Rodolphus frowned as he slowly regained consciousness, he took a moment to remember what the hell happened. His eyes widened, he couldn't believe that he allowed his guard to drop. What if someone had attacked? Or something bad happened. He was mildly, very mildly, relieved that Harry was the one that drugged him. That little trouble maker had finally one upped him and escaped his guard.

He bolted upright then immediately groaned as the world around him spun. He stumbled his way through the apartment and was half-way to the door when the door opened and Harry walked in.

"Hello Rodo," Harry smirked at the older man. "How was your little nap?"

Rodolphus narrowed his eyes, the little minx was enjoying this too much.

"Do you have any idea how much danger you have put yourself in?" Rodolphus spoke slowly as if speaking to a child trying to hold back the rage he felt.

"Excuse you!" Harry glared at the way the older man treated him. "I am not a child, I am perfectly capable of keeping myself safe!"

"Like hell you do!" Rodolphus shouted, closing the space between them. "How could you be this stupid!"

"How dare you?!" Harry hissed, pushing Rodolphus back with both hands on his chest. "I've been perfectly fine living here for the past year with no incidents until you showed up!"

"If it were up to me I wouldn't even be here!" Rodolphus yelled back, trying to hurt the younger man. "But the Dark Lord ordered me to watch out for you."

"Stop lying!" Harry pushed him away again, only for his wrists to be imprisoned by the other man's large hands. "I know that you're here of your own free will."

Rodolphus sucked in a breath staring down at the glaring green eyes.

"What?"

"I know." Harry closed his eyes as the wind beneath his sails went away. He looked down at his own hands still held against Rodolphus's chest. "I have been in contact with my father for the past year per our agreement, as well as having dinner with him every week."

"So, you've known this whole time?" Rodolphus quietly asked, trying to read every expression appearing on Harry's face.

"Yes." He sighed, locking his eyes with the silver pair he adored and hated so much.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted to know how long you were going to keep up with your charade." Harry snorted, looking away. "Thought maybe you'd confess why you're actually here."

Harry looked imploringly at Rodolphus, hoping that the man would admit to whatever was on his mind. He didn't know exactly what Rodolphus wanted to say, but he knew what he wanted the older man to say.

"Oh, Harry." Rodolphus sighed, leaning his head down so that their foreheads rested against each other's. "You have no idea the things I've been through this past year only to come to this moment with you."

"Then tell me," Harry whispered, his eyes begging the older man to tell him. "Make me understand."

"It's not an easy thing to do." Rodolphus pulled back and moved to sit on the couch.

"We'll make it easy." Harry answered determined, as he followed Rodolphus and sat next to him.

"How are we going to do that?" He sighed lying back against the back of the couch and turning his face towards the younger male.

"Let's start with the reason you left that day?" Harry started, resting his back against the armrest facing Rodolphus with his legs tucked beneath him.

"I know you would ask that first," Rodolphus sighed, closing his eyes, trying to gather the courage to say the things he needed to say. "I didn't leave that day to hurt you Harry. I left to protect you from myself."

"Rodo," Harry started to say but was quickly interrupted by said man.

"Let me finish," Rodolphus asked, his eyes not leaving the bright green eyes he has been dreaming about for the past year. "The years I have spent in Azkaban haven't been so kind to me." He admitted, startling a little when Harry suddenly moved closer and placed his hand on Rodolphus's clenched hands. "It has damaged me both physically and mentally, more than I have ever realized. So, I left to get better." He turned his hand and interlaced his fingers with Harry's. "I left because I refused to let my damaged self bring any harm to you, I had to protect you from the biggest threat that was lurking as your shadow. I had to protect you from myself.'

Harry could feel his eyes watering as he sat there listening to Rodolphus's rehabilitation during the past year, the hand he had interlaced with Rodolphus clenched tight. He couldn't believe that the resentment he held onto so strongly for the past was slowly fading away into oblivion as Rodolphus kept talking.

"Why did my father say that you were on a mission?" Harry asked when Rodolphus finished his retelling of the past year's events.

"I asked him to," the older man reluctantly admitted. "I didn't want you to know how damaged I was. I was afraid of how you would look at me after you knew."

"Rodo," Harry sighed, sitting up on his knees and moving closer to the older man. "I would have never thought less of you for living through all of that." He moved the hand that wasn't held tightly by Rodolphus and moved it towards the older man's face, cupping his cheek. "I think that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger and you are one of the strongest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing in my whole life."

Rodolphus closed his eyes with a sigh and nuzzled the hand against his cheek, placing a kiss on the palm making Harry suck in a startled breath. When Rodolphus opened his eyes he found that Harry's face was much closer than it was and to tell the truth he didn't mind the closeness one bit as he himself moved his face closer and slowly connected their lips in a gentle kiss.

Harry sighed at the gentleness of the kiss and moved even closer to deepen the kiss, removing his other hand from Rodolphus's grip and placing it gently on the older man's neck before moving it backwards towards the soft hair on the back of his neck, gripping tightly making Rodolphus groan as the kiss suddenly became more heated. Rodolphus raised his hands and wrapped them around Harry's waist, pulling him closer until the younger man straddled his waist.

"I have been wanting to do that from the moment I met you." Rodolphus breathed against the kiss bruised lips making Harry breathlessly chuckle.

"What stopped you?" Harry asked, running his hands from Rodolphus's hair down his neck until they rested against the frantically beating chest.

