Chapter Six: Homecoming
Disclaimer, Key, and Warnings are all in Chapter One.
A/N: Thanks to all reviewers: Black Dragin, windlg, livvie333, eoreos, Ravus7, fifespice, disgruntledfairy, Amertie, Ladyroo88, and .. Sorry for the horrendously long wait, but I was gone to summer camp. I was lost to the world, for all intents and purposes. Then I went on vacation, and then another camp. Plus, the world seemed to conspire against me writing. But it's out now, and that's got to count for something. In return, it is slightly longer.
It was a week later, and Tom had readied all plans for his followers to see him again. Lucius had told him who was in Azkaban, who was dead, and who had escaped. All in all, of his nearly fifty Death Eaters, only eight were dead. Although six were incarcerated and most of his inner cirlce were under suspicion, more than he expected had gotten away relatively easy. And he had one who betrayed others to save himself. Karkaroff. He'll die. Slowly and painfully as soon as he's taken.
"Hold out your arm, Lucius." He had called in Lucius for a last minute discussion and now he was needed. Harry was well-hidden behind the throne of the Dark Lord in his meeting chambers with spells only the two of them could break. The room was dimly lit with floating candles, casting the stone floored, tapestried covered throne room in shadow. It was fitting.
Tom was dressed in finer robes than he normally wore these days, because he went for comfort over style when he wasn't going in public, not that he planned on letting his followers know that. Black velvet with green sliken trim around the cuffs, hem, and neckline, and it contrasted nicely with the gilted silver throne and emerald plush seat.
"Yes, Master." The blonde stepped up from his place to the right of the throne and kneeled on the stone, holding out his left arm. The sleeve of his robe was thrown black and the Dark Mark was bared on his pale arm.
Voldemort pressed two fingers to the black brand, which had darkened by just being in his presence, and raised one eyebrow when Lucius winced in pain. Must be habit by now to send pain down their link as he called his followers. That needs to change, or it could be lethal later#1. He quickly let go of the man's arm, cutting off the mental connection as he did so. The look on Lucius' face was hilarious as the pain faded instantly, but he knew better than to say anything. So he stepped back down from the raised platform Voldemort's throne sat on, and stood with his head bowed as he pulled on his Death Eater mask.
They didn't have long to wait. Tom plastered an emotionless mask on his face as his followers Apparated into the room, varying degrees of shock and fear on the part of their face you could see from under their masks. They quickly fell to their knees, heads bowed, before rising and forming a half-circle around him. His Inner Circle, including two of his spies, appeared within a couple minutes, Severus being the last to show. His other three spies he didn't really expect, he had only included them in the call to let them know of his return, and four of the twenty Inner Circle members were in Azkaban. These members would spread the word discretely and explain things to the others. The traitor was the only other person missing.
From his talks with Lucius, he had found out that the other man had his own suspicions about Severus Snape's loyalties. The Potions Master had claimed to be a spy and had Dumbledore's protection as a professor at Hogwarts. Lucius had been his best friend, but after the war and Severus' announcement, most of the Dark would have nothing to do with him. Fact remained that he was still the Malfoy heir's Godfather, however. He really needed to have a nice long chat with his old spy.
He removed his wand, ignoring the sudden flinches, and with a wave made the floating candles burn brighter to bathe the room in full light. Tom kept it in his hand and stayed silent. It seemed that he was contemplating the men in front of him. Some of the lesser followers actually jumped when he spoke at last.
"Welcome back, my most faithful." He remained seated, but his scarlet eyes became hard as flint. The men in front of him shifted warily. "But are you truly faithful? How many of you carried out your lives with no attempt to find me? How many of you thought me dead? Maybe those truly most faithful aren't here now. Maybe they trusted me enough to rot in Azkaban in wait for my return. So what of you?" Tom's face was unreadable, seemingly made of stone, but his disapproval and annoyance were obvious.
Then one cracked. The Death Eater fell forward, scrambling on his knees to Voldemort's feet and latched his lips on his hem. He cried out, practically in tears. One of his Inner Circle, no less. Theodore Nott, Sr, since he had an heir now to carry on his name. He stayed loyal and never renounced the old ways, and although his relations to others put him under scrutiny, he hadn't been found out as a Death Eater.
"Forgive me, Master! Forgive us all!" The man seemed shocked when he didn't receive a Crucio immediately, and the others looked no better.
