Chapter 27: Twenty Seven

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

X

"Raise the dead? Did you suffer some sort of head trauma as a child?" James said incredulously, looking at Tom as though he were stupid.

"Simply because it is not a part of modern-day magical society, does not make it impossible," Tom tutted. "It is my own personal business as to how this is possible, but I believe I will need a significant amount of magic to ensure it works, and having only two wizards will not do, no matter how powerful they both are." Tom paused, nuzzling his chin on Harry's shoulder. "I know in your minds, by 'raising the dead', you believe that to mean bringing departed souls back to this realm as they once were, but that is not the case; the dead will be entirely under my control."

"So like Inferi?" Remus questioned, his eyes narrowed as he eyed Tom critically. "But they're nothing more than re-animated corpses."

"Exactly, and Inferi cannot cast spells and are driven away with a simple spark of fire and light. If it is easier for you to imagine, picture a cross between an Inferi and a human under a strong Imperius curse," Tom stated; Heather nodded at the mental picture.

"So we assist you with a spell so Dark that it's lost with Ancient magic, and we are all protected from harm?" Lily cut in sharply, and Tom nodded.

"Only from myself; I cannot protect you from anyone else, although I can request for my followers not to harm you," the Dark wizard assured.

"I don't know about this," James muttered, a twisted grimace crossing his features. "I have always sworn loyalty to Dumbledore and the Light; helping you carry out some horrendous ritual simply for protection…well, I know how to protect my family from people like you."

"It should be interesting to see you try to protect your family when you're missing a leg," Tom mocked cruelly. "Besides, I would have thought you would like to see your dear friend Sirius Black again." Remus and James both stiffened at those words. "The Veil wouldn't return him in exchange for goods before, but with what I am planning, they will have no choice but to hand him back. Don't you want to see him again? You and the wolf both destroyed your own worlds so badly once you lost him; it would be incredibly weak to give up the chance of seeing him again."

Tom had played Remus and James perfectly, and Harry could see they had both fallen straight into his hands. Lily noticed this too, and she reached out to clutch James' hand tightly.

"Sirius is at rest now," Remus croaked, his voice straining with each word. Harry thought he looked like he was ready to burst into tears at any given moment.

"Did you not hear Harry before? He is forever stuck behind the Veil, unable to completely move on. He's almost like a ghost confined to a dark, empty room for eternity," Tom described, smirking as a tear forced its way from Remus' eyes.

"You would really bring him back? I couldn't live to see him as your mindless slave," Remus muttered; Harry watched as Tom's eyes lit up darkly.

"Not at all; he would be under my power, but I can relinquish enough control for it to seem as it once was," Tom answered. James looked horrified.

"Remus, you can't really be considering this, can you?" James questioned weakly, and he looked at his wife and daughter who both looked away guiltily.

"How would you feel if you lost Lily?" Remus snapped sharply. "Or Heather or Harry? Wouldn't you give anything at all to get them back?"

"Didn't we say we'd do anything if it meant our children could be safe?" Lily added, staring at her husband with fierce eyes.

"I almost have lost Harry," James said quietly, pain lacing his voice. "I only just lost my best friend."

"And I'm offering you a chance to have both," Tom's voice said, filtering around the room like a spirit. "Surely your loved ones are more important than Light and Dark? You're simply being offered a chance for control; for power."

Tom's voice was power itself, and Harry could see Heather entranced by him already. She seemed to be hanging on his every word, staring up at him in awe.

"You don't even need to assist me right now; it shan't be ready until the New Year, but I will need your word," Tom continued, his tone demanding.

"Alright," James said softly, shutting his eyes.

Remus, Lily and Heather all voiced their acceptance too, and Tom smiled widely, his grip tightening on Harry possessively.

"Perfect," he announced, dropping a hand to rest on Harry's thigh.

Harry watched as his father's eyes narrowed dangerously, but the man said nothing although he was clearly gritting his teeth as Tom's fingers moved lightly across his clothed skin.

"So that's that then? We just have to sit around until you decide to grace us with your presence again?" James asked exasperatedly.

"Well you could try and go against the Vow if you wish to die," Tom mused with a cruel smile. "I do not care to give up control; the little I have relinquished for you regarding your dead friend should be good enough for you."

