While cracking his back, Robert sighed, and gave the stack of papers still waiting for him a dull look. He'd been playing with his quill for minutes, and didn't think he would regain any energy to start working again. The clock on his desk gave him a disapproving look, but kept silent, probably due to the fact that he had smashed the thing against the wall yesterday when it kept reminding him to get back to work. Merlin, why did nothing entertaining ever happen here? He got up and paced through his office a bit, glancing at the window with longing, behind which the sunlight shone. Or well, sun… considering the fact he was under ground level he doubted whether he could call it 'sunlight'. 'magical light' was more appropriate.

Not that he would like to be on ground level at the moment… The fields surrounding the stadium were crowded with the majority of the Wizarding population of Britain, waiting for the morning to arrive, together with the Dark Lord. Robert himself wasn't all that excited about it. After years of having the dullest job in one of the supposedly most entertaining places in the country his enthusiasm for... everything in general had dulled as well. The only thing he currently wanted to do after working a whole night through, filling forms, was sleep, Dark Lord or not.

Murmurs of voices reached his ears, but there was something strange about them… The usual droning voice of his boss could not be heard, but instead, a rather cold one and a child-like whiny one floated through the cracks in the door. He really should repair that door one day… Deciding he had nothing better to do, he opened it and stuck his head around the door, ready to finally get some relief today by shouting at people. His words stuck in his throat however, as a very... unusual couple came his way. And to his opinion, they were way too close to him as well.

"Shut it Harry."

"But Marvolo… this is no way to go at this! What about the grand entrance you promised them?"

"I thought you did not appreciate the attention of the media and the masses?"

"Well I don't, but it is supposed to be the moment I'll get 'revealed'.

"Brat. The 'grand entrance' as you call it, will come when people are actually awake. It's bad enough that I had to get up at this ungodly hour. Ah, finally, someone is here." It took Robert a few moments to process he was being spoken to, and he slowly closed his mouth, which had hung agape.

He turned his eyes to the young man with disbelief as he cheerily said: "Bow and pledge your loyalty!" and burst out into snickers, ignoring a rather horrifying glare on behalf of You-Know-Who.

"What is your name?"

"Ro... Robert." He managed to stutter, hoping he wouldn't pee his pants. The smell of urine that reached his nose and other unpleasantness told him he'd failed. "Robert Crow sir." he squeaked.

"Do you happen to be an administrator?"

"Yes." he whispered softly, and coughed to try and get his speech back.

"I want to know the names of everyone who will enter the stadium, and if not everyone fits, also of the people who stay on the campsites."

"I have all the names of the people present on the campsites here already sir…" he muttered, gesturing at the high stacks that threatened to fall over, relieved that he had good news to give. "Everyone who appeared at the apparition spots was asked their names, and they sent me those so I could sort out the mess."

"Keep up the work then. I will come and collect it all in a few hours."

Robert nodded quietly and gathered some papers in his arms for no real reason other than being busy with his hands to prevent wringing them nervously. Only when the others turned and strode out of his office did he allow himself to slump down on a chair and wipe his forehead with the sleeve of his robe. By Merlin... this had not been the nicest way to start the day.

While Robert made a cup of tea to calm himself –although nothing had really happened-, he was fully convinced that he had narrowly escaped death.

XxX

"Hours? A few hours?" Harry spoke, obviously not happy. "I didn't wake up at three am to wait several hours!"

"Tomorrow you can sleep as much as you'd like love."

"Ha! I'll keep you to that! And if you dare to wake me up sooner than the afternoon you'll have another thing coming!"

"Is that a suggestion that you want to wake up with sex?"

"What? That's... that's not what I meant!" Harry fumed while Marvolo walked by his side, seemingly undisturbed by the early hour. Harry suspected the man to have taken a potion or cast a spell on himself. Usually he wasn't up till eleven. Of course, that today was an important day might also have lightened the Dark Lord's mood, even though it was still practically night. "So… What will we do to kill time? And don't suggest sex again. I'm not going to be shagged in a cold corridor against a wall somewhere underground."

"You didn't have any problems with it last time in the dungeons…"

"No comment."

