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Chapter Text

Harry pulled his cloak around him as tightly as he could, which unfortunately wasn't very much considering he was also carrying Hedwig's cage, wondering how his life had actually come to this: smuggling his owl across the school at midnight in an attempt to contact Voldemort. He'd been discussing with Ron and Hermione about what they could do about Umbridge in the common room the other day when he'd considered sending a note to Dumbledore telling him what was going on at the school and begging him to return. Pavarti had piped up and told him not to bother; apparently Umbridge had put some sort of ban on mail which meant she hadn't even been able to message her sister in Ravenclaw, let alone get a message out to her parents. Hermione had also pointed out how distinct Hedwig was and that it might actually put Dumbledore in more trouble as she could be easily tracked.

Harry hadn't thought any more about it until the visions and nightmares he was getting from Voldemort had ramped up to affecting him in the day as well as at night meaning that he was currently trying to function on zero hours sleep, not great when he had to deal the toad at the best of times, but since he was also having to deal with actually taking his exams as well, well everyone had their breaking point and Harry had currently reached his. Perhaps he should have paid better attention when Snape was trying to teach him how to block his mind but it was too late now. 

He had tried to deal with it on his own but that had only led to him practically falling asleep in class. He'd gone to Madame Pomfrey but she said Umbridge had tied her hands and she couldn't give out potions unless it was absolutely necessary and unfortunately she didn't class stressing out about exams as that big a reason. With Dumbledore gone and the teachers seemingly sitting on their hands about all the shit that was going down, and even Sirius being no help, Harry was all out of options. Well, almost all out. There was one chance left but it truly was the longest of shots.

Getting out the parchment and quill that he'd brought with him, Harry began to write what could well be the last letter he'd ever written. 

Dear Voldie, 

I know you and I have had our differences over the years, and you are the last person to ever think of doing me a favour but my uncle used to say 'nothing ventured nothing gained' so here goes nothing.

Can you please quit it with the visions! I think you're trying to tell me something but the problem is I have absolutely no idea what it is so it's honestly pointless to continue them. Surely it would be better if you just tell me what you want, that way I can tell you to go screw yourself and I can concentrate on trying to actually pass my exams, something that you are making extremely difficult. 

If I'm wrong and this is actually some elaborate trick to kill me, like last year, tjen can you please wait for after my exams have finished. It's only a couple of weeks and I will quite happily kick your arse again then.

Again, I don't actually understand whatever it is that you're trying to tell me so it really is pointless to continue.

The-boy-who-will-happily-kick-your-arse-again-anyday (after exams that is) 

Crossing his fingers that his plan would work, Harry carefully attached the letter to Hedwig's leg, hoping he wasn't putting her at too much risk with this journey. He had little hope of getting a reply but, with any luck, if someone was tracking her it would lead them straight to Voldemort and Dumbledore would be vindicated and could come back. Deciding to wait there for her return not wanting to risk her getting caught by Umbridge. Settling himself back on the old dusty bed, Harry resigned himself to an uncomfortable night. At least he wouldn't have to worry about disturbing any of his friends tonight. He was honestly surprised that none of them had complained yet, although who they'd actually complain to was anyone's guess these days. At least the locals would just assume that the ghosts were back again. 

The bed itself was covered in dust and it was barely holding together; Harry was surprised it could even hold his weight but he wasn't about to complain since it was still better than the floor or the awful camp bed he had to deal with at the Dursleys. He lay down as gently as possible, not wanting to jar the piece of furniture too much, choosing to take a deep breath instead of wriggling to get comfortable and he hoped that his sheer fatigue was enough to allow him to sleep.

It was. When Hedwig began nipping Harry's fingers to wake him up the first rays of dawn were just beginning to make their way over the horizon meaning Harry must have gotten a good few hours sleep which was more than usual so perhaps Voldemort had actually agreed to hold off on the visions for a couple of weeks. Noticing that Hedwig was carrying a reply, Harry gingerly untied it, images of getting pulled to the graveyard the summer before still fresh in his mind, and Harry suddenly wished he had thought to learn some detection spells for just such a situation as this. Hedwig didn't seem to have a problem with him taking it, and she still seemed to be perfectly healthy, so Harry took heart that he wasn't about to resurrect any more dark lords any time soon. 

The letter turned out to be just that, a letter, although it's contents were highly surprising.

Dear Mr Even-longer-epithet-than-me, or should I just stick with Potter? 

I apologise that the visions I have been sending you had been such an issue. I had been of the impression that I was simply using the wrong bait with them which is why you were able to resist them but it appears that Dumbledore has kept more from you than I imagined.

You see there was a prophecy made before you were born stating that the one to vanquish me would be born to those who had thrice defied me at the end of July. That was, unfortunately, as much as my follower was able to overhear and it was the reason I went after you as a baby. We both are aware of how that turned out which is why I want to know the rest of it before I make any further moves.

I applaud you for taking your exams seriously, especially as this is such an important year for you, or at least will be should you live past your Hogwarts years, but I'm afraid that I don't do things for free. I am the dark lord, I do have a reputation to uphold, which is why I will propose a deal for you: help me retrieve the prophecy and I will not give you any more visions for the rest of the year. 

There is a rule that states that a prophecy can only be removed by those mentioned in it, a feature I have tried to circumvent with little success, especially as I'm currently enjoying the anonymity the Ministry is providing far too much to just storm in myself. That is where you come in. Meet with one of my operatives tomorrow night and they will take you into the Ministry to retrieve it. I will accept our agreement and will make an oath on my magic that no harm will come to you until it is retrieved and there will be no more need for any more visions so you will be able to complete your exams in peace. I make no promises for anything else, however, as that will depend entirely on what the prophecy says.

Arrange a place to meet with my operative and they will meet you there at 10 o'clock tomorrow night.

Surprisingly I am looking forward to working with you, Mr Potter and perhaps this could be the first of many successful endeavours together, although you really ought to learn how to end your letters properly, 

Yours sincerely, 

The Dark Lord of the Wizarding World

Harry reread the letter and was actually fairly dumbstruck. Did Voldemort actually write back to him! And even offered him a truce of sorts to find some prophecy that was the whole reason for his parents dying in the first place! The idea that this would lead to them working together again in the future seemed ridiculous but Harry had to admit that he was very curious about what the prophecy actually said and, as distasteful as it seemed, was willing to work with the dark lord om this one thing, if only because he knew that Dumbledore would never actually tell him what it was, not if he could get away with it anyway. 

The prophecy was almost certainly real: the Order were clearly protecting something, something at the Ministry, something that they all knew about and were taking great pains to keep from Harry. If old Moldywart was right, though, that he was always supposed to face off with the bastard, then that spoke to a very deep betrayal that Harry wasn't sure he would be able to forgive. All summer he had heard from Mrs Weasley that they were only children so should stay out of the war, but if he was always supposed to fight then shouldn't he know? Shouldn't he be getting some sort of training instead of being left to flounder? Why did he spend so many years rotting at Privet Drive when he could have been learning at least the theory of spells, like all the other bloody pure bloods, so he might actually stand when he stood against the man in a duel. Voldemort was ancient, not to mention Dumbledore had said that even at school Tom Riddle had been brilliant. At best Harry was average, except maybe in defence; how was he supposed to beat someone like that? Especially when they'd had such terrible defence teachers over the years. 

He would write a reply, Harry decided, anything else was unconscionable. To know that there might be a prophecy about him out there that was being purposely kept from him did not sit well in his gut. He needed information and he obviously wasn't going to get it from the usual sources so Harry decided it was time to start looking outside the box. Tearing off a piece of parchment he penned a quick note.

Meet in the shrieking shack. Keep Hedwig with you until then, I don't want her trying to get through Umbridge.

He sent his faithful friend off once again and made his way back into the castle, hoping that it was still too early for people to be up and about.

Harry was on tenterhooks the whole next day. He felt for sure that someone, someone, must know what he was planning to do that night, to the extent that he seemed to jump at everything. It didn't help that if he wasn't worried about someone finding him out his mind was constantly wandering, thinking about what might happen, what the prophecy might say, that he was paying absolutely no attention to what was going on around him. Hermione had actually questioned if anything was wrong with him but had thankfully accepted a lack of sleep as an answer, especially since the one good night he'd got had done very little to reduce the bags under his eyes.

Claiming tiredness, Harry quickly ate his dinner that evening, what he could stomach with the nerves anyway, and took himself straight off to bed, saying he wanted to get some sleep in before he was bombarded with nightmares again. He felt a bit bad for lying to his friends like that but he didn't think they would understand, not really, not yet anyway. Perhaps when he got proof it would be another story. Silencing his curtains, Harry set an alarm and tried to get a little bit of still much needed sleep before what was likely to be a busy night. 

Harry woke with a start when his alarm went off and briefly panicked that he was late for lessons again before remembering that it was still very much night and he had other things to do. He hadn't bothered to change into his pyjamas before going to sleep so all he had to do was wrap his cloak around himself and check the map to make sure the coast was clear. Thankfully his dorm mates were already snoring away and only and the common room was blessedly clear: thank Merlin for Gryffindors and their poor study habits which meant that even this close to exams they still typically preferred sleep. Even Hermione had accepted the benefit of a good night's rest before exams and had taken to studying in bed at night tlso at least she was comfortable when she dozed off in a book. Still not wanting to take any chances, however, Harry carefully crept down the stairs and out of the portrait.

Thankfully Filch and Snape were patrolling the upper corridors at that time and Harry briefly wondered if that was on purpose or not as he quickly made his way, unimpeded, towards the Whomping willow. His heart was still racing, however, knowing that there was every chance he could still be walking into a trap but realising that it was too late to go back as he could never live without knowing the truth.

The trap door creaked as Harry opened it causing him to wince as he stepped through, having hoped to be able to at least have the opportunity to run should he have been double crossed. 

"You're late, Mr Potter," came an aristocratic drawl.

"You!" Harry exclaimed, spinning around to see none other than Lucius Malfoy waiting for him, a sneer firmly on his face although Harry wasn't sure whether that was to do with the surroundings or the fact that he would have to work with Harry, possibly both.

"Please do me the courtesy of showing your face Mr Potter," Lucius sneered, "it is quite rude to leave me guessing as to where you are."

Harry contemplated leaving his hood up in protest but knew they needed to get moving if he hoped to be able to accomplish his task before the morning. With a huff he pushed back his hood.

"Better? Any chance we can hurry up since some of us have to get back before we're missed."

"My, my Mr Potter, in such a hurry to break the rules, but Severus did always say that was a particular trait of yours," Lucius smirked. "I'm sure he'll be particularly interested in finding out about that invisibility cloak of yours as well. He did always wonder how you were able to sneak about the castle undetected and now we know."

Harry made sure the map was carefully hidden. It was one thing to have his cloak discovered but the map was even better for getting about the castle undetected so he definitely didn't want 'the enemy' learning about that. It was what the death eaters still were, in his mind anyway, for now at least, depending on what the prophecy revealed.

"I figured the cloak would be necessary for sneaking into wherever it is we need to go," Harry blustered.

"Not necessary but better as the concealment spell can be a bit temperamental," Lucius said. "Now if you would like to get on with this I'm afraid you will have to hold on to me. We will be apparating to the Ministry and, since you don't have a licence, we will have side-long." Lucius shivered slightly at the thought and Harry could quite agree. The thought of having to be so close to the blond aristocrat disgusted him as well. Needs must, unfortunately, so Harry tentatively held the man's arm as he pulled his cloak tightly around himself.

It was a good job he did as he felt his body contort in unnatural ways and was very close to bringing up what little dinner he had eaten when they came out the other side. Lucius, unsurprisingly, had no care for what state Harry might be in and went striding off the moment they landed leaving Harry scurrying after him. Thankfully the Ministry was fairly deserted at this time so Harry didn't have to worry about accidentally bumping into anyone, at least until they reached the Department of Mysteries and Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared.

"What brings you down here this late at night?" he questioned Lucius. 

"It was the only time I had free to meet with Croaker," Lucius replied. "Unfortunately the Minister and Umbridge have had me quite rushed off my feet with various laws they are trying to get passed in the Wizengamot, especially now Dumbledore is on the run, so I have been granted permission to get a time turner to assist me in my business."

"Dangerous things those," Kingsley scowled, "and highly restricted as well. Can't let just anyone have one or who knows what damage they might be able to do."

"Quite," Lucius smiled, "which is why the Minister himself has given me written permission to have one but only for a short time for this specific purpose." He waved a piece of parchment in front of Kingsley's face. Kingsley frowned at Lucius's smug expression, ripping the parchment out of his hand, but even Harry knew that Lucius wouldn't be lying about this. Not that Harry thought the man hadn't somehow persuaded or even bribed the Minister to give him that permission, but he certainly wouldn't have taken chances, especially as Voldemort had already mentioned that they knew the order was watching this place.

Kingsley huffed as he handed the parchment back to Lucius who gave the man a mocking bow before striding forward. Harry moved carefully to the far side of him, not wanting to risk alerting the Auror to his presence, not that he needed to worry too much as Lucius seemed to have very little faith in his ability to remain undetected, making a big show of rearranging his cloak and clicking his cane on the floor with every step.

Harry was very disoriented when the room of doors but Lucius seemed entirely unaffected, calling out for the room of time and walking forward when the room stopped moving. Harry quickly followed and was surprised when Lucius simply walked to a cabinet and picked up a time turner as if it was nothing.

"So they're not actually closely guarded," he whispered, after checking to make sure no one was around.

"No they are," Lucius corrected, "but the unspeakables already know I'm coming to pick one up so it's not an issue. How do you know what this is anyway?"

"I, um, may have seen one before," Harry stuttered.

Lucius quickly turned and stared with such intensity at exactly where Harry was standing Harry felt the need to check to make sure he was still covered by the cloak.

"Where exactly has a child been to see a time turner?" Lucius hissed.

"Um, Dumbledore," Harry stammered, feeling caught in Lucius's icy glare.

"Of course that old fool has allowed children access to a restricted artifact!" Lucius snarled. "I bet he let you use it to cheat on your exams!"

"What! No! Is that even possible?" Harry asked.

"Of course its possible," Lucius said, rolling his eyes, "even with examiners taking precautions, which is why the Ministry banned the use of time turners within school grounds to help prevent cheating although Severus swears the old coot purposely puts extra pressure on the teachers to try and get the Ministry to back down on that front which is why he refuses to hire anymore teachers, even when the school has been granted extra funding."

"Oh," said Harry as the continued to make their way through the department, "I didn't realise they weren't even meant to be in the school."

"Of course you didn't," Lucius sneered. "I assume Dumbledore simply told you that you were a special case and needed to keep it secret so that nobody else became jealous because they weren't worthy of it."

"Talking to yourself Lucius? You should be careful, some say that is the first sign of madness," came a voice from the other side of Lucius and Harry gave a start as a man emerged from the shadows.

"I find myself frequently questioning my sanity these days," Lucius droned. "By the way, there hasn't happened to be anyone unusual sculcking around here has there?" 

"Other than yourself?" Croaker queried jokingly, "no, not recently, strangely enough not since Bode was incapacitated, they mostly just watch the main entrance these days. You're not planning on trying to take something that doesn't belong to you are you?"

"Of course not," Lucius smiled, "although I would like to take a look around the hall of prophecies in case anything has come up about my family since I was last down."

"That's fine," Croaker nodded, "we are ridiculously behind on our checks in that department, especially as that Trelawny woman seems to send several in daily. They all end up being utter rubbish but you know we can't just throw them out without checking. You wouldn't be able to talk to the Minister about increasing the department, would you? Now that Dumbledore is out of the picture, it might be an ideal opportunity to get something sorted, since he always seems to block anything pertaining to the department of mysteries."

"I'll mention it too him," Lucius intoned, "now if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to wander alone, if that's all the same to you. If there is anything about the Malfoys I'd like to keep it secret for as long as possible, I'm sure you understand."

"So long as you don't try and touch anything pertaining to anyone else," Croaker warned, "the defences are there for a reason."

Lucius nodded in agreement and continued forwards into the next chamber, a cold, dark room filled with shelves and shelves of glowing orbs. Lucius moved quickly along the rows, seemingly already knowing where he was going and Harry briefly wondered if the man came down there often which might explain why that other man, Croaker, didn't seem surprised at his presence. At row 97 he turned and marched steadily down the gangway before stopping so suddenly that Harry nearly ran into him. Using his cane he pointed to a glass-looking orb that glowed a milky white although it appeared slightly smaller than the others around it. Somewhat gingerly Harry reached forwards and picked it up, looking at the yellowed label that was attached.

S. P. T. to A. P. W. B. D. 

Dark Lord and (?) 

In different writing was his own name which Harry assumed was the reason he hadn't gone mad when he picked it up.

"Excellent. Now secure it safely so we can get going, the Dark Lord isn't exactly known for his patience plus, with any luck, Shacklebolt won't have managed to rally the troops yet."

Chapter Text

Harry staggered as they landed back in the shrieking shack. Shacklebolt had caught up with Lucius just as they were about to leave but since he had no actual grounds to detain or even search Lucius, especially after Lucius happily showed him the time turner he had permission to have, and even volunteered his chat with Croaker as evidence if why he was down in the department so long. Shacklebolt had reluctantly let Lucius go although he watched Lucius like a hawk forcing the man to adopt a slightly strange position to be able to hold onto Harry as they apparated which is part of the reason Harry almost ended up on the floor.

"You have it then?" Voldemort asked as soon as they appeared.

"Yes," Harry replied, shaking off his cloak, "although it was a pain to get. I hope it's worth it."

"I do as well," Voldemort murmured. "Now to listen to it, place both of your hands around it and push your magic into it. The recording should play, if it actually exists that is."

"You think it might be a fake?" Harry queried.

"It is smaller than most prophecies," Lucius pointed out. "That means that is from someone's memory which means that it is either a prophecy that magic didn't deem worthy enough to record or someone added it as a joke. Since a true prophecy can't be remembered by the seerer that gives it, and there is no guarantee that someone is around to hear it, or if they are, that that person knows how to extract a memory and send it to the department, or that they even should. There was a time when the department would just discard them but it was found that magic wasn't actually infallible and that some of these apparently 'false' prophecies actually had information pertinent to 'real' prophecies and things were consequently missed. As such the keeper of prophecies has to check through every one to be sure, before they are rejected, and even then the records are still kept just in case."

"I suppose that explains why they were complaining about Trelawney giving so many," Harry sighed, "especially as most of hers were rubbish, although she did give me an accurate one about your resurrection," he said to Voldemort.

"That wasn't in the department," Lucius queried.

"Well I was the only one to hear it back in third year since she made it straight after I had my exam," Harry explained.

"And this is why collecting prophecies should be the first lesson of any divination class," Voldemort complained. "This is why I had my doubts about the woman but if she gave one true prophecy then this one might be valid as well."

"There have been many documented cases of people who only ever had one true vision in their lives," Lucius argued.

"Perhaps, but we won't know until we hear it," Voldemort groused. "What are you waiting for then Harry?"

Harry gulped, not wanting to push his luck with both Voldemort and Lucius there. Placing both hands on the globe as instructed, Harry imagined pushing his magic through his hands and into the sphere. The light seemed to swirl and intensify and then a thin, reedy voice could be heard.

The one to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thriced defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives… The one to vanquish the Dark Lord is born as the seventh month dies.

The voice petered out and Harry dropped the globe in shock. His blood was thundering in his ears and he knew he should reach for his wand to try and escape but he was shaking too much from fear. There was no way Voldemort would let him live after hearing that!

"Very interesting," Voldemort mused. "Although I'm wondering why Dumbledore put so much effort into trying to conceal it."

"You mean other than trying to cover up the fact that I'm supposed to bed the one to kill you," Harry snarked, unable to stop himself.

"Oh I had assumed that already," Voldemort said, flapping his hand as if to dismiss such a ridiculous idea, "although there is nothing to say that that hasn't already happened."

"What do you mean?" Harry frowned, seriously confused at the thought.

"Well think about what the prophecy actually said," Voldemort explained. "It only used the words vanquished, and arguably I was that night, when the curse rebounded and killed me."

"You didn't die though," Harry argued.

"Didn't I?" Voldemort queried. "The scientific definition of death is when a person's heart stops and my whole body was completely obliterated so that definitely happened. Yes my soul didn't technically pass on but then neither do ghosts and yet we class them as dead. The only difference between me and them at that time was that I had purposely tethered my soul to the earth."

"But what about the 'power the Dark Lord knows not'?" Harry asked.

"Your mother's sacrifice possibly," Voldemort suggested. "I don't actually know how you survived that curse but I wouldn't be surprised that your mother jumping in front of you moments before that played a part."

"Sacrificial magic has always been powerful but temperamental," Lucius stated, "which is why it has always been strongly regulated by the ministry and treated a circumspect."

"That might also explain why Dumbledore always publicly downplayed your mother's sacrifice, putting all the emphasis on your miraculous survival instead," Voldemort said sarcastically.

"So what are you saying?" Harry questioned, "that when you attacked me that night my mother's sacrifice gave me a protection that you didn't know of so after the curse marked me but backfired, it vanquished you, killing you, thus fulfilling the prophecy?"

"That seems to some it up, yes," Voldemort grinned.

"What about 'neither can live while the other survives'?" Harry queried.

"It is curious that the prophecy uses both words," Lucius mused. "I mean other than making it rhyme with the following line. There's a subtle difference in the meaning of the two words after all."

"Quite," Voldemort pondered. "It's possible that it means that our lives will be restricted somehow if one of us is only surviving and not truly living, which is certainly what it was like for me in my wraith form." 

And for me at the Dursleys, Harry thought, but he kept that bit to himself.

"It might also refer to all of the yearly 'situations' that Dumbledore keeps manipulating him into," Lucius added.

"What do you mean Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed. "Those were all your fault, both of you!"

"Really?" Voldemort asked. "Are you sure? In your first year who was it that brought the Philosopher's stone to the school, knowing full well that I would come after it. He had also purposely sent Quirrell to the Black Forest, knowing full well I was there and would likely make the most of using a British wizard to come back to England. I also now have my doubts that he even had the stone to begin with since Flamel had no reason to give it to him in the first place."

"Other than the fact that he helped Flamel create it," Harry scoffed.

"Who told you that nonsense," Voldemort chuckled. "Nicholas Flamel was born in the 14th century and is, or was, over 600 years old. Dumbledore wasn't born until 1881 which means he must have created the stone before Dumbledore was even born, let alone when he was old enough to actually help with a great scholar like Flamel. I'm aware that they worked on the uses of dragon's blood together although the rumour is that Flamel actually did most of the work and just allowed Dumbledore to take some credit out of pity."

"Hang on, wait! Are you telling me that Dumbledore is only 115!" Harry gaped.

"Actually not yet," Lucius grinned, "since his birthday isn't until August. He just perpetuates the image of an old man but really he's only middle aged for a wizard."

Harry just stood there with his mouth hanging open as he tried to process the new information.

"As for your second year," Lucius continued, "yes I put the diary in the hands of the girl but I did not force her to write in it or secretly keep it on her for the whole year. She was more than capable of telling someone about it."

"She was scared," Harry protested.

"She is a pureblood so should know better than to use a sentient object," Lucius countered, "it is one of the first things magical children are taught. Anyway there is no way that Dumbledore didn't know exactly what was happening and allowed it to continue since he had been teaching when the chamber was opened before. He also purposely kept students petrified, insisting on waiting for the schools mandrakes to mature instead of buying more mandrake root as it is a common ingredient in potions and so readily available from apothecaries. As for your third year, who was it, do you think, that allowed Black to languish in jail despite being innocent."

"You know he's innocent! Why don't you get him a retrial or something then?"

"You think we wouldn't if we could?" Voldemort replied. "It would be the perfect opportunity for me to have gotten my other followers a retrial and possibly gotten them out since most of them didn't have proper trials either. I would have happily handed over Wormtail for his part in bodging up my resurrection if I thought it would have made any difference. Unfortunately we were blocked at every turn which is why I released them to begin with."

"It's not like they were innocent though," Harry argued.

"That depends on your definition," Voldemort smirked. "They were never actually found guilty of anything since being a death eater isn't actually a crime."

"Still I'm not sorry for what happened to Barty junior though," Harry sneered, too angry to care about the perilous position he was in. "Not only for his part in what happened to Neville's parents but for putting my name in the cup for the tri wizard tournament and forcing me to compete in that ridiculous competition."

"You think that was Barty," Voldemort scoffed. "He might have been a competent wizard but he was not powerful enough to manipulate something as strongly protected as the Goblet of Fire."

"And even if, by some miracle, he had managed to be the one to get your name drawn then Dumbledore could still have stopped you from entering," Lucius pointed out. "I mean if signing someone else up for a magical contract could cause them to lose their magical powers then we would have done that with all the light side years ago."

"You mean I wouldn't have lost my magic if I hadn't competed," Harry gaped in disbelief.

"Of course not," Voldemort smiled, "and while I had Barty shuffle things around to work in my favour, I wasn't the only one to benefit since you are now an internationally recognised celebrity, not just in England." 

Harry groaned at the thought. 

"Dumbledore was also the one feeding Barty hints to give to you," Voldemort continued. "Barty who had only met Moody a handful of times in his life yet was somehow able to fool Dumbledore who had been friends with the man for decades."

"Well when you put it like that," Harry muttered. "I mean after he was exposed we just thought all the mean stuff he did was because he was a death eater but you're right, if that was out of character Dumbledore would have called him on it which means he purposely hired someone who would terrorise Neville like that. I mean poor Nev was more scared of him than Snape and that's saying something."

"Severus is only hard on the boy because he persists in miss handling ingredients which is what causes him issues," Lucius explained. "Severus has tried to correct the boy but unfortunately that harpy of a grandmother of his has brainwashed him into thinking that her way is the right way and he cannot deviate."

"Oh, I hadn't noticed," Harry admitted.

"That's probably because you're just as bad," Lucius sighed, "and who knows who we should blame for your bad habits since your mother was good at potions, by all accounts, and the Potters have been potions pioneers for centuries."

"I thought my dad was an Auror?" Harry queried.

"In training," Lucius corrected. "He had only been out of school for two tears after all so hardly had enough time to qualify as a fully trained Auror before he went into hiding. His father, however, was the inventor of Sleakeazy although apparently sold the company when James showed no interest in potions."

"So that's where all my money comes from," Harry concluded.

"Yes, Fleamont Potter apparently quadrupled the family coffers," Lucius informed him, "although they were hardly destitute before that having attached themselves to several old magical lines that ended over the years including the Fleamonts and the Peverells."

"I didn't realise the Potters were related to the Peverells," Voldemort said.

"Oh yes, Hardwin Potter, the eldest son of Linfred of Stinchcombe, married Iolanthe Peverell, the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell," Lucius recalled, as if he had spent his life pouring over magical family trees which, Harry admitted, was probably the case.

"So Harry is another heir of Slytherin," Voldemort grinned, "no wonder he was destined to be my equal."

"What! No I'm not!" Harry stammered.

"Of course you are," Voldemort cooed, "and it explains why you're a parselmouth as well."

"No it doesn't," Harry denied. "Dumbledore said that I got that when you transferred some of your power to me."

"Did he now?" Voldemort sighed, rolling his eyes, "because everything Dumbledore says must be true. I mean if it was that easy then I would have transferred some of my power to all of my inner circle as it would make communicating with them so much easier. I promise you, however, that you are related to Slytherin since the Peverells were the last known direct descendants of Salazar which makes you his heir as well."

"I wonder if that's why the sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin then," Harry mused.

"Probably," Tom nodded, "although it's probably good it didn't, like I'm assuming Dumbledore didn't find out about your ability until after he'd publicly aligned with you as he has always seen Slytherins, and especially parselmouths, as evil."

"Really? I mean he always talks about house unity," Harry queried.

"Talks yes, but actually does nothing," Voldemort stated. "Slytherins get called slimy and evil all the time and yet nothing is ever said about it. Dumbledore himself turned against me as soon as he found out about my ability before I'd even started school and dogged my footsteps as soon as I entered. Admittedly that probably helped me a bit though since, as a presumed Muggleborn in Slytherin, I was initially seen as a spy in their ranks but that changed when they realised just how much the old coot hated me they knew I was safe."

"Not so old coot," Harry giggled.

"Quite," Tom smirked.

"So are we actually going to do anything about this prophecy?" Harry asked, fidgeting a bit.

"That's up to you," Voldemort purred, "although if you truly wish to stop the fighting then the answer is simple."

"Is it?" Harry sassed.

"Yes," Voldemort smiled, although the look of it reminded Harry strongly of a shark. "If you want to ensure your safety then all you have to do is promise not to attack me, amf I will do the same."

"Just me?" Harry asked. "What about my friends?"

"That depends on them," Voldemort replied. "But since you've helped me considerably today I will sweeten the deal: I will not attack you or any of your friends on the proviso that they do not attack me first, me or my followers. I have no problem creating a no kill list but that will not count against retaliation at which point it will be no holds barred."

"What about the rest of the wizarding world?" Harry questioned.

"I have my limits," Voldemort frowned, "and we are trying to reshape the world here which always requires some sort of sacrifice. I get that you're a bleeding heart Harry, I do, but you can't ask too much or you'll receive nothing."

And wasn't that true, Harry thought. He looked at Voldemort and tried to weigh up his options. He knew he was meant to be this great hero, that's what everyone saud anyway, and heroes were supposed to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. The problem was, as much as Dumbledore and others pushed it, deep down Harry was just a scared boy trying to keep his family and friends safe. Well friends anyway, he didn't actually care all that much about the Dursleys although he wasn't about to say that out loud for fear of what Voldemort might do.

"What assurances do I have that you will keep the deal?" Harry asked, eyeing Voldemort warily.

"The same ones I will have that you will uphold the deal," Voldemort grinned, obviously smelling blood in the water. "We will make an unbreakable vow which means that the other's life is forfeit if we break it, meaning that, should I go against the deal, you'll have won anyway."

That did sound like a good deal, Harry thought. "What about your plan to kill all the muggles?"

"What plan?" Voldemort scoffed. "As someone who actually saw the devastation wrought at Hiroshima I am well aware that muggles cannot be brought down by magic, at least not with our meagre numbers anyway, which is why I'm planning on strengthening the disconnect between their world and our, for protection."

"So you're not planning on killing all muggles," Harry frowned.

"Merlin no, that's ridiculous," Voldemort chuckled. "But I do want to try and introduce Muggleborn children to our world earlier since 11 is far too late to learn about magic."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, remembering the scramble he'd had trying to catch up in his first year.

"I've been working on a manifesto actually," Voldemort admitted, "trying to counter some of Dumbledore's propaganda. I could send you a copy if you like."

"Maybe when Umbridge removes the ban on owls," Harry scoffed, "although I doubt that'll happen as long as she's still handing out detentions."

"And why is that?" Voldemort asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously, causing Harry to gulp.

"Oh, uh, no reason," Harry stammered, trying to surreptitiously hide his hand behind his back.

Voldemort simply hummed. "So what is your answer then Harry? Will you make the vow to protect your friends or not? Since this will be an unbreakable vow we will have to be specific so I will say you can have 10 friends on your white list, not including yourself of course. A more than generous offer don't you think?"

Harry could only nod mutely. As much as there was a voice in his head, sounding suspiciously like Dumbledore, telling him to throw the deal back in the man's face, Harry knew he couldn't do that, couldn't risk his friends like that if he knew he had a chance to ensure their safety. After all, what had the wizarding world ever actually done for him other than make the last few years of his life hell. He'd been traumatised when he'd come back from the graveyard yet he'd only been met with scorn. The more he thought about it the more he realised that the wizarding world at large could go fuck itself, his friends were what mattered and that was it. 

Stealing his resolve, Harry turned to Voldemort. "When do you want the list of names?"

"Before we make the vow is preferable," Voldemort replied, "although I suppose I could adjust the wording although I may require extra assurances that you will not push your luck if you insist on that method."

"No, I can come up with it now if you have a quill," Harry stuttered, his eyes wide as he contemplated what Voldemort might demand of him if he tried to delay things. Lucius produced a quill and a piece of parchment seemingly out of nowhere and Harry started his list. Ron and Hermione were a given, as was Ginny, Luna and Neville. Then there were the twins and Harry realised that he was already up to 7 meaning there were only three spaces left. Hermione's parents were probably safe since Voldemort said that he wasn't actually planning on attacking muggles. Mr and Mrs Weasley probably would have been on the list as well only he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't fight which would cause the vow to attack them. The same was true for Sirius and Remus. He supposed that he might be able to persuade them to step out of the war, especially if he could gain Sirius's freedom out of it.

He went to write down Bill and Charlie's names but thought that maybe they could be persuaded to leave the country instead which meant that there might be someone better to save. Thinking of the people at school he was closest to, Harry added Dean and Seamus's names. Seamus had been a tool at the beginning of the year but he had apologised and it would be mean if he was the only one in the dorm not on the list. That left one spot remaining. Then Harry's mind wandered to Cho and their awkward kiss. The thought of it made his stomach clench uncomfortably but that was just because of his crush right? If there was one spot remaining then he should probably write down her name.

Harry hastily scribbled it anyway and handed the parchment to Voldemort who quickly looked it over.

"Very good. Now use your right hand to clasp my forearm and answer when Lucius prompts you since he will be the one actually casting the spell."

Harry did as he was told but eyed the blond aristocrat warily, not fully trusting the man. Lucius didn't seem to care about the animosity coming off of Harry and simply smirked back at Harry in a slightly strange way that made Harry shiver.

Voldemort growled as he grabbed Harry's arm. "Get on with it Lucius, Harry will need to get back before he's missed."

"Of course my lord," Lucius bowed and pointed his wand at their arms. "Do you, Harry Potter, promise to never raise a weapon, except in self defence, against the Dark Lord or his death eaters?"

"I do," Harry replied and a thin tongue of fire erupted from Lucius's wand.

"And do you promise that the people on your list will do the same, only raising a weapon against the Dark Lord or the death eaters in self defence?"

"I do," Harry gulped, hoping he hadn't just condemned anyone to death as another flame wrapped around his wrist.

"And do you, my lord, promise not to attack Harry or the people on this list except in self defence?"

"I do," Voldemort stated without hesitation and a third flame wrapped itself around their arms, completing the binding. Before Harry could step away, however, Voldemort grabbed his hand and lifted it to his lips placing a kiss on the back of it. Harry shuddered as the red eyes seemed to bore right into him, almost scorching his soul. He gulped, his mouth suddenly going dry as his body felt all tingly.

Voldemort straightened before Harry had a chance to analyse that feeling, simply shaking himself out and instead telling himself that it was just his imagination.

"I suppose that will be all for today though feel free to contact me again about anything in the future; I have a feeling that deepening our alliance could prove quite fruitful," Voldemort purred, staring at Harry intently again and Harry refused to think about how or why that look made his mouth dry and his palms sweaty.

"Er sure," he stammered, gathering his cloak back up and scurrying out the door, not wanting Voldemort to know about the tunnel just yet. Lucius might have heard the hatch earlier that night but that didn't necessarily indicate a passage, Harry might just have been waiting in the basement. They may have called a truce but it's not like they were friends or anything so there was no need to give away all his secrets just yet. It might be a long walk back up to the castle but at least it would give him time to think, about the apparent truce, not the weird feelings the Dark Lord had evoked in him. 

Chapter Text

The next day, during lunch, Harry sat waiting impatiently in the room of requirements. He knew it was dangerous, what with Umbridge on the warpath, but this was too important to wait, and too delicate to risk discussing in the open. Eventually Dean and Seamus arrived, looking around and the assembled group.

"So what's this about then?" Seamus asked, taking a seat. 

Harry sighed. "Okay, so I know not everyone here believes it but Voldemort is back. I know this for a fact because he's been plaguing me with visions for months and I haven't been able to get any sleep, and none of the adults have been any help, so in my desperation I decided to write to him to get him to stop, if only for the exams."

"Oh Harry you didn't!" Hermione exclaimed. "Have you any idea how dangerous that was!"

"I know Hermione," Harry moaned, "and I didn't expect anything to come of it but the arsehole actually replied and even explained why he was sending the visions. See apparently there was a prophecy made about us, that people have been keeping secret. Anyway he promised not to attack me if I helped him retrieve it."

"And you believed him?" Ron scoffed in disbelief.

"He swore a wizard's oath so yeah," Harry said. "Anyway last night I went and got the prophecy only when we listened to it, Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy both seemed to think that it had already been fulfilled."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"The one with the power to the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives. The one to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."

"That could have been me!" Neville gasped.

Harry nodded. "Until he marked me that is, which I think is why my name was added to the label after."

Hermione was pensive. "Well l suppose he did mark you, but what about 'the power the Dark Lord knows not'?" 

"They reckoned it was my mother's sacrifice," Harry replied, "which is what caused the curse to basically rebound, saving me and killing Voldemort."

"He didn't really die though," said Ron.

"Except he did because his body was destroyed," Hermione mused, "although his soul seemed to kind of stay."

"Precisely," Harry smiled.

"This is all well and good but what has this got to do with all of us?" Seamus demended.

"Well to make sure that the prophecy definitely can't come true I made an unbreakable vow with Voldemort that me, and ten people of my choosing, would be completely safe so long as we don't attack him or his death eaters."

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, "that's dangerous! What if they attack us?" 

"We can defend ourselves, so long as we don't make the first move," Harry explained.

"So if Vo- Voldemort were to attack any of us he'd, what, die?" Dean asked.

"Yep," Harry grinned, "but if any of you were to attack him you'd die, or I would since I'm the one that made the vow."

"So we're all completely safe," Neville gaped. "We don't have to worry even if a war does start?"

"That's all well and good about you-know-who but what about the death eaters?" Ron yelled, "or other people. I mean no offence but why did some of this lot make the cut but not my parents?"

"I don't actually know about the death eaters, I'll have to ask," Harry frowned, "but as for your parents, I did want to put them on the list but I didn't know if they would actually step back from the war and, since I'd been given ten people, I didn't want to waste it."

"What about muggles who can't defend themselves?" Hermione asked, clearly thinking about her parents.

"Apparently he's not actually interested in attacking muggles," Harry explained. "He grew up in the muggle world during world war two and saw the devastation of Hiroshima and actually wants to put extra protections up for the wizarding world. That's what he said anyway; he's written a manifesto that he said he was going to send to me."

"That could be interesting," Hermione mused, "to actually hear their side of things."

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny.

"The muggles have a saying: the first casualty of war is the truth," Hermione stated. "So far we have only heard one side of things, from Dumbledore with his interpretation of things, so it will be interesting to see what the other side has to say."

"Precisely, and then people can make an informed decision," Luna smiled.

"You don't expect us to join him do you Harry?" Neville gaped.

"Of course not!" Harry exclaimed, "hell I'm not joining him, I was simply curious as to what they're actually trying to achieve in the wizarding world that's all. All you guys have to do to remain safe is to stay out of the fight."

Neville breathed a sigh of relief.

"If we're not targeted then it's probably safe to assume our families won't be either, if they're not fighting," said Fred.

"Right," George nodded. "Might be worth trying to get mum and dad to distance themselves from old Dumbledore if we can."

"Oh Merlin," Ginny gasped, "I think you just hinted that Percy might have had the right idea all along."

All of the Weasleys seemed to gape in terror and Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"Well I for one am happy I made your list so thank you for saving me Harry," Cho said, smiling at him. Harry thought it was a very pretty smile and returned it, albeit somewhat awkwardly. He couldn't help but think about their disastrous kiss, although that led to him thinking about Voldemort kissing the back of his hand which caused him to shiver although, weirdly, not from disgust.

"You alright Harry?" Ginny asked, looking between him and Cho.

"Yeah I'm good thanks," he replied, hoping to reassure her. "Anyway, I think that's all I need to say. We'd probably better get out of here before Umbridge comes looking." He got the map out, keeping it hidden from most people's sight, and checked to make sure the coast was clear before sending people on their way in small groups. Ron and the twins were some of the first to go, hoping to catch the tail end of lunch, but Cho insisted on remaining until last. Ginny seemed a bit reluctant to leave them alone but Hermione dragged her off. Harry was sure she was frowning the whole way down the corridor though.

"I just wanted to say I really am grateful you thought of me like that," Cho gushed when they were finally standing alone in the corridor. "I know things between us were great after Valentine's day and I apologise for being such bad company then and I felt awful afterwards."

"Don't worry about it," Harry said, trying to reassure her. "I should have realised things might be a bit awkward for you."

"You really are sweet," Cho gave him a slightly watery smile, "and kind and brave. Would you, by any chance, want to go out with me next Hogsmeade weekend, kind of give things another go?"

"If we get another Hogsmeade weekend," Harry laughed, trying to cover up how awkward he was feeling.

"True," Cho giggled. "But if we don't get a chance before school ends I suppose we could always meet up in the holidays."

Harry was prevented from explaining how that probably wouldn't be possible by Snape bellowing "Potter!" down the corridor and quickly descending on them. 

"So this is where you've been hiding," he sneered. "If you've quite finished making out with Miss Chang in whatever corner you've found then I suggest you come with me."

"But I've got Divination next," Harry protested.

"Then I'm sure Professor Trelawney has already seen that you will be late for lessons and so won't miss you one bit," Snape snickered. "If she can see anything past the sherry fumes she breathes out that is."

Snape didn't wait for Harry to reply before turning with a billow of robes and quickly stalked off down the corridor. Harry could only give Cho a quick wave goodbye before having to practically sprint after the potions master.

Snape didn't say a word until they got to his office. He held the door open for Harry before slamming it shut behind him. Harry felt a shiver of strong magic whizz past him but couldn't think what it was before Snape began to yell at him.

"What in Merlin's name are you up to know, Potter! There are any number of people who are working night and day trying to keep you safe and how do you repay them?" With that he slammed a wad of parchment down on a desk. "Explain to me why exactly the Dark Lord has commissioned me to give you that and believe me when I say the explanation had better be a good one or I'll save everyone a lot of trouble and kill you right now."

"Is that the manifesto?" Harry asked, unperturbed by the threat. "I didn't think he would have sent it already."

"Already!" Snape screeched. "Since when are you in close enough talks with the Dark Lord to be arranging for him to send you a copy of his plans?"

Harry tilted his head to the side in thought. "Since the day before yesterday I think. By the way if Voldemort made a vow not to hurt someone, except in self defence, would that vow pass on to the death eaters as well?"

"It would arguably depend on the wording, for example if the vow said he wouldn't raise his wand then theoretically he could raise anyone else's."

Harry frowned thoughtfully. "He vowed not to attack me or anyone on my list."

Snape squinted distrustfully at Harry. "In which case it does since death eaters are classed as his vassals, essentially living weapons, so if he ordered us to attack you then it is still an attack. It is possible that a death eater could act without his order which might not count but, since there's a possibility that it could, I can't see them lasting very long if they did. May I ask how you came to get this vow, if it does exist, especially if the Dark Lord was kind enough to give you a whitelist, a list of individuals given a special status, in this case that they are untouchable, " Snape added at Harry's confused look.

"I will if you explain why you refuse to call him Voldemort, even in the safety of the castle," Harry countered.

"With pleasure," Snape hissed. "At the height of his power in the last war the Dark Lord saw fit to put a taboo on his name. He'd figured out that all of his detractors used it, which meant that the taboo was an easy way to find them since it allowed anyone with the dark mark to break through any wards that a person might be hiding behind. As such the mark alerts us anytime anyone uses it, namely by causing pain, and the closer we are to the person saying it the stronger the pain. It's said that if we ourselves were to utter his name the pain would be comparable to the cruciatus and I can assure you that if a person is standing next to me then it is close enough."

"Oh! Um, I'm sorry, I'll try to bear that in mind," Harry said. "But if that's true then why does Dumbledore encourage us all to use it, I mean if he comes to power again then surely that's going to put us all at serious risk."

"The kind answer is that he is trying to encourage you not to be afraid of him which will make it easier for you to face him when you need to. The unkind answer is that he is a shortsighted ignorant fool that revels in the image of being untouchable. Which one I will choose to give you will depend on the answer to my question: how did you manage to get the Dark Lord to give you a whitelist?"

"Well as you know I've been getting visions from Vo- the Dark Lord," Harry began.

"You wouldn't have if you'd actually applied yourself to your Occlumency studies," Snape groused.

"I might have applied myself more if I didn't think it was my only way to get information since everyone insisted I be kept in the dark even though I'm the one expected to actually fight," Harry argued, "but that's beside the point. The visions recently had been coming more often and seemed to show me a room somewhere although I had no idea where it was or what I was meant to do. I wasn't getting any sleep at all, however, so, not knowing what else to do, I decided to write to V- the Dark Lord in the hopes of getting him to stop, at least until I'd finished my exams. I know it was a stupid idea," he said, holding up his hands in the hopes of stopping Snape tirade, "but I didn't know what else to do since nobody seemed to actually want to help me. I didn't expect anything to happen but he actually replied and even told me about the prophecy and offered to stop the visions if I helped him to get it. I was skeptical but he offered a wizard's oath that I wouldn't be harmed until I'd retrieved it so I did."

"You got the prophecy," Snape gasped, "and the Dark Lord heard it! How are you still alive?"

"Well that's the funny thing," Harry shrugged. "When we listened to it the Dark Lord and Lucius both agreed that it had very likely already been fulfilled that night. To be sure the Dark Lord offered me a deal: if I was to make an unbreakable vow that I would never attack him, except in self defence, then me and 10 other people would be safe, so long as they also didn't attack. It seemed like too good a deal to pass up, especially after I questioned him about some of his apparent beliefs, which turn out to be bollocks by the way, so there you are. I will not be fighting against the Dark Lord and neither will my friends so none of us have to worry about what's coming. I only wish that I'd been able to put Sirius, Remus or Mr and Mrs Weasley on the list but I couldn't be sure that they wouldn't take themselves out of the fight."

"Using your head for once Potter, I'm impressed," Snape murmured, "and if what you said is true then I think its time for you and I to have a serious talk about things. Come, sit down, I have a feeling this will take a while."

"Not worried about me missing lessons?" Harry queried jokingly as he took a seat in front of Snape's desk.

"Professor Trelawney is apparently a renowned seerer so I'm sure she was already aware that you would be missing her lesson today and arranged catch up work for you accordingly," Snape smirked. "But as to our current situation, I think it's time you learned a few things. As you learned from looking in my pensive I was at school with your father and mother but what you won't be aware of is that prior to that incident your mother and I had been friends, close friends in fact, for over six years."

"But I thought you were in your fifth year?" Harry queried.

"We were," Snape nodded, "I met Lily before we went to Hogwarts, in fact we lived a few streets away from each other growing up."

"Do you know Aunt Petunia as well then?"

"What has that viperous bitch got to do with anything," Snape hissed.

"Well I have to go live with her and Uncle Vernon over the summer, Dumbledore said something about it giving me protection because of my mother's blood or something."

"Protection that would have failed after last year since the Dark Lord used your blood to revive himself," Snape groaned, shaking his head in despair. "I don't know what that old fool was hoping to achieve by keeping you with that jealous cow, since I'm assuming her attitude towards magic hasn't improved since her childhood."

"Her and Uncle Vernon refer to it as my freakiness and refuse to even mention the 'm' word in the house. All my school stuff is locked away as soon as I get back and doesn't come out until I come to school, unless I go to the Weasleys or something."

Snape frowned. "They abuse you then?"

"Oh no sir, nothing like that," Harry insisted. "They're just upset that they have to look after me as well, so insist that I do chores to earn my keep. They've never actually hit me or anything, except that one time I burned the bacon and Aunt Petunia hit me around the head with the frying pan but that was when I was about 4 and she hasn't done it since, although I haven't burned the bacon since then either."

"Once is bad enough!" Snape roared, "although I feel I should point out that abuse is often more than just physical and that if they call you names or make you feel inferior then that also counts."

Harry shrugged. "It's not their fault. They don't like magic but were still forced to look after me for all those years. Why should they bother buying me presents or anything?"

Snape rubbed his temples. "I assume that means neither Christmas or birthday present, and I'm assuming the rags you wear outside of uniform is also because of them."

"Well they already had to pay for my food and everything out of their own pocket so they weren't going to get me clothes as well so I got my cousin's hand-me-downs, except not the good stuff, that went to the charity shop. I only got the stuff the charity shop wouldn't accept. They always said I should be grateful though as it was more than some people got and would be more than I got on the streets."

"And did you ever tell anyone about this?" Snape growled.

"Well I asked Dumbledore if I could stay at Hogwarts after my first year which is when he told me I had to go back and, after that, well there didn't seem much point saying anything to anyone else as they wouldn't go against him."

"No, you're right they wouldn't," Snape glowered although, for once, his hatred didn't seem to be directed at Harry.

"It's good to know you knew my mum though," Harry said, smiling slightly. "I know you don't have any reason to but it would be nice to hear about her. Aunt Petunia never speaks of her and everyone in the wizarding world only ever talks about dad and how great he was supposed to be, although I know that wasn't completely true. I'm sorry, by the way, for looking in your pensive like that. You always did say my curiosity would get me in trouble one day, only I'd only ever seen one before in Dumbledore's office and he hadn't seemed to mind me looking in it." Harry frowned. "Looking back I think he wanted me to look in it although I have to wonder about what I saw since it showed Sirius's trial, only I know he never had one."

"The headmaster was definitely manipulating you then, pushing you to keep your distance from Black although I don't know why. I'm also curious when you actually ended up at your aunt's house."

"The night my parents died," Harry answered. "That's what Aunt Petunia always said anyway."

"Despite the fact that Black, as your godfather, hadn't been arrested then which meant that he should have had custody, nor had the Longbottoms been attacked then, and I'm sure Lily would have named Alice godmother as they were always close in school."

"You're saying that the headmaster purposely put me in that place, where they made me sleep in the cupboard under the stairs, instead of putting me with someone who would care for me! Why?" Harry wailed.

Snape was thoughtful for a moment. "You don't have any ties to the muggle world do you?" he asked. "You grew up there so you feel a connection to it, you care about the people in general, but you don't have any friends or anything that you would want to go back to."

"No, my cousin Dudley always saw to that."

Snape nodded. "Plus your home life was unpleasant to say the least so someone offering you an escape from that would be instantly seen in a positive light, as a saviour almost."

"Well yes," Harry frowned, "I suppose."

"Meaning that you are likely to hold them in a special regard, to listen to them above others when they tell you something."

"Like how that Slytherins are evil and the Dark Lord wants to kill all muggles," Harry sighed. "He's been manipulating my view from the start so I don't question anything."

"And he has his nice little hero for the wizarding world to stand behind when the time comes to fight," Snape grimaced. "I fear I must also apologise at this point. You truly did never want any of the fame you had and were likely not even aware of half of it."

"I wasn't aware of any of it before I came here sir," Harry explained. "I didn't even realise wizards existed until I got my Hogwarts letter just before my birthday."

"Who delivered it by the way?"

"Well Hagrid eventually but the first load were brought by owls. Uncle Vernon ripped them all up and stopped me from reading them though but they just kept coming. At one stage Privet Drive was inundated with owls." Harry chuckled at the memory then saw Snape writing something down. "What are you doing sir?"

"Writing your statement," he smirked. "It seems that the headmaster has been negligent in his duty on multiple accounts and I believe your new friend would be very happy to hear about it."

"I would say ally more than friend," Harry grumbled, "but I thought you were actually a spy for Dumbledore? Does that mean you're really a death eater?"

Snape sighed and put down the quill. "I am not actually on either side, Harry. I am, and always have been, on yours. I said I was friends with your mother but it was more than that, for me at least. She was my only true friend and, over the years, I even fell in love with her. She never saw me in that way unfortunately and I could have lived with that if she had fallen for anyone except Potter, the man who had tormented me from the first day and made my time at Hogwarts hell. That is my luck, however, and in my bitterness I turned to the Dark Lord, the only other person who had ever shown me respect. I heard the prophecy about you one night, or part of it at least, and told the Dark Lord of it in hopes of gaining favour. At the time I had not been in contact with your mother so had no way of knowing it was about her child. As soon as I realised I regretted my decision and begged the Dark Lord to spare her."

"That's why he didn't outright kill her," Harry gasped and Snape looked at him quizzically, as if asking for an explanation. "When the dementors attack I see that night and I can hear him asking her to stand aside. He said it three times and even tried to hold her away but she broke through when he first fired the curse at me which is why she died, and probably why her sacrifice was able to save me."

"Then it seems the Dark Lord is more trustworthy than the headmaster," Snape murmured. "I didn't think that my request would be enough so I went to the headmaster and asked him to protect you. The headmaster made me swear to spy for him and work for his order in exchange which is how I ended up in my current position. Dumbledore said that the life debt that I acquired when your father saved me from Lupin had now transferred to you which was why I needed to now protect you but he didn't realise that I would do it anyway. My love for your mother never faded and, while your likeness to your father often irks me, I could no more intentionally harm you than I could her, especially since you are the last remaining piece of her."

Harry gulped. "I don't know if I should be happy or sad hearing that but thank you. And you don't owe the life debt any more, if ever. You asking to spare mum ended up saving me that night and, if that wasn't enough, you've saved my life, or at least tried to, so many times since. If anyone owes a life debt then it's me."

Snape shook his head. "A life debt doesn't work that way. Simply saving someone's life isn't enough, or you'd have accrued quite a few that fateful night alone. A third party must recognise the sacrifice shortly after it happens and call it in for the debt to take. I would not do that to anyone, however. The life debt sits like a weight around your chest that at times can feel suffocating: I would not wish that upon anyone."

"Not even your worst enemy," Harry queried, "because Sirius called one in for me against Wormtail."

"Well perhaps Wormtail owing you a life debt isn't bad," Snape chuckled, a malicious glint in his eyes before he wrote something else down. "But I need you to understand, Harry, that no matter what happens, no matter what I say or do, I am always on your side, and your side only."

"Wish I'd known that sooner as it could have saved us a lot of problems," Harry groused.

"Which is likely why the headmaster was always pushing us apart," Snape mused. "Can't risk you going to anyone but him for advice."

"Well I'm glad to know that now anyway," Harry smiled. "You couldn't do anything about Umbridge could you?"

Chapter Text

At dinner time Hermione already had her head buried in the Dark Lord's manifesto.

"You sure you don't mind me taking this?" she asked Harry, at least Harry assumed she was talking to him, it was a little difficult to tell since she didn't even lift her head to look at him.

