AN: I know I'm a bad girl. It took me too long to get this chapter out but it really has been a pain in the ass. Anyway. Now it's done and I hope you enjoy. You'll find candy for all Severus-Tom fans and also the Bella fans will find something for them. I hope you like those scenes. I have a poll on my profile as to whether you want Sirius in this story or not. Please vote. Now on with the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Pertho I mine but since I don't make money from this…
Beta'ed by JoSchmo666. Thank you so much.
Chapter five - Denial
When Tom Marvolo Riddle woke early the next morning it was due to a weight on his chest that he wasn't used to. It took him only moments of thinking with his eyes closed what it could be, before everything came back to him that had happened the evening before. The first thing that came back was, of course, the meeting and its outcome. Of course now his ranks were clear again of spies, but he was worried about Pertho. She had again endangered her health and he did not like it one bit. In fact she had been too weak to even stay awake until they were back in her room.
Pertho's room. Tom groaned. There he had met Harry and he had been nice to him. Wait, when had Potter become Harry? In the end he felt like it didn't matter really. In fact it was better when he was Harry for him when they were about to live together for an indefinite amount of time. And he knew that this was about to happen.
Somehow it didn't even matter to him that he was nice to Harry. He could care less that with this, he ruined his reputation with the boy and somehow, he wanted the boy to know his real self and not what he made the world believe and how he had become after Pertho had been injured again and was on the brink between life and death. His reputation had been ruined in the moment he had Pertho let bring the boy here. So what did it matter.
But god, the boy had to think that he had now lost it completely. Every time they had seen each other since his resurrection and even before, whether it had been in visions or in reality, he had been a madman. Just in the last one week and a half he had been able to come back to his old self. He knew that he had not shown much sanity since he had become nothing more than a spirit. To be honest with himself he had let his wish to look after Pertho guide his every move and had not really cared about who exactly stood in his way and had blamed everyone, that her condition was their fault.
As much as it was a shame he had to admit that this always happened when it came to Pertho. He always threw his common sense out of the window when she was hurt and tried to get to those who hurt her as fast as possible so that he could take revenge. She was after all the most important person to him.
Pertho had been his first friend. They had met each other even before Hogwarts and had been not left each other's side voluntarily since. She had been with him during his first reign even if next to nobody knew this. She had been his advisor together with his Inner Circle who had been the only ones to know that she even existed. That had been necessary because Dumbledore had already once tried to control him through blackmail by holding her prisoner. He had almost killed her then. Even when he now, after more than fifty years, thought about how he had found her a cold shudder raced through him. He had wanted to do to Dumbledore what he had done to her but even then he had forbidden himself to sink that low, even if he did not think that clear then.
In the time she had been between life and death then he had opened the Chamber of Secrets and started on his Horcruxes to ensure that Dumbledore would be very sorry even if he himself should not be able to make the man pay. He had done it as a fail-safe. But when she had woken up fifty years ago, he had not done anything more in this direction. He knew now that he had been not very…subtle about what he wanted to do, but it had played into his hands in the end. The old fool thought he had done seven Horcruxes when it had been in reality only two. One had been the diary and the other was a ring, an old family heirloom which had served him well after Harry had destroyed his diary. Now the old man was desperately searching for them to kill him, but he would find nothing. The ring was with him now, thanks to Nagini. The old fool would concentrate all his energy on the Horcruxes and would be blind to the things that happened right in front of him. Like Potter not being his any more and being gone from his relatives.
Careful, as to not wake the snake, Tom lifted her up, put her down on the bed beside him and got up. After having been to the bathroom and pulling on new clothes he set out for Pertho's room. He wasn't entirely sure why exactly he went there but somehow he felt a pull towards the room. He told himself that he only did it because he was worried about Pertho, but he felt deep inside that there was more to this than just that. As he stood in front of the door he thought about what to do now. Should he go inside? He looked down on his watch. It was only five in the morning. Surely they would not yet be awake. Silently he whispered the password and pressed down the handle of the door. He slipped inside and took in the room. Harry was sleeping on Pertho's bed. She had asked him to let the boy stay in her room for least one night after he woke up since she wanted to keep an eye on him. Who was he to deny her something?
The young woman was sleeping on a separate bed. He had to tell himself that she actually did this and was not in a coma again. It had broken his heart to see her after his resurrection. She had barely started to heal even after nearly fourteen years, and it all was due to Dumbledore. The man would pay. Dearly. Now it had been two times he had tried to kill her. He would curse the day he had not been able to finish the both of them off and had angered them.
Tom's eyes roamed back to the boy and took him in. He was now actually quite attractive. No longer scrawny but slender. His skin was well toned through hours of Quidditch practice, even though he had not had much of this in the last year thanks to Umbridge. He knew all about the woman through Severus. The man had told him about what she did even though he had not been on his side then but her vain attempts to control people like Harry and the Weasley twins had been highly amusing.
When he thought about who he wanted on his side he wouldn't say no to the Weasley twins. Some of their pranks could actually be used in battle as a distraction.
