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There has been a major revision done to the end of chapter 9. Some will be unhappy about it, but it needed to happen. It was planned from the beginning, but I tried to work it in. Unfortunately it just did not fit right. I suggest that those who have read the chapter before my posting of this chapter read the end of chapter 9 again.

Thank you,

Omnis Potens

Chapter 10: More meetings and Choices


Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, reading the Ministry's account of the Department of Mysteries break-in. 'Fudge is just as incompetent as he was before. Reassuring, I suppose. Shows that some things never change. I do wonder who doctored this report though. No mention of Harry or his little band of associates, nor does it say anything about Voldemort returning. While the world remains at risk not knowing that He has returned, I am sure I can work this to my advantage...'

His thoughts were cut off however by a silver instrument that had been repaired a few days ago, twirling and puffing a dark blue smoke at a frantic rate. 'What now? That is to the wards on Privet Drive...but that would mean the wards have fallen, indicating an attack, and that is simply impossible, I put those wards on myself. They could not be broken unless either Harry left, or they were... let in by one of the Dursleys.' Dumbledore thought, as he quickly pulled out a small pocket watch, which was beeping at him, flashing letters moving just above the glass.

"Attack...Privet Drive... Harry unconscious..." The words flashed by quickly, as he closed the watch, looking to a mirror on the wall which was also tied into the wards. The mirror was showing basic vital signs of all those in the house, in this case 5 people, one more then there should have been, possibly whoever had sent the message, Tonks most likely as it was her duty tonight. Two of the five showed unmoving red lines, indicating that whoever it belonged to was dead. Another was a moving broken black line, something Dumbledore had not seen yet from his mirror. The fourth was hazy reddish, indicating death by unusual means. The fifth was green, showing a regular healthy individual, though the pulse was high. Putting the watch away, he took out his wand and muttered 'Contego Foro Portus', and grabbed the now fiercely glowing quill he had pointed at. Feeling like he had been punched in the stomach, Dumbledore portkeyed through the Hogwarts wards to Privet drive.

He arrived soon after and pressed on a small button on the inside of his robes, calling all available Order members to his location. An ingenious device he had thought of after looking through one of the random books strewn around his office, this one focusing on connection charms. He had applied the protean charm to Order members specified buttons and given the idea to one Miss Granger for her D.A. galleons. A moment later, most of the members who had been at the meeting, including an out of breath Remus made it to Number 4. Motioning them to follow him, he shot a spell at the front door which blasted it full off its hinges, to reveal a shocked, but none the less battle ready Tonks who was in the middle of sitting Seraph down on a conjured cushion in the living room.

"Tonks, full report, now." Demanded the grisly Ex-Auror upon taking in the scene.

"I don't completely know. I got here and heard screaming and lights flashing in the house and decided to investigate. By the time I got there, Harry had already downed two Death Eaters -new recruits by the looks of them- and was losing to a dual with another, inner circle maybe. I started dueling with him and almost knocked him out when a fourth showed up from somewhere and pushed me back, but I was in front of Harry then and they couldn't get to him. They left after that with the ones Harry knocked out. Harry won't wake up though, I've tried." Tonks finished. Dumbledore gave her a piercing stare for a moment, and Tonks looked apprehensive, trying her best to fend off the mental attack. It was almost too subtle to feel, but she did and fed him scattered false memories as soon as she could make them. Finally, Dumbles looked satisfied.

"Where are his relatives Nymphrodora? I know at least two of them are dead, but one was killed under unusual means." Dumbledore asked.

"Well, his cousin Dudley is all over the kitchen, and his Aunt and Uncle are in the shower and bedroom respectively." Tonks said in an emotionless tone. After what Harry's cousin had done, she had nothing against Harry except that it could have been cleaner. Moody went to the kitchen and a couple others went to check out the others. Mad-eye came back a minute later, with an almost imperceptible grin on his face.

"Very eloquent way of putting that Tonks. All over the kitchen indeed! Albus, that boy looked to have been set on fire then blasted to high hell. 'Don't know what he did to piss 'im off like that though.' He thought to himself, his electric blue eye stuck to the side of his head looking at Harry, more specifically his forearms that held concealed wand holsters that were even hazy to his eye. Holsters that even he would be hard pressed to come by.

"Have you ever seen someone do that before Alastor? I have seen Death Eaters do many a gruesome thing, but I am not sure I have even seen what you describe done." Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, I have." Was all he would say, obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"When have you seen it? And why did they do it?" Dumbles pressed.

"It is generally an act of Retribution. Perhaps the boy pissed someone off mightily." Was all he would say before walking out of the door and appirating away.

"Sir," One of the Order members who had gone to check out the rest of the Dursley's interrupted.

"Sir, like you said, they're dead. Looks like they were put under the Cruciatus curse until they died. Blood has just now stopped pouring out of their ears." The man reported, making Dumbledore sigh.

"Well then Nymphrodora, I suppose it was a good thing that you left early tonight." Dumbledore said, ignoring Tonks' look from hearing her given name.

"Almost as soon as I was alerted that the wards had somehow fallen, I received you call. The wards could not have come down unless Harry left sometime today, which I know that he would not after having been explicitly told not to, or one or more of the Dursley's was put under the Imperious and allowed the Death Eaters inside the house, thus breaking the wards. And since they were not attacking the wards; they did not need a large team, very clever Tom, very clever. Remus, I want Harry taken back to Headquarters and have Madame Pomfrey look over him." Dumbles told him, handing him a newly made portkey out of a bent and broken tea trey, which activated as soon as Remus touched it, taking him and Seraph to Sirius' bedroom at Grimmauld Place.

