Meanwhile, as Andromeda was seeing hope, at Malfoy Manor Narcissa Malfoy sat staring blankly at the wall, not seeing anything much. She had been witness to the entire farce yesterday. Watching Lucius disappear had made her heart stop. Her response to Tom's actions was sheer disbelief.

Her mind drifted to the diary. She felt a surge of anger towards Tom. She had been so sure he would have resolved this issue without all the theatrics. She couldn't understand why he had done what he had. Where he had taken them? He had talked of his prospects. They had been on the cusp of complete domination of the British Wizarding World. Now, her Lucius was officially a wanted man. If he were caught he would not last a week in Azkaban. He couldn't even handle camping for Merlin's sake. He needed to be in their king size canopy bed with her. What Azkaban did to you was the stuff of nightmares, 'Oh, what's going to happen to his hair if he's caught? He won't have access to my special conditioner,' she wailed. In her mind, she was picturing horrifying images. Lucius with matted, lifeless dirty locks, 'His crowning glory!' she sobbed into a cushion.

She was interrupted from her misery by a cough at the fireplace, 'Oh, Merlin. Can't I get any peace and quiet for five bloody minutes?' she thought. Pulling herself up, she opened her eyes to see the smooth looking smile of Tom Riddle at the fireplace.

'You,' she stated stupidly.

'Mrs Malfoy. Can I come through? There is much to discuss.'

It didn't matter who you were. When Voldemort requested your time you didn't say no to him if you knew what was good for you.

Within a minute Tom was sitting in the armchair. Narcissa opposite.

Narcissa gazed at him. As he looked so much younger and human she wasn't as inclined to be as fearful of him but she was still wary. She spoke cautiously, but got straight to the point, 'Their faces are known all across the Northern Hemisphere. Even the Muggles have been made aware. They will be hunted down one by one. They don't have wands. Your followers in the Ministry are in danger of losing their positions once investigations begin. The light side will change our laws as soon as they can. Half-bloods, Muggleborns and blood traitors are going to be taking a lot of those positions. And I warn you now. If you show yourself again in this country Bellatrix is going to kill you. She will do it a million times if she has to. She can hold a grudge. Trust me on that.'

Tom laughed at her.

Narcissa felt a little insulted.

'Bellatrix deserved to be taken down a few pegs, Narcissa. I know she's your sister, but her arrogance was almost rivalling mine. And she doesn't have half of my talent. Besides, she is free now of both my influence and Azkaban. In the future, she can decide for herself what path she wants to take. She has seen my path. If it hadn't been her, I would have chosen another Pureblood. It wasn't personal. I needed a Witch from one of the old, dark family lines for certain rituals and magic. Her Black magic is still strong compared to many of the others and I needed her strength. As for the others. Their wands have been returned to them. They are not defenceless. Ernie has indeed proved very useful. He is joining us.'

She tilted her head and waited for him to continue. She felt a little more placated.

He said softly, 'I have outgrown this country. There is so much more out there. It's a big wide world Narcissa. I have a lifetime of experience. I have learnt so much. Britain has been my training ground. I have given this a lot of thought. For the time being, I'm going to leave Britain alone. Things need to settle. My followers were already known to the public before I went to trial. They were too exposed in Britain. The International Confederation is on its way. The time was right for a change. I have achieved what I needed to. I need to change course,' Tom paused, looking at Narcissa. She stayed silent. She wanted to see where he was heading with this.

'There are very wealthy, powerful Muggles who have been made aware of me. They have already made contact with me several years ago. They are people who share my ideas and would like to ally for our mutual benefit. I have analysed their proposals and I find them to be very beneficial to my development. I need to be discreet of course. The people in Britain need to have the illusion of safety whilst our plans and preparations are prepared. Eventually, history will repeat and the seeds of disorder will start again in the shadows. Do you really think many of those in positions of power in this world are beyond corruption? Everyone has a price. Human nature is nothing but predictable. There won't be any real changes in the Wizarding World. Ultimately the ones who hold the purse strings, hold the power. The Purebloods hold the purse strings. They have the money, the investments, the lands, therefore they hold the power. The British Wizarding World will spend the next few years thinking they are moving forwards, making things better for everyone and entering a new age but somehow the problems will start again. I shall make sure of it. There are always problems and like every country from every era, people will always look for someone to blame. Then I will return. Someone to lead the disgruntled. My followers are now outcasts. Time does strange things. We will have become legends by the time we return.'

