I considered adding Voldemort's resurrection, but decided not to in this chapter- because that chapter needs heavy revision. I can't look at it without cringing. Harrison's decision going to the Leaky Cauldron is based on logical reasons since a) Hogwarts Express is like 8 to 9 hours, assuming the train leaves at eleven, it's already like 7 pm or after 8 pm. It's best just waiting until full daylight where you can see things.

Another thing, Nagini was never a human. It's like one of the weirdest things that the author decided, and I just think its weird.

Chapter 35: Whispers in the Dark

The conductor of the Knight Bus leapt out of the bus, wearing a light purple uniform from top to bottom, with a matching hat. He was a rather tall man with chalky-pale skin, narrow brown eyes that seemed like it would kiss the corners of his eyes, every time he smiled with his speech. He didn't seem to pay any attention to Harrison, as he looked down at the yellowing notecard in his hand.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Victor Clarke, and I will be your conductor this afternoon," the conductor said, his dark brown eyes flickered up towards Harrison, and recited the speech through memory, all while looking at him, "It's eleven sickles to go anywhere, thirteen for a thing of hot chocolate, and fifteen for a hot water bottle and a toothbrush with the color of your choice."

Harrison pulled open his money pouch, and dug out exactly eleven sickles. Its silvery, shiny reflection glinted in the dying rays of the sun, creating a harsh light on the coin.

"Here you go," he told him.

He handed the sickles to Victor Clarke, and hopped on board the Knight Bus.

"Where you headed?" Victor Clarke asked.

"Leaky Cauldron," Harrison responded.

It was one of the few things that popped in his head. At least there, he could rent out a room for a night, plot out his next move in finding the Dark Lord, and have a hot meal there. It would do for the night, and tomorrow- bright and early, he'd go out into the forests of Albania to search for the corporal spirit that belonged to the Dark Lord.

"Ernie, this is…." Victor Clarke started, beckoning towards the old man wearing goggles with his hands on the wheel. He sat in a big armchair, looking at both of them with wide, crazed eyes. "Sorry, what's your name?"

"Harrison," he said, in a rather bored tone.

"He's going to the Leaky Cauldron," he finished up the introductions. "Why don't you take a seat?"

The inside of the Knight Bus wasn't exactly spacious. There was barely enough leg room to get through without bumping into any of the seats that were apparently, unbolted to the floor. The long rays of the sun shone through the window, creating long shadows on the bus, and creating such interesting shapes like the seats on the bus, or the way a human stood against the sun. The lamps mounted on the walls were unlit, with the purple curtains tied back to reveal the soon-to-be sunset outside muggle London.

Harrison picked a seat that was available and sat down in it. He noticed that other witches and wizards were aboard the Knight Bus, doing their own thing, ranging from: reading the Daily Prophet, a book about creatures, or dozing off, with their head tilted back against the wall, with a pool of drool at the end of the wizard's lips. He pulled him up a little more, making sure that his face was mainly hidden from prying eyes, and kept his eyes down towards the floor. He managed to pull up his hood, before the Knight Bus took off with a bang, from Kings' Cross Station, to its next location.

The Knight Bus continuously leapt onto the pavement avoiding the cars, and the buses on the road. They barely dodged the lampposts, mailboxes and trash cans lined against the pavement. It jumped through passing cars and buses before it came to a harsh stop, the sound of screeching brakes filling his ears as the driver slammed on his breaks. Harrison jerked forward, and managed to catch himself before he fell off the chair, and onto the dark-colored, hard-floor.

An old witch with a flowery hat got off, walking with a hunchback. He found the bottom frames that attached the cushion to the metal, and held on tightly. Once the old witch got off, the Knight Bus started back up again and onto its next location.

One by one, the witches and wizards got off the Knight Bus. Victor Clarke woke up the wizard who was drooling at his stop. He noticed that some of them had expressions of glee once they walked off the bus, but he paid no attention. The Knight Bus shot off with a bang as it appeared right in front of a small, shabby-looking pub with a small, wooden sign with green-lettering that read: Leaky Cauldron.

