(A/N: I know I've been gone for forever, I'm sorry about that. But I'm here with an update now and that's what matters, right? Anyway, no new warnings this time around, so on with the show.)

A Cold Sleep

Part 20

He rolled his shoulders and forced himself to stand up straight. Inside his stomach was twisting with nerves and he longed to curl in on himself and hide, so maintaining a passive façade was almost impossible. Almost. It had never felt right for him to be at the center of attention and he had nearly always shifted the spotlight from himself the moment he was able. But now he had no choice, this was his show, and he wasn't about to let something like anxiety screw things up for him.

"Alright, here's the truth; Dumbledore is a Dark Lord," he began but paused to let the disgruntled muttering and swearing of those assembled die down. "That alone isn't a problem. The world needs a Dark Lord, magic needs a Dark Lord. But Dumbledore is corrupted, evil, a grotesque caricature of what the Dark ought to be. Had you told me any of this a few months ago I would have laughed at you. Paranoid? Sure. Controlling? Of course. But evil? That would have been a joke. Only it's true. And I know that it is true from personal experience. Most of you know that my parents resting places were moved little more than a fortnight ago. Now I tell you why. It is because Dumbledore used them in a Necromantic ritual to attack me," he said, the strength of his voice growing as he found his confidence. The room was silent, any mutterings had been silenced and the faces that stared back at him were pulled into horrified masks.

While he had expected them to be put off by the idea some part of him hadn't actually thought that people who called themselves Death Eaters would be so appalled by Necromancy. But he'd been wrong before. So now he stood at the head of a crowded room with Tom standing silently behind him as a collection of adult witches and wizards attempted to avoid being physically ill.

"What reason could he have to attack you? You're Harry bloody Potter, his hailed Chosen One," a voice finally rang out from the side of the room and Harry tilted his head slightly as he sorted through names in his mind, looking to place one to the woman that had spoken. Ah, there it was, Melody Ashcroft, a new recruit.

"An excellent question Ms. Ashcroft, one with a simple enough answer, I'm pleased to say. It is because he fears me, he fears the Light Lord" Harry responded, falling back on the lessons he'd been given in mind magic to keep himself from being sick as the crowd now seemed to stare at him even more intensely, the mutterings returning and growing louder by the second. Unsure of himself Harry glanced to Tom eyes searching for an answer. A long moment passed before Tom stepped forward coming to stand beside Harry.

"Silence!" Tom's voice was far too loud for the space they were in, but it had the desired effect and the crowd quieted. "Do you think that I would have called you here, after three years of carefully orchestrated silence, for something any less important than this? After decades bereft of a Lord of Light we have not only been given one, but one that would stand alongside us. Magic would have balance, she would have harmony among us, and between Harry and I we would have it. But one thing stands in the way. Dumbledore, a pretender to the Light and a traitor to the Dark," Tom said, the words came easily to him, leadership not testing him the way it did Harry. Of course, Harry reasoned with himself, Tom had been at it for far longer, they both had the same natural charisma, but Tom had never been shy about using his for exactly this purpose.

"And what, my Lord, are we to do about this?" another voice spoke up, Harry directed his attention to the man, almost reveling in the feeling it gave him when the man took a half step back.

"Ah Rodolphus that much is up to you. I-we are not ordering direct action, doing so would endanger the students still attending Hogwarts. Understandably we cannot have this, no matter their present alignment we cannot risk harm to those that have not involved themselves. So I urge you all to be creative. Use your connections and positions to be as disruptive to him as possible without revealing yourselves. Leave yourselves room to plead ignorance," Tom said, the delight in his voice was impossible to miss even if his expression remained decidedly neutral.

"Could this not have been communicated to us via post my Lord?" Rodolphus spoke again and Harry's eyes narrowed for the briefest instant before remembering himself and controlling his emotions.

"Would any of you have truly believed this? Me, Harry Potter, the Light Lord, standing beside Lord Voldemort? Had you not seen it with your own eyes, would it really mean anything to you? I knew that answer when I agreed to reveal myself here. I'm missing, presumed dead at Dumbledore's hand. You'd think it a ploy to draw me out and nothing more. But now you've seen it. Seen me. You know beyond the shadow of doubt that I am with you. So I ask you to keep my secret as you keep his, and in return I will support you in every capacity that I am able to," Harry said and gave the crowd a grin, allowing them to see past the carefully constructed mask if only for a few seconds. Though they had worked intensively on his expression in the last couple of weeks he knew deep down that it would be his openness and humanity that kept both sides of their following behind him.

"You have your orders, do not give me reason to be disappointed. Dismissed," Tom followed up, preventing anyone from asking any questions. Soon the room was filled with the sharp cracks of magic as the group dispersed, most of them likely still unsure of where it was that they had come to for the meeting. Harry closed his eyes and let out a breath, shaking himself from head to toe as the discomfort of standing before an audience faded. Somehow it had never been quite so hard when it was on a broom above the stands at Hogwarts. He practically collapsed into the embrace when Tom's arms wrapped around him.

"I really didn't think I'd be doing this so soon. I wasn't ready," he whispered, his face pressed into Tom's neck as his fingers grasped at wonderfully soft robes. Tom's hand slid up to tilt Harry's head back, fingers gently sliding into the ever growing mop of hair.

"You did wonderfully. I would have preferred to keep you a secret for longer, but that was not an option. We need to end this sooner than later," Tom responded softly, leaning in and kissing Harry on the lips.

"I know, I know. We've been having the same conversation for a week now. I'm glad I didn't screw up though," Harry said, allowing Tom to deposit him in a chair as the room around them returned to its normal appearance as the formal dining room at Malfoy Manor. Without hesitation Harry dragged Tom down into his lap, grinning at the momentarily stunned expression that appeared on his partner's face. Tom was still adjusting to Harry's ever developing boldness, but he had to admit that it pleased him greatly to know that he was comfortable enough with their relationship to do such things.

(A/N: That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed it and will leave me a comment or review to let me know what you thought. Until next time!)