Clothed and Seeming

A/N: More correspondence, and a long awaited meeting is planned. But
what does Harry want?

\"So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I\'ll lay your soul to waste….\"—The Rolling Stones, \"Sympathy for
the Devil\"

~~*~~

Harry was awakened the next morning by the sound of Hedwig tapping
lightly on his window, so he crossed the room and let her in.

After untying the envelope attached to her leg, he sat down and took
in the elegant script of Tom Riddle, and mulled over a response. It
made sense that Voldemort wouldn\'t automatically trust him. After
all, why in the hell would the Boy Who Lived deliberately contact
the Dark Lord? He\'d have to be careful in what he wrote back, and he
had a lot to do before then, so he decided to think about his
response while going through his errands for the day. Of course, he
would explain this to Tom, lest he take offense that a response was
not immediate. It might even give him a few extra points on the part
of his archrival, showing that he is methodical, and is not acting
rashly.

Showering and dressing quickly, Harry made his way downstairs and
ate a light breakfast, bidding good morning to the amiable innkeeper
and then making his way down Diagon Alley to Gringott\'s.

Once he\'d made a withdrawal, the young Gryffindor walked over to
Madam Malkin\'s and bought himself a complete new wardrobe, from silk
boxers and socks to slacks, shoes, jumpers, shirts, and the like. He
also bought himself three sets of dress robes, and a new set of
school robes. He\'d hit a final growth spurt, and was a bit taller
than before, and it was nice to finally walk out with clothing made
for him and in colors and styles that he liked, and which flattered
him.

A trip to the optometrist meant that his sight was now perfectly
corrected, so he was able to throw away his old glasses, which were
expired and always breaking anyways. Another trip, to a wizarding
salon, gave him a slightly more tamed hairstyle, though the curls
still overran his face. It just wasn\'t as messy as before.

Taking a long look at himself, he finally saw a confident, capable
young man instead of a scrawny boy in hand me down rags and looking
dowdy. He decided to go to Flourish and Blotts for some reading
materials, and to the Owl Emporium to get treats for Hedwig. After a
light lunch, a final stop at Quality Quidditch Supplies left him
with a new set of dragon hide boots and gloves for matches and a new
cloak, then the black haired boy made his way back to his room so he
could read and study the books he\'d purchased, and work on his reply
to Voldemort.

After reading a treatise on the nature of magic, and on the history
of the founders as it applied to the subject, Harry finally sat back
and tried to figure out what he was going to tell Tom.

Putting quill to ink, he pulled a fresh parchment and began to write.

Tom—

Thank you for writing back to me.

I can understand your surprise and your natural suspicion. After
all, why would the Boy Who Lived get in touch with you willingly?
Hopefully, I can provide you with enough of an answer without giving
too much away, as there are many things to talk about in person, and
writing about them seems so strange.

I got your letter this morning when I woke up, but I\'ve taken my
time in writing back, spending my day today taking care of some
personal details that needed tending to. Plus, I wanted to time to
think, and to reason my response to you instead of just writing
blindly. I needed to consider everything fully, and understand why
it is that I want to meet you, and why I want this alliance.

After thinking about it most of the day, I\'ve come to a conclusion.
Some of our goals are similar, and I believe that if we try things
in the way I\'m thinking of, we can both get what we want. You will
have control of the wizarding world politically, and I will have the
peace and freedom I have always desired, for myself and for those I
love. Together, we could make it happen with a minimum of bloodshed
and a maximum of results. A few minor concessions would be all it
would take, and just the right amount of planning. It is possible,
Tom. I know it is.

You might be surprised at the methods I\'ve considered for this, but
I won\'t go into them now. Those are best saved for a personal
conversation with you and your advisors. I don\'t mind their
presence. More voices, and more questions to consider are a good
thing, and I would welcome the exchange willingly.

I look forward to meeting with you in person. Just send Hedwig back
with the details of where and when to meet, and how to get there. I
will find my way to you.

Yours,
Harry Potter

Tying the envelope to Hedwig\'s leg, Harry opened his window once
more, setting her free, and then turning back to the books he had
bought, immersing himself in the material that had attracted him. He
would wait patiently for Voldemort\'s reply, whatever it was.

~~*~~

\"So you say this letter came for you last night, and he wrote you on
his own?\" asked the incredulous voice as the man scanned the neat
script on the parchment in his hands.

\"As shocking as it is to believe, Severus, it appears that our young
Mister Potter is tired of his life as the Gryffindor Golden Boy, and
is looking for other options,\" replied Voldemort smugly as he nursed
a single malt scotch and sat back in his study.

That day, Tom had summoned Snape to him, and the two men, along with
Lucius, were currently discussing the letter from the Boy Who Lived
and what it could possibly mean.

The Potions master leaned back on the sofa, taking a sip of his own
drink, completely thunderstruck. He wondered what could possibly
have happened to Harry to lead him to take such a risk. Dumbledore
hadn\'t given him any indication that there was anything wrong, and
he\'d not heard a word about the boy being away from home or in
trouble, so he was curious.