"Thank you for offering," Lily said quietly. "I know far too well that you'd have no qualms killing us all. I'm glad you understand Harry enough to know that he needs his family."

"I think it's more of a case of wanting, rather than needing," Tom retorted calmly. "Harry and I have personal matters to discuss now, but do not even bother to attempt to spy on us because your efforts will be pointless."

James scowled again as Harry stood from Tom's lap at the man's gesture.

Tom wrapped his arm around Harry, resting his hand on Harry's hip in a pose that was clearly orchestrated to provoke his father, and likely to show his mother how much more important he was in Harry's life than her.

Tom led him out of the room, and the older boy didn't even cast his eyes back as they left.

Harry heard his family talking in hushed whispers as soon as they were out of sight.

"They definitely can't tell anyone about you, right?" Harry asked, just wanting confirmation. He knew Tom had worded it precisely in the Unbreakable Vow, but he just wanted to be sure.

"No; all they can do is complain to each other about it," Tom told him with a smirk.

They stepped inside Harry's room, and Tom threw up a Privacy Charm as usual.

"I wish for you to know, that no matter Marvolo's desire to work with me to destroy the Dark Lord, I shall never side with him," Tom said lowly, kissing Harry possessively. "He dared to touch something that is mine, and he shall pay for that. Scourgify."

Harry was grateful that his face was finally completely clean; he had had far too much going on for that to have been a priority.

"I was unconscious," Harry muttered quietly. "He tied me down; I didn't know what was happening, but just thinking-"

Tom cut him off, pressing a soft finger against his lips.

Harry fell into Tom's arms, whether Tom had wanted him to or not, but the man didn't push him away.

"Can you remove the Mark?" Harry whispered after a moment, resting his head against Tom's chest.

"I can in time," was the firm answer, and that was good enough for Harry. He trusted Tom would find a simple method and get rid of the branding as soon as he could. "It may take some time for me to study the Mark in order to find out why it is irremovable for the common Death Eater, but nothing is truly permanent."

"I would say death was, but you seem to be finding your way around that," Harry mused lightly, and he felt Tom let out a short laugh.

"Let me see it again," Tom ordered lowly, leading Harry over to the bed.

The Gryffindor lay down at Tom's request, wincing as cold fingers lifted his shirt and ghosted across the Mark.

It was still stinging, his skin feeling like it was burning a small flame underneath his skin, and he arched into Tom's cold touch, trying to soothe the pain within him.

"I had never considered branding anyone like this," Tom murmured from his position kneeling between Harry's legs. His fingers were dancing over the Mark, his wand joining his exploration, but his eyes were staring deep into Harry's. "It was likely meant as a psychological way of reminding the Inner Circle who their loyalties belonged to, but there are other ways of doing that; ways which are not a liability. All it took was a slip of the sleeve, and they could be locked away or tortured upon discovery of the Dark Mark."

"Tortured?" Harry repeated, his voice breaking as Tom lowered his head and darted his tongue up the brand, which was oddly soothing and sent a shiver of pleasure running through Harry's body.

"The Ministry is not as pure as they like civilians to believe," Tom commented, tracing the outline of the Mark with his tongue, humming and sending pleasurable vibrations through Harry's skin. "Dumbledore did not refuse the Minister of Magic position simply because he loved his job as Headmaster too much; he knew what the Ministry was involved in, and even if he might not agree with their methods, it would be almost impossible to change."

"But surely Dumbledore could stop what they were doing if he didn't like it? I mean he's the most power-; I mean he's the second…third? Most powerful wizard in our world, isn't he?" Harry questioned, flushing under the smirk and deep set eyes that Tom flashed at him.

"You need the right sort of power to do certain things," the older boy asserted. "Are you aware that even in his duels against Voldemort, he won't directly cast a harmful spell? He's clever enough to work around it, yes, but he refuses otherwise. He had a sister who died when she was very young; nobody knows for certain how, in fact very few even know he had a sister, but it was potentially his fault she died, as she was caught in the midst of a duel between him and two others."

Harry found that rather tragic; his sister hadn't been the greatest of siblings, but killing her, even by accident, would be unbearable for him.

Harry was drawn from his inner musings as Tom nipped at his sore skin, and Harry yelped as a somehow pleasant pain coursed through him.

