Sorry. Not much action in this chapter but lots of explanation. Halfway through, you might wonder if Harry is truly dark but not to worry, he is deliciously dark. Next chapter will feature loads of action and maybe some more explanation.

I am having a TON of fun writing this story. I hope you like reading it as much as I like writing it – let me know if you do!

By the way, I have been writing another dark Harry story which features Harry as Alex Evans, Voldemort's assassin → Read Wanted for more action!

Review! Review! Review as usual!

Chapter 7

Three days later, the kids – Lily, Charles, Holly, Anemone and Godric were sitting next to a tree in one of the few clear areas left of the Hogwarts grounds.

"I win. Hoorah!" Godric jumped and did a little dance. Lily rolled her eyes as Godric's Queen pulled a sword and beheaded her king.

"When have you ever lost Godric?" Lily asked absently as she pulled on a strand of her hair. Charles hummed in agreement, staring at the rows and rows of tents everywhere.

"Nah not really. Mum says dad is really good at chess too though he won't play against me" Godric replied in a whiny voice as he sat back down.

Anemone rolled her eyes as she looked up from the book she was reading, "Dad doesnt... woah, what is he doing?"

The four instantly looked in the direction Anemone was looking and found Deimos walking into the Forbidden forest.

Instantly Charles stepped up as the leader of the gang and commented, "The Forbidden forest? Come on guys."

They quickly rushed after Charles even as Anemone began a rant, "Charles! We arent allowed in the Forbidden forest! If mum found out..."

Holly quickly shushed her as she pulled Anemone into the forest, "He might hear us! Shut up!"

Anemone sent Holly a look but didn't say anything more in favor of sticking as s group as they followed Deimos. Instead, she found her brother and put an arm in his as they headed deeper into the forest.

Deimos smirked to himself as he felt the kids following him. He knew they were curious and he intended to indulge them. And so he headed deeper and deeper into the forest, the sun setting just as he neared the large tree that marked the entrance to his abode.

Stopping there, he casually sat down on a snipped tree trunk just as the kids arrived.

Charles stopped suddenly making Lily and Holly bump into him when he saw Deimos casually sitting on a tree trunk, blowing out smoke from his cigar. His eyes grew wide as he felt the others step to his side, all with caught-red-handed looks on their faces.

"What are you doing here, Deimos?" Holly, being the boldest of the group, asked.

Deimos looked around lovingly at the impending darkness in the forest and said, "I like it here. Lets say, I have a vested interest in the Forbidden forest."

Anemone shared a glance with Lily and Godric while Deimos stood from his trunk and began inching towards them. Merely a few feet from them, he dropped his cigarette and crushed it with his right foot, twisting the tip of his shoe directly over the crackling tip of the cigarette.

"Kids let me tell you a story. Sit." Deimos snapped his fingers and six tree trunks appeared around a small fire. Deimos sat down first before the others gingerly took their own seats.

As soon as thy sat, Deimos snapped his fingers this time making a small cooler appear near the fire. Opening it grabbed a firewhiskey. The others grabbed butterbeers though they exchanged suspicious glances.

Deimos snorted and took a large sip, "See, not poisoned."

Holly and Godric turned slightly red in embarrassment as they popped the bottles open.

"What did you want to tell us?" Charles asked, swallowing a gulp of butterbeer.

Deimos looked amused at their impatience but didn't say anything. There was some silence before Deimos pointed at a bright twinkle in the night sky.

"Any of you recognize what that is?"

It was Anemone who answered, "Mars, right?"

Deimos looked at her, his eyes unreadable while Godric coughed into his hand, "Know it all."

"Yes, it is Mars. It is unusually bright, no?"

Charles leaned forward, "Deimos, what story?"

"Patience, my dear Charles, is really not your virtue, is it?" Deimos looked right at the boy. He got no response so he sighed and began talking.

"Mars was only this bright once before – twenty years ago. Ask the centaurs" Deimos looked back at the sky.

"What does that have to do with the price of tea in India?"

Deimos looked at Holly interested to know how she knew that expression before continuing.

"Twenty years ago, I was at my prime. I had built an army, I had written books, delved into magics none of you can even imagine. I was so powerful that Dumbledore considered me his number one enemy and Voldemort was terrified of me."

Lily and Charles exchanged silent looks. Deimos seemed to be talking more to himself than them. There was some silence before Deimos stopped looking at the sky and made eye contact with each of them.

"I had a plan you see. Everywhere, the only thing I saw was division. Everything was divided – wizards versus muggles, light versus dark, good versus evil, humans versus creatures. Hell even Hogwarts was divided into Gryffindor versus Slytherin."

