He had just been sprinting through the Forbidden Forest, Acromantulas at his heels, when he fell into a snake pit. He tried to order them to help him, but it was as if he didn't speak Parseltongue anymore, and they didn't listen. Instead, they kept hissing incomprehensible words as they dragged him down, immobilizing his arms and legs, winding themselves against his torso, their scales and smooth bodies sliding over his bare skin.
"Harry…"
He almost missed the voice through the hissing, but he couldn't do anything anyway. When trying to break free, the snakes only tightened their grip, suffocating him.
"Harry…"
Their coldness seeped through his skin into his bones, and even while he was panicking, a strange feeling of safeness surrounded him, as if this situation was familiar. He closed his eyes, and it was as if the cold bodies rubbing against him became more real.
"Harry!"
He registered light and groaned, opening his eyes a miniscule bit, peeking up through his lashes, seeing Marvolo hovering over him.
"I know you're awake."
He groaned again and turned around; burying his head in the hard armrest of the bench he had been sleeping on. Cold fingers travelled down his sweaty spine and scratched at the skin of his lower back. He felt hot and had trouble breathing, but through the dull bonking in his head, he was still clearheaded enough to notice the state he was in.
"Why am I naked?" he muttered drowsily.
"Because you're having a fewer and are burning up."
"Oh." Fever, that explained the nightmare. "And you are on top of me, without clothes either, because?"
"Because I'm cold, of course. I'm trying to lower your body temperature." He could practically hear the satisfied smirk in the man's voice.
"Of course… What time is it? I have lessons today."
"Oh no you don't." he turned over again to face Marvolo, who was frowning at him with displeasure. "You're ill, and are not to leave my watch."
Harry sighed. There was no use in arguing with this man. And frankly, he really didn't feel well enough to put up much of a resistance. "Can't you just heal me?" Harry muttered.
"Yes, and I will do so in a minute, but you will stay for observation, to prevent it from returning."
"You're worse than Madame Pomfrey." the teen grumbled.
"Hmm? What was that?"
"Nuffin." Harry mumbled after he turned around once more and smothered his face in the couch, thankful for the darkness.
"Come here…" Marvolo said and affectionately wound his arms around Harry's waist. The teen sighed and shivered slightly when the man's freezing body touched his feverish skin. Teeth scraped at Harry's neck and he whined, trying to struggle free when teasing nails ran lightly over his quivering sides, barely touched them. His breath grew labored as the bites increased, and the hands found their way under his body, stroking his stomach and sliding lower with an infuriating slow pace.
Just as he wanted to complain about being molested while he was ill, he felt pressure being applied to his balls, and his hips instinctively grinded into the hand that cupped him.
"Ah… M.. .Marvolo…" he slurred, arching his back.
He didn't get an answer, but instead felt the hand speed up, and he really didn't care how he looked as he kept pushing backwards to get more of that incredible feeling. It abruptly stopped, and he slouched down again, trying to catch his breath while his head spun, and he groaned when black spots danced in front of his eyes.
A cool, but sweaty hand clamped down over his forehead, and it took a while before he realised that the sweat was most likely his own, as his lover didn't perspire. A light blue, soft glow surrounded him and the spinning decreased until it stopped. Marvolo ran the healing spell over Harry's body until the teen felt fine again, although he was incredibly tired. He yawned and closed his eyes, for a moment allowing his body to wallow in the feeling of his lover, who was still lying on top of his back, now softly stroking his ribcage. After a few seconds though, he reluctantly rose, pushing Marvolo off him.
"I need to shower." he said. "I want to get this sweat off." Marvolo scowled and displeasure was evident in his eyes. Harry gave him a weak grin and brushed his lips against unmoving, cold ones. "Though I wonder if it will get me clean." he cheekily said, wondering how fast it would take for the hint to sink in.
In a blink of an eye he was tackled, but years of Quidditch training and evading Dudley had made him impossibly fast and agile, and he sprinted towards the bathroom section, giggling when a pair of arms finally managed to catch him. He was pushed against the tiled wall, but before his head could slam into it, a hand was already fisted in his hair, and he was pulled into a crushing kiss. He shuddered with excitement. They hadn't had sex in days, and apparently Marvolo didn't deal well with that –despite his rants about control…- Harry really didn't know how the man had survived his years in spirit form, and then more than two months in a body, while not having sex once. Then again, he didn't know how he himself had survived the years before he'd had Marvolo. It seemed another lifetime…
"Harry…" he heard an annoyed growl.
