I hope that you all had a good New Year!
Thanks so much again for the reviews -nearly 250 wow!-. I hope that I managed to answer all questions to everyone's satisfaction.

A big thank you to my Bèta, who picked up some inconsistencies in this chapter

Enjoy,

Chapter 29 - Addiction

Sipping from a glass of pumpkin juice that Sirius had pressed into his hand, Harry observed the garden of Malfoy Manor through a stylish, high arched window. Wet snow clung to the glass before melting, the wintry spells of March not having waned yet, to much complaint of the guests, who had been hoping for a warm Easter this year. Ostara, Harry corrected himself, although it didn't really make too much of a difference to him yet. The tables were still laden with the same food that had been served at the Dursley's, including even painted eggs and edible flowers. Apart from a few pieces of magic on the set of rooms that had been decorated for the event, Harry found it hard to compare this to what he'd experienced at Lughnasadh. Quietly, he growled into his glass. Where had he picked up this habit of comparing every new experience with something of last summer?

Part of that might be contributed to that Easter was actually the wrong date to celebrate the magical feast. Sirius had told him that Ostara was a celebration to highlight the Spring Equinox that took place on the 21st of March. All parties had been forced to be moved in Britain because the staff of Hogwarts had adapted the holidays to fit with Muggle feasts instead of traditional ones for decades already. Considering that many people of traditional families still wished to celebrate Ostara with their children, they had -under much protest that had been quelled around the 1950's- resigned to rather move it to a date that wasn't of significance to them than to not being able to celebrate it with those they cared about. It was one of the more prominent examples where Harry could absolutely understand why Voldemort was angry at Muggle culture repressing magical traditions.

''Don't look so hostile, Potter,'' he heard behind him, and he turned to glare at Draco Malfoy. ''Have you even introduced yourself to everyone?''

''I'm sure everyone is well aware of who I am. For me getting to know others: the few people I tried speaking to entirely ignored my attempts at making conversation. Why did you tell your dad to invite me?''

''I didn't, I only told father that you would be at Black's place. I think mother actually convinced him since it is rude not to invite family and, well, he is her cousin. I must say that he looks rather... wild,'' Draco sniffed.

''He's absolutely brilliant,'' Harry snapped. Malfoy still hadn't grown out of insulting those he cared for.

''Not that you look much better, of course,'' the boy continued, a mean smile appearing on his face. ''Do you only have one set of dress robes? This must be the fifth party I have seen you wearing these.''

''Not everyone makes it their hobby to spend three hours styling themselves. Besides, you're one to talk, your skin looks even paler than normal to the point of being sickly. So, knock it Malfoy.''

''Alright, alright,'' the boy said, throwing his hands up. ''You're no fun Potter. I wasn't intending to start a fight, I would never ruin my mother's favourite feast.''

''Oh?''

''Well, from when she was small, she's always been the centre of attention at Ostara due to her name,'' Draco said, smiling fondly at his mother. ''Daffodils are very prominent this time of the year, and it is featured often on altars as a symbol and in spring spells to channel love or luck. I didn't know that you were this uneducated about these kind of things, Merlin.'' Ignoring the comment, Harry looked over to Draco's mother. The woman was indeed shining as if she thrived under all the looks of admiration she received. Harry did not have much of an opinion formed on her yet, having only been very briefly introduced an hour ago. He supposed that it spoke for her that she stuck close to Sirius, who otherwise would have no friendly faces to look upon. ''Come on, you look like gloom itself, let me try to speak on your behalf.'' Shrugging off Malfoy's hand from his shoulder with a glare, Harry followed the blond to the other side of the ballroom and further towards the dining room where a long table was set up in buffet-style. ''The food isn't going to eat itself.''

Harry hadn't actually wanted to touch much of the food. It was elaborate in a way that the smells were overpowering and colours stung his eyes. The dishes screamed of riches, from the parmesan-crusted tilapia to the honey-and-orange braided tea loafs. In any other place, he'd happily have indulged. Here though, at the Malfoy's, where he knew that all of it must have been prepared by their new House-elf... While he hadn't agreed with Hermione's hunger strike at Hogwarts for the House-elves, he knew for a fact just how terrible the creatures were treated by the Malfoys. He may have freed Dobby, that didn't mean that the family wouldn't have bought a replacement within the past two years. Knowing how much the one cooking all this must have suffered made it hard for him to swallow a bite. He only went through with it because he was very hungry and knew that it would not make a difference if he went on a silent protest here. The people that he was 'introduced' to were mostly other Hogwarts students that he already had seen at one point and wasn't really interested in getting to know much better. It hadn't exactly worked out with Draco either, and even then only because the boy knew that Harry had witnessed the Dark Lord's resurrection. Draco's extended family didn't appeal to him very much.

