Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Yay! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Keep it up, please! They always bring a smile to my face :D

autumngold: We will see what will happen with Neville only in a couple of chapters, I'm afraid. The next few chapters are nearly exclusively about HPLV interactions, with a bit of Lucius or Draco here and there. It's to compensate for the 'Rebelcentric' aspect of this fic had so far.

CoNfUsEdByLiFe: I'm glad you liked the Duel's concept! And indeed, you had the right idea about Voldie's distraction...or...part of the right idea. You'll see in this chapter ;)

stubs1101: Toys? I think he would prefer to play with Harry himself that give him 'toys' :P I was sorry to read that you didn't like the Duel's idea. But it was necessary to allow some relatively peaceful interactions between Harry and Voldemort despite the Prophecy and Harry's twisted perception of reality. This fic is supposed to be a HPLV slash after all. We have to give it some time to develop! :P

FanFictionLover: Don't worry, Harry won't have such dumb luck in this fic. He might, however, 'get lucky' later on... *wiggles her eyebrows*

Chapter 16: 21st of July 1997, The Dark Lord and his Minister

Lucius was waiting outside of his study, looking at the door with trepidation. It was bad form to have a guest in your house die under your watch, especially when said guest had just risked his hide to rescue his son.

He wasn't worried about his Master. Even if he did die, he probably had some sort of contingency plans like last time. And there was no way that a boy like Potter, who was just the age of his Draco, for Salazar's sake, could beat the most powerful wizard in Britain.

He was worried about his study, however. It was filled with precious books and priceless objects and he really didn't want them damaged. So he was dreading what would come out of this meeting. Not because he was unusually worried for the Potter boy. No.

.

To say that he wasn't surprised when he saw, instead of a smug blood-covered Dark Lord, a blushing teenager hurriedly emerging from his study and a not-bloodied Dark Lord looking at his back in deep reflection, would be a lie. He somehow could feel that something had happened in there that could very well change the dynamics of the current regime.

He looked to his Master, waiting for instructions on what to do with his troublesome guest.

Lord Voldemort made eye contact, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, Lucius, it's late, why don't you show the boy to his room for the night? He's quite young, after all, he needs his sleep to function properly in the morning."

Potter pivoted abruptly, facing the Dark Lord and shooting him what was probably the darkest look he could manage. Which was to say, a mildly irritated look that made him look like a petulant teen.

And the Dark Lord snorted (snorted!) in amusement at the boy's antics.

"Of course, My Lord, how remiss of me. Follow me, then, Potter."

The young man straightened up his back and glided (glided!) up to him, looking at him expectantly. With a last glance at his still-smirking Lord, Lucius walked away in the direction of the guest wing.

While he was walking there, he watched Potter closely, trying to find out what had happened in his study.

The young man was walking fluidly at his side, looking around at the paintings and sculptures. He looked relaxed and at ease, compared to earlier.

"Ask your question already." Potter said, catching his observation.

"Have you fought?

-Obviously not. I'm still alive." That was said in a dead, neutral voice.

"What happened in there?

-We had a...temporary agreement. He decided that he needed some time to make arrangements and I certainly can't blame him for that. I don't have much and I have prepared for my death basically my whole life. He has everything he ever wanted and I've just dumped the Duel in his lap. He has a lot more to loose than me in this, even if it's unlikely that I'll win.

-I would think that loosing your life is a price steep enough...

-I want to live, but not like this. This isn't a life. It's Death waiting to happen." Lucius paused a bit to ponder what sort of life the teen had lived to be this jaded.

"What would you do, if you were free of those expectations?" he asked, curious.

"I would do something as completely unrelated to fighting as possible. I don't know what...I haven't exactly had the chance to explore my horizons yet. Maybe warding, maybe travelling for a while...I haven't been to many places so far...

-I see...

-And you? Are you satisfied with your life?" asked Harry abruptly. Lucius lifted an eyebrow.

-Why would I not be? I'm the British Minister of Magic, I have a beautiful wife and a talented son, and I have increased my family's wealth and status significantly during my life. I have everything I want."

Potter scrutinised him, trying to determine if he said the truth.

"It must be difficult to work as a Minister under the Dark Lord. You rule over everyone else, but you have to be subservient to him...

-I think you would be surprised at the amount of freedom I have in my office. I've gained more and more autonomy from him as the years have passed and he lost interest in the inner workings of the Ministry.

-He lost interest?

-The man is a real genius, Potter. He came up with innovative ideas to reform the Magical Government, stayed a while to make sure that his projects had been well implemented and that the biggest problems were solved, and then he moved on to another problematic subject.

-What was it?

- He spent a lot of effort in getting his government recognised by other states as legitimate, mostly to be able to form better international trade agreements, but also for international relations in themselves. Britain has been a closed-off world for way too long and we are still lagging behind in numerous sectors.

-Like which ones?

-Education Methods, Mental Healing, Family Law, Journalistic Integrity, Creatures Rights, and many others. We are working on bettering them, but it's a long-term effort and often an uphill struggle."

