FicWad

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, then it might well belong to J.K.R or to some of her affiliates. Or to some random people out there. I only claim my OC:s and plot.

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Chapter Four: Spinner of Deceit



Harry Potter opened his eyes to see a white, non-descript ceiling.


White ceiling. White walls. White floor. Few empty, white beds. The owner of this place apparently really did love white. He was even dressed in white! The only thing not white was some weird beeping machine on his bedside table... and even it was mostly white. Far too much white for his tastes.


There was a witch, also dressed in white, standing next to him. She was a small woman, undoubtedly shorter than he was. Harry guessed that she was probably in her early thirties. The witch had platinum blonde, shoulder length hair and she was looking at him concerned. "Are you awake, Mr. Potter?"


"Yeah," he answered weakly. "Where am I?"


"You are in the Auror Emergency Clinic," the witch answered. "In the Ministry Headquarters."


"Oh..." Harry said. "But what am I doing here?"


"Don't you remember?" the witch asked gently.


Harry looked thoughtful for a second, after which he nearly jumped out of the bed, and he would have if the witch hadn't caught him. "You are not going anywhere," the blonde woman said firmly.


Harry looked at her with his startlingly green eyes. "But, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned! I must tell the Headmaster and Aurors!"


"They already know," the witch said gently. "Just lie down and rest."


"Oh..." he whispered, and then his eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise. "Tonks... She... I..."


"Don't worry, we know you did what you did under the Imperius Curse cast by Bartemius Crouch Jr. Just like Miss Lovegood."


Harry looked at her surprised. "How did you know? And what happened to Luna?"


"When Auror Tonks took you here, you were immediately administered Veritaserum. You were suspected of serious crimes, after all." Seeing his distressed state, she added, "Don't worry you were found not guilty. You showed traces of the Imperius Curse and testified under the Truth Serum that you were forced to do what you did. And when Miss Lovegood, who was brought here few hours after you, was interrogated, there was no doubt of your innocence remaining anymore."


Harry released the breath he had been holding. "It's over now... But, please tell me what happened to Luna?"


The witch hesitated for few seconds, before answering, "I'm not supposed to tell you, but... I guess you have right to know. She was Imperiused and forced to kill her own father."


Harry closed his eyes and grimaced. "Can I talk to her?"


She shook her head. "I don't think it's possible, at least not yet. Though, both Professor Dumbledore and Minister Fudge would like to speak with you now that you are awake."


"Oh... Miss, I assume you are a Healer, right?"


She looked at him curiously. "Yes I am. Do you need something?"


"Yeah. I think there is something wrong with my left arm," he said and lifted the arm slightly.


She looked mildly surprised. "I thought I made a full check, but let me see," she said and took her wand out of her pocked. She kneeled next to his bed, and gently lifted his sleeve to bare his left arm.


At that moment Harry grasped her wand, and forced it out of her fingers. A second later it was pointed at its owner.


"Imperio."


Harry smiled demonically as the curse struck the Healer. It is far too easy! Good people were far too predicable. They had their constricting morals, they obeyed laws and they simply weren't devious enough...


Don't they realise that war necessitates a different set of morals, and that for a warrior the only crime is cowardice?


And they were far too trustful. As a master Occlumens he had been able to lie under the Veritaserum. And the Dark Lord had cast the Imperius Curse on him just so that they could find traces of it. Still he had thought that someone would have doubted his innocence...



*


Nymhadora Tonks watched flames dancing within a white marble fireplace in the Auror Headquarters. She needed to clear her mind. There were some pieces missing from the puzzle. She was missing something...


The escape had been too easy. Far too easy... even with some Death Eater helping her. The brat had stayed away from her over a week only to return to be ambushed last night. She should be happy of her escape, but she couldn't. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that something terrible was about to happen.


"Tonks are you alright?" someone asked from the door. She recognised the voice, it belonged to her fellow Auror, Franz Savage.


She didn't bother to turn at the speaker. "What do you think?" she asked sarcastically.


The man on the door sighed. "He was under the Imperius Curse."


This time Tonks turned around. Her expression was mixture of anger and surprise. "What?"


"Potter showed traces of the Imperius Curses and he was interrogated under Veritaserum. He's innocent. The real culprit is Bartemius Crouch Jr."


Tonks couldn't believe her ears. The brat was suddenly innocent? No way! He certainly didn't act like he had been under the curse. And shouldn't Bartemius Crouch Jr. be dead? "What? Isn't he dead?"