As expected, the others were rather hesitant about him being there despite Draco's admittedly strong efforts. There was Pansy Parkinson and her younger brother, who turned out to be the children of Lucius Malfoy's sister, and a few more distant cousins twice or thrice removed. Harry hadn't even been aware of Lucius having siblings actually. It made a lot more sense to him now that Draco put up with Pansy so much despite the girls' nasty personality. The others were some Slytherins and Ravenclaws a few years above or below them with whom he hadn't interacted much. Harry spoke with them warily, not discussing much of importance while they all sipped their drinks with hostile glares.

''Harry!'' he heard, turning to find Sirius looking panicky. '''Merlin, I suddenly didn't see you anymore... I thought...''

''Everything's fine,'' he reassured his godfather, walking towards him. ''Draco said I was sulking too much and invited me here. Don't worry so much.''

''Yeah... you'll handle yourself right?'' Grey eyes flicked from left to right, then came to rest on Harry's sleeve, in which a wand was hidden. His godfather had insisted on giving him a holster and had found a different wand that fit Harry alright.

''Of course, go talk to your family some more.''

''You should join us soon, Narcissa has been asking me non-stop about you.'' Sirius scowled. ''Best to face her yourself.''

Considering for a moment, Harry shrugged and said: ''Might as well come with you now then.'' Malfoy and his relatives had not been very pleasant company after all. Time to find out if at least Draco's mother was friendlier or if she was as much of a stuck-up aristocrat as Draco and Lucius were. The latter was unfortunately the first one who actually approached them.

''Well well, Potter. It has been a while.'' The man's tight smile was strained, and steel eyes bored into his own. ''I have heard... so many tales about you. Hogwarts Champion was your latest title, no?''

''Is that the way you treat your guests, Lord Malfoy?'' Sirius spat.

''What way would that be, exactly? I am merely inquiring as to the quick way in which your charge seems to gather titles. Boy-Who-Lived, Hero, Triwizard Champion... and a few more unflattering ones if we may believe the Prophet over the past years. Press can be such a nasty thing when the wrong words land in the wrong quills.'' Lucius Malfoy's sneer made Harry very aware of that the man hadn't forgotten about or forgiven him for freeing Dobby. Nor had Harry forgotten how the man had lunged at him after, intent on harming a twelve-year old for standing up for, essentially, a slave. ''And that goes for all of us,'' he finished, giving Sirius a look.

''Inquiries with clear implications of being threatening are still threats,'' Harry's godfather spoke, narrowing his eyes. ''We accepted your gracious invitation to come here and expect to be shown the same courtesy as everyone else. Even your own son seems to understand that better. Now, I wish to speak to your wife, if you would kindly move?'' Sirius grabbed Harry's arm and practically dragged him away, muttering curses.

''You handled that surprisingly smooth,'' Harry commented. ''I'd thought you'd blow and we'd cause a ruckus, leaving with a grand exit.''

''If I had been alone, maybe I would have made more of a scene. As it is, you really can't afford to have more enemies... or for those you already have, to grab the chance to become hostile. That's not to say that I'm losing my touch though, I've already cast a spell on him while he was looking the other way. Let's just say that he'll find it hard to enjoy dinner, what with everything edible turning to ash in his mouth for the next three hours.''

''You're the best.''

''Cissy!'' Sirius exclaimed, waving at the woman. Gracefully, Narcissa Malfoy turned away from her current conversation partner and devoted her attention to Sirius and Harry. ''Since you wouldn't stop grilling me, here's Harry.''

''My my, don't you look lovely dear,'' she said, smiling softly. ''My dear cousin is exaggerating, I have already heard quite a bit of you before, of course, from my son. He often gets very worked up when you are mentioned,'' she giggled behind her hand. Harry wasn't sure if he should mention that when Draco got worked up by Harry in person, it usually ended in a lot of curses and punches. ''I would please ask that you do not get him in trouble again though.''

''Me getting him in trouble?'' Harry blurted out. ''When? Last time I checked, Draco did that all by himself or set me up.'' The woman didn't smile anymore now, her gaze turning cool.

''That is a grave accusation.''

''Not really,'' he hastened to say. ''It's all medium pranks at school. Still, I was not the one who challenged him to a duel at night, then informed the teachers of it and didn't show up. Nor was I the one to run away in the Forbidden Forest, leaving the other party all alone in there.'' He shut his mouth with an audible clack before he got too heated again about all the unfairness he'd been put through because of Draco bloody Malfoy. An uncomfortable silence settled over the three of them, which Sirius tried to break with a strained smile.