Suddenly Harry whimpered successfully interrupting his train of thoughts. Tom was over on the bed in an instant. He picked the young man up and started rocking him, like he had did with Pertho thousands of times over their time together. He knew the indications of a nightmare and Harry was having a terrible one. At some point he thought that the boy felt good against him and fitted perfectly where he was.
'Where the hell had that thought come from?' he asked himself, mentally slapping himself. 'I shouldn't think like that,' he told himself.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at the owner.
"Concentrate on your link to him."
"Wouldn't it hurt him?"
"No, that was only the case as long as you wanted to harm him and it has largely been manipulated by Dumbledore so that it hurt him only to be in your presence. Normally your link wouldn't affect any of you physically had Dumbledore not tampered with it."
"What do you mean with this?"
"You already had a mind link with Harry before that Halloween night and Dumbledore was just tampering with it when you arrived there."
"We already had this link before this night?" Tom asked unbelieving.
Pertho smiled at his tone and noted that Harry had calmed down by now and had snuggled against Tom and seemed quite content where he was. So he knew subconsciously what they were.
"Of course. All mates have a mind link. They are only not active mostly until after a certain event. And he seems to know that you are his mate. See? He calmed down and is now sleeping again peacefully."
With this she smiled down again at them and left for the bathroom. Only now the Dark Lord noticed Harry's position and that the boy had indeed fallen back into a peaceful slumber. And again Tom was struck of how beautiful Harry looked when sleeping. He silently cursed Pertho. How could she do something like this to him? Telling him that his link with Harry was due to them being mates and then vanishing. This woman was just plain frustrating. Was it too much to ask for a little more explanation? For example how she knew that they were mates? That would be an interesting question to have an answer to. Then he had a sudden, blinding realisation. She knew it from his mind. He had known that the boy was his mate the moment he had seen him there at the Potters that night nearly fifteen years ago with the old man hovering over the crib doing some ritual.
How could he have forgotten this? God, the man groaned, he had tried to kill his mate three times now. The boy would never forgive him. He thought he had killed his parents and in a way he had. It was his fault that they were dead. Had he listened to Pertho so much had not happened. For instance Harry's parents would most likely still be alive. That meant if they had not opposed Dumbledore again and the man had killed them. Maybe, no, most definitely, the man would have erased their memories of his being there, but at least they would have stayed alive a little while longer. But he had given him a chance to blame someone else for their deaths. The man after all couldn't let blood come officially to his hands at least not outside a battle. His followers still thought him to be some kind of saint and only few saw the real Albus Dumbledore and only less stayed with him after this. Gellert Grindelwald hadn't and had paid for it. As had many others when they turned from him. Mostly he only got them into jail but some had paid with their lives when Dumbledore was able to make it either look like it had been somebody else, like with the Potters. He hated himself for giving the man this opening.
Pertho would not have gotten hurt because if he had stayed he wouldn't have gotten reduced to nothing more than a spirit and she would have had all her power to fight Dumbledore off. He did not know how or why but the witch's power was linked to at least his own, maybe Harry's too, because she had a connection with him too and saw what happened to him like she did with Tom.
He knew that Harry's magic would still have been bound since that was exactly what Dumbledore had done then but so much else would not have happened. For example, Harry would not have grown up thinking he was his enemy.
Tom sighed. Life was about to get really complicated.
But on the other hand, Harry seemed to be quite comfortable where he was. Sitting on his lap, the boy – no, young man – had snuggled close in the Dark Lord's robes and Tom pulled him ever closer, wrapping him in his robe and the blanket of the boy's bed, so that he wouldn't get cold.
He did not notice that Pertho had returned to the room and was watching them happily. Only as moments later the door quietly closed he noticed that the sound of running water had stopped a while ago. He decided that Pertho would be okay on her own and that he could stay where he was for a while.
Pertho had seen in Tom's mind that Nagini had come back the previous night so she made her way over to the Dark Lord's room where she knew the snake was sleeping. All rooms on the top floor were secured with passwords in Parseltongue because all the inhabitants on this floor were Parselmouths, so this was the most secure way to make sure nobody beside them was able to enter their rooms.
She hissed the password, Naudiz, and entered the room quietly. The great snake was still sleeping on the bed where Tom had left her half an hour earlier. She sat down beside their familiar and started to stroke her slowly.
/"Not yet, Masster, jusst another five minutess. I don't wanna stand up jusst now…,"/ the snake hissed incoherently.
Pertho let her finger glide slowly over the cold skin, sending the snake back to sleep.
/"Ssleep on yoursself, Masster, it'ss too early and I'm cold."/
The young woman laid down beside the snake on the bed and she snuggled closer, too sleepy to notice that it was in fact not her master but someone else. Only moments later Pertho drifted back to sleep herself.
It was not until an hour later that the snake that the snake jerked awake, finally realising that the person she had snuggled into and used as a personal heater was not her master. She did not know who would be foolish enough to come to her master's room and who had even the ability but that didn't matter. They had an intruder and he had to make sure that her master could deal with him. The snake at first stiffened and then wound herself around the person, effectively trapping her.
