Harry Potter: The Shadow’s Heir

Parkinson Manor

Pansy lay on her bed, face scrunched up in a frown as she thought.

Sometimes Harry really scared her. The look he would get in his eyes sometimes, it just didn't sit well with her.

It freaked her out, to be perfectly honest.

He was such a great guy, thoughtful and loving. But then she would be hesitant to go further.

And he would get this look.

The same look he had when she found him with that rabbit.

' Surely he wouldn't even think of doing that to me?'

But she wasn't so sure. The certainty was slowly abandoning her.

Sometimes he made her feel like all he cared about was her body. And what he could do with it.

And he was rough with her.

She'd thought about putting a boy's thing in her mouth before. Honestly, who hadn't?

But she'd never thought that he would be pulling her hair and pinching her shoulder. That it would be painful.

And she was scared.

She knew it would only be a matter of time until he wanted something she wasn't willing to give.

And then what? How would he react? What would he do?

She didn't know.

And sometimes, when she spoke about Harry, her parents looked at one another.

They never said anything, but there was something in their look.

Something that scared her, too.

And she wanted to speak to her mother about it, but what could she say?

" So, mummy. Harry wanted me to suck his cock, but I was uncertain. And he gave me this scary look. And he only tells me he loves me after I've made him cum. And he scares me'

She snorted.

As if that would go down well.

' Still. Maybe I could talk to her without being too explicit? She'll be able to help me'

Maybe. Or maybe she'd just laugh it off, saying it's how all boys are. Maybe mummy would ignore her.

' No. She wouldn't do that'

Eventually, Pansy decided. She would ask her mother for advice and try to explain a few her worries.

Her mother would be sure to solve them.

The Shrieking Shack

' The cat will bring me Peter. I just have to believe that. The cat will bring me Peter. I can't risk going into the castle again. The cat will bring me Peter'

' What then?'

Sirius shook his head, marveling at his sanity. Not so long ago, the thought of 'what then' wouldn't even have occurred to him.

It was amazing what being out of Azkaban can do for the mind. Being free of the endless cold and fear and screams and-

' Maybe I'll write a letter to Dumbledore?'

He looked around the room. There was a table with nothing on it.

' Ok, I'll need to get paper first. And a quill, that's important too'

He longed to go outside for a bit. Just to feel the sun on his skin.

That made it clear to him that it wasn't a dream.

In Azkaban, there was never sun.

Only the cold and the screams and the fear and the-

"Later" he muttered. "I need to think, now"

He almost jumped at the echo, before remembering that he had spoken.

' What can I tell him?'

"Tell him you're unarmed. That you've got proof you're innocent. Peter fucking Pettigrew did it"

Before he knew it, he was screaming.

"PETER FUCKING DID IT! HE SOLD THEM OUT! HE KILLED JAMES! HE KILLED JAMES AND LILY! AND HE FRAMED ME! THE FUCKING RAT!"

Eventually, his tirade ended. His breath came down to a regular rhythm. His heart calmed down.

"It was Peter" he whispered. "And I want to turn him in. I want to be set free"

' I'm already free!'

' Am I?'

He screamed again. Halfway through, he was howling. A large, black dog left the Shrieking Shack.

The sun would prove that he was out of Azkaban.

And maybe he would be able to get writing equipment, as a dog.

Severus Snape's Quarters

Severus changed directions, moving from a clockwise to counter-clockwise stir.

The potion bubbled, slowly changing from a greenish color to a dark purple, almost black hue.

' 5… 6… 7'

He stepped out of reach as it began emitting bright sparks.

With a wave of his wand, the fire below the cauldron was extinguished.

' Let it cool, then freeze it. Defrost in exactly one weeks time, and reheat'

It was practically complete. After all the months of slaving over it, with a precision that almost no-one else would have managed, it was finally done.

The perfect poison.

There were many poisons that were so-called untraceable. There was only one that truly was.

Only one poison that would cause a seemingly perfectly natural heart attack, going so far as to cause stress on the heart's muscles for a few days first. Going so far as to clog the arteries. And would then dissolve totally into the bloodstream.

And had no identifying taste or odor whatsoever.

And had no antidote whatsoever. Even a bezoar would be useless in fighting it.

