Unofficial Portkey Archive

CHAPTER 14: Double Edged Sword

"Now we were a virtue

In pride and murder sin

I have no need for redemption

I had no need for you"

-Dr. Dog

"Very well then Damon" Malfoy said, clearing his throat. "If I deliver Potter to you, you will let be a part of your plans?"

"Yes, but you need to prove to me I can trust you first. You remind me of a young man I met years ago, a man named Tom Riddle. But I suppose you already know about all that or you would not have contacted me to meet you here."

"Potter and his friends have figured out much about your plan for world domination" Draco scowled, finishing the last of his drink in one long swig. "Potter had been sharing what he's found with me. He's foolish enough to think I'm his friend."

"Foolish yes, but not an utter fool. He and his friends have been more clever than I would have given them credit for. I was pleased when he eliminated the monster who called himself Voldemort; it cleared a path for my own plans to commence. However, I never foresaw that a boy who thrived mostly on luck might also get in my way as well. I suppose I made the mistake of getting him involved when I targeted the famous Hermione Granger to unseal the Death Eater documents. I was simply trying to clear the world of any Death Eaters who Riddle may have shared his knowledge of Mental Channeling with. It would have eased the transition and avoided this unfortunate violence."

"Threatening her was a bad play" Draco agreed. "You pissed Potter off and he's never been easy to deal with; the Dark Lord could testify to that."

"No matter; the plans have changed but the objectives remain the same. I will not wait any longer; if blood must be shed so that a long era of peace may ensue, so be it. First, I must have assurances that you will not betray me like Riddle did."

Draco took a moment to consider this statement, guardedly glancing at his strange accomplice. Harry had described the man as looking no older than 30 in Riddle's memories, and Draco would say that he had not aged a day since. He was handsome in a strikingly classic way, with a slender nose on his pale face, and perfect cheekbone structure. Draco understood more than ever Riddle's infatuation with staying young and living forever. It must have been a real blow to the ego when all that dark magic started destroying his face and turning him into a noseless freak. No wonder young Riddle and Voldemort were at odds in Potter's head.

"How can I give you assurances if I don't even know what Riddle did?" Draco asked finally, using his wand to levitate some more firewhiskey into his glass. "I only know what Potter knows and that's fairly little. I know that you told Riddle he could learn Mental Channeling if he raised an army to support your cause. I figure something went wrong though, because he never learned, that's why he was so hell bent on getting the Elder Wand. Around the time you made him your offer, he disappeared for years and returned as the twisted Lord Voldemort."

"Your are right when you say something went wrong. Ever since I first met him I saw brilliance and ambition. But I also sensed evil. I didn't realize how deeply that evil had already infected his soul. He had already begun making his horocruxes when I met with him, but I thought his soul may still be salvageable if I taught him another way; a way of self control and mental strength. Unfortunately, he betrayed me the first chance he had. He turned on those I sent him to learn from. I tried to eradicate him but he slipped away from me, and for years I decided to wait patiently until he burned himself out. All flames that burn as brightly as Tom Riddle eventually burn out."

"Well, I can tell you that I don't have that sort of ambition" Draco admitted. "I don't want to rule the world; I'm willing to leave that to you."

"What do you want?"

"Redemption" Draco answered plainly. "I have spent most of my life as a coward. I watched Voldemort turn my family into his slaves and I did nothing. After the war I hid away amongst my books, ashamed of who I had become. I never want someone as cruel as Voldemort to have that sort of power over me again. From what I've heard, you have a vision for the future of the magic world- one of order. Finding a place in that order is all I seek."

"And you will have it" Damon nodded, his strange gold and green eyes flickering in the dull lantern light. "First however, you must bring Potter to me. But as I said; he's more clever than I realized. This time, we must trick him. Tell me everything you know about him and I will devise a plan."

**********************************

Ron had taken a shower, brushed his hair, and put on a clean set of clothing. It was the middle of the night but for the first time in over 24 hours he felt a little better about things. Ginny had bought him some clothes at a muggle store when she'd gone shopping with Hermione. Ron was loathe to admit it, but his sister had good fashion sense and keen sense for size. The dark denim jeans she had selected fit perfectly and the v-necked charcoal grey jumper looked sharp on him.

