The Nightmare Man

Chapter 4

While Albus was just getting to the Ministry, Harrison landed on his feet in front of large set of gates, the guard holding onto him for dear life.

Harrison looked up at his home with its towers and black stone, and smiled when he saw it was in perfect condition. He had made sure in the past to put his home away from any kind of population, and keep it hidden behind powerful wards that were still holding up.

He opened the gates and started walking up to the manor. To be honest he didn't know how the inside looked like. He hadn't thought of telling anyone to keep it tidy and neat if he happened to be captured because he hadn't expected to be captured. If he remembered correctly his last order was to await his return.

There was only one way to find out. The set of double doors opened as he closed in, and he entered almost dragging the guard behind him. Harrison stepped into complete darkness, only a bit of the hall illuminated thanks to the light coming from behind him. Still he could see the dust lay thick in the air. Harrison moved his arms and snapped his fingers. Magic surged.

Heavy curtains that kept the light of the day out were swept away from all the windows and said windows sprang open. With another snap of his fingers fires throughout the manor sprang up in the fireplaces and it was soon starting to feel much livelier.

Had he had house-elves they probably would have kept it clean for him without him giving them orders to do so but Harrison had never owned any. Why should he have house-elves when he could just take half-dead people and make them his servants? Perhaps they couldn't do all the things house-elves could but then again, house-elves weren't capable of all the things wizards and witches could do with magic.

Speaking of, it was time to call on them. He clapped his hands, and Harrison smiled as they came, silently crossing the floor to come closer. He was happy to see them. They weren't half-dead anymore, and didn't stagger, or moan, or held their arms out like in some bad zombie movies he had seen from the Muggle world. Movies he had seen in this time, in what felt like ages ago. Maybe he should refresh his memory, if only to get a good laugh about it.

Harrison knew people would never believe if he said this was truly his own time. Those few who knew about him assumed he came from a long time ago, a beast formed in a more uncivilized age. They couldn't be more wrong. He had been born as a normal child, by loving parents. It was what happened later in his life that made him into what he was today. That, and his own choices.

He gazed around as his servants gathered around him, silent, waiting for their master's word.

"Why don't we get this place cleaned up?" he said as greeting. "It's rather dusty in here, after all."

Several of them bowed and moved away.

"You," he told one, "prepare a bath and then get me some clothes. Not anything like these ones. If necessary, get me new ones. Nothing fancy, just wearable until someone can go and properly get more clothes."

That man bowed as well and walked upstairs.

One woman, the head of the servants, stepped forward. Harrison remembered her when she was alive. She was a feisty, headstrong young lady, and he had enjoyed breaking her down. She no longer remembered that time, he usually erased those memories to ease their pain, and as a result she was stubbornly loyal to him and appeared to be that still after all these years with him locked away. Well, he didn't expect anything less from her.

"The man?" she asked.

"Oh, he will soon be one of you, Elise," he told her. Then he turned to the guard. "I forgot to ask. What's your name?"

"Christian..."

"Well then, Christian, I'll take care of you in just a moment. You'll feel much better in no time, I promise you that. Elise, I need you to go and gather information about the whereabouts of a man named Voldemort. He's a Dark Lord and might be hard to find."