"Yeah, it's no problem," Harry reassured her, "I already looked through it earlier."

"Is that what you were doing instead of going to divination?" Ron asked. "Trelawney was adamant that you had met a grizzly end at the hands of Voldemort and me, Dean and Seamus almost died from trying to not laugh out loud at that."

"It's kind of nice to know that's not a possibility anymore," Harry grinned, "although we should probably stop calling him Voldemort all the time."

"How come?" Dean asked, having been listening in on their conversation.

"Well I got the manifesto from Professor Snape and, when he gave it to me we had a bit of a chat. Turns out he's actually on my side not Dumbledore's but he also said that the reason people don't say his name is that there was something called a taboo on it in the last war which meant that death eaters could instantly find anyone who said it, regardless of what protections they were behind."

"You mean you didn't know that!" Neville exclaimed.

"Of course not!" Harry huffed. "I wouldn't have pushed people to use it all the time if I did."

"Why did Dumbledore encourage it then?" Hermione asked, finally looking up from the parchment.

"Perhaps he had a way around it," Neville shrugged.

"Not likely," Ron sighed. "I mean I used to think that too, when mum used to push us to say it all the time but, if you think about it, he would have announced it to everyone if he had as it would have been a big blow to you-know-who."

"Yeah, Snape reckoned that it was just so we didn't fear him when we had to fight him," Harry admitted.

Hermione frowned. "He really did just want you to fight his battle for him, didn't he."

"Seems so," Harry sighed, "which is why I'm glad I'm out. I think we'll definitely have to keep things quiet for the time being, though."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Dumbledore definitely won't like losing his pawn. You might also want to look for a way to put Snape on your list cos I don't think you-know-who will like the idea of him being your man and not his. He might see that as a betrayal."

"Plus I don't like the idea of him spying," Harry said. "I mean it's putting him at risk and I think he's done that enough already." 

"Yeah, just have to think of something to give you-know-who in return," Ron nodded.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well you got the last list for getting the prophecy and making the vow so, theoretically, we just have to find something else to bargain with so he'll let you add another name," Ron explained.

"Yeah but the question is what," Harry huffed, "I mean it's not like I've got anything else I can give him."

"You could try saying that you would support some of these law changes he wants to put through," Hermione suggested. "The boy-who-lived backing them is sure to help."

"Would Harry really back any of them though?" Ron asked.

"Oh yeah," said Harry, "especially the werewolf ones. I'm surprised that Dumbledore never put some of that stuff forward since he always said that he was for werewolf rights."

"Mum said he was always blocked when I asked her before," Ron shrugged.

"That's not true though," Neville interjected. "Before this year Dumbledore was the Chief Warlock which meant that he had a lot of control over what laws got heard in session and which things could be voted on so he could have pushed stuff forward, and did, but it was never for creature rights."

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked, seemingly somewhat surprised.

"I dunno, I guess my family is just really into politics or something because it's always been a part of my life," Neville said. "I thought it was a pureblood thing but Ron doesn't know anything either."

"Dad used to talk to Bill and Charlie about that stuff sometimes but they were never interested so I don't think he bothered with me," Ron suggested.

"But why isn't this stuff taught in school," Hermione huffed. "I mean as a Muggleborn, if I want to get into politics then I'm automatically on the back foot, especially because I don't even know where to start looking for information."

"Don't you think that's done for a reason, Miss Granger?" came a high, condescending voice from above Hermione's head. "Why would wizards want mudbloods diluting our fine institutions?"

"Perhaps Muggleborns might bring in new ideas?" Harry suggested and Umbridge flashed him a shark-like smile.

"Detention tonight, Mr Potter, for even insinuating that the Ministry is anything less than perfect."

"You're giving me detention for that!" Harry exclaimed, as the doors to the great hall banged open.

"Of course I am Mr Potter," Umbridge simpered, "as I find it highly offensive that anyone should disparage the Ministry in any way, least of all you."

"I'm afraid you're not," announced a white haired man. He stalked into the room with two other men, the minister of magic and Rita Skeeter of all people.

"Auror Yaxley, what brings you to Hogwarts?" Umbridge asked, seemingly a little shocked at the entourage, "and with the Minister and Miss Skeeter no less."

"I'm afraid, Madame Undersecretary, that there have been some dire charges made against you today that must be investigated immediately."

"Charges?" Umbridge exclaimed with a simpering giggle, "I can't imagine what about, although I should warn you that I have had to deal with a very rebellious lot here. Albus Dumbledore has done a great deal of damage I'm afraid, and some of the students may have felt I've been a little strict in some of my actions, but I assure you it was for the greater good of the ministry, and the wizarding world, to try and minimise the influence that man had on our future generation of witches and wizards."

"Quite, quite," the Minister fretted. "I'm sure these things have just been blown out of proportion; an exaggeration if you were. I can't imagine dear Dolores here doing something as disgusting as abusing a child."

Umbridge's face fell at the accusation and Harry didn't even try to hide his scoff at that. Yaxley gave him a pointed look before continuing.

"Am I to take from that, Minister, that Madame Umbridge was indeed acting with your complete approval?" 

"Well I don't know if I would say complete approval," Fudge obfuscated. "I mean I gave her leave to act as she saw fit but it went without saying that that should always be in view of the law and I trusted her. I am a very busy person, as you know, so I obviously haven't had time to review everything that was happening here."

"Throwing her under the bus already," Hermione muttered and Harry bit his lip to stifle another giggle.

"That is a shame to hear," Yaxley purred warningly, "because if you had been paying closer attention you might have noticed some worrying occurrences that have led me to believe there might be some truth in these accusations. For starters there have not been any Hogsmeade weekends for months, something that the local businesses have been making quite a racket about as they always brought in so much revenue to the village. One of your own advisors is also going to the board of governors as we speak about his own findings. It seems Lady Malfoy had become quite worried recently since she hadn't heard from her son. Lord Malfoy owled the boy's head of house to find out what was happening and was horrified not to receive anything in return."

"Perhaps Professor Snape has been too busy to reply," Umbridge suggested. "He has had quite the list of potions to brew recently."

"Unlikely since the head of Slytherin has never left a letter from a parent longer than an hour during his entire tenure, not including travel time of course, something Lucius, as his close friend, well knows," Yaxley informed her. "Now there has been a suggestion that there has been an embargo on owls leaving the castle, even from staff, but that can't possibly be true could it as such an act would not only imply that there was something going on here that needed to be hidden but it would also be in complete contradiction to Child Safety Laws as it would prevent staff from immediately informing parents should something happen to their child."

"Of course I would never stop teachers, especially a head of house, from being able to contact parents," Umbridge dithered, "but I had noticed that there was an inordinate amount of owls coming to and from the castle which was distracting both staff and students so I designed a way of streamlining things to ensure that staff were only distriburbed with necessary items and that students weren't able to smuggle in any contraband."

"Really?" Yaxley murmured, "and this system was flawless was it? If I were to check the discarded mail there would be nothing missed?"

"Well of course I burned everything that was discarded," Umbridge huffed.

"I don't mean the contraband but the letters from parents that didn't require urgent attention?" Yaxley clarified.

"I'm afraid that some of them may have gotten muddled up with the contraband. No system is flawless unfortunately and it's something I'm looking into," Umbridge muttered, but Skeeter gasped and Fudge buried his face in his hands.

"Were you not aware that it is the law that all correspondence between the school and parents be kept for a minimum of five years after a child's graduation to ensure that there is nothing that can be brought against the school or the Ministry since that Muggleborn family who tried to file suit against the school when their first year son was grievously injured during a quidditch match," Yaxley growled. "As someone who has appointed themselves to the administrative role of this school, and someone who has worked in law in the Ministry, I would expect you to have a better grasp of this school's by-laws. It also makes me question how much validity there is to the other accusations levied against you."

"And what accusations might those be, Auror Yaxley?" Umbridge queried, fluttering her eyelashes at the man.

"That you have been administering corporal punishment during your determinations," Yaxley stated gravely.

"A gross misrepresentation I can assure you," Umbridge tittered. "I simply had the children write lines although I fear I may have had to keep some of them in for quite some time and they may have suffered hand cramps as a result. Someone is clearly trying to undermine both me and the Ministry with these baseless accusations and I fear this has Albus Dumbledore written all over it."

"That's a load of bull," Harry yelled, ignoring the warning glare that she had sent him and his friends. 

"Of course you would say that Mr Potter," Umbridge hissed. "Miss Skeeter herself has written many articles this last year stating how you and Dumbledore are trying to overthrow the Minister but it won't work. I think you'll find that Auror Yaxley is no friend of Albus Dumbledore and will not give you a soapbox from which to spout your lies."

"You are right Madame, in that I am no friend of Albus Dumbledore, but I am also an Auror and I fear that these accusations are far too dire for me to simply dismiss so should Mr Potter have any evidence to support what he's saying then I will be forced to arrest you while I mount an immediate investigation," Yaxley warned.

"I do in fact," Harry grinned, standing up and thrusting forward his hand to reveal his scars. "She made me write lines with this strange black quill she called a blood quill and anything I wrote was scratched into the back of my hand."

"He's clearly talking nonsense," Umbridge giggled; a high-pitched, forced sound. "I mean I can't have used a blood quill since everyone knows that they only leave the impression of scratching a person and don't actually leave a mark so he must have done that to himself in an effort to frame me. I'm sorry you've been forced to come all this way for nothing Auror Yaxley."

Yaxley raised an eyebrow. "Actually Madame Undersecretary it is a little known fact that blood quills not only actually take a small amount of blood from the user which is why they are used in only the most important contracts but they also do leave a mark, with repeated use, which is why they are labelled as a dark artefact and their use is closely monitored, after all, who knows what a person could use another witch or wizard's blood infused words for. Due to this their use is tightly controlled so if you do, in fact, have access to one either it has been taken illegally or the Minister has been most lax in his duties."

"Well of course I would never," the Minister blustered.

Yaxley, however, simply ignored him. "Proudfoot, Dawlish, take the Undersecretary into custody then come back to help interviewing students. And grab Croaker as well, while you're at the Ministry, since I don't want to risk anything in Madame Umbridge's rooms to be missed. By the way, Mr Potter, did you tell anyone of your injuries prior to this."

Harry seethed slightly. He had known this question was coming but it still irked him. "Yes sir, well not me but my friend Hermione anyway. She tried to tell Professor McGonagall but she was just dismissed and told that we needed to keep our heads down."

"Indeed," Yaxley murmured, raising an eyebrow towards the head table. Harry refused to look, not wanting to see if his head of house looked hurt at his betrayal, no matter how truthful it was. "That is distressing to hear," Yaxley continued. "Students I wish any of you who have also experienced Madame Umbridge's detentions to come forward and inform your heads of house, with the exception of Gryffindor. They should take their complaints to Professor Sinistra who will be acting as your head of house for the time being as I am removing Professor McGonagall from that position pending an investigation."

"You can't do that!" It was Hagrid who was exclaiming this time. 

"On the contrary, I can," Yaxley informed him. "Since Hogwarts is funded from the Ministry's coffers its running falls under Ministry purview which means Aurors have the right to remove teachers from positions if we believe they are unfit, especially if they are deemed to have broken the law. This is not a permanent situation, however, just while we undertake an investigation into why Professor McGonagall dismissed such heinous accusations and put her students at risk. If the allegations turn out to be true, though, there will be grave consequences as it means that she is guilty of, at worst, child endangerment and at best, neglect and dereliction of duty. If she had investigated when it was first brought to her attention then we could have had this sorted sooner, and, given her position as head of house and Deputy head, as well as her previous employment as an Auror, I find it hard to understand why she didn't. As it stands Lucius Malfoy will likely get the credit for all this since he is bringing everything to the attention of the board of governors as we speak."

"But Mr Malfoy isn't on the board of governors," Professor McGonagall pointed out.

"Not now," Yaxley agreed, "but he was just a few years ago so knows the other governors well. Plus since it was Albus Dumbledore who made the accusations against Mr Malfoy in the first place, and given his current standing as well as the possibility that Dumbledore himself is guilty of certain crimes, those accusations are not looking so bad. By the way Mr Potter, did Madame Umbridge use the supposed quill after Professor Dumbledore had left Hogwarts or was it already in use before that."

"Before that, sir," Harry replied truthfully.

"Interesting," Rita Skeeter murmured, her quick quotes quill having been writing a mile a minute as the accusations had been flying. Harry noticed her watching the proceedings.

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Skeeter," he grinned after she looked over at him. "I trust we can see a completely honest recounting of events in tomorrow's Prophet?"

Rita smiled tightly at Harry. "Of course Mr Potter, I never write anything except the truth."

"We want no embellishments either," Hermione added, staring the other witch down, causing Rita to give her a withering look. 

"Of course not Miss Granger, Merlin forbid."

Yaxley seemed quite interested in their conversation but said nothing about it. "If you are quite finished Mr Potter I would like you to accompany me for an interview about your accusations. I should also like Professor Snape to act as your guardian during this process since I am under the impression that no Slytherin students were affected by this."

"And why is that I wonder," scoffed Zacharias Smith.

"I imagine, sir, that it is because Slytherin students would know better than to keep quiet about such behaviour and would find a way to let it be known should the teachers not seem to be doing anything," Yaxley stated. "I assume it will be the same reason why not all students suffered and I wouldn't be surprised to find Madame Umbridge purposely targeted those whose parents would not raise hell with the Ministry if their child came home with a scar."

Harry said nothing. He'd already discussed this with Snape earlier in the day, when he was supposed to be in divination. They had come up with the idea of publicly shaming both Fudge and Umbridge which is why Harry had suggested that Rita accompany them to make sure that nothing could be swept under the rug. Snape had been a little skeptical about Skeeter but had acquiesced upon Harry's insistence. It made Harry wonder if perhaps he could let the Dark Lord in on Miss Skeeter's little secret, especially since Yaxley seemed to have no idea about it. It might help the dark side immeasurably to have a reporter in their pocket. He didn't have time to think about it now however, as Yaxley was already heading out the great hall with Snape quickly making his way down from the top table as well. 

Yaxley easily set himself up in one of the little used classrooms and Harry was a little surprised to feel Snape set up the same wards as he had in his office earlier that day.

"Well that went better than I expected," Yaxley grinned, settling himself into the teachers chair behind the desk.

"Quite," Snape agreed, transfiguring one of the student's chairs into something that looked a little more comfortable.

"Can you do that for mine as well sir?" Harry asked Snape cheekily, feeling a little untouchable at the minute. Snape scowled at him but complied with his request anyway before pulling out a piece of paper with what looked like Harry's writing on it. "What's that?" he asked.

"You're statement," Snape smirked, "which I took the liberty of writing up before dinner. Don't worry, it's nothing that we haven't discussed, although I have mentioned about your home life outside of Hogwarts as well, along with the fact that Dumbledore was aware of this all along."

"And I, of course, will be passing the message on to Lucius who I know is meeting with the governors as we speak," Yaxley said, leaning back in the chair seemingly in no hurry to go anywhere. "Of course Lucius is already aware of this information," Yaxley smirked, "and thankfully everyone is going to be far too shocked to be worrying about anything like timeline discrepancies. I must admit, Mr Potter, that the Dark Lord was most pleased when Snape here brought him that information as we should hopefully be able to use it to get Lucius reinstated to the governors."

"Despite the fact that he bribed them before?" Harry queried.

"Did he, though?" Snape countered. "At the time students were being petrified left, right and centre and the headmaster was doing nothing about it, even refusing to release funds to allow me to buy some more mandrake root, saying the students could wait for the other ones to mature. They could have been cured months earlier but he left them in that state, admittedly safe but severely incapacitated, and conveniently cancelled all internal exams so no one would question a sudden drop in grades."

Harry stared at the man dumbstruck. "But why do it? Why leave them like that for so long?"

"Who knows," Snape shrugged. "It's possible he didn't want any of the victims to tell you what they saw before a certain time."

"Oh you wait until I tell that to Ginny and Hermione," Harry frowned, "they'll be pissed."

"Language Mr Potter," Snape muttered but he did nothing more which was a bit of a shock to Harry.

"We have a feeling that Albus Dumbledore is covering a lot of things up, which is why the Dark Lord wants Lucius in a position where he can start investigating things," Snape continued.

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"Finances for one," Yaxley smiled. "As I said in the Great Hall, the Ministry pays for all magical children to attend, as a way of ensuring that anyone with the talent to attend Hogwarts is able to, and on an equal footing. Now attendance has been lower in the last couple of decades, presumably because of Grindelwald and the last wizarding war, but the amount of funding the school receives hasn't dropped, to try and enable a continued level of education, but that hasn't happened. Staffing levels as well as classes have been cut and a lot of us would like to know where that money has gone."

"Is there really that much of an issue?" Harry asked, realising from conversations he'd heard between his aunt and Dudley that his cousin did have a great deal more teachers in his school than Harry did, although probably about four times as many students.

"When Minerva, Professor McGonagall, started her teaching position she actually worked alongside Albus Dumbledore who was Head of Transfigurations at the time, and she held the position later herself," Snape explained. "As you can see yourself, that title is no longer required since every subject only has one professor, yet it was a good way of training up new staff members as well as sharing the workload. This practice had been scrapped by the time I attended meaning that staff were juggling several hats and things often got missed."

"What do you mean?" Harry queried.

"Unfortunately you're not the only Hogwarts student that has had to put up with, shall we say, a less than ideal home life," Yaxley sighed. "Thankfully the fact that Madame Pomfrey neglected to report these injuries is grounds to have external healers come in and examine practices here to make sure they're up to standard, especially since student welfare is always of utmost importance to wizarding society."

"Speaking of healing," Snape said, taking Harry's and dabbing something on the back of it, "I think everyone would feel a lot better if you would let yourself get fully checked by the healer when they get here."

"Why? I'm perfectly healthy," Harry protested. 

"Are you?" Snape questioned. "I know you have spent an inordinate amount of time in the hospital wing over the years but have you ever actually had a check up, let alone a full medical to check for any underlying issues? I would also suggest seeing a mind healer purely because you've had to grow up with Tuney but I have a feeling there's no chance of that happening so I will pick my battles."

"I would also suggest a mind healer simply because of Dumbledore," Yaxley groused. "I still struggle to believe that he essentially told an 11 year old that they were supposed to take on someone who was supposed to be the darkest wizard of our generation. That sort of thing can't be good for your mental health."

"It's not that bad," Harry shrugged. "I'm fine, honest."

"We'll see about that," Snape said warningly. "How about a deal: you get a basic check up with an outside healer and if they find nothing to concern them then we'll leave it at that and say no more. If they find any issues, however, you must accept whatever procedures they suggest without fuss. If you're as healthy as you say then you will be proved right, and I will even admit I was wrong."

"Publicly?" Harry asked, feeling that this was too good an opportunity to pass up. Snape nodded and Harry grinned, feeling like he'd already won. It would be amazing to have Snape admit that he was wrong to Harry in the middle of the Great Hall and that was sure to happen since there was nothing wrong with him after all. 

Chapter Text

Harry's confidence had lasted right up until the point that the healer had cast the charm and a piece of parchment had jumped out of his wand that had rapidly filled with writing. The healer had just started at the parchment as more and more words appeared in small writing that Harry had struggled to read even before his glasses had been suddenly removed from his face.

"When was the last time a healer checked your eyes, Mr Potter?" Healer Jones asked.

"Um, never," Harry frowned, "mostly because I live in the muggle world when I'm not at school, although I've never been to an optician either, that's the muggle equivalent who checks eyes."

"Then how did you come by these glasses?" the healer pushed. 

"I think my aunt said she found them in a charity shop after the school nurse said I needed some glasses but that was when I was about 4 so I don't really remember," Harry explained. "Why is it important?" 

"Because a person can't just wear any old glasses and hope that they're right," Healer Jones sighed, "and prolonged use of an incorrect prescription can cause serious damage to your eyesight as the eyes try to adjust. These glasses are incredibly strong and unlikely to be required for a child unless you were near blind before you saw the nurse."

"I also find your aunt's apparent choice of style somewhat strange as well," Snape murmured, taking the glasses from the healer for inspection. "I know she and your mother weren't close but I'm aware that she did in fact meet your father on at least a handful of occasions and I find it highly suspicious that she happened to find a style that is exactly the same as your father's, a man that encapsulated the world of magic, something that she always hated."

"Still does," Harry sighed, "but why would she want me to look like my father?" 

"Possibly because with your eyes and nose, without the glasses, you resemble your mother a lot more than your father which is something she might not have wanted to think about," Snape suggested, "but I wouldn't put it past other individuals from having a hand in the choice. There was a lot of talk before you arrived at this school about you, including how you looked a lot like your father, a man who was hailed as a hero for standing up to the Dark Lord to protect his family."

"Is that why everyone always talks about my father to me and not my mother?" Harry pondered.

"Admittedly we never heard much talk about your mother," Healer Jones admitted, scanning the parchment of injuries. "All the talk was always based around your father's deeds although I always personally found it strange since, no offence to your father Mr Potter, but I was always under the impression that it was a parent's duty to protect their children which kind of reduces how heroic his actions were, to me anyway."

"No offence taken," Harry sighed, thinking briefly of the image he'd seen in his dreams of his dad getting attacked, not even having his wand to hand despite apparently being in hiding from the Dark Lord and expecting an attack. "By the way, what is apparently wrong with me except for my eyes?" 

"There seems to be quite a list I'm afraid, Mr Potter," Healer Jones, "and I would definitely like to do a more in depth scan to find out the actual cause of some of these things since the basic scan only shows us the symptoms."

"That's from just the basic scan!" Harry exclaimed. 

"That is what you agreed to," Severus stated, "although I think you'd agree with the healer and myself that further investigation is required."

"So you won't be making any public declarations then?" Harry huffed. 

"I don't think that was really in doubt Mr Potter," Snape smirked, "except for people who insist on living in denial. Might I suggest moving to a private room since I'm sure there will be numerous other students arriving shortly and that way you can talk to a mind healer while Healer Jones sorts out your physical ailments."

"Do you really think that's necessary?" Harry whined.

"Quite," Snape said, giving Harry a look that said he would accept no arguments on the subject.

It turned out to be quite helpful for Healer Jones and Healer Braithwaite, the mind healer, to work together, at least for them anyway, since it turned out that a lot of Harry's issues stemmed from his time growing up with the Dursleys. He now used 'growing up' in the broadest sense since his lack of stature was apparently purely due to malnutrition and not genetic as he'd previously thought. He was also surprised to learn that he had problems with his spine and legs thanks to living in the cramped confines of the cupboard under the stairs, a fact that had left both healers speechless. He also apparently suffered from something called anaemia which was apparently why he was usually tired and irritable and why he sometimes had issues concentrating, especially with homework and in class, neither of which were helped by his vitamin A deficiency which was the primary cause of his bad eyesight, which the wrong prescription glasses had only made worse.

Then there were the poorly set bones in his hands which Harry was forced to admit had been due to his uncle slamming his hand in the door after a bout of accidental magic, performed before he even knew that magic existed. This had unfortunately, for Harry anyway, prompted Healer Jones to perform a runic scan to look up historical injuries which had led to lots of raised eyebrows as Harry explained how he had gotten the various injuries, the ones he could remember anyway, and he heard the Healers writing copious notes with every word he spoke. 

There came a knock at the door and Snape entered. "Forgive the intrusion gentlemen but it seems we have more patients in need of treatment that we initially predicted so I was wondering how close you are to finishing with Mr Potter?" 

"I'm finished for today as far as his physical healing is concerned," Healer Jones answered. "I have healed the fractures in his hands but I suggest removing and regrowing the bones in his legs if he ever wants to reduce his clumsiness. Mr Potter was reluctant about that one, as well the muscle-gro to help with his posture problems and muscle wasting due chronic malnutrition, but I was hoping that you might be able to have words with him on that front. He has a new pair of glasses and have told him to contact me should they start to feel even slightly off to him as I expect his eyesight to improve with time and a good diet. I have suggested a menu review for all students but have set up a dietary plan for Mr Potter and will have the required potions sent to him."

"I don't think so," Snape sneered, looking over the list of potions that Healer Jones had prescribed Harry, "there is nothing on here that I can't brew myself and I do trust that quack Paul Greyson as far as I can thrown him with the little toe of my left foot."

Healer Jones grinned. "Good job Penny Haywood has now basically taken over the potions lab at St Mungo's then although I will admit the quality of our potions has greatly improved since she did."

"I'm not surprised," Severus smiled, "she was always immensely talented in the field, and surprisingly driven for a puff."

"You're praising a Hufflepuff!" Harry exclaimed.

"Contrary to what you and your friends believe, I do not favour the Slytherins in your because I am their head of house but because the show an aptitude for my subject and even those that don't at least attempt to apply themselves," Snape said, raising an eyebrow in challenge at Harry. "Regardless, I thank you both for your help with Mr Potter and fear I must ask you to stay at the castle a little longer."

"It's no hardship Professor Snape," Healer Braithwaite said, "although I would like to set up a schedule with you for repeat visits if that's ok, I have a feeling I'll need to see more than Mr Potter for follow ups."

"I'm sure something can be arranged Healer Braithwaite," Snape nodded, "but wouldn't you be better off talking to Madame Pomfrey about all this?"

"No!" Healer Jones stated resolutely. "I'm afraid the school may be down a mediwitch for a while as I will be talking to Auror Yaxley and pressing charges against Madame Pomfrey for gross dereliction of duty. From Mr Potter's own admission he has spent a fair amount of time in here over the years yet Madame Pomfrey only seemed to have dealt with the immediate issues. The injuries that she has missed in Mr Potter are quite distressing and, once I make my report to the Board of Healers, I doubt she will be able to practice again."

"She's going to lose her job!" Harry gasped.

"Almost certainly yes," Healer Jones growled.

"Harry, it's not your fault," Healer Braithwaite reassured him. "We talked about this, remember. Contrary to what Professor Dumbledore implied, it is not up to you to save everyone, especially not adults who are perfectly capable of looking after themselves."

"I know but this wouldn't be happening to her if not for me," Harry sighed, looking at the floor dejectedly.

"You need to look at it the other way around, Mr Potter," Snape said, more softly than Harry had ever heard him speak before. "Madame Pomfrey was putting lives at risk by overlooking these things. I only glimpsed quickly at the quick scan Healer Jones performed but it was clear to me that she has, at best, missed major warning signs with, at least you and possibly other students as well."

"You think that other students could have been dealing with things like me?" Harry queried, thinking back to his talk with Healer Braithwaite had spoken to him about, trying to convince Harry of how bad his life with the Dursleys had been. It was a strange concept for him as it was all Harry had ever really known. Sure he'd seen a different thought of family with the Weasleys but he'd always thought that was something special and not the norm. Hell Healer Braithwaite had even suggested that some people were even more affectionate, loving and supportive than the Weasleys were and that had truly blown Harry's mind, so the thought that more people could have been suffering like he had caused his 'saving people complex', as Healer Braithwaite called it, to short circuit. Sure he knew Madam Pomfrey so the thought of her getting in trouble because of him in any way made him feel a little sick but what was worse, in a way, was the idea that there were nameless little first years out there having to deal with their own versions of the Dursleys. 

"It's possible," Snape sighed at the crestfallen look on Harry's face. "I try to keep a close eye on the Slytherins in my house and always get the prefects to look out for signs but it is not a perfect system, especially if Madam Pomfrey was missing things. The problem is that I I don't know how much other teachers were looking for things since I only knew the signs having experienced it myself."

"There was no extra training for pastoral care?" Healer Braithwaite exclaimed and Snape shook his head. "Then I guess it would be a good idea for us to have a chat with all of the students, especially as I know from Harry here that Professor McGonagall never saw them outside of lessons except for the odd event."

"I'm not surprised, Minerva was always swamped with paperwork," Snape sighed.

"Then we should best get cracking," huffed Healer Jones as he and Healer Braithwaite gathered up their notes. "I'll leave you with a copy of Harry's prescriptions, Professor Snape. I'll have a supply of them sent up from St Mungos although they probably won't get here until tomorrow morning. If you decide to brew them yourself, however, just let me know."

"I will check the quality of them first before making my decision," Snape replied and with that the healers nodded and left. 

Harry was still feeling quite numb and emotionally adrift so was completely shocked when Snape started speaking. 

"I think I owe you an apology Mr Potter, Harry."

"Why sir?" Harry asked, "you were right, I did need help."

"Yes but if I'd been more vigilant you could have gotten it sooner," Snape sighed. "I had seen the warning signs of abuse during our Occlumency lessons and, while I did question them with Dumbledore, I was too quick to accept his explanation that the glimpses I saw were simply appropriate punishments, manifesting as worse in your payche than what they were instead of pushing things further as I should have, and because of that I fear I have failed in my duty to protect you."

"It wasn't your fault, you didn't know, I never really told anyone," Harry insisted. 

"Perhaps, and thank you for your understanding but it does little to alleviate my guilt. I promise I will do better from here on out however so if you have any further issues then please do not hesitate to come to me, my door will always be open to you, even if you just need to talk."

Harry gulped past the lump that had formed in his throat. "Thank you, although I hope that this will be the end of a lot of it."

"Some of it yes," Snape nodded, "but there will likely be new problems coming. The news of the failings of the students here will likely hit the papers tomorrow."

"Oh god," Harry groaned, "everyone is going to know what's happened to me aren't they."

"I'm afraid so. You may not like it but you are a celebrity in this world and, at times at least, a darling in the media, so the atrocities you've had to endure will likely be put front and centre in the stories that will come out."

Harry began to shake as the emotional backlash of everything became too much. "I don't want it. I don't want everyone to know, they'll think I'm weak."

"No Harry, never!" Snape declared, moving over and hugged the young teen in a move that shocked them both though neither said anything. "You are not weak. The fact that you have endured such treatment and come out as whole as you are is a testament to your strength of character and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

The man's words and comforting embrace proved to be Harry's undoing and he wept as he never had before. Not when Vernon yelled, or Dudley called him names or even when Petunia had clocked him round the head with the frying pan. The pair stood in relative silence as Harry quietly let the tears flow, soaking his teachers' robes, barely making any noise other than the odd sniffle. Snape simply stood there, offering silent comfort to the distraught boy. After some time, though, the flow of tears ended.

"I'm sorry about that," Harry muttered, easing away from his teacher. "You must think I'm pathetic."

"Not in the slightest," Snape stated. "Cry is often highly therapeutic and a good way to release pent up emotions. It is a very healthy response, especially for everything you've had to deal with tonight."

"Uncle Vernon always said that only wosses and women cried, real men never did."

"Well I've never met your uncle Vernon but I think it's safe to say that you can probably ignore most, if not everything that man ever told you."

Harry chuckled. "Well he used to tell me magic wasn't real even though he knew full well it was so probably yes."

Snape smiled. It was a strange look to see on the potions master's face but Harry thought it made him seem a bit softer, more approachable, not that he thought he would ever tell the man that. 

"I'm glad to see that episode help," Snape said, pulling Harry out of his reverie. "Please promise me you won't bottle things up again like that, it isn't good for you."

"I'll try sir," Harry smiled.

"I suppose that is all I can ask," Snape sighed. "Now I suggest that you head back to your dorm and try to get some sleep. I have a feeling that, with these latest revelations, the Aurors and Healers will be wanting to speak to all of the students in turn, as well as all of the staff, so lessons tomorrow will be cancelled and I will announce that breakfast can be called to the dorms since some people will likely be up late into the night."

"Alright sir, I'll spread the word, although I might not say that it was your idea, don't want to let people think you have a heart and ruin your reputation," Harry joked.

Snape smirked. "No indeed."

The next morning Harry was lying quietly in bed. He'd had a fitful sleep the night before, not that that was surprising, and he was glad that he didn't have to worry about actually doing anything today. As Snape had predicted, all of the students had been called at various times through the night, firstly to speak to the Aurors and then to have a meeting with the Healers, both regular and mind, so everyone was quite quiet from a mixture of fatigue and emotional upheaval, not that Harry was complaining although it was definitely uncommonly quiet in the 5th year boys dorm, especially as Hermione, Ginny and the twins had joined them. 

"What is with everyone?" Seamus huffed. "Surely we should all be celebrating now that the pink toad is gone?"

"That's alright for you to say," Hermione moaned, "you haven't just had someone basically rip apart your whole being?"

"Is this because lessons have been cancelled?" Dean joked.

"No!" Hermione yelled, "although I could certainly use the distraction right now."

"Why? What did the Healers tell you?" Ginny asked.

"That I need to understand that authority figures are still only human and so have flaws and not everything I read is correct," Hermione sighed. "Healer Shaw suggested that I try to look beyond the page and understand any possible bias in text before I take it as gospel."

"We could have told you that," George grinned, causing a round of chuckles to erupt in the room.

"What about you then?" Hermione queried. "You guys are usually a lot more upbeat than this."

"Nothing we shouldn't have already figured," George winced, "just that our tendency towards rule breaking stems from a lack of attention at home and occurred because it was the only time our parents took notice of us." 

"Yeah apparently we need to stop looking for validation from external sources and concentrate on our own personal achievements and dreams," Fred added. 

Harry shook his head. "I always thought you guys had the perfect home life."

"Yeah, not so much," Ron winced. "Healer Braithwaite suggested that mum put unrealistic expectations on us and that the reason I might not really try in classes is because I know I'm not going to meet them so I don't really bother trying."

"Not that it matters if you do," Ginny growled, "you only have to look at Percy for that."

"True," George huffed. "He did everything: prefect, head boy, top grades and a ministry job."

"Yeah but because he didn't climb up Dumbledore's arse he was completely cut off," Fred continued. 

"What about you Ginny?" Neville said, "if you don't mind me asking."

"Oh I had a whole host of different expectations to put on me," Ginny smiled wryly. "None of them academic though since men don't want a wife who's smarter or stronger than they are."

"That's bollocks!" Harry exclaimed and all the other boys agreed.

"Yeah well, mum can be a bit old fashioned about these things," Ginny shrugged, "but she's also of the opinion that it's ok to give someone a love potion so long as you're 'meant to be together' so I'm trying to learn to take her suggestions with a pinch of salt."

"Does that mean you're going to stop going after Harry then?" Dean asked and Ron smacked him round the back of his head, even as a few other people snickered. Harry, however, just looked confused.

"What do you mean 'stop going after me'?"

"I think the fact that you haven't realised I've been trying to get you to notice me for years answers that question," Ginny smiled. 

"Oh, sorry," Harry winced.

"No need to apologise," Ginny reassured him, although Harry still thought she looked a little hurt, a fact that seemed to solidify itself when she suddenly changed the subject. "What are we going to do now then? Since the Dark Lord already managed to get rid of Umbridge. Do you think he'll expect something from you for that?"

"I don't think so," Ron mused. "I mean he's a Slytherin so he'll know to confirm the terms before you make a deal or else Harry doesn't have to do squat plus with all the mess that's happening with the students and teachers I think the Dark Lord's getting more out of exposing her crimes than we are."

"You mean like getting Lucius Malfoy back on the board of governors," Neville said.

"That and making it difficult for Dumbledore to come back while there's an investigation going on," Hermione added. "It's not like he can just waltz back in here now, people will ask too many questions."

"Yeah," Harry sighed, "I reckon he's gonna lie low for a bit, wait to see what happens."

"See if he can come back as a hero," Ron nodded. "At this point that's his only hope of not getting arrested or something."

There were several nods of agreement. 

"So what's the plan now?" Hermione asked.

"Well you guys don't have to do anything other than stay out of the fight," Harry reminded them, "I'm gonna try and get a few names added to my list though."

"Like Sirius and Remus?" Ron queried but Harry shook his head. 

"I think the revelations that are going to come out of this investigation are going to shake their convictions a bit but I think they're still going to be too invested in this war to keep out yet," Harry admitted.

"B-by Sirius do you mean Sirius Black!" Neville squeaked.

"Oh, yeah," Harry grinned sheepishly. "I guess I can probably tell you all now but Sirius Black is innocent and it was Peter Pettigrew that was the secret keeper and betrayed my parents."

"What!" several voices exclaimed. 

"Yeah, the bastard was hiding out as my rat the whole time," Ron scowled.

"I had wondered what happened to him," Dean mused. "Figured the old thing had died over the summer or something so I didn't want to say anything."

"Did Dumbledore know?" Neville asked. 

Harry frowned. "I don't think so, not before our third year anyway, when we found out that they were illegal animagus and used to go running around with Remus when they were at school when he transformed into a werewolf."

"Except he must have," Hermione gasped. "I mean no offence to Professor Lupin but he was a werewolf near a school without the benefit of Wolfsbane. Every time he transformed he posed a risk to students so Dumbledore should have been keeping an eye on him each month to make sure that Professor Lupin didn't get out and attack anyone which meant that he knew as soon as the others went running out with him, since a dog, a rat and a stag running around with a werewolf must have raised questions."

"Unless he was negligent and didn't bother checking on Remus," Harry pointed out. "He definitely didn't seem to care about risking students' safety at any other time."

"Only he did," George said. "We had the marauders map when you guys first started and noticed that the name Peter Pettigrew showed up next to Ron's all the time."

"Obviously we couldn't explain all that to mum," Fred continued, "so we asked her that summer why Ron's rat responded when we called it Peter. She said it was because that was what its name was before it was given to Percy but Percy didn't like that name and changed it to Scabbers."

"We asked who gave it to Percy and she said Dumbledore who said it was a special rat, a magical one, which was why it lived longer."

"We didn't think more about it at the time," Fred admitted, "but I wish we did because then Sirius might not have had to go on the run."

Harry shook his head. "If what you're saying is true then I think Dumbledore wanted things to go the way they did. We told him about everything before he gave Hermione the time turner and told us to go save Sirius and Buckbeak. He could have done it himself, but he sent us to test us I think."

"And to give him deniability while looking like a hero," Neville stated. "As the chief warlock he would be fully aware of the penalties that would have been levied if you had been caught at any stage which, for the record, would have been life in Azkaban since you were messing with time magic which is seen as a major offence. Why did you have a time turner anyway?"

"I, er, I had it so that I could take extra lessons," Hermione admitted stammeringly. The twins, however, shook their heads.

"It must have been a set up from the start," Fred said.

"Yeah," George agreed. "Percy had wanted to take extra subjects as a way of trying to out shine Bill but McGonagall forbade him from it."

"He was really upset about it all summer," Fred nodded. 

Hermione scowled. "So Harry, we're working with the Dark Lord then."

"Like I said, you guys don't have to."

"If you think I'm going to let that manipulative bastard get away with risking our lives and our futures like that then think again. If we'd have been caught we'd have been expelled!" Hermione wailed. "Healer Shaw suggested I find a better outlet for some of my more violent tendencies but I think I'll make an exception as far as Dumbledore is concerned."

"Right," Ron agreed. "So who is the name you're wanting to add to your list, Harry?" 

"Well like I said last night, the next person I definitely want to add to my list is Snape."

"You sure Harry?" Seamus asked.

"Yeah, more than ever. Not only because he's definitely the reason we were able to get rid of Umbridge like that but also because he really seems to care about all of us. He actually apologised to me for not noticing stuff was wrong before and he's the one who gave us the day off from lessons."

"Bollocks!" Seamus shouted.

"Honest," Harry grinned, "although you probably shouldn't tell anyone else since I said I wouldn't because he wouldn't want people to actually realise he had a heart."

"I don't know what's more unbelievable," Ron gaped. "Snape giving us the day off or you joking with him."

"No point in telling anyone anyway," Dean said. "No one would believe it."

"It's true though," Harry insisted, "which is why I really don't want him to have to worry about risking his life on top of everything."

"Ok," Hermione nodded. "Then we'd best get brainstorming because the Dark Lord is going to want something really good for that one."

Chapter Text

"So what's the grand plan then?" Dean asked. 

"You guys are going to join us?" Ginny queried.

Dean shrugged. "Dunno how much but I definitely don't mind being around for planning and stuff."

"Yeah, it's kind of cool to actually be in the loop for once," Seamus chuckled. 

Neville nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I used to wonder sometimes what you guys were doing when you'd go into your corner and whisper."

Harry gulped guiltily. "Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel left out although you were probably best not being involved in those schemes as they were nearly always dangerous."

"Yeah, nearly dying once was enough for me thanks," Ginny muttered.

"When did that happen?" Neville asked. 

"Your second year, my first. I'd got hold of the Dark Lord's diary and he was going to use me to resurrect himself," Ginny shuddered.

"Are you going to be ok with all of this?" Harry queried. "You know you don't have to get involved right?" 

"I'll be fine, I think," Ginny smiled weakly. "I mean in the diary he was really just a kid desperate not to die so I can kind of understand. Plus dad was right, I really shouldn't have carried on writing in it after it started replying, and I definitely should have said something to someone. I think so long as I don't have to see him though, I should be fine."

"Ok," Harry smiled, "but let me know if anything gets too much for you

That goes for the rest of you as well. I know we're Gryffindors but it's not bravery to put our lives at risk for no reason. It's different if people are actually at risk but I'm starting to realise that sometimes the brave thing to do is actually asking for help."

"Sometimes asking for help is hard," Neville agreed.

"Well I'm asking you guys for help now," Harry smiled. "I need to come up with something that will be enough for the Dark Lord to accept me adding Snape to my list."

"Perhaps Harry can offer the Dark Lord his arse on a plate," Seamus chuckled.

"Well we've signed a peace treaty so I don't see how that will work," Harry frowned.

"Didn't mean it like that," Seamus grinned, "more in the way of him having his wicked way with you since I figured deflowering virgins was the sort of thing Dark Lords liked to do."

"What makes you think I'm a virgin?" Harry huffed causing the others to break out into chuckles. 

"In all fairness I reckon we all are," Neville reassured him. 

"Speak for yourself," Seamus laughed. 

"Well Harry has a date with Cho anyway so I doubt that that's really an option," Ginny stated.

Harry squirmed. "Yeah, I almost forgot about that."

"How? It was only, what, two days ago?" Dean exclaimed. "Plus it's Cho Chang, probably the prettiest girl in school." Ginny gave Dean a dirty look.

"Well a lot of stuff has happened," Harry argued.

"Still I'm with Dean on this one," Ron said. "I mean you had a massive crush on her all of last year and you were so happy when you finally got a date with her."

"And it was a disaster!" Harry moaned. "She was thinking about Cedric the entire time and when we kissed it was wet from where she was crying."

"Wet but still good though, right?" Seamus queried and Harry could only pull a face thinking about it.

"I'm gonna take that as a 'no'," Ginny giggled. 

"I don't know," Harry sighed. "The only word that comes to mind when I think about it is wet."

"Not 'warm and soft but wet'?" Dean suggested, "because just saying wet makes it sound like you didn't enjoy it at all."

"It wasn't bad," Harry whined. 

"But it wasn't great," Ginny stated.

"No," Harry sighed, "and I don't know what that means."

"It means that you don't really like her," Ron offered.

"But Dean's right," Harry huffed, "she's probably the prettiest girl in the school and I haven't really thought that about anyone else."

"You don't see anyone else as attractive?" Hermione queried.

"Well of course I think other people are attractive," Harry groused. "I mean anyone would have thought Cedric was good looking and the Dark Lord when he was younger was very handsome."

"So you're more attracted to men than women," Hermione suggested.

"What! No!" Harry exclaimed, "I'm normal, same as everyone else."

The rest of the room looked confused.

"You do know it's normal to be attracted to the same gender don't you?" Hermione queried. "Or even both or neither gender?"

"No," Harry frowned. "All I ever heard from the Dursleys was that homosexuals were abnormal and its not like there are any around school so I figured it was frowned upon here as well."

"Well it's not," Fred stated, "although there are some who think that heterosexual couples are necessary for the population to keep growing."

"Surely there's a potion or something for that," Hermione frowned, "I mean if male seahorses are the ones who carry the baby and human to animal transformation is possible then surely there's a way for magic to help men get pregnant."

"I did not know that was a thing!" Harry gaped.

"Well it is," Hermione huffed, "and, contrary to what those awful relatives if yours say, homosexuality isn't abnormal in fact it can be seen in every member of the animal kingdom and there have been references to it throughout history, even into prehistoric times."

"That might be true but I'm pretty sure the wizarding world still expects me to become an Auror and marry an nice witch just like my dad," Harry sighed.

"Who cares what the rest of the wizarding world thought," George scoffed. "They also thought you would have to risk your life fighting the Dark Lord to save our world but you've already proven that's not the case."

"Out of curiosity, is there anyone that you have thought about kissing?" Ginny queried. 

Harry squirmed. "Not really, no."

Ron eyed Harry inquisitively. "Have you kissed anyone else?" 

"No!" Harry protested but Ron kept looking at him sternly until he caved. "Fine, but I didn't kiss them, they just kissed my hand ok."

"And how was it?" Ron pushed.

"It was alright," Harry muttered. "Weird because I thought that sort of thing only happened to girls but it wasn't bad."

"It almost sounds like you enjoyed it," Ginny giggled, causing Harry to blush. 

"I said it was alright, alright!" he huffed. 

Ginny smirked and walked over to Harry's bed, giving him an elaborate bow. "Apologies, my darling Harry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." With that she lifted Harry's hand up and placed a kiss on the back of it.

"Get off!" Harry squawked, pulling his hand back sharply and the rest of the group erupted into a fit of giggles.

"I think it sounds like you might have a new crush Harry!" George laughed.

"Oh bugger off!" Harry growled. "Aren't we supposed to be figuring out a way to persuade Voldemort to let me add Snape's name to my list anyway?"

"Do we need to tell him it's Snape?" Hermione queried. "I mean did he ask for you to tell him your choices before?"

Harry shook his head.

"What are you thinking, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Well there is a muggle saying: it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission," Hermione explained. "It's unlikely that there is anything that we can offer the Dark Lord that will make him happy with you adding Snape's name to the list as the simple fact that he's on there will be proof of his betrayal, but once Snape's name is added then he will automatically become untouchable. The Dark Lord will obviously be upset and will possibly demand something more afterwards but at least Snape will be safe."

"That is positively Slytherin of you, Hermione," Fred grinned.

Hermione smiled. "Why thank you. But Harry's right, we need to stop acting in a purely Gryffindor manner and start embracing the traits of other houses if we want to come out of this on top."

"That could work," Harry mused, "especially if we give him something really good to begin with, something he's going to be so grateful knowing it will lessen the blow."

"I've been thinking about that as well," Hermione admitted. "How about you inform him of Rita's little ability. That way he will be able to hold it against her and give him a certain amount of control over the media narrative in the future which can only be good for him in the long run." 

"What little ability?" Dean asked.

"It turns out Rita is an illegal animagus," Ron grinned, "a beetle, it's how she's able to get all the scoops she does because nobody thinks to look for her."

"That's very sneaky," Neville gasped.

"Right," Ron agreed, "I think it's also the best information we have to give him at the moment so we should definitely go with that one, probably as soon as possible so that the Dark Lord doesn't have time to cotton onto anything."

"Ok," Harry nodded, "I can write a letter to him this morning and maybe see about getting some food sorted." 

"Leave the food to us," Fred said.

"Yeah, if Snape's been good enough to drop lessons then we can probably organise the house elves to send it up," George added.

"Ok," Harry grinned, "that sounds like a plan, now I just have to get this letter written."

It took several drafts and a lot of input from the group, although Harry chose to ignore most of Seamus's suggestions, but finally  he was satisfied enough to risk sending with Hedwig who, as if summoned, arrived at the window just as Harry was signing off.

To The Dark Lord of the Wizarding World,

It came to my attention during Auror Yaxley's visit that you may be unaware that a certain reporter possesses a hidden talent, one that they would very much like to keep secret. I am happy to share this information with you, especially because I think you will find it immensely useful going forward with your cause. In return I would like to add one name to my whitelist.

I hope you are not too busy and are able to get back to me soon. 

Yours Sincerely,

Harry Potter.

  Hedwig gave Harry an affectionate peck while accepting the letter and had soon dived out of the window, just as the twins were arriving, laden with treats from the kitchen. Harry felt his stomach rumbling at the sights and smells around him as a picnic blanket was laid out in the middle of the room and the mountains of food spread out between them. Something was nagging at the back of Harry's head, however, something that was missing but that should be there.

"Dobby!" Harry called and the diminutive elf quickly appeared. "Do you know if St Mungo's sent my prescribed potions yet?"

"Potions?" Dobby queried, wringing his hands.

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "The healer who saw me last night prescribed a whole list of them, although I didn't really pay attention to what was on there. The healer said St Mungo's would supply the first dose and I was wondering if any had arrived yet. If not, is there any chance you could pop in to Professor Snape and ask him if there is anything I need to take with breakfast, only I don't want to put my healing back unnecessarily."

Dobby was becoming increasingly agitated throughout Harry's speech but the last comment brought him up short.

"Harry Potter needs potions to live!" the elf squeaked. 

"I don't know if I'd die if I don't get them but I'll definitely get very ill," Harry explained.

"Dobby is making Harry Potter ill!" the distraught elf exclaimed and began frantically bashing his head against one of the beds. "Bad Dobby! Bad! Making the great Harry Potter sick!"

"Stop Dobby! Please!" Harry begged. "Tell me what you mean!" 

Dobby stopped at Harry's pleading although he was shaking visibly. "When Dobby arrive at Hogwarts Castle, Dumblydor explain to Dobby that Harry Potter is at great risk from death eaters poisoning him so Dobby has to stop anything from being put in his food. Nursy witch even came down to the kitchen one day and wanted to put something in Harry Potter's food. Dobby stopped it, even though she said it was for Harry Potter's own good because Headmaster say Harry Potter not allowed any potions unless he give them because they could be tampered with."

Harry started at the elf gobsmacked. "Are you trying to tell me that Dumbledore has been purposely stopping me from getting the help I need!"

"No Harry Potter, Dumblydor is a great wizard, he wouldn't!" Dobby exclaimed. "He say Harry Potter already getting everything he need and anything else will just risk making Harry Potter ill so Dobby stops all extra potions because Dobby Harry Potter's friend." There were tears in the poor elf's eyes and Harry felt his heart break for the creature.

"I promise you Dobby, the Healers aren't trying to hurt me, I really do need those potions to get better so if they're here can you bring them to me," Harry pleaded. 

Dobby wrung his hands again. "Dobby can't! Dumblydor told Dobby not to and he pays Dobby's wages so Dobby must do as he says!"

"But I thought you were a free elf though?" Hermione queried. "That means you get to choose what you do and who you follow, you have no master."

"Dobby is a free elf yes," Dobby nodded, "which means Dobby is not bound to wizard or the castle like other Hogwarts elves but Dobby cannot go against Dumblydor because he pays Dobby and he says that this is to keep Harry Potter safe."

"You won't get through to him," Neville sighed. "House elves might be intelligent enough to be able to speak but they are still very simple creatures and easily led which is why they agreed to bind themselves to wizards in the first place so that wizards would protect them. A wizard's duty is to look after and protect an elf which is why they don't typically get monetary payment."

"But they don't have a choice of who they work for which is why it's still slavery," Hermione argued.

"Unfortunately not always," Neville admitted. "Adult elves do typically get to choose who they offer their services to. Some of the older and larger estates have more than one elf, however, and when young elves are born into those they are often recruited at a very early age. Any elf has the right to request clothes from their family if they decide they aren't happy though."

"Dobby was born into Malfoy house like Longbotty says. Dobby asked Malfoys for clothes many times though but Mr Malfoy always refuse. Dobby so upset about working there till one day during a party when Dumblydor came down to the kitchen and told Dobby all the stories of the great Harry Potter. Dumblydor says that Dobby shouldn't be sad, even with mean Malfoys, because one day Dobby be able to help the great Harry Potter. That why I is so happy when he told Dobby how to find you."

"Dumbledore told you to come to me that summer?" Harry asked.

"Well no, not exactly," Dobby murmured uncomfortably. "Dobby had visited Dumblydor because I was worried. Mr Malfoy had been trying to find Harry Potter you see, and Dobby was worried Harry Potter was in trouble. Dumblydor not worried though as he said Mr Malfoy would never find Harry Potter with his muggle relatives."

Harry frowned. "So he wanted you to come and find me that summer, he knew I would get in trouble if you used magic around me."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, frowning.

"The trace on our wands," Harry explained. "The spell isn't accurate so it picks up all magic done in the vicinity of an underage witch or wizard, even creature magic."

"I know that," Hermione huffed, "Professor Dumbledore wrote me a letter about it when I got my Hogwarts acceptance letter. He explained that the trace was designed to restrict Muggleborn witches and wizards since the unspecified nature of it means that it can't distinguish between magic performed by children or parents."

"Wait!" George exclaimed. "Are you saying we could have been performing magic to our hearts content and the Ministry would have been none the wiser!"

"Well not quite," Neville countered. "As witches and wizards, your parents are responsible for monitoring you and if the Ministry found out you'd been misusing your magic then not only would you be expelled but your parents would have been put in Azkaban."

"Still they don't necessarily have the resources or reason to check pureblood homes which is why Dumbledore said he disagreed with it and why he had found a way for them to wave it so we can practice magic, at least that's what he told me," Hermione complained.

"Well he didn't say anything to me," Dean huffed.

"Me either," Harry groused, "which is why I almost got expelled twice for doing magic outside of school. Anyway, we can talk about that at another time, for now, Dobby, please can you bring me the potions St Mungos sent please, I need them."

"No Harry Potter, Dobby can't!" Dobby wailed. "Dumblydor said not to."

Neville sighed. "This is what I was trying to tell you before. House elves are simple creatures so tend to pick one authority to follow completely. Although he isn't bound, Dobby basically sees Dumbledore as his master so won't go against any direct orders."

Harry bit his lip in thought. This was tricky. He loved Dobby despite all the trouble the diminutive creature had brought him over the years, but if Dobby saw Dumbledore as an authority figure then he posed a massive threat to them, especially if he was still in contact with Dumbledore as the elf's words indicated. He looked worriedly over at Hermione who seemed to be looking at Dobby herself and Harry could only wonder if she was thinking the same as him. 

"Dobby, I know you are happy being a free elf but is there any chance you would want to be bound to me?" Harry ventured. "I could still pay you. I don't know if I could afford 1 galleon a week, I'd have to talk to the goblins, but I would still pay you and of course you can still have days off."

"Harry Potter wants to bind himself to Dobby!" Dobby gasped. "Dumblydor said that since Harry Potter grew up in the muggle world he would never want to bind Dobby because muggles don't understand house elves."

