Greetings! I was feeling guilty this evening because I said this would be out by Christmas and it will be New Year in a couple of days. So here it is! Chapter 1 of the sequel to Gift of a Second Chance. If you haven't read it, then I advise doing that first.

Warning: I keep getting the feeling that my characters are all wandering off into ooc-ness. Apologies, I'm trying to keep them how I imagine them but it's getting pretty hard. ALSO - sorry about the new OCs. I started writing this and then realised I'd killed off all of the people I would have put into the sequel. There will be some old faces, but probably unusual ones.

Disclaimer - I own Nothing. J.K.Rowling owns everything. Sueing is pointless and unkind, so don't do it.

Chapter 1 - The New Dawn

The pattern on the teacup was green, a picture of vines that curled around the rim and up the handle. Surprisingly beautiful and delicate, the contents swirled slowly, making patterns in the foam on the top around the tiny silver spoon that protruded from its depths. The light brown froth covered dark brown liquid and was flecked with spots of darker brown still. The warmth had heated the thin china and the hands that clasped the cup, nearly obscuring the pattern, were taking full advantage of it, even as a shiver rippled through the body attached to them.

Harry Potter took a sip of his hot chocolate and glanced over to the doorway in a futile hope it would be holding someone or something he knew was impossible. He shivered again, his thin form trembling beneath the clothes that he only wished belonged to him, thick black robes that kept almost none of the chill of the dungeons out. He wore nothing on his feet and therefore had tucked them underneath him to prevent the iciness of the flagstones from reaching his skin. Letting out a breath and seeing it curl in the cool air in front of him, he snapped his fingers sharply.

A house elf appreared in the room with a crack and bowed low to him, staring at the floor. "How can Roke assist you, master?" Its breath came out in little puffs that created small clouds of condensation that distracted Harry for a moment, before he remembered what he had asked it to him for.

"Im cold, can you make up a fire? Any heating spells would be useful too." He only wished that he could have performed the simple charms himself, making a magical fire was first or second year work, but without his wand, he had nothing. He had thought back and realised that it must still be on the grounds of the castle where it had been thrown during the final battle. Nobody had mentioned it to him.

The house elf at once busied itself with aquiring heat, casting a spell that made the room temperature a good three or four degrees warmer, then starting on the fire. Harry thought about his situation. That was what he spent most of his time doing at the moment. Thinking, and remembering.

He hadn't spoken to anyone except Tom and the house elf called Roke, the one currently fixing the fire, since the night he had arrived here. He had been locked inside Tom's quarters for days now, there wasn't any kind of natural light down here and he wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed. He had no way of telling the time, either, with no spells and no clocks. Though he had fallen asleep several times, he didn't know how long he'd slept each time.

The rooms he was staying in were pleasant enough. There was a small kitchen, with appliances that worked of their own magic rather than at his command and it was rather like using electricity, something he wondered whether Tom had because of his muggle background. There was plenty of food, the cupboards seemed to restock themselves and he had discovered that if you wrote down an item of food on the piece of parchment with shopping list written on it that was stuck to the wall, the food you asked for appeared in the cupboards. It was a practicality that surprised him in the home of the Dark Lord.

Even in other rooms, everything that he needed was there. There was a library, mostly full of books of dark magic but some of other things that weren't dark, just really powerful. He even discovered a hidden section which had tomes of muggle literature in it, both fiction and non fiction. Then he had thought about how much Hermione would have loved it and had to leave the room immediately. He hadn't been in there since.

Occasionally, as he was sitting around doing nothing and thinking about everything, he wondered if he wasn't just being kept as some sort of catamite for the Dark Lord. There had been no indication of what he was to do, what would happen to him as Tom continued his plan on taking over Britain. In fact, Tom hadn't really been around much at all.

He had only seen Tom twice since he had been here, and only spoken once. The first time Harry had been on a chair in the sitting room examining one of Tom's strange trinkets when Tom had strode through the black wood doors that shut his quarters out from the rest of wherever they were. He had been followed by Wormtail and a tall skinny man with red hair like flames and piercing yellow eyes. Wormtail had given him a nervous glance, the redhead had looked had him with mild curiosity before following Tom further into the apartment. Tom hadn't looked at him at all.

