Chapter 46

Harry poked at the pork pie on his plate with his fork, staring straight ahead. They were having lunch in the kitchen but Harry didn't have much of an appetite for some reason he didn't quite understand.

Things had gone to shit over the last two days. And Harry hated when things went to shit. Absolutely despised it. Didn't know what to do with himself when such a thing occurred. Resurrecting the dementor victims had given Harry some hope that he'd be able to correct some of the mistakes he'd recently made, but that mornings disastrous attempt at returning Dolohov to life had proven Harry wrong.

Harry had lived for such a long time and had mastered so many different kinds of magic that he truly wasn't used to something not working for him, especially when it came to necromancy, and this failure bothered him in so many ways that his mind was fully occupied with it without any room being left for any other thoughts.

"I've finally got you figured out," Tom said, swallowing his last bite of pork pie. Apparently there was nothing wrong with his appetite and he'd already cleaned his plate, though overall he also seemed more subdued than usual.

Harry arched an eyebrow, not even sure if he had enough energy to give a verbal reply. Had Tom actually figured something out or was he simply trying to lighten the mood? Though why he would even try to was a mystery to Harry, since Tom had just lost his friend Dolohov for good thanks to Harry's failed resurrection attempt. Harry poked at his pork pie again with a regretful sigh. He loved Violet's pork pies, he really did, but his stomach might as well be made out of solid rock. Harry doubted he could fit even one forkful of food in there.

Tom placed his fork down and sat back in his chair, giving Harry a look that clearly showed that he was feeling enormously satisfied that he'd uncovered the answer to one of Harry's secrets. "I also finally understand why you prefer dead servants over living ones."

That made Harry sit up a bit, unable to ignore his own curiosity. "Do tell."

Tom's smug little smile morphed into a shit-eating grin. "You're a control freak. You are unable to deal with the idea of not being in control of your direct environment."

Harry narrowed his eyes a bit, unsure if he should feel insulted or not. He'd never really thought of himself as someone who was desperate to be in control. "What's that got to do with my preference for undead staff?"

"Because an inferius will do exactly what he's told without argument. Living staff need managing and then might still go against their orders in some way." Tom shook his head in an obviously fond gesture. "It's rather amazing that someone with the chaotic energy that you carry with you and who is unable to properly plan a single thing is at heart so desperate for control."

"Yeah, I hate to disappoint you, darling, but I don't agree with your assessment of my character," Harry said, sticking his nose in the air while giving a disdainful sniff. "Are you sure you're not projecting? You're the one who ripped his own soul apart to be in control of his mortality, after all."

Tom wasn't deterred by Harry's attempt at shifting the focus. "And you made a whole new country because you disagreed with the laws of the land. How is that for a need for control?"

Frowning, Harry actually considered Tom's words instead of dismissing them out of hand. It was true that Harry liked things going his way. He was used to it, after having created his own country back in Santika. "Still not sure that makes me a control freak," Harry finally muttered while giving Tom a short glare.

Tom replied with an elegant shrug. "I suppose this condition stems from your rather unfortunate upbringing. Being a slave would have anyone desperate for control of their own destiny." Tom held up a hand when Harry looked about ready to explode in his face. "But it takes one to know one, as the saying goes. My childhood was a nightmare as well, which is probably the reason I'm also very fond of having control over all facets of my own life."

Harry sat back in his chair a bit and glanced up at the ceiling, carefully mulling over Tom's words. It was true that Harry had grown up without any say in his own life, first at the Dursleys where he was kept in a cupboard as an unwanted burden, and then later in Santika where he'd been a literal slave unable to escape until Karakas decided to take his own life.

"What has happened has happened," Tom said, this time with a gentle smile. "There is no turning back the clock and undoing any of the events of the past few days. The best thing to do is to accept that."

"I know," Harry sighed, shoulders drooping just a bit. "And I hate that."

"Control freak," Tom said, tone clearly teasing.

V, who had been polishing off the majority of Harry's pork pie, stared up at Harry with beady eyes. "Control freak, control freak."

Harry gave his feathery friend a soft shove, causing V to flap his wings so he wouldn't fall off the table. "You two are absolutely the same person at heart. There is no doubt about that anymore." Tom's teasing smile made Harry oddly envious, that his lover could apparently cast aside their failures so easily. "How are you not pissed off at me right now? You've lost all your friends and followers for good. There's no bringing them back."

