raised by dementor

chapter 45

The hall as normal was packed out and people were catching up; chatting and devouring the excessive amount of food on display; all the normal things people do at the start of term. However Harry noticed a few Gryffindors looking his way warily, maybe they thought he was connected to Dora arriving; maybe not. Most had been too interested in the sorting ceremony and Harry saw a lot of students had gone into Gryffindor this year; a lot more than last year or the year before. However it was not a huge thing to concentrate on and as the teachers sat down he noticed Dumbledore prepare to speak. The man threw a look at Harry which he didn't know if it was threatening or something else, he seemed almost worried in his eyes.
"Settle down, settle down," Dumbledore rose intending to give his speech as usual, he gave it a few seconds before everyone did indeed quiet down. The food that had made up the feast vanished into thin air once more and Draco looked slightly annoyed as his spoonful of ice cream disappeared on route to his mouth.
"Now welcome to another term at Hogwarts, now I'm going to address the most important issue straight away as many of you found out on the train this year we are being joined by the Dementors of Azkaban. Now while no Dementor will enter this castle while I am headmaster,"
"Pretty sure that's incorrect and racist," Draco commented not loudly enough for him to hear
"They will be on the grounds in order to offer protection from Sirius Black who I hope will come nowhere near this castle, I would like to remind you that you should treat Dementors with respect, they are creatures who are not forgiving when you cross them," Dumbledore warned.
"Pretty sure he's right about that, Cho do you have any Dementor in you? You don't forgive much either," Draco pointed out, Harry glared at him and Cho punched him on the arm.
"Point proven," Draco sighed,
"Now while we are joined by the Dementors I would like to remind everyone that the forbidden forest is off limits to everybody and if you pass a Dementor then you are reminded not to tempt it," Dumbledore continued looking grim; he obviously did not want Dementors around the castle and even more so now. He knew they were a threat now, indeed he did and he looked at Harry who looked impassively back; this year the ball was in his court so to speak with a small army of his family just outside.
The next day
"A boggart is a creature that takes upon the identity of your darkest fear, it uses your own mind to frighten you away from whatever object is has taken refuge in, now after much effort on my behalf I managed to find one in the castle and Mr Filch was happy to get rid of it," Lupin began giving his starting speech to the class, this was the first Defence against the Dark Arts lesson of the year and Harry was eager to begin this one. He noticed a lot of people shift away from him as Lupin began; Hermione was next to him and seemed confused at not having to take her books out. Draco looked curious more than anything as the wardrobe started to shake,
"Ahh Draco Malfoy lovely of you to volunteer," Lupin nodded towards the boy who was the only person stood forward, Draco sighed inwardly when he realised. However he walked forward,
"Now the spell you will need this lesson is
Riddikulus, the only thing that can combat a Boggart is laughter now Draco what I want you to do is picture what you fear the most and make it humorous," Lupin explained, Draco suddenly looked worried. Having his darkest fear exposed to him was not something he wanted to see nor wanted anyone else to see,
"How much would you bet it's an angry Cho?" Hermione whispered to Harry who smiled, that would indeed be funny but Harry suspected it was something else. Harry saw Draco consider for a few long seconds, then he walked forward and the wardrobe door sprung open; out came a figure dressed in black; Harry recognised it immediately and gaped as Draco drew his wand,
"Riddikulus!" Draco declared and the black robes became spotted pink and the figure was on roller skates, it tripped and there was a slight laugh as it struggled; Harry turned to Hermione who looked worried, terrified even.
"If Dumbledore hears about this," she murmured; Harry had only met the figure once and Dumbledore would have been sure in the knowledge they knew nothing. However if he heard about this then he would know the group knew a lot more than they were letting on.
"We're screwed," Harry summarised feeling the same, one by one people came up and Draco walked back; he realised what had been done and Harry looked at him. It wasn't his fault but it was still bad, however slowly it became Harry's turn. Harry could not think of what his darkest fear was, he didn't even know if the Boggart could enter his mind but Lupin seemed interested; obviously he was thinking along the same line. So he stepped forward towards the shaking wardrobe which paused, it seemed to consider what it would take the form of and Harry felt something flicker in his head. The Boggart was trying to get in and then it withdrew, the door opened and out came; Harry.
"Me?" Harry was caught off guard wondering why he was his own biggest fear, however as he came forward differences started to form, black eyes, a dark tinge to the skin and blackened veins.
"The mystery is over for you," the duplicate said in a voice that Harry knew, a voice that had taunted him not long ago. A voice that caused Draco's eyes to widen in fear. This was impossible surely, how could it but no, suddenly pieces were coming together, the Boggart had not taken a form, Harry's inner self had taken the Boggart's form. Then Harry's wand moved at impossible speed
"Riddikulus!" he bellowed praying this would be enough; indeed it was and Harry's duplicate vanished, the wardrobe housing the Boggarts suddenly shattered like glass and then with wooden pieces littering the floor Harry turned and stormed out of the classroom.
