Chapter 13: A Day's End
"What are you doing up here Ron?" Remus screamed from the doorway in Harry's room. The man walked in the door and shut it behind him.
Ron started to look around as if an excuse were going to suddenly appear somewhere in the room. Remus looked back at the door and smiled at the worry on Ron's face.
"Never mind that Ron, your mum wanted me to come up here and yell at you for not letting Harry get his rest. I'm not really mad, I was just placating your mother." Remus said with a soft voice.
Ron perked up from the news, "Thanks Professor Lupin, you just saved me another one of Mum's lectures."
Remus looked around the room noticing the curious circle of displaced objects around the boys, "Then again, maybe I should be concerned. What in blazes happened here?"
Ron looked over to Harry hoping that his friend would be able to think of an excuse to give Remus. Harry didn't share Ron's look of concern. "Ron's birthday gift did that." Harry said casually. Ron had to do a double take.
"Interesting, what sort of gift would cause all this?" Remus asked.
Ron was staring mouth open not wanting to believe that Harry was going to tell their former professor about what they had just done. Harry didn't even look at Ron's face, instead he smiled to Remus, "It's a type of gift that is much like Sirius', it's meant to be kept between only between the giver and receiver." Harry looked over just so he could see the relief wash over Ron's face.
Remus paused for a moment to consider. "I can respect that." Ron, on the other hand, went from relieved to confused as he watched Harry and Remus share a glance of understanding something unspoken. "What? A gift from Sirius? You got a gift from Sirius?" Ron said.
Harry looked over to Ron and instantly knew that Ron wasn't trying to be insensitive to the fact the Sirius' gift was also a private matter. It was more that Ron was concerned about being left out, that Remus and Harry didn't think they could tell him something. It struck Harry as odd that he could tell all that from just looking at Ron.
"I got a gift from Sirius a few days after I returned to Privet Drive. But like the gift you gave me Ron, it is special because it's something that is only shared between Remus and me." Harry said.
For some odd reason Ron also understood, maybe it was because he knew that he wanted his gift to just be between Harry and him. Maybe it was something else, but he could tell that Harry wasn't keeping the information from him because he was trying to hide it.
Ron crinkled his forehead, "I understand what you mean."
Remus smiled at the scene, watching the young men together as friends reminded him of his days with the Marauders. After all the guilt he felt for not preventing the attack on Harry, to see that James' son was finding a friendship just like his father had with Sirius gave Remus peace. Despite the world's best efforts, James and Lily's boy was still finding his way.
"Well I think it's best we not leave this peculiar circle of items lying about." Remus said. With a flick of his wand most items were replaced to their proper location, Harry's new dress being the exception. The paisley garb found its way onto a hanger and was set upon the full length mirror for all to see. "Much better don't you think Harry?" The corner of Remus' mouth twitched from a restrained smile.
"Lovely." Harry replied dryly.
"Madam Pomfrey will be up shortly, but I thought that I might finally have an opportunity to present the birthday boy with a gift." Remus said. "Sort of a joint gift from the Marauders."
The memory of Harry's conversation with Sirius during his first time in the pensieve flashed back. His eyes lit up and despite the difficulty he sat forward in the bed. "The Marauder's Trunk!" Harry immediately began searching the room for his gift.
"Harry, I'm disappointed. You wouldn't imagine that I'd leave the Marauder's Trunk just lying about your room. Remus reached into his pocket and pulled out a shrunken trunk which he set onto the ground in front of the two young men. With a smile he tapped the small trunk with his wand and chanted, "Moony, Padfoot and Prongs, I'm up to trouble all day long." The tiny trunk bounced from one bottom corner to the next, and then like something from a cartoon it sprang to its proper size stretching and recoiling from the momentum of its sudden growth.
"Whoa!" Ron said.
Harry was smiling like a little kid at Christmas. "What's inside Remus, is there more maps and the like?" Harry said excitedly.
The look on Remus' face was one of guilty pleasure, "Oh there's much more in there than maps. But it wouldn't be true to Marauder form if I told you about everything and what it all does. You'll have to…suffer through those discoveries on your own."
Harry scooted his way out of the bed to bend over the trunk. Ron was right at his side willing to lend an immediate hand to his handicapped friend. The two of them greedily attacked the latches holding the leather bindings taunt on the dark wooden trunk.
