Harry slammed into the ground face first, his arms and legs jumbled into a contorted mess. He heard his nose crunch sickeningly from the force of impact. Gasping, he wheezed through his mouth as he struggled to stand, colliding with his trunk. Finally, he managed to right himself.
Blood dripped down his face from his broken nose. He quickly held a hand up to staunch the flow. He quickly shrunk his trunk and stuffed it in his robes. Staring at the blank stretch of wall Harry wondered where the hell he was when the sound of another portkey arrival behind him drew his attention.
Looking across the grandiose room, the sudden arrival of the Death Eaters seemed far less worrisome; a wizard stood hunched over a large table in front of a throne-like chair. Voldemort glanced up from the papers he was perusing, lifting a sardonic brow before gently setting them aside and walking forward.
"Welcome to my humble lair," Voldemort said graciously spreading out his hands.
Harry took a wary step back, dropping the hand holding his nose and going for his wand. Voldemort waved his hand in dismissal as it came into view.
"Now, none of that. I'm not going to harm you." He examined Harry and pulled out his own wand. Harry raised his slightly. "Though where are my manners? Episkey."
Harry's nose shifted back into alignment with a nauseating squelch. He raised a hand quickly and found it perfect. His new robes however were unredeemable and that irked him. Good money--wasted!
"We can't have you covered in blood, now can we?" Voldemort said amused.
He beckoned to the new arrivals and told them to bring new robes for Harry. They hurried to do his bidding, moving away like ants on a mission, which Harry supposed they were. They left silently and swiftly.
Voldemort turned back to Harry, smiling winningly. Harry gazed hard at the wizard before him, trying to discern his sudden change in character. He was too considering and too charming to be anything but fake. Especially since he resembled a snake more than human anything else.
"Follow me, Harry," Voldemort commanded, turning his back on him.
Harry felt foolish with his wand still raised and hesitantly lowered it. He wouldn't be so foolish as to put it away. Cautiously he followed the tall wizard through a set of doors that shimmered into view as Voldemort approached them.
When Voldemort went through them, Harry followed, holding his wand at the ready in case this was a trap. Of course it was all a trap, he thought vaguely, crossing the threshold. He came to a sudden stop as he looked in awe.
Voldemort turned and smiled engagingly, pointy teeth and all. "How does my private lab compare with the ones at Hogwarts?"
Harry just nodded dumbly, gazing around at the potions lab. Cauldrons were bubbling on polished blue counters, there were thirteen in total he saw. Windows charmed to depict any type of weather blazed in full glory of a sunny afternoon, lighting the room in a way that every bit glassware glittered and every surface shone gaily. Cabinets filled with finished potions, ingredients, and tools ran along the perimeter of the room and there in the middle stood Voldemort, the wizard the whole wizarding world feared to even think his name let alone speak it, examining a frothy pink potion.
The sight caused Harry to choke back a snort. Instantly, he felt more at ease and suddenly realizing this must have been the intended result, stiffened up immediately. Voldemort replaced the ladle into the potion and stirred it anti-clockwise a few times before adding a pinch of something sliced beside it. The potion bubbled bright yellow before settling down into an orange-pink combination.
"It's quite impressive," Harry offered, glancing around again before focusing on the most dangerous thing in the room. "Certainly better than Snape's labs in the dungeons."
"Quite," Voldemort agreed, turning to the next potion, his black robes billowing softly at the movement.
Harry watched for a moment while Voldemort puttered around. It sounded odd even describing what he was seeing let alone witnessing. "Why am I here?"
Voldemort turned down the fire underneath the cauldron and glanced up mockingly. "You've been ignoring my letters. At first, I thought it was because you were hesitant about raising Dumbledore's already high suspicions of your involvement with me--oh yes--" he said at Harry's surprised look. "--I have informants within the castle who have his ear. The old fool thinks he's clever, he tries playing things with me like we were at a game of chess."
"He seems to have been winning a little with that tactic," Harry replied as a knock sounded at the door.
