I apologise for being a terrible updater, but I've finished one story now and I'm pausing the other, so this story now has my full attention, which should mean more updates, because updating one fic is a lot less daunting than updating three, at least in a procrastinator's eyes.
Anywho, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and no, I still don't own anything. Lord of the Rings is mentioned in this chapter. Don't own that either.
X
Harry stiffened just for a moment as he felt Tom's lips move against his, but then he noticed how perfect it seemed to be; how right it felt, and how feeling a part of Tom connected with him made him feel complete.
He started to kiss back with as much intensity as he could muster. While Cedric's kisses had been sweet and soft, as if Cedric was scared he would break Harry, Tom's were the opposite. The kiss was demanding, and consuming, like Tom was trying to take all of Harry in.
Harry was drawn back to reality as he felt one of Tom's hands begin to travel down his body, and in a moment of self-doubt he wrenched his wrists out of Tom's grip, dropping the spell.
"Forgive me, Harry; I allowed lust to cloud my mind. Once again you have caused me to act in a way that is unlike me," Tom said, although he didn't sound apologetic at all. Indeed, he was looking at Harry almost hungrily.
"No, I'm just, err, not used to it," Harry mumbled, looking away from Tom, blushing.
"Well that certainly wasn't your first kiss," Tom observed, the smirk on his face making Harry flush even more.
"Well, no, but it didn't mean anything before," Harry admitted awkwardly, finally bringing his eyes up to meet Tom's unwavering gaze.
"Ah yes, the murdered boy who loved you despite the lack of feelings you felt in return," Tom mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Cedric didn't love me; he never said so at least," Harry muttered, casting his thoughts back two years.
"That didn't mean he didn't. I saw it in his mind, right before Longbottom stepped aside and allowed Peter Pettigrew to kill him on the Dark Lord's orders. You were his last thought."
Harry felt a new wave of anger wash over him, aimed at both Neville and Voldemort. True, he hadn't loved Cedric, but the boy had still meant something to him, he admitted to himself reluctantly.
"You can do much better than a pretty-boy Hufflepuff," Tom continued. "You're beautiful, unique and you have a deep power you have yet to unlock completely. You need somebody equal to you, who can challenge you and show you how powerful you truly are."
"Somebody like you?" Harry whispered, realising only afterwards what he had said. To his surprise, the corners of Tom's mouth twitched upwards, and the older boy leant in towards him.
"Yes, my dear, somebody like me."
And then Tom's lips were against his again, less demanding than before, but it still sent a jolt of electricity running through him. He opened his mouth and allowed Tom's tongue to slip inside, moving against his and exploring his mouth, as if Tom wanted to feel every part of Harry.
Harry's hands were free this time, and they found their way to the back of Tom's head, one gripping the back of his neck and the other woven through soft locks, while Tom's hands were gripping hard at Harry's hips.
"I meant what I said you know," Tom drawled, pulling away from Harry too soon. "We will rule the world for eternity, both of us conquering death." Tom moved his body away from Harry as well, moving to sit on a leather sofa. He patted the cushion beside him as an indication for Harry to sit, before he continued to speak. "Now, you must not let anyone know of these magical abilities. Although modern day magic is based on Ancient Roman spells, most Ancient types are disproved of in our society, just as much as Dark Magic, although it is less known. They are scared of the power you yield, despite how it has it's limitations and drawbacks just as any form of magic does. It will not make you invincible, and it will not make you immortal, but the reason they fear it is because you have something unknown, which is a strong advantage in battle. Those I know of who are able to produce any form of Ancient Magic have been locked away in asylums. You must keep this secret with your life."
Harry looked away awkwardly. He trusted Luna not to tell anybody, but he didn't know if Tom would trust her in any form.
"You already told that girl, didn't you?" Tom asked, though not really a question, his voice suddenly more authoritative and cold.
"I needed her help," Harry said, shrugging as if it was nothing. "I was panicking slightly and she was already there at Hogwarts. I never told her any specifics about you but I'm pretty sure she knows everything and she's never told a soul; she'll keep this quiet too."
