Chapter 30

The Dark Prince

Back. Back at the Dursleys'. For a brief moment, Harry thought that he would never see those muggles again, however, a letter from Tom at the end of the semester dashed those hopes immediately. Tom had good news, great even, but he wanted to tell the boy in person, and that required living with the Dursleys for one last time.

Their year apart seemed to have made Tom look more dashing than ever. The Dark Lord stood tall, handsome, youthful, and sophisticated on the platform of nine-and-three-quarters. He wore a simple suit and welcomed Harry in open arms, smiling brilliantly when the almost thirteen-year-old jumped to hug him. In the distance, Harry's friends watched shocked, but Lord Voldemort paid them no mind. He had his little snake back.

"So, what did you do to our dear Basilisk?" he asked Harry as Uncle Vernon silently drove them back. Voldemort was holding his diary on his lap, but his entire attention was on Harry.

"I've let her go," Harry said. "We talked and I convinced her to leave Hogwarts. Now she is somewhere out there, having much more space to move and much better things to eat besides rats."

Voldemort chuckled, "You always continue to astound me, Harry, I am very happy." He surprised Harry by putting an arm around the pre-teen's shoulders. It was a casual gesture and yet Harry's face turned a crimson red as he smiled. "I've been busy as well," the Dark Lord hummed. "I have been relearning so many wonderful things and read more about the differences between Wizarding cultures. For example, did you know that only the British and American communities are the only ones who confront Dark Wizards with such fervor? The Americans going as far as trying to pressure other communities to conform."

"That's horrible!" Harry frowned.

"Indeed," Voldemort nodded. "Going further, the Japanese Ministry of Magic actually have a completely different definition of what is or is not Dark Magic, and they have a ritual that allows for male pregnancies."

"Men can get pregnant?" Harry gasped.

"Not normally, but the Japanese figured out a way. The only reason it is not better known is because other countries, especially the Americans and European countries, discourages the practice," Voldemort said with a frown. He sighed and shook his head. "Fifty years and nothing changes," he muttered more to himself than to Harry.

However Harry still just hummed along and nodded. Uncle Vernon pulled into the small driveway and the three stepped out, Tom taking Harry's hand as Uncle Vernon took Harry's trunk. "I am sorry you have to come back to this dreadful place, my little snake," Tom sighed. "I am close to figuring out a way for us to see each other when needed, however, I need to think on it more, as there will be several complications. For now, my Harry, we need to have a little talk." He held up his diary and pulled Harry to sit down next to him. "How exactly did my diary come into Ginny Weasley's possession?"

"I don't know," Harry said, shrugging. "Where was it supposed to be?"

"Safe and hidden away with Lucius Malfoy," Voldemort said, frowning. "It seems that he has appeared to have forgotten his task" He drummed his fingers on the diary and looked at it pensively. "Now what to do?"

"Punish Mr. Malfoy?" Harry suggested. "But maybe not too much because I don't want to hurt Draco or Mrs. Malfoy."

"Not to worry, we won't make Narcissa a widow," Voldemort muttered, "but you are right that there will be punishment. However I will need a bit more power, and this Diary will provide."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"This is my first Horcrux Harry, it holds half of my soul, and thus so much magic," Voldemort smirked.

"But what about the Diary and the Tom Riddle inside it?" Harry asked. "What's going to happen to him—uh you?"

"He and I are the same, Harry," Voldemort said, "it will be just like I am remembering long lost memories, as well as remember other interesting things, such as everything young Weasley wrote in the diary."

"Ohh," Harry said, blushing slightly.

"You're blushing," Voldemort chuckled, "Now Harry, please don't tell me you've told our friend Tom something embarrassing, did you?"

"N-No, Master," Harry stuttered.

"Then you'll have nothing to worry about," Voldemort chuckled. "It will be a while to get everything I need ready for this ritual. It will be painful, and I will be doing it alone."

"Why alone?" Harry asked.