"What?" he breathed.
"You're thinking too much. How can I have mindless sex with you when you're reflecting on the time you were still alone and depressed?"
The teen huffed and rolled his eyes. Of course Marvolo would be looking at his thoughts. Stupid mind link. Getting a sudden idea, he conjured up images of his lover in some rather provocative poses, and immediately got swatted over the head because of it while he was laughing his ass off.
"You're a brat. But you're my brat, so I guess it's alright."
Harry beamed and wrapped his arms around the man, pressing himself close and sniffing up the tantalizing scent of death and blood that always seemed to hang around the Dark Lord, together with something that was completely unique and made his brains melt every time he smelled it.
"You have a neck fetish, you know that?" he muttered when lips latched onto his pale column. A grunt and a harsh suck were all the reply he got, and he leaned his head backwards, trapping the pale fingers that still cupped his skull between his head and the wall. Harry let his hands wander down, caressing Marvolo's back and bottom. He smirked when he slid his finger in between the man's buttocks and fingered the tight, puckered hole. A warning hiss filled his ears, but he didn't stop, instead pushing against it, scratching the ring of muscles. He was rewarded with a low moan, but knew that he was threading dangerous grounds when he felt a particularly vicious bite.
~Harry…~ Marvolo growled.
~Yes?~ He innocently asked.
~You're not going to top today.~
The teen scowled but complied and removed the finger. His lover merely smirked at Harry's expression, hungrily taking in the sight of the naked boy. Suddenly, Harry looked up in surprise as the shower started running, and he hummed, closing his eyes at the nicely contrasting feeling of the hot water and Marvolo's cold skin. For a moment, he was satisfied by just feeling the hands that wandered over his body, but then, he smiled wickedly and slid to his knees, curling his hands around the back of the man's legs. His mouth immediately found the rapidly hardening cock and he latched onto the side of it, slowly sucking his way to the tip.
Fingers gripped his hair again and Harry roughly swiped his tongue over the pulsing head. He grimaced at the initial taste when precum started to leak out, but soon the bitterness faded and was replaced by a far more pleasurable taste. The member swelled as it rubbed against the inside of his mouth, and soft, low groans could barely be heard above the sound of the rushing water. Fascinated, Harry watched as little droplets slid down Marvolo's legs fast, not hindered by any hair or unevenness. He drew back, looking up to his lover, whose chest was heaving as he tried to control his breath. Harry softly trailed the side of a bony knee with his finger pads, marveling at the smooth texture, before moving his hand to touch the wet, leaking head of his love's member.
Though he would certainly not ever admit to it, he rather liked to feel the heat of it in his mouth, and thus he gave it a few slow, teasing licks before swallowing it down, his cheeks hollowing as he harshly sucked. The water drowned out most of the sounds, but Harry found that it couldn't completely cover the moans and hisses which were the result of his ministrations. Fingers dug in the back of his head, but the teen didn't care, merely strengthening his own grip, pulling Marvolo's hips closer.
Abruptly, he got yanked away, and he quizzically looked up, amused when seeing the sight his lover made. The man was obviously trying to pull himself together and quite failing at it. Dark red, lustful eyes tried to focus on his face and he was swiftly, harshly, turned around and pressed against the bathroom wall. Harry hissed at the feeling of the barely warmed tiles and squirmed, trying to escape, but he was trapped by the hard chest that pushed against his back. A fleeting touch was bestowed on his nipple and he whimpered, burying his face in his arms, which he pressed against the wall. The touch returned, more fervent now, and the teen shivered with excitement when feeling a slick, throbbing hardness pressing into his cheeks.
He grinded his ass against it, moaning when Marvolo's erection slipped in between his buttocks and prodded the tight ring of muscles, slipping in a bit.
"Marvolo?" he asked, figuring that in a few minutes, he wouldn't even be able to remember his own name. After a growled 'yes', he continued: "Methamorphmagi can also change only parts of their body, right?" Another grunt. He bit his lip, mustering up courage. "Your tongue was rather wicked when you were a dragon." he finally managed to choke out with a flaming head.
It was silent for a while, and he was just wishing that he hadn't said anything, before he heard a series of chuckles and a long, thin tongue was dragged over his spine. "Any other wishes?" he heard, and Harry had to force himself to breath at the heavily seductive tone. He only whimpered as he felt his lover slide to his knees behind him, and he cried out loudly when he felt his cheeks being parted and teeth nipped at his entrance, nibbling on the ring of muscles.