"I had to alter the incantation that grows the trunk, a certain name was no longer a welcomed part of it." Remus said, his smile only slightly fading. "Take your time now boys, that stuffs been sitting peacefully in a vault for many years, it's not going to all of sudden disappear in the next 10 seconds."
The two eager wizards finally got the trunk open, and held a gaze upon the contents within as though they were looking at gold. It wasn't very tidily packed, but neither Harry nor Ron was interested in that. There was so much inside, Harry couldn't decide what to grab up first. Ron on the other hand immediately noticed the three black, steel throwing knives that were strapped under the lid of the trunk.
"Wicked!" Ron began unfastening the knives from the lid and looking around Harry's room for something expendable enough to be his first target.
"Those belonged to Padfoot, he thought they made him look more intimidating. He actually got pretty good at handling them" Remus said as he watched Ron.
Harry had picked up a group of papers that lay at the top of the stack in the trunk. He began examining the writing on them and realized they were enchantment and charms notes the Marauder's had kept. Looking past the papers he saw a stack of photos tucked against the side of the trunk. Harry put down the papers and picked up the new find.
The pictures were many and varied, but all of them were of the Marauders either separately or together. There were pictures of his father in his Quiddich robes and playing Quiddich, several group pictures, which unfortunately included a smiling Peter Pettigrew, and there were pictures of the Marauders together but not as a whole group. One in particular caught Harry's eye. It was a picture of Sirius grabbing his father from behind in a bear hug and lifting him off the floor. Both men's faces were smiling brightly as they wrestled.
"I thought you'd like that one." Remus said looking over Harry's shoulder, "I took that picture myself. That was the night we stole Prongs away for his bachelor party. He kept insisting that we not throw one for him, said that Lily would kill him. Of course, Padfoot would hear nothing of that. He actually wrestled your father out of that flat and all the way to the pub." Remus gave a laugh. "Lily wound up almost killing Sirius when we brought your dad home stinking drunk the next morning."
Harry smiled at the jovial scene playing on the wizard photograph. He set the picture aside and continued to thumb through the rest.
"Holy shit! Remus is this what I think it is?" Ron yelled.
Both Harry and Remus snapped their heads up at Ron's unexpected explicative. Ron was holding open a leather bound journal in front of him and staring wide-eyed at what was inside. Of course Remus immediately recognized what Ron was holding and his smile fell off his face.
"Mr. Weasley I must insist that you watch your tongue in front of me," Remus said in a false tone, "Molly would have my head if she over heard you say such things while I'm around." Remus said in his more casual voice, "I however, am completely unaware of what you think you have in your possession." Remus turned away from Ron to emphasize that he wasn't watching. "And I would ask that you not look at what I don't know your holding in your hands until I am gone."
Harry didn't need any more of clue to know that whatever Ron had found, it was well worth bounding over to his best mate's side to get a look. "No way! Get out!" he said as he too realized what Ron found.
Remus spun around disbelievingly, "Harry, what are you doing? Didn't I just tell you that I don't want to be here when you look at that thing I don't know you have!"
Harry and Ron were barely listening as they began tearing through the Marauder's Guide to Animagus Transformation.
"Boys! I am dead serious, put that away until I am gone." Remus' tone wasn't playful anymore. "It is bad enough that I am turning my head at the fact you have it, but don't abuse my oversight directly in front of me."
Ron and Harry may have felt like they were adults in their own rights, but at that moment they both felt like 5 year olds caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Ron closed the book in his hand and set it back into the trunk. Harry assumed a droopy-eyed look for disappointing Remus. For the first time since his godfather died he felt like a child.
Remus noticed the impact on both faces and realized he may have snapped a little too hard at them. "Hey Ron, why don't you call up one of your brothers for a moment." Remus said while a smile returned to his face. "Harry shut the trunk." He ordered. Then he walked over to the trunk and tapped his on it again while saying, "Chaos completed." The trunk shrunk back down to its tiny size.
Ron watched this happen as he made his way to the door. "Hey Fred, come up here for a moment."
Naturally, both brothers came up the stairs to Harry's room. Behind them the call of Molly Weasley was heard, "You boys hurry up in there with Harry, he needs his rest and Madam Pomfrey will be here shortly to give him some more medicine. If you're not down in…" Her voice was cut off by Ron shutting the bedroom door.
"Ickle Harrickins! How may we be of service kind benefactor?" Fred said with a bow.