"He's won a few pawns, perhaps a knight, I must admit," Voldemort snarled, before quickly soothing his features and continuing calmly. "He won't be taking any of the bigger pieces, however, let alone the king. Enter Friskin."
A masked Death Eater came into the room, Harry could only assume the wizard's name was Friskin. Voldemort took the bundle of black cloth and unfurled it with a flick of his hands. A careful eye looked for any flaws before he nodded and sent the Death Eater away with a brisk command.
"Take these," Voldemort directed, handing the uncut material to him and gestured out the door. "Go down the hall and in the first doorway on the left, you'll find the toilets. Change; the fabric with automatically tailor itself to your form, then return. You have five minutes."
Harry took the cloth suspiciously and edged toward the door. Just as he was about to leave, Voldemort warned him not to try to escape, his friendly demeanor shifting to show his true, manipulating self. It left his features as quickly as it came but Harry wasn't fooled. He left, shutting the door behind him and looked out at the hallway he found himself in, the grandiose hall and throne nowhere to be seen.
It was dark and cool with flickering sconces decorating the wall every few feet. Harry turned to the right and padded softly down the corridor examining the wall. He was underground, if the roughness of the stones indicated anything. It also meant he was more likely in a castle of some sort. A refurbished one, if the smooth white and wooden walls from earlier were anything to go by.
He passed several doors on the right that were shut and locked tight. Harry gave up trying to jiggle one open three doors down and hurried a little more. There was nobody in sight, but Harry still had the eerie feeling he was being watched. He finally came to the door on the left near the end of the hall and quickly stepped inside.
§It's safe to talk, Oorjit,§ Harry hissed quietly, shutting the door and turning around.
The bathroom was as grandiose as the throne room. Regal and opulent; there was a large pool like bath and a long low counter above which hung an ornate mirror and tapestries with gold filament all along the walls. Harry got the feeling that this was a private bathroom, despite there being no personal items strewn out in the open.
§Where are we?§ Oorjit said against his back, his tongue tickling his skin.
§Voldemort's hideaway lair.§
He opened the only furniture in the room, a bulky wardrobe and saw inside a stack of plush dark green towels, a few bottles that seemed to be shampoo potions and a locked box. Harry shut the wardrobe and faced the room.
§Hang on, I'm going to try popping out of here,§ Harry said softly, dropping the robes he was holding and spun on his foot.
His Apparition attempt failed as a superior pressure forced him to remain where he was. He felt his ears pop. Harry huffed in agitation and quickly tore his ruined robes off him and grabbed the pool of fabric on the ground.
Oorjit stretched and let go of his waist, flapping his wings to gain air. §That was pretty slick. You got us right back where we started.§
§Give me a break,§ Harry groused holding up his material at arm's length.
§You could do it at Hogwarts,§ Oorjit returned. §You nearly drowned yourself because of it.§
§I was being chased by Dumbledore.§
§You're being chased by Voldemort now.§
§No,§ Harry hissed, shaking his head and glancing down at the cloth. §I don't think I am. He wants me to join him.§
§And that makes it impossible to leave?§
Harry nodded thoughtfully. §Perhaps. I think, if I am honest with myself, I do want to hear what he says.§
He examined the black fabric for any negative spells and charm work. It appeared to be normal self-tailoring cloth so
he brought it to his chest trying to figure out how to activate it.
That was all the fabric needed apparently as it started vibrating. It leapt up measuring him against itself for his length as well as his width before snippets of the fabric started falling away to litter the floor. It wrapped around him and a few more pieces fell away.
It circled him and silver thread appeared midair and started sewing. The invisible needle poked his shoulder once and Harry winced. The fabric tightened warningly before the pieces on the floor rose up and started fusing together into long wide cuffs. The cuffs slid over his arms and the needle pulled them together, sewing them onto the torso. A second set of thread and needle started sewing the hemline and cuffs, cutting off the ragged ends of the fabric and thread.
Oorjit examined him from his spot on the marble slab counters. §You don't look terrible,§ he determined.
