All Hail the Dark Lord, Or Something Idiotic Like That

Ghosts around us pt4

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

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"A lot of people didn't...it's like walking through ghosts out there...and in here," he looked up at them.

*****

"We survived the war though," Ron reached out and grabbed Harry's hand, clutching it to keep him from continuing to scratch. "We were helping you find Teddy..."

Harry nodded. "Ron was an auror...a damn good one too. He'd never been sent to work with Relocation and Retrieval though. When he started asking questions and causing them problems, he was sent on a raid of a vampire nest. He...you, made it out, but not before being captured and turned..."

"Right," Ron nodded firmly and compartmentalizing that fact. "I'm not saying becoming a vampire was top of my wish-list, but I lived through it...I'm guessing I was eventually taken by this group when they found out?"

"Yeah...you made a pretty rotten vampire, just so you know," Harry gave him a glare and rubbed a few fang marks that had scarred on his neck. Supposedly, he tasted good, which was something he never needed to know.

"I imagine neither of us took that well," Hermione gave Harry a teary look.

Harry just snorted at that understatement. "It was when you...my Hermione, started putting her plans in motion. She'd started after Teddy, but now she was unstoppable...until she was caught helping out a kid who'd just recently been bitten by a feral werewolf...wolfsbane was almost impossible to get anymore. I was already in France, working our contacts on the other side to get the kid to safety, and the safe house was raided before you could meet up with me. Hermione and Kreacher did their best, but neither made it out...I don't know about the kid...I think he was taken."

Both teens looked at Harry like that was the least believable part of his entire story. "Kreacher?" Ron looked at him questioningly. "The evil house elf that mutters under his breath about how much he wants to kill all of us? Mate, you haven't met him yet...or you shouldn't have anyway, but he's a bloody menace!"

Harry laughed. He could see now why that was so shocking. He'd forgotten how Kreacher used to be. "Yeah...he comes around once we figure out why he's so ornery...which, yeah, it's a good reason. Anyway, the house elves are too powerful for the ministry to leave them be for too long after everything starts, even they aren't doing very well by the time I left."

"Ok...so you're coming back to stop this? What's the plan?" Hermione asked. "I left you a way to come back, did we come up with some kind of plan together?"

"Erm...so...no, we didn't actually get to talk about that before," Harry grimaced. "Er...I have a sort-of plan, but I'm not so sure you're going to approve. It's a bit drastic, but I don't know what else to do."

"Mate...it wouldn't be a Harry Potter plan if it wasn't dangerous and a bit insane," Ron rolled his eyes knowingly at his friend who was still so much the same even if he was very different.

"Well...I had some input," he grumbled.

"The mysterious boyfriend, we know," Hermione huffed this time. "Out with it...what are we doing to fix all this? Personally, I don't want to have to do all that research again. I'm tired just hearing about it."

"Right," Harry nodded firmly, his green eyes flaring. "So, I'm taking over. Once I get rid of Voldy, much more quickly this time, I'm going to take his place. You are looking at Britain's next Dark Lord."