He felt he should be sleeping, but he was wide awake. They were standing on the edge of another battle and he could feel it in his bones. Unfortunately, he felt utterly useless. He had the sense that Harry and Hermione were hatching some sort of plan as they had holed themselves up in the library with Luna since midday. Draco seemed to have scampered off to bed hours ago.

Ron felt that he should go find out what the plan was and help with whatever research they were doing, but the fact of the matter was he still felt uncomfortable being around them. There was a sickness in the pit of his stomach when thinking about his two best friends being in love with each other. He wanted to punch Harry in the face.

The part of him that had grown up knew he was being utterly juvenile. Sure it was a little weird that his best mate was possibly shagging his ex-girlfriend, but Harry was more than just a best mate- he was like a brother. And Hermione was more than an ex. She was their best friend and had been since they were in their first year at Hogwarts. And if he was really honest with himself, he should have seen that there was always more than a platonic love between those two.

He remembered seeing them interacting when Harry was in the holding cell at the auror department. The way they moved so comfortably near each other, even in the face of great peril...

But why would they keep it from me? he wondered angrily. Ginny insisted that even Harry and Hermione had been blind to their feelings until very recently, but he wasn't so sure. He felt like a fool; a fool who had once believed Hermione Granger had actually been in love with HIM over Harry Potter. Or maybe they kept it from me because they knew I would react like this.

He shook his head hard. None of this was helping; there was a global threat out there and he was fussing about his wounded pride. He decided he had already wasted enough time; he needed to man up and face them. He strode through the chilly halls of Malfoy Manor with that single purpose in mind. When he reached the library he paused a moment, looking through the glass door at his friends sitting on the other side. Luna had her feet propped up on the desk in front of her, a massive book resting on her legs as she slowly turned the pages. Ginny looked about ready to pass out, her head being held up by her arm is such a manner that looked dangerously close to slipping. Harry and Hermione were sitting on a sofa, her head resting against his shoulder as they studied their respective books.

How many times have I seen them like this? he realized after the initial lurch of discomfort dissipated. The romantic turn in their relationship might have only come recently, but their physical ease with one another was something that had developed years ago, back at Hogwarts. How could I think that their love for each other was like that of a brother and sister? he pondered, feeling daft. He was flooded with memories of Hermione kissing Harry's forehead and messing up his hair after a Quidditch game and him holding her close when danger came, always reaching for her if she was close enough to touch. They've been reaching for each other since before they were teenagers. How could I not have seen it?

But he had seen it, he had known. When he abandoned them during the horocrux hunt he had known. Even when she had agreed to be his girlfriend he had known. For years he had bickered with her for no other reason than to gain her attention so she would be less fixated on Harry. All because he had KNOWN.

He sighed heavily and pushed the door open to enter the library. "Nice of you to decide to join us!" Ginny spat, her voice thick with fatigue.

"I'm sorry" he said sheepishly, not sure what else to say.

"Never mind. I can hardly keep my eyes open, so you can pick up where I left off" Ginny said, gesturing to the stack of books.

"I must admit, I'm a bit tired myself" Luna said. Ron couldn't tell if she did in fact sound tired, or if it was just the typical dreamy quality to her voice.

"Me too" Hermione yawned, shifting away from Harry. "I'm sorry Harry I just can't…"

"Get some sleep" he said giving her that smile he only reserved for her. "I still have a bit of fuel left in the tank so I'm going to keep going."

She grinned at his use of the muggle expression, and unable to help herself she bent down swiftly and kissed his cheek. She then joined the other girls as they left the library. As they exited, Ginny could be overheard saying "I'm glad you two are walking with me. Malfoy Manor is as creepy as its owner."

"So, what are we working on?" Ron asked, feeling a bit faint at the sheer number of books in front of him.

"We're trying to figure out if there's a way I can get Riddle out of my head for good. Right now he's just repressed but he can see what I see and hear my thoughts sometimes. And it's just plain wrong. No, actually, that's what Hermione and I were working on. Ginny and Luna were looking for a way that I talk directly to Riddle, like I did after the Odyssea potion, but without him taking control."

"From what I hear, he won't be able to take control again. Not now that you've accepted certain hidden feelings he was hiding behind."

"About that Ron-"

"I've been acting like a prat and I don't need you to give me another one of those lectures you gave me back at Grimmauld Place again. I know I need to grow up and focus on what matters, and I am, that's why I'm here."

