HP: Fairborn Adventures

March 19th, 1978

He watched the never-ending dance of flames in the large Gryffindor fireplace, enjoying the gentle warmth that radiated across to where he was sitting. The fire sizzled and hissed, cracking beam after beam of wood that seemed to never run out.

A warm weight slipped into his lap, startling him momentarily before a slim pair of arms circled his neck and a familiar scent filled his nostrils.

The veil of golden hair was tossed aside, revealing soft blue eyes that sparkled playfully: "Missed me?"

'What would I even do if it were a different girl slipping onto my lap?' Harry turned the thought over: 'And what would my fiancé do if she saw us...'

"I always miss you." Harry tilted her head down for a kiss until her lips curved into a smile: "Still, I can't help but wonder how someone allowed an eagle into the lions' den?"

A peal of laughter burst from her lips: "I'm an honorary 'Dork at this point, always rushing into the heat of the action." She turned around in his lap, gesturing to the portrait hole: "I just finished another Patronus session with Lily and Remus. They shared the password with me under the condition that I don't sneak into your dorm too often at night."

"Did they define how frequently per week that entails?" Harry's hand roamed down to her hips. "I need to know how many nightly visits to expect so I can prepare appropriately."

"You'll be very disappointed. It's not as many as we'd both like. The password will likely be changed after the Easter Break anyway, won't it?" Marlene wiggled in his lap until she found a comfortable position, leaning back into his chest with a content sigh: "Do you think the Potters will still prepare a separate guest room for me this time?"

"I think Dorea will keep it up for as long as we don't share the same last name, just to respect some ancient pureblood traditions," Harry chuckled: "Does that mean I'm forced to share a blanket again and will get abused to serve as a pillow each night?"

"Shut up, you love being my personal pillow." Marlene rolled her eyes while aligning her fingers over his, absently playing with his ring: "Still, I can't wait to share your surname one day."

'Marlene Elizabeth Peverell.' Harry turned the sound over in his head. 'I could get used to that.'

"Soon, love." He kissed her neck and protectively wrapped his arms around her: "When this is all over, we can spend every night just like now. Cuddled up in a squishy armchair close to a warm fire while perhaps sipping on some hot chocolate."

"Chocolate sounds good. But hopefully it will be a bit quieter in our future home," Marlene snorted, glancing over her shoulder at the dozens of other Gryffindors who spend the last day before the holidays in a similar fashion: "Although, if things go our way, it won't be quiet at the Peverells for long and not for many years to come either."

'A family.' Harry swallowed heavily. Peals of children's laughter echoed through his thoughts. He instinctively rested his open palm over Marlene's stomach.

"If you feel a twitch then only because I'm hungry, love." The blonde shook with laughter.

"Sorry," Harry murmured and removed his hand.

"It's fine, I understand you." Her fingers stopped him and placed them back with gentle pressure: "But you'll have to hold your horses a bit longer. Now's not the time to put a baby in me." Marlene sighed: "There are many other things to worry about."

"Indeed." Harry nodded: "Actually I wanted to talk-"

"Attention everybody, this is a Public Service Announcement!" Sirius's amplified voice suddenly echoed through the common room from the staircase leading up to the boys' dorms: "Has anyone seen my friend Wormtail? He's about five feet tall, maybe even five one on a good day, with rat- I mean mouse brown hair. He occasionally goes by the name 'Peter'." Sirius observed the crowd challengingly: "If anyone sees him, please let him know that Sirius Black is looking for him! Thank you!"

"Always one for a dramatic entrance." Harry shook his head with a chuckle when Sirius jumped down the set of stairs and strolled over to where they were seated.

His gray eyes found them, lips curling into a devilish grin: "Looks like it's getting hot and heavy over here and I'm not talking about the fire..."

"Is the little puppy jealous?" Marlene tilted her head.

"What do you need Peter for?" Harry asked while his godfather shooed some third years out of a chair, casually levitated it closer to Harry, and flopped into it with a long sigh.

"James and I wanted to head down to the kitchens to get some snacks and check if the elves are willing to part from some bottles of fire whiskey or perhaps a decent wine." Sirius lifted his feet onto the footrest: "But once again, Peter is off with the Map somewhere..."

"Once again?" Harry and Marlene exchanged a brief glance: "Has it occurred often?"