"So grumpy…" Marvolo said, amused, but then he turned his head and stared off in the distance. Images flooded Harry's mind before he could stop them. Scenes of battles, blood, masses of people cheering, exotic places and ancient temples all passed in his mind.

"I meant kill time the coming hours, not the rest of our lives." Harry smiled. "Though I quite like your vision of that as well. Minus most of the gore."

In the past months, the bond between them, and thus the link connecting their minds, had grown, strengthened. A few days ago, Harry had finally managed to look through Marvolo's eyes while he controlled it. It had been an overwhelming experience. Marvolo's body had more than merely human capacities. He could literally see magic in the air, like thin layers of see-through, coloured fabric that covered everything, mostly purple in colour.

Distance was also becoming less and less of a problem. It pleased him immensely, especially because they sometimes had to deal with being apart for longer periods of time. But while speaking to each other over a distance helped to deal with the loneliness, it was still hard to wake up alone in the night, or to stare at the other, empty side of the dinner table. The last few days though, Harry had been blessed with Marvolo's constant presence.

"To 'kill time' as you voice it… I had planned on adding my own security measures to this place before it gets flooded with possible allies and enemies."

At this, Harry's expression brightened. "Can I help?"

He'd recently gained an interest in the fields of magic that were not generally well-known. Warding, he'd found, was both challenging and highly useful, and while he wasn't very good at it yet –he lacked knowledge in both Runes and Arithmacy -, Marvolo had been able to teach him the basic concepts, and Harry often served as channeler now, to get used to the specific feeling of magic needed for every type of ward.

"Of course. There are a few which I will do alone though. I plan on tying them to me specifically, so then wards will fall when I leave. It saves me the trouble of taking them all down again afterwards."

"Which wards are you planning? I know that all possible anti-transportation wards are already in place, as well as those that repel Muggles."

"I want to place a specific area under heavy security, which will trap all magic cast, within it. If any known members of the Order show up, they will be directed to there. I promised no harm would come to anyone today –that would defeat the purpose of my talk-, but I will not take the risk of them wreaking havoc here either. Furthermore, I wish to strengthen the general Muggle-repelling wards so they also cover house-elves. I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to try something funny like sending his Hogwarts-staff."

"Anything else?"

"You don't think it is enough?"

Harry shrugged. "It sounds like it is enough, but Dumbledore is not known for being very predictable."

"It is all I can do without influencing the general public, and I do wish to try and make them see why our views are right. I do not want to make them feel like they are entering Azkaban."

They went up a last flight of stairs and entered the dew-covered grass of the arena that was usually used as either Quidditch pitch or theatre. It wasn't as dark as Harry had thought. Even though the rows and rows of seats everywhere around him blocked the sight, there was still a glow in the sky from hundreds of campfires. Harry did not know how many people were currently camping in the fields, but he guessed there were at least two thousand. Not many dared to withstand the Dark Lord's call. All followers of the Dark were here, naturally, for support.

Loads of Light wizards had arrived as well for various reasons: the hope to find others who wanted to start a rebellion or to see who exactly they were up against… Harry also suspected that many people here had come because they had started to doubt their beliefs. The campaign of the Dark in the Wizarding communities had gone smoothly and had been accepted with more and more enthusiasm as time went by.

Harry gazed up at the hoops on either side of the field, and for a moment was lost in a fantasy about flying here, playing Quidditch… Marvolo's suggestion to pursue a career in Harry's most loved sport after the war had constantly crossed his mind the last months. And now he was here, where he'd seen the brilliant match of Ireland against Bulgaria, he could really see himself doing just that. Flying, forgetting everything but the game. Dodging Bludgers, listening with half an ear to the commentary, feeling the feeble fluttering of the snitch's wings in his hand as it closed around the smooth metal…

"I never thought much of Quidditch…" Marvolo suddenly said, and Harry blinked, wondering how long he'd been lost in dreams. "But when seeing it in your mind, I must admit that I'm starting to see the appeal."

"You don't like flying then?"

"Actually, I love flying, but not on a broom. I dislike being dependant on an object. Should it malfunction, you could easily fall. I prefer being in control completely. My Animagus form fits me well in that regard. I can fly, and it is I who is flying. I do not simply soar on an object."