"I wasn't going to lecture you. I was going to say sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you last night, but it was all still new and confusing. In fact, it still is. I'm afraid don't know how to be a boyfriend, I'm afraid I'll ruin everything and lose the most important person in the world to me. I did a lousy job with Ginny and every girl I've been with since has been casual. I'm a danger to anyone I'm with and I am `emotionally stunted' as Ginny once put it during one of our more heated rows, and… and it's all beside the point. I told you at Grimmauld Place that even if Hermione and I were shagging it would be none of your business, but that's not true. You're our best friend, and she is someone you shared a history with. I know you care about her deeply-"

"I thought I was still in love with her up until this moment" Ron said with a peculiar laugh. "I do love her- don't get me wrong. How could I not she's- well, she's Hermione. But when you described your fears- I can see the truth in your eyes. She is the most important person in the world to you and you're willing to face all those fears just to get to be with her. I wasn't able to face my fears, my insecurities, and I don't think I ever would have been. I'm not in love with her, at least, not the way you are."

"I honestly have no idea what it means to be in love" Harry shrugged. "All I know is that I am sorry I didn't consider your feelings. What I am not sorry for though, are my feelings… I'm bad with words. But yes, I love her in a way that- shouldn't even be possible. Doesn't even feel safe. And I think she feels the same way back and Ron- what if it kills her?"

Harry had been stoic as a child and had become even more unreadable as a man, but right then waves of fear and self-doubt were pouring from his eyes. "It won't kill her" Ron said, his voice sure and confident. "You'd never let it happen. I know you wouldn't. And if you did, I'd kill you."

Ron grinned mischievously and Harry punched him in the upper arm. "Enough of the girl talk then eh? Let's get back to studying."

"Just like old times huh mate?"

"What are you talking about Ron? We never used to study."

`''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The sun was rising when Draco returned to his home sweet home. He had decided to apparate to the outer grounds to allow himself a nice walk in the crisp morning air. He needed a moment to prepare himself for everything that was about to happen. He felt like he was looking at all the pieces on a chessboard and trying to decide the best move. Better to be looking down at the pieces than to be a pawn he reminded himself.

The sun was rising with a splendid mixture of colors, bleeding orange, pink and yellow into the grey sky. Malfoy Manor was a silhouette against it all, looking dark and sinister. He loved his home. True, it was cold and filled with ghosts and bad memories but it was his. In some ways it felt like the Manor was his last remaining relative.

When he entered the manor he headed straight for the library to write a few things down while they were fresh in his memory. Upon entering his family's prestigious (and largely populated with dark magic books) library, he found Ron Weasley drooling on top of a book and Harry Potter curled up on the sofa.

"Ah-hem" he cleared his throat loudly and both boys awoke with a start, Ron falling from his chair and face planting on the floor.

"Ugh, this might be a nightmare" Ron grumbled, rubbing his eyes as he looked at Draco. "In no proper universe should I be waking up to Draco Malfoy."

"Yes, but a boy can dream" Draco responded with a false smile. "Anyways Weasley, if I were you I'd be more worried about what I did to you while you were sleeping."

Ron went sheet white and began rubbing his hands all over his body as though checking to see if anything was missing. When he realized that Draco was toying with him his mood turned very sour. "You're a prat Malfoy. You got to sleep all night, why wake us up so rudy early?"

"You are an utter moron" Draco scowled. "I wasn't sleeping, I just got back."

"Where were you then?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Shagging your mum Weasley. No, I'm kidding, your mum is much too gross for me to shag."

Ron launched forward towards Draco but by then Harry had awoken and grabbed Ron by the color, easily dragging him back with a strength that surprised both Draco and Ron. "Malfoy, cut the shit. How did it go?"

"It didn't. He wasn't there."

"Who wasn't there?" Ron asked, baffled.

"Damon" Draco and Harry said simultaneously.

"What the bloody hell were you doing looking for him on your own?"

"It was Potter's own dimwitted idea. I was trying to trick him into thinking that I was willing to sell Potter out in exchange for learning about Mental Channeling. He must have sensed it was a farce though, because he didn't show."

"Trick him into thinking you were selling out Harry? Well, I already believe it."

"As stated previously Weasley, that's because you're a moron."

