Chapter Text
Tom wasn’t that surprised when Harry finally collapsed, seeing how disoriented the younger wizard was. Especially when he was finally able to see how he looked .
Riddle wasn’t able to make it out in the semi-dark, but the boy was white as a sheet and shivering. He quickly cast a diagnostic charm and cursed loudly.
Tom apparated straight into his room and gently laid Harry down, then called his house elf.
“Soli! Bring me a blood replenisher potion immediately .”
First, the wizard cast a warming charm over Harry; from what the diagnostic charm showed him the boy was already past the moderate stages of shock and it was clearly worsening, if anything to go by his shivering and rapid breaths.
The elf popped back in and the Dark Lord wasted no time and coaxed Harry’s lips open, pouring the thick potion down slowly.
“Get me a nutrition potion, another blood replenisher and see if we have any iron replenishing potions. If not, then go to see if Severus has any and if not, then go to the healer.”
Soli bowed and left.
Riddle grabbed each of Harry’s arms to see if he accidentally left it bleeding. But no, the cuts were healed, even if the left sleeve was completely soaked in blood.
Ah, he might’ve nicked an artery.
His fingers, however, couldn't stop tracing scars on his young nemesis skin. There were cuts and burns, way too many to be normal; some even overlapping, and he could still feel faint traces of glamour.
Burning anger surged inside him at the thought of Harry’s so-called relatives. Clearly, their handiwork. Tom doubted Harry would do such a thing himself and nobody in school would dare to either. The scars looked to be years old, not magically inflicted, and combined with the hatred Harry showed towards his relatives, it only left one option.
Abuse.
Oh, they will pay for touching something that was his .
And if Harry won't tell him about what they've done, he'll personally rip it out of their pathetic filthy minds.
He then will have proof of his suspicions and will punish them in the most bloody way possible.
Riddle reeled his anger in for a moment. He had other priorities now, such as the boy in his bed.
Hah. Harry will most likely freak out to wake up here.
Tom waved his wand and changed the ruined robes into a set of green silk pajamas. There. Much better.
Soli popped back a few moments later and handed all three potions. Snape’s last vile, she said.
It was too soon to give Harry another replenisher, so he just poured the iron replenishing potion first. Harry can take the other two when he’s awake.
Whenever that may be.
Harry came back to consciousness feeling like he was hit by a train.
His head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton and his arms were heavy .
His whole body felt numb.
“I’m glad to see you’re awake” a deep voice greeted him and Harry turned to see Tom Riddle coming to his bed and sitting next to him.
Harry blinked.
Wait, what ?
Was he still dreaming?
“You passed out.” Tom supplied smoothly, probably seeing his confusion. “You lost too much blood too fast and then combined with apparition you just collapsed. Well, I also believe you haven’t eaten in a while” his tone, while staying soft, held a threatening edge to it. “Want to tell me what is that about, darling?”
“I had lunch,” Harry muttered defensively. It’s not like he was starving himself!
“Just lunch? Throughout the whole day?”
“I wasn’t particularly hungry, Tom, and don’t look at me like that. I eat.”
“Not enough ”
Harry just rolled his eyes.
“Wasn’t particularly hungry after our occlumency session, Tom, sue me.”
Even that sounded like an excuse.
Tom seemed to think so too.
He did look upset and angry with Harry skipping meals and Harry didn't quite have the energy to argue just yet.
“Sit up and drink these” Tom pushed two viles into Harry’s hand once he was upright. Harry almost gagged at the taste of blood replenisher. Then frowned at another.
“Seriously? Nutrition potion?”
“Yes. Now drink.”
The young wizard just rolled his eyes and did as he was told, letting Tom vanish the viles after, handing him a glass of water.
“You will start eating three square meals a day or else” the threat was clear in Riddle’s voice, his eyes hard. This wasn’t up for discussion and he had means at his disposal to make sure Harry was following his order.
“It’s not like I’m starving myself” Harry muttered defensively, glancing up at the wizard.
Tom's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Only then Harry's brain decided to pick on the fact that Tom was in fact furious .
“While you were blissfully unaware, dear, I took it upon myself to run a diagnostic charm on you and got your full history.”
Harry seemed to pale at the Dark Lord’s words. Oh, he knew his history was less than savory. He knew exactly what was in there and it meant Tom also knew about his past- fuck.
He did not want to have this conversation.
Ever.
With anyone.