Harrison got off the bus, ignoring the loud goodbye the conductor gave, before disappearing- off to its next stop. He paid no mind as he stepped inside the shabby looking pub. It's been a while since he stepped into the place, and nothing really changed. It was rather quiet, as most of the wizards and witches already vacated the place, or retired up to the rooms they were renting. There were a couple witches and wizards who kept to themselves. Several chairs were stacked on the tables, and noticed the toothless, hunchback innkeeper- Tim, if he remembered correctly. He had his head down as he wiped a glass with a dirty, white rag.

The innkeeper looked up from what he was doing once Harrison was close enough to him.

"Good evening, what can I do for you, young fellow?" He asked.

"I need a room, and a meal," he said quietly. "It's just for tonight."

"Alright…" Tom trailed off, before he told him the total.

Harrison gave him the correct amount of sickles and deposited it on Tom's outreached hand. Tom handed him the keys once he counted the money,

"Room 202."

He headed up the wooden stairs, and looked at the wooden signs that helped him find his way. He eventually found his room, and unlocked it with a slight clicking noise, as the door unlocked itself. The room was rather small and shabby, but it would do. He was only here for tonight, so he wasn't going to be picky. Besides, it was much better than the alternative. Harrison sighed, and unhooked his cloak before setting it onto the chair, and sat on the bed, waiting for his dinner to be brought up by room service.

Harrison brought out the diary and went to write to Tom,

How do you get to the forests of Albania? He wrote

Tom replied quickly, I'd try the Orient Express. It travels throughout to the continental Europe to wizard-orientated villages. There's bound to be one near Virgin Beech Forests.

Where's that at? He wrote.

Platform 7 and ¾ quarters.

Harrison put away the diary and waited for room service to bring up his meal.

Eventually, room service came by and delivered his dinner. He accepted it and put it on the desk. He ate the lackluster potato soup that barely had any flavoring, and burned his mouth a couple of times. He took a drink of his water to help with the burned feeling in his mouth. He wasn't picky, considering he just wanted something warm in his stomach, as he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow.

He delivered the dishes downstairs, and headed back up to get ready for bed. He didn't fall asleep for a good while as his mind was thinking about how tomorrow was going to look like, and the typical nightmares that plagued him. After that, he slept rather peacefully, until it was time to wake up in the morning.

…

The sun was just barely over the hills, when Harrison woke up. It was still rather dark with the sky transitioning from a midnight blue, into more of softer color hues like a purple, or a rose-pink color. Harrison got everything ready, and ate breakfast downstairs before he headed outside. By then, the sky was an assortment of colors ranging from light blue, pink, and orange colors, as the light chased away the darkness that lingered over Diagon Alley, and over muggle London.

Harrison pulled out his wand, and just like before, the Knight Bus appeared right in front of him. He stepped on, once the conductor moved out of the way, and finished his speech.

"Back again? Where to this time?" Victor Clarke asked once Harrison stepped on board.

"Kings Cross Station," he told him.

Harrison took a seat and the Knight Bus let out a loud bang as it sped towards its next destination. He held tightly, wishing that he didn't have to take this type of transportation any time soon, but right now it was easier than relying on someone else. He barely paid any attention as he looked out the window, as Muggle London was soon replaced through the outskirts of Wiltshire, Brentford and other places around London before they finally stopped at Kings' Cross Station.

He headed towards the pillar marked between seven and eight, and walked into the wall. He soon appeared right behind it, to reveal a black train with red lettering written on the front and the side: Orient Express. He found the ticket booth that had a long line filled with witches and wizards, carrying their suitcases with them, some of them holding cages of their animals.

Eventually, it was Harrison's turn and he looked at the balding ticket-person with a blank look.

"How much is it to the nearest village to the Virgin Beech forests in Albania?" He asked.

"Ten gallons, and five sickles," the man said, looking over at the counter. "Aren't you a little young to be traveling alone?"

Harrison dug out the gallons and the sickles from his pouch and gave it to the man, and lied through his teeth,

"I'm meeting my parents there," he said. "I'm seeing my aunt and uncle."

