The Whispers

Twelve

So, I have no idea if I can continue this story for much longer. I have major writers block in this and I don't know where it's going or how I'm going to end it at all, and so that's why I've not been writing anything more on it. However, everyone's been asking me to update and I kind of feel horrible for leaving it on a cliff hanger so I'm going to try. I've actually been sitting on this chapter for a long time... sorry about that.

Love you guys!!
________________

The Riddle Manor that sat in the middle of Little Hangleton, surrounded by Wards that gave the illusion of an old, decrepit building that was far beyond unlivable. However innocently haunted the outside of the Manor looked, the inside looked much, much worse. It was a flourish of activity on the inside, Death Eaters of all ranks stalking around the house, guarding the outside from unwanted visitors, and happily Crucioing and then Obliviating any Muggles that got too close for their liking. The Dark Lord himself sat in what was once the living room, now turned into a throne room where his followers could grovel at his feet, and where he had plenty of space to punish them if need be.
    The Wards that surrounded the Manor already had Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Ginny keyed in, so the four simply passed through them with ease. When the Death Eaters that had been patrolling the grounds saw them, they all took a moment to stop and stare. The four had been here before, of course, but the Death Eaters couldn't help it. They had never seen their Lord want one person's alliance so bad that he'd treat them like guests and give them free rein on the grounds. The thought of how powerful the four must be sent shivers up their spines. Not only that, but the four continued to refuse to join their Lord! Nobody ever refuses the Dark Lord without getting crucio casted on them and most likely the imperius curse. Not until these four came along anyways.
    Draco shivered as the dark magic washed over him, although it wasn't very noticable, and Harry reached over to squeeze his hand tightly before pulling away. He needed to have everything free should the Death Eaters decide to attack them. Harry didn't think Lord Voldemort would order them to be attacked, at least not anytime soon, but sometimes there were those of them that decided to go against that order. It has happened multiple times before and Harry didn't doubt it would happen again.
    The four of them swiftly walked into the manor without any hesitation, and ignored the stares they received as they made their way to the throne room. Once they were outside the two large double doors, Harry knocked once and stood back to wait. Not even moments later the doors were opened by two Death Eater's. Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco all bowed at the waist politely, before standing straight once more. They wouldn't show any more submission to the man, should he get any ideas.
    "Yes...Harry Potter," Voldemort's voice sounded like rusted nails scraping against glass. It sent fear striking through most people's very being, sending them into a cold sweat and causing their knees to shake. Harry, however, simply nodded to the man.
    "Lord Voldemort," Harry greeted back, sounding as though he was having a chat about the weather with one of his friends rather than talking to a mass murderer.
    Voldemort smiled a crooked smile, his teeth yellowed and rotted, but Harry paid no mind to this either, even as the smile grew into a sharp smirk.
    "You've called for us?" Harry continued to question politely, and Voldemort threw his head back and laughed.
Most of his Death Eaters simply waited for him to speak, and they'd often be submerged into silence for hours before Voldemort spoke. But not Harry Potter. The boy was an enigma to all, even to Lord Voldemort who claimed to have all of the knowledge. Voldemort knew the boy wouldn't join him, and had resolved himself the fact that Harry could resist the Imperius curse and had taught his three friends to resist the Imperius curse as well, and he knew that Harry would never fully join him. Harry was grey, he had firmly stated that himself. He wouldn't join either side, but he would do anything so long as he got paid for it and both sides had been forced to accept that. Yes, Harry Potter was a strange one.
    "Yes, I'd like for the four of you to join me for dinner," Voldemort stated and Harry nodded politely. It was one thing to deny Voldemort's request to join his side in the War, but Harry didn't need to make the man unnecessarily angry with him.
    Voldemort clapped his hands together and the throne room was turned into a dining room. A table popped into existence seemingly out of nowhere, already set with silverware and cutlery, and the goblets already filled with the finest of wines. Voldemort's throne disappeared as he stood, and he motioned for the four to sit as he took his own seat at the head of the table.
    Once everyone was seated, House Elves popped up, placing food onto their plates before disappearing again without so much as a single peep. Draco, Hermione, and Ginny only began eating after Voldemort had taken the first bite and after Harry had subtly checked their food for poison. After all, they are in the Dark Lord's home and there's no telling what the man might try to pull. Of course, Harry simply sipped on water. Whenever Voldemort looked at him he had a sharp smile on his face, but it was normal. Harry always figured it was the mans 'nice' smile, which was only that much more unnerving but Harry never let it get to him.
    This was how most of their meal was spent, all of them in silence simply eating. It was how this went everytime they came. It was after they had finished eating and all the plates had been cleared that the quartet had to worry about Voldemort convincing them of joining them.
    "You know," the Dark Lord began. "That I've called you hear for a reason, correct?"
    "Of course," Harry answered smoothly.
    "I've got word that you've killed some of my Death Eaters the other night, may I ask why?"
