FIC: Stand Against the Moon ~ Harry Potter ~ Chapter 10/12 ~ Harry/Voldemort

[batsutousai]

Title: Stand Against the Moon
Fandom: Harry Potter
Author: Batsutousai
Rating: Mature
Pairing: Harry Potter/Lord Voldemort
Warnings: Violence, character death, Dark!Harry, werewolf!Harry, AU, ending of questionable happiness, underage sexual relationship (depending on the way you tilt your head)
Summary: Cursed against his will, Harry made the best of his life until he found himself, again, wandering in Death's realm. When Death offers him a second chance, a chance to right the wrongs he'd been blind to for too long, he can't possibly refuse.

A/N: Went back and forth a few times in regards to the final scene in this chapter and whether or not it would include a kiss. Set everything up for it, then ended up not, mostly because Harry and Tom sort of need to talk about this. Next chapter.

You'll be finding out, in this chapter, why I've been giggling stupidly over every review since chapter seven that's mentioned Snape.

-0-
Chapter Ten – Absence
-0-

Credit where credit was due, it only took Bill a month at Gringotts to figure out Harry had no intention in creating equality between humans and non-humans. (Riddle had been hanging out at Bloody Eyetooth once a month for almost two years, off and on, and if he'd cottoned on, he'd kept mum on the subject.)

Bill chose Harry's own home as the theatre for his complaint, apparating to the front stoop and walking right in, since it had long been made clear to him that he was welcome to do so. He found Harry in the living room, curled up on one end of the couch with a muggle fiction book that Mitchell had got for free from his job at the bookshop because the cover had come ripped. (The werewolf had said it was worth a laugh, and while Harry had certainly laughed, he'd also found himself enjoying the book; it wasn't hard for him to relate to a main character who had the fate of his world resting on his shoulders, after all.)

"Harry?" Bill called, announcing his presence, though Harry had known who it was the moment he'd entered the house, plenty familiar with Bill's scent. "Can I talk to you?"

Harry took a moment to find his bookmark in the couch cushions – he really needed to find a better place to put the bloody thing than in his lap, especially since he tended to shift as he read – then turned his attention towards the older wizard. Only for Sirius to poke his head in the doorway, saying, "Hey, thought I heard– Oh, hi, Bill."

Bill's hands clenched around the chair he'd come to a stop behind and he threw a strained smile over his shoulder. "Hey, Sirius."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, that does not look like a good expression. Does that look like a good expression?" he asked Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Piss of, Sirius. Bill, why don't you sit down? You look distinctly unwell, and I'm not much up for your mum rushing over because something happened to you."

Sirius vanished from the doorway, but Harry knew he hadn't left human hearing-range of the living room, obviously curious about what had Bill over without warning.

Bill dropped heavily into the chair and sighed, looking stressed. "I overheard a conversation between a couple of the goblins today which...well, it made me a bit...uncertain."

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "You are being unusually delicate about this," he commented when Bill didn't continue immediately. "What could the goblins have possibly said to have you so off?"

Bill took a deep breath, then burst out, "They seem to think your plan is to crush humanity under your boot!"

There was a moment of silence while Harry's other eyebrow reached the first, then Sirius started laughing out in the hallway.

"I'm pretty sure," Harry commented, "that I don't have boots big enough to accomplish that particular feat." Sirius let out an amused howl. "Pun unintended. Sirius! Either piss off properly or get your arse in here, you bloody loon!"

Sirius, wisely, moved off down the hall, laughing all the way.

"Harry," Bill whispered, looking hurt, "whatever happened to equality between humans and non-humans?"

Harry put on his most childish expression – difficult, now he looked Hogwarts age – and innocently asked, "What's equality?"

Bill flinched and looked away.

Harry sighed and sat his book down on the cushion next to him before sliding forward to plant his feet on the floor. "William," he called seriously, using Bill's full name to make him look up, "I need you to do something for me. I need you to look at everything you know about our world – about humans and non-humans both – and then I need you to tell me how a truly equal society is going to work."

Bill closed his eyes and swallowed. "So you're intending to turn the tables."

"Yes."

"And what about us humans, then?" Bill threw out, eyes bright with tears. "What about me? And Sirius? Do we not matter to you?!"

Harry tilted his head to one side. "It's a funny thing, the space between humans and non-humans," he commented. "A human can become a non-human, but there's no way to work it the other way around."

"So you're saying we'd all need to become werewolves or vampires?"

