Chapter Two
Harry paused in his packing as he brushed some sand off of the jacket that he had been wearing when he'd had his confrontation with the Dark Lord. That confrontation still had him confused.
Voldemort had completely thrown him and now he had no idea as to what he should do. The fact that he had used the Avada Kadavra curse didn't help matters either since now he was also questioning just how different he was from Lord Voldemort. And that train of thought led him right back to the fact that Voldemort had held a conversation with him rather then killing him. To add to everything he found that he couldn't be angry with Dumbledore anymore for ignoring him all year since he'd explained his reasoning to him. The prophecy was another thing that had him worried. He didn't like the fact that it said neither he nor Lord Voldemort could live while the other survived. So, all in all, he was extremely confused.
"Harry."
Harry jerked backwards so fast that he tripped over his trunk and fell to the floor.
"W-what?" gasped Harry. "H-how…"
"Harry," chuckled Voldemort's voice inside his mind, "we are connected. I can speak to you anywhere."
"Why would you want to?" asked Harry as he stood back up.
"You're rather amusing." Said Voldemort and Harry got the image of Voldemort smiling in amusement. "And," he added, "my death eaters are mostly incompetent idiots."
"So they're not the best company?" asked Harry wryly as he resumed his packing.
"Definitely not." Said Voldemort in agreement. "Except for Snape. He's intelligent enough to hold his own in a conversation. Though it is quite annoying that I can't ever tell what he's thinking. He's a true Slytherin in that respect."
"I don't like him." Said Harry matter-of-factly. "He thinks of me as my father, so he treats me like him as well."
"Yes, Snape does have a few problems with letting go of the past." Said Voldemort and Harry got the image of him nodding his head in understanding.
"What do you want with me?" asked Harry in a tired voice.
"I told you," said Voldemort with a chuckle, "you're my comic relief after a long days work."
"I'm serious." Said Harry. "You could have killed me and you didn't. You gave me the opportunity to kill Bellatrix, and I actually killed her. Then you covered for me with Dumbledore. Why?" By the time Harry had finished he had worked himself into a small rage.
"I didn't kill you because I didn't want to, I never really have since I tried to that one time when you were a baby. I gave you the opportunity to kill Bellatrix because you had earned it, and I cannot tell you why you accepted my offer, only that I hoped you would. And I covered for you with Dumbledore because you need to make a decision without any outside influence."
"What decision?" asked Harry.
"I'm going to make you an offer." Said Voldemort. "Instead of going to live with your relatives this summer, you come and live with me."
"What? But you're my enemy!" exclaimed Harry as he dropped the book that he had been about to pack.
"Am I really?" asked Voldemort. "I guess you've been told by everyone that it is your task to defeat me. I personally feel as though it is Dumbledore that I am fighting against, not you."
"Then why did you try to kill me when I was little?"
"Because of that prophecy that I was trying to get a hold of. I knew that if you lived Dumbledore would try to use you in his fight against me."
"So why did you choose to mark me, instead of Neville?"
"I chose you partially because you reminded me of myself, in that you were a half-blood. I also chose you because your parents were already in line to be killed anyway. I didn't know you'd have to go through live with those horrible muggles, If I had, I think I might have marked the Longbottom boy." Said Voldemort in a thoughtful voice.
"You really don't like muggles, do you?" asked Harry as he closed the lid of his trunk and locked it.
"I don't have any reason to." Said Voldemort as if he was pointing out a fact. "Every encounter I've ever had with muggles, tells me that they're extremely dumb and cruel. You yourself have seen that to be true."
You can't judge all muggles from a select group of them." Said Harry. "Just like you can't judge all witches and wizards from a select group. For example, some muggles are extremely nice and smart, just like some witches and wizards. Your death eaters aren't very nice and from what you've told me, most of them aren't that smart."
"I thought my information was correct in saying you were bright. I'm glad you proved it." Said Voldemort with a small chuckle. "So what do you think of my offer?"
"I don't know." Said Harry, his voice full of indecision.
"Think about it. Go to your relatives, I'll contact you in a week or two, and you can give me your answer then."
"Alright." Agreed Harry. "What will you do if I say 'no'?"
"I'll hope you'll take my offer up next summer."
"And if I saw\y 'yes'?"
"I'll arrange to pick you up and bring you to my home, where I can show you how to reach your true potential."
"What if I want to leave?"
"I'll give you a certain kind of portkey, which will take you anywhere you want it to as long as you say the password and the name of the place."
"What will your Death Eaters think about this plan of yours?"
"I won't be telling any of them, but Snape. His potions skills will be a great asset to your education."
"Really." Said Harry in a sarcastic voice. "Because I've barely learned anything from him in all of my time at school."
"Which means your potions skills are probably lacking and we will need to fix that."
"Why do you want to help me?" asked Harry in an exasperated voice.
"While you're staying with me you can learn my side of the battle and then, once the summer is over, you can go back to Hogwarts and see Dumbledore's side of the battle with new eyes. Then you can decide which side you want to be on or if you don't want to pick a side at all."
"And why do you want to give me such a decision, when it would be so much easier to kill me?" asked Harry, still rather confused by Voldemort's behavior.
"I don't want to kill you Harry." Said Voldemort exasperatedly. "I merely want you to make an informed decision. I believe that if you knew my side of the story, you'd either join my side or stop fighting completely. And despite my reputation, I am not a bloodthirsty psychopath."
"I'll…think about it." Said Harry.
"Very well. If you wish to ask me a question, simply think really hard about our last encounter and I'll answer."
"Okay." Said Harry, still uncertain about this whole thing.
"I shall hear from you in a week or so then." Said Voldemort and Harry got the image of him waving. "Good-bye Harry Potter, till later." And then he was gone.
Harry could actually feel an empty space where he had been. Sighing he flopped backwards onto his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He was still slightly confused, but he was sure of one thing. No matter what, this summer was going to be an interesting one.