Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Harry should have realized that this unfortunate situation was bound to happen since he was as unlucky as one can be (or was it more accurate to say he was the unluckiest person in the entire world? And that was after counting a Dark Lord who was currently clinging to life like a bloody parasite).

If he knew about the Felix Felicis, he would have commented how his mother must have drank an insane amount of the opposite of that potion (was there such a thing as 'unlucky' potion?) while he was in her womb.

Hell. Considering how much Snape hated him, Harry wouldn't be surprised if the greasy git had actually found a way to administer that kind of potion during his development all because he was the (unborn) spawn of James Potter.

But that was a thought he would muse about for another day...

... if he happened to stay alive today, that is.

Because, no matter how Gryffindor he supposedly was (in Harry's defense, most of his Gryffindorian acts were due to uncontrolled circumstance brought by his associations with the more Gryffindorian idiots he surrounds himself with), Harry would not intentionally summon his death.

"Harry Potter..."

Oh, look. His death has greeted him.

"Voldemort." Harry nodded slightly as he greeted the man currently smirking at him.

Yup.

Harry finally done something stupider than that one time he intentionally added laxative on the Dursley's food that one time.

"While it is a quite a surprise to see you in this form, nonetheless-"

And, Harry had to admit, quite a form that was. Voldemort looked like how Harry imagined Tom Riddle will look like if he was around his middle 30s with his wavy black hair that looked so soft... not to mention neat (Harry internally grumbled about his Potter hair at that thought) and around 6 foot height (Harry was approximating, it's not like he can accurately measure heights without any help). Unlike the blue eyes Tom Riddle had back in the Chambers, he had unnatural red eyes reminding Harry of the blood red roses he grew in Privet Drive. Voldemort (or should he call him Tom?) wore a sleek looking black long sleeved robe that was buttoned up till his neck and parted to the side by his knees. Harry could see black trousers underneath.

And he wore no shoes or any kind of footwear.

Meh. To each their own, he supposed.

Harry would rather not be barefooted to be honest.

It seemed... unhygienic.

Especially considering he didn't know who cleaned what he was stepping on and when was the last time they cleaned the damn floor.

… Did house-elves even clean around here?

But he was getting off topic (who knew barefooted would actually make Harry think?)

If anybody asked, Harry did not have a death wish. Unfortunately, the fact that Voldemort was right in front of him while he was tired as hell (who knew rituals would suck most of his magical reserves?) in a place only he could access meant that he wasn't going to survive this encounter.

And he needed an excuse to stop thinking about the pros and cons of being barefooted...

So... what the hell!

Might as well finally say whatever the hell he wanted.

"You do know there are more colors than black, right?" Harry deadpanned which also sounded a bit tired in his own ear. Unconsciously, one of his eyebrow rose as he said those words.

Voldemort actually stared at him with a look that could only be described as surprised.

Oh dear...

Who knew that commenting about the Dark Lord's clothes would actually stupefy him?

If Harry wasn't magically exhausted right now, he would have disarmed or stunned the Dark Lord and ran as fast as he could...

Oh well...

At least he was able to acquire a memory of stunning the Dark Lord into silence.

"You insolent brat." Voldemort sneered, grabbing Harry's own wand from the floor and aiming it towards Harry.

Harry stared at the wand, internally musing at his current situation.

So this was how he was going to die.

At the hands of the Dark Lord using his own wand which he had stupidly left on the floor during the ritual.

Wasn't that wand supposed to be loyal to him?

Would it be acceptable to say 'Et tu, wand?' in this case?

Damn.

He should have named his wand.

Because, in all honesty, 'Et tu, wand' sounds weird even by Harry's standard.

And Harry's 'weird standard' is already skewered.

Once more, Harry tried to focus on the fact that he was going to die (and not about barefoot and traitorous wands).

Hopefully, he could become a ghost and haunt Voldemort.

It would be a riot.

Voldemort wouldn't be able to get rid of him and he can annoy his killer as much as he want.

Maybe thwart some of his plans if he gets bored enough.

If not, hopefully, he could haunt Hogwarts.

Oh, how fun that would be.

He could spend his entire day, haunting Dumbledore, whispering to him in a ghostly tone how this entire thing was definitely his fault.

He could haunt Ron and Hermione too.

Oh yes.

He could have his petty revenge on his so-called friends.

Aaaahhh.

He could see Hermione breaking down and crying, begging for his forgiveness.

Ron would most certainly break down too. Maybe start of angry and righteous but he'll break.

Oh, he will definitely break.

Ooooohhh.

He could even haunt Malfoy and the other Slytherins.

Maybe annoy them by speaking his mind of how pathetic they are with their bullying.

If that was Slytherin's cunning ways then Salazar must be so, so disappointed in them.

It's the inbreeding... most definitely the inbreeding...

If he gets bored, haunting Snape would be a good idea too.

What was the worst thing he could do?

Deduct points to Gryffindor?

As if Harry would feel bad about that.

The only reason why he even cared was because his housemates would have made his life hell if he kept deducting stupid house points.

If it was up to Harry, he would ha-

…

…

...

Was he... still alive?

Harry finally stopped his musing and tried to focus on his senses.

He was still standing...

He was still facing Voldemort...

He could still hear his heart beating...

Huh...

Harry blinked and tilted his head as he asked, "You're... not killing me?"

Voldemort looked like he ate an extremely sour lemon drop as he hissed, "I... am trying..."

As if to prove a point, Voldemort shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry instinctively closed his eyes and waited for death (... not that he knew what to look for).

After a few seconds of the loud beating of his heart, Harry finally opened his eyes and looked down.

Still corporal...

Harry raised his head to stare at Voldemort who looked like he couldn't decide if he should be frustrated or confused at Harry's... current status.

Harry patted his chest briefly before saying, "Still alive."

"I can see that." Voldemort sneered before shouting, "Crucio!"

Harry closed his eyes once more, waiting for the pain...

... that never came...

