Chapter 9: Meeting the Inner Circle
(A/N: Hi guys, surprise! I am posting this chapter before heading off to another artist alley this time in Georgia that I will be at until Monday so unfortunately it will be probably the end of next week before I get to write more. As I'm entering my busy season chapters may come slower, but I'll try to compensate with more exciting and/or longer chapters for you guys! That being said enjoy and thank you for your patience and understanding!)
Harry's P.O.V.
The following morning Harry awoke feeling both excited and nervous. He knew that the meeting with the inner circle would take place just after lunch and he was excited to have some interaction with other people. Don't get him wrong, he enjoyed the time he was spending around Tom getting to know the other man better but Harry was interested to see what the wizards who followed the man were like as well.
Leaving Cinis resting on his pillows, he quickly dressed and headed for the dining room for breakfast. As he was heading out, he noted that the framed portrait of Morgan Le Fay was currently empty and he assumed she had probably gone off to investigate the new surroundings, he was uncertain how long she'd been within the vault. He would likely try conversing with her this evening when he returned to his rooms if she had come back to the frame at that time. He was curious about the woman and interested to learn of the fight between herself and Merlin.
When he arrived in the dining area, he was not at all surprised to find Tom already seated and sipping at a mug of coffee while looking over the paper. Harry wondered how the man seemed to make even the most mundane of tasks look poised and the picture of perfection but he supposed that was simply the man's natural talent.
Red eyes glanced up at him as he took his seat to Tom's right and a small smile curved the older wizard's mouth. "Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?" Harry nodded, a small smile of his own forming. "I did, although I'm feeling a bit nervous about this meeting later."
"You have nothing to feel nervous about Harry, we are simply introducing you to them today under your alias of Harrison. They may have questions as you are a new addition and that hasn't happened in a while, but they will likely keep it brief. It is an added benefit that three of them are already aware of your true identity as Lucius and Severus would have been the two most likely to have a long-drawn-out interrogation with you."
Harry let the words sink in and calm his nerves slightly as two plates of food appeared before them both. "I find that unsurprising honestly. I do have a request also for the introduction. I assume we have to provide a last name during it, would it raise any suspicions if I ask to go by Harrison Black?" Tom considered his request for a few moments before answering, "It may raise a few questions from Bellatrix and Narcissa as both would be familiar with the Black Family Tree and curious about where you fit on it." Harry had expected that of course, but he was missing his conversations with Sirius and felt like this would be a way to feel close to him.
"I have looked over the Black Family Tree before, I was hoping to claim to be Sirius' son. As he was in Azkaban for so long and then on the run after breaking out, I thought it unlikely that they would be aware if he did have any children." Harry reasoned, "I will allow it as long as you are careful, neither of those women are foolish that much is for certain and they will dig deeper if they get the feeling, you are being untruthful."
"On a more pleasant note." The older male began, laying the paper he had been reading front of Harry. "There is good news surrounding your godfather." Spread across most of the front page was a picture of a bound Peter Pettigrew upon the Ministry steps and a bold headline reading "Pettigrew Alive, Sirius Black Declared Innocent" He quickly skimmed the article and learned they had administered Veriatserum to Pettigrew and found he had been the one to betray the Potter's location. The Ministry had issued an apology to Sirius for wrongful imprisonment and a full pardon. Sirius was a free man now.
Harry didn't realize that he had begun tearing up until Tom cleared his throat and Harry saw the other watching him with a slightly unsure and concerned look. "Am I to assume those are happy tears?" Harry let out a small laugh and nodded, pulling his glasses off to clean them. "Very much so, Sirius can finally live a semi normal life and not fear being caught by the dementors. I just wish I could tell him how happy I am about that."
"I know lying to those you care about is hard for you Harry. Hopefully this won't have to go on for too long, but until we deal with the threat that Dumbledore poses it is for the best." Tom began eating afterwards and Harry tucked into his own breakfast moving the paper. Ultimately, he knew the older wizard was right, but the raven could still feel a gnawing guilt in his stomach over the deceit. Once both men had finished eating Tom had asked Harry to accompany him to his study so that he could explain how the meeting would proceed later in the day.
