Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Hello again! I hope you all had Happy Valentine's day. This is your belated gift, my lovelies! (hehe)
I got some nice and very enthusiastic reviews for the last chapters, thank you so much to all of you who reviewed! I really love to hear your comments and I'm glad that my ideas are well-received!
Hey, I have a little question for you all. Am I the only one who feels like PMs are too intrusive for replying to reviews? I always get the impression that I'm forcing myself on you when I reply without you asking a question to me, even if it's just to thank you...I really wouldn't want to look like this unattainable author who is too busy to reply when you have taken some of your time to write him/her a nice little review, but, at the same time, I don't want to scare you away with my PMs. So, please help me and tell me what you think?
The answers to my guests' questions:
automngold: According to what Lucius said in the previous chapter, Narcissa always wanted a second child, but they had decided not to at Lucius' father's insistence. But maybe she'll think it's too late for that now...who knows? ;)
Guest: You got it right, reviewer! Harry's there to stay ;)
FanFiction Lover: Whatever you saw in Lucius, I definitely saw as well. Must be the long hair...or the powerful and dignified attitude. Not to mention that I've always had a weakness for the bad guys in the stories. The Dark Lord's definitely hotter than any Malfoy though, I think ;)
Warnings: A bit of Unresolved Sexual Tension (hehe) and a Dark Lord who has too much fun teasing our poor little Saviour. Mentions of sexual situations/fantasies? (Wow, that's a pretty mild warning)
Chapter 17: 22nd of July, Training?
Morning came much too early for the British Minister of Magic, but duty called. He had neglected his work in the past two days because of his son's kidnapping and he had to make up for it today. His ministers and assistants understood, however, that family was priority in such an emergency.
He would also have to hire the best of wardmakers in the country, no, in the continent to strengthen his wards. He still didn't understand how they managed to bypass the ancient wards of his manor. They might not have been updated in the last 15 years or so, but wards tied to old buildings were usually too strong to destroy so easily, not to mention that the alarm wards had failed to prevent him of the intrusion as well. It baffled him completely. Two nights ago, he had received a panicked call from Narcissa when she came back from having tea with some of her friends and that's how he had learnt of the collapse of his wards. It was unacceptable.
He shuddered when he thought of what Draco's fate at the hands of the rebels would have been without Harry. The rebels were lucky that he still had no idea of the location of their camp, because he would have been there right now, burning it to ground and torturing each one of them to insanity if he knew how to find them. He'd make a massacre out of that dingy little dump worthy of the bloody reputation he had gained during the last war. Nobody messed with his precious son and heir without suffering his ire...
.
After a quick check-up on his dear son who was now sleeping peacefully in his bed and a silent thank-you sent in the approximate direction of where the guest bedroom was, Lucius headed toward the family dining room to have his solitary breakfast.
His thoughts, however, were soon disrupted by noises he heard coming for somewhere to his left. His first thought was that the rebels were back already and he whipped his wand out of his cane. He was an Inner-circle Death Eater, for Salazar's sake, some impoverished hopeless rebels would not chase him away from his home. He would settle the conflict right now by killing them all for daring to intrude in his home and torture his son.
He stormed in the direction of the noise, furious. It was coming from the duelling room. What were they doing in there?
Lucius didn't bother to be subtle for once in his life; he just slammed the doors open and strode inside, only to stop short on the spot, anger forgotten as fast as it came when he took in the scene he just interrupted.
Potter, who for some unfathomable reason had visibly gotten up even earlier than him despite his tiredness of the previous night, was standing in the middle of the room, in a loose pair of training pants, without a shirt...and...upside down on his hands? Lucius tilted his head to the side. He didn't think one's back could bend that far without a particularly painful curse. And why was he lowering himself close to the ground, only to go back up afterwards?
Potter apparently spotted him, because he lifted his head in surprise, unbent his back for its tortuous position and got back up on his feet fluidly. He sent him a polite smile and said:
"Oh, hello Lucius. I hope it's not a problem if I use this room for training...
-Oh, training. That's what this was, indeed. Well, I don't see a problem to it. This room is usually used for fencing and duelling but you can do...whatever it was that you were doing before if you want. That's training? Does he hope to beat the Dark Lord by contorting on himself in weird positions and making the man too surprised to react?
