A Snake Named Voldemort

Chapter 4

Harry felt a momentary feeling of panic, but tried to appear calm. :Um, how does the Dark Mark work? For instance,: Harry made a vague gesture with one of his hands in the air, :could one of the Death Eaters use the Mark to find you?:

Harry had to remind himself that snakes can't smirk...but he swore that this one could. The bastard knew what he was getting at, of course.

:Why should I tell you? You may be willing to share your secrets, but I am not so gullible.:

With a shrug, Harry gathered up the parchment and quill to put them back in his bag. :Suit yourself, I'll just leave you to find a way to write that letter...:

:Potter, you ingrate,: Voldemort spat out. He really was just too easy, Harry thought gleefully to himself. Voldemort raised his upper body from the desk and trained his gleaming scarlet eyes on Harry's bright green ones. It was odd, but Harry swore there wasn't the same malice in the snake's eyes as there was in his scathing insult. Maybe the Dark Lord...approved of Harry's almost Slytherin methods?

:No, they cannot locate me through their Marks. Why would I let any of them have a means of finding me no matter where I am? If they have something to say to me, they may request it, but I am by no means obligated to suffer their presence if I do not wish it. They can only come to me if I summon them.:

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Good. At least the Death Eaters had no way of knowing the Voldemort was currently at Hogwarts...that is, if Voldemort wasn't lying.

:So, what happens if you are injured or something and couldn't contact them? Now is a perfect example. Wouldn't it be best if they had a way to find you?:

:I shall ask again, Potter: why would I do that?:

Harry blinked. :Uh, duh, because if you needed help then they could find you to assist you.: Hadn't Voldemort learned his lesson from the whole time spent as a bodiless shade? Well, obviously he hadn't because the man had come to Harry, his destined enemy, for help. He could have had his Death Eaters kidnap Harry or something for use as a translator and then kill him once they didn't need him anymore. Honestly, Harry was constantly questioning that man's status as a genius. Of course, stupidity was often a side-effect of insanity, and Harry had no doubts about that pleasant aspect of Voldemort.

:I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Potter,: Voldemort snapped. In that instant, Harry almost felt pity for the Dark Lord.

With a disbelieving snort, Harry, in a moment of epiphany, said, :Right. No, I get it; you can't trust any of them to not stab you in the back. I guess I can't blame you, what with the type of people you hang out with.:

Harry seemed to have hit it on the nose. :Better them than the ones you associate with,: Voldemort seethed.

Harry raised a questioning brow. :That's the best comeback you have? Anyway!: Harry interrupted whatever Voldemort might retort with and straightened out the parchment and picked up the quill on the desktop in front of him. :What would you like me to write?:

Harry had to rewrite the letter twice after trying to insert some of his own opinions of certain Death Eaters in the first letter, and was forced to rewrite the second after putting several frowny-faces in and signing it with Tommy Voldemorty-warty. Voldemort, to say the least, was not amused. Harry was beginning to think that once Seventh Year was up he should probably just kill himself instead of letting Voldemort do it, because, while he found irritating Voldie to be Great Fun (yes, good enough to have that capitalized), he was starting to get a little worried about his promised death. Voldemort had even considered making him immortal so he could just pass on killing him in favor of torturing him the rest of forever. After that one, Harry had (probably very stupidly) replied he was touched that Voldemort wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.