Tom remained unconcerned that Avery, Gibbon, Macnair and Lestrange were missing no matter how many times he was reminded of their continued absence. Whenever Harry brought the subject up, Tom would dismiss the idea of it being a problem, reminding him of the countless other things they had to deal with within this land. Harry found himself becoming distracted by his own worries after a time. Tom was finally allowing him to partially help with Dragon training, so he had even less time to spare thought for the problem concerning the missing Death Eaters…
When a week had passed since Avery, Gibbon, Macnair, and Lestrange had been sent away to investigate the hideout in Germany, Nott decided to do something more about it. Tom was busy training some of the other Death Eaters while Harry was idly making his way out of the Death Eaters' building. Nott took this chance to speak to Harry quietly, evidently hoping he would be able to get to Tom.
"Jonathan," Nott called from across the corridor, "I need to talk to you…"
Harry's pace slowed to a stop when he heard these words. Nott appeared a little apprehensive, but he was blatantly forcing himself to act braver than he felt in an attempt to convey this was a serious matter.
Harry felt as though Nott's timing was quite good; he, Harry, was in a better mood than usual because he felt more involved with Tom's work while he was able to help train the Dragons. The fact that he didn't have to interrogate anyone nor join in with many Dark Arts classes made him even more joyous. He hadn't worried about much in the past week or so…
"What do you need to talk about?" Harry asked, unsure whether he felt ready to explain his relationship with Tom, if that was the case.
"I'm worried about the four wizards Tom send off to Germany," Nott stated, not dawdling at all in conveying this.
"Oh, right…"
"It's been a week since they were supposed to return," Nott observed, keen to make Harry understand how important this was. "I can't just let Tom ignore it for longer when Avery, Lestrange, Gibbon and Macnair could be in danger."
"I'm not just a weak point you can use whenever Tom won't listen, you know" Harry informed Nott, in too much of a good mood to say these words at all harshly.
"I know you aren't," Nott said, "but this is too important for me to just disregard, especially when Tom is so busy all the time."
"Why do you think something bad has happened to Lestrange and the others?" Harry asked. Upon hearing his question, he added, "Past the fact that they've been gone for a week, I mean."
"You didn't see that wizard who told Tom about that hideout in Germany while he was being tortured," Nott mentioned. "He was absolutely mad. He kept going on about completely irrational and impossible things. None of us wanted to trust him or believe anything he said, but Tom didn't see what the problem was."
"So you think this wizard was lying about the hideout?" Harry asked.
"No," Nott answered. "I think he was just really eager to get some of our people there…"
"As a trap," Harry finished. It wasn't a question.
"So will you tell Tom this?" Nott pleaded.
Harry didn't have to think about it for long. "Yeah, I'll tell him," he promised.
Nott smiled, which lightened his otherwise deeply anxious expression. Down the hall, the Death Eaters were filing out of the room where they practiced and learnt Dark Arts. It seemed a little earlier than usual… Harry supposed that he might as well go and tell Tom about Nott's theory now. Before he could leave, however, Nott spoke again.
"I don't care about this because I care about Lestrange or anything, just so you know," he said in a low voice, so the other Death Eaters wouldn't hear him. "We're just friends."
"I understand," Harry said, not offended by Nott mentioning this. After a moment of thought, Harry decided to add, "But people like Tom and I don't have to avoid having friends because of what we are."
"I didn't mean that," Nott said quickly.
"I know," Harry said, "but I'm just making sure you understand this. I mean, I can't exactly say Tom is a good example of having friends in any context…"
Nott seemed to want to grin at this, but he was unsure whether he was allowed to. When Harry smirked he took it as a sign that it was indeed a joke, rather than a serious reflection on the fact that Tom seemed to greatly dislike the people he surrounded himself with and called 'friends'.
"It must be weird, being close to him," Nott said slowly, again as though he was unsure whether he should be talking to Harry so freely.