Tom, however, had no qualms about continuing, despite Harry’s clear reluctance, and started speaking through gritted teeth:
“Imagine when I found severe malnutrition, dozens of cracked or broken bones, sprains, untreated illnesses and all other kinds of things on it. It got better after you came to Hogwarts, clearly, you took potions for it, but the damage isn't completely erased. Avoiding meals isn’t helping you. You wouldn’t have passed out if you were eating properly.”
“I wouldn’t have passed out if your damn wall didn’t intend to bleed me dry.” Harry grumbled, unwilling to give up and more than willing to annoy Tom.
Voldemort’s eyes narrowed.
“You will eat and you will take the nutrition potion with a few additional ones I deem necessary.” As if sensing the upcoming refusal, Tom added: “You do not want to be fighting me on this, Harry. I have means at my disposal to make sure you do as I say. And if I can’t trust you to take care of yourself, then I’ll do it myself.”
Harry just sighed heavily, slumping back down into the pillows. He was suddenly feeling too exhausted to argue.
There wasn't really a point when the bastard got like this.
“Why is everyone trying to control every aspect of my life” he muttered, more to himself than to Tom.
The thing was, Riddle knew where Harry was coming from and could sympathise, but not when it was costing his health.
“I don’t care what you do in your free time, Harry. You can go and torture everyone in sight for all I care, but when it comes to something like food and your own health, I’m steping my foot down. In fact, you will be seeing my personal healer.”
“Alright, jeez.” It’s not that Harry didn’t want to be healthier, no- he just didn’t want anyone knowing what he had to endure. Too late for that now. Apparently what he was doing wasn’t enough anyway. And he rarely felt hungry, if at all; his recent occlumency lessons usually left him with a pounding headache that erased any appetite he might’ve had. It wasn’t that big of a deal Tom was making it out to be, really.
He looked around, finally realizing he’s never been in this place before. “Where am I?”
Tom smirked at him and Harry suddenly felt nervous.
The older wizard looked way too smug for his liking.
“My room” he said simply, watching Harry's reaction in amusement.
Which means, Harry was in… oh god, he was in Tom’s bed.
Fuck .
He hoped that the blood loss will prevent his cheeks from heating up, but from the way Tom was grinning at him, that didn't work.
Young wizard was mortified.
“How long have I..?”
“Almost four hours. It’s 7.30 in the morning.”
Harry just groaned, while Riddle watched him intently, with a sly smile on his face and eyes glinting as if he knew something Harry did not.
“I’d like for you to stay a bit longer, but you don’t look like you’re going to pass out again. It’s entirely up to you.”
Harry pondered for a moment. Honestly, he felt warm and comfortable and didn’t want to move.
Good Gods, he was warm and comfortable in the Dark Lord’s bed .
It was a good thing he was learning Occlumency. The thoughts his brain decided to conjure were- no . Fuck no . He's not going there and he'd rather be crucioed than tell anyone about his whereabouts.
Stupid teenage brain.
“Can I stay until 10?" Harry asked instead, knowing if he showed up like this Sirius would most likely call Dumbledore and he was simply too exhausted. He didn’t need to add drama to this. "Nobody will look for me before that time.”
It may have been a trick of light, but Tom looked pleased to hear Harry was staying.
“Of course, my dear. Breakfast will be up in an hour and a half. Rest until then.”
Even if he slept for just another hour, Harry felt somewhat better.
Must be the potions.
He felt reluctant to leave the warm and comfortable bed, but the sheer thought that he was sleeping in the Dark Lord’s bed got him out quickly and left him blushing.
He took a long shower and changed into a new set of robes the elf left for him, and went downstairs.
Once he was at the table, Tom pointedly looked at yet another potion in front of him, almost daring him to argue.
He didn’t have energy to argue.
They had a quiet breakfast, with Tom glaring at him from time to time when he either put only a little food on his plate or refused something entirely.
“I want you to rest when you get back” Riddle’s demand was wrapped in a form of request. “You’re meeting my Inner Circle later on.”
Harry froze, just for a millisecond. He completely forgot.
“Right.”
However, he couldn’t wait to see their expressions.
It was funny enough seeing their exasperated and later on terrified faces during his birthday celebration, but then they had no idea that Harry was not playing for the team of roasted chickens. Some may have suspected, to come and snitch to Voldemort about his extracurricular activities, or perhaps they were looking to gain favor, but they didn't know . Only the select few did, but by the end of the meeting, everyone will.
