Hi all thanks for all your encouraging reviews!

To Holly: Er, I'm not sure how long the story will be, but I'd say at least 20 chapters. Don't worry, things will speed up once Harry starts school. But it'd be quite a while before he meets the Ootp members…

Teufel1987 has pointed out that, based on his character in canon, the wand-maker would have informed Dumbledore of Harry's purchase. I forgot to mention that Ollivander will not be pro-Ootp in this story. Rather, he's totally neutral, he'll help people on both sides. And he'll keep their secrets as well. Hope this clears things up!


Chapter Nine: Followers

Papers. Documents. And more papers. Sirius Orion Black groaned as he half-heartedly flipped through the pile of papers in his office. Maybe I'll pass these off to Shacklebolt…He'll get it done in half the time I'd take! Had he known of that being Head of the Auror Office included being a paper-pusher, he would have refused the job when it had been offered to him. But then, James had urged him to take it upon his resignation, so he had agreed to do without hesitation. Even if he had been so very furious with James at that point in time, for his friend's part in the disappearance of his godson, such that good old Moony had to act as a peace-maker.

Three years later, Sirius still wondered how his best friend could have been so careless with his older son. Even if Dumbledore had been the one who insisted that Harry was safe, Sirius was still incredulous as to how James had let Harry live apart from him for six years, without even once checking on him…it was apparent that Lily's death had hit him harder than even Sirius had thought. Every so frequently, Sirius would mourn for the little toddler that he had known, wondering if the playfully curious little Harry was still alive somewhere. Ah, Harry. It was at these moments that Sirius would feel a renewed surge of anger at his best friend…as for the old Headmaster, Sirius was not sure if his anger at him ever faded completely…


Time flies… Bartemius Crouch Junior thought whimsically as he observed the two young boys playing in the grounds of the manor, racing each other on the newest brooms available in the market. He watched as the dark-haired boy suddenly did an abrupt U-turn and dived straight at the blond haired boy, who immediately froze in place. When the dark-haired boy was a few inches from the blond, he laughed and veered off to the right.

Barty shook his head slightly in amusement. The young master had a sadistic sense of humour at times, a trait which Barty privately thought to be 'inherited' from the Dark Lord. He rather pitied the Malfoy heir at times actually, for having to endure the dark heir's sense of humour regularly.

A few years ago, the young master had politely requested his father the Dark Lord to provide him with some childhood playmates, which had prompted the introduction of a few of the pureblood children of Death-Eaters, including Malfoy's son Draco, Nott's son Theodore, Greengrass' daughter Daphne, Parkinson's daughter Pansy, Crabbe's son Vincent, Goyle's son Gregory, Mulciber's son Aleron and Macnair's son Silas. While most of them were of the same age as the dark heir, the latter two were both second-year students in Durmstrang.

Of all the children, Barty had privately observed that the young master seemed to be closest to the Malfoy heir, followed closely by Mulciber, which Barty considered most strange, considering the latter was two years older. And Barty knew that at that age, a gap of even two years was sometimes considered insurmountable.


Aleron Fidel Mulciber watched the dark heir and Draco race each other around the sky contentedly. He was currently lying on the grass beside his friend, Silas Curtis Macnair, relaxing after a morning spent playing with the two younger children. "I feel old at times, Silas."

His friend looked at him, a lopsided grin softening his sharp features, mischief in his brown eyes. "At this age? Then my dear Aleron, I look forward to seeing your reactions when we're as old as ol' Barty Crouch." Aleron scoffed slightly, even as mirth lit up his dark blue eyes. "Don't let him catch you call him that, he'd skin you alive."

Silas shrugged as best as he was able to while lying on the grass, "Harrison calls him that. And he usually laughs it off." Aleron sat up and shook his head at his friend's naiveté, sending his dark tresses flying in the wind. "The young master, my friend, is the dark heir; he could call Barty whatever he wanted and Barty would just smile and take it."

