Nr words in this chapter: 2,264

"Talking"

'Thinking'

{Talking on the fireplace, phone}

–Parseltongue–

Thinking in 3rd person POV/Dream/Memory/Flashback/Others

Letter/Journal/Book/Newspaper

Time change/Date of time

Change of POV

Chapter XIX

–Death Eaters–

Thursday, 4 July 1996

HJP's POV

Harry approached Sirius tired, sitting on the bench.

"Where's Papa?" Miley asked, looking around.

Harry glanced towards the place where Riddle Manor was.

"Must have returned already. Shall we go back?"

They nodded and Harry stood, walking back towards Riddle Manor. He frowned as Sirius kept growling at passing peasants.

"Snuffles!" Miriam hissed as she had to stop Sirius from latching onto a man passing by. "I'm sorry, Sir. He isn't normally like this."

Harry narrowed his eyes when Sirius looked directly at him. Harry looked at the man only for his eyes to grow when he recognised him. The Wizard looked right back.

"He sent you to watch over us?" Harry asked.

"Indeed, Potter. We've been here for a while."

The twins looked at Harry uncertain.

"He's a Death Eater that Voldemort put here to protect us."

"Since the last attack on Hogsmeade the Dark Lord has decided to keep a few handpicked ones to watch over his Heirs." The Death Eater explained to the twins, who nodded. "You can tell the mutt that I'm not here to hurt any of you nor the Muggles."

Harry glanced down at Sirius as he snarled at the Death Eater.

"Snuffles, down!" He ordered with a strong voice.

Sirius' ear rose at Harry's tone, before he lowered his head.

"Did you see Papa?" Miley asked as they returned to the Manor, the Death Eater escorting them.

"He had work to do. He left on his car."

"Oh…"

The twins nodded and run ahead, Sirius by their heels.

"They take on your side of the family." The Wizard put in amused.

"They just know how their father is." Harry argued. "Are you forbidden from entering?"

"No, I am not." The Death Eater looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"There's several magical spells I want done on the house."

"And there's so much Black can do without it being pointed out to you." Harry nodded. "I'll go warn the others that I'll be inside the Manor."

The Death Eater left him by the entrance of the Manor, before walking away. Harry entered and saw the twins run inside the Manor. Even with all that running they were still so energetic… he'd send Sirius with them after lunch again.

–MR–

LV's POV

Voldemort arrived Malfoy Manor where Professor Slughorn was already there waiting for him in Lucius' private office. Lucius bowed his head at Voldemort and left his own office to give the two some privacy.

"Would you like some pie?" He asked, sitting on an armchair.

"No… no, there's no need." The Wizard took out his scrolls and offered Voldemort.

Voldemort accepted them, seeing that it were the parchments that the Wizard had given him earlier in his Muggle persona.

"So, Harry really is going after the Bake Mastery."

"I've seen his grades. He will be able to keep up." Professor Slughorn put in.

Voldemort returned the parchment.

"I don't see any book on duelling." He put in.

"About that. As I was showing your old NEWTs to the School Board they noticed your Outstanding in duelling and questioned that since you were coming to school to be Harry's Inheritance tutor, why not be his duelling as well."

"What did Dumbledore think of that?" Voldemort asked, standing and approaching the bookshelf and looking through Lucius' books.

"He wasn't happy. He tried to tell Cornelius Fudge that Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram for the Dark Lord's name." Voldemort glanced back at the Wizard. "Cornelius of course refused to believe and the School Board voted you in."

Voldemort nodded and returned to the books.

"What does the Headmaster think of you returning to the school?"

"He said that at least some good came out of it." Voldemort turned puzzled. "If he hadn't already have a DADA replacement it would've be very hard for him to refuse you in front of the School Board."

Voldemort chuckled.

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Indeed." Voldemort picked several books and brought them to the desk. "Are you taking a political turn?"

"Yes."

"What do you win with Young Harry becoming the Slytherin Lord?"

"I have no inheritance. I'm only a Lord because Harry is officially an Heir now that he is being courted. I can't claim him." Professor Slughorn's eyes grew realizing what Voldemort was implying. "Even with him winning my Lordship I'll still have my inheritance as a Slytherin and inheritance is power in this world. Just the fact that Harry Potter will be my Lord already wins me points with the media."

Professor Slughorn stood and approached, looking at the books.

"I have an updated version of this book." He pointed out. "It has all the positions and how to's." Voldemort nodded. "I'll send a copy for young Harry for his birthday. It's at the end of the month after all."

"Indeed. The Malfoys will be going." Professor Slughorn nodded. "And several other students. I'm certain you'd love to meet them before school starts."

"I always love to meet impressing young pupils." Professor Slughorn agreed.

–MR–

Voldemort arrived home to see Evan walking around the house wand in hand, arranging all the fissures that he and Harry were finding.

"Where's Black?"

Harry looked at him and then pointed outside.

"I sent him with the twins back to the park. That way he'll be forced to pretend to be a dog and won't spend the whole time trying to take off the Death Eater's head."

Voldemort hummed, returning to his real persona and immediately Evan bowed his head at him, before resuming his work.

"There's also several wards that need to be added around the house, Evan."

"I'll call Rodolphus when I'm done, my Lord."

"And Narcissa. Most of the furniture and linen are older than Dumbledore."

"She'll be delighted." Evan put in amused.

Voldemort agreed, knowing that Lucius would gladly send his wife just so she would stop changing his house furniture every two days. He picked a parchment and gave Harry. Harry picked it confused.

"Your OWLs." Harry looked at it and opened it at once. "You can go to your room."

Harry nodded and walked away promptly, climbing the stairs.

"He is different, my Lord."

"There has to be a reason he is considered my equal and for the magic to claim him as my future husband."

