Harts Still Beating: A Canon-Divergent Potterverse AU
On October 3, 1981 Lord Voldemort went to Godric’s Hollow to murder the Potters and their infant son based on a prophecy that warned the boy might be destined to destroy him.
He never made it there.
Instead, just a few blocks away from the Potters’ house in Godric’s Hollow, the Dark Lord was betrayed and destroyed by two of his own Death Eaters: Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape. Thanks to the somewhat-unanticipated assistance of Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the two ex-Death Eaters were able to overcome the ambushed Voldemort with Malfoy casting the final Killing Curse that ended his war of terror and coincidentally established himself as the beloved blood-traitor hero of the Wizarding World.
Magical Britain has lived in peace since that day (or at least, since a few weeks after that day, when the last of Voldemort’s loyal Death Eaters were finally rounded up and shipped off to Azkaban to rot). But now, over a decade later, as the little boy who never had to face the Dark Lord from his crib enjoys his carefree adolescence at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, rumors are beginning to spread: rumors that Lucius Malfoy’s final curse may not have been entirely fatal.
Rumors that Voldemort might somehow rise again.
But surely they are only rumors?
General Verse Background Details:
This verse was was originally created by myself and @teaspoonofginger for a roleplay game and is open both to new interactions here with Narcissa and for you to make use of for interactions with other characters on your own blogs if you like (although credit is of course appreciated).
The Malfoys were convinced to turn on the Dark Lord by Severus Snape, who warned them that Voldemort planned to kill all of the magical children who had been born that summer as detailed in the Prophecy he had overheard -- including those born to his own loyal servants, like Draco. Willing to do anything to protect their son, Lucius and Narcissa begged Snape to help and he “reluctantly” agreed to back Lucius in a coup to secretly assassinate Voldemort and install Lucius (a wealthy, charismatic pure-blood, unlike the sulky Snape) in his place. Things didn’t quite turn out that way...
Having never been exposed as the traitor, Peter Pettigrew remains friends with the other three Marauders and Lily -- but he knows he’s living on borrowed time and his secret could come out at any point...especially if Voldemort really is coming back...
Narcissa and Lucius do not know that Severus lied to them about the Prophecy’s contents. Even if they do eventually find out the truth, the Dark Lord isn’t going to be interested in excuses and forgiveness -- but it would likely sour their relationship with Severus, learning that they had been pawns instead of partners.
The populace of the Wizarding World believes Lucius Malfoy to be either a hero or a blood-traitor (or both) depending on their personal beliefs. No one outside the family other than Severus knows that he meant to take Voldemort’s place rather than destroying the Death Eaters. Now requiring protection from their old allies, for their own safety they have to maintain that illusion...but Narcissa’s opinion of impurity has never changed.
In order to help sell the veracity of their “reformation,” the Malfoys reached out to the Tonkses and Narcissa effected a reconciliation with her lost sister. She isn’t sure whether or not Andromeda buys it, but she allowed Narcissa and her family into her life anyway -- and it is nice having one sister around under any pretext. Bellatrix, of course, is barricaded in Azkaban and is surely convinced that both her sisters are blood-traitors now which means if she ever gets out, Narcissa’s life is surely forfeit.
The Malfoys waited until Draco was seven before they told him the truth -- old enough that he would be able to keep the secret, but still young enough to be able to shake-off the false indoctrination of blood-equality they had raised him with up to that point. He seemed to understand, and to be willing to continue to play along with the ruse by befriending muddy filth at Hogwarts -- at least, Narcissa hopes he is only playing along, and doesn’t really consider those creatures friends...
Interaction Notes: I am interested in both Marauders Era and Trio Era interactions in this verse.
“Mum? Just, hum. Just to let you know everything is fine, as usual, so there’s no need to, you know, leave this room at all. Okay, got to go, I’m in the middle of something important. For school! Yeah. Love you!”
Genre: Fanfiction, YA Fiction, Horror, Survival, Video Games
Contains: Some scenes of violence and strong language
Summary: A year after the events of The Games took place, a new batch of YouTubers are faced with The Creators newest game, a game in which he promises no one will make it out alive.
Amidst some familiar faces that appear in The Games, and struggling for their own survival, do these new players have a chance of bringing down The Creator once and for all?
Wordcount: 3,129
Start at the beginning
Wattpad version here
Hart stepped into the bright lights of her room and shut the door behind her. In front of her sat a twin bed, to the left of which stood a small table piled with bottled water and snacks that made her stomach immediately grumble.
She crossed the space in four steps and grabbed a bottle of water off the table before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. She sipped from the bottle slowly and stared around the rest of the space, soaking in her surroundings.
The walls were bare and painted a light blue, giving her a false sense of calm. In one corner an overstuffed armchair sat with a backpack resting on the seat cushion. Next to the chair was a wooden desk, a letter with her name on it visible on its surface. She got up and grabbed the letter, placed the backpack on the floor and settled into the chair to read it.