Ron tried to leap forward again and Harry pushed him back firmly into his seat. Harry was looking into Draco's eyes like there was something he didn't quite believe, but then the doubt faded from his green gaze and he sighed. "I guess that's that then. We're going to have to double our efforts with getting me to communicate with Riddle in a controlled manner."

"How goes the research?" Draco asked, sounding bored.

"We've found nothing of use" Harry shrugged. "I think I should try the odyssea again."

"Hmm, well given that last time we tried that I broke your ribs and you went all evil, I say that's a great plan."

"Ron had a good point" Harry argued.

"I did?" Ron interrupted, surprised.

"Yes" Harry continued. "Last night you said that since I uh… recognized certain feelings, Riddle can no longer use them to control my consciousness. Last time I took odyssea it split my consciousness right?"

"That's the theory" Draco shrugged.

"Well, this time I suspect that'll happen again but he won't be able to take control. I'll be able to control him instead. Maybe I'll be able to make him answer some of the questions we have about Damon, and afterwards, maybe I'll be able to banish him entirely."

"That's a lot of maybes" Draco scowled.

"We're always going off of a lot of maybes" Harry responded casually. "We defeated Voldemort off of a bunch of hunches and we'll hopefully defeat Damon the same way."

"Fine I'll brew more" Draco sighed, feeling very weary. "Let me get some sleep though. The Children of Damon have been silent since the attack in France, we still have time to figure something out."

"It's actually the silence that concerns me the most" Harry frowned. "What is he waiting for? Shouldn't he be declaring his power and threatening world-wide political bodies into handing over their nations to him?"

"It's like chess" Ron said, seeming unusually pensive. "He's waiting to see what your move is before he makes his."

Draco left the room thinking that although Weasley was a moron, he was very spot on this time.

`'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"What time is it?" Hermione yawned, waking up as Harry sat on the bed, despite his attempt to be very quiet.

"Early. You've only been asleep for a few hours." She pulled him down towards her so that his head was resting on her shoulder like a pillow. She absently ran her fingers through his raven hair and he felt the stress in his body evaporate.

"Did you stay up all night?"

"No, I fell asleep an hour or so after you left. I've got an awful crick in my neck from napping on that hard sofa. The furniture in Malfoy Manor is as hard and unforgiving as its owners." Her fingers moved to his neck, gently massaging the knot he had formed there and he closed his eyes. "We're going to try odyssea again after Malfoy gets some rest."

"Harry-" she began, her tone warning.

"It's going to be fine. You'll be there. I'll be fine." Although his voice was drowsy there was a certitude there she couldn't help but believe. It was astonishing to her that he trusted her so fully and deeply. At times it also scared him. What if I fail him?

She realized that he had fallen asleep and she gently kissed the top of his head, using this moment to really look at him. When asleep he looked so vulnerable it made her remember why she had always stuck with him; the inexplicable need to protect him. To her, he seemed like a personification of all that was good in the world, and she would do anything to protect him because a world without him seemed cold and miserable. Even when the process of protecting him included things like wiping her parents' memory or being tortured, it was a price she was more than happy to pay.

While she wasn't glad that the recent series of events with Damon and his followers had occurred, she was glad that it had brought them back together again. For the past few years he had been chasing evil on his own and all she could do was occasionally mend his wounds. She had been watching him change ever since that damned prophecy, and it only seemed to get worse the further they grew apart. He was often depressed and seemed tormented but incapable of verbalizing his emotions. She wondered if she could ease some of that, now that they were a team once more.

More than a team this time… she realized, still in awe at everything that had changed between them so quickly. I could kiss him anytime I want she mused, her mind loopy from fatigue. All those years of pondering it and now I know how it feels. And more than kiss him I could… she cut her mind off at this, not quite ready for it to wander down that avenue. She had told O'Rourke she'd never wondered about what sex would be like with Harry, but she had.

Of course I have she thought as she drifted back to sleep. Many, many times.