He took a long sip of firewhiskey.

"I decided that was going to change. I was going to build a nation in which everyone had their place based solely on merit. It was going to be a nation in which there would only be freedom, no pain. A nation in which every"

His voice was so mesmerizing. The kids looked at Deimos keenly as he somehoe maintained eye contact with each of them.

"creature would be treated the same as a human. A nation in which muggles would not be scums of the Earth. They would be trained and given jobs to do. A nation in which there would be no boundaries between light and dark and not good and evil."

The butterbeers were long forgotten as the kids stared at Deimos.

"A nation in which people wouldn't have to get the permission of their pureblood families to follow through on their goals. A nation in which the blood line one is born in doesnt matter – only what they do is important. A nation in which the supreme governing body would never be corrupt. A nation in which a structured militarized code of organization would exist, with each person magically bound to follow their upper's orders."

He took a deep breath, making sure the kids were still staring at him closely. The sole light in the area was from the fire and it seemed to magnify Deimos's face and particularly the intensity of his emerald eyes.

"A nation in which disobedience would be met with punishment – distributed equally to all those involved, no greater or lesser than what they deserve. A nation in which people would be HAPPY! A nation where PEOPLE WOULDNT HAVE TO SUFFER! A NATION IN WHICH FREEDOM WAS GUARANTEED!"

Deimos's voice grew progressively louder and then suddenly it dropped to a whisper, breaking the kids from their hypnotic states.

"A utopia on this land."

Charles was the first to speak, his voice dry, "It... it sounds like a fantasy."

Deimos smirked at him before saying, "Sacrifices would have to be made Charles, but the concept is very achievable. A nation where noone is unhappy can be made but it will take effort."

"What... what would you have to do?" Holly asked innocently.

Deimos glanced at her, "Crime needs to be met with punishment Holly. Disobedience with punishment. Eventually people will accept and like the new order of the day – one in which they are free to do whatever they like, as long as the community is maintained."

There was some silence at that statement as everyone pondered. Eventually it was Anemone who asked smartly, "If you had such a noble goal in mind, why were you thought of as the most powerful dark lord ever?"

Deimos laughed at that and laughed some more.

"Anemone, anemone. You see, people are afraid of power. They think that power corrupts and destroys people especially when paired with knowledge. But Anemone, I am like you."

She looked disbelieving.

Deimos nodded earnestly, "Yes Anemone, I am like you. I thirst for knowledge. Before I was seventeen, I knew more than anyone – even Dumbledore. I studied the light arts, the gray arts and even the dark arts and you know what I found – no differences in them. They were all the same in my eyes - everything was magic. Only the way magic was used differed."

"And your methods?" Godric pointed out gruffly.

Deimos turned to him, his eyes shining, "Oh yes young Godric, my methods. My methods can be crass to your tastes but never without reason. I like to fight fire with fire, water with water, air with air. If a person casts a killing curse at me, I will fire one back. If a person betrays me, I will behead them. But at the same time, if a person casts a tickling charm at me, I will throw a tickling charm back. I loathe unnecessary violence – something that Voldemort never learned to control."

The kids looked at Deimos silently, each lost in their own thoughts. Deimos let them think as he finished off his firewhiskey. It was Lily who broke the silence finally, "Deimos, why are you telling us this?"

Deimos looked at her appraisingly, "Very good question, Lily. Very good question indeed."

He made eye contact with each of them again, making Godric and Holly fidget slightly.

"I have an offer for you." he let the silence hang for a second before continuing, "Join me as my elite warriors. You will be the top in a new class of life. I assure you, I will take over this country and the world, bringing a new age to it. It is your prerogative whether you join now as my elite warriors or whether you are conquered later and reduced to slaves."

instantly shock traveled through the group as though they had never expected that. In his mind, Deimos snorted. He had been working the kids since he had met them for this moment.

"You want us to go against our families, our parents to join you?" The skepticism in Charles's voice was loud and clear.

Deimos shook his head, "Oh no, my boy, never. I want you to do what you think is correct. Think of what will happen when Voldemort is defeated – Dumbledore will take over and ensure that no one learns or even hears about what he terms as dark arts. And think of if Voldemort takes over, he will destroy the world in allowing free reign to the monsters he calls his death eaters with their unnecessary violence. I am simply offering you a choice. Ultimately, it is up to you."

"You are easily trusting with all this information. What if we tell our parents what you told us? So sure we will join you?"