Silas raised an eyebrow. "I've always wondered – why do you call him that, Aleron? He gave us permission to address him by Harrison months ago." Aleron was silent for a moment, then he smiled slyly. "If you want to know the story, let me copy your Astronomy homework." Silas narrowed his eyes before shrugging. "Done. But it had better be a good story."

Aleron inclined his head slightly. "Well. Last summer, when we were playing near the forest, I sort of wandered away from the group. You remember?" Silas frowned and nodded once. "Yeah. You were sick that day, yet you still insisted on coming out with us to play." Aleron winced slightly. "Well, I was a foolish brat then. I was feeling really terrible, and I guess I zoned for a couple of seconds. When I came to, I was alone in some part of the forest where I had never been to before – totally lost."

Silas nodded thoughtfully. "Uh-huh. I remember. We all panicked when we realized you had disappeared. We weren't supposed to be playing so near to the forest, Barty always said that it was dangerous. Harrison sent us back to the manor with Draco and Theo, he told me to get Barty. By the time Barty and I reached the forest though, you had already been rescued by Harrison."

Aleron nodded, his eyes taking on a faraway look. "Yeah, Young Master saved me. And I do mean that literally Silas. When I came to, there was a huge snake in front of me, at least six feet long. I recognize the species – it's a really poisonous viper. If it had bitten me, I would have been dead within three seconds. And it was on the verge of doing so, it was towering over me when Young Master appeared."

Glancing at Silas, he noted that he had his friend's full attention. "He revealed to everyone that he could speak Parseltongue last week remember?" At Silas' nod, Aleron continued, "He spoke to the snake in soft hisses. The snake backed away, Silas, it backed away and it actually bowed to Young Master before disappearing into the forest. Then Young Master levitated me out of the forest."

At Silas' look of stunned astonishment, Aleron smiled wryly. "He saved my life, Silas. I owe him a wizard's life debt. And his personality…his power…I have decided, Silas, when he comes into his own, I'm going to be his loyal follower."

Silas did not reply for a long moment. When he finally responded, it was with a move that Aleron did not expect; he punched Aleron's shoulder, hard. "Oww." Aleron glared at his friend. "What's that for?"

"Not telling me about the incident, of course." Silas retorted. Aleron shook his head. "I couldn't. He did not want to reveal his Parseltongue ability then, so I promised to keep it secret until he told everyone about that ability."

Silas nodded. "Ok, I understand." He was silent for a moment as he pondered the implications of his friend's revelation. "So you'd be watching out for him when school starts then?" Giving his friend an odd look, Aleron laughed lightly. "Silas, the young master does not need to be watched out for. I'll be serving him when he attends Durmstrang this fall."

Pausing slightly, Aleron regarded his friend for a moment before asking in a serious manner, "Silas my friend, will you join me? In serving the young master?" Silas nodded slowly in response to his friend's question. Though Aleron could be serious and all too mature at times, never had Silas seen his friend so grave. "I've been Harrison's companion for as long as you have, Aleron. And yes, I'll join you."

Aleron smiled, glad that he had gained a new follower for his chosen master. Though he could tell that Silas' heart was not whole-heartedly devoted to Harrison Maximus Riddle as yet, Aleron knew that with time, he would be drawn in by the young master's power and charisma.


Said young master was currently enjoying himself in the air. With loops, feints, barrel-rolls and other techniques, Harrison Maximus Riddle truly enjoyed flying, though he did not really feel the same way about Quidditch. After the dive which had nearly scared Draco off his broom, Harry flew past Draco before shouting to his friend, "Hey Draco, come on, try to catch me!" Smirking, he sped away to the muttered curses of his friend.