"Kingsley, make sure nobody saw anything, and Obliviate any who did." Dumbledore ordered.

"Professor, I have Harry's things, but I can't find his wand, or his owl." Molly Weasley said, looking slightly distraught, whether by the lack of bird, wand or by the death that surrounded her Dumbledore could not tell.

"Thank you Molly, I was just about to ask you to gather his things. Hedwig may have finally been forced out by the wards, and has not tried to come back yet. She will most likely turn up sometime. As for his wand, that is truly sad. I fear that the death eaters may have taken it with them. He will need to be outfitted before school starts again. I want everyone out as soon as possible. Incinerate the house, it will take down any remnants of the wards, and I don't want Voldemort learning anything about them if we happen to use something similar in the future."

"But sir, what about the Dur-" But Tonks was cut off, as Dumbledore had just popped out of existence before she could finish her sentence. Around her Order members were setting off incendiary spells before they apparated out of the house, Harry's stuff being taken care of already. 'They must have been right bastards for Hedwig to do that to them, oh well.' Tonks thought as she apparated away to HQ.


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"What can you tell us Poppy?" Albus Dumbledore asked from his seat in the corner of the room. As soon as Remus had arrived with Seraph, he had sat him in the bed and fire-called Madame Pomfrey. Seraph now laid in Sirius' old bedroom in a large four poster bed. Remus, Tonks, and a few Weasley's plus Hermione sat around the bed, waiting to know about Seraph's condition. Everyone else had been kicked out of the room by the nurse, and it was a matter of time before she made it to the rest of them.

"Not much Albus. He doesn't seem to be physically harmed, just magically drained. You said that there had been an attack?" She asked.

"Yes. I believe that Death Eaters were able to infiltrate the house to try to capture Mr. Potter, killing his relatives in the process." Dumbledore told her.

"Well, given the amount of time I spend mending him up, I know his body and magic like the back of my hand. He is magically exhausted to an extreme degree. So much so that it may have changed his core to an extent. It is rare, but it does happen. A wizard or witch will deplete their core to the point that there is nearly nothing left. If that happens, it will feed on the ambient magic surrounding them, if there is any. It is truly a dangerous time for the individual, and their core. If they were to be hit with a spell, it is possible that even if it was a medical spell, it could kill them, or possibly be absorbed and assimilated into their magic, causing unpredictable and potentially adverse effects. That is why I can't tell you anymore then the fact that he is magically exhausted, as the scan is not deep and doesn't effect his body or magic. Mr. Potter is a very powerful young man, magically speaking. His core being larger then some his age, will take longer to regenerate the lost magic. Anywhere form a few weeks to months. But, if I know anything about this young man, he'll be up and about -against my orders, mind you- within the next week or two." Poppy told the surrounding vigil.

"Thank you Poppy. I leave you to your charge now." Dumbledore said, before walking out of the room.

"Now the rest of you lot, out! He needs rest, and it will be over my dead body that he doesn't receive it. Go on." She told them, shooing them out of the room. Hermione left, as well as some Weasley's, Molly being last, looking lived at being told to leave, the same image being seen on her daughter while Ron had taken Hermione by the hand to have some 'alone time'. Tonks and Remus were just about to leave before the nurse stopped them.

"Not you two." She said, fixing them with a hard stare.

"Uhm... What can we do for you Madame Pomfrey?" Asked Tonks, being as clumsy as she was, even if it was an act some times, she remembered the overbearing nurse from her Hogwarts years. That tone and look never boded well for her. She was not quite sure why they were being stopped, but hoped that she did not know anything more then what everyone else was told.

"You, Remus can tell me is this is truly Mr. Potter." She asked, before throwing a locking charm at the door. Tonks' stomach dropped and she nearly squeaked.

"Of course he is. Why would you think differently?" Remus asked, his voice even, trying not to sound suspicious.

"I ask, Remus, because of your affliction, you would be able to tell the difference between him and an imposter. The only magic that he has right now is being used to maintain a metamorphic image of Harry Potter." She finished.

"I can truly say that I have know idea what you are talking about, but I do know that this is Harry. He smells a little different, more like his father perhaps. I'll have to ask him about that actually..." Remus trailed off.

"Madame Pomfrey, how do you know that he is under a metamorphic disguise?" Tonks asked, wondering once again what the hell was going on and how Harry suddenly gained a very rare talent. Keeping up a metamorphic change was hard enough, you had to concentrate on keeping up the image, even if it was at the back of your mind. But she had never heard of a change lasting after unconsciousness.

"It's his eyes that give it away. Look closely, you can almost see the subtle pulse of magic running through them, trying to return to the way they were before. The scan also said something about a body anomaly. He must have found out about this gift recently and used it under necessity, though for as little magic as he has right now, he should not be able to maintain any change. The problem lies not with his ability, but with the fact that Harry Potter does not resemble Harry Potter, which is disturbing as he did not look any differently at the end of the year when I checked him. There is also a mark that shows through, besides the scar." She told them, as she pulled open Seraph's sleeping shirt that the nurse had outfitted him with. In the middle of his chest was a smallish ball of white that looked to have an almost feather-like pattern to them, surrounded by black flames.

"I said earlier that magic can be absorbed by those who have suffered an extreme magical drain, and that spells may have adverse effects on their cores if absorbed. His core has been altered by a massive influx of foreign magic. It may have had some...effects on his magic, or his abilities. I am not sure of the extent. Judging by the fire around the mark, I'd say at the least he may gain an affinity towards fire magic, or fire in general." Madame Pomfrey said.