"Well it seems Dumbledore isn't always right," Harry muttered, "but that didn't answer my question: do you want to be bound to me?" 

"Yes Harry Potter though I's not need money or days off. I has nearly all my money from Dumblydor still as socks don't cost very much and on my's days off I only work with the giant but if I's proper elf then I's worries about Winky," Dobby sobbed. "Winky hates being free elf and it making sick. If Dobby no longer a free elf as well, Dobby worried about what that means for Winky."

"Well I could always bind her as well," Harry suggested but Dobby shook his head.

"House elves like to be busy, we only really stop to eat and sleep because we need to use our magic or it makes us age more which is why most families only has one elf unless they have very big property and you don't have any house."

"Ok, so, any of you need an elf?" Harry asked the group.

Neville shook his head. "Gran doesn't trust them unfortunately."

"Neither does mum," Ron sighed. "She says that wizard magic is stronger than creatures."

"That's rubbish," Harry scoffed, "Dobby here sent Lucius Malfoy flying with one spell."

"Well George and I were thinking of opening a joke shop after we finish school and, to be fair, a house elf would probably be quite helpful if Winky would accept it," Fred said.

"Winky," Harry called, and the poor elf popped into existence, "would you be interested in working for the twins as their elf?" 

"We don't have a property yet and our mum would have a for if she found out but we'd be happy if you help our siblings while they're at school as well, and continue to help around the school if that is acceptable to you," George explained.

"Even though Winky is a sacked elf?" Winky gaped.

"Oh we don't care about that," Fred chuckled, "we're hardly seen as upstanding citizens ourselves."

"Alright then," Wink nodded, "I's agree to be bound to yous but only if yous agree to be good family. Winky not want to work for bad wizards."

"We promise and we also promise to grant you clothes if you ever want to," George said and Fred nodded in agreement, "so does anyone know how to do this binding thing?"

"Yous just cut your palm and place it on our forehead and say we bind you to the service of, your names, so mote it be," Winky explained.

"Blood magic!" Hermione exclaimed. 

"Well that explains why mum is so against it," Ginny sighed, "she's a little myopic when it comes to the subject. Doesn't even like the idea of blood adoption, even though it might help orphans find new families."

"Well I suppose if it was something to help orphans then it wouldn't be bad even if it was blood magic," Hermione admitted. "I think I need to revise some of my old beliefs, including house elves if even Dobby would rather be bound to a good wizard than be free."

"I'm glad to hear it," Harry sighed, "I wouldn't want you to hate me for binding Dobby to me."

Hermione shook her head. "I may not completely agree with it still but I can see the necessity of it and it does seem like Dobby will be much happier bound to you."

The ceremony was performed quickly, with George and Fred binding Winky to both of them simultaneously. Winky seemed to perk up almost immediately, somehow less tired and even cleaner. She vanished as soon as the ceremony was over but all Fred and George did was shrug, accepting that Winky would know what she needed to do. Dobby was different, however, hanging around after Harry bound him.

"Harry Potter was not lying when he said he need potions," Dobby stated, looking at Harry closely. 

"Yes," Harry sighed with a smile, "but how can you tell?" 

"House elves can tell some things about their masters like their health and who they are, it's how I's know Mr Malfoy was evil. Dumblydor lied!" Dobby gaped in disbelief.

"He did," Harry nodded, "and I have the feeling you could tell us some other instances where Dumbledore lied as well but we'll leave that for another day. Do you think Dumbledore will notice that you're now bound to me?"

Dobby shook his head. "Not if Master Harry doesn't want to. Dobby can still take his wage and respond to his calls if you wish."

"I think that's for the best," Harry said. "I've come to the conclusion that he doesn't have my best interests at heart but I don't think he would be happy if he found out I had started deviating from his plan. On that note you should probably just stick to calling me Harry Potter, at least around other people. And can I please have my potions!"

"Of course, Master Harry Potter, sir." With that Dobby popped out and a set of potions appeared with the food along with written instructions on what to take and when. Harry had just finished downing the last of them, no easy feat given the number and terrible taste. He was just about to dig into the thankfully still warm food when there was a tapping at the window and Hedwig came flying back in with the Dark Lord's reply.

Dear Harry Potter, 

Apologies for the delayed reply, it appears that Dumbledore is attempting to circumvent any charges  by claiming that he had absolutely no knowledge of any issues among the students. Teachers and the mediwitch are adamant that they tried to bring things to his attention but were dismissed every time. The mediwitch even claims to have tried to administer potions to students surreptitiously but to no avail. Unfortunately it is currently their word against his and Dumbledore still has too many friends in high places for people to feel comfortable moving against him.

Enough of my issues, however. That is a very generous proposal, Harry, and I fear that there is still too much Gryffindor in you, but I am the Dark Lord for a reason and so will of course take you up on it. Please inform me of this reporter's ability and feel free to add one name to your list. Do not add anymore though, since I created a linked copy of your list so will be able to see if you try and trick me knowing that you know you could have asked for more.

I will stem these heroic Gryffindor tenancies of you yet Harry, 

Yours truly, 

The Dark Lord of the Wizarding World

Harry breathed a sigh of relief that their plan had worked so far. How the Dark Lord would react when he saw the name was another matter entirely. He didn't want to risk waiting longer than he had to so quickly grabbed another piece of paper and wrote the reply.

Dear Dark Lord of the Wizarding World, 

The information regards Rita Skeeter. During the TriWizard Tournament we learned that she is an illegal animagus, a beetle to be exact, with the markings of her glasses on her back. We have managed to use this to blackmail her into not writing false articles about us since she seems to have a very lax attitude to the truth in her articles usually. 

I hope you will find this information useful. 

Yours Sincerely, 

Harry Potter 

Hedwig took the letter off once more and Harry sat nervously twitching, waiting for Hedwig to have a chance to get to wherever the Dark Lord was holed up. He wanted to get the name on the list soon though, in case Snape got called in to do anything that the Dark Lord might have planned. He forced down a last cup of tea before adding the new name to his whitelist and calling Dobby to pass a message to the potions master. 

You are now on my whitelist. 

Breathing a sigh of relief that things had worked out so well and he would now only have to deal with the consequences. Deciding to take a shower to distract himself from what would likely be an explosive reaction from both his teacher and the Dark Lord, Harry took his time luxuriating in the hot spray, trying to draw strength from the knowledge that he had made the right decision. 

He wasn't even slightly surprised to see an irate looking Hedwig when he finished.

My dearest Harry, 

That is indeed a wonderfully useful piece of information that I will be putting to use straight away and well worth the one name you requested. 

At least that is what I would be saying if I hadn't just taken a look at who exactly it was that you added to your list. A very sneaky move my dear Harry and one I would highly commend if not for the betrayal implied by it. I'm sure you can imagine that I am not best impressed and, while I vowed not to attack you or any on your list, I feel that an explanation is required if our alliance is to continue. 

Meet me in that shack you seem to favour at 10 tonight. I would suggest sooner but I don't want to risk moving around near the castle in the daylight when there is so much interest in it.

Impatiently awaiting clarification, 

The Dark Lord of the Wizarding World. 

Chapter Text

Harry didn't have long to worry about what might happen to him when he met with the Dark Lord that night as Snape summoned him to his office.

"What in Merlin's name were you thinking, adding my name to your whitelist !" Snape demanded the second the door was closed. 

"Well, I wasn't comfortable with us both lying to him like that, especially if we didn't have to," Harry argued, "and we're both on the list now so he can't exactly hurt either of us without breaking the agreement and risking his entire plan so its probably not that bad."

"Not that bad!" Snape hissed. "This is the Dark Lord that we're talking about! He's not going to let something as trifling as a simple agreement stop him. He got his reputation for a reason Potter and it certainly wasn't for playing by the rules!" 

"Look, I'll find a way to sort it, okay?" Harry huffed. "It's my mess, I got myself into it so I'll find a way out."

"Except its not just you is it Potter? It your friends as well. After all, who do you think the first people the Dark Lord will target if he does decide to break your agreement? Magic or not he will find a way to hurt them for the simple fact that he knows it will hurt you."

Harry's face fell. "I thought you'd all be safe though. I didn't want any of you to be at risk should war break out."

"Perhaps you should have thought about that before risking the Dark Lord's ire? What in Merlin's name made you want to add my name to the list anyway?" 

"Yes, well, I didn't like the thought of you putting yourself at further risk, ok, not for me!" Harry shouted. "You've done that enough already and it's not like I was in danger anymore so it didn't make sense for you to keep doing something so dangerous."

"Surely that was my choice to make," Snape hissed, "and not only were you likely at greater risk than you realised from Dumbledore but now you've once again put yourself on the Dark Lord's shit list."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean at more risk from Dumbledore than I realised?" 

Snape sighed. "The headmaster is already making his moves to come back, claiming that he was completely unaware of anything that was going on with you or in the school and unfortunately nobody is able to offer up any proof otherwise."

"I have proof, if a house elf counts anyway."

Snape looked surprised. "They can, although it can sometimes be hard to get them to testify."

"I bound Dobby to me but he had been working at the castle as a free elf," Harry explained. "Before that he used to work for the Malfoys but wasn't happy with them which is how Dumbledore was able to persuade him to feed him information and to do little things to help back in my second year."

"Now that is interesting," Snape mused. "Has the elf given you any details about his orders from Dumbledore?" 

"He said that Dumbledore refused to allow me to have potions and he actively stopped Madam Pomfrey from adding anything to my food claiming I was at risk of being poisoned."

"That could definitely work," Snape smirked. "I doubt it will be enough to bring any charges against him but it will certainly be enough to fuel the blame war he and Fudge have going at the moment."

"That's something anyway," Harry sighed. "I just hope we can keep him out of the school until the summer. My life would be a lot easier that way."

"Mine and yours both," Snape agreed.

Harry smiled. "Well if that is all sir?" 

"Not quite," Snape scowled. "While I appreciate the thought in you trying to protect me you must understand that it isn't your job. I am the adult here, as well as your teacher, it is my job to look after you, not the other way around."

"Thank you sir but haven't you done enough already? You've already saved me, or tried to multiple times, not to mention risking your life for a cause you don't really believe in, isn't it enough?" 

"Yes but it is not up to you to save everyone, Harry!"

Harry gaped at him. "Isn't it? That's what was always implied. I'm the boy-who-lived, the saviour, the one who was supposed to stop all the bloodshed when the Dark Lord came back."

Snape sighed. "No offence Harry but you're a child. If you want to protect your friends then there is little I can do to stop you other than try to advise you to act with caution. It is not up to you to save all the adults however, it is their job to protect you and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is a worthless human being. I'm sorry that you feel like you have to save the whole wizarding world, no one should have to bear that burden let alone someone who hasn't even achieved their O.W.L.s yet. I know it will take time to get out of that mindset but please come and talk to me before doing anything like this in the future." Snape paused and smiled. "I'm glad you think so and I am grateful for you trying to get me out of that predicament. I can't imagine that the Dark Lord is particularly happy with either of us at the moment, however, and, while I'm aware that he can't actually hurt us at the moment, I'd like to use the information from your house elf to try and ease things going forward, if that's alright with you."

Harry shrugged. "Sure, especially if Dobby isn't at risk either, and if it will help keep Dumbledore away for a bit longer."

"Good. I know Dumbledore is starting to be a bit of a pain in the Dark Lord's side at the moment so any information to hamper his efforts should be well received. Out of curiosity, what did you have to offer to get my name on your list, since I'm sure the Dark Lord wouldn't have accepted it easily?"

"He didn't have much choice," Harry smirked, feeling a little smug about his actions now that he wasn't getting yelled at. "I told him about Rita Skeeter and the fact that she's an illegal animagus, a beetle no less, it's how she's able to learn all those things without anyone realising. Anyway, I exchanged the information for the ability to add one name to my list, the Dark Lord just didn't know until I added it."

Snape actually laughed. "Well done Harry, that is highly commendable. I would have hated to be in the Dark Lord's vicinity when he discovered we had double crossed him however, I am sure he was in quite the rage. Congratulations on out maneuvering a Slytherin, however, I'm actually impressed."

Harry beamed. "Thank you sir. The Dark Lord seemed impressed as well, although he did say he would need an explanation to continue our alliance. O assume he wants to make sure I'm not trying to trick him or something."

"Now that he realises there's more to you than the brash Gryffindor, yes," Snape agreed. "I would advise complete honesty, for the time being at least. If he thinks you're hiding something from him then it won't bode well for anyone. I will write to him myself to explain things, hopefully give him some time to cool down before I hazard a face to face meeting."

That reminder brought Harry up sharply. He had his own meeting with the Dark Lord that night and he had a feeling things would be very tense at best. "Do you think there's a chance that he'll cancel the agreement, sir?" 

Snape shook his head. "At the moment you are his best bet at taking out Dumbledore so it would be foolish of him to throw that away over something so small. That's not to say that there isn't a chance he could win without you, it would just be a lot more difficult. If he can keep his temper and use his brain he will see that."

"That's good to know," Harry said, breathing a sigh of relief. 

"Hopefully the realisation of how close you came to messing things up will teach you not to act rashly in the future," Snape warned. "I won't hold my breath but miracles have been known to happen."

Harry bit back a grin but then paused. A part of him said that it would be a good idea to tell Snape about the planned meeting that evening but the other part realised that the man would do everything that he could to stop it happening out of fear for Harry's safety and Harry had a feeling that would only risk escalating issues between them and the Dark Lord. Working on instinct, Harry kept his mouth closed on the subject, figuring he could always apologise if he made it out tomorrow. Feeling his rash Gryffindor side rearing up again, Harry gave the potions master a quick hug. 

"I'm glad you're going to be safe sir," Harry breathed, disengaging before Snape could react and darting out the door. 

Harry pulled his cloak tighter around him as he made his way across the castle grounds to the whomping willow. The sun had not long set behind the mountains and the wind had begun to pick up so, despite it being the middle of summer, the temperature was dropping quickly, not helped by the cloudless sky. It's not that he was worried about being spotted, not now that both Dumbledore and Umbridge were gone, for the time being at least, which is part of the reason why he had felt confident in leaving the marauders map with his friends in Gryffindor tower so that they could keep an eye on him. He could understand their worry but thankfully they realised this was something he had to do if he wanted to continue to ensure their safety.

The underground tunnel thankfully wasn't as cold, the earth providing adequate insulation from the elements, so Harry didn't have any qualms about shrugging off his cloak. It was probably for the best. He couldn't imagine it would be a good idea to sneak up on a likely irate Dark Lord in case he got hit with a stray curse and truly ballsed everything up. Not that there wasn't a risk that the Dark Lord would curse him anyway but Harry hoped that he would at least get a chance to explain things first. It's why he didn't even try to be sneaky, even using a lumos to light his way, hoping to give the Dark Lord plenty of warning about his arrival, since Harry was sure the man would be waiting for him. 

He wasn't wrong on that count.

"So that's how you've been sneaking in here," the Dark Lord hissed as Harry emerged from the trap door. 

"Yes," Harry admitted, "although I thought you'd have figured that out already since Wormtail knew about that passage."

"Did he now," Voldemort purred dangerously. "Then it would seem I had even more traitors in my midst than I thought."

"No, just the one," Harry stated resolutely, looking straight into the Dark Lord's red eyes so that he could see that Harry was telling the truth.

"The mark on Severus's arm would say otherwise," Voldemort countered but Harry shook his head.

"I can't say for sure what Snape's reasons were for taking that but his loyalty was always first and foremost with my mother."

Voldemort paused and looked pensive. "That's why he asked for ke to spare her."

"Yes, and Dumbledore had called a life debt for him against my father when he was 16, one that passed on to me upon his death."

"So he wouldn't have been able to harm you even if I'd ordered him to," Voldemort mused, "even if he'd wanted to."

"Precisely. I should tell you that Pettigrew owes me a life debt as well."

"That's good to know. It seems that rat is more useless than I thought, especially if he has been keeping secrets from me. I will deal with him in due time; however, my current worry is you, my dear Harry."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling very wary.

"You are amassing quite a following with your little list and I have to question, after your little stunt today, how much I can truly trust that you are on my side."

"Of course I am," Harry spluttered, "we had an agreement."

"Indeed," Voldemort nodded, "and I might have taken you at your word if you were the true Gryffindor I thought you were but you have proven you have certain Slytherin traits which, while delightful, do make me question some of your actions. I feel that I need a few more assurances if we are to move forward with this little alliance of ours."

He began stalking towards Harry, forcing the younger of the pair to edge backwards.

"I won't take the mark!" Harry stated, somewhat stutteringly. "I'm supposed to be your equal."

"Is that true?" Voldemort queried, continuing to move towards Harry, even as Harry's back hit the wall. "But are you willing to accept everything that comes along with standing at my side?" 

The Dark Lord lifted his hand up and placed it around Harry's neck, causing him to gasp out loud and wince. 

"Stop. Please. It hurts."

"Does it? I'm barely gripping you," Voldemort pointed out, stroking his thumb along the length of Harry's neck as if to prove his point.

"Yes!" Harry winced as pain erupted in his forehead. 

"Where?" Voldemort whispered in his ear. "Where does it hurt exactly?" 

"My scar," Harry whimpered. 

"Curious," Voldemort murmured as he raised his other hand to gently touch the scar and Harry screamed out in pain and he swore he felt blood begin to ooze from it.

"Stop fighting it Harry," Voldemort chastised, continuing to gently stroke the scar. "That's what's making it hurt. You need to relax and just accept what you're feeling."

"I can't, it's too much!" Harry whined.

"I know it feels like that," Voldemort cooed, "it probably feels a lot more intense than anything that you've ever felt before but I promise you it can be good, so good, if you just accept it."

"You want me to accept pain!"

"Not pain," the Dark Lord smiled, "although it has been said to be close. There is a reason the French refer to it as le petit mort after all. But I promise that it will be worth it if you can accept it. This mark is a link between us, it marks you as mine and I protect what is mine, you can trust that Harry."

And he wanted to, he really did. No one had ever wanted to protect him before, except for Snape, and the idea that someone as powerful as the Dark Lord was offering that to him was a very heady feeling.

Harry took a deep breath and opened his eyes to gaze into the powerful red ones in front of him.

Voldemort smiled softly. "That's it my dear, give yourself over to me."

Harry gasped as a new sensation washed over him, very different to the pain he had previously felt but no less intense.

"Beautiful," Voldemort cooed and Harry felt himself blush. 

The finger on his scar pressed harder and Harry gasped again, his eyes shutting automatically as the sensation intensified.

"That's it my lovely, give over to the feelings, trust that I'll be here to catch you when you fall."

The hand that was around his throat dropped to Harry's waist and the one on his forehead slipped into his hair as Voldemort began peppering Harry's face with gentle kisses. Harry was lost, swimming in feelings of bliss and safety. The Dark Lord himself was promising to keep him safe so there was no way that anyone else would be able to touch him right? He could let go and face this oblivion happily.

Voldemort placed a gentle kiss on each of Harry's closed eyes and he felt cherished for the first time in his memory. It was when his lips touched Harry's head, however, that he was truly lost as something inside him burst, causing Harry to cry out loud as he fell into blackness. 

*********************

Voldemort made his way carefully across the castle grounds carrying his precious cargo. It had been some time since he'd set foot in these hallowed grounds and he found the whole thing quite exhilarating. He would probably have been jumping for joy if he wasn't trying to keep a tight hold of Harry, who he'd wrapped tightly in the invisibility cloak, and wasn't that thing proving to be quite the boon. It was quite tricky trying to manage his precious cargo while keeping the invisibility cloak shut but he didn't want to risk tipping his hand too early lest Dumbledore find out about Harry's recent change of heart. 

Meeting the boy again had been thoroughly enlightening. Not only had he learned about a secret passageway that began outside of the anti-apparition field and led him practically to the heart of Hogwarts, but he had also realised that, in attacking Harry as a babe, he had inadvertently turned the boy into a living horcrux. He had to wonder if the old coot had realised this little tidbit already; he would assume yes, if only to err on the side of caution. It didn't really matter anyway. The only ways to destroy a horcrux was fiendfyre, Basilisk venom or by his own hand and, since he now knew what Harry was, the latter was not about to happen any time soon. That meant that Dumbledore would have to somehow dramatically sacrifice his hero, not something the public would accept too happily, so his soul was safe, for the time being at least.

It was why he was currently in such a good mood, especially as he had managed to gain an extra benefit in learning about the secret passage. It was Dumbledore's own fault for leaving the passageway open when he knew that Wormtail knew of it and was seemingly on his side. The fact that he hadn't closed it up only further condemned Wormtail, in his mind, and the rat was in for a hell of a time when he returned. 

But now was not the time to think about that. He had just taken a massive step forward in his relationship with Harry and he was only looking forward to furthering their bond. The horcrux would likely only help with that, now that Harry was beginning to accept its presence and he would definitely be pressing his advantage in that section. He was the Dark Lord for a reason after all. 

The halls were blessedly quiet as he made his way to Gryffindor tower and he only wished the portraits could see him smirking at them so they could tell the old fool that his defences had been breached. Realising that he hadn't thought to learn the password before Harry passed out, Voldemort knocked on the portrait and hoped that at least one of Harry's friends was still awake. 

The bushy haired Muggleborn answered the door. 

"Harry?" she asked quietly, looking around. 

Voldemort strode past her and didn't drop the hood of the cloak until he was through the frame. There were Gryffindors still awake in the common room who all gasped at the sight of him.

"I shall happily explain everything to you all as soon as I put Harry in his bed. I'm afraid he had quite an experience earlier and needs to rest if one of you would be kind enough to show me the way."

The youngest Weasley boy stood up and silently led him towards the stairs once it was clear he wasn't about to pass Harry to any of them. Not that it stopped him from periodically looking back to check on his progress. He briefly considered changing Harry out of his clothes but figured the boy would be more upset at him for taking that liberty and there was something satisfying about the thought of Harry waking up to the evidence of their meeting that quite tickled him. 

Once Harry was safely tucked under the covers of his bed, Voldemort walked back down to the main common area where the Gryffindors were all waiting for him to return.

"Now I'm sure you all have a lot of questions and I'm in a very good mood right now so you may as well make the most of it."

"I was only joking when I said that Harry should offer his arse up as payment for Snape!" Finnegan exclaimed, causing the Weasley boy to blanch, proving that he hadn't missed the tell-tale wet patch on Harry's trousers before Voldemort had covered him up.

"He didn't go quite that far," the Dark Lord smirked, happy to let them wonder just how far Harry had let him go, for the time being at least. "That being said I will happily take Harry as my partner in all things going forward, should he be willing of course."

"Reckon he'll be very willing," the Irish man joked, earning him a punch in the arm from the red headed girl who he could only assume was Ginny Weasley.

"I would quite agree Mr Finnegan, especially from his reactions this evening, but fear not, I will not force your friend to do anything that he isn't comfortable with."

"How do you know our names?" the dark skinned boy asked.

"I may have only taught you, or at least most of you, for a year Mr Thomas, and I'm not that bad with names plus I have a copy of Harry's list should I have needed reminding."

"So you were controlling Quirrell," one of the twins gaped. 

"I was indeed. I will admit it was quite the thrill operating under Dumbledore's nose."

"When do you think he suspected you were there?" Granger asked.

"Oh, from the start I'm sure. Quirrell never did say what exactly brought him to Albania for his sabbatical but it's hardly the first place one would think of if they were hoping to hone their skills in Defence Against the Dark Arts so I can only assume that someone suggested it to him."

"And you suspect Dumbledore," the youngest Weasley boy, Ron, asked.

"I don't know who else would. I'm also fairly certain Dumbledore had eyes on my wraith form there."

"That manipulative arse hole!" Ginny exclaimed. "I wonder when he knew about the diary as well."

"Again likely from the start," Voldemort sighed. "I believe he helped your father pass the bill he wrote that forced Lucius to fear about the diary being found thus passing it on to you. As such I wouldn't blame yourself for those events. Dumbledore was the Deputy Headmaster when I first opened the Chamber of Secrets and he had his suspensions even then, especially after Myrtle's death."

"Why did you kill Myrtle?" Hermione asked. "Was it just because she was a Muggleborn?"

"No, it was because she was a bitch. She took a lot of pleasure in attacking Slytherins, especially the younger years, although she bit off more than she could chew when she decided to go after Olive Hornby who wasn't afraid to give as good as she got."

Hermione frowned. "That's not really a good reason to kill someone though."

Voldemort shrugged. "I'm the Dark Lord, what did you really expect? As I was saying, though, Dumbledore should have done something as soon as the first person had been petrified, let alone subsequent people, especially if he suspected where the entrance to the Chamber was. I will admit though, Miss Weasley, that I'm surprised that you're not more affected by my presence after your experience with my diary."

"I will admit if you looked or acted anything like you did then I probably would be," Ginny admitted. "Why do you look like that, by the way? I mean you were so handsome before, even Harry thought so."

"Did he now?" Voldemort preened, "that is good to know."

"If that was the case, why do you look like that?" Finnegan questioned.

"Wormtail," was all Voldemort said. 

"Does that mean he's going to get punished," Ron grinned, causing Hermione to scowl at him. "What? You can't tell me that you don't think that bastard got off lightly, especially after what Sirius had to suffer through. I sometimes think Harry should have just let them kill him and be done with it. At least then Sirius might have been free."

"I doubt that I'm afraid, Mr Weasley," the Dark Lord said. "It's more likely that it would have been covered up with Mr Black being promptly given the kiss and Wormtail still being praised as a hero since the alternative would have meant too many people in power having to answer for their poor choices. I am glad to see a somewhat bloodthirsty side to you, however. It bodes well for any future endeavours."

"I don't think so," Hermione grouced.

"That is fine, Miss Granger, not everyone is capable of getting their hands dirty."

"Harry isn't," Hermione insisted.

"On the contrary I think you'll find Harry is very much capable of taking a life, in fact he already has. It may have been in self defence but I can assure you he ended the life of Quirrell all on his own."

"His hand was forced though," Hermione argued. "There's a big difference between that and premeditated murder. That Harry would never do."

"I think you'll find that Harry is more than capable actually, Miss Granger. Dumbledore has been grooming him to kill me since the moment that he stepped into this school, if not before. If he hadn't taken the step to contact me I can assure you that he would have ended up facing me in battle and it would almost certainly have had a fair amount of planning beforehand."

"That would have been, not murder," Hermione insisted, "and Harry didn't want that, that's why he made the deal with you."

"Perhaps you're right Miss Granger," Voldemort smiled, although he didn't really believe it. He remembered the look on Harry's face when he grabbed hold of Quirrell and prevented the man from running away. He could have simply debilitated Quirrell, he didn't have to kill him and, while Harry may not have realised it at the time, that choice was more telling to Voldemort than any words could be. For now, however, he would wait. It wouldn't do to push Harry too quickly and risk spooking him. Far better to ease the descent into darkness. "Regardless, children, it is getting very late and you had all best get some sleep lest you end up falling asleep in lessons."

"How are you going to get back out?" the Longbottom boy asked.

"The same way I came in," Voldemort grinned. "I'll borrow Harry's cloak again so that no one notices me leaving, and I promise to return it tomorrow. I may, however, pop in to see a certain potions master before I return, he and I have some things we need to discuss."

"Just remember that he's protected," Ginny said. "Harry's grown quite fond of him since they had a heart to heart."

"Fear not Miss Weasley, it wouldn't do me any good to lose someone as brilliant as Severus either, although I do think he needs a little reminder of who he's messing with."

"Now that's a memory I'd like to see," Finnegan smirked.

"We shall see," Voldemort returned. "Anyway I hope this little chat has helped to clear some things up for you."

"It certainly made you seem less scary," one of the twins said.

"Don't let my good mood fool you, Mr Weasley, I will still happily make your life a misery if pushed, even if I can't physically hurt you." Voldemort flashed a shark-like grin and was happy to see everyone pale and some people even shudder. "Good night all." With that Voldemort swirled the cloak around him and walked out of the tower, glad to leave the garish room behind him. He shuddered at the thought of having to spend more time in that room than necessary. The dungeons may be damp but at least the Slytherin common room didn't hurt his eyes, although he could well see the addition of a certain amount of red to his decor when he got home, so long as it came from the bowels of a certain rat at any rate. 

Chapter Text

Voldemort was more glad than ever that Salazar Slytherin had decided to make his home in the dungeons. The out of the way area meant that its decoration hadn't changed over the years. Unlike other areas of the castle there were no portraits and there were also images of snakes guarding most of the enfrances, not something that should concern most students but it did make life considerably easier for a parselmouth like him. The layout of the old castle never changed either so it was easy enough to find the rooms of the potions master and head of Slytherin and the guardians were more than happy to let the heir of Slytherin sneak in.

He wasn't disappointed inside either. He had barely entered the room before Severus appeared, brandishing his wand.

"Who goes there! Show yourself and I might show mercy."

Voldemort dropped the invisibility cloak. "Good evening Severus, so good to see your reflexes haven't dimmed while you've been mouldering away in this castle."

"My Lord!" Severus gasped, dropping to his knees.

Voldemort scowled. "We both know that isn't really true, is it?" He stalked around the sofa, taking a seat without being offered. It was a somewhat petty gesture but he refused to stand on ceremony in the quarters of a former subordinate. "Now Severus, what do you have to say for yourself?" 

Severus paused, clearly calculating the best response, a sign of his true Slytherin nature. Eventually he stood and, in a somewhat surprising move, came and took the seat opposite the Dark Lord. It was a clear show of power, not of saying that he was above the Dark Lord, merely no longer beneath him, and Voldemort had to admit that he was somewhat impressed. Too many of his followers would have begged or grovelled but Severus saw not only the futility of such actions, but also an opportunity to make something more. It showed intelligence and just a hint of bravery and Voldemort was starting to greatly appreciate the combination.

"My Lord I have nothing to say for myself that you likely haven't already heard. I came into your service looking for a place in the world but, while you had my gratitude for recognizing my worth, you didn't have heart. When I realised Lily was in danger I begged for your mercy. You gave it but your zeal to find the child mentioned in the prophecy had me worried so I also turned to Dumbledore for help in protecting them. I realise now that I should have trusted you: ironically you did more to uphold your word than Dumbledore ever did. Not that I'm complaining about that. I made a deal to spy on you in exchange for Dumbledore protecting the Potters. I never told him everything, just enough, and I always wondered why my oath never punished me for withholding information from him. I now realise it's because he never planned to uphold his side either."

"At least you always planned to betray Dumbledore which is a point in your favour," Voldemort sighed. "I'll forgive you for this misstep as I'm feeling in a generous mood after my talk with Harry earlier."

"You spoke with the boy already!" Severus exclaimed.

"I had to," Voldemort scowled. "That move was entirely too Slytherin, I had to ensure that he wasn't a snake in lion's clothing, secretly building an untouchable army to thwart me."

"He wouldn't!" Severus insisted. "He's far too honourable for something like that. The only reason he added my name in the first place was because he felt honour bound."

Voldemort frowned in thought. "That's it isn't it. It's not that he's hiding his manipulations behind a veneer of honourability, more that he's using his cunning to ausuade the guilt he feels from your sacrifices." 

Severus smiled and nodded. "Yes my Lord. I have known Potter these last five years and I can assure you that while he will break rules as he sees fit, he will always strive to do what he feels is right and one of those things is definitely keeping his word."

"It is certainly reassuring," Voldemort mused, "and fits with the character I saw last night. I still want more assurances, however, to be completely satisfied. I fear Dumbledore will manage to push his way back before the term is out, pushing all the blame onto the Ministry, and I can't say that I'm very comfortable with you both being so under his thumb again, especially when it will be so difficult for me to contact you both."

Severus grinned. "Don't worry my Lord, Harry and I have something to help that. Neither of us think it will be prudent for Dumbledore to be back at the school before the summer, things are too new for there not to be a risk. Thankfully Harry came across some information this morning that will help."

Voldemort frowned. "When exactly were you going to tell me about this?"

"When we met tomorrow," Severus reassured him, "or later today as the case may be."

"Acceptable," Voldemort said, "if the information is good enough."

"Oh it is, believe me," Severus smirked. "This morning it seems that Potter had some issue receiving his prescribed potions. Upon further investigation he discovered that one of the castle house elves had been purposely denying him potions on Dumbledore's orders."

"But the house elves work for the castle, thus they will always put the safety of the students first," Voldemort argued.

"Normally yes," Severus agreed. "This elf was different, however. It seems that Dobby used to work for Lucius but was unhappy with his employment, something that Dumbledore was able to discover and exploit. He filled the young elf's head with tales of the heroic boy who lived and, when the time was right, he used the elf to help lure Harry into his trap that year, the culmination of which was that Harry was able to trick Lucius into accidentally freeing the creature.

Voldemort laughed out loud. "Oh he failed to mention that little tidbit. The great and mighty Lucius Malfoy bested by a second year, and a Gryffindor to boot."

Severus smirked. "It is nice to be able to hold that little fact over his head. Regardless, when the elf was freed he decided he wanted paying, not something the wizarding world would accept, so he was unable to find employment elsewhere and ended up at the castle. Thankfully there is a rule in the school charter that prevents headmaster's from having their own personal house elves but that didn't stop Dumbledore employing the elf under the guise of him working for the school."

"I assume the elf would feel quite indebted to him, Voldemort mused.

"Indeed," Severus nodded, "and as a paid employee Dobby wasn't subject to the same rules as a bound elf is so when Dumbledore ordered him to prevent Mr Potter from receiving and potions unless they were administered by the headmaster, or from allowing anyone to add anything to the boys food, the elf followed the orders, especially since the headmaster claimed that there were threats to the boys life."

"It's nice to know the mediwitch was telling the truth and hadn't completely turned a blind eye to Harry's plight," Voldemort remarked. "Is there a way we can get the elf to testify to this?"

"There is. Potter took it upon himself to bind the elf to him this morning and explain the situation to him. Dobby was apparently quite distraught that he had inadvertently been harming his hero and has agreed to testify to everything so we just need to get Yaxley here again."

Voldemort sighed. "I'm afraid that might be harder than you think. Yaxley is currently up to his neck in finding ways to deter Dumbledore and I fear if we drag him away from the old coot will take the opportunity to just show up."

Snape frowned in thought. "There may be a way around that. I am the current acting head while Minerva is under investigation so it would be appropriate for me to question a Hogwarts house elf, which is what Dobby is masquerading as so Dumbledore isn't aware of his change in allegiances. Since you have the boys cloak you can simply sit behind me and observe while I question the elf and then we can extract your memories and claim they are Yaxley's and he was here all along. If Yaxley pops in later while Dumbledore is busy dealing with the new charges and sits with me while I ask Dobby some other routine questions then we should be covered even if we're covered under veritaserum."

"Especially if there is no clock available to check times," Voldemort grinned. "Is this the sort of thing you come up with when given free reign, Severus, because I must say I'm quite impressed."

"Thank you my Lord, I must admit that removing the fear of being crucioed within an inch of my life does make positing ideas a more agreeable concept."

"Excellent, in which case I look forward to more of these discussions. It's going to be somewhat difficult for me to see or even communicate with Harry, especially when Dumbledore does come back."

"You think Dumbledore will be back even after this?" Severus queried.

"Unfortunately yes," Voldemort sighed. "Dumbledore is as tenacious as they come and has an annoying habit of being able to worm his way out of even the tightest situations. I have no doubt that he will eventually be able to create some evidence of a threat on Harry's life to justify his actions, as well as a reason for him not notifying the relevant authorities to his fears, but I doubt it will be before the end of term which is good as it will give both you and Harry the chance to settle in to your new roles. I only ask that since you are acting headmaster that you not prevent Harry from meeting up with me while term is still ongoing."

Severus frowned. "You plan on meeting up with the boy again?" 

"Oh yes," Voldemort leered. "Our meeting earlier was most enjoyable and I plan on exploring our relationship in the future."

"You are aware of how innocent the boy is, aren't you? I have never once caught him in any sort of compromising position and the only person I have heard him linked to, other than Miss Granger in those awful articles by that Skeeter woman, was Cho Chang and, from all reports, that was immensely short lived."

Voldemort scowled. "I recognise that name, it is on his list, are you sure that that relationship was so short lived?"

"Quite sure. Their disastrous Valentine's date was the joke of the Slytherin common room for months. I imagine her name was added more as a space filler than any actual feelings since I haven't heard him mention her or show her any extra attention. I'm curious though, my Lord, since you almost sound jealous of the idea that Potter might have an attachment to this girl."

"Potter is mine!" Voldemort hissed. "I am not prepared to go into details with you, suffice it to say that the boy and I are connected and I fully intend to explore that connection to its full extent."

"With Harry's full consent I hope. I am no longer under your full control and Harry is my responsibility so I have no issue with preventing further interaction between you if I feel it is in Harry's best interest."

Voldemort growled. "I should kill you now for such comments."

"But you won't because it will void the agreement you have with Harry," Severus smirked. "The boy has also started to care for me and I doubt it will help your efforts to try to woo the boy if that were to happen."

"Harry already belongs to me, Severus, I do not need to woo him."

"On the contrary my Lord. I have a feeling that boy is as pure as the freshly driven snow and probably hasn't even considered what getting involved with you will entail so I would bet money that you will have to take things very slowly with him."

Voldemort sighed, thinking back to his interactions with Harry earlier that night. "Yes I do believe you are right on that front Severus, which is both a blessing and a curse."

"No former lovers to have to deal with but need to progress at a snail's pace to save spooking them," Severus nodded. "I will, however, be checking with Harry to make sure he understands what you are expecting from this relationship going forward and that it is also something he wants."

"And if it is then I hope I can rely on you not to stand in our way, Severus," Voldemort said. 

Severus sighed. "I have yet to be able to stop him from getting into any of Dumbledore's hairbrained schemes up till this point, I doubt this will be any exception although I will request that you be discreet. I may turn a blind eye but I can hardly explain things to the other teachers."

"Of course," Voldemort grinned, "thankfully I have recently learned of a passage into the castle, from the shrieking shack of all places, which will make my life so much easier."

"It's still open!" Severus exclaimed.

"Yes," Voldemort hissed, suddenly becoming suspicious. "Are you saying you knew about it?"

Severus nodded. "I first learned of it while I was at school but I didn't really pay much attention to where Black was going and then I was almost attacked by a werewolf. I remembered two years ago, when I followed Black down it again. I questioned why Dumbledore had allowed it to remain open even though he knew Black was on the loose and he said he realised his mistake and had blocked it."

"Clearly not," Voldemort scoffed.

"Obviously," Severus sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I do worry about that man and his lackadaisical approach to security."

"It's hubris. He believes he is untouchable and that I would never dream of launching an attack on this place, especially when he's here, or at the very least that it would be unsuccessful."

"The problem is that he doesn't seem to worry about anyone who might get caught in the crossfire if you did."

"When has he ever worried about the little people? You are all pawns in his schemes; simply pieces he can move around the chess board. While I may curse those who fail me, I also reward those who do well. Unlike a certain headmaster I didn't leave my loyal followers to wallow in the hell hole they call Azkaban."

"Yes, Dumbledore may not overtly punish his people but he doesn't help them either, unless helping them would help him as well," Severus agreed. "From what I've heard Black spent last year mouldering away in a cave living off rats but this summer, when Dumbledore decided he needed a base of operations, a property was suddenly available."

"Dumbledore's base of operations is a Black property?"

"Unfortunately I cannot say," Severus sighed although he gave the Dark Lord a pointed look.

"It seems I need to think about how I question people, it seems."

"Yes," Severus smirked. "For example if you asked me to describe the property I would tell you it is a grim, old place."

"I assume that holds some sort of significance, unfortunately I'm not aware of the particulars of all the Black properties although I will talk to Lucius about it."

"I don't think it will help much since the place is under the Fidelius charm and unfortunately Dumbledore is the secret keeper."

"That is annoying," Voldemort huffed, "although Black himself is a curious case, I'm surprised he forgave Dumbledore for abandoning him like that."

"Black is very simple minded. Gryffindor is good and Slytherin is evil as far as he is concerned."

"Interesting. I wonder how he will react to Harry's change of allegiance?" 

"Actually I think he will take that better than Potter expects. Friends will always come before anything else as far as Black is concerned, and Potter above even that. It might take a while to get the fact that Potter is safer this way through his thick skull but once he realises that then I think you'll find that the rest of the world can burn as far as Black is concerned, so long as his friends and Harry are fine."

"That's good to know. I was also hoping to sweeten the deal a bit by helping him gain his freedom," Voldemort admitted. "Peter is proving to be more of a liability than he's worth and I have the feeling that Black could be an asset, not only in helping to ensure Harry's loyalty but possibly by helping him get a position in government. I have a journalist in my pocket now, thanks to you and Harry, and I doubt it will be too hard to paint a wrongfully convicted war hero as a media darling. I might even be able to make him Minister of Magic."

"Black is hardly politically minded," Severus warned. "It will take some persuading on Harry's part although it might be possible if you promise to push through pro werewolf laws. Black's friend Lupin is a werewolf and has suffered much under the prejudicial regime: let him change that and he should be all for it, especially if it comes from Harry. Dumbledore will be hard pressed to block it as well, at least without showing his own prejudice."

"Yes, that always irked me," Voldemort growled. "Hold up your pet werewolf or giant as proof that you are pro creature rights but then don't do anything to actually change the system."

"Agreed. You'll have to be subtle at first though," Severus pointed out. "Dumbledore will need to believe that they are both still on his side to begin with, lest he try to stop things before everything is secure."

Voldemort hummed. "Quite. You have given me much to think about Severus, for that I thank you. I am glad to see that we can continue to work together towards a common goal. Now let's call that house elf you told me about so I can get on with planning and you can get some sleep. I'm assuming that things will still be quite hectic again tomorrow for you."

"Indeed," Severus sighed and Voldemort did not envy the man with all the jobs he was currently juggling. Not that he didn't have his own duties to attend to, it wasn't easy trying to take over the wizarding world after all, and he had Harry's little coup to manage as well, although at least that was looking to be more or a  pleasure than a chore. He only hoped that the boy didn't get cold feet in the cold light of day. He would just have to pull on all of his old charm to make sure Harry stayed as sweet and as pliable as he was the night before. The idea of wooing the saviour to his side was just too good an opportunity to pass up. 

********************

Shafts of bright sunlight hit Harry's face, causing him to stir. He could vaguely remember going to see the Dark Lord the night before and he wondered if he'd accidentally fallen asleep in the shrieking shack since he had no recollection of anything that happened after the Dark Lord kissed him. That had been a whole new level of intense and Harry might have thought he imagined the whole thing except he didn't think he had the imagination to come up with something like that. He could also feel where his trousers had stuck to his skin where his cum had dried overnight so it was hard to deny the facts. 

What was strange was the lack of dust, and the smell. Wherever he was did not have the same damp, mouldy smell that permeated the shack. If anything it smelt like the fifth year boys dorm, although he admitted that that only smelt good thanks to the hard work of the house since none of them usually even picked up their clothes, let alone cleaned them, and Harry had a sudden urge to try and do something nice to thank them for all their hard work in stopping the dorm from looking like a bomb had hit it. The only problem of him being in the boys dorm was that, for him to be there, the Dark Lord would have had to carry him there and that didn't seem like the sort of thing a Dark Lord did. It didn't particularly help that Harry couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. His feelings on said Dark Lord had definitely been changing over the last couple of days and he wouldn't be surprised that, once settled, he was looking at the Dark Lord in a completely different light. 

There was a scratching sound and the creak of the window being opened. Suddenly there was a sharp beak pecking at his ear.

"Alright, alright, I'm up, keep your feathers on!" he huffed, trying to gently brush an owl he could only assume was Hedwig away. Rubbing his eyes, Harry stretched and accepted the package from his owl, along with the letter.

My Dearest Harry,

Thank you so much for meeting with me last night. I must say I had the most wonderful time and I do hope that you enjoyed yourself as well. I'm afraid that I had to borrow your cloak to bring you back after you passed out, I hope you don't mind. It did allow me to have an enlightening conversation with your friends, which I think will help both of us in the long run. I was even able to surprise Severus which was a real highlight I can assure you. Rest assured that he is still very much well; we were able to come to an agreement about things.

He has promised to turn a blind eye when we have more meetings in the future but I am returning your cloak, as I promised your friends, to ensure that those happen without a hitch. I am very much looking forward to seeing you again, my Harry. I know I got a little carried away last time and for that I apologise but you responded so delightfully that I just couldn't help myself. I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as I did and, if you're willing, I would very much like to see where things can go between us. Unfortunately I shall be busy for the next couple of days making sure that Dumbledore doesn't return before the summer but I may have a few surprises for you for next time we meet, should my plans go off without a hitch. 

Looking forward to seeing you again, 

Your Dark Lord. 

Harry shivered. He had wondered if last night had all been some strange dream but the letter, as well as his cloak in the package was more than proof enough that it was real. He wasn't sure how to feel about it though. He'd never experienced anything anywhere near that before, he didn't even realise it was possible, and while it had scared him at the time, still did a bit if he was honest, the thought of never experiencing it again was not something that bared thinking about. It was all very confusing however. The line about him popping in to see Snape did have him slightly worried however. His friends were securely on his list and had done nothing to hurt him but Severus was just toeing the line if betrayal and, list or no list, Harry wouldn't put it past the Dark Lord to be able to come up with something to give Snape hell without it technically 'doing harm'.

"You finally awake, Harry?" Ron asked. 

"Yeah," Harry croaked, his voice strangely rough. 

"How you feeling?" 

"Um," Harry muttered, suddenly feeling very conscious of the way his boxers were sticking to his crotch. "Yeah, I'm good, thanks."

"Not sore?" Seamus queried with a chuckle.

"No," Harry frowned. "Why would I be sore?"

"Because you let the Dark Lord bugger you senseless last night," Seamus grinned.

"I what!" Harry exclaimed. "I did no such thing! At least I'm pretty sure I didn't."

"How can you only be pretty sure?" Dean asked.

"Well I'm not exactly sure what 'buggering me senseless' would entail," Harry replied. 

"Well typically it involves someone sticking their dick up your backside and pounding you till you black out," Seamus explained somewhat crudely.

"Sticking his dick where!" Harry yelled. "How exactly would that happen? I mean where would it even go?" 

"Up your anus," Seamus chuckled. 

Now Harry was confused. "Really? How is that supposed to fit?" 

"It stretches," Dean explained.

"Are you sure?" Neville queried. 

"Yeah," Dean grinned. "I saw it on a porno." 

"What's a porno?" Neville asked.

"Pornography." Dean explained. "It's like pictures of naked women and some of them move."

"I didn't think muggle photographs moved," Ron frowned. 

"Not normal photos no," Dean chuckled. "But there are special ones called videos. They move, a bit like wizarding photographs, but they only play the same thing over and over."

Ron frowned. "Doesn't that get boring to watch?"

"Depends on how much of the movie you get through," Seamus chuckled. "I found some awesome videos online over the summer until the computer got a virus and my dad bollocked me and grounded me for a week."

"Yeah it's a shame we can't bring the videos to school," Dean sighed. "Thankfully my cousin is sound and buys me the magazines to bring while I'm at school. I can show you them if you want."

The boys were all nodding in agreement when the door to the dorm burst open.

"Hermione!" Ron gaped. "You can't just barge into a boys dormitory like that."

"I can, I am a prefect," Hermione huffed, "and you're all going to be late for class if you don't get a move on."

That had Ron diving out of bed although Harry had the feeling it was more the thought of missing breakfast than missing lessons that had him running. The other boys thankfully managed to shoo Hermione away with the promise that they were all moving and would be down shortly. Hermione had given Harry a look that said she would be cornering him later for a chat and that was fine, so long as she didn't ask too many questions about what had happened the night before, mostly because Harry wasn't completely sure himself. He also wanted to talk to Snape at some stage as well, if only to ensure the man hadn't suffered any lasting damage due to Harry's reckless actions.

Chapter Text

Harry had cautiously watched Snape all through breakfast, looking for any tell tale sign that he had suffered in any way the night before. Not that he expected the Dark Lord to be obvious in any punishment, especially with their agreement, nor for Snape to be lax enough to let any sign of weakness slip through his impenetrable facade. It was no surprise then that Harry could spot nothing in his demeanour that might hint at what the Dark Lord could have wanted to talk to him about. The only hint came in what Harry thought was a worried look that flashed in Snape's eyes when they briefly met. It certainly peaked Harry's curiosity and had him nervously waiting until he had a chance to find out what it meant.

Trust his luck not to hold out at this time as well. He had hoped to be able to see Snape at lunchtime but the man was apparently caught up in a meeting with the Aurors, which Harry could only hope had something to do with his inability to call Dobby, in which case that was another sign that the Potions Master was fine. The downside was that it meant that Harry had to wait until the end of the day, after potions of all things, to be able to talk with the man. At least the lessons were a lot more sedate now. The Slytherins had obviously already gotten the message about leaving off the Gryffindors as there wasn't even a snide comment, let alone any attempt at sabotage. Harry couldn't tell if that made the lessons better or worse; he would never be a potions prodigy like Snape but hopefully this way he would at least be able to scrape a passing grade without too much worry. 

It seemed that Snape was of the same opinion, regarding wanting to talk to Harry, and didn't waste any time in asking Harry to stay behind at the end. He had knowing nods from his friends, teamed with looks that told him he had better let them know what was discussed later. Even the Slytherins gave Harry a nod as they left, making Harry realise there were possibly other benefits to his treaty with the Dark Lord. Dumbledore usually preached about house unity but seemed to do very little to actually promote it in the school. They only ever seem to be pitted against each other or encouraged to see each other's worst traits. In the five years that he had attended Hogwarts and listened to the Sorting Hat sing about working together, there hadn't actually been any situations where they actually could have worked together, except for the TriWizard Tournament, although the fact that Cedric was the true champion put a bit of a dampener on that. Almost overnight, however, Harry seemed to have unified at least the upper years, although it seems to have started trickling down to the younger years as well, who seemed to be taking their cues from their older house mates. 

"Sit down please Mr Potter, this might take a while," Snape said as the door closed, indicating a seat that appeared in front of his desk.

"What is this about?" Harry asked. "Is it something to do with your visit from the Dark Lord last night."

Snape smiled wryly. "Heard about that, did you?" 

Harry nodded, a little worriedly. 

"Well in a way it is about that," Severus admitted. "The Dark Lord made some interesting claims about your relationship with him and I just wanted to hear things from your side."

"Our relationship?" Harry queried, a look of confusion clear on his face.

"Yes," Severus frowned. "The Dark Lord intimated that something had happened when you met him last night and he assured me that he'd had your full consent with whatever happened."

"Consent?" 

"That you understood what was happening and that you agreed to it completely," Snape explained. 

"Oh," Harry gaped, "well I will say that I didn't actually understand what happened, he was, er, well, touching my scar. It hurt at first and I asked him to stop."

"Did he?" Snape queried.

"Well he said it only hurt because I was fighting it and I needed to accept it. When I did it changed, it no longer hurt, it felt different, good even and then suddenly something sort of exploded when he kissed my scar and I sort of blacked out."

Snape scowled. "So you didn't actually consent to anything, he did it all without you saying so."

"To be fair to him I don't think either of us expected that to happen," Harry shrugged.

"That is beside the point Harry, he should have explained what was happening ahead of time to make sure you wanted it," Snape hissed, "and since when do you start defending the Dark Lord?" 

"Since we became allies," Harry huffed. "I feel like you're trying to accuse the Dark Lord of something that I don't think he's guilty of. I may not have understood what was happening but it wasn't bad and, to be honest, I don't know if I would have actually understood what was going to happen even if he had."

Snape looked confused. "Surely your sex education lessons at the end of your third year would have hinted at what any sensations might mean though?" 

Harry frowned. "What sex education lessons?" 

"The sex education lessons that all students are supposed to receive," Snape sighed. "It's in the school charter and was brought in after a spate of teenage pregnancies some time ago which caused quite the scandal with blame being thrown all over the place as to who's fault it was that the poor girl had to retake a year of school having missed out on so much in her subjects. This is a big school with only a skeleton staff so the onus is places on the students to take precautions so they don't risk ruining their education which is why the lessons are done as early as it is deemed appropriate, although I always encourage the older students to watch out for the younger ones, to make sure no one accidentally gets caught out."

"There's nothing like that in Gryffindor as far as I'm aware," Harry said. "Although I did spend a fair amount of time in the hospitality wing when I was in my 3rd year so I might have missed it."

"Then Minerva should have made extra sure that you received it when you were let out!" Snape growled. "You are a major celebrity Potter and, as such, are at risk from any gold digging witch who wants to marry the saviour unless you know how to protect yourself."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. 

Snape sighed. "What would you do if you accidentally got some girl pregnant?" 

"Well, probably marry her to make sure the baby has a stable home," Harry frowned, "but that's not likely to happen anyway, I've only ever kissed a girl and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't result in a pregnancy. No girl has ever even approached me for anything."

"Likely because you've always had Granger and Weasley close at hand," Snape pointed out. "But that wouldn't necessarily stop some enterprising young witch from dosing you with a love potion and taking advantage of you and your kind nature, especially since, by the sounds of things, you wouldn't even know how the child was created in the first place. Honestly how someone hasn't taken advantage of you yet is honestly a surprise."

"Well I wasn't even interested in girls really until last year and even then I didn't really think about doing anything more than kissing," Harry groused.

"Trust me when I say a love potion won't care that you're a late bloomer, Potter, and since many teenagers are far more sexually active than that at your age, nobody would bat an eye at the fact that you had suddenly discovered hormones."

Harry gaped. "So what you're saying is someone could purposely trap me into a marriage! Even having a kid just to do it! That's evil!"

"Welcome to the world, Potter," Snape sighed. "Unfortunately there are some very unscrupulous people in this world which is why a lot of pureblood families teach their children to take precautions from an early ages, from learning to check their food and teaching their friends what signs to look out for to contraceptives to make sure they can't get pregnant, although they can sometimes be countered by strong fertility potions."

Harry sat back in shock. "And here I was thinking that the worst thing I had to worry about was a Dark Lord trying to kill me."

"Indeed," Snape smirked. "Thankfully for you I am prepared to teach you the necessary spells to make sure your food is safe although that house elf of yours seems to have been doing a good job of that so far. It s probably the main reason you have been unaffected so far."