"Mostly stupidity." He admitted, making the green eyed male chuckle again before he started to place open mouthed kisses against Rodolphus's mouth and towards his neck then moving back up to lock their lips together in a tantalizing kiss and battling tongues. Harry pushed Rodolphus down so he was fully lying on the couch and started to unbutton his dress shirt. Rodolphus, eager to help, broke the kiss to remove Harry's jumper and threw it on the floor by the couch. His hands quickly went back to explore the now exposed skin.

"Are you sure about this?" Rodolphus groaned out, stopping Harry from removing his trousers.

"I have never been more sure about anything in my life." Harry said matter of factly and found himself suddenly looking up into silver eyes instead of down. Harry grinned up at Rodolphus before wrapping his hands around the other man's neck and pulling him down for a deep kiss while wrapping his legs around his waist.

Rodolphus suddenly hissed and pulled back, leaving Harry looking up at him.

"Harry, stop." Rodolphus groaned, pulling further away when Harry just ran his hands down his stomach and into his open trousers.

"Why?" He breathed licking his lips as he felt just how hard the other man was. He couldn't wait to have that cock inside of him. He's waited long enough

"I'm being summoned." That announcement made Harry abandon his train of thought, throwing his arms over his face so that the sight of the older man wouldn't provoke him any further.

"Couldn't he have chosen a better time than this one?" Harry groaned, moving his arms away and coming face to face with Rodolphus.

"I'm sure the Dark Lord had no idea what we were about to do just a moment ago." Rodolphus said softly as he placed a soft kiss on Harry's lips before moving away.

"I guess you're right." Harry sighed and moved his legs from around Rodolphus to sit on the couch so that Rodolphus could easily get up. "Just use my two-way mirror."

"That would be much preferable than port-keying to the Dark Lord's manor." Rodolphus left his former charge and moved towards the bedroom, easily finding the mirror on the bedside table.

"The Dark Lord." He called into the mirror and not a minute later did the furious face of the Dark Lord appear.

"Rodolphus," He nodded in greeting and received a bow from his inner-circle member. "It seems that the Order of the Phoenix isn't as dead as we have believed."

"How so, my Lord?" Rodolphus asked, already his mind was filling with dread.

"Just a few moments ago, we captured a member of the order and after some interrogation," Rodolphus mentally smirked as the Dark Lord's eyes glinted at the last word. "We have found that a few surviving members were still active and have come up with a plan."

"What plan?" Rodolphus asked, his voice filled with apprehension. He was momentarily distracted by a muffled sound of the doorbell before he refocused on what the Dark Lord was saying.

"They have concocted a plan to kidnap Harry with any means necessary in order to twist my hand as the saying goes so that I'd fulfill their demands." As soon as the Dark Lord finish his statement Rodolphus's eyes widened and he quickly stood up moving towards the living room.

"Rodolphus!" Harry's shout came from the living room along with the sounds of other people and the sounds of spells being fired.

Rodolphus easily engaged in a duel with the people present trying to get to Harry, he was outnumbered and he could only keep them occupied long enough so that hopefully the Dark Lord would get here in time.

"No!" Harry's shout alerted him to the green light headed his and he quickly jumped behind the couch, covering his face as it exploded from the impact of the spell. By the time that he regained his momentum and stood up, they were already gone.

"Fuck!" Rodolphus cursed and ran towards the door, finding no trace of anyone. A sudden pop from behind him made him turn around and face the Dark Lord who was flanked by Greyback and Barty.

"He's gone." Rodolphus whispered as he collapsed on the armchair and buried his face in his hands.

How cruel could fate be that as soon as he finally confessed everything to Harry, he would be taken away from him.

"I'm so sorry, my Lord." He choked out, finally raising his head when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. "I have failed you." I have failed, Harry.

"No, you haven't." The Dark Lord spoke softly but Rodolphus could hear the rage in his voice and see it in his eyes. "Not yet."

"My Lord?" Rodolphus stood up facing the Dark Lord.

"We have work to do, Rodolphus." The Dark Lord announced before stepping back, he glanced back and nodded at the two behind him and they quickly disapparated away. "We will find him Rodolphus. And when we do, we'll make them regret the day they even thought of taking him away from us."

"My Lord." Rodolphus bowed, the Dark Lord's words filling him with motivation, he straightened and locked his silver eyes with crimson red. "What do you want me to do?"

"Tell me Rodolphus, have you heard of the name of Ginny Weasley?"

Rodolphus narrowed his eyes as he remembered the few tales that Harry has told him about his school days when they first started to get to know each other. He told him about the obsession that a certain red headed weasel used to have on him. Oh, how he had wanted to track the chit down and make her regret the day she ever paid eyes on Harry.

It seems now, his chance has arrived.

Rodolphus's eyes gleamed with cruel intention, making the Dark Lord smirk at the images in his inner-circle members' mind. Ginny Weasley had no idea what she just stumbled onto with the actions she has caused with her obsession with his son.

"Go, inform me of what you find." The Dark Lord ordered. "I'll try to find him using the link we share, until then your mission is to find Ginny Weasley and find out everything she knows about this incident." He commanded then quickly disapparated away, leaving Rodolphus to look around and investigate the scene.

He won't rest until Harry was safely in his arms again.

Hello again lovelies!

Here's a new chapter for you to enjoy and I hope everyone like it and I hope everyone is being safe in these rough times.

Only one more chapter to go then the epilogue and we're done with this fic.