"Because the main thing a person needs to reabsorb a piece of your soul is regret. And though I felt regret, I feel none towards my Horcruxes, any of them," Voldemort explained, and he held Harry's cheek gently.

"Ohh, where will you do this?" Harry asked.

"Our new home would be fitting enough, I believe," Voldemort said, though he did not look pleased. "Riddle House. It's a small manor that stands on a hill overlooking the town of Little Hangleton. It belonged to my father and my disgusting muggle relatives. I never even thought of using it however, it would be much more pleasurable than being forced to live with your muggle relatives." He sneered towards the kitchen where Harry's relatives waited silently.

"That sounds great!" Harry said enthusiastically. "Can we go there now?"

"Patience, little snake," Voldemort chuckled. "It is unlivable now. A dilapidated husk that is in dire need of repairs. But don't worry, I'll have it fixed during the summer and school year, and when your third year and my graduation is over, we shall have a place to truly call home."

"I can't wait," Harry smiled, "I'll be able to come home during the holidays and see you!"

"Yes, you will," Voldemort smiled, "and you will be able to do little tasks for me. In fact, we can start that right now." Harry perked up at that and Voldemort chuckled lightly. "Yes, you see while at Durmstrang this year I have perfected my disguise. Behold… your Master."

Harry took a couple of steps back from Voldemort as he pulled his wand out. Voldemort waved his wand in front of him, and Harry gasped as he watched his Master grew taller. His limbs stretched out, almost skeletally so as his pale skin paled even further, going bone white with his fingers long and almost to a point. Voldemort's eyes turned to a deep red and any hint of warmness or affection disappeared, leaving a chilling hatred that made even Harry a little scared. His face had the most change. Voldemort's hair was gone completely, leaving him bald as his face turned into the same deathly white paleness as the rest of his body. It turned snake-like, his nose flattening into two slits and his ears flattening until it looked as though he did not have any. Even his teeth changed, looking sharp. Lastly, his clothes changed into a simple black robe.

Lord Voldemort looked down at Harry, looking completely inhumane and smirked, "Well little snake," he said, his voice cold and high, "what do you say to your future husband and Master? Be honest."

Harry knew that he should have been careful with his words, but instead he said his first thought, "I don't want to hug or kiss you like this, Master."

Voldemort laughed, "Good. Because you will not. I forbid you to even touching me like that while I am looking like this. Like this, I am your Master and Mentor, and nothing more. The glamour can last at most several hours to almost a day, however, I will not need to use it for long. Unless I need to accompany my followers on a raid."

"Do I have to look like that?" Harry asked.

"No, my little snake, as I have said last year, a mask is good enough for you, and because soon you will be old enough to start your journey in the Dark, I will give you a gift," Voldemort said. He stepped towards Harry and pressed his wand to Harry's glasses gently. "Close your eyes, Harry," he ordered.

Harry slid his eyes closed and breathed deeply. He could feel his glasses grow warm as they expanded and pressed lightly but securely against his face. He could feel it growing, moving to perfectly fit the top part of his face. Voldemort told Harry to open his eyes and he did so, gasping at what he saw in the mirror that appeared in front of him. He was wearing a dark emerald-green masquerade mask embroidered with snakes that slithered around the upper edge and curled around the two eye-holes from which Harry saw everything so clearly. He smiled brilliantly at his reflection and moved his head fast, the mask not slipping a centimeter. "I love it!" he exclaimed, "I'm Batman!"

Voldemort just ignored Harry's childish outburst and with a wave of his wand, made the mirror disappear. "I think you will need a more proper title than that, if you are to wear the mask, Harry," he said.

"What do you mean? Like what?" Harry asked, looking up at his master.

Voldemort smiled, and in an instant, his glamour was gone, his handsomeness made whole. He took a step forward and took Harry gently by the chin, "Both you and Adrian are my little snakes, but seeing how you react to the Dark, how eager you are for its and my approval, I can only think of one title that can fit you, Harry Potter." He leaned forward and Harry's face turned red as he stared at Voldemort's lips, he wanted them to finally touch his, to finally feel his Master against him. But Voldemort continued to lean until he was against his ear, and barely above a whisper, he said, "My Dark Prince."