Harry quite enjoyed teasing the Malfoy heir in private, though he was often careful to allow Draco to maintain his perfect arrogant mask in public. He knew that the Malfoys prided themselves on that and Harry could certainly not fault that, seeing as how he too, at the behest of his father, had learnt to act the same way. Though not without inserting his own brand of sardonic quirks, Harry was often the epitome of cool and well-bred politeness the few times he was away from the Manor.

In a way, he and Draco were alike. Both idolized their father to a certain extent and would rather suffer through a Slug-burping curse than to disappoint them, both had to live up to the pressures of being heirs to lofty positions, and both were intelligent and cunning enough, though Harry prided himself on being the better of the two. He would miss Draco, he could admit, if only to himself, when they finally started formal schooling come fall. While Draco would be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry would be leaving for Durmstrang Institute.

Harry recalled the conversation he had with his father over his decision:

"Father, may I know why you're sending me to Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts?" Harry had been rather curious. With all the Dark Lord had had him read on Hogwarts, Harry had fully expected to be sent there. The Dark Lord had frowned slightly, "There are many reasons, Harry. First of all, Hogwarts is where the old fool currently resides. While your Occlumency skills have progressed enough to be able to shield against an overt mental probe, it is not at the stage where you're able to hide the fact that you have been learning the art. Dumbledore would get suspicious, especially since you have my last name. Furthermore, James Potter, fool that he is, is going to be teaching at Hogwarts as the teacher of the Dueling elective, a new elective Dumbledore has no doubt created to recruit students for his precious Order."

Harry had nodded thoughtfully at that. "I understand, Father. That's also the reason why you allowed Karkaroff to remain in your service right? Because he's the Highmaster of Durmstrang, the school's as safe as can be."

"Correct. That is the only reason," the Dark Lord sneered. "That I had not terminated him immediately for his cowardice." Harry had smiled at that. Luckily for Igor Karkaroff, he had only revealed the names of common Death Eaters to the Ministry, and none of those in the Inner Circle. Or nothing would be able to save him from the Dark Lord's wrath when the Dark Lord had finally called all of his Death Eaters back to him the previous Halloween.

"In addition, Durmstrang's curriculum is broader than Hogwarts – its students and faculty also takes a more liberal view of the Dark Arts. You would not have to hide most of your talents there, Harry. And I fully expect you to use this opportunity well to befriend your fellow schoolmates."

Finally fully convinced of his father's reasoning and marveling at the thought that had gone into the decision, Harry had bowed slightly. "I will not disappoint you, Father."


The day before Harry was to leave for Durmstrang and Draco, Theodore and the other children for Hogwarts, Harry met his two closest friends for the last time in what was going to be a long while (at least to them).

All of them were seated; Harry on his bed and his friends in chairs facing him. "Draco, Theo," Harry had started with an unusually serious air. Draco and Theodore had exchanged glances before giving Harry their full attention. "I fully expect you two to be my hands at Hogwarts. Draco, even though I cannot be there personally, I hope you can help me, and by extension my father, gain followers there. Start with your yearmates in your house for now. And Draco, I know you have to keep up appearances, but do try not to alienate too many people."

Draco had inclined his head in a respectful nod. Smart and already aware of the subtle arts of politics, he knew it when Harry was in his dark heir persona. And having seen firsthand of what Harry could do, he was more than convinced of Harry's ability to lead, and hence, had chosen to follow him willingly. Even if his father had not instructed him to obey Harry, Draco knew that he would have done so on his own.

"Good. I know I can count on you." Harry's smile was affectionate as he allowed his true feelings for his friend to shine through his mask. "Theo," Harry addressed the other boy with a slight frown. "I know you're solitary by nature. But in this, I expect you to give Draco your full support." Theodore returned Harry's gaze silently for a few seconds, before suddenly smiling. "Harrison, I don't usually do 'groups' well. I'm not much of a leader, neither do I usually follow. But," Here, Theodore glanced at Draco, then back at Harry. "With you as the leader, I find I don't mind. And since Draco is your second, I will follow him as well." Harry returned Theodore's smile with one of his own, before lounging back on his pillows.

