!*!* ATTENTION ... ಗಮನ ... CULTUS !*!*!

Disclaimer: Sadly, and to my great dismay, I don't own any part of Harry Potter. I thought I did... but then I woke up. It was just a dream. But, I can still write this fanfiction... and twist the characters to my will. Muahahahaha...

Voldemort held out his hands, palms out, in the universal gesture of peace. "Now, Harry… Put down the wand. I can explain everything," he said in a soothing voice.

Internally, he wasn't nearly so calm. Curse Draco! He was going to crucio the boy until he couldn't even remember his own name, his nerves were on fire, and he knew nothing but pain. But planning that didn't help at the moment. How was he going to get out of this? There was no way that he could deny being a wizard, or at least connection somehow with the wizarding world, and Harry was highly suspicious now that he knew they had all lied. So, whatever story he told would have to be a good one.

While he was thinking, Draco asked in an almost perfectly innocent and confused voice, "Harry, why are you pointing a stick at us?"

It was good try, but Harry's arm didn't waver and his expression darkened even further. "Don't even try it."

Then, something in his warped, but undeniably brilliant, mind clicked. He knew what to do. And, with luck, something that he didn't like to rely on, it would work. Harry's wand still hadn't moved.

Voldemort repeated inthe same soothing voice. "Put down the wand."

Harry laughed, but it was harsh and cold. "Put down my wand? Not a chance. Now, who are you?" he asked again, words inflexible and demanding.

Voldemort sighed, dropping his hands. "Harry… I'm sorry. I didn't lie to you, though. My name is Thomas Deldir, and these are my friends. I just… didn't tell you that I knew who you were. You wouldn't have believed my surprise when I walked into that bookstore and saw you! I'd seen you in the papers so many times… and there you were. But you said that your name was Harry Evans, and I knew that you didn't want – that you didn't want to be Harry Potter anymore, so I just… pretended that I didn't know who you were," the Dark Lord said, sounded earnest and apologetic and slightly pleading. "I was so stunned. And then we became friends, and I didn't know how to tell you that I was a wizard, too. I thought you might leave or something. You did leave the wizarding world. I just wasn't sure what to do, so I told my friends. But I swear we're the only ones who know about you. We haven't told anyone else."

Even though it was all a complete pile of lies, the words rang true. He kept his facial muscles schooled into an expression of apology, even when he saw Harry lowering his wand slowly.

"Really?" Harry asked, his face neutral.

Voldemort nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you the truth. But there it is…"

Harry nodded, and Voldemort resisted the urge to grin, evilly of course. Gryffindors were always so trusting. Of course, the story actually held together for the most part. Behind him, he could almost feel Draco, Lucius, and Severus relaxing slightly.

"So… Did you go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, peering at him intently.

Okay, maybe he was still a little suspicious.

Voldemort nodded. "I did. I was a few years ahead of you." Well, that wasn't a lie. Only he was several decades ahead of him.

Harry nodded again. "Okay… I guess that makes sense. You just recognized me from the papers and wanted to talk."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. Something was off. Potter was taking it all far too calmly, almost disconnected, calculating.

Harry looked up. "If that's the truth, then I'm sure you won't mind this." His wand was up suddenly, pointed at them. "Finite Incantatem!"

Before he could do anything about it, Voldemort felt his disguise melting away, back to his Riddle looks. From the sounds behind him, Harry's spell had undone all of the appearance modifications on them as well. Voldemort glanced up, only to meet Harry's eyes.

"Riddle," he said simply, sounding absolutely flabbergasted. Green orbs were wide with confusion and surprise. And then they narrowed with anger, and the holly wand came up again, ready to channel the magic of its wielder.

Voldemort threw himself to the side as a beam of red light sped towards him. He connected with the floor and let his momentum carry him, rolling over and then back to his feet. He took in the scene before him. Potter was… beautiful. As soon as the thought came into his mind, he cast it out with a grimace, but he did admire the sight before him.

Harry was whirling, eyes flashing. Hands flicked and swished and thrust the wand as if it was merely an extension of his arm instead of a tool. He didn't have the precise, almost inhuman, grace that he himself possessed, but he did have his own grace. It was wild and powerful and somehow slightly savage. Colored streaks of lights flew furiously from his wand, arm blurring with the speed and fluidity of his movements. Snape, Lucius, and Draco were having trouble defending themselves.