Harry opened his eyes slowly, staring at Voldemort for a few seconds before he finally commented, "Eer... I don't feel anything... Maybe-"

Before Harry could even close his mouth, Voldemort began casting different dark curses and hexes that would have tripped the wards had they not been where they were currently in. Harry's breath hitched as he finally managed to keep his eyes opened and saw what had happened to all the spells Voldemort had tried to hit Harry with.

The spells flew out of Voldemort's wand, flying straight through him then... disperse in front of him.

Unlike a Protego spell that bounces the spells away, the spells simply disperse to dust like particles in all directions.

Harry could only stare in front of him with an open mouth as Voldemort let out a loud frustrated scream that echoed all over the chamber.

The echo seemed to finally attract Voldemort to actually look around and not just focus on the boy who seemed to just won't die (or be tortured or hexed or cursed or whatever Voldemort wanted to do to him at the moment).

Before Harry could react, Voldemort had briskly walked towards him and grabbed his arm as he hissed, "Why are we in Salazar's ritual chamber?"

"Is that what this room is called?" Harry asked back, blinking in confusion at the absurdity of his current situation.

"Yes, you foolish child!" Harry frowned at the insult but did not say anything as Voldemort continued, "This chamber is in the Chambers of Secret! How did you get here?!"

Harry rolled his eyes and drawled, "I found it a week ago while walking around the Chambers."

"How did you get to the Chambers?!"

Finally getting annoyed with the insistent death grip on his arm, Harry glared at Voldemort and hissed in Parseltongue, "<<The same way you did, Tom.>>"

Harry couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when Voldemort suddenly let go of him and back away as if he had been burned by Harry's words. They stared at each other for a few minutes, Voldemort with an expression that seemed to be a mix of confusion and intrigue while Harry with an expression that just screamed "well? what now?"

Finally, Voldemort said in a tone that didn't even try to hide his disbelief, "<<You're a Parselmouth.>>"

Harry rolled his eyes and retorted in a deadpan tone, "<<No, Tom. I'm making random hisses in an effort to make it sound like I can talk to snakes.>>"

Voldemort glared at him and hissed back, "<<Mind your tongue, child, or I'll->>"

"<<Do what?>>" Harry cut him off, glaring at him as well as he continued in an annoyed mocking tone, "<<Strike me with an Avada Kedavra? Crucio me? Unless you've gone senile due to your real old age, you should still remember how none of your curses or hexes manage to even hit me.>>"

Voldemort waved his wand which made Harry take a step back instinctively. One of the daggers dropped against the wall (there were daggers on the wall?!) levitated in the air.

Harry's eyes widened as he realized that Voldemort just cast a nonverbal Wingardium Leviosa.

Before Harry could comment on how cool that was, Voldemort swiped his hand towards him and the dagger flew across the air, straight towards Harry in an alarming speed. Harry ducked, covering his head with his hands, and evaded the incoming dagger. Voldemort swiped his wand once more and the dagger froze in midair. Voldemort aimed his wand at Harry, making Harry's eyes widened once more. The dagger flew towards Harry once more and the young Gryffindor rolled to his side. The dagger curved at the last moment, performing what could only be a dagger equivalent of a Wronski Feint.

Knowing there was no way he could dodge the dagger, Harry raised his arms towards his face and prepared to try and grab the dagger before it harms him.

Apparently, all his pathetic dodging were for nothing since the dagger stopped just in front of Harry, hovering in the air for a second before dropping to the floor with a loud clang.

Harry blinked at the dagger for a few seconds before raising his head to stare at Voldemort. Voldemort stared at back at him, wand still aimed at Harry, with an expression that could only be described as confusion. Harry sheepishly grinned and asked, "Sooo... I guess you weren't the one to drop the dagger?"

The next words that came out of Voldemort's mouth were curses of different languages which Harry only realized because he started with English then switched to Parseltongue (which just translated to English to Harry) then to different other languages.

Apparently the Dark Lord was multilingual.

... Harry may be a bit jealous at that since he only knows two languages...

But his lack of motivation (laziness) heavily outweigh his slight jealousy.

Harry rolled his eyes and laid back on the cold floor, memorizing the different curses Voldemort was spewing out of frustrations instead.

Who knows?

Maybe he could use some of them to Malfoy when he gets annoyed enough. Someone as spoiled and 'privileged' as the blond prat is bound to recognize at least one of them. If not, he can insult Malfoy by insulting him over how his pure-blood status didn't get him to learn other languages or some other childish insult that will rile up the damn ferret.

Hell, he can try and insult Fleur in French next time she decides to show how much she loves the fact Harry is a champion.

Voldemort finally stopped talking and Harry mentally counted up to three before raising his head to look at the frustrated Dark Lord. He raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Got it out of your system?"

Voldemort glared at him and hissed as he walked towards Harry, "<<Why won't you die?!>>"

Harry stood and placed in hands in front of him as he mocked, "<<I don't know. Isn't that like one of the greatest Wizarding mystery of all time?>>"

Harry sighed and shrugged as he commented tiredly, "<<Maybe you're having a bad day?>>"

Voldemort gripped his arm once more and asked, "<<What did you do?!>>"

Harry glared as he hissed back, "<<Oh sure. You can't kill me so that means I did something... again!>>"

"<<It's most probably you!>>" Voldemort retorted, glaring at Harry as he pulled on the younger man's arm, <<I haven't done any spells or rituals which would give me this kind of body nor would take me to the Chambers!>>"

"<<Well I haven't done any spells or ri->>" Harry stopped, frowning as he stared at Voldemort. His eyes slowly widened as he finally remembered what he had been doing before Voldemort came into the magic circle.

He had been trying to summon a Slytherin.

... he had expected to summon the ghost of Salazar Slytherin because that was the first Slytherin that popped into his mind.

"Oooohhh..." Harry drawled, nodding dumbly as he remembered, "You're a Slytherin..."

"Of course I was a Slytherin." Harry wondered if Voldemort was confused over Harry's nonchalant comment considering the older man didn't seem to realize that they had switched to English.