Harry swallowed heavily and he nodded. The Dark Prince, he liked that. Voldemort smiled and touched Harry's mask. It dissolved into his glasses once more and Voldemort kissed his scar before taking a step back.

"I assume that you remember the layout of Malfoy Manor?" the Dark Lord asked.

"Uhh, kind of," Harry answered truthfully. "Why?"

"When I am done with the diary, I will have a task for you. There will be a message for Mr. Malfoy in the diary. I want you simply leave it on his desk in his office opened to the message so he will not miss it," Voldemort said.

"Is this part of the punishment?" Harry asked. "How will he know it is from you?"

"He will," Voldemort smirked. "But that is not till later in the summer, after your birthday no doubt. It will take that long for me to set up the ritual. Until then, the summer is up to us. I assume you already have plans with your friends?"

"I do," Harry smiled. "Oh! I'm actually going to see Fred and George during the summer too, hopefully soon. Their mother invited me to meet her, and I can't wait to see Ron's face."

"Good," Tom said, "And I hope you will visit the Malfoys soon if only to reacquaint yourself with the manor. However, in the meantime, how about some lunch, Harry, and you can tell me every single detail you've left out of your letters."

The invitation from Fred and George came a week into the summer break. Harry was spending breakfast examining his glasses. He did not know it at first, but they were different now. Along the temples were now two snakes barely hidden in view. Tom dropped a small stack of letters in front of Harry, shocking the boy. "You are very popular, little snake," he said. "It could make a master jealous."

"You know that you're my priority, Master," Harry grinned. "They're all my friends and I love them, but I love you even more."

"I wonder if you truly understand what you're saying yet," Tom muttered.

Harry pouted, it hurt that Tom still did not believe that he loved him. He told him for years and years and Harry knows that he will keep on telling and showing Tom he loves him until he finally understands. Maybe once he's older, he'll understand.

But before that, letters!

They were all various invitations and wonderings about how Harry was doing and what they're up to. Theo and Daphne were going to be away in France together with their families while Blaise was going to spend a week or two in Italy to visit his mother's family. It made Harry a little jealous. He never even thought of stepping off of Britain, but the idea of visiting another country appealed to him greatly. He looked up at Tom and said, "One day you and I are going to go and visit another country. Maybe Japan or something?"

"That would be useful, there are various tomes that the Japanese have that I cannot get here," Tom agreed.

"No, as in a vacation," Harry said, shaking his head. "I want to go on vacation one day with you, Tom. When we're older, and maybe together." His cheeks turned red at that.

"Of course, little snake," Tom smiled, "Mayhap as a sixteenth birthday present, as a celebration of your successful journey through the Dark. A long holiday visiting whatever country you desire."

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great. Will you remember?"

"Harry, every detail about you is forever etched into my memory," Tom said, sounding like he was almost purring. "Of course, I will remember even if you do not."

"Good," Harry said. "Good… because I'll remember too." And with that, he picked up Fred and George's letter and opened it. As expected, Fred and George asked Harry if he could visit them tomorrow. Harry looked up at Voldemort who nodded, and Harry grinned as he wrote his reply.

The next day, after Harry had his breakfast he and Tom made sure that he was properly dressed. He was wearing a nice shirt and jeans, looking slightly muggle but in an acceptable way. "You have everything?" Tom asked. "Your wand?"

"Yes, Tom, I do," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "And I have the address, their house is called The Burrow."

"Good," Tom muttered. "Now, be careful. You have the twins with you, but I don't know much about the other Weasleys."

"You didn't fight them?"

"They weren't part of the war," Tom said. "Nevertheless, I'm sure they only see you as the twins' friend. Keep it that way."

"I will," Harry smirked, and before Tom could react, Harry jumped up to kiss Tom's cheek and went to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and stood in the fireplace. He threw it down and yelled, "The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole!" The last he saw of Tom was his smirking face before the emerald flames took over.

