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Harry Potter and the Breeding Darkness	By : Danyealle Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 297668 -:- Recommendations : 54 -:- Currently Reading : 184
Disclaimer: I am not J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter. This is a work of fanfiction and no profit is being made. It is a for-fun endeavor and no infringement is intended.

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Chapter 27

Beta'd by Tenchi (love you, woman!)

Chapter written by Danyealle-sama

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At 5:30, Tom and Harry were finished with meetings for the day and about to head to 'their' wing of the abbey for the night to relax before Harry had to return to school. Just as they were standing to make their way that direction, the wards signaled that someone had just Apparated in. Knowing that this meant there was something emergent that he probably either needed to know about or had to deal with in some way, Voldemort signaled Evan to seat himself once more then he, himself, slipped back into his chair and waited, drumming his long fingers on the desk impatiently. He disliked being disturbed when he wanted some time alone with Harry but disliked even more not knowing what might be coming, so he waited.

Quickly, there was a knock on the door to which Voldemort hissed an enter. An older man, one Harry recognized as an Unspeakable from the Department of Mysteries named Claybourne Hennishaw, came in and bowed to Voldemort then took a seat in front to the desk where he was gestured.

Knowing he needed to get to the point so that his Lord wouldn't grow irritated, Claybourne said, “My Lord, I have news to deliver about possible activities of the Order of the Phoenix.”

Curiosity piqued, Tom glanced at Harry then made a motion with his hand for the Unspeakable to continue on.

“Over the last week there has been some murmurings about people down by the Hall of Prophecy at night. Though they don't seem to be doing anything untold, they are there, almost as if they are guarding it. I heard today that Sturgis Podmore, a known member of the Order from the first war, was arrested last night trying to break in. During that incident, he was said to have been injured and is now at St. Mungos. Rumor has it that he was under the Imperius at the time.”

This was, most certainly, news that Voldemort wanted to hear. After taking a few moments to process what was said then glancing at 'Evan' he asked, “You ssssay that there have been people down that way at night? Guarding ssssomething?”

“That seems to be the consensus, my Lord. There has been talk among the ranks that they feel it's members of the Order as they recognized some of them, such as Arthur Weasley. From what I'm hearing, they don't do anything, just sit there, as though they are keeping an eye on the entrance.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Voldemort said, “I want you to keep an eye and ear out to ssssee what you can disssscover. Anything at all would be most helpful to our causssse. Beyond that, hassss there been any talk about what they might want to be guarding?” Though he already assumed that it had to do with the prophecy that he and Harry already knew about, he wasn't going to make a rash judgment only to have it turn out wrong.

“No, my Lord. There are, of course, rumors as to what it would be but they are so varied that one can't be sure which is just a poke in the dark and which it might be. The predominant one seems to be about a prophecy concerning you and Harry Potter. But, as the ones that work in the Hall of Prophecy are very tight-lipped about what's there, I can't confirm that such a thing even exists. Nor, even if I was able to get in there, would I be able to hear what it says. Only those that the prophecy relates to can remove it from the shelf. I don't believe there is an actual record of it anywhere either.”

As he already knew all he wanted to about that end of things, Voldemort waved a dismissive hand at that then said, “Keep an eye out then report back to me on any activity you hear or ssssee.” With the tone of finality he used, he was making it clear that the meeting was at an end.

Nodding, Claybourne replied, “Of course, my Lord.” Then he stood, bowed then quickly exited.

After he left, Tom sat there staring at the door, drumming his fingers on the desk as he did. This was something he found...intriguing, for lack of a better word. Already, his mind was working over the various things that this could mean.

Chuckling, leaning back in his chair, Harry asked, tone amused, “I wonder which copy of the prophecy they have; the real one or the fake one Dumbledore manipulated.”

“That is an interesting question,” Tom said with a nod. “However, it's not interesting enough to go find out. As we know both versions, it's not something that is worth the trouble of going to see. The meaning behind the activity, though, is something I do find worthy of investigation. It means, if this is the Order doing it, that Dumbledore has something up that ridiculously gaudy sleeve of his. That can only mean that he has something planned for either you or me. Since he knows the prophecy that was fed to me was fake, it seems to lean towards the fact that the one stored there might be real. That could mean one of two things; either he's worried that I might find the real one or it's a trap designed to lure me in since he's aware that I never heard the full thing from Snape.”

Thinking that over, brow puckered slightly as he did, Harry just nodded. Then something came to mind. Eyes widening, he looked at Tom then asked, “Could this be another setup to see if he can't toss the two of us together again?”

