FIC for: angelsotherlove

[bewarethesmirk]

Title: Contract Rivalry
Recipient: angelsotherlove
Characters: Bellatrix LeStrange, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Draco
Malfoy and others
Rating: R/NC-17 (READ DISCLAIMER!)
Warnings: Character death, torture, gratuitous (detailed)
violence, Dark!Harry
Notes: Many thanks to my betas! M and J, thank you! Also, I
hope this is what you wanted! I've never done Dark!Harry before, but I
enjoyed a great deal, hope you do too!



Harry groaned as he watched Draco appear from behind the
hedge. He thought briefly about stepping back into the
shadows before he could be noticed. The firm slim fingers
on his shoulder kept him in place.

"It's quite alright, dear boy," came the lilting whisper.
"Cooperation this time, not a competition."

Harry's face hardened as he nodded once, barely noticeable.
Images of the last time he and Draco had crossed paths
flooded his mind, clouding his vision with red blotches. He
clenched his fist, remembering the taste of blood from his
eyebrow mixed with salty tears. It brought him little
comfort that Draco had come out worse, having to magically
heal the scar Harry had gifted him that matched his own. He
grinned with determination as he felt his cousin's fingers
deeper into his shoulder.

Draco matched the grin, smiling wider as Harry's face
faltered for an instant. Snape stepped out from behind the
hedge, stopping at Draco's shoulder.

"Bellatrix," Snape addressed her coldly, nodding just
enough.

"Severus." Harry imagined that she didn't nod, but she
likely did.

"Malfoy, what a surprise. I hadn't thought the Dark Lord
had forgiven your family yet," Harry sneered.

Draco stepped forward a half step before Snape's
restraining hand clenched white against the black robes.

"Potter, I suggest you remember that you have more
reparations to make on your family's behalf, indeed on your
own, than Draco does."

Harry could feel his face flush, the scar pulsing loudly in
his ears.

"Now now, there is work to be done," she soothed in her
baby-talk voice. Bellatrix always knew how to regain
control. "We are on a schedule, Severus."

Harry allowed himself to gloat a moment at how his sponsor
was the Dark Lord's precious Bella while Draco had had to
turn to their former Potions Master, his father having gone
completely mad in Azkaban.

Despite the mishap in the Department of Mysteries that
fateful June, Bellatrix had regained their Lord's favor by
aiding in the enlightenment of Harry as to his true family
and purpose. Finding out his own relation to the Black
family tree had been quite the revelation, one that he
doubted Sirius wanted him to know. Yet, Bellatrix had been
all too happy to share the information with him, tell him
things about his family that no one else in the wizarding
world dared. It was all there on the Black family tapestry,
Charles Potter had married Dorea Black, great aunt to both
Sirius and Bellatrix. No one had told him he was related to
them. No one wanted him to know.

That was how all of the Order had been, very reluctant and
selective with information. He'd fought hard for every
scrap they'd give him, and even then, they went on about how
they were telling him too much. Even once Sirius had died,
they never saw him as adult, never wanted him to have the
information he needed.

In the end, Hagrid had ended up being the last betrayal.
While the giant had always been useful for slipping Harry
accidental information, Harry had never imagined that part
of that would be a plot from Hermione and Ron to keep him
from searching for the Horcruxes.

His face faltered for a moment with the memory of their
tears. Hermione had cried; Ron had screamed. When he
turned from them, it was final.

Parts of those next months were a blur to him now, but he
remembered being taken in by Pansy, then cared for by
Bellatrix. They'd told him everything. No answer was
denied, no matter how gruesome. Those months had redefined
how he viewed so many things. Now, when he thought back to
that night, the battle for the prophecy, he remembered
Bellatrix's voice commenting on it.

Sirius had been misguided, a lamentable loss. Yet, it was
the lack of trust that the Order had created that kept Harry
from opening up to them. They tried to blame him for
Sirius' death, but he knew now, had they trusted him with
information, had they trusted him at all, things never would
have gone the way they did.

Even Snape had been an issue, his loyalties still
questionable in Harry's mind. That Harry's own loyalties
might be questioned still was something that bothered him
greatly. Though, Bellatrix had assured him that he'd be
given the chance to prove them, once and for all.