"Marvolo said," Harry said breathlessly, "that he wanted you to see his Mark every time you…" he trailed off, not wanting to sound as crude as Marvolo had, but Tom appeared to understand what he was getting at.

"Pity for him, I have changed the Mark so the claim of your ownership lays with me, and me alone, despite what the imagery may suggest," Tom drawled, a bemused smirk on his face.

"You changed it?" Harry asked incredulously. "How?"

"Do not doubt my skill, my dear," came the short reply.

Harry looked down his body; the Mark was still there, glaring harshly against his reddened skin, but now, protruding from the snake's mouth, was a lily.

X

The remainder of the week had been particularly strange.

Lily had been nursing James, and helping him to manage with only one leg. Lily had transfigured him a wheelchair, which was awe-inspiring for a man who had grown up in the Wizarding World, but he still insisted on moving himself as much as he could.

He was currently waiting on a wooden replacement, much like Mad-Eye Moody's, but due to the abolishment of a safe St Mungo's, the replacement was harder to come by. Lily had wanted to get James a Muggle prosthetic limb, claiming it would be more hard-wearing, but her husband had refused, claiming whatever worked for Moody would be good enough for him.

Harry had told his parents he wanted to go back to school on the Saturday. That night was a full moon, and he wanted to be there for Draco. He didn't tell his parents that was the reason, of course, but Remus had smiled at him knowingly, with a beaming look of pride in his eyes.

Heather had stated she might as well go back when Harry did, so Lily insisted they all have one last family dinner together before they returned to Hogwarts.

Lily had requested that Tom join them too, much to James' displeasure, who had concluded that by not seeing the boy, and by never talking about or to him, then it would mean he didn't exist. Still, Harry had been more surprised than his father when Tom agreed. Upon reflection, Harry decided the reason Tom had accepted the offer was purely to irritate James, rather than out of politeness to his mother.

The dinner itself had been awkward, with uncomfortable silences, and Harry trying not to blush too heavily whenever Tom's hand obviously settled on his thigh. Harry had outright squeaked when Tom rubbed his cock, and James looked like he was preparing to chop his other leg off with a butter knife to bash Tom over the head with it. If he hadn't sworn not to harm Tom under the Unbreakable Vow, he probably would have done.

The worst part of the evening came when Lily and Remus started a conversation, as everyone else was preoccupied. Harry was getting molested, James was busy trying to kill Tom via glaring, and Heather was keeping her eyes fixed firmly on her dinner as she blushed so much her red face was clashing with her hair.

Remus and Lily decided to talk about their favourite topic; books, and were discussing a Wizarding author's new work compared to their old ones, when Tom cut in with his opinion that the old books were entirely better, resulting in a debate between Tom and Lily against Remus. Harry still couldn't get his head around how that had happened.

Although, in his defence, it had been difficult for him to think about anything once Tom had started kissing and undressing him in front of everyone once they had eaten. James actually fainted at that point, and Tom used the distraction to drag Harry out of the room proceeded to shag him senseless on his parent's bed. Tom had told him he would clean the mess they left, but Harry thought he heard his father sobbing when the man retired for bed, making the Gryffindor sure that Tom had lied.

Harry wasn't overly surprised when James refused to look him in the eyes the next day, even when he hugged him goodbye. He smelt of cleaning products which said a lot; James normally refused to clean using Muggle products, claiming spells made things so much easier, which was probably why he hadn't considered the dangers of bleaching a bed.

"If he wanted to kill Dad, the Killing Curse would be much easier," Heather commented as they Floo-ed back to Hogwarts, landing in the Headmaster's office.

Madame Pomfrey and Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore entered through a door as they heard the whooshing of the fireplace.

"Hello Mr. Potter," the matron greeted. "Are you sure you feel well enough to attend your lessons?" She looked as though she doubted Lily would have been able to look after him properly, despite her Muggle and Magical medical knowledge.

"I'm fine; physically, anyway," Harry said, adding the last bit on as an afterthought.

"There is a new curfew in place," Professor McGonagall stated. "All students are to be in their dorm rooms by eight o'clock, no matter their age, and you are not permitted to leave for breakfast or classes until half seven in the morning." Harry and Heather nodded to show they understood. "I'll escort you back to your common room, Miss Potter; Professor Dumbledore would like a word with your brother."