Harry nodded. "I have a sudden urge to buy Dobby a whole load of brightly coloured socks." Snape looked at him quizzically but Harry waved off his question. "He has an obsession with them ever since I used one if my socks to free him.

Snape chuckled. "That makes sense in a twisted way I suppose. By the way, well done for that little feat; I'm sure you'll be happy to know that Yaxley has already spread it around the inner circle, much to Lucius's dismay." 

Harry smirked. 

"Speaking of the house elf it would probably be easier to get him to start checking all of your food again," Snape mused. "As a former Malfoy elf he would have been trained to spot and remove any contaminants and, no offence, but I would trust him to do a better job of it than you."

"None taken," Harry snickered.

"It shouldn't be a problem now that you are getting all of your potions normally and I can add a strong contraceptive to your regime that will prevent you from having to worry about getting anyone pregnant whether you're with a man or a woman."

"Why would I have to worry about getting pregnant if I was with a boy?" Harry queried, clearly confused.

"Because, while rare, it is possible for two men to get pregnant if they have penetrative sex," Snape replied and Harry stared at him in shock.

"How? I don't have the parts, how would that even work?" 

"Well there are three main ways," Snape stated, switching into full lecture mode. "The first, and most common, requires a potion that creates an artificial womb inside you. This must be taken prior to sex of course so requires planning and the potion itself is quite complex making it quite an expensive option, although it is the least taxing. There is also a partial transfiguration. Male seahorses have the ability to bear children so it's possible to create a womb that way although it requires a lot of magic to maintain it throughout the term. The third way is through wish magic, a phenomenon similar to how a child's accidental magic works, where a wizard is strong enough, and wants something enough, that it just happens. There are, of course, very few documented cases of this happening. It is also theorised that a metamorphmagus would be able to partially change their gender to create one as well but that ability is beyond rare so is not usually seen as a possibility."

Harry blinked slowly as he tried to get his head around the possibility. "So you're saying I wouldn't have to be with a woman or rely on adoption if I wanted to have kids?"

"No, especially with your level of wealth and magical power," Snape nodded. "Can I take it from that that you are genuinely interested in men as well, and weren't just carried away by the Dark Lord last night?"

"Um, I'm not really sure," Harry admitted. "I was chatting with the guys about it this morning and I have to admit, as strange as it sounds, I like the thought of kissing the Dark Lord more than I do kissing Cho."

"Kissing the Dark Lord?" Snape queried. "I was under the assumption that you'd already done that."

Harry squirmed in his chair. "He did kiss me, just not on the lips, kinda all over my face. It felt good, especially when he kissed my scar, which was when everything kind of exploded."

"Your scar you say," Snape murmured, giving Harry an inscrutable look. "And how did the Dark Lord act when you reacted to his touch that way?" 

"He said I was his," Harry blushed.

"And you're not upset by that concept?" 

Harry shrugged. "No one has ever really wanted me that much, other than Dumbledore and that was only because he thought I was needed to defeat the Dark Lord. I know I should probably be horrified at the idea but," he trailed off. 

"I can understand," Snape nodded. "I had my mother's unconditional love but the fact that your mother seemed to accept me exactly as I was was a big draw for me. I would have done anything for her. It's why I would counsel caution: it is one thing to form an alliance with the Dark Lord but this is something else entirely. He is a powerful wizard who is not someone who will take kindly to his affections being trifled with, if that is what he's feeling for you. Be sure of what you want before taking things further than you already have. It is still early days and your innocence and nativity will allow you to end things now, if you decide that is what you want, but I can't guarantee what will happen if you let things continue and then change your mind."

"I'll bear that in mind sir," Harry gulped, understanding the seriousness of the situation a bit more.

"That being said I would like to talk to you about homosexual relationships, specifically those between two men."

Harry balked. "Must we?" 

"I'm afraid we must, you have to properly understand what might happen if you choose to pursue this," Snape explained.

"But it's embarrassing," Harry whispered, blushing profusely.

"It's important Harry, although I will say that if you aren't mature enough to discuss it then you aren't mature enough to be doing it."

"Isn't there another way though?" Harry whined. 

Snape sighed. "I have some books you can read instead, wait here while I fetch them."

Snape got up and went to the back room and Harry sighed in relief although it was somewhat short lived as Snape soon came into the room carrying a stack of books including titles such as 'The New Joys of Gay Sex' and 'Handy Spells to Know in the Sack' which he dumped in front of Harry. 

"These are all copies so don't worry, I remember what state they used to get into back in my day." Snape gave a shudder. "I have included a copy of BDSM Basics for Beginners. Given the Dark Lord's proclivities I figured it was a good idea to let you know what you might be getting yourself into. If you hadn't guessed, the Dark Lord is a Dominant." 

Harry nodded dumbly, having no idea what Snape was talking about. 

"I expect you to read some of them though, and to prove that you have I expect an essay on the importance of preparation in anal sex and the different ways it can be achieved. There is no deadline for it but I do expect you to refrain from any sexual activities until you do so I can be sure you're ready."

"Ok," Harry agreed, quickly putting the books in his bag and wondering if he had enough time to run up to the dorm to hide them before dinner. At least that was one good thing about Gryffindors, or at least the boys, they tended to be ruled by their stomachs and so rarely missed a meal if it could be helped. He mumbled a quick thank you to a smirking Snape and raced out of the classroom and up to Gryffindor tower as fast as he could. 

The dorm was blessedly empty when Harry snuck in and gingerly removed the books from his bag. Checking the time he realised dinner had only just begun so he had a little time before anyone came back. Calling Dobby to ask for a sandwich, Harry decided to make the most of the rare moment of solitude and to have a read of the books he'd just been given. 

Not wanting to accidentally get caught out, given most of his friends' penchant for just barging into the room without knocking, Harry closed the curtains around his bed and made himself comfortable. The BDSM book had intrigued him, especially considering Snape had said it wasn't essential; he wanted to know what the man thought would be good reading for Harry's specific situation. It was interesting to be sure and Harry had to agree the Dark Lord was definitely a Dominant and Harry, well, given how he had blindly followed Dumbledore's plan before, even if it wasn't always consciously so, well, he was likely a submissive, or could at least fill that role. Surprisingly it wasn't an idea that disgusted him; not that he would blindly submit to anyone, but then the Dark Lord of the wizarding world was hardly just anyone. He had to admit that not all aspects of it appealed to him. He had never been a fan of pain and the thought of willingly subjecting himself to it seemed weird to him, but the thought of being restrained didn't sound too bad, so long as he trusted his partner anyway. 

He looked at the spell book next and had to admit that some of the charms were definitely useful, especially those for securing and silencing curtains around the bed. The writer had clearly attended Hogwarts as a kid. 

It was in the Joys of Gay Sex book, however, that Harry found the really pertinent information. The book itself was quite enlightening for Harry, talking about how sex was one of life's chief pleasures and the lack of shame and frankness in the way everything was written had Harry feeling a lot more comfortable with the choices he was making. That's not to say that everything in the book appealed to him. He couldn't agree with the author's opinion more on the idea of watersports, (what was the appeal of piss?) and he highly doubted that the Dark Lord would be happy with the idea of a threesome. They did seem to wax lyrical about something called rimming, something that Harry had never even considered before opening the book, but the description certainly made the thought of sticking his tongue in someone's arse sound appealing.

The lubrication charm in the spell book suddenly made a lot more sense when Harry really read about fingering. He had to admit that, looking at his own cock, he did wonder how that was supposed to fit inside his arse hole but the instructions on how to stretch and expand the hole were very informative and Harry's curiosity reared its head once more. Kicking off his trousers and pants, Harry cast the lubricus spell and felt a cool, viscous fluid covering his fingers. Bending his knees and spreading his legs, Harry reached behind himself to try to find his entrance. The muscles were tight as he shoved a finger in and he had to wonder what he looked like lying on the bed spread out like that. Hr closed his eyes and tried to imagine the Dark Lord watching him as he roughly shoved a second finger past the tight ring of muscles, wincing against the burn.

"Slow Harry," came a hissed whisper as a pair of glowing red eyes seemed to materialise at the end of his bed and felt his whole body tingle. He got the message, though, and began slowly moving his finger in and out of himself, concentrating on slowly stretching the tight hole. It didn't take long for the burning sensation to recede and his fingers began to move in and out of him easily.

"That's it pet, open yourself up for me."

Harry shuddered. There was something quite exciting about the thought of the Dark Lord watching him and he wondered if it would be even better if was restrained.

"An excellent idea pet," the voice whispered and suddenly ropes appeared around Harry's ankles, attaching themselves to the bed posts. The ropes were a little short and Harry had to shuffle himself forward, opening him up more to the gaze of those red eyes. Harry shuddered, feeling very exposed and finding he didn't mind being watched as much as he thought he might. A feeling of hungry possessiveness washed over him and Harry had the urge to specify: he didn't mind the thought of the Dark Lord watching him but anyone would be strange.

As the possessive feelings calmed, Harry concentrated on probing his hole, feeling a little frustrated that he could get his fingers any deeper and the fabled prostate remained out of his reach. At least the lube had warmed up a bit now and Harry wondered if this would be a bit like rimming felt like, although he wasn't sure if the Dark Lord would consider practice demeaning. He felt a rumble of amusement but then the presence, whatever it was, seemed to settle as the red gaze seemed to rake over Harry's prone form. He wasn't sure why but he was very turned on at the moment, his cock hard and leaking despite not having been touched. He wondered if he would end up having a repeat of the other night where he ended up coming from just a kiss to his scar. 

The presence seemed to think that was an excellent idea and the shadows in his bed seemed to coalesce into something that reminded Harry of the wraith form of the Dark Lord that he met back in his first year, only this time he was more excited than scared. The wraith seemed to slither over Harry and everywhere it touched seemed to tingle. Harry briefly considered moving one of his hands to touch himself but something stopped him and soon all thought vanished except for the feeling of a ghost-like touch running all over his skin, sending jolts of pleasure coursing through him. Occasionally there were slightly more intense spots which had Harry moaning out loud and frantically moving his fingers inside himself, stretching to try and get them deeper, needing more. The more intense 'touch' seemed to slowly move up his body, burning Harry's skin even through his t-shirt. When it got to his neck Harry gasped in shock at the intensity and the wraith seemed to take that as a good sign and began to pepper the touches all over Harry's skin. Harry was lost in the sensation once more as memories of a similar feeling from the night before surfaced. He could feel the precum from his cock pooling on his stomach and, even knowing what was coming, when the wraith touched his scar, the sheer strength of his had him seeing stars. 

Harry blinked his eyes open as his breathing calmed and he wondered if he had temporarily blacked out again with his orgasm. Cleaning himself up Harry dropped the charms on his curtains to find it dark outside and his dorm mates snoring away peacefully. At least he hadn't been out too long this time, he thought as he changed into his pyjamas and settled back into bed for the night, feeling thoroughly sated and briefly wondering how much better it would feel if the Dark Lord had actually been there. 

Chapter Text

Harry wasn't surprised to wake up early the next day and decided to make the most of it and have a nice long shower and get down for breakfast in good time as opposed to waiting for his dorm mates to drag themselves out of their pits, usually barely having enough time to stuff a slice of toast in their mouths before having to dart off to their first lessons. 

Harry was surprised at the number of people he saw milling about at this time and wondered if maybe he and his friends were in the minority in their inability to rouse in the morning when some tapped him on the shoulder. Whipping around Harry came face to face with Cho and her friends and held back a groan.

"So, are you looking forward to the Hogsmeade weekend this weekend?" she asked. 

"Hogsmeade weekend?" Harry frowned. 

"Yes, Professor Snape announced it last night as a chance for the older years to get a bit of relaxation in before their exams," Cho explained. "I noticed that you weren't at dinner last night but I figured that your friends would have told you when you finished whatever it is you were doing."

"Oh I didn't see them before they went to bed," Harry admitted, "and they were still snoring when I woke up."

"Well it's all everyone's talking about," Cho smiled, "although I think a number of my housemates are going to miss it in favour of cramming for exams instead."

"To be fair I should probably do that as well," Harry chuckled. "With everything that's been going on I feel like I've barely done any revision and the O.W.Ls are really important."

"But what about our date?" Cho asked.

"Oh yeah, I'd almost forgotten about that," Harry mused, missing the crestfallen look on Cho's face. "Although it's probably for the best if we call that off."

"But why?" Cho questioned. "I thought you were looking forward to it."

"Um, not so much," Harry winced, scratching his head. "I mean our last date went so horribly after all and I've kind of had an epiphany since then."

"Well, that I like boys for starters," Harry grinned. 

"But we kissed!" Cho exclaimed. "Didn't you enjoy it?" 

"Well not particularly," Harry said, his face screwing up at the memory. "It was all wet. I know you'd been crying but it wasn't great, it's why I started to wonder if I like boys instead."

"And what? You just decided that you do?" Cho huffed.

"Well no, there was a guy and I have to admit it felt a lot better when he kissed me, even on the hand."

Harry didn't have time to react when Cho suddenly slapped him around the face and fled down the corridor in a flood of tears, her friends in hot pursuit. Harry stared in shock for a moment and rubbed his cheek to try to alleviate the stinging. Hoping that a cool glass of pumpkin juice would help, he made his way into the Great Hall, wondering if there would be any more surprises before the first lesson started. 

The answer was of course yes, this was him we were talking about. He'd been quite happily sat at the table, eating spoonfuls of porridge while looking through some of his notes and nursing his tender cheek when a girl with curly blonde hair suddenly plonked herself down opposite him.

"So which is it, did Cho turn you gay or have you just been stringing her along this whole time while you and your boyfriend laugh at her expense?" 

"I beg your pardon!" Harry gaped, "And who are you?" 

"Lavender Brown," Lavender stated somewhat incredulously, "we've been sharing most of the same classes for nearly 5 years."

"You're a Gryffindor in my year!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes," Lavender sighed, "how in Merlin's name haven't you realised that?"

Harry shrugged. "I know the boys and Hermione, and Parvati because she and her sister Padma agreed to go to the Ball with Ron and I last year but that's it. Sorry, I have a habit of not really noticing people unless they talk to me directly."

"That makes me somewhat curious who this mysterious boyfriend is then?" another girl questioned, sitting down next to Lavender. "At the moment the top candidates would be Draco or Professor Snape since they are who you spend the most time with and your last admission would suggest that if you haven't interacted with them previously then you probably don't know who they are."

"Um, I don't know if I'm that bad," Harry winced.

"What's my name?" the girl asked bluntly.

"No idea," Harry groaned, "and I'm guessing you're also in my year."

The girl nodded. "Sally-Anne Perks, sorted right before you were even."

"Oh, right, sorry," Harry grinned sheepishly, "nice to meet you guys though, but why do you keep talking about a boyfriend, I don't have one?" 

"Really?" Lavender frowned, "but didn't you tell Cho that you'd kissed another guy even though you were dating her?" 

"Cho and I weren't dating!" Harry laughed. "I mean I met with her and a bunch of other people and afterwards Cho asked me to go to the next Hogsmeade weekend but that was all that happened."

"Ok so I'm curious about this boy you apparently kissed," Lavender grinned.

"I'm curious about this meeting and how Cho ended up being a part of it," Sally-Anne said.

"Cho was at the meeting because, well, I needed an extra person and I couldn't think of anyone else," Harry admitted, "but as for the man, well he didn't kiss me properly, just on my hand and on my forehead, so I'd hardly call him my boyfriend."

"And you liked that more than kissing Cho?" Lavender pushed and Harry nodded. "So Cho did turn you gay, that's brilliant."

"What was even discussed at this meeting then?" Sally-Anne questioned, "because Cho was under the impression that you were madly in love with her."

Harry went to vehemently deny anything he could have done that might give Cho that impression but then he remembered the list, and how grateful she was that Harry had put her name on it. His face fell. 

"She, um, may think that something I did means more than it does."

Sally-Anne looked at Harry shrewdly. "There was a hint of a rumour that you apparently saved Cho from Voldemort somehow but that seemed so preposterous that anyone with half a brain ignored it. Somehow, though, I'm getting the feeling that might not be far from the mark."

"Um, well, I'm not sure I can say," Harry winced.

"Can someone do something to earn that same protection?" Lavender queried. "I mean my dad is on the board of governors of this school, if I asked nicely he could probably try and stop Lucius Malfoy getting on the board again in the same way that Dumbledore did a couple of years ago."

Harry frowned. "I thought that Lucius was kicked off before because he was bribing people? They sent him letters after Ginny was kidnapped."

"If he was bribing people do you really think they would just up and tell Dumbledore that," Sally-Anne scoffed. "I mean why didn't they just say anything from the start and prevent Dumbledore being sacked in the first place. And, no offence to the Weasleys, but why would people have suddenly changed their minds because of her."

"Well not the dark leaning families, although they would hardly have needed a bribe to want to get rid of Dumbledore," Lavender pointed out. "The normally light leaning families begrudgingly went along with them at first because Dumbledore hadn't left them much of an option by not seemingly doing anything to stop what was going on. When Ginny Weasley disappeared, however, it was a different story and I my dad said that he, along with others, had written to Dumbledore asking that they would do anything they could to help get Ginny back. Dumbledore never said anything specifically but all of a sudden Lucius Malfoy had left in disgrace with accusations of bribery and those like my dad just went along with it."

"But Dumbledore said he had loads of letters from people saying they received bribes which was the reason why they'd voted to sack him in the first place," Harry frowned. "Although given what I've learned recently I wouldn't be surprised if he made that all up to get Lucius removed."

Sally-Anne frowned in confusion. "You don't want to get Dumbledore back?" 

Harry scratched his head. "Um, not particularly."

"So what, you want me to get my dad to just go along with whatever Lucius Malfoy wants!" Lavender gaped.

"Would he do that?" Harry asked. 

"Well yeah," Lavender grinned. "I'm a daddy's girl. If I ask nicely he'll pretty much do anything I want."

"Ok," Harry said thoughtfully. "In that case can you get your dad to go along with Lucius for the time being but can you also get him to keep you updated on what's being proposed. If you hadn't guessed, I've formed a bit of an alliance with him at the moment but it would be nice to be able to make sure that I'm not getting screwed over."

"Your mystery boyfriend isn't Lucius Malfoy is it!" Sally-Anne asked incredulously.

"No!" Harry yelled. "I mean he's married how could he be?" 

"You do realise a lot if arranged marriages are essentially just there to form an alliance with families and that, once an heir has been born, the parties frequently take lovers, right?" Lavender asked. "I mean as the only remaining Potter and someone of your fame and fortune I'd suggest you can do better than just being someone's lover but if it is just a fling then why not, Lucius Malfoy is quite good looking and probably very knowledgeable when it comes to pleasuring a partner."

"You think!" Harry gaped. "I've never thought about him like that."

"So not Lucius Malfoy then," Sally-Anne sniggered.

"No, not him, Malfoy or Snape," Harry smirked. "I might tell you one day but I'm not entirely sure its going to go anywhere yet so there's probably no point in freaking you out. But yeah, if your dad can talk to the light leaning members of the governors to go along with Lucius, Lavender, then I might be able to offer you the same protection I managed to get for Cho."

"Just Lavender?" Sally-Anne asked.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "It's tricky. He usually wants quid pro quo so I don't know if I'll be able to get you added as well Sally-Anne, since I'm technically just giving him Lavender's dad's support. I can try though."

"But its unlikely that you'll be able to get Parvati or Faye on there."

"Who's Faye?" Harry asked.

"Faye Dunbar, the fifth girl in our year," Sally-Ann stated. "You really are useless when it comes to social skills aren't you."

"Apparently so," Harry chuckled.

"Well if we're able to offer thus guy more than just my dad, say all of the light leaning members, then do you think that would be enough?" Lavender queried. 

"Possibly," Harry nodded, "but how would we pull it off?"

"You could always write them one if your letters," Lavender suggested, "I know my dad always loved getting them. He kept every single one."

"What letters?" Harry questioned, thoroughly confused.

"The letters you sent asking the board of governors to vote a certain way," Lavender explained.

"I never sent any letter," Harry explained. "I didn't know who you guys were before today so do you really think I would know who your dad was?"

"True," Lavender said thoughtfully. "I'm assuming that you wouldn't even be able to guess who the light leaning governors were."

"Honestly the only light leaning families I know are the Weasleys and now apparently you," Harry admitted and Lavender looked at him in horror.

"Oh dear, I fear this is worse than I thought."

"I agree," Sally-Anne nodded, "and I think I'm starting to understand some of why Harry doesn't want Dumbledore back in power."

"You don't know the half of it," Harry sighed. "Honestly, my entire tume here at Hogwarts has been manipulated and I've been kept in the dark about basically everything to do with the wizarding world unless it has specifically related to something I needed that year. I swear every time I talk to someone."

"Well that needs to change," Lavender huffed, "and we can start by blocking Dumbledore from using your name to influence people. You can write your own actual letters and I can get my father to pass them on but we have to figure out a way for people to be able to verify they're yours."

"What like a charm or something?" Harry asked. 

Sally-Anne shook her head. "No, there is no charm we would be able to come up with that the likes of Dumbledore wouldn't be able to counter or reproduce. What we need is something different, that wizards won't know about so won't be able to guess like invisible ink."

"Wizards have invisible ink and the charm to make it appear is always along the same lines," Lavender stated.

"Yes but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work on muggle invisible ink," Sally-Anne countered. "They use lemon juice which dries clear but turns brown when exposed to heat."

"That could work," Lavender mused, "especially if we tell them that someone has been impersonating Harry so to only accept letters written like that as genuine. The fact that I'm in your year will add make people believe my father, especially since you would technically have no other means of reaching them with Dumbledore gone."

"The only worry would be if Dumbledore manages to trick one of them into revealing the secret," Sally-Anne sighed.

"Couldn't we say not to trust people because we were worried about people using polyjuice after the whole Moody debacle last year," Harry suggested.

"What Moody debacle?" Lavender asked.

"Where Barty Crouch Junior was using polyjuice to impersonate Moody all year," Harry frowned. "I thought everyone knew that."

"No we did not!" Lavender yelled. "Oh Merlin dad's going to be beside himself when he realises although how did Dumbledore not realise when they have been friends for decades."

"I honestly don't know," Harry shrugged, "but I was there when they found him in the chest, the real Moody that is, so I can tell you it's true."

"We believe you," Sally-Anne assured him, "in fact it explains why they rushed Crouch's execution through, to prevent an investigation from happening. I wonder if the Aurors know? They might want to start an investigation into how a death eater was able to teach for a year without getting caught."

"I think Yaxley is, among other things," Harry sighed, rubbing his forehead as he thought about the Auror's reaction to Harry's recount of events. 

"So do you think they're going to arrest Dumbledore?" Lavender asked.

"They're definitely going to try, or at least muddy his name a lot and get people questioning him," Harry nodded. 

"It's going to be difficult," Sally-Anne grimaced, "unless it can be proven that he did something really bad like covered up a murder or something."

Harry gulped and the two girls stared at him.

"Ok I knew I was missing out on a lot of juicy information not being in your little group but I didn't realise it was this much," Lavender gaped. "Did he really cover up a murder!" 

Harry nodded. "Yeah, although I'm the one who killed the guy so Snape said they would try not to use that unless they had to, especially with all the bad press I was getting this year."

Lavender looked at Harry sympathetically and leaned across the table to give his hand a squeeze. "Ok, I'll just tell my dad we're following you not Dumbledore now, he'll go along with it no problem, although I can't say the same for the rest of the old fuddy-duddies on the board. They will probably accept the idea of Dumbledore impersonator though because Merlin forbid the old man not be perfect in every way."

"I thought everyone loved Dumbledore," Harry frowned.

Sally-Anne shook her head. "From the older generation maybe, those who had to deal with the wars and things, but our generation is a little more jaded, probably because we feel quite overlooked in the wake of everything that happens to you and your friends. Don't get me wrong, we'd follow him if we had to but we can see through the facade a bit better than others so, if you're offering an alternative, we are definitely in."

"It means not fighting," Harry pointed out.

"Really!" Lavender exclaimed. "Even better. I can definitely get daddy to get the board in line then, and possibly start sowing some seeds of doubt about Dumbledore as well as promoting you as an alternative leader of the light."

"I'd best get some lemons from the kitchen then so we can start writing the letters," Sally-Anne grinned. "This is fun. I can see why you guys are always going off on adventures like this."

"It's not usually as organised as this, we're usually just flying by the seat of our pants," Harry admitted ruefully. "I'd best get off myself though, see if I can get your names added to my list."

Harry was almost grateful it was History of Magic first thing, meaning he could easily write a quick letter to the Dark Lord without having to worry about missing anything, as well as checking the spelling of the names of his house mates with Hermione. 

To the Dark Lord, 

I've managed to work out a way to make sure the light leaning families on the board of governors at Hogwarts vote in line with Lucius as well as possibly undermining Dumbledore's influence by making sure the only information they listen to comes from secret messages sent by me. 

In exchange for doing this I would like four names added to my list: Lavender Brown, Sally-Anne Perks, Fay Dunbar and Parvati Patel. 

Yours gratefully, 

Harry Potter

As oblivious as ever, Binns didn't even notice Harry summoning Dobby to take the letter straight to the Dark Lord. For once he was also thankful for the fact that the lesson was shared with the Slytherins who didn't bat an eye at his antics. The only ones who seemed even remotely intrigued were the Gryffindor girls but, Harry realised, they would soon be in the loop as well and that could help make his life a lot easier in the future, especially if it meant he didn't have to sneak around as much. He set down to try and work, tuning out Binns's monotonous drone to try and do some of his own work on historical facts relating to the wizarding world. 

This was not his favourite subject by far but something Sally-Anne had said had struck a chord with him. If he wanted to be seen as a legitimate alternative to Dumbledore, especially by the older generations, then he couldn't just coast by in school anymore. Dumbledore was seen as a great man, both magically powerful and highly intelligent, meaning there was no way Harry would be able to compete with the man if he couldn't even pass his O.W.Ls so it was with renewed drive that Harry set about studying, much to Hermione's delight. Not that Harry noticed at all. He was so engrossed in his work he didn't even notice Dobby trying to get his attention and Hermione had to pinch his hand to alert him, causing Harry to yell out.

"Is something the matter Mr Potter?" Professor Binns asked.

"No sir, sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you but I was so fascinated with what you were saying about the Goblin War that I didn't notice the poor house elf trying to get my attention here," Harry explained with a smile before taking the letter. 

"I take it that is something important, Mr Potter," Professor Binns queried.

"I'm not sure, apparently the acting headmaster wishes to see me about something straight after class," Harry fibbed, having only glanced at the note.

"Very well, I assume it must be something important then," Binns mused. "Severus always saw lessons as far too important to disturb with something trivial. Now, as I was saying." 

Harry blanked out the rest of what the Professor was saying as he properly read Harry's note. 

My dearest Harry, 

That is good to know, especially since Lucius is trying to get a vote of no confidence in the headmaster. Anything that can be done to undermine faith in the old coot will be greatly appreciated. The hope is that we can have Severus instated in his stead, a decision Severus should be able to persuade the old man is in his favour. My hope is that once we can remove him from his stronghold he will start to lose his power and influence, especially if Severus is seen as doing a better job than he was. 

As good as your efforts in this are, however four names is still a big ask especially since, while beneficial, your efforts were not entirely necessary as I have every faith Lucius would have been able to get things done on his own. 

Thankfully for you I'm in a generous mood and willing to comply with your request as a thank you for that delightful little display you put on last night. I'm not sure if you intended to call me to you but I am immensely grateful that you did. The image of you opening yourself up for me like that, looking so desperate for more, is going to be fueling my fantasies for some time to come, unless you feel like gracing me with any more wonderful displays. I could possibly even be persuaded to come in person for the right incentives. 

For the record, I have no issues with the practice of rimming and would quite happily devour your delicious arse any day. 

I am looking forward to seeing you again, in your dreams or in reality. 

Your increasingly enamoured Dark Lord. 

Harry gaped at the letter. He couldn't believe that it had actually been the Dark Lord and not some figment of his imagination. In hindsight he should have realised that not all of the feelings were his which should have at least suggested to him that he wasn't the only one there but he'd been so lost in the moment he hadn't been thinking straight. He knew he should probably have been upset at the fact that the Dark Lord had intruded on such a private moment but he was too aroused by the idea to care. He also had more immediate problems to deal with as well, such as the inappropriate boner he'd just popped. Harry just hoped that he could immerse himself in the dry facts of the Goblin rebellion enough for it to disappear before the end of the lesson because he wasn't entirely sure his robes would cover it enough to preserve his dignity, especially with so many observant Slytherins around. 

Chapter Text

It was strange to have all of the Gryffindor 5th year, as well as a few extra, gathered together in the Room of Requirements but Harry had felt like it was time to meet again to keep people up to date, especially since most students had gone to Hogsmeade so no one would question where so many if them had disappeared to. It was all well and good meeting in the 5th year boys dorm but there were several people who would now miss out on things that way, notwithstanding Hermione who didn't have a problem just coming in. 

"Why are we all here then?" a girl who Harry now knew was Fay Dunbar asked.

"You're here because I need to explain a few things to you," Harry replied, "mostly about your part in any war that might be coming in the future."

"Might be coming?" Sally-Anne queried. "Dumbledore seemed to be acting like it was a foregone conclusion before he disappeared."

"Yes, well I'm not actually working with Dumbledore anymore," Harry admitted, causing several people to gasp.

"Harry, is it really a good idea to say all this. We don't have any assurances that they won't pass the information on," Hermione warned. 

"I trust them," Harry smiled, "especially now I've got them out of the war."

"You really got us out of the war!" Lavender exclaimed. "All of us!" 

"Yes. The only rule is that you can't attack any death eaters. You can defend yourselves if you are openly attacked but if you keep out of it then I can guarantee that you and your families will be safe, at least from death eaters anyway," Harry smiled. 

"You made a deal with You-know-who!" Sally-Anne gasped. 

"Yes," Harry admitted. "He is back, contrary to what the papers are saying, but he's also not as bloodthirsty as some people would have us think. He's not even about the eradication of muggles."

"His manifesto is actually really interesting," Hermione mused, "although I do have a few notes for him."

"I'll pass that information on to him then," Harry chuckled. 

"You might even be able to get another name added," Hermione said smugly. 

"Another name?" Fay questioned. 

Harry scratched his head sheepishly. "I helped him out with something and, as thanks, he gave me a white list. Names of people who can't be targeted. We now have a bit of a quid pro quo thing going on. If I do something he wants, or come up with something that will help him, then I can add names to it. There are a few other rules to it but that's not important."

"What did you do to be able to get five names added?" Fred queried. 

"Lavender told me her dad is on the board of governors and has a lot of sway over the light families," Harry explained. "Along with Sally-Anne, we worked out a way that I can help influence any voting by them. Basically Lavender's dad is going to send them secret messages from me and we're saying that there is a Dumbledore imposter out there who is trying to ruin his reputation so they aren't to trust anyone who doesn't know how the messages are being spread."

"Mum and Dad will like that idea," Ron admitted. "It will honestly be easier for them to believe that someone is polyjuiced as Dumbledore and trying to ruin his reputation than to believe that Dumbledore isn't actually this beacon of all that is good and pure."

"Yeah, its a little scary how fanatical she can be sometimes," George mused. 

Harry was prevented from saying anything else by a knock on the door. Opening it revealed Draco Malfoy of all people.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"The Dark Lord has requested I sit in on your little meeting and report back to him," Draco announced, breezing past Harry to take a seat among the rest.

"I was planning on letting him know everything that we talked about anyway," Harry huffed. 

"Then it will only corroborate my own report," Draco smirked. 

Harry frowned. "He really doesn't trust me, does he?"

Draco waved his hand nonchalantly. "Don't take it personally Potter, the Dark Lord doesn't really trust anyone. Part of how he's managed to where he has is through being overly cautious. If anything, the fact that he has only sent me to oversee your meetings and give a written report, not even contemplating verifying it, means he has a damn sight more trust in you than a lot of his followers."

"Oh, well I suppose that's ok then," Harry shrugged.

"Wait," Padma frowned, "I thought you said you and you-know-who had a quid pro quo thing going on. If he wants to have someone sit in on your meetings then he should give you something in return."

"Since when were smart Ravenclaws part of your group?" Draco asked.

"I thought all Ravenclaws were smart?" Harry said.

"Ravenclaws is the house of intelligence and wit meaning it can be either or," Draco explained, "and the intelligence can come in multiple ways. Lovegood, for example, has a unique perspective on things which allows her to see the world in ways that others can't. A sign of high intelligence I grant you but not one I would class as book smart per se."

"What about me?" Cho scowled.

"Definitely on the witty end of the spectrum," Draco deadpanned. "You seek perfection, another very Ravenclaw trait, but it definitely doesn't extend to your grades."

Hermione smirked at that.

"You didn't explain why Harry should allow you to come without getting something in return," Padma pushed.

"Well since you're here even though I know your name isn't on the list then I would suggest Potter already has," Draco pointed out.

"The Dark Lord said that the family's of those whose names are in the list also can't be attacked so I figured Padma may as well also be involved since her sister will likely share everything anyway," Harry explained.

"Worked that one out did you," Draco smirked. "I should point out that, while the Dark Lord has promised to not target the family members on your list, they are not actually subject to the same protections. For example, if a death eater were to attack a family member, while it would be seen as a breach of contract, it wouldn't result in the instant magical backlash that targeting someone on the list would; however, they are also not subject to the same restraints. If a family member were to attack someone, knowingly or unknowingly, they also wouldn't be subject to the same backlash that, say, someone on the list would."

"So you're telling us to keep my parents off to actually give them more protection!" Ron gaped. 

Draco smiled. "Contrary to what you might believe, Weasley, we want this partnership to work as much as you do. It is mutually beneficial after all."

"It still feels weird," Ron groused.

"I know what you mean," Draco drawled, "but it will also help Professor Snape after he becomes Headmaster."

"You know that for a fact?" Dean asked with some amount of disbelief in his voice.

Draco smirked. "Pretty much. It's the first thing my father is planning in getting passed now that he's back with the board of governors and, since Brown's father has guaranteed the light side will vote along its basically a given."

"And Dumbledore won't block it because he thinks Snape is still in his pocket," Hermione nodded. 

"Precisely," Draco smiled, "and the hope is that once he does get in the position that we can show our cooperation more openly which will only help prove that it is Dumbledore who is pushing the divide between the houses in the school and not something that is happening naturally like he always tries to make out. It will only help to weaken his position further."

"I suppose that makes sense," Ron mused. "Bill and Charlie always told me that they had friends but I couldn't understand how that was possible when I came here. We seemed to hate each other from the get go."

"Technically that was your faulty Weasley," Draco pointed out. "I tried to extend a hand of friendship to Potter here on the first day but you stepped in and started getting insulting. I'll admit that I may have reacted more harshly than was necessary but it was that, and Potter spurning my hand of friendship, that caused such a divide between us and that seems to have spread to the younger years."

"Well of course I would say that, your family's dark!" Ron huffed, causing Draco to raise an eyebrow. 

"You do know that being a 'dark' only means that we have an affinity to the so-called dark spells like curses and jinxes right? It has nothing to do with being evil."

Ron frowned. "Mum always talked of being dark as being a bad thing."

"And this is why you're called blood traitors!" Draco sighed.

"I thought it was because they liked muggles?" Hermione queried.

"It's not so much liking muggles as adopting muggle ideas," Draco explained. "Magic, like most things in this world, requires balance in order to work at its best, light and dark. One cannot exist without the other and people in the magical world are usually taught about that from an early age. Curses and hexes have as much place in our world as jinxes and conjuration and the magical world used to value all spells equally until muggles brought in their own ideas of right and wrong and suddenly you saw certain spells outlawed and certain practices treated with disdain."

"You don't expect me to believe that the unforgivables were ever thought of as anything except evil!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Of course!" Draco scoffed. "The cruciatus was originally designed for pain relief from chronic pain conditions. People can build up a tolerance to potions long term so they had to find an alternative. The human body can't deal with an acute condition and a chronic condition at the same time so the acute cruciatus takes precedence. It is only applied for a second and, when the pain recedes, the body responds and the chronic pain condition is relieved for a while and because it is a natural response there is no way for the body to build up an immunity."

"How do you know that?" Harry queried. 

"I've contemplated becoming a healer after I graduate," Draco replied, "since my father will likely still be serving in the Wizengamot."

"But I thought you said your family was aligned with dark magic?" Hermione questioned. "Isn't that the opposite of healing?" 

"Actually it isn't," Neville smiled. "A lot of healing involves things like banishing or irradiation, magic that is based on hexes which are, as I'm sure you know, classed as dark charms."

"There are also a number of jinxes and hexes that are useful in the medical profession," Draco added. "The full-body bind is frequently used to restrain unruly patients with risking injury to them and even the imperious used to be used to help look after patients and allow potions to be administered easily."

Hermione looked intrigued which only caused Ron to scowl. 

"Fine but you can't expect me to believe that the killing curse was ever beneficial in any way!"

"Would you rather someone suffer a long, slow, agonising death?" Draco queried. "The Dark Lord is always vilified for using it but there are certainly worse ways to go, such as the entrail erupting curse. Personally I would much rather be killed quickly and painlessly, especially if the alternative was something like spending a lifetime in Azkaban."

"That prison definitely sounds horrific," Harry agreed.

"Exactly, and yet, while the light are perfectly happy to blame a dark wizard like Damocles Rowle for its inception, they don't seem to be at all inclined to get rid of it," Draco pointed out.

"I did notice that was one of the points in the Dark Lord's manifesto," Hermione mused.

"He has a manifesto?" Padma asked. "Can I read it?" 

Hermione nodded and quickly made a copy to give to the Ravenclaw.

"Does this mean that we're joining the death eaters?" Parvati queried.

"No," Harry stated, shaking his head. "We have simply formed an alliance to try to get rid of Dumbledore since that seems to be in everyone's best interest and the Dark Lord sent me that to look over so I could better understand his position. I'll admit there are a number of points that I agree with and will happily help him try to achieve but that is due to my own beliefs. I ask nothing from you except staying out of the war."

"In that case I would like to be kept out of these meetings," Cho announced. "I have the feeling that my input wouldn't be needed anyway, especially if I'm not seen as one of the 'smart' Ravenclaws."

Draco simply smirked at her.

"If that is what you would prefer," Harry smiled. "If you change your mind in the future just let me know although I might ask for your help with certain things in the future if that's ok." 

"Sure," Cho said, giving Harry a pained smile before leaving the room and Draco quickly sat down in her spot.

"So, what were you all discussing before I interrupted?" he asked.

"Nothing much," Harry shrugged. "I was basically just explaining the situation to the girls."

"And here I was thinking I'd be able to uncover some great coup," Draco laughed. "I joke of course but I had hoped you would have something a little more in the works."

"Nothing that I haven't already explained to the Dark Lord," Harry admitted. "I usually tell him of any developments as soon as they come up."

Draco raised his brows in disbelief. "I think the hat was wrong, you would have made an excellent Hufflepuff." 

"Do you think there's something wrong with Hufflepuffs?" Neville questioned. 

"Not at all," Draco smiled. "Loyalty is a very underrated trait in this school."

Neville returned his smile seemingly mollified.

"Ok, so once we get Snape into position we want a big show of unity," Harry surmised. "I think with the people we have here we can easily get the Gryffindors on board and possibly Ravenclaw."

"Oh yes, don't worry about us," Padma said, although her eyes never moved from the paper in her hand. "You may only have Luna, Cho and I but together we cover the different subsets of Ravenclaw so I can guarantee the whole house is on side."

"There are different subsets in Ravenclaw?" Hermione queried. 

"Part of being in Ravenclaw is about striving for excellence," Padma explained. "There's some amount of overlap between them but the house is split into 3 groups. Some, like Luna, put that into creativity, then there's the ones like me who put it into academics. A small group that Cho belongs to puts it into themselves."

Draco nodded. "Obviously Slytherin will be onside as well so the only unknown variable is Hufflepuff."

"They might be tricky," Neville winced. "Diggory was very well liked and I worry that if Voldemort is shown to be back then they're not going to want to have anything to do with him."

Harry suddenly felt a pang of guilt. "Oh yeah, that's going to be tricky, especially as a lot of them used to talk of being very pro Dumbledore."

Draco scoffed. "If you are talking about the likes of Smith, MacMillan and Finch-Fletchly then I wouldn't worry. Those three are in Hufflepuff because of their work ethic and because they basically don't fit any of the other houses, not because they're loyal. They're not a good representation of Hufflepuff in general but I do understand your point regarding Diggory. It will probably be best if we work our way to cooperation slowly and by that I mean follow my lead as subtly isn't exactly a Gryffindor strong point. If we can make it seem like a natural thing, that the reduction in provoked hostilities allows us to build bridges and slowly come to acceptance, then the Hufflepuffs will simply follow the crowd."

"What do you mean 'provoked hostilities'!" Ron huffed. "It's not like we were the ones getting up in your face about things."

"You didn't need to, not with Dumbledore doing such a good job of it for you," Draco smirked. 

Ron frowned. "How could Dumbledore provoke us to attack you?"

"By constantly turning a blind eye or even rewarding your rule breaking," Draco explained. "Do you have any idea how humiliating it was in our first year for you to suddenly be awarded all of those points and suddenly jump from 4th to 1st with barely any explanation as to why?" 

"Well, we deserved them for what we had to go through!" Ron argued.

Draco raised a brow inquiringly. "Did you?" 

Ron turned an unattractive shade of red. "Of course we did! We risked our bloody lives to protect that stone!" 

"Oh I am fully aware of what happened, I read a copy of Potter's account," Draco countered. "The fact is that you didn't have to go down there since, if what Potter was told is true, the Dark Lord would never have been able to get the stone out of the mirror, if it even was the stone."

Harry gaped. "What do you mean if that was the real stone?" 

"Well I was present for a discussion between my father and he questioned why Flamel would have placed the stone in a vault in Gringotts in England in the first place which then led to a discussion of whether such an esteemed alchemist would also think it was a good idea to bring the stone to a school, especially if they thought it would encourage dangerous individuals to come after it. Its a narrative that my father intends to pursue in an attempt to show Dumbledore's reckless disregard for safety in this school."

"Won't that undermine the idea that there's a fake Dumbledore going around?" Hermione queried.

"You'd be surprised," Draco smirked. "If people believe something strongly enough they will cling to any sliver of 'evidence' that allows them to maintain it, even if it means ignoring mountains that are contradictory."

"You're right though," Fred frowned, "bringing something so dangerous into a school really wasn't a good idea, especially if a group of first years could get past the so called security measures."

"Its not as if he even put it somewhere students couldn't find it," George added. "We went up there a few times ourselves and figured the corridor was out of bounds because the cerberus had gotten stuck somehow. If we'd known it was Hagrid's we probably could have gotten past it as well, that bloke will spill everyone's secrets if you get him talking long enough."

"I wonder what happened to it," Luna mused. "If a creature like that was cooped up in a small room all year then I would imagine that it would have had serious health problems afterwards. It makes me wonder at what qualifications Mr Hagrid actually has with regards to animal welfare."

"He doesn't," Harry admitted. "The Dark Lord had him expelled while he was in third year after their Chamber of Secrets episodes."

"What do you mean?" Draco inquired, clearly excited to learn some new information.

"When the Dark Lord attended this school he discovered the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and opened it," Harry explained. "The Basilisk was released then as well and a girl died; you know Myrtle, the ghost who haunts the girls bathroom. Anyway, Hagrid was a third year at the time and Tom, er, the Dark Lord, he told the authorities that Hagrid was keeping a pet acromantula in the school and trying to teach it how to talk." 

Ron shuddered at the memory while all of the other students gaped at the story.

"Anyway, the authorities arrested Hagrid and took him to Azkaban," Harry continued. "Dumbledore got him out and gave him a job here as groundskeeper which is part of the reason why he is so loyal to the man, but Hagrid never even got his O.W.Ls, let alone anything else."

"No wonder the old coot waited until after he'd gotten rid of my father before he promoted him to that position," Draco said incredulously. "Lovegood, do you think you could write a piece about this in your father's paper?"

Luna nodded but Fay objected. "Will an article in the Quibbler have that much impact?" 

"Well the Dark Lord already has plans for an article in the Prophet so this will help bolster it, especially if it includes an interview with Harry Potter," Draco grinned. "Potter can even talk about his friendship with the man, so long as he mentions the fact that he doesn't have any formal education and can't even legally practice magic, since the article in the Prophet will be about the drop in teaching standards in this school since Dumbledore took over as headmaster."

Harry grimaced. "I feel bad about getting him in trouble."

"I get that," Hermione reassured him, "but I have to admit that we learned a lot when Professor Grubbly-Plank took over. It's not going to say that Hagrid can never teach, but maybe he needs someone who actually has an education to be able to guide him."

"As well as someone who can actually use magic should something go wrong," Padma pointed out. 

"I suppose," Harry sighed.

"Well, unless there is anything else that you need to talk about I had best go and let my father know what the plan is on this side of things," Draco announced. "With any luck I can still get down to the village before we have to come back."

That thought sparked a renewed vigor amongst the students and they quickly filed out, all except Harry. Ron and Hermione tried to stay behind but Harry waved them on, telling them to have fun as he only wanted to write a letter to keep the Dark Lord updated. He was slowly starting to accept that he wanted the change in relationship that seemed to be happening between them, although he wasn't entirely sure how to go about letting the Dark Lord know about it but hoped he might be able to replicate some of the man's writing style, although he couldn't bring himself to write something quite as explicit as the man's previous letter to him. 

Dear Dark Lord, 

You will probably be getting a letter from Malfoy soon but I wanted to message you myself, if only in the hope that it helps you to trust me. 

Luna has agreed to write an article in her dad's paper. Malfoy said you had an article planned for the Prophet about the falling teaching standards so Luna is going to do one specifically on Hagrid and suggested I do an interview to get people to read it. 

I was a little upset at Malfoy showing up at first but I'll admit he had some good ideas and I was glad that he told me about the little trick with family members and the Weasleys agreed to not worry about adding the rest of their family to my list which at least makes my life a little easier. 

Everyone agreed to start reducing house rivalries once Snape takes over as headmaster and everyone said that we can guarantee Gryffindor, Slytherin and Ravenclaw following the plan which means that Hufflepuff will go with the crowd. Hopefully I can even help some of the others to see your side of things, Padma, especially, seemed extremely interested in your manifesto, but the Hufflepuffs are still apparently very upset about Cedric. 

I'm not sure why you did that to him, if I'm honest. If you could explain things to me then it might help to change your image in some people's eyes. My friends have gone to Hogsmeade so I could fairly easily get to the shack if you wanted to meet in person. I have to admit that a part of me really wants to see you in person again.

I hope to hear from you shortly, 

Harry. 

It had taken Harry a few attempts and he was worried that it still sounded a little desperate but he couldn't shake the thought of seeing the man again, or the thrill that went along with it. Calling Dobby, he asked the elf to deliver the letter straight to the man and waited as patiently as he could for a reply. Dobby thankfully wasn't very long, but Harry's relief at seeing the elf was very short lived. 

My dearest Harry, 

I am always happy to receive a letter from you, regardless of the reason, so feel free to message me whenever the urge arises.

I am glad things worked out with Draco joining you. Please believe me when I say that I wasn't sending him to keep an eye on you so much as those around you. You are constantly proving to me that I can trust you completely but I still know very little about those around you and don't want to risk Dumbledore managing to get a mole into your group, especially as it keeps increasing in size. It is also a way of testing Draco himself. The Malfoys have always been excellent allies to me but the young heir is currently untested and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce him to duties for the cause.

I had forgotten that Miss Lovegood was connected to the Quibbler and I think an article about Hagrid in particular will be a great help, especially if the information comes from you directly. I will warn you that I was hoping to push the narrative that Dumbledore has been manipulating you since you entered the wizarding world as a way of paving the way to any change of heart in the future. 

Yes the Weasleys aren't going to be targeted, unless they outright attack, but even in the last war Dumbledore didn't put them on the front line so I hope that will continue, especially if we can continue on this path away from open warfare although I will admit a part of me was looking forward to what you might suggest as a way for you to get more names on your list. 

House unity is something that is supposed to be at the heart of Hogwarts so I'm happy to hear that you are on your way to bringing all of the houses together however I am sorry that my actions regarding that boy may prove a hindrance for you. I will warn you, Harry, I am a Dark Lord for a reason. I am not a 'good' person and will likely continue to do things that many will frown at and consider wrong. That being said, I do regret ordering the boy's death. The homunculus body I was using at the time had very limited vision, among other weaknesses, and I didn't want to risk a teacher having come with you so ordered Wormtail to kill the person with you before they could get their bearings and ruin my plans, especially as I couldn't fight myself. If I had known it was only another student then I would have just had him incapacitated, unfortunately it was not worth the risk to me to take the time to check. 

I hope that doesn't make you think much less of me, my dear Harry. I wish I could come and see you, to reassure you in person. Unfortunately, things on my end are progressing faster than I had anticipated, thanks to your help, so I'm afraid that I cannot make time for you today, something I regret greatly. I hope to be able to make time to see you shortly but I am also aware that your exams are starting imminently so I can only suggest that you use this time to do some revision. As an incentive, if you can do well in your exams then I can guarantee a chance for us to meet again when they are over and I will also have a special treat for you.

Good luck in the days to come, my dear Harry. I have every faith that you will do well in your exams and hope that you will get the grades you need to move forward in your education.

Take care my dear, and I look forward to seeing you again soon,

Your ever caring Dark Lord.

Harry felt a lot of disappointment at reading that he would have to wait to see the man again but couldn't deny that he could definitely use the extra time to study. He knew the Dark Lord was an intelligent man and he didn't want to look like an idiot next to him. Now he only had to concentrate and stop his mind from wandering, trying to think of what the surprise might be. 

Chapter Text

The next two weeks passed in a blur. Between actually sitting the exams and frantically cramming outside of them, Harry felt like he had no chance to actually think about anything else. He was only grateful that he didn't have anything like visions to worry about or he didn't know how he would cope. The fact that he was getting a full night's sleep everyday, at Severus's insistence, was certainly helping. He had no idea how he would cope if he was still struggling to sleep each night. As it was he was a bundle of nerves before the start of each test and he was pretty sure it was only thanks to his friends that he hadn't spewed his guts before any of them.

It also helped that Padma and Theo had gotten together with Hermione to create a last minute study schedule. Utilising the Room of Requirements, the trio managed to work out who were the top students in each subject and work together to create mini groups in order to try to iron out any areas where students were struggling. It wasn't a surprise to most that Snape soon worked out what was going on. What was surprising, to most at least, was the fact he didn't try to stop them, even going so far as to encourage their cooperation so long as they had a staff member to supervise and that they made sure they were getting enough sleep at night. 

It turned out that it was easier on the teachers if all of the students were studying in the same place plus supervising a study group didn't require much input on their part so they could carry on with any marking or planning they had at the same time. The idea was such a hit, in fact, that Theo, Padma and Hermione even found themselves explaining their idea to the other years so they could organise some themselves. It was a massive boost for inter-house cooperation and Harry quickly started to see that at meal times with students choosing to sit in year groups, as opposed to being segregated by house, so they could use the time to go over notes together. So it was, Harry found his confidence growing with each exam they took and, by the time the two week exam period was up, he actually felt quite confident that he had passed each and every one. 

The teachers all seemed to be in good spirits as well. With all the students occupied under supervision, as well as the increased camaraderie brought about by working together for a higher purpose, there hadn't been any misbehaving from the students resulting in zero detentions over the entire period. Argus Filch had even been muttering to himself about how bored he was in the evenings now.

The more relaxed and congenial atmosphere didn't go unnoticed outside of the school either and Severus soon found himself on the end of a large amount of praise for managing to bring the school together so quickly. To his credit, Severus pointed out that it had been the students' idea to start up the study groups and he had merely expanded and supported their efforts. That, if anything, only improved his standing in people's eyes, mostly because it was such a stark contrast to Dumbledore who always seemed to want to take sole credit for everything. It was little surprise to anyone then when, at the end of the exam period, Lucius Malfoy came to the castle at dinner time to announce that the board of governors had unanimously voted to instate Severus as the full time Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There was thunderous applause when the announcement was made, from both staff and students, and Harry was pretty sure he saw a faint blush on the former potions master's face. 

Harry was a little surprised when Severus stopped by his table at the end of the meal and asked him to come to a meeting in the tower. Telling his friends not to worry about waiting up for him, Harry made his way to the headmaster's office and was shocked when, instead of having to wait for ages, or spend the evening having to guess some ridiculous password, the staircase opened up for him as soon as he was stood in front of it.

"Come in Harry," Severus called as soon as he had knocked on the door.

"How did you know it was me?" Harry asked, giving the doors a quick once over as he entered the office.

"Mirrors," Severus stated, matter-of-factly. "There is a mirror on the wall to allow a person to see through a small lens in the door frame but it is only visible when one is sat behind the desk here which I assume is why no one else realised. That and the fact that witches and wizards rarely look to explanations outside of magic."

"That's true," Harry chuckled, "although I doubt that is why you wanted to see me."

"No," Severus smiled, "although I would like to extend my thanks to you and your friends for helping me to get this position. While I can't say that it has always been a dream of mine, I have certainly enjoyed trying to sort out some of the problems in this school over these last couple of weeks and I look forward to trying to make Hogwarts a safe environment where all students can thrive. Some changes I fear may never happen but I'm trying to capitalise on the current unrest while I can."

"I thought your appointment was basically a given?" Harry queried.

"Oh there was no opposition to my placement," Severus assured him, "but Lucius made a point of making a speech and laying out each and every one of Dumbledore's failings, especially in the last couple of years. He made a point of referencing your statement to the Aurors where you pointed out that, despite Dumbledore's assertions to the contrary, the Dark Lord had, in fact, spent a whole year at the school teaching students and Dumbledore had been none the wiser. Dumbledore apparently let his emotions get the better of him and actually admitted that he knew that the Dark Lord was there all along. He had to backtrack and say that he only suspected but it was enough to cause a lot of questions among his supporters, especially since he apparently did nothing to try and protect the students. Suffice it to say that Dumbledore's standing took a heavy blow in that meeting which means that it should be a bit easier to overturn a lot of the things he put in place. "

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"Other than getting rid of the stupid password on the stairs," Severus chuckled. "I always thought it was ridiculous that we couldn't speak to him when we needed to and had to rely on portraits to get a message to him in an emergency. I also want to address reduced staff and curriculum. There used to be multiple teachers for positions as well as a wiser array of subjects taught, especially at a higher level. I've already started to look into hiring staff for the new term."