In quick succession, Voldemort cast an Incendio, a Reducto, and an Expulso towards Harry.

The green-eyed boy flicked his wand, deflecting the first one, and then dodged the next two.

While he was busy, Voldemort nodded briskly to Snape and then turned on his heel, disapparating from the apartment. He materialized back into his office, stumbling slightly, and quickly steadied himself.

The deception was over. Harry knew who he was. Rage filled him. That was not how it was supposed to go! A second later, his desk was on fire, blue flames licking at the wood hungrily, and deep slashes cut into the walls.

There was a pop, and then three other figures appeared. Lucius was seething. Part of his hair was scorched. Snape was expressionless, eyes fixed the Dark Lord, and Draco seemed to be hiding behind the two older men.

"That insolent-" Lucius started and then cut off abruptly when he saw the expression on his lord's face. He fell to his knee, head bowed. "My lord…" Voldemort had schooled his expression into one of careful blankness. Lucius had been with him long enough to know that more often than not, the more controlled he was, the more furious he was.

"Lucius, Severus, leave us please. I would like to have a talk with Draco," he said, voice calm.

Lucius 's face paled, but he got to his feet stiffly and nodded. "Yes, my lord." He looked like he wanted to add something else, to ask him to spare his son the punishment, but he didn't. It would be a waste of words. Then, without looking at his son, he walked to the door.

Snape followed him. Both men paused before they left the room, but they did, and the door shut with a soft click that somehow managed to be sinister.

Voldemort turned his attention to the single figure left standing before him. Or perhaps cringing would have been more apt. "Draco…"

Draco flinched at the sound of his name. His pale hair was mussed, fine strands flopping over his forehead in disarray, and there was a smudge of something dark on his cheek, made even darker in contrast to the pallor of his skin. Grey eyes were wide with terror. "Yes, my lord?" he asked, voice cracking. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the ground.

Voldemort knew how he must look, like a demon, with the fire from the desk still flickering wildly behind him and the ruins of the room around him. "Draco… Do you think I wanted Harry Potter to find out who we were?" he asked, tone light and almost conversational.

"N-no..."

"Then, it does make me wonder, why you let him know?"

Draco swallowed nervously. "I didn't mean to. That is, I mean to say… He surprised me. I thought he hated me, and when I heard him say all of that, I couldn't believe it – that he actually meant it. We hated each other. Or at least I thought we did… and I forgot myself. I apologize, my lord."

He had to hand it to him, the young Malfoy was keeping himself together much better than he thought he would. His voice was almost steady, even if his hands were trembling. "Is that an excuse? Do you remember how I feel about excuses?" The Dark Lord asked, fiddling idly with his wand.

"It's not an excuse, my lord. I understand that I… messed up."

"Yes, Draco. You messed up, as you put it. I told you not to let Potter know who you were, and you failed," Voldemort said, voice suddenly icy. "And I don't allow failure without punishment… Crucio!"

Draco collapsed onto the ground, back arching in pain, jaw clenched tightly to stop himself from screaming.

Voldemort watched him writhe in pain dispassionately. "Scream."

And Draco did, letting loose a howl of agony. The screams rang around the room, echoing, filling with wretchedness and was no beginning to the screams, no end; they merged together one unending, piercing, scream, growing hoarser as they went on.

With a flick of his wrist, Voldemort ended the curse and watched Draco, still twitching, on the ground. "Leave," he ordered, turning away and focusing on the flaming desk.

There was a shaky intake of breath from behind him and then the rustle of clothing as Draco got up off of the floor. "Y-yes, my lord."

As he heard quick, unstable footsteps head towards the door, he ordered, "And send in Ms. Lovegood."

"Of course… thank you, my lord." And then the door shut.

Someone else, someone not used to the Dark Lord, would wonder why he was being thanked. Voldemort had gone easy on him, and he knew it. He had only held the curse for a dozen or so seconds, and he could have made it so much worse. Draco had been lucky.

Voldemort collapsed back into his leather chair, not even bothering to put out the fire that was his desk, and seethed. He was too annoyed even to torture Draco, and the little bit he had done hadn't relieved his anger at all. That one little slip of the tongue from Draco, and now there was no way that he would be able to see more of Harry… right?