"Please, please please…" he begged, and his lips formed a silent 'Oh' when the long, forked tongue slithered inside. "Fucking amazing…" he muttered, trembling as he restrained himself so he wouldn't push his behind against his love's face.
The tongue twisted and turned, licking a fiery trail over his inner walls. A hand snuck in between his legs to cup his balls, roughly fondling his sack. Harry's own hand went down as well to relieve some of the strain on his aching penis, and he was not at all surprised when it was completely slick already. Precum dripped down and covered his palm, electric surges shot through him with every jerk and lick, and much sooner than he wanted, he cried out as he came.
He sat down, his head swimming with euphoria and tiredness, but when he turned and saw his lover through half-mast eyes, he knew this was far from over. "Grant me some recovery time will you?" he slurred, and hugged the kneeling man with ungraceful movements, rubbing against him as if he were a pillow.
XxX
Marvolo rubbed his nose against the wet strands of black hair, pulling away a bit to get a look at the hazy, drooping emerald eyes. A thrill ran through him as he pressed the boy against him, knowing that Harry was his. He gently began to massage the teen's back, noting with interest that Harry arched his spine, not unlike a cat that was being stroked. He licked the shell of Harry's ear and unwound the arms that clung to him. He took his lover's hands and pulled him to his feet, shamelessly roaming his eyes over the wet, dripping form, and thought to himself that he should shower more often with him.
Harry let himself be pushed backwards, still not very aware of what was happening, but Marvolo simply couldn't wait any longer, turned the teen around until his back was turned towards him and grabbed his hips. He remembered barely in time to lubricate the boy and made quick work of it with a spell before finally pushing inside, groaning as at last, some of his tension was relieved. He shuddered, bending forward and wrapping his arms around Harry's torso so they were pressed completely together. He moved his hips with quick, shallow thrusts, reveling in the feeling of moving inside of the hot, tight flesh walls. He let his thoughts drift away, losing himself for a moment as his climax came closer. He wasn't aware of his own moans anymore, or Harry's, as his thrusts became faster and harder.
He quietly hissed Harry's name when his seed finally flowed out of him, and he bit his lip when the orgasm was prolonged as the little minx clenched his muscles around him. He noticed that Harry was half-hard again, and made quick work of it with his hand, kissing the teen deeply, swallowing the muffled cries as hot fluids slicked his fingers.
Hands cupped the back of his head and the kiss turned into a wild battle. Marvolo raised an eyebrow… he wouldn't have guessed that his tongue was that much of a turn-on to his young lover. Not that he was complaining… He quickly won the fight of lips and teeth and softened the kiss until they broke apart.
"Circe…" Harry said, collapsing on the bathroom floor, covering his face with an arm. "That was amazing."
"I'm glad you agree…" Marvolo smirked, licking Harry's semen from his skin. His smirk only widened when he noticed that he could see the teen's hole from this angle, which was still red and twitching.
He transfigured some of the water in a bar of soap and gently ran it over Harry's body to clean him. His heart gave a little jolt when Harry removed his arms and looked at him with blatant love. He could feel it too, rushing through the link, and when he finished washing them both, he gathered his Harry in his arms and was content to just sit there for a while.
Completely spent, Harry collapsed on the bed and hugged the sheets, spying his lover through his lashes as the man stretched before picking up his clothes. When done dressing, Marvolo walked over to the bed and sat down.
"We need to talk about the condition of your magic. I'd wanted to speak with you about it last night, but I thought you needed your sleep. You told me that your magic is disrupted?"
Harry pouted at the sudden business-like tone and dragged Marvolo down for a long kiss. The man yelped at first, –though he would never admit to it of course- , but roughly shoved a hand in Harry's hair when he recovered from the shock. Only when the teen was satisfied, did he release the man and closed his eyes, sighing as he relaxed.
"Yeah. Ever since my mind broke, I can't keep my magic at one level, rendering me unable to cast spells that require more than a moment to cast."
Marvolo straightened, and when the boy peeked at his face, he saw a brief, smug smile that was directed at him, before the man became serious once more.