-You're sure you won't get in trouble with him for that?
-For what?" Ah, encouraging him to train to have a chance to defeat the Dark Lord? As if that could happen. "Ah, well, the Dark Lord hates fights that aren't challenging enough. He thinks it's a waste of time if he fights someone who could obviously have been beaten by any of his better followers. So, while I have no idea of your competence, I don't think he would mind if you made the fight entertaining."
Harry frowned his brow, looking at him with a serious expression.
"You do know that you are casually talking about a fight in which I will most probably be ruthlessly killed? And you say that you are hoping I'll at least manage to make it entertaining enough for the Dark Lord. Wow, " he said in incredulous voice.
"Well, you are the one who issued the Duel. You must know who you are hoping to beat. I'm sorry for sounding dismissive about your life. I just can't understand what motivated you to do such a drastic move..."
Harry brusquely turned his head away from him and looked to the side with anger, clenching his fists tightly.
"You have no idea how it feels like to know that you have been brought up for one purpose only. I'm no one until I try to settle this 'Task' that has been my burden all my life. If I survive it, then I'll be able to live for myself at long last. Until then, I'm only living on borrowed time. And at least with the Duel, I know I'm not just going to be 'taken care of' by one of his followers because he didn't deem this fight worthy of his attention.
-I wasn't talking about you earlier when I said that. The Dark Lord has been...strangely inquisitive about you these past years. I think he was looking forward to meet you in person at last. He wouldn't have dismissed your challenge like that."
Harry looked surprised by what Lucius had said.
"The Dark Lord was asking about me? Why?
-When you were eleven and didn't come to Hogwarts, he received a memory of your visit to the want shop and what happened there intrigued him. He didn't say anything more than that to me..."
The arrival of the Dark Lord in the doorframe interrupted their conversation.
"Well, Lucius, already gossiping and revealing all my secrets to my 'preordained enemy' as I can see. Do I have to worry about a change of allegiance from you?" said his Master, looking faintly amused, thankfully.
"Of course not, my Lord. I am your loyal servant." Better not take a chance.
-You better be."
The tone was a bit curt and accompanied with a pointed look. He saw from the corner of his eye Harry's eyebrows lift in surprise at the reply. Lucius decided that it was time for a strategic withdrawal. And bid his farewell to the two, heading for his breakfast at last. He wouldn't be early at the Ministry today, but at least, he had learnt more about his houseguest this morning, so his time had not been completely wasted. And what he had learnt was quite interesting.
He ate his eggs, masticating slowly while he mulled over the conversation he just had with his young guest.
Apparently, Harry didn't want to kill the Dark Lord because he hated the latter and wanted him dead, but more because of a deeply ingrained belief that it was his 'Destiny' to fight him. It struck him as strange that Harry had been able to discern the web of lies that the Rebels had weaved around him about their role in society and the Dark Lord's regime in general, but not about his supposed 'Task'.
The boy seemed to believe that his fight against the Leader of the British Wizarding World was set in stone. And, if it wasn't before, he had actively made it immutable when he challenged the Dark Lord. This whole behaviour was quite puzzling and illogical, to him at least. He'd discuss it with his Master later to have his opinion on the matter, but Lucius made the temporary conclusion that this distorted reality in which Harry lived came directly from his life at the Rebel's camp and from a sort of 'brain-washing' they might have done to set him on this path.
He finished his breakfast and left for a long day at the Ministry.
o0o0o
.
In the training room, after Lucius left, Harry and the Dark Lord stood silently, watching each other closely. Well, the Dark Lord was admiring the view of the younger man's finely muscled chest and slightly sweaty body and was, despite his conclusions of yesterday, contemplating the idea of having the other on his bed, pinned under him and begging for sweet release.
Harry, however, was detailing the Dark Lord's hungry look and wondering why the man was watching him so eagerly. Did he decide on a time for the Duel? Would it be right now? He opened his mouth to ask his questions, but closed it shut when the enticing magic of the Dark Lord began swirling around him again. The powerful man approached him, looking at his forehead intently. He suddenly noticed that his scar had started tingling again. Did it react to the Dark Lord's magic? The scar had been made by his magic after all, or so said the stories he heard about his first encounter with Voldemort as a baby. He decided to ask the other man about it. The worst that could happen would be to be shut down without an answer.
