FIC: Xerosis -- Chapter Four, Part One -- T -- Voldemort/Harry

[batsutousai]

Title: Xerosis
Author: batsutousai
Beta: tsuki_no_suzu & magickmaker17
Rating: T
Pairings: Voldemort/Harry (post-Harry/Ginny)
Warnings: SLASH, AU, character death, super!Harry, Dark!Harry
Summary: Harry's world ends at the hands of those he'd once fought to save. An adult-Harry goes back to his younger self fic. Super!Harry

Disclaim Her: Did you hold your breath? If yes, why aren't you passed out on the floor? If no, enjoy the obnoxiously long chapter. O.o

A/N: If any of you wondered why I keep picking on Barty? He's Shara's second favourite Death Eater, after Sev, and since I was having such a time fitting Sev in anywhere... XD
So, yes, lots of Barty. Also, Lucius will be popping in and out a bit 'cause he's also fun.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORRIED ABOUT LUNA NOT BEING PROTECTED FROM VOLDIE: Go back and read the start of last chapter again. Specifically the list of ten students Harry protected.
Seriously. You lot are almost as bad as the people who keep asking what the pairing is going to be. *rolls eyes*


-0-0-0-
Armies of Robbers and Thieves
-0-0-0-

"Why are you stalking me again?" Harry asked as he gently patted down the fresh soil around the young blue rose vine.

The wizard hiding behind a nearby bush shifted nervously, but didn't answer.

Harry rolled his eyes and moved on to the cluster of daffodils. Strangely, he didn't much mind being stalked at the moment. Perhaps because there wasn't a single mundane living within almost two miles of the cottage. Then again, perhaps it was really because he'd gotten another wand from a nasty part-veela down in Knockturn just yesterday that fit him almost as well as his holly wand and he had it shoved in his back pocket.

"I suppose that why isn't really the question, knowing how hard-headed old Voldie can get," Harry said, smirking when he heard the surprised sound at the rude name for Voldemort. "The real question is, 'Why do you think you can actually hide from me'?" He grabbed a handful of dirt from the bucket at his side, then tossed it towards the hidden Death Eater.

"Bloody–!" Barty jumped to his feet, giving up all pretensions of hiding. "These are my best robes!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "If those are your best robes, you need to go shopping." He pulled off his gloves and swiftly got to his feet. "What does Voldemort want this time? Other than for me to send a Death Eater back in pieces."

Barty shuddered. "He just wants me keeping an eye on you. I honestly don't know why! Please don't kill me?" He turned wide, pitiful eyes on the boy.

Harry sighed and massaged his forehead. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today," he muttered. "Just don't let Sirius see you."

"I will be like a mouse, silent and completely beneath anyone's notice," Barty promised before crouching behind the bush again.

Harry sighed again, then pulled his gloves back on so he could return to his garden-tending. "You can't tell me that's comfortable."

"...I almost died in Azkaban," Barty reminded him, "and then I spent years under my father's Imperius. This isn't that bad, really."

Harry thought back to his months-long escape from the mundanes. "I suppose that's a good point."

They were both silent while Harry finished with his garden. As the boy was standing, Barty asked, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to get me a sandwich?"

Harry laughed and grabbed his bucket before walking inside, shaking his head.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Sirius asked, poking his head out of the living room. Harry heard the static from the telly and the quiet music he associated with a video game on pause.

"Crazy snake out in the garden," Harry replied cheerfully.

Sirius shuddered and ducked back into the living room.

Harry chuckled at his godfather's phobia and put his gardening things away in the hall closet before going into the kitchen. Barty's plea for food had reminded him that it was lunchtime and he could use some food himself. He threw together a couple sandwiches, grabbed a small handful of crisps from the opened bag on the counter and pulled out two bottles of water before making his way back outside. "Eating outside!" he called as he shuffled the food and drinks to open the front door.

"No snakes in the house!" Sirius called back.

Harry rolled his eyes and wandlessly summoned the door closed behind him once he was on the stoop. He made his way over to a tree that wasn't far from the bush Barty was hiding behind and relaxed against the trunk. "Sirius is currently being distracted by Solomon's Key 2, so you can come eat some if you'd like," Harry offered, picking up a sandwich.

Barty peeked out from behind the bush, looked around the property, then scuttled over to the tree.

Harry covered his mouth and tried really hard not to choke.

"Thanks," Barty mumbled, putting the tree between himself and the house as he grabbed a sandwich. When Harry held out one of the bottles of water, the man's face lit up and he left his sandwich on his knee in favour of the drink.

"You know, Voldie never did answer me at the Ball when I asked him how much longer he's planning to hide out for," Harry commented before popping a crisp in his mouth.

Barty's eyes flickered towards Harry before returning to his lunch. "He mentions breaking into Azkaban every once in a while, since most of our people are in there, but he's also been working on recruiting from the ex-students that weren't open to him during the last war. He's also trying to bring everyone back into the fold without alerting Dumbledore."

"Hm." Harry tapped his chin. "You were freed when your mother took your place, right?"

"Yeah." Barty shot him a suspicious look. "How do you know that, anyway?"

