By the time Harry woke up, his stomach was growling, and he was sure that Voldemort would be as well. Harry snuck into the kitchens and cooked them both something to eat knowing Voldemort would just get a sour attitude otherwise. And he didn't want to deal with starting a long journey and worrying about one of his companions wanting to kill the others because of an empty stomach.
When Harry finally returned, Voldemort was awake and looked just about ready to go. He was putting his shoes back on his feet when Harry presented him with a plate of food. "Breakfast… or dinner… I don't know what time it is."
Voldemort took the plate from him. "You could always do it the old-fashioned way and see where the sun is."
"I haven't been outside," Harry sighed as he sat down to eat his own food.
"There is a window," Voldemort pointed out.
"There is a window," Harry mocked. "Shut up and eat your food. Or you could just say thank you, Harry."
Voldemort said nothing but gave him a cheeky grin when he took a bite of his food.
Sooner than Harry would have liked, it was time to leave. The group met back in the kitchen where there were supplies waiting for each of them. "Don't let any of the villagers know what you are doing," Dura instructed. "I don't want them getting any ideas on joining you or starting a panic. And if you get caught-"
"We were never here," Dorryn smiled at her and took her hand in his. "Lady Dura, we will be swift and discrete. From this day forward, we can add honorable thieves to our list of many skills all thanks to you."
"Yes well, don't go making this a habit. I will pray for your safe journey."
The four of them left the tavern and town thankfully without anyone catching onto what they were doing. Dorryn tried to pull Titus into conversation a few times, but the bull-man only gave a few noises as a response without actually saying anything in return. Then, Dorryn turned on Voldemort.
"So, Voldemort. What exactly are you a Lord of?" He asked as the view of the town slowly started slipping away into the distance.
"It's a long story," Harry responded instead.
"We have a long time, might as well get to know one another." Dorryn stepped a few paces forward and turned so he was facing them and walking backward.
"I am Lord of a place far from here, and I would like to get back home soon," Voldemort answered without looking at the man.
"Alright, keeping the mysterious noble role then are we? Tell me then, how did you and Harry meet? Why are you traveling together? How is it that he let you into his home if you are not friends?"
Voldemort, eyed Dorryn while Harry couldn't help but comment. "'If you keep this up, I'm not going to stop him when he cuts out your tongue or just tortures you. He used to be one of the best at that."
"Used to be-" Voldemort started but was interrupted.
"I think what I want to know is how did you incur Harry's anger? I've seen him fight off the strongest of wiz- er fighters for a fool that would be worth less than the dirt beneath his feet. I've seen him offer to hear the last words and offer kindness to a man who murdered his friend before he died. And yet, I've never seen him hate someone with such open hostility before. What is your story?" As Voldemort spoke, Harry turned to him and had a strange look in his eye, but said nothing.
"I must be special then," Dorryn grinned. "I feel so honored to bring out such a passionate side of you."
"I wouldn't call it passion, you twat. But you… you aren't worth the dirt beneath my feet, and if Dura hadn't asked this of us in the first place, I wouldn't bother taking you with us," Harry snarled.
"Boys, boys. If you keep fighting then it will take us days to get there," a familiar voice called startling the group. Aster walked up from behind them looking proud of herself. She carried a short mace on her hip and a blue backpack ready for travel.
"No," Titus said bluntly at her appearance.
"Or what? You gonna stop me?" She challenged.
"No," Titus answered simply.
Harry shook his head. "Oh no, I'm not babysitting you. Your mother would kill us if she found out you tagged along."
"I am a grown-ass woman, and I can choose for myself. You are facing the Scourge and that's MY family heirloom. So you can either suck it up or kiss my ass because I'm coming along." Aster left no room for argument as she walked past them to the head of the group.
Titus was the first one to follow her and with a shrug, Dorryn went soon after.
"I hate this," Voldemort hissed to Harry who had held up his hands in surrender at her comment.
"Yeah, but it could be fun." Harry followed along being the other three with Voldemort in step next to him.
"I won't protect her. If she dies, it's on you."
"I wouldn't expect you to. Besides, knowing her mother, I'm pretty sure she can handle herself." Harry defended.
"You have a weakness for women like her. I don't want to see you distracted while we finish this little quest."
At his words, Harry made a noise of disbelief. "Women like her? What's that supposed to mean?"
"She looks like Ginevra."
Harry did not reply and looked at the woman more closely. She did sort of remind him of Ginny, if nothing but her hair and her attitude. The thought made him a little homesick. "I suppose."
The group traveled together long into the night. Dorryn and Aster spoke to each other quietly at the front with Titus close behind. After a while, Dorryn called back "You know you never told me how you two met."
"Neither have you," Voldemort retorted.