"No." Harry sighed and shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm saying. Sirius is fully intending to embrace vampirism once he no longer has to be human to retain custody of me, but making the switch to non-human isn't for everyone, and I accept that." He snorted. "Though, really, British wizards are so stuck on becoming an animal once a month or being forced to subsist on blood, they don't realise there are worse non-humans to be turned into."

That seemed to catch Bill off guard. "What? No, but, vampires and werewolves are the only non-humans capable of expanding their number via bite."

"True," Harry agreed. "However, the American wendigo is a spirit which possesses a human who has partaken of human flesh and changes them to become non-human. Cannibals, though that could be considered debatable, since they eat humans."

Bill looked honestly horrified. "That is–"

"Revolting, I know," Harry agreed, nodding. "But that's not the issue at hand, is it?" He sighed. "Yes, Bill, my intention is the returned dominion of non-humans, with magical humans serving as the lesser species. Even though that means I am likely to see those humans I count among my friends either dead or treated as humanity has so kindly treated my kind over the millennia. And I'm honestly sorry for that, but there is no other way."

Bill closed his eyes. "You're not just going to let things lie," he guessed.

Harry let out a laugh, and it was tired and broken, a man who had fought too long against inequality. "Bill," he said quietly, "last summer, I had to go to the International Confederation of Wizards and tell them about some of the werewolves I know to keep them from passing a law that would disallow my way houses in London."

Bill stared at him. "When did– Why–?"

"Why didn't I tell you?" Harry guessed, and Bill nodded. "What could you have done about it? We won, but the fact that I had to go at all tells me a thousand times over that something has to be done. And it's not the fair way, no, but life isn't fair. My people have been ground to the dirt for too long, and even if there wasn't a prophecy hanging over my head saying this was my path in life, I'd still have put everything on the line to see non-humans rising up at last. Because that is their right. They've suffered for this – blood, sweat, and tears – for thousands of years. You and I, we're but infants in this conflict, stepping in just in time to watch it all come to a head; what right do we have to hold back a revolution that has been growing for so long?"

Bill offered him a smile, that of a man who had finally seen the weight another carried. "And you'll be right at the head, won't you?"

Harry smiled back. "Seems so. Guess that means I'll die quick if it blows up in my face." He sighed and leaned back. "Look, this is hardly something that's going to happen overnight. You're in a singular position, among humans, sitting in the heart of the goblin nation and sharing in my trust, in as much as I trust anyone–"

"Even Sirius and Remus?" Bill asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him, a silent 'What do you think?' and Bill grimaced, because he'd been there, four years ago, when Sirius had first found out what Harry was. "You'll know when whatever happens happens. Likely, you'll have some level of protection from things, but I can't promise you anything. I really can't promise anything about your family, because while I honestly believe they're good people, I don't have a lot of say in who gets what punishment for the crimes of their ancestors. More to the point, your father works for the Ministry, and I don't expect many Ministry personnel to survive."

Bill let out a choked noise. "You're saying I have to sit back and watch my father die?" he whispered.

Harry glanced to the side, forcing his expression to remain firm, neutral, then met Bill's heartbroken stare and stated, "Yes. And, should any of your family decide to fight against the non-humans, you will watch them die as well."

Bill abruptly stood and walked out of the house, the crack of apparation from the stoop signalling he'd left for good.

Harry sighed and slumped back against the couch, rubbing fiercely at his eyes. He wished, above all else, that he could have protected the Weasleys. Them and Hermione and Neville and Luna. Because they were his friends, his family. They were pack, even though Hermione had no clue he existed, Neville and he had never met, Luna was but a passing acquaintance, and most of the younger Weasleys drove him completely insane.

"Pup?" Sirius asked from the doorway.

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but the 'Give me a minute' got stuck in his throat, and so did the 'I'm fine' that followed, so he settled on, "I need a hug," and that must have come out just fine, because Sirius dropped onto the couch next to him and pulled him against his chest, arms wrapping as tightly around Harry as the first time.

As long as this didn't change, Harry was certain he could face down any heartbreak to come.

-0-

Bill didn't talk to Harry again until December, coming into the Bloody Eyetooth with a couple of goblins. Harry was in the middle of a heated debate about how to open your presents – whether to rip the wrapping paper all to hell or take it off carefully and save it to use again later – at a table of various werefolk, so he didn't notice Bill had entered the pub until everyone around him had gone silent. He turned to look then, finding the two goblins – Rockun and Gornuk – glaring at the crowd.

"Bill!" he called and the only human – Riddle had again begged off, likely afraid Harry would give him a gift in person – in residence jumped. "Help me out here! Unwrapping presents: Rip the paper or open it carefully."