The man didn't say anything and merely accepted the metal coins, before giving Harrison a golden ticket that was marked as Orient Express in white lettering.

"How long will it take to get there?" He asked.

"Oh-" the man sounded surprised. "Probably like three or four days. You are going a far distance. Meal is included in that ticket. Enjoy your visit."

Harrison gladly accepted the ticket and hopped on the train. It seemed that the train was a little longer than the Hogwarts Express was, and there were more witches and wizards that were on the train, cuddling with each other, or sleeping. Some of them were chatting with someone else. It seemed that most of the compartments were full, and had someone in it, but it didn't take long to find an empty compartment.

He sighed, closed the compartment door with a click, and pulled out a couple of things. If he was going to be on this train for the next three to four days, he might as well get comfortable and figure out something to do.

…

Four days later, the Orient Express arrived at the village closest to the forest that Tom said the Dark Lord could probably be in. They arrived in the late morning and it was already warm outside. The sun was already in the sky, looking down at them in its full force. He walked through the village, smelling the local foods the village had to offer. It smelled good, but he was still full from having that porridge they served this morning along with a protein drink.

It took a little bit to walk through the village, but he made it, right outside the outskirts of the forest. He hoped that the Dark Lord was in this forest, considering that there were multiple forests in Albania. He narrowed his eyes, wondering the reason why the Dark Lord could possibly be hiding in a secluded place like this- out of the country at that. This wasn't what he imagined, but it wasn't his place to find out. He was here to find the Dark Lord and bring him back, simple as that. There was no use dawdling as he looked at the forest and noticed a small clearing, voided the large trees that towered over him and was barely large enough to fit a person through, but he went in, anyways.

The small clearing turned out to be a small dirt path that had overgrown bushes and plants that encroached onto the path. Small twigs snapped easily underneath his feet. Occasionally, he'd hear the rustling of levees that shook in the occasional breeze that would blow through. There was also a slight chance of hearing a bird that flew onto a branch, chirping as he made his way deeper in the forest. Sometimes, he heard rustling that came from bushes or the sound of something running away as he took steps forward.

After what could have been a couple of hours, the small pass soon ended, and Harrison was forced to go off the small pass and into somewhere that was similar, passing a bunch of bushes, rocks and shrubs along the way. The sun was getting higher in the sky, and the temperature was already warmer than what it was when he started. He wiped off the sweat that lingered on his brow and decided to lean against a nearby oak tree, whose branches stretched wide and outwards to give him plenty of shade, as he thought about his next move. He didn't know what else he could possibly do, besides one other aspect. Harrison didn't want to spend days, possibly weeks on end, searching all over Albania to find the ghostly-form of the Dark Lord.

Harrison let out a loud sigh, as he stood, leaning against the tree, trying to come up with new ideas. Traveling into a forest that he had no idea where was at, and what was to say, the Dark Lord was even here? There were so many forests in Albania, and he was only in one of them- probably the largest one. It was almost like finding a needle in a haystack, and that's what he was doing- trying to find the needle. There had to be another way to find the Dark Lord that didn't involve just wondering endlessly…

Suddenly, he came up with an idea. It was a long shot, but snakes reside throughout most of the world and were found commonly in forests, along with several other places. There was also a possibility that there were some snakes nearby.

*Does anyone know if there's a dark presence somewhere in the forest?* the parseltongue slipped off his tongue with ease, as he waited for either a response back, or a slight hissing noise.

He waited for a few minutes, but there wasn't any response. In fact, it seemed that the forest had gone silent as there was barely any noise nearby. It was like the world stood still. He decided to try it again, this time going a couple more meters down into the forest, maybe he would have a better chance over here.

Over here realistically meant a much darker, and secluded area. The trees were much taller, its branches branched out wide- letting the shadows branch out in all different directions. There were quite a bit of shrubs and bushes- plenty of places for snakes to hide and reside around.

*Does anyone know if there's a dark presence somewhere in the forest?* He asked once more, crouching down in front of a couple of dark-green shrubs.

