A Dark Lord in the Making

The Collector

Harry had his hands on his knees, bending forward when he had the alarming feeling of vomiting. He stood there for a few seconds, hoping he wouldn't have to puke, but that the annoying sensation would pass.

"How are you? The feeling takes some getting used to," said Marvolo when he saw Harry turning a little less green around the edges.

Harry nodded, shuddering, and slowly straightened up again. "Fine. I'm fine. But I think I prefer brooms..."

Marvolo grunted unexpectedly with a suppressed laugh and looked at Harry with twinkling eyes. The man didn't have fine lines around his eyes because he was still young, but the lines around his eyes curled warmly with him, his amusement clearly visible.

"Thank Merlin for brooms, you would have been a hopeless case otherwise."

Before he could contain himself, Harry gave him a teasing shove. His eyes widened and for a moment he got ready for a scolding- he wasn't expecting dinner at least. Marvolo, however, began to laugh loudly, before sending a Stinging Hex to Harry's behind.

Indignantly, Harry wiped his irritated buttocks and looked at Marvolo, his mouth half-open. The behavior seemed far too playful for Marvolo, more relaxed than he had usually seen him. He didn't want to call the man stiff, not necessarily, but the fact remained that sometimes it looked a lot like the man had Harry's Nimbus 2000 in his behind. It would also explain the man's sudden and predatory movements, Harry thought, a sly grin on his face. This speed was also emphasized by the long legs of the man and with a hop in his step, Harry went after the wizard.

Harry looked around calmly, the environment was calm and pleasant. The houses were cute and quaint, reminding Harry of the Cotswolds- not that he'd ever been there before, but he'd seen postcards of picturesque cottages apparently to be found in that area.

"Where are we actually?" Harry asked, adjusting his stride to Marvolo's, which meant he was half jogging next to the man.

Marvolo seemed rather oblivious to his surroundings and looked around uninterested. "Hmm, does it matter? My acquaintance lives in the house where his parents lived, it is really unimportant."

Harry squeezed his eyes half shut and said with a shit-eating grin, "You have no idea where we are, do you?"

Marvolo's lips pursed for a millisecond in an expression of his displeasure, before curling into a charming smile. "I admit I apparated us here on nothing more than a memory from another... acquaintance. After all, you don't need to know the name to have a destination in mind."

Harry shook his head, his green eyes glowing with satisfaction. "I would think you would first want to know everything about the environment if you want to do something of your... nature. For example, you do take the trouble to use a Glamor to disguise your identity - I realize all too well that I can only see your real face because you used Parselmagic. I, therefore, expected more care in this undertaking, for example by exploring escape routes, looking out for neighborhood patrol..."

"Neighborhood patrol? Is that really something that still happens?"

Harry pointed to the man who was walking on the sidewalk with a small Dachshund on a leash. "See that man over there? I bet my Nimbus that he will address us about our presence. He will inquire very unobtrusively as to our intentions, and then make a wholly biased judgment."

To Marvolo's credit, he didn't look directly at the man in question but looked at the old man with a slanted eye. "Okay, what do you want in return if you're right?"

Harry grinned broadly, predatory as he had often seen Marvolo do. "I want you to sign the consent form for Hogsmeade."

Marvolo looked straight at Harry, "Brat," he murmured fondly as he continued to walk.