Bill blinked a couple times, then offered a helpless smile and said, "Sorry, Growly, but I'm going to have to say rip it."

Harry groaned, then turned and pointed at his opponent, a werelynx named Letty, and stated, "You win this round, feline, but don't expect me to capitulate so easily next time."

Letty offered him a bright smile. "I look forward to your future defeat, Alpha."

Harry wiggled a finger at her, then stood and ruffled the hair of the werewolf who'd been sitting next to him before walking over to the trio standing tensely by the door. "Rockun, Gornuk, always a pleasure. Hi, Bill. Welcome to my stomping grounds."

"I'm pretty sure you mean the grounds where you get stomped," Bill returned easily while the two goblins inclined their heads in greeting.

Harry laughed, and the tension in the pub decreased dramatically. "Here, come sit with me," he directed, motioning towards the bar. "The house-elves here, Shrill and Bipdey, make the most amazing chocolate biscuits. If you could marry biscuits, I would marry them."

Bill snorted. "I suspect eating any, at that point, would be homicide."

"Would that be mariticide or uxoricide?" Harry wondered a bit inanely before he grimaced. "Bollocks. You may be right." He shook his head and flashed a smile at Carmilla, who was on her usual stool, as he slid into place next to her, Bill talking Riddle's empty stool to his other side. "My Lady, may I introduce my dear friend, Mr William Weasley. Bill, this is Countess Carmilla Sanguina, my right hand vampire."

"A pleasure, Mr Weasley," Carmilla murmured with her best smouldering gaze.

Bill gave an uncertain cough. "Erm, no, please. Pleasure's all mine."

Carmilla hummed and kissed Harry's cheek. "He's certainly the most polite human you've brought."

Harry snorted. "I'm sorry, are you comparing Bill to Sirius?"

Carmilla let out a light laugh. "Ah, yes. I forget how low the bar is set, given they're all so...edible."

Bill's swallow was audible.

Harry bit back a laugh and reached for the plate of biscuits that had appeared in front of him, sliding them to the side so Bill could take some. "Here. Have one, seriously."

Bill picked one up and took a careful bite. His eyes widened almost immediately and he held his hand in front of his mouth and exclaimed, "This is where you're been getting these things! Do you have any idea how hard Mum's been working to replicate them after that one time you brought some back?"

Harry couldn't quite stop the giggle that slipped between his teeth and he leaned forward to hide his face against the bar for a bit of helpless laughter.

Edmund snorted as he set two bottles of butterbeer on the bar top between Bill and Harry. "You have no bloody clue how long my Lord has been trying to get Shrill or Bipdey to pass the recipe on to his house-elves."

Bill reached over and rubbed at the top of Harry's head, pulling his hair out of the tie he'd taken to using to keep it out of his face, since that was easier than keeping up with its enhanced growing. "Only you, Growly."

"Aww, Bill," Harry complained, tugging the tie out and trying to finger-comb it back into place. "Can't you just tug on the ponytail like Sirius does?"

Bill very visibly considered that while he swallowed a sip of butterbeer. "Mmm, no. Sorry, kid, but that's not a habit I can break."

Harry huffed and let his hair go as he finished tying it off again.

"You know," Bill mused, "you're not looking much like a kid any more. In fact, you look rather more Fred and George's age than Ronnie's."

Harry put on an innocent expression. "Do I?"

Bill narrowed his eyes and gave him a once-over, then let out a snort. "Alright, Growly, what did you do?"

"Ritual to speed up my ageing," Harry admitted while Carmilla chuckled on his other side. "Almost two years ago, now. You're the first person who sees me even semi-regularly who's cottoned on yet. Well, save my Lady and Tom, but Tom saw it in the book and my Lady was here when he saw." Carmilla had actually had to ask about the ritual after Riddle had stormed out, but it was around the same time period.

Bill shook his head. "Sirius and Remus haven't caught on yet?"

"Nah. If either of them ever came with when I went over to the Burrow, they might figure it out, but the only people they ever see me with is other adults. Even Remus has stopped coming with when Norman has flowers to deliver to Hogwarts."

Bill frowned. "What have you got him doing?" he asked, rightfully guessing Remus' absence was Harry's fault.

"Oh, he's my official envoy with some allies of mine who are better off not knowing who I am." The Death Eaters, he meant. As soon as Riddle admitted he was having trouble collecting all the reports from his people, since he was out of the country so often, back in May, Harry had suggested Remus act as a sort of second. Unofficially, he was Harry's man in the Death Eaters, reporting on their activities and any new members. Officially, he answered only to Riddle, though Harry suspected Riddle knew Remus was playing spy for him and let him get away with it just because he was hardly Harry's only source.

