Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters, this is merely a work of fanfiction.
A/N: This chapter was originally going to have the wedding, but I pushed it back so we didn't have to cut the wedding/honeymoon in half between chapters. Hang in there y'all, we're almost there.
Peony stood in the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's personal quarters. Abraxas stood watch by the door after he cast silencing charms on every wall.
The fool hadn't even heard them coming. The wards were laughably easy to break. He only woke up when Peony pushed her wand into his neck.
"Peony, what are you-"
"Heiress Malfoy, please. Surely you can show some decorum in the last moments of your life."
The Professor hurriedly pushed himself up in bed, but Pony kept her wand trained on him. She had already moved his wand to the living room. It would look like he passed away in his sleep.
A perfect crime.
"Why are you doing this, Peony?" He asked calmly.
"You have cost me everything, except for Tom, and Abraxas.
She pulled a memory from her head, and hung a still of it in the air beside her. It was Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius. It was the moment just before she walked to her death in the clearing. She had perfected this method of sharing memories while on the horcrux hunt. It was incredibly useful since it didn't require a pensieve.
"I don't even know these people."
"And you never will," she said with tears in her eyes. "I'll protect them. They will have the lives they deserve. I will have the life I deserve, with Tom. You're never going to touch him, or my brother."
"I wouldn't-"
"You would. You did."
"Who are you, really?" Dumbledore asked.
Peony pulled the locket from her pocket, holding it so it spun in the air.
"I was the Girl Who Lived, the Chosen One, Lady Potter-Black, the Mistress of Death. Now I'm Heiress Peony Malfoy, the Dark Lady, the future Lady Slytherin, and Mistress of Death. I'm your worst nightmare."
White light spun forth from her wand, hitting his chest. He began to gasp for air, and Peony smiled. She could feel it in her soul, but she relished the pain.
This had never happened, all the times she had killed before. Perhaps because they were in self defense, or the good outweighed the bad, but this one tore her soul, and she let it. She took hold of the torn piece, and directed it into the locket.
Dumbledore screamed, but only Abraxas heard him. Peony was too caught up in her forming horcrux to hear his pleas.
She focused on her love for Tom, her obsession, and poured it into the locket. Dumbledore took his last breath as the locket began to gleam a bright green, and then settled.
Peony looked at the Professor's dead body.
It was done.
Tom entered the Slytherin Common Room. It was Christmas morning. The Daily Prophet had woken him up more effectively than any cup of tea ever could.
He needed to see Peony right now.
The Common Room was deserted, except for Peony, who was sitting on a long black sofa, wearing a red dress. Her eyes sparkled with mirth.
"Happy Christmas Tom."
"Happy Christmas Peony. I'm afraid I have terrible news. Professor Dumbledore has passed away in his sleep. It's all over the Daily Prophet."
Peony couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"Imagine that. A tragedy, to be sure."
Peony stood to her feet and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a locket, and held it out between them.
"I got you a present."
The light of the fireplace flickered off of the locket. It was made of the finest gold, with a S engraved on the front. It was clearly a Slytherin heirloom.
Tom took it from her hands, running his fingertips over it.
He stumbled back at the force of the magic in it. It felt like pure distilled Peony. He walked towards her as he laced it over his head. He tucked it under his shirt, close to his heart.
His family heirloom, her horcrux, rested on the skin of his chest. Peony had torn her soul, and given him a piece to keep safe.
He leaned down to whisper in her ear, and his magic brushed along hers.
"Will you marry me, Peony?"
Her heart stuttered, and words failed her. Tom chuckled as he removed the Peverell ring from his hand.
"I know you want this ring. You know what it is. I've seen your eyes on it since you got here. Did you have it in your past?"
Peony nodded, her heart beating fast. Tom slid it onto her ring finger as he looked into her eyes.
"It's yours again, Peony. I love you."
"I love you," she whispered.
She buried herself in his chest as his arms wrapped around her. She finally felt whole again.
"This is going to be huge," Orion mused.
"The paper's will have a riot," Abraxas agreed.
"Heiress Malfoy to wed Lord Slytherin. They'll have a field day."
Tom merely shook his head and took a sip of his firewhiskey. He didn't care, as long as none of them said a bad word about Peony. Peony spun the Peverell ring around on her finger, glad to have it back once again.
"I assume you'll come back to Malfoy Manor until your manor has been finished?" Abraxas asked.
"Yes," Tom answered.
Abraxas nodded, his mind already turning with plans for what was sure to be the biggest wedding of the summer. He and Renata would be wed, of course, but that would be at Lestrange Manor, and her parents had been in charge of the planning. They were terribly old fashioned.
Peony and Tom's wedding would set the tone for his entire political career. The pictures would be all over the papers. It would have to be perfect.