Deimos nodded again casually, "Actually yes. I have been keeping an eye on the five of you. Ever since the first day I met you, I have noticed your displeasure with the current status quo. You have been eager to jump at me from the start to see how my view of the world was different and most importantly. all five of you want to see what you are fighting against. Since birth, you have been told of darkness and Voldemort. You are taught light spells in school and practice them against each other but never once have you actually seen the darkness. It intrigues you, does it not?"

The five looked at him, mesmerized as they nodded at once. Deimos smirked and scooted back in his chair, satisfied with the job he had done. The kids sat in silence for a while before the brashest, Godric said in a small voice, "I agree."

The other four looked at him in surprise while Deimos let a small grin appear on his face. He knew he had won. Sure enough, the other four gave him their agreement very quickly.

Deimos clapped his hands in glee as he stood up quickly. As soon as the others stood, Deimos said, "Excellent, you shall each come in front of me, one by one to receive my mark. It is a tool which you and I can use to communicate as well as for me to summon you. It is also something I can use to find out if you ever betray me so be warned."

The kids all nodded before watching as Charles stepped up first. Deimos pulled a black wand out of his pocket and pointed at the ground in front of him, "Kneel and present your left hand."

Charles nodded and knelt right in front of Deimos. For his part, Deimos looked at the boy and pushed up the sleeve of his left hand, revealing the pale white skin. He pressed the tip of the wand a little above the wrist and said, "This will hurt."

Charles nodded, his jaw tightening slightly. Deimos smirked slightly before hissing. A thin red beam came from his wand and hit Charles's arm, carving in an intricate pattern to form the snakes and the inverted pentagram. Once it was done, the mark issued a golden light before retreating into the arm, revealing clear skin again.

"Where... where did it go?" Charles looked surprised.

Deimos smirked, "It will not be revealed unless you want it to be and when you do, it will not be visible to any other person not in my service."

Charles nodded a little amazed as he moved aside, letting Holly come over.

Deimos put the mark on the other four before saying, "Excellent. Now, we will come up with a plan to train and acquaint you to my world tomorrow. Go back to Hogwarts now."

They five nodded seriously to Deimos before Lily asked sheepishly, "Er... how do we get back?"

Deimos looked really amused and snapped his fingers. A small red ball of light appeared and began moving towards the castle, "Follow it."

once the five were gone, Deimos whistled a small tune as he entered his palace grounds. It was nearing three in the morning and no one was anywhere as he walked through the courtyard. Entering the palace, he ignored several guards raising their hands in salute, choosing instead to move to his quarters. He glanced at Viola for a second, finding her asleep in the cage, before opening one of the many doors in his quarters and entering.

The room was a museum of sorts that Deimos had bult very early in his career. Large open windows showcased the training ground near the palace, currently pitch black. Deimos flicked his wand, making the tied emerald curtains fall over the windows, blocking outside view. Then he turned to survey the room. It was exactly like he had left it years ago. On one side of the room was a fireplace surrounded by black leather couches and glass center tables. On the other side was a neatly ordered display of objects, all protected inside glass and warded against intruders.

It was Deimos's most prized collection – items that he had collected in his extensive travels of the world, particularly items he considered too valuable to place in the public library of the palace let alone his own private library.

He walked over to one of the displays, showcasing a thin book inside. It was dark blue, almost black in color and had slanted golden writing on the top. Deimos opened the case and gently withdrew the book from the little pillow it was housed on. Taking it to the couches, he sat in the regal armchair facing the door and looked at the book.

On the top, it said, Aut Vincere Aut Mori, either to conquer or to die. Deimos's fingers trailed over the writing before he opened the book gently. No sooner did he do so did an apparition of a regal man with beady black eyes and a sword on the hip appear out of the book. He looked around strangely before turning to Deimos.

Deimos waved his hand, motioning for the man to take a seat. They looked at each other for a while before the man spoke in Latin, "Deimos, why have you summoned me?"

Deimos looked at the man curiously before speaking, also in Latin, "To tell you of what has happened in the last twenty years, old friend."

"Twenty years! I only saw you a few weeks back!"

Deimos said dryly, "That is because time does not change here. Listen while I tell you of my imprisonment."

It was half an hour later that Deimos was sipping a glass of scotch and looking at the other man, "And just now, I have inducted my nieces and nephews into my camp.."

"What has happened to your plans, Harry?" the man looked curious.

Deimos drained his glass and looked at the apparition, "Merely delayed, old friend, merely delayed. I have promised Dumbledore that I shall take care of his Voldemort problem. Once that is done, I shall take care of him. And then I shall rule the world! hahaha"

The other man laughed as well, both their cackles echoing through the silence of the night.