"I thought it over last night, and I have several theories. The first is that your inability to cast those spells has nothing to do with your mind, but that it is simply that you are inexperienced with them. However, it does not explain why your magic is so chaotic while normally, one's magic strives to keep at the same level so it is easier to control. My second theory is much graver. It is possible that, when Bella cast the Torturing curse on you and several things broke in your mind, that the restraining walls also did."
"Restraining walls?" Harry asked confused.
"Your magic is contained within you, in a magical core. You magical core can be compared with your wand, or, perhaps a better example, your vascular system. It runs through your body, but is also contained within veins, like your blood. Unlike veins though, the walls of those 'tubes' are made purely by the power of your mind. They're not tangible or even perceptible, other than with magic. Your mind broke down, so it could be that these walls broke down as well, leaving your magic without direction."
"So, that's more likely to have happened?"
"I don't know. As I said, it's just a theory, and it also has no explanation for several other points. Having a fractured Sianelu System should make you unable to control casting magic at all. Except for sudden outbursts that seem to come from everywhere in your body, you wouldn't be able to cast spells and be little more than a Squib."
"Do you have another explanation then?"
"Hmm, yes… one… well, half of it anyway. After your breakdown, it could be that your mind wanted to stop your magical flow for a while to heal. Such a thing happens frequently and is often falsely referred to as a magical coma."
"And… why is that not a good name?"
"A magical coma is a state where your magic decides that is it better to shut your body and mind down for a while so it can heal. The only thing that keeps you going in such a state is your magic. If your magical flow stops, the exact opposite happens. Your body and mind keep functioning, but repress your magic for a while so it can replenish or stabilise."
"Hermione." Harry automatically said and laughed when seeing Marvolo's confusion. "Sorry… you just sounded like her."
"Are you comparing me with a… a…"
"Yes. Get over it." The man glowered at him but then sighed deeply. "You're making me soft Harry… anyone else would have been begging for death by now." he admitted and smiled, ruffling Harry's hair affectionately. The teen wondered how he could look so cute while at the same time speaking of torture… "So… to get back to the subject at hand… what was exactly 'half' about your explanation."
"Well, you haven't stopped your magic flow. It just looks as if you're desperately trying to do so, but don't succeed. The level of your magical energy keeps flaring back up before you can repress it."
"So something tries to stop my 'healing period'?"
"It would seem so, but I wouldn't know what. And it's called an Ibu."
"A what?"
"Ibu. It's Ancient Egyptian for 'purification tent'. The Egyptians have one of the oldest and richest magical cultures, did you know?"
"Oh, yeah. Ron's brother, Bill, works as a Curse Breaker in Egypt… or well, worked. I believe he came back during summer to join the Order."
"Damn. That is inconvenient. Any hope of getting him over to the Dark?"
"No idea. I don't really know him. You should ask the Twins or Ron."
"Will do. Anyway, as for your condition… those were my theories. Is there anything that can help you?"
"Well… that third one. When you spoke about something else repressing it, I had to instantly think of your Horcrux inside me… Does it need my magic to survive?"
Marvolo's eyes widened and he cursed. "I hadn't thought of that. No, it doesn't need your magic to survive, but it helps it a great deal to bond with you and for it to remain sentient. Indeed, I think that it could be the reason… You really need some time to heal, but I can imagine that my Horcrux doesn't want to be cut off from your magical core. It won't be pleasant for it."
"What will happen to your soul then?"
"You can compare it to someone who has been Kissed by a Dementor, and although this would be only temporary, I don't think it will like it very much."
"… Is there a way around this then?"
"No. Not unless you are satisfied with only being able to control part of your magic for the rest of your life."
"How long would the healing take?"
"Perhaps a week or two, maybe less. Some time has passed already, so I imagine that some of it has already healed, albeit very slowly, and I also immediately reconstructed your mind, which will help you control yourself during your Ibu."
Harry exhaled slowly through his nose and stared up to the ceiling. Two weeks without magic… well, it wasn't as if he couldn't deal with that, but it would severely disrupt Marvolo's plans… But if he didn't do it, he would never get anywhere near Dumbledore's memories.
"Is there any way to speed the process up?"
"Of course. If you can get the Horcrux to agree in helping you, the Ibu might take mere days. It also has some magic of its own."
"Can't it use that to remain sentient?"
"Solely its own magic is not enough. You are its host. It needs some of yours to remain conscious. Even with inanimate objects, the object needs to be completely drenched in magic before a Horcrux can attach itself to it. Normally I used my own for that, but you were an accident, and thus it feeds off yours now."
