Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Thicker Than Water	By : harriet Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 9575 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I don't profess to own any of the characters or plot co-incidents with the Harry Potter series written by JK Rowling, contained within this story. I do neither profit monetarily nor legally from anything contained within these pages.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
CHAPTER 14
After the wild weather of Hogwarts the icy cold quiet street of Knockturn alley was practically a relief. The alley was deserted at this time of night, most of the shops had closed some hours ago. Only the occasional dim lights shining out from the rooms above the twisted awnings told of the inhabitants. Harry reluctantly let go of Snape’s waist and stepped back to look around the darkened alley.
“This way.” Snape spoke calmly as he strode past Harry heading deeper into Knockturn Alley. Harry had never come further down the Alley than the antiques shop he’d mistakenly flooed into back in his second year at Hogwarts, and he’d often wondered what was beyond. He’d assumed that with the demise of Voldemort the need for dark magical artifacts had diminished, as had the Ministry’s tolerance for those supplying them. However as he followed Snape’s swirling robes down the uneven cobbled street between the thriving metropolis his assumptions were clearly not true. “In here.” Snape stopped in front of a large building, its crooked shape making it lean in over the Alleyway, blocking nearly all of the moonlight above them. Lanterns hung outside the large wooden door, and Harry noted that he could hear music coming from inside. “Stay behind me, I can’t protect you, if you step in front of me.” Snape risked a glance down at Harry ensuring the young wizard understood what he was saying. Snape took a deep breath and stepped up the two stone steps to the wooden door, pushing it effortlessly open with a wave of his wand. Harry dutifully stayed hidden behind the swirl of Snape’s robes as he stepped into the well-lit room. What he first noted however was how loud the music was and the sounds of loud conversation and drunken laughter. It seemed Snape and he had stepped into a party of some sort. Broomsticks liked the wall, as they walked down the hallway, cloaks too hanging from hooks wet and covered in snow and ice as if the owners had trudged through Antarctica to get here. Harry ran into the back of Snape as he perused the selection of broomsticks they passed, not realizing until it was too late that Snape had come to a complete standstill at the entrance to a larger room.
“Sorry,” Harry muttered beneath his breath as he stepped back away from Snape. The music died down almost immediately at Snape’s appearance, and while slower than the music the lively conversations and laughter died down too, until Harry was sure it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Not being able to see past Snape into the room, Harry was desperate for information. He didn’t have to wait long, as a voice spoke up through the silence.
“Ah The Alchemist arrives better late than never Severus.” Harry felt Snape stiffen at the voice, the potions professor wound tight like a coiled spring. “You needn’t have bothered with the mask. I do not require the anonymity that was pressed upon you by my father.” Still unable to see anything past Snape’s cloak, Harry listened carefully to the voice. It was a warm, rich voice that obviously belonged to a man who’d past puberty several years ago. It was deep, smooth and melodious with an edge of malicious cold that reminded Harry of the villains he’d seen in the spy films his roommates back at the club had always made him watch. Harry couldn’t help but smirk to himself behind Snape, wondering if the owner of the voice liked bald cats and sharks with laser beams. Snape didn’t speak but Harry felt him reach up and remove the mask, the hood of his cloak being tossed carelessly back. Snape’s hair looked a wild mess from where it had been blown about in the wind and Harry wondered if the potions professor knew how absolutely crazy he must have looked. “Come sit, have a drink with us.” The offer was more request than question Harry noted, and he steeled himself as Snape stepped forward into the room leaving Harry exposed in the doorway.
With Snape’s form gone Harry could now clearly see around the room. From what it appeared like outside the inside of the house was what Harry would term as a pub. There was a long highly polished bar that ran along the far side of the room, and small tables and booths ran along the two edges of the large triangle shaped alehouse. Wizard and witches alike sat propped up on bar stools, leant against tables or sat neatly in the booths. Every eye in the room was now firmly focused on him and a small gasp echoed in the silence.