"I have mad skillz," Harry replied absently, still thinking. "I might have a way to break the Death Eaters out of Azkaban without anyone the wiser, but it'll take some time for me to set up."

"How much time?" Barty wondered.

"Mmm... Maybe two weeks? I can probably do it sooner than that, but I don't want to push my luck. For all that I get away with a lot around Sirius, he'll eventually notice my sneaking out to do naughty things." Harry flashed Barty a mad little smile.

Barty shuddered slightly. "Do you require assistance?"

"Voldie sent you to try and figure out my secrets, didn't he?" Harry wondered, having guessed that was the aim as soon as he sensed Barty behind the bush. When the Death Eater winced in response, Harry chuckled. "He's so predictable. No, you'd only get in my way. Tell your Lordship he needs to be more Slytherin than that to find anything out."

Barty sighed. "He's going to Crucio me again."

"You're the one who decided to work under a mad man."

"Says the equally mad child," Barty retorted.

Harry grinned. "Well, yes, but I don't toss around the Cruciatus like it's a sweet, either."

Barty snorted. "You're a little young to have mastered the Unforgivables."

"Hmm... Maybe," Harry replied knowingly, then asked, "Has he brought Snape back into the mix? I know he at least suspects something is up if his Mark is acting up, but has he been Called?"

Barty shot him another suspicious look. "You know a disturbing number of things for an almost-thirteen year old raised by muggles."

"I am a Ravenclaw," Harry reminded him.

Barty snorted, then shook his head. "My Lord is being careful about Snape, since it's a little hard to know for sure which side he's on."

"Good choice," Harry commented. "And he's on Dumbledore's side."

"There's no way you could know that for sure."

"I am omnipotent," Harry announced. "I know all things without question."

"You're full of shit."

"Yeah, I am," Harry agreed, smiling and wiggling to scratch an itch on his back with the tree trunk behind him. "Anyway, Snape had this crazy-mad crush on my mum, so he asked Voldie to spare her life. Now, Voldie tried, sure, but Mum wasn't the sort of person to just step to one side and let anyone kill her son, so he had to kill her. Snape thinks he was betrayed – and it's partially his fault, anyway, since he's the one that reported the bloody prophecy to Voldie in the first place – so he turned to Dumbledore who promised him retribution, forgiveness and a free pass out of Azkaban.

"Anyway, only two people alive know that Voldie tried to spare my mum, and he's not about to admit that he tried to spare a mudblood, and I'm not really on speaking terms with Snape. So he's still all betrayed and stuff. Probably best to just let him wonder what's going on for now."

Barty shook his head, a little disturbed. "You know, I don't think I want to know how you figure these things out, really. It'll probably scar me for life."

"Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger," Harry retorted.

"Harry! Phone!" Sirius shouted out the living room window.

Harry rolled his eyes and gathered the leftovers from lunch. "Tell Voldemort I'll come find him when everything is set up to get his people out of Azkaban. And if he sends you to stalk me again, do the smart thing and go torture a couple deserving mundanes instead," he told Barty before standing and making his way back into the cottage. "Who is it?" he yelled at Sirius.

"Terry!"

"Cool!" He ran through the front door and absently banished his dishes into the kitchen before bouncing into the living room to pick up the phone. "Hi! What's up?"

"How long can I stay at your place?" Terry whispered.

Harry's eyes narrowed, but he kept his voice light. "As long as you want, of course. Though if you try stealing the NES, Sirius might kick you out, but we've got a couple of brooms in the shed, so you could fly around the backyard until he calms down and lets you back inside. Oh! And there's the library, too. Sirius never goes in there unless he's desperate, so it's actually the quietest room in the house."

Terry let out a strained laugh. "Cool."

Harry dropped the easy-going act. "Is your trunk packed? I can send Sirius over to get you right now." He glanced over at his godfather and saw that Sirius had put down the game and was watching with a worried frown. He'd already heard stories about Terry's brother.

"Uhm, yeah, please?" Terry requested.

Harry nodded. "Where are you?"

"Neighbour's. Number twenty-six."

Harry glanced at Sirius. "Two doors over on the left," he directed, then turned back to the phone as Sirius apparated. "He'll be there directly."

"Thanks, Harry."

"Hey, that's what crazy friends are for," Harry replied with a smile before hanging up. Once the phone was back in the cradle, he growled a bit. Maybe he'd add Terry's brother to the mundanes he'd switch out with the Azkaban Death Eaters. A life sentence in that hell-hole sounded like a fantastic punishment for his friend's abusive older brother.

-0-

Harry knew from his previous life that there were approximately twenty Death Eaters locked up in Azkaban at this moment in time. He also knew there was a chance that some of the other prisoners might be inclined to escape, so he planned for about thirty mundanes, including Vernon Dursley, but not Terry's brother. He would suck the souls out of them – except for Vernon, his uncle could suffer the dementors – then set them up in an empty underground area he'd created out in the woods with enough food and water to stay alive for a couple weeks.

A potion that a Potions Master had created in his last life shortly before the Mundane-Magical War would enable them to change the appearance of the mundanes to that of the prisoners they'd be taking the place of. The potion's only real down-side was that there was no antidote to turn you back into your normal form, but that wouldn't be a problem here. The potion took a week to brew, then all it needed was a drop of blood from the person you were turning into.

