A Dark Lord in the Making

Vitruvian Man

Soft hands carefully gripped his chin and tilted his head upward, catching his gaze with warm, crimson eyes. "And yet, here you are."

A small smile appeared on Harry's face. "Yes, here I am."

"You didn't come here to talk about the Vitruvian Man and his imputed meanings, did you?"

"I admit it caught my attention, for a number of different reasons," Harry said with a warm smile.

"It's not about what that ignorant boy said to you, is it?" growled Marvolo into Harry's hair. "The Malfoy boy was a disappointment..." Marvolo began uncertainly, searching for words.

Harry's eyes widened at the hearing of Malfoy's name and felt relaxed at the affection Marvolo's words evoked in him. He had barely thought about the blonde Pureblood- no, Draco wasn't high on his list of people to think about. No, that list seemed to be headed by Marvolo, who had claimed spots one, two, and three. He realized with shame that he hadn't thought about his friends in weeks, where his mind was filled with the mystery that Marvolo embodied.

"No," Harry said as a fiery blush passed over his cheeks. "It's not Draco- I- I wasn't here to talk about him."

Marvolo frowned at the blushing boy. He didn't like the way Harry seemed to react to that rude boy's name. Harry's breathing had changed just by mentioning his last name- a name his Harry, his protégé, shouldn't even think about. He admitted it was a misconception that Harry could belong to the pompous blond boy. When Marvolo saw the boy's pointed, pale face, he had thought it a striking image of the aristocratic features of a Pureblood family. However, when the boy gave his opinion of his- his son, this image was radically changed. In fact, if Marvolo were to hear the boy speak negatively about Harry one more time, the consequences would be all-encompassing. Even Harry wouldn't be able to revive the boy- advanced his powers might be by then.

"What did you want to talk about then," Marvolo said with a growl, his temper well below freezing. "I don't have all day for complaining boys."

Harry jumped back and looked at Marvolo in surprise. "I- I came here to ask you to sign this." Harry handed Marvolo the permission slip he'd received along with his new book list for the upcoming school year. "It is a form that a parent or guardian must complete as proof that a student is allowed to attend Hogsmeade."

Harry spoke quickly, staring unconsciously at Marvolo's full lips, which had now tightened into a narrow line. "I thought it would be nice, sir," Harry began uncertainly, "It's a good place to gather and relax."

With a jerk, the crimson eyes darted to Harry's neck, where he could clearly see the boy swallow. Marvolo could see he was uncomfortable, but why? "Who would you meet there, Harry?" he said after a long silence.

"I would be with my friends, Ron and Hermione," Harry said instantly. "You used to go to Hogwarts, didn't you? Didn't you have trips to Hogsmeade then?"

"It doesn't matter if I used to go to such activities, we're talking about you," Marvolo said politely.

"I would like to go to this magical village, it will do me good to escape the castle every now and then... It would mean a lot to me to have this freedom," Harry said calmly.

Marvolo searched Harry's face for falsehoods, but could not find them. He couldn't refuse Harry's innocent request, but there was something that kept him from wanting Harry to go to the village. It wasn't jealousy or possessiveness, he decided, it was an intense will to protect him, he realized when his eye fell on that morning's newspaper.

"I don't know if I can give this permission this year, Harry," he said with a contrived tone of sympathy. "Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban."

Harry followed his gaze and picked up the newspaper. He looked at the photo of the obviously insane wizard and shrugged. "If other students are allowed to go to Hogsmeade, then I can certainly too?"