"Marvolo..." Harry groaned. "I'm tired!"

"Hush, if you want to know how this organization works, you will have to go through this." The Dark Lord smirked, and dropped another pile of papers on Harry's lap.

"How could I know I was getting myself into this when I agreed to help you?" the boy mumbled, more to himself than to the other.

Marvolo didn't answer, and when Harry glanced up after a few minutes, he saw that the man was buried in work himself, bent over a table full of papers and books. He smiled when he saw how devoted he was for his cause, and knew that the Light was a fool to ever think they could win from such a die-hard maniac. Then, he chuckled to himself. The Light... little more than a few weeks ago, he considered himself among them... Merlin, this man really had turned his world upside down. In the right way, for he felt as if he had always had to walk on air, being caught and dragged along in the whims and moods of others, always having to please the mass, always keeping up appearances... And now he finally had found solid ground. Seeing Marvolo, he got renewed strength, and delved into the rapports, plans, sketches and other stuff he had to go through. One in particular caught his attention, and he saw it had actually been written by Marvolo himself. He didn't know if it was supposed to be in the stack, since it was torn on one side, like it had been ripped out of a book and seemed very personal, which made him wonder if the man still kept diaries.

I have finally been able to come closer to my goal...sometimes I wonder why I still do this, when I fall so deep and hard over and over again, but moments like these make it all worth it. I have finally been able to rid myself of that embryonic body. Circe, I can't describe the feeling of how it is to finally walk again after spending more than a decade like a ghost, and after that, having to be carried for a year by that disgusting rat. Barty was better though... Alas, he's in Azkaban now… I should plan a way to get him out without raising suspicion that I have revived...I owe him as much...and maybe others in the process...I hope Bella won't be even more insane than she was.

Of course, my rebirth got a bit ruined by that wretched Potter boy...Why can't I just kill him and be done by it? It is strange, I had him there, and I could have done it, but yet I couldn't bring myself to it, which is why I challenged him to a duel, in the insane, infuriating hope that he would escape...Why? He is my enemy, and I should kill him, not let him escape. After so much thoughtful planning, I let it go to waste...But I have other things to think of than Potter right now...Maybe I'll try to locate his home now though...

The next few sentences were scribbled through very thoroughly, and Harry couldn't even distinguish letters, so he gave up. As he turned the page around, he saw a detailed plan of how to get to Azkaban unnoticed. He hadn't really given much thought about it as of yet, but now he almost slapped himself. He should have noticed that almost every Death Eater here was captured in the first war. He reread the first page, and found it oddly endearing. So even then Marvolo had struggled with feelings, even though he hadn't recognized them yet... Maybe it wasn't really such a coincidence that this page had been among the others...Smiling, he put it aside and started working through the carefully laid out plans, which had a lot of improvements in the side-line, written in the elegant handwriting of the Dark Lord.

Harry yawned and rubbed his eyes to stay awake, but slowly felt himself drift off after another two hours, occasionally waking up with a jerk of his head, but finally, he gave in. When just on the brink of sleep, he heard a low chuckle, and felt himself being lifted up by a pair of arms. Unconsciously, he snuggled deeper into the cold that embraced him, sighing contently before his dreams took over.

XXx

He walked through the dark corridors with the sleeping boy in his arms, and was on his way to Harry's bedroom when his steps wavered and a smirk appeared on his face. He felt slightly bad for what he was about to do, but he squashed the feeling with the thought that Harry had never given any indication to not want it... And it wasn't like they hadn't spent nights together, though the circumstances had been slightly different. Quickly, he went to his own bedroom, and put Harry softly down on the bed. Not wanting to take too much advantage, he changed Harry's clothes magically into a pair of soft, grey pajama pants before changing himself. Careful so as to not wake the teen up, he slowly pulled the covers over them, moaning softly as their skin made contact when he took the boy in his arms. He lowered his head and began to place soft kisses on the pale skin. He drew back in surprise when he heard his name being whispered, and the most extraneous feeling spread through him, his heart speeding up when he realised that the other was still asleep.

"Harry..." he whispered back, feeling all... warm and affectionate.

