~To Kill You With A Kiss~
Chapter 22
...
"Excuse me, Mr. Gaunt-"
"Do you have a moment, Mr. Gaunt?"
To Harry's surprise, Eileen Prince and Druella Rosier were waiting for them in the corridor outside the potions classroom. Druella gazed up at Voldemort with a look of adoration that made Harry flinch. Harry had seen that look in the future; Bellatrix used to gaze at Voldemort with a very similar expression.
"Is it true, sir, what Abraxas was saying, that you encountered were-tigers during your travels in Assam?" Druella sounded a little breathless.
"Were-tigers?" Voldemort smiled slightly.
"We would love to hear more about your travels, Mr. Gaunt," said Eileen Prince softly.
"Perhaps over a drink-?" suggested Druella.
Voldemort regarded her thoughtfully. "You would like to offer me a drink, young lady?"
Druella's dark eyes lingered on his face. "There is some excellent elf-made wine in the Slytherin common room, sir."
Voldemort turned to Harry. "What do you say, Elias? Should I join these two charming ladies for a drink?"
Harry stared at him. Voldemort wasn't seriously considering drinking Druella's amortentia-laced wine, was he?
Voldemort chuckled. "Ah, seeing that my ward looks so shocked at the thought, I think I had better not. I have to set a good example for the boy, you see. I am afraid I cannot indulge in elf-made wine mid-morning. Perhaps another time?"
"Any time it suits you, sir." Druella smiled at Voldemort, cast Harry a nasty look and disappeared down the hallway with Eileen.
Harry stared after them as they vanished out of sight. Then he gazed up at Voldemort. "You wouldn't have... would you?"
Voldemort laughed. "Oh, don't worry, Harry. I think it would take more than a little amortentia to make me fall for Druella or Eileen. The thought that any...ah... indiscretion on my part could make me the father of Bellatrix or Severus is more than enough to counteract even the most potent love potion." He grimaced.
Harry couldn't help smiling. "Come on; we don't want to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts with Tom."
"Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Voldemort lit up. "I can't wait. Oh, and I must remember to have a word with Tom; I'm afraid one of the vials of amortentia left the potions class in the possession of someone who was not a student..."
"What? Oh, Merlin, you don't mean that Slughorn..." Harry shuddered. "Yes, I think we had better warn Tom about that."
Harry and Voldemort walked rapidly through the near-empty corridors to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. They were a little late already; most of the students were already in class. Harry glanced curiously up at his dark-clad companion as they walked. Voldemort. Here at Hogwarts. My guardian, watching over me. It should have felt utterly wrong, but somehow it didn't feel wrong at all.
A tall, solitary figure was waiting for them outside the classroom. As they approached, Alphard Black drew his wand and pointed it at Voldemort, a grim expression on his face.
"Good morning, Alphard," said Voldemort pleasantly.
Alphard turned to Harry. "Har- I mean Elias, what is going on here? Your guardian is... Voldemort? How can he be here, in this time? Is he a threat to you?"
Voldemort regarded Alphard with interest. "Now, how does he know who I am? I know him, of course, from the past, but how does he know me? Is Alphard a friend of yours, my dear?"
"Yes, he is," Harry smiled at Alphard. "It's all right, Alphard. I will explain later. Voldemort is not a threat to me."
"Not to his life, safety, or happiness, at any rate," put in Voldemort softly. "There may be a slight threat to his moral character, however. I'm not a very good influence, I'm afraid."
Alphard sighed and rubbed his forehead. "See, now you sound like Tom... But you are still Regulus' murderer."
"We will see what we can do about that," said Harry gently. "Let's all meet in Tom's study this evening, after the accursed play is over, and go over our plan. You too, Alphard."
Alphard nodded. "Can Ginny come too? I plan to bring her to the play this evening; she's been dying to see it."
"Ginny? Who is Ginny?" Voldemort sounded confused.
Harry smiled. "Ginevra Weasley. Arthur and Molly Weasley's daughter. She's my friend and Alphard's girlfriend."
"Ginny Weasley? The red-haired one? In this time?" Voldemort shook his head slowly. "Now I'm getting a headache..."
Harry looked at Alphard. "I don't mind Ginny meeting with us this evening, but I don't see how you can bring her to the play. Won't people wonder who she is and where she came from?"
Alphard smiled slightly. "Invisibility cloak, remember? Now, we had better join the Defense Against the Dark Arts class before Tom begins to think that you have been kidnapped by the Dark Lord, Elias."
The class had already begun as they entered the classroom. Tom gave Voldemort a cold glance and nodded to an empty seat at the back of the classroom. Harry and Alphard slid quietly into their seats.
He looks good, doesn't he? whispered a voice inside Harry's mind. Tom looks very handsome in professor's robes. Professor Riddle. I like it!
Tom's silver glance met Harry's, and Harry felt his heart skip several beats. An image of Tom kissing a boy with messy dark hair entered his mind, and he smiled up at Tom. But a moment after, an image of the dark-haired boy embracing a pale, dark-clad man fluttered into Harry's consciousness. Harry suppressed a groan and turned to glare at Voldemort, but Voldemort was glancing through Araminta's text book with an expression of profound concentration.