When the spinning stopped, Harry stepped into a cluttered living room filled with sofas and armchairs, a wooden wireless set, a huge wooden bookshelf, and a clock that, as Harry looked at it, had nine hands that all had the names of the Weasley family members and indications of home, school, work, traveling, lost, dentist, hospital, prison, and mortal peril. Almost immediately, however, Harry's view was blocked by a rather stout woman with red hair.

"Good graces! You must be Harry!" the woman said, "Come here, come here, let me have a look at you—have you eaten? I still have some eggs and sausage that I can heat up. I'm Mrs. Weasley, and it is such a pleasure to finally meet you." Mrs. Weasley pulled Harry into a tight hug and brought him into the kitchen and sat him down. "You do look rather handsome; I must admit that—one second dear let me get Fred and George for you." She bustled out of a door outside and yelled for Fred and George. "Those two I swear," she sighed as she came back inside. "From what I've heard of it, I only got you and Cedric to thank for keeping them out of detention at times. Though I wish they would apply themselves more. They're very smart you know—very smart indeed—it's just they rather fool around with those little tricks of theirs. And not to even mention that this is their O.W.L. year! Why it's only one of the more important years at Hogwarts, it can affect their whole lives and if they decide to muck it up by fooling around, then that is just a waste of their potential, I think. But what do I know I'm just their mother. I heard you live with a guardian, yes, a mentor? Surely you can understand where I'm coming from." As she talked, dishes moved by themselves with a wave of her wand, and before Harry knew it, he had a plate of hot eggs and sausage in front of him.

Feeling exhausted just from listening to Mrs. Weasley's rant, Harry nodded. He took a small bite as he thought about his response and couldn't stop his cheeks from heating up slightly at how delicious the food was. "He cares a lot about my education," he said. "Tom does too—he's his son."

"Yes, I've heard about that," Mrs. Weasley nodded. "They told me that he doesn't go to Hogwarts?"

"No, ma'am, Tom was accepted in Durmstrang. He's graduating this year."

"That's nice," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "Though that school is rather… unique, is it not? Why have your guardian chose that school?"

"It's the school that he went to," Harry said easily. "He thought that it was appropriate that Tom went there, while I went to Hogwarts. We don't mind really; we send each other letters almost weekly so it's like I can barely miss him."

"That's very sweet," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "you and Tom must be very close, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am, he's the best," Harry grinned brightly.

"That is very nice to hear, dearie," Mrs. Weasley smiled. The door opened and Fred walked in, looking annoyed. "What mum? Oh—hi Harry!"

"Hey, Fred!" Harry smiled, "Where's George?"

"With Cedric," Fred groaned.

"Honestly Fred, I think it's nice that he and Cedric are such good friends," Mrs. Weasley said. "We were always neighbors, Harry, but it was always such a trek to get between our houses. Something nice must have happened during Hogwarts to get them close. Why they seem to make the journey almost every day!"

"Yeah, something nice," Fred muttered, glancing at Harry, who nodded. He remembered that only he and Fred were the only ones who knew that George was gay, and it was not up to them to tell the others. "Anyway, I'm happy that you came now Harry, Dad just came in with great news yesterday."

"Really?"

"Yeah! He won the Daily Prophet Prize Draw! Seven hundred Galleons!" Fred said excitedly.

"That's amazing!" Harry gasped, "Congratulations!"

"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "how are your eggs?"

"It's all delicious Mrs. Weasley, thank you very much," Harry said honestly. He took his empty plate and put it in the sink, taking out his own wand before Mrs. Weasley could comment and, with a swish, his plate and cutlery were cleaning themselves before floating to a rack to dry.

"Harry, my, who taught you that?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Sorry, shouldn't I have done that?" Harry asked hesitantly. "It's one of the first spells my mentor—guardian—taught me when I got my wand."

"No, no I'm very grateful," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "if only my boys would learn some spells like that! But aren't you not supposed to use magic outside of Hogwarts?"