Before Tom could reply, a shimmering wolf burst through the kitchen wall and spoke with Remus' voice. "Harry, we have visitors. King Malik and Queen Yumna of the Kingdom of Mutapa are here to see you on some urgent matters."

Harry stared at the wolf in utter shock as the Patronus dissipated, leaving no trace behind. "What the hell is Mutapa?" Harry asked as he looked at Tom with wide eyes. Harry was no expert in this world's geography, but Lily had made an effort to teach Harry at least a little bit about the most prominent countries when he was younger. Yet Mutapa didn't ring any bells.

Tom looked equally as surprised but he recovered far quicker. "The Kingdom of Mutapa is a wizarding country in the southeast of Africa. The muggle part has changed into Mozambique over the years, but the wizarding part still bears the original name."

Pushing his chair back, Harry straightened his linen shirt and stood up. "All right. Then I suggest we don't keep them waiting." He quickly cast a Patronus. "Please escort the King and Queen of Mutapa to the Ministry building, Remus. We'll be there momentarily." The silvery barok jumped through the wall to deliver the urgent message.

Tom also got up and followed Harry out of the kitchen. They made a quick stop in the downstairs bathroom where they freshened themselves up with a few simple spells and then they flew towards Spellbridge. Harry considered asking Tom if he knew what their visitors wanted, but he realized that he had probably more experience dealing with royalty than Tom did. And Harry could guess that their visitors merely wanted a piece of what was a very good deal as quickly as possible before the masses discovered Magica.

"Behave yourself," Harry whispered the second V landed on his shoulder after they touched down. V clapped his beak but otherwise kept silent, thankfully.

Once they made it to Harry's office inside the Ministry building, Harry was relieved to see that Sabrina had taken their royal visitors under her wing and provided them with at least some refreshments.

"Your Majesties," Sabrina said, getting up from her seat the moment Harry walked into the office. "This is Harry Potter, Governor of Magica, and Marvolo Gaunt, head of the Department of International Affairs."

King Malik got up to give them a small bow. He looked to be in his fifties and wore white, open robes over a bright yellow and green shirt and trousers. "Apologies for our unannounced visit, Governor Potter, but we come with urgent news about your application at the ICW."

So it was as Harry and Tom had feared. Someone was probably meddling in their affairs and Harry had a good idea who that person was. "You are most welcome here, Your Majesties, especially when you come bearing important news."

Queen Yumna chuckled at that. She remained seated, but she still had an air of strength and power around her. She wore a very bright, colourful dress that accentuated her dark skin perfectly. Her hair was done up in many small braids which reminded Harry of his old friend Valdis, who'd always had a similar hairstyle. "You might not like what we have to say, Governor Potter," Queen Yumna said as Sabrina conjured chairs for Harry and Tom.

"Any news is important to know when you run a country, good or bad," Harry said diplomatically, lowering himself onto his seat.

Tom also sat down while giving the couple across from them a genial smile. "We had expected world leaders to contact us eventually. You might be happy to know that you two are the first ones to do so."

King Malik finally sat down again and grinned in response, looking entirely unrepentant. "As it happens, one of our subjects moved to Britain some years ago for love. A few months ago they got the opportunity to relocate to your unique country and they sent us a letter telling us all about it."

That was a very diplomatic way of saying that Mutapa had spies everywhere, but Harry ignored that information. He'd dealt with enough foreign leaders to know that having spies in every imaginable country was expected. And who was Harry to judge others for using spies when he had his entire extended family keeping an eye on every prominent witch and wizard in Britain. "You are fortunate to have such loyal subjects," Harry said with an understanding nod. "We would like to hear whatever you came here to share with us."

King Malik's face became utterly serious at once. "We know you applied for independence at the ICW, yet there are those that would see your bid fail."

"They are lobbying quite extensively with other members to give your application a negative vote," Queen Yumna added, folding her hands in her lap. "We believe we may have found a way to ensure your application is passed without problems."

Harry raised his eyebrows while he shared a quick glance with Tom. Harry was certain it was Dumbledore who was lobbying against them, so that wasn't a surprise. Having leaders of another country come to them with a solution, however, was. Harry knew enough about politics to understand that meant that whatever solution King Malik and Queen Yumna were going to suggest would benefit them as well. Quid pro quo.

