A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 4 - Rewritten! I haven't made too many changes aside from the mishap with Ron being fixed and edited out of here. Updates are likely to be slow because my inspiration is mostly set on Hollow Inside but I'll try to work on Truth Revealed frequently enough.

Enjoy!


Chapter 4: Summer Break, Or Is It?

"My loyal friends," He looked down upon the assembled group that was his inner circle. It was vital no others learned of what was going to be happening lest they be betrayed and his entire inner circle had his trust, which was not easily gained. "Our raid on the Ministry has bared more fruit than we anticipated. I now am in possession of the full prophecy, and have gained a new ally for our cause."

He saw them mumble excitedly, curious as to whom this new ally could be. Only Bellatrix seemed to be in an unnaturally sour mood, probably because of the sacrifice he had made her into. Ah well, she could be salvaged, if Harry would allow it; she was, after all, his most devoted follower.

"The prophecy," He began, silencing his companions,

"Has been declared void by both involved parties, after Mr Potter and I had a lengthy chat." Once again mumbling arose, as never before the two had been seen in each other's presence without curses flying, let alone have a 'lengthy chat'. Voldemort silenced them once more, his mood growing sourer with each interruption.

"Potter has, in a way, seen the 'light' and agreed to a truce with the Death Eaters. He shall not be harmed without my personal permission, and will be working to build a better world alongside us." His followers shared glances but it was Lucius who finally dared break the silence.

"But, my Lord, Potter would never concede to work against muggles or mudbloods." The blond bowed his head more deeply, hoping not to get cursed for speaking his mind. It was well known throughout the ranks that their lord was rather mentally unstable and curse-happy since his return.

Voldemort simply inclined his head, attesting to that statement and surprising everyone with the lack of cruciatus curses going around.

"This is why Potter is currently researching the plans that were made at the very beginning, my own time within Hogwarts' walls, and intends to disprove our common hatred of the muggleborns. I will leave the explanations to him when he arrives." He smirked, opening the pit op snakes and letting Potter walk right in to prove his worth, at least politically. If he couldn't hold his own against Tom's followers, he would be of very little use.

"What of the muggles, my Lord?"

It was Rabastan who had spoken now, his hatred and disdain for muggles known among their circle, as was Severus'.

"As much as I would enjoy seeing each and every one of them dead where they stand, it will not be possible to kill them. Their numbers are vastly larger than ours and they are unfortunately rather advanced in technology. However, as I have said, Potter will be the one to explain the fine points of his planning and ideas to us all once he arrives."

Voldemort smirked, knowing his Death Eaters could be rather ruthless in their beliefs, especially on their own territory. They would defend themselves tooth and nail verbally, as they would not be allowed to curse the boy. Still, it would be a delightfully amusing evening and it would help the lad realise he was no longer among the light. This was a battle, a war; not a children's playground.

They were all reluctant but relented nonetheless, knowing they could not go against their Lord, yet were all looking forward to the day the Potter boy would be presenting his little speech before the inner circle. It would be amusing to watch the boy squirm under their gazes alone. None of them even came close to believing Potter would be able to sway them. The Dark Lord was not one they could oppose, openly or not; the Potter boy however, was another matter entirely. None of them knew Harry was very aware of that fact and intended to be perfectly ready for them.


Harry paced in his study. Only a few more days until he would be required to return to Privet Drive and those stupid muggles calling themselves his relatives. He was still stuck with the trace on his wand and they were very likely to take his school stuff away from him again. He intended to let Hedwig fly home without him and come find him later. He hated the fact he couldn't do any magic at home and honestly, he was beginning to wonder what was so special about those blood wards; he had nothing to fear from Voldemort now and they shared blood for Merlin's sake! Tom could easily pass through the wards.

He was reluctant to go visit the headmaster as he did not trust the man anymore, but perhaps it would be useful to get Dumbledore to allow him refuge in the Black property. Even the Burrow would be better than going to the Dursleys. He would have too many chores to be able to focus on getting ready for the Death Eaters. He needed his arguments to be firm and undisputable if he wanted them to at least leave him alone.