Hello Hartbeat,
I’m glad you’ve decided to join our new game; I think you’ll find it more enjoyable than our last. This time there will be no tricks; just you and I engaged in a private game together. In your backpack you’ll find all the supplies you need while in the game room, but if you’re smart, you won’t need many of them. Each night you’ll return here to this room. In your backpack you’ll find a watch. The doors will automatically lock at 8PM sharp, so be sure you’re inside! This is for your own protection, I assure you.
Now for your tasks, I am giving you two tasks, both of which I think you’re quite capable of doing. One will be easy, while the other will test your wits.
Task One: You must use whatever means necessary to take out Emma Blackery.
Task Two: When the time comes, give the answer to this riddle: You can hold it without using your hands or arms. What is it?
Lastly, I suggest you get some rest. Your door will be locked for this evening, but once it’s open, follow the others down the hallway into the game room. The rules of this game are simple: survive.
Your Host,
The Creator
Hart read over the letter three more times, soaking in the words. Take out Emma Blackery? She thought to herself. Her eyes traveled up across the room to the table lined with food, but suddenly she didn’t feel hungry anymore.
~
At exactly 8AM, all the doors lining the hallway clicked open. Nervous faces peeked out of their rooms and one by one the small group assembled together and started shuffling down the hallway, averting their eyes from looking at anyone.
When they reached the end, the space opened up. In front of them were two double doors made of metal marked Game Room. To the left and right of them, the hallway branched off further into darkness. Charlie scanned left to right and shuddered, wondering what was down those empty corridors.
As expected, Emma was the first to reach the set of doors and stepped forward to grab the handles.
“Are we sure about this, guys?” Tyler asked. He was standing next to Troye, who looked like he was on the verge of throwing up. Tyler’s hands were shaking, as he tried to keep the weapon he held steady.
All of their weapons were identical; looking more like phasers from Star Trek than anything they could use to defend themselves with in the real world. They were made out of what appeared to be a shiny black plastic material, and no one could figure out how to load it, before realizing they weren’t given any ammo.
Alone in his room last night, Jordan had aimed the weapon at the wall and tried to fire it, but nothing had happened. He tried again to no effect before discarding it on the desk where it sat until this morning when he reluctantly picked it back up.
“The only way out is through,” Emma repeated, her grip tightening around the doorknobs. She took a steadying breath and opened the doors, releasing the handles, as they swung inward.
The room appeared endless and was covered from floor to ceiling in a crisscross pattern of green lasers as far as each of them could see. One by one the group followed her inside, their footsteps echoing off the walls around them. Most started peering around and walking forward unconsciously, trying to gauge how long the room stretched on. When the last of them, Troye, had stepped through the doors, they slammed shut behind him. The locks clicked into place with a loud snap, sealing them inside.
WELCOME TO MY NEW GAME EVERYONE! I TOLD YOU THIS ONE WOULD BE DIFFERENT. AS EACH OF YOU KNOWS BY NOW, THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: SURVIVE.
WHEN THE GAME BEGINS, YOU’LL BE IMMERSED INTO A…VIDEO GAME OF SORTS, ONE THAT WILL TEST YOUR SKILLS ON EVERY LEVEL. ALTHOUGH WHAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU NOW IS SIMPLY AN EMPTY ROOM, I ASSURE YOU THAT ONCE THE GAME BEGINS IT WILL ALL BECOME VERY, VERY REAL. ON THE FLOOR YOU’LL FIND THAT THERE IS AN X MARKED ON THE FLOOR. THIS IS YOUR STARTING POINT. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME, A BUZZER WILL SOUND AND ONE BY ONE YOU WILL ENTER THE GAME. YOU WILL GO IN THE ORDER YOUR DOOR NUMBERS ARE IN, WHICH MEANS YOU’RE FIRST HART. IN EACH OF YOUR BACKPACKS ARE A PAIR OF GLASSES, I SUGGEST PUTTING THEM ON.
HAVE FUN! AND REMEMBER, BE BACK IN YOUR ROOMS BY 8PM OR YOU’RE SURELY REGRET IT.
“Oh great. I am literally in NerdCubed hell,” Castle said, rolling his eyes.
“Maybe…maybe this won’t be so bad,” Charlie said, “I mean it’s just a video game, right? And it’s obvious that these weapons don’t do much, see?” He pointed his gun in a random direction without looking and squeezed the trigger.
Jack hit the ground with a thud and lay motionless, his body splayed out across the laser lined floor.
MY, MY, WE ARE EAGER AREN’T WE? TSK, TSK, CHARLIE. YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN THAT.
