Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Weapon	By : uqui Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 105432 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 26
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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29/06/2012

Thank you to SuryaPrakash for the betaing. If there are mistakes, they are my fault.

Arctic1906 – thank you very much for the review, I hope you continue to enjoy

Ch3rry – thank you

Unneeded – Snape is meat though, just skilled meat so he should be thankful for that. Thank you for the review.

Thank you to everyone who rated. I'm very happy that people are enjoying the fic, and I fervently hope that they continue to enjoy the fic.

Weapon LXXV - Hidden Agenda

"Harry," Luna said, so as to not startle the quiet young man who was sitting in an alcove, basking in the soft November sun.

Green eyes looked over at her and she returned the smile with one of her own. Harry scooted over a little in the alcove, patting the cushioned stone next to him in clear invitation.

Luna sat next to him and for a few moments just enjoyed the sunlight. It had taken her a little while to find Harry but once she'd seen him, the blonde girl had understood why. It was serene in this part of the castle and after the last few weeks, it was something that he needed. Today was a beautiful day and most people were in classes so the corridor was deserted. Not that many people came to this part of the castle, but it guaranteed a bit more privacy. The clear light streamed in through the windows and Harry had found a place to sit where he was bathed in that light without it being so bright as to make reading difficult.

In the few weeks since Halloween, Luna knew that Harry had been busy. For the rest of them class went on as normal but for the young man, it had been a rather stressful time. He'd been studying for his Mastery's but he'd also been called away more often than not to participate in some skirmish. She probably wasn't supposed to know but she'd seen the way he'd occasionally tested a reach before he put his weight to the limb. Madam Promfrey and the Auror healers were no doubt doing their best to heal not just Harry but everyone who was fighting but there were limits to magic. The fact that Harry was yet to reach his was testament to his strength.

"What is he like?"

Harry looked over at her sharply, green eyes showing light confusion. "What's who like?"

"The Dark Lord. You wouldn't have been fighting so much recently if you weren't fighting him."

Harry snorted. The derision was softened by his small smile. "I haven't managed to catch him in battle yet. He's quick and it's not that he's retreating; it's just that generally we are too late to stop him, and all we get to do is the clean-up."

Luna frowned. She knew all about truth in the media and how little the Daily Prophet cared but everything she had seen and heard lately said that Harry was fighting the Dark Lord. Yet she could not detect any hint of untruth from the green-eyed wizard.

"Ah," Harry said in complete understanding. "I take it the Ministry, and therefore your father as well has been reporting something more... grandiose than the truth?"

Luna nodded. She really shouldn't be surprised and if she was honest, it wasn't her father's fault. She wasn't stupid. She knew what people thought of The Quibbler and on some matters her father just took the information from the Ministry. On other things, like Azkaban, he had an inside route but not on everything.

"Well then," Luna was surprised at the depth of the sly smile that graced Harry's features. "How about I see to it that any paper willing to print the truth can do so?"

It took her a moment to realise what Harry was offering and when she did, Luna blinked her pale eyes in surprise.

"Once or twice a week, more if needed, we can arrange a time and you can interview me. I'll tell you what is really happening. There will be some things I can't tell you and there will be some things I won't tell you and there may even be some things I'll want an oath of secrecy on before I tell you. You can write it up as an article or send to your father to write up and that will be that."

"Why?"

"Because Luna, I agree with you. The truth should be out there. This misconstruction of information by the Ministry is dangerous. They've admitted that the Dark Lord is back, mostly because killing Fudge in the centre of the Great Hall isn't something that could be hidden and of course that little attack last year... But they are still obscuring the truth."

"Will the Aurors object?"

Harry chuckled. "Officially, there may be some objections. Unofficially, you may find some corroborating witnesses. I think it annoys Madam Bones that things are still being hidden. I won't be telling you anything confidential so there is nothing they can do about it."

Luna smiled and she felt a thrill of warmth pass through her with Harry returned her smile again. He had secrets, she could tell that and there was something screaming to her instincts that there was something he was hiding which would change everything. That didn't matter, though; he was a good friend. "So... what's he like?" She asked again. "You've faced him more than anyone, except possibly Dumbledore; so what is he like?"

Harry looked thoughtful, moving one hand to his face as he frowned slightly. Luna was more pleased than she could say. He was taking her seriously despite the oddity of the question. "He's... Well," Harry seemed to be at a bit of a loss. "He's not really like anyone or anything. The Death Eaters try to be like him; they fail, though. They are really just poor imitations. If anything... he's almost like Dumbledore. Power wise, I mean.