He knew gaining their respect would be next to impossible for now. He needed to truly accomplish something before they could accept him. Harry's biggest problem with the Death Eaters was their sadistic tendencies though. He didn't know how he was going to keep them from attacking muggleborns out of pure habit or something. They needed to show they were willing to accept the new blood and revival of old families.

Of course, their loyalty would be to Harry Potter on the surface, but his alliance with Voldemort would lead them into merging with the Dark factions. Not that they would know that beforehand and when they agreed with his ideals enough, being merged with Voldemort's forces should go smoothly enough. At least in theory.

He shook his head. He needed to go to Grimmauld place, the tomes there were bound to be useful, especially since he couldn't take any from Hogwarts without the wards alerting the school. That wouldn't go down well at all. What he could do was take notes and use copying charms on the books that weren't spelled against it though.

With a sigh he excited his refuge and made his way to the headmaster's office. If there was any chance he could convince the man to let him stay there then he would take it.

Once he arrived at the gargoyle guarding the stairs he paused, trying to ban the thoughts of his plans from his head and focus only on the Dursleys and Grimmauld Place. It would either block the headmaster out or at least distract him from the thoughts below, hopefully.

"I need to see the headmaster." He simply stated; receiving a nod from the gargoyle before it jumped aside, allowing him to go up.

Once again the headmaster called him in before he even had the chance to knock. How in the blazes did he manage to do that every time? He didn't have the chance to glance around for spells or a portrait but he would figure it out later. It would be delightful to surprise the old coot for once.

"Hello headmaster." He greeted, sitting down when he was invited to do so.

"Are you alright Harry, my boy? It is unusual for you to visit." The man said, with his grandfatherly demeanour all out again, not that Harry was buying it though. Somehow the old man must've picked up on that little titbit because the twinkle in his eyes faded somewhat.

"Oh yes sir, I'm fine. I was just hoping I could speak to you about the Dursleys." The stern expression the headmaster adopted now wasn't entirely faked now, laced with concern, though it was most likely more for his own plans than for Harry.

"You know you must stay there in order to power the blood wards my boy, they are the only relatives you have, you should treat them as such." Harry barely managed to hold back his scowl and the headmaster picked up on it, much to Harry's dismay.

"I will hear no arguments Harry, my boy, we have gone over this and you will return to Privet Drive. Now, I suggest you return to your friends and spend some time with them, you have been awfully isolated lately and it cannot be good for you."

Harry sighed but complied with a quick "Very well headmaster," before returning to the Gryffindor common room for now. This was not going well at all; he couldn't afford Dumbledore figuring him out. Especially not this early in the game.

The night was spent quietly packing up everything he needed and copying parchments as well as possible. Perhaps he'd have to get his hands on a few muggle notebooks. Those were bound to be more practical than quills and parchment.

It wasn't until he was on the train that he began feeling odd…

It was almost impossible to concentrate on what his friends were saying, though the topic of their new faction was kept silent throughout the voyage. There was a buzz settling in his mind, making him squirm a little. Something was off but he couldn't figure out what. It almost felt like his magic was fighting hard against whatever was settling there. Was it something bad?

The train ride was filled with meaningless chatter, and by the end of it Harry honestly couldn't remember what had been bothering him. His magic felt slightly restless but he wrote it off to all the tension from what had happened at the ministry and his concern for his friends. He was reluctant to leave them for yet another summer yet it had to be done, he was supposed to charge the blood wards at home after all, and his instincts drove him to protect others.

Thus it was once again an obedient Harry who made his way to Dudley's second bedroom, hoping for the life of him that the Order threatening his uncle had not caused any damage. He was left alone for about half a week before he was called down by Vernon and was nearly startled by the vicious smirks his uncle and nephew were wearing.