Judicious use of his stolen time-turner allowed Harry to finish his preparations without either Terry or Sirius' knowledge. The only inkling that either of them got about Harry being up to no good was when he asked Terry if he'd be sad if his brother died. On one hand, Harry understood familial bonds, having raised a family of his own, but his mistreatment at the hands of his own mundane relatives made him understand that familial bonds weren't all that important in the grand scheme of things. But Terry still loved his brother on some level and didn't want the boy dead, so Harry had grudgingly decided to leave him alone. (Of course, the first time he heard even the slightest hint of real hatred in Terry's voice when he spoke of his brother, his life would be forfeit. It was just a matter of time.)

Harry's preparations were completed a few days before the two-week limit he'd given Barty, but Harry used his extra time to ensure everything would go well. He also enjoyed a few rounds of the Cruciatus cast on his uncle, revelling in his screams like he'd never done with any of his victims previously.

Finally, Harry's two weeks were up. He waited for his godfather and Terry to fall asleep – a dose of a sleeping draught in some fresh-baked cookies had helped – then turned his time-turner back three hours so he could have extra time to plan with the Dark Lord. He debated for a bit about who to go as, but eventually decided it would be easiest for everyone involved if he went as Xerosis. Voldemort already knew who he was and Barty would probably figure it out without too much trouble, but keeping Harry Potter's name away from this venture would be the safer course.

When Xerosis shadowed into Voldemort's dark room, the Dark Lord was meeting with a few of his minions. As he had before, Xerosis leaned back against the wall and waited for Voldemort to notice him.

It didn't take the man long, thankfully. "Xerosis, I was wondering if you would be joining us," he hissed, red eyes lighting up when they landed on the apparent vampire in the corner.

Xerosis stepped lightly from his corner and smirked. "I have thirty mundanes ready to take the places of any in Azkaban you want to free," he offered.

Voldemort nodded, looking pleased. "Excellent."

"Excuse me, my Lord?" Barty murmured, eyeing Xerosis suspiciously as the boy came to stand next to the Dark Lord's chair.

"Go on, Barty."

"How do you intend to keep the muggles from being discovered? Polyjuice only lasts an hour, and glamours can only stand up for so long."

Voldemort looked curiously at Xerosis, who only smirked a little wider at him and commented, "That's a secret, I'm afraid."

The Dark Lord scowled, which earned him a chuckle from the boy next to him, then hissed, "Boy–"

"It wouldn't be any use to you anyway," Xerosis allowed, "since the change is permanent. About the only thing it's good for is taking someone's place for the rest of your life."

"My Lord," Walden Macnair spoke up, "how will we know the muggles won't make a fuss? They're quite loud when they're scared, after all." He looked quite pleased at that comment, obviously being the sort to enjoy making them scared.

"I suppose you could say I've stolen their voices," Xerosis mused. "Well, one of them can still think for himself, as much as he ever could, but a silencing charm should keep him busy until we're finished. Once we're gone, it won't much matter what he says; the guards will think it just the mad ravings of a prisoner." He smiled widely, flashing his false fangs.

"Was there anything you didn't think of?" Barty wondered a bit sarcastically and Xerosis knew the man had figured out who he was.

"But of course. I haven't figured out how you're getting the prisoners off the island, what you'll do with them or even how we will be getting there to do the switch." He flashed a winning smile at Voldemort, who seemed more amused than irritated at the moment. "I thought I'd give you something to use your genius mind for."

"A compliment?" Voldemort replied. "How unlike you." Xerosis chuckled while the man stood. "Lucius, I trust you have the portkeys I requested?"

Lucius nodded as the three Death Eaters took their cue from the Dark Lord and also stood. "I have them in my pocket, my Lord."

"Excellent." Voldemort turned to the boy next to him. "Are you capable of apparating?"

"Yes. I assume we're going to the dock?" Xerosis replied. He noticed Barty twitch out of the corner of his eye and wasn't sure if it was due to the thought of returning to Azkaban, or the thought that a not-quite-thirteen-year-old could apparate and knew enough about Azkaban to safely apparate there.

"That's correct. Lucius?"

Lucius nodded and concentrated for a moment. They all felt the anti-apparation wards around the room fall and quickly apparated out.

Xerosis grimaced as he landed on the dock, already feeling the effects of the dementors. He tightened his Occlumency and glanced around at the others as Lucius finally showed up, having fixed the wards on the room before leaving himself. "How do you intend to move past the dementors?" he asked the Dark Lord as Barty let out a faint whimper.

Voldemort glanced at his people and sighed. "The dementors will answer to me, no question," he informed Harry as he absently called his patronus, a large snake. "The problem comes when you're attended by those who can't even stand to get close to them."

Xerosis shrugged and added his own patronus, a glowing owl. "If you want to take Macnair and deal with the dementors, I'll take Lucius and Barty and start trading the mundanes for the prisoners."

Voldemort eyed the two patroni as they shot glares at one another, then nodded and looked back at the Death Eaters. "Lucius, Barty, go with Xerosis and deal with the prisoners. Walden, you'll come with me to talk with the dementors."