Harry shook his head and poked Voldemort on the chest as he corrected, "No, I meant you're a Slytherin... as in... a blood relative of Salazar Slytherin."

"How did you-"

"Oh..." Harry's eyes widened as he whispered, "Well... this is awkward."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow at Harry's words but kept quiet once he heard Harry groan and place his hands over his face. Harry shook his head and bemoaned tiredly, "Of course something like this would happen to me."

Voldemort let go of Harry and the younger man walked out of the room mumbling something sounding like 'forget the DADA curse, I'm the real cursed one here. This bloody luck of mine has got to be a curse' much to Voldemort's confusion. Voldemort followed him to the adjoining personal library of Salazar Slytherin. He found the black haired menace (bane of his existence) sitting on the couch he had usually sat back in his youth when he had spent hours in this same library. Harry was looking at him with a tired resigned look in his eyes but he was biting his bottom lip as if he was nervous over something. Voldemort noticed the tome sitting innocently on his lap and recognized it as a book of rituals which uses both Parseltongue and Parselscript to work. He raised his eyes to glare at Harry and hissed, "What ritual did you botch?"

Harry gave him a sheepish grin as he retorted awkwardly, "Weeellll... I didn't exactly... botch it... per say..."

Voldemort's glare only intensified as he demanded, "Then what ritual did you perform?!"

Harry bit his bottom lip once more before replying with a wince, "The... Slytherin... Binding... ritual...?"

Voldemort stared at him for a few seconds before hissing, "Let me get this straight... you bound me... to you?!"

Harry flipped the tome open to the page where he saw the ritual and ranted, "It's not like I was thinking of you when I read this ritual. I mean, it said '<<to bind Slytherin to you>>'. I thought it meant the ghost of Salazar Slytherin! Or, at worst, a person that was sorted to Slytherin!"

"When it said Slytherin, it means one with Slytherin blood alive, you foolish child!"

"Well it should have said that! I mean, how hard would it be to actually say '<<to bind a living person with Slytherin blood to you>>' in this curvy wobbly script, anyway?!" Harry retorted, groaning as he rubbed his forehead, "I was expecting to be bound to Salazar's ghost."

Voldemort hissed as he glared at Harry, "Why, in Salazar's name, would you want that?"

Harry shrugged and replied tiredly, "I dunno. Thought it would be funny."

"YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUNNY?!!"

Harry groaned and hid his face with his hands as he added, "And maybe I thought Salazar Slytherin could help me!"

"With what? With your potions assignment?!" Voldemort angrily mocked.

"With keeping my sanity!!!" Harry shouted, finally having enough of Voldemort's shouting.

They stared at one another, breathing heavily. Voldemort took a deep breath before waving his hand towards one of the chairs on the other side of the room. The chair slid towards his side and Voldemort gracefully sat on it. He crossed his right leg over his left and rubbed his forehead as he ordered, "Start from the beginning."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he asked in a bitter tone, "You have time? 'Cause it's gonna be long..."

Voldemort glared at him and retorted, "You bound me to you, Potter. I can't leave you even if I wanted to."

"Oh." Harry leaned back and placed his hands over his stomach as he commented, "Well then... Dobby!"

Voldemort watched as a house-elf popped between them, staring at Harry with wide hero-worshiping eyes, "What can Dobby be doing for the great Harry Potter?"

Harry smiled sweetly at Dobby and requested, "Would you be so kind to bring tea and some biscuits for both me and my guest? Maybe a slice of pumpkin pie or two?"

Harry tilted his head and added worriedly, "Of course, only if it's not too troublesome."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow but simply watched as the house-elf grabbed his ears and replied immediately, "It would be Dobby's honor to grant great Harry Potter's request! Oh! Dobby be bringing it right away!"

Harry didn't bother to reply considering it was moot anyway since Dobby immediately disappeared after saying those lines. He saw Voldemort open his mouth but stopped him by raising his hand tiredly.

A dark red table filled with different biscuits, cookies and other desserts appeared before them with a loud pop. Dobby appeared once more, carrying a tea kettle. Dobby snapped his fingers and two cups with coasters appeared in front of him, floating in the air. Dobby poured hot tea in the cups and they floated towards Harry and Voldemort. Both men grabbed the tea and coaster as they hovered in front of them. Harry smiled softly at Dobby and said gently, "Thank you, Dobby. Please leave the kettle on the table."

Once Dobby placed the kettle on the table, making space from all the delicious looking treats, Harry added, "You're the best."

The house-elf looked like he was ready to hyperventilate over Harry's praise but Harry beat him to it by saying gently, "I would appreciate it if you keep this a secret, Dobby? You're the only one I can trust."

"Yes, anything for the great Harry Potter! Dobby is be silent as a lamb, yes he will!" Dobby nodded vigorously.

Harry continued to smile softly as he said, "Thank you, Dobby. Now, run along. We don't want anyone getting suspicious now, do we?"

"Yes, of course! If Harry Potter need anything else, please call Dobby!" Dobby enthusiastically offered, bobbing his head.

"I will. Thank you, Dobby." Harry replied with a a nod.

With that said, Dobby disappeared with a pop once more.

Harry leaned back and sighed tiredly before sipping his tea. He raised his head and finally saw Voldemort looking at him with an expression that seemed to be... amused?

"You have a personal house-elf." Voldemort commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope." Harry retorted, popping the 'p', before correcting, "Dobby's a free elf being employed by Hogwarts."

"That you have doing all your whims and wishes." Voldemort retorted, still sounding more amused than annoyed.

Harry grinned as he commented slyly, "Oh? And who would believe that the boy-who-lived, idiot goodie two-shoes Gryffindor, would take advantage of a house-elf's hero worship?"

"Are you saying you're not an idiot goodie two-shoes Gryffindor?" Voldemort asked, letting go of his cup and coaster. They floated in front of him and Voldemort lazily waved his hand. The cup and coaster floated towards his right side.

Harry inwardly scoffed at the blatant display of nonverbal magic.

Show off.

And he still had Harry's wand, god damn it!