Narcissa looked sceptical, 'What about Lucius? Where is he?' she asked a little impatiently.

Tom merely smiled at her, 'In all the time I have known you, only your husband and son seem to elicit any passion from you in the slightest.'

Narcissa raised an eyebrow.

'He is safe. He is currently sitting in a cabin on a ship,' Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief, 'When your husband swore his loyalty to me and took my mark it was on the condition he would be following my orders. None of them will be returning to their British homes for at least a decade. I am relocating. They are to be educated to better assist me in my future endeavours. Each of my followers offers me valuable skills and each has their uses. In return, they have been and will be highly rewarded for their loyalty to me. Their ill-gotten gains are hidden away from prying eyes in many untraceable bank accounts the Ministry will never access.'

'But-,' Narcissa tried to object, but he cut her off.

'This is not negotiable Narcissa. I expect you to keep the illusion up as a grieving wife whose husband has deserted her. You will be contacted in time. This will be in several months at least. Malfoy Manor is to be kept open. All the Manors will be. They will be needed in the future. Money has been set aside for their upkeep. You all have private accounts for expenses. Your husband will be relocated with all the others. This is not negotiable,' he repeated as he used his more domineering tone which Narcissa understood completely. This was happening.

'Where are you all going?' she asked simply. There was no point in trying to argue. When Riddle made his mind up you admitted defeat.

'Argentina,' he looked at her waiting for recognition.

Narcissa's quick mind started to join the dots rapidly. Her eyes widened, 'You're allying with Nazis?' she gasped.

'You got there very fast. You Black women never cease to amaze me,' Tom grinned.

Narcissa's mind raced. The Malfoy's, despite the impression they liked to give, had a great deal to do with very rich Muggles. They spent time with the society set. Incognito of course. That was where the real wealth was. She had self-educated herself and read both Magical and Muggle history. The second world war had caused massive issues globally. The brutality was at insane levels. Genocide. Ethnic cleansing. Millions had perished. Concentration camps. Human experiments. Eugenics they called it. She had read many reports. A nuclear bomb had been used eventually out of sheer desperation after seven gruelling miserable years. The estimated death total was around eighty million. The survivors scarred for life. Many of the cruellest offenders from the enemy side had escaped. Scattered all around the world without facing any justice for the horrors they had committed. Rumours were the Nazis had reunited in South America. Tom had just confirmed those rumours were true. He continued.

'I met with their leader. I assume you are aware of him? He's called Adolf Hitler. I had dinner with him and his charming wife several years ago.'

Narcissa gazed at him. 'Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. I am aware of them, yes. I thought they had been found dead in a bunker,' her voice sounded unnatural to her.

'A false trail. They had left days before when it became obvious Berlin was going to fall. He certainly spoke a great deal of sense. He let me use Legilimens on him. We both have the same beliefs. Those that are strong, lead with the support of their followers. The weak need to be discarded. Those that oppose us to be executed. This is for the betterment of the human race. We will shape this world to be what we want it to be. The masses cause unnecessary costs and it is not in our interests to keep supporting them. Only people with anything to offer us will be kept alive. Adolf is fascinated by magic. He wants to know all about it. Especially our ageing potions.'

Narcissa's mind was whirling.

'We have some mutual colleagues who have proved most useful in supplying him with potions that hold back the hands of time. Perhaps in time, we could undertake a blood ritual. There is one I'm aware of that can regenerate one back to their prime,' Tom smiled, 'Only if he's a very good ally, however.'

Narcissa could only keep a cool, bland expression on her face. Inside she felt tremulous.

