A Snake Named Voldemort

Chapter 3

Harry was awed. :That's...that's something,: he responded inelegantly.

:Yes,: Voldemort hissed. :That potion is indeed a significant piece of magic and skill.:

The two sat in silence for several moments. :They mentioned a counterpart potion,: Harry finally said.

:They did,: Voldemort agreed, :but I am unsure if he spoke of it theoretically or if there really is one. I am certain Snape had a hidden storage cellar under his office. Many Potion Masters do. There was a current of air that did not fit with the rest of the room. If anything, he would keep it there.:

Harry sighed. :We made a mistake tonight forgetting about the wards and...oh, please, don't give me that look, even Dark Lords can slip-up. Anyway, we're going to have to lay low before we try again. Christmas break is in two weeks, and by then the Binding spell Dumbledore put on us will have dissolved. We can try again then, since I'll be staying in the castle.:

'Yeah,' Harry thought glumly. 'There is no way I'm going to the Weasley's for the hols this year...not if it's with Voldemort.'

Voldemort grumbled but had to acquiesce. Suddenly, he cocked his head in an odd manner and focused his scarlet eyes on Harry.

:Did you know he's dying?:

Harry frowned, startled. :Who?:

:Dumbledore,: the snake said matter-of-factly. :His blackened hand is the result of a dark curse. It seems the Headmaster has been prying into things he shouldn't.: Voldemort dark tone implied that he knew more, and was very angry about something, but Harry was too stunned to bother asking.

"He's dying?" Harry whispered. "I don't believe you."

"Then you are a fool."

The worst part was, that was the thing Harry could believe.

Harry shook his head dumbly. Not Dumbledore! The man, while externally looked wizened, to Harry he seemed timeless, some constant that would always be there. That seemingly wise old man who, Harry had eventually come to understand, could be just as blind as Voldemort about how the world works. The man had made mistakes, but he's allowed that; it's a right of being human.

But now he was dying?

It would be the end of an era. Dumbledore had been the icon of the Light for decades now, ever since his defeat of Grindelwald. If Dumbledore died, where would that leave them? Panic began to rise in Harry's throat.

But then he focused on Voldemort again and forced himself to calm down. He needed to look at things rationally, to pull himself away from the immediate reaction and to think, because now there was a bigger picture that he'd been missing all along...the missing piece of the puzzle he didn't know he'd been stupidly sitting on was now retrieved and put in its rightful place now.

Dumbledore had been trying to tell him something, to teach Harry something about Voldemort. He had known that ever since the Headmaster had brought him to his office to look at old memories about the very enemy sitting on Harry's bed. He was trying to impart Harry with some sort of knowledge before he died. But what? And why was he doing it in this odd, roundabout way? Harry was all for figuring out things for himself, but sometimes it was just simpler to have someone figure it out for him, especially if time was of the essence.

Whatever it was, Dumbledore was letting him find it out on his own, and Harry wasn't sure if he was meant to before or after Dumbledore's death. In any case, Dumbledore's and Snape's plan to weaken Voldemort was beginning to make more sense. While Dumbledore's time was running short, he apparently was trying to ensure Harry's ran a little longer. Harry didn't understand things yet, but he knew Dumbledore purposely withheld information from him. It was just the way the old man worked. It irked Harry, but in the end he had decided that as long as he understood this, he would let the Headmaster play by his rules...for now.

Voldemort was growing impatient with the silence. :You're not going to cry on me, are you Potter?:

Harry wondered at the crassness but then remembered this was the Dark Lord, being a bastard was just in his nature and he couldn't care one bit if Dumbledore died. Still in a slight bit of shock, Harry shook his head.

:No, don't worry, I wouldn't want to cause you any emotional pain in return.:

:Spare me, Potter. And good, because I don't want to have to deal with your blubbering over the next Merlin knows how long.:

:Oh, don't worry,: Harry told him with watery cheerfulness, pushing aside all thoughts of Dumbledore. :The weeks will fly by, especially when you're having fun with me!:

Voldemort hissed out a moan. :Weeks! My Death Eaters are going to get themselves killed, I just know it, while you remain within my reach and I cannot even touch you.:

:Look on the brightside,: Harry said. :You'll have lots of time to build your troops back up while I finish school.:

:Go to sleep, brat.:

:Yes, Master.: