Keeping The Dark Lord (on his toes)

Chapter - 18. ideas and potions ( 30 July 1994 )

Harry wondered for the millionth time whether he was doing the right thing as he warily glanced through the book in his hand, and then back to the potion that was nearing its final stages as Severus stirred in the last of the ingredients. He knew he couldn’t avoid Voldemort forever and after a long debate with his godfathers, they finally relented.

Sure he could have done it anyway, with him already being well-past 17 mentally at least, but he needed their help in this matter…both with the potion and the story he needed to cook up to make his entire idea work.

It had been a simple thought at first…find a way to avoid Voldemort as Harry Potter while getting closer to him without revealing that he was Ghost…

…okay when he thought of it that way it was pretty complicated.

The fact is that to avoid having Voldemort go all super-overprotective on him due to the Horcrux, while still getting to know the man, he needed to become someone else for a while.

Both Severus and Salazar stated that it was impossible without a Polyjuice potion, but with Death on his side, almost nothing was out of reach. The entity gained the knowledge of all his ‘victims’ upon death, so he’d merely scoffed when both Salazar and Severus denied Harry’s request.

The two men had been quite surprised and wary when a heavy book landed before Harry out of nowhere, and they only seemed to settle down once he smiled. The book held magick spells, potions, and rituals from Merlin’s time, and it was easy to see why the man had tried to bury his dark past once he befriended Arthur.

The spells within the book were dark magick bordering on black in some instances and it was quite easy to imagine what could have happened if Merlin hadn’t befriended the future king. One potion, in particular, allowed a person to alter their shape for a set amount of time, and the only drawback was that the person wouldn’t be able to regain their former appearance until the potion had run its course.

In essence, he’d be able to pass himself off as Ghost’s brother because his scent would have been altered, but not entirely changed...and at the same time, he’d be able to hopefully learn more about Voldemort. The potion itself required close supervision, so the four of them (including Sirius) had taken turns to watch over it as they took turns to attend to their other obligations.

It had been a long month, but finally, it was ready and Harry watched as Severus stirred the potion until it turned a light purple. It meant that the potion would last at least two years and if he timed it right, then he would regain his original form on the 31st of July 1996.

Voldemort hadn’t yet revealed that Dumbledore was his prisoner, but Harry planned to take the potion the moment the man did. He’d even written out a letter that would be delivered directly to Voldemort the moment he ‘disappeared’.

He would of course tell his friends that he would be gone for a while, but hopefully, they wouldn’t worry about him too much if he sends them letters now and again.

Severus finally bottled the potion and gave him the vial, after casting it to be unbreakable. Harry gave him a confused glance and the man just shook his head before muttering, “Just because things have been going alright so far, doesn’t mean that something won’t happen at all.”

Harry nodded his understanding, but he was determined to make sure that nothing happened as it had in the past…which was another reason why he had to be close enough to Voldemort to stop him if he decided to do something stupid.

He knew Voldemort wouldn’t trust him at first, but he’d already written a letter, as Ghost, that he would give to the Dark Lord as a form of introduction. He just hoped it would be enough…