"Why, Nott? Why should I forgive you? Because you left me, bodiless, while you made no attempt to search for me?" He stood and looked down his nose at the blubbering man and sent him flying into the back wall with a well-placed Blasting Hex. Nott groaned from the floor and shakily stood, ignoring the rather large bruise on the back of his head and grateful it wasn't more. He quickly took up his place in the circle again while Voldemort looked at each of his followers in turn. "No. I do not forgive. Nor do I forget. You must earn your redemption."
"It was her sacrifice that did it, you know?" Sixteen pairs of ears perked up in curiosity. "Lily Potter died for her son. And when I killed him, the curse rebounded." The group gave a collective gasp. "Yes. Old Magic that I carelessly forgot. I cannot die, but I was ripped from my body. For four years I wandered, just knowing that one of my faithful followers would find me and return me to a body. I waited in vain."
Harry, who was listening avidly, held back a laugh as the Death Eaters shifted guiltily. The story was a load of bullshit of course, but Tom was pulling a major guilt trip. It was most amusing. He bit his lip again when Tom picked his story back up.
"Eventually, my snakes found me." Hissing softly, Tom called Ixion to him. Nagini was off chasing mice, but Ixion had been wrapped unnoticed around the back of his throne. Now, he wrapped his coils around Tom's shoulders.
Hello, Master.
Tom answered in the form of a stroke against his dark scales. "They led me to one who had the power to ressurect me. Who? A young boy, much like myself, with extreme power and potential for greatness. In a ritual I directed through my snakes, he returned me to full life."
The Death Eaters were in shock. Completely and utterly stunned. Their mouths were dropped open and Harry had to stuff his knuckles in his mouth to stop a snort. It was almost time for his appearance, and Tom was setting fear of him into their heads. In a way, he figured it was a compliment, too.
"Would any of you care to explain why a five year old child who knew nothing of me and had no reason to care did what my best followers could or would not?" He waited, as if for an answer, before continuing. "I thought as much."
Still emotionless, he sat back down and seemingly ignored the Death Eaters totally. "I was very weak. Barely as strong as the child himself. And yet he nursed me to health. A child." He looked back up, glaring daggers, and spoke in a deadly voice. "Now, he is learning. He has the strength to conquer all of you, even at his age, and he will get your respect. He is your lord, just as I am."
Then, while they were still gaping, he stood fluidly, dropped Ixion to slither over to harry, and flicked his wand. There Harry stood for all to see. Not that they knew who he was, of course.
He had Ixion on his arm, and the dark snake's scales stood out dramatically on the silken emerald robes with black velvet trim. His hair was loose to frame his face and he held his wand in his free hand. His eyes sparkled in amusement even as he stared stonefaced at the congregation.
It was Voldemort that glared the Death Eaters into movement. As one, they seemed to realize that it was in their best intrests to show respect, especially after Voldemort's speech a moment earlier, and they sank to their knees with their heads bowed.
How rude, Harry! Ixion hissed in the ensuing silence. They should have bowed upon sight!
Let it go, Ix. They'll learn soon enough. He smirked as the minion's eyes widened at hearing him speak the snake language. The smell of fear increased.
"My name matters not to you. You'll find it out soon enough. For now, just call me Lord." His tone was condesending, as if talking to children about something he knew was over their heads and was enjoying every second of it. Suddenly, his emerald orbs flickered to the same fscarlet as the older man standing in front of this throne, and he narrowed his eyes. No one noticed the slight movement of Tom's wand hand. "Piss me off enough and you may live to understand why I think I have the right to claim to be your other Lord. Lord Voldemort, your announcements?"
Eyes passed from one scary sight to another, and Harry's eyes faded back to his vibrant green. His seeming anger dissapated and left detached amusement behind. He crossed his arms and turned back to Voldemort, who was still standing and still looked slightly annoyed.
"Yes. Death Eaters, you shall stay in hiding. The time is not right to reveal ourselves." Most looked slightly confused, and Tom resisted the urge to do such a plebian thing as roll his eyes in front of the pureblood elite. "What you will do is recruit. Bring more followers into our fold. Send out envoys to all the Dark creature Conclaves. Try to sway them to our cause. If you kill, at least try to make it look accidental."