"Why does my scar tingle when you're there?" The Dark Lord paused his perusal and lifted an eyebrow at him.
"Tingles, you say?
-Yeah, it tickles a bit when you come closer.
The Dark Lord walked in his direction, stopping just an inch away from him.
"Closer...you mean like now? What are you feeling at the moment?" He asked with a low voice, his breath washing over Harry's face in a surprisingly pleasant sensation.
Harry licked his lips, thinking over his words carefully. He certainly didn't want to answer that the feeling of the Dark Lord's magic around him aroused and dazzled him.
Voldemort's eyes followed the tongue that peeked through the young man's lips and moistened them, making them look shiny and even more edible than before. He wondered why he thought that seducing Harry would not be a good idea. The boy was his Horcrux, by Morgana! If he belonged to anyone, it would be to him! Clearly, this was Magic's way to tell him that Harry was a gift for him, to thank him for his efforts in bringing Her back to her former glory in Britain.
He lifted a hand to touch his prize. When it came in contact with Harry's strong shoulder, brushing a strand of his hair away from the young man's jaw, he had to hold in a pleased hum at the warmth that he felt under his fingers and at the contact with Harry's powerful magic.
The younger man wasn't as good with controlling his reactions, apparently, since he moaned audibly at the sensation and shivered.
Voldemort could barely imagine how their magic would clash and rise together and the delicious sounds he could coax from Harry's mouth if he had sex with him. He groaned internally at the thought.
He snapped from his train of thoughts and withdrew his hand when he heard Harry clear his throat and say:
"So...have you thought of a date for our Duel?
-Hmmm...yes, I've thought about it. And I decided that I didn't want to kill an uneducated minor. It would be bad for my reputation, after all. You can't keep up the image of a fair ruler if said ruler goes around accepting duels from teens that don't even have their NEWTs, let alone their OWLs.
-But you were Honour bound to accept...
-Yes, and you can be sure that I'll abolish that archaic law as soon as I can. I don't want everybody who has something against me to come up and force me to battle them to death every minute of the day. It would seriously deplete the magical population of Britain when I have worked too hard to make it increase. I do have a lot of enemies, you know, although they are not all as upfront and brave about it as you are."
Harry's face turned a delicious shade of red at the praise. He hastily turned around and went to pick up his discarded shirt a couple of feet away from there, putting it on with short movements and effectively ending the Dark Lord's subtle leering session.
He turned back to him, watching him and pondering something.
"So...you want me to be an adult and have my NEWTs before we can duel?
-Indeed. That would be better.
-But that could take months, you know!
-Hmm...Probably. I'm not in a hurry to kill you though, if that's what you are complaining about.
-Why not?
-Why what?" asked Voldemort, although he knew what Harry wanted to ask.
"Why aren't you in hurry to kill me? Don't you want to complete the Prophecy?
-I don't believe in Divination. I would have been happy to forget about the Prophecy integrally if you hadn't come up to me and challenged me. I rather think that prophecies are mostly self-fulfilling, and your behaviour just reinforces my theory.
-You don't believe in Destiny?
-Well, brat, I don't want to start a philosophical debate with you, so I'll only say that I believe that some of us are born with greater abilities than others and with the potential to reach their goals. What those goals are, however, are the results of a myriad of factors that influence us along our lives. One isn't 'born to do something'; one uses the gifts given by Magic herself and decides what to do with them. Had I not been as ambitious as I am, I would probably have a job as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries at this point, and be quite happy to just do my research and be left alone with my little projects. And the Ministry would still be as corrupt as it was, and the Minister would be another spineless fool put there by whoever could bribe the vote the most.
-So you don't think that I had to confront you... You expect me to believe that you would have just let me live in peace if I hadn't challenged you? Despite having the 'potential' to kill you?