"That's a lovely dress you got their Harry, though it's not really your color!" George said, for once in his life not completing a thought his brother started.
"Oh indeed, but I'm sure that you could pull it off, you are after all a fashion pioneer in the wizarding world. Brought about the passed down baggy pant look didn't you?" Fred said as he corrected the inconsistency his twin created by not supplementing his first thought.
Harry was shooting daggers at Remus for the intentionally placed artifact.
Ignoring Harry's glance Remus spoke up. "Fellas, I have a bit of a challenge for you. You see that shrunken trunk on the floor, well if either of you can manage to unshrink it, I will give it to you along with whatever is inside." Remus said.
"YOU'LL WHAT!" Harry voiced almost cracked it hit such a high tone.
"A challenge?" George said.
"Taken on the masters of pranks are we Professor Lupin?" Fred followed.
The twins were on it immediately. They began by casting several detecting charms around on the shrunken trunk, which provided no indication to them of curses or the like. The twins looked at each other for a second and then nodded as they went back to casting more charms and spells to flush out whatever might be holding the trunk to it's shrunken form.
The whole time Harry and Ron were staring incredulously at Remus and the twins. Remus, who was standing with his arms folded in front of his chest, offered a comforting nod and motioned his hand for the boys to be patient. Harry noticed a twinkle in Remus' eyes as well. "Damnit" Harry thought. "If I see another person twinkle today I'm going to curse them!"
By now the twins were absolutely perplexed at their inability to find any type of magic protecting the chest. After another furtive look at each other they both stood up from their kneeling positions. The boys turned and faced each other and quickly performed a round of paper, rock, scissors, which Fred won.
"Rotten luck brother, hope it turns for the better soon." Fred said as he stepped away from George and the trunk.
George pointed his wand down at the trunk, but then looked over at Remus before he made to cast his spell. The last Marauder just managed to compose himself before the twin saw him.
"Engorgio" George chanted without much conviction.
The Marauder's Trunk jumped from one bottom corner to the next and then expanded to its full size in an instant. Harry looked like he was going to lose his lunch, Ron was happy that he hadn't returned the throwing knives to the trunk before Remus made his unwise challenge. Fred and George looked at each other like they were convinced they could have pulled it off all along. And Remus was almost red in the face holding back his laughter.
"Well Brother, I knew you had it in you." Fred said
"Yes, I always was good with charms" George said.
"Shall we have a look at our booty?" Fred asked
"We shall." George replied.
The twins bent over the trunk and began to reach for the latches when Harry finally spoke up. "Remus, what in the hell were you thinking?"
"Shhh Harry, this is the best part" Remus said without looking away from the twins hovering over the trunk.
As soon as Fred put his hand on the first latch a low but threatening growl was heard. The twins flinched away from the trunk and looked at it in confusion. "Did you just hear a dog growl?" George asked.
"I believe I did." Fred answered. And both twins turned to look back at Remus who was now smiling openly. The werewolf smiled at the twins and then made his own growling noise.
"Now, now Professor Lupin, you told us that if we unshrunk this trunk it was ours." Said
Fred.
"Yes, maybe you shouldn't have underestimated our abilities." Fred added.
"Of course you are right boys, I apologize for my outburst." Remus said humbly.
Harry was furious by now and Ron wasn't too far behind, in fact he was hoping that Harry would look over to him so they could create some unspoken plan of attack to steal the trunk from the twins.
The twins ignored all the happenings behind them and returned to their prize. Both Fred and George grabbed the latches on the trunk and started to unfasten them. But before the twins could finish, the latches flew open on the trunk under their own power and the trunk lid opened only a crack.
"Grrrrrrr" came from the trunk.
The twins both fell backward from their squatting positions. Remus had tears from laughter in his eyes behind the shocked twins. Ron and Harry managed to flinch just as much as the twins did.
"GRRRRRR!" from the trunk loudly.
Then it bounced away from the twins and shut it's lid tight. It wasn't possible for the twins to see the threatening crouch that the trunk was trying to assume, but they did notice the slight shake it now had. The corner of the lid opened so that only the right side was raised from the base of the trunk.
GRRRRRRRR!
The twins stood up and looked back at Remus laughing at them. In the most composed manner Remus could manage he looked at the shocked Fred and George and simply said. "I think you better run."
