"Rodrick,"
The sound came from behind the boy in question.
"Potter?" Rodrick replied bemused as he turned around. The door with the malevolent chord just behind him.
"Remus told me to show you the way, he thought you'd get lost..." Harry replied, his eyes staring at the door behind the Slytherin third year. Judging by the expression currently on Rodrick's face, the boy had made no mistake in his destination.
"Right..." Rodrick spoke out, his gaze focused on the boy-who-lived. He spotted the usual white chord, surrounded by a pale red... It took a moment before he suddenly realised what he was looking for... The Horcrux's chord. 'Would it even have one?' He thought to himself.
"Uh Rodrick..." Harry Potter called out, confusion writ over his face.
Rodrick was quickly bought back to the situation hand, he raised his head, "I was just lo-" He started before something stilled him, Wrapped around the scar was the missing dark chord he'd been looking. He quickly turned and stared at the door behind him, 'They look similar...' He wasn't sure how he could even tell the difference but he was certain of it.
"What's going on" Harry Potter was staring, at the boy in front of him bewildered. 'Is there something in that room?'
"Potter," Rodrick called out quickly earning the other's attention, "Come here for a second," he asked as he opened the door.
"Ah wai-" Harry had started speaking, however the other had already gone inside. He quickly followed. 'Feels like knockturn Alley all over again,' He thought to himself, amused.
Harry Potter quickly surveyed the room wondering if there was something different to it. However, nothing seemed to have changed in the Black Home Drawing room, when he turned towards the other boy, he found him still, his eyes locked on towards a single cabinet in the room, behind the glass stood a locket.
If he was honest with himself, the locket did make him feel uncomfortable.
Rodrick was unable to turn his gaze from it... It was completely covered in dark magic. He was quickly pulled out of the trance by Potter tapping him on his shoulders. He turned around.
"Are you ok?" Harry Potter's voice seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Rodrick held back a wince as he stared at the dark chords surrounding Potter's scar reach out, no doubt towards the locket. 'Another Horcrux,'
"Call Dumbledore," Rodrick spoke out to the confused Gryffindor.
"What?" Harry remarked, surprised.
"Call Dumbledore," Rodrick repeated himself, slightly more on edge.
"Why? What's going on?"
Rodrick was about to explain before he stopped himself, 'Let Dumbledore deal with that...' "Just call him, tell him it's urgent,"
Harry Potter didn't budge.
Rodrick narrowed his eyes slightly 'Why won't he move?' "I helped your Godfather Potter, call Dumbledore without any questions and were even," The words seemed to have an effect if the sudden jolt of movement was any indication.
"Fine," Potter sighed, he quickly turned around and left the room.
As soon as Potter was out the door, Rodrick turned his attention back to the demented item and made to move towards it, carefully moving the glass aside, he winced as the malevolent magic seemed to engulf him.
He shook his head to clear his vision, he reached out for the cursed artefact with his cursed arm 'You never know...' As soon as his fingers touched the locket however he immediately regretted the decision as he felt himself get pulled into what he assumed was another blasted vision. 'I am going to need therapy after Hogwarts is over,' he thought to himself sombrely, anticipating which ever hell he was thrown in next. 'I wonder what another Horcrux is going to show me...' The last Horcrux he'd touched gave him months of Basilisk problems, a coma, painful visions and finally a nice fair well gift in the form of a cursed arm. And that wasn't even direct contact with the bloody diary.
'Really... how much of a difference does it really make?'
Rodrick blinked his eyes open, taking in the dark surrounding. There seemed to be a thick fog covering the background, all he could make out was his immediate vicinity. Graves upon graves covered the area. 'A graveyard?' He thought to himself confused.
He moved himself off the dust covered ground before straightening out his robes. He squinted his eyes, ahead of him he found several sparks of magic been thrown about. He shrugged off the sinking feeling, he made to move towards it, intent on learning whatever secrets he would be shown.
As he got closer, his eyes widened when he found Potter on the floor in pain. He was dressed in a strange black and red striped outfit. He was about to turn, to face whatever had assaulted Potter before he was frozen in shock.
