First of all, you will probably recognise some passages here that I took from OotP –both the book and the film to keep a little variation in it :P , like the speeches of teachers. After all, I don't think they would change their speech much because Harry has gone Dark… I tried to change some bits about them though, for I didn't feel like just copying the book. After all, it wouldn't be fanfiction anymore then, hm?
Enjoy!
He entered the dungeon and gave his professor a disdainful look, smirking smugly when it had the desired effect: riling the man up, especially as said man was in no position to go against him. Not anymore. The encounter they had had at Marvolo's manor had turned the tides. Nevertheless, Snape still glowered at him and looked like he wanted to strangle the teen. Instead, he released his fury at those who were less lucky and influential than Harry in a longwinded speech, practically saying they were idiots and that pretty much no-one was good enough to get a pass for their OWL's. Not that Harry cared whether or not he would pass potions. Before, he'd thought about becoming an Auror, and potions was a mandatory course for that, but now he was with Marvolo, he doubted that would be the best choice of career. After all, he was now with the wizards who were hunted…
Harry was glad that Marvolo had fixed his eyesight. Finally there was no more haze in front of his eyes where potion damp clung to his glasses. In effect, he could now read the instructions more clearly that had appeared on the blackboard. Still, he wasn't brilliant in potions and he knew it, and this particular potion was the hardest they had ever had. Ron's cauldron was already shooting green sparks, and while Hermione's potion looked perfect as ever, even she was having a hard time to do everything in the right order and add the exact ingredients. Harry narrowed his eyes and tried to make out Snape's scratchy handwriting, after which he added a few drops of Hellebore syrup. In the end, it appeared that he had made a mistake somewhere anyway, for it was darker than it should be and had a strange, green shine over it, but it was purple and fluid, unlike Goyle's potion, a sticky brown muddy mess. Snape inspected the cauldrons, glowering dangerously over his long hooked nose at anyone who hadn't reached the level of perfection he wanted, and at Hermione just because she was a Gryffindor and he couldn't stand her. Harry clenched his jaw when Snape looked at his potion, and he was left with astonishment as he didn't get an immediate zero for the first time he'd had potions.
"You forgot to stir counterclockwise in the end, Potter." Snape snapped. "And only an idiot would not have seen that I wrote six acer leaves, not eight." Harry glanced at the blackboard, really not able to tell if the number Snape had written there was a six or an eight.
Snape strode away, and Ron, who had gotten a tongue-lashing that was quite a bit longer, raised his eyebrows at him. Harry just shrugged. Ron's potion had been bad. Harry put his potion in a flask like they were instructed, gleefully watching as Goyle's one exploded and set his robes on fire, surprising himself by the thought that it was a pity that Snape had been able to extinguish the fire before it could burn some flesh away…
"Well," Hermione commented after the lesson. "At least he's a bit fairer to you this year, hmm? Must be because the OWL's are coming up."
"Must be." Harry mumbled, sighing irritably when he heard how unbelievable it sounded.
"I'll see you later, okay? I have Ancient Runes now."
"We have sleep-hour." Ron yawned, stretching his arms. "Also known as Divination."
"Oh, with that woman." Hermione said disapproving "I honestly wonder why she never got fired."
"Yeah, me too." Ron grumbled. "But I prefer her lesson over something dull like Arithmacy."
"Arithmacy is useful Ron!" Hermione said, and Harry was very glad that they had to split ways with her before she could begin a rant about their choice of subjects.
Ron and Harry walked up the stairs to the northern tower, not really looking forward to sitting in a classroom with professor Trelawney for an hour… Harry could only begin to imagine the horrible deaths he would die this year… maybe she'd get more creative though. She'd already had predicted every death that he could have imagined, plus some that he'd have never thought of, like getting paralyzed during Care of Magical Creatures, after which he would slowly be eaten by flobberworms. She probably didn't know that those only ate lettuce… Maybe they got sick of being vegetarian? He snorted and Ron gave him an odd look.
"Nothing. Just thinking what the hag will say this year. Do you think that she'll use the return of Voldemort to paint even more colourful schemes of my demise?"