"It is too much of a risk. If her mind is unprotected anybody with the right skills could find out. I want you to go and bring her to me. You promised to serve me and if she interferes with that she must be removed."
"No," Harry said quietly, keeping his eyes downcast.
"Excuse me?" Tom questioned, voice now even colder and sounding much more like Voldemort.
"No," Harry repeated more firmly, looking up and trying to stand his ground. "I like Luna. She was the only person there for me when you were gone, and she's accepted me despite everything she knows about me."
"What do you suggest we do then? Allow her mind to wander around the wrong person and have you waste your life in an asylum?" Tom hissed, and for a moment Harry could see the dark side of Tom; the part of him that had turned into the Dark Lord.
"An Unbreakable Vow would stop her telling anybody if you don't trust her not to stay quiet, and she could learn Occlumency. She's clever, and I swear she knows Legilimency already so that should help her."
The look in Tom's eyes made Harry think that in a flash of green light his life would be over, but to his surprise Tom started to laugh.
"You do amuse me, Harry. You're unable to stand up to school bullies, yet you can look a powerful Dark wizard in the eye and refuse an order. However, bring her to me and I will assess her myself," Tom stated, placing a hand gently on the side of Harry's face. The younger boy nodded reluctantly. "Draco will give you the Portkey. I'll be waiting."
Tom stood, pulling Harry up with him and guiding him over to the door. He kissed Harry softly once more before he opened it, reminding Harry he only felt complete with Tom, so he had to do as he asked, although he'd be damned if he let the man kill Luna.
He made his way to Draco's room, already familiar with the route. He was vaguely aware of screaming from beneath him and he tried to block the sound out.
He knocked on the door once he reached the room, and he heard shuffling the other side of the door as Draco moved to unlock it.
"What do you want?" Draco spat as he eyed Harry. He seemed to look guilty, and Harry looked into the room beyond him; it was in the sort of state Harry's room would be in when he tried to hide something from his mother in a hurry; nothing particularly in sight, as if Draco had been sat doing nothing, while strangely placed items were scattered about.
"I need a Portkey to go and get somebody to bring them back here," Harry answered honestly. He knew Draco had to collect his blood to allow him to the manor, and he didn't want Luna being injured by the wards.
Draco eyed him wearily for a moment before begrudgingly allowing him access to his room.
Malfoy's room was everything Harry expected it to be; pristine and impressive. There was a large desk with carved oak legs and a matching chair at one side of the room by a large window looking out onto the grounds. A sofa and two matching arm chairs were near the front of the room, a small table between them with the suspiciously placed books across it. A four-poster bed on a slightly raised platform was towards the back. The top of the bed posts were open, and above it was a patch of glass roof with the stars entirely in view. The room was truly beautiful, but at the same time didn't feel like it should belong to a sixteen-year old boy.
As Draco walked to his desk to retrieve what Harry presumed was the Portkey, the Gryffindor crept towards the small table and shifted through the books silently.
He instantly knew what Draco was hiding when he saw the book on the bottom.
He gingerly picked up the battered copy of 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'. It was a favourite book of his, his love for the series passed on to him from his mother, but the trilogy was written by a muggle, and considering the people downstairs were likely torturing muggles, he didn't think it would be approved of in Draco's world.
Which was probably the reason for Draco's horrified expression.
"What are you doing? Put it down," Draco said quietly, his eyes zoning in on the book title.
"Why? It's a good book," Harry shrugged, putting it down nonetheless.
"You don't tell anybody, you hear me? If I find out you've told then I'll-" Draco started dangerously but Harry cut him off.
"I'm not going to tell; everyone should have the right to read what they want to. I'm more surprised you even wanted to read these."
"I didn't know it was a muggle author at first. I picked up The Fellowship of the Ring in Flourish and Blotts and presumed it was an unknown wizard. Once I found out they were muggle I had already bought and read the last two, as well as The Hobbit," Draco muttered, and it was the first time Harry had seen the blond act so out of his Pureblooded aristocratic character.
