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In Servitude of the Dark: The Hand That Guides Me	By : xXxLuckyxXx Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 74965 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. I just play in her world.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
A/N: I know the last chapter was iffy with the Gringotts stuff. Some liked it, some hated it. I decided to post this chapter earlier than I planned in hopes of redeeming myself in the eyes of those that hated chapter 4. So here goes…

Chapter 5 : A New Look – July 15, 1993

When they left the bank, it was about lunch time. Underneath the guise of Xavier Rayne, Harry enjoyed his lunch without bothersome gawkers or reporters. After that, Marvolo guided Harry out of Diagon Alley into the richer shopping places in Diamond Plaza. His reasoning was that he wouldn’t stand for Harry to dress or act like some kind of pauper when he was a future Lord of their world. He wasn’t as rich as the Malfoys, and in fact only had access to his Trust Vault until he turned 15, but he was no begger either.

“But what about Dumbledore? Won’t he suspect something if I suddenly change?” Harry wondered.   Indeed, Harry felt a little self-conscious walking around in his ill-fitting muggle clothes while all the shoppers were draped in silk robes and glittered with jewels.

“We’ll just say you’re sick of those rags,” Marvolo responded, apparently thinking this was worth the risk.

Harry merely shrugged and stepped shyly into the very upscale store. Because of how Harry dressed, it wasn’t until he flashed his Potter ring did someone finally come attend to them.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” the attendant said, her voice so sugary that Harry wanted to gag. It was blatantly obvious that she was trying not to stare in horror at his clothes. “My name is Clara. What can I do for you?”

“Umm…I need an entire wardrobe,” Harry admitted, his face flaming red in embarrassment.

“Quite so,” Clara agreed, looking him up and down reprovingly. “Let’s get your measurements.”

And with that, Harry was whisked away by the, admittedly skilled, hands of Clara. In a whirl of magic, Harry was stripped down to his undergarments, eliciting the return of his blush that went all the way down to his chest.

“Stop fidgeting,” the tailor scolded. “You have a fine body for your age.”

“Yeah, an eleven year old,” Harry muttered darkly under his breath.

“Is there anything special you’d like to include in your wardrobe?” Clara asked.

Harry sighed heavily. It was already out of his hands. “I don’t know the first thing about clothes.”

Clara nodded, obviously not surprise, but hiding it well. “Very well then, I shall stock it for you.” She unfurled a parchment and began checking things out. “A boy your age, going to Hogwarts…at least 7 pairs of everyday trousers, 3 formal slacks, 10 warm weather shirts, 10 cold weather shirts, 5 dress shirts, 3 pairs of formal shoes, some cuff-links, some ties, 4 casual cotton robes, 4 silk dress robes, 2 winter robes, 3 cloaks, 7 pairs of socks, and 7 undergarments. All of these come in various colors, damage resistant spells, and spells to enlarge an extra 4 inches to allow for growth. Is that to your liking?”

Harry’s eyes bulged at the list the lady rattled off.

“Oh, don’t worry, this is just the standard list,” She said quickly, mistaking Harry’s silence for disapproval. “I know how you kids are about being trendy,” she said with a giggle and opened another roll of parchment and continued to rattle off another mind-boggling list of apparel. This one included things like boots, tank tops, jeans, sneakers, arm bands, leather jackets, hoodies…and so on. In the end, Harry took them all, making Clara shriek in excitement and at the galleons this all cost.

Harry just wondered where he was going to put all this.

The entire sales totaled to 16,359 galleons and 56 sickles. Harry guiltily handed over his Gringotts’ card. No doubt it was half a year’s earning for someone else.

“Your wardrobe will be finished by the end of the day,” Clara promised. “Would you like to pick it up or have us ship it to you?”

“That’s quick,” Harry said, surprised.

“Of course,” Clara sniffed. “We only offer the best services for our customers.”

With how much his wardrobe cost, Harry had to agree. “Um, I’ll pick it up,” he said, not wanting to send his uncle into an early heart attack---he still had his uses after all---with all the owls it would take to deliver his clothes.

When Harry finally left the store, he blinked tiredly at Marvolo. “Please tell me we’re done,” he complained.

“Not even close,” Marvolo chuckled.

The answer to Harry’s earlier concern was answered when Marvolo guided him to a luggage shop. Harry was surprised at all the extra add ons one could get placed onto a trunk for the right price.

“A Hogwarts student like you? At least a four compartment trunk,” the clerk said after listening to what Harry said he needed. “One for your clothes, one for books, one with special protections for volatile potions, and one for everyday things.” And then he went off detailing all the various spells he could add on, like an automatic shrinking charm, a lightweight charm, security spells…and on and on it went.