"Possible, yeah. Oooh, Mr Potter… tomorrow, You-Know-Who will find a secret way to gain access to the castle and secretly snatch you from your bed to drag you to a dungeon…" Ron said in a spooky voice, and Harry doubled over in laughter, mainly because it was very likely to happen… only he wouldn't be dragged to the dungeon to be killed but to be snogged.
Somewhere on the endless stairs, he got lost in thoughts. Last night, he and Marvolo hadn't really spoken about how he should act, and while he knew that Marvolo trusted him, he had no idea what would be most beneficial to the Dark. He couldn't lose face in front of Dumbledore, so he had to act believable, but if he shouted out to the world that Voldemort was back, wouldn't that be a drawback for the Dark Lord?
No… whatever I do, my missions now are the most important. To execute those, I need to have Dumbledore's trust, which is more important than anything now. I just need to act like I did last year. The rest of the world thinks that I and Dumbledore are crazy anyway. Why not exploit that?
"Good day." Professor Trelawney said in her usual dreamy voice as they entered the classroom. "And welcome back to Divination. I have, of course, been following your fortunes most carefully over the holiday, and am delighted to see that you have all returned to Hogwarts safely –as, of course, I knew you would. This semester we will begin to study dreams. On the tables before you, you will find copies of The Dream Oracle, by Indigo Imago. Dream interpretation is of immense importance, for your dreams are messages of your sub-consciousness… This may also very well be tested in your OWL's. Personally, I don't think that a pass or fail is so important, but your headmaster and the Ministry like to see your results on paper… Not that it matters. If you have a Seer's Eye, then you won't have to worry about your future…"
She smiled at her own joke, which Harry thought was pretty lame, and he and Ron rolled their eyes at each other before trying to stifle their laughter, which earned them a disturbed glare of professor Trelawney. "Mr Potter, I see that Fate decided to play some more with you before your gruesome ending –which I won't indulge in for now.- Ah, I have Seen it all… I am sorry, my boy, but you won't be among us for much longer… now He has returned…" Harry didn't really know if it was a good thing or not that she believed him about Voldemort's return. Ah well, if she believed it, then others were less likely to do so… "But enough of that! Choose a partner and analyse the dreams you've had this night…"
Harry sighed and flipped open his book. What had he dreamt of this night? He couldn't really remember. After his… activities, he'd been so tired that he'd sunk away into oblivion. "So, Ron. Dreamt anything that predicted Snape blowing himself up with a potion?"
"Nah, but I'm sure we can turn any dream into that." Ron grinned.
"Wonderful."
"Yeah, I actually dreamed about Quidditch, and Malfoy fell off his broom, after which he dropped into the lake and got eaten by the Giant Squid."
"Let's see… Quidditch against Slytherin… that must surely represent the battle between you, a Gryffindor, and Snape, head of Slytherin… Malfoy represented Snape, and he fell to his death in the lake, which is liquid, which therefore is the equivalent of a potion. So, Snape drowns in his own potion. Good, eh?"
"You're brilliant. What'd you dream?"
"Nothing really."
"Nothing? Hmm… the blackness represented darkness, You-Know-Who is dark, so you actually dreamt of how you fell by You-Know-Who's hand…"
"Perfect." Harry said airily. "So, what are you going to do next Hogsmeade weekend?"
Forty-five minutes later they descended the stairs, sniggering. They'd both gotten an Acceptable for today's lesson. Harry looked forward to scribbling down nonsense dreams in the 'dream diary' they had to keep the following month.
"I wonder if Umbridge is a good teacher…" Ron mused.
"She didn't get sent here to teach, really. So I don't think so. I hope that she's better than Lockheart at least."
"Can anyone be worse?"
"True."
"She better not give us anymore homework…" Ron growled. I mean, we already have to do a foot long essay about moonstone from Snape, write a lot about Giant wars for Binns and now keep a dream diary for Trelawney! This year is going to be hell…
Tingles of hate crept up Harry's skin again when he crossed gazes with the woman, who was already sitting at the desk when they entered the DADA classroom. The black satin bow on her head reminded him of a fly, perched atop of an extremely ugly toad...
