~Surrender~
...
Rating: M for slash (homoerotic relationship).
Warning: This is a Harry Potter/Voldemort romance set during Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. Read at your own risk.
There is some *mature content* in this chapter.
Author's Note: One reader, DarkBuddha, asks an excellent question: Why were Tom and Harry drinking 1921 champagne in a previous chapter, rather than a bottle from a year with more symbolic significance, such as the year of Tom's birth (1926) or the year when Tom first arrived at Hogwarts (1938)? I love the idea of choosing numbers with symbolic significance, but both 1926 and 1938 were terrible years for champagne. The Dark Lord has many faults, but I don't think that drinking 1938 champagne is among them.
...
~Chapter 9~
Harry stood frozen and stared at Cedric Diggory, who appeared to be quite unaware that he was The Boy Who Died.
"What... what are you doing here, Cedric?"
"No idea, Harry." Cedric closed his book with a smile. "Last thing I remember, you and I were in a graveyard, and there were death eaters all around us. After that, everything got sort of hazy. But then I woke up and found myself in this house. I bet the same thing happened to you, right?" Cedric glanced around. "Grand place, isn't it? I wonder whose house this is. The home of our unknown rescuer, perhaps? Who's your friend, Harry?"
Harry flushed, hard. He glanced over at Tom, who was standing, smiling, by his side. "This is Tom. He's my... erm... boyfriend?"
Tom made a small noise of assent and kissed Harry quickly on the head.
"Your boyfriend? Really?" Cedric looked vaguely surprised. "I had no idea you... went that way, Harry. Wait, does that mean that you are not interested in Cho any more?"
"Er... No. I'm definitely not interested in Cho."
"Oh, good." Cedric got up from his chair. "Well, we should try to find our way back, then, shouldn't we? To Hogwarts? I expect everyone will be rather anxious about us; they'll probably think we are still inside that maze."
"Right." Harry swallowed. Apparently, Cedric had no notion that he had been dead for the past year and a half. "Listen, Cedric - I think there are a few practical details to iron out first, before we can go back to Hogwarts. I need to talk to Tom for a little while. He's... he's the one who brought you here, you see. I'll... I'll talk to you in a little bit, Cedric."
"All right." Cedric nodded agreeably and picked up his book again. "Nice to meet you, Tom."
...
Harry dragged Tom into The Dark Lord's private chambers and closed the door.
"So? Were you surprised, my love?" Tom's silver eyes shone, and he kissed Harry softly on the lips.
"Tom?" Harry sank down on the bed. "Tom, what did you do? That's... that's Cedric Diggory. You ordered him killed in the graveyard after the Triwizard Tournament. You told them to kill the spare... He was dead."
"Right." Tom's hand brushed gently through Harry's unruly hair. "But now he's not. I brought him back from the dead. I thought you'd be pleased to see him again; you seemed so terribly upset when he died."
Harry felt strangely numb. "You brought Cedric back from the dead... how?'
Tom grinned. "Yes, I thought you'd be curious about that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring that Harry had seen on Dumbledore's hand before. "This, Harry, is no ordinary stone. It was passed down in my family for generations, but I did not understand its true nature until recently. It's an ancient magical artifact, my love, called The Resurrection Stone. It can bring back the dead."
Harry stared at the small black stone, and he felt goosebumps rising on his flesh. "That stone can bring back the dead? But that's... that's not natural, Tom."
"Natural?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "Of course it's not natural, my love. Dying is natural; bringing the dead back to life is an art. Art is never natural, but it makes life so much more pleasant. The living flowers outside are natural, but the rather charming van Huysum flower painting hanging in the hallway is a work of art. The excellent lunch the house elves are preparing for us at this moment is not natural either. We will not tear at the uncooked flesh of animals with our teeth like savage beasts; we will eat artfully prepared steak au poivre on gold-rimmed china plates. We will not consume sour wild grapes in their natural state; we will drink a well-aged 1945 Château Mouton Rothschild. Why, if we were to embrace only what's natural, we would be sleeping outside on the hard ground tonight, instead of in soft beds. And speaking of beds and delightful unnatural things, my love..." His kisses trailed suggestively down Harry's throat.