Harry shrugged and said, "Sooo... I guess I should start from the beginning?"

"Now would be a good time." Voldemort retorted, leaning back as well. Harry blatant disregard for his question was not missed but he supposed he can find the answer in whatever Harry was going to say.

"Yes, oh great Dark Lord." Harry sarcastically replied, earning a glare from Voldemort. Harry cleared his throat before starting, "Once upon a time, there was a magical couple who had a baby boy-"

"Potter, you are testing my patience." Voldemort warned.

"If you want to know why we're in this situation right now, you would let me explain the way I want." Harry challenged, glaring at Voldemort. The older wizard hissed at him but remained silent. Harry grinned and continued, "Now, there was nothing special about the baby boy. He was just a normal magical child born from the love of a pure-blood wizard and a muggle-born witch. Then one day, the big bad Dark Lord came and he huffed and he puff-"

"Potter..."

Harry grinned at the annoyed tone of Voldemort's hiss and continued, "And the Dark Lord killed the boy's parents. The Dark Lord tried to kill the boy as well but, for some reason, failed and ended up as a spirit. Now, this normal magical boy was crowned as the destroyer of the Dark Lord which is a load of bull if you ask me."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow at Harry's words and Harry rolled his eyes and commented, "I'm not an idiot. You're the bloody Dark Lord. How can a one year old defeat you?"

Harry waved his hand in a dismissing manner as he added, "But that discussion is a can of worms we don't need to open right now."

Harry cleared his throat before continuing, "Now this normal magical boy was left in the hands of a crazy old goat who decided the best people to raise said magical child is a family of magic hating muggles."

Harry's eyes became unfocused, not noticing the slight stiffness of Voldemort's body caused by his previous words, and he stared at the dessert filled table as he continued, "This magical boy grew up believing his name was 'boy' and 'freak'. He grew up believing his parents were unemployed idiots who died due to drunk driving. He was treated as a house-elf by his relatives. He had no friends because his whale of a cousin scared anyone who dare try to befriend him. He could not trust any adults because his aunt and uncle spread rumors of him being a delinquent and a liar. His own relatives beat him physically and psychologically. He was all alone. Hated by his relatives for what he is and hated by other muggles for what he was rumored to be."

"Tell me, Tom." Harry's tone was cold and detached as he raised his eyes to stare at Voldemort, tilting his head which made him look so innocent, "How did you think the child grew up to be?"

"Hate." Voldemort replied, his throat seemingly dry all of a sudden, "Full of hate and anger."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. He leaned back and closed his eyes as he replied, "Perhaps, had circumstances been a bit different that could have been the boy's future. Full of anger and hate for everyone and everything... a tragic child pushed to the darkness due to the cruelty of man."

Voldemort glared at him and sneered, "Are you saying that even after all that pain, he stayed innocent and pure?"

Harry laughed. It was a cold amused laugh that didn't seemed appropriate with their topic. Harry opened his eyes and asked, "You mean how Dumbledore probably envisioned it?"

Voldemort glared at him, obviously offended at being compared to Dumbledore. Harry lowered his eyes once more and continued, "Perhaps... it's not that far fetched. After years of abuse and negligence, the boy would have been terribly and stupidly grateful to the wizard who... 'saved' him."

Harry smiled bitterly as he added, "Had he not been betrayed before..."

Harry sighed and began tracing the rim of his cup in a distracted manner as he continued, "When the boy was around seven years old, he met another boy in the comforts of his sanctuary, the public library. It was the only place his cousin and his other tormentors could not raise their hands or open their mouth. The other boy was from another school and they shared the same interest in reading. The boy was so, so happy. He had made a friend. He wasn't alone anymore."

Harry smiled softly as he continued, "It was such a beautiful time for the boy. The pain the entire world inflicted on him did not matter as long as he could spend even just an hour with his friend. His head was filled with the beautiful happy endings of the stories he read. He started to think 'maybe, just maybe, this is my happy ending'. Then one day..."

Harry's hand stopped and he continued, "His cousin found out about his friend and his cousin did what his relatives did best... he broke him."

Harry placed the coaster and cup on top of the tome on his lap as he continued, "He could still remember clearly how his friend denied being friends with him. His friend called the boy a 'liar' and 'stupid'. His cousin and all of the children who made it a sport to bully the boy laughed at him. They laughed and called him stupid for ever believing anyone could be his friend. And his friend..."

Harry smiled bitterly as he continued, "... laughed with them, called him names, pushed him around..."

Harry caressed the tome on his lap as the words continued to fall from his lips, "It had hurt. It had been the worst pain he had ever felt his entire life. It was the cruelest torture he had ever felt for it gave him hope and took it away. That's when the boy realized..."

Harry raised his eyes to stare at Voldemort and he said in a cold detached tone, "Everyone will betray you."

Harry lowered his eyes to stare at the table and grabbed his cup. He sipped before continuing, "Years passed and the boy grew up. He started noticing the 'freaky' things that happened around him. He started trying to control them because, if he didn't, he was punished. Of course, his control wasn't perfect. He would loose himself to anger at times."

Harry shrugged and said, "He was planning on controlling his 'freakishness' and master it enough to..."

Harry smirked as he added, "... cause an 'accident' on his relatives."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow at Harry's words but kept quiet, listening as Harry continued, "But a letter came... well... more like... hundreds of letters came."

Harry shrugged once more before continuing, "Anyway, stuff happened and the boy found out he wasn't a 'freak' but a wizard. He learned from a lovable oaf about his parentage, his-"

Harry spat his next word with disdain and annoyance, "-'fame'."

"The boy realized that he was being labeled once more. Instead of the role of the lying delinquent, he was now seen as a messiah, a savior." Harry smirked before he concluded, "So a messiah he played."

"It wasn't hard. The lovable oaf he was with answered all of his questions. He played the innocent shy boy, having perfected such a role when he was younger." Harry explained in a slightly distracted tone, "He was the savior. He was expected to be a symbol of the Light. He befriended the youngest son of an obvious Light family and a muggle born. He denied a friendship with an heir to a Dark family and argued against the hat's desire to put him in the den of snake."