"We'd be delighted to hear your suggestions," Tom said, sounding genuinely eager while he leaned forwards a little.

"You made this country, yes?" King Malik gave Harry an intense look, dark eyes slowly narrowing. "You made the actual stone and rock right here in the sea."

"I did," Harry said, wondering where this was going.

"And you could do it again, yes?" King Malik couldn't hold back a bright smile.

Ah. Harry finally understood where this was going and he had to admit that it wasn't a bad idea at all. "I could."

Queen Yumna cleared her throat as she sat up a little before giving Harry a regal nod. "When the colonizers came to our lands they brought their religions with them. Our muggle brothers and sisters used to accept witchcraft. They did not fear magic. But the white priests told them to fear it, told them to not accept any witch or wizard in their midst. Now the colonizers are gone but that fear remains. Like a cancer it has spread through the lands, growing and corrupting everyone around us. Even now they will brutally kill anyone they suspect of using magic." Queen Yumna inhaled a deep breath, briefly closing her eyes. "When the muggles eventually discover us, we have much more to fear than you do here in Europe."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Having a country like Magica would mean the difference between life and death for you and your people."

"Not just for our people," King Malik said in a soft voice. "For all the magical people in the whole of Africa."

Tom had a downright shrewd look on his face. "I suspect that this doesn't just go for Africa, but for every occupied continent in the world."

"Exactly so." King Malik nodded in agreement, clearly relieved that so far their ideas were not being dismissed. "And that is how you will win against the lobbyists. By promising every continent its own magical country, so we will all be safe once the muggles learn about our existence."

That was ultimately a small price to pay, Harry figured. "I can easily create the rock foundation for a new country in international waters, one for each continent. I will even include a guide on how to dress up the land, make it into a living ecosystem, but you would have to do that part yourselves."

"Of course," King Malik said at once. "We have plenty of talented people who can turn bare rock into a lush and beautiful land."

Harry exchanged a long look with Tom, who seemed happy enough to go along with these suggestions. It certainly was an easy way to ensure that not only would Magica be officially recognized as its own country, but that it wouldn't be overrun with people should the worst happen when the muggles got wind of the wizards amongst them. There would be several magical countries to offer the global magical community a new home if need be.

"Would you like a brief tour of our country?" Tom asked with a charming smile. "We can walk to my mansion and have dinner there while we figure out the details."

Before long Harry and Tom led their guests out of the Ministry building and into the centre of Spellbridge. "Our population has grown exponentially," Harry said as he walked side by side with Queen Yumna, Tom and King Malik bringing up the rear. "We can barely keep up with the construction of new houses."

"How do you decide who gets to live in which house?" Queen Yumna asked as she took in the newly constructed Gringotts building. There was a large pamphlet stuck to the heavy doors that the bank would officially open the next Monday.

Harry explained their housing system in detail as they made their way to town square. They drew a few curious looks from some shop owners and people passing them by but they easily ignored that.

"How will you deal with all the different nationalities?" King Malik asked as they arrived in Walnut Lane.

"All nationalities are welcome," Tom said, gesturing at the homes around them. "But we are an English speaking country. Though perhaps in the future, we might create a few towns geared towards certain nationalities, to make people feel at home when they'll be forced to leave their countries of origin behind."

King Malik clasped his hands behind his back while giving a thoughtful nod. "When do you believe the muggles will discover us?"

"That's impossible to say," Tom replied in an even tone, though his expression hardened noticeably. "But at the rate the muggles' technology is developing I doubt it will be more than a decade before they'll invent some technology that's going to pick up on magic. And once they're able to do that they'll have no problems detecting all our wards that are designed to keep them out."

"Yes," King Malik sighed. "I have spoken to many of my colleagues from all around the world and the majority feel that we will not be able to keep hidden very far into the future."

Tom made a noise of agreement. "All the more reason to make sure Africa has its own magical land to move its people to before the muggles can start a genuine witch hunt."

Queen Yumna spoke next while giving Harry a reassuring smile. "We will speak to all of our colleagues and ensure their votes for your independence." They had reached the border of Spellbridge and followed the cobbled path into the wild meadows. "Tell me, Governor Potter, how you got all this growing in such a short time."