"If we do this right, it's going to be quite a guest list, Peony. It's traditional to invite all the other Pureblood families. Are you alright with that?"
Peony waved a hand dismissively.
"As long as I get to marry Tom, and pick out my gown, you all can plan and plot this down to the last detail. Don't think I don't realize the political significance of this union."
Tom smiled next to her. She really was the perfect witch.
Peony sat down beside Tom, scooting close to him.
"Happy Birthday," she whispered to him.
He shot her an annoyed look.
"Are birthdays really significant when you're immortal?"
"You are significant, so your birthday is significant."
He had hated his birthday for years. It served as a reminder of what he didn't have. Perhaps it was time to reconsider.
"I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am."
She pulled a box of blue velvet from behind her back. She put it on the table and slid it across to him. He took it warily and cracked open the case.
The diadem of Ravenclaw was within. It took his breath away. He stared for a few seconds before he snapped the case shut, and stowed it within his robes.
He put an arm around Peony, and bent down close to her.
"Where did you find this?!"
"It's been here in the castle the whole time. In a room of lost things, that only appears if you know where it is, and how to ask."
Tom looked down into her gray eyes, captivated by her knowledge.
"You'll show me that room."
Peony blushed at his intensity.
"I will."
He squeezed her waist with one hand, sending a thrill through her.
Tom swirled his glass of firewhiskey. Abraxas sat beside him. They drank as they stared into the fireplace. The rest of the Knight's had left mere minutes before.
"I've been thinking," Tom started.
"That's dangerous."
Tom shot him a look, and Abraxas shrugged apologetically.
"As I said, I've been thinking. Peony's not going to be happy without you, forever I mean. How would you and Renata feel about extending your lives?"
Abraxas scrunched his brow as he took another sip and thought.
"Not sure Renata's capable of making a horcrux, to be honest. She's too kind."
Tom nodded, "I knew that. Peony has informed me there may be more than one way to become immortal. Does the name Nicholas Flamel ring a bell?"
"Elixir of Life? You think he'll give you some?"
"We can certainly acquire some, whether or not he wants to give it. Peony would be miserable without the both of you. I'd rather not spend forever with a miserable wife."
"What will we tell people when they ask, and what about our children? None of us will want to outlive our children."
"We give our children Elixir when they come of age, or they can make a horcrux too. If people start to ask too many questions, we have them take over the seats of power, and take a step back."
Abraxas nodded his head as he thought.
"Get the Elixir, and we'll take it, on one condition."
Tom sat down his empty glass, and looked at Abraxas in exasperation.
"You know, I liked it more when you did whatever I said."
Abraxas laughed, "I know you did. My condition is, you build your manor near ours. I'll give Peony some of the outlying property as a wedding gift, and you can buy some of the empty land bordering ours. I want to be near my sister, especially if we're going to be alive forever."
Tom nodded, "Done."
Peony snuck up behind Tom, and wrapped her arms around his center.
"You can't sneak up on me, I'd know your magic anywhere."
Peony smiled. Tom turned so he could look down at her.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Tom."
"A stupid Muggle holiday," he sneered.
"Does that mean you don't want your present?" Peony asked with mirth.
"What is it?"
Peony removed a list from her pocket, and handed it to Tom. He looked over the list, his eyes grew more wide as he went.
He grabbed her hand, and pulled her to an abandoned corner of the Slytherin Common Room.
"Peony, what is this?"
"A list of dates and locations."
"To what, Peony?"
"Grindelwalds' greatest hits. I remembered a little from History of Magic. Defeat him Tom, and you'll be heralded as a hero. Dumbledore did it in my time, and it earned him the Order of Merlin. You will have to attend a rather boring ceremony though."
He looked at her in confusion, and she shrugged.
"I was awarded the Order of Merlin for winning the war. I hated it. I just kept thinking about how much I'd rather be at home, and how every man wasn't you."
"Speaking of…"
A smirk crossed his face as he reached into his robes pocket, and pulled out a box of chocolates. He handed it to her, and she took it with a smile.
"I thought it was a stupid Muggle holiday?"
"It is, but I like to buy you things."
Peony smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"You have your wedding dress consultation in ten minutes Peony!" Abraxas called as he walked through the Common Room.
"Now?!" Peony whined.
"Yes now. You have your chocolates. Tom no doubt has something I don't want to know about, and the designer has come all the way from Paris. Let's go!"
"But Brax-"
"Go with your brother, love. I have some Head Boy duties to see to. I'll see you in a few hours."
Peony spun to look back at Tom, a pout on her face.
"Betrayed by my own fiancé! I wouldn't deign to stick around. I'll take my chocolates and go with Brax, you traitor!"
Tom shook his head with an amused smile, as she spun on her heel, and stomped out of the Common Room. Life wouldn't be boring, that was for sure.