"I know what you mean," Harry admitted honestly. "He definitely didn't seem like the type of person I'd end up staying with in that way for four years…"
"So, you got together at Hogwarts then?"
The Death Eaters along the corridor seemed to be talking hurriedly about something.
"Yes," Harry answered, not seeing the harm in telling the truth by this point.
Nott seemed to want to ask Harry a million more questions out of pure curiosity, but he was still unsure whether he was allowed to. Harry couldn't say he was surprised. Nott had spent the last four years or so learning that to offend Harry was to directly offend Tom as well. Any slip in the wrong direction could make Tom annoyed, which Nott feared deeply.
Before Harry could mention that he didn't mind the questions, Rosier was walking towards them.
"I'm surprised you aren't crammed in the doorframes with all the others," Rosier mentioned, talking mostly to Nott.
"Why, what's going on?" Nott asked.
"We just captured two followers," Rosier informed him. "Two followers, moreover, who don't seem at all unwilling to be here, for once."
"Why aren't they unwilling to be here?" Harry inquired.
"That's what everyone's wondering…"
Before the three of them could do more than think about this silently, Dolohov, Mulciber, Gonson, and at least ten other Death Eaters were bringing two unrecognised wizards into the building. They were heading straight for the room where Tom taught the Dark Arts and Harry, Nott, and Rosier followed them there.
"We found these two circling 'round the general area," Dolohov informed Tom thickly as he helped throw one of the followers onto the ground. "Seemed proper eager to get in here, I'd say."
"Thank you," Tom murmured, before turning to the two kneeling wizards before him. Harry walked further into the room with Nott and Rosier, moving ahead of them to stand closer to Tom. Tom seemed to be asking the followers something in German, to which they gave no German reply.
"Our names are not of importance," a follower with dirty blond hair told Tom, smiling evilly. Harry thought he recognised the Wizard's face slightly… but he supposed he probably saw him in passing at Grindelwald's fortress. "Ve are only here to give you a message…"
"And what might that message be?"
"Ve have your people," the second, dark-haired follower spat. "Four of zem, to be exact…"
Harry glanced at Nott, who was staring at him from the other side of Tom. They realised simultaneously that this follower must be referring to Avery, Macnair, Gibbon and Lestrange… Nott was horrified.
"Zey are alive und vell enough," the first follower continued, "but ve vill not keep zem for longer than a few days."
"I'm guessing that your leaders want me to make an exchange for them, since they are all still alive?" Tom suggested, his tone light despite the seriousness of the situation. "One wizard given for four wizards back, perhaps?"
"Zat vould be correct…"
"I believe that is a fair enough trade…" Tom smiled slightly, apparently amused as a thought struck him. "Dolohov, seize Mulciber at once."
Mulciber didn't seem to realise that this was a joke; he stared at Tom in bewilderment. "Why me–?"
"Ve do not vant just any vizard, as I am sure you know," the dark-haired follower clarified. "Ve seek only a vizard who commonly goes under ze name 'Jonathan Smith'."
Over two dozen pairs of eyes found their way to Harry at these words. Tom turned to look at him slowly, evidently contemplating something important past his carefree expression.
"Well, as I'm sure you know," Tom voiced casually, "that's quite a bit less of a fair trade…"
Tom looked as though he was quite enjoying himself, but Harry wasn't sure whether this was from true confidence or the mere will to appear less of a threat. Harry hoped Tom had a plan, at any rate…
"You vill let your friends die for the safety of zis one vizard?" the blond follower inquired, pulling a false expression of confusion. "You value zis friend higher than four other friends combined?"
Harry felt the atmosphere shift a little at this question. By suggesting loudly that Tom valued Harry above all of his other friends, this follower was attempting to force the Death Eaters into believing that they were worthless in Tom's eyes compared to Harry. Although much of this was in fact true, Harry could tell that Tom didn't at all enjoy the risk of his friends realising this…
"Who is to say that your people will murder my four friends so soon?" Tom asked, a sharp edge of annoyance in his voice that might not have gone unnoticed by everyone. "Who is to say that I won't merely attack your people for my friends back, knowing where they are and how long they will be there for?"