"Oh, which allies?" Bill asked, voice too casual.

Harry grimaced and eyed him a bit uncertainly. "I'm not sure I should tell you. You'll probably storm out on me again."

Bill grimaced himself. "I'm sorry about that, Harry," he offered quietly. "I shouldn't have–"

Harry waved it away. "You had every right. I apologise for being purposefully callous in order to get a response."

"Yeah," Bill sighed. "After I calmed down, I realised that's probably what you were doing. Blazing sign on the side of the road, 'Turn back now! Danger ahead!' "

Harry snorted and grabbed a biscuit.

Bill draped an arm around Harry's shoulders and pulled him close. "And then it occurred to me that you've known this all along, and instead of writing my family and I off right away, you kept coming over and getting close. So I expect I'm not the only one who's waiting with dread for the axe to fall."

Harry offered him a tired smile. "You're not wrong," he admitted quietly.

Bill squeezed his shoulders once before drawing away. "Right. Who's this ally I'm not going to like?" he asked before biting into another biscuit.

Harry eyed him for a moment, weighing his options, before admitting that Bill was going to find out sooner or later, and it was probably best to do it when Riddle was away. "Voldemort."

Bill performed the expected jump at the forbidden name, then turned wide eyes on Harry and breathed, "What?"

Harry shrugged. "I needed someone to take out the Ministry, and Voldemort popped out of the woodwork, so I figured I'd let him do it for me. Once he's smashed the current opposition, thinking the non-humans his unquestioning allies, we turn around and kill him and his."

"...how did I miss how bloodthirsty you are?" was Bill's eventual response.

Harry shrugged. "Until recently, you thought I was planning something fairly bloodless. Incidentally, I'm actually a bit of a psychopath."

"That would explain why you so enjoy riling the Dark Lord," Carmilla remarked drily.

"You know, if he would stop getting insulted at the drop of a hat, it wouldn't be nearly as attractive a pastime," Harry pointed out, rolling his eyes. "I mean, for fuck's sake, he starts threatening murder any time I even hint I know his birth name. And Merlin forbid I touch him again or send him a birthday present."

Carmilla turned away to hide a smile while Bill just burst out laughing, the sound strained.

Harry let out an unnecessarily explosive sigh. "I swear, the man was a cactus in his last life. It's the only explanation."

"How are you still alive?" Bill asked, more than a little disbelieving.

Harry grinned. "Excellent reflexes. Also, a habit of only ever meeting with him while surrounded by my people."

Bill shook his head and turned back to his biscuits.

Which was pretty much how Harry got Bill back as his best friend.

-0-

"How old are you now?" Riddle asked as he slid onto his stool next to Harry in July, looking haggard. He'd been missing the past four months, and if not for Remus' assurances that he was still trading owls with the Dark Lord, Harry might have seriously gone looking for him.

Harry considered the Dark Lord for a moment before deciding not to play games and saying, "Fourteen-ish. By the way, Remus finally clued in while you were gone. He and Sirius had words for me."

Riddle snorted and offered Richard a grateful nod when the werewolf set a glass of pumpkin juice down in front of him. "Did you admit where the ritual had come from?"

"Are you kidding? Hell, no! I claimed I borrowed a book from you that it was in. And, no, I don't remember what the book was."

"So glad I could serve as your accomplice in lying to your guardians," Riddle muttered into his glass, though it was clear he was amused. "Anything else I missed?"

"Some pack fuck-ups, a minor verbal skirmish between the goblins and the Ministry, and Karkaroff trying a runner a couple weeks ago, which Erica handled without any trouble. She said she sent an owl off to you about it, but knowing how much trouble you've been having staying in contact with Remus, I told her I'd make sure you knew."

Riddle nodded. "I had seen that, yes, but thank you. There's not much I can do about him right now, other than dropping by Durmstrang and Crucioing him a bit more." He shot Harry a speculative look. "You look old enough, you could probably go out there and put the fear of an angry Lord into him for me."

Harry snorted. "I'll see where we stand once term starts back up, get another couple months of growing under my belt."

"If anyone else said that..." Riddle muttered, shaking his head, and Harry laughed. "Anything interesting come from the Ministry and Gringotts butting heads?"

Harry knew his expression had tightened, but he honestly couldn't help it, still pissed off on the goblins' behalf that the humans had tried turning a minor dispute between one teller and an undersecretary into a reason to fine the goblins heavily and reword the contract between them. The latter had been avoided, barely, by a couple of goblins being smart and suggesting they use their human employees to reply, making the issue between humans and humans, rather than between humans and goblins, but they hadn't been able to duck the fine. "No," he managed, looking away and trying to get his voice under control. "Some bruised pride on the Ministry's behalf."