"Good afternoon, class." She said with a wide smile, and got a few mumbles as reply.
"No, no, that won't do at all. Now, I would like it if you would reply with: Good afternoon, professor Umbridge. One more time please. Good afternoon, class!"
"Good afternoon, professor Umbridge." Harry said, making sure to add as much sarcasm in his tone as he could. She either didn't notice the mood of the class or didn't care, because she leaned back in her chair, looking very smug.
"Now, that wasn't too difficult was it? Wands away and quills out please!"
His mood diminishing every passing second, Harry stuffed his wand in his bag and took parchment and quills. He decided that, if she wouldn't be teaching them well, he could use this class as an opportunity to spy on her and to try to get reactions out of her on various touchy subjects to know where the Ministry stood. When she got up and wrote: Defense Against the Dark Arts: Return to the Basic Principles on the blackboard, he knew that hope on good Defense lessons would be reduced to zero.
"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you will be pleased to know from now on, you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic. Copy down the following please:
Course Aims:
1. Understanding the principles underlying defense magic
2. Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can be legally used.
3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.
Harry stared at the Course aims, skimming over them a few times and sat back in his chair, stunned. Theory? That woman thought that they could learn Defense by theory only? It seems that Hermione agreed with him, for she looked alarmed and opened her book, reading frantically "There's nothing in here about using defensive spells." Hermione commented, frowning her forehead in confusion while flipping through the pages of the book.
"Using spells? Ha ha! Well I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom. And I would like it if you raised your hand before saying something."
"We're not going to use magic?" Ron gaped, incredulous.
"Hand Mr…?
"Weasley." Ron said, thrusting his hand up in the air.
"You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way." She smiled with that super sweet tone of hers while something in her eyes glinted, which looked suspiciously much like hidden madness.
"Well, what use is that? If we're are to be attacked it won't be risk-free." Harry said, not understanding the tactic of the Ministry. Didn't they want to raise wizards who could fight? Or was Fudge in such a denial about Voldemort's return that he didn't even wish to think about Dark magic?
"Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class." Umbridge snapped before folding her lips in a perfect smile again. "It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which after all, is what school is all about."
"And how is theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" He was becoming quite angry now. If they wouldn't get any practice, how could they ever pass their OWL's? How could they ever learn how to perform the spells? Solely teaching theory was insane!
"There is nothing out there, dear! Who do you imagine would want to attack children like yourself?"
"I don't know, maybe, Lord Voldemort!" he snapped, priding himself on the fact that he didn't shout out The Order or even The Ministry… He saw Malfoy giving him an odd look out of the corner of his left eye, but he knew what he was doing. Dumbledore would immediately begin to suspect that something was wrong if he didn't stay in character. He tried not to grin when Lavender yelped and Neville fell sideways off his chair at the name.
Umbridge narrowed her eyes and suddenly looked a lot more like a spy from the Ministry than a professor. "Now, let me make a few things quite plain… It has come to my attention that some people are under the impression that a certain dark wizard has risen from the dead."
Harry glowered at her and she glared back at him. "These are lies."
"I am not a liar." He said. "I saw him, he killed Cedric Diggory."
"And you fought him?" Umbridge asked with a superior smile.
"Yes, I did." Harry said, having found something to use to his advantage. If he just made it look like he was lying…
"And how did you escape?"
"I… um… something weird happened and I fled." He said lamely, and it was clear that she didn't believe him. Well, he'd never have thought that his talent for not being able to lie would come in handy someday.
"Ten points from Gryffindor. As I said, these are lies."
"They're not!"
"Detention, Mr Potter." She said in a triumphant voice.
"So according to you, Cedric dropped dead of his own accord?"
"Mr Diggory's death was a tragic accident-"
"It was murder!"
"Read chapter one, class." She said, ignoring him.
