Author: HatefulRodeo
Title: Of Unexpected Deliveries and Doorsteps
Notes: I'M BACK! It's been what a year or maybe more…I would say I was sorry but that's kind of a lie. Life is insane as always and things have a habit of popping up when you least expect them to. Anywho Enjoy Lovelies! On With The Fic! ; )
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story.
Previously:
Draco anxiety and fear seemed to deflate completely now that his father was here while Blaise tensed up in uncertainty, not knowing if the position he was in with Draco would be welcomed by the Malfoy Lord. Lucius seemed to feel the distress radiating from Zabini and turned cool grey eyes onto the Italian; "All is well, Mr. Zabini but rest assure you and I will be speaking about your intentions towards my son and heir. Agreed."
Draco merely rolled his eyes while Blaise gulped and nodded in lieu of speaking. Satisfied the elder Malfoy turned his eyes to Theo; "Are you well, young Nott?" The tall blonde eleven year old merely nodded, his face impassive but his blue eyes screamed that he was worried for his friend.
Severus moved to stand by Lucius' side, slipping his potion stained fingers into his lover's smooth hand. They remained quiet for a few moments until the happy glint reentered Lucius' eyes; "I have news and, now that I ponder it, a possible reason for Harry's experience tonight..." Severus listened as his partner detailed his experience with the reforming Dark Lord and felt relieved that they would not be hunted but unnerved that his former Master could affect his son so drastically without even meaning to.
This link would have to be studied even further now and maybe the Dark Lord should be alerted to its existence if he didn't realize it when he acquired a new body. Yes, the man would have to be made aware of it in time but for right now Severus wanted to make sure Harry was alright and further more okay with sharing the existence of the link he shared with his once nemesis.
There was so much to consider and so much happening that it almost made his head spin. However, they would get through it as they always did; together. With a sigh he went to sit on the bed, taking Harry's hand into his own and shifted only slightly so Lucius could sit behind him with his back resting against the headboard. Together the five of them sat vigil over their sixth member well into the night.
~*~*~*Chapter 17~*~*~*
Harry felt like he was floating in a sea of black, being swept towards a small light on a tide of warm water. His bodiless journey ceased when he saw a cauldron and a downed man; there was a deep voice speaking words in Latin that he could not really understand.
He still felt bodiless but somewhat grounded by the surroundings around him. The sight was somewhat beautiful but terrifying. The magic was thick in the air and he felt like he could almost feel the roaring fire underneath the cauldron.
Fearful but curious he allowed himself to watch the scene unfold. He didn't know who the man's mind he inhabited was but he had a sneaking suspicion on who it could be. The thought that it might be the Dark Lord's mind he was in didn't disturb him as much as it might have once. Harry knew the man was trying to become better and make up for his past mistakes but still it was slightly upsetting to know he was squatting inside the man who had murdered his parents and tried to murder him when he was a mere baby.
A flash of blinding light erupted from the cauldron and the precocious eleven year old's attention was dragged to the bubbling vat of liquid on the fire. It was like molten silver, swirling like a sea in storm and Harry wondered vaguely what was to come of the massive pot full of liquid.
The answer was granted several seconds later when his host moved to step into the boiling liquid. The Slytherin panicked, fearful of the pain that would come from being submerged in writhing potion but his fears were for naught when the silver substance merely lapped at his host's body.
It didn't scorch or burn at all; it felt like what Harry thought a hot tub would feel like. For a few seconds it felt quite nice until the potion began to sink into his transport's body; that was when the pain began and if he thought the pain before his dad's spell was bad this was by far worse. It felt like he was being ripped apart and remade as if every cell in his body was being destroyed and re-forged in fire.
Harry screamed in his mind, writhed in agony and mentally closed his eyes for the first time since he was brought to the place with the Dark Lord and cauldron. The pain seemed to lessen and disappear until it was nothing but a dull sting to him.
Mentally preparing himself he opened his eyes to take in what was going on. Little could have prepared him for what he would see; a man, a tall man, with flowing chocolate hair to his neck and piercing red eyes stared back at him from an ornate mirror propped up against a hedge as if the piece of furniture was brought out there for this exact purpose and maybe it actually was now that Harry thought he knew what was happening.
Harry could admit the Dark Lord was handsome; tall and muscled with model good looks and a tongue so smooth it was like liquid sin upon the ears. Oh yes Harry knew how his fathers and so many more could be swayed by such a man. But Harry knew the evil that once lurked behind that pretty facade and he would not allow that to sway him.
The Dark Lord stopped his perusal of his newly regained body when he heard a whimper of pain coming from behind him and more quickly than Harry would have thought the man was out of the cauldron and rushing towards an obviously in pain Quirrel.
The crimson eyed man summoned his wand and knelt next to the other man; once his wand was in his hand he called for his robe and quickly, not paying attention to his nakedness, rifled through the pockets until he found a small bottle fill with crimson liquid. With more care then Harry would have thought the man possessed Voldemort rolled the whimpering male over until he was on his back and with great care poured the liquid into Quirrel's bloodless lips.