Tom continued in his smooth tone, 'He has several heirs and capable successors in the wings to take over from him in time, but he wants to be the one to see his dream succeed. He is sincere. I've seen inside his mind. He has always been a follower of the occult. He said the spirit world had advised him to contact me. He asked me to join him and help mould the New World Order for the Wizarding world. He wants eventually to merge the two. He thinks the human race will be greatly improved by this. That we will be able to progress more rapidly as a species. I agree. They are very well organised. They have bases and followers everywhere in the world and it's growing rapidly. The world simply wasn't evolved and intelligent enough last time for their progressive ideas and these more backward countries fought against them. They were never truly defeated, just outnumbered at the time. They simply relocated. Nazism is an ideology, not a country. I told Adolf that I would consider it when I felt I was ready to rise to the challenge. The last two weeks have been an epiphany. I'm ready. My purpose here on this Earth is bigger than even I could have predicted. When I was in wraith form the spirits told me it was time to form this alliance. I am an immortal. I will live forever. It is time for me to build the world I want to live in.'

Narcissa could only stare at him. She felt utterly mute at his ambitions.

'He asked me to rescue Gellert Grindelwald. They are old friends. Only a superior magical can access Nurmengard Castle successfully to orchestrate this rescue. He's an old man now, but his knowledge will be very useful to us. He's already on the ship. I've used the Imperius on the entire staff at the castle. The calamity in the morning will be wonderful. I released the other prisoners there for show. Camouflage. I have offered them all sanctuary at our new home. They could be useful. Officials should be aware in the morning of their disappearance. By then we will be sailing over the Atlantic in a disillusioned ship,' Tom smiled.

Narcissa was at a loss for words.

'Your husband will be with me for much of our initial stay. I have chosen him as the Nazis seem to put great stock in Blonde hair and light coloured eyes. The Muggles call them the Aryan race. You're one too Narcissa. An Aryan. Looks like you're at the top of the tree in both worlds. Aryans are considered by the Nazis to be the equivalent of our Purebloods. They have told me in no uncertain terms that only Caucasians will be allowed into headquarters. I agreed. It is so important to establish a hierarchy immediately. The masses need to learn their place in the new world. Obviously, we will be in charge of how this evolves. The rest of the world will be enslaved to do our bidding. We will certainly need to cull the excess population if we need to sustain a better way of life for ourselves, but it will be important to keep enough of them alive to do menial work. Lucius will be a good poster boy for us. We of course will represent their magical department. In time we will begin to infiltrate the International Federation. Adolf already has many followers in power in the Muggle Governments and corporations all over the world. We will be of great use to them and vice versa. We shall use magic to manipulate and persuade. In return, they offer us money and power. I will be recruiting from the magical world. Healers and Aurors from around the globe will be very useful. There will be much bloodshed in the coming years. That will be inevitable. My followers will be trained in both Military and Auror combat. Trained to kill with both wand and gun. Unstoppable fighting machines. The Muggles can get very nasty. A handgun can often be faster than a wand.'

Narcissa gazed at him, She closed her eyes and opened them again. Yes. It was all actually happening. She had initially thrown a fit at the news of his Half-blood status but she got over it. That he was Slytherin's heir cushioned the blow somewhat. This was something else entirely. She wished she could go back to those simpler days. She pulled together every last strain of Pureblood training she could muster.

'A New World Order certainly sounds ambitious,' she said in a controlled tone.

'It does. But it is also attainable. Lord Voldemort allied with Adolf Hitler. Certainly has a glorious ring to it,' he smiled wolfishly. He didn't look quite right on his young face.

Narcissa smiled back coolly, 'It certainly does.'

Tom nodded at her, 'I have a long night ahead. I'm informing the families of my followers of my plans. Each of you is to stay away from each other until you are told otherwise. Lucius will be looked after. Do not worry. What I have planned is definitely within my abilities,' he took out the case that housed the Horcrux cup and handed it to her.

'See this is put into your vault personally, Narcissa. Do not open it. I shall know if you disobey,' his sibilant voice sent chills down her spine.

He left through the fireplace as Narcissa gazed into space for a long moment.

She made her way upstairs and looked down into her son's crib. He was sound asleep. His white-blond hair was all fluffed up. Her eyes showed some actual warmth towards him and then contemplation crossed them. He slept on oblivious to how his future was already being written for him.