`''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Ginny had awoken to find Malfoy Manor even more eerily quiet than usual. How did Draco Malfoy grow up in a such an unwelcoming place? she wondered. It was a beautiful estate to be certain; in fact, it was the most lavish home she had ever seen. The smooth carved marble, the massive stained glass windows and the endless gardens all suggested an elegance that was in sharp contrast with her beloved (and recently burned down) home, The Burrow. Yet the two homes were also equally opposite in their atmospheres. While The Burrow was warm, cozy and welcoming, Malfoy Manor seemed to have a permanent chill in the air. The decor of the Burrow was mainly comprised of broken-in, overstuffed furniture draped with hand knit blankets and there were always fresh vases of flowers from Mrs. Weasley's garden. Malfoy Manor on the other hand, was decorated with an endless amount of silver snakes; they were on the sconces, around the fireplaces, twisting through the chandeliers and even lined most of the bathroom mirrors. It was rather sinister.

And all that was to say nothing of the portraits, which had been covered with thick velvet drapings but still muttered from behind their shadowy prisons.

Yes, Malfoy Manor was a morbid place but Ginny Weasley had long ago learned that feeling fear was a luxury. After her debacle with Tom Riddle's diary she had been plagued with nightmares for years, and indeed she would sob when the dementors were nearby as she recalled Riddle's cold black eyes and the sound of the basilisk slithering along the damp tunnels. But after Dumbledore died and Harry, Ron and Hermione all left her alone at Hogwarts with the sadistic Carrows she learned that feeling scared benefited nobody. She had swallowed her fears and doubts and helped Neville Longbottom as he became a surprisingly solid leader for Dumbledore's Army.

And so, as she walked the hallways of Malfoy Manor, she ignored that little chill that went up her back. But for the first time she really understood why Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna had never discussed their time captured inside its walls. It was a place of horrors.

She saw a faint light coming from the hallway ahead and she followed it, discovering a portrait that was swung open on hinges, a light emanating from behind it. She peered down to find a set of stairs headed down into the basement. The dungeon she presumed.

Having nothing better to do, she steeled her nerves and proceeded down a spiraling set of stone steps that seemed to decline to impossibly low depths. Could it actually be getting colder? she wondered as she finally descended to flat ground to find Draco Malfoy gaping at her.

She had never seen Draco Malfoy gape. Not that she knew him particularly well. Their interactions had been limited to passing in the hallway and some Quidditch related stuff. Mostly, her opinion of Draco was based on Ron, Harry and Hermione's insistence that he was a Death Eater, a cheat and a "total prat". Of course, he had also conspired to murder Dumbledore.

Yet, from her perspective he was just a snobby pure blood who had been raised by parents with poor taste in both furniture and personality. He was cold and used his wit to disguise his emotions, and he hid his pain behind good looks and expensive clothing. It was transparent to her, but she did not feel bad for him. That was another thing she had learned from her experiences; pity was a wasted emotion.

"Bloody hell Weasley, ever heard of knocking?"

"Knock on what exactly?" she responded, mimicking an expression of thoughtfulness. "That portrait up there was wide open."

Draco frowned. "I closed it behind me, but it must have opened back up on its own."

"That seems unlikely."

"Well, they aren't exactly happy with me since I covered them up. I suppose it was an act of defiance. If decor can be defiant."

"If decor can be defiant than the furniture in this house should have committed suicide by now."

"Funny Weasley" Draco said, rolling his eyes as he returned his attention to the steaming cauldron before him. His expression suggested sarcasm, but the slight smile on his lips suggested otherwise.

"What are you doing down here?"

"Making a deadly poison for Potter and the rest of you."

"Hmm, I'd believe you if you weren't such a liar."

He stared at her for a moment and she noticed that there was something oddly pretty about his silver-grey eyes. "I am making the odyssa potion for Potter. He thinks it wise to try it again."

"And what's the purpose of that?"

"Information. We are just a bunch of blind fools trying to fight an enemy with powers far greater than our own. We need to find out more about him."

"So I take it Harry's plan for you to trick Damon didn't work?"

"Yes, he didn't show. Not surprisingly. He didn't survive this long because he's a fool."

"What would he have had to fear from you?" Ginny snorted. "From what I understand, his powers most likely pale all of ours by comparison."

Draco just scowled at her, returning to his work.

"I'm guessing Hermione won't like the idea of us pumping Harry with drugs again."

"Granger likes little to nothing in life from what I can tell."

"She likes Harry."

"Yes, that's blatantly obvious" Draco snarled, rolling his eyes. "Tell me Weasley, how do you feel about the fact that Potter is finally admitting that he always preferred brunettes to redheads?"

