Chapter 100!:
Harry closed his eyes for a moment, desperately trying to think through the overwhelming aura of the Horcrux.
"Don't call me darling," was all he said, immediately, the first thing to leap into his head, an objection that roared ferociously.
It laughed, it's voice higher than Tom's smooth baritone, but still lower than Volemort's. It was as cold as Voldemort's though, as cruel.
He stared intently down at the floor, unnerved by the bloody eyes.
"What does helping you require?" he asked, tightly.
It circled him, pinning him to the spot with fluid movement, shadows. It was like wind sweeping through his hair, tousling it. His heart beat frantically, his muscles jumping,
"Not much," Marvolo said lightly, stopping behind him, and didn't that just creep him out. "I just need you to give up a little bit of soul, and a little bit of life force."
Harry's eyes widened.
"I'm not giving up my life force to you," he snapped.
"Then we'll just take it off girl ginger," it shrugged. "Can your Weasley's take another loss after daddy?"
Harry stiffened, a feeling of dread and sickness growing in his stomach. Marvolo circled to stand in front of him again, predatorily.
"Would taking the little bit of life force kill me?" he questioned. Marvolo's eyes gleamed.
"Not necessarily. You have some extra soul, inferior as it is, so I could compensate with that. You wouldn't die."
"Just be a vegetable," he returned coldly.
Marvolo shrugged, with that grace so characteristic of all of his forms.
"You or the girl…she's looking pale, isn't she? Little Ginerva?"
Harry gritted his teeth, eyes flashing dangerously.
"I could just kill you," he dared, glancing at the locket.
The scarlet gaze narrowed in return, the shadows seeming to extend, the temperature dropping further. He resisted the urge to shiver, his blood racing with caution and a tiny smidgen of fear that he would never admit to.
"And then you'd lose the chance of putting your precious Tom back together again," it dared, viciously.
Harry stared back, considering, uncertain, before his mind froze.
"Putting Tom back together?" he repeated dumbly, his mind was racing now.
The Horcruxes. He could put the Horcruxes back into Voldemort - make him Tom again, more or less - then that way the killing would surely stop, even if he failed in stopping Voldemort from ever happening.
His breath caught in his throat.
"I need to make Voldemort feel remorse…" he murmured.
Shadows didn't have an expression to analyse, and that bloody gaze revealed nothing.
Harry didn't know, but he knew now that he sure as hell couldn't let the Horcrux be destroyed now…. and the Weasley's couldn't lose another child…and he'd promised Ron he'd save Ginny. The guilt and weight of inaction was almost unbearable. He'd already killed Mr Weasley, or as good as, no matter what people said and…what other choice did he have to accept?
Marvolo took a step forward, shadowy hands resting on the sides of his face, like the feathers of a crow.
"You wouldn't have to deal with the inferiority anymore, you wouldn't hurt your friends and family. I know you don't want that," it hissed, seductively. "And you could still save him."
Harry bit his lip.
"How would we do it?" he asked, mouth dry, voice barely above a breath. "Note, I haven't agreed yet. I will need some time to think it through."
"How does a Dementor take a soul?" Marvolo murmured, red eyes glinting, all Harry could see, as the Horcrux leaned closer towards him, ice-breath on his skin, words softly spoken against his mouth.
He tried to move back, but shadows kept his head in place like bands of onyx.
"With a kiss."
And the wards on the room shattered.
Harry's emotions were still going haywire, buzzing in his mind like killer wasps.
That wasn't enough to make him pay attention, so much as the content of those emotions.
Guilt.
Fear.
Uncertainty.
Determination.
Horror.
Disgust.
Loathing.
Hope.
Triumph.
All the things to make him snap to attention.
Harry was about to do something very stupid.
He'd cut Abraxas off mid sentence, quickly searched the room to see if Lestrange was missing (he wasn't) before stalking out.
Hunting.
He arrived at a warded door.
The next second Marvolo was gone, so fast, in the blink of an eye, rattling back into his Locket.
The wards were about to fall, and the locket was flying across to him, looping around Harry's neck on its own accord.