Arching what would be an eyebrow if he were in his normal face, Tom looked at Harry then asked, “What makes you bring that up?”

“Well, that first meeting with Dumbledore where he used the pensive... That was what he showed me; the supposed prophecy. Now, suddenly, there is activity where the prophecy is. It doesn't seem like a coincidence to me. Especially since the old goat has to know something like this is bound to get back to you in some way.”

Giving a thoughtful nod, Tom rubbed his chin, a faraway look in his red eyes. “You may be right, yes. Perhaps this is the first stirrings of something he's trying to design to put an end to things since we weren't tossed together last year. But what it might be I don't know.”

“I don't like this,” Harry muttered, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, tugging on it roughly, then sighed.

“I agree,” Tom nodded. “If it is one of the old man's plots, it's going to be tricky to work with so as not to give away what is going on with you. With his time drawing to a close, he may well be getting desperate enough to force an ending to his liking before he does go, no matter how much of an outlandish manipulation it might take to lead it there. That bothers me. Desperate men then do desperate things, be they muggle or wizard.”

Feeling his gut clench, Harry just nodded, feeling a great deal of apprehension fill him at the thought of what the old man might be up to. “Oh, Merlin, this could be bad! With how I'm refusing to play along what he wants me to on so many things and defying him, this could make it even worse than a suspicion of what I might be up to grow!”

Shooting Harry a sharp look, Tom nodded, “There is that, yes. You have changed and can't just go back to the way you were. If you did that, it would look worse than what it does now and he would grow more suspicious. But, I agree, this is troublesome if throwing us together once more is his ultimate goal.”

Nodding, Harry said nothing, brain frantically trying to work over what could be done to derail the old coot before he could get this fully in gear and off.

Tom drummed his fingers on the desk as he tried to think. Though he wasn't positive this was what Dumbledore might be up to, he had a sinking feeling that Harry was right and it was going to be something to trap both of them. That he didn't like, not at all. That meant, while investigating what it might be, he needed to do something to throw the old man off the track so that he could buy some time because, if things went as they normally did, everything big was always geared towards the end of the school year. He didn't want to give the old man time enough to play this out how he wanted. There was also the niggling that it might be a very wise idea to see if he couldn't shorten the old fool's lifespan more than it already was. With him out of the way, he could move forward with what he needs to a lot faster than he was now.

He had, at this point, many irons in the fire as to what needed to be done to set what he planned in motion. Most of those had a time line that stretched well beyond Dumbledore's expected demise by the curse. In fact, many of them couldn't be put into place until the old man was out of the picture. However, some were of such a delicate nature that he couldn't risk them being tampered with by the old coot's machinations either. He needed him to stay out of some for them to succeed. That meant, whatever he might be up to this go 'round, he had to put a stop to it before it went too far. What he needed was a distraction to keep the old man busy and throw his plans off. He also needed to know those plans, or as much of them as he could. That meant calling in some of his followers to give specific instructions to while crafting, the best he could, something that was more apt to drive the old fool to distraction trying to deal with it.

After several minutes of quiet contemplation, the first formation of something that might distract the old man came to mind. In fact, he was so pleased with it and it was so good that he couldn't help the wicked grin that flitted briefly across his face. Looking at Harry, who had his eyebrow arched at what he saw, that expression turned smug. “First off, I think that I need to have a long talk with Severus about just what the Order is doing and what he may have overheard. Then I think, with Yule approaching, that we might have to move on something that might be a combination gift to you as well as something the old goat will find hard to deal with. But that will take some planning...” he trailed off as he thought about how to go about what it was he had the niggling about.

Unable to help himself, Harry grinned, knowing that Tom probably had something spectacular in mind to throw all kinds of wrenches into the gears of Dumbledore's plans. But he was willing to wait to see what it was.

Unable to fully wipe off the self satisfied smirk that he knew was on his face, Tom asked, almost casually, “How would you feel about being emancipated after your relatives refuse to have anything to do with you?”

Looking at Tom in stunned shock as what was said registered, Harry then couldn't help the huge grin that spread across his face. “Oh, I can't see where I would be adverse to something like that!”

Nodding, knowing that his young lover would be more than happy with that, Tom grinned bigger, “I think, perhaps, that is something that needs to happen before Yule comes along. Though it might take some of Lucius' more vaulted connections in the Ministry, I think, considering how Fudge seems to favor you, we can pull it off. We just need to ensure that the Dursley's,” spitting that name out with a great deal of venom, his face contorting slightly in anger, he then smoothed it out and continued on, “are nudged in that direction with the proper motivation.”