"You were supposed to be in Slytherin?" Voldemort couldn't help but ask with a raised eyebrow.

Harry shrugged and replied in a bored tone, "Slytherin honors cunning and ambition above all else. Ambition isn't something I really have. The greatest ambition I had before I learned I was a wizard had been to get a scholarship to a boarding school far away from my 'lovely' relatives. While there, I had planned to find a suitable lover who had power and money to protect and take me away from my relatives. I suppose my plan to project the image the Wizarding world have over the boy-who-lived is cunning. Or maybe the hat wanted me in Slytherin because I'm a Parseltongue. Who knows."

Harry frowned and mumbled, "Now where was I again? Oh, right..."

Harry sighed tiredly and continued, "First year was easy. All he had to do was follow the Light child he had befriended, pick fights with snakes and have mediocre grades."

Harry smirked as he glanced at Voldemort before continuing, "Of course, like every good story, a conflict arose between the boy and the big bad Dark Lord who had possessed one of his professors."

Voldemort glared at him but Harry simply continued in the same disinterested tone, "The big bad Dark Lord offered him what he had wanted all his life: power."

Voldemort was surprised at those words. He stared at Harry with an unreadable expression as he added, "But the boy refused."

Harry smiled bitterly and concluded, "Because he knew the Dark Lord lied."

"Lord Voldemort does not lie." Voldemort hissed which only made Harry raise an eyebrow.

"Are you honestly telling me you would be willing to grant power to a boy you had tried to kill 10 years ago?" Harry asked with an amused smirk. Harry chuckled softly before adding playful, "And even if you did, I've read enough books to know not to make a deal with the devil."

Harry shrugged as he continued, "Plus I have trust issues. I wouldn't trust the old goat who left me to be 'cared' by muggles. You really think I would trust the big bad wolf who ate my parents?"

"Your reasoning has some merits." Voldemort admitted without even a hint of annoyance. He grabbed his cup and sipped his tea before replying, "I would have ordered you to kneel."

"I don't mind kneeling." Harry replied, smirking when he noticed how his words had frozen Voldemort. The older wizard raised his head to stare at him and Harry shrugged as he explained, "I have no desire to lead or anything grand. Right now, I just want to survive-"

"Then why didn't you join me?" Voldemort hissed in annoyance.

"You were an unknown factor. You still are." Harry explained, glaring at Voldemort, "I was an eleven years old boy who wanted to survive. I survived in the muggle world by obeying my relatives and gritting my teeth as I was worked to the bone. I learned to become apathetic to the pain they inflict on me both physically and psychologically. I survived by perfecting my shy quiet mask. When I was pushed into the Wizarding world, they had already labeled me. If I wanted to survive, I had to be the little puppet of the Light wizards. Unless you're so blinded by your enormous ego, you should know that the Dark side are not in the winning side at the moment. The Wizarding world labeled Dark as evil and Light as good. Dark families have power and wealth but the masses whisper behind their backs and they are distrusted. Slytherin is branded as a house of evil and bullies and the idiots in the house don't really help with their petty 'holier-than-thou' attitude. All of the other houses don't like them, not because of jealousy or fear but because of how spoiled and arrogant they appear, thinking they're better because they know and follow Wizarding traditions and they have isolated themselves further by their prejudice over muggles and muggle-borns. The Light side has more supporters and are more accepted. The majority of the Wizarding world are groveling for the acceptance of the muggle-borns and the muggle-borns adore the Light because the Dark thinks they are weaker and stupid. Add to that the fact that I'm still under the eyes of the Albus Dumbledore, the leader of the Light wizards."

"The Light wizards have laid their claims on me, surrounded by their disgusting light every single day." Harry spat, "You wanted to use me. I would have let you use me if it meant more freedom, if it meant more power, but you were powerless-"

"ENOUGH!" Voldemort ordered, rising from his sit. He aimed his wand towards Harry but the young wizard simply stared at him.

"I'm not a prodigy like you, Tom. I cannot master spells in one reading. I cannot perfect potions on my first try. I cannot charm everyone with a smile. I cannot talk everyone to doing my bidding." Harry gripped the fabric of his robes tightly as he continued, "I'm a good seeker because I am reckless and do not mind getting sent to the infirmary. I've had worse injuries and less than stellar care. Pain has become irrelevant to me since I was eight years old. I'm good at defense because I know every year, whether I want to or not, something is bound to happen and the only one who can protect me is myself. My best defense is my status as Albus Dumbledore's puppet. As long as I am seen as his, those loyal to him are lenient with me and protect me from those who hate him. Non-Slytherin students at best think I am some kind of saint and, at worst, ignores me and majority of the Wizarding world either adores me or sucks up to me."

Harry smiled wryly as he added, "Or... they used to anyway..."

Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead as he continued, "I have no choice. Being Dumbledore's puppet is the only way I can survive."

"Then you come along and offered me power." Harry closed his eyes and mused, "You, the feared Dark Lord reduced to being a parasite to a mediocre wizard. You offered power you could not grant but ordered such a high price in exchange."

Harry opened his eyes and stared at Voldemort with a blank expression, "Joining you meant betraying Dumbledore. Joining you meant destroying this suffocating cage built around me. If I had left with you, I would have been hunted, either seen as a traitor or a captive. If I had given you the stone and stayed here in Hogwarts, my loyalty would have been questioned. At best, Dumbledore would have kept me closer. At worst, they would have found out about my treason and punished me."

Harry smiled wryly and added, "Whatever outcome would have occurred, you would have seen me as a liability and discarded me."

Harry grabbed his coaster and placed his tea on the table as he continued, "And if you had abandoned me, I would be left alone with no protection nor guarantee of survival."

"So I chose to preserve the status quo." Harry concluded, leaning back to the comforts of his chair, "You brought too many unknown variables. I couldn't afford a risk. Not when I just started knowing this world."

"So you would stay as his puppet?" Voldemort sneered, glaring at Harry.

