"Thanos!" he said, and gave him an incredulous 'what are you doing here' look.

"Hey, Harry?" Ron asked, and Harry saw that he was a bit pale.

"Yeah?"

"When did you plan on telling us that your boyfriend was a Death Eater?"

Harry spluttered a bit and glared at the arrogant-looking wizard in front of him. Marvolo had raised an eyebrow and was wearing a shit-eating grin. Whatever had he done to deserve this? At least he hadn't revealed himself as the bloody Dark Lord yet… Harry could already imagine what Ron's face would look like then. Hmm… in fact, it might be a good idea to tell them, to get back on his lover.

"Harry?" Ron repeated, and Harry groaned.

"Actually I had meant to tell you once your minds were fixed. He turned towards George, not really feeling like asking Marvolo anything right now. "You did tell them, right?"

"He forbade us to tell anything." George said with an apologetic shrug.

"Of course he did." Harry muttered. "Thanos, what the hell?"

Marvolo hummed and a dangerous glint entered his eyes. "I thought you might want to tell them yourself, seeing as you so love to discuss everything with your friends…" Harry frowned, wondering what in Merlin's name he meant. "Like with Fred and George…" the man hinted, and realisation began to dawn upon Harry's face. He wanted to slap himself for forgetting their mind-link.

"I never promised to not share my personal life with them. And speaking of promises, why did you not keep yours?"

Harry smugly watched as the arrogant bastard was thrown off balance for a second. "I don't remember not keeping a promise." He finally concluded, and Harry snorted.

"Then where were you Saturday evening?" he asked. Of course, he knew where Marvolo had been, but he had been disappointed when his lover had sent him a message explaining that he had too much work and could not come back till Monday. Harry had let it slip, too relieved that Marvolo was with him again, but the man's promise of sleeping together with him on Saturday could easily be turned into blackmail material.

The wizard was silent for a moment and Harry was amazed –and more than a little guilty, but he crushed that part right now- to see that Marvolo shrank back when the memory of that promise came back to him. "Harry… I… I'm sorry… I just…"

"Forgot?"

"Yes. Forgot." The man answered meekly, averting his eyes from Harry's fiery emerald glare. "Can I make it up to you?"

The teen's anger deflated at the regretful look and he nodded. "A whole weekend Thanos. Dates are to be decided later, but you will be mine for a whole weekend."

"Agreed." Marvolo said, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"As if you had a choice." Harry muttered, but his insides were already softening. Why did his love have to look to cute and handsome, no matter what appearance he wore? "Oh, and of course, you understand that the little argument earlier is solved as well?" Harry said, grinning cheekily. The man scowled but nodded nonetheless. Harry was certain that he was very lucky that Hermione and Ron were in the room, because he'd never gotten away with all of this if it had just been Marvolo, him and the Twins, who were now full Death Eaters. "Good. Then, I suppose, Ron, Hermione, that I have some explaining to do. First of all… Fred and George overheard some rather disturbing conversations last summer while you were all staying at the Order's headquarters. George?"

The redhead nodded and crossed his arms while pushing himself off the wall with his back. He walked over to where Harry's other friends sat and looked down on them. "As you know, we have started to seriously invent some useful stuff. One of the most useful of these are the extendable ears. Before mom discovered them and hexed the doors, we were able to pick up a lot of the Order's plans, and also three private conversations from Dumbledore.

"You listened in on the Headmaster?" Hermione frowned, clearly disapproving.

"Yes, and after what we found out, we don't regret it one bit." Fred interrupted, glaring at the witch.

"Indeed. Two of these meetings were with Mundungus, and one with Alastor Moody. Especially the first two were rather… disturbing."

"In what way?" asked Hermione.

"In a way that the missions he gave Mundungus are no things that he would ever discuss openly with the rest of the Order. Obtaining objects through less than honourable means, disposal of both opponents and allies whom he can't trust or have… expired their usefulness. I could forgive him the first two. It is war after all, but killing people he doesn't need any longer is just… wrong. Apparently he also has some grand scheme to gain more power, but he didn't want to discuss that there."

"But overall, it's nothing the Dark Lord doesn't do either."

"The Dark Lord has a good goal. He wants change, real change. I don't think that Dumbledore is wholly evil or anything, but he doesn't have the right ideas, and will do anything to be proven right." Harry interjected.

"But what is his goal? And what is the Dark Lord's? I thought he wanted to rule over all Muggles?"

This time, it was Thanos who answered. "The Dark wants wizards to rule, it is true, but not by enslaving Muggles, as Dumbledore had you believe. We are getting connections in the Muggle world right now, to see how Muggles react to the revelation that magic exists. The ones I've met reacted pretty well. Muggles are making a mess of their own world. Wars, corruption, even pollution of the environment and 'incurable' diseases are things we can help them with if we cooperate with them. They just need the right leaders. Wizards are more powerful than Muggles, and generally have better insight in how this world works. We are fit to rule."

"And Dumbledore?"

"He believes we should be even more separate than we are now, not interfering in the Muggle world at all, except for people who marry Muggles. But even then, he wants those Muggles to either cut off the ties they have with their remaining Muggle family or live with the large secret of magic. I… we… don't think this is right. There is no reason why magical people, and also magical creatures, should hide like cowards in a separate world. I don't know his reasoning, but it is not a world I would want to live in. What we have now is bad enough."