"How can it help me when it's not conscious?"
"It can heal you from within. I don't know if I can fully explain it. It's a complicated process. Your magical sources retreat to one point, out of your own reach, and use itself to multiply. Because my Horcrux is inside of you, it can send its own magic to that same point to help, just before it shuts down because it can't reach your magic anymore. I'm sure its magic has become compatible enough with your own for it to work. If there's more magic, then it will also all replenish much faster. There's a sort of exponential growth in it."
"Right. I think I get it. And when the… the Ibu is over, what will happen?"
"Then it will all be released, gradually flowing through your body till your Sianelu System is full again. That's the tricky part though… even after you feel that your magic is returning to you, you still have to wait a day at least before you can use it safely, lest you immediately exhaust yourself again."
"And the Horcrux?"
"It will be able to re-establish the connection between you and itself, and become conscious once more."
"Merlin, why is this so bloody complicated?" Harry groaned. "How am I even going to 'make it agree'? I can't exactly talk to it…"
"Actually… yes, you can. I think I told you before… right after you killed Bellatrix and we spoke about the Locket you had found in her ashes…There is a spell that allows me to communicate with the pieces of soul from a distance, and I can let you talk to them as well… Pitifully enough, this Horcrux is a reflection of myself at the moment I made it. It's arrogant, has suppressed its emotions and is just… not very pleasant to converse with."
"I am so glad that I didn't meet you during that time." Harry muttered " Somehow, I doubt that we would ever have gotten in a relationship."
"Yes, I very much doubt that as well…" Marvolo dryly said. "Be glad that I had ample time to learn from my mistakes."
Harry just smiled at him and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And? How am I going to speak to this Horcrux?"
"It's not a very complicated ritual. I did it during summer, so I still remember the required spells. I just need some parchment, charcoal and my own blood to summon my Horcruxes. They will gain ghost-like appearances, and thus you too will be able to see them and speak to them, the one that resides inside of you in particular."
"How will I convince it to cooperate? I'm sure it won't be happy with me trying to suppress it… even if that will just be a repercussion of something else."
"Hmm… explain why it will profit from it also… having a host who is incapable of performing certain magic is not an ideal situation for my soul."
"I guess that would be logical… strange, I didn't think I would ever dread meeting you again." the teen said, giving Marvolo a wry smile.
"You'll survive. Besides, it's not like I am particularly happy about having to speak to it again. I only did for a few seconds some weeks ago but that was more than enough."
"Well, I don't think I would be too thrilled to speak to my soul. Especially not if it's a part that broke off years ago. I've made some rather… drastic choices… that a past me would not be happy about." Harry confessed.
The bed creaked as Marvolo got up and walked towards a false window the room had created, through which a landscape could be seen that bathed in red sunlight. The man rested his hands on the windowsill and leaned his forehead against the iron forgings in front of it, staring in the distance. "I don't regret any choices I made." he finally said. "I don't regret regaining my feelings, and I certainly don't regret you." he softly continued.
Harry smiled and sat up, shivering a bit when the cold air hit his back. He followed Marvolo's form with his eyes through the transparent, light green drapes that hung around the bed as he walked through the room, picked up a quill and stared at it before slowly pushing the sharp point inside of his hand. Harry blinked when a piece of charcoal and a sheet of parchment suddenly materialized on the nightstand on the right of the bed. Silently, he thanked the room, grabbed the stuff and walked over to Marvolo, giving him an odd look when the man started to laugh.
"What?"
"I know we'll just be conversing with parts of me, but I still recommend clothing… I don't share, not even with myself."
"Well isn't someone greedy." Harry mused, secretly pleased. Marvolo didn't reply other than with a roll of his eyes, and took the things Harry offered him. He kneeled down and started to rub the charcoal on the parchment while Harry dressed. When the teen finally returned, he reopened the small wound on his hand and let the blood be absorbed by the now black sheet, which instantly turned a dark shade of red.
"A Carbone Sanguinis, Anima: Prodio." he muttered, waving his hand over the soaked piece.
Smoky forms began to rise from it and became recognisable as people, or better said, one man in various stages of his life. Harry watched in fascination as they hovered in the air, looking down at him. Inwardly, he winced when the first to come out was not the 16-year-old boy he'd seen down in the chamber, but a slightly older version whose eyes seemed to burn with the same expression Marvolo had when he tortured or killed people.