"Often?" Sirius echoed: "Pretty much all the time, mate. I see as little of him as I see of you two love birds, but unlike you, I don't think he's hooking up with a hot Ravenclaw..." Sirius scratched the faint amount of stubble at his chin; his trademark grin returned: "Although if he does indeed have a girlfriend, it would explain why he's always taking the Map with him..."

'I need to check where he's at.'

"I see," Harry murmured, deep in thought, his fingers drumming over Marlene's thigh: "Are James and Remus in the dorm right now?"

"Nah, they finally made good use of James's head tosser badge and walked down to the kitchen under the pretense of having followed some 'disturbance'." Sirius barked in laughter, gray eyes shifting to a sixth-year Gryffindor who quickly averted her gaze and startled giggling with her friend: "Hopefully they're back soon. I'm feeling like a little party before we're all leaving for the holiday."

The blonde in Harry's lap turned and studied him with large blue eyes, an unreadable expression on her face: "Well, be a good puppy and let us know once they returned with snacks, Sirius." Marlene jumped off of Harry's lap and seized his hand: "Until then, Harry and I will be in the dorm."

"Fair enough, have fun you two!" Sirius grinned knowingly: "Don't forget the silencing charms and make sure to lock the door. No need to terrify some poor first-year who got lost."

They quickly fought their way through the crowd of students, provoking the occasional stare when they both darted up the staircase to the seventh-year boys' dorm.

"I can hear the rumors spreading already," Harry laughed as he locked the door and unfolded his own version of the Map from within his robes.

"I stopped caring about what the little people think of me a long time ago." Marlene sat down on the edge of his bed: "I'm wearing your ring around my finger. Even the most conservative purebloods can't exactly shame us for what we do in private at this point."

"I suppose that's true," Harry shrugged, eyes roaming over the Map: "Now where are you, you little rat?"

"Is there a way to locate him?" Marlene frowned, leaning over his shoulder to catch a glimpse at the Map herself.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Harry chanted while the Elder Wand slipped into his palm. He brought the tip to the parchment: "Find Peter Pettigrew!"

The ink footprints and names faded in color, became dull, and then fully transparent except for one single tag on the seventh floor.

"There's no way." Harry's heart began pounding faster when he noticed where exactly Peter was standing. He met Marlene's eyes, seeing his own expression of disbelief mirrored on her face: "This can't be a coincidence!"

"Check if he's alone," Marlene whispered, fingers curling into his robes.

"Finite," Harry murmured and tapped the Map again. Hundreds of names faded back into view, yet only two more were added to the seventh floor. That of Dumbledore who was sitting in his office and another name right next to Pettigrew.

"Elana Rosier," Marlene hissed in a whisper: "Oh, I'm going to kill that slippery, little whore."

"I don't think they've figured out how exactly the room works yet," Harry murmured, suppressing a spike of anger: "But he must have somehow gathered that there's something behind the wall. There's no way they chose this corridor for a random meeting spot. I'm just wondering how he found the place."

"Sirius said the rat is always keeping the Map for himself these days." Marlene bit her bottom lip: "Perhaps he has been using it to keep track of us and saw us entering? No one else in the Castle knows about the Room and how to enter it, besides Dumbledore."

"If he saw us walking up and down the blank piece of wall three times, then he would soon figure it out." Harry murmured: "The Fidelius is only applied to the Room of Hidden Things, not the Room of Requirements. Nothing will stop them from entering and using it."

"We should have kept an eye on him a lot sooner," Marlene fumed. She jumped off the edge of the bed, blonde curls bouncing from side to side: "Just because he's a coward and a weakling doesn't mean he can't become an obstacle in the path to our sunset. We vowed not to take any risks, love!"

"We just had other people to prioritize first to weaken Voldemort's main forces," Harry sighed: "But I agree with you. This friendship with a Slytherin from a known Death Eater family makes him a risk."

"I wish we could just kill him and his little slag and be done with it." Marlene stomped on her heel, fingers tightened into fists. "I hate seeing her ugly sneer every day in class." She took a deep calming breath, tossing her braid over one shoulder: "But if we harm as much as a single hair on her head, Dumbledore will know it was us, even if we make it look like an accident."

"You're right of course. We can't kill either of them right now." Harry grimaced: "But that doesn't mean we can't make use of whatever alliance has formed between them. I don't think it's a coincidence that Rosier has gotten closer to Pettigrew over those last few months. There must be a bigger plot behind this..."