"Tom..." Harry swallowed. "This isn't right..."
"Oh." Tom pulled back, startled. "I'm sorry, that was presumptuous of me. But you said that you loved me earlier, so I thought that maybe you..."
Harry had to laugh. "Not that, Tom. You can kiss me and... and whatever else you were thinking of doing any time. I meant bringing Cedric back, Tom. It's not... not normal. It can't be right, to awaken the dead." He swallowed.
"What? Why not?" Tom seemed baffled.
"Cedric was dead. You can't just bring him back like some... some undead zombie."
Tom sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his dark curls. "Zombie? Oh, why do you have to be so terribly morbid about this, love? Your friend Cedric is not a monstrous zombie; he is a human work of art. I revived him very carefully, and it was not a simple thing to do. Think of him as similar to a bottle of complex, perfectly aged Bordeaux..."
"But Tom, it's not normal... The dead aren't supposed to come back alive again."
Tom frowned. "Now, I don't mean to be critical of you, love, but don't you think you are being just a bit difficult here? You were upset because I killed your parents and your friend, which is understandable. But now you seem almost equally upset that I am bringing them back from the dead. I won't call you unreasonable, of course, but sometimes you are rather difficult to please..."
"My parents?" Harry stared at Tom. "Tom, have you... Have you brought my parents back as well?"
"Not yet, no." Tom sat down on the bed next to Harry and slipped his arms around him. "I'm going to bring them back in due time, of course, and your godfather as well, but I didn't want to start with them in case I didn't get the magic right the first time. Some of the ancient legends are full of warnings about dead souls who return to some sort of unsatisfactory half-life. But seeing that the boy Cedric, who was my test case, seems to have turned out all right, I think it would be safe to proceed to the people who are more important to you. Oh, I could have started with some random people, I suppose, like that old Muggle tramp I murdered years ago, but he wouldn't have been very amusing to have around, would he now? That's why I picked the boy - I thought you would be pleased to have him back, but you wouldn't be heartbroken if he didn't come out quite right when I brought him back. I couldn't risk bringing back imperfect versions of your parents or godfather, of course; I wanted to master the complicated magic of the stone before bringing them back."
"But Tom..."
"What?" Tom's lips found Harry's throat again.
"Death is..." It was really very difficult to think properly, when Tom did that... "Death is inevitable. It's a natural part of life, not something to be avoided. To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure..."
"What?" Tom burst out laughing. "Who told you that? Dumbledore?"
Harry flushed. "Well, yes."
"Thought so," whispered Tom against his skin. "A very noble sentiment, headmaster! And yet, Dumbledore's withered hand suggests that his mind must not have been all that well-organized. There must have been someone he wanted to bring back from the dead."
Harry closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the soft kisses that set his skin on fire. "You are really going to bring back Sirius, Tom?" he whispered. "And my parents as well?"
"Well, of course," breathed Tom. "I want to give you back everyone you have ever lost, my love. But it may be more prudent to bring back your guardians after I'm done seducing you, just in case they turn out to be the overprotective sort."
Harry opened his eyes and met Tom's gaze. His eyes were all heat and molten silver. "You are seducing me-?" His voice came out as a whisper.
"I hope so..." There was a slight quiver in Tom's voice, and Harry seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.
Tom's lips were warm and trembling against his own, and Harry could feel eager fingers tearing at his clothes. Tom's hands found his skin under his clothes, and Harry melted into his touch. Another kiss against his lips now, deeper and more possessive... Tom's fingers were sliding down Harry's chest, sending pulses of white-hot fire through his veins. Harry could feel a strange fever raging through his limbs, an exquisite blaze that left his mind and his senses reeling. He tore at Tom's clothes, and he could hear fabric ripping under his frenzied hands.