"Hedwig..." Remus said under his breath as he gazed at the tattoo like mark on Seraph's chest. He had said it softly, but Poppy Pomfrey still heard it.

"What was that Remus?" She asked sharply. Remus sighed, and looked to Tonks for a moment before continuing.

"If it is something that deals with Harry's health, it falls under confidentiality oaths, correct?" Remus asked and she nodded.

"His owl, Hedwig. I believe that she was killed earlier today. I believe that Harry killed his cousin out of vengeance and that Hedwig's spirit killed the remaining Dursleys." Remus told her.

"Well, that was both vague and enlightening Mr. Lupin. If what you say is true, then there was no Death Eater attack, and Mr. Potter killed his cousin after said cousin killed his owl, Hedwig. Correct so far? Right, then the spirit of his familiar killed his remaining family with something that resembles the aftermath of prolonged Cruciatus exposure?" She asked evenly, not at all sarcastic, though one could see it that way.

"In a nut shell... yes." Remus answered. She stared at him for a full minute.

"Well, that makes more sense then what was reported actually. In his aggrieved state he may have actually absorbed his familiar's soul in trying to hold on to a piece of her. That would explain the changes to his core while he did not actually absorb any magic to replace what he had lost, besides what small bit of residual magic he may have gotten by traveling via portkey. Really, the man should know the signs of magical exhaustion, as well as the hazards! It doesn't seem to have hurt him any though. I am not sure that I have never actually found or even heard of a case quite like this before. We will have to confirm this with Mr. Potter when he wakes up, of course. Seems I owe Alastor five galleons." She finished, sounding slightly annoyed.

Remus was quiet, contemplating what the nurse had surmised, and wondering how any of this happened. He had his suspicions of course, and those usually turned out close to the truth, if not spot on. 'It seems Harry has a lot of explaining to do once he wakes up.' Remus thought with a small, rueful smile on his lips.

"Why would you owe him five galleons?" Tonks asked, wondering why she had mentioned it at all.

"Well, I talked to him before you fire-called, Remus. Seems he thought that your story about the attack did not add up to him, something about 'Bloody concealed wands' and 'Rites of retribution'. I told him that he was being paranoid again, went so far as to bet him five galleons that he was off the mark. But if what you say is true, then he did kill his cousin out of retribution. He also has two concealed wand holsters, one on each arm that I can not take off. I hate it when he is right. You will have to have a discussion with him as well, I think."

"I trust you wont say anything of this to anybody else, Madame Pomfrey?" Remus asked as he sat back down next to Seraph's bed.

"I won't. One, it falls under the oaths, and I wouldn't divulge information of that sort for Hippocrates himself, not without explicit permission from Mr. Potter. And two, I don't trust what Albus might do to him should he find out about this. He sometimes speaks of him as if he is the final weapon to the war, to be kept locked up until its time for release. And year after year I think that I may not be far from my score. It is my job to ensure the health of my patients. Albus may forget, with all the company he keeps, that there are still Slytherin ears around him in his group of Phoenixes." She said, smirking at their shocked faces. Using this to her advantage, she pushed them out the door to allow her charge a better atmosphere to rest in. It wouldn't be another week and a half before Seraph physically got out of that bed again. But as Seraph slept on, the world continued to spin, and his mind and magic were never at rest.


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It was later that evening that Professor Dumbledore called an emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix together to go over the attack at Privet Drive.

"I call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to attention. As many of you know, Mr. Potter was attacked in his home today. And with today's attack, a few things have been cleared up, while other disturbing questions have been raised. With the Harry's relatives dead, the blood protection is now gone. That was our greatest means of protection for him, wasted by Voldemort." He said sadly, ignoring the winces the surrounding members made.

"Severus, do you know of any attacks that were scheduled?" Dumbledore asked.

"As I said a before, earlier today actually, the Dark Lord has not been seen and has not given any specific orders to anybody. There are always those however who may wish to garner favor with him, and go out on their own to stir something up. After a failure such as they had, whoever was involved would most likely be extremely tight-lipped about the whole affair, or risk the Dark Lord's displeasure once he finds out." Snape finished.

"But they have his wand. Even with their failure at capturing Harry, wouldn't that be sufficient a prize to get out of punishment?" One of the newer members asked.

"This was not some failed raid. They attempted to kidnap Potter, and failed. The Dark Lord takes Potter very seriously, perhaps more then he should. He himself makes any plans to capture Potter, and usually has a hand in the direct execution. If they had succeeded, he would have killed them for managing to do what he had tried for years. As it is, they failed, and I myself shudder to think of the tortures he would unleash upon them. No, if they were smart enough to figure a way into the boy's house, I would assume that they are smart enough to never return to his call or kill themselves to escape the pain of the mark. I do not keep track of any of the new recruits unless they come from Hogwarts, nor do I look over many of the older Death Eaters as I am either at an inner meeting or brewing, so I doubt that I will be able to find out who is missing without asking awkward questions." The greasy man finished, leaving everyone a little grim faced.

"Thank you Severus. Tell us if you hear anything at the next meeting. Now the next item of discussion deals with where Harry will be staying for the rest of the summer. With as many people that are in and out of this house, it is hardly a place for reflection and grievance. Not to mention the décor is absolutely dreadful." Dumbledore smiled as he said this, he himself wearing a nearly neon blue robe that had house elves running around cooking, cleaning, and one pair doing disturbing acts behind his collar that was just visible if he turned the right way. He kept the house looking the way it was to remind his subordinates of what they were fighting. And to keep those annoying brats he had persuaded to spy on Harry for him busy during the summer. A good deal, all things considered.

