The Necromancer

Chapter 32

“Master Gaunts is not be having them in the mansion,” Dobby said while pulling on his own ears in obvious distress.

“There’s a money pouch in my cloak, grab that and go to Diagon Alley to buy some,” Voldemort said…no, Marvolo said. Harry decided he was going to make an effort to think of the man by his newly chosen name because if last night had proven anything, it was that Lord Voldemort as he’d once existed was well and truly gone.

Dobby popped away and Harry and Marvolo both lay very still until a few minutes later the house-elf returned and gave them both a vial with a bright blue potion inside. Marvolo sniffed his briefly before downing it and falling back against the bed with a relieved sigh. Harry drank his own dose, which had a surprisingly minty flavour, and at once his stomach settled and his head stopped pounding.

“Oh yeah,” Harry moaned in absolute delight. “That’s so much better. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Marvolo said, eyes still squeezed shut but his face utterly relaxed now.

Harry licked his lips, his mouth now a lot less dry. “We should make this a thing.”

“A what now?”

“Saturday nights,” Harry explained, glancing at Marvolo again. “We should go to the pub on Saturday nights from now on.”

Marvolo looked at Harry as though he’d utterly lost his mind for a moment but then he released a resigned little sigh. “Fine. We can do that. Mingling with the peasants is probably a good idea, politically speaking.”

“Fuck off,” Harry said with a snicker, pulling his pillow out from under his own head and smacking it against Marvolo’s face. “We’re just going there to get shitfaced. It’s healthy, considering all the stress we’re under.”

Marvolo’s expression was stuck somewhere between outrage and sincere surprise and Harry got the ridiculous impulse to kiss the man, just dive right on top of him, push him down against the mattress and snog him within an inch of his life. But they were both sweaty and smelly and had morning-breath that could knock a dragon out, probably, so this really wasn’t a good time.

Still, the idea of snogging Marvolo had now taken up root in Harry’s brain and knowing himself, Harry was sure that someday soon he was going to act on that impulse. And from what he’d seen so far, Marvolo probably wouldn’t be opposed to such a thing. He certainly hadn’t reacted with revulsion to the idea of having sex with Harry earlier.

“We need an apothecary,” Harry mused, giving Marvolo no chance of retaliation by quickly sitting up. “All those poor bastards out there who got just as drunk as us but who don’t have house-elves to visit Diagon Alley for them.”

“They should have thought of that before they entered the pub last night,” Marvolo grumbled, still staring at Harry in slight disbelief he’d just been smacked in the face with a pillow like that.

There was a strange tapping noise that Harry couldn’t quite place as he slowly pushed himself out of bed and stretched out his arms over his head. “I should head home, have a bath.” Harry frowned as he considered his option. “I might even take the day off, or at least do some quiet stuff around the castle.”

“Merlin knows we have earned some time to ourselves,” Marvolo agreed, making no effort to get up just yet.

Harry looked around in confusion as he pulled his trousers up all the way. Next he buttoned his shirt while Marvolo stared at him with narrowed eyes.