"Rodrick?" Potter seemed to call out, Rodrick turned around, facing Potter, he flinched when he noticed the boy staring straight at him... 'He can see me... he's interacting with me...' He wasn't sure why but that fact seemed to terrify him, he could slowly feel the danger rising. 'I need to leave...' Before he could even think to do anything, Harry Potter got off the ground before he moved towards him, he'd grabbed his arms, there was a relieved look in his features.
"You need to get us out of here now!" Potter's words flew over the confused teens head.
'Get us out?' Rodrick stared at Harry in confusion, "How?"
A confused look seemed to place itself on the Gryffindor, "Apparate us out!" Potter replied as he felt himself tense.
The words seemed to wash over the Slytherin, "What are you talking about? I can't apparate!"
Harry Potter tilted his head, at that, "But-" however before he could finish, a dark aura seemed to engulf both of them.
Rodrick could slowly feel the darkness, 'Someones behind us...' Looking up, he found an equally fearful face on the Gryffindor. "Potter. What's going on?"
"Did you expect the cup to take you back?"
The dark cold voice came from behind Rodrick, he could slowly feel his breath quicken, as the dark lord got even closer... 'It's the same feeling as the locket...' Rodrick gripped his wand, the action seemed to send the dark lord into one of his cackles.
"A friend of yours Potter? You wont die alone tonight at the very least,"
The words earned even more laughter coming from elsewhere, Harry Potter had both, a fearful and angry expression on his face.
Rodrick felt suffocated, he could feel his hands shake in the presence of the dark lord... 'No man should have a presence like that...' Voldemort's magic suffocated him, the man's very presence exuded darkness... He turned towards Harry, Rodrick wondered in shock how the boy could keep up his bravado, there was a determined look in the Gryffindor's face... where he'd gotten that courage from, Rodrick would never know. He felt Pitiful... He was a Grindelwald, his grandafther would've been disappointed in him. That thought seemed to effect him the most, he remembered the vision, the vision of Voldemort killing his grandfather and how utterly fearless the man had been, he didn't even have a wand.
He stilled himself though his hands refused to stop their shaking, he raised his wand and turned around. The moment he locked eyes with the dark lord, he knew it was a mistake. For some strange reason, the dark aura from earlier seemed to disappear entirely... However, Voldemort's expression seemed to freeze as he locked eyes with Grindelwald.
Rodrick watched in open shock as a murderous look took over the dark lord's face, when before the man seemed to enjoy the tormented look over the two students was, the moment he met his eyes, the dark lord turned into a monster hunting his prey.
If Rodrick was completely honest with himself, he was terrified.
Without a second word, Voldemort raised his wand and shot off the killing curse at the still frozen Grindelwald in the area.
Rodrick watched wide eyed and frozen to the spot as the killing curse rocketed towards him, however just before it hit him, he felt himself getting pushed out of the way, in his place Harry Potter.
As the boy's lifeless body fell to the floor, Rodrick could feel his heartbeat rapidly increase, his hands wouldnt stop shaking as he crept closer to Harry Potter's lifeless body. 'Crap... crap crap crap crap crap,' Rodrick tried to budge Potter's body, in an attempt to wake him up. 'No no no no no! NO! This cant be happening!'
"Pity." Voldemort spoke out, however the calm voice from before had long disappeared, in it's place was a disgusted, anger laced voice. Voldemort's gaze seemed to linger on the boy who'd just in a sense sacrificed himself, "How close were you two?" he questioned cautiously, he didn't want a repeat of 1981 happening, even if it was another Grace... Espicially if it was the one he was warned off... He had no intention of letting the spawn live... but it didn't hurt to take some precautions...
Rodrick turned around at that, his anger-clouded mind in search of the murderer, however, all his eyes wound up seeing was the Black home Drawing Room. 'Right... right... it was a vision... almost forgot about that...' When he turned back, he found the cause of the whole debacle on the floor across him. 'Sorry Dumbledore... but I can't risk this abomination of an item lasting any longer then it needs to,' He raised his wand, aimed it towards the locket.
"Mort-" before he could finish however, he heard someone scream...