''So, erhm, any plans for the holiday still?''

While Narcissa latched onto the topic, clearly glad for having a good reason to change the subject, Harry stayed silent and stuck close to Sirius, using the time to observe the rest of the people. Considering such a large room had been opened, there were surprisingly few people, although the letter had mentioned that it all was to be in a closed circle of family. Not that he had any idea who all of these people were or how exactly they were related in the mess that was Pureblood lines. The party wasn't nearly as exciting as he'd hoped. There were no rituals to speak of apart from a small one at the start where every guest had added flowers and a bit of their magic to an altar. He could also not really say that he felt a sense of community here, people dividing in groups and not interacting much outside of them. Pretty disappointing all in all. Only Sirius being here was great. They should have just celebrated something together. Maybe next year...

Harry was shaken from his thoughts as Draco appeared in front of him again, looking frustrated. ''You're really going to do everything to be a depressed outcast aren't you?`'' the teen complained, earning a disapproving look from his mother -a first if Harry had ever seen one-. ''Come on, there's something I want to show you.'' At Sirius' half-shrug, he complied, being led away again by Malfoy.

Only when they went in a completely different direction, did Harry abruptly stand still. ''This is not the way to the dining room again, is it?''

''No, just come. Or are you scared of large houses? I bet you've never seen such a place before, being stuck with either Muggles or Weasleys- Oh fine!'' he huffed at Harry's glare. They started walking again, up a set of grand, gleaming wooden stairs to the first floor. Portraits disdainfully stared down on him as they passed, going deeper into the maze that was Malfoy manor.

''I always wonder how you manage to be so generally unpleasant. How do you even have friends?'' Harry asked in exasperation, the question having bothered him for a few minutes now. ''Seriously, every second sentence is an insult to someone. Just because I didn't accept your friendship the first time does not mean that-'' He gulped as Draco turned around and held a wand at his throat, eyes spitting fire.

''Don't. mention. that. again.''

''Or else what?'' he challenged. ''Are you going to get me with a leg-locking jinx like you practised on poor Neville? And careful not to conjure any snakes, I might send them right back at you,'' he challenged

''I'm not twelve anymore Potter, and I know some curses that would make you shake in fear!''

''Yes, two years will make such a difference. Oh, give it your best shot, let's see how much will be left of you when I get you back!'' he yelled, drawing his own wand. ''I've heard that the wards here should hold in any underage magic, maybe I should give it a try. You think that learning to breathe underwater was the only new thing I've learned for this Tournament?''

Draco bared his teeth for a moment, taking a few steps back and adopting a duelling stance. ''Don't expect me to hold back Potter. My father has taught me a whole slew of curses!''

''As interesting as this looks...'' a different voice drawled that made Harry freeze up. ''If blood is to be shed on my doorstep, I'd really rather be the one to put it there. Wands down.''

''My... my Lord,'' Draco squeaked, falling to his knees on the carpet that covered the corridor. ''I didn't know you were still...''

''Don't lie to me, of course you knew, why else lead Potter to this part of the house, if not in the hopes of having me confront him and finding out once and for all how much of his words were empty?'' Slowly, Harry turned around, hesitantly putting his wand away. Voldemort stood on the threshold of a room a bit behind him, looking highly annoyed and more than a bit menacing. Something was off about him, the teen noted. Something on which he couldn't put his finger very well... Voldemort certainly still looked the same: impossibly tall, ominous and with blazing red eyes that seemed to glow. ''Why don't you two come in and make yourselves... comfortable,'' the man whispered, lips stretching in a smile that didn't reach his eyes. A whimper came from Draco, who shakily walked past Harry, obviously scared shitless. As he should be, no-one got away with lying to the Dark Lord, that was a lesson Harry had learned all too well this summer. Before Harry entered, he noticed the way the Dark Lord took in his robes and raised an eyebrow, the only acknowledgement that he recognised the similarity between this and the robe Harry had worn in their first dream.

''You're... different somehow,'' Harry finally spoke when Voldemort had stepped back to let them in. Then, it dawned on him. Seeing the man only in his dreams for over half a year had faded his memories. ''I can't feel you!''

''A good evening to you too,'' the Dark Lord said, nostrils flaring as he threw Harry a glower. ''You haven't learned from our past encounter it seems.''

''Ah...'' Harry very eloquently spoke, making an awkward half-bow. ''Right. My Lord.''

