Embracing His True Self
Chapter 80
Harry jerked roughly awake, blinking blearily, trying to find the time. When a few things hit him, it was definitely morning, the daylight was spilling in through a slit in the curtains. Second, Tom's side of the bed was cool, indicating he'd been up for ages. The pensive memory! The memory pinged, slipping hastily out of bed, he gave the bond a thrum, so that he could figure out exactly where Tom was…he probably shouldn't be surprised that he was in his office. His private one on their wing, somewhere nobody could get into without Tom's say so.
He was half pissed off, half grateful that he'd been allowed to sleep in, albeit that's if anything had even came last night. He knew he'd needed the rest, breathing evenly, he grabbed his robe and slid into his slippers before marching off to find his scheming - alone the cheek! – partner.
He hadn't even fully got into the room before Tom spoke, "Before you start, the pensive memory only came as of an hour ago. I have yet to view it, that will be something we do together…but after some breakfast. Is that understood?" he was taking charge right now, it was clear Harry wasn't in the right frame of mind to take charge of anything.
"An hour ago? It took that long to get through it?" Harry asked, stomach squirming incredulously.
"More likely it was the first chance he got," Voldemort commented, he was pleased in his choice of Minister. He'd made a move the second he realized Fudge was being charged along with Umbridge – who they still thought was alive but had fled to avoid being arrested – it was simple and easy to get the right people to vote for him. Easier done due to the damage Dumbledore had allowed done to his name, so there wasn't as many people willing to listen. He was surprised Harry had never asked about it or mentioned it. He had done so for every other plan he'd enacted since coming here.
"How much damage control is there going to need to be?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes, getting rid of the sleep still in them.
"A fair bit I'd imagine," Voldemort mused, leaning back watching his partner with a narrowed shrewd gaze. He felt and looked significantly improved since last night. Sure, neither of them had been getting much rest…but could that simply be all it was? That his partner just needed a full nights rest and that's it? This whole partner thing was exhausting, but he wouldn't have it any other way, he thought as he greedily took in his partner and his quite stunning looks which housed a wonderful and sarcastic not to forget sassy mouth and mind.
"Amita? Bring us our breakfast," Voldemort ordered, "Sit down, relax for a bit, answers can wait half an hour while you eat."
"Yeah, I guess," Harry murmured, still half asleep as he slid into the chair next to Tom's who unlike his side of the bed was actually really warm. "I really should apologise to Sirius and Remus," he winced, recalling his own actions and feeling incredibly guilty.
Voldemort said nothing, he wasn't going to get in between that particular problem. He was keeping well out of that one, especially seeing as he detested Lupin and Black…well, perhaps not detest, it was too strong a word…he just didn't care, would be more appropriate.
"Oh thank Merlin," Harry muttered when he saw the porridge and fruit, not a big massive greasy breakfast as was the norm. Well, correction, porridge and fruit for him, greasy breakfast for Tom. Giving him a thankful smile, he kissed his cheek in thanks before stirring in his chosen foods for his porridge. The rest of the fruit he ate a bit at a time, as he waited on his porridge cooling to an acceptable level.
Voldemort however, dug into his greasy meal, smug and satisfied he'd managed to do something right. Perhaps being a partner wasn't all that difficult after all, "Dumbledore is to be arraigned today at three PM, if you wish to see the announcement. Which is going to be broadcast over the Wizarding Wireless network…" he knew everyone was going to be here, listening, and the party afterwards was going to be…massive. "You need to make a decision." On what happens to the old fool went unsaid but definitely understood between the scheming pair.
Harry's fist tightened around his spoon, eyes gleaming darkly, just thinking of everything that bastard had done. Inhaling sharply, "I want him brought here, I want a cell made especially for him, with nobody but us knowing he's there. Inescapable, indestructible…with only one piece of magic…that's to transfer his meals in and out so he can't see or speak to any living thing. With only enough food for his survival…I want to see him break," Harry's voice itself broke on the word 'break' his frustration getting the better of him. "He gets his potions, so that he survives for as long as I can possibly make him…so he knows what it's like to be forgotten, abandoned and discarded like last weeks news.