-I would probably have asked for some type of...reassurance that you wouldn't oppose me, but I wouldn't have bothered to hunt you down and kill you." Actually, I was prepared to kill you before I found out that you were my Horcrux, I just wanted some entertainment before killing you. Life alone at the top can be so tedious, you know? thought the Dark Lord, wondering how Harry would have reacted to the truth. It would have been quite funny to watch, but he did want to get the boy strongly to his side, so he continued to act accordingly.
"You don't really know me, after all" he said. "You only know what the Rebels have said of me, which is probably the most horrible lies they could find." Which is true, but they most likely had the general picture right. I am not a kind man and never will be, after all.
"Well..."answered the boy hesitantly. "They did say some very outrageous things about you when they were discussing the objects..."
The Dark Lord's plan to make Harry trust him came to a screeching halt when he heard his Horcruxes so casually mentioned. He kept a neutral face, but watched the young man closely. He didn't seem to know the importance of the subject about which he was taking.
He decided to casually interrogate the young man.
"Ah? What sort of things? And what type of objects are we talking about? When one practically owns the British Wizarding World, one has a lot of baubles lying around..." he said dismissively.
Harry hesitated at sharing freely his information, but the subject didn't really seem of enough value to the older man to bargain with it, so he gave him an idea of what the Rebels discussed.
"Well, I really don't know what type of objects they were talking about. That was part of the problem, actually. Moody sent some Rebels out to seek information about you and potential objects that could be precious to you, but he never gave a criteria or descriptions, so nobody really knew what to search for and they came back with the most ridiculous gossips about you..." he trailed off, not really sure if he should broach the subject. Some of it was quite insulting, after all.
The Dark Lord lifted an eyebrow, waiting.
Harry blushed and said:
"Well, someone said something about a rattle that you kept under your pillow?" Voldemort snorted at the idea. Absurd and really off track, perfect.
Harry continued:
"Yeah, that's what I thought as well, it was ridiculous! They even tried to make it sound more legit by saying it was a rattle passed through generations of the Slytherin line, or something like that."
Well, that's actually a bit too close for comfort.
He had never found his Locket again, after all. He could still feel it somewhere, but when he went to check on it, he found that Regulus, that miserable traitor, had stolen it from its cave. And, from relics of the Slytherin line, there was only one step to relics of other Hogwarts lines...and if they knew about the ring...ring, locket, cup, and diadem. Morgana, they could know about all of them without too much problem! Maybe they even knew about Harry and hoped that he would kill his involuntary Horcrux himself. According to what he gleaned from the Longbottom brat's mind, Moody did think that Harry wasn't the 'Chosen One' because he was 'tainted'. How would the Rebels react when they will realise that Harry was still alive? That he hadn't carried out his 'Destiny' or died trying?
"...and turned you into a snake-looking guy...not that you look like that anymore, or anything." What?
"What are you talking about, brat? What turned me into a snake?"
Harry turned beet-red and started spluttering.
"No, no, it was just some idiotic gossip...I thought you would find it funny..."
The Dark Lord lifted an eyebrow at him again. Harry wanted to amuse me? Why? Oh well, might as well go along with it.
"Well, I apologise, but I was lost in thought about that dear rattle of mine that I have lost so many years ago. Such a tragic loss...a precious family heirloom, that was. Or so I heard." He said with a smirk.
Harry stood there, shocked that the Leader of the British Wizarding Nation had just made a joke. Voldemort looked to the skies in annoyance. Why does everybody always act so surprised whenever I am even slightly humorous? Life would be quite dull without the occasional dry remark or cutting sarcasm. He particularly enjoyed morbid humour as well. It was one of the only reasons why he kept Bella around these days...
"You were saying, then? The explanation for my former appearance?" He asked, to get Harry to start talking again.
"Ah, yes, there's this witch and she said that...hmm.
-Go on.
-She said you liked your familiar so much that you became like him, in a way.
-Harry, tell the truth. I won't get mad." Well, I might get mad at the fools who reported this tale.
"Some, well, most of the gossips the Rebels got were about your sexual life, so...they said that you and Nagini, well, that you...
-I get the picture, thank you." The Dark Lord interrupted in a cold voice, quite disgusted with the Rebels' imagination now. How can you even have sex with a snake? By Morgana, Nagini will laugh when she hears this!