"Abraxas will be back from Quidditch practice by noon," Peony said.
He had been convinced to let them be in the library together. It was public, and therefore much more proper for them to be alone. What Abraxas didn't know was, the Head Boy had a key to the Restricted Section, that was rarely visited.
Tom kissed up the length of her neck, "That gives us at least ten minutes. Shut up and kiss me."
Peony's response was drowned out by the force of Tom's lips against hers. He palmed her breast through the fabric of her dress, and Peony moaned against his lips.
He moved his hands down to the curve of her ass, and picked her up. He pressed her into the shelf behind them, stepping in between her legs.
"Lord Slytherin," she whispered, letting it come out in Parseltongue.
She could feel his erection as he pressed his hips against hers. She whined. He felt so good pressing against her, driving her mad. She didn't want to stop, but they had to.
"Torture me all you want, little witch. Just remember, I'm not letting you out of our bedroom for days after we wed."
Peony laced her hands through his hair, tugging just a bit, and rolled her hips forward into his erection. Tom threw his head back and groaned.
"Do you promise?" She asked mischievously.
"I promise," he hissed into her ear.
The sound of heavy footfalls sounded from the row outside of the restricted section, and Tom backed up, setting Peony down on her feet. He pulled his robes over his front, and Peony smoothed her skirts and fixed her hair.
She walked towards the exit, with a frustrated Tom in her wake. Just before she reached for the latch on the door she turned and looked at him over her shoulder.
"I'll hold you to that, Tom."
"This is all so tedious," Peony whined.
NEWT's were quickly approaching. Books littered the Slytherin Common Room. She wished, not for the first time, that she was some no name witch, so she could blow off the exams all together.
"No one even expects you to do well," Heir Black jeered. "Fail and you'll be praised for trying. Pass and you'll be praised for being exceptional."
Peony fixed him with a glare.
"Well it's true."
"Let's not talk about expectations, mister I married my cousin."
Orion scowled, "That's a low blow. You know I don't like Walburga. I didn't have a choice."
Renata stifled a laugh behind her hand.
"I'd prefer if the rest of you could refrain from marrying your cousins," Tom noted offhandedly. "Inbreeding is dangerous."
"What do you suggest?" Lord Rosier asked.
He was one of the few as of yet unattached Knights. Tom raised his eyes to look at him. He was a simple man, good tempered, easy to lead. His parents had died just a few months ago, gone to another wave of Dragon Pox.
"Find a Halfblood, a powerful one if you can. Marry her, and have lots of children. The Magical world needs new blood. In fact, all of you that aren't married should do the same."
Heir Black looked back and forth dumbly, "You're joking."
Tom set down his quill, and sat back in his chair. His Dark aura filled the room, forbidding dissidence.
"I never joke. Pureblood culture is clearly superior, but something has to be done to work in new blood. Look at the Goyle's, so inbred their Heirs can barely read."
Lord Rosier looked perplexed as he tried to reconcile Tom's words with his entire childhood of teachings. The idea began to settle in his mind. He looked around the room. The others were thinking too.
Halfboods weren't so bad. They weren't Mudbloods.
The face of a particularly pretty Halfblood Hufflepuff flitted through his mind. She had eyes the color of caramel, and curls the color of sunshine. Tom's words cut off his line of thought.
"Many Halfbloods come from families with several children. Three to five is not uncommon. Who can tell me how many children Pureblood families tend to have?"
"They struggle to conceive at all," Peony provided, staring at Orion pointedly. "Three is the absolute maximum in recent history."
Orion had been married off to Walburga young, and yet Peony knew that they would struggle for nearly a decade to conceive Sirius, and then Regulus. He clenched his jaw and looked away. The men at the table knew it was true.
"The only thing that matters is power," Tom reminded. "They have Magical power. They will provide Heirs for your family, and they might even love you while they're at it. Our society must grow, or we die out. It's simple."
Renata giggled, breaking the tension. She loved Abraxas, but she knew it was common for parents not to take into account their children's feelings when arranging a match.
"I think it's a marvelous idea," she offered in a small voice.
Peony smiled at her, "So do I."
The idea began to filter down through the years at Hogwarts, and Peony noticed how the Pureblood boys' eyes tended to linger on the Halfbloods a little longer. A few brave souls even seemed to be noticing Muggleborns.
She would do everything she could to encourage the matches.
This was the future.
"Stay here," Tom instructed.
"No."
Tom stared down at Peony, fire in his eyes. Heir Nott and Heir Black looked between the two, in shock. No one defied Tom so openly. Abraxas stood beside Tom, backing him up.
"Stay here with Renata," Abraxas ordered.
"It's the last Hogsmeade weekend of the year," Peony whined.
