Mark of Slytherin

Chapter 1

"Ugh.." Harry moaned where he sat, head a blurry mess. He blinked, trying to get a sense of where he was and what was happening, every cell in his body screaming that he was in trouble.

"Oh, look who has joined us."

That voice was familiar, too familiar. Harry shook his head and the world slowly cleared up around him. He looked up into a smug face.

"Riddle."

Said person raised a hand, flattening an imaginary flaw in his immaculate black hair. "Good, I see my men didn't manage to do any permanent damage. It would be terrible, for a man with your limited intelligence."

"Oh, ha-ha." Harry said, wondering what he had done wrong to be faced with the bastard Tom Riddle, of all people, first thing after waking up and with a head that throbbed with each heartbeat. "Still like to kick people while they are down, I see."

"I wouldn't need to, if they hadn't been foolish enough to fall in the first place."

That was right, Harry remembered why he was in that situation now. The expedition that filthy warlord was taking to find El Dorado, of all places. Harry had gone to beat him to the punch and make sure that the smug ass couldn't get his hands on... whatever it was he was after. God knew what he hoped to find. Only they had expected him and Harry remembered being surrounded on both sides and then darkness. Judging by his throbbing head, someone must have bashed it good.

Harry glared at Riddle and the bastard had the audacity to look amused. That was usually Harry's prerogative, after he stopped another of Riddle's attempts to find ancient treasure that would help him take over the world.

"So what now? Did you bring me here so you could have the pleasure of killing me yourself?" He gave his head a nonchalant throw, regretting it when pain stabbed at him. "Then what are you waiting for?"

Riddle stood and looked down at him. "Oh, killing you would be such a waste. I have other plans for you."

"Oh yeah?" Harry said, lifting an eyebrow. "Well, get started then. We're not getting any younger here."

Riddle laughed a silky laugh that did more to Harry's nether regions than he wanted to admit.

"So impatient. But you'll have to wait until I get back. There's this annoying pest – other than you – that's following in my footsteps, and it wouldn't do to welcome him without a party."

"You're gonna have me wait here? Like this?!" Harry was incredulous. "It could take you days to find the place, much less..!" He shut his mouth, not willing to reveal that he didn't have a clue as to why Riddle was there. "What are you even keeping me for, anyway?"

Riddle was close now, Harry hadn't noticed when he crossed the short distance in the tent and stood right in front of him.

"What am I going to do?" There was a gleam to his eyes that Harry did most certainly not like. "I'm going to continue what you started in the cave of Aphrodite."

"What I started? You mean making a fool out of you, once again?"

There was a twitch of an eyebrow which indicated that Harry had successfully annoyed Riddle. He took it as a win, because in that situation there wasn't much to celebrate. The expression was quickly replaced by that of a cat about to pounce. Harry didn't like that.

"Don't you remember?" Riddle leaned closer, his mouth close enough to touch Harry's ear. "You rushed over to me and asked to that I do some less than savoury things to you. Right there and then." Harry was frozen. Riddle pulled back, enjoying Harry's shell-shocked expression. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do. You won't be able to walk for a week once I'm done with you."