The scared duo looked back at each other, and then to the trembling trunk. Suddenly the lid of the trunk flew open and the let out a ferocious bark. The force of the sound filled the room as the trunk lunged from its spot straight at the twins. Instantly the boys were in flight to escape the attacking trunk as another barrage of barks emitted from it.
But before they could make much ground, in fact only just after George had spun on his heal, the trunk leapt up and took a violent snap at the young wizards butt.
"OUCH!" George yelled.
"Get up George, run, run!" Fred said looking back over his shoulder.
George followed his brother's wise advice and began to run as well. The barking trunk gave chase immediately following at the heals of the wounded butt wizard.
Remus was guffawing with laughter at this point. Harry and Ron weren't too far behind, it took a moment for the shock of the growling trunk to sink in, but once it had they too were tearing up from laughter.
"Remus! Call this bloody trunk off of us!" Fred screamed as he ran past the laughing trio.
"My ass-ets are not to be chew toys for your pet crate!" George yelled as he followed behind his brother.
Downstairs in the living room all conversation had stopped and heads were facing toward the ceiling. The muffled sounds of barking could be heard and plaster dust was falling from the ceiling with each pounding thud of the trunk bouncing after the twins.
Back upstairs Harry and Ron were struggling for air, as the twins were both trapped into a corner by the barking trunk. Fred and George were wrapped around the hat stand in the corner, trying to hide behind the inadequate mass of the pole.
As if the trunk recognized it had forced the twins into submission, it gave a final loud bark, and then turned away from the twins with a hop. Snottily, the trunk flung its lid open like it was putting its nose up in the air and bounced back to the spot it where George enlarged it. Once there the lid snapped tightly shut, the latches refastened themselves, and the trunk shrunk back down.
"Well then, I would think that you didn't succeed in enlarging the trunk as it has returned to its shrunken state." Remus said as he wiped his eyes.
George rubbed his sore rear, "Whatever you say Professor, just as long as you keep that thing away from my arse."
Fred's white knuckles released their clinch as the boy came from behind the hat stand, "Too right, I think we'll be off now."
But before either could get to the door, Molly Weasley burst into the room. "Out! I want all of you out this instant! Harry needs his rest and your carrying on isn't helping any!" Mrs. Weasley pointed commandingly at the open door behind her. "Remus, you as well, from the ruckus we heard down stairs I don't believe that your helping the situation either."
"Of course Molly, I'll be out in just a moment. I need a quick word alone with Harry." Remus said.
Molly gave the man an appraising stare before she turned to Harry. "Harry dear, is there anything that you need before I go, perhaps some Pumpkin Juice or a spot of cake?"
"No thanks, Mrs. Weasley I'm fine." Harry said politely.
"Very well, Remus will be leaving shortly and Madam Pomfrey will be up in a minute. But don't hesitate to ask should you need anything." Molly gave Harry a small hug and then shot Remus another glare before she left the room.
"She's right of course, I've had a tendency lately to forget that you're the same Harry Potter I was teaching at Hogwarts only three years ago." Remus said. "I'm only going to be a minute."
Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Remus held up his hand motioning that he would have none of it. "This is not about me treating you like a child, we both know that wouldn't be possible for me anymore. But Molly is right you need to rest. I'm sure Madame Pomfrey is going to give us all a good speaking to when she finds out how much you've been about today."
Harry closed his mouth, as he knew that Remus was right. Harry decided that if Remus was going to be leaving soon they better get straight to the point. "You have the pensieve?"
"Yes, actually it's in your closet over there, fortunately it wasn't damaged at all during the attack. But that's not what I wanted to talk about" Remus said with a pleasant smile. "I actually have one more gift for you."
At this point Harry was starting to feel guilty about all the gifts he had gotten today. Everyone had been so thoughtful this year it was almost embarrassing. He didn't want to tell Remus, but he would have preferred that the man had stayed behind to talk about the pensieve. Instead he only smiled at Remus.
"I know that you already got the Marauder's Trunk, but that was more a gift from Sirius, your father, and me. I wanted to give you something from me, something that I thought should be with you." Remus reached into his pocket and pulled out a mahogany wand. "It took me all day to find this in Sirius' vault, I knew he had it there, but I didn't think it would be so well hidden. This is the reason I was so late getting here today."
Remus handed the wand to Harry which he took into his hands. The wand was darker and heavier than his and for some reason it didn't feel as comfortable.
