Lettered Updated
Disclaimer: J.K.R owns Harry Potter, not me. That's why she's making the big bucks, and I'm deciding between paying for books and buying food.
Warning: This is a Slash Story. That means boy/boy lovin'.
------
Dumbledore did not come out for dinner that day, nor for breakfast the next morning. One of the first year Slytherins, who had been in the infirmary after a potions mishap, gleefully reported that the Headmaster's face had swollen to resemble a misshapen and rather hairy pumpkin. Fortunately for him, by missing breakfast, he also managed to miss the first wave of howlers directed at him- Rita's next series, which had been supplemented by a number of anonymous owls, had started.
Dumbledore- A Danger To Our Children?
Part I- The Death Eater Teacher
Albus Dumbledore. Respected Educator. Hero. Icon. At least, that's how most people would have viewed him, until certain documents were unearthed at the beginning of the year, implicating him in facilitating a study which resulted in severe mental disorders in several students. Dumbledore has since claimed ignorance as to the outcome of this experiment. But how innocent is he? I decided to take a closer look at the conditions that the current students have been exposed to.
Two years ago, Dumbledore hired Ex-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts- undoubtedly a most important subject in these troublesome times. However, Moody never taught these students. Instead, Bartimus Crouch, Jr, a convicted Death Eater, using Polyjuice Potion and Moody's hair, took his place...
The article continued, detailing the events of that year, including Crouch's use of the Imperius curse on students, his keeping of Mad-Eye in his seven-compartment trunk, and his role in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Voldemort's resurrection, and Cedric's death. Even the ferret incident was mentioned, much to Draco's dismay.
The next day was even worse, as Dumbledore was swarmed with howlers each time he tried to leave his office. He had taken to wearing ear-plugs whenever he was forced to leave, to avoid losing his hearing.
Dumbledore- A Danger To Our Children?
Part II- Gilderoy Lockhart, the Amazing Fraud.
Until 1993, Gilderoy Lockhart was the darling of Britain- a handsome hero. Most were pleased when Lockhart was hired to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts for the 1992-1993 school year at Hogwarts. This same year, students began being petrified by an unknown assailant, later discovered to be a basilisk. Fortunately, no one was killed, as none of them actually looked into the eyes of the beast. One must question, though, how a sixty foot serpent managed to run amok in the school without being discovered by the Headmaster...
By Wednesday, the Headmaster had had all of his mail rerouted into a room to be sorted through- and if need be, destroyed- before he would even look at it. This was the day that Rita printed the final- and most damning- of the articles.
Dumbledore- A Danger To Our Children?
Part III- You-Know-Who
Dumbledore has already been seen to have what may be described as a blatant disregard for the welfare of the students in his care. However, the worst is still to come. In the 1991-1992 school year, Dumbledore hired Quirinus Quirrell to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Unbeknownst to anyone, however, was that Quirrell himself was playing host to one of the Darkest people in existence- You-Know-Who himself...
By the time Thursday rolled around, Hogwarts had lost another twenty students. More were expecting to leave that weekend, and Dumbledore had been removed from his position as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Even Ron and Hermione had given up attempting to defend his actions, instead avoiding any mention of him whatsoever. Most of the students had received notes from their parents telling them that, if they should ever feel unsafe, they would be withdrawn immediately. There was still no word from the board of governors, but Harry wouldn't be surprised if they decided to remove Dumbledore by Monday. There were even rumors that Dumbledore was working with Voldemort, something which drove Harry nearly to hysterics when he first heard it. The stage was set to throw the wizarding world into complete chaos.
------
"Now, it is time to release my loyal ones from Azkaban! Everyone, save Severus, Alecto, and Amycus, will go. Your goal is to release all of those imprisoned, not just your incarcerated brethren. I expect you to return with all of those whom are marked. This includes Wormtail, Bellatrix, and Crouch." Tom glared at the Death Eaters standing around him. A glamour had altered his appearance, making him leaner, paler, and returning his red eyes. "Now, go! I will see you before morning." There was a murmured "Yes, lord" and everyone save Severus, Alecto, and Amycus disappeared. He turned to these three. "You will be helping me with a little project. I have been informed that the blood wards surrounding Potter's muggle family may no longer be effective against me. If this is true, I wish your assistance in capturing them. They are not to be harmed- yet. If the wards do not permit me to enter, Severus will try. If he cannot, you will all return here."
