Link : https://m.fan fiction.net/s/10182397/1/The-Nightmare-Man
WC : 114k+
Plot : In the depths of the Ministry, there is a cell for the world's most dangerous man… and he wants out. Read warnings. No slash.
Prologue
The British Ministry of Magic lay quiet in the dead of night, only a few working throughout the long hours when others were safely asleep in their homes. In the halls of the Ministry dim lights glowed, showing the way to the people who wandered around with books or parchments in their arms.
Most people who worked there had no idea what they had under their feet. Hell, most people over the world had no idea what was under this particular Ministry. But if one were to take a look…
The regular elevators would never reach the deepest levels. Most people had no idea there were deeper levels than those they themselves could reach. To get down to the very bottom you had to take a special one that required magical signatures. Those who had access were forbidden to breathe a word of what was down there. All except for one; the Minister of Magic himself. So far there had been no need for any minister to speak of the deepest part of the Ministry.
Deep below laid several rooms in a great hall carved out of stone. Most of the rooms were empty but bore reminders of long gone prisoners; claw marks on the doors and walls or worse, dried blood now flaked and brown. Of all these rooms, only one was sealed shut.
Those on guard-duty had a table for themselves, not too far from the room they were supposed to watch and the two who now sat at the table barely glanced over. They had never been inside. Few had ever entered that room. They didn't even know what was inside, only that it was alive and very dangerous. Their focus was at this moment more on their game of chess.
Beyond the door, which was made of steel several inches thick, was absolute darkness and silence. But if one listened very closely, there was the faint whisper of someone breathing. No movements, no others sound to indicate there was a living being in there. Just breathing. In and out, controlled and calm.
There was not much to see in this darkness, but if the door was opened you could at least see a little bit. There would be stone floor, cold and hard, and stone walls. No light sources, so there was nothing that could ease up the dark. Except for one chair, made of stony material, planted in the middle of the room there were no other pieces of furniture whatsoever.
Suddenly there came a different sound. A faint laughter and then something moved. There was a gentle thump against a hard surface. The living being inside this room did not move very often, but the laughter slipped out every now and then.
"Is it morning? Or night?"
The voice belonged to a man and was deep and raspy. Those who had heard it knew its effects. It made their skin crawl.
"Is my children well? Do they weep for me…?"
The voice faded out. The room wasn't large enough to make it echo. Silence spread, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Then it was broken by loud laughter, bouncing around in the dark encased room. It was not a gentle sound. It was the sound of a madman.
It never escaped out to the guards on duty. Sounds from the cells never did. The walls and doors were too thick, a perfect prison of isolation. But perhaps it was for the best that the guards had no idea what sounds were made in that sole prison cell they guarded.
Because that meant they had no idea what monster that existed just metres away from them.
Tbc…
Chapter 1
The weather was calm and sunny. People milling around along the beach enjoyed this pleasant day. They weren't wizards and witches, merely Muggles who took a day to enjoy the nice summer.
People liked to think they would get some sort of warning before danger came. Either they would get it days beforehand, perhaps even weeks or months. It was fine with a few minutes. Just as long as there was some sort of sign that said: Please, do run because things are going to get fucked in just a little while.
But nothing came. One moment everything was just perfect, and in the next things went very wrong. The sun disappeared behind sudden clouds and a strong, cold wind swept past them all. Summer turned to near winter in an instant, and then creatures rose from the sea.
People screamed. The creatures were clearly humanoid; they walked upright, had clearly a head, torso and arms and legs. They moved with determination but seemed to have no troubles with the water. They shied away from the light though, and lifted stick-thin arms to protect their misty eyes.
They were Inferi, and they moved with a frightening speed towards the screaming Muggles.
-o-
Albus hadn't seen Inferi this ferocious since the open war. Everyone in the Wizarding World knew the war wasn't over, the war with the Dark Lord Voldemort but it hadn't been an open war for several years.
Yet here they were, an army of Inferi moving like in the old days. Barely held back by fire spells, they advanced further into the country. The Aurors and Albus' Order tried to hoard them in and seal them away but it wasn't an easy task.
In fact, why had they begun to move once more? Voldemort had withdrawn them some twenty years ago and Albus thought those hellish days were over.
But that had just been proved wrong, and so they met in the Minister's office to try work up some sort of plan. With him was some of his Order, including Mad-Eye Moody, Minerva McGonagall, James Potter along with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.