"He'll be able to keep up with you." Evan agreed. "I'll give him that." His man lowered his arm as he finished another one. "I'll go call them before I'll start painting the living room. Don't want Narcissa to scream my ears raw."

"Warn her that she has to keep the Muggle look."

Evan bowed to his waist and left the Manor. Voldemort entered the living room and wondered if he should've or not open a floo network.

"My Lord." Voldemort looked to the approaching Rodolphus and Narcissa who bowed to their waist at him. "Where's the children and Sirius?"

"In a children park by the Muggle town and Harry is upstairs in his room seeing his grades and probably enjoying some free time from them." Serena entered the living room, hopping as she walked. "And that's the children's crazy godmother."

"Pleasure." Narcissa nodded at her.

Serena approached Voldemort with a smile.

"Can I take advantage that Black is out to go shopping for Harry's gift?" She asked offering her hand.

Voldemort picked her wand from his wand holster and returned it to her, before handing her his Muggle wallet.

"Do remember that you need to buy Muggle oriented things."

"I know. It only makes it even more fun, actually." She agreed before apparating away.

Voldemort looked at Rodolphus at once.

"This is one of the wards that I wanted to speak to you about."

"Hadn't I done it last October, my Lord?"

"I lost control of my magic this morning, been repressing it for too long."

"I'll do a full pack this time then."

"And a weather one as well. Harry made heavy rain the other night after an argument with me."

The three Death Eaters turned to him wide-eyed.

"I'll start right away." Rodolphus stated, leaving the house.

"Where do you want me to start, my Lord?"

"The living room. For Harry's birthday."

"Yes, of course. I'll see what I can do to keep the Muggle Victorian Style look."

Voldemort nodded.

"You can change everything you need to. I'm not emotionally attached to anything in this house."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Evan, as you wait for Narcissa to look up the room in order to tell you which colour to paint the walls, you can go outside to the woods." Evan frowned. "As much as I hate it, Harry spends too much time on top of a broom. Might as well grant him a place where he can do it without breaking his neck or making more storms."

Evan bowed his head and left.

"Does Sirius climb the couches in his dog form?"

"The children pat on the couch to call him to climb." Voldemort agreed.

"I'll fix a blanket for him to lay on. As well as a dog bed to put before the fireplace. Even in this hot weather this house is cold." Narcissa walked around the room in thought. "Is the fireplace connected?"

"I'm pondering on that."

"Is there others?"

Voldemort nodded and took Narcissa to the other room in the ground floor.

"We don't use it much."

"I can see why… I can make this the floo room, no problem. Where's the kitchen?"

"In the basement. The living room, dining room, this room and the hallway to the stairs upstairs keep most of the ground floor."

"Top floor is bedrooms?"

"First floor is bedrooms, office where I usually stay and a library. There's also an attic that Serena has turned into her own room." Narcissa looked back. "She's a Lovegood."

The Witch nodded, as that explained the other Witch completely. Evan opened the room's door.

"The children are about to enter the house's perimeters, my Lord."

"Very well. Treat me like a Muggle from now on." Voldemort stated as his face shaped.

–MR–

HJP's POV

Harry descended the stairway and entered the living room to see Sirius sitting on a blanket by the corner as Mrs Malfoy walked around the room and looked around it.

"Young Potter."

"Mrs Malfoy. My birthday is still four weeks away."

The woman smiled.

"The Dark Lord heard of the party and when Evan" Mrs Malfoy pointed at the Death Eater in question by the side, "Rosier informed that he'd come to fix the house, he sent me to help with a woman's touch."

"I…"

"It will be our treat. Our earlier gift."

Harry nodded, uncertain.

"My uncle?"

"Upstairs in his office working." Mrs Malfoy answered and Sirius huffed from his place on the blanket, winning a glare from the woman. "I didn't say a thing." She argued to the Animagus.

Sirius rolled his eyes and put his head on his paw, looking the other way. Harry smiled amused at the fact that the woman had managed to make her supposed disgust visible not on her voice but on her own feelings. Damn, these Death Eaters were good.

"What can I do to help?"

"For now stay where we can see you." Rosier answered. "Rodolphus is outside remaking the wards since someone decided to become weather maker a couple nights ago and completely and utterly destroyed all the wards we had already put on the Manor previously."

Harry's eyes grew and went deep red.

"It was…"

"No need to explain, Dear." Mrs Malfoy argued. "We were told about the chandelier this morning as well." Harry tensed realizing what she was implying. It had been Voldemort who had broken the wards not Harry. Harry nodded. "Nothing a couple of duelling classes with your new tutor won't help you control it. Even so my brother-in-law is adding several layers to keep you from changing the weather while inside the Manor."

"I hadn't even realized I'd done it."

"Which only shows how much you refuse your magic." Rosier put in surprised. "You aren't in complete tune with it." The man turned towards Mrs Malfoy. "Narcissa, don't get too many breakable things."

"I can see that, Evan."

Harry looked for the twins to see Miley was playing magical chess against Rosier as they waited, while Stan watched and petted his pet snake.

"Mrs Malfoy?" The woman hummed as she looked at the couches with an apprehensive look. "Can we get a TV?"

The Witch looked back surprised.

"Muggle?" Harry nodded. "I'll look it up, but the Dark Lord did say to keep the house as more Muggle oriented as I could possible do."

"And a stereo." Stan stated at once.

"And a computer."

"Internet!" The twins asked in unison.

Harry smiled amused. Voldemort was going to kill him.

"As you wish." Mrs Malfoy agreed and the twins high-fived.

Harry gave them a look.

"What do you say?"

They turned to Mrs Malfoy.

"Thank you, Lady Malfoy." The stated in unison, before returning to the chess.

(TBC)