"Ve have thought of zis," the dark-haired follower said. "You must send us back to our people so ve can arrange for a meeting time on your choice. Otherwise, neither group vill know where to meet, thus your friends vill be kept hidden securely. If you kill us here, or do not give a response to our people by tomorrow, your people vill be killed vithout hesitation."
Harry knew Tom hadn't meant his last words anyway. Tom was merely convincing the Death Eaters that he cared about him, because attempting to attack Grindelwald's people for Avery, Gibbon, Mulciber, and Lestrange so bluntly would be very risky. Harry hoped and believed that Tom had a better plan than this… or he would think of a better plan, anyway.
"It appears as though you thought this through well," Tom muttered dryly, appearing somewhat cynical for the first time. This made Harry feel uneasy. He hoped Tom's gloominess was an act…
No one spoke for a moment. The followers seemed to be waiting for Tom to make a decision, but Tom merely began pacing the room, thinking deeply. Grindelwald's followers got impatient while the silence continued.
"You vill have to decide quickly what you vish to do," the blond follower pressed. "It iz getting late and ve are a long vay avay from Germany."
"A few minutes will make no difference," Tom stated, appearing not at all anxious about the follower's words.
"If you give Jonathan up, zis fight between us vill end and ve vill not bother you any longer," the blond follower insisted. "One viward for your freedom and safety – fair enough, no?"
"Well, I don't believe we would be fighting at all if I thought merely handing over Jonathan would end this," Tom murmured, still appearing mostly lost in thought.
"Vat do you mean?"
Tom did not answer. He took many paces back and forth, before asking, "So you're telling me that your people would stop fighting us if we merely handed Jonathan over to you?"
"Yes," the dark-haired follower answered.
Harry wondered if this was just mindless conversation, an easy distraction for Tom while he attempted to think of a plan. His evident pessimism confused Harry, who much preferred Tom's now lost false ignorance.
"What might you do with him, if I were to hand him over?" Tom asked. "Interrogate him? Murder him? Turn him into one of you?"
The followers were silent. Tom didn't seem to really expect an answer anyway.
"Despite what you wish to do with him, the only question that remains is: what do you wish to do with the rest of us?"
"Ve vill leave you alone," the blond wizard said again, without hesitation. "Ve do not care for any of you."
"Which is a curious suggestion," Tom muttered. "It makes me wonder why you don't merely leave Jonathan here. You know that he isn't going to inform Ministries about you. Even if he did, you have vague information on us now, while Jonathan has very little information on you in general… Very little information on Grindelwald, too…"
The followers didn't respond to this either. They appeared a little irked at the mention of their leader, however.
Harry knew Tom was suggesting that Grindelwald's people were more interested in his Dark Arts group than anything. Tom was blatantly curious about whether this was a trap for him and the Death Eaters, rather than just an attempt for Grindelwald's people to murder Harry for the little information he might have. When Tom didn't speak these theories aloud, however, the followers seemed determined to keep him away from such thoughts.
"You have no choice but to give us Jonathan if it is that you vish to have your friends back," the dark-haired wizard reminded Tom bluntly. "Zis needless talking and stalling is getting us nowhere. You will be free as soon as we 'ave him…"
Tom's pacing slowed marginally, then fully. He turned to face the two wizards on the ground, a contemplative expression upon his face. He stared for perhaps a minute, but Harry couldn't imagine what he might be thinking.
"You will leave me and all my other friends completely alone if I agree to give you Jonathan?" Tom inquired.
"Yes," the dark-haired follower swore. He was staring right at Tom, which made Harry wonder whether these followers knew Occlumency. "You vill be entirely left alone."
"Are your people willing to swear it?"