The second time had been when Harry was really tired, lying on the couch with a fire the house elf had made crackling nearby and the sweet smell of the fire permeating the room. Tom had slipped in quietly but the breeze from him opening and closing the door caused the fire to spit and a cold wind run through the room.

"Tom?" Harry had sat up and Tom had sat down in a chair opposite him, looking into the fire. The flames flickered in his red eyes making him look quite eerie.

"Hello Harry." He had answered, his voice monotone. Harry had slowly, tentatively gotten up and walked over to where Tom sat, glancing up at him. To the older man's evident surprise he had climbed into the chair with him, settling down into a comfortable position curled up in the other man's arms.

"I love you Tom." he had murmured, and the stiffening indicated that he had been heard, but the other man made no move the throw him off and as the body he lay on slowly relaxed, a hand coming up to rest at the base of his neck, Tom spoke.

"I love you too, my Harry." Harry had fallen asleep soon after that, and woken later when the fire was down to its ashes but the smell still filled the room, and though the chair was empty the heat from another body remained.

Really, when Harry thought back to it now, it could hardly be counted as a proper conversation, as he'd only said five words the entire time.

Roke had finished the fire and the warmth was beginning to spread through the room now, warming his skin. Thanking the house elf, he motioned for it to leave and it did so. Roke was the only house elf allowed to serve him and obeyed him completely in everything but Harry's commands to be less formal. He did not meet Harry's eyes, called him 'master' and did not leave until Harry gave him permission. Clearly these house elves were perfectly trained, and submissive. Hermione would have been horrified. He was slowly becoming fond of the small creature, though it might have been expected considering it was the only other being he saw.

Harry had decided that later he would return to the library, and see if he could face the memories long enough to retrive some reading material. He was slowly going insane with nothing to do but think all day, and something to read would take his mind off of it.

Hearing a bang from somewhere else in the apartment, he heard footsteps and figured Tom was back. Maybe he would have to look into the library some other time.

Tom indeed appreared, dressed in dark red robes and carrying something wrapped in black cloth. "Harry, there you are." He put the package down on the table and straightened up again. "I want you to go and get changed into these, Im having a meeting and I want you there."

Harry paused for a second, before taking the parcel and opening it, inside was more cloth, obviously robes, but Harry couldn't tell much about them as they were all folded up. "Why do you want me there?" He asked, frowning, though inside he was looking forward to a change in the monotony.

"I realised last night that you have absolutely no idea of what has happened to the world since I Rose." He said the word like it had a capital letter. "I felt it appropriate that you know what is going on." Giving no further explanation, turning and leaving the room, pausing on his way out only to add "Be ready in five minutes." before leaving completely.

Harry stared at the empty doorway for a full ten seconds before pulling himself together. Quickly changing into the robes he took a moment to look at his new image in the full length mirror. The robes were simple and made of a soft dark grey material that felt warm to the touch. It had a hood and when he put it up it shadowed his face so that only a glimpse of his eyes, a duller green than they once were, showed. His black hair, down to the middle of his back now, was hidden underneath the hood.

When Tom came to collect him he was taken through stone corridors very similar to those at Hogwarts. He recognised none of the paintings, though, so it couldn't have been his beloved castle. They entered a long low room that had a chair like a throne at one end on a raised platform. Nagini reclined on it in glittering coils and Harry turned his head from her, the sight bringing back memories he had sworn not to think about.

"Sit there, Harry." Tom said, pushing the snake off of the throne. It hissed angrily and retreated to a dark corner, but Tom was beckoning a minion forward and pushing his sleeve back, pressing a long pale finger to the Dark Mark and suddenly the room was filling up with dark cloaked figures.

Feeling rather detatched from his surroundings, Harry watched their reactions. Most took a double take at the grey robed figure, sitting in their Master's throne while Lord Voldemort stood forward and a little to the right like a servant. He wondered what they thought about him being there.

