Summary: Dumbledore wanted a puppet on strings, his very own pawn to play with. The Order members wanted someone to carry their responsibility. Harry Potter never wanted to be a hero, but since when has anyone cared about his wishes. He would rather sit back and watch the world burn, than jump into the flames like an idiot. Hiding his true nature, Harry did what any sensible person in his position would have done. He joined the enemy and quite frankly, it was the best decision he had ever made.
Disclaimer: In case it wasn't obvious ... I do not own any of the characters, all of it belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury. I make no money with this.
Warnings: The story contains slash and mpreg. If you don't like those things, back away slowly and it might not bite you. If you have a problem with the pairings, I don't really care. I like it, so sue me. Actually, don't sue me. I'm poor as it is.
Pairings: HP/TR; SB/LM; DM/LL; SS/NM
Feels like the road to Hell
1. Prologue or How Harry met Tom
Everything started to go downhill from the moment Harry Potter stepped inside Hogwarts. Let's me more specific. Everything started to go downhill from the moment Tom Riddle's diary was placed in the hands of a silly redheaded chit who had her juvenile angst and the need to pour her silly dreams into the pages of that diary.
Letting the Basilisk loose was just a bit of fun. Eventually, Harry Potter had found the Chamber of Secrets, along with the cold, lifeless body of Ginny Weasley. Lord Voldemort had regained his body, his magic and power. He was currently wearing the face of a sixteen year-old Tom Riddle. Seemingly innocent and pure, but his eyes were mature and pooling with crimson, a colour like dried blood. Soft, dark-brown hair fell to his forehead, giving him a touch of gentle youth. Sharp cheekbones and a smooth yet strong jaw made him handsome, the temptation of the devil's lovely features. Appearing youthful and tempting, Lord Voldemort did not resemble a monster, a savage beast who hunted the weak and weary. But under that untainted mask hid a man with knowledge, power and obsession. A Dark Lord.
Harry Potter hadn't stood a chance, he was no match for Voldemort and his charm. At age twelve, Harry 'Golden Boy' Potter developed his first crush, but who could blame him. The Dark Lord was gorgeous. A spark of black in Harry Potter's heart caught fire and the Light had lost their war against the Dark Lord. They just didn't know it yet.
Evil, by nature, is an infestation. Once it spreads, the roots will settle into your heart and its branches will reach your mind. Dumbledore really should have known better, placing a young boy with abusive Muggles served only to make the impressionable youth bitter and vengeful. The Dursleys offered fake smiles and assured the old Headmaster that everything was perfectly well with their perfect family. In truth, they were afraid of Harry Potter. The small, wizard boy with huge green eyes and an innocent cherub face had kept the Muggles in line with just his temper and a bit of accidental magic. Once the Hogwarts letters came, Harry Potter found out the truth about everything, including the gruesome fate of his parents. But meeting Lord Voldemort triggered something he had tried to smother. His affiliation to the dark that already festered in his soul. Harry felt a certain connection with Voldemort, their past and present were entwined together like a tangled cord.
Lord Voldemort had immediately sensed a piece of his soul lodged within the young boy. It called to him, but it also told him to keep the boy safe. As the Dark Lord disappeared into the shadows, he left Harry Potter equally mystified and content.
For years, Harry pretended to be the Saviour, the Light's precious weapon against the Dark Lord's tyranny. But seeing their hopeful and happy faces made Harry sick, he had to try his hardest to play nice and act the part of the golden child. Dumbledore's grandfatherly smiles and advice left him cold. His friends only needed a hero, a pawn who will eventually save them.
Harry cared nothing for the Weasleys, the exception being the twins and Bill, and he couldn't tolerate Hermione with her constant nagging. In the beginning, Harry had liked Hermione because she seemed tolerant and perhaps saw Harry as a real person. The girl was a Muggle-born, she hadn't been involved with the first war and Harry had hoped that the girl wouldn't see his scar. But Hermione Granger was just like the rest of them.
He despised the Order, Shacklebolt, Moody and Tonks being the most hated of the lot. But the person Harry did care about, loved even, was Sirius Black. The man was like a father to him, even though he was unstable and unfit to care for a child, Harry still considered him family and he was the only person who Harry wanted to keep alive. Remus Lupin was neutral and Harry didn't really know the man that well, so he wasn't on Harry's black list either.
Everything changed in his Fifth Year. Umbridge was quickly becoming Harry Potter's number one enemy and his so-called friends were being more annoying than ever. Luna Lovegood had approached Harry with her dreamy smile and declared her loyalty to Harry. Neville Longbottom soon followed and that gave the teen at last two friends he didn't want to kill. It was a rather novel feeling. But the one person Harry wanted, needed, was being silent, keeping a distance and waiting. Bloody Dark Lord and his plans.
The vision of Sirius being in the Ministry had intrigued Harry. He knew Tom was up to something and Harry couldn't remember if he had told the Dark Lord about keeping Sirius alive. So he needed to get there and stop Tom from killing his only true family.
Granger and Weasley had been idiotic enough to tag along, Harry didn't really see a reason to stop them. Luna and Neville went along to support Harry. They had found the right spot, but there was no Sirius. With Luna and Neville distracting the other two, Harry had slinked away and stepped inside the first door he could find. He had been a bit surprised to see Sirius there, alive and well, apparently completing a mission the Dark Lord had given him. Yes, Sirius Black was a follower of the Dark and Tom had neglected to mention it to Harry. He had also kept Sirius in the dark about Harry's loyalty. So they had just stood there, looking sheepish and awkward as they both explained. In the end, it was the best possible outcome. Sirius had been recruited right after leaving Hogwarts and if there was something the Blacks couldn't deny, it was their dark heritage. Along with their loathing for anything Light. The only thing making Sirius pretend to be Light was Harry, his supposedly good and wholesome godson.
The Death Eaters had unfortunately captured the four teens lurking around. It took a bit of persuading, but eventually Bellatrix had agreed to not kill the blood-traitor and the Mudblood. Harry promised that she could do it on a later date. That had earned him a kiss on the cheek from Bellatrix Lestrange, a notorious Death Eater and a psychopath with a taste for torture.
After a nifty memory spell, the two Gryffindors had no memory of ever being in the Ministry. That suited Harry's plans. With the beginning of Sixth Year, Tom had given Draco Malfoy a task to complete. Fixing the Vanishing Cabinet and taking out Dumbledore. The latter was an ingenuous plan to confuse the old coot and allow Severus to step up and take the plan into the next stage. Actually killing Dumbledore. Repairing the cabinet had been easy, conning Dumbledore even easier. The curse in his hand was already killing him, but Tom couldn't allow the old fart to just drop dead. Oh no, he had to die by the hand of someone loyal to the Dark. Severus had been very eager, practically insisted that he ought to be the one to kill the Headmaster. It was to be his compensation for all the years of crap he had endured when dealing with the Headmaster and his lemon drops. If someone truly believed Severus Snape to be Light, they were in need of a check up in St. Mungo's. It all happened on top of the Astronomy Tower.
2. Freefall or How Albus Dumbledore grew wings
The ominous clouds in the evening sky alerted the inhabitants of Hogwarts of an upcoming storm. Instead of preparing for the storm, they hid. Harry was hiding too, but Dumbledore and sent him to the lower level of the tower. That gullible old fool truly believed that Harry was his. Harry tried not to laugh when the Headmaster was faced with Draco Malfoy.
The blonde was playing the part of a pathetic little Death Eater progeny who was oh so terribly scared and incapable of murder. It was quite amusing and Harry made a mental note to suggest the career of an actor.
Bellatrix was there as well, egging Draco on and cackling which was typical Bellatrix behaviour.
Then Severus arrived and Draco faked relief. Harry wanted to clap. Since the sod was going to die before the nightfall, Harry made his way up the stairs. He drew his wand and stepped on to the platform like a courageous Gryffindor, pointing his wand at Snape. For a moment, Harry saw something flash in the man's eyes. It was immensely amusing.
Dumbledore was looking pensive and Harry couldn't tell if he was happy to see the boy or pissed off because he wanted Snape to kill him faster and make Harry believe that the Potion Master had murdered him.
Harry didn't care either way.
"You should have seen your faces. Priceless." Harry lowered his wand and snorted, amusement shining in his green eyes. He turned to Dumbledore, who was looking rather pale, and feigned surprise. "Dumbledore, you're still here? I thought Sev was supposed to kill you."
Severus lifted a brow and drawled, "I was getting to it, brat, before you interrupted me."
"My apologies then. Continue." Harry hummed and turned to Draco. "Brilliant acting by the way, I liked the teary-eyed part."
The blonde was back to his old arrogant self, there was no hint of his former snivelling persona. "I'm always brilliant, Potty."
Dumbledore was not getting the big picture. "Harry, my boy...I don't understand."
Harry wore a cruel smile, reminding everyone of their Lord. He stepped closer to the old man. "Understand what exactly?"
Bellatrix cleared her throat. "Little Lord, we cannot stay much longer."
"We'll make time for this. I want him to die, knowing that Harry Potter will never save the people he cares about. I want his last thought to be about me," Harry spoke with a cold edge. He faced Dumbledore's ashen features and smirked. "I was never yours, all this time you placed your hopes in me but I took them and crushed them. You should have taken Ginny Weasley's death a bit more seriously, because that was the day the Dark Lord regained his power."
