Entry tags:

invictus - fic

Invictus Chapter 26/55
Happy Valentine's Day!




Tom Riddle stepped away from the tub and over to the table with the row of potions Severus had prepared earlier. As he examined them, he asked, “You’re certain you can hide this moment?”

Severus needed a drink. He hadn’t prepared for this possibility and all the mental exercises he normally prepared for every single contingency seemed to have fled his mind. He decided to play coy, as the bit of soul probably had some connection to what remained inside the Dark Lord’s body. “I don’t see why I would need to hide this memory from Potter.” It would be difficult and it would require some work, but he could hide it from the Dark Lord if necessary.

“Please, Severus.” Tom turned towards him and took a few steps forward. “Don’t take me for a fool. You know very well I wasn’t referring to Harry.” Although Severus had thought Potter lacking in shame, Tom didn’t seem to know the word. He stood proudly, with his feet apart and his - Potter’s - genitals fully on display. Severus had never noticed how Potter hunched or made himself seem smaller, or maybe Tom just knew how to make himself taller, but the two individuals seemed to possess entirely different bodies. “You don’t have anything to fear. My other self and I cannot share thoughts. We separated that moment back when he unknowingly created me.”

Did Albus know about this? Had this bit of soul been speaking to Potter, guiding him, perhaps even changing his personality? How could Potter not know he had another entity living inside of him?

“Until these cuffs,” Tom held up a hand and tapped one silver manacle, “were placed upon Harry, I had no thought, no will, I was just a bit of him, trapped away from myself and desperate to go home - to feel whole again. I could feel him whenever he neared, but I could never reach him.” Tom stared off into space, as if replaying the past in his mind.

Why had the cuffs increased Tom’s power? Had Harry’s trapped magic contributed to the change? Severus didn’t trust Tom to give a honest answer. What should he do? For once in his life, he had absolutely no idea how to proceed. Should he tell the Dark Lord? Should he just somehow force Tom back inside Potter and lock him up? First, he needed to learn Tom’s agenda. He asked, “And now you wish to join him?”

Tom turned to look at him and his eyes were wrong. Those were her eyes. Harry’s eyes. They shouldn’t look so cold, so calculating. “No,” he said. “Harry’s memories fused with mine in that moment and, for quite a while, I wasn’t sure which memories belonged to whom. I know you won’t believe me, but I don’t want Harry dead. He’s an innocent child who never deserved any of this.”

Never in a million years had Severus expected to hear those words from Tom. They were almost too perfect, as if Tom had guessed his thoughts and parroted them back to him.

Sighing, Tom sat down in a chair. He planted his feet wide apart, seemingly ignorant of the fact that his pose showed off his genitals. Severus resisted the urge to throw a sheet over him. He stared at Tom’s unnerving eyes instead. “If you wish to free him, then tell me how your soul can be removed from his body. Tell me everything you know about the Horcruxes.”

Tom shook his head, but the expression he wore suggested regret rather than refusal. “I know only what he knew at the time of our separation. I assume that he, like me, doesn’t know how to isolate me from Harry’s soul, although I imagine I have more understanding of our situation than he. With time and research, I’m certain I’ll figure out the truth, but in the meantime, I’m limited in my knowledge.”

Perhaps. Or perhaps he was worried he’d be killed if he gave away the secret so early. He had to know Severus would never trust him and would kill him as soon as he could be removed from Potter’s body. Did he hope to be able to influence Potter? Other Order members, perhaps? Severus said nothing, hoping the silence would inspire Tom to fill it, but when Tom’s attention turned to examining his - Potter’s - body, Severus prompted, “What do you know of the other Horcruxes?”

Tom stood and stretched, watching as his hands moved out and upwards. Without looking at Severus, he said, “My other self would never let Harry live once I am removed. You must be extremely careful. He might kill Harry if he believes him to be a danger to the remaining Horcruxes.”

The Dark Lord could return at any moment. If he wasn’t listening in right now. Severus had to hurry this conversation along. “I’m well aware of that. Tell me about them.”

Tom ran his fingers down one of the carved bed posts, his attention focused on the path of his digits as if he were discovering his sense of touch for the first time. “I had a diary, which Harry destroyed; a ring, which Albus destroyed; a locket, which Weasley destroyed; the Cup, which is unharmed as far as Harry knows; Nagini, who I expect is safe as well; and the Diadem.”

“Which is where?” prompted Severus.