"Apparently not. We have another witness in addition of Harry Potter, and she told us lot about him. For example, he was the one who killed Mad Eye. Crouch had captured Moody before the term had started, and then he had impersonated him for the whole term. And that he has, as the Defence teacher, used the Imperius Curse on most students at Hogwarts... with Dumbledore's permission."


"What? How could he allow that to happen?"


Savage shrugged. "You can ask that from him yourself when he arrives. He's going to see Potter alongside with the Minister."


"I think he's gone completely wacko," Tonks muttered.


"Yeah. Most of the law enforcement is currently checking students to see if any the curses are still active. It's a very busy day for Aurors too. Most of us are about to attack the Riddle Manor. Hopefully they haven't realised that you and Potter are gone yet."


"If we are attacking, then what am I doing here?" Tonks asked. She was itching for a battle.


The man looked at her apologetically. "Higher-ups decided that you are not fit for field duty yet, so you got stuck here with me."


Suddenly the pieces came together. That brat had wanted to be captured. Somehow he had been able to fool the Truth Potion and lie his way out. They had wanted her to tell the Ministry about their hideout's location. They had wanted the Ministry to know that any of the Hogwarts' students could be under the Imperius Curse...


All this to smuggle the brat into the Ministry of Magic Headquarters... and to send the whole law enforcement outside.


Headmaster and the Minister were walking directly into a trap... just like her Auror comrades. The Ministry was about to crumble and no-one except her knew anything about it... and she had no evidence whatsoever.


Not that she needed any evidence...


*


Harry watched as two older men walked into his room. One of them was wearing blood red robes and electric blue cloak with twinkling yellow stars on it. The other was wearing pinstriped cloak and bottle-green suit.


"Hello Professor, Minister," Harry said with smile.


Dumbledore looked at his cheerful expression curiously. "Is everything alright, Harry?"


Before Harry had time to answer, two voices bellowed, "Avada Kedavra!"


Fudge was instantly hit by a twisting bolt of green light, and collapsed silently on the floor. The ancient Headmaster, however, demonstrated tremendous wand speed, and conjured a stone slab to intercept the Killing Curse.


The curse hit the slab and it exploded in flash of green fire, blasting sharp stone splinters everywhere. Dumbledore whirled his wand and there was a flash of silver light. The two attackers, a medi-witch and a male ministry worker collapsed on the floor.


A second later a purple bolt of Dark magic hit the Headmaster's wand hand, cleanly severing it. The terrible heat radiated by the curse instantly cauterised the wounds and set his sleeve aflame. The severed and slightly smoking hand hit the floor with soft thud. The Headmaster's wand never hit the floor as someone summoned it mid-flight. The ancient Headmaster was now literally de-armed.


Albus Dumbledore turned around to see that Harry had come out of his bed and was now pointing a wand directly at his heart on his other hand the young wizard had his wand.


The teen smiled fiendishly. "The Dark Lord sends his greetings. Crucio."


The Headmaster collapsed on the floor. The pain was unbearable. He gasped for air. Dumbledore felt like he had been stabbed with million white-hot knives. Incoherent yells left his mouth as his body convulsed uncontrollably.


Harry was chuckling quietly. How he had awaited this! He is the reason why I had to spent ten years with muggles, Harry thought furiously. Now it's his turn to taste some of my pain!


After a minute he ended the curse. He lot to do, and he couldn't play with his newest victim for much more. Besides, every second he waited before killing the supposedly only person his lord had ever feared could through some miracle lead to a situation in which he would be unable to kill him.


The ancient Headmaster looked at him into his eyes. In Dumbledore's face Harry saw both sadness and pity.


Harry's expression grew furious. How dare he pity me! It's him who is dying. It's me who is on verge of accomplishing everything. He lifted his wand to give the killing stroke, but then he felt Headmaster's mind-probe.


Harry's lips formed into a wicked grin. So, the Headmaster wants to know the truth before he dies. Well, that's something I can oblige. He begun to send his memories to the ancient Headmaster...



Harry Potter walked the streets, late at night, as he always did during his numerous assignments. For a big city, these streets were surprisingly empty at this late hour. Only the finest examples of muggles like pimps, hookers, druggies and drunks were out at this hour. What a fine company I have, he thought sarcastically. The young wizard looked around. It was a typical English weather, meaning that it was raining gently. Harry didn't mind it that much. A simple Impervious charm quarantined that his clothes would stay dry no matter how hard the skies would be pouring.


Suddenly two older boys wearing red leather jackets stepped out from the shadows and blocked his way. Harry raised his eyebrows slightly. They were trying to rob him?