Lucius cleared his throat. "My Lord, who will be in charge of our party?" he requested, glancing at the boy at the Dark Lord's side a bit uncomfortably.

Voldemort glanced at Xerosis as well and the boy met his look with a silent challenge: Would Voldemort allow him power over his people and claim Xerosis as his equal, or would he give in to his pride and give Lucius or Barty the position of power? "Xerosis will be in charge," Voldemort decided, turning back to Lucius so he wouldn't have to see the victory reflected in the pale eyes.

Lucius scowled, but one look at the apparent vampire's warning glare kept him from complaining.

The two groups separated, attended by their patroni as they made their ways into the prison proper. Xerosis' group only ran into one dementor and the owl patronus had let out a silent screech as it drove the Dark creature away.

Once Barty indicated they were approaching their destination, Xerosis stopped them. "Start gathering the prisoners up while I collect the mundanes. Don't start sending them back to the manor until I've returned." He shot Lucius a pointed look, familiar enough with the man's son to guess what he was thinking, then turned to his patronus. "Hedwig, love, stay here and keep the dementors away, okay?"

Hedwig nodded her head and circled the area, sharp eyes looking for a foe.

Xerosis shadowed to the area where he'd been keeping the mundanes and slipped a number of vials of the potion into his pocket before grabbing the two nearest mundanes and shadowing them back to Azkaban. He wasn't sure if Barty had been keeping an eye on Lucius or if the blond had simply decided it best to not test Xerosis' patience, but the prisoners were standing together in in middle of the hallway, quietly trading hugs with family who'd been out of reach for over ten years.

"Barty! Lucius!" Xerosis hissed and the two men slipped through the gathering and met up with him, both eyeing the dead-eyed mundanes warily. "Stay," he ordered the mundanes before letting go and reaching into his pocket for the potion and pulling out two vials. "One drop of blood, no more, no less, in each vial from the person they're turning into. Tell the mundanes to drink it and they will. Make sure they go back in the correct cell."

"Understood," both men agreed, so Xerosis handed over the vials, then shadowed back to get more.

Things continued smoothly until Xerosis finally picked out Vernon, who wasn't as afraid of Xerosis as he'd become of Harry. He tried snatching his arm away when Xerosis shadowed him, but the boy had a firm grip on Vernon's wrist and all that happened was he pulled his arm a bit. When they appeared in Azkaban, Vernon again tried getting away, only to run into Voldemort, who grabbed him by his fat neck and picked him off the floor with one hand.

"What have we here?" Voldemort wondered as Vernon silently gasped and struggled.

"A suicidal mundane," Xerosis replied, walking calmly over to Voldemort. "If you'll set him down?"

Voldemort shot the boy an amused look, but set Vernon down. "Are you sure he won't run again?" the Dark Lord asked while the mundane gasped for breath.

Xerosis pulled out his wand and pointed it at his uncle. "Vernon, I recall telling you to behave yourself," he commented. "Crucio." He held the curse for a long moment, then ordered, "Get up, you fat bastard."

Vernon gingerly climbed to his feet, little eyes flickering everywhere, but no one there looked interested in helping him.

Xerosis led Vernon over to one of the remaining wizards, got a drop of his blood, then handed the potion to Vernon. "It's not poisoned," he commented when the mundane refused to touch it. As Vernon took it, Xerosis added, "If you do anything other than swallow it, I will flay you alive."

Vernon swallowed nervously, but one look at the cold eyes told him he'd best behave, so he downed the potion with a grimace.

Xerosis nodded and directed Vernon to the cell the wizard had been in while Lucius handed the wizard a portkey. As the door of the cell fell closed, Vernon started changing and he let out a silent cry of agony as his bones shrank and his fat was burned away. When he was left gasping in pain, he glanced up at the entrance of his cell and found bright green eyes glowing down at him. "I hope you enjoy hell," the demonic boy offered before shadowing away to get another couple mundanes.

When they'd finished, Xerosis still had three mundanes left in his underground hole, but he'd thought that might happen and had set the place to fill in if he didn't visit for four days. Those mundanes would suffocate to death, not that they'd know, since there was nothing left to them.

Lucius and Macnair went back by the last portkey while Xerosis shadowed the Dark Lord and Barty back to the manor. Since the portkeys dropped them off downstairs where Narcissa had been waiting to receive their guests, the three wizards had a moment without Lucius or Macnair around.

Barty took full use of it, turning to Xerosis with a shrewd look. "What are you? Apparating? Casting the Cruciatus? Creating a whole new potion?"

"You're almost cute when you're upset, Barty," Xerosis replied, reaching up and patting the Death Eater's cheek. "I'm completely human."

"You can't possibly be human," Barty insisted. "You're twelve for Merlin's sake!"

"Potter, you've broken one of my favourite Death Eaters," Voldemort commented drily as he sat in his chair.

Xerosis shot him a wide-eyed innocent look. "I'm sorry."

"...That was disturbing," the Dark Lord decided, shaking his head. "Go back to your guardian. Surely he's missing you by now."

"Nah. I put a sleeping draught in his cookies," Xerosis replied with an evil little smile.

