*Rolls in a year later with Starbucks*
This has been in my WIP for a while now. I wanted to add more to the original fic and finally got around to finishing it. I hope you all enjoy!
"Please just let me see my pup."
That was all Harry talked about, that monster of a child. Ron sighed and turned away from Harry, letting Valstrov take over the session for today. How could Harry think that thing was his child? It couldn't be, Harry had to understand that.
There was a wall to his right, illusioned to look like a mirror, but he knew Hermione and her secretary were on the other side. He smiled weakly in what he hoped was their direction before turning back to Harry.
"Harry, that's not your pup. Do you remember what happened? Who kidnapped you?" Ron sighed as he watched Harry shake violently. He knew they wouldn't get anything useful out of this session, Harry's was too far gone today to truly provide them any answers.
"That's my pup! My Tom! Please just let me see him. Just let me see my pup, he'll be good. We'll be good, I promise." Harry was sobbing now, tears dripping down his face as the awful scent of a distressed omega filled the room. It seemed Harry had broken through his scent blockers. Ron felt his muscles tense involuntarily, Valstrov doing the same as the fellow alpha began to take shallow breaths.
"I think you should rest Harry, you need to go back to your room." Ron pressed down on the rune that recorded each of their sessions, signaling the end for today. He and Valstrov needed to leave before something happened, something that would get either of them fired or worse, taken off the case.
Ron watched as slowly Harry's eyes began to close, the magic of the room doing its job as the recording was no longer in session. It took a few minutes but Harry slumped against the table, unconscious as the magic of the room put him to sleep.
"We could have gotten something out of him." Valstrov muttered, unlocking the cuffs that attached Harry to the table.
"Nothing of value, he was too out of it. He didn't even remember the last sessions." Ron shook his head, the old ache in his heart flaring up again at how lost his best friend was. "Look, we'll try again tomorrow. Maybe he'll be more receptive then."
Before Valstrov could reply the door to the room opened. With the rune disabled the door had unlocked and Malfoy poked his head into the room.
More than anything Ron hated that Malfoy was here. Sure he's grateful the prat was able to get Harry out of that Death Eater prison and risked his life and magic to do so. But he's more angry that Malfoy brought that thing back with them. Rationally he knows Malfoy wouldn't have been able to bring Harry without the monster but it still stings. That Malfoy is the only one able to calm Harry down doesn't help.
"Are you done for the day?" Malfoy bit his lip as he looked at Harry's unconscious form and Ron's frown deepened.
"Just with Harry, can you bring… it down?" He's not looking forward to try and drag answers out of the monster. The fact that Voldemort has taken on the face of a child was disconcerting and manipulative. But he's not done anything in the time he's been with Harry. Malfoy's statement was even more confusing, the monster had killed a few Death Eaters but ultimately did little more than stick to Harry's side when in that Death Eater prison. The most damage came from trying to separate Harry and that thing. It's why the two are trapped in this house. Grimmauld Place has become a prison once more, for Harry and that monster.
Malfoy nodded and carefully picked up Harry, bringing the man upstairs. Ron knew Malfoy would send the monster down and make sure Harry was taken care of.
"Can I go outside?" The thing asked this every time. It always seemed so concerned with going outside, likely to escape.
"No. What are you doing here, Voldemort?" Valstrov was still in charge of the session. It made Ron sick to even look at the thing. Voldemort masquerading around as a child was sickening and whatever he'd done to poison Harry's mind was insidious. It felt like he was back in that forest again as the Horcrux whispered lies into his mind.
"Mummy said we live here now with Uncle Draco." The monster stared at the desk intently. It never changed its story. Always calling Harry Mummy and acting as if it were a real child. The thing was dedicated, Ron would give it that. He tuned back in to hear the last of the monster's statement. "It's not the same as the house before."
Ron paused, thoughts racing through his head as he considered the monster. The locket was a master manipulator but it only knew what was going on in their heads. The locket had never been able to provide new information, only what Ron knew. If this thing really was the remnants of a horcrux like Hermione and Unspeakable Moonweaver believed then it may be able to give them the answers Harry couldn't. He cleared his throat, interrupting whatever question Valstrov had been asking.
"What's different about it? This house and the house you were in before." Ron studied the monster as it played with its fingers like a child. He thought of Rose's similar habit of playing with her fingers when she was nervous. The thing looked up at Ron finally, avoiding direct eye contact.
"The walls feel wrong, like they're too close but also far away. I can feel the walls but only on the inside. It's like the scary dark cell and white room from before. The walls make me sick and like I can't breathe." The thing cringed at the mention of the cell and hospital room it had been locked in previously. Ron watched anger pass over Valstrov's face, he'd lost his partner Healer Dunning to Voldemort's attack at St. Mungo's. Dunning had been the only one brave enough to approach Voldemort while he was restrained and inject the monster with a potion. The healer had lost his life for the act but he'd saved countless others. "And there's no masked people who call me a prince, only Mummy says that now."
"Do you know why they called you a prince?" Ron nodded towards Valstrov, his fellow auror writing down the information. They hadn't been able to get anything out of the monster or Harry before but this was something.
"Mummy says it's because I'm his little prince." Voldemort gave a small smile and Ron felt bile rise in his throat. He hated watching this thing pretend like it was Harry's child. "But I heard one of the masked people say I'm a prince because that's how I was born. They said my Daddy was royalty and that his blood runs through me to be reborn."