Riddle was quiet for a moment, then he asked, "And the goblins?"

Harry closed his eyes, forcing out a slow breath. "It's fine. I handled it." And he had, by refunding the goblins from his own vaults. Ostensibly for not jump-starting the brewing war by being stubborn.

Riddle sighed and didn't pursue the matter, instead turning to discussing all the work he'd been doing making allies in Central and Southern America. He got side-tracked mentioning a couple of Mayan temples he'd apparently spent a week hunting through, and Harry shortly found himself staring down at a rough copy of what Riddle'd thought were spells and took rubbings of from the walls of a large room that had required magic to get into.

"I can't read them," Riddle admitted, sounding honestly disgusted with himself for not being able to understand a dead language, "but I recalled someone saying something about understanding every language, so..."

"This is a spell," Harry agreed, wandlessly summoning a muggle biro and marking off a grouping of symbols. "Looks like a light spell, like Lumos, but I'd have to cast it to be sure."

"Any others?" Riddle asked, leaning closer to Harry.

Harry nodded a bit absently as he marked off each of the spells. "They all look like they're fairly low-level. Maybe it was a school at some point?"

"Or a classroom of some sort specific to magic users," Riddle agreed before tapping the symbols between Harry's groupings. "And these?"

Harry considered them for a moment, tilting his head as he turned the translations his Death-based skills provided over in his mind. "Linking words, I believe. Or possibly a guide of where to put emphasis, now that I think of it."

"You don't just know?" Riddle asked, clearly entertained at the idea.

"Knowing what the words mean doesn't, necessarily, mean I know what they parse together as in this context. I mean, the fact that they used symbols is, in itself, a complication. That they seemed to use some sort of butchered form of a couple of different regional languages to create the spells makes it more interesting."

"Don't strain yourself, Sol."

"Shut up." Harry nodded to himself and sat back. "Yeah, emphasis and pronunciation guide. Merlin, the Mayans were little bastards, weren't they?"

Riddle laughed and reached over to tap the parchment with the rubbings with his wand, making an exact copy. "Once you've figured out the phonetics and what each spell is for, feel free to share them."

Harry snorted and started rolling up his copy. "Planning to befuddle modern wizards by shouting at them in ancient languages?"

"As an attack plan, it's not a terrible one," Riddle insisted. "I mean, your average Hogwarts-learned witch or wizard will just sort of stare, uncomprehending."

"Or assume you're blabbering nonsense to distract them and get the hell out of your way," Harry added before rolling his eyes. "No, wait, you're right. I'm giving magical humans too much credit."

"Magical human," Riddle reminded him, pointing at himself.

Harry nodded. "And you have your moments. I'd go listing them, but I'm not much inclined to have you sulking off like a sullen child when you're only just back."

Riddle scowled at him. "Excuse me, P– Sol, but which of us is the child?"

They were interrupted by dinner appearing in front of both of them, wafting delicious scents up at them.

Riddle's stomach let out a snarl and he grimaced even as he grabbed for his silverware and started after his food. After a couple bites, he sighed and whispered, "I missed pub food."

Harry smiled to himself and sent a mental congratulations to the two house-elves in the kitchen.

Harry was just finishing his meal when the door to Knockturn opened. He glanced up a bit reflexively, only to freeze when he recognised the man who was just stepping in, blinking rapidly against the change in light quality, given that it had been unusually sunny of late and the pub was always kept dark in deference to its non-human clients and proprietors. "Well," he murmured to Riddle, "this is about to turn a little awkward."

Riddle glanced up and paused, staring at the dour man who was squinting around the pub, eyes clearly still trying to adjust. The Dark Lord's mouth curled up in a cruel little smile and he called, "Severus, this is a surprise."

Snape stiffened, his eyes immediately coming to rest on Riddle. He swallowed a couple times, still blinking a bit too often from the darkness inside the pub, and cautiously asked, "M-My Lord?"

"Very good, Severus," Riddle agreed with a tolerant smile. "Come sit with me, won't you?" He turned to Harry as Snape started over, the potions maker looking a bit like he was going to his death. :Should we just kill him now, do you think?: Riddle asked, and Snape stiffened even more, though Harry hadn't thought it would be possible.

Harry raised an eyebrow. :Oh, are you actually asking me? How unlike you.:

Snape very subtly tried to lean forward and see Harry around Riddle. Harry, refusing to make it easy for him, absently tugged his hair out of its tie and set about fussing with it to hide his face.

