Yo! Look, I know not all of you are happy by some of the potential pairings, but that's all they are right now-potential. I've already given you your four options. This isn't an official vote or anything, but I do try taking them into account. Right now, most people are saying Barty, but for all I know, I may end up going with Severus or Lucius, even if less ask for them. I don't know yet. I haven't thought it out. That's why, until I do, you may see hints of different pairings based on characters' reactions. But stay polite, don't demand certain pairings, don't bring up not wanting to see other pairings, and don't insult or degrade the other options, got it? I've already had to delete a couple of anon reviews because of this shit. If you don't like Barty, or Sev, or Lucius, keep it to yourself. If I agreed with your dislike, I wouldn't have made them a pairing option.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...

"...What?" Harry questioned eloquently.

"My Lord requires your aid," Barty repeated.

"I heard you the first time!"

"Then why did you say 'what'?"

"...Ugh." Harry dropped down into the nearest armchair, and buried his face in his hands. None of this made any sense to him. The fact that he was still alive was weird enough on its own. "What could I possibly do to help you?" he questioned eventually.

"Give me your blood," Little Voldemort replied swiftly.

Harry balked. "Why the hell would I do that!?" he questioned incredulously. "And saying you demanded it seriously isn't a valid answer to that!" he added quickly.

The two villains were quiet for a moment, neither of them speaking, or even moving. They simply remained as they were, both of them peering at the teen closely, almost as if they were debating or considering something. Harry couldn't possibly imagine what that was, but hey, he was still alive, so he wasn't going to complain. Well, not yet, at least.

"Barty."

Barty inclined his head. "As you wish, my Lord." He sat down in the chair near Little Voldemort, and across Harry, fixing him with an oddly calm gaze. "What do you know of my Lord's plans, Potter?" he inquired.

Caught off guard yet again, this time by the polite tone of voice, Harry just blinked. "Er-" Honestly, he had absolutely no idea what to say in response, for the simple fact that he didn't actually have an answer. He had no idea what Voldemort's plans, current or long term, even were. It wasn't as if people went out of their way to explain things to him anyway. "Er-he wants to kill me?"

Barty smirked, as if amused, but the expression vanished quickly enough. "Beyond that, Potter."

"Take over the world?" That was what Dark Lords did, right?

Little Voldemort made that weird sound again. The one that was supposed to be a chuckle, but sounded way too creepy to actually be one. "Ah, if only it were that simple."

Barty seemed to share that sentiment, but didn't elaborate on Voldemort's words. Instead, he refocused on Harry. Well, refocused as much as he could for not having looked away from the teen at all. That was pretty creepy too. "Have you ever considered, Potter, that the Light's leader Albus Dumbledore has been purposely hiding things from you?"

Harry blinked. Well, that hadn't been the first thing he had expected to hear. Still, the answer to that particular question was very simple. "Yes." He'd been thinking that since his very first year, though he hadn't ever voiced that to anyone other than his godfather, who had fully agreed with him.

"Has he ever told you why he conceals things from you?"

"Uh, not really. He's mentioned me being too young to learn more a couple of times, but that's pretty much it. I mean, I know he's probably lying about that, or at least...embellishing a little, I guess, but everyone else seems to believe in him, other than the Slytherins I mean, so I kinda just...I dunno."

"Mimicked everyone else?"

"I guess?"

Barty actually appeared to be quite interested in the teen's words. Little Voldemort was no different. They listened to Harry patiently as he spoke, and once he had trailed off awkwardly, exchanged a glance.

"Do you think, Potter, that Dumbledore has the habit of manipulating and using others to his own advantage?" the still relative stranger who had been masquerading as a professor, asked calmly.

But Harry had the answer to that too. "Yes."

Harry hadn't told anyone this, not even Ron and Hermione, but he had had more contact with Sirius over the summer than everyone thought. He hadn't really had a reason not to. Sirius was his godfather, and was concerned about him. The man had been adamant that Harry remain in contact with him, and Harry had.

Yes, there was always a concern about their letters being intercepted, and that going badly in Sirius' favour thanks to him being an escaped convict, but there were other ways to communicate besides owl post. House-Elf post, for example.

With Dobby being so eager to help Harry (so long as he didn't try saving his life again), Harry had asked Dobby if it would be possible for him to take letters to Sirius every now and again, so long as he did so when he was positive Sirius was alone. And at the same time, asked him if he could return letters Sirius wrote to him, with the same conditions. The House-Elf had agreed, and it was in that method that godfather and godson had remained in close contact over the summer, and even now at Hogwarts.

With there being basically no way for anyone else to see these letters, both Harry and Sirius had been a little more...open with one another. And one of the things they had discussed was Dumbledore and his perchance for doing exactly what Barty had just said.