"How do we crush them?"

"We watch them once we return from the holidays and figure out what exactly they're up to and why they've gathered an interest in the room," Harry decided: "Then we start feeding them wrong information and check where it ends up."

"Until the obstacle in our path becomes an opportunity to progress even quicker." Marlene nodded satisfied: "I like it."

"The rat will be dealt with eventually. For everything he has done to my family and anything he could be doing in this future." Harry's eyes hardened as they returned to the ink name tag: "There's no redemption for you, Peter. Not this time around."

March 29th, 1978

The sun set low in the sky like fresh colors brushed upon an artist's canvas. He stared into the distance, enchanted by the sheer beauty of watching the vast lands stretching behind Potter manor bathed in a warm rosa light.

"What are you thinking about?" Marlene's fingers slipped in between his own. She leaned her head against his shoulder; the scent of her hair filled his nostrils.

"That sunsets are beautiful," Harry said: "I'd love to watch them every day with you."

"We'd probably have to move somewhere else for that." Marlene smiled softly: "I'm pretty sure the British weather won't grant us this experience every day and neither will it change that drastically in the near future."

"It doesn't matter. I'll still have my sunset with you." Harry kissed her head and swooped an arm around her waist: "There's more to sunsets than their beautiful appearance. Sunsets are a definition of a perfect conclusion, of a small dream coming true."

"But they also don't last forever." Marlene raised her head and pointed to a patch of twirling silver that was carried by the gentle breeze over towards them.

"It's a Patronus," Harry frowned, letting the Elder Wand slide into his palm.

The silvery mist stopped a few meters in front of them, twisted and wrenched until it formed into a large wolf.

"It's Remus'." Marlene stepped towards the Patronus: "I've seen him cast it dozens of times during our training sessions."

"What could he-"

The wolf suddenly opened its mouth, flashing silvery teeth. Harry edged a step backward when a massive explosion rang from somewhere deep within the creature's mouth.

"Harry, my village is under attack!" Never before had Remus's voice sounded so desperate. "Our wards broke! I think they're Werewo-"

The voice broke off, carried away by the breeze in soft hisses and whispers. Simultaneously, the Patronus vanished with a faint snap.

A shiver ran down Harry's spine. He could almost feel the blood pumping in his veins as adrenaline flooded his body.

"Harry!" Marlene tucked on his arm, twisting him around to face her. Her chest heaved and lowered rapidly. Her eyes shifted from left to right so quickly that he thought she'd gone mad.

"Harry, are we going?" She brushed her wand through her hair, drawing it into a high ponytail: "It could very well be a trap for us!"

"I know." Harry shrugged off his robes and held out his hand: "And that is exactly why we're going."

"No risks." She met his gaze, eyes shining with determination before her fingers found him and tightened.

He wrenched the world past them, staggering through high grass that tickled his ankles a split second later.

A foul, burning scent filled his nostrils as he took a deep breath and glanced around. The lone cottage of the Lupin family lay at the bottom of a hill, surrounded by a patch of apple trees.

Yet it looked nothing like Harry remembered. Thick black smoke stirred from the cottage's roof high into the night sky, clouding the sunset and robbing the valley of the last beams of light. A second explosion rang through the night. A small barn close to the apple trees lit up like a firework, burning brightly and illuminating the surrounding area.

Dark shadows dashed along the small stream of water that ran parallel to the dirt road leading down into the village. They moved at an unnatural speed, propelling themselves forward on all fours. The closer they got to the burning cottage, the more they resembled humans instead of the large creatures Harry had previously assumed. Still, their nails were claws, their teeth long and sharp.

"Werewolves." Harry took Marlene's hand and apparated them closer down the hill, taking position behind the thickest of the apple trees.

"How can they move like that?" Marlene stared at the shadows in a mixture of curiosity and disgust, her eyes darting up towards the sky briefly: "The full moon won't rise until the day after tomorrow."

"I don't know, but perhaps we'll find out." Harry tightened his hold on the Elder Wand: "Make sure you don't get bitten, not even scratched! Fur doesn't suit you, love."

Marlene opened her mouth to reply when the door to the cottage was suddenly blown away.

"I've got the Lupin boy!" A behemoth of a man appeared in the door, forced to duck to even make it through: "He wasn't very fast. Not very good with his wand either..."