Turned out that he was right. "Now, boy, give me your money and we might let you go," one of the boys said.


"Oh... is that so?" Harry asked and reached for his wand. "Why would I give anything to filthy muggles like you?"


"What did you call us, boy?" the other boy said threateningly and took out a long stiletto.


Harry nearly sighed. Muggles and their uncivilised weapons. "I called you filthy muggles. Dequo!"


A bolt of pure darkness shot out from his wand. The spell hit the muggle squarely into his chest and the muggle simply vanished, leaving only faint trail of dust.


A second later the remaining muggle was hit by a shimmering ray of pale blue light. His frozen body fell backwards and shattered when it hit the ground. The Levistus charm was very powerful and very illegal freezing charm.


Harry stepped over the remains and continued his way, now a small smile etched on his lips.



"Do you want more?" Harry asked with a smile.


The headmaster looked at him, clearly disappointed. "You really are with him then?"


Harry snorted. "Of course."


"Harry," Dumbledore said, shaking his head slightly. "Voldemort doesn't share power, he will simply use and then discard you."


"You are wrong. Lord Voldemort does share power. Admittedly, He won't share the ultimate power, but don't even want it. And He won't even think about harming me as long as I remain useful, which is something I always intent to be."


"Has he told you about the prophecy?"


This peaked Harry's interest. Was the Headmaster trying to weasel his way out? Or what trick was he trying? "Why should I care what some mad-cap soothsayer has said?"


"Because Voldemort will kill you because of it. He has already tried once."


"I'm not listening you, old man. You are not turning me against our rightful lord. All high-ranking Ministry personnel who oppose my lord are going to die today. The Auror Corps are marching into a trap and they will be slaughtered. Your precious Order is going to be crushed today too. Your and Weasleys' deaths are more than enough to do the trick. The war is over before it truly begun again. The Light will lose, and there's nothing you can do about it," Harry snarled. "Now goodbye." He lifted his wand.


The old man simply looked at him, displaying no fear. "I will forgive you. Perhaps it is time for me to go to my next great adventure. My friends have waited for me for long enough already."


Damn it! The old man had managed to take his feeling of victory away with few words. Anyway, it is the time to end this.


"Sectumsempra!"


Invisible swords cut deep wounds on Dumbledore's chest and stomach, spraying blood everywhere. The crimson liquid started to pool around the Headmaster's prone form.


Harry turned his eyes from the dying Headmaster to his two Imperiused slaves who had already recovered from Dumbledore's mass-stunning spell. "You have your targets. Proceed!"


*


Tonks ran through the Ministry's corridors. In her mind she cursed the fact that Apparation wards had been cast immediately after Dumbledore had claimed that You-Know-Who had risen again. Also floo-connections were restricted. Only locations you could travel into by floo were homes of the Department and Office Heads.


She had sent Savage to warn other Aurors about the trap and to bring them back to the ministry. She wasn't sure if he had believed her, but luckily he had agreed.


Now she would have to stop Potter. This time she was sure that he wouldn't come without a fight. But unlike in their first fight, now she was ready for it. And hopefully the brat wouldn't be expecting her.


*


Suddenly the door exploded and an Auror rushed inside the room her wand blazing. Harry flickered his wand, causing a transparent purple dome to appear front of him. The shield absorbed Tonks' onslaught of barely legal curses.


"My, my. Aren't I popular today? First I get visited by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and the Minister for Magic," Harry said gesturing at the two bodies laying on the cold stone floor. "And then my favourite Auror decides to pay me a visit. How nice!"


"I knew you were guilty," she hissed. Her wand was pointed directly at Potter's heart and she was standing in a duelling stance.


Harry chuckled. "Of course you knew. Actually I counted on that."


Now she was surprised. "What?"


The Dark wizard watched her in amusement. "I wanted you to come to me, instead of doing something that could harm my plan. I already accomplished the main objective by killing the annoying old cocker and that stupid politician. I have already sent my Imperiused servants to kill most of the high-ranking ministry officials. The Ministry will be in total chaos, especially after the Auror Corps are decimated."


"Hah. I don't think so. I already send a warning, they won't fall into your trap."


This time Harry chuckled even louder. "Ah, did you perhaps send the message by my sub-commander Franz Savage? If that's the case, I sincerely doubt your warning was delivered successfully. I am afraid your comrades are currently being slaughtered... just like the Ministry officials."