'What's goi-' His mind quickly stopped himself, his eyes widening in horror, 'It can't be...' Not wasting a second thought, Rodrick got off the ground and ran out the room, his feet following the sound of the commotion, it was the first room he'd entered on arriving... Rodrick barged through the door, before he felt his breath quicken...
Harry Potter's still body was on the floor, surrounded by his friends. A confused Sirius walked into the room from behind Rodrick, "I just calle-" he started before his eyes seemed to widen in horror at his godson's state.
"He isn't breathing!" Hermione's words echoed through the room.
While everyone else was panicking, in some cases like Molly Weasley, shrieking, Rodrick couldn't take his eyes away from the lifeless body in front of him.
"No," Rodrick spoke, gripping the hollow surrounding his neck. He could feel his muscles tense around the cursed artefact, 'I refuse to accept this,'
Daphne stared at the scene wide-eyed, she turned her gaze towards Rodrick and found a passive expression on his face.
'I will not accept this!' Rodrick thought's stopped, his magic focused on the artefact surrounding his neck.
'I refuse, I'v already lost one person to this nonsense,' A determined look took over the orphans face, 'I won't allow it to happen again!'
When he reopened his eyes, Rodrick found himself in front of the figure of death, when he turned around he found the entire place devoid of any colour, the only thing that had any substance was the mud covered road... Behind him, his eyes widened when he found Potter sitting on the floor confused about everything. His memory was slowly trying to put the pattern to a picture... A dream he'd had years ago...
The moment he noticed the corpse of baby was the moment he finished the puzzle.
"I hadn't expected to see you again so soon," Death's words seemed to echo over the room, his voice felt hollow.
Rodrick turned back towards the figure of death, "Really? Apparently I've been expecting this for years," he sighed, completely tired.
"Rodrick what's going on?" Potter felt compelled to add to the conversation, "Why is there a dead pink baby here? and who the hell is that? What the hell did you do this time?"
"Potter, you're asking too many questions for a Gryffindor," Rodrick remarked lazily as he turned back around to face the figure of death. "How does this work?" he asked quickly.
"It's simple really... Now we bargain," Death spoke, Rodrick narrowed his eyes when he noticed the hint of a smirk on the skeletal face.
"Is this how you do it then? is this how you make people, convince them to search out for the hollows?"
Death seemed to chuckle, if the raspy laugh could be considered one, "Not always, sometimes they do it by themselves,"
Rodrick crossed his arm, "You know what I am after,"
Harry Potter stared at the whole scene confused, "Rodrick, what's going on!"
Rodrick sighed, turning back to Potter, "You're dead, I am bargaining for your soul," he finished, leaving a confused Gryffindor as he turned back to death.
"Wha-" Harry was about to add on before he felt a silencing spell cover his area. when he realised he could no longer speak, he settled for glaring. 'Oh I am going to get you back for that one,'
Death seemed to watch everything with amusement, "Even in the presence of death, you squabble amongst each other?"
"It's a house rivalry thing," Rodrick shrugged, "So what do we do exactly?"
"We bargain... You want to clear Potter's soul, I want you to return the hollows to their home,"
Rodrick narrowed his eyes at that, "How do I do that exactly?"
"You know where to find those answers..."
Rodrick crossed his arms, he looked about to argue before he quickly agreed, there was a strange glint in his eyes.
Death was taken back by the quick agreement, "Are you sure?"
Rodrick raised an eyebrow at that, "About what?"
"That you want Potter's soul to be brought back..."
Rodrick narrowed his eyes at that, "Why wouldn't I?" he asked dangerously.
Death's features changed once again, Rodrick cursed when he noticed the shadow of a grin 'What is he planning?'
"Would you rather not have your Grandfather back instead?"
Time seemed to freeze for a moment, Rodrick heard a gasp from behind him, suddenly realising he'd lost focus on his magic, he turned and found a somewhat fearful Harry Potter staring back at him. 'He thinks I'd go through with it...' Under any other circumstances he might have... However the reality of it all was quite simple, Potter had died, pushing him out of the way of the killing curse. Vision or not, the fact he'd willingly give his life up made the decision that much easier. 'Besides who knows how rotten my grandfathers body is right now...'