Turning back towards Severus, Tom met his eyes, shrewd craftiness in the green. With a shake of his head, he said, “In the Room of Requirement.”

Severus couldn’t help but let out a snort.

“I know, I know.” Tom rubbed his forehead. “Not my finest hour. Especially since Harry saw it whilst hiding your potions book from you.”

So that’s where the brat had hid it! Still, if Tom was telling the truth (and that was a rather big if), that last Horcrux shouldn’t be hard to find at all. Perhaps Granger and Weasley could slip into Hogwarts and steal the thing that very night!

Unless this was all a trap. If the Dark Lord suspected Severus of having stolen the Cup, he might have planted this distraction to learn how Severus had engineered the attack. How though? He certainly couldn’t possess Potter whilst the boy’s soul remained in there, could he? He’d at least have to bring his other body to the house, right? Perhaps Tom, independently concerned for the Dark Lord’s survival, wanted more information to tell his other self.

No matter what, Severus couldn’t allow any part of this conversation to leak to the Dark Lord or Potter. Not until Potter was ready to die.

Preparing himself for lies, Severus said, “If you live, the Dark Lord can’t be destroyed. Why would he want to kill you?”

“He can’t be destroyed?” Tom raised a doubting eyebrow. “According to whom? Dumbledore? That man...” He shook his head and chuckled. “Maybe before these cuffs were placed upon me, but I’ve been made my own person. Once my other self realises that, he won’t want the competition.” His expression growing sombre, he softly said, “You must be exceedingly careful. Despite your efforts, Harry still doesn’t trust you, and unless he trusts you, he will get you killed.”

“He shouldn’t trust me.”

Smirking, Tom said, “And that’s why he should. Tell me. When did you switch sides?”

Keeping his face impassive, Severus asked, “From which to which?”

“From mine to his.”

Severus scoffed and Tom said, “And don’t try to tell me this is all a game. You’ve played your part very well and I’m sure the performance you put on for my other self is as perfect as the one you give to Harry.”

Bloody hell. How did he know? Did he somehow have access to the hidden memories? “Believe what you like.”

“Don’t fear, Severus,” said Tom, his lips twitching. “You’ve played your part very well. If you had removed my memories as cleanly as his, I’m certain I’d be just as ignorant.”

Damn it! He had to be certain those memories couldn’t be used against him. First things first. “Revive Potter.”

Tom raised his shoulders and spread his hands. “I can’t revive him any more than you. He’s upset.”

But conscious? “And aware of what you’re doing with his body?” Severus gave him a pointed look of disapproval.

Tom laughed. “I could do much worse than move about in it.” He shook out his limbs, as if he were testing out the comfort of a new article of clothing. “He’s sleeping at the moment. Now that we’ve been healed, he’ll wake. When he’s ready.”

Knowing that, Severus couldn’t see any purpose in allowing Tom to remain conscious. Without hesitation, Severus raised his wand and cast, “Petrificus totalus!”

Tom froze, but not before a look of shock filled his face. Striding over to Potter, Severus took the boy’s chin and stared into those eyes which were not quite Harry’s, yet not entirely Tom’s. “Obliviate!” He’d have to brew new potions to give to Potter at night, as his defences lowered whilst he slept. If Tom crept into his dreams, he could possibly control him.

~

When the Dark Lord next arrived, Potter’s mind could be prodded with Legilimency, although he still wouldn’t wake. The Dark Lord examined Potter, then turned to Severus, who had knelt and bowed so low, his head pressed against the ground.

“When will he wake?”

Shit. After how swiftly the Dark Lord had killed the Healer, Severus answered very carefully. “I might be able to force him into consciousness by tonight, although that could damage his mind. I believe it best if we allow him to recover naturally.”

“Have him wake by tomorrow night. Dolohov, collect Severus’s orders and prepare the meals.” The Dark Lord marched off.

If he had to be given a companion, he could’ve at least been given a competent one. Severus glared at Marcus as the boy lumbered over to the table and heaved the latest batch of post and orders onto its surface.

“I don’t know how to cook,” Marcus said, scratching the back of his neck.

Incompetent fool. “I’m sure even you can manage a sandwich,” he said dryly.

Marcus opened his mouth as if to object, but he apparently valued his life, for he shut it again and trudged off.