With Marvolo’s input as well, Harry chose the recommended trunk and an additional hiker’s pack. This pack, which was going to be his book bag, had 5 compartments in it. The first was for books, second for clothes, third for first aid which had preserving charms and slots for vials of medi-potions, fourth for food which Harry left empty for now, and the last for knick knacks. It also had the standard list of charms like bottom-less, lightweight, damage-proof, cushioning for the potions, and security.

“I wonder why Hagrid didn’t let me buy all this the first time around,” Harry complained as they left the luggage shop. The clerk had helpfully shrunken everything so Harry could slip it into his pockets. “He knew I had enough money.”

“He was probably told to just get you the barest of necessities,” Marvolo said. “I suspect it was the Old Man’s way to keep you more dependent on him.”

Harry frowned. “Dumbledore has a lot to answer for,” he muttered. “So now what?” It wasn’t the end of the day yet, so they couldn’t pick up Harry’s clothes.

“Sporting goods,” Marvolo answered.

The idea perked Harry back up, since he was beginning to feel tired. And if I am this tired then… Harry turned to Marvolo in concern. The spirit did look more transparent than earlier today. Without saying a word, Harry took a hold of Marvolo’s arms and wrapped it around himself, surprised at how cold the arms were.

“I don’t want you to wait until you disappear to borrow my magic,” Harry said firmly. He was dismayed that he had allowed his friend to become so neglected in all the excitement.

The spirit murmured his appreciation and simply draped himself, like a cloak, over the smaller boy’s shoulders. They both shivered pleasantly when they felt the magic flowing between them. “You are like warm sunlight to a starving flower, my Little Serpent.”

Harry ducked his head and blushed. “Come on, let’s go.”

It wasn’t quidditch supplies that they got at the sporting goods store, but dueling supplies.   Harry bought a dragon hide cloak, form fitting dragon hide pants, dragon hide boots, and two dragon hide wand holsters. One would be fitted up his right sleeve for his holly wand and the other on his ankle, beneath his pant leg. They could both be invisible at will, had anti-summoning charms, and prior incantante nullification. Marvolo said the prior incantante nullification was going to be useful when Harry learned any spells outside the Hogwarts curriculum.

Remembering that Neville’s birthday was just before his, Harry got him a wand holster too, knowing how forgetful the boy was. He would send it off at the owl-post office with his letter to Hermione.

After that, they went to get Harry’s school supplies for the classes he knew he was going to take, in addition to the ones Marvolo was going to tutor him in.

Their supply list went something like this :

Apprentice Level Potion’s Kit I-III

Medi-potion’s kit

Never ending ink Quills in blue, black, red,

Parchment

Sealing wax

Basic Runic Stones

2 Deluxe Pruning Sheers, one in iron and one in silver

When the supplies were done, Harry was already making good use of his trunk and hiking bag. The bookstore was going to be an even bigger buy. In addition to his school books, Harry got a couple introductory books in Runic magic, Dark magic theory (with Marvolo’s approval), healing magic, wizarding etiquette, occlumancy, wizarding VIPs, wizarding political structure, and back issues of the last 5 years of the Daily Prophet for Marvolo who wanted to get caught up in the current events.

Harry had just finished paying, 1,568 galleons worth of books, when he noticed Marvolo looking lost in thought. “Is everything okay?” he asked as he dropped the books into the first compartment of his trunk. He’d reorganize everything when he got home.

“The Black sisters, what do you know of them?” Marvolo asked.

Harry gave the other man a ‘what do you think’ look. “Never heard of them,” he admitted. “They sounds like a rock band. Who are they?”

“The youngest is Narcissa Black,” Marvolo answered. “She married Lucius Malfoy. The second was Bellatrix Black who married into the Lestrange family. And the eldest is Andromeda Black, who I believe married a muggle.”

Harry nodded. “Okay…”

“The Blacks are well known for their long and prestigious history, especially in the dark arts,” Marvolo continued when it was obvious that Harry didn’t follow. “In their heyday, they even surpassed the Malfoys in wealth, magical power, and political influence.”

“Oh!” Harry finally understood. “Are you talking about my politics’ tutor?” Marvolo nodded. “So it’s between Bellatrix Black and Andromeda Black since we decided a Malfoy was too dark for Dumbledore to approve of.”

Surprisingly, Marvolo shuddered. It was something Harry didn’t think a Dark Lord would ever do. “I know not what happened to Bellatrix,” he said. “But she had a madness about her that even I was wary of.” And to expose innocent little Harry Potter to her…Marvolo shook his head, banishing the thought. “No, I am thinking about Andromeda Black.”

Harry’s eyebrows went up. “The one that married a muggle?” he asked in surprise. “I thought you hated muggles.”