Of course Dumbledore remembered that wretched day. The death of a student, the youngest Weasley girl, had many distrusting the old Headmaster. William Weasley, the eldest of the Weasley children, had demanded answers, his sister was murdered and no one had done anything to save her. The rest of the Weasleys, sans the twins, had found Albus entirely blameless. They remained faithful to the Leader of Light, defeater of Grindelwald. Right then, the Light lost a son and the Dark gained a new member. Of course, there was no Dark fraction to speak of, at least according to the Ministry and Albus Dumbledore. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was vanquished years ago.
"You left me with the Dursleys, you knew how they treated me. You wanted a puppet, a naive boy starving for affection. Well, you got one. Unfortunately for you, someone else came along and offered me a far better life that you could ever have given me. You wanted me to die for you, all of you, but now you will die because I find the idea of your lifeless corpse amusing."
Severus had manipulated the old wizard into a vow, so that he could take pleasure in killing him. Harry stepped aside, giving the man his chance. The Killing Curse was swift and Dumbledore fell from the Tower, landing with a thump. Bellatrix was laughing and skipped down the staircase, the others followed with less vigour. Draco grabbed Dumbledore's wand and grinned.
Severus remained standing on the platform, gazing into the distance. Harry smiled and said, "It's nice, isn't it? To be free of him."
"I was just thinking that I can now drink my morning coffee in peace."
Harry only chuckled.
3. Every man gets his wish or How Harry became a Riddle
Harry liked weddings. He didn't have any experiences with weddings but he liked them anyway. It was a party and who didn't like parties, especially parties thrown by the Dark Lord. Back to weddings though...
With Sirius naming him his heir, he had also made Harry an adult in the eyes of the law. The heir status had automatically emancipated him. Harry had no idea and he was still pretty annoyed that Sirius forgot to tell him. The best part about being of legal age was his right to get married. He was still sixteen, summer was months away and frankly, he could not wait that long.
Tom, or the Dark Lord, had asked his hand in marriage after a very vigorous snogging session. Despite being an evil overlord and dictator, Tom was quite old-fashioned and didn't want to take Harry's virginity before matrimony. Harry really wanted Tom to take it, he practically offered it on a silver platter, but Lord Voldemort remained strong in his belief that they should wait. Now, Harry only had to wait for six hours and thirteen minutes.
The ceremony was going to be small, meaning that the whole Dark fraction and Inner Circle was attending. People Harry liked and wanted to attend. Bellatrix was his maid of honour, disturbing but also really great because she was actually rather funny and she doted on Harry like he was their prince. Which he technically was. Narcissa was serving as the second maid of honour. Honestly, who would like to tell Bellatrix Lestrange that she couldn't be the most important maid of honour. Even the Dark Lord himself had only smiled weakly and agreed.
Sirius was going to be his best man. Everything about the wedding was weird and out of the ordinary. Rabastan and Rodolphus were doing something but Harry hadn't figured out what. Lucius Malfoy was left with two options; officiating the whole thing or serving as Tom's best man and witness. Arrogant prat that he is, he ended up doing both. Bending the rules was easier than ever.
The ceremony was hours away, but Harry was already anxious. He was sitting in the study, flipping through a book of Dark Charms. But it was a poor attempt to distract himself, so he decided to write to Luna and Neville. They couldn't miss his wedding to the Dark Lord. Scribbling two identical notes, Harry went to find someone to deliver them since he couldn't risk sending Hedwig. Rabastan was happy to do it if that meant getting away from Bellatrix who was already getting into the role of a bridesmaid. Completely disturbing.
He ran into Draco on his way to the ballroom where the whole thing was going to take place. He also saw Narcissa and Severus, the witch was ordering around elves and Severus was standing with an annoyed expression and holding a box of decorations. He was clearly not amused.
"Someone's getting laid tonight."
Draco made a face. "You're talking about my mother and Uncle Sev. It's just...gross."
Harry laughed. He enjoyed torturing Draco.
{oOo}
The ceremony itself was quick but lovey and Sirius had to be restrained when the Dark Lord pulled Harry into a toe-curling kiss and they forgot all about their guests and just kept snogging.
After ten minutes, everyone just left the two alone and started drinking expensive champagne and sampling fancy foods. Rabastan and Rodolphus were already drunk, singing and trying to steal pieces of the wedding cake. Fred and George joined them and the foursome started talking about pranks.
Severus was trying to ignore Narcissa's attempts to get him to dance. But seeing Dolohov making a move had the Potion Master on the dance floor quicker that one could blink. Narcissa was just discreetly smiling.
Bellatrix was trying to get Fenrir drunk, apparently the werewolf was a sweet puppy when full of wine.
Luna was telling Draco about Horned Moon-lizards. The blonde wizard wasn't aware that it was the Lovegood way of flirting.
When Harry came up for air and pulled away from Tom's lips, he sighed happily and rested his head against his husband's chest. Lord Voldemort wouldn't be Lord Voldemort without a few surprises. And so he purred, "I have a gift for you, little lion."
Harry licked his lips. "I love presents."
"Consider this my wedding gift to you." the man smiled like a predator and snapped his fingers. The doors to the left opened and the Carrows walked into the room with Harry's gift. It was little Ron Weasley and his Mudblood girlfriend. Harry's eyes lit up.
Tom turned to the roomful of people. "We are joined by Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, a blood-traitor and a Mudblood. A wedding gift for my lovely husband."
"Harry, get away from him." Hermione screamed, tears marring her face.
"Mate, what's wrong with you. Don't just stand there." snarled Ron, his face twisted into an unattractive expression.
Harry had all the time in the world, he didn't even acknowledge the two Gryffindors. Instead, he placed a smouldering kiss on Tom's lips. The Death Eaters were all eying the two teens with a predatory gaze, like a pack of hyenas. Bellatrix was the worst of the group.
Since Harry really did like Bellatrix, he said, "Bella, take little Miss Mudblood into the dungeons. Don't kill her, but feel free to rearrange her insides."
"Thank you, Little Lord." the witch smirked and gave Harry a bow. Taking Hermione roughly by her arm, Bella's wand tug into her neck as she cackled. "Come along, missy. I want to see how dirty your blood is."
No one even blinked when the girl's screams echoed in the hallway. Again, normal Bellatrix behaviour.
"What of Weasley, my sweet." Tom asked.
Harry gave an eerie smile and before Ron could open his mouth, Harry had him writhing on the marble floor like a twitching pig. "Ronald Weasley, the insignificant part of the Golden Trio. Always jealous, always petty... You never saw past my famous scar, you only wanted to befriend the Boy-Who-Lived, never me."
The redhead gasped for breath, clawing at his chest and neck. Harry was as calm as ever, nothing in his face showed anger or even a scrap of emotion. He ended the Cruciatus and said, "Let's see now. Who gets to make Weasley squeal? Any volunteers?"
A collective chuckled rippled through the small crowd. The green-eyed teen chose Draco and told the blonde, "Give him a few scars of his own. Since he likes my scar so much."
The wedding party continued as if nothing had happened. Harry spent his time feeding his husband cake and then licking away the cream that had escaped Tom's lips. No one paid them any unnecessary attention, the Death Eaters respected both of them too much to annoy them on their wedding day. Even Sirius kept his distance and instead bothered Severus, following him around and asking stupid questions.
{oOo}
If Harry liked weddings, then he loved wedding nights. Especially the one currently taking place in the Dark Lord's bedroom. He had Harry on his silk sheets, legs spread and inviting. His pale skin looking even paler against the deep blue sheets. He was nice and warm, Tom's larger frame offering him heat and protection. He loved the slap of skin, the slick feeling of their bodies gliding against each other, the feeling of being whole and complete. Tom's slippery fingers breached his tight entrance with ease, stretching him and filling him up with pleasure and pain. Harry's arms wrapped around the Dark Lord's neck, his nails raking the man's back. Blinding pleasure washed over him like a wave when they were finally joined, the white of pure bliss exploded behind his eyelids and magic purred around them.
Harry was boneless in the arms of his beloved husband, together they appeared like the tempter and the tempted, yet there was no clear proof on who had been the one doing the tempting.
"I never want to leave this bed." Harry murmured into Tom's neck, snuggled close to the man's body.
With a deep chuckle, "I'm afraid we have duties to attend to. We still have to secure the Ministry, victory will be ours once we have it."
"Cutting off the Order's head, they'll be weak without the Minister's approval and resources. Practically outlaws. I think Kingsley's face on a 'wanted poster' would look rather dashing. It suits him," said the teen with a smirk. Lifting his head, the green-eyed wizard caught Tom's eyes. The deep brown seemed crimson in the soft glow on the light. A wave of affection engulfed him, warmth that spread from his toes to his cheeks, settling in his chest like a tight ball of fire. He gave the older man a smile and said, "Their world will burn and you will be the one who lights the flames."
"For you," Tom stated. "I would burn it all down for you."
4. Burn it down or How Voldemort won the war
As spring arrived and green replaced the snowy white fields, the Order of the Phoenix lay defeated in a ditch. Scattered and headless. The Ministry was taken, modified to suit Voldemort's needs and stripped down to its foundation. All good fun, but Tom still wanted to bring an end to foolish hope and that meant getting rid of the Order.