"I can feel him from a distance and so can everyone else. He just radiates that much presence. And," Harry gulped and Luna could see he was looking into the distance, choosing his words with care. Even so, in the last few seconds, she had learnt more about the Dark Lord than she had in years. "Regardless of his goals, or how anyone feels, he is a good Commander. He's got some skills in organising, in persuading people that if he'd used them differently, he would have made a very good Department Head in the Ministry or even the Minister."

"You've got those skills too, Harry," Luna reassured the young man before her.

"Perhaps, but I haven't had the years to hone them. On the other hand," Harry looked up at her, a wry smile on his face and Luna felt her heart soar at it. His words could be taken to mean that he was afraid but his tone, his magic, it all felt confident and she was drawn into that. "I might be the one who supposedly has to defeat him, but I won't be alone. I have all my friends to help so it will work out, somehow."

Unbeknownst to Luna, Harry could feel Fawkes listening and he felt the phoenix tattoo of the Order rustle on his skin as he said the last. It was just the kind of drivel Dumbledore wanted to hear. Luna might quote or paraphrase him for The Quibbler, but no doubt Dumbledore and Fawkes had the transcript of this little conversation in triplicate before them already.

"I'll help you all I can," Luna heard herself say and after the words left her mouth she almost gasped at her audacity. She meant it though; she would help in every way that she could.

"I know," Harry replied, his eyes shining. "Thank you," he added in a whisper before looking down at his hands. They were trembling and gently Luna reached out her smaller hands to stroke his. She wasn't entirely certain what was wrong, so this was the only comfort she could give him.

Ginny looked up at Harry. He'd been so much calmer since Halloween that she was almost convinced he was a different man. It made her happy to know that Harry was recovering and she was ecstatic to spend today first flying and now playing wizard chess with him, but it left her aching to know that she wasn't the one who had been able to help him.

She didn't know exactly what had happened at Halloween. She only knew that he had vanished and the sense of him that she carried in her heart all the time was suddenly distant. Since he'd been initiated into the Order of the Phoenix, it was as if there was another barrier between them; something else was hiding him from her. Based on some of the hints and cryptic words she had overheard from her parents when they quietly discussed the Order of the Phoenix, she thought it was Fawkes. The order was tied together by the phoenix and it was more than just a symbol. The fire bird actually did something to them. She had no idea what, but she knew it was true. So she hadn't worried when Harry had become a member. That barrier, that shield was there for his protection and if she was one day initiated, as she was sure she would be, then one day she would share that barrier.

But while that barrier dulled her perception somewhat, it couldn't hide everything from her. She could feel and had felt Harry's growing anger and on the afternoon of Halloween she had felt that anger explode. It had come through that barrier and their bond with no resistance and for a moment she too had seen red before it had vanished, distance dulling the connection, and no matter how hard she had tried she had not been able to feel anything. The barrier caused by Fawkes was one thing, but this also felt as if Harry had been blocking her.

Like the rest, she had just waited then, going to the feast and pretending to enjoy what was a surprisingly normal Halloween. In a way it had been fun, especially as there were no Death Eater attacks, but it had been nerve wracking as well. Most assumed Harry had been called away by the Ministry. She knew better and that night she had slept fitfully, waking up every hour to check if Harry had returned.

He hadn't and he didn't. Not until mid-way through the next morning. It had been all she could do to sit quietly in her seat in class. But she had restrained herself and had only run to see him at lunch... only to catch him with everyone else. Harry had just laughed at that and then he had been...

Ginny smiled. Then he had been wonderful! He'd smiled at her, not the fake smile but a real smile, soft and full of life and quiet emotion. And he'd followed that by using his superior height to take her shoulders and kiss her gently on the forehead. She'd melted inside and all her questions and fears had fallen away as if they had never been there.

She had gone to her afternoon classes in a haze of euphoria and even later, when they were eating dinner, Harry was still attentive. He wasn't flashy or anything, he didn't draw attention to himself but he did make her feel like she was the only woman in the world for him. It was the little things, the way his eyes softened when he looked at her, the purr in his voice, and the slight relaxation of his shoulders. If she wasn't looking she wouldn't see it, but she was looking, she always looked. She remembered; they'd only exchanged a few words, but those words brought her hope.

"Harry, what are you thinking about?" she asked, almost hesitant to bring Harry out of that distracted air he was exuding.

His smile broke her heart, in a good way. It was like a sunburst thought the rain clouds, bright, warm and shining. He was quiet for a few moments more, his eyes looking deep into her and Ginny was hard pressed not to shiver in delight. Finally he drew breath and almost whispered to her. "Just the future, Ginny, I'm just thinking of the future."

She returned his smile. She'd heard the truth in his words, the depth of commitment. After everything that had happened, being pulled away for Halloween, he still thought of her and of what they would do. She had her doubts, they plagued her, dark and heavy and she chided herself. Harry had given her a chance, and he had given himself a chance, and she needed to put aside her doubts because it appeared Harry had embraced that chance and she needed to embrace it with him.