Lastly, a man with a very similar look as Marvolo solidified, but there were harsh edges on his face which Harry did not recognise, and a dangerous craziness haunted his features. "You wished to speak to me, my vessel?" he sneered at Harry, and the teen had to dig his nails in the palm of his hand to not take a step back.
"Yes." he quietly said. "I wish for your cooperation…"
"Really now… and what if I refuse?"
"Why would you? What you have been doing, suppressing my magic's desire to heal… how would that ever benefit you in the long term? I can't even cast proper spells!"
"You just need to get stronger then, don't you boy?" the Horcrux sneered, and Harry pressed his lips together.
"Why are you so afraid of not being sentient for a few days?" he asked, but apparently it had been the wrong thing to say, for a raging look crossed the smoky features, and the form dived down, stopping right in front of Harry's face.
"I am NOT afraid of ANYTHING, you worthless-"
"That's quite enough." Marvolo interrupted with a soft, but dangerous voice.
"Oh look, my mellowed future… I am ashamed that I could ever turn out in something like you… I think I despise you even more so than my past…"
"To answer your question, Harry… I am terrified of death, or anything that is similar to it… obliterating my own existence is not something I would do without making sure I benefitted from it in a way that far outweighed the price." Marvolo calmly stated. "However, my Horcrux, it will only be temporary, and as you have a living vessel, he needs to be able to protect both himself and you. How can he when you are constantly fighting his magic's need to heal? You disrupt his flow, destabilise him. Think about it. I will continue my war soon. How do you suppose Harry will fight when you block his ability to cast more advanced Magics with your stubbornness to not go to sleep for a few days?"
The Horcrux drifted back to its original spot, clearly considering Marvolo's words. Finally, it turned around, calmed somewhat, but it still stared at Harry with disgust. "I will concede this time. However, I will never accept you as a worthy vessel, nor will I accept you," he turned to Marvolo "-as worthy of the title of Dark Lord until you have come to your senses. Whatever happened to my dreams of glory, I don't know, but I am… disappointed that you no longer wish to pursue my ideals."
With that, he sank into the parchment again, or rather; he evaporated as he descended towards it. The other Horcruxes, who had merely watched during the encounter, followed suit, although the youngest form of them all lingered behind, only disappearing after having voiced that he was glad that his future had reverted back to his original plans.
The parchment turned blank and Marvolo sank into a chair, releasing a long breath as he rubbed his right temple. Harry approached him and pressed a light kiss to his forehead, wrapping his arms around the man's neck. "How is it possible that you were ever such an asshole?" he muttered, making his lover laugh.
"I became addicted to dark magic and mutilated both my body and mind, thinking less and less about the consequences of my actions. I never grounded myself*, never purified myself, strained my magical core and drenched it in darkness. I literally poisoned myself without caring. Make sure it never happens to you Harry…"
"How come that you were healed?"
"A combination of things… spending more than a decade as a spirit, during which I had no access to my magic and thus could not mutilate it further, and the gaining of a new body with pure ingredients. This body is an exact replica of my old one, but it is only a copy, it is not the original, and so it was not yet affected by years of abuse by the darkest of arts, even though it looks like it. It also helped that it was created with your blood, and Nagini's venom. Both of you still had a pureness over you that healed me. How you maintained that pureness even after killing is a mystery to me, however."
"What do you mean? I'm quite certain that after killing Bellatrix and Umbridge, I'm not all that pure…"
"I was speaking of Quirrel, the Basilisk, a piece of my soul and several Acromantulas." Marvolo responded dryly."
"I… killed Quirrel?"
"Yes, he's quite dead, as I'm sure you've noticed."
"Of course I know he's dead… I just… I thought he died because you left his body, to be honest."
"You turned his body into ash… How did you do it? I'm very, very certain that love had nothing to do with it."
"I don't know. Accidental magic?" the teen asked, shrugging.
"Honestly you…" the man said with a sigh. "Come on, you have to prepare for your purification."
"Alright. What do I have to do?"
"Not really much. Normally this happens automatically. You, however, will have to meditate and probe around for the Horcrux, to let it know you're ready."
Harry nodded, but just when he wanted to sit down, a sudden feeling of loss, of being drained, filled him, and he cried out in anguish. Marvolo caught him when his knees buckled, and carried him over to the bed. "Harry? What happened?"