"We should have a race once… my Firebolt against you, oh mighty dragon…" Harry smiled.

"I daresay I will win easily, but if you insist…"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Harry grinned. "I've raced it against a dragon before, during the Tournament."

"I never knew the specifics about your tournament… Barty told me bits about it, but I was pre-occupied with gaining other knowledge back then. I can only remember that you had to steal an egg from a dragon during the first task?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, I got a very bad-tempered Horntail, which broke loose halfway… Professor Moody… well, Barty, had suggested I use my Quidditch skills to steal the egg. I summoned my broom while there and tried to grab the egg, but the Horntail was pretty fast. Of course, it was in a closed arena, so I didn't exactly race it, but my Firebolt could keep up with its movements." he declared proudly.

"Well then... it will be interesting to see which of us will be faster then." Marvolo mused. "Now, I suppose here will do."

They had stopped in the middle of the field, and Harry would have bet his invisibility cloak on that it was the exact center, accurate to the inch. White skin glowed in the scarce light as the heavy sleeves of Marvolo's cloak slid back when he raised his wand. Harry allowed himself a glance at it before he too pulled his wand out. Even after months, he still felt a spark of something unnameable when about to use it. He didn't know whether to name it pride, or satisfaction, or just plain joy… Marvolo had waved his gratitude off with a smile. 'It's nothing really, just a bit of falsifying records. I don't want any accidents to happen, and having you out of Hogwarts isn't really practical when you're not able to use magic.' That hadn't made him refuse Harry's 'thank-you' gift that same night though.

Harry did not understand what exactly had been done, as he didn't completely understand how the Trace worked –he hadn't bothered Marvolo with it, who had seemed too busy that time to answer such trivial things, and didn't think it that interesting to search for the answer in the library-, but from what he'd gathered, two Death Eaters had been able to take over the positions of the ones who kept track of the records regarding people being traced, had removed Harry's name, and then added it again without the necessary rituals that would actually bind him to it. He still didn't quite get why the Ministry had blamed him for Dobby's magic, or why the Trace did not seem to work at Ron's place –after all, the Twins could have never done all their experiments without a single bit of magic-.

Admiring the feel of the wood of his wand, he raised it and reached within himself, feeling his magic before getting ready to use it, one of the many things he'd learned in the past months.

"I'll start by strengthening the existing wards against house-elves. It is similar to the ward against Boggarts, but still subtly differs from it as house-elves are magic-bearing creatures, not creatures made of magic."

This had become familiar territory for Harry. While most of his lessons were taught by Death Eaters, Marvolo still tried to teach Harry as much as he could himself. Their link helped immensely, as Harry immediately felt when he did something wrong, and acted on Marvolo's thoughts before the man had to say something to correct him. Still, the man could not spend all his time teaching Harry, and so he often had to do with Death Eaters who did not have missions at that moment.

Even though he and Lucius had not had the best start, the man had finally, warily, accepted him as part of the Dark, and Harry had made it very clear that he was more than a mere toy of Lucius' Lord and Master.

"You're getting distracted." Marvolo's stern voice ripped through his musing, and Harry immediately stood straight again.

"Sorry... Short night. I really don't think I have had enough sleep." He admitted, making an irritated gesture with his shoulder, displeased with himself.

"Hmm… Then, just connect to me. I can use your magic, and this way you can get familiar with this type of Warding."

Harry nodded, actually relieved he wouldn't have to do much more. He didn't cast magic well when he was tired. Letting his magic flow into Marvolo though, was a different story, and felt more natural than anything. He found it strange, really, as their link was mostly formed because of the Horcrux, a thing that resented them both. Harry for what he wouldn't become, and Marvolo for turning his back on what he had been.

Harry closed his eyes and briefly touched Marvolo's arm to strengthen the contact. From that moment, nothing on the world existed anymore for him, except the two of them and the magic streaming through them.


The roars of the public were deafening, and Marvolo inwardly sneered at the people on the tribunes, who seemed to be treating this as the same form of entertainment as they would normally see in this stadium. Even the Death Eaters on the raised platform in the middle could do nothing to dampen their mood. But perhaps it was a good thing, he mused. It wouldn't do to have them all cower in fear. Still, it was beyond him why they all had to be soobnoxiously loud.