"That's brilliant," Harry grinned. "I can't wait."

"I'm glad to hear it," Severus smiled. "That is not the only reason why I called you here however. The Dark Lord has requested that I grant you leave to visit him tonight. Now there are stipulations of course. I want you back here no later than 11 and you will use the floo here so that I know without a doubt that you have returned safely. You also need to be aware that, whatever happens, you are under no obligation to stay with him, I will keep the floo open to you so you can return any time. I also want to make sure you fully understand about consent."

Harry gulped and he was pretty sure his cheeks had turned bright red at the implication. 

"Yes Severus, I read about that. Don't worry, I won't let him do anything that I'm not comfortable with."

"Ok Harry, but I need you to remember that. The Dark Lord can be very persuasive when he wants to be and I don't want you getting yourself pushed into something you're not ready for. It's alright to change your mind once something starts as well; you can withdraw consent at any stage and the Dark Lord is obligated to comply."

"Ok," Harry gulped, suddenly feeling a little apprehensive about what the meeting might entail.

"I can tell him you're busy if you want," Severus suggested, noting Harry's slight reticence. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "I want to go, I do, I'm just a little worried about what's going to happen. We haven't really planned a meeting like this before."

Severus nodded in understanding. "Take this floo powder then, just say headmaster, Hogwarts, and you will come straight here. I can close it after if necessary although I doubt the Dark Lord will do anything untoward. This alliance of yours is working very well for him at the moment so I doubt he'll do anything to jeopardize it."

Harry smiled in relief. "I'm sure you're right, Severus."

"I often am," the new headmaster smiled. "Now off with you, there's no reason for you to waste more time here."

Harry grinned and jumped into the floo thay Severus had opened up for him and soon found himself tumbling out into a somewhat familiar room, similar to the one he saw in his visions back in fourth year only now it looked a lot grander.

"A very elegant entrance Harry," the Dark Lord chuckled as Harry pulled himself up off the floor and dusted himself off.

"I'm not exactly used to it," Harry grumbled, blushing furiously.

"Don't worry about it, my dear, I think it's endearing." The Dark Lord smiled at him which only made Harry blush more.

"So Severus said that you wanted to meet with me," Harry murmured, feeling suddenly awkward.

"Indeed," the Dark Lord smirked. "I did promise you a surprise after your exams and I think that it's especially deserved now that we've been able to get Severus instated as headmaster so soundly. If you would like to follow me."

The Dark Lord spun on his heel, beckoning Harry to follow him out of the room.

"This is a nice place you have here," Harry said as they made their way through the ornate halls.

"Thank you for saying so, Harry. It was my late father's residence. I had previously kept away from it, too many bad memories, but I needed somewhere secure and private for what I had planned for tonight."

Harry gulped and wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his trousers. 

"What, er, what do you have planned exactly?" Harry stammered as they turned around a corner and seemed to be heading downstairs. 

"That would be telling," the Dark Lord smirked as he led Harry into the darkness. Harry felt apprehension as well as a thrill of excitement as his mind came up with a multitude of different scenarios, most of which came straight from the BDSM book Severus had given him. He wasn't entirely sure if he was ready for anything like that but a part of him was certainly curious about the sort of things the Dark Lord was actually into. 

His heart dropped a bit as his eyes adjusted to the dim candlelight and he saw an actual, real life dungeon complete with dank and dingy cells. Not exactly the sort of place that got Harry in the mood. He was just about to say something when the Dark Lord came to a stop in front of one of the cells.

"I'll take it from here Greyback, I think you and you men have had enough fun by now."

There was movement in the room and a scruffy, feral looking man stood up in the cell.

"As you wish," the man smirked, opening the door to leave, "but do me a favour and leave her body where people can see it. I want her to be a message to anyone that even thinks about coming after werewolves in the future."

The Dark Lord nodded and the man continued out of the dungeon without another word. 

"Body!" Harry exclaimed. "Whose body are you talking about and why were they coming after werewolves?"

"You should ask her yourself Harry."

There was more movement in the cell and, suddenly, there emerged a beaten and battered woman. 

"Harry? Harry Potter? Merlin, all the rumours were true. You've actually come to rescue me, you really are a hero!" 

Her movements were laboured from what were likely numerous injuries, if the state of her face was anything to go by, half of which had been ripped to shreds leaving her almost unrecognisable. She had apparently still been wearing her signature pink clothes when she'd been captured but there was very little left of them now and what did remain was mostly caked in mud and blood. It was a chilling sight but Harry found little sympathy for the pitiful creature that was currently clinging to the bars of her cell.

"Umbridge!" Harry looked at the Dark Lord in shock. "I thought she was going to Azkaban."

"Unfortunately not," the Dark Lord sneered. "It seems that she had too much dirt on too many people in power so she was going to be quietly exiled, with a hefty dose of compensation as well, something I wasn't too happy to hear about and I didn't think you would be either."

"But why all this?" Harry asked, gesturing to the obvious squaller the woman was being kept in. 

The Dark Lord shrugged. "It is no different to the cells at Azkaban. I'll admit that the dementors there prefer psychological to physical toture but the werewolves are far less subtle."

"They're monsters!" Umbridge yelled. "Animals. They deserve to be put down, the lot of them."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her outburst. "Do you really believe that or is that just a result of your treatment at their hands?"

"Oh she believes it," the Dark Lord scoffed. "This woman is single-handedly responsible for every anti-werewolf law that we have."

"Yes I am," Umbridge spat, seemingly proud of her actions. "That is how much power I had Harry, and I can have it again if you get me out of here, we can have it together. With my connections and your status we could have you leading the Ministry in no time. Fudge was always a weasley little yes man but you, I can see you have the potential to be truly great and I will happily be there by your side."

"So long as he helps you eradicate the creatures," the Dark Lord sneered. 

"Of course!" Umbridge huffed. "Those filthy creatures are diluting the magic of our world, making us weaker. The magical world needs to be purified if we want to get stronger."

"You honestly believe that crap!" Harry gaped. 

"The woman's insane," the Dark Lord chuckled, "which is why it is only fair to put her out of her misery and I thought you might like the honour, Harry."

"Me!" Harry scoffed in disbelief. "I can't do that."

The Dark Lord produced a wand from his sleeve and passed it to Harry. "That wand is completely untraceable if that is what you are worried about and the wards I have placed on this place will prevent the Ministry from being alerted by the trace on your other wand."

Harry stared at the new wand in shock. "You want me to torture her?"

"I want to see what you're capable of," the Dark Lord explained, "and we are unlikely to find a more fitting candidate short of Dumbledore himself. Dolores here not only created the laws that prevent werewolves from living normal lives, despite the fact that they are only dangerous over the full moon, she has also worked tirelessly on suppressing all other creatures and, if that wasn't enough, she helped find so called volunteers for research when developing the Wolfsbane potion."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean volunteers?" 

"They needed people to test the potion on to before they public the results and, shall we say, some of the first trials weren't particularly successful," the Dark Lord replied. "Men, women and children."

"Animals!" Umbridge insisted. "It was all to help keep our world safe. Their sacrifice was for a worthy cause."

"I doubt they saw it that way," Harry scowled, his hand gripping the new wand tightly as he felt anger course through him.

"That's it," the Dark Lord hissed, moving behind Harry. "Feel the anger, use it and let it out."

"How? I don't really know any curses," Harry admitted.

"Then I will teach you," the Dark smiled, bringing his arms around Harry and turning him to face Umbridge. He pressed himself tight against Harry's back, lifting Harry's wand arm to point at the witch. "Let's start as we mean to go on. You are more than strong enough to handle the unforgivables, you just need to mean them. It's not about anger, not completely. It's about desire. Desire to control, desire to cause pain and, of course, desire to kill."

Harry gulped but nodded, already feeling his pulse racing in anticipation. 

Umbridge seemed to have finally realised what was happening and she scampered away from the bars. "No! You can't! You're the hero, you're supposed to save people, not hurt them."

"Doesn't saving someone usually require hurting someone else?" Harry queried. "And anyway, I don't ever remember saying that I wanted to be the hero."

"Heroes are vastly overrated," the Dark Lord whispered in Harry's ear. "Bad boys have much more fun."

Harry shivered and nodded. 

"Excellent," the Dark Lord purred. "Now, let's start with imperius, most people find it easiest of the three. Remember, you want to control her mind."

Harry took a deep breath and pointed his wand at Umbridge, trying to clear his mind of all thoughts except the will to control her. 

" Imperio! " 

Umbridge, who had been a quaking wreck before, suddenly froze, her eyes becoming glassy as her whole body seemed to relax.

"Wonderful Harry," the Dark Lord smiled, stroking a hand along Harry's side. "Now, what will you have her do?"

Harry paused. "It's supposed to be a punishment right? And the punishment is supposed to fit the crime?"

"That is usually the logical thought process, yes," the Dark Lord nodded and Harry could practically feel him smiling. 

Harry looked at her with a feeling of malice. "You must write out 'I must not tell lies'. I would have you use a blood quill like you made me use, we will have to make do with your finger on the wall."

Umbridge mutely complied and soon the dungeon was filled with the sound of scraping nails. Harry felt a grim sense of satisfaction at watching her, helped by the fact that the Dark Lord was tenderly stroking Harry's injured hand in understanding.

"That was beautifully done," the Dark Lord cooed, pressing a kiss into the side of Harry's neck. "I think it might be time for you to end it though and try the next, a simple finite will suffice."

Harry nodded and ended the spell and Umbridge crumpled to the ground, whimpering as she cradled her injured hand. Harry found he felt little sympathy for her though, after all she had never cared about his pain after her detentions. 

"Next we should try the cruciatus," the Dark Lord suggested, stroking his fingers along the inside of Harry's wrist, causing him to shiver.

Harry wasn't sure. While he was sure that, of all the people he had met in the wizarding world, few deserved this more than Dolores Umbridge, he couldn't quite shake the idea that, by taking this step he would become a disappointment to people. The Dark Lord, probably sensing his hesitation, kissed the side of his neck again.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, my Harry, I just thought it would be more fitting for her punishment to be at the hands of those she had hurt most. I will be more than happy to take over but, I have to admit, I am quite curious to see how well you would do."

Harry gulped. It was only a spell after all, and it's not like they would be able to trace it back to him. It would probably be better for him to perform it anyway, since he likely wouldn't leave it going as long as the Dark Lord would.

Having persuaded himself that this was the best  option Harry pointed his wand at the cowering woman.

" Crucio! "

Umbridge seemed to shiver a bit but nothing more which only caused the woman to let out a maniacal cackle.

"Is that all you've got, Potter? Really? I can do better than that, you pathetic excuse for a Dark Lord wannabe. Perhaps your lord should just kill you and find a better apprentice, one who will actually be able fulfill his duties."

"Ignore her," the Dark Lord whispered against Harry's ear. "You are not some apprentice Harry, you are much more to me than that. You are a part of me and, as such, utterly irreplaceable. You are mine and nothing you do or don't do will change that. This exercise isn't about proving yourself, simply testing your limits."

Harry relaxed. He knew he didn't have to do this but a part of him wanted to, to prove, if only to himself, that he could. Taking another breath to centre himself and reminding himself that this curse wasn't about emotion but about the desire to cause another person pain and, at this moment, that was something he desired a lot. 

" Crucio! " 

Umbridge's screams were almost instantaneous and Harry felt a thrill course through him at the knowledge that he had done it, as well as something else. There was a power in him that was almost intoxicating, a tingle running through his veins that felt so good and he wanted more. He suddenly felt a hand on his arm.

"I think that's enough Harry," the Dark Lord suggested, although Harry could feel the pride in the man's voice. Harry ended the spell and Umbridge crumpled to the floor, her breath coming out in harsh pants thanks to her raw throat.

"I think it's time this pathetic excuse for a witch was put out of her misery once and for all," the Dark Lord announced. 

Umbridge started to plead and beg for her life but, to Harry, it only made her seem contemptible. She must know her words would have no effect on the Dark Lord yet she still couldn't bring herself to meet her fate with dignity. There was a part of Harry that wanted to do this, to be the one to cast the spell. He wanted to prove that he could do it, to make the Dark Lord proud again, but he also wanted to do it for himself, to make himself proud, yes, but also to see if he could feel more of that delicious rush of power again. He raised the wand again and looked over his shoulder at the Dark Lord.

"If you wish," the Dark Lord smiled. "The wand movement is down, across, and down again, like the shape of your scar, and, as with the cruciatus, it is simply about the desire to kill."

Harry definitely felt that at the moment. Dolores Umbridge was a blight on the magical world and didn't deserve to darken it any longer. Imagining the woman taking her final breath, Harry couldn't suppress the small smirk on his face.

" Avada Kedavra! " 

The bright green light of the curse shot out of his wand hitting the woman square in the chest and sending her flying back into the wall. Not that it mattered, she had been dead the moment the spell had hit her chest.

"Beautifully done, my Harry," the Dark Lord murmured, his hands stroking along every inch of Harry he could reach. Harry was trembling, not with fear or disgust, but something he could only describe as pure desire. Turning around in the Dark Lord's arms he leaned up and crashed their mouths together, wanting to feel more of this delicious ecstasy that was running through his veins.

The kiss was inelegant at first, Harry had never kissed anyone before, but the Dark Lord soon took command of it, pressing his lips insistently against Harry's and running his tongue along the seam of them. One of his hands snaked into Harry's hair and pulled sharply, causing Harry to gasp. As soon as he did the Dark Lord's tongue snaked in which caused Harry to moan out loud as it slipped against his own, as if the Dark Lord was trying to taste every inch of his mouth. 

Harry's mind was reeling with a feeling far more powerful than he had ever felt before and he heard himself whimpering with need as he was pushed along on the wave of feeling. Worried he might drown on it if he didn't find an anchor of some sort, Harry's hands found the Dark Lord's shoulders and, wanting to get as close as possible, to try and get more, he slipped them up to the man's head only to stop. He knew the Dark Lord didn't have any hair, that much was obvious, but he hadn't expected the skin to feel scaly and, well, it was a little off putting to say the least. The wave of desire dissipated aa quickly as it had come and Harry found himself pulling back.

"Is everything alright Harry? Did I push you too far?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "nothing like that. I want to do this, I do, I just had a bit of a surprise that's all."

The Dark Lord looked a little disappointed and Harry certainly felt it. He always thought he was above that, above judging someone based on their looks, but apparently he wasn't.

"It's alright Harry, you don't have to push yourself," the Dark Lord reassured him. "You have done very well today. If you want to go back I will understand."

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "I want this, I do, I just wasn't expecting your head to feel like that."

The Dark Lord looked thoughtful. "I may have an idea, if you are interested, but you will have to trust me on it."

Harry nodded his head, wanting to do anything to get that wonderful feeling back. The Dark Lord smiled and led Harry back upstairs and into the grand room where Harry had first arrived. Sitting himself on one of the sofas, the Dark Lord beckoned Harry over and manoeuvred him so that Harry was straddling his legs. He pushed Harry's hands behind his back and suddenly Harry found his wrists being bound together which caused Harry to gasp.

"Is that alright, my Harry?" 

Harry nodded, already feeling a spike of desire. He already knew that he liked the idea of bondage and this was only proving it.

The Dark Lord smiled and stroked up Harry's arms reassuringly before sliding his hands into Harry's hair, tilting his head and covering Harry's lips in another deep kiss. Harry opened his mouth almost straight away, wanting to get back to where they were as quickly as possible. The Dark Lord approved, if the loud moan he let out was anything to go by, and he crushed Harry against him as they set about devouring each other. Harry wasn't surprised to find himself getting hard as the Dark Lord took full control of the kiss. He found himself grinding down, almost without thought, and was happy to feel an answering hardness from the Dark Lord. It gave Harry quite the thrill to know that his partner was enjoying this as much as he was despite his obvious lack of experience. 

Harry was completely lost to sensation so it came as quite a shock when he suddenly heard an alarm go off.

"What was that?" he asked, panting for breath.

"I set an alarm to let us know when it was time for you to leave," the Dark Lord explained. "As much as I would love to continue this right now, I would rather not do anything to risk Severus's ire, especially as he is now the headmaster. It will be much easier to have more meetings like this in the future if we play by his rules as opposed to fighting him."

Harry nodded dumbly, too stuck on the idea of more of this in the future. 

The Dark Lord released the spell on his wrists, giving them a gentle rub to encourage the circulation followed by a delicate kiss on the inside of each that caused Harry's heart to flutter. He then helped Harry to his feet and escorted him back to the fireplace before handing him some floo powder.

"I will write to you again soon. Good night my dear Harry, sweet dreams." 

The Dark Lord gave Harry one last, lingering kiss that Harry feared might cause him to swoon and he hated to think what sort of look was on his face. Not trusting himself to do any more, knowing that the Dark Lord was right about keeping in Severus's good graces, Harry threw down the powder, calling for the headmaster's office, and jumped in quickly before he could change his mind. The Dark Lord was far too tempting for him and he knew that if he didn't leave now there was a chance he never would.

Chapter Text

Harry was a little dazed when he fell back through the fireplace in the headmaster's office, as well as looking more than a little rumpled. Severus, to his credit, simply said goodnight to Harry, reminding him not to hey sidetracked on his way back to the dorm. Harry was very surprised that he didn't, not that he was looking for trouble but simply because he was pretty sure his brain had turned to mush and was about to drip out of his ears any second. Somehow he made it to his bed, grateful that all of his friends were fast asleep, and Harry collapsed onto his bed with a blissed out smile on his face. 

The next day his friends all asked about what had happened while Harry was away. Harry was a little apprehensive about telling his friends what he'd done but, on the other hand, he didn't want to lie to them so tentatively explained how Voldemort had encouraged him to torture and ultimately kill Dolores Umbridge. He was surprised when they all ended up congratulating him, praising him either, with the twins actually complaining that they didn't get a chance to have a go at the bitch themselves. Even Hermione seemed to agree that it was an acceptable outcome, especially after finding out that Umbridge was on her way to evading punishment, even with the mountain of evidence against her.

Harry also admitted to kissing the Dark Lord which caused a few wolf whistles even as Harry downplayed what had happened in that respect, but he couldn't help blushing as he remembered how good it had felt to have the Dark Lord dominating him in such a way. He very much looked forward to getting a chance to experience it again before he had to finish school but, alas it wasn't meant to be, with the Dark Lord explaining that he was too busy every time that Harry attempted to arrange a meet up. He worried that he had done something wrong, that somehow he had upset the Dark Lord and the man was just trying to spare his feelings. 

Thankfully Severus pointed out that the Dark Lord wasn't the sort to spare anyone's feelings; that the man was as blunt as they came and didn't even try to sugar coat things, telling everyone how it was, so it was unlikely that he was trying to let Harry down gently, especially as his and Harry's agreement wasn't dependent on any sort of relationship between them, physical or otherwise. He also explained that the Dark Lord had been very busy recently, holing himself up in his office from all reports, likely trying to plan out future strategies, which put Harry's mind greatly at ease. 

The problem was that Harry felt like he could use some good news. Severus had informed him that he had been unable to do anything about Dumbledore's insistence on Harry returning to the Dursleys at the end of the Summer term. Severus had tried to circumvent the man as headmaster but Dumbledore had apparently used the last of his formerly inconsiderable sway to petition the Wizengamot that Harry needed to go back to his normal residence for his own safety, especially given the increased attention Harry had been getting from the press. Dumbledore had claimed that the property was unknown to the wizarding world and had special protections on it that would keep Harry safe in a way that no other place could. 

Harry didn't agree, especially as he would have to face his family after being the reason his cousin was almost killed the previous year. He had no idea how they would react to the idea of him coming back. The silent treatment the Dursleys had given him after Hagrid had cursed Dudley with a pig tail had been bad enough and that was only a temporary disfigurement, Lord only knows what they would do to him after an actual near death experience. Severus and Harry's friends had tried to reassure Harry that things would be different this year, like the fact that they would actually keep in contact with him regardless of what Dumbledore told them, but Harry wasn't convinced. So it was with a heavy heart that he boarded the Hogwarts Express back to London and hoped that Vernon wouldn't be too pissed to see him.

Harry had to admit that he was a little surprised to see his uncle at the station when they arrived and the man even held back enough to allow Harry to say goodbye to his friends before herding Harry into the car and making the blessedly short journey back to Surrey.

"Lucius Malfoy! What are you doing around Muggles?" Harry asked, disbelief flooding his voice.

"It's good to see you again as well Harry," Lucius smiled, although there wasn't an ounce of warmth to it.

"You know that boy!" Vernon demanded.

"Of course I do," Lucius scoffed. "Everyone in the magical world knows your nephew. He's famous. I'm surprised someone as greedy as you hasn't tried to capitalise on that fact."

"What rubbish! The boy has nothing. Even the clothes on his back came from my son," Vernon argued.

"On the contrary Mr Dursley. Harry here comes from a long line of inventors," Lucius explained. "His grandfather was sold an international company before he died and Harry is still entitled to a portion of profits from it. By muggle standards your nephew in a millionaire."

Harry could practically see the money signs in Vernon's eyes as he turned to look at Harry.

"Is that so?"

Harry merely shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't exactly had time to go over my finances."

"Well I think that needs to change straight away," Vernon grinned.

"I agree," Lucius smiled. "Unfortunately for you, you will not have any part of that."

"You think you can stop me!" Vernon huffed, puffing his chest out as a way of trying to intimidate the wizard.

"Indeed," Lucius smirked. "You see my arrival in your life isn't a conicidence. It has come to the attention of a very powerful individual that you have not been treating Harry particularly well. This individual has a, shall we say, soft spot for young Harry here and he would very much like to see you punished for your indescretions."

"I have done nothing wrong!" Vernon yelled

"Is that so?" Lucius queried, "because moat people I know would class relegating a child to the cupboard under the stairs as abuse, especially when there were two perfectly usable bedrooms available."

"How dare you judge me!" Vernon bellowed.

"I dare very much," Lucius practically purred, "but what you think or say is of little consequence. Your crimes have already been judged, I am merely here to mete out your punishment."

That caused Vernon to pale. "Punishment! What punishment?"

Lucius smiled icily at Vernon. "Why, your death of course."

"D- d- d- death!" Petunia stammered. "But why?"

"Because of how we treated Harry," Dudley sighed. "I understand. I know how much I helped in belittling Harry over the years but the things we came across last summer were terrifying and I couldn't even see them. Harry stood up to them though, as if it was nothing. He saved us."

"It was his fault you were in that situation in the first place," Petunia hissed.

"Not by choice," Dudley argued and turned to Harry. "I am sorry for everything that you've had to go through, in your world and here. You didn't deserve any of it."

"You don't know what you're saying," Vernon fumed. 

"I do dad!" Dudley insisted. "I've done a lot of soul searching at school this year and even voluntarily saw a counsellor who helped open my eyes to a few things."

"Why are you seeing a counsellor?" Petunia queried. "There's nothing wrong with you." 

"Actually there is," Dudley chuckled in a self-depreciating way. "I actually had a lot of issues at Smeltings until I joined the wrestling club. I had a hard time making friends and it took me a long time to realise it was because I hadn't learned the social skills, how to actually interact with people without bullying them. That had worked in primary school because we were one of the most well off families there but that isn't the case at Smeltings. Some of the boys who attend are actual Lords. I can't compete with that. It was a real culture shock for me and it took a long time to realise what the issue was. Suffice it to say I've now been on the receiving end of some of that sort of thing, Harry, and I'm truly sorry for how I treated you all those years."

"Someone was bullying my Duddykins!" Petunia gasped.

"Why didn't you say something sooner!" Vernon bellowed.

"I did dad," Dudley sighed, "or at least I tried to. I said that Viscount Morton was being a dick to me and you said I should find out what I'd done to upset him and apologise for it then try to be friends with him because those were the sorts of connections I would need in later life. The trouble is when I asked what the issue was Morton said it was because I was a fat, social climbing bag of shit who embodied everything that was wrong with the middle class."

"Middle class!" Vernon roared.

"You're not fat Duddykins, you just have a healthy appetite," Petunia placated. 

"See! This is the problem!" Dudley yelled. "I try to talk to you about my problems but you either ignore them or dismiss them. You don't help me, you never have. I know that you thought you were, by raising me up and making you think I was better than Harry, better than everyone." 

"You are better than everyone!" Vernon huffed and Dudley gave him a look. "Well, better than most," Vernon corrected, looking a little uncomfortable. 

"Except I'm not though," Dudley argued. "I'm not even really better than Harry, especially if he can take on monstrous creatures like that and barely blink."

"That boy is a freak! Don't compare yourself to him!" Vernon hissed. 

"A freak is he?" Lucius queried, raising an eyebrow. "Just because he has magic?" 

"Yes!" Vernon yelled. "You are all freaks! The lot of you!" 

"Now I'm upset that I don't get to torture you as well," Lucius mourned, shaking his head as he turned to Harry. "And people wonder why we have such an issue with muggles. It's not to say that every muggle will treat us like Mr Dursley here, but the majority of them will. Some of us simply like to react early, before they can do any damage."

Harry gaped. "You weren't joking were you. You really are going to kill them."

Lucius nodded. "We have been watching Mr Dursley closely. His former actions would have been more than enough to condemn him to the severest punishment. The Dark Lord, however, had a feeling that you would feel too guilty about that, since they are your family, so they are simply condemned to die, but we have set up life insurance policies that will ultimately benefit you."

"You can't do that!" Vernon bellowed. "My sister will put a stop to that!" 

"Is that so? That would be a shame," Lucius mused. "Perhaps we can find a way to rectify that. I could always save your son, he has shown some contrition and remorse after all."

"You plan to leave my son an orphan!" Petunia gasped.

"Even if you do spare my son you won't be helping him," Vernon argued, "just condemning him to a slower demise."

Lucius frowned in confusion. "How so? He is 16 now which means that he will be allowed to live here by himself, especially if he has the means to look after himself, which will definitely be the case with the policies we have taken out on you."

"B- but won't there be an investigation if we are murdered," Petunia stuttered. 

"What makes you think there will be an investigation?" Lucius questioned. "Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly capable of making a spectacle if that is what a killing calls for but I am equally able to keep them undetectable if that is what is required."

Vernon went pale. "You're really serious about this whole killing thing aren't you?"

"Did you ever truly doubt it?" Lucius asked, seemingly affronted by the idea. "Be in no doubt Mr Dursley, there will be death tonight, the only question right now is how many."

Petunia shrieked and fell into dead faint. Vernon went red, then green, then white and for a brief moment Harry was worried that he might faint as well. Instead his eyes darted to the door then back to Lucius who smirked.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you Mr Dursley, I guarantee that my wand is much faster than you are and you wouldn't want my tongue to accidentally slip and say the wrong spell do you?"

"Um, Mr Malfoy? Is all of the magic going to cause me issues with the trace because I can't see the Wizengamot letting me off a fourth time," Harry queried.

"Don't worry Mr Potter. I have already let someone in the Misuse of Magic Department know that I will be visiting in an attempt to verify Dumbledore's claims that you are protected here," Lucius reassured him.

"That's it!" Vernon shouted, grinning maniacally. "The old fool said that we would be safe if we took the boy in, which means that as long as he lives here you can't hurt us!"

Lucius shook his head. "I do fear you are mistaken, Mr Dursley. There is the faint traces of a spell on this property and I'll admit that it took some effort to determine its origin but I fear that it will offer you no protection whatsoever as it was only intended to protect Mr Potter, not anyone else, and even then the protection was tenuous given the fact that the provisions of the spell weren't exactly met, from what I've seen but you, Mr Dursley, neither get nor deserve any protection that may have arisen from Lily Potter's sacrifice."

"My mum gave me this protection?" Harry asked.

"So it would seem," Lucius smiled, "but why Dumbledore thought it was so essential is beyond me. The protection provided by the spell is only limited to the person who committed the murder in the first place, it wouldn't have extended to any of his followers, and only until you reach your majority. On top of that one of the provisions of this spell was that you had to class this place as your home."

"But I never saw it as that," Harry said, "especially not since I started Hogwarts."

"Which is why I imagine the traces of the spell were so faint," Lucius added. "I would be surprised if it would have really prevented any actual attack anymore."

"Good job I got my own protection," Harry muttered.

"Indeed," Lucius agreed. 

"So what does that mean for us?" Dudley, who had been sitting calmly through all the drama, asked. 

Harry gawked. "Are you really going to kill them all, Dudley included."

"Do you really want to request that I spare your cousin's life?" Lucius queried. "From what I've heard when making my inquiries, he has been the one making sure all of the  local children turned against you."

"That wasn't entirely his fault," Harry argued. "Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had always encouraged that behaviour in him, even from when he could barely walk."

"You ungrateful wretch!" Vernon roared. 

"Mr Dursley! Are you really objecting to Mr Potter trying to save the life of your son? Surely a good parent would be with him arguing for me to save his son's life?" Lucius rebuked, causing Vernon to start sputtering.

"This is my point," Harry pushed. "You can't expect Dudley to have grown up well with the example they gave him. And he's learned from his mistakes, he deserves a second chance."

"Well I suppose it wouldn't hurt," Lucius agreed, "especially if it will stop Mr Dursley's sister from making a nuisance of herself, but only on the proviso that Mr Potter be allowed to stay here, at least until we are able to arrange other accommodation for him."

"Of course sir!" Dudley gaped.

"Now see here!" Vernon yelled, only to crash to the floor, stiff as a board, at Lucius's muttered spell. 

"That's better," the pureblood smiled. "Now Mr Potter, would you like to be the one to do the honours or would you prefer to leave that to us?" 

Harry looked at his uncle's prone form, remembering the thrill he had felt at being able to exact his revenge. The problem was there was a big difference between that vicious harpy spewing venom at him from a cell and his uncle lying unconscious on his own living room floor. 

"I'm sorry sir but, if I can interject, I'd rather not watch my parents be murdered, I'm sure I will be having nightmares about this as it is," Dudley whispered timidly. 

"There is an easy solution to that," Lucius suggested and Dudley's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"Really?" 

"Indeed Mr Dursley," Lucius smiled. "I can quite as easily kill you as well, then you won't have to worry about nightmares at all. I could even kill you first so you won't have to deal with the idea of your parents being killed for even a second." 

Dudley actually whimpered at the thought. 

"Lucius you promise!" Harry yelled.

"I believe I did no such thing," Lucius argued. "You were making an argument for me to save your cousin but I am under no obligation to comply. You may have an agreement with the Dark Lord but it is still only him that I am beholden to, regardless of whatever agreement you have with him or whatever it is that is happening between the pair of you and the Dark Lord has told me to make sure that your aunt and uncle are out of the way for good."

"Does that really mean you have to kill them though," Harry argued. 

"Technically not," Lucius mused. "I could just as easily incarcerate them in the dungeons at the manor but I will warn you that my sister-in-law Bellatrix is in residence and she does like to practice her curses on anyone she finds down there. In my opinion it would be much more humane to just use the killing curse on them, especially since it is entirely painless, as opposed to whatever curse Bella is trying to perfect this week. I always imagined the hero of the wizarding world would choose the more humane option but I could be wrong."

Harry gulped. "Is there really no other way?" 

"If you have one I'm all ears Mr Potter, but I can't think of one that won't put our world or our plans at risk," Lucius said. 

Harry shook his head, his mind drawing a blank. He certainly wouldn't put it past his uncle to throw him under the bus the first chance he got, even if he was halfway across the world, spilling his guts about everything that had gone down that afternoon. They could obliviate them but that would cause too many questions, especially from Dumbledore who would become suspicious. No one would look into or likely question an accident though, and hopefully Dudley being around would be enough to keep Dumbledore happy. With Vernon and Petunia out of the way Harry would even be able to have some fun, possibly even with the Dark Lord if the man ever managed to find some time to see Harry, something that definitely would have been able to happen if Vernon and Petunia were around. 

Harry felt a slight thrill at that thought. There was a pang of guilt that went along with it but it was surprisingly faint and Harry contributed that to the years of torment his aunt and uncle had put him through. It certainly wasn't anything to do with all the time he'd been spending with the Dark Lord these days. He refused to worry about it and took Dudley out for a walk, snagging one of Uncle Vernon's bottles of whiskey to try and help his cousin deal with what was about to happen to his parents, with assurances from Lucius that everything would be sorted by the time they returned. The plan was to apparently fake a car crash due to his uncle drink driving, just to minimise any risk of people asking questions. Poor Dudley was in a state and Harry tried to put on a sympathetic face, all the while feeling that his summer holidays were starting to look up. 

Chapter Text

Harry and Dudley arrived back at 4 Privet Drive with Dudley a little worse for wear. The other boy had been quiet the whole time they were down at the park and Harry had left him to his thoughts, simply letting Dudley know he was there if he needed him. Dudley had gone straight back to his room leaving Harry to go back to the living room which was blessedly empty except for Lucius. 

"Well will we know that it has happened?" Harry asked the pureblood aristocrat.

"I believe that you will be getting a visit from the police later tonight when the car is found. I don't know what Dumbledore will do when he hears the news but I thankfully have people in the Department of Misuse of Magic who have already created a fake file for you. The real one has been hidden and I've put a note on your account that I will be sending a house elf to keep an eye on things, since the Dark Lord has informed me that you have kept my former servant in your employ. That should cover any disturbances to the trace on your wand should you wish to have him come in to help around the house."

"Thank you Mr Malfoy," Harry smiled, "that will be a big help, especially with letting Dudley know that magic isn't all bad."

"My pleasure, Mr Potter, and please call me Lucius, I have a feeling we will be working together a lot more in the future and, surprisingly, I can't say I mind the idea. Working with you seems to be a lot more productive than working against you." 

"I'm starting to feel the same," Harry chuckled. "And please, call me Harry."

"Harry it is then," Lucius nodded. "By the by, if the muggle law enforcement asks then your aunt and uncle have gone out for a meal but you don't know where." The blonde aristocrat then bid the teen farewell leaving Harry to make his way up to bed. 

He was awoken the next morning by a call from Dudley.

"Harry? Are you still here?" 

"Yeah," Harry mumbled sleepily. "Is there a problem?" 

"Where are you?"

"In my room, where else would I be?" 

Harry heard heavy footstep bounding up the stairs before Dudley's face peered curiously around his door. 

"What are you doing in here?" 

"Well I was sleeping until you woke me up," Harry joked.

Dudley just frowned. "No I meant what are you still doing sleeping in this room. It can't be comfortable."

"It isn't particularly," Harry admitted, "but its the best I've got here."

Dudley shook his head and sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, and about kicking up a fuss when you even got this room, it was shitty of me. You should never have had to sleep under the stairs in the first place, mum and dad shouldn't have done that to you."

Harry shrugged. "Its done, its in the past, and at least I have a bed that I can stretch out in now." 

"No Harry!" Dudley insisted, coming into the room properly. "I did a lot of thinking last night. I was upset at first, it all felt so unfair, and that selfish part of me from before wanted to just blame you for it all but I knew that wasn't right, especially not after the way we treated you. When I was at Smeltings I once had to spend a night sleeping on the floor. Viscount Morton and his friends had been calling me a pig and thought it would be funny to fill my bed with mud."

"That's awful," Harry gasped. "Did you report him?"

"Yes," Dudley sighed, "but Morton said it was my fault because I'd been playing outside and hadn't changed my clothes. The House Master believed him and said that I would have to deal with it or sleep on the floor. I wasn't about to lie on the bed, I was paranoid that doing that would cause that pigtail to come back again."

"The one Hagrid gave you?" Harry queried. 

Dudley nodded. "That made me really freak out about magic and it made all of Morton's jokes about me being a pig so much worse. I had loads of nightmares about waking up and turning into an actual pig one day and getting eaten by Morton and his mates."

"I'm sorry Dudley, I didn't realise that would affect you so much."

"It's not your fault Harry, you didn't actually do it."

"No but I laughed. I thought it was funny and didn't think about how it might affect you in the long term. I'm sure Hagrid didn't intend for that as well."

"I'm not surprised you did laugh Harry, I was a dick to you then, even eating your first birthday cake. I didn't even think about what that might be like until I had to give up all of the treats mum used to send me in an attempt to stop being called a pig. It didn't really help though which is why I joined the wrestling team in the first place."

"I'm sorry you had such a shitty time at school."

Dudley shrugged. "It wasn't your fault and it's not like you could do anything about it. I'm just sorry that it took me so long to connect what was happening to me to how we treated you. I know yesterday I apologised a bit but it was only when I was up last night that I realised how abhorrent we really were and how much worse we deserve."

"Don't think like that Dudley," Harry insisted. "People don't deserve that, well maybe some, but not you."

Dudley smiled. "That's nice of you to say Harry and I want to thank you by making amends. You shouldn't have to stay in this shitty little room when you stay here. If There are two other rooms and we can use some of the insurance money to decorate it. You deserve a proper room. You're my cousin for God's sake, it's time I started treating you like family."

"Thanks Dudley, that's nice of you but you don't have to worry about decorating it, it's not like I'll be staying in there much."

"No but that doesn't change that it's the right thing to do. Plus I can't imagine you wanting to share the same bed as my parents used, or Aunt Marge. Not that I think I can handle clearing out mum and dad's room."

"Ok, so here's the deal: I'll go through your parents room and you can do whatever you want with the spare room. I don't want to move stuff and accidentally come across a pair of Aunt Marge's old pants."

Dudley shuddered. "If I come across that then I'll probably call you to magic them away or something because there is no way I'm touching those."

"Unfortunately I still can't do magic outside of school. There might be a solution though. Lucius, um Mr Malfoy, the man from yesterday, has apparently made it so that I can have my house elf help with stuff around the house without it causing trouble for me. Dobby!"

"What does Master Harry be needing?" Dobby asked, suddenly appearing in Harry's room and startling Dudley. 

"Good morning Dobby, I wanted to introduce you to my cousin Dudley. Unfortunately something has happened to his parents and I was wondering if you would help us around the house with cleaning and things."

"Oh Dobby being more than happy to help the great Harry Potter with anything but is Master Harry sure? Dobby wouldn't want to get Master Harry in trouble with the Ministry," Dobby fretted. 

"Don't worry Dobby, someone has alerted the Ministry of the situation so its fine," Harry reassured him.

"In that case Dobby be more than happy to make sure Master Harry and Master Harry's cousin. Would yous be wanting breakfast now?" 

"You cook!" Dudley exclaimed.

"Yes, Master Harry's cousin, sir. Dobby is able to perform any task required in looking after a house or its inhabitants. Now would yous be liking anything particularly for breakfast or should Dobby just see what is available?" 

Harry told Dobby to just do what he thought was appropriate. He had thought it would be nice to give his cousin a day off his diet given everything that had happened the day before but, in hindsight, it probably would have been a good idea to have put some kind of restrictions on it because, when they went downstairs, the kitchen table was literally groaning under the weight of the food. Dudley had been a bit worried at first, suddenly conscious of the amount of food being made now that he realised he would have to pay for it. Dobby reassured him that magic was able to multiply and enlarge food so he hadn't actually used that much plus it could all be stored near indefinitely, unlike with the muggle fridge. 

Dudley had been astounded to see how much food was still in the fridge when he looked. "This magic of yours is actually quite amazing isn't it."

"It really is," Harry grinned, sitting down to start eating the sumptuous feast Dobby had made for them, "and I don't even know the half of it yet."

"I wouldn't mind reading some of your books on it, if that's OK with you. There are probably some brilliant stories in there," Dudley mused, joining him at the table. 

Harry shook his head. "I don't know if that would be a good idea, the government is very strict on the idea of muggles learning about our world." Dudley's face fell and Harry felt like a complete bastard. "I might be able to get some children's books, maybe even some history books, because we could always pretend it was some sort of muggle fiction that just happens to sound like magical ones although I will probably run it by someone first."

"Your boyfriend?" Dudley chuckled.

"Possibly, although he's been fobbing me off a lot lately so I don't know," Harry frowned.

Dudley gaped at him. "You mean to tell me that that posh dude was really your boyfriend? The one from last night?" 

"Lucius Malfoy!" Harry exclaimed. "What! No! We hated each other until recently. Not that it was any different with me and the Dark Lord, only it kind of was."

"The Dark Lord," Dudley frowned. "You don't mean the one that killed Aunt Lily."

"Um, yeah, that one," Harry said, feeling suddenly embarrassed. "The thing is that we found out recently that he was kind of tricked into attacking mum and dad so we've decided to work together instead."

Dudley looked astounded. "That is quite the change of heart!"

Harry just shrugged. "It was either that or I risk my life, and that of my friends, fighting him to the death. Coming to a truce with him seemed like the lesser of two evils, especially after we were able to find some common ground on the direction we want to take the wizarding world."

"And I'll bet the fact that he's rich and good looking played no part in your decision to switch sides, right?" 

"Actually no, it didn't," Harry insisted. "He's not even really good looking, there's just something about him that draws me in, you know. He's got this aura about him, I can't explain it. I don't know if he's got any money either but I actually have some myself so that doesn't matter to me."

"Wait! You have your own money! Why are you always dressing in my old cast offs then?" 

Harry shrugged. "Well I didn't want to waste it and I was also a little wary about Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia finding out about it."

Dudley nodded sagely. "I can see that. Dad definitely would have found a way to get it from you, or at least try anyway. That isn't an issue now though and I think its high time you got yourself a proper wardrobe, especially if you have a boyfriend to impress."

"You're not mad about that? About me being gay I mean."

Dudley scoffed. "I go to an all boys school, Harry. Half the boys who go there are either gay or have at least fooled around with other boys a bit. Hell I've kissed a boy before, just to see what all the fuss was about. It didn't do anything for me but I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I were to start ragging on you for doing the same. You should invite him over some time, make the most of the holidays."

"I might just do that, thanks Dudley."

"No problem, its the least I can do for you after the shit I've put you through in the past. I'll even arrange to stay over at Piers's house or something, give you a bit of private time with him."

Harry blushed but was saved from having to say anything by a knock at the door. It turned out to be the police, coming to inform them that Vernon's car had been found and that there were two bodies in it. 

"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon said they were going out for a meal last yesterday but that is the last we heard of them," Harry explained, feeding the officer the lie Lucius had suggested while offering his cousin support.

"My dad likes to have a drink when he goes out so I assumed they had got a hotel or something instead of driving back which is why we weren't really surprised when the car wasn't here this morning," Dudley added, surprising Harry with how smoothly he could lie given the situation. "I can't remember the name of the restaurant but I think it was out of town."

The officers thanked the boys for the information and, after ascertaining their ages, informed them that they could remain in the property but they would need someone around to help keep an eye on them. Aunt Marge lived in Windsor so, while the police took her details, informing the boys that they would use her as the primary point of contact going forward, they suggested having someone closer to home to check in on the boys.

"There is Mrs Figg," Dudley suggested. "She lives a couple of streets away and used to look after Harry."

"Just Harry?" Officer Greene, the family support officer queried.

"We both of us really but more Harry recently," Dudley backtracked. "I attend Smeltings you see and they can be a bit funny about people coming to events who aren't immediate family."

"Why doesn't that surprise me," one of the officers muttered.

"Yeah," Dudley grimaced, knowing too well what sort of reputation his school had. "Anyway mum was always paranoid that Harry would hurt himself or something if he was left on his own after one time he accidentally let a tea towel catch fire when cooking so Harry usually went to stay with Mrs Figg when we went out."

The officers seemed to buy that lie as well and let the boys know that they would be back after talking to Mrs Figg and letting her know what the situation was. 

Dudley breathed a sigh of relief after the police officers left but Harry was a bag of nerves.

"There's no need to worry Harry, the police clearly don't suspect anything, I'm pretty sure this is all routine."

"It's not that," Harry explained, "I just wish you'd have chosen one of your friends' mums and not her."

"What's wrong with Mrs Figg? I thought you liked her?" 

Harry shook his head. "Not anymore. It turns out she knows the headmaster, well former headmaster at my school, the one who's dead set on me going up against that powerful wizard who killed my parents. If the police tell her about your parents she will definitely tell Dumbledore and he might force me to leave and I don't want to go yet. This is the first time I have actually looked forward to the summer holidays."

"I'm sorry Harry, I didn't know."

"It's not your fault Dudley, don't worry, we'll just have to be careful until we know what's happening. I don't want Dumbledore to show up and Dobby be cleaning or something. He got ousted before the end of term but he still has a lot of friends and a lot of power and I don't want to risk him ruining everything."

The police stopped by a little while later telling the boys they had informed Mrs Figg of the current situation and that the old lady had said she would be by after she saw to her cats. The news didn't fill Harry with hope and, after asking Dobby to keep away until Harry called him again, Harry made himself busy cleaning in an effort to keep his mind off of things. Dudley was quiet as well as they ate leftovers for lunch but Harry was too lost in his own thoughts to really notice. 

It was late in the evening when there was finally a knock at the door and Harry was only slightly surprised to see Dumbledore standing there. 

"Good evening Harry, my boy, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to your aunt and uncle."

"The police only said that they found two bodies in the car," Harry pointed out. 

"That is merely a formality from what I can discern," Dumbledore said dismissively. "I was able to make some discreet inquiries and I heard that your uncle's sister has identified some of your uncle's belongings and some dental records have been used to make a final confirmation. I'm sorry to be the bearer of this bad news. I was wondering if I could have a word with you and your cousin regarding you staying here."

Harry felt his stomach fall and he nodded mutely as he led Dumbledore into the living room, calling for Dudley as he did.

"Now Mr Dursley," Dumbledore began once they had all settled and introductions had been made. "I have heard along the grapevine that your Aunt Marge is going to be trying to get you to kick Harry out of this house now that your mother is no longer with you. I know you have a lot to deal with right now but I must ask that you not do that. It is imperative that Harry remains living with you, for the fate of our world and yours."

"I am aware sir," Dudley gulped. "Harry has already explained a little of it to me."

"Not too much I hope," Dumbledore chuckled, "there are rules dictating how much muggles can learn about our world. Regardless I am glad you know some of it, it makes my job somewhat easier. You see when Harry was attacked as a baby his mother sacrificed herself and, in doing so, I was able to activate an ancient spell called the bond of blood which allows for Harry to remain untouchable to Voldemort so long as he calls this house his home. As such I hate to impose on you like this, especially in such a difficult time, I'm afraid I must insist that Harry remain here, at least until his birthday next year which is the limit of the spell."

"Don't worry sir," Dudley said, looking at his lap. "Harry has been quite helpful today so I have no problem letting him stay here no matter what my aunt might say."

"I'm glad to hear it. It won't be for the whole summer, mind you, just long enough to allow for the spell to reset after Harry has been at school all year," Dumbledore smiled benignly. "I'm sure Harry will be more than happy to help around the house while he's here, as he has done in the past. I believe he often helped your mother in such a way as well. You have so much to deal with with your parents passing, you can't be expected to look after the house as well. You should be careful though. Harry has gotten into quite a bit of trouble these last few years, using magic outside of school. I know your father used to keep his school things locked away over the summer and it will probably be best if you do the same, for Harry's own good you see. I do not have quite the same pull with the magical government that I used to and I fear that if Harry were to use his magic accidentally again then there would be nothing to prevent him being imprisoned for life."

"I understand sir," Dudley nodded, lifting his head up but still not quite meeting Dumbledore's eyes. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that Harry behaves and doesn't cause you any trouble this summer. There will be plenty for him to do sorting out all of my parent's belongings since, as you said, I can't be expected to do that. I was wondering though, Harry mentioned that you are friends with Mrs Figg from down the road. I know that the police informed her about what happened to my parents and I was wondering if you knew whether she would be coming over at all, like they asked her to. It's just I was hoping to have some friends over to help me cope with everything and I wouldn't want her to turn up and get upset about anything she saw."

"Oh don't worry about that," Dumbledore smiled. "Mrs Figg is an old friend and, while I care about her greatly, she isn't the most diligent person and frequently gets distracted by her cats. I very much doubt that she will be by any time soon, especially as one of her precious cats has fallen ill. I doubt that I will be by before it is time to get Harry either. There have been some disturbing developments in the magical world recently and I fear I will not be able to pop by as I would like."

"When will you be by, uh, sir?" Harry blurted out, catching Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes. Harry suddenly had the impression that Dumbledore was looking into his thoughts and, remembering something of his occlumency lessons, brought forth memories of his friends.

"I am aware that you are eager to see your friends again Harry but this spell is important and we must make sure it has adequate time to reset," Dumbledore affirmed sternly. "In fact I had initially thought that you would be to meet up with everyone for your birthday but I fear that, with your cousin's lesser connection to your mother's blood, that you will have to stay here for longer. I know your friends will be very disappointed but your safety is what's most important."

"Um, sir, I hate to put you in an imposition," Dudley stammered, "and feel free to tell me no, but I was just wondering if I could have some money towards Harry's upkeep. Not from you I mean, but I overheard Harry muttering to himself about having some money and I was wondering if you could find a way to get some to me. I don't mean to sound greedy but my parents' money will be locked up for a while until all of this business is sorted."

"Indeed my boy and you are quite right, I'm honestly a little surprised I didn't hear from your parents on that matter. Thankfully I still have Harry's account key so it will not be difficult for me to withdraw an appropriate amount of funds to cover your expenses regarding Harry for the next couple of weeks. In fact I shall go see to that now and return shortly. And Harry," Dumbledore said, turning to look at Harry, "your cousin is doing a great favour to you by allowing you to stay here and I want you to remember that. I need you to listen to young Mr Dursley here and do as he says. It would be a good idea to make yourself useful around the house as well. You need to stay here and with Dudley's permission as well, if at any stage your cousin were to decide to eject you the spell would be broken, remember that. I am off to Gringotts now, I suggest that you help your cousin out by clearing out some of the things in his parent's room as I doubt young Dudley will want to have to do that himself, he surely has better things to do with his time. I will be back as quickly as I can."

With that Dumbledore apparated away and Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"I I forgot to tell you about Dumbledore's ability to read people's minds, he didn't do that with you did he?" Harry gasped as soon as the old man had left.

Dudley shook his head. "I can't believe that that is actually a thing but no, at least I don't think so. How do you know it's happened?" 

"I'm not sure exactly, I know when my potion's professor was trying to teach me it felt like being hit in the head by a freight train but the headmaster seems more subtle. I do remember occlumency works better with eye contact."

"That might be why then," Dudley mused. "I know a lot of people like that headmaster of yours from my school and I learned the hard way that they never like someone making eye contact with them, they see it as a challenge to their authority. It's always better to look above their shoulders or at their chin. It's like a show of deference, even if you don't really mean it; it gives them a power boost, putting them in a better mood and less likely to cause you issues."

"I'll remember that for the future," Harry smiled, "but for now I had better get on with tidying your parents room. Old Dumbles told me to do it, good job he didn't realise that was my plan anyway."

Chapter Text

Harry spent the day sorting through all of Vernon and Petunia's things in their room. Dudley had picked one of his dad's watches to keep, as well as a necklace of his mum's that she had apparently been given to her on her wedding day by her parents. It was a simple diamond on a thin gold chain, not even particularly big, but it apparently held sentimental value. 

"Mum always used to say that she was looking forward to the day that she would be able to give this to my future wife. I always used to think that it was corny but, now that mum is no longer here, I want to make sure that that dream of hers comes true."

Harry had smiled at his cousin. "Then I hope you find someone worthy of such a gift. It makes me wish that I had something like that from my parents but apparently it was all destroyed in the attack. I'm never sure why the house burned down afterwards but that is what everyone says happened."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dudley sighed, "but didn't they have anything in a bank or something?"

Harry tilted his head in thought. "I honestly don't know. I got taken to a vault full of gold in the wizarding bank but I never thought to ask about anything else. It probably doesn't help that I'm always surrounded by Dumbledore's cronies when I go. Perhaps I'll find a way to sneak down and ask the Goblins about it."

Dudley had been surprised to learn about the Goblins, and Harry had happily sat and talked to him about all of the various creatures he had learned about since becoming part of the wizarding world and Harry promised to let his cousin read Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them . Dudley had been a little worried about the possibility of Harry getting into trouble after what Dumbledore had said about the laws but Harry reassured his cousin that it would just be seen as some sort of fantasy book by most muggles so it wasn't really an issue. It wasn't like Dudley would or could do anything with that information. 

Dumbledore had finally come in the evening and Dudley had gone down to talk to him, leaving Harry to get back to tidying up his aunt and uncle's bedroom. The gad agreed that it would probably be best if Harry didn't see the old man, partly due to how Harry felt about the man, and the fact that he was having a hard time hiding it, and partly because it would add to the idea that Dudley was treating Harry poorly.

Harry got back to sorting out his aunt's dressing table. She had a vast array of various lotions and potions that had Harry quite curious. Some of them smelt and felt absolutely horrible and Harry threw them straight in the bin but there was some coconut oil as well as something called cocoa butter that smelt delicious and Harry found himself slathering it all over his arms, loving how it left his skin feeling wonderfully soft. It made Harry curious about some of the other things she had. There was a whole box full of nail varnishes. All of the pale pinky-brown pots looked like they had been well used and Harry couldn't figure out why since they seemed very boring to him. A red one looked like it had been slightly used but Harry remembered his aunt only wearing that one on special occasions. They all went in the bin. 

There were some that appeared completely untouched however, including a sparkly black, a purple and a silver which Harry thought looked a little interesting and he found himself putting to one side. The same was true for his aunt's makeup bag and Harry found himself picking through it, throwing out anything that looked well used but putting aside some of the things that looked like they hadn't been touched, like a few shimmery lip glosses and some eyeliners including, surprisingly, a rich black one which looked like it might have been used once at best. 

Harry had just about cleared the table when he heard the crack of apparition announcing Dumbledore's departure, as well as his cousin's heavy tread on the stairs. 

"Hey Dud, you finished?" Harry called out. 

"Yeah the old guy's gone and won't be coming back until sometime after your birthday so don't you can relax a bit."

"That's good to know," Harry smiled and looked at the small hoard of things he'd put to one side. "Hey Dudley, would you be freaked out if I tried some of your mum's makeup on?" 

"Because you're a boy wearing makeup or because it belonged to my dead mum?" Dudley asked, coming into the room. 

"Either? Both? I mean I wouldn't use anything that she actually used, just some of the stuff that she doesn't seem to have touched."

