The Darker Side of Me

Chapter One

Note: This is my first fanfic. I wrote it a few years ago, and there are some rough patches in it, but it gets better, I promise! Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!

That insufferable cackling bounced off every wall, rebounding back into his ringing ears as blind rage drove him forward. Around each turn he could hear the pop of spells being sent back at him, sending him darting back around the corner. Still, he charged on, knowing soon enough he would catch up to her. Then what? What could he possibly do to make her pay for the pain she had caused him?

Rounding the corner, Harry sprinted into the atrium where he could see Bellatrix's sneering face waiting. He barely had time to register what she was doing before a flash of red whizzed past his ear, causing him to dive behind the glittering fountain. Another spell sent shattered concrete and other debris raining down upon his head, as parts of the fountain exploded. Aiming his wand over his shoulder, he sent his own spells blindly in her direction. A sharp laugh pierced the quiet.

"What's wrong little Harry? Lost your nerve so soon?" Her taunt was thick with that child-like tone that set his nerves on fire. Gritting his teeth, he spun out from his hiding spot, wand at the ready. Dodging a spell, he shouted the first curse that came to his clouded mind.

"Crucio!"

His voice sounded unfamiliar as it echoed off each wall. Watching, he saw Bellatrix fall to the ground in a tangle of shaking arms and legs. Rushing over, the adrenalin pumping through his shaking legs, Harry could tell that the effects wouldn't last long. She wasn't twitching and screaming like Neville had earlier, in fact by the time he had reached her she was already regaining her crazed composure.

A smirk crossed her face as she turned to look up at him from her vulnerable place on the cold tiled floor. " Is that all you've got Potter," Bellatrix taunted in a slightly winded tone. "First time using an unforgivable, eh? How does it make the little boy feel? Big, bad Potter can't even hold the curse for longer than a second." The sneer on her face only grew as his grip tightened on the handle of his wand. He had her trapped like a spider beneath his foot, and now what? What could he possibly do that would make things right?

Bellatrix let out another cackle and made to rise to her feet, but Harry thrust his wand in her direction. "Don't," he whispered, his hand shaking noticeably now. The smile on her face broadened, but she remained still.

"What are you going to do, Harry? Hmm," she goaded "You going to kill me? I don't think you have what it takes, boy." He could hear the childish tone in her voice, and his thoughts immediately went to his godfather. His dead godfather. She killed him and now she was at his mercy, and what was she doing? Acting like he was no threat. All the rage he had felt for the past few years began to build inside him, as he thought of all the people she had killed. The Longbottoms, who this woman had tortured into insanity, were lying in St. Mungos while their son sat by knowing they would never recognize him again. Suddenly Harry knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to cause her as much pain as she had caused all those families over the years. He wanted her to know what it was like to suffer. Yet, a small voice rang in the back of his head warning him of the thin line he was about to cross.

Raising his wand, he barely had time to comprehend what he was doing before his voice was ringing out over the empty room. "CRUCIO!" A wave of light erupted from the end of his wand, and he had just enough time to register the look of pure shock on Lestrange's face before it contorted into a grimacing scream.

Her blood-curdling cries were a complete contrast to the maniacal laughs he had heard earlier. Watching as she curled in on herself, Harry couldn't help but feel a small twinge of satisfaction. He was doing what hundreds of families wished they could do to this wretch of a woman. A slight prickle in his scar flared at this thought. Ignoring it, he watched with a blank stare as Bellatrix lost the ability to scream, her mouth merely forming a soundless gape. Her fingernails were scraping at the floor violently, some beginning to flake off as she tried hopelessly to escape her pain. He was just beginning to wonder how much longer she would last when a cold hand gripped his shoulder.