Lucius stopped in front of a door, indicating it to Harry.

"This will be your room for tonight, at least. Don't hesitate to call on our house-elf Dobby if you want anything.

-I won't. Thank you so much for your hospitality.

-You have given me my son back tonight, Mister Potter. A room for the night is nothing compared to it.

-Call me Harry...If you want.

-Very well, Harry. You can call me Lucius as well. I wish you good night.

-Good night, Lucius."

Harry disappeared inside his room, leaving Lucius to ponder about the mystery of this boy.

.

That night in his bed, when he talked about the events with Narcissa, she thought about it for a moment, before she said:

"You know, Lucius, I think he might be good for our Lord.

-What do you mean?" asked Lucius, quite surprised.

"Well, He hasn't had anyone standing up against him for quite a while now. Perhaps this Harry Potter will be a welcomed distraction to the tedious business and research he does these days. He will keep him on his toes, so to speak.

-It wouldn't do for you to get attached to the boy now, Narcissa. They have an Honour's Duel to settle sooner or later."

Narcissa Malfoy sighed softly and laid her head on her husband's chest.

"I know. I'm just really grateful that he helped our Draco get out of this nasty place and I want to repay him somehow.

-We will think of something. In the meanwhile, we only have to be good hosts for him. I imagine that he'll feel a bit lost for a while. From what I heard, he was quite sheltered at the Rebel camp and will probably feel a bit disoriented for a while."

They discussed for a few more minutes before Lucius snuffed out the lights with a wave of his hand and settled for the night beside his lovely life. He thought of the question Harry asked him earlier. Was he really satisfied with his life? Sometimes he did have the impression that he had not accomplished enough by himself and that too much of his life had been dictated by the Dark Lord. He also missed the time when Draco was just a child and looked at him with admiration in the eyes. Now his son only looked at the Dark Lord that way. Really, about the only person of which Lucius could be jealous was his Master, but he felt oddly content in his position of 2nd most powerful man in the British hierarchy.

He felt Narcissa press against him in her sleep and thought of his wife for a moment. She had always wanted a second child, but his father had told him that having a second heir would only divide the fortune of the family and weaken it. At the time, he had wielded to his father's advice, but maybe now he could take control of his life more and listen to his own desires. He was a Malfoy, after all, and Malfoys always get what they want. He pulled his wife closer against his chest and settled in a content sleep, reassured that all was well again in his life.

o0o0o

Tom Marvolo Riddle had been called a genius practically from the moment he was born, eyes wide open and silently taking in his dying mother. The matrons at the orphanage had also said that he was possessed by the Devil because of his eerie calm and precocious control over his accidental magic. The most common words used to describe him had always been, since that very first moment, genius and monster.

And, in his life, he had proven the validity of those two qualifying terms numerous times.

So, really, when Magic basically handed him the other person to which he was connected on a silver platter, solving once and for all this ridiculous... riddle (he hated not being able to use that word without cringing) that had plagued him those past few years, he not only saw it immediately, he also berated himself for not finding the solution quicker, because it was obvious, really, even without having met Potter properly before.

Lord Voldemort had often pondered the identity of the person to which his soul was linked. Harry Potter was connected to him by the Prophecy and the brother wands that they shared, but that wasn't enough to be conclusive evidence. However, he should have noticed that the curiosity he felt for everything related to the boy wasn't normal. Nobody fascinated him for this long, especially not when he had never actually met them.

It did also explain why he didn't feel inclined to kill the boy. He had felt it the moment Potter had entered the room, this strange feeling that he knew him, that the young man's magic was similar to his. He had watched him closely, noting how he kept rubbing his scar on his forehead. Why would a scar, even if it was filled with dark residue from the Killing curse, be still bothering him more than fifteen years after it was inflicted? And, judging from the memories he saw of the boy, it wasn't an idiosyncrasy either. So why would the scar act up in this precise moment, when he was there?

Well, the answer was so obvious that he had nearly smacked himself on the forehead when he realised it the second the brat left him in Lucius' study.

Harry Potter is my Horcrux.

.

He evaluated his reactions to this news closely, and realised that he was amused and in fact quite pleased with this development. Another safeguard against death was always welcomed, even if it was done accidentally. However, the Honour's Duel was a problem now, since he had no intention of killing his involuntary Horcrux.

He had initially decided to give himself a few days of entertainment, watching the boy stumble on his feet while being introduced to society, or maybe using the Duel to give him good publicity and quash the hopes of certain members of his society who still thought that "the Boy-Who-Lived" would come and saved them by slaughtering their so-called Saviour in front of a large crowd.

He had thought of doing it on the next Victory Day, to change a bit from the routine procession and speech formula and to kill another preeminent Light figurehead from the war (as ridiculous as it was to proclaim a baby a significant figure in a war, but that was the Light for you) on the anniversary of Dumbledore's death. It would add another victory to this already glorious date.

He had also thought of killing the boy in a few days. That would have given him another pretext for a summer festival. Not that he cared in any way about festivals, but it was an easy method to keep the population happy and, if they were in a good mood, it was easier to pass his more outrageous law propositions without too much protest. Panem et circences (Bread and circuses are all you need to keep your population happy, according to some Roman wizard), and all that.