The material finished its work and a silver design appear in midair. Harry examined the eagle that was displayed but he shook his head. The design morphed into another, this one a lion and again he shook his head. A badger quickly appeared before cycling over into a snake. Harry looked at it thoughtfully before shaking his head and requesting something more magical. A dragon, phoenix, and griffin were all dismissed before it stopped once again awaiting instructions.
"Perhaps a basilisk?" Harry inquired and the silver design shimmered into an impressive image of a male basilisk.
Harry nodded and the design shifted onto his back where the silver thread started to create it. He waited patiently for it to finish before standing before the mirrors to take in his presence.
§You know, I think you may be right, Oorjit,§ Harry said, turning one way then another, observing himself in the mirror.
He was quite pleased with the outcome, staring at his well tailor robes. The charms on the material were done by the best in the business, the sheer style of cut and handiwork were topnotch. He looked good, even with the red stripe of hair. The robes just brought it out, emphasizing his uniqueness and good bone structure.
§I guess we should head back and talk to old snake face then,§ Harry said finishing up his perusal.
Oorjit flapped his wings and landed on Harry's shoulder in a pile of coils. Tucking his wings to his body, the occamy slithered down the neck of Harry's robes. Harry endured the creepy crawly sensation as Oorjit settled against his back once more, his tail curling firmly around Harry's waist.
Once Oorjit settled into place, Harry grabbed his trunk from the ruined robes and stuffed it into the new before he banished his old robes, deciding he didn't need them anymore and left the opulent bathroom. He strolled leisurely down the corridor back to the potions lab when a Death Eater popped into existence. The easy appearance made Harry frown. He had to find a way around the wards. It was no good that a common Death Eater could do it when he could not, even if the Death Eater was programmed into the wards.
"My Lord is not pleased," the Death Eater intoned darkly.
"Yeah?"
"He said you lingered too long for his liking."
"He'll have to deal," Harry said boldly, straightening upright. "Is he still in the lab?"
The Death Eater shook his head and sneered, "He's gone to his private dining hall. You are to follow me."
Harry waved him on imperiously and proceeded after the angry minion. He considered heckling the wizard before summarily dismissing the idea. Too easy.
They halted in their progress before an elevator similar to those at the Ministry. Harry waited while the gears engaged and the shaft appeared. The Death Eater waited for Harry to climb in before coming onboard. Harry watched as the wizard pressed an anonymous black button which closed the iron gates.
The elevator lurched upon closing and they barreled through the walls, up and down, and sideways until Harry felt dizzy and lost. The only thing he sensed was how large the place was; the lair was bigger than the Ministry but felt smaller than Hogwarts. The lair was impressive and obviously brimming with a dark magical presence that Harry felt was similar to Voldemort's own particular brand of energy.
"We're here," the Death Eater said needlessly as the gates swung open and Harry stepped off.
They were now in an icy blue corridor with frosted windows. The black night lay beyond them, no moon or stars. The light in the hall was being suffocated before it could shine . The whole scene was sinister.
Harry became tenser and proceeded to walk in front of the Death Eater to hide his increasing anxiety. The Dark Lord wished to speak with him about the letters of recruitment, which suddenly felt more like conscription in this gloomy hall. He walked purposefully down the halls running possible ideas through his mind on how to make a quick escape.
A cough sounded behind him and Harry stopped, glaring at the masked wizard; the Death Eater was simply standing and waiting for him to open the door. But though the Death Eater's mask hid all expression, Harry could just feel the waves of smug superiority roll off the man and it grated on his nerves.
The Death Eater knocked on the door, waiting for permission to enter. A hissing call sounded through the walls and the wizard took this as assent. He opened the door and waved Harry through mockingly. Harry sneered at the masked face and swept by him.
Voldemort awaited inside, sitting at the end of the small table. Harry came to a stop just inside the doorway. From his spot Harry counted six other chairs, noticing the end chair wasn't positioned where it should be, instead the second high backed chair was sitting cattycornered to Voldemort's. Obviously, that was were Voldemort wanted him. Voldemort himself sat at the end of the table lazily, watching him closely.