Harry shrugged and grabbed a cookie as he replied, "Until I have enough knowledge and power to survive on my own or unless you appear on the playing field with power."

Voldemort grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him off his chair. He wrapped his free hand around Harry's neck and hissed, "And what makes you think I will welcome you to my side after you had rejected my offer before?"

"You're not an idiot, Tom." Harry whispered, staring at Voldemort's crimson eyes with the same blank expression that was starting to get on Voldemort's nerves, "I am more valuable to you alive than dead. My status as the savior of the Wizarding world will demoralize your opposition once they've learned I bowed down to you."

"Your death will have the same effect." Voldemort retorted.

"Dumbledore would have found a way to make my death a battle cry." Harry argued. He smiled bitterly as he commented, "Everyone loves a martyr, Tom. Kill me and I will become a rallying point for all those who oppose you."

Voldemort pulled him closer, bowing so that his face just a few inches away from Harry's, and threatened, "Then maybe I should just drag your precious name to the ground first? No one will cry for a disgraced hero."

Harry stared at Voldemort for a second before he burst out laughing. It was a hysterical laugh that reminded Voldemort of his lovely Bella. Voldemort's grip on his wrist loosened in surprise and Harry took a step back. He continued to laugh, covering his mouth as his entire body shook. After a few more uncontrollable giggle, Harry took a deep breath and stared at Voldemort, raising an eyebrow as he asked in an amused tone, "Where have you been staying? Don't you read the Daily Prophet?"

Harry broke the cookie he was holding into two as he explained, "They've already dragged my name to the mud. The boy-who-lived, a glory seeking selfish cheater who wants the entire world to sing him praises."

Harry took step towards Voldemort and placed one half of the cookie by Voldemort's lips as he continued, "The goblet made me the fourth champion for the Triwizard Tournament when I did not even put my name in the bloody cup."

Harry pushed the cookie to Voldemort's slightly opened mouth while he explained, "The whole school has turned against me. My mud-blood friend is disappointed at me over her truth that I cheated. My best mate is jealous and angry over his truth that I did not share how to put my name in the goblet and how I wanted all the fame and money all for myself. Everyone... my fellow lions, the so-called smart eagles, the so-called loyal badgers and the arrogant snakes have created their truth: Harry Potter is a glory seeking, arrogant, selfish, greedy liar."

Harry traced Voldemort's lower lip with his point finger lightly while he mused, "And a reporter ran with it. The entire Wizarding world is against me now."

Harry stopped and shrugged as he added, "Except my beloved fugitive godfather, I suppose."

Harry took a step back and ungracefully fall back to his chair. He bit a quarter of the remaining cookie in his hand and chewed. He stared at the table and gulped before continuing, "Maybe there are more people who still cared for their boy-who-lived but they're all content in keeping quiet."

Harry hid his smile by biting another quarter from his cookie when he noticed that Voldemort had chewed the cookie in his mouth. Voldemort returned to his sit and stared at Harry as he finished his cookie. Once Harry gulped, Voldemort said, "Wormtail never bought a copy of the Daily Prophet."

Harry's eyes narrowed at the mention of the rat animagus. He shrugged once more before commenting, "You're not really missing much. The newspaper sings praises over the other champions while insults me for being a cheat. That's about it."

Harry sighed before continuing, "Anyway, now that everyone has either turned against me or seen it a good idea to ignore me, I had too much time alone. Everywhere I went, people stare at me, whispers behind my back or confront me. This place... Salazar's chambers turned out to be the only place in this cage where I can be alone."

Harry raised his head to look at the ceiling before continuing, "I started exploring this place a few weeks ago. I began reading the books here about a week ago."

Harry lowered his head to look at Voldemort and grabbed the tome on his lap as he explained, "I've been reading this one two days ago. I read about the Slytherin binding ritual and thought 'screw it, might as well go out with a bang'."

"Go out with a bang?" Voldemort repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Harry shrugged once more before explaining, "Well, my golden boy image has already been destroyed. I figured I'd just do everything I can to survive. Having the ghost of Salazar Slytherin, one of the most powerful and knowledgeable wizard, bound to me would have helped."

Harry sighed and waved his hand towards Voldemort in a dismissive manner, "Unfortunately, I got you instead."

Harry returned the tome back on his lap and stared at Voldemort. They stared at one another in silence for a few seconds. Harry bit his bottom lip and looked at glanced at the table nervously. He leaned further against the comfortable couch and said, "That's about it... I guess."

"Are you acting right now?" Voldemort asked, staring at Harry with an unreadable expression.

Harry scoffed and retorted, "No. I really find your staring nerve-wreaking."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow as he commented, "You were fine staring at me when you were eleven."

Harry pouted as he reasoned, "Well, you looked like wrinkly old man plastered on my pathetic defense professor back then. Do you even realize how handsome you are?"

"You find this form attractive?" Voldemort asked in an amused tone.

Harry shrugged and replied, "I find a lot of people attractive. I find the Ravenclaw seeker attractive. Gryffindor's keeper is attractive too. I think Hermione could be pretty if she tried. I find Daphne Greengrass and Blaze Zabini attractive. Malfoy's attractive as long as he sits pretty and don't talk. My fellow champions are attractive... although I don't drool over the quarter-Veela champion. I find Victor Krum physically more appealing, actually."

Harry titled his head and added with a pout, "Then again, you kinda raised the bar on what I find attractive back in second year. It's obviously your fault I am more attracted to Dark wizards... and non-Malfoy Slytherin..."

"What do you mean?" Voldemort asked, crossing his left leg over his right.

Harry rolled his eyes and deadpanned, "I am not going to believe you if you say no one thought Tom Marvolo Riddle was handsome. Not to mention, your magic is quite appe-"

Harry's breath hitched when Voldemort grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him against the chair. The tip of a wand was pressed against his chin and Voldemort leaned forward, his face inches away from Harry. Harry shivered when he felt Voldemort's warm breath against his face, "<<Where did you learn that name?>>"

Harry couldn't help but glare at the older man currently pining him to the chair and he hissed, "<<I've been calling you by your first name for a while now, Tom. You just realized I know your name?!>>"

"<<Answer my question!>>" Voldemort ordered, making Harry wince at the unnecessary loudness of his voice.