It ought to be hilarious.
Harry said goodbye to the Dark Lord and went back, relieved to see nobody noticed him missing for such a long time.
“You were already in the study?” Sirius asked in a tone you’d think it personally hurt him when Harry was in there.
Harry just gave him a tired smile - vague, but he wasn’t lying.
“You never have fun!” Sirius whined and pulled Harry towards one of the rooms, where the Weasley twins were clearly plotting something. “Harry needs to have fun” he announced to the whole room and pushed Harry towards the sofa.
“He’s not wrong, you know, you’re way too serious” one of the twins nodded, although Harry couldn’t tell which one of them it was.
“Need to loosen up, mate.”
“Pull some-”
“-pranks-”
“-maybe?”
Harry’s lips turned into a small smile when he shook his head.
“I am learning things, you know. Perhaps you should spend some time with me ?”
The twins gasped, looking at him in horror struck faces.
“Our dear brother-”
“-Ronald-”
“-would have a heart attack-”
“-if he thought we were-”
“-studying-”
“-with you!” both of them shouted, breaking out into laughter.
“No way, mate, once we’re done with summer homework, we’re not picking another book.”
Harry turned his head to the side, staring at them with a seemingly innocent expression.
“It’s your NEWTs year” he stated simply.
“We know!” they answered in unison, grinning madly.
“It’s not that important”
“We already know what we’re gonna do anyway”
Did they now? Harry was intrigued. After all, they were the only redheads who didn’t annoy him too much and didn’t expect anything from him.
They seemed content in their own world, doing whatever it is they were doing.
Surprisingly, they even helped with pranks a few times in the past and tried to prevent their sister from bothering him.
Those were all positives in Harry's books.
“Do tell”
“We’re planning on opening a joke shop”
Harry stared at them intently. Well, to think of it, their pranks were one of a kind, most of the time. He’s seen some stuff passing on Hogwarts black market that was their inventions and they were good; their idea did have merit. They certainly were talented enough and it would irk their annoying mother oh, so much if he helped. It was almost too good to pass up.
They were looking expectantly at him, waiting for his approval.
Harry wasn’t one to lie, after all.
“Perhaps your idea has… merit” he admitted out loud, watching the twins doing a high-five. “Although I’m not pleased to hear you’re not taking your NEWTs seriously.”
“Dude, you seriously need to loosen up, they’re just exams, school isn’t that important in real life, you’re wasting your time on useless things” the muggle boy spoke from the doorway, looking at him in a way that clearly showed he pitied Harry for taking such things seriously.
Fury burned deep inside him.
He turned his fiery gaze towards the boy, seeing from the corner of his eye how the twins froze. Even the temperature in the room seemed to diminish.
“Isn’t it?” he asked sweetly. “You’ve been out of school for three years and achieved absolutely nothing, other than following your father like a lost dog without a sense of direction” his words clearly hit home, pain evident in his eyes. “Our education is valuable. What we learn is what carries us through life, grants us opportunities and opens many roads. Knowledge is power. And those who are ignorant aren’t worthy of it” Harry’s tone was venomous. He didn’t take lightly people like this and their arrogant ignorance. “Do keep your mouth shut on the matters that you are unable to comprehend.” Harry spit out furiously. The boy was left stunned and more than a little insulted, then turned around and left in a huff.
“As for you two-” he turned to the Weasleys, watching them stiffen a little. “I have a proposition.”
They nodded, relaxing slightly when it was clear Harry’s anger wasn’t directed at them.
“Take your NEWTs and if you don’t get anything below an EE, I’ll give you 500 galleons to start your business.” He smiled when their eyes widened comically. “Each.” then added after a dramatic pause for a bigger impact.
They looked truly gobsmacked.
Of course, Harry wasn’t doing this out of the goodness of his heart. A thousand galleons was nothing to him, hell, he won that much in the tournament, but having two Weasleys owe him sounded too good to pass. They seemed useful and had a potential of becoming useful alleys. They might even invent something that the dark side could benefit from. Who knows?
“Harry-”
“-we don’t even-”
“-know what-”
“-to say.”
Harry smirked.
“How about swearing your loyalty to me?” he asked, only half joking, when they broke into laughter.
“We swear our loyalty to you, oh, the great heir of Slytherin!” both of them shouted dramatically, not really meaning it, but Harry could sense the magic reacting.