"I'll see you at the common room, maybe," Heather said to Harry, her voice very small, which was perhaps the reason why the Transfiguration professor seemed to soften in her stance and offered the girl a very faint smile.

The females left the office, leaving Harry alone with the elderly Headmaster.

"Please have a seat, Harry," Albus said with a bright smile, and Harry complied, sitting himself down and keeping his gaze firmly focused on the desk in front of him. Tom had trained him well in Occlumency, but Harry's skill level would never match up to that of Tom's Legilimency level. As such, his mind was vulnerable to Legilimency attacks from people such as Dumbledore.

"You have had a rough time of it lately, from what I've heard," Dumbledore stated gently. "How are you managing with it all?"

"Fine," Harry answered simply with a shrug. Dumbledore was resting his hands on his desk, the dead hand resting on top of the healthy one. On one of the darkened fingers was a ring, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows faintly visible in the black centre.

Harry had taken the liberty of re-reading the tale of the Three Brothers after he had lost the Invisibility Cloak. Tom claimed Dumbledore was the owner of the Elder Wand, and Marvolo thought Dumbledore owned the third too; the Resurrection Stone, but that was literally a stone, not a ring, unless it had someone been fused into Dumbledore's ring.

He glanced up briefly; Dumbledore was looking at him almost tiredly, and Harry could see the fragility of how old the man really was, but at the same time he looked somewhat thoughtful, like an old scholar.

"Harry," Dumbledore said gently, his voice sounding as though it were pained. "Your mother told me that there is a particular Death Eater who is stalking you."

"I wouldn't call it something as pleasant as stalking," Harry muttered sarcastically under his breath.

"I have taken extra precautions in the castle to protect both you, and the other students," the headmaster continued, not showing any sign that he had heard Harry, although the Gryffindor suspected he had. "I have taken the liberty of extending this protection to the Shrieking Shack tonight, should anybody require it." Harry's head shot up, and he stared at the headmaster curiously. "However, in future, if a student happened to search by the Whomping Willow for something they had perhaps forgotten, they would find any concealed entrances sealed."

Harry averted his gaze again; he and Draco would have to find somewhere new for him to transform the next full moon. Still, he supposed the fact Dumbledore had given them fair warning, without directly revealing his knowledge of Draco's lycanthropy, and Harry's Animagus ability, was rather considerate, and maybe even a bit admirable, though he would never tell Tom he thought that.

"Err; can I go now, sir?" Harry asked, and Dumbledore chuckled.

"Certainly, my boy, unless there is anything you wish to tell me about," Albus smiled.

Yes, there was plenty he should tell Dumbledore about, but he didn't especially wish to tell him.

"No, sir; there's nothing," he answered, looking up at the man just in time to see a small flicker of recognition and perhaps sadness flash through Dumbledore's eyes.

"Very well," was the calm answer, and the headmaster watched as Harry stood. "I believe your friends are congressing in the Dungeon Corridors; I imagine they will be very pleased to see you have returned in good health."

Harry smiled awkwardly and muttered a quick thanks, before leaving the room as quickly as he could without it looking like he was fleeing.

He headed down the staircase, feeling a slight flicker of fear at the height, which was perhaps the reason his arm kept on brushing into the stone wall; he had moved as far away from the edge as possible, despite the fact there were barriers to stop accidents.

There were students roaming around, and nearly all of them stopped what they were doing to point at him as he passed them, and Harry didn't want to know what the theories were surrounding what had happened. He supposed he would find out soon enough.

He made it down to the dungeons in record time, wanting to get away from the daunting staircase and watching eyes as soon as possible. He wondered if he could somehow move into the dungeons, and he felt a sense of regret at not considering the option of being a Slytherin when he was sorted.

If he had been a Slytherin, then maybe he wouldn't have managed to get himself lost.

The dungeon corridors were vast, almost like a maze. The area where the Potions classrooms and the Slytherin common room, although that was not obvious unless you knew it was there, was relatively small and simple, but beyond that there were so many twists and turns it was difficult to keep up.

He was ready to go Hansel and Gretel style, and create a trail made from whatever he could find, when he heard someone shouting his name.

The next thing to knew, he had a happy Ginny Weasley wrapped around his body.

