It's All Just Temporary with a Bit of Necromancy

Chapter 36: Deal

Deal

Harry stumbled out of the Floo and caught himself on the couch. His stomach turned but luckily he didn't get sick. The longer he held the necklace the more repulsed he felt. He could feel the pain emitting from the jewelry, could feel the pitiful screaming echoing in his ears. He wanted to throw the necklace as far as he could; wanted to curl into a ball with his hands over his ears. He wanted to weep and mourn for the agony held within the necklace but he didn't. He took shallow breaths and he tried to focus.

"Harry, I didn't expect you back so soon," Marvolo said, striding into his office. Harry didn't know why he hadn't been in his office, but that was the least of his concerns. "I thought you would be spending more time with your companions."

Harry stared at Marvolo. The screaming became a high-pitched shrieking in his head and Harry wanted to scream with it. The man looked just as perfect and handsome as always and his heart gave a traitorous lurch. Part of him wished his friends hadn't talked him through his emotional breakthrough just last night, his idiotic feelings certainly wouldn't help right now.

"Are you alright? You seem — What's that?" Marvolo asked, stopping next to his desk, his voice empty and chilled as he noticed the necklace clenched in Harry's fist.

"Why don't you tell me," Harry said just as coldly.

He felt so stupid. He should have guessed. Death had hinted at this already and Harry had come across the concept in his books but he hadn't thought... he hadn't wanted to believe Marvolo capable of such actions. He'd hoped it was something else, not...not this. And there were more ...Harry wanted to shout and scream at the man before him. Wanted to beg and plead for understanding but he didn't. He couldn't handle this conversation emotionally, he needed to be clear-headed. The screaming grew louder and Harry thought his ears might start bleeding from the sheer agony.

Marvolo stared at him for a long moment before straightening his shoulders even more before moving to sit behind his desk, putting distance and barriers between them. "It looks like a necklace, an heirloom most likely. It reminds me of something I once came across in Borgin and Burkes."

Fury flared in his gut at the avoidance, the dismissal, the lie . "Try again."

"I don't know what it is you're expecting me to say," Marvolo said primely. His unaffected, uncaring, aloof mask would have been believable if he could keep his gaze trained off of the necklace. Every other second it would flicker from Harry's face to the necklace. "It's an heirloom necklace, I don't recall coming across it before."

Harry strode forward and slammed the necklace down on the desk. He leaned forward so that their faces were inches apart. Marvolo looked completely poised, his face carved from stone, but the large swallow was the giveaway about the man's true nerves.

"Don't. Lie. To. Me," Harry hissed between gritted teeth.

"Don't demand things of me," Marvolo snapped back without hesitation, his voice pure ice. "I owe you nothing. You are nothing. How dare you demand anything of me."

Harry's heart shuttered painfully. He could almost feel the cracks splintering through it. Well, at least he knew he was right. His feelings wouldn't ever be returned. But that didn't matter now anyway. What mattered was that Marvolo had made Horcruxes and Harry had to fix it. He had to fix it because Death had ordered it. He had to fix it because despite knowing his feelings would be forever unrequited he couldn't imagine the man he loved living with a partial soul.

"I know what this is and I know it's yours," he said roughly. Marvolo remained quiet but Harry could see a flicker of unease enter those eyes that normally held him so entranced. "I'm a Necromancer or did you forget? Do you really think I wouldn't be able to sense Death Magic?"