“I do have conditions, though.”
“We’re listening”
“No pulling pranks on me or my… friends, unless you wish to include me beforehand. No telling your family who’s your investor, unless I allow it. If anything gets tracked back to me, I’ll punish you severly” the threat in his voice was clear. He didn't want that banshee of their mother hounding him just yet. And especially when he was in the vicinity. The twins nodded in agreement. “There are a few other things that we will discuss on a later date. Now tell me, why did Sirius drag me in here?”
“Most likely because there is an Order meeting downstairs-”
“And you’re telling me this now ?!” Harry was on his feet in an instant.
“Oh, you won’t be able to hear anything, it’s apparently the members only.”
"Yep, super exclusive."
"We tried listening in-"
"-but-"
"-they kicked us out and-"
"-put up charms"
Harry seethed.
There must be a way to listen in.
“Kreacher!”
“What is the Master be wanting?” The elf appeared immediately and bowed.
“How did you manage that, Harry?” The redhead boys looked shocked.
“He curses absolutely everyone, even Sirius!”
Harry smirked instead of answering.
Kreacher was loyal to him and him only. With Sirius being disinherited and being a traitor to the family, it's no wonder the elf hated him this much. Oh, and there was a fact that he apparently 'broke Walburga's heart' according to Kreacher.
“Are you aware of the meeting downstairs?” The elf nodded. “Can you listen in?”
“Kreacher will try, even if the meddling old coot doesn’t want Kreacher to” the elf disappeared.
“Bloody hell” Gred, as Harry decided to call him, said.
“Did he just call Dumbledore a meddling old fool?”
Harry didn’t grace them with an answer, instead started looking at his nails, deep in thought.
How was he suppose to slip to a Death Eater meeting if the whole fucking order was here?
Just brilliant.
“ Massster ” his snake suddenly slithered into the room. Harry sighed in relief; he was wondering where Onyx was. “I am hungry.”
The young wizard chuckled.
“ Of course you are. What do you want?”
“A juicy rabbit. ”
Harry summoned one immediately, feeling a tiny bit guilty. When he left yesterday he didn’t take it into consideration that he might be gone for so long and Onyx might get hungry. Of course, he most likely hunted around, but still…
“Where were you, Master? You smell of blood.”
“I left with Tom yesterday. I got hurt, but I am fine now.”
“Who hurt my Master!? I shall bite them!” Onyx hissed angrily.
“Oh, I’ll tell Tom you said that. It was his wall, after all.”
“You know, mate, it’s unsettling to watch all this” Forge said, wide eyed at the display.
They both seemed slightly unnerved.
Harry had no idea why parseltongue had such an effect on most people. It was just a language!
“Yeah, mate, for all we know you’re plotting murder.”
“And what if I am?” Harry asked challengly.
“Oh, nothing, we’re wondering if we could help”
Harry snorted.
“As if you would hur- nevermind that.”
“What has you so distracted today?” Forge asked after he was done staring at Harry.
“What?”
“Is it a girl?”
“Or a boy?”
“Maybe both?”
“I mean, we could help-”
“-if the great-”
“-Harry Potter wishes.”
Harry just shook his head, slightly amused. He was rather tired.
“No, I just slept rather poorly.” And he’ll go directly to sleep after lunch - he couldn’t meet the Inner Circle dead on his feet. He had to be at his best. They will certainly be looking for any weaknesses they could exploit. And besides, he really wanted to meet the order members and set as much doubt in Dumbledore as possible.
Just then, Kreacher popped back in.
“Did you find anything out?” Forge asked, looking at the elf.
“Dirty blood traitor is talking to Kreacher, but Kreacher does not-”
“Kreacher” Harry warned him sternly. “Answer the question, please.”
Elf bowed his head.
“The Order is guarding something from the Dark Lord, they be taking shifts and saying it’s something the Dark Lord wants very badly. They plan to raid the houses of Death Eaters followers, how horrible! They dare to desecrate the Noble Houses! If my Mistress be here, she would-”
“Kreacher, go back to the point, please.”
“Oh, yes, yes, Kreacher hears they don’t want my Master to know! Dumbles say the slytherins are bad for Harry Potter! He be saying Master should befriend light wizards!” The elf looked actually concerned about him.
Fucking Dumbledore, Harry cursed. Of course he’d blame Slytherin.