Sirius, despite what Harry had thought, didn't actually like Dumbledore very much. He had, at one point, as all good Gyffindors do, but not anymore. Dumbledore should have known, Sirius had said, that the Potters had changed Secret Keepers. He had known Sirius had been the Keeper first, even though no one had told him about it, so how hadn't he known when it had been changed?

Dumbledore, of all people, should have listened to Sirius when he had told him he was innocent of the crime he had supposedly committed. But he hadn't. Dumbledore, thanks to his position on the Wizengamont, could very easily have demanded Sirius have a trial, regardless of whether he was innocent or guilty. But he hadn't even brought it up. Not even once. He could have done it all those years ago after the incident. Could have done it during all those years Sirius had been locked up in Azkaban. But he hadn't. He could have done it now, now that Sirius had broken out and seemed to know the truth himself. But he wasn't. He was insisting that Sirius remain hidden and on the run.

And to both Sirius and Harry, what that meant was that Dumbledore didn't actually ever want Sirius to be declared innocent. And there was no reason for that. Not really. Not one that they knew, at least. Unless he just wanted to make sure Harry couldn't stay with Sirius. Because if his godfather was officially pardoned, then there would be no reason for Harry to stay with the Dursleys anymore. Was that was Dumbledore was trying to avoid?

"Yes," Harry said again. "I know he uses people. I know he does it all the time. And I know that usually, those people don't actually know it. And even if they do, there isn't really anything they can do about it."

"But you have noticed," Little Voldemort spoke hoarsely. "You have noticed it, and you have been questioning it."

"I guess, yeah," Harry replied awkwardly, shrugging.

"Then tell us, Potter. You do not know what the Dark is fighting for, but do you know what the Light-the sight you are on, is after?"

And yet again, the answer was simple. "No." No one had ever told him anything. Not what either side wanted, not what they wanted, not what they wanted from him either. All in all, Harry was beginning to realize that he honestly didn't know much of anything.

"We are offering to inform you of what our side desires," Barty spoke.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "That's admirable and all, but again, what exactly do you want from me? There's no way this information's gonna be free."

"You would be correct in that assumption." Barty's eyes were locked on Harry's, gaze focused and intense.

"What do you want?" Harry didn't notice his voice had lowered to a whisper, gaze locked with the man across him. And though Barty and Harry didn't look away, it was Little Voldemort who answered.

"Join us, Harry Potter. Join me."

Finally able to tear his gaze away, Harry looked at the thing Voldemort had become. "Why?"

"We can aid one another, Harry. You have much you can offer to my side, and my side has much it can offer to you."

And the weird thing about all this, Harry thought, was that he wasn't even disturbed by the offer. Part of him was actually...considering it. Slowly, he looked up. "Can I..."

"Yes?"

"Can I-can I think about it?

Well, that clearly surprised the other two. No doubt they had been expecting an adamant refusal from him, seeing as who he was and everything.

"If you are thinking of going to Dumbledore-"

"Barty," Little Voldemort interrupted.

The younger man stopped instantly, and bowed his head. "My Lord."

"Harry will not go to the old man, will you Harry? You are too suspicious of him. Yes, I will give you time. Think on my offer, Harry. Think on it hard. You can go to Barty if there is anything you wish to know. He will inform me in turn if need be."

Harry just nodded, unsure of what he could even say right now.

"Take him back now, Barty. It will not do to garner negative attention quite yet."

"As you wish, my Lord." Barty stood and gestured for Harry to do the same, the two making their way to the door. But they didn't get very far before the teen stopped and turned back around.

"One thing."

"Yes?"

"The TriWizard Tournament. I didn't enter it, no matter what anyone says. Were you the one who entered me?"

"I?" Little Voldemort voiced. "No, it was not I."

"Was it you, then?"

Barty smirked, but shook his head once. "No, it wasn't. But you already know who it really was, don't you?" With that, he left the room, Harry following after him.

"Harry," Little Voldemort called out hoarsely. "As a show of good faith, I will tell you this. Your first task in that tournament is to steal a particular egg from a dragon-a nesting mother."

And that was that. The door shut behind Harry, who followed Barty back down the hall, the stairs, out the front door, and back towards the graveyard. Barty paused only to take another dose of Polyjuice Potion, and the moment he had straightened back up, appearance that of Mad-Eye Moody's once more, he grabbed hold of Harry and the two vanished.

I'm going to be honest here. I've never really written Barty's character before, and since there are very few fics with him that actually interest me, and his role in canon was rather...lacking, you'll have to forgive me if he's coming across as a bit ooc. I'm hoping to fix that as I keep writing. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!