"Still, I can't believe that the Headmaster would do things like killing his own people only to reach that! It's not possible! I mean… right?" unsure, she looked at them, and Marvolo conjured up a couple of chairs, taking a seat himself and gesturing for Harry to do so as well. Harry slumped into the seat and chewed on his lip, wondering how he could convince them.

"He would. He does." Harry tiredly said. "What's more, he manipulates the minds of people to ensure that they follow him. You too had some weaker and some stronger compulsion spells in your minds. Fred and George broke them just before they brought you here."

"So that's what it was…?" Ron asked, looking tense and afraid.

"What exactly did you feel?" said Marvolo, leaning forwards a bit.

"Flashes of… dark thoughts. Doubting feelings… the urge to…to run to the library and look up all the knowledge I've been lacking these years because I avoided certain books." Hermione answered while Ron was still thinking

Harry laughed. Of course the most suppressed urge of Hermione would have to do with dark books. "And you, Ron?"

"I don't know. More of the same… without the library of course." he gave Harry a weak grin. "but suddenly, I wondered if I was following the right path… it scared me, I never had a doubt about what I did, what I believed in, and yet now I can't help but be unsure about everything. I also noticed that before, I felt the urge to keep pushing you to do what I thought to be the right thing and to help you achieve it. I thought that was just me, that it was what I wanted."

"But?"

"I dunno… it suddenly seems kind of stupid to demand of you that you throw yourself head first into adventure without thinking." he sheepishly finished. "And if it's true what Thanos said… then I really think I've been following the wrong side. But those Muggles… how did you… introduce them to magic? Just… walk up to them and transfigure something?"

Marvolo smirked. "Not exactly. Went to a random pub, befriended some of them, and after a month of holding conversations, drinking together, gaining their trust and such, tell and show them. It's all about the way you reveal yourself." Okay, perhaps he hadn't done all this himself, but it was how his subordinates had operated, and it had worked just fine…

"And they… accepted that wizards should rule the world?"

"Pretty much…" he airily answered, leaning back into the chair again, crossing his legs and folding his arms. Harry quickly looked away… Marvolo just looked too dominant and sexy right now… "They agree with our views. But to get back to the subject… the compulsion charms on your minds are broken now. But you, Mr Weasley, also have memory locks in your mind. It is up to you to decide if you want those removed or not."

Ron looked like he was thrown off balance. "You mean… someone erased my memory?"

"Yes, someone…" Marvolo sneered, irritated that the boy didn't immediately know who obviously was the culprit "who highly profited from keeping you docile."

"And why wouldn't I want those memories back?"

"That's not it… breaking memory blocks not only invades your privacy, but is risky for your mind as well. One mistake could severely damage it."

Ron audibly gulped, but then got a determined face and bravely said: "So be it. I'll take the risk. I won't have somebody playing with my thoughts."

"Gryffindors." Marvolo grumbled. "Fine. I can do it now, if you want to."

"You?" Hermione suddenly asked with surprise. "You can break memory charms? But… but that is highly advanced magic! Only an incredibly powerful wizard can do that properly."

"And I am an incredibly powerful wizard." the Dark Lord sneered.

"Hey someone is waving at you… Oh look, it's your modesty flying out of the window!" Harry remarked, throwing a lop-sided grin at the man, earning himself a death glare. "Oh come on, don't you have this thing called humour?"

A warning hiss filled the room and Harry rolled his eyes, got up and plopped down on Marvolo's lap.

No need to get all defensive…

Oh, finally learned to control this?

Huh? Oh… I guess… it worked before, didn't it?

Yes, but you never opened the link yourself. Harry blinked, surprised by how easily he had been able to worm his way into his lover's mind. I'm glad he heard, and was confused for a moment.

Why, because this way, you can now know what I'm thinking all the time?

I already could, the man said on a smug tone, and began to stroke one of the teen's thighs, not caring at all about the other occupants. No, I'm glad because this means that we've become so close that our own minds do not feel the need to throw the other out anymore. We are, in a way, almost one. Of course, my Horcrux inside of you helps.

The part of you inside of me… that sounds either incredibly cheesy or horribly perverted...

Go with cheesy… I can do perverted anytime. I'm only cheesy at rare occasions.

My friends are getting nervous by our silence. Can you please get your mind out of the gutter?

Only if you'll get yours in the gutter this evening.

Promise.

With a victorious smirk that he hid in Harry's hair, the conversation ended, and he looked up to find Ron and Hermione staring at him.

"Well, as I said before, I am quite powerful. How was your other lesson with McGonagall about Gamp's law, by the way?"

Subtle…

Shut it, horrid creature.

"It… was fine. She researched it and told us that she filed a complaint. She wants anything out of the curriculum that has not been 'properly researched'."

"As it should. Now, Mr Weasley… are you ready?"

"That… that depends… do I have to do anything?"

"No. I don't think you have any skills in Occlumency yet, so it should be no problem for me to-" he stopped when Ron looked first at him and then at Granger.

"Occlu-what?"

And that calls himself a wizard…I don't think I like him Harry.

It's not his fault that such stuff isn't taught to us.

He could have opened a book once.

I never did either.

He's a Pureblood! He is supposed to know this! And you have me to teach you now.

Then it's not his fault that he doesn't have such an awesome boyfriend as I have.

Slightly calmed, Marvolo threw off his irritation at the mere stupidity of the creature in front of him and, wasting no more time on explanation, pierced the boy's mind, carefully searching for invisible walls with his magic. He only felt one, incredibly weak attempt to throw him out, but quickly evaded it and continued his search. Coloured flashes passed him and he hurled himself further in the whirling, disorganized mass. It was a wonder that the boy could even find his normal memories with a mind like this… He concentrated on finding intruding magic, and was not very surprised when a wave of very familiar energy washed over him. While his body remained utterly still in his chair, his presence in Weasley's mind stretched out phantom hands and began to dissolve the layers of magic he was met with until the final barrier laid bare.

