Clothed and Seeming

A/N:This is the final chapter. The whole story I wanted to
tell was too long and involved, and would have required time away from my
other fics in order to write it. Hope you enjoyed this. :)

\"Violent and delicious souls
This is not a conclusion
No revolution
Just a little confusion
On where your head has been…\"—Tori Amos, \"Ode to the Banana King\"

/…/ signifies parseltongue

~~*~~

The next morning, Harry awoke in the large, soft bed shared by
Voldemort and Lucius, and he couldn\'t help but be in awe.

The events of the night before played in his mind like a film loop.
Over and over, with just enough of a hint of unreality that he could
hardly believe it was all true.

He had slept with the Dark Lord, and with Lucius Malfoy. And he had
enjoyed the hell out of it. They were experienced, skilled lovers
who had taken him to heights he\'d never believed possible, and he
would remember last night always, no matter how many more times he
had the pleasure of being with them again in the future. His body
had been stretched taut in passion and lust, and his climax one of
the strongest he\'d ever had. Tom\'s use of parselmouth in bed had set
him on fire in ways he\'d never thought possible.

He was now addicted to the two men, and wondered when he would get
his next fix. He hoped it was soon.

Harry\'s mind wandered then, dwelling on the plans they now shared.

They were going to work together, in secret, to take control of the
wizarding world, with his friends and loved ones being protected and
provided for, and Sirius finally being freed.

Extricating himself from his two lovers quietly, so as not to wake
them, and finding a robe, the young Gryffindor walked over to the
window and looked out past the balcony out on to the grounds of
Riddle Manor, watching as the sun played out over the land. He
thought of his friends, and his housemates, and of Remus and Sirius.

He wondered what they would all say if they knew the truth—that he
had, in a way, sold his soul to the Devil to get what he wanted, and
to make sure that they would all have peace. What would his parents
think if they knew that he found himself attracted to their
murderer, and that the two of them had come to an understanding the
night before, setting aside their most critical differences in a
truce to work together and consolidate power?

He would make sure that things never got out of hand. Muggle borns
and halfbloods would still be allowed to go to Hogwarts, and he
would oppose any clampdown on their rights in the wizarding world,
but so long as people were generally free to do what they wanted, he
could live with Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort running things.

After all, in Muggle politics and media, all it takes is a few small
rewards and concessions thrown to the public, and they will
generally follow the party line being sold to them, about bills
being worthy of passage, even if they\'re laden down with bribes and
waste for the highest bidders, or about wars being fought in their
names, or about which products would help improve their lives the
most. Convince people that something is absolutely needed by playing
on their emotions, their fears, their prejudices, or their
patriotism, and the world is yours. Every Muggle government knows
this.

Wizards, despite their protests, are no different. Give them a few
small tokens, such as retaining open admissions to Hogwarts, some
better social services, and more streamlined efficiency at the
Ministry, and they\'d hardly notice the absence of the Dark Lord at
all, or that he was in actuality running the whole show, with a less
threatening public face in his stead.

Harry\'s thoughts were interrupted by a pair of strong arms around
him, enveloping him in warmth. Hot, soft lips brushed his cheek and
he could see the ebony curls in the corner of his eye as Tom nuzzled
up to him. Leaning back into the embrace, he closed his eyes and
reveled in the feel of that body pressed against his, and the
temptation that lay beneath the surface.

\"A knut for your thoughts, love?\" asked Voldemort quietly.

\"Just thinking about everything that has happened between you and I
these past few days, and in particular last night,\" sighed the young
wizard.

\"Any regrets?\" wondered the raven haired Slytherin.