Only one.

And it was sitting before him in an unassuming cauldron.

It boggled his mind sometimes, that there truly was only one perfect poison. Surely with magic, everything should be possible?

But no. There was only one. And it was one of the most difficult, time-consuming potions to brew.

He could still screw it up, simply by defrosting and reheating it a quarter of an hour too late.

And after the months and months of effort, it only gave enough for one dosage.

Even so, it was gratifying to have been successful. Few, even amongst Potion Masters were capable of brewing it.

Of course, they didn't have the Dark Lord forcing them to make it.

At the thought of his master, Severus shuddered. No matter how many times he had seen the Dark Lord express his fury, he was still affected as strongly as the first.

And what he had seen Harry do.

' I should never have helped him learn that spell. No-one deserves that type of death. No-one'

But Harry had brought it upon Mundungus Fletcher, prized thief, and idiot.

And Harry had enjoyed it.

Oh, he had felt sickened afterward. No matter how much he tried to hide it, that fact had been clear. But there had been fierce joy in his eyes as Mundungus was eaten alive.

It was horrific. To see Lily's eyes lit up like that.

It was an abomination.

It made Severus wish he could kill himself.

He had thought Occlumency would help the boy control his desires. It hadn't. Not enough, at least.

Of course, Harry was not an expert Occlumency yet. Not even near. Draco was well on the way, but he was clearly gifted in that respect.

Still, it should have helped Harry more.

He had thought that learning the Patronus charm would help Harry.

Harry was almost capable of casting a corporeal Patronus, something many fully trained wizards couldn't do. Yet, it hadn't helped as it should have.

He had even thought, hoped that perhaps Harry's relationship with Parkinson would help him. Would cause him to be more empathetic.

It only seemed to drive his desires more.

Severus was at his wit's end. He simply didn't know how to slow Harry's descent.

' Before I know it, Lily's eyes will be lit with the same perverse madness as Bella's were'

Nevertheless, he would find a way. He would not abandon his goals. He could not. To do so would be to deny everything he was.

He would find a way to help Harry, to stop him from becoming yet another sadistic monster in service of the Dark Lord.

Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts

Something niggled at him. His instincts had led him wrong before, but not often. They were warning him of something.

' Mundungus, perhaps?'

He hadn't heard from Mundungus for a few days, true. But that was how Mundungus operated, disappearing for up to weeks at a time.

Albus' mind turned to thoughts of the meetings Mundungus had been spying on for him.

' Tom wouldn't reveal himself to his followers unless he had regained a body. But surely there would be some sign if he had been successful in that endeavor?'

' Wouldn't there be?'

Albus frowned. Patience had never been one of Tom's virtues.

Intelligence, however, had been.

' Staying hidden would be the prudent move for him. Until he is forced to reveal himself. But dare I operate under the assumption that he has truly returned? Doing so could cause me to make grievous errors. It could prevent me from thwarting his return'

This was no chess game, where the pieces were mindless conjurations.

Human lives were at stake.

Not just those who would die or be injured, but those whose lives would be irreversibly changed.

People like Harry.

A glimmer of happiness crept into Albus' eyes. He was getting through to the boy, he could see it. Appealing to his love for learning was definitely the correct move.

' I just need to keep it up. To show him that he is cared for and loved. That should help him find peace. Help him break through his anger'

Far, far too much anger still swam in those emerald eyes.

Albus knew he deserved the anger aimed at him. He had bought and paid for it.

But anger would only lead to bitterness and hate.

And those would only lead to a lifetime of misery.

' After all, I have put Harry through, he deserves a happy life. And if Tom is returning or has returned, then he has enough pain in his near future before that happiness can come. I just have to ensure that if, no, when he wins, he has reason to live. And enjoy life'

"Oh, Fawkes," he said softly. "Sometimes the weight of all these responsibilities wears down on me"

Fawkes responded with a soft trill, filling the room with joy and life.

"Would you sing for me, my dear friend? Just for a few minutes, before I start my search"

Fawkes sang. Albus let the music wash over him, wiping away his fatigue and worry. Removing his stress and pain.

When the song was over, he opened his eyes with purpose.

It was time to find Mundungus.

He would not hide away in his office while disaster looms. Not again.

Never again.