Upon settling into the chairs around Tom's desk he waited patiently for the other to begin. "I have already covered who will be in attendance for this meeting with you so I will now explain what each of them will be reporting on." Harry nodded once to show he was listening and watched as Tom flicked his wand, causing a list of names to appear in the air between them.
"Bartemius as you already know was gathering information within the school by impersonating Alastor Moody. He has now returned the actual Moody and is going to be working on establishing an alliance with a number of vampiric groups. Bellatrix has been seeking the same with a group of necromancers. Lucius has been working within the Ministry to turn more people towards our ideals without being obvious. Lastly both Severus and the younger Malfoy have been gathering information within the castle and, in Severus' case, keeping an eye on Dumbledore."
Harry processed this information for a few moments, mentally filing it away. "That reminded me of something I wanted to ask you. What did you give to Griphook in Gringotts that allowed us to circumvent the rules regarding my age?"
"I had planned to discuss that with you actually. You actually have Lucius to thank for that situation being taken care of. He was able to use a few connections within the Ministry to push through an application to have you emancipated. Dumbledore allowing you to compete in the Triwizard Tournament along with your many incidents at Hogwarts gave him quite the argument for child endangerment."
"So that means the trace on my wand would also be gone right? I would no longer fall under the category of underage wizardry." Harry had to admit it was a well thought out plan and would look less suspicious as Harry and Draco had actually become friends prior to his supposed death. He assumed the older Malfoy had likely played the part of a concerned parent worried for his son's friend.
"Yes. That is a positive for us. Although I would also like to have you train to use primarily wordless and wandless magic when you feel ready." Harry paused for a moment, "I suppose it does increase the element of surprise in a fight which I assume I will eventually need." Harry sighed softly, he knew when the time for them to deal with Dumbledore came there would likely be largescale fighting and casualties on both sides.
"You are correct in your thinking Harry. Unfortunately, change is rarely ever peaceful if you look throughout history. That being said I am working on a plan to try and minimize the amount of innocents who get caught up in this." Tom sighed heavily, causing Harry to give the older man a small smile. He appreciated that the man was actively avoiding needless violence now.
"That will be the primary discussion of the meeting today is beginning to decide how to approach the Dumbledore situation."
"When will we begin furthering my training? I know you told me to think about it for a few days, but I have a few subjects that I know for certain." Harry asked curiously, he had spent some time thinking about their conversation the previous night and over their breakfast this morning he had considered which subjects would be important to further his knowledge in.
"Which subjects are you thinking?" Tom inquired, leaning forward on his hands and fixing his eyes on Harry. "I would like to continue Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration for certain. I would also like to work on occlumency and legilimency, although I know those would usually be more advanced skills. I am also open to any suggestions you have that would be beneficial."
Tom seemed to consider his choices and remained quiet for several moments, likely thinking over subjects he felt Harry should and could learn. "I agree that the subjects you've listed are agreeable. I would find it in your best interest to consider studying ancient runes as you mentioned being curious about rituals. You may also find it beneficial to continue studying astronomy to some degree as many rituals are affected by moon phases and planetary alignments. I also think you would benefit from Animagus training, but that can be saved for a later time."
Harry gave the other man a sheepish grin at the last line, "The Animagus training won't be necessary." Tom raised an eyebrow in question at his response but waited for Harry to continue. "I've been an unregistered since the summer before my fourth year began. Sirius had explained the process in a letter to me."
"What form did you take?" Tom questioned, curiosity plain in his eyes. "A spider, more specifically a Black Widow. During the first transformation I didn't think it would be particularly useful but it proved to be exceptionally so when I began my fourth year."
"And what uses did you find for it?" The former dark lord inquired, making Harry grin. "Did you know Dumbledore has a habit of talking to himself when he's alone?" Tom snorted slightly, "Not surprising, senile old goat that he is. So, you were sneaking into his office then?"
"I did so twice. The second time was what convinced me that I needed to find out more about your intentions for the wizarding world. During this he mentioned a prophecy that he had apparently worked hard to forge. He also mentioned that Severus had told you part of it." Harry explained, "You're correct, Severus was told there was a prophecy formed that said the one with the power to vanquish me would be born to parents who had thrice defied me. Had I been in a more stable mental state at the time I likely would have investigated it further. Severus himself voiced concerns that it was a fake and I not only ignored his warning but tortured him for implying I could be fooled like that."
