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Chapter 9: It is Not in the Stars to Hold our Destiny but in Ourselves.

Harry handed the parchment back to Tom and began magically repairing the broken mirrors, vases and crystal candlesticks that Tom had smashed against his hotel walls.

"Are you alright Harry?"

"I am fine."

"Why are you fixing my room furnishings?"

"I am trying to stay calm. If I am fixing what you broke then I am not destroying more hotel property."

Glancing at the pile of glass and pottery shards Tom sighed and sat down on the bed, "I didn't realize I had made such a mess. I have a bit of a temper."

Harry gave Tom a look that said that's the understatement of the year, "the whole world has grasped that concept. There, all fixed; now we can go comfort Vic and convince Ginny that you are normally a calm person."

"Hey I gathered most of my followers by being completely uncalm!"

"And you do realize that most of your followers can't tie their shoe laces, much less understand when they are being yelled at?"

"…shut up," Tom said before stalking out of the room to Harry's cackling.

Smiling to himself as a warm feeling swept over him at the welcome sound, Tom glanced into Vic's room and found her showing Ginny her acceptance letter and talking rapidly about all the classes she wanted to take. Ginny was laughing at Vic's antics and shaking her head at the fact that Vic was taking Muggle Studies.

"Hello girls."

Tom winced at the silence that fell over the room as they turned towards his voice. Ginny took a step back as Vic slowly approached her father.

"Are you better?"

"Yes I am, I didn't intend to scare you my dear-"

Vic interrupted his apology with a swift kick to his knee before wrapping her arms around her adopted father. Grimacing as sharp pain shot up his thigh, Tom gathered his daughter close. Ginny noticed all of this and relaxed, any man who lets a 15 year old girl kick him in the knee without repercussions couldn't be all bad.

After straightening his robes Tom turned to Ginny, "Please accept my apologies. I received a rather disturbing letter and let my anger get the best of me. I will not say what the letter contained until Harry arrives so don't even think of asking me about it Vic," Tom paused to give his daughter a pointed look (which she pretended to ignore) before continuing, "I know this time was to convince you that I am not an evil-"

"Yes it is and I think I have seen enough," Ginny paused for theatrical suspense before smiling, "the man who I have grown up fearing and the man who almost killed me in the Chamber of Secrets would never have adopted Vic and would never have allowed anyone to hurt him without at least a Crucio in retaliation so I am sticking with my decision to join with Harry and you."

Harry burst in and picked up Ginny in a spinning hug.

"Thank Merlin!" He exclaimed.

Giggling at Harry's antics, Vic walked over and grabbed her dad's hand. Looking up at her fathers face, she started at the look of content and happiness she found.

I have never seen him without at least a hint of sadness in his expression but when he looks at Harry the sadness seems to disappear.

Once the two Gryffindor's had settled down, Tom took Ginny's hand in his and sadness once again graced his features, "I have some very bad news Ginny and it directly pertains to you. Fenrir was being held at a Death Eater's home and he escaped. I am sorry to tell you he headed for the werewolf colony and I am forbidden to go there without breaking my contract with the werewolves."

Ginny paled at the news and sat down on nearest bed. Harry sat next to her and wrapped his arms around his young friend, "try not to worry Ginny, the minute he comes out of that colony I will know and make sure he can't escape us again."

Nodding her head, Ginny stood up and smiled at everyone, "I guess I am just being foolish, it's not like he wants to do anything else to me now that I am like him."

"You are not like him at all. He is a rabid dog that should have been put down as soon as I met him but I wasn't exactly looking for Fido at that point."

Ginny giggled at Tom's statement, "I guess not."

"What if we neutered him instead?" Vic asked innocently and smiled as her new family's laughter filled the room. A thumping at the closed window caught Ginny's attention and she opened the blinds to find a black and brown owl beating its wings against the glass. Opening the window, Ginny ducked as the owl swirled around the room and then landed on a bedpost with its leg extended.

Harry was the closest to the bed so he grabbed the note and patted the owl on the head before it flew out the window. Sitting back on the bed he read it out loud to the group.

