Tyrant Rising

Chapter 1: The Approaching Swarm (Part 1)

ANNOUNCEMENT: I have broken up the chapters into smaller chunks to make them more accessible. This is not an update of a new chapter, so if you've already read both chapters 1 and 2 there's no need to re-read.

Author's Note: Hello my, hopefully, rabid readers! Tis I! Obviously. If you're new: welcome, if you're a returning reader: welcome back. And yes, I ripped that off from Dumbledore. This is a story idea I had several years ago (2014!) and wrote out about 15 pages of before hitting a wall in how I was going to progress beyond the initial setup. Now I actually have a reasonably good idea for how to do that and figured, what the heck? Despite hitting a wall, this is one of my more favoured little pieces I've written, largely due to the action sequences.

Now, fair warning, this story is violent and very gory, so if you're squeamish or easily freaked out by that sort of thing, I would advise giving it a miss. There are also mentions of severe abuse so heads up for that too.

If you're a rabid fan of Lethal Injection, 1. Wow, I had no idea you actually existed but that's certainly nice to know, and 2. Don't worry, that will still be my first priority. Although I do have an idea of how I want this story to progress, I can't guarantee that I will actually be posting anything beyond this chapter, and, if I do, it certainly won't be on any kind of regular schedule. Unlike Lethal Injection (where I could change some names and call my crossover characters OCs and it would be a normal Harry Potter fic), this story is a major crossover with Warhammer 40K. Despite this, if you don't know anything about Warhammer 40K, don't worry, all will be explained as the story progresses.

There are some differences between this world and canon (besides the Warhammer 40K components) in that I've increased the population of the Wizarding World for reasons that I hope will become clear as the story progresses. And I have created some Wizarding settlements other than Hogsmeade, so, despite it being referred to as 'the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain' in canon, there are others in this story. Anyway, that's enough from me, so read, enjoy, and review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Warhammer.

October 28th, 1988

Little Whinging,

Surrey

The violent slamming of a heavy door jerked eight-year-old Harry Potter from his fitful sleep. His eyes snapped open; the startling emerald of his irises rapidly consumed by the terrified darkness of his dilating pupils. The painfully thin boy scrambled from his bare mattress, huddling into the deepest recesses of his cramped cupboard home, down under the first few stairs. A sinister rumble began to grow steadily louder, accompanied by an ominous series of thudding impacts, coming closer with each passing moment. Soon, the rumble resolved itself into a snarled series of profanities and black oaths, a vicious tide of invective damning the "ungrateful bastards on the board," the "stupid bitch of a CEO," and most often "that damn BOY!"

Uncle Vernon was very angry. And from long experience interpreting his Uncle's furious rantings, Harry knew exactly why: he hadn't gotten the promotion he wanted. Harry had learned that whenever Uncle Vernon was angry, it would mean a great deal of pain for him. Harry futilely tried to squeeze himself further under the stairs, away from the small line of light outlining the cupboard door, as if that would somehow protect him from the coming onslaught.

In his heart, Harry knew it was a futile effort, he had lived with the Dursleys far too long to hold out hope for anything even approaching a reprieve. His fears were confirmed moments later when the door to his cupboard was ripped off its hinges, revealing his purple-faced uncle, veins throbbing visibly in his forehead. Behind the bent form of his irate Uncle, the cheerful yellow flowers covering the wallpaper greeted Harry warmly, their spread petals seemingly basking in the light slanting through the window over the front door.