Harry could see something akin to guilt flash through the red eyes but it was gone seconds later. "People make mistakes Tom. Anyway, after listening to him basically admit that he planned for us to kill one and other I decided continuing to sneak into his office was probably dangerous. I had also made sure to keep the memory of hearing this locked behind as many mental shields as possible when around him so I don't think he's aware that I know about it."
"You're much more devious than I had initially given you credit for Harry." Tom praised, a pleased smirk curling his mouth. "Being an unregistered Animagus will definitely help with intel gathering. Back to the topic of your other desired subjects I will unfortunately not be able to train you in all of them, mostly due to time restriction. However, I do have teachers in mind for the ones I can't cover with you."
"For potions I can have Severus work with you. Lucius would be the best person to have you study ancient runes with. Barty was surprisingly gifted in charms and astrology so he can work with you in those. Bellatrix is skilled in occlumency and legilimency as she trained the young Malfoy. That leaves you working with myself on Transfiguration, Rituals, and Wandless and Wordless spells. How does that sound to you?"
Harry considered the people Tom had listed off and nodded his agreement, "I believe that will work very well."
"We will also work on teaching you how to communicate with me through the shared piece of my soul as we had discussed yesterday." Tom continued after a pause; Harry perked up a bit. "Can we try that now?" He asked getting a raised eyebrow from the older wizard.
"I suppose we do have some time still so it wouldn't hurt." The former dark lord agreed, "First let's see if you can actively sense the soul piece. Close your eyes and focus on your own magical core and then see if you can find something that feels different near it."
Harry followed the man's instructions and as he focused in on his core and mentally saw the swirling green of it, he felt around for anything out of the ordinary. After a few moments he could feel the smallest hint of another magical essence. In his mindscape he started seeing a vague hint of red twining with his own magic.
He prodded it slightly and was surprised to feel it respond to his prodding, 'Tom?' he thought mentally, when he didn't get a reply, he was slightly disappointed. Maybe he was doing something wrong. He firmly tapped against the other magical strand and tried again. 'Tom?'
'Hello Harry' The man's slightly amused voice echoed in his head, he felt a rush of excitement at managing to tap the connection. 'Is communication the only thing we will be able to use the connection for?' Harry was curious to know what the possibilities and limitations surrounding it would be.
'For now. When you learn to tap into it more naturally you will be able to get a sense of my emotions and vice versa as well as thoughts. You have already seen that it can allow you to see my memories and through my eyes in present time. However, you will still be able to shield your thoughts and feelings if you wish by mentally blocking where our magics are intertwining.'
'Can you sense my emotions now?' Harry tilted his head as he met the other man's eyes, it was a bit weird to him that they were sitting here conversing without sound. Although he could admit hearing the older wizard's deep voice echoing around his mind was oddly comforting.
'I can. I was able to feel the excitement when you managed to tap the connection successfully. I can sense what you're feeling now also but I'm less familiar with what it is. Relaxation possibly.'
Harry felt himself flush slightly, realizing the other man was feeling his sense of safety and comfort at his voice and presence in Harry's mind. 'Something like that.' He thought towards the former dark lord.
Tom's P.O.V.
Tom was mildly impressed when after a few minutes of trying Harry was able to successfully able to communicate mentally to him. He had felt Harry's first few attempts as the Gryffindor had gently prodded at the soul's magical essence. He found it endearing that the Gryffindor was being so careful like he may hurt Tom if he interacted with the magic too roughly.
He was able to feel excitement and happiness coming from the younger as they conversed. His curiosity was peaked when something warm and unfamiliar crept through the connection from the boy. He tried to place the feeling but was drawing a blank for what it was. He found the feeling to be very pleasant though, the closest he could relate it to was what he felt when he relaxed near the fireplace with an interesting book.
The former dark lord was a bit perplexed when the boy flushed red when he commented on it but brushed it off as they continued talking. He allowed the boy to prod at the connection a bit more, assuming Harry was trying to figure out how to pick up on his emotions as well.