    Voldemort hardly ever asked if he could ask a question, although everyone knew that it wasn't really a question. He wanted to know why Harry had killed some of his Death Eaters, and Harry knew that he had no choice but to answer unless he wanted this meeting to end in a duel. A duel that Harry was sure he could win, but his friends would most definitely get hurt, and that was no good.
    "It was a job, of course," Harry answered smoothly even as he felt Ginny grab onto his wrist tightly. This was dangerous territory.
    It was a long moment of terse silence that Voldemort sat, staring at the four, and then he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Of course it was!" He cheered, which only made Hermione shift slightly in her chair as the uncomfortable sound. "You'd never break our deal, would you Harry?"
    "Of course not," Harry answered without hesitation.
    "Then why won't you simply join me? You know just how cruel Muggles can be, don't you? Don't you?" Voldemort questioned wildly, and Harry nodded. "Then why?" Voldemort demanded, standing sharply and knocking his chair over causing most in the room to flinch back. "We could be brilliant together, so why won't you just join me?"
    "I will not join you," Harry said calmly, shaking his head. "I have others than myself to think of, even if I do share your opinion on Muggles I don't on Muggleborns nor on your way to handle the issue. You know that I'd much prefer to stay neutral in the war."
    Harry stayed calm even as the Dark Lord was seething in anger, although he was prepared for an attack at any moment. He had no clue how stable Voldemort was at the moment, and by the looks of it he wasn't stable at all. Who knew how the man would react? Even if he had heard the information a million times.
    With a heated sigh, Voldemort went back to where his throne should stand and sat down, the chair materializing underneath him as he sat.
    "Alright," the snake-faced man snapped. "Then you've no need to be here any longer, get out."
    Ginny, Hermione, and Draco didn't hesitate to stand and were already bowing by the time Harry had calmly stood up.
    "Thank you for the lovely meal," Harry spoke smoothly, bowing with his friends before the four of them turned and left without so much as a glance back at the sulking Dark Lord.
    All of the Death Eaters watched them go, crossing the wards without a problem and then disapparating to wherever it was they were going. All of them decided that today was not the day to bother their Lord, they would most likely get cursed if they did which none of them wanted. How Harry Potter never got cursed was beyond them.
--
    With a long, agitated sigh Harry fell back onto his dorm bed. The four of them had just gotten back to Hogwarts and now Harry just wanted to lay down. Dealing with Voldemort took quite a bit out of him, even if it wasn't physically draining to be around the man.
    Draco didn't hesitate to plant himself beside the boy and Ginny curled up on the other side of Harry while Hermione laid on top of the three of them. It wasn't as though the girl was heavy, at least for Harry, and neither Draco nor Ginny ever seemed to mind. They always did this after meeting Voldemort. Harry assumed the girls wanted to lay with them for their own comfort, to assure that everyone was alive and Harry didn't mind laying with them. All of them were very warm.
    The four fell asleep like that, laying together in a clump. Blaise found them hours later, having just returned from the long train ride back to Hogwarts, and he stopped the stare at the four before shaking his head and drawing the curtains around the bed for them. He would never understand the four of them.
    Draco was the first of the four of them awake, but he didn't bother levitating Hermione off of him so he could get up. Instead, he buried his hands in Harry's hair and began to run his fingers through it soothingly. It was only ever in his sleep that Harry looked peaceful, like he wasn't worrying about anything and everything didn't exist for a while. He loved how Harry moved closer to him, nearly crooning at his touch.
    The blonde thought back to the first time he had seen the wild-haired boy who was caked in dirt and mud, and he thought about how curiously scared he had been. And then Harry had kissed him, and Draco was grateful that Harry had kissed him at that moment in time. He couldn't think of not being with him.
    Hermione woke next, rolling onto the floor and then sitting up looking quite alarmed, which caused Draco to burst out laughing and Ginny to also wake with a start. The redhead jumped up, looking around only to catch sight of Hermione sitting on the floor looking quite confused and Draco laughing. Ginny giggled as she sat up fully, helping Hermione up from the ground to sit on the bed. Draco also sat up slightly, moving Harry's head to his chest and not stopping the running of his fingers through his hair.
    "What a lump!" Ginny motioned to Harry, but still spoke quietly so as to not wake him. Hermione yawned and Draco snickered which caused Hermione to glare slightly at the blonde.
    "I can't believe you just watched me fall onto the floor!" She scolded quietly. "You didn't even try to get up to help me."
    "I couldn't," Draco explained. "I was too busy laughing."
    Hermione huffed and Ginny also laughed much louder than Draco had, which caused Harry to wake up with a slight start, nearly hitting Draco in the face with his head. Draco, Hermione, and Ginny all looked at each other before they burst out laughing, causing a confused slightly disoriented Harry to look at them confused.
    "What happened?" He questioned but instead of answering Draco pulled Harry's head to his chest causing the boy to grab Draco wrists lightly, but Draco still hugged him closer as he laughed.
    Ginny finally got herself together enough to explain to him, wiping the tears in her eyes that had been forming at the corners.
    "H-Hermione fell off the bed," she choked out after a moment. "And Draco laughed at her, which woke me up and you just--" she was hit with another burst of laughter at this moment and Harry rolled his eyes as he let Draco hold him close. His friends were strange.