“Legilimens!” Nothing, again. Potter didn’t even display awareness of others in his mind. Normally, even unconscious patients pulled away from the magical intrusion. He tested the barrier he’d built around Tom, burying him inside the walled-off memories. He needed to keep the Dark Lord out of Potter’s mind. As neither of them had noticed Tom before, it was unlikely that the Dark Lord would notice Tom now, but one could never be too careful.

Marcus returned with the most horridly constructed sandwich Severus had ever seen. Pureblood children tended to be absolutely naive and incompetent when it came to the most basic actions. Perhaps that was why their parents put so much emphasis on their own status - they knew their children would never survive without their help.

When Marcus sat down, Severus glared at him. “Why are you still here?”

Marcus fidgeted with his robe sleeve. “The Dark Lord asked me to stay until he returned - except to deliver my reports every three hours.”

As if this child could stop Severus from doing anything he wished. Bloody hell. Sometimes it seemed he sank in his standing with each passing day. Ignoring Marcus as best he could, he focused on Potter, measuring his vitals and trying to make contact. He cast a privacy spell around him and, using Legilimency, muttered words that normally evoked a strong reaction from the boy.

“The Dark Lord . . . Quidditch . . . Training . . . Lily.” Nothing. “Granger . . . Weasley.” No reaction.

He sent Marcus up to fetch more food.

Could Tom have been telling the truth? Perhaps Potter hadn’t been cut off from an external source of magic, but merely prevented from accessing his. The Horcrux could be feeding off Potter’s magic, growing ever stronger. Unfortunately, Severus needed Potter awake to test his theory. The only way he knew to do it would be to shoot spells near Potter and see if he could tell the difference between the types of magic.

“Legilimens!” Was that-? Had he detected a bit of Potter? No, he must have imagined it. He’d been wanting to try an experiment for a while, so, hardly daring what he was about to speak, Severus said, “Voldemort.” He half expected the Dark Lord to pop into the room that second. He threw in some other names so that it wouldn’t appear as if he’d only said that name in order to test the Dark Lord’s reaction.

After several minutes, Marcus returned with food, but nothing else happened. Either the others had heard his (and Potter’s) use of the forbidden name and decided to ignore it, or they were unable to detect it for some reason. The Dark Lord had probably cast a powerful secrecy spell over the location.

With nothing else to do, Severus calculated the extra potions he’d need in order to make up for what had been lost while he stayed attached to Potter’s side. After he’d grown tired of concentrating on how far he’d fallen behind, he returned to Potter’s side.

Marcus, after checking the time, pulled out a scroll and quill and asked, “Is his mind gone?”

“Perhaps.” He’s still more useful than you. “I can’t access any of his memories.”

Marcus wrung his hands, whinging, “The Dark Lord will be so angry.”

As if the Dark Lord wasn’t already angry! Even though he knew it was dangerous to say, he spat out, “Then he shouldn’t have tortured him like that! I warned him it was too much!”

His face draining of colour, Marcus said, “Perhaps if we bring another mediwizard....”

Chowdhury had been a Healer. And the Dark Lord had still killed her. “He shouldn’t have killed the others. I’m not a mediwizard and I can only do so much with potions.” Speaking of which, he needed to give Potter the next batch of healing potions.

“But you will be able to fix him?” Marcus prodded as Severus force-fed Potter the healing potions. “What should I tell the Dark Lord?”

Without anything new to report, he might as well re-establish the old. “Tell him I am doing my best.” He headed to his desk to put in a request for more potions, as he wasn’t able to leave the cage. “I’ve put the other project on hold and I’ll work on the boy until I establish that he is dead, broken, or intact. If his mind remains, then I’ll return him if I can.”

“I don’t understand-” said Marcus and Severus resisted the urge to shake the brat by the shoulders. If his father hadn’t been so highly ranked and Severus in desperate need of allies, Severus wouldn’t have hidden any of his contempt. “-why it matters if his mind is broken. The Dark Lord can just possess his body then. The others won’t attack their precious hero.”

As patiently as he could, Severus explained, “If he is dead, then the Dark Lord can possess him completely. However, if any trace of his mind remains, then a possession by the Dark Lord would be incomplete. Whatever remained of Potter’s soul would influence the Dark Lord’s magic. It is impossible to say how much, and the Dark Lord doesn't want to take any chances. He will possess the boy eventually, but only when all trace of Potter is removed from this shell.” He finished writing his list, sealed it, then passed it to Marcus.

“Is that why he makes you heal him?”