"Oops, I'm sorry," Harry said. "I was never really told or followed that rule."

"So polite, but I can see how you and my boys became friends," Mrs. Weasley said wistfully. "You don't need to worry about it, dear, just be more careful."

"I will," Harry nodded.

There were footsteps behind them of someone coming down the stairs followed by a rude and familiar voice, "Why are you here!?"

Everyone turned at the screaming voice to see Ron standing in the kitchen entrance glaring at Harry.

Mrs. Weasley huffed and put her hands on her side, "Ronald Weasley! That is not how we greet a guest in my household!" she yelled.

"But Mum! He's a slimy disgusting dark wizard! He's a Slytherin!" Ron yelled.

"Hello Ron," Harry sighed, "I hope your summer holidays are good."

"It was until you showed up, Potter," Ron said.

"Ron!"

"Mum! Why is he here? We hate each other!"

"He is Fred and George's friend and I want to meet him," Mrs. Weasley said, "besides if you two give each other another chance, you might find that you have stuff in common. After all, Harry seems like such a nice boy, I've heard nothing but nice things about him from your brothers—and he did help with that horrible diary incident."

"I'll be civil as long as you are, Ron," Harry said smiling politely, "besides, I don't want to upset Mrs. Weasley." Ron just glared at Harry and huffed.

"Anyway Harry, I'm glad I get to meet you now," Mrs. Weasley began. "Arthur and I were talking about it, and we were thinking of treating the family to a vacation!"

"That's amazing!" Harry said as Fred and Ron stared at her. "Really!?" they both said.

"Well, we're still planning it, but yes," Mrs. Weasley nodded. "We're thinking of heading down to Egypt to visit Bill, it's been so long since we've seen him. He works with Gringotts, you know, Harry. He's a Curse-Breaker."

"Sounds interesting," Harry said. "He goes into tombs to investigate them right?"

"Exactly," Mrs. Weasley nodded. "It's very dangerous, I wish he would just settle down with a nice wife and desk job honestly." She sighed and shook her head. "I've held you for long enough, go, go, have a nice day, I'll call you all when lunch is ready."

Harry felt that he completely won Mrs. Weasley over by the time he had to leave in the late afternoon. He spent most of the time with Fred and George when he came back from Cedric's, the twins showing off their newest inventions and ideas to Harry as well as their dream to one day open a Joke's shop of their own. Harry was nothing but polite to Mrs. Weasley, even showing off a cleaning spell to George with Mrs. Weasley's permission, of course. When he had to leave, she was singing praises about him, causing Ron to sneer and scowl relentlessly as Ginny just avoided him in general.

He returned to Privet Drive to see Tom bent over a series of papers. "What is all that?" he asked.

"Just some designs for our new home, I've had a rather productive day," Tom said. "It took me an hour just to get access to my vaults in Gringotts, and two more to get the deed to Riddle House. I had to play the part of an eccentric rich muggle man, which I think I've done very well."

"Did anyone recognize you?" Harry asked.

"No, and if they did, they would be old and senile at their age, a bit like Dumbledore," Tom chuckled. "How about you? Did you have fun antagonizing poor Ronald Weasley?"

"Yeah, I did," Harry chuckled. "Fred and George showed me all this awesome stuff I can't wait to try out! And they're going to Egypt! Mr. Weasley won a draw, and they're spending the money on a vacation to Egypt."

"Should we add it to the list?" Tom hummed.

"Maybe, is there anything interesting in Egypt?" Harry asked.

"There are tombs of ancient witches and wizards whose catacombs are filled to the brim of magic, traps, and curses," Tom answered, "or were you asking for more touristy options?"

"Both? The tombs sound fun," Harry smiled. "So, Japan then Egypt? I can't wait until I'm sixteen!"

"We have three years to prepare, little snake, but don't rush through just yet. You have much to learn and think about," Tom chuckled. He kissed Harry's forehead and smiled, "Would you like to make dinner tonight, or would you rather have your aunt do it?"

"I want to cook for us," Harry said.