A final push with his magic, and the wall crumbled. Quickly, before the shards could damage the regular flow of energy, Marvolo halted them and made them vanish. He turned away before the memory hit him… he would have enough time to see it once he was fully back inside of himself. He checked the thread of soul that connected him to his earth-bound body, keeping the magic that flowed through it steady, and continued his search until he'd found two more memory locks. Feeling exhausted, he carefully retreated, sighing in relief as he found his way back to the black space of his own, clear and organized mind.

Upon opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Harry, who gave him a worried look.

"You're alright?"

"Tired, but fine." he reassured his lover, and then looked up to the Weasley kid.

"And?"

The boy just sat there with an ashen face, apparently not able to comprehend what he remembered. Then, just as Marvolo wanted to make a scoffing remark, Weasley's expression clouded with rage, and the boy sprung to his feet, beginning to pace. "That selfish, horrible person!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I can't believe it, I can't believe that I… that I trusted him!"

"Who…" Hermione began, and shrank back when a furious Ron turned around to face her. "Dumbledore! He… I... ARGH! Why did I follow him?"

"Don't look at me." Marvolo muttered. "I've hated him for years. Now, unless you feel the need to rant illogical nonsense some longer, could you enlighten us with your memories?"

Weasley calmed down somewhat and sat down again. "It's kind of hard to tell… there are a few memories… Can't you… I dunno… pluck them out of my head or something?"

"If you're referring to Legilimency, which I highly doubt, considering your knowledge of its counterpart, then yes, I could… 'pluck them out of your head' as you so eloquently state it. Harry and Ms Granger cannot, however. But no matter, I have a Pensieve, so if you just drop it in there…" He summoned the bowl he had brought with him and conjured a table to put it on. Expectantly, he leaned back, wrapping his arms around his lover's waist. "Well?"

"Uhhh… what is it?"

I swear I am going to kill someone.

"A Pensieve." the Granger girl answered. "It can contain your memories. You have to copy them from your head and put them in the bowl."

"How?"

The witch sighed and pulled out her wand. "Just concentrate on the memories Ron. I'll do the rest."

Now her I like.

Figures. She's too smart for her own good as well. I already thought you two would get along…

You don't have to sound so smug about it.

What? A few months ago, I'd never have believed that you would ever get to like a Muggleborn, much less one of my friends…

A few months ago, I was an embryo-like creature who wanted revenge on the one who killed me. Excuse me for not immediately wanting to embrace your friends.

Still… you didn't need to kill Cedric.

Can we talk about this later?

Not waiting for an answer, Marvolo instructed the others on how to get the right memories, and after a few minutes, the bowl was filled with a shiny silver substance.

"So… we'll all go… look at my memories?" the boy asked, unsure.

"If you have any objection to it, then no, but I am dying to know what the old fool has been up to." he replied.

"Uhmm…" Weasley said. "Okay then."

Everyone took each other's hands and finally, Marvolo dipped his head in the substance, pulling the rest with him as well.

When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to find himself in the corridor that led to the Chamber of Secrets. There was really no doubt about it, he recognised every little detail, from the skeletons that covered the floor to the green eerie glow that did not really have a clear source. For someone whose mind was so chaotic, Weasley had surprisingly vivid memories. The edges of everything were a little blurred, but overall, it was quite clear and accurate.

He heard voices and started walking in their direction, not waiting for the five teenagers who had been whispering amongst themselves. He stopped after a while, just after he had turned a corner, and Ronald halted next to him. "Yes… I remember. The ceiling had just caved in and Harry had gone off to the Chamber, leaving me stuck with Lockhart… but then…"

The rest also caught up to them, and a frown crossed Harry's pretty face. "What is he doing there? And for that matter, if he's here, couldn't he have helped?"

Marvolo hushed him, approaching the three figures that stood in front of a stone wall, made of large, fallen down rocks.

"Professor Dumbledore! You have to help! Harry just went in there and… and Lockhart did something and now he's acting all strange… the force of his spell made these rocks fall down. There's a monster there!" another, much younger Ronald Weasley frantically exclaimed. Marvolo couldn't see Dumbledore's face, for he stood with his back to him and thus he went even closer, circling around the two figures, not paying attention to the third one, who was undoubtedly Gilderoy Lockhart, a fraud and coward.

"I know, my boy. Don't worry, this is a good opportunity for Harry to test his strength." Dumbledore calmly said, his hands clasped behind his back.

A silence fell over the corridor, but after a few seconds Weasley's shock seemed to have faded. "W…what? Professor Dumbledore… I just said that there is a monster there. A basilisk, it's a basilisk! How is Harry supposed to fight that? Please…"

Dumbledore raised a hand. "Ronald, my boy… you have to understand. Harry is going to have to face far more dangerous situations. This will only strengthen him."

"If he comes out alive!" Harry's friend was livid now. "Why won't you help him? Don't you care at all?"

Irritation flashed in Dumbledore's eyes, and his grandfatherly facade snapped as he bit: "If he cannot do this, then he is of no use to me!"