/"What are you doing here in Masster Tom'ss room?"/ the snake hissed aggressively not really expecting an answer, but to wait in this position until her master came back to his rooms.
/"Oh, jusst welcoming you back. It hass been a while ssince we lasst ssaw each other,"/ the person beneath her answered. Nagini startled so much that she slid down from her. /"But if you do not want me here, I can go."/
/"Misstressss?"/ she hissed unbelieving tasting the air with her tongue, verifying her assumption and then the snake threw herself onto the young woman nuzzling her everywhere. /"You were the ssurprisse masster had for me. You are awake again. I wass sso worried. The whole time masster wass hiding I told him how you were ssince he couldn't come himsself becausse of the old fool. He wass sso worried too and he wass killing himsself that he couldn't come for you and that you were all alone in the casstle and you weren't healing. You jusst didn't want to get better. I feared you'd die,"/ Nagini ended quietly.
/"Calm down, honey, I am back. Everything iss fine now,"/ Pertho sighed and relaxed against the pillows with Nagini curled up around her. /"I have to warn you though, I have found Tom'ss mate and brought him here. He iss in the casstle now, more precissely in my room. Today though, he will get hiss own room on thiss floor ssince he iss fully healed now. Be nice to him."/
/"I'm always nice,"/ Nagini huffed, but then something else became clear to her. /"Masster Tom'ss mate hass been injured? Who did it? I will kill them. They will learn just how unpleasant my venom can be,"/ the snake hissed in fierce protectiveness. Pertho had to chuckle. Nagini was overprotective of those she held close or her masters held close. Even though she had never met Tom's mate but she knew that he would become important to her master if he wasn't it already. Pertho vaguely wondered what Nagini and Harry's reaction towards each other would be. Especially as soon as Harry found out just how protective the snake could be.
Since it was only half an hour by now until the breakfast would start, Pertho rose with the snake coiled around her in her form of hugging. She knew that the snake would be with her the whole day if she didn't tell her otherwise and even then it would most likely take a huge discussion with the snake. They got on their way towards the dining hall.
As they passed the door to Pertho's room the door opened and Tom stepped outside, not looking where he was going but back into the room towards the bed, where Harry was tucked in again and now stirring.
"He is waking," Pertho said, startling the Dark Lord out of his thoughts.
"That's exactly the reason why I left," he said as he turned to her, smiling.
/"Who is it? Who is your mate?"/ Nagini inquired and tried to look past Tom, who quickly closed the door.
/"You'll ssee at breakfasst, that meanss if he decidess to eat with uss,"/ Tom hissed back.
/"Do I know him?"/ Nagini asked eagerly, causing the other two to chuckle as they got on their way down to the dining hall.
After a few minutes Pertho voiced a question that plagued her since the last evening.
"What is wrong with Bella? She was quieter than when I last saw her. Too quiet in fact."
"She lost her cousin, Harry's godfather. She just wanted to stun him. Besides that she was in Azkaban for fourteen years. That wore her pretty much down. But there must have something else happened that send her over the edge, because I don't think that this can be all to break her and she is broken, more so than people with weaker minds than her that spend the same amount of time in this prison. Why do you ask?"
Pertho stayed silent and she didn't need to answer really since Tom knew that she had been close to Bellatrix. It was obvious that she would be concerned about the changes she had seen the day before.
"Maybe you should go to her today," the Dark Lord suggested quietly. "You know that I wanted to wait until you are stronger again before I tell the Inner Circle that you are still alive. I think that at least Severus thinks that you are dead. I believe he must have seen you as you were hurt?"
"That he has. They forced him to watch while they tortured me. They wanted to use me to blackmail him but Hogwarts helped me to escape. Before I got away I took an oath from him, to not let consciously let harm come to Harry no matter from which side of the war. Until now you have been the one who posed the biggest threat to Harry's health as far as he knew because he does not know about what happens and what happened at the Dursleys' home. So he tried his best to keep Harry away from you. He also knows that he wouldn't be able to last long against the two sides so he did what he thought the best, since he thought that Dumbledore would do nothing to harm his weapon and let nobody else harm him. He thought and still thinks that Harry is spoiled and like his father before they joined you and even then he had not too much to do with you. Furthermore it is easier to care for him as long as Dumbledore thinks he does not like Harry. This way he can make him stronger and push him to his limits without the old man noticing it since he wants him weak and submissive, and he would stop anything and anyone that could possibly make Harry stronger. "
"So in a nutshell it's your fault Severus had turned on me, heh?" Tom grinned slightly.
"No. Not completely. Had you not become a crazed maniac, everything would have been fine. Or, to start earlier, had you listened to me and not gone to the Potters-"
"Okay, okay, I get it. It's my fault. Like always," Tom huffed as they entered the dining hall and sat down. Only moments later the breakfast appeared.
