Lady Tonks, Lord Potter

The day of the Dark King

Before dawn, unknown location

Lord Voldemort stood with his back to the Death Eaters and their unconscious captive, awaiting the first rays of the sun. Today would be the day, the day when all knew of his rightful place in the world. That Potter brat considered himself Lord Potter, and that mongrel thing considered herself Lady Black? He would show them, he would show them all the power, the power not of a Dark Lord; no, he would show them the power of a Dark King. He watched as the first, feint glimmers of light began to streak the sky. The darkness was his normal haunt, but not today. No, today the burning embers of the sky would ignite the world, beginning his reign and dominion over all.

He turned quickly, catching some of the Death Eaters by surprise, but those who he trusted most stood steadfast, grim smiles of determination and anticipation on their faces. They were ready, spoiling for action, some since their removal from Azkaban were especially eager. They had been worthy of the trust he had put in them, they and the others that had successfully infiltrated the Ministry. They had given him the slivers of information that he had pieced together, his planning would not have been possible without them, and, he smiled, without the miserable thing that lay bound and bloody at the stone.

The Dark Lord walked forward, watching as the sun began its inexorable creep towards the sky, how the shadows began playing through the ancient standing stones. It was proper to be crowned king at a place like this, an old place, reeking with magic from the beginnings of time, proper for the Dark King to begin his war. He laughed, as it was proper for his crown to be made of such material.

The man, boy really, who lay bound and bloody on the stone had been a wealth of information, details like he could not have imagined in his wildest dreams came from the boy's brain, and what torture did not reveal repeated Legilimens attacks did without fail. Without the boy none of it would have been possible, but now, now it was all there, within his grasp. Smiling, Voldemort took out his wand and held it delicately, like a conductor with a baton, and began work.

He started with the hands, removing them just below the wrist. The sudden pain made the boy come awake with screams, lovely, delicious screams. With another spell the skin began to fly from the now floating hands, splotches of pink muscle and tendons flying off to the wind, food for crows, as the bones gleamed white and wet against the growing sun. With a laugh he once again twirled his wand, sending the hands spinning in the air, fingers stretching out as far as possible, joined only by magic, until the tips of the thumbs and the tips of the small fingers joined together, other fingers standing upright, making a crown. A crown of bones.

Walking forward, moving the sleeves of his black robe backward to reveal unnaturally pale and slender fingers, he reached into the air and took the crown. With the mocking reverence of ancient kings he lifted the crown high, towards the sun and then sat it on his head. Turning back to his Death Eaters he saw them kneeling, bowing towards him. "Arise, my friends. Your king commands it."

The Death Eaters rose, the screams of the boy more frantic until someone kicked him violently in the head, reducing the sound to sobbing gasps.

Voldemort surveyed his Death Eaters. Some would not return from the day's efforts but it could not be avoided. He had recruited heavily for just this reason, as today, today would decide all. All in his favour. "You have your tasks, you have the times. Do not fail me, or risk the displeasure of your Dark King. Kill the boy; we will return here when all is done."

With a turn Voldemort was gone. Two Death Eaters looked at each other and with a shrug the youngest one took out his wand and cast the green killing spell on the boy, still struggling, handless, on the stone. That completed, the Death Eaters Apparated away, leaving the bloody, handless corpse of Percy Weasley staring with unseeing eyes into the brilliant dawn.