"The Dark Lord has a special task for the two of you, one
that will prove your conviction, your penitence," Snape was
saying. "You are to go back in time and retrieve the
prophecy for him. As such, you will be given masks to
appear as full Death Eaters."

"But we heard the prophecy, didn't we?" Harry asked,
somewhat irritable at the prospect of going to that point in
time.

"Not in its entirety, and it was filtered through someone
else's prophecy being spoken at the same time," Snape
responded through clenched teeth.

Harry saw Draco's face change somewhat. While he wasn't
sure what the other boy was thinking, he felt confident that
it had something to do with seeing his father and hopefully
preventing his capture. For himself, he wondered what this
success would mean for his relationship with his cousin.

"We will go with you, to aid only, but you will not be
alone," she crooned behind him, moving to stand next to
Snape who'd moved to the side.

"How are we getting back in time?" Draco asked, obviously
eager.

"He has created a portal. This portal will drop us
directly outside the Ministry. The four of us will go in,
retrieve the prophecy and return to our time."

"But, Professor," Draco began, "That will help Potter but
it won't return my father."

"Draco, dear, your test is your father. His will be his
former friends," Bellatrix smiled. "With the Dark Lord
victorious, you can be assured that all of our family will
be where we belong."

Draco's face fell, but he nodded. The look of grim
determination Harry had seen on his face all sixth year
returned. For his own part, Harry set his jaw. "You are my
friends and my family, I have no others."

Bellatrix nodded, but Snape looked unconvinced. Harry
steeled his will as she'd taught him, far more sucessfully
than Snape ever had. He'd not had to face them yet, but he
was not going to let Draco outshine him. He'd come too far
for that.

As Harry draped the holocaust cloak over himself for the
first time, he felt a chill run through his body. He'd
never felt this alive, not even when he'd used his father's
Cloak for the first time.

The thought jarred him. His father's Cloak.
Bellatrix had insisted he bring it. Not that she needed
to. It was his constant companion right next to his wand.
He looked up at her and she smiled, nodding at him, pride
showing on her face as she looked at both he and Draco.
Anger stirred in his heart that she still looked on both of
them equally. Draco had parents, or at least a mother
still. Bellatrix had nearly become his, and he wanted her
favor. He would have it. The black cloak draped over his
shoulders was much smoother than it appeared, no scratchy
fabric for the Death Eaters. It would be far too
incongruous. He felt for the Cloak briefly before accepting
the silver mask that would hide his identity. A brief
pause, then he became what he once hated. The mask felt
natural now, as Bellatrix had insisted it would, far more
natural than the stilted loyalty he'd felt to the Order.
With this mask, he could be who he truly was, revel in it.

He looked over at Draco, fully outfitted as well, and saw
what Lucius must have looked like in his prime. Draco stood
taller now, nearly Harry's rival in height as well.
Bellatrix and Snape had donned their attire, both of them
fully at ease in their roles. He wondered briefly at how
Snape had managed to hide his true self for so long. To
live nearly seventeen years without being discovered when he
was so obviously at home in darkness, was astounding.
Something akin to admiration for the former professor crept
its way into Harry's soul, and for once, he wasn't sure he
wanted to expel it.

"Are we ready?" Snape's monotone pierced the silence.

Harry nodded and watched as both Bellatrix and Draco did
the same. They followed Snape silently through a swirling
archway. Harry noted the feeling wasn't unlike ride-along
apparition. Once the nausea had passed, he looked around.
Sure enough, they were standing outside the Ministry. The
night looked exactly as he remembered. In the distance, he
knew he and the other students were mounting the thestrals
in preparation.

"We need to be quick," Snape broke in on Harry's memories.
Draco and Bellatrix had already begun heading towards the
door. "Potter, do tell me you're having second thoughts. I
would love to have an excuse."

"To what, Snape? Hit me with one of your special curses?
Claim that I'm a traitor?" Harry had his wand out before he
felt his hand move.

"Just the move I wanted to see." Snape had his wand out in
an instant, smirking as he always did when he had the upper
hand.