Harry decided to drop it before she could do more than give him a detention. After all, she was someone with much influence and it wouldn't be good to be seen as too unbelievable either. He had no desire to be regarded as a lunatic for the rest of the year. Thus, he opened his book and started reading, calming himself by taking deep breaths and succeeding surprisingly well. He thought of Cedric… he'd been so angry about that when it had happened… now he just felt a feeling of pity for Cedric and for the teen's relatives. The rest of the class passed without further incident, but as they got out, Hermione shrieked:
"This lesson is worthless. How could professor Dumbledore have let this happen? We're not even allowed to practice!"
"What do you suppose we do about it?" Ron snorted. "We can hardly train ourselves…"
Harry didn't like the glance Hermione threw at him after that at all and turned to her. "What's on your mind?"
"You've survived a lot… battled evil. You're on top of the class with defense." She squeaked, smiling in excitement.
"So?"
"So, if we'll have to deal with her for the rest of the year, we'll never pass our OWL's!"
"What makes you think that I'll be able to teach?"
"You have experience." She said, and Ron's eyes lit up.
"Mate, that would be brilliant! Like the dueling club in second year, just not with Lockheart and Snape and Malfoy…"
"Just a small group of people." Hermione said, also enthusiastic.
Harry's stomach dropped. At one hand, he'd really like that, but, other than that he didn't have time for anything like that, he also didn't have any desire to train his enemies, for most of the Gryffindors would stick to the Light when his betrayal came out. He didn't even know what Hermione and Ron would do….
"I'll think about it." he said to win time.
"You wanted to speak to me?"
"Not here, come"
Evening had fallen and after dinner, Harry had excused himself. Now, he was following the Weasley Twins through the corridors of the castle in search of a safe place to speak.
"Must this be so secretive?" he asked warily.
"Yes." One of them said, while the other pushed open a door of an empty classroom and put up a silencing barrier after making sure that there were no portraits in the room. Harry wiped the dust from a table and sat down on it, while Fred and George both slumped down on a chair.
"Harry… before we start talking, we want you to know that everything we say is the truth."
"We swear it."
"And you also might not like it. At all."
"I am listening. And please, can one of you tell the story?" Harry joked, earning him two weak grins.
"Very well. We were… testing our extendable ears during summer, while we overheard a conversation between Dumbledore and Mundungus."
"Wait... wasn't that that thief?"
"Yeah. At first we had no idea why he even was in the Order. Later that summer, we overheard more conversations. We'll spare you the details, but if summed up, it comes down to this: Dumbledore wanted to stalk you, not to see if you were safe, but to see if you didn't do any reckless things. Also, he's using mind magic to keep several students around you under compulsion charms. Nothing too serious or illegal, but enough to sway then a bit more to his side than they normally would. We also found those on ourselves and removed them immediately… And then there is the fact of the agenda of the Dark Lord… You see, Dumbledore told the Order and you as well, that the Dark wants purebloods to rule with violence, and kill Muggles. However, after a conversation that left us to seriously doubt that, we did a bit of… research. Fred?"
Fred made a roll of parchment appear and gave it to Harry. It was written by both Fred and George and contained all notes about the true visions of the Dark.
"Where'd you get this?" Harry said, after having seen that even the laws that had changed because of dark influence were on it.
"Percy. He was bragging about the many changes, so we asked him to send us a copy of those. We noticed that they stroked with the beliefs of the Dark."
"And how do you know about those?" The Twins looked at each other with hesitance. "Don't understand me wrong, I'm just curious."
"We got into contact with one of the Dark Lord's men…" George answered. "He was looking for some goods. Because of the prank shop we want to open, we're also familiar with the black market, and we literally bumped into him in one of the more shady neighborhoods that surround Diagon alley. We apologised and went to drink something with him. He spilled forth quite a lot when he was drunk. He was horrified when he found out when he was sober again, but we assured him that we wouldn't use it against him. Harry, the Dark wants… good changes for this world. I know that you might not want to believe that but…"
Harry broke him off by raising a hand. "I know guys. In fact, I know everything about the workings of the Dark. The one thing I don't understand though, is why Dumbledore doesn't like those."