He vaguely wondered if he should turn his back on this... It was simply not like him to act like this. But he knew he couldn't, even if he wanted to. And it was not like it affected him in his behavior in general, or stood in the way with his plans for the war... It would have been most difficult if Harry had decided to remain on the Light side, and he would have had to suppress his feelings, but now... no, like he had told Harry, it felt just too good to be wrong, and he wasn't planning to give it up. As long as he wouldn't feel this giddy during meetings, it was all going to be fine...

Salazar be cursed… Harry is going to be in these meetings from now on.

XXx

Like yesterday, he woke up in the arms of Marvolo, and he let out a shuddering breath when a hand travelled lazily up and down his spine. Only when he moved and froze from the skin-on-skin contact that the movement caused, did he register that their upper bodies were exposed, and a blush bloomed on his cheeks. He closed his eyes again when more pleasurable tingles went up and down his backside wherever the Dark Lord's fingers would graze his skin. Not really knowing what he was doing, he began to stroke the light muscled torso beneath him, and was rewarded with a moaned hiss. He heaved himself up a bit, and if the growl the other man emitted was anything to go by, it was not appreciated. He smirked and draped himself over the other man again, now a bit higher so he could bury his face in the crook of the Dark Lord's neck. A hand found its way into Harry's hair and gently pushed him against the skin even more, before descending his body again. Harry bit back a moan when it came to slide over his bottom. He heard a deep chuckle, and Marvolo rubbed him again, causing Harry's breath to speed up.

"W... what are you doing?" he whimpered, and he felt the man smirk.

"I don't really know..." Marvolo admitted. "What are you doing?"

Harry bit his lip before answering in a mumble: "Seeing how far you'll go?"

The Dark Lord suddenly flipped them over so Harry was beneath him and gave a husky laugh. "Then I'll just see how far you'll let me, no?"

The teen knew that they were playing a dangerous game, but he really couldn't bring himself to pull away, and instead reached out to lay his hand on Marvolo's cheek, propping himself up on an elbow to kiss him. Their tongues met and sensually slid together slowly. He let his hands travel down the muscled, cold body above him and moaned, feeling Marvolo's obvious arousal against his thigh. With great effort and reluctance, he finally drew back however, knowing he was not ready for this yet. Marvolo gazed down at him in understanding.

"Never done anything like this?"

He shook his head, afraid that the other would be angry, but he was greatly surprised when he found himself in a comfortable embrace.

"I have time." Marvolo chuckled, when sensing Harry's confusion. "I've floated around as a spirit for thirteen years, and then spent another year in a temporary body, hardly able to move by myself. Such changes the way you look at things, and does a great deal to your patience," he smiled.

Harry hummed and snuggled up to him, glad to know it wasn't a problem.


Trying as he might, the cheery grin that was plastered on his face wouldn't get off, even as he entered the dining room, which was full of Death Eaters at the moment, something he hadn't expected. Marvolo had told him he had wanted to schedule a meeting, but he hadn't thought the man would be able to get every single one of his followers alerted and instructed to come here in mere hours. But well, this was The Dark Lord he was talking about. The same one who had convinced the savior of the light to follow the Dark course rather than the Light in a matter of a few days. Several people who had noticed him now looked at him as if he were insane, to stalk in here smiling. He was surprised by how many of them didn't wear the usual skull masks, and vaguely wondered if it was only a standard item during raids. It made more sense, because now, it was easier for Voldemort –it really felt strange to refer to the man as Marvolo right now, when he sat on a large throne with his minions at his feet-, to identify them.

The 'you are insane' looks, quickly became 'What the hell is Harry Potter doing here' looks, and he chuckled inwardly. It seemed their Lord hadn't told them his change in sides yet. He slowed down, using the time he was walking to ponder on how he was expected to treat Voldemort. Bow down and kiss his robes? Or walk up the platform and kiss his lips? –The last one seemed the nicest option to him, but he didn't think it would sit well with the Death Eaters, and he didn't really know what Marvolo would think about it. Unsure, he gazed up at the impressive man who was seated on the throne, and Harry gave him a nod when Voldemort gestured for him to stand next to him with a tiny jerk of his head.