"Greetings, Death Eaters." Tom spoke and his voice was cold, ruthless, like Harry remembered it had been before, and he shivered minutely. Tom glanced at him then carried on. "It has now been ten days since the Battle of Hogwarts. With the Light fallen, a new Order must arise if this country is to continue, to hold the purebloods together and keep the mudbloods in line.

"Hogwarts must be rebuilt, for a nation cannot thrive without the education of the young. I have chosen Rodolphus Lestrange as the new Head of Hogwarts, and it will be his responsibility to rebuild and staff the new building, with my approval." A man in the front rows bowed deep but did not speak.

"The Ministry of Magic is in turmoil, the Minister is dead and the Aurors are scattered and leaderless. I have chosen Augustus Rookwood as the new Minister and Macnair will be the Head of the Auror Department. You must both re-establish the Ministry as a powerful and organised company, you may choose your underlings and department Heads, but all new laws must be approved by me." The two men bowed low as well.

"My Death Eaters." Voldemort spoke to the whole crowd now. "England is now under my rule, and soon it will be entirely under my control. The people throughout this country are now my people. Everyone in my Inner Circle still surviving will form the new Wizengamot, and those that are not in the Inner Circle will become the force behind the movement. You may now return to your houses, those who have been in hiding may return to society, and those who have been shunned will be brought into the open again.

"Let all who are not in my Inner Circle leave now, for I must speak with those few that are left." Gradually, the people thinned out, as Death Eaters bowed and left with a crack of Apparation. Soon there were only a few left, and those that remained came forward and knelt before Voldemort. There were seven, and as they took off their masks Harry saw who they were. Antonin Dolohov, Rudolphus and Rastaban Lestrange, Macnair, Rookwood, Theodore Nott's father and a woman with dark skin, black hair and black eyes that he had never seen before.

Voldemort regarded them. "Well, my friends, our numbers are greatly depleted. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix, Avery and Mulciber have left our ranks forever. There are few now who I would trust with positions of responsibilty and important information, but you seven qualify. I have already given three of you tasks, but before you leave I will show you something I am sure you have wondered."

The seven figures raised their heads as Voldemort turned and walked to Harry, pausing before pushing his hood back revealing the distinctive eyes and scar. There were a couple of intakes of breath, though it was impossible to tell who they came from.

"My Lord, that is Harry Potter, is it not?" Rudolphus spoke.

"Indeed." Voldemort answered, regarding Harry.

"If it is not too bold, why is he here and not..." The man paused.

"Not dead, you mean?" Voldemort asked. Rodolphus bowed his head respectfully. Voldemort looked at the seven figures thoughtfully for a few moments. "Who among you seven knows what a Horcrux is?" Dolohov, Rastaban Lestrange and the unknown woman nodded. "Suffice to say that Harry Potter has the blessing or curse, however you choose to view it, of being my Horcrux. My Primary Horcrux, as it happens. Let those of you who do not understand ask those who do. That is all I will say." All seven figures bowed and Macnair, Rookwood and Rudolphus Apparated away with a crack leaving just the four others left.

"Now, the rest of you, there must be envoys sent to the Giants, the Merpeople, the Vampires, the Weres, the Kraven and the Centaur. These creatures are those that served as our allies in the war, and I must speak with them to negotiate their new rights. Crabbe, Goyle and Carthas have already departed for the Giant colonies in the Mountains, so although they will not return for two months, we need not bother with them. The Weres are being controlled by Greyback for now and will not return from their hunting expedition for seven months yet, so there is no point in sending an envoy to them until they are settled in one place. The Centaur have mostly retreated beyond finding but I am sending you, Lestrange and you, Dolohov to the main Centaur gathering near Athens in Greece.

"The Merpeople have had some trouble of their own recently and Atlantis has been broken by civil war. Any negotiations with them will have to wait until they have rebuilt their own society. I sent the Carrows to speak with the Kraven eight days ago, with specific instructions to contact me every two days, but I have hard nothing back from them since. Nott, Speight, you will accompany me on my trip to speak with them myself, and to speak with the Vampire Council since they are on the way."