Cottoning on, he quickly tucked it under his shirt, wincing at how clearly the gold would be seen if his collar shifted, but not having the time to rectify that as the door burst open, and Tom strode in.
Harry held his breath, forcing his expression into one of puzzlement. He eyed the other's wand.
"Er…most people would knock?" he said, adding a bit of teasing to his tone.
Tom stalked over to him, regarding him intently.
"Your emotions were going haywire. It was giving me a headache…what are you doing?"
Oh crap.
"Training," he lied smoothly. "Why? I apologise for the headache by the way - now you know how I feel - I didn't interrupt you from anything, did I?"
He started to move past, only for ivory fingers to shoot out, catching hold of the chain around his next, yanking him to a strangled halt.
Double crap.
"Tom-" then he paused, his head tilting, his eyes widening.
Tom was holding the Horcrux. He was touching it. He was able to hold it.
Tom stopped at his expression, before realising what he was doing himself.
Violet eyes widened slightly in mirror, barely noticeably, before Tom's expression shuttered.
"What are you doing with this?"
"Nothing," Harry said, heart beating frantically. "I'm holding onto it like you asked me to."
"You have no training golems out, like you normally do," Tom continued quietly, piercing him with a stare. Harry shrugged again, seemingly nonchalant.
"I'm trying something new…you going to keep near strangling me?" he questioned, arching his brows.
"Take off the locket," Tom said. "I'll have it back now, seeing as I appear to be able to touch it."
Harry swallowed. Damn it.
He needed to talk to Marvolo - he hadn't even explained how to save Ginny yet! But he couldn't refuse to do it, without looking incredibly suspicious.
It burned reassuringly, mockingly, in his hands, as he slid it off from around his neck, dropping it into Tom's outstretched hand.
Tom continued to appraise him, even as he dropped the locket around his own neck, he never broke eye contact.
Harry kept his expression as even as he possibly could, resisting the urge to hold his breath, even as his mind buzzed and raced with the new information.
Tom tilted his head, indicating that he should follow him out.
"You can show me this new style of training," the Slytherin Heir said lightly. "It must be something to make your emotions go so wild…"
Damn it.
"I'm going to go read some of Dumbledore's books actually," Harry excused himself. "Another time? I must have pulled you from the middle of something."
"About that," Tom said, his voice growing even more dangerous. "What exactly did you concede to get him to help you out?"
Harry simply glanced at the other, flatly. Tom's eyes narrowed, and he pulled him to a halt.
"I could legilimise you," the young Dark Lord warned. "You haven't had any Occlumency practise today."
Harry rolled his eyes outwardly, inwardly, he panicked. Tom couldn't read his mind now, not when it was so full of his conversation with Marvolo.
"I made a deal with him that was beneficial for both of us…my Slytherin Side and all that; be proud."
"What was the deal?" Tom questioned, not sounding in the slightest bit amused or pleased. Harry looked away, debating silently for a moment.
It was better if Tom found out about this deal than if he found out about Marvolo.
"He helps me out this year, with whatever I need in regards to trying to stop you becoming Voldemort - when the clock hits zero, if I fail, I've agreed to do things his way."
Tom's jaw tightened.
"And how binding was this?" he questioned, coolly. Harry started walking again.
"Unbreakable."
How difficult would it be to steal Marvolo back off Tom?
God, he was screwed.
A/N: Doesn't seem like the most awesome 100th chapter. It was very hard to write. :/ But thank you so much for the reviews! I'm on 2000! I never thought I'd even get to 1000! You guys are amazing. Thank you for sticking with this story, I'm flattered...and feel like a letdown.
Well, to pacify you...
Reward: mixed reactions to the slash, so I decided to do two, because I'm fully aware I have non Slash-liking readers, and frankly, I like Non Slash. Besides, I'm celebrating a double after all…the slashy one which includes a drunk Tom and an either sober or drunk Harry (place your vote) and start giving requests for the non slash reward =) By the way, warning to slash people...my slash isn't the best slash. Just saying. But i'll do my best.