A/N: Here comes the next installment of our story! Readers of the original version of TLDL will recognize several themes in this chapter from that work.
I'm currently working on this instead of my Educational Psychology course, so I can't promise any consistency with my updates. I appreciate all of you for sticking with me on this story! You can always find me on tumblr louisamaymarch. ~ Joce
All credits of course to J.K. (except for Pandora, she's mine)
30 March 1997
MALFOY MANOR, WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND
Pandora walked in the gardens amongst her mother's prize roses, her pink chiffon dress matching the extravagant flowers. She settled on the marble bench and waited for Draco and Blaise to catch up with her. It was Easter Sunday, and the Malfoys had paid their dues to Madame Zabini by attending brunch and Easter Mass (which Pandora thought was frankly ridiculous for a group of wizards). She bent to undo her t-straps and looked up at the chuckles from the boys as she kicked them off. "Don't laugh at me, aren't you dying to take those ridiculous jackets off?" Draco wore a spring green tuxedo jacket while Blaise was in a similar lavender coat; they looked like overgrown Easter eggs.
Several minutes later found the three teenagers lounging in the grass, barefoot and sipping glasses of Blaise's favorite chardonnay. Pandora wondered why they hadn't done this before they were subjected to Mass, though she doubted she could have made it through the service without laughing had she been drunk. She rested against Blaise's chest and he pressed a kiss to her dark waves. Blaise was comfortable and a swell of affection rose through her, though deep in her soul she craved another. Tom hadn't appeared to her in weeks and her fury was tempered by a desperate longing. Blaise wanted her for a wife; Tom wanted her for a queen.
"Dora, are we celebrating your birthday before you go back to France?" Blaise's deep voice rumbled in her ear and she turned slightly to face him. "I don't know Blaise, are we celebrating my birthday?" Pandora smirked, his arm tightening around her waist. He leaned closer only for Draco to burst into a coughing fit before their lips met. The boys seemed to share a silent conversation and Blaise shifted away from Pandora, taking a deep gulp of wine. Her eyes narrowed - what are they hiding from me? She opened her mouth to retort when Roxy appeared with a crack.
"Mistress is needing to see Miss Pandora, in her dressing room please." Pandora accepted Draco's hand to help her stand before walking towards the manor. As she stepped inside, she glanced back to see the boys rubbing their left arms with near-identical looks of concern. Her bare feet pattered up the marble staircase towards her parents' suite. Holding her t-straps in one hand, she knocked and the gilded French doors swung open. She stepped inside and turned into her mother's en suite and dressing room.
"Getting comfortable, Dora dear?" Her mother stood in front of an ornate floor-length mirror, holding up gowns against her willowy frame. "I don't know what you mean," Pandora replied, and Narcissa threw her a look of disbelief. "Pandora, you are too old to be playing these games." "Oh really? I thought all we did was play games." The Malfoy women met eyes in the mirror, ice blue and fierce. "Do you intend to marry Blaise?" The "of course!" died on her lips; her retort was no longer true. Instantly her mind was filled with images of Tom - her affection for Blaise could never match their passion. Narcissa smirked, finally satisfied with both her gown and her daughter's response.
"We are expected to have dinner this evening with the inner circle." "Well, have fun." "No, dear. We are all expected." A chill ran down Pandora's spine. It was to be expected after her intrusion in the drawing room, but the thought of being subject to that creature was abhorrent to her. "I don't suppose we have any choice." Narcissa did not even bother with a response. Pandora sighed, allowing her mother and Roxy to remove her Easter dress and wrap her in a champagne colored robe that matched Narcissa's. Pandora sunk down onto a pouf in front of the mirrors as Narcissa began twisting her dark hair into elaborate braids, Roxy flitting about. As the Malfoy women prepared for their evening they chattered lightly, discussing school and friends and flowing easily between English and French. Hours later, Pandora was stepping into her heels, both women in sweeping gowns when they were joined by Lucius. He whistled softly, earning him eye rolls from his wife and daughter.
"I am the luckiest of men tonight to get to escort the two most beautiful women." "Merci, Papa," Pandora preened and allowed Lucius to brush a kiss on her cheek. "We'll floo from the sitting room in a few minutes." Pandora nodded, understanding her parents' underlying request for some privacy. The door shut softly behind her and Narcissa immediately sought comfort in Lucius' embrace. He folded her in his arms, murmuring reassurances and pressing kisses to her blonde hair. "She is strong. You have taught her well. He will be pleased." "What terrible parents we are, to sacrifice our daughter to the monster!" "Hush now, we cannot know what he will expect of her. We have done no more than our duty." Narcissa looked skeptical but allowed her husband to draw her from their bedroom, reuniting with Pandora in front of the fireplace. No words were spoken as they linked hands, grey and blue eyes hardening into steel and ice.
Pandora emerged from the fireplace at Maison de Lestrange, steadied by her Uncle Rodolphous' hand. "Welcome home, fillette." Little girl, indeed. She ignored his lecherous glare and quickly removed herself from his embrace, seeing Draco and Blaise on the other side of the drawing room. Draco drew her in and brushed a kiss on her cheek; Blaise kept his distance and her attention was drawn to his hands, which seemed to be twitching uncontrollably. "Blaise, are you alright? What happened?" She took a step closer to him and he immediately retreated. Her eyes clouded with hurt and Draco pulled her close, pressing a kiss of comfort to her temple.
"Don't cry, my sweet. He is only following my instructions." Pandora wrenched out of Draco's embrace and spun towards the voice. She knew that voice. It was impossible - but there he was. He stood in the doorway, flanked by her Aunt Bellatrix and her brother's godfather Severus Snape. He looked just as her dreams imagined him; his hair and eyes were dark as night, though his gaze sparked with heat as he looked at her. His eyes traced her figure, admiring the long dark green gown she wore. "The Slytherin colors are a nice touch, Narcissa. I am certain she will be joining our house come September." He held out his hand, beckoning her to his side. She obeyed as if in a trance.