At first she was surprised, then her face showed betrayal and finally rage. White hot, desperate anger. "I... I'm going to... kill you," she snarled. "Then your Imperiuses will fail and at least some people will be saved." Even if she had declared that she was going to kill him she looked oddly hesitant to actually do so. She doesn't have the guts to kill. Pitiful.


Harry just watched her for a moment, his face betraying no emotions. "You can already taste it. The darkness. And it offers you power," he said quietly, "why wouldn't you grasp it?" A wicked smile appeared on his lips. "Or are you perhaps just a useless slut?"


Something snapped inside her. "Avada Kedavra," she bellowed, driven by her anger and thirst for vengeance. The green bolt shattered Harry's shield and he swayed to his left side to avoid the bolt of profane magic.


"Good!" Harry said, smiling manically. "Now, drop your wand!"


Tonks was about to laugh at his face, but then her grip of her wand suddenly loosened, and the wand dropped on the floor. She looked at her rebellious hand with a horrified expression.


"Interesting isn't it?" Harry said conversationally. "Did you know that there are moments when witches and wizards temporarily lose their control of their magic? That happens when one dies, falls into coma... or reaches one's sexual release. During those moments witches or wizards' magic is completely open to foreign intrusions. I performed quite an interesting piece of Parselmagic on you. The spell took over a week to mature, but now it is fully operational."


Tonks looked at Harry. Her face was odd mixture of anger and horror. "What... does that mean."


The Dark wizard waited few seconds before answering, "it means that you cannot disobey any direct orders from me."


If possible Tonks paled even more. She felt sick. The mere thought that she would be Potter's slave for the rest of her live was something she found completely disgusting.


"Well, I have few things to do. Don't leave this room and don't harm any of the Dark Lord's servants." With those words Harry exited the room, stopping only to repair the door with a wave of his wand.


Now I am going to take a look at the prophecy. If I remember right, they are stored in the Department of Mysteries. The young Dark wizard didn't want to believe that manipulative old cocker, but it was possible that the Dark Lord was going to kill him if He thought that he was a threat. Harry didn't really believe it as Lord Voldemort had never ever lied to him and He had said that he would be His second-in command forever. I wouldn't like to doubt my lord, but better safe than sorry.


*


As soon as Harry had turned to leave the room Tonks quickly took her wand from the floor and pointed it at the young Dark wizard's back intending to blast a quaffle-sized hole on it. Somehow she just couldn't manage say the incantation. Then she tried to cast to spell non-verbally. The second attempt was no more successful than the first.


He spoke truthfully, she realised. I cannot harm him... or any of the Dark Lord's followers. Damn it! Few fiery sparks escaped her wand tip, signifying her enraged mental state.


"Nymph... ando... ra," someone whispered in a pained way. She whirled around and saw that the Headmaster was still alive. Barely.


She kneeled next to his broken body. Damn it! She was no Healer and she couldn't even leave to get help. Her rage vanished leaving only a cold emptiness. Why was she always so useless? She would have failed the Auror Academy without her Metamorphmagus powers. She failed to save her comrades. She failed to stop the brat. Because of her everybody was dying! Hot tears started to fall down her cheeks to her chin, from where they fell to the white floor.


Suddenly the old man's remaining hand rose and swiped away her tears. "Give... me... your... wand," he said unsteadily.


Nymphadora gently placed her wand in the Headmaster's hand. Dumbledore whirled it once, and a golden aura enveloped him. He started to breath more easily and the bleeding stopped.


The Headmaster looked directly into Tonks' eyes. "The charm will soon fade and then I will really die. But in the meantime I can help you to stop him."


"I cannot do anything!" Nymphadora said, feeling very frustrated. "Didn't you hear what he just said?"


"I did," the Headmaster said with deceptive calmness. "He has performed a perversion of the ancient Bonding Ritual. By leaving the spell into un-harmonised state, he can impose his will on you."


"Can you dispel it?" Tonks asked eagerly.


The headmaster closed his eyes for a moment. "No, only death can end soul-bonds, but I can harmonise it. In other words, I can complete the bond."


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Author's Notes: You probably didn't expect this either. Only one more chapter to go. The final chapter is probably going to be Drama/Erotica again... depending on how bored I am when I write it.

And yes, it was planned to be that short from the beginning. This fic is written to take a break from what I usually write (Action/Humour). I will soon post a 41k action fic (As soon as it is betaed. My beta for that story is taking his sweet time.) which took me about a year to write. Hopefully it turns out to be worth all the work. At least I'm sure it's better than this. This fic is far too rushed for my tastes...