Grinning bigger, Harry asked, “What do you have in mind?”

Looking at Harry, Tom's eyes took on an evil glint before he began to explain the most basic of plans that he had come up with.

Striding towards the headmaster's office, Severus had his normal scowl in place, sending students fleeing from him lest they incur the sharp side of his tongue then end up in detention doing something foul such as jarring frog livers or such. The truth was, already, the being a double agent role was wearing. He had done it for years, yes, but this time around it seemed worse. More pressure was being brought to bear on all kinds of things since the Dark Lord was more taxing about what he needed than Dumbledore was. It was also a rather off-putting thing to remember just what he knew and what needed to be imparted to which party. He was capable of it and was managing but sometimes it was a hard thing to keep straight. Especially with other things on his mind.

The whole thing with Evan Harris... For some inexplicable reason, it was playing at his mind. He couldn't figure out what that was but assumed that it had to do with something important, that it was his mind's way of putting the pieces together on something big. But, until that happened, it was going to drive him mad.

Reaching the revolving staircase that led up to the headmaster's office, the Potions Master took a moment to calm himself then lock everything behind his shields except what he might want the headmaster to see if he tried poking around in there. Once he was certain he had everything under control, he stepped onto the stairs and let them take him up. As normal, before he could even knock, the old man beckoned him inside. With a scowl, he let himself in then took a seat in front of the desk and waited for the inevitable.

“Lemon sherbert?” Dumbledore offered, popping one into his mouth.

With his usual sneer at that question, Severus shook his head then waited.

After sitting the tin aside, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap then asked, “You had another meeting with Tom?” When he saw the dark haired man nod, he asked, “Was there anything interesting you learned? Or anything I need to be aware of?”

Schooling his thoughts into remembering what the Dark Lord wanted him to pass along and things that he was sure were safe, he nodded then launched into some minor information about the breakout that Voldemort wanted him to pass along to the old man. Most of it was misleading or out and out untrue but there were some tidbits here and there that contained grains of truth, enough to give Dumbledore something to chew on while ensuring that he was going around in circles.

Sitting in his chair, Dumbledore looked grave through much of it, filing it away and nodding. No, indeed, things didn't look good and something was going to have to be done to get the Ministry off their duffs before Tom had enough power under his control to make a big power play. That was coming, he was sure of it. Just when was the question. Things had to be in place before that happened or he was incapacitated.

Shaking his head, pushing aside the urgency that was building, he nodded to Severus then asked, “Is there anything else of importance you saw or heard?”

Brow furrowing slightly, Severus thought it over then added, slowly, “There have been developments with Evan Harris.” Seeing that grabbed the old man's interest, he continued on, “Halloween night, from what I heard, he announced that Evan Harris was his consort. As I wasn't there for that, I'm relying on a source that I trust.”

Taken completely off guard by that, Dumbledore's eyes widened as he thought over the implications from such a thing. It was, to him, something worrisome on many levels. If Tom did have someone that close it would mean trouble for him unless he could be turned to their side. As he knew next to nothing about this Harris, that seemed unlikely.

Stroking his beard, he looked at Severus thoughtfully then asked, “Have you seen any more interactions between the two? Does it lend you to think it's more than just a power move of some kind?”

Thinking back over what he had observed before stepping into the Dark Lord's office, Severus grimaced then said, tone slightly thoughtful, “I have... encountered them in a rather passionate position so I do believe it is something real. I have no doubt that the Dark Lord wouldn't take on a consort that he questioned the motives of. Many, in the past, have offered to warm his bed but, as far as I know, none were ever taken up on the offer because it had everything to do with the power and prestige they would get from such a thing. From what I know and have seen of this Harris, he has a power unto himself. While I don't know if it is comparable to that of the Dark Lord, it's certainly quite impressive unto itself.”

Thinking that over, Dumbledore nodded. “Tom, other than when he was in school and had a few dalliances that came to be public knowledge, was more interested in power than anything to do with his sexual preference. I doubt that has changed, especially after he was caught in a compromising position with another male. If anything, that probably drove him to hide it more. To now openly have someone that close makes me wonder what this Evan has that Tom is interested in. I doubt, knowing him as I do, that it would be for anything other than what he could gain from such a thing. However, I do believe that we should step up looking into this Evan's background to see who he is and where he came from. That might give us some clues as to why he is in the position he is. Perhaps you can gather the gossip and see what comes of it from your end, Severus. I, on the other hand, will start a more intensive search on mine than what has been done. The young man has to come from somewhere and can't be that elusive.”