It didn't matter that she didn't understand everything. She understood enough and she would be there for him.

Always.

The basilisks were asleep. Narcissa saw that immediately. She also saw the way they were twined around each other. The two smaller ones were almost tied in a knot together and had wrapped themselves around the larger one which lay partially over them. She hadn't had much time to observe them but she could see that they tried to protect each other and there were times late at night when she swore she could hear their whispers to each other. She didn't understand them, despite her great power. The gift of Parseltongue was not hers but she didn't have to understand them to feel the tone, to know they sought comfort with each other. They might be related. She didn't know and she had no real way of finding out. Not that it mattered. She kept them still for the worth they may yet bring and because they were basilisks. If Draco and she had to attack, then there were potions they could make, protections they could weave from these basilisks. But those protections were best created with fresh killed serpents so these ones would remain alive until then.

There were rumours that the Serpent Lord was looking for several basilisks, but Narcissa had thought nothing of it. Looking down at the sleeping serpents she wondered if there was any truth in those rumours? How did one tell which serpents her former Lord sought? Was the itch on her arm an indication that these were the great serpents he sought or merely the result of her avoidance of slavery? And if they were, what would he give for them?

They didn't look like much. They all had crests, a red feathery tuft that swept back on the top of their heads. And they all had a regal patterning to their scales, the colours gleamed in the soft light and the iridescence created tiny shifting rainbows on each scale as the serpents moved restlessly. Were they..?

No!

She shook her head savagely. She would not deal. She would not capitulate to the darkness.

Resolutely she turned away from the serpents, closing the door on their cell before she walked back up from the dungeons, needing to be in what little sun there was today. Draco had written. His words had echoed her feelings.

She had expected some troubles gathering support. Lucius had been fairly thorough in his sweep through the ranks but she had not been expecting the outright apathy and hostility that they had encountered. Draco had spoken of the students, of his peers whom he had been trying to recruit. They were not responding the way they had for ... decades. In the past it had not mattered. If you were the strongest, then you were the one who was followed! What had changed?

No matter how strong the Serpent Lord was, he could not compete with their heritage. He was strong, no one denied that, but in terms of power, he would fall short of them. Was it something else? Intelligence? Wealth? Narcissa raised her face to the sunlight, sending her senses into the surrounding area to check for watchers before she let her wings come forth, fanning them out to catch every ray of sunshine that she could. The thin November warmth felt good despite the definite chill in the air.

It could not be wealth. Or if the reason others were so enamoured of the Serpent Lord was wealth, they would soon be disappointed. In concert with the Ministry, the Goblins had finally managed to lock the vaults of convicted Death Eaters. Those who had been in Azkaban could not access their money. Any dependents were being given a stipend but the majority of the money was stuck deep in the ground in Gringotts. The Ministry hadn't been so stupid as to allow the Goblins to seize the vaults, but they almost might have. She was not so encumbered. The Malfoy Vaults were open to her at any time and Lucius had been an astute businessman. Their income was still assured.

Was it intelligence? No, it couldn't be. That would be attracting some but it could not explain the continued loyalty of the Death Eaters freed from Azkaban.

Narcissa closed her eyes as she looked up towards the sun feeling the sun on her face. It usually calmed her but today it did nothing. She could not believe that nothing was working out. Why were the sheep being so loyal? Had he really brainwashed them that badly?

No... Maybe... Some were brainwashed. There was nothing she could do about them... the others... The others were just used to following so they were going on the familiar path. They would have to teach them, lead them slowly to see the truth. It was merely a difficult time at the moment; in the long run, their power would win out. And if worse came to worse, she could always show the Serpent Lord her true power. It would not be optimal but it was one solution. She could fight Voldemort and win, though it would be best if the battle was private. It would take longer to gain control; they would have to wage a shadow campaign after the Dark Lord disappeared...

She opened her eyes to the sun, looking directly into its light as Narcissa thought. She'd initially rejected it as a plan but that was before she realised how difficult it would be wooing others to her side. They would come in time, but it was time she and her son may not have... If she was to assassinate the Dark Lord what would that do...? She had the power and the ability though the strike would have to be careful... But would it be for the best?

The light would feel secure, though they would be curious as to whom or what had destroyed the Dark Lord. That was a natural reaction and one she could utilise. Though what would the Death Eaters think? Some would wait for him. Others would despair but would others turn towards her?

Not initially, Narcissa decided. But if she offered them a new power, offered them hope then slowly they would come to her and Draco. The real question would be if they could keep everything controlled in that time. That time when they had no real followers and the Light would be confident. Would it be too much of a risk? Was it even a risk? She could control it.