"Use..? You… you are not Dumbledore… you can't be. He would want to protect Harry…"

"Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made." The man was more talking to himself than to Weasley while saying this. "And if my suspicions are true… then he will have to be sacrificed in the end anyway… but of course… I do not need seeds of doubt that can be planted in his head… and if he remains loyal to me, he can be of use some longer… yes, perhaps I will help him. Fawkes!" One of the never-used torches suddenly lit and from the flame flew a large, fiery bird, holding something that looked like a rag in his claws. "And now… it will be best if you forget this conversation. And I can assure you that I will not make such a mess of this spell as our ex-professor has done. Obliviate!"

The memory blurred, but they did not have much time to ponder on it, as the scene was immediately replaced by another. This time, Marvolo found himself in Dumbledore's office. The sun shone brightly through the windows.

"Mr Weasley... what can I do for you?"

"I didn't come here for me professor… it's Harry."

"Mr Potter? Is something wrong with him?"

"I'm here to plead for him. He said himself that he doesn't want to bother you with it, but I think this is too important. He can't be send back to his family professor."

"His family? Mr Weasley, that is the only place where Harry is safe. Safe from Voldemort."

Marvolo looked behind him and, noticing the rage in Harry's eyes, approached the teen, laying a hand on his lover's shoulder. Green eyes drifted towards his face and he pulled Harry to him.

"His family is more of a threat to him than You-Know-Who! I had wanted to go to you earlier, but Harry always insisted that he did not want you to know. But they abuse him professor! I saw it for myself previous year, when Fred and George and I rescued him during summer. He had bars in front of his windows and a cat flap in the door! He was locked in there!"

"Surely, it's not that bad…"

"That's not all! I was willing to let it go because Harry wanted me to, but today… today, while we were changing into our Quidditch robes, I saw yellow bruises all over him! They were old, probably because he spent the last part of summer in the leaky Cauldron. But the bruises… they were all over him, and he confessed that his Uncle beat him…"

"Ron…" Harry spoke, breaking free from Marvolo's hold, staring at his friend, and Ron shrugged, a crooked grin on his face.

"Hey, You didn't really think I'd let that slip, right? I forgot about it, but… I would do the same thing again."

"Harry, why were you so insistent on hiding it from Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't, that's the point. I went to him when I'd just arrived at Hogwarts. He told me quite clearly that he didn't believe me and that, even if I spoke the truth, I should go back there because I was 'safe'. I told Ron to not tell Dumbledore anything because I knew it was useless."

While they had been talking, the memory-Dumbledore had been trying to convince Ronald that this really was the best thing, and that he should think of more important things. All of a sudden, Weasley jumped up and, with the typical courage of a Gryffindor, started shouting at the headmaster, spouting insults. In a flash though, it was over, and the memory suddenly went black. Marvolo felt a pull and a moment later, they were back in the classroom again.

"He must have replaced my memories… I don't remember going to his office, but I didn't have gaps in my mind either."

"He probably put an unimportant memory in its place, and he must have removed your remembrance of seeing Harry bruised as well. Was that everything?"

"I don't know exactly what he did, but now I also have recollections of seeing other signs. I don't think it has to do with the memory charms, but rather the other compulsive ones…"

"Signs?"

"Of abuse."

"Ah. He must have placed those compulsion webs on you right after the last memory he erased."

"That's probably true."

"Ron…" Harry quietly said.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you… I'm glad I have such a good friend."

"Friends. Hermione here as well, right?"

"Right." Harry said, smiling weakly at the beaming girl.

"Oh Harry…" she sighed. "I can't believe that we followed Dumbledore for so long…"

"So… what will you two do now?"

"I don't know. We are of course in the middle of a war, even if the majority of the Wizarding population is still denying that fact…" Hermione answered. "I definitely won't follow Dumbledore any longer, but the Ministry hasn't exactly been kind to you either, and the Dark…"

"What about the Dark?" Marvolo asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"The Dark is still led by someone who likes killing and torturing. Someone who wouldn't have thought twice about murdering Harry last year at the graveyard." Granger bit to him.

Ouch. Harry dryly remarked.

She is right, you know.

She is not.

And how would you know?

You hesitated to kill me then.

Marvolo, When you made me read all those plans and things the Dark was doing, I found a page of your diary. Even then, you couldn't kill me. And during summer… it was you who saved me, even though for all you knew, you could be saving your enemy.

Marvolo?

It still doesn't change everything I have done to you before.

Things I have forgiven you some time ago. Please, don't dwell on it.

"So, don't have anything to say in defense?" Granger scoffed, unaware of their mental conversation.

"I will follow where Harry goes, and he will follow me." Marvolo said, aiming a piercing stare at her.

"But... you are a Death Eater… then, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm not a Death Eater… but I will unquestionably follow Lord Voldemort. No matter what he has done to me personally, the vision he has for this world is good, and I want to help him achieve it. Please, in the coming war, there will be no place for neutrality. In the end, it will come down to Dumbledore and Voldemort."

"The Ministry…"

"Is corrupt. The Dark is slowly infiltrating to right the wrongdoings of the Ministry, but there are still too many people who just want to fight for their own rights, not caring about anyone else, and people who just want to pretend that nothing is wrong, like Fudge." Harry continued. "You'll have to choose. There is not much time left."

"Time until what?" Hermione suddenly spoke. "Why do we have to choose so fast?"

Marvolo looked at the girl, wondering how much he should say, but he knew that these children would never run to Dumbledore with this information. Not anymore… the old fool had dug his own grave."Because we are on the edge of chaos. The unsteady scale of peace is wavering, and within the next few weeks will have dipped over to war. Britain will become a battlefield. There is only one decision left to make, and that is when and how Albus Dumbledore will meet his end."