As Harry woke this morning he felt somehow odd. He knew that something had happened during the night. He remembered having a nightmare from what his uncle had done to him. But then he had felt … warm and secure. As if someone had been holding him. The feeling had just moments ago subsided and he had no idea who it had been to hold him. There was nobody else on this floor than the Dark Lord and Pertho, was there? And it hadn't been the young woman by the feel of it. But he couldn't have felt secure in Voldemort's arms, could he? Even if the man had said the last evening that he wouldn't try to hurt him any more, it couldn't be that the man had gone from fiercest enemy to his protector in only two weeks at the most.
Harry got up and went to the bathroom. Before he entered he saw that Pertho's bed was empty. She was most likely already in the dining hall for breakfast since it was already quarter to eight. He had to hurry up.
Only five minutes later he emerged the bathroom wearing the clothes that had been laid out for him, whether by the house-elves or Pertho he didn't know, and got on his way downstairs as well. He felt a bit self-conscious. The clothes felt too tight and then there still was the question if he was doing the right thing. Were other people in the castle and maybe even eating with them? Would he be hexed as soon as he entered the dining hall, being mistaken as an intruder?
But no, he calmed himself down. One of them would have said something if they were not eating alone. At least he hoped so.
With this thoughts he opened the double-door that led into the hall, clinging to his wand in his pocket and awaiting an attack.
A good five minutes after the breakfast had started, one of the doors opened and Harry slid in. Two of the three occupants of the room were left staring. Nagini, because in front of her was none other than the weapon of the enemy, and Tom because how the young man looked.
In comparison to the last time he had seen Harry in anything other than pyjamas he looked totally different. Not bad different, just unfamiliar. And all of this because he was wearing clothes that actually fit him, and not the overgrown rags he had been wearing on the other occasions they had met. It made his mouth water. That should actually be his mate? He didn't deserve something so pure. How could Harry actually still be do pure after what happened to him in his life?
"Why do you not sit down, Harry?" Pertho's voice startled him out of his musings. /"Nagini, be nice,"/ she then reprimanded the snake that was still sitting in her lap but had gone rigid in an attacking stance.
/"Am I the only one who feels a bit awkward at the situation?"/ the snake asked and Harry could practically feel her uneasiness as if it were his own. Okay maybe it was his own. But could he really be blamed? He was sitting and eating with his enemies for Merlin's sake.
/"He is the one that was in my room, Nagini,"/ Pertho said as if that explained everything, and seemingly it did because immediately the snake relaxed and only eyed him curiously from time to time, but didn't glare at him any more.
As Harry didn't start to eat, the woman again rose an elegant eyebrow as she had done the evening before.
"I thought we were over the suspicion of the food being poisoned or were we not? That does not change with the surroundings or the company. Feel free to eat." She smiled as he hesitantly reached for some toast.
"So Dumbledore until now, doesn't know that Harry is gone?" Voldemort asked after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.
"No, at least he has not told one of the spies and he would have done, if only to find out if you have him here."
"Maybe you should ask Severus Snape. He is very high in the Order." Harry silently said, feeling uncomfortable because he revealed Snape as a spy, and even if Voldemort had promised not to harm him, he was sure that this did not expand to his Potions professor and even if he did not like the man he really didn't want him dead.
"No, he did not say anything to Severus and he did not tell his other two spies. Furthermore he doesn't know that Severus again changed sides and is now a spy for us again."
"You knew that Snape spied for the Order?" Harry asked unbelieving. "When did you find out?"
"Yesterday evening I knew for sure but I have suspected him since my resurrection," the Dark Lord answered joining into the conversation. He noticed that Harry flinched as he said this and felt dread through their connection and fear for the Potions Master. "But he is well and at Hogwarts at the moment."
"He is alive?" Harry asked relieved.
"Yes. And he will be because now I know the reasons behind his actions," Voldemort said and nodded towards Pertho. "She just explained."
The woman only smiled. After a few minutes of silence which was now not nearly as uncomfortable as the last she voiced a question towards the younger wizard.
"What do you want to do, now that you know whose home you are in?"
"I would want to stay if that isn't too much of a problem. I don't know where else to go. Everywhere I called home and everyone I called friends and family don't fit that description any more," he admitted quietly.
"Perfect," Voldemort clapped his hands cheerfully and Harry flinched back, suddenly sure that now was the point the man would finally stop being nice and throw him into his dungeon.
"Since I am now your host," the Dark Lord said oblivious to Harry's fears, "it's time you start calling me Tom. It is kinda awkward to be addressed as Voldemort or Dark Lord in my own home as long as there is no meeting."
Harry looked at him unbelieving. This was supposed to be the darkest Lord in time? The worst nightmare of every free person? But then again, Dumbledore was supposed to be a saint, too and there was nothing holy in this man.
Pertho outright laughed at his dumbfounded expression and he thought he had even heard Nagini chuckle if snakes could do this.
"What?" Voldemort, now Tom, asked their two female companions.
"I think he didn't expect you to act like this," Pertho grinned. "And to tell him to call you by your given name…Dumbledore is still telling the shit that you kill everyone who calls you that. Besides he thought that you were finally going to stop being nice and start acting like he's told you always act and throw him into your dungeon."
"How do you know?" Harry asked.