The four remaining figures nodded and bowed again. Dolohov and Lestrange Apparated away and the two others stood, bringing their hoods back but keeping their eyes respectfully lowered. Harry looked at the two figures, their features so different. Nott Senior was tall and broad shouldered, quite unlike his skinny son, with dusty greyish brown hair that fell to the tips of his ears. His skin was pale, like his son's but his face wasn't so thin. He looked old, but still strong, and his grey eyes were half lidded and blank of emotion.

The woman, Speight as Tom had called her, was shorter, about average height, with wavy black hair that fell to her shoulders. She had a pleasant, oval face, dark skin and deep brown eyes, almost black. A half smile curved her features prettily and for a split second, Harry was reminded forcefully of Luna Lovegood. The eyes gave her away though, cold and dark with pain. This was not a happy woman.

The next few hours were a blur to Harry. Still feeling rather apathetic from his days spent doing nothing, he sat listlessly next to the fire and listened to Voldemort talking with Nott and Speight. He learned that their first names were Alfred and Juliet and that his old classmate, Theodore Nott, would be accompanying them on their journey. Apparently Tom had thought he needed some company his own age. It was an awareness that surprised Harry, he had not expected Tom to be so thoughtful.

They would apparate to Lithuania where there was the portal to the dark plane in which the Vampires had built their Citadel. After speaking with the Vampire Elders they would travel to Russia where the Kraven lived. Harry knew almost nothing about the Kraven, only that they appeared something like humans and that they were considered a 'dark' species. They were extinct in england, but thrived in Russia, where the temperature was much colder.

Apparently he fell asleep in front of the fire, for when he woke up he was in bed with no memory of how he had gotten there. The room was pleasantly warm, someone had cast heating charms, and there was a neat pile of clothing folded at the end of the bed. Levering himself up, Harry shivered as he left the cocoon of the blanket and realised he was naked.

Scowling, Harry dressed quickly before examining himself in the full length mirror that graced his wall. He wore robes, but there were two layers, one of them, the inner one that clung to him like a second skin. It was very soft and warm, of a light grey. Over that he had a thicker dark grey robe, trapping a layer of air between the material and making Harry feel uncomfortably hot in the warm room. It was evidently for cold weather, because there was also a black fur cloak that came with it, as well as leather boots lined with fur that kept his feet nice and toasty.

Tom was waiting outside the room for him, talking to Alfred Nott. Speight was nowhere to be seen but Theodore Nott stood by one wall, eyes down and one hand nervously playing with the hem of his cloak. All three wizard were dressed similarly to Harry and only Theodore looked uncomfortable with the warmth he had to be experiencing.

As Harry closed the heavy door behind him it clicked, alerting those in the room to his presence. Tom's face lost some of its seriousness, Theodore frowned a little but Nott Senior was motionless and expressionless.

"Good evening, Harry." Tom spoke. "I am awaiting Spencer's signal that our travel is ready, then we shall leave."

Harry nodded and went to sit in his favorite chair by the mercifully empty fireplace. Feeling his stomach growl, he clicked his fingers and Roke popped next to him, bowing low and not looking up from the floor.

"What can Roke do for you, master?"

"I would like some pumpkin juice, and toast please Roke." The elf bowed again and popped away, returning a moment later with the required pumpkin juice and toast, buttered just the way the little creature knew Harry preferred it. "Thankyou." Harry said and it waved one tiny hand in dismissal, before taking out a bottle and placing it on the table.

It was filled with a brown liquid and the elf bowed slighty before speaking in a rush. "Master's favorite hot chocolate, kept warm until he wishes to drink it." Then it popped away hurriedly, leaving Harry with a suprised expression and a little kernel of warmth in his heart at the kindness and thoughtfulness of the creature.

"Well, you seem to have made an impression on my house elf." Tom's voice came from behind him, a touch of laughter in it that Harry knew only he could hear. Thoroughly ignoring the other man he began to eat his breakfast.