“I do, but that is why Dumbledore will approve of her,” Marvolo countered. “And, she is the eldest daughter of the Black family, raised to handle the political duties of an heiress and raised strongly in the dark traditions. Even if she was cast out of the Black family for marrying a muggle, she hadn’t quite renounced the dark as far as I know. And most importantly, she has enough political clout that Dumbledore will think twice before he engages her in a political battle. She suits our purposes on every level.”

That night, after dinner and neatly organizing all of his purchases, Harry sat down and composed the letter to Andromeda Black Tonks, asking her to become his mentor in politics. In the most formal words possible, Harry detailed his position as the Potter Heir, as the boy-who-lived, and as a muggle-raised wizard. He carefully told her that his so-called Keeper, dropping Dumbledore’s name, practically abandoned him, and so he desperately needed this kind of education. And with Marvolo’s approval, he also made it clear that he was aware of the Black’s reputation in the dark arts, and that he was not turned off by it. Indeed, he was intrigued.

Harry signed it artfully and sealed it with the Potter seal.

_O o 0 ^O0 o _Oo 0 ^O0 o _O o 0 ^O0 o _O

July 31, 1993

Harry’s birthday came and went without much fuss just like all the other years before it. But to Harry, this year marked the beginning of change and a sense of rightness. For once, he felt like he was finally on the right track in life, like he was finally taking his life into his own hands. Just before his nightly ritual of wishing himself happy birthday, Harry shared his thoughts with Marvolo and thanked him for being the one to free him.

His birthday presents came all through the night. The first to arrive was Ron’s, a magical device called a sneakoscope that he bought in Egypt. It was supposed to detect if anyone around him were untrustworthy, and it accompanied a newspaper clipping of his family standing in front of the pyramids of Giza. Hermione’s gift was a book on Greco-Roman legends. She had found it fascinating that many of the gods and goddesses were actually famous witches and wizards. And finally, a present that Harry didn’t expect was delivered by a large regal owl.

“It’s Neville’s,” Harry said, surprised. He opened the letter first.

Hello Harry,

Thank you for the dragon hide wand holster! My grandma looked it over and said it was very well crafted. It must’ve cost a fortune! How did you even know it was my birthday? I haven’t told anyone about it, and I was definitely surprised when Grandma told me yours was just after mine. I’m just glad I didn’t miss it.

I didn’t really know what to get you, but I remembered you were interested in some of the older traditions, and I know you can’t really find this kind of stuff in a bookstore. Light families, like ours, have mostly denied that it even exists. It’s sort of like saying You-Know-Who’s real name. You just don’t. But everyone knows the dark wizards still practice it, even if it’s illegal, only they keep this stuff super-secret in their family grimoire, you know like a family recipe.

Anyway, I remembered seeing this really old book in the Family vault. It belonged to one of the Prince line, according to Gran, which had married a Longbottom way back then and recently died out. Don’t worry, I asked Gran if it was okay to give to you and she was glad to get rid of such a ‘dark’ book.   The grimoire is blank now because only a Prince can read it, but if you can break the security enchantments on it, then I imagine a lot of your questions will be answered. Who knows, maybe you have some Prince blood in you.

I hope you like it, but be careful, okay? You don’t want to mess around with that kind of stuff, and you probably need someone to teach you. Anyway, see you back at Hogwarts.

Your friend,

Nev

Harry set the letter aside and pulled the large and heavy tome onto his lap. It had some kind of writing that looked Chinese or Japanese engraved in golden characters on the cover. On the binding of the book there were the same characters, but also designs of long serpentine looking dragons, not like the ones of England. Obviously, this grimoire had travelled a long ways.

Opening the cover, Harry was slightly disappointed that it was indeed blank, like Neville said. “Doesn’t look like I have any Prince blood in me or at least not enough.” Harry glanced at Marvolo, who was staring at the book hungrily. “What do you think?”

“You have a small treasure in your hands,” Marvolo said. “Each generation adds to their Family grimoire, spells that are only known to their bloodline. Which means if you cast a curse from this grimoire, then theoretically only another Prince can cast the counter-curse. It also contains wizarding traditions that are unique to the Princes. Since the Princes put out more potion’s masters than any other, I suspect they incorporate a lot of the water elements into their rituals.”

“It sounds like you knew the Princes personally,” Harry said, curiously.

Marvolo shot him an amused smirk. “There is one last remaining Prince descendant, but he doesn’t go by that name. Can you guess?”

Harry re-ran the clues that Marvolo gave him, and only one name came to mind. “It’s Snape, isn’t it?” At Marvolo’s nod, Harry pushed the grimoire off his lap. “I don’t want anything from that greasy bat!”

Marvolo chuckled at the boy’s antics.

“Not funny,” Harry protested. “I’ll just give it back to him when school starts. It’s not like I can even read it.”

Marvolo held up a hand to stop him. “I’d like to try breaking the enchantments first,” he said. “And if I can’t, what do you think Severus Snape will give you to have his Family grimoire back?”