If he had his way, Harry'd be a gryffindor, best buddies with Weasel and most likely dating Ginevra. His not so subtle indications obviously pointed to this nauseating outcome. Yuck.
Harry sincerely hoped the coot won’t start pushing his followers onto him or try to force him to befriend gryffindors. He barely had any patience to deal with them now, if someone starts pestering him, there will be dire consequences. Of that Harry was sure.
“Thank you Kreacher, you were very helpful. You may go.”
The creature bowed and left, the happiness for being praised obvious.
“Well, that’s some incriminating news” Forge smirked, a mischievous smile on his face.
“Indeed it is, Gred.”
“Well, I wouldn’t mind you pranking the Order. Why waste such an opportunity?” Harry shot them a suggestive look and received evil smiles in return.
However, worry began nibbling in his gut. Just what are they trying to hide from Tom?
Harry was glad that Dumbledore decided against staying for lunch, but the rest of the Order didn’t.
He managed to catch Snape, who was obviously trying to leave the place as soon as possible, and talked him into staying.
“Just check my food for love potions” Harry asked, even when he could very well do it himself, but it got the Potion’s Master to stay when Harry whispered to him what happened the last time Dumbledore was here. He even looked worried.
“Wotcher, Harry!” a woman with... neon green hair called out to him. Harry frowned at her.
“This is Nymphadora Tonks, Harry” Sirius came up behind him. “She’s an Auror.”
“Pleased to meet you” Harry smiled charmingly at her. She did look young, which means her mind on Dumbles could most likely be changed easily, with a few right steps.
...maybe.
Not everyone was swayed easily, especially if they were spoon-fed light propaganda their whole life. Just look at the Weasleys.
“Call me Tonks” she deadpanned, furrowing her nose at her name, which she apparently hated.
"She's the daughter of Ted Tonks and Andromeda Tonks neè Black" Sirius told him, as if sensing his curiosity.
A light bulb went on in Harry's head.
Narcissa very briefly mentioned Andromeda when she was showing Harry the Black family tree, with something akin to sadness, so he never pried again.
"Ah, Cissy's sister?" he asked, receiving a hesitant nod from both.
"Yes, she was… disinherited for marrying a muggle," Sirius said hesitantly as Harry's expression went cold.
If there was one thing he didn't agree with, it was wizards mingling with muggles. Technically, he didn't care what people were doing as long as they kept the wizarding world a secret, but to marry one? A muggle ? Expose their world to those who would see it destroyed out of fear?
Harry would never condone that.
He knew first hand what muggles were capable of and they had to stay in the dark. It wasn't questionable.
“So, what’s with the super secret Order meeting?” Harry didn’t beat around the bush and asked, dissolving the uneasy atmosphere his clear distaste for muggles created.
“Oh, you’re too young to know” Arthur stepped into their little circle with another man that Harry recognized to be Susan Bones uncle.
A man who escaped Death Eaters by the skin of his teeth while his whole family was murdered.
Harry turned a cold look onto the Weasley. Good Gods, he was dense . “Oh, but I’m not too young to participate in the Tri-Wizarding tournament?” he asked acidly. "You know, the one with dragons, merpeople, acromantulas and other life threatening things?"
Everyone looked taken aback, apart from Snape.
He was already used to boy’s machinations.
“He has a point,” Bones said, then smiled at Harry. “Edgar Bones, I’m not sure we’ve met. My niece, Susan, is in Hufflepuff and speaks highly of you” he introduced himself and Harry smiled at the man. Susan and he weren’t friends, per say, but he knew how to work people around him just fine, and it looks like someone else was caught in his web.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr Bones. So, what are you all guarding from ‘Voldemort’?” he asked innocently, watching with great amusement how they all flinched at the name and then stared at him in horror, because he knew something he shouldn’t.
“How do you know that?” Arthur demanded, looking around if someone heard.
“I am far from stupid, Mr Weasley, and as a slytherin, all I’m going to say is we have our ways to get information we desire” he smirked, knowing that it unnerved most of them when he pointed out being a slytherin instead of the Golden Gryffindor Boy they all wanted him to be. And that's without saying he was an heir .
“But you shouldn’t know! It’s too dangerous! If You-Know-Who learns tha-”
“Oh, for the sake of Merlin, how do you know he’s back?” Harry asked fiercely, looking at everyone intently.
“Dumbledore said you saw his resurrection” Bones looked confused.
Harry sighted dramatically.