Voldemort leaned back, his food temporarily forgotten, once again, Harry somehow managed to surprise him. With both his vindictiveness and his calm rationality. He'd assumed that Harry would want him killed immediately. Then again, they'd found his Horcrux, and destroyed it, they had not need to fear him using someone to come back in a body not in failing health. "That is doable," he agreed, "Shall we make it look like he didn't survive?" for sanity's sake.
"I don't know…" Harry replied thoughtfully, scooping up his porridge and beginning to eat it, "It might keep the public from causing too much fuss about the rules that are about to be changed…the wizengamot too if they're afraid. Or I suppose it might go the opposite way?"
"It could go either way," Voldemort agreed, beginning to eat again, "It's evenly balanced scared and likely agree to any law to give them comfort…or happy and in peace and not looking too closely at the new bills."
"Mmm, I agree, but which ones more likely to have someone figuring it out?" Harry pressed, half his bowl gone, he hadn't even realized how damn hungry he was until this very moment. "Maybe just springing it in a way that makes it look like you're undoing all of Dumbledore's bad decisions would be enough…his name is on near enough everything so it won't be called into question…not really."
"Agreed," Voldemort stated, it had been his first thought, in fact everything with Dumbledore's name on it, regarding both the ICW and the wizengamot had been sent to him. He was going to need help sorting through it all, so it would require the help of Lucius and Narcissa at the very least.
Harry made a noise of agreement as he finished his bowl of food.
"Have you considered taking up your place on the wizengamot?" Voldemort questioned, leaning back again, watching Harry eat the fruit left on the platter. He wondered if he even realized how erotic it looked…probably not.
Harry's lip curled up, "Definitely not," he couldn't stand politics.
"How about allowing someone to sit in your stead?" Voldemort pressed on.
"There's nobody I trust to do that," Harry pointed out, "You can't get them, Severus wouldn't want them…Barty can't get them." they had their own system, they couldn't take on the immense added pressure of voting for the Black, Potter, Peverell, Gryffindor and who knows how many seats had been sank into the Potter one? He'd received a lot of seats from wizards and witches who had no family and they'd given him their worldly possessions.
"What makes you think Severus wouldn't want them?" Voldemort arched a brow.
"Are you kidding? Severus wouldn't be able to stand the whole shebang, he'd be brilliant at it don't get me wrong…but I don't think politics is his scene…and I wont ask it of him when he's finally getting to do what he wants after a whole decade of doing what Dumbledore demanded to stay out of Azkaban prison."
Voldemort conceded the point, "What if we use someone thought to be neutral and create a Vow to ensure they cannot make a move about your estate without your explicit permission?" fingers creating a triangle and perched on his chin.
"Blaise Zabini?" Harry scoffed, well aware of what Voldemort would be thinking. "They wouldn't suddenly buy that…plus he had his own estate," admittedly not as big as anyone else's due to the fact that Blane Zabini had been first generation here in the UK, bought his seat, made his family comfortable. Blaise Zabini actually had a dual citizenship in both Italy and the UK. There wasn't much of an 'estate' so to speak, but the teen might make it work after he leaves Hogwarts…finish what his father started.
Voldemort exasperatedly asked, "Then what would you suggest?"
Harry winced, "I honestly don't know…"
"You do realize that the wizengamot will only take up to twenty-five to thirty percent of your time?" Voldemort coaxed, "Fifteen if you only attend the meetings and I tell you everything else that is prudent."
Harry frowned, he disliked being manipulated.
"At the end of the day, you doing something is better than fading into obscurity…your fame will be likely heightened if you're not seen as being productive…constantly trying to solve the mystery of what you're likely doing…" Voldemort was manipulating him, yes, but also telling him nothing but the truth as he saw it.
"Wait, why would my fame come into this? It's not like I've just performed another miraculous feat?" Harry stood up, annoyance and alarm exuding from him.
"You stepped away from him, ran and hid, they know you know, and that you were the one that started all this off…it's all in the newspapers if you read between the lines." Voldemort gestured towards the newspaper. "Everything now makes sense where before it had not. You running from Hogwarts and not being seen…was confusing to everyone."
Harry nodded slowly conceding the point, "Let me think about it," he sighed, "I'll talk to you about it later…after all this is done." Gesturing towards the pensive. He supposed that's what partnership was all about, but Harry honestly had no desire to sit on the wizengamot and listen to cases for the rest of his life the way he'd just observed of them. If he could just sit on actual Legislation meetings then fair enough he'd do it.