"It's gone… it's gone…" Harry said, as he realised that something fundamental was missing. He had always thought that magic was just a power wizards could use, and that having no magic for a while would be like spending summer at the Dursleys, but this… this he had not expected. "It's gone…" he repeated, clawing at his chest, panicking. Marvolo gently took his hands and pried them away so he couldn't hurt himself.
"It's not forever Harry. I'm sorry I didn't warn you… I forgot how it feels the first time. I take it that my soul already stopped fighting this?"
The teen nodded and curled up to his love, shivering, very glad for the fact that he could stay here for the remainder of the day.
"Madame Pomfrey?" Harry asked, standing in the doorway of the Infirmary. The nurse, who had just been busy changing bed sheets, looked up to him with a distraught look.
"Oh, Potter. Excuse me, I hadn't heard you. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Not really. I just came here for formal reasons. I wore out my magic rather heavily, and I'm going through an Ibu right now. I should be fine within a few days, but I need your signature as a confirmation that I can't do anything but theoretical things in class."
"Ibu?" she muttered. "Well, I'm pleased that you know the name Mr Potter. Most students would have panicked when their magic was inaccessible. I know you're probably sure, but I'll need to give you a quick check-up of course, also for formal reasons." The teen nodded and approached her, sitting down on a chair when she told him so. "When did it begin? And could you please tell me the cause of your sudden exhaustion?"
"Yesterday. It wasn't really sudden. I'm afraid I pushed myself too hard. Summer was really stressful, and I decided to dedicate more time to school when I came back. That combination backfired on me."
Madame Pomfrey carefully checked his pulse and probed his wrists with some peculiar device before nodding. "Good, it seems to me that everything is going fine. Don't use magic while it returns to you either."
"Yeah, I know. Have to wait a day."
"May I inquire how you gained this knowledge? It is not standard in the Hogwarts curriculum, a fact I have complained about multiple times, by the way."
"My boyfriend has thoroughly studied an impressive amount of magical areas, especially key areas such as healing."
It was apparent that the nurse was pleased with this, and she told him to wait while she went to her office to fetch a slip of paper and a quill. Harry walked to the windows and slid one of the curtains open, looking at the bleak September sun that now and then shone through the light grey clouds. The few patches of open sky were so light blue that they almost seemed white, and it was clear that it wouldn't be long before the first autumn rains would arrive. Harry sighed, and wondered if his lack of magic would affect the ability to fly. While the pages of 'Quidditch through the ages' were crumpled and torn because of the many times he had read the book, he did not know anything about the magic that was woven around the brooms themselves. Would a Muggle be able to fly on a Firebolt?
He had been so caught up in other things that he had rather neglected his broom, save for the Quidditch try-outs, where he'd been dragged to by Angelina, who was Team Captain now Oliver had graduated. He wondered what would become of the Team once he, Fred and George left. Though Harry didn't like to admit it, Ron wasn't exactly the best Keeper there was, despite the fact that he had been the best one during the try-outs…
The curtain fell back as he turned at the sound of footsteps, and Madame Pomfrey profoundly apologized to him for having taken such a long time. He just smiled at her and accepted the offered paper. He turned on his heels, but looked back when the nurse called him.
"Mr Potter, I do hope that for once, a year will pass by without you lying in my infirmary because of lethal injuries." She said, a wry grin on her face. Harry smirked and shook his head.
"Who knows what miracles can happen this year…" he retorted, and walked out of the white room, slowly enough to hear the exasperated sigh of the nurse before the door closed behind him.
He remembered barely in time that he needed to get to history of magic, but figured that he wouldn't need his books for that subject anyway, and thus he didn't bother to jog to Gryffindor tower. He went to the nearest secret passage, and to any onlooker it might have looked as if he suddenly disappeared into thin air, while instead, he had entered a tunnel through a hole in the wall that was half obscured by a large stone statue, and half by the dark shadow cast by it. Harry automatically counted the steps in the dark, only slowing when reaching the last ones to be sure he hadn't miscounted.
When he arrived at the other end of the tunnel, he rushed to the classroom. The corridors were mostly empty, but while previous years he had always felt an uncomfortable feeling of being watched when alone, he now reveled in the quiet. He turned the last corner, arrived in a wider corridor and had to suppress a sigh of disgruntlement when he had to push himself through the sudden mass of people. Some of them gave him odd looks and giggled, and he pretended to not see the stares they gave him and the funny faces they made behind his back before bursting out in derisive laughter. Harry gritted his teeth in irritation, but he was also somewhat relieved that the majority of the Wizarding population still didn't believe his and Dumbledore's statement that the Dark Lord had returned.