“Yes.” Speaking of which, if he was to restart the clone project, he might as well take samples from a boy in much better shape. He selected the muscle growth potion from his collection and poured some into his hands. “He wants the body to be perfect. If the others should destroy the Dark Lord’s current body, he wishes to possess this one.”

“That’s the project you are working on, right? A potion that will remove every trace of Potter but keep his body intact, right?”

The longer he had to talk to this idiot, the more he’d be tempted to poison him. “It is not wise to keep the Dark Lord waiting.”

“O-of course.” Finally, Marcus left.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Potter’s body. When he’d finished massaging in the muscle potion, he set up warning wards, then pulled Albus’s portrait out of his robes. Albus stood in the frame, his eyebrows raised expectantly.

“I spoke to the Horcrux.”

For a moment, Albus just blinked stupidly.

Although he knew it wasn’t needed, Severus clarified, “The one inside of Potter. He said that the Diadem is hidden in the Room of Requirement.”

Albus sighed. “Unfortunately, the Dark Lord paid a visit and fetched it. He left shortly after.”

“Any idea where he went?”

Glumly, Albus shook his head. “I still have many portraits on watch and perhaps I’ll receive a report later, but he apparently headed straight to your location after fetching the Horcrux and hasn’t been seen since.”

And they had been so close! One thing at a time. “The Horcrux tried to assure me that he’d grown into an individual separate from the Dark Lord and that killing him would be unnecessary. I shut him up the best I could, but it’s possible he could somehow be in contact with the Dark Lord. He has the memories Potter does not - it’s possible that everything I’ve done and said to the boy has been monitored.”

If so, why was he still alive? Did the Dark Lord not think him a threat? Was the Dark Lord so insistent on pulling that Horcrux out of Potter that he didn’t mind if he had to use a disloyal Death Eater to do it?

One crisis at a time. Severus continued, “Potter still won’t wake. The Horcrux said that he was sleeping and would wake with time, but the Dark Lord made it clear that I don’t have time.”

“Let me speak to him,” said Albus. “Place my portrait by his bed.”

With nothing better to do, Severus set up the portrait and moved to the other side of the room to relieve himself behind privacy wards. Better to do it now than with Marcus in the room.

As he was washing his hands, he glanced over to see Potter’s eyes rolling behind the lids, the fingers twitching. He hurried over and, grabbing up the portrait, stuffed it back in his robes. He returned to his former position to blink away the time spent with Albus’s portrait, then hurried to Potter’s side just in time to see the eyes slowly blink open.

Her eyes. Harry’s eyes.

“Harry?”

Slowly, the boy’s head turned and his eyes fixed on Severus. The Dark Lord excelled in a great many things, but he didn’t seem like an individual who could fake humility very well, and these eyes revealed fragility.

Potter’s lips parted and a soft noise emerged. He cleared his throat and tried again. “You never . . . call me Harry.”

Severus checked his temperature and pulse. “I take it that your memory is intact?” Most importantly, did he remember Tom controlling him? He gently pushed inside, only enough to lightly skim the memories. No Tom.

“You’re the greasy git . . . who’s guarding me while Voldemort . . . and his Death Eaters take turns . . . torturing me.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” As Severus turned away to fetch food, he tapped his Mark with his wand, summoning the Dark Lord. Thank Merlin he’d done the apparently impossible. Again. Perhaps he’d even get to torture Potter during the next session.

Returning to the bed, he helped Potter into a sitting position, using the pillows to keep the limp body steady.

Potter flinched away from his touch and mumbled, “I don’t like it . . . when you touch me . . . without the potion.”

“I know.” He’d prepared a hearty stew with plenty of potions to help. Potter glared half-heartedly at the stew, but allowed Severus to feed him. The mild twitching of his limbs suggested he didn’t have much body control yet. He ate most of the stew, but not nearly as much as he normally did. When he turned away, showing his refusal to be fed anymore, he hadn’t eaten nearly enough, but Severus let it go and cleared the half-empty dishes.

Potter squinted at Severus’s belongings and asked, “What’s all this stuff in here for?”

“The Dark Lord insisted that I resuscitate you as soon as possible.” Speaking of him - where the hell was he?

“So he can torture me again?” The words were said with a quiet resignation.

Grabbing Potter’s clothes, Severus set them on the bed. “I think that after how badly he hurt you last time, he won’t touch you for a while. He thought that he’d killed you. We all did, for a moment.” Gazing at Potter now, he knew he should feel some sort of guilt over the relief he’d felt at that moment, but couldn’t. If Potter had died then, he wouldn’t be resigning himself to further torture now.