A few seconds ticked by, until Voldemort let out a frustrated noise and paced away from him, towards Malfoy, who had looked at their exchange with wide eyes and now scrambled back a bit. ''You really have tested my patience Draco,'' the man hissed. ''Going behind my back, then lying to my face, all in the hope of gaining the favour of a few other people? I confess myself... disappointed. You inherited neither your grandfather's strong will nor your father's brains and sense of caution. So I wonder, what to do with you?'' Voldemort's bone-white yew wand was raised to Malfoy's temple. ''I could make an example out of you...'' he mused.

~Don't hurt him. Please.~

With inhuman movement speed, Voldemort's head snapped back to look at Harry. ~Oh? Was Draco Malfoy not your tormenter for years?~

~That doesn't mean that he should be punished. I made the mistake to reveal my allegiances to him.~

~We shall still have words about that. Currently, I am more concerned about his tendency to outright deny the truth, which I have witnessed happening more than occasionally.~ Harry couldn't argue much about that, Malfoy truly lied left and right: to teachers, to friends, to the press, to his own family even.

~It still won't make things better if you hurt him. You told me that you had picked apart how humans work. You should also know then, that parents will do anything for their children, just like my mother did for me. Should you harm Draco, the loyalty of the Malfoys will definitely waver. It's better to punish Lucius and Narcissa for allowing him to always get away with these kind of things and have them handle their son.~

~Surprisingly insightful. You have a point, I admit.~ the Dark Lord hissed, then removed his wand in favour of sitting down and staring at Harry, completely ignoring Draco further. Harry shifted his weight to his other foot, feeling anxious as the Dark Lord tapped his long fingernails on the wood in a penetrating, slow rhythm.

''I'm surprised you are not taking part in the celebration,'' he spoke, grabbing the first topic that came to mind, trying to ignore the scrutinising stare that looked like Voldemort was trying to see if his patience had grown since last time. It hadn't, so Harry wasn't even going to pretend. ''Shouldn't you be the one to lead these things?''

''They survived without me in the twelve years I was dead, they'll manage a few more. While honouring magic is one of my duties, I have slightly more important matters to do at the moment that require me to stay in the shadows. Apart from the Malfoy family, few have been privileged with being informed about my return.'' Harry's lips twitched at the casual arrogance in the assumption that this knowledge was in any way a right instead of a burden. It was highly doubtful that Draco had been jumping for joy to have the Dark Lord in his house, nor would Lucius have looked forward to being punished for what happened to Voldemort's diary. Then again, who knew what upsides being among the first to be allowed back at Voldemort's side would have for them in the long run. ''Also,'' the man added darkly after a moment. ''It is a travesty to not place Ostara on its correct date. All proper rituals do not work to their full potential now, so what is even the point?'' the bitterness was audible, which made Harry stop trying to poke further into the subject.

''Right. Well, perhaps there will be a new chance this summer...'' he tried to not sound too hopeful about it, even though he desperately wanted to have a repetition of his last birthday. Without the first part of being forced to connect to Nagini, preferably.

''We shall see. I have not forgotten your reward. And yet, your godfather may have a different idea about how you spend your time then.''

''Didn't you have a plan involving Dixie again? I stayed friends with her over the year.''

Voldemort smirked. ''Who would have thought you to suggest manipulating the mind of an innocent girl for your own gain.''

''I blame Barty,'' Harry replied with a straight face that he had practiced for sassing Snape in class without being punished too harshly.

Voldemort's eyes glittered as he replied: ''I'm sure you do.''

Harry tried to smirk back, but couldn't quite do so wholeheartedly. It itched him somehow, that he knew Voldemort was right there in front of him, and it was still as if a thick barrier lay in between their minds. As if this too, was only a dream. A bad one at that, with Malfoy being in it.

~Could you.. send him away or something?~ He finally hissed, shooting the blonde a glance.

~And what would that bring? Imagine if Draco shows himself downstairs again, alone. Your precious godfather would detonate in worry. No, better for him to think that you and Draco are up to something instead. I prefer not to have any search parties up here to rush to your aid.~ Harry scowled, throwing a look at Malfoy, whose expression had changed from afraid into attentive, calculating almost.

~Not to be rude, but what are you actually doing here, if not to partake in the feast downstairs?~ Harry asked, wondering why the Dark Lord thought it wise to stay here while a party was going on in the same house, if he did not wish to be seen.