"You… you know?"
"Fred, George, tell me… are you planning to become Death Eaters?"
A long silence fell before Fred finally said: "We thought about it. But we are also your friends and we still don't know what the Dark Lord wants to do with you. We're on your side Harry, and if you want to stay with the Light because the Dark Lord wants to kill you, we won't leave you."
Harry got up and walked to the door, looking over his shoulder with a smug grin. "Welcome to the Dark." He said, and slipped away.
Harry ran a hand through his hair, groaning at the pile of homework he'd gotten. –in one day!- He had promised himself to study harder as well, to make Marvolo proud of him. But how the hell would he have time for that? Puzzled, he read the passage he had to learn, for the fourth time, but it just didn't dawn on him. He had no idea what it even was about. The extent of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration? It had something to do with the limits of magic, but he couldn't quite figure out what the book meant. He glanced to his left, seeing that Hermione was busy with her own homework. Ron probably would be even more clueless than Harry… He felt a sudden tingle in his scar and rubbed it absentmindedly. A few seconds later, the tingle returned, more forceful, and he nearly knocked over his ink.
Marvolo?
The only answer he got was a tug in his head, and an image of his books came to the forefront of his mind. Not quite knowing why, he gathered his books and excused himself when Hermione asked where he was going. He ran upstairs and gathered his invisibility cloak, covered himself with it and went downstairs again, sneaking out of the portrait hole. The tug led him to an empty corridor and he curiously looked around, not seeing anyone. Suddenly, a door formed in the wall and when it opened, he saw Marvolo leaning against the doorframe.
"I can still sense you." The man smiled, and Harry took off his cloak, practically jumping in the man's arms, who chuckled deeply. "Let's get inside, we don't want people seeing me here, hmm?"
"No freezing chamber this time?" Harry joked. "Where are we anyway? I haven't ever been here."
"The Room of Requirements. It doesn't surprise me that you haven't heard of it. It's one of Hogwarts best kept secrets. I doubt that even Dumbledore knows of it. If you walk up and down the corridor three times while thinking of the room you need, it will turn into that one. It's very useful. Best thing is that no-one can enter the room if someone else is inside unless they think of exact the same room, or if they are invited, like you are."
"Indeed..." Harry said thoughtfully, letting his eyes rake over the interior, which looked like a large living room, with a study place to the left and another part of the room further to the back that looked like a bedroom. "Rather comfortable." he grinned.
"Ah, Hogwarts always has been, and will be, my first home… And with you here, the choice between this and an empty manor is easily made. Of course, I still use it as headquarters…"
"You live here?" Harry said, blinking in surprise.
"Yes, I do. You see, the room provides you with anything you wish… well, with the exception of food, and I've found something useful as well. This, together with the Chamber, is one of the sole places within Hogwarts that is not covered by the anti-apparation wards. Perhaps that is because wards need to have a substantial thing under it to guard, and this room is made of pure magic... I'm still researching it."
"Speaking of research, I believe you wanted to study my invisibility cloak?"
"Yes, but I think that you need it more now. So, I saw that you had trouble with your homework?"
"You… saw?"
"I was… testing that link. It seems that the ritual I performed had more aftereffects than I thought. I can, for example, look through your eyes if I so desire. I don't know if you can do that as well with me?"
"I wouldn't even know where to begin." Harry muttered, awed. "And you want to help me with my homework? Seriously?"
Marvolo laughed and pulled him to the couch, where Harry snuggled into his embrace. The man slowly scratched Harry's neck, who immediately relaxed under the touch. "Isn't that what a good boyfriend should do?" he whispered, pressing a kiss to the teen's temple. Harry blushed and looked up.
"Thanks." He beamed.
XXx
Marvolo softly stroked Harry's side, studying the teen's adorable face. He looked very handsome, with his messy hair and sparkling eyes. Really, he hadn't thought that it would have made such a big difference to get rid of those glasses. If he had known, he'd have suggested it sooner.