Harry was enjoying his life as Tom's spoiled husband. He was treated the same as the Dark Lord and most of the Inner Circle called him 'Little Lord'. They respected and treasured him, Harry lapped it all up like a hungry cat with a bowl of milk. Severus, who was no longer a spy, had a huge amount of time on his hands now that he didn't have to run errands for Dumbledore. So he was teaching Harry and the teen was actually learning. Narcissa was teaching him all about customs and etiquette, Harry was the Dark Lord's spouse and had to know how to swim in the vast ocean of Pure-blood manners and traditions. An ocean that was full of sharks.
Sirius was trying to give Harry 'The Talk'. Draco was like this annoying little brother Harry always wanted but after a little while regretted wanting because it was impossible to get rid of him. But all things considered, Harry was loving his new and improved life.
To make his life even better and help Tom get some much needed rest, Harry took over the planning and scheming. He had a score to settle with the Order. He busied himself with Tom's work and Sirius' puppy eyes didn't stop him from completing his task. Even when those puppy eyes turned into real overgrown puppy eyes and a squeaky, chewed up red ball was deposited into his lap. But dog-Sirius was fun and playing fetch with Padfoot was the best way to unwind. The dog hair on the sofa was another thing entirely.
Taking Hogwarts was on the top of the list and Harry found a way to combine two things. Demolishing the Order and securing Hogwarts. No one really knew that Harry was Dark and Voldemort's willing spouse. They just assumed he was missing, captured by Death Eaters or dead. Not they ever tried to locate him. Hermione and Ron were still in the dungeons and Dumbledore was quite dead. Harry Potter was just a ghost now.
Of course, Tom had protested. Harry's plan wasn't the best because it placed Harry directly into the mess and Tom wasn't interested in letting his lover present himself as bait for the Order. In the end, the Dark Lord had relented because Harry had promised him various things.
{oOo}
Harry appeared in the Great Hall during the evening meal. Seeing Harry Potter in the middle of the Great Hall had all the teachers inwardly cheering and McGonagall had wasted no time with sending Kingsley an owl.
The Slytherin students who knew of Harry's marriage and allegiance were all confused. Pansy Parkinson, however, caught Harry's silent smirk and understood immediately. The takeover was happening and she needed to get all the small snakes into a safe place. Luna and Neville were both on the same page and they were in charge of getting all of the younger students into safety. Unlike his reputation, Voldemort didn't enjoy killing innocent First Years.
By the time the remaining Order arrived, McGonagall had taken Harry into an empty classroom. The green-eyed teen had almost laughed when Kingsley arrived and thanked the gods that Potter wasn't dead.
"So what's the plan?"
The utterly stupid question had Harry grinning. "Plan? Oh, there's no plan. You're all going to die."
The baffled faces really did drive Harry over the edge and he started laughing. Kingsley launched himself at Harry but the green-eyed wizard was quicker. The blow from behind came as a total surprise though and Harry's last thought before blacking out was that Tom was going to be really mad at him if he gets out of it alive.
{oOo}
When Harry blinked and looked around, he saw that he was tied to a chair and the Order members were arguing. Most likely over their current predicament. It was decided that Harry was going to fight for them.
"Let me get this straight," the teen began, "You want me to fight for you. Kill the Dark Lord for you because you are incapable of doing it yourself."
Someone from the back growled. "Only his followers call him the Dark Lord. His gone Dark."
Harry threw the man a bored look and said, "What was your first clue? Perhaps when I said that you're all going to die. Seriously, are you all idiots. Does getting into the Order require a vast amount of stupidity?"
"Potter, you're going to defeat You-Know-Who. You are the only one who can kill him and I don't give a rat's arse about what you want. You will kill him." Kingsley grunted at the teen.
"I don't think I feel up to it. These ropes are really tight, you know." Harry spoke with an annoyed tone.
Moody stated with his gruff voice. "The boy has gone insane. He is no use to us in this state."
"Oi, you one-eyed prick. I resent that." Harry tutted, clearly playing the part of a nutcase. At least, he thought he was.
Molly Weasley stepped forward and asked, pleaded really. "Where's my son, what have they done to my Ronnie?"
"You do remember that you have more children than ickle Ronniekins? For example, Bill is very happy and the twins are doing fine. In case you wanted to know."
The witch slapped Harry across the face and shrieked. "What have they done to my boy?"
Harry was definitely telling Bellatrix to cut Molly into little pieces. He said with a shrug. "I'm not quite sure, but last time I saw him, he was looking rather blue in the face."
Molly was in tears, aghast and simply blubbering. Minerva was trying to comfort him while giving Harry horrified looks.
"This must be a trap." someone panicked. Most probably Tonks.
"You really are a thick-headed lot." Harry muttered. "No, I just walked in here because I really like your company. Of course it's a bloody trap. Old Mouldy-Voldy and his fucking army have this place surrounded. You ought to select brighter members, Kingsley."
As of cue, the door swung open and Severus stepped inside with Rabastan, both looking sour. The Potion Master drawled. "Someone is in trouble."
Of course the idiots all had their wands out but a blast of magic made their wands clatter to the stone floor. Dobby popped into view and collected all of the wands. "Master Harry, you is making Dobby's head hurt. You have to take better care of yourself, Dark Master being very angry with yous."
Severus rounded everyone up and Rabastan kept a vigilant watch. Harry grumbled. "Could one of you untie me?"
"You seem to stay in one place when tied to chairs, Little Lord." Rabastan chuckled.
"You are not being funny. This is so coming of your wages."
Rabastan made a pensive face. "I don't recall ever getting paid."
Severus took pity on the teen and untied the ropes with a slash of his wand. Harry got up and stretched. He also walked into the little terrified group of Order members and singled out Molly.
"Hey, Sev... You want to make Molly into a potion?" Harry asked.
{oOo}
When Harry got back to the Great Hall, it was fairly empty. Death Eaters were stationed in doorways and the teachers were all huddled in a corner, a few wands pointed at them to keep them in check. The older students who fought back had been subdued and the younger ones were safely tucked away. Sirius was sitting in the Headmaster's chair, looking smug.
Bellatrix was blowing up windows and kicking plates and goblets around.
Harry was looking for his husband but Tom was nowhere in sight. In truth, he was right behind Harry and wrapped his arms securely around his waist. "I ought to punish you, little lion."
"Maybe later, when we're alone." Harry hummed. He chuckled and said, "I have something for you, dear."
"I know. As a reward, I'll let you decide their fate." Tom smiled dangerously.
A while later, the Order was all lined up in the Great Hall. Grim-faced and devastated, but some still showing signs of defiance. Tom had made Sirius give up the Headmaster's seat and settled into it with Harry snugly sitting on his lap.
The look of complete disgust in Moody's face made him the first victim.
"I think Mad-Eye is looking a bit green," Harry hummed. "The ex-Auror must be feeling uncomfortable with our public displays of affection."
Tom gave a nod. "He thinks I'm stealing away your virtue."
"I don't think that's it. You see, dear old Moody here has a problem with people like us. I think he considers us to be disgusting abominations."
"Who gets to broaden his mind?" Tom asked with a cruel smirk.
Harry gave a bright smile and turned to his godfather. "Siri, would you like to educate Moody a bit?"
It was a shock for the Order to see Sirius Black among the Death Eaters, a wiling part of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle. Sirius got up with a pleased look. The man was a tad bit insane but that didn't stop him or bother anyone else. He only gave his godson a smirk. And then drove his fist into Moody's face. With the man flat on his back, Sirius laughed. "That felt bloody good. Been wanting to do that for ages."
"Sirius Black, how dare you!" shrieked Minerva.
"He deserved it." Sirius argued back and grabbed the old Auror by the scruff, yanking him up. "Stay put."
Harry was curious and held his eyes on Sirius who was looking very self-satisfied as he drew his wand and then had the man under a Cruciatus. Azkaban had been rough on him but he wasn't as deranged as his cousin who really knew how to enjoy spilling blood. Moody was a hardened Auror, he didn't want to give Sirius the pleasure of seeing him defeated. Harry thought it was a great show. When Moody was starting to show signs of weakness, Sirius grinned and looked around, searching. "Where's Luce? Oi, Blondie-Locks, get your fine piece of arse over here."
Lucius only crossed his arms and gave Sirius a deadly glare. Fine, the blonde was making it difficult. Sirius could work with that and pulled Moody with him, he was going to the blonde wizard himself. The wizard was trying to add to Moody's punishment by snogging his pretty boyfriend. Mad-Eye was still in agony, his teeth in a snarl. Sirius was busy getting back into Malfoy's good graces.
With one hand holding his wand and pinning Moody to the floor, Sirius slid his free hand into the blonde's hair and tugged him closer, capturing his lips with his own. Bella cackled wickedly and someone wolf-whistled loudly, Rab and Rod were cheering.
"Admit it, you can't stay away from me." Sirius said with a confident grin.
"You belong in a kennel, mutt. Perhaps I'll even visit and bring you toys to chew on." Lucius drawled, but didn't push the other away. If anything, he stayed close to Sirius. He gave him a patented Malfoy smile and said, "Unless you wish to kill him, you ought to release him from the curse."
"I do want to kill him, but not yet." Sirius said, lifting the curse. He smirked upon seeing Moody's appalled face.
Harry continued after everyone settled down. "Let's see, who's next...Molly Weasley."
Bellatrix was jumping up and down, her hand in the air. "Pick me, pick me."
"All right, she's yours. Kill her for all I care, she deserves whatever you dish out." the dark-haired teen absentmindedly waved his hand.