He frowned at the flames. The first spell that Harry had cast at him had been Stupefy. Stupefy… a relatively harmless spell. He'd just seen Lord Voldemort, the wizard who had been trying to kill him since before he was born, and that's the spell he'd chosen? It seemed odd that he wouldn't try something more powerful or deadly, like an Unforgivable. And when the emerald-eyed boy had first seen him, there had been no hatred in his eyes. Surprise? Yes. Anger? Yes, but nothing stronger than that. That didn't seem to fit, either. But why was that?

The door opened and Luna slipped in, her usual dreamy expression on her face. This time, she wore robes of bright yellow with green triangles.

He winced. They were truly awful.

She didn't seem at all bothered by the wreck of the room or the still burning desk, merely taking it all in with slightly protuberant blue eyes. "A lot of Frunglelimpits today, Tom?" she asked sympathetically.

He didn't bother to correct her. It wouldn't do any good. "Draco accidently let Potter know who he was, and, accordingly, who I am."

Luna nodded, apparently not surprised at all by the information.

"And he didn't try to kill me. Do you have any idea why that would be?" He wasn't even sure why he was asking, but sometimes, when he watched her and talked to her, there was something else about her that made him wonder how much she really knew.

Luna nodded. "Oh, of course. Why would he want to kill you?"

Now things were just getting confusing.

"I'm asking why he wouldn't want to kill me," he repeated, the urge to curse her getting stronger.

"Because he wouldn't. Harry really is quite gentle. He wouldn't even hurt a Smurphit. And why would he want to kill you? He doesn't have a reason to."

He refrained from asking what a Smurphit was, and focused on the second part of what she had rambled. "I'm quite certain that he would have a reason to kill me. We're enemies. I've been trying to murder him," he pointed out.

She just stared at him. "But you're not anymore."

"But he doesn't know that."

"True."

He closed his eyes. The whole conversation was going around in circles.

There was a moment of silence and then Luna spoke again. "You really should just ask him yourself. Why do you think he left the war in the first place?"

Voldemort's eyes snapped open and he stared at the young woman in front of him. A sudden idea had come to his mind. "Did you know where he was this entire time?"

She smiled at him, "Of course not. He's only been sending me letters."

He stared at her. She had known the entire time that the Boy-Who-Lived had been alive? And it would have been fairly easy to put a tracker on the owl that delivered the letters. He could have found Potter years ago. He slowly raised his arm, so that the point of his wand was pointing right between here eyes, and hissed, "And why did you hide this? Do you have a death wish?"

She went slightly cross-eyed, looking at the wand, but then said calmly, "You never asked me if he'd been owling me. And I don't especially have a death wish, thank you. I suppose I should think about that in case I ever wind up faced with a Darthmaurkin, though. But, really, Tom, I meant what I said about Harry. You should just go talk to him. I'm sure you two could be friends."

He gazed at her incredulously, and she simply stared tranquilly back, unbothered that the Dark Lord was currently pointing a wand in the middle of her forehead. After a moment, he lowered the wand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Leave," he ordered, pointing towards the door. "Leave before I decide to eviscerate you and have to find a new secretary. And have someone make a new desk."

She just smiled at him. "All right, Tom. And don't forget that you have a meeting with the goblins tomorrow about expanding Gringotts." And, with that, she left, humming a very odd little ditty and waving her hands absently.

He groaned. What was wrong with the universe? There had to be something wrong when he didn't even torture people when they kept secrets from him. Maybe being in charge was making him go soft. He did rather miss the days when he was cruel, violent, and absolutely unstable and hadn't had to worry about politics. It had been so much more amusing to take over the wizarding world than to actually run it.

He sighed. And what had that eccentric, loony witch spouting? Him friends with Harry Potter? It was ludicrous… Or was it? After all, he already was friends with him, in a sense. Thomas Deldir was friends with him, and since he was Thomas Deldir, maybe the idea wasn't so farfetched after all.

Voldemort tapped a pale finger against his lips and smiled. Yes, it wasn't quite so farfetched at all… He got up from the chair and extinguished the flames with a wave of his wand. He owed Harry Potter a visit. The smile on his handsome face was nothing short of frightening and looked like it belonged more to a shark than a human. Yes, it was going to be interesting.