It was very good for his ego when they instantly fell silent as he stepped onto the platform himself.

He slowly looked around, his eyes not missing any detail, seeing both what was on the surface as the disturbances in magic and emotions beneath. He gestured to Rodolphus to pay extra attention to a group of younger wizards –by the looks of it either just out of Hogwarts, or in their last years there, having managed to sneak away-, as an angry red cloud sizzled around them, invisible to all but him.

He felt Harry behind him and relaxed slightly, but when he spotted Kingsley, Tonks, and Madeye on the tribunes, anger welled up again. The nerve of Dumbledore, to send his people here. And that without even gracing the Wizarding world with his own presence. He felt a slight touch at the back of his mind, less than a fleeting brush of a hand, but it was enough to remind him that he wasn't alone here. He took a deep breath, and, making sure the members of the Order saw his burning gaze fall on them, addressed the crowd.

"Welcome."

The remaining whispers died at the slightly hissed tone.

"I am glad that so many answered my call, that so many wish to hear the truth." Even though half of them had probably only come because they were afraid of what would have happened should they not have come, or because they were merely curious. "I will not try to blind you with illusions, as so many of your previous, -and sadly enough, even current- leaders. My goals are simple, and I do hope that many of you will find yourself agreeing with them.

Somewhere in the past, we were wronged. Wronged by ourselves, strangely enough. Our ancestors had become afraid of the Muggles, who far outnumbered us, and they did not wish to fight them. Therefore, they hid themselves away, as if they had to be ashamed of their powers. Ashamed of magic. This was a mistake I wish to correct. We, who have been given a power beyond the wildest dreams of most creatures on this earth, have bound ourselves by numerous restraints for no good reason. Perhaps, back then, it was seen as the only option, but now, Muggles are no threat to us anymore.

Do not understand me wrong, in no way do I wish to proclaim war to them, but am convinced that it is unnecessary for us to hide away any longer. While we have long left the height of our culture behind us, the non-magical population is growing. They have given form to their ideas, not with magic, but with their minds and skill. Magic will, overall, not be seen as threatening by most of them. They are used to, and have accepted, matters far more complex. They use technology of which they do not know how it works, not where it came from, nor who created it. And though this may strike most of you as odd, it is the same with us. We have forgotten our roots. Let us go back to them."

The stadium was silent for a while, before an explosion of sound was to be heard, and Marvolo winced slightly, cursing himself for not protecting his ears with a spell.

"Silence!" Lucius roared, having magically amplified his voice with a Sonorus. "Questions will be answered one by one."

It helped slightly, but the crowd was only intimidated enough to fall silent completely when Marvolo pulled forth his wand and waved it at the tribunes. "One by one." he repeated, and he wished that he knew everyone by name so he could address them personally. Pointing was a bit vague when there were approximately three hundred people in the general direction in which one pointed.

The solution was brought to him moments later by his love, who had probably read his thoughts and decided to do something about his problem. Ah, he so loved when harry took care of his problems…

But that was a whole other matter altogether…

"He spent hours filing their names plus moving pictures, so he probably knows more of these people than you." Harry said matter-of-factly.

Crow trembled on his legs, reminding Marvolo of Pettigrew, but he decided that cowering servants were tolerable enough when they were useful.

"Do you know all of them by name?"

Crow nodded slightly and whispered: "Most of them come here often, especially the rich. There may be the occasional individual I have never seen before, but I do know most by name, yes."

"That will make things a lot easier. Sonorus Sphaera Nomen-ligatum." A glowing light blue orb appeared in front of him, floating peacefully in the air. "Please, raise hands if you have a question." he said, his voice a lot louder because of the sphere.

With the help of Robert Crow, he addressed a tiny old witch in one of the front seats. "Gallia Sputo." he said, and the orb instantly lit up and bounced over to her like an excited Niffler that had smelled gold.

"So what you are saying is that muggles are no threat at all and will embrace us?" she scoffed.

Marvolo decided instantly that he didn't like here. no tact at all.

