The halls of Chéile were dimly lit and mysterious at night, in contrast to the majesty they heldd during daylight hours. But for a child who'd only known these halls for less than 24 hours, they were a labyrinth where you could get lost and aimlessly wander for hours, unable to find your way.
Harry had only been wandering the corridors for about 20 minutes but he'd already realized that he was lost and unsure of how to return to his dorms. He begun to survey the walls to see if he could recognize any paintings he may have passed before. Soon, though, the familiar sound of footsteps began to echo through the hall, making Harry freeze in place. As the sound intensified, Harry started to realize someone was making their way towards him. He knew he was going to get in trouble for being out past curfew but he was willing to be caught this or else he might be unable to find his way back to the dorms before dawn.
As he looked around to find the origin of the noise, he froze as his scar began to throb with pain, feeling like something or someone was prodding at it with a freshly used fire poker. Clutching his forehead, he instinctively looked back in the direction he came from, only to see a tall figure emerge from the shadows.
Once the light illuminated him better, Harry could recognize the figure before him as Headmaster Marvolo. Now that he was much closer to him than earlier that day, Harry had an easier time making out his features. The headmaster looked like a Greek statue brought to life, with lush, wavy brown hair and ruby red eyes. He was clad in green robes so dark they looked black with silver accents.
While Harry was frozen under the headmaster's gaze, Marvolo took a moment to examine the student before him. Given the child's size, it was a first year out after curfew, but the child's eyes immediately gave away his identity. After all, Marvolo had met no other being in the world with eyes the same shade as the killing curse. Deciding to break the silence, Marvolo was the first to speak, "Well, well, well, what do we have here, a first year out after curfew?"
Goosebumps went up Harry's arms at his headmaster's voice but he spoke up to defend himself. "I ca-can explain, I was"-
"Save it", Marvolo interrupted, holding his hand up to stop Harry's ramblings. "It's the first weekend of the school year; we get students wandering the halls all night due to homesickness or not being adjusted to the new time zone yet. I've heard every excuse before. Now, Mr. Potter, I'll let you off with a warning this time. Let's get you back to your dorm and don't let me catch you out after curfew again or it'll be detention next time."
"But Headmaster, I'm lost and am unsure how to get back". Harry admitted sheepishly, making Marvolo shake his head.
"Of course, Mr Potter. Just follow me, and we'll get you back to the dorms in no time," he said and the pair entered the halls.
"Umm, Headmaster, I have a couple of questions, if that's okay," Harry asked nervously, unsure if it's okay to ask his headmaster anything informally.
"Of course, Mr. Potter, this is a school, and asking questions is encouraged," Marvolo smoothly responded, wondering what the boy before him would ask. Would it be an innocent question any 9-year-old would ask, or had he retained some of his memories from infancy and recognized him as the Dark Lord who tried to claim his life years ago?
Harry, obviously on the headmaster's thoughts, asked his first question. "How did you know my last name is Potter? Today is the first time we've met after all."
Marvolo mentally cursed at himself for carelessly letting slip that he already knew who Harry was, and quickly thought of a way around his mistake: "Your family is famous in Britain after all. A dear friend of mine has pointed you and your brother out to me before while I was on a business trip in Diagon. That and I do try to make it a point of memorizing myself with the names of all the students and faculty who walk these halls."
Harry nodded, accepting the explanation, not finding it suspicious since his family was famous and he'd heard something similar from Aunt Minerva when she visited. Deciding to continue the conversation, Harry asked his second question. "My other question is, why does my scar feel weird when you are around Headmaster"?
The question made Marvolo pause in confusion, having not even noticed a scar visible on Harry. As if sensing his headmaster's confusion, Harry turned towards him, brushing back his hair that covered the small lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "This scar, sir," Harry said, trying his best to explain. "I've had it since I was a baby, but no one knows where it came from. For some reason, it's never really healed like I've heard scars are supposed to. "
"That is quite unusual, . Do you mind if I cast a quick diagnosis spell to learn more about this scar"? Marvolo queried, having a sinking feeling in his gut about the scar. Receiving a nod from Harry in consent, he cast a spell to examine the scar, having sensed his magic clinging to it. Upon closer examination, the magic of a soul within the scar seemed to be calling to him in a way he'd experienced before; the same way his Horcruxed called to him. Somehow, a piece of his soul resided within Harry Potter's scar, making him a human horcrux. Though he could not remember creating a Horcrux, he did remember something the goblins told him the night they put his body and soul back together, "For some reason, though, going on the results of the scan I made, all but two of your Horcruxes made it back here. Now the only reason this could happen is if one is located in another dimension or in another living being", that would mean he must have turned Harry into a Hoxcux by accident during the time he meant to kill him. Then, the weird feelings he was getting were Marvolo's own emotions projecting through the bond.