Ron paused, looking over at Valstrov. That was new. From what little they could gather from Harry the Death Eaters were never planning to have Harry carry Voldemort in the way he did. Hermione had speculated that this version of Voldemort was likely an abomination in their eyes. He supposed it made sense that they would provide Voldemort with more information than Harry. They might finally be able to get a lead on what the Death Eaters were planning with these questions. Before Ron could continue Valstrov spoke.
"Do you know who your dad is?" The smirk on Valstrov's face made Ron uneasy. Valstrov stood from his chair across from Voldemort, looming over the small frame sat at the table.
"I asked Mummy but he just kept crying and said my Daddy was dead." Voldemort started down at the table, tears welling in his eyes that made Ron want to gag. How far would the monster take this act?
"We know who your father is." Valstrov rounded the table, coming to a stop next to Voldemort. Ron wasn't sure where Valstrov was going with these questions but it couldn't be anywhere good.
"Valstrov-" Ron stepped forward, ready to pull Valstrov from today's questioning when the monster spoke again. Voldemort lifted his head and looked at Valstrov with a mix of wariness and childlike hope.
"You knew my Daddy? What was he like?" Voldemort had turned in his shackles, pointing himself towards Valstrov.
"A monster, just like you. A waste of a wizard that we're better off without. Your Mummy killed him, killed you." The Auror sneered, wand drawn and pressed against the runic shackles that bound Voldemort. The runes glowed slightly, tightening the magical containment on the monster.
"Valstrov!" Ron grabbed at the other Aurora arm, pulling at Valstrov and sending worried looks towards the false mirror. The monster cried out at the tightening of its restraints, squirming away from Valstrov and looking at the man in shock and anger.
"You're lying!" Voldemort cried out and Ron frowned as the child's face twisted in pain. He'd seen the monster cry in fear before, there was no fear on the monster's face now. Something dark lurked behind the upset tears, something more than a child's confused feelings.
"Not at all. You can ask your Mummy about how he killed you. And when whatever spell you have him under is gone he'll kill you again Voldemort." Valstrov continued taunting the monster, tightening the runes further past their recommended restrictions. Voldemort's face twisted in pain, tears streaming down the childlike face as the runes dug into his skin and magic.
Ron cursed as Valstrov began to laugh at the pain Voldemort was in. Valstrov had always taken joy in scaring and yelling at Voldemort but had never pushed it this far. Valstrov would surely be pulled off the case for sure after this and Ron could only hope he kept his position as well. He needed to be here for Harry.
"Stop it! You're lying! You're a liar!" Voldemort screamed and Ron stumbled back at the force of it. There was a wave of magic coming from the monster and the runic shackles glowed blindingly bright before shattering. In a split second it felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room and an intense pressure permeated the space.
The darkness that Ron had noticed lurking in Voldemort earlier grew stronger and something burst from the child's body. A shadow spread over the room as thick dark mist emanated from Voldemort, howling like a storm wind and sucking in all light within the room.
Long dark tendrils began to spread from Voldemort, smashing into the walls and snapping the table in half easily. The tendrils then lashed out at the closest threat, Valstrov. That dark mist surrounded the man and Valstrov screamed in terror as the darkness began to tear into his skin.
Ron turned towards the window slamming a hand into the emergency rune to lock down the house further. The illusion of the mirror shattered and Ron could see the horrified faces of Hermione and Kimble as they stared into the room. He turned back to the room, watching as Valstrov's arm was pulled into the darkness and away from the rest of his body. Valstrov crumpled to the ground, a pool of blood beginning to spread underneath him while his arm dragged along the ground towards Voldemort.
"Shit, Valstrov! Get Moonweaver in here now!" Ron watched in horror as the arm was sucked into the darkness surrounding Voldemort. The darkness seemed to move with an intelligence that appeared separate from Voldemort. The childlike body was still crying but it was trying to pull away from the shadows anchored to it. Before he could examine things further the door to the room opened and two figures rushed in.
Both Malfoy and Moonweaver paused to take in the blood and dark mist that was spreading across the room before snapping into action. Malfoy was the first to move, collapsing to his knees next to the monster and drawing it into his arms. The shadows parted for him after a brief hesitance and he curled around Voldemort, whispering something into the creature's hair. Moonweaver moved with more caution, avoiding the shadowed tendrils that lashed out at them.
Their fingers glowed with magic as they began to chant lowly. The shadows seemed to perk up at the chanting but a soft whisper from Malfoy had them calming. Ron reached towards Valstrov, moving his body away from the three figures and starting to triage his wound. He would be able to stop the worst of the bleeding but they would need a healer to fully treat the issue.
He chanced a glance at where he had seen Valstrov's arm disappear and nearly gagged at the sight. There was a face in the shadows, Voldemort's familiar visage contorted by darkness and anger. It gnawed on the severed arm, the limb disappearing bite by bite into the darkness that loomed behind the physical child body. Blood smeared over the face as it ate with a fervor Ron had only seen in animals. It looked up, sensing his gaze and Ron felt himself grow light headed at the way it looked at him. The room began to spin, familiar whispers entering his mind, and he nearly collapsed.
Moonweaver stepped between him and the shadows and Ron's sight of the creature was blocked. He breathed deeply, taking a moment to breathe deeply and returned to treating Valstrov's wounds. He wouldn't make the mistake of meeting the actual monster's gaze again.