James, Sirius and Remus had only been children last time they even heard of Inferi but Albus trusted their powers. They were strong and all three were Aurors as well as members of the Order.
Fudge seemed preoccupied though, twirling first his quill and then putting it down.
"Inferi," he muttered. "Animated corpses."
"Yes," Albus said. "It's a large army that came out of the sea."
"Why have they moved now?" Remus asked. "Is Voldemort preparing an attack?"
They saw James clench his jaws. His worry was shared by everyone, but they knew no one would be as worried as him about that prospect. Well, him and Lily, his wife.
Sixteen years earlier the war had been more open when a prophecy surfaced, stating the Dark Lord's doom at the hands of a child whose parents had trice defied him. It was revealed the child was none other than the one resting in Lily's womb.
The boy had been born. They named him Harry James Potter, and Voldemort sought to destroy him. An attack when Harry was barely over a year old had more or less destroyed their home, and caused Voldemort to withdraw. The years that followed were near peaceful.
But now it was heating up again. Albus tapped the desk to get Fudge's attention.
"Cornelius, we must seek a solution. What worries you so?"
"No, it's just… Inferi…"
For a moment he looked lost, but then it changed. They all saw it, the horrified expression that crossed his face. Then it disappeared but Albus was already on his feet.
"What is it, Cornelius?"
"Please, minister," James continued. "If you know anything at all about the Inferi that can help us… please, we already know too little about them…"
"I don't have the knowledge myself," Fudge began, "but there is someone who might. No, there's someone who can definitely tell us."
He looked over at them all.
"This information… I came to this information when I first took office. I never knew about it before I became a Minister. Few know this information. Few are allowed. Only a handful of people in the Ministry know this."
"What is it?" Albus asked.
The Order members glanced at each other, feeling uneasy. Fudge had not always been reliable, and now he had some sort of secret not even their own leader knew?
"This way."
Instead of just telling them what he knew Fudge led the way to the elevators outside his office, and they all stepped inside. He brought it down to the lowest level and walked down the corridor.
"I've barely been down here," James said, "but…"
"There's nothing here for us but an elevator taking us further down," Fudge said.
"What? This is the lowest level!"
Fudge took out his wand and glanced over at them.
"To the rest of the Ministry, this is the lowest level. To me, and a few select others, it's not."
He tapped the wall, and it rippled. A set of black elevator doors was revealed, and then they opened. He stepped inside first and motioned them inside. The elevator was a bit small but with an adjustment spell they could all fit comfortably.
Fudge pressed the tip of the wand to the panel next to the doors.
"The pit, if you please."
The doors closed, and the elevator dropped. It wasn't a gentle descent. They could all feel how the elevator fell through the ground, deeper and deeper. Fudge was sweating a bit.
"What's wrong?" Dumbledore asked, holding onto the wall of the elevator.
"It's been a while since I last was down here," Fudge said. "It's not… the most welcoming place."
They reached the end and the doors opened. A black-cloaked man awaited them.
"An Unspeakable?" James asked.
"Of sorts," Fudge replied and then turned to the man. "We're here to see… him."
"Of course."
The man led the way and the Order members glanced around. It was a bleak, miserable place with nothing but small, glowing lights to guide the way.
Then they came to a great corridor with several doors. Most of the doors were open in one way or the other but only one was completely shut. Another black-cloaked man waited there.
"Minister," this one said.
"Gentlemen. Do you remember the rule?"
"Yes," they both chorused. "Do not underestimate the prisoner."
"That's right," Fudge said. "Last time one of the guards did was in 1866. She walked too close and got her throat slashed open for the trouble. Then of course, there was the incident when I first came here… "
He cleared his throat.
"What happened then?" James asked one of the guards.
"They didn't work here at that time," Fudge said. "Let just say I had to throw away my robes that day. Too much blood and guts on them."
The two men didn't seem to know this, and nodded more earnestly in regards to the rule.
"The rule applies to you as well," Fudge told the Order members. "You will keep the distance. Magic-stealing chains are enough to keep him seated, but doesn't always work to keep him completely sealed off from magic. Also, the man has had time to come up with other ways of torturing people."
The two men pulled the closed door open slowly, revealing nothing but darkness. They didn't step inside, but they did get their wands out to send in some light.
"Cornelius, one question," Albus asked. "Who exactly are we here to see?"