"That was your father's wand Harry, and I think you should have it." Remus said. "As much for sentimental reasons as for practical ones, I would suggest you keep it hidden though. While it's not unheard of to carry a back-up wand, it's not common, and it's one of those things that will better suit you if less people know about it."
Grateful would have explained Harry's feelings, but it would have been a terrible simplification of how he felt. So the feeble, "Thank you" which he managed to squeak out to Remus seemed awfully inadequate.
Madam Pomfrey's entrance into the room deprived Harry the chance to fully express his gratitude. In what now seemed to be her permanent demeanor she huffed irritably across the room toward his bed. Receiving a glance that required no additional comment, Remus was on his feet and heading out of the room.
"We'll talk in the morning Harry," he said and then looked up at the dress hanging on the mirror, "Poppy make sure to tell Harry how pretty his new dress is."
"Remus!" Harry screamed after the man.
"Lie down Mr. Potter!" Madam Pomfrey commanded, although a small smile betrayed the authority present in her voice. "I hear that you have been quite busy today young man. Molly tells me that you've been carrying on since I left you early this afternoon." The grin washed away from her face. "Well, birthday or not you are going to spend the rest of this day, and the next, resting. Now lay back so I can have a look at your shoulder."
Harry complied immediately. For once he wasn't opposed to the mandated bed rest, in fact, he probably would have gone to sleep without orders. Madam Pomfrey went to work examining his shoulder and gave Harry several vials of curative potions.
"You have always been a quick healer Mr. Potter, if you manage to control your active impulses, you should be fully healed within the next two to three days. Though I'm sure you'll find that wait to be dreadfully long." She took the empty vials from Harry and the wand he was still holding, which she gave a paused glance before setting down on the nightstand. "You're muscle and ligament damage around the shoulder is all but completely healed, the bones…"
A loud crash heard from downstairs followed again by the screaming of Alastor Moody interrupted the woman in the middle of her assessment. The screaming continued and quickly after Harry and Madam Pomfrey both heard the sound of heavy footsteps hurrying towards the bedroom. "Poppy! Poppy, please I need you to come quickly, I fear that Fred and George have gotten themselves into another predicament with Alastor." Mrs. Weasley said frantically as she opened the bedroom door. "Oh dear, I wish those two would quit their foolish pranks for just one day."
Madam Pomfrey immediately gathered up her belongings from Harry's bedside and made her way out of the room. "Mr. Potter you stay here and I expect that you will spend the rest of the day tomorrow resting as well." The mediwitch hurried past Mrs. Weasley who offered Harry an apologetic smile and then shut the door. Harry smiled back and could only laugh as he thought about what new form of torture Mad Eye was putting Fred and George through. The mixed sound of mirth and pained yells accompanied Harry until he finally succumbed to sleep.
The blackness of sleep seemed a little too present in Harry's mind. Instead of feeling the relaxing sensation of exhaustion pulling on him that he knew to be familiar from lying with his eyes closed, he felt like his vision was gaping in the darkness trying to grasp some indiscernible sight.
"Missster Potter, how delightful to be here with you again. We have so much to discuss my young bane. And I do believe I have been more than gracious with the time I allowed for you to recuperate."
Ice ran through Harry's veins as he heard the presence announce itself. The darkness that shrouded his vision somehow also prevented him from locating where the voice was coming from. The feeling of panic returned as he recognized the terrible voice and Harry made a vain attempt to force the man from his mind.
"Really Mr. Potter, are we going to go through this every time I come to honor you with my presence? Your youthful impudence is disappointing.
Harry searched frantically to figure out where he was, where Voldemort's voice was coming from, and why he couldn't see or feel anything. Nothing he tried provided answers. And even without his senses, he knew in his soul that he was curled into a ball of fear.
"Such cowardice, it is unbecoming Potter. The old fool would be disheartened at your display, I'm sure. Hardly a reaction worthy of the boy who has resisted my efforts on four separate occasions. Maybe my assessment of you was wrong, perhaps it was only luck."
The degrading words struck Harry's heart and he understood the challenge the Dark Lord was trying to make. Despite the fact that he knew he was helpless he wasn't going to give Voldemort the pleasure of sensing his fear. Though panic still infused his soul, he set resolve into his mind. "What do you want Voldemort?" Harry surprised even himself with the confidence his voice carried.
