Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

To say that the next day turned out to be chaotic is an understatement. All the Houses were ordered to remain in their common rooms and wait for further instructions. Nobody knew what was going on, but only us. By now, I was sure they found the two stone statues in Professor Umbridge's office, belonging to her and Draco. I was resting on my bed, as casting the memory charm was more exhausting than using the blue flames.

I made it so that when Draco woke up, he had the memories of going after weird people, following noises, and watching them kill the basilisks and loot its body. He hid until they were gone and went to investigate, stumbling onto the eye that was left behind, killing his friends. That was when he learned what they had slain, But then… he got the idea. It was the perfect weapon for his own revenge, and he went, 'showing' it to Professor Umbridge immediately, killing her without hesitation. Of course, I expected this not to be necessary as he would also gaze into the eye when showing it to Umbridge, so no trails could be followed back to us.

As to why I went so far, then? Failsafe. I wanted to ensure we were protected as much as possible. If he survived, by some miracle, he would have a valid story, something he believes in. I know it wasn't all that infallible, and many things hung on chance… like nobody questioning him if he admitted to it. Like nobody probing his mind if he confesses. Ignoring suspicions because he was just a kid... like us. Being a juvenile had its uses... and I took advantage of that; I think I suppressed his real memories really well, sending them deep into his subconsciousness; some of her other memories were already shaking on the walls while I did so.

"It should be enough…" I thought to myself, looking at his empty bed, feeling somewhat guilty, trying to chase it out of my heart and mind. "Well, both of them should be dead, and no clues directing back to us… Plus, our rewards were already waiting for us in the Room of Requirements.

After Draco woke up and was sent on his 'quest,' we went back, harvested some fangs, venom, and blood from the dead snake, and got rid of the rooster too. We made sure no footprints or any scent of ours remained and left with a great haul. Collecting things that we would never have a chance to do again in the future.

Nobody told us anything, not even the next day when all classes were canceled. Most teachers were either gone or rarely seen, hurrying from one point to another. On the third day, right when I was most excited about the ritual, every student was called to the Headmaster's office, one by one. Quincy went in just ahead of me when the clock was ticking close to midnight. When she emerged, she just shrugged, saying it was nothing but some weird questions she didn't get at all. Well… my meeting with Headmaster Severus Snape was even more bizarre then. He asked nothing, only looking at me, watching my eyes briefly before glancing away, thinking, and sending me out. I didn't even open my mouth the entire time I was inside his office.

"Something went wrong?" Quincy asked me as we sneaked towards the Room of Requirement. With the late-night questionings taking place, it was the best excuse to be missing.

"I don't think so…" I answered, but I was now worrying slightly. Not that we could do anything now. What was done, was done… The fact that we were not detained means Draco was dead, or… nobody could read his mind. Probably the former. Unpacking a raw eye of the basilisks should be deadly for everyone in the room. "Let's go! Let's do the ritual before we are interrupted again!"

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"Tell me your findings… Severus."

The speaker had a cold, high-pitched voice accompanied by a tinge of hissing. A tall, lean-figured man was standing in a dark room, looking out of the window, watching the cityscape of London, looking down at the millions of muggles like a kid watching an ant farm. His black hair was combed backward, and his eyes were dark as the night, with a tinge of red flashing in them occasionally. Severus could see his face in the window's reflection, and it was a little bit gaunt, but his aura was dominating even without directly looking at you.

"My Lord, I questioned everyone. From the kids to the staff, including the Malfoy's boy."

"I heard about it. I placed the family under quarantine until my verdict is out… they don't know their son is still alive and in your captivity."

"He was lucky to survive. We found him standing there, looking at the ceiling the whole time. More people would have been killed if not for his body obstructing the eye. After that, I imprisoned the boy in my office. He is currently under the effect of not just veritaserum but my own mind-opening spells."

"Good." He chuckled, sounding interested in the news; it was something that greatly amused him. "I have my own questions too… I will ask them to you and see if you are still my best subordinate or not."

"Please do so, My Lord."

"Was the boy telling the truth?" Lord Voldemort asked, finally turning towards Snape, looking into his eyes.

"Yes."

"Mhm, you are honest too… You always were, my dear friend." He smiled, continuing, circling Snape like a snake. "Did he really kill that woman out of hate? Retribution... was it?"

"Yes."

"Did he plan it out by himself?"

"No. They were making plans with Conrad Anguine and Quincy Black to take revenge, but the eye's discovery was accidental. From that moment on, it was all of his work."

"Oh? So there were plans to kill a Professor? In MY Hogwarts?" He chuckled.

"They are in Slytherin, my Lord."

"Of course they are!" Voldemort cackled, "I am not angry… no, I am impressed. Good… I like hearing good news! Now…” He turned serious, arriving back in front of Snape. "Was the Chamber of Secrets opened by the Order of Pheonix? Is that part true…?"

"Yes."