"Give us a week then. A week to make up our minds on what we will do." Granger pleaded. His gaze flashed to Weasley, but the boy looked down at his hands. It was obvious that he was not ready to make such a weighty decision. But finally, when Marvolo had long averted his gaze, the boy finally spoke with a soft voice, utterly surprising the Dark Lord.

"Harry… I can't decide for Hermione, but you have my word. I said it before and I will say it again. I will follow you, whatever path you may take. You are my best friend, and I trust that you have good reasoning if you are even willing to forgive the murderer of your parents. I will join the Dark."

Harry smiled at Weasley. "Thank you, Ron. I'm glad I can count on you."

Everyone looked with expectation to Granger, but finally it was Marvolo who broke the tension. "Don't feel pushed in your choice Hermione. I can give you a week. Whenever you need information about anything, feel free to come to me or Harry."

She hesitated, but then shook her head. "No. I'm sorry that I was so unsure about this, but Ron is right. Who can we trust to do the right thing, if not Harry? I too, made a promise to you once. I will see this out till the end, by your side. If that is the Dark, then so be it. Thanos?"

Marvolo raised his hand. "Now you have chosen your side, you are my allies. I pride my sense of trust and truth. Before, you were Harry's friends at best, my enemies at worst, and thus, I could easily lie to you. Now, however, that lies different."

Marvolo? Are you… will you…

Yes Harry. They deserve to know.

"My name is not Thanos, nor am I a Death Eater." he said, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he could see the shock and fear reflected on the faces of Weasley and Granger as they stared in his blood-red eyes.

"I am Lord Voldemort."

XxX

Hermione sat frozen, trying to comprehend the words that the man before her had just uttered. Impossible. It was impossible. And yet the proof was undeniable. Thanos… no, Voldemort smirked at her and then looked at Harry. Her friend just sat there. Of course, this could not be news to him. Another thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and she did not know whether to be intrigued or disgusted. They were lovers. Her dear, sweet Harry had kissed the lips of one of the cruelest men on earth.

But is he, really? She thought. Whatever she had heard about the man's goals and visions had been a lie. Was it possible that her view of the Dark Lord's personality was so wrong as well? But what about the things Harry had told her, then?

Yes, but what exactly has Harry told me? And how much of that was whispered into his ear by Dumbledore? She decided that she would wait with her judgment. As long as he treated Harry right, she would do her best to try and accept the man. Then, she laughed at herself. Judge him… as if she was in any position to do that. She had practically agreed to become a Death Eater in the past minute. She felt as if she should say anything to break the silence, but couldn't possibly think of a good reaction to his statement. What could she say? 'Prove it'? That wasn't really necessary…

"Apparently I have rendered you speechless." Voldemort said, a tone of amusement in his voice.

"I thought you looked differently." Ron blurted out, and Hermione wanted to slap him. Of all the damned things he could have said…

Harry laughed. "Yeah, normally, he's way more gorgeous."

Ron spluttered a bit while the Twins snickered softly. Voldemort rolled his eyes and scowled.

"I'm just saying… on that picture he looked… uhm…different."

"What picture?" Voldemort sharply said.

"You have a chocolate frog card dear." Harry said, smiling widely. "I still have it, if you want to see it."

"Oh, you kept it? Where?" the Dark Lord said, smirking, while Harry became red. They stared at each other for a while as if they were having a mental battle, and finally, Harry averted his gaze, blushing fiercely while Voldemort looked very smug about something. Hermione decided that it might be better to not ask where he had kept the picture… "Right." Voldemort continued. "I think we're done here, unless you still have questions?"

"Will we… do we have to be Death Eaters?" Hermione asked, hating how small and pathetic her voice sounded.

The man gave her a surprised look, but then shook his head. "No, I will not mark you. I take it that you still want to stay at school?"

"Yes, of course… why shouldn't we? Education is important…"

"I will leave Hogwarts in a few weeks." Harry confessed. "Fred and George will as well."

"To follow our destiny!" Fred chimed in.
"Pursue our dreams!"
"And become the world's best,"
"Most annoying,"
"Pranksters!"

"As long as you don't forget to give priority to whatever I want you to invent…" Voldemort growled.

"Of course, My Lord." George said, suddenly serious again.

"So... you'll really be opening a joke shop then?" Ron asked.

"Yep!"

"How'll you pay that?"

"We've got funds…" Fred said, pointing at the Dark Lord. "In exchange for our loyalty and some nice inventions..."

"And you, Harry?" Hermione said. "Why are you leaving?"

"To help with the war. I will openly support the Dark. It will be too dangerous for me to stay here at Hogwarts."

"But what about school? You'll need to pass your exams!" she said. "Fred and George already have their OWL's, but you…"

"If it eases you, I will make sure he studies." The Dark Lord replied.

"Hah. I can still remember last time you 'helped me with my studies.'" Harry gave the man a grin, approached him and wrapped and arm around Voldemort's neck from behind.

"I didn't hear you complaining… In fact, you seemed to be quite enjoying yourself…" the Dark Lord drawled, slowly stroking Harry's arm.

Hermione had not wanted to hear that… truthfully, she would probably have thought it very cute and would have tried to get more details, but… Harry and Voldemort… She shuddered. Not that the man was bad-looking, but she got the idea that it was not how he usually looked, even around Harry.

Uh… I'm thinking about this too much.

She abruptly stood up. "Well, then I think everything is said. Ron?"

