Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Parallel: Harry Potter ❯ Fractured Soul ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Parallel: Harry Potter - Fractured Soul

Author: Shadow Rebirth

Rating: T/PG-13

Chapter WC: 896

Story WC: 2,998

First Written: November 15, 2008

Last Edited: November 16, 2008

Posted: November 16, 2008

 

Summary: The darkness whispers into Harry's mind and as he struggles to figure out whether he's Harry Potter or Tom Riddle, he's no longer so sure that it's a bad thing. Dark!Harry.

 

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Parallel: Harry Potter

 

Chapter 2

Fractured Soul

 

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Darkness. It was smothering (It was so comforting). It wrapped around him like chains (like a warm cocoon), whispering things into his ear that were so revolting (so tempting). He wanted desperately to get out (to stay forever) of its constricting embrace—

 

(Secure)

 

It burned

 

(It was home)

 

Tainting him

 

(He wanted to—)

 

He had to—

 

Harry Potter's eyes abruptly snapped open. With a sharp gasp he jerked upwards in bed, his head whipping around, trying to figure out where he was and what had happened. A massive headache was pounding inside his head, like a basilisk bursting to free itself.

 

"Mr. Potter!" the familiar voice of Madame Pomfrey barked. (Where was Madame Bernharst?) The school matron came bustling in with a tray of potions. "Lay back down; you're still healing."

 

Hesitantly, Harry followed her instructions. "What happened?" he rasped.

 

Madame Pomfrey frowned. "You were found unconscious," she told him. "You had magical exhaustion; you've been sleeping for three days now."

 

Harry's eyes widened in surprised. Magical exhaustion?! (Foolish) "What happened?"

 

Pomfrey opened her mouth to reply, but before she could the door to the hospital wing suddenly opened, admitting Headmaster Dumbledore. Pomfrey bowed her head politely, murmured some sort of a greeting, and then quickly bustled back into her office. Dumbledore smiled indulgently before focusing all of his attention on Harry.

 

"How are you feeling, my boy?" Dumbledore asked as he took a seat next to Harry's bed.

 

"Tired," Harry muttered. (Weak) "What happened?"

 

Dumbledore paused, staring at Harry with concern, as if expecting him to collapse again suddenly. "You collapsed after leaving my office," he said finally. "Fortunately I found you only a few minutes later. It would seem that though Fawkes saved you from the basilisk's venom down in the Chamber, your body and magic is still weak."

 

With a jolt, Harry suddenly remembered the Chamber of Secrets and his fight with the gigantic basilisk. He lifted his arms from under the covers, staring at the angry red scar on his skin where the snake's fang had pierced his arm. (But why would she try to hurt me?)

 

"Is Ginny alright?" Harry asked absentmindedly.

 

He didn't listen to Dumbledore's reply, finding that he didn't care. He felt as though his emotions had been muffled, as though there was a thick wall between him and them. He shook his head to clear the sensation and Dumbledore continued to peer at him worriedly.

 

"Stay here until Madame Pomfrey releases you," Dumbledore said. "You need to rest."

 

Harry never noticed when the headmaster left. His pounding headache had increased to epic proportions and he found that he couldn't think straight. He was becoming increasingly confused.

 

He took a deep breath and decided to try to get his head straight. He started with the obvious. Who was he? Harry Potter. (No) No, that wasn't right. It was...Riddle? Tom Riddle? No, that wasn't right either. Harry gripped his head tightly between his hands, panic starting to build up within him. What was going on?

 

Memories in Harry's head began clashing against each other as he desperately tried to sort everything out. He could remember a silver haired Headmaster Dumbledore just as easily as he could remember a red haired Dumbledore teaching Transfiguration. He could remember sleeping in the Gryffindor Tower just as easily as he could remember lounging in front of a fire in the Slytherin dungeons.

 

But what was right and what was wrong? He was Harry Potter, right? (No) The Boy-Who-Lived? (No?) Then who was he? Which set of memories was the right one?

 

For most of the next day Harry didn't talk except when he was asked a question. Sometime after dinner a student, Ron Weasley (His friend?) stopped by to see how he was. He took Harry's attitude as a result of his exhaustion and left soon after. Harry didn't bother to correct him.

 

Two days later Harry was finally released from the hospital wing. He wandered along the halls of the castles for a few hours, his thoughts still muddled. He was hesitant about whether he should go to the Slytherin or Gryffindor common room (Ron would be waiting for him) so for the time being he decided on neither.

 

Harry passed through the Entrance Hall before beginning to climb up the stairs. He was tempted to go outside for a little while, but he had appearances as a Prefect to keep up (When had he become a Prefect? Wasn't he still just a second year?) so instead he headed to the sixth floor. He followed his feet without really thinking about what he was doing.

 

Before long he reached an empty expanse of wall and began to pace back and forth in front of it. (What was he doing?) After passing by it for the third time a door popped into existence. Inside he found a massive room filled with junk for as far as the eye could see. He'd been there many times before (He had? When?) so he easily navigated threw the piles of junk to the back were a large cabinet was sitting. On top of that cabinet was a silver diadem.

 

Mine, his mind whispered. (But he'd never seen it before) With shaking hands he reached out and picked it up. Instantly a wave of darkness washed over him, warming his soul.

 

(So cold)

 

Security.

 

(Tainting)

 

Home.

 

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A/N: Wow, I didn't expect to finish another so soon, but what works, works I guess.

 

This is another idea that I've been toying with for quite a while. The basic premise is that when Harry destroyed Voldemort's diary Horcrux, the sixteen year old piece of Riddle's soul merged with Harry's. It would turn into a Dark!Harry story, with Harry being a mix of Harry Potter and Tom Riddle, but beyond that I haven't put much thought into it.

 

Please review!

 

--S.R.