"Quirinus"...Harry merely listened and watched the most evil man in a century gently soothe the man now in his arms, muttering his name quietly until the eleven year old's former Defense professor opened deep unfocused brown eyes and blindly reached for Voldemort's hand.
He felt like he was watching something private and deep, making him feel very uncomfortable. All his mental squirming must have alerted the Dark Lord's to his presence in his mind. A mental jab was sent towards Harry and the young man recoiled in pain; it hurt! A feeling of understanding that was not Harry's own fluttered through him before he felt a push being exerted on his consciousness.
As slowly as he came to be in Voldemort's mind he was pushed out, free floating back to his own mind and body at Hogwarts. He felt like he ran a thousand miles when he settled into his own body and only had the energy to open clouded emerald eyes while giving his most important people a small, tired smile before true sleep claimed the eleven year old.
~*~*~*POV Change~*~*~*
The Dark Lord held his former host loosely in his arms and allowed the tonic he used to keep him stable and repair his damaged mind do it work. Quirinus had suffered greatly when they separated; far more than he thought he would and it pained him to see it but it hurt even more to know he has caused such agony in his host but it was necessary if they were to even reach their goals.
It was over now however; his body was his again as was his mind and the feeling was indescribably wonderful. The only thing dampening the feeling of euphoria was watching Quirrell; no it was Quirinus now, in pain. HE did the only thing could do and that was keep speaking to the downed man in a low soothing voice while waiting patiently for the tonic to do its work.
Once it was finished his former host would be healthier than he ever was and then the man would take a hair regrowth potion. Marvolo remembered Quirinus' gorgeous, free-flowing auburn locks. The man's beautiful hair had to be shown off when he came to reside in the back of his head for obvious reasons but now that he was gone and reborn the former Dark Lord wanted those long tresses back and he had the strong urge to see if they were as soft as they seemed to be.
A squirming, there was no better way to describe it, in the back of his eyes brought his focus inwards and for the first time in many years the crimson eyes man turned his focus inward and into his fully healed mind. The anomaly wasn't that hard to find now that he was back at full strength and his mind wasn't blinded by agony or concern for Quirinus.
The presence felt young, uncomfortable and a bit frightened but there was also curiosity brimming through all that and at once the former Dark Lord knew who his passenger was; Harry Potter-Snape. It appeared he and the boy shared more of a connection than he ever knew about and that it was known he would take steps to guard himself and the boy.
He would send a letter to the Snape-Malfoy family alerting them to his newly gotten knowledge and assuage their fears of him manipulating Harry to his own gain. No, he wanted to make peace the formidable family of four not further alienate them away from him and his cause.
With a small mental push the boy was moved out of his mind and through the connection they both shared and back into his own body. The newly reborn man could only imagine how terrified Severus and Lucius must be right now. He only hoped the young boy hadn't suffered to badly before he was sucked into his mind during the ritual.
Yes, he would definitely need to remedy the easy access they both enjoyed to the other's mind. HE was grateful the young man as not older and a master in the Mind Arts or he would have been in severe trouble before he regained his mind and body. The absorption of his Horcruxes was truly a blessing from Mother Magic herself; Marvolo knew it should have probably killed him to do it but Magic allowed him to survive the torment of his regret and continue on with his initial goal; the goal he lost when he began to lose himself to his madness.
With a mental smile he returned to the world outside his mind and smiled truly when he saw Quirinus staring at him with those doe brown eyes. Those chocolate orbs were so expressive and trusting when they looked at him and he felt humbled that this man; the man who saw him at his lowest and his worst still looked at him in such a way.
Yes, Qurinus was too kind for this world and probably too good for the still jaded man he was but Marvolo was selfish and would keep this diamond in the mire for himself. And maybe having someone like his former host close to him would moderate some of his more extreme ideas. The crimson eyed man knew himself well enough to know he tended to ere to towards the more dramatic, spinning complex plans when a simpler solution would work.
HE liked to think it was his over developed Slytherin side that geared him towards grand gestures of power and intellect while sweet Hufflepuff Quirinus' nature steered him towards finding the best and simplest solution for all involved. Yes, keeping Quirinus by his side would be wise and to be honest Marvolo owed this man more than he had ever owed another.
His feelings while mostly platonic were beginning to stir in a new but not unwelcomed direction. Quirrell was an attractive man in a sweet and unassuming way but the newly reborn former Dark Lord knew there was a quiet strength inside his former host; it was that strength that allowed him to carry Marvolo for so long and it was that inner fire that allowed the other man to fight him for control of their body when the crimson eyed man fought with all his might to take it away from him.
Marvolo did not know love, not really. He'd felt fondness and maybe tolerance or liking towards another but never love. It was foreign to him but he maybe it was time to explore more things, new things. Mother Magic gifted him with a second chance to change and while before love and attachments were scoffed at as useless maybe now he should attempt to build bonds deeper than that of master and servant or co-conspirators working together.
I'm not 100% thrilled with it but there you have it. Mostly filler and explanation but we are moving forward. However, I may not take this fic very much further and leave it open-end for you to make your own conclusions. I also wouldn't mind someone taking it over from where I left off as long as you don't turn it into some cracktastic piece of fucking garbage. I love a good crack fic but this is not one of them.
As always all mistakes are my own!