"My Lord... you allow your elf to be so disrespectful?" Nott Senior spoke and Harry was unsurprised to hear a note of disapproval in his voice. Though it was the first emotion he could remember the man showing, he had expected that the Notts would be similar in their disrespectful treatment of house elfs to the way the other pureblood families all seemed to be.

Harry could almost see Tom's dangerous smile. "How Harry chooses to let the elfs treat him is his choice. The creature continues to show the usual and appropriate respect and fear for me." Nott made a skeptical noise and Harry knew by the way the noise was cut off with an intake of breath that Tom had drawn his wand. "You will not treat Harry with such disdain. He is mine and if you dare to show disdain to him then you show disdain to me." Another gasp. "I do not take well to disdain, Nott."

"Of course not, my Lord." The voice croaked out, and Harry glanced over to see Theodore not watching the scene nervously, his hand clenched into a fist in his robe.

"My Lord, your travel is ready." A deep, rich voice spoke from the entrance to the doorway and Harry looked up to see the man with flaming red hair standing in the doorway, a neutral expression on his face but obviously hiding his amusement. Tom moved to the doorway and beckoned to Harry, who slipped the bottle of hot chocolate into his robe and followed. The Nott's followed shortly after.

They walked thorugh the stone passageways out into a courtyard, bordered on three sides by stables. Various strange looking creatures gazed out of the stalls at Harry, but in the centre of the courtyard were six winged horses, in varying shades of grey. Speight was standing by one, speaking to it and stroking the dusky neck.

"Pegasi." Tom said, moving to stand beside Harry. "Beautiful, aren't they. Imported from Italy. They were really the only feasible option. Thestrals are too unnerving for people who can't see them and although everyone present can, other travellers may not and it could cause irritating suspicion, and brooms are uncomfortable and unneccesary. Pegasi are intelligent, powerful and have the safety of their rider their first priority."

The flame-haired man, Spencer, brought two pegasi, one ebony and the other silvery grey, to them. Awkwardly Harry climbed onto the back of the silver one, hiding his blush of embarrasment when Spencer had to help him mount the tall creature. Tom was already sitting on the black one by the time he had righted himself, and Harry had a moment to examine the sensation as the others mounted.

It was more comfortable than riding a Hippogriff, and less exposed than a broom. The skin was warm and smooth and living underneath his hands and the great grey wings were folded behind his legs. The pegasi really were huge, standing a good eight or nine feet tall with wingtips that brushed the ground.

Once all six of them were mounted, Tom, Harry, Speight, Spencer, Nott Senior and Nott Junior, Spencer gave a toss of his head and made a double clicking sound in his throat and the animals spread their wings and leapt upwards into flight.

Harry threw himself forwards and wrapped his arms around the strong neck as the incline tried to drag him back to the ground. The wings brushed the backs of his thighs and he could feel the muscles in the pegasus' back shifting under his arms and legs. As they climbed higher Harry looked over and saw Tom sitting quite happily on his own animal, one hand wrapped almost absentmindedly in the mane. He smirked a little at Harry's discomfort and Harry scowled at him, though his heart jolted a little at the sight of Tom's smile.

Tom looked so beautiful, powerful and brilliant, bathed by the light of the moon. His red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness and for a moment Harry forgot about the pegasus beneath him and the night around him and the destination ahead of him, and just fell into those eyes.

It was only when the pegasi levelled out their flight that Harry was torn away. Sitting gingerly up on the creature's back Harry gradually became used to the rocking motion of the wings and the wind trying to unseat him. It was actually quite soothing, and if Harry hadn't just woken up from sleeping he might have drifted off. This was lucky, as he would almost certainly have fallen off of the pegasus' back had he fallen asleep.

"Harry." Tom's voice startled him our of his reverie. He was flying below and to the side of Harry, so they could talk without their pegasus' wings hitting each other. "We will be flying over the sea soon. It will take most of the night, we should arrive in Denmark in the morning. We will stop there for a rest, sleep and then continue in the evening." Harry nodded. Not trusting his voice over the howling of the wind in his ears. "Once we get over the sea the winds may become dangerous, air currents could cause the pegasi to become distressed. We might have to fly near the water." Tom warned. Harry nodded again and the other man flew away. moving to the head of the group to speak to Spencer.