"I know many things. Much more than people think I know and besides, it was clearly written all over your face. We have to work on this. It isn't good that everyone can read your face that easily. It can get you killed." The witch was still grinning and Harry couldn't help but smile too and to his great surprise even Tom smiled broadly at her.
"What do you plan doing today?" Tom asked Pertho and Harry after some moments of silence.
"Well I have to have have a talk with an old friend first but after that, what do you think about the library? There are some books you should read, Harry."
"That's fine with me… Tom?" he asked unsure what the man would do.
"Yeah, …maybe we can play a game of chess later, Pertho?" the older wizard asked hopefully.
"Of course. But as I said I have to have a talk first. So if you will excuse me, I will see you later."
With this the young woman stood and quickly left the room.
The guest rooms were situated on the first floor. At the moment there only lived the Lestranges.
As Pertho entered the corridor where the rooms were in, it was empty but before she reached the room that had always been Bellatrix and Rodolphus', the door to Rabastan's room opened and admitted Rodolphus into the hallway.
"I'm still not able to find out what happened to Bella when they separated us."
Rabastan followed him out of the room most likely on the way to the guest dining room for breakfast.
"Have you asked her?"
"Of course. She won't answer me. I think the only one who could make her talk would be Pertho but she vanished nearly fifteen years ago, as you know, and Tom hasn't spoken about her either. I fear she is de…"
Rodolphus stopped himself as his eyes left his brother and fell on the young woman.
"Pertho?" he whispered unbelieving.
"What?" Rabastan asked and snapped his head towards where his brother was staring. He gaped.
"Is it really you?" the older of the two asked unsure if it was just a vision or if what they saw was really true.
"Yes, Rodolphus, Rabastan, it is me. How are you?"
"Where have you been?"
"Why hasn't Tom spoken of you in the last year?"
"Do you know that Tom has changed?"
The two men rapidly shot questions on her.
"I have been otherwise occupied and I know know that Tom has not been his old self in a long time but that is already changing. I am back now. So where is my favourite witch?"
"Bella has changed, too, Milady. Something happened. When we are here she doesn't speak but as soon as she sees a light wizard or witch she tortures them with such a pleasure that it scares me—she scares me sometimes," Rodolphus said quietly.
"I will talk to her. Is she in your room?" The wizard nodded. Pertho went past them with a smile on her lips. "Do not worry. I am sure everything will work out in the end."
She knocked, nodded towards them and slid into the room.
The room itself was dark, the curtains drawn close so that it was nearly pitch black.
"Go away Rodolphus, I want to be alone and not speak with you." Bella's voice sounded very small.
"As I am not Rodolphus, may I stay?" Pertho asked frowning slightly.
"Who are you?" Bella asked, confused. "How have you come into the castle?"
Only a moment later Pertho was hauled up against the wall and had Bellatrix' wand against her throat. "I'll only ask one more time. Who are you and how did you enter the castle? Why are you here?"
"Your questions are getting more with every time you ask or so it seems. Can you not answer those questions yourself?" Pertho asked as she looked at Bella without fear.
"You are dead," Bella said, her voice sounding strange. "They showed me. I knew it. Now is the point when I finally cracked. It happened finally what they wanted. All hope is lost now."
Bellatrix sounded desperate. She staggered back and fell down on the bed. Bellatrix started to rock back and forth but Pertho wouldn't have any of this. She went over to where the woman had curled up.
"Honey, what happened to you? What did they do to you?" Pertho asked gently as she pulled the head of her friend into her lap and started to run her hand through her hair. Bella sighed.
She knew that this could not be real but it felt good nonetheless and when she had already lost her mind, then why shouldn't she enjoy it a bit. She decided to tell she vision what had happened. Maybe it would lessen the pain. She had not talked about it since it had happened so long ago, not even with herself, and it was eating her up from the inside out. Maybe if she talked about it she could accept Pertho's death and move on.
"As you vanished we went to the Longbottoms to find out where all of you were because Severus and Tom had vanished as well. We couldn't go to the Potters because Dumbledore had already murdered them. As we arrived at Alice and Frank's house they had been tortured to insanity. Only moments after we arrived the Aurors showed up. We were arrested for the torture of the Longbottoms," she started.
"Then Dumbledore got his hands on me. Somehow he knew that we were close and he showed me images of how they tortured you and how you died. I couldn't take it. Deep inside I gave up.
"I know that I'm not exactly sane any more. Every time I see a light wizard I want to give them a part of what they did to you. And then there was the battle at the ministry. I just wanted to stun my cousin and bring him here and explain everything to him. He thought we all had turned on him, Lily, James, Alice and Frank." Her voice became hysteric after this. "He just fell. Why did he fall through this veil? He just vanished. Why did he vanish? I wanted to take him here. Explain everything to him. But he just fell…"
Bellatrix was rambling incoherently by now.
"Hush, Bella, calm down. I know you did not want it. So hush, now, Bella. Calm down."
"I should tell Harry I'm sorry somehow. God, I attacked him afterwards. I totally cracked that day. I really went crazy. Do you think I should write to him?"