Harry gladly explained their use of weather magic and runes for rapid growth as they strolled across the meadows towards Gaunt Mansion. At that moment, King Malik and Queen Yumna were rapidly becoming some of Harry's favourite people in the entire world. Because they'd come up with a solution that not only would help Magica gain official independence, but would ultimately also help to save wizardkind as a whole. It was hard to remember why he'd felt so defeated just an hour ago when Harry was now feeling so utterly relieved that the whole inevitable confrontation with the ICW was probably already in the bag. And all Harry had to do was make more land, which would take him some time but no more than that. It was hardly even an effort at all, all things considered.

Even that evening's town meeting concerning the rogue dementor attack no longer filled Harry with absolute dread, because he now had some genuinely good news to share with their citizens as well.

"Dobby!" Tom called out as they entered Gaunt Mansion. "Please serve us a dinner for four in the main dining room." He then led them towards a large room with a long, gleaming dining table standing in front of floor to ceiling windows with a view of the ocean.

Just as they were seated, Dobby popped into the room, several glasses and bottles of wine floating behind him. Dobby served them all a glass of white wine while leaving the bottles of red wine to breathe so they would be ready to serve with the main course.

Queen Yumna narrowed her eyes as she followed Dobby around the room with her gaze. "Is that a free elf, Mr Gaunt?" she asked the second Dobby popped away again.

Tom got a slightly confused look on his face. "He is magically bonded to me, as all house-elves are in our culture."

"That is a problem," Queen Yumna said, face twisting up in clear distaste.

"How so?" Harry asked, taking a quick sip of his wine. "I was confused as well with this system, but I have asked house-elves if they wanted to remain magically bonded and they all said they did."

"How can you expect slaves to want freedom when they don't even understand what freedom looks like for them?" Queen Yumna said, sounding like a stern mother reprimanding her stubborn child. "In most of the rest of the world, house-elves are free beings as laws against slavery have been enacted. Only Britain and France and a handful of other European countries hold on to these outdated views on enslaving sentient beings for their own gain."

Harry sat very still in his chair, feeling as though someone had just poured a glass of ice water down his back. He remembered living under the assumption that there was noting wrong with his circumstances when he'd first arrived at Master Karakas' school. He'd loved it there and he'd been genuinely happy. If someone had asked him then if he wanted something to change about his life, he would have vehemently denied it. Granted, he'd only been a child, but it had still taken some effort from his friends and family for Harry to understand he was an actual slave and that life at the school was far from perfect. That being free was the best option, no matter what price he had to pay for it.

Was this how house-elves felt? Were they stuck in a system they thought was the best they could get because they had no one to show them otherwise? Apparently in other countries, where this kind of slavery was illegal, they were perfectly happy being free.

"No matter your personal opinion on the slavery of sentient beings," King Malik said with a thin smile that seemed mostly diplomatic. "Having slaves will exclude you from gaining independence at the ICW. Countries like Britain have been grandfathered in thanks to some serious political manoeuvring on their part once these new laws were enacted. But it is clearly written that any new countries must abide by all international laws and that includes the absence of any sentient slaves."

Tom blinked as he stared off into space for a moment. "Well, I suppose we'll have to include those laws in our own constitution as well." He briefly closed his eyes before he released a humourless chuckle. "Though how Lucius is going to take the news he'll have to start paying his house-elves is anyone's guess."

"Thank you," Harry whispered as he glanced at Queen Yumna, still feeing out of sorts by the revelation he'd just had. It genuinely disturbed him that he'd gone along with a form of slavery so easily after only questioning it once. He of all people should have known better. "We have a town meeting this evening. I will enact that law at once and inform our people."

"Thank you, Governor Potter." Queen Yumna's smile was a lot warmer now that Harry had made these promises.

Harry returned the smile with one of his own until something else dawned on him. "Your Majesty," he asked urgently. "These laws only pertain to living sentient beings, right?"

Queen Yumna looked politely confused. "I am not sure what you mean, Governor Potter."

"I mean… let's say someone were to take dead house-elves and reanimate them and then put them to work… would those be considered slaves, too?" Harry scooted forward in his seat in eagerness to hear the answer to that. He really did not want to give up his house-elf inferi army. They were just so bloody useful.

"Those would not fall under the anti-slavery laws. But should your country have laws against necromancy, then it might be a problem." Queen Yumna's tone was light and her eyes were bright with quiet laughter, and Harry wondered if she'd deliberately played dumb just now just to see him sweat.