"-<<You told me!>>" Harry shouted back, "<<I met your sixteen years old diary self and you gloated about how you used your real name to make the anagram 'I am Lord Voldemort'!>>"

Voldemort stared at Harry in silence for a few seconds before he asked, "<<You had my diary?>>"

Harry frowned and asked back, "<<You didn't know?>>"

Voldemort backed away from Harry and returned to his sit. He glared at Harry and ordered, "<<Explain.>>"

Harry tried to get comfortable once more before warning, "Before you manhandle me again, I have to warn you. You're not going to like my explanation."

Voldemort glared at Harry and the younger wizard sighed before he started, "The cliff notes version is Lucius Malfoy put your diary among Ginny Weasley's books and the diary opened the Chambers once more."

Voldemort hissed angrily and Harry grinned as he asked, "Can I be there when you punish Lucius?"

"Why did Lucius give my diary to a Light child?!" Voldemort demanded as he stood.

Harry shrugged and replied, "Pretty sure Dumbledore explained it to me before but I don't really care."

"YOU DON'T CARE?!!" Voldemort shouted angrily, making Harry wince at the pain in his eardrums.

"Second year wasn't exactly as stress-free as my first year." Harry hissed, glaring at Voldemort, "I found out my ability to speak to snakes wasn't normal. Your diary possessed Ginny to open the Chambers and let the basilisk go hunting for mud-bloods. So everyone assumed the heir of Slytherin is me because I can talk to snakes!"

"You?! The heir of Slytherin?!" Voldemort sneered.

Harry scoffed and retorted, "I talk to snakes. That's all the evidence idiots need."

"And?" Voldemort pressed, staring at Harry, "Where is my diary now?"

Harry frowned and said, "I killed Tom by stabbing the diary with a Basilisk fang."

"You WHAT?!"

"Your diary jeopardized my safety! He sicced your Basilisk on me so I had to kill the damn snake!" Harry hissed back, standing as well, "They were going to shut down Hogwarts and my status as a Light wizard was being questioned!"

"You're not Light!" Voldemort retorted, grabbing Harry by the arm.

"I have to pretend I am!" Harry shouted back, glaring at Voldemort as he hissed lowly, "I was going to negotiate with him but Dumbledore's bloody bird came. I have no idea how intelligent a phoenix is but I could not risk it. Tom had to die. Keeping Dumbledore in the dark greatly outweigh my desire to keep Tom alive."

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he admitted, "I felt bad about killing Tom, I really do.”

Harry bitterly smiled and opened his eyes as he said, “Goading him by playing on his hatred for Dumbledore wasn't really my brightest idea.”

Harry sheepishly smiled as he continued, “I couldn't help myself. I wanted to see underneath that calm smug exterior.”

Harry scoffed and rolled his eyes as he mused, “How was I suppose to know he would sic his Basilisk on me?”

“You do have this annoying trait of getting people to want to kill you.” Voldemort deadpanned, making Harry chuckle lightly.

“I didn't have time to get him to listen to me after the Basilisk came. Then Fawkes threw that idea out of the window when he came.” Harry sighed tiredly and closed his eyes once more as he mused sadly, “It was first year all over again. Unlike you though, I had wanted to keep Tom alive. He could have been a fountain of information I needed to get away from this cage."

He opened his eyes and stared at Voldemort as he added, "And he would have been a valuable asset in making you less incline to kill me."

Voldemort chuckled lowly and grabbed Harry by the wrist. He pulled Harry and sneered, "You really think he would have helped you?"

"He would have realized helping me would benefit him." Harry hissed back, stepping towards Voldemort, "He already absorbed most of Ginny's magic or life force or whatever the hell it was he was absorbing. Whatever he needed to be corporal, it was stupid to absorb it from Ginny until she died. I was planning on trying to talk him out of it and using me for the remainder of whatever it was he needed to be corporal if possible. Ginny wouldn't die, Tom would have his own body and I would have kept my golden boy status for being able to 'save' the child of a Muggle-loving Light family and 'vanquishing' the heir of Slytherin while Tom hides in the many hidden rooms of the school."

Voldemort stared at Harry in silence and the young wizard smirked as he asked, "It's not a bad plan, right? You're considering it. How many galleons are you willing to bet your diary would have done the same thing?"

Voldemort glared at Harry and sneered, "But you still destroyed my diary."

Harry glared at Voldemort and hissed, "I had no choice."

Voldemort scoffed and pushed Harry away. Harry stumbled and fell back on his chair, glaring at Voldemort. The Dark Lord glared back at him as he sneered, "It always seems like you never have a choice, Harry Potter."

"That's the summary of my life." Harry commented with a roll of his eyes. Harry smiled sardonically as he added, "I also have the worst luck."

"I would have to agree. Binding yourself to me is one of the worst things you could have done." Voldemort hissed back, rubbing his temple as he felt a migraine coming up.

Harry shrugged and commented, "It could have been worse."

"Do you even know what this bind does?!" Voldemort hissed angrily as he recalled, "We cannot harm one another-"

Harry scoffed and commented, "That's a pro for me."

"This bind force us to stay as closely together as possible." Voldemort added, making Harry frown. Voldemort narrowed his eyes as he added, "The farthest we can be is at the end of two adjoining classrooms."

"What happens if we stay apart?" Harry asked, having a feeling he wouldn't like the answer.

"We would slowly lose our access to our magic until we become squibs." Voldemort angrily glared at Harry as he added, "The longer we stay apart, the higher the possibility that we become squibs permanently."

"I suppose you would say no to that?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You would willingly become a squib?" Voldemort looked so disgusted at Harry that the young wizard couldn't help but snicker.