~Just observe this meeting. Like that, you will not only get a general view of the meeting, but also of the various people you have to deal with. Try to distinguish them by character and acts rather than by faces. You won't see them on a mission, for then they have their masks on.~

~Alright. What are you going to do about, uhm, me?~

~By placing you here, I made clear that you are above them. I won't send you out as cannon fodder or anything. However, it does not mean they will obey you. Their respect is something you have to earn for yourself. I cannot guarantee that, nor do I want to. You are your own person, and I won't make decisions for you except if you ask me for advice.~

Harry smiled and nodded, taking a step back so he wouldn't be in sight so much. He wouldn't actively participate now anyways. He knew from the many rapports he had been obligated to read that currently, the Dark sect was working on a diversion plan, to cover up the fact that the Dark Lord had indeed returned. It was slow but effective, and especially those with posts at the Ministry were working hard, intercepting letters and files and erasing any trace of evidence that could lead to the conclusion that the rebirth of Lord Voldemort was, as Dumbledore stated, indeed a fact, and also to cover up the outbreak from Azkaban.

This had succeeded, mostly because Voldemort had made a pact with the Dementors in the first war, which was valid again now he had returned. No Dementor had informed the Ministry that prisoners had disappeared, to be replaced with artificially created bodies that looked and acted like humans, but were really made up of magic. Thanks to a complex enchantment, the result of a co-operation between Death Eaters with various specialties, they even consumed food and water and needed sleep, so no-one who visited for a check-up on the prison would get suspicious about the behavior of the 'prisoners'.

Meanwhile, a number of spies had been trying to infiltrate a department in the Ministry of Magic, called the Department of Mysteries. In the first war, a Death Eater named Rookwood had been an Unspeakable, but because of the betrayal of Karkaroff, he had been sentenced to prison. Currently, he had submerged and lived in a wing of the Malfoy manor, right under the noses of the minister himself, who often paid visits and dined with the rich family. Still, Harry thought it was only a matter of time before Lucius would throw Rookwood out. Also, Voldemort had granted him the lead on the hunt for the traitor. Various of his men were already trailing the former headmaster of Durmstrang, who was trying to shake them off somewhere in Scandinavia.

Another team was trying to get as much information on the Order of the Phoenix as possible. Dumbledore had told Harry about the organization just after the Triwizard tournament, saying that he would also give them the task to make sure Harry was safe at the Dursleys. At the time, he had thought that Dumbledore finally believed his words about the abuse he suffered there, but it turned out that they only watched out for Death Eaters, and apparently only at night, because he never saw them. Not that their 'looking out' was much protection, seeing as the Dark Lord himself could apparate in and out of Harry's house every evening. Marvolo had explained the teen that the wards didn't work on him anymore since he had resurrected, using Harry's blood in the process.

Harry watched with interest how, after a general view-over of how the plans were going, Voldemort motioned for them to divide themselves in groups to work out the missions they had been assigned, together with people who had similar ones, exchanging information. Because of the exposure risk of working undercover, they had little to no contact with each other at the Ministry so it would seem they didn't have any links should one of them ever be caught. A downside was that they couldn't improvise, because they had no way of letting the others know. And that was where this moment was for.

He also noticed that Snape wasn't here. Possibly, the Dark lord hadn't summoned him on purpose, so Harry's being here wouldn't be discovered by the Order. They still didn't know what side Snape was on exactly, and thus, Voldemort tried to let it seem Snape was very trusted while giving him as little information as possible, most of it false or not important anymore. Harry knew that the man would pose a great risk if his alliance wasn't clear, especially if he was on Dumbledore's side. He was clever, sly, reserved, and a great potions master. The only one, save for the Dark Lord himself, who could brew more complex potions. Marvolo had also said he was a great Occlumens and Legilimens, whatever that might be. When he had asked, Voldemort said that it had something to do with mind magic, and that he would explain it later.

Letting his gaze wander over the tables, he decided to eavesdrop on some conversations, and picked the tables who were having heated discussions. Not only would he be able to gain the most information there, they were also too busy to notice him. This way ensured him that he would get to know the conflict points within the circles. His interest was caught by one table in particular.

"Fudge is an idiot!" one of them hissed. "If we let him stay in the office, we will never achieve our goals. He is too afraid of change to help us with the laws we need to get through."

"I agree." Another nodded. "He holds too tight onto the laws that are already established, and is hesitant to implement change. If we can get the public to doubt him, and get him fired, one of our cause might gain the title and pull the strings!"

"And what if someone worse will get the position?" a skeptical looking woman said, who leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "I know that the most popular candidate would be Rufus Scrimgeour, an Auror. An Auror, I tell you! Do you know what would happen if he would take position as one of the mightiest men in the Wizarding world? We wouldn't stand a chance!"