He laughed a little when Bellatrix looked proud and dragged a kicking and screaming Molly away from the line. He heard the dark-haired witch say, "You and I are going to have so much fun."
One by one, the Order members were picked out and given to Death Eaters. Only Tonks, McGonagall and Kingsley were left standing.
"Nymphadora Tonks, you are bitch, plain and simple." Harry spoke harshly. "You're Siri's family, but unfortunately for you neither of us care."
With a nod from Harry, Lucius ended the woman's life with a flash of green.
"I don't have anything to say to McGonagall." Harry hummed and had Severus kill her as he had done with Dumbledore.
Kingsley was the last man standing. Harry gifted him to Tom, as a delayed wedding present. As the Dark Lord settled his dealings with Kingsley, Harry idly sat in Dumbledore's chair and recalled his time as a student. He had never been happy here, not with Dumbledore. But that was all in the past.
Sirius came to sit with Harry and slumped into to chair next to him.
"Did you kill Moody?"
"I got bored." the man shrugged. "Draco wanted to have a go."
Harry asked when he caught Siri's gaze following the elder blonde across the Hall, "How long have you two been a thing?"
"We've been sleeping together since you found out I was Dark," the man explained. "I've wanted to shag him for years. Seriously, before I even landed in Azkaban, before he married Cissy. But this whole casual hooking up isn't really to my liking and I told him that after your wedding. I was dead scared that he would walk away."
"But he didn't."
Sirius chuckled and shook his head. "What can I say, I'm irresistible. We decided to give this relationship thing a go. I'm so fucking glad that I'm at least half decent, enough for Luce to waste his time on me."
"Siri...you're being awfully bashful," Harry teased. "Are you, by any chance, in love?"
"What if I am, is it such a bad thing? I know I'm not exactly sane and I don't take anything seriously, but he seems to want me around and I'd be an idiot to argue. And be honest, is it possible for me to do better than Lucius Malfoy? I mean, look at that exceptional piece of art and tell me that I ought to turn him down. He's a vain, uppity peacock, but that's the best part and besides, I'm not Prince Charming either. We're fucking great together and he's the best shag I've ever had. Underneath that icy exterior is a wild animal, I got claw marks and all."
Harry groaned, "I really don't want to know what you guys do in bed. Unless you want hear about my sex life."
"You don't have a sex life, you're my innocent godson. You're a virgin until you're thirty. Got it?" Sirius stated with a glare.
"Sure, whatever you say." Harry chuckled. "Back to you and Blondie-Locks. It didn't seem like you're a particularly loving couple."
Sirius seemed to pout. "Yeah, well...I'm not exactly his favourite person at the moment."
"What did you do?" Harry asked.
"I rolled around in mud as Padfoot. And I may have jumped on the bed as Padfoot. And I may have smeared his fancy sheets with mud, while rolling around in bed. And I may have licked his face."
Harry was laughing hysterically.
"I was banned from the bedroom. This is serious, Harry. I haven't gotten laid for a week and his still pissed at me for the whole dog drool bit. I was having fun."
"Dog slobber isn't fun, Siri." Harry pointed out. "Have you tried apologising? It's pretty effective, you know."
Sirius scowled. "I'm not good with words. You know what I'm like."
"Calling him a fine piece of arse in front of his colleagues certainly doesn't help."
"Yes, I'm an idiot. Believe me, I've heard that before. I'll just do some more sucking up."
Harry could only pat his godfather on the back and wish him luck.
5. Teaching a dog or How Sirius learned new tricks.
Three years after his wedding to Tom Riddle, the resident Dark Lord, Harry was finally ready to think about children. He loved kids and wanted at least a dozen of his own. Tom wasn't that enthusiastic about little children but he couldn't turn away from his own flesh and blood, especially if Harry was the one giving him an heir.
Luna had ultimately snagged herself a Malfoy and the glittering ring on her finger spoke for itself. Draco was happy and had learned to appreciate Luna's quirks and oddities.
Neville was dating a cute Pure-blood and the Weasley twins were happily browsing around the dating scene as well.
Severus was still gathering his wits regarding his relationship with Narcissa. The witch was understanding, but she did hope. After the dissolution of the marriage between herself and Lucius, the woman had hinted and dropped subtle suggestions here and there. But Severus was dragging his feet.
The Dark had won and the wizarding public was sort of all right with it. Whatever the Light said or thought about Lord Voldemort was complete rubbish and the propaganda regarding the Dark Lord's politics was all a pile of waste. Naturally, changes were made and things were done differently, but Muggle-borns weren't chained and tagged like cattle, Hogwarts still accepted them but only if they had previous knowledge about the wizarding world. Some Muggle-born children were placed with wizarding families, with their parents consent. A great deal of Muggles were horrified to have a magical child, much like the Dursleys considered Harry to be a freak.
Harry, with a little help from Severus, had opened a school for children with Muggle backgrounds, a pre-school before they reached the age of eleven. Tom had been against it at first, but he could see the importance of Harry's work with Muggle-borns who had been rejected by their ignorant Muggle parents. But that didn't mean that the Dark Lord's spouse was going soft, quite the opposite really. If people feared Lord Voldemort, they trembled in their skin when it came to Harry Riddle, formerly known as Harry Potter. Even Tom's Death Eaters were more afraid of their Lord's husband that their Lord himself. Everyone still remembered what the young wizard had done to Dolores Umbridge. The permanent scorch marks on the floor reminded them of Harry's wild rage. No one wanted to get on Harry's bad side.
{oOo}
Out of all the people close to Harry, no one ever expected Sirius Black to be the one to get married first. Luna and Draco were having a long engagement and wanted to travel before settling down and start working on the next Malfoy heir.
It was Siri's wedding day and nothing was going according to plan. It was a miracle if the wedding even happened at all. In addition to the bickering and the occasional hex or two, Sirius had managed to drive Lucius over the edge of his lenience when dealing with his fiancé's idiocy.
When Harry found his godfather, sulking and brooding in the sitting room, he knew that the man had done something. Again.
"What did you do this time? And please tell me you didn't manage to ruin your own wedding."
Sirius's scowl deepened.
"Dear Morgana, you absolute twit." Harry huffed. "Who was it who moaned and whined about not being worthy of him and now that he actually agreed to marry you, you fuck it up. What the hell did you do?"
"It was supposed to be a prank... the twins put me up to it." the man sighed pitifully. "I transfigured his wedding robes into a wedding dress. And then I made a stupid bride joke."
Harry just shook his head.
Sirius truly looked miserable when he asked, "He's not going to marry me, is he? I'm an overgrown child, I can't help myself sometimes. Riling him up is my favourite pastime, you don't know what he's like when he's angry."
"I can't believe you're still pulling pigtails. It took you months to work up the courage to propose, then you go and prank him. Serves you right if he does decide that he's had enough of you," said Harry, working himself up.
"Sirius Black, get your mangy flee-ridden arse here this instant." Narcissa's shrill voice echoed in the parlour, coming closer with each step. Sirius cowered, the Black sisters were bloody vicious. Harry just sat back and smirked.
Double doors banged open and the former Lady Malfoy stood there like a harpy. Harry did feel sorry for Sirius. Well, a bit sorry, he did deserve it after all.
"You are one dead mutt, Sirius Black."
Shrinking back in his seat, the man spoke tentatively, "Cissy, don't start, please."
"You insensitive man-child. Trust you to ruin an entire wedding with your tactless idiocy. If there even is a wedding to speak of." Narcissa crossed her arms and raised a deadly brow, pinning Sirius. Then she threw a red rubber ball at him and said with an irritated expression. "Lucius would like me to tell you and I quote, 'Tell that imbecile that he can wed one of his chewing toys since he seems to appreciate them more'."
"For the love of Merlin, it was just a joke." the dog Animagus groaned.
"I fail to see the humour in this." Narcissa said with scorn. "You don't tell the man you're about to marry that he'd look 'smoking' in a dress. And then subject him to further humiliation by telling him that he's the bride. Salazar's wand, you transfigured a pillowcase into a garter."
Harry snorted.
"If you can find a speck of regret in your childish heart, go up there and beg for forgiveness before he casts Incendio on your entire wardrobe." the witch stated and turned to leave.
Sirius toyed with the ball in his hand and said, "Don't cancel the ceremony just yet, I got some serious grovelling to do."
{oOo}
He must have stood behind the mahogany door for more than thirty minutes before he dared to knock. When he did, there was no answer.
"I'm here to grovel," Sirius said. "It's a bit hard to do that through a door. Come on, Luce...at least let me see you while I try to appeal to your better nature."
The door was yanked open with force and Sirius was faced with his fiancé, hopefully not ex-fiancé. His charming smile didn't do anything to thaw Lucius' icy expression. But he got into the bedroom. It was a start. The wedding dress was still laid on the bed.
"You have to admit, it's a nice dress."
Lucius was not interested in the man's stupid comments. "Black, you have less than three minutes to appeal to my so-called better nature."
"Oh, so we're back to last names," Sirius snorted, "Fine, Malfoy. Can we not argue? We can sit in silence if you like, just don't send me away without listening to my heartfelt apology."
The blonde wizard looked uncertain but gave a nod.
"Okay, so...first of all, I'm sorry for being a prat. I realise that it was a stupid, immature thing to do," Sirius began, looking uncomfortable as he stood by the door. "I shouldn't have said that you'd look gorgeous in a dress and I apologize for it, even though I still think you'd look smashing in it."