Later
"What happened?" Dumbledore asked Lupin who was sat opposite his desk; he had brought worrying news to his attention.
"A dark version of Harry I think walked out of the Boggart, but it spoke to him like it was personal," Lupin explained; this was supposed to be impossible for a Boggart; to make a personal connection in ways other than fear.
"I see, do we know what it was supposed to represent?" Dumbledore asked trying to sound calm, he was worried about this; it was a very unusual development for a very unusual boy. However he knew what this was, Dumbledore had more and more knowledge on Harry Potter now because his partner had "just" worked more out. He did not trust the person; they had known each other for many years. Dumbledore had been planning for Harry to be the one to defeat Voldemort from day one; siphoning powers into the family of Lily and then onwards, however the day that monster came into his life was both a blessing and a curse. With it cam agents including James Potter along a new look to the plan which was fast expanding , it was coming to fruition but Dumbledore suspected that he was being kept in the dark about certain details. However with the good came the bad, the secrets, the deception, the murders, the spying and extending his power base. He did not want power he wanted Voldemort gone nothing more, however he would do it any way he could.
"I don't know, all I know is Harry attacked it with a normal spell which destroyed the Boggart completely, that should be nearly impossible by itself, he learned the spell only today," Lupin continued looking worried.
"I know but with Harry a lot of very curious and very strange things happen, he has very odd powers I'm sure you've heard and I have heard rumours that he spoke to a Dementor on the train, something that I'm sure is impossible without a translator," Dumbledore continued, he wanted an answer because he knew this teacher had been with Harry when the Dementors arrived.
"I saw him," Lupin confirmed but he decided to keep some of the information secret
"He can do it then? Amazing I wonder just how something like that could be done, it's incredible," Dumbledore announced seeming shocked but he knew some of this already; he had hoped for more but the wolf seemed unable to help. A shame he had been brought in to win Harry's trust and now it seemed like Harry would not tell him much about his powers. A shame but the werewolf knew nothing which proved to Dumbledore not telling him was a very good choice.
Meanwhile
To Harry everything now made sense, perfect sense even and he walked through the maze which was the chamber of secrets, he knew the Basilisk was asleep but that was not the reason he had chosen to come here. He now knew a lot more, he just didn't understand it. This was impossible surely but yet everything was slotting into place,
"Open," Harry ordered the door in Parsletounge, and he waited a few agonizingly long seconds, every instinct he had was telling him to turn back now, this was the place where he had been attacked and with the Basilisk dormant he would be alone. However his desire for the truth pushed him forward, so he walked back into the chamber, the bust of Salazar Slytherin was impeccable; no sign of it ever being destroyed and yet Harry could remember the rubble, the destruction as the great snake burst from it.
"You came back," a hoarse croaky voice chuckled and Harry now knew who it was; something that had been with him his entire life and yet somehow predated him; he did not know how or why but he was here to find out.
"You know why, tell me how is this possible, how are you here?" Harry demanded, this explained everything and yet at the same time it opened a thousand more questions.
"The existed long before you, a creature that had been made to create a person who would be a hero, a power that took a life of its own and split off, a power that existed within you and yet I am infinitely more powerful, I am a part of more than just you, I am the darkness, I am hate, I am everything," the voice hissed insanely and Harry turned. Behind him was a figure in black robes, the same one Draco had seen in the Boggart, his own and Draco's had let him here and without attacking his enemy walked forward.
"You were created by Dumbledore or his parents or even Grandparents, the power that he tried to use to stop evil became evil, in fact in became something else, you split that's me isn't it," Harry looked at the figure with hate, his inner self had revealed it all, so Harry knew why this monster was taunting him so, it had no gender, it had no form, it was leech, a parasite that existed within trying to take hold. A parasite that was a force, a force that existed within Harry. So he watched as claw like hands moved up to the monster's face and pull the hood down, Harry recoiled as burned rotted flesh came into view, empty eye sockets and tuffs of what was once thick red hair. A rotted corpse of a body, one that had belonged to his mother, but this person was not his mother; it was wearing her like a cheap suit. It needed a body to survive, the power that had been impregnated into the Evans family had grown, mutated; mutated until it was no longer a power but a being. A being which existed inside him as well, so he stared into burning emerald-green lights inside the eye sockets.
"You're me," Harry sighed with wide almost scared eyes.
"No Harry Potter, you are me," the figure corrected with a venomous smile that looked horrific on dead lips.