"On the other hand, Lucius Malfoy has a high chance as well..." an old man with a scar on his face said.

"Phah!" another man said. "Malfoy? I would like to see him there, yes, but outside of the Ministry, not many light wizards trust him. Dumbledore knows he's one of us and will surely manipulate the mass. No, no, we should be lucky that someone like Fudge is in the office, too afraid to acknowledge the return of our Lord."

"But what of the Dark Lord himself? He hasn't yet spoken about this. I assume that means he either wishes it to stay as it is, or he has some grand scheme... I am curious about his opinion." The woman who had spoken earlier whispered, now drawing the attention of the others by leaning in and narrowing her eyes at every one of them.

"Oh? And who'll ask him, you?"

His attention was drawn by Marvolo, who watched the scene as well, undoubtedly able to follow every word they said even from a great distance. He smirked at Harry and raised an eyebrow before proceeding to walk. Feeling his Gryffindor courage built up, he stalked to the table, knowing exactly what the man's view was on the matter, having heard it just yesterday evening.

"Actually, the Dark Lord wishes for Fudge to stay where he is. She... what's your name?" he asked, gesturing to the woman, who bore a triumphant smile now and said 'Lavena.' "Lavena was right. Fudge may not want to take risks, but at least he doesn't want to see what's going on. Scrimgeour is one of the main reasons as well. He would undoubtedly gain the position, especially with backup from Dumbledore, should there not be other candidates the man approves of, and drastic changes would be the consequence. We cannot have that."

"We?" a foreign looking man said, frowning. "You're Potter, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am." He answered, and the man gestured for him to sit.

"My name is Atiyeh. Sameer Atiyeh." He said, and shook hands. "Now, Our Lord hasn't given us any explanation for your presence, so I won't demand you to answer me, but I can't deny that I am curious. What are you doing here?"

"Helping your Lord with his cause... I am not too sure what my role will be," he said, feeling confidential, "But I am certain I can make myself useful somehow. He and I came to an... understanding of sorts." He grinned.

"And how do you know his view on the subject of the Minister of Magic?" a young man asked, who absentmindedly carded his fingers through his short, light brown hair.

Harry thought he knew him from somewhere, but he wasn't too sure. Then, he remembered. It had been an on viewer during the third task. He had caught a glimpse of him on the tribunes, just before entering the maze. Someone who was linked to one of the students on the other schools perhaps? Or a spy of the Dark Lord, there to witness Harry's arrival. He also could have sworn it had been this man who had –probably on purpose, now he thought of it- blocked him from view when Barty crouch junior had dragged him away after his return from the graveyard. Yes, definitely the same man...

At the time, he had thought that Voldemort had only a few followers, but it seemed there were circles within circles here, many little groups, some of them higher than the others. He was sure that the six people at this table were not members of the Inner circle, but had an important role nonetheless. Valuable assets to the Dark and not people to be send on raids in masses. Each of them had their own connections, abilities and missions, and no matter how irrelevant it seemed, they were all part of a great plan. Other than in the Light side however, the people here had access to the information about not only their tasks, but the others' as well. He wondered how many members of the Order of the Phoenix knew what Dumbledore was up to half of the time, or what the assignments of the other members were.

"I know his views, because he told me." He answered smugly, and earned disbelieving glances.

"He told you." A woman with dark red hair said, looking as if he could shout 'Joke!' any second now.

"Yeah, he told me." He nodded. "While he made me read everything related to the Dark Sect, both from the first war and what he has been up to since his rebirth. It surprised me that he was able to set everything in motion again so fast."

"Most of us believed he was dead, but that did not mean we had given up on his –our- cause. We just waited for an opportunity. Another leader, another powerful wizard who could bring us together. When we got word of that he had risen again.. .we were ready to follow him again that instant." Sameer told Harry. "I just never would have thought he'd convince you of all people. How come?"

"Well..." Harry said, not sure what to say –obviously not the truth- "Don't really know if I'm allowed to say..."

"Hey, we don't have secrets in the sect!" another woman, who looked amazingly like the woman with dark red hair at the table exclaimed, and put down some bottles of really strong smelling stuff on the table before taking an empty seat.

"Yeah, come on, how bad can it be? Or did he force you or something?"