Harry saw some of the Death Eaters cast each other glances.
"Yes, zey vill swear it, if zey must."
Tom frowned, apparently beginning to believe that this was the best option they had. Without looking away from the followers, he said, "Then you leave me no choice… Dolohov, seize Jonathan."
Harry didn't think he heard Tom correctly at first, but the expressions of the twenty or so Death Eaters around him told him that Tom was actually doing this. Harry was confused, unable to believe it. He stared, but Tom wouldn't look back at him. This had to be a joke, or some part of Tom's plan…
"Dolohov," Tom repeated more slowly, looking up at the unmoving Death Eater, "that was an order."
"B-but," Dolohov stammered, "you can't tell me you're really gonna just–"
"It is not for you to decide what I can and cannot do, Antonin," Tom said coldly, shocking Dolohov with the use of his first name for the first time in years. "Do as you are told."
The followers on the ground were smirking slightly. They were obviously very satisfied that Tom was agreeing to give Harry up.
Dolohov was moving away from the blond follower gradually. Harry felt his pulse begin to quicken, even while he reminded himself over and over again that Tom couldn't possibly be doing this seriously. Yet Tom was making a convincing show of his sincerity as he avoided eye contact with Harry…
"You can't be serious," Harry blurted out before he could help himself. Dolohov slowed down at his words, appearing even less willing to seize him. Tom didn't seem to be reacting at all, however. "You – you just can't do this. How can you believe what they're saying? How can you not understand –?"
"There's no point in pretending this wasn't an option, Jonathan," Tom said, still staring down at the floor as though none of this truly bothered him. "I've given my best efforts in trying to protect you, but at the expense of four others… there is little I can do."
Dolohov took more steps towards Harry, but he still appeared unwilling to get too close to him, in case Tom changed his mind.
"Don't be so shy, Dolohov," Tom told the Death Eater, "although Jonathan is a dear friend of ours, understand that by following my orders you are saving four others…"
"But I mean," Dolohov began, speaking as carefully as he could, "John is one of our best people and, I dunno, I thought–"
"There is no point arguing," Tom interrupted, his tone still apathetic. "Unless of course you find yourself growing fonder and fonder of Grindelwald's people. In that case, you have my permission to apprehend yourself – or I'll get Mulciber to do it for you, if you'd prefer for the full affect."
Harry heard a few of the Death Eaters laugh lightly as Dolohov turned away from Tom, bracing himself. He didn't look at Harry and didn't move yet. Harry didn't know what to do. He was confused by the expression that crossed Tom's face at the sound of his friends' laughter. He appeared almost inspired…
"I daresay Grindelwald's people would be more than happy to take you off my hands," Tom continued lazily, evidently tormenting Dolohov for mere amusement. "It might be somewhat of a relief, especially since sacrificing two for the price of four is still far enough."
"I'm doing it, alright?" Dolohov mumbled, still averting his eyes. Harry wondered for the first time whether Dolohov was merely scared to try and attack him, since he, Harry, was quite a bit stronger.
More of the Death Eaters were snickering. Perhaps as a result of this, Tom turned to face Harry for the first time. Harry stared at Tom, trying harder to understand why he was doing all of this. Before he could do much more than watch him carefully, however, Tom decided to speak.
"Resist, Harry." were his only words.
Harry was confused for a moment, before he realised that Tom was spoken in Parseltongue, far too quietly for any of the amused Death Eaters to hear. For the first time, Harry felt his heart soar: Tom had a plan and this was a part of it. Without really thinking, but whilst knowing it was the right thing to do, Harry withdrew his wand.
"Stupefy!" he shouted, aiming the spell at Dolohov with a furious swish of his wand.
Perhaps as a result of Harry's hidden rapture, Dolohov went flying halfway across the room, crashing into Mulciber and nearly hitting the two followers of Grindelwald on his way.