He entered the classroom and sat down next to Ron, smiling at the other boy. Ron gave him a smirk in return, but Harry noticed that there was something like anxiousness in his friend's eyes. Well, it couldn't be helped… he hadn't spoken to either Ron or Hermione after their encounter with Marvolo. They were bound to be uncomfortable around him for some time, though it had to be said that, for Gryffindors, they were rather good at hiding their discomfort.
Professor Binns entered the room by gliding through the blackboard, and immediately began to talk in a monotonous voice, not even noticing that there were no students who were listening, with the exception of Hermione, who was taking notes as always. Harry sighed and buried his head in his arms, wondering why the hell he even came, when something hit his arm. He looked at the thing, which turned out to be a crumpled ball of paper, and smoothed it out before looking up in surprise, just in time to catch Draco's meaningful gaze.
Harry, can you get me an audience with Him?
He frowned at the words and stuffed the paper in his robe, mentally scolding Draco for not disguising the message in any way. What if the Slytherin had missed and someone else had picked it up instead? He gave Draco a curt nod, and the boy turned around again with a pleased smile. Harry caught Ron's surprised look from the corner of his eye, and turned to his friend, making Ron clear that he wanted to speak with him after class.
He used the lesson to mull over his current situation. He wouldn't have any magic for days, so Eyolf would not teach him during that time, leaving him with time to spare. Perhaps he could search the Twins out and see what sorts of things they had invented. Perhaps they had something useful for him. Also, he thought, rather reluctantly, he should probably spend some time on his homework and study more. Because of recent events, he had not had very much time for it and had neglected his studying, despite his intention to spend more hours in the library. He was frustrated by his own lack of progress, but because he had no idea how long it would take him to master the necessary spells after his Ibu, he also could not take a gauge of how long he would still need to stay at Hogwarts.
He took a slip of paper and made a list of things he wanted to look up. First and foremost, he wanted to look into the origins of magic and the theories behind it. With all his little snippets of information on how magic worked, Marvolo had made him curious, and for the first time in a long while, he actually itched to run to the library and lose himself in a book. Several other things on the list were shadow walking, of which he had been taught the basics by the Death Eater Tracking Team just before leaving Hogwarts, something which belonged, surprisingly, in the category of mind-magic. He sighed and started doodling a bit absentmindedly, and before he knew it, Marvolo looked at him from the paper with an intense stare. Harry felt his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment, and just wanted to stuff it the pocket of his jeans when a pale hand snatched it away.
"By Circe, Potter… you really have a morbid crush, don't you? Does he really look like this under his robes?"
"Malfoy!" Harry hissed, gripping the boy's wrist, purposely embedding his nails in the skin until Draco let go of it with a pained sound. Harry looked around and noticed that the classroom was empty, save for them and the pearly ghost who had not noticed the lesson was over. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?" he snarled, uncomfortable about the fact that the blonde had seen his drawing.
"You do this often? Does he approve of your tendency to draw him naked?"
"…"
"I take that as a no…"
"You know, I don't have to ask him for an audience with you. If you prefer going to him yourself, I'll be more than happy to let you."
His acid tone had the desired effect. Draco took a step backwards and lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay okay, geez, I was only joking."
"Your ill attempt at humour was neither amusing, nor desired." he retorted, but his voice was flat. "And what do you mean with 'morbid crush'?"
He quirked an eyebrow when Draco started to laugh and then gave him an incredulous look. "Honestly Harry…" he scoffed, but then got a curious expression. "Can he look different by the way?"
The question threw him off, and puzzled, he answered: "Well, yeah. Why?"
"Oh… then perhaps you're not as crazy as I thought. Anyways, I must be going. See you later!"
Draco darted out of the room, leaving a confused Harry behind. "Crazy?" he mused, shaking his head afterwards, deciding that it wasn't worth dwelling over.
To ground yourself, for the ones who are not familiar with New Age stuff, means to let all overflowing energy -or in this case magic- flow out of your body, often using the earth or trees.
Sianelu system: Welsh for 'Channeling System', and I have to admit that I was imagening a Naruto-like chakra system :P
Read and review!
xx GeMerope