"Of course," Voldemort agreed, knowing better than to push the topic or Harry wouldn't even give it it's due consideration. He did wish Harry would at least hand over the seats to someone who could use them…and it irritated him something rotten that it couldn't be him or Barty. Since he and Barty as well as Severus were the only ones Harry truly trusted explicitly. "Are you ready?"
Harry nodded curtly, staring at the pensive, knowing he wasn't going to like what he heard. He contemplated just getting the script and just reading it…he wasn't going to like it whether he read or saw it anyway. Still, before he could say anything, he and Voldemort were immersed inside of the pensive.
Too late to back out now, well not really, but Harry's gaze narrowed in on Dumbledore and the rooms surroundings. This wasn't a wizengamot meeting, no this was an ICW meeting, there were seven wizards with the ICW robes on along with Madam Bones and the Minister for magic, Lincoln as well as Dumbledore naturally.
There wasn't even a scribe, "I'm going to assume there's no record of this meeting except for this?" he easily deduced.
"Correct, it's entirely off the books, all recipients sworn to secrecy."
"Then how did we get this?"
"We didn't, it's meant to be in the archive vaults," Voldemort said wryly, "Which is exactly where I will be returned to." they'd had to quickly work something out when all the secrecy came into play, and Voldemort was impressed with their fortitude in such short-sighted handedness.
Harry arched a brow, lips quirking in a show of approval at working around such constraints.
"How does your 'Mea Culpa' potion work? And did you create an antidote?"
Harry leant forward as if it would allow him to hear what was said with clearer accuracy. It was a question he'd like to know the answer to, Severus was only able to glean so much the last time they spoke about it, but Severus was still trying to lock down the entire potion and recreate it step from step. It was the only way to create an antidote. "Hey, those books and journals…will the potion be in one of them? It would help Severus."
"I have no idea," Voldemort confessed quickly before Dumbledore could start talking, "I've not looked at the contents within the box yet." thankfully finishing before Dumbledore began to go into detail about the potion.
Oh they were getting straight to it, good, well, they had no presences to keep up Harry supposed. Moving around the room, until he found the optimal spot, not surprised when he was shadowed, Tom likely doing the same thing.
"Mea Culpa is a potion that combines the 'personality altering' draught with a potion to ensnare the senses. It will inhibit the drinker, they will take on the personality I want for them, and they will always do what it is that I want demanded of them even if it endangers them. I did not create an antidote, I had no need for one." It wasn't what he wanted, why would he want to undo all his work? It was ludicrous really.
When arms wrapped around Harry, he leaned into Tom, sighing softly, going soft like putty. After all he'd been through…he was entitled to this wasn't he? There was no weakness in taking strength from Tom? The feelings through the bond didn't scream that Tom thought he was weak.
"Name the recipients of your 'Mea Culpa' potion,"
"Gellert Grindelwald, Caradoc Dearborn, Benjy Fenwick, Arabella Figg, Edgar Bones…"
"So not in order then," Harry mused, if knew all their names, he'd been told about the Order of the Phoenix, both of them.
"It appears not," Voldemort replied, tightening his hold on Harry, enjoying the smell of him here, in this scentless pensive existence.
"Mundungus Fletcher, Rubeus Hagrid, Frank and Alice Longbottom, James and Lily Potter," he continued on, sealing his own fate.
Harry inhaled sharply, nodding, yeah, just added confirmation, they'd been puppets to Dumbledore's whim. Fucking bastard, oh, he would make him suffer for as long as he was capable of doing so.
"Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon,"
"Damn, he's infuriated the entire McKinnon clan," the Minister uttered, "I don't want to be the one to have to tell them," he told the ICW representatives. The McKinnon clan was massive, over fifty wizards and witches strong, still lived in the original estate, added on to it over the years as they grew. Marlene hadn't gone back to her clan after graduating, as they so often did, she'd wanted to help…apparently that help was forced."
"She was a very powerful witch, she did her clan proud, fought fiercely," Voldemort stated with grudging pride.
"Wait you went yourself?" Harry asked, gaping a little, knowing how rare it was for Voldemort to actually do that.
"I did," Voldemort stated, tuning back in, having missed a few names, but they could view it again if need be.