"Maybe you should tell him when you see him next time," Pertho said still running her fingers soothingly through Bella's long hair, calming her nearly into sleep.
They sat in silence for a long time. Finally, after nearly an hour, Pertho asked:
"What do you think about opening the curtains? You had yourself locked up in the darkness for far too long. It is sunny outside." As Bella didn't object, Pertho waved her hand and the curtains were drawn open.
"How did you do this? A ghost or a vision shouldn't be able to do this."
"Maybe I'm neither of those?" Pertho suggested smiling down at the woman in her lap. "Maybe, just maybe, you are not as a lost cause as you think," Pertho teased lightly.
"You're real? But how? I saw how you were hurt. Nobody could have survived that."
"I have. It took me long enough. I have been in coma until two weeks ago but now I am awake again and this time Dumbledore will not get away with what he did. I will make sure of it. He crossed the line."
"You really are here. I can't believe it. Do the others know? Does Tom know? He didn't take your disappearance well. He was like me. But he didn't distinguish between friend and foe."
"Tom knows. He found me once he was back. It hit him hard what happened to me because he knew it was the old fool again and he had not been and was still not able to do something."
The two women stayed again silent for a long time.
"I'm glad you're back," Bella said after nearly half an hour.
"Me too, Bella, me too."
"You haven't answered my question," Bellatrix said after some time. "Do the others know you're okay?"
"Besides your husband and his brother, no. I ran into them on my way to you."
"So Severus doesn't know? You have t tell him. He too thinks you are dead. I saw what they made him watch."
"Soon, honey, soon. I will show them but that will have to wait a few more days until I am a bit stronger."
They sat in silence, enjoying each others presence until it was time for lunch. They left the room together and Pertho went with her friend to the guest dining room where she left her with the promise to come back the next morning.
Severus Snape tried to force the bile back down that rose again and again in his throat. He hadn't felt this sick and disgusted by the headmaster since the man had forced him to watch when they had tortured Pertho. He had had a deep connection to the woman as had every member of the Inner Circle. The only reason he hadn't run as soon as she had disappeared was because of the oath he had given her unknown to everyone.
He didn't know what was so special about the boy but he had done his best to keep him safe. At least that was what he had thought. He had known that Petunia hadn't liked her sister all that much but he had thought that the boy was safe with her and her family.
How wrong he had been had just been revealed to him moments ago through an overheard conversation.
And the worst was that Albus Dumbledore, the man he had looked up until shortly before his graduation, had known what happened to Harry. No, not only known but encouraged it for years and even participated.
He felt sick again and this time he really had to go to the toilets.
He had known that the man was sadistic, that was for sure, since what they had done to Pertho but to do this to a child? And from early age by what he had overheard. No wonder Potter always flinched away from any human touch at the end of the holidays.
Severus wanted to bang is head into the next wall. He should have seen it, recognized it for what it was. Noticed the signs because the same had happened to him to a certain degree. He himself had gone through verbal and physical abuse but he had been lucky that they had not gone further. It seemed that Harry hadn't had that luck.
Now that he knew he was not able to ignore it. Up until now it had been enough for him to give information to Voldemort and had helped passively but now he had to actively do something.
He reached a decision. He had to go to Voldemort and ask the man for help to go and free Harry in the hope that the man wouldn't continue where Dumbledore and these Muggles had stopped.
He left the castle with the feeling of having failed both Lily and Pertho.
The four inhabitants of the upper levels of Slytherin castle were gathered in the library. Over the last few days something akin to a daily routine had settled in. Voldemort had spend many mornings in Harry's room, watching him sleep and occasionally calming him down whenever he had a nightmare. Then they would eat breakfast together and Harry and Tom would go to the library and read while Pertho would visit her friend. Harry never once asked who it was. The first two days the two men had sat in an awkward silence but as the days went on it became more and more comfortable. The younger wizard now even sometimes went so far to ask a question when didn't understand something written in the books.
When he had first entered the library he hadn't been able to take his eyes of the books over books that were stocked in high shelves. There were three balconies over each other on the walls and the ceiling was so high that it vanished in the darkness. The room itself was huge and Harry had the feeling that one could get lost in the aisles. Every now and then were small sitting areas with one big one by the doors.
This was where they were now situated. Harry had buried himself in one of the books and Pertho and Tom were playing a game of chess.
"You worry too much and too little," Pertho said after some minutes and Tom had to smile at the similarity to the beginnings of their previous conversations.
"You know that you don't make sense, do you? Are you sure there is no damage left?" Tom asked still watching the teen as he had done all the afternoon.
"Oh, I do make perfect sense. In one direction you worry too much and in another you worry too little"
"Do I? Care to enlighten me? Or do I have to die oblivious to your almighty wisdom?" Tom asked teasingly raising an eyebrow. Harry was too caught up in his book to even notice their conversation.
"Yes, concerning Harry you worry too much. He will forgive you. Just be patient and be there for him."
"And where do I worry too little?"
"In our game."
"Oh, how did you come to this conclusion?"
"Because the last three moves I made were illegal and you did not notice," she grinned.