The blonde raised a brow and picked up the heap of satin and lace. He threw it to the dark-haired man who caught it with a confused expression. "Put it on."
"I'm not sure I follow. You want me to do what?"
"I want you to put on that dress." Lucius repeated himself. Amused by the gaping expression, he added, "You just now said that I'd look smashing in it. I beg to differ. If you want me to marry you, you will put it on."
Seeing that Lucius was completely serious, the dark-haired man looked sour but started undressing. He gave the blonde a pointed look. "Fine, I get it. But I'm not walking down the aisle with it."
"You will if I say so." Lucius threatened.
Sirius Black with a white gown, he'd be the laughing stock of the entire wizarding world.
"Would it help if I got down on my knees and begged for forgiveness?" Sirius whinged pathetically as he shrugged off his robe and worked on his shirt.
"Put it on." the blonde ordered.
With a groan, Sirius threw his trousers on the bed and slipped the dress over his head. "Happy now?"
"Ecstatic." the blonde deadpanned.
"I'm an idiot, message received." the man sighed. "You don't really want to marry be like this, right? Think of the wedding pictures."
Lucius sat down on the bed and casually stated. "The dress stays on for an hour."
"I'll never prank you again, I swear." the dog Animagus groaned. He asked hopefully, "Does this mean you forgive me?"
"I'll consider it."
{oOo}
The memory of Sirius stomping around in a white wedding dress would forever remain in Harry's mind and in his Pensieve in case someone wanted to see it later.
When the given hour had passed, Sirius had banished the dress into the deepest and darkest pit of hell. But his humiliation meant that the wedding was still happening, even though Lucius was still put out by the unfortunate occurrence.
With a striking band around his finger, Sirius couldn't stop grinning. Harry was happy for him. Exactly three hours after the formal part of the wedding, Sirius managed to anger the blonde wizard with his usual childish behaviour. Seeing Sirius grovel was amusing if not downright funny.
Tom pulled Harry to his chest and placed a kiss to his neck. He chuckled, "Your godfather truly is something else. I trust Lucius will keep him in line from now on."
"You're joking, right?"
Tom said, "Just overly optimistic."
Harry snorted and rested his head on his husband's shoulder. Life was good.
6. Muted mutiny or How the Light struck
In the absence of light, darkness prevails. Which suited the Dark Lord just fine. But there were clouds on the horizon, mainly the forming resistance or the Light Rebellion as they called themselves. Even though the Order of Phoenix was gone and the figures who had led the Light side in the war against Lord Voldemort were all dead or captured, there were still those who opposed the Dark reign. People Harry had gone to school with, his peers and old teachers who had escaped the Dark's prosecution.
Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, Susan Bones...
The list went on and had many names that Harry knew or had heard before. At the moment they were just pesky, but Harry feared that with a proper leader and motivation, the small group of rebels could pose a threat. That did not sit well with Harry. Especially with their wedding anniversary coming up. Six years of marriage had not dulled their mutual lust and desire. Harry had plans to celebrate and some would-be heroes were not going to ruin it with their Gryffindor foolishness.
{oOo}
With a book resting on his lap, Harry stroked his distended stomach and plopped a chocolate between his lips. The book was boring him and the box of sweets was empty, but he didn't want to get up or call Dobby. He was like an flabby seal stuck in sand.
The light tapping of small feet made Harry look up and he smiled as he saw the little owner of those feet. Swaying on wobbly legs, a tiny girl with an angelic face ran straight to Harry, babbling, "Hawwy, Hawwy, Hawwy."
The young wizard smiled as the little girl hugged his legs and turned her big blue-grey eyes on Harry. "Hello, monkey. Did you run off without waiting for your daddy?
The girl gave a mischievous smile and nodded energetically.
When Sirius appeared by the door, he was breathless. He puffed out, "Sera, give your old man a break."
"Is she getting too fast for you?" Harry asked, lifting the girl up and settling her on his lap.
"She's a sneaky Slytherin. I don't know how I'll survive with two snakes." Sirius groaned and slouched into the armchair opposite Harry. "Anyway, enough about me. How's motherhood treating you?"
Harry snorted. "I'm not a 'mum' yet, just a walking incubator. Little bugger keeps kicking me in the ribs, it's bloody annoying. And Tom has this new 'no shagging' rule because he's afraid to hurt the baby. The Healer said that it's improper to copulate when I'm nurturing the Dark Lord's heir, apparently it's disrespectful. And of course Tom agreed, not because he thinks we're doing something improper, but because he's dead afraid to hurt us."
"Would that be Healer Hollisworth? Elderly and stutters when he's nervous?"
"He's not old, he's fucking ancient," Harry laughed.
Sirius grumbled. "Language, Bambi. Every time she learns a new word, I get hit with a Stinging Hex. I'll be sent to live with the house-elves if she learns the f-word."
Harry winced and said, "Sorry. Anyway, Tom got me a new Healer after I turned his robes electric blue with yellow cats running around."
The older wizard smirked. "Hollisfart is the resident Healer for Death Eaters. He couldn't even recognize Lucius without his glasses, thought he was a woman. We never saw him again after he called my darling husband 'Mrs Black'. It was pretty hilarious on my end."
"Did you sleep on the floor that night?" Harry inquired with a smile.
"As a matter of fact, I did not."
The little girl had climbed over to Siri's lap and was tugging on his unruly locks. Her expression was hopeful. Sirius smoothed the girl's dark curls and asked, "What is it, Puplette?"
"Paddy." the girl chirped.
"Maybe later, all right? Better not tell your mum though." the dog Animagus smirked.
Harry never expected Sirius to become a father, mainly because he didn't seem like a wizard who would actually raise a child. But the years had straightened him out and he was a great father to his little girl, his marriage to Lucius had chased away the ghosts of Azkaban and the stability given to him by his family had aided him with the process of growing up. But that did not mean that Sirius Black was no longer a Marauder or less immature than before.
Harry was about to say something when a haggard-looking Rabastan appeared by the doorway, his face wearing small cuts and his breath coming out in wheezing pants. That had both wizards alert and Harry asked, "What is it?"
"The Ministry was attacked. The Light rebels, forty of them...We were taken completely off guard."
Harry shot up in his seat, as best as he could with his swollen stomach. His eyes took a dark glint. "Tell me exactly what happened."
Rabastan slumped against the doorway and gave a frantic nod. "There was a spy, an inside man. He helped the rebels in and a group of forty or even more wizards and witches appeared, they started firing curses, hitting random Ministry workers. It was a massacre, Little Lord. They took out about half of the Aurors before we got there. We tried to fight, but the rebels aren't just supporters of the old Light regime, they're like a pack of wild animals. They had werewolves with them, at least six of them tore right into the upper levels."
"Who did we lose?" Harry asked with a hard edge to his tone.
The Death Eater said, "Dolohov, Yaxley, Rockwood and Aurora Grant are dead. But St Mungo's is filled with Ministry workers and Death Eaters alike. Bella took a Cutting Curse for Bill Weasley, but she's going to live."
"What of the rebels?" Harry kept questioning the man.
"The ones we were able to capture are in the Ministry holding cells, some we killed on the spot. But most of the key members of their group escaped. I apologize for letting them escape but the Death Eaters who weren't seriously injured chose to help those who were badly wounded."
"You did the right thing, don't apologise for saving the lives of your friends. Where's Tom?" Harry was calming down as he inquired.
Rabastan looked down and said, "I'm afraid the Dark Lord is in St. Mungo's, he was injured during the attack."
After a moment of absolute silence, Harry got up and strode out of the room. Well, he waddled but no one was going to tell him that. Before he could be stopped, Harry had his sleeveless robe thrown over his shoulders and he was ready to go. He was showing signs of that notorious temper that had everyone cowering in fear.
"Where do you think you're going, Bambi?" Sirius inquired as he followed the younger wizard.
"I have an injured husband to kill." Harry scowled at the Animagus. "While I'm sitting here, fucking knitting and stuffing my face with chocolate, he's getting himself killed."
"Fine, I see your point. But I'm coming along, there's no way I'm letting you go on your own with the rebels still out there." Sirius said and turned to Rabastan. "You're coming too, you look like you're about to collapse where you stand."
Harry asked, "What about Seraphiné?"
The little witch perked up when hearing her name. Sirius hauled her up to sit on his shoulders and smirked. "We're all set."
{oOo}
St. Mungo's was packed. Healers were running around and Mediwizards were tending to those who only had small cuts and bruises.
When Harry Riddle arrived, people took notice. There wasn't anyone who did not know who the dark-haired and green-eyed wizard was. Some even remembered him as Harry Potter, the boy who was once celebrated as their Saviour but who was now the other half of the Dark Lord.
His pregnant form was also nothing new, rumours had already started circulating and it wasn't a secret.
Harry didn't care about the curious looks or the small bows he received as he walked past. He was very much annoyed with his dearest husband. Draco was there as well, having Flooed over from his vacation home upon hearing about the attack. The blonde saw Harry but knew him well enough to know that the green-eyed wizard was in no mood to chat. Instead of small talk, Draco told the wizard what room the Dark Lord was in.
Sirius, who had tagged along, remained with Draco. The little toddler was making grabbing motions towards her big brother. "Dwaco."
Even Severus was present but his grim features didn't change. He greeted Sirius with a drawl. "Mutt."