"No, I'm not saying they will embrace us. I am saying that, if we work hard enough, we can get accepted back in society, as we should." he answered curtly, and called the next name before she had a chance to reply. "Christian Peakes"

"Thank you." The man nodded when the sphere was in front of him. "Why would we want to live together with Muggles? We have thrived for hundreds of years. our kind and Muggles… It seems impossible for us to mingle without there being war."

"Actually, it is not so impossible as you think, and not very uncommon either. There are many known societies where magical folk and Muggles live together. African tribes, Native American tribes, Inuit… sadly, whenever Muggles became too 'advanced', magicians hid away. Here too, before the Statute of secrecy was created, there were no separate societies. I often take the time of Merlin as example, but also long before that, there was harmony between our kinds. It is not taught in the History lessons at Hogwarts, but while the Founders were building the castle, they also helped to construct many Muggle buildings. Also, before Helga Hufflepuff became a teacher at Hogwarts, she taught both Muggles and magicians at a primary school. This concept is also something I wish to return."

Peakes nodded again, sitting back in his chair with a thoughtful expression. "And what place do you envision Magicians to be in, if I may be so bold to ask?"

Marvolo smiled. "Of course, every witch or wizard will have to decide for themselves what they want in their lives, but I do think that we are better fit to rule this country than the Muggles have. We will have to be advised by Muggles in a lot of areas, especially in the beginning, but I certainly do not plan for us to become second-rank citizens."

A witch on the far right stood up and raised her hand, and after Crow had figured out her name, she asked: "How exactly will ranks be determined? In your previous war, you were very pro-pureblood. Where will Muggleborns fit in this new society?"

"Theoretically, there should be no system of ranks. Everyone, either magical or Muggle, is an individual with strengths and weaknesses, but blood purity does not make one 'better' than others, neither intelligence-wise nor magical-wise. While in the past, I tried to deny this myself, I have been forced to accept this as a fact."

His nails dug in the palm of his own hand as many of his own followers stiffened momentarily, and he knew he would need another good round of the Cruciatus curse to get them to accept the fact that they would not be looked up to as gods.

"However, it is too early yet to see how this will work in practice. Purebloods do have a long history, and most are taught magic, magical history and politics at a very young age. They know the ins and outs of our current society, and are better equipped than anyone to take the reins, so to say."

More hands rose, but he noticed that Kingsley had raised his hand, and decided to give that priority. The question he was asked surprised him. He would have thought that Dumbledore would have given the man a list with anti-dark propaganda, but the question was of a whole other nature.

"How far will the fusion go? Will we not be separate with anything anymore?"

"Completely fusion will not be possible. While both magicians and Muggles are humans, we do have other needs sometimes. Education, health care, crime punishment, and even magical sports are something we will not be able to share fully with Muggles. Hogwarts is, and always will be, for our kind only, and St. Mungo's is the only hospital equipped enough to deal with magical diseases and curses. While I do plan to share our knowledge regarding health care with Muggles, we do need one hospital purely for magicians.

Our laws will be adjusted to Muggle law to some extent in cooperation with Muggle leaders, but there are a lot of topics on which they do neither have nor need laws, and if they are not willing to concede on some points I am not willing to negotiate about, we will still have separate laws. Did that fully answer your question?"

"Yes. However, I do have another one, completely unrelated to the rest…"

"Please, do ask."

"You said that you would 'reveal your greatest asset' today. Up till now, you have given us a lot of information to think about, but you have not showed us what a lot of people here probably came for."

A strange feeling bubbled in his chest. It was probably excitement because he could finally rub it in Dumbledore's old face –figuratively spoken, pitifully enough, as the man had not come himself-, but there was also a hint of fear. Fear for his Harry.

"The reason for that is because I wished to give all of you a chance to choose a side without bias. I truly do wish for everyone to follow me because they agree with my reasoning, not because they know the other side is hopelessly lost. When I have answered every question here, I will reveal it, but no sooner."

A long minute, no-one raised their hands, probably wanting to see 'his greatest asset' in favour of having their questions answered, but then, someone rose their hand again, and another, and another. He answered all of them to the best of his ability, from what rights werewolves would get to the return of old traditions and celebrations. When finally, there were no more questions left to answer, hours had passed, and he felt exhausted, despite the pepper-up potion he had taken that morning.