Never mind that now. He needed to think of something more productive. Potter had no memory of Tom? Was he entirely unaware of Tom’s presence? “How did you hide your memories completely while unconscious?”

Potter picked up his shirt. “I don’t know. I just . . . when he started to hurt me I knew I wouldn’t be able to take it, so I built a wall in my mind and went behind it. Isn’t that what Occlumency is about?” After struggling with the cloth for a while, he set it to the side.

No, not at all. “I’ve never seen anyone do it so completely without magic. Even with magic it is very difficult, and you aren’t a true Occlumens.”

“But you said Muggles could do it.”

“Not complete Occlumency.” Severus shook his head. “They can hide certain memories and feelings while making others more pronounced, but it is impossible for a Muggle to completely hide everything, especially while unconscious. It is possible you may have accessed your magic somehow. I can see no other reason that would explain it.” Or Tom had suppressed Potter.

“If I could access my magic I wouldn’t be wearing these anymore.” Potter jerked up his hands, displaying the cuffs. He shifted. “Why don’t my arms and legs work right? I want to train.”

Damn, he’d forgotten about the training sessions. “You nearly died,” Severus reminded him. “It will take some time before you are ready to train again.”

“I need to train,” said Potter, a mulish expression on his face. With shaking limbs he scooted to the edge of the bed, failing to note his legs weren’t entirely obeying him.

Damn it, awake a few minutes and already causing problems. Sweeping forward, Severus caught Potter just as he started to fall. He easily lifted him back into the bed, removing his hands from Potter’s warm skin as soon as he could.

“I don’t like it . . . when you touch me.”

Potter grabbed the sheets, hurriedly covering himself.

How did Albus deal with such stubbornness? Severus tried, “Don’t push yourself - you will only make it worse. We will do target practice until you can move again. Your muscles were over-stimulated and need some time to calm down. I’ll bring you a book to read.” With that excuse, he left for the library, just in time to feel someone Apparate into his kitchen. Finally.

Severus swept to the kitchen, only to find Lucius striding towards him.

Pausing in the hallway, Severus gripped his wand and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Smirking, Lucius said, “Delivering a message from the Dark Lord. He wants a report on the boy’s health.”

Where the hell was the Dark Lord? What was so important he didn’t come himself? “Potter’s awake but weak. He can’t even stand on his own.”

Lucius nodded, then said, “Stay away from my son.”

The ‘or else’ wasn’t said, but both of them knew the weight of that warning. Coolly, Severus said, “You know very well I’ve not gone near him.”

“Enough,” said Lucius, his eyes narrow slits. “You know very well what I mean.”

Severus had no intention of giving up now. Let Lucius try to attack him. “As the true Headmaster of Hogwarts, I have the right to encourage promising students. I intend to offer him employment next year.”

Red spots appeared on Lucius’s face. Perhaps he’d intended to try the same himself.

The impotent fury drew a chuckle from Severus’s throat. He let his amusement show as he said, “Really, Lucius, how do you intend to stop me from doing as I wish? What could you possibly do against me?”

Outside of his current predicament, he would never have dared speak such words. However, with his every move monitored, every visitor scrutinised, no one could hurt him without the Dark Lord becoming aware of it.

Lucius, quickly realising the same, tightened his grip on his cane. He’d replaced his wand, but the new one couldn’t be nearly as powerful as the old one. Severus could certainly beat him, even with Albus’s wand.

In a voice meant to be icy but revealing the fire burning inside, Lucius threatened, “I’ll take your prize.”

Severus would kill Harry before giving him over to Lucius. His lips still curved in a smile, he calmly said, “Then I’ll take your son.”

Lucius whirled around, marched past the edge of the wards and vanished.

Narcissa would be horrified, but surely she’d see the benefit of gaining his alliance in order to protect her child. She needed to keep her husband in check, lest he end up hurting Draco.

As he marched back to the cellar, Severus fetched one of the coffee table books and gave it to Potter, who opened it immediately. "I have some business to attend to, but I will return shortly. You may begin training once I return."

Potter stared at the book rather than acknowledge him, so Severus placed his hand over the photo the boy was currently examining, drawing the attention of those exquisite eyes. “Don’t move or I will sedate you.”

“I won’t,” said Potter and, for once, Severus believed him.