"Fenrir Greyback." Harry hissed while Marlene shuddered in disgust.

Thick, black hair covered his exposed upper body and face. In one massive hand, he held three wands, crushing them like toothpicks when he stepped into the open. With the other hand, he yanked a second, much smaller person out of the house and tossed him into the dirt, like a wet rag.

Two more men came out of the house, each dragging another person with them of which neither seemed fully conscious, their faces covered in blood.

The blonde twisted her wand beside him: "Homenum Revelio."

"25," she reported after counting each time her wand hummed between her fingers: "Some of them are still in the house."

"We've got what we came for," Greyback growled in a deep voice: "Kill the parents!"

In an instant, the surrounding shadows hurled themselves at two of their victims before neither Harry nor Marlene managed to react. A set of terrible screams tore through the silent night and over crackling of the fire as they clawed and bit into every inch of human skin they could reach, tearing apart the wizard and witch limb by limb.

"To the village next!" Greyback ordered his pack, picking up the sobbing form of Remus and hurling him over his shoulder like a sack of flour: "Make the most of what has been gifted to us! Kill and feast to your pleas-"

He paused, his snout-like nose raised high into the air to take a whiff. Then he bared his teeth in a feral grin: "He's here... finally. And I can smell the little witch is with him as well..."

The pack around him howled in triumph and ran their tongues over their teeth hungrily. They started spreading out, heads held high to whiff their scents.

"You know what to do," Harry murmured as Marlene's fingers found him and he wrenched the world past them once more, apparating on a large stack of firewood close to the barn.

"Harry Peverell." Greyback's yellow eyes found them: "You came to save the Lupin boy, just as he predicted."

"I actually came to kill you," Harry replied calmly. He twirled the Elder Wand around, showering the grass to his feet with silver sparks: "And even your best attempt at puppy eyes won't stop me."

"The boy has fulfilled his purpose then." Greyback grabbed Remus by the collar of his robes and held him up high in the air with one hand, so his feet dangled almost a meter above the ground.

"NO!"

In one fluent motion, the werewolf dodged Harry's green flash of light and seized Remus's neck with his other hand, tightening his grip around it like a vice. Then he yanked the boy's head clean off and tossed it aside, spurting blood and fragments of the pale skull all over his bare chest.

Silence settled over the yard as Remus's head landed in the mud with a low thud. Then, the entire pack howled in triumph and went on the attack. Black shadows with bright yellow eyes dashed over the tall grass towards their position, using the thick smoke of the burning cottage to their advantage.

'You will die for that.' Harry felt an untamable fury fuel his magic; cold hatred turned into deadly precision as he jumped into action. 'You will all die for that.'

Curse after curse left the tip of his wand and flashed over the yard, leaving massive explosions and car-sized craters. Yet, no matter the speed at which he cast, their nimble attackers effortlessly dodged the spells and vanished in the darkness. The passing beams of light seemed to only enrage them further as they kept getting closer to their position.

'Let's see if you dodge this.' Harry wrenched the Elder Wand around, releasing a shimmering tide of potent magic that tore apart the first five hairy shadows it encountered in a spray of crimson, flesh, and bones.

Not keen to suffer the same fate, the half-transformed wolves ceased their attack. Instead, they crept through the high grass to each side of them, keeping a healthy distance until Harry and Marlene were completely surrounded.

Part of the smoke cleared momentarily, revealing the pack's leader who had not even changed his position yet.

"Pathetic," Greyback snarled, tossing Remus's headless corpse into the dirt, right next to what was left of his parents: "'He was the strongest child I ever turned. But then he tamed his wolf, caged the monster, and tried to bury strength he should have embraced."

"It's not the typical night to walk the dog yet." Harry summoned the heavily deformed head of one of the attackers that fell to his spell. He levitated it in front of him to study it for a few seconds before banishing it over to Greyback: "But you're not even half as furry as you should be either."

"A priceless gift from the Dark Lord." Greyback crushed the skull of his pack member under his feet: "You wizards always think about a cure for us. As if this strength was something that needed curing. No-", Greyback shook his head, flashing sharp, yellow teeth, "-like every small cub, it merely needed to be fed and raised to its full potential."

"Let's see your potential then."