"I'm not a child anymore, Snape."

"Then you won't expect me to be gentle on you."

"Were you ever?" He backed up, starting to circle around
the older man. "You were my father's rival. You hated me
from the moment you knew I was born!"

"Potter, you are and will always be a child," Snape hissed.

Harry focused and called out, "Crucio!"

The surprise registered for a moment before he fell to the
ground screaming. Harry watched as Snape convulsed before
him. He'd done it. He'd properly cast a Cruciatus.

Draco grabbed his shoulder, pulling on his robes. "What
did you do?"

"Shove off, Malfoy."

"Finite Incantatem," Bellatrix countered. "Now, Harry, was
that necessary?" She asked.

"Perfectly," he responded evenly, watching as Snape
continued to twitch on the ground, moaning.

"We're running out of time. We have business to attend
to." No longer was she using the baby voice. She'd gone
back to her almost alto. Harry cringed; that voice never
boded well.

"I'm no traitor, Bellatrix."

"I didn't say you were, but my opinion will mean little if
we do not return with that prophecy."

"I don't care! He's gone too far this time!"

She ripped his mask off, "Harry Potter, you listen to me
this instant. We have a job to do that is more important
than your childish competition." She gripped his shoulders
tightly as she continued, "If you want to prove your
loyalty, then work with us. The Dark Lord will not be
forgiving of failure."

Harry stared into her grey eyes, his resolve steady.
Suddenly, his vision cleared and he knew that his destiny
had truly been laid out before him.

"The Dark Lord sent us here to get trapped and sent to
Azkaban. We are threats to his sovereignty," he said calmly.

"No!" Bellatrix cried out, shoving him away. "The Dark
Lord has granted us this special task!"

"A task, Bellatrix, that places us in a position where the
four of us would be taken to Azkaban and kept there
indefinitely."

"You're insane! He's lost is nerve, Aunt Bellatrix!"
Draco accused. He started to pace, "You are a traitor!"

"You want the prophecy, Bellatrix?" Harry began, ignoring
Draco's ranting. Did you not hear it accurately enough?"
He drew his wand on them, noting out of the corner of his
eye that Snape wasn't quite standing yet. "The one with the
power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those
who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month
dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he
will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must
die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the
other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark
Lord will be born as the seventh month dies." The words were
perfect; he knew that. They'd haunted his dreams once he
heard them, and had imprinted themselves upon his soul.

"He doesn't want the prophecy, Bellatrix, he wants us out
of the way."

"That can't be true!" Draco protested.

Snape dusted himself off with shaking arms. "How is it you
have come to this conclusion, Potter?" He demanded.

"He knows that I can replace him. He knows that I can
destroy him, and he knows that he encouraged the training by
the two people who could give me that knowledge. In all his
glory," the sarcasm dripped from his lips tangibly as he
said the word, "He miscalculated."

"You're mad! You've lost your nerve and now you're going
to turn on us!"

Harry fixed him with a fiery gaze. "Only if you keep on
blathering incoherently, Malfoy."

Harry thought for a moment, yes, he could do it. He could
supplant Voldemort and become the Dark Lord himself. He had
the ability, now he had to prove he had the courage.

Azkaban would prove invaluable as a fortress. The Death
Eaters would rally around him, and he would have his own
army. First, he needed proof.

He fixed his wand on Draco, "Listen here, Malfoy, I am the
new Dark Lord, and if you want your father back, you'll
listen to me."

"You can't be serious, Potter, you haven't the power,"
Snape jeered.

"Harry, dear," Bellatrix's baby voice started in, "You
don't need to do this. We'll succeed and share in the Dark
Lord's favor."

"Don't you get it? There is no going back, Bellatrix!"
Harry screamed in frustration. Couldn't they see? Couldn't
they understand they'd been set up?

Harry heard something in the darkness and looked over, the
thestrals were arriving. Without thinking, he cast the Dark
Mark over the park near the Ministry, grabbing his mask from
Bellatrix and running into the trees.

"Potter, you clumsy, foolhardy oaf!" Snape hissed, as the
three of them followed him into the trees.

"You did that on purpose!" Draco insisted.