"Well there's nothing wrong with reading muggle fiction. I'm a big fan, but if you want a really good discussion about Lord of the Rings you should talk to Luna; she believes Middle-Earth really exists. I'm still dubious but I told her if she finds it she'll have to take me to see it. "
"Hmm, now I've charmed the Portkey to allow one person to travel with you on this occasion only." Draco said, clearly wanting the conversation to stop. He handed Harry the Portkey, and then Malfoy's bedroom was disappearing into a whirling vortex, reforming itself as inner Hogwarts.
Fortunately for Harry, despite the late time he knew that Luna wouldn't be in bed, or even in the Ravenclaw common room, and he knew exactly where to find her.
He made his way swiftly through the halls and up the winding staircase to the Astronomy Tower. Luna was peering at the night sky, one eye pressed against the glass of a black and gold telescope.
"Hello, Harry," she greeted without turning around, "Mars is looking rather bright tonight. I suppose that's a sign of what's to come; Mars is the God of war, after all."
Luna held the telescope out to Harry, and he stepped forward, taking hold of the device and peering through it. The Red Planet was particularly bright, seeming to stand out amongst the black depth of night.
"Luna, I need you to come with me to Malfoy Manor; I'll explain once we're there," Harry said, handing the telescope back to the blonde.
"I didn't realise you were friends with Draco Malfoy; he's rather handsome, isn't he?" Luna said dreamily, her hand moving to tuck a strand of straggly hair behind her ear.
"We aren't really friends," Harry muttered awkwardly, holding the Portkey up to Luna with a smile.
As she grabbed it he muttered the incantation to active the Portkey, causing them to land at the Malfoy residence.
"This is lovely," Luna stated, looking around the empty room in which they had arrived at. "It doesn't feel like a homely place, but it would make a beautiful gallery."
"You should see the rest of the house," Harry muttered, wondering where to start. "Luna, listen, you know that Tom I'm friends with-?"
"You mean the one who grew up into Lord Voldemort?" Luna said casually, "The story went that Neville stopped the diary of Tom Riddle killing you, and it was very simple to link the names together. I presume he's in this house somewhere?"
"Well, yeah, but, look, I'm not a Death Eater-"
"I know," Luna interrupted once more. "I trust you would never hurt a soul, and you can't help who you fall in love with. Sometimes love will lead us more than our instincts of good and bad. Even Dumbledore let his heart rule for quite some time."
"So you know everything?" Harry questioned, half wondering what had happened with Dumbledore, along with how Luna had managed to be so perceptive.
"Not nearly anything at all, actually. I doubt even you know everything about yourself, but that's just part of life. It wouldn't be fun if we didn't have to figure it out along the way. I will admit I'm not sure why you brought me here, but I can't imagine you would lead me to something bad."
Harry felt guilt eat away at him at Luna's blind trust in him. He wasn't planning for her to be killed or tortured, but he knew Tom could do it anyway and perhaps even Obliviate him afterwards so he'd have no idea.
"Tom knows about the Ancient Egyptian magic," Harry began slowly, "and he knows that you know, and he's worried for me. I swear I won't let him hurt you though. I think maybe we'd do an Unbreakable Vow and I could help you learn Occlumency."
"I don't need to learn Occlumency," Luna cut in, "Shall we go then?"
Harry nodded, grasping hold of Luna's hands. She squeezed back tightly, and Harry thought he could feel her trembling slightly as he guided them to Tom's room.
The screaming had stopped now, which Harry was partly grateful for, although it was probably for only one reason which he didn't like to dwell on.
He knocked on Tom's door, and waited as Tom's familiar yet colder voice said "enter."
He walked into the room, tugging Luna behind him, standing in front of her as much as he could. The door fell shut with a soft thud and Harry focused his attention on the room.
Tom was sat on the sofa, with one leg crossed over the other. One of his arms was stretched out, resting atop the back of the chair, while the other held a glass of dark red wine. Tom was clearly posed, as Harry had never seen him sit like that, and it didn't seem comfortable, but he supposed it was an intimidation technique or something. Tom smirked wickedly as he eyed the pair.