"Still the courage to speak my name? Much better boy, you were beginning to make me sick with myself knowing that I came here expecting a worthy rival. Well, not quite worthy, but a rival nonetheless." Voldemort's tone, as always, maintained a remarkable balance between omnipotent confidence and seething hate. "The relevance of what I want is not important to you Harry, shouldn't you be asking yourself why I haven't killed you yet."
It wasn't something Harry had failed to consider. The fact that he couldn't see or feel himself, much less Voldemort, did make him question why he wasn't dead, or at least in severe pain. "I'm not dead because either you can't kill me, or you want something Voldemort." Harry maintained his confident façade.
"Don't make me laugh Potter, do you really believe there is anything I am incapable of?" The words sounded more like a threat than a question. "Do you think that this false courage you're masquerading is convincing? I told you, I can taste your fear." The man paused and the silence that ensued was almost as unnerving to Harry as the veiled threats Voldemort spoke. "But there will be time for that later. As I said, we have much to discuss – and you have much to learn."
The light rose around Harry and he spun about trying to assess as much of the setting as he could. Everything was gray in all directions making it impossible to determine if any limits existed in the space. The only object Harry could see was his own body, and he was naked. Suddenly a very focused voice spoke from behind him.
"Hardly the proper attire for schooling now is it Potter, unless they've changed the standards at Hogwarts since my departure?" Voldemort said.
Harry turned to face Voldemort. The tall and very thin man stood only a body's length away; he was dressed in a long black robe and held his wand casually in his left hand which was folded over top his right arm and across his chest. The unnatural look of his snake-like face and pale yellow skin made Harry queasy. The man's red-eyes bore into Harry's soul and made him feel even more exposed than his nude condition. Though he was sure there was no breeze in this place, Harry felt a chill run up his body when Voldemort looked him over.
Harry took a step away from the man, the grotesque image of Voldemort was unsettling, and he was revolted at the thought of the mutated man touching him with his slimy skin. The possibility of having Voldemort's body in contact with his bare flesh seemed worse then death.
"How easily your weaknesses are exposed, where's that foolish Gryffindor courage now boy?" Voldemort spat, his voice again coming from behind Harry.
Harry again spun quickly and then fell backwards to the ground as he saw Voldemort barely an arm's length away from him. Having to use both his arms to brace himself from the fall fully exposed his naked body to the Dark Lord that stood over him. Harry felt his stomach reel as his mind registered the suggestive nature of their positions. He kicked away from the presence standing over him, and as soon as he felt the distance was great enough he turned his body and rose to his feet in order to run.
Just as quickly as his back was fully turned to Voldemort Harry was frozen into his position. Again Voldemort stood in front of Harry and held the boy in place with remarkable ease. Harry winced as the Dark Lord's surprisingly powerful grip dug deep into his arms, and he stared with fear filled eyes into the harsh red glare of Voldemort.
"Please don't fill your arrogant little mind with some pubescent fantasy that I desire to touch you any more than you me, I find you just as disgusting. The fact that your blood runs through me is a constant reminder just how miserable an existence I have come to bear."
With an effortless motion Harry was flung forcefully backward and into what he quickly realized was a large plush leather chair. "Now sit down boy, and stop these foolish shenanigans, I tire quickly of your hollow character." Voldemort spun away from the boy, his black robes billowing in Harry's face.
Harry turned his gaze away from Voldemort to see that he was now garbed in all black. He had black boots on his feet and the canvas pants he wore were not tight to his skin, but there was little in the way of extra material. Tucked into the pants was a solid black long sleeve shirt and over this shirt he wore an opened black overcoat that hung loosely over his body and draped down to his knees. It was then for the first time that he realized that his shoulder was not bandaged and apparently uninjured. It was also at that moment that he felt a wand held in his left hand.
Voldemort continued to pace away from Harry as the boy fully assessed his situation. After ten paces the man stopped and another chair appeared in front of him. Without turning around Voldemort's high-pitched voice filled the room, "I hope this new situation will put you at ease enough so that we may share an intelligent conversation; if such a thing is possible for you. Don't disappoint me Harry, I would hate to have to accept that my nemesis isn't capable of proper discourse, it would be…unsatisfying."