"Yes, My lord." answered the three, Severus trying not to roll his eyes at Tom's act. Tom was still forced to play the role of the Dark Lord- Thus the glamours and the hooded cloak hiding his features as much as possible- and his overacting was the subject of much joking in private between the two.
Nodding toward the three, Tom cast a quick disillusionment charm on himself and Apparated to Number 4, Privet Drive.
------
Dudley Dursley was pissed. He had had a date with a girl who was a sure thing, and the bloody bint had gone and come down with the bloody flu! So, instead of getting laid right now, he was sitting in his room with a bottle of gin, getting drunk while his parents slept.
He was just wondering why they named Gloria- the girl- had been wearing perfume if she was planning on spending the night in bed, like she said she was, when he heard a loud bang. Stumbling out of his room, he was shocked to find four people in black robes standing at the foot of the stairs.
"Hey, who are you, and why you here?" he slurred, swaying a little. The tallest figure, who seemed to be the only one not wearing a mask, raised his wand, and Dudley almost wet himself. Then the man cast a spell, and Dudley knew no more.
Tom looked down at the stupefied boy and sighed. "Alright. You two, watch him. Severus, Come and help me deal with the others." Without waiting for a response, Tom started up the stairs. Reaching the elder Dursley's bedroom, he turned to his friend. "So, Sev, I'm not allowed to torture them, but do you think Harry would mind if I were to accidentally drop his uncle down the stairs.. maybe a few times?" The Potions Master cocked an eyebrow at the Dark Lord, who sighed. "Alright, fine. I was just asking." He opened the door, quickly stupefied the two sleeping people, and levitated them out, only smacking Vernon against the walls two or three times. Moving the three onto the lawn, he walked through the house, casting a few destructive charms here and there. He almost passed Harry's room by, deciding that there wasn't enough in there to destroy, but realized that Lord Voldemort would most certainly not leave the room alone. He sighed and cast a few smashing hexes at the walls, leaving gaping holes- he'd let people think what they would when they saw how little was in the room. Finally, he brought the staircase down, and walked outside, shutting the door firmly behind him.
"Each of you, take a muggle. I'll deal with them when we get back. Ready? Good. MORSMORDRE!" He called, Conjuring the dark mark. One final look around, and he Disapparated away from Privet Drive.
------
Harry was sitting in the Headmaster's office, waiting and trying to look like he had no idea why he was there. Finally, the headmaster spoke.
"Harry, I'm afraid your Aunt and Uncle were attacked last night. They are currently missing- but it is doubtful that they survived." Harry attempted to look shocked. "I'm sorry, my boy. it seems that the blood wards weren't enough to keep Voldemort at bay. Severus informed me that he saw them last night- alive, but they were moved since."
"But the Order- they'll keep looking, right?"
"We'll try, but... There was a raid on Azkaban, as well. Everyone was released, regardless of their allegiance. We have to think of the wizarding world." Dumbledore sighed. "It's the next step to weaken us, Harry- first, he attacked me, and now he's attacking you."
Alright, Harry thought, it's time to take this to the next level.
"But... You said they'd be safe. That the wards would keep out Voldemort." Tears began welling up in his eyes. "They- they're the only- only link to my mum.." He trailed off, starting to sniff. OK, Harry, be careful not to over do it, wait until he starts... there it is.
"I'm sorry Harry, I couldn't have known-" Harry stood up, interrupting him.
"YOU SAID THEY WERE SAFE! YOU SAID I WAS SAFE THERE! YOU - You- Oh God..." Harry froze, stunned. "The wards wouldn't protect me, either- they could have- Oh, God." He stumbled to the door.
"Harry, I-"
"I think- I think I need to- I need to talk to- I-" The headmaster nodded.
"I understand, Harry. I'll get Professor Lupin to come and get you. Is that alright?" Harry nodded, swallowing hard. He allowed himself to be lead back to his chair, and sat there, looking straight ahead of him until Remus arrived. The werewolf lead the young Gryffindor out of the headmasters office and to his own. Once they reached the office, Remus turned to Harry.
"Do you want to see Siri? Do you think you can floo?" Harry nodded. Remus pulled out a jar of floo powder, and Harry stepped into the fireplace, calling out "Sirius' House!" and disappearing in a blast of flame.
------
As soon as Harry stepped out of the fireplace in his godfather's living room, he started laughing so hard he nearly fell down. Remus appeared a few seconds later, smirking.
"So, he bought it?" Harry nodded, still shaking with laughter. Steadying himself, he made his way over to the couch.
"Every word. I was afraid I overdid it for a moment, but he just thinks that I'm traumatized. When's Tom getting here?"