I'm back! Back from the wilderness, where I was dragged to... by aliens! I mean, my parents. Thankfully, I have a charger for my computer which means that I have a computer even when I'm camping. Huzzar! And I have another chapter for you all. Enjoy. Oh, just one more thing... I have over two hundred reviews! Can you belive it? It's just so... Awesome. Epical. Amazing. Gratifying. Wonderful. I think all of those words work here. So, I just want to thank you all for reading my story and actually liking it. So.. thanks.

Ja ne,

Rumer Hasit

FiresBurningTouch: Muahahahaha... I left you with a major cliffhanger, didn't I? Sorry about that. Didn't mean to. Sorry it took me so long to update, but I hope you enjoy this chapter.

shopaholic1369: Oh, Harry found out the truth, but Voldemort didn't mean for him to find out. And don't worry, I couldn't kill Draco off in the story. It just wouldn't be right without him.

Barranca: Well, "Thomas" tried to salvage the situation... It just didn't work. And, yes, Draco was in a world of pain. Voldemort went easy on him, though.

Shannon the Original: Argh. Sorry it took so long to update, but I do hope that you enjoy the chapter. I wonder what will happen next...

Gemini Perverell: Yup. I don't mean to create cliffhangers. It just sort of happens. Once again, sorry about the long update. I hope you're still reading after all this time.

writergirl123456789: Cliffhangers! They're sort of awful and creat at the same time. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

lilyoftheval5: You're welcome for the chapter. And as for Draco... Oh, god. I hope not. Draco exploring his feminine side? It sounds a little scary... and way too right.

IkutoisSmexy: You loved it? Good. You were absolutely right in your review/prediction. Well, not about Voldemort about telling, but about Harry being suspicious.

Chen-ko no Renkenjutsushii: Yes, yes, I will write more. I promise.

Cian Keita: What? You think you should hate me? Oh, no. It's because of the cliffhanger, isn't it? And then you bless me? Well... Umm. Here's the next chapter.

AHHH: You love it? That really makes me happy to hear. And, no, Harry didn't know what was going on, but now he does. Oh, noes. And Voldemort didn't tell the truth. He tried to spin things to his advantage... only Harry was way to smart after the slip from Draco.

S: Ah, yes. The cliffhanger again. I swear I didn't mean to. But it was rather a bad one, wasn't it? And I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to the cliffhanger.

gypsydancer529: Yes, poor Draco. But he did spill the beans. And you were right about Voldemort not telling the truth.

Luna Moon: Sorry about that. I left you in suspense for a while, didn't I? And thank you for the compliment. Having you think my story is Uber-amazing is very nice.

sousie: The guy who likes to hug Harry and stuff will come in later at Balance, I think. Maybe he'll come back from a trip... Anyway, he'll come in eventually. I just know Voldemort's not going to like him.

Reshimi Solaris: Erm... Well, they didn't come clean to him exactly. I mean, he found out, but... Yeah. Things will work out somehow, I think.

RRW: I did seriously consider having Voldemort obliviate Harry somehow, but then it would probably back-fire and... it was just more interesting to have this happen. Cue the absurdness!

itachisgurl93: "Oh, shit" indeed. Poor, Draco. He really shouldn't have slipped up, though. You're very welcome for the update, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

LttleSparrow: Well, since in the last review you said that you were looking forward to the next chapter, so... here you are!

Q3APo: Yes, Voldemort did try to lie. A true Slytherin. As for the bounce in his step... I'm not sure he's in love yet, but there's something there.

DuShuZhi: Thank you. Thank you very much.

Reader-Anonymous-writer: Well, I'm glad you didn't go into fantasy withdrawal. It's a nasty, painful process. I... think I'm... officially a Harry Potter nerd. I just got the Unofficial Harry Potter Cook book. And, yes, guys can cook, too! In fact, most of professional chefs are men. And, on a side note, I don't think I've ever read a book about a vampire detective... That would be cool. Umm... I think all of your questions were answered by that chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

Darklight-phoenix: Yes, a major slip indeed. Tsk, tsk, Draco. And I think you're the first person to compliment the cliffhanger.