"Marvolo?" Harry said in a small voice, and the Dark Lord immediately knew that there was something troubling his lover.
"Yes?"
"Do you think I can do it? Those tasks? I know you trust that I can execute them, but I'm not so sure… I can hardly keep up with my homework, for Merlin's sake, how could I ever be useful? I'm just an average student, not to mention I haven't been exactly working hard to expand my knowledge last years… how do you expect me to outsmart Albus Dumbledore?"
Morgana, that helpless look on Harry's face… how could he have ever even thought of killing this boy? "My little Salazar… no-one expects you to suddenly become an amazingly powerful wizard overnight. You only found out that you were a wizard when you were eleven, something which should not have happened, and you're not exactly the studious type. It is only logical that you have trouble with magic that is considered to be your level, though I doubt that there are many students who understand whatever it is that you're learning right now. But the tasks I set on you have little to do with having much magical knowledge. It is more about trust and being sneaky. I will help you with the actual magic, and so will Eyolf. I would go up there myself, but that blasted bird wouldn't even let me get past the gargoyle before alerting Dumbledore, and there is very little to do about phoenixes. They are more powerful than they look. Fawkes trusts you, and so does Albus… well, he doesn't see you as a threat at the very least. You will do fine, I'm sure of that. And for your task with Draco… well, you know how to stay out of sight, though you still need to learn to see the true thoughts of people behind their masks…"
"I'll try…"
"That is all I ask. Now, what were you having trouble with?"
"Something called Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. We need to study the extent of it, but I don't even know what the law is about. The book isn't exactly clear."
Marvolo groaned and rubbed his temple. So they still taught that piece of rubbish? While he had been a student, he'd even shown that it wasn't correct for Merlin's sake. "First of all… forget everything you read about it. It is a Law about the limit of magic. However, magic has no limit, if the wizard is powerful enough. The Law covers for example food."
"Food?"
"Yes. Apparently, it is impossible to create prepared food out of nothing."
"What do you mean with 'Apparently'?" Harry said, frowning.
He silently asked the chamber for a plate and it appeared in front of him. He grabbed his wand and pointed it at the plate, in his mind creating something simple: a bread. To great detail, he imagined how the flour, water and other ingredients were mixed and how the rest was prepared. Finally, he wordlessly made it appear on the plate. He picked it up and tore it apart with his fingers, calmly eating the pieces of magically made bread, which tasted like it came fresh out of the oven.
"How…"
"You see Harry, there are no limits to magic if we know how to use it. You cannot just make prepared food appear out of nothing if you only think of the bread. You need to think of all the ingredients and mentally create it. The same goes for animals. Do you know the spell Avis?"
"Yeah, it created birds."
"No, it creates magic that looks like birds. Do you have any idea what happens if those 'birds' disappear?"
"They become a bunch of feathers." Harry said, frowning.
"Indeed. For the spell only creates magic that looks like a bird. Therefore, if it is destroyed, then you will see that only the outer appearance is left. Namely, the feathers. No blood, no intestines, nothing. It is an empty shell that looks and acts like a bird. If you do the same with a bread, it would be a shell of magic that looked like bread. I, however, created it as it is. I went through the whole process, from growing the wheat to baking it, which is why it also took me so long. Of course, this is a very, very complex and inefficient way to get food, but the point is that is is possible. It is just that not many people would be able to recall all the steps of a meal, which is why they would just end up with magic that looks like food, but is only a tasteless shell of that food. You have to understand how it is made to make it yourself, but is not impossible. Therefore, this law, is a total farce."
"They're teaching us lies?"
"They're teaching you what they believe to be true. As I said, not many people would be able to do what I just did, and I know that I wouldn't be able to do it with something like lasagna."
Harry sniggered at that, and Marvolo thought that it looked way too cute on him. "And what else does this law cover?"
"Love, for example. You can create artificial love with a potion or the Imperius curse of course, but real love is said to be impossible…"
"Said?"