Narcissa sat down next to him. The enormity of what had just happened still sinking in. The combination of both Magical and Muggle might was daunting. An ideology followed by millions around the world. The magical expertise of Grindelwald and Voldemort combined with Nazis. This could only lead to World War Three. There was no escaping this. Narcissa kept up with developments in the Muggle world. The war had been over thirty years ago. The Muggles had improved their killing machines. Their guns, tanks and bombs just for openers. Eighty million had perished in the last war. They would be very lucky if that is all that died in the next. Narcissa was a very clever woman. The riches and power attained for her family would be enormous if Riddle succeeded. She was also clever enough to know she had to lay low for now and follow Riddle's orders. Lucius's survival was vital.

Dumbledore awoke late the next morning with a hangover. He drank a pre-prepared potion and arose out of his bed and prepared himself for the day. He settled himself down for a cup of tea and looked out of the grounds. The air was chilly but fresh. The sun was bright. Fawkes trilled a little hello to him as he smiled back. He sat there and mused about the day before. Tom clearly had a backup plan. Time would tell. He hoped for a quiet day without interruption. It had been a tumultuous time.

Unfortunately for Dumbledore, whether he wanted to be interrupted or not made very little difference. People tended to come to him with their litany of issues, regardless of whether he wanted to hear them or not. To prove his point, Amelia stuck her head through the fireplace.

'Dumbledore, I have news. Can I come through?'

Dumbledore sighed. His mood dampened already. He hadn't even been awake for thirty minutes, 'Yes, of course.'

A moment later she stood in front of him, 'I'll get straight to the point. Gellert Grindelwald has escaped.'

A hysterical giggle came out of his mouth that surprised even him. He sat back heavily on the chair, 'Fuck me,' he breathed out heavily.

'Albus!' Amelia stared at him in shock, 'I have never heard you curse.'

Dumbledore ignored her. He stared vacantly into space. Amelia took the opportunity to sit down.

'It has to be Tom behind this. He's the only one with the ability to do this,' Amelia stated, 'The entire prison staff were found standing looking gormless in the courtyard. All of them were under the Imperius. Every other prisoner has been released with no sign of any of them. All the cameras are gone. The Austrian Muggle police have been reviewing camera footage of the area. Not a glimpse of any of them. Obviously, Tom had them port-keyed out. I would bet my pension they are with the others.'

Dumbledore nodded vaguely.

Amelia continued, 'Why? Why would he do this? What does he want with him?'

Dumbledore had an idea, 'Knowledge,' he stated flatly. His mind going over Tom's bold proclamations at his trial.

'What knowledge?'

'Tom said Britain was his training ground. I think he's ready for the real thing now. As a schoolboy, he always wanted to be the best. Better than any other. Gellert wanted the world. He almost succeeded,' Dumbledore said this softly. His fingers found the elder wand. He felt a chill run through him.

'Oh,' Amelia took this in. They sat in silence.

'I'll arrange an Order meeting in a few weeks,' Dumbledore said. He had hoped one wouldn't have been needed so soon.

Walburga sat down alone with the Daily Prophet that evening for her tenth read through. She had decided to avoid the trial. Like a lot of the public, she thought it was going to be a farce and she couldn't bear to see the sick sight of it all. They had her written statement. Amelia was only going to request her presence under extreme circumstances. Walburga had not expected a request due to the manipulations of the authorities. It had been a farce, but not in the way she had predicted.

Iris was staying at Greengrass Manor for now. They had decided to keep everything as normal as they could for her. Hayley was in a secure room at the hospital. She was being well looked after. There was nothing else they could for her but wait. No one was mentioning anything remotely connected to Tom in front of Iris. Walburga let out a big sigh. She had wanted privacy. Her elves had politely excused themselves earlier that evening when they had seen her pensive face.

The Dark Lord. She looked at the moving photograph that was stuck in a loop. His young face smiling mockingly at the crowd with the cells lined up to the side of him. Amelia Bones looked wearier than she had ever seen her. She spotted the enraged face of Bellatrix. She was spitting fire towards him. Walburga smirked gently. That was one good thing out of this mess. Bellatrix was a Black to the Bone. Fierce, proud, powerful with a temper that rivalled Satan's. But not wicked. Knowing that she had been under the effects of a dark object of Tom's making for years had both enraged and comforted her. Her brother, Cygnus had sent her an owl earlier. His wife Druella and he had been to see their daughter.