"Have fun at Hogwarts, you guys. Tell Pansy, Vince and Greg hi from me. And give James Potter hell." Draco and Theo both smirked at that. "Oh, I'll be sure to pass on your greetings to your dear daddy, Harrison," Draco drawled. Harry scowled. Since the two had started Occlumency at roughly the same time as Harry, Harry had decided to trust them with the fact that he had been Harry James Potter about a month ago, much to the disapproval of the Dark Lord (who had wanted to keep it a secret from all but his most trusted Death Eaters in the Inner of the Inner Circle). Since then, they had not stopped teasing him about it, though Harry supposed it was a better reaction than what he had expected.

So Harry decided to throw a pillow at Draco. A surprise 'oomph' issued from his face, even as Theodore laughed. A moment later, it was his turn to cry out as another pillow landed on him. And so, the last day of the three boys' idyllic childhood was spent in a pillow-fight in Harry's room.


10 a.m. in the morning. After a hasty breakfast, Harry had put his shrunken trunk and shrunken fur hat into his pockets before dressing hastily in the white collared shirt with a red-and-black striped tie and the blood-red robes edged with black at the collar and hem that made up Durmstrang's uniform. He had slipped the black leather gloves into his pocket before fastening the black belt with a satisfied air, examining the plain silver buckle with interest – Aleron had told him that a symbol would appear there after his first month, depending on…Harry's lips curled into a smirk. After surveying himself somewhat critically in the mirror, he decided that with the strong glamour that concealed the lightning bolt scar on his forehead and the features that the magical blood adoption ritual had given him, there was no way he could be recognized as the Boy-who-lived unless one squinted really hard.

Carrying his fur-lined cloak in his arm, he had slid his wand into the wand hostler that had been his eleventh birthday present from Bellatrix, before bidding all the Death Eaters living in the manor goodbye, save for Bellatrix, who would be accompanying the Dark Lord and Harry to Swansea port.

Grabbing his father's arm, Harry smiled up at his father's heavily glamoured form, which resembled a blend of Lucius Malfoy and Barty's appearance. "Ready?" The Dark Lord asked quietly. At Harry's nod, the Dark Lord apparated them to the apparition point at Swansea port.

Blinking, Harry opened his eyes to what seemed like a typical ferry terminal, which was already full of school children, all dressed in blood-red robes. Harry spotted a fireplace a few hundred yards away – there were apparently two methods to get to the port; by apparation or by the Floo network. Even if Muggle-borns were allowed to study at Durmstrang, they wouldn't be able to get in here. He followed his father to a secluded corner by a pillar, waiting for Bellatrix to join them, which she did moments later.

"Ah, just look at my ickle little Harrison. All grown-up now and ready to go to school!" Bellatrix, also heavily glamoured, cackled delightedly before reaching out to envelope Harry in a tight hug. After teaching Harry the basics of the Dark Arts for a few years, much of Bellatrix's slight insanity due to Dark Arts addiction had been cured through a better understanding of how to wield it, though she still liked to act otherwise. "Take care of yourself," she mumbled softly.

"Don't miss me too much, Aunty Bella," Harry whispered cheekily into his surrogate mother's ear. Upon being released from the tight stranglehold Bellatrix had on him, he inclined his head in a slight bow to the Dark Lord, who said neutrally, "I wish you all the best in your endeavours, my son." Harry smiled at the last. "The same to you, Father. Good bye."

To anyone else who might be looking, Harry was sure that his strange family would go unnoticed in the crowd. A couple bidding farewell to their son. The extremely enthusiastic mother and cold, aloof father – all understandable, stereotypical images of parents that could be easily explained. With a last look at his Dark Lord of an adoptive father and loyal Death Eater of a surrogate mother, Harry headed to board the Durmstrang ship moored at the lone berth.