\"He looks for options, yet he says outright that he will not join
you, or kill for you, or take the Mark, my Lord. I\'ve taught the boy
for the last six years, and in those years, I can tell you this
doesn\'t sound like him at all. Something in the boy has changed,\"
said the dark haired Slytherin.

\"I agree,\" interjected Lucius. \"But what? What changed in this boy
to make him go from being the savior of the wizarding world to
wanting to work with the Dark Lord who killed his parents to not
only give that Lord what he wants, but a few things for himself as
well?\"

\"That, my friend,\" answered Severus, \"is the million galleon
question. I know the boy is bright and cunning, though I\'ve never
told him so, and he\'s a fighter, but I\'ve never known him to be this
calculating.\"

\"Well, then, gentlemen,\" shrugged Voldemort, \" I suppose the only
thing to do now is to wait and see if the child responds to my
letter and take it from there.\" The two Death Eaters nodded in
agreement, and all three men went back to their drinks, each trying
to discern the motives of the Boy Who Lived.

As if on cue, there was a tap at the window. This time, Severus got
up and crossed the room, opening the latch and allowing Harry\'s
white, snowy owl in. Quickly untying the envelope, he gave Hedwig a
treat from the side table nearby, and she perched herself nearby and
slept once more.

\"Ah, so the prodigal son has replied,\" said Tom as he reached out
and took the letter from the obsidian eyed wizard near him. \"Let us
see what the child has to say.\"

Tom sat quietly, reading the words on the page, and he began to
gather his thoughts as he handed the page off to Lucius for him to
read, who then in turn handed it to Severus.

Shifting thoughtfully in his chair, Tom looked at his two most loyal
Death Eaters. \"So the boy is truly sincere, and is interested not in
the world at large per se, but rather what he can get out of this
for himself, at least to a point, yet he clearly abhors violence, as
his comment about minimum bloodshed implies.\"

\"And I have to wonder what methods he speaks of, my Lord,\" said
Lucius. \"He mentions political control being yours, so my guess is
that part of his plans include political bargaining, but to what
end, and how? And what concessions is he talking about? He leaves
far too much to chance. We have to know more before we proceed.\"

\"Severus, what do you think?\" asked Tom, as he turned his ruby gaze
on the black haired wizard to his right.

\"Well, my Lord, clearly, as I said before, something has changed in
the boy. This is not the Gryffindor I thought I knew,\" replied the
Potions master. \"This child is almost Slytherin in his approach.
Methodical. Wanting an exchange—he gets something, and so do you.
Precise. He waited all day, thinking and reasoning out his feelings,
and although this letter doesn\'t reveal much about what approach he
thinks will work, it shows a lot about his mental state.\"

Continuing on, Snape went on to say, \"I would think a meeting would
be wise, my Lord. This is not the same child as before, and I am
curious now more than ever as to what has changed his mind, and why
he is acting this way. I don\'t think it\'s a trap of any sort—there
is no hint of Dumbledore\'s influence, or of Ministry interference.
It couldn\'t hurt to bring him here and see what he wants.\"

Lucius looked at his longtime friend and asked, \"Bring him here? Are
you sure?\"

Pointed look and Snape replied, \"Where else do you suggest we meet?
Hogsmeade? Diagon Alley? And the boy going into Knockturn Alley
would be suspicious. Where else but here? We portkey him here, talk
to him, then give him a portkey back to wherever he is now. He made
the first move, and I doubt he\'d be fool enough to attack three
fully trained wizards, each of whom has mastery of the Dark Arts, on
his own. I think it\'s the best way.\"

The blonde sighed. \"You\'re right, Severus. I think that will work.
It certainly couldn\'t hurt,\" he mused.

Running his hands through his hair, Voldemort considered what Snape
had suggested and decided that it would be done. Turning to Lucius,
he said, \"Create a portkey to this study that will activate tomorrow
night, and which we will then remake to send him back to wherever he
is staying. Make it small and discreet. I will write the boy now
and tell him to come at 7 o\'clock tomorrow night, where the four of
us will have dinner, then talk.\"

Standing, the blonde made his way across the room and replied \"Of
course, my Lord.\" He went to a small floral display and found a
small, smooth pebble, creating a portkey that would bring Harry by
at quarter til seven, and which would then be reactivated later at
night. Handing it Voldemort, the two Death Eaters watched patiently
as their Lord pulled another piece of parchment and his quill, and
wrote a short note to the Gryffindor boy.

My dearest Harry—

I must say, my boy, you have my full attention now.

I have shown your letters to my advisors, and they have suggested
dinner tomorrow night here, at Riddle Manor, at 7 o\'clock. I am
sending you a portkey that will activate at 6:45 p.m., and we will
give you another one here before you leave, so as to not arouse
suspicion.

You have no need to fear this dinner. There will be only four of us
here, and the house elves know better than to cross me. And since I
truly want to hear what you have to say, no harm will come to you by
my hand, or by any other. You have my word on that, such as it is.

I will see you tomorrow night, dear Harry. I am already looking
forward to it.

Yours,
Tom

As Hedwig left with the letter and portkey, the three men retired
for the night, going their separate ways, each man wondering what
was going to happen the next evening, and about the changes in the
Boy Who Lived.

~~*~~