"Brat," Tom mumbled good naturedly.
"Love you too," Pertho said and started to stroke Nagini who was currently napping in her lap. "Besides, I think you should go down. Severus will arrive shortly. He wants to speak to you."
And really, only moments later, the wards were triggered and the Dark Lord lifted them to let the Potions Master enter. He got up and made his way to his study where he knew the house elves would have taken Severus, as soon as the man entered the castle itself.
As e entered the corridor he was already able to see the Potions Master. He could practically smell the man's nervousness. Probably he had the same thoughts that Harry had had while at their first breakfast.
Or had the man found something out that was important and would not please him, if he were still his self from the last year and the man feared torture?
"Severus, what a nice surprise. What brings you here?" he greeted as soon as he was close enough. The man flinched at his voice but quickly regained his composure.
"I found out interesting things, my Lord, no, not interesting, I'd rather say disturbing and I am here to ask for your help," Severus said, waiting for Voldemort to Crucio him. Tom was not the man he had been during his first reign any more. He had changed as much as Bellatrix Severus mused but he had to admit that he had changed too. Watching the torture of a woman you loved as a sister and being a teacher for years had changed him, a lot.
But the Dark Lord surprised him by just gesturing him into his study.
"Sit down, Severus. Firewhisky?"
Now the Potions Master was baffled. Never, since his resurrection, had he asked this anybody. During his first reign it had been a regular occurrence, hell, it had been a routine. Every time before he started a meeting with one or more Inner Circle members he would at least ask them if they wanted a drink. But this habit had vanished along with the privilege of the Circle members to call him Tom and the man's good mood. Maybe his Lord was changing back to his old self? But what could be the cause? It couldn't be Pertho, could it? From what he had heard from the people who had known the Dark Lord since school, was that he always went crazy when anybody dared to hurt Pertho and only came back to normal when she was okay again. Severus had assumed that what Voldemort had done the last year, had been the retaliation for Pertho's death. There was no way the witch could have survived the torture she had been under, was there? He had seen her. She had been barely able to have a coherent thought and she could have survived? He didn't dare to hope.
In the time Voldemort had been back he had just been one thing, their master, nothing else. Not a friend, like he had been to Lucius or a mixture of friend and father figure like he had been for Severus himself and many others who had joined him young in the first reign. But now Tom seemed to come back with Voldemort retreating. At least he hoped that. For his life and that of Harry's. He was running short of time.
The Dark Lord gave him a glass of Firewhisky and the Potions Master eyed the liquid suspiciously.
"It isn't poisoned, Severus," Tom said, taking a sip from his own which the younger wizard had seen had come from the same bottle. "Now, what did you want to tell me?"
'You'll soon change your opinion and will regret that you haven't poisoned the drink,' Severus thought.
"First of all, before I tell you why I came here I have to apologize. I know you can't possibly pardon what I did-"
"I know that you haven't been loyal to me from my resurrection to before the last meeting, now, why have you come here?" Voldemort interrupted.
"You know? How?" Severus asked dumbfounded, "and, with all due respect, why am I still alive?"
"I had a feeling from the beginning but I have only been proven right in the last meeting but then you already had come back to me. So why kill you? You are a good spy and an excellent Potions Master. Besides, I need someone inside Hogwarts and who would be better than you, as they already know and trust you. Now I ask again, what is it you wanted to tell me?"
"Was it that new snake of yours, my Lord, that told you? It wasn't Nagini that was with you in the last meeting. She seemed to know who exactly was not loyal to you and who was. It was like she read our minds and no Occulumcy shield, no matter how strong, could keep her out."
"So you noticed? Yes it was her, she is quite gifted, don't you think? She can do many things and she knows much."
"If she knows that much, does she know then, what Dumbledore does?"
"Some things she knows, but unfortunately only what has to do with her charges and then not a priori, I fear. Otherwise some things would have gone differently."
Severus took all his courage together. After all he was about to ask his lord to save Harry Potter, the mortal enemy beside Dumbledore of the man.
"My Lord, I have to ask for your assistance and for asylum."
"Is that so, Severus? Are you finally coming to the cause of your visit? Why would you need asylum?"
"Yes, my Lord. I don't ask for asylum for myself, but for…," he hesitated. Should he really do this? Would the Dark Lord even grant asylum? Even for someone who wasn't the bane of his existence? Or would he just continue with what these filthy Muggles and Dumbledore did?
"Yes, Severus, I'm listening. Who do you ask asylum for?"
Severus got up and lowered himself down to one of his knees. He pulled out his wand and said:
"I, Severus Septimus Snape ask you, the Dark Lord Voldemort, formerly known as Tom Marvolo Riddle for asylum in Slytherin Castle from all an any outer forces for one Harry James Potter."
Tom only rose his eyebrows. Severus Snape was asking for asylum for Harry Potter. Interesting. Maybe he had finally found out what Dumbledore did to the boy. He felt slightly honoured that the Potions Master would come to him knowing that he could kill him in an instant.
"And why would you do this, my dear Severus?"