He was interested at the Gryffindor's ability to learn rather quickly and his awareness of his own magical core. He hadn't expected the raven to be able to speak through the connection quite this soon. He had also been interested in the boy's choices about subjects to study and the fact he had become an unregistered Animagus. Also, a little surprised when the boy had admitted to using it to spy on Dumbledore when he became suspicious of the old man.
Harry had continued prodding the connection as Tom was thinking about all of this and the older wizard could sense he was beginning to feel a bit of disappointment at not being able to feel Tom's emotions. When he noticed that it was drawing closer to lunchtime, he decided it was probably better that they call an end to the experimentation for the time being so Harry could prepare for the meeting that would be following shortly after.
'Harry, I believe it best we leave it here today. It is already notable progress that you can speak through the connection, being able to tap into emotions will likely take a bit more time.' Tom suggested, pushing a small calming wave through the connection to ease the Gryffindor's frustration and disappointment. He had not yet told the boy they could push emotions to the other but thought that was best saved for later when he figured out the basics.
He received a small huff from the raven but he felt the boy pull back from the connection reluctantly. "I know I shouldn't expect to understand it right away, but I feel like I should have been able to at least briefly feel some part of your emotions. I have felt them before in the dreams." The boy muttered softly, a small frown on his face.
"It is far easier to feel extremely strong emotions through a connection, getting a feeling for more relaxed or calm emotions will be harder." Tom explained, standing from his desk and stretching a bit. "Come Harry, I believe some lunch will do us both some good."
Harry's P.O.V.
Harry picked lightly at a grilled cheese for lunch, still a bit dejected at not having been able to get even a small inkling of Tom's emotion through the bond. He noticed Tom watching him with a bit of concern. "Are you alright Harry? You're not eating very much."
"Yeah, I'm not very hungry." He shrugged a bit, getting a small hum from Tom. "I've noticed since you came here that you rarely eat much at any meal. That can't be very healthy for you." Tom stated bluntly, pausing in his own lunch.
The Gryffindor fiddled with his hands a bit not meeting the eyes currently locked on him. "If I try to eat much more than what I do normally it makes me feel nauseous." He admitted softly, "Perhaps we should let Severus have a look at you and see if he can make a recommendation for how to fix that."
Harry nodded once, figuring that couldn't hurt and took another small bite from his food. They finished up their lunch in silence after that and Tom stood from the table turning to face the younger boy. "The inner circle will be showing up soon, I would like for us to be settled into the meeting room before they do." The raven pulled out his wand and cast the spells to change his appearance to his Harrison persona and followed the older man towards the meeting space.
Upon entering the room, he noticed that it was primarily occupied by a large, dark wood table with matching chairs positioned around it. Tom's chair of course was of a more ornate design than the others and as the man took his place, he gestured for Harry to take the seat to the right of him. He did so, albeit a bit hesitantly, and settled in to wait for the other attendees to arrive.
They did not have to wait long as less than five minutes later a small pop sounded and Barty appeared in the room with them. His eyes immediately settled on Harry likely noting changes they had made but he didn't comment on the other's altered appearance.
"Hello Barty, how are you doing?" Harry smiled at the older man as he took a seat at the table, after bowing slightly towards Tom. "I'm doing well Harrison; you seem to be as well." The man commented as he hadn't seen the youth since the day of the third task. "I heard from Severus about the incident that occurred when you were brought to the manor."
Harry grimaced at the memory of the wound on his side when he had been cut during the portkey's activation. "Thanks to Tom and Severus." He shot a grateful smile toward the former dark lord, missing Barty's look of surprise. "Yes well, that's all in the past now. Bartemius, I did have a matter to discuss with you actually. I'd like to have you work with Harrison on charms and astrology over the coming weeks." Tom cut in, hands joining together in front of him in a business-like manner.
"Of course, my lord." Barty nodded once towards Tom, they were prevented from continuing as more pops sounded and other members of the inner circle appeared. Harry's breath caught when he caught sight of Draco with Lucius and Narcissa.
The blonde looked terrible, the boy had large dark circles under his eyes and his complexion was even paler than he had normally been at school. Guilt hit Harry hard when he realized that he was likely part of the reason behind it. Silver eyes settled on him and a small spark of curiosity ran through them but disappeared quickly as the blonde settled in a chair between his parents.