"I hope that I was able to answer all your questions to your satisfaction. Now then, Harry, please step forward."

Many in the crowd got to their feet when the teen, who had went back to saunter in the shadows, strode towards the middle of the platform, lowering his hood.

"Harry…?"
"But that is…"
"Potter, yes!"
"He is Dark after all?"
"The Harry Potter?"

Emerald, bright eyes took in the mass, and Marvolo was glad that they had waited so long till they revealed that Harry was really on their side. He'd had months to grow, both magically and mentally, and he was fully prepared now.

"I want to thank all of you for coming today." he spoke. "And now I can finally confirm the suspicions of many. I follow Lord Voldemort and all he stands for." Marvolo quickly murmured Harry's name as the crowd became louder, and the Sonorus sphere soared to the teen and hovered in front of his mouth. "I will not explain how this came to be, nor do I feel the need to justify myself to complete strangers. Yes, I defeated him when I was a baby, but that did not brand me as dark lord-slayer. I fully agree with his goals, and the future he has envisioned. That is all I have to say on this. Oh, and I will not be available for further comment, not even for the press. Especially not for the press." he added as afterthought. "Have a good day further."

With that, he turned around and strode away, followed by outraged cries and encouraging shouts.


"Today was a good day." Marvolo sighed while cracking his back. His lover didn't answer in favour of snuggling the soft pillows on the bed. "And as a bonus we can keep a low profile next days." He yawned and crept under the covers, reaching out to pull Harry to his chest. His fingers traced patterns on the pale back, and the boy pressed himself closer to the other.

"That's nice… So we'll have a couple of easy days then?"

"Well, that depends on how you define easy. No open war and raids does not mean that we will not be busy. There are still quite a few things I want to do."

"Like?"

"I've been postponing a visit to a dear old professor of mine… You might remember him from Dumbledore's memories… Then there are the Muggles. They would introduce some of their friends and family to magic and I have a meeting scheduled with the lot of them. And if you feel up to it, we might go see a certain ex-Dark Lord as well."

"Grindelwald? What for? More dirt on Dumbledore? Don't you have enough already to leave him blind and crippled in the gutter?"

"I do, but it seemed there were certain important pieces that he doesn't trust to have a backup of. I still think it is strange that he did not have a record of a memory of the battle between him and Grindelwald. I think something happened there, something important that he does not want anyone to know."

"Any ideas as to what it might be?"

"No, and that is what worries me most."

Arms came up to wrap around his neck and pull him closer. "Right now, you don't have to worry about anything love." Harry spoke in a whisper, a wicked smile on his face. He turned them around until he sat on top of Marvolo and could freely rub himself against the man. Leaning down, the teen licked his lover's lips, but wasn't prepared for the sudden change when he was roughly pressed against the other and his mouth got assaulted. He growled, but finally resented as glee spread through their link.

"Evil."

"Very" Marvolo agreed, and switched their positions again. Harry though, rolled himself on his stomach and pushed his arse up, swaying it back and forth without touching the other to drive him mad. It seemed that the Dark Lord was in no mood for games at the moment though, as he trapped the teen between the bed and himself, touching every inch of bare skin he could.

Harry moaned, already giving up his pretense of sulking in favour of feeling as much as possible. The strong body on top of him and the muscles that rolled and shifted beneath that skin as Marvolo moved with him took his breath away, and despite the cold, he could already feel the sheets beneath him becoming damp with his sweat.

His eyes widened as he felt a slap on one of his cheeks, and he didn't know whether to feel aroused or embarrassed. "Marvolo..." He scolded. "That's... I don't know…"

~There is no need to feel ashamed of yourself while in my presence love.~ he heard, and he bit his lip, ashamed of how much he had liked the sting of pain. but Marvolo was probably right… there was absolutely no reason to do anything but what he wanted. ~I also share your dreams sometimes my dear…~ Marvolo hissed in obvious amusement, and Harry felt his face becoming a flaming shade of red.

"Oh, great." he sighed.