“Did any of you read the ‘Daily Prophet’?”
“Oh, yes!” Tonks shouted, her hair suddenly becoming fiery red. “It was spewing all kinds of lies about you and-”
“Those weren’t lies” Harry cut her off sharply, enjoying the startled looks. “I never saw anyone resurrect Voldemort- stop flinching, it’s just a name- and I wasn’t lying to the Prophet. Hell, I haven’t seen Voldemort since my first year! I don’t know why Dumbledore is insisting on this bullshit story and causing unnecessary panic!”
They all looked speechless.
“But, Harry, after your third task-” Arthur started on again, but the young wizard wasn’t having it.
“Nothing happened during the task, besides the obvious. Just because some nutjob was pretending to be Moody and unsuccessfully tried to either kidnap me or kill me, doesn’t magically mean Voldemort came back. It’s absurd .”
That got them to shut up, some even looked like they were thinking.
He was sure that what he said will spread.
“As much as I’m enjoying this... conversation, we should all get to the table for lunch” Snape said after a few minutes of silence.
“Ah, yes, of course” Arthur mumbled and started walking, everyone following closely behind.
“Wonderful performance, Mr Potter” Snape leaned in to whisper into his ear. “Still in denial?”
Harry smiled.
“Oh, this is kind of fun. Wait until Dumbles learns he’s losing control of everything .”
“I did not expect this from you, Potter”
“That’s cause you’ve been seeing my father more than me” Harry couldn’t help but spit out, knowing it still was a painful topic. Thank Merlin they got over this thing in his second year and things between them were considerably good, especially when Severus got to the real him.
It was a nightmare when Snape seemed to be out to get him once he first came to this world and Harry had no idea why. Even Draco was clueless as to why and much disapproved of his godfather's actions.
Severus was suspicious of him even when Harry was minding his own business . It was utterly ridiculous.
To think it took a slip up from Narcissa for his head of the house to even consider a possibility he wasn’t planning something nefarious all the time and wasn’t James Potter’s reincarnate still irked Harry to the extreme.
But it was in the past now.
Lunch passed without a hitch this time.
Perhaps the only strange thing to happen during lunch was Ginevra giving him weird, hurtful looks.
Harry was prepared to retaliate if he found even a drop of love potion in his drink. Perhaps even stick a solicitor on them.
Even his godfather and Snape didn’t try to bite each other's heads off. Harry, however, was questioning Tonks on her metamorphmagus abilities and her job as an auror.
Apparently she was learning from Moody before. He was still in St Mungos, as healthy as he could be, but they were questioning his sanity. Dumbledore tried to get him out several times, unsuccessfully. It seems the old auror was seeing evil wizards everywhere and sprouting all kinds of nonsense about the Dark Lord, so they decided to admit him.
That amused Harry to no end.
He knew for a fact that Moody was real damn good, having him back would certainly complicate things for him. Who knows what he could see with his magical eye.
He should ask Barty.
If anyone knows, it would be him.
In the end, he said his farewells to everyone, saying he was going to take a nap. He shot a ‘see you later’ to Severus, which only confused the other man, but that was exactly the point. Snape had no idea he was coming to the meeting.
Harry couldn’t wait.
His mirror buzzed at around 7pm, waking him up from the slumber.
“Did I wake you?” Tom smiled in amusement, noting Harry’s ruffled hair and grumpy expression.
“Shut up. I was tired” Harry grumbled, ignoring the slightly concerned expression making an appearance.
“If you’re not feeling well, perhaps you should come to the next meeting-”
“I’m fine, Tom. When is that bloody thing?”
“10pm. You sure you can slip past?”
“Of course. Who would believe I am up to no good?” Harry grinned.
Tom snorted. “By the rate you’re going, most likely everyone. It’s a miracle there’s nobody’s guarding you right now.”
Harry nodded absently. It’s been rather a busy year. He’s been antagonizing more and more people, and recently Dumbledore. It was a miracle, but he strongly suspected that Sirius shot down whatever Dumbledore might’ve suggested, especially after talking with Narcissa. She truly was godsent.
“Be here at 9. Try not to antagonize my Death Eaters too much.”
Harry smiled sweetly at him, putting on his most innocent expression that could fool anyone. But Tom wasn’t just anyone.
“Who? Me? I’d never”
Harry was lazily lounging on the sofa in Voldemort's office.