He wrote they had heard her laments when they had come up in the lifts, 'She was kicking up a storm,' he had written proudly, 'She was going to 'Tear Tom's unmentionables off the next time she saw him!' Cygnus was pleased to see that she was almost like her old self. They all agreed that the filthy Half-blood was a menace. They did not care a whit what the Ministry had done to his blood status. Riddle had given the necklace to Bellatrix as a gift years before. She had been told the cup had been charmed to bring good luck. That was when it started. It was slow at first. Then came the murderous, sadistic impulses. She hadn't made the connection. Or most probably, had been charmed not to. It had all been a blur.

Bellatrix didn't seem remotely interested in what had happened to her husband. The healer had given her a potion to help Bellatrix sleep. More likely they gave it to her so the staff at the hospital could get some peace and quiet. They were going to keep her there a few more days for observation because she seemed unstable. Cygnus had told the healer Bellatrix was just letting off some steam. In a few days, she would be right as rain. They were just glad she wasn't in Azkaban because a Half-blood had betrayed her. They would come and visit Walburga when everything had settled down. Walburga had replied she looked forward to that and then went to sit by the fire to read the paper and ponder.

Riddle was certainly making a clean break. He was smart enough to know that he wasn't strong enough yet to take on the international community. The fact that the Ministry had given him Pureblood status to avoid an honest trial reeked to everyone decent globally. They had inadvertently pointed out a lot that was very wrong in their society. Things that even she had to admit were becoming clear to her. How weak modern magical families were becoming. How easy it was for a thing like Riddle to take control of it. How little resistance there had been to the atrocities.

The Order of the Phoenix and a handful of Aurors had been all who had stood up to him. It should never have been allowed to reach the depths to which it had. Barty Crouch Senior at least had the sense to resign. Amelia had taken his place that same day, 'Smartest move the Ministry had made in years,' Walburga thought. There were reports that Amelia and Milicent were finally able to bring in the big boys from the American and European Branches of ICW to flush out the rest of his followers from the Ministry.

That Riddle had escaped with his gang was of no surprise. He would certainly return. Not for a while though.

At the moment Walburga was opening up the newspaper for another read, Andromeda was taking a stroll through the village to see if Sirius was home. When she arrived, she discovered she had mixed feelings when she saw the light on. She had enjoyed having Harry stay with them. She was worried about Sirius's state of mind. Harry was a lovely little boy. He had been coming out of his shell a little bit more and she didn't want Sirius to undo his progress. Dumbledore had briefly explained about Petunia and the cupboard.

Andromeda had been speechless at that. She knew some of the Muggleborns had suffered from jealous siblings, but for adults to take their animosity out on a young boy was very unsettling. Sirius may have been enduring a special kind of madness that week, but at least some good had come out of the mess. Merlin only knew the issues Harry would have grown up with otherwise. Neglect in childhood did a huge amount of lifetime damage to anyone. Andromeda was also reluctant to speak to Sirius. She pushed herself on. She needed to see if he was in any state to take Harry.

She knocked on the door. A few moments later Sirius opened it up. He gave her a small smile and beckoned her in. So far so good. Andromeda made her way inside and followed him into the living room. She saw the welcome sight of Remus Lupin. She smiled broadly at him as he stood and made his way over, a relieved smile on his face.

'Remus. It's so good to see you,' Andromeda meant every word.

'Likewise. We just got back an hour ago,' he said and hugged her. The War had taken so many of them. It was nostalgia and relief mixed in together. They had grown up together.

'What are you doing here?' she asked.

'I'm living here now. Sirius has asked me to stay,' Remus confirmed.

Sirius spoke now. His voice sounded tired, 'I went to find Remus. It was difficult mate, tracking you down. Took me a while,' he paused, 'Remus had been following the news. We thrashed it out. Literally,' he smiled ruefully towards Remus who looked at Sirius with a wry look, 'So much had happened. It had been building up for a long time. Lily and James. Pettigrew. Something in me snapped. The infamous Black temper. It never quite leaves you, you know.'