"As soon as the Prophet arrives at work- he's not supposed to know, after all, until everyone else does." There was a tap at the window. "Oh, speak of the devil..." Sirius opened the window, and pulled out a knut for the delivery owl. "Ah, Harry, you didn't make the main headline, sorry, but you got featured on the front page. How long do you figure until you start getting owls?" Harry thought for a moment.
"I'll give it an hour." There was a knock on the door.
Sirius looked up from the paper. "It's open!" The door opened, and Tom stepped in.
"So, how'd it go?" Harry grinned.
"Perfectly. The old coot acted just like we expected to. He even tried to use it to excuse the articles- by the way, Remus, you owe me a sickle- saying something about how you're attacking me just like you attacked him. It was actually kind of touching." Tom laughed and flopped down beside his boyfriend, giving him a quick kiss.
"So, how long until they expect you back?" Harry shrugged.
"Oh, they'll probably fire-call or something. I think I'm good for tonight, though. Why?" Tom smirked.
"No reason. Just curious." Harry wanted to push him further, but wasn't sure if it was a good idea at the moment. They sat there for a moment before Sirius stood up and stretched.
"Well, since there's nothing else to do but wait, I think I'll head back to bed." He started toward his room. Stopping, he raised an eyebrow at the werewolf, who quickly scrambled up, muttering something about needing to talk to his friend. Harry smirked at him as he disappeared into the room.
"So, how are you holding up?" Tom yawned and shrugged.
"I was up yelling at Death Eaters until 2 or so, so a bit tired, but fine. I'm bloody well going to end up throttling one of them soon, though. I'll be happy when this is over." Harry nodded, wrapping his arms around the older man, who shifted so that he was lying on the couch, using Harry as a pillow. He yawned again.
"You know, if you want to sleep, there's a perfectly good bed down the hall..." Tom shook his head.
"Means moving. Can't. Comfy." Harry sighed and pulled his boyfriend up.
"Come on, you big baby. What if the old coot were to come calling?" Tom sat up, instantly wide awake.
"Fine." He grumbled, stalking off to the room Harry had claimed as his own when Sirius had rented the house. "But I still get my Harry-pillow."
Harry rolled his eyes, following. Getting to the room, he pulled off his sweater and jeans, leaving him clad only in a tee-shirt and boxers, and flopped down on the bed next to Tom. The older man immediately wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him close, nuzzling into his neck. Harry smiled and pulled the blankets over them. Securely ensconced within the bed, the two lovers fell asleep.
------
The wizarding world was in a panic. In the twelve hours since the Daily Prophet had been sent out, 16 escaped convicts had been seen- none of them Death Eaters. Dumbledore was momentarily forgotten, much to his relief, as the ministry began tracking down the escapees in earnest.
Classes that week went on for what seemed like an eternity. No one was able to concentrate, even the teachers seemed distant, as though they were simply trying to fill the hours until more news came. The world as a whole was waiting for the war to start in earnest.
For Harry, the hours dragged on, but for different reasons. He felt like he should be planning his next move already, but there was nothing to plan for. After all these weeks of strategizing, it felt odd to wait. He hated the helpless feeling that it left him with, and spent hours planning out the details of the final battle- anything to gain some control over the situation. By the time Friday rolled around, he was a nervous wreck.
Near the end of lunch on Friday, Draco approached him, asking if they could talk somewhere private.
"I got a letter from Father." Harry nodded, so Draco continued. "He wants me to get marked as soon as possible. He's dead set on it." Harry furrowed his brows.
"But you're only 16, and still here at Hogwarts- doesn't he see how dangerous that would be?" Draco snorted.
"Apparently not. You forget who we're talking about. He's still just as egotistic as he was before, and maybe even more so now that he's seen the advances the Dark Lord has made." Harry sighed.
"I'll talk to Tom about it. Maybe get him to use that "strategic position" mumbo-jumbo you keep telling people, I'm sure your father would appreciate that. What's your mum saying about it?"
"Mum doesn't want me to get marked, but she's not going to go against father on it." He sighed. "And I'm not the only one getting pressured. Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott have all received similar letters. And I'm pretty sure Pansy's going to get one soon, too." Harry looked pensive.
"Alright. I'll tell Tom later on today. I'm sure he can come up with a good reason not to mark anyone here, regardless of their age." Draco smiled.
"Thanks, Harry."
"For what? Helping my friends? Besides, we need you- who else can sweet talk Rita Skeeter into printing exactly what we want and when we want?" Draco smirked.