\"No, not really. I suppose it\'s the Gryffindor habit of running
headlong into danger and meeting it face to face,\" he chuckled, and
he felt the heat of Tom\'s laugh against his neck. \"I just hope that
one day, if and when the truth comes out, that people will be able
to forgive me for doing this. I just don\'t want any more death, and
I don\'t want anyone I care about to suffer anymore.\"

\"Harry,\" said Tom seriously, as he turned the boy around to face
him, \"you can\'t stop all the world from suffering, and you can\'t
ease everyone\'s pain. That\'s the expectations of the world talking—
the whole pressure of being the Boy Who Lived. Don\'t let that get to
you. I know you have some guilt about this whole arrangement, at
least on some level, but remember—you\'re the one who came to me. You
are the one who saw a solution that would make both you and I happy,
and would give both of us a relative sense of peace that has never
existed for either of us. It won\'t be easy, but I think this can
work, if we just try.\"

\"You\'re right. And I do want this, and I want us to not kill each
other, and to come to an understanding. I just hope that this is for
the best, and that I\'m not making the biggest mistake of my life by
being here,\" he replied sadly. Pained green eyes looked into his,
and Tom suddenly felt the need to reassure the boy who, up until a
few days ago, he\'d have been more than happy to curse into oblivion.
Now this child was giving him a new outlook and a new possibility
for control. He couldn\'t—no, he wouldn\'t—let anything happen to him,
since it wouldn\'t be possible without Harry.

Bending down and giving the young Gryffindor a deep, searing kiss,
Voldemort looked at Harry and said, \"Look. I\'m not a good man. We\'ve
established that fact already. That\'s not going to change, and you
and I know it. And you and I are in effect staging a coup d\'etat,
but without the violence. But in the end, I think things will be
fine. You\'ll see, Harry,\" he whispered, drawing one more lingering
kiss from the boy in his arms. \"We\'ve already decided that the
alliance will be secret. Only the two of us, and Lucius and Severus
will know, and since all of us would stand to lose everything were
the truth known, I think your secret is safe,\" he reassured, as he
rubbed his hands in small circles on the young wizard\'s back.

\"He\'s telling the truth, Harry,\" said Lucius as he walked over to
where the other two wizards were standing. \"We\'re not Slytherins for
nothing. We know how to keep secrets, and how to handle these
situations. It will be fine, love,\" he finished, leaning over and
taking his own kisses from his two lovers.

Soft smile, and the boy looked at the two Dark wizards.

\"I know. And thank you both,\" he replied softly. Bowing and stealing
another pair of kisses, Lucius made his excuses and went to go
shower and dress, saying he had meetings at the Ministry soon and he
needed to get ready, leaving Tom and Harry alone.

Taking the boy in his arms once more, Tom leaned in, the lilting
sounds of parseltongue once again floating from his mouth.

/Have faith, my young serpent. With the two of us side by side, we
will be unstoppable. We will get everything we want, and the world
will fall at our feet,/ he hissed. /I promise you that./

As Voldemort spoke, Harry lost himself in the soft ruby gaze that
was fixed on him, and he responded in kind.

/I trust you. You\'ve never let me down so far. This won\'t be any
different,/ he answered.

/Good. You\'ll see, Harry. Soon, the lives we want will be ours,/
whispered Tom, and the two brunettes came together in one final
deep, hungry kiss.

After dressing and gathering his wand and journals, Harry looked at
his former rival and smiled shyly, cupping the cheek of the crimson
eyed Dark Lord. He turned to leave and grabbed the portkey, but Tom
stopped him, holding his arm.

\"Wait, love. Before you go, take this,\" he said, handing the boy a
leather pouch. Questioning look, and he told the Gryffindor, \"It\'s
Floo powder. You can always come here, either by portkey or into
that fireplace,\" he motioned, pointing to the massive display in the
center of the bedroom. \"Just say `Riddle Manor, private chambers\'
and you\'ll be here. I\'ll keep my wards keyed to let you in at will.\"

Awed, a smile crossed the young wizard\'s face and he looked up with
shy emerald eyes.

/Thank you. You will see me again. I promise you that,/ Harry stated
quietly.

/Good. Now go, young serpent. Your life awaits,/ answered Tom, and
with that, the two wizards kissed briefly, sharing a meaningful
glance as Harry\'s wand touched the portkey, sending him back to the
world he\'d left behind the day before.

No more was he the same Golden Boy that he had been. He had a
purpose. He had plans. And they would be seen to fruition, come what
may. He\'d crossed the biggest bridge imaginable, coming to an
agreement with Voldemort, and now all that remained was time. Soon,
he would be free, and soon, his life would be forever changed.

He could hardly wait.

~~fin~~