They flew for a long time, and Harry found himself unable to concentrate on anything but the feeling of the powerful back beneath him and the shifting, glittering waves far, far below him. The land dropped away quickly and the horizon stretched on forever as far as he could see, surrounded as they were by water on every side. After a while the wind became too powerful and the majestic creatures swooped lower to skim along near the waves, so close that Harry could see their reflection in the water, rippling dark shapes.

It was difficult to tell how much time had passed, so when land finally rose up out of the mists ahead of them Harry couldn't say how long it had taken to cross the ocean. Gradually the coastline became clearer and the shapes of hills and towns began to form. It was still quite early and the sun had barely begun to lighten in the east, so it seemed unlikely that any muggles would be watching the shore, but Tom instructed everyone to cast Illusion Charms on themselves, and cast one himself on Harry. To muggles, they would appear as seagulls instead of people on flying horses.

They flew to a town a couple of miles inland, far enough away from the shore that they couldn't see it but could still smell the salt on the air. The town was small, nearly a village, but it had an Inn and the bartender was a wizard, so it was alright. It turned out that the witch, Speight, had a gift for languages and she talked the bartender into finding a place out the back on the Inn for the pegasi to rest, with charms on them to make them appear like normal horses.

The rooms were small, but adequate, if you ignored the smell of dampness and the way the floorboards creaked like they were about to give way when you walked across them. Speight got a room to herself, being the only female, and Spencer, Nott and Theodore shared one room while Tom insisted he and Harry shared another.

They had not brought much with them that needed to be unpacked but their clothes were salty and damp from the spray off the sea. Having all changed into better, drier clothes, Tom decided they would sit around the bar for a while until it was properly daytime.

Nott and Spencer began discussing the pegasi, which developed into a discussion about modes of transport and then onto broomsticks and Quidditch, something Harry had an entertaining time listening to for a while. Spencer apparently was very disapproving of Quidditch in general, preferring the less popular broomstick sport of broom racing. Nott was adamant that Quidditch was the only proper game to play on broomstick and they seemed to be enjoying themselves as they degenerated into a friendly insult match. It was clear they were fairly good friends and that this conversation had played itself out many times before.

Speight got into a conversation with the bartender, apparently, according to Tom who understood only the basics of danish, talking about the town and its wizard to muggle population. Through incomplete translations by Tom, he worked out that the town was somewhere near the muggle city of Esbjerg, though in which direction he had no idea.

The town was about two thirds muggle and one third wizard, though most of the muggles had no idea about the magic in their neighbors. The only ones who knew were those who had married a wizard, something Tom looked surprised about even as he translated it. Not that they were the only ones who knew, but that most wizards in Denmark didn't seem to mind marrying muggles. The wizarding community in general was, due to being a lot smaller, a lot more willing to marry non-magical folk just to keep the possibility of having heirs around.

Tom, when not translating for Harry, sat nursing a glass of whiskey and gazing out of the window between mouthfuls. After the third glass the bartender seemed to catch on and just left the bottle on the table, prompting Spencer and Nott to take shots as well. Harry looked on distantly, feeling no great desire to join them in their drinking. Tom had a high alcohol tolerance, but right now Harry didn't want to get drunk. He felt drowsy again, something that seemed to be happening a lot recently.

Nothing to do around Tom's quarters had taught him to sleep when he was bored, and he could feel his body slipping into power save mode. To wake himself up, he decided to go to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face.

The bathroom had that dank, slimy smell that is often found underground or in caves. There was mould growing across the ceiling from one corner of the room and the taps were tarnished and caked with limescale. Harry gripped the sides of the sink with his hands, looking at his reflection in the dirty and cracked mirror.

His eyes were their natural green, but dulled and empty, his skin was pale and grey under the eyes, even though he was pretty sure he had slept a lot in the past few days. Black hair fell just below his shoulders, not greasy but limp instead, lying like a dead thing across his face. Something about his whole being seemed weary and grey, he felt apathetic and exhausted.