"I didn't think you'd be back so soon," she said with a wide grin. She stepped back, leaning against a smirking Blaise Zabini. "How are you feeling?"

"Considering I fell from a great height not so long ago, I'm actually doing pretty good," Harry told the pair, missing out his issues concerning the rest of his life.

"I noticed you used the word fell," Blaise observed. "I knew those rumours were wrong."

"What rumours?" Harry asked with feigned interest; he'd have to find out sooner or later.

"Nearly everyone's saying you jumped," Ginny filled him in. "Some say you had a pact with Anderson, while others say you were so depressed about his death you felt you had to do the same."

"Of course, the intelligent ones amongst us knew otherwise," Blaise added. "For a Gryffindor, you've had a surprising amount of Slytherin support."

"Only because your House is scared of Draco Malfoy," Ginny cut in, grinning. Blaise rolled his eyes but let the comment slide. "I suppose you came down here looking for him."

"Him and Luna; no offence," Harry muttered, smiling sheepishly.

Blaise offered to show him where Draco and Luna were, and Harry graciously accepted, though he didn't bother to mention about his wanderings around the corridors.

They were in a small, ancient classroom that Harry wouldn't have even known existed if Blaise hadn't pointed it out.

They both looked surprised to see Harry, Draco more so than Luna.

"Hello, Harry; I'm happy you're back," the Ravenclaw girl smiled, and Harry decided it wouldn't hurt Tom much if he hugged her.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Draco asked, eyeing Harry critically. He seemed to be almost looking Harry over for damage, and Harry noticed both he and Luna seemed to be staring right through his shirt to where his now unique Dark Mark lay.

"I told you I'd be with you this full moon," Harry pointed out, and to his surprise Draco scowled.

"You shouldn't put your health at risk just for me," the blond muttered. "You Gryffindors really are stupid; I wouldn't have sobbed for a month just because you broke a promise."

"My health isn't at risk," Harry assured. "Besides, I could do with a break from everything that's going on; running around on four feet with a wolf sounds like a good way to burn that energy."

Draco ended up copying Harry's grin.

"I think you'll have fun," Luna stated, swinging her legs as she sat on a desk. "Harry, have you seen this desk?" she asked, pointing down to her seat. "Tom used to sit here."

Harry was quick to look at the desk; how Luna knew Tom had used it was a mystery, because there were no markings on the desk whatsoever.

"How can you tell?" he asked, and Luna smiled at him dreamily.

"It has a faint lingering of his magic around it; that can only happen with a powerful wizard, which is the same way I know Professor Dumbledore used to spend a lot of time on the Astronomy Tower. The Grey Lady told me that Slughorn used to teach at Hogwarts for many, many years, and one day, he just shut up his old classrooms and nobody knew why."

"Probably something to do with Riddle," Draco muttered under his breath. "Do you not find it weird that your boyfriend was a student here back in the 1930's? He's basically seventy or so."

"In soul; not body," Harry pointed out. "There are plenty of novels where there's great soul versus body divides."

"It's rather romantic," Luna mused. "Though Tom is actually only sixty-nine, Draco."

"Close enough," Draco smirked. "How would you know, anyway?"

"I looked it up," the girl explained. "I don't think how I did it is allowed within the school rules, but I think sometimes you have to be flexible to learn. He'll be seventy on the last day of the year."

"Are you telling me that because you think I should celebrate his birthday?" Harry questioned, and Draco let out a bark of laughter.

"I know they may look different, and it's probably easy for you to forget, but Riddle and Voldemort are basically the same person; can you really imagine Voldemort at a birthday party?"

Harry laughed at the mental image. "Maybe he'd be nicer if somebody gave him a present, and a cake, or something," Harry mused.

"Are you seriously suggesting we can solve the Wizarding War by showering the Dark Lord with affection?" Draco commented with an amused smirk.

"That would certainly be a pleasant end," Luna sang. "There was a war amongst fairies which was ended when one of the tribe leaders gave the other a hug."

"There you go, Draco; go and give Voldemort a hug and you'll be a hero," Harry grinned. Draco responded with a rude gesture.

It felt good to be back with people he could spend time around without having to think about death and mayhem with, and they spent the rest of the day smiling and talking with each other. As the day moved on, Draco seemed to get more agitated, however, as though he could feel the pull of the moon before it even lit the night sky.

