It's here, the next chapter! It took longer than it should've sorry!
Warnings: abuse
Chapter 4: Dinner
Seven arrived soon enough, dinner was made, and Harry was eagerly waiting near the front door. Vernon and Dudley had been filled in on what was about to happen, and were oddly quiet while they ate that night. He hoped to Merlin this would work. His tension reached it's peak when the sound of knocking finally reached his ears. Harry ran to the stairs and climbed half way up before turning and sitting down. No matter how unsure he was of his plan, he was going to stick around and see what happens.
As the knocking continued his aunt walked into the hall with a sour look on her face. Reluctantly, she opened the door just enough to look out. There stood Voldemort/ Tom Riddle, looking like Christmas came early, "Good evening Mrs. Dursley!"
"E-evening Mr. Riddle." Aunt Petunia replied lowly.
"Oh, let's not be so formal, after all we'll soon be getting more acquainted..." unbeknownst to Mrs. Dursley, Riddle held his yew wand eagerly behind his back, waiting for the stick-like women to open the door and let him inside.
"About that, it has come to my attention that dinner may not the best idea."
"...Pardon?"
"I must cancel our original plans."
"I don't understand."
"I'm afraid you can't join us for dinner!"
"T-That's alright, if this is a bad time we can reschedule..." Harry could hear the subtle anger flavoring the man's voice.
"I don't think so." That was Petunia's final word on the manner as she closed the door on him and returned to her own meal. She did not hear the loud thump that followed afterward.
Harry could feel the confusion and anger radiating from behind the front door. He got up and opened it himself to see Riddle sitting on his arse all the way back at the sidewalk looking dumbfounded, the wards had thrown him off the property. Dark eyes turned crimson and flickered onto him. "The bloody hell?"
The teen shook his head and grinned smugly, "I guess getting an invitation isn't as easy as you thought it would be."
Riddle snarled at him, then raised his fist and and slammed it on the blood ward. The man growled, "So you had intelligence enough to inform them of my identity; no matter, I'll find a way in eventually." Just before he could return to the house next door, Harry spoke up, "You know, I actually didn't even think to do that, but they wouldn't have believed me anyway."
'That, or they would've been pissed that I brought a lunatic on their doorstep and take it out on me.'
Riddle looked back at him, "If you haven't told them, then what in Salazar's name just happened?!"
Harry shrugged innocently, "I told them you were gay and just broke up with some guy named Max...Goodnight!" The boy waved goodbye and closed the door, leaving Riddle gaping at it yet again.
Tom Riddle had remained rooted to the same spot for about ten minutes before he could establish some form of coherent thought and returned to his "house". He absentmindedly enter the living room and seated himself on one side of the comfortable burgundy couch. '…Max?...That boy actually had the audacity to...Gryffindor my arse!' he thought with a angry huff. He wondered whether or not he should go make himself some dinner, but decided against it; he had lost his appetite.
Later we find Riddle still sitting on the couch trying to concoct another plan to get to Potter. The boy had always been an obnoxious thorn in his side, but this last attempt to ruin his plan was something the dark lord actually would've found pretty laughable... if it hadn't of happened to him. He had to admit that he did not see that coming. He was partially expecting Potter to have told them who he was; he had figured that he would've cleverly manged to find a way in before the invitation was removed (maybe with something as simple as pushing the woman out of the way before she could close the door). He was caught completely off guard from the absurd scheme the brat had prepared. Riddle decided this was Potter's way of challenging him and said challenge was accepted. He will find a way into that house; for now though, he'll give the teen points for creativity.
He spent maybe an hour stewing in his thoughts before his brainstorming was interrupted by a muffled sound. There was a moment of silence. Riddle was about to pass off the unknown disturbance as nothing, but then it came again, perhaps louder than the first. These noises began to sound like raised voices and something else that he couldn't identify. He took out his wand, pointed it in the direction the sounds were coming from, and cast a strong listening charm. What he heard was something completely unexpected.
"WORTHLESS FREAK!"
Riddle jumped at the ferocious shout. What on earth was going on in their? A loud thud followed the yelling, as if...someone was being thrown against the wall. The listening charm allowed him to hear the unnerving sound of a bone being broken. Then, a pained cry rang out. He wasn't so sure he wanted to hear more...
"Please Uncle! I'm sorry!"
He knew that voice, there was no mistaking it. That was Potter. The listening charm expired when Riddle's wand fell from his hands. He knew what was happening, he wanted to deny it, but he knew. His little nemesis was not living the pampered life that he, and the entire wizarding world, had believed he was living. The dark lord fell back into his seat. Well, now that he knew the question was...did this change anything?
Poor Harry, sorry man it had to be done. Well now Tom knows the awful truth; what's he gonna do about it? That's his Harry they're hurting dammit!
Next: Harry has to leave the "safety" of the wards...why?