-I couldn't believe it either when I heard it, and they said a whole bunch of other things, like how you had a harem or sex slaves...
-However did they find out about my secret harem?" interjected Voldemort in a bored tone.
"Or how you had erec...err...how you were a real sadist in bed...
-There's nothing wrong with inflicting a bit of pain mixed in the pleasure," he protested in an amused voice, letting the slip pass without commenting on it.
"Or how you were really submissive to compensate for ruling over everybody else...
-Ah, now, that's completely false. I like my men beneath me in every sense of the term." contradicted the Dark Lord.
Harry gasped and looked at him incredulously.
"You're gay?" The question slipped out of his lips before he was able to stop it.
Voldemort smirked at him, taking a step toward him.
"I am quite happy at the moment, thank you for asking. But I suppose the term could also be used to refer to my sexual orientation. " He said lightly, observing the other's reaction. He wasn't disappointed. Harry blushed again, looking him up and down and detailing him not really subtly.
"Are you trying to ascertain the truth of what I said by scrutinising me, or are you suddenly disgusted by my very presence?
-No! No! I'm really not...you know, judging you or anything. It's just that someone told me at some point that I was..." he swallowed. "That I was 'obviously gay' or something and I was just wondering how he saw that and I was trying to see if there was anything in how you looked that made it clear or not..." he ended in a voice barely louder than a whisper, embarrassed.
This boy is more sheltered than I had imagined. I suppose it's up to me to educate my little Horcrux, then, he thought with a smirk, thinking of everything he could teach the young man on that particular subject.
"Well...there are no outer signs per se, but I can see how you would attract that type of comments." Harry blinked up at him. "You are too graceful. It probably comes from all the combat training you did. There is something...seductive about the way you move, every single one of your movements is precise and useful, and yet, oddly fluid. And well, grace and fluidity are traits often associated with women, so...
-I'm not effeminate! By the gods! This is absurd!" said Harry, throwing his arms up in frustration. Voldemort titled his head to the side a little, considering.
"I agree. But people are often judgmental and jump to conclusions irrationally. Now, why don't you talk to me a bit more about these objects the Rebels were interested in..." It was amusing to see Harry so embarrassed, but this conversation was drifting away from its purpose.
Harry suddenly narrowed his eyes at him, evaluating something. The Dark Lord had sounded too eager to go back to the subject of the objects for how dismissive of it he had been before.
"What do I get if I tell you?" He said, expectant.
The Dark Lord stopped short and looked at him, an oddly satisfied look on his face. We might just make a Slytherin out of this one.
-What do you want? Within reason. You already told me the Rebels didn't know much.
Harry thought about it for a second.
-A want to visit Gringotts. I know that my vaults are frozen, but I want to set up a will for who would get them if I die soon." The previously light conversation had taken a more serious turn.
"Your vaults were frozen when it became obvious that the Rebels were draining them to finance their campaign against me. Since you are not with them anymore, and since you have been exonerated from any crime you did while you were living among them, we could have them unfrozen and you would be able to withdraw money as you wish...You will go there once with an appropriate escort to get authenticated and to set up your will. Does that satisfy you?"
Harry, who didn't think his feeble attempt at negotiating would work, looked quite pleased at the result. Voldemort had given in quite easily this time, but it was a reasonable request and he wanted to encourage this type of behaviour from Harry. If the younger man thought he could get something by negotiating, he would be less confrontational and think less of his situation as being a prisoner in a gilded cage.
"Ah, yes, about the information, there isn't much more, I think. Sirius made a suggestion about a wand, Nagini or family heirlooms and they all found it likely, but really, I think that the only reliable information they had on you came from Dumbledore's notes on your life.
-So the old fool comes back to haunt me from his grave. I can already guess what his notes said about me. Did he speculate on the objects, as well?
-No, well, if he did, Moody didn't bring that part to the meeting.
-I see now how you were able to see through the Rebels' lies if you question everything that you hear. Well, if that is everything (Harry nodded), I will leave you to it for today. The room for you is ready, but I thought you might like to stay here for a while. Maybe until Hogwarts starts again? I know that you will want to see Lucius' son and I really don't want to welcome the annoying brat in my home more than necessary. "
Harry looked taken aback by his suggestion. Then, he looked at him as if he'd never seen him before. That was precisely what the Dark Lord wanted. Make Harry doubt everything he thought he knew about him. Paint a whole different portrait of himself than what the Rebels told the boy.