"You didn't tell us that freakish, murdering godfather of yours was dead, boy..." He trailed off, his expression saying it all. He was no longer under Sirius' protection and therefor in for the beating of a lifetime, again. He took a small step back out of pure instinct, his magic lashing against his insides to fight back, but he wasn't allowed to do magic and he couldn't risk losing his wand; he had had enough warnings on the matter.

"Can't run now, freak!" Dudley said, his sneer almost worthy of a Malfoy, though nowhere near as intimidating as Snape's. Then again, better not mention that...

Harry groaned and pulled himself up on the bed, closing his eyes and fighting the nausea he was feeling. He was certain he had a broken wrist and leg, and a few ribs suffering the same fate, multiple large and smaller bruises littered all over his body and he was having trouble breathing. They really did a number on him and he was sure he would be sporting a very black eye tomorrow. He didn't dare move once he was lying on his bed, knowing that if he did, it would hurt even more. No doubt they would demand chores of him tomorrow as well...

He slipped slowly into oblivion, ignorant of his magic calling out for help or the fact that it was attempting to heal him. He did let out groans and yelps when the magic snapped his bones back into place but he didn't wake, his magic inducing a small coma so that he could heal. Having him wake up and thrash about before being properly healed would only damage him more.


Things were becoming more and more strained at Malfoy manor where the Dark Lord was currently residing, making him quick to lash out in anger for the slightest mistakes. Something was wrong, very wrong. Tom could feel it gnawing at his insides, lightly tinged with Potter's magic, and after two weeks he had had enough of it. He refused to endure this unease and the complete lack of contact from that insufferable brat. He should have been in contact at least a week ago.

"Lucius, Severus." He commanded, holding his wand to the Dark Mark, knowing the two would be alerted to his summons.

"My Lord." The two said upon kneeling before their lord, both equally unsure of what their master wanted of them.

"The two of you will go to Privet Drive and retrieve Potter, this silence has been going on for far too long. Get him here tonight. Dismissed." The two were quick to leave. When their lord was in such an aggravated mood it was always best to ask no questions and do as you were told. Now, the two Death Eaters already knew that Potter had come to some agreement with their lord and that without nullification, the two could not repeat what had been said, so they assumed Voldemort only wished them to retrieve Potter for a meeting. Merlin knows the brat couldn't even get out of a muggle house by himself.

Once they arrived they found the security laughable and they easily entered and searched through the house while under disillusionment charms. Severus went to check the main bedrooms, assuming as always that the brat was being treated like a king in his home, yet it was Lucius who found him.

"Severus, over here."

To say they were shocked was the understatement of the century. The door had a cat flap and a multitude of locks, which they quickly disabled. It couldn't be that the boy lived in this prison-like room, could it? They found that this was indeed the case and were greeted by an alarmed hoot from Potter's owl while the boy himself looked to be unconscious on his bed.

Harry had endured another beating that same day thanks to his inability to work properly, due to his bruises and healing fractures, resulting in more bruises and fractures. Snape cursed under his breath and cast a quick diagnosis charm, his eyes wide when he found the malnutrition, badly healed breaks and fractures, the new breaks and fractures, not to mention all of the bruising.

"The Dark Lord is not going to like this..." He mumbled to himself, Lucius readily agreeing when he read the results.

"His family did this to him? It looks like Dumbledore has been keeping a few secrets about his Golden Boy." The blond mused, levitating the boy while Snape gathered his possessions, only to find his trunk and wand weren't even in the room.

They went downstairs to find his stuff had been put into the broom cupboard, also suspiciously equipped with a lock. Once the trunk was retrieved, they were once again startled to find the place looked like someone had lived in it. Severus let out a low growl, unable to believe that Lily's son had been put through this hell before realising that he himself had treated the boy terribly. It looked like he was going to have to swallow his pride on this one if he wanted to remedy his relationship with Lily's legacy, as he had not been able to do with her.

They apparated back to the manor and placed him in one of the guest rooms, Lucius instantly leaving to call his wife so she could watch over Harry and try to heal him at least a little. The two returned to report to their lord afterward. It wouldn't do to have Potter wake up in a foreign room all on his own; he'd panic...