To Miss Ginevera (sounds more professional) Weasley,

After much deliberation concerning your current condition, the Ministry of Magic has decided to allow you to finish your schooling at Hogwarts. That being said there are a few restrictions we must stress. You will be escorted from the school grounds every day before the full moon and not allowed back on school property until the day after the full moon has past. A monthly examination of your physical and mental condition will be monitored and a regimen of Wolfsbane potion will be provided for you to control the changes and if there is any resistance, you will be expelled. Any breaking of these rules will result in your immediate expulsion. If any child feels threatened by your presence in their classroom then you will be removed from that class. If any of your roommates feel threatened by your presence then you will be removed from the room and given new quarters. Please understand these rules are for your protection as well as for the protection of the rest of the student body. Thank you for your cooperation and enjoy the new school year.

Ministry of Magic Secretary of Administration

Chelsea Ruskin

Minister of Magic

Cornelius Fudge

Harry stared at the letter for a long time before bursting out in laughter and handing it over to Ginny, "I bet Remus didn't have as many rules to follow when he was at Hogwarts."

"I can't believe this!" Ginny shouted, "It's like they want to make sure every move I make is monitored."

"Look on the bright side, you just have to scare one of your roommates and they will probably put you in your own room."

"Really? What if they move me down to the Slytherin quarters and I get tormented?"

"I won't allow any Slytherins to torment you in any way," Tom declared from the corner of the room, "now that you are a part of my extended family, the children of my followers will behave themselves…or else."

Vic looked up at her father in astonishment, "are you saying that Harry and Ginny are part of the family?"

"Yes I am."

Harry looked on in puzzlement as tears cascaded down Vic's face and she buried her head in her father's robes. Tom glanced at Harry and sighed at the look of worry he found there, "don't worry Harry, she will be fine. I am inviting you into my family and that is a big deal for both of us. She knows I don't make that kind of invitation lightly."

"Aren't all of your Death Eaters part of your family?"

"NO! I would rather die then be related to those bunch of dunderheads. MY family consists of Lucius, Draco and Narcissa, Victoria and myself. It will include you, Miss Ginny and Hermione as well if you agree."

Jumping up from the bed, Ginny and Harry rushed over to Tom and Vic and enveloped them in a group hug that made everyone teeter precariously. Hermione popped her head into the room just as they all collapsed onto the floor in a pile of laughing limbs and robes.

"Are you guys always this much trouble?"

Harry peeked out from under Tom's right arm and shouted, "Hermione!"

Giggling at Tom's face as he clasped his ear in pain, Harry removed himself from the pile and ran over to where Hermione was trying desperately to keep it together.

"Tom has invited us into his family and I said yes for everyone. I hope that's okay with you."

"Harry, you are the brother I never had so where ever you go I will go. If you are a member of Tom's family then so am I."

Tom stood up and walked over to the pair, "That's not how it works Hermione; if you don't want to be an intricate part of my family then please say so. I need to know that you want to be a part of this, not that you are just following Harry blindly in everything he does. You are reported to be the smart one so please decide for yourself."

Hermione was shocked but she nodded in understanding, "I will have to think about it then Mr. Riddle and tell you later. I really haven't gotten a chance to fully talk to you."

"I understand completely but I must warn you that until you do accept, there are certain things that you can't be privy to."

Harry opened his mouth to object but Hermione elbowed him in the ribs and he swallowed his retort.

"I understand the cautions completely," she stated before walking over to Vic and pulling her up from the floor. The three girls began talking about the letter that Ginny had received, leaving Tom and Harry standing silently at the doorway.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye Tom saw Harry fidgeting with his robes and he remembered a very important part of Harry's wardrobe had been forgotten.

"Harry would you accompany me to my room. I have something to give you."

"Sure Tom."

The two left the room to the chatterings of the teenage girls.

"So I might end up with my own room or Dumbledore cold try and torture me by putting me down in the dungeons. I bet he will be surprised when I find a whole bunch of-oh thank Merlin, they left."

Vic curled up next to Hermione and looked at Ginny with a secret grin, "So how long do think it will take before my Dad and Harry hook up?"

"What!" Hermione shrieked as the other two burst out laughing.

"Oh come on, Hermione, don't tell me you can't see that they have a thing for each other," Ginny said, "they do this glancing thing where they will look out of the corner of their eyes to see what the other is doing. I haven't been here long at all and I caught on."

"Plus my Dad asked you to be in his family. It took Lucius and his family 4 years to even be considered and another year where they were tested. I had to work for 2 years before he actually hugged me and called me his daughter. He knows Harry and you girls for like a week and he is asking you into his family. I know my dad isn't straight so the only explanation is that Harry is about to be chased, but in a good way this time."

Hermione looked at the other two girls with bewilderment until she pulled up her photographic memory and saw the way Harry and Tom reacted around each other and nodded in sudden understanding.