Harry’s eyes widened and a grin split his face. “I can make him be nice, or at least somewhat decent, to me in class. And Neville too, since it was in his vault first.”

“I’m going to get you used to flexing those Slytherin muscles,” Marvolo said satisfied.

The rest of the summer was mostly comprised of homework and studying. This would be the first time Harry turned in work that complimented his intellectual level. Before, he couldn’t do any summer work because all this stuff would be immediately locked up, so he’d have to scramble on the train or the night before classes. And then during the year, he was too busy with quidditch or hanging out with Ron to really care about the quality of his work. But now with Marvolo proof-reading his essays and giving him outside facts, he was sure not even Snape could find something wrong. The fact that Marvolo wanted him to do well and was proud of him, made Harry feel warm and happy inside and made him want to work harder.

While Harry worked on his homework, Marvolo divided his time between skimming through the back issues of the Daily Prophet and cracking the enchantments on the grimoire. Whenever he had an idea, he’d have Harry perform the spell, or write the runes, or say the passwords. As of yet, the grimoire remained blank, but judging by the sparkle in Marvolo’s eyes, he was thriving on the challenge.

Along with his summer homework, Marvolo made him revise his transfiguration, potions, DADA, and charms from first and second year. Harry was near the end of second year DADA when he got a response from the Department of Magical Education approving both of his elective courses in the Healing Arts and Magical Politics, to be taught by Madam Poppy Pomphrey and Andromeda Black Tonks.

Harry gave a happy whoop before quickly writing a thank you letter to both of his future teachers and requesting a list of books and supplies. Then he wrote a letter to Professor McGonnagall to inform her of his class list with a copy of the approval letter from the Department of Magical Education just in case.

It was a week before school started when Harry got some disturbing news by way of the Daily Prophet. Marvolo suggested he subscribe to it, even if half of what they printed was just gossip. In big bold letters, the headline read, “Sirius Black Escapes from Azkaban!” A little further down on the page was a vivid recount of how he had betrayed the Potters, how he then killed 12 muggles and one of his best friends, how he was considered You-Know-Who’s right hand man.

Harry cracked open the diary. Marvolo, come look at this! Quick!

Harry tried to sit still as he waited for his friend to finish the article. He wasn’t sure what he felt. On one hand, this was the man who betrayed his parents and was partly responsible for his parents’ death. On the other, he had done it on Voldemort’s, or rather Marvolo’s orders, and if Harry could forgive Marvolo then surely he could do the same for this Sirius Black. Maybe this Sirius Black could even help Marvolo where Harry, as a child, could not. As Harry thought about it more, he was surprised to realize that the idea didn’t appeal to him. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t ready to share Marvolo with anyone yet. Yes, Harry knew this was selfish, but he felt there was something special that bonded him to Marvolo and he was afraid to lose it to someone who had once been his right hand man.

Harry refused to think of it as jealousy.

Finally, Marvolo looked up, his face serious. “It wasn’t Sirius Black who betrayed your parents,” he said. “As far as I know, he was loyal to Dumbledore and a close friend of your parents. It was Peter Pettigrew, the man Sirius Black killed, who was the spy.”

“Then he’s been wrongly imprisoned all these years?” Harry asked, horrified at the thought.

Marvolo shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But Sirius Black was a former auror and known for his impulsive wildness, especially in battle. Indeed it is because of his unpredictability that makes him so formidable. He certainly has the skills and hotheadedness to kill Pettigrew and take 12 muggles in one blow. But he never was one of my Death Eaters.”

Harry’s shoulders slumped. Now he was even more confused. What did he do with this knowledge? He wanted to meet someone who was close to his parents, but this was also a man who was loyal to Dumbledore and was reckless enough to kill 12 muggles on a revenge spree. “Do you think he’ll come after me?” Harry asked worriedly.

“You have another week until school starts, and he shouldn’t be able to breach Hogwart’s wards,” Marvolo said, wanting to sound reassuring. “But as you know, Hogwart’s wards are not all they boast to be. If you do meet up with him, I want to be there, and we’ll be smart about it.”

“I know you won’t let any harm come to me, Marvolo,” Harry replied trustingly.

A/N1: I hope I’ve reawakened your interest in this story. Lots of foreshadowing here, with Snape and Sirius. The story is going slow, I know, but things will pick up when Harry goes back to Hogwarts. I am just as eager as you guys to get there, which is partly why I am posting so fast. I also ran into a problem if anyone can help. When I post my story, I don’t see it on Fanfiction . net. I know you guys are reading it because it gets hits and reviews, but why can’t I see it?

A/N2: Also tell me if you guys like teasers or not. And please, I am trying to get over the insecurity of my writing. Reviews really help build my confidence.
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In Servitude of the Dark: The Hand That Guides Me