Harry caught multiple black shadows creeping through grass, preparing themselves to launch up at their position on the stack of firewood. He forced his magic into the air around them, wrapping anything that moved into a tightly woven bubble before slicing the Elder Wand vertically.

Four animalistic screams tore through the night before the wolves were torn apart, crushed into an unrecognizable pulp of splintered bones and mashed flesh, spreading red far across the blades of grass.

The enraged howls of the rest of the pack grew closer from all sides. Harry and Marlene stood back-to-back firing curses at anything that moved in the darkness.

Black shadows jumped at them from all directions. Their teeth and claws scratched over the wooden beams Harry and Marlene stood on, missing them by mere inches. Now Greyback also led the charge, leaping at them out of the darkness at a speed that made Harry dizzy.

The smoke of the burning cottage obscured the entire yard. Harry and Marlene could barely see each other; let alone their attackers if it weren't for the bright yellow eyes.

'We need better vision.'

Harry cursed and wrenched the Elder Wand down with a roar. Marlene's fingers curled into his robes to steady herself when the strong gust of wind almost tossed her off the platform: "A warning next time, love?"

"I don't like what I see, but at least I can see now." Harry murmured as he took in the scene in front of him.

"You're powerful, Peverell." Greyback acknowledged, now slowly approaching him with the rest of his followers close behind him: "You'd make a fine wolf, but the Dark Lord has different plans for you."

Marlene fired a bright green killing curse, but Greyback simply twitched his head out of its path, gazing contemptuously up at them.

"The little witch is powerful as well." His yellow eyes drifted to Marlene, hunger gleaming in their depths: "The Dark Lord has offered me you as a reward, little witch. You will bear me and my pack many strong cubs until we eventually grow tired of your body."

"Never!" Marlene hissed in anger and whirled around next to Harry.

She wrapped the countless blades of grass in a smooth coating of her magic, pushing continuously until each of the thin blades hardened and green turned to steel gray.

Soft, harmless grass became hard, unyielding metal and stopped the werewolves dead in their tracks, cutting deep into their limbs and eliciting painful howls and animalistic whimpers.

"I have an idea," Harry murmured to Marlene. "Playtime is over now. Time to clean up."

After receiving a short nod in understanding, Harry apparated them to the entrance of the cottage, right behind enemy lines, where they each thrust their wands forward. Two sizzling streams of Fiendfyre erupted from both pieces of wood and engulfed everything in their path, circling the pack in a wall of flame.

Only Greyback manages to escape the blazing grave by hurling himself to the side. The rest of his pack wasn't so lucky. The scent of scorched fur and hair almost made Harry gag. The werewolves withered and twitched in the flames. Their skin and raw flesh melted off pale bones and dripped into charred grass.

Harry poured his cool hatred into the flames, subduing them and forcing them back into angry hisses and sizzles until they vanished.

Marlene was panting heavily, clutching her side.

"I wasn't touched by any of them," she quickly wheezed when Harry approached her worryingly: "That last spell just takes a lot out of me."

"You did well." Harry let his eyes roam over the devastated, smoldering yard.

White ash rained down on pale skeletons and blackened grass. A black mass crawled towards the shade of the apple trees, barely making progress with only using one arm.

Harry apparated them to the other side with a soft snap and stepped on Greyback's fingers, crushing his bones underneath his heel.

He ignored the werewolf's screams and let his eyes roam over the terrible burns and blackened skin, truly enjoying the thrill of satisfaction at having caused those injuries: "It's over, Greyback."

"The Dark Lord was right about you, Peverell," the abnormally large man growled at them: "I hope you wizards all kill each other. Someone else will continue my work and overthrow you eventually."

"Well, it won't be you or any of your cubs." Marlene snapped his wand and tossed the pieces into the grass. "Because this little witch will kill all of them."

"I could send you back to your master, tail between your legs," Harry mused loudly, twirling the Elder Wand between his fingers.

Raising his hand, he wandlessly lifted Greyback up, letting him dangle freely in the air: "But I think your head will make an even better message."

Greyback began screaming in mid-air as a set of invisible hands held onto his shoulders steady while a second pair lifted his head inch by inch. The skin around his neck started tearing; crimson dwelled from within the tiny rips. His spine began cracking and finally, the head was ripped off his torso with a loud snap.

Harry dropped the torso but kept the head up high in the air, carving two words into the skin of the forehead with his wand.

'Lap Dog.'