"Peter Pettigrew, Sturgis Podmore, Gideon and Fabian Prewitt, Emmeline Vance,"
Swallowing thickly, "Damn," Harry said bitterly, "He left nothing to chance did he?" even Pettigrew hadn't had a choice, fucking hell, "We really were just a massive bloody chess game to him."
"Hestia Jones, Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Ginevra Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Cormac Diggle,"
"Interesting, why not the twins?" Harry asked befuddled, they were in Harry's opinion the most powerful of them both.
"Or Molly Weasley…that is extremely telling…"
Harry swallowed, "She did it all on her own free will,"
"Indeed," Voldemort replied coolly, uncaringly, he did not care for the Weasleys, other than the fact they were a magical family, and were the portal to bringing back quite a few names that had disappeared over the years. Including the Prewitt name, which had died with Molly, Gideon and Fabian.
"Few other names noticeably missing, Sirius and Remus for one," Harry asked perplexed, "Why? Why leave them out? Tonks included…and Fleur I think her name is?" she had joined but went were Bill went.
"Perhaps they didn't eat or drink during Order meetings and thus did not end up imbibed?" Voldemort suggested, "As for Black and Lupin…he was wanting Black to be an Auror…perhaps he decided against drowsing him to be on the safe side? Lupin's a creature…more likely to smell any potion, I wouldn't be surprised if he was noticeably absent for some meetings."
Harry scoffed, "No, Dumbledore will have known as well as I do that Remus wouldn't notice anything. Even now his wolf is in bad way…but significantly improved since the potion I made…he's no longer in danger of death but it doesn't mean he's accepted his wolf."
"Samuel Lingbird, Patricia King, Linda Dwyane, Liam McLane, Jahkay Bonner, Javan Terrell and Leonell Terrell."
"Seven International Confederation Wizards compromised?!" hissed Babajide furiously, the others beside him were just as furious over the finding.
"Babajide calm, we know we can deal with this now," Zahiran Alston soothed the wizard, the formidable witch watching everything that was happening with shrewd eyes.
"I agree," boomed the voice of their Icelandic associate, Trausti Oddgeirsson, "We will deal with it,"
Alannah Sinclair – their Scottish associate on the ICW – nodded wordlessly in agreement, "We will need to bring in an outsider, we don't have a potions Master in the ranks with the ability to deal with this…" her broad Scottish accent thick revealing her distress to those closest to her.
"Depends on what it's made off," Babajide admitted, "I'm hoping it's not too difficult," doubting his own word, and it was clear to hear even to Bones and the Minister who had only met him this afternoon.
"Joel Stevenson, Anna Barry, Ion O Caomhain,"
"Why are those names familiar?" Alannah Sinclair asked, there was just something…familiar about them.
"The last two were predecessors of yours in the ICW, they died in accidents…they were investigated!" Trausti bit out furiously, eyes flashing in fury, something stinky was going on here, he obviously had the damn Medical examiner in his pocket.
Alannah stiffened, disliking that news immensely.
"Dianach O Donaill, Cadwallen Moses, Alaw Binnion,"
"Alaw Binnion is a medical examiner, he was he one who oversaw Ion, Anna autopsy's," Trausti explained, darkness gleaming in the depths of his eyes. "He had just taken on the job two weeks before…then moved on three weeks later…"
"I think if we follow his movements…we will find a long list of 'accidental deaths' that was in fact murder." The Minister stated, Lincoln looked defeated, he was beginning to regret taking over from Fudge. "He left absolutely nothing to chance…"
"Arabella Figg, is a squib, she wasn't even part of the magical world…why drug her?" Madam Bones asked, utterly baffled by what was happening.
"Where did she live?" the Minister asked, as the ICW representatives spoke amongst themselves, no doubt greatly spooked at the length Dumbledore had gone.
"Little Whingeing Surrey…lived there for thirteen years before she went missing,"
"Little bit too…much of a coincidence that she ended up where Harry Potter was put and at the same time…" The Minister declared…"She went missing at the same time as the Dursley's didn't she?"
"Um….no, months later," Bones said, but of course, Figg lived alone, there was nobody to report her missing right away. Not like the Dursley's who had friends, jobs, appointments, and a son who had school and classes.
The Minister didn't feel like correcting her, he was just hoping to get a few more cases considered 'closed' so to speak, then again they were presumed dead it would just have to do.