"You guys are right. I didn't even know Harry swung that way. Do you think Tom will do anything about it? I mean the age difference is pretty distinct."

"This is the wizarding world Hermione. They are the two most powerful wizards known so I don't think age will be the deciding factor," Vic lectured knowingly, "I think it will depend on if my dad can look past what he did to Harry to see if Harry loves him or not and whether Harry can realize that Dad would never hurt him again."

"What do you want Tom?"

Wincing slightly at the anger in Harry's voice, Tom turned from the doorway of his room towards the pissed off seventeen year old, "I want you to not be angry with what I told Hermione. If it had been unreasonable she wouldn't have agreed to it."

Harry thought about that and deflated, "I know, I just don't like people saying they don't trust my friends."

"I don't trust Ron Weasley as far as he can throw me. I can't trust Hermione until I know that she trusts me. I know she will follow you and I trust you so it's okay. I can't let her into my family until she trusts me personally."

Harry gave Tom another nod and followed the man into his room.

Digging around in his closet, Tom pulled out a garish Halloween mask and handed it to Harry. Tapping it once with his wand, the mask transformed into the silver mask of a Death Eater in Harry's hands.

"So long as your skin is touching this mask it will be a silver Death Eater mask. Once you remove it, it will transform back into the likeness of Freddy Krueger."

"Kinky," Harry stated before tucking the mask into his robes.

"I want you to use that mask while on raids and for your first meeting but if my plan is met with approval you will not wear a mask to any meetings again."

Harry turned towards Tom with questions brimming in his eyes.

"I know you would disapprove of a Dark Mark and that you would need to be able to skip a meeting now and then if Dumbledore were on your case. I think I know a way to do that but I need to know if you are up for it."

Harry nodded in anticipation and Tom continued, "I want to know if you would consider joining me as an equal instead of as one of my followers."

The statement nearly caused Harry's heart to stop.

I would be a leader of the Death Eaters. They would have to listen to me but every person they kill would be a mark against my soul. Do I want this responsibility? Why does he want me as a leader? I am only seventeen years old and he has followers who deserve this much more.

Giving a glance at Tom's face, Harry made his decision, "I will agree to your terms Tom though I don't understand why you didn't offer this to Lucius instead of me."

"I did offer it to Lucius but he turned me down because it would cause a rift in the Death Eaters. He had been my follower and wanted to remain that way. You are just joining and you have been their enemy for so long that I want to let my followers know that they can not mess with you."

"That makes more sense then I thought it would. What about Ginny and Hermione? Will they be protected as well?"

"Ginny is a part of my family now so she will be treated as Victoria is treated. If Hermione agrees to be a member of my family as well then she will also have daughter like status. I need to think about this a bit more and get back to you. Your school is going to be the biggest problem."

"Yeah, Dumbledore likes to keep careful tabs on me and all my friends," Harry mused, "what if we didn't join the Death Eaters?"

Tom stared at Harry in disbelief, "You are not going to join me?"

"Oh, not like that Tom. I am still on your side but Dumbledore is quite good at Leglimency and I don't want something leaking. I have a feeling that joining the Death Eaters is quite traumatic."

Tom smirked, "Quite."

"What if we don't go through that ceremony but did something different to show our loyalty? We could make up a different name for our group and everything so that there isn't any connection and be your spies in Hogwarts. I know it's a small group but I have a few people who I know would want to join like a Save the Werewolves or Save the Centaurs cause. Dumbledore's students would be joining you without even knowing it."

"Voldemort's spies going in as rights activists. I like it," Tom smiled as the thought of Death Eaters with protest signs marching in front of the Ministry of Magic Headquarters floated through his head and looked at Harry for the source of his amusement, "you will have to come up with a name but that is the only thing I can think of that needs to be done. I would also like a list of the student who would join your cause. Draco will be a part of your group from now on and I will see if Victoria is willing to devote at least some time to the cause. She normally stays away from this side of my fight but she would like to find a place where she could make friends easily."

"I will think on it tonight. Let's go tell the girls before they get too carried away with their gossip."

Harry sent a picture of the three girls talking like valley girls and chatting about bys, clothes and who is dating who in the wizarding world. Tom burst out laughing.

I like to see him laugh. He doesn't do it that often and I like being the one to make him smile.

Tom led the way to Vic's room as Harry thought over why he would want to be the one to make Tom smile.