~Lucius owes me a great deal. I am... using his hospitality to complete my research on the field of legislation~ He was silent for a moment, looking as if considering something, then switched to English, his tone growing far more serious than before. ''Lucius hasan impressive collection of magical law books, with several different versions, going ages back. I have, in essence, been drafting up an entirely new legal system. If we ever hope to separate ourselves from Muggles, we need to have laws we can rely on. To my abhorrence, I already came to the conclusion in my first life that magicians largely rely on Muggle laws for everything that does not explicitly involve magic, and then fail to pass proper judgement. The general rule seems to be that the Wizengamot is only there to judge either magical crimes, or severe cases involving witches or wizards. Which Ministry lawyer or judge would bother themselves with lowly Muggle laws after all? Anything not involving magic is supposed to go through Muggle courts, which of course does not work in practise. Any magician can walk into a police station and erase evidence without any Muggle being the wiser.

While unproblematic for us now, this cannot persist if we hope to disconnect ourselves wholly and thus, it is of the utmost importance that we create a stand-alone system. Presently, our laws hang together by the loose thread of magic. From the drafting up of proper contracts to the preservation of nature, magicians are mostly lawless. I have studied the Muggle legislations of several different countries and compared them to each other and to the current law book that holds effect in Wizarding Britain, to see what has to be incorporated in the future. A slight hurdle is that the Muggle legislation of Great Britain is so divided, having three different legal systems in place. I've thus drafted mostly from France and Germany, where the creation of laws is more centralised and accessible to research.''

''So this entire time you've been... drafting up laws?'' Harry had a hard time not gaping at the other. For almost a year, the man had only been spitting through legalisations of different countries to see what could be useful to their community in the long run?

''I told you before, we cannot survive without a moral code, as horrifying as that code may look to others. The same goes, perhaps on an even grander scale, for a legal code. Did you know that the Civil Code of France, a single law, contains 2534 articles regarding private law? And they have hundreds of such laws. In comparison, the entire current set of rules in magical Britain stands at 3126. Single rules, articles or paragraphs if you will. It is laughable, really. Naturally, many Muggle acts are indeed obsolete. We have no need for regulation of public transport or inshore fishing acts. Some of those laws also became overly complicated: in Germany there are fourteen laws, several hundreds of paragraphs about how to manage medicine. Since we only have one central place for this, St. Mungo's, and any half-apt witch or wizard can brew their own potions, such rules would serve more headaches than practical use. Still, I have to revise all of this to set up a system that will not collapse the instant we are faced with being on our own. Although it might take several decades, this will be the fundament that we should build upon from the first day I start to engage in politics again.''

''Isn't that.. rather artificial?'' Harry hesitantly asked. ''I was under the impression that these kind of things grow over time, that proposals are put forward when several people think there is an issue that should be fixed. In short, that laws are introduced one by one by the government when many people agree upon something needing to happen.''

''That highly depends on the way of governing,'' the man smirked in an extremely suspicious way. ''I dislike giving others control''

''I hadn't noticed,'' Harry muttered.

''Additionally, it is true that, should I try to introduce my drafts, certainly the first few will be revised heavily by the current government and might see several adaptation before being put through, if they will not be rejected altogether. Thus, I also have to be careful when to put forward which ideas.'' He stilled for a moment from his passionate rant, for the first time really looking at Harry in a way that made the teen feel like he was being regarded as another human instead of an interesting subject . ''You look stressed. I heard from Barty that Dumbledore has been on your heels? He has caught on, then?''

Harry's eyes shot to Draco, who was still watching them in silence. As the conversation had continued, a bit of colour had returned to his previously paled face. ''Not exactly,'' Harry spoke, deciding on English after a moment as Voldemort had made no indication of switching to Parseltongue again. It looked like, for some reason, he wanted Draco to hear their conversation. ''He thinks that I used dark Magic out of recklessness, ignorance and desperation. Dumbledore is also under the impression that my main source is Sirius and the extensive Black library. That is not to say that the headmaster approves, of course, which is why I didn't tell anyone in the castle of me leaving to go to Sirius until it was already all set. Not that I can be sure of Dumbledore trying to stop me. I am... unsure about his current approach.''

''Go on,'' Voldemort said, waving his hand when Harry fell silent.

''So, first of all, he's only tried to talk to me. We briefly discussed types of magic and he basically said that he willingly allows spells of both branches, disguising some dark spells as light so the Ministry doesn't find out. On the other hand, he claims to have 'carefully selected' each piece of magic we are taught at Hogwarts, meaning that he does not wish for anyone to further dabble into new spells themselves. When I countered his argument with that as a fourth year, I cannot know which spells are still to come in the next couple of years, he glossed over it. Basically, I was told that anything that differs too much from what we've already been allowed to practise up until now or looks like it could be dark magic, will not be tolerated in the Tournament by him.''

