All Hail the Dark Lord, Or Something Idiotic Like That

Chapter 3: Ghosts around us

A/N: Not my story! Original available on ao3

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"Love you too!" He threw an arm around Percy's waist, and they strode into a very different Diagon Alley than they were used to in their time.

***

Harry was extremely irritated. He'd had a wonderful day with his partner where they'd done their best to make each other forget they had so very much to do, and he was loving his new wand made of ebony wood with a core of dementor skin...he got a sick kick out of that to be sure. Now, however, he was sitting in his fifteen-year-old body on his creaky, and very uncomfortable bed waiting on people to pick him up that were ineffectual during the war at best and downright incompetent at worst.

Frankly, the only people besides his friends that legitimately made a positive difference to the outcome of the war had been Remus for teaching him the patronus charm, Sirius that saved his life at the end of this year before dying, Dumbledore for better or worse, Draco Malfoy who he was going to have to figure out a way to get out of all this mess, and Snape.

Mentally, Harry added Draco Malfoy to his running list of possible future followers. That prat was annoying but would make a good follower to pull over some of the darker families. He wasn't sure about Sirius...he'd never quite figured out exactly how mentally stable the man was. Sometimes he seemed fine, and sometimes...well, he would be a liability regardless until Harry figured out a way to clear his name. Thankfully, Pettigrew was now gleefully added to the year's to-do list.

Harry rolled his eyes dramatically when he heard Tonks trip over something in the house and the Order members being incompetent once more in sneaking in. Instead of just waiting on them, he shrunk his trunk and shoved it in a pocket before throwing his door open. Now, he could just make it known that he heard them and say hi...but Harry was definitely not that kind of person.

"Aculeo augere," he flicked his wand with the whispered incantation down the stairs.

A beautiful chorus of multiple people gasping and squealing met his ears. It wasn't a very useful charm in battle but feeling like you were being stung by a jellyfish was very satisfactory for the caster at least. "You know a herd of hippogriffs would be quieter than you lot," Harry drawled and ended the spell with a flick of his wand, smirking at the stunned group standing in his Aunt Petunia's good sitting room.

"Weren't we picking you up because of some underage magic nonsense already?" Moody grumbled, rubbing the sting out of his good arm with a glare that was irritated but also impressed. It was a pretty obscure spell, but thankfully just on the right side of legal.

Harry raised his eyebrow at the man. "I'm really hoping you are the real Moody this time...and as I've heard you are wont to say...'Constant Vigilance!"" Harry smirked at him. "After dementors attacked me in the middle of Surrey, I took the Knight Bus to Knockturn Alley and got myself a new wand without the trace on it. I'll not be held back during a fight ever again. I'm sure you can agree..."

"Er...isn't that illegal?" Tonks loudly whispered to a now, smiling Moody...that was quite terrifying.

"I'm pretty sure I've done much more illegal things than this the past few years," Harry shrugged unconcernedly. Merlin, he'd actually done a lot before his fifth year already...if they only knew what he'd done since...anyway... "If Voldemort wants me dead, then I plan to take him with me at the very least."

"I hate to say it...but I agree with Harry," Remus gave him a little smile. Harry's heart melted. He loved Remus, he really did. He just didn't know him as well as he would like, so the man's death had been traumatic, but thankfully nothing to set off his already precarious hold on reality.