In Death, Standby by Sophisme

Chapter 3: A Brethren of Two

Early in the morning of July 31st, the Dark Lord passed Harry a silver pocket watch over the breakfast table.

It was a beautiful device, goblin-made and clearly expensive. It had five hands which marked hours, minutes and seconds, as well as days and full moons of each month. The silver cover held engraved runes which Harry didn't understand, but which he decided to study more closely later on when he had the time. The clock emitted a soft and lulling ticking noise which Harry could feel against the palm of his hand as he cradled the timepiece gently.

"Thank you. It's very nice," Harry told the Dark Lord and looked over the table at the man. The Dark Lord didn't look up from the Daily Prophet he was skimming over with a bored look on his face, just nodded shortly to indicate that he had heard. "Is this a birthday present?" Harry continued out of curiosity, turning the watch in his hands and admiring the flawless craftsmanship.

The Dark Lord choked on his tea, coughed a few times and grimaced at Harry a little. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course it isn't! It's a portkey for emergency situations. Speak to it in parseltongue and it will activate and bring you back to the Manor from almost anywhere," the Dark Lord told, clearly irritated that Harry had thought the gift to be something as sentimental as a birthday present.

Harry didn't mind, but neither did he change his mind about it. The watch was given to him on his birthday and therefore it was a birthday present, no matter what the Dark Lord thought. It was also the very first birthday present Harry had ever received and it made him feel surprisingly happy. He had never owned anything as fancy as this, but more importantly, it felt all the more significant, since it had been the Dark Lord who gave it to him. Harry curled his fingers tightly around the cool metal surface and pressed it against his heart; silent ticking and steady beating in flawless harmony.

"Keep it close and keep it hidden at all times," the Dark Lord ordered, giving Harry a stern look over the table. "And you will use it if an alarming situation arises. No excuses. Should anyone try to take it from you, you will use it immediately, no matter what the situation is."

Harry nodded obediently and slipped the watch into the safety of his robe pocket. It sounded useful, this emergency portkey, but one question danced in the front of his mind, "Why are you giving this to me now? Sure, it would be handy at Hogwarts when I'm far away and..." Harry didn't manage to finish with the question when the answer already dawned to him.

He sighed. "I'll be going to Diagon Alley today, won't I?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Soon."

"How soon is soon?"

Harry received a sharp glare, but he refused to give up.

"With the Malfoys?"

"That was agreed upon."

"Hmph. I didn't particularly like Mr. Malfoy," Harry confessed and chewed a croissant thoughtfully. "He's so... so... Well, I don't think there's anything real about him. His expressions are all fake, like masks he pulls on when he needs one, and he weighs his words so carefully that it's impossible to tell what he's thinking. Heck, he probably even dyes his hair!"

The Dark Lord was giving Harry a strange look across the table, mouth set in thin line and eyebrows drawn together in thought. "What do you believe he was thinking?"

Harry blinked. "I, um, I don't know. But I... Well, I think he was scared. Of you, of course, not me. But it doesn't make much sense, does it? Since he's your follower and everything. It was probably respect. And he was confused by me and who I was. He asked a few weird questions and tried to snoop," Harry told as he thought back to his short meeting with Mr. Malfoy. "Oh, but don't worry! I didn't tell him anything and he said that... how did it go... that 'his loyalty lays firmly with the Dark Lord'."