatment"
Harry snarled and jabbed his wand forward.
The healer flew into a wall and hung there.
"HOW LONG? HOW LONG? HOW FUCKING LONG?"
' She has a Horcrux. She'll be ok. She has a Horcrux. She'll be ok.
She has a Horcrux. She'll be ok.
She has a Horcrux. She'll be ok'
It didn't help. Horcrux or not, she was still lying there in sheets covered with her blood, looking dead.
Horcrux or not, she was not by his side.
"I-I-we think a week or two, n-n-no more than three!"
"WORTHLESS! AVADA-"
"Harry! No!"
He snapped his head to the side, to where Draco stood, hands stretched out entreatingly.
"Harry," he said gently, soothingly. "He's the best. Killing him will make things worse for Daphne. It will only make you feel better for a few seconds. Please. He's the best. He fixed my legs, and my eyes, and woke me up. Please"
' Kill them all. All of them. Spare none. Diggle!'
He pulled his wand back, and the healer fell in a trembling heap.
"Th-th-thank you, sir. Thank you"
"My injuries. Look at them"
' Diggle did this. Diggle did this. Diggle did this'
"Ha-Harry. Have-have you heard?"
He looked at Draco as the healer drew near, his wand flashing over Harry.
"What?"
Draco shook his head slowly.
"The explosion. It killed Theo"
Harry's roar echoed through the manor.
"DIGGLE!"
"You desire vengeance"
"Yes, my lord"
The Dark Lord looked the three of them over, His eyes gleaming in the firelight.
Blaise was showing it the most. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked like a breeze would knock him over.
Theo's dad stood there, stoic and strong. Nothing showed on his face, not a hint of pain or rage. His eyes were blank, as dead as coal.
And Harry-Harry was somewhere in between the two. He couldn't really focus on anything except the constant thought of ' Diggle did this. Diggle did this'
His rage was building, edging toward an explosion.
"Very well. But you will proceed with utmost caution. Take Severus, Bellatrix, and Rookwood along. They will not interfere in your revenge. They will merely ensure that no-one else does"
"Thank you, my lord" Harry said, with Blaise echoing his words.
Theo's dad said nothing, only giving a curt nod before they departed.
Voldemort watched them leave and thought and planned.
He stared at the house as if the intensity of his glare could cause it to burst into flame.
' Diggle did this. Diggle did this. Diggle did this. Diggle did this'
His thoughts reached a crescendo as the front door opened.
"Come on. We've got them waiting"
He forced his fist to unclench. The fire in his chest rose, and through gritted teeth, he said: "come on"
He passed Snape and Rookwood, and entered the house, followed by Thaddeus, Blaise, and Bellatrix.
Snape took one last look at the quiet, empty street before walking in, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
The family waited for them in the living room. The mantelpiece was covered with pictures of them. The smiling, happy parents and their children.
Harry kept his eyes away from Diggle.
If he looked at him, he'd kill him too quickly.
They were all under body-binds. Diggle was sitting on the left of the couch, his wife next to him.
She was clearly very, very pregnant. And she clutched a young child to her chest.
Their two older sons stood to the side. Both of them well below Hogwarts age, probably around six and eight.
Their faces were all caught in rictus' of terror.
"I told you," Harry said, finally looking at Diggle, "I told you I'd destroy you"
He removed the body-binds, quickly levitating the Diggles before they could try to run.
"Please. Potter. You-you-your gripe is with me. Kill me. Spare my family"
"You killed my son"
Thaddeus stepped forward, next to Harry. His voice was as dead and expressionless as his face.
"I-I-"
"You killed my son. Crucio!"
As Diggle began to scream, and his wife sobbed, Harry heard Blaise say, in a shaky voice: "Crucio!"
The older son started screaming.
Harry snapped his wand, and the mother fell, landing in a heap.
"Pl-please. I-I'll do whatever you want. J-just spare my children. Please!"
"Thaddeus!" Harry called, still staring at the crying woman before him. "Let him watch this!"
Thaddeus ended the Cruciatus, and slowly, Diggle's screams died down.
He stared into her wide, tearful eyes.
The rage and pain within him reached a peak.
With a roar, he grabbed her child out of her arms.
Held him up by the ankles, his mewling cries singing in his ears.
Swung him as hard as he could, smashing his head into the brick wall.