"Yes, I did. Now, we change the future."

"How are we to do that?" Bellatrix whispered, looking out
into the clearing where the thestrals were landing.

"Crucio!" Harry called out and Neville fell off the
thestral screaming.

In the span of a breath, the remaining students from
Dumbledore's Army had their wands drawn at the ambush and he
could feel the wands of his companions out as well. Harry
smirked as his estimation of his younger self was proven
accurate. A moment of discussion and he and Hermione ran to
the Ministry, leaving Ginny, Ron and Luna to defend Neville.

"Finite," he whispered, standing more upright. "Let the
younger me and Hermione go into the Ministry. You had
orders not to kill me." He turned to Snape, "Go, tell
Bellatrix's earlier self to mould me, to change me, tell her
that I am to be the Dark Lord's heir."

Draco fidgeted as he watched the students in the clearing.
"What of my father, Potter?"

"That, Malfoy, is the second part of this. The first, is
to make sure that the Death Eaters come out with the
prophecy."

Snape looked at Harry with stern disapproval, "And what do
you think this will accomplish, Potter?"

Harry already felt the change. "It will mean, Snape, that
I expect you to fall in line and help me or your fate will
be to replace Neville as my personal guinea pig." His voice
was harsher, more gravelly, and he felt the right corner of
his mouth tighten.

A gasp from Bellatrix distracted him, "You are the Dark
Lord," she whispered.

"Only if we acknowledge it," Snape dissented.

Harry frowned, and felt the spell form in his mind.
Silently, Snape howled in pain as his limbs were stretched
to breaking. The only thing that broke the silence was the
distinctive sound of sockets popping as his limbs were
ripped from their proper places. He dropped Snape back to
the ground and turned to Bellatrix and Draco. "Any further
questions?"

Draco shook his head, staring wide-eyed at Snape who was
still screaming wordlessly on the ground, arms and legs at
odd angles.

"Then I suggest we work quickly. Those students are going
to be heading into the Ministry and will wreck our plans if
we're not careful."

Bellatrix nodded, "What about him?" She pointed to Snape.

"Change of plans. Bellatrix, go warn your previous self.
Malfoy and I will stay here to keep those fools from causing
more problems. Report back here as soon as you've
accomplished that. We'll need to intercept the Death Eaters
on their way to Azkaban."

Draco's face brightened, and Harry noted it quickly. "So,
we off the blood traitors?"

"There's no need to rush, Malfoy. Take your time with the
Weasleys. They don't have to die yet."

Draco smirked and headed off towards the edge of the
clearing. Harry turned his attention to Bellatrix as the
screams began. "You have a task to do."

"What of Severus?"

"He's indisposed at the moment. But we are on a schedule.
Go."

She nodded and left in smooth strides. After she was out
of earshot, he turned to Snape and kicked his elbow lightly,
smiling at the pain that ricocheted through Snape's body.
"I'll deal with you when we get done." He turned and headed
off.

Draco, for his part, had suspended Ginny upside down and
was howling as she tried desperately to hold her skirt from
falling about her waist. Ron was starting to stir from what
must have been a stunning spell. Luna was still slumped
over Neville's shaking body.

Harry smirked and levitated Luna, holding her spreadeagled
and hitting her with a reviving spell. She gasped and
started screaming.

"Now now, little girl," he taunted, "Don't scream yourself
hoarse just yet."

Ron's head snapped towards him, eyes wide. Harry chuckled
behind his mask. Of course Ron would recognize the voice.

"Harry?" Came the shocked, quaking question.

"Silence!" He boomed, allowing Luna to drop nearly to the
ground before lifting her up several feet again. Her scream
pierced the air. He felt his heart leap at the sound.

"NO!" Ron screamed.

"Shut up, blood traitor," Malfoy sneered, "Or we find out
how many broken bones your sister can suffer before she
passes out."

Ron froze, "No..."

Harry's face set watching his once friend cower at the mere
threat of what would happen to Ginny. He wondered if Ron
had always been that way, or if this was another change.

He focused instead on Luna, whispering under his breath.
Her screams raised in pitch as blood began to trickle from
underneath her fingernails.