"Don't worry, it's fine," Dudley reassured Harry. "Half of the rock stars I listened to wear at least nail varnish and eyeliner so it would be a little hypocritical of me to complain."

"You sure?" Harry queried and Dudley smiled.

"Of course. At the very least it's a way for you to try it then, if you like it, you can always go out and buy some of your own stuff so you don't risk wasting your money. I will warn you though, I draw the line at you wearing mum's pants."

Harry opened one of the drawers in the dressing table and pulled out a large pair of white pants that looked like they were almost big enough for Uncle Vernon and likely swamped his poor aunt.

"Don't worry, I doubt that will be an issue."

"Put them away please!" Dudley wailed, shielding his eyes. "As far as I'm concerned my mum went to bed in one of her dresses and magically woke up in another one."

"So you don't want to think about your parents naked or having sex," Harry joked. "How do you think you were born then?" 

"A magical stork delivered me to the bottom of the garden," Dudley announced seriously. "As far as I am concerned my parents were like Barbie and Ken which is why I'd be really grateful if you could remove anything in here that goes against that."

"That won't be hard, especially now I can call Dobby back," Harry smirked, "although this room oa going to be ridiculously bare once I get rid of everything."

"Oh don't worry about that," Dudley grinned. "The old man gave me some money and I fully intend to use it to take you shopping tomorrow."

"Really? But what about the living expenses and things like the mortgage?" 

"Oh there isn't a mortgage on this place, Dad paid it off with the inheritance he got when Grandma and Grandad died. As for the other bills I've got money in my savings plus the money dad always left around the house for mum which should tide me over while we go through probate. If not there's always Aunt Marge, its not like she os going to let me end up on the streets. I am her only nephew."

"True," Harry chuckled, "but only if you're sure. I feel bad not contributing anything to the household expenses."

"Please, like you haven't done enough over the years with everything you had to do around the house. Plus you're providing Dobby who seems like he is going to save us a fortune on food costs alone. Not to mention that old coot seems to have no concept of what things cost in the muggle world. Even though your going to be here for a month tops he gave me ten grand to cover your expenses."

Harry gaped at first but then started to question things. "Unless he was purposely trying to drain my account or something. I would be curious to see how much is missing when I go to get my school supplies."

"Well its getting spent on you regardless," Dudley said, ending any further discussion on the matter. "Anyway, I don't know about you but I'm getting hungry, perhaps Dobby can sort this room out for you while we have some dinner, we're going to want to make plenty of room for all of the stuff you're going to buy tomorrow."

Dobby had been happy to be allowed back to help and had the room stripped bare and the bedding changed before Harry came back upstairs. Dudley suggested they get an early night; he didn't want to risk running into any of his old friends and having to lie about why he was hanging out with his 'loser' cousin. There were also a number of places in London that Dudley wanted to visit. It turned out that, while Vernon and Petunia would do almost anything for their darling Duddikins, that only extended to what they thought was appropriate and things would have been vastly different should Dudley have decided to rebel against how they thought he should behave. So it was decided that they would visit Camden, complete with fake IDs that Dobby was able to create for them: another flutter of magic that left Dudley immensely impressed. 

The train ride up was quite fun and Harry liked spending time with this new, more laid back Dudley who was happy trying to teach Harry about some of the things from the muggle world, including music and fashion, courtesy of some magazines they picked up in the cafe when they stopped to get some drinks and snacks for the train. Harry had felt a little uncomfortable, dressed as he was in some of Dudley's nicer cast offs that Dobby had resized so they actually fit him. The problem was that they were quite boring, just a white t-shirt, jeans and trainers, and Harry was looking forward to the chance of seeing what was out there to, as Dudley said, find his own style. 

When they got off the tube Harry was blown away by the diversity of people that he saw walking down the street. People seemed to be wearing every colour, sometimes all in one outfit, and Harry was definitely curious about some of the styles. It almost reminded him a bit of Diagon Alley, if half of the people there had taken fashion advice from Dumbledore. It made him excited for what they would find in the various shops and market stalls in the area and Harry was practically bouncing down the street as they darted in and out of the shops. Dudley even had to remind Harry that they had all day to explore so he didn't risk buying everything that he saw. 

There were so many possibilities though and, while Dudley encouraged Harry to think about what sort of style he wanted but Harry was like a kid in a sweet shop for the first time, wanting to try everything, and found he couldn't decide on any one particular style. There were vintage shops, bohemian shops, goth shops and even one that specialised in something called cyberpunk and Harry found himself buying something from almost every one. Most stuff went into bags but Harry put on a vintage leather jacket to stop him feeling like such a tourist, as well as a pair of bright red Doc Martens that he bought from the Doc Martens shop. Dudley bought a pair as well, although his were a slightly more sedate plain black, but they were still something his parents would have never let him own and Harry could see the joy on his face when he put them on. 

There were a couple of shops that Dudley insisted they visit which Harry was initially a little apprehensive of but was ultimately glad for. The leather working shop was wild. Harry did realise that you could basically get a leather version of everything and Harry found himself buying several items, including a couple of pairs of leather trousers that Dudley forced Harry to buy, literally refusing to let Harry leave the store before he had. They also visited a tattoo parlour as Dudley had, in his moment of late teenage rebellion, decided he was going to get a tattoo, especially while he had the fake ID and could blame any 'poor decisions' on his emotional distress. Harry liked the idea of a tattoo but wasn't sure about getting one, both because of the Dark Lord and having to get changed in the dorm and for Quidditch. 

Dudley persuaded  get a nipple ring though, saying that he imagined his boyfriend would love it. Harry had initially balked at Dudley outing him in the middle of the shop but the owner had simply nodded and said that Harry would likely appreciate it as well. They both also got their ears pierced and bought some fun earrings including skull studs and some snake ones that Harry liked. The owner warned them they would need to keep their current piercings in for 6 weeks while the skin healed but Harry was already planning on consulting Severus to see if the man had a way to speed things up so he could change out to the funky earrings more quickly and so Harry didn't have to try to explain the new jewellery to Mrs Weasley, especially after seeing her reaction to Bill's earring last year. 

Dudley also insisted on going into the cyberpunk store called Cyberdog. The store was huge, at least by the market standards, covering three floors. There was no chance of missing it either, not jist because of its size but because of the music they blared out that could be heard through half of the market, not to mention the lights outside and the two giant robot statues that guarded the entrance. The inside genuinely felt like a different world to Harry with almost everything inside neon in some way. Some of the stuff they sold was far too wacky for his tastes but some of the darkwave stuff definitely caught his eye and he found himself picking up several t-shirts. 

The store also had an area where they sold sex toys down in the basement. Harry was initially beyond embarrassed to go in but Dudley bounded ahead and Harry felt forced to follow him for fear of getting lost. Of course Harry was still a bit apprehensive but Dudley wasn't, likely because it wasn't really for him, or so Harry thought, so when the sales assistant asked them if he could help, Dudley wasted no time in telling the man that Harry was building up for his first time having sex with his boyfriend and needed some advice.

To his credit the man seemed to make no judgments and happily directed Harry towards the lube and condoms, as well as suggesting a set of anal training butt plugs, especially if his boyfriend was on the larger size. Harry was glad for the dim lighting as it was almost certainly hiding his blush but he happily took the recommendations. He had to admit that, since their last date at least, Harry had been genuinely thinking about going all the way with the Dark Lord and he hoped that this wouldn't be seen as overstepping the mark.

The sex shop also had a fetish area that Harry found himself drawn to, especially after his little foray into bondage the last time they werr together. 

"Didn't realise you were a proper kinky bugger," Dudley joked, coming up behind Harry as he looked at some cuffs.

"Oh, well, um," Harry stuttered.

"Hey, I wasn't judging, just a little surprised is all, although given some of your purchases today I probably shouldn't be," Dudley reassured him. "I was just wondering if you wanted me to call the sales assistant back over to give you some advice."

"I don't know," Harry said, eyeing up the shelves.

"You should buy something if you're interested," Dudley encouraged, "especially since we don't know when you'll get a chance to come back here."

"Is that why you can go around and not get embarrassed?" Harry asked.

"Part of it," Dudley shrugged. "But I also have the added benefit of not having anyone to answer to. Why do I care of someone sees me walking into a sex shop, its not like they can tell my parents or anything and, as much as having Aunt Marge as a back up is nice, I don't really need her money so I'm not beholden to what she thinks of me."

"That must be nice," Harry sighed. "I have too many people relying on me, what with trying to save magical society and preventing people from dying and all."

"But still, what does you liking bondage and spank paddles have to do with that?" 

Harry tilted his head in thought. "Nothing I suppose, I've just spent so long worrying about what people thought of me and whether I was living up to their expectations that I can't easily stop. It doesn't help that I don't exactly know what he likes."

"Does it matter?" Dudley queried. "That sort of thing is about what you like as much as what he likes. Relationships are about compromise, or at least that's what I learned from mum and dad. Like when they redecorated the living room. Dad didn't mind how mum painted the walls, so long as he had somewhere comfortable to sit so they went together to pick out a sofa my dad liked, that was in a colour my mum could work with before she picked the wallpaper. I know they might not have been the best people ever but I always thought they had a good marriage and I hope to try and emulate it when I find someone."

"They didn't really argue very much," Harry mused. 

"No, but you're missing my point," Dudley sighed. "If you want something you need to say. It doesn't necessarily mean you get it but I can't see how constantly repressing your needs is going to be good for you."

"I feel like I've been repressing my needs all my life. Even at school it's never about what I want or need. As much as I love it, even quidditch was chosen for me."

"Then it's time you start choosing things for yourself," Dudley stated resolutely. "We've started with your wardrobe but I think we need to carry on, which means buying whatever catches your eye here, and anywhere else we go. You never know, he might like the idea of you taking a bit of initiative."

Harry wasn't completely sure but he knew his cousin at least meant well with his advice and, not wanting to risk upsetting Dudley, bought several mesh shirts, a harness, spanking paddle and some nipple clamps. The sales assistant looked quite impressed with Harry's haul and told him his boyfriend was very lucky to have such an adventurous partner. He had felt his cheeks flare and had ducked his head as he thanked the man and beat a hasty retreat from the shop. 

The pair went to check out some of the food stalls, feeling a bit hungry now that they had been shopping for a few hours and went down to the canal where the food court was to see what they could find. Harry hadn't realised that there were so many various cuisines and even Dudley was blown away by the various street food stalls that were available in such a small area, as well as the various ones they had seen on their walkabout. They opted for an authentic Mexican restaurant, since neither of them had ever tried anything like it before, what with Vernon and Petunia always being somewhat wary of any foreign food. It was ridiculously spicy, at least to their untrained palettes, and the kind shop owners ended up taking pity on them once their eyes started to water and gave them both a glass of milk to ease their distress. Once they'd gotten used to the heat, however, they found the food quite delicious and quickly ate their fill. 

Dudley maintained that they probably had enough clothes and so looked around the accessories shops as well as some of the other assorted bric-a-brac stalls. Harry ended up with several pairs of shoes and a couple of hats as well as a range of jewellery. 

Harry was surprised at the number of occult-like shops in the area. After a few years of studying divination Harry was quite interested in the tarot reading stalls. Harry had always struggled to understand Trelawny's explanations and the books in the wizarding world didn't help much either so Harry was quite curious what the muggle version would be like. Dudley was curious as well so they both sat down for a reading. 

Dudley sat down for a basic three card reading drawing Strength, Temperance and The World. Madame Raven, the psychic, told him it meant that someone in his environment could disappoint him, but not to judge him by an isolated action. To give them another chance and that they may surprise him. It was also suggested that it would do Dudley some good to be in contact with nature. Dudley looked intrigued and said that it had certainly helped him deal with his grief to which Madame Raven said she wasn't surprised, that nature had a way of easing all sorts of intense emotions which allowed people to better process them and begin healing.

Harry asked for the daily path reading and, after shuffling the deck, drew The Hermit, The Hanged Man, The Moon and The Heirophant. Madame Raven told him that it meant that he needed to retreat from the social world to rest his mind in order to come back with more courage and new ideas. It sounded to Harry that this break at Privet Drive was just what he needed. As far as money was concerned, Madame Raven told him that a shopping trip would be nice but that it was a good idea to plan his needs first so that he didn't get carried away. Bit late for that, Harry thought, but he smiled anyway as she moved onto the work interpretation. Harry assumed this was referring to what he was doing with the Dark Lord and his plans to change the wizarding world especially after he was told that the stars favoured his professional growth but that he shouldn't be in a hurry to get high. 

Love was the one that Harry was most interested in, however, and he was heartened to hear Madame Raven tell him that his partner would be there for him no matter what he needed but that he should allow himself some time to cultivate his autonomy. It was all very good but years of Madame Trelawny had taught Harry to be a little cautious when it came to things like divination although he couldn't help but hope that it was right, especially when he learned of the time and care Madame Raven put into looking after her deck to ensure that it was linked to her magic and free of any dark or malicious spirits. 

Madame Raven was impressed with how much interest Harry showed in her cards and all of the questions he asked.

"I'm a witch and I take interest in all manner of things Arcane," she explained.

"You're a witch!" Harry exclaimed. "Which school did you go to?" 

"School?" Madame Raven frowned. "You mean coven? I am more of a hedge witch, a solitary practitioner, although I do sometimes join a coven that gets together on Hampstead Heath to celebrate the sabbats."

"Oh! I didn't know there were witches like that?" Harry said.

"Many people don't," Madame Raven chuckled. "But if you want to find out more I can recommend a few books you can find in the market."

"Do you have any on tarot reading?" Harry asked. 

"Interested in divination are you? Do you have a pack of cards?" Harry shook his head and Madame Raven smiled. "Take one of these then. There is an old superstition that it is bad luck to buy your own deck of cards, it leaves a bad energy they say. There's a good book shop around the corner and, if you're interested in other forms of divination, a friend of mine has a crystal shop down near the lock."

Harry was more than interested, especially at the idea of getting to see the muggle interpretation of magic. He wondered a little where it had come from, possibly magical books that had been lost to the muggle world since before the Statute of Secrecy came down. Harry was certainly curious, especially to see if any of it would actually work. The book shops had some fascinating books on different aspects of paganism, as Harry understood the general practice to be called in general, and he found himself buying a fair few to read over the holidays, once he'd done his homework of course. He had a quick look through them while he was there and was thankfully able to find several stalls around the market that sold many of the things he would need for the spells which was handy as he didn't know if he would be able to find anything like it in Surrey. 

The woman in the Crystal shop was called Skye and apparently more into Eastern Spirituality as opposed to paganism but she was extremely helpful in introducing Harry the various ways that crystals could be used including divination and healing. Harry bought several candle holders as well as tumble stones and pendulums. She helped teach Harry how to listen to his instincts when it came to picking the right stones, as well as looking at their meanings, something that was important in all aspects of Spirituality. 

There were several items of jewellery in her shop as well and Harry bought a few different bead necklaces and bracelets to wear.

"What are those rings?" Dudley asked, pointing to a collection that all looked similar, two hands encircling a heart shaped stone topped with a crown.

"Those are called Claddagh rings," Skye explained. "They traditionally come from Ireland and are sometimes used to for weddings and engagements, although they can be used for relationships as well, depending on which way the heart is facing."

"That's cool," Harry said, thinking that it might be nice to have a way of showing his relationship with the Dark Lord without making it obvious.

"Did you want to get one?" Dudley queried, seeing how Harry was looking at the rings. 

Harry shook his head. "Nah, its alright. Maybe we can come back another day."

Dudley didn't look confined but accepted Harry's answer and the pair finally wound up their shopping trip. It was already late evening by that point but the boys were in no rush to get back. Thankfully the trains back to Surrey ran very frequently so the boys decided to make the most of the fake IDs that Dobby had created for them and go to a pub that overlooked the canal. Dudley ordered them both a pint of cider and black to go with their burgers and they enjoyed their meal in the last hours of sunshine having had a thoroughly enjoyable day. Harry only hoped that the rest of his summer went as well. 

Chapter Text

Harry and Dudley are in high spirits when they return from London, and not just due to the fact that they had had several pints before they returned. The laughter quickly stopped, however, when they noticed the light flashing on the answering machine when they walked through the door.

"Hello Dudley, it's your Aunt Marge here. I do hope you've managed to kick that good for nothing cousin of yours to the curb already. Why my dear brother agreed to take him in in the first place I don't know but then he always did have such a generous spirit."

Harry couldn't help scoffing at hearing that.

"Anyway," the message continued, "I have made the funeral arrangements for both of your parents to be buried together at the local church, St Matthew's. I would have rather have kept your father nearer to me but I know you, and the local community that he was such a big part of, will want him to be nearer so that they can pay their respects properly. As such I have put the proper notices in the local paper as well as informing your father's work colleagues and the alumni at Smeltings. I don't know if your mother had anyone in particular that she would want to invite, that is unlikely to get the notice in the paper. If you know then please let me know and I will pass on the notice.

"You will have to find someone to read her eulogy as well I'm afraid, there is no way that I will be able to do it justice, especially with doing your father's as well. I know she doesn't have any family left apart from that good for nothing nephew of hers, and you of course my darling boy. I wouldn't dream of forcing you to go through something like. Perhaps you can find some way of getting that boy to do it, although if he does I will want to vet what he says first. We don't want that idiot boy embarrassing us in front of such esteemed guests.

"I have also booked the local Cricket Club Pavilion for the wake, just tea and sandwiches, we don't want to encourage any of the riff-raff to stay longer than necessary. A part of me would like to ban them all but your father was all about community spirit and helping those less fortunate."

"You're joking right!" Harry exclaimed. "She is talking about the same Uncle Vernon!" 

"He would sometimes chuck a bag of rice in the Food Bank box," Dudley admitted. "Compared to Aunt Marge that practically makes him a saint."

"I've organised a car for us," Marge continued, "and if I stay over at Vernon, well your house, then it will make things easier, although I suppose that will mean we have to take the welp with us as well."

Dudley went pale and stopped the message and quickly called up his Marge. Harry could hear the woman slurring on the other end of the line as Dudley explained that he had already arranged for his friends to stay over to offer him support for the build up, and after the funeral, and Marge wouldn't possibly want to spend her time surrounded by a load of teenage boys who would probably be up late playing games. Harry went upstairs when he realised that the conversation had moved onto him and Dudley was forced to talk about how much better it was to keep Harry around instead of paying someone to come in to do the cleaning so it made sense to let him stay. He knew it was rubbish, or was 90% sure at least, but that didn't mean that he wanted to listen to it. He was just looking at his new purchases and wondering if it was worth him putting them away in the wardrobe or if he should just keep them in the bags for now when Dudley knocked on his door. 

"Don't worry, Marge will be staying at a B&B on the other side of town. I convinced her she would want somewhere more comfortable and its had some excellent reviews. Its also far enough away that she's not going to just be popping in so we're safe on that front."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Dudley. Don't think I could stand having to deal with her for days."

"You and me both," Dudley sighed. "Don't get me wrong, she's always been good to me, even told me she's paid for my school fees for at least next year, and has set up an account to pay the utility bills for the house, but I could never completely warm to her. She absolutely adored Dad, but for some reason she couldn't stand Mum and she would always find a way to put her down or bully her whenever she came around. Like that comment she made, you know, when you blew her up, about the problems in the offspring coming from the 'bitch', that was about my mum as much as yours. Aunt Marge blamed my mum for any faults that she saw in me and thought it was proof of my dad's good breeding that he was able to overcome so much of her low class blood. No matter what mum did she was never good enough in Marge's eyes and it hurt to see her belittled every time she visited."

"I'm sorry about that," Harry said. "I knew Marge was a cow but I didn't realise that I wasn't the only one who was affected by her words and actions."

Dudley smiled sadly. "Yes, I just hope that she won't cause too much trouble at the funeral. I should warn you though, she has apparently been taking my dad's death hard so will probably be extra shitty to you at the funeral. She was already talking about giving you all of the worst jobs while we were there."

"I can handle that," Harry smiled. "Things are going well for me at the moment so its going to be a bit easier to let things roll off me. I think I could even do the eulogy and do it justice for you."

"Don't worry about that, I was actually thinking that I could do mum's eulogy," Dudley admitted. "I know I didn't always let my mum appreciate everything she did for me while she was alive and I would like the chance to be able to tell her that before she goes on to the next part of her life."

"I get that, and know that if it gets too much I'm happy to step in for you if it gets too much. I'm the reason you're going through all of this to begin with after all."

"Thanks Harry," Dudley smiled sadly, "I think it will be ok, as long as you don't mind being a pallbearer. I mostly just wanted to let you know that you should be safe to do what you wanted with this room since I know you wanted to get some of that pagan stuff you bought out. It's been a long day though so I'm just going to go to bed now, that conversation really took it out of me. "

"I can understand that and thanks Dudley, that is a bit of a relief. Sleep well, I'm sure I'll see you at breakfast in the morning." 

Dudley may have been drained but Harry was still buzzing so he took to reading his books as Madame Raven had suggested he do some research before making any decisions on whether he wanted to become a pagan and which branch he would want to follow. She had told him paganism was more of a calling, if there was a path for you you would know it, it would speak to you on a spiritual level, so he shouldn't rush making any decisions about what or how he wanted to practice, if at all. 

As such he had picked up several books around the market and was up late reading them. A number of the books on Wicca but Harry couldn't build up an interest in it. It might have been because of the fact that it seemed to be almost entirely female led, not that Harry had a problem with that in principle, only that he didn't really really know many women who he could turn to to help him in the ceremonies. He knew a number of strong women, or what he had always thought of as strong women anyway, but he couldn't really see them dancing naked in a field, or sky clad as the books usually referred to it, especially when Mrs Weasley got so funny about the idea of boys and girls sleeping in the same room, even when they were siblings. 

Admittedly it wasn't always necessary to have some sort of covern to practice wicca There was something called a hedgewitch, a solo practitioner, like Madame Raven. The problem with that is, while it offered a lot of flexibility, something that would be very necessary in a school environment, it did require a lot of personal study and dedication, as well as possibly lacking in the same sort of support network that more traditional wicca had. Madame Raven had given Harry her card and told him to email her with any questions which was great for the summer but Harry was sure she would get a little curious if she started to receive owls from him when he got back to Hogwarts. 

Harry was also put off a little by the seemingly rigid structure that went along with the wicca religion, with many sources talking of specific rituals that people should follow, none of which spoke to Harry, as he was informed they should do if that was the right path for him. He understood why a person may want to draw down a circle to protect themselves but it was a practice that Harry couldn't quite seem to get behind and made him frown when he thought about having to do it every time he wanted to do a spell. He also didn't really see the point in having to cast a spell for everything. He already had enough of that at school and didn't feel the need to necessarily add to it. 

It was one of the reasons why he was drawn more towards druidry and the idea that, as a part of the land, there was no need to fear the interference from external spirits. Not that there were really that many hard and fast definitions. One of the things that strongly drew Harry to paganism was the idea that almost anything was acceptable. Whether you worshipped all the spirits of this world or the God and Goddess, a whole pantheon of deities or even the Goddess alone, all were acceptable. It was all about what was calling you. 

One of the downsides, at least as far as Harry was concerned anyway, was the emphasis on studying. He had got into some bad habits at Hogwarts and, while he enjoyed learning about magic, he found a lot of the old tomes very dry and boring which didn't help his concentration. Wisdom was one of the 3 main tenets of Druidry, at least as far as Harry could tell, which meant that, if he wanted to pursue it, he would definitely have to uo his study game. He was in no rush, however. He would consider creating an altar in the morning as well as seeing about getting a laptop or something so he could look into doing some more research online. 

Over the next few days Harry plunged into anything he could find regarding Druidry, celtic mythology and nature, something that was at the heart of the belief system. With Dudley's permission he even started to redesign the garden with a nod to local ecology, getting rid of the hard and fast borders with more attention on plants that would encourage things like bees as butterflies, as well as looking at growing some of his own herbs. He had considered vegetables as well but, since he and Dudley would be away most of the year, it seemed a bit redundant. The idea of setting up a small altar in the garden did seem nice, Harry only wondered again whether it would be worth it since he was unsure of how long he would remain at Privet Drive. For once, however, he was almost hoping that it would be for the rest of the holidays.

The day of Vernon and Petunia's funeral had arrived towards the end of the month. There had been an investigation apparently and, somehow, the Dursleys had been seen eating out in Guildford where Vernon appeared drunk and disorderly before they left the restaurant. Harry assumed that polyjuice potion was used, or else his aunt and uncle had still been alive and been under imperius. Either way it easily fit their story, as well as the findings of the autopsy, and the case was closed, much to Harry's relief. Marge wasn't quite so relieved and had adamantly protested against the idea that her brother would do something as heinous as driving while under the influence. Unfortunately for her the fact that she didn't seem to realise that drinking essentially a whole bottle of strong red wine, plus the glass of port he'd had with the after dinner cheese board, would in fact put him well over the limit. The police had apparently been quite shocked to here her say that she went driving after drinking that much all the time and had strongly cautioned her against such practice, even going as far as to suggest her taking a drink driving awareness course, which she obviously refused. 

Harry and Dudley made their way down to the church in the Limo Marge had hired for them, resolutely ignoring the woman as she complained, slightly drunkenly, about the state of everything: from the police force and their apparently cack-handed handling of the investigation to what had possibly caused Vernon to make such a grave error in judgement, namely Harry and Petunia, and how his generous nature had finally gotten the better of him. She reiterated again that Dudley should kick Harry to the curb and force him to find his own way in the world, while Harry was sitting next to them, and Dudley had to again express the futility of hiring someone to clean when Harry was there, even going so far as to claim he was charging Harry rent in an effort to get the woman to drop the subject.

The service itself was quite lovely with the possible exception to Aunt Marge's eulogy where she waxed lyrical about her brother. If Harry were to believe her then Vernon was a modern day Adonis who made Mother Teresa look like the devil and who single handedly ran the entirety of Grunnings Drills. Harry had to wonder how that last bit had gone down as the owner of the company, Mr Grunnings himself, was in attendance with his family. 

Dudley's eulogy was much more sedate and spoke of a caring mother who would move heaven and earth for the sake of her son, wanting nothing but his happiness in life, and who also did what she could to help her husband at home and in functions, always stating that they were Vernon's representatives. He ended it by saying that if he ever found a partner who cared for their family half as much as his mother had done then he would class himself a lucky man. Even Harry was in tears by the end of it and it was almost enough to make him forget how miserable his aunt had made his life growing up. Aunt Marge seemed to feel the same as she came up to Dudley as soon as the service was over. 

"A good thing you did for your mother there, Dudders," she slurred, "making it seem like she was deserving of your father. You're a good son doing that. Don't know why he chose that woman in the first place?" 

"I always thought my parents loved each other?" Dudley queried 

"Love! Pah!" Marge scoffed even as she wobbled on her feet. "That wasn't love. No one could love Vernon like I did."

"As they shouldn't," said a smartly dressed grey-haired man. "There is always a special bond between brothers and sisters. You must be Marge, I'm Ian Grunnings, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, I just wish it were under better circumstances. Vernon always spoke very highly of you though and I'm glad to see that it was reciprocated."

"Mr Grunnings!" Marge gushed, then staggered forward. 

"Oh dear!" exclaimed the lady standing next to Mr Grunnings, "you poor thing, you must have run yourself ragged trying to organise that wonderful ceremony. Why don't you take the car back to where you're staying and have a rest. We'll take Mr Dursley and his friend to the wake, you can always join us later when you're feeling a bit more refreshed."

"An excellent plan my dear," Mr Grunnings agreed. "Come Miss Dursley, let's get you in the car, I'm sure you've had a hell of a time these past weeks but don't worry, I'm sure Mr Dursley will do his parents proud in your place."

"Thank you Mr Grunnings, Mrs Grunnings, this is very kind of you," Marge said with a glazed look in her eye as she was led away, "but you needn't worry about taking that boy with you. He's only Petunia's nephew and a complete waster, living off Vernon's good grace. Send him back to Privet Drive. He may as well make the most of it, I've already told Dudley not to take him back next summer, let the idiot look after himself."

"I know Aunt Marge," Dudley sighed, "but I'd rather not send Harry back. My friends have left some of their stuff at home and they'll be worried if Harry's there on his own, it's better if he stays with me."

"Good point my boy," Marge practically burped, patting Dudley somewhat awkwardly on the head. "Don't want to risk the welp running off with the silverware." With that she was escorted to the limo as Harry and Dudley were shown to the Grunnings jaguar.

Mrs Grunnings paused. "Mr Dursley, you don't actually believe your cousin would steal your silverware do you?" 

"Oh no," Dudley chuckled, "but Aunt Marge only believes the worst of Harry even though he's been a big help to me throughout this whole thing."

"You're not really going to kick your cousin out then, are you?" asked a pretty blonde haired girl who Harry assumed was the Grunnings's daughter. 

"No," Dudley smiled, "I just say that to placate her."

The girl frowned. "I don't see why you don't just tell her how it is, if she's so clearly wrong."

"Unfortunately some people are very set in their beliefs," Dudley explained. "As much as it pains me that conversation would only cause a lot of grief for everyone and wouldn't achieve anything. Sometimes it's better to let things slide."

"Very diplomatic," Mr Grunnings nodded approvingly, "and a good attitude to see in someone so young."

"Thank you, sir." 

"But what about your poor cousin," the girl insisted. "How do you think he feels having you continue those awful lies about him?"

"It's alright," Harry chuckled. "I know Dudley doesn't actually mean it so it's easy for me to ignore. Plus if it means that she'll happily keep paying Dudley's school fees so he doesn't have to worry about it then I think it's a small price to pay."

"That's right, you're a Smeltings man aren't you?" Mr Grunnings asked and Dudley nodded. "Fine school that. I was a Smeltings man myself, you know."

"Do you know Viscount Morton? the girl asked. 

"He's in my dorm," Dudley replied. "Why do you ask?" 

"Oh no reason," the girl said, looking at her fingernails. "I was just wondering if you were friends with him."

Dudley winced. "I wouldn't say friends exactly." 

"Do you want to be friends with him?" the girl pushed.

Dudley shook his head. "To be honest no. Viscount Morton doesn't think very highly of me, he thinks I'm a social climber, and I learned very quickly that, like Aunt Marge, it is not worth the effort to try and dissuade him otherwise."

"He calls you a social climber?" the girl scoffed. "That's a laugh!" 

"Isobel!" Mrs Grunnings admonished. "You shouldn't spread rumours."

"It's hardly a rumour Mummy," Isobel snickered. "You only have to look at the heiresses he's going after to know that the family clearly doesn't have two pennies to rub together. You know full well they had money they would be looking for a title not a fortune. Families like that are the biggest social climbers of the lot, only they don't think it counts because they are already high class. Hypocrisy like that really annoys me."

Harry grinned. "I like you."

"I think I like you to Mr-?" 

"Potter," Harry informed her, "but please call me Harry."

"You do know that it's not exactly proper to refer to people by their first name unless they're family or a close friend," Dudley whispered.

"Oh I don't care, personally I think it's a refreshing change. I'm Isobel, it's nice to meet you Harry." She reached across Dudley to shake Harry's hand before turning to Dudley. "I suppose it's only fair you call me Isobel as well. You should feel honoured, you know, Viscount Morton doesn't have that privilege."

"Dudley," Dudley grinned widely, "and don't worry Isobel, I feel truly blessed."

The wake was a surprisingly pleasant affair. The Grunnings turned out to be very nice people who, despite their wealth, truly wanted to do what they could to help people, especially Isobel who had railed against the inequality of pay between CEOs and average workers. 

"Be careful Isobel," Mrs Grunnings, Rebecca, chided jokingly, "that sounds an awful lot like socialism."

"I'm not advocating socialism," Isobel huffed, "but you have to admit that its more than a little ridiculous for the top members of a company to earn in a couple of seconds what it takes the average worker to earn in a year."

Dudley had agreed with Isobel wholeheartedly and Harry had spent a lot of the night quietly chuckling to himself as he watched Dudley stare adoringly at Isobel like some love struck fool and wonder, if fleetingly, if that was how he looked when he looked at the Dark Lord. 

Dudley had briefly brought up the subject again and strongly suggested to Harry that he write to the Dark Lord again and try to arrange something for his birthday that was coming up fast. Harry was a little dubious but relented eventually, promising Dudley that he would write a letter as soon as they got home. 

Mr Grunnings, Ian, made sure to book the boys a taxi back and, before they left, offered Dudley a Summer Internship at Grunnings to get him used to how the company worked and allow him to earn some of his own money, especially as they were still unsure of how long it would take for the probate to clear, although thankfully the life insurance had cleared after the police had closed the investigation and Dudley was now just waiting for the money to clear. Even so he seemed happy at the idea of getting some work experience, although happier still after he learned that Ian could organise a car to pick Dudley up only he would have to share it with Isobel who was doing her own work experience at a local solicitors office since she wanted to go into law, specifically business law, as a way of helping her father's firm. In the future. 

Dudley didn't mind the idea of car sharing and neither did Isobel, especially after Dudley gushed at how amazing it was that she was planning on going into a career like law but how nice it was that she was doing it with the idea of helping her father's business. Apparently it was rare that people thought her career was a good idea: people were all for women in the workplace but only if her career allowed for her to make time for children and didn't risk overshadowing her husband's. Dudley didn't care one bit about that rubbish and thought it was brilliant that she was aiming so high which only improved him in her estimation. 

Back at Privet Drive, however, Dudley refused to leave Harry alone until he had written a letter.

Dear Dark Lord, 

I know you're very busy at the moment and I can only assume that's why you haven't been in touch but it is my birthday in a couple of days and I was really hoping that I would get the chance to see you at some stage.

Dudley has been absolutely brilliant since his parents died and he even took me shopping in London. I bought some things there that I would like to show you. 

I understand if you can't, or if, for some reason, you want to end that side of things between us although I can say that either of those options won't upset me. 

It feels like forever since I last saw you and I am not ashamed to say that I miss you. 

I await your response with hope, 

Your Harry. 

He sent the letter off with Dobby and went down to the makeshift gym he and Dudley had set up in the garage as a way of helping Dudley to get in better shape for his wrestling in the coming year. It was helping Harry a bit as well, as had the healthy meals they'd managed to convince Dobby to make, and Harry had already begun to see an improvement in his physique. Not that today's regime was very long. He had not been doing some calisthenics on one of the mats when Dobby reappeared with a reply. Harry had to admit his heart was in his mouth as he opened it. 

Dearest Harry, 

You have my most heartfelt apologies for what I have put you through; I never meant for you to question things, to question us. Of course I want to continue things as they were and I'm honestly curious about what you've bought on your travels.

Your cousin was actually kind enough to have messaged me before this and I have arranged to take you out for a meal on your birthday if that's alright with you. I will be round to pick you up at 6. I will warn you that it is a quiet, family run restaurant so don't feel the need to dress too formally, although the food is impeccable. If there is some issue with the date or time please have your house elf let me know or else I shall assume all is well. 

I have a surprise of my own for you and it is one I will hope you enjoy. 

Anxiously awaiting our first proper date,

Your faithful Dark Lord. 

Chapter Text

Harry waited impatiently just inside the front door of 4 Privet Drive, tugging his shirt straight for the umpteenth time as he waited for the Dark Lord to arrive. He had contemplated waiting outside but he knew that would only have been worse, especially if the Dark Lord decided to stand him up especially as it was kind of obvious that he was dressed up to go on a date. He'd chosen a dark, burgundy red shirt and plain black trousers, not knowing what sort of place the Dark Lord was taking him to but wanting to look like he had put in some effort since it was their first date. Not that any effort hadn't already been ruined. Harry had rubbed his hands in his hair so many times was sure he had gone past bedhead to just plain bedraggled and all the pulling in his shirt had caused the fabric to wrinkle more than when he pulled it out of the back of the wardrobe. 

He was nervous as hell. He wasn't sure if he was glad that Dudley wasn't here to see him in this state or if he wished he had his cousin there to ask for advice. He had washed his face 5 times that afternoon trying to decide whether or not to wear any makeup. He had only been planning on wearing a smudge of black kohl and maybe a touch of lip gloss but he had horrible waking nightmares of the Dark Lord slamming the door in his face as soon as he saw him and he just couldn't bring himself to take that step. 

He was just looking in the mirror and wondering whether he should grab a hold of some of his fabled Gryffindor bravery and just take the plunge when there was the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Harry was confused and just wondering if he could have been hearing things since he didn't think he knew anyone that could drive, certainly nobody who would visit him at this time of night, when there was a knock at the door. Curious, Harry cautiously opened it and was struck dumb by what he saw. There, standing on the doorstep was the Dark Lord, only looking nothing at all like he had when Harry last saw him. No, this one looked like a slightly older version of the handsome man who had emerged from the diary back in his second year.

Harry felt a little faint: partly from the memories of terror he had felt at being forced to battle that enormous snake and partly from the huge spike of desire he felt at the sight of the Dark Lord looking so handsome. The feeling only got worse when he produced a bouquet of red roses from behind his back. 

"These are for you Harry, by way of an apology for being a little distant these last few months only I didn't want to see you again until I had found a way to correct the ritual."

"But why?" Harry frowned.

The Dark Lord actually looked a little sheepish. "The last time we were together I could tell that you were a little put off by how I looked."

"If you mean my reaction when I touched your head it was just because it was a bit of a shock that's all," Harry protested. "I liked you fine the way you are."

"Putting up with how I look might have been ok for you but I am the Dark Lord Harry, I want people to fall at my feet and I can see that I made the right decision just by the look in your eyes. You never looked at me before with such unadulterated lust."

Harry blushed and looked away. "It's just a surprise, that's all."

"Still,"the Dark Lord smirked, "it pleases me greatly to have such an effect on you although you should be warned, I fully intend to use it to my advantage tonight."

Harry gulped as he felt his cock twitch at all the implications wrapped up in that statement and how he wished they would come true. 

"I- I should probably put these in water," he stammered, taking the bouquet and hoping for a quick breather to try and get his libido under control. 

No such luck there. 

"I's be taking those Harry Potter sir," Dobby said, suddenly appearing at Harry's side. "You's enjoy your evening."

"Thank you Dobby," Harry said, unable to completely hide the sarcastic undertone in his voice. 

"Shall we?" the Dark Lord asked, offering his arm with a smile, clearly sensing Harry's growing frustration with everything. 

Harry nodded, plastering a smile on his face, determined to have a truly wonderful time on his first date, only to stop short when the Dark Lord opened the door to the black sports car that was parked on his drive. 

"You drove here in a car!" Harry exclaimed. 

The Dark Lord shrugged. "Well part of the way. I didn't want to risk what the traffic would be like between Yorkshire and here, especially with having to get around the M25. I've heard it can be a nightmare around this time."

"I still find it hard to believe you can drive, let alone own a car like this."

"You forget I grew up in the muggle world, in London to be precise. In those days knowing to drive was practically essential and I've had my licence since I was a teenager. The car is a new acquisition however, but I've known Aston Martin for a long time and heard very good things about this car."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Somehow you are constantly able to surprise me."

"I hope that means I can keep you interested," the Dark Lord smirked. 

"I wouldn't worry about that," Harry muttered, eyeing up the new and improved Dark Lord again. He was now very glad that he had messaged Severus that afternoon, letting the man know what he had planned as well as writing an essay outlining the importance of preparation in anal sex and the risks in not doing it, as well as various methods with which to achieve the desired result. He even added a bit about some of the toys he'd bought as well as a chapter on the importance of verbal consent. He was surprised at how much he ended up writing but not as surprised as he was about the lack of shame and embarrassment he felt in doing it. He had certainly come a long way from the blushing, stammering boy who had struggled to talk to Severus about the subject a few short months ago and could only take that as a sign that he was ready to take the next step. 

Not that that meant anything was definitely happening that night but it was his birthday so Harry hoped the Dark Lord could be persuaded, although the looks he flashed at Harry every time they stopped at a red light gave him plenty of hope.

After a fairly short drive the Dark Lord pulled into the car park of a small Italian restaurant. It looked nice from the outside, definitely not one of those chain places, and Harry was suitably impressed as they were led to their table. 

"This place is actually owned by a squib couple," the Dark Lord explained. "I met Edith on the streets of London and she accompanied me on some of my travels, after I finished Hogwarts, and she met and fell in love with Antonio in Italy. Antonio's family had cast him out for being a squib as well so I gave them the money to set up this place so they could earn a living."

"That was very generous of you."

The Dark Lord shrugged. "It was a sound investment, especially after tasting Antonio's cooking and not only has it brought in a healthy return for me over the years, it also means I have somewhere truly great I can bring you for our date where neither of us have to worry about getting spotted. 

"That's a relief," Harry said with a smile, feeling slightly giddy as the Dark Lord pulled out a chair for him before sitting down himself. 

"I must say you look lovely tonight, Harry."

"Thank you," Harry said with a blush. He tried to suppress it but he could feel a little smile tugging at the corners of his lips

"I will admit though that I was expecting something a little more. After your cousin's letters this seems somewhat sedate."

"Letters!" Harry exclaimed. "There was more than one!" 

"Indeed. You see I found myself at a loss as to what to get you for your birthday and Mr Dursley was very helpful on that front."

Harry's eyes bugged. "You didn't need to get me anything else, you've already done enough. The date, the flowers, the," Harry gestured towards the Dark Lord's face, not feeling comfortable mentioning his looks as he worried it made him seem shallow. 

"The date is long overdue, Harry, and the flowers were an apology for that fact. As for my looks are for me as much as you, Harry. I am well aware of the saying 'you catch more flies with honey than vinegar' and a take over of the wizarding world will go a lot easier looking like this than how I looked before plus I realised Wormtail had massively cocked it up but that is another story."

"Wormtail is in trouble?" Harry queried, feeling a sense of malicious glee wash over him at the thought of the man who betrayed his parents and caused his godfather to be falsely imprisoned. 

"Trouble is an understatement," the Dark Lord stated, a dark look coming over his face. "I used legilimency on the rat, to ascertain what might have gone wrong with the ritual, as well as to discover why he had never informed me about the secret passage into the school only to discover that he was a spy for Dumbledore all along. It turns out the old coot had seen the benefits of the man's animagus ability from the off and had used him to keep an eye on my suspected followers as well as his own people. Apparently your mother had found out that she was pregnant again and your parents were planning on fleeing the country and asking me for amnesty as they had found that it was possible to raise one child in those conditions long term, let alone two, and Dumbledore wasn't being any help. Peter coming to me with the information of their whereabouts was all a set up."

Harry gaped. "Dumbledore set the whole thing up!" 

"Indeed," Voldemort murmured, "and I am now more sure than ever that that prophecy was fake and I'm very glad that we made the deal to ignore it, for a number of reasons. You look very upset though Harry, would you like a glass of wine with your meal? Technically you can have a glass with your meal at the age of 16 at the manager's discretion and I can assure you they won't mind here. I won't be drinking because I'm driving but don't let that stop you."

"Well I do have some fake ID on me as well," Harry chuckled, "but I'm alright thanks, I'll just stick to soft drinks tonight."

"You're going to be completely sober? Interesting," the Dark Lord said with an intense look in his eyes that was full of dark promises and Harry found himself shuddering with anticipation. 

The meal couldn't go quickly enough for Harry, although his lasagne al forno was delicious but, while he was awaiting his tiramisu the Dark Lord placed a small square box on the table, wishing him a happy birthday and encouraging Harry to open it. Inside was a beautiful Claddagh ring with a bright green stone set as the heart. As Harry stared at it the Dark Lord waved his hand and revealed a similar ring on his right hand, with the heart facing in. 

"Your cousin told me about these and I couldn't help thinking that it was a nice way of showing that we were a couple but not in an overly obvious way. I hope you like it, your cousin suggested you would, and I hope I wasn't too presumptuous in picking the stones."

"Which stones did you go for?" Harry asked, still staring transfixed at the ring, barely believing that the Dark Lord was asking for them to be officially a couple in such a way.

"Your ring contains a stone called Moldavite and the one in mine is a Ruby. I thought it would be nice for us to wear stones that represented the other, as if we held the other's heart. Can I put it on you?"

Harry nodded, feeling too choked up to use actual words. He remembered Skye telling him that Moldavite represented a strong, unconventional personality who may have atypical and unpopular views; someone with big ideas and the desire to push the limits of experience. Harry could remember thinking that that represented the Dark Lord perfectly. He was a little surprised to think that the Dark Lord thought Ruby represented him: someone who was open, warm, friendly and confident. A natural leader who shows responsibility for others and is honest and trustworthy. It showed what the Dark Lord thought of him and Harry felt truly humbled to be held in such high esteem by the man. It did, however, cement the idea of carrying on their celebrations that night, wanting his first time to be with the man in front of him. 

Harry was a ball of nervous energy all through dessert and on the drive back home earning him a few curious looks from the Dark Lord, although the man didn't say anything until he had once again pulled up at 4 Privet Drive. 

"Harry," the Dark Lord said reassuringly, "you must remember that we don't have to do anything if you don't want to. As much as I might want a repeat of our last meeting I would hate to ruin things between us by pressuring you, not to mention that Severus would have my guts for garters if he found out."

Harry shook his head. "That's not why I'm a little nervous. I did have some plans of my own and I was planning on asking if you wanted to come inside, although I wasn't quite sure how to broach the subject."

"Well straight forward tends to work," the Dark Lord chuckled. "I would be more than happy to join you inside for whatever your beautiful little mind has been planning."

Harry nodded, biting his lip in anticipation and led the Dark Lord inside, ignoring the living room and taking the Dark Lord straight up to his room, much to the other man's obvious delight. The Dark Lord seemed to take a good look around Harry's room and Harry felt a little on display, like he was being judged, especially when the man seemed to hone in on the altar he'd set up. 

"You're going pagan, Harry?" 

"Yes," Harry admitted, "although I'm still doing research at the moment as to which branch speaks to me best although I think I'm leaning more towards Druidry."

"Very interesting," the Dark Lord mused. "I've known several people who practised Wicca over the years although I never saw the appeal myself and I would be happy to discuss the topic with you at some point."

"Yes, at some point," Harry agreed, "but not tonight."

"No, not tonight," the Dark Lord purred seductively, the dark look in his eyes speaking of all sorts of delicious delights and Harry feared he might combust on the spot from the heat of it. 

Harry gulped. "I, um, I haven't done this before so I'm not sure how we should start."

"How about we start where we left off last time and see where things go," the Dark Lord suggested, taking a seat on Harry's bed and opening his arms invitingly and Harry wasted no time in climbing onto the man's lap. 

"Are you going to tie up my hands like last time?" Harry asked, a little hopefully, causing the Dark Lord to smirk. 

"Not just yet, it may hinder us more than it helps," he explained, sliding his fingers under the back of Harry's shirt to brush at the smooth skin at the base of his spine. 

Harry's back arched in pleasure as he let out a long moan that only got louder as the Dark Lord began to attack his neck with licks and kisses and turned into a gasp as the man gently bit down. 

"Did you like that Harry?" the Dark Lord murmured into his skin. "Do you like it when I'm a little rough with you?" The last question was punctuated by the Dark Lord sliding his hands up Harry's back and scraping his nails down causing Harry to his out. 

"Yes!" 

"And you remember your safe word?" he queried, sliding his hands around to stroke over Harry's stomach and Harry was very glad that he had taken to helping Dudley with his fitness regime. They had converted the garage into a small gym and had pointed out some books in nutrition and healthy eating recipes. The house elf had been quite impressed to learn of the advances that muggles had made in that sector and had started making some delicious but nutritious meals which, along with regular exercises, had allowed Harry to start building up some nice, lean muscle. It certainly helped with his confidence as he felt the Dark Lord carefully mapping out the slight six-pack that was forming on his stomach. 

Harry's lips found the other man's and they fell into a deep, devour kiss as the Dark Lord's hands began to slide up Harry's front, only to stop when they reached Harry's nipple. 

"And what's this?" the Dark Lord queried with a smirk, giving the metal ring a gentle tug before helping Harry out of his shirt to admire the small ornament. 

"I was persuaded to get it done when I got my ears pierced," Harry admitted. "The guy tried to get me to get a tattoo as well but I wasn't sure how you would feel about that."

The Dark Lord placed his hands on Harry's cheeks and moved his head to look Harry straight in the eye, saying seriously, "I will say this as many times as I need to because its important Harry, but your body is your own, to do with as you choose. Don't let me or anyone else dictate to you what you should so with it in any way." 

Harry nodded solemnly before leaning forward to crash his lips into the Dark Lord's, feeling more glad than ever about the choices he'd made this year, not to mention his decision to go all the way with the man that night. 

Taking a leaf out of the Dark Lord's book, Harry began to use his hands to explore the man's body, slowly divesting him of his clothes and using fingers and lips to tease any exposed flesh. It wasn't long until they were both panting hard, striped to the waist, and the Dark Lord paused at the button of Harry's trousers. 

"Are you sure you want to do this? Remember you can stop at any time."

Harry nodded and lifted his hips to allow the man better access. "Yes, I'm sure I want this."

The Dark Lord growled deep in his throat and dived in for another kiss and turned them around to lie Harry on his back on the bed as he slowly slid his trousers off revealing some very tented boxers which had a large wet patch forming on the front of them.

"I'm happy to see that I can excite you so much but I'm worried that you will be too distracted if we don't do anything about that before we continue. Do you mind if I do something to help?" 

"Please!" Harry begged, curious as to what the Dark Lord had in mind. He didn't have to wait long to find out as the man carefully slid Harry's boxers down to the top of his thighs and swallowed Harry's cock down in one go, causing the young man to scream out in pleasure. The Dark Lord held Harry's hands down, preventing him from doing anything to change the pace. Not that Harry had the mind to try and do that as the Dark Lord attacked Harry's cock like a hurricane, slurping at it and drinking down all of the fluid like a man who hadn't had a drink in days. Harry was pretty sure his brain short-circuited at one point, long before his orgasm came crashing into him as he shot his load down the Dark Lord's throat. 

They were both panting heavily afterwards. 

"That's better," the Dark Lord said, licking his lips. "Now you should be nicely relaxed and I can take my time preparing you, if you're sure you want to have anal sex that is."

"Oh I definitely do," Harry grinned, "but you don't have to worry about preparing me too much, I've been working on that myself."

"What do you mean?" the Dark Lord asked with a frown, whipping off Harry's boxers to reveal the larger of the butt plugs nestled in Harry's arse. "Tut tut Harry, you naughty boy. I was quite looking forward to taking my time slowly opening you up to me."

Harry's heart and face fell as he worried he'd messed up but a naughty part of him thrilled at the thought that something might happen. 

"If I've been naughty does that mean I need to be punished?" 

The Dark Lord's eyebrows raised at that comment. "Do you think you need to be punished?" 

Harry nodded his head. "Yes, my Lord." 

The Dark Lord growled and dived on Harry. 

"I have even bought a few things you can use," Harry suggested when he finally got his mouth free. That peaked the Dark Lord's interest and Harry happily pulled out the box that he'd put all the things he'd bought from Cyberdog, as well as a few other bits that Dudley had ordered online for him as a present for his birthday, and hadn't that been a shock when he'd opened it that morning along, a day early at Dudley's insistence. 

The Dark Lord seemed immensely curious in the various items.

"Trust me when I say that I am more than happy to use these things," he said, holding up the spanking paddle, "but I definitely think we need to ease into things and we will have to introduce a new system, the traffic light system, to make sure you're comfortable with everything: green for everything is fine, yellow for pause or ease up if you're feeling a little uncomfortable and red for a complete stop. I will check in intermittently but I need you to be completely honest with me and yourself and to let me know as soon as you need me to stop or ease up a bit."

"Ok," Harry said breathily, feeling his anticipation building. "How do you want me my lord?" 

"Spread out over my lap I think, arse in the air and hands behind your back. I'm going to cuff your wrists together so keep your shoulders relaxed. I am going to slap you with my hand for starters, to make sure it is something you are comfortable with, before we try that lovely paddle of yours."

"Yes my lord," Harry said, trying to sound meek and subservient even as he felt his cock twitching to life again, helped by the fact that the Dark Lord was still half dressed while he was butt naked. 

He got into position and the Dark Lord checked to make sure the cuffs weren't too tight or pulling awkwardly on his arms. It was quite thrilling to be completely at the other man's mercy, unaware of what he was planning and he happily answered green as he felt the Dark Lord ease out his butt plug and gently stroke around his stretched hole, wiping up the excess lube before bringing his hand down suddenly in a hard smack, causing Harry to shout out in surprise, as well as a mix of pleasure and pain. It felt as good as he imagined it would and he soon found himself moaning away and trying to get some friction against his newly reawakened cock as the Dark Lord peppered his backside with a variety of swats: light and hard, fast and slow, to the point that Harry's mind was starting to turn a little mushy. 

"I think that's enough of the hand I think," the Dark Lord murmured, rubbing said hand soothingly over Harry's inflamed backside. "Do you still want to try the paddle?"

"Yes my lord," Harry replied, "I don't think I've been punished enough."

"I don't think you've been punished at all pet, you seem to have enjoyed that exceedingly," the Dark Lord chuckled, reaching around to stroke Harry's hardening cock to emphasise his point, causing Harry to moan and push into his hand, desperate for relief once more.

"Ah, ah, ah," the Dark Lord chided, "not yet pet. We don't want you to get too tired too quickly. We have the whole night to enjoy after all."

He manoeuvred Harry so that his chest was down on the bed while his feet were still on the floor, pushing Harry's arse up into the air while keeping Harry's cock away from anything that he might be able to rub against to get any relief.

Harry whimpered slightly in frustration but was soon distracted by the first slap of the paddle that would have sent him flying forward if not for the steadying hand on his back. 

"Colour pet?" 

"Green, my Lord," Harry panted, relishing the stinging flesh that sent pleasure coursing through him. 

"Good," the Dark Lord purred before bringing the paddled down again and again. 

The Dark Lord was breathing raggedly by the time he was finished and Harry was moaning loudly, once again hard as steel and desperate for release. 

"Oh dear, all that spanking seems to have caused your hole to tighten up again," the Dark Lord murmured, not sounding at all sorry as he stroked Harry's opening. "It seems I will get to open you up after all."

Harry let out a groan of frustration that soon turned into a moan of delight as he felt the warm, wet swipe of a tongue over his hole. The Dark Lord then proceeded to eat his hole out with relish, spreading Harry open with his fingers to be able to push in deeper. Harry was moaning wantonly by the time the Dark Lord had three fingers buried in him, as well as his tongue, and it only took a couple of strokes of that beautiful spot inside him and Harry was once again shooting his load all over the bed. 