"Yeah… I'll just ask Fred and George to fill me in on the details of everything."

"Oh, and what details it will be!" Fred joked, but shut up when he got the most evil death-glare from Voldemort that Hermione had ever seen in her life.


The days flew by, and Harry didn't think he'd ever felt so exhausted. That is to say, if you only counted normal days, not including fighting with basilisks and trying to save people from the bottom of a lake… Not that this week was very normal. Eyolf apparently didn't think he was up to the challenge his task provided, and instead of waiting till Friday, he suddenly showed up at random moments and dragged Harry to an empty classroom to practice his spellwork. The teen really felt the urge to just run sometimes, but bit back the feeling, forcing himself to go on. It was easier now to let his magic take over, but controlling what he did was still difficult when he was in such a state, resulting in various other destroyed objects. The Killing curse just came to him too easily. Unfortunately… the other spells did not.

"How come that the Ministry doesn't hear about this? I thought they could track that Killing curse with the Trace, even at Hogwarts?" He really should have thought about that sooner…

"Potter, do you ever open these things called 'books'?" a sarcastic voice replied, and Harry instantly wished that he had waited until he could have asked Marvolo.

"I am quite familiar with them, thank you."

"Then read 'Hogwarts, a History' one day. It might enlighten some things. The Trace is blocked by the wards of Hogwarts. The Unforgivables are just spells, it's not like they can be specifically recognised by the Trace. True, every spell has a unique pattern, and the Trace is sort of like a tracking spell, but instead of persons, it tracks spells. Inside of Hogwarts, the Trace doesn't work, thus it will not alert the Ministry if you're throwing some darker spells."

"But aren't they stronger?"

"Concentrate on your lesson Potter, I don't feel like explaining this to a moron. How the Dark Lord puts up with you, and even likes your… company, I don't know." The way he spit out 'company' made mental question marks appear in Harry's head, but he had no idea what could be bothering the man. "I might have found out what your problem is with the casting of magic."

"Oh?"

"You have too much power and not the brains to understand what to do with it. Now, try again."

Harry gnashed his teeth together, wondering how anyone could come close to the border of passing from 'Snape-like' to 'worse than Snape-like'. If anyone had told him a week ago that he would come to hate someone's lessons more than those of the potions master, he would've laughed at them. Hard.

It was odd, whenever Harry spoke casually with the man, Eyolf seemed nice, albeit very distanced and secretive. Whenever he taught Harry though, he became the most irritating bastard on earth. The first lessons had been alright, but now they were absolute hell. He threw all his frustration in his next attempt to freeze the picture he had brought –a reminder of the Lockheart disaster that had been buried on the bottom of his trunk since Collin had given it to him- and watched the result with a mixture of irritation and relief. He hadn't gotten the spell right again, but at least now that damn picture was blown into pieces.

"Potter!" And… a certain assassin was livid now. Well, if he was going to give a lesson in 'how to be angry' then he could learn something from Harry. Not in for another round of insults, he threw a stunner at the man, but instead of getting the satisfaction of knocking Eyolf out, he suddenly had a knife at his throat.

XxX

"What. do. you. think you're doing Potter?" he hissed, and pressed the knife harsher against the skin. The insolence! Here he was trying to teach the boy so he wouldn't get killed, and angry retorts and a stunning spell were his thanks?

"You won't kill me." The boy said, but there was fear in his voice that didn't quite match the brave words.

"No, but I would like to." he bit. Eyolf removed the knife and shoved Potter away. "Well? Will I get an answer?"

To his surprise, the boy turned around and pounded a fist into his chest. Tried, really. He swiftly caught it, not letting go. Potter howled in frustration and tried to pummel him with his other hand, but failed when that one was trapped by Eyolf's other hand. He was about to scold Potter, yell at him or perhaps even hit back, but suddenly the boy's muscles slacked and he fell on his knees on the ground. Dumbstruck, Eyolf watched as Potter started to cry, wondering what the hell he should do.

"Potter?" he asked, unsure if the boy would react. A fist started weak attempts to hammer at his leg, and he crouched down, gently taking the boy's wrist to stop him.

"Why?" Potter wailed, raising his head, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of anger and despair. "Why do you do this? Why is nothing I do ever good enough? Why do you feel the need to… to make me feel as if… as if…"

"As if what, Potter?"

"As if I'm worthless!"

Eyolf contemplated on Potter's words… Had he? Naturally, he had been strict, and gotten angry when the boy did not meet his expectations. The progress he made was frustratingly slow, and so he had tried to push him over his own boundaries. He sighed. He wasn't used to dealing with children. No matter how the Dark Lord saw Potter, he was still but a child. He was unfit to be burdened with tasks that could be crucial in a war anyways, and with the exception of those odd magical outbursts, Potter hadn't really shown that he was up for it. Not that any fourteen year old could have been… Eyolf didn't know what to make of those sudden occurrences, where the magic suddenly filled the room in a deadly rush, and he doubted that anyone but the Dark Lord himself could help the boy control those. He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair before looking down on the boy.

"You're not worthless Potter. I never said that, I don't think so and I'm sorry if I made you feel like I did. The thing is that I just don't know what to do with you. I realise you are on a level that you should be on, and that these charms are perhaps too complicated for you. However, I have to teach you them to succeed this mission. You will fail without them, and as such… perhaps I pushed you too far." Harry sniffed, and Eyolf saw his anger disappear. "Listen Harry, you are the first person I ever taught, and I might not have tackled it right. This is frustrating for me too."