"Fair enough. Where shall I begin?" With a groan from Harry, Voldemort saw a lute appear out of thin air and into Dorryn's hands.
"What?" Voldemort felt like a joke was being pulled.
Dorryn started plucking the strings of his lute and began his tale. "It was many years ago, Poor Harry was so lost in this world that I couldn't in good conscience leave him to fend for himself. I had to take him under my wing to show him a brighter way forward."
"-That is not what happened.-"
"I had tried visiting my beautiful home, Silme Vanta, but the guards were confused and wouldn't let me in. They had me confused with someone else you see. That's where I found poor Harry. On the edge of the entrance, too drunk to stand." The notes Dorryn played on his lute sounded joyful.
"They wouldn't let him in because he is only a half-elf and hasn't made enough of a name for himself to grant him passage into the city. He was as drunk as I was and kept trying to serenade the guards to let him pass," Harry snickered.
"You are a horrid storyteller, Harry. No flair," Dorryn scoffed but never stopped playing his lute. "The two of us became like two peas in a pod. We went everywhere together, even made a name for ourselves fighting the horrible creatures that no one else was brave enough to fight. Our bravery awarded us many boons."
"Boons?" Aster commented.
"Yes, boons," Dorryn replied, irritated. "My dear Harry even helped me get passage into Silme Vanta to visit my father, but alas… Well, there is no shortage of gold and other things when you kill the monsters that others are too cowardly to face. We had a grand time wandering from village to village being heroes."
"So you're a whore too," Voldemort rolled his eyes.
Dorryn finally stopped playing. "I beg your pardon, sir. I am a man of class. I am not a whore."
"Just drop it. He isn't going to change his mind now," Harry shrugged. "Welcome to the club."
"Two peas in a pod," Aster laughed. "I wonder, is it that you charm women easily, or are you just easily charmed?"
"I don't know, ask Harry," Dorryn countered. "He charmed me first. He thought I looked like an old friend of his and called me a ferret. I don't exactly know what that is but it sounded sweet so-"
"I'm not part of this conversation anymore," Harry crossed his arms and his mood changed instantly. Voldemort looked down at Harry with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh, don't be like that, Harry. What happened to us?" Dorryn started playing his lute again. "We could have been kings of the world by now."
"Are you joking? I'm not having this conversation right now. Drop it," Harry snapped.
Titus spoke up with his soothing deep voice. "A lover's spat at the beginning of a journey is bad luck."
"We are not lovers," Harry growled, and Voldemort could feel a strange tightness in his chest that didn't belong to him.
Aster spoke up, noticing the rage Harry was holding back. "So what about you two? How did you meet?"
"I started a war, killed his parents, spent thirteen years as a spirit, and when I finally got my body back we spent over a decade trying to kill one another as leaders on opposite sides of the war. We ended up separated for a time with him coming here, and now that we are back together we are at a truce until I find us a way home." Voldemort explained deadpanned.
There was silence from the rest of them, and Harry did not know if he should laugh or not. He saw on each of their faces how they were trying to process the information. Aster had her brow furrowed and was staring at them. Dorryn had his eyes towards the sky and his mouth kept opening and closing like he was about to say something, but Titus looked the same as ever.
"You are also a horrid storyteller, Voldemort. I think we best leave the entertainment to me," Dorryn finally said after a moment before resuming his lute playing.
They traveled together for about another hour before they stopped near the edge of the mountain to rest for the remainder of the night. Titus gathered firewood from fallen branches of the few plants, trees, and bushes near them while Dorryn easily started the fire with his bow that was enchanted to create fire arrows as he wished.
Titus took the first watch, but it was not enough for Voldemort. He refused to rest anywhere near the rest of them in case they tried to harm him in the middle of the night.
"You're going to get cold," Harry warned as walked toward him.
"Are you or are you not a wizard?" Voldemort said without opening his eyes. "If you can't cast a wandless warming charm on yourself, I don't know what to tell you."
"Yeah, well. Won't it get suspicious?" Harry turned and looked at the other members of their party at the campfire.
"I don't really care. There is only so much I can take before I want to slaughter them all. And you care too much about their feelings to bring out the tent so you can suffer."
"Fair enough," Harry replied before finding a spot for himself and getting comfortable.
Voldemort opened his eyes and looked at him confused. "Don't you want to be with the others?"
"Not if it means I have to sleep near him," Harry spat.
Voldemort turned his body to face him. "What did he do?"
"It doesn't matter," Harry turned away.
"Harry, you and I have a deep history of violence and bloodshed. For someone like that to spark such hatred within you is no easy feat. If you don't tell me, I'm going to assume the worst and take notes."
