Chapter 4
They kept walking, and then some more. It looked like they were in a jungle, vines hanging from trees, leaves and other type of plants everywhere, humid and warm. Too warm. Harry was a mess, drenched in sweat and dirt. Voldemort, since he was in his shoulders, was clean as he could be. Harry was okay with it, really. He was used to being dirty thanks to the Dursley. But the heat... He would never get used to the heat. He groaned in annoyance at how sticky was his shirt against his skin.
"Where are we going anyway?" He mumbled, not expecting an answer after all the previous failed attempts.
"There's a shack near us, it should be the best place to rest. From there I'll try to contact with someone." Was Voldemort's response.
"Oh. The not-friend?" He heard him hiss so he immediately closed his mouth and remained silent the rest of the walk.
As the Dark Lord said, there was a shack waiting for them. That was almost five hours of nonstop walking and avoiding other snakes and other animals. The place looked abandoned but it was in a better state than the tent. There was a door and a window, which was something. Inside, to the raven's surprise, it was clean. The dark didn't bother him, so he stepped in searching for something to lie on. There it is. With a cheerful hope, the boy leaped into the bed and took hold of the pillow.
"You should have looked for bed bugs first." Harry ignored the snake, unbothered by bugs of any kind. He had to live with them for years. What's a little more? "Ugh, I smell cockroaches and rats." Complained the snake, his forked tongue tasting the air. Rats he could deal with, but cockroaches? Killing them takes too much time and effort.
From the comfortable bed, the gryffindor watched as the Dark Lord slithered silently around the room, admiring the movement of his elongated body, the white scales dull for the lack of light. Without thinking, he used his magic to create a small ball of light, and then another. And another, just to see the scales glitter. Voldemort turned his head around, finding at least ten balls of magic illuminating the shack varying between yellow and white. The nostalgia hit him hard, remembering the times he had to do the same when he was in the orphanage in order to read his books during the nights. Coming back to the present, the snake slithered closer to Harry who placed his hand in front for him to climb easier.
"My Horcrux." There was a note of affection in his voice Harry never heard on anyone before. Not directed at him at least. It left a warm feeling inside. "We are more similar than I believed at first."
"Is that good?"
"More than good." Assured the Dark Lord, his face pressed against the boy's cheek. Close to the scar, so close. "It's not a friend but a follower."
"Uh?" Oh, thought Harry, right. His question. "Who?"
"You'll see soon enough. In the meantime, rest." Understanding it was an order, not a request, Harry got comfortable in the bed, holding the pillow against his chest tightly. Voldemort stayed next to him, his red eyes staring at his. It was with the image of those eyes he fell asleep, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of not having eaten anything for more than a day.
Hours passed as Voldemort waited. It took too much strength to call Malfoy, the body he took control of getting weaker. And his patience getting thinner.
"My Lord...?" He finally heard the familiar voice. Unable to move but not wanting to appear weak, Voldemort hissed loudly enough to be heard, and pushed his anger against the dark mark on his follower's arm. With an undignified stumble at the pain, Lucius Malfoy stepped inside completely, shredded in the darkness of the shack. His long blond hair swayed in front of him, hiding momentarily his occupants. Once the man managed to pull his hair back, gray eyes took in the boy sleeping on the bed. Another hiss caught his attention, looking down to find a white snake. Going pale, Lucius took a step back, realizing who it was. "My Lord!"
The snake did nothing at first, its dark eyes watching him. Then these changed to a deep red, proving that his conclusion was correct. "What do you need?" The magician decided to go straight to the point so as not to think about the consequences of his past actions. The fact that Voldemort has managed to call him now means that he is aware that Malfoy did nothing to help him when he disappeared that night. This was his chance to correct his mistake.
Lucius watched as his master slid over to the boy on the bed, whom he had forgotten until now. With a frown, the blond approached as well, analyzing the figure. Young, maybe ten years old? Hair dark and messy. The clothes were no better, in a deplorable state, full of dirt and holes. But what finally made him understand who it was was the scar running down the boy's cheek. "Harry Potter?" he whispered, grey eyes widening. He could not believe what he was watching. “But that's not possible. How…? I mean, what do you want me to do with him, my Lord?" Malfoy stopped in mid-sentence so as not to anger Voldemort. His curiosity would be quenched later, hopefully. Now he had a mission to complete. And, since Potter was still alive, that let him know that his master had no intention of killing him yet.
Careful not to draw Voldemort's fury for being careless, Lucius took the boy into his arms, noting how light he weighed for someone his age. He tried not to react to that or how dirty his clothes were getting at the contact. It would be easier to have contact with the boy if he wanted to apparate without splinching him, anyway.
The snake slithered up his leg, encircling it many times before stopping. Waiting. Taking a deep breath, Lucius forced himself to focus at the task at hand and apparated.
The front door of the Malfoy Manor swung inward at the presence of Lucius, letting in the other two guests, magic prodding lightly at them before leaving.
"Cissa!" The echo of his voice was broken only because of the quick light steps of his wife entering at the vestibule.
"Luc, what-" She stopped dead in her tracks, blue eyes falling onto the boy on his husband's arms. "What happened?" She immediately turned serious, her maternal instinct kicking in.
"It's Potter. I found him in an abandoned shack with our Lord." At his explanation she turned pale.
"Is he here?" She looked down at Lucius right leg at the nod she received, his eyes down for her to follow. There was a white snake with dark eyes staring back at her. Eyes that shine red the next second, letting her know who it was. Gulping down any show of fear, she turned her attention back at the boy. "What happened to him?"
"I don't know. He was already like this." He passed her the kid, cleaning himself after with a wave of his hand. "Do you think you can take care of him?" The huff he got in response made him smile fondly at her. "I'll take that as a yes. Where's Draco?"
"In his room."
"Alright, we'll talk later. Don't tell anyone about this." She nodded in understanding, holding Harry closer to her unbothered by the dirt as she watched her husband disappear behind the door.
"What have you gotten yourself into, Potter?" She said quietly to herself.