"Tom - what are you doing here?" "Have you not yet guessed, my curious one?" She looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. "I don't understand." "Soon you will." He slipped an arm around her waist, leading her into the dining room. As the group trickled in Tom held out a chair for Pandora, running his hands across her shoulders once she was seated. He took the chair at the head of the table, directly to her left. He held out his right hand so their fingers could interlace. His thumb ran soothing paths across her skin, entrancing her until she could barely focus on his words.
"Thank you for joining me this evening. This is a momentous occasion. Miss Malfoy has returned to us, home where she belongs." Tom squeezed her hand, and she was trapped in his gaze. He never took his eyes from hers as he continued. "Our next phase has begun. The Ministry will soon be ours, and Dumbledore's days are numbered. Isn't that right, Draco?" Pandora turned to look at her brother, who nodded shakily. "Excellent. Ah, here's dinner." Plates laden with beef wellington and dauphinoise potatoes were set before them, house elves quickly popping back into the kitchen. "Eat, my love." He whispered to her, picking up a fork in his left hand. But her head was spinning.
"Tom, why do you care about Dumbledore?" His eyes met hers, one brow crooked in amusement. "I don't know my sweet, why do I care about Dumbledore?" His black eyes seemed to darken as she stared at him, and she was suddenly transported back to her family's drawing room and another pair of darkest eyes. "Oh my god." How had she not seen? Her hand tried to jerk back but he gripped her wrist tighter. "You mustn't be rude to our guests, Pandora. We will talk later. Eat." It was a command. She quickly took a bite of beef, eyes flitting down the table to find her mother's. Blue eyes matched in sorrow and fear. She knew that her mother's hand was interlaced as tightly with her father's as hers was with Tom's. Draco was still shaking as he ate, while Blaise looked ready to vomit.
Finally, tortuously, dinner came to an end. Tom stood, helping Pandora to her feet and locking his arm back around her waist. "We will see you at home, darling." Tom released her briefly so Narcissa could brush a kiss to her daughter's cheek. Pandora watched her family retreat to the drawing room until she and Tom were alone. She opened her mouth, but he pressed a finger to her lips. "The walls have ears, Pandora. Come with me to the terrace." He led her outside, the stone terrace dotted with candle-lit lamps. He settled onto a chaise and Pandora spun out of his embrace. "I don't want anything to do with you!" "There is no point in lying, Pandora. It is a waste of time. Come sit, have some wine." "No point in lying?! You have been lying to me the whole time!" "That is not true. Search your mind; when have I been false to you?" "You said you wanted to overthrow the Dark Lord! You said we would rule together!" "No, I said I would rid the wizarding world of its dictators. Is Dumbledore not the master manipulator of all?" "I was referring to you, you know that!" "Look at me, Pandora. Who do you see? Sit here, let me explain." She reluctantly took a seat on the chaise next to him, and he handed her a glass of blood-red wine.
"I never lied to you. I want us to rule together. No dictatorship; just a benevolent king and his beautiful merciful queen." "You've kept my family captive. You've hurt them." "Your family knew the cost of failure. I was very angry, I do not deny that. But is your father still imprisoned? No." "So what do you want from me?" Her ice blue eyes were calculating as she took a sip of wine, and he smiled at her. "I want you, Pandora. I want your intelligence and your beauty, but mostly I want your heart. Albus Dumbledore is a fool in many ways; he claims to believe in love yet tells his sycophants that I am not capable of such an emotion. It is their greatest mistake. Hate is a powerful tool but so is love." "Tom, this is a lot to take in." He reached forward to brush his fingers along her cheek. "I know, my sweet. But think of this. You are the most powerful woman in Wizarding Britain. There is no Tom Riddle without you. You have given me new perspectives, new goals. Without you, I would have no reason to become Tom Riddle again. Lord Voldemort was more than capable of ruling by fear. You, my darling, make me stronger than I ever could have been alone."
Perhaps it was her 15-year-old naïveté, but Pandora couldn't hold herself back any longer. She launched herself into his embrace and he deftly plucked the wineglass from her fingers as he kissed her. One strong hand tightened on her hip and she pressed more firmly against him. He gently pulled away, tracing soothing paths up and down her spine as she settled into his chest. "My Queen," he whispered, dropping a kiss to her crown of brunette braids. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze, blue eyes sparkling. "You told my mother I would be in Slytherin. Do I truly get to stay?" "Mm, nearly. You do need to finish this school year at Beauxbatons - don't pout, Pandora. But come September you will be transferring to Hogwarts. You will be very useful to me there." "Will people know that I am yours?" He chuckled. "Nothing will be told explicitly, not to the public, but some will suspect. Of course, your brother and Blaise will form a Slytherin guard for you made of my most devoted young followers. They will treat you as my Queen." "Blaise will not like that," she joked, smirking at him. "Blaise has no choice in the matter. You are mine." He growled and she giggled, reaching up to kiss against his strong jawline. "As you are mine, my Lord." He groaned low in his throat, and Pandora felt his hips jerk against her. "Little minx." He gently rolled her off of him and stood, holding out his hand. "Come, my sweet. Let's get you home." She tried to stand but her head spun, the wine and lust disorienting her. She clung to him and he quickly swung her up into his arms before spinning them away.
The last thing she remembered was being swaddled in her plush white comforter as Tom pressed a kiss to her head, whispering sweet nothings before she drifted into a deep slumber.