“Well, well what do we have here?” At the sound of the faceless voice he’d heard earlier Harry’s gaze snapped from his perusal of the bar, to refocus on the largest table at the far end of the bar. “Harry Potter.” Harry watched as a young man stood up from the table and stepped around it out into the main bar area. It was almost like looking into a time capsule as Harry stared at the familiar features of the wizard before him. Like the picture Harry had seen of Tom Riddle when he’d been at school, his son was of similar height and build. He was slender but muscled and well-toned; his face was thin with a slightly dimpled chin and high cheek bones. Like himself the wizard wore glasses, thin rimmed in black, to match the short modern styled hair cut on top of his head. Harry couldn’t help himself as he stared past the lenses of the glasses to look into the wizard’s eyes but instead of the red glowing orbs he’d expected to see instead a murky grey stared back at him, no hint of snake like slits. Harry didn’t realize he’d been staring, and it was obvious when the wizard cleared his throat loudly that the other man’s tolerance of the look had waned. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Mr. Potter.” Harry stepped automatically forward to shake the other man’s offered hand but before he could Snape stepped in front of him blocking his path. Harry snapped himself out of it realizing suddenly what he was just about to do. In his shock he’d quite forgotten his promise to Snape to stay behind him where he could be protected.
“For Merlin’s sake Snape, I’m just introducing myself. Tuck the wand away.” Harry was really surprised when he watched Snape being casually pushed out of the way before Tom Riddle’s son reappeared in view his hand still out stretched in offer. “My name is Edward Callaghan Riddle.” Harry raised an eyebrow in Edward’s direction but said nothing and chose not to shake his hand. After an awkward moment Edward withdrew his hand unshaken and glanced from Harry to Snape and then back again. “Well that is hardly surprising; I’ve found my father’s old acquaintances are quite jumpy.” The wizard dismissed the insult with a casual wave of his hand before turning away from the two wizards and heading back over to the table he’d come from. “At the very least join me for a drink. I promise I won’t bite.” Edward threw the comment casually over his shoulder as he took up his seat at the table. Harry hesitated and glanced at Snape, waiting till the elder wizard began across the floor towards the table before he too followed. Snape had said nothing and the expression on the potions professor’s face gave nothing away. Two vacant chairs appeared on the opposite side of the table to Edward and as Harry and Snape sat down the music started up again although quieter than when they’d arrived. “I know Severus’ drink of choice is whisky but what’s your poison Mr. Potter?” Edward waved to the bar tender who scuttled over and dutifully poured Snape a glass of familiar amber liquid over ice.
“Same.” Harry whispered scared that his voice would betray the nervousness he felt. Edward nodded and the bar tender poured Harry a glass of whisky as well. Harry noted that Snape didn’t touch his drink however Harry was gratefully his hands had something to clutch to keep them from shaking. After a quick swig of his whisky Harry put the glass back down on the table to look across at Edward. The man was dressed in navy colored modern dress slacks, a white high collared shirt and a light wool robe that Harry was sure would have cost a fortune. He certainly didn’t look anything like the deformed creature his father had become in the last years of his life.
“I must apologize that we haven’t met earlier Mr. Potter, I fear this initial awkwardness might have been less troublesome had I not been outbid at The Fox’s Den by everyone’s favorite Potions Professor over here.” Harry was clearly surprised by the admission and he glanced from Edward to Snape to gauge the elder wizard’s reaction. When on stage at the club Harry had always been blinded by stage lights and so he’d hardly even seen those bidding for his attention until the winner had entered the room after the auctions. It was Snape’s whispered curse that had given Harry a clue to the man who’d brought him that evening and it made him nervous that it could just as sooner had been Edward and he would never have realized. If Snape was surprised he didn’t show it, and merely leaned forward to take a sip form his own whisky.
“You followed me?” Snape spoke his voice cold and unfeeling as he sipped again from his whisky.
“No, indeed I’ve had my eye on the nightingale since the moment I got wind of where the wizarding world’s savior was.” Harry swallowed nervously unsure of what to make of Edward or his company. The wizard appear calm almost relaxed as he leaned back in his own chair, an arm slung casually over the back of the chair of the witch sitting quietly beside him.
“So you’ve been stalking me. That’s pretty fuckin’ creepy.” Harry spoke a little bitterly as he watched Edward smile and laugh softly. Harry had expected to see lots of other familiar death eaters in the pub but it seemed Edward had as Snape had said cleaned house.
“Sun Tzu in the Art of War says ‘Know Your Enemy’, what you call stalking I call research.” Edward picked up his own crystal glass and swilled the brownish liquid around inside, watching as it clung to the sides of the class a clear sign of its quality. Harry knew the quote; Dudley had brought home the Art of War as a homework assignment in year 10. His pudgy cousin didn’t stand a chance of ever getting through the book over the summer, so Harry had borrowed it and read 3/4’s of it at least.