§Take a seat, Harry,§ Voldemort invited, waving Harry to the other end seat.
Harry slowly trudged over, weary of what he was to find.
A large albino snake with red eyes stared at him idly was revealed, sitting curled up on Voldemort's lap, when he reached his seat. The snake, Nagini, Harry suspected, preened under Voldemort's attentions. Voldemort watched him take in the presence of Nagini, scrutinizing his every reaction. Harry took his seat and waited in silence, watching Voldemort's long slender fingers stroke the crown of the snake's head.
§How do you like your robes?§ he asked when Harry had situated himself.
§They're very nice.§
§Much better than your brother's hand-me-downs, no?§
Harry raised an eyebrow inquiringly. §The state of my robes interested you? Who's your informant? They obviously are not doing a good job since those were one of my new robes that I purchased in Diagon Alley.§
Voldemort hid any reaction behind a gently mocking smirk. §Yes, well, I will be speaking with them later. Don't you worry.§
§Master,§ Nagini hissed, raising her head above the table. §I want to smell the boy.§
§Back off,§ Harry growled down at the snake. §You're not getting any closer to me than you already are.§ He flipped his attention back to Voldemort and raised his chin. §Now why don't you quit playing nice, you don't do it very well and tell me what it is you kidnapped me here for.§
§So demanding,§ Voldemort mocked, pushing Nagini's head back down on top of her coiled body. She let out a huff, irritated, but stayed silent. §I am of course, offering you the chance to join me, to combine our strengths, to become more powerful than you can imagine.§
Harry stared hard at the space between Voldemort's eyes; being firm while avoiding the chance of having Leglimency being used on him was tough. He felt a little silly. The silent admission settled in his stomach as the silence stretched.
§So silent, Potter,§ Voldemort murmured, stroking Nagini. He tilted his head to the side. §You have the king of serpents on the back of your robes. Do you consider yourself above me? That is a bold claim and not a wise one to be taking.§
§What gives you claim to call yourself king of serpents?§ Harry asked putting venom into it. §You claim so many things and yet time and again you've been bested by--§
§You?§ Voldemort inserted oily.
§--the Boy-Who-Lived,§ Harry concluded, defiantly. §Just because you can speak the snakes' language doesn't make you master of them.§
§Wrong,§ Voldemort hissed with finality, startling Harry with his forcefulness. §I am Salazar Slytherin's--§
§Heir?§ Harry scoffed. §Yeah, you told me.§
Voldemort's nostrils flared and he locked eyes with Harry who had shifted his gaze just a fraction. It was enough. A raging inferno sliced through his misdirecting wind, eating it up, using it as fuel to batter past the shifting winds. The fire slammed into Harry's third layer of protection, flaring.
Harry struggled to hold the gale in place, using his winds to wrap Voldemort's fire into a swirling cyclone of heat. Inside he felt scorched and the heat only made his concentration worse. Spots of vision flashed before him.
Harry could see Nagini rising above her master's lap and flopping onto the table. Fire cut off his view of her as the fiery twister seared his vision and pulled him back into the mental warfare. Feeling more helpless than ever under the onslaught pissed him off. He had worked too long on creating those three layers to just let them fall apart now.
He pushed his will to succeed into his winds, building the gale up, putting more power into its winds, struggling against the scorching fire. The influx of wind didn't blow out the fire like he had hoped, to Harry it looked like he had supplied more fuel for burning.
He could hear a high pitched chortle in his ears and his vision flashed again. Nagini was almost on him--there was nothing he could do! He saw her jaw open wide, light flashing off her fangs as she prepared to lunge before he was jerked back into the battle.
Gasping, Harry struggled for breath in the oxygen deprived world when a thought came to him. He dropped his windstorm, smothering the fiery tower. It felt as a shower of sparks, raining down on him. Harry stifled the air, he heard a roar of rage, as he closed off the air, hiding it from Voldemort.
He was thrown back suddenly against his chair, the fight for his memories over with as Nagini collided with his chest, knocking him over. Oorjit let out a garbled hiss, jerking furiously out of his robes and taking flight. His wings clipped Voldemort in the head before he pulled them in and dived at the giant serpent tangled with Harry.