"He has no name," Fudge replied. "In the papers concerning his imprisonment they only called him the 'Nightmare Lord'. It's a fitting title if I'm to be honest."
The lights were sent out from the guards' wands, and didn't show anything in the room at first. For a moment there was silence. Then came from the darkness a deep, feral voice:
"I see that the little man has grown some guts. Last time you were here, you shook where you stood, Cornelius. Like a poor, frightened lamb. Have I perhaps… lost my touch?"
"I don't fear you the way I used to," Fudge said. "You're but a mere beast wrapped in chains, locked up forever!"
Laughter was his only answer, and light finally flooded the room. The Order members gasped. On a throne made of stone sat a man wrapped up in blackened chains. His long, wild hair snaked past his chest, the wide mouth open in a teeth-showing grin, and bright green eyes, the light of Avada Kedavra, were fixed upon them. He was human, yes, but the look in his eyes told them something else. A beast within, a monster in human shape, and to him they might as well be prey rather than fellow beings.
"A beast you say?" the man wondered. "Aah, the notion of humanity. They see a man much greater than them, and call him beast."
He laughed again. It wasn't a pleasant sound, but he seemed happy when they flinched.
"Enough!" Fudge bellowed. "What do you know about the Inferi?"
The man's expression eased down. The grin disappeared, and for a moment they thought he looked afraid.
But it wasn't so. The smile came back, more gentle, and the man said almost dreamily:
"An army of the dead. Animated corpses on a march. What a sight that must be. Of course I know about them. I made it possible to create them. In fact, I was the first one to create an army of them. Little Cornelius, you never wondered why in the papers your ancestor Ministers called me the Nightmare Lord? I'll tell you. It's because I am the nightmare. I'm the notion itself of nightmares and fear."
"Yet you sit here, chained and pathetic," Sirius mocked him.
The eyes moved to him and the grin faltered.
"I was careless. I am but a man of human flesh and blood. But they couldn't kill me, so they locked me up."
"Why did you create such hideous things as Inferi?" Albus asked.
"Oh, are you perhaps a leader of sorts? You speak like one. It's annoying. Why you ask?" The man grinned. "Because I felt like it. But they were just for fun. The real thing I made is far more powerful."
"Is? Don't you mean was?" James asked.
"Oh no, is," the man said. "After all, you still have Dementors don't you?"
They all flinched, hearing of those horrid creatures.
"Are my darlings doing alright?" the man asked. "Do they brush their teeth before bedtime, Cornelius? Do you read them a bedside-story?"
"What the hell is he talking about?" James demanded to know.
"You are looking at the creator of Dementors," Fudge stated, wiping his sweaty brow. "He made them, as well as other beasts. He made spells and curses no one should know about today. The Unforgivables are nothing in comparison to what he unleashed into the world."
"And yet I'm not famous," the man mourned. "Well, it's wasn't really my aim though. You never answered my question, Cornelius. How are my darlings?"
"They're fine, feeding on the happiness of prisoners," Fudge begrudgingly told him. "About the Inferi. How to we defeat them?"
"What do you mean, how? They're already dead. You can't kill a corpse twice, that's just ridiculous," the man scoffed. "That would defeat the whole purpose of having a nearly immortal army, wouldn't it?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" James asked.
"Fight fire with fire. The only way to make them stop moving is to burn them to ashes," the man said simply, moving his head. It was probably the only part of his body he could move, with the exception of his toes and fingers. "So load up your fire spells and burn away. Unless you can't handle a bit of icky war, my dears."
He finished with one big grin. Fudge took out his wand and released a spell. Lightening encased the man who screamed. After a few moments it died down and the man wheezed for breath.
"You should keep your mouth in check, beast," Fudge stated. "You're never getting out of here."
"Well, that decides it, doesn't it?" the man panted. "I have to get my fun somewhere. Teasing you is the only thing I've got left. Unless you want to come closer…"
He bared his teeth.
"I know not to," Fudge said.
"Of course you do. First time you saw me, you must have just read reports of what happened to people who weren't careful. I even gave you a demonstration, with that woman. You stank of fear. I love that smell."
"How did an ordinary person turn into a monster like you?" Albus asked sadly.
"Bad upbringing," he replied. "Maybe. Perhaps I was just born evil. A wolf in sheep clothing."
"You were never anything but a wolf," Fudge said.
"You don't know anything about my past."