Harry stared at the back of Voldemort, he looked again to the wand in his hand and thought of all the different curses that might be effective. Before he could act on the thought, he saw Voldemort's figure shrink in height, but fill in stature. When the man turned he looked just as he had when Harry faced Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets. "Since you find yourself incapable of altering your features to be more pleasing to me, I will suffer this image to further put you at ease. Though I hope you realize how foolish your notion of using that wand on me is." The high-pitched tone and red eyes were gone, replaced by the sixteen-year-old voice of Tom Marvolo Riddle.
Tom took a seat in the newly appeared chair and faced Harry. "Well Harry, are you going to say anything or just continue your feeble search for answers which you can't manage to find?" The voice may have sounded younger, but the tinge of superiority behind it was all too familiar.
"I asked you what do you want…Tom." Harry said shakily.
"Mind your manners and don't let my appearance fool you. It is enough that I have allowed you twice now to speak my name. But I will not tolerate you disrespecting me with that filthy muggle name."
Seeing Voldemort unnerved returned some of Harry's resolve. "You brought me here, if you don't like what I have to say than I suggest you leave."
Riddle stood quickly from his chair and pointed his wand at Harry, "Crucio!"
The curse hit Harry before he could even register what Riddle was doing. The excruciating pain felt like his ligaments and muscles tearing inside him as it surged through his body. He writhed in the chair and felt the concentration of the pain coming from his left shoulder. Then just as suddenly the pain was gone.
"Do not test me boy. You are here at my whim, and it is I who will take the liberty of suggestion here." The look on Riddle's face coursed with hatred.
"Well Tom, in case you haven't noticed over the years, I have an affinity for not following the rules." Harry rebuked, his meager voice trembling from the pain.
Instead of becoming further enraged, Tom's face turned to a light smile. "Indeed Potter, the similarities between us grow more and more with the passing of each day." He lowered his wand and swept his hand beneath him to pull his robes taunt as he sat. "That is why I am here. To help you understand. To provide you…clarity regarding the choices you still have to make."
"You have nothing to say to me that I want to hear. What do you think you can tell me that I won't know is a lie? That is all you have, lies and hate." Harry spat defiantly.
"Don't be so ignorant, truth is only a matter of perspective, if anything I would have expected you to figure that out by now. No, there is much you can learn from me; so for you to understand. You hate me and love the old fool, yet you don't know anything about either of us."
"I know you killed my parents! I need no other reason than that to hate you." Harry screamed.
"And you assume that your parents never tried to kill me? Is it not evident in the fact that when I turned my attention on you I was displaced from my body as a result of your mother's efforts." Voldemort calmly replied.
"My mother was only trying to save her defenseless baby from being killed by a maniac!"
Voldemort's right eyebrow raised, "A defenseless child who was prophesized to destroy me. A child of two who worked with Dumbledore to kill me and those who believe as I do. You hate me for something that had nothing to do with you as a person, but for what you represent as a piece of a prophecy. I no more sought that prophecy to be made than did I ask to suffer the terrible existence Dumbledore would have had for me…just as he has for you."
"Don't try and justify your evil intentions behind the mask of beliefs. You kill people because of what they are rather than who they are, and my parents wouldn't stand by to allow that. Regardless of whether you wanted the prophecy or not, it was your prejudice and hate that invoked its creation."
"My evil intentions? My prejudice and hate? You stupid child, how dare you speak to me with such insolence about things you know nothing of. I told you once; there is no good or evil, only power and those who are willing to use it. Do you really think that is something I learned by being bent on 'taking over the world'? How foolish to so easily dismiss my words that way. No my boy, your revered headmaster taught me that as he showed just how hateful and prejudiced he could be."
"I'm not interested in hearing your lies and doubletalk Riddle, you manipulated me once and I will not allow it again. The first time it cost me my godfather, and there will not be a second."
"Potter I no longer desire to manipulate you. You have to choose for yourself what to believe. I am merely confident that once you know the truth, your choice won't be to oppose me." Tom sat back and relaxed comfortably into his chair.
"And I suppose you're the one who's going to enlighten me with the truth. Pardon me Tom, if I don't wait with bated breath." Harry said angrily. Regardless of the fact that Voldemort had peaked his curiosity over what role Dumbledore played in Tom Riddle's past Harry knew he was out of his league in a verbal confrontation with the Dark Lord. The truth was, he was still afraid of suffering another Cruciatus curse, and just hoped that somehow he could wake from this nightmare.