:Since you suggested he would be your victim at some later point, I figured I'd give you the option now,: Riddle replied with a careless shrug. :But if you don't care...:

"Hm." Harry slipped smoothly from his stool and stepped around Riddle to Snape's other side while he tied his hair back up. Then he raised his head and flashed the professor a too-sharp smile. "Hello, Professor."

Snape's eyes went wide and his head went back and forth between Riddle's casually amused form on one side of him and Harry's wolfish grin on the other. Finally, he focussed on Harry, took in the sharpness of his teeth and his eyes, which had almost certainly turned gold, and spat, "I knew that werewolf–"

Harry very casually grabbed Snape by the nape and flung him backwards, patrons ducking as he sailed over their heads and slammed into the far wall. "Yeah," Harry said, trying not to sound irritated, "I knew it wouldn't take him long to piss me off."

"Temper, Sol," Riddle commented with a chuckle.

"Pot, kettle, Voldemort," Harry returned as he started towards where Snape was attempting to get to his feet, one arm held tight against his chest like either it or his ribs were broken. "You know," Harry said a bit conversationally, "if you hadn't started in on Remus first thing–" a couple of the werefolk around him let out a low growl, plenty of them fond of Harry's guardian "–I might have been willing to let you live. Play spy against Dumbledore for a bit, maybe, if we could find some way to guarantee your loyalty. But no, you had to go there."

"Potter," Snape hissed, keeping his voice low, likely to keep Riddle from hearing, "whatever he's promised you, whatever–"

Harry smiled, teeth showing, and reached up to pat the professor's cheek. "I love how you people seem to think that, because I'm not quite ten, I'm the nice one. Sadly, for you at least–" Harry took a gentle hold of Snape's head, watching the terror bloom in his eyes "–I might actually be worse than him." Then he spun Snape's head, snapping his neck.

Harry dragged Snape's body over to the corner near the door that he usually opened a doorway to the Realm of Death in when he was using it as a means of travel and opened said doorway. He took a moment to search Snape's body, pocketing a few potions vials, a portkey, and the man's wand, then tossed his lifeless body through the doorway and let it close.

"I'm pretty sure that wasn't intended as an easy way to hide bodies," Riddle commented as Harry returned to his stool.

Harry shrugged. "If Death has an issue with my bad habit, he'll let me know. As it is, it's efficient, untraceable, and the bodies don't seem to turn back up anywhere, so I'll keep using it."

Riddle shrugged. "It should be amusing to watch Dumbledore become more and more distressed by his lack of potions professor."

"It's a pity we don't have anyone in the school," Harry commented with a vague shrug. "I expect he'll go after Slughorn next, drag the man out of retirement."

Riddle looked almost concerned for a moment before he let out an irritated laugh. "You have them. Of course."

Harry tilted his head and considered that for a moment. "Oh, your treasures. Yes. Well, except for the locket and whatever other one I assume you've since created."

Riddle eyed him strangely for a moment. "I didn't."

Harry blinked at that. 'Death?'

"He didn't," Death agreed. "He has noticed the difference in his thought processes between now and before he attacked you, and decided not to, as it were, 'mess with a good thing'. Also, he is of the rather mistaken impression that you wouldn't chance harming the Stone to take out the ring."

Harry gave an absent nod. "Then, yes, all but the locket, so I wouldn't be concerned about whatever information Dumbledore might or mightn't glean from Slughorn's mind."

"There are times, Sol, when I wonder how you can possibly know the things you know."

"Then you remember my favourite source?"

Riddle grimaced and picked up his pumpkin juice. "Yes, that's rather the way of it," he agreed before taking a drink, then returned to discussing his trip.

-0-

"You know," Harry said when Riddle slid into the stool next to him in December, looking far less tired than he had the previous month, when he'd come back from another multi-month trip, "if I didn't know better, I'd think Lucius doesn't like you."

Riddle shot him a suspicious look. "Why? Has your werewolf forgotten to mention something that he's done in regards to me?"

Harry blinked. "Of course you've been out of the country again," he muttered to himself before pulling out the invitation that had arrived for him almost two weeks ago, for a New Year's Party at Malfoy Manor. There were directions inside, requesting that Sirius be left at home, where he couldn't cause any international incidents – clearly, Lucius had learnt that lesson – but also a request that he please bring someone who could serve as a proper chaperone, no matter how mature Harry appeared and acted – which sounded like Narcissa, honestly. The party was, of course, on the thirty-first, which happened to be both Riddle's birthday and the full moon.