"Today," said Tom coldly, looking out over the classroom, "we will talk about how to produce a patronus. A patronus is a wizard's best defense against many forms of the Dark Arts, and it is a form of magic notoriously difficult for dark wizards themselves to perform. Let me demonstrate what a patronus looks like." He flicked his wand. "Expecto Patronum!"
The students gasped as the brilliant form of a silver stag sprang from Tom's wand. The stag ran a few times around the classroom before dissolving in a silvery mist.
A Patronus charm? whispered the voice in Harry's mind. That's rather impressive; I didn't know Tom Riddle could do that.
"Perhaps you will show the class your patronus as well, Mr. Gaunt," said Tom softly.
Voldemort smiled. "No, thank you, Professor Riddle. I am merely here as an observer."
"Oh, come now, Mr. Gaunt." Tom walked to the back of the room and paused in front of Voldemort. His silver eyes glittered. "It would be so helpful for the students to see another example of a full-fledged patronus. There is no need for this false modesty. Surely, a wizard of your stature has a great deal of experience with this charm?"
Voldemort laughed softly. "Oh, I have experience with a great many things that I wouldn't care to demonstrate in your classroom, Professor Riddle."
"Please, sir." Cygnus Black looked pleadingly at Voldemort. "There are all sorts of rumors among the students and staff about the rare magic you can do. Can't you show us something?"
"Oh, yes, can't you?" Eileen Prince's eyes were shining.
"Quiet, please," said Tom sternly. "If Mr. Gaunt prefers to sit quietly and observe the class, we should let him do so."
"But is it true that you can fly, sir? Without a broomstick?"
Tom glared at Abraxas. "Please, Mr. Malfoy. No more questions for poor Mr. Gaunt, and particularly not ridiculous ones like that. You should know that there is no magic that will allow a wizard to fly without the aid of a broomstick, a flying carpet, or some flying creature. Human wizards do not fly by themselves, Mr. Malfoy."
"Oh, I don't know about that..." A sudden smile passed over Voldemort's pale features. "A very powerful wizard might be able to fly, Professor Riddle."
Voldemort stood up, and in front of the mesmerized students, he began to ascend slowly towards the ceiling.
He can fly? Tom's voice echoed in Harry's mind. When the hell did he learn how to fly?
No idea, whispered Harry's mind back. But he was pretty impressed by your patronus, even if he didn't show it.
Tom smiled slightly. He was?
Harry nodded. Oh, and Tom? A lot of people smuggled love potion out of Slughorn's class today. Including Slughorn. Just be careful, will you?
Tom sighed. I'll be careful, Harry. Thanks for the warning.
Voldemort landed on the classroom floor, and wild applause broke out among the students. The Dark Lord inclined his head gracefully and resumed his seat. "Enough distractions," he said with a smile. "Please turn your attention back to Professor Riddle."
The class did so, with a slight sigh. Soon, the students were busy with their Patronus charms. Harry's patronus was much admired, and if anyone happened to notice that it had the same form as Tom's, they were too tactful to say anything about it. After quite a few attempts, John Lupin was able to produce a blurry wolf-like shape, while Alphard's patronus was a hazy horse-like cloud. Augusta Moon's patronus appeared to be a monkey, and Algie Longbottom's was (not surprisingly) a toad. A few other Gryffindor students were able to produce silver clouds with leg-like protrusions, but most of the Slytherin students struggled to make as much as a silver spark.
"I wonder what your guardian's patronus is," whispered Eileen to Harry as he tried to help her with the charm.
Harry glanced over at Voldemort, who was sitting silently in the back, observing the students. "I wonder about that myself," he said softly.
...
Harry found his seat at the Slytherin table at dinner. Voldemort was seated at the staff table between Tom and Professor Dippet. Voldemort was apparently telling the headmaster about his imaginary travels in foreign lands, for Harry's mind suddenly filled with images of a dark-clad figure performing one feat of magic more impossible than the next in faraway jungles. Dippet was staring at Voldemort, his mouth slightly open. Harry giggled to himself, and Voldemort looked up and winked at him.
But wait - what was that? Harry watched in horror as Slughorn, who was seated on the other side of Tom, glanced around quickly. Then, apparently satisfied that nobody was watching him, Slughorn's hand lingered over Tom's wine glass for a brief moment. Voldemort glanced up lazily, and the next moment, a tray of stuffed partridges exploded in a blaze of fire further down the teachers' table. Little screams were heard among the students, and while the teachers whipped out their wands and cast extinguishing spells on the partridges, Voldemort reached out and switched the two cups on either side of him. He was so fast that Harry wasn't even sure if he had seen that right.
The next moment, Tom, with a quick glance at Voldemort, reached out for his wine cup and took a small sip. Slughorn's glance lingered on Tom's face, expectantly. The potions master appeared to be holding his breath. Further down the table, Armando Dippet raised his wine cup to his lips as well. The next instant, Dippet blushed scarlet as he turned and gazed at Slughorn's corpulent form with an expression of rapture, while Tom struggled to suppress a smile.