His eyes next moved to Lucius and he was surprised to see the older Malfoy regarding him with something akin to sympathy in his eyes. He next looked to see who else had arrived and saw Bellatrix Lestrange and the Lestrange brothers taking their seats as well. It seemed they were now simply awaiting Severus.
All the currently assembled inner circle members seemed to be examining him, likely speculating about his identity and his purpose in being here. Harry shifted a bit, a small wave of nervousness washing through him. 'Calm down Harry, everything will be fine.' He heard Tom's voice echo through his head and felt a wave of calm wash through him immediately after. He found it strange how calming the other man's presence felt to him at this point.
He was luckily spared from further tension as a final pop signified Severus' arrival and he took his place at the table. Tom waited a few moments as everyone settled down before clearing his throat. "Welcome everyone, we have much to discuss." He began drawing all eyes in the room towards him.
"First, I would like to introduce a new member who will be joining the inner circle as of today. This is Harrison Black." Tom held a hand out in Harry's direction, putting the attention back on Harry. He smiled a bit awkwardly and tried not to fidget. "He will be assisting with intel gathering and working directly with myself on disrupting Dumbledore's plans and dealing with the meddlesome old goat."
"For this, some of you will also be working with him in a variety of magical areas. I will discuss that more with you each individually at another time. Presently I'd like reports on your current missions."
Harry listened in as Tom went around the table having each member report in on what they had accomplished. As it was it seemed both Bellatrix and Barty had been successful in making alliance agreements with their respective groups and Lucius was making progress in convincing the Ministry that Dumbledore was becoming unfit to run the school. He mentioned that the recent death of a student had stirred a lot of doubt within the officials and Harry realized the blonde was referring to his supposed death during the tournament.
Harry tried to stay focused but he found his gaze often wondering to the younger Malfoy who seemed to be zoned out a bit himself and staring at the wooden table. He remembered his conversation which Tom the previous night and considered his options again. If he approached the other boy, what would he say? How could he lie directly to the blonde's face? Pretend to be an entirely different person when he knew the other was upset because of him?
He nearly startled when he felt a slight pressure on his knee and looked up to meet Tom's gaze, concern once again flickering in red eyes. 'The meeting has ended Harry and you were continuously glancing at the young Malfoy.' Tom commented, removing his hand from the raven's leg. He glanced around and noticed that the inner circle members were indeed beginning to rise and bid their goodbyes. The Malfoy's were the only one's not leaving just yet which gave Harry hope he may be able to speak to Draco before they did.
'Sorry Tom, I was thinking about how to try and approach him. He looks incredibly upset and I know it's partly my fault.' Harry replied softly through the bond, eyes going back to the blonde. He was surprised to find the other boy was staring back at him.
The blonde stood and began walking towards the raven. Harry noted that Tom had begun discussing something with Lucius, likely to give Harry an opportunity to talk to the young Malfoy heir. He stood also and met the blonde halfway. "Harrison Black." Harry introduced himself, holding his hand out towards the Slytherin.
Draco regarded him warily for a minute before grabbing his hand and shaking it. "Draco Malfoy." He answered softly, "Pleasure to meet you Draco, I hope we can become friends." Harry gave the boy a small smile and was pleased when it was returned. "I…would like that." They dropped their linked hands and both glanced over when Lucius called Draco's name
"Come Draco, you will be returning to the manor with your mother. I have further business to discuss with our lord." Lucius informed the heir as Narcissa prepared herself to leave. "I'm sure your new friend can visit us in Malfoy manor soon for you two to get better acquainted." The woman smiled at Harry and he returned it, he didn't know much about her but she seemed rather nice.
Draco turned back to him, "You should come to my birthday next week if you can." Harry glanced over at Tom in question. 'If you'd like we can go Harry.' Tom answered through the connection. "I'd love to come." He grinned enthusiastically, gaining a slightly wider smile from the other boy. "Great next Wednesday, three o'clock sharp don't be late." Following that the blonde left with his mother, leaving Harry with Tom and Lucius.