"You are not lying." He stepped back, fondling his wand that appeared between his fingers, waiting for Severus to continue.

"They sneaked in by a route nobody knew about but Dumbledore. We have sealed it at once, My Lord. They certainly came for the snake and its body parts… The damages done to it correlate with a phoenix's attacks. We just don't know why they only took the fangs and venom... go for all the trouble to-"

"You don't need to know… enough that I understand why… some things can only be destroyed by other… dark methods!" He answered in a deep, hissing tone, clearly fuming with anger.

"How?" He asked, and it was a question he expected no answer for... yet Severus Snape produced a book.

"..." He took it wordlessly, flipping through it before shutting it with a snap and placing it on his desk. "Corvinus Gaunt..." He whispered, realizing that one of his ancestors, responsible for keeping it a secret when works were done in Hogwarts in the 18th century, left clues behind. Explanation to his heirs... to Slytherin's heirs. It was another blow caused to him by one of his ancestors... no wonder that line died out. What he didn't know, it was not Dumbledore who got the clue from it but Draco. The same book he found and figured out there was a chamber belonging to Slytherin, hidden under the castle. What he never realized was that it was the Chamber of Secrets.

"My Lord..." Snape opened his mouth, seeing him fall into silence.

"I am not punishing you, Severus… I know you can't deal with anything on your own… I just wish I would have more loyal followers like you." He waved his hand, but his mind was already racing about a different issue. He knew Dumbledore knew about his Horcruxes. They had already destroyed the locket and his diary. The latter was lost just this year while his people transported it. He even stepped out, being the main diversion, yet they still failed their critical mission! Just thinking about it made him angry. Now they had more weapons that could threaten his other ones.

"Thank you, My Lord."

"I will place dementors around the school. They would be perfect guard dogs, sniffing out all the hope the little terrorists delude themselves with!"

"I agree, My Lord. What about-"

"Yes, yes… the boy. I am happy to hear that some of the young generation is growing quickly and showing great potential! Keep an eye on the Anguine boy and the Black girl… About Draco… bring him to me, and I will make him into a Death Eater! The youngest in history! We will make it public and show the people I am a merciful leader who acknowledges ambition and drive! He saw the opportunity and grabbed it! He realized power when he came across it and wasn't afraid to use it! That is what it means to be a wizard!"

"Y…Yes, My Lord." Severus nodded, audibly gulping, having many thoughts but not daring to voice any of them.

"How quaint. I was about to exterminate the Malfoys, and now their son saved their life. Well… granting him some publicity may also lure out the hiding terrorists. It does not matter if he gets put down; then he will turn from idol to martyr!" He chuckled, returning to the window, watching the glowing city under a full moon.

“Yes… My Lord…”

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"You are kidding me!" I whispered, reading the Daily Prophet, and Quincy was just as speechless, dropping her toast into her lap in the Great Hall.

After learning about Professor Umbridge's death, it was our first day back into a kind of 'normalcy.' It was weird that Draco was not mentioned, but now he was on the front page, receiving his mark from Lord Voldemort himself! What… the… hell?!

"Conrad…" Quincy gulped, afraid to say anymore.

“Well… fuck… This is not something I expected."

"Many did not!" I heard a familiar voice as Professor Lockhart appeared behind us. "What do you… think…? I was cordial to our young friend here, no? The next year when he comes back… I hope he remembers that! Ahaha!"

"Next year…" Quincy and I whispered, watching each other, stunned by the news. What was it going to be like next year? I… I don't know anymore. Damn…

"Well…" Lockhart clapped happily, "I now am fully your Dark Arts teacher! I just don't know who will be your new Charms professor next year, but oh well! It is almost summer; let's not ruin it by speaking about school, eh?" He clapped us on the back, heading to the teachers' table.

"Yeah… Summer…” I murmured, throwing down the paper. "I need that break to collect my thoughts!"

"Yeah, very true!" Quincy moaned, trying to get the jam out of her uniform. "Conrad, why does all you do end up in a clusterfuck?"

"Beats me…" I shrugged, munching on my toast, but I felt no taste reaching my brain. "I think I am cursed…"

"Then start working your new blood to expel it!" She moaned, clearly stressed.

“Yeah… good idea…”

Taking a deep breath, I finally let the jam's taste fill my senses, the same with many other fragrances prevailing in the Great Hall. Since ingesting the blood of the basilisks, my senses were heightened to a scary new level. I needed days to acclimate to it and not be freaked out by the new waves of stimulus crashing against my brain every minute. As to what else I could do? It was hard to tell… as this was the most prominent improvement to my body that showed itself… yet.

"Haaah…" I let out an audible sigh.

It was too late to start worrying. Everything was done already. I had to focus on what we had at hand… which was the end of the year and the upcoming summer vacation. In three months, Quincy and I can work out all the details, review everything we did in our first year… and prepare for the second… Hopefully, there will be a second, and we won't be killed without a chance to fight back.