Harry took a deep breath and then turned so he lay on his back to face the stars. It was a moment before he started speaking but Voldemort was patient. "I thought I was in love. Me and him together seemed like a blessing after a lifetime of one disaster after another. He made living in this world seem not so bad after everything I had already gone through. He made me feel like I had a family after all that time, you know?"
"Love again, Harry? You have fallen victim to its power more often than I have." Voldemort turned so he faced the stars as well. "But?" he prompted after a pause.
"But, he is charming, and I was weak and lonely and desperate. He was just using me to boost his reputation so he could find a way into the elven city. He got what he wanted, and suddenly everyone else became family too. I might be a flirt, but his dick liked to stick itself in any place it was welcome." Harry put his arm over his eyes. "I felt like garbage. Maybe I deserved it after the way I treated Ginny. That's what I get for putting you first instead of the people I love."
"Well, maybe the universe is telling you something," Voldemort grinned.
"Yeah? What's that?" Harry turned to look at him.
"Maybe you are only ever going to be happy as long as you keep your focus on me and not these other whores you try to give your attention to. You never had these complaints when we were destroying the wizarding world to get at each other."
Harry made a noise that almost sounded like a laugh. "Oh, shut up. That was a long time ago. I've moved on from you. You aren't my obsession anymore."
"And what am I competing with now? Ale and adventure?" Voldemort closed his eyes again.
"Ale and adventure," Harry agreed. "Stick around and maybe you can be third on the list."
The next day found them facing their first foe together. The sun was peeking over the horizon, and they had finished putting out the campfire. Harry found it odd that he did not feel as cold as he should have from being away from the campfire. He had a suspicion that Voldemort cast a warming charm on him during the night, but that would have been ridiculous. The Dark Lord he knew would never have done such a thing for him.
Of course, the Dark Lord he knew would have never had a truce like this or preferred to sleep next to him during the night or have been willing to share a home with him even for a little while. So, Harry felt like maybe he really didn't know the Dark Lord much at all anymore like he thought he did.
It was a blow to the ego of his youth, but he was over fifty years old now, even if he did not look it. He could learn where he went wrong all those years ago and maybe, just maybe, if Voldemort could actually bring them both back, he could use this new knowledge against him.
The thought gave him pause. "Go back?" He hadn't thought about going back to the wizarding world in so long, that the hope was dead and buried along with his willingness to find love again. Yet, here was proof that anything was possible. Lord Voldemort, standing next to him, stretching his arms over his head, wearing a glamor that made him look like he was the definition of handsome, wearing a sword because Harry begged him to.
What would going back even look like? Harry did not think he had the strength to think of it now.
"Do you hear that?" Aster called while pulling out her mace.
Harry turned and saw at least fifteen large gray wolves racing toward them with their teeth bared. He pulled out his daggers and readyed himself for a fight.
"Really?" Voldemort sighed and pulled out his sword.
"No magic, you could use the practice. You're going to have to make it believable if you want to fit in this world. Can't have people thinking someone I'm traveling with has no skill with a sword. That's embarrassing," Harry taunted as he turned toward their new foes.
"Your rules are ridiculous," Voldemort complained as he readied his sword.
"Just trying to keep you alive in case we get separated. I know you were raised muggle but you won't be able to do anything if someone decides to put some antimagic cuffs on you and takes you prisoner. I don't even think you know how to throw a proper punch." The wolves surrounded them, and Harry threw one of his daggers at the nearest one but missed it by a centimeter.
"What the hell kind of language is that?" Aster called quickly turning her head to look at them, then back at their foes.
Dorryn's face became unreadable. "You're a parselmouth too? You really are where he is from. The mystery gets better and better." He readied his bow and shot a fire arrow at the nearest wolf and Harry flinched as the dog yelped in pain and fell to the ground.
Voldemort scoffed. "You can kill a man without a thought but you are struggling with animals?"
"They are innocent," Harry argued.
"Talk later. Fight now." Titus grunted before one of the wolves lunged at him. He grabbed it by the neck and with one swift movement crushed its skull on the ground.
While Harry reluctantly killed each wolf that lunged his way, Voldemort did not. He swung his sword and cut down any that came near him. Harry watched his movements and made a note to train with him later. For now, he figured if it really came to it Voldemort could rely on the sword's lightning abilities, but if anyone were to look closer they would wonder why a man of his age could wield a sword only slightly better than a child.
One by one, the wolves fell until the last three ran back toward the mountain to wherever it was they were hiding.
"If we weren't in such a hurry, I'd say we skin the beasts and sell them. But alas…" Dorryn sighed as he put away his bow.
Harry shook his head. "You just don't want to get your hands dirty."
"I'm wounded, Harry. I would never waste an opportunity for a good pelt." He turned one of the wolves' heads to the side with his foot. "Especially one as… elegant as these."