"Harry, just enjoy your fantasies…" the other whispered, making Harry shudder as cold breath caressed the shell of his ear, followed by the tip of a wet tongue and nails that harshly dragged over his ass. Whimpering, he finally gave into his own desires. A few flames flickered to life in the room to lit up the quickly darkening room as the last rays of the setting sun finally disappeared beneath the horizon that was visible through their bedroom window. His own fire lit with them as he tried to get lost in the touches and kisses.

More stinging slaps followed, making him bite in the sheets to cover up his moans, but the rain of kisses and the wonderful feelings of a cold tongue that traced the burning places were too much, and when he finally came undone, it was as a sobbing, begging mess. He was pulled to Marvolo's chest, exhausted and satisfied, too tired to even feel a bit guilty because his lover had had no release yet.

He lifted his head to kiss the other, slowly this time, and he reveled in the feel of the sleek tongue that had been morphed halfway so it was black and forked now. "I love it like this…" he said when they broke apart, and he reached out to touch it with his index finger, caressing the smooth muscle.

"It might become a bit more permanent." Marvolo answered, and Harry stopped, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm still unsure about it but… I've been thinking of finally finishing the splitting of my soul. I have five Horcruxes since the diary was destroyed, that means I have six pieces of soul, not seven, the number I chose because of all the magical properties it would have and the abilities it would grant me. I want to make that seven again. My main soul is stable enough for it again. Still…" He hesitated. "I do not want to risk falling back into madness."

"I thought that this body was adapted to it?"

"It is. It is not a human body, and was formed around only a sliver of soul, making it less vulnerable to damage very dark magic could do to it, but making a Horcrux is a very unnatural thing. I am afraid that splitting my own soul will start the process of mutilation."

"But you really want it?"

The Dark Lord sighed. "Yes, I do. I feel as I'm on the brink of something, waiting, but unable to take the final step. I wish I knew more certainly what the effects will be. "

"Isn't there anymore information to be found?"

"No, I've read all books on the subject. The situation I currently find myself to be in is unique. The only way I will be able to know for certain is to actually do it."

"Can I give you advise on it, or is it something you want to figure out on your own?"

Marvolo hesitated for a moment and tightened his grip on the boy. "I prefer working this out on my own. I'm sorry, but-"

Harry broke him off with a soft kiss. "I understand. It's why I asked. It is your life, your body and mind… I will accept you no matter what happens."

"Harry, I want you to promise me something."

The pained tone made Harry's brow crease with worry. It seemed as if the room temperature dropped momentarily, but he knew it was all in his head. –Which was actually even more worrisome.-

"Anything."

"If I ever… go bad again. If I turn back into what I have been before, become unreasonable, cruel, and unable to understand any good emotion…"

"You won't!"

"IF that were to happen… I ask you to use anything you can to get me locked up safely until you find a way to get me to my senses again. Kill me and have me reborn again if you must, but I don't ever want to be that horrible monster again." Marvolo took Harry's left hand and not-so-subtly pressed his finger against the silver, scaled ring on it. "I don't want to hurt you again. So please. Promise me."

Unable to say anything, Harry nodded. "I promise." he whispered.


"So it is you."

The bitterness in the voice was evident, but when Atiyeh turned around and faced the other, he saw no contempt in the grey eyes who looked at him.

"How did you find out?"

"In case you have forgotten, I was trained. I have my ways." Eyolf said, and after a long silence, he continued. "I envy you."

"Don't you all." Atiyeh whispered, and slumped down in his sofa. "Why did you come here? Just for this? It is so long ago."

"But it still decides your actions, doesn't it? Every step you take… You can't even leave the country."

"But still you envy me…"

"Of course… many have dreamed of what you did. You, the legend amongst us which kept our spirits up. You, the one who managed to do what no-one could do before. We all hoped that you would return and save us as well from the fates we never wanted. Even now, you are famous."

"Again, why are you here?" the man sighed. "I obviously did not save you. What is it you want? Revenge because I was luckier than most?"

"No… I respect what you did. But I am curious as to why you bound yourself to the Dark Lord. I always thought you would hide on your own and never show yourself to the world anymore. That you would want to have freedom after getting it nearly taken away from you."