"Now you are ready to take my cock," the Dark Lord smirked, looking at an already fucked out Harry collapsed on the bed. 

"Please my Lord," Harry begged, not sure how much more he could take. 

The Dark Lord pulled out a cock ring and put it on himself. "I want to give your arse a thorough pounding pet, let your first time be something to remember properly, but I fear that your beautifully tight hole and your delightful moans will have me finishing too quickly if I don't take precautions."

Harry was pretty sure he was already going to remember this night for the rest of his life but he wasn't about to complain, not that he really felt as if he had the energy to anyway, not resisting in the slightest as the Dark Lord removed the cuffs and moved him around so that he was crouched on the bed on all fours. He wondered briefly if he had the strength left to maintain this position when he felt a gentle kiss at the base of his spine followed by the press of something big and blunt at the entrance to his hole. It was definitely bigger than any of the training plugs he'd used but it felt different as well, better than the plastic by far, and Harry moaned as he rocked himself back on his partner's cock, slightly surprised that the Dark Lord was letting him have this kind of control.

"That's it pet," the Dark Lord cooed. "Watching your pretty, little hole greedily eating my cock is certainly a sight worth waiting for."

Harry moaned, loving the dirty talk, and pushed back hard, feeling the Dark Lord's hips pressing against his backside. He could feel the Dark Lord panting trying to keep a tight grip on his control. 

"Now pet, before we continue and risk getting carried away, am I allowed to finish inside you or would you rather I pull out before I cum?" 

"Inside!" Harry exclaimed, feeling slightly panicked at the thought of not feeling the Dark Lord filling him up, something that he'd contemplated and fantasised about frequently over the last month. 

"That's good," the Dark Lord said, leaning over to press a gentle kiss on the back of Harry's neck. "Not that I would have minded if you had objected but it means that I don't have to worry about keeping my wits about me at the end."

Harry didn't have time to contemplate the meaning of that as the Dark Lord pulled out and suddenly slammed back in, knocking Harry forward a bit and forcing him to brace his arms on the headboard. He hit hard a few times shifting slightly each time until one movement caused Harry to cry out as his prostate was brushed. That seemed to be what the Dark Lord was waiting for as he suddenly switched gears and began pistoning his hips, pounding the little nub with abandon. Harry was definitely sure his brain had short-circuited now as he made a sort of garbled, gurgling noise as he simply held on for the ride. He was surprised to feel his cock coming to life once more although he probably shouldn't have been especially with the way his eyes kept rolling into the back of his head. When he had got half hard he felt the Dark Lord reach around to take him in hand and start to pull him off. 

Harry was practically in tears at this point, a litany of pleading slipping from his lips, although what he was pleading for he wasn't quite sure. The Dark Lord seemed to know, however, grabbing a handful of Harry's hair and yanking his head back roughly, altering the angle slightly so that his prostate was hit square on and causing Harry to cry out in pleasure. 

Harry whimpered as the Dark Lord pulled out completely, feeling like he was teetering on the edge once more, only to sigh in relief as his partner slammed into him once more, pounding into him harder than ever as the hand on his cock flew uo and down. Suddenly the Dark Lord stuttered a bit before he slammed hard into Harry's arse once more, biting down on the juncture of Harry's neck as Harry felt a hot warmth flood his passage. There were tears in his eyes as he screamed his release for the third time that night and drifted into a sweet oblivion. 

Chapter Text

For a moment when Harry woke up he could have sworn that he was dreaming as he felt a pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around him and a hard body pressed against his back. The dull ache in his arse was proof enough that it wasn't a dream though and Harry smiled as he shifted, feeling a hard cock slide between his cheeks. 

"Good morning my dear, and happy birthday," the Dark Lord murmured into Harry's ear, placing a delicate kiss behind his ear. "How are you feeling this morning? Not too sore I hope."

"Not at all," Harry said with a smile. "Thank you for last night."

"I should be the one thanking you dear Harry, last night was well worth the wait."

"Does that mean you'd be interested in another round?" 

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to push you too much and you get hurt."

"I wouldn't, don't worry, I prepared myself well, remember."

"Yes but I was still very rough," the Dark Lord sighed and he tenderly stroked Harry's backside. "I tried to find something to soothe your skin when I cleaned you up last night but unfortunately muggles are somewhat limited in that area."

"I promise I'm fine," Harry giggled. 

The Dark Lord hummed and gently probed Harry's hole with his fingers. Harry gasped at a spike of pain when the Dark Lord slid in two fingers and scissored them. It dissipated quickly, however, and Harry was soon moaning instead.

"You still seem a little sore still. If we're going to do this I think you should go on top."

Harry quickly flipped around, the movement suddenly dislodging the fingers that were still in his arse, making him wince a bit.

"You want me to, you know, you!" 

The Dark Lord chuckled. "No Harry. No offence but that isn't something I'm interested in."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. No offence but I don't really have any desire to do anything but taking, if you know what I mean."

"That is good to know," the Dark Lord cooed, stroking the side of Harry's face, "but I thought it would be a good idea if you were to ride me, that way you will be able to control things better, be able to adjust things to suit your needs."

"Ok," Harry breathed, feeling the excitement thrumming through his veins already. As the Dark Lord leaned in to kiss him deeply, pushing him onto his back. Harry moaned into the kiss, bringing his hands up to thread his fingers through the man's dark, thick locks. He'd never thought that he was someone who particularly cared about looks, and he had been attracted to the man before his transformation, but Harry couldn't deny that the Dark Lord's new look got his blood racing in a way far beyond what he had imagined possible. 

Harry's legs naturally fell apart and the Dark Lord wasted no time in settling himself between them, wordlessly summoning some lube to start preparing his hole. It didn't take much as he was still fairly loose from the night before but the Dark Lord didn't seem to want to take any chances, applying lube liberally and not letting up until he could move three fingers in and out of Harry freely. 

The anticipation of what was about to happen had Harry in a state of high excitement very quickly. It was one thing to do things in the heat of the moment, in the dark of the night, but there was a very different feel to things now, almost sweeter, and it touched him on a level he didn't even know existed.

When he was satisfied Harry was ready, the Dark Lord lay back on the bed, legs bent, and beckoned Harry to get on top of him. Harry moved, straddling the man's lap, and felt both embarrassed and aroused as he lined the other man's cock up with his entrance and slowly pushed down. 

"Lean back a bit, Harry. I want to see your delicious arse taking my cock."

Harry gulped but did as requested, putting his hands on the other man's knees for leverage and slowly rocked himself down, blushing at the heated look in the Dark Lord's eyes as he watched avidly as his cock disappeared into Harry's hole. It was a little embarrassing yes, but there was also a heady sense of power mixed in that Harry revelled in. That he could have that sort of effect on someone as powerful as the Dark Lord was incredible and he had no problem playing it up as he slowly rocked himself lower, moaning loudly as he felt his hole being stretched, making the most of every second until he was fully seated.

"You're turning into quite the tease Pet," the Dark Lord smirked. 

"Is that a problem?" Harry asked, looking at the Dark Lord through his lashes. 

"Not in the slightest," the Dark Lord smiled, "I'm just slightly surprised at how quickly you're picking things up."

"Maybe I just needed the right motivation," Harry smirked, slowly sliding himself up only to slam down, making the Dark Lord groan. He repeated the action several times, loving the way he was pushing the other man's control. He tested out various speeds, teasingly tensing his muscles from time to time, loving the little reactions he was able to draw out from the man. Not that the Dark Lord was a passive partner, using his hands to explore all of the sensitive spots he had found the night before and paying special attention to Harry's pierced nipple, playing with it and pulling it and generally driving Harry mad. Unfortunately he could tell his body wasn't used to this movement and soon his thighs started to burn from the excursion. 

"Had enough fun, Pet?" the Dark Lord asked, stroking Harry's thighs. 

"I think so," Harry panted, slamming down hard one last time, groaning himself as he hit his prostate.

"Then it might be time for me to take over. You might want to brace yourself on my chest."

Harry did as he was told, placing his hands on the man's firm chest. The Dark Lord shifted a bit and then began to move his hips, slowly at first, adjusting his angle a bit until he found the right one, then quickly built up speed until he was pistoning into Harry from below so hard Harry worried he would be thrown off. It was glorious, and, looking into his lover's eyes, Harry felt a connection with the man. He tensed, squeezing his thighs and the muscles in his arse as if he was trying to pull the Dark Lord into him. That seemed to be the man's undoing and he held tight to Harry's hips. One final slam and Harry felt him emptying himself inside. 

"Touch yourself Pet," the Dark Lord rasped out. Harry leaned back, squeezing the cock in his arse one last time as he took his own in hand. It only took a few tugs and he was shooting ribbons of cum across the Dark Lord's chest with such force it hit his chin. 

Harry collapsed forward, uncaring of the mess he was landing in. The Dark Lord smiled, bringing his hand up and wiping up some of Harry's cum with his finger before licking it clean. 

"Delicious," he hummed before scooping up some more and offering it to Harry who greedily licked and sucked the man's fingers, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he purred with pleasure at the sight and sensation. "You will be the death of me Pet."

"I hope not," Harry smiled, "I hope to get a lot more use of you yet."

"I'm sure you will. Happy birthday by the way."

"Thank you," Harry grinned. "I can honestly say that this has already been the best one yet."

"I hope we can celebrate many more in a similar fashion," the Dark Lord purred. 

"Me too," Harry said, feeling a sense of wonderment at the words. 

It was the first indication, in words at least, that there was something real between them, something permanent, and it made Harry feel all warm and giddy inside. They cuddled on the bed for a little while but soon the quickly cooling cum made things feel uncomfortable so they both got up to have a shower, taking time to once again explore each other's bodies. Harry couldn't get enough of the Dark Lord's new look and, thankfully, the man didn't seem to mind the attention. Afterwards Harry slipped on a pair of boxers and went down to the kitchen to start cooking breakfast, but not before getting a quick kiss. It was sweet and felt strangely domestic and Harry was loving every second of it. 

The Dark Lord came down a few minutes later, fully dressed, much to Harry's disappointment, although that was quite short lived as came up and pressed another kiss into the back of Harry's neck before putting the kettle on and asking Harry what he wanted to drink. Harry served up as the Dark Lord poured his tea from the teapot and they sat down at the table. It was nice, although Harry felt a little awkward trying to think of something to say. 

"Um, thanks again for last night," Harry stammered. 

The Dark Lord chuckled good humouredly. "You already said that earlier Harry."

"I know, but I didn't just mean for what happened but how you did it, checking how I was and all that. It made me feel really safe and it gave me the confidence to try all those things."

"I'm glad to hear it," the Dark Lord smiled, "although I'd appreciate you not spreading it around my followers too much, I don't want them thinking I'm going soft. Feel free to let Severus know about it; I received quite a frantic message from him before I set off and I'm sure he'll appreciate you letting him know everything is fine."

Harry gulped. "Sorry about that it's just he made me promise not to do anything until I was ready and I had to write him an essay to prove it so I may have sent it off yesterday morning, just in case."

"Well I'm glad to hear that he is taking such good care of your wellbeing, Harry, it seems we made the right decision in moving him to your group instead of mine, it certainly makes his job easier. I'm also happy to hear you taking such pains to keep your promises, it's a good sign for the future."

"Thank you my Lord," Harry said with a blush and the Dark Lord let out a low predatory growl as his eyes flashed with desire and Harry felt that increasingly familiar thrill of excitement run through him. 

Any thoughts of amorous activities were suddenly brought to a quick stop however as the front door slammed open. Harry had a brief moment of panic that it was Dumbledore who had come to collect him but then Dudley appeared and he breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Morning Dudley, you're back earlier than I expected, did you want some breakfast?" 

Dudley stopped suddenly in his tracks and gaped at the pair at the table, doing a double take when spotting the Dark Lord. "Oh, um, sorry. Didn't realise you guys would be up yet, I didn't mean to intrude although I should have realised by the car on the drive. I'm surprised you have James Bond's car though."

"Nonsense Mr Dursleys," the Dark Lord said, beckoning Dudley over to the table, "we were just having breakfast anyway and I will admit to having had a love of Bond for years, although I may have been more interested in the bad guys than the spy himself. I should thank you by the way, for all of your kind advice with regards to Harry's present, it went down very well."

"Yes it did," Harry agreed, looking at his ring and smiling before getting up to fix Dudley a plate of food while the Dark Lord poured him a cup of tea from the pot. Dudley sat down a little reluctantly. 

"Er, thank you Harry, um, Mr Dark Lord."

The Dark Lord laughed. "I don't think it's quite right for you to call me that, Mr Dursley, I'm hardly your Lord."

"What should I call you then sir?" Dudley asked, ducking as an owl flew in through the open window to drop off the Dark Lord's copy of the Daily Prophet. 

"Marvolo should do, especially as the only time we are likely to interact is if I come here," the Dark Lord replied, flipping through the paper with a somewhat quizzical look on his face. "You can use that name as well Harry, when we're in private of course." 

"Was he calling you Dark Lord all night or something?" Dudley chuckled. 

"Something like that," Harry blushed. 

"Yeah, I don't want details, thanks," Dudley said, pulling a face, causing Harry to laugh. 

"How come you're back so early?" Harry asked, causing Dudley to scowl. 

"Nothing to worry about, I just realised that Piers is a total prick that's all."

Now it was Harry's turn to frown. "I assume that means he said something to upset you." Dudley nodded. "But you're not going to say what it is." Dudley shook his head. "That's fine but he is one of your oldest friends, it might be an idea to at least give him a chance to apologise or explain things. It seems a shame for you to throw away so many years of friendship over one comment."

"He's a homophobic arsehole Harry!"

"Is he?" Harry questioned. "Or is he just playing a role? No offence Dudley but, given Uncle Vernon's views on things I was sure you'd have an issue with me being gay, remember. There's a chance he was only saying what he thought you wanted to hear. Remember what your tarot reading said the other day: someone in your environment could disappoint you but don't judge by an isolated action and they might surprise you."

"I suppose," Dudley huffed, "but he better have a damn good excuse."

"Aha!" the Dark Lord exclaimed. "There it is, although Dumbledore must have called in a lot of favours to get it squashed all the way to page 5."

Harry was just about to ask what the Dark Lord was talking about when Ron's small owl Pig came careening into the kitchen, crashing into the table and scattering plates, cups and cutlery to the floor. Harry detached the letter as the Dark Lord set to repairing the damage. He quickly read through it, gaped, and then sat down to read it 

"Is there anything the matter?" the Dark Lord asked, looking slightly worriedly at Harry. 

"Um yeah. I assume you had something to do with Wormtail being killed and stuck to the door of the Daily Prophet offices."

"Of course," the Dark Lord smirked. "When I was trying to find out what went wrong with the ritual before I may have looked through Wormtail's mind and found out that he purposely botched it, not checking what was in my father's grave before collecting the bone and being immensely unwilling to give up his flesh. It made me, shall we say, curious, and so I delved deeper and found out that he had been a spy for Dumbledore all along, using his ability to transform into a rat to listen in to conversations, both friend and foe. It seems he'd overheard your parents talking about fleeing the country as your mother had found out that she was pregnant again and they had realised that living in isolation as they were was no way to raise one child, let alone two. They had already started to pack when Wormtail came to me with the information of where they were hiding. If Dumbledore believed that prophecy to be true it seems he set us all up."

"That bastard!" Harry yelled, slamming his hands on the table. 

"Agreed," the Dark Lord nodded, "although I am disappointed in myself for not realising that Dumbledore would have seen the benefit of Wormtail's ability and have questioned it sooner. I obviously couldn't let something like that slide, so I killed the traitor, not that there was much if him left after I'd ripped through his mind like I did, and I decided to put him somewhere public with a note detailing his crimes, including that he was the one who betrayed your parents, not Black, in the hopes that your Godfather could be freed. An extra birthday present if you will."

"Unfortunately it hasn't worked out quite as you thought," Harry sighed. "Not only has Dumbledore suppressed your article but he is also refusing to let Sirius have a retrial, claiming it's all a ploy of yours and we can't walk into an obvious trap." The Dark Lord scoffed and Harry couldn't help agreeing as he remembered all of the times the headmaster had thrown into obvious traps. "Anyway, Sirius is apparently fuming about that but Dumbledore is seemingly worried and is coming to get me this afternoon."

"We'd best make it look like you haven't been having a lot of fun here then," Dudley chuckled. 

Harry was a little upset at the idea of having to leave behind a lot of his purchases but Dobby promised to be on hand if there was anything Harry wanted. At least he could keep the good underwear he'd picked up and he planned to claim some of the stuff was Dudley's better cast offs that, unlike Petunia, Dudley couldn't be bothered to take to the charity shops that he and Hermione had shrunk down. Harry just hoped that Dumbledore didn't look too closely at his clothes, although thankfully his robes would conceal a lot and at least he didn't have to worry about any of his dorm mates saying anything. The biggest upset for him, however, was knowing that he wouldn't get a chance to see the Dark Lord for the rest of the summer. It felt like they had had so little time together as it was, thanks to the Dark Lord finalising the ritual to get his looks back, not that Harry was complaining about that, but it felt almost cruel that he would have discovered the joys of sex just to lose the chance to enjoy them. 

Dudley, realising this, gave the pair a chance to say goodbye properly as he helped Dobby hide anything magical and hide all of Harry's school things in the cupboard under the stairs again. Harry pointed out that he wouldn't be able to use Dobby much while he was where he was going, unable to name the place. 

"It is the Black property. It's a Grim, old place," Harry chuckled as he imagined the look of it as a way to get around the Fidelius charm. 

"I believe I know which one you're talking about," the Dark Lord smiled, "although you do realise there are numerous Black properties."

"There are?" Harry exclaimed. "Dumbledore only ever mentioned the one."

"The family has existed since the 12th century, with plenty of family over the years, although it has shrunk a lot in recent generations, but many of the properties will still exist as I doubt Arcturus would have allowed them to be sold off, although Walburga was always very prudent when it came to money."

"Is that why the place seems so run down?" Harry queried.

"It is a magical house and, as such, will have likely reflected the mental state of the owner. Walburga was in mourning at the end of her life having lost both her husband and her son in quick succession. I imagine Sirius's mindset isn't much better at the moment."

"Probably," Harry sighed. "It's as if the old man is keeping him imprisoned again."

"It would certainly seem that way," the Dark Lord agreed, "although I don't know why. Perhaps we can use it to our advantage. I will certainly have Lucius look into what is happening in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as they would theoretically have started an investigation if a wizard who had been assumed dead suddenly resurfaced but I imagine Dumbledore has quashed that as well."

"I'll try to message some of my friends as well, that way it won't look too suspicious if I suddenly come to Sirius with anything. I can claim Dudley doesn't pay as much attention to the owl as Uncle Vernon did."

"I'll leave you my copy of the paper for you then," the Dark Lord said, giving Harry one final kiss. "I shall miss you Pet but we should be able to see each other when you are back at school as I can't see Severus putting too many roadblocks in the way. Just remember not to use too much magic at the house, we don't want Dumbledore getting suspicious."

"I promise," Harry smiled. "I wouldn't want to upset my boyfriend now would I."

"No indeed," the Dark Lord smiled, bidding Harry a final goodbye before climbing in his car and speeding away. 

Harry sighed. It was going to be a long month and he had a feeling that spending time with the Weasleys might not be as big a relief as it usually was. 

Chapter Text

Dumbledore had arrived after lunch and it had taken all of Harry's ability to pretend to be excited to leave, as he normally ought to be, and he had to concentrate hard on the thought of spending time with his friends and Sirius again to remember that there were some benefits to him going to Grimmauld Place. Mrs Weasley promptly fussed over him as soon as he arrived, practically pushing everyone else away, and made a big deal about giving him a huge meal and saying Harry should eat up as he looked like he had lost some weight. It was ridiculous as Harry knew full well that he hadn't lost any weight and had, in fact, put some on, although there was a fair amount of lean muscle thanks to his working out. He was just grateful that he had had the foresight not to eat anything at lunchtime although the sight of all the heavy food that Mrs Weasley put in front of him still caused his stomach to turn a bit after the healthy food that Dobby had been preparing for them over the holidays. He garnered a few strange looks when he asked for some fruit afterwards instead of tucking into the heavy pudding that was hoisted on him. 

Dumbledore had stayed for the meal and was unsurprisingly vague when he spoke of why Harry had been suddenly summoned to the house, claiming that ot had been high time for Harry to spend some time with his friends while also mentioning something about increased death eater activity and that they had to be careful but absolutely nothing was mentioned about Peter or the Prophet. Sirius was visibly seething where he was sitting at the other end of the table and Harry could only guess that they were under strict instructions not to say anything about it. 

After he'd finished eating Harry excused himself from the table saying he wanted to get settled in his room and Ron and Hermione followed him, claiming to want to catch up. As soon as they got to Ron and Harry's room Harry pulled out his wand and cast the muffliato spell that the Dark Lord had taught him before he left. 

"That should stop us having to worry about anyone listening in on us," Harry said with a smile. 

"Aren't you worried that the Ministry is going to get alerted if you start doing magic?" Hermione asked. 

"Well I'm assuming Dumbledore would stop anything while I'm here anyway otherwise it would go off whenever any of the adults did any magic," Harry replied, "but Lucius Malfoy has got me covered anyway apparently. I've been doing loads of spells over the summer and haven't heard a peep." 

"You saw Lucius Malfoy!" Ron exclaimed loudly only for Hermione to suah him. 

Harry chuckled. "It's fine Hermione, he won't be heard but yes, he came and dealt with the Dursleys." 

"I thought they died in a car crash?" Hermione queried. 

"That's the official story, yes," Harry said. "I don't know exactly what happened and, to be honest, I don't want to. It was all the Dark Lord's idea though. Apparently he'd found out what they were like and wasn't too pleased with them and decided to punish them."

"Not your cousin?" Ron asked. 

Harry shook his head. "No. The plan had been to punish Dudlas well I think but he apologised for his behaviour so I asked for him to be spared. It worked out well in the end I think, especially as it meant that I got to stay at Privet Drive for a while."

"You almost sound as if you're upset about coming here," Ron chuckled. 

"No offence but I actually am," Harry sighed. "Not because I don't get to spend time with you guys but it was actually quite fun hanging out with Dudley without his parents there, it turns out he's actually a great guy. Plus there's no way I can see the Dark Lord while I'm here."

"So you've managed to see him this summer then?" Hermione queried. 

"Yes," Harry smiled. "Only once, for my birthday. He took me out for a meal and spent the night." 

Ron and Hermione's eyebrows raised at that.

"Oh yes," Harry chuckled, "I'm not a virgin any more."

Ron pulled a face. "Rather you than me mate. I couldn't imagine doing anything with that snake face."

"Well I would have anyway but it turns out that the reason he wouldn't see me before the end of term waa because he was trying to fix the ritual that Wormtail messed up."

"So that's why he killed Wormtail," Hermione exclaimed.

"Part of it," Harry admitted. "He realised that Wormtail was actually a spy for Dumbledore all along which is why he was killed and he put the body and a note on the Prophet door to try to get Sirius's name cleared, as an extra birthday present for me, but Dumbledore covered it up."

"That bastard!" Ron yelled. "No wonder Sirius is so pissed."

"Well I don't think Sirius knows about the note," Hermione mused. 

"Of course he doesn't, he'd have killed Dumbledore if he did," Ron pointed out. "He barely stopped as it is."

"Maybe someone should let it slip," came a laughing voice from above their head causing them all to look up. 

"Blimey you can talk!" Ron gaped. 

"Just because someone doesn't talk it doesn't mean that they aren't listening and you would do well to remember that Mr Weasley," the portrait said.

"How do you know my name?" Ron gasped. 

"You mean other than the fact that you've been staying here for the last two summers and more," the portrait chuckled. "I have also been asked by the current headmaster to keep an eye on you."

Harry panicked briefly but then smiled as he remembered that Dumbledore wasn't the headmaster of Hogwarts any more. 

"Severus is watching?" Harry asked. 

"Yes," the portrait chuckled, "and he is somewhat curious how you learned one of his spells." 

"His spells?" 

"Yes," the portrait smiled. "Severus Snape was always very adept at spellcraft and created the spell you used to prevent people from listening in to your conversations."

"Oh!" Harry said. "Well the Dark Lord taught it to me before I came here, he said it would be very handy while I was here."

"A smart move indeed," the portrait smiled. "My name is Phineas Nigellus Black by the way."

"I know," Harry said. "Sirius said you were the least popular headmaster."

"Ungrateful arse," Phineas grouced. "He was too influenced by Dumbledore when he went to Hogwarts. He's paying for it now though." 

"I think its awful the way Dumbledore has him cooped up here," Hermione sighed. "He's not getting any help either. Just imagine how much good some of those mind healers would be for him."

"Yes," Harry agreed. "Its a shame I have no way of letting him know about the efforts to pardon him. I wonder if Severus could say something during the meetings."

Phineas shook his head. "Unlikely. Severus has begged out of attending any of the meetings there claiming that he has too much work to do at the school and he isn't wrong. That boy is planning a lot of changes for the new school year."

"Oh, like what?" Hermione asked, suddenly very interested. 

"You'll have to wait and see," Phineas smirked, "but there is a reason the letters with your results and options have been delayed."

"I almost forgot about those," Harry laughed. 

"Hermione hadn't," Ron chuckled. "She's been waiting for the post every morning."

"Well some of us take our education seriously," the young witch huffed. 

"Still it would be nice to have the chance to talk to Severus one day," Harry sighed, "if only to let him know that everything is alright."

"I've let him know you're fine Harry, don't worry," Phineas reassured him, "but if you did ever desperately need to talk to him there is a little trick with these portraits. If there are two magical portraits that are the same, a person can actually travel between them, as if they were doors."

"Really! That's brilliant," Harry exclaimed, already working out in his head all of the ways he could use that information. 

"You'll just have to take care about anyone in the house," Hermione warned. "You wouldn't want someone to come and check on you only to find you were gone."

"Indeed," Phineas agreed. "Although I have noticed that no one comes to check at night time, likely assuming that none of you can leave except by the door, so there is an opening there so long as you are back by the morning."

"Thank you," Harry said, smiling up at the portrait. "You've been a big help."

Unfortunately Harry didn't have a chance to go anywhere for a couple of days after learning about his little escape route as Mrs Weasley kept them all so busy cleaning the house that Harry was so tired at night he simply climbed into bed and fell fast asleep. He hadn't even had the chance to read any of his books, let alone play with his tarot deck, so it was seen as quite the blessing when, one morning, Mrs Weasley announced that she had to go to the Burrow to deal with some things at the house so the children were to be on their best behaviour as it was only Sirius and Remus there to watch them, or more Remus as Sirius had basically hold up in his room, sulking. 

Harry had been more than happy to sit in the cool basement and read some of his books as Hermione valiantly tried to beat Ron at a game of wizards chess and Ginny had gone back to bed for a nap. South East England had been experiencing a heatwave recently and, as ever, Central London was feeling the brunt of it which is another reason why the children were glad for a morning off doing chores. The old house was likely cooler than most but it was still uncomfortably hot by the afternoon, not helped by the fact that Mrs Weasley insisted on opening up the windows regardless of how many times Harry told her it was best to keep them closed, as well as the curtains. 

Suddenly the world outside went dark and Harry felt a sense of change in the air. Slipping a bookmark in to mark his page he quickly out of the door. 

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked just as the heavens opened and the rain started to fall. It wasn't a very heavy rain, barely even wetting Harry's clothes, but it was enough to clear the mugginess in the air and it felt glorious on Harry's skin.

"Mate, why are you standing in the rain?" Ron queried, looking at Harry as if he'd grown a second head. 

"It's refreshing," Harry replied, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. 

"If you say so," Ron said, not sounding entirely convinced. 

"You're getting wet Harry," Hermione pointed out. 

Harry just rolled his eyes. "Yes Hermione, I am aware, and when I've had enough of getting wet I'll come in and get dry. It's no different than going in the shower only I'm keeping my clothes on. You should try it, it's fun."

Hermione just shook her head. "Maybe next time, Harry. Come on Ron, let's finish our game while Harry does his thing."

Harry just laughed. He knew they thought he was acting a bit weird but he didn't care. Reading about paganism, one of the things that was constant between all of them was a reverence of nature and the idea that one should do what you could to get closer to it such as standing in the rain or taking your shoes off to feel the ground beneath your feet. Remembering this Harry quickly whipped his socks and shoes off, glad that Hermione and Ron were once again too engrossed in their game to notice, and stepped back out into the courtyard, feeling the rapidly cooling stone under his toes. 

He wasn't sure how long he was standing there; he was wet through but the warmth of the day meant that he was far from cold. It had allowed him to fall into an almost meditative state when he was suddenly brought crashing back to reality by a shrill shrieking sound. 

"Harry Potter! Just what do you think you are doing! Get back inside at once!" 

Harry looked over to where a red faced Mrs Weasley was standing in the doorway. "Why?" 

"What do you mean why you foolish boy? It's raining outside and you're wet through!" 

"So?" Harry queried, starting to feel confused. "It's not cold and I can easily dry off when I come inside."

"You're not even wearing any shoes you stupid boy!" Mrs Weasley yelled. "You'll make yourself sick! Why would you even want to do something so ridiculous?" 

Harry frowned. "If I get sick I can just take a pepper-up potion although I doubt that will happen as, like I said, its not actually cold out here, its quite refreshing actually and I love the smell of rain in the summer."

"Petrichor," Hermione said, coming to the window to see what the fuss was about.

"What's petrichor?" Harry asked. 

"Sometimes referred to as the smell of dust in the rain it was originally coined by an Australian scientist in 1964 and is actually attributed to oils that are secreted by plants during the dry weather, as well as chemicals created by certain bacteria in the soil, which are released and aerosolized in a light to moderate rainfall, with heavy rainfall having a habit of suppressing the release," Hermione explained. "While the name is fairly new the phenomenon has been observed for centuries and many people enjoy the smell."

"So I'm not strange then," Harry smiled.

"It's one thing to enjoy the smell, it's another to stand out in it and get wet," Mrs Weasley argued, "now get in!"

"No!" Harry said, giving the woman a hard look. 

Mrs Weasley gaped at him. "I beg your pardon!" 

"I said no," Harry repeated. "No offence Mrs Weasley but you are not my mother and have no authority over me so you have no right to demand I do anything, especially not since I'm 16 now."

"16 is still a child," Mrs Weasley yelled, "and I have been put in charge of your welfare so you will listen when I tell you to do something."

"No," Harry stated firmly. "If anyone in this house has authority over me then it's Sirius since he is my Godfather, not you. I don't know where you got the idea that you have a right to order me about but you are just the mother of my friend."

"Well I never!" Mrs Weasley gasped. "If that's the case then I will get your precious Godfather and we'll see what he has to say about things."

Harry smiled at his little victory and sat himself on the ground. He might have gone inside if Mrs Weasley had asked him nicely or had given him a proper reason for not staying outside then he'd have happily gone in but there was something about her demanding Harry do something and expecting him to just jump to it that really irked him. Perhaps spending too much time around the Dark Lord had brought out his rebellious streak but he always thought teenagers were supposed to go through a rebellious phase at some stage in their lives so why should he be the same. 

A cantankerous looking Sirius was soon unceremoniously pushed through the back door with Remus trailing somewhat meekly behind him. 

"Why did you have to go and wind Molly up?" Sirius huffed.

"Because she didn't even bother to ask me to go inside she just demanded it and expected me to move and, to be frank, I'm sick of everyone thinking they can order me about," Harry explained.

"I get that Pup," Sirius sighed, "I really do, but she's only got your best interests at heart."

"Does she?" Harry queried. "I get that she thinks she's doing the right thing but she's basing it on what would be right for her, not what would be right for me."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked, sitting down next to Harry.

"Well I've been cooped up inside all this time and that may be fine for some people but not me," Harry explained. "I love being outside and feeling the elements, I need it for my mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. I mean doesn't it feel great to feel the rain in your skin, like it's physically cleansing you."

"Well I do feel a bit better," Sirius admitted and Harry smiled at him.

"But its not necessarily a good thing to sit out in the rain for long periods of time," Remus argued.

"Not always, no," Harry admitted, "especially not in the winter, but when it's been so hot the last couple of days I think its actually a good way to cool down. I mean I've been out here for a while now and I'm still not cold plus I'll warm up soon enough when I'm inside and dry."

"It does feel quite refreshing," Sirius said, tilting his head back in a similar manner to how Harry had earlier. "Those upper rooms can get quite stuffy in the heat."

"You should have come downstairs then," Harry smiled. 

Sirius grimaced and Remus laughed. 

"He didn't want to have to deal with Mrs Weasley. Didn't you wonder why he came down so quickly? She didn't even have to raise her voice."

"I don't know why you put up with it," Harry admitted. "I mean I can almost see why she feels she has the right to boss me around, although I disagree, but what right does she have to boss you about in your own house."

"Dumbledore basically left her in charge as the only sensible one," Sirius grumbled. 

"Remus is sensible."

"Unfortunately I have a bit of a blind spot where Sirius is concerned," Remus smiled ruefully.

"I still don't see why that gives her the right to treat you badly in your own house though," Harry argued. "I mean can you imagine the shit she'd kick up if someone spoke like that to her in at the Burrow."

Sirius's laughed literally bubbled up from his chest causing it to shake from the exertion of trying to suppress it. It wasn't long until he lost the battle however and Sirius was forced to throw his head back as he roared. 

"Sorry but that was too funny a picture," Sirius said, gasping for breath. 

"Yes, I can imagine that going down like a lead balloon," Remus smirked, "although I don't think I'd want to be close enough to witness it."

Sirius sighed. "You should probably still apologise to her though Pup, it will only be hell with her if you don't." 

"Sorry Sirius but no," Harry said firmly. "If we keep giving in to her then she's just going to keep walking all over us and I don't want her ruining the rest of my holiday."

"She might be a better holiday if you do go along," Remus suggested. "I don't know what she will do if you keep digging your heels in."

"I survived a childhood with the Dursleys," Harry chuckled, "and I have friends and magic here so it can't be as bad as that. Come on, we may as well go in now, I think we've made our point."

"Ok Pup," Sirius said, standing up with Harry, "I'm with you on this but it may get messy."

"That's fine," Harry smiled, "I don't expect you to take any hits for me. I just used your name to make the point that technically, as my Godfather, you should be the one to say how I'm raised, not her."

Sirius stopped short at that. "You're right, that's what Lily and James wanted."

Remus nodded. "It's not like Molly wasn't an option for them but they chose you anyway."

Sirius's face fell. "I'm sure they would have chosen you if they weren't worried about getting into trouble with the whole werewolf thing."

"I don't think so," Remus said with a smile. "They knew that things would be hard for Harry, especially if they died. I think they chose you to make sure that Harry had some fun in his life should the worst happen."

Sirius smiled at Remus's words then nodded. "If that's the case then fun is exactly what he will get, Molly Weasley be damned."

The trio chuckled and made their way indoors where Remus promptly cast a drying spell on all of them. 

"Thanks Remus, now I'm completely dry and it only took a second," Harry said loudly, causing Mrs Weasley to turn at them to scowl. He then looked at Sirius. "Have you actually got a wand yet?"

"Not yet," Sirius sighed. "I was planning on testing some of the old wands that are in the house. It's not like I can just pop into Ollivanders and get a replacement."

"I could possibly pop to Gregorovich's in Carkitt Market," Remus suggested. 

"Only dark wizards go to that store," Mrs Weasley spat before Harry even had the chance to ask where Carkitt Market was. 

"Old family wand it is then," Sirius muttered, causing Mrs Weasley to scowl at him. 

"Has Harry got anything to say to me?" she asked. 

"Not particularly," Harry smirked. 

"Well don't think I'm going to be cooking for any of you then," Mrs Weasley huffed. "I refuse to slave over the this oven for ungrateful wizards."

"That's fine," Harry shrugged. "I used to go for days without eating at the Dursleys, missing one meal won't hurt."

"We'll see," Mrs Weasley scoffed, "but don't think I'll give in if you sit around here with a sad look on your face. I've had 7 children, I'm no pushover. And don't think you can eat anything out of the cupboards either!"

The three wizards insisted it was fine and went upstairs to wait for Mrs Weasley to leave the kitchen, not wanting to have to deal with her around.

"Kreacher?" Harry called, once they got to the upstairs landing. 

"Yes Mr Potter, what's you be wanting?" Kreacher said, startling them a bit with his sudden appearance. 

"Why are you being nice to Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Mr Potter stand up to that awful harpy. He do more to uphold the family name than you," Kreacher said, causing Sirius to baulk at the creature and Remus to chuckle. 

"I'm glad you think that," Harry smiled. "I was just wondering if you could get us some food. I was hoping to cook us some dinner tonight when Mrs Weasley goes to bed but we'll need some ingredients. I have some money to pay for them but only muggle currency I'm afraid."

Kreacher pulled a face. "No muggle money. Kreacher use family account and put it in a cupboard that the Harpy won't get. I's also tell yous when she gone so you can use the kitchen in peace. If I's remember there some cookbooks in the library. Kreacher would help but my's hands aren't good enough any more. Yous can tell me what yous want for the future but can I's suggest a Prawn Thai Green Curry for tonight, it used to be Master Orion's favourite and I's know the Harpy not like fish."

"I remember that one," Sirius mused as Remus just looked confused. 

"Thank you Kreacher," smiled Harry, "that sounds perfect."

Chapter Text

It hadn't been until very late at night that Mrs Weasley had left the kitchen and Harry, Sirius and Remus were able to go down and cook undisturbed. Harry had used the time to look through some cook books in the library to try to get himself properly acquainted with the recipe since last time he'd made a Thai Green Curry he'd had a bunch of the curry paste ready made up thanks to Dobby. A part of him had thought about calling the other elf in to help but he had worried that would cause too many questions that people weren't ready to hear the answers to. He loved Sirius but he was a stubborn old dog who clung to ideas like a bone. If Harry could get him to change his mind then he would have a powerful ally, especially as Remus would come along as well. It would just take time; he would have to keep chipping away at Dumbledore's golden image in Sirius's head and hopefully he would be able to work out the need to make a break himself. 

It was a little strange working his way around the old kitchen, although it was new to him. There didn't seem to be an order to where things were placed, the pans were next to the sink and the plates were next to the oven. It was possible that this made some sort of convoluted logic to Mrs Weasley but Harry had a strong desire to move everything to how it would suit him best, although not tonight as it was far too late now, possibly tomorrow if Mrs Weasley continued this ridiculous behaviour. There were two locked cupboards, likely containing provisions that Mrs Weasley had brought with her, with notes on them from the woman herself saying that she knew exactly what was in those cupboards and there would be dire consequences if anything was missing in the morning but she had been kind and left some bread and soup out for them as she was sure they were hungry by now.

The 'soup' was some sort of thin vegetable broth and the bread had definitely gone stale. Harry realised Mrs Weasley was trying to make a point but he was very glad that he had the forethought to plan a decent meal. It took him a little while to find the food that Kreacher had gotten for them, mostly because he had cleaned and repaired the larder for them and Harry hadn't even thought to check there. The space was jam packed full of a whole variety of foods with an emphasis on herbs and spices. Sirius explained that his Dad had done a Grand Tour of East Asia when he left school and had developed a love of the cuisine so he'd always grown up eating spicy foods. 

"Is that why you used to turn your nose up at Hogwarts food to begin with?" Remus asked. 

Sirius nodded. "Although I soon learned that that was just another way in which my family was weird and I began to resent them a little for it. You shouldn't worry though Harry," Sirius said, turning to where Harry was standing over the stove. "I'm nowhere near as fussy as I had been back then and I think rats have completely ruined my taste buds."

Harry frowned. "That was back during the TriWizard Tournament wasn't it?" 

"Well I first started eating them in Azkaban as the fare there was actually worse than eating those creatures," Sirius admitted, "but it did put me in good stead for that year."

"Maybe, but you shouldn't have been forced to do that. Not in Azkaban and certainly not when you were on the run. Didn't you say Dumbledore knew where you were hiding? How come he never thought to drop some food off to you like I did. He could even have gotten one of the House Elves to do it so no one would have been any the wiser. It's not like there are a ton of leftovers after every meal."

"Perhaps he just forgot," Sirius shrugged. "He is a busy man."

"Like he's forgotten about doing anything about the conditions in Azkaban?" Harry asked with a slightly accusing tone in his voice. 

"That's the dark side blocking him," Sirius insisted.

"Is it?" Harry queried. "I mean they're the ones with family members in there so you'd have thought that they would be the ones most concerned with changing the laws, especially if those family members are in there indefinitely."

Sirius shrugged. "Perhaps they just don't care about them. They are the dark side after all."

Harry frowned and continued cooking, allowing the subject to naturally drop. Sometimes with Sirius it was for the best. If you pushed too hard he had a tendency to dig his heels and blind himself to all arguments against him. If Harry let things drop, however, he hoped that that would encourage him to think about things at a later date. 

Dinner goes very well and Harry even managed to impress himself at how well he was able to make it, especially as he didn't exactly follow the recipe. Measuring out spices was such a pain so he always just eyeballed it and hoped for the best. He was sure that Severus would have a fit if this was a potion but that was why he always preferred cooking as the recipes tended to be a lot more forgiving if he ever decided to go off piste. Sirius and Remus were impressed as well and Sirius even joked that pissing Mrs Weasley off might have been the best thing to happen to them as it now meant that he could finally eat some food with some proper flavour in it, so long as Harry didn't mind to keep cooking for them as neither Sirius or Remus knew how to cook, at least not anything edible anyway. Harry was fine with that and even put some lamb shoulder in a pot to marinade overnight, with spice and some tomatoes ready to make a Rogan Josh for lunch the next day. 

"I hope you're going to bed now though Harry," Remus said quietly as they walked through the hallway to go back to their rooms.

"Probably," Harry smiled, "although I might read for a bit, give my body the chance to properly digest the food before I go to sleep."

"Getting your homework done early," Sirius grinned. "I'm impressed."

Harry shook his head. "I've actually already managed to do that since my cousin wasn't such a stickler for the whole 'no magic' thing, unlike Uncle Vernon was, but I found a book on paganism that someone was throwing away and it seems really interesting."

Sirius stopped still and gaped at Harry. "You can't seriously tell me you're into all of that animal sacrificing stuff!" 

Harry frowned in confusion. "What animal sacrificing stuff?" 

"That paganism stuff!" Sirius hissed. "You should stay away from it Harry, it's all really dark stuff. I should know, my parents used to practice it."

"Please ignore my son, Mr Potter, as usual he doesn't know what he's talking about," came a voice from behind the dreaded curtain. 

"Mrs Black!" 

"You're awake!" 

"Mother!" 

Three voices exclaimed at once and Harry tentatively walked down the hall and eased the curtains apart, fearing that the portrait of Sirius's mother was about to scream at any moment. 

"You're alright Mr Potter, there's no need to fear, I'm not about to scream the house down," Walburga reassured him. "I want to talk to you so why would I want to do anything to make you shut me away."

"You do that on purpose!" Sirius gaped. 

"Of course," Walburga huffed. "As if I want to see that vicious harpy traipsing around my house, practically vandalising the place."

"This place is a dump mother, how can it be vandalised?" Sirius asked sarcastically. 

"Of course it's a dump!" Walburga huffed. "Do you think I want to make it hospitable for that woman and her brood? They've practically moved themselves in as it is! Can you imagine how bad it would be if this house was actually made comfortable for them."

"Does that mean I have another reason not to do any of those chores?" Harry grinned.

"I dare say you do, young man," Walburga smiled, "although why you did them in the first place is beyond me."

"Well Ron and Ginny had to and it wouldn't have been fair for me and Hermione to sit around having fun while he was forced to work."

"That is very kind of you, although I think it is the worst of manners that Molly would force other people's children to work like that. I highly doubt she would have thought it good if her children went to visit a friend and she found out that they had been made to clean their friend's house but that is beside the point, "Walburga sighed. "I only wanted to tell you not to listen to Sirius. Paganism is a very rewarding practice, especially for us magicals, and I will be happy to talk to you about it, or help guide your studies, should you wish it."

"Don't listen to her Harry," Sirius hissed, "she's trying to make you dark!"

"Stuff and nonsense!" Walburga huffed. "I do so wish that you would stop spouting all of that old fool's idiocy Sirius, it's most unbecoming of you."

Sirius gaped at her. "Are you honestly trying to tell me that you didn't used to sacrifice animals? I saw you, mother, so don't bother lying to me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Walburga sniffed, "although I can now understand why you started to pull away from your father and I when you were younger. I do wish you'd have spoken to us though, instead of just running away. If you had, I'd have explained that we only followed one of the more traditional branches of paganism but there are plenty of people who are pagan who shun anything like that and don't even cut trees for wood to work with, using only what falls naturally. They usually don't eat meat either."

Sirius pulled a face. "I don't know if I would go that far, but you can't tell me that sacrificing an animal like that isn't evil!" 

"I don't see how sacrificing an animal for a spell is any different to sacrificing it for your food," Walburga said, "and it's not like we did it all of the time, only for certain sabbats and even then only when we needed an extra boost for something. There is a lot of power in a sacrifice and that power shouldn't be used lightly."

"When I saw you it wasn't on a sabbat," Sirius hissed accusingly.

"Then it was likely to try to help your Aunt Lucretia have children," Walburga explained. "We were all a little desperate to try to prevent those awful twins from inheriting the Prewett line."

"What was wrong with Fabien and Gideon?" Remus asked. 

"Yeah they were great!" Sirius grinned. 

"Were they?" Walburga asked. "I don't see how you would know since they had already left by the time you started, thank Morrigan, or you can guarantee that you wouldn't have attended that school."

"What was so bad about them?" Harry asked. 

"I never met them myself but there is a portrait of Phineas Nigellus, a former headmaster, in one of the rooms upstairs and he used to complain about them all the time. Apparently they were vicious little demons who liked nothing more than to terrorise people who they thought were weaker than them which, by the end of their time at Hogwarts, even included some of the teachers. Apparently the then headmaster, Armando Dippet was quite happy to see the back of them. I honestly can't say I was surprised when they joined Dumbledore's little vigilante group."

"Vigilante group!" Sirius screeched and Harry drew his wand and surreptitiously cast a muffliato to make sure that neither Sirius nor his mother inadvertently woke anyone else in the house.

"Yes, vigilante group," Walburga scowled, "or did you think that you were somehow 'Ministry approved'?"

"Well no," Sirius pouted, "but everyone knows thw Ministry is useless and we were right to stand up against You-know-who."

"All vigilante groups believe that they are right to do the things they do," Walburga sighed, "usually after they've been convinced by some charismatic leader who knows which impressionable minds to pray on."

"Like the Dark Lord," Sirius said, sounding a little smug.

"And like Dumbledore," Harry said, causing three pairs of eyes to stare at him. "Oh come on! Doesn't it seem a bit strange to you that nearly all of the Order members were barely out of school? I mean when the last wizarding war hit. What about all of the people who helped him against Grindelwald?" 

"Oh it's likely because he's actually blocking the ICW from having any role in the last wizarding war so there's a good chance they don't really know about it," Walburga suggested. 

"Why would he block the ICW from helping us out?" Remus asked.

"If I had to guess it would be to keep his shiny image with them," Walburga replied. "The ICW always wanted him to do more to change the archaic systems here, according to Orion's grandfather who acted as the British representative at the ICW for a while. Dumbledore always used to use the excuse that he was only the headmaster of the school so had limited power but that stopped being the case just before the last war, when Dumbledore was made Chief Warlock."

"Except he was blocked by all the death eater families," Sirius protested. 

"Was he?" Walburga questioned. "It's a little hard to block things that aren't ever even proposed. In his tenure as Chief Warlock Dumbledore has made very few reforms and has, in fact, blocked several that people I know tried to pass including your Grandfather who tried to get the conditions in Azkaban improved after you were imprisoned."

"He could have tried to get me out," Sirius huffed. 

"He did," Walburga scowled, "but he was blocked at every turn. He had tried to get himself appointed as your legal representative at your trial only by the time he had gotten through the red tape he was told that you had already been tried and found guilty. He then tried to get access to the court transcripts to see if there was anything that he could use for an appeal only to be told that they had been sealed as a matter of national security."

"That would be difficult since I never had a trial in the first place," Sirius grouced.

Walburga gaped at him. "Why in Morrigan's name are you still helping these people?" 

"Well Harry and Remus mostly," Sirius admitted grudgingly. 

"Don't stay with them for me," Harry scoffed, "I'm not even sure if I want to be with Dumbledore anymore."

"So it would seem," Remus said, looking at Harry shrewdly. "Would you care to explain why that is?" 

"For numerous reasons," Harry explained, "but mostly because I realised that he wasn't exactly working for my best interests, and I don't think he's working for yours either. Like Mrs Black said, he's been Chief Warlock but he did nothing to even investigate you for your apparent crimes and has done nothing to help you since, other than put you in this house which is as much for his benefit as yours. He has also done nothing to help Remus either."

"He did get me a job," Remus pointed out.

"Where you had to hide," Harry argued. "Hermione and I have been talking. We want to try to get some proper law reforms to help werewolves."

"Not all werewolves are good," Remus warned.

"Maybe, but they should be judged on their individual actions, not because of some condition that they usually had no choice in acquiring," Harry argued. 

"A commendable goal," Walburga said approvingly. "Unfortunately I cannot help with regards to the Wizengamot but hopefully you can find someone to help you navigate all of that and, with any luck, the person who had the laws passed in the first place won't cause you too many problems."

"Oh that won't be a problem," Harry chuckled. "I found out the person who was behind all of the anti-werewolf laws was Dolores Umbridge and I don't think she will be back in the Ministry any time soon."

Sirius frowned. "I thought it was the dark side that wanted to restrict werewolf rights?" 

Walburga laughed. "Bless you son, no. Why do you think so many werewolves follow the Dark Lord?"

"That's true," Remus admitted. "It's why Albus sent me to try to influence them away but it wasn't going to happen because the Dark Lord was actually proposing changes for them and Albus refused to promise anything. Mrs Black, if you don't mind me asking, are you implying that you don't have an issue with werewolves? Only you frequently commented on' filthy half-breeds' in your rants."

"That was more aimed at Andromeda's daughter," Walburga explained, "I honestly had no idea you were a werewolf. But no, I don't have any problems with them, in fact I had always hoped Sirius would find himself a werewolf partner, or a merman."

"Why is that?" Harry asked. 

"I've always known Sirius was gay," Walburga smiled, "I figured the posters in his room were more for his friends benefit because it certainly never persuaded Orion or I that he was interested in women. We didn't have a problem with that, of course, except for the worry that he wouldn't be able to have an heir, especially with the restrictions on blood adoption, which is why we hoped for a male werewolf or merman as those two groups have natural male breeders."

Sirius gaped at his mother while Remus blushed and Harry just laughed. 

"You don't have an issue with me being gay!" Sirius yelled. "But James always said that it was unacceptable for wizards to be gay and I figured if the more liberal light side was against it then the dark side must hate them."

Walburga laughed. "Bless you son but you are naive. The light side isn't more Liberal. There is a misguided belief, principally from the muggle world, that light is synonymous with good, and Dumbledore definitely plays into it, but that doesn't equate in the wizarding world, especially as the light side has a lot if influences from muggle predominant religions whereas the dark side tends to hail from older religious which never cared for a lot of the same things. The ancient Greeks were well known for having homosexual relationships in their society and the Norse religion even talks about about gender fluidity with Odin and his ability to become a woman, things that the current main religions in the muggle world have a lot of issue with."

Sirius stood there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish, his brain having clearly short circuited and Harry was barely able to keep his laughter under control. Thankfully, for Sirius, Remus wasn't shocked beyond belief. 

"You may be seemingly more liberal with regard to creature rights and sexuality but you can't deny that you despise muggles, one only has to look at the family tapestry."

Walburga looked confused. "What has the tapestry got to do with anything?" 

"The people who were blasted off for associating with muggles," Remus said. 

"No one was blasted off the tapestry because they associated with muggles," Walburga frowned, "well except Iola but why she felt the need to marry an actual muggle is beyond me. Apparently she had several perfectly good marriage options in the wizarding world. He wasn't even a rich or titled muggle either. Phineas was removed because he became a Christian and was trying to push for people in Hogwarts to convert to it. That in itself wasn't worrying but he tried to bring in a lot of restrictive laws against anyone who didn't follow his beliefs, that was why he was blown off. Cedrella was blown off because of what she and that bastard Septimus Weasley did."

"What did they do?" Harry asked. 

"It was an idea that he picked up from the muggles, I believe it was later called a Ponzi scheme. He claimed to have a fail safe way to get diamonds but that he needed funds to help get them out but that when he did he promised to double the money of everyone who invested. The idea had merit, African wizards guard their diamonds very closely you see, only Septimus never had access to any and the only way his early investors back is to use the money from new investors. Unfortunately for him the small nature of the wizarding community meant that he was very quickly discovered and was forced to pay back all of the money but it left them penniless and the family got into a lot of debt later, debt that the current generation is still paying off and they still don't seem to see anything wrong with what they did. Its why the family are still treated cautiously, especially with Arthur's love of muggle things. People worry that he will start up another scheme. It's hard to trust someone who would swindle their only family, their own blood like that."

"That's why they're called blood traitors then," Harry pondered. 

"Why am I called a blood traitor then?" Sirius squarked. "Because I left home? I know that Uncle Alphard was disowned for giving me money."

"Yes that bastard," Walburga scowled, "he played right into Dumbledore's hands doing that. We had hoped that you would come back home when you ran out of money and we could actually have a talk about things. I realised that that wasn't going to happen, however, when you didn't even show up for your brother's funeral! That was when you were blown off and I named you a blood traitor. You have no idea how much that killed your father. Your actions sent him to an early grave!"

To his credit Sirius looked stricken at his mother's words and Harry wondered if this was possibly the first time he'd thought about his family, possibly since he'd left home. He soon shook his head though. 

"It's not my fault," Sirius argued. "I didn't know about Regulus's death until after the announcement of Father's. If you hadn't kept the family isolated like you did."