Oorjit cackled as he plummeted, §Die flubber worm! Die!§
§I will enjoy eating you--ahh!!§ Nagini shrieked as Oorjit hit her, his jaws flashing.
The tumbling snakes fell off Harry and he called for his wand, grasping the slender wood as it hit his palm. Harry angled it at Voldemort's nose and back up to the wall only a few feet away. Voldemort sat there his face once more controlled as he watched the snakes fighting on the floor. He didn't seem to notice Harry or the wand pointed at his head, but Harry was certain that he had.
"Stay out of my mind," Harry shouted over the loud hissing and spitting on the floor.
"I have the right to your memories when you claim I've said something to you I can't recall ever saying to you," Voldemort said with a cold finality.
"The hell you do!"
"When and how did I tell you I was Slytherin's Heir?"
Harry felt the pull in those words. It was obvious to Harry that he shouldn't mention the diary or cup, so he improvised, sneering, "It's understandable, any Parselmouth would."
"Put your wand up, Mr. Potter," Voldemort commanded, his left hand going for his right cuff. Harry held his more firmly in his hand, keeping it aimed it right at Voldemort's head.
"Keep your hands on the table," Harry demanded hoarsely.
Smirking, Voldemort complied, resting his hands palm up on the table. "As you wish," he said silkily.
He jerked his wrists and two wands appeared in either hand, Harry blocked two disarming hexes with a quick protego. Harry threw a reducto at the table, blasting it apart, sending shards into Voldemort's face. In a blink of an eye Voldemort disappeared, fading from view. Harry recognized the disillusionment charm and quickly cast one on himself.
Shuffling away from where he had been, Harry leapt over the fighting snakes just as the wall where he'd been exploded in a shower of dust. A ten foot hole appeared where the dust cleared, revealing another hallway.
"I remember fighting you," Voldemort's voice hissed through the room. "All school yard jinxes with a few well placed ten-galleon dark curses and hexes for good measure. Typical and predictable."
"Worked the first time, though didn't it?"
"You had Dumbledore doing all the heavy work and then that wild bit of magic to knock both of us off our feet. I won't be toying with you a second time."
"You mean underestimate me!"
"You're playing with the big boys now. Adapt or die. Integrum caecus!"
"Bullintera!" Harry cried out using his free hand to yank his chair into the path of the blinding curse. The chair obliterated into a shower of dust.
A sneering chuckle reverberated in his ears. "I see that one ten-galleon dark spell and raise you a infinitely more potent example of it: Bullicruour!"
Harry dodged it and it slammed into the wall behind him, burrowing into it, leaving behind a small round pockmark.
"Ruptura viscus!" he shouted, aiming toward a shimmer of movement in the corner.
An unknown spell came from the opposite side of the room, Harry blocked it with another chair.
"Your knowledge of the dark arts is at best banal, first year Slytherins know their curses better than you do. Try changing them, modifying them for arsenal-- Rupturacrania!"
Harry used another chair to intercept the curse. It exploded outward in a shower of fine wooden slivers. He cast a bubblehead charm, clearing his air and protecting his face.
"Constansagonia!" he bellowed, aiming the curse where the last spell had come from, moving away from where he'd been right before another spell impacted where he had just stood.
"Oh are we moving on now to the mental tortures? I like those-- mentalisdolus!"
Harry dived under the table, using it for coverage. The spell collided with the wall, lighting up the whole room. He could just make out a shadowy outline of a figure before it disappeared. He swiveled his head one way then the other on the lookout.
The pair of snakes tumbled into him from behind, their angry hisses vying for his attention. Nagini's long snapping fangs flashed in the light of another spell. Harry hit her with a lockjaw hex. Oorjit laughed at the python's state launching into a fresh attack. Harry shoved their bodies away from him, getting clipped in the head by Oorjit's wings for his troubles.
"Conjurus gladius," Harry whispered, drawing a blade from thin air, holding his wand aloft. He made the sword invisible with a thought and hoisted it higher.