"Then, by all means, I'll be in the kitchen looking over these anyway," Tom chuckled, and Harry snuck another kiss to Tom's cheek before rushing to the stove as he thought about what he wanted to cook.

Summer passed in the same matter as last year's. Harry spent time with Tom, learning from him and practicing magic; and when he was not, he was with his friends, laughing and swapping stories about what they did so far. July came and went quickly, and as it ended Harry and Tom had an intimate celebration for Harry's thirteenth birthday. He was officially a teenager! He didn't feel any different, however. He still loved Tom very much and he still wanted to just spend time with his friends. So far the only changes Harry found was that he started looking at clothes differently, preferring those that hugged his body instead of the first thing that he could grab, and somewhat embarrassingly, sometimes when he thinks about Tom or spot joggers outside running shirtless, his penis becomes quite hard, and it felt like he really needed to pee.

Harry received a souvenir from the twins from Egypt, including a small article about them in the Daily Prophet that showed the entire Weasley clan smiling at the camera, Ron even had his stupid rat on his shoulder as he waved. It was apparently an enchanted flute that made snakes dance ridiculously if played, but when Harry tried with Salazar, the half-Runespoor hissed and threatened to bite Harry in his sleep and break the flute in two. His Hogwarts letter came along with a permission slip for Hogsmeade which they had Uncle Vernon sign before Harry left to get his school books, a feat that almost lost him his hand because of a new textbook called The Monster Book of Monsters. Tom was very amused when Harry returned with it.

The week after Harry's birthday, Tom disappeared to perform the ritual in Riddle House. It was a slow, miserable week, but when Tom finally returned Harry hugged him tightly and kissed his cheeks. Tom just chuckled and slipped his diary in Harry's hands. "You have your mission, my Dark Prince," he smirked. He tapped Harry's glasses and it instantly changed into his mask. Harry returned the smirk and the two stepped out into the dark night. Harry held onto Tom tightly in the backyard as he Apparated both of them away, both oblivious to a pair of eyes watching them.

"Just open the diary and it will stay on my message to the Malfoy lord," Voldemort told Harry as they stood just outside of the Malfoy grounds. "They should all be sleeping or getting close to. Make sure no one sees you my Dark Prince, understand?"

"Yes, Master," Harry nodded.

"Good, give me a moment to take care of the wards, they will not detect you. As soon as you plant the diary, come back immediately," Voldemort ordered. Harry nodded and he couldn't help but smile. His first mission for Voldemort, and he felt very excited! Voldemort took a step forward and took out his wand. He muttered under his breath as he moved it around. In front of them, the air shimmered slightly like a reflection in a broken piece of glass. Voldemort looked satisfied and turned to Harry. "Go."

Harry ran through the grounds, looking left and right occasionally. The night sky was high above him, large clouds shrouding the boy in shadows as he made it up to the old manor. He pulled his wand out when he reached the door and whispered "Alohomora." The door swung open silently and Harry snuck inside.

He has never been in Malfoy Manor during the nighttime. It was very strange, he had dinner here plenty of time with Draco and Blaise, but to be in it during the dead of night seemed almost wrong. The old house seemed to be sleeping. There wasn't a soul around, not even a house-elf. Harry crept forward and looked up at the walls to see even the portraits were sleeping, Malfoy ancestors snoring quietly in their chairs or beds, Abraxas Malfoy going as far as to leave his portrait entirely to sleep in a landscape of a meadow.

From the last time Harry visited, he remembered that Mr. Malfoy's office was on the second floor, so he walked silently towards the stairs, his footsteps strangely not making a sound as he crept up the carpeted staircase and onto the wooden landing. To the left would lead to Draco's bedroom while the office was on the opposite side, so Harry turned right and started down the hallway. He moved ever so slowly, his ears straining to hear even the faintest of sounds. He knew that nobody would recognize him in the mask, in fact, a small part of him wanted to be caught just so he could be seen. But that would complicate things, so he continued to be silent. He peaked into every room he passed, forgetting which one exactly led to Mr. Malfoy's office. First, he saw a library, followed by a study and what appeared to be a game room with a large billiard table in the middle as well as a couple of chess tables. Harry made a note of it for the next time he was over and continued on.