"How so?" Potter asked, confused. Eyolf gave him a wry smile.

"Because the Dark Lord will kill me if I don't do this right. He clearly told me what I had to teach you, and even though it is material that you would normally learn in your sixth year at school here, he expects me to teach you them in less than a month. I don't know how." He calmed himself down and while he spoke, he had to admit to himself that he had been unfair to the boy. All things considered, Potter had progressed better than he could have expected, even if he hadn't wanted to admit that. It had seemed like eternity to him, but he was used to the assassin training. Clearly that wasn't the best way to teach this child spells. "Also, whenever your power rises to the surface, it is as if other magic tries to force its way through, disrupting the spellwork you are trying to concentrate on."

"I don't understand. I haven't had any trouble in class, but both the freezing spell and the copying spell are just so hard to cast."

"It is because you are used to spells which only have to be cast in a split of a second. The charms I'm trying to teach you work slowly. It keeps feeding off your magic for a duration of time. it is a permanent spell, not an instant one. Usually, the magic of a magician is steady. It's constantly at one level. Yours has been disrupted somehow and constantly flares up. To master the freezing spell, you need to keep your magic at one constant level for more than twenty minutes. That should happen automatically, but with you, it doesn't."

"Then why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I don't have a clue how to calm your magic. At first, I thought that it was because of your emotions, and tried to get you so far that you could control those. However, the situation hasn't improved. I think it might be something else, but I wouldn't know what. You'd better ask him."

"My mind was destroyed." The boy confessed, and Eyolf's head shot up to stare at Potter, who refused to meet him eyes. "The Dark Lord fixed it, but he said that some things were too damaged to be healed. It might be the reason…"

Eyolf breathed in through his nose. "Damn it." he muttered. "How did it happen?"

"Cruciatus curse." He grimaced, obviously not liking the memory. "Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Ah. Nasty thing, that is."

"What, the curse or Bella?"

"Both." The man grinned. "Now, this explains a lot, but I'm no expert at healing, and if he can't help you any more, then I'm certainly not competent enough." He looked away and stared at the wall, sunken in thoughts. His head suddenly snapped back after a few minutes when Harry cleared his throat.

"You're still here?"

"Uh... well… I didn't know I was dismissed."

"I can't teach you anything until your magic is cured, and I can't cure it. That means you're dismissed."

"Oh. Eyolf?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

Harry shrugged. "You were just trying to do your job weren't you? I shouldn't have overreacted. Sorry for crying on you."

"Just don't mention it to that Dark Lord of yours and I'm sure I'll be fine…"

"About that…"

"Hmm?"

"He is… kind of connected with my mind and regularly checks what I'm doing… I'm pretty sure he's followed our conversation."

Eyolf swore. He was fucked.


"Don't kill him please." Harry said with an air of amusement. He leaned against the wall next to the door, calmly taking in his lover, who was pacing furiously. Not to his surprise, the room was full of broken furniture.

"He made you cry. CRY!"

"Other than what I thought, it wasn't really his intention to do so. I'm surprised though. You didn't storm in during the lesson."

"Perhaps I should have…" Marvolo stopped pacing and rushed towards Harry, enveloping the teen in a crushing hug, which was returned rather awkwardly. He'd never seen Marvolo this… emotional. Sure, he'd seen him when he was in rage, and full of lust, and also extreme happiness and content, but this desperation and worry was unsettling. His lips were suddenly attacked with feverishness, and as he kissed back, now clinging onto the other, he felt the tension leave the man's body. When they finally broke apart, Harry's legs felt like jelly, and he seriously couldn't remember how much time had passed. He'd found out some time ago that it was rather convenient to breathe through his nose during kissing to avoid 'breath gasps', but the downside of it was that he would get lost in the kiss and suddenly notice that it was three hours later.

"I had some business abroad. I couldn't leave in the middle of the convention… That's why…"

"That's why Eyolf is still alive?" Harry joked, and Marvolo gave him a playful glare.

"Perhaps now I'm back I'll be able to rectify that…"

"Right. Please don't. Anyways, what was the meeting about?"

"It was a gathering of the Ynysoedd Prydain Council, the Creature Council of the British isles There were representatives for Goblins, Vampires, Banshee, Dryads, Veela, Werewolves, Dwarfs, Elves… mostly two or three for every species, although there were a lot of werewolves because the clans do not answer to one leader, like the Vampires do."

"What are Dryads?"

"Tree spirits. They often keep Bowtruckles as pets."

"And you were there to get them to your side?"

Marvolo laughed and petted Harry's head. "No, I was there because I was invited by one of the Dwarf kings. I've made quite a lot of contacts while travelling the world in my youth. Was never able to get through to the Goblins, but what wizard can? One of the Dwarf Kings enjoyed my views on war tactics though, and I became their link with Wizarding Britain. Of course, my own wars consume a lot of time, and my contact with him watered down, but when he heard of my return, he immediately wrote to me and invited me for this meeting.

"You never mentioned it."

The man stepped back and sat down on the comfortable couch. "It's not that important to the Dark." he explained. "It was merely a social gathering, and as a guest, I was not able to participate, only watch. It was an honour, but of no real value strategically seen. I know on what other species I can fall back on from my recruitment during the first war. With the exception of the Giants and Werewolves, their leaders all remained the same, and, as most of the Giants have been chased from the British Isles centuries ago, they are no longer member of the council. The remaining Giants were hunted down by the Ministry right after my first war because they had supported me. After the rescue Mission in Azkaban, I sent a party of my Death Eaters to the Giants, who are hiding east of Belarus."