With tall masts, many oars, a blood red finishing and the crest of Durmstrang Institute on its sails, Harry could not help but gazed upon the majestic ship with awe. He made sure to let none of it show on his face however, as he crossed the wooden plank and boarded the ship. "Harrison, Harrison!" A cry of joy in a high-pitched voice prompted him to turn around. A girl with long, golden blonde hair, bluish-grey eyes and a pretty face beamed at him as she boarded the ship.

"Ah, Daphne. It's a pleasure to see you again." Harry inclined his head politely and extended his hand, a warning gleam in his eyes. Daphne Persephone Greengrass blushed for a few seconds before collecting herself and acting like the pure-blooded lady she was to become. "Yes indeed. It has been quite a while. Shall we find a cabin so that we can catch up then, Harrison?" Harrison nodded before extending his arm to her. As Daphne smiled sweetly and slid her hands into the loop that his arm made, onlookers on the ship could not help but marvel at the perfect manners of the two first-years.

When the door had closed behind them, Harry and Daphne found themselves in an wooden cabin with comfortably padded wooden benches. Laying his fur cloak down, Harry regarded Daphne silently for a few seconds. "Merlin, Harrison, it is good to see you again!" Daphne finally said. Harry returned her smile this time and drew her into a quick hug. Pulling her to sit down with him, he replied with a laugh, "Yes, Daphne, I missed you too. But that doesn't mean you should forget everything you've learnt in etiquette lessons!"

Daphne blushed again. "Sorry about that, I was just too excited. I haven't seen you at all this summer, all because my parents suddenly decided that I absolutely had to go on a holiday with them in France!" Harry laughed at that. He knew that Daphne's father had received a mission from the Dark Lord that necessitated his presence in France, and that bringing his family along for a holiday was the perfect cover. Daphne however, did not know that and Harry saw no reason to enlighten her.

"So how was France? And how's little Astoria?" Harry questioned, recalling that Daphne had a younger sister. Daphne took that as her cue, and before long, she was chattering away at lightning speed.

When a polite knock on the door stopped her two hours later, Harry was more than ready for some distraction. While Daphne was a nice enough person, she tended to talk much more than was necessary. "Come in," Harry called. The door opened to admit the two other students that Harry knew from Durmstrang: Aleron and Silas.

As the door closed with a snick, Aleron bowed to Harry. "Young Master," he greeted respectfully. "Harrison," Silas' greeting was no less respectful, if slightly forced. Harry inclined his head slightly. "Aleron, you have to address me by my name in public. At least for now." He ended with a small smirk.

Aleron nodded. "I know, Young Master." Harry's smirk grew even more pronounced as he basked in the older teen's subservience. "Come, I have a little something for you two." Passing the teens two black, thin, wristbands with a small green serpent design, Harry continued, "Wear it next to your skin. It'll burn slightly when I change the details on my band, and the time and place will appear on your bands. It's been spelled so that only you will see the writing." Harry showed them his own version of the wristband, slightly thicker and more elaborate, with a silver serpent instead. Aleron and Silas nodded, then immediately put on the band.

"Can I have one too, Harrison?" Daphne asked curiously. Harry regarded Daphne silently before explaining patiently, "Daphne, this is not a trinket. It's for my followers, or rather, my future followers, those who have pledged to serve me."

"A mark of their loyalty, just like the Dark Mark. I know." Daphne smiled as Harry widened his eyes slightly for a moment before regaining his composure. "You're my friend, Harrison. I am willing to follow you…at least while we're still students." She added the last with a small laugh. Harry laughed too, and handed her a wristband. "Very well, Daphne. I'll accept your pledge, however temporary it may be."


If any of you are interested in viewing a sketch of the Durmstrang Institute uniforms used in this story, just click on the links on my profile page. There are also sketches of some of the students that'll appear in this chapter and the next. Just remember that I'm not an artist, so please, don't blame me if it isn't up to your standards!