Harry turned to Lucius with a small frown. "Please tell me that he hasn't been like this since my death." Harry whispered; he watched the older wizard sigh before answering. "I will not lie to you Harrison; he took the news very hard. I know you both were not on the best of terms for a long time, but I know from Draco's letters home that you got quite close before that happened."
"I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt him." Harry told the Malfoy honestly, his guilt returning. "I know you never meant for him to feel this way and once it is safe to reveal yourself, I believe he will understand why this was necessary." The older wizard gave him a small smile, "That reminds me, I owe you a thank you Mr. Malfoy. Tom told me about you pushing through the emancipation to ensure Dumbledore wouldn't be able to claim my vaults."
"Think nothing of it, I know you and I have some rather unpleasant history also after your second year, but I would like to put that behind us after seeing how much your friendship meant to Draco." Harry gave the man a smile, "I'd like that very much Mr. Malfoy."
"Call me Lucius, we'll be spending a lot of time together when you begin studying ancient runes with me." Harry nodded his acceptance of this as the other man rose from his seat. "Well, if there is nothing else you require of me my lord, I'll be returning to the manor. I assume you will be accompanying Harrison next week?" Tom gave a small nod, standing also. Lucius and Tom exchanged goodbyes and Lucius disappeared with a pop, leaving Harry and Tom alone in the meeting room.
"You still feel guilty about deceiving the boy." The older wizard said this as a statement rather than a question but Harry nodded anyway. "It feels wrong to lie to his face, knowing the pain he felt thinking I've died. I assume he will be furious when he finds out the truth, regardless of Lucius thinking he will understand." Harry sighed, wrapping his arms around himself in a hug and dropping his head.
He was surprised to feel a hand on his shoulder moments later. He glanced up and Tom gave him a small smile, "Harry, I'm sorry that you feel guilty but I do think he will understand and forgive you once he understands it was for both of your own safety's. Even if he may be a little upset with you at first." The raven suddenly felt a surge of calm hit him and before he knew what he was doing he had moved forward and hugged the older man.
Tom's P.O.V.
The Slytherin heir could feel intense guilt flooding the connection for the majority of the meeting time. He knew the Gryffindor had a soft personality for those he cared for and he could tell that deceiving the youngest Malfoy was still causing the boy much stress. He tried to be reassuring and offer the boy comfort; however, he hadn't expected the Gryffindor to suddenly wrap around him in a hug.
Tom could probably count on one hand the number of times he had let someone this close. He had to admit he didn't hate it. The boy was incredibly warm and smelled like a mix of something sweet like cookies and something earthy almost like cedar. He had unintentionally stiffened when the Gryffindor grabbed him and he felt a wave of nervousness wash through the connection and the boy start to pull away.
"S..Sorry Tom, I shouldn't have.." He cut the boy of by pulling him back against him and wrapping his arms around him. Harry hesitantly returned his arms around the boy and Tom rested chin on the boy's hair. " Don't apologize Harry, it's not uncommon for friends to hug to show comfort, right?" He pointed out in a soft voice, pushing a wave of calming through the connection.
He released the boy after a few more moments and was greeted with a wide smile and a slight blush from the younger wizard. "You're right it's not, but I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it." The other's smile turned sheepish as he said this, making Tom chuckle softly.
"I'll admit I've not had much experience for physical contact and its very foreign to me. I can say that I haven't found the few instances you've initiated it to be unpleasant." Tom explained honestly, watching the boy's blush darken a bit. Interesting he wasn't sure what the boy was feeling embarrassed about.
After a small pause in which Harry seemed to have calmed significantly, he spoke, "Well, we have the rest of the evening to relax and tomorrow we will begin your study sessions. I've already asked Lucius and Bartemius both to drop by tomorrow and begin their respective lessons with you as well."
The boy nodded his understanding, the pink receding slowly from his cheeks. "I believe I'll go check on Cinis and make sure he's adjusting to the manor well and has found food." He watched the young Gryffindor walk briskly from the room with slight confusion at the boy's haste. He was both curious and amused about the boy's reaction but filed it away for later examination. He had work he needed to attend to in his study, a war would be coming soon when they struck at Dumbledore and the Slytherin heir wanted to make sure they were prepared.
Harry's P.O.V.