"Because Dumbledore does more to the boy than just to direct his every move while he's in Hogwarts. You know that Harry lives with his aunt and uncle, don't you, my Lord?"
"Yes I do. And when has he become Harry to you, Severus?" the Dark Lord teased lightly. The younger wizard never noticed.
"He has always been Harry in my mind, my Lord. I doubt you know it, but I gave Pertho an oath to keep him safe from all harm, as far as I know about it, and it came to my attention that he is not safe where he is."
"Oh I think he is," Tom said.
"You don't understand, my Lord," Severus pleaded. "He being abused where he is."
"No, he isn't."
"Yes, he is," Severus was becoming frantic slowly but surely. "His aunt and uncle abuse him. Maybe even at this very moment."
"Severus, I know, but I assure you that he is perfectly safe and content, where he is at the moment," Voldemort said, thinking back at the last picture he had in mind from Harry in a chair in his library with a potions book in one hand and a mug of hot chocolate in the other.
"My Lord," Severus was really desperate now. He had to convince his lord to come with him and quickly. He did not know how long it would take until the oath kicked in and punished him for failing. "Please, I beg you. Help me to get him out of there. They don't only abuse him mentally if that is what you think, but also physically and sexually. And the worst is that Dumbledore knows and not only knows but this man encourages them and even participates."
"What?" Voldemort hissed lowly. "The old fool, how dare he? I knew everything but that last part about Dumbledore, but still my answer is the same. I won't remove him from where he is at the moment. And don't try to convince me otherwise, Severus, it will be in vain."
Severus insides froze. His lord knew and he didn't do anything? He suddenly felt very sick and disgusted. And in this man he had set his hopes. He couldn't believe it.
"You are not the man I pledged my allegiance to. I don't know you any more."
With this the Potions Master made to storm out of the office.
"Severus, stay," Voldemort commanded and he could do nothing else than do this. The older wizard rose from his chair and the younger braced himself to hear the two final words and see the sickly green light zoom in on him, but it never came.
"I believe there is something I should show you, Severus. Come with me," he beckoned the Potions Master and led him up the stairs. The younger started. No one was allowed upstairs any more, not even those who lived here. So why would the man take him up? It was forbidden by threat of death to go higher than the second floor. Did his master want to kill him? But why take this trouble? He could have said 'Avada Kedavra' in his study, burned the corpse and that was it. End of story, no more Severus Snape but no, the man led him up the stairs … to the library?
"You remember this room?" the Dark Lord asked.
"Of course, my Lord. I've spend many hours in the library with Pertho, yourself and the other Inner Circle members." It hurt to think of her because it brought forth again how he had failed her. Not only had he not been able to save her but he had also failed to keep Harry safe for her. "Are you doing this on purpose? To make me feel worse?"
"No Severus. Go inside."
The potions master pushed the door open and his gaze fell instantly on the young woman sitting in the armchair near the chessboard, a book in hand because her partner was gone.
"Pertho?" he whispered unbelieving. He had hoped that she was still alive, yes, but he had thought that this hope was in vain. Her injuries had been too severe. "You're alive? How?"
He was at her side in an instant.
"I'm sorry. I failed you. I failed to protect him. Please, you have to help me to convince the Lord to go and get him. Dumbledore," his pleading voice made way for a feral growl, "He not only knows, but he encourages what is happening to him and he even participated."
"He did what?" Pertho hissed in a mixture between Parseltongue and English and everything in the room that was not heavy enough floated into the air. Nagini flew from her lap and Severus felt more frightened than he had ever before in his life. Tom was at their side in an instant.
"Severus, do you have calming draughts with you?" The potions master nodded.
"What do you need?"
"Two of the strongest one you have."
The Potions Master handed two vials over and Tom only fleetingly looked at the label before pouring them down into the mouth of the witch, gently rubbing her throat to make her swallow it.
Once she slipped into unconsciousness, the floating things went back down and the air that had been full with raw magic calmed down again.
"What the hell was this?" Severus asked.
"That was Pertho pissed off. I bet the old fool is establishing one record after the other with pissing her off. I bet nobody else has been able to do this, this often in that short amount of time," the Dark Lord said.
"You mean this has happened before?"
"Yes, albeit only once this strong. That time Hogwarts got pretty damaged but she was able to set everything back together somehow and make everyone forget but us two. But that doesn't matter at the moment. I'll bring her up to her room. Maybe you can entertain our guest while I'm away?"
"Guest?" Severus asked, whirling around. He couldn't believe it. Who could it be?
And then he saw him. Hidden from sight when standing in the door, in the perfect place to vanish into the aisles without somebody noticing, was none other than a somewhat sheepish Harry Potter who had watched on interested in what was going on the whole time without them noticing it but now that the attention was on him he squirmed in his seat and was definitely uneasy. He seemed to be looking for words.
"Erm…hi Professor Snape?" he offered weakly.
"Potter, what the hell are you doing here?" the Potions Master demanded to know once he found his voice back.
I hope you liked it. Please vote and review. The next chapter will take at least three weeks since I want to give the vote time and the vote is important for the next chapter. Bye farawisa