"You are an evil, impossible child," Barty decided.

"Aw, I love you too," the boy cooed before shadowing away.

"My Lord–"

"Go to your room, Barty," Voldemort ordered, rubbing at his forehead.

Barty bowed. "Good night, my Lord."

-0-

Harry didn't hear from Voldemort or his Death Eaters for the rest of the summer. He figured the Dark Lord was probably giving his people time to rest and recover before sending them out to do his bidding. He honestly didn't know how much longer they'd be staying silent, though, especially not with Bellatrix involved. (That woman couldn't do silent and stealthy if her life depended on it.)

Life at the cottage was rather nice and quiet, even with a guardian like Sirius Black. The charms built into the walls of the living room kept the video game music from getting too loud and disturbing anyone else in the house. Sirius spent a lot of time playing video games, completely ignoring the occasional times Harry said, "I'd warn you about those games rotting your brain, but..."

Terry made full use of the library, curling up in the plush chair in one corner to read whatever struck his fancy. Harry had been talked into adding some of his personal library to the cottage library, so there were books in practically every subject – minus Dark Arts, which Harry had a few books on, but Sirius still entered the library often enough that putting them in there was just asking for trouble – including a few mundane ones.

Harry spent most of his time in his garden, working with the flowers or reading under a tree. He'd never been able to actually enjoy being lazy during the summers during his last life, so he was making up for it as much as he could. He still made dinner for everyone, since he didn't trust Sirius in the kitchen and Terry had no interest in learning to cook.

Harry and Terry both went over to Li's for a week before Harry's birthday and met all her cousins. Harry and Li conspired together to get Terry in the same room as Dao-Ming, Li's cousin who had a crush on him. Watching Terry fleeing while Dao-Ming tried to get him to date her was worth every threat of retribution.

Harry also enjoyed a couple visits to Luna's house. Her father was always fun to sit down and listen to, and Luna's ceiling was truly a work of art, with a picture of Harry as central and his various friends circled around him, Luna at his right hand. He'd hugged her when he'd seen it, then suggested some other people for her to add in; people from his old life who he either hadn't met yet or simply wasn't as close to in this life, but were almost as important to him as those already in the mural.

Harry's birthday, as per his own demands, had been much smaller for the celebration of his thirteenth year. He'd invited all his friends and made the cake himself. Hermione hadn't been able to make it, but the others were there. Even Lillian, who had agreed to a day-long truce with Neville and Terry.

When the time for school books came, everyone but Lillian met in Diagon Alley again for another shopping trip. Hermione would be staying at Harry's afterwards, since her parents had an appointment scheduled for the morning of the first that they hadn't been able to change, so she'd also brought her trunk, which Sirius had helpfully shrunk.

The trip was pretty easy, as they only needed to stop by the bookshop and Madam Malkin's. Harry, knowing how book crazy he and his friends were, suggested they tackle the robe shop first, which Li and Luna's fathers both agreed to, eyeing their daughters knowingly.

Their stop at the robe shop was suitably entertaining for all involved. Sirius spent the entire time trying to get Malkin's assistant, a cute blonde girl, to agree to a date with him. Most of the party was either shaking in silent laughter by the time they left or was covering a smile. Harry hadn't bothered hiding it, he was holding on to Hermione's shoulder, laughing.

"Shut up, Harry," Sirius muttered, cheeks slightly pink.

"You should stick to blokes, Siri," Harry commented once he'd calmed a bit. (Hermione leaving him for the bookcases sort of forced him to calm down.)

Sirius huffed and leaned against the wall next to the door of the shop. "All the good ones are straight. Or taken."

"I hope you're not referring to Lockhart," Harry replied, grimacing a bit.

Sirius shot him a sly look. "And if I am?"

"I'm glad he eloped with his boy-toy."

Sirius snorted. "You are far too young to be thinking of 'boy-toys'."

"I'm young in body, old in soul," Harry retorted.

"You're nuts. Go find a book to read."

"Pot, kettle!" Harry called over his shoulder before disappearing into the stacks.

He was left to his hunt for a basketful of books for a good twenty minutes before a silky voice commented, "Imagine, a Ravenclaw stocking up on books."

Harry glanced over his shoulder and flashed a smile at the Death Eater behind him. "What can I do for you, Mr Malfoy? Or did you just come to stare at this shocking, everyday sight? If so, I know of three other Ravenclaws you can stalk just as easily."

Lucius let out a faint sound of amusement. "I'm sure none of them have your wit."

"Mmm..." Harry picked out a book on human transfiguration. "If you mean my sense of humour, no, I'm afraid that's something my friends don't share." He turned so he could lean back against the bookcase, slipping the book into his basket after deciding it was a good addition to his collection. "If you didn't want something from me, you'd be in Knockturn, hunting down cursed items or following Draco around like a good pureblood father, pandering to his every whim. I'm also going to assume this has to do with your houseguest, as you and I have very little else in common."

Lucius' lip curled with a suppressed smile. "Considering we have my...houseguest in common, I think it's safe to say we have other things in common as well."