Wanting... Wanting... Oh, the enticing warmth of Tom's skin, the breathless kisses against his mouth... They fell onto the bed together, their clothes a tangled, forgotten mess on the floor. Tom's fiery kisses against his throat, against his chest, frantic hands finding his aching arousal, stroking, caressing... Harry moaned helplessly and arched into the touch.
"You are hard for me..." There was a note of wonder is Tom's breathless whisper. "Oh, Merlin. You are hard for me..."
"Ready..." An incoherent whisper fell from Harry's lips. "You... inside..."
A soft moan escaped Tom, and a searing kiss pressed against Harry's mouth. A whispered spell against his lips, ancient words that Harry only half understood. A curious sensation followed, a moist heat spreading, quivering, just there... A thrill of pleasure, an aching, shuddering desire...
Tom's frantic fingers searching now, his hard shaft pushed probingly against Harry, finding entrance to his body... Harry screamed out incoherently as Tom penetrated him, burying his throbbing shaft completely inside Harry's flesh. His eyes found Tom's, and the world seemed to collapse, engulfed in the single white-hot flame that shot through his mind and his body and his soul.
"Oh God, Tom... Tom..."
He surrendered himself to the Dark Lord's frantic kisses against his mouth, to the soft whispered endearments, to the frenzied strokes as Tom took possession of him, body and soul.
"Oh, God." Tom's voice was a startled whisper. "Oh, Harry, I can't... I'm sorry... You are so beautiful, I can't hold back..." His words dissolved in moans, and he moved frantically against Harry. A shuddering gasp, a breathy moan, and Tom came violently inside him, hot, glorious moisture spreading inside him... Harry came undone at the sensation, and he felt his own seed pulse against Tom's skin a moment later.
"At last..." Tom's voice was a breathless whisper in his ear. "I must have wanted you like this since time began."
The lay completely still for several long moments, burning skin against burning skin, gasping for breath.
Harry felt a strange quiver in his heart as he looked into Tom's luminous quicksilver eyes. Tom's pale cheeks were flushed now, and there was an expression on his face of such infinite tenderness that it took Harry's breath away all over again.
"I love you," breathed Tom.
Harry swallowed. Something was tugging strangely at his heart. "Tom?" His voice was a whisper. "It's not really me you love, is it?"
"What?" Tom pressed a trembling kiss against Harry's scar. "How can you even think that? You can't still be jealous of Zabini - I wasn't even the one kissing him! I thought I had just demonstrated, beyond all possible doubt, that it is you I love."
Harry flushed. "Yes, I know, but... It's not really about me, is it? You love me because I am your horcrux, because I am a part of you. It's the horcrux you love, not me, Tom..."
"The horcrux?" Tom laughed, but Harry shook his head. "No, Tom, I mean it..."
"All right." Tom smiled and kissed Harry's hand gently. "Let's consider your absurd suggestion very carefully, then, my love. Let's see... This soft skin right here, at the back of your neck..." His kisses found the spot, "... would you say that's part of the horcrux?"
"No. That's just me."
"How about your hair, which keeps sticking up in the back in that adorable way - is that part of the horcrux?"
"No," whispered Harry.
"What about that salty tang of your lips? Or the soft curve of your mouth?"
"No."
"And that maddening color of your eyes, and your warm skin, and the mesmerizing sound of your voice - are those parts of the horcrux?"
"No..."
"Then," said Tom firmly and kissed Harry on the lips, "I think we have just established that the answer to your preposterous question is 'no'. It's not the horcrux I'm in love with. It's you."
...
"So..." Cedric frowned. "I was actually killed by the death eaters? And I was dead, but now I'm not?"
Tom nodded. "That's correct."
"Now, who are you again?" Cedric gazed at Tom without any apparent recognition.
"Tom."
"And you are Harry's...er..."
"I think 'soul mate' would be a rather appropriate term in this case." A slight smile hovered around Tom's lips.