He was so intent upon his self-study that he almost missed the other figure sliding into the bathroom behind him, visible in the mirror. Moving forward to the sinks it passed under one of the dim lightbulbs and Harry recognised it as Theodore Nott. The boy was slender to the point of being called too thin, and his narrow face and the hair that fell across his eyes enhanced the image. The eyes themselves were grey, darker than his father's and the colour of wet slate, piercing and narrowed in Harry's direction.

Harry turned his eyes back to his own reflection, deciding to ignore the other youth until he made an effort to interact. It was too much trouble otherwise. And indeed, after a few moments of examining Harry's countenance, he did speak.

"I can't work out why you're here."

It wasn't what Harry had been expecting, but he didn't respond in any way until Theodore spoke again.

"Draco always said you were weak. I think that if you were, the Dark Lord would have killed you by now. But he hasn't. So there must be a reason why you are still here."

Harry glanced at him, but he wasn't looking at Harry anymore and had turned to face the floor instead, grey eyes still narrowed.

"You aren't stronger than the Dark Lord, that much is clear by your appearance and his manner. He behaves as if you are a female pureblood ambassador from another country, without any real power but who it is important to keep sweet."

Harry regarded the youth more curiously now. He had not been aware of the apparent social impact of the way Tom treated him, nor of how well Theodore could read people. It was quite interesting, and he didn't seem finished yet.

"You are no dark creature, and thus have no possible influence to be transferred to the Dark Lord. As far as I am aware you have never left england, so cannot bring influence from other countries either. There are a few peculiarities about your person that might grant you a short time as a curiosity to my Lord, but his interest in you seems deeper than that, less about your abilities and more about you as a person."

Theodore glanced up and his eyes glittered oddly as the dim light caught them. He walked slowly towards Harry, speaking as he walked.

"You have not displayed any amazing personal qualities, you clearly aren't an empath, and yet you seem able to read my lord very well. Surprisingly well, for someone who was supposed to be an enemy." He paused in his speaking, looking Harry's body up and down. "You are quite physically attractive, I suppose, but a little scrawny. Still, I don't suppose that matters when you're bending over for my lord does it?"

"Pardon?" Harry's mouth opened in surprise.

"You heard me." Theodore was right up against Harry now, less than a foot away, and Harry was feeling uncomfortably penned in.

"I have deduced that you are nothing but the Dark Lord's fuck toy."

Harry wasn't aware he had moved until he felt his fist hit the side of Theodore's face. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly in peak physical condition and the feeble punch did nothing but anger the other boy.

"Now, now, whore, calm down." Theodore gripped Harry's wrists in a surprisingly strong grasp and pushed him back against the sink so that the porcelein was digging into his back uncomfortably and their bodies were pressed together.

"How dare you call me a whore!" Harry gasped, out of breath.

"Why not? That's what you are. The Dark Lord's whore."

"Is that so, Theodore." the voice froze them both. Theodore's eyes, previously cold and glittering went wide and terrified. Harry could see over his shoulder to the doorway and the figure of Voldemort silhouetted against the dim space beyond, Nott Senior just visible behind him.

"I suggest you step away from Harry, Theodore." Voldemort's voice was a hiss, menacing and dripping with threat. Harry could feel Theodore shaking and see the beading of cold sweat on his forehead as the other youth dropped his hands and stepped away, looking at the floor.

In one fel twist Voldemort had Theodore at wand point against the wall, his chin high as the wood of the wand pressed hard into his throat. "How dare you. How dare you. Do you have no self preservation at all, Theodore?" Harry could see Nott Senior in the doorway. He gave the appearance of calm but his eyes were flickering rapidly between Voldemort's face and his son's. Harry could only see Voldemort's back but he must have looked pretty terrifying because Theodore looked like he was dying of fear.

"You are lucky, Theodore, that your sorry hide is not expendable. You are lucky I have a use for you. Otherwise." He approached the shaking youth and hissed into his ear, pushing the wand into his throat ever harder. "Otherwise, I would make you wish you had never been born. As it is... Crucio."