''That is... peculiar. I know for a fact that the majority of tomes dealing in dark arts have been removed from the Hogwarts library by Dumbledore. Why would he then knowingly allow some dark spells? And who is he to decide which dark magic is fine for children to learn and which is not? I always thought that the few spells that are essentially dark in classification and still taught at Hogwarts, were simply still there because few know about their true nature and effects. It is rather disconcerting that he claims to know about it, especially when seeing just how many spells were removed from Hogwarts as soon as he was appointed Headmaster.''

''I thought it was a lie at first but he seemed to be genuine. Which also confused me, you warned me for Veritaserum, Legilimency and other manipulations. He didn't try any of them. The only strange thing that he tried was... well, I'm not even sure what his aim was, but he showed me memories.''

''Of what?''

''Your family, and I guess that he plans to also have me see some of you later.''

~Parseltongue,~ the man resolutely hissed.

~Sure. My friend Hermione and I speculated over why he would show me something like that. She is of the opinion that Dumbledore wants me to know my enemy, to teach me more about you so I can use it against you, and at the same time to prevent me from going down the same path. I saw a memory of a Ministry employee who came to your mother's house because her brother cursed a Muggle.~

~I would have understood that tactic if it had been actual information about me. To show you my family... was my mother there?~ Harry nodded. The other propped a hand under his chin, eyes drifting off to a blank space of wall in thought. So unmoving and white, he looked like a statue. ~I wish for you to show me.~

Harry raised an eyebrow at the tone, which sounded more like a request than an order for once. He then recalled the few unfortunate times that he'd ended up in Voldemort's mind. It made sense that the man would now extent a certain courtesy of asking first, considering Harry technically still had the ability to break in again. ~Of course.. how?~

In one fluid movement, which had Voldemort's long silky robes swishing, he'd crossed the distance between them and carefully pressed both hands to Harry's temples. Red eyes bore into his as a painful sensation ripped through Harry's mind. He screamed, tried to escape, caught in clawed hands. The memory he'd wanted to show flashed through his mind briefly, but he could not concentrate on it through the pain. Crying out, Harry tried to defend himself somehow, only half-aware of his own magic lashing out. Fists collided with something hard and unmoving. Clarity returned to him with a shock, as if he awoke from a too-real nightmare. Robes clung to his back in a sweaty mess. It was disconcerting just how often Voldemort's presence made him feel like throwing up. Harry pressed his eyes close, attempting to only focus on breathing while the other loudly cursed Dumbledore and his meddling in Parseltongue, then fell into an icy silence that betrayed the depth of his rage more than anything, even if Harry had no clue as to why the memory had been so significant.

''You could have... warned me,'' he rasped, noticing how hoarse he sounded. It took a long time before he finally received an answer, time during which Harry struggled to get a hold on himself again, enough to focus on having another conversation.

''That would not have changed how it felt.'' the other responded. It once more showed just how unnatural empathy was to this man.

''That is irrelevant,'' Harry huffed, struggling to sit upright, which was pretty difficult, considering that he found himself caught in the arms of the Dark Lord. ''Could you release me?'' he asked, slightly embarrassed for having to be held up.

''You are restless,'' Voldemort concluded, not moving an inch. ''And irritated.''

No shit, Harry thought, wondering how he could explain his feelings without either sounding desperate or self-absorbent. Voldemort's talk before had been very enlightening, and the previous sensation absolutely unpleasant, but neither had diverted his attention from the fact that everything was so wrong. Moreover, he didn't even know why it bothered him so much that the link they'd shared over summer had apparently diluted so much, and felt pretty pathetic for wanting to have it back. Would Voldemort think him weak for that also? Then again, this was the same man who had been unfazed by that Harry had seen that he'd liked being held and protected. Surely, this couldn't be worse?

~Harry~ Voldemort hissed warningly, making the teen realise that he'd been silent for too long and that he probably should have answered sooner.

He scowled and said: ''I thought you claimed to be patient. I told you before that I can't feel you for some reason and it bothers me that... well, that nothing is there,'' he admitted, frustrated. ''Before, even at the very start, there was something besides this dull... nothing'' he groaned in frustration, not able to form coherent words about it. ~It is as if you are empty and it's stressing me out,~ he finally admitted, slipping in Parseltongue since he didn't want Malfoy to laugh at him later. He tried to calm himself down, unsure as to why he got so panicky over this in the first place. It wasn't as if it was normal to feel other people this way. He also couldn't sense the magic or emotions of anyone else. ''It's not funny,'' he snapped when the other actually chuckled at that.

