the snake, the soul and the lovers

The Dark Mark

"I expected more resistance from your friends." told him Voldemort the next morning, while they dressed up together to have breakfast. Harry was, quite frankly, trying not to incinerate his damned robe and all those teeny tiny buttons that he couldn't exactly grasp with his fingers to fasten his sleeves. With his tongue poking out of his lips and eyebrows furrowed in concentration, the young wizard barely registered what his lover even said.

Come on, you fucker- in front of the mirror, he kept struggling, trying to grab one of the dozens nubs to at least keep the sleeve together and not turn up on himself to grab it, like a dog trying to catch his own tail. I hate you, I despise you, I— Voldemort catched him and with an amused expression took gently his arms and waved his wand to fasten all the buttons at once.

"Here, let me." he said, while bending down to kiss his mouth right on the corner, teasing and loving. Harry sighed.

"Thank you." then, because he was already there, he stood on his tiptoes to grab Voldemort's cravat and quickly knotted it elegantly on his throat, fixing it with a small golden pin with a snake on top.

"You were saying?" he asked while he worked on his lapels next.

"That your friends seemed very amenable to drink with the Dark Lord for having spent all their lives following Dumbledore."

"When I got inside the-" stupid Fidelius , "P— Location ! The location. I saw a Auror, well, she had the full regalia, red and all. But she was telling 'Mione she would crucio her, and the wards keeping them to the chairs felt like powerful magic, evil magic . Like a torture device. I think our dear Dumbledore is hiding way more than we think."

"Most interesting. I will ask Lucius for his pensieve later, and I shall watch your memories of last night, if you agree?" they just finished fixing eachother clothes, and Harry nodded, treading his fingers through the small hairs on Voldemort's nape.

"Yes, that's all right. If Dumbledore is torturing his allies, then maybe we will have more chances to convince the general population to follow us. I mean, if the Weasleys discover that he used crucio , or ordered someone to use it, on Hermione, they will surely refuse to follow him. And they're one of the lightest families around. Convince them, and the Longbottoms, and maybe the Bones, and the whole Wizengamot will be on your side in months."

All those lessons with Lucius on pureblood's politics and customs were finally giving fruits. He felt more confident now, talking about plans and the future, because he actually could use his brain and his instincts together - because there wasn't a right answer. And Harry always had been way more guided by his heart than his reason. Politics worked in a similar fashion. While calculated, the moves on the board were not fixed under strict rules - everyone could be corrupted, or bought, or be a fraud. And Harry was an absolute ace at people-science. I finally found a way to stand on even ground with Voldemort, to help him.

"Hmm, that is not wrong. I think you might be onto something, my dear. Now, let's postpone the politics for after breakfast, shall we? They're all waiting for us."

And indeed they were.

When they exited the room together, they found Ron, Hermione and Sirius all standing awkwardly in the long corridor, pretending to be looking at the old portraits and tapestries. Harry huffed a small laugh and took Voldemort's hand, guinding him towards his friends.

"Hey, why are you still here and not down into the dining room?" then Harry fell into a darker tone, "The Malfoys sent a house elf to call you, right? They're not treating you badly, are they?"

After a quick glance at Voldemort, Hermione - the baver one of the trio, always was - shook her head.

"No, no, they are being... perfectly nice, if I have to be honest. It's just... it's a bit..."