"Is love not magic of its own, Harry?" he smiled, tracing Harry's lips. "Of course it can be created by magic then. It is like with the food… you need to go through the whole process… every step. This time though, biological processes. Did you know that love actually is the result of a combination of substances and impulses in the brain? The wonder that people still haven't figured out of course, is why it happens with some persons, while with others, you have no click at all. But if I wanted to, I could bewitch someone with mind magic and make it so that the brain would receive the necessary impulses and substances to fall deeply, truly in love…"
"That is a scary thought." Harry said, and Marvolo couldn't do anything but agree with him. It was scary, but not more so then other branches of magic.
"It is how you use your magic Harry… essentially, it is not good nor evil. It is about power, and how we use the power given to us. It is the intent that makes it scary… or lovely. Take the Cruciatus curse, as extreme example."
Harry flinched, undoubtedly remembering his own experience with that particular curse. "How can that be used for good purposes?"
"When you put no malicious intent behind it, it does nothing. The Cruciatus curse is designed to let your brain think that your nerves have been stimulated. Your brain then sends out impulses that create pain. However, your nerves can also be stimulated… pleasantly." He chuckled when a faint blush appeared on Harry's cheeks. "Like to try?" he said suggestively, and the teen poked him in his side.
"No."
"Hmm, pity." Marvolo breathed, pressing his lips to Harry's temple.
The teen relaxed and sagged in his embrace. "You're really a genius, aren't you? To know all this stuff…" Harry said, respect in his voice.
"I've had a lot of time to study this all, but yes, I suppose I'm… smart." He said thoughtfully, not really wanting to brag. Then again, he would be the last to admit that he wasn't clever. Cause well… he was.
"But I can hardly write in my essay that this law is incorrect. Unless I've suddenly gone impossibly smart myself… which I haven't. And it's not like I know how to prove it…"
"I suppose that I can have a bit of fun while being here…"
"What do you mean?"
Marvolo flashed his lover a smile and nudged the boy so he could get up. He conjured a mirror, studying his features before slowly beginning to morph them. A few minutes later, his reflection was one of a tall man with brown hair and teal eyes, looking around the age of thirty. He heard Harry gasp in wonder when he turned around
"You… you're a methamorphmagus?" Harry said in astonishment. "I thought you said that you couldn't change your appearance anymore?"
"Artificial methamorphmagus. I didn't know if it would truly work, so I didn't say anything till now. I only completed the ritual two days ago. I came across a very old potion recipe that, combined with a certain blood ritual, would be able to change my genetics so I would have a methamorphmagus gene. I had to start over because I died in the middle of the process and resurrected with a new body, but I finally did it. So, do you think I could pass as your boyfriend who knows a lot about magic and can prove your Transfiguration teacher that this law is nothing but crap?"
"Definitely." Harry grinned, eyeing Marvolo with approval. "It's strange though, to see you like this. And it's good that I now have an excuse for last night…"
"What do you mean?"
"You were kind of rough on me." Harry said surly. "Fred and George demanded to know where I got hickeys and bite marks from. You live in Hogsmeade, okay? I said I sneaked away to see you, and they know about the underground tunnels to Hogsmeade."
"Sure. Who are Fred and George?"
"The Weasley Twins. And today, I found out that they want to join you."
"What?" Marvolo said, blinking. Weasleys? Joining him?
"Uh, it's kind of hard to explain…" Harry said, and after thinking for a while, Marvolo pressed his index finger to Harry's temple.
"Concentrate on that memory."
"What?"
"Remember when I fixed your mind? I went deeper than the memories that time, but I can see any memory of yours by delving into your mind as well. That is, if you don't throw me out, but I doubt that you could. No offense."
"None taken." Harry said, closing his eyes. "I'm ready."
When the Dark Lord pulled away from his lover's mind, he mulled over what he'd seen for a couple of minutes. Finally, he spoke: "This will be very useful. You handled it well…"
"I was afraid that maybe I said too much."
"No, you were just the last push to get them over to my side. Still, I'd never thought that the Dark army would ever have Weasleys. Do you think that could ask them for their schedule? I'd like to meet them. They seem… interesting."