The Creator laughed and Charlie ran over to Jack’s body, feeling like he couldn’t get there fast enough. By the time he reached him and fell to his knees, tears were streaming down his face and obscuring his vision. He grabbed Jack’s shoulders and shook him, taking no notice of how Jack’s head smacked against the concrete floor each time. He pressed his ear to Jack’s chest to listen for a heartbeat, but his own blood was pumping so loudly in his ears that it muffled any chance he had of hearing the life Charlie hoped was still inside him.
Charlie buried his tear-streaked face into Jack’s shirt and screamed as loud as he could, desperate for him to wake up.
Jordan bent down and checked Jack’s wrist for a pulse, finding nothing. Everyone looked at him expectantly, hope still in their eyes. He looked back at them and gave them one quick shake with his head, telling them everything they needed to know.
In one movement Jordan was on his feet again and was behind Charlie, pulling him away from the body.
“I’m s-s-sorry! I didn’t think it would do anything! I didn’t m-mean to kill him!” Charlie said between sobs. Jordan pulled him into a one armed hug and forced him away from the scene.
The entrance to the Game Room opened behind them and everyone turned as a tall figure strode into the room towards Jack’s body.
“Who the fuck are you?” Phil said, raising his weapon at the new arrival.
“Jumper.”
“Oh, great. That tells us everything,” Castle said.
Jumper started to walk forward towards Jack, but Phil blocked his way.
“What do you think you’re doing exactly?” Phil asked.
“Removing a body. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with The Creator.”
No one said anything else and watched as the man calling himself Jumper bent down and picked up Jack’s body. He swung him over a shoulder and carried him out of the room without another word, the doors locking automatically behind him.
NOW THAT WE’VE ALL WITNESSED HOW SERIOUS I AM, STOP WASTING MY TIME AND GET IN LINE AT THE STARTING POINT!
The group reluctantly found the spot on the floor and lined up while fumbling in their backpacks to remove their glasses and put them on.
Hart stood at the front of the line, her eyes set in determination. From the neck up you would think she was calm and prepared, but if you looked closer and saw the way her hands shook slightly, or the way her right foot tapped restlessly against the ground, you’d think otherwise.
Charlie was still sniffing and wiping his nose furiously, trying to calm himself down enough so he could focus on whatever was coming next.
Towards the back of the line, Tyler reached behind him and grasped Troye’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze as a sign of solidarity. They were in this together, or not at all. Troye returned the gesture with a feeble squeeze of his own, as tears threatened to fall from his otherwise dormant exterior.
A cool female voice sounded out around them, signaling the start of the game.
THE GAME WILL BEGIN IN 5…4…3…2…1.
The buzzer went off and Hart took a hesitant step forward, one more step and the room was immediately transformed, taking her out of the laser filled space into an expanse of forest basked in moonlight that was vaguely familiar to her. She darted left, hoping to find shelter in the trees and smacked into an invisible shield separating her from the interior wall of the room.
Cursing to herself, she followed the invisible wall until she was well guarded behind a big oak tree, just in time to hear the buzzer go off over her head.
~
The next person to step forward was Phil. He took two unsteady steps forward until, like Hart, the room changed before his eyes. He stood rooted to the spot, gazing around in awe and bewilderment at the environment surrounding him. It reminded him of the rich mountains in Skyrim and every inch of the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow, glistening in the mid-morning sun like tiny crystals. He shivered a bit against the wind that blew against his skin and took a few more steps towards the base of the closest snowcapped mountain. A noise to his left startled him and he turned just in time to see an Ogre making it’s way towards him.
Without thinking, he scrambled further ahead, taking shelter in a small cave to his right. Memories of the first Games flashed through his memory and he suppressed the urge to cry out for Dan. His crouched body trembled, eyes wide, as he heard the heavy footsteps of the Ogre coming closer to him. He watched as thick, tree trunk like legs stalked past the cave and moved on, and Phil finally let out a sigh of relief.
~
Hart could’ve sworn she saw a zombie walking through the woods to her right, but when she went after it, she couldn’t find it anywhere. She walked up and down the expanse of trees, yet no sight of the creature appeared. She half wondered to herself if she made the whole thing up out of fear. Sweat trickled into her eyes, making them burn and she reached up to remove her glasses for a moment to wipe them clean.
I WOULDN’T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU, HART.
Her hand froze on the frame of the glasses and she quickly dropped it back down to her side. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and blinked a few times, telling herself that she’d have to deal with it for now. Thoughts of the zombie, or whatever it was, disappeared form her mind as the buzzer sounded off again. She needed to find cover, and fast.