He pulled a vial out of his robe pocket, swirling the gloopy green mixture around in the glass container.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked Harry, who nodded, despite the nerves that had set in. He knew Draco had the Wolfsbane, and even if he didn't he wouldn't attack another animal, but with all the warnings his parents and Sirius, and even Remus himself, had given him about staying away from Remus at the full moon, he still had that smidgeon of fear. They had countered their comments, of course, by saying any other time Remus was his lovely old self, but as a wolf without Wolfsbane, it was dangerous for humans to be near.

They walked, under the Disillusionment Charm, to the Whomping Willow, where Draco set the knot which would allow them entrance. Once they were in the underground tunnel, they cleared the spell off them.

"We won't be able to use this anymore," Harry told Draco as they clambered through the rough, trip-hazard like ground. "Dumbledore has to shut the tunnel down as a precautionary measure, but he's put Protection Charms around the Shrieking Shack tonight."

"He told you that?" Draco asked, with just a hint of worry in his voice, which Harry would not have been able to pick up had he not been used to Draco by now.

"Not me, exactly; well, he did tell me exactly, but he didn't say anything that was aimed directly at me or you. The words he used were just general statements. I'm pretty sure he knows about both of us, though."

"Typical," Draco muttered.

The boys climbed up through the floorboards and into the Shack. The walls and floor were littered with scratch marks, and the furniture looked like it had been torn to shreds.

"Don't worry; it was like this before I ever turned up," Draco drawled, taking out his potion vial. He took one look at the glass, before removing the stopper and downing the green liquid.

The building was dark, with the night sky shading the shattered glass of the windows.

They sat in silence, an uneasy tension simmering between them, but it ceased when Draco gasped loudly.

"Change!" he ordered, and Harry complied, turning himself into his fox form.

He looked up from his short height, as Draco writhed in pain, his back arching backwards with a sickening crack. Harry wished he could so something to help, but all he could do was watch in horror as claws burst from Draco's fingers and toes, and the sharp features ripped away his clothes, drawing blood from the chest that was spurting grey fur.

Draco fell onto his arms and legs, his face contorting and making his screams turn into growls.

Then Harry was looking at a grey wolf, with white streaks running through its fur. The eyes were still Draco's; a mixture of amber and grey, and it was a sign the Wolfsbane had worked.

Harry hadn't realised he had been simply staring, until the wolf swatted Harry over his head with his paw. The impact, though light, sent his small body tumbling over, and the wolf howled in satisfaction.

Harry barked; a high pitched little yelp, and compared to Draco's large, wolfish form he could have seemed almost pathetic, but he didn't care, and he leapt his small body as Draco's leg. He wrapped his front legs around it, biting down softly on the smooth fur.

Draco allowed him to feel like he was more dominant for a few minutes, but once the werewolf was bored, he shook his leg violently, causing Harry to let go.

The werewolf stood as tall as he could, his back arched and teeth barred. His eyes were lit with mirth though, and he seemed to be telling Harry to run; Harry didn't think twice after seeing those teeth. He felt Draco's pounding footsteps behind him, and using his smaller form to his advantage, Harry ducked underneath a small table, waiting for the wolf to pass before scampering back out and jumping up onto the table he had hidden under.

Draco turned around, and Harry leapt, landing on Draco's back with his limbs splayed out across the fur to hold onto him without falling.

Harry nuzzled his head against the soft fur, pawing at the wolf until the animal rolled over. Harry had to jump away before Draco squashed him.

They continued playing like that for a while, the animalistic energy inside of him more than eager to make Draco his playmate.

As the night went on, he felt his energy dropping, and he blinked tiredly up at the wolf, who had him pinned between two large paws.

Draco seemed to realise, and his eyes were just as tired. He dropped down, resting his head over his paws, and drawing Harry into what was somewhat a hug. Draco's front legs had closed around his body, trapping him in place, and when Harry curled over, his body was closely resting under Draco's head, placed just so that Harry wouldn't be crushed if the wolf's head dropped too far.

Harry snuggled up closer, resting his fur against Draco's, and the two animals slept in a pleasant slumber.

X

Notes:

I have posted the first chapter of my Tom/Abraxas/Harry story, so please go and have a look and tell me what you think.

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 512