"My Lord, we have bad news..." Severus began, cringing at the glare he received from Tom.

"We found the boy locked in a room with multiple locks and a cat flap, unconscious and beaten badly. According to a scan he has been suffering from bruises, fractures and broken bones for a long time, most of them scarcely healed by his own magic." Lucius continued, receiving an agreeing nod from Severus.

"I am baffled he even managed to pass through his Hogwarts years with the state he's in, let alone come out standing. His magic seems to have put him into some sort of self-induced coma until he is healed, Narcissa is with him now." He bowed his head, tense for the curse that was sure to come.

Tom was absolutely seething with rage. What in Salazar's name had happened to that stupid boy? He should have been able to outsmart them relatively easily; they were only muggles after all. He let out an angry hiss, cursing in parsletongue and sending a crucio at both Severus and Lucius, far too angry to care for the moment. He released the curse fairly quickly though, much to his subordinates' relief.

"Take me to him." His words gave no leeway for discussion and he was quickly taken to the guest quarters where the female Malfoy was bowed over the boy, muttering to herself and taking potions from one of the house-elves.

She barely even noticed the three men enter the room, busy getting Harry to swallow some skele-gro and a few other potions.

"Narcissa how is he?" Tom asked, standing beside her, still irate but pushing it to the back of his mind. He didn't intend to lash out here, especially as the boy's injuries were so obvious. She had taken off his shirt to produce a better scan and to see what she was doing and it wasn't pretty.

"Not very well my Lord. My scans indicate this isn't the first time he's been in a coma like this, and by the looks of it the last one was barely a week ago." She took a bruise salve and began smearing it onto his wounds, hoping they would heal soon. "He will most likely not wake until tomorrow, his magic is keeping him asleep until it is safe for him to move around again."

"Will someone explain why he was being abused by those muggles?" He spat out the word with venom before rounding on Severus.

"You assured me he was being treated like a spoilt brat, what happened to that image Severus?" He hissed out the last letter, his anger more than apparent. The Potter boy was going to be more than useful and yet here he lay in a coma and completely useless until further notice.

"It is what I was told my Lord, that he was being treated well by his relatives and that he was perfectly safe." The potions master took a step back, realising Dumbledore had lied to them all, but why? What could possibly be his purpose in having the boy suffer like this?

"Dumbledore..." He received a nod from Snape, confirming his suspicion.

"Do whatever you must to give the illusion Potter is still there. He will spend the summer here until he needs to return to Hogwarts, he will be safer here and have the time to work on our projects." The two bowed and left, going to find a way to give the illusion Potter was still there without arousing suspicion from the Order or those filthy muggles, however much Severus would enjoy killing them. He did suppose the imperius was still an option...

The Dark Lord left Narcissa to her work a little while later, pacing in his office, trying to figure out why the old goat could possibly have been allowing those muggles to treat the boy as such. He didn't have any details yet but he would make sure Harry told him everything once he was awake, and if he must, he would take the information by force. Merlin knows he wouldn't share his own past without being forced to.

It was another four days before Harry finally awoke with a groan. He slowly became aware of both the dull aches in his body and what had happened to him.

"Shit..." He mumbled placing an arm over his eyes before realising the room was far less bright than the one he had in Privet Drive. But if he wasn't there... He bolted up instantly, only to moan in pain and fall back down.

"Note to self, don't do that..." He mumbled before the door opened and he cringed, expecting someone to yell at him; instead he heard a female voice ramble questions at him. He slowly opened his eyes to find none other than Mrs Malfoy kneeling beside his bed and fussing over him.

"What the hell?" Oh, he hadn't realised he said that aloud.

She smiled in understanding, which just came across as creepy to him.

"Don't worry Harry, you're safe here." She said gently, though he was still very wary of her. If she was here then there was a big chance that he was in Malfoy manor, and that meant the place was probably crawling with Death Eater scum. Oh shit.

