On the Other Side

Prologue

 Moments ago Harry was chasing for manically cackling Bellatrix through the twisted corridors of the Department of Mysteries and around the damned Arc with the Veil, through which Sirius had fallen. And now Harry, too, was falling through that same Arc, the only sweet thought in his already mourning mind being that he was not alone in this and his companion in certain death was none other than the Dark Lord Voldemort himself, who had arrived upon Bella's call right beside the already falling Harry.

But just before Harry knew it the direction of their fall took sudden turn, some unknown force or maybe air itself starting to slowly and carefully drag them sideways, postponing their demise.

"Potter!" the Dark Lord barked. "What did you do?!"

"Wha –? I didn't do a damned thing, you snake brain!" Harry responded in kind. "It must to be your doing –!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter! I put you under Crucio seconds ago, I couldn't have done a thing in the following blink of an eye!"

"That was rather lame Cruciatus, was it not?" Harry laughed. "It shouldn't have tickled me of all things, I don't think!"

They were still flying sideways: going steadily to the left from the original location of their "entrance" to this place, then abruptly turning to the right from their first "path" of moving, then again to the left, as if someone was trying to confuse them, so that they won't be able to remember from where exactly they had come originally. Right when Harry thought of this their direction changed again: Harry felt his insides protesting in attempt to stay put, while his body was twisted and turned upside down, as did the Dark Lord's lithe form beside him.

"Potter!" he barked again out of habit. "What did you do – What did you think of right now?!"

"Nothing!" Harry refused to be intimidated by the man hanging upside down with his robe covering half his snake-face. And that was only because he made a special effort to hold it in place so that it would not obscure the view, and not because strange force dragging them here and there decided to give the Dark Lord a bit of a decorum.

"I am Master of both Legilimency and Occlumency, Potter! Even if I thought of anything I doubt there exist any thing or person with ability to pick stray thoughts out of my mind!"

Harry puffed disbelievingly.

"So sure of yourself, Tom?"

"Don't call me that!" the Dark Lord shrieked indignantly.

"And what should I call you? You-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Quite long title, don't you think? Or maybe you agree to me calling you Snake-Face? Moldie-Voldie?"

The Dark Lord hissed angrily without coherent words.

"No? Thought so. Then can I call you Riddle?"

Voldemort snarled enraged.

"Oh-kay! Then we are back, where we started, Tom!" Harry chirped.

Voldemort sighed.

"What about 'Dark Lord'?" he suggested in tired tone.

"Not bloody likely!" Harry spat. "You are no lord to anyone, and certainly, not to me!"

"Don't make me curse you again, Potter!"

"Try me," Harry snickered. "First time it didn't work, as I remember."

"Something must have blocked it then," the Dark Lord suggested, his wand already at a right angle and the curse almost on his lips.

"Something tells me you'll regret it," murmured Harry under his nose, calmly watching the spectacle.