The Dark Mark on her arm throbbed and Narcissa hissed, looking down at it. The serpent tongue seemed to move and not for the first time she wished she could claw it off her skin. She had been young and stupid when she had accepted but as she glared at it, as if daring the Serpent Lord to track her through it, she realised that it was also the perfect solution. It was a tracker, a communicator and she was sure, with a little bit of work, she could make it into a controlling mark. It would not be the Dark Mark, though Narcissa narrowed her eyes as she forced herself to examine it.

It was crude; a deviation on the protean charm but it did the job. She looked down into the layers of the magic. She could do better... she would do better. The mark was considered an honour but it was also a hindrance. It had to be hidden. If she was to make a mark it would need to function better - hide itself, provide better communication than mere temperature fluctuations and provide her and Draco with the ability to control anyone bearing their mark.

Resolutely Narcissa turned away from the sun and went back into the house. She needed the knowledge the Malfoy library contained if she was to do this. It was not her preferred plan but she had to be prepared for every scenario, be prepared to take every opportunity. Draco was destined to rule but she well knew that sometimes, you would only get one chance to embrace destiny and no matter which path fate intended them to take she would be ready. If it was slow accumulation of power, she would be the spider pulling all the strings on her web. If it was to assassinate the Serpent Lord and take power that way, then she would bring the battle to him.

She would not lose and she would not fail. Destiny would not accept anything else.

The Dark Lord looked down at the journal before him. He'd retired to his study intending to catch up on his correspondence but had found the leather bound book in the centre of his desk. He recognised it of course. He'd created it and its partner a few weeks ago for the Shadows but he hadn't expected to see it again. He'd thought it was a trivial task they'd asked him to do, but it with it sitting in the middle of his desk, the instruction to read was obvious.

There were only a few entries which he read quickly. At first, he'd been tempted to dismiss it as drivel, the writings of a weak wizard who had no power. But as he'd read further he'd come to realise that while the wizard was weak, they did see the problems. He also knew now that they were pureblood and worked in at the Ministry. The wizard didn't seem to have the normal pure blood hang up about half-bloods and Muggle-borns but it was a little difficult to completely conclude that as those issues had not come up in the wizard's writings. He was very young and lacked confidence.

Young, opinionated, angry, confused, and uncertain.

Voldemort smiled. Oh, he liked that. Those of his Inner Circle had always been sure of the path and were not afraid of the consequences of their actions. But some of his more loyal followers were those he had coaxed and educated, those who had been uncertain but sympathetic to his cause. Once he opened their eyes, once he showed them how their strength could be used, they usually swore themselves to him without further thought.

And the writer of this journal seemed ripe for the picking.

But... there was probably a reason the Shadows had gone through such subterfuge. :He's not ready yet,: the Shadow's whispered before he could ask. :You can have him later.:

Voldemort nodded and turned back to the journal. It was proving to be quite a useful source of information once you read through the lament of defeat. For example, he now knew the Goblins were directly responsible for the Ministry detecting him at Diagon Alley. He had known it wasn't just luck that day and he had responded to the Ministry's new ability by the simple expedient of speed. All his forces timed their attacks and Voldemort knew that if he'd remained longer at a few of those attacks he had been personally present at, he would have been able to see Harry in action. But that was something that could not come to be quite this early so his forces had retreated, attacking and vanishing.

Now though he knew that that would not be enough. The description of the Goblin-made devices suggested several ways of neutralisation. Contaminating the potion for example would do nicely, as would modifying the rune etching. Unless the Ministry wanted to shield and ward each device, rendering them ineffective should be easy. He had already assigned several Death Eaters to the task of acquiring samples of the devices and then to their mass destruction. The absolute confirmation of the Goblins' choice had led to a moment of rage for the Dark Lord but it was a moment that had been quashed by glee. He did not yet know how he would destroy the Goblins, but they had signed their execution warrant themselves. He would see them dead.

After skimming over the last entry, the Dark Lord put the journal safely in one of the desk draws, before he pulled out several sheets of parchment. No matter the new information source, he did have letters to write... and he should call in a few of his followers who worked in the Ministry. Perhaps they would know who the writer was and could look out for him, discretely of course.

:We will try to ensure you don't kill him by accident,: the Shadows murmured.

"Oh, you are interested in this wizard?"

:No,: they replied and Voldemort could hear the amusement in their tone. For them, this wizard was simply a diversion. :He'd faint if he met you now; he'd probably die if he could conceive of us. We saw the opportunity he represented and acted on it, nothing more.:

"Well," Voldemort mused as he began writing. "Ensuring that he does not die accidentally is the least we can do then. Unknowing little information drones like this one can't be easy to come by."

The Shadows laughed before they faded, leaving the Serpent Lord to his correspondence.

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