"Let me go! Why am I here?" He exclaimed loudly, trying to sit up and leaning against the wall, searching manically for his wand, which really just was a sad sight to her.

"Please, calm down. The Dark Lord ordered you be brought here, as you haven't contacted him in the two weeks you were home. You apparently promised to send him an update on the projects you were working on."

Harry frowned at her in confusion. Sending letters to the Dark Lord, was she crazy?

"What the hell are you talking about; and let me out of here!" He was beginning to breathe more heavily, ignoring his magic, which was getting agitated due to his behaviour, as if they weren't in tune with each other. She sighed deeply at his behaviour and called an elf to her.

"Mippy, will you tell the Dark lord that our guest is awake?" The elf nodded and popped away to report, after which it barely took a minute for the door to slam open again and Harry quickly tried to get away, panic apparent in his eyes.

"Potter, we meet again." The Dark Lord drawled, actually relieved the boy was finally awake, though he was still feeling out of sorts, which was odd to him. Not to mention the boy's magic was all over the place, but almost as if it were trying to work against the boy. What was that all about?

"My Lord, it seems Harry has lost his memory. He doesn't appear to remember the arrangements you have made..." She said hesitantly, receiving a snappish reply from the younger.

"There's no way I'd ever strike a deal with you!" Harry exclaimed, before once again realising he lacked a wand. Tom sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Things never go according to plan, do they?" He mumbled to himself, earning a sympathetic smile from Narcissa as she stepped aside.

"It seems the old coot has decided to block your memory, which means you were foolish enough to forget that he is a master legilimens." Harry just pulled a 'What the fuck?' face at him, not understanding what was going on.

"I'm going to refresh your memory so sit still, this might hurt." Not giving the boy another chance to say anything he pointed his wand at him and cast legilimens, entering his mind and searching for the block that indicated an obliviate.

It took him a moment, as the memory had been vaguely replaced, although the job was sloppy at best. The memory was still covered in a white fog and Tom wasted no time in shredding the fake one away before getting to work on tearing off the block. He was barely aware of Potter screaming in pain but once he was done he was about to turn away when he noticed a few more of those white fogs, the tell-tale signs of an obliviate.

He retreated from the boy's mind and ordered Narcissa to give him a headache potion.

"That should have done the trick, I assume you remember now?" Harry groaned after having taken the potion.

"Why do these things always taste like shit?" He mused aloud before looking up and blinking.

"Tom, what am I doing here?" He drew a hand through his already messy hair, slowly remembering the deal they had struck and everything else but not able to pinpoint who had made him forget or why. Probably Dumbledore though...

A low growl escaped the Dark Lord's lips, causing Harry to smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll call you Voldemort; bad habit, I get it." He rubbed his scar briefly, closing his eyes and leaning back. He received a noncommittal sound from the other before opening his eyes again.

"So, why am I here? Dumbledore had me dropped off back with those damnable muggles last I remember..." His eyes suddenly seemed to turn a shade darker in anger and he barely held back a snarl. "That fucking bastard... He sent them an owl, telling them Sirius died, knowing they'd take it out on me!"

If Tom hadn't been seeing red before, he was now and Harry knew it, if the pain in his scar was anything to go by.

"Severus and Lucius came to find you and brought you here Harry, that was four days ago." Narcissa said, hoping to get his mind off the muggles for a bit.

"What? Four days?" He groaned, closing his eyes. "Great, that's three weeks completely wasted..." He was not happy with his lack of progress, at all. That drew a small tinge of amusement from the Dark Lord.

"You find yourself in a temporary coma and the first thing you worry about is your work." He chuckled softly, a smirk playing on his lips.

Narcissa smiled as well, taking out vitamin and nutrient potions and offering it to Harry.

"Here, take these and rest a little while longer. You'll be staying here for the rest of the summer, we'll get this sorted out tomorrow." She said kindly, earning a small smile and nod from Harry in return. He wasn't all that opposed to sleeping now that Tom had restored his memory, though he would need to go through it in detail tomorrow.

It could wait...

He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.