Surprised, Atiyeh looked at the man who was leaning against the wall, for once with his hood down, but his guard never lowered. "You want my story." he stated.

"Obviously. So many tales have been told…"

"And you think I would trust you? You, one of them?"

"I hate them!" Eyolf hissed, fury written all over his face. "They hate them. There is not even a them. Every single individual in the Guild wants to be free. But the students and young assassins are afraid of their elders, and the elders know how necessary the Guild is!"

"An elder... like you?"

"Yes. I know you will probably not understand… but you don't need to fear. You are far too old to get dropped back in the training course. The only ones who still want to get you back are the trainers from back then, to cover up the fact that someone ever escaped… to gain back the face they lost. I am not one of those people."

"Perfectly harmless." Atiyeh snorted. "But alright, I will tell you. There isn't even much to tell. I grew up in a quiet town, in which the annual sports week was the only highlight. I excelled in most of the sections, and sadly, a member of the Guild came to see the games every year. She came to my house one night, when I was nine. Of course, I was unprepared and she abducted me with ease. When I came to I was in one of the cots. The usual process began… I was trained, punished, and pushed to my limits like all new recruits were…" he trailed off and shivered slightly when being lost in his memories. Eyolf's lips twitched, but he could withhold a grimace. It was clear that the man had never finished his training.

"After some time... I have no idea how long, I was send on a mission. Both my first and my last. We were supposed to spy on someone, but I was spotted and ran for it. I should, of course, have been killed that instant, but because I had been seen, the soldiers we had tracked also discovered the others and got in a fight with them. And right then, I had a burst of accidental magic and apparated about a mile away from the village."

"But the tracker… I don't understand…"

Sameer smiled. "Yes... the tracker… tattooed on my neck, so it could not be cut out without killing myself. I knew they would find me soon and eliminate me, but because of the confusion in the fight, the Guild had not been made aware of my disappearance. I went to the neighbouring village, stole the only horse I could find and went off in a random direction as fast as I could. Of course, I had no wand, no food, no other supplies… but I did have my weapons and minimal training. I avoided cities and other places with people like the plague and used all my survival tactics. Still, I soon was on the brink of death. But then he found me."

"He? You don't mean…"

"The Dark Lord, yes. I had never heard of him... it was not that he was unknown, but word of him hadn't quite reached other continents than Europe yet, certainly not my small village. What happened was strange, and I sometimes thought that I must have had a spirit with me who protected me, because the amount of lucky coincidences that followed each other were unbelievable. I hadn't even noticed that there was a group of people on the road next to me, as I had seen a fata morgana of water and was busy crawling towards it with spinning head. Just when He walked by and probably threw me a look of contempt, thinking I was a filthy Muggle, I discovered it was mere mud, and in my rage, transformed the mud into clear water by accident. Before I knew what was happening, I had been hauled to my feet by one of His helpers, and then pushed to my knees again and had to kiss his robes. Not exactly a very nice experience, but it was one that saved my life."

"So what happened next?"

"He realized I wasn't really in any state to speak, he noticed the mark of the Guild and asked around a bit while I healed. He had just finished whatever it was he'd come to do there so he took me back to England and protected me in exchange for my undying loyalty and all the information I could give him."

"Can't have been much." Eyolf scoffed.

"Mister Greyhunter." Sameer said, a strange vague smile on his lips, and Eyolf twitched when hearing his real name. "Do you see a tattoo on my skin?"

Eyolf's eyes seemed to pierce the blank spot on the other's throat. "It is no disillusion charm then?"

"No. It is gone, together with every other charm and curse they put on me."

For a moment, the room was dead silent, until the assassin's voice, strange, whispery and filled with tense anticipation broke it. "You are free. Really free."

"I have been for years."

Much quicker than he had entered, Eyolf was gone, as if he had merged with the large dark bricks in the wall.

Calmly, Sameer directed his attention to the book in his hands again, feeling a brief flicker of pity for the other, who would have done anything to be as fortunate as himself, but who had been like an elephant, unable to see that the chains that held him when he was young could have been easily broken if he would have only tried again years after. Now, it was far too late.


Sonorus Sphaera Nomen-ligatum: name-bound Sonorus spehere

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xx GeMerope