"Snivellius." the Animagus shot back with a small grin gracing his lips. The small toddler had moved from Black's shoulders to Draco's arms. She was very fond of her brother and clung to him like an affectionate koala.
The blonde was equally enamoured with his sister and didn't bother with watching over his godfather and stepfather to prevent any quarrels. After all those years, those two still harboured a certain dislike for one another.
"So... Cissy finally got you to marry her. I don't know what she sees in you, unless she's into greasy gits, then it makes perfect sense."
Severus darkly intoned. "I see Lucius hasn't put a leash and muzzle on you, which is a shame. He could take you to the park and tie you to a tree, he'd be doing all of us a favour."
Instead of snipping at the man, Sirius reminded himself of his newfound maturity and turned to Draco. "How's Luna?"
"Nauseous but mostly her usual cheerful self. She's working with Longbottom and Astoria Greengrass with their greenhouse project. I tried to tell her to take it easy and she said that I shouldn't listen to Nargles. As long as she doesn't overdo it, I don't see a reason why I should mention it again. Ever."
"Well, she is going to carry the next generation of strapping Malfoy sons." Sirius joked and tucked a stray lock behind Sera's ear. "At least this little imp has someone to play with."
Severus commented. "I thought having a pet dog is every child's dream."
Sirius wanted to reply with something equally nasty, but he didn't because his daughter chose to reach out to him and Draco had trouble holding the squirming toddler. Forgetting all about Severus Snape, the man took his extremely fed up daughter and walked towards the small open area that served as a waiting room. The girl stopped moving when Sirius took out his wand, pointed it towards a chair and transfigured it into a stack of building blocks. Unceremoniously, the wizard sat down on the floor beside the girl and started making a tower.
Draco smirked but didn't say anything. Severus just snorted. While he didn't like Sirius Black, he tolerated him for his friend's sake. And because Narcissa was actually rather fond of her idiotic cousin.
{oOo}
Seeing Tom motionless, his face sickly pale, Harry felt his anger dissipating. He didn't know what was wrong with Tom, he hadn't bothered himself with asking the Healer who had fled the room upon seeing Harry and his lethal glare.
Thankfully for him, Tom was already waking up and peered at Harry under his lashes. Lowering himself on the bed, Harry groaned at the pleasant feeling of sitting down.
"You shouldn't be here." the Dark Lord croaked.
"Neither should you," Harry shot back. "You weren't even supposed to be in the Ministry, let alone get hurt. You do realise that if you die on me, I will find a way to resurrect you. And then I will kill you myself for being an idiot."
Tom managed a weak smile.
"Instead of comfortably dozing in bed, I'm sitting here. Explain to me why?"
"The attack was a surprise," the Dark Lord said, "I had only arrived when the siege began. Why are you surprised, my love? You do know that I am the Minister for Magic, as well as the reigning Dark Lord. I only needed to retrieve a few documents, that was my reason for being there."
Harry sighed. "All right, I understand. But that doesn't explain why you're here?"
"While duelling with one of the rebels, I failed to protect myself against an assault that came from behind. I am not dying, far from it, but the curse knocked me out for a few hours and I hit my head rather hard."
"Do you know how upset I was when Rabastan told me you were injured? Have you any idea how upset I still am?"
Taking Harry's hand, Tom caresses his thumb over Harry's palm. "Forgive me for upsetting you."
"I might consider it if you promise to never worry me again. I'm not planning on raising this baby alone." Harry spoke with a smile. "He's going to need his father."
"Perhaps you can find someone competent enough to discharge me, then we shall deal with the Light's rebellion." Tom told the younger man.
Harry's eyes shimmered with dark delight.
7. The cradle will fall or How Harry lost his cool
Before Harry and Tom could squash the nest of spiders, also known as the rebels, the Dark Lord's spouse had to give birth.
Harry refused to move from his home, therefore the Healer had to come to Harry. Tom was a nervous wreck, yelling at whoever crossed paths with him and ordering his Death Eaters as if they were unruly children. Truthfully, he was just snapping at everyone because he was terrified.
At first, the green-eyed teen had cursed, shouted, yelled, threatened and even screamed obscenities at the Healer, his husband, the elves and pretty much everyone else. That was the period from the beginning of the pains right to the start of the actual contractions that had Harry screaming bloody murder.
Then the threats to Tom's manhood stopped, replaced with whimpering. The Dark Lord suddenly became the most needed person in the room. At least Harry wasn't threatening to cut off his cock with rusty scissors.
In the end, Harry did curse Tom. Granted, it was a rather mild Stinging Hex and Tom did deserve it. At least in Harry's opinion.
The baby was a pink and wrinkly boy. With a mop of baby-fine dark hair and Tom's nose. Again, Harry thought he had Tom's nose and who was the Dark Lord to argue. Sirius thought that all babies looked the same while Narcissa was convinced that the newborn was definitely Harry in features.
Severus had been the last to hold the baby, the delicate infant scared the stoic Potion Master but he wasn't going to mention that. Sirius, as always, couldn't help himself, telling his cousin to start making babies with Snape.
After a while, everyone left. The parents of the newborn Riddle were smitten with the baby, but Harry was still unsure about certain things. Tom's ability to love for example. Yet seeing him handle the baby with care, holding him close as if he was afraid to lose him, Harry knew that everything was going to be all right and he didn't need to worry about his family.
{oOo}
With the baby napping after a satisfying meal, Harry could go over all of the paperwork regarding the rebels. There were files on each member of the group; names, dates and every known hideout. Harry knew there was something in those files, something he could use to track them down.
Harry wasn't going to imprison them, he was going to kill them. All of them. His family wouldn't be safe before the rebels were all dead and the Light finally extinguished. A new resistance would form, that was a given, but Harry hoped to have a relatively peaceful life before that happened. The Dark's future was currently sleeping with a teddy keeping him company.
After an hour or two of going through the papers, Harry finally found something remotely useful. Albus Dumbledore had a brother, Harry knew that, but now he also knew something else. They had already dealt with one Dumbledore, but Harry hadn't counted on fighting another Dumbledore, a new Light leader in the making.
"You Dumbledores are like weeds, impossible to get rid of."
But Harry didn't know how close the threat actually was.
{oOo}
The Dark Lord's manor was the most secured manor in the history of secured manors. Even Malfoy Manor wasn't warded quite like Tom's home.
While the wards were tight and the place was like a fortress, it had a weak spot. It wasn't warded against traitors. Tom had gone soft with Harry and their son by his side, weeding out traitors wasn't a priority. Almost everything relating to Death Eaters and any kind of menacing Dark Lord business was on hold. But as Tom neglected his duties as a Dark Lord to spend more time with his family, treachery thrived.
They had underestimated the Light's attempt to overthrow the Dark. There was a spy among them, a rat in their carefully protected nest, a spy who was about to let the rebels into the Dark Lord's home. Released into Harry's safe haven like cockroaches. It was funny how the roles were now reversed, the Light side wearing masks and resorting to measures that had no place on the moral compass.
Dobby was the last elf to defend his Master's home. The others had been silenced quickly and with a flash of green. But Dobby was made from sturdier stuff and he had only one mission; to protect Master Harry's child. Without questioning it, Dobby took the infant and disappeared. He knew he was doing the right thing, he had to protect the little one.
Harry's only motivation was to get to his baby, so as he literally slashed through those who tried to stand in his way, the green-eyed wizard felt what his mother probably felt when standing between her child and a wand that glowed green. Soon enough, hell unleashed itself on earth. Harry Riddle discovered an empty room and an empty cradle.
No one had ever seen Harry this livid. Enraged like a demon. When he saw Aberforth Dumbledore, the brain behind the rebellion, he flung him into the nearest wall. But that was only the beginning. Harry was surprising strong with his petite build and he grabbed the bearded man by his throat.
The hiss was almost inhuman. "You come into my home uninvited and don't even say 'hello'? You miserable old fool, the same stupidity that ended your brother, will now end you."
Aberforth wanted to speak but Harry's grip was strong and almost cut off his air supply. But Harry wasn't done, so he squeezed just enough for a little air to reach the man's lungs. From the corner of his eyes, Harry saw Rabastan and his brother duelling with masked rebels, Bellatrix was in the middle of gutting someone and Severus was doing everything in his power to protect Harry's back while he dealt with another Dumbledore. Tom was out of the country on business, but that was exactly why the rebels had attacked.
Turning back to Aberforth, Harry asked, "Why are you here?"
With a tinge of purple to his face, the man choked out, "To stop Voldemort's dark pestilence. The forces of Light will triumph."
"I think insanity is a family trait. No wonder you're delusional. How about I kill you now and show your little comrades that Light can be smothered with no real effort."
"Voldemort has you under a spell, he's controlling you." the man stated.
He was rewarded with a cruel chuckle, "Is that what you believe, that I married him because he had me under his mind control? Well, allow me to explain it to you in a simple way. I love my husband. My decision to let the Light suffer was based on what your wretched brother put me through. The 'Greater Good', does that ring any bells? He wanted a weapon, but he should have been more careful, because he did create a weapon, only I chose to fight for the other side. Your brother and his gang of mindless pawns died because I wanted them to die, they paid for their ignorance and misplaced loyalty. You will follow your brother because you weren't smart enough to keep your head down and your friends will die because they chose to follow you. Now, before I slice you open, I want you to tell me where my son is?"
Fear shadowed Abe's eyes, but he had enough arrogance to say, "That child was born out of evil. If you're here, asking me, then I'd say that he's no longer suffering."