"No, no, nothing like that... I thought I'd stay Neutral until two days ago, actually, but as things turned out, and he told me more about the organization, the goals, the people... I felt like I finally had something to work for that I stood behind. And I'm also doing this for him personally, really."

"Oh?"

Shoot, I shouldn't have said that.

"Uh, before we get more into this, what are your names? I hardly know you."

"Alright... I'm Devaki, and this is my sister, Dyanira." The woman who had last joined them said, and her sister waved. "This here is Alian," The man with the scar on his face shot him a grin, "Sameer," the man nodded, -Now he thought about it, he looked like he came from the Middle-east or somewhere,- "Lavena." The woman who had agreed with him on Fudge smiled "And Ryder." She finished, and the younger man jerked his head. "We all know each other from work." she said, without getting more into it.

"Good, at least I won't have to say 'hey you' to everyone now." Harry said.

"So, about you and the Dark Lord... You mean like you've spoken to him... personally? As in, you've been granted his presence near you?"

If you only knew...

"You could say that, yeah..." he said, not liking the direction this was going.

"How is it? To feel his magic so close to you?" Dyanira asked, excited.

Harry sighed, and eyed the man they were talking about, who was talking with somebody at the other side of the room. –or ordering him around, it seemed, the man bowing at his every word.- "It's great." he said, deciding to stay as close to the truth as possible. His magic is amazing... so... powerful. It's not really something you'll ever get used to... And he himself... he's brilliant. I don't think there's anything he doesn't know anything about. He's great, totally great. Can't believe I tried to fight him for a great part of my life... but that's more because I was ordered to..."

"And now you're on our side." Ryder grinned. "To think that I tried to give Barty an opportunity to kill you mere weeks ago... I'm sorry for that by the way..."

"So it was you! Don't blame you though... or him. I would've done the same thing if it were a Death Eater then..."

~Harry?~ someone suddenly hissed, and the group got up and bowed before their Lord after looking at him in awe for a moment. Harry wanted to follow their example, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

~Never bow to me.~ Marvolo said, and Harry ducked his head to hide a grin at seeing the warmth in the eyes of the man. ~I see you've already joined in?~

~Pretty much~ he smiled, ~Though they're really fishing about my reasons to be here, and I don't know if I'm good at lying...~

~Lie to me.~

~What?~

~Lie to me!~

~Alright, uhm...~ He took a deep sigh and said: ~I'm sorry to tell you this, but actually...I'm in love with Dumbledore.~

Harry saw it was really hard for Marvolo to not burst out in laughing. "Harry... firstly, you're a terrible liar, luckily. Secondly, I just said lie, not do it in a way that would give me a heart attack. Don't ever say that again."

"Wasn't planning on it." Harry shrugged.

"Good. ~Now, you didn't tell them anything? Not even lied in a way that could make them guess?~

~I don't think so...~ he said, peeking at the people who were watching their conversation with awe.

"Then I believe we have to rectify that." The Dark Lord smirked, and before Harry knew what his lover was doing, Marvolo had cupped his face and kissed him. Just before the man could pull away, he responded rather enthusiastically, and heard a deep rumbling sound coming from Marvolo's chest, as if he were laughing. When they finally pulled apart, Harry tried not to look too cheerfully, and probably failed.

"Come. There is someone I want you to meet." Marvolo told him, and Harry vaguely said the shocked group goodbye, before tailing after his lover, still feeling dizzy.

"I hadn't been expecting that..." he said, raising an eyebrow. "You realise that everyone saw that, no?"

"I'm aware of that." The Dark lord said, "but I'm not going to pretend I only know you, well, at a professional level. If I want to kiss you, I do. I'm not going to withhold myself because a few of my followers don't like what I'm doing. It certainly didn't stop me before, with anything, so why should this be any different? They aren't so stupid to ask me to explain my behaviour to them."

"The joys of being a Dark Lord..." Harry remarked. "I really don't mind though...I think I might even like it."

"Might?"

"I like it."

"I thought so."

"Who do you want me to meet?"

"Someone who isn't part of any of my circles, but is still one of my top ranked people. He executed several important plans of mine on his own. And with executed, I mean executed, because he is the best assassin you'll ever come across."

"An assassin? Why am I meeting him?" Harry asked, feeling a bit nervous.

"Because, Harry, he will help you on your first task."


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xx GeMerope