Harry Potter: Lethal Injection

Chapter 2: Toxic Travel (Part 4)

The car had come to a stop, although, given that none of the Dursleys had exited the car so far, it couldn't have been more than a moment since it did so. Undoing his seatbelt, Harry opened the door and got out of the car, craning his neck and leaning forward to try and glimpse any of the tombs which were supposedly to be found in the valley. The sound of slamming doors behind him alerted him to the fact that the Dursleys had finally joined him outside the car, and, without a word, Uncle Vernon set off into the Valley, making purposefully for one of the furthest paths up into the hills on the opposite side of the Valley. This too was a surprise to Harry, he had expected Uncle Vernon to make for the closest path, to try and see the easiest tombs with the minimum amount of exercise: he had never been too fond of physical exertion after all.

Perhaps he's trying to postpone actually having to go into one of the tombs for as long as possible? Venom offered, somewhat doubtfully.

Maybe. Harry agreed, no more convinced than his partner. Regardless, the pair followed after their uncle into the Valley of the Kings.

Despite their unease, the journey was a fascinating one, as they walked Harry's Venom-augmented vision allowed him to pick out the tell-tale holes which denoted the entrances to tombs along the many paths leading up into the hills. He even noticed several which lacked paths entirely, and he wondered if that meant no-one else had yet noticed their presence in the Valley. By the time they finally reached the farthest-flung of the paths into the hills, Harry had counted twenty-three unmarked tombs, and as they made their slow way up the path, hampered by Dudley's foot-dragging and complaints, he noticed another less than a hundred feet from the path. It was far better hidden than any other Harry had yet seen, and, even with his enhanced vision, it would've been impossible to see had the sun not been at the particular point of vanishing beneath the horizon that it was at that moment. Unlike with the other tombs, Harry couldn't resist pointing this one out to his uncle.

"Uncle Vernon," he began, causing his Uncle to whip around as if he had just been jabbed with a hot poker. "I think I see the entrance to an unmarked tomb over there, can we go and take a look?"

"WHY-" Uncle Vernon began, face-purpling, only to cut off mid-sentence. After several deep breaths he continued, in a markedly different tone: "-yes, that sounds like an excellent idea, Harry, lead the way." He gestured Harry forward with the same insane smile that had graced his features ever since he had awoken Harry that morning.

So, he's going out of his way to be nice to us, even though he obviously hasn't changed how he feels about you. What do you think that means? Venom asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.

It could be innocent? Harry offered weakly, Maybe Dumbledore scared him so badly he's turning over a new leaf?

Yeah, and maybe Dudley is going to take up tap-dancing. Venom answered with a derisive snort as they reached the entrance to the tomb, now barely visible in the fading light. Peering inside, Harry was able to see that the hole opened into a deep dark chamber, extending a good twenty-feet down into blackness too great for even his enhanced-eyesight to pierce. Actually, if We transformed, you'd be able to see fine, it's just that I'm not a miracle worker and your human eyes are so-BEHIND YOU.

Even as Venom spoke Harry was spinning around, his sixth sense, augmented by Venom's own sensory capabilities, warning him of the incoming threat to his rear. He was just fast enough to see his Uncle's massive hand come crashing into his chest, surprising him so much that he lost his balance and, as he had been leaning precariously into the hole, fell into the darkened tomb. His body hit the ground with a dull thud, the impact cushioned by Venom so it felt no more extreme than falling out of bed onto soft carpet. Even before they hit the ground, Venom had transformed them into their monstrous form, so it was without difficulty that Harry saw his uncle leaning through the hole to call down to him.