"Alright, I get it, you'd be lost without me. Prat." Harry threw his arm around his friend's shoulder.
"Now you understand. Now, come on, class starts-" Harry cast a quick tempus, "- about five minutes ago. Shit!" The two boys quickly grabbed their bags and ran out to Hagrid's hut, where the half-giant was talking about the many advantages of keeping reptiles as pets.
------
"Are you alright, Harry?" Harry nodded, not sure if he was really alright or not. He was standing at the top of the stairs to the cellar of Riddle House, getting ready to confront the Dursleys. Tom reached out and took the younger man's hand. "Alright, love, it's time." Taking a deep breath, Harry stepped forward
By the time he had reached the bottom step, Harry felt like he was about to throw up. He swayed slightly, and Tom grabbed his shoulder. "You don't have to do this, you know." Harry just shook his head and stepped forward.
The cellar was divided into two rooms, with a shelf-lined wall in between. The first room, which was at the base of the stairs, had two chairs, presumably for any guards who may be on duty. The second had been turned into a rudimentary dungeon. Tom squeezed Harry's hand, cast a strong lumos, and stepped into the second room.
There were no bars in this room- instead, the Dursleys were attached to the wall via a chain around their ankles. They were covered in dirt and filth, but otherwise unharmed, as per Tom's orders. As soon as they saw the Dark Lord, they began shouting.
"Let us go, you freak!"
"When I get lose, I'm going to-"
"Why, you-"
"SILENCE!" The three grew quiet. "Do you know who I am?" Three heads shook, almost in unison. Tom let out a sigh. "Petunia Dursley, you don't recognize me? No? No idea? Well, that's a pity. Your sister likely would have figured it out by now- but then again, I didn't look like this when I killed her." Petunia went white.
"You- you-" Tom sneered.
"Yes, me, me. Of course, I've changed some since then. Not just my appearance- I've also changed my goals slightly. Found a new direction, you could say. Taken it upon myself to rectify certain injustices. You and your pathetic family seems like as good a place to start as any. Crucio!" Tom was startled to hear a voice behind him.
"Tom! Stop it! Please?" He turned around to find Harry standing in the doorway, cowering slightly. Vernon sputtered.
"You! You ungrateful little freak! You pathetic little brat, we took you in and this-"
"-Is nothing more than you deserve. Now, if you will excuse me for a moment..." Tom stalked out of the room. Harry was leaning against the wall, shaking.
"Tom, please, don't hurt them. I don't want you to hurt them." Tom sighed and wrapped his arms around his young lover.
"Harry, they made your life a living hell!" Harry looked up at Tom, eyes ablaze.
"It's fine! I'm alright!" He hissed.
"No it fucking well isn't fine! I'm tired of listening to you tell me that you're alright when you quite obviously aren't."
"Please, Tom, don't hurt them. I don't want to see people get hurt anymore." Harry's eyes were watering now, and there was a definite quiver in his voice.
"Fine." Tom stalked back out into the make-shift prison. He paced for a minute, before turning to the three Dursleys and speaking.
"You know something? You have one hell of a nephew. You made his life hell for... how many years, now? And he's still doing his damnedest to protect your ungrateful arses. You don't fucking deserve him." Petunia and Vernon both started to protest, but Tom cut them off.
"You know, it's funny. When I tried to kill Harry as an infant, the curse I hit him with backfired. It created a link, if you will, between our minds. It's quite useful. For example, last year, he saw things through my eyes and managed to save the life of his friend's father. Afterwards, I managed to lure him into a battle, which cost him his godfather- or would have, save for his rather special luck. And over the summer, it let me see exactly how much he was appreciated at your home. Vernon Dursley, do you remember how you spent the night of July 31st?" Vernon went pale, but didn't reply. "No? Pity. Well, I do. You see, I was curled up in front of the fire with a good book, when suddenly, I was pulled away into the mind of your nephew, who was currently curled up on the floor as you kicked him. Did you know your husband liked to play so rough, Petunia? Well, it gets better. Once you decided you had enough of that, you picked up your nephew and threw him on his bed and pulled off those rags you clothed him in. Did you feel powerful, then, Vernon? Like you were something other than a fat sack of shit? How about when you raped him? Did it make you feel better about your own pathetic life? Well?" Dudley and Petunia were both staring at Vernon, slack-jawed.
