Harry dropped the casual attitude of his friendly persona. Dealing with the Light faction had been a total headache and a half, and they were supposed to be the reasonable ones!
Right now he needed every bit of his Slytherin cunning to get the people who Voldemort recruited the most from to take him seriously. It had been a relief when he realized he had won over most of the Light faction that didn't automatically side with Dumbledore.
Where Harry Black had been was now the Immortal Skull-sama, future Cloud Arcobaleno.
And he was about to lay down the law with these fools.
In the darkness, pretty words meant little, but power... power spoke volumes. They would not respect him for his limited ability to speak with Slytherin cunning... they had been raised and trained in it from birth.
No, today he needed to wear the power that had made him feared on the battlefield against the same people he was going to be in a room with like a cloak and make them listen. But he couldn't brow beat them with it... he needed to display the subtle cunning that came naturally due to his upbringing.
"Am I the only one terrified of what he's about to pull off?" asked Blaise, adjusting his outfit. He would be attending as Harry's...no, this was definitely Skull now... Left hand. Just as Camellia was dressed and ready to act as his Right, with Fon acting the silent enforcer. He was firmly in the same mindset that made him so deadly and effective among the Triads before being shunted back to his younger body.
"Are we ready?" asked Skull.
This wasn't the quiet, well spoken "Heir Black" that had dealt with the Light faction. This was the fucking Man-Who-Conquered. A man who went up against Voldemort and won. Who had been across countless battlefields before he had enough...and was promptly tapped by Checkerface as the Cloud Arcobaleno less than a month after he left.
There were no words, as they all calmly waited for Dobby to take them to Malfoy Manor.
Skull gazed at the 'former' Death Eaters dispassionately. They all thought he was Dumbledore's pawn and most generally didn't believe the rumors their heirs told them about Harry Black.
Time to show them who was in control here.
His smile was all teeth and made Narcissa flinch at the sight of it. She clearly knew what was about to happen and was just hoping to avoid being caught in the blast radius.
Camellia discreetly signaled her aunt to hide behind them...under the guise of girl talk of course. Narcissa took the hint without hesitation.
Skull allowed the fools to dig themselves into a nice deep grave. Every snide comment about how he was little more than a child and one of Dumbledore's pawns just reminded him exactly why he was doing this.
So when the talk began to die down, his smirk widened. Fon was strongly reminded of Reborn when he was being a major asshole and was going to thoroughly enjoy trolling some fool who had pissed him off to the point they went insane or did most of the work for him.
He settled in to enjoy the show.
And he wasn't disappointed.
Skull's eyes glowed a terrifying amethyst ringed with amber as he slowly, but clearly pressed them all with his Flames.
The sneers and snide comments died off first. That was followed by a cold sweat on the brow of many who had come to Riddle's call. It didn't take much to make it hard to breathe for the weaker-willed Wizards.
"Let's get one thing perfectly straight. I didn't come here to placate a bunch of grown men and women into thinking I could change the way things have been for centuries or that I could usurp Dumbledore at his own game. I'm certainly not going to cater to people who were so weak that they failed to do a basic background check on a man they so eagerly enslaved themselves to, despite his false promises of a glorious future. I'm here to show you exactly what will happen if you piss me off or are foolish enough to join up a second time with a kinslayer," said Skull casually.
His Flames were pressing down on them painfully, but making it damn clear who was the stronger one there. He wore his aura like a cloak, despite his purple hair and oddly-colored eyes. This wasn't some arrogant child trying to make himself look like an adult.
This was a Lord, and he was not playing around in the least.
"What do you want from us?" demanded MacNair.
"I am not one of Dumbledore's blind pawns. And I certainly don't respect a man who was so desperate for power that he betrayed his own kin and perverted his very soul and his magic to obtain a false immortality. All I demand is that if and when Voldemort returns that you have the sense to avoid his call. I would rather not force your children to fight in another one of these ridiculous spats between Dumbledore and Riddle as the front line fighters. Our society has lost enough children and families as it is because of those idiots."
