Title:
Inamabilis
Author:
Iskjif
Beta:
nobodies... sniffles
Pairings:
If you squint…
Warnings:
A little innuendo on Voldie's part.
Summary:Post
HBP:Possible future HPLV:Harry has a choice. Is he to watch as his
ultimate tormentor who has been the focus of his hate, of his
obsession, of his life, fades? Can he be satisfied with a victory
that tastes of ashes and feels utterly empty?
A/N:Allo my dears! Sorry for the slight hiatus, it was totally unexpected on my part. You know how real life is... bleh anyways! I hope you guys enjoy this new chappie!
RECAP for the confuzled: Vols was on the bring of a rather pathetic death and Harry, unable to just watch it happen, snatches the Dark Lord from Ministry clutches to make sure he meets a proper end.
And on with the show!
OoToO
Harry grimaced as he landed just outside his cliff-side cottage, doing his best to steady the diminished Dark Lord. He still despised the sensation of a portkey. Despite years Auror training, he had never been able to rid himself of the all the negative associations.
As he shifted to stand, attempting to keep his burden steady, Harry glared hatefully as his nemesis. This man had taken so much from him. His parents and with them any chance for a happy childhood… Dumbledore and so many of his friends… Hermione had never regained her sense after they had lost Ron…
The Dark Lord had stolen his innocence and sometimes he even worried that he had snuffed out his goodness as well.
The young Auror stood quickly, leaving Him on the ground, lying there, much like a broken doll.
He turned away, toward the chill of the ocean wind. The young man was overwhelmed with such bitterness that he felt raw. Harry gazed at the scenery, squeezing his arms tight around himself and trying to forget his distress. He had found this place during his search for one of the Horcruxes. The isolation and desolation of the place had appealed to him in a way he hadn't expected. Everything seemed glazed with a layer of grey, even the rocks of the cliffs and the waves that crashed against them, far below him.
Though his lead on the Horcrux had proved empty, he decided to spend some time making a refuge for himself on the cliffs. After building his cottage, small and just as bathed in grey as it surroundings, he had used his skills to make it untraceable, invisible to the world, with many charms to repel the curious. The young man had made it to be his one safe place. And now it was to be His safe place.
Harry let that thought and all its horror and disgust and bitterness have its way with him for a few seconds and then he shut it out. Let it drain away until he was calm and blank again.
This course was not what he would have chosen, but he would see it through.
He turned back to the man that he had left lying on the ground and lifted Him with a sigh. As he started for the cottage his burden let out a small sound of pain.
To Harry's surprise, he felt a bit of relief sweep through him as he realized that the man was regaining consciousness.
He hurried his pace and was soon walking through the door and heading for the bed. It was a small place so he was able to lay down his burden rather quickly. The young Auror tried to carefully position the emaciated man on his stomach, without harming him too much, but it was rather difficult and the former Dark Lord hissed with pain as Harry set him down again.
Once the man seemed as settled as he was going to be, Harry walked over and brought a chair from his table so he could sit next to the bed. He sat backwards in it, his face pillowed in arms resting on the chair's back. For some reason the young man felt better being able to hide a bit of his expression as he watched his nemesis struggle towards lucidity.
With a soft gasp the man shifted a bit and pain hazed crimson met sharp, shaded jade.
The two deadly enemies regarded each other thoughtfully. Their charged silence saying for them more than petty words ever could have.
I hate you.
I know.
I can't stand this, you. It tries my sanity.
Why then?
Because…
Why bother?
I…
Why not just let me die?
Maybe I mourn for what you could have been.
Amusement.Truly?
Maybe…
I expected you to just kill me.
I expected to be happy to watch you die miserably.
I'm almost disappointed…
What?
The wasted man chose to break the brimming silence with his painful rasp.
"Compassion no longer becomes you, Potter." He coughed softly, tensing, his eyes sliding closed in agony. The fit passed and his bloody gaze snapped back to the young man curled around the chair. "I think I much prefer you spattered with my followers' blood…"
The young Auror flinched almost imperceptibly at the cold words and the predatory look in the Dark Lord's eyes. Their deep crimson was suddenly hidden as lids slipped closed briefly, some kind of twisted lust flashing as the man apparently recalled some visual.
Feeling decidedly uncomfortable and deeply disturbed, the dark-haired young man looked away.
As his eyes wandered the small room he could feel the amused regard of that man. Inwardly he scolded himself, he was a trained Auror and a Gryffindor. This was hardly a mature response. But as pathetic as the Slytherin currently was, he was still the man that had tormented him for as long as his memory stretched.
And apparently he still knew exactly the right buttons to tease and gouge to elict childish responses from his favorite victim.
They went on in this way for quite a few minutes before the former Dark Lord became bored.
"Oh 'Savior of the Wizarding World', Oh 'Shining Beacon of the Light'," he began with mock reverence, "what do you have planned in that oh so brilliant mind of yours? What torments do you have in store for me?"
Said 'Savior' could not help but snort in response to the dramatic sarcasm, momentarily forgetting his discomfort. He could hardly claim to have any less disdain for the many ways that people chose to label him. So he responded flippantly.
"No need to worry about such things. In this state, you're hardly worth my attention, much less my torments." The young man mock-sighed and continued to refuse eye contact. "Now, when you're back to being a shadow of the wizard you once were, then I might consider spending the energy to make you suffer."
The Auror could feel the man's rage seething in the silence that followed and smirked victoriously.
They ignored each other for the rest of the evening.
OoToO
A/N: Please excuse the experimental nature of this chappie. It's unbetaed and I'm very unhappy about it XP I hope it was enjoyable anyways! Love it? Hate it? Review or PM me and let me know what you think!
Thank you to my loverly anonymous reviewers, Aki WildQueen and dark ass!
And also thank you to all of you that have added this to your alerts/favs/C2s! I'm not worthy of all of you guys!
Loves and huggles!