"I see." Cedric took another sip of his wine and helped himself to more steak. "I suppose this whole business about dying explains why I'm so terribly hungry. It feels like I haven't eaten for years."
Tom nodded approvingly. "Now, that's the spirit! See how well he is handling this, Harry? He's not being a bit morbid about his own death and return, is he? There is really a great deal to be said for these down-to-earth, practical Hufflepuffs, after all. "
"My parents will probably be rather shocked to see me back, won't they?" Cedric chewed thoughtfully on his steak. "They must have been rather upset about my death. I do wish you could tell me how it all happened, but I understand that there are restrictions to this sort of magic... Oh, and what about Cho? Did she cry at all when I died, Harry?"
Harry smiled. "That would be putting it mildly. I tried asking her out, but she kept crying and talking about you. Listen, Cedric - I don't think we can just apparate back to the Hogwarts gates. I have no idea how Dumbledore will react to seeing you back from the dead, but something tells me that he will not be terribly pleased. Perhaps it would be best if we bring you back to your parents' house, and you can stay there for a bit until we sort out what to do. I'll need to talk to your parents first, though, and prepare them a bit, so they won't die of a heart attack when they see you."
"Right." Cedric nodded. "That sounds fair enough, Harry. And then perhaps Cho could come and visit me at home? My parents have never been very keen on letting me have girls visit in my room, but after all that's happened, they might soften up a little."
Harry smiled. "I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did, Cedric."
...
The Diggorys' home was not that far away from the Burrow. It was a pleasant old stone cottage surrounded by a well-kept garden of late autumn flowers.
A frumpy little witch with sad eyes opened the door when Harry knocked. Cedric, who was still hidden under Harry's invisibility cloak, drew his breath sharply.
"Yes?" It took Mrs. Diggory a moment to recognize Harry, but then her eyes fell on his scar. She swallowed audibly. "Mr. Potter. What... what are you doing here?"
"I want to speak to you about Cedric," said Harry softly.
But Mrs. Diggory shook her head. "No. There is nothing more to say, Mr. Potter. I understand that you may feel bad about not being able to save Cedric during that terrible tournament, but I can't bear to talk about it. Please leave us alone."
She was about to close the door, and Harry said rapidly: "But you don't understand, Mrs. Diggory. Cedric is not dead."
She gazed at him blankly for a moment. "What?" Her voice was a whisper.
Harry took her hand and said softly: "I know that this must come as a shock to you, Mrs. Diggory. But I have very, very good news for you. Your son is not dead."
"But I saw... his body..." Mrs. Diggory's glance had a faint glimmer of hope in it now.
"I know," said Harry gently. "But there is a sort of magic, unauthorized by the Ministry, that can reverse-"
Mrs. Diggory clasped at Harry's shirt. "He's alive? Tell me he's alive..."
"I'm alive, mother." Cedric brushed the invisibility cloak aside and smiled hesitantly at his mother.
She stared at him for one long moment, and then she threw her arms around her son. "Cedric... Oh, Merlin, Cedric!" She was laughing and sobbing at the same time.
"What is going on here?" Cedric's father, Amos Diggory, had arrived at the front door now. "What is happening, Beulah? Who is that boy you are hugg-?" He gave a shivering gasp and staggered backwards. "Oh, sweet Merlin, it can't be..."
"Hello father," whispered Cedric.
Mr. Diggory threw his arms around his son. Tears were streaming down his cheeks now. "But this is... this is a miracle..." He glanced up at Harry. "Harry Potter? You brought my son back?"
"With a little help from a friend," said Harry softly. "Er... It might be best not to mention this to anyone for a little while. There was some powerful illegal magic involved, and Dumbledore and the Ministry might not exactly approve..."
"Say no more," muttered Amos Diggory, stroking his son's hair. "We will keep Cedric right here with us. No one will be the wiser."
Harry smiled and strolled off to find Tom, leaving the little family to their joy. Hopefully, the Diggorys were better babysitters than the Malfoys...