Riddle grimaced in distaste and handed the invitation back. "No presents, Sol," he insisted.

"You don't like them?" Harry asked, putting on a sad face.

Riddle sighed and closed his eyes. "No presents," he said again. Which meant, Harry figured, that, yes, Riddle enjoyed them, he was just trying to be a proper Dark Lord about his birthday.

"I make no promises," he decided and Riddle sighed before asking about any updates that Remus hadn't relayed.

-0-

Narcissa met them in the entrance hall, this time fashionably on time, and raised an eyebrow at Harry's escort.

"The invitation only said I shouldn't bring Sirius," Harry pointed out with an obnoxious grin.

Narcissa looked Bill over, then sighed. "True," she allowed before leading them into the ballroom. They were again required to walk through the anti-disguise ward, this time with no comments, then left to themselves as Narcissa returned to show more guests in.

Riddle wasn't hard to find, as most people were still arriving, and Harry made a beeline for him. "Hello, Tom," he called, since the Dark Lord's back was turned to him.

Riddle let out a sigh that made it clear he knew exactly who was behind him and turned around with a resigned expression. When he saw Harry's chaperone, his eyebrows went up. "Potter."

"So this is the 'Tom' you occasionally mention?" Bill asked, eyeing Riddle like he was trying to dissect him.

Harry snapped his fingers. "Right, you two haven't, actually, been introduced. Tom, you have got to stop being out of the country on the new moons," he complained, earning him an unimpressed stare from Riddle. "Bill Weasley, meet Thomas Gaunt, also known as that particular ally that Remus is assisting."

Bill's eyes went wide and he looked between Harry and Riddle a couple times before rubbing at his eyes and muttering, "I need a drink," and walking towards the alcoholic offerings.

Harry looked after him for a moment before glancing back at Riddle. "I promise he's usually a bit more open-minded about things."

"A Weasley, Potter," Riddle insisted.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Good Merlin, you're nearly as bad as Lucius. Really, Tom."

Lucius, in fact, chose that moment to approach them, looking vaguely concerned. "Mr Gaunt, Mr Potter," he greeted them.

"Mr Malfoy," Harry replied with an easy smile. "Thank you for the invite, by the way. Clearly as unnecessary as two years ago, but I understand some people are a little nervous because of my growth spurt."

Lucius looked at him as though he was more than a little mad. "Yes, Mr Potter," he deadpanned, " 'growth spurt' is clearly the word for you appearing to go from nine to–" he waved a hand at Harry's sixteen-year-old form "–fifteen in two years."

Harry's smiled brightened. "Oh, good! Someone finally believes me!" He looked at Riddle, who looked distinctly amused by the faint noise of disbelief Lucius let out. "Can you believe it, Tom? Most people think I used a ritual or some such. Which is absolute bollocks. I mean, I live with an auror. In what universe would I be stupid enough to do a ritual requiring a living sacrifice under his roof?"

Riddle snorted. "Did you actually do the ritual under his roof?" he asked while Lucius choked.

Harry tilted his head in thought. "Depends on how you look at it," he decided. "The doorway I walked through was in my room, but I wasn't, technically, under his roof when I did anything."

Riddle raised his eyebrows. "Was that...wise?" he asked, and Harry knew he meant to ask if it had been wise to perform the ritual in the Realm of Death.

"My absolute favourite source suggested it would be."

Riddle scowled and let out a huff at the mention of Death, then looked at his disbelieving Death Eater. "You're dismissed, Lucius. I've no intentions to kill Potter tonight, so you can cease with your concern as to his wellbeing."

"To be fair," Harry commented once Lucius had ducked his head and started away, "you're not particularly well-known for keeping a level head when someone pisses you off. Which I–"

"Have turned into an art form?"

Harry considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Rather. Are you going to show me around to all those new allies you've been collecting this year?"

Riddle snorted. "Are you going to play the idiot...what are you, officially, ten?"

Harry rubbed his nose. "Mmhmm. Ten. I don't know. Precocious eight-year-old was one thing, especially when I could still almost pass for eight, but multi-lingual, genius ten-year-old who looks sixteen? After two years?"

Riddle closed his eyes and rubbed at them. "Potter, people already half suspect you either got your hands on a potion of some sort or had an accident with time. At any rate, I refuse to continue dumbing myself down to whatever level of knowledge you're playing at today. It was tedious two years ago; I may actually kill you if you make me do so again this year."

Harry snorted. "Oh, very well. But only because it's your birthday."

Riddle twitched, then shot him a suspicious look. "This present I'll accept," he decided.