But no, there wouldn't be a show like that anytime soon. He had revised his opinion of Harry Potter the second the other entered the room, already sensing him there and spotting him so quickly, his eyes glowing with magical sight.

During Lucius' little interview, his answers had been very surprising as well. He had his doubts that Potter was the traitor among the Rebels, but to see him so casually talk about how he betrayed them over and over without as much as blinking was a novel experience.

The young man, because there was no denying that he grew up (and quite well at that), was a lot more confidant than most of his peers and had drawn his wand on him with admirable composure. He had looked at him with the same determination and steadfast courage that the Dark Lord remembered in Potter's parents.

This was undoubtedly a remarkable and interesting young man and his reactions to him were entertaining, to say the least. Well, Voldemort was accustomed to people's reactions to his looks by now and he could see the lust shining in practically everyone's eyes wherever he was going. Magic had blessed him with divine looks and She only knows how well he had used that particular gift throughout the years, especially when he was at Hogwarts. Potter, however, did not seem to be salivating after his looks as much as he was after his magic. The Dark Lord had let his magical aura spread around him in Lucius' office to check how the teen would respond to it. Potter had seem to drink it all up as if it was the finest of ambrosia and to see him with his head titled back in bliss and breathing shallowly had sent a shock of arousal coursing through his body stronger than he had felt in quite a while. This was interesting. Potter certainly was an attractive young man, and had a strong personality as well, from what he could say at that moment...

But he was also his Horcrux and it wouldn't do to seduce the teen and be stuck with a loved-struck admirer following him around for years because he couldn't get rid of him after his fancy had passed and he wanted to move on to his next conquest. Not to mention that there was a strange unprecedented near-incest component to screwing someone who had a part of your soul in them and he wasn't sure of how that sat with him. When they had touched briefly, he had felt something reacting in him, as if his soul was yearning to be reunited with another of its pieces. This was a most curious development and one that baffled him.

One thing was sure, however, and it was that Potter was around to stay. With the Rebels roaming around searching for his Horcruxes, it wouldn't do to let Potter go and get assassinated, even if it was unlikely that his former friends and family would commit such a drastic move against him. He would use the ridiculous excuse of the Duel to keep him close and get to know him to manipulate him properly. Once a traitor, always a traitor, after all, and, even if it was obvious that the Rebels had slighted him enough to deserve to be betrayed by their child-hero, he wouldn't let himself fall in the same trap. Potter's loyalty went with what he perceived was right or wrong, so, to win it, he'd have to do a bit of acting and convince the boy that every decision he took were for the good of all. But then again, that's what he did with the rest of the population anyway so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge.

If I don't find anything to keep him busy, he'll be bored and cause trouble, like all teenagers, probably. Perhaps I should keep him at Malfoy Manor for a while.

Lucius' son seemed to have struck up a hasty friendship with him and it would probably help Harry feel comfortable with his new life on the Dark Side if he felt like he belonged there. Not to mention that he was a busy man and he didn't like people intruding on his work.

I'll go visit him often and he'll feel more flattered that I came to see him than if we stumbled on each other at every corner of my mansion and always ate together. Hum...yes, that should do nicely.

As for the Duel, well...they would see how things progressed. There was always the chance of convincing Harry that, if he surrendered to him, Voldemort wouldn't ask a price too high and that it was really the best choice to make in such a situation. Especially since the Dark Lord would never surrender or lose to the younger man: that was an absurd thought.

His decision about Harry taken, he returned to the situation at hand. It seemed that Muggles had created another dangerous invention called "the Internet" and that it was fast becoming a problem for wizards around the world. So much, in fact, that the next International Confederation of Wizards meeting in two months would be completely dedicated to finding solutions to help preserve the secret of their community. He would go there to promote greater segregation between the Muggle and Wizarding World and to suggest some spells and wards with which he had come up in his research.

I'll go see Harry tomorrow to inform him of my decision. He decided to ignore the strange surge of eagerness that he felt in his stomach at the thought of seeing the young man again so soon. It was just the Horcrux reacting, anyway.

Oh...in denial, the Dark Lord? Maybe just a bit ^^

Sorry for those who thought Harry would go live at the Dark Lord's place right now, but I thought this would fit better to make Voldemort and Harry become gradually more at ease with each other. Don't worry though, he'll go there at some point. It's all in my masterplan, mouhouhaha.

Next chapter: More LM narration (haha, it will be a funny one, you'll see) and more HPLV interaction, some serious 'tension' between the two and more smug teasing from the Dark Lord.

Thank you again to those who reviewed! It's the best reward I could have for investing my time in bringing you fast updates.^^

I've got a couple of ideas for other HP fics and it's been itching me to start writing them, but I know that it would probably put this fic to a second place in my order of priorities so I said "no, no, I can't do that to my reviewers". So please review, dear readers, or I might succumb to temptation..

Thank you in advance :)