'It was instrumental for Harry to stay isolated at his relatives' house. With no one to talk to during the summer and no information about the Wizarding world, he would do as he did before, blow up at everyone, keeping them away from him and to further close up and isolate himself from the rest of the world. Then I, the benevolent-grandfather personified, would come and take him away from his prison. And though he may have been angry at me towards the end of the year, which will most likely have been abated enough by that time for him to listen to my guidance. Of course, throwing hints of regular private tutoring from some Order members, maybe a training session or two with me, sparingly of course, and he would accept and do anything I tell him. This would keep him busy and away from anyone else at Hogwarts, besides his two best 'friends', which are already taken care of. He would soon forget his anger at me, and he will see me as his saving grace and mentor again. A simple and perfect plan. Down the proverbial shitter. There are few who can adequately look after him the way that needs to be done, and fewer still that are well protected. Severus would be perfect to look after him. Well protected, no body besides Severus and myself can even enter. Though, I fear that he would kill the boy before the end of summer... perhaps I have given him too much leeway over his house and conduct... doesn't matter now, I suppose.' Dumbledore thought, as he contemplated places to stick the boy.

"We will keep good care of him, Albus. The poor boy is dreadfully thin, and with Ronald and Hermione here, and the rest of the boys out of the house, there will be more food. And it will make Ginny very happy to have him to herself over the summer. She is still up in her room, distraught over what happened earlier. I can keep a good eye out on him, seeing as I am home for all of the day. And I can have Ginny give me reports of his behavior daily." Mrs. Weasley said, as if this was the best plan of action and her mind was maid up.

"I am sorry, Molly. I simply can not allow Harry to stay at the Burrow for the summer. It is just not well protected." Not to mention that at the Burrow, he would have distractions and be able to have access to the news and such. With a curse-breaker as a son you would think that they could have adequate wards put up. I'll mention that to Arthur at some point, I think some Order funds can be made available for that use.

"I don't to see why he cannot stay here, Professor. It will most likely be his house after the will is read, his or Remus' anyway. If you replace some doorknobs and put on some paint, this place won't look so depressing. And it helps to move on if you have someone to talk to. And even if he chooses not to, the fact that he can should be some comfort to him." Tonks said, looking a little embarrassed at having spoken in front of nearly the whole Order, and against the Head of said Order.

"As I said before, Nymphrodora. This is not a good atmosphere for recovery or grieving. Does any one have any suggestions?" Dumbledore asked, cutting off whatever Tonks was going to say next.

"What about at Hogwarts?" Someone put forward.

'Hogwarts?' Dumbledore thought. 'Yes. Well protected, few people there during the summer. Though he would have access to the owls, I can put confundus charms over the entrance, making him drop his letter and forgetting why he was there... And I can give him one of the Staff apartments and confine him there. Why, I could lock him in there and make him believe that he is at a secure non specified location and that he is only safe while he is inside. Yes... that should work."

"No, not Hogwarts. I believe that the wards are weaker when there are less children in the summer months, ('more like my observation wards are weaker when there are less children about') and it will be quite hard to keep an eye on him. But I do have the perfect location in mind. It is about the size of a large flat and well taken care of. I cannot reveal the location though, due to the wards and such. But rest assured, there is no better place for him." He finished, giving a reassuring glance at Mrs. Weasley, and marveling at how easy it was to get everything back on track. Though he had met some resistance from young Nymphrodora, and he could see Remus crushing a spoon into a little ball while trying to burn a whole into the table, no one else had thought that his plan was anything but perfect.

"As soon as Mr. Potter regains consciousness, I will take him to his new residence. I believe that is all. This meeting is adjourned." And with that Order members returned to wherever they had come from before the meeting.

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He sat upon a terrible throne of silver and bones, set high upon steps that allowed the man who sat upon it to peer over his followers easily, and made sure they knew their place. Always below him. The room was large and shaped like a curved triangle, allowing the overseer to be seen at all times, and to see his supporters from many angles. The man, or thing as the case may be, was of course Voldemort. The self entitled 'Dark Lord', bastard heir of Slytherin. He had no right to the title, and he knew it. Apparently he was bound in his blood to not steal from a Black, which he had attempted to, and lost the title and money that went with it, but he still used the title liberally. It was his inability to access his vault that he relied on his followers to supply him with funds. Once he took over Gringotts, he would have all the funds he would ever need though. But that was a move so far off that it was hardly worth thinking about at present.

He was still weak from his attempted possession of the Potter brat, but none of his followers knew that. It was amazing really, the will the boy had. If he could but turn him into an ally, what wondrous chaos they could cause! That could wait, however. He still needed to regenerate the rest of the magic he had lost, and to try and regain some of the abilities that had vanished when losing his body. It had taken him more then a week and a half in a deep meditative state to regain enough of his magic to be able to produce a Cruciatus curse capable of destroying a mind in a respectable amount of time. He knew, he had been practicing on some of the house-elves. In his line of work, that was too long to be out of command.

"Lucius, bring forth your remuneration." The order was hissed softly, but heard by all none the less. Lucius Malfoy brought out a bag of coins from within his robes and placed them at the feet of his Master, before kissing the hem of his robes and backing up a few paces on his knees, head bowed low enough for the Dark Lord to not see the fear in his eyes. Voldemort summoned the bag with a wave of his hand, and weighed it with one hand and then the other, making a show of it.

"My dear Lucius. I am afraid that you have not given me enough. Why, prey tell, is it that you short change me? Do you believe me stupid? Do you believe I am ignorant?" Voldemort asked the question in a deadly whisper.