"Harry, come sit with me," Tom spoke gently, though the command was obvious in his voice. Luna seemed to nudge him with her hand, so he dropped his hand and moved his way over to sit beside Tom, whose arm seemed to fall down slightly to rest against Harry's upper back, the hand moving closer to Harry, though not touching. Despite the lack of touch, Tom's closeness still gave some comfort to Harry.
"This is how it will be," Tom hissed in his ear quietly, "the both of us in control and in power, side by side."
Tom straightened up and raked his eyes up and down Luna. The Ravenclaw stood unfazed by his examination. She seemed to be humming to herself quietly, not showing any fear. Harry rather admired her; he knew from experience it was difficult to stand up to Tom.
"Oh, Harry, you didn't tell me Miss Lovegood here is a clairvoyant," Tom said after a moment, not taking his eyes from Luna.
"I didn't know," Harry whispered. It explained a lot; Luna had always been exceptionally good at reading people, and with her mother's Seer blood it was really no surprise.
"I get it from my mother," Luna mused, reiterating Harry's thought. "She was a Seer, though my skill manifests itself differently."
"Thus a natural Occlumens," Tom continued, finally shifting his focus from Luna and moving it onto Harry. "You are very fortunate in your choice of associate, though we shall still perform a Vow by the end of the night."
"Harry's very good to you," Luna piped up, drawing both the boy's attention back to her. "He always put you first, and though he's the closest thing I have to a friend, I think he needs you more than he needs me."
Tom's lip had curled, and Harry looked between the pair; he was obviously missing something. Luna's brutal honesty could only take him so far in guessing, but even not understanding the secret message, watching the dynamic between the two was fascinating.
There seemed to be, not so much a spark, but a fire between the pair, fuelled with different emotions ranging from anger and jealousy, to interest and curiosity. Luna had always been unique, open with herself and the world, and she wore that openly on her being, and that seemed to fuel Tom, the man wanting to understand all the world had to offer. And while Luna seemed to have her head in the clouds, as Harry knew, that was generally not the case. The Ravenclaw had a different way of looking at the world, seeing things that nobody else bothered with or cared about. She picked up on everything, even the details that didn't seem to matter, and she probably saw Tom, not just as the sociopath who was part of Voldemort, but as the man Harry saw.
Luna and Tom would almost definitely never like each other, but they would offer the other something they couldn't get anywhere else, and that would keep Luna alive and willing to accept Tom for Harry.
They seemed to have finished their silent conversation as Tom took a sip of wine, snapping his fingers and thrusting the glass at Dobby who had appeared. He ignored the elf completely; Harry sent the creature a small smile before he disappeared with a pop.
"The Vow, then?" Tom said, not really a question.
Harry nodded and stood, moving close enough to Luna so that he could grasp her hand once more. She smiled at Harry, her eyes darting about the room, still taking in the style of the manor, as if she wasn't about to make a promise that would literally kill her to break.
Tom moved to stand beside them, pressing his wand down onto the tops of their hands.
Harry paused for a moment; he didn't know much about the Vow, but he knew it was meant to be official, so he wanted to make sure he sounded the part, as well as avoiding any possibilities for loopholes.
"Will you, Luna, keep the information you have about me and Tom to yourself, only discussing it with the two of us?"
"I will," Luna answered, causing a slim steam of painless fire to wrap around their hands.
"And will you ensure to do this in every possibility, including verbally, in writing and in mind?"
"I will."
A second flame moved around their hands, meeting the other and clasping together.
Tom raised his wand, flashing pearl white at Harry.
"Perfect," he said, absent-mindedly pushing his hair into place. "Will you escort Miss Lovegood to Draco Malfoy's room, Harry? He can see to her; you are to return here immediately."
"It was very nice to meet you, Mr Riddle," Luna bid farewell, waving as she span to leave the room. Tom said nothing, turning to his desk.