Andromeda breathed a sigh of relief. At least he had come to his senses. She suspected she had Remus to thank for that. She gave them both a small smile.

'Thank you for taking care of Harry. Would you mind carrying on for a little while more? It's just. I'm not ready yet. I want to be a good father to him and I don't think I will be right now. I have to work through some things...,' Sirius trailed off.

Andromeda gave him a warm smile, 'That is why you'll be a good father to him. You are thinking about how you affect him. You don't want to harm him. When you're ready. He's absolutely fine to stay at ours whenever you need him to be. He's a bonny lad.'

Sirius smiled, 'That he is,' His eyes darkened then, 'Iris...,' he seemed to tighten up.

Andromeda and Remus stood awkwardly.

'I've been reading the papers. What the hell has Riddle got planned?' Sirius asked her.

Andromeda pulled him into a hug, 'Hey, that bastard is going to have to get through a lot of us to do that, Ok. And our side already landed him a heavy blow. I know it seems he's immortal but I don't believe that for one second. We'll get him.'

Remus and Sirius gave determined grins, 'That we will,' Remus said softly.

'It's been mad, hasn't it?' Andromeda said to them both.

"That trial was crazy,' Sirius added, 'I must have read the paper a dozen times. At least Bellatrix isn't completely evil. Just a typical angry House of Black woman. That was something at least,' Andromeda smiled briefly, not sure of the backhanded compliment.

'Merlin knows where Riddle has taken them,' Remus added, 'It sounds like he has something up his sleeve. He is certainly planning something. That whole bit about Britain being his training ground. They can't go anywhere in this country or the mainland. They are on the most-wanted lists. Even the Muggles have been made aware. America is on the lookout for them. At least the International community is finally allowed to get involved. The Ministry is a cesspit. This last week proved it.'

Andromeda spoke, 'Your mother has named me as a potential heir, Sirius. She has specified as long as we have Black blood and are not followers of Tom we are eligible. She must truly hate him,' Andromeda broached the elephant in the room, 'She's very taken with Iris.'

He looked startled, 'Maybe things are changing. When my mother would rather have Ted in her drawing-room than a Dark Lord anything is possible. Although, don't speak to me about Iris,' Sirius turned away from her. Deliberately not looking her in the eye.

Andromeda went very still, 'She's named her heiress of House Black,' she added a little apprehensively.

Sirius turned back to look at her with disdain, 'Fitting, I suppose.' he said eventually.

Andromeda didn't know what to say to that. She thought that with all the knowledge obtained from the last week and Riddle's trial as evidence Sirius would have had a change of heart. He couldn't surely think Iris was destined to grow up evil? she persisted.

'Walburga had to get the official family tree completed to record Iris at Gringotts. They used Iris's blood. I know what you said that night was in a rage but considering what strain you were under that could be forgiven in time. Hayley would never have been disloyal to you. I thought you had time to calm down and be rational about this?' the room was tense. 'According to magic, Iris is most definitely your daughter.'

'Don't assume anything Andromeda. I stand by my decision. She is Riddle's Granddaughter. I know how sweet she can look. I know what lurks beneath. I want no part of it. Riddle murdered Lily and James. He almost killed Harry. I'll say this again. Don't talk to me about them in my presence. I no longer acknowledge them. I am not Iris's father, nor am I Hayley's husband.'

At this Fawkes flashed into the room startling them.

'Hello, Fawkes,' Remus was relieved at the distraction.

He stroked the phoenix who trilled at them, 'He has letters,' he stated, 'One for each of us from Dumbledore. I recognise the handwriting.'

They each read them and looked at each other.

'He has news. Maybe he's found out what Riddle's plans are,' said Remus. The other two nodded in agreement, 'He's organising an Order meeting. Be interesting to find out what the hell is going on.'

Fawkes nodded his goodbyes and flashed away. He still had more letters to deliver. Andromeda made her excuses and left. Her heart was heavy.