"Well, we are something like fourth cousins," Harry commented drily. "And we're both technically Lords of an Olde Family, even if that title means nothing these days." He pushed away from the bookcase. "Please get to the point, Lucius. There's only so long that Sirius can amuse himself and I'd like to find a few more books before he hunts me down."

Lucius scowled a bit at the use of his first name, but reached into his robe and pulled out a letter. "Correspondence," he explained, handing it over.

"He couldn't have used an owl?" Harry muttered, setting his basket down to take the letter in one hand and pull out his wand with the other.

"You seem to go through an exorbitant number of wands for a student," Lucius commented as Harry silently cast a few detection charms on the letter. He only trusted the Dark Lord so far, after all.

"I keep finding ones that fit me better," Harry replied as he slipped his wand away. The only spell he could find on the letter – one that enabled only those who met a certain criteria to see or touch the letter, in this case having been marked in some way by the Dark Lord – explained why an owl hadn't been used. He quickly broke the wax seal and opened the letter to read.

'H,
'I have no doubt you're, again, wondering why I have yet to make my move. If you're half as smart as you appear, you'll have deduced that my people from Azkaban are still recovering. They should be fully recovered by Hallowe'en, however, so you may expect word of an attack to come around that time.
'You're wondering why I'm bothering to send this letter. Perhaps it is simply my informing an equal of the coming attack, so he isn't surprised. Perhaps it's to ask if a certain vampire will be attending any attacks during the school year, or if he's only available at Christmas and over the summer. Perhaps it's just because the idea of using Lucius as an owl amuses me.
'Enjoy your school year. My love to Alissia.
'V'

Harry chuckled to himself as he closed the letter and slipped it into a pocket. "My thanks for the letter, Mr Malfoy. I'll have to check a few things before I'll have a response for certain." His lips curled with an evil little smile. "And please feel free to tell him that Alissia is strangely fond of blond ponces. Something about them being 'just the right amount of crunchy'."

Lucius grimaced. "I'll... let him know," he agreed.

Harry chuckled and grabbed his basket before moving towards another bookcase. The image of Lucius Malfoy on a broomstick, trying to deliver mail in a nasty storm would stay with him all day.

-0-

He hadn't even bothered sending a message back, since he could just as easily prove it. So it was, the first night back, Xerosis appeared without warning in the corner of Voldemort's room. Which was empty.

Xerosis raised a single eyebrow, intrigued, then slipped out into the hallway and cast a quick point me. The room Voldemort was in wasn't far from the meeting room. It was also better protected and Xerosis spent more time admiring the spell work than he did finding a way through the spells without wrecking them. The latter took him almost twenty minutes and he was grinning by the time he slipped into the room.

A light by the bed snapped on and Xerosis found a yew wand being pointed at him by a rather irate Tom Riddle. There was a moment of stillness, then Riddle let out an aggravated sound and dropped his wand. "Potter."

Harry let his fake vampire form melt away as he moved over to a comfortable chair near the end of the bed. "Hello, Tom," he said cheerfully.

Riddle scowled at him. "What, exactly, are you doing here?"

"Proving I'm more than capable of attending your Hallowe'en attack," Harry replied blithely as he glanced around the room, which was done in a pale green with hints of forest green as accent. "I like this room."

"You couldn't have sent an owl?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Harry wondered, considering the Dark Lord in the bed. "So, wait. The human form – that's your real form?"

Riddle gave him an odd look. "What, something you don't magically know the answer to?"

Harry pouted.

The Dark Lord snorted and covered his mouth, shoulders shaking.

Harry blinked, then pinched himself. He glanced back up at the Dark Lord, who was audibly snickering now, then pinched himself harder, squeaking in pain. "Shut up!" he ordered when Riddle actually started laughing. When the bastard wouldn't shut up, Harry sat back and pouted for all he was worth, which just made Riddle laugh all the harder.

After about five minutes, Riddle relaxed back against his headboard, still smiling a bit, but otherwise calm. "Yes, to answer your question. A ritual before my death," a mild glare was inserted, "gave me two forms. I tend to avoid my Death Eaters when I'm like this. It lets me go a bit incognito at things like public Christmas Balls." He cocked his head to one side. "You know who I am like this, but you didn't seem to know this was how I actually looked."

Harry sighed and rubbed carefully at the bridge of his nose. "I've seen pictures of you, from when you attended Hogwarts. I recognised your aged form."

Riddle rested his chin on the palm of his hand. "There are no pictures of me from back then. I never allowed them."

Harry winced. "Ah..."

"Finally, I've caught you in a lie. Come on, Potter, give me something real. Not your usual, insane bollocks."

Harry considered him. "What do you think is the truth?" he wondered. Tom Riddle had been lauded as a genius, surely he had some sort of theory, and Harry was curious about what it would be.

"Reincarnation," Riddle said without pause. "There have been studies done about wizards or witches who truly remembered their last incarnation. Knowing spells that were beyond them, knowing things they had no right knowing." He frowned a bit. "They knew those things, but they couldn't actually cast the spells. I know I'm wrong. Give."