Harry followed Luna from the room, and as he walked beside he could feel the relief in the air around them.
"I wouldn't have told anybody anyway; it's not my secret to tell, but I suppose Tom wants to be careful. It seems like he truly wants the best for you," Luna mused, trailing her fingers across the vast walls and paintings.
Harry stayed silent, though allowing a small smile to grace his face.
"So why didn't you tell me about you?" he asked eventually, making Luna stop.
"Mum told me not to tell people, even Dad doesn't know," the blonde explained. "It can come in handy at times, especially around you. I can sense many things, from both the living and the dead. The ghosts at Hogwarts tend to open up to me more. It's very sad really, because they're trapped on this Earth for ever, with their last living memory being their death. Helena Ravenclaw is very shy, even with the other ghosts, you see; it does her good to have somebody who understands her."
"Well it explains a lot," Harry said with a grin.
They eventually reached Draco's door and Harry knocked. This time Draco answered much quicker and his room had been tidied.
His eyes raked over Harry and Luna for a moment, and he welcomed them inside.
"Err, Lord Riddle asks if can you see to Luna; maybe find her a room or something," Harry told the Slytherin, who nodded.
"There's a room next door you can stay in; I can't be bothered setting one up for you so you can have it as it is. If there's a problem then call for Dobby; I don't want to know," Draco scowled.
"Thank you, Draco," Luna sang. "You have a beautiful home; I expect the grounds will be just as impressive."
"Yes, they are; some of the best in the Wizarding World," Malfoy boasted, suddenly less harsh.
"Would I be able to look at them tomorrow? Dad says you have a number of creatures hidden about," Luna added, and Draco nodded.
"We have normal garden animals roaming around." Draco emphasised the word normal. "You'll need me or Mother to give you a tour unless you want to get lost. I'll show you providing we go on my terms, so I will come to you when I'm ready to go and we return when I want to."
"I'm going to head back now," Harry cut in. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Luna and even Draco bid him goodnight, and the pair were still talking as he shut the door.
He found it cute in a way that Luna found Draco handsome. The younger Malfoy was arrogant and pompous in public, and even in private at times too, but there was a side to Draco that was hidden, even to the boy's own family. He wondered if Luna would be able to break through Draco's outer shell and connect with the real Draco Malfoy.
He didn't bother knocking when he arrived back at Tom's room.
The older boy was sat atop of the covers in bed, his long legs stretched out as he read a book.
As Harry neared, he could see that Tom's shirt had the top buttons undone, teasingly showing pale and smooth skin underneath.
"She is an intriguing character," Tom commented as Harry clambered onto the bed beside him. "Seers and Clairvoyants are always beneficial to have as allies. It was interesting; despite her natural resistance against Legilimency, she willingly allowed me into her mind; very peculiar. I must admit, you made a wise choice in befriending her."
"We aren't-" Harry started, but Tom stopped him with a wave of his hand.
"I know," the man replied with a small smirk. "It's late; you should be getting some sleep."
"I'm fine," Harry lied. The soft bed, coupled with the warmth radiating from Tom's body was very soothing indeed.
As if he knew that, and to make it worse, Tom shifted and pulled Harry downwards until the Gryffindor's head was resting against Tom's chest, his body curled up alongside the older boy's.
"I'll show you the grounds myself tomorrow," Tom said softly, Harry's Occlumency guards having fallen with his tiredness. "But for now, sleep."
And Harry did, with dreams of a red-eyed angel.
X
I didn't want to stop there, but if I carried on I'd probably have written too much. The next chapter will be out very soon; I'm looking forward to that garden scene.
Also, this chapter turned out far fluffier than I had planned, and it isn't really all that fluffy. But I suppose you should enjoy it while it lasts, because with the word 'horror' in the title, it's not going to be a lovey-dovey story. Being a homicidal sociopath stops Tom being cute and cuddly, you see. The things I have planned for him are oh so creepy. And as you can see, Harry is starting to become more confidant in himself and the bullies who knocked him down are eventually going to regret it.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