Rodrick shook his head to death's disappointment.
He watched as a surprised Harry Potter quickly disappeared, he felt something etch itself onto his skin, looking down towards his cursed arm, he found a strange symbol appearing just above his wrist. 'Show off...'
"I take it this binds me to your contract or whatever?" Rodrick asked bemused.
Death while agitated at the boy's dismissal tone of such a thing, still nodded on his agreement.
Rodrick turned around, his eyes landing on the deformed baby in the room, "That's Voldemort's Horcrux isn't it?"
"Yes," Death's hollow voice answered his question.
"I was able to confirm whether the locket was a Horcrux thanks to that things presence in Potter, will I still be able to do that, now that you decided to remove it?"
Death seemed to linger a while before answering, his gaze staring straight through Rodrick Grindelwald, "A clever ploy..."
Rodrick had to bite back the urge to smile, feigning ignorance, "I don't know what you mean by that."
"I failed to mention a time limit for your contract... The consequences of failing are death, however seeing as you have no set time limit to finding and returning them... A clever ploy indeed."
Rodrick stared impassively at Death, "And? is it possible for Potter to retain his connection to the other Horcrux's without being one?"
Death tilted his head, "You would give up your freedom? to allow such a small link to exist without consequence?"
Rodrick's expression didn't change, "I'll start fulfilling your contract, only after Voldemort's death. Don't expect me to do so beforehand... That link will benefit both of us,"
Death's passive stare lingered on for too long, Rodrick started seeing the surrounding area slowly distort, chancing one lat look towards one of the four horsemen, he sighed in relief when Death gave his answer.
"Very well,"
...
Rodrick opened his eyes, to find Potter once again surrounded by everyone else, only this time he wasn't a mannequin.
"What happene,d?" he heard Sirius Black ask.
"I have no idea" Potter answered with a sigh.
"Harry you weren't breathing!" Hermione added on worriedly.
Rodrick took that as his que to leave, honestly, explaining how Potter lived through another Killing curse wasn't his job.
Daphne slowly followed Rodrick out the door.
Rodrick turned towards the girl, a curious look on his face.
Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to explain, "And?"
Rodrick chuckled at the action before shaking his head, "You're not gonna believe this,"
"Try me," Daphne remarked, her lips were slowly tugging up.
"I made a deal with Death,"
The sudden look of amusement seemed to disappeared from the girl's face at the proclamation, "You're joking, right?"
Rodrick raised his cursed arm, showing the girl his new tattoo, "See that?" he remarked lazily, "It's what happens when you act like a Gryffindor"
Daphne's eyes widened, "Rodrick!"
Rodrick raised a hand, "It's fine, not that hard of a task really,"
Narrowing her eyes, "You should take this more seriously!"
"I happen to agree with the girl" Another voice seemed to join the conversation.
Rodrick turned his head at the sound, "Hmm?" before his eyes widened at the sight of the headmaster, "Ah crap..."
"Hello Rodrick, tell me dear boy, what have you done this time?" Dumbledore asked warily, Sirius Black had been adamant in his appearance at the house, something about Harry needing his help?
"Harry are you sure your fine? You were essentially dead for a few moments there," Hermione's voice seemed to echo through the hallway.
The expression on Rodrick's face didn't budge. It was difficult holding a straight face.
Dumbledore was slowly getting more and more worried by the second.
"I am going to get a drink," Daphne remarked.
The two watched as Daphne seemed to speed off away from the tension, leaving both of them in an uncomfortable silence.
...
...
"You're going to have to start explaining soon, Rodrick, Silence is not an acceptable answer,"
Sighing, "Fine but atleast let me destroy the Horcrux first alright?"
Dumbledore's eyes widened at that.
"Oh yea, We don't need to worry about Potter's Horcrux now either," Rodrick added on.
Dumbledore was trying and failing to process the information, "What have you done?"
"I made a deal with death," Rodrick shrugged as he walked away towards the terrifying locket.
Dumbledore blinked, watching as the teenager walked ahead of him... 'He's not joking... Sweet Merlin the boy actually made a deal with death,' Dumbledore paced towards the Grindelwald Troublemaker.