Harry nodded his agreement.
"Good, that's settled then. I'll send someone to escort you to Gringotts and will try to find you a tutor for your OWls and NEWTs...
-When will I see you again?
-In a couple of days, I'd wager. " The young man sounded strangely eager. Surely his plan wasn't working that well already?
-What will you do until then?" It was as if Harry was reluctant to see him go. He looked at the other closely and saw the young man leaning forward slightly toward him, as if drawn by a magnet. Was this because of the Horcrux as well? Does Harry feel the same pull? And the boy, who doesn't know that he hosts a part of my soul, probably thinks that he's hopelessly infatuated with me. Oh, well. I could use that to my advantage quite easily.
"Ah, well, your Rebels gave me an interesting idea. I think I'll go recruit some appetising young men for my new harem. Would you happen to know any who would be interested?"
Harry's eyes widened at his words and blushed a bit, before he became slightly angry.
"That's disgusting! Who do you think you are?
-The Supreme Leader of Britain." he answered in a chilly tone. He didn't appreciate disrespect, even if he had tried to provoke a reaction out of the young man.
Instead of cowering at his tone, Harry, the eternal Gryffindor, bristled at it.
"Well, even if you are, you are not above the laws, and you are not above morals!"
Yes, I am. I am a dictator; I am the Law, didn't you know? He thought in annoyance.
"They would be all adults and consenting. As far as I'm concerned, there would be no moral problem to it. Why are you so furious anyway? I was simply teasing you."
Harry seemed to deflate at this.
"So...you are not going to recruit a harem, then?"
The Dark Lord barked a laugh.
"It wouldn't be because I lack the candidates, that's for sure. However, there is something incredibly boring with having all that flesh offered to me so easily, desperately waiting and fighting for my attention. I much prefer the pleasure of the chase, the challenge of a slow seduction. Taming the fire of a wild creature and harnessing its power... "
While he was talking, he had walked up to Harry, stopping as close to him as he had at the beginning of their conversation. It felt to Harry as if the magic surrounding him had suddenly became stronger, headier. It made him want to shiver, to surrender to this dangerous man, to be the target of his attentions. It made him want to grasp the front of the Dark Lord's robes and pull the man's face down to his in a violent kiss, to fight for dominance with him in a passionate duel of tongues and teeth. He looked at the man's lips that had widened in a wicked smile. For a second, as his eyes flickered up to Voldemort's eyes, he thought that the man would kiss him, take him, do everything he dreamt of, right at that moment. But the lust he thought he had seen in the Dark Lord's intense gaze was quickly replaced by a neutral façade. Harry wondered if he had imagined it.
"Right, then. I shall leave you to it. I will see in a few days. Until then, Harry."
That snapped him out of his thoughts abruptly. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts.
"Yes! Of course. I'll see you then." He tried to keep a neutral voice, to not sound too dejected.
What is wrong with me! He thought in a now familiar frustration at himself.
When he thought of the reactions he had had all his life to the Dark Lord, however, he realised that he had always been too fascinated, too captivated with the man. Whatever was wrong with him had always been there. He just had to learn to deal with it now that he would see the man at a semi-regular basis.
I just hope the Dark Lord hasn't noticed anything...
What do you think of the Dark Lord's new plan to act on his desires and "get what is rightfully his"?
The next chapter will be focused on Harry's interactions with the Malfoys and will contain my own take on how Harry would do the classic clothes shopping session in Diagon Alley. Don't flame before you read it, it will be different than most most Grey!Harry or Dark!Harry goes shopping I've read, hehe ;)
And now, dear readers, the ball is in your camp! I'm eagerly looking forward to read your reviews! Seriously, whenever I hear a new message arrive in my inbox now, I always cross my fingers internally and hope for a review. They just make me so happy :)
The support is really appreciated! I think that, without all of you, I would have stopped writing this about ten chapters ago. You give me the drive to continue!
So, thank you in advance for reviewing!