Theodore fell to the floor, screaming. Voldemort flicked a wandless silencing charm at him with his off hand and kept the wand relentlessly trained on the writhing figure. "It's not enough." He hissed in parseltongue. "You deserve to suffer more for what you said!"

"Tom, stop." Harry spoke, and hadn't realised until Tom turned to him, not raising the wand. Their eyes met. "Stop it, Tom." Voldemort eyed him for a few more seconds, then pulled the wand away. Thedore lay, twitching in the receeding spasms of agony and Harry saw Nott Senior twitch in sympathy.

He went over to Voldemort and pulled him out of the room, leaving Nott Senior to fix up his son. Ignoring the gazes of the others in the bar he dragged the older man up the stairs to their quiet little bedroom. Once the door was shut Harry leaned against it and slid to the floor, hanging his head.

"Why did you stop me, Harry? You know he deserves to be punished." Voldemort's voice was high and cold, far too reminiscent of the dark time before, and Harry shivered.

"If everyone who deserves to be punished was punished adequately, you and I would both spend our lives in agony, Tom. I just couldn't see you you that to him. Even if he did deserve it."

"I understand that I need to be punished, indeed if it would not be considered extremely bizarre I might end up exacting some sort of self-atonement for my own crimes, but that would be unacceptable. What do you have to be ashamed of, Harry? I cannot think of one thing you have ever done that deserves half as much punishment as the least of my crimes."

Harry kept his head down and his voice low as he answered, even though his voice was clearly audible in the quiet room.

"I killed Cedric. I killed Sirius. I killed Hermione and Remus and Draco and Neville and Ron, oh Ron. Alright, so maybe it wasn't my wand that cast the killing curse, but they're still dead. They're still dead because of me!" He raised his heat and shouted the last sentance at Voldemort, who watched him impassively.

"Sometimes I wish I'd died as well. I feel guilty for living. What will they say, when I get to the afterlife, Tom? I let them die, then not only did I not avenge them by killing their murderer, I slept with him." Something broke inside Harry and he felt his voice raising in pitch, he could feel himself becoming hysterical but he didn't care, he didn't care and Voldemort was still just standing there, saying nothing.

"I slept with the man who murdered my best friend! And my parents! And my godfathers! How can I face them when I die? Sorry guys, I just had to jump in bed with your murderer. I'm sure they'll understand, not!" Harry took several deep breaths, hyperventilating. There were white spots appearing in front of his eyes and he could feel through the haze that there was a hand on his shoulder, and another on his face. Slowly, his vision cleared and he stared into the red eyes of Voldemort.

"Harry, I want you to calm down. If you don't then I will have to put you to sleep." The scarlet gaze held his own, he was drowning, drowning in blood... "Harry, stay with me. I want you to kiss me." He focussed on Voldemort's face, the face of a murderer, and suddenly a wave of feeling washed over him.

Love. This was the same man who had kissed him with such passion in the chamber of secrets, such sweetness in the seventh year Slytherin dorm and full of a love that completed, blinded, bonded the two of them together in Voldemort's own rooms in Riddle Manor. Love.

He placed his lips on Voldemort, chaste but powerful and meaningful. Voldemort stood, pulling Harry with him, and picked him up bridal style laying him on the bed. Stroking Harry's hair he removed their outer robes and pulled the warm covers over their forms, a welcome in the cold room. Harry relaxed into the embrace, the cool skin making him shiver deliciously. Tucking his head into Voldemort's neck, he closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of the other man, calming, soothing and so very near, so very there, that he felt it impossible to be afraid anymore.

Author's Notes - Well? What do you think? Please leave me a review and tell me, especially if you think the characters are OC.

Two things: Firstly, I need a new beta. My old one has run off leaving me trying to beta this myself, and I don't really trust that. Anyone who is interested, please leave me a message and I'd be delighted to talk to you. Secondly, I'm considering putting mpreg into this fic. It's not certain yet, but if anyone has any opinion on that could you also leave me a review telling me. Thankyou!