His words were aimed to cut but they fell ineffectually open her. "I can accept it. Can you accept that nobody seems to prefer YOU Malfoy? I mean, when is the last time you even got laid?"

"Are you offering Weasley? Because I rarely lower my standards this much, but I could use to blow off some steam."

"In your dreams" she smirked. "You didn't answer my question. Seeing as you slunk off and hid after the war and nobody had even seen you until you were arrested, I am willing to guess your last fling was at Hogwarts. So that means you've gone five years without…"

"You are just so bloody clever Weasley" Draco snapped, suddenly angry. "I'm trying to be productive and you're just wasting my time with your teenaged drabble about who gets `lucky' more often. In case you haven't noticed, I don't get lucky at anything, ever. The wizarding world hates me, my soul is doomed to hell if such a place exists, my parents were murdered meters away from where I hid like a coward, and now I'm forced to deal with my childhood rival and all of his pals. So if your purpose is to make me hate my life more than I already do, save your breath. It gets no worse than the hell that is living with my conscience."

She felt shocked. Not only by how furious he had become, but by how honest he was being with her. "I didn't mean to… I was just joking. I'm sorry."

He tilted his head to the side as though he had never heard this strange word, "sorry" before. "Just get a better sense of humor" he said dryly. He turned his back to her and heard her walk away as he slipped one final ingredient into Potter's odyssea potion.

`''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry felt like he had been trapped in a very awkward intervention. Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna were all sitting around him in the parlor of Malfoy Manor, staring at him intensely as though he might spontaneously combust at any moment.

"Alright Potter, here's the odyssea" Draco announced, walking into the room with the vile tasting potion in a corked flask.

"I think I'll uh…. take this somewhere private" he announced, taking the potion from Malfoy and standing up quickly from the couch.

"Oh no" Hermione said in the stern voice. "You need to be monitored. This `potion' is very dangerous- it's really just a drug and…"

"And you really do like to mother don't you?" Draco interrupted. "I'll babysit Potter if you want."

"I'd feel more comfortable doing it myself thanks" she responded snidely.

"I'd feel more comfortable if nobody was around" Harry chimed in. "Things got pretty weird last time, I might be dangerous…"

"Or you might just get embarrassingly giddy again" Draco noted.

"You're the one who gave me a haircut" Harry retorted.

"What?!" Ron and Ginny exclaimed at the same point.

"That's besides the point" Draco snapped. "I'm not taking the potion this time, it didn't have any useful effect on me. All it did was make Fenrir Greyback start howling in my brain. He's been as useless in death as he was in life."

"I have a theory about that" Hermione began in her best know-it-all tone. "I think that because Voldemort purposely fused his soul to Harry in the final battle, the connection is much stronger than the connection you have with Greyback, whose memories you stole."

"Perhaps" Draco shrugged. "I'm just glad Greyback doesn't just appear to me the way Riddle appeared to Potter. The last thing I need is to listen to his whining about fleas and whatever else werewolves whine about."

They all frowned at Draco, thinking about the heroic Remus Lupin who had given his life in the final battle. Still, nothing more was said as Harry walked out of the room, potion in hand. He made it a few meters down the corridor before Hermione caught up with him, grabbing his arm and pulling him back to look her in the eye.

"Harry, don't do this alone" she said, half commanding and half begging. "It's not safe, I'm still not sure you should even be doing this."

"It's the only possible lead we have" Harry said, sighing as he tried to turn away from her but she blocked him. Ignoring her had always been next to impossible for him.

"Let me be there for you then" she said, emotion glistening in her cinnamon brown eyes. Without warning he kissed her. It was a rough kiss, filled with raw energy and emotion and she yielded to it immediately as he deepened the kiss, backing her up until she was pressed against the wall.

When they parted she was breathless and wondered if he could hear her heart beating. "If I tell you to leave, then you need to leave" he said, looking her square in the eye to make sure she understood. She nodded and they headed to the room where he had been locked up by Draco previously. She keyed the wards so that she would be able to leave if things got out of hand, but he would stay trapped. She prayed it wouldn't come to that again. For some reason, her nightmare about kissing Riddle popped into her memory again.

"Bottoms up" Harry joked, pouring the gross fluid down his throat. She watched apprehensively after he had swallowed, but there was no immediate change. "I really fucked this room up" he noted, looking at the splintered furniture.