Harry laughed and waved for Riddle to lead the way.

They'd made the rounds after a couple of hours, chatting politely with everyone Riddle knew who was there, as well as a few people who approached them because of Harry, which Riddle seemed to appreciate. Harry avoided pretending with his intelligence, which threw more than a few representatives and Ministry officials, but it kept Riddle happy, so Harry decided to ignore the politicians' discomfort.

At one point, Harry left to use the loo and collect a drink for himself. When he returned, he found Bill facing off across from Riddle, both of them stiff. "–see him hurt," Bill was saying as Harry got close enough for his sensitive ears to discern their conversation. "So whatever your intentions towards him are–"

"I believe, Weasley, that you have entirely the wrong impression about Potter and my–"

"Relationship?" Bill snapped out. "Cut the crap. I have eyes, and I've been watching the two of you all night. He has no fucking clue that you've been stringing him alo–"

"Excuse me?" Riddle hissed as Harry's eyes widened, his mind going back over the night against his will. Analysing every smile – false and real – every moment they bumped shoulders, every time Riddle introduced him to someone new, the glint in his eyes every time Harry proved exactly how intelligent he was.

Approval, yes, even fondness, but...what Bill seemed to be suggesting?

"The boy is ten, no matter how he looks," Riddle insisted.

Bill laughed. "You actually have no idea, do you? You should ask him, one of these days, how he was cursed."

"And I suppose you know, do you?"

Bill shook his head. "All of it? Merlin, no. Harry keeps his secrets so close to his chest, I doubt anyone knows all of them. Certainly not me, and clearly not you." He glanced up, then, by chance, and spotted Harry. He looked vaguely panicked for a moment before putting on a cheerful smile and waving.

Harry started forward again as Riddle turned, pasting an obnoxious smile on his face. "Hi, kids! You been behaving without me?"

Bill snorted and moved like he was going to screw with Harry's hair, but he glared until the young man tugged lightly on his ponytail, instead. "Hey, Growly. Tom and I were just talking about the politics of goblins. Inexplicably, I turned into something of an expert when I wasn't looking."

"Do the goblins know you're going around telling stories about them?" Harry wondered teasingly.

Bill pinned Harry with a pointed look. "I expect so." His stare eased. "Actually, vaguely related, I'm expected in tomorrow, though I can probably wrangle an excuse by blaming you; did you want to stay until midnight, or are you ready to scoot?"

Harry considered that for a moment, eyes drifting inexplicably towards Riddle, who was very pointedly not looking at him. It hurt for a moment, that avoidance, not unlike the flicker of disappointment he'd felt every time Riddle hadn't shown up at the new moon.

And, clearly, what he'd overheard between Bill and Riddle was screwing with his head. He needed to spend time with his pack; that would help order his thoughts.

So he nodded. "We can go early. I'd much prefer not having goblins knocking on my door because you're using my name in vain with them." Bill snorted and Harry turned to Riddle. "Tom?"

"Potter?" Riddle returned, voice and bearing as stiff as it had been with Bill, and nothing at all like the relaxed stance Harry was used to.

Harry clenched his hand into a fist, shoving it into a pocket in case he accidentally grew claws, and smiled brightly at him. "It seems we're off. I'll see you in a few weeks?"

Riddle glanced away. "Perhaps."

Harry felt something trickling across his palm and realised that, yes, he'd stabbed himself with his claws. Unfortunate. "I see," he allowed, and the words sounded weird coming out, not quite as cheerful as he'd intended. He turned away so he didn't have to see Riddle any more. "Happy birthday, Tom," he offered before jerking his head for Bill to lead the way through the crowd towards the doors.

Back at home, Harry allowed himself a moment of pique by pulling the diadem out of its case and throwing it against the wall, then put it away and left to check on his pack.

Like a Ghost in My Town Series:
Stand Against the Moon Chapters:
Prologue - Like a Ghost in My Town
1 - Procuring Freedom | 2 - Exeunt From Hell, Stage Left | 3 - Never Quite Perfect
4 - Drop the Shades | 5 - The Little Victories | 6 - Uneasy Alliance
7 - Determining Boundaries | 8 - International Acclaim | 9 - Age of Mystery
10 - Absence | 11 - Eye of the Storm | 12 - No Regrets
Nose to the Wind Chapters:
01 || 02 || 03 || 04 || 05 || 06 || 07 || 08 || 09 || 10
11 || 12 || 13 || 14 || 15 || 16 || 17 || 18 || 19 || 20
21 || 22 || 23 || 24 || 25 || 26 || 27

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