Harry then pointed his wand at Tom before the Death Eaters could do more than gasp in shock. Taking a few steps back and seeing the Death Eaters around him move away, Harry began pretending to care more about this, as Tom had ordered him to.
"You can't make me go back to those people," Harry said, rearranging his expression to suggest that he feared Tom was being serious. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered what on earth Tom had planned…
"Jonathan, you really must understand that this is for the best," Tom said silkily, smiling softly as he talked. Harry saw Tom's hand edging slowly for the wand in his pocket, but he pretended not to notice.
"How is this for the best for anyone?" Harry demanded, glaring at Tom determinedly. "All they're going to do is attack you anyway when they have me – you know this! They'll just kill the rest of you for the hell of it! Giving me back to them will only put you in more danger!"
"I believe what they did to you might have gone to your head a little, Jonathan," Tom dismissed with a humorous air. The Death Eaters seemed unsure what they should do to help Tom, in fear of Harry attacking. "Though I can't say you'll have to suffer much more in the future, considering their patience is somewhat limited, doubtlessly."
Harry was about to find a retort to this, but someone else spoke before he could.
"Zis is not a joke," the blond follower said slowly, confused by the way Tom was acting.
"Well of course it isn't," Tom responded swiftly. His smile broadened. "I do believe that my name would have to be something closer to 'Gellert Grindelwald' if anything concerning my followers was to be considered a joke."
The Death Eaters couldn't stop themselves from laughing loudly when they heard Tom say this. Harry didn't know how he was supposed to act. He glanced around at Tom's friends, then down at the followers who still rested upon the floor. When he turned back to Tom, he saw Tom's wand pointed straight at him.
"Expellia–" he began in shock.
But Tom was too quick. The next thing Harry knew he was staggering backwards with the weight of a silent spell, but then… all was bliss. Harry was floating in the contentment of his own empty mind, spared from every thought and every emotion beyond blissfulness. He was only vaguely aware that the figures nearby were all staring at him …
Rearrange your expression to appear enraged, a voice in his head suggested.
Harry followed this order, feeling his face contort in false anger.
Now look at me, the same voice told him.
Harry allowed his eyes to float towards and focus on the handsome man who stood in front of him. The man was lowering a wand, but that provoked no change in Harry, who glared meaninglessly.
The wizard in front of him was talking to the room at large, making the irrelevant figures around him laugh. Harry didn't catch a word he said. All he could hear was the voice that talked in his head every now and then…
Aim your wand at me again, the voice ordered.
Harry did so without hesitation, but as he glowered falsely at the man in front of him a waver of real thought struck him. He recognised this man… but he couldn't quite remember why or how.
Say, "I don't have to listen to you".
"I don't have to listen to you," Harry repeated, being sure to keep that annoyed expression, like he had been asked. The man in front of him said something inaudibly.
Say, "you can't keep me here", with more annoyance.
Harry repeated the required words like the voice asked. The figures around the man in front of him shifted nervously, but Harry barely noticed. The man said something else.
Attack one of the followers, the voice in his head told him.
Harry's wand shifted to aim towards a wizard on the ground, but his eyes never left Tom. I won't attack that wizard, Harry thought.
Attack him, Harry.
Something in that voice made Harry think that he should follow the order, but somehow he couldn't.
Don't resist me, Harry. Attack that wizard.
Without resisting, Harry shot a stunning spell at the wizard.
Quickly the voice said: Attack him again, without stopping.
Harry did so. This was part of the plan Tom had, a whisper of a voice said from the back of Harry's mind…
Make the wizard unconscious, the voice ordered.
Harry did so, not having to think of what spells to use. The figures nearby were becoming more animated as Harry attacked, watching blindly while blood spattered in all directions from the wizard on the ground, the screams and voices not reaching his ears.
There was something about the blood that put a speck of worry inside Harry, past the blissfulness… but Tom had a plan, and that's all that mattered…
Try harder.
Harry did so, using more spells without thinking. The man now besides him appeared to be shouting at the other standing wizards.