The group cleaned their weapons and moved on. Dorryn kept trying to ask more about Voldemort and Harry's history which they both were reluctant to answer. "You know, Harry was always tight-lipped about his past. What is it about you parselmouths and your home, hmm? Is it full of riches, and magic?"
"Some people choose silence in place of lies. Do not ask questions when you can't handle the trouble the answer brings," Titus's deep smooth voice advised.
"Trouble? Would me finally knowing your deep dark secrets bring me trouble, Harry?" Dorryn grinned in a way that made Harry turn his head away.
"Yes," Voldemort answered for him. "His secrets are my secrets. And if you press any more, then my patience is wasted on the likes of you and we are done here."
"See, now you are just making me more curious." Dorryn the performer, sighed dramatically. "But if you insist, I will back off for now."
Titus' skill with tracking kept them hot on the Hallowed Scourge's tail. They traveled together for three more days until Titus declared them close. During that time, Dorryn sang every song he knew at least a dozen times and once tried serenading Harry who promised to break his lute in half if he continued. However, for all his faults, he truly was an excellent storyteller.
He offered embellished tales of the monsters he and Harry fought together. Voldemort would turn to Harry a few times during the stories so Harry could clarify whether what Dorryn said was true or not, but other than that he kept them all entertained as the long days dragged on.
Aster enjoyed speaking with Voldemort, still having been enchanted by their first meeting. He was polite to her, not nearly as pushy as Dorryn was toward Harry. But Voldemort kept her at a safe distance, and she was kind enough to understand the barrier he was putting up between them.
Harry quickly found one of his new favorite people to travel with was Titus, as he did not pester him with insistent questions nor did he offer any unwanted advances. However, when he did speak, he spoke with purpose or to simply explain the meanings of the flowers they passed. To Harry, despite his intimidating looks, Titus was a gentle soul that Harry was grateful for.
"We should reach them within the hour," Titus announced with his deep soft voice.
Aster let out a groan. "Finally. I never thought my feet would hurt so much in my life."
"If your feet hurt my lady, then perhaps you should sit this fight out," Dorryn offered. "Let's let the experienced heroes deal with this." He walked over to Harry and put his arm around his shoulder in a friendly way.
"Say that again," Aster warned. "See what happens."
"Get off of me," Harry growled at Dorryn and attempted to shrug off his hold.
"Come now, we must get closer with one another. We are headed into battle, and if we don't - AH!" Dorryn shouted as if he had been hurt and grabbed the back of his neck. "Hey!"
Harry felt a strange feeling come over him when he saw Voldemort putting his new longsword back in its sheath. "He told you not to touch him. I could always use the full power of this thing. I'm curious to see what would happen. Did you want to find out, too? You have been so curious during our travels, I don't want you to miss out on a chance to satisfy yourself. "
"Uh… no that's okay," Dorryn had the decency to look guilty.
As the sun set, they soon saw smoke in the sky from campfires and not too long after, they heard the sounds of the horse-like creatures neighing and stamping their feet. The group hid behind some foliage to observe the campsite.
"There has to be a thousand of them," Harry said in awe. "It will take us ages to find it." Voldemort scoffed, knowing the obvious answer to his problem but said nothing. Harry ignored him.
"We could always do it the easy way," Aster prompted. "We could challenge them."
"All of them versus all of us? Are you mad?" Dorryn hissed. "We could just blend into their camp and have a look around."
"Warriors like that would have their defenses lowered when they are together. Their egos could take over and they would think no one would dare infiltrate their camp when they are gathered like this," Voldemort commented.
"Speaking from experience," Harry whispered.
"Yes, and it was corrected," Voldemort countered. "Or have you forgotten in your old age?"
Harry's head rolled along with his eyes. "Only because you were dumb enough to do it in the first place. If I'm old, what the hell does that make you?"
"Old age? How old are you two?" Aster asked turning to face them.
"Enough. Focus," Titus grumbled. "We could simply challenge the ones who stole it in the first place. Those few that were left after the battle are weak though they outnumber us."
"I like that idea," Aster added. "But we need to make sure that we can enter the camp in the first place."
"I have that covered," Dorryn said confidently while straightening up his shirt. "I can talk our way in."
"Excellent," Voldemort clapped his hands together and stood up. "You lead the way."
"Just like that?" Aster asked bewildered as she stood up along with him.
"Just like that." Voldemort nodded and pulled Dorryn forward ahead of the group.
With a bow, Dorryn turned to Voldemort and said, "I'm honored you have such confidence in me."
"Of course, I do," Voldemort smiled. To Harry he said "And if he dies, we leave his corpse here so they can feed it to their beasts."
Harry had to fight to hide his smile as he followed the group into the camp.