''Oh, I digress, I find it very entertaining,'' the Dark Lord all but purred. '' Harry tried to shrink back out of habit when spidery fingers reached out, the back of the man's hand brushing his cheek. ~Despite our… unique bond, you are not the only one who can feel my presence. At times like these, where I am surrounded by enemies, I have to keep my power suppressed. Ah, Harry,~ the Dark Lord whispered, still with that damn smug smile on his face. Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry saw something glowing up. Upon looking more closely, he deduced that a sort of barrier had been erected, looking like floating panes of crystal, hued a sunset orange. Before he could say anything more, the world exploded again. The pain he had expected didn't come. The hunger that he hadn't wanted to admit to before was being sated as sharp daggers of power pierced his skin, as tendrils of fiery magic burned his arms, creeping upwards and closing around his throat. Harry let himself be swept away by the current. It was so hard to breathe that he ceased it altogether, lost in bliss, trying desperately to hang onto only the source of that tempting, overwhelming euphoria.

~Can you feel me now?~ Voldemort whispered against his ear, cold breath pulling him back to reality. Exhausted, he slumped further into the man's arms, not able to care much anymore. ''I meant your emotions,'' he finally spoke, his voice breaking. ''Not a full-fledged... Merlin,'' he groaned. ''You know very well what I meant.''

''True, but it is amusing to give into your addiction.''

''I'm not fucking addicted to you,'' Harry snarled, finally finding the strength to push away, taking a shaky step back. The temperature in the room dropped and Harry swallowed hard as he was suddenly faced with a murderous look. He should have kept the habit of walking on eggshells around Voldemort. In a way, it had been easier before, when he had still played the part of captive and a certain liberty of disobedience had been expected. After the warning in the last dream they'd shared, he could have known that it would be harder to get away with something like shoving the man. It was a wonder that he wasn't writhing on the floor right now.

''I'm... sorry,'' he reluctantly spoke. Reluctant, for as much as he'd come to see the Dark Lord in a different perspective, he could still be a right bastard and shoving him had felt good.

''I do think,'' came a dangerous whisper as the other inched closer again and gripped Harry's chin -why did he do that so often?-, forcing him to meet a furious gaze. ''That I know yourself better than you do... ~my soul.~ Be glad that you aided me enough today to get away with your permissiveness. Draco.''

The blond shot up, his voice shooting two octaves upwards as he answered: ''Yes, my Lord?'' No doubt had it made him nervous to see how much pain had just been inflicted on Harry to get information.

The light of the strange crystal wards shifted, and Harry breathed in deeply when he realised that the link was indeed open again as it used to be, feelings that weren't his own dominating his mind: tinges of worry and defensiveness mixing together. ''What are your thoughts on the Tournament happening at Hogwarts right now?'' Harry blinked, wondering what had brought that on. Voldemort's thought patterns were sometimes hard to follow, especially now it still felt as if the axe-bearer that McGonagall had joked about following his first disastrous Divination hour, had actually shown up to split his skull.

Draco seemed to be of the same opinion, sounding confused when answering: ''It's a change of pace that has many people excited. Despite that, it doesn't actually influence life at Hogwarts all that much, considering it is only a three-day event spread out over the year.'' Voldemort nodded and finally released Harry in favour of sitting down on his chair again, listening attentively as the Slytherin described the past two Tasks and compared the Champions and their performances. Amusingly, he was rather careful about critiquing Harry.

''Does the Headmaster behave differently in any way?''

''Not in the way I had expected. I thought that during such a large event, all of the headmasters would show their utmost devotion to their school. If anything, he's even more absent than before, which caused quite a few rumours among our foreign guests. It sounds like, no matter what that man does, he manages to undermine his own authority. Two years ago as well, he just-''

''Yes Draco, I know,'' Voldemort snapped impatiently, which Harry was very grateful for, since Malfoy had started the last sentence in the typical voice he always had when a long complaining rant was about to start. ''Would you say that he uses the Tournament as a distraction?''

''If so, he's not doing a good job at it, much attention has been focused on his glaring absence... Then again, that might be an attempt to distract others from something else entirely. Students of both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are heavily speculating about that Dumbledore doesn't care about Hogwarts, or his Champions. Would he have disappeared during a normal school year, none would have cared as much. I cannot imagine what he'd want to distract from however, the Tournament itself is already mostly over, with only the last Task remaining and nothing is known about that yet.''

Voldemort leaned back in thought. ~He is not foolish enough to attract unwanted attention for no reason,~ the man hissed, soft enough that it could have been meant for only his own ears. ~That reason eludes me for now.~

''Maybe,...'' Harry spoke up. ''He is just willing to take the risk? I don't think Dumbledore cares about his reputation among strangers as long as those close to him keep believing in him. It was already in shambles before when he was suspended from Hogwarts during the Basilisk attacks, yet he bounced back easily after due to the loyalty of his staff and the desperation of the Board Members. If he thinks that what he is doing while away is too important to postpone, he wouldn't care less about a couple of students whispering behind his back.''