Lucius spoke up then.
"Heir Black is correct. I, for one, do not want to risk my son and heir should the Dark Lord return. Dumbledore has all but gutted out society trying to cater to these...new bloods... and the Dark Lord has never actually shown any sign that he intends to keep any of what he promised us," said Lucius.
"You would side with this half-breed filth?" sneered MacNair.
"A half-blood that has been steadily gutting Dumbledore's support from under him with facts people have conveniently forgotten about. A half-blood that managed to convince Arcturus Black that he was a far superior heir, instead of Walburga's oldest son. A half-blood who is more interested in protecting our children than ruling us as Dumbledore has for decades," countered Lucius without hesitation.
"A half-blood that has successfully claimed the title as Heir to the Ancient and Noble house of Slytherin on top of the titles I would have gained by bloodline alone," said Skull flatly.
Every eye was on him in absolute shock, daring him to prove his claim.
Skull easily pulled out the heir ring to the Slytherin line and wore it without any ill side effects. He then hissed and caused the cobra that the goblins tested him with to rise up from around his neck.
"Magic itself has decided by the ancient and olde laws that I am the true heir of Slytherin, not this self-styled Lord who you followed. He lost the right to bear the name and magicks of Slytherin when he killed his father and pinned the crime on his uncle, marking him by the old ways as a kinslayer in name and deed. When I absorbed part of the family magics by accident after he tried and failed to kill me, the old magicks decided that my claim on the title was greater through Rite of Conquest," said Skull with a tone as flat as death itself. "Your precious 'Dark Lord' is little more than a nameless bastard son of a squib who could have been great, and chose to destroy his soul and his magic instead."
Dead Silence.
The looks in the eyes of the dark faction slowly began to shift.
They had dismissed him as a child who had a few noble titles and was trying to earn their respect. Someone they could dismiss or trick easily enough into doing what they wanted with him none the wiser.
Instead they got a Lord who was fully prepared to make them submit, but was gave them the decency to make their own choices whom they would serve. He was most certainly nothing like they were expecting (well save for Lucius who had already met Harry Black before) and there was nothing in his behavior that said he would follow anything Dumbledore had to say.
Rookwood very much wanted to spit, but knew better. Lucius would gut him if he did.
"What do you plan to do?"
Skull eased up on his Flames, making it slightly easier to breath. They were actually listening now, which was a vast improvement.
"First off, I am not going to demand that you start marrying the mundanes or the new bloods. Nor am I going to tell you to stop practicing the old ways or the darker rituals that are part of your family heritage. I am a devout follower of Loki, and it was those same rituals and practices that have kept our culture alive for centuries despite persecution and the foolishness of the Ministers over the years," said Skull bluntly.
That seemed to ease the minds of many in the room. It was time to use the same argument that had won Lord Malfoy over the first time he came to this manor.
"The main problem as I see it, is that the new bloods aren't being properly instructed in our culture and are being deliberately left ignorant by the so-called 'Light' faction who pretend they have their best interests in heart. Dumbledore talks a lot, but in reality has done very little to insure our culture is preserved and is using his pawn Fudge to destroy our traditions and ways. Ignorance is no excuse for the fact that they have not bothered to realize that magical culture is not the same as the one they were born into. I am suggesting we educate them to how things work in polite society and if they don't get the bloody hint then by all means pretend they are lesser than you."
"That's it?" said MacNair in disbelief.
"That's it. If they aren't going to make an effort, then there's no reason for you to acknowledge the fact they exist in your presence," said Skull bluntly.
"Why do you keep calling them 'new bloods'?" demanded Crabbe Senior.
"Because by and large, most 'muggleborns' are actually descended from squibs who were cast out decades ago that have managed to reawaken their magical roots. Muggles have found out that marrying too closely into family lines damages the health of the child produces, which is why the number of Squibs has been rising of late. I'm not saying you should start marrying the returning bloodlines into your own, but added fresh bloodlines would mean you would have a better chance of producing a witch or wizard in your grandchildren. There are other pure blood lines out there after all," said Skull bluntly.