Though the Potions Master nodded, he was dubious about much of what was said. First of all, he had seen them together so he didn't think that it was all about power as the old man thought. Then there was the fact, from all he had heard from Lucius, that Harris was an enigma when it came to where he was from and his background. If Lucius' vaulted talents in discovering things had turned up nothing, he wasn't certain that Dumbledore would fare any better in that area. But he kept that hypothesis to himself. Though he did find it interesting to know that the Dark Lord appeared to like men rather than women. That was something he hadn't known, assuming, before Harris that is, that he was more asexual than anything else, not caring about such things one way or another.

Hoping that was about all there was to this, Severus was eager to get out of there then retreat to his dungeons as he had a great deal of thinking to do over some things here and there. Glowering at the old man, he snapped, “Is there anything else, headmaster? I have a great deal to do.”

“One or two more things, Severus. But they won't take much of your time,” Dumbledore told him, the twinkle returning to his eyes.

Seeing that blasted twinkle return, Severus scowled darkly. That look always put him in a bad mood on a good day and wanting to curse the old fool on a bad one. Right now, he was somewhere in between the two on that scale but nodded, waiting to see what else was up, sure it was something he or the Dark Lord wouldn't like.

“Has he mentioned any kind of plans involving Harry?”

Making sure that his shields were firmly in place, hiding any information he had on Potter, he then answered, “No, not that I've heard. He seems more interested in other things and pushing his agenda than anything to do with Potter.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Dumbledore mused, “That is... troubling in several ways.”

Though Severus knew that was something the old coot wanted him to bite at, he wasn't going to. He knew the direction it was going and didn't have the strength today to take it on. Instead, he just nodded then added, “I agree.”

“If you do hear of anything about young Harry, make sure you tell us. It's best that we have a heads up to protect him,” Dumbledore added, twinkling harder. Before Severus could say anything or even nod in agreement, he pressed on. “Over the break, I may need you in another capacity, Severus. Though you tend to stay at the castle over the holidays, being gone a day or two won't raise any eyebrows.”

Taken off guard, Snape looked at him then asked, keeping his tone level, “What for may I ask?”

“As I'm sure you're aware, we're concerned about something that Tom may well consider important and have been guarding it.”

Nodding, having heard about that during Order meetings but not knowing what it was, he waited.

Giving what sounded like a dejected sigh, Dumbledore shook his head then continued on, “That prophecy you overheard then delivered to him. I have it on good authority that we need to protect it so I've been having several members of the order do just that. I may need you a few days over the break to do so since it appears that one of the members is out of commission after trying to break into the place.”

Trying to keep the start from that bit of information from showing on his face, Severus nodded then told him smoothly, “I will do what I can when I can, headmaster. I take it this is what Podmore was caught doing?”

“Yes. We're still not sure if that's Tom's doing or if Sturgis did it on his own. But it does leave some gaps in our schedule that we need to fill. That prophecy is our best weapon against Tom right now. We don't want it falling into his hands.”

That was indeed odd and something that set off warning bells but Severus just nodded in agreement as he wondered what the old man was up to this time and just how the rest of them were going to be dragged into it.

After Severus left, the genial mask fell from Dumbledore's face and a weary expression took over. Reaching up with his one good hand, he rubbed his eyes in a tired way. Already, he was feeling the curse in his hand taxing at his body. Though it was a minimal amount, his magic was being affected as well, weakening slightly. That wasn't a good sign. By now he knew that he had about a year before the end came which meant there was a great deal to set in motion. Though this whole bit with the prophecy was a long shot, he hoped that it would pique Tom's interest enough to get him to go after it. He was certain by now, knowing Tom had people in all levels of the Ministry, that their activities were going to get back to him. He just had to bide his time and set to work on the other end of things; Harry.

When it came to the two ends of the spectrum, the part with Harry worried him more. The boy wasn't playing by the set rules that he had up until then. Something had changed in him but Dumbledore wasn't sure what yet and just how that affected everything else. But he was up to the challenge. Though he hadn't wanted to take things to extremes with the boy, it looked like that was what he was going to have to do to get things to play out so that the two met once more. That meant he had to start putting a back-up plan in motion. Though loathe to do such a thing, the time had come to where he was going to have to or all might be lost.

With a weary sigh, he opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out the Pepper-Up potion that he was almost living on now then began to, once more, catalog what he had to get done before it was too late.
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Harry Potter and the Breeding Darkness