He peaked out from under the table and a spell crashed into the surface making it groan. Harry ducked out from under the last of his protection just as a splitter hex sliced through it. He ran to the wall, dodging the pair of dueling snakes. He vaguely registered Nagini speaking again when another splitter carved out a chunk of stone.
He swerved away from it and launched himself into the air, pointing his sword hand down, casting a silent levitation charm. The spellfire ceased as he rose in the air, Harry had a feeling Voldemort was trying to spot him on the ground. Using that to his advantage Harry rose higher, hiding himself in the shadowy ceiling.
From his spot in the corner, he panted, catching his breath. Up in the air, he could make out Voldemort who was approaching the hole in the wall cautiously. He must have thought Harry had left the room and gone out into the hall. Harry aimed his wand and held it steady, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
§Harry,§ Voldemort taunted, peering back into the room. §Come out, come out, wherever you are.§
Harry refused to be baited.
§I know you're in here,§ Voldemort heckled his voice bouncing around the room, dropping his disillusionment charm. §I'll even go easier on you. See I'm visible again? How's that? Is that fair?§
Harry cast an unbreakable charm and a self-sharpening charm on the sword. Quietly with minimal movement he used his
wand to levitate the weapon into the air. Under the disguise of the hissing snakes he directed the sword down behind
Voldemort's figure with soft hissing directions.
§Or should I also drop a wand?§ Voldemort hissed maliciously. §One wand and visible is more than fair,§ he said,
banishing his second wand with a flick from the first.
§Stab him,§ Harry ordered softly at the sword when it was positioned directly behind Voldemort's tall proud figure and watched the air distort around Voldemort as the blade slashed the air impaling the unaware wizard.
A high pitched yell of pain roared through the air. Voldemort wrenched the sword out of his chest and held the bloody blade aloft, fury raging in his red eyes.
§Show yourself Potter!§ Voldemort hissed, spittle flying from his mouth. §Show yourself, you cowardly mudblood!§
Oorjit cackled wickedly, drawing Harry's attention to the two snakes thrashing on the ground just a little below him. Oorjit's jaw clamped down on Nagini's head in triumph. He threw his head back in the air biting down on Nagini's writhing body.
The female snake was swallowed in thick guzzling chomps, her downward descent visible. Oorjit flapped his wings, fighting the last of the dying snake's efforts to stay alive. Voldemort's sensing the end of his familiar switched his attention to the feeding occamy.
A wordless bellow ripped from Voldemort's throat as he came down upon Oorjit. Harry dropped from the ceiling, landing in a crouch. He dropped his disillusionment charm and ran head first toward Voldemort, mindlessly conjuring a solid shield.
The sword clanged against the shield, the force of the blow knocking Harry back a few feet. Harry grit his teeth as the sword came crashing down again. He was sweating, pushing against the force of Voldemort's blow as Oorjit gulp down the last of the large albino snake.
§You will know death!§ Voldemort vowed, shoving Harry aside with a powerful burst of magic. Harry fell to the ground, his shield spiraling away, his wand held in his grip only by sheer will.
He pulled himself up off the floor in time to watch Voldemort bear down on Oorjit. The occamy glared defiantly up at his murderer, his belly full, snapping back smugly. Harry summoned Oorjit just as the blade swung down, wedging itself into the ground below. Voldemort spun around, his red eyes focusing on Harry.
§You can't escape, Potter,§ he hissed, stalking toward them. §You've got nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.§
Harry clung to Oorjit tightly, ignoring the disgruntled occamy's protest. He pointed his wand at Voldemort and clambered to his feet, swaying awkwardly under Oorjit's newfound bulk.
§Good-bye,§ Harry said firmly, taking a step back.
§Good-bye?§ Voldemort hissed incredulously. §Where do you think you're going? Somewhere I can't find you?§
§Something like that,§ Harry grimaced and spun around, forcing his way through the Apparition barriers with a deafening crack.
All he needed to get away had been the right incentive after all.
º«««º»»»ºEnd Chapter 36º«««º»»»º