"I take it neither of you knew about his... activities?" They both shook their heads furiously. "I thought not. I had trouble thinking that the sister of Lily Potter would condone such actions, even if they were aimed toward a boy she viewed as a waste of skin. Think about this, and think about the fact that he still won't let me hurt any of you- including the worthless piece of slime that he calls an uncle. Now, with that thought, I leave you. Pleasant dreams."
------
Tom led a tearful Harry back upstairs, cursing the Dursleys under his breath. He sat Harry down in the kitchen, and leaned against the table.
"Harry, do you want a cup of tea, or anything..?" Tom trailed off. Harry shook his head. Tom sighed, and sat down beside him. "Are you alright?" Harry nodded.
"Liar. Come on, Harry, tell me what's wrong." Harry took a deep breath, but didn't say anything. "Harry..."
"It's just- it hurts, Tom. They still make me feel like some little weak, pathetic freak, and I still want to defend them. It's stupid, I know-" Tom cut him off.
"No, Harry, it's not stupid. You need to defend people who are weaker than you. Even if they do deserve it. Now come on, I've got something else to show you." He grabbed his boyfriend's hand, and led him upstairs and into a bedroom. "Alright, sit down. I'll be right back." Harry rolled his eyes, smiling slightly. Tom was obviously enthusiastic about this next surprise.
"Alright, Harry, may I present... Wormtail!" Wormtail ambled into the room.
"So, it worked, then?" Tom nodded, a wide grin across his face.
"It works beautifully. He has no will whatsoever- not that he ever really had any, but still..." Tom set Wormtail to do a series of athletic maneuvers around the room. "So, now that we have that worked out, I say we need a little bit of privacy." Harry smirked as Wormtail walked out of the room, assumably to wherever Tom had decided to keep the kissed Death Eaters.
"I hate to break it to you, but don't you have some loyal followers to yell at?" Tom frowned.
"Damn. Will you be alright in here if I ward the door so that no one can enter?" Harry nodded.
"I'll be fine. Now go, before I change my mind." Tom grinned wolfishly at the younger man, who had a decidedly mischievous smirk. Leaning over, he drew the boy into a deep kiss before walking out of the room, a smile still on his lips. Sighing, he warded the door, placed his glamours and changed his robes, and went to call his followers.
------
"Lucius, I have heard that you have been pressuring your son to take my mark. Is this true?"
"Yes, My Lord." The blond looked at the dark Lord, confused.
"Did you ever stop to think that, perhaps, there is a reason for him to remain unmarked? Especially considering that he is currently under the care of Albus Dumbledore?"
"No, My Lord, I am sorry." Tom smirked.
"No, Lucius, you aren't. Yet. Crucio!" Tom held the elder Malfoy under the Cruciatus curse for a good minute before letting up.
"All Hogwarts students must remain unmarked! They are, for the most part, far more useful where they are. Your son is in a strategic position which has taken him months to gain- the Boy-Who-Lived now considers him a friend, and on occasion, a confidante. His position must not be compromised- nor must that of any other Hogwarts student." He paused and looked around.
"It should be noted that the entire media campaign against Dumbledore was spearheaded by students. Now, why would I risk losing that advantage? Now, I will not hear of any more attempts to convince students to take to mark before they leave Hogwarts- or, for that matter, any attempts to convince students to quit school early." That last bit was aimed at Crabbe and Goyle, who immediately stiffened. Now, get out of my sight! Not you, Severus, I wish to speak to you." There was a murmur of "Yes My Lord"s, and everyone except Severus rushed to Disapparate. Finally, Severus and Tom were left alone.
"Sev, I think I'm going to go mad- again- if I have to deal with that bunch much longer." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Is the old coot up to anything new? Harry hasn't seen much of him this week."
Severus rolled his eyes. "The barmy old codger is always up to something, Tom, you know that. Lately, though, he's been meeting up with the Weasley boy- Ron- and Granger quite often. I managed to overhear a small bit of their conversation- it seems Dumbledore has convinced them that Harry is in danger of turning into the next dark lord." Tom nodded, unsurprised.
"Well, that figures. Alright, then, I think I'm going to need Polyjuice potion soon. Can you get started on some?" Severus nodded. "Great. Now, come on, I'm sure Harry's bored out of his skull waiting for someone to let him out of the room." Severus looked up at his friend, surprised.
"Yeah, he's here. He had a bit of a confrontation with his family, and I wanted to show him Wormtail. I warded the room so that no one could get in, just in case, you know, so he's stuck there." Tom started walking up the stairs.