He waited, holding his breath as he listened to the hopes of a slight rustling noise or a hissing noise coming nearby. At first, there wasn't anything but the rustles of leaves, and nothing that could make an identifiable sound that would come from a snake.

Just as he was about to move on and try a different location, a snake appeared, slithering close in front of him, making a slight hissing noise as it approached him. The snake was a rather large creature- much larger than a regular garden snake. It seemed that this snake was roughly about thirty centimeters long and had dark green scales. The snake was also thick-looking, almost as thick as a human's thigh. Its yellow eyes met his.

*Another speaker?* the snake hissed. *Master hasn't mentioned anyone who could also speak our tongue.*

*Where is your master?* Harrison asked. *I'm looking for him.*

*Are you here to help him?* the snake asked. *Master is incredibly weak, and was abandoned by his friends.*

*I am.*

*He's not far,* the snake hissed back. *Follow me. He'll be glad that one of his followers has returned and helped him.*

The large snake slithered away in a slow manner, so that Harrison was easily able to catch up with the snake. He dodged a couple of the hanging branches, and made sure not to trip on any of the roots that laid in front of him. The deeper they got in the forest, the more- it was noticeable that it was a very secluded area, and not much light got through the thicket of trees and bushes. It was covered in darkness.

The closer Harrison got, the sooner, it became apparent that the Dark Lord probably resided through here. There was an obvious temperature drop, but looking down at his feet- there were skeletons that littered the forest ground. There were bones belonging to what it looked like to be rats, mice and other small creatures. He was careful not to step on all of them, as it would let out a loud crunch and make his foot almost sink to the dirt ground, and make an indent in the skeletons. The air all around him felt suffocating, and goosebumps crawled up the back of his neck.

*I found another speaker for you masster,* the snake hissed, approaching the middle of the clearing where a small spirit resided, with red eyes and looking about the same, if not a little smaller than when he last saw the Dark Lord. *He wants to help you.*

*A sssspeaker?* The Dark Lord asked. He returned attention to Harrison who kneeled on the ground, "Harry."

"My lord," Harrison bowed down, "I'm so glad I found you."

*I didn't know you were a speaker,* the Dark Lord whispered. *How did you get this ability? The Potter's aren't known for the ability of parseltongue, besides Slytherin's descendants.*

*My lord, can we continue this conversation when we get your body back?* Harrison hissed, *I've come to bring back your body, start your reign anew.*

*Did you get what I was after, child?*

*I did, my lord. I'm able to give you your body back again.*

*Well done, child.*

*If I may ask, why are you all the way over here? I never expect to find you here,* Harrison asked.

*How did you find me?* The Dark Lord asked.

*I found your diary,* Harrison admitted, after wondering how he should answer the question.

"Lucius," The Dark Lord hissed, switching to English. HIs red eyes flashed dangerously, and Harrison knew that the Dark Lord was probably angry.

He remained silent, aware that if he made the Dark Lord angry, there might be a chance that a crucio could probably send his way. Although, he had no idea if the Dark Lord had really any magical capabilities in his current form, which was probably best if he got him back to his body.

"Perhaps it's best if we return you to your body, first?" Harrison suggested.

*I'd suggest casting a shrinking charm on Nagini, Harry,* The Dark lord hissed.

Harrison looked down at the snake who must have been Nagini. Nagini was already by his side, her head lifted up to meet him in the eyes. Harrison did exactly that- casting a shrinking charm on Nagini and the corporal form belonging to the Dark Lord disappeared into Nagini.

Nagini slithered as she hissed, and slithered her way up to Harrison's shoulders. Nagini was light, and felt the snake settle onto his shoulders before he headed back, retracing his steps back to where he started.

It took a little bit, as Nagini told him the directions to get out of the forest, but he did it eventually. He went through the small clearing of a passage, before finding his way onto the brown dirt of the path that led to the outside of the forest. He walked down the road to the nearby wizarding village, and went to buy himself another ticket back to Kings' Cross Station, (a train that would be arriving in four days time). Nagini grumbled a little bit in displeasure, but it wasn't going to be hard enough to find somewhere to stay in. He was sure he found an inn nearby, that he could stay in for the next couple of days.