"Good. That's very good." Harry released a deep, relieved breath and was tempted to tease Tom about his choice of living servants now that they would officially become illegal. Harry was more than a bit chuffed to know that his undead staff were perfectly acceptable on the global political stage. More or less.

V, who had been surprisingly quiet so far, hopped up and down his perch and cackled in Tom's direction. Harry couldn't help but wonder if V had just had the same kind of thoughts about their choice of staff as Harry had. Tom ignored V with a vengeance and instead made some small talk with King Malik about the kind of wand cores used on the African continent.

The rest of the diner went smoothly, without anymore life changing bombs dropped in their laps. Dobby served them scallops and mussels for a starter, followed by venison filet in red wine sauce with roasted vegetables and potato gratin, and for desert they were treated to several flavours of homemade ice cream with fresh fruit. They all enjoyed the excellent meal while talking about Magica and Mutapa, and its many similarities and differences.

After Dobby cleared the dishes and served them cups of coffee, Tom told him to stay for a moment and then conjured a blue sock.

Dobby released a squeak and wrung his spindly fingers in the tea towel he wore. "Has Dobby been doing something wrong? Dobby will do better, Master!"

"You've been brilliant," Tom quickly assured him with a smile he was obviously making as kind as he could. "I do not have time to explain everything in detail right now, but I want to keep you as my elf, Dobby. I want you to keep working for me, but as a free elf. I will pay you and you'll get a few days off. You'll be able to come and go as you please then."

Dobby wrinkled his nose at the mention of pay but otherwise seemed mostly relieved to still have a home to work in. "Dobby wants to stay. Master Gaunt is being a good master to Dobby."

"I'm glad to hear that, though from now on you should probably refer to me as your employer." Tom gently handed Dobby the sock and the poor elf couldn't hold back a quiet sob as he accepted it. "You're still my elf," Tom reassured him. "You still work here. We'll work out the rest of the details tomorrow."

Dobby nodded, still overcome with emotions as he clutched the sock to his narrow chest, and he popped away without another word.

"It will take some adjusting for everyone involved," King Malik said, looking most satisfied with Tom's actions. "But they will adjust and in the long run they will be much happier for it."

Harry knew from personal experience that the King was probably right. "Your visit has been most welcome," Harry said once they'd finished their coffees. "But we have a town meeting scheduled for this evening and we cannot keep all our people waiting, I'm afraid."

"We understand completely." King Malik got up from his chair and everyone else followed his example. "You have been most kind and courteous to receive us so unexpectedly. We will keep in touch. Do let us know when the ICW summons you for the official hearing. In the meantime we will speak with our colleagues on your behalf. Can we use a portkey from this location or do we have to return to the transportation hall?" King Malik produced a small wooden disk from his robe pocket, which Harry assumed was a portkey.

"You can portkey from outside my personal wards." Tom escorted the royal couple out of the mansion and after a few more heartfelt words of gratitude and promises of future partnerships, King Malik and Queen Yumna activated their portkey right outside the gates of Gaunt Mansion.

Tom turned to look at Harry at once. "Are you okay to lead the meeting right now? I can do it if you're too overwhelmed."

Harry waved his concerns away. "I appreciate the offer, Tom, but I've been leading my own country longer than you've been alive. I can do it." And he could. Harry was used to pushing through and getting his work done even during moments when things didn't go his way. No matter how much Harry wanted to sit in a steaming bathtub right now and empty a bottle of wine by himself, he had a job to do and he would do it, end of story.

Leaning down to give him a brief kiss, Tom whispered, "No matter what went wrong these last few days, some thing has also gone very right. We no longer have to worry about Dumbledore's machinations at the ICW. Magica is as good as independent."

"Yeah," Harry sighed, briefly basking in that rather unexpected victory. Then he remembered it was time to go to the meeting and talk about the dementor attack in public. Well, that was the essence of life, wasn't it? Dealing with all the crap while you basked in the small victories. It's what Harry's entire life had come down to when you really thought about it. Probably everyone's lives for the most part.

"Ready?" Tom asked, and when Harry nodded he launched himself into the sky towards Spellbridge. Harry was right behind him and they made it to the town hall in record time. The place was already packed with more people filing inside at a steady pace. V landed on Harry's shoulder and hunkered down as Harry gently pushed a way through the crowd to get to the other side of the room where Sirius, Remus and a few other officials already stood waiting on the small podium.

