Two for One

Chapter 15: Monsters

It was argued down to five park visits and the demon's tricks. The dark one is a concerning piece to lose hold of but as Harry now knows of it, it would be a piece lost regardless. Might as well get some use out if it.

So Gellert turns nine years old, with Tom lagging behind by a few months at eight, and Harry sings a loud and energetic rendition of Happy Birthday with a chorus of hisses from the snakes joining in and a long howl by Mooney to end it.

After it all, the quiet clink and clatter of Harry cleaning up their dinner downstairs drifts through the open doorway.

Gellert steps inside and shuts the bedroom door behind him. Tom looks up from where he's sitting on the bed with a large book open on his lap.

"Pathetic," Gellert declares with a sharp-eyed smile.

Tom gently closes the book and places it to the side, the quilt sinking under its weight. "Let's not forget, dear brother, who alerted Harry in the first place."

"I will admit to that oversight on my part," Gellert muses, leaning back against the door with his hands behind his back. "But at least I wasn't struck down and stumbling from something as simple as waking up too early."

"No," Tom hums. "No, you were fully awake when you told Harry it was your birthday. Despite already having the precedent of my own to warn you."

"And I suppose you just so happened to sleepily fall upon more of your snakes and so dragged them home?" Gellert laughs, a high and clear sound. "Greedy, aren't you?"

"No more than yourself," Tom sneers. "So obvious, so eager for more than what Harry gives you."

Gellert narrows his eyes, fingers caressing the Elder wand in his back pocket. "I want adventure, not to get mouldy reading books all the time like yourself."

"You demand adventure," Tom corrects. "Spoiled boy, run away then, just wait until you see what dangers will come to someone with no power, no backing. Walk with your head high, Gellert, see how many rush to cut it off."

Gellert clicks his tongue, pushing away from the door. Tom slides to the edge of the bed and stands, holly wand in hand.

Gellert stops far too close because he knows Tom has an aversion to touch and the blond is going to use it. "And I'm to assume you are satisfied with how long our leash is?"

"I know when to wait," Tom hisses. "We are children, we are nothing in the eyes of society until we have the ability to contribute."

"Playing the human game, brother?" Gellert tilts his head. "Acting like you don't venture down the dark alleyways with me, like the books you've hoarded under your bed are harmless spells, harmless knowledge."

Tom deliberately relaxes his shoulders. "Harry doesn't know."

"And when he does?"

"And when he does, I'll apologise and swear to never use the knowledge against someone," Tom muses. "And he will know that I lie but he will love me anyway."

Gellert looks away, hands falling to his sides but by no means is he less of a threat.

"If you don't like it here, you can leave," Tom offers lightly. He smiles with too many teeth. "I know a good orphanage."

Gellert laughs and turns, sitting on the bedside. He tilts his head and looks at Tom. "What does Harry want?"

"A nice cup of tea?" Tom answers wryly. "Treacle tart?"

"Exactly!" Gellert bemoans, flopping backwards to lie in the soft quilt. "He has monsters at his beck and call and he does nothing. It's such a waste, so inefficient! It's frustrating to see him ignore such resources."

"Do you actually think he can control them?" Tom scoffs.

Gellert grins, hands coming up to squish his own cheeks so he doesn't giggle.

Tom tucks his wand away and clambers onto the bed, lying down beside Gellert but on his stomach instead. "Be patient. Harry is taking us out further now, murmuring those future predictions more often when he thinks we aren't paying attention."

Gellert lets his head loll towards Tom. "How much did you make off the last quidditch game?"

"An even three hundred galleons," Tom says smugly.

Gellert clicks his tongue in disappointment. "I split the bet. Harry looked so distracted, I thought it might have been another off prediction."

"But you sold the potion recipe he mentioned," Tom tuts at the blond. "You should have more than enough coin for your side projects."

Gellert is perfectly happy to interact with others to build his base of power but Tom takes to hiding his ability for now. Tom will pass on the more commercial endeavours but take bigger risks with what he does have available.

"I researched the finer details myself and still had to jump over hippogriffs to get that deal signed, it wasn't worth the trouble," Gellert complains. He grimaces. "I owe the Unspeakable a favour."

Tom sneers. "Well you've made your bed, so why are you lying in mine?"

"You know," Gellert muses. "I think we might be a part of Harry's monsters."

Tom sucks in a sharp breath at the thought. Gellert looks just as startled despite the words coming out of his mouth. Imagine, being so powerful that they could stand with the other beasts that lurk around Harry, that play at being friendly and harmless even when there's no light behind their eyes, nothing but pitch black and hollow.

Could they one day pluck at the air and watch reality distort? Could they build up and tear down interweaving, dense wards with nothing but a dismissive flick of their wand? Would mortality mean anything if they could breathe empty flesh and bones back to life on a whim?

"It's a joke," Tom murmurs, rolling onto his side. "Us being Dark Lords, it must be a joke, we'd never share the world."

Gellert rolls over too and they face each other, something feral in the blond's smile. "Perhaps we split the countries between us, perhaps we fought, brother, but I'm certain we walked the same path."

Tom frowns. "Then why are we here, why restart?" He thinks he knows the answer but doesn't want to admit it might be true. If they tripped right before the finish line...

Gellert sighs. "We must have failed." He sighs again, more of a gasp of awe, a drowning man breaking the water's surface. "And Harry brought us back to do even better."

Tom blinks. "Well then. We shouldn't disappoint dear Harry."