Mr. Malfoy's office was the fifth door he tried. There was a large portrait of Mr. Malfoy staring down behind a rather large and formidable-looking desk made from a dark wood. The window curtains were all drawn, and like the rest of the house, it was empty. Harry walked rather confidently to Mr. Malfoy's desk and placed the diary. He opened it and the pages moved automatically until it laid flat open in the middle. There, Harry immediately saw his Master's distinct cursive writing.

Remember your loyalties, Lucius. Keep a better watch on my gifts, or else my Dark Prince will have to remind you.

Underneath was a drawing of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. Harry wondered if that was his Master's mark before pushing it to the side. His mission was complete, and he had to get out!

Luckily, he ran into nobody on the way back and he soon found himself running along the grounds back to Voldemort. "I ran into nobody," Harry smiled. "That skull and snake—is that your signature or something?"

"It is my mark, but I'll explain it on another day. Come, you've done wonderful my Dark Prince, you've earned a restful night," Voldemort said. He kissed Harry's mask and the two disappeared from sight.

The next day, Harry woke up to find Tom frowning at their copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry sat next to Tom and looked over what he was reading. A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Harry from the front page.

BLACK STILL AT LARGE

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Minister of Magic confirmed today. "We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."

Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis. "Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it—who'd believe him if he did?"

While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear for a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse.

"One of yours?" Harry asked, looking up at Tom.

"No, actually, one of Dumbledore's," Tom said. "Sirius Black. He was a staunch supporter of Dumbledore, an outcast from his family because of that. I almost forgot about him, to be honest. Let's see… Sirius Black fought for Dumbledore, while I had his younger brother on my side. What was his name? I can't be bothered to remember. I used him for his house-elf to test the defenses for one of my Horcruxes. I actually wonder what happened to him—not that it matters."

"Why was he in prison? Is it true that he killed thirteen people?" Harry asked.

"The last I know of him, Black wouldn't have it in him," Tom commented. "But I think he would be out there looking for you."

"Me? Why me?"

"He is your parents' friend," Voldemort chuckled, "as well as your godfather." He paused, waiting for Harry to react but Harry just stared at him to go on. "Yes, well, the world believes that it was Black who betrayed your parents that faithful night. This much I've learned during my time with Quirrell. However, that is completely false. The true betrayer was another friend. He was a sniveling rat not even fit enough to feed poor Salazar. Let's see, his actual name eludes me at the moment, but he went by another."

"What is it?" Harry asked, leaning forward.

Tom chuckled, "Wormtail," he said. "A pathetic name for a pathetic man."

Harry gasped. "I know that name! It's on my map of Hogwarts!"

"Is it? Very strange," Tom commented. "Well then, you must remember to ask Black about that when you inevitably run into him."

"How do you know I'll run into him?" Harry asked.

"Because he is trouble, and my little snake, you are completely smitten by trouble," Tom purred, and he kissed Harry's cheek.

A/N: Third year! And with it: Teenager problems! So ya'll remember how I said that I would try and breeze through third and fourth year to get to fifth year asap? Haha, that's a huge fucking lie. Third year if I follow my notes will bring us to chapter 43... I'm so sorry. But hey, uh I'm pretty sure I can sneak in a smutty dream for that 69% of people who read this for the smut only. I'll even name it the Smutty Chapter just for you guys! You loveable pervs.

Werebunny87: Thank you so much I hope you'll enjoy everything I have planned for 3rd year!

SoraMalfoySlytherin: Oh dear you gonna hate the Gryffindors aren't you? Lolol

Louise Spinster Black: He's determined to find all the best places to pet! He's totally not jealous that Salazar prefer Draco lol

Nsaifnabi: Yeah, he's not going to get the cloak until this year, and the way he gets it, well, it ties into his development.

Guest: Harry loved the cookies, thank you.