He was told multiple times that it was 'unbecoming for an heir of such bloodline to sit like that', but Harry didn't care.
It's not like his magic suddenly diminished every time he was slouching.
Besides, this sofa was exceptionally comfy and it was entertaining to see Voldemort purse his lips in displeasure every time he looked at Harry.
"Do you like chocolate?"
Tom looked at him, startled. "What?"
"Chocolate."
"What in the name of Merlin does chocolate has to do with anything? Did blood loss manage to push your brain even more towards insanity?"
Harry rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the insult. "Dunno, you just seem so tense and maybe chocolate would help."
Tom stared at him incredulously.
Nobody has ever asked him that.
Potter seemed to have a knack for baffling him in every step.
"I'm quite fond of the dark chocolate truffles made in this tiny shop in France I found by a complete accident during my travels. They serve quite exquisite desserts" Tom cocked his head to the side. "Perhaps I'll take you there someday."
Harry beamed at him.
The Dark Lord was a secret sweet tooth!
"Bessy" he called for an elf. "Could you bring Tom and I my very special drink?"
The elf bowed and left, leaving a confused Dark Lord and Harry, who's eyes were glinting madly.
"What special drink?” Tom’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and he hissed: “ Did you corrupt my house elves ?"
Really, that wouldn't surprise him in a bit. For some reason Harry was nice to those creatures and they all seemed to adore him, going out of their way to cater to Harry’s every whim.
It was infuriating.
"You'll see," Harry smiled at him. "Anyway, what are you doing?"
"Looking for ways to permanently keep you from spouting nonsense"
Harry pouted.
"You love my company" he stated, and Tom couldn't help but think that at that moment he looked like a child who got his cookie taken away.
"Do I?" He arched his eyebrow.
"Yes. I'm a joy to be around and I actually have a spine. Just look at your sycophants. No original thoughts. I bet they never argue with you."
Tom snorted.
"Of course they don't. They know better."
It was Harry's turn to snort.
"Just admit it, it's just an excuse for target practice"
Tom looked at him and Harry yelped when a stinging hex was aimed directly at his arse.
" What was that for?! "
Riddle smirked. "Target practice"
Harry glared, thinking of ways to retaliate, when Bessy chose that moment to appear with their drinks.
Tom sniffed the drink suspiciously, then checked it for potions.
"You're joking right? You know damn well I wouldn't poison you"
"You can never be sure"
"Who else would I annoy if you were poisoned? It’s like you don't like me or something. I find that highly insulting, you know.” Harry took a sip of his special drink, almost purring at the taste. “It’s not nice not to trust friends”
Tom looked up at him, startled.
“Friends? You think we’re friends?” his tone couldn’t have been more shocked.
Harry frowned. “Well, yeah? Kind of. I mean, we spend time together, you know my secrets, I know yours, we scheme and exchange letters, we even went on a quest!” Harry was grinning now. “Yep. Friends. Besties! Out to conquer the Magical world!” he conjured some confetti and sprinkled it all over Tom’s desk, then continued grinning like a loon. “Well, you’re out to conquer it, I’m just helping along and making it entertaining”
Tom was still in shock after learning Harry considered him a friend.
A best friend.
He’s never had real friends before, not really. Most were with him to seek power. Most feared him. Didn’t dare talk back to him or be honest. The closest ones were from his first, original Inner Circle, his Knights, but even then they were mere acquaintances. But with Harry it was different; Tom wasn’t arrogant enough not to admit that. They knew each other better than others did. They did share secrets. They spent time together, shared jokes and Harry had no qualms about acting like a child in his presence.
In fact, if anyone else acted like Harry, spoke to him like Harry did, he’d crucio them instantly.
There was trust between them.
So, yes.
As strange and as shocking as it was, Harry became someone he enjoyed spending time together.
A friend .
Instead of answering, Tom took a sip of whatever it is Harry cooked up and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Good, isn’t it?” Harry commented, watching his reaction.
“Yes. What is it?”
“Hot chocolate with a few extra ingredients that are super secret and not to be known by the Dark Lord. Just enjoy the taste”
Tom wanted to argue, but he knew it’d be fruitless. Harry’s mischievous smirk told him just that.
Whatever.
He’ll just enjoy this super secret drink.
Tom took another sip when his eyes finally caught something.
“You’re joking, right?” he looked up at the boy. “You made tiny Dark Marks confetti?”
Harry laughed.