"We were worried you wouldn't make it," Regulus said by way of greeting when Harry and Tom climbed onto the dais.

"Did the visit go well?" Remus asked with a curious curve of his eyebrows. He was probably one of the few people who knew the identity of the unexpected guests Harry and Tom had been entertaining that afternoon.

"Very well," Harry quickly said with a reassuring smile. "I'm sharing some details during the meeting."

Sirius waved his wand around and released a few bangs to quiet the crowds. "Harry's here. Let's hear what he has to say. There'll be time for questions later."

Inhaling a deep breath, Harry looked out of the small sea of people in front of him. All were looking at him with anxious expressions and a thousand questions burning in their eyes. As much as Harry wanted to share the good news of their upcoming independence, he realized that was not what his people needed at that time.

"Dear citizens of Magica," Harry said and at once Tom cast a Sonorus on him to make sure everyone could hear him. "First, my condolences to all who have lost loved ones, friends and family during the tragedy at the Ministry and Azkaban." Harry paused a moment and solemnly bowed his head. "What we know right now is that the dementors went rogue and murdered everyone at Azkaban, prisoners and guards alike. Only one guard managed to make it out alive. Then the dementors moved to the Ministry, where they were met with some resistance from those witches and wizards who could produce a Patronus. Unfortunately they were able to murder some who could not."

Harry spotted a few people in the crowd openly crying or dabbing at their eyes with a handkerchief. Some of his people had suffered personal losses by the looks of it, which reminded Harry he needed to create yet another new thing.

"For those who have lost someone, know that you will be able to bury them on Magica if you so wish. A cemetery will be constructed tomorrow at the foot of the mountain." Harry looked around until he spotted the people he needed. "Sebastian, I ask you to create whatever structures are required, such as some walls and gates, perhaps a few benches here and there. And Rachel, I trust that you'll make it a beautiful place with plenty of trees and flowers where we can lay those dearest to us to rest."

This news seemed to have a positive effect on the people, all things considered.

"What about the dementors?" someone shouted. "Are they coming here? Should we be worried?"

"The dementors have been destroyed," Harry said at once, making sure to square his shoulder so he radiated confidence and strength. The last thing he wanted was for his people to live in fear of creatures that no longer existed in their world. "You are safe here."

"What caused them to attack?" someone else asked loudly and at once plenty of other people started murmuring amongst each other, sharing all manner of theories.

Harry raised his hands to ask for silence. "The British Department of Magical Law Enforcement are investigating the tragedy. We offered our help on behalf of Magica, but so far they have not accepted our offer. I'm sure that in due time we will learn what happened." Harry hated lying but over the years he'd learned that it was better to tell the odd lie to keep the peace than to always insist on the truth and have a rebellion on your hands. What the people didn't know wouldn't hurt them and all that.

As Harry observed the crowd he realized that now was not the time to share his news about Magica's independence. He might address that in an upcoming town meeting. But there was one other important thing that couldn't wait, because it could derail their recognition as an independent country altogether.

"There is one important new law I have to share with you all, though the circumstances are not ideal." Harry looked around the hall and recognized a few faces of people he knew kept house-elves. Theodorus Nott, Lucius Malfoy, Corban Yaxley and of course Sirius and Regulus. Well, they were in for a surprise.

Harry inhaled a deep breath and said, "As of today it is illegal to keep house-elves enslaved in Magica. They all need to be set free. They can keep working for you, but they will be free beings who are paid for their efforts."

"The fuck, Harry?" Sirius blurted while giving him a wide-eyed look full of shock and surprise.

"This is preposterous," Lucius snarled from where he stood beside Regulus. "You cannot demand we free our servants!"

"Kreacher won't survive this," Regulus muttered with a shake of his head. "Harry, this is ludicrous."

"The Notts have had our line of house-elves bonded to our family for over seven hundred years. I consider this theft of a family asset, Potter." Theodorus looked like he was prepared to duel Harry right there and then.

Harry sighed, hung his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. To think that he could have let Tom handle all of this nonsense while Harry happily got drunk in his own cosy castle. As Harry raised his head again he met Tom's steady gaze, which gave very little away. Still, Harry couldn't stop himself from getting one last jab in while he recalled their earlier conversation. "This is why I actually prefer my staff to be dead. Far less drama overall."