The corner of Tom's eye twitched as Harry again spat his given name without fear or hesitation. But the master Occlumens knew better than to allow his emotions to better him. "As I said Potter, truth is a matter of perspective. I have only mine to offer, and if you wish to be so short-sighted as to not consider that, then maybe I should just spend my time torturing you until you're ready to listen."
The thought of more torture was the last straw; Harry couldn't tolerate the presence of Voldemort any longer. Through the conversation Harry had enough sense to gather that Voldemort was in his head, that he was sleeping, and that if he could perform some level of Occlumency he might be able to cast the hated man from his mind. Harry set to clearing his thoughts and emotions, and opening his mind to his senses. It was difficult because the gray matter that surrounded them offered little sensation, only the feel of the leather on the chair, and the throbbing pain that was still coming from his left shoulder were available for him to focus on.
Voldemort immediately sensed the lack of emotion available to him as soon as Harry began concentrating. He saw the familiar look that Harry took as he tried to clear his mind and almost laughed. "Foolish boy, do you really believe you possess the ability to cast me out?" But before Voldemort could react he felt the form of his sixteen-year-old image forced from him. The sudden transformation shocked him, but not enough to shake loose the grip he held on Harry's mind. Instead he forced his Legilimens curse harder onto the boy. "Enough Potter! I told you, it is I who make the decisions around here. There are consequences for your actions and perhaps you require evidence to help make that clear for you. Crucio!"
Harry felt the vision coming to him when Voldemort started his banter, and for a moment he felt the clarity of mind associated with the vision. However, in an instant it was forced out of him and with it all the sensations he was focusing on. Before he could recover from this he heard Voldemort's high-pitched voice scream that feared curse, and then the excruciating pain over took him.
"Foolish boy! Don't dare test me again or I will not be so merciful with you." Voldemort yelled over Harry's screams as he continued to hold the Cruciatus curse on him. "There are more permanent injuries I can cause you beyond the pain of the Cruciatus, you'll be wise to remember that." Voldemort released Harry from the curse and returned his form to Tom Riddle. He wouldn't allow the boy to see that he had been successful in forcing an impact on him.
Harry pulled himself back up and into the chair. The pain from the curse still burned through his body and his left shoulder was almost rendered useless from the experience. When Harry turned his look onto Tom, he saw the young man leaning casually into his chair waiting for Harry to recover.
"That's it Tom, I'm convinced now, I can see exactly why I should believe anything you have to say." Harry rasped mockingly just loud enough for his attacker to hear.
Riddle only smiled at Harry's remark. Indeed the boy was a worthy opponent when he could continue in defiance despite suffering punishment. "Well Harry, my story is quite convincing. What do you say we forego all this nonsense and you behave like a good little boy and listen to what I have to say?"
Harry would rather spend time with Umbridge's blood letting quill then to hear another word, but considering how weak that last dose of the Cruciatus made him he only stared defiantly at the calm image of Tom Riddle.
AN: Standard note to let you know that I respond to all reviews in the review section. Should you be interested in reading that, I will have the post up tomorrow morning. I also have a Yahoo group should you want to tell me how bad my writing is and that my breath stinks there too. The link is in my bio page here, and the group is called HP_FoL. I'm quite sure there will be a developmental draft for chapter 14 there in a couple of days if you want a sneak peek.
I received a review from ADJ after chapter 12 that was immeasurably helpful and I want to comment to that here. To sum up the review discussed the lack of an overlying "hook" that is the engine (plotline) that drives this story along. I have to say that the assessment was right on, and it made me realize that I was riding on the coattails of the Harry Potter books to keep the interest alive in this story (Since that review I've come to recognize the same thing in a lot of the fics I'm now reading as well). It also made me realize that I very much shortchanged the interaction between Voldemort and Harry at the beginning of Chapter 11 (sorry 'bout that). Regardless, I can only note the mistakes and attempt to remedy that fault as I continue on. This chapter along with the next is definitely written for just that reason. So bring on the critics, should they be lurking. If I screw up these chapters then it will be a detriment to the rest of the fic.
Otherwise I hope you all keep reading and enjoy the fic. I can pretty much guarantee that I won't update for another week, unless of course all of the muses worldwide come to my aid, at which point people will hate me for more than just making them wait 7 days, but I won't let it be longer then that…I hope…I mean I promise…or well, I hope to promise. As always thank you so much for reading. Cheers!
~Omagic