When Harry shut himself in his room, he felt his face flame up again remembering the hug he had received from Tom. He had been embarrassed and a bit horrified when he had hugged the other man out of the blue, not considering how the former dark lord would view any signs of physical comfort or affection. What hadn't been on Harry's bingo card was Tom pulling him back in and resting his chin on Harry's head while the raven was calming down. It brought a smile to his face as he recalled the feeling.
"Oooh Boy, I know what a look like that means when I see it." A feminine voice suddenly chimed in, causing Harry to startle. Glancing over at the ornate picture frame he was greeted with the sight of a smirking Morgan Le Fay.
"A..a look like what?" Harry asked confused as he moved away from the door to better face the woman. "The flushed cheeks and dopey grin boy. Smitten rather hard, aren't we?" The witch teased, smirk widening on her lips. Harry choked slightly at the words and violently shook his head.
"N..No! No. Nothing like that. We're just friends." The Gryffindor protested, waving his hands around as did so. The witch laughed at his reaction softly, "Sure dear, I'm sure you are the best of friends and nothing more." Her face turned serious after a moment, "I thank you for having brought my picture out of that vault, I feel like I've been down there for ages. Not much entertainment either."
"Oh, you're welcome, I'm Harry by the way." He smiled, thankful that the witch seemed to be finished teasing him. "You probably know me as Morgan Le Fay, but please call me Morgana." The woman smirked once more and Harry sat down cross legged in front of the frame.
"I have a lot of questions I'd like to ask you if that's okay." He earned a nod from the portrait and so began his interrogation of the supposed dark wizard who had battled Merlin. He was quite enraptured as the woman explained that she and Merlin has not always been enemies. She explained that once they had been friends and then eventually lovers. She told him off Merlin's betrayal when the man had realized she meant to kill Uther Pendragon who had publicly executed many magical beings. Harry had of course heard the tales from Camelot's time and was not surprised that many would want to kill a man who was executing others for something beyond their control.
It had grown late into the evening when she was finishing her story. Wrapping up her tales as she told him about ruling Avalon and her eventual final battle with Merlin himself. Harry digested everything the witch had told him and he came to a similar conclusion about her as he had Tom. It seemed like Merlin had declared Morgana evil for wishing to rid the city and surrounding area of a man who was murdering hundreds.
Harry yawned as he stretched from the position he had been holding for multiple hours now, gaining a small giggle from the portrait. "I sense you are a very curious child Harry and I'm sure you have many more questions for myself but I believe now it is time for you to sleep." The witch smiled softly at him.
"I do find myself very curious and I definitely wish to discuss some things further with you. I heard you were gifted healer and exceptional duelist. But I agree that I am rather tired and I would say you would like not to be pestered with a million questions." He grinned sheepishly at her, drawing another laugh.
"I do not mind your questions and we shall speak more at another time, I would be happy to talk about the healing arts and the art of dueling with you. For now though, off to bed you go." With that last sentence, she vanished from her portrait likely to make sure he would listen and actually go to bed.
As he was crawling under the blankets, Cinis already resting on his extra pillow, her first words to him came back to his mind. He felt his blush return but quickly fought down his embarrassment. He wasn't smitten with Tom. So, he was a bit unused to physical contact and got a little flustered about a hug. So what if he had thought the Slytherin smelled nice, like chocolate and coffee Harry recalled. And so what if he admired the man and thought he was smart, and funny, and handsome.
His thoughts screeched to a halt. Handsome? Where had that come from? Okay he could admit now that the man had his normal body back, he was objectively handsome. With his wavy dark hair, sharp jawline, and those piercing, crimson-colored eyes. That didn't mean Harry fancied the man though, right? Right, he decided and with that decided he tucked in for bed.
Of course, his reassurances to himself did very little when he was soon dreaming of those same eyes and awoke in the middle of the night covered in sweat and panting harshly. He would soothe himself back to sleep chalking these strange feelings up to Morgana putting the thought in his head and teenage hormones. Uttering a shaky "Fuck me." As he drifted back into sleep. And if he was awoken again in the morning in a similar state, well you know how those damn teenage hormones can be.
(A/N: Alright everyone there you have it; I'll be away this weekend so you'll have to wait until next week to see what happens to our boys! Take care all and remember reviews feed my writing desire! )