"N-no. My Lord. I am terribly sorry for this wrong I have done to you. There is a new Head of Black, and he has disowned my pilfering and traitorous wife from what the Goblins of Gringotts can tell me. Her stipend made up half of my dues, and I have been unable to make up the rest on such short notice. I will bring what is missing in addition to what I owe you at our next meeting, my Lord." Lucius said softly, a pleading tone was evident in his voice.

"You dare set terms, Lucius? I do not care if Gringotts had seized all of you assets! You will bring me your tithe, and on time! Cricio!" He shouted as he stood up. The crackling beam hit him in the chest and he fell face forward onto the cold stone floor, writhing and screaming in agony for a few minutes, long enough for him to lose control over his bodily functions and shat himself in front of nearly every Death Eater at Voldemort's command. The Dark Lord, feeling renewed after his small bout of torture sat back in his seat.

"You say that your wife was disowned. If the Head dared to do that to your wife, he may have also disowned Bellatrix. Where is she, Lucius?" The question once again a cruelly soft tone that held the threat of pain under it.

"I do not know, my Lord. I have not seen her recently, nor do I believe that she is here at this meeting." Lucius said.

"Crats!" The Dark Lord shouted. He was immediately rewarded with a near silent pop, and a shaking house elf who was missing an arm and had a ridiculous amount of scars kneeling to the point where his long tube like nose started to crack from the pressure of his bow in front of him.

"Y-y-yes-s-s, M-master Dark Lord-d sir. W-what can l-lowl-y Crats do-does for yous?" The trembling elf asked.

"Bring forth Bellatrix immediately!" was the command. The elf popped away as fast as he could, leaving an unusually loud crack in his departure. Various members came up to his throne to kiss his robes and give him their offerings, receiving praise scarcely and pain copiously, until the house elf came back looking nearly translucent, an incredible feat given their skin tone.

"M-m-mast-ter D-d-d-dark Lor-d-d s-sir." The elf began, almost unable to keep itself from shaking long enough to get a syllable out.

"Where is she you disgusting maggot?! I told you to bring her here, now! Talk you abomination of magic!"

"D-d-d-ea-ad-d" It managed to spit out after a few seconds.

"What?! Telum Flatus!" Voldemort screamed in rage as several hundred small silvery darts shot from his wand and lodged into the offending elf, before each dart exploded with enough force to blast a small hole into a wall. The elf was obliterated down to the threads of his pillow case, grayish red blood made a two meter circle around where the blast had taken place.

"You, go and find her. Do not return with ill news." Was all that was said to a new recruit who had yet to take his mark. The boy returned a few minutes later, looking not unlike the house elf that had gone before him. He prostrated himself before his Lord, before giving him his news.

"It is true, my lord. She lays in her bath of bloody water dead. She took her own life, but did not leave a reason, my Lord." The new recruit finished. Though he looked ready to pass out in fear, his voice did not waver. While at any other time this may have slightly impressed the Dark Lord, this was not such a time. His chosen was dead. He was going to give her the honor of bearing his child, his heir. If he could even sire a child at this point. After dying, being reborn, and his lengths to achieve immortality, he was not sure if it was possible, but she was to be the one. No, now was no time to be impressed.

"Tergum Crusta" was shouted and a nondescript light shot out of the end of the Dark Lord's wand, impacting the Death Eater squarely on his forehead. The skin around where the spell hit started to turn pinkish, then grey, before it began to crack, forming red lines in the newly grayed skin. The patches of grey skin in between the red lines flaked of in large pieces, leaving the blood, bone, and muscle below the skin open to the elements. On Voldemort's orders he was disrobed so that he and his minions might see the full effect. After a minute the sad follower had no outer skin left and was starting to lose his voice, having hit close to every octave within the human ability to do so. As a 'mercy', he was hit with a suspension charm, which kept him upright and from losing too much blood and other critical parts which prolonged his life for the Dark Lord's enjoyment. His muscles then became cracked with the same lines that had covered his skin before. Muscle tissue began falling off of him in small pieces, shriveling up before they hit the ground. Without muscles to protect his insides, his intestines fell out, only being held by the suspension spell which still had him standing upright.

"Do not disappoint me again, Lucius. Or this will be a mercy compared to what you shall receive."

"Off course, my Lord. It will not happen again." Lucius said as he backed away, making sure not to run into the pathetic living skeleton of a man behind him or the pile elf blood.

The tortured man was hit with bone breaking hexes every where except his head, back, and chest until the suspension charm wore off a few minutes later and he died from blood loss and trauma. He was left there for the rest of the meeting as an example for all who could see. It was not often that he utterly destroyed a potentially useful crony, but he felt that his mood warranted it. A few new attacks were discussed, none mentioning any attack on the Potter brat, though. That is, until Severus Snape spoke up. He would tell his Lord what he had learned from Dumbledore and his precious Order. He had no true loyalties, and given the opportunity, he would kill either of them to rid himself of one more master. It was at the end of the meeting, when most, if not all of his followers had left, leaving only the inner circle members still there that Snape spoke up.

"My Lord." Snape said, kneeling before his Lord, but his head was held to meet just below the Dark Lord's eyes. Any higher and he was risking an attack to his mind and showing disrespect by gazing into the crimson orbs without permission. And permission was only granted if a mind attack was coming.

"Yes, Severus, my pet?" Voldemort asked lazily, looking for any excuse to hex the man before him, like he would any of his followers.

"The Potter brat, he has been moved from his relatives house following a failed attack." Snape said softly.

"Explain." The serpentine quality of his voice could not be denied and it sent shivers down Snape's spine.