"You make it sound like I'm willing to get a disgusting disease or something." Harry commented with a grin. Voldemort glared at him which only made Harry's grin larger. Harry shrugged and asked, "Would it be so bad?"

Harry waved his hand in a dismissing manner as he explained, "Since I'm a wizard, people expect things from me. Dumbledore expect me to have the power to defeat you."

Voldemort hissed and Harry rolled his eyes as he added, "Yes, I agree with your silent protest. Honestly, I think all the sweets the old goat ate has destroyed all his sanity. Who in their right mind would think a mediocre teenage wizard can defeat the greatest Dark Lord in history?"

Noticing the look Voldemort was giving him, Harry deadpanned, "I am not kissing up to you. I needed to know more about you so I can know if I could ally myself with you so I read about you and previous Dark Lords. In my opinion, you're marginally more powerful than the rest."

"Marginally?" Voldemort hissed, glaring at Harry.

Harry raised an eyebrow and retorted, "I don't see the Wizarding world grovelling to you. Ask me again after you do become the supreme ruler."

"Anyway, wounded pride aside." Harry waved his hand in a dismissing manner once more before continuing, "I would be sad about not being able to use magic, sure, but I'll survive."

Harry stared at Voldemort with a blank expression as he explained, "Worst case scenario, I return to the muggle world-"

Voldemort hissed in disgust, making Harry roll his eyes before continuing, "And I return to my original plan before I found out I was a wizard."

"You would willing let all of these to" Voldemort waved his hand as if to indicate the entire room (or maybe the entire Wizarding world... Harry didn't really care), "go and live with the muggles who hate you?"

"Not every muggle hate me." Harry corrected calmly before shrugging, "Wizards and witches see me and they know I'm the-boy-who-just-won't-die. I can't go in any magical places without getting stared and whispered at. In the muggle world, I'm just another kid. My neighbors and anyone who had the pleasure of meeting my 'relatives' do hold negative feelings for me, I'm sure, but all I have to do is grit my teeth and plan how I can get out of my relatives fat hands and live in a place where no one knows me. From there, I suppose I can try and snag a muggle nice and rich enough to provide for me."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow and asked, "You'll sell yourself to a muggle?"

Harry rolled his eyes and retorted, "I'm an orphan who has no money nor connection. If I become a squib, would I still have access to my Potter account? Probably not. Squibs are seen as an embarrassment. I won't be surprised if squibs aren't allowed access to any vaults. I would be an embarrassment to the Wizarding world."

Voldemort shook his head and retorted, "Even if you do become a squib-"

Harry grinned at the amount of disgust Voldemort was able to put in a single word but listened quietly as the older wizard continued, "You are still their precious 'savior'. Dumbledore will still keep you under his greedy fingers."

Voldemort sat back on his own sit and explained, "A squib also still have a magical core and can have magical children. They'll probably keep you to breed the next heir of the Potter house."

"And then discard me." Harry added, earning a grim nod from Voldemort. Harry sighed and commented in a deadpan tone, "Well, there goes that idea."

Harry grinned and suggested, "Maybe I can get Sirius to go with me when I run away. He's already a fugitive, living with muggles will make him more incognito. He would still have access to his magic and the Black vaults. Perhaps he can write an authorization letter for me to handle the vaults for him as his assistant and we can live in one of the Black manors. I heard the Blacks are loaded."

Voldemort raised his eyebrow and asked, "You're going to use your godfather?"

"My godfather loves me unconditionally because I look like my father and he still feels guilty over prioritizing vengeance over me. Azkaban had destroyed his sanity and what is left is his desire to make me feel loved and to protect me." Harry reasoned and smirked as he added, "I can burn down Hogwarts and his first question would be if I was alright."

Seeing Voldemort's amused expression, Harry shrugged before explaining, "Don't get me wrong. I adore Sirius. If I had a different childhood, I supposed I could have loved him as a parent or a cool older brother. Unfortunately, the most I can give him is the feeling of adoration and a wish to keep him safe without jeopardizing my safety. The ministry would never pardon him and Dumbledore will only use him until he dies. I will use what he can give me to protect myself and him."

Harry hummed and commented, "Maybe I should go with that."

"Go with what?" Voldemort asked, staring at Harry with an unreadable expression.

"I could run away with Sirius. The Black family probably has a manor or something far away from Britain. If not, Sirius is still the Head of the Black family. If the goblin agrees to having me as Sirius' proxy, I can buy a cottage far away from both you and Dumbledore using funds from the Black vaults."

"Dumbledore will try and find you." Voldemort argued.

"Not if he's too busy fighting you." Harry retorted with a raised eyebrow, "This plan has some merit. Their savior running away would demoralize them and Dumbledore would have his hands full fighting you. Not to mention, the only other person close enough to Sirius to be a liability is Remus Lupin and he has a soft spot for both me and Sirius. We can probably get him to run away with us."

"And you think this Remus Lupin will just agree to drop everything for both of you?" Voldemort asked, playing Devil's Advocate...

Did he even realize he was playing Devil's Advocate?

A part of Harry is still wondering on how bizarre it was to be talking to the Dark Lord without the threat of pain and death...

"Remus is a werewolf. He has been shun by both the Dark and the Light. The Light shuns him because he is a Dark creature and the Dark shuns him because he sided with the Light." Harry shrugged as he added, "Plus, he also feels guilty over not taking care of me even though he knows he was never qualified to because of his status. The two of us are what is left of his pack. I'm his cub. Remus would prioritize us over Dumbledore."

Harry frowned as he remembered, "Of course, I can't put this plan in motion because of our bind."

Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead as he asked, "Speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to know how to unbind you from me, do you?"

Voldemort gritted his teeth and covered his eyes with one of his hands as he replied, "There is only one way to take the bind off."

Harry frowned and said in a deadpan tone, "If it involves me dying, no thank you."

"Worse." Voldemort replied, glaring at Harry.

"What's worse than dying?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The only way to remove the bind is for the binder and the Slytherin to marry in the traditional magical way and to bear an heir."

…

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It was official.

Harry James Potter was Fate's personal chew toy.