He sighed and sat contemplating a little more before he stood to get himself a drink, Nagini asleep around his neck still and draped in looping coils down and around his body. Coming to a decision, he called out for a house-elf to call one of several Death Eaters that always stayed in this abandoned manor house with him.
He poured himself a drink and sipped at it thoughtfully for several minutes, thinking his forming plan through from all angles. A sharp, solid trio of knocks at the door had him calling out a soft grant of permission to enter the room.
"You wished to see me, my Lord." Antonin Dolohov asked, bowing low at the waist.
"I need your arm, Dolohov." He said softly.
The man pushed back the sleeve of his robes in one quick, fluid movement, even as he was already walking towards him.
Voldemort smiled at this show of loyalty, there had been no hesitation in Dolohov at all and as he pressed a finger to the red mark on Dolohov's arm, turning it jet black, he felt the slight flinch at the sensation, but Dolohov didn't even try to pull away. He knew that it was burning, but Dolohov looked stoically ahead, not showing any sign of the pain that he must have been feeling.
A small pop of Apparation was heard a short while later and he turned to his new guest. "You called for me, my Lord?" The new voice asked carefully.
"Yes, I did. I have need of you for something. Dolohov, leave us."
Dolohov bowed at the waist yet again and left the room, closing the heavy, solid wood door firmly behind him, leaving Voldemort to look happily at his new arrival.
"Come, have a seat. We have much to talk about."
Last Time A small pop of Apparation was heard a short while later and he turned to his new guest. "You called for me, my Lord?" The new voice asked carefully.
"Yes, I did. I have need of you for something. Dolohov, leave us." Dolohov bowed at the waist yet again and left the room, closing the heavy, solid wood door firmly behind him, leaving Voldemort to look happily at his new arrival.
"Come, have a seat. We have much to talk about."
The first few days of the winter holidays were a little stuttered and awkward for the two betrothed, but very quickly Harry found a niche with Rabastan and they both fell into it easily and comfortably until the awkwardness just melted away.
They could converse about things now, where before Harry had been struggling to find subjects and topics that wouldn't bore Rabastan to death and he had worried about it constantly. Now, he looked forward to talking to Rabastan about anything and everything. As soon as he stopped worrying about making a fool of himself, he found that Rabastan was surprisingly easy to talk to and very understanding about their age difference, and thus their naturally different interests.
It got easier once he found out that Rabastan really liked Arithmancy, as in, it had been his favourite subject when he had been in Hogwarts. He'd also found out that talking about the Ministry was a good middle ground for them both, despite it being responsible for imprisoning Rabastan and his brother, Rabastan was very interested in the goings-on of the Ministry and all the politics that were at play within it.
So though it was strictly forbidden by law, Harry enjoyed sharing his Wizengamot debates with Rabastan, who enjoyed hearing, in detail, about everything that was being currently voted on and how Harry was personally doing in the courts. It wasn't like Rabastan could go out into the wizarding public and tell others about what Harry was saying after all and Harry trusted Rabastan not to rat him out, even if he could have gone out into public. That and it was never spoken of but universally understood that most of the lords would tell their wives, or spouses, about the happenings of the court. It was just one of those things that happened but was mostly ignored until one of said spouses gossiped to their friends, then it became a problem. But most of them understood that they would get their husbands into serious trouble if they talked, so they kept their mouths shut and instead they gossiped about other things.
Someone knocked on Harry's bed suite door and he put a bookmark into his current Ancient Runes book and closed it while he called for whoever it was to enter.
He grinned when Rabastan entered his sitting room. He put the closed book onto the square side table beside his armchair so that he could give his full attention to Rabastan.
"I believe that you're taking liberties now." Harry told him teasingly. "Imagine coming into my bedroom at night without a chaperone? You could do anything to me in here." Harry winked at him naughtily.
The door slammed off of the wall and Harry grimaced as he realised that Rabastan had not been as alone as he'd first thought. Rodolphus had his arms crossed over his chest and a very serious, icy looking glare on his face.
"Oh…oops. Evening, Rodolphus." Harry said with his best innocent grin. "There's absolutely no chance that you aren't going to tell everyone what I just said, is there?"
"Absolutely none." Rodolphus replied stonily.
Harry sighed. "I was only joking you know."
"I'm not taking that chance with my brother." Rodolphus told him seriously.
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