"You're like a small child demanding sweets," Harry muttered, glancing up at the ceiling. He honestly wasn't sure if he could tell anyone the truth, but he supposed he could try. If anyone deserved the truth, it would be this man. His equal. The man whose soul he held. "It's... Reincarnation isn't far off. Uhm..." He rubbed at his face, knocking his glasses completely off and not caring in the slightest. "What do you know of the Deathly Hallows? The three brothers who tricked Death and each got a gift from him?"

Riddle huffed. "Fairy stories."

Harry's lips curled with a bitter smile. "Reality. They were the Peverell brothers, and we're both descended from them; you from Cadmus, I from Ignotus. I've been the owner of one of the Hallows – the Invisibility Cloak – since the moment you killed my father. Your Hallow is a ring, the stone of which is the Resurrection Stone–"

"That belonged to Salazar Slytherin!" Riddle hissed.

Harry shook his head. "No," he said simply. "The last, the Elder Wand, currently belongs to Albus Dumbledore."

"He has– Well, no wonder he's so hard to beat," Riddle muttered.

"He beat its last master, Grindelwald."

Riddle snorted. "Grindelwald was clearly a pathetic excuse for a Dark Lord."

Harry shrugged, knowing nothing about the man personally, only the tales he'd heard from the lips of others or seen through Voldemort's eyes. "The story is, if you master all three Hallows, you become the Master of Death. It's something many have attempted, but none managed." He rubbed at his face again, glasses resting in his lap. "I...managed it–"

"When?" Riddle demanded and Harry could just imagine the suspicious look on his face, though he was too near-sighted to actually see it without his glasses.

"In..." Harry considered it. "A little over four years from now." He smiled bitterly. "In another world, one where I fought you and you didn't regain your body until next year, using a ritual that required the bone of your father, the blood of an enemy and the flesh of a servant. Before that, you'd been living off Nagini's milk. Or something."

"Using Nagini to survive?" Riddle murmured. "I must have been desperate. And, yes, that would have lost me this form. Go on."

"There was an epic battle in Hogwarts during what would have been my seventh year if I hadn't been on the run, destroying your Horcruxes. I defeated you, largely due to luck." He could practically taste Riddle's curiosity. "You had the Elder Wand, having pilfered it from Dumbledore's grave, but I'd already mastered it. You cast the Killing Curse, I cast the Disarming Charm. The Elder Wand wouldn't kill its master, so it sent the spell back on you."

"That's a stupid way to die."

Harry laughed. "It sort of was. Though, I might beat you out."

The bed rustled, as if Riddle was getting more comfortable. "Do tell."

"No need to sound so eager," Harry muttered, rolling his eyes. He was awarded with a quiet chuckle and couldn't help but smile. "Anyway, I became an auror, married Ginny Weasley, had three amazing kids... You would have hated it." Riddle chuckled again. "I was... not quite seventy when the mundanes discovered us and started a very long, destructive war." He swallowed, trying to make himself continue. Perhaps he shouldn't tell this tale. Perhaps it wasn't important?

"You died," Riddle offered him.

Harry let out a bitter laugh. "I was the last fucking magical person alive in the whole world. I got caught on a fallen tree and pulled my leg out of its socket. I was just laying there and four of them came to stand over me, smiling like the mother-fucking freaks they are and the biggest, ugliest of the lot asks, 'Any last words, Magic?' And I say, 'Yeah. See you in Hell.' And then he shot me." Harry touched the spot in the middle of his chest, wincing in remembered pain. "Didn't even have the kindness to aim at the heart and make it quick." His lips curled with disgust. "Mundanes."

"...why do you call them that?" Riddle asked quietly.

Harry took a deep breath, dragging himself back from his death. "At the beginning of the war, when we thought everything would be okay. Back when we still believed in our own superiority, before they blew a fucking hole in the side of Hogwarts–" Riddle let out a choked sound. "We had a couple of peace talks, and one of their demands was to be called 'mundanes'. The term 'muggle' was too derogatory. The Minister of the time told him where to shove it, and his house was one of the first they took out. We all started calling them mundanes, then. Sometimes..." Harry let out a strained half-laugh. "Sometimes, they'd leave you alive if you called them mundanes. Back in the beginning."

They were both quiet for a long moment, Harry rubbing at too dry eyes, Riddle just sitting on his bed, staring at the boy in the chair. The boy who was older than he was. The boy who had lived through loss and pain and died once.

Finally, Riddle said, "You came back."

Harry nodded. "I died the Master of Death. Death met me in Purgatory and gave me three choices: I could go back and get shot again, I could go on to Hell, or I could start over. From the beginning."

"So you started over," Riddle finished. "Reincarnation, but not."

"I remember–" Harry snorted. "I came back to the moment of my father's death. I got to see my mum, for the first time I can remember, and she was saying good-bye. And then you were there–"

"You smiled at me!" Riddle realised. "I thought it was just... You know how babies smile sometimes, for no good reason?"

Harry laughed. He grabbed at his stomach and just laughed for a long moment.

Riddle didn't say anything as the boy – man, whatever – got everything out of his system. He half expected Potter to start crying, but he just laughed until he stopped and sat back up, a faint smile on his face, dry eyes unfocussed on the wall a little to Riddle's left.

"Death, before he sent me back, gifted me with an ability. One ability, my choice. I chose to become something not unlike a dementor. I can cause cold and fear in people. I can also suck out souls."