"A few days ago, shortly after a meeting of Dumbledore's 'Order', his assigned guard arrived to find what she tells as four Death Eaters, two new recruits and two more senior, attacking the boy in his home. She says that Potter had downed the two younger before she arrived and was losing to another when she began dueling with him, almost besting him until the last arrived. The last -whom had tortured his relatives to death under the Cruciatus, and most likely had killed his cousin, who had been painted across the kitchen, I am told- surprised her from behind and pushed her into the boy, which she protected enough for them to give up shortly there after. I believe that they knew they were under a time constraint once the wards were down and had to leave, taking the downed with them. Dumbledore and his lackeys arrived shortly there after. Potter is in a magically induced coma due to extreme magical exhaustion and will not wake up for a few weeks at this rate. The only other information I have is that his wand has been taken by those who attacked him. It could not be found in the house, so Potter is now without the ability to do magic. He will be taken to be fitted for a new wand at some point after he awakes. And though it is of no significance, his owl is missing. According to Dumbledore, there were owl rejection wards over the property, though the bird managed to get inside. I believe it is dead and is painted in the kitchen with his relative." Snape finished with a small sneer.

"How was it that they got past the wards?" Riddle asked, general curiosity in his voice, a rare thing.

"It is believed by Dumbledore that they put Potter's relatives under the Imperious curse and made them allow entrance."

"With all of the wards on the boy's house, did the great Albus Dumbledore did not think to include a dark magic detection ward?" Voldemort asked incredulously.

"He had before, my Lord. But they were taken off when he began having his dreams induced by you. They continuously set off the wards, and so they were removed. I was only made aware of this after bring up the question to Dumbledore in private myself." Snape told him.

"Simple, yet ingenious. They were able to kill his relatives, ensuring that he could not be held under Dumbledore's 'Blood Protection Wards' again. His wand was taken, and now he has no way of defending himself. I would let them live, had they not failed. Lucius, Mortimer, Avery. Find out who is responsible, Now!" He ordered. Once they had left, he turned once again to Snape.

"With the boy in a coma, will you be able to get close enough to Potter to kill or poison him?" Voldemort asked.

"No, my Lord. Unfortunately the nurse has never trusted me, nor my potions and performs detection spells on them which will show if they are poisoned in a way to make him ill. There are poisons that hide their purpose to a healer's spell, but they do not have any practical purpose for us. The potions include things like Dysentery, which would be seen as a mild irritation that is easily fixed by the nurse and wont kill him." The Dark Lord nodded, but not satisfied.

"Where is he being taken?"

"I do not know, and Dumbledore will tell no one. He says it is do to the wards, which if it is true, would indicate something like the Fidelious or an un-plottable ward. He could be taking him to his private home or a number of unknown places."

"And are you positive that they were Death Eaters, Severus?" Voldemort asked.

"Though they may have looked like Death Eaters, it is possible that they may have been supporters who wished to gain favor before coming to place their loyalty with you. No mark was left at the scene. This may suggest that they were not marked supporters or they did not have enough time." Snape said, still kneeling.

"Very well. Crabbe, Goyle, find out if anyone else has attacked the boy, I want these people brought before me on their knees! Severus, find out what you can about where he is being taken. And I will need another batch of Veritaserum soon. Get on it." With that the Dark Lord rose from his throne and headed to his private quarters.


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Darkness. Shadowy darkness. Then a sound. It sounded slightly like a voice, but it was so muddled it was nearly impossible to tell. A murmur, deep reverberating sounds seeped into his very soul. Incomprehensible words that had no purpose.

'It is too early...'

'Why is he here?'

'Never happened before...'

'His eyes...'

'Why are there so many?'

'Those who have no heir...'

'Quite!' said a commanding voice. 'He wakes.'

The fog that seemed to have been on all of his senses slowly lifted, and Seraph took in his surroundings. He was in a large chair, a throne almost. Before him were several people who sat behind what looked like a Judge's Bench on a large raised platform, not unlike the Ministry courtrooms. 'Oh goody, prosecuted already.' Seraph thought through the haze that was slowly abating from his head. They were not in a room however. They were outside under the stars, the 'Orion' constellation Seraph knew, in comfortable weather in a grassy plain. 'Why am I here? All I remember was Dudley, and Hedwig...'

"State your name, familial name, and title." One of the two men who sat at the highest chair demanded. The question shook Seraph out of his thoughts and brought him to full attention. Seraph looked at the man for nearly a minute, contemplating not answering, before realizing he was in no position to escape and he was nearly surrounded by able looking wizards.

"I am Seraph Orion Black. Familial nomenae 'Black Angel of Orion'. Head of Black Family; Nemo me impune lacessit." Seraph growled the last in Grimtongue. Many of the attendants looked shocked at his name, title, or what Seraph assumed, his use of Grimtongue. The man to the right of the man who spoke just grinned, a lopsided and feral grin. And Seraph knew that he was related to this man.

"Another Grim speaker. I was beginning to think that another would not come. It has been long." Grinning man said.

"Welcome, heir of Black. Though your early arrival is unprecedented, you are welcomed all the same. I am known as Knox. Besides me is my son, Meissa, the first Black. We preside over every Right of Choice for our Heir's and for the Heir's of the descendants of the Guild for their right of choice. You, young Seraph, see before you a rare event, even for this line. For the other lines, it is not uncommon to have one or two ancestors summoned to preside with us. In our line, it is just us and perhaps an ancestor from the mother's line to help with the proceedings, depending on their power and standing. There are times though when 'others' will be summoned. These 'others' are the last ancestors of lines that were held within the Grim's Guild. When one of the blood-bound lines dies out, the Black line takes over and it is added to our line. Do you understand so far?" Knox asked. Seraph nodded.