Harry was already standing on the edge of a bottomless black hole of rage, Aberforth made the mistake of pushing him into it. Magic exploded around them, glass from the windows shattered and covered the floors. Paintings on the walls caught fire, there were cracks running in the marble floor. Another Dumbledore dead, his lifeless corpse on the floor. Harry hadn't sliced him open, he'd simply strangled him with his bare hands.
Dean Thomas was next to die, because he made the mistake of calling Harry 'mate'. One by one, the rebels died, some even together as Harry Riddle unleashed his magic on them. By the end of it, the floor was covered in blood, the walls were either burnt or bloody and Severus was afraid that Harry had finally lost it completely. When it was all over, Rab and Rod nudged Severus to go to Harry, who was just standing in the middle of his carnage. When Snape reached him, Harry accepted the tentative embrace. Mindful of the glass on the floor, the Potion Master pulled Harry away from the bloody mess.
"Alex is gone, they took him..."
A woman's gasp drew Harry's attention to the hallway and he saw Narcissa, closely followed by Sirius, who ran to Harry's side. Severus took a step back and allowed the dog Animagus to get closer to his godson. Completely ignoring the butchery around them, Sirius said, "Bambi, speak to me."
"He's gone, Siri." Harry buried his face into the man's chest and choked out a sob.
Immediately knowing what the younger man was talking about, Sirius pulled Harry away from him and assured him, like one would assure a little child. "No, he's not gone. Listen to me, Pup. He's safe, Alex is with Lucius. Dobby popped out from nowhere and he had Alex with him, he's safe."
"What?" Harry was rightfully confused yet didn't want to hope just yet.
"Dobby, that little pug-eyed pest, took Alex away from here. He said there were strangers in the manor, that they killed the other elves who protected their household. He took Alex with him and came to Malfoy Manor, he thought he was doing the right thing by bringing the baby with him."
Harry's eyes watered. "I need to go to him, Siri."
Sirius only saw Harry dash from the room. He eyed the mess once more before following his godson. Rabastan and Bella were already cleaning up the mess Harry had made.
{oOo}
Harry quite literally fell out from the fireplace, having never been elegant when Flooing. As he made contact with the floor, he groaned. But nothing mattered more than getting to his son.
He ran from room to room until he ended up in the right one, the sitting room that had been converted into a play room for Seraphiné and any babies born into the Malfoy family. His hands shook as he saw his little one, the barely three month old baby, sleeping in Luna's arms. The witch was cooing at the baby, smiling as the boy grabbed at her bright yellow earrings. Seraphiné was playing on the floor, surrounded by toys and her favourite building blocks. She was the first one to notice Harry, squealing 'Hawwy' in her bubbly voice.
With his son firmly in his arms, Harry could finally calm down. Luna understood and took the little girl's hand, taking the toddler with her. She met Sirius by the door and said, "Everything is well now."
They left Harry alone, questions could wait. Sirius took Seraphiné upstairs, the girl was getting tired and a cranky child was never a good thing.
Lucius was already waiting in the girl's bedroom when Sirius made his way up. Since Malfoy Manor was a big place, the girl had fallen asleep on their way upstairs.
After a moment of silence, Sirius sighed and said, "You should've seen it, Luce. According to Bellatrix, my godson killed everyone in a fit of rage. The purest of raw magic. It's a miracle he didn't blow up the whole manor."
"How is he now?"
The dark-haired wizard shrugged, "He's with his son, I'd say he's doing better than before."
Lucius carefully detangled the little girl from Sirius and carried their daughter to her cot. With a quick spell, her play clothes turned into pyjamas. Everyone tended to say that the little girl was a miniature Sirius, with her dark locks and grey-blue eyes, but she had a fair bit of Malfoy in her features. Plus, she was entirely Lucius with her attitude.
"We made that." Sirius said as he came to stand next to the blonde, his eyes firmly on the sleeping child. "We should make more."
Lucius snorted, but it was an elegant Malfoy snort. But Sirius remained silent and his expression was, dare he say, hopeful. Lucius stated dryly. "You're serious."
Grinning, the dog Animagus said, "That I am."
"Need I remind you that we didn't even plan to make this one." Lucius reasoned.
"But here she is and I know you wouldn't change it for anything. You know she's going to ask for a sibling when she's a bit older, or demand one since she's your kid. We're still young, considering a Pure-blood's lifespan, and we'll never run out of Galleons, even with more than one child bleeding us dry. All I'm saying is that we should think about it. Unless you really don't want another." Sirius replied.
With a sigh, the blonde conceded. "I'll think about it. But I will not make promises I might not be able to keep."
Secretly grinning, Sirius gave a nod. "Whatever you want, Luce."
{oOo}
In the morning, Tom was notified of the attack. Within the next hour, the Dark Lord was back on British soil and enraged like a Horntail. Because of the safety issue, Harry had closed down the manor and moved in with Sirius and Lucius. While the wards around Malfoy Manor were a bit weaker than the Dark Lord's, it was still a lot safer than any place Harry could think of. The traitor in their midst didn't have any chance penetrating the wards around Malfoy Manor, Lucius didn't make a habit of inviting Death Eaters into his home and the traitor had never been there. Tom had Death Eaters coming and going all the time. A weakness in the otherwise impenetrable armour.
Harry was playing with the children when Tom arrived. Little Alexander was sitting on Harry's knee, the wizard's arm holding him upright as Seraphiné flipped through a book with magical animals that were moving.
Sirius, or rather Padfoot, trotted into the room, his tongue lolling out as he went to the girl's side and nudged her. The girl brightened upon seeing the dog and she squealed in glee, "Paddy."
Harry chuckled when the dog wagged his tail and pushed a rubber ball towards the girl with his nose. Then he saw Tom standing in the doorway. Getting to his feet, Harry watchfully lifted the baby into a more suitable position and walked straight to his husband. Tom's hand came to his cheek in a featherlike caress. He was aware of the errors he had made when neglecting his duties as Lord Voldemort. But he was even more aware of the crimes he had committed when neglecting to protect his husband and child.
"I wasn't here to protect you."
"You can't always be here to protect us, Tom." Harry said just as seriously Tom had done. "What happened wasn't your fault nor was it anyone else's."
"I was told by Severus that you caused quite a lot of damage. I believe his exact words were 'slaughtered the lot of them'." the Dark Lord hummed with approval.
Harry shrugged. "I don't really remember. When I saw that Alex was gone, I just lost it."
"You did what every parent in your situation would have done. You reacted. I for one do not pity them, death was the only possible outcome."
"They didn't deserve to die, but they weren't worthy of the lives they had. Death cured them from the madness that Albus Dumbledore infected them with."
8. Epilogue or How everything worked out in the end
Harry Riddle couldn't remember the last time he saw the Hogwarts Express, but seeing it again made him strangely nostalgic.
He saw a group of redheads and for a moment he was back in the past. Bill had married Fleur Delacour, the witch had not minded Bill's loyalty to the Dark Lord and together they had two children with the third on the way. George had married Daphne Greengrass and the couple had a son, a proper Weasley in looks. Fred hadn't married but he was by no means a monk, he just preferred his freedom intact and his children the kind who could be returned to their parents.
Neville had a new girlfriend, the previous one hadn't worked out simply because she was after the Longbottom vault that was rather decent in size. His new girlfriend was a former Hufflepuff.
Draco had taken over as Lord Malfoy, he had enough training to be one and not fail at the job. Scorpius Malfoy resembled a young Draco but he had Luna's softness and some of her wistfulness. Lorcan and Lysander Malfoy were born four years after their older brother, making Draco recall his stepfather's comment about strapping Malfoy sons. The blonde had yet to have a daughter of his own.
Narcissa had her dream wedding and ten years later, she was still happy. Severus had given up his teaching job and opened up his own Potion lab where he brewed to his heart's content. They had no children together, but neither of them minded because there were enough kids for Narcissa to spoil.
Sirius had managed to get a job and while it wasn't the most challenging job it was still enough to keep the Animagus from pranking his other half. The twins had given him the position of shop manager in Diagon and Sirius was loving it. All day with jokes and pranks. Brilliant.
Seraphiné Cecily Malfoy-Black had indeed demanded a sibling. She was a very demanding individual in general but it was never because she was a spoiled brat, it was just really hard to say no to the girl. When Sera was six, she finally had her little sibling that she had asked for. Carice Margot Malfoy-Black was very much loved by her older sister even though Sera had wanted a brother. The arrival of another girl had set an unique record, something the Malfoy line had never seen. Female Malfoys born to a Malfoy. Sirius had claimed that it was all his doing, since he was such an extraordinary specimen himself. Since the wizards from the Black line often sired girls, it wasn't that unexplainable. Sirius had tried to make a valid argument about making a third child to test out that theory, but Lucius had threatened him with castration.
As the train whistled loudly, Harry was brought back from his memories. He was standing on the platform, a small child nestled against his side. Kieran Arcturus Riddle was born five years after his brother. Harry seemed to have the same amount of luck with having a daughter as Draco.
Alexander Salazar Riddle was eleven years old and taking the train to Hogwarts for the first time. Along with him was his best friend Scorpius who was four months younger than him. They did everything together and planned to get sorted into the same house. Even if that meant bribing the Sorting Hat. Draco was convinced that both boys were going to Slytherin, Luna just smiled in her own mysterious way as if she knew something the others didn't.