"We can fix that" she noted, taking her wand from her pocket and setting the broken items right once more.

"Always cleaning up my messed" he noted after she was done. There was smile on his face and a note of nostalgia in his voice. She wondered if the potion was starting to work. "You know, at Hogwarts I always found you attractive. I mean, once I was old enough to notice that sort of thing."

Yes, it's definitely starting to work she realized, somewhat amused.

"I never told anyone, I mean, I knew Ron had a crush on you and also I was pretty sure if you ever found out about it you'd hex me."

"Why would you think that?" she asked, confused.

"Why would I think you're attractive? Well, you've got a beautiful face and I've always loved you eyes, and there's also the fact that you're quite fit and then there's those features that those school uniforms really accentuated…"

"I meant, why would you think I'd hex you for finding me attractive?" she laughed, stopping him before his description became too graphic.

"Well, I'd made your life miserable enough. Between the nightmarish misadventures of the Sorcerer's Stone and saving Sirius and then there was the whole Triwizard Tournament and that nonsense with Rita Skeeter. I mean really, that she called you plain…"

"She also labeled you as an orphan who cries himself to sleep every night!" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, anyways, I was fairly sure you'd hate me for complicating matters between us even more than they were already complicated. Also, I never thought you would like me in that way. I'm still not sure why you do. I mean… you're perfect!" He gave her a smile so dazzling in its pure joy that it brought tears to her eyes. She had not seen him smile that way in many years; not since before Sirius had died and he had become The Boy Who Carried the World on his Shoulders.

He looked past her for a moment and his smile vanished, his eyes becoming cloudy. "Hello Tom" he said. She followed his gaze but of course she saw nothing. "Could you leave us for a moment?" Harry asked politely, and for a moment she thought he was talking to the projection of Riddle still, but he had turned his attention back to her.

She felt uncomfortable leaving him with the hallucination of his parents' murderer, but she had promised him she would leave if asked so she nodded, heading towards the door and only stopping long enough to run her fingers through his hair as a reassuring gesture.

"Aren't you the picture of domestic tranquility?" Riddle remarked snidely as soon as she was gone. He sat in one of the restored armchairs, crossing his legs in a casual manner. "Have you fucked her yet? No, I already know the answer. After all, I can see everything you see and hear everything you think. You certainly want to fuck her but you're afraid she'll reject you still. You're afraid she'll change her mind. I wouldn't blame her."

Harry felt a tremor of anger pass through him but he controlled it as Malfoy had taught him to. Malfoy's meditative teachings felt like they had been another lifetime ago now but they were sticking with Harry. Most of the time. Well, some of the time anyways he admitted to himself, once more touching the scar below his eye from his nearly catastrophic blowout with Malfoy. "The fact that you can witness my life essentially makes me want to blow my brains out."

"Oh please do" Riddle said dryly. "It's not pleasant for me either. I'm a prisoner in the mind of my enemy. I can no longer even control you; I am a ghost without a voice or body."

"If that's so, why don't you just leave?"

"As though I know how to" he scowled. "This is different from the horocruxes; Soul Binding is a very powerful way of preserving a part of your consciousness, but it doesn't allow you to regenerate yourself. My best hope would have been to drive you mad and take control of your body, but that seems to be unlikely now. I see everything you do, hear all that you hear, but cannot affect my surroundings. I am likely the one who will go mad now. That is why I am going to offer you a negotiation."

"Let's hear it then" Harry said, finding it surreal that he was negotiating with Voldemort.

"I studied Soul Binding extensively before our final battle. My elder form… Voldemort…. he didn't think he could lose against you, but there was a shadow of doubt. He couldn't split his soul again and you were destroying all my precious horocruxes, so he… I… looked into another option. I was aware that once I attached to the nearest living soul, I would be trapped there forever. It was my hope to possess and take over their body, although there was no previous record of that successfully happen. Still, I've accomplished many firsts."

"Yeah, sure" Harry said with yawn.

Riddle frowned, his eyes turning even darker than usual. "Anyhow, my studies have revealed that there is no way for you to destroy me."

"Yes there is" Harry argued, frantic at the thought that Riddle would remain in his consciousness forever. "Malfoy took a piece of Greyback's soul when he took his teeth… I could remove you in the same way."