"The ritual that created Meissa tied every members magic to him. He gained all of their abilities, to an extent. Over his long life, when an unfortunate member would die without leaving a recognized Heir, he gained whatever ability he had from that line in full, instead of having a partial ability."

"So who are the rest of these people?" Seraph asked, looking at people who were at both sides of the two men, stopping at a man decked out in Slytherin colors with it's crest upon his robes.

"They are those whom you descend from, and those who's lines have ended, passing them onto you. One had an Heir, but he has disowned his blood, and passed his line to you. They will introduce themselves and tell you what they will after you have chosen your path."

"So, Lord Black, Heir of Meissa, Ever Heir of the Grim's Guild, Heir of yet unmentioned lines that you see before you. You have a choice ahead of you. To walk the path of light, or darkness, or that rarely trodden path of twilight, your gifts and magic will reflect your choice. Light magic is the magic of life. Of creation. It heals and it builds. You can embrace this, take hold of it and create life where was their death before. You can remain in the light and hope that it will be strong enough to protect you. But I see in your soul darkness. You may embrace darkness, take it as your own. Bend it to your will. Bring forth the change needed to your stagnant world. Kill and destroy, revel in your chaos. Make others serve you, power to do what ever you want. Make your choice..." The force of the voice reverberated across the sky, and shook the ground.

Seraph thought for a moment. It was true that could never be purely of the light again. He had embraced something dark. What was 'light' anyway. Dumbledore is said to be the greatest 'light' wizard that there was in recent times, but he is a manipulative chess master. But the dark path that Meissa described sounded like something that would appeal more to Riddle then himself, except perhaps changing the world part. He would do as he had wanted since his father had told him about the choice he would have to make.

"I choose neither the light, nor the darkness. My destiny may have been set to destroy the one of true darkness, but I will do it on my own terms. I was born into the light and marked by darkness. I will forge my own path through the twilight. Walk the path between them, and I will use them as I see fit." Seraph declared, his voice sounding unearthly, bouncing around the clearing.

"Your choice has been declared to sun and moon, earth and sky, stars and magic. Fate has set your path, but it is guided by your will. By choice, by right, and by magic, so it is spoken, so mote it be..." Meissa finished as wind swirled around the clearing, the stars brightened unbelievably, and Seraph's aura exploded outwards, a swirl of pitch black and stunning silver.

"Your path is set, your choice given. And though you have not yet reached the eve of your 16th, you will be blessed by your ancestors. Look towards them, and embrace their gifts." Knox finished, nodding towards them. Seraph looked once again towards the thin man in green and silver.

"Do not look at me child, it pains me to leave my legacy to one such as your self, a Black or not. Though you would have gained it if you had succeeded in killing the bastard heir of my blood, it could have waited till then. If it was not for those blasted blood laws I would not be here!" The thin man hissed in parseltongue.

"And if your Heir was not so incompetent, I would not be here and it would not matter." Seraph hissed back.

"A Grimtongue who speaks the snake language as well," Meissa hissed. "The plot thickensss..."

"You speak my tongue, but are not of my line. Ah, I see from your mind. You are correct, my Heir was incompetent. Not able to kill an infant, and to attempt is most shameful. Perhaps you are the better choice..." The man -presumably Slytherin- drawled out in his hiss. Knox cleared his throat, and continued.

"I, am Lord Salazar Eltanin Slytherin, Master of Serpents, Descendant of the Lesser Master of the Grim's Guild, and a Founder of Hogwarts. My Heir has lost his title by breaking a sacred blood law. I am without Heir, though the one know as Thomas Riddle is still alive. Therefore I pass to you the full ability of parseltongue, Parsel Magic. Riddle may be disowned, but I cannot recall his magic back, so he also has this magic. There are few offensive uses for this magic, but they are devastating. The defensives uses are extremely strong but are specific in their uses. The magic is mainly used in detection spells, animation and some mind magic, things I found particular use for. Use the gift well." A silver and neon green glowing mist surrounded Seraph for a moment, before it was absorbed into his body and he felt control over his use of parseltongue and the slippery magic that was Parsel Magic. Slytherin gave him a nod before disappearing.

The next man was shorter then Slytherin, but better built. Messy golden hair was atop his head, wearing red and gold and the Gryffindor crest sat on his chest.

"I, Lord Black, am Sir Godric Gryffin of Dor, Master Swordsman and Fighter, Master Warder, Master of Transfiguration, Creator of the branch of Transfiguration known as Animagus, Founder of Hogwarts, and Sire of the Line of Potter. You already carry my magic, but I bestow upon you the gift of Full Animagus. It will allow you to connect to your animagus form, gaining its abilities. It becomes part of you, and you become part of it. Do not let the knowledge of Potter wards fall into disuse. Rarely is their seen a grey magic user who holds the Potter line, but I can tell you will make us proud." Godric winked at him before disappearing like Slytherin had. This time he was surrounded by red and gold mist before it was sucked into his skin, feeling something in the back of his mind stir, shake, and settle again.

And so it went on for a while more. The last of Ross giving him their affinity towards potions and rituals, which would give him the ability to create potions on instinct if there was none for what he wanted and less likely to kill himself during a ritual. The last of the Macualay's giving him greater connection of mind to magic, making sure he would have a boost when he began to study the mind magics. The last of Linksys' gave him the ability of language, a most useful thing to have for runes, and any other non magical language, according to the man. The line of Creo gave him the ability of mechanics, allowing him to create things easier, 'Amazing things can be done with the right tools' she had said. Finally, only Meissa and Knox were left in front of him.