"How do we deal with this? How many 'accidental' deaths has he been responsible for?" Alannah pondered. "We can't just open every single accidental death and investigate… even if it's just the potion struck Medical Examiners?"
"That may be what we have to do," the Minister said sombrely, "Every case…every person…every organization he's interfered with…will have to be purged of his presence." Just the thought of it was enough to make him weak in the knees. "The Wizengamot, the trials, Hogwarts…the ICW, even the Transfiguration circuit and magazines he worked with…and we have to hunt down every single person under those potions!"
It was no small task.
"Yes," they agreed sombrely, it was indeed something they would need to do together…to purge the world of Dumbledore's control.
"Oh, that's perfect…" Harry muttered, "While they undo all of Dumbledore's damage…we can fix it so it's not so light orientated and make sure nobody not a single bloody person can ever have that sort of power again?" the amount of power Dumbledore had had…was obscene, and he wasn't talking about magical powers.
"Indeed," Voldemort said smugly, a touch of satisfaction in his tone. It was going to be like stealing candy from a baby really, but it would prevent something like this ever happening again.
"How did you create 'Mea Culpa'?" The Minister demanded, and Bones automatically made sure that the quill was ready to record everything.
It mattered little, for Dumbledore said nothing.
"Dear Merlin, please say it isn't so!" Babajide muttered as suspicion began to crawl through him.
"He'd obliviated himself of the knowledge!" Bones said with a shudder, closing her eyes, it was the smart thing to do.
"Why didn't he obliviate everything incriminating?" the baffled ICW wizards asked.
"He's spent his entire life immersed in criminal acts, beginning as early as sixteen…" Minister Lincoln sighed, tiredly. "He would need to wipe nearly his entire memory to have gotten away with this…and such an act was probably intolerable to a wizard such as him."
"Where is your soul piece?"
No answer.
"We need to rip into his mind to get answers…for if he is killed while that Horcrux exists…we will find ourselves in a whole world of trouble." Babajide explained, staring at Dumbledore as if he was a bug under his shoe.
"Then we're in agreement," the Minister said coolly.
Then just like that they were suddenly yanked out of the pensive as the memory came to an abrupt end.
"Well, shit, that won't go down well," Harry said, staring at Voldemort, from where the abrupt departure from the pensive had ended him on the floor, while Voldemort as always remained on his feet. Flushing a little, he stood up unsteady on his feet until he was gripped firmly and tightly.
"Agreed," Voldemort stated curtly and contemplatively, "We need to get the ruined Horcrux to Lincoln,"
"Will that be enough? I mean this potion has been imbibed in ICW representatives! They won't just stand back…they'll want answers…" Harry argued, his own gaze thoughtful.
"Severus is working on it," Voldemort stated, "All we can do is hope that it will stop them smashing Dumbledore's mind shields to shreds in order to find answers." It wasn't the potion they were worried about now…it was their visit to Dumbledore now.
"Not if we get him out of the Ministry before they attempt to do it," Harry refuted, hands on his hips, as he stared away. "The Ministry wards are pathetic, he could easily be transfigured into a bone."
"Quite specific," Voldemort said wryly, chuckling at the thought of Dumbledore's reaction to being transfigured into a bone. It was deeply amusing to say the least.
"This could all blow up in our faces if it gets out," Harry said, beginning to panic a little.
"I know," Voldemort replied, brow furrowed as he tried to think of something that would help. Unfortunately, he had to agree with Harry's recommendation, "Very well," pinching the bridge of his nose, "Be prepared to leave tonight at…"
"Who said anything about us going?" Harry said, "Oh no, no, Dobby will be going, you forgetting just where they can get into unencumbered?"
Voldemort smirked wryly, "Indeed not," he replied, "I best get started to…Dumbledore's new guest quarters then…shall I?"
"Oh, we will both make sure it's hospitable." Harry said, eyes gleaming, "Every single inch of it." knowing Dumbledore would barely be able to stand in his new 'guest quarters' and looking forward to seeing just what he and Tom could come up with.
Well! There we go! Can you think of any names that are missing? even if they are i suppose they could have been mentioned 'when they were talking' off screen so to speak :P sooo going to be over 100 chapters at this rate even with long chapters! :O can you believe it? I once thought this would be a small story - for me anyway - but nooooo the muses had to take over to extreme measures! LOL well R&R please! I'm actually having a lot of fun writing this :) too much fun! R&R please