A Story of Mortality

Chapter 11

It was not long after they defeated the Light, Dumbledore in too weak-a-position to justify a valid opposition and severely deprived of public support, that Harry was needed for a long few months in Russia. It was poor timing, all things considered. Harry ought to have been in Britain clearing up the mess he had made, with Voldemort's assistance, but the call in Russia was too urgent to ignore. Instead, he had left Lin to help organise the situation. He could not disclose to his friends the cause of his travel to Russia – the activities were highly classified, as he was involved rather heavily in a situation regarding a dispute between the magical community and the Soviet government, and he could not risk his involvement being slipped to anyone in the Ministry of Magic. That, more than merely leaving the country, would have been sure to undo the progress they had made in British politics. Instead, at the end of each day, he worked tirelessly through documents and letters to assist the work back in the country. Lin sent daily correspondences about proceedings, and Harry would respond with detailed insights as to the people involved, the situation and any experiences he had had they may be of relevance, and any guidance he could offer. Lin was, of course, as competent a diplomat as Harry was, but his skills did not lie in leadership as Harry's did, and so in this, Harry would be giving the most advice.

This heavy routine meant that Harry had little chance to communicate with Voldemort. On some weeks, he would need to send correspondence to Voldemort regarding the political situation, often when Lin was having trouble finding a compromise with the stubborn man. Harry, strangely enough, seemed to be able to squeeze an agreement out every time. He could not tell whether or not this time away from Voldemort was beneficial or a hindrance to his feelings. He honestly did not know where he stood with the man, especially after that night. Which was natural, he supposed. Sex was, and always would be, an incredibly intimate act, no matter on what terms. His feelings for Voldemort still stood strong, and some nights he would lie awake, his heart aching in the loneliness of being in another country, after having spent so much time with the other man during the war. Yet at the same time, he felt that it was important that he had this time to reflect. If this trip away proved anything, it was that Harry was an incredibly busy man. And, really, so was Voldemort. Put on top of that the fact that they both had their own heavy background of childhood trauma, they did not really have the time to build a strong, healthy relationship between the two of them. Harry was not ready for a relationship with Voldemort, and it was very likely the Voldemort was not the type for such commitment anyway. It would be better for Harry emotionally if he spent more time on his work and his friendships, and so he did.

By the time he had returned to Britain, he was relieved. The Russian negotiations had taken up all of his energy, not to mention still doing as much of his work from home as he could cope with, and so he was absolutely exhausted. But he could not really stop to rest. As Lin had informed him while he was away, Voldemort was running a campaign for Minister of Magic. It was uncommon for someone to run for the position without having had direct experience in the Ministry beforehand, working their way up, but Voldemort was no common man. It was a well calculated political move, based on his already existing reputation and the public mood in the aftermath of a war. For the most part, Voldemort was promising peace to the British magical community, and they were craving it. In addition to this, his main opponent was radically Light. The Light supporters had flocked to her, desperate for some hope at undoing the loss in respect for Light politics after the war, but the general public would not support her. And so, given the circumstances, it was incredibly likely that Voldemort would win the election. Regardless, Harry did his bit for the other man. Between organising his own political agendas and campaigns on a more European scale, he would speak out in support of Voldemort for the role of Minister, emphasising his competence and the benefits of his more radical policies. The two had still not yet had the opportunity to meet, what with all of the campaigning issues and Harry's catching up on his work after his trip, but Voldemort had sent a letter to thank Harry for his continued support in Voldemort's political campaigns. Harry had written back a reminder that once Voldemort was in power he would also be using his platform to speak out against any policies he disagreed with, of which there were many, both knew.