Quadrillionaire: Is it wrong for you to take enjoyment of Draco as a little girl? Maybe... but I do, too, and so do other people, so you're not alone. I think I want Draco and Harry to be friends this time around. And Draco accepts your pity hug. He needs it.

SeraAnexia: Why here? I'm going to guess that you're referring to the cliffhanger. Yeah... Sorry about that.

jieha: So my fanfiction takes away some of your stress? Well, I'm very glad that I can help with that. And I do hope that you enjoy this chapter as well.

Fireotaku18: You want to see Voldemort a little more Dark Lord-y? Well, I think he was a little more in this chapter. Was this what you meant?

Melikalilly: Aw. Thank you so much. It always makes me happy when people say that they love my story.

olciak123: You know, sometimes I doubted whether Draco really belonged in Slytherin. And someone should call him Ice Princess in my story. He would hate it so much... Good. I'm not sure I can really agree about his cuteness, but... sure. And Hermione will appear in a few chapters.

Madame de Coeur: Well, I didn't update soon like you asked, but I hope that you're still reading and enjoying my story.

krysania: Pure unadulterated brilliance? I think my ego just swelled three sizes. And, yes, Voldemort was actually worried. He's nice... somewhere deep down in there. And I don't think Draco's slip was too soon. Just keep reading and see what happens.

alidala: Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Beautiful and funny? What compliments! I can only hope that you're still reading this story and I do hope that you like this chapter.

Hi. Pot. And. News: Harry's speech was sort of adorable, wasn't it? And honest. And then Draco had to go and do that... Sigh.

Logiar: What happens next? Well, you saw what happened next. And now the question is... What does Voldemort have planned? And as for Draco? Just... Eh.

DancingInThe Darkness: Ah, but I did leave you all hanging! No, seriously. Sorry about that. I really don't mean to write cliffhangers. Hope you liked this chapter.

Lady Icicle: Amusing, interesting, and you love it? What more can I ask for in a review. Absolutely nothing. So, my lady, thank you very much for reviewing.

ThisIsTheWayTheWorldEnds: Yeah... I did sort of leave it as a huge cliffhanger, huh? I'm not usually cruel... or at least not on purpose. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it.

p. junchai: Okay, okay! I wrote the exciting part and answered what would happen after the cliffhanger. So glad you liked the last chapter, though.

Mystia Katsuragi: You were absolutely right. A bit of darkness popped up, but it's still not super dark. And I can't seem to write a whole lot of it. And don't worry about reviewing the stories. I'm just glad you read them.

sarah999: Phoo. I tortured you waiting for this update, didn't I? You have my deepest apologies. Maybe this chapter will make up for it?

torpidxXR. : Thank you.

Isys Skeeter: Well, Draco's not quite dead, but he got tortured a bit.

duhorcommonsense: Sorry for not granting your request, but I wanted the beans to spill and to spill everywhere! I did use your stick idea, though. Hope you're okay with that.

Allanasha ke kiri: Exactly. Voldemort certainly did lie through his teeth, not that it did him much good. Harry is trusting, but not stupid.

My Solitude: Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment.

Kage 5243: So, what did you think of this chapter?

sweet sexy loli: You're addicted? Muhahaha! My evil plan in working! Oops. Did I say that aloud? Anyways, I'm really glad that you liked it, and I hope you liked this chapter as well.

AyaseFanGirl: Did you really scream because another chapter wasn't out yet?

SoulMore: You're a fan? No, you're more than a fan. You're a FAN. Thanks.

Tempest S: Oh, Kami... The image that popped into my head when you wrote that description of Draco. *shudders*

Ae3qe27u: Nice. I really liked your review. It was like a mini-mini omake. And it made me laugh. Thanks for it.

YaoiIsMyDrug.23: Cliffies are a bit evil, aren't they? I don't do it on purpose, though! Anyway, I hope you're still reading this. Tell me what you think of this chapter.

Arrelia-Jores: Weeel... Voldemort chose not to tell the truth, but it came out anyway. No way that Harry wouldn't be suspicious after the "Potter" mishap.

MangaFreak15: Nooo! Don't hex me! Hex first ask questions later is a horrible rule! And, yes, Draco as Daphne is quite disturbing, isn't it?

Hesunohana: I was grinning so broadly when I read your review of my story. So, just... Thank you. It was really nice to read what you wrote.