She spied a heavy rock formation to her immediate left and ducked behind it, panting heavily. As she steadied her breath she wondered to herself where her teammates were, and if they were willing to play into The Creator’s game. Did someone else get a card telling them to take her out by any means necessary? The thought sent a chill up her spine and she pressed herself up closer against the rock until it was digging sharply into the small of her back. She bit down on her lip to suppress a curse that was itching to spill out of her mouth and listened to the sounds around her. She thought she heard footsteps to her left, and her head snapped in that direction, ready for whatever was coming for her. Her eyes scanned the forest and came up empty. Minutes passed in dull silence, the only sound was the wind whispering through the leaves of the trees and the occasional far off hoot of an owl.
Hart scooted against the rock until she was at the edge and peered around the corner. The coast was clear, and she immediately made a beeline for the trees.
~
The buzzer sounded off for the final time of the day and Troye stepped forward into the games, finding himself thrust into the lush jungle landscape similar to Uncharted. There was a shallow pool of water in front of him, reflecting the sun back into his eyes and making him squint. His body immediately felt heavy and sticky from the humidity that pressed in on him from all sides. He struggled for breath in the atmosphere, before reminding himself that he had a job to do. His mind flicked back to the note that was lying on the desk inside his room Task one: Use whatever means necessary to take out Hartbeat.
He suddenly switched into a panic as he looked around him. How was he going to find her in all of this? She could be hiding anywhere. Furthermore, if he did find her, would he even be capable of taking her out? The trembling in his body made him think he wouldn’t. No matter how dire the situation was, he couldn’t imagine taking the life of someone else, even if it cost him his own.
Tears started to escape his eyes and he quickly shut them tight, willing them back. He remembered what Tyler had said to him on the train, that they were in this together, or not at all. He knew Tyler wouldn’t kill anyone and in that moment he knew he wouldn’t either. Whatever The Creator wanted, he would do the opposite.
Realizing he had been standing motionless for well over five minutes, he took a few uneasy steps forward and started to peer into the thick jungle on his right. There was no telling what could be lurking in there, hidden from sight, but he knew that if he didn’t get out of the open, he would be making himself a target to someone that had decided to play along. His mind flicked through the names of his companions and he didn’t think any of them were capable of playing along, all except Emma.
He pictured her steely resolve in his mind as she had stepped forward into the game. She hadn’t spoken a word to anyone the entire morning, and would barely spare anyone a glance. If anyone was capable of murder, it was her. Without further hesitation, he thrust himself into the jungle, catching a whisper of harsh words in the air as he disappeared into the thick underbrush.
~
Castle cursed loudly and lowered his gun. He had had the nurse in his sights and hesitated just as he was about to deliver the killing blow to her head, watching her get away and slide into an open doorway up the hall.
Of all the things he had to be thrust in to, it had to be Silent Hill. He hated horror games and somehow, The Creator knew it.
He quietly stepped out of the doorway he had been hiding in, and moved further up the hall, determined to follow the nurse. He got to the place where she had disappeared and turned sharply, training his weapon inside the dark room. A whiff of decay hit him full in the face and he fought back the urge to vomit on the spot. One arm over his mouth he inched forward with his weapon still aimed in front of him. He crossed the threshold into the room and saw her move out of the corner of his eye. He spun and fired, narrowly missing her by an inch as she escaped into an adjacent room. She was toying with him now.
He cursed loudly again, the sound slightly muffled by his arm and crossed the room in three large steps, determined to take her out. His arm swung wildly in all directions as he entered the new room. She was standing in the corner, half hidden behind a dresser, but not moving.
Odd, he thought to himself. He aimed the weapon between her eyes and fired, smiling in satisfaction as her body hit the floor.
THE GAME WILL END IN FIVE MINUTES. PLEASE REMOVE YOUR GLASSES AND MAKE YOUR WAY BACK TO YOUR ROOMS IMMEDIATELY.
The cool female voice reverberated through the room and Castle gratefully removed his glasses, the scene vanishing before him instantly. He spun around until he found the double doors and darted for them, longing for the security of his room, and for sleep.
He could hear the others thundering behind him, anxious to get to safety. He flew down the hall and skidded past his door, cursing as he backtracked to open the door. He was halfway in his room when a panicked voice cried out, “Where’s Troye?” He turned to see Tyler standing in the middle of the hall, tears streaming down his face. His entire appearance was disheveled, and his normally perfect hair hung limply down one side of his head.
“Where’s Troye!” He screamed again, looking in every direction for his friend.
DOORS WILL BE LOCKING IN FIVE SECONDS.
Castle remembered the warning in his letter about staying out after the doors had locked and cursed the situation he was now in. He gave one last look towards Tyler, who was now staring at him, pleading with his eyes for help. Castle gave him a sad smile and entered the room quickly, shutting the door behind him just in time to hear the bolts lock him in.
This is Hart. She makes music and comedy videos for a living. And sometimes vlogs. This video is her parody of those "Mother Nature" tampon commercials........with a twist at the end. Funny as hell, especially when it's relevant *cough*rightnow*cough*.