He stared icily over his followers, smirking at their discomfort. "And bring me the traitor Karkaroff, unharmed. You know the penalty if you fail to satisfy me, my friends." As one, the Death Eaters gulped and the fear level increased to the point of smothering. "Good. Your other Lord shall be attending Hogwarts this year. Tell your children to look for the one with my gift." Taking up his throne once more and leaving his followers to decipher his riddle, he barked. "Severus, stay. Dismissed."
In moments the hall was clear except for Severus and his two Lords, one of which was hissing quietly with the snake on his arm, and the other whom was glaring daggers at him. He gulped. Somehow, he knew this probably wasn't going to turn out well for him.
"Master?"
"Severus. My spy. In a literal sense, you must understand." The man's mental shields were powerful, and he couldn't be positive what he could see in his eyes was the truth. Plus, the man had guilt written all over his face and body. It seemed he was counting his last breaths. "Tell the truth, Severus. You're Dumble's little spy within my group, are you not? Haven't you told them everything in an effort to stop me? Why?"
Looking up from the floor he had me staring down at, Severus moved so quickly he popped his neck painfully. "Why? You actually want to know?"
"Of course. It might stop me from getting spied on in the future." Tom ignored the spiteful tone and resisted the urge to Crucio the disrespect out of him.
"You killed Lily."
"I did. But only as a last resort." Tom sighed. He know he couldn't convince Severus of anything like this. So he tried the other tactic he had up his sleeve. "Tell me, what do you know of Harry Potter?"
Severus frowned, but went with the change of subject. The wards were too thick to break through without permission and his emergency portkey wasn't responding, so why not discuss world news with the man that would soon kill him? It wasn't as if he had anything better to do. "He's dead, apparently. You admitted to killing him in your story."
"Yes, but what did Dumbledore claim?"
"Dumbledore claims he took him from the hidden house in Godric's Hollow himself and put him under the care of his last remaining relatives. He stayed there for four years and suddenly disappeared. Since no one had seen him after the accident and no trace of him has been seen since, everyone assumed Dumbledore was lying and little Harry had really died with his parents. He's not held in high regard these days because of that, but the Ministry still supports him and he's still the Headmaster of Hogwarts." He frowned again. What did this have to do with anything?
"Ah. Not surprising. So what does the public believe happen to him?"
"In general they think he's dead. Either he died with his parents, he died with his relatives, or he died after he disappeared from his relatives. Even those who support Dumbledore believe it. They believe you to be vanquished, so they celebrate, but they believe their saviour died as well." Tom gave a vague nod, and Severus finally decided to voice his question. "Why does that matter?"
"He's alive. He's in this room." Tom smirked as Severus' eyes slowly slid over to Harry, the only other person in the room. Harry was surprised, not having heard anything about revealing himself, especially to a spy, but he went along with it and smirked as well. Severus, on the other hand, looked ready to faint. If it wasn't for the reputation he felt he had to keep, he probably would have.
"You must be joking." He stated breathily, blinking several times and looking back and forth between Voldemort and Harry. Tom merely smirked again in answer. "Harry?"
Harry spoke firmly. "Harry Potter died the day he left his relatives. In his place, I was born. I'm who I was born to be." He frowned as he thought the words through to himself. Where at that come from anyway? But it was true. If he had grown up where he had begun, he would have been deprived of being himself. Finally freed from his hell-hole at eleven by the wonderful actor Dumbledore, he would have been filled with the need to please his saviour and that in turn would have led to him becoming a spineless weapon. He never would have had the chance to do anything he felt wouldn't please everyone else and he would become depressed and emotional by fifteen. He'd probably have ended the tragic tale by killing himself. This way, opposed to the other, he felt free of expectations.
Nodding, he became more sure and ignored the surprise of the Potions Master in front of him. "I'm Dark, and Dumbledore believed me to be the turning point of the war when he heard the prophecy. Right or wrong, you're a Slytherin to the core. You want to win. To put it easily," he gestured between Tom and himself, "We are the winning team."
Voldemort took advantage of Severus still being stunned beyond belief and added his two cents. "Exactly. Actually become faithful, Severus, or you'll die right here."
The man took very little time to think. What was there to really think about? Harry had it right on the dot, he was a Slytherin. He wanted to win by any means necessary. Lord Voldemort actually was giving him a second chance, which was surprising, but who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth? Especially one that sat between life or death? So really, his quick answer was of little surprise.