"You have been given great gifts, young Seraph, and though it has been repeated by all of your ancestors, you must use them well. For myself, I give you the ability of Martial. It allows you to fight better, should you need it. You will need to train it though, otherwise it may go dormant. You will find that you are a natural user of weapons also." Knox said before he to disappeared with a light smile.

"If you had not realized it before, Seraph, you are my chosen Heir. Touched by the serpent indeed... I will give you no power from this realm. I have left to you the entirety of my life's work within your vault, which only you can enter, but you already know that. Knowledge is a wondrous and powerful thing Seraph, and I have left to you all that I knew. There are techniques in the books to help you learn, I suggest you use those. I also left my portrait in my personal trunk. I can speak more to you there, for we have little time left. There is one more, who wishes to give something to you though." Meissa said, his voice sounding oddly gruff and serpentine. Like he was not used to speaking outside of using Grimtongue or parseltongue.

"I will, thank you. I will not disappoint you. Who is still here?" Seraph asked, seeing nobody left. In a burst of dark flames, Hedwig appeared before him and landed on his shoulder.

"She has actually already given it to you. Though an owl she may have been, she held the soul of a Phoenix within her. Had she lived and died naturally, she would have been reborn a Phoenix. As it is, she was killed, turning her soul to that of a Dark Phoenix. Rather then move on, her loyalty was such that she gave you what she could to help you on your path. She has touched your soul, and you core. She has given you the affinity of fire. Fire is a dangerous and beautiful thing, warm and docile, raging and powerful. I cannot tell you anymore. You will have to check your core once you learn how to and use the Black Stone of ability to see if anything else has changed within your magic. You have been in a magically induced coma for the past week or more, regaining your magic back, but with your gifts filling your core also. You are being held in one of the ancestral homes. Be cautious of the White one, and fear not from the pink or furry one they are allies. The nurse and the eye suspect, tell them no lies. You have less and more on your side then you know. Fare thee well, Heir of Black. May you always walk the everlasting twilight." The first Black faded out, as did Hedwig after one last affectionate bite of Seraph's ear.

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I think I'll end it there. It took me forever to get this down. Hope you all enjoyed it. More to come.

Review, and tell me what you think. Anonymous reviews are accepted.

To the reviewers:

UldAses/ Heather/ AzureSky123/ schmanski/feartheturtle35 mauripendragon solar1/Maben00/ AlphaPhi/ Blue Werewolf Boy/ jbfritz/Kai Hiei Sasuke Bankotsu Ray and Matt are so all mine/ HarrygoestoHollywood/ Shadowed Rains/ gaul1/ Salena Snape/bandgsecurtiyaw/fanficfreak35/CirceVisigoth/Kaveman/gaul1/jbfritz/shadowwalker2/superb/Matt101/ThrainTalonwater/hilarydilarydoc/AzureSky123/Voldemortsunderstudy/Zaxxon/alen/bandgsecurtiyaw/RexMeino/SalenaSnape/DarkWolfYingFa/Zevrillion/imgonnadie/snowfox2000/richard a lake/Kazua/firelordeg/OdinMage ApocSM Phntm-Phnx yuiop jabarber69 Kyrissean Angelis Kai Hiei Sasuke Bankotsu Ra... Lady FoxFire prutser bandgsecurtiyaw darkgryffin MatTer79 dumblefck76 Never Odd Or eveN highbrass Heart Mind Soul Digi Bonds imgonnadie Zevrillion Silat'r fallenAngel_2389 Mcshnee the Triscuit Oxygen Kiss Schwinpt rlmess souls Shyposter Just Me Prime Xyverz Fear-of-Real-Life slashslut zafaran Queen of the Storms Helltanz98 Caddy94 WashedOut slayerstoryguy Maxennce icedragon925 MysterioX Ravenfur TheWiseSirIvanTheShadowLord Eowyn23 ApocSM Barby-Black Anime-Ronin satyr-oh Killer916 Ugly Duckling the dark icon writers Neurotic Cat Goddess bandgsecurtiyaw jbfritz CastusAlbusCor xyvortex Zevrillion gaul1 FairyQilan Maxennce Sky 05 coldfiredragon Shadowed Rains shadow of the black abyss japanesegirl102 PsychoSpiff Marikili68 TenshiZujin Just Me Prime Tree Flower Akira Stridder DragonFoxx Dirbatua Theboss996 wavefunction Shadow King77 Zero Legacy ariachan85 v v Queen Victoria Rkhiara IrishLass6 Syfes Queen of the Storms Alexandria Lily Potter sirius009 WebGuy Caliko zafaran Jensindenial3516 Junky Jensindenial3516 confusedcowuk Goyana HermioneGreen lone wolf blade sweet.filo.chik mrmistoffelees Andine BferBear Kara-sweet melody Obsidian-Dragon-Phoenix


violet7amethyst: Thanks for the review. Tell me what parts specifically you are talking about and I will go back and see if I cannot leave little reminders around there.

Chrisproffitt: Thanks, nice of you to say so.

riegert8: You said that, not me.

smartgy2008: Thanks.

zeldagirl1335: I'll try. 'flippin' sweet'. Interesting choice of expletive replacement.

Zafaran: Thanks. I hope this chapter met your expectations. I'll try to keep it up.

Salena Snape: Yeah, it will be interesting. Now I just have to figure it out. Glad that you liked the chapter.

Ianoda: Read your story, not bad. Looking forward to an update.

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ChiSuiKaFuKu: I hope that the story looks better now. I'll have to be careful in the future as to how I compromise the story.