Seraphiné was starting her Second Year. Sirius hadn't been surprised when the girl got sorted into Slytherin, what was there to be surprised about anyway. She was a Black in looks but a true Malfoy when it came to everything else. Though she did enjoy pranks like her dad. Victoire Weasley was her best friend, even though the girl was a Gryffindor and half-Weasley.
As the kids waved goodbye, Harry felt a bittersweet twinge in his heart. He had once taken the train like his son, yet it had led to an unpleasant road and betrayal. Rationally, he knew his son wasn't going to experience the same things he had, but it was still regrettable that he couldn't enjoy it like his son would. He waved to his son, Scorpius, Sera and their friends. When the train was gone from sight, Harry noticed disappointment shining in his son's eyes. He asked, "What's wrong?
"Why can't I go?" the boy inquired.
Harry suspected that the boy was eager to join his brother. He said, "You still have a few more birthdays to celebrate. When you're old enough to go to Hogwarts, you'll get your letter just like Alex did."
The boy gave a nod, but that didn't mean he stopped moping. Sirius came over to where they were standing and asked with a smirk. "You got one as well I see. A disappointed six-year-old."
"As you would expect." Harry hummed. "Where did you leave her?"
"Cissy snatched her up as soon as she saw Carice. You would think that with permanent baby-fever they'd make a few of their own. I guess Snivellius only likes children he can hand back at the end of the day."
Harry slapped the man's arm. "Don't be mean, Siri. Severus is a very good babysitter, you know. I can leave Alex and Kieran with him and I won't have to worry about them misbehaving or blowing something up. He might have retired but he still has that Professor Snape glare. I still end up petrified when he glares at me."
"He did tutor Sera in Potions, so I guess he's good for something." Sirius made a face. "Did I just compliment Snivellius?"
"Didn't Lucius come with you?"
"He wanted to, but there was some stupid emergency in the Ministry and naturally they needed Luce to fix it. He's an excellent fixer. Sera swindled a few extra Galleons out of him as compensation for not coming to the station. No wonder she's in Slytherin, that girl can manipulate you into committing murder," Sirius said with a frown. "She accidently caught us shagging in Luce's study and instead of running away screaming, she conned me into doing her summer homework in Charms."
Harry snorted. "You could have locked the door, you know."
"I wasn't thinking about the bloody door. How could anyone think about doors and locks when they have a very delicious wizard bent over a desk? My brain only worked long enough for me to remember the contraceptive charm."
Harry laughed.
{oOo}
"Ravenclaw."
Alexander clapped as Scorpius was sorted into the House of Ravens. A few others were sorted before his name was being called. Alex walked over to the stool and sat down, the Sorting Hat descended on his head.
The old tattered Hat spoke with amusement. "A Potter and a Riddle, a mixture of both potential and power. A quick and clever mind, but an even sharper tongue. Where to place you? I see bravery and loyalty, a bright brilliance and your father's talent for Charms. Yet your mother's compassion, but only for those who are worthy of it. Certainly no badger nor a lion."
"Ravenclaw." the Hat stated with conviction.
Scorpius smiled when his best friend took a seat next to him, the other Ravens clapped because they had the heir to the Dark Lord in the House.
The feast was merry and unusually festive. After settling into their dormitory, both boys started writing to the parents.
{oOo}
Tom was a bit annoyed to find out that his heir wasn't in the House of Snakes, but he was proud of his son for being sorted into Ravenclaw. Harry hadn't cared either way, as long as Alex was happy.
Draco had ranted about an hour after getting his son's letter. Malfoys were Slytherins, always and forever. Now his son was a Ravenclaw like his mother. Of course Draco wasn't angry with Scorpius, but he was just ranting for the sake of ranting. Luna had watched with a smile as her husband sulked for the entire morning.
Lucius had found the entire 'sorting incident', as it was labelled by Draco, entertaining. Being a Ravenclaw was nothing to be ashamed of. It beat Hufflepuff and Gryffindor any day. And being in Slytherin for generations seemed a bit stagnant when considering how the wizarding world was changing. Seraphiné was just a natural Slytherin like Lucius, there simply was no other alternative. Sirius was hoping for a Gryffindor to surface from their younger daughter, but she was beginning to look like a Hufflepuff. She was so kind and patient that it was starting to scare them a little.
{oOo}
Birthdays came and went, before Harry knew it, another Hogwarts letter arrived. This time it was addressed to Kieran. In another manor, an owl delivered the same letter to Carice.
Lorcan and Lysander were a also going, even if they were six months older than most of their year mates.
The train was on time as usual and Harry found himself on the Platform again, this time sending his other son to Hogwarts for the first time.
Alex and Scorpius were starting in Sixth Year, both were exceptional student and both boys were dating. Harry tried to remember his teenage son as a baby. It was hard to accept that he was already snogging girls and probably doing more than that. Scorpius and Alex were both popular, but it was hardly surprising because they were handsome young men with powerful names attached to them.
Sirius was scowling the entire time they were at the station. Sera was starting her last year and being seventeen meant that she was old enough to have a boyfriend or lots of them. Instead of hugging her parents and getting her stuff on the train, she chose to snog her current boyfriend. Sirius wanted to wring the boy's thin neck. The only positive aspect about the boy was his Gryffindor tie that caught Sirius' eye.
Lucius was having some sort of breakdown and Carice had to yell for his dad to come and rescue her from the blonde's tight grasp. Sending their youngest to Hogwarts meant only one thing. The nest was empty, Malfoy Manor was now cold and drab. Even though they didn't look the part, they were a couple old men with both of their children gone.
The train was starting to leave when Sera finally pulled herself away from her boyfriend and found time to give her parents a small wave. Then she was back to snogging again. Sirius really hated that bloke.
"We should make another one."
That earned Sirius a whack on the back of his head.
{oOo}
To chase away the loneliness caused by the absence of his children, Harry organised a family dinner. In a strange way it was more like a dinner for those who had all of their children in Hogwarts and for those who didn't have children.
During the dinner, letters arrived. Tom almost had an aneurism when Harry read Kieran's letter out loud. Their second son was now a Gryffindor. Harry promptly burst out in giggles and clutched his sides as he laughed.
The Malfoy-Lovegood twins got separated, one ending up in Ravenclaw like Scorpius and the other in Slytherin. At least Draco could sleep peacefully that he had at least one child who was a snake.
Carice, as Sirius had grudgingly predicted, was sorted into Hufflepuff. Harry had never heard Lucius falter with his words, but he did once he found out about the Hufflepuff bit. Sirius was pouting because neither of his kids ended up in Gryffindor. Severus found that highly amusing and shared a secret smirk with his wife as the witch tried to soothe her former husband's ruffled feathers.
With everyone busy, Harry slipped out of the room and soon found himself outside in the large balcony.
"You never told me who the traitor was." Sirius, who had followed Harry in the balcony, pointed out as he saw Harry's face in a pensive mask.
Harry gave a weak but sad smile. "I didn't want to upset you."
"Why would I be upset? I would've probably skinned them alive."
"It was Remus."
That shocked Sirius into silence.
Harry continued, "He was mostly neutral, but that's how he managed to survive as long as he did. Since Severus didn't brew his Wolfsbane anymore, his lycanthropy started to take a greater toll and he turned feral during the full moon. Severus used Legilimency on him, that's how I know it was him. He used Polyjuice to get close to us and when he found a way to get around the wards, he helped Dumbledore's brother and the rebels to get in. He didn't care about me or you, he had his mission. The ironic part about it was the reason behind his betrayal. Aberforth promised him the Wolfsbane potion if he found a way for the rebels to get to me. He only needed to seek me out and I would have given him the potions or the money to buy it, but he chose to betray me instead of asking for help."
"I'm sorry, Bambi."
"Why are you sorry, Siri?"
"Because yet another person who you believed to be on your side, betrayed you," said Sirius.
Harry sighed. "I know how to deal with betrayal, it's nothing new for me. I don't even know why I allowed myself to trust him. I could've had him killed, not for betraying me, but for betraying my son. He knew about Alex and he knew that Aberforth wanted to get rid of him for the greater good, and he still did it. While I understand his reason for helping them, I could never forgive him for sacrificing my son's life for his own needs."
"But you let him live." Sirius pointed out.
"I think for him, living as a werewolf is worse than death. Killing him would have ended his misery, but keeping him alive will bring him more pain than anything. Greyback has my permission to use him as he sees fit. I know you think I'm being cruel but I would do that and more for my children."
Sirius gave a nod. "I know what you mean, Bambi. I'd do anything for my family, cruelty would be the least of my worries."
"You know, you should probably stop calling me 'Bambi', I'm not a kid anymore. It sounds sort of creepy."
The dog Animagus just grinned.
{oOo}
A circle had come to a close. Harry felt that after all those years, he knew for certain why he took Tom's side, why he forgave him for the murder of his parents. He was never a hero, he didn't want to fight but chose to do so because he had something worth fighting for. Thinking back, he found many things he wanted to change or do differently, yet he was content with the way things were now. Everything began with a prophecy. A boy destined to defeat the Dark Lord, an enemy to Lord Voldemort. But a smoke-filled crystal ball wasn't something that could rule one's life, something that could define one's entire being. Looking at his family, no matter how odd and twisted, Harry had no regrets. He just hoped that his parents were proud and that Dumbledore was doing angry cartwheels in his grave.