"Give us some privacy," Tom ordered.
Everyone turned their backs to Tom and Peony, even Abraxas. They went to look out the windows into the lake, or to loiter near the door.
Tom stepped closer to Peony, putting a hand on her jaw, and pulling her into a kiss. Peony's stomach swooped, and her resolution faltered. Just the touch of his lips made her feel drunk. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.
"Did you forget that today was on that list you gave me?"
Peony's jaw fell open in surprise. She had indeed forgotten.
"Oh."
"Yes, oh. I need you safe, or I won't be able to focus on the duel."
Peony nodded, "Point taken. I apologize, but it's not fair to kiss me into submission."
Tom smirked, "Whatever works."
He turned to leave, but Peony held onto his hand.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Remember to take his wand."
"Lord Slytherin Defeats Grindelwald."
Peony smiled at the front page of the Daily Prophet. Tom looked perfect. Abraxas and Orion were in the background, wands in hand.
They made quite a striking group.
She looked down at her hand, and suddenly understood why Tom wanted her to stay at Hogwarts. Not only did he want her safe from the duel, but she held a piece of his soul on her hand. She could bring him back if she had to.
They both knew the ritual by heart.
Tom pulled her closer. They had a little privacy in the Slytherin Common Room this morning, since no one else had emerged from the dorms yet.
"Can I see the wand?" Peony asked.
Tom removed it from the holster strapped to his right arm, and held it out to Peony. She took it and stroked down the length of it. It felt so familiar, as if she had never left it at all. Tom watched her with rapt eyes.
"Why is it important, Peony?"
"It's the Elder Wand," she whispered as she offered it back to him.
Tom took it, surprise and confusion clear on his face. He placed it in the holster, and returned his gaze to Peony.
"And you give it back to me so freely?"
"It belongs to you now. You're it's master. The Deathly Hallows don't hold any exceptional power. The wand is as strong as its user, and you are incredibly powerful. My ring is the Resurrection Stone. They hold no true power over Death, or I would have used them to bring you back. Still, to have them all again…"
"You were the Mistress of Death?" Tom asked.
Peony recognized that gleam in his eye. She smiled, "I was."
"Do you know where the Invisibility Cloak is?" He asked.
"Of course," Peony chimed. "Before the summer is out, the Deathly Hallows will belong to us once again."
Tom pulled her into a searing kiss.
Invitations were sent out to Tom and Peony's wedding. It had been planned for just a couple weeks after graduation.
Peony had a sneaking suspicion that Abraxas doubted their ability to remain proper for a longer duration of time than that. That was fine with her.
Abraxas' and Renata's wedding would take place the very next week.
Every Pureblood had been invited, along with wealthy or powerful Halfboods and Muggleborns. They were setting the standard for the social season, and no one would dare to turn down an invitation to the wedding of Lord Slytherin, hosted at Malfoy Manor.
"Tom."
Tom raised his eyes to Peony, setting his book aside.
"What is it, Peony?"
He didn't like the timid look she wore. It wasn't something he saw often.
"Well, um, Renata was talking today about after the wedding, and it made me think…"
She looked away, pink dusting her cheeks. She had never been shy before, why was she now?
"Peony, you're making me nervous. What is it?"
"Um, well...I've never had a reason to be on contraception potion before, but it takes a few weeks to be effective, and I wanted to see what you thought?"
Tom's thoughts came to a grinding halt as she spoke. He willed himself to think.
Sex. She was talking about sex. That's why she was so shy. That was actually kind of endearing.
"What do you want?" He asked.
He tried to keep his expression neutral, tried to pretend like the very idea of Peony giving him an Heir didn't thrill him, even though it did.
A dark haired boy, or a blonde little girl, to continue the Slytherin line, a perfect mix of both of them. Just the thought brought a smile to his face.
Peony blushed, looking down.
"I don't want to take the potion. I want a child, your child. We can make a whole new family. Give them the happy childhood we should have had."
She raised her eyes to his, and Tom swallowed, his posture tense in an effort to control himself.
"That sounds perfect."
The Knights stood around Tom in the ballroom of Malfoy Manor.
They had graduated and returned from Hogwarts earlier that very same day.
Tom stood at the foot of the grand staircase. Peony stood slightly back from him, at his side. She knew it was an honor that he asked her to stand there. No one had ever stood at the Dark Lord's side in her time, not even Bellatrix.
"Lord Malfoy," Tom called.
Abraxas stepped forward and offered his forearm. Peony watched with fascination as Tom said the incantation, making the gold crest of Slytherin appear on Abraxas' forearm.
Heir Black approached next, and then Lord Rosier.
It was gorgeous.
Only Tom's top men would receive the Mark. It was no longer a brand, it was a mark of distinction, something to be coveted.
It was a new age.