''That's preposterous Potter,'' Draco scoffed. ''A man of his status would never 'not care' about the way he is viewed.''

''Not everyone is a Slytherin,'' Harry shot back. ''And not everyone puts themselves as utmost priority.'' That may not have been the smartest thing to say, being in one room with the Heir of Slytherin, but Harry thought they should both realise that their way of thinking was not generally accepted as the only way.

''I suppose you'd have experience,'' the Dark Lord spoke. ~I'll still have Barty keep an eye out for ulterior motives. For now, it is more important to find out where exactly he's been in the first place. If he is digging into my past, there are a number of individuals he shouldn't get his hands on~ He tapped his fingers restlessly on the armrest. ''The both of you should return. I have... things to take care of and a few people to do away with.'' Harry shivered lightly at the casual tone with which Voldemort spoke of bloodshed, combined with the fact that there was barely any emotion that came from Voldemort at the thought apart from a slight eagerness at the prospect of having a reason to still the gnawing hunger. He could only hope that no innocents would be killed. With a bad conscience, he bowed and went towards the door, a turmoil in his head that wasn't easy to calm down. ~I'll be looking forward to the third Task~ the man hissed as Harry slipped back out to the corridor, followed quickly by Malfoy.

''You look as if you regret it,'' the blond commented on their way downstairs. Harry closed his eyes briefly. Malfoy was the last person he wanted to discuss his uncertainties with. Then again, he was also the only person around with whom he could. Furthermore, it spoke for Malfoy's self-preservative qualities that he didn't push the fact that Harry had practically lain in the Dark Lord's arms for a far too long time there, nor mentioned Harry's supposed addiction, so he could trust the Slytherin to keep his mouth shut about some things at least.

''I wouldn't call it regret,'' he started. ''Worry and frustration fits better. To put it this way: I have seen how much he cares for the fate of this country, for our kind. I agree that the Ministry is corrupt and something has to be done. And who better, then, than the one appointed for bringing back balance?'' As Malfoy did not express surprise, Harry supposed that the boy had heard from his family how Dark Lords were picked. ''He is also intelligent and powerful, a combination that is sure to bring results in some form... and that is where the worry kicks in, because some of his ideas, from Muggles being little more than hostile animals, to his tendency to solve problems by murdering them, do not exactly resonate well with my own sense of right and wrong. Then again, what other option is there? A rotten Ministry where Fudge sucks up to whoever is popular at the time? Dumbledore, who has no qualms about being secretive about his plans to even his own allies and against whom I have several personal grudges right now?''

''So you choose him because there is no-one else? That doesn't sound like you will last long here.''

''If he wanted unquestioning loyalty, he should have targeted Hufflepuffs,'' Harry snorted. ''Not that I would betray him at this point,'' he hastened to say. ''He... finally gave me a place where I feel as if I am treated like more than a mere child: expected to manage impossible feats that adults shy away from, and at the same time too young to be told why. Not to mention that, after meeting the Dark Lord, I would be insane to choose not to side with him, if only for self-preservation. From what I gathered, Dumbledore and his people fully expect me to face the Dark Lord one-on-one in the end, completely ignoring the fact that the only realistic outcome there is me dying within two seconds.''

''Are you prepared to leave everyone on that side behind then?''

Harry glowered. ''Of course not, I'll try my hardest to protect them.''

A startled laugh made his glower deepen. ''You're still so naive Potter. Keep your illusions then. The light is doomed now that their 'hero' is siding with their greatest foe.'' He sounded so smug that Harry for a moment wished that he hadn't sided with Voldemort, just so he could personally hex Malfoy to the afterlife. Maybe Hermione would get in another punch this year...

''You should stop running off,'' Sirius complained when they finally returned to the ballroom. ''Or that is what I would say, if I weren't proud of you for trying to get into dangerous trouble. We should be leaving, I may have had an argument about the uselessness of blood purity with Lucius that caused the both of us to be officially thrown out of the house now. Make sure you have your wand.''

''How... how did you even...'' Harry sighed.

''Oh, I'm an expert,'' Sirius said, flashing sharp teeth, not elaborating further in it. ''Let's go pup, we cannot have Kreacher hoping that we'll never return.''

So, As many hoped/guessed, Voldemort showed up, and now Harry finally has a clue what e's been doing :P I will try not to get TOO much into the whole legal business, but as I am currently studying law and administration, some things might slip in sorry!
Next chapter will be a bit more Sirius-central. Prepare the tissues.

Please Read and Review!
xx GeMerope