“What? You must admit, it’s genius. Fits your Dark Lord theme and all.”
Tom snorted.
Really. He’d have never thought of that.
It was pretty funny.
“What time is it?”
“Still half an hour until the meeting. Which reminds me” Tom suddenly looked sternly at him. “Have you eaten dinner?”
Harry froze for a moment.
“Have you?” he shot back.
Tom’s eyes narrowed.
“You seemed to have forgotten what transpired earlier today, Harry. Your body went into shock, you passed out due to blood loss and your body needs nutrients to heal.”
“You seemed to have forgotten you gave me potions for that” Harry parroted.
“They are not a substitute for food. I’m not sure why you refuse to eat and take care of yourself, Harry, but I told you that I will do it for you until you get it into your thick head that it’s not optional. Now-” he called for a house elf. “Bring a dinner plate of some food for Harry here. Add some fruits too.”
“Right away, Master”
The elf popped back in not a minute later and handed a very reluctant and pouting Harry the plate. “Master Harry be needing to eat. You is not eating enough and Bessy be looking after young Master if he cannot do it himself!” the elf looked at him sternly and popped out.
Harry blinked, not sure if he imaged it or not.
“Your elves scare me. They’re too much like you”
“Good” Tom smirked smugly. It was a bit weird to see how his elves were attached to Harry, but if they were going to bully him into eating, Tom didn’t care.
Harry shot Riddle a stinky eye and stabbed his fork into the chicken a bit too aggressively.
“Don’t you have other things to focus on other than my eating habits?”
“No”
Harry sighed. “Really, it’s not like-”
There was a knock on the door and Nott Sr walked in, his gaze stopping on Harry. He looked startled.
Oh yeah, he didn’t know that Harry was in alliance with Voldemort. Yet. Seeing him in his office and begrudgingly eating is not a sight Nott expected to see, clearly.
Harry has never before seen him so speechless, so he grinned in return.
“What do you want, Nott?” Voldemort snapped at him, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.
Nott’s eyes snapped away from Harry to the Dark Lord.
“Everyone’s here, my Lord. I-”
“You’ve seen me a few days prior, Mr Nott, there’s no need to gape,” Harry said nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink.
“Eat your dinner, Harry” Voldemort said as the teenager rolled his eyes, amused at what was transpiring. Clearly Nott hasn’t expected them to be civil with each other or be near each other’s vicinity at all.
Harry, however, wasn’t anywhere near done. “Really, Mr Nott, don’t be so shocked. Weren’t you the one who came to blabber about me having fun during my party and suggesting to Voldemort I might be amenable to form an alliance?”
The wizard went pale.
Harry grinned at him, before resuming eating.
Riddle just sighed.
Harry knew how to cause the maximum amount of chaos in the least amount of time, purely for his own entertainment.
It was amusing though. Clearly, the boy got a kick out of scaring people.
“Relax, Theodorus. Harry just likes to toy with people and, well, you did blabber on him” Voldemort couldn’t hide his own amusement when his death eater paled even more. “Harry and I will come down when he finishes dinner. You better not blabber about him being here to anyone.”
The threat was clear and Nott got out of the office as quickly as it was possible to do it respectfully.
Harry chuckled.
“This is fun. Just wait till they see me.”
“Try not to cause too much trouble, brat,” Tom said, knowing it was futile. Short of cursing, there was no way to stop Potter from whatever he puts his mind to, and the grin he was wearing only meant trouble for his death eaters.
“Such accusations, Tom. I’d never do anything they don’t deserve”
“That’s what I'm afraid of,” the Dark Lord grumbled.
Harry grinned. “Oh, come on. They might be shocked, sure, but that’s their own problem. How in nine circles of hell they believe me to be light and working with Dumbledore is beyond me. I mean, I’m a Slytherin, practically all of my acquaintances are heirs of Dark families, I publicly announced Dumbledore being a lying fool… how much more do they need?”
Tom dipped his head, agreeing. “You aren’t wrong, however, the belief that you are the light savior has been around for longer than you’ve been in this world. It’s hard to erase that image”
“Well then-” Harry put his half eaten plate down and stood up, grinning. “Let’s go and cause some ruckus then. It’s about time they learn who the real Harry Potter is. Oops, I mean, Harrison Potter-Black.”
The Dark Lord smirked and stood up as well, stepping up to the excited teen and offering him his arm.
“Let’s”