"Stop! Harry!" Neville had found his voice.

Harry focused harder, licking his lips as he felt even more
than watched Luna struggle against the magical bonds. She
was crying loudly as the blood trickled from her fingertips.
He felt a stinging hex and his concentration faltered.
Neville was standing, wand poised.

Harry levelled his own wand at Neville, noting with only
vague interest that Luna had fallen from her position well
above their heads to crash next to Ron.

He ignored the sparks Ron and Draco were casting at each
other. Malfoy could handle himself. He cast another
Cruciatus at Neville who fell screaming again. It was
easier this time, there was no question of success.
Neville's screams were louder as well. He ended the spell
and smiled, watching Neville still whimpering and moving
spasmodically.

"Get up, boy." Neville tried to get up and fell down.
Harry cackled, "No, I'm not going to kill you. Not yet,
anyway."

"Harry," he stuttered, "Harry, come back."

"I am not who you think I am."

"You're Harry Potter." Neville stopped talking as his face
blanched, then steadied. "Bellatrix LeStrange."

Harry glanced to his side. Bellatrix had returned and
nodded at him. She shared a smile with him, before turning
to Neville, "How's Mum and Da?"

"Better, now that they're about to be avenged," Neville
responded with strength that Harry had seen only once
before, when Neville faced Bellatrix in the Department of
Mysteries. Neville had inspired strength in the others
before. He couldn't allow for it to happen again.

"Bellatrix, wipe his memory. We need to go."

"Crucio!" Neville fell to the ground screaming.

"Bellatrix!" He ended her spell. "Memory only right now."

She pouted, but levelled her wand, whispering as a green
tendril left her wand, wrapping itself around him. He
swirled in the air briefly, then fell slowly to the ground.

"Good."

He turned to look over at the other students. Ron was
slumped over Luna's body. Ginny was screaming on her knees.
Her wand hand burned beyond recognition. The Ministry was
partially lit, though he knew they were likely focused on
the Department of Mysteries.

"We go, now." Harry, Bellatrix and Draco returned to the
forest. "They won't be believed. Bellatrix will be seen in
the Ministry building itself as will I. No one will
understand."

"What about my father?" Draco pressed.

Harry looked at Bellatrix who nodded. "He's been warned to
not be found. He'll follow me and avoid capture."

Draco's face relaxed as his overwhelming fear subsided.

"Now, Snape, what was that about me being a traitor?"

"Potter," he responded, "you don't have the strength."

"Not yet, but I will. Until then, you, have outlived your
usefulness. I know your abilities at Occlumency, and I
can't have you turn on me. Even Malfoy's smarter than that."

Draco seemed to bristle, but Bellatrix was smiling, her
eyes wild and bright.

"You are a fool, Potter. Bellatrix, you know what the Dark
Lord is capable of. You would not turn on him."

Harry aimed and shot a spell, not quite realizing what it
would do until Snape began to scream, his body tensing in
unnatural positions. A sound like the that of a violin
string strung too tight snapped through the air. Snape's
howl became louder.

Bellatrix growled and Snape's voice died. "Oh do shut up."

Harry chuckled as more snaps echoed through the trees. As
the snaps continued, Snape's fingers and limbs began to go
limp. Moments passed, and the snapping sped up to the speed
of popcorn popping before it ended in silence.

He stared at the limp body of Severus Snape for a few
moments. It was only when Bellatrix coughed, that he looked
up.

"Yes?"

"Time is short, Harry."

He nodded. "Malfoy, incinerate him."

Draco ground his teeth at the order, but flamed engulfed
the body of his once mentor.

"We three shall herald a new era," Harry announced. "A
triumvirate of power."

"My Lord," Bellatrix whispered.

"No, not to you, Bellatrix, nor to you, Malfoy."

Draco nodded and stepped past the self-consuming ashes
towards the portal that appeared again. "My father is
waiting for me. Professor Snape was a necessary sacrifice."

Harry smiled and offered his arm to Bellatrix, following
Draco to the portal.

Yes, they would herald in a new era. Voldemort would be
vanquished, to be replaced by a new darkness. His darkness.