All Hail the Dark Lord, Or Something Idiotic Like That

Acting the Part

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

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"Oh, I know, Kreacher," he grinned even more ferally. "Kreacher...let's talk about Regulus..."

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Harry awoke to the feeling he was being stared at. He was about to tell Percy to piss off and let him sleep a little longer until he remembered he wasn't in his own time and Percy was definitely not in bed with him. Warily, he cracked open one eye before he just closed it again with a groan. He absently waved his hand to dispel the silencing ward around his bed.

"Hermione, it's more than a little creepy to wake up to a fifteen-year-old girl staring at you like that," he grumbled at his friend who was sitting on the edge of Ron's bed and staring intently at him while Ron was rummaging through his trunk for clothes to change out of his Chudley Cannons pajamas into.

Hermione immediately turned bright pink. "I wasn't staring like that!" She protested vehemently. "I was looking at your runes. They're really impressive, and I don't even know what most of them are for. I know they must be fairly mild magic, even inked onto you, but still, they have to individually do things as well as work together."

"Yeah, mate, even I stared for a bit," Ron leaned up from where he was halfway inside his trunk and chuckled. "You can't just tattoo magic on yourself and not expect people to try to figure out what it does."

"Plus, the other ones are quite good artistically. I understand why you got the grim, werewolf, and stag, but why do you have that pretty otter on your wrist? It doesn't seem to go with the others," Hermione leaned closer, and Harry self-consciously pulled the sheet up over his chest.

"Thanks, erm, Dean Thomas actually got to be a pretty good tattoo artist, but I had to do the runes myself because of the magic and all. The otter, well, it's your patronus...or will be at least," he glared at their staring. Hermione leaned back with a smug look on her face at that news, whether from him having a tattoo just for her or that she mastered the patronus charm, Harry wasn't sure. "Merlin, I got like no sleep at all and now have to wake up to you two tag-teaming me!"

"The half-bottle of whiskey by your bed probably didn't help your sleep," Hermione just crossed her arms and returned his glare.

With an eyeroll at her and Percy's voice that was in his head saying the same thing, Harry sat up and moved the bottle further under his bed. "I don't have a problem...maybe a bit of a dependency, but not a problem."

"I wasn't insinuating..."

"Plus, I'm not used to sleeping alone anymore," Harry stood and stretched, getting a satisfying pop from his back, before throwing a t-shirt on to cover the runes and tattoos. "The nightmares are worse when I'm alone."

"Harry...please don't take this the wrong way," Hermione began with a deep frown on her face. "But, how do you plan to make it through this year at Hogwarts? I mean, you seem to be hanging on by a thread here."

Ron sat beside her on the bed, now holding his jeans and jumper for the day. "She's not wrong mate. You went a bit blank there last night at dinner, and I'm sure you don't want me going around pinching you all the time."

"Here is going to be worse than Hogwarts," Harry told them with a sigh. They were right, but he knew he could hold it together. He would do what he had to do to keep moving forward, no matter the cost to himself. "There are more people I lost in this house that I care about than there. Yes, I'm sure it'll be hard, and please keep an eye on me, but I'm getting more used to all this. I haven't even been in this time for a full two days yet. Give a guy a break to get used to it."