Harry buried his face in his hands and groaned.
"More carrots, Elias?" Harry felt a gentle nudge at his arm. Abraxas Malfoy was holding out a dish of carrots, a slight flush on his face. "I've noticed that you seem to like carrots, and there are only a few left. Here, you take them..." Abraxas shoveled a small pile of buttered carrots onto Harry's plate.
Harry sighed and looked wearily at the carrots. They appeared to have an odd mother-of-pearl sheen to them. "No, thank you, Abraxas, I'm not really hungry any more..."
"Elias? Could I have a quick word with you about the play this evening?"
Harry glanced up in confusion. John Lupin? What was he doing at the Slytherin table?
"About the play?" Harry looked doubtfully up at the dark, handsome Gryffindor boy. "What about it?"
John Lupin flushed. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that there are no hard feelings. About you taking the lead part again this evening, I mean. Just in case you wondered, I am absolutely fine with that."
"Oh. Er... Thanks for telling me." Harry felt confused. Wait, did John Lupin's hand linger for a moment near Araminta's drink?
Harry sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. "Er, perhaps it would be better if you were to take the lead part this evening after all, Lupin?"
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. You guardian, Mr. Gaunt, wishes to see you in the lead, after all, if only for a single evening."
Araminta glanced up with a little smile. "It will be a pleasure to entertain Mr. Gaunt this evening. He is such a charming gentleman, isn't he? The Gaunts are a very ancient pure-blood family, I believe, descended from Salazar Slytherin himself."
"Er... That's nice." John Lupin sounded less than enthusiastic about this piece of information.
"In fact," Araminta leaned forward slightly, her sapphire eyes shining, "my mother told me that one of the Gaunts once disinherited his daughter for marrying a mudblood. It is wonderful to know that pureblood pride still exists in some families, isn't it? Of course, it would have been much better if he had killed her instead; that's what I would have done if a daughter of mine had done something that foolish..."
John Lupin made an odd strangled sound. He stared at Araminta in horror.
Araminta looked up at him. "What's wrong, John? Oh, I know you must be disappointed not to be Sir Luckless in tonight's pantomime, but it's only for one night. After that, everything will be back to the way it was." She smiled charmingly at John Lupin, who looked so pale that Harry wondered if he was about to faint. She lifted her pumpkin juice to her lips. "Oh, don't tell me you are jealous of Elias, John! You know you have no reason to..."
"Don't drink that, Araminta!" There was panic in John Lupin's voice now.
"What?" Araminta looked at him in confusion. "Why not?"
"That's... that's not your drink, Araminta. You grabbed the wrong cup. That one belongs to..." John Lupin glanced at the person sitting by Araminta's side and winced. Then he closed his eyes for a moment, sighed, and said reluctantly: "That's... Abraxas' drink, Araminta. Yours is the other cup."
"Oh. Thanks, John." Araminta reached for the other cup. "I will see you after the play this evening, I hope."
Lupin muttered something unintelligible about too much homework.
"Homework? What nonsense! I bet you are going to sneak out to the Quidditch pitch with Llewellyn, aren't you?" Abraxas reached for the pumpkin juice by his spot and took a deep sip. "Well, let me tell you, even if you find one of those time-turner thingies and practice forty-eight hours a day, you still won't beat our house team!" Abraxas paused. He took another sip of the juice. "I mean..." He looked up at John Lupin. Their eyes met. "John?" Abraxas' voice was a whisper. "Perhaps we could practice together some time, just you and me? All this rivalry between our houses is just nonsense, really, isn't it? It makes us lose sight of the wonders of the magical game itself. It's not about the teams, really, it's about Quidditch. It's about broomsticks and magic and flying through the air together, isn't it?" Abraxas gazed up at John Lupin, his grey eyes shining.
John Lupin sighed deeply. "Listen, Abraxas, I don't think we should play Quidditch together... At least, not just the two of us."
"Really?" Abraxas sounded heartbroken. His grey eyes filled with tears, and he ran his hand clumsily through his white-gold curls, messing them up terribly.
"Oh, please don't be upset, Abraxas." John Lupin's gaze lingered on Abraxas' flaxen curls. "I mean... I mean..." He glanced quickly at Araminta and shuddered. Then he whispered. "Oh, all right, Abraxas. Let's play Quidditch together."
Abraxas lit up. "Just you and me?"
John Lupin nodded and flushed. "Yes, Abraxas. What the hell... Just you and me."
As Harry was leaving the great hall, he heard Slughorn's voice, slightly panicked: "I'm afraid I don't have time to chat now, headmaster; so many potions essays to correct this evening..."
"Oh, what's the rush, my dear Horace?" The headmaster's hand lingered on Slughorn's robes. "This mallard blue velvet looks fabulous on you Horace; it picks up some of the green-blue shades in your eyes..."
"Ready for the play, Elias?" Voldemort appeared by Harry's side.
Harry sighed. "No. But I suppose we'd better get it over with."
"There, there. No need to be nervous my dear." Voldemort ruffled his hair gently. "I'll be right there giving you the lines if you need them. So what could possibly go wrong?"