"Let's go, Harry." Marlene's hand found his, gently squeezing it.

"You're right." Harry wiped the ash and sweat off of his forehead with his sleeve. The exhaustion slowly settled in his bones: "Let's take Remus's body and-"

A tingle ran down his spine; the hairs on his arms started standing up straight. Harry whirled around in panic; Elder Wand held up high in expectancy of a spell.

'No!'

A tall, thin, and black-robed figure stepped out of a cloud of swirling black smoke with a smooth whirl of their cloak. Harry's hand started trembling madly. Dread clawed at his insides. Not for himself, but for the girl standing next to him.

Lord Voldemort's face was as white and gaunt as he remembered. Crimson eyes burning bright as coals stared at Harry with child-like curiosity. A pale yew wand was held lazily between two long fingers.

"You should leave!" Harry forced his lips open and murmured to Marlene, who was frozen in shock next to him, seemingly unable to move her limbs.

"Harry, I-"

"Leave!" Harry repeated, almost begging her: "NOW!"

"I love you." His fingers were squeezed one last time before he heard her vanish with a faint snap.

"You didn't have to send her away, Harry. It's not her time yet." Voldemort's thin lips curled into a cruel smile: "The girl has to be the very last person I take away from you. So many other people you hold dear will come before her..."

"And yet you promised her to Greyback as a reward," Harry grimaced.

He felt the adrenaline spike up once more, forcing away his unease. He tightened his grip on the Elder Wand, ready to strike if necessary or if an opportunity presented itself.

"Yes, I did, but you've killed Fenrir, haven't you? There's no harm done." Voldemort smiled, though his crimson eyes remained narrowed: "Besides, I would not have allowed him or his mob of filthy strays to harm a single golden hair on her head. I can understand that you're drawn to her, Harry. She is quite a beauty, that girl, isn't she? Powerful as well..."

"I will never let you take her." Harry repeated the words he spoke on the balcony of Bones Manor: "I won't let you take away anyone else, ever again!"

"You cannot stop it, Harry. It is simply inevitable." Voldemort gestured to the chaos and death surrounding them: "Look how far I have pushed you already; look how powerful I have made you."

"Why are you here?" Harry asked, unable to make sense of their conversation.

"To witness how much you have progressed, of course, Harry," Voldemort whispered coldly: "You exceeded my expectations once again. It seems I'm just repeating myself now..."

"I don't see how you can be satisfied with this." Harry gestured to the smoldering skeletons of the werewolves and kicked Greyback's severed head over to the Dark Lord: "With their leader dead, the werewolves will no longer follow you now."

"The werewolves were a means to an end, Harry. Surely you've gathered that much." The cruel, thin-lipped smile returned: "You have just proven that the quantity of my following is inconsequential. Numbers don't give you greatness, numbers don't give you power. Only-"

"-magic can give you that," Harry finished with a small, ironic chuckle.

"Exactly. See, Harry-", Voldemort inclined his head, "-we're already starting to understand each other much better."

"I will never join you. You cannot win!" Harry denied: "For every person you take away, I will only hate you more."

"It is that exact hatred I want to nourish," Voldemort said, wandlessly picking up Greyback's head and studying the words carved into the skin with an amused smile: "Hatred has brought you from feeling small stabs of pity after killing Lucius Malfoy to killing dozens within a single night without any hint of remorse."

"Soon I will have torn every dream and goal away from you." Voldemort's gaze bore into his again. "And when the perfect girl and your little sunset have both been ripped away, then your hatred for me and your quest for power will be everything that is left of you. Only then can a wizard reach his true potential. Only then can he become something great!"

"Never!" Harry spat: "I will never let it come that far!"

"We shall see, Harry." Voldemort crumbled the werewolf's head to faint ash, brushing it off his dark robes: "Alas, I will have to cut our conversion short for tonight. The Aurors will be here soon, so I suggest you take your leave as well. Dumbledore would be most displeased if he were to catch wind of your presence here, don't you think?"

Harry watched with a trembling wand pointed at his nemesis as Voldemort vanished the corpses of every single follower, leaving behind only what was left of Remus and his parents.

"Go and bury your dead friend, Harry," his high, cold voice traveled over to him in a smooth whisper. Crimson eyes burned into his own once again: "I truly look forward to seeing how far you have progressed when we inevitably meet each other again."