------
Harry, meanwhile, was indeed getting bored. He had decided that, since they were going to be alone in the house- Tom certainly wouldn't undo the wards while any of his Death Eaters were around!- they might as well take advantage of it. So, when Tom and Severus opened the door, they were surprised to find a very naked Harry sprawled on the bed- although not as surprised as Harry himself, who, upon realizing that Tom wasn't alone, dove behind the bed, dragging the blanket with him.
There was a short silence, before Tom spoke. "You alright there, Harry?"
Harry lifted his hand above the mattress and made an obscene gesture, but otherwise remained hidden behind the bed.
Severus was suddenly caught up in the ridiculousness of the situation. "Well, now, I guess we're even." Tom looked at his friend, curious. "Remember why Harry first wrote to you?" Tom frowned, then slowly started chuckling. Harry repeated the gesture, which just brought forth more laughter. Finally, the boy stood up, blanket wrapped tightly around him. He glared at the two men laughing at him. Tom stopped laughing, wiping his eyes. "I'm sorry, Harry. Erm, Sev? Maybe we should go for a minute..." The Potions Master nodded, not trusting himself to talk quite yet, and stepped away from the door.
Tom stepped out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind him, and leaned against the wall. Finally, Severus spoke. "Wow."
Tom nodded. "Yeah." The two men stood in silence. Finally, the door opened, and Harry stepped out, fully clothed this time.
"So, what's going on now?" Harry asked curtly.
"Well, I was hoping to discuss the plans for the final battle." Tom started toward the living room, gesturing for the other two to follow. "Now that we have our body, it's time to start planning out the actual details." Harry nodded, sitting down on a moldering chair.
"Alright. I was thinking..." Harry quickly outlined his plans. Tom nodded.
"That sounds do-able. What about my wand? They're going to want it, after all." Harry shook his head.
"Not if it's destroyed. If this works right, there won't be anything left other than ashes. Besides, there's going to be an audience, there's not going to be any doubt. Can you get Wormtail to cast Unforgivables?" Tom nodded.
"I tried it out already. So, when?" Harry looked at Severus.
"The Polyjuice won't be ready until next month. We have plenty of time for the details. Until then, I'm going to be training you for the combat. I'll talk to the old coot- by the time I'm done, he'll be sure it was his idea." Harry nodded.
"Perfect. So, if that's everything..." Harry trailed off. Severus smirked at the teen.
"Oh, I think we're done for tonight. Harry, you may want to be at your godfather's before noon tomorrow. I will see you then. Goodnight." He bowed his head slightly to Tom, and Disapparated.
Harry stood up and stretched a little. Tom stepped over to the teen and wrapped his arms around him, kissing his nose. "You know, I'm still pissed at you for laughing at me."
Tom smiled. "Well, would you let me make it up to you?" Harry smirked at the older man.
"I think that can be arranged." Tom leaned forward to capture the boy's lips. "But first, food." Tom growled.
"Fine then." He picked up the smaller man and slung him over his shoulder, making Harry laugh. He set the teen down in a chair and started rummaging around a cupboard. "Well, it looks like your options are pasta, or ...erm... some kind of instant noodle thing." Harry rolled his eyes.
"You're worse than Sirius. Let me do that." He got up and pushed Tom out of the way, hunting through the cupboards. "Alright, how does spaghetti sound? Great, now put on a pot of water. Ugh." He looked at the jar of sauce. "Why do you buy this shit?" Tom rolled his eyes.
"Well, it's not like I eat here much, anyways. I think that was Wormtail's stuff- he never did have much taste."
"Well, whatever. Here, pass me a saucepan. Perfect- now, where do you keep your spices?" Tom watched, amused, as Harry buzzed around the kitchen.
"You really take food seriously, don't you?" Harry nodded.
"I had to cook for those people for years- Obviously, I did a good job, right?" He laughed weakly. "Grab some plates? Thanks. Annnd.. We've got Spaghetti Marinara!" Harry dished out the spaghetti and sauce onto two plates, and set them down on the table. "Now, eat."
Tom snorted. "Yes sir!" he joked as he dug in.
------
My muse has gone on vacation >.< Either that, or Nyquil played a bigger part in the formation of this story than I even want to consider O.o
Anyways, only a couple of chapters left! I'm just working out the picky details in my notes.
Next chapter: Lose ends, Dursley abuse, More Wormtail abuse, and the deal with Ron and Hermione.
Oh, and not that it will affect the story in any other way, but who thinks I should whip up a nice OMC for Sev, because after all, he needs love too?