"And?"

"They're not back yet, but I hope that the current leader will agree with our views. Actually, I don't think it will be that hard to persuade them, they still hate the British Government, and Dumbledore did nothing about their situation either. I bet he'll try to convince them of his 'good intentions'."

"But why would he even try? Doesn't he realize that they'd never join him?"

"Giants can be fickle. They would of course never follow the Ministry, but if Dumbledore pretends that he does not agree with the Ministry's view on their kind, and gives them enough rare magical presents, then he might stand a chance… if, of course, I would not have been resurrected. There is no way that they'll run over to any other side than mine. I think that Dumbledore does not realise that I really will keep my promises to them and improve their situation."

"And the other creatures whose loyalty you are sure of… werewolves, vampires, several dragon species… who else?"

"The Dwarfs, the Atlantic mermaids, Dementors… most of the werewolf clans, yes, although only two of them actively help me. Dumbledore on his side, has the mermaids in the Black lake and a lot of Ghosts and House-elves. While the last don't seem like much, they have their own, very powerful magiuc. Even so, I also have the advantage that I can speak Parseltongue. Because of that, I have the support of the dragons, and some nests of Runespoors, Ahswinders and Occamy. Most of the Magical Creatures and Beings don't wish to mingle in this war though, feeling that it is not their war."

"What side are Veela on, actually?"

"Veela? Hmm… neutral, leaning towards Dark, generally… but some are of another opinion. Come, sit down. I want to talk with you about what happened during your lesson. I felt your emotions, but because of the distance, I couldn't quite understand what exactly was going on."

"To make a long story short: because my mind broke during summer, my magic was disrupted and now I can't keep it at one level for a duration of time. Therefore, I can't perform spells which take longer than a second to cast. Both the freezing and the copying spells require that. I'm not making any progress and both Eyolf and I got frustrated about it."

"And then you broke down?"

"Well… it's more that he is not used to teaching anyone, expected too much of me, was disappointed and took it out on me."

Marvolo got a dangerous glint in his eyes and rose, clenching his fists. "If he hurt you..." he started, but Harry cut him off.

"No, nothing like that. I just… I… I felt like how I did back at the Dursleys." Harry confessed, trying to stop his hands from shaking. "Worthless…" Angrily, he blinked back the tears that threatened to leak from his eyes again. He was NOT going to cry in front of Marvolo. He heard the rustling sound of robes when his love walked over towards him again, and he buried his head in Marvolo's chest, screwing his eyes shut. A hand lightly pressed against his shoulder blades.

"You don't need to hold it in for me, Harry…"

The teen just furiously shook his head and forced his tears back, taking deep breaths to calm himself until he was sure that he could speak with a normal voice again. "I never wanted to feel that way ever again." he confessed, sorrowful, but calm.

"I know. I still haven't forgotten that memory of yours…"

The silence that followed was loaded with tension and discomfort, and with a soft kiss to Harry's forehead, Marvolo broke apart again. Exhausted, Harry slumped down on the couch, lazily stroking Nagini's head when she slithered over to him and laid her head on his stomach.

~Hey girl~ he hissed with a tired voice to the snake who had just woken up by the sound of their voices.

~Hello. Have you seen my brother lately?~

~Yeah, he's still in Gryffindor tower. I couldn't very well take him with me to my lessons... Hermione told me that he became good friends with Crookshanks, Hermione's cat.~

~A cat? A cat? Has he lost his mind? By Vinata, he's a snake! He is supposed to eat the little furball, not befriend it!~

~What are you, his mom?~ the teen grinned.

~As good as! The imprisonment by humans made him go mad... this only confirms it!~

Harry watched the fuming, muttering snake in amusement before turning his attention to Marvolo, who was scribbling at some parchment. A peaceful silence fell over the room, lasting nearly twenty minutes, during which Harry had almost fallen asleep, before it was broken by a timid knock on the door. The teen sat up, staring at the door as a smiling blond girl opened it.

"Good evening." she quietly said, slightly bowing as she turned towards Marvolo.

"Good evening Ms Lovegood. Do come in."

The only thing Harry could do was gape as his friend approached him and sat down with a beaming face. "Luna... what?"

"Your boyfriend invited me to talk about his research and compare it to what I and my father found. For a Dark Lord, he's a real gentleman, isn't he?" she remarked, her eyes drifting to the ceiling. "Do you know that the wood there is inhabited by Fatae?"

"Yes, I am aware." Marvolo replied, getting up to join them by the fire. He waved his hand to make three steaming cups of tea appear. "Now, Ms Lovegood, what did you think of my findings?"

"They were amazing. So many missing pieces of puzzles were found now, thank you. I never knew that sand Erumpents also existed."

"Was there anything you could add to it?"

"Yes, especially on Nargles and Bowtruckles. Dad and I visited a Dryad village once, so we had ample time to study the little creatures."

The conversation would no doubt have been very interesting, if Harry hadn't already reached his limit, and he felt like he could feel asleep any moment. His gaze turned towards the fire that flickered merrily in the fireplace, and his mind drifted away. He would ask Luna about this later… now, he just wanted to close his eyes and rest.

XxX

A dull 'thud' made Marvolo look up, and he smiled when seeing that Harry had fallen asleep. Ignoring the girl for a moment, he got up and draped a blanket over his lover, laying the arm that had fallen down and hit the floor back on the couch.

"You are lucky to have him." Luna remarked.

"I know. By Salazar, I know."


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xx GeMerope