"Of course, My Lord." He kneeled and bowed his head.
"Excellent. Now, you know you can not be trusted right away, Severus, so several things are required. Firstly, I want you to drop your mental shields and allow me full access into your mind. I must be sure of your loyalty this time." No more mistakes. Severus might seem truthful, but this would allow Tom to be certain.
The dark haired Potions Master wasn't surprised. He also expected to be tortured, but he certainly wasn't going to complain if that one didn't come to pass. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He needed to stay as calm as possible if he was going to allow a foreign prescence into his mind without reacting. Moments later he nodded.
Tom ignored Harry, who stood beside him trying to look unintrigued and failing, and focused his sights on the pair of onyx eyes in front of him. He adhered to the man's wish for privicy, even though he easily didn't have to, and thought only of his loyalty to the Dark side. He found what he was looking for quickly and exited, ignoring the lingering feelings of confusion and apprehension.
"I'm pleased with what I saw. Forgive me if I require frequent checks, though."
"Of course, My Lord." He repeated. He had expected that, also.
"Now. Severus, you're going to Blood Adopt Harry." He received one stunned stare and one surprised glare in return. "As I said, he will be going to Hogwarts this year, and with things as they are, Harry Potter will be receiving a Hogwarts letter soon. If that happens, Dumbledore will know he's alive. You would be the perfect person to adopt him."
Severus had had enough shocks tonight to last him for life. He was astonished that his Lord would put that much trust in him so quickly, but maybe his viewing of the memory of his reluctant support of Dumbledore had something to do with it. He had felt like he had handed one of his best friends their death on a silver platter. He was depressed and desperate. Dumbledore was a last resort. Hopefully, Voldemort understood that now that he had seen his mind.
Harry, on the other hand, was also surprised. Not shocked, since Tom and he had juggled ideas earlier, but still surprised. He was also a tad angry, considering Tom finalized the plans without discussing it with him. However, the more he turned it around in his head, the more he had to agree. He barely knew the man, but he was obviously an accomplished Occulumens, he knew he was a Potions Master, and he was a teacher at Hogwarts. What better way to hide from Dumbles than right under his nose? He was slightly miffed that Tom didn't ask first, but he understood his reasoning. No use dragging out unpleasant conversations.
"Can both of you live with that?"
"Yes, Master."
"Of course."
"Good. Severus, be back here on the eve of the thirty first. Be ready to perform the ceremony. Also, you might want to start packing up your house at Spinner's End. You'll be living here in the summers." He completely ignored the man's shocked face once again and leaned back in his seat. Then he dismissed the man before he had a chance to reply. Why bother? He didn't have a choice anyway, now did he?
#1: I think the Dark Mark is a connection between Voldemort and all his followers. He doesn't have one himself, but he's the center and tie for the magic, so those Marks are kept mentally within him. He can feel his people through the connection at all times, and they can feel him when he calls and when he feels extreme emotion. Mostly when he's pissed off in other words. Normally the Mark is only a symbol, but he can force feeling through it. In his earlier days he liked the power rush he felt when he could cause them pain with a thought, but now he realizes that it's ridiculous. His anger leads to punishment. Failure, or not fulfilling his standards, leads to punishment. That's a given, but in the middle of a battle, if the Death Eaters still feel the lingering pain of the Mark they could be distracted and get themselves killed. Even if he doesn't really care too much about that, he needs his Death Eaters to see his plans carried out. He can punish them and keep them in fear, sure. But now he's smart enough to realize that they'll respect him more if he doesn't carry the punishments over to the battlefield. Again, that's just what I think, but that's what I'm making him think. So ha.
A/N: Wow. It seemed all poor Tom did was stand up and sit down. My creativity was sorely lacking.
Disgruntledfairy: I loved your encouragement and support! I hadn't even noticed that detail, and thanks for pointing it out. I added several inches, so that should help, and Harry's not going to be over 5'9'' at the end anyway. I agree completely about canon, though. Many times in there I just thought it was ridiculous. J.K. was genius to create the world of HP, but the main character started going downhill in OotP. Well, he was going downhill since the beginning, but it got worse in book five. In this story, I want Harry's personality to be toned down and take out that rashness. Bring out his inner Slytherin. He can have the saving-people-thing without being reckless. And don't worry, Tom would be way too freaky as the submissive.