"Ah." Riddle grimaced. "That is... a useful gift."

Harry grinned a little madly. "Especially when you're forced to grow up with mundanes who would see you dead. My cousin and uncle occasionally required reminders, but my aunt only needed to be told once and she left me alone. And now I've got Sirius, who makes a better insane older brother than an actual guardian, but we work. I hardly need a guardian, and Sirius likes having someone around to feel responsible for that can take care of himself."

Riddle snorted. He could see that, sure. From what he remembered of Black, the man could barely take care of himself, let alone a godson.

They were both silent for a long while. Eventually, Harry slipped his glasses back on, only to find Riddle staring at him. "What?"

Riddle shook his head. "I don't have a certain date for the Hallowe'en attack yet. It might be on Hallowe'en, it might not. I assume you're a Parselmouth, since you've spoken to Alissia?"

Harry tapped his scar. "Horcrux," he replied, smirking a bit at the Dark Lord's wide-eyed look. "Yes, I'm a Parselmouth. Technically."

Riddle shook his shock away. "Right. Well– Wait." He frowned a bit. "You're a Horcrux?"

"Yeah."

"My Horcrux?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "No, Albus Dumbledore's."

Riddle closed his eyes and rubbed them. "Nagini's a Horcrux and I can communicate with her or see through her eyes."

Harry knew where he was going immediately. "You can send me dreams, and I can share your dreams or see out of your eyes. Possession is also disgustingly easy. Anything else, I don't know. I also don't know how well you'll manage anything, since I'm blocking the soul piece with Occlumency."

Riddle raised a single eyebrow at the ready answer, then shook his head. "There's a Parsel Spell that enables contact between two Parselmouths. I assume you don't know of it?"

Harry shrugged. "After I got rid of your Horcrux, I lost the skill. And I haven't bothered with any research into the subject during this life."

Riddle nodded. "Come here," he ordered, pointing to the edge of the bed.

Harry shot him a vaguely suspicious look. "Why?"

"Potter, come here," he repeated.

Harry scowled a bit, but pulled himself out of the chair and shuffled around to the edge of the bed. He didn't sit, though.

Riddle sighed and grabbed the boy's sleeve, dragging him down to the bed. "You are the most obnoxious thirteen-year-old I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with," he decided. "And don't get technical with me about who's older," he added as Harry opened his mouth to do that very thing.

As soon as Riddle had eye contact, he slipped into Harry's mind, coming up against impressive walls. He waited there for a moment, and was rewarded when the boy turned his attention inwards and joined the Dark Lord at the wall. When Harry wondered what he wanted, Riddle offered the sense of sharing information. He smirked to himself when Harry warred for a moment between suspicion and want. Finally, the boy let him through the wall.

Riddle didn't have much trouble finding the spot where Harry stored his spell knowledge. The boy's mind was eerily like his own, which he supposed made a fair bit of sense, considering their connection. However, Potter had way more knowledge stored in his mind than Riddle could ever hope to gain. Some of it couldn't possibly be the boy's–

Oh. Riddle shook his head and quickly left a copy of his knowledge of the Parsel spells, then returned to the real world. As soon as Harry came back to himself, Riddle said, "You get information from the souls you eat?"

Harry's lips twitched with amusement. "Yes. And vampiric abilities from vampires."

Riddle huffed a bit. "That is... terribly useful. I'll admit to being a little jealous."

Harry faked a gasp. "Tom Riddle? Jealous of someone else?"

Riddle scowled. "I have been jealous of people before."

Harry grinned. "Bet you never admitted it, though. Or, if you did, you killed them shortly after."

Riddle's superior grin answered that question.

Harry chuckled and stood. "I should be getting back," he decided, glancing briefly at his watch. "I still need to sleep before classes tomorrow."

"Very well." Riddle waved at him a bit negligently. "I'll let you know about the attack when I know more."

Harry nodded. "I'll keep an eye out for it." He turned to one of the few shadows in the room.

"Potter," Riddle said just before Harry could leave and the boy glanced back over at him, one eyebrow raised inquiringly. "Thank you, for telling me the truth." He grimaced a bit, but knew it had to be said. He had heard some dangerous secrets, after all.

"Fair's fair," Harry replied with a shrug. "I know of some of your worst moments and your most... Well, I know about your Horcruxes. I know what they all are and how to destroy them. I know how to destroy you." He offered a slightly bitter smile. "We're equals, Tom; if you can stoop to inviting a thirteen-year-old on a raid and let him lead your Death Eaters, I can tell you what I am." He turned away. "Good night."

"Good night," Riddle replied as the teen disappeared.

-0-

Chapter Four, Part Two

Chapters:
Pro - If We Could Only Turn Back Time / 1 - Long Road
2 - Never As It Seems ||| 3 - The Bad Man, the Sad Man ||| 4 - Armies of Robbers and Thieves
5 - Fear Falls Like Rain ||| 6 - Rage Like Fire ||| 7 - Born From Conflict
8 - Reach Any Star ||| 9 - Cold Fields ||| 10 - Ice Inside Your Soul
11 - King of Anything

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