This was going to be a problem; finally, knowing the identity of his living hoxcrux was a blessing, but he wasn't sure what to do, knowing it existed within his destined enemy. He could handle this situation in several ways but, for now, he needed to ensure no one untrustworthy discovered this secret. Reinforcing his mental barriers to keep his emotions from accidentally projecting through their bond, he raised his wand before Harry again, preparing a lie. "Don't worry, Harry, it seems like there is a little residual dark magic within your scar. I can nullify it easily, but I'm afraid the scar itself will remain. Do you consent to this spell"?
Harry considered the offer silently. Normally, his parents would be the ones he'd turn to for help with these decisions, but they weren't here, and he'd have to make the choice on his own. Besides, Headmaster Sayer's job was to help students, so why wouldn't Harry trust him? After mulling it over, Harry found his voice to reply, "Okay, you can cast the spell. It won't have any negative side effects, will it?"
"None whatsoever, small one". Marvolo responded smoothly, surprised at how easily the child before him agreed to his suggestion before wordlessly casting the spell. It was not a spell to remove the Horcrux, though, but one to keep it from being detected by future medical scans, until he could figure out how to transfer the Horcrux from Harry into another vessel. Once complete, he gave Harry a quick pat on the back and began walking again. "Now come, we must get you back to the dorms, a growing child needs their sleep after all".
After returning Harry to his dorm, Marvolo returned to his rooms for the night, unsurprised to find Severus waiting for him on the dragonhide leather sofa by the floo, reading an ancient-looking tome. "Hello, beloved," he said without looking up from his book.
"Severus, it is always pleasantly surprising when you can slink away from the dungeons of Hogwarts and its manipulative ringmaster, especially this close to the start of the school year, " Marvolo said warmly, shedding off his over-robes before joining Severus on the sofa. He was not quite cuddling up to the potion master, to keep his arms and hands free to read however he'd like, but it was close enough for Snape to feel his body heat.
"Yes, well, it's unfortunately easier to get away when Albus is in a good mood, and for some god forsaken reason, he's been in a good mood all summer. And when I try to ask why, he'll only mention things going just as he's hoping for, " Severus explained with a frown as he bookmarked his page before leaning into Marvolo's side for warmth. One of the many traits he gained from becoming a vampire was a lowered body temperature, which made acts like cuddling that he used to despise much more pleasurable to warm his cooler body up.
"That's worrying, I wonder if it has anything to do with a certain student who's joined this year's class," Marvolo commented, remembering a line from the letter the Potters sent with Harry's application. But he couldn't possibly imagine Albus recommending one of his pawns attend a different school out of his control.
At Marvolo's comment, Severus turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised. He knew his godson was starting at Chéile this year, but hadn't heard anything about any other students yet. "And which student would that be, my lord?" he couldn't help but ask, but he was woefully unprepared for the answer.
"Why the true boy who lived himself, Harry Potter, has decided to grace the halls of Chéile for at least two years, hopefully longer if the letter his parents sent is any indication. According to it, his parents wanted the twins to spend some time apart to grow as individuals," Marvolo explained while kissing Severus's neck as he felt the skin beneath his lips shudder to the touch.
Blushing as much as he possibly could, Severus pushed away from his lord with a hand to his neck, "Oh, don't you dare try to distract me with that today, you know my neck is sensitive. Now tell me why you thought allowing the spawn of James Potter, much less the one who's defeated you once before, into this school was a good idea"? He hissed out, imagining all the ways this could go wrong.