Now use the Killing Curse, but be sure to–
"Ava–"
Then many things happened at once. Seconds before Harry felt a heavy weight crashing into him, he snapped out of the Imperius Curse that Tom had set upon him, feeling that speck of anxiety burst into a storm of alarm and panic. Mulciber was grabbing his arms and forcing him to stop the Killing Curse while loud voices overwhelmed and confused Harry further.
Harry could see a pool of blood that he had spilt around the blond wizard on the ground, who was unmoving on the cold stone floor. Harry's eyes then found Tom's, but before he could take in the sight before him, a cry of anger echoed through the hall.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
There was a flash of green light, and Harry stopped struggling to try and work out what had happened. Tom's wand wasn't raised, to Harry's surprise. Nott, who stood on the other side of Tom, had murdered the blond wizard, while the brown haired follower recoiled in panic, unable to believe what was happening.
Another Death Eater lunged at Nott, keen upon making him stop before the second follower was killed too. Tom appeared livid as he looked from Harry to Nott. They stood besides each other while the Death Eaters huddled closer, more of them joining in to stop these apparently murderous wizards.
Tom didn't say a word to Harry and Nott, and nor did he look away from them as he barked, "Black, Rosier, take our only living guest away from here before someone else tries to kill him too."
The Two Death Eaters did as they were told. The brown-haired wizard was staring around at everyone with a terrified expression, stammering shocked words in English and Germany at a quick pace. Harry turned to look at Nott quickly while Mulciber gripped onto his arms tightly. Nott's bright eyes were shining with pure confusion and innocence. Harry could tell that he too had been Imperiused.
As soon as the living follower of Grindelwald was taken from the room, Tom spoke. Most of his annoyance seemed to disappear without warning.
"Release Smith and Nott at once…"
The Death Eaters did as they were told, but after much silent deliberation. When Harry was free from Mulciber's strong grip, he found himself glowering at Tom, unable to believe that he had forced Nott to murder, after attempting to force him to. Tom only smiled, which made Harry furious.
"How – how could you do that?" Harry asked breathlessly, trying to control the rage, confusion, and fear that coursed through him. "How could you use the Imperius Curse to force us into murdering? I – I thought you had a plan. I–"
"I didn't force you to murder anyone," Tom stated.
"But you tried to," Harry said irritably, ignoring the confused Death Eaters around him, "You made Nott do it–"
"I made Nott pretend to murder that wizard," Tom voiced, announcing this as though tricking Harry made it more of an accomplishment. "Look, if you will: our guest is still breathing and there is a spell mark on the ground besides him. None of your spells missed, yet Nott's only curse most certainly did."
Harry glanced at the seemingly dead wizard on the ground. Past the pool of blood besides him was a sizeable chunk of stone floor missing where the Killing Curse had missed.
"I was ordering you to miss with the spell, Jonathan," Tom explained, "but you got far too frightened at my mention of the Killing Curse… I had to use Nott instead."
Harry looked up at Tom again, unable to say a word. It had all been a part of his plan… He could hear Nott laughing in shock and relief besides him, but he didn't bother to look at him. He didn't know how to convey how annoyed he was with Tom. All he could do was shake his head in disbelief, saying something before he could help himself. "Fuck you, Tom."
The Death Eaters were shocked, but Tom only smiled softly.
"I love you too," he said mockingly.
The Death Eaters laughed openly, not thinking twice about Tom's offhand comment. Harry's mind was buzzing with thought, wondering what they might end up doing with a falsely dead follower…
"But be prepared, all of you," Tom said more seriously to the room at large. "We have a lot to discuss tonight, concerning the issue of Gellert Grindelwald's eager followers…"
Dear Readers: I'm SO happy that I reached over one thousand reviews for TVoV! This is definitely a highlight of what has otherwise been a terrible few weeks/months. I must thank you all for every comment you've posted on this story! :3