"Name one," challenged Rookwood.
"Fon?"
Fon's smirk was cold and made him look like a vengeful dragon. He calmly produced a ball of Storm Flame, which had the dark wizards stare at him in shock.
"This is Fon, my sister's betrothed. He comes from a distinguished magical line that goes back well over fifteen hundred years, with several notable witches and wizards. His clan does not practice inter-marrying in the same family, but rather seeks out those who have displayed great potential or magical ability to improve their family's prestige. As a result they rarely produce a single squib in their bloodline, and those that do appear are usually able to produce an heir that has magic anyway within one or two generations," said Skull simply.
"So it's true? That you adopted Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter?" asked Goyle Senior.
"I refuse to acknowledge that disgrace as my mother," said Camellia bluntly. A dark aura appeared behind her as the room around them began to shift into something far darker and more menacing. "Harry acknowledged my potential despite being cast out by my own blood kin and has given me new purpose."
Every Death Eater there shivered. They recognized that tone immediately, because they had all to a man had plenty of experience being around Bellatrix when she was at her most dangerous and fully prepared to commit untold death and destruction at the Dark Lord's command with glee.
Clearly Camellia did in fact take after her mother, although she had picked a far superior master who actually took care of his own.
However there was always one idiot who couldn't be convinced, save for cold, hard reality.
"I don't buy this nonsense for one bloody minute! We all know you're just one of Dumbledore's pets," sneered Avery.
Lucius wanted to sigh. Honestly, it was like some of these fools had no brains to speak of... perhaps Harry's suggestion they find Draco a wife away from the current pool of acceptable females in England had some merit if this was the best it could come up with.
"Oh really?" purred Skull and something about the way he said it made everyone stand up and take notice. This was when he was going to prove his Black heritage ran true, and they knew it. "So you're saying I'm one of those gelded imbeciles who couldn't kill even if my own life depended on it?"
Avery glared at him.
"I'm saying you're nothing but a pathetic pretender, one who will fall at the first sight of real bloodshed you brat."
"Blaise, you did bring what I asked you, correct? I wouldn't want to ruin my dear cousin's rather nice carpeting with what I have planned."
"Of course," he agreed, and pulled out... a muggle plastic tarp?
Seeing the confusion on the faces of the Death Eaters, Skull grinned in a way that sent shivers down their spines. It was far too reminiscent of Bellatrix when she was about to do something particularly traumatic and horrifying.
"Dobby! Could you bring that pathetic rat here and make sure he's on the tarp?"
The house elf nodded, and within seconds a mostly insane Peter Pettigrew was on the tarp. His mind was more or less gone, but he still retained enough sanity to recognize who was around him. The Dark Mark was clearly visible on his left arm.
"Now children, pay attention because I'm about to indulge in a rather old school method in disposing a pathetic traitor and a coward," said Skull grinning.
He drew a knife and with calm ease proceeded to cut two deep lines in Peter's back, ignoring the screams. Then, to the collective shock of those around him who realized what he was about to do, ripped out Peter's lungs from behind and left them outside his ribcage.
"...Did you seriously just perform a blood eagle?" asked Blaise incredulous.
"Why did you think I told you to bring the tarp?" replied Skull, already wiping his hands clean of the blood. A spell kept Peter within the confines of the plastic (thus sparing Lucius' carpet and making the clean up much easier). He stared each and every one of those who doubted the fact that he meant business in the eye as Peter's lungs began to succumb to the fact they were no longer protected inside his body. They slowly deflated, and his eyes went dark as he let out one last gasp before dying.
Dead Silence, as shock and disbelief sank in. None of the Death Eaters presence could believe that Harry bloody Potter had just killed a man in cold blood in one of the most brutal and traditional ways of ending a traitor.
Any thoughts of the Lord before them suffering the same idiocy Dumbledore was infected with that had allowed them their freedom died in that moment.
They were so used to the broken fanged lion that they were wholly unprepared for the dragon that had arrived in their midst. And he meant business.