“Then you consider us enemies?” Harry spoke cautiously watching as Edward’s smile turned nasty.
“You killed my father!” Edward growled dangerously.
“And your father murdered both my parents. So far we are equal.” Harry barked with conviction across the table, already feeling the rising tension in the room, as the pair of them stared at one another.
“Equal?” Edward snorted in amused contempt. “I see nothing that makes us equal. While you may be the son of a Potter, you are the abomination that arose from a dalliance with a muggle born. Your heritage is diluted with impurity and yet you claim to be a pureblood. Did you not consider Potter that the current situation you find yourself in, is the situation you should have been in since birth? The only reason you may have ever been able to practice magic was because my father unwittingly gave some of his own power when he tried to kill you the first time. Is it not coincidental that with him gone so too is your magic?” Edward was yelling now and the pub had now fallen silent around them. It was not surprising that everyone present knew he was without magic. Edward smiled cruelly in Harry’s direction, as he took a deep steadying breath and relaxed back into his chair. Harry was breathing noisily through his nose, trying and failing to calm the anger he felt bubbling below his skin. Beneath the table Harry felt Snape reach across, a strong warm hand falling on his knee.
“You are just like him.” Harry’s voice was barely above a whisper not trusting himself to speak louder less he lose his anger and yell. Both he and Snape were outnumbered ten to one in the pub it would not do to create a scene.
“No.” Edward spoke coolly as his hand tightened on the glass of alcohol he’d picked up from the table, in an attempt at calming himself down. “My father was a psychotic maniac whose ambitions and ideas were clouded by his lust for blood spilled.” Edward took a long pull of his own drink staring into the bottom of the crystal before glancing up to meet Harry’s eyes over the rim. “I on the other hand know how to conduct myself to get what I want, without letting my own side projects distract me from the bigger goal.”
“And what is it you want. What is that goal?’ Finally Snape spoke and Harry watched as Edward glanced at Severus for the briefest of moments before turning his dark gaze back on Harry.
“Balance restored.” Edward breathed out calmly as he smiled a wicked little grin in Harry’s direction. “I want the resurrection of traditions, I want the wizarding world I was brought up to believe in. Where only pureblooded families of magic held power on the council and where mud bloods like your self were dirty little secrets that we swept under the carpet.” Harry sighed heavily unable now to meet Edward’s cruel gaze. “My father believed in those traditions it’s what he wanted but he was side tracked by his own greed for power. I have no such pride, what I do I do for these witches and wizards around me. I want to restore to them honor and pride in their breeding, and given them back only that which was taken away from them.” Edward smiled around at the gathered party goers in the pub, all of whom were now quietly listening to Edwards’ speech. “Don’t get me wrong the muggle world has its place and I bid them no ill will, but steps must be taken to keep them, metaphorically speaking, on that side of the wall.” Edward looked Harry up and down like he was piece of shit to be wiped off his shoe. It was a look however that Harry had gotten used to in the last 8 years.
“So you have no intention of waging an all-out war?” Harry spoke calmly watching as Edward finished the last of his drink and put the glass aside.
“Of course not. You catch more flies with honey Mr. Potter. Unlike my father I am far more subtle in the ways I achieve my goal. Negotiation, Politics and the art of Persuasion are my weapons of choice. Speaking of which there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Harry and Snape both watched as Edward clicked his fingers over towards one of the booths by the crooked, windows at the front of the room. “You’re going to love this, I believe you both know him quite well.” Harry’s heart sank into his stomach as he watched a tall blonde wizard stand up from the booth by the window. He was dressed in a wine colored cloak with dark grey trousers and matching shirt and waist coat. Snape stiffened beside Harry as he took watched the tall familiar frame step up to stand beside Edward. Harry knew who those steely blue eyes belonged to, had dreamed about them often after the war. Edward spoke calmly as he reached up to entwine his fingers with that of the man’s on shoulder, an intimate touch that was not missed by either Harry nor Snape.
“Snape, Potter. May I introduce the latest candidate for the Minister of Magic position,” Harry’s eyes widened impossibly as Edward continued. “Draco Malfoy.” Harry couldn’t breathe as he stared into the blue eyes of his old nemesis, as Draco smiled at him with an infuriatingly bright smile. Surely things could not get worse.
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A/N Okay there we go. As promised a double update better late than never. I'm still working on old WIP so I'm trying to split my time, be patient I promise it'll be worth it. Thanks for the reviews :)
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Thicker Than Water