"It's a risk I won't deny, but I'm willing to take. Harry Potter is spending the next two years here as a student and my goal is for him to enjoy going to school here so much that he pulls his application from Hogwarts, entirely keeping him from Albus's control. I won't even give him special treatment; this school's quality in education, culture, and any friends he may make should be enough to keep him grounded here. He doesn't need to join our side, he just needs to learn enough to become neutral if another war breaks out".
With a frown, Severus considered not denying Mervolo's logic in allowing Harry to attend Chéile, but something still felt off: "But why would Potter attending this school possibly make Albus happy?"
Shaking his head, Marvolo got up from the sofa to pour himself a nightcap. "You can never honestly know what goes on inside his head", he began, "but I have already discovered something quite interesting from Potter tonight when I found him wandering the halls after curfew"-
Before he could continue, Severus snorted as he rose from the sofa to join Marvolo for a drink. "Truly a child of those blasted marauders, not even here for a day before he broke school rules," he commented, making Marvolo roll his eyes affectionately.
"As I was saying, when I spoke to Mr Potter tonight I discovered something quite curious within the scar on his forehead: a piece of my soul. " This truth caused Severus to pause. For years now they had been searching for the unknown Horcrux since retrieving the diadem from Hogwarts. Still, every ritual they had tried hadn't been able to point them in the right direction, only proving that it was indeed inside a living being. For it to be inside the true boy who lived, though, was so unthinkable it should have been obvious.
"But how is it possible for Harry Potter to be your horcrux, Marvolo? You kept your promise and didn't murder any of the Potters that night. As we all know, in order to create a horcrux you need to kill another human beforehand, then actively cast a spell to sever your soul. Yet somehow, you made one without those steps; it just doesn't make sense," Severus questioned as he began to pace in front of the fire.
Noticing his beloved's turmoil, Marvolo walked behind the potion master and gently placed his hands on Severus's shoulders before turning him around and gently kissing his lips to calm him. "Hush, beloved, there is no need to fret," he said after pulling away. "Yes, indeed, I didn't kill any of the Potters that night, but that does not mean my hands were clean. I remember killing a couple of muggles earlier that night who witnessed real magic in action, since in my insane head space back then, killing them made more sense than just obliviating them. Then, when my body was destroyed, I believe that, since my soul was so badly in tatters, that a bit of it could have easily detached on its own without the need for a soul severing spell and entered the boy's scar".
"I could see how that is possible," Serverus said, thinking it over for a second before turning back to Marvolo. "But you know this means Albus can never get his hands on the boy, lest he'd be turned into a sacrificial lamb."
"I know, that's why I'm going to start looking into rituals so we can transfer the soul piece within him to another container. And if such a thing doesn't exist, perhaps we could invent it. Who knows, maybe one day the boy who lived will become an ally of ours and not even need a ritual."
"Sure, the true boy who lived as one of our allies, as if that could ever happen," Severus sarcastically agreed, before adding, "who knows, maybe he could even be our submissive one day".
This made Marvolo Chuckle.
"You never know, it could happen," he teased as a sour look appeared on Severus's face.
"Don't even say that as a joke! There is no way that the progeny of James Potter could be anything but a dominant creature, that's if the little miscreant even agrees to participate in the creature inheritance ritual," he hissed out, trying to envision what creatures could even exist within their bloodline.
Marvolo, sensing his partner's anger, raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry, Severus, I shouldn't have made a joke like that, knowing your history with the Marauders. Besides, when I met the boy earlier tonight, he seemed perfectly polite. Perhaps James has mellowed out over the years and his kids aren't as bad as you envisioned. Besides, they were also raised by your old friend Lily. I'm sure she was a positive influence on them."
"Perhaps," Severus reluctantly agreed before adding: "just because James should have theoretically matured over the years doesn't mean his progeny isn't as much of a self-centred bully as his father was growing up, especially with the influences of Lupin and Black in their lives. I guess I should be thankful that only one of them will be attending Hogwarts; it'll help minimize the number of dunderheads I'll have to deal with in the classroom in the future."
"Perhaps Love, but these aren't things we can control in the present and can only wait to watch them unfold with time. Now, let's go to bed. We have a very long school year ahead of us, and we will make the most of the rest while we can," Marvolo s
aid, pulling Severus into the bedroom for the night, unaware of the changes to come.
TO BE CONTINUED