"I know that you are centuries old, perhaps before even the foundation of Hogwarts," Fudge said. "And you have been nothing but evil."
"Evil begins somewhere," the man said, staring off into the wall. "And now I'm tired, and thirsty, so unless you want to ask me anything else or try to torture me, I would like to be left alone."
"In the oppressing darkness?"
"Unlike you, my dear, I happen to enjoy it."
One of the guards cast a spell that was usually done through a small hole in the door. The man opened his mouth and water came out of the air and into his mouth.
"Aah, just perfect. Thank you. Sure you don't want to feed it to me?"
He snickered to himself, hanging his head. Fudge motioned them outside but then the man raised his head again.
"Cornelius," he sang, "little child. Beware."
"Of what?" the minister snapped.
"Of me. You can't keep me locked up forever. And once I'm out, the nightmares will begin anew."
"Keep telling yourself that."
"May I ask one final question?" Albus asked.
"Oh, don't look at me," the man said. "Ask little Cornelius. He's the… boss." A cackle followed.
"You may," Fudge said gruffly.
"Do you know of a man named Voldemort, and if you do, how does he know how to create Inferi?"
The man on the throne tilted his head and looked almost normal, eyes fixated upon Albus. They saw his calculating look, and a slow smile spread.
"No," he sang. "Never heard of the fellow. Why should I have? I've been locked up here for ages! I don't even know the year."
"That's enough, answer truthfully!" Cornelius shouted.
"I don't feel like it," the man replied. "Besides, how can I have taught him anything about the Inferi? These chains aren't for show you know; I can't even get up and I've had an itch on my leg for the last twenty years…"
"For your lies, don't expect company anytime soon," Fudge warned him.
"Oh. I'm not so sure about that. But until then, bye-bye, little Cornelius."
"Close the damn door already!"
The lights vanished from the room.
"Aw, leaving me in the dark again? What a cruel little child you are, Cornelius. Treating an old man like this."
"Close the door!"
The door was sealed shut again. Fudge was red in his face and wiped his brow again.
"As you saw, he's not very pleasant."
"How come the majority of the Ministry doesn't know he's here?" Albus asked.
"It's the way it's been since he was locked up." They left the cloaked guards behind them and Fudge continued, "The guards don't even know the extent of his crimes. Until today, they had never seen him. After all, they've only worked here for ten years."
"Never? But the spell for his water…?"
"Could be done in a way without them seeing him," Fudge stated as they stepped into the elevator. "I hope they won't get too nervous continuing working now. I've read of those who quit after seeing him for the first time. He was rather laid-back today. Normally he spews insults… maybe he had a good night's sleep or something."
No one said anything.
-o-
Back in the dark, the man chuckled to himself. Toes tapped the cold floor.
"So James Potter is alive here? Well, that's unusual. Maybe I had a bigger impact than I thought… but why should anything have changed? There was always someone who made my darling children, and figured out to animate corpses… oh, I hate this sort of thinking."
So he fell silent instead and waited for a bit. Waited for what, one might ask. Well, if he was in any position to answer that question, he would say he was waiting for a very specific sound. Hours had passed since they left. He knew that. Maybe Fudge thought he lost time in this darkness, but he never did when time counted. He knew how long he had been in here. And so he let a few hours pass before he set his plan in action.
To be honest he seldom had seen the people who watched him over the years. Mostly when the Ministers came to see him. The times he had seen the guards their minds were protected, or he had had too much fun tormenting or torturing them to death that he hadn't noticed, or even cared about their minds. But today, the best of all days he decided, one of them hadn't been protecting himself properly. His mind slipped, just for an instant but that was enough and so the Nightmare Lord slipped inside. It wasn't that hard. He had spent so many years prior his capture possessing and controlling dozens of people just for fun.
The door opened and light spilled in. One of the two guards, the one who had greeted Fudge and company earlier, stood in the doorway, his eyes blank. The second guard lay on the ground behind him, blood sprayed on the floor and wall.
"Good," the Nightmare Lord said with delight. "Now… I am ready to get out of these chains."
They were old but the design was simple, and he soon had the guard work away at freeing his body.
"Inferi, moving around… I have heard the name of Voldemort," the man mused, "but never have I taught him anything. Then again… he might have found my book. Perhaps I should find this Voldemort and see who he is. Could be fun."
The chains snapped, and he was free.
Tbc…