"We had to!" Walburga hissed, "For all our safety. When my Uncle Marius realised he was a squib he tried to sacrifice me as a way to get his power. He was ejected from the family and I was sent to live with Uncle Arcturus and Aunt Melania to keep me safe and we kept ourselves separated from the rest of the family, to protect the heir of the line. Orion and I thought it was best to keep up the practice, even after Marius seemed to accept his fate as a squib, after what happened to Lucretia."

"What happened to her?" Sirius queried, seeming to actually be listening to what his mother was actually saying. 

"There was a lot of talk about there being some sort of curse on her as she and Ignatius couldn't seem to get pregnant no matter what they tried," Walburga replied with a sigh. "It was why your father and I used to perform more animal sacrifices, to try and help, but it did nothing."

"Well if the family wasn't so inbred," Sirius huffed.

"The family is not inbred and you know it," Walburga scolded him. "You're father and I were the only intermarriage in generations and we were second cousins so it was allowed and we obviously had no issues having children. Even if there was inbreeding in the past the six plus generations of marrying different families would have gone a long way to counter that. No, even your grandmother, Melania Macmillan by birth, believed it was a curse. 

"You see Melania had been highly praised in her family when she married Arcturus, since he was not only a Black but an heir, and her younger sister Melody wanted to do just as well and set her sights on the Prewett family. Unfortunately for her Ignatius, the heir, fell in love with Lucretia, Melody's niece, instead. I'm sure you can imagine that she wasn't best impressed and Melania always felt that she wanted her son's to become the heirs and that she cursed the main branch to do it. Melania worried that she might set her sights on the Black family as Melody often cursed our name and passed that hatred down to her children as well, so we kept the family isolated for your safety. It's why I can't stand the idea of this woman being in our house, I'm sure she's looking for ways to destroy us and that tramp Dumbledore insists on bringing here isn't the only one who is light fingered with the family silver I can assure you. Why do you think Kreacher hid so much stuff?"

Sirius continued to stare at his mother's portrait with a look of sheer disbelief. "You're going to tell me that my grandfather didn't get his Order of Merlin by buying it next."

"Well you could argue he did," Walburga smiled. "You see he learned of a young boy in the year above Orion who had grown up in a muggle orphanage and everyone assumed was Muggleborn except it turned out that he was, in fact, a half-blood who's mother had died in childbirth. Arcturus realised then that there were Muggleborn who were often at a disadvantage as they would suddenly have these school expenses thrust on them and not necessarily have any way to pay for things so he set up a fund to pay for all the first year school things that Muggleborn would need and the ability to apply for more at a later date should it be required. If you ask me though that wasn't why he got the Order of Merlin, especially not First Class anyway. 

"You see Arcturus also wanted to encourage Muggleborn to test their blood to make sure there were no others like Tom who were magical but had accidentally been lost to the wizarding world but many on the Wizengamot didn't like the idea and I'm pretty sure he was given that award to shut him up on the subject."

"Ao you're not against Muggleborn then?" Remus queried. "Why was Andromeda expelled from the family then?" 

"That jealous cow almost lost the family an association with the Malfoys!" Walburga roared. "It had taken a century for us to get another marriage offer from them after Eduardus Limette left Aurora Malfoy at the altar and Andromeda had hoped it would be her that was picked, since Bella was already engaged to Rodolphus, but Lucius wanted Narcissa and the family weren't about to object. Lucius and Narcissa seemed to be quite like minded on certain things and Andromeda tried to make some of their proclivities public in order to shame them which is not done; what one does in private is one's own business so long as everyone consents. Andromeda was cast out and ended up marrying a Muggleborn, likely out of spite. What's funny is that I hear that their daughter is a metamorphmagus and she is trying to claim that the muggle blood has refreshed the old gene but she doesn't seem to realise that that skill only comes out with two carriers which begs the question how a Muggleborn could have it, possibly adding weight to Arcturus's theory that Muggleborn are actually magical."

"Really!" Harry exclaimed, "that would be interesting."

"Indeed young man. Unfortunately many powerful people seem hell bent on stopping any sort of investigation into that area so you would need some serious backing if you were to go about it. Anyway I think it's high time the lot of you were in bed, it's very late and I think Sirius in particular has a lot of things to think about. Feel free to talk to me another night but for now can you please close the curtain, I'd rather not have to see that Harpy first thing." Walburga gave an exaggerated shudder and Harry smiled, promising to come back and talk tomorrow, once everyone else was in bed. 

It was a very sedate trio that climbed up the stairs that night, each deep in thought about the things they had heard and the possible repercussions of them. 

Chapter Text

Harry was in a great mood when he went down to the kitchen the next day and it only improved when he saw Mrs Weasley trying to heft the pot that he had the lamb marinating in off the stove, to no avail. 

"Are you alright Mrs Weasley?" Harry asked, trying to hide the laughter in his voice. 

"I am perfectly fine, young man," the woman huffed, "although I would be even better if you are going to apologise to me."

"Nope, not gonna happen," Harry grinned, "but I will move that pot for you." He lifted it up with ease and moved it to one of the counters. 

"Don't think that means I'm making you breakfast," Mrs Weasley scowled at him. 

"I wouldn't dream of it," Harry smiled, lifting the lid of the pot to give the contents a stir.

"That smells awesome," Ron said, not even bothering to try to hide his drool. 

"Its lamb rogan josh," Harry informed him as he pulled some ingredients out of the pantry to add to it. "Its what I'm making for me, Sirius and Remus for lunch. I'm going to let it slow cook down."

"Can I have some?" Ron asked.

"No you can't," Mrs Weasley barked. "I have some good beef frying steak for you and someone will need to eat Harry's since he has decided he won't be eating it and I refuse to waste food."

"Can't you save it for tomorrow?" Ron whined, not looking at his mother and, instead, starting intently at the stuff Harry was adding to the pot.

"I said no, Ronald Weasley and I mean it!" Molly roared. "Now eat your breakfast. I need to go and have some words with a couple of people and I expect clear plates when I get back."

Harry waited until he heard Mrs Weasley stomping up the stairs, almost as if she hoped to wake up Mrs Black's portrait but it stayed strangely silent. 

"I'll save you a bowl so you can eat it later if you get hungry," Harry said to Ron as he added the finishing touches to the curry and put it back on the stove. Kreacher suddenly appeared, touched the pot, causing it to glow, and then vanished again. 

"Weird," Ron said, shaking his head, "but thanks for the curry although I doubt I'll have the chance to have it tonight. I have a feeling mum is going to purposely be filling me up."

Harry winced as he pulled some bacon and eggs out of his store. "Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault," Ron sighed. "I don't get why she's getting so upset about you not doing as you were told I mean you were right, she isn't your mother, even if she likes to act like it sometimes."

Harry set the bacon in the grill and then went to go and pour himself a bowl of muesli. 

"Are you having cereal and a fry up?" Hermione asked, somewhat scandalised. 

"No," Harry chuckled, "the fry up is for Sirius and Remus. I prefer something less greasy in the mornings but they like it and since I'm the reason they can't have any of Mrs Weasley's cooking I thought it only fair I cook their breakfast."

"I wish I had that choice," Hermione sighed.

"You're welcome to have some another day," Harry offered. "Kreacher has also got me a load of fruit in there."

Further conversation was stopped as Mrs Weasley came storming back into the kitchen. 

"Fat lot of good those two were, but don't think this is the end of things young man," she said, wagging her finger at Harry. "I'm going to be getting on to Dumbledore and he'll soon put things right, mark my words."

Harry just shrugged and cleaned up his bowl before going back to the stove to finish off breakfast for Sirius and Remus, using some of the bacon fat to fry off some bread as an extra thank you to them. He wasn't particularly worried. What exactly did Mrs Weasley think Dumbledore could do to him that hadn't already been done? It wasn't as if his life hadn't been in danger every single bloody year since he started Hogwarts plus the Dursleys had essentially used every threat on him they could think of. Short of physically torturing him there was nothing and Harry honestly didn't think that the old fool was ready to tarnish his sparkly reputation like that just yet. 

Mrs Weasley got her wish, of course, and Dumbledore called a full bloody order meeting to address the 'Harry situation' as it was being dubbed. Sirius and Remus had looked grim as they led Harry down but Harry was having to work hard not to smirk. Did Dumbledore really think this would intimidate him? Even the twins found it funny but they still made sure Harry took their extendible ear to the door for them. It didn't help though. Harry tried to subtly drop them to the corner but Dumbledore banished them as soon as Harry stepped into the kitchen properly. For some reason the old man didn't want the others hearing this and that made him pause. Did Dumbledore always know about them and, if so, had he wanted Harry and everyone listening in before? It spoke of more potential manipulations and only caused Harry's blood to boil, especially when Dumbledore gave Harry his disapproving look.

"I think you've been having quite enough fun Harry," Dumbledore said gravely. "It's time to get serious, my boy."

"Who says I'm not being serious?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore shook his head. "You were outside playing in the rain like some errant toddler and then, when Mrs Weasley correctly told you to get in you had the audacity to tell her no. This won't do Harry."

"What's wrong with sitting out in the rain?" 

"It isn't done Harry."

"But why?" 

"See what I have to put up with!" Mrs Weasley shrieked. 

"It does seem a bit strange for someone to actually want to get wet," Daedalus Diggle mused. 

"I don't get what the big deal is? Its only a little summer rain. It wasn't even cold and its not like I couldn't get dry again straight away. Isn't that what magic's for?" 

"That's beside the point boy," Moody growled. "It just isn't done."

"It's not exactly normal behaviour Harry," Tonks admonished, "that's why people are worried." 

"Who cares if it's normal behaviour or not?" Harry exclaimed. "I've not been normal since I first stepped foot in the wizarding world although I would argue it started even before that. Why should I break the habit of a lifetime?"

"Normal is overrated anyway," Sirius muttered with a smirk. 

"Keep out of this Black!" Moody warned, "you're on thin ice at the moment."

"What has Sirius done wrong?" Harry demanded. 

"He's been a bad influence on you boy, that much is clear," Moody accused. 

"How has Sirius been a bad influence on me?" 

"Before you came here this morning you would never have questioned us in this way and the fact that you are claiming that he has the most authority over you and not Mrs Weasley or even Dumbledore is very curious indeed," Moody explained, "especially when he has had such a small part in your life."

"Actually I worked that one out all on my own," Harry sassed, "since the wizarding world seems to hold Godfathers in such high esteem and as for the small part he played, that was hardly his fault."

"It was Sirius's choice to give up custody of you to Hagrid and go running off to get revenge," Dumbledore said, looking pointedly at Harry.

Sirius's jaw dropped. "I didn't go after Peter for revenge, you old fool. I went after him because I was the only one left who knew about his animagus form and I was worried he could use it to sneak into wherever Harry was being hidden and finish off what You-know-who started."

Harry flashed Sirius a smile to let him know he didn't care about Dumbledore's bullshit before turning back to the Headmaster. "It also wasn't Sirius's idea to leave me with the Dursleys and he is the only person here who ever tried to get me out of that hell hole."

"I told you this summer, Harry, that you need to stay there for your protection," Dumbledore reminded him, looking at Harry darkly.

"Some protection," Harry scoffed, "since Voldemort has attacked me three out of the five years I've been in the wizarding world."

"But he has yet to kill you," Dumbledore smirked, obviously feeling like he'd won something.

Harry just chuckled. "That was my sheer bloody luck and you know it as I doubt whatever protection it is works against dragons or Basilisks and it certainly did nothing to help against pink toads. Face it, this protection of yours is flawed at best." Harry stopped himself from saying anything more because he didn't actually want Dumbledore to stop him going to Privet Drive, not now that Petunia and Vernon were gone and didn't particularly want to risk Dumbledore banning him from going there again. No offence to Ron but a summer with Dudley was far preferable to one at the Burrow these days. 

"That is Albus Dumbledore you're speaking to!" Molly yelled. "Show him some respect!" 

Harry frowned. "I didn't think I was being disrespectful, simply pointing out some flaws in his argument."

"Bloody cheek!" Moody yelled. "That is disrespect! You should listen to your elders and trust that they know best. It's called experience boy. We were the ones who had to fight in the last war when you were just a babe in arms."

"And I've been the one fighting this one, what of it?" Harry said and the room gaped at him.

"That was not a war boy," Moody hissed. "You don't know the real horrors involved in something like that."

"Maybe not," Harry shrugged, "but you don't know the terror involved in facing down Voldemort at 11, or having to face a Basilisk at 12. I get that Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald."

"Professor Dumbledore!" Mrs Weasley admonished. 

Harry frowned. "But he isn't a teacher anymore." Mrs Weasley gaped at Harry but he ignored her. "Anyway, as I was saying, Mr Dumbledore was the only person to survive facing Voldemort but not anymore. I have fought and survived Voldemort three times, four if you count when I was a baby, plus I've killed a Basilisk and out flown a dragon and I did that all before I turned 16. You guys may have put in effort in the past but I'm the one putting it in now and I think that deserves a little respect too."

"You're not even of age yet!" Diggle laughed. 

"And yet somehow I arguably have more fighting experience than you," Harry sneered and Diggle's face went an ugly florid colour. 

"Enough!" Dumbledore shouted, forcing everyone's attention to turn to him. "This is obviously getting us nowhere. I think Harry needs some time on his own, away from outside influences, for him to realise just how much he needs us as well as the importance of all of the fighters in a battle, not just the ones on the front line making the final hit." His words went a long way to placate Diggle but Harry was fuming. He did know the importance of other people in a fight, hell he would have made it through most years without the help of Ron and Hermione. He wasn't saying that Diggle didn't deserve any respect, just that he deserved some as well. Was it really so bad to let him make any of his own decisions, or did they just want him to dance to Dumbledore's tune and somehow be grateful for it? 

"Harry will be confined to his room until he learns the importance of listening to instructions. Ron will need to have a different room and Mrs Weasley will bring up meals to him. When you have the decency to apologise to her, Harry, you will be allowed out but not before. I'm afraid that your habit of rushing headlong into danger has developed into something far more dangerous, my own fault I fear, I should have nipped that nasty habit in the bud from the start." 

Yeah right, Harry thought. Dumbledore had been the one to bloody encourage that habit as it had suited his needs nicely but he had obviously hoped that Harry's gratitude for 'freeing' Harry from the Dursleys would be enough for him to always listen to his instructions and he didn't like it now Harry was actually standing up for himself. Sirius went to say something to protest this punishment but Harry put his arm out to stop him. 

"If that is what you think is best Mr Dumbledore," Harry said, biting the inside of his lip to stop him grinning. If Dumbledore really thought a bit of social isolation would hurt Harry then he obviously underestimated the lengths the Dursleys used to go to. Harry used to get locked in his room for bouts of accidental magic that were completely beyond his control so it felt like he was getting off easy for getting the same thing for standing up to himself like this, especially as his previous room used to be the cupboard under the stairs whereas now he had a massive mansion room to amuse himself. This time there was also Kreacher, Dobby and all of the books he'd brought with him and, if that wasn't enough he could also chat with Phineas Nigellus's portrait and possibly even make a trip to see Severus, especially if he didn't have to worry about anyone coming in, which was another reason why Harry didn't want to risk anyone saying anything as changing his room would definitely be a pain. 

Harry tried to look appropriately solemn as Mrs Weasley led Harry to his room, since Dumbledore told them he had to go and get something, and informed Ron that he needed to pack his things up. Ron tried to protest but Harry shook his head and told him to listen to Dumbledore.

"It's a shame you can't do that yourself," Mrs Weasley mused. 

"I'm sorry that you take offence to me standing up for myself but that doesn't mean that I want to see my friends suffer as well," Harry stated resolutely.

Ron still grumbled and Hermione and Ginny looked at Harry sadly so Harry gave them a small smile of reassurance. It helped that Sirius and Remus were currently staring daggers into Mrs Weasley's back and Harry could only hope that that meant that he could get them onside soon. Now he would just have to find a way to get their names added. He figured he might be able to extort it with sexual favours which could, theoretically, be fun, but he didn't want to risk that side of his relationship with the Dark Lord becoming tainted. 

There was some discussion of where to put Ron up but the twins said that Ron could have their old room. They had used the money that Harry had given them to buy a premises on Diagon Alley to set up a shop and they were going to live there as they were finding Grimmauld Place too oppressive. Mrs Weasley insisted that she was working on cleaning it up, clearly thinking that they were talking about the building and not the actions of the adults. Ron had just finished collecting all of his things when Dumbledore arrived. 

"I will be the one to seal the door," Dumbledore said, "and I will add a charm to muffle sounds should anyone think to try to talk to Harry through it. This is a punishment and Harry needs to learn how much he needs the people around him for support. I have a box here which can work as a way of transporting meals along with some parchment and a quill so that Harry has the opportunity to write an apology. You will not be allowed out until a suitable apology letter is written."

Sirius stepped forward but Dumbledore stopped him. 

"I am just trying to give Harry a hug goodbye," Sirius begged. 

"You can give him a hug after he has apologised," Dumbledore informed him. "I doubt that it will be too long before you see Harry again."

Sirius scowled at Dumbledore but then turned to Harry and yelled. "Don't forget to check the bottom of your trunk, I always used to find some bit of homework I had forgotten there and you don't want to get in trouble when you go back to school."

"A sound suggestion indeed," Dumbledore smirked. "It seems you can have them from time to time. Anyway, goodbye Harry, please use this time appropriately to think about your actions, although getting your homework done would be a good idea as well."

Dumbledore smirked at Harry as he shut the door but Harry simply gave him a hard stare, continuing to look at the door as it glowed gold twice, once to seal and once to muffle. Only when Harry was sure that he wouldn't be seen or heard did he dive for his trunk to pull out the two-way mirror that Sirius had given him in his fourth year. He hadn't thought about it that year, but it was perfect now and he sat on his bed with the mirror in front of him waiting for Sirius to call. It didn't take long for the mirror to glow and Sirius's face to appear. 

"Harry, I'm so sorry this is happening to you," Sirius practically sobbed. "I can't believe that Dumbledore is doing this just because you didn't listen to him."

"Me neither although I should have figured he would push something, he can't have his little puppet questioning things now can he," Harry sighed. 

Sirius frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"Every year I have followed along with what he wanted, essentially following a trail of breadcrumbs he left out for me to some end, usually facing down Voldemort, and never once did I stand up and deviate from the plan," Harry explained. "I could have point blank refused to compete in the TriWizard Tournament but Dumbledore hinted I might lose my magic and that was enough to scare me into participating as I didn't want to risk losing my place at Hogwarts. Looking back though, it's like he wanted me to participate. I mean he didn't exactly try to find a way to get me out of it despite apparently believing that I didn't put my name in there."

"Probably because he put it in himself," Sirius sneered. 

Harry smiled at the change in his Godfather's opinion. "I don't know if he put my name in himself, I can see him getting someone else to do his dirty work for him."

"You seem to have given this a lot of thought," Remus said, pushing his head into the frame.

"I've had a lot of time to think about it," Harry admitted, "and not just over the holidays. We all had to see mind healers after Umbridge was kicked out of the school and they helped me see that it wasn't a good thing that I was forced to face all those trials, as they liked to call those events that seemed to happen at the end of every year."

"No, admittedly they weren't good," Remus sighed, "and we were both appalled to hear that the Basilisk thing wasn't an exaggeration like Dumbledore claimed when the news first came out."

"I was starting not to trust him with your safety but all this nails it," Sirius huffed. "If it wasn't for the fact that You-know-who is after your blood then I might even be inclined to turn to him."

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed. "You know he wants to irradiate all muggles!"

"Does he?" Harry questioned. "I mean I know I wasn't around in the last war but I don't remember hearing about any attacks on actual muggles, only wizards."

"You mean order members," Sirius grumbled. "I remember Amelia Bones giving Dumbledore an earful after the death of her family claiming that Dumbledore put a target on her brother's back."

Harry nodded. "That's kinda the impression I got. By the way, do you know why Voldemort was trying to kill me in the first place?"

Sirius and Remus shared a look and nodded before turning to face Harry. 

"There was a prophecy," Sirius said. "It was made before you were born but somehow You-know-who learned about it which is why your parents had to go into hiding. We never heard what it said exactly but we know that it prophesied that you would be the one to defeat You-know-who which is why Dumbledore is so intent on keeping you safe."

"Not that intent," Harry scoffed. "But do you know what the prophecy said?" 

Sirius and Remus shook their heads. 

"Dumbledore charged members of the order to guard it last year but we were never told its exact contents," Remus admitted. "Dumbledore said it was too dangerous."

"Too dangerous for him," Harry sneered, garnering him confused looks from the other two. "What would you say if I told you I had actually got the prophecy myself and had already heard the contents."

"I would be bloody impressed!" Sirius grinned but Remus frowned. 

"That was a very dangerous thing to do, Harry."

"I know but I was desperate at the time. Voldemort was bombarding me with visions every night and I couldn't get any sleep and with my exams coming up I wrote to him and asked him for a break."

"You did what!" both men yelled. 

"Sssh! Do you want Dumbledore to hear that we're talking and put a stop to this!" 

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was Harry!" Remus hissed. "He could have killed you on the spot."

"I know," Harry said, desperately trying to placate the men and very glad that there was currently no way they could throttle him. "I did tell you that I was very short of sleep right? I wasn't in my right state of mind and, between Dumbledore being AWOL and Umbridge I didn't feel like I had many options."

"You could have come to me," Sirius said, looking hurt.

"I did consider it honest," Harry assured him, "but I didn't think there was anything that you could do." Sirius pouted. "Anyway it turned out that Voldemort was willing to make a deal if I helped him get the prophecy only, when we listened to it, he didn't think that it meant what Dumbledore thinks it means."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked. 

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives. The one to vanquish the Dark Lord is born as the seventh month dies," Harry recited. "You see the problem is that it can just as easily refer to the attack Voldemort made when he attacked my parents as some theoretical future battle. Dumbledore wants it to mean that I am his weapon but it can't actually happen like that any more."

"How so?" Remus queried. 

"We made a vow that neither of us will attack each other, or send our people to attack each other, or else we lose our magic," Harry explained.

"But the Order!" Sirius gasped. 

"Are Dumbledore's people, not mine," Harry smiled. "I have a separate list and those people are safe, as well as their families, meaning that even Molly is safe, so long as she doesn't openly attack."

"But we're not actually your family," Remus pointed out, looking at Harry shrewdly. 

"Which is why I've been trying to come up with a way that I can get your names added although the proviso is that you would have to completely remove yourself from the fight," Harry warned.

"Oh I'm fine with that," Sirius chuckled. "I had been trying to think of a way I could possibly try and bargain with the You-know-who for your life myself only I don't really have anything I can use. I would offer to tell him about what happens at the meetings but there is a catch in the oath we take that means that I physically can't talk about things with non Order members which is why I couldn't tell you anything that was going on last year."

"That's a shame," Harry huffed. "The Dark Lord and I have a quid pro quo deal where I have to give him something to be able to get another name added and I'm somewhat light on anything tradeable at the moment."

"You call him the Dark Lord now?" Remus asked. 

Harry blushed a bit. "Well I refuse to call him You-know-who and he doesn't like his given name nor does he let anyone call him Voldemort to his face so I was somewhat limited. He did allow me and Dudley to call him Marvolo when we're in private though."

"Dudley!" Sirius exclaimed. "Your muggle cousin Dudley! Has met You-know, the Dark Lord and lived! Why do I get the feeling that there is a lot more to your summer than I realised."

"Good job I now have plenty of time to catch you both up," Harry grinned, feeling ridiculously grateful to Dumbledore that his actions had opened up the one thing that he had been worrying about. 

Chapter Text

Harry knew that being confined to his room on his own was meant to be some sort of punishment but, in reality, it was far from it. Before, when he'd been at Grimmauld Place, Harry had been worried about doing certain things in case they might be seen, at least by Mrs Weasley anyway. Now, however, that door was sealed so that no one could see inside meaning that he could essentially do what he wanted. One of the first things he'd done is to call Dobby and get the house elf to help him rearrange the room as well as bring more of Harry's things from Privet Drive. It didn't take long for the little elf to get things to an appropriate standard and even the room itself seemed to feel a bit brighter, losing some of its oppressive atmosphere as if it knew that there wouldn't be any undesirable people coming in. 

Harry had had Dobby expand his bed to a double bed, having learned to appreciate the extra size over the summer, as well as bringing in his nice bedding. He had brought himself some luxury 1000 thread count sheets, loving the feel of them in the shop, and it had been terrible to his sleep to go back to the old scratchy ones that were on the bed here and he fully intended to get Dobby to take them to Hogwarts for him as well. His altar from Privet Drive had been brought in as well and Harry had set it up under the window so that he could easily see the moon to perform any rites he wanted to and Dobby had set up some shelves nearby to fill with his books. Kreacher had even been kind enough to bring him some books from the Black library that Mrs Black had apparently thought Harry might find interesting. 

Dobby had changed the other bed into a table and chairs and, the next evening Kreacher brought Sirius and Remus in to join Harry for a meal. There was a sizzling skillet of chicken and vegetables as well as wraps and various dips and even a dish of nachos. Sirius was drooling. 

"I've never seen anything like this," he said, eagerly taking a seat at the table. 

"Dobby discovered a Mexican cookbook and decided to experiment," Harry said with a smile as Remus joined them.

"Well Molly has Sirius and I on rations and is guarding that kitchen like a hawk," Remus informed him.

Harry shrugged. "You are always welcome to join me for meals. I don't think Dumbledore counted on Kreacher actually helping us and he definitely doesn't know about Dobby."

"Which is good but we need to keep it that way," Remus warned. "It wouldn't do to get complacent and risk Dumbledore enforcing something that would actually be a punishment for you."

Harry grinned. "That is definitely true. Even without the House Elves I'm not actually confined to this room since Phineas said I can use the portrait to go to Hogwarts if I want. The only reason I haven't yet is because I'm worried that Dumbledore will realise if I leave the room somehow as he always seems to know where I am, even when I'm hiding under dad's old invisibility cloak."

"Oh don't worry about that," Phineas Nigellus chuckled, coming into the frame. "Dumbledore likes promoting the idea that he is somehow all knowing but it is little more than parlour tricks. As headmaster he used to be able to communicate with the portraits which is how he knows when students are out at night. It's why most of us never needed to worry about having teachers patrolling and Severus only used to do it, and get Argus to help, because they didn't trust the old coot. As to your cloak, before he gave it to you he was playing around with it and worked out that he could use a revelio spell to see where things were, even underneath it. He practiced a lot and can now do the spell wordlessly so you will have to be careful when he is in the house as he will likely be able to tell how many people are in the room but otherwise you should be fine."

"Thanks Phineas," Harry grinned. "It's a shame we don't have a marauders map of Grimmauld Place, that would make things a lot easier to work around."

Sirius frowned in thought. "We could probably make one. The Hogwarts one took a lot of time but that place is huge with lots of hidden places plus the fact that it is unplottable was working against the mapping magic. This house doesn't have any of that so we could probably work up a map in a couple of days, a week tops."

"Really!" Harry exclaimed. "That would be handy. Ron and Hermione could probably come by for a visit then as well, especially if we could see when Mrs Weasley is on the move. I was thinking of asking them to come by at night but it's tricky to tell when would be safe and, again, I don't want to risk tipping my hand. If we have a way to monitor who is in the house and where then we don't have to worry."

"I'll get on it straight away then," Sirius grinned. "It will be good to do something useful."

"Well I might have something else for you to do," Harry proposed, "but only if you are still interested in following me instead of Dumbledore."

"Definitely," Sirius said, nodding enthusiastically. "Although I'm still surprised that the Order oath doesn't stop people from switching sides." 

"Admittedly if it did there would have been no way for Severus to act as a spy," Remus mused. "It seems as if Dumbledore is only worried about us accidentally letting information slip, he seems to be sure that none of us will question his loyalty once we are with him."

"Would you have?" Harry questioned. "If I wasn't here I mean. Dumbledore seems to specifically pick people who will blindly follow him, I think that's why he was so freaked out by my standing up to him."

"His first big mistake," Sirius said with a blood thirsty grin. 

Harry chuckled. "Not his first but definitely a big one. As for my idea, I thought about putting a muggle recording device in the kitchen in order to find out what's happening in the meetings and pass that information over to the Dark Lord. Hopefully that is enough to put your names on my list."

"Will that work?" Remus asked. "Won't the magic affect things?" 

"I know Hogwarts magic is supposed to affect electrical items, although I do wonder if that isn't just an excuse to stop people bringing stuff in," Harry mused. "But this house is in the middle of a muggle neighbourhood and I would have thought that there would be complaints if it affected things like that as it would likely affect the houses on either side as well, at least partially. It's definitely worth a try though."

"How would it work?" Sirius asked. 

"Well all you would have to do is put it somewhere that most people wouldn't touch and turn it on whenever the meeting started, collecting the recording when it was over," Harry explained. "I will admit that I'm not entirely sure about the sort of technology that is available these days but I can get in touch with Dudley, he will probably be able to tell me better anyway. If we can get the map sorted that will be a bonus though as it should help us make sure we aren't disturbed setting things up."

Sirius and Remus are happy with the plan and get on with making the Grimmauld map as soon as Kreacher took them back to their room. Harry wrote a letter to the Dark Lord, letting him know what had happened to him, as well as what Sirius and Remus were planning and what the implications were by way of them being able to get him information on the meetings as well as the potential for Harry to meet up with him. The Dark Lord was immensely annoyed with Dumbledore but was happy that Harry's situation was actually beneficial to them and that might have been part of the reason why he accepted the information from the meetings as enough for both names to get added to Harry's list. 

Dudley came through quickly, like the star he was. He managed to find some video cameras that transmitted feed digitally via radio signal, negating the need for wires. He also sent a long range microphone that they set up in Kreacher's old cupboard, the old elf being more than happy to give up the space to a worthy cause, especially when Harry suggested that he could set up one in his room. The elf was also happy to set up the cameras as well, using elf magic to conceal them so they wouldn't be noticed which was handy as it meant they didn't have to worry about waiting for Sirius's map. Dudley had also sent up a laptop as well, using the money that Dumbledore had left for Harry's "upkeep" and a part of Harry loved the irony of Dumbledore being responsible for his own downfall, at least in part. 

There had been some worry about how they would keep running the laptop in a magical house and Dudley had thought of buying a bunch of spare batteries to keep changing out but it turned out that wasn't necessary. It seemed that Dobby had taken quite an interest in how muggle appliances worked and had taken it upon himself to learn a bit about electronics while Dudley was busy with his summer internship at Grunnings. The elf had quite easily tapped into the electrical wiring of the house next door and put a socket in Harry's room for him to use. The elf was quite happy with the praise he received from Harry for that and only despaired that he hadn't yet studied anything about the Internet and so couldn't clone the router for him, especially as he had no way of attaching it to a phone line. Harry didn't mind, especially as he could still use the laptop for playing games or watching films. if he got tired of reading. 

Dudley also sent him a mobile phone so that they could keep in touch more easily. He unfortunately hadn't been able to take out a contract, given his age, but he had told Harry to message him whenever his credit was running low and he would get him a top up. Harry thanked his cousin for the thought; he didn't think that he would get much use out of it since Dudley was the only other person he knew with a phone at the moment but he did enjoy playing snake. It was a surprisingly addictive game. 

It turned out to be a good thing as a meeting was called only a few days later. Molly shooed the children upstairs with strict instructions not to come down to the kitchen or even think about using the twins' products to listen in. They didn't care though, almost as soon as she was back in the kitchen Kreacher appeared to transport them to Harry's room where Harry had already set the laptop to record. Sirius and Remus were standing at the back of the room and Sirius was looking a little shifty, seemingly looking around for something, and Harry was immensely glad that he hadn't told his Godfather where the cameras were in case he accidentally gave their position away by staring at them. 

"So how have you been keeping, Harry?" Hermione asked, sitting down at the table. 

"Very well," Harry grinned. "I've been doing plenty of reading and working on my divination skills."

Hermione frowned. "I thought we'd agreed that that was a load of rubbish?" 

"It is the way Trelawny taught it," Harry chuckled, "but I've been doing some independent study and I'm quite happy with how my Tarot reading is going."

"Really!" Ron exclaimed. "You never got anything out of those when we were at school."

Harry scoffed. "Not surprising when we were essentially sharing a deck. You're supposed to have your own that you can channel your magic through, with the odd person adding a bit for a specific reading but then that dissipating. At Hogwarts we shared decks so it would be a miracle if anyone was able to draw an accurate reading from them."

"I still think its a load of twaddle," Hermione huffed.

"I thought you were all for Arithmancy?" Harry asked. "That's essentially just another form of divination."

"Yes but there are rules for that, a specific formula. It's much more scientific." 

"There are rules for other forms of divination as well, it's just Trelawny never followed them," Harry grinned. He walked over to his bed and pulled out a package wrapped in a black cloth that turned out to be his Tarot deck. He handed it to Hermione. "Here, give them a shuffle and I can give you a reading on yours and Ron's compatibility as a couple."

"But we're not a couple!" Hermione insisted. 

"Maybe there's a reason for that," Ginny giggled. She had been looking through the books on Harry's shelf but now seemed very interested in what was happening at the dining table. 

"Fine," Hermione scowled, grabbing the deck off Harry, "if only to prove what a load of nonsense this is. How long do you want me to shuffle this for?" 

"As long as you feel is necessary," Harry replied. "Just make sure you are thinking about you and Ron as a couple as you do."

Hermione did as she was told, frowning the whole time and then, after a brief period, placed the deck down on the table with some force. "Now what?" 

"Draw two cards: the first one will represent you and the second one will represent Ron."

Hermione turned over the top two cards and revealed Judgement and Death. Ron pulled a face. 

"Why do I get the feeling that that isn't a good sign?" 

"Death isn't necessarily a bad card," Harry said, getting one of his notebooks and flicking through it. He frowned, flicked through again, and then bit his lip. "In this case, however, it isn't."

"What do they mean?" Hermione asked, suddenly intrigued. 

Harry sighed. "Well, this is only my interpretation, but I would say this combination of cards has two outcomes: the first is the end of a relationship that, instead of causing joy for the union, is actually the opposite; a toxic, jealous and stormy relationship. It represents a couple that is stagnant, living from inertia, exhausted, and that does not give more. Death symbolises the end of it. It can cause sadness but, in the end it is the best thing since this couple is insurmountable. 

"The second interpretation," Harry said, looking back over his notes, "indicates a gloomy relationship where little by little the spark of desire is extinguished, and where one of the two demands too much of the other. This couple does not feel comfortable because one of the two cannot meet the requirements of the other. Although the Judgement may also be a letter for1 hope, if there is no mutual agreement it is difficult for this couple to save themselves from failure. The combination of these two arcanes is clear, since on the one hand we are before stability and on the other we are before the end of a relationship that goes in a descending spiral without remedy. But even so, the Judgment gives us a breath of hope, since it is the card of self-analysis to solve any adverse situation. One of you has to put your feet on the ground and decide what to do with this union."

"So not great then," Ron winces. 

"Perhaps we need to think about things before we get into anything," Hermione mused.

"Did you want a reading Gin?" Harry asked, giving his deck a quick shuffle. 

Ginny looked at him quizzically. "You're still happy with the Dark Lord aren't you?" 

"Oh yes," Harry grinned. "Things are going great between us. He took me out on a wonderful date for my birthday and I'm hoping to see him again at some stage, especially when I can be sure I won't have to worry about possibly being missed."

"You mean like spending the night with him!" Ginny gasped. 

"Yep," Harry smiled. "I definitely want to do that again."

"Again!" Ginny squeaked. "You mean you've already had sex with the guy!"

"Yeah and it was great," Harry said somewhat dreamily. "He was really attentive."

"Well that's good to hear I suppose," Hermione grumbled. "Although I'm still surprised you went so far already."

"Why?" Harry asked, looking a bit confused. 

"Sex before marriage isn't really considered the done thing," Ron explained, rolling his eyes. 

"That's stupid," Harry frowned. "How do you know if you're compatible if you don't."

"That's what I think," Ron huffed. "But apparently I'm stupid for thinking that."

"You're not the one who has to worry about getting pregnant and ruining your future," Hermione scowled.

"There are potions for that though," Ron whined.

"Perhaps we should see what's happening at the meeting," Harry suggested, hoping to stem an argument before it escalated. He went over to the laptop and turned on the sound. A few more of the Order had arrived and Mrs Weasley was dishing out tea to everyone. She stopped in front of Tonks.

"How are things going with you and Charlie?" 

"They're not," Tonks replied. "He went back to Romania and I haven't heard anything since. I don't think he plans on coming back to England any time soon."

Mrs Weasley sighed. "I don't know what to do with that boy sometimes; all he can think about is those dragons. No matter dear. Perhaps you can see about dating Bill instead."

"I thought Bill was already in a relationship?" Tonks asked, sounding confused. 

"Only with that silly French girl," Mrs Weasley huffed. "I can't see that lasting. He'll soon realise what he wants is a good, English witch and he'll see that soon enough if you're around, you'll see."

"If you say so," Tonks replied, sounding a little unsure. "But I'm not in a rush. I'm enjoying being an Auror at the moment."

"That will change dear, when you're pregnant, and you do want to start having babies soon. We need more good witches like you to have children or we risk the dark side taking over."

"Mrs Weasley is right," Diggle said, injecting himself into the conversation. "My Felicity thought the same about her career and even spoke to St Mungos about going to work part time. They said no, of course, and she's become quite grateful for it as the pregnancy has progressed. I never understood this need for a woman to work instead of raising children."

Any further conversation was stopped by the arrival of Dumbledore who made a big point of calling everyone to order, although the gesture was somewhat moot since all conversation had dutifully stopped as soon as he walked into the room. 

"Now my first order of business is to give apologies from Severus for not being able to attend again," Dumbledore announced. "It seems certain parties are trying to make the most of my abscence, especially with the idea of the Governors having more oversight of the running of the school and are trying to bring in some sweeping changes that he is desperately trying to block."

"I bet its that damn Malfoy," Moody grumbled. "Brown and his lot should never have let that man back in."

"Unfortunately Bernard Brown's hands were tied with that, especially with the rumours that there was someone out there impersonating me," Dumbledore said solemnly. "I've had a great deal of trouble trying to get hold of anyone because of that."

"Stuff and nonsense!" Diggle huffed. "As if anyone would dare impersonate the Great Albus Dumbledore."

"There are some I fear who might," Dumbledore warned, "which is why I find my inability to even get a meeting with them so worrying."

"Constant vigilance!" Moody roared.

"Only it seems that the Governors vigilance is working against us here," Remus smirked. 

"I'm surprised Sirius isn't saying anything about Snape being untrustworthy," Tonks giggled. 

"Why should I bother?" Sirius sneered. "Its not like any of you listen to me anyway."

"Severus has my unwavering faith," Dumbledore said. "There are vows that he has taken beyond what you all took to become members of this Order. That is how I know that there is nothing that will stop him from helping us win."

"Except if he thinks I'm more at risk with you," Harry snarked from the comfort of his room, causing his friends to laugh. 

"As for what our next move," Dumbledore continued, "we need to keep watching the prophecy. Those of you who work at the Ministry are best placed to either go in early or stay later but I am aware that there are certain times when it is difficult for people to cover. Kingsley has agreed to try staggering his and Tonks shifts where they can to maximise our cover and Molly is going to keep popping in to give Arthur his lunch to cover a bit but if anyone else can come up with legitimate reasons to go to the Ministry please let me know so we can adjust things accordingly. They do need to be good reasons though, we don't want the Death Eaters to have too much reason to kick up a fuss."

"So I can't go down there," Sirius grouced.

"Not if you want to make sure you stay out of Azkaban," Moody warned.

"Don't see that there's all that much difference," Sirius muttered. 

Moody looked at him darkly. "I can quite happily throw your ungrateful arse back in there if you want. Dumbledore is risking a lot by even letting you stay here. If any of the Death Eaters found out it would be his head on the chopping block as much as yours and then where would we be!"

"Out of curiosity why are we putting so much effort into guarding this prophecy?" Remus asked. 

"Not you too!" Mrs Weasley moaned. 

"Of course the dark creature is a bad influence," Moody scowled, "in fact he might be the initial bad seed that is threatening to spoil the lot."

Sirius growled. 

"Now Remus," Dumbledore said placatingly, "you know full well that we need to stop Voldemort mustn't get his hands on that as it will give him dangerous information regarding the war and Harry's part in it."

"But doesn't he already know that Harry is going to play a big part in the up coming war?" Remus questioned. "Isn't that why he's already targeting Harry?" 

"He knows some of it," Dumbledore replied, somewhat coldly, "but not all and it is the rest that we must stop him getting at all costs. But you don't need to worry about that side if things, Remus. I was hoping to send you back to the werewolf colony to try to stop them from joining Voldemort's ranks."

"You what!" Sirius roared. "You're sending him back to Greyback! Why all of a sudden? Is this some sort of punishment?" 

"Of course it isn't," Dumbledore huffed, although Harry believed him as much as Sirius seemed to. "It is vitality important that we try to prevent Voldemort from building an army and Remus is our best bet with that group."

"Are we going to offer them something?" Remus queried. "Only its very difficult to make headway with them when all I can say is 'don't follow You-know-who'." 

"Surely it should be enough to just point out to them how evil he is?" Molly pondered. 

"Not if they're just as dark," Moody growled. "Unless the wolf here isn't actually trying as hard to turn him as he is claiming."

"Now Moody, I'm sure Remus is doing everything he can," Kingsley said, "but there are a number of werewolves who want the same liberties as normal wizards."

"And why shouldn't they?" Sirius huffed. 

"Because they're dark creatures!" Molly exclaimed. "They need to be monitored or else who knows what damage they will do."

Several of the order members nodded at this and Harry shook his head in despair. 

"We have to do something to help them," Hermione whispered to him. "It's clear these adults won't."

"I know," Harry agreed. "We'll work on it."

His bushy haired friend nodded and they went back to watching the feed. 

"Has there been any news about Harry?" Dumbledore asked and Molly shook her head. 

"He has been eating all of the food I send up but he hasn't written a thing by way of apology."

"Ungrateful whelp," Moody hissed.

"It is not as bad as I feared it might be," Dumbledore mused. "If he had continued to rebel, either refusing to eat or writing something scathing to Molly then I would be more worried but I can only hope that he is thinking about his behaviour. I will go up and check on him before I go though."

"You'll unseal the door?" Sirius gasped and Harry had a brief moment of panic. 

"No, that door will not be opened until Harry has apologised. This is as much a punishment for you as him," Dumbledore scowled, and both Sirius and Harry relaxed, although the man in the meeting thankfully bowed his head so it looked more like defeat than relief. "I have ways of checking on him without opening the door not including getting Severus to let me use Phineas Nigellus's portrait to check on him, although that will be a last resort, only if I am worried that the boy is unwell, although I'm sure that man will say something if he saw any worrying behaviour."

"Depends on your definition of worrying," the portrait smirked. 

"Can you really trust the portrait though?" Molly questioned. "He is a Black after all."

"We're not all bad!" Sirius argued but Moody huffed out a laugh.

Dumbledore ignored them both. "Phineas was a headmaster and, while we haven't always seen eye to eye I know he always took his duty of care very seriously."

"Which is precisely why we didn't see eye to eye," the portrait snarked and the children in Harry's room snickered. 

"I trust that Phineas would inform Severus the second that he thought there was something wrong with Harry and the favt thay he hasn't leave me to conclude that Harry is perfectly well and doing precisely as I told him," Dumbledore continued. "Now, is there any other order of business?" 

"What about new death eater activity?" Tonks queried. 

"Has there been any?" Sirius muttered. 

"Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean that it hasn't happened!" Moody roared. "Perhaps you should just leave if you aren't going to add anything useful to the meeting."

"Perhaps I should," Sirius sneered. "Its not like any of you listen to a word I say anyway."

"Harry listened to you and look what that got him," Diggle snarked. 

"Well I'm not staying where I know I'm not wanted," Sirius scowled, pushing away from the wall and storming up the stairs, Remus following in his wake. 

"Perhaps that is cue for all of us to depart," Dumbledore suggested. "Moody and I will keep an eye out on Death Eater activity Tonks and we will keep you all updated."

"I think that is our cue to leave as well," Hermione suggested, as Kreacher appeared for them. 

"Yes," Harry said. "Its been nice to see you again and, hopefully, Sirius will have the map sorted soon so that we can get together again soon."

"It's just a shame that we can't give the Dark Lord anything more useful," Ron sighed. 

Harry shrugged. "At least he'll know that they're chasing their tails and, if I can show him their faces, that will help as well."

The friends said quickly said goodbye and Harry was in a very good mood, waiting patiently for when he knew Dumbledore would have left as there was no way that the man would be back that night meaning that it would be the perfect time to give his boyfriend a visit. 

Chapter Text

Kreacher was happy to create a ladder for Harry and he was able to easily climb through Phineas Nigellus's portrait to get to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts and was happy to note that he was able to give Severus, who had been sitting in his office doing paperwork, quite the shock. It only took a moment for the shock to pass however and curiosity to overtake the man's mind before he smiled at Harry, and then at the portrait. 

"You didn't tell me that it was possible to travel through portraits like that, Phineas," Severus smirked. 

"What can I say, I wanted to ensure the boy had his privacy if he wished," the portrait smiled. 

Severus scoffed. "As if I should wish to barge in on teenagers unless the need was dire. I had enough of that as head of house, thank you very much, and I was quite looking forward to not having to do it anymore."

"That's good to know," Harry grinned. "How is the job treating you by the way?" 

"I had hoped that my new role would help me ease up on all of the double talk but unfortunately Dumbledore keeps insisting on sticking his nose into things, or at least trying to anyway. Thankfully Lucius is more than happy to take credit for my ideas and, thanks to your deal with Mr Brown they are going through without a hitch and I can feasibly turn around to Dumbledore and claim that I havr tried to prevent things but it is out of my hands. The upside if the Board of Governors actually doing their job now and taking an active role in the school. Did you know that they had only been meeting once a year to essentially prevent them from being classed as illegal, and even then Dumbledore essentially railroaded things to prevent anything actually being discussed."

"I didn't know but I can't say I was surprised," Harry scoffed. 

"Thankfully that will be another thing that is changing," Severus smiled. "Now I'm assuming there is a reason you came here; as much as it is nice catching up with you in person I'm afraid I have a lot of resumes to look through as we are hiring a number of new teachers."

"Really! For what?" 

"Well a few are there to fill gaps but I am also hiring more to ease the burden on the core subjects, especially as those are taught principally by heads of houses. I can assure you that that level of workload is too much for anyone. As for the rest, you will just have to wait for your Hogwarts letter to arrive. I sent them out this morning so you should be getting them shortly."

"Awesome!" Harry grinned. "As for why I'm here I was able to record the Order meeting and I was hoping to borrow your fireplace to go and see him."

"I have no problem with that but make sure you're not caught. I do not want to have to explain where you went to Dumbledore," Severus warned. 

Harry laughed. "Don't worry. He has just checked on me so I can't see him coming back any time soon, especially as Kreacher knows how to dispose of Molly's food so as not to raise suspicion."

"Planning on being out all night then?" Severus queried, raising his eyebrows and Harry blushed. 

"I wasn't planning on it but it might be a possibility. I have the mirror just in case Dumbledore shows up though, and he confirmed in the meeting that he is the only one who can tell who is in the room so I should be ok for a while at least."

Severus accepted this and stepped aside just before Harry went to throw in the floo powder he stopped him. 

"I just want to say thank you for using this method instead of just having a House Elf simply jump you there. I may not be principally in charge of your welfare but I would still rather know where you are and that you're safe."

Harry bit his lip. "I'll admit I didn't realise I could do that to someone else's property."

"Normally there are wards that prevent it but I wasn't sure if the Dark Lord had adjusted them for you. For future reference, as a student, your elves can bypass the Hogwarts ones in an emergency. It was set up to help people in the Witch Hunt days, although it doesn't specify what classes as an emergency."

"I'll bear that in mind in the future," Harry smiled, "although I will talk to the Dark Lord about just jumping to his house. If I do though, I promise to always leave a message of where I've gone."

"Thank you Harry." With that he stepped back again and Harry was off to Riddle Manor once more. Unfortunately his grace when it came to the floo network was at its usual standard and, instead of sneaking into the Manor and ended up falling to the ground with a crash. At least he had managed to surprise the Dark Lord who came running into the room, wand raised, to see what the fuss was. 

"Harry! You gave me the fright of my life. You're lucky that I didn't curse you on sight as Severus is usually the only person to use that way as he didn't want to let Dumbledore know my location."

"He always was playing both sides, wasn't he," Harry chuckled.

"A true Slytherin," the Dark Lord smiled. "That's why, despite everything, I still have a lot of respect for him. I am what brings you here so suddenly though?" 

Harry blushed a bit and pulled out his laptop bag. "There was an Order meeting this afternoon and I was able to record it. Dumbledore has left after checking on me so I should have a bit of time before anyone even thinks to check on me again which is why I thought it would be a good time to come and say hi."

"Is that so? Well may I suggest letting me know next time so I don't risk hexing you to oblivion. I'm all for a bit of impact play but even I have my limits."

"That's good to know," Harry grinned. "Now, where do you think is the best place to view this?"

"We'll go to the parlor next door," the Dark Lord suggested. "As much as I'd love to get you into my bed as soon as possible, I would rather keep any reference to Dumbledore far away."

"I can agree with that," Harry chuckled. 

They made themselves comfortable to watch the video clip and, as soon as it was over, the Dark Lord promptly closed the lid. 

"I don't know whether to be more annoyed or relieved. On the one hand I always knew that group was a bunch of incompetent yes men but I didn't realise things were that bad and I wonder now how bad things must have gotten on my side for them to have been such a thorn in my side before."

"I imagine it's because Dumbledore is very good at getting people to dance to his tune," Harry suggested. "The only reason we are here now is pure luck. If I hadn't written that letter then I would hate to think where we would be, certainly not working together that's for sure."

"Very true my dear and I am inordinately grateful for whatever spark of insanity drove you to do that as you have not only eased our path forward but you've also brought me joy." He leaned forward and gave Harry a quick kiss that had him blushing. 

"You've been good for me as well my Lord. Without your influence I would never have thought to question Dumbledore or Mrs Weasley. I realise now that I had essentially been trained to think that they could do no wrong and always do as they said without question. You can see how much me stepping out of that mould has affected Dumbledore by his attempt to punish me for it."

The Dark Lord sighed. "Dumbledore has never liked anyone who doesn't follow him unquestioningly, I am proof of that, although it does seem that his punishment is backfiring somewhat."

"Just a bit. I definitely have a lot more freedom in there thanks to Kreacher and Dobby. My books had been good enough but now that Dobby has set up a plug socket in my room as well I can even watch movies on this thing."

"I was initially talking about your ability to visit me here although I had been curious how you powered that thing as there were no visible cables."

"It's got a battery," Harry explained, "but it doesn't last very long on its own. I'd been worried about how we were going to be able to record a meeting if it started to drag on a bit but apparently Dobby has been teaching himself about how electronics work and was able to hijack the neighbour's electricity to hook me up although Dudley was prepared to keep a load of batteries on standby had it not worked."

"Your cousin has done very well in this and is a credit to muggles everywhere. If they were all as good as him then I would not have half as many issues with the muggle world as I do. Unfortunately more are like your uncle was than I care to admit. That's not to say that muggles don't have some interesting technology that it could be handy to utilise, especially as so many wizards are unaware of it. Do you think your elf would be willing to come here and set something up for me here?" the Dark Lord asked." Not through the whole house but maybe one or two rooms."

Harry shrugged. "I don't see why not. If he does, perhaps I can get Dudley to get you a mobile phone, that way I can contact you if I need you without relying on owls which can be intercepted or house elves that have so many things to do already, it seems too demanding to keep calling them to deliver messages all the time."

"A mobile phone?" 

Harry smiled on got his out to show the Dark Lord, explaining how it worked and even giving the man a demonstration by messaging Dudley to ask if he could pick one up for the man who was shock when the reply came through with the affirmative just a few seconds later. 

"This is truly a magnificent device! One thing that I will say that goes in muggle's favour is the way they are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible. There are a few people who do the same in the wizarding world but their talents aren't encouraged and their ideas often ridiculed before they are even born. It has led to a stagnation of society that won't do." 

"Good job we're planning on changing that then," Harry grinned and the Dark Lord smiled softly at him. 

"That's right, we are aren't we." He cupped Harry's chin and gently brushed his thumb along Harry's cheek. "Every day I am surprised at how much bringing you in has benefited me."

"Me too," Harry smiled, "and it just seems to be getting better. If you have a phone I can message you anytime and not have to worry about disturbing a meeting or anything because you can just respond when you have time."

"Oh I can definitely see the benefits of having that device," the Dark Lord smirked. "I would like to be able to reward young Dudley somehow."

A dark smile spread across Harry's face. "You could always kill his Aunt Marge. She's as bad as Uncle Vernon was, maybe even worse, and Dudley doesn't like her because she always hated his mum. She used to purposely send her dog Ripper to attack Aunt Petunia before I was old enough and she used to sick it on me."

The Dark Lord looked at Harry curiously. "Are you suggesting that I force this woman's dog to attack and kill her?" 

"Maybe," Harry admitted. "I'm not normally for doing anything to hurt animals but Ripper has been trained so badly that I don't think he's going to be able to find a home anyway. He's too small for an attack dog but far too aggressive for a family dog plus Marge has so many others that they would have to find homes for I think it would be kinder if Ripper did something which just caused him to be put down quickly."

"I love how you can be so devious yet so sweet at the same time. It is a truly addictive combination." The Dark Lord pulled Harry into a deep kiss that had his toes curling. 

"Thank you my Lord. You're pretty addictive yourself," Harry breathed, before leaning in to give the man a kiss of his own. Harry smiled as he pulled back. "I'm glad that I can come and see you like this, I was dreading having to go a whole month without getting to see you but hopefully soon I'll be able to come by whenever I like, although it may be a bit awkward having to go past Severus all of the time. Is there a way for the House Elves to bring me here or something, so I don't have to keep climbing through the portrait."

"Yes but unfortunately my wards are set so that only those bearing my mark can get through. Anyone else will be sent straight to the dungeons in unbearable agony."

"Then perhaps you can mark me," Harry suggested. 

The Dark Lord frowned. "Are you sure? It is permanent once it's on the skin?" 

"Well I did consider getting a tattoo so that's hardly going to phase me," Harry chuckled. "Do I have to take any oaths of fealty or anything?"