The kids head fucking exploded, spraying blood, brains, and pieces of skull everywhere.
The woman fainted with a soft moan, falling onto her back.
Behind him, he heard Blaise vomiting.
"SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO?!" He shouted at Diggle, his voice full of his rage, while he shook the corpse like a rag doll. "SEE!"
He threw it onto the floor.
And stomped the bitch's round belly as hard as he could.
He lifted his leg and thrust it down again.
And again.
She sat up, shaking violently.
"FUCKING CUNT!" He screamed, sticking his face right in front of hers. "STUPID BITCH!"
"P-P-Potter-Potter, p-p-pl-"
"You killed my son. Crucio!"
Harry slashed his wand again, letting the other kid fall onto the floor.
The one Blaise had been dealing with lay on the ground, shivering and crying.
Blaise stood back, eyes wide and face pale.
"Thaddeus. Leave him for later. Let him watch. He killed your son. Pay him back. There's two left. I'm taking one"
Thaddeus walked over, behind Harry.
"Kamtzi Deraavan!"
The ants formed. Harry jabbed forward, and forward they went.
The kid tried to crawl away, but they were too fast.
He screeched, as the ants ate through him.
His mother tried to do something. Some pathetic attempt at movement towards him, to try to save his life.
Harry kicked her in the face, breaking her nose and shoving her back.
"Wait your turn, bitch. Are you watching, Diggle? I told you! I FUCKING TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU I'D DESTROY YOU!"
He turned when he heard Thaddeus' dead voice again.
"Cruor Ignis"
It was quite fascinating, really.
He'd never seen the blood-boiling curse cast on a living person before.
The boy's body slowly glowed a brighter and brighter red, until, in a flash, flames consumed him.
The other son was nothing more than bones, the ants having done their work and vanished.
The mother let out a choking sob.
Harry glanced at Diggle. He was shaking terribly, his face white as snow.
He kept mouthing "no".
He turned to the wife again. To the blackish blood leaking out from between her legs.
' Show her how weak she is. How pathetically, disgustingly soft. Make him watch. Take her'
Unbidden, Daphne's words from a more pleasant time rang through his mind.
' Well, there'll be no raping for you. Not unless I say so'
He growled rage building in him once more.
' She should be here! With me!'
"Crucio!"
He grinned as she writhed before him, her screams and moans echoing in his ears.
With half a mind, he heard snaps and cracks, as Thaddeus began breaking Diggle's bones.
Behind him, Blaise vomited again and fled the room.
It didn't take long for her mind to break.
It wasn't surprising, really. After everything she'd been through, that she would take the refuge of catatonia.
After everything Diggle had forced Harry to do.
Finally, he turned to Diggle.
The man's bones all stuck out at strange angles, making him look more like a tree than a man.
He still hung in mid-air. Thaddeus worked on him in absolute silence, still no expression flitting across his features.
It was quite creepy, actually.
He watched as Thaddeus slowly skinned the man, his bloody flesh being revealed.
Diggle was growing hoarse, his screams coming out more as raspy moans.
With a flick of his wrist, Thaddeus finished the job, pulling the last bit of skin off.
Now he really didn't look human.
Thaddeus examined him for a second before nodding.
"I think," Harry said, clearing his throat, "we stick him up. Crucify him. Put a curse that'll do something crazy if anyone tries to take him down. Then leave. Let them starve"
Thaddeus nodded again and flicked his wrist.
Diggle slammed back, into the wall.
His broken, ruined arms raised up.
Thaddeus jabbed his wand forward, and thick, cruel spikes appeared, impaling themselves into his arms and legs.
He waved his wand again, in a far more complex maneuver, and muttered under his breath.
"What'll happen? If someone takes him down?"
Thaddeus smiled.
It was actually creepier than his blank face.
"If they touch him, their blood will begin to boil. Not too original, but it'll do the trick"
"Yeah. Th-Thaddeus. About-about Theo. I'm-I'm so sorry. He-he was-"
Thaddeus waved a hand negligently.
"He was my son" he simply said, "and now he is dead"
With that, his face closed off again, and he fell silent.
Before they left the room, Harry picked up one of the pictures from the mantelpiece.
A smiling family waved out at him, happily grinning. It was an old picture. She was pregnant then, and the two sons were both younger.
He smashed it underfoot and walked out of the house without a backward glance.
Leaving the destroyed Diggle family behind.