"Sure. Oh and I have something else to tell you... well, more confess…" Harry said, shifting in his seat. –and by doing that, making it suddenly very hard to think straight for Marvolo, although the Dark Lord was sure that that wasn't intentional.-
"Confess?" he said once his arousal went down a bit.
"You remember when I went to the attic?"
"When I told you about the Hallows? Yes, I remember."
"I kind of forgot about it after all that hallow talk, but I also found some of your research concerning magical creatures."
"Oh, that. What's with it, do you need some explanation or so?"
"No but… I recognised some of those animals. A friend of mine, Luna Lovegood always talks about those."
"You gave it to her, didn't you?" Marvolo said with irritation. He could never get angry at Harry, but he'd never thought that the teen would carelessly hand out his personal research. "Harry, you should have asked."
"I know, I just forgot… and I didn't realise that I hadn't asked for permission after I'd given it to her."
"And now?" he sighed, rubbing his neck.
"You're not angry?" Harry said in a small voice, looking extremely guilty.
"I don't know yet." He said in a crabby tone, but pulled Harry a bit closer when the teen flinched. "I'm more worried about you. If she'll spread this around… I can think of a few people who can recognise my handwriting…" he murmured.
"She won't show others, of that I am sure. Most people think she's too… eccentric, but she's a really good friend if you get to know her… albeit a crazy one. Most students here ridicule her and her 'fantasy animals.' That's also the reason why I absolutely wanted to show her."
"As long as you think it is safe in her hands… but I do want to get it back soon. She can copy it if she likes, but I want the original back."
"I'll tell her… or you can tell her yourself, when you roam around the school looking like that." Harry smiled, gesturing at Marvolo's body, which he'd forgotten to change back. "Still, I like your normal body better."
"Ah, it was already quite clear that you are crazy, I don't need another confirmation." Marvolo chuckled, catching Harry's fist in his hand before it could hit his chest. He morphed back into his original body and curled his long fingers around Harry's hand, bringing it to his lips to place a soft kiss on the fingertips. "Oh, can you come tomorrow evening as well? I wish to speak to you and Eyolf."
"I have detention tomorrow night."Harry grumbled. "Umbridge didn't agree with me when I told her that you were back. I dropped the subject before she could do more however."
"Smart. You can't get too much on her bad side. She's known to be cruel. Be careful around her, yes?"
"I'll try. She just… gives me the shivers everytime I see her."
"I've researched her today, and I've found out awful things. Really, be careful."
"What kind of awful things?" Harry asked, frowning.
"She hates half-humans, as she calls them. Werewolves, vampires, mermen, just about any intelligent dark creature. She tried to create laws to mark mermen like cattle. One of my inside men stopped it just in time, but she did manage to outcast werewolves even more than they already were. She's the reason they can't get jobs. How is she in class?"
"She won't let us practice our spells. Says that there is nothing 'out there' that we need to be prepared for. Why do you think that the Ministry does not want us to really learn Defense?"
Marvolo smirked. "Ah… the Ministry doesn't trust Dumbledore. You see, Fudge still has this strange thought that Dumbledore wants to take over as Minister. Not that the old coot would… he would have to follow laws then… Albus isn't too fond of laws. Fudge sees the population of Hogwarts as an enemy, for they are mostly loyal to Dumbledore… I reckon that the Slytherins are going to be popular because of their hate and contempt towards the headmaster. Cornelis doesn't want you to be trained to fight for Albus."
"He thinks what, that we're all going to join an army for Dumbledore?"
"Something like that. He thinks that Hogwarts is slipping from control and that Dumbledore is too wayward to have such influence on the younger generation magicians."
"And you sit back and smirk while the Ministry dismantles the Order before finally taking down both the Ministry and Hogwarts in one strike?"
"Exactly. But before that happens, I still need certain information."
"What do you think you will find in Dumbledore's memories?"
"I want to know the full prophecy, and if there is any way to break it or at least get around it…"
"What prophecy?" Harry said, leaning back in his chest and looking up to him in curiosity.
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xx GeMerope