"By ripping a piece of yourself out?" Riddle mocked. "We really are very similar afterall."

Harry thought of the words he had heard Damon to Riddle speak long ago, these horocruxes are taking a toll on that youthful beauty. Dark magic is said to do that you know.

"Yes, it rather destroyed me" Riddle frowned, hearing Harry's thought. It made Harry shudder, and once more he realized with disgust how integrally close Riddle was to him. "You won't rip a piece of yourself out to get rid of me; especially since we both know which part of you you'd have to destroy."

The part of me that loves Hermione Harry realized, a sense of despair sweeping over him.

"As I said before, I'll offer you a negotiation. You can't get rid of me but there is a spell that would funnel me into another object. Once there I will not be tormented by having to watch every moment of your life. I'll be able to rest. It will be like a silent prison."

"I don't trust your motives" Harry said immediately. He wanted Riddle out of his head more than anything, but at least when he was trapped there he wasn't capable of wreaking havoc on the outside world.

"You think I'll try to escape?" Riddle asked. "How would I do that? I'm not even real; I have no body, no magic, no power. I am giving you a way out from our predicament, and in return I will tell you everything I know about Mental Channeling."

`''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry had finished explaining Tom Riddle's proposition to his friends (if Draco could be counted as "friend") and they all just stood in the parlor looking uncomfortable for a long while. It was equally uncomfortable for Harry, who could still see Tom Riddle's youthful form as he stood listening and brooding in the shadows.

"He wants you to transfer his soul into another item?" Hermione asked after a long pause, looking as pensive as ever. "It will become like a horocrux."

"No, not quite" Harry noted. "The horocruxes were a different type of magic from soul binding. The horocruxes gave off a negative energy but they weren't consciously aware. Riddle would be aware still, but incapable of giving off any energy. It would be like putting him a silent prison."

"He is ASKING to be put in a silent prison?" Draco scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest as he gave his best look of doubtful indignation. "There is certainly more to his game than that. Although, a silent prison might be preferable to whatever dull and saintly thoughts you dream of Potter."

"You have no idea what I dream about" Harry said, and there was a darkness in his tone that made Hermione shudder and not for the first time she contemplated how he was always balancing on a knife's edge; just a single decision away from going from hero to villain.

"It's true that he undoubtedly has ulterior motives" Luna said, her soft and dreamy voice surprising them all, as though they'd forgotten she was in the room. "Do we really have a choice though? This is our only lead, and we may be able to take precautions to keep him from acting on those motives."

"I agree" Ginny said. "We can't keep sitting around here waiting for the Children of Damon to kill everyone. I mean, how did this fall on us anyways? Aren't there… military minds who are designated to deal with these sorts of crises?"

"Apparently not" Ron responded dryly. "If there had been, Harry and Hermione and I might have had an actual childhood."

"Oh boo hoo Weasley" Draco scoffed, and Ron rose to his feet, fists balled, but Luna and Ginny immediately pulled him back down onto the sofa where the three of them were sitting.

"How can we save everyone if we can't even get along with each other?" Ginny hissed, glaring first at Ron and then at Draco. He returned her scathing look with an unreadable one, which made her fury disappear and instead she felt oddly calmed by his steady grey gaze.

"It sounds like we're all agreed" Hermione interrupted, looking at Harry with anticipation and fear in her eyes. "We will do what he asks, but only if he gives us the information we need."

"She is a bossy one" Riddle snickered from his dark corner, his voice like a whisper in Harry's ear. "You best watch out or she'll have your balls…"

"Shut up" Harry muttered, shooting a glance towards his invisible enemy.

"Can you still see him Harry? Is he here?" Luna asked, her voice oddly chilling this time as the cold nighttime of Malfoy Manor crept in around them all.

"He's always here. And he's also nowhere. But really it doesn't matter. He's nothing, he's no one." Harry turned to say these words to Riddle and as he looked into those strange black eyes and wondered if he wasn't making a mistake, and if he would ever truly be apart from the menace who had haunted him all his life.

"That may be so. But I have one final story to tell you Potter." Riddle rushed forward and Harry flinched as Riddle launched into him. Although Riddle was nothing more than a hallucination, Harry couldn't help but duck as the tall boy heaved himself in full tackle and everyone else in the room stared in confusion as Harry Potter went stark white and fell to the floor, unmoving.

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